Knock Three Times

Dawn

Knock Three Times

Darcy x Steve AU

"There's nothing wrong with being single, Bucky."

"I know that Punk. Doesn't mean you have t' be." Steve sighed harshly. "All I'm suggesting is getting out more, ok? You can't keep holding yourself up in your apartment all the time. It's not healthy." Steve shook his head, stalking into the kitchen. Bucky followed after a beat, finding him scrubbing at the dirty dishes in the sink. "Steve, I know how much you loved Peggy. She,"

"What's your point, Buck!" Steve snapped, wiping the dish towel off his shoulder to dry his hands.

"My point is she's not dead, stop mourning her! She left you Steve. This wasn't some unforeseeable tragedy that couldn't be prevented. This wasn't a battlefield and you didn't fail to get to her in time to save her from some enemy strike! She left you because she wanted a family and you didn't. She left because she wanted you to give up the one thing that gives you purpose since we retired from the Army, and you wouldn't. She left because you weren't ready for the life she was imagining!" Bucky took a breath, running a hand through his hair. "You have to stop blaming yourself for something you can't change." Bucky was pleading at this point. "It was three years ago, ok? She got what she wanted. She's married. She's got a kid on the way, she's happy, she's successful. But where does that leave you? Alone, working nonstop, the only reason you're not at the office right now is because you're required to take two weeks off every few years. You're alone, she's happy and you're sitting here punishing yourself because you didn't want what she did? What sense does that make? Neither of you did anything wrong, not even you can control these kinds of things."

Silence settled among them, leaving Bucky itching for a response. He'd take anything. Before he could get one though, his phone went off drawing his attention away from Steve.

"Barnes," he answered. "Yea... Alright... I'll be there in ten."

He turned back to Steve after hanging up. "I have to go, we've got a case. Please just think about what I said. And for once maybe take care of yourself instead of worrying about everyone else first."

"Fine, jerk." Bucky chuckled.

"I'll bring the team over for the game on Sunday." Were his parting words.

Steve stopped by his mailbox on the ground floor of his apartment building after his morning run. As he flipped through his mail, he was vaguely aware of a young, feminine voice walking toward him.

"Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me. Twice on the pipe, if the answer is no."

The woman stopped beside him, unlocking her own mailbox and pulling out her mail. "Oh my sweetness... Meets you'll meet me in the hall way... Means you ain't gonna show." Steve smiled despite himself. The young woman was dancing minutely as she sang along to her music, through her earbuds. She was adorable.

Steve hadn't meant to stare, so when she caught him, he blushed. She pulled one of her earbuds out an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, was I being obnoxious again?"

The tone in her voice told him that someone had called her that before. He'd put money on Mr. Heckleman in 4C, definitely not the most likable guy. "Not at all." He finally replied, and the smile he got in return just seemed to lighten up the whole room.

They went their separate ways after that, but he did come to find out that she lived in the apartment above him. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about her, (something that wasn't helped by how much they kept running into each other in the lobby) which was ridiculous, he didn't even know her name. And if he went back to his own apartment and listened to that same song on repeat every time he saw her, who would really, know?

"How about Beth in the commissary?" Steve looked over at Natasha over the end of his beer bottle. "What? She's nice."

"And she's seriously crushing on you." Clint added around a mouthful of pizza. Steve cringed at the sight.

"Ooo, how about Sharon from White collar division?" Bucky piped in. Natasha elbowed him on the side. "What?"

"That's Peggy's cousin." Thor whispered in a soft tone so unlike him.

"Oh, my bad." He took a swig of beer. "Well, is there anyone you're interested in?" Steve's answering shrug irked Bucky more than he'd like to admit. "Did you even think about anything I said before?"

"You screamed it at me Buck, it was hard to miss." Steve got up going into the kitchen as Bucky heaved a sigh.

"Translation: no." Steve rolled his eye pulling another beer out of the fridge after tossing the old bottle in the trash.

"It's been a week. What did you expect me to just jump on it immediately?"

"Kind of." Steve scoffed as he returned to his seat.

"Is there really no one you would consider?" Sam finally spoke up. Steve shrugged again without really thinking about it.

Truth be told there was someone he might consider asking out. A certain brunette one floor above him definitely fit the bill. If he was honest with himself, he could admit that he'd seriously considered asking her out every time he had seen her in passing.

"It's not like anyone is expecting you to marry the first girl you ask. You don't even have to work out. Just ask'em out for coffee or somethin'" Bucky told him. "It's like a band-aid. Rip it off and get it over with."

Steve hesitated, his beer bottle floating half way to his mouth. At some point they all became suspicious of his silence and turned their attention on him.

"Steve?"

"You're right." Steve finally replied standing from his seat. He set his bottle on the table and walked over to the broom closet near the front door.

"I'm always right, punk; it is the degree to which I am right that matters. What are you doing?"

Steve pulled out an old push broom from the closet and moved back to the living room.

"You think you can just sweep a woman out from under the sofa with the dust bunnies? That's not where they come from. And I can assure you, it's not that easy." Clint joked. Steve smirked.

"Of course it's not that easy. If it was you wouldn't be divorced."

"Oooo, you need some ice for that burn, Barton." Sam laughed.

Before Clint could retort, Steve raised the broom and banged the end of the handle on the ceiling three times.

"Ok, seriously, what are you doing?" He didn't reply as he dropped the broom off in the closet on his way out the door. He could hear his friends following behind him as he stepped into the stairwell and ascended to the next floor. "Steve?" Bucky called out as he exited on the next floor.

As he approached his destination the door opened and 'she' stepped out. When she spotted him she smiled.

"Should I be thankful this building doesn't have exposed pipes?" She chuckled.

"Steve."

"Darcy."

"Coffee?"

He smile widened. "I thought you'd never ask."