'Just knock….. Just knock, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a door and she's just your neighbor.' Bucky thought as he raised his hand to knock on the door. He could feel his heartbeat rising; he wasn't afraid because she was… okay looking, he was afraid that she would like him, get attached to him and ultimately leave him because of what he was… what he used to be. Before he had even realized that he had knocked on the door, he heard her footsteps getting closer to the door.
"Coming! Just give me a sec!" Came Nya's voice. Panicking now, Bucky pulled out his keys and took the three steps to his door; unlocking and pushing it open in two swift motions. He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned against it, his shallow breathing the only sound in the room. He strained his ears and listened to the sounds of the hallway; hearing a soft, 'Hello?' followed by the gentle closing of a door.
He went to his table and unceremoniously flopped down in the chair. A scowl worked its way across his face as he stood up and walked to the small, messy desk that was tucked in the corner of the living room; snatching up his very unused pad of paper that Dr. Raynor had given him to "write down any and all good things that happen unexpectedly" and a ball point pen. Bucky ripped the first piece of paper that had 'Happy Things' scrawled across the top, crumpled it, tossed it into the trash can by the desk and went back to the table; turning on the overhead light.
Bucky stared at the paper in front of him for a while before picking up the pen.
'I knocked on your door earlier. It shouldn't take that long to answer the door-' he scrawled before ripping that page off and crumpling it. He heaved a sigh and tried again.
'Hi.
I'm your neighbor in 404. Thanks for the beer yesterday. I appreciated it. A lot. Sorry about earlier at the elevator. I hate small talk. Your nephews are okay for kids; real polite.. they apologized for bumping into me in that weird way that (I assume they are) twins do.
I'm rambling now… Anyway, thanks again for the beer.
~James Barnes'
Bucky read the note a few times before folding it neatly and crisply, standing up and walking to the door. Within a few moments, he wedged the note in Nia's door and knocked; quickly disappearing back into his apartment to watch from the watched on as she opened the door and looked around, picking the note up off the floor. He clearly saw her smile and go back into her apartment, making him let go of a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Their cat and mouse game continued for about another week before one of them made the first move.
It had been late on Friday when there was a knock at Bucky's door. He hadn't been expecting anyone and he was still fuming about Dr. Raynor's passive aggression during his session with her. He got up and walked to the door, looking out the peephole; expecting someone like Sam or Mr. Nakajima. It took him aback when he saw Nya standing in front of his door, waiting patiently. Gathering himself, he unlocked the door and opened it, looking down at her; just then realizing how short she really was.
"Hey! I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place for game night. It's Monopoly and Uno night. It's just me and a few friends." She said, smiling up at him slightly. Bucky thought about it for a minute, his brow slightly furrowed. "There's gonna be beer, burgers and potentially nachos… huh? Did that persuade you?" She asked, a light laugh in her voice. Bucky rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. "Fiiine. Do you have anything other than beer though?" He asked, looking at her. "Yes! I've got a bunch of sodas and stuff! C'mon! Lock up and let's go!" Nya exclaimed excitedly, making Bucky roll his eyes again; going back inside to grab his phone and keys. He locked up his apartment and followed her to hers.