The Neighbor
Hey y'all! This little drabble passed through my mind they other day while I was scrolling through Tumblr so I decided to turn it into something. Not sure if this is gonna have multiple parts yet but I just didn't want to dismiss the idea. Takes place... well idk but Steve still lives in D.C. and all this well with Bucky so use your imagination i guess. Enjoy!
Moving into your new apartment had gone from a half day thing into an all day struggle with heavy boxes and furniture. Your friend had had an emergency, leaving you to your own devices. Your other landlord insisted you be out on time, and you had no other choice but to move into the new building today. Box upon box packed into the truck and then unpacked at the new place. Every time you went downstairs to retrieve another one they seemed to multiply. Struggling up 4 flights of stairs one box at a time had taken hours, and you weren't even half way done yet.
On top your struggle, it had rained an hour into your dilemma and you were now soaking wet and freezing. Today was surely not your day. But, none the less, you were excited to start this new chapter of your life. The new apartment was simple, tan walls with egg shell white trim. One bedroom, one bathroom. Simple for just you, and exactly what you needed for a new start.
You shared the floor with two other apartments, the large one just to the left of one down the hallway. You had met one of your neighbors already. Mrs. Garrity was a sweet old lady and she spent no time saying hello when you had arrived that afternoon. While you were grateful for her hospitality you had no intention of chatting for almost an hour wiht her about the mysterious other neighbor.
"I've seen him once" she said. "Very strange for such a young man... stays in mostly, and never has guests."
You wondered if maybe he was just an outcast, or if you had to worry about this other man living just a door away.
You made your way back out out into the cool damp air, you could hear a motorcycle approaching the building. You caught a glimpse of it as you readied yourself to climb back into the large moving truck.
The rider was handsome. A blonde gentleman, maybe in his early 30's, riding an absolutely pristine looking Harley. The dark blue of the bike reflecting the street lights as he pulled down the alley and into the parking garage. You wondered if he lived in your building.
You grabbed another box and pushed it to the end of the UHAUL. Of course the heaviest stuff would have to be some of the last things to leave the truck. This one was labeled 'PANS', the others all dishes, and your bed. You were ready to go to bed more like it. You hopped off the truck and grasped the heavy box struggling to hoist it off the edge of the truck. A very audible huff escaped you when it hit your abdomen as you struggled to keep a grasp under neath it.
"Do you need some help?" A voice sounded from behind you. You turned around to recognize the man who had been on the bike. He was handsome, you admitted. His bright blue eyes noticeable from this distance, and his hair tousled from riding the machine.
"I don't wan to impose." You replied struggling to hold the box. It must have weighed at least 40 pounds, and you, were in fact quite the weakling. You were almost embarrassed that this man had to see you in this state. Hair messy and starting to dry after being soaked, your clothes wrinkled and messy, your makeup most certainly a mess by now.
"It's no trouble, really." He said with a chuckle as he grabbed the box from you like it was no heavier than a pillow.
"Thank you, uh-"
"Steve" he said smiling at you brightly.
"Well thank you Steve. I'm on floor 4 if you don't mind."
"Not a problem. Hey floor 4? You're my new neighbor!" He said. Of course he was. Your new neighbor was a stud and you looked like you'd just been dragged behind a city bus. You held the door open for him and followed him up that stairs. It seemed easier now... now that you had an opportunity to watch him from behind. You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you caught yourself being such a dog. He entered your apartment and dropped the box on the counter.
"Want help with the rest? I really don't mind." He insisted.
"You're a life saver. I've been trying to empty that truck for the larger part of 5 hours."
He threw his head back and laughed. You had never heard such a handsome laugh. Yes, even his laugh was hot.
He helped you unpack the rest of the truck finally bringing your mattress up and resting it on the bed frame. You collapsed on it and let out a loud sigh, finally thankful it was over. Now all you had to do was unpack every box and settle in.
"Seriously, thank you so much for helping. I would still be struggling if it wasn't for you." You patted him on the shoulder and he shot you a 'welcome' nod.
"Do you want help unpacking all these boxes? It's gonna take you days if you do it alone." He said.
"Honestly if you want to stick around I'd be in your debt. I could use the help. My friend Andrea had to bail and she said she'd help me."
"Let's do it then. Where should we start?"
"Kitchen. But first, music!" You said going to find your speaker. The two of you spent hours talking, laughing, unpacking, and decorating your apartment. It was going by surprisingly fast and you had to admit you were actually having quite a bit of fun. The apartment was cozy, the two of you had somehow managed to finish the entire apartment. At around 11PM you both collapsed on your couch with a sigh of relief. You felt bad you had made him stick around to help you but you learned a lot about each other. You learned he was from Brooklyn, his favorite sport was baseball, and him and his best friend Bucky were in the army together. yet something about him seemed familiar. You couldn't quite place your finger on it but you knew you knew him from somewhere. You high-fived him a good job as you both sat there happy to be done.
"I need pizza. Any good places still open? I owe you food at the very least." you said.
"Casey's down the street is open! Best thin crust this side of D.C." he replied.
"Perfect!"
You ordered a large pizza and asked Steve if he wanted to watch a movie and hangout for a bit. He agreed with no hesitation and you started up The Duke's of Hazard.
"I've never seen this movie." he said.
"It's really funny. Good mindless tv is my favorite sometimes."
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
"You just did." you laughed. "But no really, go for it."
"Do-do you know who I am?" he asked.
"You know it's weird, you look super familiar. But, I can't quite put my finger on it." you quipped.
"Steve Rogers? I'm Captain America?" he seemed to be asking you another question. That's when it hit you. How could you NOT have recognized HIM. You felt like a complete idiot. Captain freaking America was sitting on your couch about to eat a pizza with YOU.
"Ohhhhhhh myyyyy goodddddd... I am so sorry I didn't recognize you!" you exclaimed. He sent you another one of those full bodied laughs that went right through you.
"It's ok! It's actually a really nice change of pace. I get recognized everywhere. It was kinda nice that you got to know about me without knowing who I was completely." he reassured.
"Does that usually matter to people?" you retorted.
"Most of the time yes. Most people just want something from you. An autograph, a picture, for you to hold their baby. And women? Don't get me started." He said.
"Well that can't be a bad thing surely?"
"It is. No one wants to know Steve, they just to be with a super hero."
"I'm sorry Steve." you said placing a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I want to get to know you for you. You're a very nice guy and I appreciate everything you've done for me today." he smiled back at you and just then the door rang. The two of you enjoyed your pizza and watched the rest of the movie before you fell asleep on the couch.
The next morning you woke up in your bed surprised as to how you had gotten there. You stumbled out into your kitchen to find a scribbled note on your counter.
It occurred to me after I left I never actually got your name. I had a really great time helping you last night. I am looking forward to being neighbors with you. If you need anything at all please don't hesitate to knock on my door. -Steve
You hadn't even given him your name. What a complete ditz. Would it be too soon to give it to him now? No no, you liked Steve, you didn't want to follow him like a puppy and make him feel weird. So for now you would let him come to you if he wanted to chat.
A couple weeks had gone by since that first night. You hadn't seen him at all since then. You will admit that you felt quite sad about it. Now and then you would hear him playing a record or two, oldies. The sound just barely filled your apartment and calmed you. The light sound of different artists from the 40's filling your eyes.
The thought of knocking on his door and asking if he wanted to hang out was over whelming but you didn't want to seem like one of those fan girls he had been describing.
The days had grown colder and winter was fast approaching. You spent your days at work trying to make as many new friends as you possibly could. One of your newer friends, Ashley, had asked you if you had wanted to grab a couple drinks with her and her husband.
"Ash I told you I'm not going over there..." You said taking a swig of your beer.
"It's Captain fucking America guy looks like a walking GQ cover." She laughed.
"I'm right here dude." Her husband Charlie piped in. She rolled her eyes at him and smirked.
"Listen all I'm saying is, is that you live next to America's golden boy and he's already spent time with you. hell he even already told you he appreciates you didn't fawn all over him. Just go over there and ask if he wants to go out for coffee. The worst he could say is no." Ash said.
"I guess. But, imagine he says no and then every time I see him in the hallway things are super awkward?"
"He's not gonna say no. You're a complete rocket. Any guy would jump at the chance to take you out." Charlie said.
"I'm right here dude!" Ash mocked him. The three laughed as they continued on and enjoyed their night. It was a little after midnight when you finally decided it was time to head home. The cold air greeted you as you stepped out of the bar and said your goodbyes to the couple. The bar was just 4 blocks away from your apartment so you had no problem walking in your dress even if it was only 40 degrees.
The walk was short and before you knew it your keys were unlocking your front door. A cold gust of air rushed pace you and into the warm hallway of the building.
"What the-" you muttered as you entered the apartment. Your thermostat was reading 32 degrees, colder than it even was outside. By this point you were freezing after trying to figure out why the hell your apartment was so cold. You came to the conclusion that your heat was broken and you would not be warm tonight.
You had two options. Freeze to death, or go see if Steve could fix it. You made your way back into the hallway and to his door. You gave three sharp, yet scared sounding knocks. You felt awful for waking him up.
He opened the door surprised to see you.
"Victoria." You said. He didn't respond, yet he kinda of looked at you with confusion.
"That's my name. Victoria. I never told you what it was." He smiled brightly as you told him.
"Is everything ok? It's super late." He said.
"I'm so sorry to wake you, but my heat is broken and my apartment is barely 30 degrees. Is there any way you could look at it?" you asked shyly.
"Of course oh my, please come in before you freeze to death." he said ushering you into his apartment. It was cozy. The shelves were lined with books, the record player sitting prominently in the corner of the room next to what looked like a reading chair. It smelled of aftershave and man and it welcomed you whole heartedly.
"Here make yourself comfortable and warm up while I go check it out. Don't worry I was already awake anyway, it's no trouble at all." he said grabbing you a blanket and offering you a seat on his couch. You took it happily and made yourself comfortable.
You started to feel sleepy as time wore on. Steve had been gone for almost half an hour when he came back rubbing his hands together trying to warm them up.
"Gosh its freezing in there. But I can't seem to find the cause." he said.
"Well thank you so much for looking." you said getting up and beginning to fold up his blanket.
"Where do you think you"re going?" he asked inquiringly.
"Uhhh- back to my apartment?" you replied confused/
"Absolutely not. You will most literally freeze to death. You can stay here, I'll sleep on the couch." he said.
"I couldn't impose like that." you answered.
"I insist. Here follow me." he said gesturing you to his room. It was huge, the California King bed taking up a lot of the space. The blankets perfectly made, and its welcoming look lulling you to climb in. You smiled and scolded yourself for thinking about how cute he must look sleeping there. You came back to earth as he handed you a pile of clothes.
"Here you can borrow these. The clothes in your apartment are probably frozen solid at this point." He said with a chuckle. He had given you a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt you knew you'd be swimming in.
"Thank you so much Steve." You said pulling him into a hug. It took a second but he welcomed you in and hugged you back.
"It's no trouble at all. I'll be out on the couch if you need anything." he said smiling before he shut the door.
You changed out of your clothes and into his and climbed into bed. Everything he owned smelled like soap and you had to admit you absolutely loved it. You snugglled down into his bed and fell fast asleep... a smile on your face as you dreamed of the super soldier asleep just in the other room...