Chapter Text
“This is the last box,” Sam said, carrying a large box through the front doorway. “Where do you want me to put it?”
“You can put it on the coffee table, Sam,” you called from the kitchen. You were putting away dishes when he came into view.
“Do you want any help setting things up?”
“Nah, I've got it,” you said with a smile. “Thanks for all your help, Sam.”
“It was no problem, Y/N. Like I've been telling you, you're family, Bunny.” You scrunched up your nose and stuck your tongue out at him at the nickname, but smiled all the same. “I gotta go by my mom’s house, but we can meet up and get dinner, alright?”
“Sounds like a plan. See you tonight.”
With a wave, he heads out, but it wasn't until the door shut behind him that it hit you. This is your apartment. All yours. No roommates. No overbearing, but well-meaning, parents living close enough to drop-in unannounced. All yours. You take a minute to look around the apartment, having not been in it since the day you signed the lease a few weeks ago.
The living room was maybe a tad smaller than you'd hoped for but it had a few nice windows and surprisingly a box seat in one of them that you'd already imagined yourself cozying up in to read. The kitchen was a decent size with plenty of counter space and a walk-in pantry. The bedroom was plain for now, but the landlord allowed for painting so you were going to get on that this week. The bathroom had been renovated recently and honestly was what mostly sold you on the apartment. You'd had some bad experiences before with bathrooms from previous tenants that left the bathrooms in a questionable state or the carpet having permanent stains. But the hardwood floors in this one solved that problem. It was a great choice and you were so glad Sam gave you the heads up about the building.
You dug through a couple boxes before you find your small stereo system and plug your phone into it to play some music while you unboxed and do the tedious chore of unpacking. You'd only been unpacking for about an hour when there was a loud bang on your door. You paused the music and went to the door. Maybe it was Sam coming back? You opened the door and your jaw went a little slack. Standing in front of you was a six foot three, blonde Adonis, in a tight white t-shirt and navy blue pajama pants. And he looked more than a little upset.
“Ma’am. Hi. Sorry, I know you're new to the building… and this isn't the best first impression on my part... but could you please turn your music down?” His voice was groggy with sleep.
“Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll keep the volume down.”
A nod and a slow dismissive wave of his hand was all the response you got before he disappeared behind the door across from you.
Welp, so much for making friends with the neighbors. You finish setting up your kitchen, then start to tackle the living room. The set up you tried to have in your old apartment didn't work there, but you had the space now for everything. Your job as a freelance digital artist allowed for you to work from home and you finally made the decision to purchase a 50-inch television to connect to your laptop so you could see your work on a larger screen. The TV was nestled between the two large windows. You moved your sofa to be centered in the space and push the coffee table in front of it. You had a desk your brother gave you that you set up on the side of the room, setting your laptop and drawing tablet in place. You knew you would regret this later but having already unpacked two rooms, you laid out on the couch flipping channels until you settled on a baking show. A triple layer strawberry cake with fresh strawberries on top graced the screen and your sweet tooth instantly made an appearance. That gave you an idea.
Your knuckles hovered a couple inches from the door for a moment before you took a deep breath and knocked. You heard some shuffling and then the door was opening. There he was, though now he was newly showered and looked significantly more awake.
“Hey, uhm. I'm sorry about earlier...I feel like we got off on the wrong foot...and I made these cookies and I just thought... “ You knew you were rambling. You sighed. “I'm Y/N.”
His quirks eyebrow and slight frown transformed into a full grin and his eyes sparkled.
“Thank you, ma’am. You didn't have to do all that. Oh, and I'm Steve. Come on in!” He opens the door wider, allowing you to enter the apartment. You follow him over to the kitchen, taking a look at the living as you pass it. It's surprisingly super clean, not at all what you expected from a guy you pegged to be in his late 20s.
“Ma’am, huh? I feel like you just aged me twenty years,” you chuckled, setting the plate of cookies on the counter.
“Sorry about this morning. I'm a firefighter at the at the Aster Falls Fire House and I had just gotten off a twenty-four hour shift, so my mind wasn't in the best place. Didn't mean to scare ya.”
“Oh no worries! You're a firefighter too? So you know Sam then?”
“Wilson? Yeah, he’s one of my best buddies on the squad.”
“Oh cool! He's sorta like my cousin, long time family friends.”
“Oh, you must be Little Bunny he’s always talking about!” You rolled your eyes at the nickname. “I didn't realize you were moving in this weekend otherwise I would've been over to help.”
“Not a problem, Steve. I'm just sorry I disrupted your sleep.” He dismissed that with a wave and grabbed the milk out of the fridge and two glasses from a cupboard.
“Milk?” You nodded. “So how are you liking the Aster Falls so far?”
“It’s a cute little town. Super different than where I grew up. Very different actually. I went to the supermarket earlier and met Mrs. Coleman. I'd never met her before and she told me to come by for dinner at some point. Is everyone in this town so friendly?” He laughs and pushes one of the glasses of milk towards you.
“Pretty much. Has Sam taken you to Tony’s yet?”
“The diner? I'm meeting him there at six.”
“Oh, you'll love it. Plus they have the best pie around,” he says around a mouthful of cookie.
“Let me guess, you're an apple pie guy?” you tease.
His pinks turn a light shade of pink and he smiles at you. “Yeah, you got me. But everything Pepper bakes is great to be fair.”
“I'll have to take your word for it.” You nibble on your own cookie, happy they turned out well.
“So what brings you to our little part of Maine?” He plops down on one of the stools by the counter and gestures to the other one for you to take.
“Just needed a change of pace, new scenery. Plus I loved this place when I was younger and I figured ‘why not’, you know?”
“I understand the need for a little adventure. I’ve never lived outside Aster Falls myself, but to be fair, there is a lot for this little town to offer. If you like to hike, there are several trails in the hills that have pretty great views, and they lead to you the town’s namesake. Or if you like to sail, the harbor is is pretty great too. Plus the water is pretty calming even from a distance.”
“Trying to get me outdoors, I see,” you tease. “I’ll have to check those out. Maybe they’ll give me some inspiration.”
“Inspiration for what?”
“I’m a freelance artist. I create anything from digital painting concepts to 3D models for companies. I get to travel instead of being locked down in one place. I like to take photographs though of places I’ve been and nature in general for inspiration on personal pieces.”
“That’s pretty cool! I’d love to see some of your work, if that’s alright with you of course.” There was genuine interest in his voice, something so few of your friends back home really showed.
“Of course!” You reached for your phone to check the time. “Shit.” Your hand flew to your mouth and you looked at Steve sheepishly. “Sorry. I just realized the time and I have to leave soon if I’m going to meet Sam on time.”
“No problem! We’ll all have to get together sometime! At the very least, to meet up and get some more of those cookies.”
You laughed as he walked you to the door. “See you around, Steve!”
You were running late to meet Sam at the diner. You’d decided to walk there instead of take your car, which was your first mistake, as you took a wrong turn down a side street and became lost, putting you behind schedule. You sighed in relief as the large red and gold sign shined into view, reading “Tony’s” in bright blue, the smell of burgers becoming stronger as you got closer. That’s when you first saw him. Across from the diner was a tattoo parlor, with the name Black Widow Tattoos on the sign over the storefront. It looked seemingly empty, though you suppose that could be because of the time. However through the window, at a station with a lone light on, sat a man hunched over something. Upon closer inspection, you could see it was a notebook or more likely a sketchbook. You could see he had longer hair that was currently in a man-bun, but what really drew your attention was his face. It was set in a calm focus as he sketched away at something. You didn't realize how long you’d been staring until a voice called your name. You looked over at the sound and saw Sam waving to you from across the street. You waved back and took one last look at the man in the shop but to your surprise, he was staring right back at you.
Shit, now I look like a weirdo or something.
He did a two-finger salute to you and you slowly reciprocated, to which he smirked. Even from where you stood on the sidewalk could you see that smirk, and you felt the blood rush to your cheeks. You shook your head as you turned away and crossed the street to meet up with Sam.
“What's with that look on your face?” he questioned when you got closer.
“Huh?”
“Bunny, you're smiling. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were blushing,” he teases, holding the door open for you.
“Oh, ah. It’s nothing,” you said, taking a seat by the front windows. You looked out to the street and your eyes were immediately drawn to the tattoo parlor. The man you'd seen earlier looked to be locking up the shop and heading down the street from the direction you'd come from. A hand waved in front of your face, jerking you out of your staring.
“Hey, you alright?” Sam watched you with a knowing look on your face. “Ah, been in this town for all of five minutes and you've already got your eye on Barnes. Figures,” he chuckles, shaking his head.
Your waitress comes over then, a slim girl with long, wavy brown hair and sparkling green eyes. She had a friendly smile on her face as she set two glasses of water in front of you.
“How are you two doing tonight?”
“Hey Wanda. We're doing alright. Wanda, I want you to meet my good friend, Y/N. Y/N, this is Wanda, she's probably the friendliest person you will ever meet.” Wanda giggled at that.
“You flatter me, Sam. It's nice to meet you, Y/n.”
“Same to you,” you nodded.
“What can I get for you today?”
You realized you hadn't looked at the menu at all and looked to Sam for a suggestion.
“We’ll have the spaghetti, Wan. Trust me, Y/N, you'll love it. It's Happy’s specialty.”
“I heard Pepper makes the best pie? Does she make cherry too or just apple?”
“And how would you know about the pie, Bun?”
“Oh, I met Steve this morning… and then made it up to him again this afternoon. I didn't know he was trying to sleep after a long shift, and I'd been playing music pretty loudly.”
“Ah, you met the Golden Boy. You've heard me talk about him before. The guys in the squadron gave him a nickname. Captain America ring a bell?” Recognition dawned on you. At least you had a face to put with the name now. It was fitting.
“So who is he?”
“Who’s who?” You nodded your head toward the tattoo shop. “Barnes? He’s a good guy, bit of a complicated life though. He used to be one of us, but then… life happened. He’s had that shop there for a few years now. He's pretty good at what he does.”
You were about to respond when your food arrived and you were suddenly overwhelmed by your hunger, realizing besides a cookie earlier, you hadn't eaten today. Before you knew it, your food was long since devoured and you were finishing off a slice of cherry pie. Steve wasn't kidding, it was amazing. A man with short dark hair and a goatee and a woman with long strawberry blonde hair came up to your table.
“Who do you have here with you Wilson?” the man said.
“This is my long time friend, Y/N. She just moved here from Michigan. Y/N, this is Tony Stark, and the lovely woman next to him is Miss Pepper Potts.”
As Tony went to speak, you immediately blurt, “The pie was amazing, Ms. Potts!”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it!” She beamed at you.
“Of course she enjoyed it! She’d be crazy not to, Pep.” He pecked a kiss on her cheek and she rolled her eyes. They joined your table for a little while, sipping coffee and chatting until they eventually had to get back to running the restaurant.
You got ready for bed later that night, instantly regretting not setting up your room earlier. You sigh, digging out a blanket and pillow from one of the boxes. You resorted to sleeping on the couch for the night, making a mental note to unpack your room first thing in the morning. As you settled into the couch, you realized how quiet it was. With no busy streets and the majority of the town already tucked into their beds, there seemed to be a peaceful calm that surrounded Aster Falls. It would take some getting used to, without the loud city noises and even louder neighbors, but something felt so... right here already.
“Wait, Noah! Stop!”
You were just stepping off the elevator a few days later when you heard a familiar voice shouting from down the hall. You looked up in time to see a little boy with brown hair and bright blue eyes running down the hall in dinosaur print pajamas. Without thinking, you dropped your groceries, cringing at the probably now cracked eggs you’d just bought, and crouched down to catch the boy before he ran onto the elevator behind you. He giggled in your hold and you couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“Oh my god. Y/N, thank you so much,” Steve said, putting his hand over his heart and leaning over for a moment. “I must have left the door unlocked. He’s had a recent fascination with opening doors and getting into mischief.”
“It’s no problem, Steve. He’s cute, is he yours?” He hadn’t mentioned having a child when you’d met him the other day but you suppose that’s not really a conversation for introductions.
“No, not me. This is my best friend Bucky’s son, Noah. Bucky lives on the floor above us. He had to work so I’m on babysitting duty.”
“Well it’s very nice to meet you, Noah,” you said, looking down at the boy who was now standing behind Steve’s legs. You held out your hand to him, “I’m Y/N.” He reached out and shook your hand tentatively then latched back onto Steve’s leg. “I like your dinosaur pjs! My favorite dinosaur is the apatosaurus.”
He didn’t respond, choosing to stay behind the safety of Steve’s leg, but his eyes went wide so you counted that as a win.
“He must be getting tired,” Steve said, though you noted the unsaid finally he seemed to hold back. “It’s after his nap time and someone thinks he’s getting too big for naps.”
“Well, I’m jealous, Noah,” you said, still crouched, “Naps are one of my favorite things.”
“Really?” Noah said, finally coming out from behind Steve’s legs. “You like naps?”
“Oh yeah, big time. I’m an adult though and I can’t seem to find time to take naps very often,” you said, still crouched. You glanced up at Steve and he shot you and appreciative smile.
“Well I guess they’re okay, then.” Noah looked up at Steve, raising his arms to be held. Steve picked him up, and you grabbed your bags and stood up with them. You followed them down the hall and stopped to get your keys out and unlock your door.
“Thanks again, for catching this little monster,” Steve said, while tickling Noah’s belly, to which Noah let out another heartwarming giggle.
“No problem, Steve. Bye Noah!”
As you went about the rest of your day, you couldn't help but wonder why the little boy you'd met looks so familiar to you.