Archive of Our Own

Then

"Steve's going on a date tonight."

Sharon hummed. It was a good distraction given the stem of the pumpkin nearly slipped off her fingers. Natasha caught on to that though, and Sharon could feel her eyes flickering in amusement.

"That's good. Good for him." Sharon hauled the pumpkin under her arm and straightened herself up. "Do you think I should get another one? For the balcony?"

Natasha still had her arms crossed over her chest and a playful smile appeared on her lips. She tilted her head to one side. "It doesn't bother you?" she asked.

"The carving?"

"No. Rogers. Going on a date," Natasha said. She angled her chin up and her smirk grew. 

Sharon scoffed. "Why would it bother me? Haven't you been trying to set him up with all these women?"

Natasha pressed her lips together. "I have," she said. "But it was a subtle nudge towards a particular person." Her eyes danced.

Sharon turned the other way, her boots sinking into the mud as she side-stepped around the patch. "Oh?" 

Natasha threw her hands up in the air. "Why don't you just admit that it bothers you, and we can be on our merry way?"

"Because it doesn't bother me."

"You like him. Just admit it."

Sharon rolled her eyes, glancing at the other woman from behind her shoulder. "Nat," she warned.

"You two are so stubborn." Natasha kept her arms crossed. "You share a wall. I don't understand why it's so complicated."

Sharon shot her a quick glare and turned again, reaching for another pumpkin stem.

"Oh. Right." Natasha blew out a breath. "Well, if it helps. They're going out on Halloween. Out of all the nights." She huffed a chuckle and shook her head. "A hundred bucks says he doesn't even know that it's the most horrible time of the year to take a woman out."

Sharon lugged the other pumpkin around her other arm, and she pushed it against Natasha's chest. "Make yourself useful and hold onto this."

Natasha scoffed. "Ignore me all you want, but if he takes her back to his place, please tell me you have a sexy costume lying around. You need to outshine this woman.."

Sharon cleared her throat. "I'm a bear," she mumbled, and Natasha made a face. 

“Excuse me. A what?” "

“It's for my downstairs neighbor, okay? Her grandkids are coming over, and I got sucked into this teddy bear party."

Natasha still had the sour look on her face. "Are you a sexy bear at least?"

"No. It's an unbearably horrid costume, and can we not talk about it anymore?" Sharon nudged by her, and they trudged along the mass of children picking out  pumpkins.

Natasha sighed. "You're telling me that Steve may or may not bring this woman home, and if I'm being a little forward, it's because I don't care, but she's most likely wearing lingerie as a costume, and you're.. .prancing around dressed like you're ready to advertise the Disney Channel?"

Sharon cringed. "Yes. Now if we could please just get out of here." She fumbled with a few bills from her wallet to pay at the till. "And how do you know he'll bring her home anyway? He's not like that."

He wasn't, or at least, that's what Sharon thought of him.

Steve was a shy man. Shy, but very kind, and sometimes she thought he was just the most gullible person she'd ever met. In the year that she moved in and began watching over him, she came to realize that he was incredibly lonely, and given all that he went through, she was surprised he still had it in him to throw a casual joke every now and then.

They were awful jokes, but they were jokes.

She would try to laugh at them, but he could tell it wasn't funny eventually, and they would end up laughing at that instead. His flirting was always so polite, if that was even a thing. Gentle, was probably the better word for it, and he got her every time, because whenever she saw him, she promised she'd do everything to grumble like the  madwoman she was.

Apart from being sleep deprived and listening to his classical music vibrating through the walls, the number of people who wanted him dead was.. She lost count. So yes, she was miserable, tired, and exhausted, and all she wanted to do was growl and send him back to his apartment with a single look.

But then he would give her that weak and comforting smile again, and her scowl would disappear.

He certainly wasn’t the type to bring some woman back to his apartment to.. but that's where the gullible thing came in. Steve invited her on numerous occasions to his apartment. Whether he knew what that implied or not, she didn't know. His round eyes and bright smile told her it was meant as a companionable gesture though.

"Oh I know he's not," Natasha drawled. "But women these days.." She tsked. "I bet this one is over the moon."

"Does she know it's him?"

Natasha shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows. He doesn't advertise it. He hasn't even told you, has he?" she said, and Sharon shook her head. "Then no. But if you ask me, this whole secret identity thing is just a waste of time."

Sharon loaded the first pumpkin in the trunk of her car. "Why's that?"

"He needs friends," Natasha said. "And the only way he'll build connections is if he can be honest."

"I'm sure the whole world knows who Steve Rogers is. He doesn't need to spell it out," Sharon told her.

"He has you fooled though," Natasha said, and she smirked. "Innocent, little neighbor. No wonder why he falls all over himself."

Rolling her eyes, Sharon slipped into the driver's seat, and Natasha stretched and made herself comfortable next to her. "He just wants some level of normalcy in his life. It’ll be good for him."

Natasha continued to smirk. “You’re really not giving in, are you?”

Sharon cast her a quick glare. “He’s an assignment. That’s all.”

“Whatever you say.”

He wasn’t certain why he agreed to this. 

The more Steve thought about it, the more the idea of taking out the petite brunette that approached him at the coffee shop the other day was becoming less like a friendly, ‘This restaurant is a good, quiet place to be alone with your thoughts, and I’ll show you sometime,’ to, ‘It’s a date, and I’ll wear something nice,’ sort of… idea. 

He didn’t know what he was thinking, and frankly, he hadn’t flat out said yes, but when this woman approached him as he was sitting idly in the corner of the shop, sketching quietly, she started talking about how she noticed him coming almost every day. The conversation was pleasant and polite, and he said he liked quiet places so that he could be alone with his thoughts. Then she started recommending places for him to try. He listed down a few on his notepad, and then one thing led to another, and before he could understand what was happening, she was writing down her phone number, her address, and was giving him a date and time to meet.

Natasha made fun of him. Of course Natasha would make fun of him.

Because who in the right mind got a date without agreeing to a date, and then not knowing it was a date to begin with? Apparently, him. It was bad enough that if the woman hadn’t written down her name in his notebook, he wouldn’t have known what it was either. 

He sighed. It was just dinner. He’d drive her home and be on his way. He would be the perfect gentleman, and he would sit through it, and--

“Ow, son of a--”

Steve’s ears picked up on the cursing, and he blinked a few times at his closed door. The shadows underneath indicated that there were footsteps in the hall, and because Kate was the only neighbor he had on the same floor, it meant she was the one grumbling feom the other side.

His cheek dimpled. 

For a nurse, she was always cursing to herself. He knew her job wasn’t easy. Most of the time when he saw her, she was dressed in her nurse scrubs and looked like she’d been through a rough night at the hospital. Steve came down with the idea that she wasn’t actually sore with him, but that he always caught her at the wrong time.
If he could get tired, and sometimes he did, he would probably be cranky too. 

Taking in a breath, he pushed himself from his sofa, placed the bookmark in between the pages of his novel, and slowly inched towards the front door.

“Everything alright over there, Kate?” He poked his head out.

She was fumbling with her keys, had one large pumpkin lodged under her arm, and another was sitting by her feet. She turned to him.

“Hey,” she mumbled. “Yes, everything’s fine. The usual.” She huffed a low laugh, and he lowered his eyes, suddenly feeling a little foolish for asking.

“Do you need help with that?” he asked.

“Oh I’m fine, I just--shit!” The pumpkin nearly fell from under her arm, and Steve lauched forward. 

Her eyes widened. “Nice catch.”

He lightly chuckled, half embarrassed at his reaction and quick reflexes. He hoped she didn't notice that it was out of the ordinary.

He held onto the pumpkin. "Two pumpkins," he said. "Are you carving them out?"

Kate raised her eyebrows, and she looked amused. "And making pie."

"You'll need more pumpkins," he said far too fast for his liking.

She looked confused, and for a moment the smile slipped from his lips. He stiffened. It wasn't a very good joke, but..

The corner of Kate's lips lifted, and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

“I have more in the trunk,” she said.

His lips formed into small, “O,” and he bobbed his head. She chuckled, her one eyebrow raised, and she pushed the door open. 

Steve shifted his feet. Should he..follow her? He glanced at the pumpkin in his hands and then to the door. There was rustling, and Kate poked her head out. She looked confused again, but she took the pumpkin from him, and he stayed and lingered outside. When he saw her come back down the entryway, he cleared his throat.

“Do you need some help with the others?” he asked.

She closed the door behind her. “I don’t want to take up more of your time,” she said.

He waved a hand. “No trouble at all.”

He enjoyed their conversations no matter how strange his behavior was when she was near. It was...easy to talk to her. 

They shared a laugh at how he juggled the next  four pumpkins up the stairs and nearly lost his footing. He needed to make it convincing. They weren’t heavy at all, not for him anyway, but Kate knew him as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who did desk work for..he couldn’t quite remember which department he advertised, but it was a stretch from who he actually was.

At times, Steve preferred it this way. She treated him as an equal, someone who was normal--someone who had normal concerns, normal working days, normal... everything. It was...nice. But then there were the times he wished she did know who he was, because then he wouldn’t need to hide.

In all honesty, he was surprised she hadn’t caught on at all. Since the attack in New York, his face had a habit of appearing on the news, and this.. .internet absolutely adored advertising him at every opportunity. Sometimes he couldn’t even remember having done something in the afternoon, and there would be a picture of him floating around in the web proving that he did. It was all very strange.

But Kate was a busy woman. Her schedule was difficult to understand than his own. He supposed working at the hospital had a lot to do with it. He recalled her mentioning that she had a routine shift, but she was also on-call, and that meant she was hardly home.

It was nice that he always managed to run into her as she was either coming or going though. If it weren’t for those coincidences, he probably wouldn’t see her at all.

She gestured for him to enter, and she used her foot to nudge open her door. He did, feeling slightly more at ease that they just had a friendly conversation about her trudging and scouring a pumpkin patch earlier that afternoon. The thought of her wandering through tweed in her mud soaked boots somehow made him laugh. It was all so normal. And that made him comfortable enough to enter her apartment.

He placed the pumpkins on her dining table, and Kate crossed her arms over her chest, her lips pursing and her eyebrows knitting together.

“Hopefully, I have enough for the pie,” she mumbled.

“You have six.” He counted just to be sure. “How many pies are you making?”

She sighed. “I got suckered into a Halloween party tomorrow night for--You know Elaine from downstairs?” she asked. Steve nodded, and Kate sighed again. “It’s for her grandkids. I promised to make a couple" Her lips twisted together. "I’m hoping to save some for a...family member, and there’s also a friend who won’t let up about having her own so…”

He grinned. An honest one. He didn’t know where she found the time, and she looked exhausted enough.

“I could help,” he offered. She looked curious, and he settled for rubbing the back of his head. “Only if you want. I don’t know how to make a pie, but I could crack open the pumpkin.”

Kate lightly laughed. “Crack open a pumpkin, huh?” She placed her hands on her hips. “Hmm. That sounds good. I was planning to make two tonight and then two tomorrow morning.”

He cleared his throat. “I don’t have plans.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Suit yourself.”

How did she get herself into this?

Sharon quietly grumbled to herself as the food processor grinded away. After she realized that Steve knew nothing about carving a pumpkin, she demoed how to slice the top off, and they worked to scoop the rest to clean them out. He laughed a good portion of the time, and the worst part? She laughed too.

So now she had her back turned while he sat by the dining table scrolling through his phone to pick out a design to carve for his pumpkin. She only really needed the puree, and initially, she did plan on carving them out herself to decorate her grim looking balcony. 

But he just looked so curious. And she had six pumpkins. 

Steve’s eyes brightened, and she couldn’t tell if he was more embarrassed or excited when she offered he could keep two of them.

“I can’t decide.”

Sharon peered from her shoulder. She was just kneeing the dough against the marble when he spoke. He looked conflicted.

Steve set his phone aside and he came closer with a few short steps. “Is there anything I can help with here?”

She hid a grin. Most days she heard him scrambling in his kitchen trying to cook dinner. Anyone could tell he didn’t have a knack for it, but Steve was Steve. He’d rather help and be awful at things than not help at all.

“I’ll roll this one out, and you do this one,” she said. “You do know how to roll out dough, right?”

He thought for a moment, the bit of boyish curiosity back two-fold. “My mother used to make pies,” he said. “I watched, but I was never good at it.”

Sharon gave him a soft smile. She read his file before she officially took on the assignment. She knew bits and pieces from her aunt, yes, but too many people spoke about him while she was growing up. Most of the time, she just turned a blind eye to it all. He was, if anything, dead…at the time.

And now... she was his neighbor, his protector--not that he needed one, but she was there anyhow, and she fought off people who constantly had it out for him. She was sleep deprived, she had to wear nurse scrubs half the time, put up with this old woman downstairs and her grandchildren, and this whole Halloween business, and--

She felt for him. She really did. His eyes flickered, and she caught onto the loneliness he tried so hard to push away.

“Yours definitely looks nicer.”

Sharon blinked away her thoughts, and she shifted her eyes to his crumpled pie dough on the counter. She nibbled her bottom lip to hold back a laugh. “It’s..” She blew out a breath. “It looks awful, to be honest.” He cringed, and so did she. “Sorry, but it does.”

She may be able to save it, but he used too much flour, and it was a dried up mess.

“I’m sorry.” He hung his head. “Can it be salvaged?” He looked hopeful.

“Here.” She took it from him. “It just needs some warmth to break down all this flour.”

He bobbed his head, his eyes watching her carefully. He was a smart man, and he learned quickly, and it wasn’t long before they were laying out the dough in the pan. The puree was already warm on the stove, and the conversation between them was surprisingly light.

They were just mixing in the condensed milk when she heard a soft creak. It was the floorboards in his apartment. Their kitchens were wall to wall, and even with the fan blowing, the distinct sounds of footsteps could be heard. 

She tried not to look alarmed. 

Steve didn’t seem to notice her own distress. He was too concerned with what he heard too. His eyes were hard, and his lips had gone thin. Sharon knew he was listening closely and that any second now, he--

“I need to go,” he said. She attempted to look surprised. “I’m sorry,” he said, and he honestly looked disappointed. “I just remembered I need to send in a report for...work. Can I come back tonight?”

It was a strange request, but Sharon knew he meant anything but that.

She gave him one of her best smiles. “Sure. No problem.”

His face fell, but he made a dash for his phone and was out the door seconds later.

Sharon kept the carving knife close by. There was thumping against the walls and the shattering of glass. That was either his enclosed bookcase or his coffee table being broken into pieces. She’d been in his apartment more than enough times to memorize where things were. Half of his furniture wasn’t even the original items he picked out. He had her to thank for that, or partially thank her. She often repurchased what was destroyed in the..heat of the rumble with her opponent. At least when he was the one fending them off, he didn’t need to worry about lugging around furniture up the stairs in secret.

Still, Sharon kept the knife close. She had a gun stored away under the kitchen sink too in the event she needed to break down his door. Steve may be capable of fending off aliens, but she needed to tend to his safety. It was her job, and she was responsible for him. It didn't matter how irritated she was with playing the sweet nurse, she was a professional. And damn it, she'd do it all if she needed to.

Glancing down at pie, she sighed and popped them into the oven. There were a few other thumps against the wall, and then Steve's apartment was dead silent.

Sharon's lips twisted anxiously. He won..right?

She'd never seen him fight first hand. There were videos of him practically soaring through the air in New York and lifting and hurling a small vehicle during the battle. Surely he won this round. O should be relatively easy for him.

Right?

Sharon crossed her arms over her chest. "Shit," she mumbled. Her index finger tapped mercilessly against her forearm. 

She waited.

And waited.

She glanced at the clock. The pies would be done in the next five minutes. Perhaps she should knock. If Steve answered then problem solved. If he didn't answer then she would need to break down his door.

Her eyes narrowed.

Damn it, Steve.

She opted for the carving knife. If the head that poked out when she knocked had a patch of blonde hair and blue eyes, she'd have a much easier time explaining the need to wield a knife than holding firearms.

She rapped on his door, her grip on the handle of the knife tight. Sharon glared and knocked again.

"Steve?"

Another knock.

Fuck it all to hell.

She took a step back and was fully prepared to break down the blasted door with her foot when it started to creak open. Sharon recovered in a hurry. Her shoulders were tense and her eyes were round. She needed to be prepared to either be: Kate the sweet nurse, or a woman equipped with a sharp blade that no one should be messing around with.

Her oven timer beeped, she grumbled, and the door finally swung open.

Steve appeared, his clothes slightly wrinkled. She could see a series of conflicted emotions in his eyes.

“Kate,” he managed. “Is there something wrong?”

She noticed he kept part of the door closed, the space just enough for him to peek out. Sharon  breathed a sigh of relief, and she kept the knife hidden behind her back.

“I heard noises,” she told him. “I was wondering if you were alright.” Being the curious neighbor that she was, she tiptoed to peer over his shoulder.

He looked at a loss for words. For once, Sharon thought it was amusing being on the other side of a coverup. She almost smirked at the thought. His mumbling was also all over the place. He wasn’t a very good liar.

“No--” Steve glanced over his shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong. I just...slipped. Hit my knee on the table.” Her eyes dropped to his knee, and she raised an eyebrow. “I, uh, everything is fine. I’m really sorry to disturb you.”

Sharon gave him a friendly smile and a thumbs up. “Sounds good,” she said. “Be careful. Those tables can be very deadly this time of year.”

Bad joke, but he appreciated it. He was struggling enough with hoping his excuse sounded foolproof. He really wasn’t meant for undercover ops.

The pie crust was a little burned by the time she returned to her kitchen. She nearly flung the thing onto a cooling rack. Damn it. This wasn’t her day. She grumbled at the charred edges. Natasha wouldn’t be happy this was the one she was getting.

Steve didn’t show up the next morning.

By brunch, Sharon busied herself in the kitchen to bake the two extra pies for the kids party. She had plenty to do today. Steve had no missions lined up, so the only thing he had to worry about was running into him when she visited her aunt. It should be quick. She planned to drop by the home, have a slice of pie with Peggy, and then come back, and..

God. This bear costume would be the death of her. It was meant for the children’s mother, who unfortunately had to work and couldn’t attend.

She juggled the pie and swung her purse strap over her shoulder. She was just locking her door, when Steve opened his. Sharon hid a groan. He better not have plans to visit Peggy. She hadn’t seen her aunt in a while. She needed this.

“Kate?”

She gave him a short smile. 

Steve awkwardly waved. “Are you on the way out?” he asked. She almost let out a grumble. “Of course you’re going out.” A low chuckle vibrated in his chest, and he gestured to her purse. “I just want to apologize for the other night. I was…preoccupied, and I know I didn’t come by this morning, and--”

Sharon put a hand up. “Steve, it’s fine. It’s just a few pies,” she said. “Your pumpkins are still in here though. Do you want to come grab them?” She kicked the door open.

“Right.” He shifted his feet and dropped his eyes to the floor.

“Steve.” She gave him a hard look. “It’s fine. Really.” She set the pie down on the counter, and picked up the two pumpkins. 

He took them from her. “Maybe when you get back, we can carve them together?” he said quietly. Her eyebrows shot up. “I was looking at a few designs the other night, and maybe we can take them downstairs to Elaine for those kids.”

Her cheek dimpled. His eyes were round, and there was that hopeful grin on his face again. “Sure. I’m sure Elaine’s just happy for the company,” she said, and her brows furrowed. “Do you have a costume?”

“Costume?”

“It’s a costume party. The theme is ‘bear.’” She said the last part with some disdain, and he laughed.

“I don’t think I have anything like that,” he said. “But I’m sure I can think of something.”

Sharon shook her head and made a grab for Peggy's pie again. “Alright, I should be back before dinner. Should I knock?”

“I have good hearing,” he said, and he paused and stilled for a good few seconds. “I mean, the walls are thin. I’m sure that--Yeah, sure you can knock.”

She bit back another laugh, mostly because he was still stumbling over his words, and she needed to head out. “Alright. I’ll knock,” she said. “Try to prepare a costume.” She waved, and happily trotted down the stairs.

A costume. A costume.

Steve scrolled through his phone. 

There were a few stores around the block that were selling costumes, but there wasn’t anything that resembled a bear. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed until Natasha’s contact appeared on his phone screen.

“Are you living your best life yet?”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Usually when a person calls, they say, “Hello.””

“I don’t have a lot of time.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What are you doing?”

“About to nap.”

He rolled his eyes. “And the reason you’re calling is..”

“Wondering if you’re excited about your date.”

Steve froze. Date? He clamped a hand over his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you forgot your big night?”

His stomach twisted, and he ran a hand down his face. “I--” 

His eyes widened. Oh god. Kate. He promised Kate he would--

Steve groaned, and his hand found his eyes again. How could he let this happen?

“Steve?”

“I’m here.” He slumped, seated on his couch.

“I’m going to pretend that the air just didn’t shift, and I’ll assume that you’re excited,” came Natasha’s drawl.

“Everything’s fine, Nat.”

It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. What in the world was he going to do?

“I want to hear all about it tomorrow,” Natasha said. “Don’t forget what we talked about.”

Steve made a face. “No, Nat.” He made an irritated noise. “I’m not inviting her upstairs.”

She was chuckling now. “You’re in the 21st century now, Rogers. Men don’t need to invite a woman upstairs. They do what they please.”

He rubbed his temples. “Goodbye, Nat.”

He didn’t have it in him to hang up. It just wasn’t him, and so he waited for her laughing to die down. When he heard the line click, his eyes shot to the ceiling. They were wide, pained, and utterly confused.

What in blazes was he thinking? Clearly, he wasn’t. If he had been, this wouldn’t.. Perhaps this...Natalie woman wasn’t expecting.. He hadn’t flat out agreed, and it would be very poor to think that anyone would just show up at their door because they left their name, phone number and address on a napkin. 

But what if she was...expecting? Was he the type of man to leave a woman waiting? 

His face paled. He was. In fact, it was what he did best. Unintentionally, of course.

Steve sighed. He would just need to explain to Kate that he wouldn’t be able to join her, and that he was sorry. He really was. However short their time was the other day, it was the first time they got to know each other on a different level. 

She was kind, and charming, and he.. Maybe he had a crush on her. So this kids party was.. He was excited about this. And what’s worse was that he would need to leave to drive and pick up Natalie in her home before dinner. It meant he wouldn't be home by the time Kate returned. And he didn't have her number..

He shut his eyes.

He hated everything about this holiday already.

Sharon dragged her feet up the stairs.

Peggy was in fine spirits when she came by. Thrilled even. But then part way through the conversation, her words slurred here and there until her brows furrowed, and she asked who brought over the pie.

She should have expected it, but Sharon always thought that what little time they had together still meant something. This assignment with Steve was preventing her from visiting often, but for what it was worth, she was grateful that he provided that time for Peggy, even if he did look rather sullen coming home after it all.

She sighed and trudged along the last few steps up. She fiddled with her keys, and raised an eyebrow.

There was a neat envelope taped just underneath the number 3 of her door that read, “Kate.”

She glanced at Steve’s door and moved to open the envelope.

Kate.

I am deeply sorry, but I can’t make it tonight. Something came up. I hope I can make it up to you.

Steve.

She wasn’t sure why she was disappointed. 

Steve had important things to do, and if she were being completely honest, a children’s costume party wasn’t her idea of a fun filled night either. She was disappointed yes, but at least he wasn’t going to see her in this awful costume.

She left her other pumpkins outside his door. Perhaps if he had time, and since he was so curious, he could carve the rest himself if he made it home from whatever mission he was called on.

By half past seven, Sharon stood, slumped, as her reflection stared back at her. She was grateful Natasha hadn’t come by. This costume was probably the most humiliating outfit she’d ever worn in her life. 

It was two times her size, that was the first thing, the second, was that it was incredibly furry, and she was sweating even while she was idle, and then the ears.. She cringed. It was a complete suit, and the headpiece was just as atrocious.

At least only Elaine and her grandchildren needed to see this monstrosity.

She swung the plastic bag hand around her forearm. Candy for the children? Check. Pies? Check. Furry, atrocious, bear costume? Check.

Waddling to her door, Sharon shifted her feet and body suit out into the hallway. 

“Fucking keys.” She didn’t even have hands anymore. She groaned to herself as she struggled locking her door with her paws. Paws! Why did she agree to this?

“Kate?”

She froze.

Of course. Just...of course. Because why wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity for Steve to come home? Just as she was juggling two pies, a bag of treats, and was dressed in what she considered to be a burlap sack, he just so happened to be strolling down the hall. Wonderful.

She sighed and turned, hoping she didn’t look as defeated as she felt.

Her heart dropped.

“Hello.”

He was with a woman. A brunette. And she was dressed in.. a very provocative outfit. The trench coat really did nothing to hide whatever it was that she was wearing.

The woman flashed some teeth. “Hello,” she said, and she glanced at Steve. “Your neighbor?”

Sharon could only stare. Steve had his hands tucked deep in his pockets, and he was dressed rather nice. She looked him over and recalled Natasha’s gossip. He was on a date. A date. Was that why he said he couldn’t make it tonight?

She shouldn't be bothered, but the woman was beautiful, dressed like she was ready to walk a runway, and Sharon was.. well, she was a bear.

“Hi,” she finally said, and she flashed her own set of pearly teeth. “That’s me. The neighbor.”

“This is Kate,” Steve said quickly, and she could see him shifting his feet back and forth. “Kate, this is--”

“Natalie,” the woman said, and she extended her hand.

Sharon dropped her eyes to the long slender and manicured fingers. She reached out a hand.

Shit.

She dropped her keys.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. Her paws struggled to grab them. 

Steve crouched down to assist her.

Her face flushed. This was humiliating.

“Just put it in the bag,” she grumbled. She stuck out her arm and gestured to the unbranded, half-ripped, plastic bag filled with candy. 

Steve nodded, and he slipped her keys on top of some M&Ms packets. “I uh, was just showing Natalie the apartment.”

Sharon narrowed her eyes. She didn’t mean to, but she did. “Oh?”

The woman smiled again, and she looped her hand around his forearm. “Yes, Steve was just telling me that it was spacious, and I was looking around the area for a new apartment myself.”

Sharon forced a smile. “That sounds...wonderful.” She couldn’t find it in her to look him in the eye, so her eyes fell on the pie. “Well, I’d better go. Have fun.”

She ignored Steve, who looked like he wanted to say something, and proceeded down the stairs. The least she could do was not trip while wearing this horrendous outfit she waddled down the stairs. She still had her pride after all.

A woman? In his apartment? Bringing her in to see the...space? God. Either Rogers was extremely dense, or he just..

A rare growl vibrated in her chest. If he was going to be busy all night, then perhaps after the party, she could head out herself. Protecting him was one thing, but she certainly did not want to be nearby while he had company.

Elaine’s apartment was detailed with decorations. Most were children friendly, but the battery operated pumpkin outside her door that lit up with loud laughter made her jump and nearly drop her pie.

There wasn’t any other visitor apart from her, and Sharon never really had much of a conversation with old Elaine. Their encounters were brief. 

Normally, she would catch Sharon mid haul of the latest body bag, and Elaine would raise her eyebrows and mumble something about asking the nice strong man in apartment 4 to help her with all the donations she always had to deliver. Why Elaine always seemed to be around while she was in the middle of disposing of the latest dead scumbag, she didn’t know.

And yes, the horrid costume was making her itch, and she was sweating like she’d been trudging around the Sahara, but Sharon was happy for the company. The children were dressed similarly, and Elaine took pictures with Sharon in the middle. She forced a smile through it all and ended up succumbing to the children’s wishes in telling a scary story.

“And so when the bad monster came to attack her in the living room, she was prepared, and she whipped out the AK hidden behind her back, and the thing didn’t stand a chance. Bullets were flying everywhere, and the monster was vanquished.”

The six year old girl scratched at her head. “But monsters don’t die from guns.”

Sharon resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “They certainly do.”

“I don’t think it’s very appropriate for the Princess to be carrying around a gun.” This was the older brother now, and he was barely eight.

“Why not?” Sharon asked, and she placed her paws on her hips.

“Well, girls don’t do those things. Usually, the hero comes swooping in to save the day,” the boy continued.

Sharon attempted to wag a finger. The paw moved side to side. “This isn’t your ordinary princess. This is a badass--er.. special princess, and she has guns.”

“So did she scare the bad monster away?” The little girl looked hopeful.

“You’re darn right she did. She scared him so badly that he left and never came back.” Sharon smiled to herself, and the two children scampered off to dig at their candy.

“Thank you for the pie, my dear.” Elaine patted Sharon gently on the shoulder. “The children were delighted.” 

Sharon ducked her head. “It was no trouble. I had similar family events before. Not this costume, but--”

“It was a lovely gesture, and you certainly made their night,” Elaine said, and she offered her another slice. “It’s just too bad that nice young man couldn’t join us. He looked absolutely distraught this afternoon.”

Sharon raised an eyebrow. “Nice young man?”

“Oh you know, number 4. He’s a looker, that one,” Elaine said, and she nudged her with her elbow. “He came by earlier and said you invited him to join us, but something came up. He looked disappointed he couldn’t come. He was the one who brought that adorable jumping pumpkin outside the door.”

Sharon hid a smile. “He did, did he?”

“It really is a shame,” Elaine said. “Though I suppose, he had urgent matters to attend to.”

Sharon’s smile fell. “I’m sure he does. He’s very busy.” Her lips thinned.

“Hopefully he’ll come back soon. He left a while ago,” Elaine said.

“He’s just upstairs,” Sharon blurted. “But I’m sure he’s too preoccupied.” Her eyes narrowed a bit.

Elaine’s eyebrows furrowed. “I saw him a while ago from the window. He left with some woman just after you came down."

Sharon blinked. He did?

"Oh gosh. I certainly hope he doesn’t have a girlfriend. This one may be old, but back in my day, he would have been my type," Elaine continued.

Sharon let out a light laugh. If she only knew.

There was a knock at the door, and the little boy darted toward it with a basket of candy. “I’ll get it!” he called out.

Sharon stuffed more pie in her mouth. So he left.. just shortly after she came down? What in the world did that mean?

“AH! It’s the monster!”

Sharon sprang from her seat at the dining table, and she nearly tripped over her oversized paws. She wasn’t thinking. Yes, it was Halloween, but she also came prepared. She had a gun strapped to her leg, and if--

“No, no, it’s me from apartment 4!”

Sharon made a face, and Elaine clapped her hands, laughing gleefully beside her. 

Because there stood Steve at the entryway, or who she supposed was Steve. He had the most ridiculous Halloween mask on, and he was wearing his Captain America outfit. Sharon bit back a laugh as he stepped in, and the two children scrambled away.

“I’m sorry I was delayed,” he said, and it came out muffled through his mask.

“Oh, it’s delightful you could make it, dear,” Elaine told him, and she beckoned with her hand. “Let me get you some of this pie.”

Sharon pressed her lips together to hold in another laugh, and he approached her, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I couldn’t find a bear costume,” he said. “I figured this was the closest thing.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are you supposed to be?” She eyed his outfit and the familiar star on his chest.

“I, uh, just put some things together.”

“Are you a dog?” This time she did laugh.

He held his hands out, waving them. He pointed to his mask. “No, no. I’m a wolf.”

She placed her fingers on her lips to hide a smile. “That’s nowhere close to a bear.”

“It was the only animal mask left on the shelf.” his shoulders slumped.

“Ah.” Sharon eyed the rest of his costume. “And this?”

“It didn’t seem right to just wear a shirt.”

Her eyes danced. “So you’re a Captain America...dog?”

“A wolf, really.”

Her eyes squinted, and she held in another laugh, and he slipped the mask off, and his cheeks were actually flushed and pink. 

“This wasn’t thought out very well,” he said. “There’s barely any breathing holes.”

Elaine’s grandson poked his head out from behind Sharon's leg. “I don’t understand your costume. Are you Captain America, or are you a dog?”

Steve’s face reddened even more. “It’s a...wolf.”

“He can’t be Captain America.” The granddaughter was back now and she was snacking on a chocolate bar. “He’s too short.”

Her brother nodded. “Yeah, and Captain America has a shield. He doesn’t become a dog.”

Sharon laughed, and Steve clamped a hand over his eyes.

They chatted with Elaine, and the children poked more fun at Steve’s costume. Sharon shook her head every now and then. Even while embarrassed, Steve laughed along, and she watched him from the corner of her eye. She didn’t see him laugh often, but when he did, it reminded her of just how young he still was. His eyes were light and more blue now than she’d ever seen before.

He was the youngest and oldest man she’d ever met.

She softly smiled.

“I didn’t realize playing with children was so exhausting.”

Sharon scratched her cheek. They were in the hallway landing leading to their apartment doors, and Steve had his mask nestled under his arm.

“They have too much energy,” Sharon told him. “We’re old. We can’t keep up.”

He laughed again. “I know I definitely don’t.”

Her cheek dimpled. She understood that one. “Okay, well, this is me.” She gestured to her door.

He let out a sigh. “Kate, I’m sorry about tonight.” He was back to rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t plan things out right.”

Her smile disappeared. That was right. He had been on a date. And then now he was explaining himself. She didn’t know why he was. He didn’t need to explain.

“It’s fine,” she said, and she shrugged her shoulders. “I hope my costume didn’t scare your date.”

He let out a low chuckle, one that slightly highlighted his nerves. “It wasn’t a date--” He paused. “It was a-- It’s a long story.”

Sharon pressed her lips together, and she glanced at his door. “Mmhmm.”

Steve’s eyes shifted, and he blinked. His eyes widened. He pointed to his door. “Oh, no. No, no. That’s not what that was.”

She held up a hand. “No need to explain. Your time, your space.” She meant it, even if she was still irritated. Shit. She was irritated. Somewhere, Natasha was grinning like the madwoman Sharon knew she was. “I should head in. It’s late.”

“Kate.”

She gave him a moment, but her keys were already in the lock. 

“I had a good time,” he said quietly. “At Elaine’s, I mean. With you. I had a good time.”

She let out a sigh and looked over her shoulder. “You should keep the outfit,” she said. “It suits you.”

She closed the door.

Now

“Nothing happened. I swear it.”

Sharon hummed, and she slid the oven door open to grab the pie tray.

Steve was shuffling behind her. “Nothing happened.”

She placed the pie on the cooling rack and quietly kept humming.

“She didn’t even want to stay.”

“Mmhmm.”

Steve sighed, a long one. “Nothing happened,” he said again. “I dropped her home. She was barely in my apartment for five minutes.”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Mmhmm.”

His face hardened. “Sharon.”

She hummed again, and this time, she cut into the pie.

“She left,” he said. “She left because she was angry I called her costume indecent.”

Sharon slowly turned her head. She blankly stared at him.

“I did.”

“You were the one who brought up Halloween,” she grumbled. “And costumes.” She ignored the way his arms came to wrap from behind her.

He held her close. “I did. You asked me what my favorite holiday was."

She narrowed her eyes. “What was the point?” The knife dug into the pie again.

“I thought.. our costumes both had paws so.. I thought it was..cute. We matched."

She blew out a fit of chuckles, and he hid his face in her neck.

He mumbled, “You asked what my favorite holiday was. The bear did it for me.”