Welcome to the Neighbourhood

Chapter 3

The weeks went by and Dylan was relieved that she barely saw Bucky aside from the occasional annoyed look in the lobby. She had settled into her apartment nicely, and had found a decent routine with her writing. The book was shaping up, and she was excited about it – this could be the best Daisy instalment yet.

It was late one Friday evening when she was on a roll with a chapter that had been giving her a hard time because of a tricky plot point. She'd finally made a breakthrough and was hammering it out on her Mac. It was late so she was just in her pyjamas – a skimpy vest top and some little shorts. It was Autumn but the apartments in her building were so warm and well insulated that she didn't need many layers while at home.

She must've drifted off at some point as she woke at her desk with a jolt, panicking as an ear piercing shrieking tone echoed through her apartment. It was so loud she could barely hear herself think. It throbbed in her ears. She checked her phone – it was a bit after midnight. It suddenly clicked that the blaring noise was the fire alarm. Fire! The alarm must've been triggered. Still groggy from sleep and distracted by how penetrating the alarm sound was, she grabbed her phone and keys and shot out of the apartment – acting on instinct she barrelled down the stairs and through the fire exit.

It wasn't until she joined the group of other dazed residents and the cold air gave her clarity that she realised her mistake. Everyone else had grabbed a coat or a sweater as they evacuated, and here she was in the middle of Autumn, barefoot and shivering in her tiny night clothes.

Fuck.

She got a few odd looks from her neighbours as she folded her arms in front of her chest and hoped that she would somehow shrivel up and disappear. She clumsily pulled her shorts down slightly, hoping to cover up a bit more ass cheek.

"Here" came a voice from behind her, and someone passed a large sweater into her hands.

She shot around to find Bucky, taken aback by his night time appearance. He looked so much...softer. He wore a white vest and loose grey pyjama pants, his hair was ruffled and fluffier than usual. She could see dog tags around his neck. His metal arm was visible for the first time, and she marvelled briefly at its intricacy – the way it fit to his body was a true feat of engineering. But she snapped her head away, not wanting him to think she was staring.

"Oh, I, uh-" she mumbled as she clutched the sweater. "Thanks..But don't you..." she gestured at him.

"You take it" he said firmly. "It's cold". He carefully moved his eyes up so she wouldn't think he was looking at her exposed body. She momentarily thought it was funny that they were both trying their best not to look at one another for different reasons.

"Thank-you" she said quietly as she pulled the sweater over herself. She felt silent relief when it sat at the middle of her thigh, mercifully protecting her modesty.

"I could wear this as a chic sweater dress" she joked, and he smiled at her for a second.

"Thanks Barnes" she said gently, smiling at him meekly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"No problem. It's cold out here" he said casually, as if that had been the true and sole reason he gave it to her, not because she was practically naked out on the street.

His breath had hitched when he saw her, her round ass cheeks peeking teasingly out of the bottom of her shorts, the swell of her breasts spilling out of her top, the way her waist dipped in and out like an hour glass. He'd wanted to grab handfuls of her, to risk the fire and drag her back upstairs, exploring every inch of her with his fingers and tongue...

...but then he saw her anxious face, and how she nervously tugged at the bottom of her shorts. He felt a twinge of empathy for her, and was slightly amused she'd clearly rushed out without thinking. So he'd taken his sweater off and offered it to her, even though it meant his neighbours all seeing his arm which he still felt a bit uncomfortable with. The alarms were even harder on his ears with his enhanced hearing, so he was feeling quite out of sorts and exposed.

They'd hovered awkwardly as the fire brigade turned up only to be told it was a false alarm, someone had got a bagel stuck in the toaster and it had tripped all the smoke detectors. The group grumbled and sighed as they filed back indoors, and Dylan realised she could smell Bucky on the sweater. She inhaled deeply as he walked in front of her, hoping he wouldn't notice.

He smelled really good.

As they got upstairs she called to him as he unlocked his door.

"Barnes...thanks again" she told him bashfully as he turned to face her. She pulled the sweater off and handed it back, and he kept his eyeline firmly above her face as she was back in her little PJs.

"You're welcome. Weirdly I was wearing that same outfit earlier so thank God I changed, that could've been embarrassing".

Dylan giggled, caught off guard.

He loved that giggle. He wanted to hear it again.

"You know you can be pretty funny for a centenarian" she quipped.

"Especially as it's way past my bedtime" he shot back.

They shared a rare smile between them.

"Can I ask you something?" he said hesitantly.

"Is it that you want Paige's number? Because I just need to check she's alright-"

"No, not that..." he interrupted. He looked at her quizzically. "Why did you think that?"

Dylan shrugged. "Normally that's what follows when guys ask if they can ask me something. And you and Paige seemed to hit it off and she's gorgeous so..."

Bucky shook his head. "No...it wasn't that. Paige is nice...but no".

Dylan nodded, a tiny stitch of relief shifted in her stomach. She looked at him expectantly.

"I was gonna ask..." He trailed off, then held a finger up for her to wait as he disappeared into his apartment. She blinked with confusion, suddenly aware again that she was scantily clad out in the hall.

He popped out again a moment later. "...my question was, how could Daisy possibly choose Luke the accountant over Steve the flour delivery guy? Feels like a misstep" he held out a book. Her book. The first in the Daisy Dixie series.

Dylan's grin lit up her entire face. "You're reading my book?" she scoffed.

"Yeah thought I'd give it a whirl" he said casually. "Novels have changed a lot since my day, that's for sure".

"I guess you'll just have to see how it pans out" she laughed. "Hey. Are you reading this just to fuck with me?" she asked him accusingly.

"Maybe partly, yes" he winked. "But I am actually pretty gripped".

"Whatever. Thanks for the royalties" she teased. "Good night, Barnes".

"Good night, Dylan".