Bucky's

Chapter 20: Ronny's Apartment

Ronny didn't take a direct path home, in case he was being followed. By the time he circled around to his apartment building, it was late, and the large side of the city was enveloped in the black velvet of night. Tanya stayed quiet in his hand, quaking slightly. Ronny wasn't sure if she was just experiencing strong emotions, or if she was afraid of him. He hoped her shivering wasn't from the latter, although he could certainly understand if she was frightened. Even though he had saved her, he was still a Giant after all, and he figured she must've had some pretty terrible interactions with Giants at the restaurant. He knew he would have to be very patient and understanding with her.

As he ascended the stairs of his apartment building, a pit of nervousness settled in his stomach. He had not prepared for this moment at all. He didn't know how Patty—he had to remind himself she was now Tanya—would react. He couldn't read her well. He had no idea if she actually liked him or not, at all. She had been sweet and kind to him, and he had definitely felt a connection, but he had to consider the context of all their interactions up to that point. She had been an entrée on his dinner plate: Of course she had been nice to him. He'd be foolish to assume she felt the same way about him as he felt about her. She was probably just placating him.

Ronny exhaled when he reached his apartment and placed his hand on the door handle. He opened the door and internally cringed upon seeing the familiar mess that greeted them. Since he hadn't planned anything out, he hadn't bothered to clean up at all in anticipation of having a guest over. He burned with shame as he surveyed the mountains of garbage on the floor, tables buried under dirty coffee cups and plates, clutter and grime and dust.

"Well... this is it," he remarked. He waited for the inevitable criticism. Tanya was sure to comment on how disgusting his living space was, just like his ex that always nagged him for being lazy and sloppy. He sighed morosely.

Tanya craned her neck back to gaze up at him. "Thank you for opening your home to me, Ronny," she said with a kind smile. "I really appreciate it."

Ronny arched his eyebrows with surprise, not expecting such gratitude, but quickly repressed a blush and coached himself back to a more neutral expression. "S-sure thing," he mumbled. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He hesitated, not sure what to do. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he had hardly eaten anything at all today. Tanya instinctively shuddered at the sound.

"Sorry," Ronny apologized. He felt guilty for scaring her with his body, and even more guilty when he recalled how he had been fantasizing about eating her earlier. His hunger, and indeed his lust, had been the primary driving force that had compelled him to obsess over her and provided the motivation to save her from Bucky's in the first place. Yet again, he was disgusted with himself for his selfishness.

"I-it's okay," Tanya responded softly, pulling Ronny out of his spiral of regret. "I understand. You can't control what your body does."

Ronny shoved away his unpleasant thoughts and returned his full attention to Tanya. "I should eat. Are you hungry at all? I can make you something."

"Actually... yeah, I am," Tanya admitted. Ronny carried Tanya to the kitchen and set her down on the countertop. He was saddened to see her shaking again in response to being in a Giant's kitchen. Her eyes nervously darted around to examine the oversized kitchen accoutrements around her, including Ronny's gigantic coffee pot, the immense shiny toaster, and in particular the block full of large knives. Her face paled to a lighter shade, but Ronny could tell she was making an effort to compose herself. She struggled to stop shaking and gave Ronny a weak smile. The corners of his lips turned up in response.

Ronny was tired, and he didn't have much time before he needed to get to sleep since he had work the following day, so he heated up a frozen prepackaged dinner in the microwave. He was somewhat embarrassed, to feed a guest such slop, but he didn't have the energy to put in more effort. He collected a saucer from his kitchen cabinet and spooned out microscopic portions of the soft mush sufficiently sized for Tanya, keeping the rest for himself. He pulled up a chair to sit in so he could be closer to Tanya while he ate dinner.