Readers Assemble!

New Neighbors (Slight!Steve Rogers x fem!reader; Steve Rogers x Sharon Carter)

You felt the box starting to slip from your hands and silently started to curse to yourself. "Please don't. Not now," you whispered, as if begging the box would stop it from falling to the floor. But then, as if from some divine intervention, a voice spoke up. "Let me help you with that." The box was suddenly taken from your arms and you looked up at your rescuer gratefully. He flashed you a brilliant smile that you couldn't help but return.

There was no denying he was a very handsome man. He had blond hair that didn't want to sit flat on his head and sparkling blue eyes that seemed to hold all the secrets of the world. A firm jaw relaxed underneath that lovely smile of his. Not to mention the fact that the man was built like an ox. He had a very broad chest and shoulders and he held the heavy box in his arms as if it weighed nothing.

"Thanks," you told him, "Carrying that upstairs was no easy task." He laughed and followed you into your new apartment where he could set the box down. Once it was on the floor, he reached out a hand. "I'm Steve. My, uh girlfriend Sharon and I live in the apartment just down the hall." You fought to keep your smile as you introduced yourself. Of course he had a girlfriend. Oh well, maybe he had a friend or two he could introduce you to. "So, got any more boxes you need help with?" You nodded.

Steve spent the rest of his afternoon helping you move in. You felt a bit bad since you were sure he had other things to do besides helping you. But Steve didn't seem to mind. In fact, the two of you hit it off right away. Steve had a great sense of humor that meshed with your own and you loved the old-fashioned way he spoke sometimes. An instant friendship was formed that day. Apparently, much to Sharon's dismay.

You had left your apartment door open after moving in the last of the boxes, just to keep it a little cooler when you heard a voice. "Steve?" In a flash, Steve was up off the couch and walking to the door. "Hey. This is Y/N. Our new neighbor. Y/N this is my girlfriend Sharon." You smiled at her and offered a hand. She took it, but regarded you with a suspicious gaze. You let it roll off your shoulders. You would have probably done the same if you came home to find your boyfriend in a strange woman's apartment. You didn't realize that Sharon would never warm up to you.

*time skip*

"I don't understand it. She's never been this way before," Steve told you. It had been about six months since you moved in and about two months since the last time Steve was in your apartment. He had been spending less and less time with you as the months had gone on and soon, it was just a quick "hello" in the hallway. It kind of hurt. The bond you had formed with Steve from the very beginning was over before it even began.

You shrugged. "Steve, she's probably just stressed. Long hours at the hospital and whatnot. Sit down and talk to her. Work it out." Steve took a sip of his beer, not that it was doing much for him. "I guess you're right. I don't have a lot experience with this kind of thing." You squeezed his shoulder gently. "It'll work out, Steve. I know it will. You two have been together for a while now. Too long to let whatever it is tear you apart."

Steve smiled and thanked you. "I gotta get going, but I'll see you around, Y/N. I promise to come around more often than I have been." You shook your head fondly. "No problem, Steve. Just go work it out with your girlfriend and let me know how it goes." Steve nodded before opening the door of your apartment. "And thanks again, Y/N." You waved him off with a chuckle.

That night, as you lay in bed, you fought the urge to roll your eyes. You didn't think Sharon could be so loud. She was practically yelling at Steve and you could hear nearly every word between them. You dug into your bedside table for your headphones. You quickly started your music, trying to drown out the sound of your friend fighting with his girlfriend.