Unexpected

Captain Neighbor

"You- you live here?" My face was warm as I stared at the doors.

"For about a month or so now." The Captain said, his voice thoughtful. I looked back over at him, too bewildered and embarrassed to say anything so I just stood there with my book clung to my chest. I sucked my lips into my mouth to keep my urge to try to explain myself in a nervous jabber at bay as his eyes looked vacantly down at the cardboard boxes at our feet. "This can't be a coincidence."

He said this so quietly, I could barely hear the mumbled words, "What?"

"Who put you up to living here?" his face was frustrated, his voice tinged with suspicion, "Was it Fury? Are you here to watch me?"

"Fury? Watch you?" indignation rose up in my chest, "You think... no one hired me to spy on you!"

"Then why are you here? You were in New York-"

"Because I was offered a job! That's why I'm here." I looked down, lowering my voice before continuing, it was best that I didn't raise my voice and tell the whole floor, "A few weeks ago Director Fury came to my grandparent's house in Michigan and offered me a job at S.H.I.E.L.D.-"

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? So you do work for him!" he lowered his voice as well, but the distrust and irritation was still strongly in his voice.

"As a correspondence and communication person!" I said with exasperation, "They want to use my language skills. They also want to train me as an agent, and they're interested in learning about my abilities, but I wasn't hired and I certainly didn't move away from everything I've ever known to spy on a super soldier from the Forties! I didn't even know you lived here!"

He opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it, looking into my eyes like he was trying to discern if what I said was true. Sighing he nodded, taking a step back so he wasn't looming over me as much with his height. "I believe you."

I sighed, relieved that this huge, muscly guy wasn't looking angry at me anymore. Even if he hadn't meant it, the Captain could look incredibly threatening. "Good."

"But it still can't be a coincidence that we both work for S.H.I.E.L.D. and out of all the apartments in this city, you're moving into the same building as me." He folded his arms over his chest, his expression thoughtful again.

"It isn't." suddenly it clicked with me, "I told my trainer that I was looking for apartments in the area last week when I was given my tour and put into the system, and Natasha suggested this place. Part of me didn't want to check it out 'cause-"

"Natasha?" he interrupted me abruptly, "Agent Romanoff?"

"Yeah-"

"She's your trainer?"

"She will be on Monday.

He huffed a disbelieveing laugh from his nose and shook his head, looking up at the ceiling, "That explains a lot. I have a feeling she's gonna cause me some trouble someday."

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

He shrugged, "Well, I assume you've met her."

I nodded, "Yeah. Enough said."

A laughing smile crossed his face as he chuckled. It was such a genuine smile I had to laugh too. Now that I wasn't feeling threatened or embarrassed, I took a true look at him. His blonde hair was parted in the way I had seen many men in old black and white photos from the Forties did, and his belted slacks with a plaid button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows gave him a distinctly old-fashioned look. It had been just over a month since I'd seen him last and yet it was easy to tell that he wasn't quite comfortable with the modern day life yet. I couldn't blame him. I still wasn't used to my new life since everything went down in New York, and if I wasn't used to it, how could he be?