Neighbors

Banana Bread

He didn't know how it had happened, how he'd gotten so comfortable around her, how he'd let her in. At first, everything was quiet, Bucky was adjusting to this new life, his pardon, his therapist, his amends, and everything they'd gotten him into. Sure there was Yori, but that was like one old man to another, and far more complicated. She was different.

She was a bright smile that appeared at his doorstep, just moved in right across the hall. She was banana bread muffins, her favorite recipe from an old friend of the family, a burst of "thought I'd say hello!" in an otherwise quiet and lonely apartment building. And after a friendly greeting in passing, with a "that was the best banana bread I've had in eighty years" that earned him a laugh, it wasn't much longer until her warm presence had found a place in his every day.

Now, weeks after those first interactions, Bucky was collecting his keys from his jacket pocket after another thrilling appointment when he noticed a grocery bag teetering on your knee and another one in your arm.

"You struggling there, doll?" The nickname had slipped some time ago, coming from a place inside him he didn't know was still there, and you had liked it so much you almost begged him not to stop. It was driving him crazy, but he couldn't say he didn't enjoy it.

Right now, however, you simply scoffed at him. "No, I'm perfectly capable, sir."

"You know you could always set them down," he reasoned, though he walked up to you and effortlessly took both bags in his arms. You rolled your eyes, grabbing your keys from your small purse and opening your front door, stepping to the side to hold it open for him.

"Or if you had shown up a moment later you would've seen that I was doing just fine." Bucky walked into your familiar apartment, chuckling softly at you.

"I think what you're looking for is Thank you, or I couldn't have done it without you 'cause I'm too stubborn," he sassed, setting the bags down on your kitchen counter while you deposited your belongings on the front table.

"I would have done it without you," you argued, joining him in the kitchen. Your expression softened into a smile when you continued. "But thank you, James."

"Anytime," he smiled back, resting his gloved hands at his hips. You scrunched your nose as you widened your smile at him before moving to the groceries.

"And now that I've suckered you into helping me put these away..." He opened his mouth to try and argue, shrugging his shoulders back, but you shoved cereal boxes into his chest. You gave a small giggle in victory when you watched his shoulders droop, taking the boxes and putting them away for you. "You can tell me how your appointment went today."

"I regret telling you about them," he grumbled, earning one of your deep belly laughs. You were so polite that day, asking what his plans were, and he hadn't been quick enough to come up with a lie. But you didn't press into it, so they simply remained therapy appointments. Not court-mandated, not for anything specific... just therapy. "We actually talked about you today."

"Shut up, did you really?" you asked. "What about?"

Well, that wasn't the whole truth. Dr. Raynor had told Bucky he needed more friends. Again. And when he so defensively told her about you, she asked for his phone to look, and his stubborn pride instantly deflated. "She's cute" was the initial comment Raynor had made about you. Of course, it was only a small portion of what they had talked about, there were nightmares and amends to be brought up... but you didn't need to know about that.

"She thought your muffin thing was sweet," he smiled.

"Yeah? Did you tell her you ate all of them the next day?" Bucky made his scrunchy 'hell no' face and shook his head, making you giggle.