Chapter Text
Bucky had only been living in his apartment for about a year until someone finally moved into the empty apartment across from his.
It was a nice space, Bucky had actually toured it before deciding on his current place. In the end it all came down to lighting, he wanted the morning rays to hit his plants instead of the afternoon ones.
That was how he found out about the new resident. As Bucky was misting the soil of his pothos plant, he noticed the shift in the curtains in the window across the alley way. Bucky pauses his actions to stare as the curtain is completely removed and instead was replaced was a handsome blonde man. Sure he was a decent amount of distance away but that couldn't hide the blonde man's muscular arms.
He places down the mister he was using onto the side table next to his plant shelf to properly gawk at the man. Something nags in the back of Bucky's head. It's along the lines of imagine how would this guy would feel knowing that he was being watched and of course his mind makes a valid point.
Just as he was going to move away from his window, a new figure appears and wraps her arms around the blonde man. He turns from the curtains and wraps her into side hug, reaching his head down to kiss the blonde women on the top of her head.
"Aw, that's sweet." Bucky whispers out loud as he openly smiles at the couple and finally moves away from the window. They seem happy.
There was just something so, interesting about people watching. Bucky's mother said when he was younger he could charm anybody but as he got older, he stop caring for attention and kept to himself. Though it was correct, he continued to pay close attention to the people around him. Noticing small details that the people he were observing probably didn't even realize about themselves.
It was peaceful, people watching. New Yorkers were never known for being subtle or contained so his trips to the local bodega were full of experiences. But his favorite places to watch people used to be in museums. Adults, couples, young kids on field trips, there was so much to focus on. Watching someone's eyes light up after viewing a paint brought light private smiles to his face.
He finds himself subconsciously glancing at the window facing the alley.
-
The next time Bucky sees one of the new residents through the window was only about a week later close to mid-day.
He was wiping up a water spill when their was movement from the corner of his eye. It was the blonde women this time. She seemed to be placing a small plant on the interior ledge. Since the distance was to great, Bucky couldn't identify what plant it was but the women seemed proud of herself.
Plants were always a nice touch and added something to rooms they were in. His little plant corner grew and grew with new plants and propergations alike.
It made the apartment feel alive, Bucky's assuming that the women across the alley way might agree with his way of thinking. If he remembered correctly, this window was located in the main bedroom of the apartment. This would be the place where the sun would hit the most.
Bucky almost felt proud of the stranger across the street for choosing a good place to start her plant collection.
However no plants ever join the one in the window, no matter how much Bucky hoped.
-
Late on a Thursday evening was the next time he thought about the couple.
Bucky yawns and rolls his neck out. He had been sitting in his arm chair reading as the sun went down. Placing his book onto his shelf put him at direct view of the apartment across from him.
Mother Natural had been kind with warmer weather carrying throughout the city. Bucky as well as most of the people on his block had their windows open, letting in the slight breeze. Minus the causal ambiance of honking and yelling, it was rather peaceful tonight.
His alley way neighbors must share similar feelings with the rest since they also had their window cracked open. However what was different was the steady flow of music coming from them.
It was something soft, not new either. The song had a vintage feel to it as it seeped into the air.
And in the window danced the residents.
Carefree holding one another and somehow, it felt familiar to when Bucky's own parents would dance with each other in the lates of the nights when they thought he had already gone to bed.
Bucky's heart clenches at it.
With his sister moving to the west coast for college and the parents living back home in Indiana, Bucky just felt alone.
He thinks about adding another plant to his collection but something is telling him that it wont fill what's missing in his chest.
As he watches the couple hold each older, now just swaying slowly to the music, a sad smile comes to his face.
People watching is supposed to be fun, its meant to distract one and make them feel the excitement of another. However when the smiling man takes the women's face into his hands to pull her up into a kiss, all Bucky feels sadness.
"That man is in love." He whispers into the evening breeze so low that he almost didn't hear his own words.
Bucky shuts his window and closes his curtains for the night.
And if he did it just a little too harshly, no one but him needs to know.