Dot
A Marvel Fanfic
The dancehall was crowded that night. Besides all the people dancing, each table had several people sitting at it. All except one where a pretty girl with red hair sat alone, slowly sipping her drink.
While she sat, she considered the days. She was at the dancehall tonight. Tomorrow she wouldn’t show. The next three days she would, but at a different time each night. She had already been following a similar pattern for the past three weeks. Hopefully that was long enough to establish herself as a regular. Just part of the scenery.
Two more men walked in. One tall with dark hair and one short with blond. She kept her face angled down and studied them through her eyelashes.
Both men were young. Neither carried a weapon. They looked to be there simply to have a good time. She stopped studying them and turned her attention to her target. She couldn’t approach him yet. It was still too early. But she had nothing better to do, so she might as well learn more about him.
He wasn’t very interested in his companions. He had had a bad day. She made a mental note of his drink.
“Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full.” She looked up to see the dark-haired man standing behind the chair beside her. His companion was no longer beside him. She gave a slight nod, and he took a seat. She took another sip of her drink and ignored his eyes on her.
“So what’s a pretty lady like yourself doing alone here tonight?” he asked.
“Enjoying herself,” she said lightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him duck his head and lean back in his chair with an apologetic smile. She turned and smiled at him. “But that’s not to say she wouldn’t enjoy a little conversation as well.”
He leaned forward again. “What’s your name?”
“Dolores.”
“Anyone ever call you Dot?” he asked with a pointed glance at her spotted dress. One corner of her mouth quirked up. “Clever.”
“My name’s Bucky.”
“Nice to meet you.” She took another sip. “What happened to your friend? I thought I saw you come in here with someone else.”
He winced but laughed. “Yeah, he’s on a date. He’s also very mad at me.”
She cocked her head slightly. “Why is he mad at you?”
“Because he’s on a date.” He looked down at the table. “I might have tricked him into it.”
She chuckled. “So now you’re left all alone. Looks like you have a boring night ahead of you.”
He grinned. “I’m sure I’ll find some way to entertain myself.”
She shook her head. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an impossible flirt?”
“Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?” he asked. She smiled slightly as she sipped her drink.
The song ended and a new one began. She finished her drink. He glanced over at the musicians and smiled. “I like this song.” He turned back to her. “Would you like to dance?”
“I’m not sure.”
He got out of his chair and stood behind it, grinning. “Why not?”
She leaned sideways in her chair to stare at him. “I’m trying to decide if I want to dance with an impossible flirt,” she explained.
He laughed and held out his hand. “You don’t have to say yes.”
She took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. They found a place amidst the other dancing couples. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he began leading her across the floor.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Do you live near here?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m from out of town. I’m renting a room nearby, but I probably won’t stay long.” She couldn’t have him coming around searching for her in a couple weeks.
“Have you gotten to see much of town, yet?”
She shrugged. “Not much. I don’t really know where to go.”
He spun her around and when he pulled her close again, he smiled. “Sounds like you need a tour guide.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you volunteering?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but then his eyes caught on something behind her and his smile fell. “Oh no.”
“Is something wrong?” He was still dancing, so it couldn’t be too bad.
“It’s just Steve–my friend–,” The music ended, and he let go of her and started towards one of the tables, walking backwards for a moment. “I’m really sorry about this.” He turned back around and joined his friend. She decided to follow.
“–And that’s why I told you I didn’t want any more dates, Buck.”
“I know, I know, I just thought–.”
“No. You can come here and hang out with whoever you want to. That’s just not me.” Steve stopped when he saw her come up behind Bucky. “Who’s this?”
Bucky turned around. He looked surprised to see her standing behind him but he flashed her a slight smirk before turning back to Steve. “This is Dot.”
Steve nodded. “Well you have fun. I’m going home.” He got up and started to leave.
“No, hey, wait, Steve!” Bucky lunged forward and grabbed his friend’s shoulder. Steve turned around and looked at him. “If you’re leaving, so am I.”
Steve shrugged his hand off his shoulder. “No, you should stay here. Hang out with Dot. Have some fun.”
Bucky opened his mouth to argue. She really didn’t want to draw attention to herself. “Actually, I’m probably heading home myself now. It’s late.”
“We should walk you home,” Bucky said. He turned to give his friend a pointed stare. “Right, Steve?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” she assured them, one corner of her mouth quirking up. “I’m fine on my own.”
“I insist,” Bucky told her. “It’s not good for a lady to walk the streets alone at night. What building are you staying at?”
It couldn’t hurt. She’d be gone in a week anyway, and she knew plenty of ways to avoid people. “It’s down on 6th street.”
Bucky smiled. “That’s on our way home.” He was clearly lying. “Come on, we’ll take you home.” He clamped his hand on his friend’s shoulder, leading him out the door. He was significantly larger and stronger than Steve, so Steve was left with no choice but to come along.
She gathered up her belongings and followed the two of them out into the cool night air. After they had walked a few meters, Bucky finally let go of his friend, though he still glanced back to check on him every so often.
Bucky fell into step beside her as they walked while Steve trailed along behind. Bucky pointed out several places he thought she should visit during her stay. She paid attention to any she thought might be helpful later and discarded the rest.
It was a long walk back to her room, but the breeze was cool and the noises of the night were relaxing.
They passed a fair near the beach, and a variety of smells wafted towards them on the breeze. Bucky’s eyes kept drifting over to the fair and the stands of food. She guessed he hadn’t eaten in a while. It didn’t take long for Steve to stop. “Hey, Buck! I’m going to grab a hot dog.”
Bucky stopped to wait for him. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, glancing at her, then Steve, then the food cart. “Grab one for me, too.” He turned to her. “Would you like one?”
“Sure.”
“And one for Dot as well.”
Steve held up his hand in acknowledgement as he walked away.
Bucky nodded at the fair. “Have you gone there yet?” She shook her head. “How long are you staying in town?”
“Probably not much longer,” she told him.
Apparently it wasn’t as late as she had thought. Even though it was dark, there were still plenty of people running around the beach, talking, laughing, and playing. Bucky studied the fair as they waited for Steve to return. When Steve came back, he handed her and Bucky each a hot dog.
“Come on,” Bucky said, gesturing to the fair. “Even if you can’t stay long, you can’t miss this.”
She ate her hot dog as he led them to another food stand. This one sold funnel cakes.
“Do you like these?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve never had one.”
“Now that cannot be allowed to continue. You have to try it tonight.” He ordered a funnel cake and, when he had paid, offered some to both her and Steve. It was both greasy and sweet.
“Do you like it?” She blinked. It was just food. Of course, she knew what answer he wanted.
She flashed a grin and nodded. “It’s very good!” He passed her more. Used to eating whatever was given to her, she finished it quickly.
“Come here,” he said again, taking her arm and steering her through the crowd until they came to another booth. This one full of empty milk bottles and decorated with stuffed bears. He stopped in front of the booth and smiled. “Have you ever played one of these?” She shook her head.
He fished in his pocket for a couple coins and handed them to the man at the booth, who handed him three rings. He handed her two and kept one for himself.
“Throw the rings and if it lands around the bottle, you get the prize,” he explained.
She glanced up at all the stuffed animals still hanging in place. “This must not be a very popular game.”
Bucky laughed. “It’s harder than it looks.” Oh.
She threw her first ring in the wrong place. “I told you,” he said. She smiled sheepishly and threw the second one. It missed as well.
Bucky grinned at her. “Let’s see if I can get it for you.” He threw the ring. It missed. He dug in his pocket for another couple coins to hand the man in charge of the game. He missed. He handed over a few more.
She had heard the coins in his pocket and knew he only had a few left. Considering they were going out of their way to walk her back, she had guessed the coins would be to pay for transportation back home, possibly for both him and his friend. It appeared he wouldn’t be getting that now, and for what? So he could give a gift to a stranger? People were strange.
He missed every time. He fished out his last coins. She snuck a glance at Steve standing behind her as Bucky kept throwing. Judging from his half-amused, half-exasperated look, this wasn’t an unusual occurence.
She turned back right as Bucky’s ring landed on a milk bottle. He turned around to grin triumphantly at her. The other man handed him a small stuffed bear, which he passed on to her.
“What do you think?” he asked.
She smiled at him and then looked down to admire the bear. “Very cute.” He was clearly quite proud of his accomplishment.
They didn’t stay at the fair much longer. He had no more money to spend, and it was getting late. They passed through a small crowd on their way out, including a little girl with the same stuffed bear, except that she had tied a light blue hair ribbon around its neck.
They finally made their way to the building where she’d rented a room. Bucky walked her all the way up to the doorstep. “I hope I didn’t annoy you trying to show you all those things. I just wanted to show you a good time.”
She smiled at him. “Of course not. I had a great time.”
He smiled back and took a couple steps backwards to where Steve stood waiting. He raised his hand to wave goodbye. “I’ll probably be at that dancehall again sometime this week. If you decide you want another tour, let me know!”
She waved back and waited until he was out of sight, then she went up the stairs to her room. She tossed the stuffed bear onto the bed and changed out of her clothes, glad to finally be back.
When she was ready to sleep, she sat on her bed and opened the top drawer of her nightstand. She pulled out the handcuffs and then climbed under the covers, accidentally knocking the stuffed bear off the bed. She ignored it and handcuffed herself to the bedpost. Then she turned out the lamp.
She lay awake in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Finally she rolled over on her side and stared at the bear on the floor. After a long moment, she picked it up and rolled onto her back, studying it.
It was soft. Very soft. Its fake fur was long, and her fingers burrowed in it easily. She brushed the hair out of its bead eyes and stroked her fingers down its face. She rolled back on her side.
Next week she would once again be one of the group of girls training to be the Black Widow, but for now she was just a young girl alone in a new country.
She hugged the stuffed animal close to her chest and buried her face in its soft fur, falling asleep quickly.
A week later when the landlady came upstairs to search for her newest tenant who hadn’t come down for breakfast, she found a spotless room, empty drawers, and a made-up bed with a stuffed bear sitting on top of the covers, a scarlet ribbon tied around its throat.
Thank you to my dear friend Vera for the idea for this story. I hope you like it.