Chapter 6
March 10th 2010
The Academy Awards came and the winners Steve claimed did indeed win but who's really to say that wasn't just chance. Steve is just a good guesser or read a lot of reviews.
It should surprise him that it's lost on him that the celebrity death Steve warned him about happens to occur on his birthday. So yes when he took the day off (per his gift to himself) and turned on the tv to catch up on some reruns the news reports on the death of Corey Haim.
"Fuck..." Bucky leans back against the couch. It had totally escaped his mind.
He turns off the tv no longer feeling like hearing more about the news but also not wanting to stay inside he decides to go to the shops nearby. Lots of antiques, boutiques, a few homemade soup and jam shops, then he stumbles on a stationary shop. He thinks about the one Steve went to and wonders if it's the same but he sees no sign of recycled paper or reused products. The elderly store-owner tells him to "Have a nice day" when he leaves.
He looks around some more, buys himself a homemade jam or 2. He leaves and picks up lunch from his favorite local place. Gets enough to share with Jack. His mom calls him and sings to him. His dad shoots him a text he sends a "Thanks" back. Some of his friends beg him to come out but he declines. What're they going to do? Bring him to a bar? He flips through his channels again as he digs into his food and then when finding nothing decides to just watch something on Netflix on his laptop.
His friends persist into at least a dinner and he finally agrees. He watches the mailbox throughout the day but still no mail.
He leaves Jack around 6 with promise he'll be back home in a few hours.
And no mail when he left.
March 13th
Steve closes his locker after changing out of his scrubs for the 3rd time today, granted this time in regular clothes and not a "clean" pair of the ER colors. He hadn't had much time this week to go by the Lakehouse. He's been slammed at work, even had to pick up a few shifts. Some people quit others got laid off so him and the remaining others had to pick up the slack as the hospital goes through the hiring process for new doctors. It doesn't loom on him during the day, he's too busy running from one end to the other taking care of patients but at night he feels it. He feels it and wonders if Bucky is upset he hasn't gotten any letters in a while especially as Steve's "predictions" for Bucky's year were coming to light. He has the overnight shift tomorrow so he couldn't possibly go after work but after tomorrow he should have a few days of rest and hopefully soon some new doctors can start their first day.
"Hey, Rogers," One of his coworkers greets him as he's about to walk out of the room. "Couple of us are going out for drinks. You wanna join?" The guy was always nice. Kind of reminded him of Sam, who he missed since he moved to DC after their Private Practice fell through but he's not ready to make more friends.
He politely declines his coworker's offer, claiming he had something he couldn't get out of. It wasn't exactly a lie this time, his friends practically forced him to come out after work for some drinks, threatened a kidnapping (or just ghosting) if he didn't. He wasn't dreading it exactly but he was tired. The only redeeming thing is maybe he could ask them if they heard of Bucky's bar, and if it was still around.
His coworker nods, "I get that. Next time?"
"Sure," Steve smiles knowing he'd have an excuse to decline that time too. It's not that he hated people he just had slight trust issues and also wanted to spare others from his moping around about love being meaningless bullshit. His friends were used to it. Also after dealing with people on possibly their worst day the idea of voluntarily joining other people to hear about their day exhausted him a bit. He wasn't always like this. Hell when he did the ER shift his first time he was a social butterfly but it was hard getting back used to this pace of working and the energy it takes everyday. He should really call Sam soon, see how he is. He won't tell him about Bucky, if anything but for fear he'd fly back over here and get Steve committed.
A few hours later and after a small stand up show in Manhattan and convincing Steve to go to one more bar with them they're drunk enough Steve gets the nerve to ask about Bucky's bar.
"Hey you guys been around here longer than I have..." his friends turn to him. "And you've definitely been to more bars then I have...."
"Is this an intervention, Rogers?" Jim asks.
"Huh? No no I was just wondering if you've heard of this bar." The look at him curiously, waiting for him to answer but of course due to Steve's not exactly sober state he couldn't think of the exact name. "Umm the Winter...no wait the Rusted umm..." god what was it Bucky said a few things, the names changed through the years. His friends start to look more confused, eyeing each other. "Oh Winter Belle!" That was it, he practically yells it when he remembered.
They all look at each other trying to think.
"Oh wait a minute...Winter Belle... Winter Belle..." Gabe thinks. "Wasn't that the gay bar we used to go to?" He hits Jim's arm, encouraging him to remember.
"Gay bar?" Steve asks. Wait Bucky was gay? He tries to hide his smile. A part of him hoped I mean if this mailbox magic shit was for anything you'd think the person on the other end would be ummm.... similar to you...in that aspect.
"Yeah I think so... that the one with that guy with the long black hair, kind of intimidating until that one time Gabe over here made him laugh?"
Gabe looks proud and Steve feels a small sting of jealousy.
"Gorgeous eyes on that one, " Montgomery comments. "We haven't been in ages though." He admits. They all nod.
"Oh?" Steve asks. "Why's that?"
Montgomery squints trying to think. "I'm not quite sure." He looks at the others and they shrug not knowing either.
"The umm name of the bar owner. Do you know it?"
Montgomery looks to Gabe who shakes his head, then to Jim who also shakes his.
"Don't think he ever mentioned it," Tim claims.
"Oh..." Steve looks disappointed which causes his friends to ask him why he was wondering about the bar. "I just heard about it somewhere is all." He shrugs and goes back to his drink.
The rest sigh but seem to drop it. They know the work week he's had so maybe the chalk it up to him being tired.
After his overnight shift the next day, and sleeping most of the day away the day after , he decides to go to the Lake House finally.
He writes a letter to Bucky before he leaves explaining the very very late letter and why he didn't have the time to answer back. He asks about the predictions and gives Bucky some more. Delves into what he heard about Bucky's bar. How it's a not so secret gay bar, how his friends talked about a gorgeous bartender who they gloated about getting to smile, inquires if he was the bartender they spoke of. He finishes the letter after he gets Bucky's when he gets to the Lake House. He laughs about the fact Bucky couldn't wait to write back, gives more info about himself in response to Bucky's, and apologizes once again for indeed NOT writing back soon but ends it asking him to do so. He couldn't tell if Bucky's closing to the letter was supposed to be with LOVE or something with an "I" like with....interest ?? Intent?? Inquiry? Force of habit probably had Bucky putting with love but Steve can't stop himself from hoping it's for him despite it being too early for that and it's not like he LOVES Bucky or anything they're just getting to know each other but accident or not it's nice to see that written (or said) by someone other than your mom. He folds the letter up, finds one of the free envelopes in his backseat and puts it in the mailbox. He's not sure why he sits there for a bit as if the mail will be sent to Bucky and Bucky would write back instantaneously or as if he will observe the magical time traveling goblin that takes his letter and delivers it.
Steve leaves the box with one last look and drives back home with promise of coming back in a few days.
And he does.
But there's no flag up on the mailbox. Steve looks inside and there's no letter. He thinks maybe Bucky has had some late nights at work like he had the week before and even though he stayed at the Lake House maybe he only had enough time to eat and sleep. He lets it be and decides to come back in a few more days.
Which he does.
And still no letter.
It's been a week now. Steve tries not to feel sad about, tries not to feel disappointed, maybe he really was busy. He elects to try again in week, give Bucky some space, plus he really didn't want to make the trip again in a few days to find nothing yet again.
So when he comes back a week later to still nothing then he gets really upset. Not in an angry way but more of concern. Did he offend Bucky in some way? Hurt his feelings? He tries to remember what he said on the letter but every time he opened the mailbox to check for a letter for him it's empty, not his left behind. Was Bucky done with him? Was it really a practical joke and the joke was over? But he doesn't feel the latter is true so he must've done something but there's nothing he could to except ...write another letter. Apologizing for what he could've said, apologizing for insinuating Bucky might've been gay or that he was even the attractive bartender his friends talked about. He puts that letter in the box and hopes that is enough. He ends it with a: Please write back.
On the way home as he drives he feels a bit more aggravated. He wishes Bucky could've just wrote him back saying he was offended in any way instead of ignoring him. He swerves out of cars and cusses at ones that beep at him. He gets home and throws his keys on the coffee table. He huffs as he throws himself on the couch, he almost doesn't feel his phone buzzing in his pocket.
"Yeah?" Steve answers, trying to hide his grumpiness but failing.
"Heyy Rogers!"
"Gabe?" Steve recognizes his friend's voice.
"Yeah, man" He can hear the others yelling in the background, they're definitely at a bar.
"What's up?"
"You remember that bar we were talking about a few weeks ago?"
Steve sits up in his couch. "Um yeah." He swallows hard. God were they there? Was Bucky there?
"I was just talking with some of the guys and I remember why we stopped going."
"Oh?" Great now here is where he'll find out Bucky is some jerk and maybe that'll explain his letter or lack there of.
"Yeah I think...I mean if we're remembering correctly I think it burned down..."
Steve's heart is in his throat. "W...what?"
"Yeah I just remember we were headed that way when we heard. Saw the firetrucks and everything. Was probably too drunk to remember the other night and it was so long ago. I-"
Burned down. Burned down?
"-Steve?" Gabe says. "Hello?"