Chapter 17
After a very eager "I can do the 5th!" from Bucky followed by a warning that this date does start at 9am. He did say if that wasn't good they could choose another day but Steve says it'd be fine. Bucky sends him instructions (what to bring, what to wear ect) with an itinerary he wasn't allowed to read ahead on, and the allowance to open the bigger envelop.
A sticky note on the folded map reads:
Now while I've already been to all these places to plan. I will be walking with you so it can be like we're together (no matter how far apart we are) <3
-
Bucky
Bucky closes his confirmation letter with telling him to check the mail as soon as he wakes up on the 5th and to wake up in whatever time would allow him to be at the first location by 9. Also in bold caps
DO NOT EAT BREAKFAST. (I will have that covered. )
July 5th comes and Steve does as he's told. He gets up around 7:30 which gives him plenty of time to get ready and make his way to the breakfast place Bucky picked out. He googled it the night before. It's a small place just outside of the city, very stare at the sidewalk for a millisecond and you'll miss it type.
He makes his way outside, noticing the flag up on the mailbox. This time it's a perfectly square red envelope. Everyone knows what that means, so much for it not being a birthday celebration huh? Steve grins wide as he opens the card. Red roses surround the Happy Birthday on the front and Steve opens it to a poem about love and joy on your birthday. Of course that's just the middle of written words from Bucky surrounding it.
Steve,
Happy Happy Birthday!! I know I said this wasn't a birthday celebration but how much of an asshole would I be if I didn't at least send something?? Also strange I couldn't find anything for boyfriend just husbands so I had to opt for the generic "Special Someone" bleh. They don't know how special. Though I guess hallmark doesn't have a card for our type of situation. Still I feel boyfriend would've sufficed? I'll have my words with the Hallmarks one of these days. I hope this birthday is special and someday we can celebrate birthdays together in person.
Love you,
Bucky
Steve smiles and holds the card close to his heart as he walks back up the walkway to finish getting ready.
Steve gets to the diner about 8:45. Or rather he gets to the outside of the diner at 8:45 but insists on not sitting down until 9. It's not too busy, definitely not as busy as a place in the city would be. Bucky describes it as a place he'd go as a kid, a treat his mom would do when he did extra good at school. Steve gets scrambled eggs, bacon, and a slice of wheat toast.
Bucky says in his letter (in the section Steve is allowed to read since he's sitting at the diner):
I know you're probably going to get something healthy but I'm opting for the Blueberry pancakes. It's their specialty. They make them in various sizes too! I'll of course be getting the big fluffy ones.
Steve laughs and thinks for a moment. He calls the waitress over and asks for the small blueberry pancakes. Just to try.
Food comes and it's all very good. Steve saves the pancake for last. He smiles in an almost sad way looking at the pancake. It's like Bucky decided to give him a taste, which he's sure he'd do if he was here with him right now. Steve swallows down hard before putting a piece of the small fluffy food in his mouth. His mouth closes around the fork as his eyes close, his tongue dancing around as he tastes the flavor. He just barely stops a moan from escaping his mouth when a waitress comes over and asks how everything is.
"Amazing," Steve responds. Adding a thumbs up when he struggles to make more descriptive words.
"I'm glad," She says back. She holds up the coffee pot in one hand. "Refill?" She asks.
"Please," Steve holds out his cup. "Thank you."
"No problem. You sure you don't want a bigger one of those?" She asks, nudging to Steve's small pancake.
"No, no. I'm good. Had I known how good they were I would've made more room for it."
She laughs lightly. "Maybe next time?"
"Definitely." Steve smiles.
As promised, via letter, Steve writes down everything he ordered and how he liked them.
You're going to regret not getting the pancakes. Bucky had warned earlier and he was right.
After breakfast Bucky apologizes again in the letter for having Steve pay but had plans that will make up for it later that day. Steve doesn't mind, of course. It was the least he could do after Bucky planned the whole thing. The next part on the itinerary Bucky takes him around near the diner to places he went when growing up. It was nice seeing that part of Bucky's life even though he wasn't there to tell him physically. It was nice seeing the various scenery, the windows pulled down, listening to music as he passes the places. Bucky even wrote out a playlist for Steve to listen to as he takes him around for the day.
Bucky has Steve in Brooklyn by noon.
This is where it gets a little tricky. You know how quickly things turnover in the city.
Bucky takes Steve around to his favorite places: Favorite coffee shop, favorite record store, favorite book store, favorite comic shop, even his favorite place to buy produce. He gives him alternatives in case those no longer existed. The only one he had trouble with was the comic shop but it ended up being a small hole-in-the-wall instead of closing down. Definitely bigger inside then what appeared. He had time before the next stop (a museum Steve never heard of) so he decides to go to Bucky's alternatives as well. Now most of those had been shut down. One seemed to happen as recently as a few weeks ago, another one few months ago.
As for lunch, Bucky's letter reads. You can either eat before or after the museum. The museum will take maybe an hour. I dont have plans for lunch. I'm going to this taco stand I know but I'm sure it won't be there when you are so whatever you find will work. Dinner will be at 8 just a warning. I'll eat after the museum. The pancakes will still have me full (I'm sure) .
Steve decides to do the same. He's not full but not quite hungry. He makes his way to the museum, opening the doors exactly the time Bucky says to.
Steve quickly realizes why he has never heard of it. It's exclusively for local artists around the city to put their artwork on display. It's been open for almost a decade so Steve supposed Bucky figured he'd be safe in choosing it.
Bucky takes Steve through each room, separated by the medium of art that was used. They go all through out. Bucky likes watercolors a lot because he likes the way the colors flow into each other. They get to colored pencil realistic drawings and Steve reads an entire paragraph on how Bucky doesn't understand how they can color water if it's clear, something that apparently always amazed him. As for the last thing they get to, and why they had to get there at a certain time, it's Bucky's favorite piece.
Artist had a deal to have it up for 5 or 6 years and since it's only been up a year here you should be viewing the same thing I'm about to describe.
This only happens once....every weekday...at the end of every hour...so okay not as crazy or rare as it should be but yes. You can see in front of you what looks like a normal (large) painting.
He's right. The painting covers most of the wall in front of him
As is I love this painting. I could never tell what he used but some sort of pencil or pastel and the way he sweeps it is so soothing. I'm not way into art so if I use simple terms it's only because I have no idea what I'm talking about haha. But yeah the strokes or whatever you call it when it's not a brush are good and it's blended really well but I also love just the general scenery. It's winter but doesn't look like one of those dreadful winter days where you just want the cold to end and the snow isn't snow but slush.
It's not like that at all, more like the joy of the first fallen snow, the peaceful quiet (which saying New York ever gets quiet like that is a stretch. It's fleeting but still there.)
It's day and you can tell it's one of those days you'll spend all day outside making snow men or sliding down a hill. Granted this picture is in the city but it makes you feel you'll walk by and talk of plans of doing that, or even decide to skate on Rockefeller Center. It's also nice to see in the summer after sweating all day or running in from a steam shower rainfall. Don't get too close to the painting or you'll ruin the surprise though. You can get closer after the hour. It should be any minute now. To get the best view I'd step all the way back into the room we just came from and view it from across the hall.
Steve does as Bucky says. He checks his watch, watching it count down to the next hour. He waits. When his watch hits the 59th minute the lights start flickering and everyone turns around to view the artwork. One of the workers starts a countdown as the hour ticks closer. Steve looks around observing everyone get into their place and wait just like he is.
"3
2
1"
And just then all the lights turn off in the room for a brief moment before lights on the canvas start to flicker and then brighten. The lights slowly turn on illuminating the picture and changing it all the same. Now instead of a day picture it was New York City at night. Dimmer lights make the outline of the buildings as the brighter lights make the windows. Even the moon appears to be out and that will be a mystery that Steve is okay to not solve. He stands there just looking, he knows everyone is "Ooo-ing" and "Ahhh-ing" He heard it start but the more he looks at the picture the more he zones out their noise and just looks.
The lights are only off for but a minute or two but Steve gets lost in staring at the painted city. He's shocked when they come back on and reveal the winter day yet again.
Okay NOW you can get closer, Bucky writes. Isn't it amazing?? They're made with the smallest lights you can imagine. I only noticed them when I got close enough to look at the strokes. Now that you've, hopefully, gotten closer (if it's not too crowded). I want you to look at something. There's something about the people that I've only noticed when I came back here to set this up.
There's a couple holding hands. I overhear a lot of speculation some say just a guy and tall lady or a lady and a short guy but I and some others see two men. Sure one has longer hair and the other has short hair so I guess that's where some think it's a woman but I don't know. I think they kind of look like us a bit? Dont you think?
Sure enough, though there's a few people in the picture, Steve spots the couple almost right away. They're holding each other arm and arm as if protecting each other from the wind. They're both around the same height, faces blurred by them just passing by the scene on canvas but it really could be them or how Steve envisions Bucky as being. His hair long next to Steve's short trimmed. He wants to reach out and touch it, touch them, but he quickly moves his hand away when the realization that this isn't his to touch comes to back to him. It's beautiful and Steve is happy.
They leave the museum in their respective times, each grabbing a quick bite to eat. Bucky does elect for the taco truck while Steve finds a hotdog stand. Steve walks around some more as Bucky writes. Bucky even mentions the bar, with a lot of crossouts of it's location before finally deciding to reveal it. Not like Steve couldn't have looked it up if he wanted to. He walks by with promise not to go in. The lights aren't on yet, it still being too early in the day. Bucky says they used to open for lunch before the fire but now it was too much, plus they couldn't cook much at the time so lunch menu items weren't available. They'll be open in another hour or so, Steve realizes when he checks his watch and it reads 3pm.
Steve checks Bucky's letter for the next order of business and starts laughing at the next part he's allowed to read.
So I fucked up! I made the reservation for 8pm (yes I know I ruined the surprise) and then when I realized I really can't fill a day of sending you to places I tried to change it to an earlier time but they wouldn't let me so here I am a dumbass dragging you all the way to Brooklyn with nothing else to do for a few hours. I, myself, am going to go back to the lakehouse for a bit, take Jack out, pop in a movie. If you are interested I will be watching A Very Long Engagement. It's french, possibly sad but for some reason has been on my mind to watch for a while. I taped it a while ago even though I have the dvd (don't ask why) so I'll put the dvd in the mailbox in case you wanted to watch it with me. If not, totally understandable, please write me what you watched? Very curious. Hope the day wasn't too horrible (so far, we still have dinner) and that you're enjoying it. May we cry together over this french movie or exchange letters about the different movies of our choosing. You can also of course just wander around the city. I know how easy it is to get lost there. See you later tonight! Or... well not SEE you but you know what I mean.
OH and look up the address so you can figure out what would be easier for you to do.
Steve decides to do exactly what Bucky is doing, he'll save wandering around Brooklyn for another day.
He gets home to the Lakehouse, finds the dvd in the mailbox, and laughs at it barely being used. He wonders how long Bucky put off watching this movie. It's a little over 2 hours so its doable. It's a war movie, World War One to be specific, but also not. It's about 2 people falling in love and are separated by a war. Letters are of course exchanged back and forth but when the letters stop the main character knows something is wrong. She gets news her loved disappeared from the trenches. He's presumed dead and despite her searching and begging the conclusion is clear that he is. That is until she finally stumbles on a lead. Right when it seems to be good it goes cold, and right when it goes cold and the audience is left to deal with that heartbreak she gets word of a stranger who matches his description and advice to come see him. And there he is in the garden in the flesh. He's not the same person who left, he might not even remember her fully, but he's there. She's looking at him and he's there, he's finally there.
Steve cries just as he imagine Bucky is probably doing. In his letter he's been writing back to Bucky about the day he writes: Those damn french... sure know how to make you cry.
He sits back and and lets his crying subside before he gets up and tries to figure out something to wear for tonight.
He looked up the restaurant just as Bucky told him to and it's not too fancy but also not too casual. He decides on a nice pair of black pants and a maroon long sleeve shirt that he pushes up to his biceps. A little warm but the night air will cool.
He gets to the restaurant early but since there are people swarming around it he decides it's probably good luck so he asks for a seat for one as soon as he gets there. It's a lovely place, small just a dash of fancy, perfect for the first date of someone you've been spending time with and wanted to take the extra step. Just like how they were, thought not in the conventional way.
The waiter is quick, asks Steve what he wants to drink. Steve goes for a beer which they serve to him in a tall thing glass. For dinner he goes for the Chicken Parmesan, Bucky had gone for the steak. They share in sides which was a sweet potato and grilled zucchini.
Dinner was great, even though he did technically eat it alone. He was sure people were staring, assuming he was stood up, but he doesn't care. He goes to pay the bill and finds out it's been paid for. He's surprised at first and then realizes. He smiles and thanks the waitstaff. He leaves another tip on top of Bucky's for them committing to this years in advance.
So that's it. Bucky writes. I wanted to send you one more place as a last surprise but my umm artwork was painted over so that was a fail but I hope everything else worked out. I hope one day we can do this together together. Both to see you and also to ease my anxiety about planning like this hahaha. I hope you enjoyed yourself and it wasn't too lonely with me only there by paper. I love you so much. You are so special to me Steve. Happy Birthday from my heart to yours. Oh and if fireworks go off on your way back home...that wasn't me just some late 4th of July celebrators. But enjoy them regardless and pretend it was from me.
Your love,
Bucky.
Steve smiles and he's back to wanting to cry. This was so thoughtful and so beautiful Steve can't imagine anyone better loving him. He doesn't believe he deserves it but maybe he does.
He heads back home to the Lakehouse, where Bucky will be as well, and sure enough as he makes his way back home and out of the city, a firework display starts going off. He knows what Bucky said but some of him doesn't believe it. He grins ear to ear all the way back.