Chapter Text
Steve sat on an uncomfortable stool in a bar he definitely did not want to be at. Bucky had begged him to come
“You'll find a nice dame to dance with, don't worry Stevie,” he had said while putting on his boots in their apartment.”
Now Steve was, just like every other time they had gone to the dancing hall, alone at the bar. He tried to pretend the constant blow of cigarettes in his face was not going to cause an asthma attack. He looked down at his nearly full glass of whiskey and sighed.
“What's eating you up kid?” a burly man next to him said with a slur to his voice.
What was he supposed to say, oh I don't know, my friend dragged me here and left me at the bar so he could go dance with dames. His lip curled up slightly.
“Whiskey is too strong,” Steve lied as he got up from the bar. He was going to get Bucky and leave. As he weaved his way through the dancing partners, holding his breath as to not breathe in too much smoke, he spotted Bucky. His hat was off and he had a girl on each arm, kissing a blonde on the right. Steve’s eyebrows netted together and he turned around and pushed through the door. Why ruin Bucky’s night? He was having fun anyway.
The cool night air seeped it’s way through Steve’s constricted lungs. He took long, deep breaths for a few moments before sluggishly walking back to their apartment.
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Bucky loved dancing. He loved the way his body moved to the music with a dame on his side. He wanted Steve to dance, but there was never a girl who wanted him.
“They don't know what they are missing!” Bucky scoffed in his head.
But here he was tonight, dancing with two girls, and Steve was alone at the bar. Every few minutes or so Bucky would glance in on him, making sure he was breathing ok and not drinking too much.
“What’s on your mind Buck?” the girl on his left he was just kissing had said. Her breath smelled like sweet cherries.
“Nothing darling, only you.”
He kept dancing, his interaction with the girls getting heated. He was sure there would be lipstick on his neck. So what? It’s not like Steve hasn't seen it before. He swayed this way and that, his trained feet methodically following in step to the music. He glanced up to check on Steve.
He was gone.
He pushed the girls away with a squawk of “hey!” He didn't care about them anymore. What if Steve was having an attack from the smoke and he wasn't there. His heart pounded in his chest as he called out the name.
“Steve!” he shouted, getting closer to the bar. “Steve!”
“A thin looking twig of a boy just left if that’s who your asking for.” a voice said from the bar.
And with that, Bucky set off into the night to find his friend, uneasiness building in his stomach.