Steve & Bucky

The Tags

Bucky looked down at the note again.

Meet me at our spot in the park at 1. ~S

Bucky had found the note on their kitchen counter that morning. It was 12:59 and no sign of Steve. It wasn't like Steve to be late. A sudden rush of anxiety surged through Bucky's veins. What if something was wrong. What if something happened to Steve. He looked at his watch again, 1pm. When he looked up he saw Steve strolling towards him with a small silver box. A wave of relief flooded through him, followed by a silly little grin that spread across his whole face.

As Steve sat down on the park bench beside him, Bucky stole a kiss right off his lips.

"Well hello to you too," Steve joked as he started to blush.

One of the many things Steve loved about Bucky was that he always got right to the point. "What's in the box?" Bucky asked.

"A present," Steve said with a grin starting to spread across his face, "for you. Here, open it."

Bucky took the box and untied the bow that was resting on top. He removed the cover and reached inside. He pulled out a long silver chain with two metal plates linked on it. Military dog tags. Bucky had a puzzled look on his face as he held the plates closer to his face so he could see the words printed on them.

The first plate read: Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes of the 107th Infantry Regiment.

The second plate read Captain Steven Grant Rogers - Captain America.

"It's so you never forget who you really are," Steve explained, "and so you don't forget me either," he added with a nervous little laugh. Steve was on the edge of the bench with a worried look on his face. He wasn't sure if Bucky would think it was was sentimental, or just plain stupid. He started to sweat just a little, his whole body filling with anxiety.

Bucky's face relaxed, and a sad smile started to emerge. He looked up at Steve and tears started to fill his eyes. He held them back, seeing as they were in public and he had a certain "image" to protect. He put the tags around his neck, and he never took them off. Ever. He wore them round the clock, even when he showered.

"I love it," Bucky finally said as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Bucky was never the one to get emotional over these things, but considering what he'd been through, he let it slide this time. He held Steve's face in one hand and the tags in the other. He pulled Steve closer and kissed him. He pressed his forehead against Steve's and whispered, "thank you." Steve peeled Bucky's hand off of his cheek and intertwined thier fingers. Bucky kept his grip on the tags for the rest of the day.