Steve thought about it all the time. His mum told him stories, wonderful stories of the times she had seen people meet their soulmate. He's only young, but everyday he hopes his soulmate will find him.
-0-
'Not again,' Steve thought as a group of bullies came towards him.
"Please leave me alone," he cried, "I just want to go home."
"Too bad."
The bullies knocked him to the floor and started beating him up. One kicked his stomach as another punched his cheek repeatedly. All it of suddenly stopped. Steve looked up to see a boy not much older than him. He had dark brown hair with blue eyes and a friendly smile. He offered his hand.
Steve stood up by himself, "thanks."
"I'm James, but you can call me Bucky."
"Ok Bucky, I'm Steve."
"Nice to meet y-"
His sentence was cut off by one of the bullies coming back for more and pushing Steve onto his new friend. Steve's hand landed on Bucky's chest. The brunette helped him regain his balance by holding his arm.
"What was that for?" Bucky said defensively stepping back.
"Them pushing me?"
"No, your hand burnt me."
"Yours burnt my arm too, do you see me complaining."
"Wait Steve, roll up your sleeve," Bucky said as we noticed a small black spot sticking out.
Steve hesitantly did as he was told. There was a black handmark on his arm.
"What is that?" Bucky asked.
Steve went wide eyed, "i-it's a soulmark."
"That's a load of bull. Soulmates aren't real."
"It's exactly like my ma described. 'You know you've met your soulmate when your handprints become etched on eachothers skin. It's permanent, unless your other half loses their life.' It's why my ma doesn't have one."
"But, we're both guys. This is wrong. Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Steve replied softly, "I'm sorry, I have to go."
Before Bucky could protest, Steve was gone.
-0-
"MA!" Steve yelled running into their small home crying.
"What's the matter?" Sarah's asked softly, as Steve threw himself into her arms.
"I-I marked with someone."
"What do you mean?" She pushed him off her so she could look at him, "show me."
Steve rolled up his sleeve to reveal Bucky's hand print. Sarah licked her finger and tried to wipe it, thinking maybe he was faking it. It didn't smudge. All the intricate details were still prominent.
"Do you know her name?" She asked.
"It wasn't a girl! That's the problem!"
"What do you mean it wasn't a girl?"
"It was a boy, he stopped the bullies from hurting me again. They came back for more and pushed me onto him."
"Well what's his name?"
"He said James, but I should call him Bucky."
"That's Winifred's boy, are you sure?"
"Yes ma, are the police going to come get us? I don't want to be taken away from you," Steve cried. "No one is going to take you away, just don't tell anyone else about this mark and if you're going to be with him be careful, be discrete, promise me."
"I promise ma."
-0-
"Ma, I need to tell you something. It's really important and I don't want you to overreact."
"Yeah? What is it?" Winifred asked, without looking up from her paper.
"I marked with someone."
She instantly put down her paper, "what?"
"I marked."
"As in soulmarked?"
"Yeah."
"Let me see."
Bucky slipped off his shirt to reveal Steve's hand print on his chest.
"James, but you're so young."
He shrugged, "but that's not the part I don't want you overreact about."
"What is?"
Bucky looked down at the ground, "it wasn't a girl."
"What did you just say?"
"It wasn't a girl. It was a boy. His name is-"
"I don't want to know his name! If someone finds out about this you'll be shipped away off to conform school! Do you want that?"
"Of course not."
"Then you didn't mark. Ignore it and it'll go away."
"Ma, that's not how it-"
"You heard me. Get out of my sight."
-00000-
I'm going to add more chapters, but please be patient. The new semester just started so I'm going to have a lot of homework :)