Steve Rogers and James "Bucky" Barnes have been best friends for as long as they could remember. To them, it felt like centuries, but really, it had only been 3 weeks.
It had been another tough lunchtime for Steve, Gilly, one of the bigger boys in his class, decided that he wanted what Steve had for lunch, and when Steve went to go tell the teacher, all he received was a black eye.
It was nearing the end of playtime and Steve was sulking about on the half-broken swing at the back of the school yard, the rope too fragile to hold anyone but him. With a mind a million miles away, he didn't notice the slowly approaching figure, until he felt another hand slip into his own.
Glancing down with a slight frown, Steve noticed the offending hand belonged to Bucky, the boy who had quickly become his friend.
"What are you doing?"
The lopsided smirk on the taller boys face widened. "Holding your hand."
The confidence that came from the taller boy threw Steve off his game, causing him to reply with a simple, "Oh, okay."
A beat passed.
Then two.
"Why?"
Bucky's infallible smile slipped for a moment. "Ma said it was something you do to show people that you care, that you'll always be there for them."
The smaller boy was once again left speechless. "Oh, okay."
When the bell finally rang, Steve climbed down from the rope swing, still not letting go of Bucky's hand. Feeling a slight tug as he headed off to class, he turned around to face the boy who had not moved.
"Hey Steve?"
The smaller boy only hummed in response.
"I promise I'll always take your hand, okay?"
That promise was only broken once, 20 years later, when they reached the end of the line.