Ring

The ring hit Steve in the forehead. 

He had been daydreaming. He was always daydreaming. That day it had been about flying. The sky was a clear, crystalline, blue. He wondered what it would be like to be up there, soaring through the air instead of sitting in a dingy concrete fountain. 

Steve scooped up the ring and looked at it. Made of dark grey metal with a thin band of diamonds in the middle. It was large in his palm and warm. A man’s ring. 

It was expensive, carried value both financial and emotional for someone. Not thrown something away on a wish lightly. People usually threw change into the well. Quarters, nickels, dimes, and pennies. So, so, many pennies. 

Once upon a time, when times were hard and each cent, dear to a family’s survival, the ones that were thrown into the well had power. Something was risked when those pieces were tossed into the fountain, a piece of hope given in exchange for the chance at a miracle. 

Now, change held little value for the people who made wishes. The coins were easily parted with, nothing risked and so, nothing gained. 

City Square was busy. It was the first day of spring and people were out shopping at the farmers’ market and taking in the warm weather. Steve watched them walk by and tried to guess who the ring’s owner was.

He could feel the energy of the owner’s wish emanating from the ring. It was warm and hummed along his skin making him feel alive in a way that was impossible. They wanted love. It was obvious in the way the ring tugged at Steve’s awareness. It was the most common wish and he had always found that to be both the saddest and the most encouraging thing. Everyone wants to be loved and it made Steve feel good that some things never change. It also broke his heart that so many people were out in the world feeling lonely and desperate enough to toss something as valuable as an engagement ring into a well hoping for the universe will make their dreams come true. 

Steve closed his long thin fingers around the ring and stood. Purpose made him feel light and he found himself smiling as he looked around the space. He didn’t have much magic, not any really, he could just influence things sometimes. The hum on his skin had a specific frequency that would match the ring’s owner. Maybe if he found the owner he could make a little magic happen. 

*****

Bucky stood at a produce stall examining plums and cursing himself internally. His boyfriend, Ex, Ex-boyfriend  Bucky reminded himself, was a cheating, lying, asshole, and Bucky had just flung two thousand dollars into a grotty old fountain. 

He told himself it didn’t matter. 

He was fine on his own. Always had been, always would be.

Just fine. 

His heart squeezed as he imagined the life he’d had planned. The joint apartment, maybe a dog and some kids. Having grown up in group homes, without a family of his own, Bucky’d always wanted kids. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and told himself not to cry. He was in public and needed to cling to his last shred of dignity as long as he could. There had already been enough embarrassment in the last year to last him a lifetime, walking in on Brock with that blonde, calling off an engagement, having to stay on his best friend’s couch indefinitely. It had been nearly six months since he’d cried in public.

 He refused to break his streak at a farmer’s market. 

The tall brunette selling the plums gave him a kind smile and he felt himself blush.  Who knew how long he’d been zoning out having a self-pity party.  

“I’ll take six please,” he told the woman. Her peach-colored apron read “Hill’s Farm”, she had a name tag with a sunflower on it beside her name, Maria.

“Sure,” she said, she grabbed a reusable bag to put his fruit in while he pulled some bills out of his wallet. There weren’t nearly as many as he’d like in there and while he made good money working as a sous chef, he knew he’d need to start saving to afford a place on his own again. 

On his own. 

It hurt. 

He paid for his purchase and took the bag. 

“This will pass,” he told himself, “It will be okay. Just gotta pick up the pieces and move on.”

He turned around and caught a glimpse of the fountain again. 

“Damn it,” he muttered. 

He couldn't afford to be wasteful, he had to get the ring back. 

*****

Steve took a step forward and his excitement grew. 

He took another step. 

It had been years since he’d been able to walk. To move more than an arm’s length from where he died. It was exhilarating in a way he hadn’t truly appreciated when he was alive. 

People brushed by him as they went about their day. Families with little kids, couples out walking dogs and kissing by the ice cream stand. 

The world was alive and for the first time in 72 years, Steve felt like he was alive with it. 

He was reveling in his temporary freedom when something pushed him back toward the fountain. 

He opened his palm thinking he’d dropped the ring and lost his link to the magic but it was still there. 

“Excuse me,” a man said, brushing his dark hair back from his forehead, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Steve stared at the man in awe. 

“You can see me?” he asked.  

It shouldn’t have been possible. He was a ghost. People didn’t see him no matter how much he wished they would, even for a moment. 

“What?” the dark-haired man asked.

Bucky stared at the thin blonde in front of him. He was short, came up to maybe his shoulder, and rail-thin but he was damn cute with a strong jaw and sky blue eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Steve said, “I just, I wasn’t expecting you to say something. People usually don’t want anything to do with a guy small enough to step on.”

Steve was rambling. 

Oh my god shut up! Steve told himself.

 He didn’t know what had come over him, maybe it was the humming, alive feeling inside making him feel like a shook-up bottle of champagne. It had him blabbering on when he had no intention to. He glanced at the other man and felt himself blush. He was a real looker.  In his day, two men shooting the breeze, flirting, loving one another was far beyond forbidden it had gotten him killed once people had found out he’d considered it. 

It was one of the things he liked about seeing the world change. Not everything had gotten better some things had. 

“Trust me,” Bucky said with a grin, “Stepping on you is the last thing I’m thinking about doing.”

He clapped his hand over his mouth and stared wide-eyed at Steve as if he surprised himself. 

Steve wanted to laugh. 

They were both blushing. 

“I’m sure you feed lines like that to all the fellas,” Steve said. 

What is wrong with you?!  His mind screamed. Shut! UP!

“Just the cute ones.”

Steve ducked his head and Bucky scuffed his foot against Steve’s.

“Don’t believe me?” Bucky teased. 

“Now, I’m not calling you a liar but, that fountain has water in it,” Steve said, “I’ve seen my face.” 

The brunette’s face fell. 

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked. 

Not your business, Steve reminded himself, You’ve got a job to do. Don’t waste this opportunity.

“I-uh, I dropped something in that fountain earlier. I’m sure it’s gone by now but I should go look for it,” Bucky said, “That’s where I was going when I nearly mowed you down just now. Sorry again about that by the way.”

Steve shrugged it off. 

“No trouble,” he said, “I’m tougher than I look.” 

Bucky nodded and moved toward the fountain and Steve followed. It seemed like a great big joke that he could finally move around, finally be seen, and by the prettiest man he’d ever gotten a look at and here he was going right back to the bane of his existence. The City Square fountain. 

“What’re we lookin’ for?” Steve asked. 

Bucky glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. 

“You don’t have to help me,” he said. 

“I wanna,” Steve said, “ I like helping people. It’s the right thing to do.”

Bucky sighed and ran his fingers through his hair again. 

“Well- wait, I don’t know your name,” Bucky said. 

“Steve. Steve Rogers.” 

“ So Formal! You can call me Bucky,” Bucky said, he stuck his hand out for Steve to shake.

Steve grasped Bucky’s hand with his own and it felt like being struck by lightning. Everything was suddenly too bright, too loud, except for Bucky. He squeezed the hand he was holding a little tighter. The world was going too fast and he felt like a balloon just before it popped. 

“Pal,” Bucky said, “Steve, you alright?”

Steve shut his eyes for a moment and when he opened them everything was normal again. The ring wasn’t humming anymore but he still had that fizzy light feeling. It was strange, as if the frequency had been passed onto him. 

“Sorry about that,” Steve said, trying to cover up the panic he was feeling, “I’ve got asthma.”

You had asthma but now you don’t. Because you’re dead. Remember? 

“Oh, geez,” Bucky said, “Do you need to sit down or something?”

“Nah,” Steve said, “I’m alright. Besides, you said we gotta look for something.”

Bucky smiled. The little guy was tough, cute, and if he wasn’t mistaking it, giving Bucky the once over when he thought he wasn’t looking.  It was enough to give him hope. 

Steve watched Bucky watch him and waited. He was pretty sure he’d messed this one up but he was determined to see it through. Too bad he’d only managed to take a few steps back into the world before being cast into obscurity again. 

“Well, you see, Steve. Steve Rogers,” Bucky teased, “I dropped-”

“Tossed,” Steve interrupted. 

“What?”

“Sorry, keep going.”

“Alright, see I tossed, a ring.”

“An engagement ring.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes. 

“Yes, an engagement ring.  I tossed an engagement ring into the well because I was-”

“Making a wish.”

“-mad. I was mad Steve.”

“No you weren’t, Buck. You walked up to the fountain, took the ring out of your pocket and held it to your lips before turning around and tossing it over your shoulder into the fountain making a wish.”

Bucky’s eyes were watering and Steve wanted to hold him close. To wipe away those tears and tell him he didn’t have to be so strong alone anymore. That he was with him til the end of the line but that wasn’t what the universe intended. 

“How? How do you know that?” Bucky asked quietly.

“I saw you, Buck. I saw it happen and I felt it when the ring plunked me in the face.”

Steve opened his hand and showed Bucky the ring.

“This belongs to you,” he said. 

He let the metal, warm from his hand, fall into Bucky’s open palm. 

“You Punk!” Bucky said, “You’ve had it this whole time?”

“Well yeah,” Steve said, “I just didn’t know who it belonged to until now. Wait- you can still see me?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a hip against the fountain, the stone cool and solid against his pant leg. 

“But I didn’t do it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You wished for love Bucky. You gave away something precious and asked for someone who wouldn’t break your heart in return. I didn’t bring you someone special, I just brought back your ring. I didn’t grant your wish.” 

“Hey, it’s not all bad,” Bucky said, “I met you.”

“Eh, I’m no prize.”

“Don’t I get to be the judge of that?”

Steve looked up in shock. Bucky was smiling at him, a hand reaching out as if waiting for Steve to grasp it. When he hesitated, Bucky closed the distance himself, lacing their fingers together with a grin. 

“You got plans tonight Stevie?”

Steve shook his head. 

“Good,” Bucky said, “I’m making dinner, how do you feel about cacio e pepe and a plum galette for dessert?”

“I’d feel better if I knew what those were,” Steve joked.

“It’s a fancy way of saying spaghetti with pepper and cheese with a plum tart for dessert.”

“Ah.”

“Trust me,” Bucky said, tugging on Steve’s hand a little to get him walking so they could finish Bucky’s shopping, “you’ll like it. Just like how I’d like to know how I managed to hit you in the face with this ring when the water was empty at the time I threw it.”

Steve stumbled but Bucky didn’t let him fall. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Steve said. 

“Stevie I threw a ring into a fountain and wished for a soulmate,” Bucky said, “I think I'm willing to believe quite a bit if you at least try to explain it.”

Steve sighed.  It felt too easy, too perfect. He was almost too afraid to hope. 

“But what if we’ve got it wrong,” Steve said, “Maybe you should forget you met me and just go, get outta here.”

Bucky shook his head. This punk. He leaned in and kissed Steve lightly on the lips and that’s when he felt it. A fuzzy, fizzy feeling filling him up, making him feel alive again in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time.  After a heartbeat of hesitation, Steve kissed him back and he knew he’d never be alone again. 

“No,” Bucky told him, “No, I'm not going. Not without you.”

End.