*Layla's Soul Mark on the Boys* My own design.
Steve gulped down his beer mindlessly stirred the spaghetti sauce, the poor man was ready to start pulling hairs. This was not how he had ever thought his life would turn out. Now don't get him wrong, Steve loved his life. In the beginning it was just Bucky and scrawny little Stevie then they turned eighteen and became soulmates. But Steve's parents were extremely religious and they lived in a time were same sex mates were shunned so they had to pretend that they were just friends. Bucky was flirty and the dames loved him but never Steve, they would go out with girls to keep up appearances saying they just hadn't met their mates yet. But the girls knew, they always knew, the way they glared at him whenever Bucky insisted on staying with him. Then Bucky enlisted and he was going to be leaving him but Steve didn't want to be left behind. Well everyone fought for him. He had enlisted over and over again. The Doc had found him and he had become something more. Then there was the train and he lost Bucky but there had always been hope, their third, the colorful gun and watch had adored their arms. Then Steve had woken up seventy years later after being frozen in time. He had unsuccessfully tried to drown himself in alcohol but of course that didn't work. When he had finally gotten the courage to look at his arm Steve had nearly fainted they were both still there. If Bucky or their undiscovered mate was dead their marks would have lost their color, but there they were as colorful as ever. They were alive and out there somewhere waiting for him, Steve wouldn't be alone in this new technological world.
"You okay Capsicle?" a feminine voice yanked Steve from his flashback.
He jumped a little but quickly composed himself glaring playfully at Natasha Romanoff "I'm fine Nat just thinking."
Nat raised one perfectly sculpted brow "Thinking about that smoking hot woman who is sitting out at the table?"
Steve spluttered a protest before conceding. Bucky and Layla were sitting at the table talking every now and then Steve glanced over from the cooking to admire his two mates. Thank god for Wanda otherwise the food would be burned. Bucky had been so depressed that the reason why Layla kept avoiding them was because he was the Winter Soldier. It warmed Steve's heart to see him talking to her so carefree.
Natasha snickered at his flusteredness sipping her beer as he sweat "I don't blame you. Layla is a formidable woman. I once saw her take out three men who were causing trouble for her waitress while making my drink. Then she calmly took the fire extinguisher and hosed down the cook who apparently was the waitress's mate and had some serious firepower." the widow shrugged, laughing silently into hand. She personally liked Layla. The woman was stubborn, beautiful, and powerful, plus Layla had beaten Natasha in a fight when they first met that sealed their friendship.
Steve signed, poking at the pasta with a spatula "I spent seventy years under the ice just to come out to find we won the war. The world changed while I was gone the only thing that I have is them and one of them is rejecting me and I just don't know how to make it right."
"Talk to her. It's really all anyone can ever do right?" Natasha laughed as Steve snapped around and saw her standing there. Layla smiled sweetly "Like I told Bucky things are more complicated than you can imagine."
He managed to whisper a 'yes ma'am'
-------------------------------------------
Layla sat on the couch staring out into the foggy night of the city. Peter slept beside her, Layla kept a protective eye on him as she disassembled and reassembled the guns in front of her. Stark had assured her that the tower was locked down and nothing was getting in. It wasn't that Layla didn't trust him, it was that she was not going to underestimate Victor again. Jenna and Match had almost paid with their lives because she didn't think that Victor would do such a thing. But Claire was right, Victor was lashing out at everything around him, he was beyond reason and it was her duty to protect her family. He wasn't her brother, not anymore he was just a shell of the man she had fought beside. These people had turned him into nothing more than an animal and for that she would burn them to the ground.
"Miss Layla..." Peter softly whispered curling into my side "Are we going to be okay?"
Slowly running her hands through Peter's curly locks she let herself be dragged into his mind feeling his fears and gently soothing him back to sleep.
"You will be okay, I promise I will always be there to protect you kid." She whispered gently, placing a kiss on the sleeping child's head. "I am going to end this once and for all."
"Miss Jones?"
Layla quickly wiped away the unshed tears "Yes Friday?"
"He's here."
Layla swallowed hard, gently lifting Peter off her and grabbing her guns, the power source tucked into her pocket. It was time to end this.
"Wake the others, tell them to protect Peter and stay safe. I am going to end what I started all those years ago."
*Don't Forget To Comment*
Also Check out the intro to my new book Witching Hour a crossover between the Avengers and The Originals.