Steve woke up and reached out to hold Bucky but found cold sheets. Sitting up, he saw the steam billowing from under the bathroom door. He listened to the running water for a moment before moving towards the noise only to find it locked. Rattling it a couple times he gave up with a frustrated sigh. Maybe Bucky was still mad about the last mission, Steve knew he, himself, was. As he changed into his uniform to go to the shield office, he allowed his brain to review the whole scene and felt his anger return in full force.
Steve turned to the hostess and in his most confident voice asked her if she knew how gorgeous she was and how lucky he was to lay eyes on her. Fury had given him explicit instructions to do what was necessary to find the information he needed. His mission was the secret file that was stolen from Shield. As he flirted with the hostess, his eyes flitted to the bar, only to see Bucky leaning into a pretty redhead with short hair and petite frame. Watching his soulmate flirt with her was hard to see. He was seething but trying to focus on the job at hand. He kept glancing over, only to see Bucky gently brushing his knuckles across the woman's cheek or leaning in closer than would ever be necessary to whisper something to her. As the night went on, it became apparent that Bucky was aware of Steve's eyes on him, but he never showed any signs of stopping. He dropped his chin to chuckle intimately at something the woman said and kept her completely engrossed in him and his company. Steve snapped his eyes back to the hostess before storming off in the direction of the office that she had indicated. His mind never dismissing the image of Bucky's flirty smirk making the woman swoon in front of him. He barely made it out of there before he was laying into Bucky. His voice raised as his finger poked his soulmate in the chest hard enough to hurt them both. Bucky glaring right back and accusing him of taking missions where he got to flirt with women all the time and that he was only selling the idea of being a single male.
Snapping out of the memory Steve finished pulling on the last of his uniform before heading towards the Shield office. He rode the lift with an agent Rusher who was gushing over the newly appointed trainer. He was telling Steve all about the woman, gushing over her accomplishments and how she always remains professional, in every setting he had tested her in. Steve simply nodded along as he thought about how to get Bucky and himself back on the same page. He thought about asking Fury to dial back the missions or to not send them on missions together if the work was taking this type of toll on his relationship.
As the doors slid open, he found himself face to face with the Director in question but before he could ask for an audience, he was handed a file and told to follow him. The file was on the new recruit trainer he had just heard all about from Agent Rusher. Sighing and accepting that this was going to be his day, he leaned in closer to Fury as he passed him at the door of the office, he asked about speaking privately later. Fury nodded in acknowledgement before joining the pair further inside his office. Steve was trying to focus as his spine began to itch and burn. He hadn't felt anything like it in decades. The feeling making him freeze in recognition. He couldn't have another soulmate, especially not now. He had felt what it was like to lose one though. Steve had felt Bucky die when he was with Hydra. It had turned out that it was just the death of Bucky's memory and knowledge of Steve and their bond but it didn't change the amount of pain and anguish. He was always told that rejecting the bond is a very similar pain and he wasn't sure he could handle that but he also knew Bucky would never forgive him for having a second soulmate, especially so soon after their fight. He needed to make up with him before even approaching the idea of another bond. What was stopping this new bond from tearing him and Bucky apart. He would never allow that, would he? It felt like they needed something recently. Was it possible this person was a soulmate to them both?
He eagerly awaited the arrival of whoever was behind the door, only for it to reveal a delicate doll. The girl was petite and small, her fiery red hair was done in a professional manner but there was a love-bite on her neck, barely showing. It was enough to turn Steve's hope to bitter jealousy and anger. Who had she allowed to touch her in such a way? Letting his eyes slide briefly to the tall man beside her, he knew immediately. As they introduced themselves, he had a name to add to the hated face he was seeing. Agent Brenton. The man was staring at Steve's mate in a possessive manner that had Steve more than half tempted to shoot him. He never felt this type of possessive rage when it came to Bucky. Sure, he got jealous and felt territorial but not ready to rip someone to pieces for touching what was his. The emotions made him reflect on how he thought he would be able to have both relationships. Bucky would be heartbroken. Would he be willing to understand that Steve had no say in the bond and the feelings it elicits? He kept staring at the beautiful woman, trying not to focus too hard on any single body part or what she had been doing with the man next to her before the meeting. He needed to get some air soon because he was very seriously beginning to weigh the pros and cons of murdering the man who was still lustfully staring at his soulmate. He could see the admiration and happiness in his mate's eyes when she glanced sideways at the man but only hungry possession when the man would look at the beauty next to him. Steve was disgusted that his soulmate was with such a vile human being. The man knew nothing of love if his look said anything.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone bring up how his tiny, doll-like mate was in charge of security for the Stark party. He had to double check and when he it was confirmed, he was at a loss to explain just how proud he was of her. However, he schooled his features because it was obvious that he was attracting attention. However, his face crumbled into absolute fury when she shifted under his gaze and inadvertently put the mark on her neck on full display. He hadn't meant to glare at her, right to her face, but he felt this indescribable desire to cover every single mark on her with his own and it was driving him mad. He was half tempted to drag her out of the office and claim her in every way imaginable but he was holding back because of Bucky as well as the sake of professionalism.
It was then that a thought crossed his mind. What if the agent next to his soulmate was another mate to her? One thing was clear, he wouldn't share her with someone who only lusted after her. Someone who was possessive of her body as if she was a piece of property. She was a strong young woman who deserved more than that. Steve froze when Fury invited her to be his plus one. He was irritated that it wasn't him escorting her but Fury wouldn't make a move on the woman and would keep the young agent safe so he could live with the arrangement. That was, right up until Fury called her the girlfriend of Agent Rusher. Steve stormed out, half terrified of beating the man for laying claim to the beautiful little redhead that was destined to be his soulmate.
Just as he began pacing the hall getting angrier and overthinking everything, two of his best friends walked off the elevator. Sharon and Nat both took a single glance at Steve before sighing. "What did Fury do this time?" Nat was aiming for funny but took a step back at the look of murder in her best friend's eyes. Sharon tried next. "Steve, what happened? Is Bucky okay?"
Steve shrugged and sighed. He told them they could talk about it later but to please keep the young redhead away from Agent Rusher tonight. The life of the man depended on their ability to do so. When they bid him goodbye, they watched him head to the elevator before heading into the office themselves.
As Steve rode the lift down to the ground floor, he was reminded of the meeting he was supposed to have with Fury. Instead of going straight back up, he went to the compound and did a full workout. After he was done, he went in search of Bucky. He needed to at least try and make up with him before his newest soulmate showed up to the Stark party that was being thrown to officially recognize Bucky as a member of the Avengers, no more grudges between him and Stark. They had gone to therapy together as well as focused on the present until Stark officially recognized that he blamed Hydra and not Bucky for the death of his parents. Steve knew he needed to get everything sorted and soon.
As he passed by the lab Tony called out for him. "Hey Capsicle! I need some ideas for tonight."
Steve was about to shrug it off and keep going but stopped because Tony rarely asked him for ideas regarding any type of party plans. "What do you mean Tony?"
Tony's face scrunched up in confusion before going on to tell Steve about the last minute mission Bucky had been called out for. Steve was shocked. Bucky hadn't said anything to him. Before he realized what he was saying. Steve was telling Tony all about the new trainer and how she was in charge of his security for the party before being promoted but she still was happy to take charge of security. He explained what Fury had done and Steve was slightly apprehensive at the smile growing on the billionaire's face. Suddenly, Stark had Pepper's face on a screen in front of him in the lab. Steve just stood by as he listened to Tony ask his soulmate for her opinion of the young woman. Pepper had nothing but good things to say about the woman. She explained how well the newest security head got along with not only herself and Nat but that even Happy had taken a liking to her. The only reason he opted to bring the plus one that he was to the party was because she had told him that she was close with Agent Rosen.
"Does this agent even have a first name?" Tony wasn't really expecting an answer but he saw Pepper hesitate for a moment before Steve responded instead. "Her name is Raven Rosen."
Both turned to face an almost blushing Steve before an angry Bucky stormed through the doors of the lab. "Obviously, this wasn't my call Stark. I am so sorry that the party is all for nothing. I really want to put everyone's fears at ease. To show everyone that if the great Tony Stark can see me for more than my past then maybe others can too. I want to be recognized as a member of this team just as much as anyone else." Steve reached out for his soulmate, feeling how guilty and upset he was about missing a party dedicated to clearing him of his history, or at least moving forward from it. Just as he touched the other soldier's hand though, Bucky pulled away from him. It was enough to really hurt Steve but he didn't know how else to help. Bucky whirled on him and started getting in his face about how Steve told Fury he needed to clear his head and rethink his actions. Steve put his hands up and stepped back trying to reassure Bucky that he would never do that, especially on a day like today. By the end of the exchange, both were confused and angry. Tony simply turned to face his screen quickly and pulled up the footage of Fury debriefing Bucky and kept it running, stunned that the director had thrown Steve under the bus so thoroughly. As they watched though, the director's face slowly changed as a mask was removed to see a new player. All three men realized that it was a set up and contacted Sam to meet them in the lab.
As soon as he showed up, he sighed at the anger and hurt on both of his best friends' faces. "What's up Stark? I have to meet Sharon soon. Apparently she has been out with her best friend and Nat all day; Shopping. I am almost dreading the amount of crap I am going to have to help them carry up."
This made the three men in the lab pause before continuing on with the same smirk on their faces. "That is what I have Happy for when it comes to Pepper." Tony was smug as he answered.
Bucky and Steve both gave each other full smiles before thanking each other for not being women. Steve's face faltered though. Sharon's best friend was his newest soulmate. He didn't know what to do with that. She was definitely a woman, a beautiful woman. His brow furrowed as he got lost in thought, forcing Bucky to feel the tension, fear, apprehension, and lust through the star shaped soul-mark just above his heart. It was enough to piss him off and make him jealous of whoever had caught his soulmate's attention in such a manner.
Before either of the soulmates could address what they were feeling from the other one. Tony started to fill Sam in and asked if he was comfortable sending Redwing with one of Tony's drone suits to check out the area that Bucky had been told to investigate on his mission. Sam said it was fine so long as they could still attend the party tonight because he could feel how excited Sharon was for it. Tony turned to Bucky and asked if he was okay with postponing his announcement party until they got to the bottom of whatever the new threat was that had enough juice to effectively impersonate the director of shield. Bucky sighed but agreed. Sam wanted to know if that meant they were canceling the night, which made everyone uneasy when Tony gave them a signature smirk just as Loki teleported in along with Strange to discuss the theme for the evening. Everyone froze, watching the two new soulmates begin to pout when Bucky explained that he would be staying up in his room or maybe even go to his apartment in the city so that it appeared as if whatever set up had been thrown their way was successful. It wasn't until Tony saw just how hurt Bucky was that he said fuck it.
"No. They don't get to win. You will be announce tonight and the world will see you as the good guy you are. You are Bucky Barnes and not the Winter Soldier. The bad guys don't get to win today."
Loki smiled widely as Dr. Strange made goblets appear in each of their hands. "To not letting the bad guys win." Stephen toasted the small group, making each of them smile and chuckle at the wizard.
Bucky opted to get a new suit for the occasion with Tony, showing the world that they were truly beyond the crimes of the past. Honestly, Bucky just needed the eye of the more fashion forward man. The two ensuring that there was a tracker on each of them before leaving the tower, alerting Friday to set the drone suit as well as Redwing to the rendezvous early to ensure to get better visual of the bad guy who seemed to want to isolate Bucky. Steve followed them out and made sure to pull Bucky's flesh hand and kiss the other super soldier. "I know that I have a lot of emotions flitting around me right now Buck, but none of it means that I love you any less. You are my soulmate and I hope that nothing changes the way we feel towards one another." Bucky saw the fear in the blonde super soldier's eyes. He didn't need the mark to know that his mate was fearful and worried about something. Bucky sighed before retracting his flesh hand from his mate's grip. He knew that his metal one still made Steve flinch occasionally. He placed his right hand on his cheek and tried to make him feel better. "I love you so much Steve. I am here til the end of the line. Just, keeping secrets has never helped either of us. I want us to be real and clear with each other. Just, we can talk about this tomorrow after the party."
Steve felt the stabbing disappointment from his mate and blanched at the pain radiating from Bucky's mark. It prompted him to yell out his secret without second thought as Bucky and Tony began pushing the doors open that lead outside. "I found a second soulmate!" Steve watched in slow motion as both Bucky and Tony froze with a single foot out the door. Bucky turned to Steve and lunged. Steve didn't know what to think as a fist came flying at his face, then he registered it was a vibranium one. He put his arm up a half second to slow and took the full hit to his jaw.
"WHEN?!" It was a demand more than a question and Steve was still stunned by his broken jaw. He was holding his hand to it when he slurred out a simple; "today."
Bucky froze, mid swing and dropped his arm. "Did you do anything with them?"
Steve shook his head while Tony placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Let's get you all dolled up for your big night." He turned his eye to a still stunned Steve and told him that he expected the soulmate to stay away from Bucky for the night. "It isn't fair to drop this on him ours before his debut as an Avenger. That was messed up Rogers. I mean, that was colder than the ice you were stuck in."
Steve hung his head but nodded in understanding. "I will tell them to stay away from Bucky and myself tonight. That is, if they haven't rejected me before then. I was a jerk to them today too. I was just shocked and I am handling this all wrong."
Tony nodded. "You really are Cap. You are supposed to be the good guy that all other men are compared to and you are currently losing to even the most deadbeat of assholes. Do better." With that, Steve watched both men disappear out the door and into the day.
"Shit!" Steve stormed up to the gym and started taking all of his frustration out on every bag he could get his hands on. Today was not going at all how he had hoped it would.
It wasn't until later when he felt the slight fear from his spine that he knew she was near. Looking up, he prepared for her to walk through the doors. His jaw dropped when she walked in wearing a little silver dress that wasn't overstated or obnoxious. Her makeup was done in a darker smokey eye and natural look. She looked beyond words. Her tall black heels and matching clutch had his eyes roaming over her once more.
Just as he opened his mouth, her hand came up and silenced him. She didn't touch him but he had almost wished she had. "Stay away from me tonight Captain. I am not here to flaunt myself in front of your other mate, nor am I here to torment or beg you. I am here because the literal boss ordered me to be. I want no word of what we are to be said to anyone. Are we clear?" Her authoritative nature had him standing straighter as he told her; "yes ma'am."
With a nod, she spun away from him. Her long red hair looking like a ring of curled flames dancing in the air as she left. He was stunned. He hadn't had to tell her anything. She came in, demanding the same amount of respect from Steve and herself as Bucky and Tony had. She was incredible in his eyes and that had him furrowing his brow in confusion again.
When he came up to shower and change for the night, he found many of his friends and collegues already ready for the evening. Raven was attached to Sharon, Sam, Nat, Banner, and oddly enough, Fury. Her arm gently resting in the crook of Fury's elbow. Respectful but obvious to everyone who glanced their way who she was attending the party with. Using his enhanced hearing, he listened in on the conversation as he slowly moved up the stairs.
Raven laughed, he knew what the others sounded like when they laughed and this laugh was more alluring to him than any of the others.
"No, technically, you have saved me more frequently than I have ever done for you Shay." Sharon laughed at the remark before the others joined her. Sam speaking up next. "Shay, hmm? Am I going to have to worry about you two? You never let anyone call you anything but Sharon or Carter. You barely let me use any pet names and even those can only be used in private."
Steve grunted when he was out of earshot with the background of other guests arriving and the party beginning. He quickly showered and changed into a silver button down and black slacks. He wanted to support Bucky so he opted for a red tie to finish the look. As he passed the lab on his way to the party, he paused yet again when it wasn't empty. Tony and Bucky stood in the middle of the room with their eyes on the big projection of a brush filled area. It was only a few minutes longer before a few people emerged. All three men gasped when another deep voice startled all of them. "Are you all seeing the semi-naked blue chick?"
All three men turned to see a surprised Fury but what seemed to shock them more was the pissed off redhead next to him. "Mystique."
All four men shared a glance before watching her move towards the screen. Unfortunately, both she and Bucky seemed to meet eyes before she threw her arms up. "OF-FUCKING-COURSE!" She whipped her head back to Steve before meeting Bucky's eyes again. "I am glad to be your mate too. I just wanted you to have an amazing night to celebrate being an Avenger and instead that bitch makes an appearance and it turns out you and Steve have to figure this all out." She waved her hands up and down her body like she was a problem. Tony and Fury shared a confused glance before choosing to ignore it. As soon as someone went to say something, she put her hand up to stop them.
Raven touched the nearly invisible earpiece before her eyes widened and she asked if they meant now. Just as Fury reached out to touch her shoulder she met eyes with Tony.
"Evacuate everyone. Trouble just knocked in the form of pyrotechnics and I am only equipped to handle so much of it. I will handle the source, you're all on damage control. Keep people safe."
As she sprinted out of the room, both Bucky and Steve swooned. "That's our girl."