This is the end of Part 1! This first part was meant to establish the character as well as set up the rest of the book for their developing relationships and personalities. I hope you all liked it and are excited for part 2 where we get to take a closer look at Aliana's past and her developing relationship with her soulmates! I will be taking a break next week to finish writing part 2, but will be back soon!
Walking out of the room, I had my backpack on with the box inside of it. In it were two infinity stones, powerful enough to bring about the destruction of humanity if in the wrong hands.
"Alright 'Pool," I said to Wade who was waiting outside the room, "Let's go home." Handing over his duffel bag, he grabbed it and threw his arm around my shoulder. Passing by Weasel I waved at him, "I'll be back to work tomorrow!"
"Please don't!" he called out after me as I left the bar. I linked elbows with Wade and leaned on him.
"He loves me." I said to which Wade chuckled.
"Who doesn't?" That was the only correct answer, so I rewarded Wade with a kiss to his cheek.
"OMG, I just received a kiss from the queen herself! No White, not Elizabeth! Oh, I am never washing my cheek again." I laughed as Wade went on his tangent, letting him keep talking and only occasionally answering.
We made it back to my apartment where I grabbed a duffel bag and started packing.
"Are you really sure you want to move in with them?" Wade asked as he helped me fold my clothes. Well, he was more like looking through all my stuff and then throwing it on the bed, "I mean, living with your soulmates when you can't be with them sucks ass."
"It's okay, I mean I don't really care that much about soulmates. I'm sure I'll be fine." I had lived without romance for 23 years, 6 more years will be nothing. Sure I had a crush on them, I had loved their characters and found out they were just as great in real life. But, I could do this. I had too.
"Wade, stop sniffing my panties!"
* * *
I stepped out of the Uber and in front of Stark tower as the rain came down around me. The city was still a mess from the attack two days ago, looking like a post-apocalyptic scene as the rain and moonlight fell on us. I walked into Stark tower, easily bypassing the security guards and straight into Stark's private elevator.
"Welcome back, Ms. Aliana," JARVIS said as the elevator started going up. We had become friends after the last time I was here, he might have been a robot but he was incredibly funny.
"What's up JARVIS?" I smiled into a camera in a corner.
"I believe the sky." JARVIS answered and see what I mean? Killer sense of humor. The doors opened and I stepped out into the living room, the strap of the duffle bag thrown over my shoulder. There was a movie playing on the large screen TV and I could see Loki's head from the back of the couch.
As I stepped closer I could see that Tony's head was on Loki's lap and Steve was on his other side, leaning on his elbow. Both of them were asleep, Loki the only one still awake. He glanced up at me as I approached, a small frown on his face.
"I thought you had left after you had stolen the tesseract." Loki said as I threw down my bag and sat on the loveseat next to the couch.
"Oh, I did." I said, "I came back." Grabbing a water glass that had been left on the table, I drank from it, smiling at Loki, "How angry was Fury when he couldn't find me?"
Loki chuckled, "He almost sent the Avengers after you. Steve had to calm him down and tell him you would come back." As he said this he ran his hand through Tony's hair. Darn, it looked soft.
"Steve vouched for me?" I asked, "He barely knows me." There was something very pleasing about knowing that Steve trusted me. Or at least didn't doubt that I would come back, I knew that the Captain liked to believe in the best in people, but he had no reason to believe in me.
"Not only Steve," I raised an eyebrow, "Tony did too." Now that was surprising. Didn't he completely question everything about me and had zero trust in me? He called me Alien Girl like two days ago, not even my real name. Did he know my real name? He must've the man was smarter than people gave him credit for and he was known as a literal genius.
"Surprisingly both of my soulmates seem to like and trust you." As he said this Loki was staring straight at me. There was a question there, something he was wondering about but not asking.
I took a risk, not being able to hold back "What about you?"
"What about me?" Loki asked back, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you trust me?" Was that too forward? I was basically giving myself away here, but I couldn't not ask. I don't know if it was the moonlight shining through the windows, the sound of the rain hitting the glass or the sight of my three soulmates right in front of me looking so comfortable. But at this moment, I wanted to know that Loki trusted me, that he believed I would come back.
"I wonder about that." Asshole, "I know you mean us no harm. I could sense the love from you when you were in my mind."
"What?" I asked. At that the moment was suddenly over and instead my heart skipped a beat for entirely different reasons.
"When you entered my mind I could feel your emotions" He did? "I could tell that you only felt love for me. There was nothing else except truly wanting to save me. I wonder why?"
Alright this was way too embarrassing. I drank the rest of the water and grabbed my stuff.
"Yeah, I wonder why too." I gave Loki a peace sign, "Peace out. Goodnight, Loki." As I walked away I could feel him staring at me. I knew he knew something, it probably wasn't the truth but he definitely knew something. I wanted to read his mind, but he would know that I did.
I walked into a random empty room and threw myself on the bed. This couldn't happen again, I could and would be their friend. But, I couldn't let my emotions get the better of me.
There was too much riding on me making the right choices. Choices that would hurt my soulmates. And if this all ended up how I thought it would, I would be dead at the end.
After all, Tony died after he Snapped. Who's to say I would survive that?
* * *
I woke up feeling groggy and wanting to stay in bed all day. When I thought about having to go upstairs and having to face my soulmates it made me groan. I felt like all of my energy had been sucked out of me and I really didn't want to have to put up an act anymore. There was just something about the thought of lying to my soulmates that made me even more exhausted than I already felt.
"Get yourself together Aliana," I told myself, "Get the fuck up and face the day."
Throwing myself out of bed I grabbed the backpack that contained a change of clothes and made my way over to the bathroom. After showering, brushing my teeth and getting ready for the day I felt slightly more alive. I mean, my hair looked like a rat's nest but there was nothing to be done about that.
As I made my way downstairs I kept hyping myself up that today would be fine. Afterall, it was just my first day of living with my soulmates while hiding that they were my soulmates as well as working for them.
Yeah, no, today would suck.
By the time I got to the kitchen I had a fake smile on my face and a fake pep in my step. I felt like shit, but I will fake it till I make it.
"Good morning, lovely people of Stark tower." I greeted Steve and Loki who were leaning against the counter, "Isn't it a beautiful day today?" As soon as I said that thunder sounded outside as rain pelted against the window. Welp, that about sums up my mood.
"Wait, you're here?" I completely ignored Steve and walked to the coffee maker.
"While I am not aware of Midgardian customs, I do not believe that this constitutes a lovely day." Loki said, a small smile on his lips. I hummed and saw that there was already coffee in the pot.
"Loki, you knew she was here?" Steve asked again, though neither Loki or me responded to him.
"Any day that I can get my life's blood back into my body is a good day for me." I said while grabbing the whole pot and smelling it. Ah, nothing like the smell of expensive coffee to brighten my day.
Steve laughed softly behind me and passed me a cup, looks like he wasn't asking any more questions about how I got here, "Don't tell me you're as bad as Tony when it comes to coffee. I swear he has more coffee than blood in his body."
Grabbing the sugar I poured it into my coffee, "A man of good taste." I then grabbed the cream and added a splash of it to my cup. Alright, maybe more than a splash but who's to say what enough cream is?
I took a sip and sighed as I felt the warmth enter my body. Perfect. Turning around I saw the faces of Steve and Loki, both of whom looked almost surprised at me.
"What?" I asked as I sat down at the island chair on the other side of the counter from them, "Do I have something on my face?"
"No, it's just that..." Steve hesitated as he tried to find the words to say, "That was a lot of sugar." He looked almost sheepish as he said that, as if he was afraid to offend me.
"Is there even any coffee left in your drink or did you drown it all with cream?" Loki, on the other hand, had no issues offending me.
I continued drinking my coffee, they simply didn't understand the deliciousness that was my coffee.
* * *
Tony woke up around noon, looking like the walking dead. He walked right past us into the kitchen and poured all the remaining coffee into a giant mug that he then drank straight.
"That's kinda gross," I commented and Loki snorted.
"Better than whatever it was that you consumed this morning." I slapped Loki on the arm and huffed. Steve laughed from next to Loki, they were sitting on the couch together as I took the loveseat once again.
Tony threw himself on the couch next to Steve, groaning.
"Rough morning?" Steve asked, kissing Tony's head as he slung an arm over him. The look in his eyes was so soft, a look I could already see starting to appear when he looked at Loki. I would bet that in about two weeks all three of them would be besotted with each other. Not that I would ever tell Loki that, he might actually stab me.
"Ugh, you're way too happy this early in the day." Tony said. Steve just laughed, reminding him it was already noon.
"Oh, hey Aliana." Tony said as he glanced over at me. Nodding at him, I went back to watching the reality TV show that was playing.
Yes, Steve and Loki watched reality TV. I was surprised too.
"Wait, Aliana?" Tony suddenly yelled as he stood up, "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," I reminded him, "I'm working for SHIELD now, remember?" Tony looked like he was trying to process something and I let him do that.
Did anybody remember that I was literally invited to live and work here?
"Fury sent out a search party for you." Tony said, though he kinda sounded like he was talking to himself.
"Oh, you might want to tell him to call it off." I replied anyway, "Waste of resources."
Groaning, Tony fell back on the couch and rubbed his head. Steve leaned over and whispered something that sounded suspiciously like I know, she did that to me too.
I must have misheard that.
I went back to ignoring them and paying attention to the TV show and the woman argued with her sister about something or the other. The sun was starting to shine again, breaking through the clouds as the rain stopped. It looked like despite what I had thought when I woke up, it was going to be a beautiful day after all.