Warnings: Short Chapter (they get longer I pinky swear)
Stella POV
My shift at La Cafe Nińo passed me by in a haze of muffins, coffee, and excited smiles. I was honestly having a hard time believing that my meeting with Pepper Potts this morning wasn't just a figment of my imagination. This day had gone nothing like I had expected it to, and just for my own peace of mind, I decided to do some fact checking. Because if it turns out that this was some whole made up farce to prank the freak with three soulmates, it would devastate me. So a little after the afternoon rush while on my lunch break, I decided to Google Stark Industries on a whim. Sure enough, smack dab front and center on the webpage was a picture of Pepper Potts, the CEO of the whole company. This told me that I could at least trust her about what she told me this morning about knowing Tony Stark. After all how can you be the CEO of his company and not know him. I also knew that she really could introduce me to the first of my Soulmates, if what she had said was to be believed.
Tony Stark.
Tony FREAKING Stark.
I was still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Tony Stark was possibly one of my soulmates if Pepper was to be believed, and honestly I believed her. Everyone as a child is always told that fate works in mysterious ways, but this was a pairing that I was curious to see why the Fates had decided we were perfect for each other. I liked to think I was pretty cool, but it is well known, that Tony Stark is the epitome of cool. He made Antarctica look hot in the winter kind of cool, and I was super nervous to meet him, but also excited.
After feeling like my day had been dragging on for hours when my shift was finally finished at 4, it took me no time at all to clock out and hoof it up the stairs to my apartment. Once I was inside, I didn't even bother locking the door, just dashed to my closet in a mindless frenzy. What the hell are you supposed to wear when meeting your genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist soulmate? Definitely not my flour caked and coffee reeking clothing that's for sure. I wasn't a fancy type of girl by any means, but it was moments like these where I started to wish I had slightly more fashion sense than a squirrel.
I ripped shirt after skirt after dress off of the hangers in my closet, and each piece of clothing landed on the ground somewhere behind me. I had exhausted all of my options, and yet I was nowhere near finding something cute and appropriate to wear. Shrieking loudly, I childishly stomped my foot before grabbing a pair of blue jeans and a pretty pink blouse before calling it quits. This was as good as it was going to get, but I made a mental note to pick up some cute spring dresses from the consignment shop a few blocks over. Pepper was supposed to pick me up at 5, and I had spent so long looking for something to wear that she should be here any minute now. With one final look in the mirror, and deciding not to bother doing anything with my hair that was still in a ponytail from my shift, I headed downstairs to wait for Pepper so that I could hopefully meet one of my Soulmates.
The streets were filled with the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life as I rocked back and forth on my heels impatiently, and ran my fingers through my ponytail. I was currently pulling out all the knots and tangles while also straightening it, praying to anyone listening I looked ok, when a car horn sounded from right in front of me causing me to jump. It was a black luxury car, and that's all I could tell you about it besides the fact that it probably cost more than I had ever made in my life. I can also tell you that stepping out of that car was Pepper who waved at me excitedly.
I sent her a quick wave back to signal to her that I had seen her, before I jogged up to her. It was like a game of Frogger the way I had to dodge and weave around everyone who was walking on the sidewalk and talking on their phones. Everyone was too busy to pay attention to anyone but themselves, and when I finally made my way over to Pepper unscathed, she pulled me into a quick hug shocking me. Don't get me wrong I like hugs, but I barely knew the lady.
"So there has been a slight change of plans," she whispered quietly in my ear as she pulled out of the hug, but I wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Instead, I was paying attention to the heat traveling through my red rose mark as it tingled, and the pair of extremely fashionable but expensive leather shoes that had just stepped out of the same car Pepper had arrived in.
It was like slow motion the way he appeared in front of me. First I saw the black leather shoes, and then the finely tailored dress pants, which led up to his matching suit jacket and tie with a simple white dress shirt underneath. That shirt alone was probably more than my whole wardrobe cost, let alone the whole suit which he wore oh so well. I couldn't see his eyes and good Lord, how I wanted to get lost in them, but they were hidden behind finely crafted black sunglasses. All of this led up to his mop of dark brown hair that was messily arranged, but you just knew it had been styled that way. He had a cocky smirk on his face, and I could feel a large smile beginning to take over my own in response to his. With fluid movements, he pulled his shades off and tucked them into his suit pocket before he walked over to me.
Our eyes met, brown to brown, and we moved at the exact same time. With each step he took towards me,I took a small one towards him until we were only a few centimeters apart from one another. Now I wasn't short by any means, I was perfectly average for a woman standing at 5'4," but in front of him, I felt small. Not in a bad way. Not in an intimidated way, but in a "let me curl up in your arms because you're bigger than me" kind of way.
I could have spent all day just standing there staring at him and feeling our connection through our marks, but I wanted to initiate the first bonding step. Touch. When you touch your mate, or in my case mates, for the first time, your souls recognize each other for the first time. Even though Pepper had told me that he had been looking for me, I was still hesitant and worried that he might reject me, so slowly I held my hand out to him. I could only hope that he couldn't detect the minuscule shaking in my hand and body.
I waited.
I waited for what felt like eternity, but in reality was only a few moments, before I felt a strong grip on my hand, and an arm wrap around my whole body. Tony then pulled me tightly into his strong chest, and I was in heaven. I felt safe. But more than that, it felt like fireworks were going off behind my closed eyelids, though when I closed them I didn't know. His head came and rested on top of mine, and I let out a sigh of pure bliss as the tingling and heat in my mark stopped only to be replaced by a light thumping. The thumping of his heart ran through my mark, letting me know that he had accepted our bond. It was comforting in a way, to know that he would be experiencing the same thing on his end that I was as well. Our breaths came out in synchronized pants as our souls merged, before we pulled away from each other slightly to be able to look into each other's dilated eyes. It took a few moments and a few deep breaths, but we did begin to breathe normally again.
Staring into his eyes my mind went blank. I forgot about the bullying, the tormenting, and the harassment. All I could think of was him. My whole life I had dreamed of this moment. What I would say to my mates when I met them. I would be cool, suave, alluring, but right now all I could see were his eyes, and the smile on his face filling my vision as I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. . .
"Hi."
With a laugh that had my insides turning into jello, my sexy soulmate looked down at me and simply said, "Hi," before he turned slightly away from me and his personality did a complete 180. The arm that had been wrapped around my body was now wrapped around my shoulders, as he pulled me into the protected curve of his body. Now that we had accepted each other, it seemed like he was on a mission, as he started leading me towards the fancy car after he put his designer sunglasses back on.
"JARVIS let the team know that I'm bringing someone extra with me back to the tower so they had better not be messing with my stuff." His voice was firm and sure of himself as he talked to the air, and I had to wonder for a minute if maybe this man was delusional. Who the hell is JARVIS?
Dimly I heard what sounded like a voice reply of "of course sir," as Tony helped me into the car before he slid in next to me and pulled me right up against his body.
"Happy." He said firmly but not unkindly.
"Yeah boss." A man who hadn't left the car and was clearly the driver responded. He looked like a nice man, but I had learned through copious experiences, that appearances could be deceiving, That thought died as quickly as it had appeared, when this man Happy turned around slightly to look at us with a grin on his face.
"This is Stella, my soulmate that Pepper was talking about earlier. She'll be coming home with us." Tony kissed the top of my head as he said this, and I waved at the man up front.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you Happy." I said to him with a smile. I would have held out a hand for him to shake, but both of my hands were currently being held by Tony as he ran his fingers over every line and crevice of my hand.
"Nice to meet you too. And congratulations Boss." He said before turning around and starting the car.
Pepper was in the back of the car with us, just seated across from us and looking out the window, so I directed my question to Tony.
"Where are we going Tony?" I said quietly so as not to break the cocoon of comfortableness that had settled around us.
He closed his eyes and sighed in what sounded like bliss as I said his name, but opened them again quickly and placed a kiss to my forehead. "We're going back home angel."
"Where's that?"
"Where your other two soulmates are. We all live together in Avengers tower."
"Wait! I'm meeting all three of you today?!" I was shocked and it showed in my voice as my body stiffened up in his arms. I hadn't been expecting to meet all of them today, and I had only mentally prepared myself to meet him! Softly, so that Tony would know that I wasn't going anywhere, I pulled away slightly. Not enough to be out of his arms, but just enough that I'd be able to look him in the eyes.
"Yup." He said while popping the p. "Unless you aren't ready?" He questioned me teasingly.
"Are you kidding, I was born ready." That was a lie, but what the hell? When in Rome right?
A/N: YOU are the MUSES that INSPIRE ME!!!
Edited as of 04/28/2024
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Warning: So in case I haven't dropped enough hints, this is going to be a poly fic so if those aren't your thing, or if you don't like them. Please either read on with caution or turn back now.