Chapter Text
Beth couldn’t stop the heavy sigh of relief from escaping her lips as she flopped down into the red leather booth. She and her fellow co-workers were all exhausted after a sudden rush of customers. Feet aching to the point of her nearly crying, she almost moaned as she propped them up and put one leg over the other. She closed her tired blue eyes and breathed another sigh. Leaning her head back, she intended to enjoy every second of this before she had to head home.
“Whoa girl, looks like you’ve had it rough!”
Forcing her head up, she saw her good friend Darcy standing next to the booth, concern in her own blue eyes.
“Yeah,” she managed to mumble, “It’s been a really rough day.”
Arching a dark eyebrow, Darcy took a sit in the side of the booth opposite Beth. Eyeing the young blonde woman for a few more moments, she stated, “You know, you could always come back with me and stay over tonight,” She grinned at Beth’s shocked expression, “Girl, why not?! Everybody knows and loves you since we always either come in or place orders from here!”
Beth was desperately trying to get her burnt out brain to start working again. What Darcy said was true. Ever since she had defended the Avengers after the Battle of New York, Earth’s mightiest heroes had taken a liking to her. She was close with all of them, at least, the original group. And while she knew Sam from whenever he sometimes came with Steve, she hadn’t met the newest members.
Sighing heavily yet again, Beth was too tired to make any arguments. “Okay. Okay sure, why not?” she smiled fondly at how Darcy excitedly squealed and clapped her hands.
“Awesome! We can totally make it a girls’ night too!” Darcy stood up, and then moved to peel a groaning Beth away from the wall. Standing on wobbly legs, the waitress waved and said goodbye to her co-workers before letting Darcy lead her away.
The Avengers, both new and old, were out due to a last minute mission whenever Beth and Darcy got back to the Tower. Jane and Pepper were both thrilled to see her, even if they did look concerned at how tired she appeared to be. Nevertheless, the foursome ordered Italian and Chinese, a bottle of wine (soda for Beth since she didn’t really drink), and talked and laughed the night away.
By nearly 11 p.m. though, Beth could barely keep her eyes open. Going to the guest room on Darcy’s floor, she changed out of her uniform into a pair of pajamas (since it wasn’t the first time she’d stayed over) and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
Waking up the next morning proved to be an almost impossible task for Beth. Blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she went to take a shower, brush her teeth, and put on new clothes. Choosing a pair of dark blue jeans, a pale blue halter top, and a pale blue blazer jacket from the selection of clothes Darcy left for her, she slipped on a pair of black loafers. Making her way to the elevator to take her down to where the common room was, she was greeted by the Tower’s AI, JARVIS.
“I hope your sleep was restful, Miss Patterson.” the friendly British voice inquired.
Smiling, Beth replied with, “It was JARVIS, thanks. Especially after the day I had yesterday.” She couldn’t help but ask as the elevator continued going down, “Is everyone back yet? And are they all okay?”
“Yes, they all arrived late last night. After you went to sleep, I believe. Most have already gone to their quarters, but Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, and Mr. LeBeau are still awake.”
Beth had to think for a moment. She knew Steve well, maybe too well, but not the last two men JARVIS mentioned. “Who are the last two, JARVIS? I don’t think I’ve met them.”
“You haven’t. Sergeant Barnes and Mr. LeBeau have only just recently arrived in the past couple of months.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened, allowing Beth to step out.
“Their code names are The Winter Soldier and Gambit, respectively.”
“Not talking bad about us, are ya JARVIS?”
Beth had to lean against the frame of the doorway to stay upright at the sudden sound of the male voice. Its distinct New York accent was low, gruff, and husky, indicating that it wasn’t used that often.
“I hope it’s all good things, mon ami.”
There was another male voice, husky and low, just like the first, though with a laughing undertone to it. And this one had what sounded like a Cajun accent.
Gulping loudly, Beth suddenly found herself driven by some strange force to find out who these men were. Making her way further into the room, she finally got a good look at them. Causing her mind to go blank and her entire body shut down.
Not that you could blame her if you could see the duo sitting next to each other.
The first one she noticed was wearing his long brown, almost black hair in a bun, a few strands escaping. Dark stubble covered the lower half of his face, allowing sinfully pink and pouty to stand out even more. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a black T-shirt, which clung to his tank like body in all the right places. Beth’s blue eyes nearly bugged out of her head as her gaze swept over to his left arm. Which was made entirely of metal, the glove covered hand holding what appeared to be a glass of orange juice.
His companion could easily give him a run for his money in the attractiveness stakes. Long brown hair flowed freely, framing his own pouty lips and sharp jawline. Clad in black dress pants, a dark violet silk shirt (with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows) and a black waistcoat. His long, lean fingers were occupied by a pack of playing cards, shuffling them with eye-blurring speed.
It hurt her eyes just to look at them, they were so beautiful. The most beautiful men she’d ever seen in her entire life.
Not realizing she was thinking out loud, she softly whispered, “I didn’t even know they made you.”
The loudness of the glass breaking as it was crushed by the metal hand made the three of them jump. Orange juice covered the cargo pants of the first man, not that he seemed to notice or care. He leapt to his feet and stared at her, allowing Beth to look into sapphire blue eyes.
Fighting back a scream, she put her hand over her rapidly beating heart. “Oh my Goodness!”
she exclaimed. His companion stopped playing with his cards mid-shuffle, dropping several at the sound of her voice. The sunlight from the windows might’ve been playing tricks on her, but she could’ve sworn his forest green eyes were beginning to glow a deep garnet red.
Bucky’s blue eyes continued to darken as he stared at the gorgeous blonde. Leaping to his feet, he strode towards her, Remy only a scant step ahead of him. He noticed that the pair of them towered over her when they finally reached her.
Finally finding his voice, he softly spoke to her, “Been waiting for ya a long time, doll.”
Blinking in astonishment, Beth suddenly realized he just said the words that had appeared on one of her hips since the day of her birth. “Wh-what?” she whispered up at him.
“Could it truly be you?” Remy asked her, his accent thickening as he found himself getting lost in the young woman’s beauty.
Beth froze, aware that those were her other set of soul words. Stopping on the side opposite of Bucky, he smiled gently at her and added, “You have no idea how long, mon amour.”
She couldn’t breathe. She just …couldn't. The room suddenly filled with a thickness that reminded Beth of the South in the summertime. The kind that was so oppressive, it made your head spin and your body overheat. And the beautiful men before her (not to mention their body heat) were only making it worse. Feeling very dizzy and disoriented, Beth took a couple of steps back through the doorway before her body decided it should just get out of there.
Recognizing the signs of fight or flight, Bucky took a small step closer. “It’s okay, don’t panic, doll,” he said, reaching out to catch hold of her arm. But he was a fraction of a second too late as she wheeled around and fled. “Hey!”
Darcy, who was entering the doorway, was almost knocked off her feet, grabbing onto Beth’s arms to steady them both. “Hey girl, what’s the matter? And why are you heading out of here so fast?” She then noticed the glazed over look in Beth’s eyes, mixed with a hint of fear and shock. “Beth? Bethie, what’s up with you right now? You’re seriously starting to freak me out!”
Steve, coming into the room behind Darcy, looked over the girls’ heads at Bucky, a frown creasing his brow. “Buck, Remy, what’s going on?”
“She’s our soulmate, Stevie,” Bucky replied, his tone wondering. “Ours.”
Steve’s jaw dropped. “Beth?”
“Dat’s her name? C’est belle,” Remy murmured, eyes on Beth, who appeared to be now be using Darcy to hold herself up more than to escape Darcy’s grip. “Beth, mon amour- we will not hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“That’s…..that’s not the reason.” Her gaze shifted between those pools of sapphire blue and forest green. “And, I know you’d never hurt me. It’s just…….the feelings I have right now are so …overwhelming and intense, I can’t really describe them. But, the best way I can attempt to explain is when your body gets overheated and you feel like you’re gonna faint.”
“And, since you met them both at the same time …,” Darcy concluded, “Those feelings are twice as bad.” At Beth’s nod of silent confirmation, she added in an, “Aw, sweetie,” before pulling the other girl into a hug.
“Is that what it was like for the both of you too?” Beth asked Bucky and Remy as she and Darcy broke their hug.
“Remy was certainly feeling intense, oui, “ he murmured laughingly, casting a quick look at Bucky, “He still is, chère,” he went on to say, unable to stop himself from licking his lips as he fixed his gaze back onto Beth. Smirking softly when he saw her start blushing.
He let out a wheeze when Bucky elbowed him sharply in the ribs with his metal arm. “Behave, you idiot.” But that didn’t stop him from flashing a grin of his own. “Yes, Beth, it was intense for us too. We’ve been through this, when we found each other. We didn’t even think about how much worse it was gonna be for ya,” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with his human hand. “Sorry, doll.”
“Je suis désolé, mon amour.” Remy added quietly, his eyes starting to glow again.
Next to Beth, Darcy could only swoon, “Girl, you don’t know how lucky you are!” she exclaimed, using her free hand to fan herself, “Such lovely guys to boot.”
“Lovely’s not exactly the word I’d use, Darce,” Once again, she started blushing as finished with, “Beautiful, maybe. Greek statues that have been suddenly brought to life? Absolutely.”
They were both staring at her, their expressions could only be described as ravenous.
Beth was beginning to feel very - warm.
“They’re certainly eye candy,” Darcy agreed with a little giggle, “but I was talking about them as people. They’re good guys, Beth. Really good guys.”
“They better be,” Steve stated, crossing his arms over his chest, “Because, if they’re not, they’ll both have more than just me to answer to.” He then put on what everyone called his Captain America face as he turned to face Beth. “The rest of the Avengers and more than a few of the X-Men will totally back me up on that.”
“Papa Logan?” Darcy asked, an evil smirk coming across her face. Steve’s expression mirrored hers.
“Oh, definitely Papa Logan.” “He may look like and totally be the complete badass known as Wolverine, but underneath all the scruff, he’s a big old softie,” Darcy explained when she noticed Beth’s confusion, “Especially, when it comes to his ‘girls’. Which includes me, and, very soon girlie, you too.”
Turning her gaze back to her soulmates, Beth realized she didn’t feel as overwhelmed as she did before. In fact, it had been replaced by something else; a longing, yearning, no….a craving to be near them again. Loosening her hold and then letting go of Darcy, she found herself taking tentative steps towards them.
Bucky and Remy’s backs both straightened, both bodies suddenly full of what felt like static electricity. Each small step forward, the intensity only grew and grew. To the point where they just wanted to grab and pull her into their arms.
But this wasn’t about what they wanted. It was all about Beth. Their Beth.
Finally stopping directly in front of Bucky and Remy, she looked up at them. Both pairs of eyes that, already, were so full of something Beth couldn’t even begin to describe. Devotion? Desire? Love?
She barely had time to react as she lifted her arms in an attempt to hold up her hands. Each one took a hand, gently cradling it inside his own larger one. Bucky interlocked their fingers while Remy lifted it to his lips to softly kiss her knuckles. “I’m sorry about all of that,” Her voice was small and shaky, afraid she’d led her soulmates to believe that she didn’t want them.
“No need to apologize, mon amour, what matters is that we are all together now.” Remy’s free hand slid gently around her waist, bringing her closer, and then Bucky was easing in on her other side. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he bent his head to inhale her scent.
“You’re so lovely, doll,” he murmured raspily in her ear, and she couldn’t help but lean a little closer, until his lips just brushed her neck. Weak-kneed, she was very glad Remy was also holding her up.
“I’m suddenly feeling very much surplus to requirements,” Steve told Darcy, who was staring at the three in fascination. “Come on, Darcy. I don’t think they’d appreciate us being voyeurs.”
“But they’re so pretty,” Darcy complained as Steve firmly took her arm and led her back out. “And I want breakfast!” pulling her arm loose, she charged back in.
“Get a room, you three!” she catcalled as she found that Remy had started kissing Beth, Bucky’s face now buried in her neck.
“Quelle idée excellente,” Remy murmured, lifting his head with a grin. (What an excellent idea)