Chapter Text
“Many individuals, when asked to describe the sensation of a soul bond, will say it is like ‘a bolt of lightning’ hitting the body. Having spoken to a few unfortunate victims of lightning strikes myself and seeing the damage first-hand, I can assure this is not literally the case. However, such a comparison is interesting – the first thing one thinks of when describing a bond is a powerful force of nature, often considered by many cultures to be one of the base elements of our planet. […] Does that mean soul bonds can be explained as a natural force? Can their existence be scientifically explained? And, ultimately, can we answer the question: what is their purpose?”
- Dr Abraham Erskine, Soul Bonds: Searching for The Explanation.
***
Toro dropped his tray onto the table, following suit by falling into his seat and sighing dramatically. Bucky and Clint shared a look, followed by an eyebrow conversation that led to Bucky asking: “What is it, Matchstick?”
“I suck at engineering!”
Clint rolled his eyes. “Could’ve told you that when you took the class,” he muttered, stealing Bucky’s fries while he wasn’t looking.
“But Jim doesn’t,” Toro said, sulkily fiddling with his own lunch. “And I thought that –”
“That if you took the class, you could get him to help you, and spend more time with him, yadda yadda,” Bucky finished, shaking his head a little sympathetically. “Only you could end up with a teacher’s name on your wrist.”
Toro scowled at him. “He’s not a teacher – he’s a teaching assistant. And he doesn’t even know who I am.”
Reaching across the table, Clint ruffled Toro’s hair with a smirk. “Could be worse,” he quipped, stealing more fries as he took his hand away. His friend’s expression said he strongly disagreed but before he could continue to mope Clint changed the topic; “We’re going to Stark’s house party this weekend, right?”
“Course we are,” Bucky said, grinning. “I promised Becca I’d get another video of you doing karaoke on a table –”
“You ass,” he griped, shoving Bucky on the shoulder as he laughed, happiness spreading through him and making him smile despite his best efforts at blocking the exchange.
“I’m going too, if you lovebirds can spare a thought for others.”
“Good to know, Matchstick.” Bucky took a bite of his burger, then his eyes widened and he swallowed it quickly. “Maybe we can help take your mind off Jim!”
Toro widened his eyes as well. “What?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect!”
“You know Stark gets, like, hundreds of beers in without anyone knowing,” Clint added.
“But underage drinking –”
“It’s at Stark Manor, none of the teachers are gonna know who did what,” Bucky said.
“And it’s not like Jim’ll know either.”
“He might feel me through the bond though!”
Clint sighed. “Toro, if Jim doesn’t know who you are, how can you have instigated a bond?”
Before he could respond, Bucky jabbed a chip towards him. “You’re coming to Stark’s party, and we’re helping you forget about Jim. Not permanently, Toro, Jesus – don’t look so scared.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, absently flicking open the zippo he’d snuck out of his pocket at some point. “I’ll go, it’s just… Don’t get me too drunk? I don’t know if I can lie to my parents that well, and being hung-over wouldn’t make it any easier.”
“Atta boy,” Clint smirked.
Bucky checked his watch. “Damn, I gotta go,” he said, collecting up his bag and tray. “Promised I’d get some money out the bank for Becca before she comes down, can’t do it after class.”
“You mean ‘cause we’ll be marathoning Dog Cops?”
“Absolutely.” Bending down, Bucky pressed a kiss to Clint’s temple, who stole one more uneaten fry from his plate, before quickly winding his way out of the cafeteria. Clint watched him go, sending a brief pulse of affection through their bond, only turning his attention back to Toro when his friend threatened to take his zippo to Clint’s food.
***
“So let me get this straight – you don’t look at stars like Jane, but you have looked at what stars are made of?”
Reminding himself that Darcy was just curious (overly curious, all the same), Bruce forced a smile and nodded. “An astrophysicist’s input was very helpful at the time –”
“You’re not an astrophysicist.”
“No.”
“You’re a radiologist?”
“Well, maybe one day.”
“So how come you’re over in our department?”
Shuffling on the spot, Bruce gestured through the doorway to where two girls were talking across a workbench. “Betty’s my lab partner. Normally we go for coffee after we’ve finished, but she said she wanted to talk to Jane first today.” Darcy made a noise of understanding, and before she could continue interrogating him Bruce asked, “Are you an astrophysicist as well?”
She laughed. “God no! I’m in poli-sci. That’s political sciences. Only I’m thinking of changing courses because there are no good looking guys in these labs, which Jane said there wouldn’t be but I just figured that meant she hadn’t seen any ‘cause she’s kind of, y’know, oblivious to anything that isn’t starry and-or swirly –”
“What are you thinking of changing to, then?”
Darcy’s eyes lit up, and Bruce felt a small sense of dread. “Well my roommate’s doing this course in advanced computing, which I didn’t think sounded very interesting until I found out that she’s basically a rookie hacker, so then I started thinking, ‘I could totally be a hacker!’ – I could get a really cool hacker’s name like they have in the Matrix, buy this nondescript little van to live out of, go around exposing government secrets that the public really ought to know about –”
“Okay, I’m done,” a soft voice said beside him, and Bruce had rarely felt so relieved to see Betty than at that moment.
“Alright.” He gave Darcy another smile. “It was nice meeting you, Darcy,” he said, putting as much sincerity into the words as he could muster.
She smiled back at him. “Likewise,” she returned.
“What’s the matter?” Betty asked as they walked away.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Darcy was, uh, energetic,” he said.
“She is,” Betty chuckled, “but she means well.”
“I just hope she doesn’t try out her new hacking skills on me.”
She hummed, slipping her hand into his. “Want to get some lunch?”
“I brought some with me, but if you want to…”
At the end of the corridor, Betty pulled him to the nearest exit. “Let me rephrase that; do you want to get out of here?”
Bruce couldn’t help but smile at her. “And go where?”
“Just town. That little café across from the bank, maybe.”
He swallowed. “There’s quite a lot of people round there, isn’t there?”
Sighing, Betty leaned in to kiss him sweetly. “Nobody’s going to see anything but a guy and a girl in love and on a date,” she said. “And if needs be, one of us can always lie about our name.”
“We shouldn’t have to,” he muttered, lightly squeezing her hand.
After a beat of silence, Betty suggested going to the canteen instead. “For food only. Then we can find a lab to hide in, or some nice, out-of-the-way semi-romantic patch of grass.”
This idea appealed to Bruce, even as his heart ached with the knowledge that Betty was only doing this to ease his anxieties. “Okay.” He kissed her hand, trying not to think about the name on her wrist, or the one on his.
***
Steve was happy to find his room was empty when he unlocked the door – he expected it really, but confirmation was nice – and quickly pulled Sharon in after him, grinning as she stumbled slightly with his eagerness. He kissed her before she could say anything, pulling her as close as he could and savouring that feeling of being almost one entity with her. Emotionally, anyway; there were far too many clothes between them for utter oneness.
“What, now?” she sputtered as he tugged at her blouse.
He gave her an impish smirk in response. “Why not?”
“Steve, it’s the middle of the day!”
“And as the sun is at its highest so is my love for you.”
Sharon fell against him as she laughed, gasping for breath before saying “My god, that was – I don’t know, but it was terrible!”
“You like my terrible.”
“You’re not making any sense right now.”
“Don’t need sense when I’ve got you.”
“Ah, so that’s why I’m the only one who knows this is a silly idea?”
Still holding onto her waist, Steve pouted a little. “But Sharon, I just want to show my love for you.” He cheated slightly, pushing some sincere affection across their channel as he wrapped her more securely in his arms. “You really going to ruin my day?”
Sharon raised an eyebrow. “My saying no won’t ruin your day.” He ignored her, choosing to nuzzle and kiss her neck instead, and she sighed. “Persuade me, then.”
“How?”
“Any means necessary.”
Steve drew back, gauging her mood. “You sure?” She nodded, and he hummed thoughtfully. “Well –” He paused to kiss her; “I was going to wait until later this afternoon to tell you –” another kiss – “but I made a booking tonight at that restaurant. Oh, what’s it called now… That really expensive one that I had to go to the bank for earlier, it’s someone I know’s favourite place to eat –”
“Oh my god.”
“No, not God’s –”
“Are you serious?” He beamed at her, watching and feeling the joy light up her whole body. “Steve, you – that’s – why?”
Another kiss, slower, deeper, and backed up with the tenderest love he could pour slowly into the bond, was his answer. “That,” he breathed, “and the fact that I couldn’t get a reservation on your actual birthday.”
Sharon stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed the hem of his t-shirt. “You have protection?”
“Of course.”
“Then consider me persuaded.” It was she who kissed him this time, much more passionately and fiercely than he was expecting. It made him want her more. “I can’t believe people think you’re such an old romantic,” she mumbled against his lips.
He laughed, starting on the buttons of her blouse as she stripped him of his own shirt. “Maybe they think that ‘cause I’m not trying to get them in bed.”
“No-one would believe me.”
“No-one needs to know.”
“True.” Both shirtless and pants-less, they tumbled backwards onto Steve’s bed, lips and hands maintaining contact. “You sure – we won’t be – interrupted?”
“Pretty sure.” He sat on his haunches, taking one of her socked feet in his hands. “I could always hang a sock on the door?”
“I thought it was a tie?”
He snorted. “I could hang a glove on the door and he’d still get the message.”
“Fine – but be quick!”
Hopping off the mattress, he threw a puzzled look at her over his shoulder. “You know, I didn’t think it’d be this easy to ‘persuade’ you.”
Pushing herself up on her elbows, Sharon gave him her best sultry gaze. “Well if you’re going to be treating me tonight, it’s only fair I treat you now, isn’t it?”
In his haste to get back to the bed, Steve didn’t notice that the sock promptly fell off his door handle.
***
… where an attempted robbery went horribly wrong. Four armed men stormed the bank facilities at around one-thirty pm and ordered all money to be handed over by both citizens and employees, but when the alarm was raised the robbers tried to escape with a hostage in tow. They were apprehended on the interstate by law enforcement officers, but lost control of their car and caused a seven-car pile-up on the east-bound side. The unidentified men sustained no serious injuries, while their kidnapped victim - a student from the local college - was not so fortunate, and had to be rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. No update on his condition is available at this time. A spokesperson for the bank…