Chapter Text
Soul mates are a thing, Steve had never had personal experience with them until he met Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. The term, or connection, doesn’t mean the couple doesn’t have to work at the relationship, god knows, Pepper has her hands full. But it does mean your soul mate is a compliment to your personality. Steve doesn’t have one, has never had one, never considered that he would have one.
In a new century, with new things to catch up on and learn, he really didn’t think about them. Out of curiosity, he did some reading and found out that sometime in the 70’s scientists had done study after study on them and found that there were levels, or as the scientists had deemed them ‘degrees’ to having a soul mate. The different degrees denoted the intensity of the connection. Most people were 1 st degree, meaning they were compatible, but didn’t always stay together if differences were too great.
Tony and Pepper are 3 rd degree, meaning they will always be together. Their compatibility is higher than normal, but there are still two degrees above that. Even though there had only been one recorded case of a 5 th degree, the category stayed and scientists had hopes. If anyone happens to be a 5 th degree their lives were going to be weird because once recorded, their lives would be an open book for the scientists.
Steve doesn’t really care because he doesn’t have a soul mate. Having grown up with a mother that did have a soul mate, who, unfortunately had died before Steve was born, the super soldier didn’t get to see what it looked like. He’s okay with not having one, but he remembers his mother, rubbing her forearm where her mark was, gray because of his father death and the faraway look she would get. Somehow, that look became what he associated with soul mates: death, loneliness, heartache.
It’s also unfortunate that since coming out of the ice, Steve seems to be the main attraction for anyone wanting a soul mate. People have speculated that he must have a soul mark somewhere on his body and that’s why they keep touching him. That’s the key. You have to touch your soul mate for the marks to burn and bond the two souls together. Again, Steve doesn’t worry about it because he doesn’t have one. He wasn’t born with one, he didn’t develop one after the serum, he just doesn’t have a soul mark.
“Tony, why do you insist on trying to fix me up with people?” The billionaire looks at him with a sad puppy face that no longer works on the super soldier…right. “Especially today. For god sakes, it’s Valentine’s Day!”
Pepper comes into the room and sees Steve red-faced and furious. “Oh, you told him.”
Tony nods at her and kisses her lightly. “I did and you can see how that’s going.”
Pepper comes over, laying a hand on Steve’s chest. “We just want you to have something outside of this life. You can’t be a superhero all the time, Steve.”
Steve rolls his eyes, gaining a chuckle from Tony. “You know, when I do that, she smacks me in the back of the head.”
Pepper turns, grinning at her husband. “Yes, but most of the time, you really do deserve it.” She turns back to Steve. “Now, how about we make a deal.”
Walking away, hands on his hips, Steve looks out at the snowy February day. “Fine.”
Tony looks positively giddy and Pepper isn’t far behind. “You go on this date, we’ve set everything up, and if it doesn’t work out we won’t do it again.” Tony starts to argue, but Pepper glares at him. “NO! Tony, if this one doesn’t pique his interest, we will let it go.”
So, Steve walks into Martinelli’s at 8 sharp, dressed in the outfit that Pepper picked out and sighs. The hostess grins with all of her twenty-something enthusiasm. “Welcome to Martinelli’s, Captain Rogers. Your table is ready.” He nods and follows her to a secluded table in the back where prying eyes won’t see and offers him the drink menu.
She brings back a champagne bucket and two flutes. Steve shakes his head because Pepper really did think of everything. “Excuse me, but can I get a scotch?”
She nods, sitting the bucket in the stand. “I’ll let your server know, so he can pick it up at the bar.” Steve nods and starts looking around. The restaurant is nice, but he really hopes they don’t do those small portions because that does nothing except ensure that Steve will be ordering pizza later.
Within minutes of leaving the hostess comes back with a note. She looks apologetic and a little scared. “Captain Rogers, this was just left for you.”
Steve opens the note and finds that it’s from the woman that he was supposed to be meeting. After reading it through, he starts to laugh. This confuses the hostess, but she smiles anyway. “Let me see a menu, I’m going to being eating alone.” He’s not at all upset by this turn of events, but wonders how Pepper made this kind of error in judgement. He looks back down at the note, chuckling again.
‘Captain Rogers,
I feel really bad about this, but I won’t be joining you tonight. When Ms. Potts asked, Captain Rogers, it’s really hard to say no when your boss asks a favor, but, you see, I have a girlfriend and I’ve been planning our Valentine’s for months. Please don’t be angry, I really am sorry.
Tessa’
Steve’s going to find this young woman tomorrow and find out how her Valentine’s date with her girlfriend went because this is the best possible outcome for this night. He gets a good meal, compliments of Tony, and doesn’t have to watch someone pretend to be interested in him.
His thoughts are interrupted by a hand sitting a glass on the table. “Mr. Rogers, your scotch.”
Steve looks up to thank his waiter and literally does a double-take. “My god you’re beautiful.” Steve lets his head fall backward, staring at the ceiling and wondering how it’s possible he’s lost all sense of decency. “Jesus, I’m sorry. That was inappropriate and possibly creepy.”
The young man laughs. “Oh, I don’t know. People magazines sexiest man alive for the fourth year running thinks I’m beautiful. I’ve had worst things happen.”
Steve joins in with the young man’s laughter and watches how his eyes catch the light of the candle on the table, how his nose is scrunched up. “Do you think they actually do a poll to get a winner?”
The young man shakes his head, trying to look very serious, but the mischief in his eyes gives him away. “Oh no, they probably just ask the one gay guy in the office what he thinks and BOOM…you’re the winner.”
Steve is consumed by a fit of giggles, nodding because he thinks the guy may be on to something. Offering his hand, Steve is still chuckling. “I’m Steve and since we’ll be spending Valentine’s Day together, so to speak, you should drop the Mr. Rogers and call me that.”
The guy nods. “I’m Bucky, and I’ll be your pseudo-date tonight, but there still better be a tip at the end of this meal.” He takes Steve’s hand and everything stops.
The searing pain that travels up Steve’s arm, crosses his chest and settles on his left bicep. The burning doesn’t let up and Steve knows he’s bleeding because whatever this is, is cutting into his skin. The waiter’s knees buckle and he goes down. Steve slips from the chair, to break his fall, but is unable to release the guy’s, Bucky’s, hand. They sit on the floor, hands still clasped and leaning into each other. Blood seeps through the sweater and Steve can feel it wetting the fabric, but he’s got to make sure Bucky is okay.
There are voices around them, but Steve can only look at Bucky. The young man is wincing in pain and doesn’t seem to be able to voice anything yet. Someone is pulling at their hands, but whatever this is, it won’t allow them to separate. When the burning ebbs away, Steve can see an older man, sitting next to Bucky, trying to pull him away from Steve.
When the burning completely subsides, the older man gets Bucky away from Steve and something in the super soldier aches from the loss of contact. “What did he do to you? Barnes, looks at me and tell me what he did.”
Bucky doesn’t take his eyes from Steve and the blond feels lost without contact. Seeming to understand, Bucky comes over, wrapping his arms around Steve’s middle and holding on. Steve’s arms instinctively go to hold the brunet close. He looks over at the other people. “Mr. Martinelli, he didn’t do anything to me.”
The older man looks over at Steve and points at his bicep. “There’s blood, kid, something must have happened.”
Bucky pulls away, looking at the blood coming through Steve’s sweater. “Oh god, Steve, what’s going on?”
Steve looks down at his own arm. “I don’t know.”
Mr. Martinelli gives Bucky the rest of the night off when they figure out what this is, but no idea how it happened, they head to the Tower. Steve puts a call into Bruce because he seriously doesn’t want to deal with Tony yet. Bruce is waiting when they get into his lab. “Now, you understand that I’m not really this kind of doctor, but I know enough to figure out what’s happening.”
He scans them both, but ends up having to do them repeatedly because neither of them can stand to not touch the other. He takes blood samples and starts testing everything he can find. Bruce does his thing with JARVIS and Steve sits on a sofa with Bucky leaning into him. The younger man’s head is on Steve’s shoulder and Steve’s rests on top. “Do you have an issue with me being a man?”
Steve chuckles, squeezing Bucky’s hand. “No, do you have a problem with me being a man?”
Bucky barks a laugh. “ Well, I’m gay, Steve, so I’m all good.” He snuggles into Steve’s side more and they just watch Bruce in comfortable silence.
Coming over, Bruce pulls up a stool and straightens his glasses. “I’ve had JARVIS isolate everything I’ve been doing, so that no one else knows.” Steve looks confused. “Steve, you didn’t have a soul mark before meeting James.” Bucky looks suspicious because he didn’t give Dr. Banner his actual name. “I’m sorry, but I had JARVIS look you up. I had to be sure…it’s just that…”
Bucky nods, giving a shy smile. “Not every day that Captain America finds his soul mate. I get it.”
Bruce nods and Steve looks appreciatively at Bucky for not being angry. “What did you find?”
“Well, obviously, you have a soul mark now. Not really sure how that happened, but it’s burned into your arm, but because of the healing factor of your serum, it’s nearly scabbed over.” He looks at Bucky. “You had one already, so this just raised the mark some, but I’m sure that didn’t feel very good.”
“No, no it did not.” Steve reaches over, cupping Bucky’s cheek and looks apologetic. “Hey, it’s okay, Steve. I barely even feel it now.”
Steve looks back over at Bruce and nods. “Okay, so I’ve checked all the levels from the samples and gone over the scans and it’s…well…” He looks up, pulling his glasses off his face and cleaning them. Steve knows that’s what he does when Bruce is nervous. “Steve, you and Mr. Barnes have a 5 th Degree bond.”
Bucky sits up, grabbing Steve’s hand again. Steve just stares at Bruce like he must have misspoken. “Dr. Banner, that’s…those aren’t…people talk about those like…”
Bucky stops because he’s got so many things going through his head that he can’t organize his thoughts. Bruce chuckles and nods. “Yeah, I know. That’s something that happens in romantic comedies or Disney movies, but not in real life, except it has. You two are 1 in 7 billion.”
Steve and Bucky just look at each other, but finally Steve looks over at his friend and teammate. “Bruce, you can’t tell anyone about this. It’s going to be hard enough on Bucky when people find out he’s my soul mate, but to have this hanging over us too would…”
Bruce sighs. “Yeah, you’d be like bugs under glass.” He pats Steve’s leg. “Like I said, I isolated everything and called up some of JARVIS’s privacy protocols. No one will know unless you want them to.”
The conversation goes on a little longer, but Steve drags Bucky from the lab and heads to his floor in the Tower. The elevator doors swish open and Bucky steps out, looking around, then puts his hand out. Steve slips his into it and they walk around the living room and over to the windows. “You have a great view.”
“Yeah.” But Steve isn’t looking out the window, he’s looking at the man standing next to him. Bucky is just shorter than Steve, maybe by a few inches, his hair is chestnut waves to his shoulders, his cheekbones are sharp, but he still has a soft look around his face. Deep down, Steve is an artist at heart and if given a chance would paint the lush lips and bright eyes. “You really are beautiful.”
Bucky blushes and hides his face in Steve’s neck. “You always gonna be this romantic?”
“God, I hope so.” He looks up and Steve sees that he’s still red from embarrassment. “I’d like to kiss you now, if that’s okay.” Bucky nods and Steve seals their lips together and the rush is enough for both men to moan into the connection. Lifting his head, Steve stares dazed at the equally daze man in his arms. Caressing his nose along Bucky’s cheek, he whispers, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Buck.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Steve.”