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Rogers and the rest of the crew had been living at the tower officially for nearly a month now, and while they’d all been trying to be friendlier to one another, most of their free time was spent in separate rooms. The Captain had been trying to change that, though, and had been calling them all in for ‘Team Dinner’ and other ‘team bonding’ experiences.
In a way it was nice, because he really did actually enjoy spending time with the other Avengers. He wouldn’t even tell them how much he enjoyed being around them, after all the years he’d spent wallowing in his own self-pity and loneliness, but he still appreciated it.
One thing that none of the Avengers had spoken of was their soulmates. Now, Tony had offered that if anyone had one, they were always welcome to stay, too. When he mentioned that, Barton and Romanov had shared a suspicious look that made Tony think perhaps they were soulmates, which would be nice seeing that they seemed perfect for one another.
In a way, Tony had been hoping that he’d see his own name on Banner’s wrist. They got along well enough, once Tony was able to break through his shell and drag him down into the lab. He really did like the other scientist and was tempted to see if he’d either be claiming the guy as his soulmate or as his best friend.
After the doctor didn’t react to his apparently blank wrist, Tony claimed Bruce as his best friend. In the last month, he’d been glad to call the man his friend, and he was almost glad that they weren’t soulmates. He didn’t want to ruin every friendship he ever had by getting involved with the other person.
See, only soulmates were able to see each other’s names on their partner’s wrist. To Tony, his own wrist was blank, but somewhere out there, there was a person whose wrist had his name written on it in invisible ink, visible only to his eyes. His soulmate would see their own name on his wrist, though to him it was frustratingly blank.
That’s why 'soulmates' was such a tricky matter. You could only see your own name on your soulmate’s wrist, and they could only see their name on your wrist. But that was okay, because eventually soulmates found each other.
Usually.
Tony had been waiting pretty damn long for his ‘perfect other half.’
That’s why, when he walked into the main room to find Capsicle on the couch, reading one of the books that was on his list, wearing a t-shirt instead of his usual long-sleeved jacket, Tony was pretty sure that Clint was playing a cruel joke on him.
Sure, he’d started the pranks, but this was pushing it a little too far. The poor super-soldier probably hadn’t even noticed yet that Barton had written Tony Stark on his wrist in sharpie while he was asleep.
Ha ha, good one Barton.
“Tony,” Steve greeted happily, turning his complete attention to said man.
He wasn’t even sure how to respond to that. Tony wasn’t used to having someone’s complete, undivided attention. Most people just pretended to like him, but after they’d settled their differences… Rogers had been acting really nice to him.
Tony tugged at his long sleeves. He was almost scared that someone would be able to see a name that he wasn’t sure he wanted there, though he couldn’t imagine whose name might appear. Perhaps he’d never find his soulmate. Perhaps he didn’t have one.
“Hi,” he said lamely, because he couldn’t take his focus off of that stupid name on Steve’s wrist. God damn it, what if he was in on it? What if Barton had somehow convinced him that it would be funny, or that he needed to get payback for something he must’ve done earlier to the archer?
“I was told that you were definitely the person I’d want to go to for sci-fi movie recommendations,” Steve said, completely forgetting about his book as he marked the page and abandoned it on the coffee table.
His name was still on Steve’s wrist. It was really starting to bother him.
“Yeah, I, uh… Maybe later,” Tony said quickly as he turned to leave. He couldn’t take this. He was going to have to get Barton back big time for this one. Clint had become enemy number one in his eyes, and it was time for payback, not surrender.
If Steve did say something, he didn’t hear it as he fled the room.
“Tony… I don’t know what I did to make you so mad, but could you please stop ignoring me?” Steve said. He stood in the doorway to the lab, arms crossed, a kicked-puppy look on his face.
The genius huffed and put his wrench down, turned away from the suit that he was working on. Mechanics was always something that took his mind off of stupid things, like pranks with Clint or anything else that he didn’t feel like facing.
“I’m not… ignoring you,” Tony said, frowning at the man. He was still wearing that damn t-shirt, and he still had that damn sharpie on his wrist. Didn’t the man have the common decency to wash it off yet? Or was it all just some big joke to him?
“Then why have you been glaring at me every time I walk into a room and refusing to spend any time with me? I’ve really been trying, Tony, I have! I don’t know what more to do… Do you not want to spend time with me? Did I misread the situation?” Those earnest eyes were so beautiful, but they only made Tony madder.
“Maybe I’d spend more time with you if you helped Clint with his pranks less and had the respect not to flaunt that sharpie writing around like it actually means something!”
He didn’t even have the decency to look guilty.
“What are you talking about? I haven’t been helping Clint with any of his pranks,” Steve insisted. He looked like he was approaching a scared animal. “And what sharpie are you talking about?”
“Your wrist,” Tony snapped, slamming his tools down onto the bench. Deep breaths, deep breaths. “This is low, even for Barton, but I expected better from you, Cap! I thought you were the good guy, but you’ve been letting me suffer all day with this!”
“My wrists?” Steve held up his wrists, looking back and forth between them. “There’s nothing wrong with them, Tony. What are you talking about?”
There was no way that he didn’t see it. It was right there on his right wrist. Tony Stark. Like they were actually soulmates or something.
“My name,” Tony said like he was speaking to a child that didn’t understand his homework. “On your wrist. It’s not funny, it really isn’t.”
“Tony, my wrists are blank,” Steve said, which only made his blood boil a little more than before.
“The joke is over, Steve,” he snarled, pulling up his own sleeves so that he could show off his perfectly blank wrists. “See? Nothing. Now go wash the sharpie off your wrist, it’s not funny.”
But Steve was staring at him like a deer in the headlights, eyes wide with amazement and surprise and oh they twinkled so sweetly…
“Tony,” his voice was so soft, “my… my name. On your wrist.”
“What?” There was no way.
“My name,” Steve repeated, gently taking ahold of Tony’s wrists before brushing his thumb across the right one. His skin tingled, and his heart fluttered. “It’s… it’s here. A-and you said you could see your name?”
“You’re not my soulmate.” The hurt look on Steve’s face was physically painful to see.
“Why not? You said that your name was on my wrist—mine is on yours! T-that’s supposed to mean… oh my God. I have a soulmate,” Steve whispered, and he looked so open and honest that it was hard to think that it was all just a prank.
“Y-you mean… you really see it? My name is on your wrist, and yours is on mine?” Tony whispered, unable to believe it. There was no way that he was lucky enough to have Steve Rogers as a soulmate. No way.
“Can I kiss you?” It was something was Tony didn’t think he’d ever hear from the blond. And he hadn’t ever really considered him at all, either—he was pretty sure that Steve was as straight as an arrow, but apparently… Apparently Steve was interested.
“Yeah,” was his reply.
They say that the first kiss of two soulmates was like fireworks, an intimate explosion of a love that was always meant to be. It was supposed to be everything that had been missing in the world, everything that a person could ever want.
Their other half, essentially.
But they lied.
It was better.