Feel My Soul Avenger

So Hard to Say Goodnight

     I ended up staying the night in the  tower, just like Bruce and the others wanted, but I didn't fall asleep right away. Tony gave me a kiss on the forehead and said goodnight to me around 11, after we had talked for a while longer, and then left the medical room quickly while mumbling something about going down to his lab. I was confused and kind of hurt, I didn't even have time to say goodnight to him before he disappeared. The sting of his rushed goodnight was lessened though, as it was then, that through my mark, I felt his emotions for the first time. Longing, care, need, want, desperation, he didn't want to leave at all apparently according to his feelings. Instead he was making himself leave so that I could get some rest and my heart filled with tendrils of warmth and care at the consideration he was showing towards me. 

     Clint seemed like he didn't want to say goodnight to me as well, as he sat next to me with his arms crossed and no expression what-so-ever on his face. Eventually he stood up and placed a gentle lingering kiss on my cheek. No words were needed for us to say goodnight as I felt him relay all his emotions through that one kiss. I couldn't control the sigh that passed through my lips, or my eyes closing as I felt more longing and warmth pass through the part of my mark that was dedicated to Clint. With a flirtatious wink and smirk in my direction, he pulled the vent covering off of the ceiling and with reflexes and movements that were so agile I thought I might have been imagining it, he was up in the vents and the cover was back in place leaving me with Steve in less than a minute.

     "I don't want to leave you doll." Steve told me after a few moments of silence in the wake of Clint's leaving. He deliberately leaned closer to me and put one hand on my head and threaded his fingers gently through my hair while his other hand held my right one softly in his. "When I first saw you earlier, I was so happy I couldn't even begin to describe it. I've had this same mark on my arm since the moment I was born, so when I came out of the ice. . . I thought my soulmate must have been dead because of all the time that had passed. I was so relieved the moment I found out you were alive that I didn't even care that I would have to share you with Clint and Tony. Yeah I raised my voice a bit, but really. . ." he said as he gazed deeply into my eyes. "I'm just happy to finally have you doll."

     "I'm sorry you had to go through that." I said  truthfully. "Waking up after all of those years frozen, being in a different time, thinking your soulmate was dead. It must have been horrible." His eyes were full of sadness and all I wanted to do was cheer him up. It was then, at that moment, that I remembered the old man from the plane and his wife Eloise. I knew that story, and the story of Eloise's crush on Captain America would make him smile, so with a wide smile I launched into my tale. I started with my meeting with the man on the plane and how he mixed me up with his wife and continued on until we parted ways at the airport. I showed him the picture of Eloise that I kept in my purse, which he kindly fetched for me from the common room, and he laughed at hearing of her crush on him. As I predicted the story cheered him up, and throughout the story the hand that had previously been on top of my head moved down so it was wrapped around my shoulders and I was leaning on him.

     Silence filled the room after his beautiful laughter stopped, and we just stared into each others eyes for a moment. 

     "I don't want to see you in pain again. Seeing you, and knowing that you were in pain and I was the cause, it was the worst feeling imaginable." Steve whispered as he cupped my cheek with his hand. 

     "You can't prevent me from being in pain for my whole life." I whispered back as I put my hand on top of his that was on my cheek and closed my eyes. 

     "But I can do everything I can to make sure that I never cause you pain again." 

     I nodded my head and I felt his forehead come forward and rest on mine. We were perfectly in-sync at that very moment. Our breaths melded together in the air and his breath smelled like apple pie. Together our hearts were beating as one and the thumping signifying his heart beat in his portion of my soulmark was comforting to me on a spiritual level as well since I could feel him deep within the depths of my soul. 

     I never wanted our moment to end. I was at peace here in this very moment. With one of Steve's arms around my shoulders and the other resting on my cheek while his forehead rested on mine, I was completely and totally at peace. His body mass was significantly larger than mine and I felt loved and protected in his arms even though we had just met and we weren't close to being in love. 

     "As much as I wish I could stay here all night with you, you need to get some rest so you can be back to 100% by tomorrow." He said, but he didn't move, and I didn't either. I was too focused on his eyes that were focused fully on mine.

     "I wish you could stay too." I said though it was barely audible. Without his super soldier abilities, I knew he wouldn't have been able to hear me otherwise. "Just to cuddle." I added as I blushed a deep red and he smiled at me gently. 

     "I wan't nothing more doll," it looked like he was going to say something more, but he was interrupted. 

     "Excuse me Captain Rogers, but your presence is being requested by Mister Stark and Mr. Barton in the common room." J.A.R.V.I.S. said to Steve. 

     Steve hung his head and pulled away from me and I automatically missed the heat that his body gave off. "Tell them i'll be there in a minute." he responded.

     "Very well sir." J.A.R.V.I.S uttered as Steve and I just stared at each other.

     "Well, I guess this is goodnight." I mumbled unwillingly to Steve. It may sound childish, but after FINALLY finding my soulmates, I didn't want to be left alone just yet. 

     "It is, but you will see all of us in the morning." Steve said as he once again reached for my hair and leaned forward in his seat. "Goodnight doll." He whispered as his lips gently brushed against my cheek and my eyes fluttered closed.

     "Goodnight." I replied, and when I opened my eyes, he was gone.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays  everyone!