A/N: So, I let myself run with the soulmate thing. It turned out really, really long. This goes from post- Winter Soldier all the way past Civil War. Spoilers for everything.
Disclaimer: don't own Marvel, Avengers, Disney, or anything of value really. Only Diana Lawrence.
"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
These were paraphrases from lines from one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. It was also a phrase tattooed across Diana Lawrence's right shoulder blade and looped around her upper arm. It was written in a beautiful black calligraphic script that never faded. It had been there along with six other marks since the day she was born.
Diana didn't remember that day of course, but her mother told her of the story of her birthmarks, which on closer examination happened to be writing. The midwife attending the birth had turned white as a sheet and then touched one of the marks.
"This child is blessed," she said simply. "She will have true soulmates, many of them. These are the words that will be spoken by them."
"How do you know?" Diana's mother asked, afraid for her baby.
The midwife pushed up her sleeve. On her forearm was written, "Sing me a tragedy." "These were the first words my husband spoke to me. We've been married over twenty five years. There are platonic soulmates, of course. Only one of these is her future mate."
"Oh," Diana's mother said faintly. "Well, at least she'll marry a thespian. Or at least know a few."
Needless to say, as an infant and a child, Diana was kept away from tanktops and shorts. It wasn't until she was fifteen that she was allowed to "get" her tattoos and display them publicly. Everyone in her high school was insanely jealous, and those who knew what they were (only the members of the Lit Club), compared soul marks if they had them, hoping to match up. They didn't.
As Diana grew older, she became an expert on Shakespeare, having inherited a love of reading from her mother. She didn't just read the Bard, though - she read everything she could get her hands on, whether it was a comic book, novel, or a newspaper.
She also researched the concept of soulmates. In this universe at least, it was pretty rare. Only one in twenty people actually had soulmate birthmarks, according to historical records and a recent survey. And the rest of humanity was left to fend for itself.
But in this world of aliens, human mutants, secret government agencies, and super-powered technology, what was so special about soulmates?
Once Diana graduated high school, her mother sent her to college for a degree in Liberal Arts, the things that really mattered.
"You ought to take a STEM career," her dorm mate advised. "They're more current, more lucrative, and since we're girls they're looking to even out the genders. We get scholarships and stuff."
Diana rolled her eyes. "And when all that science, math, engineering, and tech go away, what are we left with? It's about the ideas, Kim, the reasoning, the communication, the thinking."
Kim didn't look up from her tablet. "Uh-huh."
At twenty-two years of age, with a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts and a minor in English, Diana moved from Massachusetts to New York to be close to her mom. She found a job as an editor for a magazine and sold freelance articles on the web. She wasn't rich, but she made enough to get by.
One of her favorite indulgences was a caramel mocha and a hot buttery scone from her favorite coffee shop. According to the barista, it was also a favorite of the Avengers. Due to Diana's rare visits, she'd never seen them, and didn't bother looking.
She was re-reading Hamlet for the billionth time as she savored her scone when suddenly she heard a voice say, "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Her first thought was, "Someone's reading one of my birthmarks," but since she was wearing a long-sleeve cardigan she realized it wasn't - and looked up, her shoulder where the words were located burning with tension. "Aye lord, what fools these mortals be," was her reply, since maybe she'd found a fellow Shakespeare buff and they'd recognized her book.
She was not expecting the tall, blond stranger to turn pale and sink into a chair across from her. "Why did you say that?" he asked.
"I... don't know? It just came out. Sorry, I'm a Liberal Arts major."
He smiled at her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Steve Rogers."
"Diana Lawrence," she replied, and did a double-take. "Wait. What?"
He gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah."
"But you're..." Captain America! Her inner fangirl squeed happily.
"Yeah," he said again.
The critical part of her mind said she was making a fine show of her college degree when she couldn't even finish a sentence. She decided to put in some effort. "Why did you say those words?" she asked. "When you first spoke?"
"That's my favorite line from Hamlet," he said, gesturing to the book. He eyed her carefully. "Why?"
"Because," she said, starting to blush, her shoulder aching with tension, "I have those words, as a-"
"Birthmark?" he finished nervously. "Yeah. Me too."
She stared at him and he stared at her. "Do you know what that means?" she asked him, her voice still hushed in awe.
He gave her a pleased smile. "It means I've finally found the one I've been looking for my whole life."
She gave him a smile in return, still in shock. "I can't believe I've finally found you," she admitted. One down, five to go.
They smiled at each other for a few more seconds, and then Steve asked, "Can I um, can I ask, where are they? Your words?"
She blushed slightly. "I can show you, if you'd like." She pulled her cardigan off one sleeve and turned, lifting her hair so he could see the words under her tanktop strap. She jumped slightly when his warm fingers traced the outward spiral on her shoulder blade.
"Sorry," he apologized, moving back, eyes still glued to her shoulder as she shrugged the cardigan back on. "I just never thought I'd see my words on someone..."
"Where are yours?" she inquired.
He turned slightly red. "They're written in three lines, just under my ribs on my right side." he gestured to his long sleeved plaid shirt and T-shirt. "I can't exactly show you now."
"Probably best not," Diana agreed. "Somebody might faint."
He turned red. "Ma'am?"
She blushed at being called ma'am. "Just call me Diana," she told him.
"Diana," he repeated, the way he said it making her feel warm and content. "Call me Steve."
"Steve," she echoed. She was now officially on a first-name basis with one of her soulmates.
"Hey Rogers, let's go! We've got things to do," a well-known voice called.
Diana glanced over and gawped. "That's Tony Stark."
"Yeah. You'll get used to him." Steve gave her a smile. "Would you like to meet him?"
"Um..."
Stark saved her the trouble of answering as he swaggered over. "Let's go, Capsicle, people to save, money to make. And you have an appointment in twenty minutes, so drink your coffee."
"Are you your brother's keeper?" Diana asked, amused at the slightly paternal tone to his voice.
Tony Stark's jaw dropped and he turned to her with a slowly widening grin. "Not his, but yours, dollface," he replied, sitting across from her.
She stared at him, eyes widening to the size of her coffee cup as her arm began to tingle. "No way."
He grinned. "Yes way. Hopefully we're platonic, doll, or else my girlfriend and I will have a problem."
She shook her head. "I was so not prepared for this."
"What's going on?" Steve asked, glancing from one to the other. "Do you know each other?"
Diana swallowed hard and pushed up the sleeve on her left forearm. "I have more than one soulmate, Steve." On her arm were the words 'Not his, but yours, dollface.'
Tony pushed up his own sleeve, revealing a script-like tattoo on his arm. 'Are you your brother's keeper?' "What do you mean more than one?" he asked curiously.
She pointed to Steve. "We're soulmates. We just found out."
Tony's jaw dropped. "No way. Capsicle and I can not share a soulmate."
"The words are there, I saw them," Steve said, feeling protective of his new soulmate.
Tony leaned against the back of the chair. "That's just too weird."
"How many more do you have?" Steve asked, after a second.
"Four more," she said. "One on my shoulder, side, hip, and calf."
"And you don't know any of the others?" Tony asked.
"No. Just the two of you, today."
Tony nodded. "Wow. Okay. Well, you know what this means. Where do you live, oh soulmate of mine?"
"About fifteen minutes from here."
He clapped his hands together. "Great. We'll help you pack up your stuff."
Diana stared at both of them. "What?" she asked faintly.
"You're coming to live with us at the Tower," Tony said, his tone matter-of-fact.
"But-" she started.
Tony took her hand gently, looking surprisingly serious. "Listen, doll, you're the soulmate of Iron Man and Captain America. We have to protect you. It's in the very nature of this soulmate business. And, now we know who you are, you've got to live close to us, even if its for no other reason than just to bond. Where better than Avengers Tower?"
She nodded slowly. "If it's all right with Steve, then, sure."
He reached out to take her other hand. "Definitely," he assured her, squeezing her hand. "It is definitely all right with me."
She smiled at them. "Then I guess I'm moving in."
"Yay!" Tony said, standing up. "Come on, we've got a car outside." He raced impatiently out the door.
Steve was the gentleman and held the door for her as she walked out. He also opened the car door for her.
"Don't one-up me," Tony said, scowling. "You already got a five minutes head-start, you're not allowed to one-up me."
"Then mind your manners," Steve retorted, from the backseat.
Diana smiled. "I'm gonna love you guys, I can tell."
Tony grinned at her. "So, I don't think I even got your name."
"Diana Lawrence," she replied.
He reached out to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"You too." Her eyes widened. "I have to call in to work."
"Where do you work?" Steve asked, as she dug out her phone.
"Uh, I'm an editor at a magazine."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "It's not Cosmopolitan, is it? You don't look like a Cosmo kind of girl."
She rolled her eyes. "No, Tony, it's not Cosmo. I work for Time Magazine, their New York office. I'm just a junior editor, but it pays the bills."
"Oh, cool."
"Yeah. Oh, turn left, here."
They arrived at her apartment, which was a typical closet with a bed. Besides the bed, there were books everywhere, stacked on the floor, on top of the closet, on the shelves.
"You ever heard of a Kindle, doll?" Tony asked wryly.
She stared at him. "There is no way I will ever replace my books with an electronic device." She scooped up her complete copy of Shakespeare's works. "These are my babies."
"You have any boxes?"
Between the three of them, they got her clothes ("we need to take you shopping"), some of her books, and her tech into the car downstairs. "We'll send SI movers to get the rest of it," Tony promised, shoving Steve out of the way to open the door for Diana to get in.
She smirked. "Thank you, Tony, such a gentleman."
As they drove to Avengers Tower, an awkward silence dawned.
"So," Diana finally said, "any of you have any more words on you?"
Steve sighed. "I have, well, one. He was like my brother, in the forties. He uh, he's not here." He rubbed at his side, where Bucky's words were located.
She reached back to touch his knee. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
He nodded. "Thank you."
She looked over at Tony. "You said you had a girlfriend?"
"We're soulmates," he said. "Pepper Potts. You'll love her, too. Hopefully you're not also soulmates. That would be weird. Can that happen?"
"Who knows," Steve said, shrugging. "I've never really heard of it."
"The whole topic is kind of taboo," Diana said. "I did research on it for years, and everybody knows about it, but no one talks about it. It's just one of those things, like mutants, and cults, and things."
"Well, this is it," Tony said, as they approached the Tower. "Home sweet home. Mi casa es su casa, as you know. Literally. You could go to Malibu with us. That'd be awesome. Anyway. This is the garage, this is our personal Avengers elevator. Don't take the other one, people will stare."
"Speaking of which," Diana said uneasily, as the thought came to her. "Will the others on your team be okay with, me?"
"Of course," Steve said, smiling at her reassuringly. "They'll be glad we've found each other."
"Now you're stuck with us," Tony added. "Besides, Clint and Natasha are actually platonic soulmates, so, they've got to like you or they'd be hypocrites." He looked up at the ceiling as the doors closed. "JARVIS, this is my soulmate, also Cap's soulmate. Diana Lawrence. She has complete access to the Tower."
"Yes sir," a voice replied. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Lawrence."
She raised an eyebrow at the ceiling. "You too?"
"This is JARVIS," Steve said, "he's an AI. He runs the Tower, and Tony's suits, and our comms."
"Oh," Diana said, relaxing. "Cool."
"JARVIS is our genie in a bottle," Tony said. "All you have to do is ask, and he will provide." The doors opened. "This is the common floor," he continued, ushering her out. "Movie room, living room, kitchen, pantry, library, you know."
"Library?" Diana said, eyes lighting up.
"Later," Steve promised her, smiling.
"The floor below is the gym, pool, training room, etc," Tony said. "That's the boring floor. Anyway. Million dollar question. Where do you want your apartment?"
"A whole apartment?" she asked, eyes widening. "I'm not that important, I just-"
"I'm not putting you in a spare room like a guest," Tony said firmly. "You're getting your own suite of rooms. Now do you want them on the same floor as Steve and Bruce, or on a whole level by yourself?"
"Either one," she said, glancing at Steve.
"Then next to mine and Bruce," Steve said. "That way we can be neighbors." He smiled at her.
She smiled back at him. "Sounds great."
"Cool," Tony said. "This way."
The apartment was decorated in shades of brown and blue, and looked very homey. "I think the bed is bigger than my whole apartment," Diana said faintly, stuck in the doorway of the bedroom.
"Probably," Tony replied, dropping the box of clothes in her walk-in closet. "JARVIS will help you decorate your rooms. You don't have a lot of stuff, huh?"
"Not really," she replied. "My mom has most of it in her house."
"Your mom?" Steve asked, from the small kitchen and dining area. "Where does she live?"
"On the other side of the island," Diana said. "A little old house, been there forever. It's ours." She smiled. "I have to call her, introduce you to her. She'll be so happy I've found you." Impulsively, she threw her arms around both of them. "I'm so happy I've found you."
They both hugged her tightly. "Trust me," Steve said, smiling down at her, "the feeling is mutual."
Tony eyed them both as he stepped back. "Hey, soulmates," he said, drawing their attention. "Who wants lunch?"
"Is it lunch already?" Diana asked, surprised.
"Yep. We can get take out. Do you like Chinese?"
"Yes."
"Good." Tony nodded. "I'll go order some." He walked out, calling to JARVIS.
"I'll let you get unpacked," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, let you get settled."
"Sure," she said, smiling at him. "Just tell me when the food's here."
"I will."
And then she was standing alone in her new apartment in Avengers Tower. "This is so weird," she said aloud, staring at the closed door. "So, so weird. And so sudden. Like, I didn't even finish my morning coffee, and BAM! Two soulmates. Who happen to be Avengers. Two Avengers who happen to be my soulmates. Wow." She couldn't stop blithering to herself. She could barely wrap her head around the events of the morning.
"Do you always talk to yourself?" an amused voice asked from thin air, sending a chill down her spine.
Diana let out a shriek and whirled, glancing up at the ceiling. She found a shadowy form in the air vent. "Do you always hide in the vents?" she retorted.
The man let out a startled sound and his grip on the vent slipped, and he crashed at her feet with a slight groan.
"Are you all right?" she asked, kneeling beside him. She recognized him, now. It was Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. Not a random creeper, after all.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, sounding a little winded. He sat up and stared at her. "So. You're the other one. Natasha's going to flip."
"What?"
"Soulmates," he said. "Natasha's one of my soulmates. You're my other one."
She gaped at him, and then remembered, belatedly, that the words on her left shoulder that zigzagged down her shoulder blade were 'Do you always talk to yourself?'. "You've got to be kidding me," she said, numb. "That's three in one day."
"Three in one day what?" Clint asked. "Who are you, anyway? I'm Clint, by the way."
"My name's Diana." She explained briefly about Steve, and then Tony, and now him.
"So, you've got our words on you?" he asked. "Where's mine?"
"My left shoulder."
"Can I see?"
She took off her cardigan and turned. "That's Steve's on the other side."
He traced the words, and she could feel the callouses from his fingers. "Well," he said, sounding pleased and awed. "This is pretty cool."
"Where are yours?" she asked, turning to face him.
In reply, he shrugged off his shirt and turned around.
"So do you always hide in the vents?" she asked, smiling, touching the script on his shoulder. They had matching marks, like her and Tony.
"Sometimes," he said. "It's quiet in there. Helps me think." He helped her to her feet. "Come on. Let's go tell the others."
They found Tony and Steve in the living room, arguing about whose soulmate-ness took seniority.
"Guys," Clint said.
"Oh, good you've met Diana. This is-"
"My soulmate," Clint finished. "Yeah. We know."
Steve and Tony's jaws both dropped. If it wasn't serious, it would be comical. "Show us," Steve said.
So Diana shrugged off her cardigan for a fourth time, and tied it around her waist. If any more Avengers showed up she wanted the proof there in the open. It wasn't cold in the tower, anyhow.
"You were talking to yourself?" Steve asked, reading the words on her skin.
She blushed, thankful that she was facing away from them so they wouldn't see her embarrassment. "I was trying to process everything. I do that sometimes. He surprised me."
That was when Bruce walked into the living room, looking for a snack. Instead he found three of his teammates staring intently at a strange woman's tattooed shoulders. "Uh, guys?" he asked uncertainly. "What are we all looking at?"
Tony waved him over. "Brucie. What do you know about Shakespeare?"
"Uhhhh..." He looked at the Shakespearean quote on the young woman's right shoulder. He didn't recognize it. "To be or not to be, is all I know," he said, shrugging.
Diana's knees nearly buckled when he spoke. "Angels and ministers of grace," she whispered, turning pale.
Bruce turned an equally pallid color. "Wh-what did you say?" he stammered.
Steve wrapped an arm around Diana's waist and turned her to face them. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned at the lack of color in her face.
"You're not going to go green on us are you big guy?" Tony asked cautiously, at the same time.
Bruce shook his head, trying to get his breathing under control.
Diana finally answered Steve's question. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm better than fine. Look." And she pulled up the bottom of her tanktop, revealing her right side. There, clear as day, were Bruce's first words to her.
Tony felt like turning pale himself. "No way. Bruce. Where?"
Bruce pulled his long sleeve shirt off and tugged his undershirt sleeve up. 'Angels and ministers of grace,' was tattooed in a ring around his arm, like a coil.
"I think we should sit down," Steve suggested, maneuvering Diana's limp form to the nearest couch.
She sank into it gratefully and watched as the others flopped into couches and chairs as well. "Four of you in one day," she said faintly. "This is... ridiculous. I don't even know how to react."
"But physically, are you all right?" Bruce asked, worried, snapping into protective doctor mode.
She nodded. "I'm fine. I think it's just shock, you know. And my soulmarks are tingling."
"It's the bond," Tony deduced. "So is mine."
"And mine," Steve and Clint echoed.
"What bond?" Bruce asked
"When soulmates finally meet each other, they form a sort of emotional and mental bond," Tony explained. "Like, they can pick up each other's extreme emotions, if they're hurt, angry, sad, happy, that sort of thing. And the longer a bond is active, the more tuned it gets. Some people can actually transmit thoughts and signals to each other, or impressions of their surroundings."
"That's what's happening right now?" Steve asked, wrapping an arm around Diana's shoulders.
"Yeah," Tony said. "We might be a little, ah, clingy, too, while it's forming. It's like, proximity makes us happier. Pepper and I were attached at the hip for like, two weeks while our bond was forming. "
"Well it is logical," Clint said, "we are soulmates after all."
After a long moment Tony spoke. "Where and what are your other words?" he asked. "Maybe we can find the other two."
"Wouldn't it be weird if they were," Clint started, and shook his head. "Nah."
"I was just thinking that," Tony nodded. "Anyway. Diana?"
"One's on my hip," she said, pressing a hand to the spot. No matter if they were soulmates or not, she wasn't going to be showing them her hip anytime soon. "It says 'sleepless night' and a question mark."
"And the other one?"
She rolled up her pant leg.
"Milady," Steve read.
They all shared a glance. "is it just me, or is that distinctly Thor thing to say?" Tony asked.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Bruce said. "Whatever was meant to be, is."
"Very zen of you," Steve said.
"It's true though," Diana spoke up. "They are already determined. We can't force it."
"JARVIS, call Thor back from New Mexico, or London, or wherever Jane is." Tony ordered. He glanced at Diana. "He's going to want to meet you."
"Summoning Thor, sir," JARVIS replied. "He should be here in two hours."
Tony nodded. "Good. Well, in the meantime, we can have lunch."
They all sat at the table and passed around cartons of food. Diana was amazed to see Steve eat so much. "It's my metabolism," he explained, grinning at her. "I have to eat a lot."
"The only one who eats more than him is Thor," Tony added. "And Bruce, after he's come down from a transformation."
Bruce shifted uneasily beside her, and got up to leave. "Excuse me," he muttered.
Diana shared a glance with the others, and Steve nodded to her. She got up from the table and followed Bruce, catching him in the hallway. She reached out to squeeze his arm gently, on the spot where her words were. "Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"
"I shouldn't even have a soulmate," he said quietly. "It's dangerous. I wish I hadn't found you."
"Don't say that," Diana entreated, suddenly scared he would reject her. "Everyone should have a soulmate. The ones who do, someone once told me that we are blessed. It's a gift, not a curse, Bruce."
"But what if I hurt you?" he asked, suddenly emotional.
"Does he have them?" she asked, struck by a thought.
"Huh?"
"Does the Hulk have those words, too?" she asked.
"I, don't know?" he said, confused. "Why-"
"JARVIS?" Diana asked, glancing up at the ceiling.
A photo appeared on the wall screen next to them, of the Hulk's right arm. There were her words, clear as day.
"There," Diana said, smiling gently. "He has them too. If he didn't then we could be worried. But you're my soulmate, both parts of you. So neither you, nor the Hulk, could do anything to hurt me. Okay?"
He nodded hesitantly. "Okay."
She took a chance and hugged him. He stiffened at first, and then relaxed into her embrace, and wrapped his arms around her. "You're not going to reject me, are you?" she asked, still worried about his reaction to her.
He hugged her tighter. "No, no, I promise. It's just, I'd given up hope of finding you after the accident, and I was worried about your safety."
She sighed. "Good. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do..."
"It's okay," he said, their roles reversing as he now tried to comfort her. "Four in one day, that's a lot of change. But it's okay. We're all friends already, we're going to help you through this, okay? You don't have to worry about us." He let go of her gently and stepped back, his arm still tingling. "These bonds make everyone pretty emotional, huh?"
She wiped her eyes and laughed slightly. "Yeah. It'll be like hormone city here, for a while. For all of us."
"Tony PMS'ing, we'll have to evacuate New York," Bruce joked. She giggled, and he beamed at her. "Come on," he offered, "let's go finish lunch."
They went back in the room, and no one said anything, only smiled. "Steve finished all the egg rolls," Tony complained.
Diana laughed.
After they finished eating, and Tony ordered another few pounds of food for Thor, who'd be hungry when he arrived, they settled back in the living room. "Oh, Pepper's going to want to meet you," Tony said. "She's actually here in the tower, but, she's in meetings all day and I don't want to disturb her."
"Oh, yeah, gotta tell Tasha," Clint muttered, pulling out his cell phone. "She's on her way back from a mission, and if she comes in late I want her to know about you beforehand."
"So, Natasha is," Diana started.
"Black Widow," Steve supplied.
"Right. Okay. Cool." She took a deep breath. Spy assassins were just a tad intimidating.
Clint reached over and patted her hand. "She's a little slow to trust, but it'll be okay. You're a civilian, right?"
"Yes, definitely."
"Tell us about yourself," Bruce suggested.
So Diana told them about her life, and her mom, and her degree in Liberal Arts, "hence all the Shakespeare quotes," she explained. And in return, they told her about their own lives and histories.
A distant thump interrupted Tony's monologue. "Thor's here!" he said, grinning.
They all got up from their seats, and when Thor came down, he was windswept and beaming. "JARVIS told me you have news of your soulmates," he said, his armor folding into nothingness as he placed the hammer gently on the counter.
"Yes we do," Steve said. "Thor, this is Diana Lawrence."
He bowed over her hand and smiled at her kindly. "Milady," he greeted her.
Tony and Clint howled with success and Steve and Bruce looked shocked. Diana smiled at the Asgardian. "I suppose now would be a good time to tell you we're probably soulmates," she said.
The Asgardian's jaw dropped, and he pulled off his jacket. On one forearm, there was a grey and faded symbol, signifying a soulmate who had died, and on the other arm, there was a fresh black symbol. "Are you a keeper of knowledge, by any chance?" he asked, trembling.
"You should see the amount of books she has," Tony spoke up, still grinning gleefully.
Thor felt the answering tingle in his arm, and smiled. "It is you," he said, and swept her up in a giant bear hug. "I'm so glad," he said hoarsely. "I thought I would have to wait hundreds of years longer to find my other soulmate."
She hugged him back tightly. "You're not alone anymore," she promised him.
He set her back down after a moment, inspecting her, still grinning. "But how, if you are mine, where are the others JARVIS spoke of?"
"She's all of ours," Clint said. "She's got six marks. We're five of them."
Thor stared. "It is truly Yggdrasil's decree that we come together," he finally said, shaking his head. "I did not know why until now." He reached for her hand. "You are the key."
"I don't understand," Diana said, confused. She'd read the legends about the old world tree, but she didn't think that was what he was talking about.
"My father explained it to me this way," Thor said, sitting down next to her on the couch. "When the realms were created, there were certain, particles, shall we say that were sepearted by the force of creation. Over time these particles bonded with life, giving two beings a chance to literally become one combined force again, stronger than their components. In plants, it manifests as photosynthetic reactions. In sentient beings, as the first words they say to each other. Asgardians always believed it was a mark of the world trees affection for us, that it allowed us to become more than just ourselves, letting us know when we'd found part of ourselves in another." He gave her a fond smile. "You are the second, for me, and we will be great friends. Brother and sister, or closer than that."
"Your other soulmate was your romantic partner?" she asked softly.
"Yes." He touched the faded mark on his skin absently. "She died three thousand years ago, after a long and beautiful life."
They were quiet for a moment and then Tony asked, "But what about the other thing you said, that she was the key?"
"Ah yes. It was something I was thinking about. In normal circumstances, there would be no possible way that our team could band together. We are just too different. Without Coulson's death, we would have killed each other instead of defeating Loki. But there was always something drawing us together, keeping us together. By all rights, I should be in Asgard, Steve should be in the past, growing old, and the rest of you would be scattered across the Earth. But we are here. And do not tell me it does not feel different, now that she is here among us."
They all glanced at each other. "It does, kind of," Steve said, after a moment. "I feel more relaxed, more, at peace, even though Tony's sitting right next to me."
Tony scowled. "Hey!"
"Don't tell me you don't feel it," Clint said.
Tony quieted. "I guess, yes I do. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop bugging you," he warned Steve.
Steve grinned. "I wouldn't think of it," he said.
"So, Diana is the center of our team," Bruce said. "Does that mean Natasha will be the last key in our, what, our primordial super particle?"
"And once the bond is formed, what happens then?" Steve asked.
Thor shook his head. "Nothing dangerous. I have a feeling that we will just be stronger. We were a team before, now we will be better, more in tune with each other."
"It's not going to get weird, is it?" Tony asked, after a second. "I mean, we'll all be, like, one step removed from being soulmated ourselves."
"It's only weird if you make it weird, Tony," Bruce said, rolling his eyes.
Clint shook his head. "Natasha needs to get back here right now. I want to see if she's the last one."
Diana leaned back against the couch. "When is she getting back?"
"Who knows. We're usually on radio silence till we get home."
"So what do we do now?"
"We wait," Steve answered.
"Sir, Miss Potts has ended her meetings for the day," JARVIS announced. "She is on her way up."
"Yay!" Tony smiled gleefully.
Diana got nervous again. Meeting another soulmate of a person you were attached to was always tricky, especially if the other person was a romantic soulmate. They could be jealous, or reject them on the mate's behalf. It was always a tricky business.
"Do not worry," Thor said, giving her a warm smile. "She will not be jealous."
"She'll probably be relieved someone else will be around to calm him down," Clint added, smirking.
The doors to the elevator opened, and Tony gave Pepper a kiss. "Welcome home," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.
She wrapped her own arm around his waist. "What's all the excitement about?" she asked, glancing at the others. "Who's this?"
Tony beamed. "Pepper, this is Diana. She's my other soulmate."
"Oh, you're the one who says brother's keeper," Pepper said, smiling. She reached out and gave Diana a hug. "It's so nice to meet you."
"You too," Diana said, returning the hug.
"I'm so glad you're a girl, too," Pepper said, "it'll even out all the testosterone around here." She grinned teasingly at the other guys.
"About that," Steve said, "she's also mine."
"And mine," they all chorused.
Pepper's eyes widened, and she looked at Diana. "Wow."
"Yeah."
"I've never heard of that happening before," Pepper said slowly. "That's incredible."
"We're just barely getting used to it ourselves," Clint said, hugging Diana gently. "Now all we have to do is wait for Natasha to get home and see if she's the sixth one."
"What if she's not?" Pepper asked innocently.
They all shared a glance. "We never thought of that," Tony said slowly.
"She has to be," Steve reasoned. "Natasha is a total lone wolf. It's a miracle she even trusts any of us besides Clint. There's no way she would have stayed this long without another reason."
"That's true," Clint said. "Ever since SHIELD disappeared, I thought she would've gone off, but she hasn't." He smiled at Diana. "And now we know why."
"Don't get your hopes up too much," Bruce warned. "Just in case."
"And even if she's not, I'll love her like a sister anyways," Diana promised Clint.
He smiled. "Thanks."
"Now," Tony said, holding up a handful of controllers. "Who's up for a game or two?"
They played Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros for a few hours, had a dinner of pizza and beer, and then, reluctantly, everyone scattered to their own apartments to sleep. Diana retired to her own apartment to take a shower, and she changed into pajamas. It was strange, knowign that only a few feet away in any direction, were her soulmates. She could almost feel them through the walls, on her skin.
She couldn't sleep. It was two in the morning and she'd read Treasure Island and was halfway through All Creatures Great and Small. She finally gave it up and decided to go get a snack.
Her kitchen was empty, and she made a note with JARVIS to get it stocked later. That was just another strangeness in her life now. All the reading she'd done had never really prepared her for the complete one-eighty her life had taken.
She found some chamomile tea in the common room kitchen, and put some water to boil. JARVIS obligingly put on late-night infomercials for her. "Mr. Stark usually prefers the gadgets channel," he said, sotto voce.
"Thanks, JARVIS," she said, sipping her tea. She let the commercials for "moon boots" drone on pleasantly, and felt herself falling asleep.
"Sleepless night?" a woman's voice asked, from directly behind her.
"Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care," Diana quoted drowsily. The stiff gasp from behind her made her turn. "You must be Natasha," she told the red-haired woman, who looked like she'd just been punched in the gut. She smiled. "Clint said you'd be getting in late." This was it. She was complete. Her hip tingled with the words.
"You're..."
"Yeah. We figured it might be you."
Natasha shook her head, determined not to believe it. "Show me."
Diana obligingly tugged down the waistband of her pajama bottoms an inch, letting Natasha read the words written on her hip. "And yours?" she asked.
Natasha silently pulled up her shirt. The words were written sideways down the curve of her abdomen.
Diana smiled. "Shakespeare. He's got a quote for everything."
"Yeah," Natasha said, stunned. She reached out to touch Diana's arm. "Were you waiting up?"
"Kind of?" Diana confessed. "I wanted to see if it really was you. And, well, finding all six of my soulmates in one day was unsettling."
"I suppose it would be," Natasha said, sitting across from Diana. "Did Clint tell you about me and him?"
"Yes," Diana said, smiling. "How did the two of you find out about it?"
Natasha smiled briefly. "He was sent to kill me. He didn't know we were soulmates of course. So there we were, face to face after three months of hide and seek, his arrow in my face and my gun in his, when he just sort of, looked at me. Then he said, "I can help you." I asked, "Help me how?" That's when he dropped his aim, and put his arrow away. I was so confused. I didn't remember my birthmark, after so many years of not finding either of them, and I almost killed him right then and there. But my hip was burning, and then he said, with that stupid grin, "You're not supposed to kill your soulmates." And that's when I knew."
"So he brought you into SHIELD," Diana said softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand.
Natasha stared at their joined hands with a surprised look, and then relaxed. "Yes. Fury couldn't get rid of me without getting rid of Clint, so he put us together as a team. I considered myself lucky that I'd encountered one of my soulmates, my brother, but I never thought I'd find my Shakespeare quote."
"Thor says that soulmates are particles destined to re-bond," Diana remarked.
The Russian smirked. "Sounds like something he'd say."
"Yeah."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "How'd you figure it out that the two of you were platonic?"
"He didn't tell you he was married?"
"No."
"Oh. He's married. I can tell you, since you, we, are all soulmates." Natasha's brow wrinkled. "This is going to be, different."
"Tell me about it," Diana said. "Apparently I'm the nucleus of your superhero-ness."
"Makes sense. It explains why we haven't killed each other by now. Tony and Steve, those two, honestly."
"I gathered that," Diana said. She grinned at her newest soulmate. "So. Tell me what it's like being the only sensible one among the guys."
Natasha smiled. "Well..."