AN: Trying my hand at a one-shot. Not sure how I'll do, but I'm BORED and reading is just not cutting it anymore. I need to DO something and since I forgot to bring my writing journal to college, I'm stuck with writing fanfics. Even though I am low on ideas for said fanfics. So. Here we goooooo….
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Tony Stark was bored. And that was never a good thing, for anyone involved. He sat in the uncomfortable-as-fuck chairs in the conference room of the SHIELD helicarrier, trying to stay awake as Fury kept yammering about this or that. He didn't get why they had to have a meeting at the God-awful hour of…what time was it? He subtly took his Starkphone out of his pocket and began to fidget with it. Of course, it wasn't subtle enough if the glare Captain Virginity threw at him was anything to go by. Oh well.
Ah. The God-awful hour of ten in the morning. Seriously. Who in their right minds were awake and coherent at this time? Tony was a night owl. This getting up early thing was a bunch of bull. He had been up early, until five in the morning in fact, working on repairs for his suit after a rather rough fight earlier that night and now was the time for him to get the small amount of sleep he lived on. But nooo, Fury had to have a meeting with all of the Avengers present, from the old to the new. Even Capsicle's friend, Barnes, had been invited to the party. And he wasn't even cleared for active duty yet. He fiddled with his phone some more, sending Pepper, his ex-girlfriend and current CEO of his company, text after text, proclaiming his absolute boredom. She didn't respond, not that he thought she would, but it was fun to imagine her face while she was in a Very Important Meeting and her phone kept vibrating in her pocket. Oh, he'd pay for it later, but it was so worth it now. He missed Pep and ever since she had found her soulmate in a guy from accounting he was seeing less and less of her. He understood, he did, but he still missed their bickering. Glancing up from his phone, the texting had already begun to lose its luster for the fickle genius, he decided to take inventory of his teammates.
First up on his list, his Science Bro, Bruce. He looked about as tired as Tony felt, but was valiantly trying to stay awake, hands woven together in his lap. He had dark bags under his eyes and Tony knew that he was still recovering from the last battle where they had needed the big guy. Transforming into the Hulk always took a lot out of Bruce and it was painfully obvious now. Tony felt like he might look like Bruce right now if he wasn't Tony Stark. But, seeing as he was Tony Stark, he looked as awesome as usual.
Next to Bruce was Sam, one of the newbies on the team. He went by the Falcon, and Tony had about had a fit when he got his hands on Sam's wings. They were beautiful and delicate and made like shit. It had taken his a few tries, but he had eventually made the wings sturdier and better for flying, but then, was there ever any doubt that he would succeed? He had even added in some hidden weapons to give Sam some extra oomph out there, seeing as he was one of the only normal people on the team without any sort of enhancements.
Rogers sat next to Sam, listening intently to whatever-the-fuck Fury was talking about, not a hair out of place. The all-American goody-goody's perfectly alert appearance made Tony want to grind his teeth: it shouldn't be possible for anyone but him to look that put together, and he was faking it. Tony knew that Rogers legitimately was awake and ready for action. Even while the rest of his team were dead on their feet from their late night battle last night. And he drank decaf. He was definitely inhuman. Tony couldn't start the day without three and a half cups of coffee. At the least.
On the other side of the Capsicle was Buckaroo, the newly reprogrammed Winter Soldier and the Captain's long lost soulmate. He didn't look as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as the Cap did, but he still looked alert and deadly. His sniper eyes roamed the room, never ceasing to look for any threat to him or those he cared about. Tony held back a shiver, imagining what it would have felt like if he wasn't on the same side as Barnes. He might have been Iron Man, but even he knew that there were certain people to avoid getting angry, and Barnes was one of them.
Next to him lounged Natasha. She had her usual "I'm bored, but I could still kill you" face on, but Tony could spot the touches of makeup she had put on under her eyes to hide the dark bags. Even she was looking a little out of it, for her at least, and that was probably because of her soulmate's injuries. She had been up all night taking care of Clint, making it hard for her to catch any shut-eye for herself.
Clint sat next to her gingerly, grimacing from time to time in pain. He had had the worst of it last night. The building he had been stationed on had exploded, sending him crashing to the ground and lucky to be alive. He sat in a wheelchair, his leg having been broken, along with his arm, ribs, and shoulder. Yeah, he was lucky to be alive, but Hawkeye was definitely out of commission for a while. He could barely move, let alone shoot any arrows. He was trying to tough out the pain, SHIELD agent that he was, but his exhaustion made it hard for him to hide his obvious pain.
All in all, the Avengers looked like they had been run over by a semi. Even Tony wasn't immune to injuries, and he was feeling his age as his muscles and bones ached. He wasn't in his twenties anymore, and sometimes he wished that someone else would take up the helmet for him so he could retire.
And then he reminded himself he was Tony-fucking-Stark and he was Iron Man and always would be.
"…so she's the newest member of your team. Non-combat of course, but we feel that being closer to you Avengers would help her get to your injuries faster than if she were stationed here. So she will be placed at the Avengers Tower with the rest of you." Tony finally tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear that his tower – it might be labeled "Avengers Tower" now, but it was still his damn it! – was getting a new resident.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up there, Patchy the Pirate. When did I give you permission to just rent out rooms in my tower to anyone you wanted?" There was a collective sigh from his teammates as he interjected, but he ignored them. Fury gave him an unimpressed look with his one eye.
"Considering she's someone that will help heal your teammates and you when you get hurt, I would think you wouldn't be challenging this, Stark. After all, it's in your best interest." Tony held back a twitch at the implication that he only cared about himself. He would never show Fury that he got to him, but it still kind of hurt when anyone implied that he was still the same selfish asshole he was before Afghanistan. Now, don't get him wrong, he was still an asshole, but he cared about other people. His team, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy were all people he cared about. But it seemed no one ever realized that, and he never corrected them. What was the point of trying to be anything else, when the world would only see you as one thing?
The only person he knew he wouldn't hide behind a mask with was his soulmate, whoever she was. Her, or his, words were scrawled on his chest, right beside his arc reactor. He figured it was a girl's because of the delicate way the letters swirled and waved against his skin. The cursive curved beautifully on his skin, and although he couldn't remember when they had burned themselves into his skin, he couldn't wait to meet his mate, the one he could share his world with.
"Heal, huh? Now there's an old fashioned term. Is she going to sprinkle us with magic herbs and make all our boo-boos disappear?" Tony paused, going back over his and Fury's words. "Wait, she? Ooh, is she cute? Single? I'd love to play some doctor with the new girl." He waggled his eyebrows as Clint laughed and Cap rolled his eyes. Fury sighed in irritation.
"Stark were you listening to me at all?" Tony snorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest and mimicking Fury's position and expression.
"Why the hell would I do that? This meeting is pointless. Let's just meet the new girl so I know which wandering superhero I'm putting up in my tower this time and then go back to bed. If you couldn't tell, Fast and Furious, we're all wiped from the last battle. I for one could use some more z's, and I know I'm not the only one." Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, as if trying to preserve his sanity.
"That is exactly the reason why we're introducing you to Ghost today. She will help get Agent Barton back out in the field and help the rest of you get a much needed immune boost. Now follow me and try not to wander off. That means you, Stark." Tony put his hand to his heart, adopting a hurt expression.
"You wound me at your implication, Nicky dear." He cried as the rest of them began following Fury and his assistant, Maria Hill, out the door and down the hall. Glancing next to him, he elbowed Bruce and he woke up with a slight grunt. "And here I thought I was the one who was supposed to never listen. Trying to take my job there, Brucey?" Bruce gave a sheepish smile before straightening his shirt and falling in step with Tony as they made up the back of the line.
"Sorry. I got most of it, I'm just so tired."
"Yeah, well, Fury said that this chick, Ghost I think, is supposed to help with that. And what kind of name is Ghost, anyway? Her parents must hate her." Bruce gave him an exasperated smile, shaking his head.
"I might have been the one to fall asleep, but I still got more information than you, Tony. Ghost is her codename."
"Well, why would they call her – oh." Tony stopped short as they came to the glass wall leading up to the door to enter the labs. There was only one person inside, and she took Tony's breath, and snarky comment, away.
She was albino, Tony could easily tell that. With the lack of pigmentation in her skin, it was hard not to. But that wasn't what Tony focused on. No. He focused on her breathtaking, exotic beauty.
Tony had never seen anything like the creature before him. Her white hair cascaded down her back in waves to her waist, seeming to shift like sand with every move she made. Her skin was a shining ivory, smooth and creamy. Tony couldn't help but wonder if she was as soft as she looked. He could just imagine the stark contrast his tan, scarred hands would reveal if he were to cup her pale cheek. She was thin and willowy, and looked as if a stray breath of wind could steal her off to go play with the clouds. Her steps were graceful, as if she were in a dance, as she practically flowed through the lab towards them. A small, shy smile quirked her pale pink lips and Tony wanted nothing more than to capture hers with his own to see if she tasted as sweet as she looked. And she did look sweet. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous like many of the models Tony had been known to finagle with in the past, but she had a kind of delicate, serene look to her that had Tony questioning why he had ever thought those other woman were anything close to this woman's beauty. As she got closer to the group, Tony noticed one final thing that had him hooked.
Her eyes.
He couldn't even begin to describe them. They were just so blue. They were like ice, so pale and bright that Tony felt like he might have to look away, for fear that she might see into his soul. But they were warm, unlike their icy exterior, Tony could practically feel the warmth emanating from this obviously kind woman.
Tony stood in stunned silence as she began talking to his teammates. He listened in awe as her soft voice seemed to wrap him in serenity and he had to hold back a sigh of relief as his problems seemed to float away.
"Hello. Director Fury told me to expect you all today. I can get right to healing if you would like, you all seem to be in need of it." Tony couldn't help a stab of jealousy as she directed her first words towards Rogers. Tony wanted to be the focus of this woman, not Captain Spangly Pants. Steve, for his part, seemed just as affected by her beauty as Tony was, blushing a deep red under her steady gaze.
"W – well actually, if you wouldn't mind, ma'am, I think you should introduce yourself. Director Fury only told us that you go by Ghost in the field." She smiled and Tony would swear that it lit up her face in a magical glow. And who's to say it didn't, after all, Reindeer Games had proven magic was real.
"My real name is Irene. Irene Morrow. But you can all call me Ghost, everyone else does. It's nice to meet you all." Murmurs of agreement spread out around the room; no one seemed sure how to take in the newest member of the Avengers. "Now that that's settled, I believe I will start with you, Agent Barton, if it's alright with you and your mate of course." Clint swallowed and took a deep breath as Natasha squeezed his shoulder in encouragement.
"Will it hurt?" Irene laughed, a light, tinkling sound that made Tony think of wind chimes in the summer time. Damn, even her laugh was beautiful.
"No. It won't. My way of healing is completely painless. Where would you like me to start?" Clint shifted and winced, pain shooting up his side.
"My leg I guess. I'd be a lot more comfortable if I could sit without being in pain." Irene nodded in sympathetic agreement and approached Clint, hands held out as if trying to comfort a frightened animal.
"Okay, you should feel something cold, and then it'll warm up. If it does hurt at all, tell me and I'll stop." When Clint nodded in the affirmative, Irene's hands began to glow a blue color that matched her eyes and everyone else's eyes widened in awe. She gently placed her palms against the cast on Clint's leg and he tensed slightly, expecting a piercing cold. Only to find a slight chill that made him just barely shiver was almost immediately replaced by a comforting heat, like the kind you would feel slipping into a bath after a long day. He sighed in relief as his bones began knitting themselves back together under Irene's careful watch. She kept her eyes on her task, ignoring the other Avengers as they watched her work in fascination. After a couple of minutes, Irene slowly stood up, blinking rapidly, as if her eyes were hurting her.
"Are you okay?" Bruce asked, breaking the stunned silence after Irene's light show. She gave a wane smile and a small chuckle.
"Yes. It's just with my albinism, I have photophobia."
"Light hurts your eyes?" Bruce probed.
"Yes. So, whenever I heal, it hurts my eyes a little. But, it's a small price to pay to heal others. I deal with it." Clint frowned from where he was standing, having rid himself of the cast. He had been walking around, in shock at his now completely healed leg.
"You should have told us." She waved him off, scoffing.
"It's fine. I would have photophobia with or without my healing powers, so I'll suffer through a few minutes of pain if that means you get to walk again. It's really nothing."
"Ghost, you are really something else." Clint grinned, walking around the lab with enthusiasm.
"Thank you." Natasha quietly said to her. Irene just smiled and gave her a slight nod, showing she understood the gratitude that was being given was not given lightly.
"Can you heal my arm and shoulder now too?" Clint asked excitedly, thinking of being back in the field before the day was out.
"Give me a few minutes to recharge and I can take care for that for you. And all of your emotional troubles as well. I can't make them go away, but I can lessen the strain they cause you."
After that Fury hustled them out of the lab, telling them to go in one at a time, until they had all been seen. He wanted each of them in tip top shape for the next battle, and so he made sure they were each seen to for any physical or mental injuries they had. Clint went in first and after about twenty minutes came back out looking like he had never been hurt in the first place. Grinning, he gave Natasha a kiss and told her it was her turn.
She came out looking basically the same, but Tony could tell that there was a burden lifted off her shoulders. Next was Sam, who was the fastest in and out of them all. He was probably the healthiest of them all.
Next was Capsicle and Buckaroo, who refused to go in alone, for fear of going off on Irene. Even the thought of Barnes hurting Irene made Tony's blood boil. But everything went fine if the smiles the super soldiers came out with were anything to go by. It was the first time Tony had seen Barnes look so…happy.
Bruce went next and when he came out, he gave Tony a smile that wasn't plagued by the demons of the Hulk that Bruce usually carried with him. He had a hop in his step that had never been there before.
"You're turn, Tony." He said simply as he followed the path the others had taken to make their way back to the quinjet that would take them and their newest member back to the tower. Gulping, Tony stood and made his way towards the lab again. This was ridiculous! He was Tony Stark, he never got nervous for a girl! He would simply lay on the charm, ask her out, and boom. He'd have a hot date with a pretty lady. No sweat.
But as he entered the lab, all his suave one-liners left him as he stared into the ice-blue eyes of Irene.
"You're beautiful." He blurted out before he could stop himself. Irene blinked at him. Once, then twice. He squirmed in place as her eyes seemed to see into his soul. He was just about to apologize – him! Apologize! – when she spoke up, her soft words seeming loud in the empty lab.
"No one has ever said that to me before." Tony sucked in a breath as his soulmark burned on his chest, sending fireworks streaming throughout his body.
He had finally found his soulmate.
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AN: Love it? Hate it? R&R my lovelies. This is my first one-shot, so tell me what you think of it!