Hey! So here's chapter two. So I realize that I didn't put a disclaimer on the first chapter, so here it is now:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm just a poor little sophomore with way too much time on her hands and an obsession with Marvel.
If you haven't already, go check out ozhawk's fic, Soulmate Shorts!
Also, I have photoshopped pictures of the soulmate marks, and they're embedded in this story over on Ao3 if you're interested.
You never know when you're gonna meet someone and your whole wide world in a moment comes undone. You're just walking around and suddenly everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone. You find out it's all been wrong … I know that it's gonna take some time. I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind that this might end up like it should. And I'm gonna say what I need to say and hope to god that it don't scare you away. I don't want to be misunderstood, but I'm starting to believe that this could be the start of something good.
~ Daughtry, "Start of Something Good"
"I could've handled that myself." She told him.
All of a sudden, anything he could've hoped to say to simply vanished from his mind and he stood there just staring at her for the longest time, mouth slightly ajar. If she was at all off-put by his lack of response, the only indication of it was the slight furrowing of her eyebrows as she stepped forward, closer to him. He felt intensely vulnerable under her gaze, and before he could come up with an intelligent response, she spoke again.
"You have got to be kidding me…" she said with a breathy little laugh that practically dripped disbelief, and he knew what was coming before she continued. "Steve Rogers?" There was a touch of awe in her voice beneath the obvious shock, but it wasn't as intense as it had been in some people he'd met. He couldn't help but think of Phil Coulson, almost wincing before he regained his composure, trying again to focus on his reply before letting his habitual manners take over.
"I was just trying to help, ma'am."
He heard the hitch of her breath and saw the way her mouth fell open and her eyes widened in shock, and couldn't help but think he probably looked the same. Forcing his mouth shut, he took a step toward her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, glancing her over again, though he still didn't see any injuries.
She visibly swallowed and nodded mutely before turning around and throwing the bat into the passenger seat of the open van before slamming the door shut. She turned back to him, and the wariness was definitely still in her eyes, though it seemed dulled by shock and a bit of curiosity.
"So you're… actually... y'know... him?" She asked, like she needed actual verbal confirmation of his identity, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. At his brief laugh, she smiled the slightest bit in return, and he felt like it was a small sort of victory.
"Yes. It's good to meet you…" he trailed off, waiting for her to supply her name, holding his hand out. After a second hesitation, she slid her small hand into his larger one.
"Skye." She finally answered. Slowly, and holding her hand gently so she could pull away if she wanted to, he raised her hand and lowered his head to brush his lips over her knuckles. She seemed surprised by the motion, but didn't pull away, which he took as a sort of encouragement.
"Well Skye," he started, letting go of her hand, "There's a diner down the street. Why don't you let me buy you coffee and we can talk."
"Sure. I'd like to learn a thing or two about my soulmate." She replied after what seemed like a moment of consideration. He couldn't help but smile as it actually seemed to sink in that he had just met one of his soulmates.
The walk was short, and it was almost funny the way they both kept sneaking looks at each other, as if looking again and again would reveal something they hadn't seen before. He held the door open for her as they stepped in, and she seemed almost a bit surprised by the action, but beamed at him as she stepped past him. They settled in a booth near the back of the diner, sitting across from each other.
He was a bit surprised when the waitress addressed Skye by name and asked if she wanted 'the usual,' but at the same time, it was kind of nice. It reminded him a bit of the life he'd had before waking up in the twenty-first century, when people bothered to actually learn each other's name, something he sorely missed. He thanked the lady politely after he ordered himself coffee and Skye ordered hot chocolate instead.
"So… I have to ask…" She started almost as soon as the waitress left, sounding a bit nervous, "Do you have a second mark?" For the first time, he noticed the way she was fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket. He hadn't even considered that she might not have a second mark, and until she asked him, he realized he probably should've thought about it. Clearly she had, and was worried about it. He rushed to put her mind at ease.
"Yeah, I do actually." He thought of the words on his foot that asked who Bucky was. "I'm assuming you do as well?"
She nodded, and slid the jacket off. With the short sleeved shirt beneath it, the words written across her forearm were incredibly obvious. 'You shouldn't be here' they said in the same scrawled handwriting he'd seen on his own skin. Almost without choosing to do so, he shifted his foot a bit.
"What are his words on you?" She asked curiously. Apparently, she'd come to the same conclusion he had, that the handwriting belonged to a man. "Sorry!" She said quickly, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." It took him a second before he realized he'd hesitated long enough for it to be perceived as unwillingness to answer.
"No, it's fine." He assured her hurriedly. "His words ask who Bucky is." He explained, not really wanting to use the expletive in public. "Just... erm... not that politely."
"Sounds like a real charmer." Skye chuckled in response, before shaking her head. "How could he not know who Bucky is?" She asked, sounding incredulous, but when he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, she blushed some, suddenly fidgeting even more. It was adorable. "I just… uh… That old TV show… y'know... 'Captain America and the Howling Commandos.' All the kids in the orphanage loved it." She explained, flushing more with every word.
"So you were a Captain America fan?" He asked teasingly, going with the lighter subject. He figured that asking about her time in an orphanage would be too much for their first meeting. He didn't want to push or make her uncomfortable, and apparently he was succeeding to some degree. He grinned at the way she giggled in response. He was actually really pleased that she knew at least who Bucky was. He himself refused to let his best friend's name fade into oblivion.
"Actually? Not so much." She admitted, "I was always a Bucky fan. He was always the adorable comic relief. You were always the hardass." He chuckled softly and rolled his eyes, but his chest ached terribly at the thought of his best friend. For a moment, the image of Bucky falling off the train flickered behind his eyes. He was pulled back to the present by Skye's hand closing on top of his, squeezing gently. "Hey… I'm sorry." She said quietly. He flipped his hand under hers to press their palms together and smiled.
"It's fine, really."
She pulled her hand back when the waitress got back with their drinks, and beat him to thanking her, and he found himself missing the warmth of her hand ever so much.
How long they actually sat there, talking about anything and everything - well… almost everything. Every time he tried to bring up what she did for a living she'd avoid the question like a pro - he wasn't entirely sure. He didn't know where the time was going either. They'd gotten there at just after midnight, but in what seemed like a mere few minutes it was almost two in the morning according to the clock on the wall. Then it was three. After their drinks had been drained, they'd shared a piece of pie. (She'd teased him for that, ordering apple pie. "Really? I know you're Captain America and all, but apple pie?")
Reluctantly, and at almost four in the morning he decided it was probably about time he returned to his hotel room and got ready for the rest of the day. It was Skye's yawn that really sealed it.
"I'll walk you home." He offered as they stepped out of the diner into the warm air. She accepted, though she laughed as if there was a joke he'd managed to miss out on, which was really nothing new.
He figured out why she'd laughed when they got back to the alleyway with the van and stopped. It actually took him a few seconds for him to realize that they'd stopped because this was her home. The thought was confirmed when she leaned against the van, frowning at the damage done to it, before turning to smile at him.
"It's by choice, if you're wondering." She told him, "the van." She patted the hood fondly. "'S not much, but its home."
There was a part of Steve that wanted to object, to say that a van wasn't a home, and there was no way she could possibly be safe, but stopped himself. He was surprised though, to realize how protective he was already becoming over this girl. The thought of an attack like the one that'd brought him to her occurring when he wasn't there sent chills up his spine.
As it was, he knew that realistically, he had no right to suggest she change her life just because he thought she'd be safer not sleeping in a van, so instead, he smiled and took her hand, again kissing the top of her knuckles. He barely had time to let go of her wrist before she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
"See you later?" She asked, sounding hopeful, and it brought a grin to his face.
"Of course."
Before leaving, he gave her his cell phone number, instructing her to call him if she needed anything. She smiled and thanked him before vanishing into the van with another yawn, stifled by her hand over her mouth.
As he started the walk back toward the hotel, he felt more lighthearted than he had since waking up in the fake recovery room almost two years previous.
So... thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Leave it in a review! As always, thanks for reading, thanks for favoriting/following/reviewing, and I'll see you next chapter.
~TheFallenArchangel
