A/N: Holy shit, I almost didn't get this done in time, but I did in the end because I love you all. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter Nine

Storytime with Thor

Going to bed early two nights in a row was definitely not part of my brain's plans, instead insisting on making me feel like shit about ignoring Steve and Bucky all evening. I just had to keep telling myself that it would get better in the long run.

Currently, I was still just a fangirl. If I let myself grow feelings, I'd only be disappointed in the end. Pepper and Natasha themselves said that sometimes only two of the triad soulmates are romantic. That had to be Steve and Bucky. I was just their platonic soulmate friend. I didn't know why I was, but it made more sense to me than being romantically involved with them. So yeah, no growing feelings for them.

After trying and failing to read a few more chapters of the book I'd borrowed that morning, I ended up playing around with my StarkPhone. It wasn't too hard to get the hang of - kind of like using an iPhone for the first time after owning an Android for all your life, or vice versa. But it was definitely far more advanced than any phone I'd ever seen before.

It had an app store, like normal phones, and I ended up downloading much more than I'd actually use because this thing had a fucktonne of memory. Honestly, I don't think I'd ever have to worry about taking a photo of something important only to have that dreaded cannot take photo: storage full message appearing.

I finally got to sleep quite late, and so I slept in for the first time in forever the next morning. With just enough time to shower and throw on some clothes, I headed to the common room for the meeting thing with ten minutes to spare.

"Morning, Beth," Pepper greeted, the first to notice me. She was sitting at the same table as the previous morning, with another steaming mug and her tablet.

I gave a half-hearted wave, "Mornin' Pepper, mornin' everyone else." I stumbled over to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup, gulping down half in barely a few seconds.

Yeah, I was going to regret that. The coffee was too hot and left me with no feeling in my tongue. Oops. Refilling what I just drank, I took my mug and trudged over to the lounges, sitting on the only empty one. Not all the Avengers were there, just Steve, Tony, Thor, and Natasha.

Steve smiled at me, though it almost seemed cautious, like he was holding himself back. "Good morning, Beth."

"Good morning," Thor grinned, "I hope you slept well."

"When I actually managed to get asleep, I did." I sipped at my coffee, sighing.

Natasha's lips quirked to the side. "I thought you woke up late. Something on your mind?"

"Only a million things," I laughed half-heartedly, waving my free hand. "Can we get on with this. I wanna go back to bed with, like, a bowl of coffee."

"You heard her!" Tony laughed. "Okay, we looked into Sokovia, only to find out that it's an East European country currently in the middle of a rebellion. We contacted SHIELD about it, and learned they sent agents there to act as peacekeepers."

"But they were sent there before anyone knew that Hydra was in SHIELD." Steve added, with his serious Captain America face on.

"I don't know much about that, but Hydra has the sceptre, so I'm gonna assume those peacekeepers were double agents." I told them, putting my now empty mug on the coffee table.

Natasha nodded. "That's what we believe. Now, we need you to tell us exactly what you know from the movie. We think we're close to locating the sceptre, but anything you tell us can speed the whole process along."

"I'm sorry," I smiled sheepishly at them. "The focus of that scene was the action and dialogue. But you guys were in a forest, so away from the city, and the building was more like a castle. Seriously, it was at the top of a mountain I think, and was grey. That's about as much as I remember, though. Not sure if it helps."

"It does help, thank you." Steve's smile was warm and reached his eyes this time. I nodded politely back, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach.

"Yeah, what Cap said," Tony waved a hand. "Any more you can tell us? You mentioned the focus was action, so I assume you mean there was lots of fighting."

"Umm, there were heaps of guards or agents or whatever, most on foot with guns, while some were in these machine thingies in the woods. They looked like tank guns, and could move in circles, but they stayed in the same spot."

"Just that?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"No, there were two enhanced as well…" I paused, not wanting Wanda and Pietro to be hurt because I genuinely liked their characters. "They're twins, maybe my age or a few years younger, and think they're doing the right thing. A Stark bomb killed their parents when they were kids, so they hate Americans and you guys and they're really misguided, so please don't hurt them."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Do they not realize I no longer make weapons?"

"I don't think they care. Your weapon destroyed their lives. Besides, I'm pretty sure Hydra's only feeing their hatred."

"What are their powers?"

"Pietro has super-speed. He's like the Flash, I guess." I shrugged, not knowing how else to explain his powers. DC existed in this world, right? "And Wanda has telepathy and telekinesis. This red energy comes out of her hands and it looks fuckin' rad."

"Pietro and Wanda. They were on your list of favorite characters." Natasha pointed out.

I nodded. "They are. I mean, they were the bad guys at first, but they ended up joining you guys and helping out in the end. They're good at heart, and just wanna do the right thing. But they've been misguided by Hydra."

"Helping out with what?" Steve asked.

"With something that won't happen so long as Tony gives the sceptre to Thor and Thor takes it straight to Asgard."

"You still going on about that?" Tony whined. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes and no. Wanda can make people see things, like hallucinations, which is what she does to you, Tony. Makes you see something horrible. But right now I need you to know that what she shows you is not real. It's not real and never will be."

He looked taken aback at the sincerity in my words, and a little nervous as well. I didn't blame him.

"I'll take your word for it," he said at last, swallowing loudly. He hopped up from the lounge suddenly. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, I've got nothing else."

"Okay perfect!" And then he was off.

Steve, Natasha, and Thor all thanked me for the information, then left together, no doubt planning more of the upcoming mission. Pepper was already gone as well. I went and poured myself another cup of coffee, before heading back to the apartment with it.

Once back in my room, I noticed it right away. I mean, it was hard not to. Both of my side tables were quite bare, so the sleek black card stood out. I picked it up, and recognised it instantly as a credit card, with my name on it and everything. Problem was, nobody told me I was getting my own card, and I didn't even have a bank account in this world, let alone a job.

"Jarvis, who gave me this?" I asked, hoping the AI would have the answer.

"My apolgies, Miss Clarke, but I'm afraid I cannot answer that." Jarvis replied.

"So it was Tony?" As far as I knew, he was the only one who could tell Jarvis what and what not to do. Wasn't he?

"I'm afraid I cannot answer that, either."

"Fine, I understand. Thanks anyway." I flopped back on my bed, examining the card.

"Again, I apologise. But I have just been informed that Miss Potts would like to see you."

I shot back off the bed. "Thanks, send her in."

Pepper came to explain that she'd like to help me go through the tedious process of proving I actually exist. When I asked how I was able to get a credit card with my name on it before I technically existed, she ended up explaining that whoever got it for me simply added me as an authorized user to their bank account. She didn't, however, know how they did it, and suspected that some illegal activity was involved.

Well, that ruled Pepper out.

We ended up heading out to buy some groceries while she explained how I was to become a real person, and I finally got to buy some bananas like I wanted. I'd need them, with all of the paperwork and legal bullshit that was ahead of me.

Another night and another morning had passed, and not only did I have no clue to who gave me the damn credit card, but I'd successfully managed to avoid any interactions with Steve and Bucky that went beyond small talk. It was midday, and they were currently sparring in the gym while I ate my lunch.

And, oh fuck, was I bored.

It wasn't that there wasn't much to do - the bookcase was overflowing with books, and the TV was pre-programed with endless movies and shows that the other Avengers insisted on making Steve and Bucky watch. Hell, even my phone now had more apps than I needed thanks to my fiddling around with it the other night.

But I really just wanted someone to talk to.

I'd been avoiding everyone else because interacting with them and not my soulmates would be more than suspicious. At least this way I could blame it on homesickness or something. I wasn't homesick, though, which wasn't surprising. Sure, I missed Ali, but I never really did feel tied down to my life back home. It was probably a side-effect of moving around a lot during my childhood, or maybe I just lacked stability in my life.

But whatever. I was a social person and I needed some company, desperately. Pepper was busy with Stark Industries and my eventual debut into society, the super soldiers were out of the question, Nat and Clint were on a mission, Bruce and Tony were holed up in the lab as usual… which left Thor.

"Jarvis, what's Thor doing right now?"

"I believe Mr Odinson has just finished his lunch," Jarvis replied. "Would you like me to request his presence here, Miss Clarke?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well."

I finished off my own lunch, rinsing the plate in the sink before placing it in the dishwasher. Figuring I had a minute or two to spare, I ran to my bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth and hair, not wanting to seem unpresentable to a motherfucking god.

"Mr Odinson will be with you in a moment." Jarvis informed me.

I smiled at the ceiling, even though I knew quite well the AI didn't actually 'live' there. "Thanks, Jarvis."

The elevator opened just as I got back to the main room, and Thor stepped out with a polite smile.

"Hello, Beth," he greeted, looking around the apartment slowly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I was just hoping you could give me some company." I laughed. Of course he must've assumed the worst.

He grinned. "Well then, I would be happy to oblige."

"Come on," I said, nodding to the lounge room. I took a spot on the lounge while Thor slumped back into one of the armchairs, placing his hammer on the ground beside his feet. I hadn't really thought of what we could talk about, but I suddenly had an idea. "Can you tell me a story? I know Norse mythology is based on your people, but I'm not too familiar with any of it."

"Oh, I know the perfect story!" Thor laughed suddenly, and I figured the story must be a funny one. "It involves the frost giants, which you're familiar with, yes?"

"I am."

"Perfect." He clapped his hands together and beamed at me. "So one morning, back when I was much younger, I awoke to find Mjolnir missing. As you can probably tell, I was distraught, and promptly fell into a rage as I searched everywhere, but to no avail."

He paused, picking his hammer up and twirling it around in his hands lovingly. I wonder if Jane ever got jealous of his love for Mjolnir?

"I told mother, and she suggested that Loki use his magic to locate it. Apparently he traced it to Jotunheim, where he approached a frost giant named Thrym, who admitted to taking Mjolnir and burying it eight miles below ground. He also said he had no intention of returning Mjolnir until our mother was made his bride."

"What?" I cried out, pulling a face. "Okay, first of all, ew. And also, she was already married!"

Thor laughed. "Indeed she was! But when Loki told him this, Thrym apparently did not care, and would not change his terms. Of course, when my brother returned to break the news, we were all furious. So as we sat in council, they decided on a plan - that I was to go to Jotunheim disguised as my mother, and thereby win back my hammer and defeat the thieves.

"I protested this idea at first, of course, but I consented in the end for the sake of my mother. Loki used his illusions to help create my costume, then disguised himself as my handmaiden. When we arrived, Thrym himself welcomed us and was none the wiser."

"Frost giants always seemed a bit dull, but then again, Loki's illusions are top-notch."

"Only one who knows Loki like I do can tell when he is using his magic." He paused briefly. "Well, sometimes. So before the wedding was a feast, and me being me, I ate my fair share and drank barrels of mead. Thrym was suspicious, declaring that he had never seen a woman with such an appetite."

"Were you busted?"

"No, thanks to Loki's silvertongue. He claimed I had recently lost my appetite from being too lovesick, so of course I was quite hungry. Thrym was overjoyed by the news, and went to kiss me. When he lifted my veil, I was unprepared and still angry at his thievery, and ended up glaring at him. He said my eyes were frightening for a maiden, but Loki again saved the day by stating that I had lost sleep from my lovesickness as well. The ceremony was right after that, and when Thrym called for Mjolnir to hallow our union, I grabbed the handle and instantly slew all of the frost giants there. Then Loki and I happily returned home"

I waited a few moments for Thor to continue, but when he didn't, I raised an eyebrow. "That was a good story and all, but the ending there was a bit anticlimactic."

"I assure you, it was a very good fight."

"Guess I had to be there," I laughed. "Seriously, it was pretty funny. I'd love to see you disguised as your mother, all grumpy while you prepared to get married to an ugly old frost giant. Do you have any more stories?"

Thor's grin was so wide I thought his face would split. "I have many a story, but would you like to hear about why my father has only one eye?"

"I'd love too," I replied, just as the elevator opened and two very sweaty super soldiers came striding in with purpose.

"Maybe another time, Thor." Steve said, only sounding vaguely apologetic.

Bucky smiled tightly. "Yeah, we'd like to talk to our soulmate alone."

Thor turned to me. "Beth, is this okay with you?" He must've realised I was avoiding the boys for a reason.

"Yeah, it's fine Thor, you can go." I smiled reassuringly at him.

"Well then, it was a pleasure." Thor smiled warmly, picked up his hammer, and made his way out. "Until next time!"

And then he was gone, leaving me alone with my two very cranky but determined soulmates. Steve took the armchair that Thor was just in, while Bucky took the spot on the lounge closest to it. There was still a fair bit of room between us, and I could see them both clearly without needing to turn my head.

I stared at them both for a moment before sighing. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Why are you ignoring us?" Bucky snapped, straight to the point, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly.

"Bucky," Steve reprimanded, before turning to me with narrowed eyes. "Seriously, why are you ignoring us?"

"Oh, my God! I'm leaving." I threw my hands up, so done with this conversation already, and moved to get off the couch.

"No!" The super soldiers yelled at the same time.

"Please, just stay," Steve pleaded.

Bucky nodded along eagerly. "C'mon, doll, we really do need to talk."

I sank back into the couch, waiting. Even if this was the opposite of what I wanted, I couldn't just say no to them like a straight up bitch. Besides, the relief on their faces made me feel all warm inside.

"Thank you," Steve breathed out. "But God, Beth, we need know why you're avoiding us."

"If we did something wrong, you have to let us know." Bucky added, eyes downcast.

And oh, did I feel bad. Because they thought they'd done something wrong, and yeah, avoiding them wasn't the answer if they did, but they still felt like shit. I did this.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong!" I said quickly, hoping to reassure them. Then the words just wouldn't stop. "It's just, this whole soulmate business is fucking with my head and you two are so perfect but I'm not and I really don't know why I'm your soulmate. I'm sorry, I've been handling this all wrong, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have." Bucky muttered with a light smile, no longer looking so forlorn. But his smile wasn't happy either.

Steve seemed sad, too. "Beth, do you… Do you not think you're good enough to be our soulmate?"

"Well, no," I admitted, staring down at my hands in my lap. "I admire you both, a lot, but I feel like this was a mistake. You two are so amazing and despite what I just said, I know neither of you are completely perfect, but I still don't think I'm good enough."

The two of them both moved from their seats, but I refused to look up until a hand took hold of my chin and made me. It was Steve's, and he moved that hand to one of my cheeks, while Bucky's flesh hand cupped the other.

"Oh, Beth, is that why you've been avoiding us?" Bucky questioned, his eyes glistening. Was he...? Was my low self-esteem actually going to make an ex-assassin, who fought in a war and survived endless brainwashing, cry?

"Uh-huh," I nodded, and oh shit, I could feel tears forming in my eyes as well. Damn them for being so fucking caring. "I thought if I could ignore you both, then I'd save myself the heartbreak later. Figured I was the platonic soulmate for whatever reason, while you two had each other."

Steve wiped at the first tear that fell. "We don't think you're just platonic to us, nor do we want you to be. It's been killing us to know you were intentionally ignoring us."

"I've been such a selfish bitch," I laughed weakly. "I only cared about avoiding my own heartbreak, and didn't even think of what it was doing to either of you. And when I did, I just told myself you wouldn't care. I'm so fucking sorry. Really."

"Hey, it's okay now," Bucky comforted me, stroking his thumb across my cheekbone. "We get it, we do. This is a lot for you. But we'd like to make it work. We wanna be with you, Beth."

And fuck, yes, did I wanna give them a chance. I wanted to make it work so damn bad. Avoiding them for the past two days had bottled up my need for them, a need that I felt deep in my bones and could only be due to the soulbond. It was a strange feeling, and yet, doubts still plagued me.

"I'm not good with relationships." I admitted, frowning. "The guys I've dated never stuck around for too long, and the couple who did regretted it."

Despite telling him I'd been with people, Steve still smiled brightly. "That's because they didn't belong with you. People who will get a soulmate or two don't usually have normal relationships until then. I thought Peggy and I would be marked when the war was over, but fate had different plans. Even in the past few years, when I saw a woman, it never lasted more than a few dates."

"And I never dated a woman more than once in my life." Bucky added, laughing softly. "I loved going out, but none of the dames that caught my attention held it for very long. Not until you."

"That's because we were marked the second we met," I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway.

"And for good reason. We were made for each other, Beth. You, me, and Stevie." Bucky grinned, his eyes crinkling, and I felt my heart skip a beat. "So, what do ya say, ready to give us old-timers a chance?"

"We'll take it slow, if you want." Steve added, smiling shyly at me. "I sure know I'll need to, for my own sake."

I laughed. Of course Steve would wanna take it slow. I grinned at them both, placing my hands on each other cheeks like how they held mine.

"Okay, I'm in. I'm going to try my damn hardest to be the best soulmate anyone could ever have. The two of you don't deserve any less."

A/N: The story Thor told Beth is a really Nordic story called 'Thor the Transvestite'. I changed some of the details to better fit with this story, but it's mostly the same.

Winter kiss: Thank you! And I actually have a power in mind for Beth, and I might hint to it, but it won't be revealed until much later in the story.

I tried doing more long paragraphs again this time. I think I like them. Lots of bonding and fluff next chapter, so stay tuned!