My shift at La Cafe Nińo passed me by in a haze of muffins, coffee, and smiles, as I couldn't get my meeting with Pepper this morning out of my head. On my lunch break earlier that day I had Googled Stark Industries on a whim, and sure enough, on the front page of the website was a picture of Pepper Potts, the CEO of the whole company. This told me that I could at least trust her about what she told me this morning about knowing Tony Stark. After all how can you be the CEO of his company and not know him, and that she really could introduce me to the first of my Soulmates.
Tony Stark.
Tony FREAKING Stark.
I was still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Tony Stark was one of my Soulmates if Pepper was to be believed, and honestly I believed her. Everyone as a child is always told that "Fate works in mysterious ways," but this was a pairing that I was curious as to why it was made. I liked to think I was pretty cool, but he was the epitome of cool. He made Antartica look hot in winter kind of cool, and I was super nervous to meet him, but also ecstatic.
When my shift was finished at 4, I quickly ran up the stairs to my apartment and dashed to my closet. What the hell are you supposed to wear when meeting your genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist soulmate? Definitely not my flour caked and coffee reeking clothing thats for sure. I ripped shirt after skirt after dress off hangers from my closet and each piece of clothing landed on the ground somewhere behind me, and yet I was no where near finding something cute to wear. Shrieking loudly I childishly stomped my foot before grabbing a pair of blue jeans and a pretty pink blouse before calling myself good and rushing back down the stairs of my apartment to wait out front for Pepper to pick me up and take me to my promised destination. One of my Soulmates.
The streets were filled with the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life as I rocked back and forth on my heels and ran my fingers through my ponytail. I was pulling out all the knots and tangles while also straightening it and hoping I looked ok when a car horn sounded from right in front of me causing me to jump. It was a black luxury car, and that's all I could tell you about it besides the fact that it cost probably more than I had ever made in my life. I can also tell you that stepping out of that car, was Pepper who waved at me excitedly.
I jogged up to her while dodging around everyone who was walking on the sidewalk and talking on their phones, too busy to pay attention to anyone but themselves, and she pulled me into a quick hug shocking me. Don't get me wrong I like hugs, but I barely knew the lady.
"So there has been a slight change of plans," she whispered quietly in my ear as she pulled out of the hug, but I wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Instead I was paying attention to the heat traveling through my Red Rose Mark as it tingled, and the pair of extremely fashionable but expensive shoes that had just stepped out of the same car Pepper had arrived in.
It was like slow motion to me, the leather shoes, the finely tailored dress pants which led up to the matching suit jacket and tie with a simple white dress shirt, though that shirt alone was probably more than my whole outfit cost, let alone the whole suit which he wore oh so well. I couldn't see his eyes and oh how I wanted to get lost in them, but they were behind finely crafted sunglasses. All of this lead up to his dark brown hair that was messily arranged, but you just knew it was styled that way. He had a grin on his face, and I could feel a large smile beginning to take over my face in response to his as he pulled his shades off and tucked them into a pocket and walked towards me.
Our eyes met, brown to brown, and we moved at the exact same time. With each step he took towards me I took a small one towards him until we were only a few centimeters apart from one another. Now I wasn't short by any means, I was perfectly average for a woman standing at 5'4" but in front of him, I felt small. Not in a bad way. Not in an intimidated way, but in a "let me curl up in your arms because you're bigger than me" way.
I could have spent all day just standing there staring at him and feeling our connection through our Mark's, but I wanted to initiate the first bonding step. Touch. When you touch your mate or in my case mates for the first time, your souls recognize each other for the first time. Even though Pepper had told me that he had been looking for me I was still hesitant so slowly I held my hand out to him, I just hope he couldn't detect the minuscule shaking in my hand and body.
I waited. I waited for what felt like eternity but in reality was only a few moments before I felt a strong grip on my hand, and an arm come around my whole body and pull me tightly into a strong chest. I felt safe, and it felt like fireworks were going off behind my closed eyelids, though when I closed them I didn't know. His head came and rested on top of mine and I let out a sigh of pure bliss as the tingling and heat in my mark stopped only to be replaced by a light thumping. The thumping of his heart ran through my mark letting me know he accepted our bond, and he would be experiencing the same thing on his end as well. Our breaths came out in synchronized pants as we pulled back slightly to be able to look into each other's dilated eyes, and with a few deep breaths we began to breath normally again.
Staring into his eyes my mind went blank. I forgot about the bullying, the tormenting, all I thought of was him. My whole life I had dreamed of this moment. What I would say to my mates when I met them, I would be cool, suave, alluring, but right now all I could see were his eyes and the smile on his face filling my vision as I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. . .
"Hi."
And with a laugh that made my insides turn to jello he looked down at me and simply said, "Hi," before he turned slightly away from me and his personality did a 180. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the protected curve of his body and started leading me to the car after putting his fancy sunglasses back on.
"J.A.R.V.I.S. tell the team that I'm bringing someone extra with me back to the tower so they better not be messing with my stuff."
Dimly I heard what sounded like a voice reply of "of course sir." As Tony helped me into the car and then slid in next to me and pulled me right up against his body.
"Happy." He said firmly but not unkindly.
"Yeah boss." A man who hadn't left the car replied, as he turned around slightly to look at us with a grin on his face.
"This is Stella, my soulmate that Pepper was talking about earlier. She'll be coming home with us." Tony kissed the top of my head as he said this and I waved at the man up front.
"Hello, nice to meet you Happy." I said to him with a smile. I would have held out a hand for him to shake, but both of my hands were currently being held by Tony as he ran his fingers over ever crevice of my hand.
"Nice to meet you too. And congratulations." He said before turning around and starting the car.
Pepper was in the back of the car with us, just seated across from us and looking out the window so I directed my question to Tony.
"Where are we going Tony?" I said quietly so as not to break the cocoon of comfortableness that had settled around us.
He closed his eyes and sighed in what sounded like bliss as I said his name but opened them again quickly and placed a kiss to my forehead. "We're going back home angel."
"Where's that?"
"Where your other two soulmates are. We all live together in Avengers tower."
"Wait! I'm meeting all three of you today?!" I asked shocked as my body stiffened up in his arms and I pulled away slightly, not enough to be out of his arms, but enough to be able to look him in the eyes.
"Yup." He said while popping the p. "Unless you arent ready?" He questioned me teasingly.
"Are you kidding, I was born ready."
Warning: So in case I haven't dropped enough hints, this is going to be a poly fic so if those aren't your thing, or if you don't like them. Please either read on with caution or turn back now.