#captainarielbarnes4kchallenge

[officially-tonynat-shrine]

How the world works

Ok, so this is my very first one shot and I'm fucking excited for it. This is for @captain-ariel-barnes 4k writing challenge (Congratulations on that one!❤️). Criticism- good or bad- is welcomed because if I intend to continue I need tips. I am hoping that you like it! Also, there are a lot of time lapses. And it's long. Probably boring too since it has very less dialogues. (I was also supposed to post this on Steve's birthday buuuttttt--- eheheh)

Summary: Soulmate AU wherein the first sentence spoken appears on the left arm one to three months prior the first meet and vanishes immediately after.

Pairing: Steve x female reader // Timeline: Set after AoU

Warnings: Swearing. Foul language. Weird swears (that's on me, I'm sorry). A little OOC Steve??, nonsensical logic, // Words: around 3K, I guess?

----•••----

The 21st century was progressing faster than ever. And not only in terms of time. People were catching up with the technological advances; some easily whereas some were just coping. Steve considered himself in the second category. Anyone who knew him would definitely agree. After all, that's what happens when one decides to take a nap and wake up 70 years later.

The sudden boost in the living conditions, the sky rocketing buildings and especially the immense development in technology and science baffled him to a great extent.

But in all of this chaos, Steve found solace in the fact that soulmates still existed. It was one of the few terms he was already familiar with. Some things never change. And he fervently hoped that this never would either.

He was sitting in the common room of the new headquarters when Sam barged in. Steve looked up from his iPad and raised his eyebrows, silently questioning his partner. Sam opened his mouth and all but panted for more oxygen.

"Sometimes I think you are the old man, Wilson." Steve smirked at his friend's discomfort. "Shut up, Steroids. I got wonderful news."

Steve bolted upright upon hearing those words. They has been searching for Bucky for quite some time now. Sam recognised the anticipation in his eyes and the former's grin fell slightly.

"Sorry, Cap. No word about Weiner's whereabouts."

"I- Will you stop calling him that?!"

"Hey! We needed a code name so that people won't understand who we're talking about!"

"Yes! But" -Steve let out an exasperated sigh- "never mind. What news was it?" "I found her," Sam grinned. This was the first time he had seen Sam smiling so widely. He knew what the man meant immediately.

"Your soulmate?" "Yes." "Which store was this again?" Steve smirked. "This was the 36th store I had visited. Har har, Steve. So funny." Sam deadpanned. "I bet you'll do the same when you get yours," he added.

Steve's smile faded as he took in Sam's words. "Prepare to lose then, Birdman." He shot Sam a weak grin. Sam's shoulders slumped as he joined Steve on the couch. "Come on, man. Everyone has a soulmate! Why would you think that you won't meet yours? And" -he raised his hand stopping Steve from answering and continued- "if you think that they'll be bothered about your job then dude, you need to think again. You're Captain fricking America!"

"It's not that, Sam." "Then what is it?" "I know that I won't be seeing words etched in my skin because they don't appear twice."

Steve sighed as his fingers grazed the words on his left arm again. It wasn't necessary to know who his soulmate was when he knew he was going to get rejected anyway. Who would want a 90 pound asthmatic riddled with all the diseases in the world as their soulmate? Heavens, he couldn't even walk five yards and not get beaten into pulp.

Did you have something against running away?

Peggy Carter was one of the few people that encouraged him to keep going. He knew she wouldn't look down upon him. She wouldn't edge away in disappointment. Yet, his confidence -or lack thereof- kept him from talking to her. Then, he was taken to the lab. There, in that car, the words on his left arm vanished. And he knew that he was the luckiest of them all.

"Something's bothering you." Her voice brought him back to the present. He had immediately left for the hospital after the encounter with Sam. She was basking in the glow of the sun. He knew that what they had was now lost forever but his love for her never diminished; nor did his respect or admiration.

He smiled, trying to word his thoughts. He should have known better than that. She had always understood him even if he hadn't said a word.

"You'll find someone, Steve. My husband wasn't my soulmate, yes. But we bonded over what we had lost and we truly loved each other. That's all it requires. Faith and love."

"I don't know if I can give them the best life, Peg." "Then don't. If someone loves you wholeheartedly, then they'll love every quirk, every weakness and every strength of yours with their whole being. And when they do that, they accept you the way you are. Not the way they want you to be. All that will matter is to be by your side and lead a life together."

Steve smiled uncertainly, silently hoping that maybe -just maybe- he'd be able to achieve the same happiness his soulmate had experienced. Back in the 40s, Steve had cherished the thought of having a soulmate. A better half, figuratively and literally in his case, to spend the life with. He had been ecstatic, extremely so, when Peggy had spoken the words. But his bliss had not lasted long. The events of the war had not only taken away 70 years of what his life could have been, but also the prospective of growing old together with his soulmate. And now that he was confronted with the options of either loving someone who could eventually find their soulmate or living his life alone, he did not know which one was better.

••••×ו•••

Three weeks had passed after his chat with Peggy. After a rigorous training session with Wanda, Steve had settled comfortably on the couch and was checking out the current internet slangs. When his forearm started pricking, he assumed he must've been sitting still for too long. Nevertheless, he didn't move. A few moments later, his arm pricked again.

At first, he passed it off as an itch. Then, when the pricking persisted, he recognised the sensation. He dropped his iPad on the couch and ran towards his room. As he rolled up his left sleeve he could feel the itch subside. His heart dropped. The words had filled his forearm. He stared at the black ink. Fate was cruel. And far more so to him. His heart sank as he eyed his mark. The very first word was another man's name. He did not even bother to read the rest. Wrapping a spare bandage so that it covered his forearm, Steve swore never to look at it ever again.

||»»||

When (Y/N) was younger, she had always wondered how she'll meet her soulmate. She had heard wonderful anecdotes from near and dear ones. She would eagerly await her maternal grandparents' arrival. Their stories about soulmates were always fascinating to her. Her favourite was certainly the beautiful tale of her grandparents' meeting. But all of it changed when she turned ten. When her mother met her soulmate.

(Y/N)'s grandparents were lucky enough to have met their spouses at an early age. Her parents were not so fortunate. Simply put, they were not soulmates. Her father had met his soulmate but fate had snatched them away from him. His wounds were still fresh when he had met (Y/N)'s mother. They had been cautious about their feelings for each other due to obvious reasons. (Y/N)'s mother had waited patiently for months for her soulmate mark to appear. When months turned into years, they couldn't deny the inevitable attraction they felt. Within a year of marriage, (Y/N) was born and their family was happier than ever. That was until her mother's mark had appeared.

By age fifteen, (Y/N) had two dads whom she loved equally and a mom whom she loved unconditionally. She thanked the Lord everyday for such caring and understanding parents. But now, at twenty four years of age, she had started to wonder whether her fate would be like her father or her mother.

•

She wasn't exceptionally late for her evening shift- only by five minutes. She was sure that her boss would excuse her for her slight tardiness. (Y/N) started folding her pyjamas when she felt a jab in her left arm. She dropped the cloth and yelped. As she drew her arm nearer for better view her eyes widened.

"What the fuck?!" (Y/N) was positive that her screams had reached her neighbour's apartment but she couldn't care less. She scrambled around and picked up her phone to call her boss.

"Hey, Francine! I'm so sorry for such a late notice but I won't be able to make it today. I'm really not feeling well. I'll make it up by working extra tomorrow, I promise. Can I take a leave today, please?"

After being assured by Francine that there was no need to work extra the next day and to take care of herself, she cut the call. Hastily grabbing a jacket she ran out of her apartment praying that her best friend would be home at this hour.

(Y/N) rang Claire's bell three times and waited. She had called her up on her way to the latter's house and explained the situation briefly. It would have hardly been a minute when she heard a string of curses from inside the house. The door opened to reveal Claire with an anticipating look on her face. She pulled (Y/N) in and shut the door.

"Did you really get your mark?!" She screeched happily.

"Hi, (Y/N)! I haven't seen you in so long! You got your soulmate mark too! I hope you two live happily, (Y/N)!" taunted (Y/N).

"Oh hush, you finally got your mark!!! Will you show it to me? Please?" Claire begged.

"Patience, my dear Claire." The former teased her friend.

"Oh please, I'll learn to be patient when you learn to swear less." "Touché."

(Y/N) rolled up the sleeve of her jacket and thrust her arm in Claire's direction.

"What the fuck! Who even speaks like that?!"

"I know, right! I just hope whoever they are, they turn out to be drunk. That's the only plausible explanation to this." (Y/N) frantically points at her mark.

Claire was pleasantly surprised by her best friend's mark. Out of all the hilarious marks she had seen or read about online, this had to be the most absurd. Nevertheless, she vowed never let (Y/N) live that down.

••••× Five Days Later ו•••

Tony had decided to visit the new facility and Vision had taken to giving him a tour of the newly renovated spaces.

Wanda and Vision, both, had noticed something off with the Captain for quite a few days. He would always be agitated. Quite a few times, Wanda had even managed to get him startled and she recalled that every single time she had touched his left shoulder. They had consulted with Sam, who himself was worried about his friend, and had decided that they'll all talk it out of him during dinner. Tony being present had added to their manpower. Consequently, the billionaire was made aware of the plan too.

Dinner was usually a loud affair in the new Avengers Headquarters. But that night, the awkwardness could be sensed from a mile away. Steve was getting irritated by their vague behaviour. At last, he broke the silence.

"Alright, which one of you is going to tell me what happened?" Wanda and Sam had been eyeing each other for the past five minutes.

Sam cleared his throat before asking, "What is up with you, Cap? You are always distracted. Have been for almost five days now."

Steve's eyes widened at the accusation- however accurate- Sam had thrown at him so blandly. He composed himself as quickly and shook his head, refusing to open his mouth lest he blurted out everything. The futile exchange went back and forth for a few minutes until Tony, who had quietly been watching, spoke up.

"Listen, Spangles. We are all worried about you. And if you deny anything these three have said" -he waved his hand at Wanda, Sam and Vision, before continuing- "then I'll tell you want they have been wanting to say but can't just because they respect your stupid ass decision to not speak out. I call bullshit. Cap, if you say that you haven't been acting weird then I'll kindly remind you that this building is run by F.R.I.D.A.Y who'll be more than glad to show footages of anything I ask. Look," he sighed, "we are a team, man. And if you don't trust us then we can't help you. You'll have to open up, dude."

Steve stared at Tony, overwhelmed by his speech. He blinked a few times and sat straight, clearing his throat in the process.

"Okay, I- Look, this is- well, extremely weird and I, I didn't want to burden you guys. But-" "Spit it out, Steve." Wanda reprimanded him lightly.

"My soulmate mark appeared a few days ago." He put his head in his hands and sighed defeatedly.

•

Laughter rang across the room as Sam tried to support himself on the dining table.

"You have got to be kidding me," he barked out amidst coughs. "Do I look like I am kidding you, Sam?" Steve snarled. "My god, Cap. I want to meet this person. They sound wonderful," Sam wheezed.

"Sure, I'll tell them that you're a fan of their work methods." "Stop sassing me, old man."

After a hour of relentless pestering, Steve had undone his bandage and read out his mark- or had at least tried to read it out aloud, before turning red in embarrassment. Wanda had tried to avoid laughing in his face but Tony was laughing so hysterically that it set her off too. Steve's only consolation was that Vision was smiling apologetically at him. As he tuned out his surroundings only one question lingered in his mind- How was this possible?

||»»||

(Y/N) had almost completed her evening shift when she heard the shop's bell ringing. She looked up from the shelves she was arranging and plastered a smile to greet the newcomer. It did not last long.

"Andrew." She seethed.

"Why, hello (Y/N)." The man in question drawled amusedly.

"What do you want?" (Y/N) couldn't avoid the distaste in her voice.

"Can't I drop by to say hi to you?" Andrew flashed a smirk. Annoyed, you quick to reply.

"Well then, hi to you too. Now if you're not going to be buying anything then please leave."

"Ah,in that case, I happen to remember something I had to buy!" He threw a sly, victorious glance at the woman and sauntered towards the grocery aisle. (Y/N) bit her tongue. She had dug her own grave and now she had to lay in it. Furious, she went back to rearranging the shelves.

||»»||

Steve was craving for a few hours of peace. After the eventful dinner, Steve decided to retire early and returned to his quarters. He sat on his bed, resting his head on the wall for a few minutes. He remembered storing some of Thor's infamous Asgardian Mead in his room. He took a bottle out from the wine cabinet and downed it in one go. Wrong move on his part but he wouldn't regret it until later. Yearning some clear air, Steve grabbed his hoodie and walked out of the tower. He informed F.R.I.D.A.Y. of his plans and exited the compound. He walked onto the busier streets and scanned a few shops hoping to find one without many people. The night crowd was chattering away, not sparing a single glance at him. As he neared the quieter end of the street he peered inside a modest general store. He thanked his lucky stars and entered the nearly empty shop.

||»»||

(Y/N) did not hear the door bell chime as she muttered angrily under her breath. But she did hear footsteps approaching her. Her thoughts immediately went to Andrew, and, without releasing that he had already left the shop she spun around and spewed curses at the poor unsuspecting soul.

"Andrew, I swear if you as much as open your mouth I'll cut your dick and shove it in your fucking mouth."

"OMG, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- wait what?"

Steve's jaw slackened as he registered the words the employee had uttered. He tried to subtly observe her. She looked beautiful. Of course, as he later reflected upon his thoughts, his opinion would be considered biased.

The duo hurriedly checked their left arms only to see the last trace of their soulmate marks vanish.

It's him. It's really him. (Y/N) gaped at the burly man in front of her. He looked familiar but she couldn't place her finger on it. The man lowered his hoodie and she couldn't help but gasp.

"You're fucking Captain America!" (Y/N) yelped.

"No, you mig- NO, no! I'm sorry, ma'am! I shouldn't have barged in like that." Steve mentally slapped himself for trying to crack such a vulgar joke. He made a mental note to not drink so much of the Mead and to stop spending time with Sam and Tony when they were drunk.

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows indicating that she had caught onto the unintentional innuendo. She tried not to laugh when Steve became all flustered and stumbled apology after apology.

When Steve heard her giggle, he stopped blabbering and glanced at her.

"Okay, how about we forget what happened and start afresh? Hi, I'm Steve." He smiled at her hopefully and extended his hand.

A smirk formed on her lips as she shook his hand, "Oh no, we most certainly won't forget it. I'm (Y/N)."

•••×ו••

It had been a month after they had found each other and Steve and (Y/N)'s relationship was evergreen and blossoming. Steve had taken (Y/N) to meet the Avengers. Much to Steve's dismay, they had bonded over making fun of him. The unfinished innuendo was now a running joke amongst the heroes. And although Steve would never admit it, he secretly cherished the fact that his family and his girlfriend - gosh, he still couldn't stop the smile from adorning his face at that thought- got along so well.

(Y/N) had kindly returned the favour by introducing Steve to Claire who, after the initial shock (and fainting which she would deny until her dying day), was over the moon.

Andrew was surprisingly never mentioned again and the pair was happy to keep it that way for sometime.

But as the days passed, Steve's thoughts dwelled on the impossibility of the situation. He was growing more anxious to know the answer to his query.

"You're killing me there, Cap. What's bothering your old brain?"

Steve broke from his reverie to see Tony standing in front of him. There was no one else in the common room that day, to Steve's astonishment. He sighed and signaled Tony to sit down with him.

"I still don't get it, pal. Two soulmates for one person? Is that even possible? The more I think about it, the more it feels as if this will be snatched away from me."

Tony regarded Steve's words and said, "You remember what you had told me after Ultron? Outside the facility?"

"That I wasn't sure about a family?" Steve scrunched his eyebrows. "Yeah, I do. But what does that have to do with this?" He asked, puzzled.

"Remember you had told me that someone else had come out of the ice? See, soulmates compliment their partner's souls. Not the physical body. You may look like the same person, even behave the same but your soul has changed, hasn't it? You see things very differently than the way you did before. Granted, this happens to others too but the magnitude isn't as great as yours. Your outlook on the world and yourself has changed drastically. Okay," Tony waved his hands around, " this isn't making much sense, but maybe that's how the world works. You've been out of the ice for quite some time now and (Y/N) has always lived here. There was a heavy chance that you could've met before. But your mark appeared only after you accepted that the person you are now and the person you were before are not at all the same. Then, Peggy complimented your soul. Now, it's (Y/N)."

"I think I do get it, Tony." Steve smiled at him. "Maybe that is how the world works."