a marvelous story - avengers soulmate au

surprise, surprise!

TW: Vomit, Nightmares, Mentions of Gore

My immediate embrace had startled Steve, I could tell he wasn't sure what to do. For a while, it was just me with my arms wrapped around his waist with seemingly endless silence. Then he hugged me back.

It was so warm. So comfortable, but his embrace was loose around me. Timid, careful. It was adorable.

"Hi." his simple greeting made me smile at the domesticity of it all.

"Hello, Captain Rogers." I whispered, soft and low. I had waited for this for years. To meet him, the only soulmate I had known of. Was sure of it. I had loved him long before we met,.

But, well, I had loved all of them. I love all of them.

"Sorry to break up the moment, but I think that your reaction was definitely less dramatic to meeting me." Tony spoke up with a small whine in his voice. I laughed and pulled back from Steve with some tears in my eyes.

"Well, Idiota, we were in public on my college campus. I don't think that anyone would have been able to keep their mouth shut if they'd seen me tackle you to the ground." I said with a small wipe at my eyes to dry them.

"Fine. But I still think I deserve a hug." He said indignantly. I rolled my eyes playfully and sat back on the couch by Nat. Tony stuck his tongue out at Nat.

"You're such a baby, Stark," Nat said with a laugh and pulled me closer to her side, kissing my forehead gently. I smiled and closed my eyes contented, glad that I had finally taken the break I needed.

"Hey, she's falling asleep again!"

"She's allowed to, she's stressed."

"Yeah but I wanted to be the one she fell asleep on this time!"

"Honestly, Stark..." and that portion of an annoyed statement from Steve was the last thing I heard before dozing off.

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I was swept into a cold room, nearly freezing. It was uncomfortable. So dark.

Fumbling over myself, I searched in vain for the lights and when I flicked them on by some stroke of luck, the horrible sight that welcomed me made me scream.

Bodies. Dead bodies. Heaped on top of each other, radiating that sickening cold feeling. The stench that rolled off of them in waves overwhelmed all my senses and my eyes watered. But... This wasn't my body. It couldn't be. I was shorter than this. The ceilings looked to be low, maybe six and a half feet, and this body was only eight inches under the ceiling.

What was this?

What was I seeing?

This... has happened before. I could feel it. The throbbing in my brain as I stirred to consciousness. The weak, shaking limbs. The bile in my throat. It was all familiar.

But this has never happened.

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The crash of thunder woke me from my restless sleep, but it didn't seem right. Bright light rushed past the window and I looked out with narrowed eyes to see a multi-colored column of light just before I nearly threw up all over Tony's nice couch.

With strange and startled looks being thrown at me, I rushed to the kitchen and threw up in the sink before it could get anywhere else. Doors from some sort of combination landing dock-platform-balcony thing flew open and thudding steps followed by light, careful ones came into the tower. 

Booming voices and some quick greetings ensued before the light careful steps stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, my eyes too busy squeezing shut to stop the tears from seeping out to see who it was. A slick, timid voice called out to the others and seemed a little worried and on guard.

"Who is the mortal vomiting in the kitchen sink?" the voice was smooth, and male. It was clearly a male, even if his voice was a slightly higher-pitched tenor voice. I stopped vomiting long enough to cough and start rinsing the bile down the drain. Thank God my hair was up, if it hadn't it would have been a disaster.

Panicked voices overlapped from the living room as they scrambled toward the kitchen, all talking over each other as Nat pushed whoever the tall, blurry figure dressed in green was and rubbed my back as I coughed over the sink. Tony and Steve were shoving each other around in the doorway and I could hear Clint call a 'She okay' from his seat in the living room, still enjoying a movie.

"Sol, hey, you okay sweetheart?" Tony asked when he had finally shoved Steve out of the way and rushed in. I coughed weakly and held up a shaking thumbs-up as my knees buckled. Nat caught me, steadying me and picking me up to set me on the counter, wiping my face with a damp cloth so I could see through the tears I finally managed to blink back.

The tall, vaguely human-shaped blob had been the slim and angled form of Loki, God of Mischief, Magic, Trickery, and so forth. It had been revealed only recently he had joined the team of superhero mates, and finally stopped running from fate.

The second, hulking and burly, form in the background was Thor, God of Thunder, Fertility, and a couple of other things I'd forgotten. His blonde hair was braided back in a simple traditional style which I smiled weakly at. It looked great on him, and I could feel the warmth and the tugging towards the Gods, my heart telling me I needed to get closer.

"Hey." Was my weak greeting as everyone stood silently for a moment. Near immediately, thin cold finger pressed to my forehead and the tall, skinny form of Loki was in front of me. I hadn't been warm before, right? At least, not before I'd fell asleep. Wat was happening?

"Your skin is horridly warm, mortal. Are you ill?" He asked in his silky accent. I melted against his cold skin, thankful for the relief against the soulmate bond and the quickly-forming fever.

"What? Sunshine, are you sick? Why didn't you tell us?" Tony whined quickly, trying and failing at pushing Loki out of the way. I huffed, annoyed at all the worry as Thor bodily moved Tony to reach me and place a too-warm hand on my shoulder. I winced away. Why was I so warm?

"Apologies, Lady Sol. I simply meant to assure you were fine." He said in a slightly pained voice. I pouted as I slumped forward into the amazingly cool but surprised Loki, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"No, don't be sorry, hunny." I said with a small sigh, my eyes closing. "I'm just really warm right now."

"Oh. I understand, my Lady. I shall keep my distance." Everyone heard the unspoken for now. Nat kissed my cheek quickly before Loki heaved me off the counter by order of Tony and Steve. They wanted me to be on the couch in the living room, it was less claustrophobic and more ventilated. Someone grabbed a trashcan and put it next to the couch in case I got sick again.

Sprawled out over a whole sofa, I lay on top of Loki in a mess of tangled limbs. Nothing was close enough or cold enough for a while. When it finally was, I had taken three Ibuprofen and drank four glasses of water by the whiny insistence of Tony and some pointed looks from Nat and Steve. Thor kept his word in staying away, even if he looked like a kicked puppy. I just couldn't handle the warmth he practically radiated. Even though my body begged to be near my mates, I needed the cool of Loki's skin against mine.

When I was finally comfortable, I dozed off again. This time, I was sure I'd sleep for more than just an hour.

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Haha, surprise! Sorry for the nightmare sequence but I had an idea and I followed through with it. Just you wait until the next chapter >:D

I love you, stay safe!

- Rue <3