My Forever and Always (Soulmate Aus)

Colors make a huge difference- Rari

The Legends set out to fix an anachronism in the future and Ray was stuck on the ship. He thought it was unfair that he was the only one that got to miss out on the future but understood that not everyone could go out at once. They didn't want to risk the anachronism jumping from a three to an eight like last time.

So Ray worked on his suit in his room. Just fixing bugs and things in it, nothing serious in case he was needed to go help but he still needed to work on it. An hour later, he looked up and wiped his brow from sweat, his eye catching the mirror that was in his room. His brown and grey eyes stared back at him before he blinked and looked away. Ray Palmer was always one for the sentimental crap so finding his soulmate was on the top of his to-do list. However, when he decided to be a Legend he knew his chances would decrease after each mission they'd go on. 

Zari hated that the Legends started tracking her but she did love that they were gullible. She got them to unlock the prisons in ARGUS which released the metahumans they had. They didn't deserve to be there anyway and Zari was glad her trick worked. What she wasn't glad about was when the Legends recruited her for their silly space mission.

She kicked and squirmed the entire time they were walking to the ship. Mick and Nate might have had a colorful vocabulary with some of the places she kicked but they managed to get her onto the ship. Zari wasn't too pleased about it but she didn't try to escape the Wave Rider either. She knew that if she tried she'd only end up back on the Wave Rider- possibly tied up. 

Hearing the commotion, Ray walked out of his room and over to where the crew was. He was sporting his huge smile that practically never left his face to begin with. Zari looked to him briefly but looked away when something else caught her eye.

"You're back!" Ray cheered before seeing Zari. "And you brought a girl?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunching together. 

"She's the newest recruit. Get used to her." Sara instructed. Ray just nodded as he kept staring in her direction. "How were things here?"

"Oh they were fine. Worked on my suit, had lunch, then worked on my suit some more. Nothing unusual." Sara nodded before walking over to the study. Everyone else left to go do their own thing so that left Ray and Zari. Ray approached her and smiled as he extended his hand. "I'm Ray Palmer." He introduced. 

"Zari Tomaz." She counter-introduced as she grabbed his hand and shook it. The two made eye contact and watched as the other's eye changed colors. Once the two had matching eyes, they each took a step back. "That's not possible." She declared. Ray just stared at her, wide eyed.

"Well we are on a timeship that can timejump to any time period, Miss Tomaz." Gideon spoke up. 

Zari rolled her eyes. "I know that! But our eyes still shouldn't have changed colors." She defended, still holding eye contact with Ray. "You're dead."

"In your time. I'm alive here." He corrected. "At least I think I am." Ray added, breaking eye contact to look down at himself, looking back up a second later. "So, I guess that makes us-"

"Don't say it." Zari cut him off. Ray frowned which looked super adorable but Zari wouldn't admit that. "It's not true."

"But Miss Tomaz, it is true. The soulmate bonds work in strange ways so they could've known that Mister Palmer was going to join a group of heroes that travel throughout time causing him to go into the future to meet you. Or they could've known that the same team was going to stop at your time and recruit you to join their team, resulting in the two of you meeting." Gideon explained as Ray nodded along. 

"But. . . No." She insisted.

"Why don't you want me to be your soulmate?" Ray asked, upset that he was rejected without being given the chance to woo her.

"Because I'm not ready for one." She whispered. Ray stared at her, not knowing what to do. Eventually he slowly walked up to her and wrapped her in a hug. She tensed up but then melted into the touch. Ray never pulled away which was a good thing because Zari eventually hugged him back. "Why are you so lovable? I'm trying to not love you right now." Ray laughed.

"I don't know. People have called me a boy scout before." Zari laughed into Ray's chest. He started rubbing her back slowly so she didn't jerk away. "What happened that you're not ready for a soulmate?"

"My brother, he. . ." She drifted off, not wanting to finish that statement. Ray held onto her a little tighter as he pulled her closer to his chest. "We used to dream about meeting our soulmates but he never got to." Ray pulled away a little so he could look her in the eyes.

"Then don't you think you should stay with yours?" He asked. Zari frowned. "That way your brother, even though he never met his, can be happy for you because at least one of you did." Zari smiled a little.

"I guess you're right, Palmer. He would want me to stay with my soulmate." She stepped into the hug which Ray was happy to go back to. "Thank you." Ray smiled and continued to rub her back again. "And you have beautiful brown eyes." Ray chuckled.

"You have beautiful grey eyes." He commented. Zari pulled away just to look into his eyes. He smiled lovingly down at her. 

"I mean seriously, they're like melted pools of chocolate. And the perfect shape too. I bet you have an amazing puppy dog look." Ray smiled.

"I don't know. I've never had anyone to use the puppy dog look on." The two laughed.

"Well, you do now." Ray nodded. Zari started playing with his hair. "Amazing hair too?! You sure my soulmate isn't Superman?" The two laughed.

"I think I would know if I was made of steel." He joked. Zari continued messing up his hair as he just smiled at her.

"Your hair is so soft! What did I do to deserve you?"