Soulmates series- Romanogers

minutes ticked by, but i never saw you

"Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives." He looks at his team as he speaks. They're no strangers to risk, but he wants all of them to come back from this.

He shares a glance with Tony, knowing that his friend is risking a lot for this; as they all are. "Whatever it takes," he says. The mutual understanding is unspoken between them.

Bruce readies the sequence and steps up to take his place among them as Steve looks around one last time as the counter begins.

Five.

Natasha stands to his right, always his second-hand, even if their destination isn't the same. She sends him a smirk as she bounces on her feet, eager to get back into the action once again. He knows she's been itching for this purpose again, trying to claw back from the defeat five years ago.

Four.

A wave of joy floods his chest, he loves seeing her this amped up and ready for a fight. She's every bit the bad-ass warrior he knows she is. "Good luck." He says to the team, but his eyes are on hers.

Three.

There's a flash of something in the depths of her forest eyes, but before he can identify it – it's gone. Her eyes study him for a moment, but her smirk makes a swift return and she resumes her little dance.

Two.

"See you in a minute." She quips, casting her gaze upwards as the machine above them opens up. Their helmets equip themselves and he's a second early to the "ride to vomit town" as Scott described it as reality hits him.

One.

The portal opens and the last glimpse he has of his soulmate is her being sucked into the portal at vortex speed.

Tony knew who his soulmate was. Was proud of it and flaunted it to all of the Avengers.

Hey, Pep.

Scrawled across his upper left chest, right above his heart. Tony said it was fitting, the name of his heart over top of his heart. Pepper just rolled her eyes before kissing him to shut him up.

Steve never caught a glimpse of Pepper's, but she confided in him one rare evening, "Tony never stays still. Even when he's sleeping, he'd still be dreaming of ways to improve his designs or make up new ones."

A nearly empty bottle of red wine accompanied the very full glass in her hand as she sipped it. Steve nodded along, as the rest of the Avengers were sprawled out across the common area from too much alcohol. Thor, Bruce, Clint, and Maria were in front of the flat-screen TV, the Mario Kart theme song still playing quietly in the background. Nat was nestled up against a pillow on Steve's right, while to his left sat Pepper. Tony took up half of the couch that Steve, Nat, and Pepper occupied, his head resting on Pepper's lap.

The ginger threaded her fingers through his dark hair, smiling softly as his scruff rubbed against her thigh. The genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist twitched in his slumber, mumbling something under his breath as he shifted.

"My words for him are 'you can rest now'." Pepper continued, her voice acquiring the fretful edge she reserved just for Tony. "With words like that, I know that it's going to be him who goes first. And every time there's a mission, I worry."

Steve knew it was the wine causing her posture to slip as a stray tear escaped. "I can't live without him, Steve. And I don't know what I'm going to do when that day comes."

Her pale fingers trailed down to Tony's arc reactor, circling around the glow through the cotton shirt. Steve glanced down at his wrist, where his broken watch hid his own set of words.