Chapter 1
Natasha didn't believe in soulmates. She didn't believe in any of the bullshit they fed the public about how the supposed connection worked. She hated the concept of being fated to end up with someone.
Okay, maybe she just hated being told what to do.
It didn't help that Natasha's supposed soulmate was fucking insane. Every time she looked at one of her arms there were little notes that made absolutely no sense. "How much coffee is too much" or "can dogs eat pizza". One time there had even been something about archery and donuts. Frankly, Natasha did not want to know.
Lately she had noticed little drawings decorating her right arm, somehow never getting in the way of the weird notes. Natasha had the strangest feeling they weren't coming from the same person.
And wasn't that just great? She had two soulmates.
At least the drawings weren't of dicks.
She had just walked into the coffee shop she owner, the door closing behind her when she heard a loud crash and then angry barks start up.
Sighing, she opened the door and walked back outside. She hadn't had enough caffeine for this.
What she saw was barely enough to make her pause. A blonde man, maybe a little taller than she was, standing about 20 feet away from her and facing off against three other guys, an angry golden retriever at his side. Before Natasha could sigh and yell at them to get the hell away from her shop she spotted a familiar dark haired girl sprawled on the ground behind them.
Without a pause, she walked forward, shoving past the blonde, ignoring the angry yip the dog let out, and punching the middle guy right in the nose. Before the other two could react she grabbed both of them and knocked their heads together. With all three of them on the ground, groaning, she stood back and crossed her arms. "Now, if it wasn't clear, get the hell out of here."
They took one look at her expression and were practically running in the opposite direction within seconds. Sighing and wishing desperately for a cup of coffee, she glanced at the blonde and had to stifle a snort at the dumbfounded look on his face.
Most guys didn't think she could take care of herself...until she left them crying on the ground and regretting all of their life choices.
Ignoring the guy and dog for the moment, she crouched down next to Wanda, the dark haired girl who had apparently been the victim of this attack. She was one of the few women Natasha could stand and she'd worked at the shop for nearly five years now.
"Hey, sweetheart, you okay?"
Wanda looked up at Natasha, those green eyes of hers impossibly wide. After a minute, she nodded, although Natasha noted she was shaking.
"Come on in, Wanda. We'll get some hot chocolate and I'll call Pietro for you." Natasha helped the younger woman to her feet, settling a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Anyone else you'd like me to call?"
She didn't answer until they were seated in one of the booths, her hands curled around a mug. "V. My boyfriend. Can you...?"
Natasha gave her a brief nod, walking a feet feet away and dialing his number - which, ironically enough, she had completely by coincidence. V was a computer nerd and he had helped her with her laptop when it freaked out a couple months back. He had mentioned a Wanda but she had never connected the two of them.
He picked up on the third ring, voice slightly breathless. "Hello?"
"Vision? That you?"
There was a long pause, and then, "Natasha?"
"Hey, yeah, it's me." She glanced over at Wanda, who was doing a pretty good job of pretending she was fine. "You're dating Wanda Rogers, right?"
He paused again. "Yes."
Before he could ask anything, Natasha rushed ahead, "She's okay, but you should probably get over here. You know the address?"
Wow, another pause? Somehow Natasha wasn't surprised. It was way too early to be awake, anyways. "Yes. I'll be there in ten."
She hung up, sliding her phone back into her pocket. It was then that she noticed that blonde guy standing in the open doorway, the dog surprisingly nowhere to be found. He was running a hand over the back of his neck, eyes downcast. He looked like he wanted to say something, maybe ask Wanda if she was okay. Natasha knew the effect she had on men who saw her in action, and she had a feeling he was probably too scared to say anything. She wouldn't have hurt him - he did try to help Wanda, after all - but he didn't seem to know that.
"Hey." She approached him slowly, as if nearing a wounded animal. "You like coffee?"
He glanced up at her when she got within arms reach. "I'm sorry, what?"
She blinked. "Coffee. You want some?"
His eyes focused on her lips as she spoke and she had a feeling it had nothing to do with attraction.
Bringing her hands up in front of her, she signed, "Are you deaf?"
His gaze snapped up to her face. "You know how to sign?"
Natasha nodded. "Come on in. Want some coffee?"
His face lit up like a kid in the candy store and Natasha swore he looked like a giant puppy. Moving to stand behind the corner, she signed, "Close that door, will you?"
He stared at her for a minute before she arched an eyebrow and inclined her head towards the door.
"Oh, yeah, sorry." He said, turning to close it just as a tall man with white blond hair appeared in front of it.
Before he could say anything, Natasha waved Pietro in, not bothering to warn Clint of the whirlwind that was Wanda's brother.
Without waiting, he shoved the door open and practically rushed to Wanda's side, not even sparing blondie a glance. In fact, Natasha thought with a snort, blondie was lucky he was still on his feet.
It didn't take long for Natasha to make Pietro a mug of peppermint tea and blondie a cup of black coffee. It never ceased to amaze her that Pietro preferred tea to coffee, but then again he was so full of energy coffee would probably send him - not to mention skyrocket her annoyance levels - to the hospital.
Blondie had seated himself in a booth on the other side of the shop, doing something on his cell phone and sporting a cute little frown.
Wait. What?
Natasha stopped that train of thought in its tracks. The last time she had thought someone was cute she'd ended up on the floor of this very same café with a knife in her side and blood everywhere.
Yeah, she wasn't going through that again.
Sitting a cup of coffee in front of him, she took the seat across from him, hands on the table in front of her. He smiled gratefully as he lifted it to his lips and took a drink. It was then that she noticed the little notes decorating his arm, interspersed with a few small drawings - one of the sun, another of a couple flowers.
A feeling of dread began to settle over her as his eyes found her own.
Well, shit.
His eyes widened as he spotted an eerily similar drawing of a bird on the back of her hand and held his own up in wonder.
He was her soulmate.