Chapter Text
Soulmates were a fickle thing in both Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff's lifetime. The unequivocal marks etched on their skin signified an infinite bond - Steve's on his ribcage, and Natasha's on the nape of her neck. Their identical soulmate marks, an hourglass encompassed by a star, glowed on their skin, reminding them of their fate... the person they were destined to meet one day.
Before Steve's mother, Sarah, had died, she told him that he was one of the lucky ones. Not everyone was as lucky as him, to have someone he was destined to love irrevocably and spend his life with; to have his destiny written in the stars as every path he walked led him to his person. Those who didn't have a soulmate weren't necessarily unlucky. Sometimes, they were actually the fortunate ones. A part of their soul wasn't missing when they had yet to find their person, and they didn't have to worry about losing their soulmate; they wouldn't have to spend their lives searching for the one person who would complete their heart. However, those without a soulmate would never have an extraordinary love that could move mountains. They would never have someone who would bring complete joy, calmness, and inspiration into their lives, someone who would love the other until their very last breath.
Natasha Romanoff, on the other hand, definitely didn't think of herself as a lucky one. No. She was the only Red Room prodigy with a soulmate brand on the nape of her neck, and she was one of the only S.H.I.E.L.D agents with a mark. It was a weakness to her, the only way to be compromised and diverged from her job... the only thing that mattered in her life. The Red Room had tried to burn it off her skin, to even cut it off, but it would come back just as vibrant and obvious. Unable to remove the mark, they convinced her that love was for children and that she had no place in the world but to loyally serve her country and never fail.
She had never let the damn mark control her life.
Well, she tried not to.
She always kept it covered with her hair and always smeared makeup over it. There were times, however, when her mark would throb and burn, and one particular time had been nearly unbearable. It was actually the day Fury notified her that Captain America had awoken from his slumber in the ice, but she thought nothing of it and hadn't bothered to see the famous man who had captured America's heart. Sure, he was a hero. There was no denying that but to Natasha, he was just another superhero who ran out of time.
Which was ironic because she was the one with an hourglass on her neck.
No matter how much she tried, she still wasn't able to ignore her mark. There were times when she would travel to a specific place and not know exactly why she was there, only that she was drawn there by an annoyingly persistent force that never really seemed to leave her alone.
This was one of those times.
She didn't know why she was in Egypt but she, at least, found something to do instead of wandering around aimlessly like the lost tourist she really was. S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent her reports of a terrorist cell in Cairo, and she had been working with the local authorities to bring them down in a fiery fury of flames. She worked at night, infiltrating their base in an old warehouse and picking the men off one by one like a cat playing with a mouse - a spider playing with a fly. Her part of the operation was done, and most of the men were now dead, a bullet to the head or their skulls smashed in. Smashing skulls wasn't really Natasha's style, but she presumed the Egyptian authorities had some bizarre technique they liked to use. She wasn't going to question it.
The mission was nearly complete as Natasha checked the ruins of the warehouse for any survivors. Her dog, Epic, trotted along beside her, her long, black fur glinting in the flickering lights above them as she stopped to sniff particular areas.
Epic had been her partner for almost four years. Natasha was never much of a dog person and many years ago when she was an assassin for the KGB, she actually had a cat named Liho. However, when Clint decided to retire and Natasha was left without a partner, Fury mentioned to her that she could supersede a human partner - who would surely strike her every nerve and blatantly get in the way of her work - for a dog. Training a stubborn, German Shepherd puppy was a challenge of its own, something she never envisioned herself doing, but she loved her dog more than anything and couldn't imagine life without her partner and best friend.
There were many benefits to having Epic as a partner, and this was one of them; the clever dog often sensed things before Natasha did. She watched Epic's muscles tense, her big, dopey ears flattening against her head as she sank to the ground and stalked forward slowly. "Что ты пахнешь?" [What do you smell?] She whispered in Russian, suddenly alert and defensive as her grip tightened on her gun.
Steve Rogers could hear the dog a mere few feet away from where he hid behind a crumbled, cement wall; the low growling, the quiet sniffs, and the crunch of gravel under its paws. He had found himself in Egypt and had tried to assist in bringing down the terrorist cell, but he did more harm than good, and the guilt was staggering. He hadn't meant to kill the men, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins was entirely potent, and he couldn't control his strength, even months after coming out of the ice. A bullet to his thigh by one of the terrorists had swiftly dissipated the adrenaline and now, he was left with an aching heart and deep pain in his leg. He had no way to contact S.H.I.E.L.D., and he knew that it would be foolish to try to move in the dead of the night when he wouldn't be able to fight well.
He figured that he, at least, would be able to defend himself against the dog, and hopefully not kill it in the process.
A shadow slunk around the ruins around him, and he saw the black, German Shepherd's eyes on him as it stalked him from afar. The dog wore a camouflage vest and definitely wasn't a pet. No. It was evidently a working dog who would surely pack a mean bite, and its' handler had to be close by. Sure enough, he heard footsteps from behind the dog, and he braced his fists against the rock, preparing for a fight.
"Captain Rogers... what the hell?" He heard a feminine voice exclaim as a woman ran up behind the dog who still stalked towards him with malicious intent in her eyes. "Эпично, отойди." [Epic, stand down.] The woman then spoke firmly, and it was as if a switch had been flicked as the dog bounded back to her side, her tail wagging excitedly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Steve was suddenly very confused. One second ago she had been pointing a gun at him and her vicious dog was stalking him and the next second, she was acting as if she knew him. Well, she probably did. He was Captain America, after all, but he definitely didn't know her. He would've remembered her emerald green eyes that looked at him through the niqab veil she wore.
"Who are you?" He asked gruffly, dropping back onto his ass as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He truly hoped she wasn't deluding him into a false sense of security before she and the dog attacked. For some reason, however, some very peculiar reason that made his mind spin, he knew the woman wasn't a threat.
He could trust her.
He didn't know why, but he knew that he could.
She set down her gun and approached him as she unwrapped the niqab, revealing her beautiful face that immediately took his breath away. Her red hair glistened in the faint street lights and shadows were cast across her angelic features - her high cheekbones, her plump lips, and her beautiful, emerald eyes. God, he longed to know who she was, to draw her to him and learn every detail about the young woman before him. He hardly realized that she was talking, but he was able to swiftly focus on her unique voice with a slight, foreign accent. "I'm Natasha Romanoff, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and I work with Director Fury." She explained. Her eyes briefly looked him over, and she focused on the bullet wound. "Where is your team?" She asked.
"I came alone." He shook his head before realizing he shouldn't have said that. Even though she had claimed to be with S.H.I.E.L.D., he was putting himself in danger, but he couldn't find the will to care.
Not with this woman...
Natasha.
"So did I." She grumbled almost to herself. "Come on, we need to get you out of here. There's a S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouse nearby."
She reached out her hand to him, and he took it, letting her pull him to his feet. They both felt the vestige immediately. She almost stumbled backward, her eyes wide as a delicious shiver twisted up her spine as his hand grasped hers. She could feel it all the way down to her toes - the way a connection blossomed between them as heat pooled into her core - her soulmate mark scalding her skin. She suddenly wanted to draw him close, to kiss him breathless even in the middle of the desert. She longed to know exactly who he was and the scariest part was, she wanted him to know who she was...
No. No. No!
It couldn't be possible.
Steve Rogers... Captain-fucking-America... was not her soulmate!
She had to ignore whatever she was feeling, concluding that it was most likely because he was so handsome - nothing more but nothing less.
They pulled back from one another when Epic barked, shattering the entrancing spell as the dog peered up at them curiously, her tail wagging. "What's her name?" Steve asked, a bright smile on his lips and his azure eyes sparkling as he looked from the dog to Natasha.
It was her.
It all made sense now.
The stars had aligned, and he had finally met his soulmate. He knew that it had never been Peggy, no matter how much he wished that she was his to love forever, but things had evidently worked out the way they were supposed to. However, as Natasha looked over his bullet wound, she didn't act like he was her soulmate. What if it was one-sided? What if she had already settled down with someone, and they couldn't be together? Why was he even thinking about being with her when he didn't even know her middle name?
He desperately needed to focus. He wasn't living in a fairytale. In fact, it was more of a nightmare.
"Her name is Epic," Natasha replied dryly, her hands on her hips as she glanced at her dog who looked at Steve as if he was an old friend. "She seems to like you but anyway, can you wal-... Эпично, нет!" [Epic, no!] She gasped as her dog leaped up at Steve, licking his face obnoxiously and prancing around him, blatantly ignoring her command.
He laughed joyfully as Epic jumped up on him again, wiping the slobber from his cheek as she grasped her dog's leather collar and pulled her away. "God, I'm sorry." She exclaimed, shaking her head to herself as she bit back a smile. If Epic was already in love with him, surely Natasha herself could take a liking to him.
Or trust him.
He shook his head, smiling at the dog as he picked up his shield and strapped it onto his back. She gestured for him to follow her, and he walked beside Natasha and Epic through the desert, trying to ignore the ache in his leg as the bullet ground against bone. He hoped that she knew what she was doing and that she wasn't leading him into a trap. Her gun was around her shoulder as she walked beside him, occasionally looking him over while he pretended not to notice. He could feel her eyes on him, gazing into his soul and dragging him under like a tidal wave pulling him out to sea.
He didn't fight it.
They were silent as they walked to the safe house, and Natasha was grateful that he was quiet, smart enough to know that they were in hostile territory and still in danger. She longed to ask him a hundred questions, but he walked with a significant limp and his leg looked painful... questions wouldn't ease his anguish. Although the super-serum had closed the wound, it was most likely doing more harm than good if the bullet had grazed the bone. She had read enough about him to know the serum was both a blessing and a curse.
When they reached the safe house - a small but sturdy shack in the middle of nowhere, she led him inside and bolted the door shut before she looked at him. "Go into the bathroom down the hall. I need to find a first-aid kit." She told him. She heard his footsteps fade down the hall and her dog clung to his side. "What a traitor." She mumbled to herself even though she thought it was... interesting... how Epic had taken a liking to him.
She found a kit stashed in the closet and strode into the bathroom where Steve sat on the edge of the bathtub. Suddenly, she felt apprehensive and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She wasn't afraid of him, but she was terrified of how he made her feel, the way her soulmate mark sparked to life, and warmth spread through her every time she looked at him. It was hard to deny what was blatantly obvious. "I won't be able to take the bullet out, but I'll bandage your leg and then contact Fury to get you home." She said, sitting across from him on the closed toilet seat. She pulled out scissors and gauze before she began to cut away the fabric around the bullet wound. She could feel his beautiful, azure eyes on her, the way inclination twisted up her spine and made her cheeks flush.
His muscles were tense under her hands as she swiftly cleaned the wound and wrapped it tightly. She wasn't a doctor by any means, but it would do for now. "Didn't you come out of the ice a few months ago? Why are you already out on missions?" She blurted out, unable to help herself.
The curiosity was killing her like it killed the cat.
He bashfully looked down at Epic who lay at his feet, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I'm not supposed to be out." He murmured.
She couldn't help but laugh. "Well Rogers, you're caught in the act." She teased, standing to her feet and wiping her hands on the robes she wore.
"I guess I am." He smiled at her, his heart skipping a beat as he heard her laugh. He perceived the flush rise to her cheeks, and he stood as well, following her out of the cramped bathroom and into the dusty living room.
He sat down on the only couch in the room, knowing he needed to keep weight off his leg. He watched as she pulled out a handheld communication device; he was still amazed by the technology nowadays, but he tried not to stare at Natasha as she contacted S.H.I.E.L.D.. Instead, he focused on Epic who was enjoying the attention he gave her.
✉️ NR: I have an injured Captain America in the Cairo safe house. Extraction is needed ASAP.
She typed into the phone, turning on the notifications before she sat down beside Steve, careful to leave plenty of space between them. "Must've been a shock, huh?" She mused quietly, glancing at him as she took off her widow bites and removed the weaponry belt around her waist.
He knew exactly what she was referring to. "That's an understatement, but everyone has been nice so far. Other than the guy who shot me." Steve replied.
She bit her lip, finding his retort amusing, even though it wasn't exactly appropriate to laugh at the predicament they were in. Before she could reply, her phone buzzed, and she looked at the text from Fury.
✉️ NF: Extraction in route. ETA: 1 hour. Tell Rogers he has some explaining to do.
"Fury says you have some explaining to do." She voiced, setting her phone down and leaning back into the couch. One hour. One hour with her sou-... no. One hour with a man she found extraordinarily attractive and seemingly kind.
She could survive... she'd survived a hell of a lot worse.
Steve chuckled. He knew that already. "I'm just sick of them keeping such close tabs on me. I fought for freedom, but I don't get any." He replied. Epic jumped up on the couch to lay in the spot between him and Natasha, and he mindlessly scratched her ear as he thought about how fate had such a twisted sense of humor. He couldn't have even met his soulmate under relatively normal circumstances.
"So you figured that you'd sneak off to Egypt and get yourself shot in the process?" She quipped, her infamous smirk tugging at the corner of her chapped lips. She had read about all the audacious things he did back in the war and although things usually worked out for him, he was reckless. She could read him like an open book and evidently, he hadn't changed.
"I could ask why you're here, you know?" He smirked back.
Oh, so he had game.
She raised her eyebrows at him. "What makes you think I'd answer that?" She said. Even if she wanted to, she didn't really have an answer. She had just traveled to Egypt without needing a reason. She was drawn there, a voice in the back of her mind telling her something - someone - was there who needed her help.
"I don't know..." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again with a handsome smile that instantly stole the breath from her lungs. "Because your dog likes me. Is that a valid reason?"
She laughed, scratching Epic's belly as the dog laid her head in Steve's lap. Before she could respond, Epic suddenly jumped off the couch and growled lowly, slinking to the dusty floors as she glared down the hallway of the shack. "You think this place is haunted or are we about to get murdered?" Natasha said dryly, grabbing two of her handguns and holding them tightly. She wasn't scared... she had always handled herself and gotten out of the direst situations relatively unscathed.
However, defending Captain America?
That was definitely a new one.
"I think the latter." Steve sighed, grabbing his shield on the floor as he stood up.
"Sit back down. You're going to get in my way and get us both killed." Natasha hissed at him, jumping to her feet and extending her arm, her gun in front of her and pointing at the threat Epic had sensed. The dog turned and tucked herself behind her legs in the way Natasha had taught her. They inched forward, and she heard Steve shuffle behind her.
Damn him.
He was reckless and didn't heed orders. She turned to yell at him but just then, there were gunshots.
Bullets whizzed past her head, the loud bang, bang making her ears ring. Steve reacted before she could, grasping her arm and shielding them protectively. Even though she was pressed to his side and her mind was already spinning - and not from being shot at - she was able to aim her gun over the top of his shield and strike the man in the head who ran down the hallway at them.
The terrorist dropped dead, blood splattering on the wall and pooling on the floor around him. They stared at one another, surprise flickering in both their eyes. "We should see if there are more." She said thickly, shattering the silence between them.
"Lead the way, Natasha." He said.
At that moment, she knew she was completely and utterly fucked.