Claire's POV

I looked down at my phone and at the open text conversation between myself and Wanda. Over the last week, Wanda and I got to know each other better, and even hung out with each other whenever we were free. I scrolled through the different memes, gifs, and dumb jokes and chuckled to myself. I know she was my soulmate, but I enjoyed the fact that we were becoming friends first before we jumped into a relationship.

"What are you laughing at, Stowell?" Steve asked, elbowing me lightly in my arm.

"Just Wanda."

"How have you two been? Go on any hot dates yet?" Bucky asked, shimmying his shoulders and laughing a bit. Steve and I rolled our eyes at him and I locked my phone and sent him a glare.

"For your information, I do not kiss and tell. Whatever me and Wanda do in our free-time, is none of your business." Steve laughed at Bucky's pouted face and patted my back.

"She's right, Buck. We don't need to know the details of her and her girlfriend's relationship."

"She's not my girlfriend," I said holding up my index finger in correction. "Right now we're just friends. One day we'll get to girlfriend level, but not right now. She wants to take things slow, especially since we are literal strangers, and frankly so do I."

"That's fair." Steve took his drink in his hand and took a sip, giving Bucky a side glance, his face reddening when Bucky met his eyes. Bucky got up and excused himself, leaving Steve and I at our table in the back of the bar and disappearing into the men's room.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him, glancing at his reddened face and lingering on him just a little bit. He heaved a heavy sigh and hung his head.

Running a hand through his hair, he said, "Not really."

"Well, that's going on?"

"Claire, how did you work up the courage to tell Wanda that you were soulmates?"

"To be honest, I just came right out and said it. You still haven't told Bucky?"

"No! I don't know how to say it!" Steve said as he threw his head back and sighed dramatically. "What do I do, Claire?"

"Steve, you need to swallow whatever fear you have and get your ass in gear. Literally, all you need to do is open your mouth. I mean it, Steve, the second Bucky gets back, you talk to him."

Steve and I sat in silence, and when Bucky came back to the table, I looked at Steve, cleared my throat, and stood up.

"Well, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, but I'm gonna get another drink." Bucky nodded and turned away. Steve looked over at me, and looking back at him, I mouthed "talk."

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Steve's POV

Claire smirked at me and walked away from our table, taking out her phone, and took a seat at the bar. Out of the corner of my eye I looked over at Bucky, watching him check his phone and play on a few different apps. Okay, you can do this, Steve. You can talk to him; he's one of your best friends. You've known him for years. You can talk to him. Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Okay, you got this. Just...open your mouth.

I cleared my throat loudly and turned my chair so I could face Bucky fully and said, "Hey Buck? Can I talk to you?" Bucky looked up from his phone, turned it off and placed it flat on the table, and looked at me, a little surprised.

"Yeah sure, Rogers. What's up?"

"So you know how a little while ago we were talking about soulmates with Claire? Trying to convince her that it was true and that she needed to ger her ass in gear and find her soulmate?" Bucky furrowed his brows in confusion and slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah..."

"Well, I think I might've found mine."

"That's great!" Bucky exclaimed, his crystal blue eyes glowing in happiness. He practically jumped out of his chair and lightly punched my arm. "So who's the lucky lady?"

I gulped loudly. He certainly wasn't making this easy. I turned my head and looked over my shoulder, meeting Claire's curious purple eyes. Her brief grimace sent my head back to face Bucky. "Actually, she's a lucky he."

"Oh," Bucky said as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down at his hands. "That's uh...that's cool too, man. I'm happy for you."

"I don't think you're getting it, Buck," I said with an exasperated sigh.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." I sighed. "You're my soulmate, Buck."

Bucky's eyes widened and he blushed profusely. He looked away from me and played with his fingers. Scratching his beard and clearing his throat, he looked back at me.

"Well, it's about damn time, Rogers," he said, slapping his hands against the table and smiling brightly. I stared at him in bewilderment. Did he know? He started laughing and shook his head. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say something? God, I was about to break the news to you if you never worked up the courage."

I was dumbfounded. He fucking knew?! I closed my mouth and blinked. He continued to laugh and playfully slapped my back. He found this funny? How could he possibly find this funny?

"What's so funny?" I asked him, growing annoyed. With each laugh my anger grew, radiating off me in small waves. Bucky started getting the hint and stopped laughing, but humor still remained in his eyes.

"You. That's what's funny. Steve, I don't know when you discovered we were soulmates, but I discovered it months ago. Granted, I probably should've said something, but I wanted you to figure it out before I bombarded you with this."

"When did you...find out?"

"Remember that trip we took to the beach? And you and Claire got into that dumb and petty push-up contest which caused you to get your big toe clamped by that crab, leaving a weird jagged looking scar? I have the same exact scar on my big toe, just on the opposite foot. That's how I knew," he said reaching out for my hand and hesitantly laid it on mine. He smiled at me, his eyes relaxing and holding a level of affection that I never once noticed in his eyes.

I smiled at him and turned my hand over, threading our fingers together. His cheeks reddened and his pearly white teeth poked out from behind his lips. We stayed like this for a few minutes before the sound of a glass slamming against the wood of the table caused us to jump. Bucky and I quickly pulled away from each other and looked at Claire as she sat in the chair in front of us.

"Well, now that we finally got that out of the way, I need your help," Claire said with mock annoyance as she folded her hands together. We both rolled our eyes at her and Bucky sighed playfully.

"What do you need help with, Claire?"

"I'm thinking of asking Wanda out on a date."

"So...what's the issue? You've been on dates before." I looked between Bucky and Claire. He did have a point; Claire was always telling us about the different kinds of dates she'd been on, so it wasn't like she didn't know what to do.

"That's not the issue. The issue is what we should do on the date. I was thinking of something low-key because she wants to take things slow, but I am drawing a blank. Everything I think of seems too serious. Help me come up with some ideas."

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Wanda's POV

Hey so I know we're supposed to be taking things slow, and I want to honor that as much as possible, and I'm sorry if this is moving too fast, but would you maybe want to do something later?

Claire is everything alright? I don't understand what you mean?

Wanda I'm asking you out? Like on a date? With me in case that wasn't clear.

I set my phone down for a moment and exhaled a deep breath. Jemma looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What's up?" she asked, coming over to me, her voice full of concern. I didn't answer her, but instead handed her my phone, showing her the latest texts from Claire. It was weird; I knew she was my soulmate—and don't get me wrong, I felt the connect between us, pulling us together—but despite that, I wanted to resist it.

I liked Claire; I really did. I loved being around her and throughout the little bit we've been talking, she was a good friend, but having this...forced relationship made me feel...I don't know, weird. Jemma read the texts and her brows furrowed as her eyes moved across the screen.

"Aww! That's cute!" Jemma exclaimed.

"Yeah, but it's also terrifying!" I groaned, faceplanting on the couch cushion beside me. "I've never been on a date before. I've never done anything like this before. I told her I wanted to go slow, so is this moving too fast? God, I'm so confused."

"Wanda," Jemma said sympathetically as she sat down next to me, pulled my legs into her lap, and rubbed my back in a comforting manner. "Personally, I don't think going on a date is moving too fast. However, she's not my soulmate, and I'm not you, so if you think this is moving too fast, you need to tell her. Communication and honesty genuinely make a relationship work, no matter the relationship.

I sighed and looked at my phone again, watching as the cursor blinked and flashed, mocking my indecision. I felt torn. Part of me—and I wasn't sure how big that part of me was—was afraid and tempted me to pull away from her, tell her that I needed my space soulmate connection be damned. But then there was another part that fought for dominance, telling me to run as close to her as possible. My phone buzzed and my eyes quickly fell on the new text.

If I overstepped, I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything.

My heart ached as I read the text. Before even really comprehending what it was that I was doing, my fingers were already typing out a response.

I would love to go out on a date with you.

○○○

Claire's POV

Okay, deep breath. Deep breath. It's only a date, not a wedding. You can do this. You've got this. Deep breath, try not to pass out. Ignore how loud your heart beat is. Okay, let's go.

I got out of my car and walked up the small number of steps of Wanda's apartment building and pressed the buzzer for her apartment.

"Hello?" a feminine voice asked through the speaker. I cleared my throat and swallowed the last bit of fear that I had.

Pressing the button to talk, I said, "Hi, I'm looking for Wanda Maximoff. I'm here to pick her up."

"You must be Claire. I'll buzz you in." A buzzing sound rang through the speaker and the door unlocked. I walked through and climbed the stairs to her floor. When I saw her apartment number, I took another deep breath and knocked on the door.

A beautiful woman with long brown hair open the door and looked at me with scowl, her eyes roaming all over my body. She leaned against the doorframe, her hand resting against the other side, closing off the entire doorway.

"Can I help you?" she asked me, her voice harsh.

"I'm Claire. Is Wanda around?" There was a shuffling of footsteps on the other side of the door and the woman was shoved out of the way by Wanda.

"Jemma," she said in a warning tone. The woman, Jemma, rolled her eyes and walked away behind the door. "Hi."

"Hey. You ready?"

"Almost. I just have to finish with my make-up; I'll only be another minute. You can come in...if you want?" Wanda's face turned a beautiful shade of red as she stepped out of the way of the door. I smiled as she bit her lip and tried to avoid my gaze, and my hand flew up to her lightly caress her cheek, causing the redness in her face to darken. I stepped over the threshold and walked into her apartment. Jemma sat on the couch reading a book, and when she looked up at me, her scowl returned. Wanda tapped my arm and looked at Jemma. "Play nice, Jemma."

Jemma rolled her eyes and Wanda huffed before walking down the hall. I heard a door in the distance close, and Jemma landed her eyes on me. Closing her book and placing it on the couch cushion next to her, she stood up and walked over to me, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped in front of me.

"Look, I'm all for Wanda finding her soulmate and I couldn't be happier for her, but she's my best friend, and soulmate or not, I will protect her. Always. So I need you to understand that if you hurt her, you'll have to deal with me," Jemma warned, finishing her sentence by the time that the door in the background opened, and Wanda's footsteps clacked against the hardwood floor.

"Jemma, leave Claire alone. Come on, you ready?"

"Yeah." She smiled and linked her arm with mine, leading me in the direction of the front door.

"Don't wait up, Jemma," she called back into the apartment as she was closing the door.

"Don't stay out too late. Bring her back at a reasonable hour!" Jemma yelled after us, well, more so to me.

○○○

We had a great time, at least I thought we did. We spent the evening walking through the park, stopping at different pawn shops and antique shops, and topping it off with getting some pizza and ice cream. Wanda laughed and smiled the whole time, and the sight and sound filled my heart with an intense feeling of joy. I liked making her laugh. I liked hearing her laugh. I liked her smile and I liked being the cause of her smile.

Following Jemma's orders, I returned Wanda to her apartment by 9:00. We stood outside the front door of her apartment, our hands intertwined and our eyes locked with each other. I was so tempted to just lean in and kiss her right then and there, but I refrained, afraid to push her too far. Wanda's eyes briefly looked down as she bit her lip and giggled under her breath.

"I had a really great time with you tonight," she said in a whisper. I smiled and felt my face heat up at her words.

"I had fun too," I said, biting my lower lip and rubbing the surface of her hands with my thumbs. Wanda closed her eyes, leaned in a bit, and sighed sadly.

Looking back up at me she said in a voice so low that I almost didn't hear her, "I don't want you to go."

I let go of one of her hands and brought my hand to cup her cheek. Her green eyes sparkled in the dim fluorescent lights of the hallway, accentuating her unshed tears. I slowly leaned in and brushed my lip against her cheek, lingering longer that I probably should have, but it seemed like Wanda didn't mind. In fact, it seemed like she minded when I eventually did pull away.

Gazing back into her eyes, I cracked a smile at the faint pout that overtook her plump lips.

"Don't worry, Little Red. You'll see me again," I said. Wanda's face froze and her pout disappeared, leaving her mouth open in surprise. She blushed faintly and looked down at our still conjoined hand and giggled.

"'Little Red?' Where did that come from?" she asked, her voice holding humor as well as curiosity.

"Well uh..." I wasn't entirely sure where that nickname came from; I literally just thought of it in the moment. "Well, you're wearing red. It's also your color."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You look good in red. Not that you don't look good in any other color, but...you look beautiful in red." Wanda's blush turned to a darker shade of red as she giggled quietly to herself. I moved the hand that rested on her cheek down to her chin and lighted it slightly, bringing her eyes back up to mine. As our eyes connected, Wanda licked her lips a little and I felt a shudder run through me. We stared at each other for what felt like a few minutes (it was probably only a few seconds) until Wanda's voice brought us both back.

"What are you thinking, Claire?" she whispered. I gulped loudly. Was she ready to hear what I was thinking about? God, I certainly hope so, because I'm tired of keeping it to myself.

"I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you," I whispered back, afraid to raise my voice even the tiniest bit, settling and slightly hoping that she didn't hear me. But her small step forward told me I was wrong and that she did in fact hear.

"So why don't you do it?"

Taking her words as permission, I leaned in and crashed my lips to hers in a hungry and passionate kiss. Her arms instantly wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me close, and her lips moved against mine, deepening the kiss. My hands fell from her face and down to her hips where my fingers gently dug into the little bit of exposed skin from her rising top. Without realizing it, I had backed us both up, thrusting her against the door as the kiss got steamier. I felt her fingers tangle themselves in my curly hair, giving slight tugs as she continued to pull me closer. I heard her moan into the kiss as she let my hair go and trailed her nails across my back, arching hers. God, I wanted this for so long, and now that I had it, I wanted to do so much more, but the sound of the door behind us unlocking caused us to pull away.

Jemma stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips and an unknown expression on her face. Wanda stood beside me, her face beet red and her lips swollen, breathing heavily and hiding behind a curtain of her dark hair with her head lowered. Jemma rolled her eyes and stepped foot out of the way, making room for Wanda to walk through, and disappeared into the apartment. Wanda stepped forward, following her roommate before she sharply turned on her heels and wrapped her arms around me again, kissing me. This kiss was different. It was still filled with the same amount of passion; it just was gentler and less hungry.

When she pulled away and looked into my eyes, I saw her green irises sparkle in a way that they never had before, creating a beautiful lightshow of a parade of various shades of green that danced and flickered over her eyes like a fire burning inside her. She was gorgeous, and it was in this one precise moment that I fell for her hard, crashing and burning into the evergreen forest that was her eyes. And you know what? I was okay with that. I wanted nothing more than to gaze into them for the rest of eternity, but I could and would settle for this one moment.

"Ireally did have a good time tonight," she whispered to me before kissing mycheek and walking into the apartment. Before she closed the door, she looked atme with a slight smirk and red cheeks. "Next time, don't wait so long to ask meout." And with that, before I could respond, she shut the door, leaving mechuckling to myself and to stumble home as I floated on cloud nine.