how we doin today team?

--

"And you feel fine otherwise?" The doctor questioned Athena, who shook her head. She sat atop the examination table, swinging her feet.

"Just the chills," She replied, rubbing her hands together as that familiar cold circled her.

Doctor Walters tapped away at his tablet, nodding.

"We will have to wait for your test results to return, but as far as I can see, Athena, you are perfectly fine."

"I thought so too, but I wanted to check in first before I mentioned it to Bucky or Steve; they can be-"She searched for the words, and the gray-haired man looked at her over the rims of his glasses with a small smile.

"Mother Hens?" Doctor Walters provided, and Athena broke into a laugh.

"I was going to say protective, but Mother Hens works just as well." She said through her laugh. The check-up ended soon after, and Athena was sent on her way with the advice to come back if there were any changes or worsening symptoms. When she returned to their floor, Bucky and Steve were leaning together over a laptop at the kitchen table. The moment she stepped foot in the room, it was snapped shut with Bucky's vibranium hand placed over it.

"Should I ask what you two were looking at?" She questioned with a raised brow, watching the pair look at each other and then back at her.

"Just planning our vacation." Steve gave her an innocent smile, Bucky nodding with a matching grin.

Athena circled the table, her finger dragging over the surface with her slow prowl.

"Oh?" She watched Steves's throat bob as he swallowed, his eyes following the sway of her hips.

"mhm," Steve hummed, admiring her, leaning back in his seat.

"And when do I get to know where we are going?" She moved around the corner to Bucky's side and leaned over the table. She walked her fingers down his vibranium arm till she reached his hand, which was still flat on the laptop. Her chest now pressed close to his face, testing every ounce of control he had to not push his face forward into her perfect breast.

"When you have arrived there," Steve said with a smirk, watching her antics. It was clear to him that she had singled Bucky out as the weaker of the two links.

Her green eyes turning up to him had him questioning if that was true.

"and what should I pack?" She tried for even a hint of a clue. Letting her hand glide back up Bucky's arm as she stood, tracing her fingers under his chin and smiling when he leaned closer. Pulling away, she walked around his chair; grabbing the back of Steve, she pulled it farther from the table with a jerk of her arm. It scooted back a foot, and she was straddling his lap in the following motion.

"We will pack for you," Bucky replied, and she groaned, leaning back against the table with a pout, rolling her eyes. Steve's hands held her hips, so she stayed anchored in his lap.

"You both suck." She whined out, making a move to get out of Steves's lap, but his hold kept her locked in place. She squirmed against him and was unsurprised when he grew hard below her. "Let me go; I only came back here to ask if either of you needed anything while I was out."

"You don't wanna go yet," Steve said with a shake of his head, taking one hand away to grip her jaw and pull her face closer to his.

"I don't?" She questioned, feeling Bucky's hand come up to twirl a piece of hair around his finger. "What do I want to do?"

"First, you want to sit at this table." Steve purred back as Bucky moved the laptop farther down the table, giving them more room. Steve gripped Athena's hips and lifted her onto the reinforced table. After breaking it twice, Tony had one specially made.

"Then what?" She quipped, leaning back on her hands. Her teeth rolled over her bottom lip while she watched the pair in front of her.

"Spread your legs," Bucky mused, pushing out of his chair to stand, his hand wandering up Athena's stomach till he was holding her chin between two fingers. An involuntary whimper left her thighs opening obediently. "That's a good girl." His soft words were accompanied by a light peck to her lips that had her following after his mouth, desperate for any contact the two men could offer. They had her turned on in seconds, but unfortunately for all of them, she did have errands and only so much free time as a hero.

Steve's lips traced the skin that was exposed between her pants and shirt, which had her wanting to reconsider, but the appointment she was heading to was time-sensitive.

She let out a moan, pouting before opening her eyes. Taking a hand, she let them slide into each of her soulmate's hair and gripped it tight, pulling them both to level with her eyes. Steve being pulled up from his seat. "No playing till later; I have places to be."

"Now, who sucks," Bucky grumbled with his head tilted in Athena's hold, loving the tug of his hair between her fingers.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked, his hands now resting on the tops of her thighs. Athena smirked at him, pulling them both closer.

"What was on the laptop?"

Steve and Bucky shared a look, and she waited to see if one of them would crack.

"Maybe a coffee on your way back if it's not much trouble," Steve answered her original question, and Athena was rolling her eyes. Releasing them, she maneuvered herself off the table with little help from the two men who wanted nothing more than to grope her.

"and a couple of the muffins I like!" Bucky's voice called after her into the elevator as she left.

Once they knew she was gone and out of earshot, the laptop was back in front of them. A shiver shot down Bucky's spine as he typed the password into the computer, the picture on the screen again holding their focus.

"Is it cold in here?" Bucky asked as he scrolled to the next image. Steve shrugged, lost to the world as he fantasized about the engagement rings they had been examining. After emailing back and forth with a designer, the two men had finally received the blueprints for possible engagement rings. They had spent weeks emailing a jeweler specializing in multi-soulmate engagement rings, and the results were overwhelming.

However, once the pair got to the last ring in the collection, it spoke for itself. The giant green rock at the center was held up on each side by three circular diamonds, the band a twirling mess of vines that crawled around the large rock.

Unique. Bold. Ethereal. Timeless.

All the words that came to mind when the men thought of their beautiful soulmate, their future, their forever if she would have them.

"It's perfect." Bucky stated as Steve began to type away at the laptop, saying that exact sentiment in their reply to the designer.

Above them, Ralph circled, fighting to stay in one form as the rage roiled through him. He fought his way towards the air vent he had made his way in, flying through the claustrophobic space till he was spat out into the stairwell a floor below. In his hand, he held Bucky's phone; it wasn't hard to steal it once Athena had entered the room, averting their attention solely to her. The assassin didn't even notice the device being swept from the kitchen counter, where it had been charging.

Ralph had hovered over the dark-haired man for what felt like hours, waiting for Bucky to type in his password. It irked Ralph when the man typed in 1917. He assumed it was the year the ancient soldier was born. Pocketing the device, Ralph made his way down the stairs to his own floor. The first steps of his plan in action.

Only a few blocks from the tower, Athena walked inside a small shop, the buzzing of machines only making her excitement rise.

"Welcome in!" A deep voice called from behind velvet red curtains hung in the doorway leading to the back of the shop. The fabric parted to reveal a short man tattooed on every inch of his body, bald head included. Once he noticed who stood in the doorway of his shop, the artist was smiling from ear to ear. After ushering Athena into the back for the proper paperwork, the man introduced himself as Tom.

"So, what are you looking to get today?" Tom asked as he grabbed a rolling stool and slid up to the counter.

"I want to get a couple tattoos around my soulmarks," Athena replied from her seat on the cushioned table, once again swinging her feet as she did just that morning. "I have some ideas, but I was hoping you could help with the designs."

The appointment flew by after that, drawings made up, changed, and drawn again till Athena was beaming at the stencils as they were placed on her skin. She had each of their initials tattoed by their marks. Branding herself with their names for the rest of her life.

Each time she looked at the letters, she smiled, butterflies filling her stomach at the thought of their reaction. Athena's phone buzzed as if they could feel her thinking of them. Maneuvering the holder in her hand that held 3 drinks, a bag of muffins filling the fourth spot, she checked her texts.

From Bucky <3

Meet us on the Quin Jet in 20 minutes. Don't be late.

She raised her brow at her phone and typed as quickly as she could with one hand while walking.

To Bucky <3

Why?

Is it time for our trip?

The bubbles appeared immediately after her text was delivered, and Athena was impressed with his speed of reply; he usually took a while to send anything back.

From Bucky <3

Yes, be here in 20 minutes. I have to go. I will talk to you then.

His robotic replies made Athena wonder what he was doing while texting her. He must have been distracted; his usual reply were normally much more flirty. Thinly veiled sexual messages were just one scroll away on her phone, others just blatantly obvious. Demands for Athena to be waiting and naked for him, informing her of him cuming in the shower and a dirty dream he had the night before. He had told her about the dream in person, but he felt the need to reiterate it over text while she was in an important meeting

To Bucky <3

Are you mad at me, Daddy?

Athena smirked at her phone, narrowly missing a pole as she weaved around a crowd of tourists. Teasing them before she had left was fun, but she didn't think he was so hot and bothered by it that he'd act like this. Perhaps her soulmate needed some extra attention next time they were alone.

From Bucky <3

No, I will see you in 15 minutes.

Athena stopped walking and stared at the reply, waiting for another to follow, but was met with silence. Shaking off the odd feeling of rejection that crept up from his lack of flirty reciprocation, Athena made the rest of the track back to the tower. The excitement started to build the closer she got to the flight deck doors where the jets were docked. Steve and Bucky had done a better job at keeping the trip secret than she had imagined; no clue leaked past their original request for trees and water.

She pondered the states and countries that they could take her. Walking out onto the large platform, Athena saw the open hatch of a Quin jet ready to take off. The rest of the room was completely vacant. The only other jets were parked against the far wall, closed and shut off.

She was surprised that neither Bucky nor Steve appeared to greet her but chalked it up to them, wanting to add to her anticipation. Speeding up the ramp, Athena walked into the belly of the jet and did a circle. The inside was empty.

Confused, Athena checked the time on her phone and noticed she was five minutes early to meet them. They must have been grabbing the rest of their things if the lack of luggage was to say anything; only two black duffles were stashed in the back. Not enough bags for the week long adventure she was promised.

Tapping on her phone again, she called Bucky to let him know she had beaten them to the jet; Athena wanted to hear his voice rather than text him and get another cold reply.

The sound of ringing came from around her, the noise bouncing from place to place. The echoing had Athena snapping around, the phone still at her ear. She expected to see her soulmate walking up the ramp, but the opening was empty. The ringing still filled the space, and Athena felt the all too familiar chill begin to creep over her.

"Bucky?" She called out, another moment passed, and the ringing stopped. The sound of Bucky's voice filled her ear.

"Sorry, I missed your call. Leave a message, and I'll probably get back to you. And if this is Athena, I love you." His voicemail always made her smile, but now she was left apprehensively looking around the small space. Tapping her phone again, Athena called his phone again, the echoing rings starting again. This time, coming from the back of the jet.

The hair on the back of Athena's neck stood on end as she stepped slowly forward, creeping closer to the noise. Her brain wanted her to believe that Bucky had merely left his phone on the first trip to the jet, but instinct had her questioning logic. No phone was in sight, no soulmates to account for.

The odd texts now berated Athena with red flags. Taking a deep breath to calm herself before she let her mind think of every sick and twisted possibility, she called Steve.

There was no ringing to be heard as she waited for him to pick up, a small mercy. On the third ring, he answered.

"Hello?" He sounded like he was smiling as he answered her, and a part of her calmed.

"I guess I beat you both here." She replied in greeting, turning in place while she traced a finger over a buckle of one of the seats. The metal shined her reflection back at her, a distorted image of herself.

"Beat us where?" Steve questioned, confused. He switched the phone to speaker, checking to make sure he didn't miss a text from his soulmate to meet somewhere. Bucky sat beside him on the couch, looking just as clueless as he eavesdropped on the call.

"The jet?" She laughed, but that feeling crept back in.

"The jet? I thought you had an appointment in the city."

"I did." She replied, now sounding equally confused. "Bucky told me to meet here-"Athena noticed the shift of air behind her and turned around to see iridescent ripples in the air before her. Her hand fell from her ear, eyes widening. She couldn't make out what Steve was saying anymore.

"Athena, get off the jet!" Bucky's yells were clear, but Athena barely heard a word as the waves slowly took shape. The drinks in her hand fell to the floor in her shock.

Fingers twitching to life, a face forming out of thin air, tall and lengthy limbs showing masculine features that wavered between solid, liquid, and gas. It was like nothing she had seen before, and Athena knew at that moment that whoever this was was behind her chills once the cold seeped from her bones. Her instincts were going haywire; she had felt this creature nearby.

Steve and Bucky could both be heard calling her name, but her focus was now on the man standing with Bucky's phone in his hand. The other hiding behind his back.

Ralph stood in between the open hatch and Athena. His expression was unreadable as he watched Athena take a calculated step back. It wasn't a creature but a coworker.

"Ralph, why do you have Bucky's phone?" She asked loud enough that her men would hear her through the phone. He did not reply, only watched her as if she was a cornered animal, waiting for her to strike. "I asked you a question, Agent."

His silence provoked her anger, and Athena wasted no time to throw herself at the tech. She planned to incapacitate him and ask questions later.

Her hands met air, Ralph shifting away from her. Now, a few feet to her left.

"I didn't want it to have to go like this," Ralph said in a voice that pleaded for understanding, but he was shifting forms again when Athena threw herself at him. Claws raised to strike.

This time, Ralph formed behind her and revealed what he had behind his back. The needle punctured Athena's neck, half the contents able to be inserted before she was ripping it from her skin. Blood splattered around them from her claws, slicing out the needle in haste.

"Mother fucker!" Her guttural roar sent genuine fear through Ralph as his soulmate turned on him with bloodred eyes and a hateful snarl on her fanged mouth. The effects of the sedative reacted almost instantly, the buckle of her knees causing her to slump forward into Ralphs's waiting embrace.

The phone that had fallen to the floor still buzzed from the voices that called Athena. Laying her gently on the floor, her eyes slowly closed as she slipped into unconsciousness. The specially made sedative worked in seconds to incapacitate the formidable woman. Ralph grabbed her phone and lifted it to his ear.

"-wait, we will be right there!" Captain Rogers's voice was frantic and panicked to Ralphs's joy.

"She was never your soulmate to have." Ralph drawled out, interrupting whatever heart-felt speech the man would spout off. "and she is not yours to look for now."

Ralph hung up the phone without listening to whatever lies the men wanted to cry out. For months, they had tricked his Athena into believing they were her soulmates, and now it was up to Ralph to fix her brainwashing once they were far enough away.

Looking down, he debated injecting the rest of the sedative into Athena but decided against it. Once they were in the air, she would have no choice but to talk to him once she woke up. He was sure she would understand once he explained his side to her. Sweeping back hair that had fallen in her face, Ralph admired her smooth skin on his fully formed fingers. The feelings were so much more intense when he wasn't made of air and wind.

Standing up, he walked to the front of the jet and pressed the closing mechanism, watching the ramp slowly rise up. Tapping a few more buttons, Ralph had the Quinn Jet in ghost mode, untraceable to any technology. The giddy laugh that echoed around the jet was music that accompanied the impending takeoff. The autopilot takes over for Ralph, the wheels rolling them forward to the outside of the tower.

He had done it, every perfectly planned step coming to this very moment. He checked over his shoulder to look at his sleeping soulmate, still resting on the floor. He had won.

---

ahhhhhh oh my gooshhhhh what

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