The Sparrow (Soul Mate)

5.

Jack sits in the lab with Tony, a tray of medical equipment next to her. Tony pushes his stool closer to her, spinning slightly as he reaches her.

"How do you feel?" he asks her. She nods.

"Fine" she answers. "Considering I have, you know, travelled through time" Tony nods. "Lost my beloved Pearl and seemed to now be shacked up with.....I don't even know" 

"You are remarkably balanced" He offers, she barks out a laugh.

"First time anyone has ever thought that I'm...balanced" Jack teases slightly. "Mad definitely...but never balanced" Tony smiles a little and motions to her arm.

"Gonna need your arm" he offers setting up a needle for her blood. She pulls her shirt down her arms and Tony takes her wrist and pulls her arm closer so he can take her blood. "Just a scratch" he warns before pressing the needle to her skin. She hums a little and looks down to watch her blood fill the small vial on the end.

"What are you testing for?" she asks.

"Anything" he answers. "Everything...." she raises an eyebrow. "Your blood is essentially almost 300 years old.." he points out. "We can map out everything that's in there.....get a better idea of how things were"

"I could just tell you" she points out, he smirks.

"No offence" Tony starts. "But....pirate" she smirks back at him and nods.

"Touché, darling" she comments. Tony pulls the needle back and gives her knee a pat.

"Okay" he sets a swab against the small wound, his eyes shifting over her arms, her tattoos. His eyes find the colours of her soul mate tattoo, the two sparrows standing out to him, his smile fades slightly the longer he stares at it. Jack pulls her shirt on again covering it from his view.

"Is that it?" she asks him, Tony nods.

"Yeah" he whispers. 

"So I can go?" she counters asks, he nods. 

"Sure" he answers, starting to feel a little numb about what he's just seen. She jumps down and walks away, Tony rubs his soul mate mark and drops into his seat.

..................

Jack leans against the balcony over looking New York, it's a sight sure, but it's so different to her world. What the hell went wrong? How did the world end up this crowded? This dirty? This.....grey? The world feels so dull, so flat. She raises a glass to her lips, amber liquid sloshes against the sides. Whiskey. Wanda had introduced her to modern whiskey. Cheaper then it used to be; better quality, she's probably going to prefer this now. She sighs and lowers the glass again, her free hand rubbing at her soul mate mark, burning away under her sleeve. Her eyes gloss slightly as she lets the emotions wash over her. 

..................

Pietro lingers watching Jack through the glass doors, he doesn't approach her, he can tell she wishes to be alone, so he'll let her have it. He can't imagine what it must be like for her. To have her entire world tilted on it's axis. To have her belongings scattered and boxed up in a warehouse. Her friends. Her family. All of them long dead. Wanda approaches her twin brother and glances to Jack outside, she sighs a little knowing the look Pietro is currently wearing, she's seen it on him time and time again, most recently with Tony.

"What's going on with you?" Wanda asks. "The way you look at her" she whispers.

"There is something" he starts and looks down at his feet. "I'm drawn to her" Pietro mumbles feeling the guilt shift in him. He's with Tony. His soul mate. He loves him. But there is something about Jack that he's attracted to as well; the way she talks, walks, that subtle smirk she has. "You can't tell Tony" Pietro begs Wanda.

"You can't keep this bottled up" Wanda argues. "Just talk to him...." Pietro shakes his head.

"It'll pass" Pietro mumbles. "It's just cause she's new and exciting; I mean she's a time travelling pirate....that's exciting" Wanda nods in agreement. Pietro takes a breath. "Look, it'll be fine" he kisses Wanda's head and smiles.

.....................

Tony sits looking over the computer in front of him, glasses held in his hand, he rubs at his eyes with his free hand. He'd seen it on her. That brand on her. The one that matches his and Pietro's. The one that marks her as their third. He didn't say anything. He couldn't. Not without bringing it up with Pietro first. This affects both of them and he needs to see how he's going to feel about this. Pietro wraps his arms around Tony from behind and rests his chin on Tony's shoulder.

"Is that Jack's blood work?" Pietro asks, Tony hums an affirmative. "Everything good?"

"She has syphilis" Tony tells Pietro.

"Ew" Pietro mumbles and frowns, he looks to Tony. "What is it?" Tony smirks a little.

"It's an STD" Tony explains. "Very common among......people of a certain era"

"You saying Jack was....loose?"

"You don't have to be a slut to catch an STD" Tony argues. "The spread of disease and stuff back then.....was rapid and wide spreading"

"She's going to be fine right?" Pietro asks worried, Tony nods.

"Penicillin will clear it right up" Tony assures him patting his arm. Pietro hums happily against his soul mate. "Hey, listen" Tony starts turning to Pietro. "Something else came up..." Pietro raises an eyebrow. "I need you to know that I love you" Tony starts, Pietro stares at Tony a moment, so many different scenarios flickering through his mind; bad, all of them bad and end in them breaking up.

"Tony?" Pietro asks, Tony takes his hand and gives him a small smile.

"It's about Jack" Tony assures him. "I saw her soul mark.....and it's the same as ours" Pietro frowns harder at his soul mate.

"What?" he asks, of all the things that went through his head, is the furthest thing he thought. "What?" he repeats, Tony nods a little.