That evening you were in the kitchen leaning on the counter while you flipped through a magazine. You were currently waiting for the timer to go off, signaling the lasagna you'd made for everyone was done. You briefly considered going back to your room while you waited but Steve and Clint both had a tendency to open the oven to see what was in it. No matter how many times you scolded them for messing up your cooking times, they still did it. It was easier to just play guard duty.

The elevator arrived on your floor and you glanced up, smiling when Wanda got off. The girl was still adjusting to life outside Hydra control but she was doing well. You really liked her. Where her brother was loud and abrasive, she was calm and contemplative. "Hey, Wanda."

"Hello." As usual, her voice was quiet. She sat on the stool across from you and folded her hands on top of the counter. A soft smile graced her lips. "I was wondering if I might talk to you about something?"

You straightened and closed the magazine, sliding it off to the side. "Of course. What's going on?"

She glanced briefly around the room as if afraid someone might be listening before leaning closer. "You know the conditions of my probation with SHIELD, yes?"

"Sure."

"One of the things I am not permitted to do is invade anyone's mind. Fury was very clear about this." Her hands twisted together betraying her nerves.

Reaching out, you rested one of your hands on top of hers. "It's okay. Just tell me what's going on." You hoped she hadn't broken any of her conditions. You didn't want her to have to return to the facility.

Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and she nodded. "How do normal people determine if someone is good or bad?"

You frowned. "By their actions I guess."

"No. I mean..." She sighed. "If you meet someone and there is something about them that makes you uneasy, how do you make certain they are a good person?"

"Oh." You pulled your hand away from hers and turned to the fridge to get out the salad you'd made earlier. "There's no way to know for sure. You just have to trust your gut."

The bread had already been laid out on a sheet pan and you put it in the oven to warm up. Wanda's gaze followed you as you moved around the kitchen getting out dressing, plates, and whatever else you decided was needed for dinner.

"Your gut?" she finally asked.

That stopped you for a moment and you grinned at her. "I'm sorry. You speak English so well, I always forget it's not your first language." She smiled at the compliment as you tried to decide the best way to explain the phrase. "It means trust yourself, I guess. Your instincts, your feelings tell you things for a reason and you should listen to them."

"But they are wrong sometimes, yes?"

"Sure." You shrugged. "The best thing to do is decide if the risk is worth it. For example, let's say you meet a guy in a bar and your gut is telling you he is not a good guy. Not worth it. Then let's say your brother introduces you to a new friend and you get the same feeling. It might be worth giving them a chance. Give them some time and get to know them. Maybe you'll find out you were right or maybe not."

Wanda appeared deep in thought as if considering your words carefully.

"Does that help at all?" you finally asked.

"Yes, I think it does. Thank you." She gave you a wide smile.

"Now I have to ask since you don't leave the tower much, is there something I should know? Is someone bothering you?"

Her cheeks flushed. "No. Nothing like that. I am simply curious."

You weren't certain you believed her but it wasn't your place to push. You'd leave that up to the new therapist. "Well, I'm here if you need anything. Just remember that."

"Thank you."

"Something smells delicious," Tony announced from the hall and you realized he must have taken the stairs down from the lab.

"I'll take that as a compliment," you said, sharing a grin with Wanda.

He came into the kitchen, his mere presence immediately making the room feel half the size. His hand settled on your back and his lips brushed your ear. "I was talking about the food, but you smell delectable as well."

You froze in shock as heat flooded your face. While you were trying to process what Tony had just done, he reached past you and plucked a tomato from the salad bowl. Your gaze trailed his hand as he popped the stolen food in his mouth and gave you a cheeky grin.

"Anthony Edward Stark, keep your fingers out of the food."

His brows lifted and he shifted his focus to Wanda. "Uh, oh. All three names. I'm in trouble."

You rolled your eyes and reached over to turn off the timer that was about to go off. You grabbed the large bowl of salad from the counter and passed if off to him. "Make yourself useful and put this on the table."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The elevator dinged and you glanced at the clock. Right on time. The Avengers were nothing if not punctual. You pulled the food from the oven and placed it on the table as everyone took their seats in a flurry of noise. You went back to the kitchen to make sure everything was turned off. When you returned it was to find food already on your plate.

Tony gave you that cockeyed smile as you sat and your face heated again. "Thanks."

He shrugged. "The way this group was going, I wasn't certain there would be any left by the time you got back."

"Hey, back off, Stark. Some of us have faster metabolisms," Steve said with a teasing note in his voice.

"And some of us are just pigs," Nat said as she elbowed Clint in the side.

Obviously, it didn't bother him any as he reached for the last piece of garlic bread. Pietro snatching it out from under his fingers certainly did though. "Hey!"

The blond shrugged as he took a bite out of the bread. "What? You didn't see that coming?"

There was a beat of silence then everyone burst into laughter. Well, everyone except Clint as he was too busy grumbling and Bucky who sat at the end of the table just watching everyone.

When Tony finished eating, he leaned back in his chair and ran his eyes over you. "I need a date for a charity event on Saturday."

"Okay." You drew the word out uncertain if he was just letting you know or was asking you out. It hadn't really been a question.

"I thought Pepper usually went to those things with you," Steve piped up earning him an elbow in the rib from Nat.

Tony narrowed his gaze as he glanced at Steve. "Yeah, Pepper's not really an option anymore." He looked back to you. "So I was thinking..."

"Yes?" you prompted when he didn't continue on his own.

"It would be great, wonderful even, if you could find me a date."

You blinked several times. Surely you hadn't heard that correctly. "Excuse me?"

He sat up in his seat. "It shouldn't be hard at all. Jarvis has a list of acceptable options. They're in order of preference. You just see who's available and set everything up. It would save me a load of time. Thanks."

Before you could even formulate a response, he pushed himself up from his chair. "I've got to get back to work. Let me know how it goes."

Your gaze followed him until he disappeared into the elevator. The room was silent for another beat before Clint spoke up. "Did he just..."

"Yes, he did," Nat answered him though her gaze was on you.

You should be irritated, angry even, but you weren't. This was Tony after all. Something told you he was up to something. "If you all will excuse me, I'll be right back."

Bruce cleared his throat. "Yeah, of course. We'll clean up."

You could feel the weight of everyone's gaze as you walked over to the elevator. As soon as the doors slid shut, Jarvis spoke up. "To the lab, Miss?"

"Yes, Jarvis. Thank you."

"Would you be interested in discussing Mr. Stark's list of acceptable dates for the charity gala now, Miss?"

"That won't be necessary." If you were wrong about Tony, you didn't really want to know. Besides, you had no intention of allowing him to go with anyone else anyway.

"Are you certain?" he asked as the elevator slid to a stop.

"Yes, Jarvis. I'm certain."

"Very well."

You could almost hear the disappointment in his voice as the doors slid open. Tony was in the hallway in front of you, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched you head in his direction with a little smirk playing on his lips. 

"Really, Tony?"

"What?" He feigned innocence very poorly.

"Find you a date. Seriously?"

He laughed and pushed himself off the wall to stand straight. "Come on. That was funny."

You just looked at him without saying anything.

He closed the distance between you and settled his hands on your hips. "I thought you'd think it was cute."

"Cute?"

His shoulders lifted in a little shrug. "Yeah, your name being the only one on the list."

Okay, that was kind of sweet. "I didn't check the list."

His brow furrowed. "Then, why are you here?"

"We have been flirting for weeks. You were just short of making a move today. I think I know you well enough by now to know you didn't actually expect me to find you a date with someone else."

He hummed low in his throat and leaned his face closer to yours. His eyes moved between your lips and your eyes. "And what if you were wrong?"

"Then we were going to have a long talk, Mr. Stark."

He closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to yours. You immediately responded, your heart racing as his tongue traced your bottom lip asking for entrance. You opened and your tongues danced together. Your head spun and your chest felt full, light. As cheesy as that sounded, you couldn't think of another way to describe it. You'd never felt anything like it. But then, you'd never kissed your soulmate before.

Your palms laid flat on his chest and you pushed lightly to put just a bit of distance between you. "Wow," Tony breathed as the two of you separated.

"Yeah," you agreed as the two of you stared at each other.

He rested his forehead against yours. "I don't think I've ever felt anything close to that."

You sucked in a deep breath. You were never going to get a better opportunity to confess. "I need to tell you something."

"Anything." He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"I—"

"Mr. Rogers has asked me to inform you that a code red call has come in, Mr. Stark. Your presence is required immediately," Jarvis interrupted.

Tony grasped your upper arms and put a little more distance between you even as he frowned at the ceiling. "We really got to talk about your timing, buddy." He looked back to you with a sad smile. "Can it wait?"

You nodded once, though a little voice was telling you that you were going to regret putting this off any longer. "Of course. You better go."

"I'll call when I can." He pressed a quick kiss to your lips then turned to jog toward the stairwell. He turned just before he got to the door. "That was a yes to the date, right?"

"You didn't actually ask, but yes."

"Good." With that he disappeared through the door. A moment later it opened back up and he stuck his head through the opening. "You're not married, are you?"

You chuckled. "Pretty sure that would have shown up on the background check, Stark."

"Right, yeah, good." He disappeared again only for him to almost immediately pop back out.

You stopped him before he could say anything else. "Tony, go. We'll talk when you get back."

He grinned. "Okay, I'm going."

You waited a couple of minutes to make certain he wasn't going to make another appearance, then headed to the elevator. As you made your way to your room, you ran your fingers along your still tingling lips and grinned at the reminder that you'd finally kissed your soulmate.