Work Text
“Captain!” Maria and Tony looked up as a JTF office scrambled towards them. “Falcon is back online!” Maria was moving in an instant down towards the comm center, Tony quickly following after.Sam’s team had gone dark almost two weeks ago, and the JTF hadn’t managed to reclaim Stuyvesant yet to launch an investigation. The fact that Sam’s smartwatch re-initialized made them all a little jumpy, and the location showed that he was quickly making his way back to Base.“Comms,” Maria said.“Nothing, ma’am,” the communication office replied. “I’m trying to raise him, but still quiet.”“Never heard of a comms failure,” Tony murmured, exchanging a look with Maria. The captain nodded, lips thinning – the last time they couldn’t raise an agent it had been a First Wave agent, and thus far they had all been hostile.“Who else is here?” Phil asked, limping into the center, Natasha behind him.“Quake, Thor and Hawkeye,” Natasha replied.“Have Hawkeye on the roof, see if he can spot Falcon. Get Quake and Thor out front with the boys.” Natasha nodded and walked out.“Have the civilians stay inside,” Maria added, looking at JTF officer who had come for her. “NYPD will play baby-sitter.”“Yes, ma’am.” The JTF officer left, and both Maria and Phil looked at Tony.“You might want to go back upstairs,” Maria said and Tony shook his head.“Nah, call me curious,” the engineer replied. There was a chirp on Phil’s smartwatch.“Cowboy, I’ve got eyes,” Clint reported. “Falcon is in my sights. He’s got three people with him, unknown if friend or foe.” Maria looked at the comms officer again and after a moment, he returned the look, shaking his head in response.“Possible enemies?” Phil asked. A pause.“Unlikely. Their weapons are down, and one of them seems heavily injured.”“Thor, Quake, bring a few guys and meet our guests,” Phil said.Everybody in the building was tense, NYPD officers keeping the civilians in the back and an eye on Medical. Bruce wandered over to the door, eyes darting about warily before meeting Tony’s.“What’s going on?” he asked quietly.“Falcon suddenly came back online, and Hawkeye spotted him with three others,” Tony replied. Bruce’s expression tightened before all their attention was pulled to the entrance. Guns were all trained on the entrance as Sam stepped in, hands raised and looking around warily. A woman followed him and Phil suddenly stiffened, eyes widening slightly before his expression turned neutral once more. Two men followed after, one leaning heavily against the other and looking quite pale.“All of you, drop your weapons,” Phil called out. Sam pulled up, mouth opening to protest. “Sorry, Falcon, but you know what’s happened every time we’ve met with First Wave agents.”“Fucking Keener,” one of the men growled, shifting slightly to keep his friend upright. “So long as we get medical treatment.”“Of course,” Phil replied easily. Weapons, clips and grenades were all quickly stripped and placed on the floor, and JTF officers gave them all a quick pat-down before allowing them into Medical. The First Wave agent dropped his friend onto the cot before yanking off his hat to reveal long brown hair, glowering at everybody. Sam took a seat on the cot next to his friend, sighing as he pulled off his jacket, revealing his bloody side.Bruce and a nurse were quickly on the injured man, stripping him of his jacket and shirt. The man groaned as they rolled him onto his side to assess the damage. Phil watched them for a moment before turning his attention to Sam.“Report, agent.”“Rikers,” Sam wheezed out as a doctor pulled away his bandages and began to clean his wound. “Faked a hostage situation, led us straight into an ambush. Shrike, Owl and Swallowtail didn’t make it. Would have been six feet under if they hadn’t come along.” Phil hummed before turning his attention to the others.“Good to see you still alive, Cavalry,” Phil said after a pause. There was startled silence in the room, the realization that Phil knew one of the First Wave agents. The woman Cavalry gave a stiff nod in response. “Mind telling us what’s going on? Last few times we met with First Wave agents, our agents nearly got killed.”“Fucking Keener,” the man swore again under his breath, shaking his head.“They’re following Vanguard,” Cavalry replied, crossing her arms. “We’re just the last few hold-outs that he hasn’t managed to kill.”“And you fucking left us to die!” the man shouted, fury on his face as he jabbed a finger at Phil. Guns were quickly raised and the man glared at them all before swearing under his breath.“Stand down, Winter,” the man on the cot groaned out. Winter swore some more under his breath, glaring at officers before turning to watch his friend. Bruce finished bandaging him up, gloves snapping off as he stepped away. Phil tilted his head slightly. “He’s right,” Cavalry said coolly. “CERA and JTF pulled all of us out too soon, we could have taken back the Dark Zone, kept order.”“Move pushed Keener over the edge,” Winter snarled. “Most of the First Wave joined him in their quest for anarchy or power or whatever the fuck he wants.”“And why didn’t you join?” Tony asked. Winter glared then did a double-take as he recognized him.“Because some dumb-ass thinks we can re-take the Dark Zone,” he growled.“Not a dumb-ass,” the man on the cot slurred. “Just optimistic.”“No, you are a dumb-ass, Liberty,” Cavalry shot back and he huffed.“We could have taken it all back, zone by zone,” Liberty said, slowly sitting up, waving away Winter when the man tried to push him back down. “Problem is there are more rogues in there now.”“More rogues?” Maria asked then scowled. “The missing Second Wave agents.” Murmurs ran through the room, tension high in the air.“Yeah, fucking thanks for that,” Winter muttered.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The sound of glass breaking had them all looking up at the Fissure. For a moment everything went bright, Tony squinting up before he realized a body was thrown through. Everything seemed to slow down then, his eyes taking in the frozen armor, the sigil of Pelor on the chest.Peggy was suddenly before him casting a spell and speed of the body falling slowed, almost floating down now.“DUM-E,” Tony said, looking at his golem. “Catch him.” The golem jerked forward, its arms out as the body landed gently into its arms. Peggy was there, a look of concentration on her face.“Fharlanghn’s balls, a fire!” she called out over her shoulder. “He’s still alive!”“Holy shit,” Clint breathed before he and Sam quickly moved, gathering tinder and wood and casting a flame cantrip. Bedrolls were yanked out, and Peggy pulled on her gloves as DUM-E placed the man onto a bedroll. Tony watched in silence as Peggy nimbly undid the clasps on the armor, Sam gently pulling off the helmet.Beautiful, was Tony’s first thought as he took in the face, the blond hair.“Rhodey, Nat, set up a perimeter,” Tony said softly. “Aunt Peggy, I expect a good story out of this.”“I’ve been telling you his story since you were a boy,” Peggy replied, removing the armor and pulling off the man’s shirt and exposing a chiseled chest and stomach. Tony pulled back the urge to just lick the man’s skin before Peggy’s words registered.“Wait, what?” He frowned before his brain clicked. “No. Wait. No, it can’t be.”“This is Steve,” Peggy confirmed as Clint stripped Steve, Sam wrapping him up in blankets. “He’s come back to us.”“Holy hell, Pelor’s lost champion,” Sam breathed, eyes wide with reverence. “Can’t believe he’s back. How did you know he’ll be back?” Peggy grimaced at that.“His Patron came to speak to me.” She stood up, watching as Clint and Sam moved Steve closer to the fire. The ice was melting, his body shivering less and less, and Tony could see a fond look on the woman’s face before she looked up. Natasha and Rhodey returned, the latter giving Steve a suspicious look.“His Patron?” Tony prompted and Peggy sighed, rubbing her forehead.“The Summer Queen.” A beat as everybody except Clint stared at her.“Steve always was a charmer,” Clint added with a snicker and Peggy rolled her eyes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Isn’t he a little young to be a Kindred?” Tony asked, narrowing his eyes at the teenager. Barton and Barnes snorted as Rogers shrugged.“Tell that to Osborn,” Rogers replied. “Fellow had a hard-on for the kid.” The teenager grimaced at that, fidgeting as he tried to hide himself behind the huge Gangrel.“It’s just another reason why we’re here,” Rogers continued, crossing his arms. “Thor here—” He nodded towards the Gangrel “—mentioned his brother was in your employ. Tremere named Loki.”“Tre— oh. Huh.” The clues snapped into an answer, Tony’s eyes sliding back at the teen. He had heard of rumors of the Howling Commandos taking down an elder Tremere in New York City, but for reasons unknown. It had been a surprise to hear that the Prince had done nothing against them, letting them leave the city unpunished.“Will that be a problem?” Rogers asked and Tony waved his hand, shaking his head.“No, no, just… interesting,” Tony replied, tilting his head slightly. “Osborn had a good eye for people, I am curious to know how he found this child.”“None of your business,” Barton growled. “We’re just here to hunt Nazis, Sabbats, and get the kid to learn safe magic.” Barnes and Wilson snickered at that as the teen rolled his eyes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Nobody expected it.To be fair, it wasn’t like Steve would brag about it – his Captain America days were long over when he woke up in 1995. No one, not even the Winter Soldier, had expected Steve to easily throw him out the 2nd floor window.“Take him alive!” Steve shouted out the window as the Secret Service agents converged on the Winter Soldier. He knew that was a tough order, and he quickly turned to move then dodged as his PA opened fire at him. “Shit! Jake, what the hell?!”“Hail HYDRA!” Jake shouted, shooting at Steve. He ducked around a corner, and in a moment as Jake was reloading, Steve charged. Jake yelped in surprise at the speed as Steve tackled him, choking as he was quickly placed into a chokehold. As Jake flailed, Steve turned slightly to see more Secret Service agents running towards him.“Mr. President!” Lowell called out, looking down at Jake then at Steve. “What happened, Mr. President? Are you alright, sir?” Davis moved next to Steve, zip-tying Jake’s hands as Lowell pulled on gloves to retrieve the gun.“I’m fine, boys,” Steve replied. “Keep an eye on him, apparently he’s working for HYDRA. Lowell, what’s the situation outside?”“Sir, we need to leave,” Lowell insisted and Steve shook his head, stalking quickly towards his bedroom. He flung the doors open, looking for the portfolio bag.“No, not until we get the Winter Soldier,” Steve said, pulling out the portfolio bag. His hand hesitated over it before he took a deep breath and opened it. “What’s the situation, Lowell?”“The Winter Soldier is down, sir,” Lowell reported after a moment. “Seems like he broke his leg when he fell out of the window. The helicarriers are also down, courtesy of the Avengers. The White House is still over-run with HYDRA agents.”“Well then, let’s take it back.” He pulled out the shield and looked up in time to see Lowell’s jaw drop.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Pops.” Loki looked up at the slurred word, startled as he saw the man staring at him through hooded eyes, a hand still covering his wounded side. “Pops, you came back.”Pops? The only person who had ever called him Pops was a small sickly boy with eyes as blue as the sky and the smile that lit up the world like a sunrise.Eyes just like the man had. Fear suddenly gripped Loki’s heart and he lunged forward, cupping the man’s face. The man shivered as Loki studied him, heart pounding as he saw her in the man’s face.“Steve,” Loki breathed. Steve smiled, reaching a hand up to grab Loki’s own.“You came back,” Steve slurred. “Ma and I knew you would. Wished it was sooner.” His eyes blinked, slowly sliding shut, and Loki gently slapped his cheek, trying to keep him awake.“Steve, my boy, stay awake,” Loki said desperately. “No, no, don’t go to sleep.” Steve shivered, but he managed to force his eyes open.“Pops, you should go now,” Steve mumbled. “’S cold an’ the bombs could still go off.” Loki looked over his shoulder, towards the back of the plane then pulled away. He turned and kicked out the window before turning back, sliding the strap around Steve’s wrist then clutching Steve against his chest.“Heimdall!” Loki shouted. “Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” Lights showered around them as the Bifrost opened, and Loki fell to the floor, Steve curled in his arms. Heimdall swiftly moved towards them, kneeling down beside them.“I have called for the healers,” Heimdall said, reaching out to check Steve’s wounds. He frowned when he saw Mjolnir by their side. The sound of running pulled Lok’s attention as Sif and the healers arrived. Sif looked down in surprise at Steve as the healers attempted to pull him onto the stretcher only to be stopped by Mjolnir.“I leave Mjolnir here, Heimdall,” Loki said, taking the strap off. He turned to the healers. “Go. Take him. Do not let him die.” He watched as the healers took Steve out of the observatory then looked down at his blood-covered hands.“Loki,” Sif said as Heimdall returned to his position. “Who is he?” Loki stared at his hands then looked at Mjolnir before turning to look at Sif.“He is my son,” he replied and brushed past her. He needed to check on Thor, make sure his insane brother was staying put in his cell. He needed to report to Odin of what Thor had done on Midgard, the destruction and murders he had left behind.He needed to wash the blood off his hands...Thor was pacing his cell, a dangerous air about him. Loki merely look on for a moment then turned to leave, Sif joining him at his side.“The healers say your son will be fine,” Sif said as they made their way towards the throne room. “He is sleeping now.” Loki grunted in response, his shoulders relaxing slightly as relief flooded through.“I’ve also assigned some guards for him,” Sif added and Loki slowed to a stop, giving the Asgardian a confused frown. She returned the look with a tilt of her head. “He is your son, Loki, therefore he is both royalty and a frost giant. You never know who might try to get to you.”“Damn, I-I didn’t think of that,” Loki admitted, rubbing his face and looking away. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned back to see Sif giving him a soft look.“It is fine, Loki,” Sif said gently. “You were scared for him. You wanted him to live.” Loki nodded in response, too overcome to say anything, and Sif pulled him into a hug. He stiffened for a moment before he hesitantly hugged her back.“Come on,” Sif said as she pulled away, squeezing Loki’s hand. “The sooner we report to your father, the sooner you can go see your son.” Loki nodded and they made their way to the throne room.Odin looked on neutrally as Loki and Sif delivered their report, Frigga by his side with a sad look. Loki understood – how far had Thor fallen if Mjolnir would reject him. People were murmuring in the court as Loki finished his report, bowing his head.“I see,” Odin said quietly, a hint of sadness in his voice. Frigga looked down at her hands, her eyes closed. “Tell me, my son, who is the young man you brought with you?” Loki clenched his hands into fists as he stared at the floor for a moment then looked up at his father and mother.“His name is Steven, father,” he intoned, “and he is my son.” The court gasped at the announcement, Frigga looking surprised as Odin stared down at Loki with a neutral expression.“I see,” Odin said. “How does he fare?”“The healers are seeing to him,” Loki replied. “I intend to see him after.” Odin nodded, exchanging a look with Frigga.“Go,” Odin said. “See to your son.” Loki bowed again then turned and left the court. He quickly strode towards the infirmary, worry gnawing at his heart and wonder at how much Steve had changed.The boy had been sickly just like him when he was a babe, and Loki had feared that either Steve would die soon or Sarah would abandon Steve like Laufey had. Instead she had lavished Steve with love, so much like Frigga had loved him, and Loki watched as Steve struggled to live, never giving up.He remembered the day he had to leave to look for Thor. He talked Sarah, apologizing to her because of his duty, and she smiled at him, took his hand and told him she would wait for him. Steve didn’t want him to go, but he told Loki that it was fine and he would look after his ma until he came home.Loki stopped, leaning against a wall before he slammed a fist against it.Damn you, Thor, he thought angrily. Damn you. I could have been there for them.He took a breath, a second to calm himself before continuing on.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Sorry, this might take a while,” Steve apologized. Tony shook his head, leaning against the wall as he curiously looked on. Steve opened his pack and reached in, pulling out the red wolves. When he pulled out the ghost wolves, he saw from the corner of his eye both Tony and Rhodey stiffening in surprise. Even the guild master looked surprised at the sight. Steve grabbed his pack, and moved to the next open space. He reached in then paused, looking up at Clint.“Hey, Clint, would you mind holding the bag?” he asked. “The next few are kind of big.”“Sure,” Clint replied after a beat, kneeling down to hold the bag. Steve then pulled the lizard out by the tail. This time Tony, Rhodey and the master gasped, and even Clint looked stunned. He continued to haul out the second lizard before Tony finally spoke.“That’s… that’s a mithril lizard,” he said almost reverently.“Oh, is that what that is?” Steve said with a grunt, pulling out the third. “Thought it looked funny for an iron lizard.”“They usually travel in packs,” Tony continued, watching as Steve hauled out number four. “An A-ranker can barely handle a pack.” Steve just hummed as he pulled out the fifth lizard then had Clint move to the next space. He pulled out the dragon’s tooth, staggering at the size before putting it down. Tony actually whimpered, walking over to touch the tooth.“You have a dragon’s tooth?” Tony asked in quiet awe. Steve responded by hauling out a second tooth. “Holy shit, you have two dragon’s teeth?!”“Four, actually,” Steve replied with a shrug. “And a pair of wings. And scales, though I’m keeping those.” He reached in to pull out of a dragon’s wing, and the sound everybody made was close to high-pitch.“Red dragon. That’s a red dragon wing,” Tony managed, pointing at it with a shaking hand. “You fucking killed a red dragon?!” Steve just grunted in response as he managed to pull the wing out, dropping it on the floor. Tony, Rhodey and the master surrounded the wing excitedly, and Steve looked at Clint who looked just as excited.“Go ahead, I can wait,” Steve said in amusement, and Clint shot up, kneeling down next to Rhodey to reverently touch the dragon wing. Tony turned to Steve.“Marry me,” he blurted out.“You’re too young for me,” Steve answered dryly. Rhodey snorted while Clint guffawed.“Adopt me then,” Tony said.“Your father would probably, no, will definitely kill me.”“Marry my dad?” Steve couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking his head in response and Tony huffed. “How’d you kill a red dragon? Wait, what rank did you say you were?”“He’s a B-ranker,” Clint said from the side, looking over his shoulder at Steve. “He’s a B-ranker who killed ghost wolves, mithril lizards and a fucking red dragon, and still walked away perfectly fine.”“Oh, no, well.” Steve shrugged and reached into his bag to pull out what was left of his armor. “I used a few potions and lost my armor to the dragon.”“You should be dead,” Tony said, gaping at the armor. “How the hell are you still alive?”“Potions,” Steve repeated, “hi-grade ones. That, and I had help with dropping a cave system on the dragon.” Tony blinked and Steve shrugged.“I don’t suppose you know of any good armorers?” Steve asked. “I got a bunch of dragon scales.”“Me. Here. Right here. I’m your armorer,” Tony quickly said. “How many dragon scales?”“Um. Not sure. They’re all kind of big.” Steve reached into the bag and pulled out a scale, earning another high-pitch squeal from the group. “Think you can make me some armor?”“Yes, yes, so much yes,” Tony answered as he practically ran at Steve to touch the scale. “What kind? Not strong enough for plate mail, but seeing as you were—holy shit, you were just wearing a steel chain shirt? How are you not dead?!”“How much would it cost to make a breastplate and chain shirt?” Steve asked, ignoring the question. Tony squinted, chewing his lip before he turned to bark at the master to come over. With some haggling, Steve agreed to giving Tony a ghost wolf, a mithril lizard, one dragon’s tooth and one dragon’s wing with the rest being sold to the guild. He pulled out the third dragon’s tooth before putting a ghost wolf and a mithril lizard back into this pack.“Dad, Peter and Arno are going to be so excited!” Tony exclaimed, bouncing on his toes as they left the guild hall. “Where are you going to stay tonight, Steve? What am I saying, you’re going to stay at my place.”“Um,” Steve responded.“You’re going to have to ask your dad first,” Rhodey said calmly.“After he sees the treasures Steve’s bringing? I wouldn’t be surprised if he got down on one knee and proposed,” Tony shot back. Steve snorted.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The elevator doors opened and Steve looked up in time to see Tony’s jaw drop, Bruce and Rhodes freeze and Pepper gasp.“Um,” he started. “Hi.”“What. Is. That?” Tony asked flatly. Steve looked down.“Baby carrier,” he replied, looking back up, an “obviously” in both his tone and look.“Yeah, I get that. Why are you holding a baby carrier?” Tony’s voice raised up slightly.“Because there’s a baby in there,” Steve replied then sighed. “Look, how about we all sit down before we have this conversation. I’d rather not talk about it inside an elevator.” Tony stared in response until Pepper smacked his chest. She gestured for Steve to follow and he finally stepped out, following after the redhead. It took Bruce and Rhodes a moment to finally follow after them.Steve set the carrier down next to the couch, dropping the baby bag down as well before taking a seat. Tony flopped down on a couch by the side, Pepper leaning against the armrest while Bruce took a seat next to Tony. Rhodes didn’t take a seat, opting to stay standing, his arms crossed as he gave Steve a neutral look.“Baby?” Tony managed, staring at the baby carrier.Well. Time to rip the band-aid off.“Um.” Steve took a deep breath. “Congratulations, Stark, you have a little brother?”There was silence in the room as they all stared at Steve.“You’re a beta, Rogers,” Tony said flatly and Steve sighed.“Never said I was a beta,” Steve replied. “Look, I had just lost Bucky, and I needed to, I don’t know, to feel something other than... Howard was there, and we did use protection, but I guess it didn’t work.”“That’s true, Steve never said he was a beta, we all assumed he was one,” Bruce piped up thoughtfully.“No, I’m a—wait, wasn’t it in my file?” Steve asked, blinking in confusion.“JARVIS?” Tony barked.“Sir, Captain Rogers’s secondary gender is listed as unidentified,” JARVIS replied after a moment. Steve gave the ceiling a confused look.“Unid—oh geez, no wonder.” Steve sighed and rubbed his face. That was when Arno woke up. Steve looked down at the whimper then got up from his seat.“Sorry, excuse me.” Steve knelt down before the baby carrier, pulling the blanket back to see Arno blinking around with a whimper. “Hey there, sweetheart, your da’s here.” Quickly unstrapping the baby, Steve picked up Arno and returned to his seat, bouncing Arno gently. Arno snuffled, rubbing his cheek against Steve’s chest as he blinked some more.“Oh,” Pepper said quietly. Steve looked up to see her almost vibrating as she looked at them, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.“Want to hold him?” he asked her. “He’s a pretty good kid.” Pepper was immediately up, hands out, and Steve gently shifted Arno into her arms. Arno blinked up at her as Pepper rocked him in her arms, cooing at him before he snuggled in her arms.“Oh,” Pepper said again, smiling down at him. “Hello, there, Arno. It’s so nice to meet you.”“He’s about a week early,” Steve said with a smile. “I think he got nervous when I got shot.” Pepper’s head jerked up, eyes wide with horror, and Steve shrugged.“It didn’t hit Arno, did it?” Bruce asked faintly.“They got me in the shoulder, but I guess that scared Arno,” Steve replied, his cheeks pinking. “Water broke during the getaway. Might have given birth in Cli—uh, Agent Barton’s bathtub.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Steve was in a terrible mood when he returned to the Tower, immediately going to his room instead of the common floor. This threw everybody for a loop because even in the aftermath of a horrible mission, Steve still joined everybody on the common floor for Chinese take-out and a movie.They were talking amongst themselves, passing the buck on who should talk to the captain when Steve came back to the floor in a white t-shirt and shorts. He still had a thunderous expression on his face as he stomped over to the fridge and pulled out a beer, a sure sign something was really bad.“Cap, you okay?” Tony asked as they watched the captain chug the bottle.“Yes,” Steve managed with a scowl at the empty bottle. He tossed the bottle into the recycle bin then looked at the others. “Meet me at Medical? And I’m borrowing your bots, Tony.”“Um. Okay?” Steve stomped out of the common floor, and Tony turned to the others. “Alright, what the hell happened?”“Not sure, the mission was pretty cut and dry,” Natasha replied with a frown.“Honestly, Steve should be raving about China,” Clint added as they all got up to go down to Medical. “He’s never been there, and you know how excited he gets when he goes to ‘exotic places.’” There were murmurs of assent before they exited the elevator. Steve was standing by the emergency shower, DUM-E and Butterfingers each holding a bucket and U holding onto a towel.“So what’s the problem, Cap?” Tony asked as he grabbed a seat and rolled over. Bruce also grabbed a seat while Natasha took a seat on the desk. Clint leaned against the wall while Thor stood by, arms crossed. DUM-E rolled over to Steve and handed him the bucket.“The problem is this,” Steve said, taking the bucket and dumping it over himself. Immediately everybody saw the problem as the captain shivered, handed the bucket back to DUM-E and crossed her arms over her impressive breasts. Her shorts slipped down a bit, showing off the curve of her hips.“What. The. Fuck,” Tony managed as he stared. Natasha slid off the desk as U rolled over to hand Steve the towel. Steve took it, thanking the bot along with a pat on its head before giving Natasha a wary look as she circled him.“JARVIS, tell Pepper to come up,” Natasha said slowly. Steve blinked.“What the hell happened, Steve?” Clint asked for the group and Steve sighed.“Turns out there are cursed springs in China,” she replied, one hand reaching down to pull her shorts up. “I may have fallen into one, and now.” Steve sighed, motioning at her body.“SHIELD checked me out, couldn’t find the problem,” Steve continued, “so I made a detour to Dr. Strange. He confirmed it was a curse, but also told me that it was permanent.”“Aye, there are some curses one cannot be rid of,” Thor agreed. “At least this curse is merely an inconvenience, Captain. Usually permanent curses tend to lead to death or continues on for generations.”“That’s.” Steve blinked. “Okay, yeah, I’ll take inconvenience over death.” The doors opened and Pepper walked in, pausing when she saw Steve standing there shivering.“Um,” Pepper started as Butterfingers rolled over to Steve with a bucket. Steve took it and dumped it over herself, changing back to his male form. “Um.”“Curse,” Steve answered, wiping his face with the towel.“Oh. Okay?” Pepper managed. Steve was about to say something when cold water was dumped over him, changing back to her female form with a squawk.“Pepper, we should go shopping,” Natasha said coolly. Pepper brightened and was quickly at Steve’s side. Steve let out another squawk when Natasha fondled her breasts, Pepper touching her hips. “I thought she’d be a D-cup, but I think she’s more of a C-cup.”“Oh, she’s got the figure for some haute couture,” Pepper added, yanking the shorts down a smidge. “Perfect waistline, of course Steve would have perfect waistline as a woman.” Steve desperately shot a look at the other Avengers, only to find them all facing away with an uncomfortable set to their shoulders.“Nat! Pepper! Watch the hands!” Steve managed, and Pepper shot a look at the other men then shared a look with Natasha, a wicked smile crossing her lip. Before Steve could say anything, Natasha groped her. “Ahn!”“Holy shit, stop that!” Tony called out tightly. “Quit molesting Steve and go shopping already!”“Yay,” Natasha cheered with a smirk as she and Pepper stopped groping and pulled Steve towards the elevator. “Come on, Steve, let’s get you dried off and dressed. Tony, you’re paying.” Tony just grunted, and Steve glanced over to see all of the male Avengers shifting uncomfortably.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Tony hadn’t thought about the omega since Howard died. Hell, he’d been too busy making and selling weapons, partying, having sex, and generally making an ass of himself. After escaping his kidnappers with Yinsen’s blood still on his hands and a battery in his chest, Tony announced to the world that Stark Industries was pulling out of the weapons trade. Then his uncle tried to kill him, and in return Tony killed the man. Just recently Tony had cured himself of his palladium poisoning, and stopped the idiot Hammer from killing everybody at the Expo – because of course Hammer would go and do something that stupid – when he found himself thinking about his father’s former sugar baby.Now here he was, standing before his father’s former lover’s apartment building in Red Hook. Tony had been surprised at the location, sure that the omega had taken Howard’s money and was living in the lap of luxury somewhere in Europe. Instead the man was living in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in Red Hook. Red Hook, as in one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York. Distantly Tony remembered this twig of an omega having the balls to get into arguments with Howard, and even coming out on top of the alpha a few times. He may have been impressed by Steve for doing that, and he could tell that Howard liked it. Maybe living in Red Hook was no big deal for the omega.Tony walked into the building, up the stairs to the second floor and knocked, glancing around and noticing an old woman watching him suspiciously from down the hall. He shot her smile before the door opened a few inches to reveal Steve looking up at him in surprise.“Tony,” Steve greeted slowly. “What are you doing here?”“Wanted to see how you’ve been,” Tony said nonchalantly. “Been a while, Steve.”“Um,” Steve responded, glancing into the apartment before back at Tony. “Yeah, it has.”“Look, can I come in?” Tony asked, pulling his sunglasses off. “I think that old lady down the hall is giving me the stink-eye.” Steve paused then reluctantly nodded, opening the door to let Tony in. Tony walked in, waiting for the omega to close the door and lead the way into the apartment. He could hear what sounded like a children’s show playing, and Tony faltered when he walked in to see a little boy watching Sesame Street on the couch. The boy turned to look, and Tony drew a sharp breath.“Daddy?” the boy said quietly, giving Tony an uncertain look.“Hey, Arno, this is Tony,” Steve introduced. “He’s, um, he’s an old. Friend. We’re going to talk in the kitchen, okay, sweetheart?” Arno looked between them then slowly nodded, turning his attention back to Sesame Street.“Coffee?” Steve asked as he moved into the kitchen. “Sorry, I only have the instant stuff.”“Instant’s fine,” Tony managed, still eyeing Arno before slowly moving into the kitchen. “He’s Howard’s, isn’t he?” Steve sighed as he put a kettle on then brought out two mugs, popping an Earl Grey tea bag into one, and two spoonsful of instant coffee in the other.“Yeah,” Steve confirmed quietly.“And you never thought to tell me?”“Why?” Steve squinted at Tony in confusion. “You hated Howard, and I’m pretty sure you hated me when you called me Howard’s mid-life crisis, and that was the nicest insult.” Tony winced at the reminder – he did say that and other similar terms to Steve’s face.“I would have still help.” Steve scoffed in response, crossing his arms.“Don’t need your help, Tony,” Steve said. “We’re doing just fine.”“Right, living in the lap of luxury here,” Tony shot back. “I know Howard left you a chunk of money—”“Why are you here, Tony?” Steve interrupted with a glare. “I know you’re not here for Arno, and if you’re here just to make fun—"“No, no, I wouldn’t—” Tony cut himself off. “I just wanted to see how you’ve been.”“Well, now you’ve seen us, you can leave.” Tony shook his head and Steve scowled. “If this is about Howard’s inheritance, you don’t have to worry—”“No, no, God, no,” Tony quickly denied. “I just wanted to-to say sorry. About everything. Before.” Steve squinted his eyes at Tony, studying him before he gave Tony a tight nod.“Apology accepted.” The omega turned when the kettle began to whistle. “Do you need sugar? Milk?”“Nah, black’s fine.” Steve nodded, pouring the water into both their mugs, stirring Tony’s coffee before handing the mug to him. “So. Um. How’ve you been?”“Fine,” Steve replied, sipping his tea. “I’m, uh, I’ve started working as a nurse at the hospital, which makes it a little tough with Arno going to pre-school, but we make it work. Becca helps keep an eye on him sometimes, and Bucky and Sam help when they can.” Tony nodded, suppressing the urge to grimace at the taste of the instant coffee, but coffee was coffee.“Pre-school?” “He’s four, Tony, and an only child,” Steve said patiently. “He needs to socialize with kids his age, and the kids in the building are way older.” Tony hummed, looking over the omega. When he had first met Steve, the omega had just started his second year at NYU, and looked like he needed a decent meal. He still wasn’t sure how Steve and Howard met, but Tony had to admit the omega had made Howard happy in his last few years.“Saw the mess at the Expo,” Steve continued, sipping his tea. “Crazy.”“Just a bit,” Tony agreed with a nod. “You didn’t go?”“No, Arno caught a bug at school,” Steve replied. “Can’t believe how glad I was to be taking care of a sick kid.” His lips quirked up as he looked at the boy then put his mug down, pushing away from the counter.“The show’s almost over,” Steve explained as Tony watched him open the fridge and take out an apple. “He’s going to want a snack.”“You know his schedule.” Steve chuckled, rinsing the apple before he cut it in half and put it into a bowl of water with a little salt. One apple half he quickly sliced up and placed on a place with a dollop of peanut butter while the other half he put into the fridge. Tony looked up when he heard the Sesame Street ending credits begin to play, and Arno got up to toddle over to the kitchen.“Snack, pwease,” Arno announced and Steve chuckled again.“Come on, sweetheart,” Steve said, herding the boy to the kitchen table and putting the plate down. “Do you want milk or juice?”“Milk, pwease.” Steve nodded, heading back to pour milk into the sippy cup. Tony watched as Steve put the cup down, pressing a kiss on the crown of Arno’s head, and strangely he felt a surge of jealously in his chest. “T’ank you.”“I’m opening an SI building here in New York,” Tony said, pulling Steve’s attention. “Bought the Met Life building. Prime location.”“Expensive location,” Steve added and Tony chuckled.“The best place for starting up SI’s green energy project.” Steve blinked, his lips quirking up slightly. Tony was beginning to like that, and absently he wondered if he’d ever seen Steve just full-on smile. Even the times with Howard, Tony didn’t remember ever seeing the omega smile, Steve’s face going blank or scowling instead when he realized they weren’t alone. “I was wondering what SI was going to do now that they’re out of the arms race,” Steve said, glancing down at his son, and Tony looked over as well. Arno was happily munching away on his apple slices and peanut butter, humming a tune as he swayed in his seat. “Thought for sure it was going to be flying cars.” Tony barked out a laugh – Howard must have shown Steve the prototype when they were together.“And make traffic even worse? I don’t think so.” Steve laughed, and Tony couldn’t help but relax a bit. Thing were going good, Steve didn’t hate his guts, and, wow, his laugh and smile were—The knock on the door interrupted the moment, and two men stumbled in with bags.“Stevie!” one of the men called out. “We’re back and we brought back presents!”“Unca Bucky!” Arno cried out happily, jumping up and rushing to the door. “Unca Sam!”“Hey, squirt!” The man picked up Arno and ambled in, pausing when his eyes fell on Tony. Judging by the scent, he was an alpha, and so was the other guy when he walked in and stopped.“Hey, Buck, Sam,” Steve greeted, a small smile lighting up, and Tony’s hand tightened around his mug. “This is Tony. Tony, this is Bucky and Sam.”“Tony Stark, yeah, I know,” Bucky – that seriously cannot be his name – replied, lips curving down. Tony could practically see both alphas’ hackles raising up, and he wanted to blast them in that moment because they just interrupted his and Steve’s moment. Instead Tony drained his cup, setting it down and pushed away from the counter.“Well, I’ll see you around, Steve,” Tony said, sliding his sunglasses back on. Steve blinked.“O-oh, um, okay,” Steve stuttered out. “Let me—”“Nah, I’ll show myself out,” Tony called out, brushing past the two alphas. Much as he would love to get into a pissing match with them, he had a feeling Steve would not appreciate it. “I’ll text you.”“Uh, what? Wait, you don’t have my—” Tony didn’t bother listening as he left the apartment and walked down the steps. Happy was glowering at the passersby when Tony walked out, the beta moving around to open the door for him.“Let’s go home, Happy,” Tony said, glancing back at the apartment.“Got it, boss.” Happy started the car and pulled out. “How was your friend?”“Good.” He pulled out his phone. “Still spunky as hell. JARVIS, need you to find me a number, and look up a couple of guys.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Getting on the plane now. I’ll see you soon, Tony. Love you.
Those were the last words Steve said to him before his plane disappeared. For almost twenty-one years, Tony would never forget those words.He’d loved Steve, wanted to spend the rest of his life with the man, but then it all just… disappeared. No one knew what happened, just that one minute the plane was over Lake Michigan and then it was gone. The police from three states along with the FBI and NSA combed through the lake, looking for the wreckage only to find nothing.Tony wasn’t proud of the aftermath – partying and drinking too much, leaving the company to Stane while creating more ways to kill people. Then Afghanistan happened, Stane’s attempted murder, how Tony almost died from his arc reactor. He pulled out of the arms race, changing the focus of his company to private security and a green initiative.He’d managed to move on – Pepper had been with him through his party days, his dark days, kept the company afloat despite Stane and himself. The promotion to CEO had been well earned, and, well, he’d finally opened his eyes to just how amazing and beautiful Pepper was.And it came crashing down when Bucky called him up on a Sunday morning as he and Pepper sat down for breakfast.“Tony,” Bucky greeted, the pitch of his tone alerting Tony that something was wrong. “Tony, the plane. Steve’s plane. It’s. Oh my god, Tony, Steve’s alive.”Tony dropped his coffee cup...The plane landed at JFK at five, and Happy drove them to Bucky’s apartment. Tony’s knee bounced as he nervously looked out of the car window.“Tony.” He hummed, a hand pressing down on his knee to stop himself as he looked over at Pepper. “Tony, relax.”“I can’t, Pep,” Tony said, looking at his fiancée. “I—Pep, it’s Steve. Steve’s alive.”“I know,” Pepper said calmly.“Oh my god, does he even know about the Internet?” Tony started before pulling out his phone. “JARVIS, was the Internet up and running in ‘91?”“Yes, Sir,” his AI replied. “I believe at the time AOL was quite popular.”“Holy shit, AOL? Jesus, that means Steve doesn’t know about the Internet,” Tony said.“Tony!” He turned his attention back on Pepper. “Tony, I hate to do this, but what are you going to say to Steve?”“Say?”“Tony, the reports I’m seeing is that all of the passengers haven’t aged a day,” Pepper explained patiently. “If anything, yesterday was still February 19, 1991 for them. That means…” She trailed off and Tony looked away, squeezing his eyes shut.It meant that last Steve knew, his 21-year-old boyfriend was still waiting for him in New York City for their post-Valentine’s date. Now, his 42-year-old ex-boyfriend was coming back from California with his fiancée to see him.Guilt ate at his stomach, clawed at his chest.“Maybe we should—"“No, Tony, we’re almost there,” Pepper said and Tony grimaced. Ten minutes later, Tony and Pepper got out of the car and walked up the steps to Bucky’s brownstone apartment. The man had done well as the security chief at SI’s New York Branch, and Tony was more than happy to know that Bucky’s ninja children were also going to join the team.The door opened and Natasha smiled, giving Pepper and Tony a hug.“You’re getting so pretty, Natasha,” Pepper said fondly.“Thanks, Pepper,” Natasha replied. “Tony’s not giving you too much trouble?”“As if I would,” Tony replied. Both Natasha and Pepper snorted before they all walked into the apartment. Tony could hear talking in the living room as he hung up both his and Pepper’s jackets then walked in. His eyes immediately settled onto the blond standing in the middle of the room, a cup in hand as he talked to Clint, Wanda and Pietro.“Hey, Pepper, Tony!” Clint called out, waving his hand, and the blond turned. Everything seemed to stop for Tony as he took in the sight of Steve, still twenty-one years old, his head shaved in a crew-cut style. He barely remembered that Steve had been coming back to New York to get everything settled before leaving back to boot camp with Bucky.“Oh my God, Steve,” Tony breathed, stumbling towards the blond and wrapping his arms around him. Steve hugged him back, squeezing tightly before they both pulled away. “Oh my God, you-you haven’t aged a day.”“Um, I-I guess?” Steve mumbled, his eyes flicking behind Tony. Tony blinked then turned to see Pepper watching them, Natasha looking between them nervously. Clint, Wanda and Pietro were also quiet, and Bucky stepped out of the kitchen, a worried expression on his face. Without a word, Steve slipped out of Tony’s arms, taking a few steps to Pepper. “Hello, I’m, uh, I’m Steve. I guess you’re, uh, you’re Pepper, um, Tony’s fiancée.” “Yes,” Pepper replied and held out her hand. “Virginia Potts, but you can call me Pepper.”“Steve Rogers.” Steve took her hand, gave it a firm handshake then pulled back. “Um.” He cleared his throat, and Tony could tell in that moment that Steve wanted to cry. Instead Steve took a breath and smiled at Pepper.“It’s good to meet you, Pepper,” he said steadily before a confused look cross his face. “Um, sorry, but, um, why Pepper?”“Blame Tony,” Bucky answered as he walked in, giving both Pepper and Tony a hug.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Bucky was eight years old, he chased away his best friend.Steve and Bucky were playing together at recess when Steve sneeze and suddenly he was a cat. Bucky gave a startled jerk, blinking as the white fur receded, Steve shaking his head before looking at Bucky.“What?” he asked curiously.“Nothing,” Bucky replied as he looked around the playground. No one else seemed to have noticed that Steve turned into a cat, and something warmed in his chest at the knowledge that it was a secret.It was a secret that only two people in the world knew about.Bucky giggled when Steve sneezed, sprouting white fur and cat-like features again later that week as they hung out at Steve’s home.“Why do you keep laughing when I sneeze, jerk?” Steve whined.“You turn into a cat!” Bucky laughed. Steve went still instead of joining in and Bucky’s smile disappeared. “Stevie?”“I turn into a cat when I sneeze?” Steve asked quietly, something in his voice.“Yeah?” Steve stared then suddenly he turned into a cat. Two seconds later, Steve was on the other side of the room, wheezing, scared.“Mom! Mom!” he shouted. Aunt Sarah appeared, looked down at cat-Steve then at Bucky and went white.“Grimm,” she whispered, terrified and pushed Steve behind her before raising her voice. “Please leave, Bucky. Please. I don’t want any trouble, just. Please.” Bucky nodded, confused and upset by what was going on.Aunt Sarah and Steve disappeared the next day, and Bucky never understood why. He didn’t tell his parents that Steve turned into a cat every time he sneezed.Thank God he didn’t.When Bucky was twelve, he found out why his best friend and his mother had been terrified of him, and disappeared into the night. He and Becca both stood there in the middle of the forest, frozen as they watched their parents murder the blutbad family in cold-blood.“Has to be done, son,” Bucky’s father explained calmly, covered in blood. “You ever hear the saying ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’? Well, they’re the wolves – literally in this case – and we’re just protecting the sheep.”Becca stepped right into the family business and few years later, Alice did too. Bucky couldn’t stomach the thought of killing innocent Wesen, not after Steve. He went out of his way to make sure they were truly guilty of something before doing his job. Each death just made it harder for Bucky to ask Steve for forgiveness.It was Hannah that made Bucky stop at seventeen.“I don’t want to,” she cried into Bucky’s chest after her first hunt. “Leah and Adam were my friends!”“Then let’s run away,” Bucky said quietly and Hannah looked up at him tearfully. “Let’s run away so we’ll never hurt our friends again.” There was something in Bucky voice that clicked with Hannah, and in the middle of the night, Bucky and Hannah ran away.When Bucky was twenty-four, he met Steve again.Well, “met” as in hunting the same prey.There had been an uptick in violence recently, and Bucky and Hannah had figured out that it was Wesen violence. Why they were doing it was unknown, but it was bad enough that even Hannah’s college were cautioning their students to never be alone.They had to do something so reluctantly they pulled out their machetes and went hunting. A breakthrough happened when a pack of hundjägers captured a young man, most like to eat him. The young man got out fine, but it also showed that Bucky was woefully out of practice, and Hannah was still very green.Then a red-hair woman appeared. Everybody’s first mistake was to assume she was just human; their second mistake was thinking she was alone.“Holy fuck-sticks,” Hannah breathed as the red-headed hexenbiest sent their attackers flying. “Bucky, we should—” Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as she was thrown onto the ground, and Bucky was tasered. Hands quickly tied behind their backs, a huge man walked over them, pulling out a gun and calmly shooting hundjägers in the head until only two were left.Bucky couldn’t hear what the two newcomers were saying to the two hundjägers until the man shot one in the head. The other hundjäger began to talk but whatever answers he gave still ended with a bullet to the head. Then the hexenbiest and the man walked over to them.“What do we do with them?” the woman said coolly. “Grimms, judging by the machetes and moves.” The man leaned down and patted Bucky down, pulling out his wallet. There was a beat.“Bucky?” the man asked breathlessly and Bucky turned his head in an attempt to see. The man gently pushed Bucky onto his back with his foot, Bucky’s ID in his hand. “Bucky Barnes? Lived in Red Hook about sixteen years ago?”Blond hair. Blue eyes. Knew Bucky sixteen years ago.“Stevie?” Bucky croaked. “You still turn into a cat every time you sneeze?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When he sees Steve again, he freezes.Kill him, his master whispers in his ears.Protect him, his master whispers in his head.Steve had aged, silver in his blond hair and beard, a bit of softness that came with age.He himself hadn’t aged a day since the Wars, when he had joined Steve in stopping the Mandalorians. Steve had been on Malachor V when he felt Steve died that day. In his grief, he followed Revan into the dark, swearing to never feel this pain again.But now, Steve was here, and, to his horror, silent from the Force.Kill him, his master orders harshly in his ears. He is of no use.Protect him, his master suggests gently in his head. He can still show you the way.Without thinking, he began to follow Steve through the crowded streets of the city, followed him out of the gates and further down to the farmlands. He watched as children scrambled to greet Steve, the man cheerfully greeting them and the farmers scattered about as he made him way home.He watches as Steve bid the children good-bye before entering his tiny home, and for a while he stared.Kill him, his master rages in his ears. He is your weakness.Protect him, his master murmured calmly in his head. He is your strength.He stumbles forward, his breath harsh in his ears as he approached Steve’s home. Something fills his chest – was it his master gripping his heart or was it longing that was about to explode?He knocks.A beat then the door opens. Blue eyes, warm and familiar meets his own, turning to surprise and recognition.Kill him, his master whispers in his ears.Protect him, his master whispers in his head.“Bucky?” Steve breathes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I’m leaving,” Steve said and Tony sputtered. Both Natasha and Clint were watching with wide eyes while Bruce just nodded, pouring himself his cup of tea.“You can’t leave!” Tony argued, puffing up slightly and Steve snorted.“And why can’t I leave?”“Because you’re a famous unmated Omega sub!” Steve gave Tony a flat look then at Natasha and Clint.“He’s right, you’d be mauled out there,” Clint said. “I’m surprised you threw James out, he’s perfect for you,” Natasha added slowly. Steve gave the three an incredulous look then glanced over at Bruce.“They all failed history, didn’t they?” Steve said and Bruce snorted.“Unfortunately,” Bruce replied, sipped his tea before turning his attention to the others.“Steve doesn’t have the AODS gene,” he announced and the three froze, “seeing that he was sleeping through the 60s when that happened.” Both Natasha and Tony paled as Clint squinted at Steve.“Huh, I was wondering why you didn’t have a scent,” Clint said. “Didn’t think SHIELD made a suppressant strong enough for—wait. Did you say James? As in James Barnes, the Winter Soldier?” The archer whipped his head around to look at Natasha, a look of horror on his face then turned back to Steve.“Holy shit, he didn’t hurt you, did he?” Clint asked.“No, I, uh, punched him, threw him out of the apartment then put it into lockdown so he couldn’t get back in,” Steve replied. “By the way, thank you, JARVIS.”“Of course, Captain,” the AI responded.“It’s also why I’m leaving,” Steve continued, “because apparently you decided that because I’m a whatever—”“Omega Sub,” Bruce supplied.“Ome—Sub? That, uh, guess that doesn’t mean submarine anymore.” Steve blinked then shook his head. “Never mind. Look, I don’t feel safe here, especially now with you two deciding that I needed to get laid – which I don’t – and just letting strange people into my apartment? That’s.” He shook his head.“Yeah, I’m out,” he finished. “Thanks for letting me stay, Stark, but I’m going to find another place.” With a nod to Clint and Bruce, Steve walked past Tony and left....“I fucked up,” Natasha said and Bucky raised an eyebrow.“On Rogers? Yeah, I would say so,” he grunted. “It’s bullshit if he and Carter were together, he’s no sub.”“Yeah, well, we all need a history refresher,” Natasha groused. “Rogers isn’t an omega sub, period.” Bucky paused then slowly put his cup down.“What?” he asked lowly and Natasha groaned.“Except for Bruce, we all fucked up,” she admitted. “The whole alpha-omega, dom-sub thing? Rogers slept through it all.” Understanding clicked in Bucky’s head as he realized that Steve Rogers was in the middle of Antarctica when the AODS virus hit the world, and he was still asleep when the gene became permanently part of human biology.“Oh no,” he whispered, horrified. Steve Rogers had absolutely no idea what was going on when he returned to his apartment to find Bucky there. He had no context as to why Bucky was talking to him like he was a brat on the verge of dropping, no reaction when Bucky used Alpha Command on him. It suddenly made sense and Bucky covered his face with his hands with a groan. “Oh fuck, no.”“Did you—”“I was acting under your info, Nat,” he hissed, looking up at Natasha. “A brat sub about to drop.” Natasha winced and Bucky rubbed his face. Now with context that Steve Rogers was not a sub, Bucky understood his reaction, his ability to overpower Bucky and tossing him out. The captain didn’t see as Bucky as a dom – he saw Bucky as a rapist.“I need to apologize to him,” Bucky said.“It’s going to have to be at SHIELD,” Natasha replied with a grimace. “He moved out of the Tower, doesn’t trust Stark or me to not open his apartment to strange people.” Bucky winced....“You know what the biggest problem I have?” Steve said, looking at Barnes. “Nobody listens. Nobody asks questions. You all think you’re right with your assumptions to the point that you don’t care if a person gets hurt.” He sees Barnes wincing in response.“So. Apology not accepted,” Steve continued. “You’re going to have to earn your forgiveness, Barnes. Same goes with Romanoff and Stark.”“Not Clint?” Barnes asked then grimaced and Steve raised an eyebrow.“He didn’t let a strange man into my apartment to have their way with me,” Steve replied. “Also he understands the words, ‘no, thank you.’”...Rogers was right – nobody listened or asked questions.As he listened to the briefing, Bucky realized that everybody was assuming Steve Rogers was an omega sub when Robertson practically put the captain in an area far away from the fighting. Rogers didn’t say anything, and Bucky had another sudden realization that the captain was tired of trying to speak up.Which meant that sooner or later, Rogers was going to go rogue. Most likely soon, judging by the way the man was eyeing the map.That also meant that he was going to get punished like an omega sub – with no context for Steve Rogers, it meant beatings and rape.“I’ll go with Rogers,” Bucky blurted out and the team all stopped to look at him, the captain eyeing him suspiciously. “Someone has to watch his six.”“I agree,” Natasha added.“Yup,” Clint grunted with a nod. Robertson narrowed his eyes, but agreed, moving Bucky’s position. Rogers was still eyeing him suspiciously before turning his attention back to the map. The briefing wrapped up, he glanced up to see Clint pulling Rogers aside then left the room with Natasha.“He’s going to go rogue,” he muttered under his breath. “And, if he goes rogue…” Natasha’s expression turned pinch....Anderson Cooper suddenly went still and Bucky paused, curious to see what was going on. The journalist stammered in surprise as the camera panned back, and Bucky nearly choked on his drink as Steve Rogers took a seat next to Anderson.“Hello, Mr. Cooper, how are you?” Steve Rogers said with a smile, reaching over to shake hands. “I’m sorry to interrupt you on your show, but I wanted to say something to the America people and the world. Also, I’m sure there will be questions, and I like your reporting style.”Anderson Cooper looked like Christmas had come early.“Please, Captain, go ahead,” the man said and Steve Rogers smiled at the camera.“Wow, okay, this is different,” Steve Rogers started, rubbing the back of his neck. “Let’s start with a quick history lesson – in 1945, I crashed the Valkyrie off the coast of Greenland started my icy nap. About a year ago, I woke up from said icy nap.“In the time that I’ve been sleeping, lots of stuff happened – World War II ended. The Cold War. The British Invasion – by the way, I really enjoy your music, Sir McCartney. The Civil Rights movement, birth of the Internet, smart phones. Still no flying cars, but with New York traffic, probably a good thing.“But here’s the one major thing people forgot.” Steve Rogers leaned onto the desk, hands clasping together. “I had an icy nap for 70 years, so I missed the 60s. I’m guessing you all are wondering why that’s important. Well, if my readings are correct – and, please, Mr. Cooper, correct me if I’m wrong – there was when the AODS virus was released into the world.”“Oh, shit,” someone commented on air.“Yeah, I slept through that,” Steve Rogers continued, “so, that AODS gene? I don’t have that – I’m still a baseline human. Technically, now that I think about it, the Serum kind of made me more. Sorry, getting a bit off-topic.“Peggy Carter was still a baseline human when I knew her, but with the virus in the 60s, she became a, let me check.” Steve pulled his phone out to look. “Ah, right, Peggy became an Alpha Dominant, which automatically meant that I was an Omega Submissive.” He looked at the camera.“Sorry to say, I am very much not an Omega Submissive.”“Oh no,” Anderson said, his eyes wide as realization crashed.“No one thought about telling me about alphas and omegas, dominants and submissives when I woke up,” Steve carried on, “so I had no context on what was going on. Why were people being so condescending to me? Why were people expecting me to listen and do what they were saying?“So, I guess we’ll end it like this – I am not an Omega Submissive, and all you Alpha Dominants are really terrible people that I have no problem punching in the face,” Steve finished with a smile then turned to Anderson. “Okay, that was my announcement, I’m sure you have questions.”“I’m going to have…” Anderson trailed off and Steve nodded.“Commercial break? I can wait,” Steve said gently then shrugged. “Plenty of time actually, I already quit SHIELD this afternoon.”Bucky dropped his cup.