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They touched down just before dawn at JFK on a commercial flight and rose bleary eyed from their seats. Steve had to wait until Sam got up and stepped out into the aisle to shift over clumsily and follow him. He hunched over as soon as he got to the aisle in an effort to avoid banging his head on the overhead compartment like he did when they boarded.
 
The five of them were the last on board having waited until everyone else dispersed to keep their heads down as much as possible. It wasn't required but clearly necessary if they wanted to get out of the airport without being recognized. For how the Accords blew up two years ago, Steve would have thought their return would be more of an affair. At least he thought T’Challa would have sent them back on one of his jets but the King had explained that this would be better. Steve secretly thought the man had just been glad to be rid of them. They had already set the date of their return for three days after today to fake out the press and no one would be expecting them on a commercial flight  under fake identities anyway. As far as anyone knew they were SI employees on their way home from a business trip to Brussels. Hence the nonexistent fanfare.
 
They had their fair share of supporters, sure. It was still best to err on the side of caution not knowing which would find them first.
 
So one by one they stretched briefly, grabbed their bags and trudged forward to the exit. The tunnel from the plane prevented them from getting their first on the ground look of home in close to 3 years. Soon, he reminded himself.
 
Steve sighed and kept moving through the crowds until they reached their driver holding up a rather unremarkable sign stating “Stark Industries”. It's not Happy that greets them though. Some other bland looking employee that they don’t know was in his place nodding his head in the direction of a black van with tinted windows and off they go. Wanda easily fell back asleep while everyone else couldn’t seem to stay still. Scott and Clint were both made aware that their families now reside at the compound and have been since Ross came for them in a bid for intel they didn't have. He understood the nervousness in them and even the alternating anger from Clint.
 
The archer's jaw ticked every few minutes or so as if remembering something unpleasant. Scott simply clutched the stuffed elephant he’d procured in Wakanda for his daughter in his hands. Long fingers flexed over the soft material in a rhythm Steve couldn’t catch. Sam just stared out of the window dark eyes drinking in their first up close glimpse of the landscape leading to the compound in years. It didn’t seem to matter that it wasn’t even his native D.C. Upstate New York was close enough. At least it was to Steve. He wouldn’t lie. It was a relief to finally be welcomed back home. The Alpha sighed and shifted in his seat. His knee bounced nervously. Their itinerary that was sent along with their travel paperwork had been clear.
 
Arrival Time--5:45 A.M.
 
Arrival at Avengers Compound--7:50 A.M.
 
Compound Tour with TBD--8:30 A.M.

Orientation with Captain Marvel--9:00 A.M.
 
They were to be given 48 hours to settle in properly and for Scott and Clint to reunite with their families before they would officially meet the new recruits Tony had added to the roster in their absence. In a little over 48 hours he would see Tony again. They had already been informed that the omega was otherwise occupied for the next few days with SI business or he would be meeting them earlier.
 
To say Steve was eager would be an understatement. He knew the moment he’d dropped his shield and walked away leaving Tony alone in that bunker something had broken between them. Something that could be fixed, he was sure, but still broken nonetheless. It was in the omega’s eyes from the moment he asked Steve if he knew what Bucky had done. That sad resignation and the building rage behind it. That look had haunted Steve many a night during their forced exile. Being Tony’s un official secondary Alpha meant they didn’t have a bond to sever.
 
Steve hadn’t exactly been looking for one and he knew Jim wasn’t interested in it for some reason and legally he had the final say.  Steve just thought he had an aversion to the practice even though it was common, even back in his day, for military families to have not only secondary Alphas (temporarily) but secondary bonds. Tony only had to broach the topic with him once before Jim made his feelings known and the omega had dropped it right there. He still allowed their relationship to continue. There was a certain logistical sense to it that made secondary Alphas or even a beta necessary in their situation. Tony didn’t like riding out heats alone and with his hormone imbalance caused by the arc reactor his heats were irregular and sometimes longer than usual.
 
It was a perfect fit. Jim never had to feel guilty for being on mission when one of Tony’s heats came unscheduled, Tony was taken care of, and Steve got to feed his Alpha instincts on a somewhat regular basis. They trusted each other, all three of them. Jim eventually warmed up to him enough to build a fledgling friendship and even invited Steve to join them during heats he’d be present for and bonding time outside of heats with just the three of them. They’d even begun broaching the topic of children with Tony having dialed back his involvement with the team after Ultron.
 
It felt normal. Safe. And Steve couldn't remember feeling that way since before Bucky had fallen off that train. The bombing brought all of that to a screaming halt.
 
Steve shook his head to rid himself of the memory of how it all changed. He didn’t need to go into this thinking of that. He held onto the hope that there was still something to work out. That Tony had received his letter and Rhodes had read it, too. That they were as able and ready to forgive and heal as he was even though they never once called or answered any of his messages. Because as much as he hated going against them he’d had to. Bucky deserved someone in his corner and while Steve could have handled it better he wouldn’t change a thing.
 
Steve startled at the small hand firmly pressing against his knee. He didn’t have to look down to know it was Wanda’s. Instead he glanced over to find her eyes still closed and head tilted back against the headrest.
 
“Stop, Steve.”
 
“Sorry Wanda, I just--”
 
“I know. You’re worrying very loudly. For what it’s worth as much as I loathe the man he won’t be able to resist you once you step foot in that compound. Rhodes be damned.”
 
Steve didn’t feel the need to voice his doubts. He was sure Jim wouldn’t keep Tony from him if that’s what the omega really desired even if it was well within his rights. It was more that Tony wouldn’t want to talk to him at all that had him on the fence. The omega could be stubborn and really dig his heels in when he wanted. On a good day Steve could change his tune with a good knotting but he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to be the case here. He wanted his omega back. He was ready to ask Jim to allow them all to bond and get a start on the family he was sure they all still wanted so they could move on from this mess.
 
He let Wanda’s confidence buoy his hopes.

There wasn’t much else he could do otherwise.

Steve found he didn’t much like what had been done to the compound. Many things had remained the same but just as much had changed over the course of the two years they had been gone. There was a second landing pad and an extra building separate from the main facility for one. Another was that there had been a whole new addition to the main building. More than anything he was constantly running into someone in the halls. Whereas before there was a handful of Avengers staff working during the day and extra help around to coordinate when they were on missions there was never this much….activity.
 
The main building had been converted from less of a dwelling and more of an office. There were state of the art labs where their common room had been and a brand new cafeteria in place of the large gymnasium he used to frequent. He was annoyed to say that the tour was actually needed for all that had changed. Along with it several packets were handed out containing envelopes with badges for entry into rooms in the main building. Supposedly to maintain privacy and security but the fact was that out of the main building including the addition that housed their quarters, as a group, the returning Avengers currently only had access to handful of main offices and conference rooms along with the cafeteria itself.
 
He was assured that many of their restrictions were temporary until they officially re-joined the team but that had stopped him dead in his tracks right there.
 
“What do you mean until we join officially. We signed the new Accords,” Steve said to their guide, Sanderson, a winsome young man, dressed in what looked like a standard Shield uniform minus the logo that was now the Avengers symbol.
 
Up until now the young man had been amiable and easily set Steve at ease with his refreshingly positive attitude. So many of the people they had met with while negotiating their return were somewhere between rude and vaguely hostile. Now the young man looked at each of them with a mildly perplexed expression.
 
“Well as per the briefing on your situation you should all be aware of the 90 day probation that all Avengers undergo before being activated. To...ensure...you’re mentally and physically fit for c-combat?” He began to stutter towards the end and it was probably a testament to the look on his face that the kid had stopped completely.
 
“Maybe I should take it from here?” Jim’s  familiar voice interrupted. Steve turned to find him there, dressed in simple dark jeans, t-shirt, and worn leather jacket. His stomach dropped suddenly when he noticed the sleek looking metal braces wrapped around his legs.
 
There were televised appearances where Jim walked with hitches in his step across the stage to greet dignitaries and journalists but none of that prepared him to see the other Alpha standing before him. His hands itched to reach out but instead he crossed his arms to keep himself under control. They’d never quite gotten to hugging even during their tentative friendship. Not all Alphas were comfortable with that kind of contact even with close friends. So, instead of reaching out for him like he wanted to after all this time he held out a hand as an olive branch. It would give the other man an easy way to welcome him back warmly without all of the political pettiness of the past few years.
 
Steve was convinced they could start over. Right here. Right now.
 
So he kept his hand outstretched between them fingers twitching in the awkward silence that followed.
 
Jim looked at him then his hand and nodded shortly at the display keep his own firmly clasped behind his back.
 
“Welcome back, Rogers,” he said, a little coldly if Steve was reading him properly. Their eyes met and he was sure that he was. There was no warmth there for him. Not a flicker of admiration or fondness. Just cold, impersonal professionalism.
 
“Agent Sanderson, if you’ll go collect the rest of the team and lead them to the assigned conference room. I’ll get Captain Rogers there myself.”
 
“Yes, sir,” Agent Sanderson, said quickly and darted off back the way they came, eager to get away from the two Alphas, to the new addition containing housing for the various members of the team. His absence brought on a new form of awkwardness between them.
 
You see, while Steve had been the primary Alpha of the Avengers, Rhodey had always been the primary in his relationship with Tony. An important distinction that had them both posturing when they first met each other the day following the Battle of New York and whenever they didn’t see eye to eye about the omega in question. Whereas Steve and the other team members had to acquaint themselves with the tower’s remaining living quarters Jim simply landed on the roof and proceeded directly to the common floor and right into Tony’s space.
 
He immediately had Tony crowded against a wall with his nose pressed to the omega’s exposed throat. Steve had watched how easily Tony Stark submitted to this new Alpha and had to admit his interest was piqued. Here was a completely different Tony Stark from the cocky and arrogant man he met hours prior. This man tilted his head back automatically to allow unfettered access to his clearly marked bonding gland, his skin was flushed delicately, and he even purred once Jim mouthed over it. When the Alpha finally lifted his head Tony’s eyes were still lowered in deference. Steve remembered the twin feelings of shock and arousal that had spread through him. Of course Anthony Edward Stark was as attractive as he was brilliant but his attitude had Steve on the fence. To have seen him like that, all demure and sweet, had him wishing he was Stark’s primary instead.
 
Perhaps that was the wrong foot they had started out on. It was damn near impossible for Steve to hide his attraction after that and the more the Avengers began to integrate into Tony Stark’s life the more Jim appeared to keep an eye on things. Tony was never left alone with Steve, the only other Alpha on the team, and was always escorted by either his Alpha, Miss Potts, or Happy.  It took months for them to earn a rapport and even longer to develop affection. Once Tony showed interest in him it was almost a foregone conclusion. It was clear from the beginning that James Rhodes had a problem saying ‘no’ to his omega, something Steve hoped to work on in the future to keep a better handle Tony for his own good.
 
Steve followed Jim to a rather large but empty conference room and without a word motioned for him to sit down. The room was both high tech and grounded in things like wood paneling for an accent wall and warm auburn furnishings sporting coffee and pastries. The glass surface of the table lit up the second Steve rested his hand on it boasting holo screens at each seat. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Tony had designed it after all.
 
“Shouldn't we wait for the rest of my team?” Steve asked trying to keep his tone even.
 
Jim fixed him with a stern look that melted instantly into something more easy and open. Approachable is the word Natasha would have used if she were here. He hadn’t seen her yet and before he could think to ask her Jim was answering him.
 
“They'll be joining us shortly. I thought I would take some time with you to discuss how things will be going forward as far as our relationship is concerned,” Jim said placidly. That had Steve sitting up straight with interest and burgeoning hope. Perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as he feared.
 
“I would like that, Jim,” Steve said earnestly, slipping back into old habits as if he'd never been made to leave them in the first place. “It's been a rough few years.”
 
Jim chuckled. “Don't I know it!”
 
“I missed you,” Steve said, because he had. Even if there would never be anything romantic between them they had all the makings of a platonic bond all their own. One that he hoped to resume in due time.
 
“Well, I can't say the same,” Jim answered immediately crushing that hope. Steve blinked back at him suddenly unsure of how to regain his footing. Which of course gave Rhodes the opening he needed to continue.
 
“I see you're still listing us as your significant others on your paperwork. I have to request that you stop as a sign of respect.”
 
The room felt too warm all of a sudden. He shivered anyway at the no nonsense way Rhodes looked at him. As if this were a simple everyday conversation and not the sucker punch that it was.
 
“Am I missing something?”
 
“I don't think so. I'm sure it was a simple oversight on your part but I would appreciate it if you corrected it going forward so there's no further confusion,” He replied like his words weren't ripping the rug right out from under Steve.
 
“Jim-”
 
“Colonel Rhodes, please.”
 
Steve swallowed uncomfortably aware that he needed to choose his words carefully.
 
“I don't understand. I wasn't aware that our partnership and my relationship with Tony had ended. Sure, we had our disagreement over the Accords but it’s nothing we can’t work through with time!”
 
“Disagreement,” Rhodes said with raised eyebrows.
 
“Is that what you call lying to your omega, to me, for years and assaulting him when he doesn’t fall to his knees with empathy for his parents’ killer?” Rhodes asked then snorted. “Disagreement, sure.”
 
“Rhodes, you know I had no choice. I had to protect Bucky and it was the only way. Besides you guys clearly got my letter or we wouldn’t be here.”
 
“Right, that pathetic attempt at an apology. Tell me something, Rogers, is it really an apology if you don’t believe you did anything wrong?”
 
“I know I was wrong to lie to him about his parents but look what happened! He nearly killed Bucky!”
 
“And you nearly killed him! Or did you forget that the suit keeps a recording of his every move when he’s inside. I’ve seen every second of his trip to Siberia up to and including you slamming your vibranium shield into his chest. Thank God he had the reactor removed or he would have died right then.”
 
“No, he was talking when we left. He was fine!”
 
“Is three broken ribs fine? How about a cracked sternum? Or a fractured eye socket? No wait, let’s talk about being left in frigid temperatures for 16 hours. 16 hours by the way that I couldn’t get to him because I was in surgery feeling so much of his panic that they had to max out the amount of anesthesia allowed for a man of my size just to keep me under. All because you decided you couldn’t trust us. And now you want to what? Pick up where we left off? Start a family? Do you really think we could trust you after that? That I would trust you with him?”
 
Steve was at a loss. Truth be told once he had arrived in Wakanda after rescuing the rest of his team he had avoided the media after Tony’s initial press conference addressing their spat. The omega had looked well...not exactly okay but definitely not as injured as Rhodes was saying, especially for it having been 2 weeks after Siberia. He’d had a limp and moved gingerly to and from the podium. That was as much as he could tell. He’d gone on to condemn the actions of his former team and that was where Steve had cut off the TV amid the justified anger of Clint, Wanda, and Sam. Could Tony have really been that bad off?
 
Steve’s jaw clenched at the very idea then released as soon as the protective instincts crept up on him. He had done that. If this was true and Rhodes had no reason to lie to him then Steve had put his lover in the hospital. His stomach turned and sweat broke out along his hairline. He needed to see Tony. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. He had to see he was alright with his own two eyes. The need was like an itch beneath his skin making him nervous and twitchy.
 
“Jim--Colonel Rhodes I need to talk to--”
 
“No.”
 
“Please--I can’t.”
 
“The answer is no,” Jim said resolutely and no he wasn’t Jim anymore and probably never would be again. As the man himself said he was Colonel Rhodes to Steve now and it was unlikely to change anytime soon. His mind spun or maybe that was just the room. Everything felt off kilter now, even more than when he dragged Bucky from that bunker thinking he was just leaving Tony to cool down.
 
“I just want to see that he’s alright and to apologize,” Steve tried to impress upon him.
 
“Are you even sorry? Do you know what you’re sorry for?” Rhodes said with a snort.
 
Steve looked away from him ignoring for the moment that by doing so he was conceding Rhodes’ point. He couldn’t let Tony kill Bucky, that was something he would never regret. His friend was all he had left from his old life and he couldn’t let him be hurt again. Everything else though. He could apologize for that. He should and he would apologize if he could get Rhodes to agree.
 
“If we’re ever going to be on the same team again I need to work things out with him,” Steve said in as neutral a tone as possible. It was a start at least, Rhodes had to admit that. Maybe when Tony got back from his trip they could all sit down and just talk it out.  
 
“At this point it’s very unlikely Tony will be on a team with anyone. As of now he’s a consultant to the initiative and on leave from Stark Industries, not that it’s any of your concern. Piloting the armor is out of the question indefinitely.”
 
Rhodes seemed to relish the sharp intake of breath he’d caused with that news. Meanwhile Steve thought he could hear a loud ringing in his ears. While it was good for Tony to take a break from Avenging as an omega it really just brought it all home. This was real. Tony would not be fighting with them. He likely wouldn’t even be around much for Steve to even run into him. Not only would Steve not be able to make amends he wouldn’t even get the opportunity to try.
 
“With that said. There is no reason for you to seek him out or for you to even be in the same room together. If he ever wishes to contact you I certainly won’t stand in his way but you can bet he won’t be alone. I trusted you once against my better judgement because Tony trusted and wanted you in our lives. I won’t be making that mistake again.”
 
His words hit Steve square in the chest, every single one leaving him gasping around a sob. He was saved from a complete breakdown by the sound of several sets of footsteps and the door opening. His team entered chattering loudly about new additions to the compound and what they liked and didn’t like about it. Blinked when Natasha slipped in the room after them sporting a blonde bob. She squeezed his his shoulder on her way to her seat between Clint and the head of the table where Rhodes sat. They all filled out the remaining seats around them unaware of the bomb Rhodes had just dropped on him until they caught a whiff of the distressed Alpha scent rolling off him in waves.
 
“Is everything okay, Steve?” Clint asked. His gaze darted between Rhodes and Steve suspiciously. Beside him Wanda’s eyes narrowed in Rhodes’ direction not moving even when the door opened a second time and a tall blonde Alpha walked in with closely cropped hair, wearing a very casual looking worn in t-shirt and jeans.
 
“Rhodes,” she said in greeting. The relaxed and open look that crossed his face made Steve grimace in memory of when that look was directed at him.
 
“Carol, glad to see you’re back,” Rhodes said. He stood and stepped aside for the woman, Carol, to sit down in his place.
 
“This is Carol Danvers also known as Captain Marvel. She will be co-leading the team with me although for the next few months she will be acting as your sole CO in my absence. Do not and I repeat do not test her.”
 
The woman’s lips quirked in response before she turned to fix them all with a stern look that drew all of their attention away from Rhodes slipping out the door to attend to some kind of business.
 
“Welcome back to the Avengers Compound. As you all saw on your tour, much has changed.”
 
Steve couldn’t help but tune her out as she went over their reintegration to the initiative and the US. There were supposedly a lot of changes to the structure of the team that they had to go over but Steve could only focus on the fact that Rhodes had left to go deal with something. Something more important than this that he didn’t bother to elaborate on. Clearly not something to do with Tony as he had already said the man was out of town on business. Then again Rhodes had also said Tony was on leave from SI.
 
“Any other questions?” Steve tensed to keep himself from startling too badly at Carol wrapping things up. He’d have to ask Sam or Nat for specifics about what was said, especially since the new AI at the compound hadn’t been fully installed yet, according to Agent Sanderson, and hence there would be no recording of the meeting he could watch.
 
“I noticed on the map there’s an area on the west end of the new living quarters that’s blocked off like we don’t have access,” Natasha spoke up.
 
“That’s because you do not have access to the west wing of the living quarters,” Carol said simply as if that were the end of the argument.
 
“If they’re just living quarters then why the need for secrecy?” Natasha pressed innocently and Steve could have kissed her.
 
“Who’s staying there?” Steve asked before Carol could answer. There was a tightening just around her eyes that smoothed out instantly as she responded.
 
“Currently? No one. That area is specifically set aside for visiting dignitaries and representatives should they have a need for accommodations. Just a couple of suites that are not that much different from yours. We prefer to keep them closed off for security purposes while they’re not being occupied. Is that all?”
 
Steve fought back a grin as he inclined his head politely. The others must have done much of the same as Carol stood and made for the door.
 
“The first round of psych evals will start tomorrow morning at 9am. Please adhere to the itinerary in your rooms to keep up with your appointments. Tardiness will not be tolerated past a warning. You’re all on the standard probationary period starting today and I would hate for a misstep to derail the teams progress. Dismissed.”
 
And with that she was gone, the door swung shut behind her while they all remained seated. Steve could feel the energy buzzing beneath his skin as Natasha asked.
 
“So, who actually believes that bullshit about the west wing being empty?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They waited a half hour after getting back to their quarters to act. They all couldn’t go even if the AI that was supposed to run the compound wasn’t active without raising alarm so it was decided that Sam, Wanda, and Scott would stay behind. It wasn’t exactly a hardship for Scott or Sam who seemed apathetic at best about the whole idea. Wanda stewed over being left behind though, convinced that Tony had built some other kind of murder bot and was keeping it under wraps. She still relented that she wasn’t the best for stealth and huffed about it when they left.
 
There were still cameras strategically placed in the halls and someone to monitor them though. It took some doing but with Natasha and Clint on his side it took less than twenty minutes to circumvent the security cameras with Natasha peeling back an access panel obscured by a blind spot and putting her hacking skills to good use.  From there they made their way to the west wing with little to no interference until they reached the corridor Natasha indicated would lead to the rooms in question.
 
He’d lost both of them to distracting a set of guards as they passed by in the hall for a change over. As soon as Clint and Natasha began walking away with the guards trading stories as they went he slipped around the corner and took a look at his choice of suites to investigate. The first thing he noticed was that there was a door marked “Authorized Only” on one end of the hall with a window that clearly showed some sort of maintenance corridor. He found it strange that it was unlocked and not blocked by key card access like most everything else. The second was that it seemed all of the doors in this corridor were open access.
 
There were three in total with two doors on one side of the hall and one on the other. The one on the far side had a sliver of light shining just beneath the ornate looking glass door while the others were dark. He supposed that just meant that if anyone were staying there they might be doing something that didn’t involve what was likely the common area of the room but his gut told him otherwise. The smell hit him first fast and hard dredging up memories that kept him sane during his exile. It was sweeter than the usual twining of rosewood and metal verging on saccharine but still meant to pull you in.  
 
Rhodes said he was away but that was clearly a lie. Tony was here and Rhodes’ scent was faint as if it were hours old or perhaps just muted under the burgeoning scent. Irritation spiked within him. He’d left Tony alone for that long?
 
Arousal, warm and thick, filled his senses and had him on alert. In the seconds since, it was all he could smell it was so pervasive it was almost overwhelming. Almost like...the smell of Tony’s heat with something else unknown intertwined. The realization slammed into him so forcefully he rocked back on his heels feeling hot all over again.
 
Tony was here and he was in heat. Just a door away. He wondered if the omega would turn him away being so vulnerable. It would practically be necessary! Surely Rhodes couldn’t properly take care of him during a heat these days with his injury. It didn’t make the man any less of an Alpha but it was a fact that stood out in his mind. How could Rhodes have turned him away, no matter how he felt about the situation, if it would leave Tony in pain during his heat? It was downright foolhardy and irresponsible to force Tony to make do. He needed a secondary to help bridge the gap. It was that thought that gave him the courage to wrap his fingers around the handle and ease the door open quietly.
 
A soft groan caught his attention and filled his heart with ice. He’d spent years with Tony. He knew every one of Tony’s moans and cries of passion.
 
That was not his omega's voice.
 
Steve's muscles tensed on instinct ready to strike if needed. His mind was already working overtime on possible explanations. Maybe they had contacted a service like they had used in the past when Rhodes had to go dark? It could have been a willing beta friend that offered to help out until Rhodes could be present himself. Steve was willing to believe anything other than the obvious. He’d considered it of course. It was always a possibility or so Sam had reminded him.
 
At first he saw nothing but dark shapes in the dimly lit room. Thankfully his eyes were quick to adjust and as soon as they did he wished they hadn’t. The decor was minimal with a kitchen off to the left and living room right in front of it with plush couches and a large television adhered to the wall. The room was filled with lilies another hint that Tony had to be here if the scent hadn’t already given him away. It was one of his comfort items during a heat. Steve pushed the door closed quietly, lest anyone else catch the scent and come running, and slipped further into the room unable to stop himself now. What if Tony were actually in danger? He didn’t smell distress but sometimes that wasn’t an accurate measure. If what he was smelling and reacting to was in anyway accurate then Tony was starting his heat and he might not even have had his wits about him from the start of whatever this was.

Not that. Not that. Please, not that.

There just ahead of him was a couch facing the kitchen with two brunette heads resting on the back of the couch one braced more against the other’s shoulder. He watched, stunned and immobile as the Tony himself arched and moaned loudly, letting his head fall back further over the edge to bare his sweat covered neck.  Steve wanted to say something, anything to draw Tony’s attention away from whoever he was with but his voice was caught in his throat. Suddenly the sounds of the room caught up with him unbidden.
 
“So beautiful for me. Spread open wide on my cock, hot and wet, desperate for release you won’t be getting,” the voice was deep and rich with amusement that made Steve’s jaw clench hard against the growl building in his throat.
 
The sound of skin slapping against skin was both distinct and horrifying to him along with the other man’s voice softly murmuring in Tony’s ear causing the omega to whine. The foreign scent became clearer to him with the shock of it all. Another Alpha was here, fucking Tony through his heat. His fingers curled into a fist and he began to stalk from the entryway to the couch intent on rectifying this. How dare this unknown Alpha take advantage while Tony was vulnerable!
 
He got about 10 paces away from where Tony was clearly bouncing on this strange Alpha’s cock when he noticed something rather impossible that had him dropping down to the floor in a crouch. There above them wrapped in an orange light, that was very reminiscent of Wanda’s magic, was an oval mirror canted at such an angle that Steve could see exactly what was happening. Any closer and he was sure the couple on the couch would have seen him.
 
“Look, omega,” the alpha crooned making Steve sick to his stomach and even more nauseous at how Tony’s eyes snapped open to look at the mirror above them. Steve nearly choked on his own saliva at the glazed look he saw reflected there as he took it all in.
 
Tony sat fully naked on the other Alpha’s lap, stuffed full of a thick cock, with his legs spread wide over the other man’s clothed knees while the Alpha’s right arm crossed from his stomach to the opposite shoulder holding him in place against him as he thrust up into him at a faster pace. The man’s other oddly scarred hand trembled as it slowly slid down past Tony's quivering belly and ignored his hard omega cock, which was surrounded in a glowing sort of cock ring that wrapped around the base and his balls, to press against the puffy rim of his hole.  This was perhaps the only unsurprising thing about the scene before him.
 
Tony was never allowed to come until Rhodes joined them if he was available for his heat. The one rule Rhodes had given him aside from the obvious directive to stay away from Tony’s bonding gland. Tony’s first orgasm in heat was always meant for Rhodes if they could swing it. Steve never got the full story as to why. Something to do with the very early days of their relationship back at MIT that was clearly very private. It didn’t mean Tony couldn’t take a knot to take off the edge though.
 
Tony whimpered and arched again causing the Alpha to moan along with him. Suddenly, Tony bounced harder, his body jerking in a quick rhythm that could only be a result of the snap of the Alpha’s hips. From looking at the floating mirror Steve could see the evidence of tear tracks running down his cheek bones which were more prominent than before. Tony’s eyes were locked on the reflection in the mirror even as he instinctually shifted and nuzzled into the Alpha’s neck, their facial hair brushing across one each other’s cheeks,  and his breath hitched with each thrust crying out sharply and loudly.
 
“Magnificent isn’t it?” the Alpha asked breathlessly. “You want to come don’t you? You know the rules though. You’re going to be so good for us aren’t you? ”
 
Tony’s answering cries filled the room so loudly that Steve couldn’t help but to begin growling. Everything about this had his instincts screaming wrong, wrong, wrong!
 
“Rhodey!” Tony cried out for Rhodes and the mystery Alpha just grinned as his knot started to catch on the omega’s rim growing rapidly until he slammed home one last time and stilled with a deep satisfying groan that Steve was ashamed to say he felt in his own groin.
 
“Soon, baby, he’ll be back soon. You’ll wait for him won’t you? Of course you will you’ve been so good for us today.”
 
“Y-yes,” the answer strained around soft gasps. “Always.”
 
“And let me take care of you until then. You can be good, right, sweetheart? Let me take the edge off?”
 
“Please, Alpha!”
 
It broke something in him to hear Tony call out like that. It startled him back into motion and carried him forward to the couch. At the sight of the reflection showing the Alpha’s knot stretching Tony’s abused hole Steve growled loudly startling both of them out of the moment with comically wide eyed expressions on their faces.
 
The mirror disappeared in a wisp of orange light leaving him to round the couch to glare down the Alpha that had encroached on his territory. Because no matter what his brain told him about how Rhodes felt about the matter he still considered Tony one of his and he always would in someway. And that meant no one was going to take advantage of him. Not on Steve’s watch.
 
There was a flurry of movement before him where Tony simultaneously tried to close his legs and block the other Alpha from his view all the while the blood seemed to have drained from his face leaving him looking pale. Distress tainted the sweet scent that previously dominated the room.
 
“What the fuck, Rogers?” The other Alpha barked at him blue eyes flashing dangerously. Steve finally looked at him fully as well committing the lean lines of his face and strikingly familiar facial hair to memory should he somehow manage to escape this. Tony sobbed either from the knot or the Alpha’s  tone of voice and kept trying to close his legs only to wince and whimper at the discomfort.
 
“Shh baby,” the Alpha soothed. “You can’t close them yet. It’ll hurt and you know how much I hate it when you hurt. Just breathe, Tony. Can you do that for me?”
 
Tony stopped squirming on his lap immediately but remained tense despite the Alpha nosing along his jaw while still keeping a wary eye on Steve. Steve didn’t miss the way Tony stroked the watch on his wrist and noted that it was probably the same gauntlet watch Bucky described to him. The Alpha was safe for now. Steve couldn’t go after him until his knot went down. Not without hurting Tony and he had already decided that was out of the question, his pride be damned. Tony would not be hurt by him again.
 
“Why, Steve?” Tony managed to get out in that sleepy slurry voice Steve remembered from their times together.  
 
“It’s okay, Tony. I’m here,” Steve said softly trying to remain calm so as not to upset his omega further. Tony’s brow furrowed seemingly in confusion. The Alpha beneath him just continued to pet him.
 
“Not ‘posed to be,” Tony said with an angry little furrow to his brow that would have looked adorable if not for the situation at hand. The other Alpha gently ran his fingers up his sides and chest until he reached Tony's neck on the left side where his secondary bonding gland sat plump and reddened. Steve opened his mouth to scold the man for that act alone only to end up dropping his jaw further when those deft fingers brushed lightly over the spot with no resistance. The touch alone caused a full body shiver that left Tony pliant and soft.
 
“So good for me,” the man purred and though it wasn't directed at him Steve swore he heard a hint of smugness.
 
And now Steve was both horrified and confused. Never in the years they had been together had he ever been aloud to even breathe on that spot let alone touch it. Tony had always flinched away when Steve even pressed his lips to that side of his neck.
 
Steve’s eyes darted downward to where Tony was regrettably tied and he checked for any visible evidence of tearing or blood. Just then Tony released a high pitch whine that had Steve’s gaze snapping up to fully look at him. The alpha moved his hands in a quick sudden movement that Steve didn’t understand or recognize. Nothing immediately came of it though.
 
Sweat covered every inch of Tony and plastered his hair to his forehead. As Steve suspected, he’d lost quite a bit of weight since he’d last seen him and his hip bones were more prominent than before along with his ribs. He’d lost some muscle definition as well probably from not lifting in his shop as regularly as before. More striking than anything was the scarring spanning across his flushed chest some familiar like the remains of the arc reactor and some new. It was pretty gruesome if he had to describe it at all. The Alpha barked something at him then suddenly aware of his staring. His voice sounded much further away the longer Steve looked.
 
There was a thick vertical scar that stretched more than 6 inches long and easily 2 inches wide. He’d remembered reading somewhere that it was rumored Tony’d had many surgeries in the past few years to correct something to do with his heart. Steve assumed that without official word it wasn’t that serious. Routine even. Crossing over the breast area was another scar that curved downwards and stretched across the width of his chest.  Even healed it looked livid and dark. The shape was familiar to him. He’d seen it after removing his shield from reinforced walls and in the imprints on the armors and tac vests his enemies wore. Yes, he knew it quite well. Steve moved much too quickly and Tony cried out in response bringing his arms up to block himself from view. It stopped Steve short of standing between his still open legs his instincts calling out for him to soothe.
 
A soft whoosh sound and a rustle of fabric caught his attention as he watched a thick red blanket slip over the couch of its own accord and come to rest over Tony’s entire frame blocking him from Steve’s view.
 
“Better late than never,” the Alpha muttered with a snort.
 
“You need to leave, now,” the Alpha then hissed through bared teeth.  It was clear that Tony couldn’t take loud voices at the moment no matter who it was directed at, but Steve found he couldn’t move.
 
He was close enough to see that Tony was trembling so hard the man under him had to wrap his arms around his waist to help keep him from moving too much. The other Alpha growled, probably on pure instinct, at him in warning when he took another step. Steve reached out  and his hovered over where the scar was now hidden from him.
 
He’d done that. That sick feeling came back and had him turning and dropping to his knees. He gripped the coffee table that separated the two couches and dry heaved remembering that in all his anxiety about getting to the compound he’d forgotten to eat.
 
It was one thing to hear it from Rhodes or watch Tony on TV from a far. It was quite another to see the evidence of Tony’s injuries plain as day. Behind them all the front door opened then closed and something that sounded heavy hit the floor with a crinkle.
 
“Carol, I need back up in the west wing immediately. No, no just you.  Rogers is here and my omega and secondary are compromised.”
 
Logically, Steve knew he had minutes before he was dragged out of the room and that he should move or at least be on his own two feet when they came for him. Who knew where Natasha and Clint were at this point so he couldn’t count on any kind of back up.  It would probably be easy overpower Rhodes and escape and this other Alpha--no their new secondary, the bitter part of him wouldn’t let him forget--was still tied to an increasingly hysterical omega and therefore wasn’t a threat. He shifted and stood only to have another wave of nausea hit him when he glanced Tony’s way. He looked terrified, no matter how much the Alpha wrapped around him nuzzled and petted him.
 
Steve ached to go to him even took a tentative step forward when both the secondary Alpha and Rhodes growled deeply at him. Rhodes’ was accented by the quiet click of the safety mechanism being switched off on the side arm he drew and aimed Steve's way or more specifically directly at his head. Steve held his hands up in defeat.
 
The bitter scent of distress had now overtaken the previous pre-heat smell and turned his stomach even more. Now that he knew that this guy wasn’t just some lunatic out to take advantage of an omega ripe with heat pheromones he was more than a little bit confused as to why Tony was still upset. If he wasn’t in full heat then his range of emotions should be closer to normal.
 
“I don’t mean any harm,” Steve said still trying to at least help soothe the upset omega. Maybe he could convince Rhodes this was all a misunderstanding. He’d really had good intentions from the start.
 
“He doesn’t know that,” Mystery Alpha said slowly as if Steve wouldn’t be unable to comprehend otherwise. His hands slid up and down Tony’s stomach as the tremors started to subside. Tony still avoided looking at him keeping his face tucked away.
 
“Stephen,” Rhodes said softly. This Stephen didn’t take his eyes off Steve and didn’t even glance away to adjust his head and rub his beard against Tony’s cheek. It helped to calm Tony down even more as he released the tight hold he had on the blanket that also appeared to be shifting on its own. Just what the hell kind of magic was going on here?  “Are you...?”
 
“Well this wasn’t how we’d hoped you would find us, but yes.”
 
“Please tell me it’s going down.”
 
“Not enough. In another couple of minutes perhaps,” Stephen answered seeming quite exasperated by his own body's reluctance to adhere to his current needs. He made a quiet shushing noise when Tony tried to shift to see himself and tugged against him. “Settle, it’s okay, I promise. Rhodes is here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.”
 
“Of course he’s safe! He’s--”
 
“Scared...of you,” Stephen sneered. “He’s just starting his heat, his hormones are going haywire, and ever since your...altercation his heats and his state during them have been severely erratic. Clearly he’s a bit more emotional than usual what with you threatening us when he’s tied and vulnerable.”
 
“What? I didn’t threaten him! I just-”
 
“Burst in on us while we were knotting? He has nightmares about--”
 
“Stephen! That’s none of his business,” Rhodes said evenly. He’d come closer to stand against the back of the couch. He momentarily reached down to squeeze his secondary’s shoulder and run his fingers through Tony’s hair and scratch at his scalp. The rest of the tension went right out of Tony and he went lax in Stephen’s arms again. Ironically that was when they became aware of his knot having gone down enough for him to slip out of Tony albeit with an uncomfortable sharp tug that had them both wincing.
 
“Well, so much for that, hmm?” Stephen muttered into Tony’s damp hair.
 
“Stephen could you get him out of here? Maybe take him to the Sanctum?”
 
Steve’s instincts rang out in alarm. They were taking his omega away! They couldn’t!
 
“Where the hell is that?” Steve wanted to know feeling as if he were unravelling. He got the sense that once Tony left this room he wouldn’t be seeing him for a very long time.  
 
“Well, we were headed there anyway before his heat started to come on a bit earlier than expected. Come on, sweetheart,” Stephen said in a soft voice as if Steve weren’t even there.  He maneuvered them gently until they were both standing with Tony leaning heavily on him. Miraculously the blanket secured itself around Tony as if it had a mind of its own. One corner curved around the back of his shoulder and flexed as if it were staring right at the super soldier.
 
“Keep your eyes closed as long as you want. I’ve got you and you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to.”
 
“Tony, please!” Steve tried because he had to. There was no other option for him now. “I’m so sorry. For this and everything. You have to believe me. I never wanted to hurt you!”
 
“And yet, here you are,” Stephen drawled as they moved.
 
Tony squeezed his eyes closed tight and turned further into Stephan’s side stunning Steve even further. He really was afraid of him. At least in this base state he was. Stephen drew a circle in the air with orange sparks. The circle gave way to a portal that showed a completely different room filled with an ornate looking bed, a desk, and various artifacts. He could see bits of Tony around the room, as well, in the form of a tablet on the bed and spare parts littering the floor sending a pang of hurt ringing through him.
 
“I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed in you if you shot him,” Stephen tossed over his shoulder right before they stepped through and disappeared from sight. The portal closed behind them leaving no hint that it had ever been there to begin with. Steve knew he was gaping but couldn’t help himself. It was all too much.
 
“So, you found a new secondary? Didn’t seem to wait too long,” Steve couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. This must have been why Rhodes was adamant about him removing the secondary status from his forms. “It must be serious if you’re looking to avoid any confusion.”
 
“Once again,” Rhodes said not lowering his weapon. Steve was a lot of things but not stupid enough to provoke him. At this distance not even he could survive a bullet to the head. He had a fair chance at dodging but without his shield he didn’t like his chances and he couldn’t bring himself to try. Rhodes wouldn’t even get a slap on the wrist for defending his mates from an intruder if that was in fact what they all were to each other. Some part of him still clung to the fact that they clearly hadn’t bonded. Tony still only had one bonding mark over the gland on the right side of his neck. The left was plump and unbroken.
 
“It’s none of your business but seeing as you’re about to be in a world of trouble and we likely won’t be speaking again for a good long time I might as well give you the update. Stephen is an old friend of Tony’s and by proxy me not that you would know since you had very little interest in his life outside of the Avengers when we were together. We reconnected when a colleague of his asked him to consult on Tony’s case as one of the best neurosurgeons in the country albeit a retired one.” Rhodes said.
 
“So really, we have you to thank. If you hadn’t been so intent on slamming your fists into Tony’s head he might not have had that little brain bleed that brought Stephen back into our lives. Thanks for that. After, he stuck around. He didn’t treat Tony as...well...you know how they treat omegas when an Alpha raises their hand to them...he helped us heal. And now we have one last chance to try for a pregnancy before...well let's just say we're going to take it while we can.”
 
Steve didn’t have a chance to respond despite the terrible feeling that settled within in him Rhodes’ words.  Carol seemingly materialized in the open doorway and stepped inside, still dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, hands glowing brightly and curling into tight fists. Rhodes lowered his gun and relief seemed to flood him. He shifted out of the way as Carol rounded the couch. Not that it was necessary. He knew when he was beat.
 
“See, Rogers, this is why we have probationary periods. Iron out our differences weed out the bad apples,” Carol said conversationally though the storm in her eyes belied her anger. “Are we going to have a problem? Please say yes.”
 
Steve shook his head keeping his eyes on Rhodes’ cold glare as she powered down and pulled a set of cuffs that looked rather ordinary.  They tightened and hummed to life as soon as they clicked closed.
 
“I’ll take care of this,” she said to Rhodes in a more friendly tone. “We’ll get your statement once you’re back.  He can cool off in holding until then. And don't worry about planning to bust out, Rogers. We’ve upped our game since your break out of your friends in the Raft. Just thought I'd save you some time.”
 
“Thank you,” Rhodes said gratefully already holstering his gun.
 
He pulled at the sleeve of his jacket revealing a thin black band wrapped around his wrist then slid his fingertips across the surface. The band glowed the same shade of orange as the portal had. It was no great shock to see another portal open directly in front of Rhodes revealing what looked like the same room Stephen and Tony stepped into. In fact Stephen stood off to the side clearly waiting for Rhodes to step through. Steve took in all he could see of the place feeling as if he were unable to look anywhere else. His gaze rested heavily on a lump on the bed covered in layers of blankets that had to be Tony. Rhodes stepped through easily and unencumbered no sign of the braces he'd worn earlier on his person shocking Steve one last time. Rhodes blocked Tony from view and that was the last he saw of them.
 
That and Stephen’s smug look right as the portal closed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tony was halfway through integrating Jocasta with the compound's servers when the first cramp hit him a week ahead of schedule. Typical. His heats hadn't been the same since Afghanistan and grew worse after the shock to his system in Siberia. Initially, he shook it off. Nowadays his preheat stage could range from an hour's warning to a full 24 hours of stomach cramping, irritating muscle spasms, and on those special days, lower back pain from being bedridden with the cramps and muscle spasms. No. He would finish the install and be out before anyone aside from his Alphas knew he was here. Of course the cramps increased in length and frequency until he found himself hunched over a low terminal clutching his gut for several long minutes. He had to admit he was beat.
 
His options were limited considering the day and the time. Right about now Rhodey would be prepping for his meeting with their former teammates and Stephen was in Kamar Taj investigating some kind of inter-dimensional anomaly Wong contacted him about. Who knew if he was even on this plane of existence.
 
His phone rang loudly next to him. Rhodey. Oh, good. Perfect.
 
“What's wrong?” Rhodey surpassed any polite greeting to ask.
 
“Well, hi to you, too, Honeybear,” Tony responded flatly.
 
“Tones I don’t have a lot of time before--”
 
“Cramping,” Tony groaned through another one, blessedly shorter this time. He was lucky he hadn’t started to slick yet. Thank Thor for small mercies. He came to admit over the years that with his hormone imbalance he could put out enough slick to drown a man during his heats.
 
“Fuck, you’re early,” Rhodey sounded like he was moving. “How long?”
 
“Just started about 15 minutes ago. Tried to finish the installation but I don’t think I’m gonna meet that deadline.”
 
“Since when have you especially cared about deadlines?”
 
“Uh, since we’re supposed to be wrapping up loose ends this week so we can bond with our super hot wizard boyfriend next week with no interruptions. Shoulda known it was a fucking pipe dream.”
 
“I’m calling Stephen,” Rhodey said. “He can portal to you and at least get you home. I don’t like the idea of you being here in heat with Rogers in the building.”
 
“Don’t call Stephen!” Tony nearly shouted.
 
If he could get to the elevator he could get to one of the suites in the west wing and hole up for a little while.
 
“You’re in Server room Gamma right?” Rhodey asked. “And why the hell not?”
 
“He’s doing the thing with Wong with the other dimensions,” Tony said. He forced himself to move towards the elevator careful not to trip over any equipment. If he fell down now he was pretty sure he’d just have to lie there, wait for Rhodey to find him and, of course, he’d never let him live it down once his heat was over.  Thankfully, it was a short distance, and he made it without further incident, practically hurling himself into the metal box and jamming his keycard into place to grant him access to the 5th floor via the service elevator. He sighed heavily as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to bypass the other floors.
 
Now if his body could just cooperate for a little while longer.
 
“I’m in the private elevator. Gonna take it up to 5th floor and hole up in the west wing. I haven’t started producing slick yet so you know at least we’ve got that going for us. I won’t be stinking up the place just yet. Meet me there?”
 
He heard Rhodey curse over the line as he probably had to about face and redirect himself.
 
“Fuck, I hate this.”
 
“I know, Tones, I know. I’ll be there in five. I can only go so fast without making anyone suspicious. Just breathe for me and take your time.”
 
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Still a few weeks out from letting people in on the secret. Who came up with that dumb idea? Oh right, me. I really know how to shoot myself in the foot.”
 
“Hey, it was the right decision. Ross was never going to let up if he knew how I really got my legs back so to speak. We were in a tight spot and you got us out of it.”
 
“Fat load of good it does me now,” Tony grunted. Another cramp started up making him feel like his insides were being twisted and squeezed.
 
“Come on, one more floor, one more floor. Rhodey how close are you?”
 
At this point he was definitely going to need some help getting to their suite. The doors finally slid open on a darkened hallway, lit by blue service lights, and Rhodey’s concerned face.
 
“Uhh.”  
 
“Thank fuck.” Tony stumbled forward into Rhodey’s arms just happy to not have to go it alone anymore. Rhodey’s arms circled around his waist and pulled him right up against the other man’s chest leaving Tony to drop his forehead on Rhodey’s shoulder. He breathed deep, sucking in the pleasant scent that seemed to always focus him instantly. It didn’t completely abate his symptoms but they suddenly seemed tolerable now that Rhodey was there. He inhaled deeply just for good measure and felt his muscles relax.
 
“Are the heat filters active?” Tony asked.
 
“According to security, yes. And the cameras aren’t active for this hallway only for the one leading to the suites after a surprise but very necessary system reboot. We should have 15 minutes. Come on,” Rhodey said already turning so he could support Tony more fully. With the coast clear he simply lifted the omega up effortlessly and headed down the service corridor to the main hall leading to the three unoccupied suites. One of which was  unofficially officially theirs as they hardly needed the space permanently but still used it from time to time.
 
Automatically, Tony slid his arms around his Alpha’s neck.
 
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
 
“What?” Rhodey sounded offended.
 
“Finally being able to manhandle me like this.”
 
“Um, I’m pretty sure I’ve done more than this in the past. I guess you wouldn’t remember with all that snow up there on your head. You know they have apps for memory retention now. Lots of fun games even senior citizens can enjoy.”
 
“First, you’re an ass, no, a dick, no-- and you know what? You’re older than me! If I’m a senior citizen what does that make you?”
 
“Which one of us fell asleep after Jeopardy last night?”
 
“Special circumstances!”
 
“I’m going to have to agree with the omega on this one,” Stephen’s drawl had Tony flailing as he whipped around in Rhodey’s arms to get a look at their secondary still dressed in his wizard robes.
 
“You called him!?”
 
“Well someone’s going to have to stay with you while I go finish up downstairs, there are only two Alphas on the planet I trust with your safety, and leaving you alone like this is not an option.”
 
“They don’t even know I’m here!”
 
“If I leave now it’ll just give them another conspiracy to unravel. Who knows what those idiots will get up to. I’m not leaving you alone, Tones. It’s non-negotiable.”
 
“Besides, isn’t that the point of having a secondary Alpha?” Stephen said already coming to rest at Tony’s back and working his fingers into the stiff muscles he found there. Tony sagged against him.
 
“Well there’s the whole thing where we love you and want to keep you,” Tony grouched.
 
“Semantics,” Stephen answered with a grin.
 
They managed to get him down the service corridor, out into the main hall, and into the suite with no fanfare since the area wasn’t really heavily monitored at the moment. There was a security sweep a couple times a day but otherwise when it wasn’t in use they left it be. Sometimes Tony and Rhodey used it when they came for an extended time during the remodel but they had been using it less and less as things started shaping up and Carol took over.
 
Rhodey went and changed his clothes from the spare bag he brought to keep Tony’s scent at a minimum. The last thing they needed was Rogers getting a whiff of him and seeking him out. Of course as soon as Rhodey stepped out having situated Tony and Stephen on the couch wrapped around each other Tony’s stomach cramps came back with a vengeance. Damn biology. Stephen moved them around so they were both lying sideways on the couch, having just enough space so Stephen’s feet just touched the other side, and the Alpha began massaging Tony’s back to keep him relaxed. It had become their thing once Stephen started seeing them regularly. With the Alpha’s hands being the way they were he usually lost himself in the focus of keeping them still and his motions consistently firm. Tony reaped the benefits of being close and practically drowning himself in Stephen’s scent and, of course, a truly amazing massage, not that he would give Stephen the satisfaction of telling him just how much he enjoyed them. Though if the Alpha’s smugness after each massage were any indication, he was sure he already knew.
 
“Right there,” Tony directed when Stephen dug into a knot.
 
“You need to stop hunching over like that when you work,” Stephen admonished. “It’s a wonder you don’t have a herniated disc.”
 
“But if I stop hunching over in the lab I wouldn’t get these massages,” Tony complained.
 
Stephen nipped at the outer shell of his ear making his toes curl reflexively. He seemed to warm all over when Stephen pressed his lips just behind his ear.
 
“You could just ask you know. It’s never a hardship to get my hands on you.”
 
Tony shivered in delight and leaned back against him once the cramp passed. At least they were coming at slower intervals now. They rested together for a few minutes and Tony even began to doze lightly while Stephen aimlessly petted his side. Without the sudden onset of pre-heat symptoms they could be spending a lazy Sunday afternoon waiting for Rhodey to come back from the compound to go to dinner. Pinpricks of warmth danced across his skin. Tony ignored it. Stephen usually ran hot anyway and ever since Rhodey received the modified Extremis treatment he was even worse forcing Tony to abandon pajamas all together and sleep naked between them.
 
He wished he were bare now. Everything seemed too constricting when minutes before he’d been comfortable and content. A soft whine fell from his lips, as he squirmed against his Alpha, and chased that feeling. Sweat even dripped down the back of his thighs drenching his pant legs and making them stick to his skin.
 
Tony gasped and opened his eyes just as he felt a deep rumble in Stephen’s chest behind him. He shivered at the slight vibrations.
 
“Shit. No, no, no,” Tony whined. “Come on!”
 
His gut clenched tightly. His body really was the biggest asshole.
 
_____
 
Truth be told Tony Stark wasn't used to getting to keep nice things. Sure, he was well acquainted with a life of luxury, but it was holding onto the things that mattered he had trouble with.
 
He hissed when Stephen helped him into his private rooms at the Sanctum not having opened his eyes once from the portal all the way to the bed. He’d started shivering the second they arrived thanks to it being mostly empty. Stephen carefully wrapped him in, what had become, Tony’s favorite impossibly soft blankets--seriously what were they made of--before stepping away to light the fireplace. It was still January after all. The instant Stephen stepped away Tony had the urge to reach out and grab his arm and keep him there but opted to leave him be for the moment.
 
He hesitantly cracked one eye open then the other when he heard the familiar shimmer sound of one of Stephen’s portals opening then closing. Rhodey stepped through and Tony had the pleasure of watching the rage fade from his face and the tension slide ride off his frame until he was just his Rhodey smiling down at him as he sat down  on the bed.
 
His primary ran his fingers through Tony's still damp hair flooding him with calm. He inhaled deeply, clinging to the powerful mixture of Rhodey's and Stephen’s scents. After Rhodey's third pass Tony couldn't help but smile dopily up at his Alpha hoping he was doing as much to soothe him as well.
 
“Hey Tones,” Rhodey said tightly, his voice betraying the calm he was projecting. Without asking Tony inched forward to lay his head on Rhodey's lap having stretched across the width of the bed. From there he could see Stephen still fiddling with the already lit fireplace pushing around small bits of kindling with the poker. Tony felt his gut twist when he noticed Stephen’s grip tighten on the handle then relax and repeat.
 
Again he wanted to call out to him but held back. As similar as they were sometimes Stephen needed space whereas Tony sometimes couldn't stand to be left alone. It was a boundary that had been hard won over the last two years of slowly intertwining their lives.
 
To say it was difficult was an understatement but somehow they managed to find a balance. The three of them existed in that quiet space for a few minutes of calm until Tony couldn’t take it anymore. He could feel himself warming up again and not just from the hearth.
 
“Stephen,” Rhodey called out and watched the former doctor stand to his full height and turn to face them. His jaw worked tightly.
 
“Everything okay Doc?”
 
The nickname drew a snort from him breaking the line of tension in his shoulders. Tony smiled up at them.
 
“Are you sure you still want to do this? I’d understand after all of this if you wanted to...wait. Perhaps the next heat would be best or even after you give birth if all goes well. There’s no rush.”
 
It was Rhodey’s turn to snort and Tony had to agree with him. No amount of Steve Rogers’ fuckery would change the fact that they loved Stephen. That Rhodey trusted him implicitly or that Tony couldn’t see a future for them without him in it.
 
“Nothing has changed,” Rhodey said simply. “When I felt Tony panicking earlier, I was able to think more clearly than ever before because I knew you were there with him, and you would lay down your life for him as we would for you. Don’t think for a second that anything Rogers did today undermines that.”
 
Stephen’s cheeks colored prettily and Tony had to clamp down on the urge to tease him for the rare display. As cold as he seemed sometimes there was a softness to him that seeped out when the man thought no one was looking. Seeing him blush was a real treat.
 
“Please Stephen,” Tony said then sucked in a harsh deep breath and clenched his legs together. That insistent throbbing between his thighs that usually accompanied his heats dialed the intensity up to what felt like an 11.
 
“As much as I’d like to continue this love fest--” he murmured into Rhodey’s knee.
 
“My poor sweet omega,” Rhodey said in a teasing tone.
 
“Don’t worry,” Stephen said, his own eyes darkening. “We’ll take care of you.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

-------- Rhodey eased Tony off his lap and stood. There was a rustle of fabric and then he was back on the bed peeling off the blankets that surrounded the brunette. Tony found himself  drenched in sweat again in seconds and groaned when Rhodey crawled between his thighs to press against him chest to chest with his hard cock resting against his own. The magical cock ring tightened slightly as his cock filled at the barest hint of friction. He’d forgotten about it in all of the excitement and should have known better than to think that Stephen would release him so easily. Rhodey braced his forearms on the bed next to Tony’s head, drew him into a heated kiss, and rolled his hips languidly grinding down on him. Tony moaned into his mouth and was breathless when the Alpha finally released him allowing him to turn his head to see Stephen already removing his robes and sending his cloak out of the room. No need to traumatize the poor thing anymore than they already had. Rhodey methodically kissed his way from Tony’s lips to his jaw and finally ended at his own bonding mark. Tony’s eyes slid closed as warm lips sucked on the sensitive mark tipping him quite unapologetically into full arousal. More than that, it felt like coming home. Just as it had the very first time Rhodey’s teeth broke the skin of his pulsing primary gland and irrevocably linked them together against Howard’s implicit wishes. “Please,” Tony begged. His fingers skimmed across dark skin and the hard muscles lining Rhodey’s back easily finding the now invisible line of scars from the first failed surgical attempt to fix the damage to his spine. Thanks to a low dose of Extremis no one else would be able to find it save for Tony who had spent hours wide awake in their bed memorizing the raised marks on his Alpha’s otherwise unmarred skin once he was out of recovery. The same could be said for Stephen. Just as he had for his primary, Tony had taken the time to commit every jagged line across Stephen’s hands to memory and found himself immeasurably proud of the sorcerer. His Alphas were survivors and warriors in their own right. They endured. And on a more primal level, that only his hindbrain seemed to fully recognize, he responded to them in kind. His muscles seemed to relax on cue even as Rhodey drew away from his mark with one last hasty nip to sit back on his heels and admire his handiwork with a smug grin. Warm fingers combed through his damp hair and tugged gently drawing his attention upwards where Stephen stood over him, naked and bare, looking rather amused at the whole scene before him. “Hi,” Stephen said and leaned down to peck his lips. Tony arched to chase after him, craving more contact, and more solidly pressed their lips together only to yelp into the other man’s mouth when his hips were suddenly airborne. Stephen smirked and nodded his head towards where Rhodey knelt. Tony had been too suitably distracted to notice until it was too late that his primary had situated himself with Tony’s legs over his broad shoulders. Tony shot Stephen an annoyed look that lasted only a second before strong hands were cupping his ass cheeks and pulling them apart. “You’d better hold on, little omega,” Stephen taunted having risen to his full height and at this angle placed his hard-on just out of reach. “Fuck you! I'm not lit--ah!” Tony locked his ankles together behind Rhodey’s head just in time to avoid completely bucking out of position when the man licked a long line from his sac to his already leaking hole. He hadn’t a second to rest between that moment and the next as he did it again and lapped up any slick he could find. “Told you.” “Guh,” he just barely managed amid Stephen’s laughter. Tony had so much to say to that, but his mouth didn’t seem to be capable of forming any kind of intelligent speech while Rhodey’s tongue easily slid past his already loose rim, and plunged as deep as he could curling inside of him to pull out his slick and Stephen’s spend with abandon. If there were a world championship for ass eating he swore Rhodey would be a multiple time gold medalist by now. His back bowed and hips lifted in response making the precarious position more unstable. He wobbled briefly, stomach twisting despite it all with a desire to grind back down onto that mouth, and found relief only in the hard grip from above pressing him back into place so Rhodey could hook his thumbs in, spread and resume. Rhodey licked back inside seeking more slick now that Tony was practically ground down against his face, quivering thighs be damned, and grinned against his skin knowingly. Stephen’s thumbs brushing across his pronounced hip bones was his only warning, and not much of one at that, before a warm wet heat enveloped his restricted cock sending sharp jolts of arousal down his spine. "Alpha!" He cried out for both, head thrashing against the bed. The all encompassing heat had caught up to him finally practically shorting out his brain in the process. Every nerve ending seemed to be alight while the two men above him worked him from both ends with Stephen lazily tonguing his slit while holding him in place for Rhodey to lap and suck at his hole. He was gushing slick now, more than Rhodey could even hope to catch leaving the remnants to coat his skin and even slip down Rhodey’s chin, between his spread cheeks, to the small of his back. He was trapped between hoping both for release and for the feeling to never end. He was so caught up in the dual sensations that he missed the sudden removal of his restraint. His orgasm swept through him, stole his breath, and left him boneless all at once. His hole spasmed all the way through it coating Rhodey’s tongue in sweet slick while Stephen eagerly swallowed Tony’s come down to the last drop. It seemed to rip the lasting tension from earlier right out of him leaving him pliant and shivering between his Alphas. His eyes had slid closed at some point and he’d clearly lost track of his Alphas again because when he opened them his legs had been lowered back down at Rhodey’s sides and his bottom rested on the bed a hard cock pressed into the curve of his ass. Tony blinked back into existence several deep shuddering breaths later and had to squint to focus in on the blurry figures above him. He blinked again in time to catch the heated look they shared over him right before Rhodey’s hand darted out to grip the back of Stephen’s neck and drag him forward into a rough kiss. Both Alphas groaned into it hips twitching above and against him. They both kept a hand on him, Rhodey on his hip and Stephen running his thumb across his right nipple, as they took a moment to explore and trade Tony’s taste between them.  It was always a sight watching them kiss knowing someone would eventually bend and submit. Sometimes it was Rhodey when he was so inclined but right then it was Stephen who softened his movements and melted into lush lips. It was a gorgeous sight and damn distracting which was clearly what they were aiming for. His heat addled brain had narrowed his focus to to just this and it was enough to keep him from noticing Stephen’s hands inching down from his chest to wrap around the backs of his thighs. It was only when he pulled them up, the stretch causing the omega to gasp and arch that he tore his gaze away from the sight above a second too late. Rhodey had already lined himself up and began that slow slide into Tony’s heat. “R-Rhodey!” He cried out, already squirming in Stephen's hold in an effort to take all of him at once, craving that fullness he’d become addicted to 28 years ago.   “There it is,” Rhodey tipped his head back and groaned, momentarily holding still and savoring the pressure and the heat wrapped around him. Inside, Tony preened at his reaction. “Please,” Tony whined, high and needy. “I ne-I need--oh God!” His hole stretched to accommodate his Alpha’s girth as he continued to push forward, even with the previous knotting easing the way. It was familiar, this, his body seeming to rearrange itself to suit Rhodey’s pleasure, always feeling like home when the Alpha rubbed over his prostate and finally bottomed out with his balls pressed snuggly against his ass. Unsurprisingly, his cock began to fill again against his stomach.Tony moaned and twitched against him already feeling the beginning swell of his Alpha’s knot at his base. His hands buried themselves in the sheets and gripped them tightly needing anything to keep him grounded and there with them. He was slipping deep into that craze he quite frankly hated as much as he enjoyed it. “I know what you need,” Rhodey said then pulled back just enough so that the tip of his cock rested just beyond Tony’s fluttering entrance, grunting during the entire slide, then snapped his hips forward jolting Tony’s body back. "Been thinking about knotting you all day. Even before I knew you were in heat," Rhodey growled. Tony’s head flew backwards with the thrust, his mouth open in a silent scream, and clearly inviting enough to draw Stephen into sliding his cock right in with a stuttered gasp. Tony’s mouth watered as his lips closed around Stephen and sucked him in deeper. The sorcerer moaned and there were hands in Tony’s hair again pulling his head back harshly and holding him in place. If he could have grinned around his mouthful he would have but even then he knew Stephen was aware of what this was doing to him. The tandem rhythm was intoxicating. As soon as Rhodey would pull back Stephen would thrust forward and even pick up speed each time. He felt his own saliva slip over his stretched lips and wet his cheeks while he traced the underside of Stephen’s cock with his tongue coaxing him further into his throat with each pass. Tony wasn't happy until Stephen's coarse hairs brushed against his lips and his balls rested against his nose. He was greedy and wanted all of them. He probably looked filthy. Neither of them seemed to care and continued to pound away at him. He was stuffed full of them and thanked the universe every time Rhodey hammered into his prostate making his cock jump with interest and his balls draw up tight. His every sound was enthusiastic but muffled. “Look at that,” Rhodey growled. His hands had taken over for Stephen, holding Tony obscenely open for him, gaze zeroed in on how his knot had begun to catch around his omega’s puffy rim.  “Sloppy and wet on both ends, aren’t you baby?” Stephen pulled back so quickly Tony arched his back and tilted his head, desperate to follow.  Stephen tugged at his hair close to painful making his cock jump and leak, adding to the small pool of pre-cum on his belly. “Our Alpha asked you a question, Sweetheart,” Stephen said through gritted teeth as he stroked his own length. Tony struggled to answer and wound up only crying out what he hoped was an affirmative noise. “So gorgeous,” Stephen crooned, his hand pumped his cock faster, and from this angle Tony could only focus on the pearly drops of precum that leaked from his alpha’s cock licking his lips in anticipation of the taste. “There’s only one thing that could make you look even better. What do you think Jim?” Rhodey groaned above him and slammed once more deep inside at the same time Stephen slid right back into the omega’s mouth all the way down to the base muffling his cries. Rhodey’s knot caught and filled to stretch Tony even further as he spilled inside of him. Had Tony been able to move a single muscle on his own outside of his ass he was sure his back would have bowed off the bed when his orgasm crept up on him, mostly dry so soon after his first. As it was, his abdominal muscles jumped and twitched along with the quivering of his thighs and reflexive movement of his throat as he swallowed around Stephen in place of crying out. His primary caught himself on his forearms by Tony's head, surrounding him as his hips kept moving with each sudden pulse of come, pressing deeper to fill Tony up. Tony’s focus was split between the dual sensation of being knotted and still having his throat fucked with abandon. Unable to do anything else, Tony spasmed around Rhodey’s cock rhythmically causing the Alpha to groan in surprise against his throat shocking the hell out of Tony. Because there was Rhodey mouthing gently over the slight bulge Stephen created with each increasingly erratic thrust and Stephen coating Tony’s tongue with a fresh taste of pre-come along with his already filling knot. The omega moaned just thinking of taking Stephen’s knot that way. Feeling him deep in his throat and expanding behind Tony’s teeth and stretching his jaw and hold him there. Tony groaned and spasmed around both of them simultaneously. Stephen slid home and groaned. His knot rapidly expanded against Tony’s tongue and before the omega could get properly excited about the prospect the comfortable weight of Stephen’s cock disappeared from his mouth all together. Confused, Tony whined in its absence but hadn’t the energy to chase it. “Don’t worry, baby, he’s got you,” Rhodey soothed. “He’s got you.” It wasn’t but a second later before Stephen moaned raggedly and Tony felt long stripes of come across his chin and lips. Tony pouted even as his tongue darted out to lick the spend from his lips while Rhodey seemed to have no trouble committing himself to cleaning off his chin and the drops that had caught high on his cheek bone, the sensation making Tony’s toes curl. “Don’t pout,” Stephen admonished, lightly panting through his own aftershocks. He was suddenly much closer than before when Tony looked up at them both. He’d knelt by the bed finally placing himself within easy reach of his soon to be mates and grinned. He had one arm braced on the bed while he squeezed his knot with his other hand. “I already told you I won’t knot your mouth during a heat, Tony. Too many things could go wrong.” “But we’re only at the beginning! It’s not like it’s day two and--” Tony lost his words at Rhodey’s stern glare.   “It’s an unnecessary risk, baby, and you know it,” Rhodey said. Stephen took it upon himself to smooth Tony’s sweat damp hair from his forehead just to place a kiss there. “Maybe after?” Tony tried to bargain. “I mean we’re planning on using Extremis no matter what happens here. After the pregnancy or..if..if there is no pregnancy.” Stephen glanced at Rhodes and they fell silent doing that weird Alpha/Alpha eye thing that had Tony rolling his eyes between them. “We’ll see,” Stephen eventually said. “Besides, it’s not like you don’t enjoy a knot in your mouth outside of heat. You know, where you can give appropriate signals if you’re having a hard time.” Tony snorted indelicately then gasped when Rhodey shifted above him and gently slipped free leaving him him feeling empty. His hole clenched down on nothing but air. “Fuck,” Tony groaned. “Don’t worry, Tones,” Stephen climbed on the bed and stretched out alongside him. Trembling fingers slid along the inside of his thigh and pulled so that his knee rested on Stephen’s hip. “Would you look at that,” Rhodey commented, sounding awestruck where he knelt between Tony’s legs appreciating his own handiwork. “Barely a drop lost. Such a good omega.” Tony flushed under the praise, turned his head, and smiled into the duvet to conceal his preening. Of course it wasn’t really up to him and more thanks to Rhodey’s knot but his heat addled body reacted all the same. “We should keep it that way,” Stephen said, already reaching off to the side and producing one of their plugs about the same size as Rhodey’s knot. “Fantastic idea!” “Oh, would you just plug me already?” Tony groused as his hole twitched again making his body shudder. His eyelids were already starting to droop. After being knotted twice today he needed his rest before the next round. They were just getting started after all though thankfully his preheat symptoms had been abated. Both his Alphas chuckled. Down below there was a bit of movement before the tip of a plug was pushing insistently past his rim and deep inside him without much work involved. “Oh!” Tony moaned. “So, so good for us,” Rhodey said.It took another minute while the Alpha shifted Tony around and Stephen left and returned with a few cool cloths. He quickly wiped him down taking care with his face and neck, brushing over his steadily swelling secondary gland with sure strokes making the omega whimper. The skin around it was tight and inflammed. Another few hours and he’d be ripe for bonding, especially if Stephen kept worrying the gland itself. Once he was done with Tony he took care to wipe himself off and tossed the remaining cloth to Rhodey for him to do the same. With the cloths discarded, the pair of Alphas maneuvered them so that all three rested against the copious amount of pillows Stephen had procured for this heat. Plush and soft. Just right for him to sink into after a wave of heat had passed. Tony was out as soon as he settled down warm and safe between them. ---Tony woke to a surprisingly mild buzz beneath his skin and a sharp throbbing discomfort on his neck. “Mmphf,” Tony mumbled into his pillow. His very warm, very rumbly pillow. He cracked an eye open, ever thankful for the ambient lighting and closed drapes depending on the actual time of the day, and caught a glimpse of smooth pale skin. Though clearly not without its blemishes. He trailed his gaze up a path of reddened skin and purpling love bites to the curve of Stephen’s smile. Ever trembling fingers combed through the hair just above the nape of his neck while another petted his flank. He didn’t need to look to know it was Rhodey pressed along their sides a warmer counterpoint to their natural body heat.   He could already tell he was drenched in sweat, slick, and their shared come. It became more apparent when he minutely rocked his hips and his already hard cock slid easily against Stephen’s stomach and then startled in surprise. He drew in a sharp shuttered breath that had his Alphas chuckling at his expense.  He shifted again, just to confirm, and yes, there Stephen’s cock was, separating his cheeks and nudging against Tony’s wet gaping entrance at each pass. The familiar buzz that served to remind him of his purpose gradually intensified as he moved and clenched around nothing. He let loose a whine. He was likely in day two already. He knew there had been at least three more rounds that he could clearly remember since Rhodey first knotted him and he had napped between each time feeling wrung out and exhausted. So it had to be day two....and that meant… He rocked back on his next pass and groaned triumphantly when the head of Stephen’s cock popped through thanks to the copious amounts of slick he was putting out. Stephen jerked against him and sucked in a sharp breath. With two hands pressed to Stephen’s chest he pushed himself up to see both Alpha's smirking up at him, although Stephen's smile had started to falter with concentration. Not to be outdone he bore down on Stephen, taking him to the hilt without mercy, with a smirk of his own even around his matching moan. He was pleased to see Stephen's head fall back as he sucked in deep, calming breaths and strained against him to keep from immediately thrusting. They were both girthy fuckers, the two of them, but Stephen stretched just a half an inch further inside of him and stayed pressed against his prostate no matter the position.  Stephen finally thrust his hips, giving short bursts of pleasure, making Tony keen loudly. “Do you know what day it is, baby?” Rhodey asked still keeping in contact with a firm hand on his thigh. That Stephen hadn’t growled, hadn’t snapped, hadn’t even moved a muscle spoke volumes about how comfortable they were with one another and filled him with a certain rightness he couldn’t hope to explain. “D-day two, oh!” Tony was proud that he at least still sounded like himself and not the hot mess he usually was by this point in his heat. “That’s right,” Stephen said through gritted teeth and thrusted again a little harder this time. Tony clenched around him upon hearing his velvety voice. “It’s that time,” Rhodey reminded him. His hand drifted over, encircled Tony’s cock, and pumped him nice, easy, and slow. It felt like there was a current of electricity running up his spine.  He started to move quicker, replacing languid movements with snaps of his own hips, chasing his own pleasure until Stephen caught his hips in a hard grip and lifted him. The feeling of emptiness tore through him drawing him back from that sweet pleasure filled haze momentarily. He glared down at Stephen in irritation at having been denied and his stomach swooped at the dark look he gave him in return. Tony was drawn in immediately. His gaze snapped to meet Stephen’s and was shocked to see that his eyes were very nearly black in anticipation of what was yet to come. “Do you want me as your Alpha?” Stephen asked, unusually low and grave. “You already are,” Tony said impatiently, panting with the effort it took to not just shove himself downwards himself, then yelped at the sharp slap Stephen made against his thigh demanding that he take this seriously. He did deserve it after all. Tony breathed deep, inhaling their combined scents. Let  it wash over him and overtake his senses until there was just Stephen’s body thrumming beneath him, Rhodey’s hand steady but stalled on his cock, and buzz of his heat urging him to receive whatever was given to him. Just them together. “I want you as my Alpha, same as Rhodey, till the day I die,” he answered him honestly voice coming out more breathy than he would have liked. He didn’t have time to take in the wetness in Stephen’s eyes or the blindingly genuine smile that crossed his face. Because with no other words needed Stephen guided him back down onto his cock only letting him sink halfway before he thrust brutally upwards. “Hnng!” Was all he could manage around panting breaths. He was full, and surrounded, loved and wanted. Stephen didn’t pause to take a breath just continued to snap his hips upward while simultaneously bringing Tony down to meet him in a punishing pace. In no time at all Tony’s arms trembled and gave out sending him crashing down. He found himself pressing back into each thrust and keening loudly into his Alpha’s chest, nipping and kissing the sweat slick skin he could reach. The angle was even better for his cock, trapping it between the friction their bellies making his eyes roll back and pleasure coil tightly in his gut. Rhodey’s hand had long since gone back to petting his flank as a reminder. Tony wondered briefly if he was touching Stephen as well. Stephen’s hand fisted in his hair, and moved him so he rested in the crook of Stephen’s neck crying out wordlessly into slick skin as his knot began to catch.  “I’m going to knot you and breed you,” Stephen’s lips brushed the shell of his ear making his muscles quiver, “and then once you’re full of me, I’m going to claim you. You hear me, omega?” “Yes!” He cried out, desperate and high. “Please, please, please.” Tony’s entire frame shuddered and his walls clenched tight as he continued to babble. It didn’t take more than a handful of thrusts for his Alpha’s knot to completely pop through and rapidly expand with Stephen’s release triggering his own.  With his hand still wrapped around Tony’s damp strands Stephen jerked him close, right into his mouth, and latched on to his swollen gland. Tony felt him press a quick kiss to it, as if in apology, before biting down and tearing through the skin. “Alpha!” Tony screamed without a care for who was near enough to hear them. His muscles clenched painfully all over then released just as suddenly leaving him boneless and trembling in the aftermath. He wasn’t sure what he was going to feel as the experience was always said to be different for everyone. Some felt nothing at all depending on how compatible they were with their Alpha or if you wanted to get superstitious like Stephen, how primed the gland had become. It was something of an old wives tale with no conclusive results either way when studied. Some people simply felt two bonds where there had been one and was as much as Tony had hoped for when they finally decided to bond. One thing they all had in common was the rush of endorphins that flooded his system sending him higher and higher with each pulse of Stephen’s knot and soothing flick of his tongue against the broken skin of his gland. The omega could only sob in his Alpha’s arms having long gone pliant and unable to even begin to care for the tears trailing down his cheeks. There was an immediate difference and it was fucking beautiful. He could sense it down to the core of his being. Whereas Rhodey had erupted into Tony’s consciousness and made room for himself, Stephen’s bond emerged slowly, flickering to life to intertwine with what was already there. It seemed to nudge itself into all of the places Tony had no idea needed to be filled until there was nowhere else for it to go but to nudge up against Rhodey’s. His primary’s bond seemed to brush up against Stephen’s lightly as if to say, “Hello, you’re welcome here”.  He could feel them both, pleased and contented below him and beside him. He let out a soft sound he would forever deny was a purr in response to let them know he was content where he was. Or more specifically in Tony-speak, “Don’t you dare even think about moving me unless under pain of death.”    Stephen let go of his tight grip and replaced the pressure with firm fingertips massaging his scalp. Rhodey traced the outline of his spine. Tony’s breath hitched when his stretched hole was prodded and Stephen pulled back and lifted Tony’s head slightly for inspection. Tony found he didn’t care. He waited patiently for Stephen to lay his head back down gently and sighed into the embrace floaty and happy. He was going to keep this, he’d already decided. They were his. And he was keeping them at all costs.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Three days ------ “Stephen, honey, you know I appreciate you. I really, truly do," Tony said with a touch of exasperation coloring his words. "But I will pee on you if you don't let go! I'm not kidding, the threat is real!" Tony squirmed in Stephen's arms inching his way off the bed only to be pulled back flush against his Alpha’s chest. He felt the rumble in his chest vibrate up his spine.  This was getting ridiculous. He’d thought Rhodey was bad when they first mated. Granted, Howard was actively trying to separate them so he got a pass for damn near locking them in their apartment for a week. It varied but Alphas tended to get hyper aware post bonding at least for the first 48 hours. Even more if there’s an active perceived threat to their omega nearby. “Honey, I’m safe,” Tony said gently. “Hell you can even come to the bathroom with me and check in the toilet bowl for interdimensional loch ness monsters or what have you. I really do need to pee!” Stephen snorted. “Wraiths, Tony, they’re called wraiths. It’s not like I’m enjoying this either, you know. Jumping at every creak of the floorboards. He’s been released. If he’s read the files on me then he knows where we are.” “Come on, honey. Rogers is not waiting in the bathroom to jump me. Rhodey is making our wishes explicitly known so if he gets within even 100 feet of me you can legally maim him without hearing a peep from the police. I’ve got my Alpha with me, that’s you by the way, and nothing is going to happen in the 2 minutes it’s going to take us to walk 5 feet to the bathroom and back. It’s actually starting to hurt.” That part was a lie, he was just seriously uncomfortable at this point, but it achieved its purpose. Stephen let out a small whimper and nuzzled Tony’s neck breathing in his scent. Bit by bit his arms relaxed until Tony was free enough to squirm out of his hold. “At least let me check it fir--hey!” As soon as he hit the edge of the bed Tony was off like a shot into the bathroom. He very obviously left the door open so Stephen could hear and see him from the bed. Once his business was done Tony came to stand by the bathroom door. Stephen had crept halfway off the bed, his chest and face flushed with embarrassment. “Fucking Rogers. I should be over this by now. It’s been three days already,” Stephen grumbled. Tony’s lips quirked upwards at his usually rather dignified mate. It really wasn’t his fault. Just a day after Tony’s heat abruptly ended Carol got in contact with them about what was happening in the compound. Steve was being released and his probation period extended to include mandatory counselling. Stephen and Rhodey did not react well. Livid would be the closest description. His Alpha’s presence was requested to officially give them the news and since there was no way in hell Stephen wouldn’t actually banish anyone who said one unkind word about Tony to the dark dimension Rhodey decided to go it alone. His own protective instincts were running rampant but he’d had more experience with taming them post bonding. “I know. Does it help that for the record I don’t hold it against you?” “I spent a lot of time as a doctor keeping these instincts in check on a daily basis. It’s just unsettling. I know you’re safe. I know you can handle yourself. It’s just that every other minute I hear something and I think--” “Big bad Rogers is going to get me? I’m not scared of him,” Tony snorted. “Yeah, you are,” Stephen said, not unkindly. “I could smell it on you at the compound. And not just the pre-heat heightened emotional bullshit. He hurt you. He still terrifies you. I didn’t protect you and I hate it.” It wasn’t just that. Tony could admit to himself, years after the fact of course, that what happened in that bunker messed him up more than any other fight he’d been involved with. Even more than Stane.  It was because it was after Stane that it felt much worse. He’d closed off completely outside of Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy after that incident. Stane had always been on his side with Howard. Always lamented the fact that the law was against him owning the company and how unfair it was that Howard had removed him as his heir the moment he’d finally presented and named Stane instead. That should have been his first clue. He was naive then and had been naive in that bunker. He didn’t know what his first clue with Steve should have been but it didn’t matter at this point. Steve had taken all of Tony’s hard earned trust and regained ground and beat him with it until he broke. There had been a few times during that fight that he really did think Steve would take the opportunity to kill him. If not when he was on his feet fighting back then certainly when he was on his back, chest heaving, head swimming with each blow, watching Steve bring the shield down and change direction just slightly at the end to pierce his armor instead of...well... “So what if he does scare the shit out of me? I’m not--I’m not going to let that dictate the rest of my life. I did that with Howard and I almost lost Rhodey. I didn’t learn my lesson then but I’ve learned since,” Tony said then tipped his head to the left, exposing his brand new, still healing mark. Stephen inhaled sharply, his gaze zeroed in on the purpling skin outlined in a livid shade of red. “That...is a dick move,” Stephen said. “We’re going to continue this discussion later.”  He was already off the bed and on his feet by the time Tony pushed off from the door and backed further into the bathroom. The Alpha followed, eyes never leaving that spot and thus unable to take in Tony’s fond smile. “Well, I’m sore and you’re hyper fixated,” Tony grinned, thankful that Stephen wasn’t going to push that discussion any further right then. “I’ve got to get some benefits here. If I didn’t you’d still be wrapped around me like an octopus on the bed and not about to get an out of this world blow job in the shower.” Stephen’s steps faltered. Inside the bathroom he was momentarily distracted by pretty much everything. His gaze swept over the countertops, the toilet, and the shower, which thankfully had a glass door. He quickly pulled open the door to the small linen closet and peeked inside. Nothing. He paused again seeming to consider their situation while Tony waited patiently as he went through his own. Magical wards? Check. Doors locked? Check. Windows locked? Check. Wong on guard for the Sanctum? Check. Rhodey? Returning shortly. He’d already watched Stephen test the water and assure himself ten times over that the creaky floorboard in the bedroom was actually just creaky. They were safe. Stephen nodded when he apparently came to the same conclusion though he still looked tense, his eyes flitting from Tony to the one lone locked window in the bathroom above the toilet. “Well an orgasm is a natural stress reliever,” Stephen relented, his voice tight. Tony smiled at him blindingly bright and turned on the hot water letting it warm up before he stepped inside. If, when Stephen followed, the sorcerer made sure to face the glass to defend Tony from any possible oncoming attack he wasn’t going to judge. ------ Four Months “Oh for the love of--Jim!” Rhodey paused with his sandwich halfway to his mouth and looked up from his spot on the couch of the compounds common room to watch his mate stalk into the room cape billowing around him. Between the Assemble call that morning and Tony’s Omegatrician appointment that afternoon this sandwich was the first real thing he was going to get to sit down and eat that day and he was going to enjoy it damn it!  Well, the first thing that wasn’t chips or some kind of fruit dipped in peanut butter or some other weird concoction Tony came up with. Rhodey was thisclose to calling bullshit on his omega’s cravings. Especially after he asked him to make him an ice cream sandwich last night with fried bread. Either Tony was fucking with him at this point or these requests weren’t even the tip of the iceberg. Who even thinks to put hot mustard on fucking oreos? “Hi, Stephen, how was your day?” Rhodey asked sarcastically, pulling the other man up short of his frustration. Stephen’s eyes softened when he caught a full glimpse of his other mate. “Your mate is nesting,” Stephen flopped down on the couch beside him and dropped his head on Rhodey’s shoulder. Bits of his cape draped across Rhodey’s knee. The Alpha frowned and finally, mercifully took a bite of his sandwich and groaned in delight. “Isn’t it a bit early for that? We’re not even at 6 months yet! And why is he suddenly my mate?” Rhodey questioned around his mouthful. “He’s your mate when he’s like this and my mate when he’s all adorable and sweet. Is that pork?” Stephen sniffed incredulously. “And Soppressata?” Rhodey quirked an eyebrow at him. “So what if it is?” “You can’t eat that! He’s going to smell it!” “Why do you think I’m eating it here?” Rhodey answered around a mouthful. About halfway through the second trimester Tony developed an “aversion” to the smell and taste of meat. And his nose wasn’t discerning. The man couldn’t walk past a hotdog cart without having to find the nearest trash can. At this point leaving the house without anti-nausea medication and traveling by anything but car or portal wasn’t an option. The absolute horror on his face when he realized he’d possibly have to forgo cheeseburgers for the duration of his pregnancy had their poor omega in tears. “I’ve been eating salads and smoothies for weeks,” Stephen said slowly. “And you’ve been here eating heros? This. Whole. Time?” Rhodey narrowed his eyes and scooted to the side so he could look down at his mate’s shockingly intense glare. “No.” Stephen’s glare morphed into wide eyed sadness and betrayal. “I’m not sharing my sandwich. You can go get your own sandwich!” Stephen didn’t whine like Tony would, not that he could. He was pretty sure at this point in his life that particular sound that pulled on his heart strings was a Tony only thing. No, what Stephen did was almost worse. “It would be a shame for him to find out, you know,” Stephen said innocently. “You wouldn’t! Don’t think I don’t know what those trips to Kamar Taj are all about!” “Uh training?” “And what do you eat when you’re there?” “The same shit I’ve been eating at home because I thought we were all on the same page about this whole avoiding meat in solidarity thing! Plus the one time I did sneak some chicken he smelled it on me less than thirty seconds after we kissed and that was after I’d brushed my teeth right after! It’s like he became a bloodhound overnight!” “Hmm. That sounds like a you problem,” Rhodey sniffed. “Don’t think I won’t open a portal right to him,” Stephen threatened good naturedly, making Rhodey roll his eyes. In all honesty he’d probably lost the second half of his sandwich the moment Stephen happened upon him. Tony had become like a bloodhound lately. Rhodey shuddered in memory of coming home late at night having had sushi for lunch at the UN and Tony swearing up and down he could smell it from the moment the elevator doors opened. “You owe me a sandwich, damn it,” Rhodey relented, breaking off the rest of the first half of his sub and handing the rest off to Stephen. “I think the technical term is hoagie,” Stephen quipped, happily taking a bite. “Mhmm.” “I think the technical term is going to be “you owe me a damn sandwich”. One of those frouffy fancy ones from the deli around the corner from the Sanctum.” “Next Alpha date night,” Stephen promised. “Oh, God, is this from that diner nearby?” Rhodey nodded while chewing contentedly. They settled into silence while they ate comfortably propped up against one another. Thankfully most everyone was out on one mission or another and the support staff had mostly gone home for the day.  Rhodey had to admit it was nice having a moment of peace before he moved on to the next thing. Sometimes he really did just enjoy spending time with Stephen just like he enjoyed spending quiet time (or as quiet as you could get him outside of sleep) with Tony. “So, nesting, huh?” Rhodey asked after they had both balled up the remnants of their wrappers and tossed them in the open paper bag on the coffee table, Rhodey with just his hands and Stephen using his magic to float the little ball into place. “Wong is having a fit,” Stephen answered. “After he finished with our rooms, Tony reorganized the library at the Sanctum.” “Well it probably could have used some kind of organization right? I can never find anything in there on a good day.” “First of all that library has a system, Wong manages it, I don’t fuck with it because while Wong is funny when he’s all apoplectic it’s not worth the lecture after.” “That bad huh?” “I found every volume of the Key of Solomon in a box marked ‘Does Not Spark Joy’!" Stephen exclaimed. "What the hell does that even mean?!" "I hate to interrupt," JOCASTA said suddenly. "Colonel Rhodes you have a call." "Who's it from, Jo?" Rhodey asked tiredly. "Mr. Stark, sir. Shall I accept the call?” “Shit!” Rhodey dove forward and grabbed the bag, balled it up, and hid it between the couch cushions. “It’s not like he can smell it through a holographic display!” “Who the hell knows what Jo is showing him,” Rhodey turned around and settled himself back into a comfortable sprawl while Stephen could only gape at his frantic movements. “Put him through, Jo!” “You’re ridiculous,” Stephen said in the 3 seconds it took for the holographic display of their omega to form in front of them. “Platypus! Stephen? So that’s where you went!” Tony said brightly. Even through the display his pregnancy glow shined through. Rhodey relaxed at just the sight of him. “Hey Tones,” Rhodey said. “I uh, felt too tired to drive all the way back to the city so I messaged Stephen to come get me.” He fibbed hoping like hell Tony didn’t see right through it. He’d planned on showering, brushing, mouth washing, and changing before he left. He really didn’t want to make Tony nauseous again (or suffer his wrath). The pregnancy was hard enough on him as it was especially since he’d have to spend most of the third trimester on bed rest. He supposed it wasn’t all that abnormal for him to try and nest early. “Well, I already ordered dinner. I know how hard it’s been on you guys to abstain just for my sake so I ordered you both those jumbo deluxe burgers you like. I even got some for Wong since he’s been giving me the evil eye all day, no idea what that’s about, so yours should be safe for now in the kitchen, very far away from me. Hurry home, okay?” Tony said with a wink and then disconnected. Stephen laughed beside him while Rhodey groaned and let his head thud against the back of the couch. “What? He can’t know. At least not from there.” “Can you portal us to the decontamination showers just in case?” ------ Seven Months Stephen adjusted his bowtie for the umpteenth time in his little corner of the, frankly, absurdly large ballroom. It had been years since he’d been to anything this formal. Pretty much since his accident. He could actually remember the last benefit he’d attended with Christine before the accident, something for the Children’s Wing of Metro-General. People clamored for his attention then. The young, brilliant, Alpha surgeon at the very top of his game. He’d had a hard time getting a single moment to himself or with Christine. The next one, well of course, he’d never made it and ended up crashed in the river. He hadn’t many opportunities to be very social since becoming Sorcerer Supreme and the differences between now and then were jarring. He was late, at least fashionably less so than his mates, to the Maria Stark Foundation’s 10th annual gala. It was the first he’d be attending as a part of his bonded triad and only their second official public outing. Before, there wasn’t a need for them to be seen together. He rarely went out in public as it was and the few public dates they had were kept as private as possible in very low key places. Their first vacation in Italy still brought a smile to his face. A rare occasion of them being able to be out and about as themselves. He attention was drawn across the room towards the two gorgeous men he’d claimed as his own. Rhodey was proudly decked out in his dress uniform, covered in various medals, whereas Tony wore his specially tailored deep navy blue maternity suit that still appeared to emphasize his curves while pulling attention away from his belly. Thanks to their solidified bond and the pregnancy their omega had gained much of his healthy weight back especially once he’d finally outgrown the aversion to meat some omegas developed. Though, he’d let both his Alphas believe otherwise for close to a month before coming clean as punishment for sneaking meat behind his back all that time. Stephen hung back admiring for as long as he could before he joined them. Truth be told he was thankful he had a mystical emergency to deal with earlier that day. While they didn’t call it a debrief he still had to meet with the other masters of his Sanctum to keep them abreast of the situation even if Wong was monitoring things until he got back. It allowed him to portal in discreetly and make his way to his safe little corner where he could keep his eyes on his bonded and the entire room for that matter. These days the mere thought of a public appearance made his stomach twist in knots, doubly so since bonding had thrust him into the spotlight again. They were all aware it would happen. It was the nature of the beast after all where Tony and Jim were concerned but they were very much worth the trouble. If only he could work up the courage to make his way over to them. All anyone wanted to talk about when they saw him was what he was doing now and how did it feel to go from the brilliant arrogant Alpha he’d once been to a mere secondary Alpha now. Their triad bond had become something of a hot topic and a trigger for him. While it was quite normal in many circles, mostly military families, secondary Alphas were considered passe. Everyone wanted to be a primary and to be secondary was suddenly to be lesser. That it didn’t work like that between his mates and it clearly wasn’t for everyone was inconsequential. People saw what they wanted to see and he was loathe to admit that it rattled him but it did. Then of course there was the very public break up with Steve Rogers that still fueled the rumor mill. Assholes. Across the room Jim kept his arm around Tony’s waist, keeping him close. It was only natural and Stephen shared his concerns about their pregnant mate being surrounded by so many strangers but Tony had promised this event would be the last. That starting tomorrow he would go on mandatory bed rest for the remainder of his third trimester. He ached to go over to them, to fill that empty spot beside Tony and overlap his arm with Jim’s but he stayed rooted to the spot, now fiddling with his cufflinks with trembling fingers. He watched the current group of military personnel move away from them, allowing the couple to have a brief moment in which Tony leaned up and pressed a kiss to the underside of his Alpha’s jaw. Stephen didn’t need to be able to hear to know that Jim’s pleased rumble had followed. They each glanced around, concern on their faces as they peered through the crowd. Looking for him, he realized. He flushed and ducked his head. It still surprised him that they picked him of all people. He wasn’t exactly a choice Alpha anymore. At least not like he’d been when they first met. “Gorgeous aren’t they?” Stephen tensed but resolutely didn’t turn. He simply drew in a deep breath and shoved his shaking hands in his pockets. No need to give her anything more to use against him. He’d been forewarned of her techniques. “Ms. Romanoff, what an unpleasant surprise,” Stephen drawled, still not turning to look at her. She came to stand in front of him anyway, leaning on the table between them and partially obscuring his view of Tony and Jim just as a well built blonde man approached them from behind. Stephen craned his neck, instincts flaring that something was afoot. “Tony said you were a perfect gentleman,” Natasha said disapprovingly. Stephen shot her a dirty look.  “He always was a poor judge of character.” “Isn’t that how you got here?” Stephen snapped. He glanced back towards his mates to find that Jim’s easy going expression had gone cold and Tony’s skin had paled, his own hands dropped instinctively to his belly. He couldn’t smell his distress with everyone else in the room but the look of him was enough, his anxiety be damned. He pushed off from the table and skirted around her making a beeline towards the three men. A small but firm hand on his arm gripped him and jerked him around with surprising force. Stephen whirled on her, furious at her interference and realized too late that it was her job. One of her specialties. “Tony and Jim are our family. The sooner they remember that the better things will be. They have a child to consider now. Who better to protect them than us? What happens when Jim is on mission or you?” She wheedled, trying to burrow her doubts deep down hoping they’d catch hold. Stephen drew on every memory he had from before his accident to conjure up the politest looking “fuck off” smile he could manage. “Then as that child’s parents we’ll handle it as we have been for seven months. Without your unnecessary and unwanted input.” “He just wants to apologize, Stephen. To move on from this.” “And what about what they want? Hmm?” Stephen all but snarled. Because he was damn sure that wasn’t a factor for her or Rogers. Rhodey had made their wishes clear. If either of them wanted to talk they would reach out and he trusted each of them to be upfront with him if their minds had changed. He yanked his arm out of her grip and stalked forward suddenly very thankful for his change in circumstances. While Jim couldn’t get away with putting Rogers on his ass, having taken a hit in his career recently by not disclosing the Extremis formula, and Tony, loathe to admit it himself, was in no condition to do so himself, Stephen didn’t have those types of constraints. He wasn’t an Avenger, he didn’t have stocks or a company to concern himself with, or PR. The sorcerers would continue on with their duties in secret whether or not he did as pleased in this moment. Jim clocked him once he’d shoved his way through the last group of onlookers taking in Roger’s pleading and Tony’s tear filled glare. With a rather gleeful smile on his face, Jim took a step back and eased Tony behind him not a second too soon because that’s when Rogers stupidly decided to reach out hand open to splay his fingers across Tony’s belly. Stephen saw red. His hand didn’t hurt much more than it usually did but the extra force added by his magic gave him the satisfaction of hearing Rogers’ jaw bone give way and watching him hit the ground. Jim outright laughed while Tony stepped around him to grasp his elbow and pull Stephen to them, not stopping until he was beside them. Natasha sped past him to get to kneel down next to a somewhat conscious Rogers. Well, it was one way to make an entrance. --- Eight months Rhodey startled awake in the darkness of their room at the tower. His eyes adjusted much more quickly than ever before and it was only seconds that he caught sight of the clock on his side of the bed, displaying the time in large format numbers. 3:30 A.M. He rolled over to face Tony and Stephen only to find Tony’s well worn spot next to him empty and Stephen clutching the pillow in the empty space tightly just barely visible thanks to the blackout effect FRIDAY had activated for their room. Lately, getting as much sleep as possible had been a mission of theirs in preparation for Eviction Day or “E-Day” as Tony called it. “Just ready for our twin monsters to greet the world and begin their long path to taking over and becoming everyone’s overlords,” Tony told him over breakfast in bed the day before. When Rhodey had questioned his more than bitter tone Tony waved him off and the Alpha had dismissed it as a mood swing. Now he wasn’t so sure. Bit by bit Tony was becoming more withdrawn and more than once Rhodey found himself awake in the middle of the night with an empty space next to him or Stephen waking him up to alert him of that fact. He didn’t panic. He knew where Tony was. Could feel it in the sadness and panic welling up inside him that wasn’t his own and from the way Stephen started to toss and turn he could feel it, too. So when Rhodey reached over to shake him awake he was neither surprised to see the upset on Stephen’s face nor overly concerned with how quickly his mate got out of bed. “Is he?” “Probably. FRIDAY?” “Yes, Colonel?” “Where’s Tony?” Rhodey’s insides squeezed uncomfortably when she gave the predictable answer. “In the nursery.” They were out of bed and padding down the hall in an instant keeping quiet to not startle him. They didn’t need to bother. His sobs were loud in the quiet masking their footsteps even when they started to rush. The nursery wasn’t under blackout, so the city lights streamed in through the floor length, one way glass windows on the far side of the room. Two cribs had been set up in blue and white, put together by Tony while he’d been nesting in his second trimester, made of titanium alloy and hypoallergenic bedding with the softest blankets he could find. Nothing but the best, he’d said. Rhodey and Stephen were hard pressed to agree. After years of using suppressants and then more years of finally trying then failing to conceive they ended up luckier than most. Tony took to preparing for motherhood like it was a mission. Rhodey supposed it was. The hand scraped wood flooring was comfortable beneath his feet as he padded further into the room keeping an eye on Tony, braced against the white crib, absently adjusting the blankets and small stuffed animals lining one side. One of which was a clean but worn looking giraffe to match the equally worn elephant in the next crib. Two of the only stuffed toys Edwin Jarvis saved from Tony’s child hood before Howard decided it was time for him to start learning to be an Alpha at the tender age of 5. Tony had a pattern on these nights and it seemed like he was about halfway through at the moment. He’d come in and adjust the blankets and toys in the blue crib first, check the airplane mobile above it and then switch to the white one and repeat. Tonight he moved slower while unsuccessfully holding in his tears. “I could smell you coming down the hall you know,” he said with his back still turned to them. He poked at the solar system mobile, going through each of the planets before flicking at the earth. Stephen took the left side of him and Rhodey gravitated to the open space on his right unable to keep himself from taking his hand in his and just waiting. Beside him he could feel Stephen’s fingers brush against his side when he wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist and gave him a light squeeze. “I should be over this by now, right? I keep waiting and thinking of new things to do, better things to do for them. I can’t shake the feeling I’m going to fuck this up. I’m fucking up now and they aren’t even here.” “Hey, as the only actual M.D. of the family I can attest to the fact that you’re not fucking up. You know you’re allowed to get around for a few minutes every day to keep the circulation moving and the blood clots at bay. In fact you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing.” Tony snorted but sagged just a little against them, somehow finding any place where skin contact could be found and leaning into it like a flower seeking out sunlight. Slowly he let it all slip out, more so than he had on any other night. How he worried he’d end up disappointing their children when they grew up and found out what the world really thought of him. How he couldn’t shake the feeling he was going to end up like his parents, cold and distant. How he’d been agonizing over how it had come to be acceptable for them to abuse him over the years, how it started and why, to keep himself from slipping into the same habits. Because it just had to be in his DNA. With how his father always threatened him with worse like his father had done to him, conditioning him from a young age to be grateful for how things were no matter how terrible. “It’s stupid, I know. I just, don’t want to be them. That’s shitty, I shouldn’t say that. At least not about Mom but I can’t sleep without dreaming about it. All the different ways they showed me I was a disappointment. How much I’d screwed up their plans for the future just being me,” Tony told them through shuddering breaths. “They’re all looking for me to fail. Everyone out there has an opinion on it.” “And not one of those people knows you, Tones,” Rhodey reminded him. “If they did, they would never be able to say those things. Not in a million years no matter what happened to you. The fact that you’re here right now twisting yourself up over this is proof of that. Hell you upped the safety rating on cribs and car seats just to protect them. Took SI into a whole new industry to make sure they would be safe. There isn’t a thing you wouldn’t do for them.” Tony took a deep breath after a moment and Rhodey’s heart broke knowing that instead of taking the words to heart he was analyzing like he usually did. If he had to guess it went something like, if Stephen believed in him and Rhodey trusted Stephen and also believed in him then it must be true. Because they were Alphas and good men as far as society’s standards went that factored more than how Tony felt about himself, not that it was a great place to start. The genius nodded a few minutes later having come to an acceptable conclusion. “Back to bed?” He asked somberly. Stephen caught his eye over his Tony’s head expressing his fierce displeasure with a look Rhodey was all too familiar with. “If you’ll let me carry you?” Rhodey asked. That Tony was tired enough to let him scoop him up without so much as a indignant squawk had Rhodey worried all the way back to their room. “I wish I could ask her how she felt,” Tony murmured sleepily into Rhodey’s neck. Once he was tucked between them and had drifted off to sleep with Stephen wrapped around him and Rhodey combing his grown out curls back from his forehead both Alphas shared that same furious look between them. “I hate them,” Stephen said quietly. “Yeah, me too,” Rhodey answered. ---- Eighteen months old “I’m just saying,” Steve said rankling Tony’s nerves even more. He was lucky Rhodey and Stephen had the twins and hadn’t arrived at the tower yet. They had taken them out for the day to give Tony a bit of a break before the procedure. He was at least 99.9% sure Stephen really would drop him in the dark dimension for however long it it took for the lesson to stick. Tony just kept his eyes on the toasting rolls in the oven ever mindful of the time while he listened to Steve rant. “It’s untested against omegas. It’s not even designed for your genetic make up!” Steve urged him. As if Tony didn’t know. As if he hadn’t been working on the formula and tweaking it for years after injecting and monitoring Rhodey. Extremis was designed with Alpha DNA in mind but between Tony and Dr. Cho it was as omega friendly as it was ever going to be. The only concern they had at this point was how it would affect his reproductive system. There was a 30% chance he’d never have another heat again, not that he would miss them very much. Or it could go the other way and increase the frequency and intensity of his heats. At least he’d be better able to handle them. There was also a 20% chance he might not be able to conceive post treatment, hence them trying and succeeding in getting pregnant with the twins. He’d even waited well over a year to be sure his breast milk would be unaffected and would have waited as long as he could for his babies to self wean. Thankfully they had started to begin to eat solid food at around the year mark. Tony calmly slipped on an oven mitt and pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven careful to set it down on the trivetts on the counter before looking up into anxious blue eyes. “Do I have to remind you that this is none of your business?” “I thought we had at least become friends--” “Colleagues,” Tony amended. “At best.” “Colleagues,” Steve looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. Tony couldn’t resist a small smirk. Unfortunately it resulted in a fond smile from Steve. “I’m doing this Steve and it’s a long time coming. I can appreciate your opinion as someone who... used to have a very important place in my life but I’m not going to change my mind. And to be honest, your whole think of the children schtick is insulting,” Tony said voice firming up towards the end. He was way beyond tired of everyone questioning his parenting abilities. His kids were damn near two years old and developing beautifully. They were already speaking in small sentences and had basically given up on crawling all together and went from rolling to sitting up to attempting to stand more and more each day. It was only a matter of time before Tony couldn’t keep up with them at all. He wouldn’t admit to Steve that was the reason why he was so eager to get a move on with the procedure. While the kids were mostly sedentary he was fine, only experiencing some moments of extreme shortness of breath a few times and having to call one of his Alphas back home in an emergency once or twice. It wasn’t often but the fact was his little beans were growing up and in the blink of an eye they’d be running around and he was going to be damned if he didn’t get to see that. The absolute worst that could happen with the more gentle version of Extremis was that he might not get as much time as he wanted but he’d damn sure take what he could get. “Will you stop putting words in my mouth?” Steve snapped. His face was drawn and his shoulders hunched in as raked his fingers through his hair and took a beat to reorient his thoughts. Tony shook his head and concerned himself with pulling out the necessary meats and cheeses for sandwiches and spreading them out on the kitchen island with the accompanying condiments. As always he kept at least the counter space between them. He’d come one very long, exhausting talk and one surprise alien invasion from where he’d been even a year and a half ago but his instincts would never been the same where Steve was concerned and that thought solidified once the twins were born. His hindbrain classified him as a possible threat and he couldn’t let his guard down, not completely. So he did silly little things like keeping the kitchen island between them or maintaining a distance of a minimum of five feet. Kept himself out of reaching distance and always wore his improved gauntlet watch. It soothed him to know that he’d made the response time so fast that he no longer needed to even pull the gauntlet over his hand. He just had to tap it twice to have the nanoparticles spread from the nano arc masquerading as a watchface. The power output was pared down significantly but it would put even a super soldier on their ass for as long as it would take for him to get away. “You can either congratulate me or offer your support. Either way, I’m doing this. I have the support of my family and that’s all that matters,” Tony said, back straightening as he looked his ex-lover in the eyes. “Now, you can either stay for lunch or head out and maybe I’ll see you after I’ve recovered.” Tony focused on building Rhodey’s sandwich first, layering smoked prosciutto, mozzarella, and neapolitan style eggplant on a freshly toasted roll coated on each side with his homemade herbal mayonnaise that came straight from Jarvis’ collection. His next one, for Stephen, was much lighter. He swapped out the prosciutto, mozzarella, and eggplant for roasted turkey, cheddar, and apple slices. Weirdest combination Tony had seen as of late but Stephen remembered it from before his sister had died so Tony didn’t complain. His little beans on the other hand were as picky as he was with food so he kept it simple with plain white bread and ham and cheese, carefully cutting the crust off lest they have a conniption. His little monsters had won that round.  By the time he was done he found Steve looking at him wistfully. Not too unusual but nevertheless unsettling. “In or out, Rogers,” Tony snapped his fingers in front of his face bringing him back from wherever his mind went when he zoned out. “I just want you to be safe, Tony,” Steve tried again weakly. “I lo-I care about you, a lot. I couldn’t bear it if you were hurt.” Tony swallowed back the bitter words. They had no place here anymore and would only drag them into a fight and back down a path he had no desire to tread on. “Funny that,” Tony settled on saying, beginning on his own salami and provolone wrap with crisp lettuce,arugula, and probably more cheese than necessary. Stephen and Rhodey weren’t here to call him on it anyway so screw it. Steve looked more defeated than he had in a while and Tony tried not to feel bad for him. It wasn’t his job to feel sorry for him like that anymore. Across the room the elevator dinged making them both jump a little in their thoughts. While Steve glowered Tony’s lips curved into a wide grin as the doors slid open on two twin terrors babbling loudly.  His mates stepped into the room with little Edwin and Emma squirming all over them clearly having scented Tony in the room, probably even in the elevator itself, twisting and turning trying to lay wide brown eyes on him. They looked like they’d had a fun day out with brand new baseball caps covering their curls boasting the Phillies symbols. They each wore little matching Phillies jerseys despite Stephen being the one lone Yankees fan in the family. Once they did locate Tony, ear splitting peals of laughter filled the kitchen. His Alphas entered the room and wasted no time zeroing in on Steve’s unwanted presence. There was no love lost there and Tony was sure that chasm wouldn’t be closed. “Mama!” “Ma!” “Yeah, that’s me,” Tony answered, tensing just a bit when Steve stood.  His hand itched towards his watch. For all the times Steve told him he’d rather die than hurt Tony or his children Tony recognized them for what they were. Just words. He favored actions now and breathed a little easier when Steve gave the two Alphas a wide berth as they briskly passed by him to get to Tony. “Fo’ me?” Edwin asked straining in Rhodey’s arms towards the little squares of ham and cheese. Tony took him from Rhodey, wrapping his arms around him tight and pressed a kiss to his little brown chubby cheek. “Sangwit!”Emma cried out. She reached out and patted the other side of Tony’s face. “Yeah, baby, it’s sangwit just for you,” Tony said wryly. “In or out Steve?” Tony asked, mostly just to be polite. Stephen helped him drag his custom made (which really meant Tony-made) high chair closer to the countertop and he set himself to securing Edwin in his seat. He didn’t miss the sad look in Steve’s eyes or the hard glare Rhodey sent Steve’s way even as he headed for the elevator himself citing paperwork that needed doing. Rhodey didn’t turn to help with Emma until the elevator doors closed the air suddenly seeming much less charged. “Sangwit! Sangwit!” Emma and Edwin had taken to chanting making all three chuckle. “So, who won today?” Tony asked, having genuinely not kept up. Stephen smirked in Rhodey’s direction earning him a mock death glare from the other Alpha. “Yankees 3 to 2,” he answered smugly. He set down a small plate of sandwich squares in front of each of the twins. “Slowly,” Tony admonished when they both tried to cram two squares in their mouths at once. Monsters. The two of them! “It was close,” Rhodey said as he flopped down on one of the bar stools in front of the counter. He dragged his obvious choice of sandwich closer to him looking wounded. “Daddy uh oh?” Emma asked tipping her head to the side to look at Rhodey’s distressed face. “Give Daddy some time, honey,” Stephen said sweetly tapping her nose. “He’s a little sensitive right now.” “Oh you got jokes,” Rhodey glared over his sandwich having been just about to take a bite. “Always,” Stephen answered while pulling his own lighter fare to him as he took the stool next to Rhodey. He bumped his shoulder as he sat and Rhodey rolled his eyes at Tony in exasperation. He was glad they hadn’t asked about Steve yet and probably wouldn’t until much later when little ears weren’t around to be nosey. “You love him and you know it,” Tony told him without sympathy. “At least he didn’t wear the full Yankees regalia today.” “I’m not that crazy.” Rhodey was a bit smug. “This is good, Tones. Real good.” Tony smiled into his own bite of his wrap content to watch his mates bicker and side eye his children while they swapped sandwiches clearly deciding that each other’s sandwiches tasted better than their own. He loved his little weirdos. All four of them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Hi there! It's been a while and I've honestly missed writing and interacting with the fandom so much. I wanted to just drop a friendly note to let anyone who is interested know that I've post the first chapter to a prequel for this fic featuring MIT era Rhodey and Tony. This chapter will be deleted in about a week. Sorry to anyone who might have thought there was an addition to this part of the story. It is now apart of a series so if you'd like to follow that so you can get updates on if/when I post a sequel to this it should be linked now.