Archive of Our Own

Steve looked down at the table in front of him as he sat on the couch in his living room, waiting for Peter to finish putting on his shoes. The night before had been a complete disaster; he had dreamt that Brock had come back drunk again, and as usual, he had come back almost in the middle of the night. This time he had come in shouting and throwing things, which had woken Peter and scared him into running to Steve for protection. 

He sighed as he remembered the nights Brock had beaten him after he had managed to calm Peter down, and he had fallen asleep from crying so much. He had lived in hiding ever since. He had taken Peter's clothes, his own, a few things he wanted to take, and left the house.

Natasha had persuaded him to move in with her. So they had been living there for over four months now, and both Peter and he were having a hard time adjusting. Their baby had nightmares and was often frightened; the happy child he had once been had been forgotten, and Steve believed it was his fault.

Peter was too afraid of his own father, and if Steve wanted to stay, he would have to tell him that his father was not a monster. But how could he tell a four-year-old that his father didn't mean to yell at him at night, that his father was a saint and that he loved him, when it was all lies?

He remembers that the day he almost hit Peter was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tears welled up in his eyes as he came to the conclusion that if he didn't get his baby out of that house, he would be next. He wouldn't let Brock lay a hand on him, the more he thought about the past. They had fled in the morning, the hours when Brock was never there; they had taken a bus and arrived at Natasha's house with tears streaming down his cheeks and fear of what Steve had just done.

"I'm ready." He looked quickly at Peter, his son was dressed in his new school uniform shirt, blue shorts that came up to his knees, long white socks that he doubted would come back white, and his little black shoes that he had polished the afternoon before.

He had a sad look on his face, and it squeezed his heart. Peter had been looking forward to going to preschool, but the last few days Brock had been a complete jerk and Steve had noticed Peter's depression even more. He shouldn't have woken up in fear when his father came home late, shouldn't have been afraid when he was home, shouldn't have been startled by loud noises or cowered when someone approached him.

He had his doubts about the schools; the thought of leaving his child in the care of someone he didn't really know was a huge step and something that scared him to death. A million questions arose. Peter was a naturally nervous child and more intelligent than he looked, so he feared he would have difficulty interacting with other children.

He stood up and carried his child in his arms; it felt so abnormal to know he would have to be separated from him, but he saw it as an opportunity. There were only two preschoolers in the town they were in, and only one of them didn't judge Steve for not having Alpha. He had felt bad when he realised that his son might be discriminated against because he didn't have his other parent; he had had enough of an abusive father; he didn't deserve to be bullied at school; he told the teacher and she said she would look into it.

They didn't have more than seven children, so he trusted her. Luckily, he had got a job in a coffee shop in the town centre, and after school Peter was able to stay there and not be alone at home. For the first time since he had come to Brock, he felt that life was smiling on him.

He hoped Peter had cried; he wouldn't lie; it was the first time they'd been apart for a long time and he had no idea how his son would react. He just looked at him with his sad little eyes, waved goodbye and went into the living room. Steve, on the other hand, had shed a few tears when he got home.

He wiped his face and put on his uniform to go to work. It wasn't very busy, but they had customers, usually more customers in the morning for breakfast and in the afternoon for lunch. There weren't many people in the evenings, so they always closed before dinner.

He arrived at the shop and started tidying up. His hands were sweating at the thought of leaving Peter alone for so long. He took a breath and wiped his hands on his uniform trousers. He felt a tap on his back and almost jumped in fright.

"Hey Steve, take it easy, man; everything's going to be fine." He looked back to see Clint, his co-worker. Clint ran the kitchen and he ran the counter. Clint wasn't good at customer service but he was an excellent cook so the two of them made a good team.

"I'm so nervous; I've never left him alone for so long." Clint laughed.

"I hear you; Laura seemed just as anxious as you when Cooper was old enough to go to preschool, but it all worked out. Peter will be fine; you'll see him in a few hours." Steve nodded, letting out the air he didn't know he was holding in.

The morning passed quietly and smoothly. Of course, the fear of returning to Peter didn't go away, but he worked as best he could. Shaky hands or glances at the clock every five minutes were not unnoticed by Clint, but he would rather let Steve enjoy his first day without his son in peace than hover over him all the time.

Then suddenly he smelled something or someone coming into the cafe. An Alpha. A little shorter than himself, with a trimmed beard, a designer suit, and black glasses. He smelled minty fresh, reminding him of the coolness of the night when he was about to fall asleep. He sat down at the bar, and Steve approached him nervously.

"Welcome to Randy's Donuts. What can I get you?" The man said nothing for a few seconds; even with his glasses on, Steve could feel him looking him in the eye. They said nothing for a few seconds until Alpha decided to speak.

"A black coffee and no sugar, please," he said. His voice was not deep and demanding; Steve was used to Alphas who looked like that being rude and self-centered.

He went to get the mug of hot coffee and returned with a mug of steaming coffee. He walked away from where the man was sitting and pretended to read the day's paper.

"Can I borrow it?" he heard in the distance. He looked where the voice came from, bright brown eyes watching him from afar; he was even more handsome without his glasses. Steve sighed and walked over to him.

"Here," he put the paper on the counter. "Here you go." He trailed off, not wanting to talk further. He knew that if it weren't for his scent patches, his pheromones would be out of control.

Unable to help himself, he glanced at the clock; in half an hour, Peter's first day of school would finally be over. It also meant that lunchtime would start and the cafeteria would begin to fill up; if he wanted to leave on time with the schedule, he had to leave at that instant.

He looked at the man one more time and went to the kitchen. Clint was preparing the menu for the day. There were two pots of broth and three steaming pans; he, meanwhile, was still chopping some vegetables.

"Clint" stopped what he was doing and looked at him. "I have to go", he said nervously. Clint smiled.

"It'll be fine. Take it  easy." Clint walked over to him and patted him on the back.

Steve came out of the kitchen; great was his surprise when he realized the handsome man was gone. He went to pick up the coffee cup and saw a piece of paper there. See you later. It was said in very nice handwriting. Underneath it was his name as a signature. Tony Stark.

On the way to Peter's school, he began to think. What would have happened if he hadn't met Brock? He would probably be living alone in an apartment in New York; he would have fulfilled his dream of being a doctor for soldiers, and the only thing he didn't like was that he wouldn't have Peter.

He loved Peter with all his heart; he didn't even mind leaving his dreams behind when he realized he was pregnant. Seeing his baby's eyes was enough to give up everything. Everything but Brock.

He put his hands to his face and tried to push those thoughts away; he closed his eyes and thought about what an idiot he had been, but what was Steve to know that when Peter came into their lives, Brock would become a complete idiot?

Brock had longed to have an Alpha child. When they got the news of his pregnancy, that was the first thing he said. I want an Alpha son. Steve didn't care; mean, what could Steve do if his baby turned out to be a girl or an Omega? He would love him anyway; it wasn't a real problem.

Well, taking his ex-partner's opinion into account would have saved him years of suffering. Peter was, simply put, Steve's idol. The first time he held him in his arms, it felt like breathing again; his Omega was proud of his work to create a being as sweet as Peter.

The problem came later, when Peter began to show himself as an Omega. He was too small to introduce himself, but you could tell by his scent. Steve thought it was his own scent on his son until it started to permeate the entire house.

It was obvious how upset Brock was that his first and only son would introduce himself as an Omega. Steve would never say that Peter was to blame for Brock's change of heart. If his baby presented as an Omega, Steve would be just as happy as if he presented as an Alpha.

Here Brock was the one with the problem, though of course the Steve of the past was so blinded by love that he missed the warning signs, and that will forever haunt the Steve of the present.

He sighed and saw several Omegas waiting outside the school. He was worried that he was too early, but seeing them relaxed him a bit. In the distance he saw Laura; she was accompanied by a smaller boy. Seeing him reminded him of how small Peter had once been, and now he was already finishing his first day of school.

The bell rang in the distance, and it wasn't long before some children began to leave the school. Some ran to their mothers, and others waited at the entrance. In an instant, he recognized his boy.

He came out with a boy who looked to be about his age; he talked and talked while Peter just listened and nodded to what he said. His heart squeezed. His first friend. He didn't want to interrupt, but Peter met him with a look as if he knew he had been there all along. He turned to his new friend and said something to him; he seemed to have said goodbye because the new boy looked at him and smiled at his son.

As Peter approached Steve, he saw the boy get into a late-model car. Peter ran over to Steve and jumped in for a hug. Steve welcomed him with open arms and carried him to make his way back to the cafeteria.

"How are you?" said Steve as he pushed back the hair that covered his son's eyes.

"Fine," he replied, "I made a friend." Steve smiled at him, and Peter looked away, although he could see a small smile on his face.

"Really?" Peter nodded. "And what's his name?" Peter hesitated a little, but when he saw that they were near the cafe, he told him.

"His name is Harry," Steve smiled at him and set him down so they could both go in together.

"I'm so glad you found a friend," he said, sitting him down at one of the tables in the back. "Do you want something to eat?" he asked him as he put his notebooks on the table and put his colors next to it.

Peter said yes and went to get a piece of cake and a chocolate milkshake. He excitedly told Clint that it had been a good day and he hoped in his heart that it would stay that way.

When it was evening and he was home, he remembered the Alpha from the morning; nervously he pulled the card out of his pants; as he put it to his nose, he noticed the faint scent of the handsome Alpha he had known. He smiled, thinking that maybe—just maybe—he could meet the man again.

The next day was the same routine in the morning, only this time Peter ran to greet Harry as he arrived at school; Harry hugged him, and they walked in together, but not before saying goodbye to Steve in the distance.

On the way to work, Steve almost cried; he didn't want to appear so weak, but according to his calendar, he was nowhere near his next heat, and his Omega instincts towards Peter were getting stronger and stronger. He ran his hands over his eyes to wipe away any trace of tears before Clint saw him and became concerned.

He entered the facility, and Clint looked at him in confusion. Hormones. He told him to get rid of the embarrassing questions. Clint dropped the subject and the day began. The morning went on as usual with lots of customers but no problems until it was after ten o'clock, and he smelled it when he walked in.

Visibly expensive suit, black glasses, and determined stride. Tony Stark. Steve had expected to see him, although he shouldn't have been surprised to meet him so soon.

"Black coffee, no sugar," he said as he took off his glasses, their eyes colliding, and Tony smiled at him as he saw Steve's face flush as he was enveloped by the Alpha's scent. Without saying anything, he went to serve him his coffee.

They stared at each other the whole time; Steve almost felt uncomfortable, except that he couldn't take his eyes off Tony either. Looking at him was like being under a spell, because he felt like he had to keep his eyes on him, but he liked feeling the Alpha's gaze on him more.

It wasn't until Clint approached him, flustered by the strange situation, to tell him it was time to go get Peter if he didn't want to be late. Steve broke eye contact and almost ran out of the cafeteria.

He was almost late for Peter's dismissal, but his son wasn't worried; he was actually sitting on one of the children's benches in the front yard of the school talking to the same boy from the day before.

His eyes almost welled up with tears as he saw his boy smile for the first time in months, showing all his teeth as the Harry boy showed him a comic book of some superhero with metal armor. Steve remembers seeing Peter flip through some of those comics in his room.

Suddenly he saw him frown and turn to look at him; it scared the hell out of him; he almost thought he had some Spidey sense or something. But hey, his son was never a normal person. He smiled at him from a distance and pointed at him so that Harry could see. The boy gave him a big smile and waved. Steve returned the greeting as Peter walked over to him, keeping an eye on Harry as he got into the waiting car.

Peter hugged him tightly, and soon Steve was carrying him. Peter looked happier; Steve felt the same until he sniffed him deeply. A faint scent of Alpha was on his clothes, but it was obvious that he was not an Alpha presented, so this boy Harry was an Alpha.

He looked up at Peter in surprise, but the boy was more focused on watching the trees than his gaze. An Alpha. He thought. Peter, who was afraid of his father, was social with an Alpha. He let out air he didn't even know he was holding.

He felt lucky; his baby didn't have any problems socializing with people of the opposite genre. He had been afraid that Peter would have trouble making friends, but he seemed to have even better social skills than Steve. He smiled contentedly; it had been a great idea to get out of there and live with Natasha.

When they got to the cafe, he dropped him off again with another cake and a strawberry milkshake. While he was free, he texted Bucky to meet that night. He let Natasha know, and Bucky told them he would be home for dinner.

Natasha hardly ever spent time at home; she worked at a martial arts school, and Bucky lived across town, so this was the best time to catch up on Peter's first days of school.

The evening passed uneventfully; Natasha and Bucky came in with a new comic book for Peter. This one was about a male scientist who had been hit by his own experiment and now turned into a big green man every time he got angry. Peter was happy and mumbled how excited he was to show it to Harry.

When Peter had already fallen asleep, he dropped the bombshell. Both Bucky and Natasha were curious about this Harry Peter had mentioned.

"Harry Osborn," he whispered as they both looked at him in surprise.

"Your son is friends with Harry Osborn?" asked Natasha in surprise.

"Yes, apparently they are both science lovers; they like the same comics, and they get along very well. Harry talks a lot, and Peter has never been one for many words, so now they are friends," he said happily with a smile on his face.

"Wait. Isn't the only son an Alpha?" Steve nodded and drank more coffee.

"Yes. Until yesterday I thought he was a Beta; I mean, I don't know anyone here except by name. I had to ask Clint when I had the chance," his two friends nodded, "but today Peter was so happy to go to school, and when I went to pick him up, he had a big smile on his face as he talked to this kid. I don't care if he's an Alpha; my baby's been through a lot. I'm glad he's not afraid of people."

"Phew, I'm sure Peter would be more talkative if it wasn't for that jerk," Natasha said. He knew she didn't mean it in a bad way, but it was his fault that that jerk hurt his baby. Bucky didn't notice his encouragement because he didn't hesitate to give him words of encouragement.

"Hey, you're doing a great job; interacting with other Alphas is making Peter see that not everyone is the same as his useless father." Steve smiled at him and nodded, "It's not creating any trauma for him; that's a good thing. I'm ex-military, and Natasha is an expert in every martial art," he laughed. "Our mistake was trusting Brock, but we're here now; don't worry."

"Thank you so much; I don't know what I would have done without you." They spent the evening laughing and enjoying their evening.

That day he didn't even have a nightmare, but for some reason he dreamed of a very handsome man dressed as a millionaire.

After a week, he was absolutely certain. He and Tony Stark were onto something. It wasn't a relationship, but it was something.

Every morning, just before twelve o'clock, he would go in for a cup of coffee without sugar at a time when no one else was in the cafe. For almost half an hour, they looked at each other as if they were about to say something, but no one made the first move.

If Tony left early, he would leave a note:You look nice today, which was silly because he wore a uniform every day.

• My favorite coffee will always be the one with your eyes – Even though it was taken from Google, he liked it for the effort.
• I think about you more today than yesterday – He blushed and it lasted until the evening.
• Every day is better when I see your smile – The next day he tried to not smile at him; it didn't work.
• I order my coffee without sugar because seeing your eyes is already too sweet – Too far-fetched, but the intention is appreciated.

He reread the notes of the last few days, and when he heard someone enter his room, he quickly put each note into his locked drawer. Peter looked at him confusedly from the doorway.

"Dad?" he said, looking at him unsurely. "Are you okay? Steve breathed normally when he saw that it was only his son. He was already dressed in his school uniform with his backpack slung over his shoulder. He quickly checked the time; it wasn't too late. If they left right now, they would probably be earlier than usual. He was thankful he had gotten Peter's lunch box ready before he got distracted.

"Of course I do." Steve knew he could tell he was too nervous, but Peter didn't want to say anything about it. "Is something wrong? Peter hesitated a bit before telling him.

"Harry invited me to his house." Steve looked at his son; he didn't even seem to be the same kid who lived in Queens anymore; he was more talkative, more energetic, and smiled a lot. Steve couldn't help but be happy that his boy was having a normal childhood.

For the past week, he had been dropping hints about visiting a friend and talking about how spending time with others would help his social skills. Having been a kid himself, Steve knew what his son was trying to do.

"So?" Peter walked over to his father's bed and climbed up with difficulty, which didn't seem to be a problem in keeping up his serious facade.

"Can I have permission to go to his house?" Peter looked at him with his big brown eyes, waiting for his father to tell him it was okay.

But that scared Steve; he didn't know anyone in the Osborn family beyond what he knew about Harry, thanks to his son's love of talking about him. Leaving his son in the hands of a family he didn't know, in a house he hadn't visited, didn't sound very nice to him.

"I'll think about it." If it had been up to Steve, he would have said yes in one breath, but no one could take away the feeling of fear.

Despite his dubious answer, Peter's eyes seemed to shine like stars. Along the way, Peter talked about how much he was looking forward to the release of the new superhero comic book he loved to read. Steve made a mental note to make a Christmas gift list.

When they arrived at the school, Harry was waiting outside for his son. Peter said goodbye and ran off to meet his new friend. Steve was about to leave when a slightly older man approached him. Norman Osborn. He introduced himself, and they chatted a bit about Harry's request to come to his home. Norman gave him his number and asked him to consider having his son come to his home.

The man appeared to be an alpha millionaire, but he didn't smell of danger; in fact, he smelled like he wanted people to like him. Steve assured him that he would think about it and went to work as they said goodbye after their short conversation.

The whole day went on as normal until the handsome Alpha Tony Stark showed up; the strange thing was that he arrived almost an hour before his usual time. Even Clint told him that maybe he was up to something.

"Anything I can offer you?" he asked him, though he already knew the answer.

"How about a date?" That confused him.

"Excuse me?" Tony took off his glasses and leaned further back on the counter next to Steve. Tony looked shorter than he really was.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Steve was pretty sure he heard Clint chuckle, making it sound like a cough, but Tony never took his eyes off him.

Steve wanted to say no, but who was he kidding? He liked this man; he had a chance to have a night off, and he was too old to be begged. Peter wouldn't be with him for a night for the first time; maybe they could both have a great night without feeling sad about being apart.

"What day?" Tony thought a bit, trying to decide which day would be best.

"This Saturday? You don't work on Sundays," Steve looked at him in surprise.

"You're spying on me," Tony rolled his eyes.

"I wanted to see you," he said, defending himself.

"Ok, Saturday." Tony pulled out a piece of paper, a pen, and wrote something. "Where will we meet?" Tony pulled out another piece of paper and handed it to him along with the pen.

"Give me your address; I'll drop you off." Steve started to write down the house where he was staying with Peter and Natasha; he just hoped it wasn't a psycho. He had dealt with one before; if this one was the same, he was going to lose his mind.

"Here it is," he said, handing him the paper. Tony handed him the paper with a phone number written on it.

"So we can keep in touch, see you tomorrow," he said goodbye and walked calmly out of the cafe, unlike Steve, who felt his heart beating faster and faster.

I have a date. It had been more than a decade since his first date, or maybe just one, since Brock hardly liked going out at all. He felt like he was in his twenties, that a handsome man would seek him out and ask him out on a date, that he would dress up to look nice, or that he would think about spending the night together.

But Steve was in his thirties; he couldn't think about those things anymore. If the date went well, fine, but he had a son, and he wouldn't involve him until he was absolutely sure that Tony was someone he could trust.

The week had gone by faster than I thought. It was Thursday, and he had already told Peter that he could spend the whole day with Harry as long as his father allowed it. 

Both boys asked Norman for permission to spend the day together, and he granted it.

Almost at noon, Tony showed up: he was wearing no suit, a black t-shirt with a pattern on the chest that looked like his heart, and black jeans. Although he looked like he was wearing cheap clothes, Steve knew that the Alpha's clothes cost more than a year's salary.

Even though they already had a date, neither of them wanted to give up their tradition: they stared at each other for hours without saying a word. He liked that; it was as if they didn't need words to communicate, just their gaze to let the other know of their affection.

Tony returned to leave him another note, and Clint teased him that they looked like teenagers in love and not thirty-five-year-old men. Although he also told him something that surprised him. You smell sweeter since you met. That made a knot in his stomach.

Steve knew his smell was bitter when he arrived in town. He had arrived tired and weary from his experiences with Brock; the sadness of leaving his partner washed over him, but he felt worse when he remembered all the bad things he had put Peter through.

His omega maternal instincts were stronger than the little bond he had with Brock.

But it was strange; Peter hadn't mentioned that. Maybe that was why he felt more comfortable holding him or wanting to be in his nest. Peter was also getting used to the change.

Realizing that made him think about Tony—if all went well, would Tony take him back with Peter? It's not uncommon for Alphas not to want to be with children who aren't their own, but what if Tony ended up loving him so much that he would love Peter, too?

He thought about all this as he made his way to pick up his son. He sighed and stared into space. Was this a good idea? He decided it didn't matter; if he started dating Tony, that was fine. When the time was right, he would introduce him to Peter, and if they got along, they could continue their relationship; if not, they could just break up.

It was amazing how easy it seemed to him to leave people for his son, before he felt tied to Brock, but now all he thought about was him and his baby in their nest, cuddling, watching a movie, or eating candy. After all they had been through, Steve was now very clear about his choices for the future.

Peter came back with a new comic; apparently they had traded with Harry. Steve had risked everything to have the complete Iron Man collection (Peter had corrected him too many times when he misspelled the name); Peter had the complete collection of this superhero, but Harry had the complete collection of the Green Man. So they decided to trade one comic a day.

At least Steve was happy; now Peter would have something to entertain him while he was in the cafeteria.

On Saturday they were both nervous; Peter wasn't sure what it was that made his dad nervous, but he was nervous about spending time in a house that wasn't his own.

Steve was dying of nerves; he had tried to make pancakes for Peter and Natasha, but they didn't come out round at all, and some were more toasted than others. They were both shocked by Steve's strange attitude. Everything was going wrong for him; he was up late, breakfast didn't go the way he thought it would, and he had to say a quick goodbye to Peter because he was late. He barely made it to the cafeteria on time; he was lucky Clint wasn't a demanding boss.

During the day, his mind was split between sadness and excitement; as much as it hurt to be away from Peter, he had a good feeling about his date. He shouldn't have been surprised when Tony didn't show up at the usual time. They would have a date; it was no reason to be sad about not seeing each other sooner.

Everything went on as usual; he received a few messages from Peter that made him sadder than he thought. The pictures showed him and Harry playing, and as he had expected, both reading books that an adult college student would read. Knowing that his boy was having fun made him sad and happy at the same time. Clint told him that it was normal, but he didn't believe him because he told him that while laughing at his teary eyes.

His day was over, and tired he headed home; he had not arranged a specific time to meet Tony, but they had already exchanged numbers, so he would wait for his call.

A noise in the background woke him up. He didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep and answered without checking the number.

"Hello," he said, holding the phone to his ear.

"Steve, were you asleep?" The startle woke him up suddenly; he looked at the time, a quarter to eight. On Steve's schedule, it was already late; he got up and started picking out clothes.

"Yeah, sorry," he heard a chuckle from the other end of the line.

"Don't worry, you can call me when you're ready; I'll pick you up." not caring that they were in no hurry, he dressed quickly. What kind of date keeps their date waiting?

"I'll be ready in five minutes; you can come now," he heard an Okay on the other end and hung up.

He dressed in a regular shirt that was already ironed and matching black pants; he didn't want to be too casual, but since he didn't know where they were going, he didn't want to be too formal either. He had been an idiot not to ask earlier where they were going.

In ten minutes, he heard the horn of a car; he was completely ready, so he went out, almost running to the front door to leave on time. He was surprised to see a very nice black sports car in front of his house; inside he could see the Alpha looking at his cell phone.

He took a breath and walked over, knocking on the car window to let him know he was there. Tony turned to look at him and smiled, stepping aside when he saw he was about to get out of the car. He was dressed a little more dressy; Steve actually felt bad seeing him; maybe his outfit wasn't appropriate for the date.

"You look beautiful," Steve smiled, looking away so as not to show his blush, although Tony noticed despite his attempts.

"You look very handsome," Tony smiled arrogantly.

"I got handsome for you," he winked at him. Tony took his hand and led him to the passenger seat; he opened the door like a gentleman, and Steve got into the luxurious car. "I hope you don't mind," he said as he started the car. "But we're going to have dinner at my place; I've hired a special chef."

"That's fine; sounds perfect to me." It didn't take long for them to arrive, but Steve hadn't expected Tony to have a mansion.

"Well, let's go in." They were greeted by a woman named Pepper Pops, apparently Tony's assistant. She introduced herself with a warm smile but didn't stay; she said she had to go home but told Tony she would keep an eye out in case of any problems.

The evening was splendid; he ate the most delicious piece of meat he had ever tasted in his life, and they had expensive wine and an even more delicious dessert.

"Have you lived in this town long?" Steve hesitated to tell him the truth, but it could be that he was just hiding not-so-important facts from him, like the fact that he had a son.

"No. I moved recently; my ex-partner was abusive, and I had to get as far away from him as possible. I have two friends here, and they helped me  move." Tony nodded in understanding; at least he wouldn't judge him for that. "You just moved?"

"Sort of. I was here for a while, but a friend of mine betrayed me recently, and I had to have a heart transplant, which I wouldn't have done if it wasn't for Pepper and Happy. They told me to get away from the world for a while, so I'm back here." Steve looked at him sadly, which made Tony grimace. "Don't look at me like that; I'm better now. The treatment is helping, and having money to spare is helping. My doctors are good at what they do".

"I'm sorry you were betrayed," Tony gave him a warm smile.

"I'm sorry your ex-partner was a jerk."

The evening went well; they got to know each other a lot better and talked about meaningless things. Both Tony and Steve felt that there was already a connection between them, and they were sure that it wouldn't be long before they would see each other again.

They both knew they didn't want to have sex the first night, so when it got too late, Tony took him home.

"I had a great time; thank you so much." Seeing Tony's smile made his heart race; he really liked eliciting those smiles.

"So that's a yes for a second date then," Steve laughed and got out ofthe car.

"Of course it is."

They both fell asleep with big smiles on their faces. Longing for the moment when they would meet again.

"So, did you go out with anyone?" He had waited all Sunday for this question, but apparently his friend had waited until he was about to go back to work to ask him.

"Yes," he replied flatly.

Natasha looked at him with a mixture of surprise and happiness. He patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more. That left him confused, and he texted Bucky just in case. I had a date with someone. It was too early for Bucky to see the message, so he would have time before he answered.

Peter had come home on Sunday morning, happy and excited to tell him all about what he had done; his boy had talked for hours about how much he had enjoyed spending time with Harry. Steve was glad they'd both had a good time on their first night apart, so they wouldn't have any problems with future sleepovers Peter would have.

When he dropped him off at school, Norman Osborn came back to him and thanked him for trusting him with his son. He knew it wasn't easy, but the two boys had had a great time, so Steve assured him he had permission for future meetings.

He returned to work nervously, wondering if Tony would show up or not. Sunday night he thought about telling him about Peter; they had had a great date, so Steve was sure he felt better being honest than hiding a big secret.

The time came, and Tony arrived, but this time with a small bouquet of roses. You're working; I don't know if that's allowed. Clint laughed for hours at him and his little bouquet, although the laughter stopped when they decided to look online for flowers and realized they cost hundreds of dollars.

The next few weeks were similar: chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals. He was grateful for the gifts, but it was getting harder and harder to hide them from Peter, who didn't seem too happy about the new smell surrounding Steve.

He took the blame; he should have told them both from the beginning, but it wasn't easy. What if Tony didn't want kids, what if Peter didn't like him, what if the relationship wasn't good?

So he decided to consult the wisest person he knew, Thor, a guy who wasn't very comfortable with his birth name, so he didn't use it. He wasn't very smart, but he wasn't an idiot either, and he needed a point of view that didn't know much about his life. It didn't help, though, because it told him what was already there. Be honest.

He started talking about how everyone in his hometown was honest except for his brother, his father, his mother, and many other people. Steve thought he was joking, but Thor really liked honesty, so he listened.

They were almost two weeks away from Christmas, and what better time to introduce them than then? If they got along, they would spend the holidays together; if not, Steve wouldn't have to make up an excuse.

One day, when Peter asked permission to spend the afternoon with Harry, Steve took the opportunity to have a quiet talk with Tony.

"Can I decide about our second date?" he asked him as he put his coffee on the counter.

"Yes, of course," Tony looked at him with those sweet eyes of his, and Steve took all the courage he had to tell him.

"This Thursday, at the park near my house." Tony nodded, although he looked a bit confused about the location. "I want to introduce you to someone; I hope you don't mind." That did surprise him.

"I'll be waiting, then." Tony didn't frown or anything; Steve almost thought he already knew about Peter.

Already at home, he spoke to his son. He sat him down on his bed with his scent calming him, getting him ready for sleep.

"This Saturday, we're going out together; I want you to meet someone." Peter looked at him doubtfully.

"We're not going back to Father, are we?" Steve looked at him confused and anxious.

"Of course not, I won't let him get close to us ever again." Peter nodded calmly. "Why did you think that?"

"The children in my classroom say that someday you'll come back with him. I told them no, no, because he was bad, but they said we couldn't live without an Alpha." He caressed his baby's head and laid him on his legs.

"He is not your father. I promised you that we would not go back to him." Peter looked at him from below. "He is just someone I've met, and if you like him, he will stay in our lives."

The week did not pass as quickly as he thought, but when he got distracted, it was already Wednesday. Tony told him he was eager to know who this person was, and Peter was nervous about meeting someone new.

What improved the situation was that neither of them had problems getting to know each other; on Wednesday night Tony wrote to him to know the time, and it was just after Peter's classes. It was his free afternoon, and since Thursdays were not very busy, Clint opted to close the cafe.

The next day, when classes had finished, Tony sent him a message letting him know that he was already in the park. Peter was a little anxious, but he was doing his best not to show it.

They arrived at the park, and in the distance he saw Tony on a bench under a tree. He slowly approached him, and Peter hid behind his legs, not wanting to be seen yet.

"Hello," Tony said. He looked at him, waiting to see someone else with him, but he didn't see anyone.

"Hello," the greeting corresponded.

"I know I probably had to tell you this a lot earlier, but I wanted to get to know you more." Tony was already very nervous about his words. "He's Peter." Peter, this is Tony." The boy and the man looked at each other, wondering who this person was.

"He's an Alpha," Peter muttered. Tony nodded, realizing he was talking to an unpresented Omega.

"How are you?" he said, trying to sound casual.

"Tony," the man looked at him confused. "He's my son, Peter." Tony wasn't going to lie; of course that took him by surprise, but when he saw the boy, he saw all of Steve's features in him. Except for his eyes and hair, if Tony was right, this must be the son of Steve and his ex-boyfriend.

"Nice to meet you," he said; the boy saw him and extended his hand.

"Likewise," Peter looked at Steve and said, "Is he the one you've been hanging out with?" Steve lowered his head; of course his son wouldn't ignore that. "You smell a lot like him; wouldn't it be weird?"

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

Peter knew something was wrong with his father, but he was afraid to mention it. He looked happy, not like when they were still with his dad; the sour smell that surrounded the whole house always bothered him, but he knew his dad was doing his best.

"Well, we're not technically 'dating.'" Tony turned to him, confused.

"No?" Steve looked at him like it was obvious.

"We've only been on one date," he explained himself.

Peter looked at them as if it were a tennis match. "Then we must have a second date." Tony said.

"Really?" Steve looked at Peter in surprise, but the boy was more focused on how the conversation would end.

"Yeah, why not?" Tony looked at Peter for agreement; the boy just shrugged, not wanting to get involved in the conversation.

"Ok, let's make it our second date." Tony smiled like a winner, and Steve rolled his eyes and took Peter's hand so they could walk on.

"Ok, there is a restaurant nearby; we can go if you want to get something to eat," both Omegas agreed.

Tony led them to a nice restaurant; Steve would stop by when he brought Peter, but they had never eaten there because he was always too tired to go anywhere but home. He was grateful that Tony was being nice; he expected him to turn him down on the spot, but he didn't seem at all upset by the news.

He thought maybe he was waiting until they finished their 'date'; maybe when it was over, Tony would tell him he would never see him again. And that was exactly why he wanted them to get to know each other before it became something more serious; if they finished that day, there would be no problem, but if Steve's feelings went deeper, he would no longer be able to escape the sadness.

They entered the restaurant and chose a table by the window; the waiter left them the menu, and they began to look through it. It didn't take them long to decide. Steve wasn't indecisive about food, and the kids menu didn't have many choices, so they just waited for the waiter to take their order.

"What do you do for a living?" asked Peter as they ate.

"In a nutshell, I made things up," Peter looked at him curiously. They had talked about it on their first date, which helped Steve with his nervousness; they were both science lovers, so he hoped they would get along.

"Like what?" Peter looked up as he heard his answer.

"Like robots, or things that protect the world," he said vaguely; even Steve didn't understand him.

"What?" Tony looked up from his plate and noticed that they were both looking at him as if he had said something strange.

"I'm a CEO of an industry," he sighed, their faces going from confused to surprised.

"Like Harry's dad," he said to Steve, who smiled and nodded, "My best friend's dad is also a CEO of a company".

"What's his name? Maybe I know him," he said, continuing to eat.

"It's Norman Osborn."

"Yes, I know him; only he works with medical projects, and I work with technology projects," he explained.

"Cool. Do you think one day you would take me to see your company?" Tony thought about it; he looked at Steve, who looked at him confused.

"Of course."

Lunch turned into a conversation about Tony's work; he didn't seem very happy to talk about it, but he was the nicest to Peter, showing interest in his tastes and how he was doing at school. He did his best not to mention his father, but he could see that the boy sometimes got nervous in the middle of the conversation.

Steve didn't say much either; Tony could tell how anxious they were about his presence, but he tried to show them confidence, hiding his scent and letting the scent of both Omegas surround him.

When everyone had finished eating, Tony insisted on ordering dessert. And as he watched Steve smile warmly at his young son, he realized that he didn't really mind being in Steve's life, even with someone else's child.

You could say that the sons were the mirror image of the Alphas; if they were Omegas, they should be submissive to show who was in charge, and if they were Alphas, they should be rough and rude.

But the Starks were never taught this. To them, science and proving their intelligence were everything, and if Peter became their stepson, Tony would be more than proud to prove his potential. Besides, if his jerk of a father couldn't handle the jewels he had in his life, Tony wasn't one to turn them down.

He couldn't say he loved Steve, not yet, but he wanted to stay in his life, be a part of it, and build something. Maybe in time they would be a family.

Tony drove them home in his car, careful because he didn't know he was carrying a child, and he drove his convertible. Seeing the two Omegas happy gave him a warm feeling in his stomach; he liked that feeling.

It wasn't until Monday morning, when Tony and Steve saw each other again, that Steve decided to talk about their date.

"So what did you think of Peter?" Tony looked up from his coffee and looked at Steve, who seemed eager to hear his answer.

Steve had had this conversation before, but with his son. Peter hadn't said anything for a few long minutes, just looked at him and blinked several times, so much so that it startled Steve, but after a long silence he took a deep breath and spoke. I like him. That was all he said before he picked up a comic book and started reading it.

He had hoped that Tony would be clearer.

"He's a good boy; you've raised him well." That was a compliment to his Omega, but Steve was annoyed; he didn't want to know what he thought of his fatherhood; he wanted to know what he thought of his son. And Tony noticed that because he immediately spoke up again, "He's sweet and nice; I hope he liked me; I like him," he said, emphasizing the fact that he didn't mind Steve having a son.

"Okay," Steve nodded, pleased with his answer. He bit his lip, wondering if he should ask his next question. Tony took another sip of his coffee, being patient. "Were you nervous when he asked about your job?" Tony put down his coffee, knowing it was coming. "Is there something you're hiding?"

"No," he said defensively, "I haven't worked with technology, at least not until recently," he explained, lowering his head, not wanting to see Steve's face. "My family has always worked making weapons for the government. I own Stark Industries, and until not too long ago, I realized that someone I considered very close to me was selling nuclear weapons to other people."

"What are you doing now?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Right now I'm not working; I have enough money to live in luxury until I die," he said, laughing.

"So what are you going to do?" Steve smiled and turned the question around.

"Stark Industries has nothing to do with that anymore, I assure you," he explained. "For the moment, Pepper has taken over; we are looking for ways to improve the quality of life and be useful to others," Steve swore he could almost see a tear welling up in his eyes, "I won't give back the lives my inventions have taken, but I want to take care of the ones I have left.

"It's okay; you know I wouldn't judge you. I mean, I let an idiot be the father of my child for so many years. I'm not one to judge," Tony shook his head.

"He's a great guy. I'm telling the truth when I say you did a great job with him," Steve smiled.

"Thanks, believe me, Peter wouldn't judge you for what happened; he's not like that."

"Maybe he'll find out one day."

"By the way, is this friend you mention the same one who betrayed you?" he asked directly. With less nerves to talk to Tony.

"If it's the same one," Tony looked at the clock; they still had time to talk, "Do you want me to tell you? Steve looked into the kitchen; Clint seemed to be distracted by his cell phone as lunch was finishing cooking, and there wouldn't be any customers until later.

"Tell me about it," he said. Tony smiled and prepared to tell him.

"He was almost like a mentor to me. When my father was gone and I had to take over the company, he was the one who supported me." Steve poured more coffee and poured one for himself. "I hired Pepper, who was like an anchor, and Happy, who basically keeps me alive, but he was my biggest help."

"You loved him a lot," Tony nodded sadly, lowering his head, knowing he had to say.

"I loved him until he sent people to kidnap and murder me."  He raised his head to see Steve's face; he looked shocked but tried to maintain an aura of understanding as he heard the truth.

"They almost made it; my heart was about to collapse, but someone saved me before they could, keeping me alive until I had a chance for a transplant. Unfortunately, he had to give his life so that I could have mine."

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't want to tell your son or you that many of my inventions were used for evil. But I guess I should have told you; it's no secret to the rest of the world."

"It was your decision, and if you want to tell Peter when he's old enough to understand, that's fine," Steve smiled at him.

"To tell you the truth, I'm glad you're alive," Tony looked at him with his big brown eyes.

"I'm glad to be alive too."

"Maybe people will still judge you for what happened, but I want you to know that there are at least two people here who won't judge you."

"Thank you." Tony looked at the time again and realized that it was time for Peter to leave the school. "You know, I know you were nervous about what I would think of you," Steve's face turned as red as a tomato.

"You can't judge me; I didn't know what you would think," he defended himself. "Not everyone likes partners with children.

"Steve," Steve looked at him with those blue eyes he loved so much. "I really like you." He knew his own face was red, but it was worth it to see Omega get more nervous.

"I like you too," he returned.

"I don't care that you have a son; I like Peter; he's very direct and very smart," he said, trying to calm him down, "and I like you too much to keep you out of my life just because you have a son."

"Yes, but I'm afraid what if Peter doesn't end up liking you? He's already had one bad experience; I'm afraid he won't let anyone else into his life," Tony nodded understandingly.

"Your ex-partner was an idiot to hurt both of you, and if you let me into your life, I'll try to be the best thing for Peter," Steve smiled gratefully at him.

"I know that."

Steve had to say goodbye when it was time for Peter to leave; he thought a lot about the future. He and Tony were old people now; they had no time to fool around; they knew they had to get serious. But there was a child involved; Steve knew that if Peter didn't feel safe with Tony, he had no choice but to let him go.

When he saw Peter leaving, he didn't see the smile of other times; even Harry looked worried. They whispered in each other's ears and looked around as if they were looking for something. They both looked too worried, so he decided to approach them.

"Peter? Harry? Is something wrong?" They both jumped when they saw him, fear and uncertainty seeping into their eyes.

"Dad," Peter shouted as he ran towards him, "we have to go quickly." Harry nodded.

"I'll tell the driver to take them," he said, trying to be as gentle as possible while looking scared.

"Calm down, what's going on?" Peter almost started to cry, and without wasting any more time, he went over to Harry's car to calm them down. As the boy whispered something to the driver, Peter rubbed his nose against his neck and inhaled his scent.

"We'll drop you off at the coffee shop; if anything happens, please call my dad. Don't go out alone; Peter was very scared," Harry said, taking Steve's hand to get him into the car.

"Okay, but you have to tell me what's going on." Steve was already getting very worried, and his pheromones were only going to make Peter more upset.

"Were you with Tony?" His son whispered in his ear. Steve nodded, thinking it was something bad. "I can hardly smell him on you," he said.

"I think he's letting my scent dominate," Peter said and nuzzled his neck. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" He heard a murmur that sounded like After. Steve left him and said nothing.

The car dropped them off at the diner, and Harry said goodbye and asked them to be careful. Steve sat him down and talked to him before going back to work.

"Peter, what happened?" His boy bit his lower lip, and his eyes filled with tears.

His heart broke into a thousand pieces; it had been a long time since he had seen Peter like this. He didn't cry anymore; he didn't have nightmares; he was a happy boy with friends, and he was loved. What had happened?

"Dad," he whispered, "I think I saw my father," the colors drained from his face.

"What, where?" He saw Peter getting more nervous.

"Outside the school," his son began to cry seriously as he said it, "I smelled him and I got scared. I told Harry I felt he was there and he said he was going to get a teacher, but before he went to get her I saw him, he was so scared."

"My baby," Peter kept crying, his poor baby trembling under his touch, holding his arms tightly as he sobbed.

"I'm scared, Daddy; I don't want to go back to him," Peter's crying caught the attention of Clint, who rushed over.

"What's going on?" Steve tried to explain as quickly as he could what was going on, "It can't be," he was about to say when someone walked in. Had it not been for the aroma, it would have scared the hell out of all three of them.

The soothing scent of peppermint flooded the place; Tony walked in with a big smile that was wiped off when he saw Peter crying. He rushed over and knelt in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Steve explained the situation again, though a little calmer thanks to Tony's scent, "Do you mind if he takes them home?" He asked Clint, who immediately said to get them home safely.

Tony took Peter in his arms and wrapped him in the security scent of an Alpha; Peter slowly stopped crying and just lay on Tony's shoulder. Steve was grateful that he had introduced Peter to him; he didn't know how he would have reacted on his own.

"Come on, I'll drop you off at your house; you need to rest." Steve didn't protest; he would have liked to, but he felt so exhausted; everything had fallen apart in a matter of seconds.

Steve invited Tony in with the excuse that they would be lonely, but the truth was that he felt safer with the Alpha around.

"I don't understand," Steve said, breaking the ice. "How did you find us? He has no acquaintances here," he sat frustrated on his living room couch, Tony sitting next to him.

Peter had fallen asleep, but to avoid unpleasantness, they put him in an armchair so he wouldn't be startled awake.

"If he knew where Peter's school was," Tony looked at him again, explaining what could have happened, "it means he's been looking all over the country for them." Steve looked at him, startled. "He's been searching every preschool in existence and looking for them in these cities.

 "I wanted Peter to have his first peaceful Christmas, and now with the fear of his father around, that's not going to happen." Tony took his hand and gave off a comforting scent.

"Relax, I'm here to help you." He looked around the house until he came across a picture; there was Steve and his two other friends. "You should let them know." Steve turned to look at him and followed his gaze to the picture.

"You're right; I'll do it right away." Steve picked up the phone and called his friends. Tony listened from the couch as each of his friends reacted differently.

It wasn't long before a red-haired woman came into the house and went straight to Steve.

"Are you okay?" she said as she checked his face; soon Natasha smelled the scent of an intruder and saw Tony sitting on his couch. "Who is he?" She slowly walked over to Peter, who was still sleeping.

"Natasha, this is Tony, my date." Natasha looked at him in surprise; she didn't expect to see him at her house. "Tony, this is Natasha, my best friend." Tony greeted Natasha, and they got to talking. 

They were surprised to hear the doorbell ring shortly after, but they knew who it was. Steve went to open the door for Bucky, who looked worried but calmer than Natasha. Steve introduced him to Tony, and they began to talk about the steps they would take to get past this moment.

Tony would pick them up in the morning with a car more suitable for carrying children; when Peter got out of school, he would pick them up at the preschool and drop them off, and when Steve got off work, Natasha would escort them back home where Bucky would be waiting for them. Though they trusted Natasha, two were better than one, and Brock was coming, so they had to prepare.

When they arrived at the school, Harry jumped on top of Peter and asked him if he was okay; he didn't even care about the new smell on him; he wanted to know how his best friend was doing. Norman was also with Harry that day. He approached them and told them to call him if there was anything he could help with; he seemed happy to see that Steve was accompanied by an Alpha that morning.

"Thanks for helping us out," Steve said as they headed for the cafeteria.

"It's okay; I'm happy to keep you safe," he replied with a smile. It didn't take them long to get there; Steve hadn't realized that he might actually need a car, although he liked to walk, and Peter seemed to enjoy the ride. "I don't have anything to do; I hope you don't mind if I stay with you at work until things settle down."

“Ah, I'd like to say no to that, but I'm afraid of Brock.” Steve had a sad look on his face as he spoke. ”He was a good person once, and that made me fall in love with him; unfortunately, now I wouldn't let him near me. He changed a lot, and I know that leaving him without saying anything must have him furious, especially since I never let him mark me.“ He took a big breath of air and let it out. “He's furious, I know. I took his son, and even with all the fear I have, I won't let him near Peter.“ The whole scent of him soured; the thought of Brock would hurt his son made him furious. 

"Everything will be fine; if he comes near us, we'll beat him up, and he'll never bother you again." They both laughed and walked into the cafeteria.

Tony spent the morning drinking coffee and eating more than one pastry, sitting at the same table as Peter. He looked at the newspaper, checked his cell phone, but his favorite pastime was watching Steve. He loved to admire every smile he offered, the reflection of the sun on his skin and eyes, he loved to see everything about him.

Part of him wondered what it was that Steve did that made Brock such a jerk. He knew he was upset that Peter was an Omega, but he couldn't understand how he could ever think of hurting them. It would never occur to him to lay a hand on Steve to hurt him, and just the thought of Peter shedding tears over him made his head hurt.

He came to the conclusion that he was definitely just a fool. Not having any power over Steve had pissed him off, and Peter being an Omega was the final straw. Brock had no use for Omegas he couldn't control, and that drove him to violence. If he didn't get respect, he would get fear. He looked at the clock and saw that it was time to get his puppy.

Steve approached him and told him it was time to go. After checking that Clint was all right, they left. The Omega seemed to be too nervous, but he kept his scent in check; he didn't want to overpower Steve's scent, but if Peter got in the car with Steve's scent flooding him, he would cry. So he slowly released a little of his scent, which even calmed Steve, who seemed grateful for the help.

They saw Peter and Harry sitting at the small school desks; Peter seemed calmer than in the morning, and Harry was happy as they talked. That calmed their instincts; at least the kids were okay. Or at least they were, until that idiot Brock decided to show up.

"Steve," everyone seemed to stop; he couldn't hear anything but his ex-partner's angry roar, "You thought you'd run off with my son, you fucking idiot."  Steve was pale; Brock was walking towards him, but Steve couldn't move. He had been doing so well the last few months that he had forgotten what it felt like to be under the command of the Alpha.

"Brock, I..." he stammered, but before he could say anything, the Alpha grabbed his jaw and forced him into submission. The Alpha's piercing gaze shook him, the scent of possession and rage choked him, and fear seeped into his bones, preventing him from moving.

"Shut your damn mouth." Steve's eyes began to fill with tears; he didn't want to go back to him; he didn't want to leave Peter with him. Steve loved this new life they had together. "Now you'll be a good Omega." Steve trembled under the Alpha's touch, feeling it hurt him more and more. "You're going to bring Peter, and we're going back to Queens, where you belong," he released Steve.

"No, Brock, please," Steve begged. "Leave us alone."

The negative answer only made him angrier; he moved from his jaw to his neck, squeezing hard, preventing the passage of air. His Omega instincts were telling him to go after his baby and protect him, but his whole body was not responding.

"And you think I'm going to let you get away with that again?" he asked, laughing maniacally. "If you want to keep that little Omega bitch safe, you go get him, and we'll get the hell out of this shitty town." Steve shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks as he listened to him refer to his son. "No? What would you rather, Steve? We leave just you and me," he said, rubbing his face against his wet cheek, drenching Omega with his scent. "What took me to the shitty son you gave me, or the three of us leave and live happily together?" Brock laughed as he heard Steve whimper in fear. "Easy, Omega, you decide, and if you know what's good for you, we'll go together."

"Hey, asshole," without anyone expecting it, Tony grabbed Steve's shoulder and pulled Brock away from Omega; without waiting a second, he punched him in the face.

"Tony!" a part of him was grateful; the scare had not only brought Steve out of his trance but also made him remember where he was and who his priority was. It wasn't Brock who was taking them away; it was Peter and his protection.

"Ah?" Brock couldn't react in time as another punch hit him, and another, and another, until Tony was able to knock him down and make sure he couldn't defend himself.

"Steve!?" he yelled, turning to Omega in shock. "Honey, look at me," he said, grabbing Omega by the cheeks so he could look him in the eyes. He began to release his scent, erasing all traces of Brock's scent. "Steve, are you okay?" Omega managed to answer; coming out of his trance, he heard patrols approaching.

"Yes, yes," his eyes were still full of tears; he looked around and saw no one. "What happened?" he said, turning to look at Tony, who seemed to be making sure that Brock did not get up.

"Hm?" Tony averted his eyes and looked around. "Ah, things got really bad; the kids got scared and..." He looked down embarrassed. "I'm sorry I didn't act sooner, but I helped the teachers get everyone into the school. Peter was really scared and wanted to go with you, but I calmed him down and left him there."  Steve didn't even take it to heart that Tony hadn't defended him earlier; his heart was calm knowing that Peter was safe.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The cops took Brock away after taking some notes and making sure Steve was okay. Steve apologized for the trouble, but most told him not to worry; others just told him to be more careful.

Peter ran off to meet his dad; both Omegas hugged each other as they whispered how much they loved each other and how afraid they had been of losing each other. Tony had to step in to calm them down, and they both pulled themselves together.

"Thank you," he whispered to Tony, and the Alpha smiled and lifted him up to carry him and put him on his shoulder. Norman and Harry were by their side the whole time. Norman had called the police while Tony tried to calm his sons; he had reported what had happened and said that he would arrange for a lawyer to be hired who would put Brock in jail.

When they arrived home, both Omegas were mentally exhausted, so Tonny took it upon himself to make them a nest so they could rest together on the scent of his friends and himself. When they were both asleep, he called Bucky and Natasha, who left work and were soon home. Tony took it upon himself to tell them what had happened and that they were both fine.

"I can't believe that idiot attacked Steve in front of a school," Bucky said as he paced back and forth.

Tony had put the kettle on to make some coffee and called Happy to buy dinner for everyone, so he watched the Alpha and Beta get angry. And he understood; he was also angry at himself for not standing up for Steve, even though his Alpha was proud of himself for protecting Peter.

"If I see him again, I'll kill him." Natasha was furious; the Betas had a very faint smell, but Tony was sure he could smell the pungent aroma that showed she was angry.

"And I'll bury him; I'll make sure he spends the worst time of his life in jail; he'll wish he was dead." Bucky, on the other hand, had no significant smell to be angry about. He smelled like lemons, so his smell was always kind of weird. Although between the two of them they didn't smell that bad, which he was thankful for because he didn't want to get a headache.

A noise from upstairs brought them out of their rage. Peter had probably already woken up, or maybe Steve, though Tony doubted it. The boy came down to the living room and stared at them. Natasha and Bucky stood still, waiting for his reaction, but before Peter could speak, a car horn was heard from outside, and at the same time, the notification of a message on a cell phone was heard.

"Peter," Tony cautiously approached the little Omega, "could you please wake your daddy and tell him dinner is ready?" The boy nodded and went back upstairs to the bedroom.

Natasha and Bucky took that as a sign and started setting the table. Tony went out to get the pizza, and when he came back in, Steve was already sitting at the table. No one said anything, and he looked sad but calm; his smell showed no discomfort, only tiredness.

Dinner was silent; he and Steve's friends were afraid to say anything to upset the Omegas, but they seemed to appreciate the silence. Natasha had a face of amazement and happiness. He too had noticed that Steve was eating more than usual; he had already eaten more than five slices of pizza, but Tony was more than happy to see the Omega eating with ease.

When everyone was finished, the inevitable happened. I want to talk to you alone , he told him. They went into the same room, and although Tony thought at first that Steve wanted to cut him off, everything changed when the Omega invited him into his nest. Tony kicked off his shoes and sat down on the bundle of blankets and stuffed animals.

"I want you to be honest with me." Steve's voice was shaking, and he didn't seem as comfortable as he had been at dinner.

"What do you mean?" Tony hadn't kept any secrets; he had told him about his past and opened his heart. He didn't understand what Steve wanted. Steve fiddled with the end of a blanket before sighing and answering him.

"Tony, I love Peter more than anything in this world, and if you want to move forward in a relationship with me, you have to accept that," Steve bit his lip but continued, "I really like you, and I know you probably want children of your own in the future, but he is and will be my priority until I die. I won't judge you if you want to end this, but Peter is already very fond of you, and if this goes any further and you break his heart, I won't forgive you." 

Tony gave him a warm smile. After what had happened, it was obvious that Steve would make it clear that Peter was his number one, and he understood that and was grateful because without Peter, Steve would not have been able to counter his toxic relationship with Brock.

"Steve, honey, I don't care that Peter only carries your blood." Tony took his hand and stroked it. "What matters is that you're both well and happy, and if I can give you that, then I'm more than happy to be in your lives." Steve's eyes filled with tears, and he nodded.

"We'll be happy to have you in our lives too," Steve smiled at him, and they both embraced, wrapping their arms around each other's scent.

It wasn't long before someone knocked on the door, and they both knew who it was and how important it would be to their next conversation.

Come in. Steve said. Peter walked in with his head down nervously; he stood quietly waiting for one of the two adults to speak first. Steve looked at Tony, and they both patted the bed for their boy to come into the nest with them.

"What's wrong, love?" asked Steve, even though he knew Peter wouldn't answer; the boy hid in his lap, hiding his flushed face.

"What's wrong, Peter?" tried Tony, but the boy hid even more on Steve, drawing a chuckle from the adults.

"You know, I was talking to Tony, but we want your opinion," Peter looked up and saw Steve confused. "Do you want us to start a family?" Peter swallowed hard, determined, and looked sadly at Tony.

"I'm sorry I'm not an Alpha." That left both of them in shock; they hadn't expected this answer.

"Why do you say that?" Peter looked away. "Your father is an Omega; why would you regret being an Omega? Peter took a breath and forced himself not to cry.

"My father  always said I was an embarrassment to him for being an Omega." Tony's and Steve's blood began to boil, neither of them knowing that Peter was fully aware of what his jerk of a father thought of him. 

"Peter, whatever your father told you is not true; you are not a disgrace because you are an Omega; you are wonderful." Peter looked at him with tears in his eyes. "He told you that to make you feel bad, but you are a good boy, and you are smart, kind, and loving. I don't want you to think that I believe the same as your father." Tony took his hands and stroked them as he had done with Steve to comfort the Omega. "Alpha or Omega, I will always love you."

Peter threw himself on Tony's lap and began to cry, and Tony let go of his scent to calm the boy. It took a few minutes for Peter to calm down.

"I want us to be a family," he said brokenly through sobs. "You're good to my dad, and you defended us from my father. Thank you, Tony." Peter hugged him tightly. "I want you to be a part of my life." Steve reached over and hugged his son, who purred when he felt his father's touch.

"And I will be very happy to make you both happy," the three of them hugged each other until they fell asleep.

The next day Steve woke first, and the first thing he saw was his beloved son cuddling with the Alpha he had fallen in love with; Steve couldn't have been happier to see them. Fate had brought him to Tony so that he and Peter would get what they deserved, and Steve couldn't be more grateful.