Chapter 1
Tony sighs as he pushes the files away from him, looking up at Fury. “You want me and Steve to bond with an omega who doesn’t like to be around alpha’s? And, just how is that supposed to work?” He asks, feeling frustrated with the situation. “You seem to be forgetting that me and Steve are already married, and we’re perfectly happy continuing our lives without an omega in it.”
“Agent Barton is a wonderful addition to the SHIELD team. One of our very best, in fact. Well trained,” Fury begins. “I just think that his life would be better if he had an alpha to look after him. A kind alpha. Agent Barton has had many alpha’s throughout his life, but they haven’t all been too kind to him, which is unfortunate. We’re trying to show him that there are still good alpha’s out there, including you and Steve.”
“I’m sorry that Barton has dealt with these shitty alpha’s, but it’s not my problem,” Tony argues. He looks over when the door opens, and sighs in relief when he sees his husband walking through the door. “Finally! You’re here. Steve. You’ve heard about this? Tell Fury how ridiculous this all sounds.”
“Actually-” Steve begins, biting his lip when Tony groans and sinks into his chair. “Tony, hear me out!”
“No!” Tony sits up again. “I don’t want a bloody omega. Am I suddenly not good enough for you, Cap?”
“Tony, calm down, that’s not it at all. I don’t want to add an omega to our relationship either,”
“Oh,” Tony mumbles. He frowns as he looks up at Steve. “I’m confused?”
Steve sighs, walking over to Tony and pulling the omega’s files closer to them again. “It’s terrible, right? No omega should ever have to go through what he’s gone through. I’m not saying we bond with him, but maybe we can bring him into our home. Work with him. I’d like to think we aren’t terrible alpha’s…”
Tony looks over at Fury and glares at him. “You made it sound like we had to bond with him!”
“I’d prefer it if you did bond with him, but I cannot force you to do that, Stark. I’m not that cruel,” Fury says. “However, what Steve is offering is better than nothing. But, you should know. Agent Barton is not going to suddenly be friends with you overnight. It’s going to take a lot of work. A lot of patience.”
Tony looks over at Steve. “You’re sure you want to do this, Steve?”
Steve nods. “I trust me and you to get him to where he needs to be, so he can have a better life,” he says. “We’ve got good people around us too. I think we should do it.”
Tony rolls his eyes, and then throws his hands up in surrender. “Fine. Whatever,” he stands up. “But, just because he’s an omega living in my home, does not mean anything. That understood, Fury?”
Fury chuckles. “Sure, Stark. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he says. “I’ll get Agent Barton ready, and we’ll meet you at the tower. Romanov might be with us. Just a fair warning.”
“Why? What does Natasha have to do with any of this?” Steve asks, frowning.
“She seems to be the only one that Barton trusts. She’s a beta, so it makes sense, I suppose,” Fury says. “She’ll be able to calm him if he starts having a panic attack. That happens often, fair warning.”
“Not anything I’m not used to,” Tony mumbles, before looking at Steve. “Can we go?”
“In a second. I want to talk to Fury before we leave,” Steve says.
Tony rolls his eyes. He grabs Agent Barton’s files, and then he storms out of the room, leaving Steve alone with Director Fury. Steve sighs, running a hand through his hair.
“I don’t think this is going to end how you want it to, Sir,” Steve says.
“You’ll have to convince him then, Rogers,” Fury says. “Omega’s aren’t so bad…”
“I don’t know why Tony is so against bonding with an omega. As far as I’m concerned, he’s always been with alpha’s and beta’s. Maybe it has something to do with his dad. I don’t know. It’s just… once Tony makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it. Honestly, I’m not even sure this omega is worth all this. But, Agent Barton is welcome to stay at the tower for however long you need him to stay.”
“We’ll see about that,” Fury says, walking out of the room without saying another word to Steve.
Steve groans, and then he turns and walks out of the room as well. He meets up with Tony, who’s already waiting for him in their car. Steve gets in, and shuts the door, putting his seat belt on.
“What were you talking with Fury about?” Tony asks, not looking up from his phone.
“Nothing important,” Steve says, biting his lip slightly. “Just some stuff about Agent Barton.” He looks over at Tony and sighs. “I don’t know why you’re so heated about this. It’ll be fine, Tony.”
“This is a trick,” Tony argues, looking up at Steve. “He’s trying to get us to bond with him. It’s not happening. We’re perfectly fine the way we are. We’ve gone two years without having an omega.”
“I know,” Steve reaches over and grabs Tony’s hand. “This is just an omega coming to live in our home. We just have to make sure he’s being taken care of, like Fury asked. Help him see alpha’s aren’t bad. Tony, please. I know you’re upset with Fury, but don’t take your anger out on this omega.”
“What did you think I was going to do?” Tony asks, scoffing. “I’m not blaming the omega. I’m sure he’s probably even less happy about this than we are. He doesn’t like alpha’s. He’s scared of them, Steve.”
“It’s our job to turn that around,” Steve says. He reaches over and kisses the corner of Tony’s mouth, and smiles when Tony pouts and looks at Steve. Steve grins, and kisses Tony on the lips once. “I love you.”
“Yeah, you fucking owe me for this, Rogers,” Tony grumbles, before pulling Steve into another kiss.
“Yeah?” Steve smirks. “Guess I’ll have to make it up to you later, won’t I?”
“Damn right,” Tony huffs. “All this because Captain America has to do the right thing. Again.”
****
Tony smiles when he walks into the tower with Steve, and instantly spots Pepper. She must finally be back from her week-long vacation. Tony’s missed, and not just because he’s had to take over for her while she was gone. Aside from the new omega business, he’s been stressed.
“Pepper!” Tony exclaims, rushing over to the omega and pulling her into a hug. “You’re back?”
Pepper laughs as she hugs Tony back, looking over at Steve with a grin. “Miss me?”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Tony says as he pulls away. “You must be a super woman of some sorts.”
“What was it you said before I left? Oh, that’s right. You said that it would be easy,” Pepper smirks. “But, we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about that-” She points over at Agent Barton, who’s standing closely to Natasha, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the lobby.
Tony sighs as he stares at the omega. He can’t help but feel sorry for the omega. The omega has clearly been through a lot, all because he was introduced to the wrong alpha’s. Tony does want to help him, but he refuses to bond with an omega when he already has a perfectly good husband.
“Well,” Tony looks over at Steve. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.”
“Really? I- okay,” Steve says nervously, before following Tony over to Natasha, Agent Barton and Fury.
“Fancy seeing you here, Romanoff,” Tony says as he and Steve walk up to the group.
Clint instantly looks up when he hears a new voice. His eyes widen slightly, instantly knowing that these are the two alpha’s Fury has told him about, and he quickly steps closer to Natasha, grabbing her arm.
“Don’t worry,” Natasha says quickly, in a soft voice. “These are the good guys. You’re safe.”
“You say the sweetest things. I’m touched,” Tony says, placing a hand on his chest.
“Yeah, don’t let it get to your big head,” Natasha replies with a smirk, looking over at Tony.
Steve rolls his eyes fondly at the two, before looking over at Clint, and takes a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Steve, and you must be Clint. We’ve heard so much about you. Uh, good things… that is.”
“Smooth,” Tony snorts. “I apologize in advance for my idiot husband. I’m Tony. You’ll be staying with us.”
“Other people live in the tower with us. The Avengers. But, we’ll be taking care of you, and making sure that you have everything you need,” Steve adds. He looks over to Fury. “Is there anything else?”
“Just so you know, Agent Barton will still be active with SHIELD, and will be gone for long periods of time, but we’ll make sure to give you a heads up before we send him on missions,” Fury says. “Other than that, I think we’re all set. Agent Barton is officially in your care. Please take care of him.”
Natasha watches as Fury walks off, before looking over at Steve and Tony. “Fury likes to talk about Clint as if he’s not standing right next to him. We’d appreciate it if you tried not to do the same.”
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Steve says. “Don’t worry. We won’t do that.”
“See?” Natasha says as she gently nudges Clint, earning a playful glare from the omega, and Tony’s heart melts a little as he continues to watch the two interact with each other. “These are the good guys. Shall we go ahead and show Clint his new room?” She looks at Steve and Tony.
“I suppose we should,” Tony agrees, leading the way towards the elevator. “Jarvis, take us home.”
“Yes, Sir,”
Clint immediately looks up when he hears the voice speak, looking around to see where it’s coming from.
“Relax,” Natasha says softly. “It’s just Tony’s AI, Jarvis. He practically runs the building.”
“If you ever need help with anything, just ask Jarvis, and he’ll respond. He’ll help you find your way, and let you know all the do's-and-don'ts,” Tony adds, leaning against Steve as the elevator goes up.
“Will Clint be sharing a room with you and Tony?” Natasha asks curiously.
Tony and Steve glance at each other, before Tony answers, “we decided that even though he’ll be sharing our apartment with us, that he’ll have his own room, for privacy.”
“But, if, for whatever reason it may be, Clint wants to sleep in our bedroom with us, then we will let him. The options there,” Steve adds. “We want to respect Clint and make sure he has the privacy he needs.”
“Oh, and we left your bedroom a blank canvas. We wanted you to decorate it however you’d like, since you’re the one who’s going to be living in it,” Tony tells Clint. “There are no limits at the Avengers tower.” He looks up when the elevator door opens, and the four step out. They lead Clint to his bedroom.
Clint looks around, being stunned by the large room that now belongs to him. SHIELD never even gave him anything as big as this. There’s a bedroom on one side along with an en suite bathroom. There’s even a little kitchenette area. Clint’s never seen anything look so fancy, and it’s his now.
“Guys,” Natasha begins, shaking Clint out of his thoughts. “Can you give us a minute?”
“I mean, yeah. Sure. Let us know when you’re done. We’d like to talk to Clint about some things too,” Tony begins. He glances over at Steve, grabs his hand, and then leads the way out of Clint’s bedroom.
Clint frowns as he watches the two of them leave, and then looks over at Natasha once the door is shut. “They’re really together? I mean, two alpha’s? How is that even…?”
“None of us understand it,” Natasha says. “But, they’re happy. I guess that’s all that matters.”
“Why am I here then? I thought I was… I don’t know… for them?” Clint asks.
“Fury wants them to bond with you. He thinks that it’ll be good for you if you have an alpha, or two. But, Tony’s being very stubborn about it, claiming he’s happy with Steve. I think he is. But, maybe he’ll realize that he needs an omega too. Give them a chance, Clint. Get to know them,” Natasha tries, her voice soft.
“I don’t need a damn alpha to take care of me,” Clint argues. “I’m doing f-”
“You’re not doing fine,dammit,” Natasha cuts him off, glaring at him. “You’re still having nightmares, Clint. You wake up screaming almost every night. Having an alpha around will help with that. They’ll be able to calm you and comfort you. Keep you from having those horrific panic attacks.”
“It’s stupid,” Clint growls. “You don’t need an alpha!”
“Well, no. I’m a beta. Most beta’s can get by on their own,” Natasha raises her eyebrows.
“You’re just about as fucked up as I am,” Clint huffs. “Don’t see Fury shoving an alpha down your throat. I’m sorry, two alpha’s. Which makes this even more fucked up. I don’t wanna be a homewrecker!”
“It’s completely their choice if they want to bond with you. I don’t see it happening, but I guess we’ll see,” Natasha shrugs her shoulders. “Until then, I think you’ll be happier living here. There’s everything for you. There’s this incredible gym that we can train in together. I’m sure Tony will add some cool technology shit specifically for you in there. There’s movie nights where all the Avengers get together…”
“But, I’m not an Avenger?” Clint replies with a frown.
“That’s going to change. We could really use you on the team,” Natasha says with a smile.
Clint rolls his eyes. “I don’t really see that happening. But, whatever,”
“Quite being stubborn. Steve and Tony are nice guys. All you have to do is be their friend,” Natasha says. She walks over to the door and opens it, earning Steve and Tony’s attention. “You can come in. I’m done.”
“About time,” Tony says, walking into the bedroom again.
“Oh hush. I’m sure you two enjoyed a quick make out session,” Natasha replies with a smirk.
“We’re not that kind of couples,” Steve tries to defend, glaring at Natasha.
“Nice try. I don’t buy it for one second,” Natasha smirks as she looks at Steve, and then she looks at Clint. “You know where to find me if you need me.” She blows him a kiss before walking out of the bedroom.
“Alright,” Tony says once Natasha is gone. “We should set some ground rules.”
“Tony,” Steve warns when he sees Clint tense up.
“Oh, hush,” Tony rolls his eyes, and then he walks a few steps closer to Clint. “I just want to make it clear that you are not a prisoner. You have your own life, and we don’t care what you do. You’re not our omega, so you’re free to do whatever you want. We know you’ll be working with SHIELD, and Fury warned us that they would let us know ahead of time when they send you off on missions. But, if you do plan on being away for a long period of time, it would be nice if you gave us a little heads up.”
Steve nods. “Yeah, and you can do whatever you want when you’re here. Just respect the other people who also live here, then we’ll have absolutely no problems,” he says.
“I think it’s been quite an exciting day already. We’ll let you rest, and get settled in,” Tony adds softly.
Clint frowns, nervously looking up at the two alpha’s. They do seem nice, and oddly caring for people he’s never met before. He should trust them, but he’s been down this road before. Despite what Natasha says, he’s not ready to let his walls break down yet. “Y- You’re not going to ask me about my h- heat?”
Steve takes a deep breath. “We weren’t sure if you were comfortable talking about it,”
“Look, we’re two alpha’s, and we know it’s easier for an omega in heat if they have an alpha around. And, we’ll be more than happy to help you if you need it. We can discuss this later on. Send me a copy of your heat schedule, and when the time comes, we’ll figure something out. That sound good?”
Clint slowly nods, relieved the alpha’s aren’t trying to control his heat, like many other alpha’s have done.
“Alright. You have our numbers. Call us if you need anything, or ask Jarvis if you have any questions. He’s always awake,” Steve tells Clint. “Rest.” He sends Clint a friendly smile before grabbing Tony’s hand and then he leads the way out of the bedroom, leaving Clint alone by himself for the first time.
Tony and Steve don’t bother Clint for the rest of the night, wanting to give him time and space.
It isn’t until around three in the morning when Jarvis interrupts Steve and Tony’s late night make out session that Clint is having a nightmare. Steve pulls apart from Tony, panting. “What was that, Jarvis?”
“Mr. Barton is having a nightmare, Sirs. It might do well if you make sure he’s alright,” Jarvis tells him.
“Shit,” Tony groans, flipping the blankets off and jumping out of the bed. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Steve can’t help but smile a little, happy that Tony is so willing to comfort the omega when before he was so against having an omega share their living space. Steve jumps out of bed as well and follows Tony to Clint’s bedroom. As they get closer to the omega, they can hear screaming.
“That’s not good,” Steve comments before pushing the door open. They walk into the bedroom and see Clint thrashing around on his bed, clearly having a horrific nightmare. “Clint.” He hurries over to the bed, reaching over to touch the omega. “Clint, come on. Wake up, sweetheart. You’re having a nightmare.”
“Fury never said anything about nightmares,” Tony speaks up.
“Should have expected, given everything we know about him,” Steve says. “Clint. Clint!”
Clint whimpers, shaking his head. “No!”
“Clint! Wake up!” Steve shouts louder, grabbing onto the omega to try and shake him awake.
Clint gasps, and bolts into a sitting position, eyes wide with terror. He takes deep breaths, looking around.
“Clint? You’re okay. You’re safe. You’re at Avengers tower,” Steve tries to bring him back to reality.
Clint looks over at Steve, eyes still wide and breathing heavily. “Wh- What?”
“I’ll get him some water. Stay with him,” Tony says, before leaving the bedroom.
“You had a nightmare,” Steve informs Clint. “Jarvis informed us, and then we heard you screaming. Absolutely terrifying. Do you want to talk about it?”
Clint shakes his head instantly, still not saying anything.
“It’s okay. We can talk when you’re ready. Just take a deep breath. You’re safe,” Steve tries to assure him. He goes to touch Clint, but instantly pulls away when Clint flinches away, not wanting to scare the omega, or have the omega thinking he’s untrusting. He looks over when Tony returns with a glass of water.
“Here,” Tony says as he hands Clint the glass of water.
Steve glances at Tony, and then he watches as Clint takes a small drink of water. “I know how you feel,” Steve says softly. “I get nightmares all the time, maybe not as often as you, but…”
“I don’t need your pity,” Clint mumbles, looking down.
“I’m not trying to pity you, Clint,” Steve defends, before letting out a sigh. “Sorry. I’m letting you know that you don’t have to go through this alone. There are people around you who are more than willing to help, even if you may not want it. Sometimes help is good. We’re here for you, whenever you need us to be.”
“Should we get Natasha? Maybe she might be better for you?” Tony suggests.
“No!” Clint gasps, startling Tony and Steve. “N- No, please. Don’t- Don’t bother Natasha. It’s too late, a- and she doesn’t need to see me like this. No one needs to see me like this. I’m fine. It’s just a nightmare,” Clint whimpers, the sound breaking Steve’s heart. He wants nothing more than to comfort the omega, but he knows that he can’t do that unless Clint gives him permission, and trusts him.
“Okay. We’ll stay here,” Steve says. “Until you fall asleep. We don’t have to talk or anything. We’ll just… be here. Because, we want to make sure you’ll be comfortable enough to go back to sleep.”
So, Steve and Tony stay with Clint. Steve making himself comfortable on the bed while Tony settles himself down on the chair in the corner of Clint’s room. Clint slowly sinks back down onto the bed, somehow oddly feeling safe with the two alpha’s in the room, although he’d never admit that out loud. Natasha would never let him live it down if she ever found out.
Steve and Tony leave as soon as Clint falls asleep again, still wanting to give the omega his space.
“That went… well?” Tony says quietly as the two shut the door behind them.
“Yeah, that was a good start, but we still have a long way to go,” Steve says, looking over at his husband.