August 1990- pt.2
When Tony stumbled down to breakfast the next morning, Steve was already dressed in the clothes Jarvis had washed and eating. Tony was not.
The omega was still in his pajamas, glasses and messy bed head.
“Good morning,” Steve said from his seat at the bar.
Tony waved a hand at him. “Coffee first, talk second.”
Steve continued eating his eggs and watched as Tony pulled a full-sized thermos from the cupboard and poured in half of the pot. From the remaining half, he poured himself a single cup and began to blow on it before taking a sip.
Jarvis set a plate with toast and a few pieces of bacon onto the bar beside the thermos. Shuffling his feet, Tony moved to sit down in front of the plate while cradling his coffee in both hands as if it were a precious object.
Steve turned his attention to the newspaper many of the articles were about something called Desert Shield. He was surprised at how much conflict there was in the Middle East even into the two thousand.
“So Steve, I need to run by and do some paperwork to get my apartment building before we head to the mall,” Tony said pulling jam on his toast
Jarvis shot the teenager a curious look at the use of Steve’s name rather than Captain.
Steve glanced up at Tony before returning his attention to the newspaper. “That’s fine. Why are our troops in Kuwait?”
Tony shrugged. “Because Iraq invaded and our government doesn’t want them there.”
“Are we protecting people?”
“Theoretically, but really I think mostly we are protecting oil. The project prototype I told you about last night might get tested.” Tony continued eating his toast. “Any particular store you want to got to?”
The alpha refolded his newspaper. “Not really sure Tony, I don’t know what stores are still around.”
“Humor me, Cap, where would you have shopped if you’d had the money in nineteen-forty?”
“Alright then I suppose, Sears and Roebuck, some of their stuff would have cost me a week’s wages.”
Tony sipped more coffee. “They haven’t updated their clothing styles since the ’40s. We’ll start at Nordstrom. Jarvis, what car did dad take to work today?”
Jarvis got this look like he didn’t want to tell Tony. “He took the Bently.”
Tony got grinned and crammed the last bite of toast in his mouth. And bolted back upstairs. “I’ll be ready in ten.”
Steve turned towards Jarvis. “What have I gotten myself into?”
Jarvis picked up the abandoned plate and moved it to the sink. “Captain, Tony has had no accidents since he started driving, but I suspect that he intends to attract media attention to the fact that he will be out with an older Alpha today.”
Steve sighed. Wonderful.
Tony came back ten minutes later wearing a denim jacket and an ACDC shirt, twirling a set of keys around his finger. Looking over the brim of his sunglasses, he smirked at the alpha. “You ready?”
Steve stood. “Somehow I doubt it.”
He followed Tony down to a multiple car garage. Alright, he was impressed. In the forties, he knew very few people with one car much less multiple.
And the Starks didn’t just own multiple cars that owned a lot. Steve counted sixteen spots. Granted only eleven of the sixteen spots were taken, but still.
Tony sauntered over to a bronze-colored car that pretty much screamed don’t let Tony near this machine.
Tony laid over the front of the hood and kissed the hood. “Hello, handsome. Did you miss me? I missed you.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Stop humping the car and let’s go turn in your paperwork.”
Tony stood up and looked offended. “Steve this is not a car, this is a Testarossa. A work of art, a master of engineering, a machine that says you can’t afford me and is the ultimate symbol of sex appeal.”
Steve looked it over and moved to the passenger side. “I’ll admit it’s a snazzy looking car. I don’t think its all that but, you know machines better than I do.”
The omega crossed his arms over the cab. “If this car was a person, that person would be able to take on even the great Captain America in looks and body.”
Tony winked before quickly unlocking the car and getting in.
They arrived at a sky scrapper clearly that was almost as ostentatious as Tony’s car, they were close to Wallstreet, and everyone was in a suit. Tony parked on the side of the road in the fire lane. “Wait here and make sure no one steals it. Or writes a ticket.”
Tony, in his jeans and t-shirt, walked through the sea of suits with not a care in the world at the looks of being out of place.
Steve sat in the car. And watched the people go by very few paid any attention to the gold car. At one point a motorcycle police officer approached the car. Steve just gave him s slight nod.
“Plan on being here long, friend?”
“Ah. No sir, just waiting on a friend to drop off a check… but I have no idea what floor he’s going to so might be here for a bit.”
“Which one of the Starks is your friend?”
Steve smirked of course even cops recognized the Stark name and ridiculous license plates. “Tony.”
The cop leaned down to the window. “Care to tell me why a grown alpha is ‘friends’ with an attractive impressionable sixteen-year-old wealthy omega?”
Well because I’m actually Captain America and Howard and I are old friends and at some point, in the future, Tony and I will be married. Yep, that would go over well.
Steve smiled. “To protect and keep an eye on an attractive impressionable omega that happens to be the Stark Heir and keep even cops from selling rumors to the press.”
Just then Tony came walking out of the building smirking heavily.
Steve motioned with his head and the cop followed his line of sight.
“Everything go okay Tony?” Steve called out.
“Yep. I got my building and Justin Hammer can go choke on his own dick.” He said once again twirling his keys on his finger.
Next, they went to the mall where Steve followed Tony up an escalator to the men’s section. “Alright, Cap goes nuts, we’ll meet me by the fitting room in an hour.”
Tony waved Steve off with a hand and began looking at a leather jacket.
Steve began to wonder about the men’s section. First thing was first, finding more pants.
Steve found a rack of khakis and pulled what looked like his size. Then he noticed that they were a hundred dollars. Good God, what were they made out of? Steve moved to another rank and looked at the price this rack was nearly a hundred-thirty dollars!
What the hell. Steve set off in the direction he’d seen Tony go to find him.
He found Tony looking through a rack of sweaters.
“Um… I have a question?”
“I have an answer though it might be sarcastic.” The omega said checking a size before pulling it from the rack.
“Is it normal for pants to be eighty plus dollars in this day and age?”
“Only if you’re buying stylish brands,” Tony said jumping to another rack and grabbing a blue sweater. He held up against Steve’s chest.
“I don’t need luxury clothes. I don’t want to spend that much of your dad’s money.”
“Steven, sweetie, it’s $100 it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things.” Tony pushed the blue sweater into his hands. “I’m getting you this.”
Steve recognized it was among his closet in 2009. “$100 was more than I made in a month and a half in the forties. I know Howard is a millionaire and all.”
The shorter man turned to him. “Dear old dad is a billionaire could buy this entire damn building and not use half a percent of his money. He might buy me buildings and the best cars in the world, but he can afford it, it would be the equivalent of any normal parent giving their kid money for lunch. So don’t look at the prices get want you like. And that sweater whether or not you like it because it makes your eyes look amazing.”
Steve stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I don’t want them after I see how much the stuff is.”
The alpha could see one of those ideas appearing in Tony’s brain. He grinned. “Alright then you pick out the clothes you like and I’ll find your size so you don’t have to look at the tags.”
Steve knew Tony would turn this into an advantage. But it seemed like the best option and Tony was really un-phased by the amount of money he was going to spend on Steve. “I guess that can work.”
Tony grabbed Steve’s hand and walked backward tugging Steve along with him back to the pants section he had previously been in. “This reminds me of when I was a kid and dad bought me every set of Ken doll and clothes to try to get me to be a good domestic omega when all I wanted was every Lego and Erector Set set imaginable.”
“I have no idea what Ken dolls or Lego’s are,” Steve said as Tony began looking through some navy slacks.
“Legos are amazing. They are these tiny plastic blocks that click together and you can build pretty much anything. Ken Dolls are Barbie’s male omega roommate, that young domestic type omega children are supposed to play with by dressing them in all sorts of clothes and have them dreaming of true love while living in their dream house.” The omega made a dramatic swooning movement as he handed Steve a pair of pants.
“How’d you know my size?”
Tony continued looking through a rack of jeans. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
Steve smiled and shook his head. “I probably don’t want to know.”
The omega handed him a couple of pairs of jeans and after looking some more a few more slacks of various colors.
Then something caught Tony’s eye in the clearance section. “Oh yes. Come to Daddy.”
He practically bounded across the store. With his arms full of clothes Steve struggled to get through the tight clothing racks behind him without knocking over things. Tony briefly disappeared from his sight for a second before reappearing with something hidden behind his back.
“What is it?”
The teenager grinned and proudly displayed a white shirt with the Captain America shield printed across it.
“No,” Steve stated.
“Oh come on, it’s perfect, you can’t tell me it's not appropriate.”
“Tony no. I don’t need to be drawing attention to who I am on the street with that.”
Tony pouted for a second. “Alright, then I’ll get it for myself.” He walked towards another clothing rack.
The alpha groaned. “That’s definitely not appropriate.”
“Really? How? Lot’s of fan’s wear your trademark memorabilia- trademark owned by S.I by the way.”
“It’s just different ‘cause it's you,” Steve mumbled.
“Are you insinuating something Captain?” Tony handed him a gray flannel, which he took.
“You know damn well that it's borderline marking.”
Tony offered him another flannel this one bright green. “And why is it borderline marking if it's me and but not when its any of your other fans?”
The alpha stood up straight. “You know damn well why.”
The shorter man squared his shoulder. “No, I don’t why I am I different Captain? Why does my crush bother you so much? Lots of Omega’s and Beta’s my age have a crush on you. I’m sure a lot of dad’s exploration team was hot under the collar for you. So tell me why do my feelings bother you?
‘Cause I’m not a domestic-submissive little omega like in the forties, or maybe because I’m not a virgin or-”
“Or maybe because I find you charming and stunningly handsome and you are under fucking age.”
Tony smirked. “I got Captain America to drop an f-bomb.”
Steve growled before storming away. “I’ll be in the fitting room.”
Steve wasn’t sure what was more infuriating the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Tony, Tony himself or the fact that Tony did, in fact, guess his size perfectly on both shirts and pants.
When he was changing back into his clothes, there was a knock at the door. “Steve?”
He sighed. “Yeah, Tony.”
“Do you really think I’m stunning?” Tony practically whispered.
Jesus. It sounded like that was the first time the thought had occurred to him. But then, of course, Tony master of confidence was plagued with guilt and self-doubt, and this Tony was sixteen. Every sixteen year old was insecure about their looks.
Steve paused. “Devastatingly so, If I’d have met and omega like you before Project Rebirth, I wouldn’t have stood a chance of getting your attention. Back then you’d have had a harem of thick-headed alpha’s throwing down coats over puddles for you. But knowing you you’d have probably walked around the jacket just to spite them.”
He could see from how his feet that Tony was laid back against the door. “Captain, If I didn’t know better I’d swear you were trying to get me into bed with you.”
The super soldier pulled on his shirt and pulled his cold dog tags out from against his skin. He smiled. “Not for at least two more years.”
“Promise?”
“What promise not to try to seduce you for two more years? I promise I won’t sleep with you while your underage.”
“No. I’ve had a crush on Captain America since I knew what a crush was. Promise me a night with you. Not sex just… a chance… a date.”
Steve opened the door. “A date with Captain America?”
Tony shook his head. He stepped forward and took the taller man’s dog tags in his hands. “No promise me a date with Steven Grant Rogers, who never stood a chance with omegas in yesteryear.”
Tony leaned in and kissed Steve’s tag. Steve couldn’t hide his surprise. Tony reached past him and grabbed the clothes Steve wanted before walking away with a walk of pure confidence. “By the way, I’m getting the t-shirt.”
Steve dropped his head. “Of course you are.”
Tony turned before he rounded the corner of the dressing room and winked. “But don’t worry I’m not gonna wear it in public, I plan on using it as a sleep shirt.”
Steve threw his head back and left out a defeated sigh. That’s even worse.
When they went through the checkout Steve almost threw up when the cashier said, one thousand-one hundred-sixteen dollars and eighteen cents. Tony waved him off and they took their bags back to the car. “We should get lunch before we get you more stuff.”
Steve hummed. “What’s close?”
“TGI Friday’s, Oh the Melting Pot is really good.” Tony threw the bags in the trunk.
“What’s the Melting Pot?”
“Oh, it’s a fondue place. They have-“
Steve’s reaction cut Tony off. “It’s a WHAT?”
“Fondue…” Tony gave him a bewildered look before it dawned on him. “Oh my God! Dad wasn’t kidding when he said you thought that was a sexual thing. I completely forgot about that.”
While Tony laughed Steve turned red. “Let’s just go to the other place.”
“Nope. We’re getting fondue now. God, I can’t wait to see the look on Dad’s face when I tell him I took you for fondue.” Tony closed the trunk and started back towards the building.
Steve followed behind. “Please don’t. It might give him a heart attack.”
When they were happily dipping food into melted cheese, Steve looked up and said. “When did your dad figure out you weren’t going to be ‘a domestic omega’ like you said with the doll thing?”
Tony smiled. “Probably when I was about eight. I made small working rockets and tanks for my dolls sell to my GI Joes.”
Steve opened his mouth, but Tony already knew what he was going to say. “GI Joes are like the alpha equivalent of Barbie and Ken. They are literally the same thing with different gender roles. They also have trademarked Captain America and the Howling Commandos collectible version.”
Steve grinned. “Let me guess, you had them all.”
Tony winked. “I had multiple. I still have the ones in the original boxes, but I made dad get me two of each so I could play with them.
Anyway, he walked in and asked what I was playing, I told him Ken and Allan are selling weapons to soldiers. And then he asked the most fucking- He asked me who they were married to that let them do such a job. I kept playing told him they weren’t married. But Allan was in love with Captain America and dating Col. Phillips to get him to buy his tanks at a higher asking price.”
The alpha laughed, he couldn’t imagine Phillips dating. “I think that was also when dad realized it would be me running the company one day, not the alpha I married.”