The Contract...
It was a cold, autumn night. Small, iridescent stars twinkled against the black backdrop that was the sky. From this distance, the noise and lights of the city were faint, though they could still be heard over the gentle trickle of water as it ran through the nearby stream. The great pine trees swayed gracefully in the wind, dancing as if it were their last dance. Perhaps it was.
Steve Rogers was sat on a fallen log outside his home: a moderately sized cabin atop a cliff at the edge of a great forest. He observed the world before him, entranced by the way the artificial lights lit up the sky and blocked out the stars. Steve loved the stars.
Behind him the door to his cabin opened and closed, another person coming to sit beside him on his log. No words were shared – just the comforting presence of the Alpha beside him settling his nerves. The Alpha’s scent wrapped around Steve like a blanket: smothering him in their warm, cinnamon smell. Steve was lulled to a sleepy haze, eyelids drooping to a half close when the Alpha placed their arm over Steve’s shoulders, tucking him into their side.
“Time to go to sleep, Steve.” Natasha whispered, applying pressure against Steve’s side to get him to stand.
He did so with a small whine of protest, still entranced by the city lights that were so close yet so far.
Natasha guided Steve through the cabin and into his shared room, pulling off Steve’s fluffy socks once he was laying in bed. The Alpha smiled warmly down at her best friend, her sorrow hidden beneath her green eyes. She placed the duvet over him, tucking into the sides of the mattress the way she knew he liked.
It was hard for her. She was touch starved, craving a mate that she knew she had, but too far to reach. Sam was lucky: Being a Beta his instincts to bond weren’t that strong, though he still felt that pull, that monster inside trying to get out whenever he saw Mikey. Steve and Bucky were recently Bonded, and still trying to figure out how their powers worked.
Natasha feared she would never find her True Mate because of ‘The Incident’, all four of them were quarantined to the mountain.
Sam was forced to take Steve on a long hike whenever the Natasha went into Rut. Steve had only had one Heat, and Bucky helped him through it.
It was okay – they got used to it. It was their faults that they were there in the first place. It always hit Steve hard, though. Especially on nights like tonight.
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After the incident, a government agency named SHEILD took Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Bucky. They were placed in separate containment cells, where the walls had some sort of charm on them. The officers told them not to touch the walls and Steve didn’t think to ask why.
The four of them were in cells at the secret facility for roughly 36 hours, being fed 3 times a day. They had a bed and their clothes, but their phones had been taken away. Steve wasn’t feeling well – he hated enclosed spaces. Steve had only just presented as an Omega, he didn’t want something bad to happen whilst he was here.
Someone came to see them on the 36th hour. He said his name was Phil Coulson, and that he was a Beta who worked for SHIELD. The four of them were led around the secret facility by Phil. He showed them SHEILD’s labs and research rooms. All four of them had their attention focused on one of the items that was being worked on in the Lab. Bucky was greatly intrigued by one of the metal prosthetics that were being tested.. Sam was enraptured by some massive carbon wing-looking thing. Natasha had her eyes glued to some small, black, M&M shaped balls. Steve found all of those inventions interesting, but he was most drawn to a metal shield that was placed on a table. It was round in shape, with layers going into the centre. Phil had stopped to let them look at the items through the glass. Steve pointed to the shield and asked him “What is that?”
Phil smiled tightly. “It’s a shield, made from Vibranium: the strongest metal on Earth.”
Steve had never heard of it. Upon looking at his friends, neither did they.
Steve was about to ask what its purpose was, when someone in a white lab coat picked it up and shielded themselves with it. Another person fired a hand pistol at the shield, and Steve, Natasha, Bucky and Sam watched in awe.
Phil saw their fascination. He watched as their eyes lit up, pupils dilating to cover the iris. He made a split second decision.
“I’ll need you to sign a contract. If you do, you’ll be allowed to work on these with the engineers.”
That got Steve’s interest. They just blew up a whole department of their High School with a chemistry experiment gone wrong, and they were being offered to work here with these people… What?
“Your school has already said they don’t want you back, none of you have any relatives, and the Government insist that you shouldn’t be let back into the city. It’s the only nice choice you have.”
Steve didn’t think twice when he signed his name under the 5-page long contract. Natasha skimmed over everything, her green eyes cautious. Sam and Bucky signed with slight hesitation.
“Right!” Phil said with a clap. “You’ll be transported out of the city to the mountain. You’ll have to stay there for a few months until these are finished. You are to have no contact to the outside world, and if you step foot in the city, you’ll be shot.”
Steve’s blue eyes widened. He probably should have read the contract.
The four of them stood up from the table and were led through the building into an armoured truck.
“To the lodge.” Coulson said to the driver. “I’ll be in contact shortly. For now, stay safe, get used to each other. There’s camping equipment in a cupboard for when Natasha and James go into Rut. Steve?” The blonde looked up to lock eyes with the Agent. “Here’s some suppressants.”
Steve looked down at the pills condescendingly. If he took them, he’d never have a heat, he’d never feel that tingle that his Mother once told him of. He had to do it – for Nat and Bucky’s sake.
He took the pills slowly, gulping. “Thank you.”
Phil gave a nod, shutting the door to the back of the truck.
“Here’s to a new start.” Sam said with a tense smile.
Natasha tipped her head back and shut her eyes. Sam also closed his eyes, leaning against the side of the truck. Steve bit at his lip, looking up at Bucky’s pretty grey eyes when he placed his left hand against Steve’s right leg.
“We’ll be okay. We’ve got each other.”
Steve knew they would. He believed.