Chapter 12
It happened so fast that Bucky couldn’t even comprehend what was going on. He was ushered into a van immediately after the challenge ended. It was silent. He didn’t know the man driving the car. He held onto his upset children and didn’t say a word.
The van stopped in front of a large building and Bucky was yanked out by a man standing outside waiting. “Come on. You will need to follow me.” Bucky nodded and did as he said. He had Alice curled up against his chest and had Brian on his hip. They were a bit too big to be carried by Bucky at the same time, but right now he just needed the comfort of his children in his arms.
He guessed he had arrived at his destination when he was pushed into a big plush chair. He was sitting in a hallway. It was huge. The floor and walls were metallic. It felt fairly cold. The biggest pop of color in the whole hallway was the plush navy blue chair that he was seated on.
“Mommy, what’s going on?” Brian whispered as he pressed his face against Bucky’s chest.
“I have no idea, baby,” Bucky whispered back as he rubbed his back. He didn’t know. This wasn’t how things worked. The winner of the challenge took the omega home. This isn’t Steve’s home. He hasn’t even seen Steve since he was pulled away.
He sat there, snuggling his children as he watched a room fill the alphas. They were mostly male alphas, but the occasional female alpha walked into the room. He wondered if they were going to decide his fate. Why else would he be sitting outside this room?
“Bucky.” Bucky’s eyes shot open. That was Steve’s voice.
“Bucky,” Steve ran over to where Bucky was sitting. He had a shirt on now and the blood had been cleaned away. He knelt down in front of him. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it. When he stabbed me, I just thought about all the things he must have done to you. I just lost it. I didn’t mean to.”
“Rogers,” an alpha man grabbed Steve’s arm. “You are needed for this meeting. Please don’t upset the omega anymore than he is.”
“I will be right back, Bucky. And then you are going to come home with me, okay?” Steve called out as he was ushered into the room.
But did he want to go home with him? He murdered Brock. Bucky watched him. He had lost his temper and he had beaten the father of Bucky’s children to death in front of all of them. What if Bucky pisses off Steve? What if Bucky does something Steve doesn’t like? Would Steve murder him to?
And his children… They were still babies now. They will grow up. They will turn into teenagers. They will probably turn mouthy on them, as a lot of teenagers do. And what if one was an alpha? Would Steve kill them?
After waiting for about a half an hour, the door of the room shot open. “No! This is fucking bullshit! We are not going to sit here and decide what to do with a fucking human being without him even being part of it,” an alpha male walked out of the room and up to Bucky. “Come in here. If we are going to decide your fate, you might as well listen in.”
Bucky nodded hesitantly. “Can my kids…?”
“Bring them in. They should be with their mother,” the man nodded and held the door open.
Bucky kept his head low as he walked into the room and took the chair that the alpha man held out for him. It was a large metallic room and once again the only color was the navy chairs. He kept his head bowed as he sat down, keeping his children close to his chest.
“What the hell do you think you are doing, Stark?” the Decider from earlier snapped. “You want to put this level of stress on an omega? He probably doesn’t even know what’s going on.”
Stark shook his head and paced behind Bucky. “You act as though he is completely clueless. Unless he suffers from some sort of severe brain damage, he knows what is going on. And it is absolutely ridiculous to leave him out of it.”
The Decider scoffed. “It’s unnecessary stress. It’s a scientific fact that omegas have smaller brains than alphas. We do not want to over stimulate them. It could harm their wombs.”
Stark stopped and gaped at him. “There are so many things wrong with what you stated. First, the size of the brain does not determine the amount of intelligence a person has. Omegas have smaller brains because they are typically smaller and their heads are smaller. Nothing to do with intelligence. Second of all-“
“Can we just focus on the damn issue?” another alpha male slammed his hand on the table. “I don’t want to fucking discuss how smart or stupid omegas are. We have one sitting right here that needs a fucking home!”
“I will take him home,” Steve said firmly. His face was red and looked as though he was quite angry. “He had been living with me for a while now. I took him in when Rumlow kicked him out. He and the children are happy there.”
“You cheated,” the Decider shook his head. “I said to stop and you continued to fight. How does that show that you are a competent alpha to take home an omega? Especially a pretty one that has already proved his fertility.”
“And where else would the omega go?” a female alpha piped up. “If not with Steve then where? He has no family. The father of his children is dead. He has no one. Steve is an Avenger. He is a more than enough competent alpha to take home this omega. I would vouch for him entirely.”
“Natasha,” the Decider sighed. “You know I trust your opinion, but what happened should not be encouraged.”
“It won’t be,” Natasha answered. “Steve would have won in that fight no matter what. He didn’t even hear you say stop.”
“Because he was full of rage,” the Decider said. “And is that a good fit for this omega?”
“Since when do we condemn alphas with rage issues?” Stark snorted. “Kinda thought we encouraged that.”
“Be quiet, Tony,” Natasha sighed. “If there is any alpha that is deserving of an omega, it is Steve. I would agree to monitor him if that would put your mind at ease.”
“Any of us would,” an alpha male said. “Steve is a good man. He would take care of the omega and his kids.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Steve mumbled.
“Fine,” the Decider sighed. “Fine. The omega can go with Rogers on the condition that the Avengers keep an eye on him. If I find out that he is not upholding his duties then there will be dire consequences for you and your group. The omega should have shelter and food at all times. Rogers may choose to take the children or eliminate them. Rogers, you will be checked on once a month by my group to ensure that the omega’s needs are met. In addition, the omega must be impregnated or mated within one year or else someone else may claim him. My ruling is final.”