Steven,

I am worried about my son. He is unruly and his behavior, I fear, only attracts the wrong attention to him. It feels wrong to do this to him, and it is wrong, I admit that. But I fear it is the last option I have left to protect him.

I am sorry to ask this of you. I know how you felt about this archaic practice. I had wished it was abolished long ago too, but I will never be sorry to the chance it gives me to protect him. You are laying somewhere at the bottom on the Atlantic, dead. But officially you are only decried MIA. You are still eligible for promotions, and of course, bondings.

By taking this action I am defiling your memory, using you. I am sorry. But I am also protecting an innocent boy by being used by people in a more heinous way.

Anthony is my greatest joy and achievement. Nothing has ever made me prouder in life, no one have I loved more. I have much I regret in regards to Anthony, I wish I could've be around more and that we could've communicate well enough when I was around. I spent so much of my time helping Peggy and the others build S.H.I.E.L.D up from the ground that should have been his. I hoped that by aiding in S.H.I.E.L.D's creation I was helping create a safer, freer would for my son. Let me take this finale act to protect him.

Forgive me,
Howard.

Steve sat stiffly in the back of the car, the letter in his hands. He was thankful that the driver that had come to collect him put the privacy screen up. He didn't know if he could actually manage a conversation right now. He was being taken to meet his-… his mate.

He had awoken to this world only two weeks ago to find everything and everyone he ever knew was gone. But by far the biggest shock was waking up to find his friend, old friend he reminds himself, had willed him his only son. It was barbaric, horrifying, even in his time people were iffy about it.

When Fury had informed him, no amount of ranting and complaining could change anything about this situation. Trust Howard to find some old forgotten bit of legislation that allowed him to actually do this, and have as legally binding. So old it talked about clans and elders.

Apparently the Carbonell's had a long extensive history that could be traced back to those times. Steve put his head in his hands and groans.

This was wrong, Steve didn't believe in any of this. Regardless of your designation, you had the right to choice who you mated too. You just don't go leaving away your children to friends in your will like some old bit of furniture.

SHIELD and Howard's son had been talking back and forth about the situation, working with lawyers and historians. But he hadn't been called in on any of it just yet. He supposes that was fair, if he was in Anthony's position, he'd properly wouldn't want to deal with him either. That and he probably would be next to no help with the legal dealings. But he was being called in now, to meet him, his supposed mate willed to him by his late friend.

The car pulls to a stop in front of a large white building almost entirely soft curves and circles. It was beautiful and had an amazing view of the sea. Steve steps out of the car and takes a moment to just look at the builds.

The driver steps out of the car and strides over to him. "This way, please"

"Oh… uhhh… of course" he says. "Mr…?"

The man stops and stares at him silently for a few seconds, assessing him. He could tell this man took his job seriously.

"Harold Hogan" the man says, extending his hand and Steve shakes it. "You will be issued a security badge later. No one gets in without a badge, not on my watch. This is your free pass, got it."

"Understood" Steve says, feeling perplexed. He follows Hogan into the mansion.

If he thought the outside was beautiful, the inside was something else. It all must be some sort of modern style because he doesn't think he has seen anything like it.

Hogan stops in front of him and points out a room, "through there," he says.

Steve swallows thickly past the lump in his throat. Past those doors would be his mat- Anthony. He can feel Hogan's eyes on the back of his head as he heads towards the room. It doesn't make him feel any better about the situation, not that the situation had anything to feel good about in the first place. He couldn't imagine how betrayed and anxious Anthony must be feeling right now.

With a shacking hand he opens the door and enters the room. Sitting on the couch has to be the most gorgeous man he has ever laid eyes on. His dark hair was on the longer side and slightly wavy. His facial hair was trimmed into a neat van dyke and his eyes looked to be a warm mid brown. He wasn't waifish as most Omagan are praised to be, but he honestly thinks this was better. He could see the definition of muscles though the sandy colored silk shirt he was wearing. He was beautiful, and the way he was sitting he just oozed power and confidence.

"It's about time you showed up" The man, Anthony, said swirling the wine in his glass "I mean, it's pretty weird, you know, being basically mated to a capsicle"

Something inside of him sinks, his inside feel like they are freezing again. He should have expected that Anthony wouldn't exactly like him. In fact he had expected that so he didn't know why he was so shocked.

Steve plasters his best smile on his face despite not feeling it, "You must be Anthony?" he greets him. "I'm-"

"Tony" Anthony says cutting him off.

"What?" he asks, confused.

"I don't like being called, 'Anthony'. I'd rather you call me 'Tony' if you are going to call me anything" the man, Tony, says.

"Well, Tony, it's a pleasure to meet you"

Tony laughs bitterly, looking him over with scowl, "Can't say the same, honestly."

"I… I understand" He says quietly, looking away for a few seconds. He really couldn't blame him.

Tony stands up from the couch, clearly getting angry and agitated. "Do you? Because, I don't really think you do?"

He takes a small step back, shocked by how quickly this was escalating, "… Tony…"

"Because you are not some Omega when what your dad wanted was an Alpha to run the family business. That the best he could think to do was throw me to some dead old war hero, like some kind of afterthought." Tony shouts.

Steve winced. "… I'm sure your father loved you, Tony". He wasn't sure, though. Not anymore. A few week- years ago he would have thought Howard would never do anything like this. But that was the problem wasn't it. Everything he knows now was out of date, wrong or unfashionable. He isn't sure of anything anymore.

Tony snarled at his words. "My dad was an unfeeling bastard who could care only for his work" he says

"Not by my understanding" He says. He clenches his fists tightly against the emotions that are building up within him. Had Howard really thought that all this pain was worth what protection it would have offered?

Yeah," Tony scoffs, "Because you knew dear old Dad so well. You were both so chummy, that he decided to leave you his Omega reject of a son"

Steve bites his tongue from saying anything, feeling already dizzy with anger. He know that if they continued down this path things would only get worse between them. But he didn't know what to do.

Or does he?

Steve looks down at the crumpled letter trapped within his fist. Maybe?

He takes a careful step forward and Tony recoils. He puts his hands up in a show of surrender. He tosses over the letter to land on the table.

Tony gives his a skeptical look, but takes it. He sits back down on the couch and his expression unreadable as he goes through the letter.

"Pffft… this is… is" Tony says weakly, "Bullshit". He scrunches up the letter and drops it on the floor.

Steve looks down at his feet, "I don't condone what he did to you, Tony. Not in the slightest." He says. "But maybe it is not unbelieve may have cared for you"

Tony looks out the window into the far distance.

Steve sighs, "Look the whole mate thing… You don't need to change or do anything, just because I'm… not dead. But, maybe we could try and be friends?"

Tony says picking the scrunched up letter from the floor, "The lawyers have checked, there is no way to brake this"

"I won't get in the way of anything, I promise." He says, trying to put on a smile "Friends?"

"Alright, Rogers" Tony says.

Eight Months Later

Steve sits on the floor by the windows, the filtered sun bathing him and the room golden and warm. With a practiced ease he sketches out the Manhattan skyline in his sketchbook for what he was sure was the hundredth time. The view from STARK tower would never fail to amaze him.

With a light sigh he puts down his pencil and sketchbook. His heightened hearing having picked up the slight rustle of fabric and the soft crunch of the carpet.

Upon having realized he had been noticed, Tony launched himself from his hiding spot, taking a flying leap at him. The way he was holding the fluffy blanket making him look like one of those sugar gliders he saw on the internet.

Tony lets out an impressive battle cry as he tackles him to the floor. But Steve was stronger and larger… and it was all too easy to switch them so that he was the one pinning Tony to the floor.

"Did you really think that would work, doll?" he asks.

Tony laughs at that, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I know I wasn't going to be able to sneak up to you or wrestle you to the ground"

"Then what?" he asks curiously.

Tony untangles his right hand from the blanket and brings it up to caress his face, "You have been miserable since yesterday. What happened to Clint wasn't your fault, okay? Besides, he'll be just fine"

Steve closes his eyes and covers Tony's hand with his own. "But I ha-"

Tony shushes him with a look. "Steve…" he says quietly, "its okay". Tony pulls him in and kisses him softly. "Watch a movie with me" he whispers.

Steve nods and leans in for another kiss from his bonded.

The End

Notes: Prompt/ "A/B/O au Steve wakes in the 21st century to find out Howard has willed him his omega son." (MCU)

This was the first time I have ever attempted anything to do with Alpha/Omega dynamics.