To Have a Home
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: Don't own shit at the moment, except a cat…
AN: So I'm still going pretty strong on this fic and others for my Christmas challenge so I decided to post another chapter. Originally this was two chapters, but I decided to combine them since they were on the short side. Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter 1
The newly formed Avengers sat around a table in what remained of the penthouse of Stark Tower. Well, most of them anyway, Thor had disappeared back to Asgard, taking Loki and the Tesseract with him. Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. had just arrived for their debriefing on recent events.
The debriefing didn't take long, and when it was finished, Fury turned his one good eye on Steve Rogers, the Captain America.
"Rogers," he sighed, folding his hands in front of him and leaning his elbows on the table, "I know you just finished saving the world, but I have some information that I believe you'll want to have, regarding a Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes."
"Bucky?" the blond blinked in shock. "But Bucky died, I was there. What information could you possibly have?"
"Apparently, your friends at Hydra decided that Sergeant Barnes was of more use to them alive than dead," the director shook his head. "We aren't sure what experiments they did on him but we do know the last known location where he was being kept."
"Where?" he asked, jumping to his feet.
Fury handed him a file and then took his leave. Steve opened the file and quickly scanned the contents, his mind only really registering one thing: the location. He snapped it closed and then turned to the rest of his team.
"I don't expect any of you to understand," he shook his head, "but I have to go take care of this. I'm not asking any of you to come with me either. We just fought in one hell of a battle out there, take some time to rest up. I'll be back soon, hopefully with Bucky."
"Look, Cap," Tony Stark piped up, "it's great you want to play the hero and all, but if we learned nothing else today, we're a team, and we work better as a team. So if you're going, count us in. Besides, you can't get rid of us that easily."
The other three remaining Avengers nodded.
"Besides," Clint Barton chuckled, "how did you plan to get there? It's not like you can fly the quinjet. Admit it, you need us."
"Fine," the Captain smiled, it looked like he might have found a place to belong in this new time he'd found himself in. "Let's go."
They nodded again, grabbed a few things, namely a new suit for Tony, and made their way to the quinjet. Clint and Natasha got behind the controls while the other three took seats around the cabin.
"So," Tony said, once they were safely in the air and on their way, "since we got some time to kill, with nowhere else to go, why don't we get to know each other better?" All eyes turned to look at him incredulously. "What? Look, if we're gonna be working together, as you know, a unit, for a prolonged period of time, we should, you know, get to know one another. So, let's start off with something easy. So what is everyone?" He received four blank stares for his efforts. "Come on, you know, what's your status?"
"That's not just something you ask, Tony," Bruce scolded quietly.
The billionaire pouted for a moment, before taking a deep breath and plunging on, "Come on, it's a fair question. Wouldn't it be better if we knew if we run the risk of one of us going into heat or rut, as the case may be, in the middle of a mission? Here, how about I take a guess? Nat, you are a Beta, and Clint there is… your Beta lover."
"Wrong," Clint snorted. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go around saying anyone's my lover, otherwise, my Alpha… suitor, I guess you could say, might get mad."
"You didn't tell me you snagged an Alpha," Natasha turned to look at her good friend.
"It's kinda an ongoing thing," the archer shrugged. "Nothing's set in stone yet. And he's kinda old fashioned, he's insisting on courting me. It's kinda sweet actually."
"Whoa," Tony looked taken aback. "Never would've guessed that Legolas was an Omega. Anyway," he shook his head, "Cappy's obviously an Alpha, and Bruce, Bruce is a Beta, but the Other Guy, he's an Alpha."
"And we all know Tony's all Alpha," the redhead snorted.
"Omegas," Banner shook his head, "always wrong, unless they're in heat. Everyone in here is an Omega, with the exception of myself."
"How do you know that?" the Stark heir gave him an incredulous look.
"Alphas can always tell," he shrugged. "It's one of the things that make us Alphas. Betas are okay at knowing, about a seventy-five percent accuracy rate. But Omegas, Omegas suck at it, unless they're in heat, then they just know. And that is with the utmost respect to all of you."
"You're an Omega, Cap'n?" Clint asked, choosing to ignore the slight and change the subject. "That's kinda hard to believe."
"Have been my entire life," the man out of time sighed. "The Serum couldn't change that."
"Is that why you wanted to find Sergeant Barnes?" Bruce gave Steve a sympathetic look. "Is he your Alpha?"
"We never bonded," the Captain sighed again. "And I did actually have a bonded Alpha after, but… but yeah, he was mine… is, hopefully? If nothing else, I just really need to see him again."
"Well, I hope we find him then," the doctor smiled sadly.
"Yeah," Tony agreed, trying to break up some of the tension. "We'll get him back for you. Avengers stick together, right? We're a family now, and families make sure all of its members are happy. Or, at least, that's what I've heard."
"Thanks, Tony," Steve's smile held a hint of nostalgia. "That means a lot, coming from you."
888888
Harry Potter stared up at the tall building in front of him. He was sure this was where he wanted to be. It was Stark Tower, and Tony Stark was Iron Man, and an Avenger, so he should be able to let him join, or at least, set up a meeting.
He sighed as he made his way into the building, his mind drifting back over the past several hours since Dobby had dropped him off in Central Park. It had been the middle of the night in England, but it was just turning night in New York. Regardless, he had been exhausted, so he asked Dobby if he could make his trunk more manageable and let Hedwig out of her cage. The little elf complied happily, freeing the owl and then shrinking his belongings so they could fit in his pocket. He then found a bush that would sufficiently hide him and curled up and finally gave in to his exhaustion.
The following morning he woke with the sun, stiff and sore from his beatings and sleeping on the cold ground. He stretched a bit to relieve his sore muscles and then made his way toward the large building in the distance. Which led him to where he was now.
He was rather surprised to find the front door unlocked and people in the lobby. With everything that happened, he'd expected it to be deserted, except for maybe the Avengers. He didn't let that stop him though. With the stealth he learned from his years at the Dursleys, he slipped around everyone without being noticed and got into the lift. He pressed the button for the top floor, holding his breath and hoping this worked.
"Passcode, please," a cool male voice said.
"Er," he bit his lip, he didn't know any passcode. He closed his eyes and hit a series of random buttons, wishing with all his might for it to work. His eyes flew open and his breath escaped in a whoosh as he felt the elevator begin to rise. The car continued going even after it reached the highest number, and Harry hoped it wasn't gonna go plummeting anytime soon.
When the doors finally opened, his mouth fell open in shock. Even in its ruined state, due to the recent battle, the penthouse was amazing. He slowly stepped out of the lift and looked around.
"He-Hello?" he called softly, hoping to find someone at home.
"Hello, young sir," the same voice from the elevator greeted him. "Mr. Stark is not currently at home. I am called Jarvis. I have informed Mr. Stark of your arrival. Please make yourself at home. If you require anything, do not hesitate to ask.
"Uh, thanks," he said hesitantly.
"You're welcome," Jarvis replied.
Harry wasn't sure what to make of the disembodied voice, but he couldn't dwell on that right now. With hesitant steps, he made his way further into the penthouse. He wasn't sure about making himself at home, but he did take a moment to explore his surroundings.
There were several rooms off the main one, most of them bedrooms, a library, what looked to be an office, and a massive bathroom. He didn't want to take one of the rooms, that would be intruding on someone else's space, and that would be rude, but he did filch a blanket and a small pillow that weren't likely to be missed. He took them back to the main room and tucked them away in a far corner near the elevator.
Once his things were all settled there, he continued his exploration, this time of the main room. Aside from the lift, it looked like the only other entrance or exit was to the smashed up balcony and what looked like a landing pad. Those and the windows, and while a lot of them were broken, he didn't think anyone would be getting in that way, as it was several dozen stories up.
The room itself consisted of a sunken living room area, with comfortable leather furniture and a huge, larger than any he'd ever seen, television and media center, and across from it was a nice, state of the art, kitchen, that would make a professional chef jealous. When he spotted that feature, his stomach decided to remind him that the last thing he had eaten was a small piece of cheese and some stale bread. With a sigh, he made his way over to the fridge to see what he could scrounge up to eat.
There wasn't much, but he did find a few things to make a halfway decent meal. Once he was finished eating, he cleaned up the mess he'd made and then looked around. The place was in shambles, and he knew he couldn't fix anything, but maybe, maybe if he cleaned up a bit, they'd hear him out and not just decide to send him back. He couldn't go back, he just couldn't, he'd rather die at this point.
With that thought in mind, he began searching for cleaning supplies. He found a small closet tucked away beside the bathroom that had all manner of cleaning supplies. First things first, he couldn't do much with all the glass scattered around the floor. So he grabbed the broom and headed out to begin sweeping.
He hadn't made it very far besides sweeping, as there was just so much to do and he wasn't recovered from his wounds yet, when he looked up and notice it was already dark outside. The lights in the tower had turned on automatically, he figured it had to be Jarvis' doing. With a sigh, he finally stopped cleaning and headed to the kitchen to make a quick dinner. From there, he made his way to the bathroom. Even though it was still quite a mess, Harry couldn't justify going to sleep in his dirty state. Besides, the cuts were starting to itch and burn painfully and he knew from experience that a nice soak in the tub would ease both symptoms.
Once he deemed himself clean enough, and the pain had subsided a bit, he exited the bathroom and made his way over to the corner he'd claimed earlier. He shivered from the cool evening air coming from the broken windows as it skimmed over his wet hair and damp skin. With slightly trembling hands, he curled up on the floor, his borrowed blanket pulled tightly around him.
888888
Clint Barton sighed as he landed the quinjet at the top of Stark Tower. The mission had taken longer than they had anticipated, almost a week, with more bloodshed than any of them wanted, but it had been a success. They had found Sergeant Barnes trapped in a cryogenic sleep and had taken him back to S.H.I.E.L.D. for a full evaluation and to wake him up. The Captain had insisted on staying with him, and none of them had the heart to refuse the poor Omega.
He shook his head as he cut the engines and followed the others into the penthouse. Tony had insisted they all stay there, as it was large enough to accommodate all of them. Even though it had taken a beating in the battle it was still better than most places any of the others had stayed in the past.
"Wow, Tony," Natasha's voice carried through the room, "you already hired a cleaning crew? You don't waste any time, do you?"
"I-I didn't," the billionaire frowned, looking around at the obvious signs of cleaning, namely the pile of glass and debris in the middle of the floor. "Jarvis?"
The other three began looking around, their bodies tensing on instinct. As the AI started talking, the archer spotted movement in the corner by the elevator. At first, he was just going to write it off as something shifted during the fight, until he heard a faint sound that wasn't coming from Jarvis' normal drone. With a frown, he made his way over to the corner. He lifted what had to be the smallest, thinnest blanket Tony owned, either that or a large towel, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Bruce!" he called over his shoulder, his hand going to the kid's forehead. "Need your help over here."
Even though Clint wasn't his Omega, the Alpha couldn't help but respond to the urgency in his voice, the others hot on his heels. They huddled close and the archer shifted so the doctor could have a look, but lifted the child onto his lap, instincts taking over.
"He's got a fever," Bruce scowled, "and possible onset of infection. Tony, who is this kid?"
"Good question, never seen him before in my life," the brunet shook his head. "Jarvis?"
"I informed you of his arrival approximately 71.25 hours ago," the AI answered.
"Let's just assume for five seconds, that I was busy 71.25 hours ago and wasn't really paying attention to what was happening back home. So explain again."
If a machine could roll its eyes, Jarvis would have done so, "His name is Harry James Potter, originally from Surrey, England, and he arrived at the tower 71.27 hours ago."
"Okay, smartass," why did he give Jarvis the ability to be snarky again? "how and why did Harry end up in the penthouse?"
"He used the elevator," Jarvis replied, "and I allowed him access."
"Why in the seven layers of hell would you do something like that?" Tony snapped irritably.
"We can discuss this later," Bruce interrupted, using his Alpha voice. "We need to get him to a hospital. If we don't get this fever down, he might not even last the night."
The three Omegas immediately jumped into action. Clint slowly eased to his feet, still cradling the boy to his chest; Natasha led the way to the quinjet; while Tony and Bruce brought up the rear, a phone to the doctor's ear. He gave the only female the name of the hospital he had on the phone. Once they were in the air, tony continued interrogating Jarvis.
"Okay, Jarvis, spill, why did you let the kid into the tower?"
"Because, sir, he is a Stark," the AI answered calmly. "I ran his DNA when he entered an attempt at the passcode. The results indicated that he is the son of your father, Howard Stark."
"How is that even possible?" Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "Dad died over twenty years ago, this kid can't be older than ten."
"Twelve, actually, as of July 31st," Jarvis cut in.
"I'm rerouting to S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha shook her head, changing course. "Normal hospitals aren't equipped to deal with Tony in this state."
"Sir, there's…"
"Not now, Jarvis," the billionaire cut him off, his face in his hands.
"Hey," Clint said gently, hoping not to provoke the other Omega, "you want to take him?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Tony looked up incredulously. "I don't do kids."
"Tony," the doctor shook his head, "I know you don't know th… Harry, but he is your family, and while it's not scientifically proven, in most cases that are this severe, physical contact from a family member or mate to help. Since he's too young for a mate, and the rest of his family is dead, Tony, you're his only option."
"Fine," the brunet sighed, motioning for the blond to hand him over.
The archer nodded and carefully pushed to his feet. They both tried to be as gentle as possible but the small boy still whimpered at the transition. Instinctively, Tony gingerly cradled the boy to his chest and started carding his fingers through the inky locks.
"Shh," he soothed. "You're alright. I've got you."
The boy settled a bit more comfortably against his chest, well as comfortably as he seemed to be able to get anyway.
Tony took this time to study the boy who was his brother. He definitely had the Stark coloring, well maybe a little bit darker, but it happens. The facial structure was all Stark, it was almost like looking in a mirror, thirty odd years ago. But he was so scrawny. No one in his family had been that small, that he knew of. Then again, there was a whole half of this kid's genetics that he didn't know. It was kinda obvious that his mother wasn't involved in this kid's birth.
That brought on a whole slew of questions, though. Like, how was this kid even born? What, did his dad have some of his stuff frozen or something, and someone just happened to use it? Or was it something else? Or maybe… maybe his dad didn't even die in that crash? No, he quickly discarded that last one. Howard Stark had loved the spotlight even more than Tony did, there was no way he would fake his own death and give it all up.
Of course, there could be another reason for his small stature. And while it wasn't always the case, some Omegas did tend toward smaller frames. With that thought in mind, he shifted the boy and reached down to the boy's left side and lowered the waistband so he could see the tattoo that marked what his classification was, after all, everyone was supposed to get one on their twelfth birthday. Only, his brother didn't have one, but there was something else that caused a scowl to mar his features.
"Bruce," he said quietly, "please tell me this isn't what I think it is?"
The doctor frowned and moved over to see what the other brunet was talking about. What he saw had him almost seeing red, or in his case, green.
"Take off his shirt," he commanded, doing his best to keep the Other Guy in check, now was not the time for him to make an appearance.
Clint got up at the command and began assisting Tony in removing the thin fabric from the boy. Tony and Clint both gasped, while a low growl emanated from Bruce, as a web of angry red welts was revealed. Most of them were cracked and scabbing over, but a few were oozing a yellowish puss.
"Calm down, Bruce," Natasha's voice floated from the front, sensing, not seeing, what was going on behind her. "Now is not the time for the Other Guy to show up. Let's get him to S.H.I.E.L.D. and get some answers, then you can have a clear target to pummel."
His eyes flashed green for a moment before he closed them and took several calming breaths. When he opened them again, there was only a faint green ring around the iris, but otherwise the Hulk seemed to be contained.
Though, he may not be the boy's Alpha, or even Tony's, but right now, he needed to be closer to the boy, just to reassure both halves of himself that he was doing all he could to protect him. He knew it wasn't wise to take him away from his brother, so with that thought in mind, he lifted both of them onto his lap. Tony made a noise of protest, but at a small warning growl from the Alpha, he decided it was best to just accept it till they reached the hospital.
Ammie: Okay, forgive any mistakes, it's getting kinda late, and I tried to catch them all but it might not have happened. And unless I get a nice streak going, this is probably my last update till December. Anyway, let me know what you think.