Chapter 7
Bucky's POV
Spending the day with Steph sleeping on me was the most delicious torture in the world. And I would know, I'd been subject to pretty much every kind possible at one point or another. As soon as she'd awoken, it had been clear that Steve's caution had not been misplaced. Steph had been a bit scared, but she'd also shaken it off pretty quickly.
While she used the restroom, I dashed into the master bath to do the same, asking JARVIS to let Steve know Steph was up. Steve was sticking his head back into the apartment just as I made it back to the living room, looking around.
I gestured for him to come in, and indicated that she was in the bathroom off the entry. Following Steve into the kitchen, I watched as he warmed up three meatball subs.
"She okay being here? Because if she's not entirely comfortable being here, she's almost certainly not going to be comfortable with me being here. I can leave the food and go, if that'd be better."
I brushed up against him to try to soothe his fears a little as I said, "she was nervous when she woke up, like you expected. She's fine now though. Didn't take her long to shake it off at all. I think she likes you."
Steve gave me a shove for my teasing, so I walked back into the living room to leave him finishing putting the sandwiches on plates and heating them up. He wandered back out of the kitchen a few moments later and leaned against a wall of the living room.
"Wonder what's taking so long," he said.
I huffed out a breath and pointedly replied, "please never ask her that."
"Yeah, thanks Buck. I may not be as good as you at sweet talkin', but even I know that! I just meant... what if she fell and hurt herself or something."
"JARVIS would tell us. She probably just got distracted by whatever it was you left in there for her."
Steve's smirk told me he knew full well that I may be better with words a lot of the time, but he was usually better with gestures. When Steph came out wearing a rose AND giving Steve a kiss on the cheek, I thought he was going to explode with his very obvious happiness. It was a happiness that only seemed to grow when I got a kiss of my own as well.
Of course, it morphed into concerned panic at the idea that she could have hurt herself laughing, but I was impressed by his ability to reel it in long enough for Steph to eat. What I wasn't expecting was for him to hold it back long enough to tackle the next agenda item that had been on our list. Though since it would probably make her more comfortable here, and she was going to have to expose a lot of herself again for us to see her stitches, it was probably a good tactical move.
After he cleared the plates into the kitchen, Steve said, "okay Steph, there's a couple things we wanted to show you really quickly, alright?"
When Steph nodded her head, I took my cue to walk to the front door and open it saying, "this is the front door. It will always open for you from either side. If you're here, and you get scared or uncomfortable, you can leave- you will never find it locked and inhibiting your exit. If you want to get in because you're scared, need a safe place, feel lonely, whatever, JARVIS knows you now and will make sure your way is cleared from the second you enter the Tower lobby. Even if we're not home, you will be able to get in and do whatever you want. Free reign. If you don't want anyone other than us to know you're here, just tell JARVIS and he'll make it so, alright?"
"Wow," Steph said looking absolutely floored by the invitation. "Thanks, I promise not to take advantage."
"That's the point Doll, we want you here as much as you feel comfortable. We want you to take advantage," I replied.
Steve cleared his throat and then gestured for us to follow him down the hallway directly opposite the one that headed to our master bedroom. He started explaining, "we've never had an omega around, though we'd hoped to find someone one day. There was never anyone who even made us look twice before you. Still, we were hopeful, so we asked Tony to make this for us. The other omegas in the Tower know it is here in case they need it, but there's another outside the apartment, just like on every other floor, so it's never been used."
He rubbed his neck awkwardly as Steph studied the door. Given what she'd explained of the setup Ranger and his men had in their building to accommodate her, it didn't take her long to figure out what it was and open the door. Carefully she stepped in, and I explained, "when there's no one in there, especially no one in heat, JARVIS treats it like any other door. But if you go in there and shut it, no one but you or another omega can open it unless it is a medical emergency."
Steve and I leaned on the door frame, staying outside to give her the understanding that we considered this her space. We watched as she walked around the room, taking in the set-up. We'd read a lot, asked the omegas we know about their preferences, and put a lot of effort into making sure that everything was as soft and comfortable as it could be. When she reached the large chest at the end of the bed, she raised her brow.
Licking my lips nervously, knowing Steve would probably blunder this explanation if he tried to provide it, I said, "we've been told that some omegas are more comfortable with certain people's scents around them. We didn't want to be too forward or have this place smell like us if you didn't want it to, especially since we don't have any right to do so. Still, we wanted it to be an option if you wanted it, so while you were sleeping, Steve put that in there with, you know, a few of our clothes and some linens and pillows and stuff that smell like us. It's sealed, so the scent shouldn't leak out. Just... there if you want it..."
I mentally winced as I trailed off somewhat lamely, but Steve's hand shot out and grabbed onto my shoulder hard when Steph smiled coyly, then cracked the chest open just enough to get a small whiff of the scents. She quickly shut it, but looked over and said, "that's very thoughtful. Again, thank you."
With what sounded like a great deal of effort, Steve cleared his throat and said, "there's a bathroom through there." Gesturing to one of the doors.
She stepped in and paused in the threshold. Turning back to us with eyes wide, she blurted out, "Holy crap, have you seen this bathroom? It's like one of the Seven Wonders or something, definitely knocks one of them out of contention."
So saying, she moved further in and out of sight. Looking over, I saw the look of puffed up pride in Steve's face, and gave him a little shove. I was pretty sure I had a matching look on my face though because we'd both worked so hard on designing and setting up the room. We could hear Steph opening the various cabinets, and the pause that I could only assume meant she had gotten to the one that was filled with unopened intimate products that would help her see herself through a heat. Steve and I shifted a little uncomfortably, and I was sure he was trying just as desperately as I was not to envision that at the moment. Neither of us wanted to scare her off with the reaction dwelling on those mental images would cause.
We heard that cabinet close, and she resumed going through the rest. In certain situations, it might seem like rude behavior, but I took it as a sign that she considered it possible, maybe even likely, that she would use the room at some point and wanted to know what was available and what she'd need to acquire. When she finally came back out of the bathroom, she smiled and said, "seriously, that place is heaven."
We watched as she circled the room again, and from his spot in the doorway, Steve gestured at the dresser and the closet. "Please feel free to bring some things by and leave them if you want. And if there's anything you want stocked in here that we don't have, let us know. Or just ask JARVIS or one of the other omegas if you don't feel comfortable asking us and they'll see that it gets delivered. And there's a pantry there with just some basics in it, but we can order whatever you like to eat that's sealed and such."
"You know, I feel pretty confident you aren't going to drug me, but I do get a bit more paranoid at certain times, so I appreciate that."
As she'd come to a stop in front of us, we pushed off of our spots, and started walking back toward the living room, indicating the extra guest room and library along the way. When we made it back out to the main living space, we pointed down the other hallway and let her know that our bedroom was at the end, with a study and an art studio as well. Then we settled her back down onto a chair in the kitchen, but facing away from the table.
Squatting in front of her patiently, I said, "Steph, can we please look at the stitches?" When she nodded her head, I clarified, "We're going to need to take the wrapping off, so if you'd rather, we can take you back to Bruce or ask Natasha to take a look. Or we can take you back to Rangeman, I know Ranger said there's a medic on staff there."
She shifted a little nervously but ultimately said, "no, it's fine. I trust you both. Just maybe try not to stare? I'm not going to begrudge you any side peeks or anything, but you know…"
"That's fine, Steph. Not that we're not interested in that at some point, but today we're really just concerned about making sure you're okay," I placated.
"You know what?" Steve said, standing up abruptly and pulling me to my feet. "Steph, Doll, are you feeling okay enough to get the shirt and the wrapping off yourself?"
Steph nodded slowly, a little uneasy at the sudden movements. Undeterred, Steve walked into the living room and grabbed the blanket that was laying on the back of the couch but we never really used. He handed it to Steph and said, "Bucky and I are going to go over there and give you some privacy. Why don't you try to get everything unwrapped yourself, and then you can cover up with that in the front, okay?"
When Steph nodded, Steve laid the blanket on her lap and then we turned our backs and walked to the living room, looking out at the city at an angle where we wouldn't see anything in a reflection. We could hear rustling, and some indrawn breaths, but nothing too alarming until Steph whispered, "what the hell?"
I started to turn, but Steve just grabbed my arm and held me in place while calling out, "everything okay Steph?"
"I mean, I don't really know? That's not normal… yeah, can you come take a look at this?"
She sounded more than a little confused. But I didn't realize she was also distracted until we turned around and froze. Apparently whatever she was looking at on her side was sufficient enough that she forgot all about covering herself up, so we were greeted with a full frontal view that gave us both pause. Shaking it off, I elbowed Steve as I cautiously moved forward. As soon as I saw what had happened, I cursed a little to myself.
"JARVIS, can you ask Banner if we can bring Steph down again in a few minutes?" Steve asked quickly while already on the move. "Tell him he's going to need to take the stitches out now."
Steph was looking at me with wide eyes, and I moved to her side to quickly unwrap the bandage on her arm. Her skin had completely covered the stitches there. When she looked at me with questions in her eyes, I blew out a breath and kissed her on the nose. "I don't know, Steph. Could just be a fluke? Certainly was much slower than I heal given that nothing seemed out of the norm this morning when Bruce looked everything over before you woke up. Or presumably when Natasha helped you clean up."
Steve walked back in with an oversized shirt of his in his hands that he helped Steph drape on herself backwards. Steph was nibbling on her lip nervously as she asked, "is Bruce going to want to run a bunch of tests?"
"Probably, Doll." I could scent her anxiety picking up a little as she looked apprehensively at Steve. I made a hopefully reassuring noise as I rubbed her back, "you want to call Ranger?"
"Steph, can you look at me for a second?" When Steph looked at him, Steve smiled and said, "you can have whatever you want, okay?"
Steph looked relieved, as she asked, "may I have my phone so I can see if Ranger can come by and be there while Bruce runs whatever tests?" Steve was already handing her the phone, and simply nodded when she asked, "can he bring the Rangeman medic with him?"
"That's not a problem, Steph," I assured her. Taking note of Steve's confident smile, I raised a brow and asked him, "what?"
He just put his finger to his lips and told me to shush while we all walked out of the apartment and to the elevator. As a rule, Steve and I generally made a point to intentionally NOT listen to other people's phone conversations. It was easy to do if we didn't make the effort to avoid it, and I figured Steph deserved privacy, so I spent some time asking Steve about whether or not the team had found anything else while Steph was sleeping. That of course caused him to call me out on the fact that I had fallen asleep as well , but I really didn't think anyone could blame me for doing so. It had been so comfortable sitting on the couch with Steph curled up into me. And I really hadn't gotten that much sleep the night before sitting by Steph's medical bed. Granted, I didn't require much sleep, but still.
By the time we made it downstairs, Steph was off the phone and she poked at Steve's stomach playfully. "You sneak. You'd already told Ranger to grab Bobby and swing by when he could. You called while you were getting me a shirt. Why am I not in my own shirt, by the way?"
"I just figured a looser shirt would be easier for Banner to work with," Steve said. "And maybe it would spare you having to wear a hospital gown again so soon."
"And the fact that it smells like you?" Steph asked with feigned sharpness.
"Just a bonus," Steve said, giving Steph and I both a playfully outrageous wink.
Ranger's POV
When my phone rang, I answered it automatically without reading the display. Hearing Steve Rogers's voice telling me that Steph's stitches had over healed was not something I was expecting, and I wasn't happy to hear it. Without an explanation, though I felt sure most of the men had figured out who the call was concerning, I called for Bobby to meet me in the garage. I stopped by Ella's apartment long enough to pick up the little care package she'd put together for Steph.
As I climbed into my Cayenne, Bobby was slipping into the passenger seat, medical bag at his feet.
"You probably won't need that, they seem to have a good setup, and I have a feeling you'll be relegated for the most part to observation."
"So, we've all figured out where she is. It wasn't too difficult once the news stories started, but there's more, isn't there?" I stayed silent, and Bobby finally said with more than a hint of exasperation, "damnit, Boss! I'm going to find out in a minute at the rate you're driving anyway, and I'd rather have some clue what I'm walking into."
Knowing he was right, I sighed and slowed my speed a little to give us some more time. "I mean, the news kinda has it right except for the fact that Steph just met everyone there."
"The news is saying she's their omega."
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure she's going to be. Very soon in all likelihood." Bobby started telegraphing anger and protectiveness that had me instantly glad he'd pushed me to tell him before we were there with everyone else. "Look, Bobby. They respect her, they're treating her like a queen already, and she's very interested. You know they're good men, and I can already tell that they'd do anything to keep her safe. They were both standing guard over her pretty much constantly every time I saw the three together. Just keep an open mind until you meet them. And remember, if you challenge Captain America on this, it's his right to fight you over that."
"Don't think that will stop me from getting her away from them if they treat her wrong."
"I know, and I would help you, but we aren't going to need to. You'll see."
We pulled up to the parking garage and this time I was cleared through instantly and directed to a different section of the garage. When we got there, I saw Darcy standing there nervously, and when Bobby looked at her appreciatively, I let out a warning growl.
"Alright, dibs acknowledged. I will back off, Ranger; I read you loud and clear." Still, I slowly got out of the car, nodding at Darcy as I grabbed the bag for Steph out of the back of the car.
"Hi, Darcy Lewis," Darcy said sticking her hand out, and Bobby eyed me warily before taking it and introducing himself. "Hey Ranger," Darcy added with a friendly smile.
When we made it into the elevator, I returned the smile. Then with a smirk knowing he'd have no time to soak it in or yell at me for being rash, I said, "oh, and the blood Steph got yesterday was a direct transfusion from the Winter Soldier because they didn't have any of her type available and he's a match. You're here because it seems to have possibly affected her."
I finished as the doors opened and quickly strode out.
"Are you kidding me?" Bobby hissed at me, "did they do that to her without consent?"
"She was unconscious- from blood loss, I might add- so I consented on her behalf. Would you rather she go without?"
"No, of course not," Bobby finally said.
"Well then, there you go. The Captain asked us to come because he thought Steph would be more comfortable with us here, and then while I was grabbing the things for her, Steph called and asked for us to come."
As we entered the room in front of which Darcy stopped, I was surprised to see that both the alpha and beta seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. Of course, Steph appeared to be wearing one of their shirts, so I could only assume the facts that she was wearing their scent and that the three had likely reached some sort of understanding amongst themselves were only helping. When she looked over and caught sight of us, a smile lit up Steph's face, "Ranger! Bobby! You gotta see this!"
Bobby, hesitated, taking his cue from me and waiting for Steve to nod his head before moving forward. Steph had a death grip on the Winter Soldier's metal hand as Banner worked on her side. A quick glance showed that her skin had mostly grown over the stitches already, so Banner was having to work quickly, sometimes making a small incision in order to get to the next length of suture and pull it out. After a quick consult, Bobby put on some gloves and started working from the other side of the table at the other end of the injury.
"That hurt?" I asked Steph.
She eyed Steve warily then shrugged, causing Steve to sigh and say, "I'm really sorry, Steph. And Bruce."
"It's my fault," Bruce said from where he was working, "I should have warned you that I was going to have to cut her. And The Other Guy didn't quite come out to play, so no harm done."
I frowned a little, hoping that didn't mean what I thought it did. Steph obviously understood that I was worrying anew over this match because she said, "it's fine. Bucky had me out of the way and behind a Hulk-proof door before I could blink and we stayed there until Bruce had everything under control. That's why we're only just getting started though. And yes, in answer to your question, it does hurt a little, but not too bad. Not nearly as bad as it did yesterday."
"Then why are you trying to crush that poor man's hand?"
"To see if I can?" Steph said, "Also because I don't like blood, and it feels weird. So that's giving me something else to focus on. And better the metal hand than the flesh."
"You couldn't hurt the other one either," Barnes said. It wasn't a boast, just a statement of fact.
"Well, better safe than sorry. Plus, if I broke it and Bruce had to set it, then he'd have to stop what he's working on and this whole thing would take longer."
Barnes just chuckled and patted her head softly with his free hand. With Banner and Bobby working together, it didn't take long for them to have all the stitches out. Steph healed over the small, fresh slices quickly, and she was left with the impressive scar she'd expected.
"Think the scar will stick around?" she asked, eyes roaming between Rogers, Barnes, and Banner.
Banner just shrugged, "honestly, Steph. I have no idea. Cap would have healed the type of injury you had, even deeper than yours, in about two or three hours. It might have taken Barnes a bit longer but not by much. And Barnes does have a few scars. But when I checked on you early this morning, you weren't showing any signs of accelerated healing yet, and I don't know why there would be that kind of delay. I have literally no clue what to expect with you. We don't know exactly what serums Barnes has, and there's the fact that he's male and you're female and he's beta and you're omega. There's enough differences in your biological chemistry that even if you were given the exact same serum or serums as Barnes and every other aspect of their introduction was exactly the same, which it wasn't, that could still be enough to give you different results from him."
Barnes looked about ready to cry or apologize to Steph or something, but she just shrugged and said, "Well, I've never been anything but unique. Why stop now?"
For the next couple of hours, Banner and Bobby ran Steph through a whole host of tests, and nothing else about her seemed to have really changed. However, given the delay in the healing factor working on her, no one was sure that would stay the same. After taking the bag I'd brought for her, Steph stepped into a bathroom off the gym they'd been testing her in. About ten minutes later, she stepped back out, freshly showered and in the clothes I'd brought her.
When she asked for some privacy with Steve and Bucky, we stepped into the hall and waited. Bobby and Banner were discussing a testing schedule and what should be done with Steph in various situations. For the most part, they agreed that whenever possible if she was injured from here out, she should be brought to the Tower for treatment. I said nothing, just observed the two collaborating as well as the rest of the Avengers who were standing off a ways. Darcy had excused herself after delivering us when we first arrived, and I hadn't seen her since. I knew there would be time for that later.
When the door to the gym opened again, everyone stopped and looked up. She'd tried her best to cover it, but Steph definitely looked more than a little mussed. She and the two men with her seemed a little more subdued and a little less happy, but she resolutely walked up to Bobby and I. "Can I catch a ride back with you?"
Looking over her shoulder at Rogers and Barnes, I noticed that they didn't seem angry about it as I nodded my head and pushed off the wall. We walked to the elevator alone without another word, and once we got inside, Steph leaned against the wall a little. In the enclosed space, it was impossible not to smell the way the alpha and beta scents were heavily clinging to Steph. Bobby caught my eye and smirked, and I just shook my head.
When we got to the car, Bobby climbed in back so Steph could have the front seat. Once we were finally on the road back to Rangeman I said, "so, I'll set up some badges for the two of them then? I assume we'll be seeing them soon?"
"I'm going to meet them at the Tower at the end of the day tomorrow, but if you have some badges I could give them before I leave for the day so they don't get hassled if and when they show up, I'd appreciate it. I just figure it's early, and I'll try to keep them away until everyone at Rangeman gets used to the idea. I do not need that fight happening."
From the back seat, Bobby said, "Steph, if they make you happy, everyone will accept that."
"Well, I know it's soon, but they really do."
"Okay then, Ranger and I will make sure no one causes any problems."
