CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Christmas Day.

2017.

Steve shifted, sitting on the edge of the bed, using his free hand to trap his flagging erection in the waistband of his sweatpants. It would be less noticeable while he waited for Banner and Tony to arrive. Jenny had his other arm, nuzzling the inside of her wrist for his scent, mumbling against the flesh of his forearm. It was enticing, seductive, despite how innocent her words were. She murmured on and on about inconsequential, trivial things that meant more to her, and if he was being honest, to Steve, as well, than they would to anyone else in their current situation.

Home, home, home…

My alpha. My Captain… My Steve…

Take care of me. Don't let them take you away. Please, don't leave.

Don't ever leave…

God, he didn't want to leave. He didn't think he would be able to be separated from her a second time if Banner confirmed she was going into heat again. She smelled so sweet, and her breathy sighs between calling out his name in the throes of an orgasm had almost shredded his self-restraint. He wanted to claim her. He wanted her to be his. All his. Only his.

"Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark have arrived, Captain," announced Jarvis, right before the former and latter entered the bedroom.

"Dear sweet Santa on a…" Tony paused, shaking the scent out of his head and losing his train of thought. "Damn, this is not a very Merry Christmas for you, is it, Jen?"

"Definitely smells like the start of another heat cycle," confirmed Banner, nearing the bed slowly at Steve narrowed his eyes on the unassuming beta. Despite Banner's designation, he could smell Hulk under the surface, alpha musk tainting his host's calming essence. "I'm just going to do a routine exam, and then I'll be out of here. Okay, Cap?"

Steve nodded, clearing his throat, "I'm sorry, Bruce. I don't mean to give off those signals."

"Well, you're practically mates, Rogers," interjected Tony, strolling around to the empty side of the bed, kneeling beside Jenny to help roll her onto her back. "Other alphas in your omega's nesting environment, and all that. Raises the hackles. It's all biology and instinct. Just try not to agitate the big guy with pheromones."

"I'd leave, but she won't let go of my arm," replied Steve with a huff, tensing when Jenny began licking the scent gland on the inside of his wrist. He had to growl a command to get her to stop, otherwise he would have his own biological problems to handle, and it was just too embarrassing to be hard in front of his teammates. "You have to let go, Jenny."

"No," she sniffled, holding his forearm more tightly to her chest, close to tears. "Don't leave me."

Banner and Tony managed to wrench Steve's arm out of her grasp, and he coddled her more than he probably should have, but there was something about her that called to him, pulled at his resolve, "I'll be just outside the door, Jenny. Let Dr. Banner check you out, and I'll be back in, I promise."

"Steve, please," she whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't go away, again. Please, don't go away…Alpha."

It took every last bit of strength for Steve to leave the room, even though her cries gutted him. Alpha instincts were overwhelming him, telling him to stay, claim, protect, take care of her, always.

Omega, omega, omega. Mate.

Jenny…

"What's that smell?" asked Jenny's roommate, Weasel. Ridiculous name, confusing, but she called him something else… Jack. His name was Jack. "Is Jenny okay?"

"Uh… She may be going into heat… Again," answered Steve, forcing down his urge to snap and snarl and growl. He was bristling being away from her, already. "Dr. Banner and Stark are checking on her now."

"Oh," replied Jack, slightly dumbstruck. "I'll just go let Ness and Wade know."

Steve nodded, not trusting himself to speak clearly in response. He just wanted to return to Jenny's side, ease her fears and worries. It was unsettling enough that within mere hours she had suddenly entered another heat with no transition, no forewarning scent wafting from her. There was usually a build up to active heat, according to Darcy, and from what Steve had experienced being around Darcy. He knew she had been a little warm when he woke up, but Steve had just assumed it was the flannel pj's, as well as being cocooned in a thick duvet. Plus, Steve ran hot. His temperature was slightly elevated, just like Bucky's was due to the super soldier serum variations they had received. Besides that, Steve was an alpha. All alphas exuded a certain heat when aroused.

He should have suspected something sooner. He should have suspected something was wrong when Jenny was pushing the boundaries of their acquaintance. It was his fault. He should have been firm, stopped everything after that first kiss. He seemed to lack any ability to say no to her, though. When it came to the petite omega with the doe-brown eyes, Steve was blinded by fantasies of an old, well-kept house, a white picket fence, and the two of them chasing a couple of kids around the yard.

Mated, married, and happy.

It shouldn't be such a strong fantasy. They barely knew each other. For crying out loud, Steve hadn't even taken her on a first date, yet. Dinner and dancing after the New Year. That's what Jenny had said, and Steve had been determined to make it happen. It would have to be in the Tower, but he was willing to ask Tony for help to transform his apartment into the idea he had in mind for that first date.

After dancing with her the night before at Tony's Christmas Eve party, Steve was pretty much all in. The way she looked up at him as if he were the only person in the world, eyes bright and smile so beautiful. She looked at him with such adoration, openness. He wanted to feel that every day for the rest of his life, and return it tenfold.

Jenny had sparked something in him. It was like he had started to come back to life since walking into that medbay, smelling her in the air, setting eyes on her tucked into those starch white sheets. She had been bruised, dirty, bloody. Her hair had been tangled, as well, obscuring some of her face. Jenny had seemed so small in that medbay bed, dainty. And the need to protect her had ignited in him, growing ever since into a raging inferno.

"Cap?" Tony popped his head out of the bedroom, looking concerned. "We...uh… We're gonna need you in here."

Steve didn't need to be told twice. He was in the bedroom within seconds, olfactory senses suffocating in the sweet, tangy scent of arousal and Jenny. It was overwhelming, but he shoved instinct to the side with a clench of his jaw. He had to for the sake of keeping Hulk from making an appearance, and for Jenny.

Especially for Jenny.

Banner had slipped on a medical mask, blocking out as much of Jenny's intensifying scent. Steve assumed Banner and Tony had been working on the prototype since Jenny's attack. It was for Banner's benefit, as well as the safety of everyone else. If Steve could give Tony props for one thing, it would be his altruistic nature to keep his friends safe.

"What's wrong?" asked Steve, walking around the bed to see Jenny curled up on her side, crying. "What has you upset, doll?"

Jenny moaned, tears streaming down her flushed face as she crawled across the bed to climb onto his lap, "You weren't here, anymore."

Steve allowed her to cling to him, sitting sideways on his lap, while her face situated itself in the crook of his neck. Jenny's nose was running, face blotchy and feverish, eyes swollen and red, but she was still beautiful. Her nose grazed over his mating gland, and he realized it was becoming inflamed, itchy. It had been growing inflamed and uncomfortable since the night before during the party, about the same time he had been growing increasingly agitated by her close proximity to other alphas. Thor, especially, for some reason. It was also around that same time when he felt the urge to stay at her side, protect her, show her that he was her alpha - the only person that mattered.

It was insane. It was all too fast, but the connection he shared with Jenny was beyond comprehension, according to Bucky. Finding a mate was world altering. It changed everything. Bucky said Steve's perspective would shift from the next mission to his mate. Care, provide, protect. Cherish. If, or when, Jenny and Steve bonded, mated, claimed each other… There would be a requisite nesting period, like a honeymoon.

Tony cleared his throat, biting his nails at Banner's side, "Bruce just needs to take some blood samples, but it's pretty clear she's ramping up for another heat cycle. She won't let us touch her, though. She only wants you."

"I don't mind helping," offered Steve, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Whatever you need."

"Please, don't leave me, again," cried Jenny into the fabric of his shirt. "Please, please, please."

Steve looked between Banner and Tony, concerned, but he didn't promise her anything. He couldn't at that moment. Not without knowing she was lucid, able to consent, knew what she wanted without biological or external influence. All he could do was comfort and cajole Jenny into complying with Banner's requests from her place in his lap.

"It's okay, Steve," Banner offered, trying to ease the super soldier's nerves. "She's lucid enough to know what she's saying. She's just overwhelmed by the surge in hormones, and upset."

"We've got all we need," Tony added, arms crossed over his chest, still eyeing Jenny with sincere concern. "I'll have Jarvis update you when the results are in. You may want to take her up to your rooms. Less interference -"

Steve growled at the abruptness of the bedroom door flying open, moving to shield Jenny from whomever had decided to breach the omega's space. It was only Vanessa, but Steve was on edge, worried, and entirely focused on Jenny. It just took him by surprise, and he had to force himself to relax as the other omega invaded the protective bubble he had created for his omega.

His omega…

"Oh, Jenny Bean," Vanessa cooed, startled back by the serious pheromones Steve was putting out. "Sorry. Uhm… I can take it from here, if you want?"

Jenny shook her head emphatically, clinging to Steve more tightly, "No! Don't take me away! Please, Steve? You promised! Alpha, you promised!"

Vanessa's eyebrows shot up her forehead, choking on her surprise, "Okay. Okay, sweetie. I'm sure Steve would never break a promise, right?"

"Are you sure, Jenny?" asked Steve, glancing over to see Banner and Tony leaving. "I don't want to take advantage of you. We haven't even been on a first date, yet. It's okay to let Vanessa take care of you, again. We can wait. It's okay to wait."

She just shook her head, crying into the crook of his neck and the collar of his shirt, "No waiting. What if this happens again? And again? Over and over and over? Please, I don't want to be away from you, Steve."

Vanessa shrugged when he looked up at her, "She's got a point. You're mates. She's in the lucid stage right now, but I can tell she's running out of time. Consent has been given. She wants you, and you don't need to hold back."

"It's just not right," replied Steve, resting his chin atop Jenny's head, rubbing circles over her back until she was drifting off to sleep. "I don't want her to regret it… after."

"Mating works differently," Vanessa sighed, taking a seat next to him on the bed. She even placed a comforting hand on his shoulder for a few brief moments before returning it to her lap. "It's sort of like natural selection, in a way. There's no rhyme or reason to it, just instinct. It's the easiest decision you'll ever make, because you already know you're meant for each other. Jenny's already falling for you, Steve. She wants you, and only you this time. Claim each other, and be happy."

Steve nodded, sighing as well, "She's lucky to have a friend like you, you know?"

"I know," smiled Vanessa, getting up and crossing her arms under her chest, yoga pants and oversized t-shirt with stains and mussed hair making her look as if she had been dragged out of bed with a hangover. She wasn't enhanced, so Steve was probably correct in that assumption. "Jenny's smart, and she has a big heart. A lot like you, actually. Two old fashioned souls finding each other. I know you'll take care of her, Steve."

"Thanks, ma'am."

"Oh, no," scoffed the omega, wagging her finger at him. "Vanessa, please. I'm not a ma'am… Have fun, kids."

She sang the last part with a grin, waltzing out the door and back to her own set of rooms. Jenny was snoring softly in his arms, and Steve lifted her up, carrying her with ease back to his own apartment in the Tower. Tony did have a point. Less interference, more secure, and his room was soaked in his pheromones. He could clean the rest of the apartment while she slept, get rid of any conflicting smells for her benefit. Make it feel more safe. Something she could call a home. With him.

Could he claim her, though? Could Steve go through with it and seal them together for the rest of their lives without even a short courting period? Vanessa was right. Instinct told him that Jenny was the only one, the other half of his soul that he'd been missing. If he stopped questioning everything, it was the easiest decision he would ever make. He had already begun craving her presence, her smell, her pheromones. Whenever they were apart he became uncomfortable. His body ached, his chest became tight, and he couldn't sleep. He just wanted to be with her. He wanted her in his arms, to be close. She was the balm that soothed his mind, his nerves, that anxious energy that kept him awake with a twisting in his stomach. Sleeping with Jenny, in his arms, tucked into bed and surrounded by their mingling scents…

It was the best he had slept in years, like he'd been at peace, at last.

Steve nestled Jenny in his bed, tucked up in his comforter and sheets for the time being, while he worked on cleaning out potential scents that did not belong to him. It was fairly easy, since Bucky and Darcy hadn't been around much since his rut. The kitchen had already been scrubbed a few days prior during a rather uneasy, early morning.

When he could only smell citrus with a hint of him, as well as Jenny's increasingly intense scent wafting from the bedroom, Steve started cleaning out the fridge to make room for the deliveries he was submitting through Jarvis. Cold cuts, loaves of bread, veggie platters, electrolyte drinks, cucumbers and cream cheese (that he noticed Jenny devoured during Tony's party), as well as a grocery list to make actual meals during longer rest periods, as well as for after.

If he claimed her during this cycle there would be a period of time that followed where no one could enter Steve's apartment in the Tower. Like a honeymoon, it would be just them, and Jenny would be going through certain changes, and so would Steve. He spent the entire time cleaning out his fridge on the phone with Buck, asking all the questions he could think of, and listening to his friend's advice. Then Darcy was on the phone, and Steve repeated the process. God bless, Darcy for being a wealth of information, even if most of it was inappropriate. He needed something to ground him as the panic rose in his chest, and the constant sound of Darcy's voice peppered with tidbits from Bucky in the background helped. Even the food suggestions helped provide Steve with a sense of calm, like he could actually do it. He'd never been anyone's anything, not like what they were describing, but with their encouragement, he felt as if he could actually be Jenny's partner, her alpha, her mate.

"Steve?" camed a sniffled whimper from the bedroom door, and he whipped around to see Jenny hugging herself, hair plastered to a damp forehead. "I thought you left me."

"Hey, Darce, she's up. I gotta go," Steve said quickly, hanging up the phone. Tossing the citrus infused rag in the sink, he washed his hands and left the kitchen. He offered her a soft, reassuring smile. "I'm just cleaning out the fridge, doll. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"Oh," whispered Jenny, still sniffling and hugging her middle more tightly. "It smells like lemons and oranges."

Steve sighed, relieved, "Yeah, I wanted to get rid of any smells that might irritate your senses. Buck, Darce, Nat and Tony. This'll be just our space. You and me, doll."

She nodded, wincing, and he could smell slick in the air. It made something under his skin crawl, or itch, like his rut was rushing up on him without warning. He suppressed a growl, and, instead, he closed the distance to pull her into his arms. He could feel that she was burning up, the fever rising. Her pajamas were damp, almost drenched in sweat down her back, and her bottoms were soaked in slick. Her scent was suffocating. All he wanted to do was take her pain away, make her feel better.

What had Darcy said?

A tepid bath, and a nap.

So, that's what Steve did.

Curled up on the floor of the bathroom, Jenny in his lap, Steve fought his baser instincts and comforted her while the bath filled. Every so often, he would dunk his hand and wrist under the tap, checking the temperature, as well as wetting his hand to cool Jenny down. She was naked, in his lap, shivering against the cool air flowing through the vent overhead, but her skin was molten, so he couldn't blame her for the shifting and the shivering against his groin. If he had to guess, he'd probably say her temp was nearing 110 degrees or more, which was impossible, except she was different than ordinary human beings. She was biologically enhanced, which meant her body was healing itself continuously from the damage a fever that high was causing.

"There," said Steve, turning off the tap when the water level in the tub reached half full. "I'm gonna check to see if the groceries are in the lobby, and I'll be right back. Do you want Darcy or Vanessa to sit with you, while I go get the supplies, or is it okay if I ask Buck to bring them up?'

Jenny nodded, letting go enough for him to set her down in the tub, "Can… Darcy? Can she come sit with me? I have… questions."

"Of course," Steve smiled, using the tips of his large fingers to push stray locks of hair off her face, tucking them all behind her ear. "I won't leave until she's here, alright?"

"Thank you," Jenny sniffled, a little smile breaking through her perpetually worried expression. "You're too kind, Alph…. Steve. You're too kind, Steve."

"Alpha, Steve… It's going to be just us for a long while, Jenny. You can call me whatever makes you comfortable."

She nodded, again, and Steve had a feeling neither of them were going to be the same, ever again…