AN: Sequel to "The Sins of the Father", but can be stand alone.

Allusions to past rape/non-con. Nothing explicit.


Tony learns the Hydra news through JARVIS. He stands stock still in the common room, his coffee cup going cold, its stale scent mixing with his own shocked pheromones as he first watches SHIELD's files get dumped on the internet, and then their mass-murder Helicarriers get shot down from the sky.

He should have known something like was going to happen. To be honest he did know something was going to happen because Steve and Natasha had made national news just this morning after they'd apparently 'gone rogue' and gotten taken down by SHIELD. Tony had spent the rest of the morning frantically trying to call Steve, or Fury, or literally anyone so he could figure out what was going on.

Out of everyone, Clint had picked up, but he was just as out of the loop as him. Natasha hadn't contacted him, and he had no idea where she was or what was going on.

They'd just begun to gather when JARVIS had let them know that an absolute bombshell was being dropped online. He could only watch helplessly after that as the news continued to unfold. He stands rooted to the floor in the living room, the alpha in him wanting to snarl and pace because his pack is in danger and he can't do a thing about it.

On the TV the newscaster lets out an exclamation as the Helicarriers begin to break apart and Tony snaps out of it, his hand tightening on his mug as he calls for JARVIS. "J, how we lookin'?"

"Copying of SHIELD files almost complete, Sir," JARVIS reports, his voice somber. "No contact yet from anyone in D.C."

Tony lets out a tense breath and grits his teeth. "Call Clint and Bruce up and keep trying to reach the others." His stomach clenches and he shoves away the fear that there isn't anyone to reach. If what he's reading in the files is true, then the exploding Helicarriers mean that someone is still alive to take them down. He hopes.

"Let me know when we get something."


On a good day, Clint scents like grass and warm soil. Now his stressed pheromones mix sourly with Bruce's curry and wool and Tony's leather and lavender. On a good day having all three alphas in the room smells more like a picnic than a confrontation, but today they smell like a cocktail of anxiety.

The only saving grace is Natasha's voice filtering through JARVIS speakers, giving them a much needed update. "We found Steve, thanks to some help from...a friend." She sounds bone-tired and Tony doubts she has been sleeping much more than him these last few days. "He's hurt. We're taking him to the hospital now."

Tony barely keeps from growling in worry. His shoulders tense and his fingers dig into his biceps as he crosses his arms. "Which one?" he bites out. "We're coming."

Natasha doesn't even try to argue, she just rattles off the address. "We have some other people here," she warns. "Sam Wilson, a beta and...Bucky Barnes, alpha."

It says something when that isn't the biggest shock of the day.


Natasha only gives them the barest of details. Apparently she is shot, and needs to get checked out so she can't talk long. Said bullet wound and the injuries that Steve is currently in surgery for were caused by Bucky Barnes, who is not only still alive, but a formerly brainwashed assassin for Hydra.

The formerly part is still under debate.

"He rescued Steve from the wreckage," she tells them, her voice betraying none of her own thoughts on the situation. "He's...a little feral, but more focused on protecting Steve than following any directives from Hydra right now."

Which...okay, is a lot to take in, but Tony is so relieved that the rest of his pack is still alive, he's willing to overlook the weird circumstances surrounding it.

The instant the phone call with Natasha ends he and the others head up to the Quinjet landing pad. He barely stops long enough to put on shoes, his hands shaking as he yanks at the laces and tries to avoid thinking about Steve's injuries. Natasha had requested Bruce bring his super soldier sedatives along and the brief rundown she'd given of Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier hadn't sounded promising.

He is glad that Steve had seemingly been able to get through to his friend in the end, but it sounds like it had been a close call.

"If Bucky is edging on feral then we should try not to crowd Steve," Bruce murmures as they settle into the ship and JARVIS starts the engines. "If I remember right, Bucky's an alpha too, and he's bound to be twitchy if three new alphas come in around an omega he's protective about."

Tony nods, tugging at his shirt collar. He hadn't even thought of the dynamics between them and Bucky. His thoughts had been so focused on Steve and Natasha that everything else had felt irrelevant.

He will definitely have to keep his head when dealing with a new, unstable alpha.

He's still getting used to the idea that Bucky is even alive. He has absolutely no idea what to expect. Obviously the Bucky Barnes from his history classes and Steve's stories won't be the same man waiting for them at the hospital, but clearly there is still something of him left. He had saved Steve after all.

It takes far too long to get from New York to D.C. Tony is antsy and restless the whole flight and his agitation only climbs as they disembark. They can't land at the hospital, so they are forced to touch down at a landing strip outside the city. They pack into a SI car and give the air purifiers a run for their money as the devices try to pump out the stressed scents of three closely packed alphas.

His nerves are shot by the time he gets to the hospital. Every alpha bone in his body pulses with the need to check on Natasha and Steve. His pack is hurt. His pack had been attacked and he needs to see them right now.

Someone must have said something to the hospital staff because they are let in with little preamble. A nurse whisks them upstairs to the more private floor, her nose only wrinkling briefly as she scents them all in the elevator. Her own scent is tactfully covered up, but none of them had had time for that today.

The elevator dings and they peel out into the over-white hallway. He sees Natasha's distinctive hair outside a room and all three of them surge forward to meet her.

Natasha smells of hospital and exhaustion, but her mild beta scent comes through too. It is less distinct than an alpha or omega scent, but her scent blockers have worn down after the events of the day and Tony catches hints of what Steve had once described as 'autumn'.

It washes over him and he lets out a breath, scanning her none too subtly. "You said you were shot?"

He can feel Clint hovering next to him and Natasha's mouth tips up as she pulls her collar down to show bandaging on her shoulder. "Already had it looked at before the Helicarriers, they re-bandaged it here."

Clint marches forward to inspect her closer and Natasha indulges him briefly before angling back to the room down the hall. Her scent takes on a somber tint, like rain on fallen leaves. "He got out of surgery a little while ago."

Tony's attention snaps up and he all but vibrates with impatience. Natasha eases back and his vision tunnels on the cracked door. It takes all his control to keep from bolting forward. They can't rush in with abandon. No matter how much he wants to.

Instead he forces himself to walk at a leisurely pace with the others. "Barnes is inside," Natasha warns them, an uncertain thread lighting up briefly in her scent. Right. He'd almost forgotten about that.

"Let's go slow," Bruce says, stepping forward to knock softly on the door. He waits a moment, letting the alpha inside know they are here at his discretion. Tony hears a low murmuring beyond the door before an unfamiliar voice calls for them to enter.

Bruce eases the door open, his movements slow and telegraphed as he pushes it all the way open. The move allows them to see the whole room, and it allows them to be seen. Tony's eyes sweep the white walls, taking everything in all at once. Steve is asleep on a bed in the middle of the room. A blanket and a hospital gown hide most of his injuries, but his face looks battered and bruised. An IV is in his right hand and a nasal cannula loops over his ear. To his right, a Black man whom Tony assumes must be Sam sits several feet back from the bed, his posture loose and open.

The relaxed pose looks deliberate, and Tony doesn't need to guess why. On Steve's left side a man who can only be Bucky Barnes sits hunched at his bedside. Every muscle in his body is locked tight. He watches them warily, his eyes piercing through stringing brown hair that hangs to his shoulders. His right arm is in a sling, but his left arm is planted on Steve's bedrail, the metal finger glinting in the light.

He doesn't start growling at the sight of them, but he remains tense, clocking them one by one as they stand in the threshold.

Sam lets them sit for a moment before leaning forward, his voice soft but to the point. "These are Steve's friends," he says, his eyes on Bucky. "They're going to come over and stand with me, okay?"

It is clear Sam must have worked with temperamental alphas before. He keeps his voice low but firm, sitting away from Steve while his seaside scent eases even Tony's nerves. Bucky's eyes flick briefly towards Sam before going back to staring them down. That seems to satisfy Sam because he leans back and nods at them.

Bruce steps in. Tony wants to run in and plaster himself to Steve's beside, which is exactly why he doesn't go first. His instincts push at him to check on his teammate, but he twists them around to watch over Bruce and then Clint as they enter the room.

Bucky stiffens at their approach, but he doesn't make any aggressive moves as they edge over to Sam one by one. The room is big enough that there is a good amount of space left between them and Steve. Bucky tracks them with a glare but he settles a little as they park themselves next to Sam a safe distance away.

Tony waits a few moments to let Bucky adjust to Clint and Bruce before he can't wait any longer. He may not be able to get close to Steve but he can at least be in the same room as him. He can feel Natasha behind him and he pulls his shoulders in as he crosses the threshold.

Bucky's eyes bore into him and Tony's skin crawls. His instincts want to posture and growl at the threat, but he tries to keep his scent as neutral as possible, considering how he is the third alpha to invade Bucky's space. He takes a step along the scrubbed linoleum and freezes as a rumbling growl cuts through the room.

His eyes jump up to Bucky and he sees his nostrils flare, a vein standing out on his throat as he bares his teeth. The overt hostility is actually unexpected since Bucky hadn't reacted to the others, and Tony can only stare dumbfounded.

The growl doesn't let up. Bucky's hand creaks on the railing, his hair all but standing on end as he puffs up defensively. Tony holds absolutely still, his heart pounding as he darts his eyes over Bucky. He hadn't been aware of the man's scent before, but now Bucky's aggressive moss and pine hits him square in the face, the mix bitter and burnt, like a smoldering forest fire.

He sees Natasha shift out of the corner of his eye and he knows he needs to de-escalate the situation before it gets any further. He raises his hands placatingly. "Hey—"

And that is as far as he gets.

Bucky moves in the blink of an eye. One second he is by the bed and the next he is slamming him against the wall. Tony gasps as the air gets knocked out of him, his shoulders lighting up in pain. Bucky's metal arm presses against his chest and his growl raises in pitch, his eyes pinpricks of anger.

Tony coughs and sucks in a breath, his heart racing. He can sense the alarm in the room, but that takes background priority as he watches Bucky scent him, his nose twitching and his growl increasing as he inhales. His jaw clenches and the weight on Tony's chest doubles as Bucky snaps his teeth by his ear, looming over him. His right arm stays in the sling, but that doesn't make him any less intimidating.

Tony's hands shake as Bucky leans in and scents him again, his teeth getting far too close to his neck for his liking. His instincts scream at him to lash out at the threatening alpha, but he knows trying to fight a feral alpha in the middle of a hospital room will go badly for more than just them, so he forces his chin up, exposing his throat in a submissive gesture. Bucky's growl vibrates through his chest and Tony catches a whiff of his own fear-laced smell, the lavender wilted and the leather sharp and sour.

The gravity of his situation hits him over the head and his mouth falls open, his breath stuttering.

He'd forgotten to cover his scent. He'd forgotten to cover his scent and he'd just walked into a room with Steve and a feral alpha smelling like Howard.

His heart hiccups and his thoughts race as he curses himself for not remembering to enhance his lavender scent. That's what he always does ever since he had learned why Steve looked physically ill every time he breathed in the deeper leather tones of his scent—a gift from Howard he could have done without.

He'd forgotten about it today. He'd been so stressed and focused on the Hydra reveal and then the danger to his pack that he hadn't stopped long enough to do his usual morning routine. He hadn't even thought about his scent until he was being crushed against the wall, a protective Bucky Barnes breathing down his neck.

Dad's going to get me killed, he thinks hysterically, anxiety-fuelled nausea twisting in his stomach. He's going to get me killed for something he did 70 years ago.

His breath hitches and words tumble out of his mouth in a frantic babble, his thoughts jumping like a startled rabbit. "Right. Right. I should have probably— dealt with that, before. Uh…"

Behind Bucky, he sees Natasha posed to attack, her eyes narrowed and her hand on her belt. He waves her down frantically, all while trying not to move at all—an impressive feat really. The last thing he wants is for anyone to try to get between him and Bucky. Little do they know there is a reason Bucky is radiating protective fury, and if they try to yank him off, Tony has no doubt things will get much worse.

Not that his situation is great right now, but hey.

"M'name's Tony," he gasps, focusing back on Bucky and hoping desperately that his words will get through to him. He resists the urge to grab at Bucky's arm and repeats himself. "It's Tony. I know I probably remind you of Howard—" Bucky's growl turns into a snarl and Tony cringes. "Yeah, same. But he's dead." Bucky's eyes snap up to his and Tony drags in another breath. "I'm not him. I swear. I'm not gonna hurt 'im. I'm not gonna touch Steve at all."

His head presses against the wall, his neck straining as he tries to keep submissive and still. His pulse pounds in his mouth and his chest aches insistently. Bucky's pheromones clog the air and he has no idea how he is going to talk him down. He has a passing hysterical thought that maybe they might be able to sedate him with the stuff they'd brought for Steve—as if they'd be able to jab a feral assassin alpha without him noticing—when a voice cuts the tension.

"Bucky."

Steve's voice is barely above a whispered croak but Bucky's snarl drops off into a low rumble, his head whipping around to the bed.

Steve looks pale and groggy, his eyes lidded as he twitches his hand in Bucky's direction. He can barely lift it off the bed but Tony gets the impression Bucky tracks the entire motion.

"Bucky," Steve rasps again. "It's okay. He's a friend."

Bucky waffles. Tony can feel his weight shifting against him, the arm in the sling twitching. His scent takes on an incredulous note, his eyes on Steve. The room sits in silence, all eyes on the two of them. Steve doesn't shift his gaze from Bucky, his fingers curling as he beckons for him. Bucky's rumble tapers off even more, his overwhelming scent easing up enough for Tony to catch a whiff of Steve's apple and honey scent.

He watches Bucky's throat flex and Steve tilts his chin up, letting a quiet keen pass his lips. A shiver runs through Bucky, passing all the way through Tony's chest. Bucky lets out a low grumble, his teeth flashing before he swivels back and sends a glare Tony's way. Tony keeps his hands up and still, barely daring to breathe as Bucky slowly eases off of him.

He stares him down the whole way back to Steve's bed, only looking away as he sits back down and scans Steve head to toe. Steve's soft smile tugs at his split lip and Tony watches mesmerised as Bucky ducks behind his hair, his metal hand coming up to brush over Steve's brow.

Steve's eyes shutter closed and he noses upward. Bucky's hand drifts up to Steve's hair and any remaining sound from him cuts off as Steve begins to purr. Bucky's shoulders literally slump and Tony can practically see his eyes dilate.

Tony's mouth drops open, He has never heard Steve purr before and the noise fills the room in a soothing, rhythmic pattern. It smooths even his taunt nerves and he leans back against the wall, letting himself breathe. He rubs his chest and hides a wince, now infinitely glad he had gotten the arc reactor removed.

Bucky doesn't even glance at him, his eyes pinned on Steve as he meticulously pets his hair. He looks entirely focused on his task, his scent dropping into that of a damp boreal forest. A stunned silence falls over the room, the moment hanging by a thread.

Tony shares a glance with Sam, the man looking almost as amazed as he feels. He had always heard of how the right omega could settle a feral alpha, but he had never seen it before in real life.

On the bed Steve's eyes flutter open and he gives Tony a tired smile. "Good to see you," he whispers.

Bucky casts Tony a loaded glance, but he doesn't let up running his hand through Steve's hair. His wrist brushes over Steve's forehead and Tony realises that without his prosthetic, and if his other arm weren't in a sling, he would be scent-marking him.

His eyes drop down to Steve and he coughs. His hand twitches up to cover the glands on his neck before he yanks it back down again. Touching his neck will only draw more attention to his scent and also release more pheromones in the air. He presses his lips together and tries to smile at Steve, wishing he could apologise to him.

But that would only draw more attention to what had just happened. He had promised Steve long ago that he wouldn't tell anyone about Howard. He doesn't want his mistake today to jeopardize that any more than it already has.

Steve's lips twitch up and he hums, leaning into Bucky's hand, his eyes closing. Tony doesn't think he's ever seen him this relaxed before. He looks drugged, even though Tony knows they haven't had a chance to give him his super soldier sedatives yet.

His eyes flick over the stitches on Steve's cheek and the IV line in his hand. "You okay?" he asks softly, not wanting to break the settling peace.

Steve's eyes slide open and he nods lazily. "More or less," he croaks, his lips pulling up sardonically. Bucky shifts and looks back in Tony's direction, keeping his hand on Steve's head while pinning him with a solid stare. It isn't as hostile as before, but it certainly sends a message.

Tony swallows and keeps his eyes on Steve. "Bruce's gonna talk to your doctors. We brought your pain meds so that should help."

Lines he hadn't realised were there ease in Steve's face and Bucky lets out a low rumble of approval. His eyes sweep the alphas in the room with new appreciation. His gaze lands on Tony and while his jaw clenches, he lets out a huff of air from his nose and looks back at Steve, his scent remaining protective but generally neutral.

Tony lets out a breath and wipes his hands on his pants. Even though Bucky is no longer growling in his face he can tell the alpha isn't happy with him here. He chews on his lips and winces as he realises his nerves are sneaking into his scent.

That is the exact opposite of what this situation needs.

He clears his throat and rolls his shoulders, trying to smooth down his hackles. "'s good to see you," he manages. Steve nods and mumbles something similar. Bruce then takes the opportunity to lean forward and talk about calling his doctor. Tony, glad to dodge the spotlight, decides to extract himself.

He slips out into the hall, letting out a heavy breath. His head clears a little as he escapes the cloud of pheromones the hospital's air filters hadn't been able to purge and he relaxes in the cooler air. There are a row of pale blue chairs down the hall and he slumps into one. He feels drained, his mind slow and exhausted as he rubs his chest, feeling out the sore spots and likely bruises.

It stings, but he has to admit it is barely anything given the circumstances. He had walked in on Steve smelling to all the world like Howard and Bucky hadn't ripped his head off.

He looks up as the door to Steve's room opens and Natasha ducks out. She moves stiffly thanks to her wound but she sits next to him without flinching. He can feel her eyes raking over him and she huffs, her mild scent settling.

"Well, looks like you made it out of that with only a few scratches."

He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. "Well… you know. It's kinda up in the air with feral alphas."

Natasha nods and he watches her fiddles with the zipper of her jacket. A weird silence sits between them that Tony doesn't know how to interpret until she speaks again. She doesn't look up, her voice soft.

"You know...when Steve had his first heat, he said some things."

He goes cold, his eyes fixated on his shoes.

"He didn't say anything specific, and I doubt he even remembers it. But it was clear something happened to him."

He breathes in, his heart pounding. He can remember the time she is talking about. Steve had gone into an unexpected heat only a few weeks after waking up from the ice. They had all been caught off guard because none of them had even known that he was an omega, and Natasha had been the one to monitor him during the whole thing because she was the only one who was not an alpha.

And it was clear that an alpha would not be going anywhere near Steve because the second his heat had hit he'd bolted to a corner and curled up in terror.

With her statement, Natasha had basically admitted that she knows what's going on. And it wouldn't be hard to piece together, if she knew what to look for thanks to clues from Steve himself. She already knew that Tony had changed his scent a few months after Steve came to live in the tower. That wouldn't be a smoking gun if Bucky hadn't just slammed him against the wall the second his scent was back to normal, and if Tony hadn't directly linked himself to Howard in the process.

His mouth is dry when he swallows and he feels a renewed hatred for his father and his past actions. He scrubs his hand over his eyes and sighed. "Can't confirm or deny," he mutters, because he had promised Steve he would never tell anyone about Howard. He can only hope that his slip up today hadn't completely ruined that.

Natasha doesn't push it. She just leans back and flicks her eyes over him, her eyes narrowed as if she could assess his condition with only a glance. "You alright?"

He almost laughs. "Well, I almost peed myself back there, but other than that we're good."

Natasha arches an eyebrow. "To be honest I expected him to go off earlier when we had to split him and Steve up during the surgery. I'm surprised you got off so lightly."

She isn't the only one. "I know what you said about him being brainwashed and feral," he says, his hand drifting up to rub his chest again. "But considering how I only ended up with a few bruises, and Steve managed to get him to back down with hardly more than a word… I think he'll be okay."

He shouldn't be surprised Bucky is so intune with Steve. He can remember how Steve had described Bucky's support and restraint during the whole mess with Howard. Whatever Hydra had done to him obviously hadn't managed to break that down. He shakes his head. It says something when a half-feral, semi-brainwashed POW has more control and self-restraint than Howard ever did.

He breathes in and pushes himself off the chair, shaking out his hands. He needs something else to think about. "I'm going to head to the gift shop," he tells Natasha, turning down the hall. "They might have some emergency scent blockers."

"You and Barnes gonna be good?" she calls after him and he looks back.

"Are you kidding?" he asks, tossing his head. "You ever heard Steve purr before?"

A smile tugs at her lips and Tony mirrors her as he shoves his hands his pockets and heads off. He has no doubt that the sticky history between Steve, Howard, and Bucky is going to rear its ugly head again more than once before this is all over. Things are probably going to be rocky between him and Bucky for a while—deprogramming a traumatized feral alpha would be hard without Howard thrown in the mix.

But he remembers the way Steve had practically melted in the bed and how Bucky had watched over him unwaveringly, and he thinks that things are going to be okay.


AN: I always envisioned alpha Bucky Barnes sticking around in this AU, and that of course led me to the inevitable confrontation between him and Tony. As much as I like feral-protective-Bucky, I liked feral-protective-Bucky-who-listens-to-Steve-at-a-drop-of-a-hat-despite-everything even *better*.

I also liked the conversation between Natasha and Tony at the end.

I have a few more little scenes in my head for this AU, so I may add them to this story at some point. No promises, but subscribe if you'd like.