There were very few people Happy had left in the world, even fewer that he would mourn the loss of. He was never particularly close to his parents, and never had any brothers and sisters. Growing up, he had few- if any- close friends, preferring to keep those around him at an arm's distance. Therefore, when a person managed to grow on him, they tended to stick around and swell over him like a really hard to beat fungus.
Maybe that wasn't the best metaphor...
Point is, he had to protect his friends; whether they know it or not. He didn't really like having to go undercover without even warding Pepper of the potential dangers of leaving the office, and Tony of... Oh who's he kidding? The whole reason he quit as his bodyguard was because he had two invincible superheroes living with him. But still, back up couldn't have hurt.
Who knows, Tony might have actually agreed with him. Or told him not to be so paranoid of strangers like Pepper had.
As he walked around the stall set up outside the chinese theatre, he scanned the crowds for the suspicious man he'd met briefly before. Instead, he saw the man's cronie, his bald head glinting in the setting sunlight. Next to him, a twitchy little man stared at the other like he was a god-send. Happy briefly questioned whether or not the disheveled individual may be using any sort of substance, but quickly negated that thought. He would be unable to tell for certain until he was closer to the man.
All those years battling off druggies for Mr. Stark paid off well.
Words were said between the two, though Happy couldn't begin to guess what, the twitching man smiling and nodding along. From the offset of his eyes, it was clear the other man wasn't really listening, just saying and agreeing to whatever would get him his fix faster. Soon enough, the bald man smiled and held out a small briefcase, handing it over with a tip of the forehead. This time, Happy could make out the twist of his lips, and the words he spoke.
He either said, You are ours to protect.
Or, Go devour our prophet.
He was going to go with the former, as that answer didn't make shivers run down his spine.
With another dipped head, the bald man turned and began making his way to the vehicle parked in front of him; widows blacked out, like that wasn't obvious deviant behavior.
Choosing that moment to strike, he ran straight into the shaking man, knocking the suitcase to the ground and letting it fall unceremoniously open. Scrambling to catch the bared objects flying in every which direction, the man hardly gave him a second look. Happy plucked one from the ground, slipping it into his pocket while he apologized profusely to the man and helped him put the rest of the strange devices into his briefcase. As the man stumbled out a brief 'thank you' and hurried off, Happy walked in the opposite direction; hand clasped tightly around the cork-screw like object. All this hassle over a bottle opener? Why meet here? Why now? What could the main objective be for the corporation AIM? And what did it have to do with a corkscrew?!
Maybe Pepper was right. Maybe he was losing it.
But, God! It felt like he was so close.
"Hey!" A voice brought him out of his internal monologue, drawing his focus to the bald man in black, suddenly standing directly in front of him with a strange grin pulling at his cheeks, "What are you doing here? It's weird, right?"
"The only thing you're gonna find weird, is how fast you've been beaten." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his newly acquired tech, "Now that I have this, we're going to take you, and your boss down."
In the time he'd worked for Mr. Stark, he learned to expect the unexpected, that way you can roll with the punches and deal with any situation that comes your way. And throughout his time watching over Tony, he had to use this advice many, many times.
He was still surprised when the fucker smirked.
A hand came out of nowhere, striking him across the face with enough force to knock him back a few steps. Anger coursed his veins, as he pulled a fist and repaid the treatment twice forth. Then repeated it, again and again. And yet, the creep continued to grin that shit-eating smirk of his.
Another onslaught attack came at him, and while he had trouble keeping up, his attacker didn't appear to break a sweat. He acted like the threat was minimal, like that of swatting a fly.
And hell, for all Happy knew, maybe it was.
As the seconds wore on, he found that his offensive had shifted to a more defensive, if not completely surrendered, stance. He grit his teeth, growling under his breath as people crowded slightly around him and his opponent. It kind of reminded him of his boxing days. Of course, back then, he wouldn't be on the losing side with an opponent that barely blinked, let alone fretted.
And the man. Would not. Stop. Smirking.
"What are you smiling-" He started frustrated, throwing his hands into the air. Only to be interrupted by a ear-piercing scream behind him.
In the commotion, he had forgotten the one major rule of boxing.
Never take your eyes off the big goal. The twitchy guy-
Another blood curdling scream ricocheted around the market outside the theater. The crowd that had gathered soon diverted their attention to the new show playing out before them. Whatever they saw, Happy didn't want to know. As suddenly as they had feasted their eyes on it, the citizens became riled and fearful. Several pushed over each other to escape, as though that would save them in the end.
It would prove fruitless.
"Wha- What's happening?" Reluctantly turning his head back in the direction of the man, Happy found his vision bathed in a brilliant white blaze.
While he felt it should have been threatening, he found the open, if not brief, darkness after rather soothing…
Everything hurt. Ached and, for some reason, iched. Dim lights played out in the darkness, and for a brief moment, Happy wondered if perhaps this was the afterlife he had been promised. It wouldn't really shock him, after all, he had worked for Iron Man. Nothing could shock him. Finding out that heaven was neither good or bad was not much of a surprise.
Then again, his eyes could just be closed. In fact, he felt silly for even considering the other option.
In the end, maybe it was all just a practical joke. Maybe he was just suffering from a bad fall, and would no doubt wake with Pepper pestering about being careful and Tony brushing off his concern with the offer of some new tech that no one else had. DUM-I, Butterfingers and U whirling around happily, while J.A.R.V.I.S suggested a good headache cure. Yeah, that would be great.
That wasn't what met his gaze. Not at all.
There was no Pepper, or Tony. No robots, or J.A.R.V.I.S. Not even the interior of his crappy, yet still somehow cozy apartment. No, what met him was fire. Raging, all consuming, fire.
The once lively market was deathly silent. Not a soul screamed, or even whispered in their dying moments. The air was clogged in a thick smoke, though Happy was low enough that it didn't affect him nearly as much as it might an escaping civilian.
That is, if there were any civilians alive to escape.
Around him, bodies lay across the ground with varying burns on their bodies. Some looked minor, those that had been farther away from the initial blast. Others were far worse, charcoaled black from heat.
Strangely, there were no bodies in the direct vicinity of the -bomb?- explosion. Only black outlines, as though they had simply vanished, leaving their shadows behind in their wake.
No… Not outlines… ashes.
Ashes of people.
He wanted to vomit. The overwhelming urge nearly pushed him over the edge.
He quickly turned his attention elsewhere, trying to ignore the nausea wearing in the back of his throat.
A few feet in front of him, he spotted something silver amongst the destruction and rubble. It was hard to tell, but it looked like some sort of jewelry. A bracelet? No, it was a square shape. A necklace, then. But what kind of necklace?
A vision briefly flashes before his eyes, and he gapes for a moment. He tries to breath as he attempts to drag himself off the ground, only for fall after a second of struggling.
Okay, so he wouldn't be walking out of this. But then again, neither would baldy.
A smile twerked at the corner of his lips unbidden, and Happy felt a spark of vengeful glee at that knowledge. At least if he's going down, he managed to take the other man with him.
Fate never did like Happy.
A crunching sound blared in the resounding silence, amplified by the dying flames that crackled as though laughing with them. He turned his head, only to freeze at the large mass of… something pulling back together from broken pieces on the ground. They morphed into the lump of orange forcing itself into one piece. It crutched against what appeared to be legs, but Happy was not quite sure. The mangled appendages untwisted, popping bones into place while the torso stretched up and out. Arms etched out of air healed, while stream danced from skin.
Son of a bitch…
He was still smirking, and when it was possible, the man stood and walked past where Happy was stretched out.
He practically skipped into the black car still sitting on the curb, entering it after a final sneer. The vehicle peeled out after another moment, and Happy was left looking at the ruin in it's wake.
Quickly remembering the dog tags he had spotted, Happy used the last of his energy to stretch his arm and point at it.
Maybe he couldn't help Tony as his bodyguard anymore. Maybe he wasn't super smart, or super strong. But he could do this for him.
He would do this, for his friend.
Steve hadn't come home that night. And when he finally did come back the next day, he wouldn't go back to bed with Tony. Bruce said he was just sleeping on the couch in his lab for some new test he was experimenting on his R.E.M problems, but Tony knew better.
His mate was avoiding him.
When he tried talking to him, Steve would bring up something completely different, and hurry off in the opposite direction. He asked J.A.R.V.I.S to keep tabs on the alpha, only for the snarky AI to read off a line of his code about privacy that had absolutely nothing to do with this situation. Just because he tried to blackmail Steve back with clips of them together, didn't mean he was violating the alpha's space at all.
Really. Nevermind half of them had explicit footage in them.
God, he needed a drink.
Funny, that sounded oddly familiar.
He had been elbow deep in his suit, when the call came in. A frantic Pepper met his ears, as she cried and babbled nonsense in a very un-Pepper way. After the news, however, Tony could hardly blame her.
Happy was in the hospital.
Happy was in the hospital.
One of his own, one of the few he truly, truly cared about. They had been hurt.
And he wasn't there to stop it.
A wrench flew across the lab, smashing into a display on the far end. Tony couldn't have cared less, whether it was his favorite coffee machine, or the initial blueprints of his newest suit.
He just. Didn't. Care.
He had gone to the hospital, of course. Pepper met him in the waiting room, Natasha glaring at him when he made a too quick move for her mate. Not having that for a moment more, the beta shoved away from the alpha and made a beeline for Tony, crashing into him with waves of sorrow.
For a moment, Tony allowed himself to bask in her warmth. He let himself be pulled into her embrace and soak in her natural calming essence. Hell, if he closed his eyes and breathed in, he could almost imagine that they were still together, and that nothing had ever changed.
But no, that wasn't right. He would not let himself have false dreams of happiness with another's mate. He knew the consequences of his actions, and it was not worth a few moments of wishful thinking. Besides, he still has Steve.
Though, he did wish he would be by his side in his moment of weakness, and not his ex-mate/best friend.
Was that too much to ask?
Apparently.
Now, Tony knew he really shouldn't blame Steve for being upset. Honestly, he would be pissed to high heaven if his alpha pulled half the stuff he let Tony get away with. And truthfully? He would admit that while the circuitry hadn't been intended to hurt his mate, it did, in fact, attempt to.
But Tony fixed the issue. Mostly.
A nurse had come to take them back to Happy's room, even though she had tried to refuse them at first. Evidently, Tony and Pepper were not his family, and therefor not allowed to see him so soon after surgery.
Tony would never be happier to have Natasha on his side.
With a pale face, the nurse had kindly escorted them to the private room that had been reserved for their friend.
He looked terrible.
Covered in bandages, Tony was hard pressed to believe that the figure on the bed was truly Happy. He just looked so… weak.
They spent a few moment in silence, while Pepper made a fuss over whether or not he was comfortable. Was the nurse checking on him enough? Why the hell were they playing a surgery on the television in the hospital?
Wishing that the time would simply fasten around him, Tony pulled out his light pad and began the new Stark Phone schematics. He had the outline almost perfected, except a strange glitch which would freeze the damn thing if the user pressed the N button for more than a minute. It was extremely frustrating.
But, that had been hours ago.
The time had come and gone, and Pepper was needed back at Stark Industries. And of course wherever she went, as did Natasha as well.
And then it was just Tony.
He had toyed with the idea of leaving, and though he saw no reason for staying, he couldn't find the heart to leave. He knew it was idiotic thinking, after all the nurse said he wouldn't wake from his coma for a while yet. But try as he might, he would find himself still seated in the uncomfortable hospital chair.
He couldn't just leave him here, not like-
No. That wasn't a possibility.
Not at all.
Unfortunately, try as he might, Tony could not stay there forever. When the nurse came to tell him visiting hours were over, he through an omega fit. The alpha in her allowed him to stay for a little while longer, before insisting he leave. He followed her out, leaving behind a few parting words for his injured friend.
In front of the camera's, he spat a threat that he later lost to a blur of red. He thinks he may have trashed some guy's phone, but he figured the scavenger probably deserved it. Besides, it's not like he couldn't deal with the bill.
No, he was more concerned with what Bruce later confronted him with later.
"You threatened a known terrorist on live television," A small shade of green sprouted from atop his forehead, as the usually level headed doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, "then told him your home address, and challenged him to a fight. Tony… You may be the most idiotic genius I know."
"How many geniuses do you know?" He blinked, tilting his head towards his stressed out comrade. They were running diagnostics on his latest and greatest suit, though Bruce seemed less than engaged in the mechanical wonder coming to life before them. "Have you been cheating on me, Brucey boy? I thought I was your one and only."
"Not the point, Tony." He stopped fiddling with the screwdriver, no longer humoring Tony with the notion that he actually cared about working right now. "What are you trying to prove? Are you actively trying to get yourself killed? You can't escape the Grim Reaper, forever."
"Please," He scoffed, "the Grim Reaper gave me up as a lost cause years ago. He knows better than to get his hopes up."
"Stop joking about this!" Fist's slammed against the table, a large dent left in its wake, "Don't you realize what's at risk here? It's not just you, Tony. Pepper, and Natasha are just as liable for injury. What if they go after them to get to you?"
"I know!" He finally shouted, turning to his olive toned friend, "I know, okay? I know that I fucked up. I know that I can't seem to do anything right. I know I put everyone in danger. But there is nothing I can do about it now."
Nothing happened as a few moments ticked by, both men still glaring at one another. Finally, the anger seemed to recede from Bruce, as the beta looked down at the warped surface of the table.
"This is why I could never be a therapist," He chuckled darkly, tapping the center of the dip with his pointer finger, "Don't have the temperament for it. Sorry about the table."
Shrugging off the apology, he sagged into the worn couch in his lab. He never thought something like this would be so stressful, and he didn't even have his paddle there to ground him.
Speaking of which-
"What are you going to tell Steve?" Cringing at the words, Tony closed his eyes to ward off the headache starting to form. He felt lost, the unknown crawling into him and feasting on his thoughts, "He's bound to have seen it, it's only a matter of time before he-"
"Before I what?"
The gasp, and floundering weren't necessary for Tony to know who interrupted them. He knew that voice better than any other. It was the voice of authority, one that demanded any present to listen. It was one he found himself missing in his time of- was it punishment? Was that the right word for it?
Perhaps justice was better.
Tony bit down the urge itching his tongue to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. Omega he may be, he refused to fall into the stereotype of his kind.
An awkward silence rang triumph in the lab, as the different overbearing scents mingled together. Beta, a sprinkled mix of anxiety and embarrassment. Omega, nonchalance, that came off more as desperation. And alpha…
Unbridled fury. And if Tony had to guess, he'd say it wasn't at Bruce for talking about him.
Fuck, he was screwed.
"Um…" Bruce started lamely, his feet making a light swish as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Dr. Banner," Oh, he used Bruce's title. Maybe he really was angry at him! "would you please excuse us for a moment. I need to have a talk with my mate."
Fuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk…..
"Uh, yeah." Footsteps headed in the direction of the door, "I'll be upstairs if you guys need anything. Just yell, and I'll be down."
Thuds sounded up the stairs, leaving the room in a tense silence. He could only feel as feet came closer, and closer, before stopping directly in front of him. Two hands met his knees, the scrunch of leather following soon after. However, he refused to acknowledge it. Yes, it was childish, but he deserved it as far as Tony was concerned. After all, he had been avoiding Tony like the plague, and now that he wanted to talk, he expected him to simply give in.
Forget the fact that's all Tony had wanted all week, this was about something deeper than just pride.
"Tony?" The plea was unexpected, as was the follow-up, "Tony, please. Open your eyes."
Blinking his eyes open, Tony stuttered at the sight before him. Steve looked a wreck. Dark circles sat heavily under both eyes, his hair remained unkempt. Hell, even his skin looked sallow.
He looked like death warmed over. Which was saying something for a ninety-something year old man.
He had expected to get lectured, to be forbidden from working his tech and finally getting a good nights sleep. For being an idiot, and possibly ruining everything because his pride had won out in the end. Anything, really.
What happened… He wasn't expecting. Instead, the alpha pulled him into a hug while he began to ramble out broken english and fall apart.
"Sorry," the mumbling blurred the lines, but he understood well enough, "I'm sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Tony, please. Please, sorry. Can't, can't. Can't lose. Lose. Not again. Tony."
The great captain clung to the back of his tank top, clutching him close under his chin. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he moaned of another time. Of another love, lost.
He didn't have to tell him, he already knew. It was part of the file he had for homework.
That didn't mean it was the first, or last time this would happen.
"Steve," He rested a comforting hand on the alpha's back, "it's okay. I'm alright. No one is hurt, and nobody is going to be lost. I need you to breath, can you do that for me?"
A nod against the top of his head was the only indicator that the alpha had heard him in his fret.
"Okay. Ready? One…" He felt the thick chest expand into him, before receding back, "Two…"
It continued like that, until finally Steve felt calm enough to release Tony from his death grip.
He wasn't sure which he preferred, though. Terrified Steve, or, well…
"What were you thinking?" Aggressively worried Steve. Seriously, it's like he's never done anything to risk his life before this. "Are you that desperate for attention, that you'd willingly sacrifice everything just to be noticed?"
"Hey," He raised a placating hand, backing away from the current threat growling like rapid dog in front of him. Just when he thought that they'd reached calming ground, Steve had to come thundering in with the accusations, "can we go back to the apologizing and cuddling? I think that was going a lot better than this. Steve... Steve!"
He sighed as the alpha continued to scowl, lips straight across his mouth; his anger fighting back the grief clouding his mind. He always did this when he was trying to appear level headed over a particular issue, but Tony could always see through it. He saw through, to the real Steve underneath. And that man was seething.
Obviously, talking to him now would be pointless. In order to get through to the man underneath, Tony would have to talk to him when he had a clear head. Otherwise, nothing would devoid the rage lurking under the surface of his calm facade.
"Tony…"
"Steve, look-" His face scrunched up, as he avoided the captains eyes, "I did what I had to do. I don't know what this guy is planning, and I don't know how to beat him. But he made this personal, and I have to stop him."
There is a pause, electric tension bouncing between them. Tony waits, allowing the statement to sink in, before speaking again.
"I don't know how I'm going to beat him, only that I will." He sighs, the weight of the world causing his body to heave forward on itself, and the thought of a drink comes forth once again, "I would really like to have you with me when the time comes, though if you've come to your senses, I understand. But I can't let him hurt anyone else, Steve. I have lives to save."
Perhaps he was pompous to expect anything from Steve. The good captain wasn't from his time, and that would no doubt affect his choice. Most omega's from the past were willing to kneel and accept whatever they could get from their "mighty" alphas. They were meant to be submissive, docile creatures. Time's have changed, though. Omega's now had jobs, and places in politics. But even by today's standards, Tony was obtuse. He was the exception to the rule, and maybe that was too much to ask from a traditional alpha.
But, what was he supposed to do? He couldn't change the way he was, no matter how hard he had tried. He would never be the perfect omega. But that didn't feel like it was wrong, or bad. Just not the same.
Why could he never be the same?
"...Me?" Oh, shit. Not again, "Well?"
"Um.."
"You didn't hear anything I just said, did you?" The knowing look in his eye was enough for Tony to know he didn't expect an answer, "Tony, I love you. I love you more than anything else in this world. I don't care about the lives you save, I care about your life."
"But-" He tried to intervene, but the alpha pushed on.
"People come and go. Believe me, I-I know..." He pauses, and clears his throat, "I also know that, as a hero, you want to save them. But, I can't let you. Because, if I lose you, I will have nothing left. I won't be more than a shell of a man. I'll waste away, and rot with nothing to keep me together anymore. And I refuse to let that happen."
Thick palms find each side of his face, and before he can say or do anything about it, Tony found himself once more in the embrace of his mate. It felt good, after not having it for so long. And if the virtual purr that rumbles the chest he's squished against says anything, than he'd suppose Steve missed it too.
"By the way, I'm sorry.. Too. About that night, I mean." Steve chuckled, and nuzzled him tighter into his body.
A relaxing breath spreads over him, then, "What do you plan to do about it?"
Though he's not happy about it, Tony pulled out of Steve's arms. He clutched the alpha's hand, however, when the man frowns.
"Pack a bag," He stands, looking down over the omega with a touch of finality, "We're leaving in the morning."
"Sir?"
"What do you want?"
"Did you see the news?"
"... Yes."
"What is your next course of action, boss?"
Aldrich glared at the screen, where the clip of his soulbound continued to play on repeat. He hadn't been anticipating that one of the omega's friends would be pulled into his plans, but things had changed. He had no choice, the plan had to come first.
"We deliver… Maya, tell me again how you met the great Tony Stark…"
A.N- Sorry, sorry! I know it's been a long time, since... July? Jesus. But I've been going through some stuff, and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me. Thanks for reading! R/R!