Chapter Text
Cover art by @ssyn3 on Tumblr.
New York City
“Tony?”
The voice calling up the stairs had Tony groaning, scrunching down further into the pillows and pulling his book higher over his face in an attempt to hide. Too bad he couldn’t really disappear into a story, otherwise he’d be sailing along the coastline of some pirate island right now instead of listening to Uncle Obadiah’s heavy footsteps in the hall.
“Nephew! There you are.” The Alpha paused at the doorway and gave Tony a broad smile that only looked a little forced, only a little bit tired in anticipation of what was sure to be an at least annoying conversation. “I thought you’d be dressed for supper already! Have you picked out your outfit?”
“For supper?” Tony scrunched further down into his pillows. “I uh-- I’m not hungry. Thanks but no thanks.”
“Tony.” Obie’s smile struggled just a bit at the edges as he geared up for the same argument they’d had a hundred times by now. “I invited four different Alphas for you to meet tonight. Each one--”
“I am getting less hungry by the second, Uncle.”
“--each one comes from a good family.” Obie tried his hardest not to glare at the little Omega for interrupting, made a point to cover his fangs when he spoke so he wouldn’t come across angry. “I made sure they have steady, active careers since you seem to be dead set against bonding with someone titled--”
“-- I have nothing against titles, I have everything against the Lord Stone.”
“--but they each have enough money to support you in your current lifestyle should anything untoward happen.” The Alpha waited, but Tony didn’t have anything snarky to add, so he finished, “And also, the last time you rejected all attempts at a suitor, you promised you would make a genuine attempt to find a mate before your twenty fifth birthday.”
Silence from the Omega on the bed, and Obadiah pressed, “Time is counting down, Tony. I think it’s time you pulled your nose from a book and set it to scenting up the right Alpha.”
“Scenting up the right Alpha?” Tony peeked over the edge of his book and flashed a coaxing smile at his Uncle. “Come on, you can’t say things like that and expect me to take you seriously.”
“You know what I meant.” the Alpha insisted, and when Tony sighed and nodded, Obadiah softened his tone, “Tony. You are far past the mated and married age of most your peers. And it would break your dearly departed Mama’s heart if she knew you were still alone in life.”
“Mama would have rather me be alone then mated, married and miserable.” Tony put a bookmark in the novel and tossed it aside. “Uncle, I don’t know why you’re pushing me bonding so much. There really isn’t anything wrong with me staying here with you. Lots of Omega’s become spinsters, I would make an excellent old gossip at the Season events and I’d be perfectly happy chaperoning the young debutantes and--”
“As an Omega and the sole heir to the Stark fortune, it’s your duty to carry on the family line.” Obadiah raised his voice, straightened his shoulders and delivered his final decision with all the weight of Alpha in the words. “I allowed you extra years because I knew moving on without your parents at your side would be difficult but enough is enough. You will be at dinner tonight, you will make an effort to be charming and furthermore--”
He waited with raised brows until the Omega finally looked up and met his gaze.
“--and furthermore.” Obadiah made an effort to lower his tone again, the hint of sadness in Tony’s dark eyes making the Alpha sad as well. “Tony, I won’t always be around to take care of you. I don’t even care if you are an Omega who lives separate from their mate, so long as there is an Alpha in this world to see to your well being once I pass.”
He waited a beat for emphasis, and asked, “Is that too much for your old Uncle to request? That I can go to the great beyond without worrying about you?”
“Ugh Uncle, no one can guilt me like you can.” Tony huffed and puffed, but finally sat up and threw his legs back over the side of the bed, planting bare feet on the ground and huffing all over again. “First using my Mama and then using your old age? You aren’t a day over fifty, you have plenty of life left.”
“I’m nearly sixty and having you as my ward for the last fifteen years has aged me terribly.” Obadiah replied flatly. “You’re the entire reason I’m bald, Nephew.”
“I’m positive I remember you being bald long before I lost Mama and Papa.” The Omega crossed to the oversized wardrobe and threw open the doors. “But fine. Should I wear red tonight? Or do you think the blue is softer?”
“Thank you, Tony.” Obadiah’s familiar scent warmed in approval. “I’ll be back to fetch you for dinner soon.”
“Alright, Uncle.”
Obadiah left the room while Tony was still trying to decide between the red or the blue suit, the Alpha content to have won that particular disagreement and confident that tonight would be the night Tony finally found an Alpha worthy of his attention. The Omega was beautiful, whip cord smart and endlessly independent and if he were an Alpha, all those characteristics would be highly valued and sought after in a mate.
The same characteristics in and Omega simply contributed to daily stress on Obadiah’s part as he tried to be the best Uncle he could and fulfill Howard and Maria’s wishes for their orphaned son.
“Tony will be down for dinner.” Obadiah told the cook as he stopped into the kitchen. “You have his favorite dish prepared for dessert, isn’t that right?”
“Yes sir.” the Beta bobbed into a quick curtsy, and then with a gleam of mischief in her eye and the sort of familiarity that came from decades of service to the same family, she commented, “A bit like bribing the boy, isn’t it? Making his favorite dessert so he stays long enough to chat at those Alphas?”
“If bribing him with sweets is what it takes to have Tony give a potential mate a second look?” The Alpha shrugged. “Make him all the apple crumble in the world.”
************
Unfortunately for Obadiah not even apple crumble could convince Tony to stay in the house when an a dinner full off potential Alpha suitors loomed like the proverbial storm on the horizon.
The Omega patiently counted his Uncle’s footsteps down the hall and stairs, heard the tell tale squeak of the kitchen door as Obadiah stopped to check that the chef had no doubt made the most delicious apple crumble tonight as a way of bribing Tony downstairs and into conversation, and then the faint thump of the study door shutting as Obadiah retreated behind his desk for a pre-supper drink and to catch up on the news articles so he could offer up-to-date topics of conversation with the other Alphas.
Tony waited another moment just to make sure Uncle hadn’t forgotten a clean glass for his scotch, and then promptly tossed his book into a bag alongside the newspaper he’d been reading earlier, stuck his feet sockless into a pair of slippers and climbed right out his bedroom window.
Dinner with Alphas? No thanks.
It used to take Tony close to ten minutes to carefully cautiously make his way down the ivy trellis outside his window, but today he shimmied down it in less than a minute, threw his bag over his shoulder and took off at a flat out sprint down the street.
He surely looked ridiculous in bedroom slippers and a clunky bag, dress pants and a half buttoned sleep shirt, but the Omega looked even more ridiculous when he scooted round the side of a home several blocks over and threw himself through a conveniently open window into a parlor.
If there was a policeman on patrol, they would have thought Tony was trying to break into an affluent home, but the truth was far different.
“Hello, Nephew.” The woman in the upright chair closest to the fire didn’t so much as miss a stitch in her sewing when the Omega came tumbling through onto her carpet. “You know, I have a front door, a side door, a servants entrance and a delivery entrance at the back of the house, and a butler available to answer whichever door you choose to knock at.”
The Alpha picked up a new color of thread and went back to her project. “If you would ever be inclined to entire my house like a human and not like a gremlin, perhaps we might make use of them.”
“But Aunt Peggy.” Tony popped up to standing and hurried over to smek a kiss on the Lady Alpha’s cheek. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“Mmmm.” Peggy pursed her lips as she fought against a smile and inclined her head towards the plate of cookies on the side table. “What are you doing here, Tony?”
“Definitely not avoiding dinner with potential mates.” Tony grabbed a few cookies and sprawled back into the nearest chair. “But something tells me you already knew that.”
“I did already know that, in fact your Uncle was hoping I would encourage you to take this particular dinner seriously.” Peggy rang for a maid to bring some tea and arched an eyebrow at the Omega. “Ask me what I told him.”
“What did you tell him?” Tony asked warily, and when she answered, “I told him to blow it up his ass.” he shrieked in laughter.
“Auntie! You didn’t!”
“Of course I did.” Another color change, and Peggy counted out a few stitches before continuing, “He tried to tell me that Maria would want you mated by now, as if bringing up my sweet friend would sway me at all. Doesn’t he know I tried to talk your Mama out of mating clear up until she said ‘I Do’?”
“He told me that too.” Tony pulled a chocolate chip from the cookie and popped it in his mouth. “Said it was my duty as an Omega to carry on the family line, but I just don’t care about that.”
And after a second of hesitation, “Auntie, what do you think Mama would have wanted for me?”
For the first time, Peggy’s stitches slowed and her shoulders slumped just a bit. She wasn’t really Tony’s Auntie, but she had been one of Maria Stark’s closest friends from the time they were only little girls in trouble for losing their hair ribbons clear up to that awful day when Maria and Howard had been swept away down the river in the winter storms. She loved Tony more than life itself, wanted only beautiful things for the precocious Omega and even though her heart knew Tony would flourish under the love and adoration of the right Alpha….
“Tony, your Mama only wanted you to be smiling, no matter what you were doing.” she answered with a quiet sigh. “She only wanted you to be happy, and it would break her heart if she knew you settled for a bond when what you really wanted was adventure.”
“...and Papa?” Tony whispered, and the moment lightened when Peggy snorted, “Your Papa would wager a bet on which Alpha would steal your heart, then take the poor fool out back and threaten to disembowel him if he so much as disappointed you. I never knew why Maria was so charmed by your Papa, you know. The man could piss off the Pope--”
“Auntie!”
“--and then make a Royal Princess smile in the next minute.” Peggy’s eyes twinkled over at her nephew. “Infernal man. You might look like your Mama, but all that mischief in your veins is pure Howard.”
Softer, “They both would be very proud of who you’ve become, darling.”
“But?” Tony prodded, utterly pleading and utterly adorable with his dark curls rumpled from the run and a smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. “But?”
“But it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you gave an Alpha a chance.” Peggy decided, and tossed a kerchief towards the Omega so he could clean up. “You are a stunning Omega, Tony. You scent divine, you are funny and intelligent, interesting and not to mention wealthy. You would be a catch for anyone, and you can have anyone, so what’s the harm in looking? Allowing yourself to be courted by a few Alphas or even Betas? It could be fun.”
“It could be fun.” Tony hedged, then pulled out the newspaper from his bag and handed it to his Auntie, one particular section on the page circled prominently. “Orrrrrrrr--”
“Heaven help me, do I hate the sound of that or.”
“Orrrrrrrr.” the Omega grinned. “I could take a chance and run away to find my own adventure.”
“Rich people don’t run away to have adventures, darling.” Peggy went back to her sewing, ignoring the newspaper. “We book fancy vacations in beautiful venues and hire servants to carry our bags. That’s what we did in Italy the summer you were twenty one, don’t you remember?”
“We never even left the city when we went to Italy.” Tony argued, and shoved the paper a little closer. “I was stuck on a ship for weeks and then trapped in a fancy house attending parties and meeting all of Mama’s family! I never got to see the rivers or the mountains-- I only saw the vineyards from the balcony of the house!”
“Tony--”
“Auntie, I want a real adventure.” Tony slipped out of his chair and knelt by the Alpha’s arm rest, hands clasped and eyes as big and as pleading as he could make them. “I’m not saying I want to be an outlaw or run away and join a crew of pirates. I just don’t want to wear a cravat every day and attend dinner parties and have my most interesting anecdote be about something I saw from the window of a carriage! Being wealthy is like a prison!”
“Ah yes, such a prison.” Peggy agreed faux seriously. “You poor dear, having your every need and whim catered to and a dozen Alphas who would steal the moon to secure your hand in marriage. You are entirely correct, nephew, that is exactly like being in prison.”
“Ugh, Auntie.” Tony scowled, and she booped him on the nose. “It’s prison for an Omega. It’s prison for this Omega. Obie says things like ‘my duty’ and ‘my job’ and ‘my legacy’ but I don’t want any of that. I don’t want a partner or an Alpha that I can point at and say ‘I’m doing my duty and upholding my legacy’ by being with them.”
His throat jerked as he swallowed. “Aunt Peggy, there’s so much more to life than having a mate, right? You don’t have a mate and you’re fulfilled, aren’t you? Can’t I just be like you?”
“You would put your poor Uncle into an early grave if you turned out like me.” Peggy sat her sewing aside and ran gentle fingers into Tony’s thick hair. “And you’re right, there is much more to life than simply having a mate. Perhaps you and I can take a trip together and see about an adventure, hm? Obie would let you accompany me back to Britain and we can spend six months at the London house. I’ll take you up into the mountains and we can sail across to France and spend a month in the vineyards and at the coast.”
“That sounds lovely.” Tony admitted. “But I’d still have to come right back here. And because of my last name, gender and social standing, even when we travel I’m trapped into rules and expectations. It’s not fair.”
“Alright then.” The Alpha tugged lightly at Tony’s hair. “Clearly you’ve already made up your mind about what you want to do, so let’s hear it. What are you thinking for your adventure?”
“Read this.” Tony handed Peggy the newspaper again and tapped at the circled article. “Tell me what you think.”
“Listing number 704.” Peggy balanced her glasses on her nose and read out loud. “Unattached Alpha, rancher and cowboy by trade, land owner. Six feet four inches tall, weight two hundred thirty pounds, blond hair blue eyes. Thirty three years of age. Wishes to correspond with an Omega of similar age, no younger than twenty four. Am not concerned with wealth or looks so long as you have a nice smile and caring heart. Object: partnership, company, establishing a home and perhaps bonding should our temperaments match.”
“Should our temperaments match.” she repeated, and then-- “ANTHONY EDWARD CARBONELL STARK! This is a request for a mail order Omega! You can’t possibly--!”
“It’s not as bad you think Auntie!” Tony cut in quickly when Peggy’s gaze flickered red in agitation and disbelief. “The newspapers only allow Alphas with good social standing to post for a mail order Omega!”
“The hell--!”
“This one owns his own land!” Tony nearly shouted over Peggy’s objections. “He’s established as a rancher! He’s looking for a partner but not necessarily a mate! It’s perfect!”
“Anthony Edward--!” Peggy forced out a loud exhale and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers, dug the mostly blunted edges of her fangs into her lip to quiet an instinctively frustrated snarl, and asked, “How is this perfect? How could any of this be perfect?”
“Think of all the thing I’d get to learn.” Tony’s eyes glowed, his smile lighting up with sheer joy. “And all the things I’d get to see! Just the journey out west alone would be incredible and eye opening! I’d meet cowboys! See a cactus! Pet a cow!”
“Cows are food, not pets.” The Alpha said crossly. “Not to mention the danger involved in something like this! Have you put any thought into what could happen to you?”
“Danger.” Tony repeated flatly. “Danger? Auntie when you were my age, you disguised yourself as a man and ran off to war! They only found out you were a woman when you were hurt and the doctor had to operate!”
“But I’m an Alpha and that’s different.” Peggy insisted, wagging her finger warningly when the Omega just scoffed. “All I had to do was bind my breasts and lower my voice, the swagger and attitude comes with my gender. But an Omega traveling alone and going to meet a strange Alpha is too dangerous.”
“But Auntie--”
“Tony.” Peggy growled just enough to make Tony’s mouth click shut, flashed her fangs in clear displeasure. “I’ve never said anything like this to you before, and God help me, I don’t want to say it again. But I am putting my foot down. You are not going West, I forbid it.”
“You--” Tony blinked at his Auntie a few times. “You forbid it?”
“Darling, I only want good things for you.” Peggy softened the words quickly. “And I know you feel smothered under your Uncle’s guidance, but Obadiah only wants good things for you too. I know you crave adventure, but there are others ways to find it that don’t involve putting yourself in danger with a strange Alpha so far from home. I know you haven’t told Obie yet, so I’m speaking for both myself and that old coot-- I forbid it. You cannot go.”
“Fine.” Tony’s entire expression crumpled, dark eyes shuttering and cinnamon vanilla scent dimming in misery. “Alright, Auntie. You forbid it. I hear you.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” The Alpha clicked her tongue and rumbled comfortingly at her nephew. “We’ll make another plan for an adventure, alright? Something fun and new and soon you’ll forget all about this.”
“Another plan.” Tony repeated. “I already have another plan.”
“Oh?” she queried. “And what would that be?”
“Asking Ana and Jarvis for help instead!” The Omega shot to his feet and took through the house, ignoring Peggy’s shrieks and irritation to call for the couple that lived upstairs. “Ana? Jarvis! I need help! Ana! Where are you?”
“Here lovey!” Ana poked her head out over the top floor railing and waved at the Omega. “How are you, Tony? You look so pretty in those raggedy slippers, my oh my! Such couture! Tell me, is that the spinster maid line from Milan, or something avant garde from the Orient!”
“That’s enough, my dear.” Edwin Jarvis was tall and looming, an Alpha whose deep voice and intimidating fangs commanded respect and quiet no matter which room he entered, but he was nothing but sweet with his tiny Omega mate, patting at Ana’s waist gently when she kept shouting teases at Tony as he ran up the stairs. “I’m sure the young man has a valid reason for wearing his bedroom slippers with a half buttoned shirt and not an ounce of pomade in his curls, isn’t that right, Tony?”
“Oh I--” Tony paused at the top of the stairs and looked down at himself, then up at the always impeccably dressed Jarvis. “I climbed out my bedroom window to escape dinner with some Alphas.”
“A perfectly valid reason!” Ana declared, elbowed her mate away and flounced over to lay a loud kiss on Tony’s cheek. “Now then. What can I help you with?”
“Ana Jarvis, don’t you dare help him!” Peggy bellowed up the stairs, and the tiny Omega muffled a knowing laugh into her palm.
“Tony! There are very few things you could do that would make your Auntie not want to help you! It must be excellent this time!” she hooked their arms together and started dragging Tony back downstairs. “Tell me as we walk so I can gasp dramatically over snacks in the parlor, hm? Jarvis, would you--?”
“I would be delighted to get you snacks, my love.” The Alpha squeezed past them carefully, kissed his mate and then patted Tony just gently on the shoulder as he went. “Tony? Something for you? We made apple pie just yesterday.”
“Please and thank you!” Tony said cheerfully, then hunched in close to Ana and whispered, “I’m looking for an adventure, and I think I’ll find it by answering an Omega Wanted ad for a town out West!”
Down in the parlor, Peggy threw her hands heavenward when she heard her friend simply cackle with laughter. She and Ana had been friends right alongside Marie, the three of them terrors together but while Maria had aged into a graceful, elegant Omega and Peggy had settled down as her life changed, the Omega Ana had yet to even show signs of slowing and if anyone was going to encourage this truly outrageous idea, it would undoubtedly be her.
Lord help them all.
Ana was still laughing and Peggy was still scowling when the Omegas swept back into the parlor, followed quickly by Jarvis with scones, jam, and a hefty slice of apple pie for Tony.
“Peggy, did you hear this wacky Omega’s plan?” Ana dropped a kiss on her best friend’s forehead and flopped into a chair, arranged her skirts and patted her lap so her mate would give her a plate of sweets. “He wants to go West and meet up with an Alpha! He has no intention of bonding, but he says the adventure will be worth it!”
“I heard.” Peggy sighed. “And what are your thoughts on the whole idea?”
“I think it’s marvelous!” Ana cried, and when Peggy cleared her throat rather dangerously, the Omega corrected, “Or… or dangerous? I’m sorry, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say right here.”
“You’re supposed to tell him it’s insane.” Peggy accepted a plate from Jarvis with a gracious smile, then narrowed her eyes at her nephew who was mid apple pie bite and entirely uncaring. “You’re supposed to tell him how reckless it all is.”
“Oh come on, Pegs.” Ana sipped at her tea and licked the jam from her fingers. “We were younger than Tony when we bound up our breasts and ran off for an adventure! That’s how I met my dear Edwin, you know. It was the best decision of my life to be reckless!”
“You met me because you went into a stress induced heat and I was the only Alpha besides Peggy in a hundred yard radius.” Jarvis reminded his mate calmly, taking a seat on the sofa next to Tony. “You’re bloody lucky I had my wits about me and didn’t knot you up right there on the field.”
“Also bloody lucky you imprinted mate on me right away!” She tossed back cheerfully. “See Pegs? Everything worked out, Tony deserves the chance to find the same sort of fun we did!”
“Ana, what you and I did was only marginally less dangerous because I’m an Alpha and because we met Jarvis so soon into the adventure.” Peggy maintained. “What Tony is suggesting is--”
“Edwin can go with him!” Ana interrupted. “Can’t you, darling?”
“Apparently, I am available to go with the Omega.” Jarvis commented dryly, and Tony grinned over at him. Ana was a force to be reckoned with but Edwin indulged her every whim and everyone gathered knew it was a simple matter of the feisty Omega batting her eye lashes and Jarvis would be packing Tony’s bags himself. “And you know, Peggy. Our Tony has plenty of money for the travel, if he arrives in the little town and hates it, he can come back home immediately.”
“That’s true, Auntie!” Tony chimed in, and Peggy countered, “Nephew, you’ve never so much as had a bug bite. What will you do when you see a snake for the first time?”
“...pet it?”
“Oh for the love of--!”
“Life out West won’t be the same as anything you’ve read in your books, dear.” Ana waved her hand to ignore Peggy. “But we’ll figure it out, won’t we? Why don’t you write that Alpha a letter and see what he’s all about? It will be weeks before he receives it, weeks before we hear back from him and by then who knows?”
She smiled encouragingly at Peggy. “Pegs, by then this might have blown over and Tony will have moved on, won’t you love? What's the harm in experimenting, hm? He’s only young once and once the novelty of this all wears off, I’m sure our little Omega will be ready to talk about a trip across the ocean, won’t you, Tony?”
“Um. About that.” Tony pulled another paper from his pack and held it out slowly, cheeks flushed uncertainly. “I’ve already written the Alpha with a response and he-- he’s written me back.”
“Oh.” Even Ana paused then, exchanging a careful look with Peggy. “Oh darling, I-- we-- that’s awfully fast isn’t it?”
“Can I read it, son?” Jarvis asked, and Tony handed the letter over, settling back into the sofa and watching the Alpha’s lips move as he read through the page once, and then twice.
“Listen now, Pegs. Ana.” Jarvis cleared his throat and scanned the letter a third time. “This Alpha says his name is Steve Rogers and he lives in a place call Wolf Canyon. He and his best friend Bucky work a small ranch together and they are working on growing the herd in the next few years. He says Bucky is a confirmed bachelor, but Steve seems to think an Omega would make their rough homestead a home. Apparently he’s in no rush to bond, he assures Tony that he will have plenty of time to settle in to a life in Wolf Canyon and that he has no issue with an independent Omega.”
“Independent?” Ana waggled her eyebrows teasingly at Tony. “Or rebellious?”
“Ah.” Jarvis’s usually stern expression flickered towards a smile. “I see why Tony answered so quickly. The Alpha Mr. Rogers says that he hopes Tony likes apples, because their property has a small orchard growing alongside the river bend and they’re about the best apples a fella could ever taste.”
“Maria would be utterly scandalized if she knew Tony was traveling West just to eat some apples.” Peggy sniffed, but Ana countered, “Maria would be on the first train out of town and Howard would be lucky if he ever saw her again. Tell that woman there were fresh apples and a river to read by and she’d be gone.”
Peggy finally chuckled just a little bit, because Ana was absolutely right.
“All the same, my love.” the lady Alpha pointed a stern finger at Tony, who paused mid bite to offer her a hopeful smile. “You cannot travel across state lines for some apples. This is not a decision to be made lightly, do you understand?”
“I understand.” Tony put his fork down and cleared his throat. “Does this mean you support the idea?”
“It means…” Peggy hesitated, hesitated all over again when the young Omega’s eyes opened wide and pleading. “...it means I’d do anything to see you happy, Tony. Including supporting you in this absolutely ridiculous venture, if it’s what you really want.”
“Thank you!” Tony’s scent burst with happiness and even Jarvis smiled then, unable to help himself when the boy they all loved as their own, the child that was they had left of Howard and Maria, was so excited. “Thank you! I can’t wait to start planning and I’m going to--”
The Omega stopped, cocked his head and listened, and the hissed, “Oh no! That’s my Uncle at the front door! I gotta go!”
Tony had gathered up his bag and was gone in a flash, throwing himself out the window and taking off down the street just as Obadiah was heard with the butler-- “He’s supposed to be at dinner right now! Where is he?!”
“Lord have mercy.” Peggy went back to her sewing. “That child will be the death of all of us, I swear. Every time he comes by, I get another gray hair.”
“You are flawless, darling.” Ana picked up the letter so she could read it herself. “Gray hair or not. Listen to what this Alpha says, hm?”
Dear Omega,
My name is Steve Rogers, and I live in Wolf Canyon. It’s a real pretty place surrounded by hills, a few rivers run right through it and we can grow just about anything so long as the rainy season comes through okay. I hope you like apples, we got a couple trees that put out as much as you’d ever want to eat, best apples a fella can get, but I might be biased since they’re on my land and all.
Wolf Canyon used to be just two competing ranches out here but now it’s grown into its own little town with a restaurant and saloon, a hotel and something of a doctors office, a mercantile and supply shop, and a school. There’s only about a hundred people in Wolf Canyon proper but when you bring in the ranch hands and homesteaders in the surrounding valleys, it can get pretty busy.
Me and my best pal Bucky live a ways out of town, we’ve got a small herd and a little piece of land. Bucky and me have been friends our whole lives, and he lives in one of the smaller cabins on the property. I hope that’s alright, I can promise he’ll be respectful of you, of us and I hope you’ll grow to trust him just like I do. He’s saved my life more than once and I know he’d never let anything happen to you.
We’ve got horses and chickens, a milking cow and every year we fatten up a calf for butchering. I hope you aren’t squeamish, you won’t have to do anything too hard but if I got my hands full catchin’ a fainting Omega, it’ll make ranchin’ real difficult.
I’m in no rush to bond, suppose we meet and you like everything about Wolf Canyon but me and Bucky, that’s just fine. I think an Omega would make our place a nice little home and so long as you can come soon, you’ll have plenty of time to make up your mind before the railroads freeze up and we’re stuck in the canyon for most the winter.
I’m not a fancy gentleman sorta Alpha and I’m not real good with words, so if you have any questions please let me know.
I hope you’ll consider me an option.
Regards,
Steve Rogers.
“He and his best friend Bucky?” Ana raised her eyebrows and slanted her mate a look. “Tony would be moving in with two Alphas?”
“You live with two Alphas, my dear.” Jarvis reminded her and Ana sniffed, “And we’ve done nothing but cause shenanigans and get in trouble for the last twenty five years!”
“This would be better than Tony marrying one of Obadiah’s friends.” Peggy spoke up for the first time in a while. “I know Obadiah means well, but those stuffy Alphas are only going to squash Tony’s spirit. The boy needs to breathe and as much as I hate to admit it, this might be his best chance. I do hate seeing him so miserable.”
“He’ll have it easier than we did, anyway.” Ana mused, folding the letter back up. “He won’t have to tape anything down or learn how to spit tobacco just to fit in with the other lads.”
“And so long as he can keep that sassy mouth of his shut, the Alpha will find him endlessly charming.” Peggy added, then burst out laughing right alongside her friends over the thought of Tony ever not being sassy.
Later that night she sent a note by courier round to Tony’s house penned with one simple sentence-- “You have our support, darling. Find your adventure.”
Tony grinned to himself, and went back to working on the return letter to the Alpha.
Dear Alpha Steve Rogers,
My name is Anthony Edward Carbonell Stark, but everyone calls me Tony….
**************
Wolf Canyon
The Frontier
The double doors to the tavern swung open and banged into the walls behind and from where she sat at one of the tables doing her books, the Madame Omega Vanessa looked up curiously, then narrowed her eyes in interest when she caught sight of the Alpha stomping his way towards the bar.
The Alpha Bucky Barnes was the epitome of tall, dark and dangerous, hulking even for his gender, growly even for a cowboy, the sort that made Omega’s either swoon or scream depending on how attractive they found the savage that rolled from the big Alpha’s shoulders.
However, Vanessa found Bucky Barnes entertaining as hell. She’d discovered a quick wit beneath the snarls, a soft heart beneath the growls and even though he had a scowl that made a person’s blood run cold…
...well Vanessa hadn’t become Madame of the whorehouse in a town like Wolf Canyon because she was easily intimidated.
“Hello darling.” Vanessa had cut her shoulder length hair just that morning, and she ran her hands through the short, almost spiky strands as she approached the Alpha at the bar. “You look meaner than usual today.”
Bucky just grunted, and then flashed his fangs in irritation when the bartender reached across and flicked him in the ear. “The fuck, Happy?”
“Hey.” Happy was every bit as big as Bucky, quite a bit softer around the tummy area, and with smiles wrinkles instead of frown creases, but still big and fierce, curved fangs just as dangerous as any of the other Alphas in town. “When Ms. Vanessa says hello, you say hello back. While you’re at it, say something nice about her hair.”
“Your hair’s real nice, Ms. Vanessa.” Bucky scowled at Happy but tried for an almost smile at the Omega, pale eyes flitting over her newly shorn head, down over the pretty green corset that emphasized all her assets and lower to where her skirt was cut high enough to show a knife tied to her leg. “So’s everything else. Real nice.”
“Mmm, eat your heart out.” Vanessa laughed softly when Bucky just grunted again, and bumped shoulders with the Alpha. “Don’t worry, I don’t take it personally when you don’t drool over me like the other Alphas do. What’s on your mind today, you’re never in town this early.”
“Stevie needed some supplies.” Bucky twisted his cup on the bar top, stared down at the amber liquid moodily. “Gotta check the mail.”
“The mail.” Vanessa repeated, and Bucky pursed his lips and nodded. “I know damn well it isn’t the mail call that’s got you down, Bucky Barnes. What’s going on?”
The Alpha’s jaw clenched as he ground his teeth, fangs popping and his harsh, almost cold scent bleeding angry. “We uh-- we had some more cattle missing this morning.”
“Oh no.” All light hearted teasing aside, Vanessa waved Happy away and angled her shoulders towards Bucky so they had a little more privacy. “How many this time? Do you think it’s the wolves again?”
“Lost three head.” Bucky swirled his glass and then tossed it back. “And it’s not wolves. Wolves don’t carve those sorta words into the side of cows after butcherin’ them, you know?”
“...words?”
“Not the sort I’d say in front of a lady.” Bucky shook his head, eyes tinting red for a split second. “Not the sort I’d say in front of proper company.”
“...words about you and Steve?” Vanessa asked in a near inaudible tone, and when Bucky’s shoulders went stiff, she lay a cautious hand on his arm. “Well, I’m hardly a lady or proper company, but I appreciate the thought anyway. This is the second time this season, isn’t that right?”
“I’m nine cows down in the last two months.” Bucky nodded irritably. “Can’t even rescue the meat for our cooler, guts are torn out and left in the sun…Mr. Pierce isn’t gonna let us keep buying animals to replace the herd if this keeps happening. Specially since it’s most likely his men doin’ the damage.”
“Pierce isn’t the sort to let his own prejudices get in the way of making money.” the Madame Omega objected. “Sure he’s got issues with any sort of relationship or living that doesn’t fit what he thinks is right, hell he’s even said how much he disapproves of my girls and Omegas, but that doesn’t stop him from bringing his ranch hands here to eat or dance. That Alpha only cares about how much money his ranch is making, everything else isn’t worth thinking about. You can’t think he’s out there purposefully making you and Steve’s life hard just cos you love--”
Vanessa lowered her voice when another Alpha passed by. “--cos you love each other, no Omega needed. Alpha/Alpha relationships aren’t all that uncommon anymore, at least not back East. Here in the sticks it’s less usual but still not--”
Bucky growled when the topic made him tense, and from the other end of the bar Happy growled louder in a clear warning for the other Alpha to watch his step around the Madame.
“--anyway.” Vanessa shot Happy an adoring smile, and squeezed lightly at Bucky’s arm. “How’s Steve taking it?”
“I didn’t tell him what happened this morning.” Bucky ground out. “Hard enough of him dealing with the broken windows after they come by at night and throw rocks, and everything between us is worse now that I’ve moved to the out building.”
“You guys aren’t living together anymore?”
“Pierce might not be the sort to do this shit himself.” Bucky chugged the rest of his drink. “But he’s the sort to look the other way and not say a word while his damn minions run around ruining people’s lives. Sometimes that’s worse.”
“Sometimes that’s worse.” she agreed knowingly, miserably. “So. You moved to the out building so no one catches you together? For how long?”
“Been about two months now.”
“Shit.” Vanessa bit off a curse of sympathy for her friend. “You can’t keep that up for long, Bucky. Mates aren’t meant to be separated. If you’re this upset, I can only imagine how Steve is feeling.”
“Well we’ve got another four years of work to pay off the loan from Pierce we took for the land and the cattle.” The big Alpha seemed to wilt and Vanessa crooned at him, clicked her tongue and squeezed his hand. “If I would’a known borrowing money from the bastard would cost me my soul and my damn mate, I never would’a told Stevie I liked it here. We never would’a settled in Wolf Canyon.”
“Bucky.”
“We can only pay off the debt if we keep our herd big enough to make money at market, and we can’t keep our herd big enough if those fuckers are takin’ out their goddamn phobias on our cows.” Bucky didn’t even seem mad anymore, just sad, defeated. “We run out on the loan and he’ll sic the Marshal on us. The Marshal or worse.”
“He’ll send Rumlow.” Vanessa finished grimly. “That guy will track you to a canyon then shoot you in the knee just to watch you fall off the edge. Bastard.”
“Gotta stick it out.” Bucky tapped the bar and Happy came back to pour him another shot. “But four years of this might actually kill me.”
“I’m sorry.” And the Madame Omega meant it. Her own relationship-- if it was in fact a relationship, some days she wasn’t sure-- was same gendered, and though Omega/Omega pairings were more readily accepted than Alpha/Alpha, she and her love still kept it quiet, still kept it secret so those who decided to notice wouldn’t be driven towards the same sort of violence they showed towards Steve and Bucky.
“If there’s anything I can do to help--” she began, and Bucky interrupted, “Steve put an ad in the paper for an Omega, one from back East.”
“You--” it wasn’t often the Madame was struck speechless, but she was now, feeling around for a stool so she could sit before her legs gave out in sheer shock. “A mail order Omega? You two?”
“It would make us seem legit.” Bucky sounded like the words physically hurt him. “Two Alphas with an Omega is more acceptable than two Alphas without one and-- and y’know, Steve would make a good mate. He’s nice. Softer than I am.”
“Yes, you’re quite the brute.” Vanessa was only kidding, and Bucky smiled the tiniest bit. “But how can you possibly be alright with this sort of thing?”
“Nessa.” Bucky swallowed the last of his liquor and pushed back from the bar. “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to keep Stevie by my side. If that means I gotta watch him with an Omega till we get Pierce paid off and we’re in the clear? That’s what I’m gonna do.”
“You’re stronger than I am.” the Omega lifted one bare shoulder in a shrug. “Let me know if I can help, yes?”
“Yes.” Bucky threw down some coin for Happy, then held up a bill and handed it to the Madame. “For your advice and listenin’ ear.”
“Your money’s no good here.” Vanessa laughed softly and shoved the bill back at him. “Even if you were interested in my Omegas, you’d never look twice at anyone that wasn’t your mate. I could have Pete over there do a Fan Dance of Seduction and you wouldn’t blink.”
“Eh, he’s not my type.” Bucky glanced over at the aforementioned Omega and waved when Peter winked and blew him a kiss. “Too uh…”
“Flawless? Sassy? Ridiculously flexible and hilariously witty?” she challenged, and the Alpha grunted, “Too not Stevie. He’s the only one for me.”
“I know.” Vanessa stood on her toes and kissed Bucky’s cheek, then wiped the smear of lipstick from the stubble. “Go well with you, love. Tell your mate I said hello.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The patrons in the slowly filling saloon parted to make way for Bucky as he stalked through, and Vanessa caught just a glimpse of the blond Alpha Steve waiting outside when the double doors swung open, caught just a glimpse of them falling into step together as the door swung shut.
“Why’s he like that?” Peter meandered over to join Vanessa at the bar, sitting up on one of the stools and crossing long legs one over the other, inching his split hem skirt a little higher above his knee high boots and net stockings. The Omega was well aware of his effect on the cowboys who came wandering in looking for company, and he laughed under his breath and blew a kiss towards one who stopped and lingered over a long look. “Bucky, I mean. Why is he like that?”
“Like what?” Vanessa adjusted her corset and then reached and tugged Peter’s swoopy neckline off his shoulder a little. “Moody? Giant?”
“Like he desperately needs to get a knot off but would rather die before dealing with an Omega.” Peter corrected. “And do I look alright tonight? My corset needs relaced and I didn’t have the time before coming down.”
“You look lovely.” Vanessa ran light fingers down the Omega’s thigh. “I think the skirts with the uneven hems are better for you than the ones myself and the women wear, and I love this open blouse. My tits would fall right out in that thing.”
“And no one would complain.” Peter laughed in delight when the Madame scrunched her nose at him. “Seriously though. Why is Mr. Barnes always so angry?”
“Because sometimes the world is crueler to those who love differently.” Vanessa said quietly. “And sometimes the ones who disapprove the loudest are the ones who can hurt us the most. You know full well that we cannot help who we love, don’t you?”
“I--” Peter hesitated, glanced out the window towards the massive black stallion tied up outside, and then up to where a dangerous bounty hunter was still sleeping in his bed. “I suppose I do.”
“At least you have the option of being with your Alpha in public, even if everyone thinks your company is bought and paid for.” Vanessa added. “Imagine being afraid to even stand close to your mate, and then you might understand a fraction of what makes our Mr. Barnes so angry.”
“Why doesn’t he just take his mate and leave?”
“Because sometimes escaping isn’t an option either.”
******
The little piece of land Bucky and Steve called home was an hours ride outside of town, past the lake that had been created when Alexander Pierce dammed up the river to dry the valley out for pasture land, down the hill and out a ways towards a smaller arm of the canyon that gave the town it’s name.
The main house backed a gorge that ran swollen with rain water during the monsoon season, apple trees grew in the corner of the cleared lot alongside the river that led to the dam, and trees towered high along the well worn path out towards the barn further into the pasture. The smaller building that was a shed-turned-Bucky’s-house sat within walking distance to the house, a small but well tended garden grew vegetables for their dinners and chickens clucked and squawked in a fenced in enclosure.
It was a beautiful spot, one Steve had fallen in love with almost immediately upon seeing, one Bucky had signed the loan paperwork on simply because his mate’s blue eyes were shining and now--
--now it was a beautiful piece of land that had become shackles on their wrists and weights around their necks as the Alphas faced the increasingly impossible task of paying off Mr. Pierce for a loan that was dependent on the size of a herd that was being systematically slaughtered because someone-- someone-- hated that two Alphas loved each other.
It was their dream life turned nightmare, it was supposed to be a chance to escape the misery of war back East, but now they were caught up in a different war all together. There was no extra money to replace the busted window, so it was simply boarded shut. There was no extra time to scrape the yellow paint from the siding after someone-- someone-- had splashed awful words along the wall, so it was still there, glaring and ugly and hateful.
A dream life turned nightmare for two Alphas who had been searching for new beginnings after the war between the states had destroyed their home, and the resulting tension, anger and sadness bled into their every moment, even now as Steve set a simple dinner down in front of Bucky and Bucky murmured a quiet thank you to his mate.
It was strained at the dinner table, Steve barely managing more than a few bites and Bucky eating only because he knew he needed the energy for the morning chores. It was hard to eat when they’d taken to sitting at opposite sides of the table in case an unexpected visitor dropped by, it was hard to eat when they used to kiss and laugh and now they could smell the still fresh paint wafting through the busted window with every breath.
“How--” Steve cleared his throat, pushed his blond hair out of his eyes and tried again. “How was Ms. Vanessa?”
“Not wearin’ a whole lot.” Bucky broke a biscuit and swept it through some gravy. “Was there any mail?”
Steve’s jaw clenched, his gaze darting over towards the bag he’d brought from town. “Sure was.”
“Open it.” Bucky crammed the food in his mouth like he was starving, when in reality he could barely get anything past the lump in his throat. “Or did ya read it already?”
“No, I didn’t want to read it with out you.” Steve’s knuckles were white where he clutched at his fork tight, his rose and pine scent slipping anxious. “Still don’t want to read it.”
“Open it.” the other Alpha repeated. “Read it out loud.”
“Alright, Buck.” Steve pushed back from the table and went to retrieve the mail, broad shoulders curled in uncomfortably, heavy steps slow, reluctant. “You ready?”
“Ready to hear an Omega say they wanna come be your mate?” Bucky tried for a smile, but it only came out a grimace, fangs showing bright in the lamp because he couldn’t quite seem to put them away. “I’ll never be ready for that, Stevie. But read it anyway.”
“Hell, I’ll never be ready for that either.” Steve dropped back into his chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Bucky--”
He stopped when his mate reached over and grabbed at his hand, grip too tight and bones grinding together with the pressure, but Steve crooned in relief and squeezed Bucky’s hand back just as hard. Their physical affection was so limited anymore that just holding hands was overwhelming, and the big Alpha tried hard to keep his voice steady as he clutched at his mate and started to read out loud.
Dear Alpha Steve Rogers,
My name is Anthony Edward Carbonell Stark, but everyone calls me Tony and I will be twenty five years old in spring. I don’t know much about keeping a home since I was raised rather spoiled, but I’m willing to learn. I’m not squeamish but I am very curious and I’ve been told that’s both my best and worst trait. Something about how being curious will offer me the world, and also how it will kill the cat-- the cat being me in that circumstance I suppose.
I’m very excited to see a cow up close and personal and apples are my favorite food in the world, so I’m sure you’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming away from the trees at the river--
Steve smiled reluctantly. “He’s funny.”
Bucky just pressed at his fingers, and Steve kept reading.
I want to be perfectly honest and let you know I’m not looking for an Alpha mate. I want to come West because I am looking for an adventure. So long as you and your friend--
Bucky jerked uncomfortably and Steve whispered something soft and aching at his mate.
--are comfortable and respectful of me, I will have no issue being the same with you. I think we could be friends and you need not worry about financially supporting me, I will come along with some savings to help the transition of an Omega into your household.
I have at least a thousand other questions, but I’m content to write them down and then ask you when we meet.
If we meet.
I can be on the train leaving for St. Louis on the 5th. If this is amenable to you and your friend’s plans--”
Steve faltered.
--please send a telegram to the following address with your answer, so I could begin preparing immediately or find other plans if your answer is no.
Best Regards
Tony
The house was quiet for a long time as Steve kept staring at the letter and Bucky kept staring at him.
Then finally, “My mate?” and the answering whine from Steve was hoarse and almost desperate.
“Stevie, tell him to come.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we can stay together Stevie.” Bucky let go of Steve’s hand and got to his feet abruptly, took his plate to the wash basin and dropped it in the soapy water. “If that means one of us has’ta pretend to have an Omega so no one looks odd at two Alphas living together, then so be it. We owe four more years to Pearce and can’t back out now. This is our best chance. How-- how ever we gotta do it so I don’t have to lose you. It’ll be alright.”
Strong arms wrapped around Bucky’s waist, a broad chest pressed up to his back and Bucky might have been the more stoic of the two, but he still nearly crumpled when his mate grabbed him up tight.
“I love you, Bucky.” Steve’s fangs scraped sharp along Bucky’s throat, over the corded muscles in his neck and dug into his pulse. “Alpha. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Bucky let his head fall back onto Steve’s shoulders and closed his eyes tight to soak in every second of the affection that had become something they had to hide. “Mate. Love you.”
“It’s going to be okay.” Steve muttered, but that was something Bucky couldn’t find it in himself to echo. “I promise. I promise it’s going to be okay, I’m not going to let an Omega come between us.”
“Sure.” Bucky swallowed back the urge to roar in heartbreak and tried to nod instead. “Sure, Stevie. Write the Omega and tell him to come. Go on. Do it before I get to bed. Let go, and go on.”
It felt like rejection, but Steve knew it wasn’t rejection from the Alpha, it was self preservation, it was Bucky barely holding on to his sanity while thinking about his mate with anyone that wasn’t him, much less an Omega who thought they were only friends and was going to be Steve’s responsibility for however long this whole mess lasted.
...it was Bucky watching his mate choose another mate because someone-- someone-- had decided Bucky and Steve didn’t have the right to live in peace.
“Bucky?” Steve asked, but the other Alpha was already gone, ducking out of the house while Steve was writing and heading towards the little cabin where he slept. The broken window was boarded over, so Steve couldn’t see the light come on in the shack, he couldn’t see Bucky’s silhouette as the Alpha got ready for bed, and he couldn’t see the lamp extinguishing as Bucky fell asleep, but he knew it was happening all the same.
“Miss you, Buck.” Steve said to the empty house, rubbed his nose against the paint fumes from the slur splashed across their outside wall and leeching through the boards on the window. “Christ, I miss you.”
Dear Tony,
Please come as soon as possible, send details via telegram as needed and I will be thrilled to meet you at the station when you arrive in Wolf Canyon.
All the best, Steve.
****************
Chapter Notes:
So, it’s actually super weird for me to write Obadiah as a non villain. I generally give him a ‘I tried with Tony, but I love money more’ vibe, but he’s just not the bad guy in this fic at all. Just an Uncle who is trying to do best by his nephew!
How much do we love Ana and Edwin, and Peggy who had been Maria and Howard’s best friends and now are basically surrogate Auntie and Uncles to Tony?
The story takes place in what’s considered the “cowboy era” of American history, basically 1860-1890ish. I don’t set a solid year other than mentioning its after the Civil War, but this time period is where we get all our stereotypes and most of our folklore for cowboys from, so I figured it was good enough lol. For anyone who cares, I’m actually basing the town of Wolf Canyon loosely over the area where I live in Northern Arizona!
Steve and Bucky make me so sadddddd. I don’t usually like writing about h*mophobia and especially not in my ABO verses but I thought it would add an interesting (heartbreaking) dynamic to the Stuckony relationship plus we all know how generally awful people like Pierce are (you know the type!) and h*mophobia generally goes right along with all his other “values”.
I LOVE Vanessa and I promise you guys will love Peter. I have just so many plans for these characters and I’ve been thinking about this fic for the better part of 2020 so it’s amazing to finally get to write it!
I know this was a lot to read for a first chapter but let’s be honest, it’s not even the longest chapter I’ve ever written. Saddle up! This should be a heck of a ride!
Here’s my TUMBLR ASK BOX if you want to chat about the fic!