Chapter Text
Peters luck had struck again. Seriously, he should be put in a museum or something because the amount of things he could get thrown into was truly staggering.
Being a omega was bad enough, not many people got that shitty privilege. But to be a male omega? That was the kind of sick hell special for people as unlucky as him.
He didn't really understand the fascination. Regular omegas got enough attention as is, but for some reason any alpha within a mile radius was constantly hounding after him. It had gotten to the point now that he was older where he almost refused to go outside unless he was with MJ and Ned.
Really is was with MJ, she was an alpha; Ned was just a beta. If Peter was out with her, people seemed to assume he belonged to her and would keep a mostly respectable distance. She was maybe the only alpha in all of New York who could keep a conversation with him without trying to get in his pants. He'd asked her what made him so special compared to most other omegas, and she'd just shrugged, saying she didn't get the appeal.
Peter had known her long enough to know that she was hiding something but didn't want to tell him.
All the unwanted attention, the occasional alphas not-so-subtly flexing their scent on him like it was suppose to impress him, and the 'accidental' bumps in crowded subways was all stuff he could deal with. He wasn't happy about it, but it was manageable.
What he could not handle, was the letter he'd received this morning.
For: Peter Parker
- We are excited to announce that you have been selected to take part in the omega compatibility matching process. We see that you've had some trouble finding a mate; and that's OK! It can be hard for omegas to make a decision like this. Our department is here to help facilitate that process. Please fill out the enclosed paperwork and return it to the nearest Public Relations Center within the next (6 days). If you need help completing this task, we have agents available to assist you.
We look forward to finding your perfect match.
*Department of Public Relations /// (248) 434-5508
He flipped the page over, seeing a massive packet of forms and official documents. He kept rereading the letter, again and again and again.
Of course this was all a possibility, especially after May had died last year and he was officially living on his own, the DPR did not like self sustaining omegas. Peter had just never thought this would actually happen to him.
May had told him that as long as he stayed clear of any DRP buildings and didn't make any requests of them, they wouldn't even know about him. They were a government branch after all, their agents had more important things to do than hunt down every single unbonded omega over a certain age, especially in such a massive place like New York.
Peter left that letter and paperwork on his kitchen counter for the next couple days. He couldn't bring himself to fill it out and sell himself to some strange alpha. He'd heard more than his fair share of horror stories that came from the so called 'perfect match' the DPR guaranteed.
On day three, the official half way point of how many days of freedom he had left, when he stepped out of his building elevator he say a familiar and unwelcome alpha waiting at his apartment door, Quintin.
This guy was his downstairs neighbor and was persistent in a way that was seriously fraying at Peter's nerves. He had this horrible scent that made Peter lean back away when they spoke and he was convinced that Peter should belong to him.
"Hey Pete!" Quintin said when he saw him, "I was wanting to talk to you." He smiled warmly but Peter could see the sharpness in his eyes.
"It's really not a good time, I've got a lot going on right now." Peter responded, hoping he could push past him without too much of an issue.
"I bet. Heard you're getting matched. That's gotta be exciting, right? I cant imagine how lonely you are without an alpha to take care of you." Quintin said
"I do more than fine on my own. And I don't want to talk about that." Peter said while he pulled his keys from his pocket.
"Hold on now." Quintin said as he kind of stepped in front of Peter. "I came up here to let you know that I know how to get you out of this whole match making situation you've found yourself in."
"How's that?" Peter asked, as much as he hated this guy, he'd take any advice he could get.
"Well if you say, found your own match, the department would have to recognize it and pull you from the program." Quintin said with a grin. "We could come to a little arrangement. We could get bonded and I'd let you keep your independence, it would just be a formality thing really. I just can't bear the thought of you being matched with some aggressive alpha and you getting yourself hurt. It happens to most omegas who go through the program. I mean, think about the kind of alphas who submit themselves to be matched up, they're the ones no other omega wanted and I'm sure it's for good reason."
Peter just stared at him for a long moment, things started falling into place and he didn't like the picture it was making.
"Hold on, how did you know I was being put in the program?" He asked, his voice strained
"Hmm? Just from others in the building." Quintin said, "But is that really important? We've got to find a way to keep you safe now that it's happened." He reach a hand out like he was going to put it on Peter shoulder.
"Quintin . . Did you fucking report me?" Peter asked, chest heaving as he stepped out of reach.
For a split second Peter saw the expression of sadistic glee that crossed Quintin's face, before it got polished into a innocent look of shock.
"Of course not! I would never do anything to hurt you. Come on, I'm a good guy." Quintin said, taking a step forward.
Peter backed up, raising a hand in front of him. "Stay the hell away from me." He said, trying to keep his voice firm but it came out shaky and weak.
"Pete, wait-" He started but Peter turned and fled. If Quintin was able to report him to blackmail him into bonding with him, he didn't want to know what else that sick alpha was capable of. As he left his apartment building, he went to the only place he could think of. If his options were between Quintin forcing himself onto him, and some random alpha, he'd take the gamble.
--
Three and a half hours.
That's exactly how long it took for him to walk into that building, fill out the paperwork, and for them to come back saying they'd found his 'Perfect match!'.
He honestly had no idea what the process was going to be like, but he'd hoped a little more thought went into it than under four hours of work.
The questions he'd been asked were borderline hamulating. Treating him more like a pup than a grown man. That's just how life went when you were an omega.
Questions like : How safe does being around an alpha make you feel? During times a stress, would it be easier for your alpha to make decisions for you? Do you have nesting behaviors and if so, please describe them.
The whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth, but it's not like he could walk out now. He made his choice and he was going to have to live with it.
"Peter?" A voice called into the waiting room, pulling him from his thoughts. It was a beta woman with a clipboard and the highest ponytail Peter had ever seen.
He stood, walking over to her. There were a few other omega in the room with him, some smiled at him as he passed, others gave looks of sympathy. He wasn't sure which was more appropriate.
He was led through the building and stopped before they went through one final door.
"Before we go in, here is our card and number as well as a some information you might find helpful." The woman started, "If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call."
He took the small pamphlets nodding as he folded them and shoved them into his jeans pocket.
"Thank you so much for participating in our match making process, we're so excited to match you to your alpha!" She said with a mix a real excitement and cooperate staleness.
She stepped aside, letting him go to the door they were in front of. Peter took a breath, telling himself over and over and over that this is what he wanted. Even if it wasn't it was easier to lie to himself.
He stepped though, his heartbeat so loud in his own ears.
On the of the room, sitting in one of the chairs with his arms on his knees and looking down at his phone, was maybe the physically largest alpha Peter had ever seen. Clean cut blond hair and a shaved face, square jaw and bright eyes. He filled out his shirt in a way that had Peter staring for more than a second. He had this clean and bright scent that was so different than other alphas Peter had seen.
The alpha looked up as Peter enter, smiling as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.
"Peter?" He asked
"Yeah, you must be James?" He asked, that was the name they'd told him. James Buchanan Barnes. It was a nice name.
"Unfortunately James couldn't make it to pick you up. He didn't want you waiting here for too long so he asked me to come get you." The alpha said. "My name's Steve. Steve Rogers."
"Oh." Was all Peter could say. He was more than a little disappointed and he hoped it didn't show too plainly. He would not complain if this guy had been his match.
"Come on, I'll tell you about him on the way." Steve said.
Peter had been raised to not go with stranger alphas, especially to not get in their cars, but that's just the situation he was in now.
Steve had a nice car. It was kept clean with only a messenger bag in the back seat. Peter stared out the window as they drove through New York.
"Did you want to stop and pick your stuff up?" Steve asked
Right. He did kind of need that. He'd have Ned and MJ take care of most of it while he got everything figured out, but he at least needed the essentials.
"Yeah, if we can stop that'd be great." Peter said
"For sure, put your old address in and we'll swing by." Steve said while nodding.
Old address. The phrasing of that settled awkwardly on his shoulders.
Thankfully Quintin was no where to be seen when Peter ran upstairs. He quickly threw everything he thought he'd need for the next couple weeks into his one suitcase. Steve carried it downstairs even with Peter insisting he could carry it.
When they were finally back in the car, Peter noticed they were mostly driving away from the city. He never really considered that he would be moving out of New York.
"So how do you know James?" Peter asked, hoping to get a little out about his new alpha.
"We grew up together in Brooklyn. I've know him my whole life." Steve said. "Everyone calls him Bucky by the way. Haven't heard 'James' in a while."
"Bucky." Peter tried the name, it was a funny sounding nickname. "What's he like?"
"He's a good guy, real good guy." Steve started, "When we were pups he was always bailing me out of the trouble I got myself into."
"Why did he enter the matching program?" Peter asked. As much as he tried to push it aside, the warning Quintin had given about these alphas being the ones no one wanted was still in the back of his mind.
Steve hesitated. "That's really his story to tell. I can say he's in it for good reasons, if that's what you're worried about."
Peter nodded, but didn't feel all that assured.
"Are you bonded?" Peter wasn't sure what made him ask but he did before he could stop himself.
"I am. His name is Tony." Steve said.
"What's it like? To be bonded I mean." Peter asked
"Kinda a big question." Steve chuckled. "It's . . . calm. Like you don't have to carry everything yourself. At the end of the day, no matter what, I know everything will be fine because of him."
"That sounds nice." Peter said, picking at his nails.
Steve glanced at him. "Why did you join the program?" Steve asked gently.
"Personal reasons." Peter replied quickly. Steve looked at him for a second, then dropped the subject. They drove in silence for a few more minutes.
Steve didn't have any directions up and Peter was starting to get a litter nervous with how far out of the city they were going.
"Where, um, does Bucky live?" Peter asked
"Right now, Hudson Valley. We've got about another forty minutes. Do you need a rest stop?" Steve asked
"No, I'm all set. Just curious." Peter replied
"He's got a real nice set up, you'll like it." Steve said while nodding
"You said he lived there 'right now'. Does Bucky move a lot?" Peter asked
"Oh, he's owns a place in the city too. He bounces back and forth between the two. Stays about half the year in each." Steve replied casually.
"Wait. He has a place in Hudson Valley and owns a spot in New York? Why does he need that? How does he have that?" Peter asked a little shocked, thinking back to the shitty apartment he'd been living in the past few years.
"For work. He spends part of the year working in the city and when he's off he's out here." Steve said
"Sounds like a good gig." Peter said
Steve nodded.
The rest of the drive was spent with quieter small talk and the ever increasing greenery as a view. Peter had spent his entire life inside New York City, and being this far away from it felt . . . weird.
It was beautiful out here, he couldn't deny that. And he found himself getting maybe even excited to meet this Bucky. Steve had only good things to say about him and Steve was the kind of guy you just kind of trusted.
When they pulled into down a long driveway, Peter realized they were here.
A cabin type building sat wide and solid against the backdrop of the trees, built from stained timber that looked like a painting. The roof sloped steeply, black shingles and a deep front porch stretched the entire length of the house. Off to the side in a shed-like building was a mountain of firewood that was clearly hand chopped.
Parked in front of the closed garage was a dark red pickup truck.
"I thought you said Bucky wasn't here yet?" Peter asked, glancing at the truck
"He's not." Steve said as he parked. "He'll be here in a few hours."
It seemed like Steve was waiting for him to get out, and Peter almost didn't want to. Getting out of the car made this situation very real.
Peter nodded. "I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do right now."
Steve laughed, "Come on, I'll get you inside so you can start settling in."
Steve unlocked the front door with a key that was attached to the rest of his, like he always carried it with him.
Lights flicked on and Peter stepped in, feeling so out of his element.
Steve walked past him, opening a drawer and pulling out a pad of paper and scribbled something onto it.
“Here,” he said, tearing off a page. “My number. Call if you need anything at any time. I put Bucky's on there as well."
Peter took it, staring at the neat handwriting. “Thanks.”
Steve scribbled something else on the page. “Could you put yours in my phone? I'll make sure Buck gets it in case he needs to get ahold of you before he gets back."
Peter nodded. "For sure." He said, typing it in. "Feels wrong that you're just leaving me alone here."
“Feel free to explore. There’s a cat running around here somewhere if you want to try and find her, named Alpine. Fair warning though, she's a handful.”
Peter nodded slowly, still feeling a little overwhelmed by how fast everything was moving. “Alright. Thanks, Steve.”
Steve gave him one last soft smile. “You’re welcome. I'm sure I'll be seeing you sooner than later. Take care, Peter.”
And with that, Steve walked back to the car. Peter watched him go, listening to the crunch of gravel under the tires until the car disappeared down the long driveway, leaving him alone with the cabin, the forest, with a cat.