Chapter Text
A now twenty-two years old Howard was leaving his Stark Industries office to go home for his lunch break. He wanted to get some work done on some of his weapon designs before he had to come back to his meeting this afternoon. He was mostly alone except from some of his engineering staff working on some of the equations of the designs he already had in the works but they were further down the hall in a conference room. His engineering team was fairly new and he hadn’t had too much hand in the hiring process, his HR team did most of it, he just examined and approved their credentials.
He was just locking his office when an irritating voice screeched his name from down the hall. Howard rolled his eyes as he recognized Kirk Massey’s voice. The alpha chauvinist was a member of his board of directors and he gravely hated the man. He was such a corrupt alpha and Howard tried to not be caught alone with him but the bastard got lucky this time.
“What Massey.” Howard snipped as he turned to the alpha approaching him.
“Ala Massey.” Kirk condescendingly corrected him. Howard just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. The alpha feigned a kind smiled. “I was wondering if we could speak privately in your office.”
“No, we cannot now unless you have something to tell me that’s urgent and cannot wait until our next board meeting I suggest you leave me alone.” Howard snapped, keeping his expression stoic but he was becoming afraid. Massey had a certain stench in his scent, the same stench the alpha’s used to have when Howard had been locked up in the Slavery and getting raped was not on Howard’s to-do list today.
“I just wanted to go over some marketing strategies with you to see what you thought of them. Since you were so displeased with my last one.” Massey said with a hint of contempt in his faux kind tone and Howard laughed.
“Yeah whatever Massey, get out of my way.” Howard demanded but the alpha grabbed his arm and pushed him up against his office door. Howard kept himself from panicking as he looked up at Kirk with a quirked eyebrow and a miffed expression. “You’re cramping my style here. Get off me!”
“You know Stark, you need obedience training!” Kirk growled at him, releasing dominating pheromones to try and intimidate Howard. Which didn’t faze the omega in the slightest.
“I said, Get Off Me!” Howard growled right back and his aggressiveness shocked Kirk for a second before he wrapped one of his hands around Howard’s neck and shoved a knee between his legs and hoisted Howard up.
“I’m going to give you that training you need.” Kirk sneered at him and shoved his other hand up his shirt and played with nipples a little before he trailed his hand back down Howard’s stomach. Howard was taken aback by it like he always was when someone touched his stomach. Kirk smirked when Howard stilled beneath him and continued to trail his hands down but the scent of another alpha suddenly crept up and it was different, a genuinely kind scent with something familiar about it. And suddenly Kirk was snatched away from him.
“He said: Get off of him.!” The other alpha snarled as he stepped in front of Howard protectively and his voice had a thick, Italian accent. Kirk, being the coward he was, wasted no time getting the fuck out of there. The alpha turned around to Howard and looked at him for a moment before speaking. “Hey kiddo, are you alright?”
Howard nodded shakily, “Y-yeah, thank you for saving me.” He tried to get a good look at the man but he had a ball cap on that kept Howard from seeing his face. The guy nodded and took a step back as if he was about to skedaddle but he looked over Howard again and stopped. Howard could understand why. It was only weeks since the abortion and since Obadiah had beat him so badly he was hospitalized for a week and a half so Howard knew he probably looked like shit. He really shouldn’t have been at work and struggling with Massey like that weakened his already scarce strength.
“You don’t look so good.” The alpha said with concern flooding his scent.
“I’m fine, I just… I just feel like shit.” Howard admitted and he tried to take a step but he ended up nearly falling to the floor but the guy gently caught him. And at this point, Howard would usually be freaking out but he for some reason felt that he could trust this guy. This dominate, who still had his hand on Howard’s waist but not in a threatening way; protectively, so Howard wouldn’t fall. Then Howard catches what he said. “What did you call me?”
The alpha looked at him with a confused expression, “When?”
And Howard caught it this time; now that he knew what to listen for, the familiar voice, just older, deeper, more… mature.
“You called me kiddo. Antonio?” Howard asked and the alpha froze before he took off his ball cap.
“You remember me?” A now thirty-years-old Antonio asked with something both guilty and ecstatic in his scent. Howard looked at him, it was certainly Antonio, he was just older in a mature way. He had grown talker, about six three now and he was much more handsome than what he used to be though he was never ugly, just went from a boyish cute to a handsome man.
“Of course I remember you. You’re the sire of my son.” Howard said, shocked to see Antonio after all these years and then his brain started firing on all cylinders again and he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck to hug him as tightly as he could in his weak state. “Antonio! I can’t believe it. You’re actually here. You kept your promise. How long have you been here?”
Antonio hugged him back, just as tight. “I’ve been in America for about a month. I’ve been working for you for two weeks. After that bastard alpha of yours was dead. I would have protected you from him if I could have come sooner.” Antonio said with sudden bitterness and Howard knew he was talking about Obie. And knowing that Antonio would have protected him for his past abusive alpha made him beam.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” Howard said and Antonio chuckled a little.
“I’ve missed you too kiddo. A lot.” Antonio said and he kissed Howard’s hair and picked him up, bridal style just like he used to always do. “You are too weak to be working, Howard. And you’re so light, have you been eating like you should?”
Howard smiled, same ol’ Antonio. “Major Déjà vu moment.” Howard said and Antonio laughed as he carried Howard out the building.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Howard thought at first that it would be hard getting to know Antonio again but they fell back into place as if they've seen each other yesterday, not thirteen years ago. The two just picked right back up where they left off and Howard guessed that maybe they never did, maybe they just held on to each other despite the mass separation. Antonio took Howard home and the two talked for hours, both forgetting about the jobs they were supposed to be working.
They were sitting on the couch in Howard’s new home and the omega was curled up beside Antonio, listening to the alpha talk about his life and the things he did in Italy after college before he moving to America and this cute, nice beta girl he met that he started courting. Howard was mystified by how they fell back into routine and even though Howard was older, very desirable as an adult omega with his powerful scent to help attract alphas, Antonio still only looked at him as a baby brother and was still very protective of him in a familial sense.
“I followed you, from what we got in the news back in Italy. I would have come a lot sooner but I was caught up with some… things.” Antonio said ambiguously.
"Where did you get that money from Antonio?" Howard asked concerned because he knew Antonio, knew that whatever held him up probably led right back to that.
Antonio chuckled and shrugged, "Doesn't matter so much now."
"I knew you would say that." Howard said rolling his eyes and Antonio laughed, wrapping an arm around Howard and then omega felt so safe in his embrace, just like he used to always feel safe around Antonio. Howard hugged him; noticing again how broad Antonio's chest was compared to how slender he used to be. "I can't wait until you see Tonio, he's so much like you. Gentle and kind, just like you are."
Antonio smiled and still, after all these years there was that hint of guilt in his scent."I've seen him a couple of times. I talked to him once. He's such a good kid, incredibly smart." Antonio chuckled. "But I guess that was to he expected. He's a great kid. You're doing a great job with him. Even though you had to do it alone." Antonio said with that same remorse in his scent.
“Don't feel guilty Antonio. He's my blessing. The best thing that has ever happened for me. And it was all out of your control, nothing went anything like we expected it to." Howard said, thinking back over it, now understanding a lot of those things he didn’t understand before. "How come you didn't tell me who you were." Howard asked and Antonio shrugged.
"I guess I thought that you're grown you would... Be angry with me."
"No, I could never be angry with you. You were the first alpha I knew who ever showed me kindness." Howard said honestly. "You know you're also the only alpha I've ever scented guilt on except for Tonio. When I was taken, none of those dominates ever felt the least bit bad for the things they did, the things they did in malice." Howard said and it wasn’t nonchalant, his tone has the appropriate venom in it and Antonio looked at him, searching his face.
“Do you ever talk about it?” Antonio asked him with concern coloring his voice and Howard nodded, knowing that Antonio couldn’t sense the lie in his scent but the alpha knew Howard just as well as Howard knew him and he quirked his eyebrow at him.
“No, I don’t really know anyone I could talk to save you.” Howard said then almost immediately regretted it, suddenly realizing where Antonio was going with this. He looked at Antonio, meeting his eyes. “You’re going to make me deal with my emotions aren’t you?” Antonio smiled and pulled Howard into his lap, just like he used to always do.
“You know I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do but if you want to talk about it I will happily listen.” Antonio said and Howard laid his head on the alpha’s shoulder. The omega thought about it for a long time before his mind settled on a distinct, no, but the tears that started dripping from his eyes said something different. He tried to make himself stop crying but Antonio hugged him and said. “No, no. Don’t stuff in your pain like that. It’s not good for you. Come on, let go. You can let go with me.” Howard believed him so he did, he let himself cry on Antonio’s shoulder and he went from crying, to bawling, to wailing. And he cried for a long time before he even got any words out about the abuse. Howard talked about his sire first because that has always affected him the most, having his own parent abuse him that way and then he kept jumping from one thing to the next, skipping between Obie, the Slavery, assaults he suffered when out the Slavery, the abortion. He cried for hours and Antonio listed closely as Howard talked and held Howard protectively in his arms.
Howard would classify it as nothing less than a complete and utter emotional breakdown but he couldn’t even bring himself to care because it was with Antonio, he wouldn’t have been able to break down like this with anyone else and Howard knew that.
After Howard completely fell apart and Antonio helped put himself back together, Howard had to admit that he felt a million times better.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Later, Howard and Antonio were waiting in the dining room for Tonio to come home from school while Howard cooked dinner.
"When I escaped, I had to wait until I was seventeen to tell the police so they wouldn't take Tonio away from me." Howard explained as he poured Antonio a glass of punch, smiling because the flavor was Tonio's favorite just like his sire. "We became naturalized as US citizens but they made me change Tonio's name from Carbonelli to Stark because I didn't have any information about his sire."
"Oh, I have his birth certificate. It's in my apartment but I'll give it to you tomorrow." Antonio said. "Does Junior know what his real last name is? Does he know anything about me?"
Howard nodded as he sat down across from Antonio, "I told him about you and he always remembered his real last name. At first he though his conception had been horrible but after I explained it to him he became eager to meet you. Said he was going to look you up when he was grown."
Antonio smiled, "Do you mind if I... become a part of his life?"
"Of course not. I'm glad you want to. He needs his sire. I mean, now that he's growing up and he's starting to hit puberty and all that. I can tell him what an alpha is supposed to be but I think it would be better if he were shown." Howard said and Antonio nodded understandingly.
"You sure I'm not intruding, I know your being courted by that nice alpha lady. Was she going to..." Antonio trailed off but Howard knew what he meant.
"Maria will be glad Tonio knows his sire. Plus, I would never let anyone stand between you and your son." Howard said sincerely and Antonio beamed.
"I can't wait to meet her though. Does she take care of you?"
"Yeah, she does." Howard said with a fond smile.
"Good." Antonio said with a sincere smile.
"By the way, how's your dad?" Howard said suddenly remembering his old, kind, principal.
"He's doing great, he retired a few years ago. Told me to tell you hi. He's actually visiting me next month so maybe you'll get to see him."
"I would love to see him. He was always so kind." Howard said as he turned around, he could smell Tony before he came through the front door.
"Pàpà, hey." Tonio said when he saw the two, a little on guard because Antonio wasn't an alpha he knew but he wasn't going safe mode for once and Howard took that as a good sign.
"Hey bimbo, come here, I want you to meet someone." Howard said motion for Tony to come into the dining room.
Tonio walked up to them cautiously and Antonio watched proudly, looking at him like he was mystified. Tonio looked at Antonio curiously before he smiled kindly at him.
"Hi." Tonio said to Antonio.
"Hey." Antonio answered back with an awed smile.
"Tonio bimbo," Howard said. "This is your sire."