Chapter Text
Every Pup learns their designation will be their value in society from an early age. When you presented as an Omega at 17, your Omega father cried whilst your Alpha mother celebrated. For her it meant you would be in high demand for the Alpha community, someone strong would fight for you to be theirs and never let you go. You would always be desired and always be cared for, hopefully creating your own pack of pups in the process. You could have a fulfilled and comfortable life. For your father, he knew you would be at the mercy of possessive partners, your presentation would mean you would be submissive and nurturing, but he was worried it wouldn't be for the person who deserved it most.
Initially everything was working out correctly, the way it always did. You had interest from local alphas, you were dating, but none made the move to ask for your bond, and none of the relationships were an intense mutual infatuation occurring in True Mates. You were young, it was expected, but as the years crept by, the interest slowed to a stop. Soon most of your peers had their hands full with broods of pups, you were no longer invited on dates, and common ground became smaller and smaller. It was as if you were invisible... a completely unbelievable position for an omega to be in. But were you still an Omega? It didn’t take long for your heats to stop arriving, erratic at best, they paused indefinitely in your early 20s. Without heats, you couldn't incite an Alpha to rut, which meant no bond, and no pups.
When your parents both passed, you realised just how disconnected you had become. It led you to sitting yourself down and contemplating hard on what you wanted in life. You wanted social interaction, a way to excel with your nurturing nature, and you wanted some spontaneity.
Which is how you ended up interviewing for the role of housekeeper on your 30th birthday for a Mr Tony Stark.
"You will manage floors 15 to 17. All decisions are yours to make. Here on floor 15 we have a communal kitchen and common area," he opened his arms and gestured to the space "separate and private for our residents and guests. Down the hall we have a cinema room where we have a weekly film night, laundry and further utilities area for any kitchen storage overflow and an office for you for when the residents inevitably lock themselves out of their rooms. Everyone is currently on the 16th floor, closest to the kitchens." He winked.
"We currently have 10 permanent residents, give or take Barton but we have capacity for 50. 25 self-contained apartments, 2 floors. You are the keepers of the keys and the distributor of post. Every guest will report to you for access their rooms. It’ll be up to you to change over the rooms for the next guest, launder sheets and fix them with clean sets. You're not expected to launder the resident’s personal effects and it's up to them to change their own damn sheets.
With regards to communal spaces, the residents should be keeping them all clean, but it’ll be your domain to follow up if the cleaners start slacking. You will be the one to order in the food shop each week, the residents know to hand their shopping lists in on a Sunday but it's good to have the basics in. They can go sort out any extras they want on their own time. I'm sure they will come to you with other queries but upscale to myself or Pepper if you need."
You both paused outside the housekeepers office.
"Thank you Mr Stark." You smiled
"Tony, please. Come by on Friday, I'll have your log in set up, we'd love to welcome you on board!" Tony exclaimed excitedly. "And your mate and pups, we have multi room apartments for them all to move in, you can take your pick."
Your mouth opened awkwardly for a moment as you struggled to explain your situation to the Omega in front of you. Of course after telling him your designation he would assume you were bonded with a pack of pups... that was what anyone would expect.
"Actually, it's just me... just a 1 bed would do me fine." You admitted looking down at your hands
"Oh... really?!" He exclaimed his eyes wide, a slight frown on his face "well you are a rarity aren’t you!"
You gave a small smile.
"Hopefully not forever, but I've made my peace with it." You acknowledged gently as you shrugged.
"I was in my 40s when I bonded with Pepper." Tony admitted "sometimes it takes time for the right one to come along, but I promise it's worth the wait... Anyway, if you need any modifications to the apartment for your needs, just let me know. Move in over the weekend ready to start Monday, does that sound good?"
***
Making the transition from civilian life to the compound was easier than you ever expected, though admittedly, it was less about you and more about how the Avengers had reacted to you joining them. It turned out having a presence in the compound to greet the residents when they got home, with a welcoming smile and an optional cuddle did wonders for the teams mental health, which didn’t stop their need to regular therapy but definitely made their day to day easier, though that may have been the fault of Tony penning your new nick name of ‘Mary Poppins' to confuse everyone that your role wasn’t just a housekeeper, but also an emotional support nanny. The residents of the compound didn’t take long at all to warm up and include you into the fold, be it including you in group meals, film night every Sunday or even to the gym though then you would politely decline, as even when they went easy on you, they still destroyed your muscles for the rest of the week. It felt great to finally be included without any emphasis on your designation to suggest your value or worth, though no one had asked your designation it was clear your lack of scent was confusing, what made you happiest was that it still didn’t matter. You were part of the team.
This was your new start at being part of a family, and no one had adopted you quicker than the Asgardians.
The first time the Alpha brothers had come to visit, Thor had been so excited to meet you he had forgotten his brother was still under arrest and chained at his ankles and wrists. It had taken a strong 10 minutes of Thor shaking your hand whilst you pointedly peeked behind him for him to remember to introduce Loki and explain he was going to be living on the compound under house arrest until Odin deemed him repentant for his crimes against Midgard in 2012. The dark-haired brother had been curt but polite as you lead him to his room, explaining the social areas to him, and inviting him to call on you if he needed any help. It had taken a week of watching him struggle to disguise his confusion with the kitchen appliances before you had taken pity and explained the kettle, toaster, oven and dishwasher to him late one night when you caught him standing in the kitchen with his head in his hands. You had made him some eggs and beans on toast because you didn’t trust he had eaten anything else and the next morning he surprised you in your office with a cup of hot tea, cementing a strong friendship. He had stayed on house arrest for 18 months in total, helping the Avengers identify threats of the extra-terrestrial and magical variety with his historical knowledge before Odin had recalled him back to Asgard. If you hadn’t known better you would have guessed he would choose to stay at the compound if he had the choice but the prince had duties to fulfil and he left with an extra-long embrace for you whispering his promises to visit as soon as possible.
A few months after you moved in, there was an accident during a mission in Lagos, it caused uproar and the Sokovia Accords were drafted causing huge tension between the team. When a terrorist attack struck at the UN summit, an old acquaintance of Captain Rogers was blamed, and the Captain took off to Europe to track him down. The team had never been so divided, and it had taken months for riffs to heal enough for Cap to return to the team whilst Tony and Pepper moved out of the compound.
That was when Thanos struck Midgard. An attack on Vision whilst he visited Scotland with Wanda, followed by another attack to New York faltered by Tony, Bruce and a sorcerer named Strange caused everyone else to congregate in Wakanda for a battle of Earth. Thor arrived with a few of the Guardians, turning the tide and in the final minutes when hope was almost lost, he managed to lodge his axe into the Titans head, ending the battle and the threat to Earth in a heartbeat.
Most of the residents of the compound had returned the month before, minus Cap but including Loki, who explained Asgard was being rebuilt in the North of Norway, following their seeking asylum after the events of Ragnarok, but he had been given leave to take some time to recuperate following the battle.
2 years after joining the compound, the weather was a dreary October drizzle. Soon the snow would come but until then it rained constantly.
You were found in the living room reading with Loki, his head leaning against your ribs as you both laid there on two sections of the spacious U shape couch in comfortable silence, stroking his hair absentmindedly.
“Budge up Highness, I need a squidge with Poppin,” Sam called as he crawled up your legs to nestle himself on top of you, Loki sat up, slightly disgruntled but he crossed his legs and continued reading without another word. You gave his knee a squeeze before wrapping your arms around Sam’s neck, enveloping his head into your chest, and kissing the top of his head.
“How’d your mission go Wilson?” you asked he rubbed his head around and sighed dramatically
“Fine. Got the Intel, just took longer than we expected,” he grumbled “I’ve missed feeling warm, them safe houses are pretty damn basic.”
Loki reached behind him for a blanket and wordlessly passed it to you to drape over Sam. You smiled in return and he nodded. Always unable to vocalise his appreciation for the team, but able to show it with micro gestures like this. Both these guys had been tentative with each other initially, but through spending their time with you and your touchy feely cuddles, they have found a subtle common ground of camaraderie despite their differences in personality and specialisation.
“where is Nat? Is she joining us for a movie tonight?” you asked
“Yeah she’s on a call with Cap and she’ll join us after.” Sam replied pulling the blanket around his shoulders and sighing comfortably.
Sam had been the first of the residents to really defrost in your company when you joined the compound, confident and loud with bravado he was quick to make small talk which then led to little touches and in jokes, which then lead to hugs and finally full on cuddling on the couches like tonight. You weren’t sure if the Alpha could tell your Omega designation made you the perfect recipient for his affection but the conversation had never been aired, this was a purely platonic relationship albeit affectionate in ways Sam wasn’t able to be with others.
Nat arrived with a bottle of wine and multiple glasses as she sat on the other bar of the U shaped couch, she poured out the glasses and sat herself back in the corner. She lifted Sam’s feet and resettled them on her lap
“How’s Cap?” you asked
“He’s good, he’s on his way home,” she smiled as the room gave a little cheer, Sam reached back to high five Natasha “he asked if you can set up access to a new resident at level 2. He said you can leave him the key in your office because he will be landing in the early hours, he doesn’t want you to wait up.”
“Sure, who’s he bringing back with him?” you asked, “anyone we know?”
“You’ve yet to meet Bucky,” she replied with a smirk
“The Sergeant returns?” Loki quipped an eyebrow
“Who the hell is Bucky?” you asked, Sam guffawed against your chest
“James Buchanan Barnes, he’s an old friend of Caps,” Nat smirked “like, first world war old.”
You imagined a wizened old man hobbling along the corridors.
“You remember the terrorist attack on the UN that lead Cap to Europe?” Nat explained, you nodded in recognition “that was Bucky.”
“Jeez. How much trouble can a centenarian get into?” you asked. All 3 residents smirked in response.