Dreamed a Dream

In the Skies

Tony Stark

6:30 P.M.

Tony Stark prided himself on two things. His engineering skills and his ability to read a situation. When all else failed, those small aspects of him proved to be his saving grace on more than one occasion. Particularly after he was captured and tortured by foreign mercenaries after helping his soon to be traitorous ally whilst leading the Avengers against Hitler reincarnated nearly 15 years prior. It was the first mission, and only mission, they have failed. The mission that lead Tony to be taken and held hostage for 30 days before Steve and the rest of the team found rescued him.

Strangely enough, Tony was never supposed to be placed in captivity. It was a hit. The new Hitler in the world caught wind of what they were doing and called for Tony Stark's head. The mercs tracked and gunned down Tony's vehicle, severely wounding him in the process. Considering his near fatal injury, Tony realized what was happening and convinced the mercenaries that he was worth more to them alive than dead. Not because of the money, but because of what he could create. He convinced them, but at a cost. For 30 straight days when he wasn't being beaten and insulted, he was either building them weapons or patching up his increasingly fatal wound.

A terrible seed was planted in him during that time. He helped start the Avengers to help put an end to the terrible destruction his father and he himself caused in the world due to their weapons manufacturing business. While he kept the company going after taking full control of it when he was 16, he made various efforts to turn the business into more than a global weapons fort. He succeeded. Turning the company into the technological giant that practically ran the world. A dream fulfilled by a man once filled with wonder and hope, possessed an everlasting glow in his smile that never seemed to dim.

Until he suffered for it.

He tried to be better. Tried so hard to not be like his father, a callous man who couldn't stand the sight of Tony. A man who appeared charming and carefree when hiding his true cold and icy nature. Tony always thought of his father as thin ice frozen over a lake cracking away with the slightest bit of pressure. He used to hate him for it. Hate him for how cruel and terrible he was. He still does. Only difference between now and then is Tony understands why. Partly. Pain and pressure change a man. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not.

Tony was the latter. What was the point in changing when the world used it against you? When the betterment of yourself only makes you weak and vulnerable to those who wish to destroy you? Why would anyone leave themselves open like that? Why try to be something when it's not meant to be? Tony gave up on the dream of being a good man and focused on a new dream. A new vision that no one would dare mess with. A leader, both the immovable object and unbreakable force, a man who calls the shots, a man who earns and keeps the loyalty of his team, the most powerful and indestructible man to ever exist.

Iron Man.

Since his captivity, Tony has cultivated and thrived in the new visage he created for himself, and for the past fifteen years he has never felt more satisfied. That was until he met Peter Parker. His sweet, untouched darling was everything Tony always dreamed he could be, what he could have been if he hadn't been captured. Intelligent, innocent, gentle, kind, and so many things that Tony envied others for throughout the years yet couldn't bear and ill thought towards Peter. His chosen was beyond words to Tony. He only met him a few short weeks ago yet he already couldn't imagine a life with the young Omega.

He may have found satisfaction since he became Iron Man, but he's been happier than the moment he woke up with his wonderful darling snuggled up against his chest and snoring softly. He had hated to wake up Peter, wanting nothing more than to watch him sleep in his arms all day, but duty called. People in power with suspicious intentions were backing ex pilots who shouldn't even make the global news with how little press they were originally getting. Plenty of Omegas and Betas were protesting all throughout the world, people bearing more important names and backgrounds than these two, so why were they the ones to get global coverage?

The Avengers needed to investigate it, find out what was really happening. There are other things at play here, machinations behind the scenes that Tony intended to sniff out with the team. Sadly, that meant he had to leave Peter, his adorable Omega, behind at the tower so soon after Tony officially had him settled in. Even worse, James and Natasha had to leave Violet behind.

That was going to be a problem.

Ironically, Tony found himself liking Violet. Not because of her consistent care and protective nature for her friend, though it certainly helped his opinion of the brash Omega, but because she too reminded him of something he wished he could have been. Particularly in his youth when his parents were still alive. Though damaged and distrustful, Violet stood on her own two feet and refused to let her fear consume her. The way she stood toe to toe with Tony, knowing who he was and what he could easily have done to her, and threatened to kill him in an attempt to protect Peter was quite simply inspiring. Never has someone earned his respect as quickly as she did, though he was partially biased because she was doing it for his chosen.

Violet was a fighter, and under different circumstances that would be perfect. The Alpha could easily see her protecting not only Peter, but the rest of the Omegas as well. With her Alphas plans to train her in various fighting styles and self defense tactics, it seemed like the perfect job for her. Once she was trained and mated of course. Tony admired James' need to ensure that Violet had a choice when I came to sexual relations and mating. He understood where the Alpha was coming from, and very clearly remembered the videos that revealed the Alpha's torture in full. He empathized with the Soldier because he too was sparing Peter from feeling out of control when it came down to it.

Ultimately, he sided with Natasha. Violet was wild, untamed. A feral animal that has been without discipline and structure for far too long. He liked her, and he was sure once she calmed down and let everyone in then he would grow to think of her as family, but this needed to happen sooner rather than later. It needed to happen for Peter too.

To be honest, if it wasn't for Peter's accusation and distraught state of mind, Tony would have mated him right then and there no questions asked. Violet was going to make a run for it, and she didn't need to convince Peter to go with her. His sweet darling was completely on board with escaping him, escaping all of them, and the Alphas needed to put an end to that wretched idea.

Permanently.

Tony began preparing himself for the tears, for the hurt look and distrust in those wonderfully kind doe-like eyes for many nights to come, but first he needed to handle another problem entirely. Peter's accusation wasn't without validity. Based on how the conversation went about with Frank Castle, he had every right to believe that Tony was the culprit behind Peter's blatant invasion of privacy. Though enraged at the cruel words escaping his mouth, Tony kept enough control of himself to continue watching footage of the man. Determined to find Frank in an exposed position that would leave him incarcerated for good.

If he hadn't kept control of his rage, he never would have realized that it was Clint using one of his Nanotech Facemasks, not the real Frank Castle, that said those cruel words to his darling, leaving Tony for a loop.

All of this was happening on the Avengers private and highly advanced Quinjet. 5 times faster than the quickest jets in the entire world. Tony normally sat in the pilot's seat while the rest of the team got some kip or prepared for the upcoming mission. However, today he sat among them while Steve took residence nearby the pilot's station. FRIDAY had control of the jet currently, but Steve would step in if needed. Bruce sat next to Tony, pouring over student papers while his whole body flinched constantly. His Omega was 37 weeks pregnant and ready to pop at any point. He had every right to be anxious considering what happened last time.

Thor wasn't available thanks to his primary duties of keeping his prestigious Prince safe and away from specific dangers. A new stalker has arisen after the block party Loki instigated to distract the people while James burnt that wretched building to the ground. Thanks to his past experiences with stalking, Loki insisted he and Thor return to his native land for a time, and Thor being the Alpha he is agreed implicitly, hence his absence now.

Natasha, Clint, and James were off in the corner readying weapons, checking over the equipment, and watching the chosens via FRIDAY's surveillance protocol. Tony had it pulled up as well, instructed to follow Peter wherever he went. He mostly stayed in the kitchen area where Violet was cooking. Betty, Bruce's wife and Omega, was sitting at the counter talking with Peter while Darcy Lewis, Steve's dry and sarcastic Omega, was hovering around Violet near the stove, following instructions and helping while inevitably talking Violet's ear off. Tony wondered what Violet was making for the chosens. If it's anything like the shrimp pasta she made on the fly, he was sure it was excellent. He needed to find out who taught her to cook or see if she would be willing to cook for them some other time.

For now, he needed to find out what the hell was going on and why the fuck Clint would hurt his chosen in such a terrible way. Unfortunately, he needed to get through Natasha first. No offense to Clint, but he's not the type to go out of his way to pull shit like shit unless either Laura, his wife, was involved or Natasha asked him to do it. Since Laura was out of the country with his and Phil's kids and wouldn't be back for some time, that left Natasha as the cause.

With the mission ahead of them, he needed to wait. He could do that. He'll wait until this was over, and then calmly pull her aside to call her out on her shit. He can do that. He'll wait.

He just hopes he doesn't have to wait for long.

Lounge/Kitchen Area

Violet and Peter (before Omega's arrival)

4:30 P.M.

Violet were once again huddled beneath a table trading notes back and forth between one another. Ever since all the Alphas finally left a few hours prior, Tony making a big show of it by kissing Peter boldly and deeply for the whole world to see and Natasha trying to grab Violet's ass, both Omegas have stayed close to one another, not even daring to venture further than 2 feet from the other. Too nervous of the huge expansive area that threatened to swallow them whole. Wanda helped calm them down for the most past, but at this point Violet had lost a lot of faith in her friend. Violet could feel in her bones how bad of an idea it was to stay and do recon, but she and Peter had no other plans or ideas that could help them right now.

So, with the Avengers absence, the two Omegas left their friend with the butler and explored the floor. They intended to go throughout the tower and hopefully escape, but neither were surprised when FRIDAY locked down the elevator and the service doors, specifically stating, "except for cases of emergency, Mr. Stark has ordered all Omegas to convene here until the Avengers return."

"And how many Omegas are going to be here?" Violet asked in a harsh tone, her patience nearing its end.

"According to my calculations, only two more will be arriving. Dr. Betty Banner and Ms. Darcy Lewis."

Both Peter and Violet reared back slightly, responding at the same time, "I know her!" The pair immediately looked at each, "you do?"

"Wait, wait hold on for a second," Violet waved off FRIDAY's camera, ignoring the red light spying on them, "You know Darcy?"

Peter flinched in confusion, "No, I know Dr. Betty. I took some of her classes before Dr. Banner became my advisor and eventually my mentor. Do you know her?"

Violet shook her head, "No. I met Darcy a couple years ago at a club I shouldn't have been at. She's the first person I ever got drunk with. We meet up once in a while. When her boyfriend's being a douche and she needs to vent she gives me a call and we spend like three days getting wasted before she finally sobers up and . . ." Violet was explaining until she finally stopped, eyes popping wide and mouth dropping in an instant.

Peter didn't catch her pause, suddenly remembering the name, "wait a minute. Is she the one who posted that video of us dancing to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts? The one where we're half naked and drunk off our asses?"

"Probably," Violet responded numbly, "fucking hell. How did I miss this?"

"Miss what?"

"That her boyfriend was one of these Alpha assholes . . . c'mon," Violet grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him back to the kitchen area, wary of all cameras following them as they walked in any direction.

Which led to this moment. After hunting down a note pad and a pen, the two were back at sharing notes with one another like little kids in school.

What's going on? Peter wrote feverishly, staring anxiously at Violet from beneath the table.

Darcy knows how to get out of here! She can help us escape!

Peter's eyes widened. But how?

I don't know. It's been a few months since we've hung out, but that definitely means she knows how to get from them!

How do you know her boyfriend is one of the Avengers? What if she's new here too? And when exactly did you guys last hang out?

Violet gnawed on her bottom lip, realizing Peter had a slight point before answering his question.

Remember all those news reports from the beginning of the school year where there was all sort of vandalism and graffiti inside of Midtown High? Stuff that appeared over a single night after the surveillance had been tampered with.

Peter looked at the page carefully for a brief second before his head whipped up so fast it nearly hit the table right above him. He looked at Violet in shock, who cringed in embarrassment.

"Violet," Peter chastised, like a mother scolding her troublemaking daughter.

"We were drunk, out of our minds wasted beyond imagining. I'm surprised the tags we put up were even recognizable, let alone okay."

"And the vandalism?!"

"We both had a bad day," Violet shrugged, shrinking slightly under the disappointed gaze of her best friend, "Charlotte went back to her Alpha that morning, refusing to believe that he would hurt her again no matter how much we tried to convince her. Pietro told us to let her go because it needed to be her choice about whether she would leave or not. Didn't help that she ended up back on our doorstep two weeks later in an even worse condition. I wasn't handling it very well, and then Darcy called up begging for binge weekend and extended vent session. You know me, if there's alcohol involved, I'm nearly always game."

Peter shook his head, "that's no excuse. Bernie, the security guard, lost his job over that. He only had a few months until retirement and because of both of your actions he lost out on it." Peter sighed, staring at her worriedly, "that's not like you."

"I know," Violet responded sadly, "it's kind of why I don't sneak into clubs very often anymore. I always ended up drinking too much and getting into fights just for the hell of it or pulling shit like this."

Peter gritted his teeth, "and she's going to be here?"

Violet shrugged, "If it's the Darcy I know, then probably."

"Well I don't like her, and I'm going to make sure she doesn't turn you into that person. You're better than that-"

"Peter," Violet interrupted in a gentle voice, "that's going to happen regardless of Darcy's influence or not."

"But it doesn't have to!" Peter whispered urgently, scooting closer to Violet, doe eyes pleading with her.

"It does. They aren't going to let us leave, and I refuse to let either of us live in chains or a cage or both. I don't want to be that person, but after awhile it might be our only option." Violet whispered back, glancing around the room in search of FRIDAY ever present cameras, "but if we find another way that doesn't force us into that position or a different", Violet air quoted with her fingers, "position if you know what I mean, than I'm all for it. Okay?"

Peter calmed down slightly, nodding at Violet's calm assurance. "I don't want to lose you. Aside from May and Ben, you're the only real family I have Vi."

"You're my family too," Violet smiled slightly, "just don't tell Jessica, she'll get jealous she's not my only sibling by bond."

Peter reared, faking a shocked an expression, "you mean I'm not?!"

"Oh, fuck off," Violet nudged Peter away slightly, laughing under her breath.

"I'm sorry to disturb you both, but the other Omegas are coming up the elevator right now if you wanted to greet them?" FRIDAY interrupted the two.

A cold chill went down Violet's spine. She took a deep breath, portraying a look of confidence for Peter to latch onto. It worked. His terrified expression immediately lessoned at Violet's display of bravery. Once more she took his hand, giving it a good squeeze before moving out from under the table.

"C'mon brother, let's go meet out doom." Violet joked, throwing a protective arm across his shoulders as he wrapped the arm closest to her around her waist.

"I'm glad I'll meet it with you," he responded softly, gently squeezing her hip.

With that, the pair headed off towards the elevators where the brainwashed Omegas were soon to arrive, completely forgetting the brief amount of notes they exchanged with one another in open view for FRIDAY to see and record, sending it to anything and anyone she so wished