Archive of Our Own ^beta

In which Tony and Arno are brothers and each their own special brand of brilliant-idiot. Rhodey's long past tired of both their antics but figures he's stuck with them by now. Somewhere along the line, Pepper and Natasha became acquainted, ostensibly to be terrifyingly competent together and double-team on the Stark-wrangling. Then Steve gets set up on a date with one brother only to be hopelessly charmed by the other.

And all this before any of the real shenanigans even begin.

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  An ABO wherein the alpha/beta/omega dynamics exist, but they're generally no more impactful than biological sex. Alphas are the most virile and only capable of siring children; they do not have a heat cycle. Betas are a mix of both--some able to get pregnant and others able to get others pregnant; some but not all betas experience a regular heat cycle. Omegas are the most fertile and only capable of becoming pregnant; they experience a regular heat cycle.

Reproduction for everyone is on a estrus cycle, rather than menstrual (meaning no periods; this just makes more sense to me). A true heat does indicate that the person is fertile at that time. Ruts are always sympathetic, or in response to exposure and interest in somebody's heat or rut, or even because things have just gotten really steamy between people. Heats can also be sympathetic, in response to a rut or even someone's heat, but a person can only get pregnant during their estrus (when they are fertile and/or during true heat). Bonding can occur as long as both parties are in heat/rut (during which the bonding glands are active), regardless of whether sex is actually happening. Heats and ruts are primarily periods of heightened libido/overall horniness--nobody HAS to have sex to deal with either. The associated pheromones don't make anyone lose sense or control.

Also, no one really cares that much about another person's gender or sexuality in this AU because it's my AU and I said so.

Stories will be posted in the order they are written until it becomes necessary for them to be sorted otherwise.

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