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Steve was in heaven.
The sweat glistening on his skin prickled as it cooled, sending goosebumps through his body. The shudder that went through him startled a chirp from high in his throat, leading into a long and low purr.
His monthly heat cycles had been much more enjoyable ever since he gave in to the need to have some help instead of trying to pretend a toy was good enough. Turns out all he needed some body heat and a pulse for a long night every four weeks or so, and he was all set.
Steve ground his hips down onto the knot he was currently stuffed with, wrapping his arms around the shoulders of the handsome alpha that it was attached to. This was his favourite position to end up in. On his knees with someone between his thighs, and having them sit up so he could press their chests together. It was comfortable and if he wanted to steal a few kisses he could.
Steve loved kissing. He loved getting his lip gloss all over someone’s mouth and licking it back off. If he felt like teasing, he would make them guess the flavour. Passionfruit. No one ever guessed passionfruit. It was the perfect set-up to roll his eyes and make them try again. It gave him a strange sense of empowerment while still playing up the sweet, soft omega schtick. Steve wasn’t small by any means so he had to put in the work to come off as delicate. He worked out three times a week and was better built than most of the guys in this town, regardless of their designation. His legs looking incredible in a pair of thigh-highs was just a happy consequence.
Thanks to smelling like sweet oranges and daisies, and having eyes that were like a hypnotist’s pocket watch when paired with a strategic flick of a mascara wand, he could shamelessly flip his hair and bat his eyelids and refuse to let a hand go near him until they guessed properly. Steve would stick his bottom lip out in a ridiculous pout and insist the big, bad, alpha was upsetting him by not playing the game right. Whatever alpha was in front of him would be slowly going cross-eyed with the attempts to keep their head on straight to think of a fruit, literally any fruit jesus christ just let me touch you please. Steve would feign defeat and give in after three or four more times and let himself be ravaged. Well, sometimes he’d stop at four anyway.
It was only this alpha that he liked to take those sneaky kisses from lately though.
Eddie was someone who had been in Steve’s periphery for years. They went to school together but ran in wildly different circles.
Steve had a hareem of alphas trailing after him from the day he presented and someone like Eddie was easy to make fun of. Either he hadn’t presented yet or he was on some seriously strong blockers because no one knew exactly which team he was batting for. Everyone eventually assumed he was just a scentless beta and moved on, and he faded into the background of Steve’s daily routine. They barely even interacted beyond the usual inter-clique shit-throwing that filled the halls of every high school until they were long past graduation.
It was when Steve took himself out for a drink one night, feeling the familiar cramp of his cycle creeping around his hips and wondering how quickly he could be on his back, that he bumped into Eddie again. He was behind the bar at a new local spot that Steve had never tried before. The night was slow, so vague familiarity brought them into careful chit-chat. They chided each other at first, wondering what made them each so unlucky that the other was their only option for company. Steve half threatened to leave and find another bar, but the chairs here were comfortable and there were bowls of free olives dotted along the countertop so he stayed.
Steve liked talking dirty in normal conversation to make people blush, and talking to Eddie that night was no exception.
“So what’s got Hawkins’ most eligible omega out on his own tonight?” asked Eddie, leaning an elbow down on the bar and sliding Steve another glass of pinot grigio. “Showing off your new highlights?”
“My cycle is due,” said Steve, play-acting innocent and brushing his fingers through his hair which, thank you very much, had just been done that day. “I need to get a knot in me soon or who knows what kind of bitch I’ll be by tomorrow,”
Eddie’s eyebrow raised subtly, the corner of his mouth fighting a smirk.
“Yeah…” Steve sighed dramatically. “I’d take an alleyway over a bed at this point, as long as I got stretched out well enough,”
Steve poked some more fun, lamenting that maybe if Eddie was an alpha then he’d be the one who got to bend Steve over against a dumpster later. A sudden wave of deep amber and patchouli hitting his nose was all Steve needed to start applying his lip gloss.
The night ended up with him holding onto Eddie’s headboard for dear life, and a phone number that he’d called every month without fail for almost a year now. Steve hadn’t even bothered to try finding another alpha ever since then.
Another deep purr erupted from Steve’s chest as Eddie gripped his hips with white knuckles and did his best to thrust upwards. Steve could feel himself about to drift off to the quiet part of his mind that only unlocked when Eddie threw him around like a ragdoll. The first few times it happened, it scared Steve, but when he got to spend a few hours the next day with words of praise in his ear and a warm washcloth over his skin, he soon got used to it. It ended up as one of the things he most looked forward to every month.
Cool metal wire pressed firm and deliberate against the side of his neck.
“Careful, puppy,” panted Steve with a smile, trailing his lips along the edges of the muzzle where leather straps met skin. “Don’t want you breaking out, do we?”
Eddie growled low and long, the rumble of it through his chest shuddering against Steve’s own. The muzzle was something they had agreed on during their second of Steve’s cycles together. Not only was Eddie an alpha, but he was driven almost entirely by instinct. The strong blockers he took during school were to stop him from ripping out some poor bully's throat. Steve never asked how exactly they figured that one out but admittedly, the idea of Eddie going full-on untamed sent a bolt of heat through his pelvis. Eddie would skip his blockers the day before they were due to get together and it rendered him almost completely animal for the night. His pheromones were strong enough to make Steve feel drunk on the smell. After his teeth got a bit too close to Steve’s mating gland on the first night, they decided that if they were going to continue their little arrangement, then they needed to be safer. Since then, Eddie’s mouth being covered was as non-negotiable as a condom. The only thing Steve thought he was less prepared for than a mating bond was a fucking pup. The C-Section scar would take his speedos out of rotation for at least one summer, for one thing.
“Bite,” snarled Eddie.
His eyes were unfocused and he was right at Steve’s favourite stage of the night. Practically feral and any minute now, he’d flip them over and force another orgasm right out of him. Eddie would barely even remember anything about it in the morning. His yearly rut was coming up soon and Steve, frankly, could not wait. He hadn’t been officially asked yet to be there or anything, but it was obvious that he would be Eddie’s only choice for it. Who else would compare? No one, that’s who.
“You want that, hmmm?” cooed Steve, letting his head drop back. “Want to, ah, want me to be all yours? You want to keep me, alpha?”
Right on cue, Eddie did exactly what Steve knew he would and tossed him onto his back. Face and muzzle buried in Steve’s neck, he pressed it hard against the muscle while he built up a dizzying rhythm between their bodies again.
“Mine. Bite, bite,”
Steve was used to the ramblings that started once Eddie tipped over the edge of his own control. He brought it up once and Eddie, looking very embarrassed, informed him that it happened with everyone and he should just ignore it. Which, okay, fine. So Steve wasn’t the only one who got to hear Eddie beg to bite them while they were stretched four inches sideways around his knot. That was fine. Totally fine. It absolutely never bothered Steve, even a little bit. So, yeah. Whatever, right?
Fine.
The corner of the muzzle dug further into Steve’s skin right as his climax tore through him and Eddie’s words slurred together into one continuous bark. Saliva flew out of his mouth onto the wire and splattered Steve’s skin with the force of the snarl.
Steve screwed his eyes shut and saw stars of gold and red burst behind his eyelids before he succumbed to the silky black darkness that awaited him.
*
Steve woke up feeling off-kilter.
It felt like he was on a boat; like his whole body was trying to sway sideways.
He sat up in the bed squinted against the morning sun. Eddie slept like a rock ,so he never felt the need to invest in heavy curtains. Maybe he was dehydrated? There were bruises already forming across his hips and thighs, last night was probably just a little more intense than usual.
Eddie snored as Steve carefully stood up, almost falling back down onto the mattress. He steadied himself slowly and made his way to the kitchen for a water bottle. It took him longer than usual to walk down the hallway. Almost like his body didn’t…want to? He grabbed an extra water for Eddie and had to consciously stop himself from running back to the bedroom.
Steve forced himself to go to the bathroom on his way back. He left the door open though. He didn’t want Eddie to call his name and he not hear it. Steve shook his head. Eddie would be out cold until almost noon, he knew that. Why was he suddenly so concerned that he’d wake up and need him there?
Steve emptied his bladder and stretched his neck, rolling his head from side to side. The muzzle always left some bruises and it felt like this morning’s might be the worst yet. Typical, he’d left his arnica cream back at home and Eddie never had any. The bruise would settle before he had a chance to do anything about it. Steve groaned and turned to the mirror to assess the damage, his face drawn tight in a wide yawn. He couldn’t wait to get back to bed and snake his way under Eddie’s arm to sleep for another few hours. Usually, he had no qualms about lazing around the living room until Eddie woke up but he was feeling needy this morning.
Steve’s eyes focused on the mirror and his knees went weak.
His neck was covered in a mixture of blood and oil the texture of honey.
“No,” he gasped, reaching up to wipe it away, praying he was seeing things. He flinched as his fingers touched broken skin. There was a tear right over his mating gland.
Tears filled his eyes as he stumbled back to the bedroom, holding the two water bottles close to his chest. How did Eddie get the muzzle off without his noticing? Was it after he fell asleep? Steve’s stomach was turning at the thought of being bitten without consent. It wasn’t even illegal in this state, he couldn’t do anything about it.
Steve crawled quickly onto the bed, pointedly ignoring the bloody patch on his pillow, and grabbed Eddie’s chin, pulling his head around to face him. The muzzle was still firmly on, and there was no way his fangs were long enough to reach out past it. Steve whimpered and looked around, moving Eddie’s head this way and that to figure out what happened, but there was no sign of blood or oil anywhere on Eddie’s face.
It only took him a second longer to notice the dried blood on the edge of the muzzle’s cage.
His mind raced back over the previous night. Eddie pushed it harder than ever into his neck, he remembered that much. He also remembered feeling Eddie’s spit all over his neck. There was no way it hadn’t gotten into the rip in his skin, making his body think that it had found a mate to bond with. An alpha licking their omega’s bite mark until it stopped bleeding was all part of the process. The muzzle had never come close to breaking the skin before, never mind going deep enough to puncture the gland, but as Steve moved his hand carefully over the metal, he could see that the red stain was right on the sharp corner. He put two shaking fingers through the wire and gently pulled Eddie’s top lip up. There was no blood on his teeth or in his mouth. So none of it was in his mouth. That meant the bond wasn’t complete. Eddie’s own biological make up was still riding solo.
What would Eddie think? His feelings on mating bonds were pretty clear, in that he agreed with Steve when he said he didn’t want one any time soon. Would Eddie assume it was a trap, forcing him to mate? It was a scam as old as time. A needy omega would trick an alpha in rut into biting them and then bleed them dry in every way possible. Eddie knew Steve’s family had money though, maybe he’d know that wasn’t what this was. Could he take that chance?
Steve opened his water bottle and tipped some into the palm of his hand, just enough to get his fingertips wet so he could wipe the blood off the cage. If Eddie didn’t know, then Steve just wouldn’t tell him. Simple. His neck would heal up and the bond would probably time out or something, right? Like when he spent hours in the queue to buy Taylor Swift tickets and had six minutes to put in his dad’s credit card before they got given to the next person? Steve only needed two and a half, but that’s beside the point. This had to have like, an expiration date or something, surely? His whole body trembled.
Steve felt sick. He finished cleaning Eddie’s muzzle, as carefully as he could without waking him and stood up off the mattress to find his clothes. It felt like there was a rope tied around his chest, pulling him back towards Eddie with every move he made away from the bed. Once he was dressed he stood still and let the feeling roll through him for a split second. He felt the pressure release off his lungs, breathing in the deep amber and patchouli that drifted off the sleeping alpha. He felt like he could breathe it deeper than air.
Eddie started to stir just as Steve grabbed the pillow off the bed. He couldn’t leave it behind, Eddie would know what happened. He’d make up some excuse about wanting to see if one of his silk pillowcases would fit on it and Eddie would be none the wiser.
“Steve?” mumbled Eddie. His arm eased its way out over the now empty side of the bed, trying to find a warm body.
“I have to go,” said Steve quickly, forcing himself to turn and leave as fast as he could. He grabbed a t-shirt off the floor to press to his neck on the way out.
The walk down the stairs of Eddie’s apartment building felt like walking through molasses. Every part of his body was screaming at him to go back, a ringing in his ears growing louder with every step down. Thank god the shirt he grabbed hadn’t been through the laundry yet because the smell of Eddie that it was laced with was the only thing keeping him upright.
Steve hailed a cab back home and only snapped a little bit when the driver told him to take a shower to get rid of the sour smell coming off him.
*
[Eddie, 15:07]
Hope you got home ok! Call me later?
Steve stared at the text on his phone. He was tangled up in his nest trying desperately to google How Long Until An Unreturned Bond Goes Away. It was a few hours since he’d left Eddie’s place and Steve had only spiralled further.
He placated himself for a while by scrolling through their old DMs and texts, but upon realising he had no pictures of them together, he found himself so angry that he almost threw his phone across the room. Why would he have them though? They weren’t anything other than heat buddies. They hardly ever even spoke outside of the two days before and two days after they spent the night together. Steve liked to give Eddie notice to come off his blockers, and Eddie liked to make sure Steve was feeling okay after. But the other three weeks of the month, it was almost like they didn’t even exist to each other. Steve never even went to the bar. Eddie only called him once or twice to say hi. The sudden thought of being nothing more in Eddie’s mind than an easy hole to fill made him whine so loud that his mother knocked on his bedroom door.
“Steve? What’s going on?” she called through the wood. She tried the handle but it was locked tight.
“Just in my cycle, Mom,” he replied, clenching his fists to keep his voice steady.
“Do you need me to call someone?” she asked. “We have those flyers downstairs for that Alpha For Hire place? I could–“
“Gross, Mom!” Steve yelled. “I’m fine, I’m just… I’m fine, I’ll be fine,”
He could hear her make a hum of disbelief from the hallway.
“You let me know if you need anything,” she said eventually.
Steve dropped his phone onto his mattress without replying to Eddie’s text. He twisted himself around to rub his face in the pillow he took home with him. He hadn’t added it to his nest or anything, it was just there. It was in his hands when he climbed in so it just sort of naturally came with him. And the t-shirt too. He was going to toss them both in the trash as soon as his parents went out for dinner anyway. Or right after they left, maybe. Whatever.
Steve pulled himself out of bed and staggered towards the en suite. All he needed was a scalding hot shower to rinse any residual alpha off his skin, go through his skincare routine, get his hair styled, and he’d be good as new. Google had really been no help, almost every search result had said Steve would need to either complete the bond or go to a doctor to have some sort of artificial oil injected into his gland to fill it back up. The weight of the liquid would sort of reset his hormones and no one would be any the wiser once the stitches came out. That was all just blowing it out of proportion though. As soon as he got back into the right mindset, this would all be a distant memory. He’d even be able to start planning next month’s heat, no problem.
Steve stood back far enough to barely let the spray of the shower come up passed his knees and didn’t once reach for the soap.
*
[Eddie, 21:22]
You feeling ok? You never called yesterday
Steve was face down in his bed again. After another aborted attempt at a shower, he was starting to smell the sting in his own scent. He had been whining into his pillow, okay, Eddie’s pillow, for hours now. He called in sick for his shift at work, sure that a day of rest would set him back on track. His mind was racing too fast to sleep though, and he was left feeling stuck in the ocean without a lifejacket.
Steve was still looking at the message on the screen when Eddie’s name popped up in the centre. He was trying to call him.
Steve hit the End Call button quickly.
[Steve, 21:41]
Fine. Just busy. Text you in a few weeks
[Eddie, 21:42]
You sure?
[Steve, 21:48]
I said I’m fine.
Eddie saw the message but didn’t respond. The pressure behind Steve’s ribcage increased. While part of Steve wondered why Eddie gave up so easily, it was what Steve wanted, he guessed. He wanted Eddie to just leave him alone to let the bond forget about itself. It was just less than ideal that he also wanted Eddie there running his fingers through his hair. Steve mewled high in his throat again.
Steve turned his phone off and squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the sound of his Mom pushing another Heat Helper flyer under his door as he pulled the stuffed toy now wearing Eddie’s t-shirt to his chest. He buried his nose in the cotton and tried his best to drift off, riding the wave of the minor relief it brought him.
*
“Can you wake up please?” said Robin sharply. “That’s the fourth order you’ve messed up in a row,”
Steve blinked heavily and looked at the coffee in his right hand, and the order docket in his left.
Iced white mocha, extra whip, decaf.
Oh, yeah. Definitely different than the hot chocolate with marshmallows he was about to give to the customer.
“You’ve been out of it all week, what’s going on?” she said quietly, grabbing the milk jug out of his hand and shifting him out of the way.
“Must be getting sick,” Steve said. It was a lame excuse but after explaining away the scarf he was wearing the last few days as a cure for a sore throat, it was believable enough. “Sorry,”
Robin eyed him closely. She was the closest thing Steve had to a best friend these days. Even though she was an alpha, she assured Steve a million times that he wasn’t her type. It made it easy to relax around her and feel safe. It wasn’t often Steve was able to drop his guard around someone but she made him able to feel comfortable. She was also willing to carry his bags when they went shopping, there was that too. Robin was as safe a person as Steve ever had in his life but explaining something along the lines of ‘Hey my casual cycle hook-up accidentally burst my mating gland so I’m trying to ride it out alone’ seemed like a lot to dump on someone. They’d only been working together for five months, Steve really wasn’t sure their relationship was there yet.
“Go sit in the back,” she told him firmly, pushing him out from behind the coffee machine. “Once Heather gets here I’ll come talk to you,”
Steve lifted his feet deliberately to make his way in the back office, towards the two wooden chairs and upturned milk crate they called a ‘break room’. He flopped hard down onto one of the chairs and let out a long sigh.
This was getting to be unbearable. The feeling in his bones of wanting to be near Eddie was growing every day. It was nearly a full week since the morning he ran out of the apartment and no amount of hot showers or skincare were making it better.
Robin dropped a pastry bag into his lap.
“Talk,” she said simply, handing him the hot chocolate he’d accidentally made earlier.
Steve hummed and furrowed his eyebrows, taking a sip out of the drink to try to appear nonchalant.
“About what?” he asked. The tremor in his voice was much more apparent in the quiet space between the two of them than it had been in the hustle and bustle of the café. He tugged the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands and cleared his throat.
“You might be a dumb omega but you’re not a dumb omega,” she scolded.
Steve shot her a look of annoyance.
“I know I’m not dumb,” he snapped a bit too harshly. Robin didn’t react beyond scrunching her nose at him.
“What’s going on with you?” she asked, her voice softer than her face. “And don’t say you’re sick,”
Steve tapped the edge of his cup against his bottom lip.
“I’m just going through something weird,” he said after a while.
“Weird?” she asked. “Like a breakup?”
Steve snorted, then winced at the pull in his stomach.
“No, not that,” he said slowly. “I’m kind of trying to make sure I don’t have to go through one, I think?”
Robin watched him through narrowed eyes while she took a long mouthful of her coffee.
“Is it anything to do with your scarf?” she asked sharply.
“No,” Steve answered much too quickly, reaching up to tug at the edge to make sure the still unhealed mark wasn’t visible.
Robin’s eyes narrowed further.
“Do you need help, Steve?” she asked.
Steve considered his answer. What help could she give, if he said yes? Google said that only the alpha who broke the skin could heal the mark so he couldn’t ask her to do that. It would be weird anyway. The idea of Robin licking him made his palms itch. Would she talk to Eddie? Steve would have to tell her everything first and he wasn’t about to do that. He was still too embarrassed that he’d let it happen in the first place.
“No,” he said simply. “I’m fine,”
“When’s your next heat?”
“Don’t tell me you’re offering?” baulked Steve.
Robin turned away and held a hand up.
“I would honestly never,” she said. The look of disgust on her face was only mildly offensive to Steve.
“I have a personal question for you,” Steve said, crossing his legs and ignoring the feeling that every cell in his body had suddenly moved to the left.
Robin jutted her chin out as permission to ask.
“Are you gay?” asked Steve firmly. “You’re the only alpha who’s never wanted me and I can’t think of any other reason why,”
“Are you serious right now?” Robin asked with an incredulous laugh, leaning forward in her chair. “You’re that vain?”
“Am I wrong?” Steve asked. “As if I care, I mean as long as I end up wide open around something shaped like a knot I don’t care who–”
“I am begging you to stop,” protested Robin, sitting back in her chair. “Fine, I’m gay. You’re not wrong,”
“Knew it,” mumbled Steve with a self-satisfied shrug.
“Because you think you’re hot shit?” teased Robin.
“I know I’m hot shit,” said Steve, picking at a hangnail. “Look at me, I’m amazing,”
Robin shook her head.
“If anyone finds out, Steve,” she said quietly, eyebrows raised. “I mean, I’m pretty sure you won’t tell anyone but…”
Steve rolled his eyes.
“Literally what would I gain by doing that?” he asked airily. “And you could have lied, so you must have been more than pretty sure you could tell me,”
When Robin chewed her lip, he used the toe of his shoe to nudge her leg.
“Did it feel good to say out loud?” Steve asked her with a smile.
Robin tried to keep her face straight as she nodded.
“I’ve never said it before,” she told him in a loud whisper, a grin sneaking onto her face.
“You’re secrets safe with me,” said Steve, signing a cross over his heart. “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re quiet about it, or however that song goes,”
Robin laughed.
“Your turn,” she said, crossing her arms. “What’s going on with you?”
Steve chewed the inside of his cheek. He could tell her the basics, he supposed. He guessed he owed her that much after her own confession.
“There’s this guy…”
He had just begun when Heather appeared at the door.
“Steve, there’s someone here saying he wants to see you?” Heather said quickly before disappearing back out into the café.
Steve knew it was Eddie before he walked out. He felt it when Eddie walked into the building. Steve could smell him already despite knowing he would be wearing his blockers. His body moved almost without his permission to seek him out.
“Hey,” said Eddie when Steve was standing right in front of him. Robin was watching closely from behind the counter, wading through the backlog of orders that Heather had been tackling alone.
“Hi,” Steve breathed. Every part of him was alight. “You’re here. Why are you here?”
Eddie’s eyebrows pinched together briefly.
“Wanted to make sure you’re ok?” he sort of asked. “You don’t usually go quiet right away after we, uh…”
Eddie glanced around and grabbed Steve’s hand, pulling him away from the queue of customers. Steve had to hold back a purr from the feeling of relief that lurched through him when their bare skin touched.
“Did I do too much?” asked Eddie. “I mean, are you ok? Are we okay?”
Steve nodded. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. The pressure behind his chest was gone and something inside him was singing.
“Come on, man,” said Eddie, a pinched look crossing over his face. He dropped Steve’s hand. “You can at least open your mouth and answer me,”
“I’m fine,” said Steve, feeling the lack of contact immediately. The loss hit him like a train and he had to take a half step back to stop himself from falling over.
“Steve!” called Robin, having been watching everything unfold. “You good?”
Steve looked over and nodded, and turned back to Eddie to find him staring at Robin too.
“Alpha,” said Eddie. It wasn’t a question.
“Friend,” said Steve quietly.
“Alpha,” repeated Eddie, looking at Steve again.
“Why did you come to see me?” Steve asked him once more.
“Wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you,” said Eddie, giving himself a shake.
Steve opened his mouth but speak but closed it again quickly.
“So I did hurt you,” muttered Eddie. “Look, I’m really sorry, you know I didn’t mean to, I would never... Can we talk about it, tell me what happened?”
“You didn’t hurt me,” said Steve, wide-eyed. “Never hurt me,”
Steve got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t entirely him who was speaking to Eddie right now. The feeling from behind his ribs had spread its way up around his throat and had a grip on his voice.
“So, so what’s going on then?” asked Eddie. “You really freaked me out,”
Steve cleared his throat.
“Must be getting sick,” he said, gesturing to his scarf and fighting against his own body to resist ripping it off and showing off the broken skin.
“Oh,” said Eddie, breathing out heavily. He looked relieved. “That’s, yeah, ok, that makes sense, flu season, right?”
Steve just nodded again. He was starting to feel like one of those bobblehead toys.
“I need to get back to work but, I’ll text you?” offered Eddie, reaching out and squeezing Steve’s hand again briefly.
A chirp almost escaped at the touch.
“And take care of yourself,” Eddie said, prodding the fabric of Steve’s scarf. “Ginger tea always helps me,”
Steve dug his nails into his palms to stop himself from grabbing Eddie’s hand and putting it under the scarf, letting him feel the mark.
After Eddie left, Steve went and sat alone on the wooden chair out back until the end of his shift.
*
[Eddie, 17:02]
You got your heat this weekend?
Steve yelped. The lady in the bus seat in front of him turned and glared at him. He gave a small smile of apology before looking back at his phone. He wanted to call Eddie immediately and tell him yes, yes I do and I want you, I need you there with me.
The ache in his heart was still growing though, and he didn’t want to risk resetting whatever timer he was assuming was ticking away on it. Steve was sure the feeling would plateau soon. It had to. Four weeks felt like a lifetime. His skeleton was starting to feel too big for his skin and if it didn’t stop soon then he was afraid it would burst right out. Rain pounded on the windows and Steve was sure the people around him could still hear the rush of his blood over it.
[Steve, 17:11]
Got an old friend coming around
[Steve, 17:11]
So you’re off the hook for once
[Eddie, 17:13]
Oh. Got it.
[Eddie, 17:13]
Cool
[Eddie, 17:14]
My ruts coming up soon
Steve bit his lip so hard he felt it start to bleed. He had been fantasising about Eddie’s rut for months now, and he was going to miss it because they didn’t think to wrap some damn padding around the corner of the muzzle. Steve took a deep breath and steeled himself, having to nearly use his opposite hand to make his fingers hit the buttons to reply.
[Steve, 17:20]
Hope you have someone fun to spend it with! 🙂
[Eddie, 17:30]
Yeah. I’m all set
Steve got off the bus three stops early so no one would see him cry. At least one good thing about walking home in the rain was that he’d be able to blame it for the eyeliner running down his face. Plus it might wash away the smell of rot that he could tell was oozing out of him. He was staying away from Eddie for both of their own good but right now, knowing he had a partner for his rut that wasn’t Steve… Fuck, he’d never even asked Steve to be there in the first place. It felt a lot like a rejection.
*
Steve’s parents had thankfully left on the business trip the morning his heat came around.
He was a mess. Underprepared with an old knotting toy that hadn’t been used since before Eddie, Steve was afraid his whines would attract any old alpha in off the street. A part of his brain told him that would be a good idea, that he needed his alpha to hear him and come running. The logical part of him, which was fighting for its life right now, knew Eddie lived six miles away and even his heightened instincts wouldn’t catch the noise. And god forbid one of the neighbours come through the door instead. Steve shuddered at the thought of Tommy Hagan sauntering right on into his bedroom.
The toy he was straddling was only about half the size of Eddie. It wasn’t hitting any of the right spots and without the sound of growling in his ear, it might as well have not been there at all.
“I don’t need him,” said Steve to himself through gritted teeth. “It’s not a real bond, I don’t need him,”
Steve bounced on his knees as hard as he could, trying to get the toy deeper than it could possibly go through sheer force of will. He was moments away from stuffing his own fist inside himself just to feel something.
“I don’t…I don’t….”
Steve’s breath got short as he thought about how much he didn’t need Eddie.
“I don’t need his hands,” Steve whined, grinding his hips in a circle. “Or his, fuck, or his tongue,”
Steve bent forward and grabbed Eddie’s pillow from under his own. It was hidden deep in his nest to prove that he didn’t actually need it there, all of his own stuff was piled right up on top of it anyway.
He leaned down and buried his nose in the pillow, picking up Eddie’s scent straight away despite how dulled down it was by now.
“Don’t…Don’t…” Steve repeated.
Steve rolled onto his back. He grabbed the edge of the pillow and turned his face sideways into it. His other hand found the base of his toy and started to pump it quickly in and out. Steve yowled in frustration.
“I don’t need him!” he cried.
Steve bit the pillow and thought of how it felt when Eddie was the one making him bite it.
Thought of how he’d hold Steve’s hands over his head and press his body into the mattress, not letting him move up towards the headboard while he was pounding into him over and over.
Thought about how Eddie would grip the hair on the back of his head and push him face down into the sheets, lifting his hips so Steve could arch his back in the exact way he’d practised in the mirror.
Thought about rocking back and forward on his knot until it stung and then bouncing on it instead.
“Don’t…Don’t need him…Don’t need… My alpha,” Steve wailed. “My alpha, my alpha…”
Steve’s toes finally started to curl. His wrist started to ache and the toy still wasn’t enough, but as he remembered holding his legs up so Eddie could watch his dick disappear inside Steve, it was enough to tip him just barely over the edge.
Steve’s leg finally started to shake as a half-hearted orgasm swept over him. He tried to roll his hips with the sensation but it did nothing towards helping to relieve his cramps. He pulled the toy out of himself and threw it onto the floor. Useless fucking thing.
“My alpha…” Steve whimpered.
He keened quietly until the cool air of the night forced him to shuffle under the sheets. He knew he should shower but he couldn’t face the thoughts of being out of his nest yet.
Steve sniffed loudly and shook his head.
“Stop it,” he told himself. “He’s not my alpha…He’s not…My alpha,”
He grabbed the stuffed animal that was still wearing Eddie’s t-shirt and cried into its neck.
*
Steve called out of work for a whole week.
Heather reminded him over the phone that he was likely to get himself fired if he didn’t show up for a shift soon but Steve didn’t care. His parents gave him an allowance bigger than his weekly pay anyway. They thought an omega should be at home learning to keep house, but Steve stamped his feet and pouted long and hard enough to get them to stop telling him that he couldn’t get a job if he wanted to.
It was three weeks since Eddie came to the coffee shop. Steve had reached the point of breathlessness whenever he thought about him. The mark on his neck still throbbed, sending a sharp jolt through him any time he touched it. It still oozed oil if he pressed too hard.
Steve only just barely getting himself into a strict enough wash routine that he could regulate his scent with only the slight hint of a vinegary tang to it.
The last thing he needed was for Robin to turn up on his doorstep before her shift one morning.
“I know there’s something going on,” she said flatly, pushing her way past him and into the living room. “Just tell me,”
“There’s nothing–”
“You started to tell me about this guy and then a guy turns up looking for you at the shop!” she said, flinging her hands in the air. “It’s obviously something to do with him! Your scents been different for weeks! Did he do something to you?”
“No! Eddie didn’t…” Steve sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. The edges of his nail polish caught on the strands. He’d missed his last two manicure appointments because he was too stressed to go. “Eddie did nothing wrong,”
“But something did happen,” pressed Robin. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me,”
Steve let out a heavy breath and thought of the easiest lie he could find on short notice.
“I asked him out and he said no,” said Steve. “Rejection sickness or something, I guess,”
Robin’s face immediately coloured with pity. Steve almost flinched.
“Oh, Steve,” said Robin softly, bundling him up in a hug. Luckily it was a cool morning so the thick fluffy turtleneck he was wearing to hide his bonding mark wasn’t out of place. “Tell me all about it,”
“Nothing to tell,” Steve told her, enjoying the feeling of her hand swiping along his back while she held him. “He let me down gently and that was that. I, um, I’ve never been rejected before, so not super sure how to handle it,”
Robin quickly leaned back from him, holding his biceps firmly and with a stern look on her face.
“No,” she said solidly. “No, you, you, you are Steve Harrington, you are hot shit, you do not get rejected!”
Steve couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s more complicated than that,” said Steve carefully. “But thank you,”
Robin sighed and squeezed his arms.
“I’d call him a loser for not wanting these muscles,” she said, getting a giggle out of Steve. “But you know I don’t believe you for a second, right?”
Steve’s breath caught as he held a sob, the confrontation catching him off guard. Of course, she knew he was lying. Their friendship was a lot less tentative lately than he liked to admit, especially after their chat in the break room. Robin watched him with soft eyes and Steve felt himself crack.
“I know,” he said, blinking away tears. “I’m just… There's some feelings there that aren’t exactly, um, what’s the word, resipra-something,”
“Reciprocated,”
“Yeah, that,” said Steve, wiping his eyes. “We spent a lot of my heats together, but… I decided we needed some space when I figured out he wouldn’t feel the same way as I do,”
Robin dragged him into another hug.
“How do you know he doesn’t?” she asked gently.
“Because…” Steve hiccupped, pulling away from her and shifting aside the neck of his sweater. “He doesn’t even know he should,”
“Steve,” gasped Robin, putting her hands on either side of his neck and jerking his head to the side. “When did he do this?”
“He didn’t!” said Steve. “Or he didn’t mean to anyway. He goes feral so he wears a muzzle but we didn’t pad the corners, and–”
“You didn’t pad the corners?” hissed Robin. “Are you insane!”
“It’s not like it ever happened before!” defended Steve. Robin rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. “I just kind of woke up and there was blood on the pillow, I grabbed it so he wouldn’t see and ran before he woke up,”
“What did he say when you told him?” asked Robin, putting a hand on her forehead.
Steve chewed his lip.
“Tell me you told him,” she said firmly. “Tell me you told him!”
“No! No, I haven’t told him, alright?” yelled Steve. “I don’t want him to think I’m one of those omegas who tricks people into a bite or a bond,”
“You have got to be kidding me?”
“I’m just going to wait until it loses steam by itself,” explained Steve. “And then I’ll call him for my next heat after that, easy, it’ll be fine,”
“When exactly is your next heat?” asked Robin.
“I had one last week,” admitted Steve.
“Alone?” she yelped. Steve nodded shyly. “Alone with a hole in your neck, you must be crazy!”
“Oh my god remind me again why I even told you?” groaned Steve. “This whole thing is fucking humiliating enough as it is,”
“You can’t keep walking around like this,” said Robin suddenly. “How long has it been?”
“Um, like, six weeks now, I think?” said Steve, chewing his lip. “It’ll go away on its own though soon, right?”
“Six weeks?” shrieked Robin, finally releasing her grip on his head and pacing back and forth. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t– Aren’t you supposed to be comforting me?” Steve asked. “Is this what you think helping looks like?”
“You idiot,” said Robin, running her hands down the side of her face and stretching her cheeks. “Oh my god I can’t believe you, you complete dingus, do you know how dangerous this is for you?”
“It’s not like I’ll die,” snorted Steve. “And stop calling me names, I’m a little fragile right now if you haven’t noticed,”
“You might!” yelled Robin, throwing her hands up and pacing back towards him. “Omegas die of a broken heart all the time, and if you let yourself waste away because you’re too embarrassed to do something about it then I’ll kill you myself. Come here,”
Robin grabbed his face again, squashing his cheeks in her hands and turning his head to study the mark closely.
“I’m not heartbroken, Robin, calm down,” said Steve, trying to wriggle out of her hold. “I just need to wait for it to heal up and everything will be okay,”
“It won’t heal without your alpha, Steve,” said Robin, standing on her tiptoes to keep her view of the bite.
“I don’t have one!” snapped Steve.
They both froze. Steve felt something in his chest tighten more than he thought it could, even now. It got so tight that was afraid his ribs might break at the loud admission that he did not have an alpha to complete his bond. Robin’s eyes were wide, her grip on his cheeks loosening enough for him to turn and look her in the eye.
“I don’t have one,” repeated Steve in a whisper. “So I just need to ride it out, and I’ll be fine,”
“Steve…” breathed Robin. “You need an alpha. You can’t keep trying to do this alone,”
“Have you not been listening?” Steve started to say, but Robin cut him off. His head was wrenched to the side again, and to his horror, he felt a warm glob land right on his neck, right over the mark. Steve and Robin stumbled backwards in opposite directions. They stared at each other, pale and with jaws dropped.
“Did you just spit on me?” shrieked Steve, flapping his hands at his neck.
“I don’t know!” cried Robin. “I don’t know! My instincts took over!”
“What instinct?” chided Steve, putting on a caveman voice. “Alpha need hock a loogie on omega, rahhh,”
“Marks heal with saliva and you know it,” Robin protested, bouncing on the balls of her feet and wiggling her fingers towards Steve’s neck. She at least had the good grace to look as disgusted as Steve felt.
“You spat on me!” Steve was sure the dogs down the street started barking at the pitch of his voice. “Oh my god get it off me!”
Robin came towards him but Steve backed away, pointing a finger at her.
“Don’t you dare do it again, I swear I’ll scratch you,” he said quickly, narrowing his eyes. “I need a paper towel,”
Steve careened through the house to the kitchen, Robin hot on his heels swearing that she hadn’t even meant to do it the first time and had no intention of doing it again. He threw the roll of paper at her.
“Get it, get it, get it,” he told her, squirming in place.
Steve wrung his hands while Robin dabbed at his neck.
“Oh, gross,” she muttered when a line of thick oil came away on the paper.
“Really?” snapped Steve, glaring at her. “I’m the gross one? Really?”
“I’m sorry, okay?” sneered Robin, rolling her eyes again. “You needed help and that was all I could think of. Stop acting like this is the first time you’ve been spat on,”
“I’ve been spat in plenty of times,” said Steve coolly. “Getting spat on is a new one,”
“I’m leaving,” recoiled Robin, turning away from him. Steve grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
“Don’t spit on me and leave,” teased Steve.
“Don’t tell me about people spitting inside you then!” she countered.
“Ew, imagine if it worked and I forget all about Eddie,” Steve scoffed. “But ended up bonded to you instead,”
Robin gave an exaggerated shudder.
“No thank you,” she said, tossing the used paper towel towards the trash and missing, just spectacularly. “I don’t think I could keep up with all your hair and nails and stuff,”
“You get your hair done too, don’t lie to me,” Steve goaded. “Don’t tell me those aren’t caramel honey lowlights,”
Robin laughed and Steve, and for the first time in weeks he found himself really laughing too.
“You’ll be ok,” she promised when they stopped.
“It has to stop hurting soon, right?” Steve asked. The tip of his nose started to prickle as he held back more tears. “It won’t last forever?”
“You need to go to the doctor, Steve,” said Robin, reaching over to grab his hand. “It’s the only other way,”
Steve took in a shaky breath. He knew that. Really, he did. He knew that getting that big vial of fake oil put into the gland would be the only way to fix him without admitting to Eddie what happened.
“I know,” he said quietly, looking down to where she was holding him. It gave him a small amount of relief to have her close.
“And you’re sure he won’t want to, you know, do it for real?” she asked slowly.
Steve considered his answer, rolling the possibilities around in his head before deciding which one to speak on.
“He had someone else lined up to help with his rut, so,” said Steve, taking a sharp breath in. “Pretty sure, yeah,”
“Oh,” said Robin simply. “Do… Did you want it to be for real?”
Steve pushed his bottom lip out as he thought about it.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I never thought about when I’d want a bond. I mean, that was the whole point of the muzzle in the first place. No accidents, right?”
Robin raised an eyebrow and huffed gently. Steve gave her a sarcastic glare.
“But, you know, now that it’s happened,” he continued. “And I’m trying to deal with Eddie not wanting it… I think that’s whats making it hurt more. Knowing that this might be it, and if I don’t, can’t, get fixed, then I won’t be able to see him again. He only agreed to wear the damn thing because he was so against a bond, too. I really don’t think that’s changed, Robs,”
“It changed for you,” she ventured, squeezing Steve’s hand. “You don’t know it hasn’t happened with him too,”
“I already told you,” Steve said with a sniff, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his fluffy sweater. “He never even asked me to be there for his rut, that’s kind of sealed the deal for me,”
Robin took a deep breath in and out through her nose.
“Just think about talking to him, okay?” she asked. “My ruts are like a crime scene, I’ve kept people I care about away from me during them. He might be doing the same,”
Steve offered a tight smile.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said, hoping it sounded more convincing to her than it did to him but he could tell from the quirk of her eyebrows that it didn’t.
“I need to get to work, but call me and let me know what’s going on,” said Robin, wrapping herself around Steve for another hug, scenting him deeply. “Don’t keep me in the dark anymore,”
“I won’t, I promise,” said Steve, muffled by her hair. It was a long time since he was scented platonically and if he was honest, he could get used to it. “I’ll call you in a couple of days,”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said into his ear. “And I’ll be right there when you think you’re ready to come back to work and face the world, too,”
Steve waved her off with a smile.
He called the next day and quit his job.
*
Steve’s parents were overjoyed to hear he’d quit his job.
Robin took it less well, practically pinning him against a wall when he dropped by to leave his apron and name tag back in. He made an excuse to Heather and their manager Keith about finding somewhere better but Robin saw right through him. He silently pleaded with her not to bring it up and that he just needed more space. If nothing else, the recovery time from the gland reconstruction would have him out of whack with hormonal mood swings for at least a month.
It was booked for three days’ time, a week before his next heat was due. He filled out form after form about what his natural scent was, the scent profile of his last partner, and answered four or five mortifying questions about how his gland was broken in the first place. After a long lecture about the importance of muzzle maintenance and one bizarre instance of a nurse trying to convert him to Scientology to let an alien heal him or something, he stopped paying attention when he started talking about ladders, Steve had his appointment. There were some side effects that he hadn’t thought about before, but it was too late to back out now. His emotions would be severely dampened for the entire healing period and would stay slightly numbed for the rest of his life. He hated the idea of not being able to feel things as strongly as he was used to, but if it was an exchange for what he was feeling now? He’d take it.
Robin was going to pick him up the morning of the procedure to drive him to the hospital, and then come back to drive him home that night. She still thought he should talk to Eddie first, and was horrified over the way it would affect Steve’s ability to feel, but his mind was made up. Given that Eddie hadn’t even text him again lately, he was more than sure by now that his alpha didn’t want him.
The.
The alpha.
Because Eddie wasn’t his, no matter how much the throbbing in his neck tried to tell him differently.
Steve had learned to navigate through his day without feeling nauseous every time he moved his eyes. It wasn’t easy, and it definitely didn’t mean that he was in any less pain, but at least he didn’t have to pretend to be sick whenever his Mom asked him to come downstairs for a snack. She had discovered charcuterie boards on their latest trip and was determined to serve every meal in the format. Steve wasn’t sure how many more small crackers and flower-shaped-deli-meats he could stomach.
“You can start helping me to sew every day!” his mother said as she swanned around the kitchen in a loose version of a one-sided waltz, swaying to the music on the radio. “Now that you don’t have to go to that greasy coffee shop anymore!”
“It was really nice there, we had fancy machines,” Steve mumbled. He would miss those machines, even if they burnt his fingers like, three times a day.
“You don’t sew, dear,” his dad had interrupted from his place at the breakfast table.
His Mom stopped turning in circles and glared at him.
“If I had some help I might,” she hissed.
Steve stared down into his cereal and ignored them both. He was lucky he had the strength to stand his ground enough to stop them from calling all their friends with alpha children to try to get him married off immediately. That would just be the cherry on top, wouldn’t it? He would go get his gland repaired and then have it broken again straight away by the first accountant’s offspring they could find. Steve once more thought of Tommy Hagan and almost got turned off his breakfast. The freckles were cute and all but the rest of him…No, not for Steve.
His parents were only home for a few days in between business trips, so Steve wouldn’t have to worry about them finding out about any of what was going on. Three showers a day and orange-scented soap kept them from getting too close to discovering his secret. Any tinge of sourness was easily explained away by claiming he’d worked out too hard that day. He chose to consider himself lucky that his parents never actually noticed he hadn’t left the house to go to the gym one time since they’d been back.
His dad did notice how pale he’d gotten and his mom made a comment about losing some weight, but Steve just shrugged it off as skipping the tanning beds and trying Atkins for a few weeks.
“When’s your flight?” asked Steve once his Mom had resumed dancing around the island. He was well aware they would be gone the morning before he went to the hospital but double-checking never hurt.
“Wednesday morning, darling,” his Mom hummed.
“I’ll keep your accounts topped up,” his dad said from behind a newspaper. “Try not to spend it all on tacky accessories again, please,”
“Balenciaga isn’t tacky, dad,” huffed Steve. “It’s an investment, obviously. You should be proud of me for even thinking about it like that,”
His dad mumbled something that Steve didn’t quite catch, but after dodging a well-aimed dishtowel fired from the direction of his Mom, he didn’t repeat it.
“Besides,” Steve said. “The Prada store is having a three percent sale next weekend, which is basically half-off if you think about it and buy in bulk, so I’ll probably go there instead,”
This time it was Steve’s turn to duck.
*
Steve was woken by the sound of his phone ringing.
He blinked as he squinted towards the clock on his table. It was a little past two in the morning. Panic ran through him. People only called this late at night if someone was hurt, or dead. He immediately thought of Robin, who had called him twice throughout the day to triple-check the time she was picking him up in the morning. Did something happen and she had to cancel? Steve wasn’t sure he’d be able to face getting an Uber to and from the hospital. Had something happened to his parents? There were no car accidents or plane crashes on the radio. What if it happened when they landed so it just hadn’t reached local news yet?
Steve fought against the sluggishness dragging him down. Half a sleeping pill had been more than enough to knock him out before nine. The doctor said he should be as well rested as possible the night before coming in so raiding his Mom’s never-ending supply felt like his best bet.
He didn’t lift his face from his (Eddie’s) pillow as he slid the phone from his nightstand to his ear without checking the caller ID.
“H– mmhmmph, sorry, hello?”
There was only heavy breathing on the other end.
Steve blinked hard to clear the sleep from his eyes and tried again.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
Again, no answer. Steve figured it must have been an accidental call.
“Ok, well,” he yawned. “Hanging up now, ‘night,”
“Omega,”
Steve sat straight up, any trace of drowsiness instantly gone.
“Eddie?” said Steve quickly, cupping the phone in both hands. “Eddie? What’s going on?”
“Need you, omega,” Eddie’s breath was harsh and breathy. “Steve, please, need you,”
All of Steve’s muscles started to twitch and he could feel his body trying to move off the bed without instruction.
“Need me?” squeaked Steve into the handset. “Why? What’s happening?”
A growl rumbled down the phone and Steve quickly understood. Eddie’s rut was about to hit.
“Please, please come to me,” pleaded Eddie. “Need, need, please,”
Steve barely even registered that he was already pulling his shoes on. He stopped himself and planted his feet firmly on the floor to slow himself down.
“Why are you alone right now?” Steve asked, still looking around his room, trying to see in the dark to grab a hoodie and his scarf. “Where’s your rut partner?”
Another growl.
“You,” was all the response that came.
Fuck, this was a bad idea, wasn’t it? Steve threw himself onto the light switch and willed his eyes to adjust to the brightness faster so he could find what he needed. He shimmied the first hoodie he could grab over his head and wound the scarf around his neck quickly.
“I…I can’t,” Steve fought to say, despite already grabbing his keys off his nightstand. His blood was pumping so hard he thought his veins were about to come through his skin.
The sound of distress that came down the phone made Steve’s vision go white. Something in his torso felt like it was screaming.
“Okay, um, I’ll come over and call them for you, your rut partner,” he said, steadying himself again. “We can talk a while or something to keep your head together,”
The growl continued through the earpiece. It gave Steve shivers all over. He put Eddie on speaker and opened the app to order a cab.
“Appointment tomorrow, appointment tomorrow…” Steve repeated to himself over and over in a whisper.
He was trying desperately not to let his heart run away with his head here. Steve was about to get ten millilitres of citrus-flavoured saline pumped into his neck just to forget about how badly he wanted Eddie. Yet here he was, letting the bond completely dictate the fact that he was standing on the street in the middle of the night listening to him grumble down the phone.
It would be fine, he told himself. As long as he kept his scarf on and helped Eddie call his rut partner right away, and left as soon as possible once they arrived, it would be fine. Or maybe he could leave a little before they got there. Steve didn’t really want to know who Eddie preferred over him right now. By this time tomorrow, it wouldn’t even matter anyway so there was no need to complicate things.
As if going to his apartment right when his rut was about to take hold with a secret unintentional bite on his neck wasn’t complicated enough.
Steve was halfway there when he realised he was still in his silk pyjama bottoms.
*
“Eddie?”
Steve carefully pushed open the front door and was instantly hit by the smell of pre-rut. It was almost overwhelming, it made his head swim. It’s was Eddie’s own scent but amplified. Steve didn’t even have to guess that Eddie might already be in his bedroom, it was like a hook in behind his sternum was pulling him in the direction he needed to go.
Steve walked on shaky legs down the hallway until he got to the bedroom. Taking a deep breath, he crept through the door.
Eddie was sitting on the edge of his bed, shirtless and sweating so hard his hair was stuck to his skin. His muzzle was haphazardly fitted over his face, slanted to the left and clasped a rung too loose. It hung closer to his chin than his mouth. His head snapped up when he heard the creak of the door when Steve entered.
“You,” he growled again.
“Hi, um,” Steve was having trouble keeping himself by the door and not immediately going to his side. “Who’s supposed to be here, I’ll call them…”
Eddie was up and across the room in a flash, his arms around Steve so tight he gasped for air.
“You,” was all he said, scenting as best he could through Steve’s hair.
Steve felt like he was cut free of a heavy chain around his gut. Eddie’s scent filled his nose and if he turned his head just a little, he’d be able to lick some of the sweat from the side of his face.
“Safe, made it safe, see?” Eddie said, nudging the muzzle against Steve’s jaw.
It was clear that he was trying to keep his wits about him for as long as possible. Steve recognised it from their usual nights together; the stilted speech when Eddie was about to let himself lose control but wanted to be present as long as possible. Steve had never been there for anyone’s rut before, but he knew enough about them to know that Eddie's was about to barrel through him like a locomotive. He could feel how tense all of Eddie’s muscles were, pulled taut from the strain of keeping himself lucid.
“They’ll be really happy it’s safe,” Steve moaned, trying hard not to wrap his arms around Eddie.
“For you,” rumbled Eddie. “Safe for you. Only for you,”
Eddie pressed the cage against the scarf and into Steve’s neck, trying to scent him there too. He whined when he couldn’t get it out of the way. The pressure against the unhealed skin was enough to send a spark of pain through Steve’s spine.
“Ouch!” he yipped.
Eddie jumped back immediately. The edge of the scarf’s fabric caught in the metal and tugged.
“Hurt you?” he asked, eyes wide and chest heaving.
“No, no!” Steve said, trying to reassure him. “Not that, it’s just–”
But Eddie was growling again. Only this time, it made the hair on the back of Steve’s go up on end.
Eddie stalked back over to him, staring at his throat. Steve’s hands flew to his neck. The scarf had come loose and the mark was on display.
“Marked,” Eddie snarled, digging his fingers into the skin around the broken skin.
“Eddie, it’s okay, it’s no big deal. You didn’t mean it,” Steve panted, trying not to lean into the feeling of Eddie’s hands on his skin. “I’m getting it fixed tomorrow, you don’t even have to do anything about it, I swear, I know it was an accident,”
Eddie’s brow furrowed and he shook his head hard, clearly trying to focus.
“I…Steve….” He breathed. “I?”
Steve trembled under his touch and nodded.
“How?” demanded Eddie. “Would never. You didn’t want,”
Steve gulped.
“The muzzle,” said Steve, unsure how much of the explanation Eddie’s brain would even understand in his current state. “The edge of it dug in too hard last time I was here, and it broke the gland. I’m getting it repaired in the morning, we can forget all about it,”
Eddie let out another sound of distress. He wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and walked them backwards towards the bed until his knees hit the edge. He sat down, dragging Steve into his lap.
“Forget?” he asked, still staring at the mark.
“Yeah, you don’t need to be bonded to some random omega,” Steve tried to joke but Eddie growled again.
“Not just some omega,” he told Steve, touching his neck carefully again. “Mine?”
“Yeah, your bite,” Steve confirmed. “But, look, I just need to know who your rut partner is so I can call them for you and then I’ll leave,”
Eddie lifted a hand and tore the muzzle from his face, breaking the leather straps. Steve yelped as he buried his head in his neck, his nose right over the cut. Eddie inhaled deeply and his whole body relaxed.
“Mine,” he said again against Steve’s collarbone.
“Eddie–”
“No one else,” said Eddie, still breathing deep over the bond mark. “No one else here, only wanted you. Rather be alone than not with you,”
“What?” asked Steve, feeling his eyelids flutter at the soothing feeling of being in such close contact. “You said you had a partner, you said you had someone,”
“Lied,”
“Oh,” said Steve, finally letting himself hold onto Eddie’s shoulders.
“Pushed me away, thought you didn’t want me to be your alpha,” whined Eddie. “Want to be your alpha,”
“Eddie, Eddie, this is your rut talking,” Steve reasoned despite the rational part of his brain being pummelled by the strength of the bond.
“No!” snapped Eddie, tightening his grip around Steve. “Always wanted you, told you every time, wanted to bite, wanted to mate,”
“You, you,” Steve gasped as Eddie’s hands moved to the waistband of his pyjamas. “You said you tell everyone that,”
“Lied,” Eddie repeated. “Had no one else but you,”
Steve felt like he was floating.
“Soft,” murmured Eddie, feeling the material of Steve’s pants. His fingertips slipped under his hoodie and onto bare skin. “Softer,”
“Listen, Eddie, alpha,” said Steve gently. Eddie immediately pulled back to look at him. There was blood on the tip of his nose and his cheeks were flushed, the irises of his eyes blown so far wide they looked black. Steve’s heart swam with how cute he looked. “You’re not thinking straight, okay? You told me you didn’t even want to mate with anyone, never mind me, remember?”
Eddie’s eyes went misty.
“Lied….” he whispered once more.
Steve took a breath and lifted his chin. Eddie’s fingertips were digging into the meat of his hips.
“Well then tell the truth,” he said, amazed his voice wasn’t shaking. “What do you want?”
“You…” moaned Eddie. “Omega, mine, please… Only you. Do it right, make it right, please,”
Eddie pressed his forehead against Steve’s collarbone before sniffing his way back up to the bond mark.
“You really do want to bite me?” Steve gasped. “Like, actually? You want that?”
Eddie’s whole body tensed up again.
“I want to be yours, Steve,” he said in a strained voice. The clarity in his speech made it obvious that he was pushing his inner alpha as far down as he could in that moment. “And I want you to be mine,”
Every fibre of Steve’s being felt like it was glowing.
“I’m really high maintenance,” Steve said in spite of himself.
“Groom you,” rumbled Eddie. “Have money,”
“I have my own money but thanks,” Steve giggled. “But, um, if that’s what you want, then…”
Eddie lifted his head again and looked expectantly at Steve. Steve ran a thumb over his bottom lip before leaning in to kiss him softly.
“That’s what I want too,” he whispered.
Eddie smiled so wide that his fangs popped out over his lips.
“Bite you now,” he said.
“Yeah, you can bite me now oh my god,”
Steve yelped in surprise as Eddie flipped them over so Steve was on his back, bracketed by Eddie’s arms. He brought his hands to his mouth to cover the giggles that escaped his mouth as Eddie wriggled himself into position between Steve’s thighs.
“Off,” grunted Eddie, pulling at Steve’s hoodie. The change in position had caused it to shift up and cover Steve’s neck. “Off!”
Steve didn’t get a chance to lift his arms to actually remove it before Eddie tore it right from his body.
“That was Versace…” lamented Steve, watching the ripped fabric fly across the room when Eddie discarded it.
“Buy you more,” puffed Eddie, resuming his place over Steve and pressing his face into his neck. “Find you better,”
“Doubt it…” muttered Steve.
Eddie’s teeth tracked across his skin and Steve had to consciously keep breathing. He was scenting a line slowly up towards the gland, and Steve felt himself melt more and more the closer his mouth got to it.
“Bite you now…” Eddie whispered again.
Steve nodded and felt Eddie’s fangs sink into him.
Steve’s back arched up immediately, making Eddie grab hold of his waist and push him back down onto the bed. His eyes were wide open when he saw the red and gold stars streak across his vision this time. The bond made music in his bones and he knew every note. Eddie’s tongue lapped up the fresh blood and oil that poured out of him. As his saliva seeped into the wound, Steve felt like a safety net had been set up under him after spending weeks in free fall. His skin no longer felt too tight for his body. His body was perfect because it was all for his alpha.
His alpha.
“Bite me now?”
Steve almost didn’t hear it. He blinked a few times and realised Eddie was staring down at him, blood around his mouth.
“Bite me now?” he asked again.
Steve was surprised. Alphas being bitten in return wasn’t the done thing these days. It was traditional, sure, but only about as much as formal courtships or omegas giving up work once they got married. It was old-fashioned. Only older couples would be the kind to have matching bites these days.
“You want me to bite you?” asked Steve.
“Want to be yours,” answered Eddie, leaning down to kiss him. The blood and oil in his mouth might have been kind of gross if Steve hadn’t been running a river of slick between his legs during the whole experience.
“Yeah, yes,” said Steve, clearing his throat. “Bite you now,”
Eddie smirked at the mimicry and tilted his head, baring his throat for Steve. It wasn’t difficult to see the spot where his mating gland rested just under the skin. It was practically bulging and had a pulse of its own.
Steve craned his neck up and licked over the patch of skin, causing Eddie to shudder right down to his toes.
He opened his mouth and let his fangs drag gently.
“Alpha…” he breathed, before latching his lips onto Eddie’s skin and biting down.
The gush of liquid into his mouth felt like biting into a piece of lush fruit. So perfectly ripe and tailored exactly to his tastes. He didn’t ever want to let go. He smiled around the piece of flesh in his mouth when he remembered that now, he didn’t ever have to. Steve’s body thrummed as it flowed down his throat. The song that had been searing through his body now had company, and two lines of the same rhythm joined together in his veins. His teeth only receded when the feeling of bliss overtook him so much that his jaw went slack.
Eddie dislodged himself and Steve felt him fussing around at their waists.
“Off,” he was muttering to himself again, trying to untie the string on his own sweatpants. They soon met the same fate as Steve’s poor Versace hoodie and were flung away like they had personally offended him.
Steve managed to save his pyjamas by shifting himself out of them before Eddie decided they were disposable too.
Eddie laid his whole body down over Steve’s. He kissed him deeply, both of them pulling the barest amounts of air into the corner of their mouths. He was dizzy with it. Steve’s hand gripped Eddie’s shoulders tightly as the hot line of his cock pressed against his pelvis.
“Mate,” rumbled Eddie. The vibration of it shook through Steve’s ribcage.
“Mate,” Steve agreed, licking over Eddie’s lips. “Come on, alpha, make me yours,”
Eddie put a palm to the back of Steve’s thigh, lifting his leg out to the side, before he wriggled a hand between them to line himself up.
“Wait, wait,” Steve bawled, smacking lightly at Eddie’s arms, who lifted himself up onto his forearm. “I do not want pups right now, do you?”
Steve raised an eyebrow at Eddie.
Eddie let a frustrated bark as he scrambled sideways towards his bedside table and pulled out a condom, ripping it open with his teeth and putting it on without looking. Steve usually liked to check it was on properly but whatever. He wasn’t the one who’d feel it pinching around his knot if it was twisted.
“Now?” Eddie asked. His ability to be sarcastic while in this mindset honestly impressed Steve.
“Hmmm,” teased Steve, biting the side of his thumb. “Guess so…”
Eddie pushed into Steve quickly, not stopping to let him adjust before starting a lightning-fast pace.
Steve was shunted up the mattress before he was grabbed by his hips and pulled right back down again. His nails dug into Eddie’s arms hard enough to break more skin. Steve hoped he left a litter of crescent-shaped scars after him.
Steve could feel their bond swirling around inside him as they moved together. Every touch felt like a live wire. His body jumped like it was possessed, and Eddie was the only cure. He mewled loudly and laughed at the reaction it got from Eddie. Eddie, who had apparently decided that being inside of Steve was the secret to life itself, judging by how deep he was trying to grind into him. The sounds Steve made set him off like a firework.
Eddie’s moans filled the room. A mixture of snaps and snarls, Steve wondered if one of the neighbours might try to complain. Let them, he thought with a grin. Nothing else mattered to him except the way his legs were being pushed up against him, knees almost to his chest.
The edges of Steve’s vision started to blur and he chirped as he felt himself start to drift down into the deep darkness he so loved. Only his alpha knew how to make him feel so good to send him there.
Eddie kissed Steve while he fucked him. They hadn’t been able to kiss during sex since the very first time they were together, thanks to the muzzle, and oh, Steve had missed being able to moan right into someone’s mouth. He felt his body draw tight as a bow and he rolled his head back on the pillow. Eddie followed him, never letting their mouths fully part. They were barely even kissing anymore, just panting heavily into shared air.
Steve didn’t mind, especially when he noticed that Eddie was still saying the words Mine, Mine, Mine over and over.
“Yours,” Steve whined as his orgasm built up quickly. “Only yours,”
His legs kicked out as it overtook him, eyes rolling back into his head and whimpering while he felt himself go boneless under Eddie’s guidance.
“Alpha…” Steve keened.
“Omega,”
Eddie came with a roar. The sound rocked him to his core and he felt it like a crash of thunder.
Steve could feel Eddie’s cock twitch inside him as he filled the condom. Part of Steve’s mind buzzed with the thoughts of what it would feel like to have him be filled instead. Steve hummed at the idea and filed it away for the future. One step at a time, here.
Eddie dropped Steve’s legs and buried his face into the curve of Steve’s throat again as he continued to thrust in and out of him sloppily. Steve’s whole body was shaking. He was purring so hard he thought the bed itself might be wobbling.
Steve went into the darkness with a smile on his face and teeth in his neck.
*
Steve called Robin from Eddie’s phone.
“You haven’t left the house yet, have you?” he asked her, wiggling gently while Eddie trailed kisses over the back of his neck.
“I’m literally about to, I’m not even late!” she told him. “Being early won’t get it done any faster,”
Steve giggled.
“Rob, no, listen,” he said, trying not to laugh down the phone as Eddie’s fingers ghosted over the sensitive parts of his ribs. “Change of plan, I’m not going,”
“You’re what?” she yelled loud enough for Steve to pull the phone from his ear. “Why?”
“I talked to Eddie,” he informed her, feeling himself be slowly rolled onto his stomach. “Turns out you were right, things changed,”
Robin let out a heavy sound of relief.
“Oh thank god,” she said. “I was hoping you would. Today would have been a disaster,”
“Aww, you care about my feelings that much, hmmm?” Steve cooed.
“Don’t get big-headed,” she teased. “And no, it’s not that,”
“What is it then?” asked Steve, getting the feeling he’d need to wrap the call up soon if the heat pressing him into the mattress was any indication of where his morning was going.
“I can’t even drive,” groaned Robin.
Steve did laugh then.
Robin hung up when it quickly turned into a moan.