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Steve had never been more scared in his life.
He’d been through some things, he thought. Things that changed you as a person, probably. But now he understands why humans are apex predators.
Because he’s being hunted.
He’d started following Steve a few blocks back. He doesn’t have anything on him, pepper spray or a knife. He has keys and fear on his side.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he chastises himself, blinking tears away and speeding up the tiniest bit. He sees, in the reflection of shop windows across the street, he’s matching Steve’s pace.
Fuck.
He doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know who to ask for help, when he suddenly sees someone.
He’s an Alpha, Steve can tell right away, even though he’s not as strong-looking as other Alphas. He’s intimidating enough, all leather and chains and wild hair and tattoos, and Steve doesn’t know much about this punk kind of community, but he knows it’s a community, knows this is the safest person he’s gonna find.
He speeds up the tiniest bit more, is practically jogging when he reaches the man. “Baby!” He exclaims, throwing his arms around the man.
The man startles, but seems to catch on quickly, wrapping his own arms around Steve’s waist. “Hey, darlin’,” he says happily, loud enough it carries. “How was your day?”
“Alright,” Steve admits, letting out a little chuckle full of stress.
“Yeah? What made it just alright?” He questions, stepping back to wrap his arm loosely around Steve’s waist, the barest hint of pressure to suggest they keep walking the direction Steve was heading.
Steve thinks, silently, he could fall in love with this man. He’s halfway there based on scent alone.
“Oh, you know.” He keeps his tone light, pretends to look at the man holding him. Actually looks past him, to more shop windows. The man who was following him disappears down a side street, and Steve feels so relieved he nearly collapses.
“Oh, hell,” he breathes out, stepping back and gusting out a sigh. “I’m so sorry, fuck, he was- he was following me, and I wasn’t sure what to do-”
The alpha shushes him. “Hey, hey, hey, you’re okay. I get it, I saw him, and hey, I’ve definitely been in worse situations than a pretty omega throwing themself at me.” His eyes twinkle, inviting Steve in on the joke.
He chuckles a little. “Seriously, thank you so much.” He puts a hand on his chest. His hand is still shaking. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared.”
“It’s okay,” he soothes. “I don’t know that either of us want you going anywhere alone right now, though. Do you have someone you can call? I’m sure we can pop into any of these places and you could ask to use their phone.”
Steve feels a whine build in his throat. “I don’t- don’t have anyone, I’m new here, my roommate is my absolute best friend in the world but she’s busy, and anyways she’s half an hour away, and-” his breath catches on the whine, brings it out on the exhale.
“Hey, you’re okay,” he promises. “Would it be okay if I came with you? Or is there a different designation or gender you’d rather escort you? I’m sure we could find someone.”
“No, it’s-” Steve takes a couple of deep breaths. Wills his voice to stop shaking. “It’s fine, you can- if you’re not busy-”
“I’m not,” he confirms. “And I’d love to walk you wherever you’re going.” He pulls back and extends a hand, grinning. “I’m Eddie.”
“Steve,” he gusts out, grasping Eddie’s hand and shaking it. “Seriously, you don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
“It’s fine,” Eddie promises. “My best friend in the entire world is an omega. She’s used me to get away from Alpha creeps so many times, I’ve lost count.” He puts a hand on his chest, bows his head. “And I’d like to formally apologize on behalf of Alphas everywhere. I promise we’re not all creepy knotheads.”
Steve giggles. “I believe you,” he promises. “Thank you. Again. And… thank you for making me feel like it’s okay.”
“It is okay,” Eddie tells him immediately. “That guy’s a real creep, and if I ever see him again, I’m probably just gonna punch him in the face. No words, not a hey, how’re you doing, just bam! Right in the schnoz.”
Steve giggles again. “I’d pay to see that.”
Eddie pouts at him, offers his arm as they continue walking. “You don’t think I could take him? I know I’m scrawny but I’m hiding some muscle, okay, I- well, I was gonna say I work out, but that would be a lie. The most working out I do is moving amps, setting up for a show.”
“You work for a band? Or- a venue, or something?”
“You could say that,” Eddie agrees, letting go of Steve to hop a couple steps in front of him and bow. “You are looking at the frontman of heavy metal band Corroded Coffin.”
“Oh,” Steve says, nonplussed, “I thought you were punk.”
“Punk?” Eddie exclaims. “An affront to my culture! An affront to metalheads everywhere! An affront to me!” He mimes stabbing himself in the heart, dropping in a heap to the pavement.
It makes Steve laugh as he nudges Eddie’s knee with his toe. “Eddie? Oh no, he’s dead. Guess I’ll have to go on alone, with no one to protect me.”
“And I’m revived!” Eddie exclaims, jumping to his feet. His hair falls in his face, and he spits it out of his mouth as he swipes wildly at it.
Steve laughs, moves in closer to help. He meticulously separates Eddie’s bangs from the rest of his hair, then steps back with a light flush dusting his cheeks, realizing how close they were. “There,” he murmurs.
“My hero,” Eddie intones, sweeping low into a bow again before standing straight up and once again offering Steve his arm.
He accepts, and they walk on together.
His apartment isn’t too far, only about fifteen minutes, and it seems much shorter than usual because of the easy conversation flowing. When they get to Steve’s apartment, he sees Robin’s car and grins at Eddie, motioning him inside. “Rob,” he calls, “I brought my boyfriend!”
She bursts out of her room. “Steve!” She yells, pulling him into a hug. She pulls back to study them. “You’ve never met this man before, you slut,” she tells him affectionately. “Hi, Robin Buckley, who are you?” She thrusts a hand Eddie’s direction.
He grins and shakes. “Eddie Munson, at your service.”
“Hi,” she agrees, then taps Steve rapidly on his shoulder. “Explain. Why do you scent stressed?” She presses her nose into his neck. “It’s old but still there. What happened, Dingus?”
“I was being followed,” he tells her.
“A creepy knothead variety of our designation,” Eddie explains.
“I saw Eddie and he was the first person who looked… safe.”
“He jumped me,” Eddie agrees, smirking at Steve. “Not really beating the slut allegation, sweetheart.”
“Oh, shut up,” Steve tells him, laughing.
“I noticed what was happening,” Eddie continues. “Played along. Creep Alpha left, but-”
“I didn’t want to be alone,” Steve admits. “And I knew you were busy, and way far out, and we don’t know anyone else in this godforsaken city.”
“Now you do,” Eddie tells him.
“Now I do,” Steve agrees softly.
“Eddie Munson,” Robin murmurs, studying him with narrowed eyes. “Why do I know that name?”
“Um,” Eddie says, “are you into metal? I’m in a band.”
Robin snaps her fingers at him, expression brightening. “Corroded Coffin!”
Eddie’s eyes sparkle. “Holy shit, yes! Have you seen us?”
“Oh, no,” Robin laughs. “Not really my scene. But there’s this pup we knows who’s absolutely obsessed. Never shuts up about you.”
Steve frowns. “Dustin?”
“Yeah, Dingus.”
“But I thought he was always going on about the other band.”
“Ah, yes, because as we all know, you can only ever like one band at a time.” She hits him with an extremely judgy expression. “Do you listen when your child talks?”
“Hey, if he’s mine he’s yours, and you know I don’t.”
“Um,” Eddie says, “child?”
“Not actually mine,” Steve reiterates. “But also basically yeah. And yes, he’s obsessed.”
A slow grin creeps across Eddie’s face. “In that case, do you want to do the funniest thing ever?”
Steve’s eyes spark as a manic grin makes its way onto Robin’s lips. “Oh, hell yeah,” Steve agrees.
They work out the plan: invite Dustin over, have Eddie be the one to open the door.
“Hey, little dude,” Steve says into the phone. “You busy for the next little bit?”
“Uh,” Dustin says, sounding distracted, “yeah? I’ve got a test due tonight, a paper due Friday, and then it’s prep for finals. Why?”
“Just, uh. Wanted to see if you wanted to come over,” Steve says weakly. “But if you’re busy-”
“Rain check,” Dustin decides. “Three weeks from Friday?”
Eddie, who’s standing close enough to hear, shrugs and nods at Steve’s questioning look. “Sure, bud,” Steve tells him. “Three weeks from Friday.”
“Okay, great,” Dustin says. “See you!” And hangs up.
Steve pouts at the phone for a second. “No respect,” he sighs.
“Aw, Stevie,” Eddie playfully pouts, “I’m sure your pup loves you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Steve rolls his eyes, but smiles at Eddie.
“What does the rest of your day look like?”
“I do believe the rest of my day depends entirely on what you’re planning with me.” He leans against the wall, shoulders curved toward Steve, who smiles rather bashfully.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?”
Back in her room, Robin calls, “would you like to stay forever?”
Steve instantly blushes firetruck red. “Feel free to ignore her,” he tells Eddie. “She likes to quote movies at the absolute worst time.”
“Oh, I dunno,” Eddie murmurs. His cheeks are dusted pink. “I dunno about forever, not yet, but I certainly wouldn’t mind staying for dinner.”
“Okay,” Steve murmurs. “Chicken work for you?”
“Chicken,” Eddie murmurs back. “Sure.”
Neither of them look away from each other.
The days turn into weeks. That first day—first night, really—Eddie was there, they’d exchanged numbers.
Steve talks to Eddie on the phone most nights. The nights he doesn’t, he’s with Eddie.
At first they’re just friendly. Friends. But there’s something deeper and they both sense it. Eddie’s rosemary-and-walnut scent mixes perfectly with Steve’s lemon-basil. Robin complains about getting hungry around them, and they just laugh, knowing she’s teasing.
Still, that something deeper is there, is entirely present, and Steve knows, and Eddie knows, and he knows Eddie knows he knows. They’re both inching toward a free fall.
There’s one night they’re in Eddie’s apartment. What Corroded Coffin sales don’t cover—which is most of it, Eddie had explained—his shifts at the mechanic shop do. He gets home, weary and grease-covered, and Steve had already let himself in, was making dinner for the two of them.
“Stevie,” Eddie groans, the second he steps foot in the door.
Steve clenches his thighs at the bolt of want that spears through him.
He laughs it off, halfway turns to meet Eddie’s gaze. “Yeah?”
“Fuck, smells amazing,” he breathes. “I’m so hungry I could eat a dragon. Do you know how big those are? And I mean a whole dragon, too, an adult, not a tiny baby one.”
“You’re hungry,” Steve summarizes.
“Starving,” Eddie agrees, brushing a kiss on his cheek before moving off to his bedroom to change.
Steve freezes. Hears the moment Eddie realizes what he’s done.
He’s got a choice to make, he knows. He could pretend like nothing happened. Things would be awkward, for a minute, but they’d get past it.
He could address it. Eddie might get nervous or defensive. Might not react well. Worse yet, he might say he didn’t mean to.
Or…
He sends out a happy, pleased scent, more honey-lemon than usual, and continues cooking.
He hears Eddie walk tentatively out of his bedroom. Hears the moment his feet hit kitchen tile and he smells Steve. “Oh,” Eddie whispers.
“Go change,” Steve murmurs lightly. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Yeah,” Eddie responds. Steve can hear the smile. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he parrots.
He plates the food, and Eddie comes out just as he’s putting the plates on the table, wrapping him up in a hug. His nose dips closer to his scent gland than is strictly friendly, and Steve sends out more of the happy honey scent.
“Baby,” Eddie murmurs. “Yeah?”
Steve leans back into him, lets him support his weight. “Yeah,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s, around his waist.
He gets Eddie’s happy scent for his efforts, woodsmoke and petrichor filling his nostrils as he inhales.
They talk during dinner. About what they’re feeling, what they’re looking for. “Sweetheart,” Eddie tells him. He’s liberal with the terms of endearment, which Steve definitely likes. “I liked you the minute you threw yourself at me, trying to get away from that creep.” He inches his hands over the table, grabbing Steve’s. “But I fell for you the minute you laughed.”
Steve blinks. “The minute I laughed?”
“Mhm,” Eddie nods. “I believe I was apologizing on behalf all Alphas everywhere, who aren’t raging knotheads. You giggled, and you said I made you feel safe, and I looked in your eyes and fell in.” He shrugs. “And, I mean, you know our scents are compatible.”
“More than that,” Steve murmurs.
Eddie nods. “Exactly! And I-” he gusts out a breath. “Hell, Steve, I’m terrified. I don’t know how to be in love. But if it means a future with you? I’d do anything.”
“Love?” Steve asks, scarcely able to breathe.
Eddie bites his lip, grips Steve’s fingers a little bit harder. “Yeah.”
Steve abandons his food, rounding the table and collapsing onto Eddie’s lap. “I love you too,” he whispers. “I know it’s really early, but…”
“No take-backs.” Eddie smiles, pokes his side. “‘S not too early if we both feel it. ‘S just right.”
“Just right,” Steve murmurs, a wondering smile on his face. Suddenly, it turns teasing. “Which one of us is Goldilocks, then?”
Eddie snickers. “Obviously you, you’ve got the hair. My hair’s more like one of the three bears.”
Steve laughs, tugs teasingly on a curl. “Yeah, but I like your hair.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm. ‘S metal.”
“Oh, baby,” Eddie rumbles. “You tryin’a start somethin’?”
Steve hums, pulls back. “No, sorry. Just wanna be near you right now.” He looks up at Eddie. “Is that okay?”
“Perfect, baby,” Eddie agrees. He shifts, drags Steve’s plate closer. “Finish your food,” he suggests. “Then we can go watch a movie. Or call Robin, if I know you the way I think I do, this conversation isn’t going to be able to wait until you get home.”
“Yeah,” Steve says, “it probably can’t wait till tomorrow.”
Careful eyes watch Eddie’s reaction. He smiles, nuzzles the side of Steve’s head. “Definitely not,” he says. “That would be a complete violation of best friend code.” He pokes Steve’s thigh. “Can we call Chrissy after? Can she come over? She hasn’t met you yet.”
Steve narrows his eyes in thought. “Chrissy’s your omega friend, right?”
“She is.”
“And does she like women?”
Eddie laughs. “I like the way you think, baby! Call Robin first, get her over here, Chrissy lives closer than you two do. I’ll call her as soon as you’re off the phone with Robin, okay?”
Steve grins. “Sounds great.” He shovels the rest of his food in his mouth, as fast as he can, then runs to the phone.
Eddie’s not any slower. He doesn’t even finish, excitement pulling any remaining hunger away, and he ends up behind Steve, pulling him into a hug as he talks to Robin.
They hang up after only a couple of minutes, and Eddie dials Chrissy’s number. “Hey,” he says, barreling on before she can even say hi back. “You’ve got ten minutes to get over here if you wanna meet my omega.” He winks at Steve, who beams back at him. Honey and woodsmoke permeate the space, dancing around and melting into each other, creating a soothing blend of scents.
He gets off the phone and turns Steve to face him fully. “Hi,” he murmurs.
Steve giggles. “Hi.”
“Can I kiss you?”
Steve’s eyes widen, and his inhale turns into a gasp. “Please,” he breathes, and Eddie does.
They’re still kissing, just little pecks, by the time there’s a knock on the door, signifying Chrissy’s arrival.
They part just long enough for Eddie to open the door and hug Chrissy. Steve scoots in under Eddie’s arm, leans into him as he greets her. Strawberry pastries bloom as she grins. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”
Steve giggles, shakes her proffered hand. “I agree. I’ve heard good things about you.”
She narrows her eyes at him. “And you don’t think it’s weird that he’s such good friends with an omega?”
Steve grins. “My Alpha best friend is on her way over as we speak. I’d argue I’m one of the few who really understands.”
“Then I’m sure we’ll be just fine,” Chrissy nods, walking into the kitchen and fetching herself a drink.
“Yeah,” Eddie sighs. “That’s Chrissy.”
“I heard that!” She calls.
Steve giggles. “I really don’t think you two can be worse than me and Robin.”
“That sounds like a challenge, baby.”
“It wasn’t,” Steve protests, laughing. “Not everything has to be a competition.”
“It doesn’t have to, but it’s more fun if it is.”
Steve snorts, rolls his eyes, shakes his head. “C’mon.” He motions to the kitchen, and Eddie walks with him.
“So, Steve,” Chrissy says, sitting on the counter. “How did you two meet?”
Steve grimaces. “It’s not a very happy story.”
She sighs. “What did he do?”
Steve blinks, then laughs. “Oh, no, he was great. It wasn’t him at all.”
“C’mon, Chris,” Eddie complains. “You should know me better than that by now.”
“I do know you and that’s exactly why I thought it was you,” she fires back, before looking back at Steve with a little nod.
“I, uh. Robin and I are new here, so I don’t really know anybody yet. I guess I do now, but I didn’t. I was walking and I saw this Alpha following me. And I even tried turning, to see if he was actually following me? And he was. And I didn’t- I had keys, I guess, if it came down to it, but I really didn’t want it to come down to it.” He grimaces, realizes the air is rank with rotted greens. He grimaces again, apologizes. Smiles when Eddie grumbles, pulls him in tighter, and presses a kiss to his temple.
“Want me to continue?”
Steve shakes his head, relaxes in Eddie’s hold. “I can. Just… got overwhelmed for a second.”
“It’s alright, baby. Take all the time you need.”
“I mostly understand anyways,” Chrissy says softly. “If you’d rather skip all that.”
Steve sighs. “He didn’t touch me, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he tells Chrissy. “I saw Eddie standing there, in front of me a little, and he was the first person who looked safe. So I just… pretended. I ran up to him and hugged him, and called him baby, loud enough the guy following me could hear. And thankfully Eddie caught on quickly. He jumped in, no hesitation, and the guy left, but… I was still rattled from it, y’know?”
“Definitely,” Chrissy nodded.
“So he walked me home, came in and met Robin, and… stayed for dinner.”
Eddie snickers. “I think I did what Robin asked, though. I’m staying forever.”
Steve rolls his eyes through his grin. “She’s gonna be insufferable about that.”
“That’s your best friend, baby.”
“Yes, I know,” Steve grouses. He’s still smiling.
Just then there’s another knock on the door, and Steve sprints to open it. “Robin!”
“Steve!” She greets him. He gives her a hug and pulls her into the kitchen. “Robin, meet Chrissy, Eddie’s best friend.”
Robin blinks. “Uh,” she says. “Hi.”
“Hi!” Chrissy says. “It’s really nice to meet you. Steve said you’re like me and Eddie! That’s cool!”
“Yeah,” Robin says, “except we were here first.” She immediately blanches. “Oh, fuck, sorry, no, that implies that what you have isn’t the same as what we have, which means I think you’re a liar, except I don’t think you’re a liar, I swear, I just-”
Aside to Eddie, Steve whispers, “should we give them the room?”
In lieu of an answer, Eddie wraps his arm around Steve and quietly walks them out of the kitchen.
In the living room, sounds are a little muffled, but Steve hears Robin’s ramblings broken up by a softer, higher voice—Chrissy—and soon they’re both talking, a low murmur that works as the background to the steady thump-thump of Eddie’s heart against his ear where his head is pillowed on Eddie’s chest. He yawns, curls in a little. “I could fall asleep like this.”
“I’m here if you want to,” Eddie murmurs, running a hand down Steve’s back. “I’ll be here. Take you to bed, if you want.”
Steve shakes his head. “I wanna stay out here. But if they stay in there for much longer, I’m gonna fall asleep. Especially if you keep that up.”
Eddie chuckles lightly, keeps rubbing his back. “You do that, baby.”
Steve does.
He wakes up slowly, later, in a way he hasn’t in so long. He’s used to his alarm blaring, shocking him awake, and the rare days he gets off he wakes up in a rush thinking he’s late for work. He rarely wakes up slowly like this, pushing his legs out to stretch, tilting his head up, humming when it puts his nose in contact with Eddie’s scent gland. Rosemary and woodsmoke seep into his nostrils, permeates every inch of his brain. He knows, distantly, he’s pumping out the honey again, but it’s unintentional, and he nearly falls back asleep. He drifts for a while, laying in that twilight of sleep, before Eddie shifts, waking up.
He puts a hand on Steve’s back, and Steve wakes up more, purrs. Eddie rumbles out an Alpha purr back. “Mornin’, baby,” he mumbles. Steve just hums again, and Eddie chuckles. “Not awake yet?”
Another hum. “Almost.”
“Take your time, sweetheart.” He rubs his hand down Steve’s back. “I’ll be here.”
Another hum. “When’id Robbie n’ Chrissy leave?”
“They didn’t stay for too long. They left at the same time, and Robin triple-checked that you’d be spending the night here.”
Steve nods sleepily. “‘S good.”
Eddie chuckles. “Yeah. You wanna wake up or go back to sleep, baby?”
“‘M awake.”
“Wasn’t really my question, but I think that might’ve answered it anyways.” He dips his head to press a kiss to Steve’s temple, and Steve purrs again. Or more. He’s not sure he ever stopped in the first place.
His purring is interrupted by a yawn. He opens his eyes with he finishes, blinks in the dim light of Eddie’s room. “Food?”
“I can make some,” Eddie agrees. “How’s eggs and toast sound?”
“And coffee?”
“And coffee,” Eddie chuckles. “You gonna let me up? Or are you planning on becoming a limpet in your next life and you’re getting a head-start now?”
“Wanna go with you.”
“You can, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we’ve still gotta get up.”
Steve huffs out a dramatic breath, rolls out of bed and onto his feet. Stretches, then realizes he’s in boxers. No pants. He squints at his bare legs, then at Eddie, who smiles. “I didn’t want you wearing jeans in bed, sweetheart, I know how uncomfortable that is. I can give you some pajama pants if you want.”
“Yes, please. And thank you.”
“You,” Eddie says, “are most welcome.” He rolls out of bed and strides to his dresser, tossing Steve a pair of red-and-black plaid sleep pants.
He dons his own, blue with pink polka-dots. Snickers when Steve looks between the two of them.
“You wanna know why I put these on? Instead of giving them to you?”
“Yeah,” Steve agrees. “You know I like those better.”
“I put them on,” he pauses for a taffy kiss, sweet and stretched-out, “so you can take them home with you tonight and put them in your nest.”
“Fuck, I love you,” Steve breathes.
Eddie pushes in for another kiss, this one impatient, hot and searing, licking across the seam of Steve’s mouth, pressing between his lips, bullying his way past Steve’s teeth until he can taste him, and it should be gross because neither of them have brushed their teeth yet but instead it’s just good in a way that makes his Alpha light up. “Love you,” he mutters against Steve’s lips, pulling back to tap Steve’s hand, still holding the plaid pants. “Get dressed, baby. I’ll start on breakfast.”
“No, wait for me!” Steve whines, frantically pushing his foot into the half-folded leg of the pants.
Eddie waits, so Steve slows down a little, letting the pants unfold before he shoves his legs through the holes.
They pad out to the kitchen together, where Steve sits on the counter while Eddie pops bread in the toaster and fries some eggs.
Eating is a quiet affair, Eddie hooking his ankle around Steve’s as soon as they sit down, just wanting to keep that touch.
Eventually Steve has to go get ready for work, so he heads home and nearly bumps into Chrissy as she’s walking down the steps of his apartment building. He grins at her. “Hello,” he says, “sleep well?”
She flushes, but winks at him, and he laughs.
He continues on, up to his apartment, where Robin’s waiting for him. She’s in the kitchen, nursing her second cup of coffee. Steve knows it’s her second because she always downs the first the moment it’s no longer scalding. “Well hello there,” she says, lecherous grin on her face. “And what did you get up to all night, might I ask?”
Steve rolls his eyes. “We literally just slept, Robs, I didn’t wake up until this morning. I did pass Chrissy on my way in, though.”
She nearly chokes on her coffee, blush staining her cheeks pink. She tries to wave him away, goes for the sappy comment. “I’ve never known you to fall asleep on someone you’ve only known a few weeks. It takes longer than that for you to be willing to invite someone into your pack.”
Steve flushes, holds up the pants Eddie had on. “Um,” he says, “surprise?”
Her mouth drops open. “You bitch!” She delightedly shrieks.
He giggles. “Guess you were right about me being a slut, huh?”
“You should know by now that I’m always right. And I thought you said you didn’t have sex?”
“Yeah, but I can still be a slut without having sex.”
She narrows her eyes at him. “That’s not how that works, at all, but also yes. You can. And only you, I think.” She shrugs, turns away to head to her room, bumping his arm with her shoulder. “You’re one of a kind.”
“Hell yeah I am.”
“I never said that was a good thing.” She disappears into her room, leaving Steve to stare after her.
To think she called him a bitch.
The week continues as it had gone before; he and Eddie still talk on the phone nightly, except now those are few and far between; they’re usually at an apartment, either bothering Robin or enjoying solitude with each other in Eddie’s apartment. On the nights when Steve doesn’t work the next day, he’ll stay over at Eddie’s.
He doesn’t entirely know what they’re waiting for. Why they haven’t had sex yet. They both want to, but it’s like there’s a lot whisper in the air, something murmuring not yet, it’s not time now, but soon. And honestly? Steve really enjoys the change of pace.
About a week later is the third Friday, the day Dustin’s coming over. Eddie gets there around noon, because when Dustin says six p.m., what he really means is whenever he feels like it.
That’s why, at a quarter after three, there’s a knock on the door.
Eddie slides in his socked feet over the hardwood, nearly running into the door and saving it at the last moment. Steve snorts.
Eddie throws open the door. “Ah, hello! You must be Dustin!”
“Oh holy shit,” Dustin says, blinking wide-eyed at Eddie. “You- you’re-”
“Wow,” Steve says, coming up to Eddie, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him speechless before.” He pats Eddie’s shoulder. “Good job.”
Eddie snorts. “Thanks?” He hip-checks Steve, sending a warm smile his way.
Steve grins back, moves to the kitchen. “In or out, Henderson, and close your mouth ‘fore you start catching flies like that Mona Lisa of yours.”
Dustin scurries inside. Eddie frowns. “Mona Lisa?”
“Yeah, he’s got one of those…” Steve waves a hand. “Plants that eat bugs.”
“Venus fly trap,” Dustin says. “You’re Eddie Munson.”
“I am.”
“And you’re in Steve’s apartment.”
“I am.”
Dustin pauses. “Why in the hell-”
Eddie wraps an arm around Dustin’s shoulders. “Ah, to be young and carefree, to know not the trap of a heart given to another-”
“He’s got a girlfriend,” Steve says, crossing his arms. “Trap?”
Eddie freezes. “Not trap. Uh… fuck, I wrote myself into a corner.” He releases Dustin, bounds up to Steve. Ducks his head and looks up at him. “Forgive me?”
Steve chuckles. “Dramatic dork,” he says, but presses a chaste kiss to Eddie’s lips.
“What the fuck?” Dustin screeches.
Steve winces. “Dude, language and volume, c’mon. Christ, it’s like you’ve never seen two people kiss before.”
“But you!” Dustin says emphatically. “Him! How?”
Steve exchanges a glance with Eddie, then sighs and tells Dustin how they met. “He escorted me home, met Robin, stayed for dinner…”
“Stayed forever,” Eddie mumbles in Steve’s ear.
Steve chuckles. “Even if I thought you were punk when I first met you?”
“You what?” Dustin hisses. They both ignore him.
“Even then,” Eddie promises. “Especially then, actually, as soon as people know I’m in a band they act different. You didn’t. Just kept talking to me like a normal dude.”
“Oh,” Dustin says suddenly. “Really?”
Eddie offers him a crooked smile. “Don’t sweat it, man, according to Robin you’re an actual, genuine fan. Already worlds ahead of the people who didn’t give me the time of day until they thought I could give them popularity.”
Dustin nods. “That makes sense,” he says. “Still. It sucks that people are like that.”
Eddie shrugs. “I feel sorry for ‘em. Chasing everything they can to get an inch closer to the top. What’re they gonna see once they get there? A whole lotta nothing. Plus,” he smiles at Steve, “it means we’re here, now.”
Steve leans against him. Eddie wraps his arms around his waist. “Together,” Steve agrees.
“Together,” Eddie parrots.
“Oh,” Dustin murmurs again. “You guys, like, actually love each other, don’t you?”
Steve tilts his head. “How’d you know?”
“The way you looked at each other,” he says honestly. “Like it belongs in a movie or something.”
“Oh,” Steve murmurs. Eddie’s arms tighten around his waist.
“You’re right,” Eddie tells Dustin. “We do.”
Steve snickers. “We do belong in a movie?”
Eddie laughs, dislodges Steve, swats at him until Steve swats back.
“Wow,” Dustin says, deadpan, “you two really do deserve each other. You’re both children.”
Steve exchanges a look with Eddie. They both charge Dustin, who chants, “Shit, shit, shit!” as he runs for the living room.
Eddie catches him around the waist, throws them both onto the couch, where they lay, giggling and panting.
Steve laughs, sitting on the chair to the left of the couch. “Speaking of children,” he asks Dustin, “do you want to call the rest of the Party?”
Dustin’s eyes gleam. “Holy shit, yes, wait, I brought-” he scrambles up, sending an elbow into Eddie’s gut in his hurry. Eddie squawks and grabs at the back of Dustin’s shirt, but Dustin’s out of reach, and doesn’t notice what he just caused. He digs around his backpack for a minute. “Ha!” He yells, holding up a walkie-talkie. “Okay, hang on, lemme-” he depresses the button. “This is Dustin calling a code yellow, everybody come in! I repeat, code yellow, come in!”
“This had better be good, shit-for-brains,” Max warns him.
“That’s what a code yellow means, Max. And you’ve gotta say over. Over.”
“Fuck you, how ‘bout that?”
“Christ,” Steve murmurs to Eddie. “Meet my feral children.”
Eddie grins back. “They sound like fun.”
“Okay,” Will chimes in. “I’m here. Dustin, don’t answer Max, she’s just gonna have an even worse comeback. Save yourself the pain. And us. Over.”
“El and I are here,” Mike says. “Over.”
“How about Lucas? Over.”
“Here,” Lucas says wearily. “What’s this about? Over.”
“I’ve got someone I’d like you to meet.”
“You didn’t know him until today, shithead,” Steve tells him.
“Is that Steve? Hi Steve!” El calls. “What’s the news?”
He grabs the walkie out of Dustin’s hand, sends him a look when he tries to take it back. “The news is,” he looks at Eddie, who nods encouragingly, smiling. “my Alpha.”
He hands the walkie to Eddie. “Hey, guys!” He says. “My name is Eddie Munson. It’s nice to sort-of meet you!”
“Dustin,” Will says, low and controlled. “Tell me this isn’t a prank of some sort.”
Dustin steals the walkie back. “Dude, I nearly died,” he swears to Will. “It’s him. It’s really him.”
The walkie explodes with noise.
“Who?” Max asks.
“I’ll educate her,” Lucas promises, and then they’re both gone.
Then Mike, El and Will take turns pinging in. During a lull, Eddie swipes the walkie. “I’ve got a question,” he says. “Why do you guys calls yourselves the Party?”
“Oh, shit,” Steve murmurs. “I’m gonna lose you to them.”
“Never,” Eddie promises him.
“Uh,” Will says hesitantly. “We play D&D. It’s how most of us met, we were all interested in playing in school, and we kind of just… bonded.”
“No shit?” Eddie asks. “That’s super cool! Who’s your DM?”
“I am.”
Eddie laughs. “Dude, that’s great! I’ll have to pick your brain for storylines. Maybe we could swap our favorites? Do you have any homebrew or are they all canon?”
“They’re all canon,” Will admits. “But I did add my own twists to a few.”
“Man, that’s awesome! When I first started I was terrified I was gonna mess up. Had to do everything by the book. But then I got more confident and I started adding some of my own stuff in, and then I got even more confident and decided to write my own campaign.”
“And it was good?”
Eddie snorts. “Actually? It was complete shit. But I had good friends who didn’t tell me that, they encouraged me to keep trying, and I did, and now I’m actually good at whipping up a homebrew.”
“Wow,” Will breathes. “Could we- not now, obviously, but-”
Eddie chuckles. “I’d love to talk shop with you, Will.”
“Stealing you from me,” Steve murmurs. Eddie rubs a soothing hand on his thigh, passes the radio back to Dustin. “Sweetheart,” he murmurs, “you really feel that way?”
Steve shrugs, tips his head down. “‘M just… feeling weird, I guess. It’s not your fault. You don’t have to coddle me.”
“I don’t have to do anything,” Eddie agrees, bringing Steve’s hand up to kiss his knuckles. “Tell me how I can fix it?”
Steve shrugs miserably. “I don’t know.”
“You’re just feeling some kinda way?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s alright, baby. Wanna come sit over here with me?”
Steve considers it, then nods and moves from his chair to the couch, next to Eddie, close enough they’re touching all the way down and Eddie can comfortably get an arm around his shoulders. “There we go, sweetness. That better?”
Steve sighs, tucks his face into Eddie’s neck, and goes boneless. “Yeah.”
“See what I mean?” Dustin says, and that’s when they both realize he’d broadcasted their exchange to the rest of the Party.
“There’s something deeply wrong with you, little man,” Max drawls.
Dustin squawks. “Just because you’re taller than me!”
“Yeah, yeah. Yada yada. They’re sweet, is what they are, and maybe if you ever got your head outta your ass where your precious Suzie-poo is concerned-”
“Oh, fuck you, Maxine, and what if your guy hadn’t lived in the same town as you, huh?”
“I’d still be doing better than you!”
“Christ,” Steve mutters, curling a hand into Eddie’s shirt. “Make it stop.”
Eddie ducks down to press a kiss to Steve’s temple. “You bein’ funny or serious?”
“Both,” Steve admits. “But mostly serious.”
Eddie chuckles, then plucks the walkie from Dustin’s grasp. “Alright!” He says. “That’s enough. This is Eddie, Steve, and Dustin, signing off. Over and out.” He twists the knob to turn the walkie off, then tosses it back to Dustin. “Put that away, please,” he says softly.
Dustin turns sad eyes up to Steve. “Did we cause a migraine?” He whispers.
Steve smiles, reaches out to grab Dustin’s shoulder. “Only a little one,” he admits. “Rain check on the rest of today?”
Dustin nods immediately, shoving the walkie into his bag and scent-marking Steve, accepting the same back, and then turning to Eddie with a questioning look.
“Sure, kid,” Eddie chuckles, reaching out and accepting the same. “It was really good to meet you.”
“You too.” He smiles. “I’ve got a key, so don’t worry about locking me out. I’ll get it.”
“Why didn’t you let yourself in?” Steve wonders.
“You told me to knock.”
“When have you ever done something I told you to.”
“…and the key was in my bag and I didn’t want to have to find it.”
“There it is.” Steve sighs fondly, shaking his head. “Never change, Dustin.”
“Never,” Dustin agrees, fishing the key out of his bag and brandishing it at them with a grin. “Call me?”
“I will.”
“M’kay. Bye, Steve. Bye, Eddie.”
“Bye, Dustin,” they tell him, and then the door is closed. Eddie listens for the snik of the lock before he moves himself and Steve to lay down on the couch. “You wanna take a little nap, baby?”
Steve hums. “Should go in my room,” he murmurs. “And… need water first.”
Eddie carefully sits them up, helps Steve stand. “Go to your room, baby. I’ll get you water.”
Steve hums, leans into Eddie for a second. “Thank you, Alpha.”
“Omega,” Eddie softly rumbles. “Love you.”
“Love you.” He pushes off Eddie and walks down the hall. Eddie watches him until he’s in his room, then moves to get his water.
The weeks continue. Eddie meets the rest of the Party. He and Max hit it off like a house on fire. Will has a much quieter, though no less sincere, appreciation for him. Steve teases him relentlessly about Mike’s obvious crush on him. “No!” Eddie cries. “He’s a child!”
The weeks continue. Steve is at Eddie’s apartment more than his own now. Robin’s taken to waving a white handkerchief whenever he leaves, like he doesn’t know she’ll be calling Chrissy the moment he’s gone.
The four of them get together fairly often; mandatory Friday movie nights, at the very least, though more often than not they’ll all just congregate at an apartment and stay until it’s far too late.
Steve and Robin’s lease is up soon. And because he tracks his heats, he knows his next one is due right around when their lease is up. “Just move in with Eddie,” Robin tells him. “Chrissy’s lease ends a month after ours. I’ll renew it, and a month in she’ll come live with me.”
“Maybe,” Steve hedges. “I’ll have to talk to Eddie about it.”
She scoffs, rolls her eyes. “Like he’d ever tell you no.”
Steve blushes, because she’s right and he loves it. “I’ll talk to him,” he promises.
“You’d better,” she threatens.
He does. He’s relaxing on the couch with Eddie after dinner when he looks up at him and asks, “Eddie?”
Eddie smiles down at him. “Yeah, baby?”
Steve works his lip. “What do you think of me, maybe, moving in with you?”
Woodsmoke blooms. “How would you feel about it?”
“I really want to,” Steve whispers.
Eddie kisses him. “I do, too,” he whispers back.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Okay.”
“Um. The timing is… really not great. And I don’t know exactly when it’ll be, so it could be before or after mine and Robin’s lease is up, or it could hit, like, the day the lease expires, but.” He takes a breath. “Would you help me through my heat?”
“Baby,” Eddie rumbles, dipping to kiss his gland. “It would be my absolute honor.”