Archive of Our Own

It was a pretty average night for a life-altering revelation, all things considered. It had been raining steadily for the last few hours, the freezing drops heavy on the roof of the fancy new double-wide the government had shelled out for on Wayne and Eddie’s behalf. Steve was sprawled across the couch, his head in Eddie's lap, Eddie's fingers carding slowly through his hair as a movie played softly in the background. 

Neither of them had been watching for a while now, not since Steve's head hit Eddie's shoulder a little heavier than usual, since Eddie nuzzled at his crown without thinking, since Steve's scent rose up around him so suddenly, so strongly, and something in Eddie felt Steve's need for comfort as keenly as if it had been his own. Most days, Steve smelled of sunlight and dandelions in the grass or pear trees in the summer, something strong and solid beneath that made Eddie think of stones sunk deep into the earth. Tonight it was sticky sweet and sour, a confused jumble that Eddie found hard to parse out.

Wrapping his arm around Steve's shoulder, Eddie pulled him in close. Steve followed without protest, easy, the remains of a joint still smoldering in the ashtray softening their edges. Steve’s head settled in the crook of Eddie’s neck and lingered there, nosing at the skin, drinking in Eddie’s scent and tickling him with his breath.

It was a surprise, coming from Steve. Eddie was always the tactile one, always pushing, his hand ruffling Steve's hair, a friendly arm slung around his shoulders. Sometimes, if he was feeling brave or just downright needy, Eddie would sneak up behind him, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist. Steve never seemed to mind, never pulled away, but rarely initiated any contact himself.

That night, Steve settled his head in Eddie's lap as if he'd done it a hundred times before, as if it wasn't new territory to navigate at all but simple routine. It was a mark of how off-balance he must have been, and it didn't go unnoticed. Eddie’s fingers found a new home in Steve’s hair and they stared at the television screen in a companionable, if heavy, silence. 

They had been spending more and more time together since the summer, since the hospital sent Eddie on his way with a cane and a bag full of medication and a laundry list of instructions he barely understood. Since the others had begun to drift away, first Nancy off to Emerson back in September, then Jon back to California with Argyle for the winter. The omegas said they would split their time to placate Joyce, but Eddie would believe it when he saw it. 

Robin was swamped between work and school, getting some requirements out of the way at the local college, but she was already accepted at U of Chicago for next fall. The pups were around, of course, but busy once school had finally started back, and saddled with early curfews. Parents were a lot more careful these days in the wake of, well, everything.  

That left Eddie and Steve. Steve and Eddie. Just the two of them most nights, patrolling for any potential trouble, any demo-stragglers, any indication that things weren’t quite all right in good ‘ol Hawkins. Most people assumed the trouble was over once the giant rifts in the earth knit themselves back together, contenting themselves with the official explanation of tectonic plates and geologic shifts and other concepts that went entirely over their heads, just as planned by the folks that made them up. 

Eddie knew why the cracks had sealed, of course. He hadn’t been there for Vecna’s demise, not personally; he’d been too busy being hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines in an isolation wing of the hospital, but he’d gotten the rundown, after. Some things stayed broken, while others had wound back on themselves, put back together imperfectly at best. 

Max had woken up, her vision restored, but every memory of the last year gone. Chrissy Cunningham had forced her way into his hospital room on crutches, very much alive, and cried, actually cried, at his bedside because he was in pain. Her bones were riddled with fractures, brittle as glass, and she didn’t remember ever being a cheerleader. 

For his part, he was living and breathing, and most days that was enough, especially considering Eddie was pretty sure he was dead for a hot minute there. Dustin had been certain, and it had taken a fair amount of bullshitting on Eddie's part to convince him he was wrong. If he was still missing several scent glands courtesy of the hellbats’ appetites, well, it could be worse. There was a small chance they would grow back, or so Doc Owens told him. His sense of balance was off by a mile and his nerves really fucking hated him, but Eddie figured he got off light, considering. 

The thing of it was, despite the giant, red-hot chasms closing back up and the gates disappearing, every so often something still managed to slip through. They hadn’t determined where or why, but Steve figured somebody ought to, and naturally, that responsibility fell to them. If nothing had made itself known for a few days by eating a few pets or chasing some poor sap through the woods, they would drive around Hawkins and its outskirts, looking for trouble. Sometimes it even found them, and they ended the night cleaning black goo off their clothes and licking each others’ wounds - figuratively speaking.  

Tonight, though, was one of the other kinds of nights, the ones that found the two of them drinking out at the quarry, watching terrible movies, or counting the stars from the roof of the trailer and talking about futures they both knew they would never have. Eddie talked about getting a recording contract, about seeing the world. Steve talked about going to school, being a teacher, maybe, and every now and then, on the quietest of nights, about having a big family all his own. Those nights were better than the ones spent on the phone until the wee hours when the nightmares had been particularly bad, better because Eddie could reach out and touch and know that Steve was safe instead of having to make do with his voice echoing hollow down the line. 

Tonight, Steve turned up completely unannounced at one in the morning, shifting his weight from one foot to the other on the small overhang that served as a porch, knowing without question that Eddie would answer the door. He hadn’t said anything when Eddie ushered him inside, yawning, still wearing a ratty Metallica t-shirt and plaid flannel pants. Steve had been chilled, wet from the winter rain, and Eddie had dug through the clean laundry basket until he found the softest things he owned and offered them up. 

Steve had smiled, pressing in close to nudge at Eddie’s jaw in a wordless gesture of appreciation before disappearing into the bathroom. Eddie paced a bit before realizing what he was doing and forcing himself to move into the kitchen, fixing them both mugs of chamomile tea. Mugs he nearly dropped when Steve rounded the corner, hair flopping in his eyes and entirely covered in Eddie’s scent. Something in Eddie had shifted, tectonic, at the sight of Steve in his favorite concert tee, looking sleepy and comfortable and most of all seeming very much at home. 

And look, Eddie wasn’t a complete idiot. He’d been gone on Steve for months, since waking up in the hospital to Steve asleep in an uncomfortable-looking chair next to the bed, their fingers threaded together on the mattress beside him. If he was honest, he’d probably been crushing for far longer than that, but Eddie did have at least a little self-respect left, thank you very much, and there was only so much he was willing to fess up to. What he hadn’t realized, until that moment in the kitchen, until they settled in together on the couch and Steve collapsed against his side, was that Steve felt right in a way no one else ever had. That he wanted Steve covered in his scent, wanted Steve in his kitchen at ass o’clock in the morning wearing his clothes, wanted more than anything for Steve to feel at home here with him, because Steve was Eddie’s home. 

There was really only one word for that. 

“My dad,” Steve said hesitantly once the movie’s credits had faded to black. Eddie had honestly thought he was asleep, the way Steve’s breathing had softened, evening out beneath his touch.  “I didn’t expect them to come back, y’know,” he continued. “Thought they’d just sell the house from New York or London or wherever they've been and I’d just. Figure something out.”

“They just showed up?” Eddie asked, stroking his fingers lightly across Steve’s scalp. He shivered, leaning into the caress as if to urge Eddie not to stop, so he didn’t. 

“Yeah,” Steve said, his scent shifting more toward sour. “My dad, he ah - he saw my nest.” 

Eddie felt his blood change to ice. Steve had only recently gotten comfortable enough to build a nest that wasn’t shoved in the back of his closet, one he could actually use instead of just hiding in from time to time. One he could sleep in and be comforted by, using contributions from the entire pack. Eddie had never been in it, of course, but Steve had shown it off once, shyly, asking if Eddie thought it looked all right. 

“What - what did he -” Eddie broke off. He almost didn’t want to know. 

“He made me take it apart,” Steve said, his voice dull. “Made me throw everything out in the garbage.” 

White hot rage replaced the ice in Eddie’s blood so swiftly it made him dizzy. He heard the growl that rose from his chest as if it had come from some other alpha, someone he didn’t know. It couldn’t have been him, surely. 

“I got the bags back out,” Steve assured him, rolling halfway over to look up at Eddie. “They’re in the trunk, if - if you want your things back, they’re not gone, I promise.” 

“You think I’m upset over a flannel and a few t-shirts?” Eddie asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Steve blinked, clearly not understanding. “Steve, I’m upset because your father had no right - absolutely, one hundred percent, no right to barge into your space and - and - demand something like that. It was your nest, for godssakes. That’s - that’s like, sacred.” 

Steve just shrugged, and Eddie wanted to cry. He knew Steve struggled with his father’s limitless expectations, knew he struggled with being an omega simply because his father had expected him to be an alpha. But this? This was a whole new level of cruelty from the man who was supposed to have set an example for his son, the man who was supposed to have been a parent. Not that Eddie would know much about that, anyway.  

“You can build it here, if you want,” Eddie offered before he could really think it through, knowing it didn’t make any sense. There wasn’t a spare room, and Steve couldn’t very well build his nest in an alpha’s territory if they weren’t - well, if they hadn’t - 

“I was thinking,” Steve said, breaking off into a soft purr when Eddie’s fingers brushed the top of his neck at the hairline. “Maybe I could just - keep the bags here? Until they leave again? I don’t want to risk my dad finding them.”

“Of course you can,” Eddie said, thankful that Steve had effectively dodged the implications of what Eddie had blurted out in the moment. Besides, he wasn’t about to protest the idea of having so many things that smelled like Steve - and the pack, of course - in his home. If he stole, say, a soft towel or pillowcase with Steve’s scent to keep for himself, well, you really couldn’t blame him.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Steve said with a yawn, settling back on his side. 

Eddie meant to suggest that they move to his bed, where they had crashed countless times before, but he must have drifted off before he could voice the idea. The couch was where Wayne found them after his shift, half curled around each other, Eddie protective of Steve even in his sleep. Eddie dodged Wayne's knowing look as he shuffled Steve off down the hall and watched him snuggle into the bedclothes, pressing his nose to a pillow and breathing in Eddie's scent with a sleepy smile. 

Crawling in beside him, Eddie's sleep-addled brain took a risk he wouldn't have dared had they been more awake. When sharing a bed, they generally kept to their own sides, save for the few times Eddie had woken up with Steve plastered to his back, or his head on Steve’s chest, those times they never, ever talked about it. Tonight, his head full of cotton and half-forgotten dreams, Eddie wrapped one arm around Steve's middle and held him loosely, nosing at his hairline. 

“Eddie,” Steve murmured drowsily, pressing back against him. 

“I've got you,” Eddie whispered.

“I know,” Steve answered, maybe, it was difficult to tell with the way his face was smushed into the pillowcase. His hand covered Eddie's on his stomach, and before he could think better of it, before he thought at all, Eddie pressed a soft, barely there kiss to the back of Steve's neck. He held his breath, waiting for Steve to call him out on it, but a quiet snuffle followed by a snore was all the answer he received.

It was a different sort of night a week later when everything crystallized, coming into sharper focus. Snow had been piling up for days, turning downtown Hawkins into a picturesque scene straight off a Christmas card, if a couple of months late. Most Christmas cards didn't have sound effects, however, and in the three dimensional world, an ear-splitting shriek broke the stillness of the otherwise peaceful night. 

“I think that's our cue,” Eddie said, turning the van down a side street and parking behind a vacant building. The shriek came again, and Steve bolted out of the passenger seat, Eddie struggling along behind through the snow. He was much steadier on his feet these days after months of rehab, but he still couldn’t keep up with anyone at a dead run. 

Just past downtown proper, the derelict building had once been a popular department store until the “earthquake” ripped it in half. The owners had abandoned the site rather than attempt to rebuild, and now that he got a good look at it, Eddie could see why. A ridge of solid rock now divided the space, the floors tilted and unstable, steel girders protruding at odd angles like broken bones. The roof was half gone in places, and most of the windows were lined with spikes of shattered glass. Two large CAT machines sat idle beneath a blanket of white, demolition efforts apparently halted by the sudden storm. 

Eddie scanned the space ahead with his flashlight, searching for any tracks in the piles of snow dotting the floor. Catching the trail of Steve’s sneakers weaving in and out between metal clothing racks and broken mannequins, Eddie cautiously followed. Nothing else had disturbed the pristine patches of white save what looked like a tire track from a motorcycle. It was a little wider than most bike tires, and Eddie had to wonder why in the hell someone would be cruising through the wreckage of an old department store, but who was he to judge how anyone got their kicks in the wake of a minor apocalypse?

“Motherfucker!” The angry shout came from farther in, toward the back of the store. Eddie heard a crash, then the same shriek as before. It sounded furious, if that was possible. Eddie didn't exactly speak demo-critter, but he knew when something was pissed off. 

Another crash, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass had Eddie rushing as fast as he could, trying not to slip in the patches of snow and ice reflected in his bobbing flashlight beam. His cane stabilized him as he dodged shattered fluorescent lights and rotting piles of material, at last reaching the entrance to a dark warren of dressing rooms. He heard a thud and a sick squelching sound, followed by Steve's taunts. 

“Yeah, you like that, you sonofabitch? Got more where that came from!” Thunk . 

The pained screech that followed was accompanied by a wet splat and an answering noise of disgust from Steve. Eddie scrambled faster. Rounding a corner into an even darker space, the dim moonlight no longer filtering down, he sucked in a sharp breath at what he saw in the beam of Steve's flashlight. 

The light flickered and bounced as Steve wiped frantically at something on his face, but what Eddie could make out was bad enough. He thought at first it was a snake preparing to strike, the way the head bobbed and weaved atop a long, sinuous body. Then he noticed the hundreds of wriggling legs on either side, flailing in the air as the creature reared back, the round ball of its head cracking open with a sickening snap. Fang-filled strips of flesh peeled away, dripping a viscous goo that burned Eddie's nose with its acrid scent. 

He twisted the head of his cane before he could think, pulling out the blade concealed within and lunging forward. His vision now cleared, Steve aimed a blow at the creature's head just as Eddie's dagger plunged deep into its midsection, finding purchase between chunks of chitinous plate by sheer luck. The beast shook and squealed, sending sprays of noxious-smelling spittle in all directions. Eddie grimaced, pulling back on the blade only to find it stuck deep. 

“Fuck,” he cursed, gripping the hollow shaft of the cane and striking out with it instead. Eddie was pretty sure the blows were glancing, while Steve’s strikes were anything but, the nail heads protruding from the bat coming back coated with a horrible, dark layer of goo. Eddie switched tactics, aiming to distract the creature with wild gestures and shouted taunts, smacking it repeatedly with the cane while clicking the flashlight on and off. 

It worked, the demo-beast turning with a hiss to follow his antics, and Eddie backed farther down the hall the way they’d come. It followed until it didn’t, stopping dead in the center of the corridor with a quivering wail. Eddie heard its skull collapse beneath the weight of a final powerful blow from Steve, making his way up behind. 

Eddie barely managed to dodge as the body fell limp to one side, curling in on itself in death. Gingerly stepping forward again, he hastily pulled his weapon from its corpse and jumped back, freezing for a moment to be sure it was well and truly expired. 

“That was a nasty one,” Eddie said, watching a few of the creature’s legs twitch aimlessly in the air like a dying roach on its back. 

“Nightmare fuel,” Steve agreed, shaking thick drops of ichor from his fingers. “Blech.”   

Pulling his flannel over his face, Eddie swiped at various spots that tingled unpleasantly, still wet from the creature's spit. He hoped to god it wasn't actually some sort of acid; he had enough scars already. The sensation lingered, warm and uncomfortable, across his cheeks and upper lip. Bending down, he wiped the dark gelatinous glop still clinging to his dagger on a pile of discarded clothing and realized the cane was cracked as he attempted to sheath the blade. 

“Aw, dammit,” he complained aloud. “Dustin’s gonna be so pissed. Y’think we can get this fixed?” When no response was forthcoming, Eddie turned around, swinging the flashlight in a circle. The hallway was empty.

“Steve?” When no response greeted his call, Eddie walked a bit farther into the maze of tiny rooms, swinging doors half torn from their hinges, mirrors set at odd angles. It reminded him a bit of the County Fair funhouse, or what the funhouse might be like if that year’s theme was the Lemarchand Configuration. “Steve, are you in here?” 

A groan from the opposite direction made his blood run cold. It barely sounded human, and now was no time to be split up if there were more of those things still lurking. 

“Steve?” he called again, knowing he was only broadcasting his location if any demo-beasts were lying in wait. “C’mon man, help me out here!” 

The groan was louder this time, easier to pinpoint. Eddie struck out for the main part of the building, nearly tripping over his quarry where he knelt beside a rack of decaying swimsuits just outside the dressing room doors. “Eddie,” Steve mumbled, rubbing a handful of snow across his face. “Sorry, I’m - I think something’s wrong.” 

“What d’you mean, wrong?” Eddie asked, crouching beside him. The scent from the creature lingered, like burnt plastic or singed hair, clinging to them like a putrid ghost. His hands itched and burned where some stray demogoop still managed to cling, and he jammed his fingers into a small snowbank to wipe them clean. 

“I dunno,” Steve said, shaking his head. “I just feel wrong. I think I might -” A spasm racked his body where he huddled on the ground, dry heaving from the smell. 

Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, Eddie let Steve lean against him, brushing the hair out of his eyes. “Was it what that thing sprayed you with?” he asked, wiping bits of rapidly melting snow from Steve’s cheeks with his flannel. Steve felt warm against him, nearly feverish. 

“Dunno,” Steve replied. “Either that or - no, can’t be.” He shook his head, leaning more heavily into Eddie’s chest. 

“Can’t be what?” Eddie said, feeling Steve’s forehead with the back of his hand. It was burning up, far too warm to be a natural reaction to exercise. If you counted fighting a demo-centipede in the ruins of a retail palace exercise, which Eddie absolutely did.

“Almost feels like -” Steve broke off with a gasp, fading into something very like a whimper. 

“What?” Eddie asked frantically. “Feels like what?”    

“It's embarrassing,” Steve hedged, his breathing turning ragged. 

“Stevie,” Eddie said, trying to keep his tone calm and even. “I've seen your hairy naked ass in a hospital gown. You helped me shower when my legs wouldn’t hold me up. I think we're past embarrassing.”

Steve gave a soft whine, pressing his face against Eddie's chest. “It's like a heat, almost,” he mumbled, before hissing in a sharp breath. “But it hit too fast, and besides -”

“Didn’t you have one a few weeks ago?” Eddie asked. He knew exactly when Steve’s last heat had been; he’d brought over a basket of snacks and painkillers and made sure Steve had enough clean linens and generally fretted like an anxious mother hen for no good reason. Nope, absolutely no reason at all for him to hover while his - while Steve’s scent grew stronger, clinging to Eddie like a touch, even after he made a clumsy escape. 

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, biting down hard on his lip. “About three months after the last one, so pretty normal.” Steve found Eddie’s hand at his shoulder and squeezed hard. Eddie winced, barely holding in a squeak. “Doc cleared me for s’pressants, so I shouldn’t - ah - have another one for a while.”

Eddie knew Steve had hated being off his normal hormone regimen, but his choice to ignore his own injuries post their Upside Down misadventures in lieu of helping others had serious consequences. Infected bites from the hellbats had turned septic, resulting in Eddie briefly having Steve as a roommate in the hospital. His system struggled to find an equilibrium, and Doc Owens had mandated no synthetics until that was achieved. 

While Eddie had been glad of the company - once his initial terror at Steve's condition was assuaged - he would have preferred Steve not come quite so close to death. Though he had to admit, the endless static-filled days of white walls and scratchy bed linens hadn't seemed quite so interminable with Steve nearby, nearly close enough to touch. He read aloud from books the pups brought, frequently lulling Steve into a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep. They watched ridiculous soap operas on the only channel that came in clearly, played house-rules Checkers with pocket change, and talked long into the night. 

The nurses had laughed when Steve was discharged, only to show up again the next day, taking a seat beside Eddie's bed and handing him a new book. Eddie hadn't laughed; he'd smiled, his cheeks warm, and opened to page one.

Now, Steve clutched at his shirt, a shiver running through him that Eddie suspected had nothing to do with the piles of snow surrounding them. He nosed at Eddie's neck, breathing in deep as though Steve couldn't already pick Eddie out of a lineup by scent alone. Hot air tickled his skin, hairs rising in the wake of Steve's lips, gently brushing past. 

Eddie’s head spun. He had heard about breakthrough heats if an omega took suppressants for too long a stretch, but never a new batch of meds actually triggering one. The air filled with the cloying scent of honey and marshmallow and every wonderful sweet thing Eddie had ever tasted in his life, and he struggled not to think about the way Steve himself would taste on his tongue. This was not the time, Eddie repeated to himself. So, so, not the time. 

He was definitely thinking about it. 

“All logical thought aside,” Eddie said, feeling less and less rational himself by the moment. “It, ah, kinda seems like that’s what's happening though, doesn’t it?”

Steve didn't answer, at least not directly. What he did do was crawl into Eddie's lap, forcing him back onto his ass against the freezing linoleum flooring. “Alpha,” he murmured against the shell of Eddie's ear, grinding down into his lap. His scent poured over Eddie like a sudden rainstorm, drenching and surrounding him, and Eddie felt his own temperature begin to rise. 

“Fuck,” Eddie said, his hands reaching out to grasp Steve by the hips without consulting his brain first. Steve purred at the touch, nuzzling against his cheek, and god, it would be so easy to just give in to what he wanted, to turn his head and kiss Steve like his life depended on it, kiss him like Eddie had wanted to kiss him for so long now it might as well have been forever. 

But Steve didn't want him like that. Right now, Steve only cared about two things - that Eddie was an alpha, and that he was within reach. His blood heated, catching flame, and Eddie tried very hard to remember that there was more at stake. Holding himself down by sheer force of will, Eddie gently urged Steve's head back until he could take his face between his hands. 

“We need to get you somewhere safe,” Eddie said, unable to resist stroking his thumb across Steve's cheek. It was getting more and more difficult to remember why he was resisting anything at all. Self-control felt like a fleeting thing, weightless and floating farther and farther away. 

Steve nuzzled at his hand, turning into the touch. “Am safe,” he murmured against Eddie's palm. “‘M with you.” 

“You have far too much confidence in my combat prowess,” Eddie protested, and Steve wrinkled his nose. 

“You're safe,” he insisted, leaning in to mouth at the scent glands on Eddie's wrist, and oh, that was doing things to him. Wonderful things, but terrible for any lingering sense of responsibility.  His skin burned and tingled everywhere Steve’s mouth traveled, a cold fire lingering in his wake. Steve's next words were muffled, his tongue flicking out to lave along the pulse point, but Eddie thought he heard -

“My alpha.” A soft sigh followed three simple syllables that made Eddie's world stop spinning. 

“Your -” Eddie started, the word sticking in his throat. 

“Mine,” Steve growled out, the sound worthy of any alpha Eddie had ever met. He lifted his head from Eddie's wrist, moving in to press against his brow instead. Eddie's hand slipped from his cheek to clutch at the back of his neck, feeling a fever rising within him to rival the heat radiating from Steve’s skin. “Mine?” Steve asked, more softly, rocking his hips against Eddie and making him groan. 

“Yours,” Eddie confirmed, feeling his sense of control stretch thin and finally snap. “If you want me. God, I've always been yours, no one else's.” 

Steve's hand found Eddie's chin, tilting it up and when their lips met, Eddie would swear the sun went supernova. A rush of flame swept through his body, and he surged up against Steve, desperate for friction. He could feel Steve's racing pulse as if it was his own, and the hand not currently tangled in Steve's hair slid down his back to rest at the base of his spine, slipping beneath his jacket.  

Steve rutted against him, feral, breathy moans peppered with Eddie's name escaping his lips between frantic kisses. “Touch me,” he begged. “Eddie, touch me, please, need you -”

Eddie couldn't have denied him even if he wanted to, which he decidedly did not. He hadn't felt this reckless since his last rut, and despite the less than ideal location, despite the biting winter chill and the layers of clothing in the way, Eddie couldn't have been more on board with Steve's request. Sliding his hand along Steve's side, he rucked up the polo, tugging Steve’s undershirt out from his jeans to feel his skin, burning up beneath his touch. Eddie knew his hands had to be cold, but Steve didn't seem to mind, a pleased hum on his lips. 

Fumbling with the closure at the front of Steve's jeans, Eddie couldn't hold in a grumble of frustration. “Button fly?” he questioned. “Really?”

Steve made a noncommittal noise, flicking his tongue against Eddie's lips and rolling his hips up, the pressure against Eddie's substantial erection almost more than he could stand. 

“Okay, okay,” Eddie mumbled, his fingers finding purchase and popping open each button in turn. Steve moaned out his relief, his cock tenting out the soft fabric beneath. While it might lack in length as an omega, Eddie could tell even through his briefs that it was thick, a wet spot already forming where the tip strained against the confines of the cloth. Eddie stroked down, and Steve pressed forward against his palm with a wild, guttural sound. 

He was soaked below as Eddie explored farther, his fingers pressing in just far enough to draw more amazing sounds from Steve's mouth, lips parted, breathless against him. He keened, a musical note in Eddie's ears, and Eddie slid two fingers back and forth as Steve rocked against him. 

“Please,” Steve begged, arms wrapped tight around Eddie's neck, his breath hot against Eddie's jaw, his cheek, his ear. “Please, Eddie, inside me, please.” 

Eddie drew his hand back slowly, teasing Steve's erection before pulling down the waistband of his briefs. His cock sprang free, the curly hair at the base glistening wet, as the tip leaked precome into Eddie's palm. He gave it a single quick stroke, Steve gasping as his hips jerked forward, his dick twitching hard. Loosing his grip on the back of Steve's neck, Eddie slipped his hand beneath the elastic and let his fingers sink into the soft, slick folds within. 

Steve was a furnace, wet and dripping, and Eddie nearly lost himself in the velvet softness that enveloped him, stroking and tugging and teasing as he delayed Steve’s request. His cock throbbed, held captive in his jeans, and Eddie couldn't help it, he felt his orgasm building as Steve pulsed and whined against him. He could be embarrassed all he wanted later. 

Eddie at last circled Steve's entrance before sliding two fingers inside, white light exploding behind his eyelids as Steve squeezed around him. Eddie’s hips bucked, pushing his hand trapped between them forward, his fingers pressing in that much deeper, and Steve moaned, deliciously wanton, pulling back and pushing down against them, again and again. 

“Did you just -” Steve managed between breathy, wordless sounds of pleasure. 

“Uh-huh,” Eddie admitted, still riding the wave of it, his vision filled with static and stars. “S-sorry, I just - you felt so -”

“That's insanely hot,” Steve said, grinding down, and Eddie remembered to move the hand that was grasping his cock when it jerked and throbbed against his palm. “God, Eddie, I'm so close, please -”

Eddie wiggled his fingers, hoping he was doing something right, as he stroked Steve's cock fast and rough. That he knew what he was doing with, at least, just on a smaller scale. The rest of Steve's anatomy, well - he had watched an awful lot of porn, which had to count for something, but this was his first time actually touching someone besides himself. If Eddie could get away without admitting that, so much the better. 

Steve's hips stuttered, his rhythm breaking as he approached his peak, tiny gasps filling Eddie's ear until he clenched down around Eddie's fingers, hard. His cock pulsed, spilling out a thick, hot stream across Eddie's knuckles, and a wave of slick flooded down his wrist. It was the single most erotic experience of his life, and Eddie realized belatedly that he was still hard in his jeans. Sticky and wet with rapidly cooling spunk, but insistently, achingly hard. 

“Fuck me,” Steve demanded, still spasming around Eddie's fingers.

“Here?” Eddie questioned, his ass sore from the unforgiving tile beneath, his muscles cramping from the weight of Steve on his lap. His mind was a tangled wreck, his breath still catching in his chest, and Steve Harrington wanted his cock. Eddie wanted to give it to him, he did, but fuck, it was cold. 

“Here, now,” Steve demanded, his hands already working at Eddie's belt. The heels of his palms brushed against his swollen head through the denim, and Eddie thrust up against him without thinking. Steve slid one hand down the outline of his erection, squeezing lightly and Eddie heard an embarrassing sound leave his throat. 

“Van,” Eddie compromised, his voice coming out with a squeak. “There's blankets in the back and a couple of pillows and it'll be warmer -”

“Fine, yeah, okay,” Steve agreed, thankfully seeing reason.

He struggled to his feet, fastening one button on his fly before extending a hand down to Eddie, who took it gratefully. Steve pulled him roughly up from the ground, and he slipped, trying to find his footing. Steve caught him around the middle and they laughed, leaning heavily on one another as Eddie tried to aim the flashlight forward. Steve seemed to have lost his, but scooped up Eddie's busted cane from the pile of snow where it had landed as they passed. 

Staggering out into the parking lot, Eddie hoped to god no one could see them as they shoved each other toward the van in the pitch dark, stumbling and giggling like a pair of drunken hooligans fleeing the scene of a crime. He fumbled with the keys, unlocking the back doors only to find himself shoved unceremoniously inside, Steve clambering up behind to pull the doors shut with a bang that echoed loudly in the silent lot. Eddie backed across the blankets, wishing they were a bit cleaner, and didn't smell quite so much like weed and sweat and motor oil. 

Feeling something crinkle and squish behind him, Eddie remembered the bags that contained Steve's nest waiting to be dropped back off at his house. His parents had taken off again that morning for somewhere tropical that Eddie couldn't pronounce, and the plan had been to go back to Steve's after a bit of patrolling, get high, and maybe, just maybe put Steve's nest back together. Eddie never would have pushed; it wasn't his place, either literally or metaphorically. But he ached for what Steve was missing, and still felt honored to have been entrusted with such precious cargo. 

It was safe to say that plans for the evening had changed as he heard Steve shuck off his jacket before straddling Eddie's hips, pushing up his t-shirt to expose the waistband of his boxers and the pale, scarred skin of his stomach. Eddie grabbed for the hem on reflex, trying to tug it back down, but Steve wasn't having it. 

“Let me touch you,” he demanded. 

Eddie shivered, but whether from the cold or the command in Steve’s tone, he couldn’t say. “Your hands are freezing,” he protested, trying to cover for his self-consciousness.

“Guess you'll just have to warm me up,” Steve said with a smirk, his fingers roaming up Eddie's chest to rub across his nipples. Eddie's eyes rolled back as the electric sensation skittered across his chest and shot straight down to his dick, making it twitch. His skin felt tight and overwarm, a shifting rush of pins and needles moving from head to toe, and he could almost catch the scent of molten plastic still lingering between them. 

Steve didn’t seem to notice, humming in satisfaction as he rolled his hips forward and back. If he didn't stop, Eddie was either going to come in his boxers again, or die from a heart attack, he wasn't sure which. The odds seemed pretty even at this point. 

He thrust up against Steve, once, twice, fingers digging into Steve's thighs, before he marshaled his self-control to pop the single fastened button on Steve's jeans and start tugging them down. Steve squirmed, shoving his briefs down with them as he tried to wriggle out of both. 

“Fuck,” Eddie heard Steve curse from somewhere near his feet, difficult to tell in the darkened interior. “Shoes.”

Eddie couldn't help it, he outright cackled, pulling up his knees to unlace his own sneakers. He tossed them to the side and got to work on his belt, only to have Steve shove his hands out of the way, a shadow suddenly looming back over him. 

“If you don't get your cock in me right now -”

“Working on it, princess,” Eddie replied, wiggling out of his jeans as soon as the buckle on his belt popped open. He was pretty sure Steve broke it apart, which was ridiculously hot, like surface-of-the-sun hot, and Eddie couldn’t get out of his boxers fast enough. Steve gripped the base of his cock and Eddie let out an honest to god whine, a thing to which he would never again admit to, even under pain of death. 

“Need your knot,” Steve insisted, pumping his fist in short, quick strokes where Eddie had no doubt he would soon start to swell. 

“Glad I’m good for something,” Eddie joked, feeling a weight drop into his stomach. It didn’t temper his arousal in the slightest, and he shoved the whole conflicted mess into a box to be dealt with later. Right now, he had a slicked up, half-naked omega in his lap that needed his full attention. 

Said omega was currently lining up Eddie’s cock and sinking down, the tight, wet heat of him nearly too much for Eddie to take without toppling over the edge again. He didn’t realize he was gripping the blankets beneath him, white knuckled, until Steve gently pried them open and placed them on his hips instead. Steve rode him like he was a mechanical bull, lifting up and pressing back down at a frantic pace, trying to get what he needed, while Eddie thrust up as best he could from below, feeling more like the quarter-a-ride horse outside the grocery store. 

Steve squeezed around him, gasping as he changed the angle, the sounds falling from his lips altering their pitch. Eddie kept one hand on Steve’s hip, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise, while the other wandered, wrapping around his cock and stroking, thick-hooded root to tip. It was already drooling white onto the dark, curly hair where their bodies met, and it twitched in Eddie’s hand, giving a small spurt. Above him, Steve moaned.

“Feels so good, Eddie,” he said. “Don’t stop.”

“Won’t,” Eddie promised, pushing up harder to meet Steve thrust for thrust while he jerked his cock in tandem. 

“Gonna come,” Steve gasped out, and Eddie stroked faster until Steve seized up around him, his cock pulsing out onto Eddie’s chest, just shy of where Steve had rucked up his henley. Eddie could see well enough to watch Steve’s face transform, eyelids fluttering, mouth falling open as his cunt spasmed around him, hard. It was all too much, and Eddie felt his release like plucking a taut string, its echoes vibrating all through him. His body curved with the force of it, his knees bending, his head rising up from the blankets, and Steve bent down to kiss what life was left in him right out. 

It was dizzying; it was perfect. Eddie wanted to spend the rest of his life in this moment, his lips pressed to Steve’s hot, open mouth, the aftershocks of his climax rolling through him in wave after wave of pleasure. Endorphins buzzed in his bloodstream, blunting the pain from complaining muscles. White noise echoed in his ears like a radio station just out of tune, and Eddie’s heart beat out a frantic message meant for Steve alone.  

Sensation gradually returned to his limbs, and Eddie felt Steve’s fingers tangled with his, held over his head against the floor. He rocked gently against Eddie, whose feet had planted themselves flat for better leverage as his knot began to swell. Steve made beautiful sounds against his lips as Eddie pushed up against him, slow and steady, setting his own rhythm. 

“Still good, baby?” he murmured into Steve’s mouth, not even registering the pet name at first. 

“So good for me, Eddie,” Steve answered. “Love your knot, love having you inside me.”

Eddie choked back the words he wanted to say, the words he wanted so badly to hear in return, but knew he never would. That wasn’t who they were to each other, and it killed him, even more now that he knew what Steve felt like, knew what his lips tasted like. There wasn’t any way to forget, and once whatever fever was burning in their veins had exhausted itself, Eddie doubted he would ever taste them again. 

Steve clenched down on his knot, scattering Eddie’s thoughts as a lightning bolt of pure sensation rocketed through him and drew out a loud groan. “Get out of your head,” Steve said, nudging at his temple with his nose, nuzzling gently against his cheek. 

“‘M always in my head,” Eddie protested, pressing kisses to Steve’s brow. 

“You’re overthinking,” Steve said, squeezing again, rocking back and forth just that much faster, just enough to make Eddie’s breath catch in his throat. 

“I always overthink,” Eddie said, his smile teasing as Steve shook his head.        

“Want you here with me,” Steve pressed, increasing his pace until they were both breathing hard. 

“I'm with you,” Eddie managed to say, meaning it so much his voice nearly cracked around the words. “Always with you, Stevie. Always.” 

“You'd better be,” Steve said decisively, pressing another kiss to Eddie's mouth before whispering against it. “Alpha.” 

A storm broke beneath Eddie’s skin, sending lightning through his veins, and before he knew it he had risen up to force Steve over on his back. Steve’s arms tightened around his neck, ankles crossing at the base of his spine as the movement tugged hard where they were joined together. Eddie winced, but the bright flash of pain was brief, and from the sound Steve made, he didn’t seem to mind. He balanced on his knees, pulling Steve up to him as he thrust hard and deep, over and over, letting Steve’s wordless moans guide him. 

He didn’t question it in the moment - where he found the strength and why it didn’t send shockwaves of pain throughout his limbs, too caught up in the feel of being inside Steve from this angle, the heady rush of power and control. Steve offered it up willingly, hips bucking up to meet Eddie as he hung on, following his alpha’s lead. His alpha.

Eddie tried to make it last as long as he could for Steve, feeling the drag of his knot inside, drinking in Steve’s desperate little gasps and whimpers. He toyed with Steve’s nipples as payback, stroked his cock then ignored it, grabbing onto Steve’s hips and holding him in place as he pounded against him, the sound of flesh striking flesh loud in the night. Eddie didn’t want to stop, didn’t want it to end, but Steve was tightening around him, his groans gaining in volume, and he murmured Eddie’s name over and over, begging for touch. 

Reaching down, Eddie wrapped his fingers around Steve’s cock, stroking fast and a little rough, his own rhythm slowing and stuttering as he tried to manage both. Steve wasn’t complaining as his cock jerked, spraying Eddie with the hot splash of his release. Only a few moments behind, his cunt spasmed hard, dragging Eddie to the edge of his third orgasm with a mind-shattering rush. He lost track of the world, golden flashes dancing across his vision as the blackness surrounding him became complete. For a few brief seconds, all he could hear was his own heart before sight and sound faded back in, and he saw Steve panting below him, blissful and fucked out. 

Steve’s thighs shook as Eddie gently unwound his legs from where they still gripped his sides, pulling out slowly. His knot had deflated, but his cock was still worryingly hard, and Eddie wondered just how long this - this thing was going to last. Flopping down on the blankets beside Steve, he trailed an idle hand through the hair on Steve’s chest, feeling like he should say something. One of them should definitely say something.   

Steve took his hand, winding their fingers together where it rested on his chest. “That was amazing,” he murmured quietly, turning his head to look at Eddie. 

He could just make out Steve’s features in the dark, drowsy and sated and pleased. Eddie shuffled a bit closer, pressing a kiss to Steve’s brow, and rested his head against his shoulder. The pain was starting to creep up on him, but damn if Eddie didn’t feel ready to go again, and Steve giggled - honest to god giggled as Eddie’s erection nudged his thigh.

“I kind of hate my dick right now,” Eddie said, only half meaning it. 

“That’s too bad,” Steve said. “Because I’m pretty fond of it.”

“You can have it,” Eddie said, only realizing how that sounded once it was out of his mouth. 

Steve gave a considering hum. “Well,” he said. “If you insist.” Squirming onto his side away from Eddie, he reached back and took hold of Eddie’s cock, guiding it between his legs. Eddie made a series of increasingly more embarrassing sounds as Steve pressed back, finding just the right angle to welcome him back inside and hold him there. 

It felt amazing, but the rest of his body was worn out, aphrodisiac bug-juice notwithstanding, and Eddie grumbled something to that effect against Steve’s shoulder. If he was expecting to get railed again right now -

“Just stay like this,” Steve said, tilting his head back. “Just a little while longer.” 

“Okay,” Eddie agreed, feeling sleep beginning to drag him under. “A little longer.” 

It was still dark when he woke, his side aching from the hard floor of the van and the cold seeping through. Steve was curled up next to him, and at some point one of them must have pulled a blanket over them both. Eddie was still nude from the waist down, and regretting it as the chill targeted his most vulnerable bits. 

Only half of Steve’s head peeked out from beneath the cover, and his hair stuck up in all directions. One eye cracked open as Eddie shifted, trying to ease the stitch in his side, then widened as Steve leaned back. The blanket slipped down, and Eddie could see his mouth open as he stared, unblinking. 

“Oh shit,” Steve said, and something began to squirm in Eddie’s stomach. “Did we - oh fuck, we did, didn’t we?” 

“Uh,” Eddie answered, his brain unhelpfully signing off into static.  “Yeah, we, um. Yeah.” 

“Oh god,” Steve said, running a hand through his hair. Eddie could hear his breathing speed up, could see the anxious realization on his face. 

He regrets it, Eddie thought, feeling as though his chest was caving in and like he might just throw up. He never should have let it go as far as it did, he knew Steve wasn’t in his right mind, Eddie knew it and yet he still - they still - 

“I’m sorry,” Steve apologized frantically, pushing farther back. “Eddie, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“You don’t - you shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” Eddie managed, forcing the words out one at a time, heart withering in his throat. “I’m - it’s my fault.” He turned away, fumbling around for his jeans. Hix boxers were thankfully stuck at the top, and he pushed through the pain to work his way back into them without being able to stand up in the space. Climbing into the front seat, he tugged his keys out of his pocket and cranked the van. It only took three tries to start in the cold. 

“Eddie?” Steve asked, his voice small and distant.

“I said I was sorry,” Eddie repeated, shifting the van into gear. They didn’t speak at all for the remainder of the drive to Steve’s house, and by the time he pulled into the driveway, Steve was dressed again. He popped open the back door and jumped down, stopping halfway to the front door to turn around. 

“You’re not coming in?” Steve asked, realizing Eddie was still in the driver’s seat. Why would Steve want him to come in, after -

“Your nest,” Eddie remembered. Of course, Steve still needed something from him. “Go on, I’ll bring the bags in.” 

Steve nodded, biting his lip, and Eddie killed the engine. The bags weren’t that heavy, but they were decidedly unwieldy, throwing him off balance, and Eddie tried not to show his relief when Steve took one from his arms. Wincing his way up the stairs with complaining joints and without the stability from his cane, Eddie didn’t bother to remove his shoes at the door the way he normally would, wordlessly dropping the garbage bag by the bed. He could hardly stand to look at Steve, so he jammed his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor instead. 

“I’m gonna take a shower,” Steve said, and Eddie wondered why he needed to know that. “Clear my head. Can we talk after that? We should - really talk.”  

Eddie nodded, knowing he was lying. He could only apologize so many ways, and he honestly didn’t want to hear a single thing Steve had to say in return. Not it was just a mistake, not we can still be friends, or worse that they couldn’t . Eddie didn’t think his heart could take it at three in the morning, not after losing his virginity to his best friend in the back of his van and finding out it was all a terrible mistake.       

So once the bathroom door closed behind Steve, once he heard the shower cut on, Eddie did what it turned out he was best at, after all. Eddie ran. 

The knock sounded loud on Eddie's front door, and he ignored it, rolling over onto his side and pulling the covers up over his head. He'd barely gotten out of bed except to pee for the last few days, and had absolutely no intention of doing so now. Some kind of cold or something, he figured from the general malaise that had settled into his bones. A bad one, maybe the flu. It was still flu season, wasn't it?

The knock came again, louder this time, and yet again when Eddie continued to ignore it. Then came the rain of pebbles against his window, clearly audible over the pillow currently covering his head. Rude. 

“Edward James Munson, I know you're in there!” Fuck. It must be serious, if Robin was hauling out his full name. Another hail of pebbles struck the glass, followed by a louder thunk, the sound penetrating Eddie's mental haze enough to worry for the safety of the glass. Broken windows were expensive to replace and Wayne would not be happy. 

“All right, all right,” he called out, throwing back the covers. Thankfully realizing he wasn't wearing any pants, Eddie managed to worm his way into a pair of jeans before stumbling down the hall. “Hold your goddamn horses,” he yelled when the banging began again at the front door. 

“I swear to God, Eddie, if you don't let me in right this instant -”

Eddie yanked open the door and stared down one furious Robin Buckley, fists clenched, her hand raised to pound on the wood again. “Ew,” she said by way of greeting. “Put a shirt on. A clean one,” she added. “You reek.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and wandered slowly back down the hallway, leaving the door open to the cold. Dizziness complicated his search for a reasonably clean shirt, nearly falling ass-over-teakettle when he reached for a faded Vardis t-shirt sticking out from the bottom dresser drawer. Fighting down a dance of black spots in his vision, Eddie managed to pull it over his head and even tied his hair back in a half-hearted ponytail.  

“Better?” he asked, returning to the living room. 

Robin sniffed, frowning. “It'll do.” 

“To what do I owe the immense pleasure of your company on this fine morning, Lady Buckley?”

“It's afternoon,” she corrected. “And you know why.”

“I do?” Eddie asked, eyebrows raised. 

Robin scoffed. “Some alpha you are,” she said, her chin wobbling, and now Eddie could see that her eyes were red from crying. “He didn't come to work, not yesterday or today, he wasn't answering his phone, you weren't answering your phone, so I did the sensible thing -”

“You panicked,” Eddie guessed.

“Of course I panicked!” Robin threw up her hands, pacing. “I made Keith drive me over to Steve's, do you know what that man's car smells like? Do you, Eddie? Because now I do, and I may never get it out of my clothes.”

“Your sacrifice has been noted,” Eddie said, fighting the impulse to yawn that had nothing to do with the conversation and everything to do with this goddamn head cold. The reaction would not help his case one bit.

“Do not start with me,” Robin said, wiggling one finger in the air. “He told me what happened. In detail, just so you know. I had to live through that recap.”

Eddie winced. “Sorry, Birdie,” he said, and meant it. “So what, does he have a cold or something?” Eddie asked, attempting to affect a disinterested tone. He wondered if Steve had the same bug he was currently miserable with, if they had given it to each other when they - 

“Does he -” Robin broke off, incredulous. “Do you have any idea what you did?”

Eddie stared down at the floor, chastened. Of course he knew what he'd done. He'd taken advantage of his best fucking friend in the heat of the moment and ruined the best thing in his life, possibly the best thing he'd ever had. Even if he didn’t feel sick as a dog, Eddie doubted he would have wanted to get out of bed ever again.

It had occurred to him the morning after that neither of them had stopped to get a condom at any point, and while he knew Steve couldn’t have been in a true heat, it was still unforgivably irresponsible. Just one more nail in the coffin he was building for himself. He couldn't help it; Eddie felt his face crumple and he turned away before Robin could see his misery and guilt laid bare.

He wasn't quite fast enough. Robin gently laid her hand on his arm, walking slowly around to face him. “You can still fix this,” she said insistently. 

“It doesn't work that way,” Eddie said, shaking his head. 

“Sure it does,” Robin said, her voice wavering. “Eddie, he lo -” She broke off, letting out a slow exhale. “He needs you. Please, just go apologize.”

“How?” Eddie questioned, hating how weak his voice sounded. “You're right, I'm a shitty alpha. I never should have touched him, he was vulnerable -”

“Eddie,” Robin tried, but he kept going, unable to stop the flow of words.

“Steve thought he wanted - but he doesn't, I know that, and I still - you didn’t see the way he looked at me, he probably hates me, and he should hate me -”

“Eddie,” Robin interrupted again, louder this time. “Don't make me slap you. I'll do it.”

Eddie shut his mouth, teeth clacking. He didn't doubt her. 

“What exactly do you think you need to apologize for?” Robin asked, eyes narrowed, searching his face.

“For taking advantage of him!” Eddie practically yelled. “It wasn't right.”

Robin let out a deep sigh, running her hands down her face. “I can't believe I'm playing translator for the two of you morons right now.” Stepping closer, she put her hands to either side of his face and pressed in, hard. He felt like he was being reprimanded by a grade-school teacher.

“Eddie. Munson,” Robin said firmly. “The fact that the two of you got it on like rabid animals is not the issue here, and I cannot believe I had to utter that sentence.”

“It's not?” Eddie asked, peeling her hands from his cheeks and holding onto them for dear life instead. 

“No!” Robin said, stamping her foot. “You freaked out and left, that's the problem. If you regret it so much, you need to apologize and work it out like adults. He'll still be your friend, I promise.”

“I don't -” Eddie dropped Robin's hands to tug at his hair, turning half away. “I’m not the one that - Look, I can't be his friend anymore, I just can't.”

Robin stared at him, mouth open. “I thought you were better than that, Eddie,” she said at last. “I really thought you cared about him.”

“I love him!” Eddie blurted out. “God, I love him so much, and that's why I left, because he deserves better. He said he was sorry, Rob. He's the one that regrets it, okay?”

“Stop talking,” Robin said. “Steve's not upset with you, he's sick. His alpha rejected him, and he is sick, and you need to fix this. ”

“His - his alpha -”

“Yeah, Eddie. You.” She poked one finger straight into his sternum. 

Eddie gaped, hands still stuck in his hair. “Robin, when he realized what we did he was horrified, okay? You didn’t see his face. He doesn’t want me as his alpha. He probably doesn’t want me in the same zip code.”

“Just talk to him, Eddie,” Robin urged. “I promise, you’ve got this wrong.”

“I don’t think so,” Eddie said, shaking his head. 

“Okay, you know what?” Robin said, the schoolmarm tone back in her voice. “You're coming with me.” 

“What? Where?” Eddie took a step back, narrowing his eyes.

Robin's glare was response enough. Grabbing the keys to his van from the countertop, she shoved them into his palm and hauled him toward the door. “I’m not walking all the way back through the woods, you’re driving us.” 

“Let me at least get my coat for chrissakes,” Eddie protested, reaching to grab the leather where it hung over a kitchen chair. The world spun, and he grabbed at the table for stability, belatedly remembering his cane was busted. Driving in his current state was a terrible idea, and he was about to do it anyway, because the wrath of Robin Buckley was frankly terrifying. That, and if there was any chance she was right - if Steve didn’t actually hate him -

Well, Eddie supposed he would probably drive to the ends of the earth for that chance.   

Steve’s house loomed up ahead before Eddie was prepared for it, the bouquet of gas station flowers suddenly looking limp and inadequate where he had balanced them on the console. He’d forgotten the van was running on fumes, and probably wouldn’t coast its way to Loch Nora without a couple of gallons of assistance from the local Mobil station. Eddie wouldn’t have even realized it was Valentine’s Day if not for the little calendar propped up by the cash register, and he’d panicked. 

Robin had looked at them askance. “He probably doesn’t know what day it is either, for the record,” she had reassured him, frowning a little at the tissue-wrapped mess in Eddie’s hands.

He had done the best he could, plucking the best looking flowers from the three half-wilted bouquets left on the rack and making his own. It was mainly carnations in uneven shades of purple, but he’d thrown in a couple of artificially pink daisies, some baby's breath, and a green puffball that just looked neat. It didn’t really scream be my valentine, but neither did Eddie in his wrinkled t-shirt and unwashed hair.

Like the rest of him, Eddie supposed the bouquet would have to do. 

“You know you have to get out of the car if you want to actually -”

“Yes, Buckley, I do understand that,” Eddie managed through gritted teeth, shifting the van out of gear. “The problem is that I’m scared shitless.”

Robin reached out to squeeze his arm, and he covered her hand with his own. “He needs you,” she reminded him, and Eddie nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“Okay,” he said. “Okay, I can do this.”  

“You’re one of the bravest people I know,” Robin said encouragingly. “You can do this.”

He turned to look at her, one hand on the door pull. “Thanks. I mean that.”

Robin just smiled and climbed out of the van, the slamming passenger door a call to open his own and get out of the damn van. The driveway was shoveled just enough for Steve's car to get in and out, and his sneakers sank into the packed down layers of snow as he slowly approached the door, nothing to hold on to for balance. Robin unlocked it and ushered him inside, kicking off her wet boots in the foyer, and gesturing for him to do the same as though he had been raised in a barn.

“Some alphas do have manners, thanks,” Eddie said, sticking his tongue out as he left his sneakers on the mat. Realizing he could no longer delay the inevitable, Eddie climbed the stairs, flowers clutched in one hand, Robin following close behind. Only silence greeted them in the upstairs hallway, the air thick and stale.

“Steve?” Eddie said quietly from the half-open bedroom doorway, hesitating on the threshold. “Can I come in?” 

No response. Robin shoved him forward with a hand between his shoulder blades and he stumbled, righting himself against Steve's dresser. The end of a blanket and a shirt he recognized as belonging to Dustin stuck out from the far side of the bed, and Eddie slowly made his way around. 

“Steve?” he asked again, not wanting to intrude, but getting more worried by the moment. The scent of distress filled the room like a cloud, so strong it was nearly visible in the air. He felt himself reacting, his own scent changing, but not the soothing notes of cinnamon and clove he used to calm upset pups or sometimes even adults. This was sharp and metallic, an unpleasant taste of rust on his tongue that he knew wouldn’t help the situation one bit. 

“Stop that!” Robin hissed from the doorway, and he turned halfway around, arms flung out. He couldn't exactly help it. 

Rounding the corner of the bed, he saw Steve curled up in a ball in the center of a sloppy, half-hearted attempt at a nest, clutching Eddie's flannel to his chest. He looked almost gray, his hair oily and unkempt, and Eddie had to hold himself back from climbing in beside him. It was Steve's nest, Eddie told himself firmly. Steve's rules. 

“Stevie?” he asked, hearing his voice waver. He focused hard on his scent, dialing back his own distress and focusing in on Steve, who needed him. Needed him. 

Steve made a quiet sound in his sleep, almost a sigh. Eddie watched his chest rise and fall, then stop abruptly as he scented the air, his eyes snapping open. “Eddie?” he croaked out, voice hoarse. 

“I'm here, Stevie,” Eddie said, kneeling just outside the pile of linens. “If you still want me.” 

Steve pushed himself up to a sitting position and reached out, grabbing Eddie by the front of his shirt. Eddie stumbled a bit, dropping the flowers as Steve dragged him closer, over the boundary into the middle of the nest. Pushing him down against a pillow, Steve curled up against him, resting his head on Eddie's chest. Eddie wrapped his arms around him, surprised but gratified to hear a wobbly purr. 

The grogginess that had clung to him like a dark cloud for the past few days began to lift, the aches and pains loosing their grip on his bones. There was a feeling of rightness, lying here with Steve, a sense that all was well and good in the universe at large. It seemed foreign, after everything they had been through. He knew that all was not right, that very little in the world outside was well or good, but for now it was better. 

“Why did you leave?” Steve asked quietly after several minutes. Right with the heavy hitters, then. 

“Because I thought I'd fucked up,” Eddie replied. “Like really, seriously fucked up, the kind of fuck-up you can't fix.”

“How?” Steve asked, raising his head just far enough to look up. “What could you possibly have done?” 

“I should have taken you home, made sure you were safe -”

“Eddie, you did that,” Steve said, confused.

“Yeah, after I - Steve, we shouldn't have done what we did.” 

Steve was silent for far too long. Eddie opened his mouth and closed it again, figuring whatever he might say would only make the situation worse. When Steve spoke, his voice seemed small, faded. If Eddie hadn't already broken his own heart, Steve's next words would have done it. 

“You don't want me.” 

“What? Of course I want you,” Eddie protested, pushing himself halfway up and gently guiding Steve's head to look at him while he spoke. “I've never wanted anyone the way I want you, Steve, you're all I want.”

Steve looked wrecked, eyes searching his face. “Then why did you say -”

“Because you weren't yourself that night. That creature, whatever it did, it made you -”

“It didn't make me do anything,” Steve countered, his voice gaining in strength. 

“But you were so upset,” Eddie continued. “When we woke up, and you realized what happened, you were horrified. You regretted what we did.”

Steve shook his head. “Look at me, Eddie.”

“I am looking at you,” Eddie said, his turn to be confused.

“You're not seeing me,” Steve said. “What I regretted was our first time together happening like that, all rushed and on the ground in a busted up store. I wanted to take my time with you, do things right, the way you deserve.”

“You mean you'd thought about it?” Eddie asked, disbelieving. 

Steve snorted. “Of course I've thought about it. Christ, Eddie, I've been thinking about it for months. And yeah, okay, whatever stuff the bug sprayed me with, it was like all my inhibitions just vanished, and made me -” 

“Unbelievably horny?” Eddie interrupted, raising his eyebrows. He heard a cough from the doorway, followed by excessively loud footsteps heading toward the stairs. 

“That,” Steve agreed. “But nothing would’ve happened if I had been with somebody else, if it had been Robin, or - or Hopper, I don't know. It was still me, I just couldn’t think past that moment, past this need to get what I wanted.”

“What you wanted?” Eddie asked, a hopeful lift to his voice.

“You,” Steve clarified with a hand on his chest. “Eddie, I’ve wanted to ask you to spend my last two heats with me, but I always chickened out because I didn’t want to fuck up our friendship if you said no. Or worse, if you didn’t want to, but said yes anyway just to be a good friend, I - I couldn’t handle that.”

“I would have said yes because I wanted to,” Eddie whispered. 

“And the other night?” Steve prompted.

“I wanted to,” Eddie admitted. “I've wanted that for a long time, but I - I was nervous. Like you said, I didn't want to ruin what we had going, and besides, I, uh - well -”

“What?” Steve questioned, tilting his head when Eddie left off. 

“I thought I might be, um,” Eddie said hesitantly, not sure he wanted to cop to the truth. I thought I might be really bad at it. “That night was, ah - it was my first time.” 

“What?” Steve said, eyebrows raising. “No. No way, not Eddie Munson.”

“Head geek of Hawkins High, remember?” Eddie said, feeling his face heat. “Who would have wanted me?”

“You’d be surprised,” Steve said, a blush starting high on his cheeks as he glanced away. He couldn't possibly mean - could he?

“Steve?” he questioned. 

“You were always so sure of yourself,” Steve said, fiddling with Eddie's shirt. “You knew who you were, and you weren't going to let anyone tell you who to be. I envied that, and - I admired it, too. But you wouldn't have given a dumb jock like me the time of day,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh.

“You'd be surprised,” Eddie echoed, remembering well the confusing mess of feelings he'd tried to push aside at the time. “And you're not dumb, you've never been dumb, so don't let me hear you talk about yourself like that, okay?”

“If you say so,” Steve agreed, smiling up at him, and it felt like the sun breaking through the clouds for the first time in days. Belatedly remembering the flowers, Eddie fumbled about with one hand, holding himself up with the other, until he felt the crinkle of cellophane.  

“Can we start over?” he asked in a rush, shoving the flowers at Steve’s chest. Surprised, he took them from Eddie with a pleased sound, bringing them to his nose to breathe in the scent. “They probably just smell like the gas station,” Eddie added, one hand scratching nervously at the back of his neck. “But it’s Valentine’s Day and I just - I wanted to - I feel like I’ve done everything backward, and if we could just go back to the beginning, maybe -” He trailed off as Steve slowly shook his head, tracing the petals on one of the daisies. 

“I don't want to start over,” Steve said, his brows drawing together. “Everything we've been through has to count for something, Eds.” He looked up, his expression intent as he held the flowers to his chest. “It’s how we ended up here, y’know. It’s who we are, it’s - it’s our story.” 

“I want to do this right,” Eddie begged. 

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Steve assured him, reaching out for his hand. He twined their fingers together. “You brought me flowers,” he added, giving them another sniff, his nose crinkling up with happiness. “No one gets me flowers.”

“Let me court you, Stevie, I promise I'll do right by you this time.” Eddie squeezed his hand, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes. 

“Eddie,” Steve said gently, after a silent moment where Eddie forgot to breathe. “We've kind of been courting for almost a year.”

“What?” Eddie asked, bewildered. “But I didn't even ask, and besides I haven't given you anything!”

“Of course you have,” Steve countered insistently. “Your time, your company, your jokes, your music,” Steve counted them off on his fingers. “And the books you've read to me, Eddie, you've given me entire worlds.” 

“That’s not enough,” Eddie started, shaking his head, but Steve interrupted him with a hand on his cheek. 

“Do you have any idea what those things are worth to me?” Steve asked, and Eddie shook his head. “Everything,” Steve continued. “Courting gifts are - I think a lot of times, they really miss the point. Not flowers, though,” he added hastily. “You can bring me flowers any time you want, these are -” He broke off, giving them another good sniff, his smile returning. “I love these. But, I guess I haven't given you anything, if you didn't think -”

“You carried me out of hell,” Eddie interrupted a bit frantically. “You're the reason I'm even alive. You've given me everything, Stevie.”

“I just did what anyone would do,” Steve protested, looking self-conscious.

“Yeah, sure, climb down into a nightmare dimension to drag out a guy you thought was probably dead anyway. Not everyone is a literal hero, Steve.” Urging his head back up with two fingers beneath his chin, Eddie caught the small smile trying to bloom on Steve's lips. “But those things you mentioned? When you laugh at something I've said, it's like winning the lottery. When you listen to me ramble about obscure music history or weird facts or when you let me read to you -” Eddie broke off with a slight shake of his head. “I feel like you really hear me. And that's everything. I should have realized.”

Steve leaned in slowly, cupping Eddie's cheek in his hand as their lips met. It was soft but intense, saying everything Eddie needed to hear in the easy slide of their mouths, the way they fit together, a missing piece finally finding its home. Heat bloomed in his gut as Steve's hand slid down his neck, one finger lightly stroking across the scent glands there, and a shuddering breath worked its way out from his lungs. Eddie lost himself to it, resting one hand in the small of Steve's back and pulling him closer, closer, until the crinkle and shriek of cellophane made him jump back with a laugh. 

“Flowers,” Eddie said sheepishly, stretching up to place the bundle on Steve's desk. 

Turning back, he caught Steve’s mischievous smile, and Eddie knew he was in trouble. “You know, I did give you this frankly amazing pussy,” Steve said, pulling Eddie's hand around from the base of his spine to rest over his crotch. 

“Yeah you did,” Eddie said, pulling his hand back and landing a sharp smack between Steve's legs. He froze in place, mortified at what he'd just done, his life flashing before his eyes. “I'm sorry,” Eddie blurted out, words tumbling from his lips like a waterfall. “I don't know why I did that, I watch too much porn, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Steve's lips were parted, his eyes locked on Eddie's hand where it still hovered in the air. His cheeks had flushed a deep pink. “Do that again,” he said, something curious in his tone.

“You - you mean -” Eddie sputtered. He dimly registered the sound of a car pulling into the drive before the front door slammed, Robin letting them know she had vacated the premises. Probably for the best. 

Steve reached for Eddie's wrist, and brought it down hard, his head falling back with a soft oh . Eddie's brain slowly began to re-engage, and after a moment he even trusted his mouth to speak. “Show me one more time?” he asked, almost a whisper. 

Steve lifted Eddie's hand, pulling it back to deliver a solid spank to a different spot just above his cock, a quiet gasp slipping from his mouth at the sensation. Eddie took over from there, bringing his hand down fairly gently at first where Steve had shown him, then applying a bit more pressure as he tried different spots along his lips, pushing Steve’s legs back apart when he reflexively pulled them shut at the sting. Traveling further down, he landed a heavy smack where Steve's entrance hid beneath his briefs, drawing out a yell, the fabric darkening with slick as Steve's arousal grew. His neck arched against a pillow, eyelids fluttering as his blush crept down to his collar, and Eddie wondered just how far he could make it spread. 

Alternating flat-handed strikes with long, slow strokes, Eddie teased, drawing it out, loving the way Steve squirmed and whined beneath him. Straining against his briefs, Steve’s cock pulsed out a small but spreading wetness at the tip and Eddie couldn't help but lean in to lick and suck at it, dragging the fabric across with his tongue before pulling back and giving him another good spank above it. Steve cried out, a beautiful sound, and Eddie tucked his fingers beneath the elastic at Steve's waist. 

“Okay?” he asked, breathless. 

“God, yeah,” Steve answered, his hands joining Eddie's to push the fabric down and out of the way. Eddie tossed them aside as Steve tugged his t-shirt off, arms stretched up over his head, and Eddie could only stare, held captive by the sight. 

Steve was magnificent in the afternoon glow that filtered around the curtains, his honeyed skin striped in gold. Eddie could have spent days counting the freckles that danced across his body like unnamed constellations. Even his scars were beautiful, frozen starbursts laid out just above his hips, the skin there smooth and just a hint darker than the surrounding expanse. His eyes roved down to where Steve’s cunt gleamed with slick, cock standing out flushed and proud from a tangle of wet curls. I did that, Eddie thought, half-delirious with it.

“I can't believe I really get to touch you,” Eddie said, his voice threadbare. 

“I can't believe you're not touching me right now,” Steve threw back, grabbing Eddie by the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. Eddie grinned, reaching down to stroke Steve's cock with his thumb and two fingers, making Steve's breath catch as it twitched. Nudging his legs open wider, Eddie slid his hand down as lightly as possible, enjoying the shiver that ran through Steve’s frame. His fingers slipped easily inside, then drew back out, repeating, one hand on Steve’s hips to stop his upward thrusts in tandem. Steve made a sound of discontent, and Eddie brought his hand back down with a resounding smack. 

Briefly terrified it had been too much, Eddie felt the tension in his shoulders give as a guttural moan filled his ears, and the scent of honey and pears overwhelmed his senses. His cock twitched hard in his jeans, and the denim began to feel like a prison.

“Eddie, please -” Steve begged, squirming up to reach his hand. Eddie held it just out of reach, slick dribbling slowly down his fingers to land in thick drops across Steve’s hips. Bringing his hand to his mouth, Eddie licked along each digit in turn, making Steve watch. It proved too much for Steve’s limited patience, and Eddie soon found himself pushed down on his ass with a lap full of omega. 

“Why are you still dressed?” Steve asked, fumbling with Eddie’s fly. He felt a moment of gratitude that Robin hadn’t given him time to grab a belt before dragging him out of the house.   

“I was kind of busy,” Eddie said in his defense, canting his hips as Steve tugged his jeans and boxers down. Between them, they managed to free Eddie’s legs from the denim, but not without a small struggle. Maybe it was time to reconsider how tight he wore his pants, if only to make it easier for Steve to get him out of them. “You definitely weren’t complaining at the time,” he added, as Steve shoved Eddie’s jeans in a corner of the nest. 

Eddie jumped as Steve's hand found his cock, giving it several firm strokes. It was an effort not to spill right in Steve's fist, but he wanted to hold out, wanted to be what Steve needed. Then Steve’s hands slipped beneath his shirt, sliding across the bumps and ridges of his scars and Eddie stilled, taking in a deep breath. 

He could do this. It was nothing Steve hadn’t seen before. And sure, the bats had chewed his legs all to hell, but they had the benefit of being covered in hair. His chest wasn’t so much, nothing like the pelt Steve was rocking. 

“You don’t have to take it off if you don’t want to,” Steve said softly, clocking Eddie's discomfort, his hands resting at Eddie’s sides. “But I’ve seen you, all of you, and for the record? You’re gorgeous.”      

Eddie let out a small laugh, glancing away. “Hey now,” Steve said, bringing his head back around with a light grip on his chin. “None of that. Do I have to sit you in front of the mirror, make you watch while I touch you, see how beautiful you are when you come?”

It was Eddie's turn to flush down to his toes. “Maybe next time,” he said. He would much rather Steve was the one before the mirror, Eddie driving him wild while he could only watch what was being done to him. The thought alone made his cock pulse, precome beading up at the tip and sliding down his length. 

Steve's hands stroked along his sides with purpose, fingers tracing the patterns forever embedded in his skin. Eddie didn't have as much sensation across the scars and grafts as in the surrounding skin, but damn if Steve's careful exploration wasn't pushing him ever closer to the edge. Eddie grabbed his hand as Steve dragged his thumb slowly across one nipple, gasping at the feeling as he leaned into the touch. 

“If you want me inside you, you should probably stop that,” Eddie warned, his breathing rough. “Still kinda new to all this,” he said, wishing he wasn't embarrassed by the admission. 

“I definitely do,” Steve said, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. Adjusting himself on Eddie's lap, Steve guided Eddie's cock between his slick, soft folds, sliding easily along its length with breathy exhalations of pleasure when the head brushed the base of his own cock. 

“Wait, wait,” Eddie managed to get out, pulling back with a supreme effort. “Condoms? Please tell me you have condoms.” They had been far too feral to even think about stopping for one last time, and he was more than a little worried about the potential consequences. 

Steve made a sound of annoyance, but climbed off Eddie’s lap to fumble about in his bedside drawer, just outside the nest. Finding a small burst of courage in Steve’s absence, Eddie pulled his t-shirt off over his head and waited, arms crossed over his middle. Returning with a foil square, Steve tore off the top and proceeded to make Eddie regret the moment of responsibility, sliding the latex ring over his flushed and swollen head and slowly, ever so slowly rolling it down. He squeezed and stroked as he went, Eddie certain he was about to embarrass himself and come in Steve’s hand before he ever finished his task.

Several deep breaths and the sense of constriction helped, until Steve sat back on his heels, aiming a light flick to the underside of his cockhead where it bobbed in the air between them. Eddie hissed in a sharp breath, and Steve had the nerve to respond with a smirk. That was it.   

Eddie dragged Steve forward by his hips, managing to lift him just far enough to sink deep inside with one thrust. Steve made a sound like it was punched out of him, and Eddie returned the smirk, counting them even. A dreamy sort of satisfaction bloomed across Steve’s face as he drew back before pushing down, then again, and again, setting the pace, the pleasure in his expression chased by something that looked a lot like relief.

Eddie understood. Nothing in his life had ever felt as good as this moment, holding Steve against him while he moved inside, feeling Steve’s muscles tug and contract from deep within. It was a hundred different sensations all at once; it was instinct and fever and bliss, but what mattered most was the rightness of it, the connection, the feeling of finally, finally, being where he belonged.

Steve rocked against him, lifting up and sliding back down in time with his thrusts. Eddie’s hands slid up along Steve’s ribs, exploring, teasing and toying with his nipples until Steve shuddered and moaned, his head falling back. Hard and leaking, his cock rubbed against Eddie’s skin, and Eddie reached between them to give it several good strokes. Taking a cue from the spanking, he was gentle at first, then pressed a bit harder, squeezing a bit tighter each time, moving faster, until Steve drew in a sharp breath and clamped down, the orgasm tearing through him. His cock jerked, spilling hot at the juncture where their bodies met, and Eddie couldn’t hold back any longer.

His hands moved to Steve’s hips, fingers digging in hard as he hung on for dear life. Pleasure rode him roughshod, his eyes rolling back, his mouth open as he felt his cock kick and pulse. He knew he said Steve’s name, moaned it aloud like every cliche and he didn’t care, he couldn’t, not when every nerve ending he had left was on fire. His knot had begun to swell even before he came, and Steve made a sound low in his throat, almost a growl as he clenched down around it possessively. Soft lips crashed against Eddie's mouth, hot and greedy and desperate for more.

It seemed like hours passed as he slowly rolled his hips, finding a new rhythm while Steve kept his knot exactly where he wanted it, bracing his hands on Eddie's shoulders. Pulling back and pressing back in, Steve let out soft, breathy sounds as he moved and Eddie couldn't get enough. Capturing Steve’s lips for kisses again and again, Eddie felt as though the world outside might have stopped spinning, leaving the two of them in this perfect, liminal moment together. He could spend the rest of his life in this space, locked and held and kept.

Afternoon was fading into dusk, the light around them changing, dimming, and Eddie strained to see every inch of Steve in the semi-dark. Their pace was perfect, syrupy slow, but after a while his cock began to have other ideas. Eddie wanted to push Steve over onto his back again, hold him up and take him the way he’d done in the van. It was a vivid desire, insistent, but without the surge of adrenaline from the demobug’s spit, Eddie wasn’t in any shape to manage it. Goals, Eddie thought, half-delirious, deciding that might be an exercise regimen he could stick with.

Settling for what he could do, Eddie slid his hands up Steve's torso, brushing his thumbs across Steve's nipples in time with his shallow thrusts. Steve swore in surprise. Grinning, Eddie moved one hand to Steve's cock, teasing the head with the same treatment. When Steve moaned out his name, Eddie pinched and tugged at his nipple, rolling it between his fingers and hoping he was doing it right.

“Don't stop,” Steve begged. “Please - please, Eddie -”

Stroking his cock faster, Eddie urged Steve toward his climax, memorizing the sounds he made. He had always been a hands-on learner, and Steve's body was no exception. Steve cried out when it hit, his back arching with the force of it, and he bore down hard on Eddie’s knot. It was just shy of painful, and just what he needed to let go as a rush of slick eased the way for a few last forceful thrusts. Eddie saw stars, tiny golden lights dancing across his vision as everything in him tensed and released like a coiled spring, his entire body flush with the feeling of it. His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly started to come down, dizzy, trying to remember how to breathe.        

Steve kissed him hard, stealing what breath he’d managed to draw in, but Eddie wouldn’t have it any different. His universe had narrowed to nothing but the man in his arms, the man he was still inside, fitting together like they were made for only this. Maybe they were, maybe his highest calling was to keep his omega happy and safe from the horrors of the world.       

“Steve,” Eddie whispered against his lips when Steve finally pulled back long enough to take a good breath. He knew what he wanted to say, the words crowding his mouth, pressing down on his tongue. What if it was too soon, what if it scared Steve off -

“I love you,” Steve said, forehead pressed to Eddie’s as they swayed slowly back and forth. “For so long now, Eddie. I was scared to say it, scared to be alone in this if you didn’t -”

“I love you,” Eddie interrupted in a rush of protectiveness and pure adoration for the man whose weight was currently crushing him into the floor. He didn’t care. Pain didn’t even register in the moment as words flowed out of him like water. “I do, I love the hell out of you. You’re not alone in this, and you never will be, because I am right here with you. I think I fall more in love with you every day. And that’s not just the endorphins talking, or because you said it first.” He paused, scraping the bottom of his soul for courage. When he spoke, his voice cracked a bit around the words. “You’re it for me, Stevie.”  

Steve's lips found his again, slower this time, heavy with intent. Slowly tilting backward, Eddie guided them back down into the nest, relieving his cramping legs without having to give up the feel of Steve in his arms, on his lips, all around him. Steve went easily, rolling to the side, and tugging Eddie along with him. Brushing errant strands of hair from Eddie’s face, Steve looked at him like he’d hung the moon in the sky, just for him. 

“Me too,” he said softly, nuzzling at Eddie's jaw. “You’re it for me, too.” Letting his lips travel, Steve pressed soft kisses below his ear and down his neck, lingering at the scent glands mostly untouched by tiny, hellish teeth. “My alpha,” he whispered, sending a shiver across Eddie’s skin. 

“Yours,” Eddie confirmed, rubbing his wrist against Steve's hair and down the back of his neck, scenting him, the air around them filling with spice and the memory of deep woods. There was something new woven in with his usual notes of comfort, a sense of a crackling fire as if in a hearth, a scent that carried with it the warmth of home.

They drifted there in a haze of exhausted contentment, heartbeats mingling, as beyond the curtains, streetlights flickered to life one by one. Eventually Eddie's knot began to go down, and they separated, only as long as it took for Eddie to rid himself of the condom and tie it off. He aimed a shot for Steve's wastebasket and missed by a mile, earning a quiet snicker. 

“It's dark,” Eddie complained. 

“Excuses, excuses,” Steve said, smug until Eddie tackled him, holding him down and tickling his sides. He eventually caved to Steve’s laughing protests and relented, pulling Steve against his chest and holding him there loosely, stroking one hand along his spine.

“Still want to start over?” Steve asked, trying to catch his breath as he traced patterns across Eddie’s chest with one finger. 

Eddie hummed, pretending to consider it. “Only so we could do all of that again.”

“We'd better do that again,” Steve said, lightly dragging his teeth across Eddie's nipple to tease. 

“Yeah, gimme like, ten minutes,” Eddie said, a bit breathless. “I'm good.”

“And I'm worn out, so maybe more like, an hour?” Steve suggested. Eddie could feel the grin on his face where his mouth pressed against his skin. 

“It's a date,” Eddie said, carding his fingers through Steve's hair. As he let his mind drift in the comfortable silence between them, a thought which had run him ragged for days returned full force to disturb his peace. Eddie knew he had to voice it before it ate him alive. 

“Okay, so if I don’t say this now I’m going to lose my nerve,” Eddie forced out, the words rushing together. He could feel Steve tense up against him. “So, here goes. The other night we didn’t have a condom, and you just got back on your suppressants, so I’m guessing they might not be all that effective.”

“Eddie -” Steve tried to interrupt, raising his head. 

Eddie pressed one finger gently to Steve’s lips. “Just let me say this, okay?” Steve nodded, pressing a kiss there. “If anything happened. If you. Just know I’ll be here, okay? Whatever you decided, whatever you wanted - I’d be right here with you.”

Steve’s expression shifted while Eddie spoke, eventually landing on what looked like a cautious sort of hope. “You'd really stay, if I -”

Eddie nodded, pressing Steve’s hand to his chest. “Just try and get rid of me, you’d have to pry me off with a crowbar. Hell, I’d throw us the biggest announcement party you’ve ever seen.”

Steve's surprised expression in return shifted, radiating happiness. “Thanks,” he said, the scent of dandelions rising up around him. “I mean, I'm hoping we're in the clear this time, but - I'm glad you feel that way all the same.”

“I do,” Eddie said firmly. “I don’t know shit about being a good father, but I think with you, it could be amazing.” The answering purr from Steve sank into his skin, soothing him in a way Eddie didn’t even know he needed.   

“For what it’s worth?” Steve offered after a moment of quiet contentment. “I think you’d be great at it. And, I was thinking,” he continued, more slowly, as if hesitant to voice the thought. “Maybe we don’t need to start over for a new beginning. Maybe we’re more than a book, we're like - a series, y’know? We get Part Two.”

“We’re to be continued,” Eddie said with a grin, liking the idea. 

“Always,” Steve said, pressing a kiss to his jaw and snuggling even closer.

“I like the way you think,” Eddie said, stroking his fingers through Steve's hair. 

Holding Steve close as the early winter dark settled in around them, lips pressed to his crown, Eddie felt light for the first time in months. Their mingled scents filled the air around him, settling his restless thoughts and easing his mind. In the peaceful stillness, Eddie let his heart open a new volume, blank and waiting to be filled with their adventures. Tonight was only the first chapter of many, and Eddie never wanted the series to end. 

Smiling up into the dark, he took a deep breath and turned to page one.