Archive of Our Own ^beta

Remember me, love
When I'm reborn
As the shrike to your sharp
And glorious thorn

***

Stephen Harrington is twenty years old when he changes his entire life with a single doctor's appointment on a sunny afternoon in May. 

Steve is alone when he steps into the warm front room of Determined Designation for his appointment. There’s a private waiting room, one that only lets one person in and out at a time so you rarely see another patient. The front desk nurse is kind to him as she checks him in for his appointment, directing him to the connected examination room to wait for the doctor.

Steve gets lost in thought as he waits, knee bouncing in as he tries to quiet his nervous energy. 

Steve was already fourteen when he finally presented as an Alpha, two years later than most people. His parents only gave him a pleased pat on the shoulder before leaving for their latest trip, unaware that their only son was going to lock himself in his bedroom and cry over it for the rest of the weekend while they were gone.

He’d never wanted to be an alpha, praying to whoever may be listening that the reason for the delay in his secondary gender presentation was that he was going to be an omega. He’d spent night after night thinking about the family he wanted, about how excited he was to be able to have a baby, only to have it dashed the moment he accidentally popped his first knot. 

It’s been five years, four months, and thirteen days since the worst day of his life and this is the first step to creating the life he wants to live. 

He’s been saving every penny for two years to get here, to the place that could finally make him feel like he belongs in his skin. 

Determined Designation is a gender affirmation clinic, designed to help Omegas seeking to be “studded” to become Alphas, and less common, helping Alphas with “bitching” so that they can become Omegas. They use the more medical term Secondary Gender Transition these days for both scenarios, studding and bitching being outdated now that it’s legal.

Steve falls into the latter category. It's something that plagues his every thought, terrified about hearing what the people around him are going to say about it. 

Robin Buckley has been by his side since the summer they worked at Scoops Ahoy together. His pretty beta best friend held his hand when he cried telling her he wanted to be an omega. She was the first person he ever told. She taught him how to save money in every way possible, including things like budget meals and easier cooking in general to keep him from getting take-out. She helped him learn to sew so that he could mend clothes rather than buy new ones, and a ton of other things that he had never had to think about before. 

Robin Buckley was a godsend to him, coming at the exact moment he needed her by his side. 

These transition clinics are fairly new, and they can help in a way that is safe and healthy. 

Before, people did it in back alley ‘clinics’ or without any medical supervision, leaving a lot of alphas and omegas that turned into feral beta’s when it failed due to incompatibility. 

A lot of those betas died when they went into a rut or a heat that their biology was no longer capable of handling. It took years of legislation to make it into a legal and safer procedure, one that now involves blood testing for compatibility as well as a registry of Alphas and Omegas that are properly trained professionals.

The clinics pay good money to the people on the registry list, widespread compatibility being something that’s desired and sought after. 

Steve is startled out of his thoughts by the door clicking open quietly, a small woman without any discernible scent steps through the door with a smile on her face and a clipboard in her hands. 

“Stephen I presume? My name is Dr. Green and I’ll be with you for the whole process should we choose to go through with everything.” She cocks her head at him, sitting next to a large computer and gesturing toward the seat across from her for him to sit down.

“Now, I know what you’re looking to do, and I want you to know it isn’t something we take lightly, nor do we expect you to take lightly. It has social and mental repercussions that may occur and we will be going over all of that throughout the next few sessions. Can you tell me when your last rut was?” She peers up at him over the rim of her glasses expectedly.

“Um, it’s been twenty-eight days as of today. I normally have about a ninety-day cycle and it’s been pretty regular for years.” His voice is quiet, his words shaking as he talks to her. 

She pauses in her typing to reach across the desk to cover his hand in hers. “You’re safe here, sweetheart. Take a breath, okay? We have time before your next rut to make this perfect then.” She squeezes his hand once, gently, before releasing him again.

“Next on the list, how long have you been thinking about this kind of full transition?”

“For three years.”

The questions keep coming as she moves down the checklist.

“Have you made any social transitionary changes? Nesting, blockers, that sort of thing?”

“I’ve been on scent-blockers for the last year and I spend time with my pack in a nest I built for about two,” Steve explains.

“What about being an Omega is important to you?”

“I want to be a mom more than anything, I always have. I want to be the one to carry the pups.” Steve’s emotionally exhausted already, and he can tell it's going to be a much longer day than he expects. ”I’ve always thought I was meant to be an Omega and the day I presented was the worst day of my life. I’ve been saving for the last two years just to be able to afford my blockers and to do this without my parent’s insurance covering any of it since they are unaware that I want to be here.” 

Steve can’t stop shaking as reality starts to set in about what he’s going to do. He’s going to meet with a stranger, let another Alpha into his home while he’s in rut and let that Alpha fuck him until his literal biology changes. 

“You’re doing great, Stephen. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth until you can feel yourself calm down.” Steve hears Dr. Green’s voice filter through the haze, the low rumble in his chest from a distressed growl pulling him back to reality.

“I’m so sorry, I’m just–” Steve's voice cuts out with a choked-off sob that’s building in his throat.

“You’re doing so well, Sweetheart. You’re so brave for being here and you seem like a perfect candidate for this as far as your mental state. As long as your tests come back okay we can get you paired with someone from the registry. Do you have a preference for a male or female alpha?” She’s gentle with him, a soft look on her face as she asks the most important question.

Steve has to steel himself, taking a deep breath before answering, “Male is preferred.” 

She marks it down on his chart without even a flinch, and another piece of Steve relaxes. 

“Do you have time for your blood draws and physical today or do we need to schedule another appointment for that?” Dr. Green asks easily.

“Today is fine, I’m in no rush.” He tells her, glad he took the whole day off of work for this. He knows Robin is going to be waiting at his place for him, ready to comfort him however he needs.

“Perfect! Let me send our technician in here for that and we’ll call you with your compatibility results within forty-eight hours. We’ll send over our best option for your partner as well. Do you have any questions for me before I head out?” 

“I don’t think so. I'm just really relieved to be here. It’s kind of overwhelming, to be honest.” He feels his face break into a grin, the knowledge that this is actually a reality and not a dream starting to settle in.

“I completely understand. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” she says, picking up some papers, “Carla will be in soon to get your tests going. There’s a gown over there for you to change into and she will knock before she comes in.” She bids him an easy goodbye before closing the door behind her.

Steve easily finds the paper gown to change into. He only has a moment to think about the scratch of the paper against his skin before there’s a soft knock and a perky voice calling through the door. 

Steve calls her in, trying not to squirm at the feel of his ass against the cold of the table. 

The tests are easy to deal with. Height, weight, and a few vials of blood. He tries not to laugh when she tests his reflexes with a little rubber mallet or pushes into the soft padding of his stomach. 

“You seem healthy to me, darlin’. As long as your blood tests come back normal, everything should be good to go. I’m gonna take these to the lab and you can go check out with the receptionist to get your paperwork.” She swans back out of the room as easily as she came in, leaving him alone again to get redressed. 

He wants to cry a little with the relief of how kind and gentle the staff were with him today. He nearly bit his fingernails bloody with stress in the week leading up to today, and he can’t believe it’s over just like that. 

Steve goes through the checkout process in a daze, barely even processing the drive home. Before he knows it, he’s walking through his front door to the sound of his TV on and the smell of his favorite Chinese food waiting for him. 

He drops his jacket onto a hook by the door, toeing off his sneakers before making his way into the living room. He wants to cry at the welcome sight of Robin, curled up on the couch in one of his sweatshirts and a pair of his shorts. She has a literal mouthful of noodles as she jumps off of the couch to careen toward him in greeting. 

She’s small enough to catch easily in his arms, the soft lavender scent of her happiness calming him immediately. 

“You’re home Shtevie!” She shouts at him through a mouthful of chow mein. He easily swings her around in a circle, hefting her fully into his arms so he can drop her back onto the couch.

“Thanks for getting all of this, Bobbie. I’m fucking starving and drained,” he curls up next to her on the couch, grabbing his beef and broccoli off the table and digging in. 

She lets him take a couple of bites before reaching out to grab his hand. “How did it go today?” She keeps her voice quiet, just loud enough to be heard over the hum of the TV.

“It–uh. It went really well, Robbie. They said that I looked like a great candidate and that they think I could potentially have this done with my next rut,” the tears he’s been holding back all day finally spill, salt running into the grin he can’t keep off his face.

Robin tugs the container of food out of his hand and sets it on the table before dragging him into her arms. He’s fully sobbing in relief at this point, the happiness setting in that after all these years, he’s finally going to feel like his skin fits the way he’s always wanted it to. 

The idea that he’s going to get to look in the mirror and see the Omega he’s been seeing in his head reflected back at him is so overwhelming. Robin runs soothing hands through his hair, rocking him a little bit as his tears soak through the shoulder of her sweatshirt. She’s purring a little bit, the gentle way only betas can and it helps him relax into the couch enough to stop crying. 

“I’m so proud of you, Stevie. I wish that they allowed a second person in the clinics, I would’ve held your hand the whole time. Do you know when you’ll get the results?” She murmurs into his hair, tightening her arms around him. 

“She said within forty-eight hours, so by Friday I guess. She said they should be able to send me my best match by that time too. Robin, that means I might be able to see his face on Friday,” he pulls away from Robin, wiping his eyes with the cuff of her sweatshirt much to her chagrin, and getting shoved for it.

“That’s so soon, holy fuck,” Robin breathes out, a grin spreading across her face, “so you said he, huh?” 

Steve rolls his eyes before grabbing his food off the table, shoving a giant bite in his mouth rather than answering her. 

The rest of the night is easy between the two of them. Chinese food in their stomachs and Legally Blonde playing in the background as they talk about Robin’s day at work without him and their terrible search for an apartment. 

***

The next two days are some of the most stressful in Steve’s life. He feels like he’s just stuck in a constant state of waiting, every beep of his phone makes him jump to grab it.

Luckily the wait is over early Friday morning. 

It’s ten in the morning when the clinic’s phone number flashes across his phone. Steve nearly drops it in his excitement to answer, fumbling the phone across the counter of the Family Video and diving to pick it up.

“Hello, this is Steve Harrington!” He nearly shouts into the phone, hearing the laughter of Dr. Green on the other side.

“Good morning to you too, Steve. I do have your test results here if you have a moment to talk.” 

Steve makes pleading eyes at Robin who waves him into the backroom with a roll of her eyes. 

“Yeah, of course, I do,” he says as he’s clicking the door shut behind him. His heart is racing in his chest, excitement and terror warring with each other in anticipation of this conversation. 

“The good news is your bloodwork and everything came back perfect. Your alphadone levels are naturally low which will help the process along easier. You are remarkably healthy as well so I don’t anticipate any issues,” her voice is warm as she relays all this information, making Steve’s heart soar. 

He has to take a moment to breathe before responding. “That’s fantastic news, Dr. Green. What’s the next step then?” 

“Well, as we discussed before, we used the time to find you a match as well. His name is Eddie and he’s around your age. He has had fantastic success with us and your compatibility seems to be off the charts. We’ll send you an email with his details and a photo, as well as a phone number for you to reach out to set up a meeting. Does all of that sound like it will work for you?” 

The words feel like a balm to his cracked soul, and he has to keep himself from crying again. “Yeah, uh– That sounds perfect, Dr. Green. You said his name was Eddie, right?”

He rolls the name around on his tongue, trying to imagine what Eddie may look like. 

“That’s right. You will get all of his information within the hour, okay? Once you finish with a first meeting, and you both agree to the terms of the transitionary contract, we will schedule an appointment with you both to go over the medical side of everything.”

“Okay, yeah, we'll see how that goes. Thank you, Dr. Green.” Steve just barely resists the urge to dance around in a little circle with glee. 

“Have a great rest of your day, Steve.”

He says goodbye before hanging up the phone, all but shouting in excitement.

Robin comes bursting through the backroom door, slamming into him with a shout of her own excitement. They stay locked in each other's arms for a minute before Robin pulls back with a face-splitting smile. 

‘I take it the phone call went well from the absolutely ridiculous grin on your face, huh?” Robin teases, poking a finger into the meat of his cheek.

“His name is Eddie, Bobbie. His name is Eddie.” He swings her around with another whoop before they both hear the jingle of the front door opening.

“Back to our jobs I guess,” he says laughing. He calls ' Welcome to Family Video’ through the open door, taking a moment to straighten his vest before walking back out, Robin one step behind him. 

***

True to Dr. Green’s word, the email comes in about an hour after the phone call, but it’s a busy day so he can’t check it until his shift is over. 

He and Robin pile into his car as quickly as they possibly can, frantically pulling up the email on Steve’s phone. He nearly cries at the lack of internet signal his phone has but luckily Robin is logged into his email on her phone anyway. 

She has it pulled up in an instant, scrolling to the bottom to reach the photo that’s attached to the email. Smiling up at them from the phone is the prettiest man Steve has ever seen. He’s got dark shiny curls that hit his shoulder and deep brown eyes framed by long eyelashes. There’s a hint of ink peeking out from the collar of his shirt that almost looks like it has a hand-drawn design on it, and Steve is instantly smitten.

“Oh ho ho, Steve! I’ve seen that look before. He’s just your type isn’t he, dingus?” Robin is cackling in his passenger seat, laughter shaking the phone so he snatches it from her so he can read the rest of the information.

Eddie Munson is twenty-two years old, six foot one, and apparently runs a Dungeons and Dragons club. The profile says he’s really into horror movies too and works for a local library in the teen department part-time. Steve’s heart melts a little, feeling much more comfortable with the idea of Eddie being his partner in this with every word he reads. 

“He seems amazing, Steve. I’m so glad you got someone who looks cool and not some dude who’s like thirty-five and balding. Or like, Ted Wheeler.” Robin dissolves into giggles in her seat and Steve throws her phone at her with a fake gag.

“Do not ever put that fucking image in my head, Robin. Fucking gross.” He feels like he can finally breathe, starting the car so he can drive them both back to his place. 

“Wanna take my phone and help me text him?” He asks her, tossing his phone into her lap.

She types in his password, the password that they’ve shared since practically the very beginning.

“How about, ‘Hey you’re really cute, wanna make me an Omega so I can have your babies?’” She asks him, and he reaches out blindly to smack at her shoulder without taking his eyes off the road. 

“Robin, I swear to god we need something normal. What the fuck do you say to someone when you know they’re going to hopefully be knot deep in you in a few months?” Steve chances a glance at her from the corner of his eye and he sees the way she’s typing frantically away in an open text message. “Robin, I swear to god you better not be typing that!”

“Not what I was doing you asshole. It just says, ‘Hi, this is Steve. The clinic matched us and gave me this number. Can we meet this week at Maria’s on 4th Street?’ That's completely normal, thank you.” 

He sees her hit the send button and is reminded of how much he loves her. “Thanks, Rob,” Steve says, pulling into his driveway with ease.

“I also sent him a picture of you. The cute one that you took with Dustin at the waterpark this summer.” 

“Robin, for fucks sake I’m shirtless in that you asshole!” Steve unbuckles his seatbelt to launch himself at her over his center console. She shrieks with laughter, fumbling with her seatbelt before practically falling out of the car and racing toward his front door, his phone held above her head.

Steve pretends to grumble while he gathers her purse and the rest of their stuff from the car, but he can’t be upset with her. He wouldn’t have ever been that bold but it’s absolutely fair considering he has every detail about the man already.

By the time he catches up to her waiting outside his front door, she’s still grinning at him.

“He already texted ba-ack.” She says in a silly little sing-song tone as he unlocks the door to let them in.

“Wait, are you fucking serious? Lemme see.” He makes grabby hands in her direction, happy when she easily gives it up to go raid his fridge.

‘Hi, Steve! Would Monday work for you, around two? That’s after my shift at the library.’

He texts back a quick, ‘That works! I’ll meet you there!’ before he follows Robin into the kitchen.

She’s already pulled out the stir fry they meal prepped last weekend and tossed it into the pan. 

They started meal-prepping together a long time ago, and it works perfectly now that Robin practically lives with him. It was helpful when it came to the money he needed to save for his procedure. His parents still send him a monthly allowance for his expenses so they were able to put more of that aside. 

All the budgeting Robin helped him with meant he only spent half of his parent’s money and was able to put his entire paycheck into his savings account. He really couldn’t wait to hear the horror in their voices when they realized what their money helped bankroll.

It only takes a few minutes for the food to finish cooking so Steve grabs both of them a soda from the fridge and makes his way to the living room knowing that Robin will bring the food when it’s done. It’s their normal routine. They’ll eat from the same plate, watch a few episodes of whatever they’re currently binging on Netflix, and then Robin will spend some time reading while Steve looks at apartments for them.

It’s easy between the two of them, the last two and a half years having cemented them as platonic soulmates. Steve and Robin are looking for enough space that can easily house both themselves and Steve’s group of kids that he used to babysit. It’s not an easy task, especially with the fact that he will technically be an unmated omega which can deter many rental companies.

Steve regularly sees and houses Dustin and the other pups since they rotate in and out of his house and his car as they please whenever they need him. He has a whole nest built for all of them in one of his spare rooms and it soothes him to bury himself in their scents when he goes too long without contact from them.

He can’t even blame himself tonight when he falls asleep on the couch, the stress of the day finally catching up to him. 

The food has all been cleaned up, and he’s tucked under Robin’s favorite blanket, the soothing scent of her deeply ingrained in the fabric. He just stretches out further under the blanket and lets the lull of sleep pull him right back under.

***

His weekend is so full that he doesn’t have a spare moment to worry about his first meeting with Eddie. 

Dustin calls early Saturday morning to ask Steve if he can take him, Max, and Lucas to the mall. Max is apparently going to teach both of them to skateboard and that means they need gear or something. Steve was happy to tag along, stopping into a few of the smaller shops to pick up some new blankets and pillows since so many of his were permanently part of the nest rather than his bed. 

He finds the perfect pair of new Converse for Robin, a buttery yellow with green stitching that he knows she’s gonna die for when he gives them to her for her birthday next month. 

He cries a bit when he rounds the pups up to take home and they all present him with his own  pair of bright roller skates and protective gear so that he can skate alongside them while they learn. They explain how all six of them chipped in for all of it, and he makes a note to text the other three a thank you.

Sunday is filled with a grocery run as well as Steve and Robin’s normal meal-prepping day. He’s so tired at the end of the weekend that he falls into bed without a single thought, only stirring when Robin kisses him on the forehead as she leaves for work the next morning without him.

He fully wakes up around ten a.m., yawning and stretching before checking his phone. Steve is fully awake the second he reads the notification from Eddie that was sent about an hour prior, confirming that the time and place still work for them to meet.

He has to steady his breathing before he types out a quick affirmation, tossing his phone to the side immediately before he heads straight to the shower. The hot water is soothing over his still sleep-addled body, his mind wandering as he scrubs shampoo into his hair. His thoughts drift back to Eddie, the bright smile and pretty eyes flashing behind his eyelids. 

Nervousness stirs in his stomach, even as he tries to lose himself in the easy routine of showering. It’s usually the only place his mind will switch off, but today he can only wonder if their meeting will end in disaster or if Eddie will hate him for some reason.

Steve knows logically that there’s no reason to believe it will be anything other than a fairly simple meeting, but he can’t help overthinking every detail as he rinses the conditioner from his hair and shuts the water off. 

It only takes a few moments for him to dry off with a fluffy towel, wrapping it around his waist so he can make his way to his bedroom, a cloud of steam following him out the open door. 

He rifles through his closet, desperately trying to find something appropriate for meeting someone in this kind of circumstance. Normally he has a steady wardrobe of polo shirts and jeans but he feels a little adventurous today, wanting to dress less traditionally Alpha, less stuffy.

Steve pulls a pale lilac sweater from the back of his closet, fingers grazing the soft fabric reverently before he slips it over his head. The fabric settles loosely on him with sleeves that fall just over his fingertips. There’s a pair of white shorts behind them that he pulls out. 

He’s never brought himself to wear them out of the house, the tags still hanging on the belt loops. His parents would throw a fit, telling him an outfit so ‘feminine’ was unbecoming of their Alpha son. They’re not around though, and haven’t been for over nine months, so he says fuck it and slides them on. 

The person staring back at him in the mirror looks comfortable, looks approachable in a way he’s never looked before. His hair is still dripping onto the collar, darkening it slightly and sticking it to his shoulder blades. 

It only takes him twenty minutes to finish blow drying his hair, the styling is muscle memory by now so he can do it without a second thought.

After a moment's hesitation, he picks up Robin’s makeup bag. He very carefully extracts her mascara along with a tube of her clear lip gloss. He’s nervous, hands shaking as he rolls them over his palms. He takes a few beats to examine himself in the mirror, teeth biting into his lip and long lashes framing his wide eyes.

He swipes a very light layer of mascara over his eyelashes, instantly falling in love with the way they make his eyes look brighter. It’s a deep blue rather than black, and it makes the brown in his eyes pop. He feels more confident when he glides the wand of the gloss over his lips, rubbing them together like he’s seen Robin do so many times to distribute it evenly.

The boy staring back at him in the mirror is pretty in the way that Steve has always longed to be. In a way that he’s never allowed himself to truly show before. There’s a grin that spreads across his face at the thought, at the impending rearranging of his atoms to align himself fully with the image he’s always seen in his mind. 

A beeping from his phone jolts him out of his daze. It takes him a moment to realize it’s the alarm he set for their meeting so that he can get there a bit early and relax before Eddie shows up.

It’s already one in the afternoon, so Steve goes searching for the pair of white Vans that Robin had bought for him, though she claims it was under extreme duress to betray Converse. He finds them under the couch for some reason, pulling them on before grabbing his wallet and keys from the little frog-shaped hanger that Dustin’s mom gave him last year. All of his gifts from her were frog-related and as much as he liked to joke and protest, he loved all his little frog bits. 

He’s further reminded of her when he slides into the driver's seat of his car, petting the nose of the frog bobblehead that lives on his dashboard for good luck. The tiny reminders of the family he’s built around him always calm him down when he’s stressed, and this is no exception. There is also an ice cream scoop keychain from Robin that’s a soothing jingle as it pings against the lumpy, beaded lanyard El and Max made for him.

He blares music like he always does when he drives, unable to deal with the silence in the air. Hozier croons love songs to him through his speakers, the soothing lyrics making him feel as relaxed as they always do. 

Maria’s is only about a twenty-minute drive from his house, the pale blue shingles and giant windows a welcome sight. It’s always been one of his favorite places to go and sit, the whole place is filled with lumpy, soft couches to sink into and books scattered across the bookshelves built into the walls. They have a stack of board games that were donated by patrons so it changes regularly.

He spent countless hours here in his early teens, letting Maria’s nephew try to teach him how to play chess and failing spectacularly. Walking inside feels like coming home, with fresh-ground coffee beans in the air. Maria is manning the counter like she always is, a loud shout leaving her as she spots him in the doorway.

“Mio caro! I missed your pretty face around here! Come and hug Miss Maria please, darling,” she bustles around the counter, easily hauling him into her arms. Her scent is a soft vanilla that wraps around him, a little chirp of happiness fills the space between them. 

Maria was the omega that opened his eyes to how prejudiced his parents truly were during her time as his childhood nanny. She was a strong, no-nonsense woman, but she was always kind to him. Steve always loved how tall Maria was, a towering six feet tall that was incredibly unusual for female omegas. She never let anyone talk badly to him or about him, and she did her best to teach him to not only be kind but firm. 

His parents replaced her after only a year and a half for trying to tell him about non-traditional secondary-gender roles, but he kept sneaking out to see her no matter what. She’s shown him love for as long as he’s known her, and he wouldn’t let that go for anything. 

“Guess what, Maria? It’s finally happening. My appointment went perfectly, and I got matched,” he tells her softly, tears gathering in his eyes. He grins at the quiet gasp she lets out before her scent swells pleasantly around them. “I’m meeting the guy from the clinic today so I wanted to get settled first.”

“Mio caro, I’ll bring you the chocolate croissants you love and your hot chocolate. Do you want to order for your boy?” She’s already dragging him behind the counter, loading a tray with pastries and savory options. She pops an egg bite in his mouth, causing his eyes to nearly roll back in his head as the flavor hits his tongue. There are hints of feta cheese and sundried tomatoes in the bite, two things she knows are his favorite flavors. 

“Stop spoiling me or I’m never going to leave!” He teases her, laughing when she chides him for talking with his mouth full. “I don’t know what he likes anyhow, so I’ll let him order when he gets here.”

“That’s okay, my darling. You can just live here if you like, you know. Let Miss Maria take care of you and put some meat on those skinny little bones of yours.” She pinches his cheek with a laugh, letting him kiss her on the cheek as he steps to the other side of the counter with his tray full of treats. 

“You always say that, and yet I’m still the same size,” he squeezes her hand over the counter, this moment of easy familiarity is exactly what he needs to calm his nerves. “Thank you, for everything. I needed you today.” 

Her eyes take on a bit of a shine, even as she levels him with a mock glare. “You don’t come around often enough, that's why you're still so thin,” she winks at him conspiratorially. “ I’ll be waiting for your boy to come in, you must introduce us if it goes well. I must judge his order here. If he orders sugar-free anything, he’s not allowed back.” 

Steve can’t help but roll his eyes, happiness now settling into his bones as he sets the tray in front of his favorite couch. The hot chocolate she made for him is warm and thick when he takes a sip, coating his tongue with sweetness. 

He’s so wrapped up in trying to figure out what Maria had put together for him that he doesn’t notice the bell above the door jingling. 

“Steve Harrington?” A voice like silk startles him, nearly causing him to spill cocoa all over his very light-colored outfit. 

When he looks up, he feels like the breath has been punched out of him. Eddie Munson is more stunning in person, hair pulled up so a few loose curls frame his face. 

He’s tall, a breathtaking grin lighting up his entire face. 

“That–uh that’s me?” Steve trips over his words, somehow making a statement a question and cringing inside. “That did not come out right. I’m actually Steve, that’s not really a question. That makes you Eddie?”

Steve carefully stands up from the couch, thrusting a hand toward Eddie to shake his. He nearly collapses when Eddie’s hand firmly grasps his. He notes that Eddie’s hands aren’t smooth, calluses on his fingertips and his palms that Steve wants to spend hours learning about. 

“That would be me!” Eddie’s voice is bright, and he happily takes a seat on the couch with Steve when he tucks himself back into his original seat.

“Do you want anything to drink? I’ve got cocoa but Maria makes a huge variety of drinks and stuff. She gave us this tray of treats to eat too.” The words tumble out of him like he can’t control himself, and he tries to reign it in, face blushing bright red. 

“Hot cocoa sounds incredible actually. Why don’t I go order so you can have a minute to look less like you’re gonna bolt out of here like a bunny, yeah?” Eddie teases him just a little, enough to lessen the weight in Steve’s chest that had settled from the moment they locked eyes. 

Eddie walks up to the counter, easily chatting with Maria as she makes him his drink. Maria looks charmed, which makes Steve happy. She’s kicked out a few people he’s tried to bring around on sheer principle, and seeing her light up around Eddie means that he can relax. 

Eddie comes back with a steaming mug piled high with marshmallows and whipped cream. This time when he sits on the couch, Steve is much more at ease.

“Let’s start over?” He asks, relieved when Eddie nods his head in agreement.  “I’m Steve, and it’s nice to meet you.” 

Eddie has to wait a moment to reply so that he can swallow the frankly outrageous amount of mini marshmallows he stuffed in his mouth. “I’m Eddie, and I'm really glad we are meeting here because I’m never going to leave this place again.”

Steve smothers a giggle behind his hand, completely enamored with how kind Eddie is already.

“Miss Maria will do that to you, for sure! Do we wanna go over whatever you normally do for a first meeting? You’re the expert here.” Steve settles back into the couch more fully, tucking his feet up and under him.

“Of course! I have some paperwork with me, just a standard explanation of what to expect and contacts for some places that are great at helping with the mental side of everything.” Eddie pulls a small stack of paperwork out of a backpack that Steve hadn’t noticed before and slides it onto the table. 

He inches his way closer to Steve, centering the paperwork between them so they both can see it.

“It sounds a lot more complicated on paper but the gist is this. I’ll be with you semi-regularly until your next rut if you choose to move forward together. The clinic will schedule two appointments along the way just to run tests on our hormone levels and how they’re responding to each other as we go along. You will have to come off your normal blockers and they’ll put you on omega boosters. Is this all okay so far, or am I going too fast?” Eddie pauses, looking up so that he makes eye contact with Steve.

Steve shakes his head, not trusting himself to speak when all his dreams are being laid out in front of him.

Eddie takes this as confirmation before continuing. 

“We’ll do things like adding some of my stuff to your nest so that our scents mix, and we’ll need to spend some quality time together to get to know each other. There’s less of a chance of success if you’re not comfortable with me. It can make your Alpha stress and cause it to fight the change. Luckily, the boosters should lower those hormones enough that your rut will be incredibly calm compared to your past ones, and I’ll be sharing it with you to take care of you.”

Eddie pauses here, looking around to make sure there's no one close by before he keeps going.

“We need a full twenty-four hours of regular knotting to make sure everything goes how we want it to. Once your body changes, you’ll need one vaginal knot to solidify the transition,” Eddie’s a bit red in the cheeks, getting brighter the more he talks. 

Steve kind of wants to see if they feel warm under his lips and he has to reel those thoughts right back in. This is Eddie’s job, not a date and Steve needs to make sure he respects that.

“All of that lines up with the research I’ve done, so it sounds great. Dr. Green said our next appointment would be done together so I expected that too.” Steve briefly sets his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, squeezing once before releasing. “Plus you don’t seem like a serial killer or anything so I think going forward together is gonna work really well.”

He leaves out the fact that he’s into how hot Eddie is, but decides that's neither here nor there anyway.

Eddie sweeps the paperwork into a more manageable pile, reaching over to shove an egg bite into his mouth, eyes rolling back into his head at the taste. Steve smiles at the look on his face, happy that someone else appreciates Miss Maria’s cooking as much as he does. 

“Does she make all of this food herself? I think I need to steal her away to my house if so.” Eddie is laughing, gathering other treats onto his side of the table. When he grabs two of the chocolate croissants from the tray, Steve knows that he’s made the right decision.

“Miss Maria was my nanny when I was a kid, so I’ve got dibs on her first. If you like pasta though, I can get her to make you the best carbonara that you’ve ever tasted in your life.” Steve tries to hide the blush that rushes into his cheeks at the look of awe on Eddie’s face. 

“I think I may have just fallen in love!” At the statement, Eddie colors. “I meant Miss Maria by the way oh my god I’m sorry I–”

Steve laughs, the sound startling Eddie into silence. “She’s like that, trust me. Maybe I can have her make some the next time we meet?” He offers, hoping for something soon. 

Eddie seems to think for a moment before responding. 

“Once the clinic knows a match is agreed to they prefer to test our hormone levels within three days so we know that we’re both ready for this. Do you want to try for Wednesday? We can maybe spend the day together afterward,” he says carefully, “maybe tuck some of my shirts and stuff into your nest if everything goes well?” Eddie looks excited at the prospect, easing Steve’s worry he may have come on too strong. 

“I have a morning shift during the week so that works for me! Any time after 3:30 since that's when I’m out of work.” Steve pulls up the Determined Designations app on his phone to look at the available times. “It looks like they have a 4:30 available with Dr. Green for a pairing visit. Does that work for you?”

Eddie nods, pulling out his phone to add it to his calendar.

“That sounds fantastic! Maybe we could have dinner at your place then? Try to let my scent start to mingle so that it’s more calming as time goes on?” Eddie is clearly deep in thought at this point, and Steve is trying to convince himself that falling in love with the professional that is made to help bitch him is a bad idea, and failing miserably. 

“Great! I’ll schedule it today and we should be good to go! Next time, we have our appointment and then dinner at my place, right?” Steve asks, just making sure that he isn’t hallucinating anything in his excitement.

“Sounds perfect, Steve. Can I take some of these pastries to go, do you think?” Eddie is eyeing the still-heavy pile of treats with glee. Steve’s heart melts a little as he meets Miss Maria’s eyes from over the top of the display case. She looks smug, wiggling her eyebrows in Eddie’s general direction even as Steve sticks his tongue out at her. 

“I honestly think Miss Maria would be offended if you didn’t let her pack them up for us. Do you have anyone to share this bounty with?” It’s an entirely selfish question, one he tries his best to make sound nonchalant but it doesn't quite keep the tone he means it to. 

Eddie cocks his head thoughtfully, eyeing Steve with something that isn’t disinterested before he replies.

“Just me and my Uncle Wayne these days but my best friend will kill me if I don't bring him the croissants. How about you? Are you sharing your bounty with anyone but Miss Maria?” Eddie winks and Steve nearly passes out but he tries to reign in the giggle that wants to emerge from him at the sight. 

“No, it’s just me and my best friend Robin. I’ve been trying to get her to stop eating so many damn sweets, she’ll be forcing me to bake them for her constantly.” He laughs, knowing exactly how true it is, and is met with a radiant smile from Eddie in return. 

“She sounds wonderful, Stevie. Will you let me know when the doctor confirms our appointment? Sometimes my calendar gets whacky.” Eddie is half up off the couch already, offering Steve a hand to help him up from his comfortable spot on the couch. 

Steve takes the hand, allowing himself to be pulled up with a strong grip. He’s distracted by how the nickname sounds in Eddie’s mouth, not quite expecting how hard the pull is and nearly topples head-first into Eddie’s chest with a surprised yelp. Steve tries to apologize, smoothing down Eddie’s shirt as best as possible but Eddie just laughs it off with a bright smile across his face. 

They both say their goodbyes, Eddie packing up a box full of everything across the table and Steve sticking around so that he can grab some stuff from Maria before he leaves. 

They both watch as Eddie turns, waving goodbye to both of them through the window and Steve blushes as he waves back. 

“Your boy seems sweet,” Maria teases as she grabs what she needs to make hot chocolates to go for Steve and Robin. 

“He’s not my boy, Mama Maria,” he says, rolling his eyes. “He is very sweet though, and I’m very glad we were paired together. I think we will both get along very well.”

“Oh, you think so do you? You looked very comfortable on my couch over there. My poor Duncan will be devastated to hear you will no longer be available.”

Steve laughs, the sound loud and bright in the quiet of the cafe. 

“I think he will survive the heartbreak.” Steve shoots her a wink, collecting the drinks and the bag of sweets she assembled for him. “Do you think I could trouble you for some of your carbonara on Wednesday? We are going to have dinner together after our first joint appointment with the clinic.”

“Of course I can, caro. Just let me know when you need it the day of and I’ll make sure it’s ready, okay? And please bring my Robin by, I miss her sweet face.” Miss Maria shoos him out the door, blowing him a kiss as he leaves. 

His heart is happy, a smile permanently etched into it as he heads to Family Video to pass Robin’s spoils to her. For the first time in a long time, Steve feels like nothing can go wrong.

****

Wednesday is quickly confirmed, and the day goes smoother than he would have thought at the doctor's office. Eddie meets him in the lobby, something only allowed because they need to have tests run at the same time. 

He’s greeted with a firm hug and Steve listens intently as Eddie rambles about what they’re going to have going on for the day.

“I’ve done this seven times so far, and I’ve only had one rejection at this stage but none of the other people were quite as close in the initial compatibility results as we are. Is there anything you’re nervous about going into this?” Eddie asks, cocking his head to the side in a way that reminds Steve of a curious puppy so much that he has to try not to laugh. 

“I think I’m only nervous about it failing, but I know how rare that actually is. I’m surprised that you’ve actually experienced one! Other than that, I’ve already prepared myself for the needles and stuff so I’m just ready to have the results in my hand.”

Eddie nods thoughtfully, barred from being able to respond by Dr Green calling them back into the room. 

Steve and Eddie quickly get blood drawn before electrodes are hooked to them, and they're forced into various measures of proximity for the tests. They talk through all the tests, Steve telling Eddie all about the Party and how much he adores having the pups around and Eddie in turn tells him all about his job with the youth at the library. 

They’re surprised to find that they both know Max, Eddie being one of her new neighbors in the Forest Hills trailer park.

“She threw a handful of weeds through my open window because I was playing guitar too loudly! I’m not sure why it was a handful of weeds but I think she and I are gonna get along great eventually.” 

The process ends up taking just over an hour and to their delight, they’re released with perfect compatibility results without having to wait. Steve has to try not to rejoice as he offers Eddie a ride from the clinic and Eddie accepts.

They’re both chatting amiably as he leads Eddie out to his car, which continues on the drive to Maria’s. Steve has already ordered a pan of carbona and dodges Miss Maria’s lines of questioning so he can get back to the car without too much delay. 

The sheer delight on Eddie’s face is worth the mild hassle and he can't help but laugh at the intense sniff that Eddie takes from the bag of food, let alone the moan he lets out.

There’s a bag sitting at Eddie’s feet that smells overwhelmingly like him. It’s woodsy, with a hint of cinnamon and caramel that is intoxicating in a way he’s never been able to scent before. It’s clear that Eddie wears blockers normally but he’s got things in his bag that reek of him. 

Steve knows he’s going to spend the foreseeable future with his face in whatever Eddie has brought him for his nest. He can’t wait until he and Robin get to build his nest in the new apartment where it will smell the way he wants rather than the weird smell that lingers in his parents' home.  

When they pull up to the house, Steve peeks nervously at Eddie, curious to see his reaction to the incredibly ugly and ridiculous house. He’s pleased when Eddie’s eyes only widen a bit before he packs away whatever he wants to say about the place. 

He takes the bag of food from Eddie so that he’s able to grab his bag and they walk quietly into the house.

“Home sweet home,” Steve says sarcastically as he flips the light on in the stark white entryway. 

Eddie toes off his shoes to add to the pile, a low whistle sounding from him as he looks around. 

“It’s certainly- uh- clean?” Eddie is very clearly trying to be polite, startling when Steve laughs. 

“You can say it’s awful, don’t worry. Robin and I are trying our best to move out somewhere but it’s hard, even on both of our paychecks. Every time we find an apartment we can afford that’s also big enough it’s gone before we can even apply. Or they have morality clauses against housing unmated people of different designations.” Steve lets out a derisive snort, remembering the disgusted look he got from the last place they applied, somehow upset that he hadn’t mated Robin.

Which– yuck.

Eddie lets out a little sympathetic noise before moving further into the house, taking in the terrible wall art and the sheer amount of white everywhere that the Harrington’s thought was so classy. 

Steve leads Eddie into the kitchen, the first room that looks like someone lives there. There are recipes strewn about the counters and all sorts of things they’ve bought to cook with. Robin’s pasta maker is tucked up next to the bread maker that Steve bought a few months ago because they wanted to make pizza from scratch together. 

It’s a well-loved space for them, one that they spend most of their time in and it shows. 

Eddie immediately hops up on the island, picking his way through the bag from Miss Maria’s with glee. 

“Ya know,” he says, a fake nonchalance to his tone even as his body is tensed up. “Let me know if this is much too forward and weird but there’s a trailer a few lots down from ours. Mrs Tyler is moving to be with her kids soon and wants to rent it out personally rather than through an agency. So, anyway, it’s not on any websites or anything like that. It’s pretty big compared to most of the ones because her husband added a mother-in-law space before he passed. I know she’s really only looking for enough to cover the lot fees if you want her information?” 

Eddie isn’t looking him in the eyes, shoulders hunched a bit in a clear show of shyness and Steve’s heart grows about three sizes looking at him. He steps up to the countertop, opening all the containers, and grabbing forks from the drawer next to Eddie’s legs. 

“You sure you’d want me that close? What if I turned out to be a crazy neighbor? What if Robin likes to sing opera at full volume at three in the morning?” Steve bumps his hip into Eddie’s knee, handing him the fork in his hand with a smile.

The scent of cinnamon blooms around them both, happiness and warmth filling the air as Eddie tries valiantly to hide the blush on his cheeks. 

“I’m certainly a terrible neighbor, so we’d be even anyway. I like to play metal pretty loudly sometimes, so maybe me and Robin could jam out and annoy the whole park together,” he’s grinning now, head tucked against his chest bashfully. Steve tries his best not to think about kissing Eddie at this moment and completely fails but he’s pretty sure it doesn’t matter anyhow. 

“I’m genuinely scared that she would learn opera just to fucking do that so let’s not suggest it to her. I would genuinely appreciate the information though! It would be fun to be able to bother Max regularly. She’s the least social of the Party so it would be great to get some one on one time with her.” He thinks of Max and her Mom and how cozy their home is and his heart longs for that kind of space. “Honestly as long as it has a decent kitchen, Robbie and I could live in a fucking pit,” he says with a laugh, “go on now, dig in before this all gets cold and somehow Miss Maria appears just to hit me with a towel for it.” 

They grin at each other and Steve watches as Eddie grabs a huge forkful and shoves it in his mouth. Steve has to press his lips together at the nearly pornographic moan that Eddie lets out at the taste. 

“I’ll send your regards to Miss Maria. She’ll be pleased with another happy customer.” They move on to more silly chit-chat as they eat, Eddie asking about all the random food appliances and Steve is happy to explain the intricacies of the things he and Robin enjoy cooking together. 

He’s in the middle of telling Eddie about the time they somehow managed to curdle fucking pesto pasta when he hears the front door slam open with the sound of Robin screaming at the top of her lungs. He and Eddie both startle before Steve recognizes what is happening. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. She was supposed to be out tonight at work and that’s her stress scream. I'll be right back!” Steve feels awful but luckily Eddie only smiles at him, waving him away and focusing on the food again.

Steve hurries out of the kitchen, nearly running straight into Robin who’s got streaks of mascara running down her face. He’s immediately on high alert, Robin’s not someone who cries around anyone but him and she practically smashes into him, burying her face into his chest with a sob.

‘Oh, Bobbie, what the hell happened? Who do I have to kill?” He’s upset but he’s trying his best to smother her distressed scent with something much more soothing, her floral scent turning burnt with distress surrounding them, making him restless to fix it. 

“I'm gonna get fired!” She wails into his chest and Steve’s heart falls at the news. He knows how much them both being employed is important, and he tries his best not to cry. “Keith started talking about you and how you have the kids around all the time. I don’t know how he found out but he made some comment about you ‘turning bitch’ and some unrepeatable things about you needing a real alpha to do such gross things to you and I punched him! I punched him right in the face and then I kicked him in the dick and now I’m gonna end up fired and I- and I- oh I fucked everything up Steve.” she sobs.

Robin is still wailing into his chest but Steve can’t feel anything but pride and gratitude toward her. He gathers her even further into his arms, pressing kisses into her hair and shushing her as best as possible. He’s still fighting back tears because he knows that she loves him, but things like this cement the fact that he picked the right person to spend his life with. 

“Were there any witnesses?” A voice from behind them startles them both until Steve remembers that he left Eddie in the kitchen. “If there were witnesses then you would likely win a harassment case with your company. He was openly voicing gender discrimination as well as sexual harassment.”

Robin jumps back, wiping at her face frantically as if that’s gonna help before meeting Steve’s gaze in horror. 

“Oh my god, this was your first night with Eddie. I totally forgot and I ruined it and I’m just gonna- oh I’m gonna go and I-”

She’s cut off by Eddie gently shushing her, careful not to make it seem rude but effectively quieting her rambling. 

“I was hoping to meet you during something much more fun than this, but you don’t have to apologize at all. It seems like you had an awful day and wanted your best friend, which I completely understand. Do you want to watch a movie with us or would you feel better if Steve and I rescheduled? I have all the time in the world to do this, plus I might actually go smack this Keith myself.” Eddie sounds completely sincere, without a hint of dismay in his tone as he offers to completely change their plans. If Steve wasn’t still furious at Keith he would be melting. 

“He’s right, Robbie, you’re obviously welcome to join us for a movie or something. Miss Maria gave us more food than two people can reasonably eat and I have the second Mamma Mia rented that I planned on watching with you anyway.” Steve pulls her close again, reveling in the way that Eddie has stepped nearly into their circle without actually intruding.

After a few more sniffs, he feels her nod into his chest. Steve pulls back a bit, smoothing her hair out of her face and shooting a grateful look at Eddie who's just watching them with a soft smile on his face. 

When she wanders off toward the living room, Steve sighs heavily and drops his head into his hands. 

He starts to try to apologize but Eddie refuses to hear a single word of it, cutting him off and moving in close to grip him by the shoulders.

“I meant what I said, okay? This is perfectly fine with me and she seems like she really needs the company. Plus, you promised me the second Mamma Mia movie at this point and if I don’t get to see Colin Firth and Lily James, I may actually cry now, and you’ll be forced to comfort two people tonight,” he hesitates before pulling Steve in for a hug, rubbing his cheek over his hair in a really gentle scenting that nearly melts Steve’s heart.

“Movie night it is, I guess. Help me grab all the food and an extra fork? Robin is liable to eat half the damn pan honestly.” Steve’s heart feels full as he and Eddie easily gather all the food before he leads him toward the living room. Robin has unearthed a pair of their sweats from somewhere along with an old tee shirt and changed in the middle of the living room like normal which warms his heart a little. 

She’s curled up on her normal side of the sofa, her favorite blanket piled up next to her and the TV already turned on for them. Steve easily maneuvers his way to the middle of the couch, hiding a small smile when Eddie sits close enough that their knees touch. They set all the food on the table, shuffling about until they’re all comfortable so that Steve can turn the movie on. 

It’s much easier than he expects, adding Robin into the mix with both of them. It calms his nerves about being around Eddie, about somehow scaring him off. It turns out that Eddie has seen the movie almost as many times as they have and is easily coaxed into joining them while they sing at the top of their lungs. 

He whoops and cheers when Robin and Steve perform the entirety of ‘Why Did It Have to be Me’, complete with the dance moves they have both memorized. 

By the time the movie is over, Robin is pleasantly exhausted and starting to doze off with her head on Steve’s shoulder. Eddie is pressed in close on his other side, a grin on his face and a happy scent blanketing the room. It’s the best Steve has felt in a long time and he dares to hope that Eddie feels it too. 

As the credits run, Eddie finally stands up, stretching loudly with a yawn. Steve shifts Robin off of his shoulder, moving her head easily onto the back of the couch where she just readjusts and falls further asleep. 

“This was a lot of fun, Steve,” Eddie says, helping him gather the rest of the food containers and bringing them to the kitchen. Steve spots the small bag on the floor that was forgotten in the kerfuffle, jolted with the reminder that Eddie had brought things for his nest.

“I’m glad you got to meet Robin. She’s kind of the other half of my soul and it seems like you guys have a lot in common,” Steve tries his best to be nonchalant but it’s kind of hard considering how happy he’s feeling. 

Eddie grins, tugging Steve away from where he’s still messing with the food to give himself something to do. 

“I had a really good time, with Robin but especially with you. Our compatibility results are clearly correct because I haven’t had this much fun with new people in a really long time. I think we’re gonna be really good friends through all of this.” Eddie pulls him into a careful hug, sticky sweet caramel scent mixing with the faint traces of his own fresh pine that he can rarely scent over the blockers. 

It makes Steve’s heart fill with happiness as he folds himself into Eddie’s embrace. 

He can do friends. 

“I do have to get home though, my uncle will start to worry if I’m out too late since I have work in the morning. Would you like me to send you Mrs. Tyler’s information?” Eddie pulls out of the hug easily, head cocked in question.

“Yeah, I don’t know if it’ll work out on one income but we might as well try, right? It wouldn’t hurt to talk to her,” he can almost feel the hope bubble in his chest. “Plus maybe I can surprise Robin with it, ya know? As something to cheer her up.” Steve is almost certain it won’t go anywhere but a house rather than an apartment with a private owner is too much to pass up on checking out. 

“She’s pretty easy so I’ll pass that information along! Don’t forget to mix the stuff I brought tonight into your nest as soon as you’re comfortable. The longer your scent and mine get to be together the more comfortable you’re gonna be in the end.” Eddie nods to the bag sitting on the floor and Steve has to resist the urge to grin. He knows he’s going to be shoving his face in the bag to cover himself in Eddie’s scent the second he’s alone. 

Eddie glances at his phone, a shadow of disappointment coming across his features. 

“My Uber’s here unfortunately, so I’m gonna have to say goodnight now,” he easily pulls Steve into one last hug, rubbing a cheek absently through his hair to let his happy scent bloom over the both of them. 

Steve feels melancholy when Eddie’s gone, even as he shakes Robin awake so she can make her way to her room. She tugs him in so she can rub her face over his chest affectionately before lumbering upstairs still wrapped in her blanket. 

Steve turns back to the kitchen, cleaning up just enough to justify leaving it overnight before carefully picking Eddie’s bag off the floor. The warm, comforting scent blossoms over him strongly as if Eddie had slept with whatever it contained. 

He’s able to contain himself until he’s alone in his bedroom, but as soon as his door is closed he practically tears the zipper trying to open the bag. Nestled inside is a black hoodie, a folded fleece blanket, and what looks to be a couple of pillow cases. 

Steve’s heart sings at the display of fairly intimate items, pillowcases being something that is always drenched in the owner’s most potent scent. He sets about tucking them into his makeshift nest which is really just his bed pushed into the corner of his room so that he’s able to plie blankets and soft things around him for comfort. 

He quickly tucks himself into the center of his nest, face pressed firmly to one of the pillowcases. It’s instantly soothing and Steve doesn’t want to think too hard about how much he already enjoys having Eddie around. 

It’s literally Eddie’s job to make him comfortable and even though they’ve agreed to be friends he knows his feelings would probably cross a boundary. Right now, right here he can imagine that he’s curled around Eddie instead of just his pillows. 

***

Robin and Steve both have the next day off anyway so they spend it curled up in Steve’s nest watching TV, and playing Animal Crossing in an attempt to take both of their minds off of everything. 

They don’t talk about it at all until they’re getting dressed the next morning, ugly green vests both on as they look at each other nervously before leaving for work.

They are scheduled to open together, and Keith’s not on the schedule until later that afternoon. Robin is shaking like a leaf while counting out the register so Steve makes her go sit down while he finishes getting everything ready for them and flips the open sign on. 

It’s quiet the way it usually is in the morning, both of them just waiting impatiently for something to happen and getting more tense the longer nothing does. When the clock ticks over to one in the afternoon, they both brace for Keith to show up but instead the phone rings. 

“It’s a great day here at Family Video, this is Steve. How can I best assist you today?” He tries not to let his voice shake. 

“Hello, Steve, this is Jillian Wilder. I’m the HR representative for your region, and we’ve been informed of an incident between Robin Buckley and Keith Matthews regarding a discriminatory conversation he initiated. Is she available so that we can speak with both of you together this afternoon?” 

She sounds very no-nonsense and he’s glad that Robin isn’t the one to have picked up the phone because he knows she’d immediately start to spiral. 

“Oh, uh we have the same shift today so we’re both off at four this afternoon?” Steve knows he sounds unsure and tries to project more confidence when he says, “I would prefer to do this on the clock if that’s okay?”

The woman hums in agreement, and Steve can hear the clicking of a keyboard before she replies. “It won’t take very long so we can meet at 3:30 before you guys have to leave. Kelly Tyler from your sister location will be filling in for Mr. Matthews this afternoon and should be there shortly. See you soon.” Jillian hangs up before Steve can even respond, leaving him a bit shell-shocked with the phone still tucked against his ear. 

“Who was that?” Robin asks, hooking her chin over his other shoulder as he sets the phone back in the cradle. 

“Um, someone from HR wants to talk to us. It didn’t sound bad though and Keith isn’t coming in today? I’m not really sure what's going on but we’ll find out at 3:30.” He feels the way that Robin stiffens behind him and he automatically covers her hand with his, turning to rub his cheek against her in a soothing gesture. It’s not as calming as it would be if he wasn’t wearing blockers but the action is gentle in and of itself and he can feel her muscles relax a bit. 

“Well, I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now anyway. What’s done is done.” She sounds defeated and Steve uses her arms to pull her tight against his back.

“Whatever happens, we’re in it together. Scoops Troop for life right?” 

He feels her smile against his shoulder blades as he sways her gently from side to side. 

“Scoops Troop for life indeed.” 

They’re interrupted by a girl walking in the door decked out in the Family Video vest. She introduces herself briefly as Kelly before meandering about the store to learn the layout. 

Both Steve and Robin enjoy her presence even though she’s mostly quiet. She chimes in occasionally with some sort of cutting remark that makes both of them laugh. 

It’s an easy shift even as the end of the day looms ever closer, Robin getting more and more rambly as the time ticks away. At 3:30 on the dot, a tall woman in a pressed pantsuit arrives. She exudes the air of a typical alpha, only wearing light blockers as is traditional but she doesn’t seem harsh or upset.

She greets them kindly, shaking both Steve and Robin’s hands before telling Kelly they have a meeting and that her partner will arrive in the next few minutes to work with her. She guides them back into the manager's office easily, letting them sit and get comfortable before pulling out a large stack of paperwork.

“This is obviously not how I like to meet new people, and I’m incredibly sorry for the frustration or worry the last few days may have caused the both of you. We were alerted to some incredibly discriminatory comments made by Keith Matthews as of two days ago and the subsequent altercation that took place.” She stops to look up at Robin over the top of her glasses, and Steve reaches over to take Robin’s clammy hands in his. 

“We were contacted by Mr. Matthews with one version of the story that night, seeing as Miss Buckley left her shift without approval or prior notice, but we were contacted the next afternoon by the SGDA regarding the matter as well which prompted a more in-depth conversation.”

Steve sucks in a sharp breath at the words. The Secondary Gender Discrimination Association is small but mighty and he’s confused about how they’d even heard about something like this, let alone how they acted so soon. He can feel the way Robin is shaking beside him too, and it’s only ramping up his stress.

“I’m sorry for how this has sounded so far and I should have started with this anyhow. You are not in any trouble, especially when defending another employee against open bigotry in the workplace. The cameras showed that Mr Matthews’ version of events was clearly false. You had every right to defend yourself, though we would ask that you refrain from further workplace violence and just report this if something were to happen again. In light of the removal of Mr. Matthews from his position, we would like to offer it to both of you as the most senior employees here at this time. You’ve been reliable employees from day one and this is easier for us than letting all the responsibility fall on a single person. What do you say?” 

Steve and Robin are both stunned into silence, the whiplash of the meeting getting to both of them as they just stare at Jillian for a moment. 

“Wait, are you like, one hundred percent serious?” Robin says, finally speaking up for the first time. “I thought I was going to get fired over this.” 

Jillian smiles at her kindly, offering them both their own stacks of papers. 

“Absolutely not. Everything is detailed here in the papers and all you have to do is sign at the bottom once you have a chance to go over it all. You’re more than welcome to take these home with you to look at and bring them back at your earliest convenience. This will come with a pay raise for you both of course, which is outlined on the last page.” 

They take the paperwork from her with shaking hands as she packs up the rest of her stuff. 

“I know this has been a lot all at once but Kelly will be here to help you with the transition,” she says with a smile, briefcase snapping shut.

In a daze they say goodbye to her, watching her walk out the door without even getting up. Robin turns to him, a grin spreading across her face as she lets out a mildly hysterical laugh.

“Stevie, I punched someone and they promoted us both!” She grabs him by the shoulder and shakes him wildly until he’s laughing with her. 

“How did we both get promoted?” Steve is still in shock as they pack up for the day, waving goodbye to Kelly and Dina who must have shown up when they were in the back. 

When Steve pulls out his phone, he has a text from Eddie asking about work and he can't help the warmth that rushes through him at the idea that Eddie must have remembered how stressed they would be.

He passes his phone to Robin to text him back while he starts up the car since she would kill him if he tried to text and drive.

“Okay, I told him about the SGDA and that we both got promoted! I also said thank you for checking in on us.” She tucks his phone into the console, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard as she flips through the paperwork. 

“These say that he tried to tell the company I hit him unprovoked and that he never said anything about anyone else witnessing it.  But apparently a customer overheard and reported it.” she flips all the way to the last page, her jaw dropping open. “They’re offering us both a fucking three dollar an hour raise, Steve. What the actual fuck?” 

Steve has to try his hardest not to slam on the brakes, the idea of such a huge jump in both of their paychecks nearly making him cry. He can hear the buzz of his phone as someone texts him but he can barely even think about who it might be as he’s calculating how much rent they can now afford together and getting excited about the possibilities. It’s going to let him get some of the nicer things he wants for when he builds his first nest in their new place. 

They celebrate together when they get home, pulling a bottle of wine from the special hutch in his dad’s office. Steve finally checks his phone when they’re sitting on the couch together, two texts from Eddie waiting for him. He has to try not to grin as he unlocks his phone to pull them up but he’s clearly not successful since he has to smack Robin on the arm when she cackles at his expression. 

‘I’m so happy for you both, you deserve this so much,’ followed by, ‘Maybe I can take you both out to celebrate?”

Steve hums to himself a little before turning to Robin questioningly. 

“He offered to take us out to celebrate, but maybe I can just invite him over? Have another movie night or play games or something?” Steve bats his eyes at Robin who just rolls her eyes and snatches his phone out of his hand. 

Before Steve even has time to react she hits the call button and puts it on speakerphone, practically launching herself across the couch so he can’t take the phone back from her. 

It doesn’t stop him from trying, knocking the unopened bottle of wine to the floor in the scuffle until he hears an excited “hey Stevie” come through the speaker. 

“Oh it’s Robin actually but that’s very sweet of you, Eddie my dear! Wanna come watch me kick Steve’s ass at the game of Life while we get a bit sloshed in celebration of our promotion?” 

Steve pinches Robin’s thigh, making her squeal loudly but all it does is make Eddie laugh through the phone. 

“You know that sounds amazing actually. I’m free for the rest of the day so I can head over whenever, if that works for you?” He sounds like he’s trying not to laugh and Steve’s heart fills up with warmth at the sound. 

“Join us whenever!” He shouts down at the phone, delighting in the laughter that finally breaks through from Eddie before he hangs up. 

Robin finally tosses his phone back to him, trying her best to pinch his nipple with her toes through his tee shirt. 

It’s a match they regularly have with each other because both of them fight incredibly dirty. Too close to each other to have any sort of boundaries as they wrestle. Robin wins, like she normally does by pulling his hair and sitting on him. They’ve tumbled to the floor at this point, and both of them are sweaty and red-faced as Robin lets out a whoop of excitement.  

She laughs before flopping onto the floor next to him, pressing a messy kiss to his sweaty cheek as they lay side by side on the rug. 

“I cannot believe you sometimes. I could have done that myself you know, you asshole.” Steve stabs a finger into Robin’s ribs in retaliation. 

“Yeah, maybe but you would have overthought it and I wanted to hang out with him anyway. We need more goddamn friends and you get to spend more chill time with him now. You can’t tell me you don’t have at least a teeny tiny crush on him.” 

Steve sighs, knowing she’s right. Robin is always right when it comes to him which should annoy him but it just makes him feel loved. He never had anyone that paid him that much attention growing up, not enough to know everything about him like she does. 

It’s quiet between them, not uncomfortable in any way but easy in the way that laying on the floor really should be. They do it to decompress all the time, but it’s always something special for them because it feels like they can just breathe together. 

The scent of lavender sinks into the air around them, settling into Steve’s soul like a soothing blanket. They’re both startled by a knock on the door and Steve grabs his phone to check the time. It’s been nearly thirty minutes since Robin had hung up on Eddie so that must be him already at their door. 

Steve sits up abruptly, aware that he’s literally been rolling around on the floor with Robin and looks a mess. 

He doesn’t even have to ask before Robin is groaning loudly, using the table to haul herself to her feet. 

“Fix your hair, dingus. It looks like a rat’s nest.” She kicks at his foot as she leaves with a smile on her face and Steve is reminded about how much he adores her. 

To the tune of the door opening and Eddie and Robin greeting each other fondly, Steve runs frantic fingers through his hair to try to tame the bird's nest he knows it must look like. He’s just setting the wine bottle and his cell phone back on the table as the other two walk back in. 

Eddie is dressed more comfortably than Steve has seen, in what looks to be a pair of thin black sweatpants and a dark cropped hoodie. He’s carrying two bottles in his hand that look to be champagne and Steve’s heart melts just a little more. 

“Hey, Steve. I figured that having the SGDA come to your aid, and getting promoted all in one day was cause for a real celebration.” Eddie’s face is bright and happy and Steve moves without thinking so that he can wrap Eddie up in a hug.

“I’m happy to see you, thank you so much for these.” Steve goes to grab the bottles from Eddie so he can put them in the freezer to cool and startles when they’re already cold in his hand.

“The store had one of those dry ice freezer things so I was able to chill them. This way we can break into one of them right away.” Eddie does pass one of them off to Steve though, as he makes his way into the kitchen to tuck the other one in the fridge without even having to ask. The action has a level of familiarity that soothes Steve as he follows Eddie into the kitchen so he can grab cups to drink out of. 

He doesn’t really want to use his parent’s fancy wine glasses, they don’t seem right for the occasion somehow, so instead he opens the coffee cup cabinet. He pulls out his and Robin’s favorite mugs as well as an extra one for Eddie. 

Robin’s mug says ‘World’s Okayest Dad’ while Steve’s says ‘World’s Hottest MILF.” They bought them for each other last Christmas and both laughed their asses off when they opened them because they truly had the feeling of shared brain cells at the time. The one he pulls out for Eddie has a crab with a knife on it and it says ‘life is relentless’ in an overly fancy script. 

Steve passes Eddie the mug he grabbed for him, smiling when Eddie lights up as he reads what’s on it. They head back into the living room, Steve stopping to grab the stack of paperwork and a pen from the front hallway. Eddie pops the cork with ease, pouring them all a heavy cup of sparkling champagne before Steve flourishes the packet bearing Robin’s name at her and keeps his own. 

Once they’re all sitting, Steve clears his throat and shushes both of them before starting to speak. “We’re here tonight because Robin is willing to throw hands at anyone who dares to say anything mean about me, and because of whoever called the SGDA in the shortest amount of time imaginable. Instead of losing one or both of our jobs, we’ve gotten the promotion we very much deserve and we get to be here and drink delicious champagne supplied by our newest friend as we sign our new contracts.” He bows as dramatically as he can to Robin and passes her the pen like it’s a baton. 

She accepts the pen with a flourish, signing on the dotted line before passing the pen back to him. Steve tries not to cry as he signs his as well and hears Eddie cheering for both of them loudly.

“Fuck Keith!” Robin yells happily, raising her glass toward both of them.

“Fuck Keith!” Steve and Eddie chorus together, bringing their mugs in so they can clink them all together before they all take a heavy swig. The bubbles slip across Steve’s tongue smoothly, sweet and bright as he looks at the people in his living room who are here to celebrate this whirlwind of emotions with him.

“Okay, I promised Eddie here that he could watch me kick your ass at LIFE so you mind loading it up and getting us all a controller so we can get this show on the road?” Robin smacks Steve on the shoulder, gesturing at the TV wildly with her cup and sloshing some over the sides.

“Woah, woah, woah, what kind of high-tech game of LIFE have I signed up for?” Eddie looks at both of them in confusion even as Steve hauls himself up to do exactly what she asked him to do.

“We play on the Switch because it lets Stevie here dress up like a little elf and get gay married in  the way the little peg people on the board game just can’t.” Robin cackles at the affronted look on Steve’s face, scrambling to catch the little pink controller he chucks at her face. 

She pouts as Steve gives Eddie the one that is normally reserved for her, covered in little Animal Crossing stickers while taking the match for himself. Steve sticks his tongue out at her before settling between the two of them on the couch. 

“Let’s get this show on the road, people!” 

***

It’s a massacre for sure, Steve losing soundly every time as Robin and Eddie get near violent over trying to fuck each other up which shouldn’t even be possible with LIFE but is somehow managed. 

Between the three of them they down both bottles of bubbly as they play, voices getting louder and boundaries growing smaller the longer they’re together. By the time they’ve managed five whole games, they’re all tipsy and half all over each other in a happy pile. 

“I think we need to eat something to soak this up,” Eddie says, leaning heavily into Steve’s side. 

“Let’s order in, I can’t imagine trying to cook anything we have prepped right now,” Robin pipes up from his other side, swaying forward far enough that Steve has to hook his arm around her to pull her back. 

“What are we feeling then? I feel like I could house an entire lasagna by myself at this point.” Eddie and Robin both groan loudly at the idea.

“Do you think Miss Maria would have any at this time of day? I think I would kill someone for her garlic knots right now.” Robin is practically salivating at the thought and Steve pulls his phone out immediately because that is exactly what they need to celebrate for the night.

The number is one he has memorized and he punches it in easily rather than searching for her contact. It only rings twice before a perky guy’s voice answers the phone.

“Hey, Duncan, It’s Steve. Can I talk to Maria please?” He tries his best not to slur his words, smiling when Duncan just laughs and places him on hold. When Maria picks up the phone he lets out a loud cheer and has to tone it down when she shushes him. 

“I’m sorry, Miss Maria, it's Steve. I, uh well we wanted to know if you had any lasa- lasagna left and if we could also get like soooooo many garlic knots too,” Steve tries his best not to let his words sound tipsy but the laughter he hears from Miss Maria tells him he is not successful. 

“Oh, mio caro, I am so glad to hear from you. It has been days with no update and now you call me for food? I see how it is, but I forgive you. You’re lucky anyhow because I have a lasagna that we just finished for tomorrow so I’ll send it with Duncan, along with some sweets and your garlic knots. Is it just you and my dear Robin or is that handsome boy with you as well?” She’s teasing him, but he just feels happy with the love she’s got in her voice. 

“It’s uh, well it’s all three of us actually.” His face burns red as he hears the smug little noise she lets out, a happy little trill that’s always soothed him. 

“Well I will send extras since your boy is there too. Give Duncan about thirty minutes and preheat your oven please, mio caro. You know what it needs.” The noise of shuffling around on her side reaches through the phone. “Come see me this week, okay? You owe me some life updates I think.” 

“Of course, Miss Maria. I love you and I’ll see you soon.” He hangs up to the howling laughter of Robin and Eddie who have somehow melded minds in the three minutes he was on the phone. 

“You didn’t even pay for it? Are you paying for it?” Eddie sounds concerned, tipping into Steve as he tries to shake him by the shoulders.

“Stevie doesn’t pay Miss Maria in mooooney, he pays her in gossip.” Robin’s red cheeked and laughing as she leans over his lap to get in Eddie’s face. “She likes to hear what we are all up to!” 

Steve shoves hands into both of their faces and pushes them apart, laughing as they both give him an affronted look at the action. 

“I pay her, you asshole. She just runs me up a tab as long as I tip Duncan for the trip. She doesn’t really do delivery to a lot of people, but she will for me.” A dopey grin spreads across his face as he thinks about how much Miss Maria loves him. Robin just giggles and falls right back into his side. 

It takes great effort for Steve to push himself up off the couch so he can go get his wallet. Robin only tips further sideways, landing on Eddie with a loud giggle. 

Steve can’t help but smile at the way they’ve taken to each other so easily. Eddie leans into the affection and runs a hand through her hair. The scent of their happiness is heavy in the air, sweet and floral as it permeates the room with unmistakable glee. 

Steve snaps a quick picture of the two of them before making his way into the kitchen. It only takes him a moment to preheat the oven for the lasagna before he picks up his wallet from the counter, he opens it and snatches a twenty, slipping it into his pocket.  He opens the fridge to grab two bottles of water, then makes sure to grab a second pair from the pantry because Robin’s sensitive teeth hate cold water and he isn’t sure what Eddie prefers. 

When he gets back to the living room, he sets the extras down on the table before cracking one of the cold ones and chugging half of it in one go. Robin whoops in excitement, making grabby hands until Steve hands hers over. 

He turns toward Eddie who’s looking at him in curiosity. 

“Do you prefer cold or room temperature water? Mine has to be practically ice and Robin might as well microwave hers,” He laughs rubbing the back of his neck, “so anyway I grabbed one of each for you.” Steve gestures to the pair of bottles on the table, noting when Eddie grabs the cold one for himself and leaves the warmer one. 

“Thanks, Stevie. I appreciate it.” Eddie wobbles his body back and forth as he drinks happily like he can’t be bothered to make himself keep still. It’s incredibly endearing to watch because it means that Eddie must feel comfortable enough to not keep himself from his natural movements. 

The moment is interrupted by the doorbell ringing sooner than he expects and a loud shout of excitement rises from the couch. Steve makes his way to the front door, pulling it open to see Duncan on his porch with a set of bags in his hand. He has a bright smile on his face and goes to set the bags down just inside. 

“Hey, darling! Mama Maria sends her love and lots of food. She tucked in a bunch of dessert for you guys too, and said you sounded like you were in your cups.” Duncan sounds like he’s holding back laughter and Steve’s face burns in embarrassment. 

“It’s been a good day, Duncan,” is what Steve settles on, tucking the twenty dollar bill into the front pocket of Duncan’s shirt with a wink. Laugher from the living room is loud enough to be heard, distinctly male and female and the sound makes Duncan raise his eyebrows. 

“Sounds like a new friend has joined you. Is that the pretty boy Mama saw you with in the shop? She seems quite fond of him already.” Duncan leans against the doorframe, a smirk across his face as he stares Steve down.

“You guys already know too much about me so I think it’s time to leave. Tell your mother to stop sending you to meddle in my love life and that she’ll get updates when I see her next and not before,” Steve pushes at Duncan, shooing him away from the front door and back down the walkway. “Goodbye, Duncan!’’ 

He hears the laughter even through the door he slams behind Duncan, rolling his eyes before takes all the food into the kitchen to pop the lasagna in the oven. Happiness sings through him when he pulls out a whole pan full of cannolis and tucks them into the fridge for later. There’s a salad in the bag for him as well as an overfilled bag of garlic knots that smell incredible enough to bring cheers to the room when he rejoins the others in the living room. 

The rest of the night follows easily as they eat more than their bodies should reasonably handle and gradually wind down until they’re all half asleep in a pile. 

Steve taps Robin on the shoulder, getting her to wake up enough to realize she can go upstairs before he rouses Eddie.

“Come on, Eds. You can snag Robin’s room for the night and she can crash with me.” Eddie just hums sleepily, pulling out his phone to send a text before following Steve up the stairs. 

When Steve pushes open Robin’s door, it’s only to find her face down in her bed fully clothed and already snoring. Eddie just giggles, backing out of the room quietly and dragging Steve along with him.

“Guess I'm bunking with you instead,” Eddie starts to grin before a nervous look crosses his face. “Or not. I mean I can just sleep on the couch, or I can really just call an-”

Steve cuts him off with a hand pressed over his mouth.

“You can bunk with me, dork. My bed is plenty big enough for two and I really don’t mind.” Steve waits for Eddie to try to protest but is only rewarded for his kindness, with no ulterior motive, by a wet tongue dragging across his palm. Steve pulls away like he’s been burned, wiping the spit on Eddie’s shirt while the he tries to contain his laughter. 

It’s easy to lead Eddie to his room, to offer him a t-shirt to sleep in, and to strip down to his briefs before tucking himself under the blankets. Eddie follows easily and without reservation, curling up beside Steve like twin parentheses under the sheets. 

There’s something to be said about how fast they’re able to fall asleep together, only minutes after they’ve hit the pillows.

***

The hangover the next day is so worth the night of happiness they all had. Robin wakes up to make a hefty amount of eggs and toast for them in the late morning time, waggling her eyebrows when Eddie and Steve come down the stairs together. 

Steve flicks her when Eddie isn’t looking, then runs away before she can manage to retaliate. They drink coffee out of random mugs, the radio humming away in the background as they chit-chat and eat together. Steve feels content, peaceful in his home like a missing piece has been slotted into his life. 

The happiness lasts long after Eddie has to leave for the day, boosting both Robin and Steve through a long evening shift filled with learning their new position requirements with Kelly. 

Steve is surprised when he gets off of work and sees a text from an unknown number. Out of curiosity, he opens it before he even makes it out to the car, and is pleasantly surprised to see that it looks to be from Eddie’s neighbor.

Instead of replying right away, he tucks his phone into his pocket. He doesn’t want to get Robin’s hopes up if it turns out to be nothing, and he thinks it would be kind of fun to surprise her with something like this anyhow. 

It’s easier than he thinks to hide it since Robin asks to be dropped at her own house for the night, something about her parents wanting to celebrate her promotion with her. She invites him as well but he feigns exhaustion and tells her he’s just going to have an early night in anyhow. 

Carla Buckley gives him a kiss on the cheek through his rolled down car window, as happy to see him as she always is as he gives her daughter back for the night. The Buckley household has always been kind to him, from the first time Robin brought him around Steve has always felt incredibly happy when he spends time with them.

By the time he gets home, his phone is burning a hole in his pocket. He quickly pulls it out so that he can reread the text he only glanced at.

Hello, dear. This is Blanche Tyler. Eddie mentioned that you and your friend were looking to rent and I would love to meet with you this week to discuss it when you’re available! I’m a homebody so I’m available whenever. 

Steve squeals a little in excitement, hands shaking as shoots a text back and asks if she’s free in the morning so that he has time prior to work to speak with her. She texts him back nearly immediately and they agree to meet at ten the next morning. 

Excitement thrums through Steve’s veins even as he tries to tell himself not to get his hopes up too much. He has to get it out of his system somehow though, and since Robin isn’t an option, he calls Eddie before he can think about it. 

The phone only rings twice before Eddie picks up, a happy rumble in his voice as he says hello.

“I suppose you heard from Mrs. Tyler then, huh? She said she was gonna text you today but I wasn’t sure when you would see it with work and stuff.” Eddie’s voice is quiet but happy as he talks. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna meet her tomorrow morning,” Steve says as he digs through the fridge for leftovers to heat up. “She seems very relaxed about everything so I’m looking forward to it. I didn’t tell Robin though so don’t spill the beans before I can.”

He hears Eddie’s laughter, the sound making him grin as he drags the remainder of the lasagna from the previous night out of the fridge.

“That’s great, Stevie. I think you’re gonna love her a lot. She shoves fresh veggies at Wayne and I all the time, straight from her garden. Says that neither of us would know what a tomato looked like without her.” Eddie’s voice sounds a bit muffled, and Steve hears the echoes of other conversations in the background. 

It takes Steve a second before the realization hits him.

‘Eddie Munson, are you at work?” Steve is trying not to laugh, putting his all into sounding horrified but Eddie only laughs.

“Yeah, it’s a quiet night though and I didn't want to miss whatever you had to say to me for something as silly as a mostly empty library.” 

Stee can feel his face flush bright red, happy that Eddie isn’t here to see him in person. 

“Well, as sweet as that is, I don’t want you to get in trouble so I’ll let you go. I promise to talk to you after I meet with Mrs. Tyler tomorrow.” 

They both stumble over each other to hang up, leaving Steve laughing to himself happily as he heats up and devours the rest of the lasagna on his own. 

He notices the mail sitting on the counter from yesterday, having forgotten that Robin had grabbed it for them. His heart stops when he realizes there’s a heavier envelope sitting with the rest, the name of his clinic on the outside. There is a noticeable shake in his hands as he rips through the heavy paper, a small box falling out when he shakes it onto the counter. 

The box reads ‘Omediol’ in bright green lettering, Steve’s eyes begin to fill with tears as he realizes that his omega boosters are finally in his hands. He turns it over, looking for the instructions that he already knows by heart, but has to see to let it fully sink in. 

Omediol is a hormone booster intended only for Alphas in active transition. Take twice daily, approximately every 12 hours, with or without food. 

You should see symptoms within the week, if not please contact your health provider. 

Steve knows the symptoms by heart too. Knows about the sore chest as his body starts to build milk ducts for feeding.  He knows how weird it will be when his balls start to retreat into his body to make way for his changing anatomy, and knows all about the cramping as his body grows a womb. 

It feels like magic, the way his body will change to accommodate the way he’s always wanted to be, to look. Honestly, he doesn’t understand the science behind it so it's easier to just call it magic anyhow. 

It only takes him a moment to text Robin and Eddie and to let them know they came in, both texts are met with very enthusiastic excitement the way he expected. The rest of his night follows in quiet fashion. He watches Grease because Robin can’t stand it, then brushes his teeth before promptly falling face-first into his bed. 

****

His sleep is fitful, the way it always is when Robin isn’t there. 

When his sleep is bad he always wakes too early, the early morning light is enough to rouse him from his bed. Steve’s exhausted when he drags himself downstairs for coffee but he perseveres until he can sit in front of the TV to watch cartoons with his cup and a chocolate muffin in his other hand. 

Steve sinks into the couch for a little over an hour before getting up to clean the kitchen. It’s been neglected for a couple days and he wants Robin to be able to come back to a clean space so that she’s not stressed out. 

Luckily, it’s easy and it turns out it looked much worse than it actually was. It only takes him half an hour to finish before he’s back to wondering what to do with the rest of his morning. There’s only so much time he can take to shower and dress himself, even while he drags his feet. 

He happily pulls another pastel sweater from his closet, this one a soft baby blue that is just large enough to drape over his hips. It’s easy to tug his favorite pair of jeans up and over his hips, the material worn in perfectly.

He’s more confident this time when he snags Robin’s makeup, adding a touch of blush and highlight to the mascara and gloss he’s tried previously. It’s subtle enough that no one will really notice except Steve who knows he’s wearing it, but it gives him a sense of confidence he’s never felt before. 

When he looks in the mirror, he doesn’t look like a whole new person, only a softer and brighter version of himself. He catches sight of the packet of Omediol sitting where he left it on the dresser the night before. It feels surreal to run his hands over the silver blister packet, the edge of his nail cutting through the foil marked ‘day one’. The small white pill tips out into his hand, the moment feeling heavy with excitement and nervousness knowing that this is the point of no return for him.

With a quick raise of his hand, and a swig of lukewarm coffee, he’s done it. His first dose of Omega hormones swallowed down ike it’s nothing even though it’s everything. He knows that he won't see symptoms for a few days, but he feels like he’s glowing from the inside out already. 

When he checks the clock, it’s only nine but he’s too energized to stay at home alone so he laces up his lucky vans and heads out to Melvald’s to pick up flowers for Mrs. Tyler. He stands in front of the flower display for a solid five minutes contemplating the vast array before he feels a gentle hand rest on his shoulder.

“Well hello there sweetheart, what has you contemplating flower arrangements so intensely this early in the morning?” Joyce Byers’ voice comes in quietly from over his shoulder and his whole heart lightens as he turns to grab her around the waist. 

“Morning, Joyce,” Steve mumbles into her hair, grinning as she holds him tight and presses a kiss to his cheek. “I have an interview for a place for Robin and i. I’m kind of nervous and she’s an older lady so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to butter her up.”

Joyce laughs lightly as they separate. She turns her attention to the display of flowers before pulling out a mix of daisies and carnations that looks bright and happy.

“That should be perfect. They don’t look like you're trying too hard but they’re nice enough for anyone to appreciate.” Joyce easily bags the stems, pulling a ribbon from the spool next to the display and tying them off expertly before thrusting them into his hands.

As they walk up to the register together, they talk a bit about Steve and Robin’s promotion as well as catching up on things while she scans the flowers. Joyce very clearly throws her family discount into the transaction but Seve knows by now not to argue with her about it and swipes his card. 

“Make sure you and Robin come over soon. Will and El have been asking about you recently. I think they miss you,” Joyce says as she hands him the receipt, a soft smile on her face. 

“Absolutely, I’ll text them and see if I can set something up with them soon. The others bought me a skateboard finally, so I bet they’d enjoy watching me fall on my ass with the rest of the pups.” Steve winks at her, pleased when she laughs brightly. 

His mood is much calmer after that, Joyce Byers always knows how to make him feel better. It’s only a short drive to Forest Hills, music blasting from the speakers as he goes. Eddie’s van is parked in front of one of the trailers near the front of the park, a beat-up pickup truck parked so close to it that Steve has to wonder how that person managed to get out of the driver's seat. 

It’s only a minute or so to the other end of the park, a buttery yellow trailer adorned with the number 22 tucked away at the end of the little road. White trellises cover the outside of the porch, vines crawling across them with little buds sprinkled between the leaves. An older woman is sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, a mug in her hand and a smile on her face as she waves him into the driveway. 

Steve takes a deep breath, grabbing the flowers from the passenger seat, and pets the nose of Fregbert the Frog on his dashboard for luck before he hops out of the car. 

“You must be Steve,” Mrs. Taylor says from her chair, urging him up the steps with a grin. Her hair is white through and through, curly and piled on top of her head with a pair of glasses tucked on top. She scents of cedar and something spicy, a comforting smell as she spots the flowers clutched tightly in his hand.

“I had a feeling you may be early, darling. From how my sweet Edward described you, you seemed like you might be the anxious sort.” She throws him a wink, laughing when Steve’s face flushes at how well she’s predicted his behavior. “Let’s take those beauties inside so we can get them set into some water before they wilt.” 

Steve remembers his manners just in time, offering her an arm to help her from her chair and she coos at him, fingers pinching his bicep cheekily as she stands. 

“What a gentleman you are! Oh, I do think we’re going to have a wonderful morning.” She practically drags Steve through the front door, humming to herself as they make their way down a small hallway to the kitchen where she releases his arm, freeing herself to pull out a vase from under the sink. 

As water fills the stunning blue glass, something brushes across Steve’s leg that startles him. Mrs. Tyler only laughs at his little scream, setting the vase on the counter and pulling the flowers from his hand. 

“Don’t mind ol’ Crochet Hook, he’s loud but he’s harmless. I’m honestly surprised he’s out right now, he’s not particularly a fan of Alphas besides myself. He must already know the truth about your true self.” 

Steve sucks in a startled breath at her statement, shocked that Eddie must have already told her but happy that he doesn’t have to try to explain it. 

“I uh, yeah I won’t be for much longer I guess,” he stutters out before kneeling to pet the little orange cat screaming at his feet. He gets warm purring in return and a nibble on the hand before the cat moves on to wind between his owner’s feet. 

He pauses for a moment when his brain catches up with what she said to him.

“His name is Crochet Hook?” Steve asks her, laughing with her as she picks the cat up like a baby and moves to sit at the dining room table. He joins her, sitting on the other side of the small table.

“Yes, though we usually just call him Hook at this point. He stole seven crochet hooks from my basket the week we brought him home and hid them underneath his cat bed. I’m still not sure how, but we ended up naming him in honor of his thief skills.” Mrs Tyler levels him with a look that nearly has him squirming in his seat. “I know you are looking for a place to stay, and you expect to have a beta roommate. Can you tell me why the son of James and Catherine Harrington wants to live in a trailer park, especially a trailer owned by a little old lady? It seems like a silly act of rebellion or something, no?”

Steve’s blood freezes at the sound of his parent’s names. He knows he shouldn’t be surprised, especially not given what he guesses her age to be. The kids she has must be around his parent’s age, enough that they could have grown up together. 

With a deep breath, he collects his thoughts before he starts his explanation.

“My parents will kick me out the next time they come home, without hesitation if I am still under their roof. I realize you know a bit about me through Eddie, but I am in the process of an omega transition, and as you know I have a beta for a roommate and best friend. While in the process of looking for places, we have gotten a lot of pushback about me being an unmated male omega with a female beta as a roommate, under the pretense of us being a safety liability.” Steve has to stop to take a breath, noting the expression on Mrs. Tyler’s face has stayed the same so far. 

“My parents wanted an alpha, and they were incredibly excited to have one and ignored how devastated I was when I presented. They’ve left me alone for months on end after that. My roommate Robin has been helping me save up, not only for my medical expenses but for living expenses too so that we’re able to be fully independent. We both work at Family Video right down the road, and Eddie kinda dropped this idea on me but I honestly don’t know if we can even afford something as big as this.” 

Steve looks up from where his gaze has drifted to his hands, holding eye contact with Mrs. Tyler as she appears to be deep in thought. 

“You know, my daughter was in the same grade as your father. I remember she came home once, her brand new jacket stained with pizza sauce that your father had smeared on purpose because she ran into him by accident earlier in the day.” 

Steve’s heart sinks into his stomach as she continues. 

“I don’t see an ounce of that heathen in the sweet boy that brought me flowers this morning and charmed ol Hook so easily. I don’t care about making money on this house. I only kept it because of the life that Albert and I built in it. We went through what you’re dealing with now, but long before they made it as safe as it is today.” She stands, crossing the room to pull a photograph off the mantle and bring it back to set in front of Steve.

A beautiful young woman is standing at the bedside of a grinning man, holding a newborn baby in his arms. 

“That’s our firstborn, Carter. We knew that it would be easier if I just had kids the way that everyone wanted us to, but I never wanted to get pregnant and Albert did. I would catch him looking at pregnancy books and staring at his stomach in the mirror in the first year of our marriage. I knew what we had to do, no matter what anyone said.”

There’s tears in her eyes, ones that she doesn’t seem bothered to wipe away, but it makes Steve tear up as well. When he reaches a hand over the table to sit on top of hers, she turns hers over to give his a squeeze, a small smile gracing her face before she starts up her story again. 

“We found black market Omega booster hormones through a friend of ours in Colorado. We waited until his next rut and had to hope for the best. We were incredibly lucky that he came out as the Omega he had dreamed of being and was capable of giving us three beautiful kids. We were run out of our town in Colorado, but we were lucky enough to find a place here, one where we met Wayne Munson’s momma, Diana. She helped us settle and never told anyone our secret, not until it was much safer for my husband to be proud of who he was. I see so much of my Albert in you, little Steve. I think he would have loved to see someone like you who is unashamed of who you are, enough to fight for your place in this world.”

Steve is crying now, the tears falling freely down his face even as he looks at Albert’s happy expression captured in a photograph. 

“You both look beautiful and god if I don’t fucking hope I get to be as happy as you guys look in that photograph one day. He sounds like an incredible man and husband, Mrs. Tyler. I would have been lucky to meet him.” Steve offers her a watery smile, getting a soft look in return. 

“Oh, you can call me Blanche, Sweetheart. I’ve been trying to get Eddie to for years but he seems to think I’ll keel over if he does,” she says with a wink. “I’m just happy I get to meet you now.”

She runs a dainty hand over her eyes, catching a stray tear that’s trying its best to fall.

“Enough of the weeping though, let’s go over some details, shall we? I’m only looking for six hundred dollars a month in rent, plus you would need to cover the utilities and such yourself. The house is fully paid off so I just need the money really to help me with the lot fees and to set aside for any repairs that may be needed in the future. I don’t need to bother with the applications and all that nonsense that everywhere seems to be trying to gouge people with these days. Honestly, I tried to get Eddie to move in but he’s too stubborn to leave Wayne by himself.” Blanche pauses for a moment, laughing at the awestruck look on Steve’s face. 

“Oh honey, I’d let this place be free if I didn’t have a few ongoing expenses to keep up with. You seem like a sweet young man and Eddie has done nothing but speak highly of you and your Robin. He says you would be good at learning the ways to keep my garden up too which is very important to me. My tomatoes are the best in the whole goddamn county and I’d love to be able to send my daughter to fetch some from you now and then. “

Steve can hardly believe his ears, everything about this sounds practically too good to be true. None of the other places they have looked at over the last few months have been below a full twelve-hundred dollars for a shitty two-bedroom apartment, let alone a home with actual space. 

“Mrs. Blanche, that cannot be nearly enough. That’s half of what anyone else around here is charging.” Steve can’t help the protest, feeling like he’d be taking advantage of someone who doesn’t understand that she’s drastically lowballing herself out of a proper renter. 

She levels him with a look, thinking for a moment before speaking. “I’ll take it down to five hundred, but any further protests are going to result in me taking more money off the rent, so if you're so insistent on paying me fairly, I would keep your complaints about how much I charge for my own home to yourself.”

There’s nothing in the world that could stop the tears from falling now. He chokes up a little, unable to manage any words. Instead, he offers her his hand to shake. She’s got a firm grip, and she squeezes his hand before letting him go.

“My kids are gonna be helping me out over the course of the week to get my stuff out, so you should be able to move in next week if you’d like. My oldest daughter Tali is in real estate, so she’s helped me draw up a lease agreement that I was comfortable with and I can get Eddie to bring it to you once I get the price and everything set up on it. Just drop it off when you have a chance, darling.” Blanche pushes herself away from the table, Hook grumpily dropping to the floor. 

Steve is still in shock as he follows her lead by getting up, smiling a little as he feels fur wrap around his ankles before wandering off.

“Let’s take the tour, shall we?” 

The place is incredibly cozy, the kitchen and dining area probably the largest out of everything they’ve seen, but it’s carefully cleaned and full of warm, rich tones. 

She guides him through all three of the bedrooms, the master bedroom having big windows that face out into the woods that he knows Robin will adore. The second bedroom has the perfect space for him to build his nest, a clear area that she says her husband’s nest was in before he passed. 

Steve starts to think about how he can build a space for the Party in the third bedroom, imagining a set of bunks for when they want to stay over. 

“Feel free to redecorate however you wish, paint and all that is completely fine. I don’t plan to live here ever again and I want you guys to feel at home,” Blanche says before leading him out the back door into the small backyard. 

There’s a set of raised garden beds surrounded by an honest-to-god picket fence to hedge everything in. Hydrangea vines cover the fence the same way they do at the front of the house, with an overwhelming amount of green everywhere.

“The tomatoes are really my favorite part, and we have some winterizing materials in that small shed over there for the cold weather. If you’d like, I can come back before it gets too cold and show you how to set it all up.” 

Steve is in awe, running fingers over fragrant herbs in one of the beds. The tomato plants are tall, winding through supports with heavy green fruit in abundance. 

“I would love that. I can’t wait to see it over the rest of the summer honestly, it’s so beautiful back here.” 

Blanche sets a hand on his shoulder, looking out over the garden with a melancholy sigh. 

“It really is, but it’s too much for me at my age now. Besides, it’s not nearly as fun as it was with Albert. He’s in every square inch of this place and I miss him too much to stick around anymore.” 

Steve pats her hand gently, turning to face her.

“I think it’s perfect for us. Thank you so much for sharing everything you did with me. Albert seems like he was an amazing man.” Steve’s heart is fuller than he thinks it may have ever been as he looks out at a new piece of the life he’s creating for himself. 

His alarm rings, breaking the moment as he realizes it’s getting late and he needs to get to work. 

They part rather quickly, Blanche bundling him into a hug before sending him off with a large travel cup of coffee and a bundle of scones to drop off at the Munsons on his way out. 

There’s a bounce in his step as he hops out of his car, parked behind Eddie’s van so that he doesn’t block Wayne in. Steve barely takes a single step toward the house before the front door swings open, an older man with gray hair and some scruff watching him as he comes up the walkway.

“You must be Wayne. Mrs. Blanche sent me with some scones for you so she didn’t have to come down here herself,” he calls out, taking in the way Wayne studies him. 

“I’m assuming you’re Steve then. Ed is still asleep but you’re welcome to come in if you’d like to wake him.” Wayne’s voice is gruff but not unkind, and Steve can’t help but smile at the similarities that he sees between them.

He declines the invitation, stating that he does really need to get to work but that he will text Eddie about it later anyhow. Steve turns to leave when he’s stopped by Wayne calling out to him. 

“I heard the SGDA was able to help you and your friend out. I’m glad they were so quick about it.” 

The sudden realization of what must have happened makes him turn back around.

“You called them? We couldn’t figure out how they found out about us, let alone how quickly they managed to get ahold of the Family Video.” Tears spring to his eyes unbidden, again, surprised at the kindness shown to him by someone who was and is a complete stranger to him and Robin. 

“I have an ex on the board, he was happy to make a phone call. That was really all it took.” Wayne looks sheepish, face a bit redder than before, and Steve has to resist the urge to hug him. 

“Thank you, seriously. It’s the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for either of us before and it really means a lot,” Steve says, just loud enough for Wayne to hear. “Really, we owe a lot to you and the organization.” 

“No need, boy. Just be sure to be kind to my nephew. He sure talks about you a lot.” 

Steve’s heart warms at the thought of Eddie talking about him to his family, and he resolves to try and make it a point to visit Wayne again so he can get to know him a little better. They’ll be neighbors soon enough so it’ll be easy.

“I will be. I do have to get to work but I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” 

Wayne waves him off before stepping back into the house, and Steve drops heavily into the seat of his car, the morning turning over in his mind before he remembers the time and scolds himself for how close he’s cutting it to being late. 

***

The rest of the day passes in a haze, the training and responsibilities of his new position taking up all his mental space. It’s quiet without Robin around but they’d decided that both of them training at the same time wouldn’t be very effective. 

Eddie drops by the next afternoon with the lease paperwork as promised and they get to spend a few hours planning how to surprise Robin with the news. After a while, they decide to wait until Blanche has moved out to just roll up to the house with Robin blindfolded. He remembers to check with her first since that means the lease won’t be signed but Blanche is delighted at the pageantry of it all and just asks for photographs.

It’s nearly impossible to wait until that Friday when they have a day off together but it’s  perfect timing to pull all of it off. 

He wakes her up early, making her a standard breakfast of eggs and toast while covertly texting Eddie about where they are in their day. Robin doesn’t suspect a thing, even as he convinces her that they’re going to go shopping. 

They make it out the door and halfway to Forest Hills before Steve pulls over on the side of the road, startling Robin. 

“Steve, what the fuck are you doing?” She hisses at him, hand wrapped firmly around the oh-shit handle above her window. 

“So, I need you to trust me, okay?” he says, pulling out the blindfold he’d stuffed into the console and handing it to her. Robin takes it from him gingerly, questions clearly on the tip of her tongue but she keeps them to herself, slipping it over her eyes. 

“I think it’s a little late in our relationship for you to have been stringing me along so you can murder me in the woods, but this is probably the weirdest thing you’ve ever asked of me. I really hope you’re appreciating that right now, Stevie.” 

“I do, Bobbie. I promise this is going to be worth it, okay? Give me ten minutes and you’ll see exactly why.” Steve reaches out, threading their fingers together and squeezing. 

“I might fall asleep though. This thing is cozy, and it’s warm as fuck out today so we shall see,” she says. It makes Steve laugh as he pulls back out onto the road and cranks the music loud enough that Robin starts to sing along with him.

The rest of the trip is as short as Steve was hoping, a grin building on his face as he pulls into Forest Hills. Eddie’s van is parked outside their place, and he’s sitting on the porch like he belongs there. Blanche left them a pair of rocking chairs out front and the sight of Eddie sitting there makes his heart sing. 

As Steve turns the engine off, he has to take a deep breath. He knows she’s going to love it, no doubt in his mind about it but it feels so real all of the sudden. They get to start the life they’ve been talking about and they get to start it together, it’s enough to make him tear up. 

“Hold on, I’m coming around,” he says, voice thick with emotion. He can see the concern on her face, even under the mask. He hurries around the side of the car so that he can tug open her door. He takes her hand, guiding her out of the car carefully before shutting the door behind her.

“What’s going on Steve, this is starting to worry me a bit, and - oh,” the words catch in her throat as she takes in the scene in front of her. “Where are we, Stevie? This isn’t, I mean I've never been here before. Who lives here?” 

Steve wraps his arms around her waist from behind, hooking his chin over her shoulder.

“We do, Bobbie. We do, if you want to.” He hears her sharp inhale, and feels the tightening of her hands around his arms as she just looks. 

She turns in his arms, looking right into his eyes with tears filling her own.

“Do you really mean it?” She’s quiet, teeth biting at her lip nervously. 

“Of fucking course I do. I’ll tell you all about it during the tour, okay?” They’re grinning, holding tight to each other when Eddie suddenly wraps his arms around them with a whoop of excitement. 

“If you two are done with your mushy love-fest now, I’m dying to get the tour of my new neighbor’s place, if you please. It’s hot as fuck outside and I know there’s AC running in there.” Eddie shoves his face in between theirs, shaking them about like they’re a goddamn etch-a-sketch before they all break apart laughing. 

Steve sighs happily. “Yeah, yeah let's go in.”

Robin’s excitement is palpable as she drags him and Eddie through the house by their hands. Steve tells her everything about Blanche, about her husband, and how wonderful she was about everything.

She cries happy tears when he tells her how little they’re being charged in rent, her happy scent bursting through the whole house until it smells so overwhelmingly of their joy that it’s hard to scent anything else.  

“So we have the full kitchen, and I was thinking that you would take the master so I could have the room that’s already had a nest built in it. Do you think there’s enough room in the third bedroom?” Steve is already building spaces for them in his mind when Robin practically jumps into his arms. 

“I think for the first time ever, we can do whatever the fuck we want right? Now where the fuck is the lease?” 

Steve and Robin sit down on the empty floor of their new home and sign the lease together, tears dripping onto the paper. Eddie takes about a million photos of them, making sure his face is in a bunch of them with a giant grin taking over his features. 

Steve feels love in every bone of his body, sitting inside the yellow walls of Forest Hills Number 22. It’s more than he ever expected to have in his life, more than he was ever told he would be allowed to have.

Steve Harrington was supposed to marry a sweet omega wife, raise 2.5 pups in a house only a few doors down from his parents, and be their perfect alpha son. Instead, he’s going to be the omega he only dreamed about, with a houseful of pups regardless of if he has any of his own or not. The most important person in his life loves him unconditionally and has supported him through everything without even a second thought. 

Steve Harrington is loved in a world where the best he ever thought he would get is tolerated and the emotion of that thought cascades over him, fat tears running down his face.

Robin and Eddie immediately stop what they’re doing to wrap him in their arms, Robin cooing gently in his ears as she smooths a hand over his hair. 

All Steve can do is whisper ‘thank you’ to both of them as they curl up with him on the living room carpet. He knows Robin understands, and Eddie doesn’t even hesitate to share in the affection for a second which means so much more to Steve than he thinks he may ever be able to tell him. 

They both wait until his tears subside before helping him wipe them off his face and drag him to his feet. 
“The rest of today is for happy and happy only. So let's get this lease mailed off to Blanche and go celebrate at my place,” Eddie says, bouncing from foot to foot happily.

Steve allows Eddie to pull him toward the door, hating the moment that they’re no longer touching. They leave, Robin fighting him for the key so that she can be the first person to lock their front door. 

They walk to Eddie’s rather than drive, spilling through his front door and onto his couch excitedly. Wayne doesn't seem to be home, and when Steve asks, Eddie says that he’s on the dayshift for now. 

They spend the afternoon in Eddie’s living room. They start to text all the nearest and dearest, being met with so much excitement from every one of them. Robin and Steve both feel the love surging through them, feeling giddy with it.

Steve calls Claudia Henderson with a special request that is met with shouts of excitement which can be heard by everyone in the room. Every single one of them offers their help in any way they are capable and the move doesn’t feel nearly as scary as Steve was thinking.

Steve’s head spins, he’s so fucking happy he could cry. His first ever nest build is going to be perfect in ways he never could have imagined. He rubs furiously at his eyes, the tears threaten to fall again and again but at least now, it's because his heart is full. 

Moving day comes around so fast, only two days later.

***

Steve and Robin don’t have much to pack up but Claudia still brings her pickup truck to load up their few boxes. It’s not the easiest to pack up when all six of the pups are running around his house like maniacs but at least they all rode their bikes over so no one has to worry about driving them anywhere.

El and Will are the most helpful, as per usual. They’re happy to sit in the kitchen and wrap mugs in newspaper together. Max has seated herself on a stool in the middle of the living room directing people on what to do, none of which is helpful but Steve loves her too much to tell her to help with something else. 

Dustin, Mike, and Lucas are doing their level best to take apart his normal pack nesting room.  When Steve checks on them though, they’re half tangled in the blankets and sheets arguing with each other. Steve laughs, happily helping them extricate themselves from the mess they’ve made before helping them finish up. 

Mike and Lucas take off with boxes after that, racing to see who can make it out to the truck first, however Dustin hangs back, uncharacteristically quiet. 

“Steve? Can I ask you a question?” Dustin’s voice is soft, and Steve nods, somewhat worried about the way he scents nervous. “You smell different now. You started your medications already, right?” 

Steve wraps an arm around Dustin’s shoulders, pulling him in tight to his side. “Yeah, I have. You’ll get to meet my new friend Eddie today who’s going to be helping me with everything.”

Dustin hums, rubbing a cheek over Steve’s chest to scent him gently. “I like the change, you smell sweeter now I think. It’s better than the old chemicals you used to smell like.” He’s quiet for a moment before continuing. “Nothing else is going to change about you though, right?”

Steve’s heart squeezes at the hint of insecurity he can detect in Dustin’s voice. 

“Nothing about us is going to change, Dusty. We’re gonna be setting up the room over at the new place too, and I expect you guys to use it just as much.” Steve runs his hand over Dustin's hair to calm the pup. 

The moment is broken by Mike running himself straight into the doorframe on accident, a cut on his forehead immediately spilling blood down his face. 

“Oh for christ’s sake Mike! Let’s hope that Robin hasn’t packed the first aid kit yet.” Steve whisks him away to the bathroom, happy to note that it was left out of the boxes just in case. They both know their pups too well.

Mike complains the whole time, as per usual. By the time Steve is able to smooth a band-aid over the clean cut, Mike’s distracted by subtly scenting the air around them.

“Dustin noticed it too, you know. The hormones I’m on are making my scent change already,” Steve says, poking the tip of Mike’s nose just to annoy him. 

“You smell kinda like s’mores I think. Like someone dumped marshmallows into your scent. Is that because you’re gonna be an omega?” His nose wrinkles up, eyes squinting as he looks over Steve critically. 

The look makes Steve laugh, but he nods. “Yeah, little dude. It’s probably gonna keep changing until I’m done. Hopefully it doesn’t scent terribly in the end.” He shoots a wink at the budding Alpha before he closes the kit up again. “They’re probably about done now, so if we go out we might be lucky and have nothing to do. What do ya say?”

Mike rolls his eyes but quickly hugs Steve, making sure to rub his wrist against Steve’s scent gland just a bit to scent him happily. 

Steve was right, the last of the boxes are already in the bed of the truck by the time they make it outside. Claudia immediately starts fussing over Mike, something that clearly annoys the kid but he lets her make sure he’s okay before he pulls himself away. 

“Oh sweetheart, I'm so excited for today! The shop is delivering the supplies for your nest directly to the house so they should be there by the time we arrive.” Claudia has a pink toolbelt in her hands, full of pink tools covered in hand-painted daisies. Steve leans in to kiss her on the cheek, basking in the happy scent surrounding both of them before waving the kids over. 

“Robin and I are gonna take my car and meet you there. The pups are just gonna bike over when they feel like it. Everyone else should be arriving soon after we do. The Sinclairs will be there since Charles said he wasn’t going to let you be the only one building today, and Karen has some furniture for us that she’s dropping off.” Steve’s rambling, trying to remember all of the pieces of the puzzle for the day when Robin lays a hand on his arm. 

“We got this, Stevie. Stop worrying so much, okay?” She presses a quick kiss to his cheek before shoving him in the direction of the car. Steve rolls his eyes but makes his way to the car anyway, cranking up the AC and waiting for Robin to join him. 

It only takes her a moment to slide into the passenger seat. She turns the radio up high, holding onto his hand as they pull out of the driveway for the last time ever. It has a feeling of finality, and Steve can feel the excitement like electricity in his veins. 

Nothing has ever felt as good as the moment he rolls down his window and tosses the key to his parents house into a ditch.

***

Unpacking is much easier than packing, even with the pups running around making stuff as difficult as they possibly can. Eddie is an absolute hit with them though, particularly Dustin, even though Max tries to tell everyone that she’s seen Eddie cry before so he can’t be that cool.

Once all the boxes are placed in their respective spaces, Charles Sinclair and Claudia start hauling pre-made pieces of the frame into Steve’s room. The smell of cedar and sawdust floats through the air as they hammer away at the platform which will hold Steve’s nest. 

It takes a couple hours before the noise finally quiets down, during which they are able to get everything but the living room set up. 

“Steve, sweetheart. Come join us in here, we want to go over some things with you,” Claudia calls out to him. 

Steve immediately drops the kitchen towels he was folding to join them in his room. He’s in awe of the dark wood and detailing of the headboard. 

There’s a single step surrounding the exterior of the platform, and enough space that his mattress will lay down inside of the frame with a few inches of railing around all sides. It’s beautiful, and Steve throws his arms around Claudia and Charles both in appreciation. 

“Oh Sweetheart, I’m so happy that you trusted us with this,” Claudia whispers into his hair, holding him tightly for just a moment before stepping away. 

Charles holds onto him for another moment before joining her, practically buzzing with excitement. 

“We designed this with a few extra features, similar to the designs I normally sell, but Claudia was pretty specific.” Charles motions to the front of the bed, flicking open a lock that allows him to open the nest. “So this is to make it easier to change the bedsheet and such, and the mattress will be on a frame that rolls out to give you that extra room to clean under everything.”  He slides the boards back into place, locking it before moving around to the headboard.

“There’s plugs that we installed here in the cubbies which are standard size for one of those mini can sized fridges that hold snacks and stuff during your heats. This is made for a king sized mattress but a queen would fit as well if you want. We would just want to add some bumpers so stuff doesn’t fall off the sides. What do you think?” 

Tears spring in Steve’s eyes, emotions threatening to overwhelm him as he takes in all the extra effort they put into building this for him. 

“I love it so much, I can’t thank you enough.” The words are barely audible but both of them beam at Steve like no ones ever said thank you to them before. 

“Oh, Steve. After all the things you’ve done for us and our kids, it’s really the least we could do. We love you so much and are so excited for the next phase of your life.” Claudia steps close enough to gather Steve into her arms again. She squeezes him hard enough to practically smother him but he can’t bring himself to care. He tucks his face up against her scent gland and takes deep breaths of her soft, floral scent. 

“Are we all ready?” Robin interrupts, momentarily startling Steve. 

When he turns around, he sees everyone’s faces trying to crowd in his doorway. “What’s going on, guys?” Steve asks, confusion evident in his voice. 

Robin and Eddie are front and center, hands held behind their backs suspiciously as they grin. They look like partners in crime and Steve has to resist the urge to snap a picture of them. 

“Today is special, not only to us as best friends but for you specifically. You get to christen your first official nest, and in keeping with tradition, we as your friends and family have some nesting gifts for you.” Robin is bouncing on her toes as she talks, excitement practically vibrating her off the floor. 

Steve’s tears slip free again  as he launches himself at Robin and Eddie. Neither of them move their arms, refusing to let him see exactly what they have hidden behind their backs, but both of them squish their faces next to his like dorks. 

When he pulls back, he’s grinning and his expression is reflected back at him by his entire family. Sue and Erica Sinclair are standing toward the back of the pack, the six party members tucked in front of them, with Eddie and Robin taking up the space in the front. 

“It’s present time, baby!” Robin shouts happily before shoving her way in front of Eddie and thrusting a very large shark plush into Steve’s hands. 

Typically, when an omega first presents, friends and family give small nesting gifts to ensure it’s comfortable and to add the scent of pack to the precious space. The love shown in giving Steve this experience now isn’t lost on him and he grabs it from her hands, shoving his face into the soft fluff of the outside of the plush toy. 

“Thanks, Robbie, she smells like you,’ he says, voice slightly muffled. 

“I slept with her at night to make sure she would.” 

Robin takes the opportunity to try and shove Eddie forward but Dustin has other plans, forcing his way to the front and holding an incredibly grumpy looking, blob shaped frog.

“This one’s from mom and me,” Dustin shouts, pressing the frog into his arms alongside the shark. Steve leans down to scent him just a little, laughing as the kid bounds away. In his place the rest of the kids follow suit before Steve can even breathe. 

Mike has a set of pillows with hand-sewn pillow cases in his hands from the Wheelers and he just kind of tosses them at Steve’s nest before escaping back to the living room. Max and El wrap him in a knitted blanket that they proudly tell him they made themselves. Steve can’t tell if he wants to cry or laugh because half of the blanket has very neat work and the other is wonky enough to be full of holes nearly wide enough to stick his hand through. 

“I’m going to sleep with it every night, ladies. Thank you so very much.”

The gifts feel neverending, Joyce has another blanket, this one much heavier but it looks to be hand tied and he knows it's going to be perfect for the winter time. Will approaches nervously, a frame in his hand. When Will hands it off, Steve feels like his face may split in two with his smile. 

Will has painted all of the party together with Steve in the middle. He has to drop the gifts already in his arms on the bed so he can admire the artwork properly. It’s a recreation of one of his favorite pictures of all of them, from the previous summer after Max joined them all. They’re all grinning, the background bright and full of life, and Steve carefully sets the frame down so he can gather Will into his arms. 

“It’s perfect, Will. It’s going right on my wall as soon as possible,” Steve whispers into his ear. He can feel the smile on Will’s face where it presses against his shoulder, making him hold on just a little longer than normal before letting go. 

Will races back to Mike’s side, face flushed in embarrassment. When Steve catches Joyce’s eye, she mouths a heartfelt thank you which Steve waves away easily. 

There’s only two more gifts after that, Lucas and Erica handing him a pair of tie-dyed throw pillows. Erica proudly shows off her still-stained hands, claiming that it was all her idea and Lucas rolls his eyes but looks proud of himself when Steve immediately tucks them in with the other blankets and nesting materials. 

Eddie is the last one left, and he looks more nervous than Steve would have expected. He’s holding a small bat stuffed animal in his hands. When he hands it  to Steve, it’s immediately clear that the bat is well loved. The ears are thin, the pink of the nose half worn off and it scents heavily of Eddie, in a way that only comes from years of contact. 

It’s so clearly personal, enough that the room full of people starts to clear out rather than intrude on the moment. Steve rubs a gentle thumb over the face, fighting the urge to throw himself into Eddie’s arms. 

“Do they have a name?” Steve asks, voice barely loud enough for Eddie to hear. 

“Oh, uh. I’ve always called her Dani but you don’t have to keep that for her,” Eddie says, hands twisting nervously in front of him. Steve reaches his hand out, grabbing Eddie by the arm and dragging him in so that he can fold Eddie into a hug. 

Eddie’s scent blooms with happiness as he buries his face into Steve’s neck. It’s an intimate gesture, and Steve can feel the moment that Eddie realizes it but he only strengthens his hold on him. 

“I’ll take great care of her, Eddie. This means a lot to me, more than you know.” 

They stay there for another moment before pulling apart, both of them blushing a bit but grinning from ear to ear. 

“Hey, lovebirds. Everyone’s packing up to head out but Karen left us a huge pot of chili and a pan of cornbread in the oven for dinner.” Robin’s smug voice shatters any lingering intimacy. At least It’s not awkward and once Steve carefully sets Dani onto the bed frame, they make their way out to the living room to see everyone off. 

The party makes Eddie promise to teach them more about Dungeons and Dragons before they take off, and the adults all leave with kisses to Steve and Robin’s heads. Steve feels like he should be embarrassed by all the fuss over them but it just makes him happy, even if he catches Eddie giggling a little. 

Dinner is eaten out of paper bowls on the floor of the living room since they don’t have a couch yet. It’s simple, but it’s perfect, being here with his best friend and the person he thinks has become the second most important person in his life. 

They’re exhausted, Robin nodding off even as they sit and talk together. 

“Robbie, I think it’s time for you to sleep,” Steve says, nudging her the next time her eyes close. She sticks her tongue out at him but drags herself to her feet, mumbling goodnight to both of them before flopping face first onto her mattress with the door still open. 

She’s snoring before Steve manages to get up and turn the lights off for her. 

It’s just him and Eddie in the quiet now, and Steve starts to feel the nerves get to him. He’s been alone with Eddie plenty of times but tonight feels different, like there’s something on the air in the house that’s making every interaction they have feel bright and shiny.

“Well I should probably try to get my bed set up, see how hard it is to get all the sheets and stuff on,” Steve says reluctantly, expecting Eddie to try to take his leave. He’s pleasantly surprised when Eddie just stands and starts making his way toward Steve’s room.

“Good thing I’m pretty handy at wrangling those pesky fitted sheets, huh?”

Steve follows him into the room, grabbing the new set of sheets he bought specifically for the new nest. He’s washed them already so they smell like his detergent and are so soft he wants to bury his face in them. He unlocks the front panel on the bed, sliding the bed frame out like Claudia showed him. 

Between the two of them, the mattress comes out smooth as butter. The sheets are easy to get on before they slide the mattress back into place. Steve picks up the pile of gifts, putting all of them inside the nest before stepping in himself. Eddie hovers on the outside, face conflicted as to whether he should stay where he is or join Steve. 

It takes a moment for Steve to steel himself, but he holds his hand out to Eddie.

“Join me?” 

Eddie’s soft smile makes Steve want to yank him in but he resists, waiting with their hands intertwined while Eddie crawls his way into the center of the bed. They don’t talk much as Steve starts to move the pile of blankets and pillows around to his liking, building the spread of cushioning up so it’s perfect. 

He’s had an informal nest before but this feels different now. Sharing the building of his first nest with the person that he knows is going to fuck him in it. That line of thinking doesn't seem to capture the intricacies of their relationship, and how close they've become over the last few weeks.

They’re friends, sure, but Steve wants more and hopes that Eddie will want more too after everything is said and done. 

He’s just tucked the last of the pillows into perfect position when he looks up and sees Eddie running his fingertips over Dani’s wings reverently.

“Where did you get her?” Steve asks quietly, trying not to startle him.

“My uncle got her for me when I moved in with him. I was really into bats as a kid, had all sorts of decorations in my bedroom since the day I was allowed to pick my own stuff. I was almost thirteen when my parents died in a car crash, and they left custody to him in their will. I was really lucky to have Wayne to take me in and he gave me Dani during that first week.” Eddie’s scent is melancholy as he recalls that time in his childhood. “He told me that my parents told him about how much I loved bats, and how he hoped that she would be comforting during a time of transition in my life. I hope she’s able to bring you the kind of comfort she always brought me.” 

Steve is frozen, watching Eddie even as he refuses to meet his gaze. Dani is special to Eddie but Steve didn’t realize how special and now that he’s aware, he knows it’s not something he’s ever going to take for granted. 

He reaches out to gently tug Dani from Eddie’s hands, laying her carefully onto the pillow at Steve’s hip before he scoots forward so their knees are touching. Eddie takes a shuddering breath in when Steve cups his cheek, tilting his face so that they can look each other in the eyes. 

Slow movements allow Eddie time to pull away if he wants to but he remains still as Steve moves closer and closer. He wants to say something but words escape him. He lets his actions speak for themselves as he presses their lips together for the first time. 

The kiss feels like a whisper, a bare press of dry lips that Steve does his best to convey all of his emotions through. They’re surrounded by softness, by the love Steve has built into his life and nothing feels more perfect than this moment.

It takes Eddie a few seconds to relax, but Steve can’t bring himself to worry about that for even a moment, knowing that he’s made the right call. The moment that Eddie kisses him back feels like heaven, like a puzzle piece of Steve's life that was missing slides into place behind his heart. Both of Eddie’s hands come up to bury themselves in Steve’s hair, pulling him so close it feels like he’s trying to consume every part of him. 

It never surpasses chaste, never becomes more than lips against lips but Steve feels dizzy with adoration when they finally come apart for air. They leave their foreheads pressed together, hands holding each other like they may fall if they part, breathing each other's air as they come down from the high of the most perfect first kiss Steve has ever had. 

Eddie starts to try to say something but Steve cuts him off as carefully as he can. 

“I know. I know this is a lot and we need to talk about it, but for tonight can you maybe just stay here? No funny business or anything but just stay with me? We can talk in the morning about everything, I promise.” Steve’s words are barely audible over the thump of his heartbeat but Eddie nods.

“Tomorrow sounds good, Sweetheart.” Eddie presses a kiss to each of Steve’s cheeks before landing on his lips one last time. He gets up, shucking himself out of his jeans before padding over to the light switch. 

It only takes Steve a moment to do the same, tossing his jeans in the direction of the rest of his clothing boxes before snuggling into his nest. The room goes dark, the only sound in the room being Eddie crawling back to the space beside Steve. They both tuck themselves under the blankets like they did that first night Eddie stayed over, but this time Steve lets himself curl into Eddie’s side with his head on his chest. 

They both fall asleep within minutes, and it’s the best sleep Steve has ever gotten.

****

Steve wakes up wrapped in warmth, Eddie’s breath ghosting across the back of his neck. They’ve shifted in the night, Steve having turned over and Eddie plastering himself to Steve’s back. Their legs and arms are tangled together like they’re trying to crawl into each other's skin, and it’s the happiest Steve thinks he’s ever felt in the morning. 

The smell of coffee from the kitchen must be what woke him, but he can’t make himself move from the circle of Eddie’s arms. Eddie’s lips brush against the back of his neck, soft kisses that make Steve shiver. 

“Eddie,” Steve whispers, unsure if Eddie is awake or not. 

He gets nothing more than a hum in return. Eddie’s arms tightening around his waist only serves to press their hips together enough that Steve can feel Eddie’s dick press against him. It’s obvious that he’s only half-hard, a natural morning instinct but Steve wants nothing more than to grind back against him. 

It’s not easy to make himself shift away, he turns in Eddie’s embrace until they’re nearly face to face. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Steve murmurs, pressing a kiss to Eddie’s cheek. The boy in his arms stirs just a bit, his forehead scrunches and he looks so adorably grumpy.

“It’s so early,” he whines, pressing his face into the curve of Steve’s neck. Steve has to resist the urge to laugh, clamping his lips shut so no noise escapes him. 

“I have no idea what time it is, but Robin is already up and at it, so I’m pretty sure she’s already realized you didn’t leave.” Steve isn’t sure yet how Eddie is going to feel about that but he takes comfort in the fact that Eddie only pulls him closer. 

“Don’t care, I wasn’t gonna sneak out anyways. I need food and caffeine, Sweetheart,” he says, still trying his best to bury his face in Steve’s chest. Relief floods through Steve at the statement.

“You called me Sweetheart again,” Steve says, needing to make sure they’re thinking the same thing. “Do you mean that?”

Eddie stills, finally pulling back so that he’s looking into Steve’s eyes. Rather than answer right away, he sleepily presses their lips together. It’s brief, but it says everything it needs to soothe the last of Steve’s nerves.  

“I promise we can talk about it in a bit, my brain is still mush and will be until I’m properly caffeinated.” Eddie punctuates the statement with one last kiss before rolling over so that he’s able to sit up. “Ready to face Robin?” 

They clamber out of bed, yawning and stretching before Steve digs through one of his clothing boxes for sweatpants. He hands Eddie a pair that are too small for Steve to comfortably wear, hoping that they’ll fit him a bit better. 

He’s right, they fit Eddie perfectly and Steve takes a second to admire the way Eddie looks in his clothes before stepping into his own. Eddie holds out his hand expectantly, smiling when Steve reaches out and tangles their fingers together. 

They step into the living room together, and spot Robin sitting on the counter in the kitchen. She’s got a cup of coffee cradled in her hands, and there are two more steaming mugs on the counter next to her. 

“I heard you guys moving around, figured you’d both want coffee,” she says. She’s clearly spotted their linked hands but she doesn’t comment on it, much to Steve’s relief. He loves her, but until he and Eddie can talk, he doesn’t want to have to explain it to anyone else. 

“Wow, look at the time,” Robin says, looking down at her bare wrist. “I’ve gotta go get ready for work.” She levels them both with a calculating look before hopping off the counter, coffee still in her hands. Without another word, she heads back to her room, shutting the door loudly behind her. 

It’s silent for a moment before Eddie starts to laugh. Steve can’t help but join him until they’re both laughing hard enough that they’re clutching their stomachs. 

“She took that well, I guess,” Eddie says after they both manage to calm down. 

“Oh no, I’ll be getting the third degree from her later. Just know she will know the full play-by-play. If you don’t want that, you’re gonna have to say so now or forever hold your peace.” Steve grabs their coffee off the counter, handing Eddie the one with more creamer in it because he knows Eddie prefers his sweeter. 

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t expect you to keep anything from her. Besides, if you can’t tell your best friend about your boyfriend, who can you tell?” Eddie looks at Steve over the rim of his mug, a shy expression on his face.

Steve’s brain tries to short-circuit at the word boyfriend but he manages to keep his composure, stepping toward Eddie and trapping him against the kitchen counter with his body. 

“You know, I think you’re right. It would be pretty hard not to tell her I have a boyfriend if I expect him to be around a lot.” Steve sets his cup down on the counter still mostly full so that he can lean up and kiss Eddie. 

Eddie tastes like vanilla and coffee, and they can barely kiss properly through the grins on both of their faces. When Steve ends up just kissing Eddie’s teeth he finally pulls away, his and Eddie’s happy scents both filling the room. 

Robin’s door opens at that exact moment. She steps out into the hall dressed for work, face wrinkling as she scents the air.

“Okay, the happiness is much, too nauseating for nine in the morning. In the future if you could limit it to the hours of ten am to four pm that would be fantastic.” Robin rolls her eyes at both of them but can’t contain the smile on her face. 

“Sorry, Robin, I’ll try to keep it down,” Eddie says sheepishly.

“No, no we won’t,” Steve cheerily adds. “It’s my house too and if I wanna kiss my boyfriend in the kitchen I’m gonna do it. If you don’t let me, you’re homophobic.”

Robin just lobs one of her shoes at his head in response which sets both Steve and Eddie off into fits of laughter again. She still kisses him on the cheek before she leaves, pulling Eddie into a hug as well and then she’s out the door. 

They’re alone again, and Steve wants nothing more than to just crawl back into bed. When he suggests it to Eddie, he’s shocked when he’s swept off his feet and tossed over Eddie’s shoulder. 

It only takes a few short strides before he’s being lowered back into his nest, Eddie dropping himself on top of Steve. 

“We have only been up for twenty minutes but it’s nap time,” Eddie mumbles into Steve’s chest, eyes already drooping shut. 

Steve wraps his arms around Eddie, pulling him close and letting his breathing lull him right back to sleep. 

***

The next few weeks pass by in the blink of an eye.

The house seems to be perpetually full, the front door constantly open as the pups come and go as they please. Forest Hills is much closer to all of their houses and they’re happy to take advantage of that fact. 

Steve loves it. 

He loves coming home to Max lounging in the garden, or Eddie sitting at their dining room table with all of the boys, poring over Dungeons and Dragons books together. 

It’s even better when the kids leave at night and he gets to drag his boyfriend into his nest. They don’t go any further than kissing, happy to make out for hours before bed or before dinner or on one memorable occasion, on the bathroom counter until Robin dragged them out by their ears. 

The hormones continue to build Steve’s new body from the inside out. The worst of it all is the cramping as his organs start to shift in his abdomen. He knows it’s the most important part, his body is making room for his uterus, but fuck does it ache. 
 
His chest aches too but not as much, really only enough to keep him from sleeping on his stomach too often. 

The weirdest part is the way his balls start to disappear into his body. He knows there’s a scientific explanation but it feels like a weird sort of magic instead of science. Steve’s horny on top of everything, the boost of hormones running through his system on top of him just being a normal twenty year old.

Eddie takes all of these changes in stride, used to it from previous partnerships he’s had. He has heating pads and medication for the cramps ready at all times, happy to massage Steve’s chest muscles to ease the aches and pains of the transition. 

They only have one last doctor appointment, typically Steve would go alone to check if his hormones are making enough progress, but Eddie asks to be there to discuss the change in their relationship with the doctor. 

When Dr Green comes into the room, the first thing she notices is their linked hands, but she chooses not to comment on it. 

“How are you feeling Stephen? It’s been a few weeks on hormone therapy so I expect you’ve seen quite significant changes. Thank you for remembering not to take or wear blockers. Your scent has very clearly changed and should be close to what it will be when your transition is complete.” She takes a seat at the desk, shuffling through some papers before looking up at both of them.

“Mr Munson, I’m a bit surprised to see you here today. A little above and beyond your normal patient care, isn’t it?” She quirks an eyebrow in their direction and Steve feels the way Eddie squirms under the scrutiny. 

“That’s kind of the reason I brought him with me, Doc. We need to check the rules of the Transitionary Partner contract, because — uh well we, um,” Steve stumbles over his words, put off by the nearly blank look they’re being leveled with. 

She watches them for a few more moments before Steve catches a quirk at the edge of her lips.

“You boys can take a deep breath. There are no rules against being in a relationship with your Transition Partner as long as you guys sign some extra paperwork stating that everything is safe, sane, and consensual. I’m not even surprised considering your compatibility results were much higher than most matches we make.” 

Steve and Eddie both let out a sigh of relief, leaning on each other for support. 

“Thank you, we don’t mind the extra paperwork at all,” Eddie says, wrapping his arm around Steve’s waist. “I’m just glad we don’t have to try and postpone Steve’s transition or anything.”

Dr Green smiles at them, shaking her head. “No, nothing of the sort. We do have to ask that you refrain from any sort of penetrative sex prior to Steve’s rut as it can affect his hormone levels and may cause complications.”

The statement makes Steve flush in embarrassment, but he does his best to pretend like he’s completely normal about hearing these things from his doctor while holding his boyfriend’s hand.

“You should only have a week or two left now, based on how well your body is taking to the hormones. It may affect your normal rut cycle, which I know we have talked about before. With how well you seem to be metabolizing them, we’re going to recommend that you have Eddie administer a single booster shot of hormones for you as soon as your rut hits. This has to be before you start any of the transition steps, will that be something you’re comfortable doing?’ She directs that question to Eddie who nods before she stands. 

She hands them a small bundle of paperwork and a pen. 

“I’ll stop by the pharmacy station out front to let them know you need the shot supplies and that the paperwork can be dropped off when you pick that up. The next time we see each other will be post-transition. I wish you both well, and I look forward to seeing you then.” 

The door shuts with a soft click behind her as she leaves, the room falling into silence. 

“That was much easier than I thought,” Steve says, leafing through the paperwork. “All this seems to say is that I didn’t coerce you into being with me with the promise of money and that you didn’t coerce me into being with you for, somehow also the promise of money.” 

Eddie laughs a little, pulling Steve into his arms. 

“I don’t know Babe, I was expecting you to fund my lavish lifestyle for the rest of my days. Champagne and lobster every day while we sit in your mansion in Forest Hills.” Eddie punctuates his words by nipping at Steve’s neck, giggling the whole time.

Steve rolls his eyes good-naturedly, signing his name on the bottom of the form before passing it to Eddie along with the pen. 

With a singular flourish of ink, the paperwork is complete. Steve can’t keep from pulling Eddie down into a kiss, the paper pressed between them. It’s brief but he tries to put all the emotion he can behind it. When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against Eddie’s chest, relishing in what feels like an important step for them.

It’s not that it didn’t feel serious before, but signing a contract based solely on them being together makes it feel all the more real for him. 

“You ready to go, Sweetheart?” Eddie asks quietly, arms still wrapped around Steve. He only nods in response, hopping off the table and offering a hand to Eddie to help him down too. 

On their way out Steve hands the pharmacist the paperwork and grabs the bag with his shot supplies from her. 

“You wanna go home?” Eddie asks, holding open the door for Steve before following him outside. 

“Yeah, home sounds nice for today.”

Both of them know they mean Steve’s.

***

Another week passes in similar fashion, and Steve is incredibly glad that Eddie has taken to staying over when he wakes up drenched in sweat, hard as a rock, and grinding into his mattress. 

It takes all his self-control to shake Eddie awake rather than rolling on top of his boyfriend to beg him to take the edge off. 

“Hey, wha– oh, okay, I gotcha Babe.” Eddie pushes the sweaty hair away from Steve’s face, kissing him on the cheek before rolling them both over. “I gotta go wake up Robin and get her my house key so that she can get into my place without waking Wayne up. I’ll be right back with your shot and everything we prepared, okay?” 

Steve can only whine, trying his best to keep Eddie where he is as fire licks through his veins uncontrollably. 

“Hurts,” he slurs out, unable to say anything else with his brain as muddled as it is. 

Eddie lets out a soothing rumble, kissing Steve soundly to try and appease his rut just for a moment. 

“I just need five minutes, remember? We have a plan and I gotta make sure we do everything right.” 

Steve feels petulant tears forming in the corners of his eyes, but the words permeate the fog in his brain and he forces his hands to release Eddie. It’s not easy to keep himself from crying out when Eddie leaves, closing the door behind him. He hears the knock on Robin’s door and the low murmur of their voices as Eddie tells her what’s going on. 

They spent the last two weeks building the plan for when his rut hit. Robin gets to stay in Eddie’s room, which has been cleaned and prepared for her, for as long as the rut lasts so that she’s not mentally scarred by accident. There’s a prepared set of snacks in the small fridge set up in the nook in his nest. A bag at the foot of the nest holds other snacks like granola, as well as a bunch of water bottles and Gatorade to keep them both hydrated. 

Eddie only needs to grab the vial of hormones from the bathroom as well as the syringe to inject him. Steve knows all this, knows exactly why it needs to happen and how long it’s meant to take and he still can barely keep himself from going after Eddie, everything inside of him calling out for the scent of his alpha. 

Steve is just lucid enough that the thought of Eddie being his alpha is enough to bring him pause, if only for a moment. They haven’t talked about that yet, something much too serious after just a few weeks of dating but Steve can’t convince his brain of that at the moment. 

Instead of dwelling on it, he sits up to strip himself out of his clothes. They’re soaked with sweat and a rut-scent that isn’t quite right. It’s much sweeter than it ever has been in the past, and there’s an ache between his thighs he’s never felt before. 

He’s just stripping off his briefs when Eddie steps back into the room, pharmacy bag in hand. Steve can see the moment that his scent hits Eddie, his eyes widening and his nostrils flaring as he zeros in on the mile of exposed skin. 

His breath shakes a bit as he steadies himself, shutting the door behind him with a click that echoes through the quiet space. 

“Shot first, Babe. This isn’t a race, okay? We have all the time in the world and we need to do this right. Lay back for me, facing up so we can get you cleaned up.”

Eddie sits on the edge of the nest frame, peeling open an alcohol wipe and cleaning a small area on Steve’s thigh. While that dries, he carefully measures the dose into the syringe before turning to face Steve. 

“You ready?” Eddie asks, the shot held in his hand. He waits until Steve nods before leaning down and pressing the needle into his skin. It’s quick and relatively painless, something that Steve is incredibly grateful for. Once Eddie has disposed of the needle, he smooths a tiny bandaid over the injection site. 

The band aid going on seems to break the bit of self-control that Eddie had remaining because he crawls into Steve’s lap immediately, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. 

Steve positively whines into Eddie’s mouth, grabbing him by the hips and rutting upward. Precome is already pooling in the dips of his stomach, wetting the edge of Eddie’s tee shirt. The feeling of fabric against his skin is maddening, and Steve pushes at the shirt, trying to push it off. 

He doesn’t realize he’s saying it out loud until Eddie breaks away with a laugh, sitting up and yanking his shirt over his head. 

“I don’t know about you but I need you to fuck me now, or I’m going to lose my mind.” Steve tugs at Eddie’s waistband impatiently to get his point across. 

Eddie shifts just enough to shimmy out of his own briefs, letting Steve pull them off and fling them somewhere across the room. It’s too dark for Steve to see very clearly, the only light coming from the moon shining through the window but Eddie is so beautiful it takes his breath away. The ache between his legs is getting worse, his stomach starts to cramp right along with it. If he doesn’t get to come right now he thinks he’s going to die.

Steve pulls open one of the small cupboards on the headboard, fishing around behind him for the bottle of lube they stashed there. Eddie takes it from him just as he manages to close his fingers around it. 

“Okay, Babe. This is my time to shine and for you to just sit back and let me take care of you.” 

He sets the bottle down next to them, trailing his lips down the side of Steve’s neck opposite his mating gland. Eddie lets his teeth nip at the skin, alternating those bites with sucking deep bruises into his skin. It’s an intoxicating feeling to be completely at Eddie’s mercy. 

Steve practically wails when Eddie’s teeth scrape over his nipples, a part of his body that’s never been that sensitive before. The feeling goes straight to his dick now, making it jump where it’s lying against his stomach. He feels more than hears the laughter as it comes from Eddie, and it only makes him feel more frustrated. 

“This is our first time and I know you’re burning up but you have to let me do this right, Sweetheart,” Eddie murmurs into his skin. “You know, I thought you were gonna bolt the first time I met you, reminded me of a bunny, ready to run. You look just like that right now, you know. Gonna call you Bunny from now on.”

The kisses move further down his body, Eddie’s hands pinning Steve down by the hips to keep him from moving. 

“You’re so impatient, Bunny. Want my knot that bad, huh? Wanna let me fuck you until your body changes just for me?” 

The words nearly send Steve off the edge, hips bucking as he tries to get Eddie’s mouth where he wants it most. 

“Let me just take care of you.”

That’s the only warning Steve gets before Eddie’s lips wrap around the tip of his cock, sucking hard. Eddie’s tongue flicks out, digging into his slit before lapping at the sensitive underside of the head. Finally having pleasure after waiting for so long is too much for Steve, and he tries desperately to warn Eddie but he’s too late. 

He comes in the wet heat of Eddie’s mouth, tears streaming down his face as it barely quenches the fire in his veins. Eddie never pulls away, his thumbs brushing against Steve’s hip bones as he lets him come down from his high before swallowing his come without even a second thought. 

Before Steve’s even able to calm his breathing, he hears the click of a cap. One of his legs is hitched over Eddie’s shoulder, and slick fingers pet over his hole without pressing in just yet. Steve is still hard, his rut making sure of that since he’s incapable of knotting someone. 

It won't subside until his body goes through the last of his transition, and he needs at least a one knot for that to happen. Eddie takes advantage of his unnatural stamina to take Steve into his mouth again, practically swallowing him to the hilt without even a bit of hesitation. 

Steve’s back arches off the bed, pressing him deeper into Eddie’s throat. Eddie takes the distraction as an opportunity to press a finger into him, slowly but steadily until it’s buried in him completely. 

It’s not a completely new sensation, Steve’s tried to finger himself before, but it’s nothing compared to Eddie’s finger inside of him. His fingertips are slightly rough, calluses built up from years of playing the guitar that makes Steve want to grind back onto it. The sensations are overwhelming coming from both sides, just the right side of too much. 

A few minutes pass before Eddie presses a second finger in alongside the first, but it’s still not enough. Steve can feel the tears rolling down his cheeks in frustration, nothing seems to take the edge off the pure wall of hormones overtaking his body. 

That is until Eddie presses his thumb into the space between the base of Steve’s dick and his ass. The skin feels thin there, Eddie somehow zeroing in on exactly where the ache has been practically twisting him into knots. Eddie pulls his mouth away with an audible pop, kissing the inside of Steve’s thighs as he catches his breath.

“That’s where I’m going to get to fuck you tonight. You’re gonna have the prettiest pussy and I’m gonna be the first to break it in, to show you exactly how amazing it feels as you get knotted properly for the first time.” 

A keening noise is ripped from Steve as Eddie sinks his teeth deep into the meat of his thigh, drawing back to lave his tongue over the marked flesh.

“No one else has ever made me feel like this and no one ever will after you.” There’s something almost dark in Eddie’s voice, the possessive words only stoking the fire building in Steve’s core. 

A third finger slowly makes its way inside Steve, the stretch turning into something exquisite as Eddie opens him up perfectly. It’s already everything and yet not enough at the same time and Steve squirms, trying to force them even deeper into himself. 

Instead of cooperating Eddie pulls his fingers out, leaving Steve much too empty. He tries to kick out in frustration but Eddie’s hands keep him from being able to. 

“Jesus, Babe, you’re so needy,” Eddie coos at him teasingly, just enough to ramp up the tension in the air. “I can’t fuck you if my fingers are in you.”

When Eddie sits back on his heels, Steve finally understands that he’s going to get exactly what he wants after all of the teasing. Strong hands help him flip over onto his knees, presenting himself for the first time in his life. 

Eddie lets out a groan at the sight, dropping a kiss to the swell of Steve’s ass before popping open the lube again. He drizzles the cold liquid directly over Steve’s ass, pressing it into him perfunctorily before Steve feels the head of Eddie’s cock drag through the lube. It catches on his rim a few times, teasing just a bit before he finally starts to press in. 

Steve’s seen the outline of Eddie’s dick through his underwear plenty of times, rubbed off against it once or twice but they’d tried their best to resist anything more. Nothing has prepared Steve for how fucking big Eddie feels as he pushes in. 

He feels full already, groaning as Eddie rocks into him slowly but surely. Steve hasn’t felt anything like this in his life and he thinks he could die happy, full of Eddie. He hears a low laugh, realizing he must still be talking out loud.

“Oh yeah, Sweetheart? I think I could die happy buried inside of you too but I’d prefer just to make you feel good.” Eddie finally bottoms out, their thighs pressed against each other. He stills, giving Steve a few moments to adjust. 

Steve doesn’t want to wait though, the constant burn making him slightly crazy as he tries to push back and chase the feeling. 

“Please, Eddie. I need you to move, need you to fuck me. You feel so good inside of me I– ah!” His breath is forced out of him mid-sentence when Eddie pulls out and thrusts back in roughly, building a steady rhythm that leaves Steve unable to speak. 

He’s reduced to a stream of whimpers and moans as Eddie takes him apart with an accuracy that should be nearly impossible. Eddie isn’t unaffected by everything either, his knot already starting to swell after just a few minutes.
Steve reaches down to wrap a hand around himself, needing just a bit more to get himself off. Some of the lube has dripped down his thighs and he’s able to use it to smooth his way,  the sensation overwhelming combined with the feeling of Eddie’s knot catching at his rim. 

It only takes him a handful of strokes before his second orgasm hits him like a freight train. It’s even stronger than the first, his body responding to being fucked through it. It feels strange to come without his knot, especially in rut but Steve barely has time to think about it before Eddie pushes into him and groans with his own release. 

Steve almost comes again at the feeling of the knot fully swelling inside of him, locking them together and pressing up against his prostate. Eddie collapses on top of him, the weight pushing them into the mattress together. 

As they catch their breath, something soft tickles the edge of Steve’s cheek. When he opens his eyes they need a moment to adjust to the darkness again but he sees brown fur and is instantly horrified. 

“Eddie, oh my god we’ve scarred Dani for life,” he cries, trying valiantly to push Eddie off him so that he can move her out of the nest. 

Eddie only starts cracking up, carefully tipping them onto their sides and pulling Steve in to cuddle him. 

“Nah, Dani’s been scarred since I lost my virginity in the ninth grade and forgot to put her away.” 

Steve flails a bit at the statement, settling back down when he feels the pull of Eddie’s still full knot. 

“That doesn’t make it better, Babe, oh my god.” 

Steve manages to tuck Dani into one of the cupboards without moving too much, happy to soak up the warmth of Eddie wrapped around him for a bit longer. 

The ache returns quicker than Steve is expecting, well before Eddie’s knot has time to go down. Eddie can tell when he starts to shift, trying to bring himself just a bit of relief. It’s worse than before, his first two orgasms only delaying what feels like an inferno building in his veins. 

Eddie’s hand wraps around Steve’s aching dick, stroking him back to full hardness way quicker than should be possible. 

“The hormones in that shot are doing exactly what they’re supposed to, Bunny.  They’re keeping you ready for me, and you should be just about there.” His hand releases Steve’s dick, trailing down to that aching spot between his legs. It’s already more sensitive, heat radiates from it, and the knowledge that something is building under his skin makes it even more intoxicating. 

“Please,” Steve whimpers, unsure what exactly he’s asking for.

“I’ve got you, Sweetheart. I told you I’d take care of you and I will.” Eddie’s hips are moving in slow swivels, just enough to grind his knot into Steve’s prostate. It’s intoxicating, especially while Eddie massages at that sensitive spot with his fingertips. 

His third orgasm is more of a rolling wave, spreading through his limbs like water quenching flames. It distracts him enough that he doesn’t notice Eddie’s fingertips pressing inward more insistently than before until he feels something give.

There’s a gush of warmth that pours out of him, a single slim finger probing up and sliding inside of him. 

“Fuck,” Steve breathes out, joy taking him over as he realizes what’s happening. “Is that?” He stops himself, choosing just to trail his hand down until it meets Eddie’s. There’s soft, wet flesh under his fingertips instead of what he’s used to. It’s weird that his balls are completely gone but feeling the pussy that has taken their place is mesmerizing. 

“There you are my little omega, so perfect and so sweet. You’re gonna feel so good around me, Baby.” Eddie whispers into his ear, scraping his teeth along Steve’s earlobes. “ When my knot finally goes down, I’m gonna bury my face in you. Make you come again on my tongue at least once before I let you come on my knot. You’re gonna be so exhausted by the time your heat is over that you’re gonna want to sleep for days.” 

Steve melts, the words pulling him into a sort of haze that lets him relax. Eddie promised to take care of him, his alpha promised and Steve intends to let him keep it. 

They lay there for a few minutes, just holding each other while Eddie gives his knot time to come down. Steve lays kisses on any skin he can get to, mostly just Eddie’s hands and arms. It’s soothing enough that Steve is already half asleep by the time Eddie is able to pull out, come sliding out and mixing with the slick that’s been steadily dripping from his pussy. 

Eddie carefully moves Steve until he’s on his back,settling between his legs again. He’s more gentle this time, spreading his thighs until all of Steve’s new parts are on full display. There’s a look of hunger in Eddie’s eyes that only serves to turn Steve on even more. 

There’s a variety of new sensations when Eddie dips down to lick his way through Steve’s slick, the tip of his tongue dragging from his new entrance to the base of his dick. Even with Steve’s limited experience, he knows it’s not normally this good. Everything Eddie does feels incredible and only makes Steve want to keep him in bed forever. 

Eddie eats him out like a man that’s starving, two fingers curled deep inside of Steve in a move that has him screaming. The feeling is more intense than he’s ever had when fingering himself before, pleasure zips through his whole body. 

Steve doesn’t know what to do with himself as something builds deep inside of him, something different than he normally feels when he’s getting close to an orgasm. It’s so overwhelming to the point that he almost asks Eddie to stop but he can’t make the words come out of his mouth. His legs clamp around Eddie’s head involuntarily as his fourth orgasm of the night causes him to practically white out, eyes rolling back into his head. 

He’s never had this many orgasms in a single night, not even during his most intense rut and it’s exhausting but the heat is still burning inside of him. 

“Need you to fuck me again, alpha,” Steve slurs out, relishing in the kisses being dropped across his stomach. He doesn’t realize what he said until Eddie stills, lips still pressed to his skin. 

“You mean that? Want me as your alpha, little Bunny?” 

Steve nods, a shy smile on his face which should be out of place considering the amount of sex they’ve been having for the last few hours. 

Eddie growls, yanking Steve toward him by the thighs until he’s practically sat in his lap. Eddie uses one hand to guide his way in slowly and carefully, splitting Steve open on his cock. 

“You’re made for me, my beautiful omega. Just for me.” Eddie bottoms out easier than Steve expected. He feels every inch of Eddie’s dick in a way he wasn’t able to earlier. He knows it’s technically the same yet it’s anything but.

It’s like he can feel Eddie in his fucking throat and all he wants is for Eddie to move, to break him in so no one else can ever say they’ve gotten the chance. 

Luckily, Eddie seems to get the memo without Steve having to say a word. He leans forward to capture Steve's lips in a searing kiss, practically bending him in half before he starts to move. He keeps his thrusts short but deep, hitting the deepest parts inside of Steve with every push of his hips. 

Eddie sinks his teeth into Steve’s neck, a mimicry of a mating bite that nearly causes Steve to come right then and there. 

It’s too much and not enough at the same thing. 

It’s everything.

“I’m gonna knot you Baby, you ready? Want me to knot your pretty pussy?” Eddie knot is already swelling, making it harder to pull out with every thrust. 

“Please, alpha. Please knot me,” Steve whines, trying to drag Eddie into another kiss. He has to force himself not to blurt out that he loves Eddie, even if the words are on the tip of his tongue. 

Eddie buries his face back into the crook of Steve’s neck, thrusts becoming erratic as he gets closer and closer to coming before he stills completely, spilling himself inside of Steve. 

The feeling of Eddie’s come flooding through him is enough to set Steve off untouched, something he’s never managed to do in his entire life. 

His cock spurts over both their stomachs even as slick gushes out of him. His pussy clamps down on Eddie’s knot, holding on like it’s never going to let go. They collapse together, trading lazy kisses back and forth as they catch their breath. 

The heat that's burned through Steve’s body is finally quenched, leaving him sated and boneless with his alpha in his arms. His brain has a moment to catch up, to remember that this wasn’t just a good marathon of sex with someone he loves. 

Steve is finally going to be able to look in the mirror and see the omega he’s always been reflected back at him. It’s enough for him to tear up again, happy tears trailing down his cheeks as he holds Eddie as tight as he possibly can.

“I did it. I did it, Eddie, I fucking did it. I’m not an alpha anymore.” The words are muffled against Eddie’s skin. But he knows they’re heard because the arms holding him tighten their hold. 

“You did it, Sweetheart. I’m so fucking proud of you.” Eddie whispers into his hair, a kiss following his words. “We need to clean up but then we are going to lay a few towels down and get some sleep, okay? After we sleep we can take care of everything else.” 

Steve hums in agreement, sleep already starting to overtake him. He barely notices when Eddie  pulls out, or when Eddie leaves, presumably to head to the bathroom. He does notice when a warm washcloth is very gently smoothed over the come and lube that litters his body. 

When he’s clean again, he feels Eddie crawl back into the nest, smoothing out a towel before nudging him so that he’s lying on top of it instead of the wet spot. Another few towels are spread out around him until Eddie is satisfied and curls up next to Steve. He pulls the blankets over both of them, tugging Steve into his arms and kissing him one last time. 

“Sleep, little omega. I’ve got you, now and for as long as you’ll have me.” 

***

Epilogue

***

Steve and Robin wait two weeks before having a proper housewarming party, setting up lights and decorations in the garden, and inviting everyone they know. 

Eddie has all but moved in since Steve’s first heat, spending every night at their place curled up with Steve. Robin teases them about it, but he knows she doesn’t really mind having him around. 

They spend the whole day leading up to the party preparing snack and drinks. Steve even cooks up a special batch of tomato and basil soup for Blanche who they insisted on having stop by. 

Max is there most of the day, happy to help harvest all the tomatoes and herbs from the garden. It’s become something of a pet project for her and she spends most of her afternoons watering the plants and getting her hands into the soil. She comes over with new gardening tips all the time, eager to share them with Steve who’s always happy to stop what he’s doing to be with her. 

Eddie can’t keep himself from falling in love way too fast, something he’s done his whole life. No one has ever made him feel like this, like he can’t breathe unless they’re both in the same room. 

His day isn’t complete until he’s able to kiss Steve. He can’t sleep unless he can hear the soft cadence of Steve’s breathing. It feels like he doesn’t know what to do with himself unless Steve is in the room. 

The ‘Honeymoon Phase’ is something Eddie’s never had with anyone in the past, and while he loves it, he knows it’s going to relax into something soft and easy eventually. The constant need will turn into the comfort of a routine, of knowing the person he loves is exactly where he expects him to be. 

It’s why he’s already found a proper courting gift. 

He was shopping for a housewarming gift, digging through a small antique shop in Indy on one of his days off when he came across a thin gold band with a green gemstone inlaid in the center. When he asked the shop owner, he was told it was a green sapphire. 

It was an impulse decision to buy it, the ring burning a hole in his pocket all the way back to Hawkins. He’d done some research when he got home, discovering the gemstone symbolizing trust, loyalty, and love and it felt like fate. A local jeweler was happy to help clean it up, making sure the sizing was correct and engraving a set of vines all the way around the band. 

It’s burning a hole in Eddie’s pocket as he watches all of their family and friends mill about Steve and Robin’s backyard. They’ve been gifted with a sunny afternoon, warmth shining on them like a blessing from the universe as they eat and drink. 

Wayne and Claudia have hit it off, leaning against the fence and whispering while shooting very unsubtle glances at both Eddie and Steve. 

Eddie can’t take being apart from Steve, finding him with all of the kids trying to light the grill for the burgers. He slides his arms around Steve’s waist, hooking his chin over his shoulder. 

“Whatcha doin, Bunny? I thought we agreed to let Robin take care of the grill?” 

Steve leans back into Eddie’s embrace with a frustrated huff. “I know, I just wanted to get it started to help her out, and I can’t even light the damn thing. Not a single one of the children has been any help either.” 

Eddie has to bury his laughter in the crook of Steve’s neck at the glare he can hear in Steve’s voice. 

“You never actually asked for help, Steve. Go be with your boyfriend and I'll grab Robin myself. She said would teach me and El how to use the grill anyways,” Max teases before dragging El away by the hand to presumably do as she said and find Robin. 

The other four kids disperse pretty quickly after that, leaving Eddie alone with Steve for the first time since that morning. Steve turns around, careful not to pull away from Eddie, and wraps his arms around Eddie’s neck. 

“Hey, Baby. I missed you.” Steve punctuates this with a quick kiss, not wanting to get booed out of his own party. Eddie feels like the ring in his pocket is getting heavier by the second. it’s as it if wants to drag him down into the ground if it doesn’t get to be on the finger of the person it's meant for. 

“We’ve been in the same house all day, silly,” Eddie teases lightly, kissing the tip of Steve’s nose. “I know what you mean though. If it helps, I think everyones getting along splendidly, including Claudia and Wayne. We may have to worry about the two of them ganging up on us.”

Steve looks around and spots them almost instantly, a smile on his lips. 

“Oh good, I hoped they would hit it off.” 

The moment is interrupted by Robin kicking them out the the grill area, Max and El helping shoo them away. Eddie takes the opportunity being given to him, and whisks Steve back into the house where it’s quiet. 

“Babe, we may be able to be fairly quick sometimes but I don’t think that we have quite enough privacy for a quickie right now,” Steve says, confusion written across his face.

Eddie unsuccessfully tries to hold in his laughter, rolling his eyes a little. 

“Okay, hornball. That’s not the only reason for me to get you alone, you know,” he teases. “I have something for you and I wanted it to be a little private. My own sort of housewarming gift for the prettiest omega in the world.” 

Steve rolls his eyes at the compliment but gestures at Eddie to continue. 

“I know we haven’t been together very long, and most people already think we’re moving too fast but I don’t care what they might say about it. I’m so in love with you, Steve. I’m so in love that it feels like I can’t stand to be away from you for even a moment. I want to be around you all the time, even if we’re just reading or watching tv, or playing board games together.” There’s tears welling up in both of their eyes but Eddie can’t keep any of the words from spilling out now that he’s started. 

“I want to be there when you wake up, and when you go to sleep. I want to make sure that you’re safe and happy for as long as you’ll let me and I want to do it all right. I know our relationship started out a little backwards, but I want to put it back on the right track with something to show you how committed I am to this. I want to court you properly if you’ll accept this, and accept me.” 

Eddie takes the pause to pull the ring out of his pocket, stepping toward Steve whose eyes lock in on it immediately. Steve stretches his right hand toward Eddie, letting him take it and slide the ring onto his middle finger where it belongs. It fits perfectly, just like Eddie knew it would, a sure sign of an omega being courted.

“Is that a yes?” Eddie asks, voice barely above a whisper. 

Steve launches himself forward, pulling Eddie into a searing kiss that takes his breath away. 

“Of course it’s a yes, you dork,” Steve says when he finally pulls away. “I love you so fucking much, you have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you.” He brings his hand up between the both of them, admiring the shine of the gold and the deep green of the gemstone. 

“It’s absolutely perfect, Babe. I can't believe you found this for me.”

“I figured it was a sign that it was meant to be,” Eddie replies, pulling Steve into one last hug. “Wanna go show it off?? 

“Fuck yeah I do,” Steve says excitedly, tangling their fingers together and pulling Eddie back out of the house with him.

They’re both startled by the cheers that erupt when they walk outside, everyone watching them and clapping loudly.

Robin is the first one to come up to them, gathering them both in a hug.

“I’ve been watching you stare at that ring when you think no one's watching since the day you brought it home. I knew exactly what it was for and I’m so fucking happy for you. I may have told everyone else already though.” She smacks a loud kiss to both of their cheeks before running away leaving both of them just a little in shock before they start laughing. 

Steve and Eddie spend the rest of the night showing the ring off, taking all the love and congratulations of their people in stride.

It’s perfect. 

It’s everything.

Eddie Munson is twenty two years old on a warm August evening and he is in love with Steve Harrington. He is surrounded by love in every form of the word.

Steve Harrington is twenty years old and he loves Eddie Munson. He is changed in every way he has always wanted to be.

Steve Harrington is loved.