Previously on...

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you carefully step up the porch and push through the front door – making a mental note to pick something up from the store to fix the creaky hinges. Immediately upon entering, the kitchen is placed to the right, with the dining room directly across, off to the left, and the living room straight ahead. The bedroom and bathroom are down a hallway near the back of the house, and the open plan allows you to see almost the entire living area, making the environment inviting and comforting.

Setting down the box you were holding by the dining table, you take a quick glance over all the other boxes scattered around, and already anxiety is forming, wondering how you’re going to unpack all of your things by yourself. But you decide to tackle that later and go back out to your truck for the last of your things.

You stop as soon as you get back to the porch, finding two men standing at the end of the driveway, motioning to the moving truck and talking to themselves. You’re not sure where they came from, but their athletic clothes let you know they were probably exercising before they stopped here.

“Um… Hello?” You wrap your arms around yourself to shield yourself from the wind picking up, and walk carefully down the porch. “Can I help you guys?”

“Oh!” The men turn to you; the blonde’s eyes are wide as though he wasn’t expecting you. The brunette man smiles at you and waves, looking sheepish.

“Hey,” He says, nudging his elbow into his friend’s side and walking towards you. “Sorry, we were on a run and saw you driving by, so we wanted to come and say hello to our new neighbor. No one’s lived here since we moved in a couple of years ago.”

His explanation puts you at ease, and when the men stop in front of you, your knees almost buckle. The wind carries their scent directly into you, their Alpha scent. Potent due to their run, but not unpleasant, not at all. And the men must take note of your scent because their nostrils flare and their eyes darken a little bit before the brunette man shakes himself out of his trance.

“I’m Bucky, and this is Steve.” You give them your name before you can forget to think, and you have to shake yourself out of your own reverie.

“My great-grandfather built this house in the thirties, and it’s been in my family ever since. I lived in California for a bit but wanted a change, so my mom gave me the keys,” You say as you motion to the house behind you. You take a quick glance at its deteriorated state and cringe a little. “I obviously didn’t know it would be in this condition, but now that I’ve seen it, I want to fix it up again. I don’t want my great-grandfather’s effort to go to waste, you know?”

You’re not sure why you’re telling them this, but their smiles are understanding, and they quickly glance at each other before Steve speaks up.

“Well, we’re lumberjacks, so we’re pretty handy. We’d be happy to help you with some of the dirty work.” Steve sounds hopeful, and Bucky nods in agreement, his eyes shining with nervousness, and it tugs at your heart. You’ve heard of true mates. It’s not super common, but it does exist, and you can’t help but feel like this might be that.

Stop it. You just met them. You’re getting ahead of yourself.

“Oh, oh no, I couldn’t ask you to do that. It’s a lot of work, and I don’t want to put you guys through that. Plus, I–I really can’t afford to hire people to help right now.” You smile awkwardly, and while you would love the help, it’s true that you’re limited on funds. You’d spent a lot of money moving all of your things across the country, and you’re seriously rethinking taking time off work to adjust to the move.

“Oh, no,” Bucky says, turning your attention to him, and he’s shaking his head. “You’re our neighbor; we’re not going to charge you a thing.” Maybe he can sense your hesitation because he holds up a placating hand. “Plus, like you said, it’s a lot of work. We’re not trying to undermine you, we swear, but we’d feel bad if you had to do all of this yourself.”

Biting your lip, you weigh the pros and cons. On the one hand, you just met them; they could have an ulterior motive just to try and get into your pants. Or steal your things. On the other hand, you really do need help. When you first saw the cabin, you figured that you would start small and slowly fix things over time, but it would be very nice to get everything done faster. Plus, even though you’re an Omega, you’re strong-willed; you know how to set boundaries and are firm in them.

“Okay, but I’ll still feel really bad if I can’t pay you. Um… I could buy you guys food whenever you come over? After all, I wouldn’t be a good host if I made you work without eating.”

Steve and Bucky glance at each other with smiles, seemingly having a silent conversation before they nod and look back at you.

“I’m sure you’d be a great host even if you didn’t feed us, but we’ll take the compromise.” Steve smiles at you, and you momentarily get lost in his ocean-blue eyes. They pull you in, but Bucky’s soft laugh pulls your focus to him. And, you want to be ashamed of yourself for so clearly ogling him, but Bucky doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seems rather amused, especially when you shuffle awkwardly and fiddle with your fingers.

Plus, you’re pretty sure Bucky’s laugh is the best sound you’ve ever heard; it’s deep and filled with a sort of mischief that doesn’t put you off. Instead, it flusters you, and you can even tell your scent is sweetening at all the attention and kindness. It’s not that you don’t receive positive attention from Alphas, it’s just never been these Alphas. And, well, it’s fucking with your brain because you don’t know how to process these feelings.

Your great-grandparents were true mates, so you do you believe in them, you’re just positive you’re not supposed to feel like that for two people. To your knowledge, it’s never been documented as a possibility, so your conflicted emotions send you spiraling a little.

“Okay,” You say, somehow able to speak while also having an internal crisis. “Um… when would you be able to start? I still have a few boxes to bring in, but other than unpacking, I have a lot of free time, so you’re welcome to come over whenever.”

“How about now?” Bucky asks, maybe a little too quickly. But you don’t mind; it just makes you smile at his eagerness to help. “We can take a look at the house now, and then we’ll be able to see what we need to focus on first.”

You can hear your mother’s voice in your head chastising you for letting strangers into your home, but you’re going to ignore that. Because there’s a feeling deep in your bones that lets you know that this is a good idea.

“Okay.”

With your permission, Bucky and Steve make their way inside, and Bucky pulls out his phone so he can start taking notes. Within the first thirty seconds, he’s already got a few problems jotted down. The broken board on the porch, creaky door hinge, broken windows, the dining table looks like it’ll collapse if anything is placed on it, and a few of the cabinets in the kitchen are completely gone.

Bucky wants to get to work immediately, and with the way Steve is fidgeting as they walk further into the house, he wants to as well.

“Babe,” Steve says quietly after he notices the long list on Bucky’s phone. And they haven’t even made it past the living room. “We need to get her new furniture too; the springs are busting out of the couch.”

“I know,” Bucky says, eyebrows furrowing in concern, not necessarily for the house, but for you. The work needed will take at least a month, and both he and Steve can already tell the heater is busted. They haven’t seen your room, but if the couch is anything to go by, both Alphas just know it’s old as well. But he also knows that they’ll do whatever they need to do to help you.

“Let's focus on the big things right now, like the windows and the porch.”

At the mention, they hear a thud and your shout of pain behind them, and they whip around and see that you’ve tripped over the broken board. They rush over to you, Steve moving the box you were holding while Bucky helps you sit so he can crouch down and inspect the damage. There’s a pretty nasty cut on your shin, and you whimper when he touches your ankle.

“How bad does it hurt?”

“Um – ah!” You shout again when he gently moves your ankle to test the pain, and he immediately lets it go in favor of worming his arm under your bent knees, and his other arm wraps itself around your back. He hears you whimper, and he has the suddenly irrational feeling of wanting to absorb your pain, getting agitated that you’re hurting, and knowing he can’t really stop it.

Steve has already taken to laying a blanket on the old couch and placed a pillow on the arm of it. While Bucky gently sets you down so you’re propped up against the pillow and your leg is out straight, Steve rushes to the kitchen, then comes back with a frozen bag of vegetables that were put in the freezer thanks to your foresight of grocery shopping before you started unpacking the moving truck. He also has a towel, which he places over your hurt ankle before resting the make-shift ice pack on it.

“Where’s your first-aid stuff?” Bucky asks in a calming tone despite feeling nearly frantic with the overwhelming need to help, to show you that he can be useful.

“I – I don’t have one,” You say sheepishly, and Bucky wants to sigh and lightly scold you, but knows it’s not his place to.

“Steve –”

“I’ll go get our kit!” Steve interrupts as he jogs out of the door and back to their house. When Bucky sees your eyes widen slightly, he knows you’re about to protest.

“The cut might get infected if we don’t clean it up soon, plus, I’m pretty sure we have a wrap we can use for your ankle. You shouldn’t walk on it for a little anyway, so Steve and I can finish bringing in your boxes. And –” Bucky’s rambling is cut off when you place your hand atop his that’s now on your knee.

“Thank you, Bucky,” You say softly, and Bucky just melts. It’s a little unnerving, these feelings swirling in his chest. He knows them well; he’s grown accustomed to them ever since he can remember, because this is almost exactly how he feels about Steve. He grew up with Steve, has known Steve was his mate since they were young, even when they both presented as Alphas. It’s a little different because he knows Steve intimately in ways no one else does, and he doesn’t know much about you other than the red string of fate telling him that you’re theirs. But, it’s strong enough that he genuinely believes he could love you just as much.

He knows it’s not common for two Alphas to be mated to each other; the dirty and confused looks, coupled with the fact that they were practically shunned out of their neighborhood when they decided to come out, were the main reasons why they moved up here. They wanted to get away from prying eyes and hateful comments, and they’d managed to find friends up here, ones that accepted and supported them.

Bucky briefly wonders how they’d react if they found out about you.

“O-Of course,” Bucky clears his throat, squeezing your knee affectionately. His heart rate is increasing slightly, and he hates feeling off kilter, but your grateful smile settles his worries. “Besides, Stevie and I would never let a pretty Omega be in pain by herself.” He doesn’t know where he got the gall, but it’s worth it when you awkwardly giggle and look away, clearly flustered.

Bucky wants to rumble pleasantly when your scent sweetens, and he can’t deny that his ego gets a little boost when he realizes that he is the reason for it. For a moment, he stares at you while you mindlessly fiddle with the threaded edges of the blanket you’re sitting on. When you look back up at him, you open your mouth to speak, but then immediately shut it when Steve comes rushing back through the door.

“Alright! I got the kit,” Steve says as he kneels down beside Bucky. They work in sync, cleaning your wound and rubbing antibiotic ointment before carefully bandaging it, and are gentle when they have to adjust your foot so they can wrap your ankle.

It doesn’t take long, but Steve talks and asks you questions to distract you from the pain. Apparently, your favorite color is yellow, you have a cat that’s currently at your mother’s house, you’re planning on getting her back after you’ve finished moving and unpacked at least half of the boxes, and you work as a freelance copywriter for various art-centric blogs and articles.

That last fact had Steve perking up, and Bucky wants to playfully roll his eyes because his Stevie will take any chance he gets to discuss art history and different painting techniques for hours. Bucky wants to, but he won’t, because you get excited too when Steve reveals his passion for art, and he would never discourage that.

Eventually, Steve and Bucky go back to searching for more problems with the house, though they check on you every few minutes. Time flies by, and Bucky’s phone is filled with issue after issue, things that need to be fixed, and things that need to be replaced altogether. But, they’re both worried about leaving you so soon after your fall, so they take it upon themselves to order pizza – your insistence on paying for it falling on deaf ears.

And they spend most of the day with you, talking and laughing as though you’ve known each other for decades. It’s surprising, while at the same time not, that all of you just instantly click. You have a lot of the same hobbies they do – reading, hiking, and the occasional baking if you’ve found a particular recipe on pinterest that you think you can make without fucking it up too bad given that you’re actually quite horrible at baking in general.

It’s not until Steve glances at his phone later in the day that he groans.

“What is it, Steve?” You ask, your eyebrows furrowing.

“It’s almost six-thirty, we need to feed Alpine,” Steve says remorsefully, glancing at Bucky, who hums in agreement.

“Alpine?”

“Our cat,” Bucky explains, smiling when you perk up. He pulls out his phone and scrolls through it until he finally holds it up so you can see the white fur ball curled up on what looks like a sweatshirt. “She loves stealing Stevie’s sweaters.”

“And our blankets, sweatpants, and basically anything that has our scent on it.” Steve looks down at Bucky’s phone lovingly; they both love Alpine, doting on her like she were their child.

Bucky smiles widely when you laugh, nodding along and saying, “I wish my cat did that; Maggie prefers my socks.”

Both Alphas laugh, and Bucky can’t help but want Alpine to meet Maggie and see how they’d react to each other. Alpine is very particular about humans, but relatively friendly with other animals as long as they’re not loud and rambunctious; she likes peace and quiet.

“Well, I guess we have to go,” Bucky says sadly, slowly standing because he really, really doesn’t want to leave, but also knows that their cat is probably missing them and their attention. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” You assure him with a smile, gently lifting your leg and rolling your ankle in a small circle to test the pain. “It still hurts a little, but not as bad; I’ll be able to walk.” Suddenly, Steve takes both of your hands in his and helps you stand, not letting go until you rest more of your weight on your injured ankle and nod.

“Go get some rest, we’ll be back tomorrow morning with some tools and get to work,” Bucky says, smiling, admittedly a little dazedly, when you look up at him with a smile of your own.

“Okay, I’ll have food ready when you get here.” Steve opens his mouth to protest before you start speaking again. “I promised you food, and I’m not taking it back just because I hurt my ankle by being clumsy.”

Bucky and Steve look at each other hesitantly, but eventually agree when they realize you won't back down.

“Alright, but please don’t overwork yourself,” Steve says, taking your hand again so he can squeeze it.

“I promise,” You say with a chuckle, squeezing back. “Now, go give some love to Alpine for me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky says, laughing along with Steve. As they walk to the door, Bucky can’t help but look back at you, smiling when he finds you looking back at them with what Bucky thinks (hopes) is fondness. With a final wave, they leave and make the short trek back home.

It’s nine in the morning when you hear a few knocks on your front door, and you have to remind yourself not to hurt your ankle further by rushing to answer. When you do, you see both Alphas holding bags presumably filled with tools to fix up your rundown cottage. Bucky sets his down on the porch next to the broken board while Steve brings his inside, and you step aside to let them in.

“Good morning, guys! I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I just made pancakes and bacon; I hope that’s alright.” Suddenly, you’re hit with a mild wave of regret for not asking them yesterday what they preferred, but Steve’s stomach growls almost as soon as you finish talking, causing all of you to laugh.

“Sounds perfect to me,” Steve says with a wide smile, and it fills your stomach with butterflies, even more so when Bucky nods in agreement.

“We’ll eat anything you make us, Bambi. I’m sure it’s going to be delicious.”

“Bambi?” You ask, your eyebrows furrowing a little. When Bucky nods to your hurt ankle, you huff out a laugh and roll your eyes. “Oh, because I’m clumsy?”

“You said it,” Bucky says and shrugs, his eyes twinkling with amusement when you playfully glare at him.

“Well, I guess I can’t argue against it. But just for that comment, I’m making you clean up the dishes.” You meant it playfully; you’re not actually going to make them clean, so you’re surprised when Bucky nods easily and shrugs.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Oh, no, I was just -”

“Alright!” Bucky interrupts you, giving you a wink. “Let’s get eating, Stevie, and then we’ll get to work.”

They scarf down the food quickly, but not before making sure you’ve already eaten because they’d feel bad about not leaving any for you. And when they finish, Bucky shoos you out of the kitchen so he can work on the dishes while Steve sets up in the front yard.

“Is, um. Is it okay if I stay out here with you guys? I won’t get in your way; I’ll just sit on the swing over there and read.” Fiddling with the book in your hands, you chew on your lip nervously. You’d hate to disrupt them in any way, but your concerningly overwhelming need to be around them outweighs any of that trepidation.

“It’s your house, Bambi,” Steve says, now kneeling and emptying his tool bag. “You can sit wherever you’d like. Plus, Buck’s always happy to show off.”

“Shut up, punk,” Bucky grumbles, giving an admonishing tap on the back of Steve’s head. “Besides, you know your shirt size yet still refuse to wear the correct one.”

“It’s all for you, babe,” Steve laughs, jabbing Bucky in the side when he kneels as well.

“Babe?” You don’t mean to question it aloud, but you’re a little confused. Sure, they smell like each other, but you figured that it’s because they live together. You didn’t question why they do, based on yesterday, you assume it’s because they’re such close friends. And, you’re pretty sure Bucky was flirting with you yesterday with that ‘pretty Omega’ comment. They couldn’t possibly be -

“We’re mates,” Bucky explains, but he seems a little hesitant to do so. They give each other a brief and nervous look before turning back to you. “We know it’s not… common for Alphas to be mated together, and if you’re not comfortable with us being here -”

“Oh, no!” You say quickly, now worried about upsetting them. You don’t want to upset them, but you can't deny that now you’re a little sad knowing that they’re taken. But then you have to remind yourself that just because you might think you’ve found your true mates, they’re probably too enamored with each other to even consider you. “I’m not uncomfortable with it, I promise! Like you said, it’s not common for Alphas to be mated to each other, so I just didn’t assume. But I don’t care what other people do as long as they’re not hurting anyone.”

“Well, we’ll treat you right, we promise.” Steve’s words and smile do little to ease the ache in your heart, but you plaster on a smile and nod.

With that, you make your way to the porch swing and open your book. And you really do try to read it, but the Alphas’ grunts as they work to fix the wood, coupled with their scent growing more and more potent the longer they’re out in the sun, makes your head spin.

It also confuses you because they keep sending glances your way – which you’re aware of, considering you keep glancing at them. You’re not sure what it means, but you try to focus on your book and put it out of your mind. That is, until an unknown amount of time later, Steve comes up to you holding a glass of lemonade.

“I hope you don’t mind,” He says, smiling awkwardly down at you as he offers you the drink. “Buck and I were thirsty and raided your fridge.”

You’re momentarily frozen because Steve apparently took off his shirt at some point, leaving him in only a white tank top. His muscles glisten with a thin layer of sweat, his pecs are bulging through the fabric, and you’re definitely not proud of the way your mouth waters at the sight. And if he notices how flushed you are, you hope he assumes it’s because of the abnormally warm Fall day and not the fact that he looks and smells like sin.

“Oh, no it - it’s okay! Help yourself to whatever.” Your voice cracks a little in the middle of the sentence, causing you to cringe slightly. “Thank you for bringing me some.”

“Of course,” Steve says easily, looking relieved that you’re not mad. “We’re almost done out here, then we’re going to move inside.”

Nodding, you set your book aside and stand, but you soon regret it because you’re now almost pressed to Steve’s chest because he didn’t move back. You have to crane your neck a little to look up at him, and his large stature makes you feel safe and protected. It also makes your hindbrain go a little insane – an innate feeling that he can provide for you, that he – and Bucky – can be the perfect Alphas for you.

It’s not until Bucky calls for Steve that you break out of your trance.

“I’ll, uh, go make us some food.” You give him a smile and one to Bucky as you pass him on your way into the house.

Cooking gives you a little break from your inner turmoil, having something to hone in on that’s not the confusing swirling of emotions in your heart. It feels like they’re flirting with you, but that can’t be true because they’re mated together for fucks sake.

And these feelings continue throughout the day, sitting on your sofa and constantly stealing glances at them, and feeling their eyes on you whenever they pass through the living room. They have the heater fixed within two hours, and you’re grateful for that because it was freezing last night, and you’d hate to have to deal with that for another night.

It’s just the beginning of sunset when they decide to leave for the day, promising to return tomorrow around the same time to look at the few broken windows. You wave them goodbye with a smile and a promise of your own to get breakfast ready.

It’s when you’re finally lying in your uncomfortable bed that you internally curse whatever higher power there is for teasing you like this, dangling the two most perfect men right in front of your face, only to pull them away within the blink of an eye.

The next three weeks practically fly by. Steve and Bucky go to your house three days a week to help with renovations in between doing their actual jobs. They’re efficient in fixing up your house, but both of them will admit that even though it’s taking less time than they originally thought, they’re taking a little longer than necessary because, despite Steve and Bucky’s hints, you don’t seem to catch on to their flirting.

Which is why Steve decided that today would be a good idea to take you to the market in town to do some decor shopping, figuring that maybe taking you out would give you a better taste of what it would be like to be with them.

And it’s quite a beautiful day; the sun is out and shining bright, the birds are chirping happily, and the leaves are more colorful than ever, giving that true autumn effect. It’s made even better when you step out of your house and make your way down the walkway to Steve and Bucky’s truck. You’re wearing a simple long-sleeved sweater and jeans, but Steve thinks you’re the most beautiful Omega ever. And Steve doesn’t even have to be mated to Bucky to know that he feels the same, because he immediately starts trying to adjust his own sweater despite the seat belt being in the way, always wanting to look his best for you.

“Hey, Bambi,” Steve says as he steps out of the car when you’re closer, giving you a wide smile that matches your own and opening his arms for a hug.

“Hi Stevie,” You say, and Steve rumbles a little when he hears your tiny squeak whenever he squeezes you to his chest.

“Get her in here, punk!” Bucky calls, and Steve lets you go so he can help you into the middle seat of the truck.

“Aw, are you feeling left out, Buck?” You tease, and Steve settles in beside you once you’re buckled. You lean into Bucky’s shoulder, wrapping an arm around his neck and giving him a side hug.

“Of course not, I know I’m your favorite.” Bucky winks at you, and both Alphas can smell when your scent sweetens at the action.

Bucky loves flustering you.

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Steve says, knocking his arm against yours. “I’m her favorite. She said so just last week.”

“That’s just because you gave her your vintage art magazine she’s been searching for, but I am going to be her favorite today because I’m getting her the good hot chocolate from Clint’s shop.” Bucky sticks his tongue out at Steve, causing you both to laugh.

“Well, I will –”

“Who said either of you guys are my favorite?” You ask in a teasing voice. “If Clint’s hot chocolate is as good as you’ve been saying, then maybe he’ll be my favorite. Now, let’s go. I want to look for new blankets.”

Bucky grumbles playfully about how he’s not getting you the drink now as he backs out of the driveway, and Steve smiles to himself when you laugh. And Steve really can’t be blamed for getting hit with a wave of fondness at the sound. He and Bucky just want you so badly; they want to make you laugh every day, they want to provide for you, and love you like they’re sure no one else can. They want to make you happy and support you in everything you do.

It’s a fairly small town, so it doesn’t take long to get to the outside market, and your eyes widen when you step out and get a good look at a few of the stalls. There’s food, wall art, pottery, and the Alphas know that there are a few book stands towards the back that you’ll probably be most excited about.

“Ready?” Steve asks with a laugh, already knowing the answer because you’re practically vibrating in place.

Instead of answering him, you hook your arm through his and do the same to Bucky when he rounds the corner holding a basket. You practically drag them to the entrance, and your excitement is contagious because neither Alpha can keep the smiles off their faces when they see the wonder in your eyes.

They know you haven’t experienced a true Fall season in a while due to you living in southern California for a few years, and they’re already a bit happy with themselves for this date idea, even though it’s not technically a date. To you, anyway.

The three of you spend hours walking around and visiting all the shops, picking up knick-knacks and spices that they refuse to let you pay for. They also encouraged you to pick out vegetable seeds since you’ve mentioned wanting to start gardening. And the entire time, you’ve only let go of their arms to pick items up and inspect them, but as soon as they’re put back or paid for, you wrap your arms around theirs again, and Steve feels like he’s walking on clouds the entire time. And, based on the fond smile that hasn’t left Bucky’s face since they first picked you up, he feels it too.

It’s when you finally make your rounds to Clint’s setup that your eyes really light up.

“Hey guys!” Clint calls when he sees you all, one arm high in the air and waving to gain your attention.

“Hey Clint!” Bucky says when you get closer, and you’re able to see all that he’s selling: hot chocolate, coffee, and various pastries that Steve already knows you’re going to want.

“And hello to you, pretty lady.” Clint’s comment makes you smile, and you greet him with a small wave. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, we promised Bambi here that we’d get her some of your famous hot cocoa, so we came by to see if you had any left.” Steve smiles down at you and fights the urge to puff out his chest when you lean your head on his arm affectionately.

“Of course I do,” Clint says easily, pulling out three cups to get started. “And I stole one of Nat’s peppermint chocolate bars earlier that your Bambi can have.”

Now, you get flustered easily. Or, at least you do around Steve and Bucky, so it doesn’t surprise them when you start shuffling nervously and awkwardly chuckling. And Steve would be worried about the ‘your’ part of Clint’s comment upsetting you if not for your scent getting noticeably sweeter. Steve looks at Bucky over your head, and he can see the light flush on his mate’s face as well as the fact that he’s clearly trying not to smile.

“O-Oh, um, thank you,” You say, extracting your arms from the Alphas’ so you can grab your cup and hold it close to your chest, letting the steam waft up into your face and warming you up. As soon as you take a sip, Steve has to stop himself from shivering at your pleased hum, and he aches to taste the chocolate straight from your lips.

He doesn't kiss you, though. No matter how badly he wants to. What he does is wrap an arm around your shoulder, smiling down at you when you look up at him, your eyes wide and sparkling.

"You like it?"

"It's delicious," You respond, leaning into his side. But, unable to leave Bucky out, you once again loop your arm through his.

"I'm glad," Clint says, breaking you both out of your moment. When Steve looks at him, Clint has a mischievous glint in his eyes, a smirk forming on his face. Immediately, he knows his friend is going to say something to embarrass him and Bucky, probably to point out how stupid they look whenever they're so much as near you.

"Why don't we look for those blankets you've been wanting?" Steve asks, interrupting whatever Clint is about to say.

"Okay!" You perk up almost immediately, smiling widely at him and Bucky, then turning to Clint. "Thanks for the hot chocolate. How much do I owe you?"

"Not a single penny, sweetheart," Clint responds, shaking his head. "It's on the house. After all, I’ve never seen these two idiots more in lo–”

“Alright!” Bucky exclaims nervously, glaring at Clint when he’s sure you’re not looking at him. “I think there are more stalls this way.”

Before you even have a chance to question anything, both Alphas are ushering you along the walkway to a booth further away, not caring what they’re selling as long as they get you away from Clint. When Steve looks back at his friend, he sees the cheeky smirk plastered on his face, and Steve knows he should probably be upset about his friend almost spilling their secret, but he and Bucky have been trying to tell you for so long that he’s anxious for you to know, no matter how you find out.

Still, Steve reasons that you probably shouldn’t find out in public when they are your transportation, and they’d hate for the drive home to be awkward in case you don’t feel the same way they do. So, they spend the rest of the day showing you around, buying whatever you look at for more than five seconds, and relishing in the feeling of having you so close to them.

When they finally take you back home, they insist on bringing in your things, never wanting not to be useful to your needs and wants. And, if they linger in the doorway a little longer, if they hug you a little tighter, if they take a few inhales of your scent before pulling away, well, who can blame them? When it comes to you, they’ll take whatever they can get.

It’s almost four in the afternoon, and your entire body is thrumming with nerves. Steve and Bucky came by around nine this morning, only to kick you out of your own house under the guise of Natasha, another one of their friends and Clint’s fiancée, wanting to hang out with you. You don’t doubt that she genuinely did want to go shopping together, after all, you’ve become pretty good friends ever since you met her shortly after the farmer’s market. But the looks on everyone’s faces when you hesitantly said yes to the girl’s date had your mind racing.

What could they possibly be planning?

Steve only texted you once since you left: a blurry picture of Bucky falling down your porch steps. It had you cackling and texting back that maybe Bucky’s nickname should be ‘Bambi’, but there wasn’t a response, so you were left to rack your brain over what the hell is going on at your house for the rest of the day.

“Don’t worry,” Natasha says as you both get back in her car, your bags in the trunk and your stomachs filled with delicious food from the bakery not too far from your cottage. “I promise that they’re not breaking your house.”

“Wait.” You turn in your seat, giving her a quizzical look. “Do you know what they’re doing?” She smirks, and confusion settles in your chest, now even more desperate to know what they’re up to now that you know she definitely knows.

“Not everything,” She says easily, shrugging one of her shoulders, and you’re momentarily jealous of how soft her hair looks as it bounces with the movement. “I can just tell you’re a little worried. And they may be idiots sometimes, but they’d never do anything to mess this up.”

That causes you to pause. Mess what up? It may seem a little silly, but you’ve come to trust them over the last few months you’ve known them. They’ve shown endless amounts of patience, not just with you, but with your house as well. They’ve proved over and over that you can trust them, so you don’t doubt that they’re not fucking up your place again, but you do know that they can cause trouble if they want to.

So, again, what are they planning?

“Natasha,” You sigh, biting your lip nervously. “What is going on?”

“I can’t tell you.” Natasha sighs too, and looks over at you with a soft smile, placing her hand over yours. “I can just see how nervous you are, and I feel the need to tell you that you’re going to love what they’re doing. They care about you, Bambi.”

For a moment, you almost tell her that you love them, that you trust them more than anyone, but you feel like that would give away too much. Besides, just because they care about you doesn’t mean they love you like you love them. With how they are, you know they care about all of their friends, so you try to remind yourself that you’re not their mate.

“I… I care about them too,” You say softly, settling into your seat.

“I know,” She says, a hint of a smile on her lips as she puts the car in drive. You don’t bother asking how she knows, over the time you’ve known her you have come to realize that she knows a lot. And what she doesn’t know, she’ll find out some other way. “Now, let’s get going.”

Even though the drive back to your cottage is not even ten minutes, it still gives you enough time to think over the million possibilities of what could be happening, what they could have waiting for you. The anxiety in your chest is growing slowly, but you try to remind yourself that the Alphas would never do anything to harm you, even if they are goofballs with tendencies to play pranks.

As you get closer to your cottage, driving out of the town and passing Steve and Bucky’s own house, you notice something weird. In the driveway are more cars, but they block your view of the entrance of your house, and Natasha parks far enough away that you can’t make out who is on the porch. You’re only more confused when you see Sam, another friend of Steve and Bucky, jog down the path to Natasha’s car with a wide smile and a piece of cloth.

“Hello, Bambi!” Sam says excitedly, opening the door for you and helping you out.

“Hey, Sam - oh!” You’re cut off by Sam turning you around and placing the cloth over your eyes and tying it around your head, using it as a blindfold. “What the hell is up with everyone today?”

“You’ll see!” Sam exclaims, and even though you’re even more curious now, Sam’s excitement is contagious, and you can feel your heart beating a little quicker in anticipation. “And you’ll love it.”

Sighing, though playfully, you let Sam turn you around to presumably face your cottage, and you feel one of his hands on your back while his other takes hold of you arm as he urges you forward, occasionally guiding you left or right to avoid any obstacles in your path. And, despite feeling overwhelmingly perplexed, you can’t deny that you know you’ll love whatever the Alphas have planned for you.

After a minute of walking, slowly since you’re basically blind right now, you feel Sam step behind you and start untying the blindfold.

“Okay, Bambi. Are you ready to see what your Alphas did?”

Your face immediately goes hot, because, while they’re not technically your Alphas, no matter how much you want them to be, it does feel nice to hear it, especially from one of Steve and Bucky’s closest friends.

“God, yes,” You say exasperatedly, laughing a little to show him that you’re not actually upset over the fact that you’ve only been given cryptic clues throughout the day, left to wait to see what they could have done to warrant this type of energy from their friends.

“Okay then. Three, two, one!” The cloth falls away from your face, and you have to blink and squint your eyes for a moment to adjust to the light.

Once you’re able to focus your eyes on what is in front of you, your mouth drops open, your heart nearly stopping. Because in front of you stand Steve, Bucky, and Clint, all with wide smiles on their faces. Natasha moves to stand beside you, shopping bags in hand, and you can see her smiling out of the corner of your eyes.

It takes you a moment to gather your bearings, but finally you notice something that wasn’t there this morning: fairy lights dangling from the roof of the porch, a new porch swing with what looks like the softest pillows perched on it, and potted plants on either side of the front door. In the simplest of terms, it’s beautiful. Ethereal, even. It’s almost like Steve and Bucky dove into your brain to figure out how you want to decorate your place.

“Wha - How did you…” You’re unable to finish your sentence because you’re just at a loss for words. Obviously, it wouldn’t have taken all day just to decorate the porch, so you have a sneaking suspicion that they must have also added some finishing touches on the inside as well.

“Your mother helped a lot,” Steve says, a soft and endearing smile on his face.

“My mother?”

At the mention, the front door opens and your mom steps out, also smiling, with her arms open for a hug. You haven’t had the chance to see her since the first day you moved out here, so you can’t really be blamed for rushing up the steps and practically throwing yourself at her, a laugh bubbling up in your chest as she squeezes you to her chest.

“I may or may not have found your Pinterest account and sent them the link,” She explains, and you pull away to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. These handsome Alphas wanted to help you get officially settled in, and you deserve to have people in your life that want you to be happy.” She then leans in closer to whisper in your ear, but just loud enough that you know she wants the others to hear, “And even though I just met them, I know they make you happier than you’ve ever been.”

Your face flushes even more at her comment, and tears want to spring to your eyes. Even though you lived in California for years, and you had several friends that you were reluctant to say goodbye to, you never really realized how much you needed people like Steve and Bucky in your corner, not to mention their friends that have welcomed you into their little circle. It sends a surge of love all throughout your body, and when you finally step back from the hug, you turn to see both Alphas looking at you nervously, both fiddling with their clothes as though they’re stopping themselves from hugging you as well.

“Thank you guys, I – I mean it. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble.” Your voice is small, and you take a risk by slowly walking towards them, your bottom lip caught between your teeth. “But I’m so grateful that you did.”

Before you can stop to think, you surge forward, wrapping one arm around Steve’s waist, and the other around Bucky’s, pulling them close to hug both of them. You can feel them sigh in what sounds like relief, both of them encasing you in their arms as well. For a moment, you forget that there are people watching you, you just hug the Alphas as tight as you can to show your gratitude. And it seems to last forever, neither of you wanting the hug to end. That is, until you hear someone clear their throat, and that’s when you remember that you’re not alone.

You pull away from them, turning your head and looking at the group with an almost embarrassed smile.

“Oh, don’t mind us,” Sam says with a smirk, looping his arms around Clint and Natasha’s shoulders. “Why don’t we give these three a little privacy.”

“Come inside everyone, I’ll make us some tea,” Your mother says, and when you look at her, you see a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Not you,” She says while pointing at you, “You guys take all the time you need out here.”

With that, the gang follows your mom inside the house, leaving you to stand in front of Steve and Bucky, shuffling nervously. Finally, when you’re alone, you look up at the Alphas, both of them glancing at each other before turning their gaze back to you.

“We, um…” Bucky trails off, breathing deeply. “We wanted to talk to you about something.”

Immediately, your heart starts beating faster, and you have the smallest suspicion of what they’re going to tell you. You know it’s probably wishful thinking, but you can’t help but hope and pray it’s what you’re wanting to hear.

“About what?” For a moment, everything is quiet except for the pounding of your heart in your ears, but then, both Alphas reach forward to take your hands in each of their own.

“Bambi,” Steve sighs, looking over at Bucky anxiously. When his mate nods, they both once again turn back to you. “We care about you. A lot. And – And it’s more than just how we care about our friends. We…” When Steve stops, Bucky picks up for him.

“We love you, Bambi,” Bucky says, and you can smell how anxious they are, it’s potent. “We’re pretty sure you’re our mate.”

“And we know it’s rarely heard of for people to have two mates,” Steve continues, squeezing your hand. “But from the moment we met you, we knew you were different than any other Omega we’ve ever met. We’ve been trying to drop hints here and there, but you’ve never responded to them. And we didn’t know whether it’s because you truly didn’t know or you’re just too kind to say anything about it, but now that the house is finished, we couldn’t wait any longer.”

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way.” Bucky chews on his bottom lip for a moment, and you want to stop them, you want to scream from the rooftop that you love them too, you want to kiss the worry off their faces. But, you don’t, because he keeps talking. “And if you don’t, then that’s perfectly fine. We don’t expect you to love us back just because we helped you with the cottage, and we’re still not going to charge you for any of the work. And we’d love to still be friends, but it’s totally understandable if you’d be too uncomfortable with that. We just…”

“We just needed you to know how we feel,” Steve says softly, smiling at you, his eyes filled with uncertainty. “But –”

“Guys,” You say quickly, squeezing both of their hands and stopping them in their tracks. “I… To be honest, I did kind of suspect that you were flirting with me. I just didn’t know if it was wishful thinking, though, because you’re mated to each other. But…” Taking a deep and steadying breath, you glance between them, happy tears in your eyes.

“But, I do love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. I just never said anything because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I couldn’t handle not having you both in my life, so I was content with what we had. However, if you’re serious, then I’d love to be with both of you. Like, mates.”

“Thank god,” Both Alphas say, laughing from the sheer joy of finally having what you’ve all apparently wanted for months. The three of you fall into a bout of silence, relishing in your newfound relationship, Bucky’s free hand coming up to wipe away a stray tear with his thumb.

“Oh come on!” Someone exclaims, and all of your heads snap up to see the whole gang staring at you through the slightly opened window.

“Kiss already!” Your mom says happily, and you would be scandalized at her watching, but you know she just wants the best for you, so you’re not that upset that they’ve been snooping.

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve says, smirking down at you, leaning in close and pressing a lingering kiss on your lips. It’s not an intense kiss, but the emotions you feel certainly are. It’s almost like the world has tilted, righting itself, and leaving you breathless when he pulls away.

Bucky follows soon after, pulling you in by the hold he has on your hand so he can kiss you too. It’s a little hard to kiss when you’re both smiling, but it’s just as perfect as your kiss with Steve.

Now that you think about it, you never thought you’d ever have a true mate, let alone two, and it may be a little cliche, but right now you feel as though you’ve been missing something for your entire life, and you’ve finally found it in the form of two perfect Alphas.