#stmmm25

Maybe he should’ve taken his parents’ advice and stayed on scent blockers until graduation so his designation status wasn’t public knowledge.

Steve would be lonely, but at least he could’ve saved himself some heartbreak and embarrassment.

Now he’s shaking and sobbing. Alone anyways.

Everything feels so cold and off balance.

The October chill is reaching him even though he’s inside. It doesn’t make any sense, but his bones are chilled to their core and he’s completely frozen.

This is the worse night of his life and he can’t even find the strength to leave.

Steve doesn’t actually hear the door to the bathroom open, but it makes sense that Nancy didn’t lock it on her way out and he hadn’t bothered to check it.

But he’s not by himself anymore.

Another voice is in his ears— other than his own inner omega that’s thrashing around in pain.

“Are you sick or something, Harrington? You look pale as fuck. Too many keg stands tonight?”

Words are hard. He lays there instead. That feels easier.

The voice persists nonetheless.

“Seriously, Steve. Where’s Wheeler? I thought she was with you earlier. She shouldn’t leave you alone like this.”

He can’t bite back his cry of pure anguish at hearing his alpha’s name.

She may have disowned him as her omega, but she’s still his alpha.

Nancy was supposed to take care of him. She was supposed to start a family with Steve and love him forever. She wasn’t supposed to leave too.

Everyone always leaves.

She said she was different. Steve thought she was different.

“She’s gone,” he manages to rasp.

Those two words hurt his throat and his heart.

How long has he been crying? How long has it been since he was abandoned by his future mate and left to die here?

“Jesus. You’d think she’d know better than to leave her omega alone. When is she coming back? Is Tommy giving you a ride home?”

So many questions. They still don’t understand.

Saying it out loud will make it real, but Steve isn’t sure how else to communicate the reality here.

“Alpha isn’t coming back. I was bad omega. Stupid fucking omega. Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit omega. She doesn’t want me. Doesn’t want a bad omega as her mate.”

He’s so stupid. So stupid and bad and bullshit. If he wasn’t, Nancy would still be here. She would still love him.

“Oh, fuck.”

Something touches his forehead lightly. It feels just like how his nanny used to check his forehead when he was sick as a pup.

“You’re burning up, Steve. Shit. Okay, it’s gonna be okay. Wayne said any alpha can help, even if it’s not the alpha who caused it. I can do this… Fuck.”

Steve hasn’t a clue what’s going on, but the touch on his forehead goes away and is replaced with more touches.

Part of him wants to lash out at the stranger daring to lay a finger on him, especially when his alpha wouldn’t allow it.

But he doesn’t have an alpha to protect him anymore.

Nancy couldn’t care less if he lives or dies.

So he doesn’t fight the touch. After a short while, it almost feels… nice. Soothing, like cold aloe on a sizzling burn. An aching relief.

He’s wrapped up in someone’s arms, cradled in their hold as if he’s precious and worth holding onto.

“That’s it, omega. Just relax. You’re safe and nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t leave you,” the hushed voice whispers in his ear.

Steve finally catches a whiff. The scent of his holder.

Cinnamon. A dash of musk and earthy wood. It’s a rather pleasant combination in his nose.

Nancy always smelled sharp and citrusy. It was nice enough, but he never particularly wanted to inhale it more than was required.

This scent, however, feels warm and comfortable. A toasty blanket of scent wrapping him up gently just like the person it belongs to.

“Alpha,” he purrs happily into the cinnamon-scented neck. “My alpha.”

Nancy isn’t his alpha anymore. Can’t be. She doesn’t want him. Doesn’t love him.

But this is unmistakable.

The warm scent, the protective embrace, the gentle growl from the chest beneath his ear.

His alpha.

“That’s right, omega. Your alpha. But I need you to be good for me now, Steve. Can you be good for your alpha?”

What a silly question. He would do anything for his alpha.

“I’m a good omega,” Steve begs, explains, pleads.

He doesn’t want to be left alone. Not again.

“I know you are, sweetheart. You’re so good. We need to take you to a clinic to get some medicine though. You’re sick. I promise I will take care of you, but we have to leave now.”

That sounds like his alpha is going to leave.

“Don’t leave me,” he begs once more. “I’ll be good. I can be good!”

“Shhhh, you’re already good. Won’t leave you, baby. I won’t ever leave you. I just think you have rejection sickness and I can help, but you still need medicine to make sure you don’t go into shock. Your panic attack was just the beginning of it and we can’t hold this off forever.”

Steve whines at that.

He can’t imagine it getting worse than it already was. Everything feels better now, but it still stings.

Rejection sickness. Just a silly omega with his silly heartbreak.

“You won’t leave me?” he confirms.

The response he gets is gentle and kind.

“I don’t think I could, even if you asked me to. I’m your alpha now, Steve. If Nancy didn’t see what a perfect omega she had, that’s her loss. You belong to me now and I promise to take care of you. Whatever you need, it’s yours. Let me be your alpha.”

Nancy never asked what he needed.

Steve snuggles just a little bit deeper into his alpha’s neck.

A steady hand on his back rubs along his shoulders with just enough pressure to anchor him to the earth and not let his head float too far away.

“You’re a good alpha,” Steve declares sleepily. “What’s your name?”

His alpha doesn’t seem surprised by the belated question, he doesn’t even pause his comforting actions to answer.

“I don’t know that we’ve ever officially met before, but my name is Eddie.”

“Eddie?”

Sounds familiar.

“Eddie Munson.”

Ah. That’s Hawkins’ resident drug dealer.

God, why does Eddie have to sound good, too, all raspy and deep with sleep? It makes something clench in Steve’s gut, makes him want to whine and lick the spicy sweetness directly from Eddie’s scent glands until Eddie gives in and fucks Steve cross-eyed…

Oh. Steve isn’t just regular horny, he realizes like a slap in the face. He’s going into heat. Eddie smells so damn good that he’s causing Steve’s hormones to riot.

“Steve?” Eddie’s next knock is more insistent.

“Don’t come in,” he blurts, burying his face in the nearest hand towel.

“Uh… okay?”

Steve sighs and braces himself on the edge of the sink. “Sorry, I know it’s early but I have to go.”

He can hear Eddie’s bare feet shuffling on the carpet in the hallway. “Was it— did I do something?”

Eddie’s voice sounds small, scared, and Steve made him feel that way. His heart breaks a little. “No. No, Eddie, of course not.” He needs to see him, touch him, reassure his Alpha. Before he can think better of it, Steve throws the door open and launches himself into Eddie’s arms.

“Oh. Oh, oh my god, Steve, you—” Eddie buries his face in Steve’s neck, lips grazing the swollen scent gland there until Steve shudders beneath the touch. “You smell so good,” he mumbles into warm skin.

Steve’s head swims at the feel of Eddie’s body pressed up against his, but he tries to stay focused. “I think you triggered my heat. So unless you want me to jump you in about ten seconds, I need to—”

“You don’t want me to help?”

When Steve meets Eddie’s gaze, all he finds is genuine confusion. “You want to?”

Eddie bites his lip. “I haven’t been pretending. The fake courting thing, I’ve been… I wanted to do it for real, so I treated it like it was real. And I know you’re not in charge of how your body reacts to stuff, but if this heat means you’re interested, too—”

Their lips crash together with too much teeth but Steve doesn’t care when Eddie is groaning and licking into his mouth like a starving man. His Alpha tastes as good as he smells, a little more peppery but complemented by the vanilla that bursts on Steve’s tongue.

“Yeah?” Eddie breathes when he pulls back. He cradles Steve’s face in his blessedly cool hands, running his thumbs across Steve’s feverish cheeks. “I’ll take care of you, I just need you to say—”

“Yes, Eddie, please,” Steve gasps, rolling his hips against Eddie’s so he can feel Steve’s cock, hard and needy. He’s wet, too, wetter than he can ever remember being. He wishes Eddie would just push him up against the vanity and fuck him right there.

Like he’s reading Steve’s mind, Eddie guides him back into the bathroom and steals another kiss. “Okay, baby, how do you want me?”

Steve doesn’t hesitate to hook his fingers in the waistband of Eddie’s boxers and yank them down to his knees. He does the same to his own underwear and leans over the sink, catching Eddie’s dumbfounded expression in the mirror. “Here, just like this.”

Eddie catches on quickly, crowding Steve against the counter and sliding two fingers through the slick between Steve’s legs. “Fuck, sweetheart. Is all this for me?”

“Uh-huh,” he confirms, nudging his hips back into the pressure of Eddie’s fingertips circling his hole. Steve can’t hold back a gasp when they breach him with an easy glide.

“Can’t wait to taste you,” Eddie murmurs in his ear. His lips trail down Steve’s neck, leaving little nips and kitten licks along the way until he reaches his scent gland. “Gonna be so sweet, so good for me.”

Another finger slips into Steve’s pussy alongside the other two. The fullness is just right, enhanced by the promise of more to come when Eddie finally gets his cock in him. Steve can’t wait much longer. “Eddie, c’mon, fuck me!” he pleads.

“Give me a minute, Stevie, I don’t wanna hurt you. Gotta make sure you can take me.” Eddie nips at Steve’s neck as he scissors his fingers apart.

Steve keens at the stretch, clenching down when he imagines how much better it will feel once Eddie fucks him, knots him. “I can take it, I can take it,” he babbles. “Please, let me take it.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie hisses to himself, his free hand dropping from Steve’s waist to squeeze the base of his cock. “Baby, I don’t know how long I can last.”

“I don’t care, we can go again. Ed, I need you, please—” His begging suddenly turns into a disappointed whine when Eddie’s fingers leave him, only to be replaced by an involuntary chirp as Eddie notches the head of his cock at Steve’s entrance.

“Okay, okay, oh, fuuuuck.” Eddie buries his face in the crook of Steve’s neck, gulping in breaths like the Omega’s scent is the only thing keeping him sane as he sinks into the tight heat of Steve’s pussy.

It makes Steve burn with jealousy, the fact that Eddie can smell him but not the other way around. He fumbles behind him to grab one of Eddie’s hands, drags it to his nose and huffs the sweet warmth of his scent straight from his wrist like a drug he can’t get enough of.

“Steve, oh my god, how are you even real?” Eddie’s hips jerk against his ass, grinding into him helplessly. There’s no real rhythm to his movements yet, caught up as he is in the whirlwind of heat pheromones, but it’s everything Steve wants at the moment.

“Alpha, smell like mine,” he purrs against Eddie’s pulse point. The skin is thin at the inside of his wrist, practically begging for Steve to bite until he draws blood and tastes cardamom and vanilla on his tongue.

“You, too,” Eddie groans, sucking hard at Steve’s scent gland as his thrusts find a steady cadence that knocks Steve’s hips against the edge of the sink. “Mine.”

It should be embarrassing how quickly Steve’s orgasm creeps up on him but Eddie is thick and hot in his cunt, and Steve’s cock is grinding against the countertop, and Eddie’s scent is right there in his face and in the stale air of the Munsons’ trailer and—

Steve can’t even choke out a warning before he’s coming, clamping down on Eddie’s cock and clutching his wrist for dear life as he makes a mess of the sink.

Based on Eddie’s strangled growl, he’s not far behind. “Ohjesusfuck, Stevie, I’m gonna—”

His knot catches painfully on Steve’s rim, just this side of too big, but Steve shoves back against him until it breaches him with a wet noise and a curse from Eddie. He can feel each spurt of the Alpha’s come filling him up, Eddie’s hands shaking against Steve’s hip and mouth, his hips grinding deeper and deeper where they’re locked together.

It’s good, so good that Steve’s knees go weak and Eddie has to hold him up as they both tremble through the aftershocks. It’s even better when Eddie starts whispering to him, sweet nothings like, “So good for me, honey. Felt so good, made me pop my knot so fuckin’ fast. Just a few more minutes and then once my knot goes down, we can go back to bed, nap some more before the next wave.”

Steve's stomach flips at the mention of courting. Is that what Eddie's doing? Hyping himself up before he comes in and asks to court Steve?

He really hopes so; Steve's been dropping hints to Eddie for a while now. Any longer and the onega was going to start the process himself, honestly.

Eddie's just so... Eddie. He's weird and manic and intense, but he's also kind and incredibly gentle, handling every interaction with Steve like he's juggling glass. Like one wrong move will have the whole thing shattering to pieces around him.

It's endearing. It shows Steve that Eddie cares, that he wants Steve to think good of him.

"Hey, Eddie!" Steve calls and Eddie's attention immediately snaps to him. He turns so fast that he nearly slips and eats shit on the concrete, but he manages to catch himself at the last second.

"Hey, uh, hi! Steve!" Eddie shuffles in place and half-hides the flowers behind his leg, and Steve beams. He loves the weird, goofy man.

"Are you gonna hang out here all day? Or are you going to come inside and actually ask me, Alpha?"

It takes Eddie a second to register the question before he's scrambling up the steps and shyly presenting Steve with the bouquet - a bundle of wildflowers in varying colors, each one unique and beautiful. Steve happily takes them but doesn't move from the threshold, instead looking at Eddie expectantly.

"Steve, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out," Eddie starts as he fidgets in place. "You deserve the world, and if you allow me the honor of courting you, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to give it to you."

Steve smiles and reaches out to grab Eddie's shirt. "You're too sweet, Alpha," he mutters as he tugs the alpha closer and places a kiss to his cheek. "I don't need the world, Eddie. I just need you to love me."

Once he started dating, it was more of the same. Omegas would get him to ask them out, make him pay for meal and the movie, and then once they were done doing whatever they got up to in the back seat of his car, they'd gush about how they had the confidence after all of that to go after the alpha that they really wanted.

He was used to it now, he supposed, being used as practice. He didn't mind much once he made his peace with it. It was nice to get out of the house and go some place that wasn't work a few times a week. And he got to listen to rumours about the other alphas of Hawkins while he was at it, which admittedly he loved.

It didn't make sense to him when Eddie Munson shuffled into Family Video one sunny Saturday afternoon and asked about his plans for the night. 'Great,' Eddie had said when Steve said he had none. 'Well, not great, but uh, maybe we can do something?'

Steve ran through the rolodex of local gossip he'd picked up recently. He hadn't heard anything about an alpha having their eye on Eddie, or vice versa. And given the depth of some of the stuff the omegas around here knew about, it would be hard to hide any sniff of a crush on the town Freak.

It didn't make sense when Eddie insisted on going dutch for their bill in the diner, and paying for his own movie ticket. In fact, at the end of the night when Steve was used to going on auto-pilot and feeling someone up on their front doorstep, he was totally baffled when Eddie blushed and asked if they could do it again next week.

'You… want to see me again?' he asked, feeling a crease between his eyebrows. 'Why?'

Eddie snorted. 'Way to tell me you didn't have a good time, Harrington,'

'I did!' Steve saiad quickly. 'I just, I guess I'm not used to second dates,'

Eddie smiled and lightly punched Steve's shoulder. 'Pick me up next Saturday, same time,'.

Steve watched him climb the steps into his trailer, half expecting him to turn around and say Gotcha! I actually have a date with someone else!

But the door clicked close with a finally parting glance and grin from Eddie and Steve, of course, drove straight to Robin's house.

'It doesn't add up,' Steve said through her window. She was on curfew, and he had to climb across windowsills from the garage to get to her room. 'Everybody knows I'm the practice alpha, what does he want from me?'

'Sounds like he wants a second date,' said Robin, focused on trimming her own bangs.

'But why though?' Steve mused. 'He didn't even want me to kiss him, it was weird'

'Did you try?'

'Yeah, leaned in and everything,' Steve sighed. 'But he moved so I got his cheek,'

'Romantic,' said Robin. 'Maybe he likes you,'

'No omegas like me, Rob,' Steve said flatly. 'I'm not that guy,'

So it just didn't make sense that they were six weeks down the line now and Eddie was still asking Steve to pick him up for dinner and a movie every Saturday. They met for lunch at least once a week. They sat next to each other when everyone hung out. They held hands. Eddie even let Steve kiss him after their third date. Steve liked the kissing.

Steve liked everything, if he was honest. He liked the consistency of the same person calling him at the end of every day to say goodnight, he liked being a part of 'Steve and Eddie'. He liked Eddie. In fact, he really liked Eddie. Maybe even more than that. The idea that Eddie would eventually be through with Steve, practice run over, made his heart hurt.

They were napping together on a summer evening. They were in their boxers on top of the sheets, Eddie's heat was coming up so he was feeling the warmth in the air more than usual. Steve couldn't sleep even though they'd spent the whole day swimming at the quarry. He should be exhausted. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from Eddie's face.

They had yet to cross the line of sleeping together, so it was the first time Steve saw Eddie at rest like this. Eddie looked beautiful in the spot orange light that filtered through the thin curtains. The slope of his nose, the gentle pout of his lips, Steve's drank in the sight of him like water. Even the small swell of his chest, swollen because of an upcoming heat, was perfectly placed and proportioned.

It was the time of day where the birds were singing their last songs and the neighbours had already finished their noisy returns from work. The only sound Steve could hear was the slow breathing of the omega laid out before him, blankets piled around them in a makeshift its-too-damn-hot nest. He didn't even want to breath himself for fear of disturbing him.

'Stop staring at me I look gross,' Eddie mumbled, turning his head into the pillow.

'No you don't,' Steve protested, hoping he didn't look like a serial killer watching someone sleep.

'Mmm, heat next week, my skin looks like shit, pimple, see?' Eddie tapped on his jaw to a small red bump.

Steve hadn't even noticed it, or if he did he didn't care.

'That's not gross,' he said softly.

'Whatever you say,' Eddie yawned, stretching before shuffling himself closer to Steve, burying his face in Steve's chest. 'You'll be the one stuck staring at it until it's over,'

'I, what?' Steve asked. 'What do you mean?'

'My heat,' Eddie mumbled. 'You'll have a front row seat to all my gross zits,'

Steve felt his heartrate pick up. Eddie wanted him to be part of his heat? That was kind of a commitment, maybe he didn't know? Steve would tell him, and Eddie would laugh and say oh man, my mistake, you're right!

'That's, uh, that's kind of a lot,' he said, preparing himself to laugh along with the obvious mistake.

Eddie pulled back quickly, wide awake now. 'You don't want to be there?' He looked hurt.

'No! I mean, yes!' Steve stuttered. 'But, you know what that means, right? It's kind of a couple thing, and, we're, I dunno,'

Eddie sat up and flung his legs over the edge of the bed, reaching down to grab his socks from the floor.

'Me neither, apparently,' Eddie said quickly. 'And here I thought—'

Steve grabbed one of Eddie's wrists. 'You thought what?'

'I thought maybe were fucking were a couple, Steve,' Eddie hissed, trying to bat his arms away.

'You like me?' Steve asked.

'You're kidding me?' Eddie shot back, staring at him in disbelief. 'How could you not know that I liked you? We make out like six times a day!'

'No one likes me,' Steve said quietly. 'No one ever picks me,'

Eddie softened, dropping the sock that was in his hands and scooting back onto the bed. 'Do you remember our second date?'

Of course Steve remembered, how could he forget? He was so surprised that Eddie actually opened the door of the trailer when he knocked that he couldn't speak for thirty minutes. He nodded.

'How about our third?' Eddie asked. That was the date they kissed on. It was the first kiss in years that Steve had really wanted. It felt like it lasted for hours, and he was disappointed that it couldn't last forever.

'And our fourth, fifth, sixth…' Eddie said, retaking his place in Steve's arms. 'All of them?'

Steve nodded again. He could tell Eddie every detail of every single date or hangout they'd had if he asked.

'I don't ever want another first date again,' said Eddie. 'Or third, or fourth, or fifth, or sixth,' He added with a laugh. 'I only want to be with you. I just didn't know I needed to spell it out for you,'

And Steve all of a sudden felt incredibly stupid. Because of god damn course they were a couple. Right up to the awkward meet-the-family weeknight dinners that they'd both sat through and giggled about in the car afterwards.

'Sorry,' he said. 'I just didn't think you wanted that with me, no one ever does,'

'Do you want it with me?' Eddie asked earnestly.

Steve kissed him softly in response. 'That's all I want,'

'Good,' Eddie said, rubbing his face in Steve's chest hair. 'Can I go back to sleep now that you're done scaring me to death?'

Steve smiled against the top of Eddies head, rubbing his back lightly.

Steve listened as Eddie's breathing evened out again. The birds had returned to their trees by now.

He still didn't sleep. His mind was racing. Thoughts of a future were bouncing around his head like never before, with Eddie right in the middle of all of them.

Steve breathed in Eddie's lavender and cold milk smell as deep as he could. His heat might not wait a full week before coming, if the intensity of his scent lately was anything to go by.

'I love you,' Steve breathed against his hair. He smiled to himself his eyes sliding closed. It felt so right to say it out loud, finally being able to name the feeling that was built up behind his rib cage.He revelled in the secrecy of speaking to someone lost to sleep, not having to worry about being caught showing his cards too early.

So, neither of them realized that the base of Tommy’s dick had started to swell, catching on the rim of Steve’s hole. All they knew was that it felt fucking good, and so Tommy thrust in hard…and locked them together as he came.

Swearing from the orgasm and the dawning realization of what he’d done, Tommy had nearly tried to pull out.

Steve managed to stop him before he caused any irreparable damage, and it nearly sent the two of them careening off the edge of the mattress. But, for thirty minutes, they rode out Tommy’s orgasm together. Every wave of cum spilling inside, filling Steve to the brim with a heavy load of alpha spend for being outside of a rut.

So distracted with his own release, Tommy didn’t notice Steve spill onto the comforter underneath with a surprised gasp.

And when Tommy finally eased his cock from Steve’s pliant body, and the sheer amount of cum spilled out after, Steve was fully hard again.

“Sorry about that, Harrington. Think I’m just pent up. But Carol and I should be getting back together soon, so…better not to mention this, huh?” Tommy had said immediately, dismissing the whole thing with a few sentences.

Steve only nodded, his voice gone, while keeping a blanket over the damning evidence of his erection. Which only twitched with interest as much of Tommy’s release gushed out of him.

Tommy fled to sleep off the rest of his high on the living room couch.

Steve had turned back over onto his front, stripping his cock with one hand while he shoved two fingers of the other into his messy, ruined hole—cumming again to the thought of Tommy Hagan’s knot stretching him out.

It was a secret that could ruin him.

And yet, he kept wanting other alphas.

He couldn’t go to Tommy again. Not only had Carol taken him back not long after that, but to Tommy, the whole knotting thing had been a result of too much weed and his dick not being able to tell the difference between a warm alpha body and an omega.

And he didn’t dare ask around school. One wrong word to the wrong person, and all of Hawkins would know that Steve Harrington wanted to get dicked down hard.

He subsisted on the memory of his one night with the real thing, up to four of his fingers at a time, and growing fantasies of nearly every other alpha in school.

Then, the summer he worked at Scoops, he met Robin.

An omega who only liked other omegas.

And she was a hell of a lot more in the know than he was. She knew of a couple bars in Indianapolis where he could ask around for what he wanted, without worrying about getting jumped.

Which was where he met Eddie.

Eddie Munson, Dustin’s new best friend and dungeons & dipwads game master. Eddie Munson, two-time super senior who stood on top of lunch tables and shouted about the state of the world.

Eddie Munson, alpha.

To his credit, Eddie immediately assumed Steve was messing with him and blew him off with a harsh scoff. Steve hadn’t even gotten to potentially hooking up—just the fact of Steve talking to him after four years of otherwise treating Eddie like he didn’t exist was enough.

Steve tried his luck with someone else, an average guy with blond hair and rough hands. Was more successful, getting as far as making out in the corner and the question on his lips to go back to his motel room and finally get what he’d been looking for.

And then the guy’s boyfriend had showed up.

And the guy threw Steve under the bus, shoving him toward a furious alpha with no time to throw his hands up and block the boyfriend’s fists slamming into the side of his face.

The bouncers caught on pretty quickly by then, and both the guy and his boyfriend were dragged off toward the door while Steve waved them off and headed for the back exit.

He stumbled out into the colder air, face throbbing and a thread of blood spilling down from a split near his temple. He wiped it off with the heel of his hand and swore into the relative silence of the empty alleyway.

Well, almost empty.

“Strike out in a bad way this time?” another voice called out, and Steve’s head snapped up toward it.

Behind an exhaled plume of smoke, Eddie Munson’s face came into view, smirking haughtily with a raised brow. Half a lit cigarette hung between two fingers, providing a barely-there glow of light for the darker side of the alley.

Steve, on the other hand, was directly underneath the light by the door, his disastrous appearance in clear view.

“What do you care?”

His head still fucking hurt where a bruise was definitely forming, and Steve knew he was leaving tonight without finding anyone to scratch his itch. So, sue him if he wasn’t in the mood to be polite to the other alpha that had rejected him.

Eddie let his eyes travel over the current state of Steve, the disconnect between his pressed red and blue-striped polo and jeans, and the half-twisted sneer on his face, along with the blood and bruising.

“Hard to see you as prom royalty with your face smashed half to hell. Lost some of your shine there, Harrington,” he said, pulling a drag off his cigarette.

“I never won prom king.” Steve stood up straight, but the light from above the door made his bruised eye sting and he shied away with a hand raised to block it. “And don’t call me that.”

Eddie cocked his head as Steve stumbled from the light, lowering his cigarette from his mouth. He stepped forward to get a closer look at the state of Steve’s face. Steve tried to turn away, but Eddie grimaced at what he saw.

“What happened?”

Steve rubbed at a spot in his jaw that ached. “Asshole clocked me.”

“Mackin’ on his boyfriend?” Eddie said, immediately back to being an annoying nuisance. Like maybe Steve had it coming in the first place.

“I didn’t know that. Dude basically set me up.” Steve sighed and searched for somewhere to sit on some empty crates beside him. Eddie stayed where he was, taking long drags and watching Steve with a curious, focused gaze.

“So, you’re really here. Looking for another alpha.”

Steve nodded, risking a glance toward Eddie. He stood with his weight resting back on one hip, arms crossed over his chest. The last bit of his cigarette rested in his hand, and Steve nearly grabbed it to finish it off himself.

“Run through the omega population in Hawkins already? Trying out the next best thing?”

“No, I—” Steve rubbed at his temple, forgetting that it was currently bruised and a little cut-up. He flinched and let his hand fall back down to rest on his knee. “I’m not looking…for that.”

“Then what are you—” Eddie narrowed his eyes, curls flying as he stood straight up, remnants of his cig falling to his feet. He didn’t seem to care, mouth hung open and brown eyes wide as deer. “Holy shit.”

Steve shot to his feet, even as the rush made his head throb. “Eddie, wait, it’s not what it looks like.”

Eddie was grinning now, his eyes alight in that way they did in the cafeteria when someone tried to tell him to shut it, when really then his tirade had a live victim. “You want an alpha. You want to be knotted.”

Okay, it was exactly what it looked like.

And Steve hadn’t really even said it to himself. Not so much more than saying he wanted to sleep with an alpha. Not that he didn’t want to be the one dominating, but to be…well…

“Please don’t tell anyone.”

Eddie let a sharp laugh, and Steve’s attention caught for a moment on the deep dimples that formed at the corners of his mouth. Eddie’s deep voice brought him back, laced with sharp sarcasm. “Oh my God, who the fuck would even believe me? Between the two of us, you are not the one who’s reputation precedes them as being unconventional.”

Steve frowned. “And you’re protecting that reputation? Don’t you belong to a satanic cult or something?”

“Hey, now. I thought we were starting to get along. Breaking down cultural barriers. Opening our hearts and souls on this fine evening, alpha to alpha.” Eddie spread out his arms, clearly not taking the situation that he’d just figured out the blackmail material to end all blackmail material seriously.

“Well, my face hurts. I’m going back to find my friend.” Steve sighed, turning back toward the door—only hoping that it wasn’t locked from the outside and he didn’t have to sidle past Eddie to get out of the alley.

He’d just have to deal with the ever-present knowledge that someday, Eddie might finally cash in on what he knew, and Steve would have to find a way to deal with that so he wouldn’t tell.

“Y’know, if you asked nicely, I might just invite you back to my motel room. Has a decent ice maker.”

Steve froze, having barely started his path to the door. He looked over his shoulder enough to see that Eddie had not moved, except to crush whatever was left of his cigarette under his boot. He asked, “And do what? Let you belittle me until morning?”

“I mean, if you’re into that.” Eddie shrugged.

“Jesus Christ, Munson.” Steve grabbed and yanked the door open, the heady warmth of a crowd of bodies and intense lights washing over him full force. His grimace had the bruise on his face throbbing, and the pause he made was enough for Eddie to call out to him again.

“Or I could knot you.”

Steve whipped around to face Eddie, the door slamming shut behind him. For his dark clothes and wild curls, Eddie had dropped all his teasing and his back and forth with Steve—leaving only his brown eyes staring wide and…goddamn it, maybe hopeful.

“That is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked, stepping closer. The light over the door shined on him, revealing a denim vest over his leather jacket, covered in pins and patches. His hands hung at his side, not reaching. His steps were slow as he approached.

“I…What?” Steve’s head swam with Eddie’s offer, the words echoing around in his head. Maybe that hit to the face was harder than he thought.

“Didn’t believe you, when you started hinting at it inside. I’m sorry about that. You and me, y’know, not exactly the usual. But if you’re serious…well, we could have some fun together.” Eddie bit at his bottom lip, one hand pulling at the hem of his jacket. Nervous.

Steve exhaled, and wasn’t sure if he’d done that for a while. “You’re really okay with this?”

“Like you said,” Eddie let out a soft laugh, a bit of his earlier bravado returning. “My reputation tends to precede me. I’m all in if you are, Harrington.”

Steve’s feet seemed to move on their own, pushing him forward now that he had the permission and the invitation to finally get what he had been chasing for years. He crossed the last foot between he and Eddie, grabbing onto the denim fabric of his vest.

“Don’t call me that,” he said, and then planted his mouth on Eddie’s.

For a second, Eddie’s surprised made him freeze against Steve. His eyes shut, but his hands were slow and hesitant to find a place on Steve’s hips or his shoulders. Steve let a rumbling moan echo in his chest and pushed against Eddie, forcing him back a step.

Whichever one worked, it knocked Eddie back into the present. His hands clamped hard on Steve’s hips, hooking in his belt loops and using the grip to roll their hips.

Eddie bit and licked at Steve’s mouth, trading playful growls between them that Steve had never done before. He’d always been in charge, with girls and omegas, and then as close to submissive as he could get with Tommy.

This was different. Trading the lead with wet togues and rough teeth, the back and forth swell of them clutching at each other’s clothes and hair. He wasn’t giving anything up that he didn’t want to wasn’t taking any more than Eddie was willing to give.

Eddie didn’t care to hide that he was an alpha, hands rough as one grabbed hard at the swell of his ass and the other slid into Steve’s hair. He tugged until Steve growled into his mouth again and then kissed it away.

And he didn’t seem to care about letting Steve be one, either. Got this dazed look in his eyes for a second when Steve pulled at his shirt so hard he tore it a few inches from the neckline. Seemed to like it when Steve dragged his teeth along the side of his neck.

He was doing that to the sharp tendons in Eddie’s throat, his head tilted back to give Steve room when Eddie spoke, breathless and half-laughing.

“I might just think I was dreaming, but even my subconscious knows better than to imagine something like this.”

Steve huffed against his skin, and pressed the hard line of his dick straining through his jeans against the sizable bulge of Eddie’s. He knew he shouldn’t get too excited just yet, but he also knew it was going inside him pretty damn soon and he was starving for it.

“Am I going to have to imagine your dick?” he said back, with a small bite at Eddie’s collarbone.

“No,” Eddie answered, his hand in Steve’s hair tugging again. Steve let out a warbling moan and Eddie preened at the noise. “You’ll get it all.”

“Have you…done this…before?” Steve asked, panting, through lazy kisses.

“Both ways.” Eddie winked, and Steve shuddered. His hands tightened so hard in Eddie’s jacket, the leather creaked, and he was already a goner before Eddie said, “Don’t you worry, big boy. I’ve got you.”

“There’s a manual? Should Alphas and Omegas, really… Uuuuuh, does Buckley know?”

“About the manual? Or you still fretting about the Alpha thing? If so, no, I don’t think she knows.” Steve tidies Eddie’s things away into boxes and draws. Eddie usually hates anybody touching his precious horde. He doesn’t mind Steve doing it. Maybe he’s too dog-tired to care. “Betas don’t pick these things up so well.” 

“Is she gonna kill me?”

“Depends.” Steve pauses to lick his lips and they’re all shiny and wet. “Gonna be straight with you—the manual says I shouldn’t snuggle with Alphas till I’m more experienced and learned about contracts and shit. But Robin and Henderson tell me you’re a good dude. So, are you gonna eat me?”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Cool. Robin will be fine. Look, we’re both wearing blockers, right?”  Seriously? How delicious does Steve smell without them? “And you’re taking suppressants?” Eddie nods. “Great. Me too. All we have to do is avoid scenting each other, rubbing any parts together. Now, chill, Eddie. I’m getting stress vibes, and that’s not gonna help. I’ll make this place more nest-like, then we get down to business.”

Steve gets on with ‘nesting’ the place up and pulls more squashed cushions from his knapsack than seems physically possible. Eddie lies on his bed, fingers laced behind his head and watches. Which is fun. Then not fun, when it occurs that ogling Steve’s ass is probably not textbook Snuggle Services behaviour. 

He closes his eyes and breathes Steve in. Damn, Steve’s scent is even more fragrant and sweet tonight than the ‘sleepy honey’ tealights he’s distributing about the place.

Eddie is starting to chill a bit. Then he opens his eyes and mumbles something about not expecting Steve to be into all this domestic baloney.

“Look, I’m an Omega! It’s so annoying that everyone presumes I’m non-traditional, because I’m into sports and shit too.”

 “Sorry, dude.”

“Nah, don’t apologise. I’m sorry for going off on one. Hey, you want a quick shoulder massage?”  That sounds pretty nice. Steve kneels behind him on the bed and gets his thumbs right into Eddie’s super-tense trap muscles. “Honestly, tho’,” sighs Steve, while Eddie leans into the Omega’s touch, which feels incredible. “I reckon I’d love homemaking and nestbuilding if I was Beta or Alpha or whatever.” 

Soon, Eddie’s shoulders are tingling, and when Steve stops the shoulder rub, he almost growls. Instead, he sinks into Steve’s nest of soft fuzzy cushions, intermingled with Eddie’s own bedding. Steve skips off then returns wearing a ridiculously cute pair of Winnie the Pooh PJs, with short lace-trimmed pants that cling to the shallow swell of his hips. He looks so soft and Omega. He’s also displaying a swathe of lickable thigh, and, when he stretches his arms in a yawn, he flashes a hint of creamy tummy.

Gnnnnng. 

How is Eddie supposed to sleep when his inner Alpha is baying for the energy to jump Steve’s bones?

The hot milky drink Steve offers distracts him slightly. “It’s spiced with hops, lavender and a little touch of celia.” Steve explains that celia, which tinges the milk a pretty pink, is a herb that grows wild in the forest. It’s rare, and blends with the hops, cherry and lavender to concoct a deliciously relaxing blend. It all rings a distant bell, actually. Eddie is pretty sure his granny used it for the same reason, and he’d totally forgot. 

He takes a sip. Hops, earth-mint and hints of mysteria blunova tingle against his tastebuds, mixed with the punchy cherry and smoky lavender. He blurts it out before he can stop himself: “Woah! This is delicious. It tastes a little bit like you, Steve.”

Steve beams. “Yeah, that’s what Robin said. It’s one of the reasons I thought this could be a good career move.”

Eddie savors every last drop, including his milk moustache. Finally, Steve mildly scolds him for suggesting music at bedtime. “No way! It’ll spoil our rhythms. You know, breathing and purring and all the sleepy stuff.”

“Ever thought of bringing a whip to these little parties, Mistress?”

Steve smirks: “Wasn’t in the manual.”

They get down to the business of snuggling. Eddie prays to a dozen deities that he won’t get an erection. 

In the event, it goes better than expected.

Steve curls against his side, head tucked beneath Eddie’s chin, and Eddie folds an arm over him, his lightly brushing fingers avoiding any bare flesh. With an Omega this close, Eddie knows he must be perfuming a bit, but Steve is out like a light. Eddie’s nerves settle soon enough. A gentle heat thrums between them, and Steve’s scent, mingled with the sweet smelly candles, makes every breath a comfort.

Robin is right in that Steve isn’t a miracle cure for insomnia. Doesn’t matter. Eddie feels relaxed and sleepy, tho’ when Steve starts snuffling into Eddie’s chest, it’s so damn cute, he pries his heavy eyelids wide to watch.

As Steve’s sleep gets deeper, Eddie’s breaths fall into sync. 

Wow, and Omegas really do purr in their sleep, and it feels freakin’ exquisite.

Eddie drifts off eventually—it’s shallow, but he gets about four hours, which is the best he’s had in a fortnight. He feels refreshed and waking with an Omega burrowed into him plants him immediately in a happy place. Steve is a little disappointed that Eddie didn’t sleep more:

“We should try again,” he says, gathering up his stuff. “Same time tomorrow?”

“You sure I shouldn’t pay you?” asks Eddie, even though it sounds a bit weird. And he literally has no spare cash.

“No way. Look, if I decide to go into this professionally, a reference would be cool.”

“From Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson?”

“Why not? It looks better than from my mom.” Eddie isn’t sure about that. Steve adds, kind of sadly, “At least folk in this town still remember who you are.”

Huh?

Steve comes back the following night, and they hang out and chill before bedtime. Once they’re in the nest, Steve drops off so fast that Eddie’s barely got his arms around him. This time, when Steve snuffles into his chest, Eddie gets a semi. He breathes through it, brushes a thumb, featherlight, across Steve’s cheek, and simply enjoys watching the Omega sleep.

The next night, they talk. More than Eddie’s talked to anybody in a while. Even to Wayne, who’s always ready to make time, tho’ he’s usually exhausted too, from constant nightshifts.

“Why do you keep it a secret?” asks Steve, as Eddie sips some silky-luscious cream-topped hot chocolate that Steve has mixed with the sleepy herbs.

“Huh?” Eddie’s tired head is back in default mode, stuffed with cotton wool.

“Being an Alpha, dude.”

Oh right. He licks the cream from his lips, plops his mug down on the floor besides the beanbag they’re snuggling on.

“I like being a ‘freak’ for my sweet tatties and totally metal hair. Or what counts for it these days.” 

He scrunches the lank mess. 

Steve—with what might’ve been an excited squeak—moves around the back of the beanbag and starts brushing Eddie’s hair. It’s the second time he’s done this, and it feels amazing, even the snags and tugs. Scratch that, especially the snags and tugs. How the heck does Steve do it without any sting? 

Eddie forces his mind onto the matter in hand. “I don’t wanna be infamous for what I can do with my dick. Besides, my old man was an Alpha. The whole Hawkins pack would assume more than ever that I was his clone. Chief Alpha Hopper would either dump my ass in jail or run me outta town.”

Steve hisses sympathetically. He rubs circles on Eddie’s scalp, scratching lightly with his nails. It feels so good Eddie’s toes curl.

“I get that,” says Steve. “I’m happy you can wait till the time is right.  Honestly, I wanted to curl in a corner and die of humiliation for six months after I outed myself. You learn to roll with it.”

Eddie’s grimace is heartfelt: “Sorry.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a coward?”

“Don’t be dumb.” And he’s halfway into Eddie’s lap again, cheek nestling above Eddie’s heart, offering a soul-warming, full-body hug. “You’ve been on your own since you were a kid. You’ve had Wayne, but it’s been tough. Alphas need to be looked after too. You know, learn to trust.” 

He gives a sudden brittle laugh.

“Steve?”

“Oh, it’s kinda funny. Me spouting this shit like I’m some kind of authority. My parents trust me a bit too much. I mean, since I presented... they’re like… out of town. Permanently.”

“Wow.” Eddie tentatively moves to pet Steve’s hair, and Steve lets out a long, shuddering sigh.

“They don’t say it out loud, but… I’m pretty sure it’s because I shamed them. It’s all right. I got people I trust. Robin, Dustin... and... erm, others.”

Eddie’s heart gives a sharp squeeze. Everyone knew the story of the fall of King Steve. He supposed—like everyone else, probably—that Steve still had a bunch of people around him to help pick up the pieces. Now, he doesn’t know what to say. He tries, “Do you count the town’s most closeted Alpha freak among that body of worthies?” 

“Sure. I trusted you super-quick, didn’t I? Besides, you’re really not that freakish, certainly not in a bad way. Sssssh, don’t worry, I won’t ‘out’ you on that either.” Steve’s giggle warms up again. His arms tighten around Eddie, whose cheek finds Steve’s hair. 

He loses himself in the cuddle.

Okay, his dick twitches with interest as Steve sprawls fully on top of him, weight pressuring into Eddie’s lap. He tries to ignore it. 

After a week, sleeping with Steve is pretty routine. Steve’s stopped taking his cushions home at night. The nest is basically nested in. They even begin listening to music before lights out—psychedelic Pink Floyd, mainly, which is about as mellow as Eddie gets. He still takes hours to drop off, while Steve is quick as ever. Having a soft purry Omega in his arms is almost as good as sleep anyhow, as is having a proper nest swaddled around him. Soon Eddie is pushing the six-hour mark.

He ‘outs’ himself to Gareth and the guys. Gareth rolls his eyes and mumbles, “We know. Took your sweet time, asshole.”

He grovels for forgiveness in a truly un-Alpha fashion, and Jeff flips the bird then offers a chummy hug. It feels so good not having to hide from his best buds.

When Steve massages his shoulders that night, he notices that Eddie’s “loosened up something wild. You finally spilled? Go Eddie!”

The next few days, Eddie grins broadly at everyone he passes in the street, flashing his Alpha fangs. He’s gotten his swagger back. The ‘freak’ is out and proud and back in business. Hopper doesn’t hound him out of town. He hands Eddie an application form for the police force, which is plain baffling.

That weekend, there’s a strange tartness to Steve’s scent. Eddie’s nostrils flare, concern sparking in his gut. He offers Steve a shoulder rub, and after a bit of squirming, Steve accepts, and following some gentle persuasion, he opens up.

His parents made a flying visit. They didn’t notice that the sheets on Steve’s bed were covered in dust. Nor noticed or cared that Steve left the house after an awkward dinner and never came home again. When he returned in the morning, they were gone.

Eddie pulls Steve into his lap and clasps him to his chest. His hand rubs soothing circles across Steve’s hip and lower back, and he inhales, exhales, deep and even, coaxing Steve’s choppier than usual breaths into rhythm with his.

 When Steve gets sleepy, he carries the Omega to the nest.

The Omega who loves to care for people, and yet is barely noticed by the wider pack, and has no family around to care for him.

The Omega who radiates relaxation and sweetness all rolled up into a bundle of sexy yum, with big hazel-brown eyes that’d soothe anybody’s soul.

Eddie blankets himself around Steve, so desperate to console the Omega that he’s suddenly worried he’s squishing him. He loosens his hold slightly. Steve sighs, rolls over in the circle of Eddie’s arms, and buries his face hilariously close to Eddie’s sweaty pit. Eddie cackles softly.

Nuzzling straight into the pit? Fucking brave. How could anybody of any designation not want to build a nest around Steve? 

That night, Eddie starts having wildly lucid dreams about domestic bliss with Steve. The dreams soon become as routine as sleeping together.

In Eddie’s slumbers, they’ve gotten their own little Winnebago, and they’re building a truly family-sized nest in it, woven with all their favorite things. They’re baking together too, starting with banoffee pie, which is Eddie’s top fave dessert, tho’ they develop quite the repertoire—cookies, muffins, chocolate brownies, blueberry pancakes. 

Nothing sexual happens, thank the Gods of Metal. Unless you count the dream where Eddie buys Steve a pair of fuzzy bear slippers to match his cute lacy PJs. He kneels before his… the… Omega to slide them on and might’ve planted a light peck on Steve’s ankle. Okay, his inner thigh. Either way, a slight case of morning wood is inevitable when Eddie wakes with Steve, so he’s relieved things don’t get more raunchy than that. 

The last thing he wants is a raging boner.

Then they kiss.

It is definitely part of the dream. They’re cooking in their stupidly cramped little kitchen, and suddenly Steve is nuzzling up his throat, rubbing and scenting, and his soft snuffles and purrs are too darn much. Eddie gently rests his hand on Steve’s head, holding him in place, no pressure. Eddie’s thumb toys with the hair at Steve’s nape, while Steve’s mouth drifts ever upward.

Then his lips capture Steve’s for a slow, lazy kiss. He licks the seam of Steve’s mouth. Steve opens for him, sliding his tongue slickly and sweetly against Eddie’s. The kiss tastes amazing. Not of the key-lime pie they were baking in the dream, but of lavender, hops and celia—the herbs in those amazing milky drinks Steve makes—and a hint of Eddie’s freshly cut grass and leather.

Too delicious. Too much. Too darn hot.

Eddie growls into the kiss like a ravenous grizzly, his every fiber heating and hardening. He wants Steve so bad, and not only to fuck him. They’re lightyears beyond that, and he moves his mouth to Steve’s neck. The Omega vibrates with irresistible little purrs, mewling with need for...

Eddie wakes up. 

Eddie’s got Steve clamped against his side, pretty much trapped there. Steve’s gotten one bare leg hitched up, spreading himself, and Eddie’s hand is wrapped, claw-like, around Steve’s thigh. The Omega’s chin is wedged on Eddie’s shoulder, his face tipped up. Their mouths are so close the air between them is moist with their fast, panted breaths. 

Steve doesn’t look scared or angry, only pink-cheeked and sleepily confused, blinking mussed hair from his eyes.

It’s a look Eddie’s grown to adore.

Their mingled scents are so thick Eddie could chew on them.

And he’s so freakin’ hard he’s concerned he’s gonna pop a knot.

He releases Steve so abruptly the Omega squeaks and rolls out of the nest, taking half the cushions with him.

“Shit! Sorry!”

He helps Steve up off the floor, then leaves him sitting on the edge of the bed. Eddie backs toward the door.

“What’s wrong?” asks Steve, nervously fingering his not-quite-kissed mouth.

“Uh… I don’t think what I nearly just did was in your Snuggle Services manual.”

“Oh.” Steve bites the bottom lip that Eddie is ravenous for. Sucks it in a way that makes his dick waaaay too interested.

“Sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” Eddie stomps off to the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, he realizes he’s had eight hours of undiluted sleep. 

Christ, he needs strong coffee and a cold shower. 

“What the heck are you sorry about?” asks Steve, hurrying after him. “You wanted it, right? You wanted to kiss me?” There’s a little wobble in Steve’s voice, something fragile that punches Eddie right in the solar plexus. “I wanted it, Eddie. I guess I should be the sorry one. We’ve been dream-sharing for days now.”

“Dream-sharing?  Is that a thing?”

“Jesus, you’re clueless!” Steve tosses his arms up in despair. “Look, that is in the manual. Alphas and Omegas dream-share a lot. Normally, when they’re mated, but not always, and, you know, all the homemaking and nesting and stuff. Our… Um, I mean, the nest. It’s not necessarily a tentative mating bond thing between us. Simply suggests you’re ready to… you know… settle down. With somebody. Doesn’t have to be me.”

Eddie buries all eight fingers deep in his insanely messy hair, feels the blood throb in his temples. He isn’t ready for this. Building a nest to aid relaxation is one thing. Actually nesting? No way. Then, after about ten seconds of earth-shattering, soul-searching silence, he realizes he is ready. 

To nest with Steve.

The tug in his heart towards this Omega is epic. Has been for weeks.

He's never wanted anything more in his life. 

Steve is starting to huddle into himself, arms hooking around his ribs, eyes large and liquid. Eddie’s surge of protective vibes is a stronger wake-up call than any coffee, and he hopes Steve’s senses it.

He sees Steve, properly sees him, and it feels like he’s woken up from the longest sleep ever. An Omega obsessed with looking after people, even Alphas. An Omega so desperate to help and connect and belong that he offers no-strings-attached Snuggle Services.

For free.

He built Eddie a nest. He offered to look after Eddie, when they weren’t even friends. Now, he wants Eddie to be the one looking after him.

It’s so freakin’ special. Eddie feels the hot push of tears in his throat and eyes.

“Yeah, I wanted to kiss you, Steve,” he says, slowly edging forward. The idea of rejecting Steve… Wow, it makes him feel physically sick. “You’re quite sure you wanted it?”

“Jesus, how many times? Please, Eddie. Please want me. Please, please, please be my Alpha.”

“Don’t beg, Baby. You never have to beg.” It’s the closest Eddie has ever come to an Alpha bark.

Steve flies into Eddie’s opening arms, and they scent each other properly. Kisses happen for real, and a ton of running fingers through hair, and then plenty of bumping and grinding against the sink. Steve’s fists ball in Eddie’s t-shirt and cling. Eddie lifts him onto the kitchen counter without breaking a kiss, and slides between his legs. Soon, they’re gasping, sobbing and laughing, literally as one.

That evening, they go on their first date. Steve admits he doesn’t think he could ever want to snuggle with anybody other than Eddie again. Which is fortunate, because Eddie admits he’d probably die of jealousy or possibly rip Steve’s Snuggle Services clients’ throats out. They leave the bar early, to get back to Eddie’s and start to make their dreams reality.

Their fingers twine together as they knead the pastry. The banoffee pie is the best Eddie’s tasted, especially when he’s licking the cream filling from the corner of Steve’s mouth. They dream out loud about owning their own little Winnebago one day, about filling it with pups.

They go back to their nest.

Neither of them gets much sleep.

💕💕💕💕💕

my steddie fic on AO3