Archive of Our Own

Buck hasn't been in this much danger since a tsunami tore through the Santa Monica Pier, and he doesn't even fucking know it. Well, as of two minutes ago, he knows he's at least in some danger, that the "guards" they're driving to the hospital with a "prisoner" are actually two convicts and a dying guard.

And every single one of them are alphas.

Eddie can smell it on them, thick and masculine and entirely overwhelming to his similarly sensitive nose. They smell him, too, sizing him up from the second they were close enough to sense the alpha on him. And Buck, alpha-built as he is, is no shifter. He's a normal person, and, like 99% of the world, has absolutely no idea that people like Eddie exist.

The fact that all of them managed to be alphas is the type of coincidence Eddie refuses to believe in. Sure, there are more alphas in prison than the general public — it makes sense, given the propensity toward aggression and hotheadedness. Eddie fought that part of him down every day, turned himself softer where he could and let the rest filter out through war strategy and scaling burning buildings. And it wasn't uncommon for Eddie to sniff a cop or another firefighter out and share a look of mutually assured destruction, so he imagines prison guards must be a similar breed.

But still. Not fucking good. Especially not now that they're telling Buck to pull over in the middle of nowhere, one of the convicts keeping a gun on him while the other forces Eddie bodily out of the cab.

The man who follows Eddie — Mitchell, the other prisoner had called him — must be the ringleader. He's got that stench of arrogance about him, a sick smirk as he tells Eddie to empty his pockets, then directs Buck to do the same when the second prisoner nearly shoves him into Eddie. Eddie has to fight his instinct to pull Buck close and scent that fear off him until he can only smell himself, by this point wrought into the fibers of Buck's skin.

Buck would never be what Eddie's body craved him to be, the need of it always humming just under his skin, but that was fine. If it meant Buck got to be normal, to have a normal life with normal girlfriends and a fucked up best friend he entertained, Eddie would live with it. He certainly wasn't going to take away Buck's autonomy or turn him into a so-called monster just so Eddie could be a little happier.

Eddie shouldn't be thinking of this as the prisoners disable their cell phones and throw aside SIM cards. He wants to be making a plan, but what plan is there? They're miles away from help; Eddie remembers this road from the never-ending drive in. The only thing they have is the ambulance. If they were inside, maybe they'd have a chance at getting hands on the AED or needles or something, but now, two felons are standing in between them and it. The only option would be making a break for the sparse forest behind them, but the men have guns. Eddie might still have tried to take them on his own if not for Buck.

And then Mitchell pulls a picture out of Eddie's wallet, and all sense bleeds out of his brain.

"Cute kid; I'm guessing he lives with you at 4995 South Bedford Street?"

Eddie's done an excellent job of keeping a handle on himself at work, but at the mention of Chris in another alpha's voice, he can't help but release a low warning growl.

Thankfully, Buck doesn't notice. Not-so-thankfully, it's because he's already charging the convicts. "Hey, man, you can't—"

The other one grabs him as soon as he's close enough, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and breathing in deep at the crook of his neck. Buck's strong, but the man puts up a good fight, leaving them at a stalemate. The snarl Eddie directs at him draws both the men's attention, and for the first time Eddie can remember, Buck looks at him with something akin to fear.

"Let. Him. Go." Eddie demands, deathly still so he doesn't pounce.

"Why? Because he smells like yours?" The second prisoner taunts. "I bet you haven't even told him yet."

"Told me what?" Buck snaps, slightly breathless. At least he's not choking.

"Oh, you are delicious. If you were in with us, I would have changed you on day one." He grins at Eddie as he speaks, daring him to move. "You'd be so fun to break if you were an alpha."

"Leave him." Eddie growls.

"Come on, Dom, stop fucking around," Mitchell agrees, rolling his eyes at the display. "We're on the clock, here."

"On the clock?" Eddie questions, some far removed part of his brain making a note if they ever get out of this.

"Shut up," Mitchell growls back before turning to Dom. "Come on."

But Dom hasn't taken his gaze off of Eddie, and vice versa. His smirk grows. "You'll thank me for this one day," he says, and before anyone can move, he sinks his teeth into Buck's neck.

Buck screams, and it's all Eddie can do to not lose his legs alongside him as Buck goes limp in Dom's hold, who lets him collapse on the ground.

All four of them are still for seconds. A minute. And then Buck opens his eyes, a shade darker and about ten degrees hungrier. That's something pop culture has always gotten wrong — the change isn't painful, nor does it take days to complete. It's almost immediate, but the bite has to be right at the jugular. And as soon as the cells in the saliva reach the heart, it's over. As far as Eddie knows, there's never been a case of someone staying human once they're bitten. It just happens too fast.

One thing pop culture has gotten right — about vampires and werewolves and shifters and other creatures — though, was the newborn stage. Whether it comes about from a bite or puberty (for born creatures like Eddie), new creatures have little to no control. They're confused, exhausted, and hungry — sometimes for food, but most times not. And from the second he can scent the rush of pheromones now pumping through Buck's body, he knows food is the last thing on the man's mind. Especially when he's looking at Eddie like that, somehow begging and demanding simultaneously.

"Eddie," Buck's voice breaks between syllables and oh, fuck, that's an omega voice. Eddie is so, so fucked.

Omega voices are not like alpha ones, capable of commanding a room with a deep, rumbling tone. They're softer, kinder, and exclusively appeal to the omega's chosen or mated alpha.

And god, Eddie's never been so upset to be right. Because Buck's not just presenting as an omega in the middle of nowhere.

He's presenting as Eddie's omega.

***

As terrible as the timing is, Eddie can't help but rejoice inside. First, being Eddie's omega is exactly what's going to save Buck's life. No alpha would dare touch another alpha's omega, especially one newly presented. The flimsy thread of Eddie's sanity will snap the second one of them makes a move toward Buck, and they know it. And even though there's two of them, they know the imperative to protect one's mate can make alphas do crazy things, like lift cars off of people and take on a dozen predators at once.

So at least there's that.

However, everything else about their situation is a major fucking problem. For one thing, Eddie can already smell Buck's presentation heat on the horizon, sickly sweet as it clogs the back of his throat. And thanks to that, he's now on a time clock for his own impending rut, stuck on the side of the road with the only shelter for miles the ambulance behind the convicts, who are now muttering between themselves.

"We could have taken anyone else, and we got a mated pair." Dom groans. As if he hadn't already scented it right on Buck's skin. Sure, it's not a sure thing until the shift happens, but even he'd admitted that Buck smelled too much like Eddie for it to be coincidence.

"They weren't mated until you bit the weak one!" Mitchell snaps, all his anger focused on his partner for now. Eddie clenches his jaw to keep from protesting; the less they look at either of them right now, the better.

"How was I supposed to know that would happen?"

This only incenses Mitchell more. He charges Dom, sidestepping Buck, still pliant on the ground, to shove him. "How hard is it for you to not bite people! Most people learn that in first fucking grade!"

Dom just shrugs, though his jaw is set. "Oh come on, like you didn't want to do the same thing. He smelled delicious even before he was an omega."

"Omega?" Buck croaks, throat dry. Eddie knows that feeling, of his body growing tight and dry, itchy and pulsing. They've got less than an hour before the fever sets in and Buck is entirely useless for anything but begging to be bred.

Fuck. Eddie is so going to hell for this. And he'll take Dom down with him.

"It's okay, Buck. I'll explain everything soon, okay?" Eddie starts, adding a touch of alpha tone into the calm, soothing voice he usually saves for victims. It works like a charm; right away, Buck is crawling to him on shaky limbs, putting inches and feet between him and the enemy as they circle and growl at one another. If Eddie were a betting man, he'd bet—

Yep. There he goes. In the blink of an eye, Dom is gone and a black fox is in his place, scrambling to untangle from its stolen uniform while snapping its jaw.

Buck turns at the sound and falls flat on his ass at the scene. "What the fuck?" he shouts, once again shifting the attention.

Oh, absolutely not.

Eddie's growling before he steps between Buck and the prisoners. "Don't even think about it," he commands, letting the full weight of his alpha voice seep through. Sometimes, if it's strong enough, it can even affect other alphas. Eddie begs for that to be the case now; he has no desire to see what kind of creature Mitchell can transform into.

Mitchell blinks, and the fox lowers itself and rolls onto its' stomach. Thank god. Mitchell turns to the fox and grabs the bundle of clothes. "Shit, man, leave them. We don't have time to deal with this."

"It's definitely best you go," Eddie continues, icy and sure. Hell, they can take the ambulance and Eddie won't try to stop them. Sure, they'll have a whole new set of problems, but anything's better than dealing with this with his hackles up.

"You know how to disable the GPS on this thing?" Mitchell asks. Eddie shrugs, and then there's a gun pointed at him yet again. "Then get to it."

Eddie does, but only because he can keep Buck within his view while doing so. The men are in the front of the ambulance before he's done, the guard in the back long-since flatlined. Eddie should feel worse about it than he does, but it's hard to think of anything else when all his brain wants to focus on is BuckBuckBuckOmegaBuck.

As soon as the ambulance peels out of the dusty pulloff, Eddie's on his knees, searching for the SIM cards carelessly tossed aside. "Eddie?" Buck asks again, his voice even smaller than before.

"Yeah," Eddie says, stirring up clouds of earth until his glove catches on something thin and rectangular.

"What's an omega?" he asks like he's unsure if he wants the answer. Eddie knows better, but also knows it's something he can't keep Buck from knowing.

He sighs, pulling off his gloves so he can fumble with his dirty phone, left in a pile with their keys and wallets. Small mercies, at least, that they didn't outright rob them, he thinks as he loads everything else into his turnout's pockets. "You ever read any of those crappy romance books where the guy turns into a werewolf? And there's like...wolf pack dynamics happening?"

And despite everything, Buck can't help but smirk a little. "You telling me you read those, Eddie?"

"No, I'm telling you I am those." He meets Buck's eyes and watches all traces of levity melt away. "And now so are you, thanks to those fucking animals."

Buck is quiet as Eddie powers back up his phone, lost in thought while Eddie taps his foot impatiently and prays they're not in part of the stretch where he lost service on their way in. He's quiet while Eddie taps in his passcode, as he sighs in relief at the minuscule bar of service, until he dials a number and brings the phone up to his ear. "Who are you calling?"

"One of the only people I can trust right now." The only other alpha who will understand the situation and get them somewhere they can be alone without question.

She answers on the second ring. "Sergeant Grant."

"Athena."

"Eddie? Where are you? Dispatch has been calling your ambulance for an hour!"

"I don't know. The prisoners took it and left us on the side of the road."

"I'm on my way." She puts him on hold to get dispatch on the line to track his phone. She's back in less than a minute. "Are you and Buck okay?"

"We're alive. But Athena...one of them bit Buck."

Her sharp gasp fills the line. "And they were..."

"Alphas, yeah." Movement draws his eye, and Eddie watches Buck get to his feet on shaky legs. "He's my omega."

"Of course he is." Eddie can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not. "I'm ten minutes out. How long do you think he has?"

The closer Buck gets, the stronger he smells, and Eddie feels his canines pulse in response. Eddie wants to stop him, beg him to stay back, but in this state, there's no way he can deny Buck anything. The second he's within reach, he practically collapses into Eddie's arms, face burying itself in his neck. "You smell so fucking good, Eddie. How did I not notice this before?"

Eddie swallows. "Not long," He says to Athena.

"Yeah, I'm getting that. Do what you can to keep him calm. I'll...figure something out." She sucks her teeth. "How long do you have?"

He barely hears her over the heavy panting fanning across his skin. Buck squeezes his arms around him, and Eddie shivers. "Not— not much longer than him."

"Great," she snaps. "I'll be there soon. Don't make me arrest either of you for public indecency when I get there."

"I'll try my best."

As soon as Eddie hangs up, Buck's hands are searching under Eddie's turnouts, desperate to remove the layers between them. "Sorry, sorry, I don't— I can't— what's happening to me?"

Eddie lets him grope, tries to put a semblance of a smile on his face as he holds Buck's face between his hands. It's the only way he knows to make sure he listens. "Okay. I'm going to give you the fast version because we really don't have a lot of time before you lose it. I am really sorry this happened to you, Buck, but the most important thing to know is that you're going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you, no matter what happens, alright?" He pushes against Eddie's hands to nod, his blue eyes wide and searching, and Eddie begins.

"So basically, werewolves are real, but we're not all wolves. Most of us call ourselves shifters. You can be born that way, like I am, or you can be 'changed' by being bitten at the jugular, like that prisoner did to you."

"So I can turn into an animal now? Like that guy did?" Buck's eyes alight with excitement. Eddie knew the man was superstitious, but he didn't think Buck would believe him so easily. "Wait, you can turn into an animal? You've been holding out on me!" He doesn't even sound angry, but maybe that will come later, after he works everything else out of his system.

"Yes, and it's as awesome as it sounds. But I won't lie: pretty much everything else about it sucks." Buck's face falls. "We don't tell people what we are, because who knows what people would do if they found out? We're not magic or anything, but we do tend to be stronger than normal people. We have a heightened sense of smell to sense each other. Other than the shifting thing, the main difference between us and everyone else is that we have secondary genders."

"Jesus Christ, Eddie." Eddie can see him falling under the waves of information as his skin heats up under his hands.

"I know, I know. And I'm sure that's given you way more questions than answers, and I promise I'll answer them all as soon as I can. This is the important part, though, and I really need you to listen to it." Buck leans forward, resting his head on Eddie's chest. "Are you okay?"

"I mean...not really. I'm hot and kind of nauseous? I feel like I should be sitting down."

Damn, it's close. Where the hell is Athena? "That's normal. Part of the secondary gender thing. This is where the wolf hierarchy comes in. You're an omega, which is...I don't know how to say it other than the 'submissive' gender. Alphas, like me, are the 'dominant'. There are betas, too, but that's not important right now. What is important is that, once or twice a year, alphas and omegas go through a sort of...mating cycle." Buck gulps. "And you're entering yours right now."

Buck laughs a little hysterically. "So that's why my dick could cut glass right now?"

Eddie feels his face heat. "Yeah, exactly. It's, um, like a...heat. You know, like in animals?"

"It feels like a little more than that, Eddie." He tries to take a deep breath of Eddie's shirt.

"It's intense, I know. That's why I called Athena. She's an alpha, too, and she'll make sure we get somewhere private as soon as possible."

This makes Buck pull back. He looks Eddie over with narrowed eyes, and Eddie tries not to think about how good he looks with his face all pink. "'We'? Eds, I know we're close and all, but I gotta be honest: the second we get out of here, I need to, uh..."

"Come? Yeah, that's part of it."

"Like...I've never felt anything like this before. Not even when I thought I was a sex addict."

"I know. I'm, uh...offering to help with that. If you'd be interested." Eddie's never seen Buck's eyes so wide, so vulnerable and confused. "There's one more thing..."

A siren wails in the distance at precisely the wrong time, taking Buck away from him as he jumps out of Eddie's arms. "Oh god, I don't know that I can be around Athena like this."

"Hey, it's alright. She knows, she's been through it, too."

"Knowing and knowing are two very different things in this context." Eddie tries to approach again and freezes when Buck takes another step back and holds out a hand to stop him. "Being close to you makes it worse." Even from yards away, Eddie can see the cherry red sheen of Buck's cheeks, the sweat beading on the brow of his lip.

"Okay." Eddie frowns, but acquiesces. "We really don't have a choice, Buck."

"I know, it's just..." Buck looks at his feet. "What if she smells as good as you?"

"She won't. I doubt it. Besides, she's chosen Bobby as her mate, so..."

"Wait, Bobby's like us?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. We...try not to change people if we can help it. It's usually a life-or-death kind of thing."

Athena's cruiser comes to a stop just a few feet away from them, but she doesn't get out of the car. She just rolls her window down and calls out to them. "I see you're still clothed." She narrows her eyes.

"For now," Eddie says with a half-shrug.

"Buck, baby?" She calls to the man who appears further away than he was before. "Are you ready to go?"

Buck looks at Eddie. Swallows. Turns to Athena. "He's really telling the truth? About you, too?"

Athena quirks an eyebrow. "You think he'd lie about this?"

"Of course not, no, it's just..."

"Hard to believe?"

Buck manages a grimace of a smile. "I wanted a second opinion." His nose crinkles as he takes a deep breath. "You smell so different. Good...really good, but..."

"Yeah, we all smell a little different, just like everyone else. You'll see when you get around other people again that it's much stronger with us, though."

"Right, right." Buck mutters to himself, but doesn't make any move to come closer.

Athena just looks between them for a few seconds, then sighs. "Come on, Eddie. Get your mate in here, since I know you won't let me touch him."

"I'd—"

"No, you wouldn't." Athena glares. "The sooner we get out of here, the better it is for everyone."

And she's right about that, so he relents, turning to Buck to ask him if he can approach this time. But Buck's already looking at him, slack-jawed. "Mate?" he squeaks. Eddie would laugh if the word didn't shove him a few steps closer to the end of his rope.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," he hears Athena mutter.

"Yeah, that's what I was getting around to saying." He scratches the back of his head, unable to watch Buck react for his own sanity. "We're, um. Compatible. Extremely so."

Athena scoffs. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

"How would you put it?" Buck steps toward her, and Eddie forces himself to take a calming breath.

Of course, that doesn't really help when Athena shrugs and tells him plain as day, "You're soulmates."

***

On her way to get them, Athena passed a dingy-looking motel about ten miles away from their location. Buck's getting more squirmish by the minute, pheromones so overpowering that Athena puts all the windows down, and Eddie knows within minutes they won't make it any further than that. He can tell Athena's trying not to breathe deeply, and for the first time, he feels a little bad for calling her. There wasn't really a choice, but being around an alpha and omega so close to their cycles? It has to be uncomfortable for her. Almost as uncomfortable as it is for Eddie to gauge the minuscule distance between Buck and Athena. Even separated by seats, it's too close for Eddie's liking.

Especially when Buck unbuckles his seat belt to move into the middle seat, tearing off his turnouts so he can better plaster himself against Eddie.

"Boy, I know you didn't just take off your seat belt in my car." Athena scolds in the rear view mirror.

"I got him," Eddie assures, buckling him into the new spot even when he grumbles about it. His breathing's speeding up, notably as Eddie pulls the waist belt across his front. With a quick glance to make sure Athena's eyes are back on the road, Eddie pulls the coat over Buck's lap so he can cup the noticeable bulge at his groin and squeeze it lightly, just enough to offer some relief.

Buck loses it instantly. The motel they're halfway to probably hears his wanton moan; as it is, Athena's car swerves on the empty road. She sighs again, but this time doesn't look back. She just flips a switch on her dashboard and the sirens scream to life as the road moves faster underneath them.

"Shit, I'm sorry, 'Thena," he groans, falling more into Eddie's lap with every passing second.

"It's alright, Buck. It happens to the best of us. Honestly, despite the circumstances, it's good you were out here in the boonies. The first time I presented, I was in the pit at a New Kids on the Block concert."

"Oof, and I thought math class was bad." Eddie says.

"Never would've struck you as the boy band type," Buck adds, panting a bit into Eddie's neck.

"I'll have you know that there is nothing wrong with being committed to musical talent. And if you tell anyone I told you that, I'll take you in for defamation."

Blessedly, they make it to the motel before Eddie can do something drastic, like reaching into Buck's pants. He goes to remove his hand as Athena pulls into a parking spot, but the second he releases some pressure, Buck's hand is a vice on his wrist. He's looking to the front of the vehicle in panic.

It'll be embarrassing as hell to get caught like this by Athena of all people, but Eddie gets the impression it'd be even worse for Buck if he didn't stay exactly in place.

"You two wait here, and I'll get you checked in," she says, putting up all the windows.

"At least take my wallet," Eddie tries, even though he's not sure he can access it without exposing them.

"Oh, no. This is going on the department's fund. On the job injury, you know?" She winks in the mirror, then steps out of the car. She takes one last look at the before going in, and wishes she hadn't. "Public indecency, boys," she warns their covered figures.

"Yeah, well, if he moves, it's about to get a lot more publicly indecent," Buck snaps back, and for the first time since Eddie's known her, Athena is shocked silent. She leaves them without another word, and they both watch until she disappears into the lobby.

He's not sure whether it's him or Buck that moves first, but it takes mere seconds for Buck to start thrusting into Eddie's hand as he holds it more firmly, gets a feel for the length of it. "Shit, you're serious about the mate thing?" Buck asks, hips moving faster and uncoordinated.

"Of course," Eddie promises, pulling his free hand over his own groin just to ease the pressure.

"Fuck." he grunts as his head tips back. "Guess it's good I broke things off with Taylor, huh?"

A growl rips through Eddie, and Buck laughs breathlessly. He'd done it about the same time Eddie broke up with Ana, so he really has no room to judge, but the fog of his rut is creeping up his spine, sharpening his senses and heightening his emotions. "Come on. We have to be quick before she gets back. Are you close?"

"So close, Eddie." Buck quivers, pitching himself over to mouth at Eddie's jawline. "Just like that." Eddie's barely doing anything but groping Buck through his thick turnouts, but judging by the heavy puffs of air that fan across his cheek, it really is all Buck needs. He reaches down a little further where he approximates Buck's balls to be, and Buck goes rigid and moans into Eddie's ear. Eddie has to squeeze himself to keep from following.

Buck leans heavier into him, loose lips dragging wet shapes up his jaw, across his cheek, over his lips, and Eddie lets himself take. He takes in the way he's always been told not to: possessive and selfish and entirely indulgent. It's so easy to pry Buck's mouth open and lick over his tongue, to grab the thick, muscular thigh of his best friend and pull it close until there's no room for separation. Buck burns a hot line up his side and over his chest where they connect, and Eddie can't get enough of it.

Even when Athena pounds on his window. "Come on, boys. You have ten seconds to get decent and be on your way to room 18." Her back to them, she dangles a set of keys in the air.

"Nice," Buck chokes, scrabbling to get his turnout coat back on. It's long enough that it should cover him to mid-thigh; the pants are too thick for anything unsavory to leak through, but Eddie's pretty sure he's still hard. Poor thing. You should keep going, his brain commands. You haven't satisfied your mate. You're being a terrible alpha. "Okay?" Buck asks, sweat highlighting his raised eyebrow.

Eddie clears his throat. "Okay," he says, and opens the door.

Eddie wraps an arm around Buck's shoulders as soon as they're out. He avoids Athena's gaze as he takes the keys from her and walks ahead, afraid he'll start something he can't finish in his current state. Both men hardly listen when Athena tells them to take advantage of the complimentary snacks in the room. Eddie thinks they'll be lucky if they remember to eat or drink anything until days from now, when the depths of lust ease up on their hooks. His hands are shaking by the time they reach room 18, but the key goes in easily. Athena's still in the middle of some spiel when they cross the threshold and Buck immediately turns and slams the door, locking it shut.

And then he's on Eddie like an octopus.

"I can't, Eddie, oh god. Feels like I'm fucking burning." Buck babbles into Eddie's mouth, using his stature to herd Eddie in until their legs knock against the queen-sized bed.

"I know, I know," because Eddie's right there on the ledge beside him, flames licking up his stomach and begging him to knot. They strip themselves of their turnouts and leave them in a heap against the wall, and a bolt of irrational anger sears through him that they're still fully dressed in their uniforms underneath.

At least Buck seems to raise the same concern. He tears Eddie's shirt off, buttons snapping as he pulls over the breasts, before reaching into Eddie's pants to untuck his t-shirt and pull it over his head faster than should be possible.

And then he goes still, eyes widening as he looks at Eddie's chest, the shirt in his hand, and back again. Eddie doesn't know what he's seeing until he looks down himself.

"Oh," he says, barely a whisper. The fire inside them pauses as all the oxygen in the room concentrates to some nebulous point far out of their reach.

Buck's jaw works as he swallows and he blinks away tears — blinks the scar from the shooting back into focus. He hasn't seen it since it was still a wound, so puffy and itchy Eddie'd have to moisturize it three times a day. He tries to take a deep breath as he watches the shirt fall to the ground.

As soon as his hand's free, Eddie has it, pulling it until it's close enough to drag up his torso. The fingertips graze the hair of his happy trail, and he shivers. He keeps pulling it up until it's almost at his shoulder. When he drops his hand, Buck's stays, running over the thick scar tissue in perhaps the gentlest touch Eddie has ever experienced. "I'm here now," he says, strong and steady.

"Is it because of this?" Buck asks like he has to. Like he's begging for something. "This is why you survived? Because of your shifter strength?"

Eddie shakes his head. "The shifter strength helped me recover faster. But you're what saved my life." Slowly, he moves to touch Buck the same way, to run his fingers over his chest and up until they settle in the familiar dip of his trapezius. "I should have known: no one could save me like you did but my mate."

Their flash point reignites, and Buck falls into him like a magnet seeking metal: immediately and instinctively. Eddie melts against the heat of his skin as their body temperatures swirl out of control, melding into one another. And when, unprompted and simultaneously, they reach down the back of each other's pants to pull closer, it feels like they cease to be separate beings altogether, moaning the same note and sharing the vibrations across their tongues.

Eddie doesn't remember getting naked, nor how he gets into bed. When he opens his eyes again, the motel sheets are surprisingly soft against his back and Buck has him pinned in place, thighs bracketing his hips as his hands roam over Eddie's shoulders and down his torso. A whimper pierces the air above him, bringing his brain back online, and in a split second, their roles are reversed: Buck, dazed and sinking into the mattress, and Eddie, on his knees between Buck's legs. From this angle, Eddie can note the shine of moisture spread over the apex of Buck's thighs — it's almost as much as the wetness leaking from Buck's cock, covering the head and dripping down the long length until it collects in his pubic hair. "Fuck," Eddie mutters to himself. Unbidden, his hips jolt forward, putting his own cock into the mix, wet and messy as it slides against Buck's.

And maybe he’s never slept with a guy before, but Buck knows people — Eddie above all else. Which probably accounts for how he immediately starts rolling his hips back against Eddie’s. He’s smooth as liquid, the movement in his whole body; Eddie can watch it move down his neck, over his chest, curling in his torso before crashing against Eddie’s groin with an exquisite tingle, aftershocks tumbling through his long, long legs as they tense around Eddie’s waist. Eddie can feel his knot starting to inflate from the sensation.

Oh, shit.

“There’s actually one more thing I should probably tell you,” Eddie says, firm hands on Buck’s hips slowing his rolling movements against him.

Buck groans at the ceiling. “Oh, god, can it wait? I don’t think I can take in any more new information right now.”

“I don’t think you want me to wait. It’s um, about me, really? Although I guess omegas have their own version that you’ll probably start feeling soon…”

“Eddie,” Buck whines, fighting harder to move against his grip.

“I have a knot. Like, on my dick.” His face flames as he blurts it out, averting his gaze as the movements below him pause. “And you’ll, um. Probably be a little wet back there. I’ve heard it called slick before. To…help your body accept the knot.”

Buck’s quiet for a moment, even as his body twitches, aching to grind against Eddie again. Then, there are gentle fingers trembling on Eddie’s jaw as they guide his gaze back to Buck.

Buck’s growing grin is positively feral. He kisses like it too, all lacking finesse and excessively wet, so lost in his heat that it’s all he has. "You really are like those werewolf novels, aren't you?"

"We are," Eddie says before sucking Buck's tongue into his mouth. Then: "Also, does that mean you're actually admitting you've read those things?"

"Come on, Eddie, who do you think I am?" Buck scoffs as Eddie finally, finally trails his fingers down Buck's abdomen. "Inquisitive young fuckboys, as I was, did a lot of research back in the day. Plus, this girl I dated in college was really into Supernatural fanfiction. She taught me...so much." He shivers at the thought, then again when Eddie rests his hand around the base of his cock. "God. Why does this feel so good?"

"Same reason you're so hot...temperature-wise," Eddie adds at Buck's smirk. "All the hormones induce vasodilation. Though if I were a smarter man, I could tell you it's probably just my effect on you."

"Two things can be true," he sighs, twitching in short, little thrusts into Eddie's hand.

"You're so desperate for it, aren't you?"

Buck's throat works, and Eddie watches the whimper he's sure Buck's holding in slide back down his throat. "Don't act like you aren't."

"I'm not," Eddie says, rubbing his cock along the inside of Buck's thigh. He's starting to get a little worried he's not going to make it inside Buck before he knots. The display in the cruiser had gotten him most of the way there, and he's hardly had a chance to catch his breath since then. "But I'm always a little desperate for you. I've gotten used to it."

Buck squeezes his eyes shut as his head rolls back. "Gotten used to it," he mutters to himself. "For how long?"

Eddie shrugs even though Buck can't see him. His hand tightens around Buck's dick at the same time he lets his own drag against Buck's skin again. "I don't know...give or take, like...four years?"

Buck's eyes snap open. "This whole time?"

Eddie shrugs, looking down between them to hide his blush even as his stamina takes a critical hit. They look so good together, all hard and ruddy and leaking everywhere. Eddie's a little bigger than him, the base slightly swollen, but Buck's curves, reaches for him like it knows as well as Eddie does how perfectly they fit together. "I always knew there was something about you, but I didn't let myself think deeper about it until today. I never planned on you...turning, so it seemed kind of pointless to consider."

"Shut up," Buck rolls his eyes and slap's Eddie's side, then gets momentarily distracted watching Eddie's ass jiggle with the reverberation. "I thought it was pretty obvious I was obsessed with you from the start."

"Maybe it was." In retaliation, Eddie strokes up Buck's cock and watches him squirm. "I've been pretty committed to avoiding thinking about you in a romantic context."

"Why?"

Eddie leans in and stops just before their swollen lips meet. "Because I knew I'd never be able to stop."

Buck beams. "Good, because I didn't have any reservations about it, and I still couldn't stop thinking about you every night."

"For how long?" Eddie returns the question.

And that makes Buck look away. "Long enough," he mumbles as his face grows redder, this time out of embarrassment instead of heat. Eddie blinks at him, and he breaks. "Long enough that Taylor broke up with me for it. I, um...kind of said your name while she was...you know." Eddie does know; this time, he manages to actually keep the possessive growl down. "More than once."

Eddie's always kind of hated Taylor, but he thinks maybe she deserves an apology gift basket. Or something. He won't be the one to send it, though.

"So you've..." Eddie swallows, throat suddenly dry and tight. "You've done something like this before?"

Buck flinches, bucks up against his hand, and Eddie moves it, realizing things must be getting painful again. He strokes Buck once, twice, three times before the man garbles out an answer. "Not...not with a guy, but...yes...'ve been pegged more than the average man."

Eddie snorts, squeezes Buck in reward. "I haven't." Shannon had been an omega, sure (and a gorgeous long-haired tabby cat in her other form), but Eddie doesn't think he's ever met a male omega in anything more than passing. And Ana was human, but they hadn't progressed far enough for Eddie to even consider telling her about what was happening with him below the belt.

"That's okay," Buck assures. "It's you; even without the skill, I'm..." he gasps again, lets the room lapse into silence as he loses himself in Eddie's hand.

Eddie takes it as permission to move faster, to grind his dick into the light divot where Buck used to have an adonis belt. He might never admit this, but he prefers Buck now that he's filled out more. "Shit, Buck." This time, when Eddie drops his head, Buck leans up to meet him, prying Eddie's lips open with his tongue and tasting him yet again.

"E'ie," he slurs back as his body tenses. He tangles a hand in Eddie's hair to keep him close. "Gon'...Mmph, Eds—"

"Mhm," Eddie responds, kissing him harder as Buck loses track of it. "C'mon, baby."

Buck shudders, then stills, and between them, Eddie's hand and dick grow wetter. And wetter. All the while, Buck clenches Eddie's hair almost painfully, like he's begging him to stay close, to hold him there until the end of time — or at least until he comes down from what looks like an incredible orgasm.

After, Buck relaxes into the mattress like his strings have been cut. He's still hard, and likely will be for most of the next few days, but he probably has a few minutes before the need itches again. Eddie, on the other hand, is incredibly impressed with himself for not coming while watching Buck finish in front of him again. He can't help it anymore, the way he's moving on Buck. His skin's still hot and feverish, and now, everything is slick and sticky between them. "Your turn," Buck whispers, voice floating over his high. "I wanna watch you come. Lemme see your knot."

Eddie exhales harshly, thrusts harder as he uses his now wet hand to direct himself. "'Look so good underneath me," he pants.

"Yeah, I love watching you work," Buck grabs his waist to steady him, his light grip guiding Eddie harder against his skin. "Come on, Eds, need your come."

"Ugh, Buck," he moans as the base of his dick swells against his hold.

"Holy shit," Buck's eyes bulge as he looks between them, watches Eddie's cock strain and twitch against his own in a dizzyingly overwhelming sensation of just a little too much. Without thinking, Buck's slapping Eddie's hand away and taking it in his own grip, firm and sturdy as he gropes down Eddie's length until he feels it.

"Fuck! O-Oh, fuck," Eddie jerks against his hold and his eyes squeeze shut.

"Okay?"

"Sensitive," Eddie nods, biting his lip to hold back a whimper when Buck curves his grip around the widest part of Eddie's knot, then back up to his tip. "God, Buck, you're gonna make me—"

"Do it," Buck begs, speeding his hand exponentially. "Do it for me, Eddie. Need you to come so you can fuck me."

That, combined with another tight grasp of his knot, sends him into a blinding orgasm — literally. He feels his body give out, feels Buck grunt under his sudden weight, then wrap his arms around Eddie like a vise as his come pulses between them. Between his abs and Buck's belly is probably the second most perfect place his dick will ever be.

And the best one's still to come.

That's the thought that sends his eyes fluttering back open. He looks up from what he discovers to be Buck's (surprisingly cushioning) pecs to see the man himself staring back down at him. "You back?" He asks, sporting a satisfied smirk Eddie immediately wants to fuck off him.

"I'm back," he confirms. "How are you?"

"Fine," Buck says a little too quickly, shifting underneath him.

"You need me to fuck you?" Eddie teases back, pulling Buck's smile a little wider.

"You've barely caught your breath."

"And?"

Buck shifts again — this time, it's more of a roll of his hips, a dig of his heels into the sheets in an aborted upward thrust. He bites the inside of his cheek and his eyes flicker toward the door. "Hey," Eddie says as he watches Buck's expression go from cocky to forlorn. "What's going on in there?"

Buck doesn't look at him, but he does answer. He opens and shuts his mouth a few times, starting and stopping until the words feel right around his tongue. "This isn't...this is more than the hormones, isn't it?" He swallows thickly. "Like, you're not just...doing this because your body told you we're mates?"

"What?" Eddie laughs; the very idea is ludicrous. God, how could Buck not see it? "Buck, I just told you I've been in love with you for four years. That's a little more than hormones."

"You said you knew there was something about me," Buck rebuts.

Eddie frowns and uses his less messy hand to guide Buck's face back to his. "Sorry. That's not what I meant. I don't...always say things the way I want to." Buck shivers involuntarily, and Eddie knows he has to speed this along. "I mean it, though. The something was that I loved you. Love you now, too. Admitting it before...it just felt like I was setting myself up for failure. Either I fight my instincts every day to not change you, or I do, and you get to deal with all the hunters and entitled alphas and secrecy. Neither option felt very fair to me."

"And now?" Buck presses, filing away the hunters and entitled alphas until his brain is less lust than it is currently. "That I'm like you?"

"Now that you're my mate," Eddie emphasizes, unflinching in his gaze. "I feel like the most loved person in the whole world."

It was something that usually grew over time, the emotional connection between true mates — those mated connections no one could explain. It was one of the few advantages (or disadvantages, depending on who you asked) of them over chosen mates — mates that become mates through being bitten by someone they're emotionally connected to. Technically, any shifter can turn someone, like Dom did Buck, but the mating part only comes into play when there are already real feelings there. And mates, of any kind, did develop an inhuman level of closeness: an ability to sense one another, to know and become what the other needed. But true mates went a little further than that. True mates could feel one another's emotions, right behind the breastbone in a space where Eddie could have sworn his heart was yesterday. But now, there was something distinctly separate from the absolute adoration thrumming through his veins, heavy and pulsing a little faster than his heartbeat. He doesn't have to look to feel the thread tied to it, protruding from his chest and into Buck's own, where his own satisfaction no doubt soothes Buck's racing breaths.

Buck is looking down, though, and before Eddie can remember what has his attention, a warm hand squeezes his knot, dragging out a new wave of his orgasm. "Shit, Buck, warn a guy." he chuckles.

"Sorry," he says, not sounding (or feeling, holy hell) very sorry at all. His eyes are dark again when they roll up Eddie's chest and settle on his face. "Is this too much for you?" He loosens his hold ever so slightly.

"Never," Eddie replies without hesitation. Before he can realize what he's said, Buck guides him to his hole with a wicked grin and feeds him in. "O-oh, god."

Buck's so wet, there's no resistance at all as he slides in, even without prep. It's like sparks of pure electricity run up his dick and shudder throughout the rest of his body as Buck cries on it, hands scrabbling for Eddie's hips as pure relief floods his body. Eddie's only able to get about two-thirds of the way in before his knot stops him, but that doesn't keep Buck from immediately bouncing back on it. The skin there is even thinner, the nerves a direct line to his prostate as Buck's heavy weight sinks down on it in uncoordinated jerks. "Yeah, Eddie, you sound so good, cock's so big in me, fuck, give me more." One hand digs claws into Eddie's right hip while the other slams against the headboard, giving him more leverage to grind down. He curls his feet over Eddie's thighs, holding him in place so Buck can use him as he pleases.

"Buck, oh god, slow down," Eddie begs; his eyes are blurring at the image below him combined with the way Buck is taking him in like he's starving. "You didn't even let me stretch you."

Buck's eyes squeeze shut and he whimpers. "I can't, Eddie, 's too good, please." His entire body is taking on a glisten as he tilts Eddie's hip the way he wants it and sobs every time Eddie gets close to his prostate. His legs lock around Eddie's and he pulls on his next grind, enough so that he stretches around part of Eddie's slowly deflating knot. "Yes, fuck!"

And before Eddie can stop him, Buck's flipping them and slotting Eddie's waist firmly between his thighs. This time, when Buck moves, it's more subtle, as he refuses to let Eddie leave him, rising himself just high enough that Eddie's cockhead stays inside, then slamming down with a groan of pleasure-pain as he stretches himself out and Eddie's cum leaks down his legs.

"Buck, Jesus." Now Eddie's the one desperate for something to hold on to, fingers curling over Buck's legs, then up his sides and back down until they tangle in the sheets. He doesn't think he ever came down from the first orgasm, but now it's building again, stealing his breath in favor of taking in more pleasure.

"Need your knot, Eddie," he moans, reaching for Eddie's hands with his own as he swivels his hips and yelps before clenching down hard on the widest part of Eddie's cock. "Please!" he shivers, and Eddie groans beneath him as the tip of his cock glides against the smooth nub of Buck's prostate.

"You got it, Buck, you got it. So good and wet for it." Eddie manages, gripping Buck's hands with all his strength to keep him present. "Take me so nice, baby."

"I'm gonna come," he gasps suddenly, moving faster than ever as Eddie's knot deflates enough for Buck to take him fully and stay there, rolling his hips into Eddie's and holding his hands above his head. Buck shifts down to kiss him, and it locks them together perfectly. "Yes, there, Eddie, there. Holy fuck, so..." Buck's tongue cuts him off, laving heavy and wet against Eddie's as Eddie holds him in place by the hair and uses what little momentum he has to thrust up over and over.

"Yes, yes, come for me, I'm right there too," Eddie mutters against his lips, body moving of its own accord as blood rushes back down to his cock and reinflates his knot.

They finish together this time, Eddie knotting them in place at the same time Buck practically screams into his neck, covering them in a mess from knees to chests. But they can feel each other coming, of their universes exploding side by side and knitting back together as a patchworked one, mesmerizing in its them-ness. They don't speak — can't speak — for long, gratifying minutes, holding their bodies as close as their souls as bursts of orgasmic joy trade between those second, heart-like organs that link them together. Buck nibbles at Eddie's chest, leaving behind little red marks that Eddie hopes never fades. It doesn't matter if they have the rest of their life to luxuriate in being mates; this is their only first time, and Eddie wants every second of it permanently imprinted along every inch of his skin.

...Although, maybe not in the sweat-slick-cum mixture currently drying them together. "Shower?" Buck asks with a slur, like he's got a direct line to Eddie's thoughts. And hell, maybe he does.

Eddie still balks at the thought of remaining upright for any longer than it takes them to get to the bathroom. "Maybe a bath," he tries, "and maybe in a few minutes. We're kind of, um, stuck here for the moment." he looks pointedly down to where Buck's still clenched around his cock.

Eddie's not sure how Buck manages to look abashed and satisfied at the same time, all while being the sexiest person Eddie's ever seen. He shifts above Eddie gently, and his smile grows sharp and feral when the man groans at the feeling. "Stuck, you say?" he asks, guiding one set of their combined hands toward the mess Buck's rehardening cock is coated in.

This cycle might be the death of him, Eddie thinks as his body attempts to respond in kind with another aftershock of his orgasm. "For probably another 20 minutes or so," Eddie explains, regretting it when Buck only appears more pleased.

He teases Eddie with a drag of his teeth across a nipple before meeting his eyes again. "I guess we should make the most of it, then." Eddie chokes out a moan when Buck circles his nipple with his tongue. "Unless I've already tired you out."

Eddie pulls out of Buck's other hand to reach down and smack his ass. "Bite your tongue, Buckley." he smirks as Buck stutters a sigh. "You won't ever tire me out."

A wave of pure happiness spreads warmth from the center of Eddie's breastbone out to the tips of his fingers and toes. "Challenge accepted," Buck says, rolling his hips again.

***

Eddie knows it's over when he wakes up covered in fur. He doesn't always shift coming out of his rut, but it's more likely after a particularly intense one, like this. But the familiar dark, thick tufts of fur aren't the only thing in his vision.

His ears stick straight up as he lets his heightened senses take everything in: the snuffle of Buck's snoring, slightly smaller and more chuffed than usual. Buck's scent, mixed with something wet and earthy — Eddie probably wouldn't mind it in his human form, but the cat part of him itches to revolt against it.

The big, golden dog stretched out over Buck's half of the bed.

Even in cat form, Eddie finds his throat choked with laughter. Of course Buck's shifted form is a fucking golden retriever. Hen would lose her mind.

The chortling makes Buck's eyes fly open, still as beautiful and blue as they are in his human form. Eddie doesn't spend a lot of time looking in a mirror when he's like this, but he knows his eyes carry over, too, which must be why Buck doesn't immediately start freaking out at the black Maine Coon he's now sharing a bed with. Actually, judging by the tail that starts thumping heavily against the mattress, Buck's rather excited about the whole thing.

And well, Eddie can't blame him; he knows his own bushy tail is high and curled at the tip, and a rumble he's never quite figured out how to control starts in his chest like the motor of his truck. It doesn't stop when Buck's wet nose snuffles over his fur, following new instincts that will take him some time to get used to. Buck scents his chest, his back, his asshole, and Eddie twitches one of his back legs at that: a gentle warning to watch it, Buckley. But that just riles the dog up, tail wagging harder as his front paws jerk with aborted movements. His big, golden head comes back up to Eddie's, and before Eddie can react, a wet, lolling tongue licks over his mouth and nose.

Oh, it's on.

Eddie launches himself at the dog, careful to keep his claws sheathed as he perches on Buck's side. Dog Buck lets out a surprised boof, and Cat Eddie gives his excited eyes an unimpressed expression as he attempts to center himself on the uneven surface. Buck's fur is nice, long and soft and curling a bit at the edges. Once he starts spreading his paws through it, he can't seem to stop, and he lets himself give in to the instinct of digging his paws in, left then right then left again, in the same even pattern as his purrs. And Buck lets him, even when he comes across a snag in the fur leading under Buck's front leg and, without thinking, leans forward to comb it out with his tongue.

Buck boofs again, low and calming, and then there's skin under Eddie's tongue instead of fur. "Eddie," Buck laughs, squirming under the barbs of Eddie's cat tongue. "Come on, that tickles, and your claws—"

Eddie retracts them instantly, even though he doesn't remember letting them out. He sits up, preens under Buck's lovingly amused gaze for another second, before shifting back himself, naked and fully on top of Buck from head to toe.

Buck doesn't seem to mind, wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist and sighing contentedly. "So that's what I've been missing out on?"

"I hope you weren't looking for a lap cat. My shifted form is usually not so cuddly." Eddie insists, pressing a kiss to Buck's collarbone.

"Yeah, okay." Buck laughs. "That wasn't you curling up against my stomach then? Purring in your sleep when I laid around you?"

"Nope." Eddie smirks. "Must have been your imagination."

"Watch it," Buck mirrors his expression. "Now I'm bigger than you in two forms."

"I thought we established bigger wasn't always better," Eddie scoffs, a thrill racing through his body as Buck reacts underneath him. Usually, after his cycle, Eddie doesn't want to think about even touching his dick for a week. But Buck's always been the exception to his rules.

"I think I might be in need of a reminder," Buck teases. "Maybe more than one."

"Oh yeah? How many?"

Buck pulls him into a slow, breathless kiss until they're both panting for more. "As many as you'll give me."

When Eddie leans back in, his answer feels infinite.