Chapter Text
“This isn’t my best work,” Steve says, gesturing to the stand of movie promotions on the counter. Lost Boys, Dirty Dancing, and Bambi sit in a confusing grouping. He sneezes. “Is it bad?”
Chewing on a pack of Twizzlers, Eddie leans on the counter and tracks Steve’s movements. “Yes. Are you sick?” He asks. “I can give you a ride home, if you want.”
“I’m not sick, but I’m not okay,” Steve says, pulling a tissue from his pocket. He leans against the counter, dabbing his nose and wishing he were anywhere else. “I’m dying. This is it.”
“It?”
“How I die,” Steve clarifies. He tosses his used tissue into the trash behind the counter. He misses. He groans. “My mojo is gone.”
“Your… mojo?”
“Not a single omega has looked twice at me this week,” Steve laments, bending down and dropping the tissue into the trash. He almost misses a second time, but it tips in at the last second. He sighs, “Not one.”
Eddie rolls his eyes, taking another bite of his Twizzler. “I call bullshit.”
“They can smell the desperation on me,” Steve says, waving a hand over himself. He leans against the counter next to Eddie, fighting the urge to droop down and just lie there. “It’s coming off me in waves, I think. Can you smell it?”
“Your scent patches make it kinda hard. What are you desperate for, exactly?” Eddie asks.
“Sex, obviously,” Steve says, not even caring if anyone is listening in. He sniffles. “Not one omega, Eddie. You don’t get it.”
“I don’t get it?” Eddie asks, laughing. “Dude, open your pretty eyes and take a gander at who you said that to.”
Ignoring the sarcasm, Steve obliges him and squints at Eddie. He’s tall with broad shoulders. Yeah, his hair is a fuckin’ mess, but it’s charming in a distinctly Eddie way. The alpha has dimples for fucks sake. Not to mention his eyes. “I said what I said. Girls are probably begging you to take their phone numbers these days, hero.”
After killing Vecna, the government needed to give Eddie a PR makeover in Hawkins—so, lo and behold, Eddie Munson is now the slayer of a serial killer in the eyes of their town.
Steve’s not jealous... He’s just a little bitter.
Eddie waggles the remainder of his Twizzler at Steve. “You’re mental, Harrington. You don’t have a date for the first time in your life, and you spiral about it. C’mon, dude, you’ve bedded over half the omegas in town.”
“That’s kind of the problem, actually,” Steve says, scratching the back of his head. “I’ve had too many dates. Too many dates with too many omegas who talk, talk, talk.”
“Don’t let an omega overhear you saying this shit, man.”
“The dating pool in Hawkins… Dude, they gossip with each other. They exchange notes. I swear to god, they paint literal pictures. There are girls I’ve never even met giving me the stink eye, or laughing at me, or… fuck! Whatever. I don’t care.”
“You showing omegas a bad time, Stevie?” Eddie teases, eyes half-lidded while he finishes his candy. “What pictures are they painting?”
“Shut up.”
“C’mon, man,” Eddie goads, nudging Steve’s shoulder. “Tell me. What’s so bad about dating Steve Harrington?”
Looking at Eddie, Steve weighs his options. He could drop the subject, but he’s already said too much. He could pretend he’s over it, but Steve’s a bad liar. Or he could just… tell Eddie. He’s another alpha—he might understand. Steve lets his head slip out of his hands and land face down on the counter. Voice muffled, he says, “...My mojo is missing, Eddie.”
“C’mon,” Eddie prompts again. “Tell me more.”
Lifting back up, Steve sighs. He lowers his voice. “I used to… I used to knot every time.”
“What?” Eddie asks, voice squeaking. His cheeks turn pink. “Every time?”
“Yeah, I’m a real stallion, I know,” Steve says, rolling his eyes. “I just haven’t been able to… do it lately. The real issue is that I’ve got the reputation, you know? They all talk. I used to be able to just, like, pop it, easy, but I haven’t been able to for months, and they’re—they’re spreading it around. Fuck.”
Eddie exhales, eyes drifting down Steve’s form, as if he’s trying to picture it. “Shit, man. Every time? Outside of rut, I can only do it, like, once per week if I’m motivated… Not that I’m jacking it that often.”
Steve rolls his eyes. “I don’t care much you wack off, Eddie, but yes, I used to do it every time. But I can’t pop it anymore, and they think it’s, like, an insult. Like I’m withholding it on purpose.”
“Are you… Sorry, no delicate way to ask this. At the very least, can your soldier salute?”
Pushing Eddie’s shoulder in punishment for the question, Steve looks around again to make sure no one is nearby. The store is empty. Turning back, he grumbles, “Yes. He still salutes.”
“Okay, then I don’t get the problem,” Eddie says with a shrug. “I feel like a knot would be painful. I pity my rut toys.”
“No, dude, they love it,” Steve says, ready to lay some wisdom down. Despite the fact that they’re alone, he leans in closer to Eddie on the counter, creating a little bubble for the two of them. “You pop a knot in someone and they, like, writhe. You can feel their heartbeat in your cock, man. It’s hot as hell. Sometimes, they—just—fuck, they grind on it and make themselves cum again—”
“Okay, okay, Jesus,” Eddie cuts him off, flustered. His ears are red. “Omegas like it. I got it.”
“They like it so much, even I’m curious, you know?” Steve says before he can stop himself. Eddie’s eyebrows fly up, and Steve’s pushing him again preemptively. “Shut up,” he says. “Don’t judge me. I’m lacking mojo, and the world is turning into a horny hellscape.”
“No judgment here,” Eddie says, laughing breathlessly. “I know a thing or two about wading through a horny hellscape.”
“No, you don’t get it,” Steve continues, propping his head back up in his hand. “If you knotted someone, omega or not, you’d understand. Even betas fuckin’ love it, man.”
“...I’m very sorry about your mojo, Stevie,” Eddie says, one corner of his mouth curling up in an amused smile. “How can I help?”
“Fix my knot?” Steve requests, pleadingly. “Please?”
“If I knew how, Harrington, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Eddie says, crossing his heart.
Laughing, Steve finally leans away. He shakes his head. “Robin says it’s a trauma response to Vecna. Her idea for fixing it not only pissed me off, but it’s also totally impossible.”
“You’ve talked about your knot with Robin?” Eddie asks, incredulous.
Steve shrugs and says, “There is very little that I haven’t talked about with Robin. I know she’s constipated, she knows I can’t knot anyone—we have a very open dialogue.”
“Wow,” he muses, half-impressed.
“Don’t tell her you know her anal retentive issues.”
Eddie leans closer to Steve, filling the space Steve just left. “What ideas did Buckley have? To… fix it, I mean.”
Embarrassed just thinking about it, Steve flushes red. He runs his hand through his hair, brushing it back. “I don’t even… I can’t say it.”
“Try me,” Eddie says. “Be brave, Stevie. We can have an open dialogue, too.”
Eyeing Eddie, Steve exhales. He does like the idea of having another opinion on this. “She says…” He stops after another flare of embarrassment washes over him. He sighs again, looking down and toying with his fingers. “She thinks that when you knot, it’s like your body wants to stay in one place, with one person. But because of Vecna, we’ve been in fight or flight for a while, so my body doesn’t… doesn’t know that it’s fine. You know? That it can stay in one place again.”
Nodding, Eddie considers this theory. “Sounds accurate,” he says. “I mean, I always thought a knot was my body saying, hey, let’s ensure the survival of my family name, but… I guess you’d want to stick around if that happened, too.”
Steve can’t help but laugh. “Yeah. Well, either way, she thinks I need to trick myself into feeling safe… or some bullshit.”
“Don’t leave me in suspense, Harrington,” Eddie says, his rings glinting as he plays with his lips. “How does she propose you trick yourself?”
Another deep sigh. It’s her words, not Steve’s. “She thinks I need one of those, um, knotting toys.”
Eddie looks at him blankly. “How is buying an inflatable knot going to help? Looking at it might inspire you?”
“Eddie,” Steve sighs. “Read between the lines, man. Robin thinks I should, you know. Give it a go.” Eddie raises an eyebrow. Steve makes a lewd gesture. “Like on myself?”
Eddie’s face goes through a whole array of expressions as he comes to understand Steve’s meaning. “Oh,” he says, dumbly. “Like—?”
“Yeah, like in my ass,” Steve says, rolling his eyes. “Thanks for keeping up, Ed.”
“Sorry,” Eddie says. He looks Steve up and down again, the pink dusting his cheeks darkening. “So—have you—?”
“No,” Steve hisses. He clears his throat. “Well, I bought it, but I just… I can’t really… God, this is so embarrassing.”
“You bought it?” Eddie repeats. He wiggles his eyebrows at Steve. “Keepin’ it with your collection of pocket pussies?”
“It’s not a collection,” Steve laughs. “It’s a carefully curated exhibit. But yes, it’s sitting between my girls, Pearl and Gemma.”
Smiling, Eddie nods, tongue poking out to wet his lips. Hesitantly, he asks, “And… it didn’t work?”
“Obviously not,” Steve says, gesturing to himself. He rubs his face, trying to hide behind his palms. “I couldn’t get it in,” he admits. Without looking, he points at Eddie. “Laugh and die, Munson.”
A beat of silence passes. Steve looks over to see Eddie dazed, staring down at the counter.
“Okay, you can laugh,” Steve permits, feeling his face heat up. Something warm starts to pool in Steve’s stomach. Oh, no. Talking about all this is starting to turn Steve on. This world truly is a horny hellscape. He shifts his hips carefully, trying to hide behind the counter.
“...Wasn’t planning on it,” Eddie finally says. He clears his throat, timidly returning Steve’s gaze. “So, Robin’s theory is still on the table.”
Steve rubs the back of his neck. “Technically, yes,” he says. “But it’s easier said than done. I couldn’t get it in—like, the dildo part on its own, let alone the knot. In all physical ways, I’d say her theory is kaput.”
Eddie nods, considering this, face strangely serious.
The front door dings as someone steps inside the store. “Jesus,” Steve sighs. He whispers to Eddie, “We gotta stop talking about this, or I might combust, man.”
“You and I, both,” Eddie agrees, licking his lips.
“I’ll see you later,” Steve tells him, taking a moment to compose himself before walking out toward the newest customer.
It’s a slow shift without lazing around with Robin or getting micromanaged by Keith. Steve finds himself stacking movies in a haze, just thinking about that damn inflatable knot he’s hiding at home.
He’d be less frustrated if he could have actually gotten the damn thing inside. If he did, Steve could tell Robin definitively that her idea was absolute horseshit.
It’s not that Steve really wants to knot someone. No, he just wants to make someone feel good again—and somehow, his ability to pop a knot is required.
Eddie’s smoking a cigarette in the parking lot when Steve locks up. “You still here?” He calls out as he turns the key. “Wanna catch a movie or something?”
“I was thinking something a little less PG,” Eddie says. When Steve turns around, he flashes a familiar paperbag from his pocket. Ah. Weed. “Mommy and daddy around tonight?”
“They’re in Tulsa,” Steve says, swinging his keys around his finger. “Grab a pizza and meet me at mine?”
“See you in thirty,” Eddie agrees with a lazy salute, flicking his spent cigarette to the ground.
Steve manages to shower before Eddie arrives and rings the doorbell. He doesn’t have enough time to rub one out while he’s in there, even though his body is ready for it. All that talking about sex and knots and his curated exhibit has Steve feeling distinctly excited. He presses fresh scent patches to his glands to make sure none of his horned-up musk bothers Eddie.
“I brought pepperoni,” Eddie says, walking in with a pizza box. “You’re getting the snacks next time.”
“I furnish the location and provide the beer, Munson,” Steve says, leading him into the living room. “Speaking of. Want a Miller?”
“Darling, of course I do,” Eddie says, collapsing down in his usual spot. He sets the pizza down on the coffee table and pulls off his jacket, the baggie of weed flopping out.
He’s got a joint lit by the time Steve returns with a six-pack and a messy stack of napkins.
Settling in and taking a hit, Steve presses play on whatever’s lurking in the VCR. It happens to be his dad’s favorite movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Tuco just captured Blondie in his hotel room.
“You seem like someone who really likes a western,” Eddie observes, taking the joint back. He puffs. “Good, clean, red-blooded alpha like you? Westerns, for sure.”
“What’s wrong with a western?” Steve asks, opening the pizza box. For a beat, he takes in the aroma of the cheese—just lets it wash over him. Heaven. He continues, “They’ve got guns and damsels and vengeance that tastes like dirt, blood, and a little bit of moonshine.”
Eddie laughs. “Nothing’s wrong with them,” he says. “It’s just that you, Steve Harrington, are so fucking predictable.”
“And you aren’t?” Steve asks. “One look at you, and I know you probably snuck in to watch Star Wars more than once.”
“Y-ouch,” Eddie says, pretending to be shot. “You got me. You fucking got me, you bastard.”
Steve laughs, then basically inhales his first slice of pizza.
It’s always fun to hang out with Eddie one-on-one. They burp, they joke—they aren’t afraid to make fun of each other, or roughhouse a little bit. Eddie can hold his own when Steve shotguns a beer, unlike the rest of their little faux-pack.
Steve’s pretty sure he hasn’t had a friend like Eddie since he and Tommy had their falling out, but even then, it’s not the same. Robin is his best friend—by miles—but Eddie… Eddie’s different. He’s Steve’s other best friend. His special best friend.
They’re comfortably sitting in a cloud, happily sipping their beers with stomachs full of pizza, when Eddie lolls his head to look at Steve. “So,” he says cryptically. “Let me see it.”
“What?” Steve asks, racking his brain to figure out what Eddie wants. It’s fuzzy in there, so Steve ends up lifting an arm and flexing. “This what you’re looking for?”
Eddie laughs, smacking Steve’s shoulder. His hand lingers against Steve for a breath too long, then slides away. “No, hair-for-brains,” Eddie says. “I wanna see the aforementioned dildo. You know, with advanced knotting capabilities?”
“Nooo,” Steve giggles, a wave of giddiness washing over him. “No frickin’ way, man, you’re gonna just make fun of me.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die, Steve,” Eddie whines, grabbing Steve’s forearm and shaking it. “I swear I won’t. Please? I’m so curious.”
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“And satisfaction brought it back, motherfucker,” Eddie says. He asks, “C’mon, has Robin seen it?”
Heat blossoms on Steve’s face. “No, of course not. She’s a girl, dude.”
“Then show it to me, Stevie,” Eddie requests again, pulling at Steve’s arm. “I’m a boy. C’mon. You know you want to.”
“What’re you getting out of this?” Steve accuses, half-heartedly fighting Eddie’s grip.
“You and Robin have so many little secrets between each other, I just want to level the playing field,” Eddie explains, grinning at Steve. He shrugs. “Will this not bring us closer together?”
“...No, see, you’re already making fun of me,” Steve says, pointing at Eddie. “I feel it.”
“No, I’m not,” Eddie begs. He pouts dramatically. “C’mon, Stevie. Please?”
Releasing a deep sigh, Steve knows that this is a losing battle. He looks Eddie up and down. “Swear to keep this sacred knowledge to yourself until the end of time?”
Eddie races to put a hand over his hand. “I solemnly swear upon Dustin’s mother.”
Leaving the movie on but putting out the remainder of their joint, Steve leads Eddie upstairs to his room. He motions for Eddie to sit while he pulls a shoebox out from under the bed. The room is softly illuminated by a lamp next to Steve’s bed. Steve sits in a shadow, resting on his knees in front of Eddie on the bed.
“Ohh,” Eddie says, pointing at the box. “Nike. Ironic.” Cradling the box, Steve looks up at him questioningly. Eddie smirks. “There’s no finish line? Their slogan?”
Steve rolls his eyes, unable to stop a laugh from bubbling out. “Shut up,” he says. He opens the box and roots around until he finds the knotting toy.
It’s a blue silicone dildo, six inches long with fake veins and an air pump at the base to fill out the knot. They didn’t sell anything smaller at Pleasure Haven. The store attendant said that omegas need bigger toys to simulate the feeling of an alpha best, and all knotting toys were made for omegas. Looking at the six inches in his hand, Steve isn’t ashamed that he couldn’t get it inside. It feels huge.
Licking his lips, he presents it to Eddie. “It’s clean,” he says, because somehow he feels like that’s important to mention.
Eddie’s fingers brush against Steve’s as he takes it. Steve stares at Eddie’s face, waiting for even a twitch to show that he’s about to laugh, but the twitch never comes. Eddie plays with the base of the toy, making the knot flare out. “Wow,” he says, watching it puff then slightly deflate without pressure on the pump.
“I never got that far,” Steve says, watching the knot. His knees are starting to hurt, sitting here in front of Eddie on the floor instead of on the bed. Steve adjusts his position, settling down, watching the other alpha intently. “Not even close.”
“How’d you try?” Eddie asks, swallowing. He looks down at Steve, his eyes dark and interested.
“...I used lube,” Steve says hesitantly. That warm feeling settles back in his stomach. He fishes around the box again and produces a small bottle. He puts it on the bed. “I covered it in this and… you know, I tried to… Don’t make me say it.”
“I’m not making you do anything,” Eddie responds, a gleam in his eye.
Steve blushes. “I couldn’t get it in. Didn’t matter how much lube I used.”
The bottle is half-empty. Eddie looks down at it with a cocked brow. “And you used a lot.”
“Yeah,” Steve confirms. He thinks back to when he tried it out last weekend. He did it in the shower, behind two locked doors, just to make sure neither of his parents walked in on him. He was nervous and clumsy, and the best he could do was press the head of the dildo to his asshole. It was uncomfortable and unpleasant, to say the least. He clears his throat and says, “It was… too slippery to get a good grip, but—you know—I’m an alpha. My body isn’t meant for it.”
“...Did you finger yourself open?” Eddie asks, shamelessly. “Loosen yourself up first?”
Heartbeat picking up speed, Steve shakes his head. “No, I—I didn’t—”
“Are your omegas just that ready for you?” Eddie wonders aloud, rubbing the place where the knot would expand. “So hot and ready that you don’t need to stretch them open first? Is being Steve Harrington enough prep on its own? I bet it is.”
Steve’s positive that his face is bright red. “Don’t tease me, Ed,” he says, feeling small in front of Eddie but not necessarily minding it. He’s glad he put on fresh scent patches—what would his scent be right now?
Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, Eddie sets the dildo down on his lap. “Fuck, Steve. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t—” Steve swallows. Eddie is right, after all. Omegas and beta girls were always so easy to prep, but it was stupid of Steve to try shoving a six-inch dildo up his ass without testing the waters first. He tells Eddie, “It’s okay. I just need to think it through a little more next time.”
“Next time?” Eddie prompts. “You’re going to try again?”
“I need my mojo, Eddie,” Steve says. “If fucking myself with a knotting dildo takes multiple tries, then that is a price I am willing to pay just to see if it’ll work.”
Eddie’s fingers loop around the base of the dildo again. He pumps the knot until it’s full, examining it, turning the dildo this way and that.
Fuck, Steve needs to get laid. Just looking at a knot is turning him on. He takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair, and he glances up at Eddie. “What are you doing?”
Watching the dildo intently, Eddie lets go of the pump. “...It deflates too quickly,” he says. “Even if you got this in you, you’d have to keep pumping it for a while. You know. To really simulate it.”
Steve looks back at the toy and sees that it’s already deflated. “Shit,” he says. “Is that a problem?”
“You tell me,” Eddie says, shrugging. “My knots usually last, like, twenty minutes.”
“Mine are at least ten,” Steve murmurs. Robin said Steve needed to be knotted to send a message to his body. He takes the knotting toy and fiddles with the pump. It reaches full capacity easily, but once Steve stops pumping, the air hisses out. “Shit, you’re right. It deflates way too fast.”
“You’ll need to spring for something better,” Eddie says.
“This was their best, I thought,” Steve whines. “I made the attendant give me a full rundown, and he said this was the best knotting simulator they had.”
“I guess you could always just pump it for twenty minutes.”
“Fuck that.” Steve’s arm has a cramp just thinking about it.
Eddie licks his lips, looking down at Steve with hooded eyes. He twists a ring around his finger. Hesitantly, after a moment of thoughtful silence, he says, “I could… I could always just give you a hand.”
“You’d pump this thing for me?” Steve asks, surprised. “You don’t have the arm strength for that—or do you, you sicko? How much are you jackin’ it in a week, man—?”
“No, I mean,” Eddie cuts him off. He gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I have a knot, you know.”
This is his special best friend, Eddie Munson, offering to fuck him. Aside from the fact that they are friends, they couldn’t possibly do something like that together—they’re two alphas! Steve shifts his hips and realizes—horrified—that he’s chubbing up. Holy fuck.
“It doesn’t come in blue,” Eddie continues, shrugging. “But it’s much cheaper. No shipping costs or gas wasted on driving long distances. No pumping required. Organic, which is probably better for your body.”
“...I don’t know,” Steve breathlessly responds, setting the dildo down into his box. He hopes his jeans conceal his hard-on, but looks down at himself to confirm. His heart is thumping steadily in his ear. His jeans are looking a little tight, but nothing incriminating. He says, “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“I’m kind of offering,” Eddie says. He reaches out, thumb catching Steve’s jaw and tilting his face to look up. “I might not get as much action, but I do know what to do.”
Steve is an alpha, kneeling before another alpha, letting himself be manhandled into looking up. Every part of this is going against his nature. He should be disgusted, or angry, or some weird combination, but the swipe of Eddie’s thumb just sends a thrill up Steve’s spine, a jolt down to his quickly thickening cock. He sucks in a quick breath.
“I’d like to help,” Eddie adds. His thumb drags across Steve’s stunned lips. “If you wanted it, I would really, really like to help you, Steve.”
There are big red warning signs blaring in Steve’s head, but he ignores them. Saliva pools in his mouth, just thinking about finally getting laid for the first time in months. He swallows and asks, “And what exactly would you do?”
“...How much detail do you want, Stevie?” Eddie asks, a smile in his eyes.
Steve is familiar with this kind of game. How long can they skirt around each other until one of them cracks? It’s been a long time since Steve’s been on the receiving end of this treatment—if ever. Steve licks his lips. “Dealer’s choice.”
Looking Steve over with lidded eyes, Eddie traces his fingers from Steve’s jaw to his neck, then to his hair. He brushes Steve’s hair back. Steve just barely stops a pleased noise from escaping—Eddie feels so fucking good. “I’d finger you open,” Eddie whispers. “Stretch you out on three fingers—get you nice and wet with the lube.”
Steve’s dick throbs, enjoying the thought. “Oh, yeah?” He asks Eddie. He subtly leans closer, one hand coming up to brace against Eddie’s knee. “How many girls have you fingered, Eddie?”
“You’re not a girl, Steve,” Eddie says, gently tugging Steve’s hair. “Even if you are pretty like one.”
“How many?” Steve asks again, a competitive beast lurking within.
“...Two,” Eddie admits. “But they weren’t girls.”
In the past couple of months, Steve’s had the thought that maybe Eddie isn’t straight. It comes and goes, the suspicion. Of course, Steve would never hold it against Eddie, would never look at him differently because of it, but Steve has wondered. He licks his lips, pleased. “Then what?” He prompts. “I’m dripping on three of your fingers. Then what?”
“You beg,” Eddie says, letting go and leaning back. Steve misses the hand in his hair immediately and almost follows after Eddie, who smiles down at him. “You beg for something bigger. Something only I can give.”
Steve lets his eyes wander down to Eddie’s thighs. Pressed against the zipper, Eddie’s cock looks heavy and hard in his dark denim jeans. Just like Steve’s. He breathes carefully, wishing he could scent Eddie. What would he smell like? Spiced and strong, like Steve? “And you’ll give it to me?” Steve asks.
“If you want it,” Eddie says. He sighs. “I’m fucking ready to give it to you.”
“Say I do want it,” Steve says, rubbing Eddie’s knee. “What happens then?”
Eddie grabs his dick through his pants, squeezing and moving it as if to relieve pressure. He grunts, the sound shooting directly to Steve’s erection. “I’ll take it nice and slow,” Eddie tells him.
“Fucking me?” Steve asks. “What if I don’t want it slow?”
Cursing under his breath, Eddie says, “Fuck, Steve. I’ll give it to you however you want.” He palms his bulge. “Let me give you my knot. We’ll get your mojo back, I promise.”
“How nice of you,” Steve says, fingers inching up Eddie’s knee. “I’m still not convinced.”
Eddie groans, letting go of his cock and looking down at the other alpha. He rakes his eyes over Steve, over everything he can see, from his chest down to his thighs. “Really?” Eddie asks. He lifts one foot and simply drops it into Steve’s lap, pressing down on his erection.
The burst of pleasure takes Steve by surprise. “Eddie—”
“Who’s this for then, Steve?” Eddie asks. He clumsily rubs the outline of Steve’s cock, then his leg retreats. “That doesn’t feel like someone who needs convincing, alpha.”
“Holy fucking shit, Eddie,” Steve gasps, hips jerking to follow the disappearing warmth. He grips Eddie’s knee, shuffling closer. “I’m sorry.”
“You just want me to beg, don’t you?” Eddie asks, hand returning to Steve’s hair. “Be honest.”
Well, this escalated, didn’t it? Steve can’t bring himself to care. He doesn’t want this to end anytime soon. He licks his lips again and nods.
Eddie’s fingernails tenderly scrape the back of Steve’s neck. “Please,” Eddie says, eyes hot and focused. “Please let me fuck you. I’m so fucking hard for you, Steve. Have been all afternoon. I promise I’ll knot you so good. You’ll finally know what it’s like. Didn’t you say that earlier? You’re curious, aren’t you?”
Steve nods again, lets himself be pulled closer and closer between Eddie’s open legs.
“Say it,” Eddie requests. “Tell me you want my knot. C’mon. Please, Steve.”
Steve gulps the saliva that gathered in his mouth. “I want it,” he says. It goes against everything he knows, everything he’s been taught and programmed to feel. But it’s true. He’s humming with the need to please Eddie, to be filled by Eddie. He confirms, “I want you to knot me, alpha.”
“God, you’re unreal,” Eddie says. “You’re perfect, look at you. You’re a wreck, and all I’ve done is talk.”
“My mojo is missing,” Steve explains with an exhale. He smiles. “If you step on me again, I might just come in my jeans.”
“And we can’t have that, can we?” Eddie tuts. He grips the front of Steve’s T-shirt and pulls. “Get up.”
This is what months of no sex do to Steve. He’s a pliant noodle that Eddie can maneuver as he likes. Steve lets himself be pulled up, and Eddie drags him over until his back hits the bed. “Eddie,” Steve whines. He’s not in rut, but he feels like he’s somewhere adjacent—buzzing with need.
Eddie comes to loom over him, and Steve digs his fingers into the bedspread below, twisting the fabric. Eddie’s knee parts Steve’s thighs, pressing their hips together.
This shouldn’t be hot, Steve thinks, but he’s panting now. Sure, Steve has thought about male omegas in passing—wondering what it’d be like to fuck someone else with a cock. But he’s never considered it seriously, never lingered on the suggestion. Or maybe, he never let himself linger on it. “Eddie,” he gasps again, pleased by the rough drag of Eddie’s cock around his throbbing erection.
Lips and warm breath brushing Steve’s mouth, caging in the other alpha with his arms, Eddie grinds his hips down into Steve and requests, “Tell me about your knot, big boy. When was the last time you felt it?”
“Fuck, it’s been months,” Steve gasps, grabbing Eddie’s hips, pulling him closer. “Before Vecna.”
Eddie pushes up Steve’s shirt. “Who was it with?”
“...Heidi Swann,” Steve answers, letting Eddie remove his clothes. He grasps the edge of Eddie’s shirt, tugging. “C’mon, you, too.”
Eddie leans up to pull off his tee, then starts on Steve’s belt. “Tell me about Heidi.”
Brain cells, elusive and shy, sputter around Steve’s head for a minute while he finds the words. He lifts his hips for Eddie, letting the alpha pull down his jeans and underwear. Jesus. His pants are coming off. This is really happening. “...I licked her for an hour,” Steve finally recalls. “She… she came twice on my tongue before I…”
“Fucked her?” Eddie speculates. He tosses aside Steve’s clothes and unzips his own jeans. “You like sucking girls off, Steve?”
Steve head bobs up and down in some semblance of a nod, too distracted by the sight of Eddie’s taut body. The metalhead likes layers, likes hiding himself in clothing, especially since spring break. Steve never understood why, often telling him how much chicks like scars—but maybe it was his own curiosity for the other alpha’s body that compelled him to tease Eddie. Steve’s naked cock pulsates as his eyes trace the scars left behind by Demo-bats. He licks his lips. “She was so wet. I fucked her until she came again, and when she squeezed me, my knot popped right inside.”
Eddie’s cock emerges, slapping his stomach as he pulls off his jeans. It looks big, maybe bigger than the knotting toy. Freed, Eddie collapses back on top of Steve. He asks, “You make her come again, Stevie? On your fat knot?”
“Nn,” Steve breathes, screwing his eyes shut. Their cocks slide against one another, and it feels obscenely good. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands, landing dumbly over Eddie’s shoulders, afraid to hold on, afraid to do too much and scare away the moment.
“No?” Eddie asks. He bites Steve’s neck, teeth catching the edge of his scent patch. It sends a thrill down Steve’s spine—somewhere in his hindbrain, the alpha in him paces back and forth at the intimate touch. Eddie continues, “You talked a big game about omegas grinding on you, fucking themselves on your knot. Couldn’t get her to come again, alpha?”
“It didn’t last long enough,” Steve admits. Everything’s cloudy now. Eddie’s cock is firm, hot against Steve. He’d probably tell Eddie anything. “My knot, it—it was too short.”
Eddie laughs, licking his lips. “How disappointing. Couldn’t keep it up?”
Shrugging, Steve explains, “...She talked too much.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Eddie says, taking Steve’s cock in hand. Steve’s hips arch up into the touch, a gasp ripping from his mouth. “You prefer silence from your omegas, alpha? Want to shut me up?”
The alpha in him hates it—hates how much he loves it—but Steve tilts his head to the side and bares his neck. It’s submission, surrender. A white flag on a battlefield. “No,” he responds, breathless.
“You’re such a good boy for me, Stevie,” Eddie mocks, but he’s clearly pleased. He sinks back down to mouth at Steve’s exposed neck, sucking a bruise.
Alphas can’t help but want to bite and claim their partner during sex. It’s hardwired into their brains. For two alphas, Steve should be worried that Eddie might claim him—he should be freaking out, bucking him off, begging him to stop. But it’s the most sensual than anything Steve’s ever experienced.
In retaliation, Steve rips off Eddie’s patches, releasing a wash of new pheromones. Eddie’s scent plumes out, heady and thick, sharp with arousal. Unlike Steve, this alpha scent is like squeezing a lime into a drink—bright citrus.
This is Steve’s den, where other alphas shouldn’t be allowed. The scent of other alphas—like Tommy, or Nancy, or even his family members—Steve’s been comforted by them, enjoyed them, sure, but he’s never wanted them. Never been excited by them, the way he is with Eddie.
Pulling off his own patches, Steve lets his own scent free—no barrier between his glands and Eddie’s teeth. “Fuck,” Eddie groans, grinding down against Steve, gripping their cocks together. His lips reverently mouth against the skin of Steve’s scent gland, drinking Steve right from the source.
“This is so hot,” Steve sighs, running his hands into Eddie’s hair and giving a tug. “Fuck, Eddie, you’re so…”
“What do you need, honey?” Eddie asks. His teeth drag over Steve’s scent gland. It’s hell, it’s heaven. Eddie soothes the bite with a kiss. “What can I give you?”
“I want my knot back,” Steve breathes. “Are you going knot me, or what?”
Eddie exhales, amused, teeth teasing Steve’s scent gland. He doesn’t respond to Steve, instead switching to the other side of his neck.
Steve thrusts up into Eddie’s fist, fingers scraping the back of Eddie’s neck. “Please,” he begs. “C’mon, Eddie, I need it. Give me your knot.”
“I’ll give it to you,” Eddie responds, leaning back and biting his lip. Steve’s hands fall back to the bed as he leaves. Eddie’s eyes trail down the other alpha’s torso to his hand on Steve’s wet cock. He releases it. “Turn over.”
Not wasting a second, Steve flips over, legs tangled with Eddie for a moment before he settles on his stomach. He can still feel the heat of Eddie behind him, his skin resting against Steve’s thighs. His heartbeat throbs in his cock, now pressed to the bed below.
A bottle clicks open. “We’ll get you your knot,” Eddie says. Long, slick fingers find Steve’s ass, rubbing the rim.
Steve can’t help the breath he sucks in. He’s touched himself there before—obviously—but it’s different when another person’s fingers lean in. It sets Steve’s skin on fire, sends pleasure rolling up his chest. “Holy shit,” he says, because it’s all he can say. “Holy fuck, Eddie.”
The tip of a finger breaches the tight ring of muscle. Steve hears Eddie breathe heavier. “Look at you,” Eddie murmurs. His finger retreats, rubbing a wet circle around the muscle, then returns, pressing deeper. “You’re so tight, Steve. Your pussy is so, so tight.”
My pussy, Steve repeats to himself. Part of him wants to buck away, tell Eddie to knock it off—another part of him wants to laugh—but the biggest part cants his hips back toward Eddie’s finger, spreading his legs to give the other alpha better access. “Eddie,” he grits.
“You’re getting wet for me,” Eddie says, one hand reaching under Steve’s hips to grip his cock, drooling precum. He rubs the cockhead, spreading that natural lube. “Look at you. You love this, don’t you?”
The combined sensations of Eddie’s finger—dipping deeper and deeper into a place Steve’s been too cowardly to touch himself—and his rough palm—working Steve’s erection up and down clumsily—make words hard to find. He gasps something—something quick, like, “Yes.”
Eddie laughs, surprised, happy, his finger disappearing into Steve. He fucks it shallowly within Steve—slowly, slowly, slowly sinking deeper into the warm heat.
At first, Eddie’s finger is too long, too wide, stretching Steve in a way he was never meant to stretch. But soon the muscle relaxes and loosens, and Steve wants more. Is this what omegas feel like? Steve thinks. Like a hungry rubber band?
“That’s it,” Eddie murmurs, then another finger joins his first. This time, it’s easier. The second finger slips in quickly, the stretch so quick and painless that it takes Steve a moment to realize another one has been added. “Tell me,” Eddie says. “Tell me how you feel.”
Embarrassment, excitement, shame, joy—all of it swirls in Steve. He breathes slowly and lands on: “Full.”
“Fuck,” Eddie responds. His fingers scissor apart inside of Steve, sheathed as far as they can be. “You’re sucking me down like you’re meant for it, Stevie. Were you?”
Tears wetting the corners of his eyes, Steve shakes his head—just rubbing it against the bedspread below.
“You were,” Eddie says, curling his fingers. “C’mon, Steve. Say it.”
The tips of his fingers drag against something Steve didn’t know was there. It sends a shock through him, unexpected pleasure. He can’t find his voice, can’t bring himself to respond.
“Say it,” Eddie says, voice rough, fingers petting that bundle of nerves with purpose. His other hand squeezes Steve’s cock, thumb massaging the slit. It’s too much. Eddie demands, “Tell me you were made for it.”
“I was made for it,” Steve gasps. He has no control over his hips, lifting to fuck into Eddie’s fist and press back into his fingers. They find a good pace, an easy rhythm. “Oh, my god,” Steve says. He realizes—horrified, blissed out—he can cum just like this. His balls tighten, ready to spew. “Fuck, Eddie, I’m…”
Another finger. “That’s right,” Eddie says, meanly, knowing exactly what he’s doing to another alpha. “Tell me, Steve.”
“Fuck me,” Steve begs, throbbing with need. He turns his head as much as he can, trying to look Eddie in the eye. “I need you, Eddie. Please? Fuck me. Fuck me, please?”
“You’re so pretty when you beg,” Eddie says, ramming all three fingers home. Guess he took of his rings at some point. “You’re my omega, aren’t you, Steve?”
Steve cries out, unfamiliar with this kind of pleasure. “I’m going to cum,” he gasps, happy to press his face into the blanket. “Please, Eddie, I’m going to cum. Fuck me.”
Hesitantly, Eddie’s hand leaves Steve’s cock, trailing back to grip his hip. “Tell me,” Eddie says, fingers keeping rhythm. “Tell me you’re my omega, Steve. Say it.”
It flies in the face of everything Steve holds true, in the face of everything Steve is proud of. He might not be smart, he might not be the perfect son, but he is an alpha. He fulfilled the one thing his father expected of him. Steve is all man, all alpha.
But, prostate before Eddie, Steve feels his heart quicken. He feels the rush of excitement as Eddie loosens his asshole, his fingers hot and persistent. If Steve were an omega, if he bitched out, if he could give himself all six nuggets that he wanted—holy shit, he’d be happy if it were for Eddie.
“I’m your omega,” Steve whispers. He clears his throat. “Yours, Eddie. Oh, fuck, please. Fuck me. Please, alpha. I’m yours—just fuck me, please.”
He says the right thing because Eddie’s fingers retreat, and the blunt head of his cock presses, powerful and insistent, to Steve’s asshole. “Good boy,” Eddie exhales. “You’re such a good boy, Steve. So sweet. Didn’t even need to use much lube, you’re so ready for me.”
“Eddie,” Steve gasps. The first inch of Eddie is pure euphoria, then the stretch is greater than anything Steve’s ever felt, wet with artificial slick. “Is this what it’s like?” He asks. “You’re so big, alpha.”
Eddie leans over Steve’s back, his breath wafting over Steve’s nape. “Holy fucking shit,” he says. “Say it again.”
“You’re so big,” Steve repeats, breathing hard, relaxing for Eddie to press deeper.
“No,” Eddie says. “Call me that again.”
“...Alpha,” Steve says, lifting his hips again. Eddie’s cock spears deeper inside, and he moans. It takes a moment—some breathing, some adjusting—then Steve leans back into the pressure. He continues to beg, “Alpha, fuck me, please.”
Eddie grabs Steve’s hips, pushing his legs apart, as he establishes a steady rhythm, grinding into Steve. He starts with shallow thrusts, just a couple of inches at a time, until his hips press to Steve’s, skin to skin, as deep as he can go. “Steve,” Eddie gasps. “I’m going to knot you soon, okay?”
It sounds good to Steve. In fact, it’s all Steve wants, surrounded by their blended scents. He isn’t in his right mind anymore, just breathing in the thick haze of arousal. Eddie’s cock is big—so much bigger than the dildo. It brushes that spot, the bundle of nerves, over and over. Steve nods, no words coming to him.
“Made to be knotted,” Eddie mumbles. His chest brackets Steve’s back, hot and wet with sweat. He bites the nape of Steve’s neck, groaning. Against that sensitive skin, he continues, “You’re perfect, Stevie. So tight, so wet.”
“Alpha,” Steve moans. He’s going cum. Quickly. His dick presses into the mattress while he’s fucked, rubbing him in just right the way while Eddie hammers his prostate. His stomach grows tight, his balls tugging up, heavy. “‘M coming,” Steve warns. “I’m so close.”
“Do it,” Eddie says. His fingernails dig into Steve’s hips. “Cum for me, Steve, come on. Let it out.”
One of Eddie’s hands circles around Steve’s hips, grasping his hard cock. He holds it tight at the base, and it’s enough—the dam within Steve bursts, grinding into that fist. He clenches around Eddie’s dick, squeezing it.
They spend a minute or two, letting Steve ride each wave, squeezing Eddie.
“Oh, fuck, Steve,” Eddie gasps, eventually. His fingers are so tight around Steve’s cock, still weeping cum. “Sweetheart, fuck, I’m gonna…”
Steve feels it before Eddie can say it—the expansion of Eddie’s cock, the wet release. Still in the throes of his own orgasm, the widening of Eddie’s knot is welcome, a perfect conclusion to Steve’s pleasure. “Oh, my god,” Steve says.
He’s being split open. This is a knot. After grinding it in as deep as he can, Eddie pulls back just a little to feel the pressure. Gasping, Steve bears down, pressing his hips back into Eddie’s. It feels so damn good.
Eddie leans over his back, blanketing him, knot sunk deep inside. “Think you can cum again?” He whispers into Steve’s ear. “Look at you writhe, Steve.”
It’s his own words being thrown back at him. The knot is everything—it’s overwhelming, it’s pain, it’s perfection. He rubs his wet eyes against the mattress, tilting his hips up for a better angle, making Eddie’s knot squeeze against his prostate.
Eddie’s hands cover Steve’s against the mattress, lacing their fingers together. “Still wish for your knot?” He asks, hips grinding deep.
Steve nods, breathless in his indulgence. He’s half-alarmed by his own cock, refusing to soften. He just came—he should be limp as a noodle soon. But the persistent grind of Eddie’s hips, the overwhelming pleasure of his knot against Steve’s prostate—it’s too much.
He’s going to cum again, just like any one of the girls he’s bedded before.
“Eddie,” Steve gasps, hot, excited. The tension in his stomach prepares for crossing the finish line, giving small aborted thrusts into Eddie’s hand. He breathes, “Oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, alpha, I’m gonna…”
He cums again, right into Eddie’s tight fist. But this time, he feels the tell-tale rush of his knot growing, popping. It’s been so long, he can’t help but gasp and moan. Eddie’s fingers tighten around it, squeezing. Milking the cum out. It’s painful. It’s ecstasy. “Yes, Steve,” Eddie moans with him. “Cum for me, baby, c’mon…”
Maybe Steve’s tensing around Eddie’s knot again, but Eddie stays hard and taut behind him, pressing into Steve’s hips over and over, rubbing his knot on Steve’s entrance. Steve can’t piece it all out because all of his thoughts have vacated the premises.
In a haze, for what feels like a long time, Steve cums into the mattress, grinding lazily to and fro between Eddie’s cock and his fist.
It’s a release that Steve’s been craving for months. This may not be exactly how he pictured it, but it’s just as satisfying—if not, more. The annoyed, frustrated beast within Steve stretches, yawns, satisfied.
“Good boy,” Eddie says.
“Thank you,” Steve sighs, finally starting to come down and finding his voice again. Eddie’s knot, he feels, is starting to soften, too. He clears his throat. “Thank you, Eddie.”
“What am I?” Eddie asks, whispering in Steve’s ear. He gives a final thrust into Steve’s ass, his slowly deflating knot slipping easily in and out of Steve’s loosened muscle. “Say it,” he demands.
Steve moans. “Alpha,” he corrects. He tilts his hips back into Eddie’s. “Thank you, alpha.”
“Good boy,” Eddie says again, nipping Steve’s ear. He tucks his nose against the nape of Steve’s neck and breathes him in, tongue dipping out to taste at the same time. His cock slips out, finally, and he settles, half on Steve’s back, half on the mattress, fingers tracing patterns into Steve’s skin lazily.
Steve sighs, moving his head to look at Eddie next to him. “Thank you,” he says again, softly. His cock still throbs slightly—where his knot finally popped.
Eddie’s eyes are dark, focused. Hesitantly, he asks, “How do you feel?”
“...Empty,” Steve answers, shifting to turn to Eddie more fully. His ass throbs, his cock aches. “You’re really fuckin’ big, man.”
Sharpened fangs flash as Eddie laughs. After a moment, he calms, looking Steve up and down. “No, I mean,” he breathes. “How do you feel?”
Eyes drifting down to Eddie’s mouth, Steve bites his lip. “I don’t know,” he says, honestly. Tonight has kind of rocked Steve’s entire world. Everything Steve knew about being an alpha—about himself—has flown right out the window.
Eddie’s lips part. For a moment, he looks scared. Unsure.
“But,” Steve rushes to add. “...But I liked it.”
“...You don’t know, but you liked it,” Eddie sums, fingers grazing Steve’s hip. His scent is shy, bordering on sweet. He asks, “Think your mojo’s back?”
Steve almost laughs. Eddie is his special best friend, but maybe… maybe Steve likes him more than that. Maybe he has for a while. Maybe he didn’t realize it because Eddie’s another alpha. “Hmmm,” Steve murmurs, reaching up to brush Eddie’s hair away from his face, considering all the facts, all the feelings. “We might need to check a couple more times,” he decides. “Just to double-check it still works.”
Eddie smiles. His gaze flicks down to Steve’s mouth. “I can help with that,” he says.
It’s just an inch between them. Steve’s heart thunders in his ear as he closes the gap, pressing his lips to Eddie’s. The other alpha tastes like pepperoni and Miller Light.
Steve decides it might be the best kiss he’s ever had.