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All the fairytales Steve read as a pup ended with happily ever after.

The handsome alpha would inevitably slay the ferocious dragon so they could rescue the omega from their locked tower and whisk them away to safety. The omega then got their dream alpha by simply looking pretty and damsel-esque enough. The entirety of the conflict is resolved with a neat ribbon on top and the audience gets to romantically assume that things just played out perfectly from there!

No talks of heavy subjects like spousal arguments, the agony of childbirth, or a fucking shared mortgage are necessary to the story.

It’s polished and pretty. Entirely unrealistic, but a nice enough allure to convince pups they should get mated in order to find their happiness in life. They’re taught from the time they’re young to yearn for the dream of getting to entwine their entire life with a stranger’s.

Steve has a multitude of issues with this ideology.

As it turns out, the books that Steve’s nannies raised him on didn’t quite cover any stories like his own. Society would never endorse the idea of an omega waiting until he’s barely still in his child-rearing years to get mated to an alpha so much younger than him.

They also wouldn’t exactly promote rut-driven bonding either, but that’s a whole different discussion about dubious consent and moral dilemmas…

The problem is that Steve got what he’d always secretly still longed for: a mate.

Only, now he’s not sure where to go from there. Even in the 'traditional romances,’ they always stopped after the bonding and the rest is sort of a pleasant mystery. Maybe things work out. Maybe they don’t. The storybook closes before they get that far and the audience can imagine the rest in their heads.

But Steve is stuck between the pages still.

“Welcome home, Stevie.”

The omega steps out of his shoes as soon as he’s through the front door, not wanting to bring the filthy outside world into their sanctuary. His feet are practically aching and he can’t wait to change into some slippers. He kicks his sensible loafers aside before setting his briefcase on the entryway table so he can shrug off his suit jacket too.

Eddie’s right there, holding out an arm for it before he even has it all the way off his shoulders.

“Hi, Eddie.”

Steve gives him a grateful smile when he hands it over and offers up a cheek in return, accepting a peck from his mate as its own special greeting. He’s not entirely comfortable with the usual displays of affection that so many seem to revel in, but he knows Eddie likes to show it as often as possible.

Actually, he’s mostly used to it by now, which is… sort of awful. It’s just another part of Steve’s day that he’s going to deeply miss when his alpha finally realizes what a mistake their mating was.

Right. It’s hard to ignore that part.

As much as Steve would love to relax and enjoy his spoils of war (finding success after being on the mating market for far too long), it’s not easy to keep pretending like his mate won’t wise up sooner or later.

One day, maybe even today, Eddie is going to look at Steve with those sorrowful eyes of his. He’s going to sit Steve down, hold both his hands gently, and kindly tell him that he tried to alpha-up and take responsibility for his reckless actions, but this isn’t what he wants. Eddie made every attempt to not hurt his feelings by immediately asking to break their bond. Some things can’t be ignored though.

Steve could never be worthy of being Eddie’s mate.

He knows that.

It’s just a matter of time.

“How was work?”

“Exhausting. I’m really sorry that my meeting ran so late though. We had more details to iron out on the upcoming launch than I was anticipating. It was a bit of a nightmare to be honest and most of it couldn’t wait until tomorrow. You and Wayne should’ve just eaten without me, Eddie. I didn’t mean to hold the entire night up with my job,” Steve apologizes as he heads towards the stairs.

Getting out of the rest of his stiff clothes is his first priority. 

He’s been fidgeting all day, eager to return home and change into something that doesn’t make his skin itch. Weird, considering it’s a suit he’s worn a million times before without issue. Maybe he’s developing an allergy to their laundry soap.

Eddie follows him up and right into their shared bedroom, but stays out of the walk-in closet in order to give the omega some semblance of privacy at least.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Stevie. I let Wayne know we had a change of plans, so he left to grab dinner as soon as I saw your car pull up. We’re saving the steaks for another night in lieu of some good old fashioned… Chinese takeout. Besides, what would you have eaten if we had family dinner without you, sweetheart? My beautiful mate has to eat too, y’know?”

Steve smiles amusedly to himself as he quickly gets himself into a pair of worn out sweatpants, one of Eddie’s old t-shirts, and an oversized cable knit cardigan. The sharing clothing bit of their relationship has only gotten worse since moving in together. When he’s home, Steve has to be wearing at least one piece from Eddie’s wardrobe or he feels wrong.

Call it a guilty pleasure or whatever.

He’s a selfish man and he’s milking the short time he has left by indulging a little in these types of things. It’s pretty clear that he won’t get another chance to find a mate when this is over. If Steve’s age wasn’t already enough of a deterrent to any marriageable alphas, the broken mating bond he’ll be adding to his stellar resume will be the nail in the coffin.

If he was undesirable before, he’ll be untouchable after.

The rest of Steve’s life will be spent in solitude.

“Well, I can’t say that I don’t appreciate it. I’m starving. Didn’t get to eat much for lunch earlier.”

He retreats from out of the closet to find Eddie staring very determinately at the opposite wall. It’s honestly very endearing how much he tries to respect Steve by not pressuring him into anything.

That’s probably a nice way of thinking about it rather than the truth.

They’ve not had sex since their bonding. Steve’s not sure they will ever again. Eddie seems dead set on never making a move and Steve understands that. Nobody would choose this— choose Steve.

But they both need some amount of physical contact for the sake of the bond.

The omega can’t resist wrapping his arms around his mate’s middle and hugging him from behind. Eddie jumps a little in surprise, but quickly settles into the hold, leaning back and letting one of his fingers intertwine with Steve’s.

“Hi, baby,” Eddie greets him again, as if he hadn’t seen the omega come home.

Steve chuckles to himself, burying his face between Eddie’s shoulders and squeezing his hand, inhaling his soothing scent.

A neverending thin coat of dry grease lingers on Eddie’s nail beds, courtesy of the auto-shop where he’s apprentacing. Steve’s just learned to accept it, knowing how happy his alpha is with his future profession. The grease is a small price to pay for Eddie’s happiness.

How could he ever interfere with Eddie’s happiness?

Steve loves Eddie so much that he’ll fondly tolerate the eternal grease stains without complaint... Hell, Steve loves Eddies so much that he’ll even let him go when their time is up.

Truth be told, Steve hadn’t meant to fall in love at all, knowing this could never really last, but it’s too late to stop that train now that it’s off the tracks and hurtling towards imminent disaster.

He’ll be here and pining hopelessly until the crash. Maybe even after the crash too.

“Hello again,” Steve exhales softly.

“Are you sure you’re doing alright? I can have Wayne drop our food off and we’ll reschedule with him so you can get some rest. I don’t want you to overdo it, sweetheart.”

He barely restrains a groan.

Eddie is far too good for him. In another lifetime, Steve would be endlessly grateful to have found himself an alpha who is so kind and considerate.

In this lifetime, Steve only feels more unworthy.

“No, that would be such an unnecessary hassle for both of you. He’s already been more than gracious by bumping the time and agreeing to move locations to accommodate me,” Steve laments. He accidentally lets out an incriminating yawn. “I might just lay down on the couch until he gets here though.”

The alpha lets out a soft noise of agreement before turning around in his hold to peck Steve on the forehead. More gentle affections he doesn’t deserve, but lives for just the same.

“It was no trouble at all. Wayne loves you and he was happy to rearrange our plans, but a quick nap sounds like a good idea. Let’s go get you settled down. I already set the table, so things are ready for family dinner.”

Eddie’s an actual saint.

Steve can’t stand how thoughtful his mate is sometimes.

All of this would be much easier if Eddie turned out to be a selfish jerk once they were bonded, but alas. He’s been the same sweet guy who used to come over to watch old movies and listen to new music with Steve. Eddie still helps with the lawn work and takes out the trash, never saying he’s too tired from his apprenticeship to take on some of the extra chores around their house.

He pulls away, feeling vaguely sick over the idea of Eddie not being in his home again one day.

“Steve?”

The omega doesn’t look back as he heads back downstairs and directs himself to the couch. He can hear Eddie following behind him the whole way, so he knows he’s listening.

“I just really want to close my eyes for a few minutes,” he throws out as an excuse for his abrupt end to their gentle embrace.

Eddie doesn’t argue, but Steve knows his mate doesn’t believe him.

Good. Maybe it will make him less hesitant to end things and break his heart if he thinks he’s indifferent to their mating. The sooner the better.

Even as Steve thinks that, his stomach flips again and he silently debates whether he should take something to settle it. It’s probably just his anxiety manifesting itself as an upset stomach. Not worth fretting over.

“Here, let me move the rest of the pillows out of the way and you can just stretch out,” Eddie says kindly as he sits himself on one end of the couch and pats his own lap where a pillow is waiting. “Lay your head over this way and I can play with your hair the way you like.”

That’s cheating.

Eddie knows how much Steve likes having his mate’s fingers run through his hair and along his scalp. It’s the most relaxing thing and even when he’s not having a migraine, the action always seems to soothe him. Before they were even mated, Eddie used to occasionally find excuses to do this and Steve chalked it up to a friendly gesture.

Now he can see that maybe there was more to it.

Steve is too proud to argue though.

He arranges himself how Eddie suggested, letting his head rest on the alpha’s lap and curling up the rest of his body against the back of the couch.

A moment later, a throw blanket is gently placed over him, completing the picture of coziness and domesticity in their living room.

Steve doesn’t have to say anything before Eddie is carefully running his long fingers through the omega’s hair. He separates the slightly tangled knots with such carefulness that it never tugs at his scalp and the repetitive motions have Steve shutting his eyes, unable to stay awake amidst the comfort and safety of his home.

It’s hard to pinpoint when he actually falls asleep or if he ever fully makes it to that point with how blissed out Steve feels, able to forget about his troubles and just relax for once.

But what he can say for sure is that the next thing he’s actually aware of is a quiet conversation managing to hit his ears.

There’s not enough information for him to fully understand what’s being discussed, but Steve finds himself listening intently anyway.

“When are you planning on finally talking to him? The sooner, the better. It’s not exactly something you can avoid discussing forever. You need to be on the same page about these things, son.”

That’s Wayne’s voice.

Lower than usual, but definitely his mate’s uncle expressing his concerns about some unknown topic. Steve vaguely recalls that they were supposed to have dinner together. He wonders why no one has woken him up yet, but he’s too comfortable to fully care either.

The fingers in Steve’s hair freeze for only a brief moment before continuing their gentle scratching along the base of his neck.

“I don’t know, Wayne... It’s not an easy topic to bring up and he’s been so stressed out lately. The last thing I want to do is add to that,” Eddie explains in his own soft whisper. “I really don’t want to upset him.”

His mate sounds so young and even a little scared as he expresses himself. It’s not like his usual loud and confident personality. Steve’s heart aches with sorrow, but also curiosity, unsure what could be troubling Eddie so much.

Surely Steve would’ve heard about something going on at the apprenticeship? Whatever it is, it seems serious.

“What about your feelings, Eddie? You and Steve are mated. I know you care for him and want to be respectful, but it can’t be ignored forever. Waiting will only make you both more miserable in the meantime. You have to be the alpha I raised you to be and tell him how you’re feeling. It’s for the best, believe me,” Wayne reassures his nephew.

The surprising mention of his own name gets Steve’s attention right away.

Wayne and Eddie are discussing… him? Or rather, they’re discussing telling him something. Something bad? It certainly appears that way from how hesitant Eddie is to have this conversation and the fact that Wayne is alluding to misery.

But what could he possibly be afraid of telling Steve that would make them both so upset?

An awful realization hits Steve at once and his blood runs unbearably cold in his body. No amount of shared heat from his mate or the fluffy blankets piled on top of him could make him feel warm anymore. There’s nothing that could make the world right again either.

Because Eddie is finally going to break their mating bond.

The train has crashed with him still inside.

And yes, Steve assumed it would happen eventually. He’s been silently dreading it and even bracing for the impact from the moment Eddie’s rut ended and the implications of their unplanned bonding set in.

That doesn’t mean he wasn’t still clinging to the faintest hope that Eddie would stay true to his promises to be with him for the rest of their lives.

When he’d mated with Steve, the alpha had spoken so many flowery words of love to him. Eddie had talked of wanting to care for Steve and cherish him and how they’d have a future together with pups. It was truly a beautiful moment and everything he’d wanted to hear.

While he hadn’t seen Eddie as a potential mate before, it didn’t take long for Steve to fall in love with the alpha despite his best efforts not to.

But was that all just pillow talk to Eddie? Something to smooth over the rocky situation? Words he knew Steve would delight in? An apology for a horrible mistake he was too afraid to correct until now?

Steve was too stupid to see it, too drunk on bonding hormones to be the adult in the situation, but it was too good to be true.

The nausea returns full force and he regrets not taking something to calm his stomach earlier. He physically can’t tolerate the idea of being abandoned by his mate. Now there’s a very real chance that Steve might make things worse by interrupting this conversation to hurl all over the living room carpet.

He forces himself to swallow and continues to breathe evenly, even as his throat burns with the efforts. After years of practice, Steve’s even perfected the skill of controlling his scent so he doesn’t let the anguish radiate from him.

If Eddie is going to end this, Steve will at least wait until his mate has gotten the chance to talk to his uncle.

Maybe he too will be able to come to terms with all of this in the process.

“You’re right and I know that getting everything out in the open is the right choice, but Steve’s been having a lot of trouble adjusting to this… to us. I still don’t think he even trusts me to stick around. How do I spring all of this on him when he thinks I don’t know how afraid he is?” Eddie practically pleads.

It only makes Steve feel worse to know how much Eddie’s been suffering through their mating and aware of his fears. 

He’s right though. Steve hasn’t trusted Eddie to stick around. Was that part of the reason his mate prolonged ending their bond? Did he not want to be the one to make Steve’s fears come true?

Steve has been trapping them both in this nightmare out of selfishness masquerading as love. If he loved Eddie, he would’ve let go sooner.

He wants to cry. He can’t cry without giving himself away, but he desperately wants to.

“It’s perfectly normal to be afraid of change and I’m sure Steve is afraid too. You need to look at things from his perspective though, son. Your omega spent most of his life assuming he’d stay unmated and he operated under that assumption. He wasn’t planning to court with anyone, so he built a life by himself. This all came out of nowhere for Steve, so he doesn’t know how to be someone’s mate any more than you do. Adjusting to your roles has been hard, but you’ll adjust again just fine.”

Steve feels like he’s been stabbed in the heart. Betrayed by a good friend with the way Wayne so casually picks apart his existence like that’s the reason Eddie could never love him.

The worst part though is that he’s incorrect. When Eddie leaves him, Steve isn’t sure he’ll be able to go back to being no one to anyone.

He was Eddie’s mate. How can he be nothing again?

“You have a bright future ahead of you and I know it’s all going to work out how it should,” Wayne finishes with a lighthearted chuckle, ripping out the last pieces of Steve’s heart as he seemingly reassures his nephew that Eddie’s life will be better without him in it.

Tears well up behind his eyelids. He doesn’t let them fall. Eddie would notice that. He’s not stopped his relaxing head massage yet, but Steve sobbing his lungs out like he wants to would be… noticeable, to say the least.

“Thank you, Wayne. I think I really needed to hear that. Are you sure you don’t want to stick around and eat dinner with me? I can set Steve’s aside until he’s awake, but you went through all the trouble of getting us takeout and I’d hate for you to eat by yourself,” Eddie tells his uncle.

Wayne makes some noncommittal noise in response before getting up from the creaky armchair in the corner.

“Don’t worry, I’m taking the container of wontons with me for the road. Let Steve rest a little longer. He needs it. Just make sure you boys eat something and then I expect you to talk to him. Food helps any hard conversation go down a little easier,” the older man jokes.

Eddie chuckles softly in agreement.

“Will do. I’ll call you tomorrow. Hopefully with good news to share.”

Hearing his mate refer to the ending of their bond as ‘good news’ almost puts Steve over the edge.

He knows that Eddie wants out. It makes sense. And of course it’s not devastating to Eddie like it will be for Steve, but the idea that Steve is the reason he’s miserable, that Eddie doesn’t have a bright future, that he’ll have good news to share once they’re over…

It breaks him inside.

Wayne leaves, shutting the front door softly behind him.

Steve is frozen in place. He can’t just sit up and confront Eddie about everything he’s heard and he’s not sure that he wants to either.

Maybe he can skip out on dinner, pretend he’s not hungry anymore, and run upstairs before Eddie gets the chance to break his heart again. It would be the coward’s method of avoiding this for just a little longer. It wouldn’t be a permanent solution, but it would buy Steve a few more hours in a bed that smells like them.

And if Steve just keeps it up for the next… say around forty or so years, he can just die before Eddie gets the chance to leave him!

Yeah, he’s not coping with this well.

Eddie’s fingers in his hair still for a moment and then drift lower along his neck, brushing close to his mating gland before settling along his back to begin gentle jostling motions there instead.

His touch is more insistent, less soothing and more firm.

He only realizes Eddie’s intentions a second before the alpha’s lips find his forehead.

“Time to wake up, Stevie. You need to get some food in your body,” Eddie murmurs against his skin, letting his mouth linger there as he presses more kisses along his hairline.

He can’t do it.

When Steve opens his eyes, it will start an invisible timer. A countdown will be hanging over his head and ticking away until Eddie calls the time of death on their relationship.

Steve can’t hold back the tears anymore. He chokes on an ugly sob that makes his chest ache from the sheer force of it.

“Sweetheart?” Eddie asks in concern, shaking him gently as if Steve didn’t hear him loud and clear. “I think you’re having a bad dream. Hey, you’re okay. I’ve got you. Shhhh, you’re safe now, honey.”

The alpha maneuvers them so more than just Steve’s head is in his lap. He cradles the omega’s whole form in his arms, letting him tuck his face into Eddie’s neck. It’s meant to settle him down and any other time, it would do the trick.

Right now, having Eddie’s overwhelming scent right in his nose only reminds him what he’ll be losing.

“Please don’t leave me,” he begs softly, his pathetic words muffled by the alpha’s shirt.

Steve immediately hates himself for it. He’s aware that Eddie’s been struggling with this decision, apparently to the point that he and Wayne have been discussing it for the last couple months.

He needs to let go. Steve needs to make this easier on Eddie. It was a mistake and Eddie’s a good man. He deserves to move on with his life, move on to an omega he loves and who will be good for him.

“I’m not going anywhere, Stevie,” Eddie practically coos back.

Guilting Eddie into staying is wrong and he knows it. He can’t hold the alpha to any promises he makes in order to soothe Steve’s anxiety. Manipulating Eddie with his emotions just makes him further disgusted with himself.

Against every self preservation instinct he has, Steve opens his eyes to look up at Eddie’s own pained expression.

This has been tearing them both apart. It’s time to do the brave thing, no matter how painful it might be for him.

“I’m so sorry for everything,” Steve starts with a whimper. Eddie gives him a look of confusion, but Steve continues on before he can ask any clarifying questions. “You don’t need to promise me anything, Eddie. I know this is what has to happen and I won’t make it harder on you. I just—” He hesitates. This is the part that he isn’t sure how to address. “Can I make an appointment with a professional? I know the old fashioned way is quicker, but I don’t have a high pain tolerance.”

Now Eddie’s face holds a mixture of both confusion and horror. Maybe Steve should’ve waited until Eddie brought it up. He’s only complicated this further with his impatience.

“The old fashioned way?” Eddie croaks out.

Oh. Well, he’s young. He probably doesn’t know what used to be done about unwanted mating bonds back in Steve’s day.

Technology has come a long way.

“A shot of whiskey and a curling iron,” he supplies helpfully. “They use lasers now, I think. I’ve heard it takes longer, but the scar is smaller and the pain is a little more tolerable. But if you want to get it done quickly, I’ll cooperate.”

Steve’s not exaggerating about his low pain tolerance, but Eddie’s happiness is worth more than any pain in the world.

If Eddie asked Steve to carve out his own bonding gland with his bare hands, he would probably do it. Love does stupid things to people and Steve is no exemption.

“Steve…” Eddie struggles to speak, but Steve doesn’t rush him. This is hard enough to talk about without being pressured to hurry. Eddie deserves many things. Least of all is the time to organize his thoughts. “What are you even talking about?”

His alpha’s face is scrunched in a way that says Steve needs to backtrack things.

He lets a grimace slip, but uses the opportunity to sit up and even put some space between them on the couch until they’re not touching at all. He should’ve separated them before he launched into this conversation. The sooner he stops using his mate as a crutch, the quicker he’ll adjust to things.

Steve rubs at his eyes, quickly swiping away his stray tears.

He’s brave. He thinks he can be brave for both of them.

“I overheard your conversation with Wayne,” Steve blurts out, staring very determinately at his feet instead of at his mate. “I— I swear I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on you both, but I woke up and the two of you were having a serious discussion. I didn’t want to intrude, so I pretended to still be asleep. And I was going to wait until you brought it up yourself, but then I couldn’t sit through a whole dinner knowing what you were going to say to me. If we’re breaking our mating bond, I’d rather know now.”

Silence.

Steve’s arms wrap around his middle, trying very hard to compose himself. If he cries again, Eddie will feel bad and they’ll get nowhere with this. It’s all been laid out there in the open now.

He just has to hold on long enough to be rejected by the only alpha he’s ever loved and then it will all be fine. Or at least he’ll be able to cry all he wants because nobody will be there to witness it.

A soft whimper grabs his attention and Steve’s head whips to the side to see Eddie in a state not much better than his own. The alpha is hunched over and burying his face in his hands like he’s in pain.

Eddie isn’t heartless. He should’ve known his mate would feel bad.

Steve can’t help but want to touch him.

It’s his inner omega’s doing, but he reaches over to lay his hand on Eddie’s shoulder for comfort. He’s not sure how it’s going to help either of them, but he knows that touch is all he has here. While it may be a one-sided love, their bond should ease some of the emotional pain.

Eddie shivers at the contact, but he doesn’t pull away.

It’s quiet in their living room for a long minute before the alpha finally rasps out, “You’d really rather break our mating bond than have a baby with me, Steve?”

He blinks a few times, willing the words to make sense in this context.

It feels like they’re having two different conversations now.

“What do you mean? What does a baby have anything to do with us getting a divorce?” he asks slowly.

Eddie sits up, his eyes red and his mouth drawn downwards in a pained frown. Steve silently wishes he could kiss it all away and go back to the quiet discomfort they've been living in.

“You’re pregnant with our pup and instead of communicating with me or trying to work things out together, you’re asking to end our bond? And apparently you’re in such a rush to get away from me that you’d be okay burning off your mark with a fucking curling iron! I’m not even sure which part of that we should address first.”

“I’m pregnant?” Steve whispers.

He’s not sure where this conclusion has come from, but it’s apparently another thing they need to clear up here and now.

Eddie’s expression snaps right back from distress to confusion once more.

“Of course you’re pregnant. You’ve been trying to hide it from me for weeks and you just heard Wayne give me a pep talk so I could finally sit down with you, tell you that I know, and talk about what it means for us. What else would I be referring to?”

It feels like the rug has been yanked from beneath his feet, leaving him completely off balance and reeling from the surprise.

“You don’t want to break our mating bond?” Steve clarifies. “You don’t hate me and regret becoming my mate?”

Eddie gives him a small, sad smile, but he reaches out to pull the omega into his arms again just the same. The warmth it brings him is beyond anything he’s ever felt before and Steve allows himself to melt against his alpha, burying his face in Eddie’s neck and inhaling once again.

The burnt edge to his scent is slowly ebbing off as they both seem to calm down.

His mate presses slow kisses to the top of his head, nuzzling there in a clear show of scenting Steve and showing him that they’re okay.

“Of course not. Why would I want to break my mating bond with the mother of my pup? I love you more than anything in my life, sweetheart, and I’ve never for a moment regretted being with you. I spent nine months courting you and three more being your mate. It’s been the best year of my life. I just— I just needed some advice from my uncle because you hadn’t told me about the pregnancy and I was afraid you were keeping it from me for a reason,” Eddie explains in a hushed tone, clearly trying to settle Steve down still.

Part of him wants to accept the reassurance, but there’s more they need to talk about.

Namely the obvious fact that Eddie is convinced he’s been hiding some secret pregnancy that does not exist.

“I love you too, Eddie—” It’s the first time Steve’s said it out loud and he catches the look of joy in his mate’s eyes as he continues on with a nervous laugh, “but I’m not pregnant. I haven’t had a real heat in years. My body isn’t made for that sort of thing anymore. I’m more than twice your age and it’s just not possible, even if we did spend your rut together.”

Eddie’s lips purse in a way that says he’s trying to be polite, but failing to keep a straight face about it.

Unfortunately, Steve has known the alpha since long before they were mated and Eddie is not capable of being polite when he needs to say something.

“Are you… are you sure about that?” Eddie asks instead.

Steve laughs again. It comes out a little choked.

Why is he doubting this?

“Of course I’m sure. I’d know if I was pregnant. There would be signs. Omegas don’t just get pregnant without there being signs!” he protests.

Eddie’s nose scrunches cutely.

“Yeah… There were lots of signs. That’s why I know you are pregnant,” the alpha states matter-of-factly. “Wayne actually figured it out around the same time that I did.”

“What do you mean?”

Steve knows he sounds borderline hysterical, but the confidence Eddie seems to have in this assumption is starting to make him question if he could be the one who’s wrong about it.

No. He can’t be.

Can he?

Eddie runs his fingers along Steve’s face, brushing back a few stray strands of hair in a soothing motion. It’s definitely just being done as a way of getting Steve to not lose his shit, but it’s working.

“Well, the first thing I noticed was your scent changing. A few weeks after we bonded, you started smelling all… sugary? Like you’re always sweet, but your scent was softer and even sweeter than usual. You tend to wear scent blockers when you leave the house, so I doubt anyone other than Wayne or I would ever notice it, but it got our attention,” he explains slowly, drawing out each word like he’s not sure that Steve is listening.

He is listening. And he’s fucking panicking.

“What else?” Steve demands to know.

Eddie keeps giving him that gentle smile of his.

“There were a lot of other little things. Uh, let’s see here… you’re exhausted all the time. And before you say anything, yes, I know you’ve been working a lot lately. You’ve been getting enough hours of sleep though and you wake up tired every morning. Then you started eating everything in the house. You’ve made my snacking habits look tame,” Eddie teases him lightly.

Good god. If he’s snacking like Eddie does…

“Go on.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve been much more, uh… sensitive? Loud noises and different smells and textures all seem to set you off. You clearly can’t stand the smell of fish anymore because it makes you nauseous, though you wouldn’t admit it out loud, so I just stopped making it. Oh, and you keep ending up in my clothing instead of yours, which I think is because my stuff is baggier and it smells like me. It’s actually kinda cute that you want my scent all over you.”

He says this as he tugs affectionately at the worn out t-shirt of Eddie’s that Steve is still wearing and can’t deny as evidence.

“Is— is that all?” Steve questions.

If he really tries, he could write a lot of this so-called proof off as mere speculation. Scents can change with age. He’s got a sensitive nose and working more has tired him out, made him hungrier too. Even the clothing sharing can be pushed aside as the need for a lonely omega to smell like his mate.

Eddie hesitates to answer, still holding Steve, but pulling back just enough for there to be space between them where their bodies aren’t pressed right against one another's anymore.

“No, but you might kick my ass for this one,” Eddie states plainly. He keeps one hand on Steve’s face, cupping his cheek to keep him looking at the alpha. The other slowly falls to Steve’s stomach, putting just enough pressure against his lower belly that he feels it. “You have a baby bump too. It’s not big, but it’s there.”

Steve panics.

His own hands scramble to feel where Eddie’s still touching, pressing against the skin next to him and expecting to feel his usual soft paunch he’s developed over the years since leaving his golden years behind.

There is no usual gentle squish against his fingers. Only a small firm bump like Eddie had claimed.

Which means that he was telling the truth. It’s as solid proof as Steve can expect without actually taking a pregnancy test, but with everything else he’s been told, he can’t exactly shrug this off too.

Was he really that paranoid about Eddie leaving him that he was able to ignore an entire pup growing inside him? How long would it have taken him to notice if Eddie wasn’t there to pay attention to Steve?

Now that he knows there’s a baby in his stomach, it’s like he can feel every symptom hit him at once.

“Holy shit, I’m pregnant. I’m actually pregnant. How did you know that I was pregnant? I didn’t even know I was pregnant!” Steve almost shrieks as he struggles to take deep enough breaths.

This was not in the plan. Fifteen minutes ago he assumed he’d be mateless and alone the rest of his life.

And now he’s pregnant with Eddie’s pup.

“Whoa, slow down there, honey. Take a breath. I know, we didn’t exactly get the chance to have a serious discussion about all of this, but I remember pretty clearly telling you throughout my whole rut that I was planning on knocking you up. If you didn’t believe me, that’s on you,” Eddie reminds him with a sheepish smile.

He’s stupidly right. Eddie had repeated it multiple times over his rut. Just about every time he knotted Steve raw, he’d made some comment about how they were going to have kids and how beautiful he’d be full of a litter of Eddie’s pups.

Steve had been foolish enough to believe that it wasn’t actually possible.

“I’m pregnant,” he states again in wonder. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

Eddie’s face does something weird, twisting into a pained sort of expression.

“Do you… not want a baby?”

Steve rushes to answer with more confidence than he even realized he possessed. There is no doubt in his mind that he’s keeping this baby. He never wanted to get his hopes up, but having pups was a lifelong dream of his and he’ll be damned if it’s taken from him now.

“No! No, I do. I’ve wanted to have pups my entire life. I just never thought it would happen now,” Steve explains, hands not moving from his own stomach as if someone might take his baby away if he’s not protecting it.

Eddie winces and then lets out a choked laugh.

“Ah. Right. So, you just don’t want to have one… with me?”

Steve grabs Eddie’s hand that’s still resting on his bump and laces their fingers together as the quickest way to reassure his mate that his shock is not a rejection of this or of them.

He’s just got so much running through his head and not enough brain power to translate it all into words.

“Yes. I mean no? I mean— fuck, Eddie. I don’t know. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You weren’t supposed to throw away your entire future on mating someone twice your age and you definitely weren’t supposed to be expecting your first pup when you're only twenty. You shouldn’t be playing house with me. You have a whole life ahead of you and I’d hate for you to follow my dreams instead of your own.”

Eddie’s face softens once again and he squeezes Steve’s hand gently. Their bodies are having half the conversation. It seems like he understands all the things Steve is explaining so poorly and knows just what to say back.

“If we were both twenty and expecting our first pup together as a bonded pair, would you still think I was too young for this? Would you honestly be concerned that I was ‘throwing my future away’ by having a baby with you, Steve?”

Steve flusters a bit at the direct question.

He’d been so busy worrying and spiraling about his age that he forgot to stop and consider that Eddie might have his own input on the matter of an unexpected pregnancy.

“Well, no— I mean, of course not. But that’s— that would be different because…”

Steve loses the rest of his words, realizing how flimsy his protests are. Eddie’s right. There’s nothing he can say that would justify taking away the happiness they should be sharing right now.

“Do you love me?”

Steve scoffs lightly.

“I love you so much, Eddie. Beyond anything I ever thought was possible,” he confesses.

Eddie raises a questioning brow, a smirk playing on his mouth as if he’s trying not to be too smug about his victory.

“And I love you too. Which means that my dreams will always involve you and all the things we can have together, so why can't I choose to be elated about this? Why can’t I hold my beautiful omega and celebrate one of the best moments of my life with him? We’re having a baby, sweetheart.”

Steve’s bottom lip wobbles dangerously.

They’re in love and Eddie isn’t going to leave.

Once more, he’s reminded so clearly that Eddie chose this. He chose their life and he chose Steve.

Their mating isn’t something that just happened to them both by pure accident. It was a relationship that was created and nourished with honest affection and love, even if Steve wasn’t fully aware of the courting at the time.

His age isn’t something Eddie is putting up with like an unwelcome guest who is begrudgingly allowed to stick around out of obligation. Eddie loves him all the way down to his bones and that includes the extra years he comes with.

“Eddie…”

The alpha understands, wrapping his arms around Steve and pulling him as close as he reasonably can on the living room couch.

“I know, honey. Me too.”

In a split second Eddie has released him and maneuvered the omega into his arms instead, scooping Steve up and standing like it’s no big deal for him to carry his mate.

He lets out a joyful laugh in surprise at the unexpected action.

“What are you doing?” Steve asks between giggles, wrapping his arms tightly around Eddie’s neck and making sure he’s not going to fall in the midst of this spontaneous spectacle.

He’s too old for silly romantic gestures and definitely too old to break his back if Eddie drops him.

“I’m sweeping my beautiful pregnant mate off his feet so I can show him how much I love him and want to be with him,” Eddie states as simply as if he was explaining that the sky is blue. “This is far overdue and I can’t wait another minute for us to do this the right way.”

Steve settles in as Eddie heads upstairs to their bedroom.

“The right way?” he questions.

“Making love to you while I’m not in a rut haze where I’d have probably knotted a grapefruit if it had smelled and looked half as good as you do,” the alpha admits with a snort. “As much fun as all of that was, that was not the way I planned on us mating. I had a whole romantic proposal planned for after my graduation, but my body decided to push things along I guess.”

Steve can’t help but to laugh at that.

He’d been caught very off guard by both Eddie’s presentation rut and the ensuing love confession/surprise bonding it had resulted in, but Eddie had to be even more thrown off by his biology’s curveball.

“Poor alpha,” he coos affectionately. “I guess you’ll have to propose to me later to make up for it.”

Eddie gives him a challenging look at that, finally setting the omega onto their shared bed and crawling on top of Steve in a predatory way. He takes Steve’s left hand and lifts it to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles.

“Steve, I would propose to you a thousand times if that’s what it took to make you understand that I love you and I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t want to pressure you into having sex again, so I was willing to wait until you were ready, but if I have to knot you and keep you full all the time so you don’t have time to overthink this, I will.”

Oh. He can feel the steady river of slick he’s releasing from those words. It’s been a long time since anything besides Eddie’s rut got him so wet.

“Do it,” he dares his mate. “See if you can get me pregnant with another baby.”

Eddie looks like the overzealous alpha that he is, eager to please his mate when he presses a long kiss to Steve’s lips, stealing all the air from his lungs with such ease that Steve forgets that Eddie doesn’t have prior experience aside from him.

“If you think you’re going to get out of having a big happy family with me just because you're older than me, you’re wrong. You’ll be retiring before you stop carrying our pups.”

The logistics of that concept are a little bit concerning, but Steve’s grinding up against Eddie’s body as the alpha dives back into wet, open mouth kisses, eager to try for it anyways.

His mate is remarkably talented as he manages to quickly get Steve’s cardigan and both their shirts off with little fuss or effort required on his part.

“I still can't believe you even managed to pup me once,” Steve can’t help but to voice aloud as he gazes back down at his own tiny bump. “Nobody is ever going to believe me when I tell them an omega my age got pregnant without a slew of medical appointments.”

He’s having a hard time moving past that. For all intents and purposes, Steve’s womb should be a barren wasteland. Dried up with no chance of sustaining life. It truly makes no sense to him how this could happen.

Eddie licks over his bonding bite in a show of possessiveness before sliding himself low enough to be face-to-bump with Steve’s belly. His expression is so heart-achingly warm and pleased that Steve can’t help but to let out a soft chirp of happiness.

The alpha nuzzles his nose slowly along the curve of the bump, as if he can scent mark their baby from the outside-in.

“Baby, you are the prettiest little miracle I’ve ever seen.” It takes Steve a second to realize that Eddie’s not talking to him. “But you really need to remind your momma that older omegas’ fertility adapt to match their younger mates. ‘If daddy still pops knots, mommy gets the hots.’ Daddy popped many knots into your mommy and the real miracle is that there’s not a whole litter in there with you.”

The omega swats affectionately at the top of his mate’s head, but Eddie just laughs and peppers more kisses to his belly, as if that will earn him forgiveness.

Steve’s face burns hot with embarrassment when he recalls that maybe he’d heard that factoid about older omegas once or twice in his life…

He’d just never specifically catalogued the information since he assumed it was irrelevant to him. Even the idea of his heats restarting this late in life sounds like a nightmare, albeit one he doesn’t have to worry about for a while now.

“It’s been many years since one of us had sex ed, so forgive me for being old,” he mutters sarcastically under his breath, still loudly enough that he knows Eddie can hear him. “I wasn’t exactly planning on letting a feral young alpha rut his way into my nest and my womb.”

Eddie looks up from his cozy perch on Steve’s belly, giving him puppy dog eyes and a pouty bottom lip.

“But you love me anyways?” he asks.

There’s no humor in his question and Steve knows this isn’t the time for joking. The last thing he wants is to see Eddie so broken again tonight like he’d been when he believed Steve wanted to end their mating bond.

Because despite the fact that he never would’ve anticipated the way his life is slowly unfolding in front of him, Steve can’t find a single thing to regret if it leads him to Eddie and their pup.

He rests his hand on his belly so that it brushes against Eddie’s cheek at the same time, touching the two most important things at once.

“I have so much love right now that I can hardly contain it. I love our life and I love this baby we made together.” The words spill out of him so easily. Steve doesn’t have to think about any of it to know he means every word. “I love being your mate and I love that you’re going to be the best father to our pup. I love that you didn’t give up on me, even when you thought I was hiding things from you. I love how you didn’t see me the way everyone else does: as some washed up omega past his prime. I—” He’s fully sobbing, unable to stop the landslide of emotions that he’s apparently been bottling up for months now. “I love you so much, Eddie.”

One moment, Eddie is frozen and the next, he’s caging Steve against the bed once again, sucking at the healed mating bite he wears proudly on his neck, making sure they both know it’s there.

If it was anyone else, Steve thinks he’d have to explain that his outpouring of love doesn’t mean he wants to stop what they’d started, but Eddie seems to know every fiber of his being better than he knows himself.

The alpha starts up a slow grind between them, letting the bulge in his pants press just right against Steve’s aching pussy. It’s teasing in a way, but only in the anticipatory manner that they both know this is inevitable.

Several layers of fabric mean almost nothing, especially when Eddie has them both stripped nude in record-breaking speed. He blinks and his mate is still kissing him, but has his cock sliding through the slick of his inner thighs.

“I love you, sweetheart,” Eddie confesses as he takes his time to slide into the omega like Steve’s a virgin who needs things to be pain-stakingly slow and sweet.

“I love our life and our baby,” he promises as he rearranges them so he’s entering Steve from behind, kissing the junction of his shoulder and cupping the gentle curve of belly overtop the omega’s own hands.

“I love being your mate,” the alpha swears as he lets his knot swell until it can no longer retreat from its home inside Steve, filling him with more love than his shaking body can even hold.

When they’ve both caught their breath and turned out the lights, basking in the afterglow of the melting of their hearts and souls into one big beautiful mess, Steve is the one who vows, “I love you and our happily ever after.”