Archive of Our Own ^beta

Steve Harrington has always tried to be good.

A good son, a good teammate, a good friend. Maybe even a good mate one day.

He tried to meet expectations, please everyone, and never disappoint, especially when it comes to his family.

For most of his life, he’s gotten by on as little as possible and managed to fool people into thinking he’s doing just fine. As long as everyone else is cared for, what does it matter if his own selfish urges are pushed aside?

It all started with his parents’ love and affection (or lack thereof).

They gave it to him sparingly as a child, so that he didn’t get used to having it. His dad made it clear that future alphas shouldn’t need to be coddled. He even told Steve why he stopped hugging him, ruffling his hair, or tucking him in at night.

“You don’t need this, Steven. Alphas don’t need anything from anyone.”

Those words changed something fundamental in Steve. The perceived rejection from his own pack hurt immensely and rewired his brain.

Instead of being sad, Steve tried to make himself truly believe he didn’t need their approval or comfort because they weren’t going to give it to him anyway. May as well adapt to their absence and be strong. That would make them proud.

He adjusts. Poorly, but he still adjusts eventually.

Steve no longer needs.

This new belief carries over into the way he treats his omega instincts later on.

Long before he ever presents or has his first heat, he starts smelling different and showing signs of being an omega at the tender age of fifteen. His scent gets noticeably sweeter, like vanilla and cinnamon, as he loses his cottony pup smell. There’s also the strong urge to collect soft objects from his friends and family so he can arrange them into a safe space.

Every time he sees a baby, his heart secretly aches for one of his own.

Steve’s frankly terrified of what it means for his future when it all happens.

He’s well aware of what his father thinks about omegas and how he’s spoken highly of Steve being an alpha and taking over the family business. Even beyond the disappointment, Steve’s not prepared to be an omega. They’d never considered it a real possibility.

So he confesses to his mother who sits him down and talks him through ‘the bites and the bonds,’ and he learns what’s to be expected of him in society. She promises to keep Steve’s embarrassing secret from his father for now in the hopes that maybe his nature will correct itself, but he must follow her rules.

First, fight the urge to let out chirps or other sounds so that he doesn’t alert anyone. Omega noises are distinctive and damning. Docile and submissive and bad.

Then, he must hide his bonding gland and cover his scent, or else it’s an open invitation for any alpha to bite him. Steve must protect himself.

Next, don’t scent others, even family or friends. It’s inappropriate and classless. Nobody wants to smell like an omega either.

Most importantly: do not under any circumstance make a nest.

Nests are for animals and Harringtons aren’t animals. Nor are they omegas. They are esteemed members of the community. Privileged folks with class and wealth that inspire others to want the same. Independent and happily so.

Which means that no matter how feral his disgusting omegan urges are, he cannot make a nest or he will surely become an omega. Steve’s life will be over before it’s even really started.

He tries. He tries so hard.

Really.

Steve is a good son and he wants to make them proud, so he resists the compulsion for a whole month. And then he starts to collect what he can. It’s not much, truly. His threadbare baby blanket, one of his mom’s silk scarves that smells vaguely of her floral perfume, and his dad’s old bowtie.

Not a nest… well, almost hardly a nest anyway, but when his parents return from a trip unexpectedly and they find the ‘almost nest,’ they take actions into their own hands.

Steve’s father sits him down and makes him watch as they dump the contents of his nest into the flames of the fireplace remorselessly. Sure, it wasn’t much… but it was his. It was all he had and all he could find comfort in when no one else was around to remind him that they cared for him.

He didn’t need his nest, but boy did he want it.

When his parents leave again the next day (making sure to remove the contents of their wardrobes so that Steve won’t even be tempted), he only manages to save a scrap of his baby blanket from the ashes.

It’s just a couple inches of fabric and it reeks of charcoal now, but it’s his. He stuffs it in a shoebox under his bed for safekeeping and tries to forget it’s there at all.

He doesn’t rebuild his nest after that.

Steve doesn’t even tell anyone what his parents did until two years later when he’s high off his ass on a mall bathroom floor with his coworker, Robin. It’s only because of the drugs that he says anything about it, but it feels fair after her own confession to him about being a lesbian.

They both cry their eyes out and she tells him how unfair it is that he’s been actively repressing his instincts (and very likely delaying his inevitable presentation because of it).

Before her parents pick her up from Starcourt that night, she offers him a single sock.

Steve cries harder over that gesture than when he was being tortured by the Russians and he carefully adds it to the sacred shoebox when he returns home.

It’s still not a nest. Never will be. Not when he can still remember the way it felt to watch his ‘almost nest’ burn in front of him

Steve will never risk that sort of agonizing pain again. Any temporary joy he would get from having a nest wouldn’t be worth it.

But on the hard days, he might slip her sock into his pocket as a sort of self-soothing object. Something for his fingers to rub against mindlessly and remind him that someone cares about him.

Despite his parent’s best efforts, after literal years of suppressing the inevitable, he finally goes into heat.

It’s not until Vecna is well and truly defeated, Eddie’s name is completely cleared, and Hawkins is mostly quiet again, but it happens nonetheless.

Steve strongly suspects it has something to do with the fact that his pups are finally safe and he’s given up trying not to scent them or keep them close at all times. After so much danger and stress, Steve can relax for a moment and his body must take it as permission to give in.

It hits him hard. Harder than a typical presentation heat would. Hell, even the preheat takes him out in a bad way.

In fact, he doesn’t even realize what’s happening until he’s completely missed picking the pups up from Hellfire Club and there’s a pounding on his front door. Through the heavy mist of heat and pain, he can barely open his eyes, let alone respond.

After a few minutes of incessant banging, it goes quiet again and Steve silently resigns himself to the agony of an omega who’s in preheat and has no help. He doesn’t even have the energy to get out of bed or reach for the phone.

“Harrington, are you up here, man?”

There’s no mistaking that voice because it belongs to the only alpha Steve has ever had a crush on. Along with repressing all his other urges, he’s also been repressing his unrequited feelings, after all.

Which means that while he wants to tell Eddie that he’s fine, all that comes out is an instinctive whine of pain and longing deep from within his inner omega.

Just hearing Eddie’s voice makes him wetter.

Seconds later, the alpha is at his bedroom door. He doesn't even wait for an invitation to enter, Eddie just busts through and practically flings himself towards Steve’s bed. The heat scent in the room seems to hit him just a moment too late.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Eddie coos, gently brushing his sweaty bangs off his face. “I didn’t know you were due for your heat soon. You should’ve told me and I would’ve just offered to bring the kids home myself. Do you need anything? Should I call Robin for you?”

It’s too much.

Too much kindness that he doesn’t deserve. Too much familiarity for two people who only ever interact when saving the world, trading off custody of some bratty teenagers, or sitting close together on the same couch for scary movie night.

Too much sweetness in his voice, as if he’s Steve’s alpha.

“I didn’t know either. I’ve never had one before,” Steve manages to mumble out, just loud enough for them both to hear.

Eddie goes quiet for a moment and his hand on the omega’s forehead stills noticeably.

“What do you mean by that? You’re nineteen, Stevie, of course you’ve had a heat before,” he argues, his touch sliding down Steve’s cheek and neck as if he’s checking for something. It feels nice against his sizzling skin. “Christ, you’re burning up, baby. Where’s your nest? I’ll help you get settled in and then I can have Robin bring you some groceries while you’re still with it.”

He shakes his head, but the action gives him an immediate headache, so he stops.

“Not allowed.”

Eddie chuckles at him affectionately, the backs of his fingers stroking fondly along Steve’s cheek now.

“You’re not allowed to have groceries? I know your parents are snobs, but I promise regular people food is fine too. I'll even have her grab name brand stuff if it matters that much, honey.”

The misunderstanding makes Steve choke out a surprised laugh, but it quickly turns into a sob as he realizes how embarrassing the truth actually is. As far as omegas go, he’s so fucking broken. Presenting too late with no nest and a pathetic crush on one of the only alphas who has ever been nice to him without an ulterior motive.

A lost cause.

“I don’t have a nest, Eddie. I’m not allowed to have one,” he tries more instantly. “Not supposed to be an omega either. They’re gonna be mad at me and I’m going to have to watch it all burn up again when they come home.”

Half the words come out wet and probably incomprehensible.

Eddie seems to get the gist of it though because just seconds later, he’s pressed up against Steve’s back and holding him tightly. His scent is strong, something musky and comforting and wholly Eddie. There’s an undertone of anger in it, but it’s mostly full of calming warmth.

The combination of touch and alpha scent settle his trembling. It makes his tense muscles relax finally.

“Your parents are fucking pieces of shit. If I ever meet them, I will personally make sure they regret it,” Eddie growls softly in his ear, planting a small kiss behind it. One of his hands then travels lower on Steve’s belly, just wandering beneath the edge of his sweaty shirt to caress the skin there. “There’s nothing wrong with you being an omega and omegas need nests. They aren’t a luxury, they’re a necessity, babydoll. You deserve so much better.”

The words of affection and gentle touches have the space between Steve’s legs soaking with slick once more. There’s a growing temptation to grab Eddie’s hand and move it exactly where he wants it to be so he can get some relief. That thought shocks Steve back to reality.

He’s quickly leaving the preheat stage behind and Eddie needs to go home or the alpha’s presence is going to drive his inner omega insane with lust.

His heat is escalating hard and fast (just the way he’d like Eddie to fuck him).

“Thank you… but you should probably go now,” Steve manages to whisper, hating the idea entirely.

After a moment’s hesitation, Eddie asks, “And what if I want to be with you? Are you asking me to leave because you’re not interested or is it because you don’t think that I want you? Because I can assure you that I very much do.”

Steve’s breath catches in his throat at the honesty.

It’s too good to be true. Eddie must be pitying him.

“If– if you’re offering that out of pity for me, I promise I’m fine. I’ll be okay by myself. I can figure it out.”

Another kiss, this time pressed to his neck, right next to his bonding gland. Oh so teasing and the ghost of a promise.

The movement shifts Eddie’s body enough that Steve can now distinctly feel the press of the alpha’s hard cock against his lower back, wanting and eager.

“I love you and I want to stay with you, Stevie. Let me take care of you and treat you like the beautiful omega that you are. Let me make you feel so good like you deserve. We can even build you the perfect nest afterwards, sweetheart, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to it this time,” Eddie promises, punctuating his words with a trail of kisses along Steve’s neck. It’s almost an afterthought when he says, “If you want me to leave though, just tell me to go and I will. I'll still make sure you have what you need and help you make a nest after your heat. I won’t abandon you, regardless of what you decide.”

He doesn’t care that Steve is broken and their relationship clearly isn’t dependent on whether he allows Eddie to take care of him through his first heat.

That’s all it takes for Steve to know that he’s truly safe here… that Eddie sees him— all of him.

It’s no longer a silly little crush. It’s love.

He takes Eddie’s hand in his and slides it under his waistband, right between his legs, letting the alpha feel just how hot, wet, and throbbing Steve is for him.

“Please stay with me, alpha. Love me.”

Steve wants to build his second nest in Eddie’s heart. It feels more like a home than anywhere else ever has.