Work Text:
Buck is a typical omega.
Sure, he’s a firefighter. Sure, he’s a little larger than most omegas.
But other than that? Totally normal, he’s telling you.
Which…might be a little bit of the problem.
See, Buck is an omega, which means a lot of things. He has heats, he wants children, he tends to be more of a caretaker, and he nests.
He also tends to cling to what he deems as home, which is what landed him here.
“I didn’t mean to!” he defends, pacing in front of Bobby. “I just-It just came out!”
“Buck.”
“It was my first instinct, Cap! Like, I smelled another omega on him and bam! Growling like a possessive omega! He's not even mine to be possessive over!”
His captain sighs. “Well, I'm surprised it took this long for you to react that way.”
Buck whines. “Pops! Not helping!”
“It’s true, kid. You know how you are with Eddie.”
He pouts.
“Or do I need to remind you of your scenting tendencies?”
Buck flushes, looking away from the knowing look on Bobby's face. He does have a tendency to scent himself with Eddie's scent. It had been a gradual thing at first, a little rub here and there, to soothe that itch, to get a little sense of peace and safety wherever he went. But then, sometime along the way, it became more. It became so much that the first time he intentionally scrubbed Eddie's scent off - Shannon was back, and he knew when to back off, okay - the team had done a little double-take because his own scent had shown through again for the first time in weeks.
So, yeah. He has a problem with his instincts when it comes to Eddie.
Not that the alpha has a problem with it! If anything, Buck doesn't even think Eddie realizes.
Until today. at least, because his inner omega had practically howled when he smelled another omega on Eddie, and he couldn't hold back the growl that sprang from his throat.
It was a very mortifying moment.
He doesn't even know why his instincts over Eddie were in overdrive! Maybe because they shared a bed during COVID? Or maybe because he had just scented Christopher last night on the pup's request? Or-
“Buck, you might want to talk to Eddie about it.”
“I'm gonna have to, aren’t I?” he says petulantly. “Not every day your best friend acts possessive of you.”
“About everything, Buck.”
Buck blanches. If there's one thing more mortifying than acting out of line around Eddie, it's talking about his feelings for Eddie to the man.
“Just think about it, Buck. Don't get yourself hurt trying to preserve the status quo.”
There's a deeper meaning behind that suggestion, but Buck is too distracted by trying to push all the thoughts of telling Eddie everything away to worry about it.
Not that he doesn't worry, of course. Especially because he knows he's going to have to apologize for his misplaced behavior earlier that day at the billboard call. He doesn't know how, though, and it's that simmering, all-encompassing worry that makes his heat come in early.
Great. Just great.
At least it coincides with his 96 off?
Buck finds himself building his nest that night, fluffing up his pillows and making sure each blanket is aligned just perfectly.
And, of course, he takes out his secret stash.
The pile of Eddie's clothes he had ‘rescued’ from the landfill.
It's creepy, he knows, but Eddie was actually going to throw the clothes out, so it’s not like he'll miss them. And Buck will die before admitting he had taken his best friend's clothes for comfort to get through his heat.
“Um…”
Scratch that. He might die anyway.
Buck snaps his head towards the stairs, staring wide-eyed at Eddie.
“Why are you here?” he demands. Not that he doesn't want Eddie near him at any time, but this was not the time. As it is, he’s trying to slip the bags of his pilfered clothes under some blankets to hide them from sight.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you about earlier. But I didn’t expect your heat to have come early.”
Okay. He can do that. As long as Eddie gets out of here asap, Buck can talk.
“I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me. Well, I do-” He needs to stop. He really needs to stop. “-but it’s not important. I just- I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.”
His partner fidgets, and Buck wonders if he messed up somewhere if Eddie’s not leaving. Sure, his heat shouldn't mess with an alpha as collected as the former medic, but Buck doesn’t trust himself not to do something stupid.
“I, uh, I liked it actually.”
What?
“What?”
“I never said I disliked it, did I? Because I don’t.”
“But I- We're not-”
“We aren’t. Not for lack of trying, though.”
Buck is so confused now.
“Trying? W-what do you mean?”
Eddie shrugs, scuffing his toe into Buck's floorboards. “I tried to show you my interest.”
“Interest? In me? Me?” he asks, voice going higher and higher in pitch. “When?”
“Shannon smelled it when she came back, you know? Your scent.”
Oh goodness. Buck did not think he could be more horrified. You’re telling him Eddie‘s former mate smelled Buck on Eddie?!?!?!
“And we had a talk about it,” Eddie continues, oblivious to Buck's spiraling. Or maybe he's just trying to get all his words out now that they're airing out everything. “She made me realize that I probably like you more than I should as a friend and that you were probably interested in me because all the scenting doesn’t seem familial or platonic. But you weren't receptive to my courting attempts, and then life happened, and I just…”
The alpha shrugs, sighing. “I thought she was wrong. Until today.”
“You courted me?”
“Tried to.”
How could Buck have been so oblivious?
Or was he?
Because he does remember feeling really giddy when Eddie kept on giving him stuff, and the only reason he convinced himself it wasn’t a courting attempt was because-
“Wait. You courted me when you were still mated?”
“She approved of me courting you, but I didn't think it was fair to put Shannon through breaking our bond if you weren't interested in mating with me!”
Buck groans, burying his face in his hands. Were they both so stupid?
Well, in his defense, Eddie was mated.
“And you didn't try after she died?”
“A little. But I had already thought she was wrong, so I…I gave up pretty soon.”
Oh. Maybe they were both stupid and oblivious then.
“You didn't think offering to share my bed made it obvious?” he asks as a last line of defense.
“Thought it was just convenience. And that you can be super affectionate with family.” Eddie shakes his head. “But does that mean…?”
Blushing, Buck admits, “I’d love to. Be courted by you, that is.“
The smile that Eddie gives him is dazzling and hot and sweet all at once, and Buck really wants to jump-
Right. Heat.
He shifts the blanket closest to him, covering up the issue starting to appear at a rapid rate, an action that reminds the alpha still standing by the landing of the situation at hand.
“Right. I'll just, uh, I'll let you-” Eddie waves around, gesturing at nothing yet everything. “I’ll see you at work then? Maybe we can…go on a date after?”
Buck beams, feeling excited at the prospect. “Yeah. A date sounds great.”
His best friend gives him a happy nod, opening his mouth to say something before he pauses, frowns, and steps forward.
What’s going on?
Before he can voice his question, Eddie plucks something up from right outside of Buck’s nest that must have fallen out when Buck had moved the blanket. It’s a move that really steps on the line of propriety, but it’s Eddie, so Buck doesn’t feel the need to have his metaphorical hackles raised at the action. In fact, it kind of makes him want to pull Eddie in with him.
“You kept this?”
Oh no.
Mesmerized as he was to have Eddie so close to his nest, he didn’t realize what exactly Eddie picked up, and he blanches when he does.
It’s one of Eddie’s shirts that Buck had rescued, sealed in a bag to preserve the scent.
“I-I-I’m sorry.”
”That’s not- Buck, it’s filthy. There are grease stains all over it. That’s why I was going to throw it out after the last time I fixed your Jeep up.”
”You’re not mad?”
”Mad that you kept this one, yes. I could have given you some cleaner ones.”
“That’s kinda creepy, isn’t it?”
Eddie gives him a look, the ‘are you serious’ one, swinging the bag around.
Buck blushes, embarrassed, but he can’t help the pleased smile from sprouting on his face when he realizes Eddie is completely serious that he would have given him clothes. Not that it makes him not want to snatch the bag back from Eddie. “I didn’t want to overstep. And it smells like you. Since you were going to throw it out anyway…”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve kept all of my other filthy, grease-stained clothes.”
”Well, one of them was just a food stain we couldn’t quite get out.”
“I can't believe I thought you weren't interested in me.”
He pouts. That’s not fair!
The alpha hesitates a moment before obviously coming to a conclusion, dropping the bag - Buck immediately wants to snatch it back - and stripping off his shirt.
Wait. Hold up.
“Eddie!” he protests half-heartedly because it really is a beautiful sight. It’s just not helping him not jump his partner’s bones.
“What? You want my scent, so I’ll give it to you.”
”And let you go home shirtless?”
It’s definitely not an idea he’s fond of whatsoever, so he really shouldn’t be blamed when-
“I’ll just borrow one of yours.”
”Unless you want to stay?”
-he says that.
They both pause, and Buck looks away, embarrassed all over again at the forwardness.
“Do you-do you want me to?” Eddie asks, looking uncertain.
“Only if you want.”
”But do you want me to?”
That’s an easy question, isn’t it? The issue is whether he’s thick-faced enough to answer it, and he knows his face is beet red even when he manages to say, “I-We’ve wasted enough time, haven’t we? And I’m on birth control. And-“
”Then I’ll stay.”
To say he’s surprised at the easy acceptance is an understatement, to say the least. But he’s also indescribably happy and relieved that Eddie so unhesitatingly decided that. So, feeling brave, he pats the space beside him, a silent request on his face.
And when Eddie accepts it just as easily? Well, Buck doesn’t hesitate nosing the alpha’s scent gland, purring at the musky scent that hits him so much harder now that it’s from the source.
“Love you,” he hears Eddie say into his hair, and his heart bursts in so much happiness that he would be happy even if he died right now.
Well, one more thing.
“Love you, too, Eds.”
They might have had a few bumps before they got here, but here in the arms of the man he loves, drinking in his scent like there’s no tomorrow, Buck can’t help but think everything will be okay from here on out.
“Also, we’re tossing that shirt out. And the others.”
”Eddie!”