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Maybe taking the pups kayaking hadn't been Steve's greatest idea.
But it's nearing the end of summer, they'd be back at school soon, and Steve had wanted to give them one last fun day. And since he's babysitting them for today, he got to choose the activity.
And he'd chosen a trip to the river and hiring a few kayaks.
Mike and Dustin had grumbled at first, had whined that they'd rather play D&D or at least do something not so…sport adjacent. Lucas had been excited, though, and Will had been quiet and gracious as usual, happily going along with what Steve chose to do.
It's a little chaotic at first. Getting them all to shut up while Steve tells them how to hold the paddle, how to steer the kayak, how to not tip, pointing out where they could and couldn't go. But finally, once they're all in and making slow progress down the river, there's smiles all around.
Mike and Dustin splash each other with their paddles until Steve yells at them that he'll leave them behind in the middle of the river if they continue.
That stops them.
Not that he'd ever do it.
He loves those pups more than anything.
"Steve, look at this!" Dustin calls to him, paddling on ahead.
"Hey, don't go too far!" Steve warns. He watches as Dustin heads towards a thicket of trees on the far bank of the river.
"There's a snake or something on this branch, you see it?"
Steve's not looking at the tree. He's looking at the water ahead of Dustin, at the way it starts to swirl and churn, different from the gentle flow of the rest of the river. "Dustin, wait -"
There's a shriek from the boy as his kayak gets caught in the rougher current, sending him rapidly down the river.
"Hang on, I'm coming after you, steer for the bank!" Steve yells, then orders the other three to stay together in safe water. Frantically, he paddles towards Dustin. The pup's scooping desperately at the water, trying to turn his kayak, but he's not having any success.
Steve paddles harder, shoulders straining.
There's rocks up ahead. Still some distance away, but Steve can see where the water is smashing down on top of them, and if Dustin ends up that far down the river…
Jaw clenched, arms starting to ache, he forces himself to paddle even faster.
"Steve!" Dustin screams.
"I'm coming!"
The pup's kayak tips. Rolls violently, sending Dustin splashing into the water.
"No, no!" Steve shoves his paddle into the water, slowing his kayak as he turns his head frantically, looking for where Dustin pops up.
There.
Steve catches a glimpse of a wet mop of curly hair, the pup waving his arms and spluttering as he tries to kick his way towards the bank.
But the water's carrying him fast, faster than Steve can paddle.
…right towards those rocks.
The worst scenarios start to play out in Steve's mind. The pup dashed on the rocks, or stuck under the flow and unable to breathe, or hit by some log carried along by the current…
A man sprints out of the trees on the riverbank. Runs downstream of Dustin, brandishing a long stick, and holds it out towards the pup.
"Grab on, kid!" he yells.
Dustin does. Choking and gasping, he clings to the branch as the other man pulls him to the shore then drags him up out of the water.
Steve reaches them seconds later. Drives his kayak across the current as forcefully as he can, nosing it into the riverbank and scuttling onto land.
"Dustin!" He stumbles to the pup's side, where he's sitting on the ground and coughing as the other man pats gingerly at his back. Looping an arm across his shoulders, Steve studies him frantically, looking for any sign of injury. "You're ok?"
"Yeah," Dustin chokes out. "Feels like I swallowed the entire river though."
Steve smiles, laughing as the adrenaline starts to drain from his system. He turns to the man who'd rescued the pup. "Thank you."
He's an alpha, Steve realises as his nose fills with pine and leather scent.
And he's hot.
Wild black curls, delicate features, and the biggest, darkest eyes Steve's ever seen.
And he's grinning back at him. "No problem. Heard you guys yelling, I was just over there -" He jabs a thumb vaguely behind himself. "Thought I'd come see what was happening." He turns to Dustin again. "You're alright, little dude?"
Dustin nods, staring at Eddie like he's a little enraptured.
The guy did just save his life, Steve supposes. "I'm Steve," he says, holding out a wet hand. "And this is Dustin."
"Steve," the alpha whispers, like the name is something reverent, something special. Steve's heart thuds. "I'm Eddie," the other man continues, his hand warm around Steve's.
"DUSTIN!" Lucas bursts through the trees with Mike and Will hot on his heels, all three of them panting. "Holy shit, we saw you getting swept away!"
The boys gather around Dustin, kneeling down in the dirt.
"I'm ok, it wasn't even really that scary," Dustin tells them, putting on a brave face.
"Yeah right, we could hear you shrieking from all the way up the river," Mike snarks.
"Shut up, you try getting swept towards imminent death and see how you feel!" Dustin snaps back.
"Thought you said it wasn't scary?" Lucas points out.
Eddie snorts in amusement at the pups.
"This is Eddie! He saved me," Dustin tells the others.
Steve glances up, catches the alpha's eye, feels something kick in his gut.
Hard.
He frowns, clutching an arm across his stomach for a moment.
The alpha's gaze turns concerned.
"We should try and find your kayak," Will says to Dustin. "All of ours are up on shore."
"It's probably halfway to Illinois by now," Mike grumbles.
"But I'm all wet," Dustin complains, "the chafing's gonna be a bitch."
"Language," Steve tuts at him.
"It's hot, if you walk in the sun you'll be dry soon," Will reassures him.
"Go carefully, and stay on shore," Steve tells them. "Only get it if it's safe, I care more about you little shits than I do about the cost of the kayak."
"You're not coming?" Dustin asks him.
Truth is, Steve's feeling…weird.
A little light-headed, dizzy, spaced out.
And his stomach's doing this weird…flip-floppy thing.
The adrenaline wearing off, he tells himself. He shakes his head. "I'm gonna…take my kayak back. Meet you back at the start point?"
The pups start to trek off downstream, Lucas with his arm looped easily over Dustin's shoulders.
Leaving Steve alone with the alpha.
"What's wrong?" Eddie asks him, the second the pups are out of earshot.
Steve's not sure just how this guy he's known for all of five minutes knows there's something wrong, but he's not exactly up to puzzling it out right now. "I don't know," he admits, arm still across his stomach. "I just feel kinda odd. I'm sure I'll be fine in a few minutes."
The alpha's nose flares as he scents the air. For what, Steve's not sure - it's not as though he puts out any scent, he wouldn't until he presented.
"Here, come with me." Eddie holds out a hand.
Steve shakes his head. "The kayak -"
"-doesn't matter," Eddie insists. "If you're that worried, I'll bring my van up as close as we can get and we can throw it in the back, ok?"
Steve nods, giving in easily because his stomach is really starting to hurt now.
He takes Eddie's hand. Lets the alpha guide him to his feet.
And…oh.
Their faces are close, now. Pine and leather wash over Steve again, and stars spark behind his eyes. He staggers a little, and Eddie grabs for his arms. "Whoa, whoa, careful," he murmurs.
"Something's wrong," Steve says shakily. "I don't feel right."
"Come with me, ok? Gotta get you somewhere safe."
Safe. That sounded…really good.
The alpha's arm around his waist is really good too. Awesome, in fact. Steve leans heavily on him, his steps uncoordinated and slow as Eddie leads him away from the river and into the trees.
Briefly, the fact that this unknown alpha could be leading him anywhere crosses Steve's muddled mind. But the thought doesn't linger long - for some reason, deep down in his gut, Eddie feels…safe.
They emerge in a clearing. Steve blinks, forcing his vision to focus. There's a picnic table there, a guitar propped up against it, pages scattered everywhere, pencils and a few empty beer bottles lying around. There's a van parked up close by, the paint peeling off the front of it.
Steve sways a little, grabbing onto Eddie.
What the fuck is wrong with him?
"Ok, easy, let's get you sitting down." Eddie guides him to the base of a large tree, throws his leather jacket down on top of the dirt and leaves, and eases Steve gently down.
Steve fists a hand in the jacket. Breathes in deep, smells nothing but the alpha, feels his hammering pulse slow a little.
"I'm gonna get you some water," Eddie says, turning to head towards his van.
Steve whines, almost reaches out for the alpha.
Don't go!
He claps a hand over his mouth.
What the fuck?
"Sorry, I dunno…I dunno what's wrong with me," he splutters.
Eddie stops, and then crouches down in front of Steve. "I think I do," he says slowly.
Steve blinks up at him. Thinks about how pretty Eddie looks with the sunlight filtering through the trees and sparkling in his eyes. Remembers how quickly he'd reacted to rescue Dustin, responding to the cries of a distressed pup he'd never met before.
He'd make a good mate, something inside Steve croons. A perfect one, a perfect alpha for us.
Without understanding why, Steve tips his head slowly to one side, exposing his neck to the alpha.
Automatically, Eddie chuffs at him, the sound like a soothing balm on Steve's heated skin.
Honey and the soft perfume of sun-drenched flowers fills the air.
It's coming from him, from Steve.
"You're presenting," Eddie explains softly. "You're an omega."
Steve exhales in a rush, his head spinning.
His designation had always been a question mark for him.
He loved pups, was great at taking care of them, at nurturing and protecting. But he also loved sport, was the captain of the basketball team, and he was bigger and broader than most omegas he knew, to the point where he'd been predicting he'd present as an alpha…
But here, with this pretty alpha looking fondly at him, Steve feels…right.
"That's…me?" he croaks, sniffing at the new scent pouring from the gland in his neck.
Eddie smiles. "Uh huh. And I don't know how to say this without it sounding creepy, but you smell good. Like…really good."
Steve chirps. Can't help it, not with the praise flowing from the alpha's lips. The noise is unfamiliar to him, but the newly awoken omega in his hindbrain does a happy somersault.
"I didn't know I was about to present," Steve says quietly, cheeks flushed. "Otherwise I wouldn't have brought the pups out here. Fuck, that was dangerous, I'm supposed to be their babysitter -"
"Hey, you didn't know, sweetheart. Not your fault."
Steve shivers at the pet name. His hands twitch where they're buried in Eddie's jacket, longing to reach out and touch.
"Must've been my big heroic deed, huh?" Eddie teases, waggling his eyebrows. "That sorta thing do it for you?"
Steve snorts. "Clearly."
"Can I get you that water now? I'll be really quick, you won't even know I was gone, promise."
Reluctantly, Steve nods.
Eddie trips over his own feet a little in his haste to run to the van and back, and it brings a smile to Steve's lips. He's enchanted by this strange, sweet alpha.
The water bottle is passed to Steve, and he takes a few sips.
"Feeling any better?" Eddie asks him.
"A little," Steve replies.
"Takes a while, you'll probably feel weird for a few days. I remember when I presented, I was practically climbing the walls, growling at everything, drove my uncle nuts. I came here, eventually." Eddie gestures to the clearing around them. "Needed to breathe."
"You seem like you know what you're doing." Steve takes a shaky breath, unsure how to broach this next subject. "With…omegas, I mean. Do you…I mean, do you have a partner? An omega? Or…well, doesn't have to be an omega, I know sometimes alphas like other alphas, or…"
Holy shit, he's usually good at this.
Steve cringes.
Eddie only smiles softly back at him. "Nope. Just me."
Oh, Steve's omega likes that little admission.
"You play music out here?" Steve asks, eyeing the guitar, needing to steer the conversation somewhere more neutral before he says something really stupid.
"Sometimes, yeah. I write music, or stuff for my next D&D campaign."
Steve's ears perk up at that. "The pups play that."
"Yeah?"
"Uh huh. Don't tell them you do, they'll have you roped into playing with them."
"Well that's ok." Eddie grabs a stray bang, tugs it over his face, eyes twinkling. "Maybe I could see more of you that way?"
Steve swallows.
His omega swoons.
"I'd like that," he says softly.
Eddie grins. "Shall we get you into my trusty chariot over there?" He jerks a thumb at his van. "Reckon we back her up closer to the river, grab your kayak, and head back over to meet the pups?"
Steve nods, and takes Eddie's offered hand again.
When he stands, his cheeks burn red.
His shorts are wet.
And not just from kayaking.
He hadn't noticed when he'd been sitting, but now he can feel slick pooling, thinks it'll be running down his thighs any second now.
A soft noise escapes him, scent turning sour with distress.
"What's the matter?" Eddie asks.
Steve's eyes drift down and…yep, there's an obvious dark patch at his crotch.
Great.
As if this whole experience couldn't get even more fucking embarrassing.
Eddie eyes him, then chuffs, soothing. "It's alright, I've got some spare clothes in the van, sweetheart."
"Sorry," Steve mumbles, stepping uncomfortably in his soaked-through boxers.
"None of that," the alpha chides. "No apologising for something you can't control."
While Eddie steers the van precariously close to the edge of the river and drags Steve's kayak up the bank, the omega kicks off his slick-soaked boxers and shorts and steps into the worn, cosy pants Eddie had offered him. It wouldn't be long before he soaked through those too, he thinks - especially with the alpha's scent thick in the air and the way he's treating him with such care. Steve's omega seems to think he's their perfect mate, after all, and it wasn't helping Steve's…situation.
Still, hopefully the clean clothes will hold out until Steve can at least get to a bathroom.
Eddie drives him back down the bumpy, narrow dirt road out of the forest and to the start point for the kayaking. The pups are there, sitting in the sun, their kayaks already returned to the little shack on the riverbank.
"One omega safely delivered back to his pups," Eddie announces, grinning over at Steve.
Cheeks flushing again, Steve smiles at the alpha. "Thanks, Eddie. For everything."
Eddie gives him a little mock salute. "Wait, before you go…" He reaches across Steve, fumbling through the glovebox for a pen, then gestures for Steve's hand. With his tongue slightly poking out between his teeth, he carefully writes down a phone number on the back of Steve's hand. "Call me when you get home? Let me know you got there safe?"
Steve grins. He can feel his omega quivering, braced, practically begging - but it's not necessary; Steve's already made up his mind about what he wants. "I will. Gotta set up that first date, anyway."
Eddie's eyes widen, and Steve watches his throat bob as he swallows. "You want that? With me?"
Steve leans over. Kisses Eddie, just briefly, a fleeting brush of lips. Their scents mingle and intertwine, honey-sweet entangling with fresh pine. "That answer your question?"
"Yep…yep, it does. Question well and truly answered, thank you," Eddie stammers.
Steve smiles at him one more time, then steps out of the van, already being bombarded by questions from the pups.
"What took you so long?"
"Why are you in different clothes?"
"Did you just kiss that guy? Gross."
"You smell weird."
Rolling his eyes, Steve turns to watch Eddie reverse the van and slowly drive away, his gaze lingering in the rearview mirror.
Presenting as an omega and potentially gaining a mate within an hour? It had been a bit of a day, Steve thinks.
Still, he can't wait to call Eddie when he gets home.
"Alright, alright, one at a damn time." Steve claps his hands several times, shutting the pups up. "Everyone in the car, I'll answer questions on the way home. Hey, Dustin, wipe your damn feet before you get in! On the OUTSIDE, not the inside…"