Chapter Text
Steve’s heard the stories and had been advised to look out for the signs that would determine his second gender. He wanted nothing more than to be an alpha. Alphas were at the top, well respected by everyone. It wasn’t everyday when someone went out of their way to show him a little decency. He grew up watching the way the world treated alphas. He wanted that.
But he was sick and small. The moment he took his first breath his life was going to be a battle. He never did grow big and strong like the other kids-they would all be alphas some day. His mother assured him that it didn’t matter how he presented, she would love him unconditionally. But it mattered to Steve. He was tired of being the scrawny kid.
Then at the age of 17 it happened.
The signs had been subtle at first: flushed skin, mild cramps and nausea. Those symptoms were familiar to him and at first he wondered if he was coming down with another illness. He didn’t want to jump ahead and assume what he was feeling was the start of a rut. Bucky, his best friend, had felt off before the start of his, and Steve wondered if he was going into a rut too.
His mother forces him to stay in bed. It was times like this when he was thankful she was a nurse. She had always been nurturing and caring. Being a nurse suited her, it was her calling. She never left his side whenever he was sick, always there to coddle and nurse him back to health. It’s how it’s always been.
The fever is getting worse along with the buzz under his skin. It’s like an itch he can’t scratch. Steve whines and buries his face in the pillow, hoping and praying that it doesn’t get any worse from here.
The cotton of his shirt is scratchy, rubbing along his skin in the most uncomfortable way. Steve sits up to discard the article of clothing, sighing in relief when the coolness of the room touches his bare skin. It’s not enough to bring him relief. He needed more.
He plops back with a groan and peels the thin sheet off of him, grimacing at the way it clings to his body. Steve pants heavily, eyes squeezing shut when his belly twinges painfully. He releases another moan of pain and rolls over onto his side, clutching his belly when it continues to cramp.
A soft knock on the door reaches his ears and Steve lifts his head. The door opens and his mother appears in the doorway, a sad expression on her face. Steve lets out a small whine and she comes closer, laying her hand over his forehead.
“Ma," he croaks, hating how his voice sounds. His mother gently runs her fingers through his hair.
“I know, sweetheart.” The sound of her voice is comforting but it’s not enough. Steve needs something else. Her touch and voice alone weren’t going to cut it.
“Is it my rut?”
His mother doesn’t respond at first, almost as if she’s trying to find the answer. “Could be,” she eventually says but her tone sounds off, unsure. “You need to rest and I’ll get that fever down.”
Steve whines and turns away from her. He just wanted to feel better, for the ache to go away. He didn’t even know what the urge he had was for, but he wanted it gone.
“Bucky is outside.”
At those words, Steve is perking up. He rolls back over and pulls himself into a sitting position. “He is? Where?”
His mother’s gaze falls on the doorway and Steve follows. There’s Bucky, lingering in the entryway, a small smile on his face. Steve is ready to call him over but his mother sends him a stern look.
“You need to rest, Steve. Bucky can visit another time.”
“Ma, please? Just for a little while?”
Sarah looks between her son and the boy she considered one of her own, and with a heavy sigh, waves Bucky in. Bucky rushes over, his smile growing brighter at the sight of his friend.
“Just for a few minutes,” Sarah warns, making sure to waggle a finger in Bucky’s direction.
“Yes, ma’am.” Bucky nods politely.
Sarah tucks Steve back into bed and places a kiss to his forehead, then she leaves the room and shuts the door behind her.
“You look like hell.”
“Nice to see you too, jerk.”
Bucky chuckles and steps further into the room until he’s near the edge of the bed. He lowers himself down near Steve’s feet. “What is it this time?”
“Don’t know. Hopefully I’m presenting.”
“Bout time.” Bucky jokes.
The only thing Steve can do is glare in his direction. If he had the strength he'd throw his pillow at him, but the dirty look would have to do for now.
“Was your rut like this?” Steve asks.
Bucky frowns as he ponders for a moment. “I remember feeling like crap. But you seem...different. Maybe you’re presenting as an o-”
“Don’t. I want to be an alpha.”
“It’s not a bad thing. I don’t care, Stevie. I’ll love you anyway.”
Steve can’t help but flush at those words. He loved his best friend too, probably more than he should. Bucky was more than just a friend. They’ve been inseparable for as long as he could remember. It was always going to be them. Till the end of the line.
He wonders if it’s the fever that’s making him delirious, but he has the sudden urge to yank Bucky by his overalls and smash their lips together. He could never do that of course. His crush for his best friend was just that, a crush. It meant nothing. It wasn’t like Bucky looked at him like that anyway.
Bucky was clearly the better looking of the two and the girls chased after him, not once bothering to give Steve a second glance. Bucky deserved an omega that was beautiful. Steve was none of those things.
“You okay, pal?” Bucky’s voice cuts through Steve’s thoughts. Bucky has moved closer, one hand stretching out until it’s laying over Steve’s forehead. Steve can’t help the small whine that escapes him. “Jesus, Stevie, you’re burnin’ up. Want me to get your ma?”
“N-no. Just want you.” Steve finds himself leaning into Bucky’s touch. The feeling of Bucky’s hand against his heated skin was electrifying, overwhelming, but good at the same time. Steve needed more of his touch. “B-Buck, please?”
“What do you want, Stevie?”
“You.”
Bucky nods and crawls onto the bed until he’s lying beside Steve. This wouldn’t be the first time Bucky has chosen to curl up around him. Steve was always coming down with something and it had always been Bucky to be there for him, comforting him the only way he knew how.
“I got you, pal.”
Steve whimpers and clings onto Bucky tightly, burying his face into the crook of the alpha’s neck. He inhales the familiar scent, sighing softly. Bucky’s scent always calmed him down.
But now it was doing something else. Steve’s cock stirs in his pajama bottoms and a rush of wetness pools between his legs. He yelps in surprise and tries to pull away, not wanting Bucky to know what happened.
“What? Steve, what’s-” Bucky pauses and he gives the air a sniff. His sky blue eyes darken. “Shit. You...you…”
Steve peers up at him, cheeks growing hot from not only the fever but the blush that creeps over him. “What?”
“You smell so good.” Bucky sniffs the air again and he moans softly. “Shit, Stevie, I think you’re going into heat.”
Steve shakes his head. “N-no. I’m supposed to be an al-”
“Nuh-Uh. I smell you. You’re in heat.”
Steve whimpers and tries to distance himself but Bucky is faster and pulls him close. “Hey, it’s okay. At least you know what the hell's going on. I don’t care if you’re an omega.”
“Omega’s aren’t special, Buck! They’re only good for one thing and that’s having pups. No one will ever look at me as anything else.”
“I will. I don’t see you as just a housewife. You’re this feisty, stubborn as hell punk that I’ll follow without a second thought. You’re stronger and braver than any alpha out there.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“'M not. You’re special and any alpha would be lucky to have you.”
Steve’s heart sinks at those words. Any alpha. Not Bucky. Bucky didn’t want him.
Sarah returns to the room and Bucky takes that as his cue to leave. The aroma of an omega in heat penetrates the air and Sarah makes sure to send Bucky a warning growl. Bucky leaves the room like a sad puppy with its tail between its legs.
The room is silent for a few moments. Steve doesn’t say a word, doesn’t bother to tell his mother about his new discovery. She could probably smell it anyway.
“Becoming an omega isn’t the end of the world,” she tells him softly and she places a cool cloth over his head.
“I wanted to be an alpha. Omega’s don’t get any respect.” Steve pouts.
“Some alpha’s don’t either. Your father wasn’t respected by everyone. There’s some good ones out there, Steve.”
“Yeah. I know one.”
Sarah smiles and leans down to kiss his head. “Then he’s all you need. Get some rest.”
“I love you, ma.”
“I love you more.”
The fever was getting worse and the urge to be near an alpha was borderline painful. He needed Bucky and his comforting scent. He needed his knot.
Steve tosses and turns, praying the ache would leave him alone. But the urge persists. The only way to rid himself of this excruciating pain would be to mate.
He was too young to be mating. There were the possibilities of an unwanted pregnancy. Steve was too young to have pups. His mother and him struggled enough as it was and adding another mouth to feed into the mix would be a nightmare.
Steve wasn’t too worried about that, though. It wasn’t like he had an alpha to mate with anyway. No alpha wanted him.
It’s late and his mother had already gone to bed. Steve lies awake, whimpering and writhing under the thin sheet. He works his cock furiously, trying to bring himself some relief. It’s not enough. He’s already come three times and the ache was still there. He needed more.
He trails his other hand between his legs to tease around his hole. He’s met with wetness and he hisses from the sensitivity. The slick coats his curious finger and he slides in with barely an effort, moaning from the feeling of being stretched.
“Ah ah.” Steve sinks his finger in deeper, brushing along his sensitive walls. He grows braver and adds another, a choked moan escaping him when he applies pressure to a spot inside of him. His body tenses and he comes with a gasp, his cock spurting along his stomach and chest.
Steve pumps the fingers in and out, his pace increasing and he comes again, slick gushing out and making a mess of the sheets. He removes his fingers and glances down at himself, grimacing at the mess he’s made.
He grabs a rag to clean himself, hissing when he brushes the cloth along his sensitive cock. It twitches, the head leaking and making more of a mess. He tosses the dirty rag to the side and lies back down, forcing his eyes shut and hoping for sleep. But it never comes.
The itch hadn’t been scratched. Steve whimpers and tugs at his cock again until it’s filling up. He gives it a few strokes before deciding to finger himself again.
“Yes.” He hisses and tips his head back when he slides two fingers into himself. He rocks back on them, the feeling pulling little moans and whimpers from him. He brushes against that spot again and cries out, one hand flying up to cover his mouth. The apartment remains silent.
Steve starts back up again, fingering himself hurriedly before he does end up waking his mother. He clenches down on his fingers, more slick spilling from his loose hole. He was close. He just needed a little more.
He freezes when he hears a soft tap against his window. Steve slowly slides his fingers from himself and wipes them on the sheets, then he’s pulling his pants up and getting out of bed to investigate. The smell of an alpha hits him the moment he opens the window.
Bucky crawls through, ignoring the scolding Steve gives him. “I had to see you,” Bucky explains. “It’s been two whole days, Stevie.”
“Go away.” Steve tries to scold but it comes out like a pathetic whine. He sniffs the air, inhaling the familiar scent. His pants grow wet again. “Buck, please? It’s so bad.”
“Holy shit that’s you!” Bucky inhales. The same look he wore the day they both discovered Steve’s approaching heat comes back, his eyes darken again and his scent changing. It’s stronger than Steve remembers it being.
“Go away.” Steve tries to push his friend toward the window.
“You sure? I can help.”
Steve shakes his head at the suggestion but deep down he wants nothing more than for Bucky to claim him.
“Can’t. We’re...you just can’t, Buck.”
“Who says?”
“You don’t like me like that and I don’t want to make you do something you’re going to regret. I love you too much to lose you.”
“You love me, huh?”
Steve peers up at his friend and nods his head. “Yes,” he whispers.
“Well shit. I was wondering when you’d say that.”
“What?”
“I love you too, punk. Always have, always will.”
“But I’m-”
“I told you I don’t care. You’re perfect.” Bucky comes closer and pulls Steve into his arms. He leans down to press his forehead against Steve’s. “You’re beautiful. I meant it when I said any alpha would love to have you. I was kinda hoping it would be me.”
“You want me?” Steve asks.
“Yeah. I’m crazy about you.”
“It’s not just my heat?”
“Nope. I loved you before all this. But to be honest it’s making it hard not to kiss you.”
“Then do it.”
Bucky grins that perfect smile Steve can’t get enough of and ducks his head to capture Steve’s lips in a kiss. The omega gasps and clings onto Bucky’s firm shoulders, bringing him closer until their bodies are pressed together. Steve squeaks in surprise when he’s lifted up and carried to the bed. Bucky places Steve down gently and hovers over him.
“P-please?” Steve begs, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I got you,” Bucky promises and leans down to kiss Steve again. He’s gentle, taking his time exploring Steve’s mouth. Bucky is too soft for Steve’s liking and he pushes Bucky away.
“Please? I need more...I need…” Steve whines pathetically and bucks his hips, hissing when his sensitive cock rubs against Bucky’s thigh. “Bucky, please!”
Bucky ducks his head down again and buries his face in Steve’s neck, licking along the sensitive gland there. “I got you,” he murmurs against the spot Steve wants him to sink his teeth into. Bucky teases the area with gentle kisses and licks, barely scraping his teeth over the spot. “You’re so gorgeous, Steve. So perfect.”
Steve whines at the praises and bucks up again, whimpering in frustration from the lack of friction. He needs more.
Bucky trails a hand between them until it’s hovering where Steve wants it most. Bucky plays with the hem of Steve’s pants before lowering them down his legs. He takes his cock, stroking the heated flesh and smearing the precome around the head. Steve throws his head back with a moan, eyes falling shut as he focuses on the pleasure.
“This good?” Bucky asks, sounding a little unsure. Steve lifts his head to peer up at him, finding a look of uncertainty written on the alpha’s face. Bucky rarely let his insecurities show, he was always the more confident of the two. He had more experience when it came to this sort of thing...at least, that’s what Steve thought.
It hits him that they were both about to experience this moment for the first time. Bucky hadn’t mated before, never gave up his virginity to just any omega. He was saving it for Steve. It was always going to be Steve.
“Y-yeah.” Steve’s voice is too breathy for his liking but the look of pure love and desire on Bucky’s face in combination with his touch was overwhelming. “So good, Buck. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Bucky doesn’t and he strokes Steve’s cock a few times before he’s pulling away and spreading Steve’s legs wide, showing off his leaking hole. Bucky takes a moment to admire the scene in front of him; his burning gaze has Steve blushing and trying to hide away.
“Don’t.” Bucky keeps his legs open. “You’re so beautiful.”
Their lips meet again and Steve gasps into Bucky’s mouth when his hole is teased. Bucky circles the tip of his finger around the ring of muscle before pushing in; he slides in effortlessly.
“Fuck,” Bucky curses and pulls his finger back before thrusting it back in. “You’re so wet.”
Steve watches with hooded eyes as Bucky fingers him. He adds another finger and begins to thrust them, and it’s not long before he finds that spot inside Steve and elicits a moan from the omega.
“B-Bucky!” Steve cries, his back arching off the bed. A rush of slick pours out of him, coating the inside of his thighs and Bucky’s hand. Bucky plows through it, creating a squelching sound in the room. Steve’s face burns from the sound his body makes, but it’s quickly forgotten when Bucky continues to rub that sensitive spot. “Ah! Buck, gonna come!”
Bucky growls and applies more pressure until Steve is coming. His cock twitches and spurts, creating tiny puddles along Steve’s chest. His hole gushes and Bucky has to rip his hand away from the amount of slick that erupts.
“Bucky, please!” Steve whimpers. He’s lost count of how many times he’s come but it’s not enough. He needs to mate. He needs an alpha. “Please claim me. Bucky, I need...I need…”
“Shh, I got you, doll.” Bucky croons and kisses Steve again. He breaks the kiss to ask, “you really wanna do this?”
Steve nods his head frantically, unable to form real words. It’s enough for the alpha and he works quickly on shedding his clothes, then he’s positioning himself between Steve’s legs and pushing inside.
Bucky groans, his eyes falling shut at the feeling of having his cock surrounded in Steve’s tight heat. “Shit, Stevie you feel so good. Can I move?”
“Yes. Bucky, please. Please I need you. I need you.”
“I’m here.” It’s said like a promise, because that's exactly what it is. Bucky was always going to be there.
Bucky starts to move, sliding his cock out until the tip remains before pushing back in. Steve wraps his legs around his waist, urging him closer. Bucky grunts and thrusts harder, causing Steve to cling to him tightly and moan.
It only takes a few more thrusts before the base of Bucky’s cock begins to tingle. He fucks harder into Steve, chasing after his release.
“Fuck, Stevie. Gonna...gonna...come.” Bucky growls when Steve clenches down around him, milking his knot. “Ah, Steve. ‘M close.”
“Please.” Steve can feel the knot expanding, stretching his already loose hole even more. With another hard thrust, Bucky forces the knot inside and locks them together. Steve cries out his release and his cock spills between them.
Bucky presses their mouths together to silence Steve’s moans. He keeps moving until he’s reaching his own release and he comes with a grunt. Bucky buries his face in Steve’s neck and bites down on the gland, creating a bond between them.
“Bite me, Stevie.”
Steve leans up and digs his teeth into Bucky’s mating gland, breaking the skin and lapping at the new mark. Bucky groans and his body shudders as he empties again inside Steve’s body.
“You did so good,” Bucky praises and kisses Steve’s lips softly.
They break apart and Steve buries his face in Bucky’s neck, nuzzling the mark he put there. Bucky was his alpha, his mate. It was something Steve never imagined.
“We’re...mates,” Steve whispers, still unable to grasp the idea.
“Yeah,” Bucky whispers back. “You okay with that?”
“More than okay. I’m...I guess I never thought you’d- because I’m me and-”
“It’s always been you.”
“Really?”
“Always. I love you, Steve.”
Steve smiles and kisses Bucky again. “I love you, too.”
Bucky’s knot eventually softens, allowing him to pull out and wrap Steve in his arms. The omega purrs, happy and content in his alpha’s arms. For a moment nothing else matters. Steve doesn’t think about what his mother was going to say or the possibility of a pup. They’d cross that bridge when they got there.
“You’re staying, right?” Steve whispers. A part of him wonders if Bucky was going to slip back out the window he came through. His question is answered when Bucky pulls him closer and kisses his forehead.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Happy with that thought, Steve allows himself to drift off. Safe and warm in Bucky’s arms.