Archive of Our Own

“You are acting weird,” Buck informed Eddie, head peaking through the open door of the bathroom. His pretty baby blue eyes were still heavy with sleepiness, the alpha watched him from the side as he finished shaving and waited for what else he had to say, “Weirder than usual”.

Ah, his little shit gorgeous omega.

“It’s 7 AM,” Eddie reminded him, making a pause as he held the razor away from his face, “I’m just waking up”.

“Mmm…” The omega arched an eyebrow. “You were sniffing me in bed…”

Jesus. Too early for this.

Eddie shrugged, going back to his shaving and playing it cool, “I’m an alpha, I sniff by instinct,” he defended himself. “I like how you smell.”

“Mhm,” Buck exclaimed, clearly not convinced and waiting for Eddie to give in and admit to whatever.

Not today, though.

“Oh, me putting my nose in your ass last night like a dog is not proof enough—”

“Holy shiiiiit!”

“—of how much I like your scent? Buck, please.”

“Please, he says!” The omega laughed, “God, it’s 7 AM! We have a 24 hour shift! Stop talking about sex when we won’t have any for at least a day and a half!”

Eddie laughed as well, watching as the man shook his head and walked away from the bathroom, still loudly lamenting.

One small victory, a long day to come avoiding questions and too loud thoughts.

He heard Buck walk into the bedroom and distract himself with his clothes. Eddie sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, blinking a couple of times as he tried to keep his reasoning for the sniffing away from his head.

The alpha gave another pass to his chin, white foam going with the razor, and Christopher’s door opened, followed by the sound of soft steps walking into the bathroom.

“Good morning,” he greeted his son, Christopher’s scolding little face as he looked up almost made him laugh. He bit down his tongue to avoid it, knowing it’d annoy the teen. “Rea—“

“You two are aware this house is small?” He said, making Eddie freeze with the razor on his jaw, looking at his son. “You are, you gotta be.”

“Yes?” Buck answered for him, standing at the bedroom door, “What about it?”

“I can hear you,” Chris said, making Eddie’s stomach drop, “when you say weirdo things in the bathroom.”

“Uh—“

“We all share the bathroom,” the kid reminded them, “can we all be normal in the bathroom?”

“Y—“

“Good!” Christopher said before Buck could answer, walking in behind Eddie. “We don’t—dad, move! I need to pee!”

He moved aside, finally passing the razor for the last time and opening the water to quickly clean up and leave. Buck gave him a look as they left the pup to his morning business and closed the door behind him.

Buck crossed his arms over his chest, smiling at him.

“You need a bigger house.”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, about that—“

“You don’t have the funds, credit, whatever. I know,” he laughed. “You can just move in with me…”

At the very least, Buck’s bedroom had its own bathroom and scenes like this one could be avoided. He shrugged for the moment, hearing him laugh as they both walked into the bedroom to finish dressing up.

“What about Chris’ school?” Eddie asked aloud, knowing well Buck likely had a solution already at the front of his brain. “It’s a bit far…”

“Yeah, but we also have two cars.” Buck reminded him, tucking his shirt in his jeans. “Most of our shifts start at 9 and you always wake up at 6, like a weirdo—”

“I can’t help it!”

“You can drive him with no issue!”

Eddie looked back at him, warming his aftershave lotion in his hands. “Right, and who’s going to tell him he has to wake up at 6—”

“I’m not waking up at 6!” The pup announced as he left the bathroom. “Close your door!”

“Sorry!” Buck said as Eddie rolled his eyes, having a teenager at home had resulted in some of the funniest yet frustrating days sometimes, especially as Presenting Season approached. “You wouldn’t like to move in with me?”

Eddie walked closer to the door where Buck stood barefoot, talking to his pup.

“Maybe,” Chris said easily. “But I’m not waking up at six…”

“You can wake up at seven but be ready fast, then there’s no problem with school.”

Eddie peeked his head behind Buck, seeing Christopher in the hallway, hand on his bedroom’s door handle. The kid’s eyes were elsewhere as he thought it over, then he looked at Buck and smiled.

“Fine,” he said, “we can move in with you.”

Buck clapped, turning around to face Eddie.

The alpha smiled at him, instinctively putting a hand on his waist, “See?” Buck murmured, “Problem solved!”

A year ago, this exact moment would be a dream he tried to shake off his head for the rest of his day after waking up.

This morning, he had opened his eyes to the sleeping omega at his side, curled against him, back to his chest, the warmest and coziest Eddie had ever woken up in his life.

He leaned in, kissing him softly, grateful for his every day.

“Ew, parents kissing…”

His little shit son he raised himself included.

Eddie laughed, looking back as Christopher opened his door.

“You’ll have to get used to it, we are gonna live all together now!” Eddie reminded him.

“Well, at least Buck’s place is bigger…” The pup murmured, entering his room and closing his door behind him.

Buck sighed, looking back at Eddie with a smile.

The alpha put his free hand on his neck, caressing the hair at his nape, fingers stimulating his bonding gland gently. The act had Buck purring immediately, an effect Eddie had discovered through the worse of the omega’s recovery but had become a comfort for the two of them.

“Guess we’re moving in…” Eddie murmured, “Are you completely sure?”

“Eddie,” the man chuckled, eyes still closed. He took a deep breath, opening his eyes with that smile that made Eddie’s heart jump every single time, “we’ve been pretty much living together for months…” 

“I mean, yeah, but—my ugly socks will be in your laundry basket.”

“Uhm,” Buck seemed to think about it, “I’ll allow it.”

“Yeah? The vaporub smell included?”

“Ugh…” the omega frowned, “well… it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make, but you’ll have to be patient with my wet towels everywhere and my messy nesting.”

“Messy nesting? You know I love your nesting…”

“I mean my mess. In my bedroom.”

Eddie narrowed his eyes at Buck, leaning into his face slightly.

“Our bedroom, cosita.”

The man’s entire face lit up, nodding before stepping forward to kiss Eddie.

Buck’s warm body reminded him these moments were real and he was no longer dreaming. That, although the past couple of years had been nightmarish at some points, they were still there.

He stood there, head slightly up, sharing his breath with the man of his dreams.

Eddie opened his mouth, coaxing Buck’s to move, the omega left out a sweet moan between them. His fingers dug into the skin of his hips, keeping Buck firmly against him as Eddie deepened the kiss, tongue and sighs, maybe a bit too sloppy for the morning of a work day, but it had Buck giggling when they went away, breathing heavily and smiling.

“Good morning,” Eddie murmured, “ready for work?”

“Yeah…” Buck caressed his nose with his. “Not you, though. Get dressed!”

Sighing, he let go of his omega and went back to get ready. He heard him laugh as he left the room and went into the kitchen, probably to make sure Christopher’s snacks were ready for the taking and his thermos was filled up.

The alpha dressed in no time, buttoning up his shirt when the corner of his eye catched onto something on their bed.

“Uh,” Eddie frowned, stopping all movement to turn and face the bed fully. “What the hell?”

Under their undone bedsheets were… his ugly socks.

All of them, dirty ones included.

His head moved to the side, blinking a couple of times as he tried to understand what he was looking at. But he had no time to process it as Eddie moved the cover to see the damage and found the kitchen’s towels neatly folded in two, making a sort of a mosaic piece where their feet would go.

“Buck?” He said aloud, trying to decide if it was a good idea to remove everything or not.

His bed was also Buck’s, it was pretty much the nest the omega had made for them after Eddie let him choose their bedsheets and encouraged him to put whatever he wanted.

Maybe it was that…

“Buck!” He called again, slowly realizing the pillows were arranged purposely too.

“What?” He heard from outside.

Eddie shook his head, Chris was right; they were way too loud.

“Come here, sweetheart!”

The man stomped into the room, looking slightly annoyed yet curious.

Eddie extended his arm towards him, taking his hand when Buck offered it and making him stand at his side in front of the bed, shirt still half open.

“Uh, are you… uh, rebuilding the nest or something?”

“Nest?” Buck blinked. Eddie gestured to the bed with his head, the omega looked back and gasped. “Oh, I—”

“I don’t mind.” Eddie was quick to clarify. “Just, uh, can I take a pair of socks?”

“Yes!” Buck said even faster, immediately going for the clothes and taking them away desperately. “This is not—I wasn’t nesting!” He clarified, making Eddie frown. “I was going to put the clean ones away but then… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Eddie’s frown went deeper. “Buck? Look at me, cosita.”

Buck looked back, carrying everything in his arms, sheets included. It would’ve made Eddie laugh had the man not been looking pale, almost scared, and definitely embarrassed.

“Hey, I don’t mind…” Eddie said. “I’m sorry I assumed you were nesting, I told you before I love your nesting.”

“I know, I just… wasn’t.”

Eddie nodded, “It’s okay.” He smiled, offering his empty hands, “Let me help you with that?”

Slowly, the omega gave him the clothes back. He had put together the dirty socks with the clean ones in his desperation, but Eddie was not about to tell him that, not when the smell in the room was sharp and acidic with embarrassment.

“I… I think I got distracted by the scent.” The omega murmured. “You know? Because some were used, your scent was so strong…”

“Mhm, yeah…” Eddie nodded, putting the sheets back on the bed and the socks in the laundry basket. “I’ll separate them when we get back.” He said, then turned around to find Buck looking worriedly at the bed. “Cosita, are you okay?”

He looked back, nodding, still with a tiny frown.

“Yes,” he sighed, then stepped in and stood in front of Eddie, “It’s nothing.” He assured him, finishing Eddie’s buttons for him. The omega finally smiled, looking at Eddie’s face, “There!”

“Thank you, mi amor.”

He leaned in, kissing Eddie’s cheek and making him smile further.

“You’re welcome, alpha.”

“Buck.”

His omega blinked at him, then walked out and back to the kitchen, leaving him with a beating heart and a new bullet point in his head.

So… heavier sleep, headaches at 5 PM, sudden and messy nesting.

“Bueno…” Eddie sighed, “será lo que Dios quiera.”

He just needed to focus on any changes in his omega’s scent to confirm his suspicion.

Será, Será

The house before seven was awfully quiet, almost as if still in time, leaving Eddie to his thoughts as he drank coffee in the kitchen.

He could hear the first birds making a fuss outside, if he looked at the window, he’d see the couple that came and made its nest in front of the kitchen’s window every year.

They’d arrived a couple of days ago and Eddie could see them building their yearly home as the street started to clear up in front of him.

“It’s an American Bushtit!” Christopher had announced years before, little and always smiling, no teenhood mood swings on sight yet, “Oh, there’s another one!”

“They must be a couple!” Buck had suggested, holding Christopher in arms to sit him down near the window. The man leaned on the sink, looking outside. “You think there’s eggs in there already?”

“It looks like a sock!”

Eddie had sat there watching them as he was watching the little birds quickly fly in with material, their pouch-like nest coming in slowly as they worked together. The smile on his face back then was the same as he sat there remembering, sighing when he saw one of the birds standing at the window, picking around.

“Okay, dad,” Christopher had shown him his tablet then, signaling a picture of a bird similar to the one at their window, “it’s a female Bushtit! She’s rounder than the male.”

The bird looked up into the house, moving its head to one side with its black eyes fixated on Eddie.

For a moment, he frowned, then the bird’s glance hardened and Eddie sat straight on the chair, looking at its round figure.

“Don’t mess with her!” Eddie had laughed then, looking at the photo his son was showing him. The female Bushtit looked upset at the camera, it made for an adorable picture of a very tiny and angry bird.

His housemate at the window was just as round, just as upset.

“Ma’am, come on…” Eddie murmured, standing up from the table and walking towards the sink. The bird followed him as he got closer. “You’re living rent free here, don’t give me that look.”

She looked mad as hell.

It was almost as if she knew they were meant to be moving in a couple of days.

He left the empty cup on the sink, knowing he’d drink more once Christopher and Buck were awake. Eddie stretched his neck to the right then to the left, cracking it a little before the bedroom’s door opened and the house filled with happy omega pheromones.

Familiar steps followed, closer and closer to the kitchen as Eddie went back to the coffeemaker and put it on then walked back to the table. The door opened, a sleepy Buck walked in, a big smile on his face.

“Good morning!” The man said, walking to the coffeemaker and making a happy noise when he found it working. “Thank you…” He said, looking back at Eddie with his cheeks slightly pink.

Uhm.

Eddie opened his arms instead, smiling at his mate.

“C’mere.”

The omega fell into his open arms, sitting on his lap as he folded himself against Eddie’s body.

It must be funny to see two big grown men like this, but Buck fit perfectly into his lap and his arms, and Eddie wouldn’t want him anywhere else. Especially not now.

He kissed the top of Buck’s head with a loud noise, smiling as the omega purred happily.

“Good morning, cosita…” Eddie murmured, “Did you sleep well?”

“Uhm,” Buck sighed, his purring continuing, “let’s say yes because I don’t actually know?”

Eddie frowned slightly, moving his head to one side. “What do you mean?”

“Uhh…” Buck blinked, fingers moving to Eddie’s ear, fingertips tracing it gently. “So I know that I dreamt something, but I don’t remember what it was.”

“Okay…” Eddie blinked this time, “Are you okay?”

The omega nodded, scent changing just so, it made Eddie move his hand from Buck’s lower back to his neck.

“Eddie,” Buck smiled, moving his hand to the alpha’s hair, messing it with his fingers, “I’m fine.”

A new protest died on his tongue, the coffee machine beeped interrupting their conversation and making Buck stand up to grab a cup.

He watched him walk to the sink and take Eddie’s and the alpha smiled, watching his mate serve their cups before returning to the table, taking a seat for himself close to him.

Buck’s eyes closed at the first sip, Eddie watched him as the omega moaned softly at the taste then smiled wide and stupid when his eyes opened and looked at him, shining as the first rays of the sun hit the side of his face.

He had no complaints. He had the best view in the city, maybe the world, each morning.

“What?”

Buck’s birthmark was bright that morning, it shone on his face in a way Eddie hadn’t seen before. It looked beautiful.

“Nothing.” Eddie murmured, taking his cup to his lips.

He had a theory.

The first clues had been so small, had Eddie not known Buck like the palm of his hand, he may have never realized. But he was there for every little change in the omega’s behavior, his moods and scents. He’d been there as Buck’s eyes filled with tears when the couple of Bushtits arrived the week before and when he started to wake up later and later each morning, the pretty birthmark on his face getting brighter.

Eddie needed a bit more time, but he was sure…

“You’re staring again…” Buck reminded him, “You’ve been staring a lot, what is it?”

Soon, maybe in the following days, his omega’s scent would change.

Eddie shook his head no, smiling softly. “Nothing, cosita.”

In around eight or seven months, it won’t be nothing. It never was with them.

“Uhmmm,” Buck took his coffee to his lips, drinking again, eyes landing on Eddie.

He mimicked him, drinking his coffee as his eyes stayed on Buck’s, careful not to laugh as they kept their little staring competition going with the sun against their faces.

Eddie had a theory, and it was a shame this kitchen won’t see it as it had seen them grow from coworkers to friends to mates.

“Is it the pre-rut?” Buck smirked, batting his eyelashes prettily. “I know we have a date in a couple of weeks, soooo…”

The alpha laughed, nodding as a distraction. That rut would not come, he was sure of it, there was no need and his body knew it.

“I can’t look at my beautiful omega now without being accused of rut, uh?”

Their bond had informed it, they won’t be needing his rut nor Buck’s heat next month.

“Mhmmm…” Buck nodded. “I know you,” he reminded him, “and I know when you have that… little tingle of wanting to see me bent like a pretzel and breed me, so—”

“Buck!” He laughed, shaking his head. “Man, come on…”

“I have seen it enough these past months, I’m just saying!”

There was no need,

“Our son is right there in his bedroom!”

“He’s asleep, you know he’s still sleeping!”

His omega was pregnant, and his scent was about to change any moment now, maybe once they stopped laughing so loudly before 7 AM.

A week went by without any scent changes, but the distinctive odd behaviors continued and Eddie had a bad feeling in his gut he couldn’t just shake off.

There was a part of him that rationalized these changes as stress—they were moving, packing, going around trying to convince Christopher to throw some of the trash he kept storing for “future usage” and to donate the clothes that simply did not fit him anymore.

Omegas were susceptible to stressing situations, emotions and habits changing with them.

But—

“What if…” Buck started, making Eddie and Christopher look up from the kitchen’s table. “What if we pack up our friends, too?”

Eddie arched an eyebrow, following Buck’s gaze to the window where the American Bushtits stood together, the female all puffy and angry again, staring into Buck’s face like she knew his mate was the one maybe carrying an egg this spring.

“I bet they’d loooove some of the trees in the backyard…”

“We can’t move their nest, it’s literally illegal,” Christopher reminded him, sounding disappointed.

Buck made a face, unsatisfied.

“I mean,” he finally looked back at them, Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a look. Buck smiled apologetically, “I read we can move their nest as long as there’s no eggs in it…”

“But they are building it,” Christopher frowned.

“Exactly,” Buck said, pointing at their pup, “there’s no nest yet. We can move them… or get an expert to move them with us!”

The worst part of it all was that Christopher paused, thinking about it while Eddie shook his head. How the hell had he survived Thing One and Thing Two coming together to plan the most outrageous things for years, he wasn’t sure.

“Nobody is touching those birds,” Eddie said firmly, keeping his voice down, regulating his tone, “they ain’t pets and they chose that window themselves.”

His omega made an unsatisfactory noise, making Christopher groan as he went back to his meal.

“She’s mad again…” Buck murmured, Eddie looked back to find the female Bushtit giving his mate the stinky eye. “She hates me…”

“Buck, the bird is not beefing with you!” Chris laughed, “That’s just her face!”

Eddie nodded, but kept on watching as Buck and the bird continued their stare down competition until the omega gave in, looking away with a defeated sigh.

“She’s so big…” Chris commented with a little adorable frown, “You think she may already have her eggs?”

“No,” Buck said, walking back to the table, “eggs form a day before they get laid,” he yawned, Eddie looked at his wrist watch: 5 PM, “she needs her nest finished before that”.

“Mmm… maybe that’s why she’s so mad,” his pup said, looking at the window as Buck sat down close to Eddie, “the nest is not ready yet”.

Uhm.

Eddie looked at his omega, the man was smiling at their pup, nodding as they continued to talk about the hatching process of chicks. But all the alpha had in mind were pups—Buck’s scent should’ve changed by now, the symptoms he kept presenting all indicated a pregnancy and the scent change came with the fetus’ heartbeat.

Yet. There was no change after all that.

Maybe once they moved and Buck had them in his nest, it’d all come naturally.

In the midst of Buck’s recovery last year, a drop had almost taken him from them and it moved Eddie to be honest with his best friend and make him his mate.

For weeks, they kept it a secret since he could recognize they’ve been irresponsible, acting on instincts and need. Had Bobby been around, maybe Eddie wouldn’t.

Still, he hoped the man was happy for them somewhere in peace.

“Moving until now!” Pepa said, loving yet judgy like only a Mexican tía can be, “God forbid somebody gets married first, then bonds in this house!”

“Tía…” Eddie warned, passing by with a box. “You know what happened…”

“Yeah,” she sighed, closing the box with their plates. Mariana started to tape it while looking up with red cheeks, always happy for the gossip, “but Evancito deserves proper courting. A proposal. Marriage. His rightful place in this family!”

Eddie swallowed, looking outside where Chris directed Buck into properly arranging boxes, like a game of Tetris he was way too happy to recreate.

“Ya sé…” he admitted, walking back to his tía and niece at the dining table, “I do have a ring”.

Both women gasped, stopping working and looking at him.

“Then?!” Mariana asked, she had presented as an alpha, and it had been amusing to see her father pretend he wasn’t proud, still under the spell of their old-fashioned education. She was a good girl, though. Different. “What are you waiting for? A pregnancy?”

Well.

Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “Of course not, just… the perfect moment”.

“Eddie,” Pepa put a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder, “any moment is perfect when it’s the right person.” He nodded at her, heart beating fast, “You’ve done this your way, mated first now moving… so you better make sure you have the happy ever after you deserve”.

“I already have it, I’m living it—“

“Then give him his”.

He blinked, looking at the two of them.

Mariana smiled at him, going back to taping and labeling the boxes Pepa finished packing.

“Right,” he sighed, “you’ll hear more news soon”.

“Yesssss,” Mariana celebrated, “boda!”

“Boda, boda, boda!” Pepa chanted, making him shake his head until the front door opened.

“Whose getting married?” Christopher asked as he walked in with Buck behind him.

“Oh, en la telenovela!” Mariana answered distractedly, an ace of making up shit.

It made Eddie smirk as he went back to carrying boxes out into the U-Haul.

“Buck, what happened to your birthmark?” Mariana asked, Eddie looked back immediately.

Chris was looking up too with a frown.

“Oh, I’ve been… scratching at it a little, it’s been itchy.”

“It looks swollen, cariño,” Pepa said with a frown, then looked at Eddie, “¿Ya le viste la marquita?”

He nodded, “Se estresa y se inflama, no te preocupes”.

That—and he was probably pregnant.

But hey, one step at the time.

“I only understood stress from that!” Buck laughed, “It gets like this with stress, yeah…”

Pepa arched an eyebrow, watching him for a moment. He saw as her eyes went down Buck’s body, suddenly landing on his flat abdomen.

Recognition hit her face and, just… no way.

She looked at him and Eddie felt his alpha whine like a called out dog as she gave him the Díaz scold.

Eddie smiled at him with hot cheeks, Pepa rolled her eyes but smiled, shaking her head as she went back to listening to his partner.

Well. It could’ve been worse.

On a Sunday, their official move was almost finished with Buck, Eddie and Chris taking the last of the packed boxes to Buck’s and spending a good part of the afternoon unpacking and putting everything into its new place.

All left at 4995 South Bedford Street were furniture and clothes to donate, Chris lego sets and Hen’s medic books Eddie was meant to return after he got his paramedic licence.

It was odd, in a way, to be so used to Buck’s house as it had been for a year and suddenly see it filling up with Eddie and Christopher’s things as if it was always waiting for them.

Eddie supposed, in a way, that was the case.

His mate had complained through the first months living there by himself that in spite of his efforts, the house lacked familiarity to him. He had wanted it to be rich in personality, tell the kind of man and omega he was, but something in it didn’t sit well with him.

On their first visit, Eddie had smelt Christopher’s resentment as they sat together at the table, waiting for Buck’s results of his latest attempts at new recipes, now without Bobby to help him figure it out.

His pup was never rude about it, but Eddie knew Buck was aware Christopher did not want him to move out at all for he had grown used to their combined smell and the days he spent with the omega building complicated lego sets and going through long deep dives on the internet, researching one thing after another.

The comfort that he felt having him and Buck at home had been taken from him, and it wasn’t until later that Eddie realized what his son was experiencing had been another separation from a parent. 

As the son of an omega, his attachment and pup bond to Buck was almost biologically impossible at the age he’d been when they met the man, but Buck’s love went beyond logic, and it had bonded him to his pup, claiming a place as an omega parent, making the teen irritated and sad at his absence from their everyday lives all of a sudden many years after.

Now, the two of them sat in the backyard, discussing plastic boxes to protect their built lego sets for transportation, making moving plans to avoid their destruction as the kid has refused to move them and were now stored in the old house.

“It would be fun to re-build them, though,” Buck suggested casually, looking at Christopher’s tablet.

“Uh, no…” The pup said, shaking his head. “I mean… maybe the older ones”.

Buck looked up at him, “Some of them?”

“The Death Star one has to travel in one piece…” Chris said, sounding menacing. “I’m never doing that one again”.

The omega nodded, “Fair”.

He couldn’t help but smile, sighing as he walked back into the kitchen in search of a beer.

The sight that met him when he opened the fridge froze him in place, blinking several times as he scanned the multiple flavored milk boxes and colorful bottles of yogurt. A smile tugged at his lips, wondering what his omega was up to this time as he had to remove a few little boxes of strawberry milk to get to the beers in the back.

Was all of this for Jee and Nash? Did he have a new cooking project in mind?

Buck had started to bake again very slowly, one of the first things he packed himself with Pepa and Mariana’s help from Eddie’s old place was the entire kitchen, wanting the pans he made Eddie buy through the years.

He closed the fridge, turning around to get back to his boys when he heard Chris gasp loudly and his fight or flight instinct activated immediately.

“Buck?!” The pup said, “Dad!”

Eddie ran outside, beer forgotten in the kitchen’s counter, frowning deeply when Buck passed running right at his side.

“What…?”

He walked back slowly, trying to look as Buck bent on the sink and—

“Oh.” Eddie blinked.

“Buck, are you okay?” Christopher asked, standing up from the metal chair he’d been parked in for almost an hour. “Buck?”

“He’s… throwing up,” Eddie replied for his mate, waiting for Chris to join him before they walked together inside the house.

By the time they were coming into the kitchen, Buck was coughing, rinsing the sink and cleaning his mouth.

Eddie blinked a couple of times, looking at his watch and making a little note in his head of the hour—5 PM—, then walked to the man and stood at his side.

“Are you okay?”

“Mhm…” Buck exclaimed, rinsing his mouth.

“What happened?”

“Uhhh…”

“I just said we could make quesadillas!” Chris said behind him, Eddie looked back at the boy. “I swear I wasn’t messing around, I said we had a lot of cheese so we could have some!”

Eddie nodded slowly, turning back to Buck who had put off the water and was breathing in and out slowly, eyes closed, ignoring their conversation and how odd this little scene was.

His baby blues looked at Eddie in a way he knew would go great with that one little pout he made every time he wanted something from the alpha in private. This time, his lips were tugged down, his eyebrows put together slightly.

“It’s nothing…” He said. “Chris did nothing wrong, I don’t know what happened”.

“What do you mean?”

“I…” Buck blinked, then looked away. He cleared his throat and started to walk away from Eddie and into the house, “I just thought of ham and my brain brought back the smell when it’s cooking with the tortellina and all that, and… my stomach just flipped.”

“Tortillina, sweetheart,” Eddie corrected him, walking behind Buck as Christopher hummed behind them, following. “That’s odd…”

“Right,” Buck sighed, “but I’m okay. I actually want some.”

The omega stopped walking after entering the dinner area, looking back at the Díaz boys.

“I’m fine!” He smiled, “You two can take off those deep frowns now!”

Eddie looked at his side, his son was looking at him with an expression that read exactly what was going through his head.

“Buck…”

“Are you pregnant?” Christopher asked, sucking the air out of the room.

In slow motion, Eddie’s eyes opened wide as Buck’s entire expression changed. Open mouth, red cheeks, wide as plates baby-blue eyes suddenly pale, the surprise expected but not less hilarious.

“I’m not!” Buck said, gasping at the end. “Wait, do you think I look fat?”

The pup rolled his eyes. “Don’t be silly, it’s because you puked in the kitchen!”

“I can’t believe you called me fat…” Buck dramatized, walking away again.

“I didn’t!” Christopher insisted, following him quickly, crutches stomping all over the place to the living room.

Eddie shook his head, another point added to his little ongoing theory.

Emotional sensitivity. Swollen birthmark. Oversleeping. Clingyness. Excessive purring. Rebuilding his nest excessively. Afternoon nausea.

“Mmmm…” Eddie tilted his head, thinking.

Moving in with Buck had Eddie’s spirits high. 

Unpacking, not so much.

The thing was, he had a teenage son that hadn’t presented yet and so, every year he spent without doing so, became kind of a nightmare in the Spring to Summer when the season was approaching and his hormones would fluctuate between normal and not.

If Christopher was irritated, so was Eddie.

Years ago, when his son was born, they had approved the scan to know the assignation he would present as a boy. Back then, Shannon had rationalized to him it was better to know and be prepared, teach him in the right direction and educate themselves about his presentation and sub-gender.

Turned out she had been right.

Christopher was to present as an omega and, back then, Eddie had only ever known the way his beta mother had raised his omega sisters, which was… maybe not great or ideal, even.

So, he had been the one nesting with them. Braiding hair, buying suppressants and scent patches while doing the groceries with Helena, getting them the snacks they wanted for their cycles, helping them track said cycles, and suffering every time they had a question about their bodies and sub-gender he simply did not have an answer for.

After Chris turned 11, Buck bought so many books on Presenting Season and the omega sub-gender, Eddie never lacked information and felt more prepared with his omega best friend at his side.

He should’ve known back then, he really should’ve realized just how crucial Buck was to Christopher’s life and how lost he was without him every time until he called and asked for his advice, his help, his unconditional support, his company.

Now, his son was a late bloomer at age 16, constantly irritated about not presenting yet when all of his friends already had.

“So…” Buck blinked. “You see it, too?”

Until now.

“Uhm,” Eddie frowned slightly, “so it’s a mess.”

“Eddie!” Buck slapped his bicep, making him hiss and look at him. It fucking stang! “He’s nesting!”

Christopher’s new bedroom was… under construction.

The boy had been throwing into the room all of his boxes and bags without unpacking, moving around the house to help them unpack everything else but his bedroom. Buck had come into the room to leave a few things when he found the mess, the pup too busy showering to know they were now standing there, looking at his little war zone.

“This is a nest to you?” Eddie looked at his mate, “It’s a mess!”

“Eddie,” the man insisted, “look closely.” He looked back at the room: “Bed,” he made a semi-circle with both of his hands, “bedsheets,” again, “clothes,” another, “plastic stuff,” and another, “wood stuff.”

The alpha blinked, looking at his omega’s discovery: the bed was empty but all of Christopher’s clean bedsheets were out of its bags surrounding it; around the bedding clothes barrier, the bags with his clothes followed, then all boxes and objects that were made, or mostly made, of plastic; and finally, the rest of his things that contained wood.

“He’s building a den?”

“A nest,” Buck corrected him, “if it was a den, he’d have tools, maybe some medic stuff… laundry and food on the bed.”

Eddie blinked a couple of times, suddenly aware that was exactly what he did when he knew Buck’s heat was coming. He’d made sure all doors and windows were closed at night, locked, the bat in his bedroom in its place, the med kit full, then started putting their used laundry on the bed for Buck to nest, then bringing in food every time he saw his mate on the bed.

It was pure instinct, most of the time he didn’t even realize.

Hell, just a year into their friendship, Eddie had started to do that in the firehouse, bringing used laundry and snacks to Buck’s cot in the bunk room days before his cycle started.

Eddie shook his head. How the hell did he not know back then?

“So…” Eddie blinked. “It’s time?”

Buck nodded enthusiastically, Eddie nodded slowly, little by little processing the idea that his son will soon present. His scent would change, his body would change—he needed to prepare, he needed to—

“Uh, I have to…” Eddie turned, walking fast in the other direction, to the living room.

“Eddie?” Buck asked, he could tell he was now following him as he located his keys and wallet. “What, what are you doing?”

“I need to get some stuff.” He said, brain only processing the list he made years ago. “Food and protein, blockers, electrolytes…”

“Eddie,” Buck laughed, hands on his shoulders, making him turn around to face him, “calm down!”

“No, uh—we don’t have snickers.”

“Snickers?” Buck arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah, Snickers. And blue M&Ns.”

The omega nodded, smiling so bright, it made Eddie’s hindbrain perk at the sweet way he had started to smell.

Buck was pleased with him, endeared.

“Baby, you don’t have to just yet,” the omega said. “If he’s presenting, it’d be in around a week  or two… we can go together to the market, with Chris, so he can choose his own stock.”

Right. Christopher needed to learn how to prepare for his cycle, he needed to test and taste, see what he liked and wanted. By himself.

Eddie swallowed.

“Yeah…” He left the keys and wallet back on the table, Buck took his hand with both of his, making him look up, “sorry.”

Buck shook his head, still smiling. He was way too amused for Eddie’s brain.

“No, it’s really sweet,” he chuckled. “Your instinct was to provide for him, that’s… so much more than my dad did for me when I presented.”

“Oh…” Eddie frowned. “I’m sorry…”

“Not your fault!” He sighed. “Come on… we need to unpack.”

Eddie followed in silence, brain still rearranging.

His eyes went into his son’s bedroom as they passed, his omega having the courtesy to close the door as to not inform the pup they’ve been there. That was one thing he could plan and do: how to tell Christopher he may be presenting this time around, he won’t make it to 17th without a sub-gender.

That was one doctor appointment less.

His shoulders went down as they entered their own bedroom, the relief of his son finally presenting slowly setting in: nothing was wrong with his pup, he wouldn’t need any invasive check ups, hormones or whatever. Chris was going to be fine.

Eddie looked at Buck as his lips turned into a smile, the man stood near their bed, changing the bedshe—

All of his socks were on the bed again, alongside his used t-shirt from the day before and his goddamn underwear, clean and used.

“Uh,” Eddie blinked a couple of times, “sweetheart, are you nesting again?”

Buck didn't answer, he threw the sheet he had been folding, it fell across the mattress and the omega smoothed it down with his hands. He watched him turn back to his closet, taking out another sheet and going through the same process: unfold, smell, fold, throw, smooth.

He blinked again, not sure if he should interrupt or not.

The omega had nested months ago, Eddie had been there to help and encourage him as he had felt unsure after all that had happened. Both the pills and the kidnapping, having been forced into a strange omega’s nest while wearing some other omega’s son scent had been bad for his hindbrain, his omega had been too beat up to allow Buck to nest until he felt ready again.

It had been a bit messy, but that was Buck’s nesting: big, hot, a lot of everything. Eddie loved it all, it was perfect for him and his need to have good cover while vulnerable. 

This… this bit was new, though.

Buck didn’t like underwear and socks in his nest. He would use Eddie’s used shirts and hoodies, maybe his pants. Towels? Yes, but not socks or boxers. Especially not… used ones.

“Cosita,” he tried again.

“Mmm?” Buck exclaimed, repeating his folding and throwing with a fourth bedsheet.

“What are you nesting for?”

Silence followed, but this time Buck threw the sheet on the mattress and made a pause.

Very slowly, he blinked as he looked at their bed… then looked at him with surprise on his face.

“I… I wasn’t?”

Again.

Eddie nodded.

“I mean, obviously I am now, but…” The omega looked down at his half made new nest. “Uh…”

Both stood there in silence.

The bathroom’s door opened outside, Christopher’s walker’s wheels echoed in the hallway as he moved to his bedroom. The door opened, then closed. They stood in silence again, until Buck looked at Eddie.

“It’s probably Chris.”

“What?”

“Oh, sometimes…” Buck swallowed visibly, walking away from the bed and closer to Eddie. “Sometimes omega par—uh, omegas start frantic nesting when a pup close to them is about to present.”

Eddie nodded, taking Buck’s hands in his.

“A pup?” He murmured, thumb caressing Buck’s fingers. “Or your pup?”

The man blinked, face suddenly pink.

“Eddie—” He licked between his lips, looking away, “I, I don’t want to intrude…”

“Intrude what?” The alpha smiled softly, “I gave you my entire world years ago, legally. You’ve been there at every school play and recital, every science’s fair and father’s day, and mother’s day—”

“He asked me to, he just didn’t want to be alone that day…”

Eddie shook his head, “he wanted you to be there,” he said, “you are his parent, Buck.”

The omega looked stressed, the sight made Eddie’s heart ache. 

Tía Pepa’s words echoed in his head. They were mated, they lived together now, he could not let Buck keep thinking he wasn’t a huge part of their family, a pillar of Chris’ formation.

Slowly, he held him in his arms in a gentle embrace, coaxing Buck into relaxing.

“Omega parents start frantic nesting when their pup is about to present,” Buck murmured against his neck, the sound of it making him smile, “I’m just having that biological reaction…”

“Mhm, I see…” Eddie rocked them slowly as he continued to hug his mate. “Kind of like when older pups nest when their omega parent is pregnant, I guess.”

Buck laughed against his skin, not moving from their position. He felt him nod, Eddie kissed his head, beautiful curls smelling good.

“It’ll be fine, mi amor,” Eddie said, maybe to himself too, “It’s fine”.

He needed to talk to someone about all of this.

Dispatch always smelled of coffee and paracetamol.

It was a strange thing to notice, but Eddie remembered sniffing the first times he went in through the months he worked there.

In all those years, it hadn’t changed much even with new offices, people and equipment.

Maddie, on the other hand, had changed for good since he met her.

Back then, she smelled of fear and uncertainty all the time. Even as she sat down on the floor with them eating pizza and asking questions about her brother’s life, notoriously feeling safer, her scent was still spiked with the acidic hue of fear.

Once, before his wedding, Chim had confided in Eddie as they changed to their uniforms at the firehouse that Maddie’s scent was sometimes gone, as if her subgender tried to protect her and not be found, until she had gotten pregnant and, suddenly, that curious ability had disappeared.

It wasn’t something she ever spoke about, they never consulted it with a doctor, Chimney was sure she wasn’t even aware of it. He had let it happen because he knew she felt safer that way.

Nowadays, Maddie smelled of vanilla, crayons and cinnamon. The spice of fear was gone, the acid turned into sweetness, then the smell of cinnamon that characterized her husband and her child came in.

Buck described it as the smell of a kindergarten, a comment that always won him a slap on the shoulder as he giggled like a little boy.

To Eddie, it seemed like the smell of a good coffee in the morning: cozy and private. Safe.

“If you’re here,” Maddie said as she walked him into the break room, “then that means it’s serious!”

“What are you trying to say?” He arched an eyebrow, leaving the bag of take out on the table, “I don’t hang out enough with you?”

“I mean…” She smiled, “Not here!”

She was right, Eddie smiled at her and showed her his offerings of the day by taking out the lunch he had told her over text. The omega clapped like a little girl at the sight of noodles, taking her sticks to start eating.

“So…” She started again once her container was open, “what brings you over to Dispatch after so long?”

Eddie took a bite of his roll, resisting the urge of stuffing his mouth with it as he usually would—he was not about to be a caveman in front of his sister in law, especially not with the news he was carrying on his shoulders.

He swallowed and cleaned his mouth, looking at her after.

“I think Buck is pregnant.”

“Oh!” Maddie exclaimed, noodles falling out of her mouth as she started to caught, “Oh, oh, oh—”

Eddie stood, biting down his tongue not to laugh. He walked over and rubbed her back before palming it a little to help her, the woman eventually stopped coughing, shaking her head as she looked back at him, both standing in front of each other.

“What?” She said, “Did his scent change? What does he say? I can’t believe he hasn’t told me!”

“Aaaah… I don’t think he knows.”

The omega frowned, sitting again and crossing her arms over her chest, eyes on him.

“How?”

“Well.” Eddie swallowed, not feeling like walking back to his chair. Instead, he stood there and explained: “I know he has very unique nesting habits, so at first I thought it was just one of those periods when he wants to change his nest…” He started, “but then it got a bit odd. He doesn’t seem to remember when he does it, it’s like he does it in auto-pilot, without thinking.”

Maddie seemed to think about it, nodding slowly.

“It can be stress…” She said, “You guys are moving in, right?”

“Yeah, but this started before. It’s become quite often,” he cleared his throat, “and there’s more.”

“Go on…”

Eddie pulled a chair from the table behind them, sitting in front of his sister in law as he tried to put his thoughts in order. He couldn’t leave any details behind, she needed the full context to understand.

“First of,” he said, “Christopher will be presenting soon”.

“Oh, that’s so great!” She said with a smile, the look on her face was so genuine, it reminded him of the way Buck looked at patients when he comforted them,” Wait—it can be that! I know Buck isn’t exactly Christopher’s dad, but—“

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, “he thought so, too”. The alpha sighed, then pulled out his phone and showed her the album with evidence he had made in anticipation of this conversation, “According to Buck himself, the frantic nesting of pup and parent starts at the same time, around two to three weeks before presenting…”

“This one is from two weeks ago…” Maddie followed. “When did Chris start?”

“Just yesterday”.

She nodded, sliding the photos. Her eyes became comically bigger as she saw her brother’s nests became messier and messier, heavy with blankets and—

“You know, if this was a pregnancy, his scent would’ve changed already if he’s nesting this much”.

Eddie nodded, Maddie frowned when he said nothing else.

“There’s more?”

“Buck has always been… clingy, a bit spoiled. I love to indulge that, but lately it is more and more…” He sighed, “I genuinely don’t mind but I don’t enjoy seeing his eyes water with every single thing”.

“Clingy and emotional,”

“Mhm,” Eddie took his phone when she passed it over, “He has headaches and nausea every day for almost two weeks now, at around 5 in the afternoon,"

“Oh—“

“Vertigo at night, heavy sleeping, he’s more tired than usual…” Eddie swallowed, looking at Maddie apologetically, “he has the fridge filled with all types of flavored milk, and just… so much milk.”

She nodded slowly, thinking it all through.

“His birthmark is so bright right now… I read it can get swollen or even change with pregnancy,” 

“That’s cute!” She said with a smile.

“Yeah, and every morning for a week now, it’s been bright strawberry red,” Eddie said, opening his arms and gesturing with his hands as if to present his case, “and he just can’t stop purring. It’s the cutest broken heater!”

Maddie laughed at that, putting a hand over her mouth, looking up at him while nodding as the humor faded.

“Okay, I see…” She sighed, turning to her food again.

Eddie stood up, leaving the chair in its place and walking back to his original seat.

He graved his sticks, taking from his rice and finally eating.

“I did catch my first pregnancy before my scent changed,” Maddie reminded him, “so it’s possible he’s being oblivious of his own body talking to him.”

“That’s what I thought…”

They eat in silence then, the room filling with tension slowly.

Eddie looked at her, Maddie was grimacing while leaving her container aside.

“There’s also another possibility.”

Something grey and heavy settled over them, Eddie nodded slowly and felt the food in his mouth turn into ashes. He swallowed, appetite already lost.

“He has no other symptoms,” he said anyway, because it was true. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed his head, that something could be wrong, it’s just that outside these specific things, Buck had been good. “I don’t know…”

They fell into silence, his eyes on the food. Each grain was different, some cut and other smashed, most of them full and well cooked. Before LA, he wasn’t one to eat a lot from local restaurants and try food he hadn't had at home—Bobby had changed that, then Buck and his ability to love everything: take out, specialties, fast food, gourmet, everything.

A roll appeared in his view and Eddie looked up.

“Eat,” Maddie said, Eddie accepted the food over his rice and took the roll with his sticks, “You’re looking pale over there, I can’t have my baby brother’s baby daddy dying on me”.

The alpha couldn’t help but smile, hindbrain giving a little jump at the approval.

“It seems to me like you have two options,” she said, holding her roll up in the sticks, “you can go home and tell him what you believe and see what happens. Or, you can wait to see if anything changes after you and Christopher settle, and he presents.”

He sighed, nodding as he thought it over—if something was wrong, this couldn’t wait.

If his omega was pregnant and something wasn’t right, they needed to act immediately. If it was something else, whatever—a drop, stress, the start of a bigger issue—, they needed to know and be prepared.

Maybe in another time, he’d let it happen… had the last year not  been about recovery and healing, to try to move forward from New Mexico, maybe Eddie would just keep the secret with a smile as Buck went on with his day until the scent actually changed, and they could enjoy this together.

Which…

“What?” Maddie murmured.

Eddie looked up, swallowing visibly.

“I don’t know if he wants to… have children right now”.

She nodded slowly, the look on her face let him know she wasn’t sure either, and she was shocked about it.

Anyone who knew Buck good enough, would know he was good to all children, even if a bit clumsy with his words. Everyone knew Buck wanted children of his own, that he wanted to carry his own pups.

So much had changed after New Mexico, so much had been taken from him, it never really occurred to Eddie to… ask.

“I worry about his back, too…” Eddie confessed. “And… if it may make it difficult, hurt more than usual… if he has to take something, if he’d risk going through the pain without taking something.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t want him to go through something that may… hurt”.

The first time Buck went into heat after detox, it almost killed him.

Maddie had called him at 2 AM, sobbing on the phone because Buck had locked himself up in his bathroom and the rotten smell of omega drop was coming off the room like something had died there.

He will never forget the smell when he got there.

It was engrained in his brain, the way his heart pounded in his chest as he arrived to see the 122’s ambulance open and ready outside Buck’s house, the impact of the smell as he ran inside, how long the seconds felt as they broke into the bathroom.

Buck had been catatonic, unresponsive, but his eyes had locked onto Eddie and a whine came out, the sound would follow Eddie’s nightmares for the rest of his life.

He won’t have his mate go through something like that for anything in the world, not even for a pup conceived by their love, nothing.

“He needs to know,” Maddie concluded, “so we are sure and he can make a decision”.

Eddie nodded, swallowing again. He looked up and smiled, firmly nodding at her.

“Good,” she leaned her roll gently, Eddie smiled and took his in the sticks, bumping it with hers, “may there’s a bun in the oven and all goes well”.

He laughed, feeling his face heat up, “Salud!”

“Salud!”

“Here’s a question for you,” Buck was known for his long conversations, his curiosity and energy, “do you want more children?” that often got him in trouble, annoyed some and made for a few awkward moments.

“That’s a good question…” but not with Eddie, “I have never thought about it, actually.” To Eddie, Buck’s curiosity was his curiosity. He’d listen to the man, his deep dives and explanations, and he’d learn something every time. It was fascinating. “I will have to think about it, bud. But… honestly, right now? Chris is my entire universe, I don’t even see myself dating soon”.

“That’s a shame…” Buck had frowned then, just seven months into knowing each other, “I mean—for the female population, I guess.”

It had made Eddie laugh, shaking his head as they scrubbed the engine bay of their firehouse together as they always did.

Back then, Eddie had no idea of just how important and big Buck’s presence in his life would become, but he had already started to figure it out: this was his best friend, a man he could count on, that would genuinely help him and support him in any way he could.

He had never had a friend like that.

So, in exchange, Eddie gave Buck his heart without even noticing it.

“What about you, man?” Eddie had asked, hindbrain reacting oddly at the idea of his omega friend and children, “Would you?”

“Pups?” Buck smiled, stopping his work to look up in thought with a smile on his face. Eddie could remember it well, the way he had stopped too and watched his friend, how cute he looked as he thought of it, “For me? That’s a yes”.

“How many?”

“Uhmm… I used to think I wanted a litter, as many as god sent my way,” it had made Eddie laugh, Buck shook his head as his face turned a sweet kind of red, “I know better now! Between two and four”.

“Four?” Eddie had gasped. “FOUR?”

“What?” Buck laughed, “Look at this,” he had slapped his own hip with a hand, “these childbearing hips can birth four pups, and they are coming out natural!”

“God!”

Eddie’s hindbrain had been awakened for the entire conversation, for the next week when Buck was absent due to his heat leave, and the many that followed as they grew closer and became the men they were today.

This side of Buck hadn’t changed much, his omega had always had a clear goal of what he wanted his future to look like: a mate, a spacious house where he could nest shamelessly, and four pups.

For years, the faces of the mates changed, their assignations, their primary gender, but the rest of the plan remained.

The house came first because no mate was ever good enough and none of them had ever understood why Buck was so seemingly unlucky with love, nevermind the emotional superglue that joined Eddie and his pup to the man, his scent that had settled on Buck like it was always his.

Subconsciously, their hindbrains had chosen each other long ago, and while it took them a while to catch up, it all came so easily after, being in doubt right now felt like a sin.

Eddie sighed as he killed the engine of his Denali, looking at the wall in front of him as he thought his words over: no ‘we have to talk’ or it may stress Buck, not mentioning the nesting habits first or he’ll believe Eddie is annoyed, not bringing up food or the purring.

Right.

When he opened the door of the garage, Eddie was hit with the smell of distressed omega, of his distressed omega—

“Buck?” He came in fast, closing the door behind him as he hurried into the house with a frown.

Eddie followed the smell across the dining area and into the master bedroom, Buck’s scent covered by stress and sadness, his instincts jumping into conclusions in ways he hadn’t since—

He swallowed, frowning at the pieces of clothes and sheets on the floor as he got closer to their bedroom. Noise came from the open door, little sighs and sniffing, his omega was crying and he needed to be there now.

“Buck?” He approached the door, taming his instincts as he felt his fangs coming down, “Buck…”

In another time, with another scent in the air, it would’ve been funny to find his mate literally scratching the mattress like an angry animal, unsatisfied with the feeling of it.

But in reality, Buck’s hair was wild as his skin was flushed and sweaty. It wasn’t a good sight to find you mate on all fours on your mattress with his claws out, scratching the material and destroying the bed as angry tears came down his eyes, desperate.

Eddie moved slowly, his mate was clearly going feral and any sudden movement may make things worse for the stressed man.

“Cosita,” Eddie called him gently, “Mi amor—”

Buck sobbed suddenly, stopping to bury his face on the mattress, fingers bleeding.

The sight made his heart pound in his chest.

Slowly, Eddie walked towards him with a hand out, “Buck?”

All of a sudden, as if a switch had been shut off, the man looked up, eyes slowly going from slits as he had been angry in his clawing, to its normal size until the omega seemed to recognize his mate and they slowly dilated, filling with fresh tears.

“E-eds…”

“What’s wrong, cosita?” He murmured, softly putting his hand on the man’s back, “What happened?”

“It—” he frowned, tears going down his face as he tried to explain, “It was all wrong, so I just… I tried to fix it, but it didn’t feel like home—it smelled wrong, it was cold and, and,” he sobbed, “It was wrong!”

Eddie nodded, making circles on his back, “Okay… Okay, cosita. We can fix it together—”

“No, I just ruined it!”

He turned, sitting on the naked mattress as he cried against his bloodied hands.

For a moment, Eddie looked at the damage: there was now a hole in the middle of their mattress, and he was grateful the one from his bed was still at the old house. He’d just add it to the rest of the furniture they were bringing, even if it meant making two trips.

Eddie sat at Buck’s side, careful with his touch. He took both his hands and uncovered his face. There was blood on it now, the sight of a horror movie or Halloween a couple of years back when Buck and Chris were Final Omegas for the night, the memory made him hum and smile at his partner.

“You’re stressed,” he started off, “it’s spring, my love. Maybe it’s time for a new nest…”

“I ruined the mattress, Eddie”.

“It was old,” he nodded, “and it had seen some bad shit, so—we can bring the one from the other house for tonight, and then go get a new one. Together!”

Buck nodded, still sniffing, still crying just quietly.

“We can choose it together, get new stuff for nesting…”

The omega nodded again, “We should take Chris, he has to choose his materials for his first nest…”

Right. Eddie smiled at him.

“It’s a plan,” he cleaned a small line of blood off Buck’s birthmark with his thumb, “it’ll be fun!”

Buck looked at him, the face of skepticism.

“I don’t know what’s going on.”

Eddie cradled Buck’s face, caressing his cheek with his thumb.

He looked at his every expression, searching for more than what his omega was saying. There was a fear in his eyes Eddie didn’t like, he smiled at the man and kissed the tip of his nose.

“You’re stressed, moving in has been exhausting,” Eddie murmured. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t know…” Buck said, eyes somewhere else, “maybe it’s a drop. I did this last year, remember? Forgot I had already nested, made a mess of it, changed it so much it stressed me out and—” He swallowed hard, then looked at Eddie. “It’s happening again, it’s—”

“No,” Eddie shook his head,”No, no. It's not that, Buck,” he wrapped his arms around him, inhaling his scent in spite of the spicy spike it got mixed at the moment. He’d love that part, too. All of Buck, no matter what, Eddie would love it. “I promise you, it isn’t that…”

The alpha took a deep breath, his omega’s scent filled his lungs and it reminded him of going to the market with his abuelo in Tequila a week after he presented. The impromptu trip to Mexico had angered his mother, she had banned Edmundo Díaz Priego from ever taking Eddie anywhere without her permission and it had lasted for a couple of months until she gave in again.

He had recognized the smell of frustration in his mother then, something he hadn’t been able to before presenting as an alpha. As such, his sense of smell and taste had gotten sharper, and his abuelo had taught him to separate different scents —people— and smells —objects, food and feelings— as they walked through the little town of Tequila.

Buck’s scent had been familiar to him since they met.

A beach breeze, a sweet ice cream under the sun, baked goods in cold weather, gardenias in his grandparents’ house.

Another presence’s scent should be there by now with all these symptoms.

Eddie should be able to smell their pup now, and yet—all he could smell in his mate was fear.

“I got you, amor.” Eddie murmured, pushing off the memory of Buck’s scent in the desert, the raw fear and stress the wind pushed towards him as he held someone at gunpoint. He held his omega stronger. “It’s okay, mi cielo…”

He needed to be honest with his mate, get an appointment with a doctor immediately.

For now, Eddie held him in his arms and he rocked them on their ruined mattress, the smell of blood pushed down by that of comfort that was all Buck, all Maddie vanilla, Chris milky pup, Eddie wore out leather and Buck, gardenias and sunshine Buck.

Eddie nursed Buck’s fingers and cleaned up the mess in the house as the omega showered.

In the end, they didn’t leave the house once Christopher made it home from school, too tired and emotionally drained to pick up the other mattress, and, more importantly… Buck wanted to nest.

“Is he going to be okay?” Chris murmured at his side as Eddie finished drying the plates his son had helped him clean after dinner, “He looks really tired”.

“It was a stressful situation for him,” he said.

Chris nodded, seeming pensive.

“What is it, mijo?”

The boy shook his head, “I don’t know… I know he can get like this because I’m presenting, or because of the moving,” he said. Eddie frowned and waited for the rest of it, “But… don’t you feel something is off?”

“As in…?”

Christopher swallowed visibly, looking up at him with apologetic eyes.

“Your—your rut is marked for next week,” the boy said quickly, Eddie blinked a couple of times, “but, you are normal”.

“Uhm,” he had not realized that at all, “I act out when it’s coming?”

“Sort of…”

Eddie blinked, leaving the last plate on its place and staying there for a moment, thinking of his past pre-ruts: he stock up, called tía Pepa like five times a week to make sure she still could host Chris at hers, though lately the pup stayed with Hen and Karen. 

He would sleep late, locking windows and doors, growling randomly at people whose scents he didn’t like and were too close to his pup or his friend, now his mate. Eddie would pace around if stressed, feel and get a hotter body temperature, feel the need to not shower as he wanted his scent to remain strong, eat more, sleep so much less until the rut came…

None of that was happening now.

“Okay,” Eddie conceded to his son, “what about it?”

“There’s only three reasons for an alpha your age to not get their rut:” Chris stated, sounding so much like Buck, Eddie’s heart hurt nicely, “you are coming down with something, which… no. You don’t have any symptoms of anything,” he said, Eddie nodded. “You are stressed and it will come later… maaay-be.”

“Yeah…”

“... Or your mate is pregnant and you don’t need your rut anymore”.

That.

When Shannon got pregnant, it had been after her heat and just a few days before his rut.

After her scent changed, she wore patches as if that would change the result of the pregnancy test they refused to get. It had been once Shannon’s cycle didn’t come when Eddie sneaked the test within his sisters’ heat care grocery list, and then, the stick haunted them as they sat at the lake with it in the sand, looking at it as they held each other, scared as hell.

There was nothing scary about the precious boy at his side, smelling of curiosity and a sprinkle of what Eddie had come to recognize as hope.

“Mhm…” Eddie exclaimed, putting a hand through Chris’ curls, “his scent hasn’t changed.”

His boy nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.

“But is it possible?”

Eddie sighed, reminding himself his kid was 16 and about to present.

“Yeah,” he said, “it may be”.

Christopher’s smile widened, he could see it in his face that a million questions were coming, but the door of the patio opened and both looked up at Buck coming in.

“Hey,” the omega said, “you guys done?”

“Yep,” Christopher said, leaning on Buck as he got closer.

“Uh,” the man smiled, hugging his pup, “what’s this for?”

“Nothing!” Chris said, “I can’t just hug you?” He looked up, making Eddie smile as he finished drying the sink then his hands.

“I thought you were too cool for that now”.

“Not at all…” Chris buried his face on Buck’s chest, the omega hugged him back, leaning his head on Christopher’s.

Their curls lost on each other, making it impossible for Eddie to point out where one started and the other ended. It was an endearing sight that made him wish he hadn’t left his phone on the dining table.

Buck looked up, likely feeling Eddie’s eyes on him.

He smiled at Eddie, lifting his arm towards him.

Eddie took his hand, walking willingly to his side to hug him and Christopher.

If there were four of them in that moment, he couldn’t wait to point it out in the future.

“Love you,” Chris murmured, “you’re the best dad.” The alpha couldn’t help but smile until the teen added: “The two of you are”.

Eddie wasn’t sure for how long they were tangled together, but his face felt hot when they went away, his nose stinging funnily as Buck cleaned tears off his eyes.

For a moment, Eddie waited for the omega to question what was that about but it never came. It made him wonder if he had already realized something was up, if maybe he had started to suspect as well but hadn’t found it in him to tell him yet.

Maybe he wanted a more concrete confirmation just like Eddie did.

Later, as they tried to arrange their bedroom and mattress, he found himself scenting items his omega gave him as he sat watching him rebuild a nest on the ruined mattress, putting bedsheets and towels around the broken area.

They had a long shift that started early in the morning, the mattress would have to wait, but for now, Buck’s nest was more than enough.

“Can I ask you something, amor?”

“Uhm,” Buck nodded as he fluffed off the pillows and decided where to put them, “sure”.

Eddie licked between his lips, standing up to scent the rest of the pillows for his omega.

“Do you… do you still want more children?”

Buck stopped working, immediately looking at him.

His expression was unreadable, baby blue eyes looking directly at him.

“Why?” He asked, the answer made Eddie think over his own. “I mean, I—I don’t know. Why?”

“Uhm, I know you wanted to before, when we were younger…” Eddie played it off, “I was just wondering after what Chris said.”

Buck nodded, going back to his pillow.

He moved it from where he had put it, held it against his chest, looking down at the nest.

“I don’t know, I…” His fingers squeezed the pillow, then softened again. Eddie left the scented one on the mattress next to Buck, “I think…”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe a couple more…” Buck said softly, almost in a murmur. He looked back at him, still holding the pillow to his chest, “What about you?”

“With you?” He smiled, “A baseball team if you want”.

The words made Buck snort, laughing loudly as he shook his head and threw the pillow on Eddie’s side of the bed. He grabbed the recently scented one and Eddie went back to scent the remaining two.

Buck nodded.

“Alright, then it’s decided. A league of our own!”

Eddie laughed, working on Buck’s pillow, “All girls would be nice”.

“Oh my god…” Buck smiled wide, “Could you imagine? A house full of little girls after it was three boys for so long!”

He could imagine. He’d love that.

“They’d have your curls and their hair would bounce as they run around the house,” Eddie imagined, “God, I would never be able to hold them accountable for anything!”

“Already have you in the palm of their tiny hands?”

“Fully,” Eddie nodded, “and they would drive Christopher crazy, in the best way”.

“Yeah?”

He nodded again, leaving the pillow on the mattress for Buck to take. Eddie took the last one and went back to work, the image of little Díaz girls with pretty curls and the roundest cheeks still in his mind.

“He’s going to be such an spoiling big brother—”

“Just like his dad!” Buck said, making Eddie look back at him. The omega smiled at him, “Not a complaint, though…”

Eddie winked at him, rubbing the scent gland at his wrist on the pillow.

The omega sighed, Eddie blinked at the sudden seriousness on his face.

Buck looked at him, “Would you be okay with me carrying our pups, though?”

He blinked a couple of times, frowning after he couldn’t process the question.

“What do you mean?”

Buck took a deep breath, then looked at him.

“If I were to get pregnant, there’s a chance my body will react… the chronic pain may be worse, I may even require full bed rest at some point,” he swallowed visibly, “and—I don’t know how I would take that, what my hormones and mental estate may be…”

Eddie’s frown went deeper.

“The thing is—I want to,” Buck said, “I want to carry our pups, I want to breastfeed them and scent them, I want to do everything a normal omega would but…”

“But…?”

“I’m not”.

Eddie’s shoulders fell, something in his chest tightening as Buck continued nesting now quietly. He should’ve known this is something Buck would’ve already thought of, deep enough he had his worries at the front of his mind, ready to be laid out.

He likely asked the doctors through recovery, and talked about it with his therapist. Eddie should’ve known.

“You think I won’t be able to handle it?” Eddie said, sounding more like a fact and less like a question.

Buck looked at him, “I don’t know. I mean… I think you would. You love me.” That was a fact that made Eddie sigh and nod, “It would stress and upset you anyway, and I rather know now—if it was too much, would you rather I don’t do it?”

He blinked again, unsure of what to answer.

These past few days, the worry that something may be wrong hadn’t left him—there was no scent change after all, they hadn’t been careful and were irresponsible, and now his omega may be pregnant. An unplanned pregnancy with Buck’s chronic pain and their schedules may be stupid…

Eddie swallowed, licking his lips as Buck took the pillow he had scented and fluffed it off in silence.

“I think you can do it if that’s what you want…” he said, “but I won’t make you do it—or not do it. It’s your choice, sweetheart. I’m your support”.

Buck only nodded, not looking back.

Whatever he was thinking wasn’t showing on his face once he turned after fixing the floor of his nest. The omega smiled at him, then walked past Eddie as he took the many blankets he had grabbed from the closet.

“I’d have a baseball team of your pups,” Buck said, eyes on the bed, “but realistically speaking, for what I was told—two more may be it for us,” he sighed, finally looking up. There was something sad in his eyes, Eddie wanted nothing more than to take it away, “or… more likely, just one”.

Eddie nodded, looking at him.

“Or none,” Buck murmured, tone full of sorrow. It made Eddie frown deeper, “I’m sorry—”

“What,” Eddie shook his head, stepping in and putting a hand on Buck’s shoulder, “Buck, you don’t have to apologize. Having a pup with you would be wonderful, but what I really want is just you… for the rest of our lives, as long as you have me.” He swallowed, moving his hand to cradle Buck’s cheek. The omega had a deep frown on his face, eyes still sad, “I know it’s important to you, but baby you’re already an incredible father,”

“I know, I know—”

“No, you don’t seem to!” Eddie chuckled humorlessly, Buck looked at him with a tiny frown, so deeply unsure and insecure. It killed him every time. “You’ve done so much for Christopher, he’s the little man he is today because of the two of us.” 

He made a pause, heart in his throat, still beating and menacing with coming out, jump into Buck’s hands, make a mess of the two of them. 

“Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it together. You want to carry our pup, then we’ll find the way to accommodate whatever we need to keep you and the pup safe. And if that’s not possible, then there’s several options we can look at, or it can be the three of us as it’s always been. We are perfect as we are… Buck, we love you no matter what”.

Buck nodded, Eddie traced his bottom lip with his thumb then blinked away tears, smiling at his mate.

“I love you no matter what, cosita”.

The omega leaned on him, forehead on his shoulder. Eddie hugged him back, taking a long breath of his scent and smiling as the spike of frustration and stress slowly disappeared. He still smelled of gardenias and baking goods, there was still no scent change noticeable and maybe Eddie was crazy after all, maybe all he wanted was for it to be real.

Buck purred, the comforting vibrations emptying his mind of any doubts as he nosed at Buck’s neck, finding his bonding mark. He kissed the scar, tongue slowly caressing the skin and making the man moan softly, happily allowing more space for the alpha to lick.

They could get to make his delusions real soon, once Christopher presented and his rut came—they could get to work right away if Buck wanted.

“I’m not passing the Buckley curse onto any pup I may carry, though…” Buck murmured, Eddie smiled against his skin, “So, they have got to be a Diaz”.

“Oh, you want me to knock you up right here and now, don’t you?”

Buck laughed, moving to face him. Eddie smiled at him as he stepped in and kissed his mate, the man continued to purr even after they went apart, caressing the tip of his nose with Eddie’s.

“I mean it…”

“I know,” Eddie nodded, “my abuela will come down and pull on my ankles while I sleep if any children of mine is born outside holy matrimony anyway, so—”

Buck frowned, moving his head to one side, “And that’s a proposal?”

“No,” Eddie said, walking away. He could feel Buck tense, staying behind him as he walked out of the bedroom.

The omega didn’t follow beyond the frame of the door, watching him walk towards the other side of the house.

“What are you—Eddie!”

“Just a second!” He said, going for the door of the garage.

Eddie looked back for a moment, listening for footsteps but there was none.

Once sure, he lifted the cover from the Chevelle’s front seat, opening the driver’s side and getting in quickly to check in for what he was looking for.

The box had lived there for quite some time, it was a bit of an oddity in Eddie’s life as he had made something impulsive at a time where everything was confusing and pushed him to the edge with every step taken.

He went back to the bedroom, finding Buck in the middle of building his barricade of blankets and towels around their mattress, his nest still half made, his back to Eddie.

Eddie looked down at the box, opened it and smiled at the sight.

He daydreamed this moment in many ways, each scenario memorized and replaced by a better one every few weeks, and in none of them did Eddie see himself standing behind his omega with an engagement ring in his hand, waiting for him to acknowledge his presence and turn around.

This simplicity wasn’t the flowers and romance he thought of, but right as he tapped on Buck’s shoulder, he realized it was just like them: already there, ready, with one of them unaware just yet until the moment was the right one.

It had to be tonight.

“If I turn around and see you on one knee,” Buck started, making Eddie smile wide as he tried not to laugh, “while I’m in my pajamas and in the middle of nesting, I’m saying no!”

“Let’s see about that, bud…”

Buck turned, blue eyes on Eddie. His cheeks were pink, an unsure look on his face told Eddie he was keeping this memory for the rest of his life.

“Eddie—”

He went down on one knee, showing the open box as an offering: metals and rocks, its heaviness, the cost and emotional value were all insignificant in the face of what it truly meant—their family, their love, the place in life Buck had craved his whole life, the joy Eddie had chased for so long.

It was them and their pups, present and future, but also it was just Buck and Eddie.

Eddie lifted the box, offering his heart made into a ring, and watched as Buck’s face fell into the softest pout, eyes watery and shining as he looked down at his alpha’s face.

“Cosita, you’ve been sunshine in my life since the day I met you—annoying, but so energetic,” he started, making Buck laugh loud, surprised at the reminder, “so full of life… you gave me unconditional support, helped me without having to ask, saved me and Chris in so many ways, so many times, I don’t want to even think of where we’d be without you”.

Buck smiled at him, nodding gently.

He swallowed, then continued, “So, Evan, stay with us.” Eddie smiled, taking Buck’s hand, “Would you please marry me?”

Buck nodded, visibly swallowing, trying not to cry. He held Eddie’s hand and squeezed.

“Yes,” he said, so softly, Eddie wouldn’t have heard it had they not been so close, “yes, yeah—of course, yes!”

His chest felt full. Eddie stood up and closed his eyes as Buck cradled his face with both of his hands, looking at him with unshed tears.

“Sometimes, I genuinely feel like you were made for me,” Buck murmured, “my dream mate with my dream life…”

“It’s yours,” Eddie reminded him, “no longer a dream. It’s your life”.

The omega smiled, nodding before leaning in to kiss him.

Eddie held him by the waist, trying his best not to smile into the kiss but it was impossible. Buck laughed, foreheads against the other’s, looking at him with a brightness in his eyes that reminded him this was his life as well.

Never a dream, their life.

The alpha took his omega’s lips, opening his mouth and softly grunting into the kiss, deepening it as Buck purred happily, rounding his neck with his arms. They stayed there for a while before Eddie remembered what he was supposed to be doing, going back to the ring and finally putting on Buck’s finger.

Buck smiled, looking at it as he lifted his hand for the two to see.

He sighed, “You have no idea for how long I’ve had this…”

“Really?” Buck murmured, head on Eddie’s shoulder. “How long?”

Eddie chuckled, “almost three years”.

“What?” The omega broke their hold, looking at him with a frown, “When did you get this? Three years?”

The alpha shrugged, maybe it had been a bad idea to bring it up voluntarily, but…

“You remember our first kiss?”

Buck blinked, “Yeah? We were in the backyard that night…”

He shook his head, cheeks heating up, “Not that one.” Eddie took a deep breath and smiled at the man in front of him, “Come on, I know you remember…”

“Eddie,” he started, “are you serious right now? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” He chuckled, “Buck… we made out on that couch for forever. Of course I remember, I wasn’t that drunk—and you weren’t either! I just… I was so out of my mind at the time, I had no idea what I was doing with my life, and then you were acting like nothing happened so… I took the way out, too”.

A part of him was relieved to say so, he hadn’t felt like lying to Buck in a long time now and Eddie always knew he’d tell him this the day the ring was out and on its rightful place.

Buck had been very quiet that night before Eddie asked what was up, still in his underwear and button up, still thinking and rethinking what joy was to him and wanting nothing more than to be there sitting with his best friend.

The omega smelled of anger more than sadness, something that had made him blink when Buck finally told him of the break up and Kinard’s moronic reasons. He had understood the anger, he had wanted to text the older alpha and tell him to die for upsetting his omega like that.

At the time, Eddie had it clear in his mind: Buck would always come back to him, no matter who he was seeing, his friend was always going to end up on that couch, nursing a beer with Eddie.

Seeing it confirmed now that Buck had realized he was attracted to men as well had been satisfying, and maybe the euphoria of the realization had been one of the many motives that moved him to put his fingers through the omega’s hair and look into his eyes.

To this day, he wasn’t sure if Buck leaned in or he did, but they were kissing, tasting of beer and familiarity, warm, and they kept on kissing for the longest time until they needed to breathe.

Buck shook his head now, frown becoming something softer, confusion changing the air in the room with a new scent, “Eddie, I just thought it had been the alcohol, I had no idea… and you didn’t either! You should’ve told m—” his eyes opened wide and wild, looking at him with a finger now pointing in his direction. Eddie smiled at him, “you got the ring then, wh—why?”

Eddie shrugged, “I love you like crazy”.

Buck snorted, covering his face with both hands. The sight of the ring made Eddie feel crazy. He bit his bottom lip, watching as the omega took a deep breath and looked at him, waiting for more of an explanation.

So, “I knew back then,” he explained. “I didn’t understand how I was… feeling this much for a man, but loving you was so easy to admit.” He took a step in, putting both hands on Buck’s waist, holding him close and gently, “I realized I had been doing it for a while, and—I just needed to figure myself out, get myself together. We needed Chris back, I needed him, I needed to be… someone that could deserve him, and you”.

Buck swallowed visibly, that little sad frown was back on his face.

“Me?” he murmured, so small, it made Eddie’s heart hurt.

“I wanted everything to be perfect before making a move…” He sighed, “and then, things changed…”

Bobby died, his abuela died, Hen got really sick, they got crashed off the road, Buck was kidnapped and fell into pills dependency.

“I couldn't find the right moment… I had to almost lose you to finally do something, and this,” he gestured at the ring on Buck’s hand, “I thought I'd be different. More romantic, more… but I had to tell you tonight, sweetheart, because it breaks my heart to hear you call your name a curse or for you to think you have to apologize for not giving birth to a litter—Buck, we are perfect as we are. Because it’s us! You and me, and Chris, and…”

Eddie blinked, the little list of oddities in his head. He looked up at his mate and smiled.

“Whoever is there,” he said gently, putting a hand on Buck’s flat abdomen.

Buck’s scent changed almost immediately between confusion and curiosity, then something sweet like hope. The frown went deeper, his eyes looking like a plea at Eddie’s face.

“What?” He said, hands on Eddie’s forearms, holding himself still in front of his alpha, “Did my scent change? Did—Eddie—”

He shook his head, swallowing dry, feeling kind of insane.

“No, it’s just…” Eddie opened his mouth, then closed it. Buck seemed concerned now, his scent spiking with acid, so he shook his head again, “You have every symptom but the scent change… yet.” He assured him, “But sweetheart, you get nausea and headaches at 5 PM every day. You sleep in and heavier. The frantic nesting, the purring, the sudden love for milk…”

“Sounds like a drop, Eds—”

“It’s not,” he assured him, “my rut is not coming.” He said in hopes of making him see his point, “no pre-rut in sight, cosita. I should be well into my pre already…”

Buck’s fingers sank into his arm, Eddie was sure he'd have marks if he looked right now. But his omega seemed dizzy, he held him firmly and hoped he hadn’t fucked everything up.

For a moment, Buck stood quietly with his eyes elsewhere, thinking, face slowly morphing from surprise to incredibility to understanding and back to surprise, head snapping back to look at Eddie—

Then, he turned.

“Buck…”

Quickly, the man crossed the room and entered their bathroom, noise coming out as Eddie blinked, unsure of what had happened.

“Are you okay?”

No answer came.

Eddie left the ring’s box on the bed, then walked slowly to the bathroom, finding Buck taking out a pregnancy test from a box he had never seen before. He blinked fast, when had the omega brought that? He opened his mouth to speak, but the man stood up and looked back at him.

“Are you gonna watch me pee?”

“Uh—”

“No? Okay, move!”

“B—”

The door was closed on his face.

Through the moving, Eddie and Buck had gone around emptying every room and drawer as Christopher directed them around until his voice could not be heard in the house anymore without an echo.

In the quiet, Eddie had entered the house to tell his son it was time to go as Buck talked on the phone with his sister about dinner later in the week.

He had found Chris in the empty kitchen, looking at the window, at the birds standing there singing and moving their heads around as if knowing they were being watched.

“Hey,”

“Do you think they know we are leaving?” His son had asked, the spark of sadness in his tone had his shoulders tense for a second. “It must be odd to not know why things change…”

No kid adapted like his pup, Eddie had always known that.

But,

“Are you okay?” 

Chris nodded before turning slightly to look at him, eyes shiny with welled up tears.

He walked over, holding his son against his chest and closing his eyes as he put his chin gently over his head.

“What’s wrong, bud?”

His pup was growing up. He had been a chatty small puppy when they drove from El Paso to Los Angeles nine years ago. They had been two in this little house where they were alone for the first time in their lives.

Two independent boys, growing together.

Now, Chris was to present very soon and they were leaving that house as three—maybe even four—-.

“Our lives were here…” Christopher murmured, “I just didn’t realize how much it’d feel to leave it. I didn’t feel like this when we left El Paso the first time. Definitely not the second time.”

Eddie nodded, kissing the top of his head.

“We went through a lot here, the two of us together, then the three of us…” Eddie sighed, smiling at Chris when the boy separated from their embrace and looked up, “It’s okay to feel a lot, yes?” He nodded, Chris mirrored his movement, “This is a big change, the biggest in a while. Don’t hide how you feel.”

The pup smiled again, this time looking genuine.

He sighed, leaning his head back on Eddie’s chest, weight on his father’s as he sighed. The alpha held him there, closing his eyes again and slowly rocking their bodies as the birds outside kept talking between them.

“I’ll miss them…”

Eddie looked at the window.

The male was gone again, likely looking for material to build. But the female was there, fat and pretty, looking at them while moving her little head almost like a bobblehead.

For a second, he thought back of what Buck had suggested—to take them with them, gently move them to their new backyard where they would likely be happy and comfortable, much better than an old window in a suburban house…

But this change was a choice, they could not take that away from this family just to please theirs.

After a few more seconds, they left the house with Christopher closing the door behind him after a last, melancholic and grateful look.

“Adiós, casita.” He had murmured, something he hadn’t said since he was a little boy and they had just moved in. It filled Eddie’s eyes with tears he blinked away as he watched the door close.

The door of their bathroom remained closed as did the entrance to 4995 South Bedford Street.

Eddie took a deep breath, wondering if he had done the right thing by telling his mate of his suspicions and if the result of this test he was taking would finally put him to rest.

What was he to do if it was negative? The alpha swallowed, trying not to think of the other options for Buck’s symptoms and behavior.

The door shook, Eddie’s shoulders fell as he saw it open slowly.

He uncrossed his arms and watched as Buck silently walked out, two tests in his hand, two tests he was looking down at.

A pause, silence settled between them as they stood there.

Eddie swallowed, a pit in his stomach.

“Cosita?”

Buck looked up, his blue eyes were shining, so clear, Eddie sucked on a breath.

“I’m pregnant,” he said, as if he had decided that was truth and no other answer was possible, “Eddie—”

He turned the tests, both positive.

Eddie’s mouth opened, suddenly dry.

“Eds—”

“Mhmm, yes?”

“I’m pregnant, I’m—” the man smiled, eyes wet, it made Eddie smile as he kept himself on his feet, “it’s not a drop, I’m not sick!”

“Yeah…” He chuckled, giving a step in.

Buck gave two more until they were face to face, Buck’s just glowing pink and happy, “Eddie!” He put a hand on Eddie’s chest, his eyes opened slightly more and waited, “We are having a pup!”

They were having a pup, Eddie nodded and laughed as the omega delighted in the news, scent softening and becoming sweet, sweet, sweet.

He launched himself at Eddie, hugging him tightly as the alpha took a deep breath on his omega’s neck and smiled, holding him in his arms as they stayed there, just together, just enjoying the life their love had created.

Feeling Buck’s happiness now, Eddie couldn’t believe he hesitated this long to tell him.

“Wait,” the omega said, looking into Eddie’s face, “but if my scent hasn’t changed, that could mean trouble…”

“Yeah, but mi amor, you've been under some stress lately and there’s a lot going on in the house with Chris presenting and my interrupted rut. It may come later.”

“No, we have to do something…” Buck said, looking away as he went back to his nest as if programmed to it. “We need a check up, and I have to call Chim—”

“We’ll see him tomorrow at work, we’ll tell him if you want to.”

“Yeah.” Buck paused, looking at the tests in his hand.

He sighed, leaving them over his bedside table to turn and hold a blanket half folded in his arms. Buck looked at the wall for long seconds, making Eddie get closer with a worried expression.

“Yeah, I need to go get checked up…”

“Sweetheart,”

Buck looked back at him, “I need to know if I’m really pregnant,” he murmured, as if anybody else in the house could hear, as if his words could be stolen, “and I need to know the pup is okay”.

Eddie nodded, “okay.” He smiled softly, “C’mere…”

The omega went into his open arms again, Eddie held him there as Buck purred comfortably in his neck.

He remembered well the first time he heard Buck’s purring.

They’d been out for a car crash rescue involving two teen girls and a young boy that had reminded Eddie of another life he may have lived with his sisters where the baby brother was him. The siblings had been out for an ice cream and headed to the beach when a sleepy truck driver tailed them off the road, luckily nobody was hurt lethally nor unconscious when they arrived.

At the sight of the crash and the crying truck driver once the girls were rescued and were being checked for major injuries, Eddie had felt his fangs decent in anger, the sense of protectiveness the scent of distressed pups sent through his body something he hadn’t learned to control just yet, when suddenly, the gentle sound of purring made him turn his head to his right, finding Buck carrying the boy as he looked at the scene.

“See, he’s fine too…” Buck had said softly, “nobody got hurt beyond a few scratches!”

Eddie stared at him, the urge to cling onto his omega partner suddenly unbearable.

“Dada will be mad…” The boy had said, “she said not to drive without her…”

“She will understand,” Buck reassured him, “she’s gonna be grateful her pups are okay!” He smiled, looking at Eddie, “See, firefighter Diaz here is also an alpha dad. Eddie, do you think dada will be mad at Diego and his sisters?”

Eddie had blinked, the way his stomach had flipped at being called his assignation by his purring work partner, was sure to make him think and give him a headache later, and he had no time to question it just yet.

“Yeah, that’s right, firefighter Buckley.” Eddie cleared his throat, “I’d be glad my pups are alive and well”.

“See?” Buck had smiled at the boy, purring steady and nice, making Eddie feel like floating. Like he was in a dream, half asleep and half conscious, too into it to remember he had been upset just a few seconds ago. “Nothing to worry about!”

The sisters were transported together to the hospital in their ambulance, one of them with a broken leg that needed a better check up and their mothers called to the building. Diego rode with them in the engine and, through all of that, Buck had remained purring at Eddie’s side with the pup in his arms.

“You’re angry,” he had said without looking as they walked back to the engine, once Diego was in his omega mother’s arms, shoulders and biceps bumping into the other, “Is it the driver or the kids?”

“It’s never the pups,” he had assured him, “not the driver either…”

“No?”

“No.” He took a deep breath, doing himself a favor and stopping for a moment at his friend’s side, looking at him, “the smell of distressed pup gets me”.

Almost imperceptibly, Buck’s purring increased. The omega nodded at him, Eddie put his hands on his own hips, feeling restless as he heard Bobby talking to the alpha mother at the entrance of the hospital.

“I don’t know, it’s not… a problem on the job, but…” he sighed, “when I came home from the army the last time, my wife and I were in a limbo of what would happen next. We had never been together after getting married—in a significant way. It was always long distance, we were tense and unsure… and then I came home,” Eddie shrugged, remembering the little house they rented in El Paso, how pretty Shannon had decorated it to make it seem and feel like a home, how much she had nested in Christopher’s room and in theirs, how much it stressed her that he smelled of sand for so long, “and it—reeked. Of distressed pup”.

It was an odd contrast to have: the sight of his happy pup in the airport, trying to run to his arms and making an exclusive little space for himself against his neck as Eddie carried him inside the house, only to be hit with the anxious smell of distressed pup.

Rotten milk, as Shannon opened every window and door. Rotten milk in the living room, in the kitchen, in their bedroom, in Christopher’s room. Rotten milk as she explained to him that their pup had cried almost all night the day before, unable to sleep with a pain in his spine that would be dealt with once they could schedule his latest surgery.

She had looked so anxious, explained she hadn’t been able to make it go away no matter what she did. For the first time, Shannon and his mother agreed on something, and both had told him the same: that the house was impregnated with Christopher’s childhood and his mother’s loneliness, constantly crying together, constantly confused and missing him.

Eddie shook his head, “It didn’t go away until he was around five,” he sighed, “and then it came back full force… after his mother left.” He swallowed dry, Buck walked at his side without saying a word, just listening. It was nice, “In a way, we were running away from that when we came here”.

“Well, I’ve been to your place and it is the happiest smelling place in the world”.

He looked back, smiling at the omega.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked, signaling to his throat, “Sometimes, when we have had a stressful scene, I purr for us in the engine”.

Eddie had laughed, nodding at his new friend, “Yeah, okay”.

The man had purred all the way back to the station, so softly and relaxing, Eddie had closed his eyes and didn’t notice when Buck stopped. By the time they were getting together for dinner at the loft, his shoulders had been down, his frown no longer in a deep scold.

Bobby had smiled at him, asking if he was okay.

In that moment, just like now, he realized how at home it felt to be at Buck’s side and be witness to his every sound, scent and little quirk and does, such a particular person, such an incredible man.

He thought so as they laid together inside their nest, Buck purring happily as Eddie moved lazily against him from the back, making love gently with his hand cradling Buck’s flat abdomen. 

They had the old house to empty, a doctor’s appointment to schedule, news to give and work to do, but for the night, they could stay in each other’s arms and enjoy the life they had built together.

Their shift went as usual, or as usual as their new every day could be.

Eddie survived the need to put his hands on Buck’s abdomen every single time they locked eyes, and their friends only questioned what was up with the two of them a couple of times without any of them spilling the beans. Success!

Buck’s appointment was programmed for the weekend on one of their joint free days, and they had decided to not tell anybody about it. Not until they were completely sure.

Well.

Anybody outside of Pepa, Christopher and Maddie, as Eddie had explained to Buck.

The omega had rolled his eyes, scent becoming bitter as he complained about being left out of his thoughts until so late in his suspicions.

All Eddie could think about as his mate went on and on was that, that little pout was precious.

He hoped their pup would inherit it from their omega dad.

Usually, Eddie was mostly calm in any situation and circumstance, always ready for whatever life may throw their way, cool under pressure.

Today, though, his leg could not stop bouncing even as he commanded it to.

“Daddy, you reek of stress,” Doctor Harmon said, making Eddie feel his face heat up, “relax. Nothing is happening”.

Eddie swallowed, Chris was laughing somewhere in the room as he nodded, then Eddie looked at his side when he felt Buck’s hand taking his.

The omega smiled at him, and he could tell the man was nervous too.

Buck had been going through the many things that could be wrong all week until this appointment, he had also listed them back to the doctor as soon as Harmon asked Buck to tell her the situation—the beta had listened with attention, didn’t even type anything anywhere, just looked firmly at Buck then gently said,

“Okay,” she said now as well, leaving her tablet aside and concentrating on the machine in front of her, “mommy, I need you to lay down—you okay with that?”

“Uh, yeah, I just—” Buck looked back at the examination table he was sitting on, “Uh—”

“No, I meant mommy,” she smiled, “I know some omegas don’t like it that much, I’ve been around enough to hear it all”.

“Oh,” Buck smiled, “I’m okay with it, yeah…”

Eddie blinked, his brain suddenly processing—oh.

“Oh, you are mom,” Chris giggled, Eddie blinked as Buck threw their pup a look. “See!”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh, “you’re gonna be officially mama,” he said. Buck laid down, Eddie moved to stand at his side to his left while Chris stayed sitting at his right, “Isn’t that something?”

“Daddy, we’re in public,” Buck smirked at him, Eddie felt his cheeks heat up for the second time in that office, “please…”

“Buck—”

“Sorry to interrupt all that flirting,”

“Ew…” Chris lamented in the back.

“But I need you to get in position and open your legs,” the doctor said with amusement in her tone. Eddie hid his face on Buck’s shoulder as the man laughed and put his feet on the signaled device. “I see a healthy young couple, nothing to be embarrassed of.”

Eddie looked up, knowing his cheeks were red as he nodded at the doctor.

“Now, here’s this bad boy if you need it,” she showed Buck a bucket, “some smells are a bit much for pregnant patients and can cause nausea. If you feel like puking, don’t worry about it,” she said, then showed him the gel and a wand, “you know the drill?”

“Yes,” the omega said. “Not my first with one of those…”

“You’ve been pregnant before?” She asked while gelling the probe.

Chris hid his face on Buck’s neck, purring slightly as the process went on.

They talked about it, told him to stay home or outside, but the excitement of hearing the pup’s heartbeat had been bigger than any embarrassment he could feel.

Plus, ever since his presenting season had started, the pup had been clinging to them like he was a small boy again.

It was kind of cute.

“No, I had a massive check-up a while back…” Buck sighed, free hand going to Chris’ curls distractedly, “I was donating eggs to some friends who had difficulties conceiving, this was one of those tests”.

Harmon nodded, Eddie looked down at his partner as the smell of distress filled his lungs. Buck generally did well when the subject came up, today it seemed like everything could be a trigger.

Chris’ purring went up, making the doctor smile as she looked back for a moment.

Eddie leaned down, taking Buck’s hand to his lips for a soft kiss, then kissing the top of his head.

A mechanical echo filled the room, the doctor had turned the machine on and was checking the screen before turning back to Buck with a polite smile.

“Well, then you know there will be a bit of pressure, nothing painful. You will feel it as it advances, but if there’s pain, you tell me immediately…” she reminded him, Buck nodded as she sat between his open legs, “This is our best chance to confirm the pregnancy with little mistake margin…” Buck let out all the air in his lungs and looked up at the ceiling. Eddie realized the doctor had started the process, keeping the conversation to distract the omega, “and hear a heartbeat.”

“If something is wrong…”

The pup looked up at Buck’s suggestion, eyes on his face.

“We will likely see it here,” she assured him, “but after looking at your file and hearing your story, I’m sure all is good…” she said, Eddie looked back at her.

He could barely see her as she was sitting down, he hovered at Buck’s side instead by instinct, suddenly behind him and putting an arm around his son, cagging him between his body and Buck, ready to jump and attack to defend.

Christopher looked up curiously at him, Eddie rubbed his cheek on his hair for scenting and the pup’s purring made a little spike again.

“You’re resilient, Mr. Diaz, so is your body. All exams have come back good at every check-up after the detox and subsequent drop, that means…” She stood slowly, pushing the screen to her side for them to see, “that your body has recovered remarkably”.

The mention of his name had Eddie blinking several times, Chris stirred at it too and looked at the omega, but Buck was too busy being worried to notice the mix up.

He supposed it was fine—their pups would share a name, the same name Eddie wanted to give Buck anyway.

“I don’t feel remarkable…”

Eddie looked back at Buck, opening then closing his mouth, wanting to correct him although it was not the time.

“Well,” Harmon said instead, “better start believing it, because—”

The echo changed. Another sound, deeper and faster, replaced it as an image cleared on the monitor.

Eddie blinked, squeezing Buck’s hand as his mate made a little surprise sound.

“That's a beautiful and healthy heartbeat, this is a good one.” She made a small circle around a black bulge on the screen, “and that’s baby Diaz”.

Buck held his breath, Eddie’s mouth opened as he held his mate’s hand strongly, sweating, eyes on the screen, their pup’s heartbeat pounding in his own ears.

It kicked his own heart, made him think of holding Christopher for the first time and sitting on the floor crying with him as it was three in the morning and nothing he did could help his son calm down and sleep.

His nose filled with the scent of home, his omega and his son, and it pushed in a clear image: laying on his bed with Buck at his left and Christopher at his right after the well, how tired he’d been, how worried his pup was at the sight of him after the night he had.

Bobby had advised him to leave Chris at his abuela’s, but he had wanted his pup badly and Buck had folded right away, driving him to pick him up and go back home together since the omega didn’t want to leave his side just yet.

That was the first time they slept on the same bed, it was also the moment Eddie decided he needed to change his will for Buck was a forever in their family and if he was suddenly gone, his pup would have a loving, caring and strong father figure, an omega parent like the one he was already robbed of by some unfortunate accident.

It had turned out well—he should’ve known they would end up here, at this moment, now four.

“That’s crazy…” Chris murmured, “Buck?”

Eddie looked at his omega, the man was just staring at the screen with tears welled up in his eyes. His mouth opened in a tiny gasp and transformed into a laugh, then a sob.

It was as if a tap had been open and tears were just running down his face, crying as Chris new found little purr tried to calm him down at his side, shooing him gently.

“God, this is ridiculous,” Buck chuckled, “worse than when I get a regular heat—”

“Oh, pregnancy can be many things,” Doctor Harmon said, going back to sit between Buck’s legs, “you should prepare yourself for some good hormonal changes, lots of crying and swing moods”.

Buck laughed, looking up at Eddie.

“Do we get a photo?” Christopher asked, Buck’s eyes remained on his and Eddie couldn’t look away even if he tried.

“Of course! A video, too… I can even give you copies of the picture if you want!”

“Oh, can we get two?”

“I see someone is excited about being a big brother!”

In the back, he could hear the doctor talking to his son, the machine still going as paperwork was done and questions were asked. But Eddie’s attention was right there, in Buck looking at him, now confirmed to be carrying their pup.

“Te amo,” Eddie murmured softly, leaning down to kiss the man gently. His eyes closed, he could feel the hunger in his mate’s kiss, the desire to be somewhere else and alone together, “I love you so much, cosita”.

“I love you, too,” he murmured back, “we’re having a pup, Eddie…”

“Yeah,” he laughed, fingers in Buck’s hair.

“I’m having a pup with my best friend—” he chuckled, “Another one!”

Eddie smiled, nodding. He leaned down and kissed his forehead.

“It’s going to be fantastic, cosita,” he kissed him again and again.

For the first time in months, Eddie overslept and woke up to an empty bed.

In his trance between alive and asleep, he thought of his omega and his pup yelling the night before as they menaced with poisoning each other’s food over Uno after dinner.

They had been conspiring together in the kitchen afterwards, murmuring between them as Eddie took out the trash and gave them a look.

He had no idea what was all that about, but looking at their fridge distracted him from asking as he passed once he was done—

There at the door, held with a bumblebee magnet, Buck’s scan greeted them every time they passed or went to open it.

A healthy, growing, and very real pup was forming inside him, and soon enough they would be four.

His eyes remained closed, enjoying the moment of rest and peace.

“DAD!”

Until he didn’t.

“Mmm?” Eddie exclaimed, eyes still closed.

“Wake up!”

“No.”

“WAKE! UP!” His son said, punctuating his words with a kick to the bed with his crutch. “Come on!”

Eddie opened one eye, looking at the boy.

He was still in his pajamas, hair a bird’s nest, cheeks rosy and tip of the nose pink.

“What’s going on?” He murmured.

“You have to see it!” He said, making him groan. “Come on! Just come and see!”

Eddie took a deep breath with his eyes closed again… then opened, letting all the air in his lungs out.

Their ceiling may be in need of some new paint.

“Fine.” He said, sitting down on the mattress. “I’m awake!”

“Come!”

He stood up, listening to Christopher’s steps as he exited the bedroom through the patio’s door he hadn’t seen was wide open.

“We’re in the back!” The kid informed him, Eddie nodded to nobody and went to the bathroom.

Once out, hands clean and head clear, he frowned—he could hear Buck and Christopher laughing outside. He peaked out, there was breakfast at the table but his boys weren’t there at all.

In the back, near the biggest tree, both stood looking up and giggling between them.

Eddie walked out almost in a trance, smelling the sweet scent of happy pup and—

Milk.

He blinked, looking at the table for a moment. No sight of chocolate milk this time, no coffee or coco… Eddie’s jaw clenched, the sweet new scent becoming stronger the closer he got to Buck and Chris.

Eddie’s hands found Buck’s waist by instinct, holding him firmly as the man gasped sweetly and turned his face enough to get a kiss on his cheek and his nose. His hand moved to the front, cradling his abdomen, their pup.

It made Buck giggle.

“Good morning!” Buck greeted him, kissing his lips with a peck. “You actually slept on a weekend!”

Eddie shrugged it off, unable to speak just yet.

He smiled at his mate and kissed him again, taking in the new smell coming off their bond and his body.

“Eew, guys! I’m here!” Christopher reminded them, making Buck laugh against his mouth as they went apart. “Ugh, gross…”

“What? You don’t kiss your girlfriend?” Eddie deadpaned, his pup gave him a look.

“Not in front of you…”

Eddie smirked at him, putting his chin on Buck’s shoulder as he hugged him fully from behind. He kissed his neck, making his pup roll his eyes and look back at the tree.

He chuckled, looking up as he took a good breath of his omega’s scent…

“Uh,” Eddie blinked, looking at one of the lower branches, “are those American Bushtits?”

“Yes!” Buck informed him enthusiastically, hands over Eddie’s on his stomach. “I don’t know when they arrived, I hadn't seen them until Chris said to have breakfast outside and we heard them!”

He blinked, there were at least three pairs, all busy working on their own nests.

There was one clearly behind in schedule, but both of the bird were working hard on it as they watched on. He couldn’t help but smile, who would tel—

“Is that—” He shook his head, “No way…”

“Ah-ha!” Christopher nodded enthusiastically, “Right? I told you, Buck!”

“There’s no way!” Eddie said, eyes opened wide. He untangled himself from Buck, walking past him to look closer to the birds. “Hey…” Eddie blinked, one of the birds turned and looked at him, black eyes blinking fast at him, little head moving cutely as it watched.

“It’s her!” Chris declared. “I would recognize her everywhere!”

The chubby little thing had a scold on her face, mad as hell that Eddie was distracting her from her work. She flew out, Eddie followed her with his wide open eyes until he couldn’t see her.

Slowly, he looked down at his pup.

“No way she followed us…”

“Why not?” Buck said, walking back to the table. “You guys are her normal,” he said, “part of her family”.

It was a bird, and it was impossible—but this one Bushtit looked like their housemate of years, their nest wasn’t as advanced as the others, and after New Mexico, the truth was that Eddie believed in anything.

The sky is blue, the grass is green, they survived a serial killer, Eddie mated his best friend, they were having a pup together, and the birds that lived at their window in their old house had moved in to their new one with them.

Buck’s scent had changed, and everything was okay.

His fingers went to his giggling pup’s hair, trying to tame those wild curls as they walked back to the table with Buck.

Eddie looked back for a moment, wondering how many babies there would be in the house that year.

“Amor,” he called Buck as the omega helped Chris sit back.

“Mmm?” He exclaimed, looking back once the boy was sitting, “What?”

“I love you.” Buck chuckled at him but his eyes softened, Chris rolled his eyes again, “your scent changed”.

The little gasp the pup left out made him smile but his attention remained on his omega, Buck’s eyes opening wide.

He sat back slowly, blinking as one hand posed on his belly and the other went to his mating gland, surely tracing the bond scar with his fingers.

“Finally?” He murmured, then looked at Eddie with the sweetest smile, “what is it like?”

Eddie smiled back, “milk”.

Buck chuckled, looking back at Christopher when the boy asked for his wrist. The pup sniffed at his gland, looking up with a little frown.

“It’s sweet!” He said, slowly recognizing scents on his own. “Is it?” He looked at Eddie.

The alpha nodded, “sweet and a bit spicy…”

“Like cinnamon,” Chris added for him, “he smells like arroz con leche”.

“Oh?” Buck blinked, looking at Eddie.

He thought about it for a moment, looked at the scene in front of him, then back at his omega.

“He does,” Eddie admitted, “you know what that means?”

“Oh,” Chris nodded, suddenly serious and looking at Buck, “they’ll be an omega!”

“What?” Buck blinked, “you can tell just like that?”

“Abuelita said my mom smelled of arroz con leche when she was pregnant, and so did my abuela when she was pregnant with my aunts… so,” Chris shrugged, “I’m just saying!”

Buck looked at him, laughing with his cheeks pink and full, “Seriously? This is the one thing you actually believe in?”

Eddie shrugged, “I mean, if there’s poof…”

The omega shook his head, laughing loudly with their pup.

Eddie sat back, watching them.

The female American Bushtit sat over the roof, looking down at them like she used to back in his old house, moving its head from side to side, like wondering until her eyes landed on Eddie.

Ma’am, he thought as he nodded slightly. Her head moved one last time, then she flew away, leaving him with a smile as the smell of happy pup and omega mixed with the sweetness of puppy milk.