tightjeans | •open post•

He frowned, moving his hand up to the back of his neck to gently squeeze so he could calm him down.

"Hey whoa now wait just a minute. I...no. No one would ever think you are weak, Billy. I mean it. And if they did, well you'd beat their ass for saying so." He said softly, cupping his chin gently and making the other look at him.

"You had a heat and nothing happened. No one did anything. I wouldn't let that happen either. You..." He sighed, shaking his head. "There is nothing wrong with being an omega. He is just an asshole. He is. And I won't let him hurt you either. Not anymore."

Not that Billy really needed Steve to protect him. Well, maybe when it came to Neil, but he wouldn't do anything unless he thought Billy wouldn't hate him for it.

Billy let's out a soft noise at the pressure on the back of his neck and he immediately melts underneath the touch. He wants to be mad about it but with his hand still there, squeezing gently, he can't feel anything but the relaxing release of hormones.

"How can you stop him, Steve? I have to go home some time and you can't protect me when I'm there." The words only fall out his mouth because of the post-heat pheromones and the alpha's grip on his neck.

The truth is, Billy is scared of Neil, always has been and he's the one person Billy can't defend himself against.

"How can I stop him? Well..." He shifted a bit, staring at the table before shrugging. "Put my scent on you. He'd think there is a chance you might be starting to bond with someone and if so...its kind of illegal to mess with the bonding process." He tried, but he wasn't sure if that would help either.

"I mean, or I can just kick his ass and tell him to stay the fuck away from you." He looked at Billy, complete and utter sincerity as he said it. He really would try to kick Neil's ass for the other teen.

"You put your scent on me and he'll all but beat it off of me." It's not the first time Billy's put into words what Neil does behind closed doors, but it isn't a common thing and it's the easiest way to know just how upset and stressed he is about the idea that he isn't able to bite the words back.

"Have you ever actually won a fight?"

His eyes narrowed at the words and he couldn't help the deep, angry growl that escaped him at the thought of Neil hurting Billy like that. His jaw went tight, hands balling into fists before he glanced over at the omega out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll win that one. He lays a fucking hand on you again and I swear to God, Billy, I'll rip him apart. I'll tear his throat out." Sure, Steve had been angry before. Billy had even seen Steve angry before.

But never this angry.

Billy actually flinches away at the growl, has to remind himself that it isn't directed at him the way it is when his alpha father starts up. He isn't at risk of being punched or shoved into a wall, not by Steve.

"Steve. You can't." If Billy couldn't win that fight, Steve couldn't. Billy had spent years trying to build up muscle and strength in the hopes to be able to defend himself and it still wasn't enough. He'd done all he could to play the part of big, tough alpha and it still wasn't enough. "You can't."

No matter how much Billy wished he could.

"Bullshit I can't. I might not look like much, but I'm stronger than you think, Hargrove." He said, still looking at him before sighing. Instead he just shifted away a bit, crossing his arms over his chest so he wouldn't do anything to rub his scent on the omega.

"I'm at least giving you a ride home when you're done eating. You are in no condition to try to drive." He mumbled, staring down at the floor. He felt...defeated? Hurt? It was hard to explain.

Especially since he wanted to defend Billy. To take care of him, but the other obviously didn't want him to. And that was it. The thought echoing in the back of his mind. Still.

"I'll help you get your car tomorrow morning."

"Steve..." The smell of Steve's hurt and disappointment stings in his nose and he subconsciously tucks in on himself. He knows it's because of the recent influx of hormones and pheromones that are still sitting in his system, because otherwise there's no way Billy Hargrove would shrink in on himself normally.

Sighing, Billy nods. He can compromise. It's the least he can do. "Okay, Steve."

He doesn't need the alpha to take care of him, has been doing fine by himself all these years but the omega in him wants to let him. Wants to bare his throat and let Steve mark him as his. But he knows they can't and knows that in a day or two, the feeling will lessen and he'll be himself again.

Steve couldn't sit there for long, only watching Billy for another minute or so before he got up and started moving around the house. He cleaned up and made sure Billy had everything he'd brought with him. Just...taking care of him even if Billy didn't want it. It wasn't typical. Not like this. Alphas were protected, they provided. They didn't cook and clean up after their omegas. But this was just Steve being Steve.

Once Billy was done he got him out to the car, pulling out and driving him home. He pulled up outside, eyeing the house carefully before shifting and turning his head. "Billy look...I know what you're gonna say but just listen and shut up." He said, sighing and scratching the back of his neck. "I get it. I mean, I don't but I do. I'm not gonna push or anything...just...if you need anything. I'm here."

Billy ate his share and drank far more of the water than he probably should have with how it was sloshing around his stomach. Meanwhile, Steve cleaned up and made sure all his stuff was together for him. It was typical omega behaviour which was odd for an alpha but not for Steve and so Billy isn't too shocked.

The drive to his place is silent but not uncomfortable and when they pull up, the words that leave Steve's mouth don't surprise him at all. "I know, Steve." He offers a smile. "But I mean what I said. This doesn't change anything. You knowing I'm an omega... Treat me any different and I'll kick your ass."

"Yeah I got it." He said back, making sure Billy had his stuff before watching him get out of the car. He chewed on his lip, eyes going from Billy to the front door and back before sitting up just a bit straighter when he saw the curtain shift. Then the door opened just a minute later and Neil Hargrove was standing in the doorway.

His hands curled around the steering wheel of the car, never once taking his eyes off the older man.

"Okay, good." Grabbing his stuff from the backseat, Billy looks at Steve for a long moment. "Thanks. For this week." For taking care of him throughout his heat, for not pressuring him, for being there. He offers one more smile before he gets out of the car.

His dad meets him at the door and Billy freezes as soon as Neil opens his mouth. His dad can smell the heat on him and he drops his head.

And that's the wrong thing to do, apparently. He only knows he's been hit from the burning sting that blooms across his face.

He'd still been watching, though he had put the car in reverse and was ready to back out.

That was, until he saw the way Billy's head cracked sideways and heard the smack of his hand against Billy's face. No, when that happened Steve slammed the car back into park and before he even realized what he was doing he was out of the car.

He slammed the door behind him, racing around it and crossing the yard in only a few strides, that deep, threatening growl back in his throat, rumbling in his chest. He was seeing red. He pulled Billy behind him and it was like he was a different man.

"How the fuck dare you!?" He started in, still advancing on the surprised older man. "You lay a fucking hand on him again and I swear to fucking god I'll rip your knot out through your god damned throat!" He snarled, slamming Neil up against the wall.

Billy's still reeling from the slap to the face when Steve races over and starts in on his dad. He has no idea what's happening until Steve has his father pinned to the wall.

The commotion has called Susan and Max to the door and they both watch on, horror on their faces. The omega tries to pull the alpha away but instead he gets carefully pushed aside which is a stark contrast to the grip Steve has on his dad.

"Steve! Stop! Steve, it's okay!"

He'd only stopped for a moment when Billy tried to interject, carefully moving him back before spinning back on Neil. Even though it would seem like Neil could take Steve, it was turning out very much the opposite.

He was still yelling, still had the man pinned and had punched Neil a few times before Billy was finally able to get between them and stop him.

Steve was panting, that growl still just barely coming out as he pulled Billy back away from the man, boring holes into him with his eyes as he pointed at him over Billy's shoulder.

"Touch him again. Touch him again and I swear to god, I will fucking kill you."

Billy knows nothing good can come of this. His dad is going to have a helluva shiner tomorrow and he knows -he knows- he’s going to pay for Steve’s outburst. That’s going to make the alpha even more angry and upset about it all but he can’t worry about that right now.

Now, he needs to get Steve out of here and get his punishment over and done with so he can curl up and sleep and forget the pain in his gut that comes from neither.

“Steve, go! You need to go! Please!”

He let Billy push him away, though he didn't stop glaring daggers at Neil until after he took a few steps back and looked at Billy.

"Call me. I mean it. Call me if you need anything." He said, watching him before huffing and turning to walk away. His knuckles hurt and he felt like his heart was racing out of his chest, but it felt like it was worth it.

He just hoped Billy didn't hate him for doing it. He doubted Neil was going to stop, but he honestly hadn't been able to help himself.

"I will." They both knew it was a lie; there was no way Billy was going to be able to call Steve tonight, no matter what happened.

As soon as Steve's in the car and pulling away, Billy lets out a shaky breath and turns to face what he knows is coming.

The door is barely closed behind him before it starts and he drags himself to bed afterwards, curls into a ball and cries himself to sleep. Max brings him water and Tylenol sometime after Neil and Susan are asleep and the young alpha pets his head gently and leaves him be.

The next morning Steve was waiting in the parking lot for Billy, watching for his car before straightening up when he saw it. He watched Max get out, looking at the girl who just looked at him before ducking her head and running off.

"Billy!" He called out, walking over to check on the other. He pulled the car door open for him without a thought, frowning. "You alright?"

Billy expects that Steve to be waiting for him but it doesn't make it any easier when the alpha comes over and opens his door. He doesn't even have it in him to be upset that he'd opened his door like he was a girl on their first date.

He's slow to get out of the car, wincing at the way it makes his ribs ache even more.

"I'm fine, Steve." He was far from fine but he didn't want to worry him.

"You are a terrible liar, you know." He said softly, shaking his head as he looked him over before at least following him off to the school. He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at the ground.

"I'm sorry. If he...you know. If he punished you because of me." He whispered, biting his lip and looking at him.

“He’d have done it anyway.” That’s not a lie; Neil has already been mad when Billy got home. What had happened with Steve had only served to make him angrier and probably done some damage to his ego.

The walk from the car park to the school is slow, one of Billy’s hands tucked inside his jacket to support his bruised ribs. “Don’t worry about it, yeah? It’ll be alright.”

Another lie.

He knew better than to believe any of it, but he didn't bring it up again. "Yeah." He said, pushing the door open once they reached the building. He was careful, at least helping the other boy as they moved to and from class. Not that he did anything to see incredibly obvious. He brushed his fingers through his hair, smiling once lunch time rolled around.

"So we have that project we need to work on for Mrs. Craig's class. Want to come over after school and work on it or wait til this weekend?" He bit his lip, rubbing his neck and watching Billy.

"We can get it started tonight and get it finished on the weekend?" He hadn't slept much and he was tired and maybe he could catch an hour of sleep while he was there before going home.

The longer the day dragged on, the more he ached and by the time he was waiting at Steve's locker, he was breathing shallowly to try and take the pressure off his ribs. "Hey, Harrington."

"Yeah that sounds good." He said, nodding.

Once he made it to his locker, he looked Billy over and raised an eyebrow. "Hey...jesus. You gonna be okay?" He asked, reaching out and resting a hand on his arm.

"You think you can make the drive to my house? I've got something you can take for the pain. S'from when I broke my arm a while back." He bit his lip, wanting to put a protective arm around the other teen but he stopped himself.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject