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When Billy ignores him for the fifth day in a row, Steve knows something’s wrong. Sure, eight months ago he would have given his right arm to have Billy Hargrove ignore him for five days straight.
But now?
For four months now, they don’t go 24 hours without jumping each other like the horny high schoolers they are. And Billy’s a beta . Steve was almost positive the guy was lying when he told him because, well, Billy is about as alpha as they get and Steve would never believe he was anything but even with Billy in the power department.
For a beta, though, Billy is dominant. He excels in sports, kicks ass in class, and sometimes pins Steve down like he’s the one with a knot to fuck him senseless. Even when Steve is the alpha, Billy pushes his buttons. Always driving, always grinding on him for more.
So being ghosted by the guy for a solid week is fucking off .
Steve hunts him down after his last period, literally jogging out to his car so he can cut Billy off from the driver’s seat in time.
“Hold up a second, jesus.” He pants, trying for charming as Billy grinds his jaw. Doesn’t make eye contact. “Where have you been? You avoiding me?”
“Didn’t realize you were the clingy type, Harrington.” Billy snaps back, rolling his shoulders. “Move, I gotta get Max.”
“She’ll find us.” Steve retorts, moving in closer. No one can hear them as it is but something about Billy’s posture says he needs to tread lightly . “What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. What, just because I don’t beg for it for a few days means something’s wrong?”
“Uh, yeah .” Steve huffs. “You jumped me in the bathroom last week, dickhead.” Billy’s cheeks blush pink so Steve licks his lips, leans in closer until he can smell Billy’s scent. Subtle, but there under his cologne and cigarettes. “You rode me so long I missed English.”
“Whatever, I’m just busy.” Billy brushes him off, sniffs the air despite the color bleeding down his neck. “I’ve got things to take care of.”
“Anything I can help with?” Steve asks gently and Billy glances at him. Meets his eye for the first time in days.
They’re redder than Steve realized and he reaches out, forgetting himself as he cups Billy’s face.
“Shit are you okay—?”
“Get off.” Billy dodges his touch. There’s no one watching, everyone more concerned with getting home on a Friday afternoon. “I’m fine .”
“Why won’t you just talk to me?” Steve pleads, his fears rising to the surface. Neil hurting Billy. Or Billy finally realizing Steve is just bullshit . “I want to help you.”
The scoff he gets in response is weak, almost sad. Steve takes a chance, steps closer again.
“I want to help.”
Billy’s eyes are shining when he looks up, holding Steve’s stare. His scent smoothes out, goes sweet like honey when Steve smiles. It’s a scent Steve knows well. The smell of Billy’s happiness.
“You knocked me up, asshole.” Billy mutters.
Steve.
Well. He can’t really think for a moment. His balance suddenly going wobbly, a little tilt-a-whirl. He stumbles to the side, grabbing the Camaro to keep from falling over.
Billy snatches his elbow, holds him on his feet.
“Get in before you keel over, jesus.”
Steve numbly obeys, circling the car as Billy leads him, opens the door.
“You’re--” He says to himself, watching Billy round the front of the Camaro, plop into the driver’s seat. “Pregnant.”
“Life’s funny, isn’t it?” Billy sneers. He pulls a cigarette carton out of his jacket and Steve watches him stuff one between his lips. Grab his lighter.
Steve smacks the smoke out of his mouth so fast he doesn’t remember moving.
“Are you out of your mind ?” He screeches. Billy scowls at him.
“It’s just one .”
“Knowing you, it’s one hundred .” Steve snaps, snatching the pack and tucking it into his jacket. “Jesus Christ.” He shakes his head as Billy pouts. Chews his thumb nail. “How do you know?”
“I just do .” Billy mumbles back. Sighs. “I had a dream about it and then I started getting sick in the morning.” He grunts, shifts in his seat. “I don’t like coffee anymore, I eat anything in sight. And I’m late .”
“But you don’t...you know...” Steve fumbles over the words, trying really hard to remember how beta reproduction works.
“I usually do a little. Just for a day or so.” Billy sighs, leaning back. “But it didn’t happen this month and I’ve been horny as hell for weeks and...”
“I didn’t think it was possible .” Steve whispers, staring at Billy’s waist. It’s no bigger than usual, his jeans still tight and hugging him in all the right places. “That’s why we never--”
“I’m aware of how this works, Harrington. Thank you.” Billy grunts. “Leave it to you to break all the fucking rules.”
“Me?!” Steve ghawks. “I’m not the one who’s supposed to be infertile .”
“Well!” Billy gestures to himself, exhaustion heavy on his face. “SURPRISE.”
Surprise.
Steve can’t goddamn think .
“Have you...you know?” Steve trips over his words, not even sure what he’s saying . Nancy had been a beta. Most of the girls he’d been with were betas. He’d never worried about pregnancy before, using condoms when an omega happened to fall in his bed.
“Taken a test?” Billy finishes for him, snorting when Steve simply nods. “Yesterday.”
Yesterday.
“Holy shit.” He whispers. Too stunned, too confused .
Billy is pregnant with his baby. Billy, the smoking, fighting, crazy beta. Carrying his child. Suddenly his body was overwhelmed, his hands shaking and stomach flipping over. Their child.
“Shit, don’t puke in my car.” Billy says, grabbing him by the collar, and Steve realizes how far over he’d slumped, too in his head to notice he’d nearly brained himself on the dashboard.
“I’m gonna be a father.” He says to himself, staring at the floor between his sneakers. There’s dirt, a stray french fry and balled up foil from a burger. “We.” Steve adds. Billy’s eyes are wet when he meets them, adam’s apple bobbing with a hard swallow. “We’ll be parents.”
“I don’t want anything from you.” Billy blurts, abrupt and a little too loud. “I don’t need you to like, do the right thing and whatnot. I can take care of myself—”
“I want to be there for both of you.” Steve murmurs, his eyes welling up as he visualizes a little girl with Billy’s curls. Or a boy with Steve’s eyes. “We’re gonna be parents .”
“Quit saying that.” Billy sniffles and Steve watches him wipe away tears, pausing to grunt and spit out the window. “Someone’s gonna see you balling like a bitch and think we’re dating.”
There might be tears on his cheeks but Steve laughs. Laughs like a weight is off his chest.
“We’re a little past dating, Hargrove. Skipping straight to babies.”
Billy’s smile is small, but at least it isn’t a scowl.
“If I have more than one, I’m gonna kill you.” He says, wiping more tears away. “My body is gonna be so fucked up after this.”
“I’ll love it.” Steve murmurs, leaning closer. “Soft and round or hard and flat, I will never get enough.”
“Pff, don’t make promises.” Billy mutters.
But Steve isn’t deterred by his grumping, he leans closer, until he’s nearly whispering in Billy’s ear.
“I’ll want you now, then, and every day for the rest of my life and love every inch of you.”
Billy’s eyes go wide as he stares over at Steve’s face.
“What?”
Steve shrugs, almost too sure, too confident of what he wants that it’s scary . “If you don’t marry me, I’ll still be the father of your child so...you’re stuck with me.”
“Thank GOD .” A voice startles them both, making Steve pull away as Billy grabs the steering wheel with both hands. Max is standing out the driver’s window, skateboard under her arm and her eyes nearly crossed with irritation.
“It’s fucking rude to eavesdrop, Maxine .” Billy snarls. “Jesus Christ.”
“Say yes, you asshole.” She says with a sigh. “If you don’t marry him after all the fucking pining you’ve been doing at home this week, you’ll officially be the biggest idiot that ever existed in the history of the earth.”
Steve’s laugh is short lived when Billy shoots him a glare. He holds his hands up in surrender.
“Offer still stands.” He says with a small chuckle. “Just please don’t hit me for asking.”
“I hate you both.” Billy grumbles. Throwing open the driver’s side door, he lets Maxine pile into the back, slapping the seat upright when she’s through.
“You love us both, we know.” Max mutters. “Now stop bitching and just be happy for once you jerk.”
Billy huffs at her in the rearview mirror and they trade scowls, but Steve can’t feel anything but elation.
“Marry me.” He blurts, breaking the staring contest between the Hargrove siblings. “You can move in, and we can set up a nursery in one of the spare rooms and I’ll get a job—”
“FINE. God, just stop talking .” Billy yells, his face cherry red. “I’m not in the mood for all this mushy shit.” Steve is beaming when Billy starts the car. “I’ll pack my shit and then you’re buying me dinner. Because you owe me.” He adds as they pull out of the lot.
“Anywhere you want.” Steve promises, his eyes still wet, his heart so full.
“Somewhere with steak.”
“Done.”
“And cake.”