Story's on archive so you can read here (chapters)

redamancy

Fire licks beneath Will's skin as soon as he lifts his head off of the pillow.

He's groggy. He has no idea how long he's been asleep, but he somehow feels even more exhausted than he did after Eddie finally knotted him up. The memory of it is still fresh, still tangible; Will should be sore, and the nape of his neck should give off a twinge of pain when he lifts his head to look around. His vision is blurry at the edges, and he whimpers softly, aimlessly, pushing at the blanket draped across his shoulders. He's too warm. He needs air.

"Easy, baby." A hand strokes down his arm and he tilts his head back, confused. Eddie is sitting up in bed next to him, back against the small headboard, his dark eyes solemn and serious. "You've gotta be feeling pretty rough about now."

"'S going on?" Will runs his tongue over his lips. They're dry. He needs something to drink, too. His throat isn't sore, but he's still hoarse.

Thirsty. He's so warm it's like there's lava flowing through his veins.

Eddie smiles a little, but it looks more like a wince than anything else. He moves when Will does, helping him sit up, his hands cool against Will's overheated skin. Everything feels... Too much and not enough. The bed should be softer, warmer, safer. It's dark, which is good, but Will is thirsty and hungry, and he's struggling more than he ever has before. What the hell is going on?

"I thought it was just a sympathy thing at first," Eddie tells him. Before Will can ask, he's leaning over to the small nightstand next to his bed, retrieving a glass of what looks like water, sweat beading along the side. "Pretty common for alphas especially. Sympathy rut for your omega in heat, you know?"

Will has no idea what he's talking about. He tries to take the glass, but his hands are shaking so badly that Eddie simply holds it to his lips for him. Doesn't matter either way; he sips the water gratefully, and it cools a minute amount of the fire currently seeming to rage through the entirety of his body.

That heat is focused between his thighs, and when Will slips a hand down to see what's going on, his fingers come away glistening and wet. Dripping. "What..?"

When the glass is pressed to his lips again, he drinks more water.

"You told me that you hadn't been in heat in the Upside Down, and I should have been more careful. Should have guessed something like this could happen." Eddie shakes his head a little, but Will just focuses on the water, on the cool liquid that flows over his tongue, ice cold sliding down his throat.

Something like that? Will doesn't understand. He finishes the glass of water and slumps back against the headboard, then whines and flinches away from it. Too hard. It's cold, though, and he likes that part, but it's too hard against his skin.

"I know. Believe me, baby, I know." Eddie is there a moment later, drawing Will back against him, and Will wriggles to get as close as possible. Eddie's skin is warm, but cooler than Will's and much softer than wood. "Nothing hurts, right? I know you said your heats are bad, and I wanted to be ready for that, but we're not... I didn't think... I should have known better. I'm sorry, Will."

Heat. Will blinks as the reality of the situation nearly crushes him; the pulsing heat between his thighs, the warmth crawling under his skin, the need for a softer nest, to get away from the headboard because it's too hard, too harsh. He's in heat and the relief is enough to bring him to tears that he rapidly blinks away, not willing to cry in front of Eddie again. He'd been so worried and so scared so many times in the Upside Down when Vecna... When he'd...

At least Will isn't pregnant. At least that bastard couldn't impregnate him.

Eddie settles Will's back against his chest, the blanket pulled across their laps, though Will is more than warm enough without it. "You didn't use all the nesting supplies, so you can... Use more. I know you probably want to use more."