Chapter Text
Something was off.
Something, as in someone, had taken the lock that was already broken on Eddie Munson’s locker and placed something inside.
While this wasn’t exactly surprising since people had done it like… at least once a week for the past three years in the godforsaken hellhole known as Hawkins High, but this was different. Usually Eddie could already smell the stink of whatever dog shit was placed on top of his books oh so carefully, but this time there was no trace, and that was fucking terrifying. Maybe there was a bomb inside, waiting for Eddie to just open it up and put him out of his goddamn misery.
If only.
Eddie sighed, fingers twitching against the handle of the locker, dark eyes just about boring a hole into the metal door. There were roughly three months left of school. Three goddamn months. If he was lucky, he’d pass Mrs. O’Donnell’s chem class with a D and he’d fucking finally leave the school. He was teetering currently, but managing to stay afloat. One would think with only three months left, the jackasses who threw balls into baskets would have better things to do than continue to toss shit into his locker. Fucking pricks.
This is what he got for not being able to afford blockers: his alpha scent stinking up the halls for a little over a year now. Truthfully, even if he could afford them, the odds of him actually getting them were slim. What good did it do? If anything it caused more harm. Putting additives into his system unwillingly wasn’t something Eddie did. It wasn’t like lighting up a blunt or even popping a perc. Placing that stupid little patch on his neck would mean suppressing the scent he was made to release. It’s what everyone else did in the school. No one knew one from the other; it was only Eddie that stood out like a sore thumb.
Eddie was okay with that. Fuck everyone anyway.
“Eddie, just open the fucking door.”
Gareth’s voice rang through him, snapping Eddie from his own mini pity party in his head, dark eyes turning down to meet the aggravated blue. The shorter, younger man was standing beside him, arms crossing over his chest as the patience in the angered omega grew thin. Impossibly so, really. He was a part of Eddie’s little group of misfits. Gareth, Jeff, and Freak. The four of them sticking to themselves, surviving the halls of Hawkins High. Out of them all though, Gareth was his favorite, not that he would ever admit it. The angered guy was like a feisty chihuahua.
“You should step back, Gare-bear, just in case it is something that explodes,” Eddie hummed, tilting his gaze back to the door that was staring back at him menacingly. He swallowed, letting his eyes flutter shut before finally whipping the door open, bracing for the impact of…nothing. The fuck? The locker didn’t explode, the fire alarm in tact, no smoke, no blood.
Honestly, a little disappointing.
“Holy fuck ,” Gareth breathed out. Eddie’s eyes dipped to see the little black box, wrapped in a maroon ribbon. “Is that a gift?”
“It’s probably the wrong locker.” That was the only logical explanation. No one got Eddie gifts. Not the freak of the school.
“Eds, black and red? Those are your colors.” Complete coincidence.
“Dude, there’s a fucking card!”
Eddie’s head snapped to Gareth, who was already holding onto the little card that was beside the box, tearing it open with ease and a shit-eating grin. He frowned, eyebrows marrying under the frizzed fringe resting on his forehead. If he wasn’t so confused right now, Eddie would have already ripped the card from Gareth’s hands, tell him to stop being so fucking nosy, but right now he couldn’t find himself to do it. No, right now he needed Gareth to fucking do it before his head spun.
“ Eddie ,” Gareth began, his eyes flicking across the words on the card, “ I hope you like them, wanted to finally shoot my shot. From, S.H. ” Eddie frowned, his nose scrunching as Gareth finished speaking, blue eyes snapping up to meet his own. “S.H? Fuck, Eddie open the goddamn box.”
Fuck, right, right.
Eddie’s fingers tore open the box, velvet lined on the inside, a small maroon bag resting inside. He blinked, turning to look at Gareth once again before he picked up the silk bag, pushing two fingers in to gently open it. “Oh my god.” This wasn’t happening. How the fuck was this happening? No one got him gifts and if they did they were to fuck with him. This was a gift, probably the nicest gift he’d ever received in his life.
“What is it?!”
“Dice.”
The most beautiful set he’d ever seen.
The bag tilted, Eddie gingerly cupping the set of dice in his palms as if they were made of porcelain. Fire red in color, marbled with black, speckled with gold. Beautiful . They were absolutely beautiful and they matched the colors he had picked out for Hellfire. But how? It didn’t make any sense. A set of DND dice — a good set — was upwards of around eight bucks. These babies? Yeah, these were easily a two hundred plus set of dice. They were light, but had some weight to them, which meant they weren’t knock off dice made of just resin. No bubbles which meant they were carefully crafted. Hand painted black numbers, no residue from the paint on the outside.
“Holy shit, Eddie…” Gareth moved to touch the dice. Eddie immediately clasped his hands together, holding them tightly between his palms.
“Don’t touch them, man!”
“Jesus, Eddie, this is courting.” Goddamnit, was it? That didn’t even make sense considering that Eddie was an alpha and he was the one that was supposed to do the courting. “ S.H . is courting you.”
S.H.
Eddie frowned, slowly placing the dice back into the silk bag. He contemplated for a second, breath caught in his throat as he brought the bag to his nose, eyes fluttering closed as soon as the scent filled his nostrils.
“ Omega. ”
Fuck. He wanted to dive into the bag, make a den, and never come out. The scent was faint, but it was there. It smelled like a summer day, morning rain, teakwood and vanilla with a hint of citrus from an orange. Eddie’s mouth watered, saliva pooling under his tongue as he slid the bag into the inner pocket of his leather jacket. He pressed his palm against the leather, letting the sharp points dig into the black band tee he wore underneath.
The sharp ring of the morning bell caught the alpha off guard, his blown pupils reducing as the scent from the bag dwindled, replaced with the leather of his jacket. Eddie cleared his throat, blinking back to reality as Gareth stared at him with a confused yet incredibly amused expression. “You got a stalker.”
“Fuck off, we’ll talk at lunch.” Eddie grinned, feeling his cheeks heat up over the thought that someone would actually want to court him. Him, as in Eddie Munson, as in the freak of the school, as in the pathetic alpha that didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. He quickly shut the locker, placing the lock back on, giving it a sharp tug to ensure it was actually closed this time before he headed down the hallway with Gareth in tow.
⟲
From around the corner, honey eyes followed, a small smile playing on tanned cheeks.
“So are we going to talk about who the super secret S.H. is?”
Eddie slid his gaze from his shitty cheese and peanut butter sandwich (which, by the way, wasn’t as good as he had originally thought it would be) to Jeff, who was now trying to get his attention over the mystery dice that showed up in his locker. Was Eddie Munson still in shock over it? Yes, yes he was. Would he show that? No, no he wouldn’t. It wasn’t every day someone got him something. The last time he had really gotten a present was his fifteenth birthday; Wayne had gotten him a Garfield mug which he fucking cherished . His friends didn’t have jobs, and honestly, Eddie didn’t even celebrate his birthday anymore, so… anyway, the dice.
The dice were nice, beautiful even. They rested still safe and sound in the inner pocket of Eddie’s leather jacket. He hadn’t taken them out, too afraid he’d drop them, and even if he wanted to use them in his next campaign, he knew he wouldn’t. Nah, they were going to be put in the small box under his bed, the one that he kept all of his favorite things in.
“Samantha Harold?” Freak asked, muffled from the burger he was trying to scarf down, fingers digging into the sides of the bun.
Hmm…Samantha Harold would make sense. She was cute and new to the school, sophomore, wore band tees and had pink hair. It would fit the bill, really, but she was an omega, and that in itself didn’t make sense. Not like any of it did anyway, but still…an omega courting an alpha was incredibly odd, even for Eddie.
Eddie shook his head, pushing the sandwich to the side, leaning back into the plastic chair with his arms crossed over his chest, the feeling of the dice pushing against his shirt comforting. “Nah, I’ve never talked to her, and even if I did, she’s an omega, man.” He pursed his lips, dark eyes moving across the sea of students in the cafeteria.
S.H. S.H. S.H.
“Stewart Hardy?”
“Fuck no.” Eddie scrunched his nose, watching as Gareth tossed a goldfish straight at Jeff’s face in protest. Nope, fuck Stewart Hardy. The guy was a fucking prick. There was no way in hell the alpha would be pining over Eddie Munson. Besides, he had a unibrow, which was terrifying all in itself. He’d snapped at Eddie for staring at it once.
“Well excuse me! ” Jeff said, aggravation thick in his tone as the beta rolled his eyes. “I don’t know too many people in this school who have a S first name and an H last!”
Hmm, good point.
Eddie nodded, clicked his tongue before pursing his lips, sliding the chair out so he could plop his boots up on top of the table. As much as he hated to admit it, Jeff was right . There weren’t many ‘S’ names, so it narrowed it down a lot, but everyone who did have the initials didn’t match up. His thumb twirled the silver ring around his index finger, foot tapping the air as he flicked his gaze back to the three, every cog in their brains turning as they thought.
“Steve Harrington!”
A burst of laughter filled the air as each of the boys folded over in hysterics. Steve Harrington, as fucking if. The King of Hawkins High, golden boy of Hawkins, Indiana. It had to be the funniest thing that ever left Gareth’s mouth. Tears sprang to the corners of Eddie’s eyes, cheeks flushed from just how hard he had laughed, legs still firmly planted on top of the table.
“You’re such a dick, Gare-Bear.” Eddie grinned, watching as the shorter brunette laughed, plopping another goldfish into his mouth. Steve Harrington. Jesus Christ . Could they fucking imagine? Prized trophy son of James and Rosalind Harrington, courting Eddie ‘ The Freak’ Munson.
Not a fucking chance. That would be the day that pigs flew, the day Eddie believed in the Lord Almighty.
It was then when the cafeteria doors opened, slamming into the walls on either side. Every head in the room turned and, speak of the devil himself, Steve Harrington was on the other side with a guitar.
Not just any guitar, no.
It was the guitar that Eddie had been staring at in Tony’s Record Shop for months. Matte black with silver accents, red fucking strings. A Les fucking Paul. He’d named her and everything. Charlotte . His Charlie girl. Every day after school, Eddie would go and sit at the shop for hours, breaking her in. He’d fucking saved up for her, needed another three hundred and she’d be his… except she was in Steve Harrington’s pretty hands and Eddie was fuming.
The worst part? Steve didn’t even play a guitar! No, he didn’t play any musical instrument. Eddie had seen him with a goddamn triangle and that was enough to have Mrs. Collins take it away, telling Steve politely that music wasn’t for everyone. So what the fuck was he doing with Eddie’s guitar?!
Boots quickly slid to the ground, lips parting still in the fucking shock of seeing this and Eddie was contemplating pinching himself because this wasn’t happening. There was no good reason for any of this. Not one. Nope. How dare the fucker go around showcasing daddy and mommy’s money by buying the only thing keeping Eddie fucking sane.
If anyone smelled the rot coming from Eddie, no one said it. He was seeing red, a growl caught in his chest, clawing up his throat to get out as the chestnut haired King climbed up on top of a cafeteria table with the precious Charlie in his hands. His stupid, pretty hands. It was like the whole student body was frozen in shock as Steve’s bright white Nikes continued to step over trays and whatever else was scattered. Eddie’s fingers were gripping the underside of the chair, blunt nails digging into the plastic harshly. He swore to Christ if the jock dropped his precious girl he was going to lose his goddamn mind. Not only that but why was Steve walking on top of the tables? That was like…
That was his thing!
Lopsided smirk, not a hair out of place, falling to the right side of his face held together by god knows what. Tanned skin like he had just gotten done laying out in the sun, only making those freckles and moles pop out even more. A soft green sweater sat on his shoulders, fitted because of fucking course it was, and a brand new looking pair of Levis. Eddie wanted to kill him, wanted to get up onto his cafeteria table tops and wrap his ringed fingers around that pretty little neck and squeeze.
“Why is he coming this way?” Gareth’s whisper snapped Eddie’s gaze off of the man, flicking his own dark eyes down to see the three trying to figure out what was going on.
“What?” Eddie whispered back harshly, coming out more like an aggravated shout than anything else. He froze as soon as the white Nike shoes were in front of his face, chin tilting up, eyes following suit until he was staring at Steve Harrington. What the fuck. Was he going to hit him with the guitar?
Oh, wouldn’t that be a fucking coincidence?
Death by his baby. God damnit.
The silence in the cafeteria was maddening, but it was quickly replaced by the sirens going off in Eddie’s head, his breath coming out slow and ragged, body glued down to the hard plastic chair. His lips parted to speak, but were quickly snapped shut once a warm, shy fucking smile came up onto Steve’s tanned cheeks. Eddie’s shoulders dropped, followed by his jaw, dark eyes tracking the movements of the two dark birthmarks that lifted with Steve’s lips. This wasn’t happening. Steve was smiling down at him like some lovesick puppy with his warm honey hues that were so complex and bursting with green specks now that he was so close up. Were they always so pretty? Did Steve always have the faintest freckles that dusted his nose?
Clearly Eddie was losing his mind.
Nothing was said as the guitar was carefully lowered, Steve’s hands holding onto it as if it was a porcelain doll that screamed handle with care . The base of the guitar hit the top of Eddie’s thighs, pressing right up against the traitorous chub that was starting to form over this whole weird situation. He moaned , strangled and tight, but thankfully almost silent, his hands trembling as he lifted them to hold onto the neck of the guitar so it didn’t fall. Just as it had every time he went into the music shop to play her, the guitar slid into his palms like butter. Eddie couldn’t help the way his chest warmed, cheeks filling with blood as he flushed, eyes unwavering from the omega’s own.
Once again his lips parted, words on the tip of his tongue, but they were quickly lost when a folded paper was moving closer to his face, pressed up against his lips until they parted. Steve hummed, and teakwood and vanilla filled Eddie’s nose enough to blow his pupils, a soft whine leaving his throat as warm fingers gripped his chin. The paper was slid between his lips, teeth clamping down on them, earning a happy chirp from the omega, who finished his performance off with a rub of his thumb against the dimple of Eddie’s chin. What. The. Fuck.
Had Eddie died? This seemed a lot like the afterlife, because there was no way Steve fucking Harrington would be giving him a second look.
It didn’t matter because as fast as it happened, it ended. Steve hopped with fucking grace off of the table, sauntering his pretty little ass out of the cafeteria with his head held high. The usual chatter of the room was dead silent, all eyes laser focused on the alpha that still had a piece of fucking paper between his teeth, guitar sitting on his lap. Sourness from every alpha who had been trying to catch the eye of Steve Harrington filled the silent space, and Eddie’s body was tense as he tried to catch his brain up with what the fuck was going on. If he wasn’t a target before, he sure as hell was now. Steve might as well have put a sign on his back saying ‘ Kill Me ’ because there was sure to be a shit storm after that.
“Fuck.”
⟲
‘ Meet Me At Your Spot
- Steve’
Five words. A full piece of paper with five words and a name. An empty piece of paper that Eddie would be able to fill with questions for the omega that was currently trying to court him.
Questions like, was this a joke? Maybe a prank, and if so, he just wanted to know. He wouldn’t be that upset. Probably. Okay, so maybe he’d be a little upset, but that was not the priority here.
Even if it was a joke, it was a pretty risky one, especially for the king of the hallways. There were alphas, and hell, even betas, lining up to win the guys attention. Money, necklaces, bracelets, you name it, Steve got it. Eddie had watched at one point as a whole locker full of rose petals had fallen out when he opened the door. The guy didn’t even blink, simply reached in to pull his books out and closed it like they weren’t even there, like it hadn’t even happened. Hell, on one Valentine’s Day, he had a basket full of ‘ kisses ’ that had been purchased during homeroom. Steve didn’t even open one of the notes, just walked right out of the room with the basket left behind on his desk.
So this was a misunderstanding, surely, somehow. Steve was clearly not thinking straight.
Nevertheless, Eddie found himself heading towards the clearing in the back of the school, hands awkwardly pressed into his leather jacket as his boots crunched over the leaves that were starting to fall. It was October, which happened to be his favorite time of the year. Nights came faster, days weren’t dragged out, and Halloween was a real plus. It was the one day a year that he felt normal , able to go out and be whatever he wanted behind a mask. Sure, he was already approaching adulthood and going out on Halloween seemed silly, but he didn’t care. Being normal had never been his thing. Wearing a Ghostface mask while getting free candy? Yeah, that was his thing.
The cigarette between his lips was just about done, the tip screaming to go out as Eddie sucked in the last bit of nicotine that was left. He had forgotten his pack back in the glovebox of his van, and he was suddenly wishing he had stopped to grab them before heading to the picnic tables of his spot, which somehow Steve fucking knew about. Well, he shouldn’t be too surprised, considering that Eddie sold back there so everyone kind of knew it was his spot but it was the principle. Never had Steve bought his own weed; he alway sent the prick Tommy H. or one of the other letterjackets would show up to get the goods. So this was… weird, odd, even a little exciting, which was another thing Eddie didn’t want to unpack.
“Hey.”
His head snapped up, brown eyes blinking away the haze that he had been in as he stood a few feet away from the picnic table. Sure as shit, Steve was there, sitting on top where Eddie had always been, a bright smile on his tanned cheeks that managed to push up the moles on his face. He was so fucked. Whatever this was was going to hurt or possibly even kill him.
Eddie rubbed his lips together anxiously, rocking back on the heels of his boots before he took another few steps forward, head tilting cautiously as he took in Steve’s appearance. A soft yellow sweater was pulled over his head, the collar of his polo neatly sitting on top of the neck, and his elbows locked behind him as the palms of his hands were flat against the sun-worn wood. Steve’s scent was pleasant, too pleasant, as it filled Eddie’s nostrils, making his inner alpha want to reach out and claim, a rumble starting in his chest over the sheer thought. Wouldn’t that be something? Steve Harrington, mated and claimed by Eddie Munson.
Wait — Why could he smell Steve? Did he take his patch off?
Jesus Christ.
“Uh — hey?” Eddie spoke softly, voice laced with confusion, which only made the smile of Steve’s face soften as if he knew this looked as crazy as it did. If he didn’t, Eddie would be concerned that Steve lost his mind… even though that was still on the table. He watched as Steve shifted, sliding off the picnic table like a siren moving back into water after slipping off a rock, the omega not stopping, continuing until he was standing in front of Eddie, his hazel eyes peering up into the obsidian of his own. If Eddie thought Steve was enticing from afar, it didn’t hold a candle to the way the omega smelled up close. A warm sunny day, fresh baked apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream melting on top sprinkled with cinnamon.
He smelled like home .
“Harring—”
“Steve,” Steve cut him off, the smile not leaving his lips as his cheeks began to flush a pretty pink. Eddie wanted to reach forward, press his fingertips to the man’s skin, feel the warmth of his cheeks as they heated up. God, he needed to get his shit together. Preferably now.
Eddie bit down on his bottom lip, nodding slowly as he licked his lips, noting the way Steve’s eyes dipped to watch the action. “ Steve ,” he corrected, clearing his throat before taking a small step back to try to get further from the omega’s scent that was messing with his head. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head? I’m really fucking confused, and I’m pretty sure you are, too.”
The sound Steve made when he laughed was enough to make Eddie’s knees weak, wanting to drop to them and devote his fucking life to the omega.
He watched in absolute horror as Steve tipped his head back to laugh, his cheeks flushed, shaking his head as he finally looked back, his hair flopping to the right side of his head as he smiled. “No, Eddie, I didn’t hit my head. At least not today,” Steve assured, another soft laugh leaving him as if he thought Eddie’s question was the funniest thing alive.
What the fuck was happening.
“Okay…” Eddie breathed, eyebrows marrying in the middle of his forehead as he searched the bright hazel eyes, noting the way they sparkled with mossy green from up close. “Can you tell me what’s going on here, man? I don’t think we've ever said two words to each other.”
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because he watched as Steve’s face fell into something sad, like Eddie had taken away his favorite stuffed teddy or some shit, maybe his basketball, or was it a baseball? He shuffled awkwardly, watching Steve carefully as the man eventually cleared his throat and their eyes connected again, this time not as bright, but still filled with something Eddie dared call hope .
“Why haven’t you ever tried?” Steve asked, throwing Eddie through a whole new loop.
“Tried…?”
Steve frowned, his nose scrunching in frustration as his eyebrows pinched together. “Tried to court me. You are the only alpha in this school…” he trailed off, his voice thick with mixed emotion as his scent turned darker, “...no, in this town, who hasn’t tried to claim me.” Steve’s eyes were spinning a dangerous web that Eddie knew if he continued to stare at he’d be trapped in. “ Why? ” The demand rang through Eddie’s ears, causing his already large eyes to open like saucers, lips parting as his jaw slacked.
Why hadn’t he tried to court Steve Harrington?
Was that really the question?
The omega must have known that Eddie was two seconds from bolting because his hands shot out, fingers locking around Eddie’s wrists. Sure, Steve was an omega, but he wasn’t built like one. He was strong, fit, and dare Eddie even say thick . Most of the omegas were small and petite; not Steve, which made him almost more desirable. The give-no-fucks attitude also certainly helped, because he made it clear he wasn’t a prize to be won. Eddie knew that Steve was obstinate. He often argued with the health teacher about how omegas weren’t weak, about how the designations meant jack shit. There had been many times that Steve would storm out of the room clearly pissed off for whatever reason Eddie hadn’t been paying attention to.
“ Eddie! ”
“Sorry, what?” Eddie blinked, snapping himself from his own little world as his eyes connected back with Steve’s, frustration clear and it wasn’t from his scent, but from the aggravated look that crossed his face. Jesus fucking Christ. He shook his head, taking in a breath before he lifted his hands from his pockets, letting his arms fall, Steve’s fingers ungiving from their hold on his wrists. “Why would I try to court you?
Apparently that was really wrong to say because Steve looked fucking crushed . He heard the soft whine that slipped out, the omega inside of Steve crying out as if it had been run over or — heartbroken? Fuck.
Eddie shook his head, twisting his wrists until his own palms slid against Steve’s forearms, gripping tightly. “N-Not because I don’t want to!” Fuck, this was pathetic. His voice was cracking in the process. “I just…I didn’t…” he trailed off, eyes flicking down to where his hands gripped onto Steve’s arms like the guy was anchoring him. “...why would you even want me to? I can’t really offer you anything, and if you haven’t noticed, I’m not really high on the food chain here.” Eddie shrugged, poking the tip of his tongue into the inner lining of his cheek, feeling the soft squeeze from Steve’s hands.
Their eyes met once again, Steve’s face soft, a vast difference from how it had been a few seconds ago, which Eddie found himself thankful for, his stupid heart hating the way it clenched over the sight.
“Why wouldn’t I want you?”
Eddie froze, his lips parting as he tried to comprehend what the fuck Steve just said. There were a plethora of reasons why Steve wouldn’t want Eddie. He could fill a goddamn notebook with them if he really wanted to, which he didn’t because he really didn’t need to go over all the ways he just fucking sucked. Besides, Steve was from a well-off family. There was no way Eddie would ever be able to give Steve that sort of life. Hell, he’d be lucky to get his own trailer… or to pass high school for fuck’s sake.
“I can’t giv—” Eddie was quickly shut off by Steve who was now ripping his hands away from him, stalking a few feet away. This guy was going to give him whiplash.
“I swear to god, Eddie, if you tell me that you can’t give me what I need , I’m going to scream,” Steve bit out, thumb and index pinching the bridge of his nose as if that was going to submit him into a state of calm.
Quickly his lips snapped shut, eyes wide as Steve literally took the words right from his mouth, and there was a split second when Eddie questioned his whole life existence. He floundered for a second, wanting to a.) not piss Steve off for the umpteenth time, and b.) try to figure out how to even respond to that. So again, what the fuckety fuck was happening?
“I—” Steve’s hand shot up to cut him off, palm almost now pressed to the tip of Eddie’s nose as he fucking growled .
“Did you just growl at me!?” Eddie asked incredulously, his eyes wide as he focused on the omega whose own eyes were narrowed into fucking slits, and for the first time ever, Eddie was ready to crawl into submission by an omega .
“ You don't get to choose what I need,” Steve said sharply, taking another step forward until their chests were pressed up together, their eyes locked together. “No one does, only I do, and you are the only alpha that hasn’t tried to throw themselves at me. You don’t act like you’re better than anyone just because you have a fucking knot.” Eddie couldn’t disagree with that because it was true. If he hated anything in life, it was knotheads, or alphas who couldn’t understand the true importance of an omega. He’d never viewed them as anything but equals.
“So yeah, Eddie Munson, I am courting you because I want you .”
Fuck.