Boltedfruit Archive

Steve gets accepted to college.

It’s not what anyone, least of all himself, expects to happen. It’s only state, but still. He’s in. And that’s more than he could have asked for.

He applied with Robin on a whim during her senior year, if only to make her experience stressing over applications less anxiety-ridden. She got accepted to a whole slew of colleges, even one Ivy.

But she still decides to go to state with him.

Why on earth she’d ever choose Steve over an Ivy League school is beyond him, and when he tells her as much she punches him so hard that his shoulder bruises.

–

State’s only a couple hours outside of Hawkins, so it’s not much of a stretch that he could have made the commute work. But Robin wants out of Hawkins and Steve’s dad is happy to be rid of his disappointment of an omega son that he ends up surprising her with a small two-bedroom apartment in the city.

His dad foots the bill, thinks his son might settle down with an alpha who also happens to be female (something Steve’s had too many arguments with him over that it’s become moot at this point), and they stay out of each other’s hair.

A win for everybody.

–

Robin majors in music, because she wants to move to LA one day and write for the stars, or something.

Steve’s still undecided. He waffled over majoring in business, but that would have either made his dad laugh or worse, smile. He doesn’t know what he wants to do.

He has four semesters before he has to choose, so he figures he’ll sample things for a while. Figure it out later.

He’s only twenty. He’s got the rest of his life ahead of him.

–

He shares two classes with Robin; English and Home Ec, a requirement for every registered alpha and omega. But even though they have the same professor, it’s on different days.

He doesn’t think it’ll be that big a deal. He and Robin and everyone else in Hawkins had to go through a home ec and health class during sophomore year. Learn about the birds and the bees. It was easy, funny, embarrassing. It won’t be a big deal at all.

–

There are at least forty people in the classroom.

Steve finds a seat near the back, curiously empty despite every desk around it being taken already. The one to his left is empty save for a backpack tossed into the seat.

Steve twiddles his thumbs and waits in silence, feeling strangely nervous. He doesn’t recognize anyone from Hawkins High. He hadn’t exactly expected to…but it would have been nice to see at least someone he knew.

People don’t spare him a second look. He might as well be some freshman nobody.

He technically is.

He leans back in his seat and slouches a little.

The clock strikes nine and the students start sitting down, settling in. It’s two more minutes before a thin woman with big glasses enters, setting a huge binder down the teacher’s desk at the front with such force dust might just fly out. Steve watches the professor, who looks maybe twenty-five, start unpacking her things and Steve sinks even lower. She looks harried. Nervous.

This might have been a mistake.

His nose twitches, the back of his throat tickling. 

“I am so sorry, oh my god.” With a rush, the backpack in the empty chair beside Steve is pushed to the floor, replaced with a mess of limbs and black denim. “Oh. Uh.”

Everyone is staring, including Steve.

It’s Eddie Munson, the freak.

Steve internally recoils almost immediately after he thinks it. He’s not that guy anymore. Left it behind when he presented and Tommy dropped him like they hadn’t been inseparable their entire lives.

That summer was bad.

He wonders if Eddie can scent his shame. Sneaks a sniff at his collar just in case.

Eddie ducks his head, suddenly very interested in the grain of his desk top, twirling a stray curl and frowning. “Not late, then. Great. Super.”

Then Eddie blinks, seems to sniff the air, and turns, locking eyes with him. Steve swallows, suddenly overtaken by a burst of something earthy. His throat tickles again. Wants to scratch. He can’t pinpoint what exactly Eddie smells like.

Eddie’s brow lifts, looks confused. Maybe he’s wondering what the hell Steve’s doing here just like Steve is. Every moment there seems to be something new for him to question his decision to apply with Robin in the first place.

“Okay, everyone! I’m Ms. Pram and welcome to the first day of what is likely the most important class of your life!” She turns and scribbles out a barely legible Home Economics for the Everyday Omega and Their Alpha. “And remember your seats, because they’ll be yours the rest of the semester.”

Steve balks.

He’ll be stuck sitting next to Munson for four months.

Great sounds about right.

–

The first week passes normally, all things considered.

Steve muddles through the syllabus, the first few chapters of their textbook, the frenzied way their professor rushes through lectures and forgets half of what she’s trying to teach before remembering it all in the last five minutes of class.

Eddie’s always quiet next to him. Doesn’t say much more than a hey, Harrington when he takes his seat before hunkering down for the rest of class.

It’s so different from how he was in high school. Loud, abrasive. Weird.

And Steve never noticed his scent before. This buried, wild thing. A hint of bitterness that reminds him of tannins–dark chocolate, coffee, wine–a bitterness that’s so distinctly alpha, yet entirely Eddie’s that it makes his mouth water. Nearly.

But it’s his unique scent that’s bugging Steve so badly. Even after five days of sitting next to the guy he still can’t place it. Dried leaves? Dirt? Mud? Tree bark?

If he was back in Hawkins, he’d have stepped out into his backyard to sniff around the woods behind his house. Just to see . To know.

Because Eddie smells good. Really good.

And Steve hates it.

–

Heather Holloway and Vickie are in Robin’s class, and she can’t stop regaling Steve with how pretty they are. She tells him nothing about how her class is actually going, instead it’s all about how Heather sits and how Vickie answers questions, and how Heather passed her a pencil when she couldn’t find her own–

“Robin, please. Heather is a step up from Tammy, but I’m pretty sure she is definitely straight. Thoroughly, even. Vickie’s at least bi, right?”

“We think, but that’s not knowing.”

“I still stand by what I said. You know, in the car, when I made my famous speech you love–”

“Boobies. Yeah, got it.” She’s making soup for her lunch. Steve doesn’t have his next class until the evening and Robin has the rest of the day off. She stirs, but he can feel her eyes on him where he sits on their lumpy couch. He meets her eyes across the small living room. “I saw Eddie Munson leaving the library yesterday.”

That’s because Eddie practically ran there after class, almost knocking Steve over in the process. He still had to buy the book, apparently. Guess he finally did.

Steve remembers the way Eddie’s hand had steadied him at the hip. Had brushed over him so quickly that by the time Steve registered the brief touch, he was gone.

He swallows, trying to clear the tickle in his throat. “Oh yeah?”

“I didn’t know he went here. Or that he even graduated.”

“Yeah. Said something about taking a summer class or something.”

“Huh. Guess miracles do happen.” Her eyes pierce his, but he refuses to shrivel under scrutiny.

“Dustin said something about it. He’s friends with the guy.”

She’s still just staring at him, this withering expression haunting her features. Makes him unsettled for some reason he can’t even pinpoint.

“He had our textbook under his arm.”

They stare at each other.

“He’s in my class.” Robin’s haunting stare grows scarier. “Did I not mention–”

The wooden spoon goes flying out of the soup, splattering Robin’s shirt and half the stove. Steve winces. “I knew it!”

“Why do you care?” he asks, knowing he’ll be the one to clean up later. She’s not the best at keeping tidy.

She resumes her stirring, but wears a smug little smile Steve has no clue how to decipher. She doesn’t answer him, so he figures she’s just happy to be proven right, or something. He goes back to his textbook and reads a few paragraphs about how omegas are meant to be calm, affectionate, and biologically docile compared to their bonded alpha.

Steve rolls his eyes and slams the book shut.

–

Steve’s in his seat with his textbook out, jotting down haphazard notes in the margins when Eddie slams down in his seat, leans forward, and bends his head so all Steve sees is big eyes and bigger hair.

Steve blinks and sits back. “Munson.”

Those huge dark eyes light up. “Harrington. Would you be so kind as to let me borrow your notes from last week?”

“You didn’t take any notes? The first week and you didn’t do anything?”

A flush covers Eddie’s neck as he looks away. A hint of wine reaches Steve’s nose, and he scratches at it, annoyed that Eddie’s embarrassed. That he can even tell Eddie’s mood. “I didn’t get paid until a few days ago. Didn’t have the book.”

“You couldn’t have bought it before the term? It was only seventy-five dollars.”

Eddie gives him a strange look. Shakes his head and moves back fully into his seat.

The air around Steve is suddenly clear, free of anything Eddie.

He feels like he misstepped. Isn’t sure how.

He rummages through his bag, finds his old notes, and passes them over. Keeps his eyes on his book so Eddie doesn’t get the idea he’s sorry. Or whatever.

He hears the scratch of fingers over paper and sees Eddie run his thumb over Steve’s writing from the corner of his eye.

“Thanks.”

He swallows his spit.

“Don’t mention it.”