Boltedfruit Archive

They have a checklist and forms to sign. They’re fake of course, but Steve’s palms still sweat looking down at the printed copy of a bonding and birth certificate, complete with mating date and designations.

He’d always thought he’d be filling one of these out shortly after marrying Nancy.

Eddie’s eyes track where Steve’s looking, seemingly just as hesitant. They’ve pushed their tables together like every other team, and it does nothing to stop the way his scent makes Steve go cloudy.

He’d never noticed it much in school. Maybe in passing here and there. But now? It’s like a dam was knocked down, and regardless of direction, every resulting flood, river, or babbling brook has redirected to hit Steve square in the back of the throat.

“She said we didn’t have to fill in everything,” Eddie murmurs. “We can skip the mating date and all that.”

“Shouldn’t we try to fill out everything so we get a good grade?”

“Very nerdy of you, Harrington. Dustin would be proud.”

“Shut up.” He rolls his eyes as Eddie leans their shoulders together. “I don’t know. It’s kind of nerve-wracking I guess.”

“Here.” Eddie takes the certificate, their hands brushing, and he fills in his name and information.

Name: Edward Munson. Age: 20. Designation: Alpha.

Bond Mate: Steve Harrington

Eddie offers up a ta-da that sounds more distant the longer Steve stares down at his own name.

Nancy never wanted to mate. Always had some excuse for never biting him, claiming him. But the reasons grew weaker as time went on. And then Jonathan happened and Steve learned it wasn’t for any other reason than she didn’t want to make a mating bond with him.

Barely a month after she broke up with him, she and Jonathan were sporting matching scars on their necks.

When you know, you know, he supposes.

He thought he knew.

“What should our date be?”

“Our date?”

“Our bonding date?”

“When do people usually do it?”

The pink flush returns, brighter than before. Eddie turns his eyes to the certificate, tapping the pencil anxiously. “I don’t know. Not anything I’ve ever done. Do people pick special days or something? Like weddings?”

“I have no idea.”

“Just put something random.”

“Well, shouldn’t it mean something important?”

He swallows past the garden blooming down his throat. Eddie’s eyes burn him.

“Never took you for such a romantic, Stevie.” The nickname sends a prickle down his spine and makes him shift in his seat. “I assumed you would know more about this stuff than me.”

“What, why?” Steve glowers down at his own name now. “Because I’m just a soft, sweet, motherly omega?”

“No,” he hisses, voice lowering to match Steve’s. Eddie’s flush deepens. “I just mean like. You and Wheeler were the hot couple. Always thought you two would bond and get hitched right after graduation.”

Steve huffs at that. “Yeah, well. You’re not the only one.”

“You guys never talked about it?”

“No.”

Eddie hums something small and sad and Steve’s had enough of going down memory lane. He takes the pencil back and fills in his own information. Writing Edward feels weird, so he puts down Eddie. He picks today’s date because it’s as good as any other.

They have to decide the sex and name of their impending flour baby, which he leaves up to Eddie. He doesn’t want to think about it, because the more he considers it the more he’s reminded of his long-abandoned plans of having a family of his own.

It hurts to think about names he may have picked out with his partner. To imagine all the things he’d teach his own child. How Dustin and the kids back in Hawkins would fawn over them, be the big siblings. How he’d protect them. How everything would just feel right.

He just knows it. Can’t explain why. He only knows that he would feel whole for the first time in his life.

Eddie marks the box for female. Taps his chin with the eraser and hums.

“What do you think about Bard Munsington,” he asks as he writes.

“Gesundheit.”

Eddie’s laugh is warm. Steve lowers his hand and smiles a little, can’t help it.

“Bard Munsington!”

“Still not making any sense.”

“Bard because it’s one of the best classes in D&D. And Munsington because, you know, Munson and Harrington? Sounded better in my head than Harringson.”

“You’re not serious.”

Eddie gives him a dire look. “I am very serious.”

Steve eyes him. “Bard is a definite no.” He shakes his head at Eddie’s pout. “And why combine our names? Why not just do what everyone else does and just go with Munson?”

Eddie shrugs, erasing Bard a little begrudgingly. “It makes sense. It’s not just my kid, right? Why go with mine when we can make something new that comes from both of us?”

It strikes him how simply Eddie explains it away. Like it isn’t such a lovely idea.

“And it’s not like I own anybody just because I’m an alpha. That’s always fucking grossed me out, man.”

“I…that’s.”

For some inexplicable and terrifying reason, he kind of wants to cry. Omegas are meant to be owned by their partner, by their children. That’s just what happens, what’s always happened and always will. To be bonded to an alpha who doesn’t regard their omega as their property is…

He knew it was possible, objectively. Nancy hadn’t treated him so terribly as to believe the worst. But out in the world at large, playing against numbers means he’d likely end up with an alpha who did and not even realize it.

Not even realize that Steve would be miserable with anyone who thought that way.

Like his dad, and even his mom.

He flinches back when Eddie reaches forward. His smile softens, eyes a little too wide as he traces a finger down Steve’s cheek.

It comes away wet and god, when the hell did he actually start crying?

Why has he been acting like this since this stupid class started?

“Hey, it’s alright, Stevie. Did I do something wrong? Was it the name? I wasn’t too serious about Bard, y’know.”

He can’t even answer. It’s not something he can explain because he doesn’t understand what’s happening.

“No big deal.” Eddie’s talking so softly, making sure no one else might overhear. Steve blinks, furious at himself. Really it’s just a little bout of tearing up. One slipped free. That’s all. That’s all. “Look, see? Already forgotten.” Eddie wipes his finger on his shirt and beams like nothing happened.

But it’s still there, lingering. Waiting to start up again. He can feel the pressure behind his eyes, making his head hurt. He’s nauseous. And Eddie’s putting out nothing but the mouthwatering scent that makes Steve want to dive headfirst into a big pot of homegrown vegetables beside a vase of fresh-cut flowers.

He blinks, shuts his eyes. Bites hard and grinds his teeth until his jaw aches. Lets himself imagine for one blissful moment what it would be like.

Coming home to that scent every day after work, or being greeted with it when it filled the house after he—after Eddie—came home from work. Steve would be held close and kissed and pressed to Eddie’s neck. He’d drown in that delicious comfort straight from the source. They’d have a matching set of mating scars, and it would feel right. And their kids would be playing in the backyard and—

He’s enraptured by a fantasy he can’t—and shouldn’t—indulge in.

It’s absurd.

“Stevie?”

Steve is standing. When had he stood up? He blinks and it’s Eddie he sees first. Normal, just some guy he knew in passing in high school and surreptitiously crossed paths with again in college Eddie. Eddie, who isn’t his bond mate, isn’t his lover, isn’t the father of his children, and is just Eddie, who sits next to him in class.

Eddie who’s looking up at him now like maybe he might just stand up too.

But Steve’s getting stares. His tunnel-vision focus on Eddie relaxes outward until he takes in the curious looks from the students around them. He can hear Ms. Pram’s voice, maybe asking him something. She says his name, right?

“Steve, look at me.”

Back to Eddie. Eddie, who maybe is looking a little more intense than before. Whose pupils are looking a little smaller. Whose scent is fringing off into something low, quiet, controlled—but no less pleasant than before.

It’s the tone of a command. An order. And suddenly the only person that matters right now is Eddie. Eddie, an alpha. Eddie, his—

Their temporary moment frozen in time is interrupted by someone calling out, “Class is over!” Then the entire class gathers their things and leaves before Ms. Pram can stop them.

She’s scrambling, saying, “Remember everyone! Fill your forms out and then next class you’ll get your new bundles of joy!”

Eddie stands too, but only after removing his eyes from Steve just long enough to write something down.

He hands the certificate over with the rest of their homework. Steve takes it with shaking fingers.

Eddie stoops and grabs Steve’s bag too, slides it over Steve’s arm, pulls it a little to make sure it won’t slip off. They’re the same height, but he feels small with Eddie standing eye-to-eye with him.

“Let me walk you to your next class.”

Steve swallows. He nods, not processing the words. Then he shakes his head, no. “I don’t have class until tomorrow.”

“Then let me walk you home.”

“Don’t you have class?”

Eddie shrugs. Angles away and then the hypnotizing force breaks. He smiles, sweeping an arm out dramatically before them.

“Kings first.”

Steve swallows again and again.

He goes.

–

Even though their apartment is a short walk from campus, it feels like the walk with Eddie takes years. Neither of them says a word. Steve, because he’s locked in a hazy fog of want that he’s never quite experienced before. He knows passion. He knows love, at least on his end. What he’s experiencing now after that weird daydream of Eddie coming home to him and their imaginary kids, well. It’s new.

It’s deranged.

Maybe Eddie can tell he’s acting weird. He must be, right? Eddie must sense that something’s not quite right. Steve knows his own scent is a little off, and Eddie keeps turning away every so often. So that has to be it. Steve’s omega scent is off-putting for him and must be even worse now that it’s tinged with something too close to unhinged loneliness. He knows he’s lonely. Robin does too. Nobody else needs to know just how lonely he really is. Lonely to the point of fantasizing?

God, he really is delusional.

But what if his normal scent is a turn-off for Eddie?

One thing that tends to be true about secondary genders is that the pheromones you put out should be attractive to other designations. Alphas with betas and omegas. Omegas with alphas. Betas with anyone, really. They truly get the longest end of the proverbial stick when it comes down to mating with someone.

But just because Eddie smells delicious to him, doesn’t mean it goes both ways.

Like the alpha who’d pinned Steve to the back of the library and expected Steve to melt, to give in, when all he wanted was to plug his nose and run.

Technically, alphas find omegas sweet-smelling and irresistible. It’s why back in the day they’d have arranged marriages—to protect omegas from being defiled and rendered useless before marriage.

He’s heard the rumors that that still happens in some places, both here and across the world.

It would have been easier, probably. He wonders how his parents would react if he called and asked them to arrange a marriage for him. They’d probably be ecstatic.

But he refuses to be miserable just because he’s an omega.

“Stevie?”

Steve blinks back to reality. He’s got his keys in hand, stuck in his front door lock. He hasn’t turned them yet. He shakes his head.

“You sure you don’t need—”

“I’m sure. I know I’ve been a little off. I think I might be getting a cold or something.”

Eddie nods slowly. He’s facing Steve now, but his body is still slightly angled away from him. There’s deliberate distance there and it’s so obvious once Steve is looking for it. It’s so different than earlier, in class, when Eddie had leaned into his space completely unbothered.

He tests the boundary. He steps forward, Eddie steps back.

Steve scoffs. Feels a wave of warmth wash over his face and down his chest. The muscles of Eddie’s jaw jump.

He doesn’t know what prompts him to speak the words, but he asks, “Do I smell bad or something?”

“What?”

“I guess nobody smells great when they’re coming down with something. I promise I’ll be in class to grab our bag of flour like everyone else.”

“That’s not…it’s no problem. I can pick it up and bring it over with the rest of what she gives us.” Then, “I gave you my number just in case. Just call if you need anything?”

“You did?” Steve glances down at the paper he still holds, bringing it around. To his surprise, Eddie had written his number down. “Why would I need something besides homework?”

“You uh…” Eddie looks uncomfortable now. His nose wrinkles. Jesus, did he need to shower? “You’re pulling my leg, man.”

Steve just stares at him.

Eddie steps forward, leaning frighteningly close so that Steve turns his head and wastes no time slapping a hand over his bonding gland.

He gasps when he realizes what he’s just done.

For a moment—an insane, frantic moment—he thought Eddie was going to bite him.

There’s no way Eddie isn’t going to question that.

But when he drags his eyes back, he sees Eddie’s soft, strained smile as he puts space between them. His pupils are huge, the black almost swallowing the rest of the iris.

The space immediately makes him feel better.

“You don’t smell bad, Stevie. Quite the opposite, actually,” Eddie says, something causing his throat to rasp. He breathes in so deeply, it has to hurt. He licks his lips before taking another step back. Steve can breathe again, but a part of him, a fraction even craves for the alpha to be back in his space. “You might want to take a few days off.”

There’s something knowing there, in his tone. A little bemused.

“Why?” he squeaks out.

Another smile, softer but somehow more grating. “I think you’re starting a heat.”