Two’s Company, Three’s A Family - Part Three

CIGARETTES & DIOR 1

NEXT

with some editing here and beta reading by @raelwrites the loml, my biggest motivator, there, we have a first part to the series!

—enemies steve harrington X reader, follows along with 'weirdo on maple street'

[if anyone wants to be tagged let me know]

 For the general population of Hawkins high school, Steve Harrington was the ultimate wet dream. Relatively tall, relatively kind, relatively handsome. It seems, though, you had somehow missed that memo. To you, Harrington wasn’t a dream. He was, plain and simple, a nightmare.

 It wasn’t like you hated the guy exactly. It was just that everything Steve did seemed to grate your teeth and boil your blood. From his incessant need to constantly preen to his stupid laugh and even stupider hair, it was like he existed solely to torture you.

 Okay, so maaaybe you hated the guy. Just a tiny bit. But in your defence, Steve was also dating Nancy, so you felt it only appropriate to scowl and express distaste because alongside being one of the worst people you’ve had the displeasure of knowing, he also just had to date Nancy Wheeler, your best friend of 4 years.

 And as her long-time best friend, all it took was a glance at your watch to know she would be coming down the hall in the next 10 minutes with Barbara in tow. You three were a package deal. Where one was, the other two were bound to be near-by if not right there.

 Which is why, when you feel a presence stop behind you, you’re already calling out a greeting to the pair, “Hey guys-” you turn to face them after you close your locker, grinning when you realise you were, once again, correct in your assumption of when Nance and Barb would show up. “What’s up?”

 It was Nancy who speaks, drawing your attention with your name, “-, you’re free for the rest of today, right?”

 “Oh, I’m doing great actually, thanks for asking Nance. What about you, Barb?”

 “I’m quite alright today. Though, we do have something we wanted to ask you, if you happen to be free later today that is.”

 “Well, how nice to hear you are thriving, to answer your question I don’t think I have any plans set up for after school. Did you have something in mind?”

 “Okay, okay- guys! Glad to hear you’re doing good-” Nancy interrupts and you chime in with a quick ‘great, actually’ before she moves on. “If you are in fact free, do you want to come with us to a party tonight?”

“Now, was that so hard?” you throw an arm around Nancy’s shoulder, jostling her petite frame. “Also, it’s a Tuesday- literally who hosts a party on a fucking Tuesday?”

 “It’s at St-” Barb clears her throat. “Some guys house. Could be fun.”

 “C’mon, we can pick you up. I’ll even let you have the front seat,” Nancy says and that does sway your choice, because upon Barb getting her license, you three had collectively decided that the passenger seat passenger had sole access to the radio. Consequently, it has always been become a competition between you and Nance as to who would reach the right side first- shotgun privilege long since abandoned in favour of a mad dash to the car.

 “Yeah, yeah alright. Fine, what time do I have to be ready by?”

 “8-ish will work. Gives you enough time to convince your parents and find something to wear.”

 “Convince my parents? Pshh, I’d just tell ‘em I have to go to some guys house at 8-ish on a Tuesday evening- that’s totally enough for them to let me go.” You can’t help but be a little petty. “But it’s fine, Nancy and Barb will be there, how could you say no to them?”

 Nancy nudges you and you giggle, slipping out a ‘I’m kidding’ between giggles. “I already said I’d come, c’mon, when have I ever let you guys down?”

 You almost wanted to let them down.

 The more you paced around your room getting ready, the more you thought about how suspicious the girls were acting. Sure, you didn’t really care who it was or when or where, but even then, you could appreciate having some more information than ‘some guys house’, ‘8-ish’, and ‘could be fun’.

 You quickly spritzed your perfume when a car honked outside of your house and grabbed your jacket as you left your room. Shoes came next, and with a final ‘bye’ to your parents, you were leaving the house.

When you spied Nancy already in the passenger seat, you groaned and jogged over to the back. Despite your jacket, the night was as cold as most November nights were and you weren’t about to stand outside and wait for her to swap seats with you when she hadn’t while waiting for you to join them.

 “So, was front-seat privilege just a ploy to get me to come, then?” you ask, though it wasn’t the first time Nancy bribed you with radio access only to take it away soon after.

 “I never said it would be going to the party, you can sit in front when Barb drops you off home again,”

 You huff and relax into the middle seat. Leave it to Nancy to find some loophole.

 “So, can I finally know where we’re going?”

 “You’ll find out when we get there.” Comes the reply from Barb.

 “How long’s the drive?” you begin to pester.

 “If you want, you can count the minutes.”

 “Who’s gonna be there?”

 “You’ll find out when we get there.”

 You groan. “You’re no fun.”

 “Barbara, pull over.” Nancy suddenly exclaimed. You sit up, shuffling to stare out of the window, but are met with disappointment when one side faces the woods and the other pans out into an unfamiliar neighbourhood. Again, you are left with more questions than answers and slouch into your seat.

 “He just wants to get in your pants,” Barbara scoffs.

 Wait, what?

 “Uh- guys, who’s trying to get into who’s pants?” you lean forward, unbuckling the seatbelt when it tries to pull you back.

 “Steve-” Barbara begins, but you’re already grimacing and voicing your displeasure at just the mention of his name.

 “What? Wait- so we’re going to Steve’s then? And neither of you felt it fit to tell me that? What the fuck?”

 “He invited Nance to his house; his parents aren’t home…” Barbara lists and you gag.

 “Again, might I add- what the fuck?” and now the unfamiliarity makes sense. If Steve Harrington lived around here somewhere, you would’ve found every means possible to avoid being here.

 “Come on, you are not this stupid.” Barbara continues and you hum in agreement. It was probably her that insisted you not be told any of the details in the first place.

 “Tommy H and Carol are gonna be there.” Nancy defends and you can’t help laughing.

 “Tommy and Carol have been having sex since, like, seventh grade- that’s a shit excuse.” You pause. “Wait- Tommy and Carol are gonna be there? Man, what the fuck.”

 “It’ll probably just be, like, a big orgy.” At Barb’s comment, you recoil back into your seat with a grimace, mentally trying to track how long it would take to walk home.

 A glance to the girls in the front has your brows furrowing in confusion. “Uh- why are you stripping?” Nancy throws her jumper at you, and you quickly throw it back. “Put it back on it’s like sub-zero outside, weirdo.”

 “Is that a new bra?” Barbara questions with a face of disbelief. A quick glance tells you yes, despite the girl’s negative reply. You’ve perused through both of their closets enough to recognise that you did not recognise that bra.

 “Jesus, if you wanted to fuck you could’ve found a hook-up. Why’d you have to date Harrington? He’s probably a mediocre fuck, at best, anyway.”

 Your comment has Barb giggling, and she opens the car door before asking, “How would you even know?”

 You smirk, stepping out of the car to join them. “With that hair?” you slam the door shut. “He’s gotta be overcompensating for something.”

 “All I’m saying is, you need to consult your friends before making these sorts of big decisions.” You were gesticulating wildly, needing a way to both warm yourself and release the slurry of emotions churning inside of you. “And, honestly, as a proud Harrington Hater, I feel like my opinion should count for something more than all the others who faun of him, you know? At least I’m unbiased,” you say, even though you were probably just as biased, if not more.

 “-, chill,” Nancy calls back to you.

 “I’m chill!”

 Except, when the double doors in front of you open, you begin to bounce on the balls of your feet. Barbara puts her arm around your shoulders, and you smile.

 “Hello ladies,” Steve greets.

 Your smile drops.

 “Hello-” he grits your name out. There was a half-formed hope in you that it would shatter his teeth as he said it.

 “Your highness,” you mock with a bow. If you’re stuck here, might as well have a little fun. “So, King Steve, what’s on the agenda for tonight? Beheading peasants?” you push past Steve, knocking against the arm he had on his hip.

 “Wow how did you guess?” he answers, monotone voice and straight face. “That’s exactly why I thought to have you come.”

 You grin. “Aw, shucks. You think about me?” with a flourish, you remove your jacket and drape it over the banister. Better to leave it right by the door in case of quick emergency exit.

 Nancy pulls Steve along before he can respond, and you and Barb follow behind the pair. Every so often, you make a comment about the décor to Barb and even though the interior isn’t bad, you would sooner rip off a nail than compliment anything about Harrington.

 When the shrieking began from Carol, you immediately throw out your disdain for the pool, “If anyone so much as thinks about throwing me in, I’ll cut your hair off while you sleep.” Though you probably wouldn’t actually do that, it was enough of a threat that even Nancy threw you a side glance.

 “That’s not even remotely attractive,” you sneer, watching as Steve shotguns one of the beers form the cooler. You sit down in the chair beside Barbara. “How did that-” you nod your head in the direction of Nancy and Steve. “Even happen? They’re like, polar opposites.”

 “Yeah, she’s smart you douche!” Tommy shouts out which gains your attention because Tommy being right was a once in a blue moon occurrence. He followed that statement up by crushing a can against his head and chucking it to the ground. Yeah, once in a blue moon.

 When you look over at Steve and Nancy, you can’t help but groan, “Oh, come one Nance, you’re not seriously gonna shotgun that are you?”

 You were ignored in favour of Steve starting a chant as Nancy pulled open the tab. Tommy and Carol joined in, speeding up and then hollering when Nancy threw the can on the ground, empty.

 “Barb, you wanna try?” Nancy asked, already moving towards the cooler.

 “What? No.” You shook your head along with Barb. “No, I don’t want to. Thanks.”

 Nancy picked up a can and Steve tries to goad Barbara.

 “It’s fun! Just give it a-” Nancy is cut off, though, by yet another soft protest from Barb.

 “Nance, she just said no. cut it out.” You protest, sitting up and preparing to stand if necessary.

 “Just- just give it a shot.” With that, Barb throws a reassuring smile your way and stands to take the can and knife. You watch, tense, form your seated position just behind her as she moved the small blade to puncture the can. Even before the motion was made, you were beginning to stand and when Barb suddenly dropped the can and blade all together in a hiss of pain, you huddled up to her and inspected her hand.

 “Fuckin’ told you it was stupid.” You grumble, glancing from Barb’s hand to her face, trying to gauge how serious the cut is in the dark.

 “Where’s your bathroom?” Barb asked, voice shaky, though Steve quickly stood and provided directions. Past the kitchen and to the left, easy enough to remember.

 “He better have a first aid kit in there,” you mumble, opening the door for Barb before stepping in after her. “How’s the hand? Does it feel swollen at all? Heating up?”

 As you rummage through the cabinets, Barb questions, “Heating up? Is that meant to happen?” she takes a seat on the closed toiled lid, smiling faintly at the sight of you rushing around as much as you could in the enclosed space. “I’m okay, really. It looks worse than it is, I promise.”

 You hum, and then voice an ‘aha!’ when you manage to find both a disinfectant for cuts and some bandages.

 “I’ll only believe you if you let me take care of it-” you start, moving to crouch next to the girl and taking her injured hand in yours. “This’ll sting, probably.” You warn, hovering a disinfectant soaked cloth over the cut before beginning to clean the blood, stopping every so often as Barb flinches.

 After a few minutes of cleaning, you grab the bandages and wrap them around the cut. “Et voila! Cleaned and bandaged. Can’t promise it’s any good, but it’s wrapped.” you tie off the gauze. “C’mon, let’s go find Nance before she goes missing.”

 The both of you exit the bathroom giggling, though it dies the second you spot Nancy on the stairs, wrapped in a towel, with Steve just ahead of her.

 “Nance!” you call out.

 “Nancy,” Barbara joins, “Where are you going?”

 “Nowhere… just, upstairs. To change. I… fell in the pool. Why don’t you go ahead and go home, I’ll just… I’ll get a ride or something.”

 “What the fuck?” you whisper.

 “Nance…” She repeats your names back at you. “This isn’t you.”

 “I’m fine.” And that sounded final. “Just… go ahead and go home, okay?” She turns and hurries up the remaining stairs and you scoff.

 “Fucking hell.” You rest your hands on your hips. “I mean, we can go back to mine? We can make some food and binge the tapes left from last week.” You move to grab your jacket that should be hanging over the banister. It’s not there.

 “Pretty sure one of those fucks took my jacket- hold on.” You quickly move to the stairs, taking two at a time to get upstairs quicker. Barb calls from the entryway,

 “I’ll just be outside.”

 You shout back an agreement before moving down the hallway, knocking on the doors you pass by as loud as you could, knowing that it would be only the party guests in the household. “Hey, shitheads! Where’s my jack- oh.” It lays discarded on a table in the hallway, slightly rumpled but otherwise unharmed.

 You scoop it up, patting the pockets to make sure nothing was missing and hop down the stairs to meet with Barb.

 “Got my jacket.” You open the front door, but Barbara isn’t there. “Barb?” you call out, looking around before moving back inside. “Barb, where’d you go?” you check the poolside, but she isn’t there either. The chairs are undisturbed, and the trees are silent.

“Well, then…” you shrug your jacket on, casting a sweeping glance over the yard but you can’t spot the ginger anywhere. “More food for me then, assholes.”

i'm not above begging. (1/?)

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: eddie munson desperately needs to graduate this year, and you're the only tutor that hasn't turned him down.

warnings: mentions of drugs, cursing

a/n: this was initially going to be one post but then I got carried away and suddenly was at 2,081 words (oops) so i'm thinking this is going to be at least 3 parts? i've been day dreaming about eddie munson since may & re-watching one tree hill and this idea popped in my head and i had to write it down. this is my first time writing in awhile, so i'm a little rusty. all feedback is welcomed/appreciated!

The tutoring center at Hawkins High was relatively quiet for a Thursday afternoon. After the winter finals wrapped up, things had slowed down quite a bit apart from the regulars that came in for their weekly sessions. But with spring break and final projects coming up in a few weeks, it was only a matter of time before students began flocking in desperately seeking help to reach a passing grade. That’s where I came in.

I had been working in the tutoring center since my sophomore year. Everyone always told me I was good at it because I was a very patient person, but I honestly really enjoyed it. Every time I could see a student starting to really get it, I could see that little light bulb go off in their brain, it made my chest swell with pride. 

I was organizing a few review tests when I felt something touch my shoulder. All the neatly stacked papers in my hands went flying, and a shrill scream ripped through my chest at the surprise intrusion. I clutched onto the open file cabinet that was beside me and whipped my head around, my wide eyes settling on the tall figure that stood in front of me.

Eddie Munson.

His large, ring-clad hands were immediately held up in surrender, a look of shock etched onto his own features. I was pretty sure his startled expression matched my own. 

“Whoa..easy there. I didn’t mean to scare ya. I uh..come in peace.”

There was a timid smile stretched at the corner of his mouth, his dark brows lightly furrowed as he studied my face. A solid minute passed before I realized I hadn’t moved. I was still in shock, and well, possibly having a heart attack. It wasn’t that I was scared of Eddie Munson, not like a lot of the student body at Hawkins High, I was just shocked to see him in the tutoring center. In the two and a half years that I’d worked here, I had never seen him. Not even once. 

I’d heard the rumors about his supposed “devil worshiping” club, and about how he was a “dangerous” known drug dealer. I never really bought into it though. Eddie and I had never really interacted before. We were in completely different classes, and social circles. He didn’t really hangout with anyone that wasn’t in his Hellfire club. But I had seen him a few times in passing, and saw the way he was when he interacted with his friends during lunch. Nothing about him screamed dangerous to me. I always thought he was just..different, and definitely had a flair for dramatics.

“Oh, no no, I’m sorry. You didn’t. I mean you did. But..only because I didn’t hear you come in.”

Once I could no longer hear my heart pounding in my ears, I tried my best to appear as casual as possible. Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms over my chest and peered up at him.

“Um what..can I help you with?”

Eddie shoved his large hands into his front pockets, cursing under his breath. He flashed me an apologetic smile and began to fish around in his back pocket before he retrieved a crumpled paper ball, raising it up into his fist victoriously with a grin. 

“Aha! Found it.” 

He unraveled the paper and did his best to smooth it out, flipping it upside down and clearing his throat dramatically.

“I am looking for…Y/L/N, Y/N.”

His head swiveled to survey the empty tutoring center before his large brown eyes met mine again with a kind smile. 

“Any chance you know where I can find them? It’s uh..kind of important.”

“Oh um well..that’s me. Hi.”

Before I could stop myself, my hand raised up to do an awkward wave. My cheeks instantly heat up with embarrassment. Hi? Seriously? That’s what you went with?

Eddie’s eyes wandered over my figure quickly, his eyes meeting mine once again with a quirk of his brow.

“Oh..well, that was easy.”

I stood there silently for a moment, lightly clenching my fists at my sides. This was the closest I had ever been to Eddie Munson before. I had never gotten to look at him properly, not up close like this. Why did I never notice how attractive he was? I didn’t feel scared in his presence. I just felt..nervous. But I wasn’t exactly sure why that was.

“Um so..why are you here? I meant..um, why are you looking for me?”

My voice came out higher than usual, and I instantly wanted to bang my head against the nearest heavy object. Eddie eyed me silently for a moment, sighing as he shoved the paper back into his pocket and pursed his lips. He twisted one of the large rings he wore around his index finger, his eyes darting around the tutor center before finally landing back on me.

“Okay, here’s the thing. You’re my last resort.”

“Oh.” 

“No no no, fuck. I didn’t-I didn’t mean it like that. It’s not that..you’re my last option or anything, you’re just my last choice. Hope! I meant hope. Fuck. This is all coming out wrong.”

Eddie closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a huff of exasperation. He quickly spun around on his heel and made a beeline for the door to the tutoring center and exited swiftly. I stood dumbfounded in place, staring at the spot he once occupied, trying to decipher what the hell had just happened. Suddenly the door to the tutoring center swung open and Eddie walked through with a playful grin on his lips, stopping directly in front of me.

“Let’s start over, shall we? You’re Y/N Y/L/N, tutor extraordinaire. I’m Eddie Munson, and I desperately need your services.” 

Placing one of his large hands on his stomach, he did a quick bow, and I couldn’t help but let a quiet giggle escape my lips. This seemed to catch his attention, as he looked up at me with a full blown grin, seemingly proud of himself for getting a laugh out of me.

“Wow, Eddie. I didn’t expect you to be so..formal?”

Eddie stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. An action that my brain has permanently burned into my memory.

“Look, I’m gonna level with you sweetheart. I need to graduate. I can’t stay in this shithole for another year. And as long as I can pull a D with Mrs. O’Donnell, I’m on track to finally get the fuck out of here. But, here’s the problem. I fucking hate her class. It’s so boring! I mean..I would literally rather watch paint dry. So technically, it’s not my fault I keep failing because if the class were, ya’know, a little more exciting, I might actually be able to pay attention. See, I'm a victim here, okay? A victim of this oppressive and soul crushing system that is Hawkins High. Now look, I have tried everyone. And I mean everyone, okay? Mrs. O’Donnell has assigned me every tutor known to humankind and they either flat out say no or just give up so I’m really banking on you here. And look, I’ll even pay you! I’ll be on my best behavior, I swear. Scouts Honor. Just please..please help me. I’m not above begging here. I will literally get on my knees right now and-”

“Eddie!”

My hands darted out to grab onto his biceps as he began to lower his body. The worn leather of his jacket felt soft under my fingertips. My eyes lingered over the various pins and additions he had added to it. The denim overtop was worn and faded, there were light tears and a few loose ends. I was quite impressed by it though, knowing that he had taken the time to put it together himself. I could tell how much work he had put into it, how much it meant to him.

“I’ll do it.”

“What? Really? Holy shit, you..you are a literal angel!”

I felt myself suddenly being lifted off the ground as a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist. It took a second to register that Eddie Munson was hugging me. Not one of those awkward, half-hearted hugs you feel like you have to give. But a real hug. The kind of hug you give an old friend you haven’t seen in years. My hands gripped onto the shoulders of his jacket and I giggled at his excitement.

“Eddie, put me down! Please, I’m afraid of heights.”

He swiftly set me on my feet with a chuckle, taking a step back and beginning to wave his hands around dramatically.

“Sorry, sorry. I got carried away. Look uh, name your price. Whatever you want, I’ll pay it.”

“Eddie, you’re not paying me. It’s my job, I’m happy to help. I do have a few ground rules though.”

“Alright, sure. Lay ‘em on me.”

“First things first, you have to take this seriously. If we’re going to do this, I need you totally focused. No distractions during our sessions. I know you have your club, and I’ll be respectful of your time dedicated to that, but if you start falling behind and we need extra sessions, I need you to put your school work first. Second, please always be transparent with me. If you need a break, tell me. I don’t want to push you past your limit. If you’re going to be late, or there’s an emergency and you can’t make it, please let me know as soon as you can. And lastly, please don’t ask me to do your work. I’m here to help you, not do everything for you. Don’t even try to bribe me. The answer will be no. Deal?”

You’d be surprised how much I had to emphasize that last part. Over the years, so many people have tried to get me to just do the work for them. They didn’t see me as a resource. They saw me as a transaction. Surely the girl with straight A’s wouldn’t mind doing the work they can't be bothered with. The popular crowd was the worst about it. They thought their parent’s money and social status could buy them anything. Sometimes it made me angry whenever their words would replay in my head. But that anger usually subsided into hurt. Most of them couldn’t even be bothered to remember my name. I was just “tutor girl” to them.

But you’re so smart, it’ll be easy for you! I’ll make it worth your while. If you do my homework, I’ll invite you to the party this weekend. You can sit with us at lunch if you write this paper for me. I’ll put in a good word for you with one of the guys on the team. C’mon tutor girl, everyone has a price.

I wasn’t necessarily “popular”, but I definitely knew a lot of the popular kids. I was practically the reason some of them were able to still do extracurriculars. I spent most of the time in the tutoring center, and when I wasn’t doing that I was helping out with ‘The Weekly Streak’ school newspaper with Nancy Wheeler. Nancy and I had met towards the end of my sophomore year. I had interviewed for a spot on the paper after my guidance counselor had told me tutoring wouldn’t count as a “club activity” on my college applications. After my prolonged sulking, I decided the school paper was the lesser of all high school club evils. Nancy and I had instantly clicked, and had only gotten closer over the years. She and Robin were the only real friends that I had.

I held my hand out and looked up at Eddie with a shy smile on my lips, awaiting his answer. He cocked his head to the side slightly, eyeing me as if he was contemplating my conditions. Always a dramatic. Suddenly, a huge grin took over his mouth and his large hand captured mine. The warmth from his skin spread like wildfire all over my body and eventually settled in the pit of my stomach. My grip tightened slightly on his hand in reaction to the sensation. What the hell was that?

“Deal.”

I believe wholehwartedly that with every kid of the golden trio - Ken, Rome and Shiv - there has been a moment or multible moments when they were young (2 - 8 y.o) where they accidentally called Connor "Dad".

BERLIN

Just a bunch of useful websites

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

My Fridge Food – No idea what to make? Tell this site what ingredients you have on hand and it will give you recipes to cook.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.

i love your writing sm!!! i was wondering if you can do a studying with steve one to where he’s struggling with a subject and ur explaining it to him and he’s like not paying attention and just kinda admiring the reader ?? i think it would be so cute thank uu bye!! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

gn!reader. hi thank you for ur request and the compliments <3 it's like tutoring instead of studying

“…there’s three stop codons, and— Steve, are you even listening to me?”

The library’s quiet, a half-hour from closing and it was only you and Steve and a librarian glaring at you for keeping her until they actually kicked you out for the night.

Steve blinks slowly.

“I’m listening,” he tells you, but he wrinkles his nose up and you know he’s lying because Steve Harrington is an awful liar.

“Okay, sure,” you say, rubbing at your tired eyes and taking another sip from your near-empty cup of coffee. “So, as I was saying — three stop codons that indicate the end of translation— Steve!”

Steve’s not really listening. He didn’t care that he was teetering on the edge of an F in biology because he didn’t care about biology either. He didn’t care about college and he didn’t care about what his parents thought about him since he was destined to be a deadbeat anyway.

And then there’s you. Charming, sweet you that only wanted the best for him and, really, how was he supposed to say no when you offered to tutor him?

And you were the total opposite of him. Hot-shot smartypants you set on the path to becoming valedictorian, found in corners with your nose buried in a book or annotating some research article he couldn’t bring himself to be interested in.

You swipe at your nose, thumbing through the pages of the thick biology textbook in front of you.

“I guess it’s not all that important,” you say, seeming a bit affronted by his lack of interest. “The unit’s almost over. You just need to memorize the stop codons and you’re good as gold, okay?”

Steve nods, markedly bored. Maybe it was sort of oddball for him to be jealous of a textbook — it was a textbook, for crying out loud, but it was the object of attention and he, beyond doubt, was not.

And he’s looking at you and he feels like he’s starring in a cheesy rom-com, harboring a secret crush on his tutor, then he’d get good and smart after enough tutoring and you’d disappear because he didn’t need you to help him anymore. It was the worst possible cliché.

The way the light catches on the tip of your nose, eyelashes fluttering as you flip through the chapters, lips pursed but you still managed to look pretty, even with wrinkles creasing your forehead that he would’ve found unflattering had it been anyone else.

Your words are a sort of unintelligible hum and he can’t look away but he doesn’t want to. You with your sweet smile and your perfect hair and soft sweater, good-looking without even trying, and perhaps evilly, without knowing, either.

“…and I think that’s all you really need to know,” you say, standing up and crossing your arms over the book you hold to your chest. “I can bring you a copy of my notes tomorrow. Night, Steve.”

Then he’s facing your back as you slip between bookshelves, a brio to your step despite the late hour and he’s completely and utterly taken with you.

masterlist thank you for reading ♡

Do you know what, at least Käärijä will be the new Verka Serduchka. But Loreen? She'll be hated by so many people now and most won't even remember that she won.

Does anyone remember who won when Verka performed? No. But everyone remembers Verka.

Your Best Nightmare

Eddie Munson x Harrington!Reader

Note: harrington!reader, can be biological or adopted, no reference to appearance. Also gender neutral, only characterization is that Steve is a protective older brother

request by @kazeddie85 : Harrington!reader x Eddie? They were dating before they went into the Upside Down and her brother has to force her to leave his body there. For days she’s depressed, won’t eat or go to school, even to graduation. She can’t sleep because of the nightmares of Eddie being ripped apart and hearing his screams. Until one night she sees him in her room. She thinks she’s dreaming but it turns out that it’s real- it’s vampire!Eddie.

wc: 3k

warnings: canon s4 event/character death, grief, depressive symptoms related to grief, nightmares, vampire!eddie

*****

“No! No!” Your shrill voice echoed through the quiet house. “No! Please!” Rapid footsteps thundered down the hallway and stopped abruptly at your doorway.

A darkness weighed heavily over the town of Hawkins, but the darkness in your own life was suffocating. You tossed and turned, sweat seeping through your bedsheets as your sleep-ridden brain conjured the worst of images.

Steve hesitated a moment at the threshold to your room, but soon his feet carried him to your bedside, a heartbreaking routine. He climbed onto your bed and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you to his chest. With the shuffling movement, you awoke and tears stained your cheeks as you hid them in your brother's nightshirt. Your cries were muffled but the shuddering of your body was unmistakable pain.

“Shhh, I’m here.” Steve whispered into the top of your head as he rubbed his hands over your shoulder in soothing circles. Words were futile but it was all he could do. Nothing could take away the pain of the prior few days.

“Y/n, just go!” Dustin shouted to you, piercing the haze of worry set deeply into your face. Ignoring the voice in your head telling you that you shouldn’t leave Dustin behind, you listened to the boy for once and turned tail to run out into the open expanse of the Upside Down in search of your boyfriend.

“Eddie!” You screamed into the void, looking all around you until your eyes settled on the swirling cloud of demobats in the distance. With a gut-wrenching realization, your breathing picked up and you took off in a sprint toward that nightmarish cloud in the distance. “Eddie! Hold on, I’m coming!” You puffed out with difficulty while you ran. But he couldn’t hear you. Through the blurry barrage of tears trickling down your face while you ran, you could just make out Eddie’s form, valiantly slaying the small-but-mighty beasts as they took turns dive-bombing toward him. A pride knocked in your chest at his performance, the brave way he fought despite the stupidity of leaving you behind in his trailer.

But pride was soon replaced with despair when Eddie’s body was yanked to the ground and your breath caught in your throat just as your feet froze and your body halted in shock. Recovering quickly, you continued running, cursing the ground for how far away you still were. With a quick glance behind you, you spotted Dustin limping away from the trailer, following after you slowly. But you kept running.

“Eddie!” Your shouts were growing more frantic with each passing second. As you neared enough for the scene to unfold clearer, you choked back a fresh round of tears. He was struggling. His body writhed on the ground and the black shadowy forms of the bats surrounded him, diving in and out with a rhythmic thrum.

It was when Eddie stopped fighting back that your heart dropped into your stomach and you ran with a renewed desperation to save the man who was so set on saving you.

“Was it the same one again?” Steve asked you once your body relaxed and you sank exhausted into his side. Steve swung his legs up fully onto your bed and you curled into his side, feeling once again like a little kid afraid of the monsters in your closet. But this time the monsters were real.

Nodding your answer to his question, Steve tightened his grip on you. He settled in for the long run, letting his eyes drift shut while you battled to dismiss your terrorizing thoughts in order to get at least a few hours of rest.

The truth was, Steve understood all too well. Your nightmares were relentless and they were like clockwork. But Steve wrestled daily with his own memories of that night, although nothing could compare to the misery he knew you faced. At first, Steve had been resistant to the idea of you dating Eddie Munson, resident freak of Hawkins High. But seeing the way your smile stretched wider than ever before when you were with him, and the way Eddie looked after you like you were his greatest treasure - Steve couldn’t deny that there was something special there, no matter how confused he was by the pairing.

But that made this reality all the more worse. School was now impossible for you, everything reminded you of Eddie. Eddie had escorted you through every hallway to each of your classes, sacrificing his own class time to be with you - something you knew he wasn’t too heartbroken to do. Every sight and every smell would bring back the emptiness in your chest. So you refused to go.

Graduation was nearing and you were barely keeping your head above water. But if Eddie couldn’t graduate, why should you? You’d be lucky to make it through the rest of the year anyway, because even the teachers had to pretend like the whole town wasn’t falling to pieces and the apocalyptic end of the world wasn’t just around the corner.

Steve checked in on you on his breaks from work, but most times you would hide under the covers and let the phone ring with no desire to respond.

And then there were your parents - they were completely unsympathetic to your condition, insisting that a “selfish, murdering psychopath like that Munson boy doesn’t deserve the grieving you are giving him.” They never liked him, or more like they never cared enough to try, and you hadn’t the energy to put up a fight.

It was endless.

You weren’t sure how your body hadn’t shriveled up from all the tears you expended each day. And you simply couldn’t comprehend how life could go on with any semblance of normalcy knowing what had happened in the Upside Down that fateful night.

“No, no no no.” Your head shook back and forth in denial as your eyes swept over the chewed up form of your boyfriend. “Eddie,” it came out more as a whimper, as you knelt beside him, immediately taking his hand into your own and cradling his head in your lap. His eyes fluttered open but his usually bright and piercing brown eyes were now a deep muddy color, like the light was being pulled from him with every passing second.

Your tears began to fall freely and without restraint, dropping down over Eddie’s body, your tears mixing with his blood. And there was so much blood.

“Edds, I’m here.” You choked it out, horrified at the croak of your voice. His gaze met yours and despite the severity of his injuries, he smiled at you.

You could have melted right there, his smile alone sending a wave of welcome warmth over you. But this wasn’t fair. This shouldn’t be happening.

His smile faded when a fresh jolt of pain seized his body, his muddled brain only half processing the state of his body.

When Dustin finally arrived, the weight of the moment intensified, seeing the agony behind the younger boy’s eyes was difficult to bear on top of your own emotions spilling over. You looked at each other with a knowing failure.

Eddie’s body shuddered in your arms and you fought back the urge to scream out into the vast expanse of this nightmarish world.

With nothing around to stop the bleeding or dull the pain, you were helpless. As you watched the life drain from his eyes, his dying words to you and Dustin would be tattooed in your mind for the rest of your life, you were sure. You begged for the fates to bring him back to you. What had you done to deserve this?

After what felt like an eternity, you heard shouts in the distance. You knew that voice. And it was panicked.

Steve, Robin, and Nancy crested the horizon and ran in your direction. At the same time, you felt the ground beneath you rumble and the sky erupted in fluorescent lightning. Dustin looked up at them as they neared, but you kept your eyes glued to the still and cold face of Eddie beneath you, afraid he would disappear if you looked away. You ignored your racing heartbeat responding to whatever was happening to the very ground on which you sat.

Once the others had approached close enough to know it was too late for their friend, Robin and Nancy dropped down behind Dustin and offered what little comfort they could. Steve, however, was at your side in an instant and he would never forget the racking sobs shaking your body as he held you and wished he could make it all go away.

But there was no time to waste. With your head curled up under Steve’s chin, he whispered to you frantically. “Y/n, I’m so sorry. But we have to go. We have to get out of here.”

You were awash with every possible emotion all at once. You shook your head fervently. No, you couldn’t leave.

“Yes, we have to go, come on.” Steve moved to stand and he tried to pull you up with him. But you threw your body back down over Eddie’s in a last ditch effort to remain behind, despite knowing that Steve would never allow you to stay here when you could already feel the world crumbling around you.

Steve’s hands gripped your shoulders and pulled you away, but you didn’t go easily. “No, I won’t leave him!” You fought against his hold but you were no match for Steve as a bone-deep fatigue sank in over the overwhelming heartache. “I can’t- I won’t- Steve please.” You begged through your tears.

Another rumble sounded and all heads turned toward the sound. Not a hundred yards away, the ground was opening up and an eerie red glow emanated from within.

Nancy pulled Dustin to his feet and yelled over the din of destruction, “Steve, we need to leave NOW!” She was already pulling Robin and Dustin behind her, heading toward the Munson trailer to return to Hawkins before the Upside Down imploded on itself.

Steve hauled you along behind him, refusing to let you have your way and remain behind with Eddie. “Eddie!” You cried out repeatedly, an unwavering flow of tears barreling across your cheeks.

“We have to leave him, Y/n. I’m sorry, there’s just no time.” Steve tried to remain calm and gentle but he was worried they had already wasted too much time. “We can come back for him later.” He knew this was a lie, there was no coming back here, not after all of this.

And so Steve dragged your emotionally drained body away from Eddie’s. It was the hardest thing you’d ever had to do, leaving Eddie behind in the place that had quite literally destroyed everything you loved. And the image of his body laying alone in that horrid place would haunt you for days to come.

It had been two months since that night that scarred your heart and mind irreparably. Two months of crying into your pillow and trying desperately to mend the broken pieces of your life. Two months of tossing and turning to the tune of nightmarish images of Eddie and the bats and the sorry state they left him in. Two months of Steve and the others fretting over you and your inability to move on, yet understanding the difficulty of it all.

Tonight, the routine would start all over again. You knew exactly what would happen. You would lay in bed, pushing away the images that would plague your waking mind, trying in vain to forget everything long enough to fall asleep. But then the sleep demons would slink through your thoughts and memories and pull the images back, bringing those memories to life and forcing you to relive those horrific moments. The final moments of Eddie’s life.

So you laid yourself down, forced away those painful thoughts and after a fit of discomfort, you finally drifted to sleep.

Your dream tonight was different, however. In your dream, you imagined leaving Eddie’s body behind and the toll if had on you as Steve dragged your body away, kicking and screaming. But this time, you awoke from the nightmare much faster than usual. Because as soon as the image of Eddie’s lone body solidified and your dream self stood over his prone form, he opened his eyes and his red irises stared back at you. This image jolted you awake. You sat up abruptly in bed, panting heavily from the confusion and the barrage of feelings threatening to explode from within yourself.

Your eyes searched the darkness around you, ensuring that you were still in your bed at home, where you had been just a few hours ago.

But what your eyes found was even more alarming than you could have expected. Standing just a few feet from the foot of your bed was a tall, lean figure with a head of curly, shoulder-length hair. The familiarity struck you to the core.

Your breathing picked up more, matching the escalated beating of your heart. You could have sworn you had woken up from your dream, but blinking away the image before you was proven impossible. This was real.

“Eddie?” You whispered into the darkness, your voice quiet and hesitant.

He took a step toward you and you pulled the blankets tighter around you. This couldn’t be real, right?

The figure raised his hands in a defensive stance, and he stepped into the dim light of the moon cast through your open window - that window had remained closed for the past two months, a reminder of all the times your Eddie had snuck in after hours.

But when the figure was illuminated in that faint moonlight, your breath hitched. The chestnut-colored eyes you adored so much were staring back at you, but the blood-red irises were startlingly new. It was Eddie. And yet it wasn’t.

“Eddie, is- is that you?”

Hope sparked, but you refused to hold too tight for fear of utter disappointment.

In the blink of an eye, he was at your bedside, knelt beside you. His unmistakably gentle gaze was trained on you and you alone. His hand was cold as his fingers laced in yours, you could feel the heat from your own hands transfer to him.

It was as if time stood still in that moment. It was him. It was your Eddie. And yet he was different.

“I thought you were dead. You- your body was- you stopped breathing.” You tried to reason it out. Your hand untangled from his and you let your fingers dance over his shoulders, his cheeks, feeling flesh and only barely allowing yourself to hold onto the crumb of joy at believing this was really him.

Your hands cupped his cheeks and you knew without a doubt. Eddie closed his eyes at your touch, a pained expression of lost time swept over him.

Into the silence broken only by the slight sniffles brought on by the tears you hadn’t realized were falling, Eddie spoke to you, hearing his voice for the first time in two months. “It’s me, but I’m- I’m not the same. I've… changed. I’m different.”

You laughed at his choice of words. “You’ve always been different. That’s why I’ve always loved you so much.” You pressed your forehead against his, relishing in the closeness you had missed with your whole heart.

Eddie pulled his head back and took your hands in his, lowering them into your lap. He was serious, more serious than you had ever seen him before. “It’s much more than that now. I can’t- you just have to trust me for right now. But I needed you to know that I’m here, and I’m- not exactly alive but I’m here. And this will all be over soon.” He looked around and paused, listening into the silence at the muted squeaks of the floorboards in the hall. “I have to go. I have to get back before-“ he stopped himself. Then continued. “I love you and I’ll be back. Just trust me.” Before you could protest, Eddie moved and within the blur of a fraction of a second, he was at the window, hands braced against the frame. He hesitated, waiting.

Then you heard it. Footsteps padding down the hall, just outside your room. The door swung open slowly and Steve stood stock still, his eyes sweeping the room, first finding you sitting up in bed, then following your gaze toward the window, he spotted Eddie. A sight he thought he would never see again. How many times had Steve caught Eddie in this exact position, poised for escape through your second floor window.

While Steve remained frozen in place, processing the scene before him, Eddie nodded his head toward his friend before jumping from the windowsill toward the ground below.

Alarmed by the sudden movement, Steve ran toward the window, looking down toward the ground below, but seeing no sign of the Munson boy who had been there not two seconds before.

He turned toward you for answers. And what he saw almost melted him right then and there. It was subtle, but for the first time in two months, you were smiling. You had a dreamy look of slight disbelief, but then again, what you had just witnessed was something out of your dreams.

When you met Steve’s questioning gaze, you told him the most beautiful truth. “He’s back. I don’t know how and I don’t care. But he’s back. Eddie’s back.”

*****

wanna be tagged next time?

All: @jellyfishbeansontoast @makebank @astrydis @gloryekaterina @outerbankslut @miraclesoflove @hufflepuffhaze @glitt3r-litt3r @simonsbluee

Stranger Things: @sortagaysortahigh @maycat-19-142 @theoreticslut @ambearsstuff @emersongareth @munson-burner @val-writesstuff @milkiane @luvmybbies @meaganjm @melody303 @tiaamberxx @fairyhope028 @darklingbrekksov @bijleegiregi @buckysgirl17 @unbelievablefandoms @spongebob-in-the-upsidedown @thisiscalm-andits-doctor @sadbitchfangirl @fandomsunited @yoalchumly @rienstalled @flwrdia

Succession Preference: Baby Roy's Relationship (Non-Roy Characters)

Requested: loving all the baby roy content!! but i am curious: What are interactions with baby roy and greg like? does she bully him, too? does she just give him the sad “welcome to the shit show” smile? is she envious that he never had to grow up like this? - anon

A/N: These relationships are based on this particular fic/headcanon set. They're my favorite Baby Roy, and I think it really complicates some of these relationships! I know this was more of a question rather than a request, but I just couldn't get it out of my head!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Tom doesn't like you. You don't like Tom. The feelings are mutual. Not only do you think he isn't good enough for Shiv, which he's not, but you two have a lot of unspoken tension and hostility that's there just because you're you. Tom thinks you're a fuck-up. You're an addict and an alcoholic. You have been since you were a kid. With all the money and opportunities you and all your siblings have had, and yet you turn out like that? Rehab after rehab. Overdose after overdose. Not even your own father could stand you in those later years. He understands why he locked you in your room for days at a time, why he hired nanny after nanny so he wouldn't have to deal with you. Even your own mother doesn't love you. Tom thinks you shouldn't have any power in the company that you shouldn't have any say. Not after the stunts you've pulled. He still can't believe your brothers and sister still ask your thoughts and genuinely listen to you. You've shown him that you're not a Roy. You're not ready to hold that title. If anyone is, it's him. Not you. But he has to put up with you. You both resort to the silent treatment and talk behind one another backs. It's just easier this way.

Greg likes you, at least as much as he likes your siblings. He's kinda afraid of you. He's intimidated by you, to say the least. You're an all or nothing person. Growing up, you were in the thralls of your addiction and often got him involved. Could he go into your room and get you a white circle pill from the prescription bottle in your nightstand? Could he get you another drink? Don't tell Logan. Greg wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't say no to you. He was definitely scared of you, so often he did as he was told. Now that you're sober, he's grateful you can have some type of normal relationship. Kinda. Normal for him, at least. Like your siblings, you order him around a lot. He's in the way or just around too much. Who invited Greg? You don't see him as one of your equals. He's just there, Tom's assistant, basically. When it's just you and him, you're capable of having a relationship, but as soon as Tom invited himself, you're immediately turned off. To you, he's an extension of Tom. He's the puppet to his master. You don't have a lot of respect for him either. He does as he's told. There's no fight, there's no push back. When Tom destroyed his office he just let it happen. You have your issues, but you're not a pushover.

Marcia wants to act like your mother. She knows your mother is pretty absent and doesn't want to deal with you, contributing to your issues. She hopes that if she steps up, you'll confide in her, and you'll get your act together. She and Logan talk about your issues long before your siblings ever know. But he's not concerned. He sees no problem with it. You've gotten your temper under control. Secretly, Marcia worries, but without Logan behind her, she can do nothing. You don't like her. She's not your mother, and she never will be. Maybe she genuinely cares, maybe not. It doesn't matter to you. Years she spent watching you hurt yourself, and she did nothing. You come and go as you please. When you are home, she fears she'll have to call an ambulance every time. You and Shiv make jokes at her expense and laugh along with your brothers when they have something to say. She was an accomplice all those years, and you can't forgive her for that. She's just another one of his wives. That's it.

Gerri is a lot like your mother figure. She has the relationship that Marcia wants. She's the one you go to when you have no one else, when your father has iced you out. She's always had a soft spot for you. You're the baby, after all. She's there for your first drink, and hopefully, your last. She watched you grow up. She watched you spiral. She knew everything Logan knew. And he knew everything. It was Gerri on the phone with you after a hospital visit, telling you that she was sorry but your father was very busy, too busy to talk to you. She was the one who called, angry, fearing the worst, while in Norway. She sat in the emergency room while you got your stomach pumped. She was there through it all. Not Logan, certainly not your own mother. She gives Roman the cold shoulder, but she can't bear to let you go. You're like one of her own. She still emails, asking how you're doing. You tell her you're still sober. You definitely go to her for all your mothering needs and approval. When she's around you understand what it would have been like had your mother actually been caring and attentive.

Lukas likes you a lot. When you called them during their getaway to Norway, when you overdosed again and they came running to your rescue, he didn't see weakness like everyone else had. He saw power. He saw someone who had a shitty childhood and did something about it. Granted, it maybe wasn't the best thing, but you did something about it. It was a major middle finger to your father and everyone involved in the company. That takes guts. Far more guts than the rest of your family has, he thinks. You wouldn't meet until he signed the Gojo deal. It's there that he expresses interest in you. You aren't like your siblings. Look at you. You're barely clinging on. You're real. You're a real person with real faults and a hell of a history. He'd like to order you a water and hear all about it. Your siblings make sure you stay far away from him. He's screwed them over now. He is not to be trusted, especially around the baby of the family. Not now, not ever. You don't think you like him. He chose Tom for Christ's sake. Tom, of all people. His judgment must be piss poor if he chose Tom. He's not as smart as everyone thinks. That was a bad move for the future of the company.

Stewy is actually a good friend of yours. You've known him as long as he's known Kendall. You grew up before his eyes. You guys aren't that close outside of clubs and bars. He's a bit of partier himself. Like he says, he likes bad drugs. You two would find one another at a club and spend a few hours together. This was before your family knew about your late nights. Stewy was impressed by your tolerance, forgetting you were still just a teenager. He was too messed up to remember to care. You'd get high and dance, and at the end of the night, you'd throw however much you owed him at him. Money was never an issue. He made the mistake of bringing it up to Kendall shortly after they figured out what was going on. Kendall banned Stewy from seeing you from getting near you. How could he? You partied at all the same places. You'd assured him that Kendall was just being dramatic when he said that. Stewy wasn't your only dealer, but he was the smartest. You didn't get anything laced with him. Now you're not as close. He still says hi, but he still goes out, gets fucked up. As much as you want to, you can't.

Uncle Ewan has similar feelings towards you as Tom. He's called you a "junkie" more times than you can count. He doesn't let you defend yourself and doesn't care what your siblings have to say about it either. He doesn't see you as Logan's child or even as a Roy. As far as he's concerned, you don't exist. You don't matter. When you do see him, he always rubs your sobriety in your face. After Logan passes and you self-destruct at a club, he feels the need to ask you how much you've had to drink that day. Even at the funeral, he says he can smell an entire bar on your breath. If you weren't so afraid it would kill him, you'd punch him. Your brothers have to hold you back after a comment like that. He wasn't ever sure why Logan even had another kid. You weren't anything special to begin with. He didn't even like your mother. He knew, from the beginning, you'd be a disappointment. To Ewan, you have always been and always will be a disappointment.

Scintilla

An omega Steve Harrington x alpha reader fic- where Steve hides his secondary gender, nears the last of his heat suppressants, and resorts to anonymously ask the reader, a known 'omega' at the school to buy him some. Unbeknownst to him though, the reader aids the other 'hidden' omegas in the school to get them their suppressants without rumours circulating- The exchange of gifts between the two, which may lead to something... bigger?

So uh- this is my first Stranger Things fic, and truth be told I am still halfway through the first season, but Steve was to pretty for his own good, and uh- I love him sm- so here we are.

All my love and appreciation to my wonderful friend, @mysyerious who kindly beta read the fic, and supported the creation of this fic- ily sm, and thank you so much!!!

Masterlist

Scintilla: a spark or a trace of something

Ah, the small town of Hawkins. A place you had been born in. Where everyone knew everyone- which was simultaneously a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing in a sense, because people would notice if you went missing or if you wound up dead. At least you’d be found pretty early on. A bad thing, because everyone- literally everyone knows a lot about you. Not only that-

“More heat suppressants, eh?”

You nodded absentmindedly. The clerk ringing up your things gave you a knowing smirk.

“Y’know, heats usually pass by quicker if-”

You knew what was coming next. It was going to be the usual thing- an offer to quote unquote ease away the bi-annual occurrence.

Alphas and omegas were rare. Even rarer in a small place like Hawkins. Which meant- Rumours flew quickly. Gossips and whispers trailed behind those who bought heat suppressants and scent blockers.

“Fuck off,” you hissed out, shoving the wad of cash onto the counter before shoving the boxes of heat suppressants and scent blockers into your open bag.

You swiped the change the clerk handed you and glared at the man, to which he responded to with a shrug.

“Not my fault you’re the only omega around this place.”

You didn’t even bother to respond, instead pulling up your turtle neck sweater up to your nose, your lips tugging into a snarl.

You stomped out of Melvald’s General store, and let the slightly cool breeze brush your bare skin.

Despite the rumours and the whispers surrounding you- following you- you weren’t the only omega in Hawkins. Hell, you weren’t even an omega.

You were an alpha. One that bought necessities for the younger, hidden omegas. You were the one to direct all the rumours- the stereotypical jabs, the whispers and gazes- towards yourself.

You would endure it. The judging looks you got as you strutted down the halls, head held high, your scent forcibly pushed down. If they believed you were an omega, then you would allow them to think that.

The grateful looks thrown your way by the omegas you were protecting- the small parcels of sweets in your locker- notes of thanks, scrawled on a lined piece of paper or on the back of a half-completed worksheet- those all made you continue to help them all.

Even if you wanted to get out of this shitty place as soon as you could.

~ ♥~

You weren’t particularly fond of Hawkins High. It was a… school. Nothing more, and nothing less. Bustling of students- whispers and giggles- creaking of metal- the swirling of different scents merging into one. Lavender, tinges of nutmeg, and other scents you couldn’t place a finger on.

You leaned against your locker, letting your cheek rest on the cool metal momentarily before opening it to get your notebooks and folders. But something fluttered from in between the pages of your book.

The crumpled piece of paper slowly fell down onto the dirty hall floor and you were quick to step on it to prevent it from flying away somewhere else.

You were used to the fleeting, fading scents of your… ‘regulars’ on pieces of paper and wrapping. But this one- you lifted the paper to your face, sniffing slightly- you didn’t know it. That was weird. Mainly because you prided yourself in your ability to distinguish between different scents and matching them to the person. For example, Jonathan Byers had a faint, woody scent- oak. Nancy Wheeler had a scent so soft that it usually was smothered by the other scents around her- but you could smell it. The scent of detergent- of freshly done laundry.

But this? You don’t think you’ve ever smelt this metallic scent before. Not in this school- and not in this town.

You looked at the scrawled words written on the piece of paper.

Junkyard. 10 p.m. 3 bottles of suppressants + 6 sticks of scent blockers Leave them on the ground and go.

You scoffed slightly and neatly folded the piece of paper. This person was rude- weren’t they? You contemplated on whether or not you should just drop it on the ground and leave it there. Their words were demanding- and not at all polite. You weren’t really picky about attitudes, but- the words written rubbed you the wrong way.

Three bottles of heat suppressants? And six scent blockers? This omega must be desperate. And you did start buying all these omegan products to help them- the omegas who needed all these things but were afraid of the judgement of being one.

You looked down at the paper, rubbing the note with the pad of your thumb. You tilted your head up when you could feel a prickling stare at the top of your head. But- in front of you was the quote unquote popular kids; Tommy, Carol, and Steve.

You must have been imagining the sensation. The three of them wouldn’t pay attention to you. They were betas, and Harrington was an alpha. And you were, as perceived by the larger student body, an omega. Someone that should be ignored.

“Fuck it,” you lowly muttered, before shoving the piece of paper into your pocket. If this person wanted help, then you would give them help. It was what your inner alpha wanted to do. You didn’t have a pack of your own, so you would be content with taking care of other omegas. Maybe form a couple bonds.

As you twirled on your heels to make your way over to your homeroom, you could swear that you’d heard a near inaudible, relieved sigh.

~ ♥~

“Fuck.” Steve hissed out, as he rummaged through his room, fumbling under his clothes and other discarded objects for his bottle of suppressants. “Fuck.”

He ran a hand through his hair, a low uncontrollable snarl escaping his lips. His parents had been gone for a while- and they had been the ones to buy him these suppressants- away from this town- from the city. Nobody wanted an omega to sully the family name.

Thankfully though, he saw the glimmer of white under one of his sweaters. He immediately scrambled over to the bottle strewn on the ground. He lifted it to his ear and shook it, grimacing slightly at the rattling of the pills. He didn’t have a lot left. He could last a day? Maybe two, if he took half of what he normally took.

Either way, he was screwed.

Then, his mind flickered to you. The town’s ‘only’ omega. He knew you weren’t the only one. Steve’s inner omega might be suppressed and near non-existent, but his sense of smell was still better than most. He had sensed a couple of softer scents lingering near you. Scents he instinctively knew to be of an omega- or omegas.

And he also knew you bought a shit ton of suppressants each week. Both Carol and Tommy had mocked you for that. Making jokes about how you didn’t need those pills- that people would gladly help you through it-

Steve shoved those memories at the back of his mind. Instead, he ripped a piece of lined paper from one of his notebooks to quickly scribble note onto it. Scent blockers and suppressants- you would have some, right? Hell, nobody could go through all those bottles in a week-

He had to be careful though. He grabbed the stick of scent blocker to lather it onto his neck- right where his scent gland was. The instructions pasted on the stick had warned him to not apply it directly on his gland but- his dad had told him that this way was better. This way, his scent wouldn’t have the chance to touch the air.

Steve crumpled the piece of paper before shoving it unceremoniously into his pocket. He threw the stick of blockers onto his bed before pulling on a sweater.

Hopefully, you’d help him.

~ ♥~

You fiddled around with the piece of paper as you took a bite of your sandwich. Three bottles? Of suppressants? You were lucky that Pam was out of town this week. You could give her share of the meds to this mysterious omega.

You had asked your friends- the ones you took care of- but all had told you that this scent- the metallic tang of it- was something they had all not smelt before. Which meant that there was a possibility that this note was a trap of some sort.

Dean, who had taken a seat next to you during homeroom, had taken a look at the note and had vehemently insisted that you not go. You didn’t know who this was. He didn’t know who this was- what if you got hurt? What if you died trying to help others?

You had waved off his concern, patting his shoulder softly when you sensed his hold on his omegan scent slip. There hadn’t been a death or a disappearance in this town for a long while. You were safe.

Something was placed on the table in front of you. You were snapped out of your thoughts, and your gaze immediately flickered to the carton of juice with a sticky note reading ‘<3’ stuck on it.

And from the cheer uniform and the pony-tail swaying behind her, you knew that this was from Maria- another one of your regulars. She was less open with being seen with you, but she was a nice girl. Appreciative of what you did for her. Smiling and thanking you every time you slipped in what she asked of you into her bag.

You smiled to yourself before taking out the straw and sipping the juice, humming lowly under your breath.

Your good mood was dampened, however, by the sensation of something cold and wet being poured down on the top of your head.

You grimaced as you felt the liquid drip down your face, and onto your shirt. You immediately stood up from your seat, a near feral growl ripping from your lips as you turned around.

Only to come face to face with the asshole trio. Tommy, holding a now empty cup, with a shit-eating grin on his face. Carol, giggling with her arm looped around his. And Steve, who was smirking at your current predicament.

Your inner alpha was a snarling mess- you didn’t deserve this. You could easily rip the three of them a new one- you would win-

You took in a deep breath. No. You could endure this. You were fine. The shirt could be salvaged, and it wasn’t like Tommy poured sticky juice over you. It was just water. It would dry.

You reigned in your inner alpha. You can’t let your secondary gender slip now- you had too much to lose. If you exposed yourself as an alpha now, there would be more questions- about why you were buying heat suppressants. Why you were hoarding them-

“Oops.”

You were very close to snapping. Your hold on your scent was loosening. From the corner of your eye, you could see Dean look at you worriedly, and his posture half standing up, as if he were ready to run over to you. You subtly shook your head.

You opened your mouth to make a scathing remark, but-

Slightly callused fingers, warm and slightly smooth from the rings covering them, wrapped around your wrist and you could feel yourself being pulled along. You saw your friend give the trio a wide grin before flipping them all off. The earthy, petrichor scent engulfed you as you were briskly led out of the crowded cafeteria and out of the school building.

A familiar denim jacket was thrown into your arms when you shivered slightly as a cool breeze washed over you. You shrugged it on, nestling into the warmth that it provided you.

“Thanks, Eds.”

“Those fucking assholes.” He hissed out, as he slumped onto the metal bench. You followed suit, leaning your head against his shoulder. “You good?”

You wiped some of the remaining liquid from your forehead and nodded. You closed your eyes and sat in a rather comfortable silence.

You couldn’t wait to escape this shitty school- and the town. Just a couple more years.

“You wanna ditch this place?”

You popped your eyes open and grinned widely, to which Eddie responded with a slightly unhinged grin of his own.

“Thought you’d never ask, Munson.”

~ ♥~

“Huh. The freaks ran off together.” Carol said, as she settled on a bench next to Tommy. “How adorable.”

Steve simply nodded along to her words, thinking back to your expression and the subtle change in your scent when you turned to glare at them.

Carol and Tommy hadn’t noticed, but he did. An almost instinctive chill ran up his spine, and for a split second, he felt as if he couldn’t do anything but freeze. Something was up with you.

As he listened to the two talk more, he pushed his thoughts away. He didn’t need to think about this- about you. He just needed the meds- just until his parents came back to get him some more.

Then he’d never speak or interact with you again.

~ ♥~

It was dark. Nearly pitch black. You could just barely see the scraps of metal and junk in this yard. Why this person wanted you to drop off the bottles here of all places, you didn’t know.

Three bottles, as well as six scent blockers. All packed neatly in a plastic bag. You had also slipped in something sweet- a piece of hard candy you considered a guilty pleasure for yourself.

The junkyard was quite big, and truth be told, you didn’t know where to put this. Should you mark it to make sure this person picked it up correctly? You fiddled with one of your rings- a silver one, in the shape of a coiled dragon, one you had picked up from a yard sale- and pulled it off. You messed about with the bag and the ring, eventually being able to push a piece of plastic through it.

Satisfied with your handywork, you stood up from your crouch and nodded to yourself.

Hopefully, the person would see it. And maybe, next time, they would be less demanding.

~ ♥~

Steve emerged from behind a large piece of junk as he watched you walk away and get in a car. One he assumed was Munson’s- judging by the rainy scent lingering nearby.

He made his way over to the plastic bag, pulling off the silver ring from it to push it into his pocket. He checked to see if you had, true to your reputation, given him the right meds. And he let out a relieved sigh when he saw the familiar label of the suppressants.

You had delivered.

He frowned when he saw a neatly folded piece of paper nestled in between the bottles of suppressants. Steve pulled the note out and attempted to read it with the glimmer of light in the distance.

Hello, stranger. I don’t know you, but apparently, you know me. I won’t ask any questions. But I need to know. Are you a student at Hawkins High? Also, do you want me to keep supplying you with all this?

Steve thought momentarily. To be frank, he didn’t really know when his parents would be back. And truth be told, he didn’t know if they would remember to buy him the suppressants- hell, he didn’t even know if his parents would even remember that he was an omega-

He made a decision. One that he hoped he wouldn’t regret later on.

~ ♥~

You opened your locker, yawning. You really needed a coffee this morning. You groaned and knocked your forehead onto the cold metal of your locker. You really didn’t want to come to school today. A chemistry test- Sure, you studied for it. Reading your notes whilst Eddie threw pieces of popcorn at you, blasting Metallica with a shit eating grin on his lips.

You half expected all your books and pieces of paper to spill onto the ground, but you were pleasantly surprised when instead, you were greeted with a single stem of a white flower- a daffodil- stuck on the inside of your locker.

Next to it, was yet another note, tinged with that unknown metallic scent.

Yes. Same time + place next week?

You snorted at the curt words written on the lined paper. Whoever this person was- they were really aloof, weren’t they? Hell, they didn’t even return your ring! You liked that one. You got it for like fifty cents, but if was neat- and you were sure Eddie wanted it-

You plucked the daffodil from its place on your locker to tuck it behind your ear. You huffed slightly. At least this person gave you a flower- you’d forgive them this time.

“Keep your secrets, Harpocrates.” You muttered as you pulled the textbooks and folders that you needed for your classes. “Not that it matters to me. But I liked the ring.” You pulled out a well-thumbed edition of the Odyssey and slipped the note in between the pages. “Hey, as long as you keep giving me flowers, you’ll be forgiven.”

You felt it again. A burning gaze drilling into you. You quickly lifted your head to catch the brown eyes of the one and only ‘King’ Steve Harrington. You couldn’t place a finger on the expression gracing his features.

You held his gaze, raising your eyebrows at him. What? Did he have a problem with you? People thought you were weird either way. So, you were going to be weird whilst simultaneously being pretty.

Before you could say anything to him, an arm slung lazily around your shoulder, and the scent of petrichor hit you.

“You need something, Harrington?”

That expression was gone in an instant, instead replaced with what seemed like… faux swagger?

“No.”

“Then us freaks shalt be off.” Eddie said, giving the other a mock bow. You followed suit, as you tucked the fresh flower more securely. It would be a shame for this pretty flower to fall down onto the ground, only to be trampled under the shoes of the other students walking along this hallway. “Come on. Your dungeon master requires your presence.”

You rolled your eyes and snorted at Eddie’s emphasis on ‘dungeon master’.

“Don’t make it weird, pretty boy,” you said, to which he tilted his head back to laugh at.

And you left your locker, strutting confidently with your friend. The soft scent of daffodils following you as you walked.

Unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes followed you until you slipped into your homeroom.

~ ♥~

Steve didn’t know what to feel when you tucked the flower- one he had impulsively picked- behind your ear. He didn’t know why he did it. But something had urged him to do it, and before he could fully comprehend what he was doing, the white flower was clenched in his hand.

He really didn’t have a choice, so he decided to just stick it in your locker with the reply to your note.

He had no idea what to do with the ring- it was an extravagant one, with detailed engravings on it- should he return it to you?

But before he could have contemplated further, he had seen Tommy and Carol walk towards him so, he had hurriedly hidden the ring deep down in his pockets.

Steve had wanted to ask- why did you leave your ring behind? Why did you wear the flower? Did you know he was this mysterious person? Is that why you were thinking out loud? For him to hear?

But when your eyes, curious, yet guarded, met with his, he knew that wasn’t the case. Even though he had all these questions in mind, he couldn’t bring himself to ask them. He seemed to freeze- like a deer in headlights-

And just when he gathered his wits to actually talk to you? Munson stepped in, his earthy scent very quickly covering yours- arm draped around your shoulders.

Truth be told, he didn’t know why he was so interested in you. He could have just waited for his parents to get him more meds. He had enough at home right now- but-

Steve rolled the silver ring in between his fingers as he walked over to his own homeroom.

You piqued his interest. You, with your subtle considerations and the somewhat strange atmosphere surrounding you. But- should he approach you? Give up on this ‘popular’ life he had meticulously built up since freshman year?

~ ♥~

“So.” Pam said, as she plopped down onto the cafeteria bench next to you, her tray clattering onto the plastic table. “A new customer, ay?”

“Wait- you’ve met them? Whoever it is?” Dean asked, as he reached towards your lunch tray to place his cup of jell-o onto yours.

You nodded, before brandishing your weathered copy of the Odyssey. You smiled at your friends as you brandished the daffodil, pressed in between two pieces of paper towels.

The two omegas looked at the flower, so carefully placed in between the pages, and they gave you a slightly incredulous look.

“…What?”

“I swear, most of your uh-” Dean hesitated momentarily “-‘customers’ give you shit like this- hell, I’ve probably given you more baked treats than I can even fucking remember-”

“I know.” You huffed out, as you peeled open the jell-o he had given you. “But nobody’s given me flowers.”

Your fingers gently ghosted over the fragile petals.

Pam snorted, making you snap your eyes towards her. You tilted your head to the side questioningly. Dean’s eyes were on her as well. She simply shook her head.

“Nothing- it’s just.” Pam shuffled to make space for Eddie, who had apparently decided to sit with you instead of the rest of the Hellfire club. “Didn’t take you for the romanticising type.”

Eddie laughed before wheezing out your name a couple of times. You glowered at him and nudged his side with your elbow.

“-is the sappiest person I know-”

“Shut up Munson-”

He simply stuck his tongue out at you, swiping at the unopened cup of jell-o on your tray.

“Always dreaming about what you would do when you eventually got bonded to someone-”

“Oh?” Dean said, a small grin forming on his lips. “I thought you never wanted one. I mean- that’s what you’ve told me, at least.”

“I mean- being bonded to someone as an omega’s probably gonna suck,” Pam said, a small pout on her face. She phrased it so that it would seem to be empathic to you, but all three of you knew the truth. She was expressing her own laments in regards to being one.

“Yeah,” Dean muttered, his own voice soft and dejected. Male omegas were definitely treated worse- just like female alphas. Both had the stigma of being abominations of nature, for some strange reason.

A beat of silence passed between all of you.

“Well, if all goes wrong.” You said, reaching over to pat at the two omegas’ hands. “I can just live with some other omegas.”

You ignored the tang of guilt digging into your heart when you saw them perk up at your words.

You saw the apprehensive look Eddie sent over your way, but you subtly shook your head. Nobody was going to find out you were an alpha.

Nobody.

~ ♥~

That was how it went on for a while. You would drop off the plastic bag filled with suppressants and a note- along with one of your many rings. You had to drag Eddie to get some more, and he helped pick out some new ones.

(“Get the one with the skull.”

“I have like five of those already, Eds.”

“The more the better-”

You bought the ring.)

The weeks dragged on. On the second week, a white tulip. Slipped into your locker, along with a small, scribbled note with a single sentence: ‘I’m sorry- Do you want your rings back?’

On the third, a yellow lily. Placed with more care than the previous two flowers. Yet another note, less crumpled and the writing slightly neater, with a single question: ‘Why do you call me Harpocrates?’

At the month mark, a dahlia as well as a cosmos- both red hued flowers stuck neatly onto your locker door. As well as another note- one that had fluttered to the floor. You quickly picked it up before anyone else could see. You let out a quiet laugh when you read the note, garnering a lot of weird stares-

‘Should I be flattered? You did technically call me a god-’

You tucked the flowers behind both of your ears, grinning widely. Flitting about the halls in a rather eccentric manner, with Eddie laughing along with you whilst Pam and Dean looked on fondly.

That week was a strange one- with Carol and Tommy making their usual jabs at you- about ‘being an omega’ as well as the flowers tucked carefully behind your ears. Eddie had been all ready to get his knuckles bruised when he saw the flicker of self-consciousness on your face. But before he could, it was Steve who snapped at his two friends to stop.

Yeah- that was a weird week. Especially when the suave, confident, ‘King of Hawkins’ didn’t meet your eye.

The fifth week, no note, but a single, blue stem of a hyacinth (Pam had declared, as she slammed an encyclopaedia of flowers on the lunch table, making both you and Eddie scramble back with your trays).

Shit hit the fan however, when the sixth week came.

~ ♥~

That was how it went on for a while. Steve picked up the bag of suppressants and scent blockers every week at the junkyard behind his home. And he would visit the florist before going to school the next day. The florist- a soft, wintery smelling beta- somehow giving him a flower and telling him what each one meant.

The second week, a white tulip in exchange for a silver, skull shaped ring- as well as a note. A white tulip, as an apology- for keeping your ring. The second ring took its place next to the first one on his windowsill.

On the third, a yellow lily. More carefully placed into your locker. Steve took care in writing more neatly this time- a response to the note (‘Nope- Keep them, Harpocrates. A gift for a gift, yeah?) he received the week before. The florist, with black hair and green eyes- someone he didn’t know lived here- telling him that the particular flower meant gratitude. He had clenched the flower in one of his hands whilst the other played with the slightly spiked ring he had hidden deep into his pocket.

At the month mark, the florist had given him two flowers- a dahlia and a cosmos. The former meaning kindness, and the latter meaning harmony. He placed both flowers, as well as the response to your note (The god of secrets and silence- you’re not telling me anything about yourself, Harpocrates.) in your locker.

And he watched, as he nodded along to whatever Carol was saying, smiling to himself when he heard the peal of laughter escaping your lips. The smile growing slightly bigger when he saw you tuck the flowers behind your ears.

Normally, he would have tolerated his friends’ jabs at you- because he didn’t know you, and he needed this position as the popular kid in the school- but-

He had smelt how the petrichor scent of the beta standing beside you soured when your expression faltered, and your shoulders curl up on yourself.

Steve had demanded Carol and Tommy stop, his fingers slipping into his jean pocket to fiddle with the latest ring you had left behind- a simple silvery-black band. And the two stopped, simply shrugging at him.

He could feel your gaze on him, but- for some reason, he couldn’t meet your eyes. Maybe he was afraid of seeing the contempt in them- the judgement? maybe? So, he had simply left for his homeroom, without another glance at you.

The fifth week, he didn’t wait for the florist to give him a flower. Steve had immediately asked for a flower- for an apology. His friends- his friends were being assholes. And he hated to see you look so… dejected. He couldn’t find the time to respond to your note from before (‘I am loving the flowers, Harpocrates- I hope you could see me wear them at school.’) but he did choke on air when he read it.

Shit hit the fan, however, when week six came.

~ ♥~

“What do you mean, you’re out?” you hissed out, your hackles raised and voice rough.

The clerk raised his hands in surrender.

“I don’t know- the latest stock of heat suppressants didn’t come.”

You growled lowly- nearly inaudibly- as you stuffed your hands into your hoodie’s pockets in a rather annoyed manner.

“Just wait another couple of weeks- your heat’s probably not going to hit soon, right?”

You simply glowered at the beta before turning to stomp out of the general store.

It was fine. You had some suppressants as well as some scent blockers stored away in the back of your closet. It wasn’t a lot, and it sure as hell wasn’t enough to satisfy everyone’s needs but-

It would have to do.

And if the meds weren’t stocked soon, you would make your way to the nearest town which had them.

~ ♥~

Steve furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the distinct lack of bottles in the bag you had left for him.

Did he do something wrong? Did you not give him what he needed because he didn’t respond to your latest note? He picked up the note, crumpled and stained with ink blots and read it.

I’m sorry, Harpocrates- there weren’t any suppressants in the store this week I’ll get around to buying some more in the next town over. Have some from my own stash instead.

A single bottle and three sticks of scent blockers. As well as a ring as usual. Gleaming silver, shaped in the form of a coiled snake, with what seemed like gemstones embedded in the place of where its eyes were.

It wasn’t enough, but Steve couldn’t bring himself to blame you. You had given some of yours to him, even if you were as impacted by this lack of stocks yourself.

In a sense, his lack of suppressants was his fault- he hadn’t spoken to his dad about needing more. And his dad hadn’t offered to get him more. His mom? She was more preoccupied with keeping an eye on his dad. It was fine though. He had to become less dependent on his parents for his necessities.

Steve rolled the bottle in his hands absentmindedly, his eyes flickering to the row of rings settled on his windowsill. The silver rings gleaming under the artificial light of his bedroom. He tilted his head back with a sigh as he bumped it onto the wall he was leaning on. His bed was soft under him- even without the use of the boxes of nesting materials shoved into the corner of his room.

Despite his parents buying these for him- most of them felt off. Some too soft- some too smooth. None of them truly meeting his standards.

He threw up the bottle and caught it in his hand. He had to ration his suppressants- taking two after every meal instead of four.

Steve ran his hand through his hair, sighing before placing the half empty bottle of pills onto the windowsill.

Nothing could go wrong. He just had to hold onto his scent harder.

Everything’ll be fine.

~ ♥~

You felt bad- guilty. You had allowed the omegas in this school to rely on you for their suppressants. And- you had failed to get them what they needed.

All of them were understanding- Pam and Dean patting your back as you muttered apologies as you collapsed onto their laps. Maria whispering to you as you passed her by the hall- reassuring you that it definitely wasn’t your fault. Hell, even Earl- one of the more standoffish individuals- pulled you to the side to tell you that it was ‘Hawkins being a shitty town’. He then left with a rough pat on your shoulder.

You huffed as you sat on your normal lunch table, next to Pam and Dean. Eddie was currently sitting with his club- and you would have joined him, but you didn’t want to make any of them uncomfortable.

“It’s fine, babe-” Pam said, as she leaned to bump her forehead to your shoulder.

“I promise I’ll go over to the town over- I can -fucking- hitchhike or something.”

“No,” both your friends said in unison.

“Just ask Eddie to give you a ride,” Dean said, as he bit into his PB & J sandwich.

You shook your head.

“Can’t- he has band practice today-”

You froze in the middle of your sentence when you caught it. The very subtle, nearly unnoticeable metallic tang brushing past you. A scent that most people wouldn’t notice or take care to.

But you had smelt this before. On the notes. On the flowers.

You quickly looked up and-

It was Steve Harrington.

It was fucking Steve Harrington.

You choked on air, making Dean pat your back worriedly. But you couldn’t bring yourself to pay any attention to him. Not when Steve’s brown eyes met yours-

And he seemed to notice the revelation you just had from the way his jaw twitched, and the way the metallic scent became fainter and non-existent.

A call of your name. You tore your eyes away from him and to your two omegan friends, who were looking at you in confusion and worry.

“-are you alright?”

Steve Harrington- the ‘King’ of Hawkins- the renowned alpha- the only alpha in the school- bought heat suppressants off of you. He took your rings and gave you flowers. He wrote the notes to you-

You nodded dumbly, your eyes fleeting over to the brown-haired boy, who was watching you carefully. Almost fearfully, as if he thought you were going to spill this secret of his.

“Yeah.” You said, finally getting a hold of your voice. You cleared your throat several times, taking a sip of your water. “I’m all good.”

Steve Harrington, the most popular boy in school- the strong, cocky alpha-

Was an omega.

Holy shit.