Chapter Text
Sept. 1997
If you asked Steve how the “thing” with Eddie Munson started, he wouldn’t know what to tell you. It was his junior year of high school, Eddie’s senior and it felt like they just fell together in a rush of limbs and sweat. And then it just kept happening.
Steve didn’t know what he thought. There were feelings there, sure, but it wasn’t love. At least he didn’t think so, which is why he was shocked when he realized how heartbroken his omega was by Eddie’s disappearance. He just left town in the middle of the night. Never told Steve where he was going or if he would ever be back.
Maybe this was how it was always meant to end. They were never meant to stay together. Steve was the “king”. The omega all alphas wanted. And Eddie was the alpha freak, someone Steve would never want to be seen with in public. So he should be fine that Eddie left, right? But he wasn’t and for several weeks he felt empty.
The summer before his senior year was a hard one, but he had his friends with him. Nancy, Robin and Jonathan stayed by his side the whole time, so it was no surprise when they began to notice something was off.
“I don’t think you’re ok,” Nancy said as she sat perched on the edge of Steve’s bathtub.
“Yeah, people who are fine don’t need to throw up between lunch and gym class,” Robin added.
She was sitting on the countertop by the sink. Steve was draped over the toilet after vomiting for the umpteenth time that day.
“It’s nothing, guys. I just haven’t been sleeping well,"Steve sighed.
“Is this about Eddie?” Nancy asked.
“Guys is everything, ok?” Jonathan interrupted from outside the door. There wasn’t enough room for him in the bathroom.
One second, Jonathan!” Nancy shouted.
Steve just sat there in a bewildered silence, before he began to speak.
“No! We weren’t- it wasn’t- I-” he didn’t know how to finish that thought. Nancy stood gently and sat down next to him.
Putting a hand on his shoulder she asked, “How safe were you and Eddie?” Robin’s eyes widened as she slipped off of the counter.
“Shit,” she whispered.
“What do you mean “safe”? We never did anything life threatening?” Steve asked. Nancy pressed her lips together in a thin line.
“That’s not what I meant, Steve,”
With a sickening feeling it dawned on Steve what she was implying, “Oh god. No no no no, we-we we used protection!”
“Protection doesn’t always work, are you on the pill?” Robin asked.
“No,” Steve whispered. He could feel the tears welling in his eyes.
“Well, then I think we know what we have to do,” Nancy said.
*******
They all sat on the floor of Steve’s bathroom (Jonathan was outside again), staring at a little white stick. Nancy and Robin sat on either side of Steve, each one holding his hands tightly.
“How long?” Steve asks. Robin checked her watch, “it’s only been a minute steve.”
Steve could feel the anxiety coursing through his veins, his scent had gone bad. The whole bathroom smelt of sour cranberries (as opposed to Steve’s usual sugared and spiced cranberry, which often led to Eddie’s face being buried in his neck)
This stick could determine the rest of his life. He knew his parents would be appalled. He was meant to stay pure so they could marry him off to whatever alpha they saw fit. It was an antiquated practice, but it was one the Harrington’s took pride in. They liked controlling the next generation, so that way each one would inherit more than the last. Having a child by an alpha who lived in a trailer park before skipping town would be something he wasn’t sure his parents could ever forgive.
“Hey, is it ready yet?” Jonathan asked through the door, completely breaking the static silence they were sitting in.
Nancy huffed and shouted back, “Oh my god, Jonathan, seriously?” She then turned to Steve.
“Steve?” she said softly.
He was broken out from staring at the floor by Nancy’s voice, “it’s time to look now.”
Steve nodded and let go of Nancy’s hand. Shakily he turned the stick over. His movements were slow as was trying to delay what he knew was inevitable. All too quickly the test was right side up and Steve was face to face with two pink lines.
***
October 2009
The memory of that day still sits heavily in Steve’s mind, even though it’s been almost twelve years since then. His parents had been none too thrilled to hear of his pregnanc, throwing him out into the cold.
Eddie had remained awol, there’s been neither a word nor whisper of the man in the years following and Steve had stopped hoping for his return.
Eddie did give him something though, two somethings in fact.
Dustin and Max were the lights of his life and today they were running late for school.
“Dustin! Max! Let’s go!” Steve said banging on their doors.
“I’m brushing my hair!” Max called out.
Dustin came rushing out of his room in a panic, “Mom, I can’t find my hat from Aunt Robin!”
Dustin loved to wear hats- even though it was forbidden in school. It was a tradition for Robin to get him a hat from wherever she went. It started when she went off to college and has continued for the last decade.
“It’s by the shoe rack,” Steve said. Dustin’s face brightened as he gave Steve one of his blinding smiles.
“Thanks, Mom!” He said as he took off.
“Maxine Isabel! You’re going to be late!” Steve shouted.
“Ugh, I’m ready!” Max said as she burst through her door.
She could have a lot of attitude for a little girl, Steve still wasn’t sure where she got in from. Her personality tended to be a bit of an enigma to Steve. She was reserved most of the time, preferring to keep quiet and watch. Though when push comes to shove, she could be a little spitfire. He still remembers being called into the school because Max had kicked a boy in the shins for making fun of Dustin.
“Come on, you need to eat some breakfast,” Steve said, ushering her to the table.
“Could I just have a granola bar? I’m not very hungry,” Max asked.
“Are you sure, baby? You usually like to have at least a bowl of cereal?” Steve asked, putting a hand to her forehead.
Max just shrugged.
“Ok. You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” Steve ran his hand over her hair affectionately.
“I’m just a little tired, Mom,” Max sighed.
That was an odd statement. Max wasn’t usually tired in the morning, but then Steve remembered something.
“Max, were you up listening to your mp3 player again?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I needed to listen!” She pleaded.
“Max, we’ve talked about this, bedtime means bedtime,” Steve said.
“But Dustin stays up to read!” Max said petulantly.
She was pointing at her brother from across the table, clearly trying to get her point across.
Dustin dropped his spoon into his bowl, causing some milk to splatter.
“Tattletale!” He shouted, his little face showing how affronted he was.
“Am not!” Max sassed back.
“Am too!”
“All right!” Steve says, breaking up the budding argument, “neither of you should be staying up late reading. You need sleep to help you grow, do you understand?”
“Yes, Mom,” the twins said in unison, their milky pup scent curdling at the reprimand.
They went back to their food, but Steve’s mind was elsewhere. Max and Dustin loved books and music. They liked all genres of song and various themes in literature. (Dustin was more of the book worm, but Max was known to frequent the library as well, for CDs and books. Her book standards could be far pickier than Dustin’s though.)
Steve knew they didn’t get that from him.
Eddie wasn’t the best at school, but he loved to read. This was just one of the many quirks the twins inherited from their long lost father. Sometimes Steve wondered whatever happened to Eddie. Was he safe? Was he mated? Dead? Steve tried looking for Eddie. He scoured the internet with what was available in 1998. He even tried emailing his old account, but it just came back saying the account was gone.
So Steve stopped, decided it was better to end his search. He needed to save all the energy he had for his pups, he refused to waste it on a man who did not want to be found. Steve was only 17 and he had to get his life together in a matter of months, Eddie was not the priority.
Soon enough Steve had walked the kids to the bus and sent them off for school.
****
Mrs. Miskovitz was the secretary at Hawkins Middle School and had been for longer than Steve had been alive. She was old, but she was good at her job and she remembered everything. The first time Steve styled her hair she managed to bring up at least three embarrassing incidents from Steve’s school days, but she was sweet and she tipped well.
“Did you know Christina Cunningham? She went to Hawkins with you, I think. She works at the school now, sixth grade english I believe,” Mrs. Miskovitz said.
Steve nodded as he continued to style her hair, “Yes, she’s the twins’ teacher now.”
“Mmmm, she’s so sweet isn't she?” Mrs. Miskovitz asked.
“The kids like her quite a lot,” Steve agreed.
“So much better than who we had previously. Mr. Whitley. He barely engaged the students. Always just had them read and do worksheets, no discussions or interaction.” Steve just nodded, letting her talk. “You know, Christina works so hard with those kids, always trying to inspire them. It’s so refreshing to see. She’s even got one of her friends coming in to talk to her classes this week.”
“That’s nice, do you know what they’ll be talking about?” Steve asked.
“Oh, he wrote a few books, and runs something on the internet. He’s become popular with the kids, um I can’t quite remember what the books are called, but he was a student at Hawkins as well. Eddie Munson, did you go to school with him?”
Steve had to take a moment to breathe because yeah he did go to school with Eddie, in fact Eddie was the other contributor of his children’s dna. Children he didn’t know about because he just disappeared one day. And now he was going to be talking to their class. Steve was so screwed.