Chapter Text
Hawkins, Indiana 1986 —
1st Day of School
“Why is everyone so tall?”
Mike clutches the straps of his backpack, sticking close to Lucas’ side as they make their way through the main building. It’s the first day, so everyone is here—even those that’ll most likely become serial skippers come tomorrow.
He and Lucas are keeping their heads down as they keep a look out for Dustin, who got a ride from his babysitter to school. He insisted he’d be totally cool if he was seen with one of the kids that attend classes at the small community college attached to the high school.
“I don’t know but even with my growth spurt I can’t see anything in these halls,” Mike huffs to Lucas, feeling his chest tighten as they squeeze through bodies of older students. “How are we supposed to find our lockers with all these couples?”
Lucas looks to where lines of couples are pushing each other up the lockers, licking into each other’s mouths. “Are they trying to eat each other? Max doesn’t do that to me.”
Mike rolls his eyes. “You and Max hardly even hold hands.”
“Hey!” Lucas protests, smacking Mike in the chest. “I’ll have you know she kissed my neck last night. NECK!”
Before Mike can make another snide comment, Dustin is pushing through the crowd of students, a wild grin on his face. His curly hair is now grown out halfway down his neck, the top parts cut short and hiding underneath his infamous thinking cap. Lucas and Mike hadn’t seen him since he went off to science camp halfway into summer vacation, so they both match his grin and easily let him into a group hug.
“Hey!” Mike greets, happy to see him. “You grew your hair!”
“You seriously need to take the cap off, though,” Lucas comments, jerking the hat off of Dustin’s head.
Dustin shouts in offense, reaching out to grab it back. He hits a student passing by, one who already has a Hawkins jersey on his back. The guy glares at him and tells him to watch it, Dustin awkwardly waving with a oops, sorry on his lips.
“This place is way too crowded,” Mike complains, feeling overstimulated with all the people surrounding them. He faintly remembers Nancy complaining to her best friend about how the football team has to be on steroids, and seeing some of the huge seniors makes him think she wasn’t joking. “I didn't even know we had this many students in Hawkins.”
“It’s not that bad,” Dustin says, falling into step next to Mike and wrapping an arm around him. “You guys seriously should’ve joined me in coming here at 6am. Not a single soul, so I got to my locker in peace.”
“I was not waking up at 5:30 to hitch a ride with you and your dumb babysitter,” Mike scoffs. “Just because he comes here for college classes doesn’t make him cool. In fact, it probably makes him a loser since he couldn't get in anywhere else.”
“Hey!” Dustin barks, smacking Mike upside the head. “I’ll have you know Steve is not only a badass, but a lot of the seniors love him.”
“His ass maybe,” Lucas mutters, shaking his head as he recalls a story his younger sister told him about how Tina’s cousin’s brother tried to get in Steve’s pants and ended with the Omega’s claws slashing his cheek open. He still has a tiny scar to this day…
Dustin looks at him, frowning. “What’d you say?”
Lucas puts on a fake smile, shaking his head. “Nothing. Just wondering if we should skip finding our lockers and find our classes instead?”
“We have a whole hour before homeroom starts!” Dustin exclaims, casually dodging a basketball that’s being thrown from each side of the hall, the guys tossing it looking higher than a kite. “We should go to the quad! There are some clubs already set up to take new members, and I heard they have a D&D club here!”
Mike wrinkles his nose. “I thought we were aiming to be cool this year?”
“Steve told me we can both be cool, and play D&D.”
“Yeah, did Steve also change your diaper this morning?” Lucas snarks back.
Dustin gives him a deadpan look, throwing up his middle finger. “Haha, laugh it up, but Steve is my key to being one of the cool kids.”
Lucas raises an eyebrow at Mike, who rolls his eyes. They've never told Dustin the gossip they heard from their siblings about Steve—about how much of a brat he was, always bitching about something and causing fights. They didn’t have the heart to, since Steve seemed like he genuinely cared about Dustin, and their friend idolized him. They just hoped he didn’t learn his babysitter’s bad reputation the hard way. From what Nancy told Mike, though, Steve wasn’t that bad. Just misunderstood. Whatever that means.
Mike knew that Omega’s, even boys, were supposed to be sweet and kind, but ever since Steve got kicked from his home and adopted by the sheriff, he’s been anything but. Maybe he wasn’t misunderstood but just an asshole. Nancy hit him when he said that, though. Mike just blew a raspberry in her face and said she just liked his stupid butt like everyone else. Nancy then hit him even harder, and their mom yelled at them to knock it off.
“Maybe we can join the basketball club or something,” Lucas idly states as they make their way to the quad, shrugging his shoulders. “Playing a sport should help us be cool, right?”
“I think I’d rather die than run if I don’t have to,” Mike sighs, ever the lazy one. “You should sign up, though. I know you’re pretty good.”
Lucas beams. “You think so?”
Mike shrugs. “You get the ball into the net, right? Isn’t that all there is to it?”
“I think we should definitely rejoin the AV club,” Dustin says, before Lucas can go on a rant again about the laws of basketball. “And the D&D club, and maybe something a little more cool. Science club?”
Mike turns to him, mouth upturned in disgust. “You think we’ll get in with anyone going to the science club?”
Dustin places his hands up in surrender as they make their way out the door. “Hey, Nancy told me there’s a lot of pretty girls in the science club.”
“God, you'll take anyone's opinion as law as long as they're older,” Lucas sighs. “I wonder what Max will do…”
“Where is Max, anyway?” Mike asks.
“Probably gonna be late,” Lucas shrugs. “Her mom came home late last night, and wanted to drop Max off for her first day to make sure the school was aware of her situation.”
Max’s situation being blindness, and poor motor function. She had an awful car accident back when her step brother was still alive that resulted in her almost dying. Crazy shit. Apparently, the windows shattered glass pierced both of her eyes, and she couldn’t walk for an entire year.
Mike frowns. “I’m sure she’ll be good here,” he says, feeling the worry practically radiating off of Lucas. “I mean, she was the first of us to present and she’s an alpha. Everyone’s gonna see how kick-ass she is, man.”
Lucas gives him a lopsided smile. “I’m telling her you said that.”
Mike tosses his head back and groans, all of them stopping nearby the drama table. “Ugh, if you tell her I’ll just deny it and call her a loser.”
Their chat was cut short when they heard a loud drum banging. Everyone who seems to be younger goes silent, while the older students roll their eyes or start whispering to each other behind their hand. Dustin laps his hand over Mike and Lucas’ chest, face splitting open as he points to one of the tables.
“Hear ye, hear ye!” An older boy shouts, hopping up onto the table with his arms raised high. He looks larger than life compared to all the other seniors he’s seen so far. He has wild, frizzy and untamed black hair that goes just past his shoulders, and there are tattoos all over his forearms. He’s wearing a leather jacket and a denim vest, skinny and ripped black jeans, and chains hanging from his belt loops. The shirt underneath his jacket reads Hellfire Club. “To the poor, mortal children suffering in this unfair realm!”
Mike hears a guy yell get over yourself, Munson! before some laughs scattered along the quad.
The guy, Munson, keeps his head held high, unfretted by the person yelling at him. “Consider me a light in your darkness, lost souls! For I, Eddie Munson, shall take you on journeys beyond your wildest dreams! Be an Orc, an Elf, or Human—Hellfire accepts those of all species!”
He crouches down, covering his face with his arm, hissing behind his leather jacket. “Would you like to fight a vampire!?” He then jumps off the table onto all fours, scaring off two girls huddling nearby. “A werewolf!? Come to me, and I shall see you through the fantasy world of D&D!”
Some of the jocks at the football table clap, another table labeled environmental awareness club tossing a crushed up paper cup his way.
“Can you finally graduate this year so we don’t have to see your bitch face around, Munson!?” a blond kid at the basketball table yells, causing Lucas to tense up next to him. “You ain’t ever getting any Omega’s like that.”
Munson scoffs, swiping at his nose with the pad of his thumb. “Mind yourself, Sir Jason! I do not tolerate any tomfoolery when it comes to my future fair maiden!”
The blond rolls his eyes and turns back to his table, Eddie doing the same.
“Jesus,” Mike huffs under his breath. “I don’t know if I’m embarrassed or—”
“Impressed,” Dustin grins, not giving Lucas or Mike a chance to even think about it before making a beeline to the Hellfire table.
Being the good friends they are, Mike and Lucas keep their head down as they try their best to blend into the crowd, following Dustin to the Hellfire table.
“Dustin,” Lucas hisses, but his friend doesn’t hear him.
The guy, Eddie, is now sitting on a plastic chair, boots propped up on the table. There are three guys surrounding him, each dresser in similar clothing to him.
“Sir Munson!” Dustin breathes, immediately falling into his roleplay status. He kneels down as though bowing, and Mike throws his hands up in the air, stressed that Dustin is painting a giant I’m a nerd target on his back. “My name is Dustin Henderson! Please pardon my rude friends, but we would be more than honored to join your journey beyond this realm!”
Eddie meets each and everyone of his friends' eyes, smirking. He pulls his boots off the table, planting them on the floor, and smirks. Up close, Mike can make out the alpha symbol on the inside of his ear. Alpha. That explains the confidence to make a fool of himself in front of everyone…
“Rise, Mr. Dustin,” Eddie says, standing and crossing his arms. “We don’t want you getting yourself killed on the first day of school now, do we?”
Dustin scrambles up, still beaming. “Woah, this is so cool. We—oh, this is Mike and Lucas—have never been in an authentic D&D club before!”
“Well then,” the guy with freckles beside Eddie says. “Feel free to sign up.”
He passes a clipboard to Mike, who looks down at it. So far there’s two sign ups, and he has the hunch they aren’t real: Sir Farts a Lot and Mr. Freak in the Streets. He takes the pen and awkwardly writes down his name, deciding on Michael Wheeler instead of the character he plays as.
“I like the shirt,” Mike says, eyeing the Hellfire shirt all of them are wearing.
“Thanks,” another guy says, grinning. “Much nicer than the baby gap, am I right?”
Mike looks down at his polo, frowning.
“Easy there, Jeff,” Eddie sighs, patting the guy on the shoulder. “Don’t scare my little sheep away. They’re the future of this fine club.”
“When do you guys meet?” Dustin asks, jumping up and down.
Eddie sits back down, flipping his hair over his shoulder. “Today’s the first meeting, after school from 2:30 to 5.”
“Today?” Lucas asks, pausing on signing his name.
“Oh, that's okay,” Dustin nods eagerly, turning to Lucas. “I can get Steve to drive us home.”
The boy with the freckles leans forward, curious. “Steve as in…Steve Harrington, Steve?”
Dustin places his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest with a nod. “Yes, that Steve! He’s my babysitter!”
All the boys at the table share a look before the guy from before, Jeff, bursts out into laughter.
“I didn't know Harrington was allowed around kids,” Freckles says, laughing with him. “Isn’t he like, psycho, or something?”
Eddie shakes his head. “Dude, total nutcase. Cute ass, though.”
Dustin frowns, shoulders slumping. “What? Why would you say something like that? Steve is the best!”
Lucas and Mike share a look before joining in, backing Dustin up. They knew this would happen, but not before class even started.
“Yeah, not cool, man,” Mike says, shaking his head.
Lucas shifts his hand against his throat from where Dustin can’t see, signaling for them to cut it off. “Yeah!” He says weakly. “Steve’s good people!”
Jeff moves to say something else, but Eddie catches Lucas’ hint and hits him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, Gareth,” Eddie scoffs at Freckles, like he wasn't the one to call Steve a nutcase. “Chill. That’s prime time Omega you’re talking about.”
Dustin seems to relax, shaking it off. “Um, do we have to have anything for the meeting?”
“Today’s just introductions and character building,” Eddie tells him, grinning and flicking the edge of his cap. “Nothing but a pen and paper, kid. We’ll tell you when you need to bring a proper notebook.”
“Eddie’s campaigns are killer,” the quiet and last guy next to Eddie says. “So make sure to bring your lucky dice.”
Eddie salutes them. “Now, go and find your classes, freshies. Seems I wasted all your free time.”
The bell rings, startling them. Eddie’s laughter follows them all the way to homeroom.
{×}
“Hey there, psycho,” Tommy greets, sliding into the seat in front of Steve. The guy reeks of beer and cigarettes, and if the stain on the collar of his shirt has anything to go by, he didn’t have time to go home and change before crawling out of whatever girl he died in last night. “Fancy seeing you here.”
Steve narrows his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. This was the last place he wanted to attend, but after a long talk with his guardian Hopper last year, he agreed going to the community college attached to Hawkins high would be good for him. He’d be familiar with the halls, the so-called professors, and the students. It would get him his Associate’s degree, help him save money, and show the real Universities he wished to attend that he was serious about his education. Given he graduated high school with a mere 2.3 GPA, he needed this. Looking at Tommy Hagen of all people slip into class, though, he wondered if maybe Hopper was wrong.
“Forget to shower before leaving whatever poor girl lowered her standards for a quick fuck last night, Hagen?” Steve asks, clippy and irritated. “Or do you just dress like a slob on a daily basis ever since Carol dumped your ass and moved to Cali?”
At the mention of Carol, Tommy peels his lips back and growls. He’s a Beta, so it does nothing to Steve’s Omegan biology, but God if it doesn’t solidify what a douchebag he is. “I’d watch yourself, Harrington. Your new daddy may be the Sheriff, but he ain't here to protect you during school hours.”
Steve rolls his eyes, waving his hand at Tommy. “Get lost, Tommy. Unlike you I’m here for a degree, not to live out my life peaking at 16.”
Tommy lets out a small growl again. “I’m watching you, Harrington.”
“Take a picture,” Steve says, smiling sickly sweet. “That way my head won’t burn from your nasty eyes.”
The Beta slinks to the back, and Steve huffs, facing forwards. He's in the second row, smack in the middle of the class. One of the suggestions taken from his school assigned life coach: sit close to the front, and you won’t lose attention on things happening in class. With the way Tommy’s breath somehow manages to crawl down his neck, even at the back, Steve would guess that advice is a load of bullshit.
“Welcome,” the teacher says when coming in, a tight smile on her face. She’s wearing a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and a black cardigan—smelling faintly of scent blockers and neutralizers. She walks to the board and writes Miss Click. “My name is Miss Click, and I’ll be leading your Introduction to English Literature class. First things first, introductions. We can start from the right side of the room, and make our way up and down.”
Steve sighs, sinking into his seat. Seems like high school really does never end. As people introduce themselves, Steve only pays half a mind to pay attention, only for when he knows it's his turn. When it is, he quickly spells: “My name is Steve, I’m here for my Associates, and my favorite hobby is listening to music.”
“Don’t you mean psycho Harrington?” Tommy sneers from behind him, venom in his voice.
Steve, unable to keep a tight grip on his temper, turns around. “If I’m psycho, you must be fucking obsessed, Hagen.”
“Mr. Harrington!” Miss Click yells, walking over to his desk and smacking her hand on his desk. “Apologize, now.”
“Me?” Steve asks, eyes open in shock. “He was the one who—”
“Omegas,” Miss Click hissed. “Are in no position to be so cruel to their peers. Apologize.”
There’s laughter around the room, Steve’s ears burning red. He turns to Tommy and hisses, “Sorry you’re so irritating I couldn’t keep my anger to myself, Hagen.”
“Enough!” Miss Click yells again, this time stomping her feet. “Go to the office.”
“But—”
“Go!”
Steve scoffs and picks up his books, exiting the classroom. Great. Detention on the first day, just what he needed.
{×}
Steve was thankful that even though he was sent to the office as though he were a senior rather than a freshman in college, he was 18 years old—meaning Murray, or as Steve is to call him at school, Mr. Bauman, won’t call Hopper to tell him his ward is acting like he has a bad case of the pre-heats again.
“Hey,” Steve says, dropping his things on Bauman’s desk and slumping into the chair. He leans back as Bauman stops typing, looking at him from underneath his glasses. He’s probably writing that weird erotica book Steve once heard Hopper joshing him about. The guy’s always been a weirdo. “Any chance I can drop a class?”
Murray sighs and folds his hands together, hovering over his typewriter. “What happened now, Steve?”
“I didn’t even do anything,” Steve huffs, puffing out his cheeks in annoyance. “Why can I be sent to the office anyway? Aren’t I an adult now?”
“Well the answer to that question truly depends on what you’re here for.” Murray leans back in his chair, gesturing to take the floor. “C’mon. Spill your woes to Uncle Murray.”
Steve narrows his eyes. “I already told you I’m never calling you that.”
“El does,” Murray pouts.
“Yeah, because El is sweet and loving to everyone,” Steve points out. “She isn’t the one getting called psycho all the time.”
Murray sighs, rubbing his chin. “Are they still calling you that?”
Steve shrugs, looking away. He swallows the word down, lifts his chin high. The word bothered him, once. It still had the power to hurt, too, given who said it. But assholes like Tommy? No. No, they weren't allowed to hurt him, not after everything he’s been through.
“Of course they are,” Steve huffs. “I am one.”
“You were a child,” Murray says gently. “Children act out when they're in pain, and you—”
Steve can feel the itching of a flashback. The sound of glass shattering. The feel of heavy objects in his hands, being thrown. The smell of burning leather, and the shouts of his birth father. He cuts Murray off, not wanting to experience that night again.
“I kicked an Alpha’s balls so hard he needed to get surgery,” Steve tells Murray. “I’d say they have every right to call me that word, dude.”
“Well…” Murray bobs his head side to side, wincing. “You being a bit—aggressive doesn't help you any, but still. They don’t know you.”
“Whatever,” Steve sighs, wanting to get out as quickly as possible. “Can I drop the class or not?”
“I could switch you into another English class,” Murray tells him, causing him to sigh in relief. “But it’d technically be an AP class for those in the high school.”
Steve bites his lip, annoyed. Of course there was only one class per level. The college kids were only a handful, and besides, how different would it even be from the class he was about to suffer through?
“Fine,” Steve says, shrugging. “But I don't want you telling Hop about this.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Murray smirks, making a gesture of zipping his lips and throwing away the key. “My lips are sealed. Now go, class is almost over.”
“Bye.”
Steve gets his things and heads out the door, pausing for a moment. He can smell something…almost like spice. Ground cloves and turmeric. It’d make his mouth water if he hadn’t had a fierce control over his Omega after all these years of protecting himself. He turns, only to see the back of a denim vest shutting the door to Murray’s office.
His eyebrows wrinkle together. Weird.
{×}
“It was a joke,” Eddie smiles, knowing how fond of jokes Mr. Bauman is. “I mean, it wasn't even directed to lunch lady Gladis. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Mr. Bauman gives him a deadpan look, mouth flat and eyes tired. “Eddie, are you going to be a problem again? I have other things to do than babysit a super senior, you know.”
“Oh come on!” Eddie objects, throwing his hand up in the air. “It was a bratwurst hanging from my zipper. It was hardly anything to write home about.”
Mr. Bauman raises an eyebrow. “You do understand it can still be considered sexual harassment, right?”
Eddie sighs, hanging his head. “Fine, fine. I’ll apologize to Gladis. Maybe even write her a little note with little hearts on it.”
Mr. Bauman holds up his hand, cutting his words off. “No. Absolutely not. Give her an apology, yes, but no hearts. And you have detention after school Tuesday.”
“Ugh,” Eddie groans, slumping in his chair. “I can’t believe I’m 20 and I have detention.”
“Maybe start studying and you can be 21 and free,” Mr. Bauman recommends. “Now shoo, I have things to do. People to see.”
Eddie slinks out of the room, smelling a bit more sour than when he came in. The guidance counselor smiles, before turning to his notebook. On it is a list of synonyms for “cock.” He adds bratwurst to it, huffing out a chuckle.
{×}
“I think my brain is leaking out of my ears,” Mike complains, tossing his head back and groaning. “I mean, I knew AP classes would be hard, but this hard? Seriously?”
“Oh c’mon,” Dustin nudges him with his elbow. “Mr. Clarke prepared us for this, man. Don’t back out now.”
“You’re just paranoid,” Max huffs, sunglasses on and guidance stick in her hand. She arrived a little into first period, and complained the entire time about how the guidance counselor was a loser who just flirted with her mom the entire time.
“No, I kind of agree,” Lucas sighs. “I mean, memorizing the periodic table by Friday? There’s like—a million of them!”
“I guess Mike does have a means to be afraid,” Max prods, grinning. “But you’ll be fine, Lucas. I’ll help you study.”
Mike scoffs, sliding up in the line. Lucas and Max are next to get their food, quickly piling it up and thanking the lunch ladies. “God, high school sucks so far. Maybe I’ll just blow my brains out, or drop out.”
“We aren’t even in fourth period yet,” Dustin points out. “Stop being dramatic.”
“Drama is my middle name.”
Dustin is about to reply when someone taps Mike on the shoulder.
“Excuse me?”
The voice is soft, but melodic. Mike feels a warmth bloom where the finger tapped his shoulder, and he turns—only for his mouth to drop open in shock. There’s a girl there. A little shorter than him, and so, so beautiful. Her brown hair is wavy in the front, cropped to her shoulders, and she's wearing pink eyeshadows with matching pink lip gloss. She smiles kindly at him, smelling of the flowers Mike’s mom grows in the back yard.
“Oh, hey El,” Dustin says, grinning and waving.
Mike blinks, forcing himself to snap his mouth shut so he doesn’t creep her out. “El?” He asks, continuing to look at the girl.
She flushes, tilting her head down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“This is Steve’s sister,” Dustin explains. “I didn’t know you were coming here!”
“Yeah,” El explains, voice warbling like she’s nervous. “Dad decided on it last minute. I actually came to get some utensils if that’s okay?”
“Absolutely,” Mike says, a little too loud and a little too enthusiastic. He turns, only to hit the display and cause all the plastic covered utensils to spill on the counter. He cusses, but grabs one, turning and holding it out to El as though they were flowers. “Here! Here ya go, brand—brand spankin’ new!”
El giggles, and it’s the equivalent of hearing an angel sing. Mike decides, then and there, that he will get to know this girl and make her laugh until the end of time.
She plucks the utensils from his hand, blushing a velvet red that makes her lip gloss call to him. He wants to kiss her. So bad. Is this what Lucas feels like with Max every day? Holy shit. Mike is in love.
“Thanks,” she nods. “What’s your name?”
“Michael,” Mike says, before coughing into his fist and awkwardly smoothing the sweaty hands down the front of his jeans. “Michael Wheeler, but you can call me Mike.”
“Mike,” El says, testing the name on her tongue. She draws it out, and Mike decides he needs her to say his name more, more, more. “Thanks again.” She turns to Dustin. “See you, Dustin!”
Mike watches as she runs off to her table, which is full of other preppy girls. He watches as her knee length skirt aways around her, how the yellow of her blouse compliments her tan skin.
“I’m in love,” Mike breathes.
The lunch lady slams her serving spoon against the table. “And I don't get paid enough for this shit. NEXT!”
{×}
“DUDE,” Mike all but screams at Dustin when they're sliding into the seats next to Lucas and Max. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me Steve had a sister?”
Max tilts her head towards the sound of Mike’s voice. “Steve has a sister?”
“Geez, calm down,” Dustin scoffs, ripping the plastic from his utensil open and stabbing the fork into his mystery meat. “I’ve told you Steve has a sister like, a million times.”
“You never told us she was so—she was so—”
Lucas raises an eyebrow. “Is she crazy too?”
“BEAUTIFUL!” Mike all but yells, some seniors walking by tossing an empty milk carton at his head. He’s too infatuated with the new girl in his life to do anything but wince and knock it away.
Dustin, however, isn’t focused on the priority. “Hey! Why’d you call Steve crazy?”
“Dustin,” Mike stresses, reaching across the table and gripping him by the shoulders. “I will do anything you want, for the end of time, if you get me with her. She smells like—like flowers. And her hair is so pretty, and those eyes, holy fuck, those eyes!”
Max barks out a laugh. “Oh my God, did you seriously get a crush on the first day of school, Wheeler?”
“You didn’t see her!” Mike cries. “She was like—like an angel that came from the heavens! She is perfect!”
“Jesus,” Lucas says, shaking his head. “Never thought I'd see the day.”
“As much as I’d love to hook you guys up,” Dustin starts. “I can’t.”
Mike’s face falls. “What? Why not?”
Dustin shrugs. “She’s not allowed to date until Steve does.”
Max laughs again, the sound all but booming and shattering Mike’s eardrum. “What? She’s what, 14, 15, and she can’t date? And why until Steve does, is he like, inept or something?”
Dustin scowls, reaching over and lightly smacking her hand. “Steve just doesn’t like anyone, okay? He had a bad experience back in high school he never talks about. He told me how unfair he thinks it is, but Hopper’s like, insanely protective over El. It’s why she was in homeschool…until now, I guess.”
“Well this is fine,” Mike says, nodding and locking eyes with Lucas. “She can date, just only if Steve does. Get Steve a date, bada bing, bada boom, I can date El!”
“There’s only one issue, idiot,” Max snorts. “She’d have to agree to a date with you in the first place.”
“And you’d have to get Steve a date,” Dustin nods. “Which will be impossible. His standards are too high.”
Mike rolls his lips, looking at Lucas. He can see what his friend wants to say but won’t in front of Dustin. Nobody would be suicidal enough to go near Steve, no matter how cute they find his butt to be.
“Well—I—” Mike slumps in his seat, feeding on the defeat. “Fuck. Fuck, man!”
“Tough luck,” Max shrugs, chewing on her oddly charred lunch meat. “Better luck next time.”
Mike doesn’t want a next time. He wants El. Sure he knew nothing about her, but there was this, this pull between them. From him catching a scent on her even though he hadn’t yet presented, from the way she smiled, to the way he yearned to hear her laugh again. El was the one.
But how on Earth was he gonna get her..?
{×}
Classes pass by in a blur.
Mike gets yelled at by a teacher for not paying the best of attention, but he can’t help it. After meeting El, she’s the only thing on his mind. Max kept teasing him for it, but not even her ribbing him brought him from his train of thought. How could Steve be so, him, and yet have such a gorgeous sister? It made no sense!
By the time they're in the club, Max having left with her mom, Mike is all but gnawing through his pencil as they all discuss who they are, what they like most about D&D, etc, etc.
“We’re in a band,” Eddie is telling the kids. As of now, and probably the rest of the year, the club consists of Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and then Eddie, Gareth, Jeff, and a guy who likes to call himself Freak. (No, really. He says it makes him feel powerful, reclaiming the insults hurled at him for his own). “Corroded Coffin. Think of Metallica and Black Sabbath, that's us.”
“What is Black Sabbath?” Lucas asks, confusion written on his face.
Eddie lets out a loud gasp, jumping onto the table and causing Mike’s pencil to smear across his page. He frowns, the tip snapping. This guy really liked getting on tables, apparently. Maybe it was the fact he was an Alpha. Nancy’s an Alpha, and she craves control over rooms wherever she goes.
Mike doesn’t. He wonders if that means he has no chance of being one.
“Alright!” Eddie barks, starting another one of his monologues. “We’re scanning the city tonight / We’re looking for you to start up a fight / There’s an evil feeling in our brains / But it’s nothing new, you know it drives us insane!”
He crouches low on the table and crawls until he’s close to Lucas’ face, screaming the last of what Mike assumes is a lyric. He looks at Dustin, who’s watching Eddie with stars in his eyes. The rest of the older guys seem amused, like watching Eddie put on a show for the freshman is their favorite pastime.
“We’ll make a metalhead outta you, Sinclair,” Eddie grins, whipping his face to Mike and Dustin. His hair is wild, a cloud around his head. “You too, gents. For metal is the sound of people like us!”
“Like us?” Mike questions.
“Freaks,” Gareth chimes in, a matching grin to Eddie’s on his face.
Jeff is the same. “Outcasts, and—”
“LOSERS!” Eddie screams, jerking one foot so it slips and stomps in front of Dustin and Mike.
They both jump back, startled.
Eddie hops off the table, the older kids laughing it up. He twirls an imaginary hat off his head and takes a bow. “Thank you, thank you—I’ll be performing all week!”
Mike grumbles, but Dustin starts rambling about music, mainly things like Abba, which Mike knows for a fact is a thing he picked up from Steve. He has no set opinion of Eddie yet, the guy is—well, he’s a freak. Mike feels a bit guilty for saying it, because the guy is pretty cool for having this amount of confidence he could never hone the way Eddie does, but it’s true. And besides, part of him thinks Eddie’s proud of the freak title. Like fitting in is something he’s never dreamed of, not in the way he and Lucas did.
Everyone falls into conversations about their characters, Mike switching spots with Dustin so he can be closer to Lucas.
“Is this how you felt when you met Max?” He mumbles, with something that totally isn’t a pout on his lips. “I just, I can’t stop thinking about her!”
“Who?”
Both Lucas and Mike jump, Lucas gasping and gripping his shirt as Eddie’s head pops between them. The Alpha flashes them his freaky grin again, chuckling.
“Can’t help but notice you’re spacey there, Wheeler,” Eddie teases, ruffling the younger’s hair and this time really making him pout. “Looks like someone’s in lovvveee~”
Dustin snorts. “Yeah, right. He doesn’t even know her!”
“I do!” Mike protests, but it’s weak. “I know…her name, at least.”
Dustin gives him a deadpan look. “That’s her nickname, man. Not her birth name.”
“Oh,” Mike blushes.
“Well we all have to start somewhere,” Lucas comforts, giving Mike an awkward smile as he tries to save him from the boys ribbing.
Eddie makes sure his attempts are for naught. “So who is this fair maiden, Wheeler?”
“Jane Hopper,” Dustin replies, always one to answer a question when he knows it, even if it’s not directed to him. “She’s Steve’s sister.”
“Harrington has a sister?” Freak asks, exchanging looks with Gareth. “She must be psycho, too.”
“Shut up!” Both Mike and Dustin yell at the same time, for completely different reasons.
“She’s beautiful!” Mike argues. “And kind, and—”
“You didn’t even know her birth name until I told it to you,” Dustin rolls his eyes. “And can everyone please stop referring to Steve as Harrington and psycho? Not only was he adopted by Sheriff Hopper and took his last name, but he’s a great guy! He’s like the brother I’ve never had.”
The older boys look to Eddie, who hops up on the table again.
“New law,” he announces. “Nobody is to speak of the Hopper siblings during D&D!”
“Even El?” Mike whines.
Eddie turns to him, squatting and tapping Mike on the nose. “Especially her, my young sheep. I will tell you something I tell every child I take under my wing: Hellfire is a means to get away from it all. The shitty crushes, the stupid homework, the irritating parents—”
“I like my parents,” Lucas mumbles.
“—I meant what I said about it being a different realm.” Eddie keeps his eyes locked on Mike’s, his look intense. “You can be anyone you want here. You can do anything you want. So take my advice and leave the baggage at the door, yeah? You’ll even find yourself learning stuff that can be applied to it when you pick it back up on your way out. Understood?”
Mike got it now, why Dustin looked at Eddie with stars in his eyes.
This guy really was cool. Terrifying, but cool, and full of lessons Mike doesn’t see himself getting anywhere else.
“Understood,” he whispers.
“Great!” Eddie shoots back up and taps his feet twice on the table. “Now let's talk shop, shall we?”
{×}
Steve hates Dustin sometimes.
“I’m totally leaving if he doesn’t get his ass out here in five minutes,” he tells El, looking down at his watch and sighing. He gets that D&D game is intense, has sat through plenty to see how serious it was to Dustin and his other friends, but this was just ridiculous. Did it seriously take three hours just to come up with a stupid character?
El is in the passenger seat, her copy of the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath sitting open on her knees. She looks up from the page she’s on, her fingers gently cradling it between two fingers. “You won’t leave him,” she says, a statement. “He’s family.”
“He’s irritating, is what he is,” Steve sighs. “Doesn’t help his friends are coming with us, too.”
“Oh,” El says, blinking. “I didn’t know that. Who are they?”
There’s an interest in her voice he picks up on, but he ignores it. “Lucas and Mike,” he answers. “I’m sure they’ll be blowing our eardrums out the minute they step out of the room.”
“Mike,” El says, testing the name on her tongue, before covering it up by adding: “And Lucas.”
Steve eyes her, mainly the small blush on the high of her cheeks. “You good, El?”
“Yeah, I just met them during lunch, that's all,” El says, smiling cutely.
Luckily, El is saved from Steve’s questioning when the doors to the drama room burst open. Out pops a few of the older kids Steve can vaguely recognize, and the kids he’s set to pick up. Three of the boys all but run off, swiping at each other as they do, but Dustin, Mike and Lucas hang back to speak to Eddie “the Freak” Munson—an Alpha Steve knows plenty about considering he’s been intimate with the dude’s weed stash back in his Junior year.
Annoyed just by the mere sight of them not moving, Steve gets out of the car, standing on the floor of the driving seat and making himself taller than he needs to be.
“Hey, assholes!” Steve calls, causing all four of the guys to turn to him. Lucas, at the very least, acts sheepish for Steve’s sanity. “It’s like 5:43, get your asses in the car!”
“Just give us a second!” Dustin calls back.
“One!” Steve shouts. “There, a second. You have till the next before I start my car and leave you nerds in the dust!”
Steve swings back into the driver’s seat, turning his key in the ignition. He even pushes his stick back when the door is finally opening and three kids are spilling in, Eddie Munson popping next to his window.
“Stevie boy,” Eddie says when Steve rolls down the window, leaning in to grin at him. “No need to be all bossy! I was gonna get them to you just in time for dinner.”
Steve’s nose twitches, picking up on a vaguely familiar scent. Unfortunately, with all the scents of the kids and Eddie’s friends mixed in, he couldn’t determine what it was. “It’s the first day of school, Munson,” Steve bitches. “What do you have them doing for three hours anyway?”
“Getting ready to open their minds and explore another universe,” Eddie says, voice low and raspy.
Steve narrows his eyes, before turning to the kids. “Did he give you drugs?”
El giggles when they all explode—
“No!”
“What’s wrong with you!?”
“He would never!”
“Are you on drugs!?”
“It’s called roleplay, Hopper,” Eddie snickers. “I’m sure Dustin will be thrilled to tell you all about it.”
Steve settles back into his seat, glaring. “Just have them out on time next week, got it?”
“You got it, mama.”
Steve ignores the nickname, rolling his window back up. “See ya, Munson.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Stevie~”
{×}
Code red, Mike wants to scream. Code. Fucking. Red.
He’s in the back of Steve’s car, smelling like the sweat and farts of his friends that has accumulated over the past three hours, right behind the girl of his dreams, and all he can hear is Dustin rattling off about how cool Eddie is while Steve insists the guy is a weirdo and they better not take anything to drink off of him. She smells even better this close, like flowers and lemonade, the personification of sunshine. Mike wants to bring his hand up and twirl a strand of her hair around his finger, but he can’t.
That’s weird, and he already embarrassed himself enough as it is by being in the fucking D&D club. Why couldn’t they sign up for something like soccer? Though he guessed dressing in shorts with his scrawny legs would probably be ten times worse on her than the stink of the D&D guys…
“You should join,” Dustin says, this time directing his question towards El.
Lucas’ head is rested backwards, looking halfway to sleep when he mumbles, “Leave her ‘lone, man.”
“I don’t know what kind of character I’d be,” El says politely.
Mike acts quickly, saying the first thing to come to his mind. “A mage!”
El and Dustin look at him.
“A mage?” El asks, her eyes quizzical on him.
Mike swallows, laughing awkwardly as he tries to play it cool. (He hates the smirk on Steve’s face when he does this. Of course that asshole clocked him). “Yeah, like…a witch, kind of. You’d be able to move stuff with your mind, and…stuff.”
El thinks for a moment, before nodding with a smile that quickly takes over her face. “Sounds cool.”
“Yeah,” he agrees.
“Mike here is a paladin,” Dustin cuts in, reaching across Lucas to slap his shoulder and give him a wink. “That means he’s sort of like a knight in shining armor. Right Mike?”
Mike blushes. “I wouldn’t say that, but—”
“He once took over an entire corrupt village all by himself, after the rest of us died during a campaign,” Dustin says, completely lying through his teeth. “It was so epic. You don’t know yet, but being able to do the final of a campaign by yourself is hard. That’s why we need as many players as we can get!”
“Maybe I’ll join one day,” El says, making eye contact with Mike. “And then you won’t have to be all alone this time.”
Holy shit.
Holy. Mother. Of GOD.
Is his crush flirting with him through D&D of all things? Okay, scratch soccer, Mike was going to kiss Eddie on the forehead the next time they played!
“Wheeler, your stop,” Steve says, pulling up to Mike’s house. “Tell Nance I said hey.”
Mike was too busy looking at El to reply to him. Instead, he tells her: “You should sit with us. You know, during lunch. We can help make you a character.”
El grins, nodding. “Sounds like a plan.”
Mike grins back, and all but floats out of the car. He swears he hears Dustin hiss a score! before it slams shut behind him.
{×}
“So,” Steve says when all the boys are out of his car, turning to El and raising an eyebrow. “Wheeler, huh?”
“Steve!” She cries, taking her book and whacking him on the bicep with it. “Shut up, please!”
Steve laughs, throwing the car into drive and heading off into the road. “El, it’s cute, trust me. You could’ve picked a dumbass jock to pick on. Trust me when I say that never ends well.”
El slumps in her seat, pouting. “I can’t even date him if I wanted to, Stevie. You know that.”
Steve shrugs. “Hop doesn’t need to know everything, El.”
“You mean—” El thinks for a moment, before shaking her head. “No. Nope. No way am I lying to him. I’m horrible at it! The last time I ate cookies before dinner all he had to do was say hi and I basically broke down into tears confessing my sins. If I can’t hide that, what makes you think I can hide a boyfriend?”
“Just a suggestion,” Steve coos, reaching out to pinch his sister on the cheek. “You’re adorable, you know that?”
El flushes, smacking his hand away. “Bite me.”
“There’s my girl. Hey, turn on my Abba tape, would you? I need to get into the grove before we face Hop and tell him about our day.”
El finds his tape and slips it in, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) quickly filling the car. They sit in silence for a while, before Steve breaks it.
“I know you said you can’t lie,” Steve tells her, looking at her with a serious, caring look in his eye. “But if you need any help—”
El blushes, nodding. “I’ll come to you. I got it, okay?”
Steve bobs his head. “Maybe I can fake date Robin or something.”
El’s eyebrows furrow. “Isn’t she a lesbian?”
“Lavender marriages exist,” Steve shrugs. “‘Sides, like I said: what Hop knows won’t kill him.”
El rolls her eyes, settling her head against the glass. “Maybe you’ll meet someone and you won’t have to lie,” she offers.
Steve snorts. “Yeah, right. Maybe in that dude’s fantasy realm he has those boys smoking.”
Oh, Steve. If only you knew.