So I Went In A Little Bit Of A Different Direction But This Def Inspired Most Of It.

so i went in a little bit of a different direction but this def inspired most of it.

eddie gets along with steve just fine until steve starts flirting. that triggers his self defense mode (self destruct mode) and leads to him becoming more aloof with steve. Limited responses, refusing to laugh at his jokes, and avoiding him to his best ability. that stings for steve, absolutely, but he’s persistent and he really wants to give them a chance. So he keeps trying. he knows he has shit to make up for and all that stuff eddie said in the upside down was just because they were gonna die. Eddie was just being nice and steve guesses he can’t hold him to that. so he pulls back the flirting in an effort to just get his friend back but it just gets worse. it builds for a while but then steve gets them All tickets to see metallica and drives and wears a cutoff black tee and his hair down and eddie doesn’t utter one thank you. he won’t even make eye contact. he’s all but acting like steve isn’t even there. (so he doesn’t do something stupid like kiss him). Steve holds it together. he cries in the shower and into his pillow but is fine. He’s coping. He wakes up the next day, takes dustin home and picks up a couple of things from town. He’s rounding the corner at kroger when he’s stopped still by the sound of his name. he peeks around and sees the entirety of corroded coffin in the frozen aisle. he ducks back like a coward prepared to just leave the store all together when his name being said calls his attention again. he turns back and presses his good ear towards their conversation.

“then you stop talking about him!”

“I wasn’t until you brought him up this time!”

“Because i’m right.”

“it doesn’t matter if you’re right. I will never go after harrington. Just recipe for disaster. Someone like him with someone like me. Cmon man it’s laughable.”

and that’s that. He leaves. He cries. He doesn’t tell anyone. Robin bugs him about his scent being off when it’s just them but he brushes it off as the usual smell of unreciprocated love. It works. Barely.

it keeps getting worse. Even when he’s happy, laughing with the kids or robin or at a movie he hurts. Laughing turns to coughing fits and it’s not a week before he’s taking 8 tylenol a day to fend off the fever and then and even shorter couple of days before the shakes and aches settle into his bones. He feels like he has the flu but x100. the day he sleeps through work and picking up the kids from hellfire eddie pulls up to the harrington residence ready to rip steve a new one for making him haul these kids all over town but the smell hits him from outside the door. It’s all wrong. Discordance and despair linger in the air and his omega is in there. It’s not something eddie ever though would cross his radar. He doesn’t believe in gender designation bullshit. Just because he was born like this doesn’t mean any of the societal hierarchal inner wolf crackshit has to resonate with him. he’s Never felt this so called inner alpha that everyone uses a some margin of success. everything he’s done has been because he wanted to not as a byproduct of some feral instincts but this is undeniable. Something in his chest is pushing him into steve’s home.

He opens the door and strolls in with a new ambition. driven and confident as he sniffs him out. his own distress builds when he finally lays eyes on him. he physically feels himself repress it. he shakes his head clear and steps into the room announcing himself to a shivering asleep steve. he’s talking the whole time. cooing and gentle as he hovers his hands over his form. he knows it goes against etiquette but the whole thing is so fucked he can’t start caring now. he places his hand on steve’s forehead his eyes shoot open.

“You’re here?”

“I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you, omega.”

that’s definitely the first time he’s ever called someone that and it was so natural it took him a solid 5 seconds to clock that he said it.

“You know?” He sounds sad.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t your choice.”

“S’fine.” He rolls onto his side facing away from eddie.

“I’m gonna-i would like to take care of you. Have you eaten? Taken any medicine?”

“Go away.”

“What?”

“Go away. Don’t want you here.”

“Stevie, my omega, i’m here. I’m not leaving you.”

“Don’t want me.”

“Only want you. All i do is want you.”

ofc it’s rejection sickness so it gets better the longer eddie is there and steve doesn’t have the energy to demand explanations and eddie’s words are too important to his health to question at the moment so he lets himself pretend and heal.

they play nurse and patient for two days. when steve goes a full 24 hours no fever no meds he confronts him head on.

“I overheard you talking to the guys about me. You said you’d never go for me. That it was laughable. Thank you for helping me and all but i. I don’t want to be with someone who only likes me because of my scent. I want you to like me for me and you don’t. So…”

“I fuck i didn’t mean it like that. I just you’re so good and nice and like way out of my league. i never thought i had a chance to be with you and it not end in flames. i was so scared of how i feel about you and i’m so sorry. i mean i don’t know the future but i know i’m done trying to rob myself of this. I want to be with you. i can’t give you all you deserve can’t provide like you’re used to but i will be here with you for you. Whatever you need because steve, i love you.”

Steve shakes his head and begins to interrupt but eddie trucks straight through, “I do. I love you so much and i’m so sorry i made you think-made you feel-i’m so sorry i’m the reason you got sick…and i am sorry but i can’t leave you alone, now. I mean even if you asked i don’t think i could i think my uh alpha or whatever would maybe kill me?”

“Your alpha would rather die than be without his omega, huh?”

“Shut up.”

“You’re a real romantic eds. Gothic romance. it’s so you.”

“You know i’m serious right?”

“I know. I we should uhm i know you’re not really into conventions but just so my omega knows you’re being honest could you…you know.”

He drops to one knee and proposes immediately and steve is so charmed he can’t say no.

Them skipping dating and starting as fiancés is so them to me.

Omegaverse scentmates fic where Steve wears scent blockers (patches that cover the scent gland in this case) because he wants someone to love him for him. Eddie doesn't wear scent blockers because they're expensive. Steve knows they are scentmates but also knows that Eddie doesn't like him because of who he was in high school. Eddie doesn't know they're scentmates.

Steve spends the fic trying to befriend Eddie to no avail. Eddie will NOT budge on whatever grudge he's holding. Which sucks because the more Steve learns about Eddie, the more Steve likes him beyond the romantic idea of Scentmates. He likes that Eddie isn't afraid to be his honest self, likes that he's loud and in-your-face and slightly obnoxious. Likes that he's genuine friends with the Party outside of Hellfire. Likes that he's not afraid to make a fool of himself to cheer someone up or get a smile out of them (not that he's ever done this for Steve but he had done it for Max and Dustin that Steve was around to witness). And that's just the start of the list.

There would eventually be a confrontation ala "I'll never be good enough for you, will I?" From Steve and Eddie scoffing in response. It turns into a fight where Eddie finally yells, "what do you care if I like you!? Is having the rest of of the world on your silver spoon not enough?"

And Steve just rips off the scent blocker and stares Eddie down until he sees his scent register to Eddie; Eddie's eyes widen and he takes in several deep inhales like his (secondary gender of choice) can't let Eddie stop smelling him. It's only once Eddie opens his mouth to say something that Steve speaks. "This! This was why. I want to be with someone who wants to be with me! And you've made it real fucking clear that's never happening. Have a nice life, Munson." And then he leaves.

Because if Eddie's going to be interested in him now that he knows, Steve doesn't want it. If Eddie couldn't like Steve for who he was, then Steve not even going to pretend to entertain the idea of letting Eddie near him just because they smell good to each other. Steve would rather be with someone whose scent makes him gag but who laughs at his jokes than settle with someone who would just be tolerating him.

Eddie is left standing there trying to figure out how to prove to Steve that he does like him, and has liked him for a long time. Eddie was just trying to protect himself and couldn't let himself believe Steve's interest was genuine.

How does the fic end? Your choice if you write it <3 (please tag me if you do)