Chapter Text
It’s hot in the little bookshop, dusty air reflecting rays of sunlight to the darkest corners of the store. To anyone passing by, the place would look like a mess– books piling up next to the already stuffed cases, but each and everything has its place. It’s cozy, the type of place you can linger– curling up on the large burgundy sofa by the window, or one of the bean bags scattered between the bookshelves, enjoying the complimentary chai that’s always brewing. A gust of hot wind flutters by, making the chimes on the door twinkle.
It’s summer, so the heat is no surprise, but it’s a dry sort of heat that Eddie Munson has still never been able to get acclimated to. He’s lived in Pasadena for four years now, and still hasn’t managed to grow used to all the things so different from Hawkins..
He never expected his life would take such a…simple turn.
After successfully graduating only three times too late, Eddie and his band made the universal decision to move to Hollywood and try to make it big with Corroded Coffin. It proved to be much easier said than done without a record label…and realizing that one just wouldn’t pick them up. It had been devastating when they decided to break up, albeit amicably.
Eddie was the only one who decided to stay in LA, while Chase and Gartheth moved back to Hawkins. The first managing the only music store in town, and the latter now a radio dj for the local station. Jared moved to New York with his girlfriend, but even with the distance, they all still try to keep up.
Eddie never thought that he would be happy with his relatively quiet life, but he is. It’s peaceful. And with the variety that Hawkins never offered, Eddie is hardly bored. But between running his own bookstore and teaching guitar to kids every Tuesdays and Thursdays, there isn’t much time to do much else. Call him old, but Eddie got his party years out of him pretty fucking quick with what the Los Angeles nightlife has to offer.
Another swirl of wind carries dust and sunshine into the store, but Eddie’s nose crinkles up when he smells something so absolutely intoxicating, that it makes him look up from where he’s been bookkeeping the receipts of this week.
It’s like freshly baked apple pie and vanilla ice cream. It even tastes warm on his tongue and spreads across it like liquid sugar. It’s such a nostalgic smell that it faintly makes Eddie think of Hawkins in the summer, and the pie eating contests at the July fair.
There’s a man browsing the monthly display table, but with the blue baseball cap hiding half his face, Eddie can’t make him out. It doesn’t really matter what he looks like when he smells so good– smells like pure omega. He’s broad shouldered and surprisingly muscular in his white t-shirt. Eddie is used to seeing omegas slim and dainty, even the men.
“Can I help you?” Eddie asks, curious to get a better look at him. “Those are the newest out this month.”
“I’m actually just looking for—Munson?”
Eddie doesn’t fall off his chair, but his foot slips on the stool’s foot rest and almost topples over. “Carver?”
Jason Carver doesn’t look like he’s aged a day, still just as handsome as ever, in that all-American boy sort of way. His eyes are just as crystalline blue as Eddie remembers, skin lightly tanned and silver cross gleaming just as bright as his teeth. It’s not surprising to Eddie at all. What is surprising, is the overwhelming smell of omega, and how it’s tinged in nervousness, and a little fear. Eddie hasn’t been told he smells amazing, the typical alpha bitter-sharpness, but he thinks the coffee and cardamom that makes up his scent is soothing enough to omegas. He spreads it out a little, watching the way Jason inhales slightly, shoulders relaxing.
“I– uh– how are you?” Eddie asks carefully, not wanting to make any sudden movements and scare the omega.
“I’m good,” Jason says awkwardly, shifting on his feet, “I just, um, moved to the area.”
“No shit. I actually live right above this place.”
“It’s your store?”
“I know right? Who would’ve thought Eddie Munson would be a bookworm. Guess all I needed was to pick out a damn book for myself than one the school board forced on us,” Eddie watches Jason’s lip quirk up slightly in amusement, and he feels satisfied that he’s lightened the omega’s mood. “Are you looking for anything?”
“Trying to find a birthday gift for Criss’s son. He’s turning three, but he loves books.”
Eddie doesn’t want to pry, even if it seems like the two high school sweethearts aren’t together anymore. He’d thought they’d be married with 1.5 kids by now…but now with the startling revelation that Jason Carver is an omega, he doesn’t see how their conservativism would’ve supported a relationship.
Eddie nods, still careful with how fast he moves when he gets up. “We’ve got a kids section in the third aisle, some toys and board games too.”
And if Jason’s scent had been strong from a distance, it’s even more powerful being next to each other. Eddie takes a subtle deep breath, but that really just has him inhaling apple pie and vanilla, which doesn’t help clear his head. He still tries to keep from showing the dumb alpha in him at a good smell, leading Jason to the third aisle and pointing out the children’s section. “So yeah, this is everything. It’s not much, but you should find something—“
“You can ask, Munson,” Jason cuts him off, and even if he’s shorter, he still has a way of taking up space that Eddie finds impressive.
“Ask what?”
Jason huffs in irritation, “I’m clearly not an alpha.”
“It’s not really any of my business,” Eddie knows they’ve never been on good footing, so there’s really no need to clear the air.
Jason seems and smells surprised that Eddie doesn’t need an explanation. He bites at his bottom lip– plump and pink– and Eddie tries to keep his eyes from dropping to the omega’s mouth. “I guess I’m just sorry, for everything. The blockers, the synthetic scent– I know it’s not an excuse, but I’m still sorry for being an ass.”
“No sweat, Carver. It was high school. Everyone sucked.”
That makes Jason laugh, and his scent sweetens like a crisp apple, that Eddie’s chest rumbles. He clears his throat awkwardly to hide the sound, but the blush on the omega’s cheeks means he still hears it.
“I’m just gonna take a look,” Jason says, but it doesn’t feel dismissive, so Eddie doesn’t take it personally, especially at the sweet scent coming off the omega.
“Sure, sure,” Eddie’s fingers twitch at his sides, “I’ll be at front…alright?”
“Okay, Munson,” Jason’s scent tinges in amusement, and now it’s Eddie’s turn to blush at the curling of the omega’s lips into a smile. Jason Carver has never smiled at Eddie Munson. It’s just something that isn’t possible. At least until now.
And it’s a little unbearable to sit at the front desk. He can’t even bookkeep knowing that Jason Carver is in his store touching everything that Eddie carefully arranges each day. His foot taps like a rabbit, and his heart thumps just as hard. He doesn’t want to be some knot head alpha, but Jason being an omega changes things even if it shouldn’t. Eddie can’t find it in him to be angry when he knows that the omega has been suffering, likely since his presentation. The alpha doesn’t know much about Christianity, but he knows it’s considered a sin to be a male omega or a female alpha. Which is total bullshit in his opinion.
“I think I’ve found enough,” Jason walks around the corner about fifteen minutes later with at least ten books.
“That kid really must love to read,” Eddie smiles just at the thought. It would’ve been strange to him only a few years ago to want to encourage children to read. “You can just set them on the counter. I’ll ring you up.”
Eddie has to keep from panting like some crazed alpha when Jason comes closer– caramelized apples and homemade ice cream melting on his tongue. Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever smelled an omega so good, and he’d had his fair share of omegas when he first moved to Hollywood.
He thinks it could just be because he hasn’t been laid in like three months. And that was only from service that provided him with an omega during his rut. He really would’ve fucked anything in that sterile, scent proofed room.
Their hands brush when Jason hands him some cash, and he swears the omega’s scent ripens like an orchard. Eddie is only just so affected he tries desperately not to let his scent heat up like a cup of freshly brewed cup of coffee and warm spices. Eddie bags the books carefully and sticks the receipt a little slower than he’s sure seems normal. He isn’t sure why he feels so taken by Jason. They hated each other, and until he walked through the front door, Eddie would’ve still said he didn’t like the guy. But one whiff of the omega and it’s like all those years of torment never existed.
Jesus, he really is just a knot head.
“Here ya go,” Eddie hands him the bag and their fingers brush again, “It was good to see you, Carver.”
Jason nods, but he doesn’t move to leave; he just stands there. He smells just as nervous as he looks, and when he bites his bottom lip, tugging on the skin, Eddie tries not to focus on the action.
“You need anything else?” Eddie asks curiously, having trouble keeping his mind straight with the omega’s scent beginning to stick to everything in the store.
“I just—“ Jason fidgets on his feet, “Would you like to get dinner tonight?”
Eddie’s sure that he looks surprised, because he seriously feels fucking surprised. He doesn’t know exactly what Jason means. “…dinner?”
“I want to clear the air. Just let me be not an asshole to you for once.”
Ah, so it’s pity and not interest. But Eddie isn’t really offended, and it’s not like he has plans tonight. And he wouldn’t mind getting to keep smelling the omega. Eddie gives him a reassuring smile, “That’d be nice, Carver. There’s this great pizza shop just two blocks over. Just go left from here. How about six?”
Jason nods, “That’s fine…so I’ll see you at six…Eddie.”
He’s sure he blushes, because he can feel the heat on his face. Eddie still manages to smile without having a total meltdown at how cute it is to hear his name spoken by the omega, “Yeah. See ya at six, Jason.”
It’s with a flush and an even sweeter spike in his scent that Jason leaves the shop– scurrying out with a little giddyness and embarrassment lingering in the store. Eddie’s fingers tap on the table, clunky silver rings hitting the wood with a clink.
He feels a bit ridiculous. This is Jason Carver that he’s thinking about. All it took was one sniff of him to be some knot head who might do anything Jason asks of him. Like going to dinner with his high school bully. Jason had made his life hell. But if the omega was really on blockers and synthetic scents for years, Eddie knows that it would drive anyone crazy.
He just doesn’t know why Jason directed all his anger at him.
Eddie sighs heavily. He guesses he should give Jason a chance, and he’s already agreed to dinner, so he doesn’t want to look like a jerk by standing the omega up.
He tries to focus, but it’s impossible to not think about Jason– all the bad, and now the good. Eddie closes the shop early, knowing he can’t get anything done now.
And it’s embarrassing to admit that he spends the two hours leading up to dinner trying to find an outfit to wear. He huffs in irritation because it’s not like this is a date. It’s just dinner with someone from his past– just catching up…even if a part of this feels like it might be a prank. But he doesn’t think the omega’s scent is lying. He didn’t remember much about Jason’s scent before, but it was always a bit too sharp, a bit too off.
The omega scent he now carries feels almost too real.
Eddie finds himself running late, but at least he’s found nice enough jeans and a black button up. But with the heat it’s stuffy, so it’s unbuttoned a bit lower than it should be. His silver necklaces clink together as he half walks half runs to the pizza shop, boots thumping on the asphalt.
Jason’s standing outside, wearing a baby blue polo and khakis– sneakers a pristine white. The wind blows and Eddie is immediately hit with apple pie and ice cream. His mouth salivates.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“Sorry, I got caught up at the bookshop.”
“But you still had time to change,” Jason grins, a knowing twinkle in his eyes that has Eddie flushing with embarrassment– scent going citrusy.
“Wanted to make a decent impression,” Eddie fidgets, so unused to Jason Carver smiling at him. “Thought I’d need to step up my game when you’re so pretty– um, sorry that’s not I meant—“
“It’s fine,” Jason cuts him off, cheeks pink and scent crisp, “I get that now– pretty…not handsome or anything. It’s probably obvious why.”
“I didn’t, shit, you’re more than your designation.”
“But it’s why you agreed to dinner, and why you’ve been so nice instead of posturing,” Jason says, and Eddie can’t really protest when it’s true. “It’s not upsetting to me. Not anymore.”
“Sorry,” Eddie still says, “I’m just a dumb alpha most of the time. I’ve always been a little, I don’t know, a little—“
“Intense,” Jason finishes for him, “Not just your scent. You just take up space without even trying.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It is. Honestly I was always a little jealous of you,” Jason smiles softly, “Even if I really was an alpha I don’t think I could be one as effortlessly as you.”
Being smiled at by the omega is one thing, but being complimented by him is an entirely different feeling. Eddie isn’t sure how to respond, so he just clears his throat awkwardly, “Should we eat?”
If Jason is offended he doesn’t show it on his face or in his scent. But Eddie is still expecting Hawkin's ‘86 basketball to rush through the front door and beat him to a pulp beside the table they’ve been seated at, while Jason laughs at each punch.
“You’re stressed,” Jason has a frown on his face, brow furrowed and creasing. “This isn’t a prank, Eddie.”
It’s just as alarming to hear his name from the omega’s lips as it was the first time. Eddie runs a hand through his hair, but it only gets caught from the way he’d tied it up haphazardly as he ran out the door. He sighs, knee bouncing beneath the table, “Sorry, but can you blame me?”
“I really am omega.”
“That’s not what I’m questioning,” Eddie says, because no blocker or synthetic can fake a scent that good. “I just don’t have the fondest memories of our interactions in Hawkins.”
The smell of rotting apples and curdled milk hits Eddie full in the face, and his eyes flicker around the restaurant to find the few people around them sniffing the air in disgust. Eddie pushes his alpha pheromones out full force, hoping to cover up the smell while simultaneously soothing the omega. Jason takes a deep inhale, but physically doesn’t relax very much even if his scent weakens in intensity.
“I didn’t want to be a jerk…” Jason whispers, “But it was hard not to be angry all the time. My parents thought I was some abomination and no one knew the truth– not even Criss. I was alone…and then there was you. The perfect alpha. I was so jealous and just– it didn’t feel fair so I took it out on you.”
“I don’t really think I’m a traditional alpha,” Eddie doesn’t know how to process that Jason thinks he’s a perfect alpha. He’s broad shouldered and tall, sure. But his soft nature and gentleness are qualities most alphas don’t try to showcase. Eddie’s never been into all that posturing and bullshit.
“You’ve never cared what anyone thinks. And I think that’s admirable,” Jason bites his lip, canine poking into the flesh, and Eddie doesn’t know why he never noticed how small they were before. “I just recently got off blockers. Isn't it funny I forgot what I smelled like?”
Eddie doesn’t think it’s very funny. He thinks it’s tragic. He’s hesitant when he asks, “What made you get off them?”
“I tried to shift my designation,” Jason says simply, and Eddie takes a sharp breath through his teeth. “But I got scared in the operating room.”
Eddie knows that changing your gender is one thing– there’s nothing wrong about it if that’s what someone wants. But changing a designation can be deadly. Everything about the shift is synthetic, and Eddie hasn’t ever heard of anyone living past ten years.
“I was just tired of hiding,” Jason’s eyes are so blue in the afternoon glow streaming in through the windows that Eddie feels a little speechless. “My parents cut me off…I think it was the last straw. But Criss and her alpha moved out here for his job, so she’s letting me stay with her…I just couldn’t be in Hawkins anymore when everyone just talks.”
Eddie gets it. In such a small town people won’t shut the fuck up. He clicks his tongue, “Well I’m glad you’re here– just in general,” he finishes quickly.
“Me too. It’s a fresh start.”
“Well to fresh starts,” Eddie doesn’t have anything to toast with, so he picks up a ketchup bottle like a glass of wine. It makes Jason huff out a laugh, grabbing the mustard and tapping it against the alpha’s.
The conversation flows easily after that, and they manage to make their way through an entire pizza. Eddie’s chest rumbles happily in satisfaction when he finishes his last slice, and Jason looks away with pink cheeks. Eddie flushes too, “Sorry, I can be noisy.”
Jason shakes his head, “It’s fine. Everything is just new now. I wasn’t really affected by anything before, but it’s like smells and sounds hit me harder than they should.”
“Shit, did I make you uncomfortable?” Eddie asks, immediately worried that his attempts to soothe might’ve just freaked Jason out more.
“No, it was nice…” Jason’s scent sweetens, “I’ve never been soothed by an alpha before.”
It’s an insane concept to be a twenty-four year old omega and never having been soothed by an alpha, but in Jason’s case it makes sense. It’s just heartbreaking to Eddie. He clears his throat, “I’m, uh, glad I could help.”
“Hey, Eddie?” Jason asks hesitantly, and he can only nod when the sound of his name has him dizzy, “Would you maybe want to do this again sometime?”
“That’s– yeah,” Eddie is surprised to find that he actually likes the idea of seeing Jason again. His chest rumbles again in a deep purr, so he just clears his throat roughly, but he knows Jason heard it. “That’d be nice, Jason.”
It really would be nice, Eddie thinks, taking in the sharp curves of Jason’s jaw, the straight bridge of his nose and pointed Cupid’s bow. His lashes are full and eyes like a tropical sea. Everything that had been so harsh, now just seems so soft. He wonders how he couldn’t see that Jason Carver was an omega all this time. He’s fucking gorgeous. And Eddie had never even seen it before.
He lets Jason pay for dinner even if he profusely protests. But he knows the omega just wants to apologize, and Eddie doesn’t want him to feel he can’t pay for dinner just because of his designation.
“Can I walk you home?” Eddie asks, unsure if it’d be offensive. They linger outside the restaurant, almost as if they don’t quite want the night to end. The alpha is having a good time. He doesn’t really hang out with people much– wouldn’t say he has any close friends.
“If you do, I think Criss will drag you inside and want to catch up for hours. She’s already curious to know how you’re doing.”
Eddie remembers Chrissy. She was kind and smelled like flowers. He sold her weed once, but they’d never talked outside of that.
“Then, uh, next Friday?” Eddie suggests, and smiles at the warmth in the omega’s scent, like a freshly baked pie. Who would’ve thought that Jason Carver would be happy to see him.
“That sounds great, Eddie,” Jason steps closer, scent wrapping around the alpha, while the omega looks up at him with soft eyes. He’s only ever seen him angry; it’s striking. “Thank you.”
Eddie’s mind is fuzzy from the pheromones, “Y-yeah. You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you on Friday?” Jason seems hopeful, so how can Eddie say no.
“Friday,” Eddie’s getting overwhelmed by the omega’s pheromones. It’s too good. He steps back. “I’ll see ya.”
Jason smiles, “See you, Eddie.”
He watches Jason watch away, but it’s less about keeping an eye on an omega and more the absolute confusion he feels. Jason is a completely different person, and Eddie likes it. He likes it. And that in itself is dangerous. Very, very dangerous.
Eddie Munson might be totally fucked.