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Steve hadn’t signed up to parent six pups. That was definitely not something he was prepared for after he began courting Nancy Wheeler junior year, and definitely not something he expected to remain after they split. But then there were monsters, and a little shit of a beta named Dustin Henderson, and now Steve felt like a single mother at the age of twenty.
Though he complained about it often—and loudly—Steve was somewhat proud to be trusted by the pups, though most of them weren’t pups anymore. Lucas had presented first, returning to school a week after his first rut with a new strong woodsy scent. El and Mike had followed weeks later, both presenting as alphas as well. Mike everyone had expected, always the unofficial leader of the pack and fiercely protective as a pup, a trait that was only magnified after he presented. El, on the other hand, came as a surprise to Steve. She was strong and capable for sure, but she hadn’t shown the growing aggressive characteristics that appear in alphas in the weeks before they present. She had been as kind and friendly as ever. But there was no mistaking it when her rut hit, hard and painful. Hopper did what he could to keep her comfortable, but ended up calling Nancy, the other female alpha in the group for help. Privately, Steve worried that the girl’s time in Hawkins lab had lasting effects on her body, including when it came to her secondary gender. But El pulled through, and Steve decided her status suited her well.
Max and Dustin, for their part, matured with the others, but stayed firmly betas. Will hadn’t officially presented yet, but it seemed likely he would be a beta as well, considering nothing had indicated otherwise and he was nearly fifteen now. Which is why Steve was surprised when he received a call from a very panicked Dustin in the middle of his shift at Family Video.
“Steve!” Robin called from the back where she was searching for a copy of The Godfather for a very impatient man who insisted he wanted ‘the one with the secret director's commentary.’ Despite Robin's increasingly annoyed insistence that there was no secret commentary, only the regular commentary, sir, he refused to let up. “Phone!”
“Got it!” Steve shouted back, returning to the front counter to answer the telephone. “Welcome to Family Video, this is Steve speaking, what can I do for you?” Steve recited with only a halfhearted attempt at enthusiasm.
“Steve, it’s me.”
Steve frowned. “Dustin? Aren’t you guys supposed to be playing your game at my place? You found the key, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re here,” Dustin confirmed, rushing forward with clear anxiety. “But something’s wrong with Will. He’s running a fever, and he says he’s dizzy, and Mike and Lucas say he smells–” Dustin paused, and Steve could hear another voice faintly through the receiver. “Different. He smells different. And scared. Steve, we don’t know what to do!”
“Hey, hey, it’ll be okay,” Steve soothed, already digging for his car keys. “I’m on my way. Is Eddie still with you?”
“No, he went to pick up Pizza,” Dustin answered. “He’ll be back soon I think, but can you still come?” Steve assured him that he would, before hanging up with the promise to hurry. The guy Robin was battling with had finally given in and left, and now she was watching Steve with concern.
“The kids okay?” she asked. “Even I can tell you smell stressed.”
Steve shook his head once. “Will’s sick. Or presenting late, or something else, I don’t really know yet. But I have to go help, the kids are all panicking over there, and I guess Eddie left to get food before everything started, and…” He trailed off before giving Robin an apologetic look. “Sorry to leave you here by yourself, but–”
“I know,” Robin interrupted, giving him a quick hug, “You’re kids need you.” She jerked her head towards the door. “Go. I’ll hold down the fort here.” Steve thanked her sincerely, dropping a kiss on her forehead before rushing out the door and wheeling the Beamer out of the parking lot.
As he drove, Steve ran through every scenario he could think of for what was happening. It was perfectly possible Will was just sick, picked up something from school and all that. Then it would just be flu medicine, a shower, and some sleep and he would be just fine. But Steve had an uneasy sensation in his gut that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t help remembering the way Will always seemed to melt into his alpha friends like putty during movie nights, the way he always slept with a million blankets piled around him. Steve had always chalked the habits up to trauma from the upsidedown, but now he wondered if it was something else. If Will was presenting, and presenting as an Omega, Steve definitely needed to get there quickly before it became a problem that there were three alphas in that house.
Of course, none of the kids would ever, ever hurt Will. Steve wasn’t concerned about that, but young alphas could get antsy and overly protective in the presence of a presenting omega, especially a pack member. The last thing Will needed right now was fights breaking out due to through-the-roof hormone levels.
When Steve pulled into his driveway in Loch Nora, he was relieved to see that Eddie’s van was already parked on the street, meaning he had returned from his errand. Steve ran up the front steps, and before he even touched the doorknob, the door swung open to reveal Dustin, who looked as panicked as he’d sounded on the phone. “Oh, thank God you’re here,” he said, dragging Steve into the living room. The scene was pretty much as Steve expected: Max and El sitting on the couch watching with clear concern, Lucas holding a bowl of water with a cloth in it, and Mike and Eddie kneeling on the floor next to Will, who was obviously burning up. Mike’s head snapped up when he heard Steve coming in, a low growl escaping before halting when he realized who it was. Actually, likely less because it was Steve himself, but because Steve was an omega and therefore not a threat in Mike’s eyes. That was probably also why Eddie was the only one allowed on the floor with Will, and why Lucas was standing a safe distance away despite looking like he desperately wanted to help. Yeah, Steve was going to have to have a talk with Mike later. Or maybe he’d make Eddie do it.
Most notably though, the room was nearly completely overpowered by the sweet smell of vanilla. Which was most definitely an omega scent. And also most definitely not Eddie’s. Or Steve’s. Which meant Steve had guessed right. At that moment, Will whimpered and rolled over, curling in on himself more fully. Eddie looked up and met Steve’s gaze, obviously at a loss, and that finally spurred Steve into action.
“Alright, El, Max, go get all the blankets you can find from the hall closet upstairs,” Steve said, “and bring them into the guest bedroom down here. Lucas, get fresh water in that bowl and then put it on the nightstand.” The kids nodded quickly and ran off, leaving Steve to turn his gaze back to the three on the floor. As much as he wanted the Wheeler kid out of the room right now, he could also tell by the look on his face that wasn’t going to happen. Oh well. “Eddie, help me get him up.”
Eddie responded immediately, hauling Will up by the biceps with Steve’s help. With some difficulty and a lot of stumbling, they guided the boy down the hall towards the guest bedroom. It was slow going, both because Will was practically delirious and his coordination had gone out the window, and because Mike was walking so close he was practically underfoot. Steve wanted to snap at him to back off, but he bit his tongue. He knew Mike was just being protective, even if none of the kids seemed to know why yet.
They laid Will gently down on the large bed, and the girls appeared a moment later with a pile of blankets. With no more communication needed than a shared look, Steve and Eddie set to work weaving together a nest that would serve until Will had the strength to rearrange it himself. The reaction was immediate, and the presenting omega curled into the nest, some of the discomfort leaving his face. Steve was encouraged by that, but he wasn’t quite done yet. Lucas had returned with fresh water like Steve asked, and Steve took the cloth out of the bowl, wringing it out before smoothing the fabric gently over Will’s brow. A high temperature was characteristic of a heat, but if it got too high it was just needlessly uncomfortable.
However, the tension that had left Will’s body at the introduction of the nest seemed to be seeping back in. Steve realized why when he saw the circle of kids shifting anxiously around the outside of the bed, and he could smell their stress sharply in the air. It wasn’t their fault; it was difficult for teenagers to control their scents, but with Will’s heightened sensitivity right now, it certainly wasn’t helping.
Eddie seemed to realize the same thing, because he started herding the kids in the direction of the door. “Pizza’s getting cold,” he declared. “We can come back and see Will after we eat. Right Mike?” He said the last part with extra insistence, looking Mike right in the eyes. It was a clear demand, a challenge, and Steve sort of wished Eddie didn’t always have to do the whole poke-the-bear thing every time. Though he was an omega, he could be plenty dominant, loud, and incendiary as any hot-headed alpha. It was one of the things Steve loved about him, but it also had the tendency to get him into trouble. And a lot of fist-fights.
Mike stared back, glaring, but not making a sound. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the tension held steady. Lucas moved subtly into a position where he could grab Mike if necessary, and El shifted to shield Steve and Will.
The room was horribly silent.
Finally, Mike dropped his gaze, bowing his head in submission. Steve was relieved, both that no teeth or knuckles had gotten involved, and also that Mike wasn’t so drunk on omega-scent that he was willing to go through with challenging Eddie. Which would be both a stupid decision, and also even if he would never admit it, Mike thought Eddie was basically the coolest person ever, and if that respect was shaken in any way, there might be a bigger problem than Steve thought. But none of that had happened, and though he looked less than pleased, Mike filed out of the room with everyone else in the direction of the kitchen. Thank goodness for Eddie Munson.
Steve turned his attention back to Will, who had somewhat relaxed again and the storm of scents left the room. Steve kept his own scent as light as he could, remembering how overwhelming it was when he was first thrust into the world of smells as a newly presented omega. He wouldn’t wish his presentation experience on anyone. He’d presented in the middle of a basketball game when he was thirteen, and had dizzily stumbled off the court. His parents hadn’t wanted anyone to know their son was an omega, so he’d been promptly rushed home, forced to ride out his presentation heat mostly alone, and then been given a lifetime supply of scent blockers. When he returned to school the next week, he told everyone he’d had the flu. Even Tommy and Carol didn’t know. Nancy knew, eventually, because it was impossible to hide once they were together. She’d been sweet about it to Steve’s relief, and the heats he spent with her were the safest and most comfortable of his life.
Then came Billy, and when he found out mid-game one day, Steve’s secret was out. Nancy left him and he was alone again for a while. He loved Robin to death, but she was a beta and also his best friend, and she could only partially sedate him by smothering him in cuddles. And it helped, but after a while it wasn’t enough. Then Eddie came into his life like a bomb and changed everything. He was an omega too, something Steve had never really considered as an option, and a fiery one at that. It made him a target in high school, but Steve thought it was amazing. He loved that Eddie would both curl up with him in his nest and scent him for hours, and also slam him against the wall and sink his teeth in. Steve’s heats became a lot more enjoyable after that.
Steve put the cloth down after he decided Will was no longer in danger of actually bursting into flames, switching instead to gently brushing Will’s hair off his sweaty forehead. “Steve?” Will said softly. His eyes were still glassy, but he didn’t look quite as out of it as before. “Where did they go?”
“Yeah, it’s me buddy,” Steve soothed. “Where did who go?”
Will frowned. “My friends. Mike?” The door swung open less than a second later, and Mike was rushing to the side of the bed. Steve opened his mouth to scold the little shit for Eve's dropping, but paused when Will smiled tiredly, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around Mike’s forearm. Mike’s eyes went wide when Will tugged on him lightly, clearly inviting him—or rather demanding him—into the nest. Mike looked up at Steve with the question clear in his eyes, and knowing it was useless to do otherwise, Steve nodded. Mike looked relieved, climbing carefully into the nest, settling slowly so he wouldn’t disrupt the arranged blankets and pillows. Will purred happily, practically diving into Mike’s arms and burying his face in the alpha’s neck. Steve forced himself not to laugh at the astonished look on Mike’s face as he slowly relaxed into the position, rubbing Will’s back in gentle circles.
A few minutes later, Will moved so his head poked out, addressing Steve. “Pack?” he asked drowsily.
“They’re in the living room,” Steve answered. “Do you want them in here too?” Will nodded confidently, settling back against Mike. Steve stood up, making his way to the living room where the rest of the group was throwing away their paper plates and polishing off the pizza. “Will’s asking for you guys,” he announced, then looked between them seriously. “Don’t overwhelm him, okay? He’s still under. But you guys are pack and you being there helps if you’re calm. Got it?”
The kids nodded seriously, and Steve followed them back to the guest room, watching as the kids slowly settled into the nest at Will’s request. The bed is big enough for all of them, especially piled on top of each other as they were. To Steve’s relief, Mike didn’t even hiss at anyone, seeming finally relaxed with Will tight in his hold. In the end, there was one big pile of limbs among the blankets, and Will was in the center purring softly.
Eddie came up behind Steve, smiling as he peered in at the nest. “They look comfortable,” he said quietly, mindful of the sleep clearly overtaking The Pile.
Steve huffed. “Finally.” He nodded at Mike and Will, who were curled up tightly around each other in the middle. “Do you think they’ll figure it out on their own?”
Eddie’s eyebrows went up skeptically, closing the door and heading back into the living room with Steve on his heels. “I was kind of hoping that conversation would be your job,” he said, plopping down on the couch and pulling Steve after him. Steve rolled his eyes, but didn’t object when Eddie lay his head against Steve’s chest, breathing deeply. “Thanks for coming by the way. Really shitty luck I happened to leave right before Will passed out.”
“It’s nothing,” Steve answered, propping his feet up on the table and tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. “You did a good job before I got here.”
Eddie hummed. “I try, but I don’t think I ever really got the hang of that whole motherly instinct,” he joked. “I guess I’m not a very good omega, huh?” Steve knew he was mostly kidding, but frowned anyway, bringing his arm up around Eddie’s shoulders.
“Shut up, Eds, you’re perfect,” he murmured, smiling when Eddie flushed under the praise. They stayed there in silence for a while, just enjoying the peace of the kids finally being comfortable and asleep. Then Steve shot up, accidently dislodging Eddie in the process. “Shit,” he said.
“Huh?” Eddie squinted at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Jonathan’s going to kill me for not calling him.”