Chapter Text
School seemed to be flying by. Usually, that's how the school day goes, everything the same, everything boring and bland. In Steve's opinion, this is his personal hell. Any time any, "incidents" happen, the Harrington family has to move somewhere far away where Steve has to start his senior or his junior year again.
Everything is rather boring, Steve has been seventeen for nearly fifty years, it's the worst possible age to die and get stuck at.
The only new thing Steve has heard about through the thoughts of others is word of a new student, a "total freak," according to the thoughts of the boy sitting in front of him. Steve got his appearance through the eyes of others, but nobody had it in good detail, like they all looked away as soon as possible, afraid of being caught staring. In Steve's personal opinion, give it about a few weeks, at most a month, before everyone forgets this new guy's existence, people in small town Hawkins, Indiana just like anything new and exciting, or anything new and strange that they can poke and prod at, regardless if the object of their interest is another human being.
Steve stares at the tile floor, making patterns that aren't there out of boredom, honestly, Steve can't blame his peers for taking interest in anything new that they can, it's just new students aren't really new to Steve anymore, just a new, stupid ant to join the crowd of the school. It's repetitive and exhausting.
Steve decides people watching is the least boring option out of everything he could do right now- well, the least boring option that's safe. The boys two tables over, Jeff and Gareth, they're both thinking about the new boy, they're passing a note around, Steve is looking into their thoughts to read it himself.
Edward Munson. Edward Munson is the new boy, though he's learned from the thoughts of others that so far he's corrected every teacher and every student who approached him,
"Actually, I prefer Eddie.."
The boys passing notes want to ask Eddie Munson to eat lunch with them, they want to get this Eddie Munson to join their D&D club, Hellfire. Possibly their band if Eddie can play any instrument- they particularly hope he can play guitar.
Steve doesn't know why he's so interested in the random human nonsense this Eddie Munson may or may not be into, probably just his boredom.
The bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period, a small victory. Steve walked to lunch, trying to drown out the hum of all the thoughts of the humans around him, trying to drown out the thoughts that were especially about Steve.
Vampires aren't like humans, infact their appearance is mostly to lure humans, our pale skin and symmetrical faces have no imperfections, if it weren't for our charm most might find us off-putting, some still do. We don't have the beauty of life and warmth that humans do, maybe that's why we as vampires crave it so much, the idea that if we consume much human we must be human, the idea is ridiculous, but some vampires are desperate, desperate to have some humanity, desperate to hope that they may wake up one day with heated skin and blood of their own, a heart that beat.
Steve's personal piece of humanity was found in the girl sitting alone at the table he's currently approaching, Robin Buckley.
Robin Buckley who knows the story of his turning, who knows who he is and Steve is certain Robin Buckley is his other-half, the only human piece of him left.
'Hey dingus!' Robin thought to herself,
Robin knowing about Steve's mind reading abilities made her want to use them to her full advantage 24/7... Robin was nice, made Steve feel some of his own locked away humanity, made him feel like he wasn't a monster all the time, an imposter wearing the skin of humans and walking among them as one of their own.
Robin found out about him being a vampire when she stumbled upon him having a midnight snack on a sex offender, she was... extremely off-put and freaked out, but she understood who that man was, and though Steve and Robin both know it is not morally right to take a life or more, they both really don't like the scum of the earth, she simply looks the other way while Steve gets rid of people who've hurt others an unforgivable amount.
"Hi Rob." Steve replied, smile on his face, Robin brightens him, brings the old Steve out of him.
"Sooooo... Did you hear of the new guy, Dingbat?" *Robin asked, which was unnecessary, because he knows she knows he did.
"Obviously. It's all anyone can think about, two guys in my last class wanted to recruit him for some club."
It was a D&D club called Hellfire, Steve remembers. He just wants to seem less interested then he actually is, which is nonsense. Steve is just curious, there is no reason to hide that he remembered what the club was about, he's simply bored and curious, that's all.
Steve smells a scent enter the cafeteria and it hits him like a train. He wants to stand up and run to it, bite into whoever has just stepped into the cafeteria, the scent is overwhelming and Steve can feel himself freeze up in his seat. Usually Steve is very good at self-control, but right now it's taking everything in him to not stand up and pounce.
'Steve? Whats happening what's wrong?' Robin asks him in her thoughts.
Through gritted teeth, Steve ignores her question with one of his own, "Who just entered the cafeteria?"
"...that new guy, Edward Munson. Is something wrong with him?"
Steve doesn't answer her question, instead choosing to correct her, knowing she will just ask more questions, but deciding it was worth it,
"Eddie. He prefers Eddie."
Whatever Robin says next goes in one ear and out the other as he tries to listen for Eddie Munson's thoughts, he doesn't find them. Instead, Steve finds the thoughts of the boys from his class prior, Eddie is sitting with them now. Through their eyes, Steve gets a good view of what Eddie looks like.
Long, curly and unkept brown hair, pale skin, some pimples and acne scars. Deep brown eyes, too big for his face and a bit un-symmetrical, when he laughed his dimples showed, his cheeks a little sunken in from the side-view. He was wearing a band t-shirt, a leather jacket with a vest over it, littered with pins and the sleeves cut off, he was wearing chunky silver rings, each with an intricate animal design different from the other.
He was unlike anything Steve had ever seen before, it filled his gut with an unknown emotion.
Steve wanted. Steve wanted to consume. He was practically salivating at just the smell of this Eddie Munson's blood from afar, surely it'd smell even better up close.. surely it would taste undescribable. Steve could use his speed to get over there.. he could get his blood before anyone reacts and could surely take out every human in this room to get a taste of Eddie Munson, surely...
Steve abruptly stood up out of his chair, hands gripping the table slightly. Steve doesn't kill or eat innocent people, he cannot lose control of himself, especially not here.
He leaves a confused Robin by herself, to worked up to explain it as he rushes to the bathroom...
He can hear Eddie Munson's new friends thoughts, and conversations through thoughts. The Gareth boy thought something intriguing,
'I wonder why Eddie wanted to know so much about that Harrington guy... Jesus, Eddie is still staring at him.'
The Gareth boy's thoughts made something warm heat up in Steve's gut, Eddie Munson was asking about him? Steve?
The possessive tone in Gareth's thoughts made an unknown emotion, similar to anger swirl in his gut, he couldn't name it at the moment. Instead, Steve walked the halls, memorizing the patterns on the tiles and the walls as he waits for the bell to ring and for lunch to be dismissed.
Steve took his seat for the very last class of the day, thank god. His lab table was the only one that remained empty, his peers considering him untouchable, in a way.
Steve knew who was coming into those doors from the smell alone before he entered, Eddie Munson. And sure enough, Eddie Munson took the only available seat, right next to Steve. It would be so easy to just... Steve doesn't let himself finish that thought. An annoying voice in his head telling him about being responsible that sounded suspiciously like Robin, he lets her rant too often.
Steve is all too aware of the exact distance that is between him and one Eddie Munson, Steve grips the desk in front of him with his hand and it takes everything in him to not break it in half.
Steve can't bear to look at Eddie Munson, at all. To take in any bit of his appearance or his smell would be dangering the Eddie Munson boy. Why can't Steve hear the thoughts going on in the head of Eddie Munson? Why can't he know the secrets behind those curious, big brown eyes?
Steve doesn't have it in him to even pretend to pay attention, instead trying grounding human techniques taught by Robin.
The very second the bell rings Steve leaves the classroom, infact, if he gets his way he won't ever step foot in that room ever again.
"Mr. Harrington I'm sorry, I really am, but the other class doesn't have any more room and I'm afraid that there isn't any particular reason you need a switch, you're already ahead, changing classes won't make the subject you already know less boring." The guidance counselor says, probably tired from Steve's determination to get his way.
Currently, Steve is sitting in his (honestly, quite perverted) guidance counselors office, he knows he could just lay the charm on thick, considering this old lady already has a bit of the hots for him but he's afraid his face might just show how disgusted he is with doing so.
"I understand that, but-" Steve's words were cut short as a familiar scent filled the office, Eddie.
"I was um.. wondering if you could help with my schedule?" Eddie asks after a moment, clearly he senses the tension in the room.
Hearing Eddie's voice through his own ears is so similar yet so different to hearing it through others, yet so frustrating. Why can't Steve hear what he's thinking?
"Well, I see there's nothing you can do." Steve says to the counselor, leaving before she could saying anything else, desperate to get out of the same room as Eddie, knowing one more second and Steve was a danger to everyone in the building.
Steve exits the school, getting straight into his car, seeing that Robin was already waiting for him.
'Steve? Seriously, what's been going on today?' Robin thought, in her brain there were many different possible, and frankly ridiculous, possible theories she had conjured.
"I'll tell you when we get to my house, okay? Just not here."
"Are your parents home today? They kinda freak me out Stevie, no offense."
Steve scoffs a laugh, leave it to Robin to make him feel better no matter how awful the situation was mere seconds ago.
"No they aren't there."
"Okay, Jesus. So... This guy smells better then anyone you've ever smelled before, and you can't read his thoughts? Which, God i am jealous of, because I did not need you to know that I thought that of Tammy Thompson last year.." Robin said, in reply to Steve explaining his behavior.
"Other people's brains are way worse, trust me. At least those thoughts weren't about me."
"Eugh. Ew." Robin gagged, making a face.
"I think.. I know I need to go hunting before I go back to school, I wasn't even that hungry today, yet I still almost lost control."
"Well Stevie, you skip tomorrow and I'll man the fortress." Robin saluted towards Steve, fake face of determination.
"You humans and your theatrics..."
Steve was grateful toward Robin, she was his bestfriend, the only human Steve has ever really cared for in his life as a vampire, he can't remember his life before, but he knows he did have little family left.
Steve allows his thoughts to wander to Eddie late at night, the emotions he can't name just yet sitting and swirling in his stomach.
Steve wishes he could sleep, wishes he could fall asleep and the world would crumble around him as he allowed himself rest, a break from boredom. Steve wishes he could sleep, wishes he could die, wishes for the destruction of his body, for it to be mutilated and destroyed, disfigured and unrecognizable and to stay as such, permanently.