Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

HAWKINS, INDIANA

“Fucking asshole” Eddie Kaspbrak cursed, as he clenched the glass in his hand even tighter.

He shot yet another dirty look at Peter Gordon, who was too busy locking lips with his damn boyfriend to fucking notice.

Eddie hated his life and wanted to cry at the cruel reality which he had been brutally slapped in the face with. He was in love with a complete and utter douchebag, one who loved to mess around with people’s feelings like they were no more than playthings.

“If you squeeze that glass any harder it might just fucking explode” Beverly Marsh smirked slyly, glancing over at Eddie who was sitting beside her. He was gripping the glass in his hand so firmly that his knuckles were starting to turn a ghastly shade of white.

Bev looked good, dressed in a navy frock with her fiery red hair pinned to one side, but Eddie was too damn furious to even think to compliment his friend, who he knew was being crushed on by at least several of the other employees.

They were currently at the annual work Christmas party for the small medical office where Eddie worked.

Hawkins Medical Centre had been the only constant thing in Eddie’s life for years, since growing up in the complete shithole which was Derry, Maine with an overbearing mother. He had then moved at age eighteen to Indiana, so he could live out his lifelong dream of one day becoming a doctor.

It was the perfect profession considering how much of a hypochondriac he was normally without even being paid.

There were only ten people who worked within Eddie’s place of employment, including another five doctors apart from Eddie himself and the admin staff which involved Bev, who he had become quite good friends with over the span of the few years working there.

She had been well aware of the whole Peter situation which was at that moment about to reach its fucking boiling point.

It had started as harmless, with Eddie occasionally flirting alongside Peter or should he call him Dr Gordon from across the hall with those sea foam eyes and one of the most charming smiles Eddie had ever encountered.

Peter had reciprocated his flirting in his own kind of way, knowing how to best keep Eddie hooked like a piece of bait at the end of a fishing rod.

From then their relationship grew and focused on them testing the waters within their evolving rapport.

By the time the Christmas party had arrived, it was already assumed by Eddie at least, that they were now official or close enough to it anyway.

So official in fact that he was going to ask Peter after the party to be exclusive and to legitimately become his boyfriend.

But instead, Peter had decided to waltz into the party with his boyfriend, sorry scratch that his fucking fiancé clinging to his arm, while he proudly showed him and his ring off to everyone.

Eddie was in love with a liar and a sleaze, and he hated himself for ever falling for a word from that asshole’s mouth.  

Bev smiled sympathetically over at him, soothingly rubbing his arm as tears begin to prick at the corner of Eddie’s eyes. He hurriedly excused himself, passing some of his confused co-workers who stared after him while he ran to the bathroom.

He was determined to not look at Peter on his way out, the guy didn’t deserve the satisfaction of hurting Eddie for one fucking second.

Only when Eddie managed to lock himself in a cubicle was, he able to let out the hurt inside that painfully wrenched at his heart.

It was at times like these when he wished he still carried his Ventolin with him, despite never actually needing it or anything.

He buried his face in his hands, trying to stop the inevitable tears from pouring down his cheeks like a damn waterfall.

This was fucking ridiculous he chided himself, he was stronger than this goddammit. But was he really?

He proceeded to silently worry, how was he going to show his face tomorrow at work? He had no idea and was going to need a miracle that was for sure.

After another moment of unspoken contemplation about his future, Eddie slowly pushed himself off from his position on the toilet seat and stepped out to the wash basin, splashing some cool water onto his face.

In that next few seconds, he came up with a blueprint for the rest of the evening.

Return to the party briefly, fake being unwell and then get the fuck out of there, more than ready for that bottle of chardonnay at home alongside another three seasons of Queer Eye for you to binge.

It sounded like the perfect plan and he was already eager to get home and cry into a tub of Ben and Jerry’s and to drown his sorrows in alcohol because fuck you Peter.

Once he exited the male bathroom, Eddie was met with Bev who sadly nodded when he gave her his excuse of not feeling well, though it was obvious that she could see through his lie. She had always been good at seeing beyond Eddie’s bullshit.

He bid goodbye to several of his other co-workers, ignoring Peter’s heavy gaze which remained fixated on him as Eddie eventually headed out the front door of their building, refusing to look back at that dickhead, it still hurt too damn much.

Eddie wrapped his coat around himself tightly while he made the small walk to his white sedan. He then got into his car and drove home as fast as he could while still being safe, it was snowing after all. He turned his car radio on, blasting some Whitney because he was a grieving mess, that much was obvious.

He did not stop his pursuit until he eventually arrived at his small cottage, desperately needing to get rid of the ever-present aching in his chest.

He stepped inside through the garage, instantly smiling at how warm and homey his place felt especially in the middle of the freezing winter.

Eddie dropped his car keys on the dining room table before taking off his coat and hanging it on a nook on the wall.

He then purposefully strode to his liquor cabinet which he specifically kept for moments like these, choosing his most recently purchased bottle of white wine and cracking open the lid, before he started to guzzle it down, too mad to care about getting a damn glass or anything.

It helped but it still wasn’t enough.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand while he also went over to his fridge, taking out a carton of ice-cream and a spoon from a nearby drawer. He then made his way to the couch in the living room with his wine and ice cream in hand.

Despite initially wanting to overindulge on Netflix, Eddie now felt like doing something completely different. He was going to stalk Peter’s new lover on Facebook and going to figure out what was so fucking great about him anyways.

Resting his MacBook Air on his lap (which was already on the sofa) and setting his treats down on the coffee table, Eddie brought safari up on his computer and then Facebook’s website.

But before he could search the name of Peter’s new fiancé, Eddie came face to face with an ad on his for you page.

The advert instantly intrigued him as he clicked to read more about it:

Have you ever wanted to live a totally different life in a new US state? Why not try a home exchange!! Through a home swap you will swap lives and houses with a total stranger for a period of two weeks.

If interested, you can learn more at www.homeswap.com

Eddie was very curious at that and hovered his mouse over the hyperlink, contemplating if he should truly pursue this as a viable path.

Maybe this was exactly the type of break he needed away from Peter and his distress.

And it could actually be a really good thing for him, a mental break and everything.

That was enough for him right then and with that he clicked on the link more than ready for an escape from his shitty reality.

LA, CALIFORNIA

“Will” Max urged, her stormy blue eyes clouding over as she stared at him, a pained expression across her features.

“Yeah, yeah I know” Will Byers insisted as he tried to reassure the woman sitting opposite him. He was beyond frustrated and ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly.

“It’s just that the big man Steve, wants a new idea from you pronto, as in the next month at the most and you really haven’t had any good ideas or any at all have you?”

She rose a brow at him knowingly and he flushed beet red in response.

Being a well-known comic book artist especially in LA was definitely a rewarding job but was also proven to be an extremely stressful one at that.

Since the recent final addition of Will’s bestselling comic series “Beyond the Upside Down”, his managers, publisher and higher executives had informed him that in order for him to remain current and relatable to younger audiences (his typical demographic) he was going to need to need a serious makeover.

Times were changing and so was society meaning he was now responsible for drawing and creating an entirely new comic which they said would show how much of a versatile writer/illustrator Will was and would broaden future opportunities for him tremendously if people saw how committed he was to his craft.

This idea sounded great, but the only issue was they wanted Will’s first full draft of his new story with illustrations and the plot set in place by the end of the damn month.

It was starting to play on his nerves and the fact that he had no freaking idea about what his new comic (which was most likely going to be turned into yet another godforsaken series) was going to entail.

Will’s entire career had bloomed from “Beyond the Upside Down” which was a twelve-part comic book series that he had written and drawn and followed a group of young misfits who spent their time battling paranormal entities while also facing the trials and tribulations of growing up in their town called Normal which was located in Indiana.  

He had always felt drawn to the state of Indiana choosing to set the series there.

The Upside Down was Normal’s nickname as dubbed by the protagonist in Will’s story Billy Hargrove (the leader of the misfits). From Billy’s eyes the town was so far from normal that it was ironic considering all the paranormal forces that lurked within, hence why he and his crew called it the ‘upside down’ or the total opposite of how it appeared from outside eyes.

Will had been really proud of his series and the fact that so many other people seemed to love it just as much. New updates in the series were in constant demand, not to mention how several of his comics had become New York Times bestsellers and were just overall incredibly successful.

His series was so popular in fact that after his twelfth and final addition, he had planned to come out with a special feature film to commemorate its ending which he had written/drawn and centred around Billy and his crew travelling beyond Normal and battling other entities across the US.

Though, he was beginning to run out of time while completing the film, considering how his publishers wanted him to work on his new comic instead of only concentrating on “Beyond the Upside Down”.

Regardless, Will continued to remain very grateful for how far he had come but was really starting to feel the pressure of producing another comic that was as good (and according to Steve who was his boss varied to his usual paranormal heavy stories).

Pondering over these thoughts, Will listened to Max as she eventually ended their meeting (which had been one of many) for the day.

As his manager, Max was in charge of keeping him on focus and making sure he met targets for future drafts and other things, so she was well aware of his current struggle with writer’s block.

“Why don’t you go home and have a think about what kind of genre you want your comic to be” Max was trying to be sensitive with him though it just felt strange coming from her.

She had always been tough on him and herself, though he knew it meant that she cared and wanted to them to both do as well as possible.

With that Will stood up, grabbing his messenger bag and stuffing his notes and laptop inside.

He then waved goodbye to Max before he turned on his heel, walking out the door towards the elevator while he brought out his phone from his pant pocket ready for his lengthy commute home.

Will’s journey on the subway had been long.

Despite being well-known, he still took public transport home, often enjoying the way it grounded him and let him remember that in spite of everything, he was still only human.

Entering his key into his front door, he let out a relieved deep breath, thankful to finally be home.

Will knew he should be coming up with concepts and themes for his new comic, but he was exhausted and felt like he deserved a break.

After a moment, he instead opted to settle at his dining room table, taking out his laptop again from his messenger bag and resting it on the oak wood surface.

He began mindlessly scrolling on google, until after a few random google searches he discovered an article.

This article shared the personal experiences of two individuals who had engaged in a house swap for several weeks.

Both parties said positive things about the experience and that got Will thinking.

Maybe he could participate in something similar? It seemed to work well for these people, and it could be a great break for him to get his creative juices flowing and to improve his stubborn case of writer’s block for his new comic.

Sure, it was a totally random idea, but maybe this was exactly what Will needed to flourish.

Newly inspired by this article, Will opened up a fresh google tab as he proceeded to hunt for house exchange websites. He was giddy as he clicked on the first link that appeared which was www.homeswap.com and was excited for where this opportunity could possibly lead him.

Chapter Text

HAWKINS, INDIANA

Here he was.

Eddie Kaspbrak was officially on www.homeswap.com and had created an online profile, explaining his living situation and other details to any other potential swappers.

He casually explored the site while waiting for a response, it was all very real, and he was keen, more eager than he had ever been as he returned to drinking his wine (still from the fucking bottle).

Minutes slowly passed and Eddie started to lose hope.

Who was he kidding? This was a fucking stupid idea.

He lingered for a few more moments and was about to completely give up, when he heard a ding symbolising the arrival of a new message in his inbox on the website.

He clicked on it speedily, his eyes impatiently scanning the text.

It was from a guy named Will who lived in LA and seemed interested in participating in a house swap with Eddie for the usual two-week period.

The two messaged back and forth, coming up with mutual agreements for their stays which included the dates they would be away and other information such as ground rules. Once Eddie and Will had agreed and established a set of guidelines, it was officially settled.

They would both start the two-week exchange on the next day, with each booking a separate ticket to the other’s state/city and living in the other’s place for a ‘holiday period’.

After chatting about a few more final details, they ended their conversation and Eddie immediately pulled up the airline website in a separate google tab, purchasing the first ticket he could get his hands on to Los Angeles.

Once his flight was confirmed (at 6:15am the next fucking morning), Eddie drunkenly dashed into his bedroom, sorting through items of clothing in his wardrobe and throwing suitable pieces onto his bed, attempting to pack.

He also hastily programmed an alarm on his phone, deciding to set it for a bright and cheery 5am start.

Eddie then lugged his suitcase out of his spare bedroom and tried to neatly stuff his shirts and pants into it, though it really looked more like a crime scene.

His mind was hazy, and he knew it was probably the alcohol speaking but he didn’t care, too ready to indulge in this fantasy of living in fucking LA where he imagined a damn mansion with a butler and everything.

It was anything to get away from Peter and the hole in Eddie’s heart from that fucker’s betrayal.

Scurrying around, he picked up his discarded wine bottle (that he had dropped at some stage) disappointed to see that it was completely empty.

Disgruntled, Eddie instead reached for his now melting carton of Ben and Jerry’s which had been sitting on the coffee table the whole time and was starting to drip all over his hands.

This was all Peter’s fucking fault, and he was going to pay for it one way or another.

After attempting to fold most of his decent clothing into his suitcase, Eddie crashed onto his bed dramatically, passing out several seconds later.

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

What the fuck?

Eddie rolled over, wincing at the feel of his crinkled clothing against his skin and the dull aching of his head.

He squinted at the clock beside his bed which read 5:00am and was seconds away from dozing back to sleep when his thoughts jolted him fully awake, forcing him to recall his previous night in crystal detail.

He had been furious at Peter understandably, had come home, drank way too much fucking wine, started an online account, made a deal with a total stranger about a house exchange and booked a fucking plane ticket for this morning.

If that wasn’t bad enough, he turned to look at his luggage and yeah, was reminded of that shit.

His clothes were strewn everywhere, and his suitcase looked like a downright disaster.

Eddie’s head was throbbing as he slowly padded into the kitchen, gulping down a handful of painkillers with a glass of water.

He had forty minutes until he had to be at the damn airport and was in no state to pack or do shit.

Despite this, Eddie plastered a brave expression across his face while he moved back around to face his mess from the previous evening.

Maybe this house exchange program would be good for him and his sanity?

Deep down he knew it would be.

Deep deep down.

Knowing that if he didn’t do this exchange, he would most definitely regret it forever, Eddie took in a deep calculated breath, bracing himself for a complete and utter meltdown.

It was time to fucking do this.

The Hawkins Airport was small and often very easy to navigate, but since it was holiday season and snowing outside, it had basically turned into a scene from Game of Thrones (and no Eddie wasn’t exaggerating in the fucking slightest).

After frantically trying to tidy his house for this Will guy and packing his suitcase, Eddie had managed to arrive with thirty minutes until his flight.

He’d rushed through security (and the baggage drop line) despite both being a lot slower than usual, holding his carry on bag and wishing he could be anywhere else with his throat that felt dryer than the fucking Sahara Desert.

Eddie had then stopped at the first café he could find inside the airport, buying himself a coffee with as much caffeine in it as possible.

Now here he was, slowly sipping his drink and preparing for his six-and-a-half-hour flight to LA with a mid-way stop at Denver.

A minute of silence passed before the overhead speaker announced that boarding for Eddie’s flight had began. He swallowed down the rest of his drink, still cringing at his headache which had now only slightly diminished from all the painkillers he’d taken.

Glancing up at the boarding line, which was still far too long, Eddie rose from his seat, planning to move to the end but was instead overcome with the sudden urge to throw up.

He shot a quick collective prayer up to whatever gods that could possibly exist, hoping more than anything that he wasn’t going to throw up at any stage on his journey.

Because if there was anything Eddie hated more than germs and illness it was fucking vomit.

He felt pale and clammy and could not believe his shitty luck.

This was going to be hell and he was going to suffer every fucking minute of it.

All because of Peter Gordon.

LA, CALIFORNIA

Will Byers was petrified.

Beyond anxious as he nervously bounced on the balls of his feet, hoping for a miracle of some sort.

He had never before left the state of California in his entire life and was about to embark on possibly the biggest mistake of his damn life.

After his rather intense conversation with this Eddie guy from Hawkins in Indiana, Will had immediately booked a plane ticket for the next day.

So here he was, at 10am the following morning at LAX wishing he could be anywhere else.

He was currently in line to get his boarding ticket and was grasping his suitcase as tightly as he could while he waited.

Will had always been afraid of the unknown, and this was like jumping into a fucking pit filled with the unknown so to say he was afraid was an understatement.

He eventually reached the front of the queue and was called over by an employee who kindly smiled over at him. Her gentle presence instantly comforted and encouraged him in his moment of panic, he could do this goddammit.

After she had finished typing up his information on the keyboard in front of her, the employee handed him his printed tickets for his two separate flights (one to Denver and one to Hawkins).

Will then heaved his suitcase up onto the conveyor belt so she could weigh it and send it through (something he had observed plenty of other people doing while he was waiting in line).

He was glad that he had prepared, weighing his luggage at home and ensuring that it was well under the required limit after reading some airport horror stories on reddit.

He watched his suitcase slowly drift along the conveyor belt until it was out of sight. She then sweetly pointed him in the direction of the boarding gates, having probably sensed that Will was a travel newbie.

He thanked her before heading over to a café that was next to his boarding gate. He was already jittery enough without any caffeine in his system, so he instead opted for a peppermint tea.

As Will sat alone at his table, he curled his hands around his cup while watching the news on a television hung up nearby.

He finished his tea in no time and just as he was about to leave the café, he was approached by a mother with her two daughters. The girls looked young, and he beamed at them, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

Shyly one of the girls came forward clutching a notepad and an assortment of sparkly gel pens and he instantly knew what they wanted.

She introduced herself as Skylar and watched starry eyed as he scrawled down a quick message for her on her pink notebook paper with a glittery green gel pen before her mother gestured to him and her (sister? he assumed), wanting them to take a photo together.

After several photos he excused himself, remembering his flight and how imperative it was that he catch it in time.

Photo ops and autographs were very common for Will and he loved being able to witness the total awe and joy across the faces of children when they saw him in person.

It was a kind of magic that never grew old, despite being in this business for years now.

Once he arrived at his gate, Will observed that the other passengers were beginning to form a line and he joined in at the end, excited but also dreading the upcoming six and a half hours and all the uncertainty that this trip would entail.

Chapter Text

LA, CALIFORNIA

He was alive.

Despite all the odds that were completely stacked against him, Eddie Kaspbrak had somehow made it to LAX alive and in one fucking piece.

His two flights had been rough to say the least, with the urge to be sick and his headache both only slightly subsiding the entire time.

Eddie had just collected his luggage from the baggage claim and headed outside, managing to flag down the first taxi that came his way.

He then pulled out his phone from his pocket and the message which Will had sent him that included his address and where the spare key was located.

After settling in the taxi and informing the driver of Will’s address, Eddie felt his eyes begin to drift shut as he listened to the smooth jazz playing on the car radio, beyond exhausted. He hadn’t slept a wink for the past six and a half hours and was in desperate need of a quick snooze, feeling his mind wander off into an endless abyss of peace and tranquillity.

“-ir”

“Sir”

“SIR”

Eddie bolted up in his seat, rubbing his eyes as he turned to look in the rear-view mirror.

His taxi driver was staring at him with a scowl across his features and Eddie just looked blankly back at him, what the fuck was his problem?

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, the driver tried again, “sir, we arrived at your location five minutes ago”.

Eddie felt the tips of his ears turn scarlet as he realised what had just happened. The poor guy had been trying to wake his ass up for the past five minutes and Eddie had just slept through his attempts, shit.  

He now understood why the other man was watching him like a fucking hawk and was trying (but failing miserably) to mask his annoyance, Eddie had just wasted five minutes of his life which he could have easily spent picking up another damn passenger.

Determined to not humiliate himself any further, Eddie smiled apologetically at him, choosing to give him a more than generous tip to make up for his exhaustion.

Eddie then heaved his suitcase out the back of the car before he awkwardly waved goodbye to the driver.

His gaze followed the taxi as it sped away, and he began to work his jaw, agitatedly.

It was all Peter’s fault, had he not been such a piece of shit Eddie would not have been a hungover mess.

Peeved, Eddie turned around still holding his suitcase before he felt his mouth drop when he finally came face to face with Will’s house.

His place was fucking huge, and Eddie could not believe his eyes, this Will guy was loaded.

Entering the passcode (which was in Will’s text) onto a small padlock attached to the gate, Eddie gaped as the gate swung open and he wasn’t even in the house yet.

This was so different to Eddie’s quaint cottage back home and he could not believe Will would ever want to leave all of this, but he was very glad nonetheless, that was obvious.  

Rolling his suitcase along with him, Eddie made his way up to the front door, still in total disbelief about everything.

Will had specified that the spare key was hidden underneath the doormat and once Eddie located it, he slowly entered the house, his heartbeat loudly throbbing in his ears, he had never seen anything this glamourous before in his entire life.

He stepped into the foyer, which was alone bigger than his bedroom back home and unable to contain his excitement, he dropped his luggage, deciding to have a quick walk around his new home, trying to scope out where he would be living for the upcoming few weeks.

Will’s place had three levels, five bedrooms and three bathrooms which seemed totally criminal to Eddie, but he wasn’t one to complain, this would be the perfect way to get over Peter’s pathetic ass.

As Eddie settled in the living room after checking out the entire place and claiming the largest bedroom to be his (and dumping all his things there) he gave one final look around at everything (including the flat screen television already with a Netflix subscription on it) and was amazed that this place would be his for the next two weeks.

Readjusting his position on the couch, Eddie sighed in pure bliss, this was something he could definitely get used to.

HAWKINS, INDIANA

Will had made it.

Despite a boat load of anxiety and more than enough paranoia about leaving LA for the first time, Will surprisingly felt free which he had most definitely not been expecting.

He was now walking through the tiny Hawkins airport, finding it was very easy to locate his suitcase at the baggage claim.

Will then brought up the Uber app on his phone, selecting the closest Uber which was five minutes away as he clicked confirm after sending through Eddie’s address.

While he would normally use public transport, Will was very tired and in an entirely new state so he really didn’t want to risk it.

It was snowing outside, and he regretted not packing a warmer jacket to wear in his carry-on bag.

He slowly walked outside, dragging his suitcase behind him as the wind harshly whipped against his cheeks while he desperately searched for shelter until his Uber arrived.

He was already starting to miss LA’s warm weather and hated feeling like he was in fucking Antarctica, it was unbearable.

Several minutes of agony passed before his Uber pulled up to the kerb and Will hurriedly got inside, already in low stages of hypothermia (or so it felt).

The car had its heat up all the way and he was very appreciative that he would be able to bask in its warmth for the next while.

Already aware of Will’s new address, the Uber driver started the journey which according to the app was a solid forty-five minutes away from the airport.

Will had not slept at all on his two trips, too nervous to fall asleep and to be then awoken by turbulence or a crash so he felt himself start to doze in and out of consciousness on the ride, not surprised when forty or so minutes later his Uber came to a halt, having successfully arrived at his destination.

He thanked the driver, while gawking at the sight of Eddie’s cottage out the window.

It was very charming and looked like something out of a fairy-tale, especially covered in snow.

Will braced himself for the absolute shit storm outside, as he opened the door and flurries of snow flew straight towards him.

He managed to get his luggage out from the back and full on sprinted to the front door which was luckily undercover while his Uber drove away.

Eddie had mentioned during their chat that the key was hidden underneath the pot plant and once Will had found it, he pushed the front door open, desperate to get out of the insufferable cold.

He shut the door forcefully behind him before taking in his new home for the next two weeks.

The first word that came to Will’s mind was small, and he hated how privileged he must have sounded because of that.

Eddie’s house had at most two bedrooms and one bathroom as well as a shared kitchen/dining room and a very cosy living room.

That seemed to be it, seeing as the whole house was only one floor.

It was cute, though the weather had proven to be a real problem for Will, and he wasn’t sure if staying here was a good idea.

Connecting his laptop to Eddie’s Wi-Fi (using his code on the fridge), Will began to search online for flights out of Indiana in the following few days, completely dismayed to find that they were all sold out, since Christmas was coming up very soon and it was the peak holiday/travel season.  

Pouting he tried to psych himself up, it was okay, he could manage with Indiana’s shitty weather (until the next available flight out of Hawkins had free seating), all he needed was some strong alcohol and junk food and he would be fine.

He knew deep down that he should really stay in Hawkins for the whole two-week period, the least that he owed himself was an escape from the chaos that was his career after all.

He and Eddie had agreed that they would use each other’s cars during their ‘holidays’, so after Will had finished unpacking, he then wandered down the hallway to the garage (which he hadn’t noticed before because it had been hidden like any of the other rooms).

He opened the garage door before sitting in Eddie’s white sedan and setting up Google maps on his phone, intending to go to the nearest grocery store so he could stock up on alcohol and snack food.

Google maps told him that it was a twenty-minute ride away and Will prepared himself, cranking up the heat all the way in Eddie’s car before he began his drive.

He was back home.

It had been a trek, trying to find the damn Hawkins supermarket (of course there was only one in the whole fucking town). But when Will had found it, he had purchased enough supplies for days (or a sufficient amount until he could get the next plane back to LA where the weather was warm, and where he did not stick out like a sore thumb.)

The cashier had obviously judged Will, which he knew came along with staying in a teeny town like Hawkins where everyone knew everyone.

He had then fleetingly retreated back to Eddie’s car rerouting his phone to send him back in the direction of his house.

It was now 10 o clock at night and Will who had overindulged in way too much alcohol and chocolate was starting to feel a bit drowsy.

He had thrown a spontaneous dance party in Eddie’s living room and was now flopped across the sofa seconds away from dozing off.

But before he could do so, Will was jolted upright by the rapping of knuckles on his front door.

Cautious about who it could be at such a late hour, he unlatched the door, very unexpecting of the tall raven mess who was slouched against the wall beside the door.

Will’s first thought was gorgeous as he felt himself cross his arms, waiting for an explanation from this foreign man who was staring right at him with his eyes glazed over.  

“Eddiieee” the other man moaned out, his face was pale and his arms reaching forward as if trying to coax a hug from Will.

“Um excuse me, but who are you?” Will tried to be polite, this man thought he was Eddie?

“Come on Edddieee this isn’t funnyyy, you know its mmme Mike” the man let out “ccan you pleaassee let me innn?”

Aware that this was most definitely a terrible idea, but still very curious, Will gingerly moved aside, watching this Mike guy stumble into his house.

Mike was definitely inebriated, and Will wasn’t sure how he felt, now that he had practically committed to caring for a random drunken stranger. But he secretly knew that he really wasn’t complaining all that much, how could he when Mike looked like that. 

Back in LA, Will’s dating experience had been limited and very unsatisfying.

He had gone out with several guys, but hadn’t really connected with anyone, it was also nearly impossible for him to date with such a hectic job and work schedule.

“Can I sstayy the nnight?” Mike’s words were slurred as he started to beg “pllleassse” and it was like Will could not say no to this man.

“Sure” he felt himself sigh; besides it wasn’t like he had anything else to do that evening.

Will then headed over to the sink, bringing back Mike a glass of water and hoping to sober him up as much as possible.

He watched Mike gulp his drink down in one fluid motion, feeling heat begin to pool in his abdomen at the sight.

This guy was something else and Will felt mesmerised just in his presence, he had never seen someone this good looking, in years maybe ever.

Sitting himself down next to Mike, Will knew that he needed to clarify several things.

“Okay look Mike, there are a few things that I should tell you, first my name is Will, and I am staying in Eddie’s house for the next two weeks and I have no idea who the heck you are, so if you could please enlighten me, that would be fucking great”.

Mike just eyed him confused, still very clearly drunk.

“So yyyyou’re not Eddddie?”

Will facepalmed at that “no I am not; my name is Will and I want you to tell me who you are right this second”.

“Oh” finally comprehending his request Mike drawled out his garbled response “I lllive next doooor and Eddie offften lllets me crashhhh here”.

Will was starting to understand the connection between Mike and Eddie, but he just wished that Eddie had given him some damn warning about this impossibly attractive man who also just so happened to be his fucking neighbour.

He must have been too preoccupied when adjusting to his new place to notice the other small cottage that was directly adjacent to Eddie’s which was where Mike must have lived.

“That makes more sense, thank you for that Mike” Will smiled at the other man still attempting to be polite.

“Its noo probbblem” Mike mumbled out and Will stood up, about to busy himself with something, anything, before Mike suddenly grabbed his arm.

A sharp electric current coursed through Will’s body at the contact, shocked he turned back to Mike whose chocolate brown eyes had darkened drastically and were now almost entirely black.

Questioningly Will rose an eyebrow but before he could even speak, he felt his eyelashes flutter shut when he felt the softness of Mike’s lips against his.

Initially Will remained motionless, but after several seconds he began to kiss Mike back just as passionately, the guy’s mouth was like a dream and Will never wanted to stop fucking kissing him.

Taking Mike’s hand, Will lead him down to the spare bedroom, only parting their mouths very briefly to do so.

Once in the room, they continued to kiss as Will laid Mike onto the bed, moving to straddle his torso before he grinded himself against Mike’s thigh, his own breathing hot and heavy.

He was already hard and knew this was exactly what he needed; besides it wasn’t like he would ever see this guy again and if he did it would be fine; they were grownups for fucks sake.

Planting kisses along the column of Mike’s neck, Will was in paradise and seconds away from tearing off his shirt before he heard soft snores coming out from below him.

He rose his head, peering up at Mike who had somehow fallen asleep during their ministrations.

Will felt instant remorse as a pit began to grow deep in his stomach. But he was also glad that their tryst had ended there, embarrassed about how much further he probably would have gone with a total stranger.  

Had his standards really lowered that much?

He was ashamed to admit the answer that his mind screamed back at him in response. 

The next few seconds slowly passed before Will proceeded to move himself off Mike’s passed out body. He then padded out of the room and down the hall into his own bedroom.

Only when he was in the safety of his bedroom, did Will lift a shaky hand up to his hammering heart, as he bit his bottom lip and tried to make sense about what the fuck had just happened to him.

It turned out that since Will’s little rendezvous with Mike, he was now determined to stay in Hawkins for the whole two weeks, the fucking weather be damned.

And it had absolutely nothing to do with a certain neighbour.

Nothing at all period.

The morning after their encounter had been beyond awkward.

They had both been humiliated, with Mike continuing to apologize to Will about bombarding his house, demanding he be let in and then kissing him.

While Will found himself embarrassed at how much he had enjoyed last night and their impromptu make out session, even though it was with a complete and utter stranger.

The two came up with an agreement, with both pretending that the previous evening had never happened and deciding that they would try to avoid being alone in the future.

Will had not wanted to agree with this at all because Mike was a fantastic kisser, but he knew that for the sake of his sanity and any future interactions it would probably be the best for them both.

After a painful conversation over coffee and how Will had stupidly forgotten to buy any, Mike had then ineptly bid him farewell and sped out of the house, leaving Will to just sit there, pondering over his first not even 24 hours out of LA and how eventful they had indeed been.

Chapter Text

LA, CALIFORNIA

The switch from small town life to Los Angeles had been a lot smoother than Eddie had ever imagined.

Despite initially missing the close-knit community that was Hawkins, Eddie had taken to LA surprisingly quickly, it was a city where he could definitely imagine himself living not too far in the future.

During his trip, Eddie had kept in close contact with Bev, calling her regularly to get new updates on life back in Hawkins and to inform her on how LA was.

He had spent all of his annual leave on this holiday and was grateful that she had been so understanding of his situation and the healing that he needed when dealing with Peter’s treachery.

Since moving to LA Eddie had gotten into a routine of sorts, with each morning opting to go on a jog around the block where he was staying, often feeling miniscule while he ran through the very expensive neighbourhood, in absolute awe at the enormity of some of the houses, they were fucking ridiculous.

On one morning in particular after finishing his usual route, Eddie was typing the passcode on the gate outside his place, when he noticed a man.

The man was elderly, likely in his late eighties and was hobbling across the footpath in front of Eddie and dragging along with him a bag of groceries.

It was probably instinctual as a doctor who mainly cared for older people when Eddie felt his feet move, striding up to the man and offering if he could help him in any way possible.

Eddie knew that he probably looked ridiculous in his tiny red jogging shorts and tank top but when the man nodded, he took his shopping from him, following behind him until they reached the man’s house which ended up being directly next door.

On their short walk, the man had revealed to Eddie that his name was Bill.

The two wordlessly entered through Bill’s front door, falling into a comfortable silence.

Bill’s home was small, much smaller than Will’s but nonetheless very lavish. Eddie also observed that the walls in his place were covered in countless posters of all different films from varying decades.

Eddie helped Bill unpack his groceries on his kitchen bench, taking note of his walking frame and the fact that he seemed to live alone.

Once they were done, Eddie was just about to leave, shooting Bill a smile before the older man stopped him in his tracks.

“Are you free tonight young man?”

Not having anything on that evening, Eddie gulped, wondering if it was a good idea to tell this stranger that he was indeed free.

The other man watched him inquisitively, waiting for a reply when Eddie suddenly answered, his lips moving on their own accord.

“Yes, I am”.

“Then would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight? It has just been such a long time since I’ve had someone to talk to”.

Eddie felt for this man who was clearly lonely, which was something that he himself could relate to, often spending much of his time alone.

Their shared loneliness was all Eddie needed to recognise in that moment as he nodded at Bill’s proposition, very interested about where this interaction could possibly lead him.

Later that evening the two sat in a local expensive French restaurant chatting over glasses of wine.

The more they talked, the more Eddie began to open up to Bill, starting to tell him about Peter and his recent heartbreak which had led to his spontaneous trip to LA.

Bill was gentle and good at listening which Eddie appreciated, the older man almost feeling like the father or grandfather that Eddie never had.

Growing up, Eddie had been raised by a single mother because of his father’s passing when he was very young and as a result, he hadn’t really had any male role models during his childhood.

Bill patiently listened to Eddie’s problematic love life, before pulling out a small notepad from his suit jacket and then tearing out a page as he began to jot down a list of films for Eddie to watch that featured strong and inspirational protagonists to inspire him to not yet give up on his search for love.

During their conversation, Bill also shared some of his past with Eddie, speaking about many years ago when he had been a prolific screenwriter for all different types of Hollywood movies.

Bill also spoke about his youth and how he used to stutter badly up until college, when he began receiving speech therapy which helped him overcome it after years.

The two kept talking as Eddie brought out his phone from his pant pocket, managing to locate an article on Google which he had bookmarked a while ago, being a bit of a movie buff.

The article mentioned the Writers Guild of America West who were going to be hosting an event in Los Angeles in a little over a week.

Eddie showed Bill the article on his phone, trying to convince him to become a speaker due to his expertise on the topic and his experience working on numerous films.

Bill eventually agreed after Eddie’s persistence and in that moment, Eddie became aware of his purpose for the next 1 ½ weeks. He would help Bill find the confidence in himself to speak at this event.

Once they finished dinner, Eddie watched as Bill struggled to stand up without the aid of his walker and he frowned, that was going to be a challenge.

If Bill was going to speak on stage, then he was going to need to move without his walker. Eddie sighed to himself, he had his work more than cut out for him, but it would be good, a good distraction from Peter and a good way for him to stop moping around and wasting his time.

Bill assured Eddie that he would not need a ride back to his place because he already had a driver coming to pick him up and so that was the end of their interaction.

Eddie called for an Uber to send him back to Will’s place (because for some reason Will did not own a car despite being unfairly rich).

The second Eddie entered his new home, he rushed into his bedroom, instantly passing out on his bed, he was beyond exhausted but excited to have met a new friend, even if that meant he had most definitely bitten off more than he could chew.

HONK

HONK

HONK

What the fuck was that?

It didn’t sound like the usual alarm on Eddie’s phone and was directly coming from outside.

Eddie rolled over, glaring at the window, it was 8 am in the fucking morning what was going on?

Too annoyed to care about his appearance (or the fact that he had fallen asleep in his clothes from the previous evening), Eddie rushed downstairs towards the front door, aware that the closer he came to the door, the louder the noise became.

Only when he exited out the front door did Eddie spot the shiny Cadillac.

The owner was aggressively beeping his horn and directly parked in front of the gate outside Will’s house.

Eddie spied wild raven curls and pale features underneath the man’s Ray Ban sunglasses.

“What the fuck do you want?” Eddie marched up to him, the gate still separating them as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“Hey cutie, is Byers in today?”

Byers? He must have meant Will and Eddie just scowled.

“No”, that was all he said, eyeing him in a confused manner, this was downright weird.

“Well would you mind telling me when he’ll be back”, Eddie just stared at him, this guy clearly didn’t know about Will’s house exchange and Eddie had to force himself to not screech at him for coming to his house at 8am in the goddamn morning. 

Knowing that he needed to calm down, Eddie took in a deep breath which only slightly relaxed him as he started to explain what had happened.

“That’s going to be hard because Will is in Hawkins, and he won’t be back for the next week and a half.”

The man’s eyebrows rose underneath his Ray Bans and Eddie couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with a total stranger.

“I’m Eddie and the two of us swapped houses, so I’ll be living here for the time being”.

The guy nodded before Eddie returned to interrogating him.

“Also, who the fuck are you and what are you doing here at 8 am in the morning?”

The other man smirked, clearly enjoying Eddie’s exasperation while he dragged out his reply.

“So, William hasn’t told you about our special connection? Well, I’m Richie and we work together, and I also dick Mrs Byers on the side, I cannot believe that he wouldn’t tell me, that fucking bitch”.

“Calm down asshole” Eddie’s eyes were shooting daggers at him “it was a very last-minute thing, but that still doesn’t explain why you are here at a completely unreasonable godforsaken hour”.

“We usually start our recording sessions around now and we were so close to finishing, I thought we could do that, but I guess not, can I still come in Eds? You know you want to let me in”.

Eddie crinkled his nose at Richie’s distasteful nickname, already hating it but choosing to let it slide for now.

He also knew this was a fucking terrible idea. Possibly the worst idea that Eddie had ever had, except for falling for Peter that asshole, but this guy was charming and sure he could end up being a fucking serial killer, but Eddie was willing to risk it, for reasons totally unknown to him.

Wordlessly, Eddie walked back into the house, flicking on a switch that was located in the foyer which opened the gate up for Richie.

Richie drove his Cadillac further up the driveway before he parked it moments later and stepped out of his vehicle.

Only then did Eddie realise how fucking tall the other man was and the way he towered over him at 6’1.

On his way towards Eddie’s house, Richie proceeded to whip off his sunglasses and Eddie felt the breath momentarily knocked out of him as he proceeded to unabashedly check out the other man.

He was wearing coke bottle glasses which magnified his intense dark brown eyes in ways that Eddie didn’t even know were possible.

While still very visibly dazed, Eddie watched as Richie ran a large hand through his unruly hair and he had to stop himself from reaching out and dragging one of his own hands through the guy’s hair, already anticipating the noises that Richie might make if he did so.

Definitely looking like a complete psycho, Eddie then cleared his throat, trying to get his shit in order and to also reclarify what Richie’s job exactly was.

“So, what exactly is it that you do? And how do you know Will again?”

“Well, Byers as you would know is a comic book artist who for the final update of his series decided to create a feature film and so he hired me to be the voice for the main character Billy.”

“Will is a comic book artist?” Eddie was shocked at that revelation; he really didn’t know jack shit about this Will guy at all.

And that meant that Richie was an actor? Or a voice actor? Or a comedian? Something like that.

Richie just gawked at Eddie “let me get this right, you decide to live in a total fucking stranger’s house for two weeks, without actually knowing a single thing about the guy?”

Embarrassed, Eddie blushed before trying to change the subject, hating how shallow and stupid he sounded “okay, okay, that’s enough about me, why don’t you instead tell me more about yourself then Richie”.

“Hm, I’ve been in all kinds of films and commercials, though I would say that I am best known for my role as Senor Caca in those Taco Bell advertisements, to this day it is still my best damn work”.

“Wait, that was you?” Eddie couldn’t believe his ears and started giggling, he would never look at those ads the same ever again.

Richie laughed along with Eddie before they were interrupted by the tune of Hotline Bling coming from the taller man’s pant pocket.

You used to call me on my cell phone
Late night when you need my love
Call me on my cell phone.

“Sorry Eds”, Richie apologized while he took out his phone, moving it up to his ear.

“Don’t call me that asshole” Eddie hissed before trying not to eavesdrop in on his conversation.

“Hi Greta baby” Richie began “yeah I know, mh mh” he nodded, a grimace making its way across his handsome features “I’ll see you at home then,” he let out a compliant sigh “okay bye, love you.”

Eddie felt his stomach drop, Richie had a girlfriend.

Of course, Richie had a girlfriend and was more than likely straight.

Eddie guessed it was about time for him to start digging his own grave, it was just his shitty luck after all.

Richie winced over at Eddie, still holding his phone after ending the call with his girlfriend what was her name again? Gemma? Grace? Gertrude? Eddie honestly didn’t give a fuck “sorry Spaggeds, duty calls, I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah sure”, Eddie attempted to hide his disappointment, he had only just met this guy but already wanted more, so much more of him.

His eyes awkwardly followed Richie as he strode out the front door to his car, forcing himself to not longingly stare after him like a lovesick puppy.

He was still trying to get over Peter after all.

Eddie then reopened the gate for Richie and watched him in his car as he drove off in a hurry probably straight to his girlfriend for a booty call, Eddie grunted to himself lucky bitch.

Turning back towards the living room, Eddie walked to the sofa where his laptop was, deciding to do some much-needed research on who exactly this ‘Will Byers’ was and why he was so famous indeed.

Will Byers was a fucking bestselling comic book writer and illustrator, so Eddie had found out.

Not just that, but he was worth millions of dollars and had attained quite the fanbase for his comic book series ‘Beyond the Upside Down’ and after a quick skim through an online copy of the first novel, Eddie had to admit that he was impressed.

This Will guy was definitely talented and managed to be engaging, relatable to the audience and downright charming through his writing and drawings.

He still couldn’t believe that he was living in the house of a celebrity and that an actual celebrity was staying at his place back in Hawkins.

The thought made him faint and so he was determined to not concentrate on it, or he knew he would get ahead of himself which was never a good thing.

But luckily for Eddie, he had Richie and Bill to distract him from that fact and to fill up all his free time.

He had introduced Richie and Bill to each other, with the three of them becoming close as they prepared for the Writer’s Guild Gala which was rapidly approaching.

Eddie also spent most of his waking hours with Richie, despite initially thinking he would never see the raven-haired man again.

Richie had surprised him the next morning outside his home at the same time and Eddie was secretly overjoyed that he had returned. They bonded over both growing up in Maine and having shitty upbringings.

Richie began to open up to Eddie, telling him about his relationship with Greta and the multitude of problems the two were having including the fact that he had caught her cheating on him with one of his co-workers named Henry, late one night.

Naturally, Richie also let it slip that he and Greta were currently on a break and Eddie was relieved that he did possibly have a shot with Richie after all.

He had started to develop a big crush on Richie after the few times they had talked and despite whatever Eddie may have thought it didn’t feel like a rebound from Peter, he was actually really attracted to Richie and saw a legitimate future for the two of them which he hadn’t in hindsight really ever seen with Peter.

In turn, Eddie revealed his own heartbreak, sharing with Richie about Peter and how hurt he had felt at the other man’s betrayal.

Eddie and Richie both shared their collective pain with one another, thankful to have met another person who understood what they had gone through on a level deeper than they could ever comprehend.

Chapter Text

It had been five days.

Five days since Will Byers had last seen Mike *unknown surname*.

He tried to not let it get to him, but it was as if he had been filled with a false sense of hope considering that he still had over a week to see Mike again and to get him to magically fall in love with Will or some shit.

Mike did live next door after all, but Will was too chickenshit to go and knock on his door and confront him or worse confess his newfound feelings and desires to this total stranger.

So, he instead busied himself, continuing to brainstorm new concepts for his comic as well as also upholding daily phone calls with Max who he had informed about his spontaneous trip to Hawkins, and kept up to date on his new ideas (she remained his manager after all).

The weather in Hawkins was still a bitch and Will spent ninety five percent of his days locked inside Eddie’s cottage with the heater cranked up to its warmest setting.

He only left his oasis to gather more supplies whenever he was running low or to go on occasional drives around Hawkins, only within the confines of Eddie’s white sedan of course.

Will had come up with countless outlines, only to scrap each one because they didn’t feel right. The right one would come organically, just like ‘Beyond the Upside Down’ had, it was just the matter of searching for inspiration and knowing that he could not give up no matter how much he wanted to.

Despite being talented in the drawing and writing departments (Will guessed he could now say that given his job) he lacked any cooking skills which had been extremely difficult for him during his stay in Eddie’s cottage.

Back home in LA Will lived in a central hub for takeaway food and restaurants and would often elect to eat a different cuisine every other day, due to his inability to cook to save his damn life.

It was an expensive issue that he had and was one that he hadn’t fully anticipated the repercussions of when agreeing to stay in Hawkins for two weeks.

It turned out that Hawkins had in total only three restaurants/takeaway places, so he had been forced to make do with the little variety that this tiny town provided.

One evening after Will had returned from “Benny’s Burgers” with his takeout in one hand and alcohol in the other did, he come up with a crazy idea.

Delusional at the worst and before he could stop himself, Will found himself standing on the porch of a certain ruggedly attractive man knocking on his front door.

It had been a spur of the moment thought, maybe he could offer Mike something to eat or drink and then maybe even see if he was up to kiss again that would be just peachy Will cringed, his theory now sounding stupid as he agonisingly waited for an answer to the door.

One second passed.

Two.

Three.

Maybe Mike wasn’t home?

That was enough for Will to spin around ready to leave, all before he heard a squeaky voice from behind him.

“What are you doing there Mister?”

Like a deer in headlights, Will turned back to where he had been, coming face to face with a small boy with curly dark brown hair.

Will stared at this child and just as he was about to ask him who he was, another voice called out from somewhere in the house, one that was low and unmistakably Mike.

“Dustin, who is it?”

Was Mike babysitting?? Very confused about this whole situation, Will continued to look down at this kid and his big brown puppy dog eyes that were so damn familiar, and he instantly knew who this child was.

“It’s no one Dad” the little boy yelled back, still keeping his eyes glued onto Will.

Will felt his stomach drop, this child was Mike’s son. What the fuck had he gotten himself into? He had hooked up with a more than likely married man.

Though Will had observed during their first interaction, the absence of a wedding ring on Mike’s left hand, because he prided himself on being smart enough to not hook-up with a married man. Will was many things, but a homewrecker or a side-chick was never ever going to fucking be one, that he made certain of.

But now it seemed like he had completely misread the entire situation, having not just kissed a taken straight man, but also a father to this little fucking boy.

Will continued to gape at this child, in total shock about everything. He was in so much disbelief that he did not hear heavy footsteps coming towards the front door.

“Dustin, how many times have I told yo-”, Mike came into frame, scolding the small boy before he stopped midsentence, opting to instead full-on gawk at Will who flushed under his gaze.

Still gripping his takeaway bag and bottle of whiskey, Will uneasily shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he waited for Mike to do something, anything and to make this less awkward than it already was.

“Will?” Mike eventually breathed out; his question so soft that Will almost didn’t hear him.

“Yeah, it’s me, I was going to surprise you but”, he gestured to the small boy, Dustin that was his name, though it didn’t make it any easier.

Mike’s ears turned red through his hair; he was probably just as embarrassed about this situation as Will was.

“Well, do you want to come in? I would hate to waste your time” Mike was apologetic, and Will’s mind screamed at him to decline his offer because it was way too fucking soon.

“No, I’m okay thanks for asking, besides I have a busy night planned”, he didn’t in the slightest and was more than likely going to watch The Notebook for the thousandth time and eat a whole tub of ice cream by himself as he wallowed in self-pity.

“Please Will come in, I really don’t want things to be uncomfortable between us”, Mike pleaded, and it was like Will could not for the life of him say no to this man as he reluctantly nodded his head and followed the taller man through the front door and into his home.

Mike’s house was small.

It was a similar size to Eddie’s, and there seemed to just be Mike and Dustin, no mother or wife figure present then anyways.

The three of them were crowded in the tiny living room and Will hated how out of place he looked, finding himself seated at the far edge of the main sofa.

Will watched Mike busy himself, making sure the fireplace was lit before he motioned over to Dustin whose big brown eyes continued to flicker between the two of them, probably having sensed the heavy tension that was there.

Dustin then moved around the couch to stand next to his father before Mike murmured up to him, “why don’t you go and change into your pyjamas and tell your brother to do the same, I’ll be there in a minute to tuck you both in”.

There were two of them? Will was starting to get seriously overwhelmed. He’d only thought there was one kid, but Mike had two. He was genuinely and totally fucked.

Together, Mike and Will viewed Dustin as he bounded down the hall into what Will assumed was his bedroom, which was affirmed by the slamming of his door, leaving them alone for the first time all evening.

Will felt dread overcome him as Mike wordlessly came over from the fireplace to sit on the same couch where Will was, but at the side furthest away from him.

Wanting to get this interaction over, Will rested his takeout and alcohol down beside him before turning his full attention over to Mike who was rigid and had a grimace plastered across his handsome features.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to do this, Will took in a deep breath before beginning what he knew would soon become a full-fledged argument.

“You have children, not just one but two?! Why the fuck would you not mention anything about them during that evening?”

He was furious as he continued, too mad to wait for a reply “I cannot believe you Mike, you fucking lied to me and used me for what? A booty call? I hope you rot in hell you assh-"

“I have an explanation, if you want one”, Mike interrupted him, ending his tirade as Will shifted to observe the other man and his eyes which were usually warm and wise but were now dull and lifeless.

Still fuming, Will forced himself to be quiet as he furrowed his eyebrows together, desperate to hear why this man had blatantly lied to him.

Taking his silence as permission to speak Mike proceeded with his explanation.

“Jane died four years ago, when Dustin was only four and Lucas was six and as you can imagine, grief hit them both particularly hard, as such young children.”

Starting to put the pieces together, Will kept quiet. Jane was Lucas and Dustin’s mother and must have been Mike’s previous wife.

“So as a result, I’ve gotten used to hiding them from anyone I get close to, because I’ve found that compartmentalising my life helps deal with being a single working father and all the responsibilities that come with being one.”

He smiled sadly as he continued.

“That’s why I don’t tend to introduce them to anyone romantic because I can’t deal with them losing someone else, not after what they’ve gone through”.

Mulling over what he had just been told, Will was beginning to feel just the slightest bit frustrated as he tried to avoid Mike’s gaze.

Taking in a slow deep breath, Will swallowed, trying to put his feelings into words for the other man.

“I appreciate your honesty, but this is way too fucking much Mike” he stood up, silently making his way down the corridor and towards the front door, needing to get out of there as soon as he could.

Mike trailed behind him, trying to stop him on his pursuit.

“Come on Will, I know this is a lot to handle, but can you please come back and sit, we can talk about this”

“No, I’m sorry Mike, this” he gestured between the two of them “is not going to happen, it can’t happen”.

Mike started to protest, but Will stopped him, giving him a pointed look.

Defeated, Mike sadly sighed while he watched Will’s retreating figure as the shorter man unlatched the front door and stepped outside, heading out of Mike’s line of vision and into the house next door.

Chapter Text

The next week and a half flew by for Eddie in more ways than one.

He had been determined to assist Bill with walking without his walker. It reached a stage where him and Richie would spend all day together, their only alone time interrupted whenever Bill needed assistance.

Bill made so much progress and Eddie was very proud of the end result, his frequent practice really paid off as well as the additional physical therapy he was also receiving.

By the time the Writer’s Guild Gala had finally arrived Eddie could not believe that his time in Los Angeles had practically come to an end with only three days remaining until he would have to go back home to his dreary depressing life in Hawkins.

Over the past two weeks he had come to love and appreciate LA, realising that he actually felt a lot more accepted and suited to this kind of climate/atmosphere rather than back home.

He’d already met two incredible people during his stay who he could now not imagine a life without, maybe this was truly where he belonged.

The Gala was legitimate, with a huge red carpet and an insane amount of paparazzi and interviewers who were very interested in Bill as a veteran of the arts and also Richie as a well known actor/comedian, opting to photograph and interview them both.

Eddie was starstruck attending such a glamourous event with two genuine celebrities accompanying him.

The three of them had met up beforehand at Richie’s house to get ready where a limo was later going to take them to the Gala.

Eddie and Bill had both been getting ready in Richie’s guest bedroom when the doorbell rang. Already in the living room, Richie walked towards the front door, his fancy black oxford’s clicking against the hardwood floor.

When he reached the door, the raven-haired man twisted the door handle open, instantly grimacing at the sight he was met with.

“Hey Rich”, it was a breathy feminine voice and Eddie from inside the guest bedroom felt his blood run cold.

“Greta” Richie greeted her, his tone monotonous and devoid of any emotion.

“Can I come in?” through the wall Eddie could hear her batting her eyelashes. She was so sugary sweet that she could give you fucking cavities from just listening to her.

“No Greta, fucking leave me alone” Richie stood his ground and Eddie smiled, proud of Richie.

“I want you back Richie” she soon blurted out, “I’ve done some soul searching and I ended things with Henry because I’ve realised that the only person I want to be with is you”.

Eddie’s heart sunk in his chest, she wanted him back? Of course she would, Richie was truly the best guy Eddie had ever met and anyone would be lucky to have him in their lives.

Was Richie going to accept her offer?

What would happen if Richie began dating Greta again? Eddie would be faced with the cruel reality of his life. Nobody wanted him and he would forever be alone and always just second best.

A moment of silence passed which Eddie assumed was Richie contemplating his options before he finally answered, his voice the definition of incredulous “are you serious?”.

“Yes, I am Richie poo, I have never been more serious in my entire life”.

Eddie cringed at her terrible nickname, continuing to listen in on their argument through the wall.

“Well maybe you should have thought about that before you continued to fuck Henry while we were still together”.

“Come on” she argued “that was the past and I’ve changed, I really have”

“Look Greta, you’re a sweet girl, but I’m not interested in the slightest, now could you please leave”

“You know what Richie? Fuck you you asshole. I came here trying to fix whatever this was, but you’ve only confirmed things for me. I’m so fucking glad I cheated on your pathetic ass, I hope -”

“Greta” Richie’s teeth were gritted as he cut her off “I’m not going to participate in this conversation any longer. Just get the fuck out of my house and never step foot near me or my house ever again understood?”

Fuming, Greta did not say anything in affirmation as she spun on her heel, stomping out of Richie’s front door making sure to slam the door loudly behind her like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Thank god that’s over” Richie spoke aloud and Eddie just smiled, hope blooming in his chest, Richie was single and no longer interested in Greta, maybe he did have a chance after all?

The Screenwriter’s Gala went by without a hitch.

Bill successfully managed to walk both onstage and offstage without any assistance and Eddie may have shed a tear or two, he was just so damn proud of his friend who in many ways felt like the father that he never had.

Richie who had been sitting next to Eddie had leant over, murmuring words of encouragement to him in his emotional state, attempting to cheer him up.

And if Richie put his arm around Eddie and Eddie snuggled into the taller man’s embrace during the Gala, that was something he would never tell.

The afterparty that followed was epic, something out of a movie, but ever the introvert, Eddie soon found himself outside waiting for an Uber after farewelling Richie and Bill who were still both busy chatting with other people.

He felt exhausted and was planning to have a shower then finish Queer Eye’s last several episodes.

His Uber dropped him off outside the gate of his house and just as he about to type the passcode onto the attached lock, he felt the unexpected contact of a hand on his forearm.

Completely surprised, Eddie whirled around now face to face with Peter fucking Gordon.

Eddie’s eyes drastically widened as a spew of thoughts flew through his mind at an alarming rate.

How the fuck had Peter found Eddie? What was he even doing here? Why wasn’t he back in Hawkins with his fiancé?

Peter was smiling, the asshole and his eyes were shining like he had just won the damn lottery.

Trying to compile together the clusterfuck that was his thoughts, Eddie stared at the other man. This could not be fucking happening.

Peter’s initial smile had started to falter, as Eddie continued to gape at him, the air around them thickening with each passing minute.

A few moments later, Peter finally decided to greet the smaller man, another faker smile making its way across his attractive features.

“Eddie, hey”

That shook Eddie out of his stupor as he proceeded to speak, not managing to keep the confusion out of his voice.

“Peter? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Peter had the nerve to look bashful as he replied, “well I wanted to surprise you Eddie bear”.

Biting the inside of his cheek at Peter’s nickname, Eddie’s heart pounded in his chest, knowing that he had to ask him about the damn elephant in the room.

“What abou-?”

“We’re over, that ended right after you went away” Peter interrupted him, instantly sensing Eddie’s question.

“But you were engaged?” Eddie spluttered, trying to make sense of the current situation he was in. if he was being honest with himself, he had forgotten about Peter since meeting Richie, so the reintroduction of his old flame was a total shock to his system.

“That’s why I came here baby, so we can resume what we had”

“You mean when I was your fucking side chick for god knows how long?” Eddie could not keep the bitterness out of his voice as he frowned at him.

“But now it’ll just be you and me, I promise”

Eddie snorted, “that’s rich coming from the person who lied to me for years, promising that I was his forever”.

“Eddie bear, I’ve changed and to prove it, I’ve come all the way from Hawkins to be with you, surely that says how sorry I am”

Eddie was silent as Peter continued.

“Why don’t you go back with me to Hawkins? I have two plane tickets for the first flight out tomorrow morning and you can move in with me once we get back.”

Eddie thought back to Bill when he had first befriended the older man and told him about his troubles with Peter.

Bill had written him a list with films starring strong and inspirational characters which Eddie had also dedicated much of his stay to getting through.

He recalled the movies he had watched and the protagonists appearing in them, they did not tolerate bullshit and especially did not accept lying, both of which Peter had put Eddie through.

What would it say about Eddie if he stayed with Peter after how he had treated him?

He deserved better goddammit and knew deep within his core, that Peter was never really going to change despite however much he claimed to.

Peter thought Eddie was weak and would come crawling back, but he was going to show him how fucking strong he had become during his stay in LA.

Peter was waiting for a reply from Eddie, his green eyes expectant and knowing, as if almost mocking Eddie I knew you would come back to me Eddie, you need me in your life.

But instead of answering in the way which Peter had been waiting for, Eddie did something entirely different as he lifted up his arm, his palm colliding with Peter’s cheek, the resounding smack, was the only noise between them in that moment.

Peter cradled his cheek, an angry handprint marring the entire left side of his face. Eddie’s hand started to sting but it was so fucking worth it after everything Peter had put him through.

Peter was emotionless and Eddie felt pride course through his body, this was the first time he had ever seen the other man without a cocky smirk or smile and boy did it feel great to let the asshole get a taste of his own medicine for once in his damn life, even for just a split second.

Though unfortunately it did not last long at all as Eddie observed as the other man’s lack of emotion morphed into a full on scowl, his nostrils flaring while he continued nursing his red cheek.

“What the fuck Eddie?” Peter seethed and Eddie having had more than enough of their argument began to type the passcode onto the gate lock as Peter kept grunting like a fucking animal.

“EDDIE, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?”

“Leave Peter” was all Eddie said resignation heavy in his voice, using all his will-power to not look at the green-eyed man.

“Are you just going to give up on us? Just like that Eddie?” Peter was still mad, but Eddie did not give a fuck as the gate opened up after successfully inputting the code. 

This was the end for them, they both knew it and only when Eddie was successfully behind the closed and locked gate did he look directly at Peter who was standing outside the gate.

Their eyes met and Peter’s sea-foam ones were filled with what Eddie could only describe as hurt.

“There was never an us to even begin with”

He could hear Peter protesting from behind him as he swiftly turned around facing the driveway but he did not stop on his mission towards the house. He had said his piece and hopefully Peter would just fuck off and find some other unfortunate soul to bother and manipulate.

Too stubborn to glance back, Eddie only visibly relaxed when he was inside the foyer, the front door bolted shut behind him.

He had done something he should have a long fucking time ago.

Resting for several minutes, Eddie was going to head upstairs and finally have a much needed steamy shower when his phone rang from his suit pocket.

Richie’s name flashed across the screen as Eddie pressed the device up to his ear accepting the call.

“Hi Rich”

“Eds, hey man”, Richie sounded nervous which was very out of character for him and he appeared to be outside, the sound of people talking around him very faint through Eddie’s phone.

A second passed and Eddie had started to rack his brain for conversation starters, but was not prepared in the slightest for what Richie instead blurted out.

Hundreds of butterflies erupted in Eddie’s stomach at what Richie had asked as Eddie’s jaw dropped.

This had definitely been an interesting day that was for fucking sure.

“Will you go on a date with me?”

Chapter Text

Eddie could not believe his damn ears.

His phone was currently being held in a death grip as he tried to convince himself that this was not some sick morbid dream and that Richie fucking Tozier wanted to take him out on a date.

Eddie just stood there, his mouth hanging open like a gaping fish with his brain failing to comprehend the seemingly impossible series of events that had just occurred.

His douchebag of an ex had shown up in Los Angeles begging for him back. Eddie had then told him to fuck off and right after Richie called him up asking to go out on a date with him.

Through the phone Richie was silent, probably bracing for an ugly rejection.

But what the handsome idiot didn’t realise was that Eddie was equally as into him, maybe even more and had been waiting for this damn moment for ages.

Eddie scrambled to say something, anything to fill up the unbearable silence which had come about.

“Wow Rich, you really couldn’t wait until tomorrow to ask me huh?”

His joke fell flat and Eddie knew that he needed to answer Richie’s question. It was the least that he deserved.

Finally finding the courage to reply, Eddie breathed out his reply, unable to keep the pure joy out of his voice.

“Yes, I will go out with you”

Richie did not say anything for the next few seconds, but when he eventually spoke, it was soft and appeared to be in utter disbelief.

“Really?”

Eddie nodded his head vigorously, but soon remembered that Richie couldn’t see him. So instead he had to resort to voicing his thoughts.

“Yes, there is nothing I would like more”

Richie let out a heavy breath through the phone, as if releasing all the tension and anxiety he had been holding in up until this point.

“You have no idea how relieved that makes me feel”

Eddie just smiled at that, he did have an idea, he’d wanted this just as much since meeting Richie.

“Oh, trust me, I know”

HAWKINS, INDIANA

It was his last day ever in Hawkins.

Will was emotional and sentimental and honestly just a whole fucking mess.

He hadn’t spoken with Mike at all since their last encounter and he knew that he needed to see the other man, with so much still left unsaid between them.

Will was in Eddie’s living room, sipping his morning coffee as he planned out his final day.

Despite not being a fan of the weather in Hawkins, Will had actually become quite fond of this small town. He liked its character and the close-knit community which was ever present.

Even the simple conversations he would have with people at the shop whenever he went out. It was like these people genuinely cared about him and however his day was going compared to Los Angeles which he often found to be isolating and lonely.

For his last 24 hours left in Hawkins, Will had decided to brave the weather and go for a short walk outside. His brain had been buzzing, mostly about Mike and a brand-new story idea which had been slowly starting to form inside his mind.

Pulling on his warmest clothing and then tucking his earphones into his ears Will was ready for his adventure. Going over to the front door, Will flung it open, but was more than a little shocked when a familiar pair of brown eyes stared right back at him.

Flabbergasted was one way to explain William Byers in that moment when directly opposite from him stood his gorgeous neighbour, the same one who had been plaguing his thoughts for days.

Mike had his fist raised as if he was about to knock on the door and was currently mimicking a statue, albeit a statue of a Greek God carved out of the finest marble but was still a statue nonetheless.

“Mike, hi” Will breathed out, cursing how squeaky his voice was, as he tugged his earphones out of his ears and stuffed them into his pocket.  

He had not been expecting to see the other man but was relieved that he was here so they could finally talk.

Right before Will’s eyes, Mike instantly shifted into a cool, calm and collected stance none of which would describe Will in the fucking slightest.

Mike was wearing a long black coat and a grey scarf, and he should not have looked as good as he did.

“Will, I need to talk to you”, the taller man was straight to the point which Will appreciated, but it still made his nerves erupt tenfold.

Will just nodded slightly as Mike continued, his voice even and cautious as he carefully watched Will “Look, I know that we didn’t end things on the best of terms last time, but I need you to know that I really care about you Will.”

The shorter man blushed at that as Mike spoke.

“I can’t believe that I’ve only known you for what two weeks?” Mike laughed a little, but his expression turned serious after clearing his throat “the point is Will, the things I feel for you are scary and intense and I never thought I could feel this again after Jane, but here it is”.

Mike took a deep breath and Will’s heart harrumphed in his chest in pure anticipation.

“I’m in love with you and I have been since I first met you when I was drunk out of my fucking mind”.

Will could not believe what he was hearing, Mike was in love with him and reciprocated his feelings. But this was never going to work between them, Will was a career guy from LA and Mike had two children and was from Hawkins, all the odds were entirely stacked against them no matter how much Will wanted this to come true.

Mike’s face with filled with hope and Will hated that he was going to destroy this beautiful thing between them.

“Mike, I’m leaving tomorrow at 8am, I need to go back to LA, I’m really sorry, but I can’t do this”

Mike’s expression suddenly shifted to one of hurt and Will felt like an asshole, a total asshole.

The other man was quiet for a few painful seconds before he pivoted on his heel and stormed off down the driveway and towards his own house, Will silently watched him from his still open front door, knowing he had truly fucked up.

Will had possibly ruined the best thing to have ever happened to him in his whole damn life.

All because he was incapable of having faith in something good, no matter how promising it sounded.

The rest of Will’s final day he spent moping around.

His initial plans to make the most of his last 24 hours were shattered and he was not in the mood to do anything except for pity himself and gorge himself on as much chocolate and ice-cream as humanly possible

He had absolutely fucked up and there was nothing he could do.

Sure, he could come crawling back to Mike’s house which was just next door and beg for forgiveness, but Will wasn’t that pathetic, well not yet anyways.

The next morning gradually came and nothing was going right for Will.

He had barely slept all night, his mind too occupied with Mike, their last conversation taunting him with how much of fucking idiot he was.

It was 6:47am and Will had been trying to pack his things which was hard enough when he needed to be out of the house in 10 minutes to get to the airport in time for his flight.

He had been hurrying around his room like a total maniac stuffing as many of his belongings in his suitcase as fast as he could.

But it had proven to be quite the challenging task considering at some point during his stay he had broken the fucking zipper on his suitcase.

His Uber was now nine minutes away and Will wanted to scream.

Determined to persevere, Will continued rushing around his tiny house, he was going to get into that fucking Uber even if it was going to kill him.

Managing to pack all of his belongings in his suitcase and successfully shutting it thanks to the makeshift rubber band zipper he had created, Will found himself sitting in his Uber not even eight minutes later.

His Uber driver turned on the local radio station and Will sighed; he was in for a long ride.

He sadly stared out the window watching Hawkins pass by, he was really going to miss this place.

Seconds turned to minutes as Will’s eyes started to drift shut. Right after, he was instantly assaulted with memories of Mike, so much Mike. The taller man was smiling, frowning, laughing, anything and everything while his eyes bore deep into Will’s silently begging him to not leave.

Will was helpless in his dream state. He had made his decision and there was nothing he could do.

Mike was now crying as he still stared at Will, the tears trickling down his face.

Slowly Mike leant forward, parting his mouth, like he was going to kiss Will.

Mike was going to kiss him, but it didn’t feel right.

He was so close that he could count dream Mike’s freckles and just as their lips were about to meet, Mike completely vanished from his dream, leaving Will all alone.

At that very moment, Will jolted awake, sitting upright in his seat.

They were still fifteen minutes away from the airport as Will resettled in his seat, thinking about the truly bizarre dream he’d just experienced.

He hated the sense of loneliness that had come over him after Mike had just disappeared like that with no warning or anything.

It hurt and that was when the truth decided to hit Will like a ton of bricks.

He loved Mike.

Will knew how he felt for the other man, but he hadn’t realised how serious his feelings were, having only now come to terms with the fact that his feelings were so deep that he would die if Mike wasn’t with him and by his side.

Not only that, but Will’s life wasn’t worth living if he didn’t at least try. Sure, Mike might reject him, but he was willing to risk missing his plane to tell Mike that he felt the same and that he wanted more than anything to be with him and his boys.

If Will didn’t try, it would be a big mistake, a massive one and he would never let it down if he didn’t turn back around and tell Mike how much he meant to him and how sorry he was.

So, with his heartbeat throbbing in his ears and no more fucks left to give, Will did the unthinkable.

“WAIT”

The traffic back to Hawkins had been ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

Will’s Uber driver really deserved a fucking tip for this.

They had just reached the street before Eddie’s place and that was enough for Will as he swung open the door, pulling with him his luggage and whatnot, muttering thank you’s and apologies to his driver before he got outside and started sprinting to Mike’s cottage.

He knew he looked like a mad man, but he didn’t care, and he dragged his belongings with him as he ran as fast as he could, he needed to tell Mike how he felt.

He was now at Eddie and Mike’s street and was so close, he could nearly taste it.

Will ran past Eddie’s house and up Mike’s driveway until he was face to face with his front door.

He was here.

Hesitantly, Will knocked, it slowly opened and at the entrance stood the very man of his dreams.

“Will?” he was in utter disbelief.

The shorter man did not answer him, when he instead went up to Mike, standing on his tiptoes and wrapping his arms around his neck before bringing their mouths together.

It was pure magic and Will had never been happier.

“I love you Mike” he murmured against the other man’s lips and in response, Mike just smiled.

Eddie, it turned out also wanted to stay longer in Los Angeles so it was perfect.

For the time being, Eddie and Will would continue to live in each other’s houses, after all, it seemed to have worked out quite well so far.

Will was sitting on Eddie’s porch several weeks later talking to Max on the phone.

The great thing about his job was he didn’t need to be based in LA, so he could send through his work digitally whenever he needed editing or feedback.

So far things had been great with Mike and his kids seemed to really like Will especially since they had learnt that he was the person who had written and drawn Beyond the Upside Down as they were pretty big fans.

Will had been filling Max in on everything and she had been supportive of his longer stay in Hawkins as long as he had been busy with his work.

Over the past few weeks, Will had been feeling very motivated, so much that he was halfway through writing his next story (which would be the first of a different series) with new characters who were inspired by his time in Hawkins.

He had only faintly told Max about his new idea, but the more he wrote, the more confident Will felt talking about it with her and the new changes he had made.

“So, I was thinking that we start the story with our protagonist Eleven, El for short who has a secr-“

Will watched snow start to fall, but for once the cold no longer bothered him.