Work Text:
After surviving the upside down and finally being able to get out of bed, Eddie decided to officially come out to the party the first time they were all together. He figured it would be mostly safe since he didn't really hide it and it would just be hilarious to be hate-crimed by the same people who saved his life a month earlier. He was also pretty sure he wasn't the only one - which was another reason he wanted to do it.
And so, the next time they were all in one place - all the kids, all the teens and even Joyce (thank fuck Hop wasn't around, Eddie was still scared of him) - he waited for the initial chattering to die down a bit, made sure he had everyone's attention and then said in his best DM voice, "I want y'all to know that I'm queer. If you have any questions, feel free to ask now or in private later."
All eyes were on him (as expected) until Robin shot Steve a meaningful look which made him blush and turn away (not expected and really interesting).
But then Robin was hugging him and coming out to his neck too, Joyce and Jonathan were coming over and thanking him for his honesty and trust in them and El asked "What does queer mean?"
Eddie wasn't expecting this question but then again, all he knew of the girl so far, was that she spent a long time locked away, so it kinda made sense she wouldn't know about this.
"You know how most men are only attracted to women and most women are only attracted to men? Being queer means you're not like most people in that regard. For example, a man could be attracted to other men, or someone could potentially be attracted to anyone."
El nodded with a thoughtful expression and then smiled.
The kids still looked at him like before and didn't shy away from him. So, all in all it went great.
For a while it seemed like the party just accepted him without any further interest.
Until he met up with Will alone to prepare their first campaign as co-DMs and Will started getting quiet and shy before he finally asked. "How did you know? How do you know you're queer?"
And Eddie answered truthfully and told Will about his crushes (but not about the current one), his research and the community as far as he knew about. He made sure Will knew he was safe to talk to.
And by the next preparation meeting, Will came out to him and asked a few questions about how things worked. Eddie made sure to thank him for trusting him, giggled a bit at the straight forwardness of the question and explained while making sure Will understood how consent worked and how to stay safe (or at least as safe as possible).
And so began their thing where Will would open up to Eddie, while preparing a campaign or session or after their debriefing, and Eddie was told about all of Will's firsts. His first crush (1), his first (and most important) actual coming out (2), his first kiss (3), the first time he held hands and cuddled with another boy, the first hand job, blowjob (4) and finally penetrative sex (turns out Will likes to top, who knew (Eddie did)) (5), the first boyfriend, the first breakup (6) and finally years later the first (and only) "I'm going to propose." (7)
Eddie got to be there at the front right next to Jonathan during the whole wedding, crying happy tears and hugging Will and his husband (!!!) as hard as they hugged back.
And a few years later Will put his first kid into Eddie's arms and hugged him tightly thanking him for being there through all the years, at his side through all the firsts.
1)
It was, surprisingly for Eddie, not Mike but his middle school math teacher. Will got quite flustered and blushed so hard and cute when he admitted to his baby crush. And then Will admitted that he was currently crushing on Mike. (back)
2)
After Eddie's coming out went so well and it seemed like nothing changed with how the others treated him (2.1), Will told him that he'd like to tell the whole party that he was gay at their next get-together. Eddie was there for the whole thing, helping Will prepare what to say and standing right beside him when the big moment finally arrived.
Will just calmly stated "I would like to let you all know that I am gay."
Everyone reacted as positive as anticipated with lots of "thank you for telling us"s and "thank you for trusting us"s and long hugs while ruffling Will's hear and kisses to the top of Wills head and Eddie couldn't have been more relieved and happy and proud of Will and their friends.
After the whole group had calmed down a bit, Eddie and Will were approached by El and Max, or rather El approached them and pulled Max along on their joined hands.
"Eddie, why does Will say he's gay but you used queer?", El asked.
Eddie glanced at Will who nodded at him, seemingly wanting Eddie to answer, so he did.
"Well, those labels are something really personal and may encompass more than who you are attracted to. For me queer feels more fitting at the moment and apparently for Will gay fits the best."
El smiled at them, thanked Eddie and Max and El where off to a corner to talk amongst themselves again. Eddie was left wondering where that had come from and if there would be follow-up questions the next time they'd paint their nails together. (back)
2.1)
Except for how Robin who would happily share her zines with him to discuss together, trade slightly queer movies with him and even accompanied him on his next outing to Indy, babbling the whole way about how exciting it was to go with someone else and not just having to sneak away on family trips.
Except for how Jonathan would ask him questions about being queer, never expecting an answer and never judging - simply out of curiosity and because he wanted to learn.
Except for how Joyce would hug him a bit longer and a bit firmer now.
Except for how Steve would sneak more glances at him and how he'd always blush when Eddie caught him starring.
Except for how El and Max would ask him about boys while they all painted each other’s nails and how they sometimes got curious about other topics too.
Except for how the boys, even Dustin and Lucas, would sometimes throw in their own questions when they were around during the girls' manicure sessions.
Except for how Nancy would ask for reading recommendations on the topic and would follow up with questions and insights of her own upon returning his zines and books. (back)
3)
That one was another surprise for Eddie, never in a million years would he have guessed who it was.
It was about a month after the day of Will's coming out when the boy walked into Hellfire giddy like Eddie's never seen him. Will struggling through the whole session obviously trying to contain himself and the news he clearly couldn't wait to share with Eddie.
As soon as everyone else was out the door, Will turned to Eddie and blurted "I kissed Lucas". Eddie was at a loss for words, mouth hanging open and blinking back at Will.
"How... how did that happen?" Eddie finally managed to respond after Will visibly started to shrink into himself. "That's great news, tell me everything!", he added in a less shocked voice.
Will's smile appeared again. "He approached me this morning, asked if I'd like to spend lunch together - only the two of us - because he needed to talk with me about something...
Then at lunch he took me to the picnic table in the woods and I could tell he was nervous, which made me nervous too."
Will blushed a bit at the memory and continued after a small giggle.
"Then before we even got our lunch out, he started with how he had been thinking since Steve's coming out (3.1) and how he thinks he's bisexual too and how he couldn't stop imagining how it would be like to be kissing a boy and -"
Will stopped his rambling to take a deep breath.
"He... he asked if I would like to help him with this and kiss him. But I almost couldn't hear it because he was almost whispering into his lap. So, I didn't answer for a really long time - he was so flustered and I was actually really confused."
Will chuckled with a shake of his head.
"And then I just said thanks for trusting me and that he was safe with me until he wanted to tell others and all that - because what else was there to say... but Lucas started to ramble about how he understands if I didn't want it to be him and apologized for assuming and - honestly I felt like I was missing some key information... which I was."
Will took another break to breathe, and Eddie was amazed about how much the kid could talk. He'd noticed that Will talked more ever since he felt safe and comfortable around them but this many words was still an unusual amount.
"And then he said how he'd understand if I wanted my fist kiss to be with someone else, someone more meaningful," Will continued, "and I finally understood what I've been missing. So I nodded and said yes and - you should have seen his face, Eddie! He looked so cute and hopeful! - he asked again if I was really sure it was okay, and I just walked over and took his face into my hands."
Will blushed again.
"Don't ask me where I got this courage from, think I must have channeled my inner you..."
This time it was Eddie's time to blush because as much as he knew about queer things and how to be with a man theoretically, he still hasn't been kissed - never felt like he wanted to kiss one of his hookups and never had the courage to ask someone he'd actually like to be kissed by.
Eddie tried to get out of his head, telling himself that it was okay and normal that not everyone experiences the same things in the same order, and focused on Will again.
"...and then he just kissed me!" Will was smiling brightly now. "So soft and tentative at first but then he got his hands on my waist and even used a bit tongue - "
Will put his face in his hands (probably hiding his growing blush), mumbling. "I really really liked it."
When he looked back up at Eddie, he tried to gain back his composure and continued.
"And Lucas said he liked it too and that he thinks he just really likes kissing regardless of gender and he thanked me and also said it was okay if I wanted to tell someone - if it wasn't Mike or Dustin - because he'd like to tell Max if that was okay with me. And then I nodded, and we hugged and then ate lunch while talking about other things."
Will was back to grinning full force and even bouncing a bit, so Eddie hugged him too and told him how happy he was for him and hopped that Will wouldn't ask about Eddie's first kiss. (back)
3.1)
Steve's coming out was a whole other affair than Eddie's or Will's.
It was a Hellfire session which Steve and the girls where watching - or as Robin called it, they were co-playing with the boys.
Steve had approached Eddie and Will to tell them that he had a little announcement to make once everyone was there and to please not start the session right away.
Then, as soon as Lucas had arrived and was preparing his stuff at the table, Steve stood up, looked around and just said it.
It being "Just wanted to tell y'all that I’m bisexual."
Eddie was stunned for a bit and almost missed Robin shouting "And I'm a lesbian!" from where she was already helping El paint little butterflies on her nails.
The reactions in general weren't anything close to what Will or even Eddie himself had gotten.
There was no reaction at all. The room was stunned into silence.
"Bisexual? That's when you like girls and boys, right?", El asked in her soft voice and Steve smiled at her and nodded.
But before he could say anything else, the spell was broken and most of the others shouted something along the lines of "what? how? since when?".
The loudest of all was Dustin with an "I don't believe you! Prove it!"
And that just brought with itself a whole other little crisis for Eddie. (He really really didn't want to see his crush - which he just a minute ago got confirmation that it wasn't hopeless - kissing someone else.
Luckily Steve also didn't want to do that. He whispered something into Will's ear which made Will blush a bit but also nod with a grin and then announced: "I'll give Will a kiss to his next birthday if he's not already taken by then. Is this proof," he rolled his eyes while saying that, "enough for you, Dustin?"
Dustin just grumbled something but nodded.
And Eddie took it onto himself to end Steve's misery by whispering a soft "Thanks for telling us." into Steve's ear and then switching to his attention commanding voice and starting the session. (back)
4)
Eddie only heard about this a while after the events. Will and Jonathan went to visit Argyle for a few weeks over the summer which meant Eddie did a shorter side campaign for the other kids and solo-DMed it the whole time.
Due to unforeseen circumstances (Mike and Dustin arguing about how to handle some chest for almost a whole session) Eddie had to replan the campaign slightly and they had to tack on another session after Will and Jonathan were back again. This also meant that Eddie and Will's DM-alone time was paused for another few days.
The day after the last session of Eddies solo-campaign, Eddie's phone rang way too early in the morning (for Eddie's liking at least) but he got himself out of bed and just so managed to get it.
"Hello?", he asked still half asleep.
"Hi Eddie, it's Will", the kid sounded excited.
Eddie grumbled another greeting, his apparent sleepy state not so apparent or ignored by Will.
"Can I come over in like half an hour? I've got so many things to tell you before we start on the campaign." The way Will said things and even giggled a bit, made Eddie perk up immediately.
"Sure, but maybe make it closer to an hour, I literally just got up to get your call."
"Thanks! See you soon. Bye" And Will hung up before Eddie could say anything else.
Will was at Eddies door 46 minutes later. Eddie had managed to eat something, brush his teeth and shower but his hair was still dripping down onto his shirt.
"Jesus kid, what happened to get you this excited?", Eddie asked instead of a greeting.
Will didn't seem to mind though; he was inside instantly and started talking as soon as the door closed behind him.
"A lot! A whole lot of things I need to talk to you about! I spent a lot of time with Argyle's cousin Pasquale and we did some things...", Will trailed of but the way he was grinning told Eddie exactly what kind of things Will was talking about and that the outcome had been good. Eddie was still a bit too tired to interject but he didn't even need to.
"We would get to the beach with Argyle and random members of his family almost every afternoon and then stay there for hours. It was a bit boring actually... Jonathan and Argyle where high and kinda ignoring everyone most of the time and well, I didn't really know anyone else...
But then one evening Pasquale showed up - he's about my age - and he asked if I wanted to get away, which sure, anywhere is better than being polite with Argyle's aunties after a while," Will actually rolled his eyes.
"We went to this cool kinda hidden mini-beach and he took my hand to help me climb over some rocks and then just didn't let it go... And neither did I... We held hands until we had to stop to lay out the blankets. Then he touched my hand again and asked if it was okay and if I was okay with cuddling und the blankets."
Eddie's felt like a proud bird parent when their chicks managed to fly for the first time or something gooey along those lines.
"So, we spent the evening cuddling and holding hands and making out... but we didn't do more than kiss - this time."
Will grinned and Eddie whistled.
"Now I'm invested, what did you do the next time?" Eddie changed the intonation on next time exactly how Will had for this time which alluded to some more spicy activities.
Apparently, hands wandered under different garments one night until said garment came off the next.
"Afterwards we just got into the water both fully naked to wash it all off - I've felt so alive."
Will's grin was almost a bit mad now.
"And then he gave me a blowjob on our last night and gooood I kinda hope I'll see him again just for that!" (back)
5)
Will's questions had approached more intimate topics lately, so it wasn't that much of a surprise for once when Will told Eddie that he'd had sex for the first time.
It happened with some nice enough dude Will met in one of the bars Eddie introduced him to and, while Will didn't want to see the guy again, it seemed to have been a safe and pleasant experience. Which Eddie was really relieved to hear.
It means that all the talks and questions did actually make Will go into the whole thing informed which led to him having a way better experience than Eddie himself.
And also, that Eddie didn't have to comfort his younger friend. (back)
6)
The actual boyfriend wasn't that interesting at all, he was called Damian or Dylan or something else with a D (Eddie was pretty sure his name started with a D). He was cute and nice enough at first glance though.
Sadly, the day Eddie got to meet him was also the day of the breakup. (At least Eddie was there to comfort Will instantly.)
Will wanted Eddie to meet his boyfriend. So, to hopefully make it less awkward, they decided on a double date - Will with Daniel (maybe, let's go with that for now) and Eddie with Steve (6.1).
They went to a tiny lake for a picnic. Laying the blanket and the food, Steve, Eddie, and Will brought, out between the trees which offered some privacy and some shade.
Darren arrived a bit later, greeted Eddie and Steve with a hand wave and Will with a peck on the lips.
The four of them spent a few hours enjoying the food and the good weather, having easy conversations about safe topics while Steve was cuddled into Eddies side and Derek into Will's. Eddie really thought they'd all had an enjoyable date.
But then when it was time to go, Steve and Eddie stayed behind to clean up while Will walked Dominic back to his car.
Will came running back a few minutes later, running directly into Eddie's arm and started to sob. Apparently, Will's ex-boyfriend had changed his mind during the picnic and decided that he couldn't do this anymore (whatever this was).
Steve wrapped his arms around both of them as well and they stayed there's, all three of them cuddled together, until Will's sobs had died down.
"I don't need him. Let's go home." Will said it with a steady voice and that was that. (back)
6.1)
Steve and Eddie had been together for a while already at this point. They actually got together not long after Will's birthday.
It happened on a normal weekday evening when Steve came over to hang out at Eddie's. Steve smiled a little while greeting Eddie, who hadn't bothered to get up from the coach. But then Steve's expression soured again.
"What happened to your handsome face, Harrington? Bite a lime or something?", Eddie flirted unable to stop himself.
Steve's face twisted up even more and he grit out, "Please, just- just end my misery, Eddie."
He looked at Eddie with pleading eyes, but Eddie didn't get it.
"Either you'll kiss me like now or you'll tell me you'll never be into me and stop being a fucking flirty tease around me!"
It took a few moments for Steve's words to really register to Eddie, but when they finally did, he jumped up, into Steve's arms and pressed their lips together.
Steve reacted instantly, putting his hands into Eddie's hair and deepening the kiss.
It was the best goddamn kiss of Eddie's life (until the next time Steve kissed him and the next and the next...).
They got together that day and kissed and talked and cuddled and soon it felt like they've never not been boyfriends. (back)
7)
This time it was Mike. Him and Will had been dating for about a year (after Mike finally figured his shit out) and both of them were the happiest Eddie had ever seen them.
And when Will approached Eddie asking him to help with his proposal, he was over the moon.
Will had made a painting of his and Mike's D&D characters holding hands. He needed Eddie's help attaching the ring and an embroidered handkerchief with the words "Would you like to be my heart for eternity?" to the hand of his character and then to transport the painting to the picnic he wanted to ask Mike at.
The proposal itself was really cute, led to a lot of tears and of course Mike said yes!
(And the picture found its home over Will and Mike's bed.) (back)