That's great, man. [ He's glad that Will is back in Hawkins, even if he knows that can't exactly be the easiest thing for him. Still, they're adults now and he figures if Will didn't want to be there he would go somewhere else. ] I hope Max is giving you the friends and family discount.
Just the weekend, this time. I came down for Max's birthday and then I'll be back in two weeks for Thanksgiving. [ It was tough to swing, but worth it for the look on Max's face when he'd walked into the record shop and actually managed to surprise her. ] I heard the parents are thinking about getting everyone together for one huge Thanksgiving. You and Jonathan going to be there?
[It helps that he has a job now, so he has less reason to actually look into moving away, even though it is a valid option. It doesn't feel right, though. Not when his mom is still trying to find some measure of stability after the last decade's worth of turmoil.]
Even better, she makes sure I get first dibs on new stock when it comes in. Get this- [He glances toward the counter to make sure that Max isn't paying them any attention, and grins.] The minute it's just Eddie, I'm gonna get that special edition orange Cure vinyl that she's always staring at.
[Not that he's trying to one-up Lucas when it comes to gift things; this was a decision he'd made ages ago. He might have let Lucas in on the plan if time and distance had allowed. As it is, he's just excited to tell someone about it.
There's a touch of hesitation, but then a smaller smile at the mention of Thanksgiving.] If we can be. I know mom was talking about teaming up with Mrs Wheeler to set that up and Jonathan's gonna be helping cook. Holidays are kind of hard to swing at work, but at least I want to try and grab some food for my boss and his...partner? [Unsure what to call that whole thing that they have going on, but they're nice and deserve good food.]
[ Lucas's eyebrows shoot up when Will lets him in on his plan. He knows all about that special edition as it's been mentioned in more than one letter over the last few weeks. There's a momentary pang of jealousy for the fact that he hadn't thought of doing that himself. But it passes quickly. Of course, Will would know the perfect gift to get Max. Will had always been so good at seeing into others. Lucas nods, clearly impressed. ] That's a great idea. She's going to love it.
[ Whatever Mike gets her to make up for missing this weekend, it's going to pale in comparison to that. The thought makes him laugh a little, but it also reminds him of how strange Mike had said Will and Dustin had been on his trip home and how Max said they'd all acted afterwards. He looks back at Will and considers how normal he seems. Nothing like what Mike had said.
Lucas furrows his brow a little in disappointment.] You have to work on the holidays? That sucks, man. [ Then because he sees an opening. ] I know Mike and I were looking forward to seeing everyone while we were down from school.
[There's a moment that he hesitates to explain, but he figures that Lucas would probably understand where he's coming from when it comes to trying to cope in any way he can. But then again, he doesn't actually know if Lucas knows what he does for a living now that he's finished the appropriate courses for the basics of his job, with plans to to more in-depth study later on in between pursuing a very long, slow graphic design degree.]
Yeah...unfortunately death doesn't just take a day off on the holidays, you know? I mean people don't actually die at higher rates on holidays, that's just a myth, but people remember those more because of the association since it's a significant day on both fronts so they think it's- sorry. [He stops himself abruptly from just spilling the trivia that he's picked up, knowing not everyone finds it as interesting (and a lot of times comforting) as he does.
He catches the way that Lucas is looking at him, like he's worried or just assessing the way Will looks and behaves, and he heads it off before someone else can express concern about him.]
I'm gonna be there, I just don't know if I'll get called away, that's all. I missed you guys though. I'm totally gonna go and hang out with you and Max at the very least.
Wait, what? [ Lucas really should've kept in better touch with Will because all of this is going over his head. Unless Will is death himself, which Lucas really doesn't think is a good career fit. ] Where are you working?
[ The next best guess is the hospital, but Lucas doesn't think that would be Will's first impulse either, not after everything. The truth doesn't even occur to him, though maybe it should by the context clues.
He doesn't miss the way he leaves Mike out of the comment about hanging out and Lucas presses his lips together for a moment trying to decide if he should pry or not. In the end, he feels like he hasn't kept in touch enough to needle Will for more information, but he'll definitely be following up with Mike.] Good. Maybe we can all hang out together like the old days. I've missed all of you too.
[That look on Lucas' face tells him that yeah, no, he has not been informed on the subject of what Will does for a living now. Unfortunate, now that he's opened that can of worms he knows that Lucas is going to need more information because that's just how he operate.] I ended up becoming a mortuary assistant. Long story short I found out mom was still paying for my funeral so...I wanted to fix it. Then I did a bunch of research and went back and asked for a job. Besides, it's good money so I could pay it off myself and then be able to start saving to go to school. I told mom I've got it covered so she doesn't have to worry about it anymore.
[He shrugs a little, deflating with the idea that Lucas would be weirded out the way that others had been.]
We should hit the arcade some time before you have to go back. We can finally try and knock Max's score off the top spots.
[ Lucas does a little bit of a double take at mortuary assistant, leaning back against a nearby counter in surprise. It's definitely not what he saw Will doing when they were kids, but then again there were a lot of things that hadn't turned out the way they thought they would as an adult.]
Wait. Your fake funeral? [ Lucas's eyes widen in disbelief, brow furrowing in disgust at the thought that Joyce had to pay for that at all. ] The Department of Energy should've paid for that, considering they tried covering everything up. [ The thought that the cost of a funeral that never should've happened is still weighing on the Byers family makes his blood boil. But Will shrugs like all of it's not a big deal. Like maybe he actually doesn't mind it.
He tries to let it go, even though he knows he's going to be thinking about that a lot going forward. One more thing that shouldn't have happened. He tries to force himself to relax. ] Art school?
[ He snorts, glancing in the direction of Max, before looking back at Will. ] I've given up trying to beat her, but if by some miracle we manage it we can put your initials and she may not kill us. [ He grins at him. ] How's Jonathan doing?
[Yep, there it is. The outrage that he knows very, very well about the fact that while the fake funeral for the fake body really should have been compensated, especially when they were trying to keep everything hushed up, had been paid for out of pocket by his mother because the funeral director had done what most corporate directors do and gouge as much as possible out of families as possible with unnecessary bullshit. It's all very par for the course, and learning about that after he'd found the invoice had made him furious enough to march into the place himself and demand to be seen.]
Exactly. When I learned that Palmer was still trying to bill my mom before the new owner took over, I lost it, man. Apparently the guy took advantage of Jonathan to sell him the kind of casket that you put people in to make sure they never ever go bad but the problem is, bacteria exist so it doesn't fucking matter even when you've done a full embalming, and silk and pillows don't mean anything to a corpse anyway, and since it was Jonathan that organized it because mom was trying really hard to find me the legal channels just weren't in place for it to be comped. It was fucking garbage. [Whoops, he might actually still be really mad about it all...
He cools down before he can go off on the same tangents that he'd nearly yelled at his boss about to begin with, gripping his hands tight and taking a breath then relaxing the way Owens had showed him for leeching the tension out of your body. It doesn't help much.]
Like I said man, it's actually decent money, and it's a service everyone needs, so...yeah. After my boss made sure to pay back everything that Palmer took from Jonathan and mom, I got the job there. They made me get a suit and everything. I mean, it's a small price to pay for actually making enough to put toward other stuff, and I know a lot more about death care law now. I can make sure nobody else ends up like we did.
[He starts to trail off, knowing that it's all very specific to him and his situation. As close of friends as they all are, they unfortunately can't really step into his shoes for this. At least they're supportive, even if they don't get it.]
I'm saving as much as I can to go to Valparaiso. I was looking at their arts and graphic design programs so I can do comics. I think it'd be really cool to try and put down one of my old campaign ideas as a graphic novel instead since we're all doing our own stuff now, you know? [Just, skirting around that he has a really hard time trying to be part of Hellfire, even though he has Dustin there as a touchstone.
He cracks a smile at the idea that even by their powers combined they may never beat Max. Which, yeah, he would definitely concede that. But they could try! And she'd get a kick out of seeing their attempts below hers as always. It fades as he considers his brother's slow spiral though.]
Jonathan's...I don't know. I don't think he's really been okay since his friend went home and he and Nancy finally broke up. He's been mostly doing a bunch of volunteer stuff around the hospital to keep busy. What about Erica? I know she's really into gaming with the other guys now.
What the hell? [ It's all too easy for Lucas to meet Will's outrage. To know that someone had taken advantage of his family at their lowest point, of Jonathan, who had been younger than he is now and was trying to do the right thing for Will, makes his blood boil. He also knows how much it takes in order to get under Will's skin and it's clear that this has, even more of a reason to be outraged.
But he collects himself rather quickly and goes on about the job, even while Lucas is still trying to wrap his head around the fake funeral that they're still paying for almost a decade later. Lucas tries to catch up, though there's still a bit of an edge to his voice.] Yeah, that's bullshit. I'm glad you're there looking out for other people like your family. Like us.
[ He knows that his family has always been middle class while Will's has been, well, not. But he thinks that when it comes to this kind of thing, it's understood that he means good people out there. He grins when Will says he's thinking about art school. Now that's something he can get behind.] Yeah? That's great, man. I was going to ask if you were still drawing. [ Will had always been talented, even when it was just for them and their campaigns. He'd only gotten better as they'd gotten older. He deserved to get out of Hawkins and do something he loved.] I can't wait until I can put down some hard earned cash for one of your comics. Just a matter of time.
[ He pats Will on the back, still not used to how tall he is compared to how small he used to be. He wonders if he'll ever get adjusted to the difference. He feels like it happened overnight when he was away. He just came back to Hawkins changed.
He rolls his eyes at the mention of Erica, dropping his hand and shaking his head.] Erica's Erica. She's part of Hellfire now and thinks she's god's gift to everything and everyone. What else is new?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-11-04 06:58 pm (UTC)Just the weekend, this time. I came down for Max's birthday and then I'll be back in two weeks for Thanksgiving. [ It was tough to swing, but worth it for the look on Max's face when he'd walked into the record shop and actually managed to surprise her. ] I heard the parents are thinking about getting everyone together for one huge Thanksgiving. You and Jonathan going to be there?
no subject
Date: 2022-11-06 04:34 pm (UTC)Even better, she makes sure I get first dibs on new stock when it comes in. Get this- [He glances toward the counter to make sure that Max isn't paying them any attention, and grins.] The minute it's just Eddie, I'm gonna get that special edition orange Cure vinyl that she's always staring at.
[Not that he's trying to one-up Lucas when it comes to gift things; this was a decision he'd made ages ago. He might have let Lucas in on the plan if time and distance had allowed. As it is, he's just excited to tell someone about it.
There's a touch of hesitation, but then a smaller smile at the mention of Thanksgiving.] If we can be. I know mom was talking about teaming up with Mrs Wheeler to set that up and Jonathan's gonna be helping cook. Holidays are kind of hard to swing at work, but at least I want to try and grab some food for my boss and his...partner? [Unsure what to call that whole thing that they have going on, but they're nice and deserve good food.]
no subject
Date: 2022-11-22 09:43 pm (UTC)[ Whatever Mike gets her to make up for missing this weekend, it's going to pale in comparison to that. The thought makes him laugh a little, but it also reminds him of how strange Mike had said Will and Dustin had been on his trip home and how Max said they'd all acted afterwards. He looks back at Will and considers how normal he seems. Nothing like what Mike had said.
Lucas furrows his brow a little in disappointment.] You have to work on the holidays? That sucks, man. [ Then because he sees an opening. ] I know Mike and I were looking forward to seeing everyone while we were down from school.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 12:53 am (UTC)Yeah...unfortunately death doesn't just take a day off on the holidays, you know? I mean people don't actually die at higher rates on holidays, that's just a myth, but people remember those more because of the association since it's a significant day on both fronts so they think it's- sorry. [He stops himself abruptly from just spilling the trivia that he's picked up, knowing not everyone finds it as interesting (and a lot of times comforting) as he does.
He catches the way that Lucas is looking at him, like he's worried or just assessing the way Will looks and behaves, and he heads it off before someone else can express concern about him.]
I'm gonna be there, I just don't know if I'll get called away, that's all. I missed you guys though. I'm totally gonna go and hang out with you and Max at the very least.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-27 02:49 am (UTC)[ The next best guess is the hospital, but Lucas doesn't think that would be Will's first impulse either, not after everything. The truth doesn't even occur to him, though maybe it should by the context clues.
He doesn't miss the way he leaves Mike out of the comment about hanging out and Lucas presses his lips together for a moment trying to decide if he should pry or not. In the end, he feels like he hasn't kept in touch enough to needle Will for more information, but he'll definitely be following up with Mike.] Good. Maybe we can all hang out together like the old days. I've missed all of you too.
You have no idea.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-29 07:24 pm (UTC)[He shrugs a little, deflating with the idea that Lucas would be weirded out the way that others had been.]
We should hit the arcade some time before you have to go back. We can finally try and knock Max's score off the top spots.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-15 08:55 pm (UTC)Wait. Your fake funeral? [ Lucas's eyes widen in disbelief, brow furrowing in disgust at the thought that Joyce had to pay for that at all. ] The Department of Energy should've paid for that, considering they tried covering everything up. [ The thought that the cost of a funeral that never should've happened is still weighing on the Byers family makes his blood boil. But Will shrugs like all of it's not a big deal. Like maybe he actually doesn't mind it.
He tries to let it go, even though he knows he's going to be thinking about that a lot going forward. One more thing that shouldn't have happened. He tries to force himself to relax. ] Art school?
[ He snorts, glancing in the direction of Max, before looking back at Will. ] I've given up trying to beat her, but if by some miracle we manage it we can put your initials and she may not kill us. [ He grins at him. ] How's Jonathan doing?
no subject
Date: 2023-01-15 09:52 pm (UTC)Exactly. When I learned that Palmer was still trying to bill my mom before the new owner took over, I lost it, man. Apparently the guy took advantage of Jonathan to sell him the kind of casket that you put people in to make sure they never ever go bad but the problem is, bacteria exist so it doesn't fucking matter even when you've done a full embalming, and silk and pillows don't mean anything to a corpse anyway, and since it was Jonathan that organized it because mom was trying really hard to find me the legal channels just weren't in place for it to be comped. It was fucking garbage. [Whoops, he might actually still be really mad about it all...
He cools down before he can go off on the same tangents that he'd nearly yelled at his boss about to begin with, gripping his hands tight and taking a breath then relaxing the way Owens had showed him for leeching the tension out of your body. It doesn't help much.]
Like I said man, it's actually decent money, and it's a service everyone needs, so...yeah. After my boss made sure to pay back everything that Palmer took from Jonathan and mom, I got the job there. They made me get a suit and everything. I mean, it's a small price to pay for actually making enough to put toward other stuff, and I know a lot more about death care law now. I can make sure nobody else ends up like we did.
[He starts to trail off, knowing that it's all very specific to him and his situation. As close of friends as they all are, they unfortunately can't really step into his shoes for this. At least they're supportive, even if they don't get it.]
I'm saving as much as I can to go to Valparaiso. I was looking at their arts and graphic design programs so I can do comics. I think it'd be really cool to try and put down one of my old campaign ideas as a graphic novel instead since we're all doing our own stuff now, you know? [Just, skirting around that he has a really hard time trying to be part of Hellfire, even though he has Dustin there as a touchstone.
He cracks a smile at the idea that even by their powers combined they may never beat Max. Which, yeah, he would definitely concede that. But they could try! And she'd get a kick out of seeing their attempts below hers as always. It fades as he considers his brother's slow spiral though.]
Jonathan's...I don't know. I don't think he's really been okay since his friend went home and he and Nancy finally broke up. He's been mostly doing a bunch of volunteer stuff around the hospital to keep busy. What about Erica? I know she's really into gaming with the other guys now.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-26 07:13 pm (UTC)But he collects himself rather quickly and goes on about the job, even while Lucas is still trying to wrap his head around the fake funeral that they're still paying for almost a decade later. Lucas tries to catch up, though there's still a bit of an edge to his voice.] Yeah, that's bullshit. I'm glad you're there looking out for other people like your family. Like us.
[ He knows that his family has always been middle class while Will's has been, well, not. But he thinks that when it comes to this kind of thing, it's understood that he means good people out there. He grins when Will says he's thinking about art school. Now that's something he can get behind.] Yeah? That's great, man. I was going to ask if you were still drawing. [ Will had always been talented, even when it was just for them and their campaigns. He'd only gotten better as they'd gotten older. He deserved to get out of Hawkins and do something he loved.] I can't wait until I can put down some hard earned cash for one of your comics. Just a matter of time.
[ He pats Will on the back, still not used to how tall he is compared to how small he used to be. He wonders if he'll ever get adjusted to the difference. He feels like it happened overnight when he was away. He just came back to Hawkins changed.
He rolls his eyes at the mention of Erica, dropping his hand and shaking his head.] Erica's Erica. She's part of Hellfire now and thinks she's god's gift to everything and everyone. What else is new?