Chapter Text
"Hey, are you there? El? It's Mike." He pauses to listen, the TRC-214 heavy in his hand. No response. He takes a deep breath. "It's day 351, and it's-" He glances at the clock. "6:45 PM, and I'm here. I'm still here." He takes his finger off the button and listens again for a few moments. He bites his inner cheek, then continues, "I'd love to hear you, if you can talk to me somehow. Or give me a sign that you hear me."
Silence. As usual.
His shoulders droop and he puts the walkie-talkie down, pushing the antenna flush to its top. Almost a year now and no response. No sign, nothing. He knows that defeating the Demogorgon took a lot out of her but she's so powerful... She can't be gone. She has to be somewhere. Alive. He hopes that she can hear him and knows that he hasn't given up on her. Just like he didn't give up on Will. He'll keep radioing as long as it takes for him to hear her voice again. God, he misses her. He rubs at his chest as if that can get rid of the pain there, the ache.
The walkie-talkie crackles next to him and he jumps about 10 feet in the air. Dustin's voice comes from it and he lets out a deep breath, grabbing it.
"Mike, do you copy? Mike, do you copy?" Dustin repeats. Mike pulls the antenna out and responds,
"Yeah, yeah I copy."
"What the hell are you doing on this channel?" How is he supposed to respond to that?
"Nothing." He says quickly, hoping Dustin won't ask further.
"Well Lucas and I have 6 bucks total, what's your haul?" Shit, they're going to the arcade tonight.
"Shit. Shit, I don't know yet." Mike responds, adrenaline starting to fill his body. He didn't save up his allowance this week and he doesn't have any quarters in his piggy bank. How will he- oh, Nancy has one!
"What do you mean you don't know yet?" Dustin's incredulous voice responds. Mike stands quickly, blood rushing to his head for a moment.
"Just hold on, call Will!" He yells, then shuts off the walkie-talkie, collapsing the antenna. He leaves it in the fort and rushes up the stairs, then up the next set. He sees Nancy at the kitchen island with his parents and Holly and grins a bit. He softens his steps and slowly opens Nancy's bedroom door, then looks around. It isn't on her desk. She's learned to hide it from him, he supposes. He turns and looks around, then narrows his eyes at her dresser. There. He pulls out the top drawer and sees her underwear. Gross. He closes the drawer quickly and makes a mental note to never open that one again. He opens the second one and- aha! There it is!
He grabs the piggy bank and pulls out its stopper, starting to shake the quarters out.
Creak
Oh shit, that's the top step. He turns and sees Nancy staring at him with confusion, her headband hiding the top of her forehead.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asks him, looking about ready to pounce on him. Shit, uh, what should he say? He's clearly stealing from her again. Or, wait, he's borrowing! Yeah!
"I'll pay you back later!" He promises in a rush, filling his jacket pockets with his loot. He runs past her and down the stairs, hearing her yell his name behind him.
"Mike! Get back here!" The stairs creak loudly as she runs down them and he bolts through the kitchen and out the front door. He can hear his parents yelling at him briefly but doesn't pay attention, he doesn't have time. He grabs his bike and starts running with it. He hears Nancy still following him and he jumps on his bike, pedaling hard. Nancy yells his name a few more times but doesn't pursue him. He got away. Yes!
He pedals for a minute or two before seeing Lucas ahead of him on the road.
"Lucas!" He yells, catching up to him. Lucas looks back at him and grins.
"Mike! How much do you have?" Lucas asks, looking smug for some reason.
"I don't know, I just grabbed a handful or two of quarters." Lucas raises his eyebrows and laughs.
"Nancy?" Mike sighs heavily and nods.
"Nancy. She's probably going to kill me once I get home."
"Well hey, at your funeral we can extol your Pac-Man abilities for you!" Mike grins, laughing.
"That'll make it worth it. To be forever known as the "Champion of Hawkins Pac-Man"!"
"Hey shitheads!" Lucas and Mike turn and see Dustin join them, his mouth stretched in a grin.
"You're such a dick, you know that?" Lucas grouses and rolls his eyes. He bickers with Dustin as they ride to the arcade. It makes for excellent background noise, Mike thinks.
They turn onto Miller's Street and Mike sees the arcade. "Hey guys, we're here!" He interrupts them, pointing. Dustin sticks out his tongue at Lucas and Lucas rolls his eyes, pedaling faster past him.
There aren't many cars in the lot, that's good. Will gets stressed out from being around so many people.
They pull their bikes in and set them between the bars in front of the arcade.
Honk honk
Mike turns and grins, seeing Will with his mom in her car.
"Hey!" Lucas yells, waving at both of them. They wait at the door as Will talks with his mom for a moment. She's still super protective over him, which is good. Will needs all the people in his corner he can get. It can get a bit annoying though, like right now.
Will finally gets out of the car and joins them. Dustin loops his arm over Will's shoulders and starts talking his ear off about how he's going to finally beat Dragon's Lair tonight. Mike looks at Lucas and they share a glance before laughing. They head over to the machine and crowd around Dustin as he puts in his coin. Mike watches as Dustin fights to reach the same part he's gotten to before.
"To slay the dragon, use the magic sword!" Daphne says on screen, her blond hair bouncing gently.
"Oh Jesus, I'm in uncharted territory here guys." Dustin says, laser-focused on the screen. Mike squeezes his shoulder gently as he watches. The cutscene ends and they all start shouting instructions to Dustin.
"Down down down!" Mike, Lucas, and Will yell at the same time. Dustin's character manages to escape the claws of the dragon and run towards the sword.
"Right right right!" They shout at him. Dustin's so close! "Get the sword! Get it!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Dustin yells back at them, interrupting their voices. He pushes the button frantically and they all watch as his character is slowly incinerated by the dragon's fire. Damn.
"No! No, no, no! No!" Dustin kicks at the machine in anger. "I hate this stupid overpriced bullshit!" He hits the consol roughly. "Son of a bitch, piece of shit!"
Lucas leans on the machine and smirks at Dustin. Mike knows that expression all too well. Of course he won't miss the opportunity to rub Dustin's face in his loss. "You're just not nimble enough. You'll get there one day." He pauses, then rubs his hands together, "Until then, Princess Daphne is still mine!"
Dustin leans back into Mike slightly, causing him to adjust his stance a bit. "You know what? Whatever. I'm still tops in Centipede and Dig Dug."
"You sure about that?" Mike flinches and turns quickly to face the voice. Oh, it's Keith. Wait, what did he say?
"Sure about what?" Dustin asks. Keith doesn't respond, just smirks and eats a cheese puff. He can't mean... Dustin must come to the same conclusion because he's suddenly pushing Mike and Will out of the way, rushing over to his favorite arcade machines. They follow him on his heels and watch as he reads the displays, groaning in dismay. Will leans over and reads off of the Dig Dug screen,
"751,300 points."
"That's impossible." Mike says incredulously. It took Dustin weeks of playing to even be able to get past 600,000 points, how did someone beat that?
"Who's MADMAX?" Dustin says. Mike looks and sees that that's the name next to the new high score.
"Better than you." Keith quips, continuing to eat out of his bag of cheese puffs. Dustin flips him off immediately. Mike rolls his eyes and starts to snark back but Will beats him to it.
"Is it you?" There's no way, right?
Keith scoffs and shakes his head. "You know I despise Dig Dug."
"Then who is it?" Lucas asks.
"Yeah, spill it Keith." Dustin says aggressively, causing Keith to flinch. Mike looks at Dustin and sees that his mouth is stretched in a scowl. Lucas gently elbows Dustin causing Dustin to look at him. Lucas rubs his mouth meaningfully and Dustin grimaces before smoothing his face. Keith seems to gather his strength and responds,
"If you want information then I need something in return." Mike frowns deeply at him, confused. What do they have that he'd want? He notices then that Will, Dustin, and Lucas are all staring at him. Why- oh. No. Ew!
"No. No, no, no, no way! You're not getting a date with her!" He spits out angrily. Keith shrugs and keeps eating meaningfully.
"Mike, come on. Just get him the date." Lucas says.
"I'm not prostituting my sister!" Mike exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.
"But it's for a good cause!" Lucas whines. He turns to give Lucas a piece of his mind when Dustin cuts him off.
"No, don't. Don't get him a date." His face twists in a mean expression. "He's gonna spread his nasty ass rash to your whole family."
Keith scoffs and says, "Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid!" Mike has to grab Dustin's arm to keep him from lunging at Keith.
"Oh, so I'm a wastoid now?" Dustin spits out. "She wouldn't want to go on a date with you, you make what, 2.50 an hour? You also gonna make fun of my hair?" His voice starts to sound a bit echoey and Mike shakes his arm slightly. Dustin spins to look at him, looking about ready to yell at him.
"Dustin. You need to calm down." Mike murmurs to him, looking around. Dustin turns and sees that a few people are staring at them now. Mike watches as Dustin takes in a deep breath, closing his eyes.
"Forget this asshole, he isn't worth it." Lucas says, waving his hand at Keith. Lucas turns his back to Keith and puts his arm on Dustin's shoulder. He and Lucas lead Dustin a bit away to the pinball machines where it's quieter. Dustin is still breathing a bit hard and bends over, putting his arms on one of the machines. He lays his head on his arms and after a moment mumbles something.
"What?" Mike asks gently. He hears Dustin sigh heavily and he stands back up, turning to look at him and Lucas.
"I said that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry back there."
Lucas rubs Dustin's shoulder and responds, "Hey, we understand. It's okay, dude. Just gotta be careful around others." Dustin nods and lets out a deep breath. He looks around for a moment, then asks,
"Where's Will?" Mike's stomach drops and he whips around, looking for a brown bowl cut. He doesn't see him inside anywhere. His heart races in his ears, he's suddenly dizzy with worry.
"There! He's outside." Lucas points and Mike looks, seeing him there. Relief floods his chest and he says,
"I'll go check on him." He rushes through the narrow aisles to the door, opening it. Will is standing in the middle of the parking lot looking up at the empty sky.
"Will?" He asks, walking up to him. Will doesn't respond. Shit, is he having another episode?
"Will." He says again, finally getting Will to snap out of it and look at him. He's pale. "Are you okay?" He asks seriously.
Will pauses, looking back to the night sky. Mike looks but can't see anything. There's barely any stars visible.
"Yeah, I just... I just needed a breather." Will responds slowly. So it was another episode. Mike walks up to him and slings his arm around Will's shoulders. He pulls him close and says,
"Hey, you don't have to come back in if you don't want to. We could go to my-" He cuts himself off, remembering Nancy. "Well, we could go to your place." Will shakes his head slightly.
"No, I'm fine. I'll be fine." He doesn't look fine, but Mike knows how Will gets about these things, so he nods.
"In that case, why don't we go play Dig Dug, see if any of us can beat this 'MADMAX's score?" Will nods again and Mike leads him inside. Hopefully playing games will take Will's mind off of things for a little bit. He deserves some fun time.
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Silence.
Will abruptly refocuses on class and looks around. Lucas looks from Will to the door and Will follows his eyes. Oh. Mr. Coleman.
"Will, your mother is here." He says with a huff. Will quickly packs up his bag and he nods to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. They give him encouraging looks and that helps him breathe a little easier. He walks up to the front and murmurs a small goodbye to Mr. Clarke, then follows Mr. Coleman out of the school. His mother is waiting leaned up against their car, her horn-rimmed glasses flashing a bit in the sunlight. He feels Mr. Coleman's hand on his back trying to guide him to the car and he has to grind his teeth to keep himself from lashing out. His mom must read his expression because she pulls him in for a hug, away from his principal.
"Thank you Mr. Coleman!" His mom says and helps him into the car. He throws his backpack into the back of the car and settles into his seat. His mom sits and starts the car, driving them out of the school parking lot. His head lolls slightly to the side and he watches the trees pass the car. He wonders about the new girl, Max, and whether or not she's really the 'MADMAX'. The only girls he's seen in the arcade are ones that are either on dates or playing air hockey.
"Will?" His mom's voice interrupts his thoughts.
"Huh? What?" He asks, then realizes that she asked if he's okay. "Yeah. Yeah, sorry." He mumbles, looking at the road. He hears his mom shift in her seat.
"Hey, what did we talk about, huh? You've gotta stop it with the sorries." She says with a small smile.
"Sorry." He says automatically, then realizes. "I mean, yeah, I know." His mother pauses, then looks over at him.
"And listen, you know, there's nothing to be nervous about. You know? Just tell them what you felt last night and what you saw." Yeah, as if it's that easy. She continues, "Hey, I'm gonna be there the whole time. So it's gonna be okay. Okay?" It takes a moment for her words to process, then he sighs and nods.
"Okay." He turns back to look out the window again, uncomfortable with the conversation. He wishes he could be back in school, at least he'd be with his friends. Though that would mean he'd be around others who- who call him "Zombie Boy". His hands tighten into fists briefly before he relaxes them. Maybe later he'll be able to draw out what he's feeling. Dr. Owens had said that that might help him "process things", or whatever.
Before he knows it they're pulling into the parking lot. He sees Hopper's car parked and Hopper leaning against it, sucking on a lollipop. Will gets out of the car as soon as his mom parks it and grabs his backpack, putting it on. His mom and Hopper exchange smiles, then start guiding him towards the building. His mom's arm rests on his shoulders and he feels his neck and shoulders relax. She's here, Hopper's here. He's safe.
The trip through the lobby and upstairs is quick as usual and people barely spare them a glance. He knows that everyone is looking at them once they walk past, though. He's caught the stares too many times to count.
The nurse leads them to one of the rooms and asks Will to strip down. She hands him a thin hospital gown and turns her back. His mom and Hopper both sit in the seats against the wall a few feet away from him, clearly trying to give him some privacy. As he strips he shivers a bit. It's chilly in the room. After he puts on the gown he clears his throat, causing the nurse to turn around again. She does the usual routine, taking his weight, blood pressure, etcetera etcetera. Once she's done with that she marks his face for the electrodes, then slowly puts them on. He's become practiced at sitting calmly as the hospital staff touch him. The first few times... Hadn't been pretty.
Another person, one of the other medical guys, walks in and starts looking at his chart. His mom pulls her chair up to his side and Hopper leans against the wall behind him. Will relaxes just a bit.
The door swings open and Dr. Owens walks in. "Sir Will! How are you?" He asks. Will just watches him as he greets his mom and Hopper, calling Hopper 'Pop'. Will smirks a bit and looks to his mom, who's giving Dr. Owens a look. Dr. Owens clears his throat, then sits and continues, "Let's take a look, see what's going on here." He pauses as he glances over Will's chart. "I see you shaved off a pound since we saw you last. Must be making room for all that Halloween candy." Will cracks a small smile at him, shrugging a bit.
"What's your favorite candy?" Dr. Owens asks. Will immediately blanks. It's as if candy is an abstract concept that he can't apply to reality. "Desert island candy, if you had to pick one?" Will fumbles for his words, then simply says,
"I don't know."
"Come on. Life or death situation, what would you pick?" Will looks to his mom for help and she starts to mouth-
"Reese's Pieces." Will says, thankful for his mom's help. She squeezes his hand gently and pushes her glasses up her nose.
Dr. Owens nods at him, "Good call, good call. I'm more of a mounds guy, but I gotta say, peanut butter and chocolate, come on, hard to beat that." He puts Will's chart on the counter next to him and leans over, resting his elbows on his legs. Will can tell by his facial expression that he isn't going to like what the doctor says next.
"Alright, tell me what's going on with you. Tell me about this episode you had." Will knew it was coming, but it still makes his chest clench a bit. Well, here goes nothing.
"Well, my friends were there and then they just weren't. I was back there again." He pauses and takes a deep breath.
"In the Upside Down?" Dr. Owens clarifies. Will nods softly, looking over at him. "Alright, so what happened next?" Will looks forward at the wall and lets the memory wash over him.
"I heard this noise." He starts. "So I went outside and... It was worse."
"How was it worse?" Dr. Owens asks softly.
"There was this storm." Red flashes in the sky, wind howling in his ears.
"Okay. So how did you feel when you saw the storm?"
"I felt..." He pauses, searching for the word. "Frozen." He finishes, watching as a wisp of mist appears in his vision.
"Heart racing?" Dr. Owens voice sounds far away, but Will still responds,
"Just frozen." Thunder booms in his ears, louder than his heartbeat.
"Frozen, cold frozen? Frozen to the touch?" Will shakes his head, frustrated.
"No. Like how you feel when you're scared, and you can't breathe or talk or do anything." His last word is barely a whisper, his mind trapped in the memory. "I felt... felt this evil. Like it was looking at me." He shudders slightly and feels a pressure on his hand. He turns and sees his mom with a worried look on her face. He frowns, trying to figure out what's- there's mist around him, coming from his mouth. He covers his mouth with wide eyes, shame unfurling in his chest.
"Hey, it's okay." Dr. Owens says, smiling at him. Well, maybe it's more of a grimace. "We know you can't control it. Just count your breaths like I taught you." Will closes his eyes and does as he says. One. Two. He hears the sound of Hopper using his inhaler and frowns in guilt. Three. Four. Five. Six. He opens his eyes and looks in front of him, breathing out slowly. No more mist. Good.
Dr. Owens clears his throat, then says, "What do you think the evil you mentioned wanted?"
Will knows the answer in a heartbeat. "To kill." He murmurs.
"To kill you?" Dr. Owens asks.
"Not me." Will immediately replies, then pauses. He looks to Dr. Owens and continues, "Everyone else."
The room is silent around him except for the machine whirling.
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Mike had bailed on them, again. When Dustin had mentioned going to the arcade after school today he'd begged off, mumbling about how his mom wanted him home early for something. Lucas and Dustin had shared a look of disbelief.
"But Mike, we need to know!" Lucas had exclaimed, looking to Dustin for support. Dustin nodded vigorously, making his curly hair bounce.
"Seriously Mike, your mom can wait. This can't!" Dustin had grabbed Mike's shoulders and shook him slightly, making Mike laugh.
"Guys, chill out. You both are more than capable of such an important mission, especially with Lucas' stalking abilities." Lucas didn't know whether to be flattered or insulted. Dustin had huffed and crossed his arms, pouting. Mike rolled his eyes and said, "I really have to go. My mom has been on my ass lately about-"
"The graffiti?" Lucas cut in.
"The detention you got?" Dustin continued.
"Stealing from Nancy?" Lucas started to count on his fingers. Mike shoved both of them gently and grumbled out,
"Whatever. Take your pick, I'm sure that I'll find some way to breathe wrong and piss them off." Lucas frowned and gently grabbed Mike's shoulder, Dustin moving closer to Mike's other side.
"We know." Lucas murmured. Mike's parents had always been harsh on him about his behavior or "attitude" as they called it. Mike could get snippy and they often argued but that was just Mike. He couldn't change who he was, and Lucas wouldn't want him to.
Mike had left soon after, leaving Dustin and Lucas to hop on their bikes and go stake out the arcade.
And now they are here.
Lucas pulls up his binoculars and looks again, sighing in frustration when he doesn't see the new girl. Dustin is next to him leaned against the car, tapping his fingers on its hood.
"Still no sign?" Dustin asks, despite being perfectly able to see the parking lot and door.
"Jack shit." Lucas grouses out, adjusting the magnification a bit. The binoculars are old but true, and it's comforting to have them on him. He hears Dustin shift a bit then curse.
"Oh damn it, my mom's gonna kill me." Lucas puts down the binoculars and turns to him with a small smirk.
"So go home. I'll radio if she comes." Or maybe a little later, Lucas thinks. It'd be good to see what this chick is like without Dustin's commentary filling his ears.
"Oh yeah, nice try. You just want me out of here so you can make your move!" Dustin accuses, pointing at him.
"Oh, cause you're such a threat." Lucas quips, poking Dustin in the arm. Dustin rubs his arm and smirks at him.
"That's right. She will NOT be able to resist these shiny-" He pauses, then frowns. "Nevermind." He sinks into himself and Lucas' heart aches a bit. He bumps his shoulder against Dustin's.
"She'd be too distracted by those baby blue dazzlers of yours." He throws his hand over his shoulder as if he's sweeping long hair off of his shoulder. His attempt works a bit, Dustin groaning loudly and pulling his cap down.
"I swear I should never have let my mom show you my baby pictures." Lucas laughs and says,
"Too late. We've all seen them!" He laughs maniacally and Dustin giggles, shoving him gently. Dustin gasps suddenly and points.
"10 o'clock!" Lucas brings up his binoculars and sees a shiny car skid to a stop in the arcade parking lot. The girl, Max, gets out of the car and starts yelling at the person driving.
"They're arguing, they're arguing!" He reports to Dustin.
"Oh my god, I see that!" Dustin groans, gently pushing the binoculars down from Lucas' face. "I don't even know why you need those! God you're so stupid." And now he's completely back to being Dustin. They both watch as Max goes into the arcade and then look at each other. Dustin gets to his feet first, Lucas right behind him. They run to the front window and press their faces against the glass to see inside.
Lucas looks around, then his eyes land on bright red hair. Pretty. She's in front of the Dig Dug machine and seems to have already started playing. Her timing is spectacular! She drops rocks and collects the bonus veggies as easily as breathing. Dustin is silent next to him, likely just as fascinated by her playing. Lucas feels a weird sensation in his chest as he watches her but it fades to the back of his mind. After a few minutes Lucas manages to tear his eyes away and look at Dustin. Dustin meets his eyes slowly, an unrestrained grin on his face. They both sit down on the bench next to them and sigh at the same time.
"She's incredible." Lucas says, still a bit starry-eyed.
"She's..."
"MADMAX." Lucas and Dustin finish in sync, then laugh at each other. They sit in silence for a few moments before Lucas remembers the original plan.
"We gotta tell the others." He says, putting his binoculars in his backpack. Dustin nods, seemingly unable to stop grinning. It's good to see him so happy.
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"Excuse me, I'll be right back." She stands up so quickly that she almost hits her knees on the table. She quickly scoots, pushes in her chair gently, then walks past the table towards the bathroom. She can hear Steve trying to keep up conversation with Barb's parents behind her and she smiles a little bit. He's good at covering for her. At pretending that things are normal.
Nancy locks the bathroom door behind her and braces herself on the sink. Her eyes squeeze shut and she feels her breathing speed up. It seems like every time she's here she ends up in the bathroom, ready to cry her heart out. She loves seeing Barb's parents but god, it's so hard. She sees Barb in her mom's smile and in the way her dad quirks his eyebrow. Not to mention the fact that she's literally surrounded by memories of Barb, both figuratively and literally. Nancy's teeth grind and she looks at the picture of Barb on the counter. Taking a deep breath she reaches out, turning it face-down. She can't look at her, knowing that all she'd have to do is tell Barb's parents the truth and then they'd know. They'd have closure. Yeah, they'd be horrified and might not even believe her but at least she would have gotten the words out. She can feel them crawling up her throat and she swallows harshly.
As she closes her eyes she hears Barb's laughter. Nancy had been 9, and Barb 10. Somehow Barb had gotten gum stuck in her hair and they cut her hair in this bathroom without her parents knowing. She remembers how Barb was close to crying until Nancy told her that she looked better with short hair, and that she'd convince her mom to cut Nancy's hair to match her best friend's. Barb had looked so happy and had babbled about how they could pose as twins, nevermind how Nancy's hair was brown and her own red.
Nancy smiles bitterly, ignoring the tears streaming down her face. She reaches up and tugs off her headband, uncovering her white strip. As she stares at herself in the mirror she smiles sardonically.
"Well, Barb, we definitely couldn't pass as twins now." She murmurs, then starts to sob. She steps back and presses her back to the wall, sliding down it. She sobs into her knees, chest aching for her friend. She'll never see her again. She'll never hear her wise cracks, her laughs. Barb won't find the person of her dreams and marry them, having the many kids she wanted. It's as if she's stuck, frozen in time. Alone.
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Jonathan grabs the VHS tapes from the counter and walks past his mom and Bob. His mouth quirks as he hears their banter and laughter. Bob has been really good for her and he really appreciates that, even though he doesn't understand entirely.
As he reaches Will's room he taps his knuckles on the door, then opens it. Will is on his bed drawing and looks up as he enters. "Hey bud. Didn't know what you'd like-" That's a bit of a lie, but he wanted Will to have options just in case. "-so I got a variety. Take your pick." He holds them out to Will but Will doesn't take them, just returns to drawing.
"Whatever you want." Will says softly. Ah. He's upset.
"All right." Jonathan pauses, looking at Will's work. "What are you working on?" Will doesn't respond so he looks over at the drawing. His eyebrows raise as he sees it. "Zombie Boy? Who's Zombie Boy?" Jonathan hopes-
"Me." Will responds after a moment. Jonathan's stomach sinks and he sits next to Will.
"Did someone call you that?" The 'again' goes unsaid. No response. Jonathan shifts slightly, settling crisscross. "Hey, you can talk to me. You know that, right? No matter what happened." Still no response. He feels a bit desperate as he implores Will, "Will, come on, talk to me."
Will's facial expression twists in anger and it worries Jonathan. "Stop treating me like that." He grumbles, his pencil digging harder onto the paper. 'Treating him like that'? What does that mean?
"What? Like what?"
"Like everyone else does!" Will explodes, throwing his hands up in the air. "Like there's something wrong with me." Jonathan notices some mist start to flow out of Will's mouth and he feels more concerned. That only happens when he's really upset.
"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asks gently, reaching out and touching Will's shoulder. Will twists away from him roughly.
"Mom, Dustin, Lucas. Everyone! They all treat me like I'm gonna break! Like I'm a kid. Like I can't handle things on my own!" Mist pours out of his mouth with every word causing the air around him to turn azure. "It doesn't help. It just makes me feel more like a freak."
"You're not a freak." Jonathan says automatically, then winces.
"Yeah, I am. I am." With a huff Will returns to his drawing, the sound of pencil on paper the only thing breaking the silence. Jonathan can feel this rising pressure in his chest and he reaches out, pulling Will into a hug. Will struggles a bit, obviously upset at being babied after what he just said, but lets him maneuver him. Jonathan settles with Will's back to his chest and his chin on top of Will's head. The need to have his brother close calms slightly, allowing him to think more clearly.
"You know what?" Jonathan murmurs to Will. Will makes a questioning sound, looking at his drawing in his lap. "You are a freak." Will tenses against him and twists, trying to look at him.
"What?" He asks incredulously.
"I'm serious. You're a freak. But so what? Do you want to be normal? Do you want to be just like everyone else? Being a freak is the best! I'm a freak." Words spill out of Jonathan's mouth. He's thought about this many times while he was being bullied in school. He had wished someone had said this to him, had been there for him. But he'll be there for Will, and that's enough. Will seems to think for a moment, then turns forward again.
"Is that why you don't have any friends?" He asks softly, probably afraid to hurt Jonathan's feelings. Jonathan laughs softly, wondering what Nancy would say to Will implying that she isn't Jonathan's friend. She'd give him an earful probably, then send him off to Mike for hugs.
"I have friends, Will." He says, still smiling.
"Then why are you always hanging out with me?" He asks, confusion evident. Jonathan frowns, wondering how to respond.
"Because you're my best friend, alright? And I would rather hang out with-" He looks at the drawing. "-Zombie Boy than with a boring nobody." Will is still tense, clutching his drawing pad tightly. Jonathan sighs, chewing his lip. A thought pops in his head and he nods slightly; that might work.
"Okay look. Who would you rather be friends with, Bowie or Kenny Rogers?" Jonathan laughs as Will immediately makes a noise of revulsion, shaking his head.
"Exactly. It's no contest." Jonathan squeezes his arms around Will gently. "The thing is, nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world." He pauses. "Got it?" Will doesn't immediately respond but he isn't tense anymore. The mist in the room has mostly dissipated.
"Well... Some people like Kenny Rogers." Jonathan is about to respond when Bob pokes his head in the room.
"Kenny Rogers? I love Kenny Rogers!" Oh gosh, that's such great timing. He and Will look at each other before laughing. Bob's face twists in innocent confusion. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing!" Will says quickly, trying to cover his mouth to hide his grin. Jonathan ducks his face behind Will, unable to force his face smooth. Bob looks over and sees the VHS tapes. He picks them up and then exclaims,
"Mr. Mom! Perfect!" He lets out a sound of excitement and walks out of the room. Jonathan looks at Will and they burst into giggles again.
"The only thing he was missing was a hop and clicking his heels together!" Jonathan says, falling back onto the bed. Will nods in agreement, then tugs Jonathan into standing up.
Jonathan calms and smiles, then hugs Will close. Will returns the hug tightly, gripping his shirt. He remembers their conversation and grimaces slightly, then murmurs,
"Let me know if anyone calls you that. I'll take care of it. Okay?" Will pulls back slightly, looking into his eyes. Jonathan feels like he's judging his seriousness. Will finally nods and hugs him again, then pulls him towards the living room, clearly done with the conversation. Jonathan just laughs, letting himself get tugged along.
-----------------------------
The hairs on the back of his neck raise, causing his stomach to drop. Not again. Please, not again. He looks around slowly, scanning for things turning blue, writhing vines, anything that confirms his suspicions. Nothing.
BANG
He flinches and steps out of the bathroom, now looking for the source of that noise. The front door is wide open, wind billowing into the room. Papers fly around the room and he ignores them, approaching the entrance with dread. Thunder booms in his ears and lightning lights up the room almost as if it were midday. Well, if the sun was red, perhaps. It's the same storm he saw at the arcade, but ramped up. He half expects a tornado to- oh god, is that an actual tornado? He grabs the door handle as he watches the sky, lightning revealing some sort of twisting shape. But tornados don't have... trunks? Arms? What IS this?
Will
A voice echoes in his mind as he watches the shape move. It-It has a face. Or a head. Oh god, it's looking right at him.
Will
It repeats, its body shifting to move towards him-
"Will!" He's suddenly being shaken and he screams, wrenching himself away from the touch. He crouches and covers his head with his hands, wanting to become invisible.
"Sweetie, calm down. It's okay, mom's here. I'm here, Will." His mother's voice slowly filters into his ears and he loosens his arms, looking up. His mother is crouched next to him, holding her arms out. He dives into her arms and starts to sob.
"It was looking at me, it knew my name. It's coming for me, mom." He babbles. It's only now that he notices that the room is misty, the last wisps still coming from him. He squeezes his eyes shut and hides his face in his mom's chest.
"What's going on? What happened?" He hears Jonathan ask. His mother must give him a look because he doesn't say anything else, just slowly sits on the floor next to them. Will's mom rocks him in her arms and whispers reassurances to him as he slowly calms down. The lights flicker slightly and Jonathan takes one of Will's hands in his, squeezing tightly.
"Just keep breathing, Will." Jonathan murmurs to him. Will nods, actively measuring his breaths.
"Just another episode, honey. You're here, you're safe." His mom's voice is calm but he can feel her heart racing. It seems that she doesn't know if that's true or not either.