Chapter Text
The cold seeped into every part of his body; it was no surprise to have wet clothes after the incident in the bathroom with Mike. He remembered the dirty water from the pipe entering his mouth and eyes; it was certainly disgusting. But at least he had shared a moment that, although frustrating while trying to stop the water leak, was fun; that was the word that best fit how he felt sharing it with Mike.
Will, exhausted after his confrontation with the demogorgons, could think of nothing but resting. His whole body ached. In the midst of the shock of what he had done, in a desperate act to protect Mike and accept himself as he was, Robin's words echoed in his head. Something awakened in him: a part of himself that had always been there, waiting for that exact moment to finally come to light.
And Mike…?
That was what crossed his mind. Now that he thought about it more closely, Will noticed the environment was silent, too silent; he knew it was logical that Mike would have called him or would be kneeling in front of him, worriedly asking if he was okay. He didn’t want to be conceited, but knowing Mike, he knew that was the most logical thing.
Until he heard a sharp thud, as if something… or someone had fallen. Will looked up, alarmed by the sudden noise, and what he saw left him speechless; he felt a lump in his throat, and desperation took over him in seconds. A little further beyond where Will was kneeling, he saw a demogorgon dragging someone.
It was Mike; apparently, the demogorgon had knocked him out with one blow, hence the sound of someone falling.
Alarmed, Will tried to get up, but before he could take even two steps, he fell to the ground; a terribly strong dizziness overtook him. Will didn’t care; he had to get up and help Mike.
With more stability, Will tried again; as he got up and saw the scene in front of him, he started to run with overflowing desperation, drawing energy from where there was none left. He credited the adrenaline coursing through his body in the situation.
He saw how the demogorgon was advancing closer to one of the cracks in the ground. Will stopped dead in his tracks and, in the midst of everything, remembered what he had done with the other demogorgons; he had to try. He raised his hand and attempted it, thinking of the sensations and thoughts that had rolled through his mind when he did it the first time. He thought of his mother, of Jonathan, and finally… he thought of Mike.
His Mike, the boy he'd always been in love with, and who, thanks to a truly intimate and sincere conversation, made Will able to say with complete certainty that he was his boyfriend. The boy who treated him with more tenderness than he should, the one who knew what to say to make Will feel unconditionally loved, the one who showed him his most vulnerable side, even though he hated doing so.
He recalled the happiest moments of his life, the moments when he felt free, free to be himself without worrying about what others would say.
He thought of those moments when he was just Will Byers, the kind-hearted boy full of overflowing creativity, the boy who simply lived life, being himself.
And he tried; he channeled all those moments, all those emotions, and raised his hand with confidence. When it seemed he would really succeed, Will felt his head start to throb with pain, and that thick liquid came out of his nose again, this time in greater quantity, causing the demogorgon to break free from his control due to its discomfort.
The creature wasn’t stupid; it grabbed Mike by the collar of his coat and began to move quickly toward the crack. Before Will could react and try again, he felt himself fall to the ground, exhausted. It was as if suddenly his body disconnected and wouldn’t obey him.
The fatigue from the recent confrontation left his body exhausted, forcing him to rest, and Will was desperate because he could do nothing; his body wouldn’t respond. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he watched Mike being dragged almost to the crack.
In his final moments before feeling his mind disconnect, he saw the demogorgon reach the crack and disappear into it with Mike. Will, with his last strength, let out one final, heart-wrenching scream:
—MIKEE!..—he shouted before releasing a sob. As he closed his eyes, the tears began to cease, and with them, his weeping. Will's breathing became slow and measured, indicating that he was no longer conscious.
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Will felt his eyelids heavy as if stones were pressing down on them; his body felt numb from the pain. With effort, he opened his eyes, but the intense light on the ceiling made him close them quickly. He decided to take a moment to recover from the recent brightness that had numbed his eyes; this time, more cautiously, he opened his eyes slowly. He placed his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light.
He looked around, searching for a familiar face in the room, which so far he couldn’t identify. His vision was blurry. He felt a tingling in his head, and when he tried to get up from what appeared to be a sofa, he felt everything start to spin. The almost imperceptible gasp he released was enough for those present to realize he had woken up.
—Will! —said his mother’s anxious voice—. Calm down, baby, take it slow; don’t rush to get up —she said with a voice filled with relief and concern at the same time.
—Mom..? —he uttered, confused, upon seeing his mother—. Wh-What happened? Where are we? —he asked, disoriented.
—You don’t remember?.. —she asked—. What happened at the military base, what you… did —she said a bit tensely—. Seriously, you don’t remember, Will?..
Will, disoriented, tried to recall what his mother was referring to. —No… well, rather… yes? —Will rummaged through his memory.—I remember Mike and I were in the military zone rescuing the kids and—It was at that moment that everything came back to him in a flood of memories. And Will realized.
The demogorgon had kidnapped Mike…