Chapter Text
It was a happy reunion.
And then it wasn’t.
Hopper was walking out of the cabin, holding onto his crying daughter, while Will was just pulling away from Joyce with a similar scene of emotion reflecting from his face. He wanted to ask his mom so much in that moment, but he also wanted to shrink away from her knowing she’d soon find out the ugly truth.
Will knew that whether he liked it or not, she would.
And as if she could somehow understand his thoughts, her relieved smile started to sink.
”Where’s your brother?”
This is it. She’s going to find out, and then she’s going to hate me. She’s going to blame me and-
The conscious part of his mind knew she would never do that. His mother was the kind of person who’d move heaven and Earth for the ones she loved, even if they did something unimaginable (well, with the exception of he ex husband). If anything, she’d probably hold Will closer to her chest.
But the fear wouldn’t leave Will’s soul. And as he began to shake and well up once again with grieving tears, it seemed Joyce finally seemed to understand.
But she didn’t believe it at first.
”Will? Where…Where‘s Jonathan?”
Will could see Nancy starting to cry again behind them, into Steve’s shoulder. He really, really didn’t know what to say.
”M-Mom, he…he…”
”Will, please, where is he? Where is he?”
Her voice was getting louder and more desperate. While her face showed disbelief, Will could tell she knew exactly why Will was crying and that she was forcing herself not to believe it.
She wasn’t trusting that she’d just lost another one of her sons, but this time, he was never coming back.
”Mom, he-he saved Mike and I,” Will choked on a sob as he said this. “He pushed us away, but…but we-we couldn’t…I tried, but he…”
The final nail in the coffin.
”He’s gone. Jonathan’s gone.”
Joyce didn’t show anything at first. It just appeared numb and neutral. Then, ever so slowly, it morphed through dread; the dread of knowing what was being said, what she feared, was actually true. She’d lost her eldest son, but he wasn’t going to be as lucky as his brother had been.
Jonathan was dead. Jonathan Byers, Joyce’s first born, was dead.
Will was pulled down with his mother by her hands on his arms, until they were both on their knees, the woman screaming with cries. She unconsciously gripped Will’s wrists to the point that they would bruise, but he didn’t care. He cried with her, pulling her into his chest like she was his kid and not the other way around.
He held her close as she sobbed and begged, and just screamed.
While she did, Will looked up through blurry eyes at the people around them.
While Dustin had never really been close with or had many conversations with Jonathan, his friend was crying.
Dustin had always been the soft and empathetic, ‘If you hurt, I hurt’ kind of person, though, so it still made sense.
Lucas just stood to the side awkwardly with Max, who was looking at the duo tearfully. Will remembered their conversation the other night, and if he wasn’t lost in his and his mother’s own present pain, he would’ve gone up and hugged her.
Mike was, like Lucas, simply standing looking uncomfortable. It sparked a small flame of rage in Will, but his mom’s screaming kept him from making a move.
El was, of course, in tears also. She pushed herself into Hopper’s side.
Hopper looked…like he was also on the verge of breaking down. Will didn’t quite understand it, but he supposed he’d always been particularly close to the Byers since before even he was born.
”No, no, no…no, no, no…he- Will, is- J- he can’t-“
Will ran a hand through Joyce’s hair, but he could hardly touch her without shaking.
“I’m so sorry, mom. I’m so sorry.”