Chapter Text
All of this is a little too weird for him to think about. From the way they're brought here, to the notes and rules, to the simple idea itself; it all asks a lot. What are these universes? How does this person know about all of them? Are they from a different universe? Does that make this person some kind of god? It all makes Will's head spin.
Even so, the concept is interesting, and he finds he's excited to see where this goes. Unless it shows his... queerness.
It's something he's still trying to get used to, to people knowing, and it being a good thing, sometimes, Jonathan knowing and his mom and Hopper knowing. He's working up to telling El, but Jonathan tells him she'll understand. Will hopes she does, it's just... really nerve-wracking.
Just like the note had said, they get the information for this universe on the screen, and he's definitely surprised to see his name instead of El's referring to who Eleven is in this universe. He wonders what kind of changes there will be as the soft narration starts, describing the scene as it plays.
[ The rain is loud as the person trudges through the mud, leaves covering the ground. Their flashlight pans from side to side, the light breaking through the darkness. The screen stays focused below their face. There are three other kids with them, the closest following being their second best friend. The camera reveals him and the others first; the first boy being Mike, followed by Lucas and Dustin. ]
Will blinks, but guesses it isn't too far-fetched they'd still be friends in a universe where they met him later. Plus, it is a little strange to see Mike looking more like a girl again, or, less like himself.
"Oh, come on, I can't get rid of these idiots?" Max groans, though Will can pick out the playfulness of it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Dustin grin at her, batting his eyelashes. "You'd miss my pretty face too much, Max," he says, making Lucas snort.
"Yeah, pretty weird," Mike shoots over at him, smiling, but it has an edge to it, and Will would really pay money to know what he's thinking right now. Mike chuckles as Dustin gasps, offended.
Probably getting a nudge from someone more sensible, Dustin doesn't reply.
[ Mike himself seems worried in the brief flashes of light from the lightning, Lucas and Dustin both showing more determination than worry.
Finally, the camera pans to Max with her face visible; she has an oversized jacket on over a dark gray t-shirt. It's hard to see the tears in her eyes when it's raining, but the panic in her voice is much easier to spot as she calls her friend's name again.
"Jane!"
The others echo the name in different intervals, following her at different distances with their own flashlights. They shouldn't be out here, not with Jane missing, but Max needs to find her, and Mike had jumped at helping, Jane being almost as close with him as with her. Neither of them could stand the thought of her out here, alone and afraid.
"I- I don't think we'll find her," Dustin says finally, stopping as he tries to catch his breath. ]
Will frowns, wondering how close this is to how it really happened. He hadn't heard much of the less... "cool" things after he'd come back, so he obviously doesn't know if they'd sneaked out like this for him.
Almost seeming to catch his train of thought like always, Mike says, "This is really similar..."
Will looks over at him, sees his eyebrows pinched, and a complicated expression on his face.
"Yeah, ignoring authoritative orders seems like a normal for you, so I don't think it'd change here," Will hears Hopper jab, but it's humorous, an exasperated smile on his face when Will glances back, catching Mike wave him off.
He also hears his mom say, "Like you do?"
Snickering follows, Hopper wisely staying quiet.
[ "We're not giving up!" Max snaps, softening when Mike puts a hand on her arm. "I-I can't just give up on her."
"We're not giving up-" Lucas starts to protest, but suddenly Mike tenses, shushing him. Lucas makes a face at him and opens his mouth to say something else, but Mike beats him to it.
"Do you hear that?" Mike asks, finally cluing them in on what he knows. Max's eyes search around frantically, hoping to find Jane or at least something would help them find her. "There's rustling." Mike steps forward towards the small noise, hearing Dustin and Lucas's confusion behind him. ]
Will's ears strain to hear anything, but... Wait... There is faint rustling, he realizes, barely heard over the rain, but definitely easy to miss if you weren't used to listening for quiet sounds.
Will glances back at Mike, who still seems tense, but he can't tell if it's because of this whole... thing, or if it's something from before.
The worry settling in his gut makes him think it might not be this.
[ "How did he even hear that, the rain is super loud..."
"Shut up. Maybe it's Jane."
"Don't you think we'd know it was her by now?" ]
"Henderson does make a point, Sinclair," Will hears Eddie say, letting his eyes follow to the two in question.
"Okay, this isn't actually me?" Lucas comments, and Will has a feeling they'll be saying that specific phrase a lot while they're here.
[ Their talking stops abruptly as Mike's flashlight illuminates a boy rushing out the brush, stopping to stare at them with wide, terrified eyes. He's wearing a hospital gown, dirtied by being out here in the forest, and barefoot. ]
Will blinks, his eyes widening as he sees a small twelve-year-old version of himself that had obviously been through a lot more. It makes the gravity of this all the more real, because this universe exists out there somewhere, if that's to believed, and...
He'd rather stay in the position he's in, to be entirely honest. He'd rather no one else live through the things he had, because he's proven he can take it.
He can handle this.
[ "A-Are you okay?" Mike asks, concern washing over him and feeling Max step up beside him.
The boy just stares. ]
Already, the behavior is unnerving, and imagining El like this feels... far away. He'd seen her a few times when he was stuck, he assumes the rules were different for the Upside Down, but that had only been few and far between and he'd been on the brink of death each time.
[ "We can't leave him out here," Mike says, turning to Max, who purses her lips. She thinks about it. Mike's basement would work best, especially since his parents hardly ever bothered him down there.
With effort, they all end up back in the Wheeler's basement, the journey shown in short snapshots. The boy is sitting in a small fort and watching them as they argue through whispers. ]
Again, Will wonders what El had been like back then. Was she this quiet? Will finds the edges of his lips tilting down, eyebrows furrowing. When he glances over, he finds Lucas has a guilty expression, leaning towards El to whisper something.
"I'm sorry I treated you like that, El."
El smiles softly. "It's okay. You're a great friend now," she replies, and Lucas looks a bit better.
[ He doesn't feel entirely safe, but... it feels safe like with the man from earlier. Curious gaze sliding over the room, the boy spots a picture of the group but with an additional member. One that he has seen before, in the dark place. Standing up and not registering when the group stops talking, he walks over, looking at it.
"That's us last summer," Max says, stepping next to him. "We went to the pool and Dustin's mom took pictures cause it was Jane's birthday." ]
"You know it's really weird to hear you only called Jane," Robin comments, her head tilted as if thinking when Will glances back at her, catching a few other nods. It's not as strange for him, but that's definitely because of the move. He'd had to get used to it, hearing it and using it, and that took time.
He looks back just in time to see El shrug. "It took time to get used to for me, too."
[ "Jane..." the boy repeats.
Max leans forward, pointing her out in a soaked t-shirt and shorts, grinning with her hair pulled into a pony tail, Max hanging of one shoulder and Mike holding his hand up behind her head to "ruin" the picture while Dustin and Lucas hung off the two of them, properly sandwiching Jane in the middle. ]
It's a nice picture, though a little disconcerting to see himself missing from a picture with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin at that age. He and Mike being attached at the hip meant most pictures had both of them. From the few whispered sentences he catches of the others, his mom, Jonathan, and Nancy, they all thought the same thing.
[ "Her," the boys says, recognition coloring his tone before he seems to deflate. "Bad place..."
"Bad how?" Max asks, but the boy shakes his head.
"Dangerous." Looking back at the picture, he frowns, pointing at her. "Running."
"Running where?" Mike asks, moving into the conversation, but the boy moves his stare to Mike, unnerving in the seriousness of it on a face like his. He shakes his head, moving back to the fort, tucking himself inside. Mike looks at Max, then moves forward, kneeling in front of it. "You can trust us. We're friends, and friends don't lie." ]
"That look is really weird," he hears Mike murmur.
"Weird how?" Will decides to prod, whispering, just to hear Mike's voice. He already understands what Mike is talking about, this version of himself looks so different, and the stare he had was uncomfortable to see at best.
"Just... it looks like it doesn't fit on your 12-year-old self," Mike says back, glancing at him, and Will nods in acceptance before they turn back to the screen.
[ The boy looks confused. "Fr-friends?" he tries, the word clearly sounding foreign to him.
"It's someone you'd do anything for and you keep their secrets and promises."
"Promise?"
Behind Mike, Max, Lucas, and Dustin are watching with trepidation. They're hesitant, but Max is willing to trust him right now. "It's something that you say you'll do for someone, and you do it. You can't break it." ]
"It really is similar to how it went with El..." Mike comments, sounding surprised, his eyes still on the screen.
"Really?" Jonathan asks, and Will sees Mike nod.
"We talked about the same things. It was the science fair picture El pointed out and she said Will was 'hiding'," he continues, glancing at El, who nods.
Will bites his lip, remembering being stuck. It was a lot of hiding and running, and he's glad to be here instead of there. That all of this is over.
[ "We promise not to tell anyone," Mike adds, eyes staring at the boy, watching for anything.
The boy bites his lip, then says. "Bad men." He makes a gun shape with his hand, pressing it to his own forehead before pressing it against Mike's. Mike can hear Dustin's barely whispered "Holy shit!" behind him.
He vows to keep this boy safe no matter what. ]
The screen shows the word 'End' in the center, and the room explodes with talking, Will not able to catch many threads of it himself, but looking at Mike when there's a nudge to his arm. He meets Mike's eyes, and Mike leans forward a little, enough to brace his arms on his legs.
"What do you think is next?" he asks, and Will is a little distracted having Mike's sole gaze, but he manages to shrug.
"It really could be anything," he says, messing with the hem of his shirt, absent-minded. "I'm a little worried to be honest."
He sees Mike nod. "Yeah... I keep wondering exactly what might show."
It really is worrying, personally, to Will because he isn't out to most of the people here, and the thought of them finding out like this has him nauseous, just a little. It might be easier, but he has no idea what they'll think about him after, it's hard to tell. He glances away, then back noticing Mike's leg bouncing. "I mean... it shouldn't be too bad, right?" he tries, but even he can hear the uncertainty in his own voice.
He watches Mike's expression twist. "I'm scared that it will be."
The screen chimes, and the talking slowly stops, everyone looking back at the screen for the next universe.