Chapter Text
Around half an hour later, Mike was asleep and lying across a very smug Will, who was carding his fingers through Mike’s hair. After all the Vecna encounters and the sobbing, Mike had understandably been exhausted, and had fallen asleep in Will’s arms. His mouth was half open, and he was still as a statue. Will could only hope that he was having a good dream, or no dreams. He just wanted Mike to have a peaceful sleep.
“Awwww,” Nancy smiled, looking over at the two boys with a grin. She knew that Will liked Mike because of Jonathan, and so had tried to be the best wingwoman there was. But she couldn’t help it if her little brother was an oblivious idiot.
“We really need a plan guys. What if it happens again when we’re all sleeping and we can’t help him? What then? I think we should have some sort of system so someone is watching Mike at all times so we know if something is wrong?” Max suggested, with a thoughtful frown on her face, mindlessly twirling her hair around her finger.
“Like a Mike guard system?” Robin questioned.
“In a way, yeah. Everyone goes to sleep apart from one or two people, those people or that person makes sure he's okay for around an hour, and then the next shift gets up and watches. If it is happening, we can make sure to have El’s bath ready, and wake her up. Hell, maybe we could get help from Will now he has powers.” She looked at him expectantly, and got a malevolent grin in return.
“Okay, chill out Byers, you look like you’re about to go on a killing spree,” Robin pointed out, raising her hands in surrender and laughing.
“Alright, but I can’t promise that I won’t kill that b@st@rd if I see him in there.”
With a bit more deliberating, they had formed a seemingly fool-proof plan. They went back to chatting, or final-battle-plan-making, or making little dens and nests with blankets and an absurd amount of pillows. Will had fallen asleep a few minutes after the plan was made, and was slumped forward on the couch, his head lolling forward too. He was lightly snoring, and Joyce eventually repositioned him into a more comfortable position.
At midnight, there were only two people awake, and they were the people watching mike for the hour. It was, low and behold, the BatMan and Robin(Steve and Robin get it? No?... Okay, I'll shut up now). Robin had decided to draw Mike and Will sleeping because 1, it was very cute. And 2, it would mean she had to look at Mike every few seconds. Steve was doing yoga (because i say so). When Robin was done drawing, she decided to make cool little doodles around the drawing of Mike and Will, and had added a little colour. They looked absolutely adorable; in the drawing and in real life. Then the hour was up.
Hopper took over the two teens, and sat with a mug of coffee and a notebook where he was reading the plans he had made over and over.
Then Dustin and Lucas took over, and spent their hour talking about the next campaign after all this was over. And then, it was Max’s turn to take over.
For most of the night, Mike had been fine, and same with Max. But then it was Max’s hour.
…
They stood up, looking around the empty cabin.
“Hey, where is everyone?” Mike yawned, a little confused and delirious from the amount of exhaustion he still had. He bent his neck to look around, and saw nobody.
“I… I don’t know,” Max replied honestly. This was very strange. Just a second ago, Mike had been fast asleep with Will, and she had been watching. But the next, they were alone in the cabin. They shared a look, “So… What should we do?” Max said after a moment.
“No idea. But we should probably look for the others, right?”
“Sure.”
The duo walked over to the front door of the cabin, and Mike reached out to open it. He drew his hand back, wincing.
“Jesus… That-That handle, it's like ice.”
“Let me try- Oh. Your.. right. Huh.”
They pulled their sleeves over their hands and tried again. But no matter what they did, the cold would seep through and they would be momentarily frozen.
“Yeah, this isn’t working. Find another door?” Max suggested with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip. They both walked around, looking for another door when there was a loud bang coming from the kitchen. They ran back, only to stop dead in their tracks. Blood poured out from the open fridge, spilling out onto the floor. There, in the middle of the puddle, was a demodog corpse. It was spasming and twitching, slowly gaining life. Mike and Max were standing there, just watching, not knowing what to do. Then another demodog corpse appeared, this time from behind them on the ceiling. It, too, dropped into a pool of blood and began spasming. Then another appeared the same way, and another. And another. Mike and Max looked at one another, eyes wide in fear and panic.
“W-we need to go. Right now.”
“Max, I- I know that, but- I- I can’t move.”
“What do you mean you can’t move..?”
“Like I physically cannot move. Max, help.”
“I- I can’t move either. Sh!t!” A tear ran down her cheek as she tried, and failed to move. She was taking in shaky and heavy breaths, terrified. Mike began doing the same. There they were, alone in the cabin, surrounded by demodogs who were reviving, and they couldn’t. Move. They were absolutely petrified. The fridge-demodog let out a shriek; a quiet one, but still a shriek. Max and Mike gasped, but couldn’t turn to see the same demodog push itself off of the ground. Suddenly, a gate ripped the ceiling apart, leaving only goo and red light. The vines that started off as shadows behind the gate drew closer. Max looked down at her feet with her eyes, hoping her theory was wrong.
“Mike,” she whispered. “We’re, uhm. We’re as good as d-dead here. There’s-There’s vines.”
“Oh.. Oh sh!t.”
The tears which had been slow and quiet between the two of them began to overflow their eye sockets, coming out loud as sobs escaped from them. The vines that were binding them began to pulse and move, stretching around their limbs. Pushing. Squeezing. Seeping. Mike recognized the feeling immediately.
“Max- You- might… just wanna. Just wanna- uh- brace yourself.” That was all he could manage as the vines moved up their necks. Their vision blurred simultaneously as the vines on their necks began seeping too. They were helpless. Max screamed as she felt the cold flood her veins. Mike sobbed harder, grunting. Yep. That's right folks. They are screwed.
…
Robin woke up at around half-past midnight to god-knows what. She rubbed her eyes as she woke up, sitting up and stretching. She reached to her right for her cup of water when she noticed something odd. Max was breathing heavily, legs crossed on the floor. Robin recognized the breathing pattern, as she often breathed like that herself. Max was… Scared. Then she realized Mike had the exact same breathing pattern as Max. She stood up quickly and stumbled over to the couch. Then she flipped on a lamp, and she nearly keeled over in horror.
Mike’s eyes were open, but his irises were a completely different colour to what they normally were. They were light blue, and there was a streak of red in each, swirling around in an endless loop. His back was arched, and he was completely rigid. There was a drop of blood at the base of his nostril.
Robin turned to Max.
The same thing. Light blue eyes, blood on the nose, rigid. Then, before Robin could do anything, their heads snapped back, Max’s facing the ceiling.
“Hey guys…. Guys!” Robin yelled, stumbling back. Steve sat up quickly, already reaching for his bat. Joyce jolted awake from her chair. Hopper’s snore was cut off. Lucas and Dustin groaned as they woke. Will and El shared a glance. So did Nancy and Jonathan.
Max screamed suddenly, and Mike began grunting. Max collapsed on the floor, shaking violently. Mike also began convulsing, and dropped onto the floor too. Nancy and Will rushed to his side, while El, Lucas and Robin rushed to Max’s. They were both staring sightlessly up at the ceiling, twitching as tears spilled down their faces.
“Max, Max can you hear me?” Lucas nearly screamed this.
“Hey, hey, hey. Mike? Wake up!” Nancy cried.
“El, let’s do it.” That was Will. His fists were clenched into tight balls, and the lights were flickering as he took heavy breaths. He was angry. Not just angry. Absolutely furious. He took El’s hand and dragged her over to the salt bath.
Within five minutes, the bath was done, and another had been made for El in the bathroom.
They stepped inside the baths, lay down and closed their eyes.
They were inside the void.
“We should hurry. I do not like all that blood.” There was blood seeping from Mike and Max’s eyes again. The pair walked over to the two friends. El put her hand over Max’s and squeezed, while Will grasped Mike’s hand tightly with both hands. Vines began to creep in from all directions, slithering swiftly towards Max and Mike. When Will and El opened their eyes again, they gasped. They were in the mindscape, but it was different. It wasn’t red, instead it was the typical dark colour from the upside down. In front of the siblings were two tall pillars. And attached to those pillars?
Max and Mike.
They were bound to the pillars with vines, and the only part of their bodies you could see were their faces and hair. Blood covered their faces and hair. Their heads were tipped forwards, making it easier for Will and El to see. They both looked pale, like they hadn’t seen the sun for years.
“That b@st@rd. He’s going to pay for this,” Will said darkly. He lifted his hands up towards Mike, and let his own eyes roll into his head as his powers kicked in. El also lifted her hands up, and together they began tearing the vines away. Mike and Max leaned forward, their unconscious bodies limp against the vines. Their arms became visible, then their legs and neck, before they could finally tear apart the vines around their torsos.
In the real world, Mike and Max were unconscious, eyes sliding side to side beneath their lids. Again.
Just as El and Will were about to free Max and Mike, the air glistened with heat and energy.
“Henry,” El whispered.
“Well, well, well. Look who showed up,” he said, appearing behind them.
“Oh, you absolute b@st@rd!” Will yelled, flinging his hand up at Henry, sending him flying backwards. He walked forward, glaring at Henry furiously.
“You think this will stop me? You, William, are weak.” Henry nodded his head, and Will went flying backwards, towards the pillars. El had made herself hidden, knowing that if she was caught, the others didn’t stand a chance.
“No, I’m- not. I will get them out of here, and I swear to god I will kill you,” Will breathed, lifting a hand.
“Oh, really? Are you strong? Will you kill me? Or will Eleven be doing that?” Henry laughed before being lifted into the air by El.
“We both will kill you, Henry. It ends here.”
“Does it really? Let’s see about that, shall we?”
He pushed an arm out at El, making her fall over in agony. Then, he spun around and slammed Will into a vine-covered wall, and urged the vines to trap him. He returned to El, who was breathing heavily on the ground. He lifted her onto the wall, too, and trapped her.
“It doesn’t end here, little ones. It begins here. And you two have the luxury of watching it begin in the front row.”
He stalked over to where Mike and Max were lying,”With this, I tie up my loose ends.”
Mike and Max gasped awake, only to be met with Henry looming over them. They scrambled away, “Leave us alone!”
“Not so easy, now.”
He dragged Mike by the leg over to him, Max begging him to stop. Despite their attempts, Will and El were still stuck on the wall. They watched as Mike stood up slowly, backing away from Henry.
They watched as Mike was helpless as Henry’s claw raised over his head.
They would watch as he did the same to Max.
They would watch the life being sucked from their best friends.
A portal ripped open. Max’s portal. Kate Bush flowed through the speaker, and something in Max decided that enough was enough. She stumbled over to the wall, and began freeing El as Mike slowly died behind her. As soon as El’s arm was free, Max moved onto Will, freeing both of his arms. El freed herself from the rest of the vines, screaming, and threw the vines off of Will.
But by the time they were freed, it was too late. Mike lay on the ground, unmoving and lifeless.
Max sprinted over, one leg dragging behind her as she begged Mike to wake up. Will and El were next to her.
Henry was watching from far away, but Will could see him.
He stomped over and bent his fingers like claws.
He laughed hysterically as he twisted Henry’s neck round and round. Then he sobbed as he let Henry’s body fall to the ground, headless and dead. Immediately, the mindscape began to disintegrate, and the trio were forced back into the cabin.
…
Max sat up, gasping and immediately sobbing.
“Hey, it's okay, we’re all alive and safe,” Robin comforted, earning a confused look.
“B-but. But- Mike,” was all she could manage, before hearing a familiar voice behind her.
“I’m okay.” Mike was… still alive?
“Okay, what the hell is going on?” she asked.