Chapter Text
“We don’t stop looking. Even if it takes 100 more crawls, 1,000. We don’t stop until we’re goddamn sure that wrinkled, nose-less, rotting bastard is dead and gone and never coming back. Everyone in?” Mike says, his voice not cracking once, like the leader he is and always was. Will watches him and smiles, and for a moment it’s just him and Mike in the whole world before Dustin voice snaps him out of it.
“I want to see Vecna’s heart on a platter. Just wish I could do it myself. For Eddie.”
“For Eddie!” Mike agrees, and with a hand gesture he makes them put our hands together. Will places his exactly over Mike’s, feeling its warmth.
“For Eddie!” They all say in union.
“On three, ‘kill Vecna.’ One, two, three!”
“Kill Vecna!” They said after Lucas, laughing despite the situation. Dustin lunged at Lucas in a comical manner, and Mike giggled behind his hand. Will could feel his smile lowering, as he stepped backwards, dizzy. Overlapping voices drowned out the laughter as he found himself with his back to a tree, looking up and ready to throw up.
“Will?”
“Will!”
“Hey, are you okay?” A voice said, and two hands grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him and bringing him back to reality. He was looking straight at Mikes eyes, who were looking back at him filled with genuine worry. “Was it him? Was it Vecna?”
“I don’t know.” He replied quickly. “I just had this crazy feeling, and then the sky was spinning, and… I don’t know. I guess maybe it’s nothing, right? I don’t know. Maybe I just get nervous sometimes before crawls.”
“Yeah, I get nervous too.” Lucas shrugged “But the sky doesn’t spin for me. It ever spins for you?” He asked as he turned to Dustin who also looked at him worried.
“Maybe he’s close. Okay. Squawk, six o’clock, not a second later, right?” Mike said, interrupting whatever the other two had to say.
“Six o’clock.” Lucas repeated as they walked away, him and Dustin in front while he stayed back, Mike approaching him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Will replied, the lie rolling off his tongue like always. He was used to telling people that, ever since the first time he disappeared.
“You sure? Take it slow.” Mike said, and Will felt his heart melt. He smiled as he looked away, trying to hide his blush even though he was sure Mike wouldn’t notice. He was dense when it came to these things. He watched him move to the front with Dustin and Lucas, and after a moment he did too.
They scheduled a meet up at the tower at the top of the heel for the next day. Will thought about going back to Wheeler’s, or at the old cabin, but Hopper and El were fighting, which meant that Eleven would be locked in her room again, a silent reminder of how useless Will was in this entire story. Hopper and his mother would be together, of course. His mum had a way of comforting everyone she was near, and she was good with children, teens especially. She’d help Hopper realize what he was doing wrong. Jonathan was out with Nancy, if Will remembered correctly. He also wanted to talk to someone about what happened, but he didn’t want to freak his family out.
So with nothing else to do, he volunteered to go with Lucas to the hospital. The other man gladly took upon the offer, not wanting to stay alone all night again. It wouldn’t be Wills first choice, normally, but Mike had to go pick up Holly and he told Will he did not want anyone tagging along. Every time he walked into that hospital room his guilt hit him like a train.
Seeing Max like that, unconscious on a hospital bed, monitors beeping, chained to her; it killed him. He remembers her mother coming to visit, her face broken, tears rolling down her face, saying that her heart can’t bear losing another child. All because of him. Everything because of him.
“It was this weird feeling.” Will started saying as the settled in chairs across the body of Max. “Like something I really haven’t felt before. Mike thinks it could mean that maybe Vecna’s close, that he’s finally reemerged. And if he has, maybe we’ll find him tonight. What do you think, Lucas?”
“Yeah, I think we’ll find him this time for sure.” The other man said, absent minded, and Will couldn’t blame him.
“You wanna play the tape? I’m gonna go grab a Coke or something caffeinated, because it’s going to be a long night for you. Any preference?”
“No, anything’s fine.” Lucas replied, biting his nail, his thoughts elsewhere as he went to grab the tape.
Will pushed his lips as he nodded, leaving the room. He grabbed two coffees for Lucas, leaving them outside the room when he realized that sobbing could be heard from the inside. He sighed. His place wasn’t here either.
He walked the rest of the way home. It was dark and cold, but Will would be damned if something like that scared him. Besides, the Wheelers house was close by. He opened the door to find no one in the living room. Jonathan would be sleeping for some days at the cabin with Hopper and Eleven, working on some project for work, Mike was probably in his room, same as Holly, and Nancy was out with the parents. He went in quietly, walking all the way to the basement. He closed the door behind him.
Today, he wanted to go to sleep. He had woken up well-rested, without screaming or cold sweat. He had this tiny flicker of hope inside him, that his dream was real. Well, not real, per se, but true. He wanted to believe that the man, Henry, was telling the truth. That he really was a protector, that Will would go to sleep tonight and would dream of him, of his beautiful face and the white hospital, and for once, he would be able to control his dreams.
He changed clothes quickly. For once, he wanted to acknowledge how tired he was. Every single day, time would pass and he’d insist that he wasn’t tired, doing anything to pass the time, dreading falling asleep.
He lay down, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He reached unconsciousness quickly, his mind slipping as he fell into a deep sleep.
He almost cried with relief when upon opening his eyes, he found himself on a hard floor, looking at the now easily recognized white room. There were no traces of blood, corpses or monsters, and that was a win in Will’s book. He pushed himself off the ground to stand on his feet. He looked behind him and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he spotted Henry on the other side of the room. He was sitting on a chair, a table with a board of chess in front of him, the light from the ceiling somehow making his angelic features even more noticeable.
“Hello Will.” He greeted him softly, taking his eyes off the board and the initiative in the conversation.
Will knew that he should probably just say a simple hi back, but his mind was filled with overwhelming relief and happiness; safety too. “You’re actually here again.”
“It’s you who came back Will.” The man said simply. “I will always wait for you.”
He smiled, a laugh coming out weird off his mouth. “I thought… That maybe I was imagining things. Or that you were lying.” He didn’t know why he was saying that stuff, he should have just shut up and accepted the greeting. But he needed that. He needed this reassurance that Henry would probably give him, he wanted to be able to go to sleep every night with no doubts in his mind.
“I am incapable of lying to you, Will.” The blond said with a slight frown, like he was wounded a bit. It was the first kind of emotion he had shown other than the calm smile he always wore. “Everything I said, and everything I will say, will aways be the truth.”
“Ah… In that case, I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“There is no need to worry.” Henry reassured him with a small laugh. “Would you indulge me in a game, Will?”
Will’s eyes drifted from the man’s face to the chess board on the table, where the pieces had already been moved. “Sure. Who were you playing with?” He asked as he stepped closer, pointing to the board.
“Just myself.” He replied and with a slight wave of his fingers all the pieces were back at their starting places. A chair materialized out of thin air at the other side of the table and Will took it as a sign to sit down. “Do you have a preference?”
“I’m fine with that one.” He said as Henry nodded and moved a piece first. “So, you can control the dream too?”
“Not exactly. I can, up to a point, but only in this place.” He said as he watched Will move the pieces.
“You did mention that you don’t want to leave.” Will mumbled. “And I was wondering why there was a normal-sized chair.” Henry let out a little chuckle before moving his piece, taking Will’s horse. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not good at chess.” He said, trying to sound more okay with it than he actually was.
“It’s alright. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.” The older man simply said before continuing. “What is yours?”
Will liked drawing. He was good at it too, and if he had a little more self-confidence in himself, he could say that he’s a painter. When they were in California, he submitted anonymously art paintings to competitions and won a few times. They were more open-minded there. Even though he had this talent since he was a kid, he always said he did football. Why? Because when Lonnie found his drawings, he ripped them and said that only sissies draw. Men play ball. But unfortunately for Lonnie, Will was a sissy, and he kept drawing, just hiding them better this time. The first time he drew for someone else was when Mike told him to ask around for someone that knew how to illustrate their DnD characters. Will told him he knew a girl who could, and sat up all night finishing them. Mike kept praising them all week, begging Will to tell him who made them. A month after, he told him. And for a moment Mike was speechless, and Will thought he was going to lose his best friend. He was barely 10. But Mike just started laughing -a genuine one, not mocking- and told Will that ‘you really are a wizard!’ And after that, Will kept drawing.
Henry was not like Lonnie. Henry was like Mike, even though the comparison seemed far.
If anything, he could imagine Henry drawing or playing an instrument. He must be good with his hands. Lonnie also said that chess was for men who died virgins, but Will highly doubts that when looking at Henry’s porcelain face smiling at him.
“I paint.” He simply said, looking down at his pieces.
“That’s fascinating.” Henry said with sincerity and Will could feel himself blushing just like when Mike complimented his drawings. “Art really is a beautiful thing. It’s like you create a brand-new life, a brand-new world.”
“Hm… I never thought about it that way, but now that you say it, it makes sense.” He replied, a little surprised.
“Maybe you can draw something for me someday.” The man said smiling and it took everything in Will to not gaze and get lost in his eyes. “I’d really like that.”
“S-Sure.” Will agreed with ana embarrassed cough as he tried to focus his attention on the pieces in front of him. “So, is this some kind of hospital?”
The man hummed for a bit, like he was thinking his answer. “Something like that, yes.” He murmured softly. “But you don’t need to worry about that. It stopped working long ago. It would be just us even and if you weren’t dreaming.”
Will didn’t understand what was going on completely. He had questions, so many questions but he didn’t know how to even begin to phrase them at this point. This whole situation was surreal, and the only thing keeping him sane was that his whole life was.
“Why me?” he ended up asking.
“These are your dreams, aren’t they?” Henry said politely as he continued playing. “I was under the impression that this helped you?” he asked, and there wasn’t a hint of mockery in his voice. “Would you like me to stop?”
“No!” he rushed to reply. “I mean, yes, it does help. I was always terrified of falling asleep.” He doesn’t understand why he says those things to Henry -who is by all means a complete stranger. But something about him makes Will want to trust him with everything. He’s like a faint memory, an old childhood friend he couldn’t remember. “But if its like this then everything is fine.”
“I’m glad to be of help then.”
The quiet between them was comfortable and strange all at once, filled with the clacking of chess pieces. Will found his eyes darting to Henry’s face, looking for anything peculiar, but only finding a kind of patient understanding that made him feel oddly safe.
“You materialize here every time I dream? Sorry, I just don’t understand this place one bit.” He said nervously, trying to keep his eyes to the board and failing.
“Its alright. What are humans if not curious, no?” the blond added with a small smile. “I suppose you could say that. I’m here whenever you need me, whether you realize it or not.” His tone was reassuring, almost as if he was accustomed to explaining the inexplicable, and Will felt a little more at ease despite the confusion inside him. “But I don’t exist solely here. A long story.”
“I understand.” Will lied. Something told him he should just drop the subject. Henry hadn’t given him any sign to, but he suddenly just not felt like talking about it. “I may not be an expert at chess but I think I’m losing.”
“You would think right.” He replied with a laugh. “It’s a win for me in three turns.”
“I’m no match for you.” Will said with a laugh. “Are you usually this good?”
“I didn’t do my best. I was distracted.” Henry said, looking at him with a small, thoughtful smile, his fingers absently tracing the outline of a pawn, and Will could practically feel his face go through five different shades of red. “But you’re not bad yourself.”
“Thank you. It means a lot from someone as good as you.” He added without thinking and immediately regretted it but the blond just smiled. “I was wondering…” he started saying “How exactly can I do what you said? Like I did last time with changing rooms?”
“It’s very simple.” Herny said, folding his hands under his chin. “How about you try turning the other half of the room into a different place? Just close your eyes and imagine it.”
Feeling a little silly, but also not wanting to refuse Henry’s suggestion, Will closed his eyes. He imagined the most beautiful, nostalgic view he could remember. He imagined changing the hospital room, leaving only the part they were sitting intact. When he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.
Will frowned, disappointment flickering across his features. “I can’t do it.” He muttered and deep inside him the idea of disappointing Henry was heavier than his failure.
“How about you lift your hand too? Give your imagination a way to pour through your body.”
Okay, Will felt absolutely ridiculous when he turned his back at Henry and lifted his hand like Eleven did. Maybe it was a nightmare, and he just didn’t know it yet. Not the kind with corpses and monster but the one he humiliates himself in front of the most attractive guy his subconscious could create. He was about to open his eyes and tell said guy that nothing was happening when he spoke up.
“Beautiful Will.”
And when Will opened his eyes, he saw California. A salty breeze kissed his skin, the sound of waves close to his ears. “Whoa.”
“A beach, huh? Truly like a painting. Most people in Hawkings have only seen one on TV.” The blond said from behind him, still sat on the table.
“Its… beautiful. I visited in California a year or so ago.”
“California? Why? Vacation?” Henry asked smoothly, leaning back on his chair. Will could see the small part of the hospital that Henry was in from the back corner of his eye, his feet still on the white marble floor.
“Not exactly. We just… needed to get away for a while.” He could have lied. He could have told him the same story he told everyone, that they went there for a camp, for art lessons, for… No. Will, for some reason, felt like lying to Henry was something off limits. For him, Henry understood him. And Will liked that. That’s what he had been wanting all his life, to feel understood.
“From others?”
“Something like that.”
“It is a very vivid image.” The older man commented with a nod. “You can go if you want.”
“Go?” Will repeated and something in his heart jumped. Was Henry kicking him out? “Leave the dream, you mean?”
“Oh no, no.” Henry said with an amused chuckle. “To the beach.”
“California is far.” He replied with a shrug, trying to seem unbothered, but a crack in his voice may have given him away to an attentive listener. “We probably won’t be going again.”
“I mean here. You can wander as far as you can. Just remember to always keep this window here open.”
“I can just venture around?” he asked dumbfounded, looking back and forth between Henry and the beach.
“What kind of dream would it be if you couldn’t?”
Before he could help himself, Will let out a chuckle, and then started laughing, moving closer to the beach until his shoes touched golden sand.