Work Text:
In his office at the station, Hopper flicks through the remaining documents on his desk. It's now 11:00 and he's beginning to get impatient. He needs to get out of here, to see Joyce about arranging a meet-up between Jane and Will.
His flicking comes to a halt, deciding that whatever remains can be dealt with later. He shovels the documents into a drawer, gathers his belongings and opens his door, only to, quite literally, bump into Joyce right there and then.
"Joyce!" Hopper exclaims in surprise.
"Hop!" her expression immitates his.
"I was just on my way to see you!" he tells her.
"Oh?" she responds simply.
"Come in, what do you need?" he directs her to a seat and closes the door behind him. She takes a seat, Hopper shortly following.
"It's about Will." she begins. Hopper raises an eyebrow in curiosity.
"He's still having nightmares, but he's been experiencing other things as well lately."
"Funny you say that." Hopper begins his resonse. "El's worried about him. She wants to see him."
Joyce leans back in surprise. "Well, Will asked to see her, too." she informs him.
"Hmm. Coincidence?" Hopper wonders.
"What, with everything that's happened? I doubt it." she replies. Hopper nods his head, knowing all to well that these days, nothing is impossible.
"Is he home?" Hopper asks her, to which she simply nods her head. He continues, "Right, I'll go grab her and drop her off to your place, sound good?"
"Yep. See you there." she leaves her seat, grabs her coat and after giving a small wave, begins heading back to her car. Hopper follows shortly after. He climbs into his truck but before beginning the journey to the cabin, he taps a message to El via morse code.
-•-• --- -- •• -• --•
COMING
"C... O... M... I... N... G... Coming." El deciphers the incoming message. A small smile plays at her lips as she runs into her room to get ready. She slides her shoes over her feet and grabs her coat, taking it to the soda where she sits and waits for Hopper to collect her.
A few minutes pass before she hears their secret knock.
••- •••
US
She unlocks the door and slips her coat over her shoulders before leaving with Hopper.
"He wants to see you, too." Hopper informs El. She glances up to him.
"Really?" She asks, as if not believing it.
He nods his head simply, waiting a moment before speaking his thoughts.
"I'm starting to think you did see each-other last night."
She returns her gaze to what's in front of her, and she considers for a moment how this could be possible. She eventually nods her head, unable to think of any other explination.
Will was sat on his bed, waiting patiently for Jane to arrive. He reflects on his memory of last night, as well as the symptoms he's been experiencing, trying to think of how he can explain them. He's broken from his thoughts by the sound of a knock on the door. Will can't help but feel slightly excited, but also nervous. He'd wanted his first proper interaction with Jane to be a normal one, not focused on paranormal subjects. The door opens and he hears his mother greet the two people standing outside.
"Hey Hop, hey sweetie." she glances over the two of them before giving Jane a small hug.
"Thanks for coming. He's been looking forward to seeing you." she continues.
El lets a smile play at her lips, before she responds.
"Is he okay?" she asks, simply.
"I think so." she responds just as simple, taking her coat and hanging it up. "He's in his room, I'll let him know you're here; take a seat."
El nods her head, before sitting onto the sofa, Hopper joining her.
Joyce knocks on Will's bedroom door before opening it.
"They're here, honey." she informs him with a smile. He turns his head to her, waiting a moment before responding.
"Can she come in here?" he asks.
Joyce turns her glance to El as she considers whether she's comfortable with the idea. Hopper apparently heard Will's question, as he eventually gives a nod to her, tapping El on the back slightly. Joyce nods back, stepping out of the way so El can pass.
"We'll be out here, let us know if you need anything." Joyce says to them both. They nod their heads in unison, before Joyce begins to close the door, but leaves it slightly ajar, just in case.
"Hey, Will." El gives him a smile as she approaches him.
He smiles back. "Hey, Jane."
She sits on his bed next to him before responding.
"You can call me El." she says thrrough her smile.
He looks confused. "But your name's Jane, isn't it?"
"Friends can call me El. Strangers, Jane." she lets him know.
He nods his head, and can't help but let a smile form. Friends . They've not even met properly but she's already calling him her friend. He feels comfort build. 'She's not like the doctors at the lab. You don't have to be shy.' he thinks to himself.
A peaceful but slightly uncomfortable silence lingers over them for a moment before El breaks it.
"I saw you sleeping, you were having a nightmare." she looks over the bed. Exactly like she'd seen. She then looks around the room. Perfect replica.
He waits a moment before he feels confident enough to respond.
"I think I saw you too. You woke me up."
She frowns slightly. "I'm sorry."
He feels shocked by the apology. "No, thank you. I was having a nightmare and you broke me out of it. Thank you." he smiles to her, as it is slowly replicated on her face.
"You were dreaming of the shadow monster, weren't you?" she asks for confirmation of her suspicion.
His eyes widen. "How do you know?"
Her smile slowly turns to a frown as she remembers what she saw.
"When I woke you up you vanished, and I saw the Upside Down. Then it came through the window."
Will's jaw drops slightly, as if amazed.
"That's what I saw!" he tells her.
She doesn't know what to say, so she just stares for a moment. He soon helps her out of her speechless-ness.
"Do you have any idea how that could happen?"
She shakes her head, before remembering the day she saw her mother; how she'd let her see her 'dream circle' as she called it. She shakes her head again, as if to erase the thought, but brings it up anyway.
"The only time I've seen this was with my mother. She showed me her dream circle."
He furrows his eyebrows in confusion once again. "D- Dream circle?"
"She's stuck. They hurt her, and now she's stuck." she looks to her kness with a frown as she thinks of her mother. "She showed me the memories she still has, the ones she keeps seeing. She tried to get me back from them but they stopped her. They took her and hurt her so bad."
A tear begins to roll down her cheek as she thinks of the dream cirlce she'd seen, and how her mother can't do anything but rock in her chair, repeating simple phrases related to her memories. Will leans over and gives her a hug.
"I'm so sorry." he says simply, trying to hold back his own tears.
"No, don't be. It's their fault, not yours." she breaks their hug to look at him.
"I know, I'm still sorry. You don't deserve any of this." he states.
She's now the one who looks confused. "Why are you sorry?"
He realises she must not understand, so he explains.
"Empathy. I feel sorry for you, I feel your pain."
She can't help but feel confused by the last point, but she thinks she understands.
"Thank you." she says simply, before restarting their hug. They sit their for a moment, holding each-other tight before she breaks it to continue her thoughts.
"But, I don't know how you could've showed me your dream." she begins. "You'd have to be like me, you'd need powers like mine."
He wonders for a moment before his eyes suddenly widen, as he thinks of the new symptoms he's been having. She must notice his sudden thoughts, as she speaks up.
"What? What's the matter?"
He looks to her, considering it for a moment, before shrugging. 'Surely not.' he thinks to himself.
"Oh, nothing. It's stupid."
She shakes her head. "Will, nothing is stupid. Please, tell me."
He hesitates for a moment before complying. He wants to know if she might know anything about his symptoms anyway.
"You know I'm still having nightmares and all?" he asks before bringing the rest up. She nods her head.
"Well, new things have been happening too."
She tilts her head to the side slightly, showing her curiosity.
"What new things?"
"Well, first I started feeling light headed."
"Light... headed?" her confusion returns.
He nods his head. "Giddy. Everything around you looks like it's spinning, and if you're standing you might fall over."
She understands. She feels like this whenever she drains herself by using her powers. But why would Will be feeling like this?
"And now I've been getting nosebleeds. I feel a bit of a tingle in the back of my head and some blood falls, not a lot though." he finishes.
She moves back from him slightly. Multiple expressions play at her face: Shock, fear, confusion.
Will's not sure what she's thinking. "What? What's wrong?"
"I... I think..." she doesn't know how to say what she's thinking, so she stands up and takes his hand.
"Come, I want to try something. Is that okay?"
He looks confused, but nods his head and follows. They step out of his bedroom and head towards the sofa, where Joyce and Hopper sit.
"We need something to cover our eyes." she blurts out, causing the two adults to jump slightly, separating a small bit. They both look to them and confusion builds on their faces. Joyce speaks up.
"What, both of you? Why?"
"We want to try something." she says simply, not helping their confusion at all. Joyce hesitates for a moment, wondering why on Earth Will would need to cover his eyes too, but she eventually complies, finding two thin ribbons, long enough to cover their eyes and tie at the back of their heads.
They sit down on the floor, next to the TV. They cover their eyes with the ribbons, tying a knot to keep them in place. Joyce returns to the sofa with Hopper as they both observe the two teenagers.
El tells Will her plan. "I'm going to turn the TV on, then I want you to clear your mind. Focus on me, nothing else. Do you understand?"
He nods his head, before remembering that they're both blindfolded. "Yes." he answers.
"Okay." she responds simply, before using her mind to turn the TV on and find static. They both sit there in silence. Their breathing slows down. They look peaceful, legs crossed, hands on their laps as they listen to the quiet static emerge from the TV.
The static image on the TV begins to distort, and the sound begins to sound similar to a radio being tuned. Blood slowly begins to fall from El's nose, telling the two adults that she's made it into the void. They both let out a quiet gasp as they notice blood begin to fall from Will's nose too. They look to each-other in amazement, not sure they can believe what they're seeing, before continuing to observe them both.
El finds herself in the void, empty as always. She waits a moment before she hears a slight wind behind her. She turns to see Will appear out of a cloud of smoke, looking around to gather his absent surroundings.
"El?" he notices her standing in front of him, and begins walking to her.
"Hello Will." She smiles, happy that she was right. Will had made it into the void with her. She takes his hands. "Don't worry. Nothing can hurt us here."
He feels relieved slightly from the information. He looks around them again into the empty void. "Where are we?"
"I- well, I don't actually know." she admits. "I think it's some kind of no-place, where we can see anyone or anything we want."
"Anyone? Anything?" he repeats.
She nods her head. "Try thinking of your mom and Hopper. Tell yourself you want to see them."
He shakes his head. "But what if I lose you? I don't want to be here alone."
She shakes her head back. "Don't worry. I'll try my best to follow you, but if I do lose you, I'll go back to the real world and help get you back."
He slowly nods his head, before tightining his grip on her hands. They both focus their minds on Joyce and Hopper, before the sofa appears to their side with them both sitting there.
Will walks towards them but keeps one hand firmly gripped onto El's own. "Mom?" he speaks out. They must hear him, because both of their attentions are drawn to something in front of them, but not directly at them, at leats where they are in the void.
"They can't see or hear us." she tells him. He looks to her, confused.
"But-" he's interrupted before he can continue.
"Sometimes you'll speak in the real world too. And, they can hear us through the TV."
His eyebrows raise. "What? Really?"
She nods her head.
"Is-" he hesitates before bringing up past events. "Is that how they knew you found me? When I was trapped?"
Somehow, both a frown and smile appear at opposing edges of her mouth. She nods her head. He smiles back before she tugs on his hand, leading him away from where Joyce and Hopper sit.
"Come, I want to try something else." she tells him. He follows, but stops as he hears a wind behind them. He turns to see the adults vanish into a cloud.
"Mom?" he raises his voice in fear and tries to walk towards where they once were, but El stops him. In the real world, Joyce nearly jumps to her feet in panic as her boy calls her, but she's stopped by Hopper.
"Don't worry, he's fine, he's with El. I guess we just vanished for them or something." he tries to comfort her. She glances back to the two, Will's panic fades from his face. She feels relieved, sitting back down and nodding her head.
El tries to comfort Will. "Don't worry, they're fine. You're just not focused on them anymore. That's what happens."
He looks relived, gaze returning to her as a smile forms on his lips. She immitates it before revealing her idea to him.
"I want to try to show you a memory. Nothing bad, but if I can do this, then we can be sure that you did show me your nightmare last night." she tells him. He simply nods his head.
She closes her eyes and tries to think of the happiest memories she can. It doesn't take long before her mind focuses on one person: Mike.
Will gasps slightly as his vision is overtaken by images of her memories. He sees Mike, Lucas and Dustin standing in the woods, in the rain. He then sees El step out from behind a tree, bald headed and fear written all over her face. The memory fades and a new one appears, now in Mike's basement. She's given new clothes by Mike, and presses them to her cheek.
Then he sees her sitting in the fort, Mike standing outside. He hears the conversation that gave El her name, before they wish each-other goodnight.
The images fade to them riding their bikes, trying to lose their pursuit of vans. He sees a van appear in front of them and can't help but panic. Tries to look away, assuming this must end badly, but his eyes are soon caught by the van again. A dent forms on the front of the van before it flings over them. With a loud crash to the ground, the others are stopped in their path, and the bikes roll down the road, free of their chase.
He then sees a cliff, with Mike screaming 'LET HIM GO!' . He looks in the direction that Mike is shouting and sees Troy, holding Dustin at knife point. He wonders why she's showing him this. She said nothing bad, but this is nothing but bad, surely. Eventually he sees Mike walk off the cliff, to his certain death. He follows everyone else to the edge of the cliff to watch Mike fall, but is shocked to see him floating in mid-air. He watches as Mike is lifted back to the top of the cliff, and he then sees El walking towards them. He turns his head around as he hears a groan from James, as he's knocked back onto the floor. He then watches Troy's arm bend into an angle that he's sure must hurt, and he cringes as he hears Troy's pain.
'Go.' he hears El tell them, and they begin running. Dustin begins rambling as always, to which Will can't help but laugh a little. His laugh is quickly erased as he watches El faint to the floor, and runs with Mike and Dustin to check on her. Mike's calling her name repeatedly for a moment before she speaks up.
'Mike... The gate... I opened it. I'm the monster.'
'What? No El, you're not the monster. You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me.'
He's soon holding her up in a hug, and Dustin wraps his arms around both.
El decides that this is a good memory to end on, so she returns to the real world and takes her blindfold off. She looks to Will and removes his blindfold.
"Will?" she calls him, as if trying to wake him up from a sleep. His eyes open slowly, and he looks into El's. He smiles at her before leaning in to wrap his arms around her. She's confused by the gesture but does the same.
" Not the monster." he states. She feels a smile build, and a single tear fall from her eye.
The two adults can't help but watch in awe as the teens comfort each-other. The hug persists for a moment before Will breaks it.
"Thank you." is all he says.
She looks at him, confused. "What for?"
He smirks. Here she is, wondering what he's thanking her for after she'd shown images of her saving their lives.
"For everything." he tells her. "For saving Mike's life. For helping save mine. For saving us all . You're amazing. You're... quite literally our hero." He gives her a smile as more tears break out onto both of their cheeks. She pulls him back in for another hug, holding him tight without a word.