Chapter Text
They watched as the mind flayer- bloody, gory, awful monster slid and slipped down the grate in front of the hospital, leaving behind a trail of gelatinous slime.
“Is everyone okay?” Lucas questioned, hearing the heavy breathing around him. All eyes turned to Jonathan, who’s head wound was still dripping blood down his sweaty, clammy face.
He looked like he’d been dragged to hell and back, broken and contorted. Suddenly, he realized everyone was staring at him, his shaking arms going into his pockets as an attempt to hide his physical state.
“What?” He asked Nancy who’s doe eyes were staring at his disheveled appearance.
“You look...” She began.
“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine,” he lied, but no one believed him. “Why don’t I drive us back-.”
“You’re in no condition to drive,” Will interrupted. The young man looked at his brother with a fear Jonathan hadn’t seen since their father beat him to a bloody stump four years earlier.
“Will, I’m fine, okay?” He grabbed the youth and hugged him, leaning a significant amount of his body weight on the teen.
No one was convinced by his words, but they didn’t have time to argue. Everyone was shaken up, feeling their nerves splitting into a million frayed threads.
“I’ll drive,” Nancy said, breaking the silence. Without further argument, all the teens piled into Mrs. Wheeler’s car and began the trip to the Byer’s house.
The car ride was silent, everyone reflecting on their traumatic experiences only a few minutes prior. How could such things have happened? They’d battled the creatures of the upside down twice before, how could it be back?
Nancy couldn’t stop seeing the face of that beast, it’s teeth hovering over her face, goo dribbling from its mouth onto her hair. It brought her back to a time when...
No.
Not now.
There wasn’t time for that kind of thought. Not when the stakes were so high, not when her boyfriend, the love of her life was silently clutching his side right next to her, clearly in an insurmountable amount of pain.
Will tried to gaze out the window of the car, but he felt his mind travel back to his brother over and over again.
Jonathan was bloody, his body twisted in pain but he wouldn’t admit it. Will knew what Jonathan would do, because it’s what he’d always done: he’d pretend he was fine.
But Will wouldn’t accept that anymore.
He was brought back to a time he thought he could block out forever, a time where their family was broken.
Joyce worked more shifts than she could handle to try and keep her family afloat and wasn’t around as much as her two young sons needed her.
Jonathan was thirteen and as quiet and shy as ever. He hid behind his camera, shying away from people, friends, Lonnie.
Lonnie.
He was a monster. Perhaps that’s why Will and Jonathan were so good at fighting monsters from the upside down; they’d been fighting the worst one all their childhood.
Lonnie was at a point where he hated his family and tried to be around his sons as little as possible which was usually a good thing. He’d threaten to leave, telling them they were worthless pieces of shit.
Then one day Will came out of his room in the “Will the Wise” robe his mom made him, happily ready to show Jonathan how well their mom matched the costume to his design.
“Jonathan what do you-,” he began speaking before shockingly seeing Lonnie standing in front of his door. The look in his eyes was cold, dark: drunk.
“What do you think you’re wearing, you fairy?” Lonnie questioned his youngest son, great amounts of anger in his eyes.
“I...uh...mom-.”
Lonnie pushed Will against the wall, his hands balled into tight fists.
Jonathan heard the impact from his room, flew off his bed and swung his bedroom door open to see Lonnie in Will’s face.
He had no words to speak before he ripped his drunken father off his brother.
Will knew how potentially disastrous Jonathan’s actions were. He knew what kind of monster Lonnie was.
Will watched in horror as Lonnie beat Jonathan for twenty minutes, blood pouring from the growing 13 year old’s body.
Paralyzed with fear, Will did nothing.
Nothing.
“Everything okay?” Mike questioned, noticing Will off in some far away memory.
After a moments pause, he spoke.
“No.”
...
The crew pulled up to the Byers’ house a few minutes later, the windows totally dark and absent of any life.
“Your mom’s not home?” Nancy questioned as she turned her head and looked to Jonathan who was biting his lip, holding back pain.
“I guess not,” he choked out.
They all exited the car and followed through the unlocked door into the unoccupied house. Max began turning the various lights on as Will grabbed his brother’s arm.
“What are you doing?” Jonathan questioned as Will began to pull him towards the couch.
“You need to go sit down,” Will explained, “you look like-.”
“Will, I’m fine.”
“No! No you’re not! Open your eyes, Jonathan, you can barley breath without wincing, you’re still limping, and your pupils are huge! You have a concussion! You-.”
“I’m fine, I promise...” he lied to his little brother.
Will was done.
“Really? You’re fine?” He questioned in front of everyone before slapping Jonathan in the ribs. He doubled over in pain, almost in tears from the sharp stabbing feeling spreading through his midsection.
“What the hell, Will?” Jonathan spat through the pain. Nancy rushed to his side, grabbing him tight in her arms.
The door to the house swung open, Joyce and Hopper standing in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” Joyce questioned looking at the troop of teens standing in her living room before noticing Jonathan’s appearance.
He tried to stand up straight and put on a brave face so as not to make anyone concerned, but he knew his mother could see right through his facade.
“Oh Jonathan...” she spoke, grave concern in her voice.