Chapter Text
1986
Lenora, California
Sitting in his room, Will is getting his things ready for his history presentation. He flexes his hands, trying to get his nerves out, although he knows that his presentation wouldn’t…matter. Not in the sense that it would have in Hawkins, people here in California don’t really bat an eye at…this. Whereas in Hawkins…Will wouldn’t see the light of day after this.
He supposes that’s one thing he likes about the move. He isn’t…judged the way he was back in Hawkins. Sure, he’s had to deal with the distance between himself and the Party, had to make amends with the fact that- while Lenora is…better than Hawkins, no one here likes D&D, which means he has his old set collecting dust underneath his bed. It’s not all that bad! He’s joined new clubs, tried out for sports- with Jonathan and Hopper’s insistence that he’ll for sure make the team, which he did . He’s- he’s kind of well liked. Which is a big shift for him, gone are the days of him being insistently bullied, gone are the kids jeering at him, trying to get him to break. No more “Zombie boy”, no more Upside Down, no more bullies or taunts…and…no more Party.
He doesn’t want to point fingers, doesn’t…doesn’t want to put the blame onto anyone in particular. But, things are just different. He thought they’ve moved past summer, moved past the miscommunication, the days where Will was outside of the loop all the time. It’s hard, only using phone calls and letters, which are weeks behind what is actually happening in their lives. It’s…hard. And no one said it was going to be easy, that it was going to work…but…he had hoped that he’d at least try harder.
He feels…alone. Which, it isn’t fair for him to say that. He has friends, he’s “popular”, he just…he misses them. He really does.
His letters from Max gradually declined over the year, before he’d get two letters a week. She would tell him all about what the Party did, how she missed both him and Jane, how this “entire friend group just turned into a testosterone fest! Honestly Byers, I can’t believe you and Jane had to move! It’s so unfair!”. She’d talk about the stupid things the Party has done in their absence, “Ugh! I miss you Byers…Mike got us kicked out of the arcade because he kept trying to move the pinball machine! It’s unbelievable, and every time we told him to stop, he wouldn’t listen! If only you were here…I swear, he only listens to you.” …But as the school year started up…she had been pulling away. Will knows that she’s been struggling, at least once a month they would write out what was happening, all the things they were too scared to tell anyone else. He knows how much guilt she felt over Billy, how she’s just…grasping at straws trying to figure her own emotions out. So… he gets it! It still doesn’t take away the pain he feels over watching one of his closest friends just…dissolve into themselves. He still writes to her, trying to give her any sort of comfort…anything to show he’s still there for her.
Letters from Dustin and Lucas were a bit more…consistent. They had written practically everyday since his move. About nothing and everything, and just like Max’s…those too did decrease as time passed. School started up again, their lives became busier, things just weren’t the same. They joined a D&D club called Hellfire, which…left a sour taste in Will’s mouth. Left him hunched over the table as tears flowed to his eyes…because of course! Of course they would join a club as soon as he’s gone. Of course they’d love playing once Will was out of the picture. And he can’t be mad at them, he told them to play the game if they wanted to! They had every right to enjoy it! It just hurts knowing they so readily joined the club after what felt like years, of them…just ridiculing him. Sure they had played one or two campaigns before he left…but he just thinks they did it because…because Will was moving.
Dustin’s letters only really talk about the club and Eddie, which Will is glad Dustin is enjoying the club. He is! Really! It’s just hard to come to terms with what this all means, even if the others didn’t mean it like that.
Lucas’s letters, which Will sees as a God send, don’t just talk about D&D. Lucas knows that Will hasn’t had the best of luck finding other people to play the game with, so he talks about other things. He talks about how he wanted to join a sports team, or a new club, or something that would take the Party out of the crowd that gets them bullied.
“It’s just…I’m tired of being bullied, man. The others…they don’t get it , they don't have to face people mocking them for something…for something they have no control over. I’ve tried explaining it to them…but it feels…it feels like they’re a million worlds away. They keep telling me to just let it go, to not pay any mind to them, but I can’t just do that! It’s just…they don’t get it…and I know you probably don’t get it either…but I just…I needed to say it. Because they aren’t getting it.”
…it hurt Will to pretend like he didn’t get it, like how his experience of not having control over something didn’t exist. And he knows his experience and Lucas’s are two different things, they’ve both struggled with peers mocking them for things outside of their control…but at least Will had an advantage.
Out of the entire Party, Lucas and Will have written the most, and the most consistently. Lucas knows about Will and his track meets, often giving him letters of encouragement or phone calls when the letter hasn’t been sent on time, and Will does the same. The post-meet and post-game phone calls, where they just talk about the game, the exciting events, the funny drama, it allows them to pretend like they were there. Like everything was fine.
Neither mention the crushing sorrow that fills them up, how the Party slowly stopped showing to Lucas's games, how Will can’t look into the crowd because every time he does he thinks he might see his friends there. Just how…just how everything this year is just different. They’re growing up, the Upside Down is done with, and they’re left dealing with the aftermath of it all.
What slightly surprised Will was the older kids writing to him, of course he knew Robin would, she cannot pass up the opportunity to talk about the latest gossip with him, even if he doesn’t really get it. But Steve? That kind of threw him for a loop. He mostly just writes to check in on him, sometimes to poke fun at Jonathan or trying to catch any dirt on his brother. He’s honestly kind of amused seeing Steve and Jonathan become better friends. Nancy, she doesn’t exactly write to him directly, but she does ask how he is when she calls and writes. Which is a lot more than her brother.
Which, speaking of Mike, every time Will hears him on the comm with Jane, he wants to bash his head into the wall. To just break that stupid little radio, to slap Mike across the face, to cuss him out, to rip up every last letter he had sent. He knows he’s acting a bit irrational, how he shouldn’t be so upset that his friend hasn’t written or called in…months. But, can you blame him? They had made a promise to write any chance they got, to pretend like things were okay, and he has to audacity to just…stop? To just completely stop replying to Will’s letters, to not even ask how he is when he talks to his sister.
He wants to sob into his pillow every time he hears Jane laugh when she’s talking to him. How desperately he wishes Mike would just come back to him, to just keep being his friend. He’s written and called Lucas and Robin, hell even Steve!, to try and figure out what the hell happened between them. What made Mike stop talking to him? And no one had offered an answer, all were apparently under the impression Will and Mike were on good terms, that they’ve spoken more than anyone else has, more than Lucas and Will! And he had to, through clenched teeth, explain that, “No, Mike hasn’t written to me or called, or even asked how I’ve been…since…a month after I moved.”
He remembers hearing Steve trying to hold Robin back from smashing Mike’s skull in, how he had to inform her that, “Hopper isn’t here anymore and I doubt anyone would want to bail us out from killing Mike…I also doubt that Nancy would forgive you”, which got a quiet laugh out of him. At least they cared .
He finishes packing up his school supplies and neatly rolling up his poster before leaving to go to the kitchen. Greeting his mom with a small wave and sitting down at the table. Even after almost living with Hopper for a year, Will is still a bit nervous when he sits near the older man. Something his therapist calls his “fear of father figures and adult men in his life not being the best”, which…he isn’t going to argue with her on that. He doesn’t feel like talking to anyone today, he wishes to just go unseen like he did back in Hawkins, to fly under the radar. He wants so desperately for school to be done with, and guilt eats away at him. He has no reason to act like this, like the world is still against him. But there is a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, a voice yelling at him. Screaming and pounding away in the depths of his mind, trying and failing to warn him…of… something…or someone.
..
Getting picked up by Argyle, Jonathan’s new friend, has always made Will’s stomach turn into knots. He loves the guy, but he is absolutely terrifying in the driver’s seat. Will is honestly concerned at how he has his license. Nevertheless, he’s been driving them since…practically since Jonathan and him became friends. And a small part of Will is glad his brother has friends, although…he knows about his brother’s less than healthy coping mechanisms.
Jane is holding her diorama close to her chest, she made one about Audrey Hepburn. She’s practically vibrating in her seat, she’d been working on the project the day it was announced, wanting it to be perfect.
..
“Who are you doing the project on?” Jane asks, walking alongside Will as they make their way through the crowded hallways.
“Mmmm…I don’t really know,” he answers, although he does have an idea, one that might be risky for him, but it’s a good subject.
Huffing out loud, Jane is left wondering what to do, since Will was oh so very helpful. Maybe she could do…Hopper! But, he isn’t…really historical…is he? Getting lost in her thoughts, Jane shakes her head and spends the rest of the day trying to figure out the perfect subject to do the project on. It isn’t until she gets home that she is struck with an absolutely wonderful idea. Audrey Hepburn!
She remembers watching all of her movies with Max during the summer, sometimes even getting the boys to watch them with her. Of course they always complained, but deep down she knew they enjoyed it just as much as Max and her did. Audrey Hepburn even inspired her to…go more outside of the box when it came to fashion. Jane was in awe of everything she did, and with her help, she figured out a style that fit her. One that made her happy and…one that gave her the choice to make her own decisions.
…Her love of Audrey Hepburn also gave her and Joyce something to do…something to bond over.
..
She’d even enlisted the help of one of her friends, Angela. A girl who, at first seemed…rude…but over time, both girls ended up finding a lot in common. In Will’s opinion, Angela reminds him a lot of Max, which always makes his head spin. There have been too many instances where he has almost called her “Max”, so he tends to avoid her, not wanting to get in the way of Jane and her new budding friendship. That, and he feels like he’s betraying the redheaded girl. The one who he’s terrified of seeing leaving, in every sense of it.
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Hawkins, Indiana
Getting out of Steve’s car- him having found a van to trade his old car in- the Party and the older girls quickly say their goodbyes. Nancy and Robin quickly separate from the Party, saying something along the lines of, “Gotta go, we need to study for our test. See you losers later! And behave!”
Max is the next to leave, never really saying anything to anyone anymore, walking through the halls like a ghost. Lucas always tries to talk to her, even for a little, even if she doesn’t respond. He’s terrified of losing her, of watching her disappear in front of their eyes.
Lucas stands watching her go, watching as Dustin and Mike continue talking about the latest D&D campaign. He wants to tell them to shut the fuck up, to just…stop talking for once. He’s not even trying to be petty about the situation, he just wants them to open their eyes and see that Max isn’t doing okay, that she’s struggling and all they can talk about is a stupid fucking game. He wants to yell at them, because today is his game, the biggest game that he’s a part of, and they’re talking about the campaign? He misses Will, he misses Jane, and most of all he misses Max.
He wants the day to end already, for things to return to normal, or however normal the Party can get. He wants his friends back, and he’s scared that it’ll never happen.
He brushes past Mike and Dustin, choosing to instead head to his class, or the library, or somewhere away from them. If they’re not gonna try, then fuck it, he won’t either. He’s tired of pretending like the Party is still the same, that things haven’t changed. …Like they’re the same kids they were back in 1983.
..
Max absolutely hates that Steve picks everybody up, she hates having to see them, hates having to keep doing all of this. She wants to smash the windows of that stupid fucking van, wants to slash all the tires, wants to rip up Mike and Dustin’s stupid fucking D&D sheets or whatever the fuck they are. She wants to tear her own hair out, wants to just scream at all of them. She wants so desperately to make them understand, for them to ask her what’s wrong. …she just wants them to care.
She knows she’s been brushing them off since school started, never says “Hi” back or even acknowledges them in class or in the hallways. She stopped going to hangouts, stopped showing up for their monthly get togethers, stopped going to Lucas’s games, stopped going to Hellfire, she quit writing to Will, quit calling the Byers-Hopper household.
She’s not playing fair and she knows it. Knows that pushing people aside will make them stop trying. That eventually they’ll just give up, and she’ll be left alone trying to pick the pieces of herself back up. And maybe that’s what she wants. Maybe she wants to be left alone. Wants their departure to finally make her rupture, finally give her that landing blow that destroys her.
She’s a decaying soul trapped in a living body, she’s just waiting for the day it fails her. Waits for the day where it all ends, where she can just…rest.
..
Mike and Dustin are grasping at frayed edges. Trying to cling onto Lucas and Max with all their might, trying to keep a hold on Will and Jane. Extending themselves to try and fix this broken mess that remains of them. It’s one thing to lose two members to distance, another to lose one to grief, and a fourth to…they don’t quite know. Or understand, really.
They’ve tried all they could. But with school starting, Hellfire, and…just…everything. Nothing’s been the same, something shifted when school started.
They decided to split up the time, Mike would try to keep a hold on Max while Dustin tried to hold onto Lucas. It worked in the beginning, until Max changed her schedule, and Lucas joined the basketball team.
Now Max shares only one class with Mike, and Lucas spends a lot of his time practicing.
They’re trying, they really are. It’s just…there is only so much the body can go through before it wears itself out. Only so much disappointment it can handle before it breaks.
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Lenora
Will hates presentation days, especially when the teacher decides to call on students on a whim. No structure, no warning…just having to go with the flow. And he’s, he doesn’t want to say embarrassed about his project, in fact he’s quite proud of it. He’s just…nervous about presenting, about maybe the possibility Lenora isn’t so different from Hawkins after all…and that terrifies him.
He tries to calm himself down, remembering the ways his therapist told him to “practice relaxation” or whatever it was. He sees Jane sitting near Angela, both girls beginning to talk about who their project is on. Catching his breath, he moves towards his seat in the back.
He used to prefer sitting near the board, but…it’s different sitting there alone with none of his friends. He finds comfort in the back of the room, in how no one's eyes are on him all the time.
Will quietly says good morning to the girl sitting next to him, they’re in the same art class and he’s pretty sure he’s seen her around. She gives him a soft smile and wave, and Will knows she wants to talk to him. Which he doesn’t really want to happen. Don’t get him wrong! She’s really nice and sweet, and she isn’t…well she’s pretty. It’s just that…he doesn’t really want to tell another girl no. Doesn’t want to keep up with this ongoing problem he seems to have.
“Hey, how are you?” she whispers, leaning closer to Will’s desk. Taking a deep breath, Will leans closer to her before answering.
“A bit nervous…I’ve never been a fan of presentations…you?”
“Oh yeah…I mean, I like presenting. Makes me feel…confident. But I get where you’re coming from. Who’d you do your project on?”
Taking a sharp breath, Will doesn’t want to answer… not really . And not that it matters, if he’s unlucky he might have to end up presenting today!
“Alan Turing…who’d you do yours on?”
“Huh…who’s that?” she questions, tilting her head a bit. Anyone else would have said she looked cute, probably would have fallen for her, but…Will isn’t exactly everyone .
“You’ll just have to wait till my presentation. Who’d you do yours on?” he replies, simply deciding to act a bit cheeky about it.
“…fine, I’ll wait…you’re so mean Byers. Anyways I did mine on-”
Before she could finish her statement, Angela quickly turns in her seat. Staring directly at Will, and before he knew it, she was right next to his desk.
She squatted down a bit, trying to hide from the teacher and any other prying eyes.
“What the fuck Will?” she asks, chewing her gum all the while. Ignoring the girl she just interrupted.
“W-what?” he says, confused as to why Angela is even talking to him. They’ve never quite bonded, the two of them. They’ve spoken before, it’s just…she reminds him too much of Max to feel comfortable talking to her. It’s not like she minds either, choosing to instead be glued to Jane’s side.
“What do you mean ‘what?’? The boyfriend is coming to town?” she asks, and oh. Right. Mike is coming to visit them, Jane.
“What about him?” he asks, a bit harsher than he intended. His true feelings about Mike slightly shining through.
“Whoa…do you hate him as much as I do? Do I have to fight for first place?” she says, giving him a large grin.
No, he doesn't hate him, and that’s the problem. He should hate Mike, should absolutely despise the other boy, wish for his downfall or whatever. But he can’t! No matter how hard he tries, he just can’t hate Mike. Even the idea of hating Mike forms a pit in his stomach, and makes his insides crawl with distaste.
“Yeah, you’ll probably have to take that title from Hopper. And he won’t go down without a fight.” he replies, instead of actually saying what he thought.
“…you mean to tell me, no one likes Mike, and yet he’s still dating Jane! What the actual fuck is wrong with you guys?”
Yeah…”no one likes Mike”…that’s totally a true statement!
“What the heck is that supposed to mean? Jane can date whoever she wants-”
Before the conversation can continue, their history teacher begins to tell the class to settle down.
Moving back to her seat, Angela mouths out “Later”. Which Will is so not looking forward to.
..
Watching as his sister gives her presentation, he can’t help the grin that spreads across his face. After spending weeks painstakingly working on the diorama and her speech, she’s finally pulled it off. Both him and Angela give encouraging smiles and clap loudly for her once she sits down.
After her presentation, their teacher goes through a list of other students, none of which really get Will’s attention. Staring out the window, he begins to wonder what is going to happen when Mike gets here.
He’ll probably spend all his time with Jane, although he might need to fight Angela over her. He’ll probably make Will third-wheel… again. Like summer wasn’t enough, like absolutely nothing has changed…like Mike…like he hates Will.
Anger begins to bubble up in his chest, Mike had promised to write, to call, to do something to stay in contact. It’s not like he couldn’t, because he can sure as hell talk to Jane all the time.
Maybe there is just something wrong with Will, something that makes Mike disgusted in him. Did he finally see what everyone else saw? Has he realized that Will has the biggest cr-
The bell rings before Will can go down that rabbit hole of self hatred, before he can further blame himself for Mike’s distance.
He packs his things and gets himself ready for lunch, he really hopes Angela won’t make the entire lunch period about Mike. He’s done enough thinking about the other to last a lifetime.
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Hawkins
The bell rings signifying the end to their fourth period class, and the start of their lunch break. Mike and Dustin make quick work of finding one another after class and begin their plan.
They’ve spent weeks trying to figure out how to get the Party all together again. And this campaign will surely solve all their problems.
“Is everything ready?” Mike asks, fiddling with his backpack straps.
“Yeah…it should be…you did tell Eddie, right?” Dustin says, eyes trained forward, looking for Lucas.
“Who do you take me for? Of course I asked Eddie! He’s completely chill with it…”
“…he’s making you clean up after the campaign isn’t he?”
“He’s making me clean up after the campaign,” Mike says, sighing out. “But! But, this means we can all hang out today! All of us…most of us…and we could actually become the Party again!”
“This is gonna be so awesome! Have you talked to Will and Jane about calling us while we’re there?”
Silence fills the conversation as Mike doesn’t answer.
“You did talk to them about it…didn’t you?”
“I…may have forgotten to mention it. I am so, so sorry.”
“Mike! What the hell man!”
“I mean…look. They’re not even in the same time zone as us, so they’ll probably be at school or something. Plus, the campaign lasts for hours, they'll probably get tired. And- and, I don’t think Hopper will appreciate us calling over such large distances.” Mike says, trying to argue his point.
Dustin gives Mike a blank stare before answering back, “First of all, you are so wrong. It’s literally the weekend the next day, so they’ll be free to stay up late. And second, the others have been calling all the time . It’s…kind of bizarre to hear Steve telling me all about what Jonathan has been up to…”
“Okay, but…it’s different, alright. I’m sure that El and Will don’t even know what’s happening to the Party.”
“I guess…OH! LUCAS!” Dustin exclaims, catching sight of Lucas talking to the other basketball players.
Rushing over, Lucas greets both Dustin and Mike.
“Hey guys! What’s going on?” he questions, looking around for Max and deflating when he realizes she probably won’t show up again at the table.
“Oh, we’re just talking about tonight's D&D campaign, it’s gonna be so amazing!” Dustin says.
“…right…what time is it at again?” Lucas asks, his face somewhat crestfallen. As if he already knew.
“Uhhh,” looking at his watch and back up at Mike, he answers, “five? I think about the time we usually start.”
Lucas doesn’t say anything after that, mouth drawn up tight, teeth clenching. He balled his fists up, took a deep breath, and let it go. It doesn’t matter. This…this doesn’t matter.
“…I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.” Lucas says, wanting to be away from them. To leave this weird state of their friendship and move on.
“What? Why not?” Mike exclaims, moving to watch his face.
“I have a game.” he answers, which should be common knowledge had his friends actually been there for him. “The championship game.”
Both Mike and Dustin have this sort of look in their face, like they’ve completely forgotten Lucas is on the team. Like this might be the first time they’ve ever heard of this. And it makes Lucas so…disappointed. Will would have gone, he would have been sad to miss the campaign, but if Lucas asked…he would have gone to his game…to all of his games…without a second glance.
“Can’t you…I don’t know…move it?” Mike asks, not wanting to let the one chance they got at making the friendship work.
“…move the championship game? Yeah, let me just ask the other school if they can postpone the game because I have a D&D campaign to go to! I can’t just ask that man!”
Groaning into his hands, Dustin feels like a complete dumbass. How could he forget about the game! Steve had been on his ass about getting a ride to it, he just assumed it was for Hellfire. Shit!
But before Dustin and Mike could say anything else, Lucas slips from their grasp. Leaving to hang out with his sports team instead, leaving the two behind.
“Shit.”
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Lenora
Walking to their usual lunch table, Angela immediately begins to bombard the Byers-Hopper siblings with question after question. She is eager to figure out what the hell they plan to do with Mike, although they both keep their lips shut, knowing her, she’ll find out anyways and crash the hang out…and depending on how badly it goes, Will just might be glad. He’s tired of being the third-wheel.
“C’mon…nothing? You can’t just sit there and watch me woefully die here! Just one! Answer one question for me.” she asks, placing her hands together and trying to give them puppy dog eyes.
Looking at one another with a blank stare, they turn back and simultaneously shake their heads.
“…are you sure you’re not twins…because Jesus fuck…that’s terrifying.”
“We are quite literally step-siblings.” Will says, picking at his lunch.
“Oh, so now you talk. I see where your loyalties lie.”
Rolling his eyes, Will doesn’t answer her further. Choosing to instead listen to their conversation, to just…take the back seat. Like he’s always done, except this time…it’s on his own terms.
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Hawkins
Walking through the hallways, Max is utterly confused at just how many kids there are. This town is that big for fucks sake! Shoving her way through the crowd, she makes her stop into the library.
Picking her usual spot in the corner, she sets her stuff down and picks at the sandwich Steve gave to her.
..
“Here.” Steve says, holding her back and handing her a brown paper bag. “It’s not much, but…uhh…I’ve seen that you don’t…pack lunch and you always complained at how shit the school food was.”
Looking at the bag, Max doesn’t know how to feel. Grateful that someone cares that much, or angry that someone does. It makes her head hurt thinking about what she’ll leave behind.
“ …you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to…I kind of just…it’s just in case. Y’know…if you ever get hungry.” he finishes lamely, still holding the bag out.
Sighing, Max takes the bag out of his outstretched hand. He’s only doing this out of pity, he feels sorry for her. He doesn’t care. It’ll all be over soon, things like this don’t ever last long.
Except, ever since that day, he’s made her lunch every single day . If she made one comment about liking something, well! Guess what? She now has pudding cups as a snack.
She’s…grateful for Steve, but some days, when she looks at him. Holding the bag in one hand with a soft smile on his face, wishing her a good day, she thinks about how badly she wants him as a brother. That’s what a good brother looks like…not Billy. She doesn’t eat lunch those days, guilt finding its home in her gut instead.
..
She sees Lucas through the window, he’s probably looking for her. Rolling her eyes, she picks up her stuff. She had to go to the office anyway, might as well go now.
Taking her seat in the office, she places her headphones back on. Trying to tune out the world behind her.
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Lenora
“Jane…seriously! He went out of his way to find a Valentine’s Day card that read ‘I like you’. Do you know how insane you’d have to be to look for that! I didn’t even know they made shit like that!” Angela rants, using her fork to point and wave around as she speaks.
“He’s- it’s hard. The distance, he cares.” Jane answers, although she knows Angela is right…there is something dying in their relationship…something rotten.
“Just break up with him already! Do you know how many cute guys there are here in Lenora, or in California as a whole? You could…try something else out…”
“I love Mike.” she answers, like it's the simplest thing in the world. It is, for her. Will thinks bitterly, stabbing at his lunch more forcibly than before.
“I’m just…throwing it out there. There’s more to the world, more to relationships…but if you’re happy…”
Will drifts back off after that, eating his food that feels like mush. It has no flavor, nothing discernible about it. It’s just a texture in his mouth, just another chore for him to complete to continue on in this game of living… it’s one of those days for him.
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Hawkins
After school, Mike and Dustin are trying to come up with a plan on how to…fix their situation.
“I can’t just tell Eddie, ‘oh yeah, never mind about our campaign by the way…we actually aren’t even going to go.’ He’d rip my head off!” Mike shouts, getting looks from various other classmates.
“We can’t just ditch Lucas’s game!” Dustin argues.
“Well, we can’t just ditch Eddie’s game either! He’d kick us out of Hellfire.” Mike says, softening up towards the end of his sentence.
“…would that be so bad?” Dustin says, not looking at Mike at all.
“…w-what?” Mike says, so softly you’d have to strain your ears to hear it.
“I’m just saying Mike. We’ve…the Party isn’t the same, we know that.” Dustin continues, beginning to fiddle with his hands.
“…yeah, but-”
“We can’t keep pretending like it’s going to fix everything. Playing without Will feels wrong…it… I feel wrong playing without him .”
Mike stays silent, biting the inside of his cheek.
“I know, that this ,” he says, making a gesture towards…everything, “is I don’t know…a way of coping…but…it’s not fixing anything. It’s not helping any of us. It’s…it’s making us worse.”
“But- but it’s D&D, it’s Hellfire! ” Mike says. It’s the only thing that reminds him of Will, the last thing he has of him.
“Mike,” Dustin breaths out, “why-…are you willing to lose Lucas and Max over this stupid game!”
He can taste blood .
He wants to yell, to claw out his hair. “It’s not just a game! It’s more than that! It’s what started the Party in the first place, it’s what brought us all together to begin with. …it’s the last thing I have of Will.” He can’t bring himself to say any of that, he can’t utter that embarrassing thing, he can’t…he doesn’t want them to know. His disgusting fucking secret he can’t even admit to himself.
“It’s not some stupid game,” he spits out, anger clear in his tone.
“…over Lucas and Max?” Dustin questions, grabbing Mike’s arm. He makes them look at one another.
“…maybe some things aren’t meant to last.” Mike says, avoiding Dustin’s eyes.
He brushes past him, past Steve’s car, and ignores both of their yells. He doesn’t want to speak to them, doesn’t want to keep up with…anything anymore. He wants Will to come back, he wants things to go back to normal, he wants to be normal.
Tears begin to well up in his eyes and he hastily brushes them away. Boys don’t cry, they don’t cry. Stop fucking acting like a child Michael! Will isn’t coming back, no one is coming to help you. You’re on your own, like always.
He finds himself in the ruins of Castle Byers. Seeing the wood rotting away, pictures buried underneath the dirt. So much of it remains, decaying, rotting, utterly dead and yet still there.
He places his backpack down and gets to work. He can feel Will drifting away every second of every day, it hurts him. But he makes no move to grab him, to pull him back. It’s his own damn fault…Will deserves better than him. Better than a fucking screwup.
-+-+-
Lenora
It’s a rare occurrence when Will gets the phone to himself. One he holds closely to his heart.
He’s talking to Lucas at the moment, listening to him excitedly telling him about the upcoming championship game. He can practically see Lucas vibrating where he sits on the phone.
It feels…normal, for once. Like they’re sitting right next to each other, like they’re in Lucas’s room as he gets ready for the game. Like they aren’t a thousand miles apart.
He’s glad to hear that the Party is showing to his game, to hear that Max will be attending, that Steve talked with Eddie about the D&D campaign being moved.
It…hurts too. To hear that they’re all doing…okay. They still have each other, they’re still…connected. It makes something ugly stir in his stomach, makes him feel like an asshole for being jealous. Things haven’t been easy for them, he can’t just take that away from them just because for the first time in forever they’ll all be under one roof.
He wishes Lucas a good game and to call him if, “anything exciting happens. Like…you getting the winning shot!”
“Pfft, like that’ll happen. I get why the others didn't want to come to my game, I honestly just sit on the bench…but you. Man, you on the other hand, are really just out of left field.”
“C’mon, it’ll happen. Trust me, I feel it in my gut!”
“Your gut? Seriously? Will, I think California is frying your brain cells…”
“No it’s not, I am in tiptop shape, and I’m telling you…you’ll get your chance to shine.”
“Yeah, yeah, I have complete and utter faith in you, Sir William the Wise.”
Laughing, Will utters out in between breaths, “hey, don’t come after me like that. I have true sight! Good luck though, really. You’ll do great.”
“Thanks man…I have to get going now. Talk later?”
“Yeah, talk later!”
-+-+-
Hawkins
Dustin wants to melt onto the floor, wants to completely evaporate, he feels woozy.
“Are you serious?” Steve asks, face scrunched up in disbelief.
“Of course I fucking am. If they don’t make it to the campaign, they’re out.” Eddie spits back, watching Steve like a dead stare.
“It’s one missed meeting dude. Cut them some fucking slack!”
“It’s a campaign being missed, dumbass, which is essentially missing hours of club time. And leaves them…way fucking behind the group. They’d have to sit out on…3…4 more sessions if they miss this one.”
“I-,” groaning out, Steve doesn’t give a single fuck about Hellfire, he’s tired of having to babysit these angsty fucking teens and watch them tear each other apart. He already has Max rolling her eyes, which he knows that one more thing will tick her off, and he spent hours trying to get her to come today. Having to literally drag her out of the house, okay not literally but…the point still stands! Mike is throwing a hissy fit, having to be dragged out by Nancy, who did physically do it. Dustin looks…embarrassed out of his mind…and is currently trying to play mediator between the two of them. And Robin and Nancy literally left him! So, he’s stuck dealing with Eddie fucking Munson, and having to make sure Max and Mike don’t stalk off to who knows where!
“They are going to Lucas’s championship game. Because they’re his friends and he fucking asked them to be there!” he says, although making this statement more towards the kids rather than Eddie, “and,” he continues, pointing at Eddie, “you will let them go. Don’t!” he says, holding up a finger. “Do not interrupt me right now. I have spent way too fucking long getting these shitheads here and I will not let them go to a fucking…D&D meeting…? when something more important is happening right now. So, shut up and let them go.”
“Who the hell do you think you are, Harrington?”
“Guys, guys, fellas, c’mon lets just chill out for a sec-” Dustin tries cutting in.
“Obviously someone who cares more about these kids than you do. They aren’t showing up to your fucking game, and if you kick them out of the club, I swear to God Munson-”
“What? What the hell can you do, Stevie?” he asks, a coy smile adorning his face. Happy to see the mighty “Kind of Hawkins” getting so pissed.
“…you do know the police have been trying to catch you selling, right? It would be such a shame to have someone…tip them off…wouldn’t it?”
“…you fucking wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?” Steve says, giving Eddie a smile of his own. “That’s what I thought. Have fun with your game though!”
“It’s not- it’s called a campaign asshole!” Eddie shouts, watching Steve walk over with the kids to the high school.
“Yeah? I don’t give a shit!” he yells back, which earns him the finger from Eddie although he doesn’t quite see it.
“Asshole.” Eddie mutters out, staring at his retreating figure. He hates people that get under his skin, and God damn it! Steve fucking Harrington got to him.
..
Entering the gym, the group struggles with finding good seats. Mike reluctantly sits next to Dustin and Steve, grumbling all the while. While Max takes a seat near the exit. Nancy is talking to Robin at the front, her being the chief of the school’s newspaper allowed for her to move freely through the gym with no problem whatsoever.
Steve doesn’t pay attention to the two boys next to him, seeing as they are having an important conversation of sorts. He really does hope these kids are okay, that…they’re dealing with things alright. He knows it isn’t easy, but if they had each other it wouldn’t be so hard.
Mike sticks his out hand, eyes downcast. Dustin takes his hand in his own, giving a firm shake. Hopefully this one sticks. He’s seen this all too many times this year, handshake after handshake. Fight after fight, and yet…things still aren’t resolved. Issues are still prevalent in their small group.
..
The game is starting and honestly, Lucas feels…nervous. He’s been called in to play and he is shitting his pants. His nerves are all jittery, the chants are too loud, the eyes are too much for him. He saw the Party when he entered, a natural response he’s had for every game. Seeing all of them here, sans Will and Jane of course, made him almost trip and stumble. Max was definitely a surprise to see, but seeing Mike and Dustin abandon their game makes him feel fuzzy.
The timer is counting down, and the ball is in his hands. It’s the last shot they need to win. The final move…
The buzzer rings loudly throughout the gym, the ball still in the air as it leaves Lucas’s hands. Everyone is on the edge of their seat.
A deafening roar is heard, as people begin to crowd around Lucas. He did it! He fucking got the winning shot! Will was…right, huh.
..
Max isn’t okay. She knows she hasn’t been okay for the past few months, but…she thought it wasn’t that bad . She assumed it would pass, that pretending like everything was fine would help her, but it hasn’t. Not one bit.
She is currently holed up in the bathroom stalls. After having a talk with her therapist, it was recommended for her to try to join in with school activities, to try to talk to her friends again. She doesn’t know why she thought going to the game would be good, why going to a place filled with just… too much of everything, was a good decision in her mind. Her hands are covering her ears and her eyes are squeezed shut. She is trying to recall what led her to this predicament and draws a blank, she can’t remember why she’s even here to begin with. What memory forced her to flee the game.
She struggles to catch her breath, to rethink the events that led her here, to what happened in the gym? Taking heaving breaths, she calms down enough to open her eyes.
The bathroom door opens and another girl rushes to the stall on the farthest edge of the restroom. She hears the door bang shut and lock, sneakers sliding in the person's haste.
Max opens her stall door, she can’t exactly hide out in here forever. Moving to the sinks, she hears it. Crying.
Shit, she thinks. Her eyes dart to the other stall that’s occupied, she doesn’t know what to do. On one hand she could try to talk to the person, make sure they’re okay, but on the other…she doesn’t want to make things weird. She tries to think about being in the other girl’s shoes, would she appreciate someone checking up on her? And her immediate answer is, no, God no. That's just…no. But then something inside of her hurts, she does want someone- her friends to check up on her. Even though she’s been pushing them away, she wants to know they still care about her. And this train of thought is probably what led to her being in here in the first place. This battle between wanting people to care and wanting them all to shut up and mind their own business. She takes a breath, not wanting to stutter over her words at all.
“Uhm…are you okay?” she croaks out, her voice not used to having to speak louder than soft whispers. Having gone weeks without properly speaking to anyone.
There is no answer from the stall, just some shifting and sniffling.
“…not to make this…weird or whatever…but…uhm…I’m here if you need anything…?” she says, cringing at how fucking stupid she sounds right now. This girl probably wants to be left alone and just doesn’t want to be a dick to her. Or she just thinks Max is weird as fuck for even asking this.
“…I- I’m good, thanks” the voice answers, quiet and soft. Delicate.
“I- yeah, yeah. Okay, just wanted to…make sure”, scrunching her face up she is desperately wondering when she turned into this bumbling mess of a person. “I’m just gonna go now…”
“W-wait!” the voice calls, sounding desperate for something , “c-can you stay…here…please.”
Her hand clenched, voice caught in her throat, “…yeah, I can- I can do that.”
So, that’s how Max finds herself, sitting in the stall next to her’s. Hearing this girl softly cry, she doesn’t push, doesn’t ask any probing questions. She just sits there, silently offering her presence as comfort.
A part of her breaks, just slightly. It would be so easy for her to seek her friends out, to have them help her. But the guilt of the situation eats at her, makes her squirm uncomfortably having to ask them for help. She knows there’s nothing wrong with getting help…she just-
Before her thoughts can continue, the sobs in the stall next over stop. Everything seems to just…die. Max knocks softly on the divider, and moves to ask her a question when she’s struck into silence.
A clock rings somewhere in the distance, and a boy who’s spent the last year in relative peace moves to touch the back of his neck.
Something is very, very wrong.
-+-+-
[REDACTED]
The plans are coming along well with the [REDACTED]. Now [REDACTED] only needs to get 011, to tell her that they can help her. Of course, guilt eats away at him slowly. He’s given her a year of normality, a year of adolescence before he needs to take her back.
It…is unfortunate what he has to do, who he’s had to work with, but it’s all necessary for putting an end to this once and for all.
He really does hope they don’t have to kill the boy, that [REDACTED] will go unharmed in all of this. It would be really such a shame to say goodbye to all of this, the potential this whole operation has resolved him of his…not so kind actions.
After all, don’t the ends justify the means?
Imagine what they would be able to create once it’s all over. How many people’s lives would be changed. He supposes if worse comes to worse…one more death certainly can’t hurt them. It’s just…unfortunate.
-+-+-
Hawkins Woods
The post game party was a bit too much for Chrissy, struggling to keep everything in. Her episode in the bathroom was embarrassing enough, and she doesn’t want to relive… that .
She’s heard stories that weed keeps the edge off of people, helps with their nerves or something like that.
She met with Eddie in the woods, he looks a lot different than what she remembers. He also…talks…a lot. A lot more than she did at least, choosing to just stay quiet the entire time. She’s just a bit nervous, she’s never done anything like this before.
Eddie sensed that something was up with her, she’s been glancing up at the trees every so often. Someone is watching her, she knows it.
She brushes it off though, wanting to just go back home. To just take the edge off and hide away in her room for…forever honestly.
Eddie offers her something stronger, she denies.
He asks her if she’s okay, if she’s sure she wants weed, she says yes.
He asks her if she is good enough to walk home alone, she pauses…and then says yes.
He leaves.
..
The clock rings.
A girl is left running through the woods, trying to escape something.
A man finds himself far away, at a party with alibis.
The clock rings.
The Party is in Mike’s basement, celebrating a post game win.
A red headed girl is left with a pounding headache and bloody nose.
The clock rings.
A boy’s head throbs, nose leaking red, his body cold as ice.
He has woken up.
The clock stops ringing.
A body is left mangled in the woods, waiting for someone to find her.