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This spot at the quarry had quickly become Will’s favourite spot, since getting back to Hawkins. Maybe once, the sheer height would have had him trembling with fear, but now? The trees and buildings seemed so small. Everything was so far away and seemed so unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The way that he felt so distant from the town was a comfort. It was nice to have a form of escape with all that’s been going on.
It was only when Will took in a deep inhale that he felt the trail of blood running from his nose. The metallic taste was bitter in his mouth, and almost made him gag. This was the second nosebleed he’s had in the past few days. Before, he had just chalked it up to stress, and fear of the Mind Flayer’s return. But how could he excuse one now? He was the most relaxed he could ever be, in total seclusion. Hadn’t Max talked about nosebleeds being one of the symptoms of Vecna’s possession? Racking his brain for answers, Will’s memory supplied a short list.
-Nosebleeds
-Nightmares
-Headaches
-etc?
He kind of regretted not telling anyone where he went, now.
Well, it wasn’t like anyone would know his favourite song anyway. The only people that would’ve known were Jonathan and… Mike. Jonathan had been far too busy getting high with Argyle to have spent all that much time with Will, and he had barely talked to Mike at all for the past year. With a sigh, he simply laid down, and let his eyes flutter shut.
“Will? Is that you? I’ve been looking for you for ages!”
Huh? Is that Mike? Will sat up, not daring to look behind him.
“Mike…?” He whispered, furrowing his brow.
“I think we need to talk, man,” He hears Mike say.
Turning around hesitantly, he met Mike’s familiar gaze.
He’s wearing that stupid yellow shirt that he wore his first day in Lenora. It’s obnoxiously bright, and doesn’t go with any of Mike’s clothes at all, but it’s so… him, in the best way possible.
“Can I sit?” He says, edging closer to Will.
Will says nothing. He only nods.
He feels Mike next to him now, but he doesn’t look at him. Nevertheless, he knows Mike is staring at him intently, trying to figure him out, like always. He doesn’t know why he bothers; Mike knows him better than anyone.
(A grandfather clock tolls.)
Gathering the courage to make eye contact, Will turns to look at Mike.
What he definitely did not expect was cold blue eyes to be looking back at him.
Startled, he moved away from the person. This isn’t Mike. Who the hell was this guy?
“You can call me Henry.”
The person spoke. Getting a good look at the man now, Will could for sure say that he was absolutely gorgeous. He wasn’t beautiful in the same way as Mike was, with his dark curly hair and his defined jawline. The man had piercing eyes, silky blonde hair and a calm, almost blank expression. He looked undoubtedly familiar, but he just couldn’t put his finger on where he had seen him before.
“Okayy… Henry, who are you?” Will asked.
“That doesn’t matter right now. Would you like to talk?” Henry responded, clearly not wanting to answer.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Will wasn't exactly sure when, but they had started walking, and the scenery had (somehow?) changed. Instead of the quarry, he could see cascading waterfalls, crystalline water gathering in a small lake at the base. There were towering trees, green and vibrant with life, surrounding each waterfall, and grainy sand under his feet.
“Where are we?” He asks, near speechless from the beauty of his surroundings.
“These are the Kravica Waterfalls, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I saw this place in a book once. I thought it would be kind to share.” Henry responds, his gaze on Will. “What do you think?”
“It’s… beautiful…” Will sighs, “Thank you, for uh, sharing.” He feels kinda awkward now, standing in a random European country with a stranger.
He didn’t want to question how they got here, or who this guy was. He was just content to have a distraction for once. But this thought unwillingly spiralled, which ended with Will coming to the conclusion that this guy; was Vecna.
“You’re right.” Henry said.
Okay what? Was he reading his fucking mind? This is extremely violating.
Vecna/Henry/001? Scoffed.
“I supposed this is the part where you kill me then?” Will blurted out, tone accusatory.
“No.” Henry laughed, “Do you *want* to die?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “What sort of question is that? Of course I don’t.”
“Are you sure? I’ve seen the way you sit at the edge of that cliff every day. I see how you look over the edge, into the darkness. I see how your eyes change when you do that. I feel your longing. I feel how you long to let yourself fall into the water. I feel how you long to leave everything in this tiny town behind. You can’t hide your feelings from me, Will Byers. I’ve felt everything.” Henry states, his voice as blank as ever, devoid of any true emotion or personality.
Will sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“I’ve also felt your love.” Will looked up, confused. “I’ve felt the way your heart jumps when he looks at you. I’ve felt the way your heart hammers in your chest when he holds your hand, or when he sits slightly too close. I’ve felt the soul crushing guilt and shame that you keep buried, as well as the fear of anyone finding out. Of *him* finding out. I’ve felt how much you love Mike Wheeler.”
Oh. Suddenly everything felt a lot more real. Will was back at the quarry, Henry stood in front of him. There was no escape. He couldn’t run, and he couldn’t hide.
“Sit.”
Why wasn’t Henry killing him? Why was he still alive?
Will complied. He reasoned that he should just do as he says. He wasn’t going to get out of this alive anyway.
“Death can be quite merciful.” Henry says, “ *I* can be quite merciful.”
“You don’t have to fear death.” He finishes.
Will contemplated this for a moment.
“Yeah.”
He sat at the edge of the quarry with the man, watching the sun set steadily. Dying could always be worse. Acceptance felt a whole lot better than fear.
The only regret he had was that he didn’t get to see Mike for the last time. The Mike he saw was only a pale imitation of the original, and it stung. But, Mike would be happy. El would be happy.
So Will allowed himself to slip into death’s grasp.
And if it was the real Mike that was slumped over Will’s corpse, holding his cooling hand and sobbing hysterically, whispering “I love you.” over and over again, well, it wasn’t anyone’s business.