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He was going to die. He was. The demogorgon had launched right at him, eager to tear into his flesh. His arms flew up right in front of him; it would have done nothing, surely.
The blow never came.
Mike waited for it. His body had felt stiff and cold, like a statue. He waited. The demogorgon’s screeching had stopped, replaced by noises of struggle. His eyes he had squeezed so tightly shut, blinked open. The demogorgon was… there. Frozen in the air. Mid lunge, slimy arm stretched out towards him.
For a moment, he stared. Confusion surged through his mind. Surely, this was a miracle, some higher power. El wasn’t there to save him.
His eyes only left the creature when a figure caught his eye.
Mike didn’t believe it at first. There his best friend stood, meters away, arm extended, fingers slightly curved. Even from his distance, he could make out Will’s eyes, completely white. Will was— oh my god he was— holding the demogorgon. He saved Mike. He was a sorcerer.
Fire crackled all around him, yet Mike could only focus on Will. All of a sudden, Will thrust his other hand out. He held it there as if there was another demogorgon. Maybe there was, somewhere else. Mike recalled that Will could see through the demos, so it was entirely possible.
Will threw his head back. Mike thought he might be in shock. How was he—
A loud crunching noise came from the monster before him. Mike looked up to find its bones snapping, snapping as Vecna had done. One limb after another, until its neck snapped and it dropped to the ground with a gross squelch. Will had done that. He had, really.
Mike’s gaze slowly returned to Will, finding him on his knees. His eyes rolled back to normal— an alarming sight, but nothing about this situation wasn’t alarming— and blood rolled down from his nose. Will wiped it, and all of a sudden, Mike realized Will was staring back. Staring with a look so fierce, Mike couldn’t tell if his heart was beating quickly due to all that running around or Will.
Will, my god.
Their gaze only held for a moment more before Will’s eyes slipped shut and he dropped to the concrete, passing out.
“Will!” He heard a shout before realizing it was his own voice. Before Mike knew it, he was at Will’s side, grabbing at his shoulder and rolling him onto his back. “Will, hey, hey,” he spoke shakily, one hand reaching out to cup Will’s cheek. Mike patted it, trying to wake him up. His head lolled to the side, completely unconscious.
A pair of footsteps was heard, rushing towards the two boys. Mike looked up and found Joyce sprinting towards them.
“Will, Baby?!” She dropped to her knees on the other side of him and grabbed at his forearm. “He— Will, he—“ she stumbled over her words.
“He just did that. Did— did you see that?” Mike asked, a bit hysterical. Although the demogorgons were gone, adrenaline still rushed through him. His hands shook as he held one of Will’s shoulders.
Joyce glanced up at him. “Yes, Mike… I saw that. We have to— we have to get him out of here,” she told him urgently.
Joyce began looping her arms under Will’s, but Mike stopped her. “I’ve got him, Ms. Byers. I— I can carry him.” He moved forward, lifting Will under his arms, resting Will’s head on his shoulder; raising to his feet was a struggle. God, he knew he should have started working on his muscles. “Okay…. okay. Uh, where to?”
Joyce thought for a moment before answering, “We can head back to the WSQK. That’s where we can meet the others.”
Mike nodded. He spared one last concerned look at Will on his shoulder and began the trek back.
The couch in the WSQK dipped under Will’s weight as Mike set him down. It was a long walk, longer than usual. The only other person back yet was Robin, who greeted them at the door. She seemed shaken up.
Joyce was at the couch’s side in an instant, cupping Will’s face and carding a hand through his hair, whispering reassurances to the boy. Will remained unconscious, with not even a single stir. It worried them all.
“So, uh, the strangest thing happened. I almost got mauled by this demogorgon; it was coming right for me, right? And then it just. It's like, raised in the air and got Vecna’d. Like, bones snapping and all. Did— did anything happen to you guys? Also, why is Will passed out? Is he okay?”
Mike and Joyce shared a look before Mike spoke up. “Will,” he said, then paused to find the right words. Robin listened closely, waiting for an explanation. “I— the same thing happened to me. With a demogorgon. It was Will, he… he stopped them. Like El would. Except he snapped their bones like Vecna. He had his arm out, and his nose bled, it— it was crazy.” He watched as Robin’s eyes widened, taking in this information. “I would like to say he’s okay, but I really don’t know.” Mike turned his head to study Will’s face. He was still damp from the burst pipe they had tried to contain earlier, and his face looked flushed.
“Mini Byers did that…” Robin whispered to herself, and Mike could practically see the gears turning in her head. “But how?”
“His connection with Vecna,” Joyce chipped in. “He must’ve, I don't know, channeled his powers or something like that. He told me the connection to the hive mind was never truly severed.” It was a hard concept to wrap their heads around. That Will could do that.
The three didn’t have time to dwell on this, however, because they were interrupted by a soft groan. “Will?” Joyce snapped her head back to him, brushing a small clump of hair away from his face. They all watched as Will scrunched his nose in discomfort before his eyes fluttered open, squinting at the lights above.
“Mom?” he grunted, looking to the left to find her face in deep concern. Arms at his sides, he tried to sit up, but a gentle hand on his chest from Joyce held him down.
“Hey, hey, no, stay there. Let yourself wake up. How are you feeling, sweetie?” She rubbed a thumb over his shirt, back and forth.
He blinked harshly. “I— I don’t know. I’m fine. Mom, what's happening?” Will turned his head from Joyce, looking directly at Mike.
Mike gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. Noticing Robin in the back, he glanced over, and she gave a small wave.
“You passed out, baby,” Joyce explained, “We were downtown, do you remember?”
Will raised a hand to his head, rubbing at his temple. It was clear he was recalling the events that had just taken place. His eyes darted up to meet Joyce’s. Okay, he definitely remembered now. “I—I…” Will stuttered, unsure of what to say.
“Hey, Will, it’s okay. We can talk about that later, right guys?” Mike reassured, looking to Joyce and Robin to back him up.
Joyce nodded, and Robin said, “Yeah, Will. You look exhausted. Take a breather, Byers.”
There was a moment of silence, then Will simply said, “Okay.” It seemed he had a lot on his mind. Joyce resumed running her hand through his hair and coddling him. She kissed his forehead and held him close, not wanting him to be any further. Will was in danger. He was a threat with these powers.
A quiet moment was had, the group falling silent, aside from Joyce’s whispers of reassurance. Robin busied herself across the room with whatever there was to do that the WSQK, and Mike sat on the edge of the couch. He looked at Will with such care, it was as if he was afraid that Will might break into a million little pieces.
“Are you okay?” Mike broke the silence, brow furrowed.
Will cracked a smile, blushing a bit, though Mike didn’t notice. “Yeah… yeah. Are you? You’re hurt.” He gestured to the side of his head. Mike reached up, touching a wound next to his eyebrow, wincing. He hadn’t even realized it was there.
“Oh. Yeah, it’s nothing,” he told Will. “You’re seriously worried about me? After everything that happened with you?” The two boys laughed. Mike loved the way Will looked when he grinned, his eyes squinting and teeth showing.
Once their giggles died down, Will said, “I guess. I… care about you. A lot.” He broke eye contact, suddenly finding the pattern on the couch very interesting.
Mike's face heated up, c'mon get yourself together, and he bit back a satisfied smile. “…I care about you too.” Their eyes met for just a moment before breaking away. Mike got a fluttering feeling in his stomach.
Joyce, still next to Will, smiled. She looked at Mike, knowingly. They were good for each other. She was glad Will had someone like that in his life.