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So much had happened. So, so much. They were, how old? 15? Maybe 16? And yet they dealt with this. Well, more specifically, Will dealt with this. Okay- the whole reason he's even part of this was a poor bike ride home. The only reason he's, cursed, with this, is because he was, what? A little sensitive? Misunderstood? Nobody really knew the actual explanation for why Henry-Vecna, had abducted and violated Will the way he had, but they all had their theories.
Will kept walking, keeping pace with his close ones, not on planet earth. His mind stuck elsewhere, trying to debunk all of this confusion, to find logic. All reasoning for why it had to be him, floating around and being stabbed like clues to a cork board. Each possibility was drawn by mental string, only leading to more blurs, more confusion. It got to the point where he forced his mind to remember that day, the one where it all went wrong. He didn't like thinking about it, not like his brain let him remember much, if anything at all. He thought about when he went biking home, racing Dustin for that stupid comic book—what was it again? X-Men? Yes... he knew that much. What issue? What anything? And, oh God. He wasn't even trying to get there yet. He remembers running in that cold... awful place. Then, falling. The way his heart raced, his vision spinning, face boiling and sweat absolutely spoiling him, as he gripped the branch for dear life. His bag. When everything felt slow, right before the strips of fabric came undone from his backpack. The slight pain right before it had all just shot black in less than a second. He still remembers that, at least. The semi-consciousness as he felt his body being dragged, a cold, strong, and claw-like hand gripping his ankle, pulling him so God awfully slow. The feeling of being hoisted, the chill exploring every part of his body as a weird, human-like hand caressed his cheek. It wasn't like his mother's hand or like the Demogorgon, or anything like Mike's touch. It was, more calculated, more... sinister. More, intimate. He didn't like the tingle that managed to slip into his subconscious. He hated the slight rumble in his ears, despite not being able to make out a word, from whomever was touching him across his child face. It was so uncomfortable. Beyond unnerving. And it didn't stop there. The squelch of something moving wasn't lost behind the muffled speech and tickling along his cold, soft skin. He couldn't tell what that was either.
And then it happened. His chest burned and his throat constricted, trying to keep out the intruding, phallic—whatever it was. The way his esophagus seized at this thing, inside his mouth, made a burn go beyond his chest. It reached his nose, his eyes, and his body tried so hard to cry. So, so hard. His eyes stayed shut, though they fluttered, begging to be woken up and able to fight this off. He was so helpless. The way he felt himself choking, barely getting air through his nose, even then being blocked by these-things-forcing itself down his throat to nestle in his body. His lungs clenched as they also desperately begged for air to get by, though never being granted what it so dearly craved. What it needed. He felt so violated.
So, so violated.
It was exactly as how he learned from class, from his parents. It was the exact thing they warned every child and adult about, what it is, even if your mind refuses to acknowledge it as real, or refuses to believe it as "that bad." It was r-
"Will?"
He gasped, not realizing how deep he was lost. Will hadn't noticed he was holding in his breath, nor did he take note of the tingle plaguing his body as it physically tried to recall what he only meant to keep a thought. He didn't realize that he was growing sick to his stomach or furrowing his brows or clenching his fists or slightly trembling or choking quietly on his own saliva or a tad hunched as if he was about to vomit. His eyes peeled up from the floor, looking up to see his loved ones were turned at him, and significantly ahead of him. So he stopped for a while.
"Hey, Will. Are you okay, man?"
Mike always sounded so awkward with speaking to Will around El. Not like it mattered, though. Their relationship was long... complicated. It was best to call them over and done, despite how it felt tense, in a way. At least, that's how Mike interpreted it. Nothing about their break-up was tense, but he felt like it was, considering he was Eleven's first introduction to love, and he was a complete asshole with her heart, unable to say three damn words. Three words Will hoped he'd be able to some day be capable of saying to his face, if not Jane's. Oh, what is he thinking? That's completely silly. Impossible.
But then again, if you asked him roughly four years ago if he thought people with real-life powers existed, his—though fiction loving—response, would have said, "no."
"Uh- yeah, I am. Just, thinking about some stuff."
Will answered, shrugging his right shoulder lightly. He relaxed his hands, took a deep breath, and shoved his palms right into his jacket's pockets. Byers shook his head and tried to calm his being, catching up with the two in front of him.
"Whatcha thinking about?"
Mike queried, almost anxious to ask. It was like he wanted to know, but part of him, the part that wanted to please Will, to not upset him or bring up something uncomfortable, which he could tell from his physical reactions to his thoughts, was hesitant to even think of asking. He questioned anyway, but the words felt bitter on his tongue, as if he shouldn't have said anything. It was too late, he couldn't take it back even if he wanted to, because then it would seem like he didn't give a damn about what was going on in Will's head.
"What uh..."
Will felt himself tense up almost instantly. His eyes darted to Mike, before averting away. How would he tell his crush about how some stupid inter-dimensional being who was really just a human, violated his entire body? It was just asking to guarantee that Mike would never love him back. How could someone love someone so dirty?
"Just... things I still don't understand about Vecna's motives,"
Byers let out a sharp exhale as he tried to steer the topic away from his stupid trauma. It wasn't important those years ago, and it wasn't important now. He shouldn't bring it up. It'd just have everyone regurgitate pity that he wasn't a fan of hearing again. Everyone still treated him like a baby, even if he was grown. Understandably, he wouldn't like it, but at the same time, he also just wanted to be a kid again. The kid he was before that monster took away his innocence. He wanted to be treated as if it never happened, is the issue. But... how could he hate such care from Mike? He had to. He loved him, but it would be criminal to say the idea of Mike forcefully taking pity on him didn't leave a horrible taste in his mouth.
"Henry. He's a monster. He wants to take over the world."
Jane chimed in, sensing the discomfort from Will. He would be forever grateful to her for that. But, her casualness with saying... his name, didn't settle well in his stomach. He understood that she knew him as something before him and his friends' silly D&D names, but even then...
"Yes- yes. Exactly. Exactly that. What El said,"
Mike nodded, not completely aware that she was intervening for Will's sake. He still agreed, flashing a smiley nod of acknowledgement at El, then one to Will. Who, couldn't lie about the butterflies fluttering through his stomach at that puppy-dog smile that he hadn't seen in what felt like decades.
Will kept to himself as they continued walking together, trying to unscramble his brain, which honestly ached from all the thinking. Then, as he fell back between the two again—though this time it were different, not like a third wheel—he closed his eyes and focused.
The vision was all red and fuzzy, indicating he was unable to secure his hold on the strings quite yet. A subtle grunt of frustration roughed out from his lips, gaining the old duo's attention once again. The pair turned towards him, and of pure embarrassment, Will felt his cheeks flush warm. He looked down and away, hoping maybe they'd ignore it.
"Will, are you trying to spy?"
Jane asked, noticing the slight splotch of blood that dripped from his nose. This time, she stopped, and turned around to face him. Will glanced at her, almost ashamed of what he was doing, as if he felt like a fraud. El walked over, a smile on her face, less neutral than it was the entire walk.
"It is good that you are practicing, Will."
The girl placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling even wider. She liked hanging around her brother, learning from him how to do things like painting, sketching, crafting, even if she wasn't good at it—at least not like him. Jane saw this opportunity to be the teacher now, after spending most of her time as a student.
"Well- I tried, but I can't really..."
Will averted his gaze, feeling wrong. He felt like a thief. It wasn't his ability. He didn't go through torture like El to have it. He wasn't born with it innately, like she or Henry were. Like her mother was. He felt maybe that he only found it in himself to harness these because he knew deep down it was the exact reason why Mike loved her. And maybe at first it was love, or at least Mike thought it was. Whatever. He knew this wasn't his and it was a horrible sensation in his body.
Jane stuck her hand out, right by Will's pocketed one. She was waiting for him to grab and hold it. He noticed, but was hesitant to reach out. Though, he eventually broke, and placed his palm in hers. It was a nice, warm, and home-y grasp. It was nice, for El. She had something to really connect them more. While their bond of siblinghood was emotional, and not legal, they still felt like brother and sister. But, what did that matter? Blood never bound them either and this did, but it's just as meaningless as everything else. Who cares what a paper says about their statuses? They felt like family, and that's all they needed.
"Come, let's find something for you to practice on!"
Jane tightened her hold on Will's hand. Her smile brightened to a more toothy one. She was more thrilled than anything, about sharing this with Will, even with her upbringing. She had the opportunity to show someone what it was like, how to get stronger, to hone these powers, without the trauma from Papa.
El turned on her heel and dashed, dragging Will along. He yelped out, eyes widening as he stumbled to follow her. His other hand jumped from his pocket, using the back of his fingers to wipe off the blood, letting it rub against his pants. The little dribble left a smear of crimson against the light color, but he could always get more clothing. Will hadn't even noticed that they left Mike in the dust, so preoccupied on his sister's happiness, her joy.
"Hey!- Wait up!"
Mike yelled out, waving his hand as he got a move on. However, the Wonder Twins were far too fast for him, especially with Jane's excitement. The pair eventually made a sharp turn, stopping at a more quiet area.
By the time Mike caught up, he was beyond lost, and panting through questions. All of which were ignored.
"—the chance you can do things like Henry and I. Not just control the monsters,"
El spoke to Will, who nodded. He took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself, nervous. He wasn't sure how to tune his brain into another channel. Jane pointed at a small object, something light, and of little energy required. She gave a determined eyebrow scrunch.
"Focus on the object. The energy you feel around it. Connect with it and know everything about it from looking. Concentrate on it, but do not strain yourself. Only think about the pebble, and nothing else. Do not think about anything else, just that. Don't let your head get distracted and do not worry if it doesn't move at first."
She explained calmly, as if this was easy. Will felt a little more confused, now. How was he supposed to know the object from just looking at it? Nevermind- just don't think too much about it. He took a deep breath, holding it in. So... take the energy—feel it—and... that's it? Okay. First step was to draw it in from Vecna. That part wasn't too hard. He knew how to do that. Ah, but what if he can't do it? Not like El? What if he could ONLY control the monsters of the Upside Down? Then he'd disappoint her and would be practically invaluable for their imminent showdown with Vecna. What if—
"Will. Relax, you're tense. It is okay. Just breathe and... close your eyes."
Jane spoke softly, her voice comforting. Will looked at her, not realizing he was zoning out in the first place, and exhaled. He nodded once more, turning back to the pebble—which was a little bigger than how El described it, but whatever—and closed his eyes. He felt her hands positioning his arm out properly, in a way that helped her feel more in control of her abilities, and then let go.
Mike opened his mouth to talk again, but his breath caught in his throat. He shut his lips and swallowed, holding in air once more. Wheeler kept his eyes focused on Will's everything. The way he breathed, the way his eyebrows knit together as he concentrated on the object, the way his chest rose and fell as he took in his oxygen, his lips, and more importantly— his a-
"Will, look!"
Jane nearly squealed out, tapping on Will's arm gently. He opened his eyes, feeling a cool, and—honestly annoying—dribble of liquid coming from his nose. It was too slow and irked him. His focus never broke, despite this, and saw, that not too far off the ground, was the object he was trying to move. It wasn't extremely high off the floor, but it was something. Will dropped his arm and the rock clattered as it met the ground. He felt a small pang in his heart, unsure of what it was. He didn't have a name for it, until—
El threw herself into Will's side, holding him close with pure joy. She squeezed him, a wide smile painting her face, which nobody really sees these days, and a soft giggle as she clutched him.
"Will, you did it. I'm proud of you, man."
Mike managed to mutter out, hoping he didn't get drowned away through Jane's cheers. That's what it was. Pride. That's what Will felt. And it's also how Mike felt about him too. He'd be a liar to say that didn't make his chest blossom with his typically private yearning. Will glanced over at Mike, smiling nervously as he hesitantly nodded. Wheeler responded with an equally awkward grin, looking away as he sucked in air through his teeth. God, what was he doing? Complimenting him like that so suddenly? Not when these powers first showed up? He made everything so damn thick in the air. Oh, what a fool he was.
Mike mentally face palmed, closing his eyes as he turned away.
Will noticed this, feeling the tingle in his chest convert into a slight singe. He looked away from Mike, knowing it was probably for the better. Byers smiled down at El, patting her on the back as he returned the suffocating hug. He didn't like the idea of suffocating. It made his throat constrict. Almost like when...
'NOT now, William.'
He thought to himself, shaking his head and thoughts away. They'd return, but for now, they weren't going to bother him.
"Here- I'll find us something more difficult!"
Jane hummed out, letting go of Will as she turned to scout out. Then, she was instantly out of sight. Will swallowed thickly, breathing a little heavily as he felt a shiver in his throat. A slightly slimy, wiggly, phantom movement. He instinctively fought it, choking quietly on his own air.
Mike noticed, and wasn't sure what it was, but the protective part of him couldn't resist at least asking.
"Will? Are you... okay?"
He asked, instantly gaining his attention. Will's eyes twitched a little wider, head snapping to look at Mike. Then, like the memory, the feeling in his throat was gone. He just felt embarrassed and awkward again.
Since when did their relationship, their friendship, become so... tense? Will almost felt guilty for it. Maybe from their fights that they never made up. Or... something else? It wasn't the time to focus on their friendship when all of humanity was on the line. And even then, Mike still had to properly spit the words out to and WITH El, about how their relationship was done.
"Huuh- I'm fine- I mean- just, thinking again. About, the Upside Down. Trying to, at least. About what it was like, from what I remember."
Will answered, spitting out more than he realized, and more than what he was comfortable with sharing. That felt like more than he even shared to his own drawings, which he secretly poured in his experience to in each piece. His jaw hung open slightly, trying to process what he'd just said.
Mike didn't want him to feel uncomfortable or bad or anything, something, just for talking, so he replied as fast as he could.
"Well- that's good, right? I mean, not being there, but- remembering. A while back, you couldn't even remember what it was like at all."
Mike smiled softly, hoping that reassured Will, even if a little. Which, it did. Byers' guard dropped a little, almost like a sailor being instantly drawn in by a siren. Not that Mike was evil-
"Uh... yeah- yeah, it is."
Will answered, his tone a little dreamy as he felt their invisible tension soften up like warm butter. Mike gave his head a little dip, keeping a physical distance just in case.
"So then, if you don't mind me asking—what are you remembering about it, exactly?"
And then his heart stopped. Will felt himself freeze up and his breath caught again. Chills shot throughout his arms, his legs, his spine, and his eyes fluttered as he wanted to stammer out a lie. But, he didn't.
"You don't have to lie, I promise. You don't have to tell me if you'd rather say something untrue. It's okay, Will."
Mike stopped the other teen before he could come up with some fake sentence to get the love of his life off his back. Not that he minded him being there, it was just... hard.
"I... uh..."
Will huffed out, finally blinking and letting himself relax a little. Maybe... Mike and his friendship would become less awkward if he opened up? If he was honest about his experience? Maybe Mike would understand and be less, dodgy.
"Well... it's not really, remembering being there exactly... I can recall some bits of when I was hiding, but... it's mostly a uh, physical, reaction. My brain is all foggy and, I don't get to comprehend much about what happened, so sometimes my body reenacts things."
Byers spoke out. It hadn't clicked for Mike yet, he was a little slow. So he asked some more. He took a few steps closer, pulling his sleeve over his fingers.
"May I?"
Wheeler asked quickly, before getting right back to more questions. Will nodded, a little unsure, before he felt the cloth rubbing against his nose, cleaning up the blood.
"So... reenacting, what? I don't remember you saying you felt anything except cold, whenever we listened in through El. Is your body just, shivering like it's freezing again?"
Mike questioned, wiping away the rest of the scarlet. It stained his sleeve, but it wasn't as obvious as Will and his tan, beige—whatever they were—pants. Byers was nervous... even more so now that Mike cleaned off his blood, but felt inclined to respond, after being taken care of without asking.
"No... not exactly... I mean, sometimes I do get the cold sensation, but... it's... something else."
Will trailed off. Mike felt things starting to fall more into place as Will explained, but only as literal comprehension. He raised an eyebrow, dropping the cloth of his jacket from his fingers.
"What is it, then?"
Wheeler tilted his head, hair slipping to follow like an Angel's. Will knew it wasn't the time to fanboy over him, though.
"Like uh... a hand, almost human, touching my face. Kinda like- this-"
Will felt his hand reach out to replicate the sensation he constantly had, onto Mike's face. The notion made Mike's stomach churn a little sickly. He wasn't sure what happened, but the feeling of the hand, and knowing it was human—as Will described—didn't sit right with him. Not at all.
"And then uh... there was some, talking, I think. I don't know what the words were, but I heard a voice. Then there was this..."
Will felt a sickness in his own stomach, like he was about to vomit. He actually was, this time. It was so gross to verbalize this. It was one thing thinking about it. But telling someone else... it made it too real. But he was too far in now and couldn't just tell Mike, "hey, I realize that telling you this only makes the fact that Vecna basically raped me, real. Did I make that part clear? Because I don't want it to be true, so I'm not going to finish telling you." He couldn't. That was way too honest, and Mike only needed a little.
"Something kinda... went into my mouth, I think. Because I remember choking. I remember my throat was just, closing and opening, trying to fight, this- this thing. And right after, there was something slimy going down. I remember that I couldn't, I couldn't breathe."
Then it all clicked for Mike and he almost threw up on the spot. But he didn't say anything. He just nodded. Admitting this was hard enough, so he didn't want to say anything that could potentially make Will feel responsible, or guilty, or bad about it. Make him regret it. He hummed gently, nodding his head.
"Is that why you don't like being held too tight? Like- when it cuts off your air? Makes you feel like you're suffocating again?"
"Yeah... yeah. Hey- Mike?"
"Hm?"
"I'm... sorry. And, thank you. It's, hard to tell anyone, but I want it to stop, you know. Nobody really, likes the feeling of being choked. So, telling you makes me feel like... like I'll be able to let others know not to hold on too tight."
Mike felt his heart jump to his throat, hearing this. Something was so wrong with him, he sort of felt. No, no. Nothing was wrong with anything. If it was, then that made Will wrong. And he wasn't. He was far from it. He wanted to tell Will, to ask him if it was okay if he could still hold him like that. But he didn't. He opened his mouth to ask, but the words never came out. Well- they almost did.
"I-"
"Will! Mike! I found something!"
Jane came rushing back, the excitement still plaguing her being. She grabbed Will by the hands, and pulled him along before he could even process what she had said. Mike let out a quiet little chuckle, still taking in the two of them. He followed them.
Eleven came to a stop at a bridge, more broken. She stopped Will in front of it, and took a step to the side, bending her knees. In an instant, she pushed herself up, and used her powers to fling herself to the other side, barely making it.
"Do you want me to do THAT-?!"
Will called out in shock, eyebrows furrowed and confused. Jane shook her head, a bright smile visible all the way across.
"No! Cross the bridge! Use what I told you and trust in yourself to move the broken wood together to support you and Mike!"
She replied, sitting on a large rock right next to the bridge. El lolled her head side to side, feeling so childish and giddy—something she rarely found herself able to feel. Something she rarely allowed herself to be.
"I will help you if you need it!"
Jane finished off, before turning to stare at the destroyed bridge. She had herself ready to step in, in case Will couldn't do it or him or Mike fell through.
And so, with a bit more determination, given through opening up a little to Mike and cheering from his sister, Will bit his lip. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. His arm raised up and his hand faced out toward the bridge. Byers focused and took a step forward. Mike felt extremely nervous at the idea of this and letting Will go at it alone, but he realized, he had to trust him. Just a little more. He wasn't a scared 12 year old again. Not anymore. He let go of the nerves and turned his hesitance into trust.
He watched, though still nervous of the worst case scenario, as Will slowly made his way across. A smile of disbelief threw itself on his face, before instantly dropping to worry. He ran to the bridge and took a step on the wood, having to stop with a hand reached out.
Will almost fell through right at the end, breaking his focus. El jumped up and stood in front of him as he gripped onto the ropes. She looked at him and nodded.
"You're right there. Just close your eyes."
Jane spoke in an almost ethereal tone. Will felt his racing heart slow, and he closed his eyes again. He pulled himself up carefully, and twisted his hand to face the last piece of wood. The two pieces gravitated towards one another and he placed his foot directly on. He then took the last step towards the steady ground.
"Will!"
Mike called out from across the way. Will turned his head around, eyes opening. And the way he looked, so happy and proud... it made Mike's heart flutter. Something he's held back for so long flew through his body, and he felt his cheeks warm.
"Come on, Mike! I got you!"
Will responded with a newfound confidence. Mike nodded, a smile on his face showing his teeth. His feet carried themselves across the bridge as Will closed his eyes, stuck out his hands, and held the rickety thing together. Mike made his way over and he almost threw himself at Will.
"I'm so, so damn proud of you."
Mike pulled him into a hug, one of those he hasn't given Will in years since he first went missing. Around then. He muffled some words of appreciation into Will's neck as he held him tight, almost forgetting their talk from earlier. But Will didn't choke. He didn't gasp and cough over his own breath. He actually returned the hug, the tight grasp.
Mike, after quite some time, pulled himself back, arms still clinging on. He looked at Will, and felt himself a little more drawn in than before.
Jane didn't even care, turning off to find something else for Will to practice on. Leaving the two yet again.
"Mike..."
Will muttered, a little embarrassed from how much he'd been complimented. He wasn't complaining, but is voice was a little, whiny. Like when a mom teases their kid. This wasn't quite that, though. And something changed, shifting between the two.
"Let's both just... relax. I, uh... don't want you to..."
Mike stumbled over his words. For so long he'd struggled with himself, and seeing how Will managed to slowly get the hang of his own problems, to get comfortable with who he really was, maybe he could too. And... after spending so long with someone, they drove one another crazy. Going crazy together.
"Just... close your eyes."
Wheeler managed to spit out, before he felt himself back out of this after overthinking it.
Will nodded, nervously. A tingle in his heart and another set of butterflies in his stomach and chest. He closed his eyes and there was a warmth on his face. A warmth on his... lips.
A kiss.