Chapter Text
William Byers had never been a normal kid. For as long as he could remember, there had been signs that he had brushed off, managing to find every excuse under the sun for the things he could not understand. He listened to his mom when she told him that the reason he was struggling in school was because he had dyslexia and ADHD, and not because he was fundamentally broken. He listened to his brother, when he told him that liking men wouldn’t make him a social pariah in the rest of the world, only in their small town. He listened to everyone around him when they told him that the things he would see from time to time, those things that he could not wrap his head around, were all in his mind. Will had lived for years believing what everyone told him, all for it to come crashing down on a random Sunday.
November 6th started out as any regular day. Will arrived late to the coffee shop he worked at because he had to bike there. He might have been able to buy a car—albeit a cheap one— after starting to work, but his goal was to save up to go to college. Will was then reminded by his coworker that it was his turn to close up that day, which would mean getting home late. He wasn’t too bothered by it, as he didn’t exactly have anything to do back home. Both his mom and brother were going to be working late, and he didn’t want to be home alone with his dad anyway.
Though there was nothing Will could pinpoint as being wrong with that day, an uneasy feeling followed him throughout it. In between bursts of clients, Will found the time to sketch, as he always did. This time, he drew a boy cowering in front of a cyclops. Will thinks he dreamt this, but dreams were always elusive to him. He would more often than not wake up drenched in a cold sweat with only a feeling of urgency but no real recollection of what he had witnessed. Though at times, there were glimpses. Will tried not to think about it too hard.
When the time came to close up shop, Will took his time cleaning. Daylight was quickly fading when he finally made his way out of the building. The warm months had taken with them all of the light of the sun, leaving behind only darkness and a melancholic feeling.
Will started to bike home, dreading having to walk past the living room—where his dad would inevitably be laying on the couch, beers sprawled over the coffee table and watching some crappy movie— in order to get to his room. He had ignored the uneasy feeling he had had for the whole day successfully. That was, until he turned into a side road, his shortcut home, and saw a humanoid figure lurking in the middle of the street, but there was something off about it. It was too big, freakishly tall but also bulky.
The light was already too dim for Will to see what it was, but the goosebumps rising on the back of his neck told him all he needed to know: he was in danger, and he needed to get out of there. He tried to turn back but behind him he saw three winged monster looking creatures. In a spur of the moment decision, Will ditched his bike and tailed it into the woods. He was so close to home, he knew he would only to run another five minutes to get there. But the monsters were too quick. Something tackled him and he hit the ground.
—
The next thing Will can remember is a dark haired boy shaking him as he’s in a warehouse of some sorts. He looked around bewildered as the boy hurried to untie the ropes around Will’s wrists. When did he get tied up? How did he get there? Those weren’t questions that he had answers too, but the other boy might. Before Will could ask anything though, two more boys ran into the room yelling: “He knows we’re here!” The dark skinned boy yelled. “We need to get out of here right now.” The curly haired boy at his side added. They started moving the discarded furniture in the room in front of the door.
“Can you stand?” Asked the pale boy that was next to Will. Before he could get a word out a roar could be heard uncomfortably close as the ground shook. “Mike. Out. Now.” The curly haired boy insisted.
The boy, Mike, winced as he looked at Will and said “This is gonna feel horrible, sorry!” as he grabbed Will. His two friends hurried to touch Mike as the door that was now barricaded burst open, a Cyclops bursting in. Will was frozen in place at the sight, but before the Cyclops could reach them, a darkness enveloped the boys.
It only took a split second before he could see again, but now they were in an entirely different place. Will would have admired the beautiful scenery if he didn’t have to double over to throw up. The boy heard a few groans behind him but nobody seemed to be having the same visceral reaction as him. When he finally stoped puking, he took a moment to breathe heavily before turning to see the two boys Will still didn’t know the name of holding their own stomachs but otherwise fine, and Mike spread out on the grass next to them, seeming drained.
“Who are you and what the hell just happened?” Will managed to croak.
One of the boys scoffed, seeming to take great offence at Will’s words. “We’re the heroes who just saved your ass. A thank you would have sufficed.”
The other boy didn’t seem as upset as his friend and told Will “My name is Dustin, this is Lucas…” he then gestured to the almost unconscious boy laying on the grass “… and that’s Mike. We were sent on a quest to find you.”
Will raised an eyebrow at that “What’s a quest?”
At this question, even Dustin’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t know?” Will shook his head at the boy. “This is crazy, there’s no way he doesn’t know.” squawked Lucas, adding an exasperated “Okay who’s your godly parent at least?”
“My what?” Will felt his head spin a bit, probably an aftershock of the sudden teleportation. Speaking of “Wait did we just teleport here?” Will finally started scanning his surroundings, standing up. They were on a hill, overlooking a clearing with a some buildings scattered around and a forest next to the ocean.
“He must have had his memories erased or something.” Dustin muttered to Lucas before turning to Will with a concerned look on his face. “Do you know your name?”
“What kinda question even is that? Yeah, I’m Will.”
Lucas made a choked sound “What kinda quest—” he then cuts himself off to add “A valid question. You don’t seem to remember anything else!” in an aggravated voice.
“That’s because you’re asking me about made up stuff!”
“It’s most definitely not made up. How else do you explain what just happened?”
Will was about to open his mouth to retaliate but a groan sounded from the boy laying down. “Would you guys please shut up?” he sits up and cradles his head in his hands “My head is killing me!”
“Oh shit yeah..” mumbled Dustin as he and Lucas went to help Mike up, which the boy accepted, heavily leaning on the boys. They started walking down the hill and Will assumed he should follow them.
When they had finally made their way down, a red haired girl ran up to greet the boys. “Holy shit, you guys actually made it back in one piece…” She looked at Mike being practically carried by the two boys “…somewhat.” her words weren’t exactly friendly but Will could tell she was glad they were back. Then she locked eyes with Will. She didn’t say anything to him as he lifted a hand in a half wave. He didn’t exactly know how he was supposed to react.
“Max, help Lucas take Mike to the infirmary. I’ll take Will to the big house.” Dustin shrugged off Mike’s hand from his shoulder and tried to give his arm to Max, but she stepped back. “I’m not helping carry Wheeler, he doesn’t even seem that hurt.”
Lucas rolled his eyes “I got him, don’t worry.”
Looking at Mike’s slumped body against Lucas, he wasn’t sure he had it but he wasn’t exactly in a position to say anything. These were strangers after all. As Lucas started taking a few steps, Mike stumbled forward, but Lucas adjusted his grip and all but lifted Mike off of the ground. Damn, that boy really strong. Max followed them, but still didn’t lift a hand to help Mike.
Will turned to Dustin who also started moving. “Come on, we need to get you to Hopper.”
So Will followed the curly haired boy into what he presumed to be the big house, given that thing’s size. Inside, it seemed more or less like a normal house, if you discounted some really weird objects littered throughout it. Where does one even buy a psychedelic dolphin painting? Alas, the boys made their way to a closed door and Dustin knocked on it. A groan could be heard on the other side of the door and then, after a few seconds “Come in!”
Dustin didn’t waste a moment to swing the door open and waltz right in. Will followed behind him to see a middle aged man sat down at a desk, with a big platter of grapes in front of him and a coffee to the side. That didn’t sound like a great combo to Will, but it was none of his business really. The moustached man looked at Dustin and his eyes widened “You’re back already?” his eyes then scanned Will “Is this him?”
At this, Will’s eyes narrowed. This was the second time today, a stranger seemed to know about Will’s existence. First, Lucas had mentioned on the hill how they were sent on a quest— whatever that was— to save him. And now this mad asked if Will was “him”. Who even was he supposed to be?
Dustin interrupted his train of thought by answering Hopper “He is but…” the curly haired boy gave Will a quick look “He kinda doesn’t know anything.” Okay, Will was fuming at this point.
“You’re constantly talking about made up stuff and getting on my ass for not knowing.” He raised his hands in annoyance “Of course I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”
Hopper groaned and started rubbing his temple. “Okay, let me get this straight.” he looked at Will “Nobody ever told you about the gods or camp or anything of the sort?”
Surely, these people were taking the piss at Will. He scoffed “Okay, yeah, this is not a funny prank at all.” he shook his head and continued “Make fun of the kid that sees monsters everywhere.”
At that, Dustin made a sound “So you are a demigod!”
Hopper looks like he wants to shoot himself. “Of course he is, he wouldn’t have been able to cross the camp border otherwise. You’d think an Athena kid would be smarter…”
Will’s head was spinning again, but this time he didn’t think it was because of the teleportation thing. “What’s a demigod?” he could at least try his luck to get some answers.
Hopper seemed to finally take pity on him somewhat “A demigod is half man, half god. Newsflash kid, one of your parents is a god.”
Will was more confused than before “Are you saying I’m Jesus?” He was pretty sure the church would not agree with Jesus liking guys.
Dustin laughed and shook his head “No, dummy, he means the greek gods.”
“You say that like it’s supposed to be obvious.” Will did not being appreciate being laughed at. “But it’s not nearly as believable as your tone suggests you think it is.” he snapped.
“Dustin, wait outside. I’ll sort this out.” said Hopper.
The boy shrugged and left the room closing the door behind him. Hopper cleared his throat and motioned to sit on the chair in front of him. Will sat down.
“So for this to work you’re gonna have to suspend your disbelief a bit kid. What’s your name by the way?”
Will didn’t know how much he could suspend his disbelief, but Hopper seemed sincere enough that he didn’t want to shut him down immediately. “I’m Will Byers.” he then continued “And I assume you’re Hopper?”
Hopper’s face immediately darkened at being called that. “I’ll let you off this time because you’re new, but call me that one more time and I’ll turn you into a grape.” As if to accentuate his words, he popped a grape into his mouth. Will shuddered. Something about the look in Hopper’s eyes made him believe it.
—
When Will left the office, he was much more caught up to date with what had been going on, and although believing anything that was said seemed bonkers, it had been a weird day. Weird enough that Will just accepted it at face value. Greek gods? Sure. He’s a demigod? Well, he’d sure hope he wasn’t actually Lonnie’s son. And how he got to camp? Apparently a quest was requested by Apollo a week before. Something about saving a demigod trapped in a cyclops’ lair. He was supposedly the demigod in question, but everyone assumed they’d get more answers once the demigod was saved. The gods didn’t usually send others on quests to save demigod lives, after all. That’s usually satyr work, and it rarely ever happens after a kid turns 14. Apparently they don’t really stay alive in the outside world after that. Not if they didn’t get to camp. A last question burned in his mind: How did he survive out there for so long?
Dustin was waiting on the couch in the house’s living room. As soon as he saw Will, he got up and walked over to the boy.
“So, are you up to speed?” He seemed too excited by this prospect.
Will answered him “Umm, somewhat? I still have some questions but I guess the main stuff is out of the way. He said I can’t leave yet. It’s apparently not safe.” he tries to ignore the tight feeling in his chest as he says that. What are his mom and brother thinking right now? Hopper — Will had resigned to keep referring to him like that at least in his head, since the man hadn’t offered an alternative— had called Will’s mom to let her know that he was safe, giving her a brief rundown and she seemed to be taking it surprisingly well, almost as if it wasn’t the first time she had heard about that place. Her only insistence was that she talk to Will, even if only for a few minutes. Will wasn’t too proud to admit that he teared up at the sound of his mother’s voice.
He gets pulled out of that train of thought when Dustin starts talking again. “Come on, I’ll show you to the Hermes cabin. Since you’re still unclaimed, that’s where you’ll be staying.” Will nods as they walk out and start heading to a small clump of cabins.
“Now that you’re all caught up, I’ve been dying to know how you ended up with that cyclops and why he kept you instead of eating you.”
“Oh I’m not exactly sure either.” he says, a frown adorning his face “I just remember seeing him in the middle of the street on the way home and then my memory blanks up until that guy Mike shook me awake.”
It feels wrong to not remember anything. Hopper had asked him about it too, but when informed about the boy’s apparent memory loss, he just sighed and told the boy that sometimes traumatic memories acted like that, and there was not much that could be done about it.
“I never thanked you by the way, so thanks for—uh, saving me?” Will didn’t mean for his voice to pitch up at the end of his sentence, but it did feel weird saying those words, even if they were warranted. It made it all more real.
“Oh there’s no need to thank us, although Lucas would probably disagree. Saving you was an official quest, and you pretty much get eternal glory after going on one. We’re the coolest people around now, thanks to you.”
Dustin stopped in front of a cabin and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a boy a few years older than them whose face broke into a smile when he saw Dustin at the door. “Henderson! You’re back!” he exclaimed excitedly while pulling the boy into a hug. Then his gaze shifted to Will “And this is?”
“I’m Will.” “He’s the guy we saved!” Will and Dustin answered at the same time. Dustin continued “I gotta go unpack but this guy’s unclaimed so he’ll be staying with you.” waving them off and leaving. The way people kept talking about Will staying or going or existing in general, he was starting to feel more like a pet getting passed from one person to another.
Still, when the guy happily exclaimed “I’m Steve, nice to meet you. Welcome to the Hermes cabin!” Will decided Steve wasn’t so bad. He walked in to be greeted by an array of bunk beds that were seemingly empty. Only one of them, probably Steve’s, appeared to be occupied.
“It’s usually more busy around here.” Steve supplies “Everyone’s here during the summer, but most people don’t stay the rest of the year. That means it’s just you and me, so pick whatever bed you want.”
Will thanks the boy, sitting down on his bed of choice. He then looks up at Steve and says “I thought it was unsafe to leave this place.”
Steve seems to take this statement as the question that it is “Well it’s unsafe if you don’t have any training, but most kids start doing good enough after a summer. Unless you’re a kid of the big three, then the monsters go crazy to find you, and they get more ruthless. Then it’s not very safe unless you’ve had extensive training.”
Will tilts his head to the side “Big three?”
Steve plops down on his own bed and looks back to Will. “Yeah, you know— like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. They’re the most powerful ones.”
This seems to only confuse Will further “I thought you were a son of Hermes though.”
Steve’s eyes get a faraway look in them for just a moment before he clears his expression, answering “You can choose if you want to go home or not, even if they’re not in immediate danger. For some people, being at camp is better than being at home.”
Will nodded, then there was silence. He then started fiddling with his fingers, not knowing exactly what to do now. He didn’t have his phone to pass the time scrolling, since apparently having a phone wasn’t safe. He didn’t have his sketchbook either. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t really have anything here other than the clothes on his back, and they were filthy.
“Hey Steve, is there anywhere I could get a change of clothes?” Will asked in a small voice.
At that, Steve groaned and smacked himself on the forehead, as if he had just remembered that. “Yes, oh my gods I forgot about that. Come on, I’ll take you to the camp store to get you some essentials.”
Will scratched at his neck, but got up and started following Steve. “I don’t exactly have any money either.”
The older boy laughed “Oh don’t worry about that, the essential things are free. But unfortunately for you, the fashion options here tend to be limited to the official camp shirts. Come on, of we hurry we can still make it in time for dinner.”
Will hadn’t realised how late it was getting, although the sun was starting to set, but his stomach growled in acknowledgement. They picked out a few camp shirts and an assortment of other essentials. They then hurried back to their cabin and Will set down his newly acquired things on the empty bunk above his. He then picked a clean change of clothes and his towel and headed to the bathroom.
There, Will saw his reflection for what was probably the first time in a week. To say he looked rough would have been an understatement. Aside from the scrapes littering his body, the bags under his eyes were more prominent than ever, and when he finally undressed, Will realised how much weight he had lost. He wondered when the last time he ate was. He shook his head and got in the shower, letting the warm water hit his skin. It felt positively divine. So good that everything else faded away.
He was probably in that shower for around 20 minutes before he got out and got dressed. He hoped Steve had waited for him, since he didn’t know where the dining hall was. Exiting the bathroom, his prayers were answered when he saw Steve sitting down on his bed. As soon as he locked eyes with Will he got up to walk to the door and put his shoes on.
They started walking in comfortable silence at first. Steve was gracious enough not to comment on how long Will had taken getting ready, and Will was too busy admiring how lanterns were strung everywhere, illuminating the way to the dining hall. This felt like a summer evening, which was insane, because he was pretty sure it was November. That made him realise how uncharacteristically warm this place was. He suddenly turned to Steve, asking “Hey by the way, where is this camp? I mean, it’s so warm outside. I’m only wearing a t-shirt and it’s already November. Are we in Florida or something?”
Steve let out a laugh “Definitely not Florida, we’re in Long Island.” He saw Will’s face scrunch up in confusion at that statement and added “I don’t really get it either, something about the gods controlling the weather or something like that. Our very own safe haven.”
They reached what Will thought was supposed to be a dining hall, but in true summer camp fashion, turned out to be a bunch of tables out on the grass with a fire lit at the centre of it all. The tables were mostly empty, though the people separated into a few small groups. He saw the guys that brought him here at a table with the girl from before, Max, and another girl he didn’t know next to them.
Steve turned to him to say “Usually in the summer, we sit by cabin, but there’s not that many of us in the winter so the rules go a bit lax.” He gestured to the tables “So feel free to sit wherever.” He didn’t exactly know where he should sit, and Steve had already left to sit down next to his friends.
He stood unmoved for a moment before Dustin caught his eye and waved him over. “Will, over here!”
Will headed over to that table and took a seat next to Dustin, shooting a smile at the boy and greeting him. “How are you settling in? I trust Steve’s been treating you well.” At that, Will thought of the slightly aloof but well intentioned boy “Yeah, it’s been good.”
Dustin’s eyebrows raised a bit, as if he had remembered a vital piece of information, only to turn towards everyone else and start saying “Will, this is everyone. Everyone, this is Will.” He waved at everyone. It wasn’t a great introduction, but at least Dustin tried. He still didn’t know the name of the girl sitting next to Max, but he had managed to piece together the other names over the course of the day.
He was about to ask about where to get food but Dustin seemed to read his mind. “Oh yeah check this out!” He then took his goblet and said “Coke” and the beverage appeared inside of it. “You can just ask for any drink you want and it’ll appear. Same for the food.”
Will settled on asking for a burger with fries and a coke, but as he’s about to pop a fry into his mouth Lucas’ hand stops him. “You’re supposed to give away part of your food as an offering to your godly parent before you eat any.”
This made Will’s brows furrow. “I don’t even know who the guy is.” “Just— just do it, it’s not worth the consequences if you don’t. You don’t have to say their name, they know who they are.”
This made sense in a way, gods needed to feel important, he supposed. “How do I do that?” Will asked, not looking Lucas in the eyes. He heard a sigh as Lucas got up “Come on, I’ll show you.” It seemed like an olive branch, since up until then he was positively sure Lucas didn’t like him. He probably looked at Will and felt pity though.
Hurriedly, Will picked up his plate like Lucas had done and followed the boy to the fire. “You just drop it in and dedicate it to the gods, like this.” He scraped a cut up slice of steak into the fireplace and saying “To Zeus.” as he did it. Will followed suit, throwing a few fries into the fire and muttering “To dad I guess, whoever you are.”
They headed back to the table and soon after they sat back down and Will started digging into his food, Max, who was sitting in between the mysterious girl and Lucas asked, as if she couldn’t contain it anymore “So have you been claimed?” It probably wasn’t the girl’s intention, but that question made Will wince. “No, I still haven’t been.” This made her huff a bit. Mike, who was sitting opposite him pitched in “I think you’ll find out soon. I mean, you’re important enough to get a quest made around saving you.” Will could feel his cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment. The quest made him feel all too much like he was in the centre of attention.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Will mumbled. In truth, he didn’t know if he wanted to find out who his godly parent was. The guy definitely didn’t make any effort to get to know Will before any of this transpired.
The conversation moved on from him, which was a small blessing. He used that time to look at everyone around him more closely. It wasn’t long before his eyes drifted to Mike. He observed the boy’s pale face, paired with dark circles around his eyes that rivalled Will’s. He had sharp features, which might have seemed intimidating had he not been sporting a small smile at whatever his friends had been saying. Will had long lost track of what was being said, too enthralled by the boy in front of him. As the boy in front of him took a sip from his drink, Will saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down and oh oh, this is what did it for Will? It’s as if the world started moving in slow motion. He felt himself blush at the realisation that Mike was really really attractive. He didn’t know how he didn’t realise this earlier— probably because he had been in fight or flight mode— but Mike was Will’s type to a T.
As this realisation cemented itself, Mike’s eyes locked with his for a moment before Will quickly turned his gaze down to his food. He hoped in this low lighting, nobody would notice the flush that had overcome him. If anyone did, they didn’t say anything.
He tried turning his attention again to the ongoing conversation, but it was fruitless. He couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. Soon enough, Dustin turned to Will again as everyone was getting up from the table and motioned for him to follow. “Come on, we’re going to the amphitheater now!” The girl whose name he still didn’t know continued by saying “It’s singalong night!” She seemed excited by that prospect, if the twinkle in her eye was anything to go by.
A singalong seemed like an oddly cheerful way to end the night, especially considering what a day he’d had, but at least this way he wouldn’t have to go back to his bunk and dwell on anything. So he followed as everyone walked from the dining pavilion towards the amphitheater and shuffled onto the end of one of the benches. He somehow ended up sitting right next to Mike, which meant Will’s luck was truly rotten, because now he would be hyperconscious of every move he made. He tried his best to look to the front, where a guy with long curly hair was sitting with a guitar, waiting for everyone to settle down.
“That’s Eddie. He’s a Hephaestus kid.” he heard a voice close to his ear on the left and turned to see Mike turned towards him. “Usually during the summer the Apollo kids hijack the guitar but we’re a bit short on them during the winter.” Will gave Mike a nod in thanks which in turn made the boy keep speaking “I mean, El is an Apollo kid but she’s not really the musical type.”
Will’s brows raised in confusion “Who’s El?”
At that, Mike’s hand went up to scratch the side of his head “Oh, her real name is Jane, but everyone calls her El.” He points to the girl that had been sitting with them at dinner. Finally, a name to match to the face.
Will’s mouth made an O shape and he racked his brain to find something to say to Mike. “I never got the chance to thank you by the way.” he rubbed at the back of his neck “So thank you for saving me!”
If Will didn’t know any better, he’d think that Mike was starting to blush, but it was probably just the lighting from the fire. “No problem! Glad you’re okay now.”
If only he were okay. His life had just turned upside down, and he was jumping from distraction to distraction to avoid breaking down into tears. Instead, he just said “I’m glad to see you’re better now. You didn’t seem to be doing very good earlier today.”
The music finally started to play in the background and everyone started to sing along to a song Will didn’t recognise. Mike didn’t pay much attention to that, instead opting to keep the conversation going. “Oh yeah, shadow travel does that sometimes. I just needed to sleep it off.”
Will tilted his head to the side and Mike seemed to understand the unasked question. “Shadow travel is what I did to get us to camp so quickly.” Will’s brows lifted “Oh you mean that teleportation thingy.”
The dark haired boy let out a small laugh at that. “Yes, the teleportation thing. It’s just manipulating shadows in order to move from one to another.”
“Will I be able to do that too after some time here?” Will asked curiously.
It seemed like the question amused Mike, but the boy didn’t laugh. “Maybe, depends who your godly parent is. Only Hades kids can shadow travel.” The idea instantly lost its appeal to Will. Being able to shadow travel would mean he’d be Mike’s brother. In fact, he was starting to wonder how any of that worked. Weren’t all gods related to each other? Will’s stomach turned at the thought.
Mike probably noticed the change in Will’s mood and immediately tried to reassure Will. “I’m sure you’ll find out who your parent is soon. Usually it’s within a few weeks of getting to camp.” Good, Mike thought his sour mood was just daddy issues.
He shot the dark haired boy a reassuring smile “Yeah, hopefully that will get sorted out soon.”
That put an end to their conversation. Both boys turned their attention back to the singalong happening, and Will recognised the song they were playing as an older Taylor Swift one. He resigned himself to just listening though, because he couldn’t bear the embarrassment of singing off key next to a cute guy.
One by one, people started dispersing and heading to their cabins. Will took that as his sign to retreat to his cabin too, saying a quick goodbye to his new acquaintances before he left.
In his cabin, Will got ready for bed, changing into a new camp shirt he’d gotten and also a pair of sweatpants he’d grabbed from the camp store earlier. Steve was still out at the campfire, which meant Will was now alone for the first time today. He laid down on his bed and pulled his covers over him, as if they could protect him from any further harm. The boy thought of his mom and brother, hoping they were doing alright without him. What were they gonna tell everyone about Will going missing? Did Lonnie know where he was? Did he even notice or care? The silver lining to all of this was that Lonnie wasn’t his real dad.
And then there was the other issue, he couldn’t remember anything from the past week. Hopper had told him it was a normal trauma response, but that didn’t stop Will from feeling helpless. It was as if his body wasn’t even his own, like somebody reached in and scrambled his thoughts for him.
Will tried to dispel all of his swirling thoughts, but the silence that followed was almost worse. It seemed his body was finally catching up to the fact that he had been in danger, and all of a sudden tears were spilling out of his eyes. He tried to stop them but that only had the opposite effect, a sob racking through him. Will was glad now that Steve wasn’t in the room with him. After a few minutes of this, he finally managed to get his breathing under control. And then Will’s eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. He couldn’t resist sleep anymore.