Chapter Text
Everything that Mike believed was real, wasn’t. It was a trick of shadows that morphed into his real life; a facade. An illusion puppeteered by Vecna to achieve the one thing he knows best, psychological torment. And Mike was his current favourite plaything.
Mike didn’t even realize it until eighteen months later, sitting at graduation and listening to Dustin’s valedictorian speech. He wondered why his hands were placed in front of his stomach when he’d never sat like that before. He was convinced he was having some sort of brain aneurysm because he had zero control over his arms. Then looking around revealed something worse; all of the students around him sat like that too.
Now, his head was rushing quicker than it was thirty seconds ago and he noticed the speaker was too loud. The frequency was overtly powerful, and it oddly had a lot of power for a school’s broadcast when it should have been used as a military-grade device. It pulsated with static consistently, throbbing and screeching, and if Mike listened closely, he could make something out, a voice maybe.
Mike, wake up!
He figured it was a fly buzzing around his head. It’s nothing, he told himself.
Then it happened again.
Mike, can you hear me?
He swatted the back of his neck where the sound was coming from. A texture grazed his finger pads ever so slightly. Goosebumps. And now, coming from the speaker above Dustin’s head sounded a chime, four of them to be exact, and no one seemed to bat an eye. It was a clock’s chime, deep and guttural. Mike swung his head around, looking for his family, who were now nowhere to be found in the bleachers where they were five minutes ago.
He closed his eyes for a second too long, and somehow ended up in his own basement, sitting at a table across from his friends. He just saw them at their school, and wasn’t he just with them too? Their D&D books and game mat were already prepared, D-20s scattered across the board, all of them captivated by the motivation to win – like they had been playing for hours.
“Mike? What’s next?” Will asked him, eager for a response.
But he didn’t know what was next, he had no recollection of making his way here, nevermind in the midst of a Dungeons and Dragons game.
He stared down at his own book, which had been flipped to almost a hundred pages forward from the start. Without missing a beat, he placed these plastic vampire teeth in his mouth, for a reason unknown to him.
Mike glared directly at Will, “Time to join your friends, sorcerer,” in a very weird accent and in return Will rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh.
When his tongue rested on his lips, he wondered why he said and did that. It didn’t feel necessary at the moment, nor were the vampire teeth – he didn’t even know he had those. And his sentence about joining his friends? It was like his mouth was moving at a rate his mind wasn’t, like a disease that hasn’t yet caught up to your lips, but it is there. And for some reason, all four of the members were just staring at him now, probably waiting for an answer. But he just spoke a second ago, he was sure they would entertain themselves. Why weren’t they? Why did time seem so slow and quick at the same time?
Like clockwork controlled by the sky, a crash of thunder made its presence known from behind the window across from their table, causing the basement lights to flicker slowly, then pick up speed, and then dim and turn off completely. His friends disappeared like a flash of lightning as an unusually cracked and dirtied grandfather clock appeared in front of him, replacing the table.
Michael.
Is that the voice he heard earlier? It can’t be, what he heard at graduation was a familiar sounding voice, one he couldn’t mistake.
Mike. Jesus Christ, wake up.
Will?
By now, the crimson red flashes had already struck Mike’s eyes, curling up from the edge of his retina to the ends of his pupil. All he could see was red. His body went cold and numb, like his blood had stopped pumping oxygen through his veins.
And then he saw someone hovering above him, shaking him vigorously from the shoulders. A weird blob of colours that he couldn’t make out as the red was still prickling his eyes. He could make out brown hair, curly maybe, and a sweater of some sorts.
“Will? Is that you?” Mike said, his own faint voice shocking him.
“Mike! Oh my god, oh my god. Wake up, please,” a young woman’s voice replaced his mental image of Will.
She kept lightly tapping his cheeks with her icy palm, likely in an attempt to wake him up. His vision slowly started to return. Her once blob-like sight turned into an actual human’s face, her features soft but memorable, and the determination yet concern in her eyes like Mike had been told he resembled. Nancy.
He was finally able to open his eyes fully but the red was still there. Instead, it was all around him, looming in the sky as thunder, and seeping into the ground as vines. The familiar lightning boomed again, this time setting a nearby tree ablaze a fiery hue.
“What? We’re in the Upside Down?” Mike asked with a tone of discomfort in his voice. He scanned the people around him: Dustin, Lucas, Max, Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Steve, Robin and El. She’s safe, thank god, they all are, Mike thought. One person is missing, though. Even in a frenzy, he always notices Will’s absence and now, a sense of dread consumes the entire surface area of his chest.
“Will? Where’s Will?” he asked again, a breathless tremor in his voice he was not planning to have. Nancy looked to Jonathan, who looked at Hopper, who then looked back at Mike.
“To your right, kid.” Hopper said, a pensive wrinkle forming between his brows.
He realized his back was leaning against a rotted tree, and he sat almost five feet away from a large piece of barbed wire that would loop around and turn into the shape of a rectangle, probably a field, but it was hard to see with all of the red thunder and the vines and debris. Mike then would understand the main source of everyone’s worry, and to his not-so-surprise, a newfound panic began to brutally pierce his gut.
In the middle of the field was Will, eyes rolled to the back of his head with a white film covering his pupils. He couldn’t see, or maybe he could, but through something else, someone else. His hair was sweaty with tinges of blood staining some strands as they stuck to his forehead. He was wearing Mike’s sweater that he had lent him once, and looking at it now Mike was surprised it still fit him. He was getting far too ahead of himself and he wondered why the fit of a sweater even made a mention into his thoughts.
It settled in though, the picture of Will levitating a few feet off of the ground, his palms facing outwards and his lips quivering – in fear or struggle.
Mike’s neck whipped back to face Nancy as sweat beads began to form on the back of his neck, “What the hell happened? How… how long have we been here? And how long was I knocked out for?”
Nancy’s furrowed brows sent a chill down his back, he knew that look. The look of bewilderment and confusion she had always put on, especially during the many previous battles they’ve fought. She was scared, Mike concluded, and probably didn’t have any of the answers he wanted.
“I don’t know, Mike. Time is warped here. We think a week maybe? Minimum. All we know is that we need you,” her voice echoed into his ears.
“Jesus. Okay, I can help, but, I don’t know, have you done anything to try and to help him?” Mike gestured his face to Will, who was still in the same position he was a minute ago. The sweat formed quicker at the prolonged sight of him, a panic nestling itself deep within the crevices of Mike’s chest.
“Yeah, of course we have.”
“And? Anything?” Nancy shook her head no as she stared at her feet.
Mike lifted himself off of the unstable ground, mud or blood stinging the small cuts in his hands. He stood on the balls of his heel so he could glance directly at El, who stood behind Hopper so timidly; but her shoulders held their strong shape. She had dried blood underneath her nostril and that familiar smear on the side of her pinky and sweater-sleeve.
He tried to put on the softest voice he could muster, that was his girlfriend after all, “El, have you tried to reach into Will’s mind? Talk to him at all?”
She stared back a few inches past Mike’s eyes, “Yes, multiple times. But I couldn’t reach him. It’s like someone is blocking the path to his mind.”
He looked around at the rest of the group who all had a weird, solemn expression plastered on their faces, as if they knew something he didn’t. It looked like they had lost any belief that Will would come back to them safely, and Mike had a problem with that. The panic in his chest ballooned.
He started to pace a bit, “Okay, okay, um, can you try again? What else have you done?”
“Some of us talked to him, just face-to-face. Tried to reminisce on his happy memories in hopes of waking him up,” Nancy added, walking up closer to Mike.
He had started to tune out everyone else’s voice, his ears rang with worry, “It didn’t work, did it? Nothing is.”
Nancy stayed still, her fingers threading themselves through the tattered hem of her sweater. She looked at a loss of words.
Several moments of pure silence droned by, no one had said anything. They were too quiet, it rubbed Mike the wrong way. His chest felt like it was going to explode the longer Will stayed in that same position and no one was doing anything more. Why were they so calm? Did they not care? It’s always felt that he cared about his best friend more than anyone else did.
He turned back around to face his sister, who was glancing back at Jonathan who had flashed her a pensive ‘it’s gonna be okay’ smile. It wasn’t okay. Not until Will is back to safety.
“We need to do something,” Mike said staring at Nancy but was directed to the entire group.
Hopper stepped forward an inch or two, letting go of Joyce’s hand, “There’s not much we can do, Mike. If Vecna has him frozen, then…” his voice trailed off. Joyce nodded her head slightly, viscous tears forming at the edges of her eye before streaming down her face. Everyone still had those stupid faces on like they all collectively gave up right at that moment. Mike’s panic shifted to anger.
“What the hell is wrong with all of you? Why are you giving up on saving Will? Jesus Christ, you’re useless, all of you,” he exploded on them, walking over to a tree opposite of where he was standing. He felt like he couldn’t breathe now, the anger dissipating quicker than it arrived. His lungs were tight, as if a boulder sat on top of his chest, cutting his airflow off. The sweat on his neck began to slither down his spine like the Upside Down’s vines, constricting his body in every way imaginable. His face burned with the idea of losing Will, but this time it would be for good. If he died, Mike would no longer have a purpose in life. He’d rather be dead than live a life without Will.
The thoughts raced through his mind, sending a wave of static through his eardrums. It blocked out the minimal conversation happening around him.
Jesus, he couldn’t breathe. He just wanted to breathe.
Then, a cold hand grabbed his wrist, squeezing tightly to turn Mike’s body around. When he spun, he faced El who had a stern furrow in her brow.
“Mike. Stop pacing,” she said, her voice as stern as she looked.
“Why should I, El? He’s dying as we speak, and no one is doing anything,” his voice was more aggressive than he had intended. He needed to calm down. There was no need to be rude to his girlfriend. A shallow breath displaced the anger in his throat, only for a minute.
“We think you can help him the most. At least I do.”
He looked at her, puzzled, “What am I going to do?”
“Talk to him.”
Mike stared at her, dumbfounded. She knows all of them already tried that, so why would they do it again?
“El. It won’t work. I won’t say anything that the others haven’t already said. And I’m not exactly good at expressing my emotions on a good day, what makes you think I can do it when Will’s life is at stake?”
She looked behind her shoulder, as if she was making sure no one was staring at them. They all were, so she dragged Mike’s arm to follow her deeper into the woods, probably ten more feet away from where they were standing.
El turned her eyes back to Mike’s, gleaming with a hesitation with her next words.
“You’re the heart, so be it.”
Mike couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s it? Very helpful.”
She rolled her eyes in annoyance before taking a deep breath, “Listen. You understand Will better than any of us, you know him the best. And I think you can tell him something he hasn’t heard before, something I think could break him free from Vecna’s grasp.”
Mike’s was lost, “Okay? And that is?”
“The truth.”
“What?”
She looked back at the rest, making sure they weren’t staring anymore before she looked down at her feet.
“The truth you still don’t want to admit. About Will. I’ve seen it, Mike. I know. I know.”
El was looking right at him now, her gaze focused on him and nothing else. He was still confused, what did she know?
Mike shook his head again.
“Mike, how clear do I need to be? I know how you feel about Will, your true feelings. The ones you don’t want to admit?”
Shit. His heart began to pound wildly, so much he thought El could see his aortas pumping. She knew. How the fuck did she know? He thought he hid it well enough. He swore he did. His vision went blurry now, tears forming viciously in his eyes. He could no longer see his girlfriend standing in front of him, just a blob of dark colours racing against his sight. That breathlessness he felt before returned, and this time he really couldn’t breathe. He stumbled back, being pulled back by the shadows that lingered in the opening of the forest they stood in. He felt his mouth fall apart a few inches as hot tears stained his cheeks.
Trying to catch his breath, El walked towards him and wiped the tears that wouldn’t stop. He forgot how to breathe, something he’s used to but in different circumstances.
“Mike, calm down. I’m not upset. I mean, I was at first. But I get it now. It’s not your fault, you haven’t done anything wrong. If it makes you feel better, I’m happy for you.”
“Happy? What about this makes you happy? It’s bullshit, El.”
“No. I’m happy because I see how you look at him. He makes you happy. I’ve only ever wanted that for you. I just need you to stop lying to yourself. You know it’s only making your feelings worse.”
She was right. He hated how she was right. She always had been, the more he thinks about it. El has always seen through him, telepathically or not. Sometimes, he thinks she knows him better than he knows himself. But he does need to stop lying. If he can tell Will the truth and it saves him? God, he’d tell him every single thing he’s suppressed. He’s scared, scared of how people will treat him, or maybe he’s scared of himself. The guilt protrudes through his skin sometimes but only he can see it. It’s like an amoeba that eats at his brain, slowly killing him. But he’s very much alive and it hurts to live, especially like this. He told himself over and over that what he was feeling was shameful, that he would be better off dead because of it. The idea of pretending what he felt wasn’t real helped to steady his nerves, which were always in a state of fight or flight. He convinced himself he was totally normal, that he was in love with his girlfriend, and that he never noticed how flushed and nervous he became around Will. His heart beating overwhelmingly loud when his best friend laughed at his joke wasn’t a sign of anything. They were friends, best friends. That was it. It’s all he thought they could be.
Mike came back to reality after falling deep into his thoughts. El still stood in front of him, gently smiling at him now. All he could manage to do was cry again, and she took him into her arms, hugging him like a mother held her child.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m sorry El, I’m so, so sorry,” Apologies were the only words he could produce to say.
She rubbed the back of his head, “It’s okay, Mike. I’m not mad. You’re okay.”
He cried on her shoulder for what felt like a few decades, and she just stood there, comforting him until he was done. When he finally pulled back, she was glowing. She meant her words when she said she wasn’t mad at him. That calmed Mike’s nerves. El wiped his tears again as his eyes throbbed.
“I think, um, I think he’s the reason why I could never say those three words to you,” Mike blurted out. She nodded, “I figured.”
She pulled a strand of her frizzy hair behind her ear, “I don’t think I ever loved you the way a girlfriend is supposed to love her boyfriend. I think I kind of forced myself to?” Mike shot her a minute smile in agreement.
“Do you think we’d be better as friends?” Mike asked.
Without missing a beat, she said, “Without a doubt. Especially because you’ve got a boy who needs you, and I know you need him too.”
That got a small laugh out of Mike, and he could finally breathe again. He didn’t realize how happy El had made him until there was no pressure of loving her romantically.
“So, friends?” Mike asked.
She smiled, “Best friends.”
Mike grinned wide at her, beaming. He had those words ready to be unleashed at the tip of his tongue. Maybe he could finally say it.
“Hey El?” she looked back at him, expectantly, “I love you. As a friend.” her cheeks rose to a pinkish hue.
“I love you too, Mike. As a friend.”
They looked at each other one last time. Mike knew what he had to do next, and God was he scared shitless. He still didn’t want to be truthful about his feelings, but he was sure of them now, more than ever. Maybe, an acceptance in himself would blossom soon. And maybe telling an unresponsive Will might help, as horrible as it sounded. All he knew was that it had to be done.
El placed her hands on his shoulders, that determined look on her face reappearing, “Go get our Will back. Your Will.”
Her voice sounded in his ears. He could do this, he hoped. He was the heart, after all.
– - – - – - – - – -
Approaching the vine-ridden field by himself was horrifying, considering he was about to face Vecna, or well, his vessel. Either way, Mike knew he had to do this alone. It would be even more embarrassing to say the truth with the others listening in, which he was sure they would already do.
He shuffled slowly towards Will, his body in the same state it was when he first saw him. Mike shivered at the sight. He hoped this would work. It had to, they had no other choice.
Once he was close enough to Will that he could see the sweat beads erupting on his forehead, he turned around to see El smiling at him, an expression that said you can do this. He had to believe her, especially now. Behind her nestled in the trees was a large black pickup truck, from what Mike could see. It was parked all wonky and he figured it was their getaway car. He didn’t know why they wouldn’t just take Will and get the hell out of dodge, but the concern of Vecna infecting the overworld entered his mind. That must have been their thought pattern too.
He turned back to face Will, his heart thumping louder with each second of silence that passed by. He doesn’t know what to say, he’s never really been good at words. He hadn’t planned his words at all, except for all of the overthinking he did and every non-existent scene he acted out of his confession to Will, in which he had no confidence would ever happen. He took a deep inhale. It was now or quite literally never, and never was a chance he would rather die than take.
“Hey Will,” Mike started off, not having a clue as to where this talk would end up, “So, we kinda need you here, man. I need you here.” His thoughts thrashed against his mind, all begging to be let out from the underbelly of his tongue. He had a million words to say but not enough will to actually say them aloud. El’s voice replayed tenfold in his ears, the truth.
“To be honest, Will, I’ve been scared. Really scared. Not just because of the apocalypse but because…” His voice trailed off weakly before mustering up the courage to continue, "Because there’s a good chance I could lose you any second, and I hate that.”
Mike stepped a little close to Will’s floating frame, tilting his neck up to face his eyes, “You know, I don’t think I’ve been this scared since ‘84, when you were possessed by the Mind Flayer. That was horrible, so horrible, mainly for you, of course. But, Jesus, I remember how scared I was going to the lab for your appointments with Dr. Owens. I knew you could handle whatever they threw at you but I think it was the uncertainty that never settled right with me. But I hope you know that I would relive those days a hundred times over if I knew your safety was the outcome.”
Mike took a deeper breath, letting the heavy air of the Upside Down settle like rocks in his lungs. He was doing good so far, he just had to keep this up. Mike believed vulnerability would be the cause of death written on his tombstone one day.
“Then, you know, that day where your mom and Jonathan and Nancy had to burn the shit out of you came. Actually, they had asked me if I wanted to help, be there for support when you woke up. They figured I could help you feel safer, considering I sort of did when we had you tied to that chair. But I said no, Will, so fast. I thought if I was there, that I would watch my best friend die right in front of my eyes. So instead, I sat against the section of wall right next to the backyard door and I listened. I mean, it wasn’t like I could not listen. When you started screaming, God, I couldn’t stop crying. I cried for the entire time you were in there. Your, or I guess his screams, were terrible, Will. They sounded so painful and I couldn’t imagine just how much pain you were in. I was so convinced you were going to die and the thought of that made me cry even harder.”
Mike had to stop for a second, partially because he was out of breath but also because the memories of that day crept up on him, and they lingered. He had forgotten how horrible he felt when Will was being burned, maybe for good reason.
“But by some miracle, you survived. You’ve always been so strong, Will, and I’ve always admired that about you,” he smiled at his own words because they had never been truer, “And that night, you were way too afraid to be by yourself. Rightfully so. Your mom was going to stay with you but I pushed to stay instead. I wanted to be close to you, to make sure you were safe from him. I held you so close that night, Will, closer than we had ever been. I figured it was normal since you had just been cured of this intergalactic symbiote eating away at you. I played with your hair a lot that night, since your breathing slowed down when I did. I’m pretty sure I got to the point of counting your breaths, but eventually stopped when you fell asleep. I didn’t sleep much that night. I wanted to stay awake to make sure you were still safe, but also because I liked the feeling of your head against my chest, and my fingers in your hair. It was soothing, like home. I was at home in someone else’s house. And I think that's when something sprouted within me, something new.”
Mike was shocked at his own words. He had never planned to say any of that aloud, never mind to the person it was about. He had already spoken so much but nothing happened yet. He persisted.
“I think it really started to get worse during the Starcourt summer, when me and El were all over each other.”
Mike hated what he was about to say so he kept his voice a whisper so no one would hear it, “I don’t think I ever really liked kissing her. I just did it as a distraction, and as a way to get rid of the thoughts. But the shitty truth is, the only way I would get through those makeouts was imagining she was, well, you.”
He threw his head into his hands, shaking his head vigorously into his sweaty palms. He had hated this truth of his, and he swore he’d never tell. He’s not fully sure why he decided to mention this. It was too late to take it back now.
“And then everything just snowballed when you went to Lenora. I was convinced I wouldn’t think about you anymore, and I tried really hard not to, but I couldn’t not do it. I missed you all the time, every second of the day. So naturally, I’d write letters to El, since that’s what you do when you miss your best friend.” Mike said with a sarcastic tinge in his voice.
“Y’know, I did write to you. I have a whole binder full of unsent letters. You can read them when you come back, only if you want.” Mike stared at him more intently now.
“God, what am I even saying? I’m not making any sense. Will, what I’m trying to say,” the words choked in his throat but he pushed them back up, “is that, um, what I’m getting at is that—” His voice trailed off again..
“I’m trying to say that I love you, Will, and I think it’s always been a little more than just friends.” He let out a breath he might have been holding for the past four years.
His heart was pounding wildly now, even more than what it was doing during his and El’s conversation. He stepped forward to Will, his legs seeming to have a mind of their own. Mike was looking up at Will now, staring solemnly into his pale eyes that looked to be longing for an escape. He missed Will so much. He’s been suffering for so long, too long, and Mike just can’t grasp how Vecna enjoys this. How he enjoys torturing innocent kids is alien to him. He hated how shit life had been to Will, and all Mike wanted to do was give him the world. He deserved it more than anyone else. Mike was willing to do anything for Will. He’d lasso the moon for him if he’d only ask.
He turned around slightly to see his friends staring at them, wondering what the hell he’s doing. Then his eyes meet El, who’s smiling so softly at him. She has her hand on her heart, almost as if she’s signaling Mike to continue.
He’ll probably regret this later, but he stepped an inch closer to Will, placed his hands on his cheeks and kissed him. It was gentle, as to not to hurt him, but strong enough to tell him something meaningful.
He pulled back slightly after several seconds, lingering by Will’s ear and whispered, “Wake up so you can kiss me back.”
Mike slumped back down onto the ball of his heels, reluctantly moving away from Will’s face. His cheeks were hot now, mainly because he literally just kissed his alleged “best friend” but also because he could feel the others’ eyes burning a hole through his back. They definitely think they witnessed Mike cheating, or that he’s an absolute lunatic, probably both. They don’t matter right now, he can deal with their questions later. Right now, he’s only concerned with Will and him waking up.
Mike stands idly for a minute in front of Will, zeroing in on his expression. It hadn’t changed from before his speech, his eyes still pale and his lip still quivering. He stepped back in disappointment, with himself but also with the entire situation. He couldn’t understand why Vecna wouldn’t just let Will go. He had suffered enough. The thought of Vecna taunting Mike and the others with torturing Will made an angry sensation in his chest rise. Before his thoughts spiraled, a sudden sound displaced every noise internally and in his surroundings.
“Mike.” A weak voice whispered ever so slightly, his voice cracking even in the silence. Mike’s head shot up to look at Will, whose lips were barely parted after saying Mike’s name.
“Will! Will, can you hear me?” Mike’s heart raced as he ran back over to where Will was, placing the palm of his hand on his cold cheek and lightly tapping to try and wake him up.
“Will, hey, it’s me, it’s Mike. Please, snap out of it Will,” his voice was desperate for Will to just be okay. To be finally safe.
Mike’s hand turned a deep red hue with his hand still on Will’s cheek. In a haze, he thought it was his own hand that was bleeding, maybe a wound that had opened back up. But when he looked at Will, he saw it; bloody tears began to erupt from the corner of Will’s eyes, slowly streaming down his face. Mike dropped his hands from Will’s cheeks, his friend’s blood pooling on the crease of his thumb, before stumbling back some feet.
“What the fuck?” Mike said with a panic before shooting a glance at his friends behind him. Their faces were streaked with concern as to what the hell was happening. Hopper and Nancy pulled on their guns, getting into proper position just in case, and El ventured further out, barely reaching the threshold of the field. She gave Mike a confused expression. When Mike turned his attention back to Will, his body was floating higher in the air than it was just a few moments ago, and his head swung all the way back; so much so that Mike could see every mole on his neck that he loved to quietly count.
That same breathless feeling in Mike’s lungs thrashed against his ribcage as he stared at his best friend. The position Will was in reminded him of the killings back in 1986, Vecna’s prime age of murder. Mike wanted to hurl. Was Vecna planning to kill Will? He couldn’t finish that thought. He had no idea what to do, or what was even really happening. Nausea washed over him. The fear that struck his chest was the same one from ‘84, probably even worse.
More time passed, time that felt like a century to Mike, but only several seconds later was when Will dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. His head was dropped in front of him, his limbs limp and lifeless. Blood dripped from his retina and cheeks onto the ground and Mike couldn’t help but look away from the sight.
Will looked up at Mike, directly at him. His eyes were wide but that same white film remained. It was terrible, the way Will looked at Mike, like a monster being forced to do evil against his will. He looked so tired. Mike could see the colour draining from his face in exhaustion. He just wanted him to be okay, to be free from the personal hell Vecna inflicted on him.
“Michael,” said a guttural voice, but the words came from Will’s mouth. Mike wobbled back more, bracing himself for any upcoming impact. His muscles tensed.
“Will?” Mike asked, but it didn’t sound like Will, or, maybe it did? The voice was deep, exactly like Vecna’s, but Mike could make out Will’s voice too, like both of them were overlapping each other. Mike got the chills all over.
“What an inspiring speech you gave, Michael, but did you think that it would work?”
Mike’s knees felt like they were going to buckle. Seeing Will like this was horrible and he had no confidence that he could help him. He glanced over at El, who consistently seemed to be his support beam today, and she gave him a worried but concerned smile. She and the others had slowly approached the field, just in case. There wasn’t much they could do unless Vecna taught back. He wouldn’t, at least Mike hoped.
Mike returned the favour to El and that was where a much needed adrenaline rush kicked in.
“Vecna, let him go. He's suffered enough.”
Will walked closer to him, a devilish smile appearing on his face, “No. He is mine and always will be.”
Mike’s throat closed up, a lump forming quickly, “He’s never been yours. Let him go. How much longer does he have to be tortured by you?”
Will, or rather Vecna, let out a sickening laugh, “He is my true vessel. William and I have done beautiful things and we will continue to do so.” He continued walking closer to Mike before in a means of a threat, eventually backing Mike into the edge of the field, a piece of the frayed wire piercing the middle of his back. He wasn’t threatened, not by looking at the face of Will. Instead he felt like he could actually do something, to snap his best friend back into reality. Mike recalled something Ms. Byers said once while they were brainstorming Vecna’s weaknesses; something about a girl he used to know. She had mentioned this girl was Henry’s anchor in high school, someone he loved deeply. Maybe that would get through to him. He didn’t have many other options at his disposal anyway.
“Patty. Patty Newby.”
Vecna stopped dead in his tracks, pausing from the threat he was poorly executing, “What?”
“You loved her when you were my age, and she loved you?” Mike said, hoping he’d get through him.
“How do you—“ his voice trailed off menacingly, “know that name?”
“Doesn’t matter. But you wanna know what I think? I think that if Patty was here right now, watching what you’ve done to Will and all of the other innocent kids, I think she’d see you as a monster. She’d probably lose all of the love she ever had for you, right then and there.”
“Enough, Michael. Do not toy with me. I’m capable of ending his life. I’ll do it in front of you so you can witness his death.”
Mike knew he was bluffing, he could never kill Will so simply when he still had use for him, so he continued, “What Will is to me is what Patty was to you. Don’t take that away from me just because you couldn’t have it. I’m not gonna say it again, let him go.”
The silence that came afterwards was louder than any words could be. The Vecna infested Will stared at Mike, trembling similar to before. It wasn’t long after that was when Will’s body collapsed to the floor, a faint but present black smoke exuding from his skin.
Somehow, Mike caught him before his head could reach the dirtied floor, his hand protecting his nape. The crew set into motion, running and fastening their backpacks and gear. Mike had hoped their truck was working. He wanted out and he knew Will did too.
“Hey! A little help here?” Mike called out as Jonathan sprinted to Will and Mike, a dazed expression on his face.
“Hey, yeah, I’m here. We’re carrying him to the truck. Hopper got the engine going. Guy’s a genius,” Jonathan stated, his eyes flickering between the two in front of him.
“Need help carrying Will?”
As Jonathan offered the help Mike thought he would need, he swung Will over his shoulder fireman style, holding him by the end of his waist while his arms flailed around near lifelessly behind Mike’s back. It’s probably the adrenaline making him ten times stronger, he figured. Jonathan nodded amusingly at Mike, as in disbelief yet impressed as to what he was seeing. He gestured to Mike to follow him, leading the way past the writhing vines awaiting their next victim. As they made their way past grotesque trees, the others tagged behind, Lucas, Dustin and Steve giving Mike a confused but firm nod of approval. Nancy and Max did the same but it was an expectant smile, like they’ve known. Mike figured he had a lot of explaining to do when they were home.
The group hurried into the truck, Hopper and Joyce already sitting in the front.
“Hey,” Mike said breathlessly to Jonathan, “take his legs and I’ll flip him,” and Jonathan complied. It was an interesting scene, where Mike dropped Will to the ground, Will’s feet planted into the mud but his arms were still wrapped around Mike’s neck. From there, Jonathan performed a strange maneuver where the two were carrying Will as if he were a coffin, but it was all to get him safely in the truck. Once in their respective seats, Will’s head and shoulders sat in Mike’s lap while the rest of him was laying on Jonathan’s. El sat next to them, a countenance of confusion and worry treading lightly upon her face.
“Ready to ditch this shithole?” Hopper called from the front, causing an uproar of triumphant applause and laughter. They were all beyond exhausted. Mike hoped this was the end.
The crew used the military’s entrance to the Upside Down to get out. In Hawkins, there were piles of cadavers spread across the base. It was a ghost town but it worked particularly in their favour. Joyce set up that familiar map of their little town to find their way back to the Byer’s house. Mike couldn’t help but gleam. His shitty plan to talk Vecna out of further torture worked. He had no idea why but he wouldn’t complain. He looked down at the unconscious Will laying on his lap, his face glossy with sweat and blood. Mike wiped a strand of greasy hair that stuck to his forehead, subtly running his thumb down Will’s muddied cheek.
Hopper got a glimpse of Mike in the rear view mirror, coughing obnoxiously to get his attention, “Hey kid. You’ve got so much shit to explain.”
Mike bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to answer anything. He barely had enough answers for himself. He knew this was inevitable though, some of the others were already giving him strange looks earlier.
“Yeah, I know.”
Hopper sighed, “You did good. I’m a little less pissed at you for saving Will.”
Mike let out a rueful laugh, one heavy with uncertainty. He looked back at Will who steadied his nerves. He was nervous for his near future, but he hoped it included an awake and healthy Will. He had a lot to tell him, too.