Work Text:
Yes - 'Owner of a Lonely Heart'
The class was going fine, Will was getting kinda bored but other than that things were alright. The chill of December ran through the hallways relentlessly, teachers would ensure the radiators in the classes were working alright, but there was some complications at some points. They has a sub for their P.E. Class, who was not bothered going outside, or the gym hall, so the class with 20 or so students sat, trying to keep warm. The sub was a newer teacher who nobody really likes, Will nor Chance could remember his name. They sat side by side talking about the homework Chance had gotten for English.
"I mean, its just stupid, why write an essay on it, if its not even relevant??" He complained
"I don't know, I mean, Ms. Kelly only gives us essays like once a month, but when she does, she always gives us hell about them. Well, not us, just those that don't actually bother."
Chance sulks. "I wish I was in your English class.." He mumbles, Will giggles slightly. "Do you think I could move classes?" Chance then asks. "I don't know, will it mess up your timetable?"
"I don't think so, we have English at the same time" Will shrugs, "I suppose you could try.. I don't know what you'd say to get in though, you cant really just.. swap" Chance laid back on his chair, "Ugh, I could say-"
Interrupting Chance was a loud siren, the fire alarm. The class groaned, having done a fire drill over and over, unless it was a real fire, they took their time getting out of the class. "Ughhh, I hate these, and its freezing outside" Will sighed. "Will wait, I need to get my jacket, I'm not going out without it" Will groaned, remembering he left his in his locker. "Mines in my locker..."
"Do you want to go get it?" Chance offers. "No, its on the other side of the building, we'd get in trouble if anyone saw us.." "You should really stop leaving it in your locker" By the time they'd gotten out of the classroom, the other students were well ahead of them. They tried to catch up, opening the push doors in font of them.
SLAM-
Chance goes face first into the doors, taking a step back, he looks at Will, pursing his mouth that's clearly trying not to break out laughing. He goes to try the doors again, but to no avail, Wills face is now neutral. "Will..." Chance says slowly, turning towards him. "Chance." He says back, more of a statement. "The doors wont open." "I can see that"
…
Will walks to the other end of the hallway, to the other set of doors, and pushes. "Chance" "Yeah?" Chance calls back. "Were stuck." Both boys were silent, not knowing what to say or do. They met each other again in the middle. The walls in the hallway were lined with lockers, neither of them being anyone's they knew. Will waves his hands in a 'What the fuck do we do?' motion. Chance bites his lip, looking around. He walks over to the first door and puts his ear against it, trying to listen out for anyone going by. A minute goes by, and then another. He looks back at Will and shakes his head.
"These doors lock automatically when the fire alarm goes off, don't they?"
"I think so."
At the start of every year, they all have to sit through a 2 hour long introduction to the year, which includes a fire drill, and the protocol. Mr. Higgins explained that the fire doors in the hallway locked automatically when they close while the alarm goes off, to prevent the fire from spreading. The doors were to only close whenever students were safely out of the school. Once the fire fighters got there, they'd unlock the doors with a password in the doors circuit board that only they knew - for fire safety reasons.
The boys sat across from each other, the noise of the siren keeping it from being quiet. "They'll notice once they take the register" Will nods, "How long do you think that'll be?" He asks. "To take the register, not long. For the fire fighters go get here.." Chance shrugs, not really having an answer. "Beats sitting in the class with nothing better to do." Chance tried to joke. "Suppose you're right."
Since defeating Vecna last month, they'd gotten on quite well, Jason would have his friends over, and they'd interact a lot more than they would in school, but, it was 1987, and things were changing. "So, you got siblings?" Will asks, out of bored curiosity, "One, Bonnie, she's in college" Chance answered, "She's studying History, I haven't spoken to her in a while actually... " As if he was speaking to himself, he continues, "I should call her" he mumbles.
"You didn't always live in Hawkins, did you?" Will asked. "Hm, oh no, I used to live in Portland, over on the east coast, but when my dad left, he was an asshole, we decided we needed to get out of there, so.. across the country we went" he says with a laugh. "I get that, my dad wasn't the greatest either, drunk a lot.." Not wanting to keep the sad tone of the conversation decides to move it along, and maybe ask more in a better situation. "Was it nice over there?" He asks him, propping his elbow on his knees, which were bunched against his chest, and his hand on his cheek. "Oh yeah, lots of trees it was really pretty, the forest here reminds me of it a bit actually." Will smiles, "Cool"
"I actually kind of hate the trees here now." He looks at his shoes, pulling the loose bit of rubber from the base of it. "I have ever since I was taken" he says quieter. Chance looks at Will with a small sadness to him, "That's understandable, I mean.." He gestures with his arms to the air around him "everything that happened". Will laughs, "I'm just glad its over now"
"You doing art when you get out of here?" Will nods, with a smile. "Yeah, I want to follow Jon to NYC, go there" Chance smiles, he remembers his first time meeting Jonathan properly, like, actually speaking to him. He was a little scared, but eventually he got over that, Jonathan was nice but somewhat confused as to why he was as the Squawk meeting, as were some others, Jason and Will defended him though. It was after the meeting and Chance had gone up to apologize about the news paper, and that all that was happening, was happening.
"Do you know what you want to do?" Will asks in return. Chance is silent for a moment. "Not really, I want to continue playing basketball, but I don't think I could do it professionally, id like to stay alongside the sport though, you know what I mean?" Will nods, "Like, journalism, or promoting it, or.. stuff like that" Chance smiles, "You get it"
Will shivers slightly, but doesn't bring attention to it, chance does, throwing over his jacket, the reason they were in this predicament in the first place. "Huh?" Will looks at Chance, wide eyed. "You hate the cold." He states. "Yeah, but what about you?" Chance shrugs, I've got a hoodie on, and a t-shirt under, plus I have more muscle mass, keeping me warmer, you take it." Will doesn't know what to say, but still feels the need to protest, "What if you get cold?, you might want it then"
"If I get cold, ill sit next to you, body heat and all that" He answers, "Put it on." Will pouts slightly, but lets the warmth of Chance's jacket wrap around him. He sinks into the jacket slightly, and Chance laughs.
It was another wile until the boys heard banging on the door, to which they jolted at. The alarm had stopped a few minutes ago, leaving a slight ring in their ears. "Chance Lawson, Will Byers?" The voice calls out. "YEAH!! WERE HERE!!" Chance yells. Will winces a tiny bit, "Shit, sorry I didn't mean to be so loud" Chance apologies, kneeling to meet Wills face, who was still sat on the floor.
"Yeah I'm okay" Will laughs, "I just wasn't expecting you to be so loud"
After 5 minutes, the door was open, and there stood Mr. Higgins, Vice principal Ms. Jones and three fire fighters. Mr. Higgins begins, "You boys are lucky this was just a fire drill, come on."
Chance and Will look at each other with a shared look, as they walk towards the Principals office, Chance leans into Will and whispers, "Were fucked."