Chapter Text
Will really shouldn't have been surprised when he was next. After all, the last three years had been nothing but bad luck for him, as if the universe had taken a 'kick me' sign and permanently glued it to his back.
But when Will first heard the clock chime, he was in denial. How could he be targeted again? After everything he'd already gone through with his disappearance, then with his possession, and then after everything, he'd been ignored by nearly everyone in his life in favor of god knows what only to have to deal with yet another monster?
So, yeah, he thought he'd been punished enough by whatever entity it is that runs the Upside Down.
Then he saw it again, the grandfather clock imbedded into the wall of Hoppers old cabin, chiming ominously as everyone else continued to be entranced in their own conversations.
Will stared at the wall, his hands shaking by his sides as the chiming grew louder. But with a blink of an eye it was gone.
He blinked back his panicked tears as he turned to the group, all surrounding the table where they'd been brainstorming ideas on what exactly to do about 'Vecna' and how to go about surviving it. With a shaky breath he took a step towards them, unnoticed by the group.
"Guys," Will spoke up, his voice wavering as he got closer. "Hey, I-I think something's wrong..." He spoke a little louder, watching as they continued as if he wasn't there.
"Please! I-I hear the clock! I saw it, I saw it!" Will grasped onto Jonathan's shoulder, his brother not even bothering to turn around. Mike was sat beside him, the two sharing a look before snickering to themselves. Soon the entire table was laughing, El covering her mouth as she tried to stifle her amusement. He backed away slowly, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Mike?" He croaked out, his bottom lip trembling as another chime ripped through his head. He whipped his head around to be met with a darkened view of the quarry and what sounded like sobs.
He walked towards the sound, seeing a woman hunched over in the shallow of the water holding something as her shoulders shook.
"M-Mom?" Will called out and she turned her head towards him, his stomach dropping at the sight.
In her arms was his limp, lifeless body. He was wearing the same red vest he went missing in, soaked in the freezing water. And instead of the tearful expression he expected, her face was split into a smile, her eyes shining with utmost glee.
The clock chimed again, the boy turning again to see his old house in Hawkins. He took a tentative step forward. "Hello?" He called, whipping his head around when he heard angry footsteps.
"Boy, get over here now!" He heard before looking up to see his fathers furious expression. "Get over here!" He yanked him by the arm, Will just barely suppressing a yell as he stumbled backwards and out of his grip.
"Stop! Please, stop!" He begged, tears streaming heavily down his face. "This isn't real, this isn't real..." he muttered, shutting his eyes tightly before he felt a hand slap across his face.
"I'm not raising no queer, you hear me?" Lonnie bent down with a sneer. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, boy!"
Will opened his eyes, holding his breath as he met his fathers drunken stare.
"I'll beat the fag right out of you!" He raised up a fist and brought it down just as Will scrambled away backwards, clumsily getting to his feet as he rushed out the door.
The clock chimed again and suddenly he was in the Wheelers garage, rain pelting down as he stood face to face with Mike, a disgusted sneer on his face as he stepped closer.
"I should've known you were a freak, Will. Really, did you think I'd ever like you?" Mike laughed in his face, his face split into a menacing smirk. "You're nothing but a disgusting queer." He spat, stepping even closer as Will backed away, his face twisted as he tried to calm his breathing.
"Mike, please." Will cried, "Please, not you, not you..." He backed into the wall, banging his head harshly on the drywall. "Mike..."
Mike laughed again, pinning him against the wall as he got into his face. "You don't like this? I thought you wanted me, Will? Isn't this what a queer like you would want?" He pressed himself against the smaller boy to keep him from moving, grabbing his face with a tight grip as his voice became lower and his face morphed into something Will almost recognized. The garage melted around them and Will knew he was fucked.
He was back in the Upside Down.
"How could anyone want something as disgusting as you? No one loves you here, William. Nobody cares about you. We could get revenge, you could win and show them just how bad it feels to be treated like you're invisible. Join me, Will. No one wants you back there. They don't care about you, and I don’t care about them. You’re the one I want, the one I’ve always heard wanted."
Will sucked in a breath, biting his bottom lip as it quivered. He looked the monster in the eyes as the tears fell to his cheeks. "I know they don’t." Came his broken whisper as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Please, just don't hurt them. Just, just take me and I'll do whatever you want."
"Huh," Vecna smiled cruelly, digging a nail into his cheek as the boy gasped. "So willing, so brave. What a shame you waste yourself on such people. I admire your loyalty, though your choice in who you're loyal to shows such naivety. We could change that."
Will opened his eyes to look at him, his hands clenched into fists. "Just fucking take me." He glared up at him. "Take me and leave my friends alone."
"Very well." Vecna's grip tightened as he smirked. "But me? I'm not so loyal, and I'm not so stupid."
Will gasped for air, feeling his eyes rolling back and the stress of his body tensing. He was going to die, a slow and painful death. His mind raced as he struggled to breathe, his hands clenching even tighter. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do.
And he was okay with that. His body felt numb as he felt body tense even tighter. He couldn't breathe or move, he could do nothing but stand there and wait for it to end.
Then his mind flashed an image of his mother hugging him when he came back from the Upside Down, how she held his hand in the hospital bed and brushed his hair out of his face with soft whispers and so much love. How she believed he was still out there and never gave up on him. How she moved across the country to try and keep him safe.
He pictured Jonathan sitting with him in his bedroom, showing him new music and giving him his favorite song on cassette along with countless other songs. How he’d drown out their parents fighting and sit with him after Lonnie would berate him, staying until he felt okay again. How he stood up for him that last night before Lonnie left when Will came to him with a black eye after his father hit him a little too hard.
He pictured Dustin and Lucas laughing wildly with him during one of their sleepovers, nothing particularly funny happening but just being happy to be with them. Them in their Halloween costumes, hanging out in Mikes basement before everything fell apart.
He pictured El and how she always wanted to stay with him while he painted and asking him to teach her, confiding in him with her breakup with Mike over the Fall, and how they stayed up all night eating sweets and talking about everything under the sun. How she'd become like a sister to him in the last year and how much he really cared for her now. How much she’d grown.
He pictured Mike, how he'd came up to him on the swings asking to be friends, how he never gave up on him while he was missing, the way he stuck by him when he returned from the Upside down, promising to go crazy together. He pictured the way he smiled at him and the way he could always tell when something was wrong. He pictured the look in his eyes when they made up just a few days earlier and the way he'd been sticking close by ever since.
Then he pictured himself, broken and crumpled on the floor. The way his mom would cry and breakdown all over again, the way Jonathan would retreat back into being alone again after seeing his mangled body, how his friends would have to go through another traumatic experience to plagued their minds for the rest of their lives, how El would have to lose yet another person she called family.
He pictured Mike, blaming himself for not being fast enough, for not doing enough even though Will knows that he would've done all he could. He’d be racked with guilt, maybe even spiral again and push everyone away.
Or maybe they’d be relieved.
Will's body shook as he tried to fight, but he was just too tired. Too weak. His thoughts became fuzzy as he stared at the monster choking him. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe they really didn't care and he was just trying to make himself feel better by thinking they would.
Maybe they'd be better off.
Just as he was about to stop fighting, he heard the familiar strike of chords playing vaguely from a distance. The grip around his throat loosened as the song became louder.
Darlin' you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here 'til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
Will turned his head to the side, seeing his own body floating in the air as the entire group surrounded him with panicked expressions.
El was sobbing into Max's shoulder as the redhead was staring in horror with tear stained cheeks, gripping Lucas's hand with all her might. Lucas and Dustin were scrambling to make sure the headphones stayed plugged into the Walkman as he just floated higher, yelling at each other in panic, Steve had grabbed it from them and held it high enough so it would reach. He was clearly trying to stay calm, but his shaking hands gave him away.
Jonathan was being held back by Argyle and Nancy as his face crumpled into harsh sobs, all three had tears running down their faces. Eddie and Robin looked devastated as they held back Mike.
Mike was thrashing, screaming bloody murder as he tried to grab for him. His face was red, eyes wide in panic as he fought to get to him, shoving off the two older teens and running to him.
"Will! Will!! Come on, Will!! Please!" Mike cried, his tearful eyes locked on his floating body. "Don't leave me, Will!! Goddammit, I need you!"
Will's stomach twisted at those words, his eyes narrowing at the monster as the music became louder and louder.
"Get off!" He shoved Vecna off, successfully dropping to his feet as he took off, The Clash playing at full volume in his ears.
"Will!!" Mikes voice broke through his screams, almost as if he were crying.
“They don’t want you, Will!” Vecna called after him. “As soon as this is all over, they’ll just ignore you again. They don’t love you, you’ll just be invisible again!” He let out a dark chuckle. “Join me and you’ll never be invisible again!”
Will’s steps stuttered as he tripped, his stomach dropping at his words. He wasn’t wrong, it had happened every other time before, what made this time different?
“Will, please, come back. I can’t lose you again, please! I just got you back!” Mikes voice was raw and it burned a fire in the pit of his stomach.
“He doesn’t mean it.” Vecna was closer now, his smug voice practically breathing down his neck. “He’ll never want someone like you.”
“Please, Will!” Mike begged, “I love you…”
It was almost a whisper, as quiet as a gust of wind. But those words slammed into his skull, bellowing as if screamed through a microphone directly to his brain. Will saw Mike’s knees buckle as he tried to stay up, how he held his face in his hands as the tears began to fall.
And Will ran like hell.
He ignored the menacing voice behind him, his eyes set on the portal back to his body. Back to Mike.
“Mike!!” He screamed, pushing himself to run faster as he dodged the vines and flying debris. “Mike!!”
The sinister chuckle grew louder just as Will jumped through, the sound burrowing in his mind not to be soon forgotten.
Will felt the cool air around him first, his stomach dropping as his body fell to the ground and landing with a soft thump as if he’d landed on something soft. He recognized the softness as couch cushions from the cabin and was grateful before what happened really settled in.
They had gotten him again.
He gasped for air as he looked around wildly, his bones hurt as if they’d just been stretched to hell and he couldn’t stop shaking.
“Will!” Mike shoved Eddie and Robin off of him yet again, running to the boy who was crumpled up on the cushions. Within seconds, he had him in his arms.
“Mike…” Will buried his face in his shoulder and cried, his hands gripping his shirt as his breathing came out in panicked breaths. “H-He had me, I’m sorry I…”
“Don’t apologize, Will, it’s not your fault.” Mike pulled away, his hands staying firmly on his shoulders. “God, I can’t believe I almost lost you again.” He pulled him back into a hug, holding him as if he’d never let go.
Slowly more arms joined themselves around his shaking shoulders. Jonathan pulling him away into his own arms and El joining in the bone crushing hug. The tears on their faces showed their terror, but it also showed their love.
Still the voice in his head said it was all fake. Bullshit.
Soon they dispersed, occasionally throwing him worried glances as he stared off into space. They congregated around the table to discuss plans once more as Will was left on the couch again, too tired to contribute much.
“You should keep those on.”
Will looked up to see Mike looking down at him with a worried expression. Wordlessly staring at him as the raven haired boy sat beside him.
“It keeps the monsters away.” Mike explained softly, scooting over close enough that their shoulders brushed with each breath.
“I know.” Will whispered, his head hung as he tried to keep himself together. He still felt the hands around his throat and the hot breath of Vecna on his face. It was only a matter of time before he got him again.
‘Only a matter of time before you’re forgotten again.’ A voice that wasn’t his own ran through his head and he shot up to his feet, the groups heads turning to look at him with even more concern.
‘They don’t care unless you’re in trouble. What kind of friends are they anyway?’ His laugh filled his ears. ‘Why save them when you can get your revenge? Make them pay, Will. Make them pay!’ The voice grew louder and louder as Wills hands flew up to his ears, a strangled cry escaping his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut. He vaguely recognized Mikes panicked voice and the feeling of multiple hands on him, but he couldn’t focus as the voice grew louder.
“Shut up!! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!” Will pulled at his hair, his knees buckling as he screamed. Blood trickled out of his ears and nose, mixing with his tears.
“Will!” Mike grabbed his face, concern etched into his features. “Will, come back, you’re okay. You’re safe, I’ve got you.”
The voices went silent and Will collapsed into the taller boy and they sunk to the ground, the smaller boy blinking blearily as his chest heaved.
“What happened?” Steve knelt down, looking at his tired face.
“He’s not gone.” Will cried silently, pressing his palms into his eyes. “He said I’m the one he wants, I think he’s trying to possess me.” His voice shook and Mike tightened his grip. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.” He finally broke down, sobbing into Mikes shoulder.
“You’re not going to hurt anyone.” Mike spoke softly into his hair. “We’re gonna get through this. Crazy together, remember?”
“Together…” Will nodded, sniffling quietly as he melted into the embrace.
“You are not alone in this, Will.” El said as she knelt beside them, her eyes soft as she gave Will a sad smile.
“She’s right, we’re here with you man. We’re not gonna let him take you, you’re our friend not that son of a bitches’.” Dustin plopped down beside him.
“Yeah, we’ll fry that asshole back to hell before he even thinks about touching you again.” Lucas threw an arm around him. “Can’t mess with our Will again.”
Will let out a wet laugh as everyone crowded around him again, though his stomach twisted again as the thoughts persisted.
‘You’re putting them all in danger. You have to get away.’
Only this time, it was his own voice.