Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers
November 6th, 1983,
Night runs were almost better than morning runs, Matt thought; he didn’t have to go through that first couple of minutes of uncomfortable sweat before he felt the pleasant burn in his legs.
As his feet hit the driveway, he slowed, pulled off his headphones, pressed pause on his cassette player on his arm band, and smiled slightly at the sound of Dustin’s voice.
“Who’s being a real jerk?” Matt questioned as he rounded the corner to the garage, and Mike’s friends froze for a second.
“Nancy”, Mike answered with a roll of his eyes and a huff, “She’s always been a real jerk”
“Hey, don’t go talking about my twin like that”, Matt winked, and he saw Lucas’s and Will’s lips twitch in a repressed laugh. Dustin wasn’t above such courtesy as he let out a snort.
“Yeah, she used to be cool, like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign”, Dustin explained as he and Lucas pulled out of the garage on their bikes, and Matt laughed as he moved past his brother to walk inside.
“Four years ago!” Yelled Mike at Dustin’s back.
“Just saying!”
“Later”, Lucas called back to them.
“See you, Will, say hi to Nick for me?” Matt asked with a handgun and a smile, and Will smiled slightly in return.
“Nick’s at Lucas’s house, I think he’s staying the night there”, Will explained softly, and Matt nodded as he let out a dramatic huff, placing a hand to his chest.
“Well, you tell him when you see him! Ride safe, Byers!” He said as he stepped inside. Glancing up at the flickering lights and shrugging. He’d have a shower, then he might actually be able to get six hours of sleep tonight.
Matt loved his night runs, at least, they helped him sleep better, as his morning ones calmed him down before school. They made him feel present and relaxed.
He was just happy that the fall semester was coming to an end; he didn’t have to worry about studies and could spend his time with Nick and Blaze! or riding his bike around Hawkins listening to new music he was trying each week.
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November 7th, 1983,
Breakfast was like it always was for the Wheeler family, quiet and stiff. And Matt couldn’t even glare his leg into submission to stop bouncing slightly under the table. He was eating quickly, and he could see Nancy giving both him and Mike a grimace.
The phone started ringing, and Matt looked up as Nancy’s eyes zeroed in on Mike's excessive use of syrup on his pancakes “That’s disgusting”, Nancy muttered, judging, setting the boulder in motion. Matt’s eyes flickered up to his Mom, holding Holly, answering the phone and then back between Mike and Nancy.
“You’re disgusting!” Mike immediately answered back harshly
“Hello?” Karen asked over the phone.
“Want some pancakes with that syrup?” Matt asked with a teasing smile, watching Mike’s face sour further. Matt’s eyes glanced up at his mom answering the phone again.
“Oh, Joyce, Hi.” Karen seemed to say, and Matt let out a laugh as Mike poured syrup over Nancy’s pancakes, and she swore loudly.
“Quiet!” Their mom yelled.
“Hey, Language”, Ted warned as he seemed to look up from his newspaper, finally, and Matt worked his jaw slightly as noise erupted again.
“Are you kidding?” He heard Nancy mutter, giving their dad a wide-eyed look like she couldn’t believe she was in trouble.
“Sorry, Joyce, it’s just one of those mornings”, Karen said over the phone, adjusting Holly on her hip.
Matt downed his cup of orange juice quickly, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“Will? No, no, no, it’s just Mike”, Matt looked up at that, the words catching his attention. Why was Joyce calling about Will?
Mike and Nancy continued to argue, and Matt could feel his jaw tensing further as he tried to smile, but it faltered. Unable to take it another moment, he stood up quickly, grabbed his bag, and moved past his Mom.
“No, he left here a little bit after eight, huh, Matthew, where are you going?” Karen pulled the phone away from her face for a moment as she gave Matt the look, and he exhaled a harsh breath.
“School, early, don’t you want me to study?” He threw back quickly, “Bye, Mom!” before speed walking to the garage to get his bike. Jumping on it and quickly riding out of the garage, he let out a heavy breath.
He could relax on his bike; he already had enough to stress about at school, he didn’t need loud yelling and fighting to set him off. He let the fresh air relax his shoulders and jaw, and his thoughts swirled back to Joyce’s call just a minute ago.
Why was she calling about Will?
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The only thing that Connor found that he liked about Hawkins was that no one knew his name.
Well, and the old buildings and junk yard, those were cool.
Being the new kid was every type of hell, but being the new kid all the way from Nevada? Yeah, he wasn’t up for an easy transition.
From having one friend, Robbie, in middle school, to having nobody, wasn’t that huge of a difference if Lucy would just allow him to walk to Middle School by himself.
“Lu, it has been three months, no one is going to jump me here, of whatever it is you think is gonna happen”, He muttered dryly, hopping off his skateboard and stepping on the back, the front flicking up into his open palm. The rest of the road to the middle school was gravel, so he’d walk the rest of the way.
“What I think is that you have no clue on directions, even after three months, Connie.” She replied sarcastically and proud as she puffed up her chest, pigtails swinging slightly.
“Look, it’s those air wasters again”, Lucy scowled as she glanced to the left of him, nodding her head in the direction for him to look.
He did, glancing over to see Troy Walsh and James Dante; they seemed to have three kids held up. One of the kids, Henderson, he thinks is his name, a kid from a grade beneath Connor, Troy, and James both. Henderson dropped his bag to crack his elbow. Which had the bullies snickering before they pushed past.
“Ignore it, remember what Mom said?” He replied quietly, and Lucy rolled her eyes slightly, but her shoulders did relax, and she turned away from the kids as they walked into the school.
“Keep our heads down, I know, I know, I can still insult them though.” She grumbled, almost kicking her high-top sneakers against the ground.
“Have a good day”, Connor ruffled her head, and she slapped his hand away with a scowl, but he could see it, the smile she tried to hide.
“You too, dufus! Wait for me after the bell!” Lucy ran off after a quick wave, and Connor watched her run up to her new friend, Bella. He was glad that she was at least making a friend here.
Connor looked at the packed halls and let out a tense sigh.
Just another normal day, at least now, in Hawkins, Indiana, Connor Taylor wasn’t the kid who escaped and killed his kidnapper.
Just a normal day.
He doubted his mom was right about him making a friend anytime soon.
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Getting Nicholas Byers to school, while making sure that he got everything ready for the day ahead, wasn’t a task many could face, Blaze found.
Being the friend he was, when he had gotten the newest astrology book in the mail, he had invited Nick over to read it. And man, was Nick a sucker for books, so of course, he had agreed.
It seemed, though, that Byers was not a morning person like Blaze’s father.
Somehow, he had been able to pull the sleeping boy up for Blaze’s morning run. Which had ended in Nick wheezing, and Erica laughing at his red face, they had showers, got dressed, and tried not to cringe at his mother’s loving kiss to the cheek and his father’s nod before they were off to school.
“Every time, every time I forget how hardcore your family is, and every time, I make the mistake of sleeping here”, Nick whined as they hopped in Blaze’s car. Nick's bike stuffed into the trunk. Blaze wiped down the wheel, made sure he had his planner and books in his bag, and raised an eyebrow at Byers.
“You forget something?” He questioned, flat and idly as he turned the car on.
He watched Nick raise an eyebrow, glancing down at himself, and then up at Blaze like that might hold the answers.
“Your bag”, Blaze stated slowly, putting emphasis on the sentence.
He watched Nick’s eyes widen and let out a laugh as the other boy raced back inside to grab it.
The ride to school was quiet with the Smiths playing over the radio. Nick’s head was against the window as he tapped his finger with the beat of the song. He had a day ahead of him, tests to study for, and probably explaining something to Matt again because the teachers didn’t slow down for anybody.
Getting there, they were greeted with Matt’s huge wave and toothy grin as he ran over to the car, giving Nick a huge squeeze, the teddy bear that Byers was, sank into it easily.
“Hey, Wonder-Boy, I’m surprised you got here on time”, Matt said cheekily as he raised his hand in an optional high five and a wink at Nick. Blaze took the high five with a lazy raise of his eyebrow.
“You threaten to burn a book or two, and he seems to get in line”, He replied sarcastically, and Nick let out a tired sigh as he shook his head solemnly.
Matt laughed, throwing an arm around Nick’s shoulders, though it was a slightly awkward stretch with him being taller than them both. But, Matt managed it as he led them into school.
“Good! He needs some motivation sometimes, speaking of books, Blaze-“ Matt turned to him again, and Blaze sighed.
“I’ll help you study. When’s your free period?”
Yeah, he’s surprised these two could do anything without him. The thought made him chuckle.
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“My mom called?”
Nick knew he was a lot of things, ‘up in the clouds’, distracted, relaxed, known to drift away in conversation sometimes. Or start homework and somehow end up stitching a hole in Will’s jacket.
“Yeah, this morning, she asked about Will. My Mom mentioned when he left our place, I can only assume he’s- uh.” Matt trailed off awkwardly before stuffing more food in his mouth.
He could feel Blaze’s eyes on him, as Nick’s own eyebrows furrowed with worry. Will wasn’t at home? He was supposed to get back at eight, like he always did from his DnD campaigns.
“Did you talk to him last night?” Nick asked softly, eyes focusing on Matt as Matt tapped his plastic fork against his food plate, eyes flicking between his lunch, Blaze, and Nick.
“Yeah, I did, only quickly, I know he left, that much I’m sure.” Matt nodded quickly, leaning back on the cafeteria chair with a tilt of his head. No doubt thinking over that interaction now with narrowed eyes.
Nick swallowed thickly.
“Don’t jump to conclusions yet”, Blaze warned when it got quiet for too long, leaning a bit to the side to catch Nick’s wondering eyes.
“For all we know, he got home and just left for school early. We know he does that, right? Lets not worry about it till we have actual knowledge that he might be missing,” he said bluntly, and Nick’s nose scrunched slightly as he nodded.
Missing, only Blaze could say a strong word like that without hesitation. That was typical Blaze, he said the hard stuff, and he said it bluntly and clearly. At least they could trust him to always speak his mind.
Still, Nick placed his fork down slowly, his stomach felt like it twisted quietly “I’m not hungry anymore”, he muttered.
And this time, ignored the looks Matt and Blaze shared.
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The men arrived quickly, Martin thought with a smug bitterness, of course they did, after what’s happened.
“Doctor Brenner”, The man in the lightest suit greeted him, with a bow tie and a suitcase. Probably more of a government lackey instead of a true scientist. He took the man’s hand, firm, and shook it.
“Right this way, gentleman”, The senior researcher, Hughs, stated as he walked a step behind Brenner deeper into the lab, explaining the situation when all Brenner’s focus was on the rift.
“The entire east wing will be evacuated within the hour, and we’ve sealed off this area following quarantine protocol.” Seemed to make the government men relax as they stepped through the zipper into the east wing.
They suited up in white hazmat suits, tapped the gloves around their wrists, and grabbed their guns.
The elevator was a quiet, long hum as they went down, dark with only the emergency light. None would assume that someone, a male scientist, had died right where they stood. It made Brenner want to chuckle softly to himself.
The doors pulled open to the dark hallway ahead, and spores now floated in the air as the light above flickered above them as they walked. Flashlights guiding their way.
Soon enough, they came upon the steel door, blackened from damage that he knew the creature had caused, and right ahead, the room that had been the centre of all this commotion.
The spores were stronger in this room; vines of an unknown origin escaped through the hole in the foundation like reaching, bony white fingers. The unknown botany seemed to breathe with its own heartbeat, dark and unknown; you couldn’t see past the red, skin-like material that covered the hole.
“This is where it came from?” the first man, the one he had shaken hands with, asked.
“Yes”, Brenner answered quietly. The hazmat suits made breathing sound louder than it truly was.
“And the girl and boy?” he asked.
His eyes remained on the rift, and determination echoed like an old, stubborn friend in his bones.
“They can’t have gone far”, Martin replied.
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Leaves and twigs snapped. Twelve observed quietly, stepping on the arches of his feet as he kept Eleven’s hand firmly in his. It was worth it, he thought with quiet delight, it was worth it to run away to hear and feel how twigs and leaves crunched and snapped under his feet.
Ahead of them stood a white building, what had to be a car parked out front, and a tall man with a beard taking out a rubbish bag. Which he shoved in a metal bin before heading back inside, he could hear music playing faintly from inside the building, he realised.
Eleven looked to him, soft, as she turned her head at the building in question. His eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded in turn. If a man were there, food would most likely be there, and they hadn’t eaten anything since last night.
His sister pushed the door open slowly, and he followed right behind her. The music was louder, catchy, almost.
He peeked over her shoulder as they passed by shelves, storage maybe? And looked out into the main room of the building. Food, he could smell it strongly in here.
Everything was stronger, louder, much more than Papa and the Rainbow Room ever were.
“All right, and one more.” The man with the beard was talking, handing food to some people at a table.
“Thank you, hey Ben. What do you think about that, uh…offer?” A man with a white beard asked, more older looking, and they both watched them talk to each other. It was strange, Twelve thought, he didn’t know why, but it was. People in the lab never talked like they did.
“Hey, I don’t know. I don’t know” Twelve pulled his sister’s hand slightly, and her eyes remained on the pair as they entered a side room through two pushing doors with funny little windows in them.
In the new room, there were plates, bowls, and utensils that he probably didn’t know the names of. They both looked around in surprise before they came upon a bowl of what looked like food. Yellow and covered in something fine and clear.
Eleven took a bite first, before she started eating quickly, and Twelve took one of the long-looking foods and tried it. It was good, and he quickly grabbed a few more while he let his sister have the rest. It was nice, salty, but she needed the food more than him after using so much energy last night. Even if his stomach started to get the aches because of it.
Twelve looked up and froze. The big man with the beard had come closer to the window with a scrunched look. He grabbed his sister’s shoulder.
“Hey!” he yelled, and she flinched, head snapping up.
She grabbed the bowl, and he grabbed her arm. They quickly ran for the push door with the funny windows. Quickly, they ran back to the room with the storage shelves, and twelve fell to the floor as the man grabbed Eleven, and he froze.
He froze. The man looked angry.
“You think you can steal from me, boy?” He demanded, and Twelve’s breath hitched; both he and Eleven looked the man with the beard up and down. He could feel his breathing catch in his chest, and he worked to count them slowly so he wouldn’t lose control.
The man’s face seemed to calm, slowly looking shocked as his eyes flickered from Eleven to Twelve “What the hell?” the bearded man muttered.
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Being called out of class made Nick’s stomach drop into the pits of hell. It didn’t help the look on Mr Hopper’s face when he asked when he last saw Will.
“Yesterday, around noon, I spent the night at my friend’s, Blaze Sinclair’s, house”
“Go home immediately after school, kid, I mean it, no looking, or biking, or investigating. Do I make myself clear?”
“…Nick?” Matt questioned, voice uncharacteristically quiet as he leaned over in study period, Blaze watching him with concern.
“…I think my brother’s missing.” He muttered quietly.
Missing, and he hadn’t been home, he was usually always home, and Will would tell him about how the DnD game went if Jonathan wasn’t home yet. He was stuck at school, and Johnathan and Mom were out there searching.
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Lucy was a girl who knew what she wanted.
She wanted to get good grades, marry rich, and then take care of her big brother for the rest of his life. And then have a few friends that she could gossip with over tea, Bella, potentially, could be up for selection. She was popular, well-liked, and loved listening in on secret adult conversations. Like Lucy did!
Moving to Hawkins had been…hard, even if she lost all her friends in Rachel, Nevada, at least dad wasn’t around to hurt them anymore. And Mom had actually paid attention enough after Connie came home to get them out of there.
But with escaping an abusive husband came with having to keep your head down, not causing trouble, something Lucy struggled not to do!
Maybe she’d just have to find a rich husband that didn’t hit her, but would also be willing to bail her out of jail, hm, something to think about.
She ran to the exit of school as soon as the bell rang, determined to be there before Connor got there. She couldn’t let him walk home alone; he was terrible with directions! The dufus might get lost!
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Twelve loved burgers, he decided. And baggy shirts.
He ate quickly, and the aches in his stomach eased more. He glanced between Eleven and the bearded man, sitting next to his sister, as the man crossed his arms over his chest.
“Geez”, the man muttered, watching with wary but kind eyes as Twelve and his sister ate quickly.
“You guys' parents forget to feed you?” He asked. When his sister didn’t look up, he turned his attention to Twelve, who only stared as he continued to chew his burger quickly. He didn’t trust him, but he had given them food, which was…nice.
It was quiet for a moment, and the music that had been loud before now turned quiet on the radio. Before the man spoke again, “Is that why you ran away?” his voice was soft as he questioned.
Eleven had slowed down her eating, and so did Twelve. He watched as the man looked away, bit his lip, and he seemed unsure. He was good at observing, Papa had said so himself.
He watched the bearded man take a deep breath before asking “…They uh…They hurt you?”
Twelve paused, and he knew the man caught it, if the way his eyes immediately flicked back to him was telling enough. Hurt, yeah, Papa had done things that had hurt. He quickly looked down as he went back to finishing his burger.
The man paused again, clearly feeling pressed that neither of them was speaking “You guys went to the hospital, you got scared, you ran off, you wound up here, is that it?” Twelve did well to avoid the man’s eyes now, like his sister.
This time, Eleven looked up at him, chewing slowly. The man paused again before letting out a sigh, “All right.” And Twelve made a soft noise as the man pulled the burgers out of his and his sister’s hands.
“I’ll give them back, all right? And you both can have as much as you want.” He paused as he looked between them both “All right? Maybe even some ice cream. But one of you’s gotta answer a few of my questions first, all right?”
There was another pause. Twelve swallowed slowly as he and Eleven shared a look.
“We got a deal?” the bearded man asked.
There was another pause, and Twelve could see the man re-calculating on his approach, seeming to soften slightly at whatever he saw on their faces. “All right, let’s start with the easy stuff. All right?”
“My name’s Benny. Benny Hammond.” The bearded man, Benny, now introduced himself, holding his hand out across the table to his sister first with a relaxed, patient face.
“See? Like this. Here.” He said quietly, grabbing Eleven’s hand to place it in his own, “I got you. Don’t worry. It’s okay”, he reassured when his sister tensed and Twelve moved closer to Eleven in his seat with narrowed eyes.
“Nice to meet you, yeah. And you are?” Twelve could see a hesitant smile twitch at Benny’s face as he shook Eleven’s hand. And then let out a heavy sigh when she only looked down at their hands.
And almost too quickly, Benny saw Eleven’s number on her wrist. She pulled away quickly as Twelve took her other hand reassuringly. Watching the man closely. Benny let out a heavy breath, eyes heavy as he looked at both of them and put his hand to his chin, pensive.
It was silent for a long moment before Benny muttered gruffly, “Eleven? What’s that mean?”
When he got no reply, Benny asked again, seriously, “What’s it mean?”
“No”, El stated softly, and Twelve glanced to her as he squeezed her hand in his best show of reassurance, but it felt flat.
“Well, I’ll be damned. She speaks,” He started with a sound that might be considered a chuckle if Benny didn’t look so heavy.
“’ No’? No, what?” Benny asked again, raising an eyebrow slightly as he glanced between him and his sister, “You a girl too? You got a number?”, but Twelve remained quiet as he glanced down at their burgers next to Benny. And Benny glanced down to where he had his hands hidden under the table.
Benny clicked his tongue, patient as he sighed, “All right. I guess no more food, then.” he said as he stood with their food.
Twelve’s eyes widened slightly, but Eleven was quicker to react, “Eleven.” She stated softly, and Benny turned to face them again, placing their bowls back down.
“Yeah”, Benny replied, watching them both with what seemed to be furrowed eyebrows, worried, maybe?
“What’s it mean?” He asked again softly, patiently. Twelve liked that about Benny, he decided—the patience.
Eleven pointed to herself, “Eleven”, she stated quietly again, and he saw Benny nod slightly, eyes heavy as he glanced to Twelve.
He could feel both of them looking at him, and he let out a huff as he pointed at himself, “Twelve.” He answered the unspoken question.
“All right, then. Here you go.” He answered after a heavy moment with a slight chuckle, pushing their burgers back over, which Twelve quickly started eating again.
Benny stood up, heading back to the kitchen as Twelve glanced over at his sister. Muttering quietly for only her to hear, “Okay?”
She paused in her eating, swallowing as she turned to face him “Okay”, she whispered.
They both looked up at the loud creaking fan, and Twelve’s eyes narrowed. But she was faster; she was always faster with their telekinesis, and the creaking fan turned off.
Going back to eating, he thought, yes, this was worth the risk of running away from Papa. Burgers were delicious.
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Coming home came with a sense of foreboding that Nick wasn’t used to. Usually, coming home meant he got to wrap himself in his comfiest clothes and read whatever book he picked up. Now? Now his little brother was missing.
Missing, it echoed through his head like an inevitable crack of a book closing.
Blaze and Matt had gone home. Nick couldn’t keep them here; he wouldn’t want more people around…this. They should be at home, where their parents couldn’t worry about them like his Mom was about Will.
“Is Lonnie there?” Right, calling Dad. Joyce was trying to get a hold of Lonnie, and Jonathan and Nick were making missing posters on the lounge room coffee table. Nick’s fingers twitched around the pen in his hand as he looked back down at the paper in front of him.
“Can you please- Who is this?” Nick could hear the restraint in his mom’s voice, trying so hard not to shake. Nick looked at the blue pen in his hand. Red would be better; red meant it was serious.
“Cynthia”, Nick saw Jonathan look up at their mom as she spoke with ‘Cynthia’ on the phone. Nick only swallowed. What was he supposed to write on this? ‘I’m missing, have you seen me?’ Will wouldn’t want something tacky like that; he’d pull out the theatrics that he used when playing dungeon master.
Nick hadn’t even been here for Will to tell him about his DnD game. Was Will even saying anything right now? Could he?
“Cynthia, this is Joyce. Lonnie’s ex-wife.” Right, right, missing posters. What was he supposed to write? Nick glanced over at Jonathan’s one, trying to stay focused because they didn’t have time for Nick’s head to be up in the clouds.
‘HAVE YOU SEEN ME?’ was what Jonathan was writing, in full capital letters. Yeah, Nick would go with that. He wished his writing was as in the lines and clean like Jonathan’s.
What were they doing? Nick was sitting here doing this like a messed-up art project, and Will was missing.
“I really need to speak to him- can you please put- No! No, not later. Now! Can- Bitch!” Nick’s lips thinned harshly as his Mom slammed the phone on the hook switch, and Nick slowly started on the letters ‘H’ and ‘A’ at the top of the poster.
“Mom.” Jonathan chided softly, but it came out as more of a soft plea. Nick could see the worry eating away at his brother. Instead of tense shoulders and clenched fists, Jonathan looked smaller, like he had curled into himself. Nick hated it.
Where are you, Will?
“What?” Joyce snapped loudly, frustration making her nerves frayed beyond measure, and Nick wrote the letters ‘V’ and ‘E’ slowly. The room felt tighter, like with Will gone, the cracks of exhaustion and brittleness showed their nasty claws, squeezing around all their necks.
“You have to stay calm.” Nick could hear it, the fragile control Jonathan had. It bled from his voice like water in the crack of an old but formidable wall. Jonathan had always been a wall in the foundation of their home, but even he was cracking.
Nick wrote the ‘S’ and ‘E’s for ‘SEEN’ with a clenched hand around his pen.
Joyce let out a bitter, breathless chuckle, looking down at the paper in her hand and picked the phone back up and muttering under her breath. Jonathan remained still, impossibly still, as he stared at their mom.
With Will gone, Nick could see them all crumbling under their worry.
Nick swallowed dryly and finished the word ‘SEEN’.
“Lonnie, some teenager just hung up on me. Will is…is missing. I don’t know where he is. I need…I just need, need you to call me back, please, just-… Damn it! Damn it!” Nick flinched slightly at the yelling, and guiltily, he wanted to escape into his mind, to think about the shapes of the clouds and what book he was reading next.
“Mom?” Jonathan called out, and Nick looked up from where he had been staring at the words ‘HAVE SEEN’ on his poster, and blankly registering that he was supposed to have put ‘YOU’ between the words.
“What?” She asked harshly, Nick stood up with Jonathan and looked out the window. His stomach dropped down to his feet, and then into the floor. Nick’s skin felt like it hung wrong to his muscles, and the muscles to his bones.
“Cops,” Jonathan muttered softly.
They all moved outside quickly, standing on the porch with wide eyes. And Nick felt almost strangely present. Like the world was slowed and utterly clear of anything else. I’m thinking of nothing at all, he realised. Just this time, the real world had its teeth dug in tight like an anchor to a ship.
When Chief Hopper exited his car, and he took Will’s bike out of the back. Nick felt like he might just be sick with how real it all was.
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Jim never liked bringing news like this back to the families in New York.
“It was just lying there?” Joyce demanded; she had always been full of confidence and frustration, and that showed now, worn down and hyper-focused with the worry for her youngest. Hopper could only sigh heavily.
“Yeah. Cal?” he threw a pointed finger at the dining room as Phil glanced around their lounge room. Joyce and her two oldest sons, Jonathan and Nicholas, if he remembered their names right, followed him close behind.
“Did it have any blood on it, or-“ He could see Joyce’s barely controlled panic. Which he reassured quietly.
“-No, no, no, no, no…” he muttered, shaking his head. Luckily, was the part he kept to himself with a watchful look. “Phil?” He nodded down the hallway, and Phil went to check out the bedrooms as he made his way into the kitchen.
“If you found the bike out there, why are you here?” Joyce’s oldest, Jonathan, questioned. But it seemed her other teenager, Nicholas, had connected the same points Jim had.
“They found the bike near Cornwallis and Kerley meet, Will has a key, and he knows his way around, he would come here,” Nicholas muttered, and Jim gave a nod or silent praise as he glanced around the kitchen.
Out of the few times he had met Joyce’s kids, Jonathan had always been the most curious and asked questions, Nicholas was usually quiet and such. But now, he could see him glancing around. The kid was sharp; he’d give him that, but even Jim could see the desperation hanging off the entire Byers family. He watched Jonathan follow after Phil as Cal continued to look around the dining room.
Jim walked to the window by the stove, glancing out, and he could almost imagine what the smallest Byers might have done. He ran home after whatever spooked him, locked the door, but the power was out, so he couldn’t call. He would have come in from the front, looked out, and then…seen whatever or whoever was chasing him.
So, what would Will do? No power, whatever was coming came from the front, no help was coming, so…
“You think I didn’t check my own house?” Joyce demanded, he knew she was getting frustrated, and probably felt like no one was listening to her. But Jim needed something, something that proved this wasn’t just a runaway kid.
“I’m not saying that.” He placated her flatly, if they were coming from the front…
There, a dent in the wall that could only be from a swinging door. One that was swung hard open. The backdoor. He reached out to touch it as he turned to Joyce, questioning, “Has this always been here?”
“What? I don’t know. Probably. I mean, I have three boys. Look at this place.” She stated harshly, and Jim had to stop himself from gritting his jaw because, as much as Joyce wanted to find something that would lead to Will, she needed to focus.
“No…no, it hasn’t” Jim’s head snapped up slightly at the quiet voice; it was Nicholas again. Jim had almost forgotten that he hadn’t followed his brother. Nicholas’s eyes had narrowed at the dent, and he could see him rubbing his thumb against his palm.
“Yeah, no, I remember, two nights ago, when I fed Boyd outside, he had rushed out and I remember thinking ‘good thing I caught the door’ before it slammed into the wall” Nick explained as he took a step forward, almost as if he was trying to remember more, that he would if he was in the same place and thought hard enough.
Jim opened the back door, pulling it fully open until the lock hit the wall, in the same spot as the dent. “Smart kid.” He praised blandly.
The fulfilment of being right was hollow at best, knowing that, in being right, Will had been running from someone. It made his eyes sharpen, readiness swirling in his gut.
A dog bark, Boyd, could be heard from outside, and Jim’s head perked up slightly at the noise. What was he barking at?
They pushed out the screen door, and Jim noted Joyce and Nicholas following him down the back steps. Jim walked closer, glancing in the dog’s direction “Hey”, he greeted Boyd softly. Dogs had always been a comfort to Jim; he always trusted their instincts.
“Hey, what’s up with this guy, huh?” He commented easily, bending over slightly to pat Boyd. Nicholas came up beside him with a weak smile as he ran a hand over the dog’s back.
“Nothing, he’s probably just hungry. Come on.” Joyce waved away as she grabbed Boyd’s collar and pulled the dog inside. Nicholas, though, stayed as Jim slowly stood up from his crouch.
Boyd had been barking at a shed, which was old, the white stained with dirt and worn down.
“What do you have in there?” Jim questioned idly, and he saw Nick snap back into attention from where he had been staring at the ground, glancing between the shed and Jim.
“Normal stuff, gardening tools, old boxes, a wheelbarrow, and…and the rifle” Jim watched the boy’s eyes widen, and Jim’s lips thinned as he placed his hat back on his head.
As he walked forward, he could almost see it, clear as day.
Will, who was smart enough to run home and abandon the bike. Will, who had locked the door and tried to call for help until he found the phone wasn’t working.
Will, who looked to see whoever was approaching, was coming from the front. And had run out the back, towards the shed, to grab the closest thing he could defend himself with.
He could almost feel how Will’s heart would have been racing as he ran across the dirt to the only hope he had.
Had. Wherever Will was, Jim, darkly, doubted he was running.
Jim pulled the door to the shed open, and Nicholas followed him into the dark before Jim flipped on the light. There was one thing about Nicholas that he hadn’t gotten from Lonnie or Joyce. And that was the ability to keep quiet and calm; he could appreciate that now, in what was no doubt the very place Will was taken.
An open box of rifle ammo. And an empty rack where a rifle most likely used to sit.
He saw Nicholas get pale, eyes widened with a mutter, “Oh fuck” he watched him carefully as he reached out a hesitant hand before letting it drop to his side. Not his place, Not his kid “I think I’m going to be sick”, the kid whispered.
“Easy,” He reassured in a low voice, glancing around, and the light above them flickered. “Wait outside, I’ll be out in a minute”, he ordered softly, and Nicholas nodded as he quickly turned and left the shed. The light flickered and died.
With a heavy sigh, Jim glanced around, and his shoulders felt heavy at the sight of broken boxes. A struggle. He thought blankly. He grabbed a nearby flashlight and crouched down, inspecting it.
“Hey!” The light flickered back on, and the sound of Callahan’s voice startled him as he swung around quickly.
“Jesus!” He swore loudly, glaring, and Phil only gave him a raised eyebrow with his hands spread.
“What are you, deaf? I’ve been calling you.” Jim glanced back at the broken boxes. For a moment, he had thought he had seen something. “What’s going on?” Phil seemed to soften, and Jim immediately felt a sense of repulsion at the casual concern.
Jim pushed past him quickly, his heart beating like a steady drum as he ignored Phil. He strode past Nicholas, who stood immediately to follow them both, still looking a little pale “Are you sure you're okay, Chief?” Phil tried again.
“Listen, I want you to call Flo. I want to get a search party together, all right? All the volunteers she can muster. Bring flashlights, too.” He stated firmly, Calvin meeting him and Phil in the middle of the backyard.
“Search party?” Nicholas questioned quickly as Jim walked forward. Already, making plans on who he’d need to contact.
“Hey, you think we've got a problem here?” Phil asked, voice firm, but Jim didn’t answer him as he grit his jaw.
“I want to come! If you're searching for Will I should be there!” It was the loudest Jim had heard Nicholas, though he had only known him a short while. With those dark brown curls and those Bambi eyes, the raised voice almost gave him whiplash at how similar they were to Joyce.
Jim walked stepped towards the kid, grabbing his shoulders gently as he gave him a serious look. “You're smart, I know you want to help, kid, I do, and I know it must be torture sitting around, but I need you to stay here”, he stated firmly, an order in all but words.
“Have you seen your mother? She’s spiralling, she needs her kids here, at home, do you understand me?” Squeezing the kid's shoulders, his eyes became harsher as he saw the hesitation that lined Nicholas’s shoulders.
“Do I make myself clear? Do you understand?” He demanded, and Nicholas nodded quickly. Jim slumped, letting out a huff as he gave a tired nod of praise.
He turned back to Phil and Cal, and hardened his face “Let’s go”
It was time to find a missing boy.
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“We should be out there right now. We should be helping look for him” It was Mike this time who sent the boulder rolling down the hill instead of Nancy at breakfast. Idly, Matt thought that being upset over the disappearance of your friend was a much better reason for a blow up then a disgusting amount of syrup.
And Matt agreed with him! They should be out there doing something for the Byers. At least so he didn’t have to see Nick’s face tomorrow and know just how out of it his friend will probably be. Matt knew that sitting around at home, even for him, would drive him mad.
“We’ve been over this, Mike. The chief says-“ Mom chided as she fed Holly in her high chair, and Matt tapped his left foot against the floor repeatedly as his eyes snapped from Mike to Karen.
“I don’t care what the chief says!” Mike interrupted.
“Michael!” Mom warned.
“We have to do something. Will can be in danger.” Mike stated urgently, and Matt’s eyes flickered to their mom and then to the food on his plate.
“More reason to stay put.” She argued firmly.
“Mom!” Mike pleaded.
“End of discussion!” Karen snapped
Matt, in quiet solidarity, nudged his foot- the one that wasn’t bouncing against the floor- against Mike’s. He saw his brother look up, and his shoulders relaxed slightly at the silent agreement he saw in Matt.
“So…me and Barbara are gonna study at her house tonight. That’s cool, right?” Nancy broached the subject carefully as she twirled her fork on her plate, and Matt snorted. Quickly looking away when she glared at him. If he wasn’t allowed to go on his night runs now, Nancy wasn’t allowed to hang out with ‘Barbara’.
“No, not cool.” She answered stiffly, and Matt knew she was trying to keep her cool. Matt went back to pushing his vegetables into the shape of a face and counting each time he tapped his foot against the floor in his head.
“What? Why not?” Matt felt like Holly, his poor baby sister, eyes flicking back and forth between each person who argued as Matt went to tapping his fork against his plate and looking out the window into the dark street.
“Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves.” Their mom stated, her tone showing just how willing she was not to compromise. Matt felt a strange sensation of anxiety that she might take his morning runs too.
“This is such bullshit!” Nancy swore, and Matt tried to hide a grimace by chewing his food more quickly in his mouth.
“Language”, came the toneless chiding of Ted.
“So we’re under house arrest? Just because Mike’s friend got lost on the way home from…” Nancy argued, very much sounding like she was trying hard not to roll her eyes.
“Wait, you're saying this is Will’s fault?” Mike demanded harshly.
“Nancy…” Matt warned with narrowed eyes, was she really so entitled that she’d talk about a missing kid like that?
“Nancy. Take that back.” Karen warned, Matt couldn’t help but think it felt empty, like even their mom was tired of placating and stopping arguments.
“No!” Nancy stated, aghast, and Matt was the one who had to try hard not to roll his eyes and scoff at Nancy. He knew she was upset, but it felt almost childish now to be upset about a curfew.
“You’re just pissed off ‘cause you wanna hang out with Steve.” Mike taunted, and Matt’s eyes widened as he let out a surprised breath and quickly averted his eyes to his plate. And he knew Nancy was giving Mike a death glare as the table went silent for a moment.
Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, of course, Nancy wanted to go and hang out with her boyfriend. Matt focused on taking calming breaths as he met little Holly’s wide eyes and tried for a smile, making a little aeroplane with his fork, and he saw her crack a smile of her own.
“Steve?” Ted questioned, forever monotone, Matt thought he might scratch out his eardrums.
“Who is Steve?” Karen questioned, probing.
“Her new boyfriend,” Mike announced, almost smug to get one back at Nancy. Matt kicked Mike’s leg under the table to get him to stop, because hey, he needed to show some twin-sibling solidarity. And he ignored Mike’s quiet ‘ow’ as he stubbornly kept his eyes on his food.
“You are such a douchebag, Mike!” Nancy yelled.
“Language!” Ted yelled louder. And Nancy let out a frustrated groan, stood up, and left the kitchen. Matt huffed at the smug smirk on Mike’s face.
“Nancy, come back.” Their mom tried, but Nancy ignored her as she reached the stairs “Come back!”, and still, Nancy slammed her bedroom door shut.
Matt grimaced. Could they go one meal without some type of argument?
He leaned back slightly on his chair, glancing idly around the table as his hand clenched around his fork. And his leg bounced slightly under the table.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Holly. Here, have some juice, okay?” Mom went to reassure a tearful Holly as the rest of the table stayed silent for a moment.
“You see, Michael?” And any hope of finishing his dinner without another mood change was interrupted by the neutral, monotone voice that was his father.
“You see what happens?” Ted said, and Matt struggled to hide his scowl at how condescending their dad’s voice was.
“What happens when what? I’m the only one acting normal here! I’m the only one who cares about Will!” Matt rocked slightly in his chair, jaw tensed harshly as his eyes now flickered between Dad and Mike.
“That is really unfair, son. We care.” with the most monotone voice for such a statement, and Matt could only stare at Ted as Mike paused, slammed his hands on the table, and stormed out of the kitchen.
“That’s bullshit”, Matt muttered, standing up as he followed after Mike, and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Language!” Ted called after him, and Matt ignored him as he slammed his own bedroom door.
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“What do you mean a kid’s missing?” Connor barely had time to tense at the words, what they could mean, before his mother was pulling on her shoes and a jacket.
“A child’s missing, Connie baby, Mama’s gonna go help with the search party. You stay here, alright? Do not leave the house. You and your sister can heat some spaghetti up for dinner, okay?” Their mom reassured, checking her hair in the hanging mirror by the door. Frazzeled, but determined.
Evangeline Taylor, or as she preferred to go by her maiden name now, Evangeline Martin, was a small woman. She had dark brown curls that were cut to just below her chin, and wore lipstick that was a shade too bright. And Evangeline Martin was a junkie.
Connor could see how her eyes were glassy. Could almost smell the tobacco on her; she had gotten better since they had left Frank, but still, it wasn’t exactly easy to get off an addiction. Not one she had since before Frank.
“Mom, you sure you’re alright to be…going out there?” He tried, stuffing his hands in his pockets, ignoring the quiet static in his ears as he bit his lip. He knew Lucy was listening just around the corner. His little sister always got quiet when it came to things like smoking and drinking. He was somewhat glad she always tried to avoid their parents when they got like this.
“Don’t be silly, it’s just a slight buzz, and I know for sure I would have wanted everyone in town looking…looking for you, baby, when you went missing” She trailed off, her tone of annoyance turning into a grimace as she gave an apologetic look.
Connor hated it, hated the looks Mom and Lucy would share when a conversation got too close to the subject. Hated how they both walked around it like they were on eggshells. Connor might want to forget that it happened, but he doesn’t want to be treated like he’ll break.
“…Fine, just be safe,” Connor muttered lamely as he turned and walked off to his and Lucy’s shared bedroom. Ignoring how his mother hesitated before leaving out the front door, and walking past Lucy, who stood with thinned lips in the kitchen, fidgeting with her hands.
The house they had in Hawkins was small, with two bedrooms, one bathroom that was also the laundry room, a kitchen, and a lounge room. He and Lucy shared a bedroom, and Connor didn’t mind that. He had shared a bedroom with Lucy when they lived with their dad.
Connor was just glad that there weren’t broken things lying around the house, didn’t have to block his ears to the yelling, or try to find a clean dish in the pile, or clean up empty beer cans. Or worry about Frank’s temper anymore.
He flopped onto his bed with a heavy sigh, static still playing in his ears quietly as he pulled his pillow over his head and just lay there for a moment. Tapped his pointer finger against his thumb as his head went quiet for a moment.
The Taylor family was a strange one. He knew that. But it wasn’t just the drugs, or the arguments, or the trauma no one wanted to talk about, but hung over them like the inevitable fall of an executioner's axe.
The static in his ears calmed.
He remembered what kept him sane for the hours of nothing to do in his kidnapper's shed. Baking in the heat and feeling the urge to claw his skin off, how the phone that had no line rang with the voices of past victims.
How his sister’s dreams helped save him.
Connor felt his eyes tear up despite how he tried, and he let out a quiet, frustrated breath as he remained still on his bed.
Somewhere, a part of him had, childishly, hoped that in seeing his mom actually, finally do something about Frank, that things might get better. That things might change.
Now it only felt like they changed scenery.
How stupid, he had been.
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Dinner was a silent affair in the Sinclair household.
Everyone had eaten their dinner, and Blaze had only nodded at their father’s order that they’d have a curfew at five and to be home by then each day till Will was found.
Blaze had done the only thing he could do in the moment, while he felt so out of control. And that was cleaning his bedroom, making sure his bed was made neatly, colour-coding the books on his shelf in colour and then alphabetical order. Make sure all his notes were ready for tomorrow, homework was done, and choose the outfit he wanted to wear tomorrow.
Standing in the middle of his room, looking around, it still didn’t feel like enough, but at least it was something.
He could only imagine what Nick was going through; he knew Nick wouldn’t be sleeping tonight, and probably wouldn’t be able to escape into whatever thoughts he wanted to either. His gut twisted slightly in worry for one of his best friends.
Maybe he couldn’t check on Nick right now, but he could check on Lucas. Will was his younger brother’s friend after all. That was another thing he could do, at least.
So, he walked over to Lucas’s door, hesitating, because what if he was asleep? Before pushing the door open, they both freeze. As Blaze’s eyes lock on Lucas, halfway out of his bedroom window.
They were both silent for a moment.
“Where the hell do you think you're going, Lucas?”
“Don’t tell mom and dad”, Lucas pleaded immediately, his eyes widening as he put his hands together in a begging prayer as he stared at Blaze.
Blaze remained still, lips thinning as he glanced over his brother. Lucas was ready to bolt; he could see it, and no way would he be able to get to mom or dad in time before he was on his bike and out of here to go wherever he was going.
Internally, Blaze felt a bit off-centre at the idea of breaking dad’s curfew. That had always been who he was, a rule follower. Erica and Lucas, on the other hand, had more of Sue Sinclair in them.
If Lucas went by himself, though, that could be dangerous. Someone had kidnapped Will; what if Lucas came across them? So with a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropped with a tired glare, “…I’m coming with you,” he declared finally.
“What, why?” Lucas’s face immediately relaxed with surprise as Blaze walked across the hall into his bedroom and grabbed his shoes. Coming back into Lucas’s bedroom, closing the door and turning off the light. For good measure, he stuffed Lucas’s pillow under the blanket.
“Cause, move,” He shoved his hand in Lucas’s face, and Lucas exited the rest of the way out the window with a light swear. Blaze quickly followed him through, and then crouched down to put on his shoes “cause someone has to look out for you, or would you prefer I stayed and snitched?” Blaze relied dryly with a raised eyebrow as he stood.
“Nope, nope! You can come!” Lucas said with a quick nod as they headed for their bikes.
At least this way, Lucas might actually get home before their parents realised they both weren’t in bed.
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All Matt had wanted to do was go into the garage, get his Walkman, and then try to do some push-ups or something before going to sleep, and then hopefully not end up rolling around in bed for a few hours before his hyper-thoughts let him actually sleep.
What he hadn’t expected was to see Mike, on his bike, bag obviously stuffed with stuff, and the garage door open.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Matt tried to call out as Mike immediately put his foot to the pedal, halfway over the driveway, and Matt needed to do something and-
“I want to come with you!” He tried to yell-whisper, and Mike pulled the brake and turned to look at him over his shoulder with what had to be a disturbed look that Matt was even trying to come with him.
“What?” Mike questioned, blunt and surprised, and Matt quickly shut the garage door and grabbed his bike. Peddling over to Mike’s side as he paused next to his little brother.
“Nick, Will’s older brother, is my friend. I’m not gonna stick around if you’re going looking,” Matt stated stubbornly as he dared Mike with a narrowed-eyed look.
Mike groaned, but he gave in rather quickly “Fine, you can come,” he answered begrudgingly, and Matt gave a little cheer as he waved his hand dramatically in front of him.
“Lead the way!”
They both stared at Steve Harrington trying to climb up to Nancy’s window. He gave them a little wave. Matt grimaced and looked away quickly, Mike scowled hard.
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Twelve liked ice cream, he decided. And so did Eleven, if her small smile said anything.
They were sitting in the kitchen now, on the bench as they ate ice cream and Benny washed some dishes with a cool tap that sprayed water very strongly.
It was a nice quiet. Not like the quiet back with Papa. They were eating ice cream, his sister’s flavour, strawberry, and Twelve’s vanilla. And the quiet clang of plates and forks, with the music low in the back, made everything feel like a nice comfy blanket.
“You guys like that ice cream, huh?” Benny commented, and he gave a pleased nod in reply, and Eleven gave a tiny smile.
“Smile looks good on you”, Benny added kindly to his sister, and he saw her give a confused look to Benny. “You know, smile?” he smiled at her as Twelve tapped her shoulder.
“Smile” he stated softly to her, giving her a smile of his own, small, and pointed at it. Eleven nodded as she smiled again, and Benny seemed to chuckle as he turned back to the sink.
The calm broke like a quiet thing, a knock at the door that had both their heads snapping to look over their shoulders. Eleven looked back to Benny, eyes wide, but too trusting in Benny now to react yet. Twelve slowly put down his ice cream as his eyes remained in the direction of the front door.
“All right. You guys just sit tight, whoever it is, I’ll tell ‘em to go away real quick, all right?” Benny said reassuringly as he wiped his hands on a rag and walked to the front. Twelve slowly shifted off the bench as he took El’s hand.
Twelve didn’t trust the safety enough like Eleven just yet. Who could be at the door? Was, was it Papa’s men? Twelve held his breath as his eyes glanced at his ice cream. He liked ice cream.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…hey, can I help you?” Twelve heard Benny ask.
“Hi, you must be Benny Hammond.” A woman’s voice, one that felt so strangely familiar. Twelve tensed.
“I’m afraid I am. I’m afraid we’re closed for the evening, too. So try back tomorrow morning.” Said Benny.
“Connie Frazier. Social Services.” Twelve looked at the windows in the kitchen, staring at the woman as his mind blanked for a moment. He vaguely recognised his own blank curiosity about what social services were.
“Ah, social services. My apologies. I didn’t expect you so soon. That’s a heck of a drive” Benny’s voice got quieter, and Twelve had to strain his ears to hear as he tightened his grip on El’s hand.
“Not too bad this time of night.” The woman had pale hair and blue eyes, and it reminded Twelve too much of Papa.
“Hey, listen, I…haven’t told them that you’re coming yet. I didn’t want them running off, they're both a bit skittish.” Was Benny’s reply.
“Children I work with usually are.” She answered, voice patient.
Twelve couldn’t catch what they said next, too low to hear from the kitchen. And the next few moments seemed to slow down for him as he watched the woman pull a gun from her bag, watched Benny lead her around as he turned to face her.
“-You’re, uh, voice, sounds different on the-“ was the last words Benny Hammond spoke as his body fell to the floor with a thump with a spray of red. They both gasped.
Twelve yanked Eleven down, and they raced through the kitchen and then back into the storage room.
Two men came in through the back, taser guns raised.
Eleven threw one into the left shelf with her arm raised, and Twelve threw the right.
And they raced out the back door, back into the woods, hearts racing as they refused to let go of each other.
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“You guys really need to work on your sneaking-out skills!” Dustin had laughed when not only Matt had turned up with Mike, but Lucas with Blaze! Both had groaned as Matt chuckled and Blaze rolled his eyes.
They rode a few feet behind the boys; they were all going to Mirkwood, the spot between Cornwallis and Kerley, supposedly, that was where Will’s bike had been found. And the longer the ride went, the damper Matt’s attempts to lighten the mood went.
“…Do you think Nick’s okay?” Matt asked quietly, hesitant, as he glanced over at Blaze. Blaze had his eyes ahead, glancing around ever so often, and for a moment, Matt felt a sense of jealousy that he quickly swallowed. Blaze was so much like Nancy sometimes when it came to that whole focus thing. Too many times had he been told, ‘If you just focus, you’ll get better grades!’
“He’s probably not sleeping”, Blaze muttered, honest but gentle, as if he knew Matt was worried and was thinking very hard on the best thing to say to reassure him and be honest at the same time.
“All we can do is hope the cops find him. And keep our kid brothers safe. You know Nick, he wouldn’t even want us out here in the first place. The best thing we can do is be there for him.” Matt nodded at Blaze’s words, biting his lip as they continued to paddle, and soon enough, the roadblock signs came into view.
“Ah, man. This is it.” Called out Lucas.
Everyone came to a stop, quiet, and Matt stared at the hill as he swallowed. A kid had gone missing here. The thought made him glance around quickly, paranoid.
Thunder was followed by a flash of distant lightning, and he saw Blaze grimace as they hopped off their bikes. “Hey, guys. You feel that?” Dustin asked. Blaze walked forward, and Matt couldn’t see any hesitation there. Matt wished he could be like that for serious things. And didn’t just speak before he realised what he was saying. Matt could feel rain droplets start to hit his skin.
“Yeah, it’s raining.” Blaze agreed quietly, looking over the roadblock with narrowed eyes. He could only wonder what was going on in Blaze’s head, the type of calculations and observations he was doing.
“I think maybe we should go back.” Matt could hear the anxiety in Dustin’s voice, and Matt felt himself shake his head as he stood next to Blaze. Mike seemed to agree.
He saw Blaze hesitate, no doubt knowing how hard it would be once it really started pouring, but Matt nudged his shoulder gently, and Blaze gave him a reassuring nod.
“No. We’re not going back. Just stay close. Come on.” Mike stated firmly as he handed out flashlights.
Blaze turned to face the younger boys. “You guys stay in front of us, we’ll watch your back, alright? If I call your name, I'd better be able to hear you answer.”
They all nodded as Mike pushed forward, ducking under the tape with a roll of his eyes “Just stay on channel six, guys, don’t do anything stupid”, he advised. Blaze followed after Lucas and Mike as Matt stayed next to Dustin for a moment.
“You okay, Dustin?” He questioned, casual but soft as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight on the heels of his feet.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay” Dustin took a deep breath, hesitating, and Matt knew the kid was scared. But, Dustin pushed forward anyways “Hey, guys, wait up. Wait up!”
Matt followed after him with a huff, and the rain really started to pour. Matt would smile if this weren’t so serious, but the rain had something peaceful to it.
If the way Blaze couldn’t hide his scowl, he knew his best friend hated the rain, and that made him chuckle.
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Jonathan had always been good with a camera, Nick thought quietly as he squeezed his right hand in his left. He could vaguely hear the rain, but it felt muffled now; everything felt muffled since Hopper left, muffled, but strangely loud in a way he wasn’t sure how to describe.
“Jonathan, wow. You took these? These are great.” Joyce whispered, looking through the photos on top of photos that he had laid out on the coffee table. Nick was to their mom’s right on the couch, and Jonathan was on the left. “Wow, they really are.” She muttered, proud but tired at Jonathan’s doubtful look.
It went quiet for a moment, and the stammer, the breaking he could hear in his mom’s voice, made his lower lip tremble “I know I haven’t, haven’t been there for you guys, I…working so hard, and I…I just feel bad. I don’t even…I barely know what’s going on with you two.” Joyce chuckled weakly and put both her hands on their opposite knees, rubbing soothingly, and Nick’s jaw hurt as he clenched it.
God, his chest hurt. They had to find a picture to put on Will’s missing poster. His foot was bouncing slightly, and it hurt to swallow; his throat felt so dry that no matter how much water he drank, it only made him feel sick. But he had to stay strong, he had to try.
“All right? I am sorry about that.” Joyce whispered, and Nick glanced over at Jonathan weakly. He could see his big brother struggling. Struggling to keep that wall in place, struggling with guilt, just struggling.
Jonathan let out a shaky, watery breath, and Nick felt like he was swallowing the world. Being a witness to his brother’s pain never felt so much like glass shards.
“Hey, what is it? What is it, honey?” She whispered, leaning towards Jonathan, and Nick could see his brother trying to grit his jaw, trying not to cry.
“Nothing.” He forced out, sniffling, and Nick felt his own face twist into a grimace at Jonathan’s voice. All of them were trying not to cry, and god Nick didn’t want this.
He didn’t want any of this.
“Tell me. Tell me. Come on. You can…” Joyce reassured breathlessly.
“No…it’s just…I should’ve been there for him.” Jonathan’s voice broke, and Nick let out a soft, broken sound, as Mom rubbed his back and tried not to cry herself.
“No. Oh, no. You can’t do that to yourself. This was not your fault. Do you hear me?” Joyce said hoarsely, turning to Nick, too, as her eyes watered and she pulled them both close. “It isn’t, it isn’t your fault either, okay? He is…close. I know it, I, I…”
Nick let out a shaky breath, jaw aching as he rubbed away his own tears and leaned into his mom’s touch. It felt warm. And he hated how much like a kid he felt in finding comfort there.
“I feel it, in my heart,” Joyce sniffled, “you just have to…you have to trust me on this, okay?” Joyce hugged them close, and Nick tried not to shake apart in her embrace. He had to be strong.
“Yeah”, Jonathan muttered, and Joyce reached for one of the pictures, her face twisting with pain that could only be caused by love, as she held up the picture of a smiling Will.
“Oh, look at this. Look at this one. Look at this one.” Mom rubbed her hand over Will’s face, and they all let out a broken laugh, trying so desperately to be strong “I mean, that’s it, right?”
“Yeah”, Jonathan rested his head on Mom’s shoulder.
“Yeah”, Nick agreed, feeling breathless as he smiled weakly at the picture.
“That’s it. That’s the one.” Joyce agreed, and Nick felt his stomach jolt as the phone started ringing.
Joyce got up quickly, racing to the phone, desperate for news as the storm echoed outside, and Nick and Jonathan remained on the couch. Staring at Will’s picture.
“Hello?” Mom’s voice was clearer now, maybe it was because of hope for some news “Hello? Lonnie? Hopper?”
“Dad?” Jonathan whispered in confusion.
“Who is this?” Nick felt his heart race at Joyce’s words. He watched as she held the phone close, Jonathan stood up and walked closer, and Nick’s heart dropped-
“Will?” Mom whispered desperately, and Nick choked, feeling frozen to the couch at the simple question.
“Will?”
“It’s Will?” Jonathan questioned breathlessly.
Joyce let out a pained sound, like it was punched out of her lungs. And Nick felt himself shaking as he put a hand over his mouth.
“Mom, it’s Will?”
“Who is this? What have you done to my boy?! Give me back my son!” She screamed as an electrical surge went through the phone. She dropped it, and Jonathan tried desperately to pick it up. Joyce was sobbing and muttering incoherently.
Nick sobbed, curling into himself on the couch as his chest heaved.
God, he didn’t feel strong.
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“Will!” Thunder seemed to roar louder than Mike could yell, and he decided he hated rain, he hated thunder, and he hated the god damn woods. Lucas walked next to him and Dustin, Mike’s annoyingly persistent older brother, a few steps behind them with Lucas’s brother Blaze, who was scowling slightly.
If he didn’t want to be here, he could just go home!
“Byers!” Lucas yelled out, light swinging around, up and down, and Mike felt that wordless urge to scream again because Will wouldn’t be on the ground, he wouldn’t! he was alive somewhere, he had to be!
“I’ve got your X-Men 132!” Mike heard Dustin yell over the rain. Mike was drenched, and almost desperately, Mike hoped Will was somewhere warm.
“Will!” Matt called out with his hands cupping his mouth.
“Byers!” Lucas’s older brother called out.
“Guys, I really think we should turn back,” Dustin said hoarsely, and Matt and Blaze came closer behind them as the rain got heavier.
“Seriously, Dustin? You wanna be a baby, then go home already!” Lucas argued about the rain.
“Oi”, Blaze warned Lucas.
“I can ride with you home if you want to head back, Dustin!” Matt suggested loudly to be heard over the rain, and Mike rolled his eyes.
“I’m just being realistic, Lucas! And thank you Matt!”
“No, you’re just being a big sissy!”
“Lucas! Stop arguing!” Blaze chided as he smacked his brother's shoulder.
“Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And we’re going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? And we have no weapons, or anything?” Dustin argued, and Mike saw Matt and Blaze share a look, and Mike had to bite back his frustration.
“Dustin, shut up”, Mike stated quickly, squinting into the forest. He could have sworn he heard something.
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Twelve had never felt rain before; it was hard and cold, but he and Eleven kept running, flinching at the thunder and flashes of light, feet aching as they ran through the forest barefoot.
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“I’m just saying, does that seem smart to you?” Dustin argued, Blaze seemed to catch that Mike was looking for something, as he started looking the same way Mike was. He felt his heart start to race.
“Shut up. Shut up.” Mike held out his hands to stop Lucas and Dustin, listening carefully. And Blaze tapped Matt’s shoulder, the two older boys tensing as they started looking around quickly.
“Did you guys hear that?” Mike questioned lowly.
A louder snap, and the boys snapped to face the sound, Matt and Blaze immediately huddling them closer as they stood in front of them.
Mike’s mouth went dry. Was it Will?
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Twelve pulled Eleven around a tree, and they both froze as lights shone in their faces. Twelve threw up his arm to protect his eyes, and he felt himself relax only slightly to see only kids. Kids in colourful clothes, Not the lab and their tall orderlies.
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They all stared at the girl and boy, drenched in the rain, and Matt raised his eyebrows in surprise as Blaze ran a hand down his face.
“Holy shit,” Matt muttered.