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They all get together at the cabin to plan.
Jonathan, Will, and El all feel guilty about not involving Hopper or Joyce, but everybody's in agreement that if they include them it'll be last minute so that there's less time for Hopper to yell and stomp around and try to keep them from going. Hopper is a freshly-primed Demogorgon-dueler, after all, and they could probably use that kind of muscle on their team.
"So, we need Eddie and Max there for sure." Nancy says, scribbling away in her notebook.
"Isn't the whole point that they're not supposed to go until we know that Vecna won't be able to... do something?" Steve asks, still incredulous like he can't believe Eddie's actually suggesting any of this.
"Do we really have any other choice?" Eddie's tearing at the rip in his jeans and still avoiding Steve's eyes. "Once he's done with the army, which could be literally any day now, those cracks are going to start flooding again. And bats and Demogorgons and spiders and those tentacle things are all going to come through and take what's left of Hawkins. Or, we stop them before they're ready, and maybe, maybe we have a chance."
"Sorry, tentacle things?" Mike asks.
"Yeah, felt them through the rats earlier. They're like little tentacle balls, but they're on land."
"Oh, good," Lucas echoes, "little tentacle balls."
"If you're going in I'm going in." Max says, jaw set.
"...Isn't the whole reason you said you can't turn me because of Vecna?" Will looks livid.
"Eddie and I are already like this, so we're trying to do what we can with it." Max says. "It's not the same as choosing to be turned."
Will's face is pale and drawn. "I genuinely can't believe that you don't see how hypocritical you're being."
"Will, come on," Mike says.
"No," Will says, standing up, his narrow shoulders held high and tight, his normal demeanor foregone in favor of something colder, angrier. "I don't understand why everybody gets to...to be the main character, but I have to be this open wound just waiting around to start bleeding again so that you guys can know that it's time to go fight! What if...what if I want to fight, for once?"
"Will, none of us want to fight." Eddie says, soft. "It isn't about that. It's about duty. It isn't a game."
"I know it's not a game!" He snaps, voice high and strained in frustration.
"Will, you're totally being Palpatined right now!" Dustin says. "He's making you mad at us, but you don't need to be! We want to help you!"
"I'm not being Palpatined!" Will says, but he isn't quite as vehement as he had been before, something like doubt creeping in. He interrupts Dustin before he can speak again, "Or Gollumed or Tainted or Cthulhued or any other fictional example you might have! I'm trying to grow up, for once, and you won't let me!"
"Will, can we...?" Jonathan says, jerking his head towards the door.
"I don't need to be talked down." Will says, voice dropping to something steadier, shaking his head rapidly. "...But fine. Fine! I'll do what I always do and stay back! It's all I can do, right?" He sinks to sit, dropping his chin into his palm, his cheeks red in anger and embarrassment. He doesn't speak again.
"...So nobody else thinks that it's weird that everybody here who Vecna has access to really want to go to the Upside Down all of a sudden? Especially the ones who didn't want to go?" Steve shoots a pointed look at Eddie.
