Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Three: Merge

Mr. (L/N) sits quietly in the kitchen, he finished his first coffee and is now on his second cup. The man is both wanting and dreading his wife's return to the kitchen. He wants to talk things out and make everything alright, but dealing with his wife's emotions is no easy task. That's the reason why he doesn't want her to return, she may rip him to shreds. Which he probably deserves.
The silent kitchen is suddenly filled with the sound of a ringing phone. (Y/N)'s father jumps at the noise, nearly spilling some coffee onto the kitchen table. He gets up grouchily and picks up the phone, "Who is it?"
"It's Hopper, listen, me and Joyce are at the station right now. Jonathan got into a bit of trouble, but we'll handle it. We spoke to Terry...well we spoke to her sister. I'll explain later. Just...meet us at Joyce's in about an hour or so. If we don't end up heading there I'll call you," The Chief's demands are clear and rushed.
"Yeah, alright, is everything--" And before (Y/N)'s father can ask the man any further questions, he's met with the familiar buzzing tone telling him that Hopper has hung up. He sighs and hangs the phone back up.
Mr. (L/N) takes the coffee mug into his hand and quickly downs the rest of the bitter liquid which has now turned cool with time. He hastily places the cup into the sink on his way to find his wife. He cautiously pokes his head into their shared room, searching around and finding no trace of her there. He begins poking his head into each room in the house until he comes upon (Y/N)'s door. He hesitates before opening it, having not gone into the room since her disappearance.
He slowly opens the door and looks in. His wife lays, sleeping, curled up on their daughter's bed, her face slightly swollen and stained with tears. He hates that it was him which caused her to enter this state. Seeing that she's actually sleeping and not pacing around like a lunatic, he closes the door partially and heads to the living room. He doesn't want to wake her yet. Sleep is the only place she'll find peace in a time like this. Who is he to take that from her as well?

♥︎

Mr. and Mrs. (L/N) now sit in a chilly car, driving over to the Byers' house. (Y/N)'s father had gently awoken his wife, who was just about ready to beat him, when he told her Hopper had called and said to meet at Joyce's. She went out ahead of him, willing to do anything so that she wasn't alone with her husband.
Mr. (L/N) parks the car and turns to his wife who is hastily unbuckling her seatbelt. "Please--" he tries to plead with her, to get her to listen to his apologies. But she doesn't want to hear it. She gets out of the car and slams the door shut. (Y/N)'s father gets out swiftly after her.
Mrs. (L/N) enters the Byers' residence abruptly, startling Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy, who all sit on the couch underneath the alphabet wall. They seem to be particularly anxious about something.
Mr. (L/N) comes up behind his wife to look in on the twitchy group. "Where's Hopper?" Mrs. (L/N) asks. The couple slink onto the other couch. Mrs. (L/N), trying her best to be as far away from her husband as she can, slides over to the far left.
"He went to go get Mike and the others," Nancy says softly.
"Are they okay? Did something happen?" (Y/N)'s mother asks, concern plastered on her face.
"Yeah...something happened," Jonathan said, willing to break the silence in order to explain the hidden government corruption they'd all just experienced. (Y/N)'s parents shift uncomfortably in their seats, Hawkins is becoming more twisted every second. They aren't sure what to expect next.

♥︎

The sky turns dark as rural Indiana welcomes night into the atmosphere. The group remains waiting in Joyce's house, all very ready for Hopper and the party to show up. They've begun to think the others got caught and aren't coming back.
A glimmer of hope shines upon them as the headlights of Hopper's car shine through the living room windows, illuminating everyone's shadow ridden faces. They all stand one by one. Starting with Joyce, the group rushes outside to meet the new arrivals.
"Mike. Oh, my God. Mike!" Nancy runs to her younger brother, pulling him into a tight hug, Mike's arms hang limp, "I was so worried about you," she scolds him.
Mike, not used to this loving attention from his sister, responds unsurely, "Yeah, uh...me too?" Nancy holds Mike by the shoulders, her gaze trails behind him to a girl with a shaved head who wears an extremely familiar article of clothing.
"Is that my dress?" Nancy asks. Eleven looks to Dustin, searching for an answer. He politely smiles back, not wanting to get wrapped up in any girl drama. Eleven looks back to Nancy dazed with a look that says "I had no idea".

♥︎

Everyone becomes situated in the Byers' living room. The three boys and Eleven kneel over the coffee table, Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan resume their positions on the couch they were previously seated on, the same with the (L/N)'s, and Hopper sits back comfortably in the armchair. Facing Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy, Mike shows the group a drawing of the flee and the acrobat. "Okay, so, in this example, we're the acrobat," he points to the stick figure with a red, capped marker, "Will, (Y/N), and Barbara, and that monster, they're this flea," the others look at Mike confusedly, not understanding how a flee or an acrobat relate anything to their current situation. But, they hear him out, "And this is the Upside Down, where Will and (Y/N) are hiding. Mr. Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip of time and space."
"A gate," Dustin adds.
"That we tracked to Hawkins Lab," Lucas clarifies.
Dustin adds to the clarification, "With our compasses," The group stares at the boys, not understanding how they could have found something so powerful with a mere compass that always points in the same direction. Dustin picks up on their looks and tries to explain further, "Okay, so the gate has a really strong electromagnetic field, and that can change the directions of a compass needle."
"Is this gate underground?" Hopper asks, possibly knowing what the boys are referring to.
"Yes," Eleven speaks up. Everyone looks at her, surprised, they'd thought she was mute or something. Her and Hopper lock eyes. Mr. (L/N) is now catching on.
"Near a large water tank?" He questions from the other direction of the room and everyone turns to face him and his wife. Eleven nods, "Yes," Dustin looks between the two men, confused.
"How—how do you know all that?" Mike stares blankly into the air, realization hitting him.
"They've seen it."
Joyce looks at Eleven and speaks to her very gently, afraid she'll scare her if she speaks too loud, "Is there any way that you could...that you could reach Will and (Y/N)? That you could talk to them in this—"
"The Upside Down," Eleven says.
"Down. Yeah," Joyce whispers, staring hopefully at the girl. Eleven nods.
"And my friend Barbara? Can you find her too?" Nancy asks, speaking a bit louder than Joyce. Eleven looks at Nancy calmly and nods subtly, knowing what she has to do.

♥︎

A reassembled photograph of Barb on the diving board sits neatly in front of Eleven on the kitchen table along with a walkie talkie which emits static. The group crowds around, intently watching Eleven's every move. The young girl's eyes move back and forth inside of her closed eyelids. The static increases and the overhead light above the table flickers. Eleven opens her eyes, discouraged. "I'm sorry," she whispers.
"What? What's wrong? What happened?" Joyce stutters, afraid something bad has happened to one of the children.
Eleven's voice breaks and she begins to tear up, "I can't find them," Joyce puts her hand to her mouth and Jonathan turns away. Mrs. (L/N) hangs her head and takes a deep breath while her husband rubs his eyes anxiously. They all fear something terrible has happened to their children.

♥︎

Everything was finally starting to feel like it was ending. Both (Y/N) and Will lay cuddled up to each other, shivering and occasionally letting out pain filled groans. They'd both been hurt before and it felt as though they were dying, but this time it's different. This time they really are dying. It's a scary feeling. Breathing has become nearly impossible because of the polluted air and toxic environment. Their stomachs yearn for something to digest, their taste buds are barren of flavour. Their skin has lost nearly all of it's color and they've gone as pale as sheets. Even though they'd drinken some "water" earlier, the dehydration has brought upon a powerful fatigue. The realization has truly set in that if they aren't saved very soon, they won't be able to see the light of day ever again. No more D&D, no more Party, no more family, nothing. Both children have nearly been scared to death. If this isn't the end, it's surely close to it.

♥︎

Mr. and Mrs. (L/N) drive speedily, sandwiched between Hopper's police vehicle and Joyce's car, on a mission to get 1,500 pounds of salt. Why?
The telepathic girl came out from the bathroom and talked about how she could better use her powers in a tub. The boys determined that by this she meant an isolation tank. So, the curly haired boy phoned their science teacher and asked for the specifics. Everyone crammed into the cars and headed for Hawkins Middle School. With everyone merged together, this can be done right. Now, the end is truly in sight.

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Haha, I didn't even mean to but I rhymed just then. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer! Thank you for all the love! Stay healthy and hydrated♥︎ ~WoodCeiling♥︎

*THE CHARACTERS, THEME, AND SOME DIALOGUE BELONG TO STRANGER THINGS AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS*