Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Twenty-Five: Into the Eye of the Storm

Inside of the Hawkins Laboratory, the (L/N)'s sit in an interrogation room with their hands cuffed behind their backs. They sit silently, listening to the buzzing of the overhead light above them. In the other soundproof rooms, Jim Hopper is violently tased for answers and Dr. Brenner finishes up a much more humane, unsuccessful interrogation with Joyce Byers.
Mr. and Mrs. (L/N)'s eyes are drawn to the heavy, metal door as it makes a clicking noise. Someone must be unlocking it. A white haired, older man, known as Dr. Brenner, opens the door and slips inside of the room. He closes the door shut and he takes a few steps in so that he's hidden by the shadows. He turns to face the couple, "Your daughter. We know you've been in contact with her," he steps closer. The parents stay silent. "When...and how did you make contact with her?" His tall figure looms over the table. The adults remain silent. Mr. (L/N) has the urge to say, "I have the right to an attorney," like they do on the crime shows, but he knows these guys don't give a sh*t. "Six," Dr. Brenner states.
"What?" Both (L/N)s ask, not understanding what he means by that.
"Six," Brenner removes his jacket, "Six people have been taken this week," he drapes his jacket over the chair on the opposite side of the table as the (L/N)s, "This...thing that took your daughter...we don't really understand it. But it's behavior is predictable. Like all animals," Brenner pulls this chair out for himself and sits across from them, his face is now being illuminated by the overhead light, "It eats. It will take more daughters. More sons. I want to save them. I want to save your daughter. But, I can't do that. Not without your help," Mrs. (L/N)'s stoic expression turns sour.
"Stop," she looks at him contemptuously, "We know who you are, Doctor, and we know what you've done. You've done anything but help! You knew our daughter was in that place and you left her there. To die! You faked her death and went as far as to make a...a fake body! We had a funeral. We buried her. And now you want our help," she scoffs, "Go to h*ll." Her husband looks to her, eyebrows raised, attempting to hide a smirk creeping up on his lips. Dr. Brenner's expression hardens.

♥︎

Hopper walks in with two guards. The MPs stiffly walk to the back of the (L/N)'s chairs and unlock their handcuffs which had binded them to the chairs. The couple is escorted out into the hallway where Joyce waits with two other MPs. They all continue down the dimly lit hallway. "I don't understand," Joyce says to Hopper. The (L/N)s, who stand side by side behind the two, overhear her and listen in.
"We came to an agreement," the cop states.
"What?" Joyce asks.
"Look, everything that's happened here and everything that's gonna happen, we don't talk about," he looks back at the (L/N)s, "You two hear that? We don't talk about any of this," he turns facing forward again, "You want Will and (Y/N) back. This place has nothing to do with it. That's the deal. You got it?" They're all silently compliant with the terms, willing to do anything for their children.
The scientists lead them into a room containing yellow hazmat suits. "What is this?" Hopper asks the scientist.
"Protection. The atmosphere is toxic," the smaller man states gravely.
Joyce is appalled by this, "But my son's in there. He..." The nervousness really sets in for the adults now.
"Put it on," Hopper states and grabs one off the rod.
The reality of the situation sits heavy in Mrs. (L/N)'s chest. They might really die in there. Or find their children dead in there. For a mother, the latter would be worse. "Can we have a second, please?" (Y/N)'s mother sounds like she's going to be sick. Hopper gives her a look of urgency, but she avoids his glare and looks to the scientist.
"I guess that's possible. Just try to be quick," the scientist says warily. He nods to the guard who opens the door and goes out into the hallway. Mrs. (L/N) takes her husband by the hand and brings him out of the heavy glass door. After they exit, a guard on the inside closes it behind them.
Mrs. (L/N) drops her husband's hand, "Do you want to make it up to me?" She asks him, attempting to be confident, however she knows that what she'll be asking may not be able to be done.
"What?" (Y/N)'s father asks.
"Do you want me to forgive you?" she says bluntly, knowing that there isn't much time.
"Yes," he says quickly and desperately.
"Okay, then you have to do this one thing for me. Do this one thing so that I can consider somewhat forgiving you and we can have our daughter back and be a family."
"What is it?" He asks worriedly.
"I need you to stay here," she says, determined.
  Mr. (L/N) gets a heated look in his eye and crinkles his face up in astonishment, "What? No way. Are you serio--"
"Please! It's all I ask. I want to go get her, but to do that I need to make sure we're safe in there. I need to make sure these people aren't just going to close the...the portal or whatever it is. I need to be sure (Y/N) can get back safe," (Y/N)'s mother pleads.
"I can't let you go in there alone," he states protectively.
"I won't be alone! I have Hopper and Joyce. Please, right now, just do this one thing! It's all I ask. After what you did, you're lucky I'm giving you another chance," she stares up at her husband bitterly and he averts his eyes, ashamed.
They hear an abrupt banging on the glass and turn quickly to see Hopper suited up head-to-toe in the hazmat suit. He mouths, "Let's go," and Mrs. (L/N) turns to her husband, waiting for an answer.
He sighs, exasperated, "Okay. But, if you don't come back...I won't forgive myself," he says as a last attempt to guilt the woman into reconsidering. However, he can tell by how she's looking at him, she really doesn't care.
"I will come back...we will come back," the woman whips around and enters the room without her husband, ready to gear up and get going.
"Is he—" Hopper begins to ask.
"Not coming," Mrs. (L/N) replies directly. Due to her cold tone Hopper decides to leave it at that. There is obviously something going on that he doesn't know about.