Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As will saw everyone look out to the storm, his mind was elsewhere. He could feel the chill of his presence at the back of his neck, as he reached up to touch it a thought went through his mind. The thought wasn’t his. The thought was less of a thought and more of a feeling. As he turned to run he could hear people running after him, it didn’t matter.
“ will!”.
Running. Faster. Hurry. As he swung the door open of hoppers beat up cabin, he ran to hoppers room and hoped there’d be what he was looking for. As he look through the closet he found the gun that hopper used to fight off the demodogs those years ago. It would have to do. As he ran out of the cabin loading the gun in the process, everyone started catching up. He felt eyes on him as they all looked at him like he was crazy.

“Woah, woah, woah” hopper said as he approached him slowly “let’s put down the gun”.

As will mumbled a quick “ no time” as he set of running around to the woods behind the cabin.
Will knew he looked crazy, he felt crazy but there was a feeling in the back of his mind that he just couldn’t scrub off. Spinning in circles he started yelling,

“where are you, where are you, you son of a bitch!”.

The trees rustled and suddenly there was a screech as a demogorgon flew from the trees. BAM! One shot, two shot, three shots. Will kept shooting, until the demogorgon was flown into the air. As El threw the creature in to the ground until the screeching come to a halt.

Mike ran to will breaking him out of his mind.
“Will!, how the fuck did you do that?”
As Jonathan and Nancy ran to where they were standing, Jonathan gave his brother a sad sorrow look as he whispered,
“ you too?”
Will felt like he was going to cry, after a while will and Jonathan stoped mentioning Lonnie as well as the memories that came with him. As Joyce walked over to will with hopper and el close behind, she looked at Jonathan and asked

“You too what?”

That’s it, that’s all it took for Will Byers to crack. He started sobbing as mike grabed his hand like they were kids and told everyone,
“We’re just going to go inside”

Mike was here now, and mike was there five years ago when will ran over to his house crying because he dad made him shoot a rabbit.

As mike and will walked away Jonathan took a deep breath and started to tell his mother the story of parent of the year, Lonnie Byers.
Unfortunately Will could still hear them talking due to multiple holes in the wall from the previous summer. Him and mike sat down on a couch that had been flipped over.
“How are you doing, you know with being back here and all?” Mike asked him. It was strange, almost like last summer never happened. It reminded Will of that night, when he and Mike went trick or treating.Will thinks of that night a lot, more than someone normal should. Will Byers went crazy, he just went crazy alone.
He’s snapped back to reality when he hears his mother yelling.
As he gets up and runs outside, mike following, he sees his mother pacing.

A flash of rage covered Joyce’s eyes as she stated,
“ I’m going to kill him, I’m going to fucking kill him.”

Before Joyce went insane hopper took her hand and said,
“ every decent person want to kill Lonnie, but we might have a bigger problem.”
As he pointed to the sky as a fleet of helicopters flew over them. About five government cars pulled up the road, a shiver went to wills neck as he recognized the uniforms, even though he’s mostly himself military reminds him of that night.
Soldiers stepped out and one of them said,

“ Jonathan, Joyce and William Byers, Michael and Nancy Wheeler, and Jim and Jane hopper dr owens requests your presence at Hawkins National Laboratory.”

Argyle walks from wherever he was and says “cool, can I come too?”
The soldiers stare in confusion.
“It would be advised” one of the soldiers said, it sounded like a threat.

Jonathan pinches the bridge of his nose as he mutters something about how argyle is still high.

“Now let’s go!” One of the soldiers yelled causing Will to flinch.
Clearly it was an order and not a request as the soldiers were armed to the teeth. Mike will and el went in one car and we’re zoomed away too the lab.

~~~

As they made it through security at the lab they were all brought into a room. The room had rainbows across the walls and the floors as will giggled to himself in his mind.

Quickly mike and will spotted Lucas and Erica sitting at one of the tables. As the pairs ran over to each other, mikeandwill asked

“How long have you been here?”

“ why are we here?”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“What’s happining?”

Erica replied with
“ fifteen minutes, why do you think?, probably going through security, the apocalypse.”

Lucas looked suprised and proud at the same time, but he quickly ran to El as she was clearly panicking. She collapsed into his arms as he whispered “ it’s okay, it’s okay”.
El hadn’t talked to him in days which was weird, especially for El. Another weird thing will noticed was that mike and el of all people were avoiding each other, meanwhile mike glued to him like a leach.( not that
Will minded)

Clearly the “children” were separated from the adults as the other cars left at the same time they did and they’re not here.

Will slowly walked to the desks to see drawings of stick figures in hospital gowns. As he let out a quick gasp, Mike turned to the group and asked

“ what is this place?”

As El started to calm down she shakily replied, “this is the rainbow room, a place to keep us busy when they would run tests on the others.” Tears streaming down her face. No one except El and Nancy knew about what happened to the kids in the lab.

On the other side of the doo the group could hear the beeping of a keypad signalling that more people are entering.
On instinct mike grabbed wills hand, wills cheeks had blush creeping up on them as he stayed as still as posible hoping that he wouldn’t let go. Will saw that Erica saw but surprisingly for her she didn’t say anything.

As the door opened Dustin limped through the doorway and hiding behind him was, Holly?

Will saw that her cheeks were stained with tears as she’s held Dustin’s hand. Once Holly saw mike she ran faster than Will thought a six year old could run. As mike picked her up he gave Will a look, he looked scared.

“Hey holls, what are you doing here?” Mike said setting Holly down on the ground, crouching down to meet her level.

“I-i w-was looking at the snow” she choked between tears, “a-and they took mommy and me a-and now I’m here” as mike took his sleeve to wipe her tears he gently asked
“Are you okay?, did they hurt you?”

As Holly shook her head will let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding in.

Will crouched down beside her and asked
“Do you like to colour? I saw some crayons over by the desk.”
Holly stared at him for a bit and then not-so-quietly whispered to Mike
“He’s pretty now”

El, Dustin, and Lucas stifled a laugh as mike turned red and said
“ go colour holls”

As she grabbed wills hand and dragged him over to the crayons, mike looked at the rest of them and said,
“ why’d they bring my mom and Holly?”

~~

Half an hour later the kids heard the beeping of the keypad as a soldier walked in and called out,

“William Byers”
Wills head shot up and cautiously walked over.
As Mike started questioning the soldier,
“What do you want with him?”
“Docs orders” he replied.

As the soldiers led will down the hallway, wills mind was going a thousand miles per minute. Why him? He wondered as he was brought to an office.

Doctor owens turned in his chair
“Will long time no see” he exclaimed

“What’s going on?” Will asked timidly.

“Ah straight to the point, I get it.” Owens said, “ I assume that you are aware of the situation going on outside?”

“Yes” will said impatiently.

“Well as your friends go in for questioning I wanted to have a chat with you, you see here at the lab we think you and your sister are the solution. But we can’t have the rest of the world knowing what’s going on so I need you to tell me everyone who knows who isn’t here.”

Will got about three words,
“Questioning?, solution? Who’s here?” He asked.

“Don’t worry the questioning is the same as what we’re doing here.” Owens said calmly, “we think that your connection to the upside down has a big part in the solution, and for everyone who’s here, one sec I got to grab my list.” As he looks at a sheet of paper he reads out,
“Joyce, Jonathan, you, El, Jim, Murray, Karen, Nancy, Holly, mike, Lucas, erica, Dustin, Steve, Robin, Scott, Maxine, and argyle”

“Max” Will corrects.

“Pardon?”

“It’s not Maxine, it’s max” will replies.
Before Owens can respond Will asks another question,
“When you say Scott do you mean Scott Clarke?”

“Yes” owens says, “ Someone asked him to many quote unquote hypothetical questions, he’s a brilliant man you know.”

“I don’t know anyone else who knows” will responds.

“Perfect” Owens says handing him a box of all white clothes and a room key.

“What’s this?” Will asked confused.

“Oh you’re not leaving, it’s too dangerous. If you want me to send someone to get some of your stuff let me know, but you can’t leave. The soldiers outside my office will escort you to your room.”

~
Once will settles in changing out of the outfit He’s been in all week he try’s the door knob, to his surprise it’s unlocked.
As he wanders down the hall he finds a room with a number on it. There’s no way, that’s would be cruel. Will raises his hand to knock, he hears a sad “ come in” and his heart breaks.
He swings open the door to find his sister lying on a too small bed crying her eyes out. His sister is the bravest person he knows and she is not just a number.
Will feels the rage inside him as he helps her up bringing her to his room.His room has two beds, but assuming he has a roommate he lets her take his bed. Hell sleep on the floor for all he cares. He turns to his sister and tells her
“I’ll be right back, don’t worry.”

As he storms down the hallway to Owens office the lights flicker around him as he hasn’t felt this mad in a long time. Okay when he’s mad the lights flicker, big deal, it doesn’t matter. As he opens the door to the office the lamp light breaks. Owens jumps in his seat while Will is just mad.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Will yells, “are you serious, putting her back in that room. She’s not your fucking experiment.” Another light bulb breaks. “ you better fucking switch her room”

“ okay okay I apologize for the distress” owens says calmly, “here” he says handing Will a new room key.

“Thank you” Will says with angry undertones still in his voice. As he turns to walk out Owens says,

“Will”
“Yes”
“I expect to see you at training tomorrow” Owens says with a smile.
~~~

When will opens his door el is already fast asleep. He looks to the other bed to see mike reading some book.

“Oh hey” mike whisper yells.

“Hey sorry el took my bed”

“ it’s all good” mike says patting the spot beside him, “we can share, I don’t know if we should wake her up”
Will nods climbing into the bed, mike starts talking,

“We broke up, it was mutual and for the best”

Oh, from the point of a brother and a best friend he’s sad for them.
But? No. Shh. Be sad.

“Are you okay?” Will asks,

“Yeah I think we both knew it wasn’t going to last” mike said calmly.

Oh?

“That’s too bad” will says.
“Yeah, anyway good night” mike says turning off the lamp.

“Will?”
“Yeah?”

“You’re not a mistake, thank you for the painting” mike says softly in his quote unquote will voice.

Will can’t respond.

Chapter Text

Robin Buckley is many things. She talks a lot, shes awkward and can’t pick up on social ques. 

But,

she can pick up when somone is…

Different?, peculiar?, strange?.

Whatever you want to call it,

(queer.)

thats it.

Robin Buckley, as a queer person can spot another queer person. And when you’re stuck in a bunker with emotionally repressed teenagers (and Steve) there’s not much to look for really.

Well the shared glances and triple takes were clear to anyone who was looking.

She didn’t believe the fairytale story of mike wheeler and Jane hopper for a second. Not when mike would follow Eddie around like a lost puppy. (She saw the pin on eddies jacket). She saw the look in mikes eyes when Will would laugh at his jokes or anything really.

So when she overheard Jane tell hop that she and Mike brake up she wasn’t surprised. 

Dustin however,

”I just don’t get it” he said as he sat down at her and Steve’s rickety cafeteria table with a tray of some questionable looking breakfast.

”Me neither” Steve said with a mouth full of food, slapping Dustin’s hand away from his pop tart.

Robin was questioning whacking both of them in the head, why could no one see it? Mike wheeler is 100% queer.

”are you two serious?” She said in disbelief.

They both nod at her with a strange look.

”Mike mentioned her what like once when she was gone?, and don’t get me started on the whining and the moping, and the lying around all day. ‘Will this will that.’, ‘why’d will leave me’ and all that constant yapping, and that’s coming from me.”

as Robin looks up from her breakfast she can see the wheels turning in Steve’s head. And Dustin, well..

sometimes that little genius is so very stupid. Isn’t he wanting to go to MIT? This is such an easy concept, you can clearly tell if your que-.

Oh. Oh.

She spots her mistake. 

Backtrack Robin ok you can do this.

” Anyway is soooo sad that they broke up, you know what? I’ll go check on mike. I don’t know how well he took the break up, see you guys later!” She says stumbling out of her chair. “Bye!” She waves back at the table of her two confused friends. 

As soon as she gets out of the doors she exhales a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 
fuck.

Robin Buckley is many things. But the thing she’s most of all is a queer.