Walkman ~ 𝘣𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘳

Ch 1: Stars

Standing in front of Hawkins and seeing how much damage had actually been done was heart breaking. It is almost as if everything the party had worked for, everything El had done, was just erased with the snap of your fingers.

They lost. For the first time since the Demogorgon, since the Mind flayer, since Will went missing. They had finally lost.

Nancy and Jonathan stood side by side taking in everything they were seeing. Same as Hopper and Joyce. El, Mike, and Will all silently watched as the grass that was once a nice soft green turned to an ugly grey. Dead insects and little animals such as rabbits littered the ground. Red clouds circled the sky above them. Buildings in the distance, including their once beloved middle school, was scattered on the concrete.

El quietly began to walk away from everyone. Each step she took the grass beneath her feet crunched like Autumn leaves. She made her way towards the grey grass and lightly touched it with her hand.

The grass started to dissolve in her hand. Everything felt still. The air wasn't moving. The Hawkins they once thought of as home was now gone. The upside down was leaking into the real world.

And there was nothing they could do to stop it.

__________________________________________

The group had made it back to the cabin, all agreeing to spend the night there since it was getting late. Will decided to get some fresh air. He tried to be a quiet as possible not to wake up anyone. The front door opened with a squeak and Will stopped and turned around and made sure no one had heard. Once he finished inspecting the small house for signs that he had accidently woke anyone up, he slipped outside leaving the door slightly cracked that way it wouldn't creek when he went back inside.

Will looked at the dark sky. Small stars were plastered across it. He began to connect the small specks of white dots with his eyes realizing he was looking at Aquila.

Back in Lenora, Will took a liking in stars. He had accidently been put in a class that covered everything about space. He was upset at first, but then realized how fascinating it could be. He studied all the constellations, some times even staying up late at night to try and find them. He even made paintings of a few of his favorites. Suddenly he felt his stomach drop realizing that he would never be able to go back to that class where he found his love for stars. He was back in his home town and couldn't leave until the defeated it.

Ever since Will got back to Hawkins he felt it. Him. Vecna. Henry. 001.

It left a pit in his stomach. Will just wished he didn't go missing that day. Maybe if Mike's mom let them play dnd for ten more minutes. Maybe if he didn't try to race Dustin for his X-Men 134 comic. Maybe if Jonathan didn't take the extra night shift, things we would different.

There isn't anything he could do about it now. He's stuck with this.... stupid connection to the upside down. Wills thoughts began to trace back to before the upside down. He began to remember his biological father. Lonnie.

Will despised Lonnie. Who wouldn't? He abused Will and Jonathan every time he had the chance. Tried to make Will like what he liked. All the times he forced him to try out for baseball, or whenever he took Will to the junkyard to learn how to shoot a gun.

"Hey Will?" Mike spoke earning a yelping sound come from Will. Mike noticed he startled the boy and gave a soft laugh. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your thinking." Mike carefully sat down on the old wooden porch beside Will, their legs touched each other making Wills face redden a little bit. Thank god it was night so Mike couldn't see. Why can't he just be normal? Why can't he just get rid of these stupid feelings for Mike? Will turned his head back up to the stars. Engaging his focus back into the night sky, rather than the boy sat so close to him.

"I thought everyone was asleep." Will breathed out. He could feel Mikes eyes on him but tried not to pay attention to it so much and kept looking at the lifeless stars. "Yeah me too. I just came out for some fresh air." Mike observed the boy next to him. It was dark but he could faintly see the stars glistening into his hazel eyes. Mike realized he was staring so he tore his gaze away from him and looked up at the sky. Mike and Will sat in silence just enjoying the company of each other.

"Hey Mike?"

"Hm?" Mike mumbled in response.

"Do you... ever think about what would have happened if I didn't go missing?" Will and Mike were talking so quietly the sound of crickets were louder than their conversation.

"Yes. Some times. But.... I try to think of it as a good thing. Since we can't change it, why try. Just accept and move on." Mike said. The truth was, Mike thought about it a lot. He thought about how he wouldn't have met El. He thought about what would be different between him and Will. How different the party would be. Mike suddenly became aware that neither of them have spoken in over a minute.

"I think it's like 1 am." Mike let out a forced laugh. "We should probably go back inside." "Yeah you're right." Will responded. Mike sat up and out stretched his hand for Will to help him up. Will gladly took it and sat up both the boy's eyes trained on their hands, which were still held together. Mike felt safe having his hand in Wills. He felt like they fit right.

Mike had thought about him and Will not being friends. He has thought about it since the 3rd grade. That was when he found out that some boys like boys and some girls like girls. He remembers exactly how he found out too.

His family sat down at the dinner table to eat dinner when his father, Ted, spoke. "Karen have you heard the news recently?" He questioned. Karen swallowed her food and responded with a 'Nuh uh.' "Well..." Ted began. "They were talking about how this group of girls jumped some other girls because they were holding hands." He paused. "They went to jail for their 'hate crime'." "Oh." Karen responded. "Don't you think that's stupid? They had every right to knock some sense into those girls holding hands. It is not normal for two girls to be holding hands." Ted spat. Karen looked at him like he was crazy. Nancy kept her head down. Little Mike was just confused. "What?" Mike said causing his sister and mother to twist their heads to him. "Why can't they hold hands? I hold Will's hand all the time." Mike questioned still not seeming to understand

"Well, son..." Ted was about to go off about how it is not right for two people of the same gender to have any intimate actions with each other when Karen cut him off. "No nothing is wrong with what you're doing sweetie." His moms spoke kindly.

The memory still as vivid as a dream in Mikes head. He was suddenly brought back to the real world when Will gently squeezed his hand. Mike broke his eyes off of their hands and put them on Wills face.

They let go of each other and began walking back into the cabin, unsure of what craziness will come tomorrow.