Ao3 story (Why would you ever kiss me)

Part 14

Will didn't know where he was going. Or maybe he did. To be fair, he'd lived in Hawkins basically his entire life. It was hard not to find everything familiar.

He wondered if anyone was looking for him by now. His mom, Jonathan, and Hopper would all be well aware that he was missing. Or El was missing. Would Mike have told them? Was there currently a search party combing the woods? Probably not. El likely came up with some excuse for why he'd be gone. No one could be looking for him. Surely.

Good , he thought, even as the idea of it made his throat hurt.

But Mike would be looking for him— El. Will would've bet his life on it. Mike loved her. He's found her in the woods before, he'd find her again. But he's not the actual El. So, maybe not then.

He doesn't know how to find you. He never did.

But he could. And that's why Will kept walking along. Happy that the trail was covered in pine needles so he wouldn't leave any tracks. He almost found peace in being gone, but every time he let himself dwell on it he felt like he could cry.

Missing again. But for once it's on purpose. And if I'm found it will actually be in a place that is expected. The woods. In this dimension.

Maybe I should turn back.

Will shook his head. He couldn't go back. I think I understand now. What you are. He remembered El's words, full of hurt and dejection, and flinched. Going back just wasn't an option. I hurt her. I didn't even have to try.

But everytime doubt started to creep in, he would distract himself by counting. Or humming his favorite song. And he'd just discovered that the best way to put the rest of your thoughts to death was to try and learn how to say the alphabet backwards.

"Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T...shit. Z-Y-X-W-V-U-T-S..." He groaned, wishing he could pull on hair that was no longer attached to his head.

There came a point where he was approaching one of the deep scars that now carved through Hawkins. He shuddered when he looked down from its edge.

He was trapped. Unless of course he found another way to get across. It looked like a few trees had fallen over, teetering on the edge of the ravine like they could almost act as a bridge. But none of them extended far enough to reach the other side. Plus they didn't look stable at all.

Will shuddered. He had to keep going. He couldn't just let this one thing stop him.

He stepped back from the edge and closed his eyes. He went through catalogs of images that were stored in his mind. Bridges built over creeks, ones he'd ridden his bike across, ones he'd seen pictures of in books with all of their symmetrical scaffolds and beams and wires. He needed a bridge. A stable one. He imagined how it would look exactly in the late afternoon sun that was streaming through the trees.

The moment he felt a trickle of blood above his lip, he opened his eyes. He would never not be impressed by the magnitude of what he was able to achieve now. It was strange though.

In school, he'd been reminded many times of an especially important rule of the universe: Matter cannot be created or destroyed.

So, where exactly did this come from? Was someplace in the world missing a bridge or something?

Will walked towards the bridge and carefully tested his weight against its wooden boards with one foot. It seemed solid enough. With a shaky breath, he walked carefully over a bridge that had only started existing but a few seconds ago. He'd created this with his mind? That just didn't make sense.

Why couldn't I do this before?

It became apparent to Will at one point that he was walking home. Not to the cabin. Home. He almost was excited about it until he considered the plausibility that a new family might've already moved in. Maybe not though. It had only been a year and he could imagine that many families were set on moving out of Hawkins rather than into it.