Adolescence, m. mayfield

05. he's still here

Lucas and Dustin had brought the siblings to Mike's house and snuck them back through the basement door. Mike wasn't there. El and Ten settled in the fort for the night, Ten holding El's hand as she let her tears fall.

Later on Mike came down but he didn't pay attention to the pair. Ten watched him carefully for little while before picking up a comic, El was still trying to use the radio. She was determined to show Mike. Show him his friend was still here.

"Can you please stop that?" Mike asked and the siblings glanced up at him, El clicking the radio off.

Ten didn't go back to looking at the cool pictures, instead looking at Mikes sad face. Will meant a lot to Mike. Ten understood him, how he felt. He assumed it was the same that Ten would feel when he heard El's cries as she was dragged down the halls of the Lab, or the muffled sobs from her room. Sadness, anger, but just knowing you can't do anything to help, to stop it. You can't save them. But now Ten could save El. And he would try his best to help Mike save Will.

The radio crackled to life again and Mike shot his head over, "Are you deaf?" El didn't pay him any attention as he looked between the two, "I though we were friends, you know? But friends tell each other the truth. And they definitely don't lie to each other. You made me think Will was okay, that he was still out there. But he wasn't. He wasn't" El was paying attention now, a faraway look in her eyes, "Maybe you thought you were helping, but you weren't. You hurt me. Do you understand? What you did sucks"

Ten took the radio away from El, he was going to do this, maybe El just need a little push to get through to him, "Lucas was right about you two. All along" Mike finished with a disappointed shake of his head. Ten closed his eyes to to try and find Will, he could sense the boy, he just needed to relay him through this stupid supercomm. He felt some blood trickle down his nose, just as a quiet voice flowed out of the receiver.

"So come on and let me know. Should I stay or should I go? Should I stay or should I go now?"

Ten glanced up at Mike quietly. The dark haired boy hopped off his seat quickly and crouched in front of the boy. Ten gave him a promising look, handing out the small box as the singing continued. Mike grabbed it hastily, Ten tried to take it back- he was going to mess up the signal, "Will, is that you? It's Mike! Do you copy? Over"

Ten deflated when Will didn't answer back, El took his hand in hers, silently telling him it was okay, he did a good job. Mike let the quiet static run a little longer, "Will, are you there? Will!"

Without another message from Will, Mike put down the walkie. His eyes connected with Tens, "Was that... was it...?"

Ten nodded with a ghosting smile, "Will"

☆彡📻----📰ミ☆

Mike's friends came over early the next day and they gathered around the fort as Eleven tried to get back onto Will's signal. It wasn't really working, only soft whimpers could be heard. Mike looked to his friends hopefully, "We keep losing the signal, but you heard it, right?"

"Yeah, I heard a baby" Lucas said unenthusiastically

"What?"

"Mike, you obviously tapped into a baby monitor. It's probably the Blackburns next door"

"Uh, did that sound like a baby to you? That was Will!"

"Mike-"

"Lucas you don't understand. He spoke last night. Words! He was singing that weird song he loves. Even they heard him!" Mike said, fed up with Lucas not believing him. He was telling the truth. Will was still out there, and Lucas wouldn't believe him.

"Are you sure you're on the right channel?" Dustin asked

"I don't think it's about that. I think somehow she's channeling him" Mike glanced from El over to Ten and his eyes light up, "Wait, it was Ten that got through to him. Maybe if you try again, it will work"

Mike sat forward and took the supercomm out of El's hand and into Tens. The boy looked down at it warily then back up to Mike with determination. He took a deep breath before concentrating on Will, it didn't take as long to get through this time- but the response was the same, Will wasn't talking.

"Stop it, Mike" Lucas spat and looked between his friends, "Did you guys not see what I saw. They pulled Will's body out of the water. He's dead!"

Dustin sighed and looked to the ground, "Well, maybe it's his ghost. Maybe he's haunting us"

"It's not his ghost" Mike insisted

"So how do you know that?"

"I just do!"

"Then what was in that water?"

"I don't know!" Mike snapped at Lucas, "all I know is, Will is alive. Will is alive! He's out there somewhere. All we have to do is find him" Ten tried the radio again, trying to get the frequency right, Mike looked at him and softly took it from his hands, "This isn't gonna work. We need to get them to a stronger radio"

Dustin grinned at Mike, "Mr Clarke's Heathkit ham shack" Mike agreed with his own smile but Lucas shook his head.

"The Heathkit's at school. There is no where we're gonna get the weirdos in there without anyone noticing. I mean... look at 'em"

The trio talked for a little before coming up with a plan. They would simply make the siblings fit in. Mike went up to Nancy's room with El to put some makeup on her, Lucas looked downstairs for Nancy's old clothes and Dustin took Ten to Mike's room to get a new outfit.

The brunette shut the door behind himself and crossed the room to Mike's dresser, "Alrighty, let's see. They should fit you because you're not much taller that Mike" he looked over his shoulder with a smile, gaining one back from the awkward boy, "Come have a look, you can pick anything"

Ten nodded and started looking through tops as Dustin looked through jeans. Ten passed a few that looked okay, but stopped on a red one- it had white strips along the neck and arm cuffs and Ten smiled. He liked red, "Here" he said quietly and held it out for Dustin.

Dustin stood up as well, "That's nice, and I've got these for you" he handed over some jeans, "and you still have the jacket Mike gave you. And the shoes?" Ten nodded, he remembered setting them to the side down in the basement, "Good, I'll leave you to it then"

When Dustin was out of the room Ten glanced around another time before changing. He really liked this top. He came out of the room and the other boys were all there waiting for them to be finished. Ten smiled at them, Dustin and Mike smiling back as Lucas gave a small nod, "Looking good, Ten" Dustin complimented and Ten chuckled as he came to stand next to his new friend.

It wasn't long before El walked out, Ten smiled at her. She looked really pretty, "Wow, she looks..." Dustin trailed off.

"Pretty" Mike said, Ten gave him a weird look but the boy shook his head, "Good. You look pretty good"

El walked over to a small mirror, looking at her reflection- Ten could see the moment her eyes light up, "Pretty... Good"

Ten ginned at her when she looked his way, he loved seeing her happy. She was wearing a nice Pink dress with a new pair of white shoes and she had a long blonde wig on. The boys didn't see the point in trying to find a wig for Ten, they said that some boys had buzzed hair anyway.

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