Byler- The Unwanted Return of Everything (And How It Finally Ends)

Deserving

Notes- TW for violence and death

Will was running down the hallway when he heard the things they were saying about him. The gun that Hopper kept locked in a closet was secured tightly in his hands. He was gonna kill this monster. It wasn't Jonathan, he had to come to terms with that. It was the Mind Flayer and it was threatening his friends. He couldn't let it do that.

"The fate of the world or Will? I think you're underestimating us. He's really not that important." It was Jane, reasoning with the Mind Flayer. Will stopped in his tracks suddenly. What was she saying about him? Surely, it wasn't what it sounded like. His curiosity got the better of him and he stayed hidden behind the wall with the gun, ready to shoot at any moment. He listened to the Mind Flayer's surprised reaction to what Jane had just said. He asked Mike what he thought of it.

"Yeah, they can kill him. He's... he doesn't mean that much to me. I'm not gonna sacrifice anything for him, if that's what you think." Will's stomach sank as he heard the harsh words in Mike's voice. It couldn't be true, whatever he had just said. Will had to mean something to Mike. They had been best friends for so long...

"I'd worry about killing him the least of everyone in this group. If it was Mike? Yeah, I'd pass. But Will?"

"Same here. Kinda hate the guy." All these words seemed foreign to Will in the moment. They weren't really talking about him, were they? Will tried to quietly wipe the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. This was not the kind of surprise he wanted to have today.

Max said something about not actually being Will's friend. How everyone just felt bad for him. His hands shook as a wave of certain anger started to build in the pit of his stomach.

He heard the Mind Flayer say his name, and for whatever reason, that was enough to make him explode. He stepped into the room and shot his brother's body right in the chest, barely missing Mike. Half of him wouldn't mind if he shot Mike too, but he'd never do that. He'd never be okay with killing his friends.

Will walked further into the room. Everyone stared at him and it felt cold. Will wanted to bury himself in the carpet and never see the light of day. He raised the gun again to Jonathan's corpse, a tear falling down his cheek. "Nobody's dying," he said. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, sending a shot into his brother's neck. "Except you."

He lowered the gun and stared at the body, ignoring the eyes that looked upon him with their secret judgment. Jonathan's body released no blood, it was just dead. Will had just shot his own brother twice. He felt a sudden wave of guilt.

He hadn't noticed Mike moving forward. the double-crossing boy reached his hand out, still staring at Will with that underlying hate. "Will..." he said, little emotion in his words. Will moved away quickly. Don't touch me.

He moved forward and dropped to his knees in front of Jonathan. "I'm sorry, Jonathan." He deserved to be alive, just like Max was. He deserved it more than Max. Jonathan was a better person than Max had ever been. At least Jonathan cared about people.

Will reached out and grabbed his brother's cold hand in sympathy for him. He jumped as he was immediately hit with a wave of cold air. Looking around, he realized he was in the Upside Down.

He wasn't even scared. Or worried. Maybe he was relieved for once, he wanted to be out of that house anyway. He didn't want to see his friends anymore.

Will got up and made his way through the room weakly. His mind rushed about everything he'd just heard.

It didn't make any sense. Will's friends all seemed like they cared about him. But it had been a lie, apparently. They just felt bad about his existence. Pity and friendship were completely different concepts, and all Will ever got was pity from people.