AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (BENEATH HIS FEET) | STRANGER THINGS ✓

THE RESURGENCE OF AMANDA SCHWARTZ

During the three months that passed after the Battle of Starcourt, Amanda had never seen her name on so many news outlets at one time.

She had a hard time going outside and she couldn't say hi to her neighbor's dog without getting bombarded by a news channel. She also had to deal with going back into society after being underground for so long. There was so much that Amanda had missed and she felt so out of the loop, despite having seen it all through a weird lens. She had been sleeping a little less because she was up late so much thinking because there was no other way to shut her brain off.

Mentally, she was elsewhere.

     She couldn't keep a coherent thought before her mind wandered to when she was beneath everyone's feet. How cold and dark it was when she finally got out. Every now and then, she'd cough up some of that black goo that came from the so-called "feeding tube." So with all of that, Amanda stayed home, in her room and under the covers for the time being.

Until she got a call from Will asking to help him move.

Of course, Amanda had no right to be angry about Will's moving because she hadn't known him long, so she couldn't be hurt by the fact that he had never told her. But being the good friend she was, she went over.

By the time she got there, there was a moving truck and a few boxes sitting on the lawn, waiting to be loaded into the aforementioned truck. She walked into the house to see that it was so empty. She remembered waking up on the couch like it was yesterday. The mat where Will's wet shoes had been was gone and the dusty floor had been vacuumed.

     Dustin, Max, and Lucas were helping to put stuff in boxes when they spotted her standing at the door. "Hey, Amanda," Max was the first to speak. "Mandy's fine," Amanda said simply. Max smiled. "Um, we were just helping Will with some of his stuff."

     "I also heard you butchering The Never Ending Story when I walked in." She giggled. "I'd throw something at you if everything in here wasn't hard," Lucas defended.

     "Hey!" Will greeted her when he walked out of his room. He brought her into a tight hug and didn't let go until Amanda muttered, "Will. Can't. Breathe" to make him let go. After he finally let go, he said, "Um, there are a few things in my room that still need to be put up. I can show you the way."

     Amanda followed him to his room and as she did, she saw El and Mike talking to each other. Not wanting to barge in, she went on her way and continued to follow Will.

     "There isn't much," Will said, maneuvering around boxes, "just these boxes that need to be moved and this lamp that needs its own box."

     "Why does it need its own box?" Amanda pointed at the lamp. "Because it's a very special lamp and it needs its own special box," Will deadpanned sassily and Amanda made a face to say, Sorry for asking. Will cracked up at that. "That's the exact same face I made when you smart-mouthed me that one time."

     Amanda smiled a little before it faltered. "So, how have you been, lately?" Will asked quietly.

    "I've been okay. I've been better, though." Amanda nodded. "It's been weird, you know. Being above ground and actually knocking into people and making noise. It was hard leaving the house because news stations were staking me out, but I think it's finally died down. They still want a statement, though.

    "I can't count on both hands how many times I've been on the front page of a newspaper and I think my mom is planning on gating the house so I would have to ask for a key to get out."

     "That's. . .good."

     Amanda nodded again. "Hm. She's also trying to work later in the day so she can drop me off at school and I won't have to take the bus as much." She was trying to keep herself composed but she felt her face burning and scrunching up with tears. "It's just so much."

     Will pulled her into a hug and he just let her sob. "I get it. Sometimes it'll ease up and you'll feel okay for a while and other times it'll feel like the world's ending and everything's hit you like a ton of bricks. The recovery process isn't gonna be constant until it becomes constant."

     "I see that Will the Wise's made a return." Amanda laughed through tears.

     "Yeah. You could say I learned a thing or two about growing up and liking people." The two pulled apart and smiled. Then Will's face lit up. "That reminds me." He rooted through one of the open boxes and found what he was looking for. "I want you to have this."

  Amanda looked down to see that it was his "Will the Wise" pointed hat. "I can't take this," Amanda refused. "It's a part of you. I can't take it."

    Will set the hat on top of her head. "You can and you will. Someone's gotta hold my spot while I'm gone."

    "But you will come back to visit, right?" Amanda asked. "I'm sure they'd get sick of me in no time."

    "After all that we've been through?" Will shook his head. "Not a chance."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

Soon, everything was packed up and everyone was on the lawn saying their final goodbyes to the Byers family.

Amanda was saying goodbye to Johnathan when she said, "I praise the skies every morning that your brother wasn't inherited with the mouthy gene. Although he can sprinkle in a few good words of advice every now and then."

Johnathan feigned hurt and laid a hand over his heart. "Ouch. Shot through the heart much?"

They laughed and hugged, holding onto each other for a bit before Amanda went to go say goodbye to El.

"So I guess to answer your question," Amanda started, "yes. Mike is important to me. But so is Will. And Max. And Dustin and Lucas and you. You're all important to me."

El smiled sadly before the two went in for a hug. After they broke apart, El got into the passenger seat of the moving truck while Will and Johnathan got into Mrs. Byers's car. They all waved the family goodbye and Amanda could feel her eyes well with tears when the cars started moving away. She owed it him. She owed it to Will.

She'd be the best placeholder cleric the party's ever seen.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'

SIDE NOTE!
and there we have it! the end of as above, so below (beneath his feet)!

i had so much fun writing it and i hoped you had fun reading it, as well!

it was fairly easy to write and i wish it were a little longer because it felt like it ended too soon!
who knows? maybe i'll write an AU or something

thanks again so much for reading!