Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Thirteen: Blink

Joyce smokes a cigarette, standing in the kitchen, whilst Mrs. (L/N) sits, head down, at the kitchen table. They both wear expressions of defeat. They've been waiting in silence for hours, there hasn't been any sign of the children. Their minds race constantly, terrible thoughts attack. What if the children had been mauled and were hurt? What if they'd been killed? What if the mothers never get closure and the two stay missing forever? What if—
Chester barks. The women snap their heads towards the dog. He's staring up at the Christmas lights.
Each one individually illuminates one by one. Joyce becomes hyperfocused on the pulsing lights and slowly follows the trail into the living room, Mrs. (L/N) stands up to follow her. The lights lead to the far wall. Both women glance around at the mess of flickering lights. They seem so beautifully chaotic. These lights are their saving grace. The one thing that can help them save their children.
Joyce reaches up to touch the lights, wondering why they are leading to this specific spot. There isn't anything—she remembers! A crawl space. Years and years ago, the Byers newly beginning family had moved into the house. While decorating, Joyce remembers pushing a bookshelf in front of an unneeded crawl space.
Joyce locates the shelf and pushes it with ease, it slides smoothly away from the desired area. She bends down and opens both doors to the small, cabinet-like crawl space. Silently, (Y/N)'s mother gazes curiously from behind Joyce. Joyce's shoulders slump down when she finds that the crawl-space is empty.
Joyce grabs a tangle of white lights from the shelf above her and ducks down into the small space. Mrs. (L/N) kneels to be next to Joyce, who seems to have some kind of idea. She holds the lights as if they are a sacred object. Mrs. (L/N) stares at the woman, impatient, yet inquisitive about what she has planned to do.
"Will...are you here?" Joyce asks the bundle of lights which she holds in her hands. Mrs. (L/N) looks as if she's disappointed. How could speaking to the lights be their best plan of action? The children obviously aren't going to answer her back.
However, (Y/N)'s mother regrets ever doubting Joyce when the tangle of white lights illuminate brightly. Joyce gasps, there is great happiness apparent in her expression. Mrs. (L/N) grabs for the bulbs.
Both women sit, huddled around a little mess of lights. Hope shines in their eyes. Finally, they can communicate with (Y/N) and Will again. They're alive. And in this moment, that's the mothers' greatest joy.

♥︎

(Y/N) and Will had been sleeping soundly, Will's arm was draped around (Y/N)'s shoulder and (Y/N)'s head was in the crook of Will's neck. Everything seemed so lovely. Until you looked around a little more. The dank atmosphere is sure to make any person uneasy. This situation is anything but lovely.
(Y/N) was slowly drawn out of her much needed rest by the lack of air she was taking in. Her head felt as though it was caving in on itself and may have imploded at any second. Her eyes fluttered open. She jetted upwards. (Y/N) gasped for oxygen. Her hands went to her throat, pleading with it to open up and take in any air that it could. Tears started to blur her vision. This couldn't be the end.
(Y/N)'s struggle caused Will to be shaken awake. His arm was now draped around her waist because of her changed position. Will too felt light-headed, but he didn't feel as though he's going to die. Yet. Will sat up and put his hands on (Y/N)'s shoulders. "Hey, hey," He shook her, informing the panicked girl that he's here for her now.
(Y/N) whipped her head in the direction of Will's voice. The current state she was in wasn't helping her intake breath either. Her hyperventilation was killing her. "Hey, it's okay," Will knew that his statement was a gigantic lie. But, he also knew that if he didn't get (Y/N) to calm down, she was going to asphyxiate. "(Y/N), breathe!" Will's voice was starting to tremble. He didn't want his best friend to die. He didn't want to be trapped alone. "Come on," Will took a hold of (Y/N)'s hand, his other hand tugged on her arm, "In! Breathe in!"
(Y/N) attempted to listen to Will. She sharply inhaled, however, she still felt the same way. "In and out! Breathe in and out, okay?" Will pleaded to his friend. (Y/N) focused on her legs. They were stiffly planted on the bed. The fabric felt dingy and moist. She rolled her ankles and could feel her socks, drenched in slime, and her shoes, coated in dirt. She finally was able to properly exhale. "Good!" Will praised, "Keep going. You're okay," (Y/N) established a pattern and started to get a hold of herself. She panted furiously. Her brain was less cloudy. Will grinned. She's going to be okay.
(Y/N)'s heart was still ponding, but she felt the oxygen flowing back through her body. She felt stable again, she felt in control. (Y/N) let out an airy laugh, which she tended to do when she felt relieved or embarrassed. Will looked deeply at the girl, feeling terrified for her. Terrified because he didn't want to ever lose her.
"Holy sh*t," (Y/N) collapsed backwards onto the bed, realizing that she really did almost die. Will looked down at the girl and flopped down to join her. He giggled at her comment and they both exchanged a few chuckles before taking deep breaths and focusing on the ceiling. Thinking about absolutely nothing. Just for a second.
Then, (Y/N) noticed strange echos. They sounded as if two women were speaking to each other. That was because that's exactly they were. It was probably their mothers. What are they talking about? (Y/N) became attentive and sat up. Will looked up at her and she placed her fingers in front of her lips, signaling him to be quiet. She then used the same finger to point towards the door.
Will listened carefully, but wasn't sure what (Y/N) was referring to until he heard extremely quiet mumbles echoing from outside of the room. The two children looked confusedly at each other and proceeded to hoist themselves off of the bed. They crept towards the door. The mumbles were still incoherent but they seemed to get louder. (Y/N) touched the doorframe and went to poke her head around the corner, however Will pulled her back.
She looked at him inquisitively. "If we go out there, we need to know where to hide. It could still be here," (Y/N) nodded and stared at Will, waiting for him to reveal his plan. Will shifted his glance to the ceiling and searched the corners of his brain for an answer. Which place would be the best? He'd lived in this house all of his life and after countless games of hide-and-seek there'd always be one place that he'd never been found in. The crawl space.
"Follow me," Will and (Y/N) slowly made their way down the narrow hallway. Their senses were extremely heightened. The monster could be around any corner.
Will got to the end of the hall, he inhaled harshly. He whipped around the corner, his arms were glued to the edge of the wall. There's nothing there. Will signaled to (Y/N) that it was okay to keep moving. The pair made their way across the empty kitchen, the womens' voices echoed at their loudest in this spot. The children wanted to stay and find a way to contact their mothers, but they knew they had to get to the hiding spot quickly in case of a sudden ambush.
Will slowly led (Y/N) across the living room. His speed picked up as he reached the bookcase in front of the crawl space. The shelf was mostly unusable. The shelves were cracked and soggy.
Will tried to push the shelves over, however they started to cave in. He groaned and (Y/N) joined him. Instead of pushing the shelf over, (Y/N) attempted to push the shelf down, away from the crawl space. Will did the same, after he noticed what the girl was trying to do. The shelf went down with a crack. The floor below it caved in. (Y/N) and Will prayed that the monster didn't hear the tremendous noise.
Will was the first to rush to the space and pry open the doors. (Y/N) noticed a clump of lights had rolled off of the shelf. She picked them up and joined Will, who had crammed himself into the crawl space. (Y/N) got in and sat across from him. The two worked together to pull the doors so that they were nearly closed but not quite. They were both secretly too afraid to be shut in this dark, enclosed area.

♥︎

"Will...are you here?" Joyce's voice rings throughout the area in which the two sit. (Y/N)'s hand grazes over the small tangle of lights. The still air rushes with sound once again. Someone has gasped. "Okay, good, good, good, good," The excited voice whispers into the lights. Both children are beaming, the familiar voice is comforting. (Y/N) takes her hand off the lights, semi-understanding that whenever her and Will come in some sort of contact with the lights they must glow on the other side. "Are you..." Joyce pauses, "Um, blink once for yes, twice for no. Can you do that for me sweeties?" The two nod vigorously, but realize that the woman can't actually see them. Will reaches out and gives the bunch of lights a squeeze. There's another cry of relief that comes from both women. (Y/N)'s grin grows even wider. Her throat feels as though it's swelling, she's on the verge of tears again. She misses her mother greatly and is touched that she cares for her. "Good boy. Good girl," Will lifts his hand from the lights, tears start to make their way from his eyes as well. "Baby, I need to know...are you guys alive?" (Y/N) scrunches her face a little at the question, it seems a bit silly, she is in fact talking to them right now. But, (Y/N) understands Joyce's uncertainty. Will, who's mesmerized by his mother's words, squeezes the lights again.
"Are you safe?" (Y/N)'s mother adds in, hoping for her fears to be proven insignificant. The childrens' smiles drop. They look at each other and (Y/N) leans forward. She taps the lights twice. There are groans heard from both women.
"I need to know where to find you, honey."
"Where...where are you?" Both mothers stammer simultaneously. 
Joyce rephrases Mrs. (L/N)'s last question, "Can you...can you tell me where you are?" The children suffer silently, not able to speak back. They also aren't sure of what they'd say.
"Please, we need to find you. Tell us what to do."
There is a pause on both ends. The mothers tear-stained faces scrunch up frustratedly at their inability to communicate. It's the same way on the childrens' end.
Finally, breaking the silence, Joyce looks around frantically, she has an idea. "We'll be right back okay, we'll be back. Don't move, okay?" The tangle of lights illuminate once. Mrs. (L/N) moves out of Joyce's path as she storms off in the direction of her shed. (Y/N)'s mother waits with anticipation.

♥︎

Joyce, who's now standing on the couch, prys open a can of black paint. (Y/N)'s mother stands back and watches, she has no idea what Joyce's plan is, but she's come to trust the seemingly odd woman. Using a paintbrush, Joyce paints the letter "A" beneath a white bulb on the wall. She rights a "B" under the next bulb. Joyce continues to paint letters under the lights.
Mrs. (L/N) understands now. Using the letters and corresponding bulbs, the children will be able to write to the mothers. The plan is genius.
A week ago, Mrs. (L/N) wouldn't have believed you if you'd told her that she'd be spending all this time with Joyce Byers. She'd believed that Joyce was a kook, but here she is now, observing the woman. She may even look up to her, though she wouldn't actually admit that to herself just yet. She smiles, watching the woman continue to write the alphabet. This is going to be a giant step in their journey to finding their children.

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Thank you all so much for the reads and encouraging comments! You're all the best! I hope that each and every one of you are safe and healthy. We're living in tough times right now and I know we'll be able to fight through them. Just wash your hands and stay inside. I'm sending my love♥︎ ~WoodCeiling

*THE CHARACTERS, THEME, AND SOME DIALOGUE BELONG TO STRANGER THINGS AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS*