"This is stupid, Mike," Max said, rolling her eyes and leaning back onto the table.
"No, it's not stupid! We can't just use his powers like this, Max! It's wrong." He retorted back to her, earning a roll of Max's eyes.
"He knows his powers better than any of us! He's his own person, you don't own him!" Max shouted back, getting daggers sent her way.
"I know that! I know that I don't own him, I never said I did. I'm just saying that you're being extremely careless with his powers!" He said, running his hands through his hair frustratedly.
"Why are you freaking out over this so much, Mike?" She asked, voice lowering slightly.
"Because when I lost El I was heartbroken, and I lost her because she used her powers too much. With Alex..it's different. I feel more. I can't imagine how I would feel if I lost him and I can't, Max, I can't lose Alex, I just can't," he said, his voice coming down to a whisper as his eyes pooled with tears.
"You're not going to lose him, I promise, Mike," she said, giving him a small hug. Alex walked out of the room, a frown on his face and tears in his eyes as he got water. He walked past everyone, filling the cup to the brim and drinking every last drop.
He was wearing his white vans and his light blue ripped jeans that were rolled up to the middle of his calf. His socks went past his jeans, and he had on a light pink shirt with a rainbow on it, along with the jacket that Mike let him wear. It hung loosely on his shoulders, halfway zipped up, not too low but just enough to see the rainbow. He rolled them up to the middle of his forearm since the sleeves were too long, wiping his eyes and sitting on the couch.
"I didn't find anything, but I'll keep trying," he said, heading back towards El's bedroom to grab the dark wrap that El used to use to cover her eyes.
"Hold on, Alex," Justin said, grabbing his wrist and taking him back to the couch. "You haven't found anything because you haven't slept in days. Try to take a nap, okay?" He said, grabbing a pillow and trying to get Alex to lay down. Alex shook his head, trying to stand up.
"I don't want to sleep, I need to find him. Besides, I'll just have another nightmare," he grumbled.
"I agree with Justin," Max said.
"Me too." Mike said, sitting next to Alex. "You need to sleep, then you can save the world, okay?" Alex finally nodded, laying down on top of Mike, getting comfortable on the couch. Mike watched as he slowly closed his eyes, smiling down at him as he let his eyes flutter closed, leaning his head back on the pillow as he fell asleep with Alex in his arms.
------
The TV was static as Alex sat on the floor with the dark wrap around his eyes, silence filling the room. Mike didn't like that as soon as he woke up Alex was already walking into the room to grab a blindfold. He tried to oppose, but even he agreed that he needed to find Billy. They couldn't just sit around and wait for him to attack, that definitely wasn't the smartest option. Alex slowly started breathing heavier, then he ripped off the blindfold and took a second to breathe, wiping his nose on the sleeve of Mike's jacket.
"What's he doing now?" Max asked.
"He was just sitting in his bed," Alex said, getting up to get another cup of water.
"And that's not normal," Nancy said, looking at Max questioningly.
"Billy staying in his room on the fourth of July? No, that's not normal," she said, trying to think it over in her head.
"He wants us to find him." Will said, looking at Nancy and Jonathan.
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. If we go to Billy, then the rest of the flayed no where we are," she said, her arms dropping to her side.
"It's a trap, I agree, we'll be ambushed." Mike said.
"We won't be surprised," Lucas said. "We'll know that they're coming, and kick their flayed butts." He said, smacking his fist on his hand for emphasis.
"You mean Alex will kick their butts," Max said, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and pointer finger.
"It's too risky." Jonathan said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, and unnecessary. Killing the flayed won't stop the Mind Flayer," she pointed out, looking at her brother. "We have to find out where it's spreading from, we have to find..the source." She said.
"Billy knows it, Billy's been there," Alex said, walking back over to them.
"Yeah, but-" Mike tried to say, but Alex cut him off.
"It's a trap, I know. We can't go to Billy, but I think there's another way. A way for me to see where he's been." He said. He walked over to the TV, some of them giving Alex his space. He turned the TV back to the static, sitting down in front of it and grabbing the blindfold.
"Al, I know you think you have to do this but you don't. It's just, you've never done this before. Billy's mind is sick, diseased, the Mind Flayer is in him." He whispered, really not wanting him to do this.
"He can't hurt me, not in there," he said, his eyes going glassy.
"We don't know that," he said, trying not to let his voice crack. Alex turned towards him, taking his hand in his.
"Mike, I need you to trust me." He said, looking him in the eyes. Mike looked at Max, who nodded, eyes wide, as if to say 'Are you stupid?'.
"Yeah, just be careful," he said, getting up to sit in the lounge chair. Alex chuckled, turning towards the TV and placing the blindfold over his face.
