Worlds Turned Upside Down: Will Byers x Reader

Chapter Sixteen: Death and Deceit

Mrs. (L/N) sleeps soundly on her bed. The spot next to her is empty, the blankets are pulled up on that side, indicating someone had slept there but woke up and got up to start their day. A small voice calls out to her, "Hey," (Y/N)'s mother whips upwards in bed, she comes face to face with her missing daughter, "Hey!"
Mrs. (L/N) is shaken from her dream by her husband, "Hey! Wake up."
"Hmm...what? What time is it?" (Y/N)'s mother props herself up on her elbows sleepily.
"It's almost eight, we gotta go," Mr. (L/N) gently takes his wife by the arm and starts to guide her to sit up in bed.
"Where? Where are we going?" Drowsiness is still evident in the woman's eyes.
"To see (Y/N)."

♥︎

Hopper waits in the lobby of the Roane County Coroner.
"What's taking so long?" Hopper asks the secretary as he sits on a chair with his hat in hand.
"Well, everything's been a bit chaotic around here without Gary," The brunette replies.
"Without Gary? Where's Gary?"
"Well, I thought you knew. Those men from State, they...they sent Gary home last night."
"So who did the autopsy?"
"Someone from State," Hoppers gaze shifts away from the secretary. He's skeptical.

♥︎

Joyce and Jonathan sit in front of a glass window. Mr. and Mrs. (L/N) stand behind them. Jonathan's arms are crossed and his body is wracked with anxiety. Joyce and (Y/N)'s mother hold blank expressions. Mr. (L/N) bounces lightly on his heels.
A man from State, wearing scrubs, stands on the other side of the glass between two metal tables. The man slowly pulls the blue sheet which is draped over "Will" back to reveal the boy's discolored, expressionless face. Jonathan heaves and rushes away, trying to find the nearest thing he can vomit into.
Joyce stares ahead apathetically. Mrs. (L/N) is a tad nauseous at the sight of the boy but she trusts that the two are alive. She just hopes her head hasn't been playing tricks on her all this time. Mr. (L/N) exhales and looks up at the ceiling then back through the window.
The attendant then pulls back the other sheet revealing a pale (Y/N), lying face up on the metal table. Mr. (L/N) whimpers, covers his mouth and goes straight after Jonathan, ready to puke out anything remaining in his body, even though that isn't really much because he felt too sick to eat breakfast.
Mrs. (L/N) covers her mouth. God, she looks so real. Joyce speaks up before Mrs. (L/N) can continue to doubt herself, "He has a birthmark on his right arm. Can you show that to me, please?"

♥︎

Hopper sits in the lobby a chair over from Jonathan, he has a hand on the boy's shoulder. Mr. (L/N) looks quietly at the ground, his elbows rest on his knees. He sits in a chair across from the two.
Joyce, Mrs. (L/N), and the coroner burst through the door bringing a commotion into the silent lobby. "Ma'am! Ma'am, I need you to sign!"
"I don't...I don't know what you think that thing is in there, but that is not my son!" Joyce yells in the worker's face, she is infuriated. Mrs. (L/N) waits angrily next to the coroner. All of the men in the lobby stand.
"Joyce, wait a second," Hopper calmly says to the woman.
"No!" Joyce shouts at Hopper and heads for the door.
"Mom!" Jonathan follows after her.
"Ma'am, I—Ma'am!" The coroner doesn't follow Joyce out of the door but he does shout after her. The man turns to Mrs. (L/N) pen and clipboard in hand. She shakes her head and attempts to make it out the door, however her husband grabs her by her arm.
"Honey, please—"
"No! No! You have no idea what I've gone through these past couple days! No idea! So, when I tell you those are not our children, you better believe me!" Mrs. (L/N) shouts at her husband then she turns and points at the Chief, "You too!" She rips her arm from her husband's grip and puts her hand on the door, "You'll be d*mned if you think I'm actually signing that!" She yells at all of the men in the room, turns, and storms out. Mr. (L/N) lingers inside of the office to sign the document.
(Y/N)'s mother heads towards Joyce and Jonathan's shouting voices around the corner.
Their argument seems to have halted as (Y/N)'s mother gets closer to the family. Jonathan walks Mrs. (L/N)'s way on the sidewalk. He spots the woman and his lingering anger strikes her, "Don't encourage her. You're just as bad," The boy hadn't stopped walking and went right past her to his car. Mrs. (L/N) is thrown off for a second, but decides not to be too hurt by the teenager's words, she has more important things to worry about.
She runs after Joyce, who is speeding down the sidewalk, and taps her on the arm as she catches up to the woman. "Hey," Mrs. (L/N) says, a bit out of breath, to Joyce who, for a second, was taken aback. A bug-eyed Joyce grabs Mrs. (L/N) by the arm and tugs her down the street.
"We're going to bring them home."