I do not own Stranger Things.

Inspired by the graphic novel Stranger Things: The Other Side.

Glasses

The hospital room was quiet, save for the scraping of plastic against plastic. Will dragged the prongs of his fork through his portion of what was supposed to be baked beans.

"Quit playing with your food."

Will peeked over at the chair situated across from his bed. "Sorry, Chief."

He set his fork down in the only empty section on his separated plate. He had consumed the strawberry Jell-O with ease, slurping it down while Hopper watched with bemusement. Though he was still hungry, he refused to touch the brown sludge and the toast, which had the texture of cardboard.

"I told you, call me Hopper," the man said gruffly. "Not really a need for formality once you haul someone out of hell."

"It was the Upside Down, not hell," mumbled Will, playing with a loose thread on his hospital gown. "Felt like it, though."

"I know," said Hopper softly. "But it's over now, Will."

Twitching black vines, the atmosphere thick with darkness and evil, his mother and brother living corpses—

He swallowed, his fingers tightening into the light fabric of his hospital gown. They were flashbacks. Vivid flashbacks, ones that chilled him to the core, but they weren't real (they couldn't be real), so there was no need to concern anyone with what he had been seeing.

"Right," he muttered. He mustered up a smile. "Thanks, Hopper."

"You've thanked me a million times already, kid. Between you and your mother, I might actually go crazy from too much gratitude." Hopper propped his boot-covered feet against the steel frame of Will's hospital bed, despite the nurse's numerous admonishments. "Eat your beans."

Will's face twisted with disgust. "It doesn't look edible."

"It's hospital food. It's supposed to look like crap. But if you wanna get out of here, you need to get your strength up."

"Which means I have to eat the brown mush," said Will glumly.

He gripped his fork, gathered the majority of the baked beans in one scoop, and plopped it onto his toast. He lifted it up, admiring how the toast didn't even bend under the soggy weight of baked beans. He was about to take a reluctant bite, but the bed started to vibrate. Will gazed at Hopper's legs, which were bouncing restlessly.

Hopper had sat with him enough times for him to know the signs of the man craving a cigarette. This was the longest Hopper had stayed with him—the chief was usually relieved from Will Watch (as Dustin called it) after an hour. Will figured after ninety minutes, Hopper really wanted a smoke.

"You can go have a cigarette, if you want," Will said.

"Your mother will kill me if I leave you," Hopper replied with a snort.

"I won't tell her," he said earnestly.

Hopper chuckled. "Doesn't matter, kiddo. She'll know, and she'll squeeze the truth outta me if I dare to lie to her." He raised an eyebrow. "I know you just want me out of here so you can dump the rest of your lunch in the trash."

Will huffed and gingerly took a bite of toast and beans. He chewed slowly, a shiver running down his spine. "The textures are horrible," he complained.

Hopper was not sympathetic to his plight, a pointed glance more than enough to indicate he was expected to eat it all. Will reluctantly obeyed, taking tiny bites in the hopes that he would be able to get it down without actually feeling it against his tongue.

A soft knock sounded at the door, distracting Hopper long enough for Will to spit a bit of toast and beans into his napkin and wad it up. He looked swiftly at the chief to make sure he hadn't noticed, and his eyes went wide upon spotting who was lingering in the doorframe.

"Nancy?"

The brown-haired teen smiled softly at him. "Hi, Will."

"Why aren't you at school?" asked Hopper with a frown.

"It's my lunch break," replied Nancy. She tilted her head to the side, her brow pinching with confusion. "I thought my mom was supposed to be here with Will this afternoon."

"She's running late. She'll be here in half an hour."

"Oh. Well, I can stay with him, if you want to get back to work."

"I think he'd prefer a smoke," said Will with a grin.

"Quiet, you," growled Hopper, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. "All right, I'll leave him with you. See you tomorrow, kiddo."

"Bye, Hopper."

Hopper clapped Nancy on the shoulder as he squeezed by her. Nancy let the door click shut behind her and she lowered herself into the chair Hopper had just vacated. She set her book bag by her feet, giving Will a quick once-over.

He was still pale, the bags under his eyes dark from lack of sleep, but the oxygen tubes were gone, much to Nancy's relief. She tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear. "Sorry I haven't been by to see you."

"That's okay," said Will, slightly bewildered. "Is Jonathan here, too?"

"No, Steve dropped me off." Nancy nibbled on her bottom lip. "I can call the school, if you want him here."

"No, I was just wondering. He'll come see me after school. He always does."

For a moment, they sat in awkward silence, with Nancy twisting the strap of her book bag and Will taking minuscule bites of his beans and toast. He knew Hopper wouldn't know if he just dumped the rest of his lunch in the trash, but he was hungry, and unfortunately, this was his only option.

He could see Nancy part her lips, as if she were on the verge of saying something, before changing her mind and flickering her gaze to one of the many anatomy posters taped to the beige wall. Will set his plate on the little tray attached to his hospital bed, his eyes darting over to the Star Wars tin lunchbox sitting on the small, square white table across the room, squished beside a potted plant.

It had been easy, to squash down his guilt over the past week, mostly because he'd been so out of it after he was rescued from the Upside Down. But its jagged edges had started to pierce his insides, and in the dark of the night, the screams of that girl echoed in his ears.

That girl had a name—it was Barbara, Nancy's best friend.

Mike had told him that, his expression solemn, as he and their friends explained to Will the full story of what had occurred between them, Eleven and the Demogorgon. Will's throat had closed up when Mike explained that Barbara had been taken at a pool party, lured by the blood from a cut on her hand.

He couldn't bring himself to tell Mike that he had heard Barbara's cry for help. That he had been too late to save her.

That a part of him had been glad she had died instead of him.

Will hated that part of himself.

What was nestled in his lunchbox could remain hidden forever. He was the only one who knew what was inside. Hopper had insisted his backpack be disposed of, but relented at his desperate pleas to recover just two things from the depths.

He stuck the item into the lunchbox, out of sight, and when Hopper saw that Luke, Leia and Han Solo were spotless, he allowed Will to keep it with him.

He'd intended to give it to the family of the victim, but his plans changed when he learned it was Barbara who had died.

Taking slow, shivering breaths, Will inched his way out of bed. Nancy's eyes snapped up when she heard his quiet grunts of effort and she hurried to his side, placing her hands against his shoulders. "Will, what are you doing?"

"I just need to get my lunchbox," he mumbled.

"I'll get it for you," said Nancy firmly.

Will eased back against his pile of pillows, his palms growing sweaty with anxiety as Nancy picked up his black and blue lunchbox. She handed it to the twelve-year-old, her lips quirking. "You have some snacks in there?"

"Um, no." Will's fingers started to tremble, making it difficult to lift up the latch. When the lid finally popped open, revealing what was inside, his eyes started to sting. "I, um, found something in the Upside Down."

With great care, he lifted out a pair of shattered, clear-framed glasses.

Nancy gasped, one hand flying to cover her mouth while the other hung limply at her side. Big, fat tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She was bereft of speech, her whole body shaking with suppressed sobs. When she didn't reach out for the grime-encrusted spectacles, Will gently took her hand and folded her fingers over the precious item.

"I heard her screaming for help," he whispered. "I ran as fast as I could, but I was too late. I found the glasses at the bottom of the pool. I didn't know who they belonged to until…until Mike told me." His breath hitched. "I'm sorry, Nancy. I'm so sorry."

His distress snapped Nancy out of her frozen, grieving state. She dropped to her knees, carefully placing Barb's glasses on the cot before clasping Will's wrist. "Don't be sorry," she said thickly. "Don't you dare be sorry. You ran to her, Will. You tried to get to her, even though you knew you were going straight to that monster. You're so brave."

Will closed his eyes, a bitter, nasty sensation sticking to the back of his throat. Ever since he'd regained consciousness, he'd been told, again and again, how brave he was. But he wasn't. He had been the sole survivor of the Demogorgon's abduction because of pure dumb luck.

"I'm not," he confessed tremulously, unable to let Nancy think he was some sort of hero for charging to her best friend's rescue. "I'm not brave. When…when I realized she was gone, a small part of me was glad she had been the prey instead of me."

He broke down, pulling away from Nancy and dragging his knees against his chest. "I'm sorry," he said between wet gasps. "I'm sorry —"

The bed sagged from sudden additional weight. Nancy threw her arms around the twelve-year-old and hugged him, pressing her nose against the top of his head. "You are brave, Will," she said, stroking his heaving back. She rapidly blinked back her tears, trying to get it together for his sake. "Because I know if you had gotten to Barb, you would have fought tooth and nail to save her." She took a slow, shuddering breath. "There's…there's no guarantee that both of you would have survived, if you tried to intervene. And I'm so glad you're here, Will. I'm so happy you're alive."

"You don't wish it had been me instead of her?" asked Will in a small voice.

Nancy reared back, her hands still gripping Will's arms, her expression horrified. "No. I have never thought that, not once. Do you hear me?"

"Even after what I just told you?"

The shame filled his features, his eyes dull and haunted, and Nancy wiped the tears from his cheeks with her thumb.

"I think it was very strong of you to tell me that," she said sincerely. "But you shouldn't feel guilty for having those thoughts, Will. You were fighting for your life. I get it. It doesn't make you a bad person. Okay?"

"Okay," said Will with a sniff.

"If you ever want talk about those thoughts, your mom and brother are always there for you, all right? They won't judge you." Nancy hesitated. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to turn to, given how I've treated you guys, but I'm here too, okay?"

"Thanks, Nancy," said Will softly, warmth stirring in his chest. "And you didn't treat us bad. You were just being an annoying older sibling. I know all about it."

Nancy laughed. "Jonathan? Annoying you? He adores you."

"Sometimes too much," said Will feelingly. "And he used to steal my Legos to make sets for his home movies without asking me." He furrowed his brow, a sudden thought occurring to him. "How did you get into the Upside Down, Nancy?"

"Oh. Jonathan and I found an injured deer in the woods, and the Demogorgon snatched it. We followed the trail of blood, and I found a gate it made in the trunk of a tree." Nancy frowned in confusion. "Did Jonathan not tell you the whole story?"

"He didn't tell me anything," he replied. "I saw you."

It took a moment for Nancy to process what Will was telling her. Then the colour drained from her face. "What?" she croaked.

"In the Upside Down—we were in the woods at the same time."

"Why…why didn't you call out for me?"

"The Demogorgon was there, too," said Will grimly. "You were hiding. I didn't want it to find you, so I threw some rocks to distract it."

"Will," breathed Nancy, her tears starting afresh. "Oh, Will, I'm so sorry."

"Don't you dare be sorry," said Will with a soft smile. "It's okay. It was enough to know that you guys knew where I was. I just wanted you to be safe."

Nancy gave a watery chuckle, squeezing Will tightly. "Like I said, Will the Wise. You are a brave one. Thank you."

Her voice was filled with deep gratitude and affection, and a blush rose in Will's cheeks. "You're welcome," he murmured. "You're pretty brave yourself."

The door creaked open, catching their attention, and Nancy said in surprise, "Steve?"

Her boyfriend's easy smile immediately plummeted when he took in their tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. "What happened?" he demanded anxiously.

Nancy retrieved Barb's glasses, pinching the bridge of the frames delicately, and showed them to Steve. "Will brought me something very special from the Upside Down."

It took Steve a few beats to recognize the item. "Will," he breathed.

"I tried to get to her, but I was too late," the boy said softly. "That was all I could find."

"And I'm very grateful to him," said Nancy passionately, levelling Will with a firm look. "So, so grateful."

Will rubbed at his eyes, which were stinging from so much crying, and gave a tiny smile. Steve glanced between the two, at the strong emotions painted clear on their expressions, and decided to ask Nancy what had occurred later on.

"That's so great, Will. I know this means a lot to Nance." He sent her a gentle smile, which she returned. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Will, the shade of red on his cheeks deepening.

"What are you doing here?" asked Nancy curiously. "I didn't think you were coming back until the end of our lunch hour."

"I had to pick something up for Will," Steve replied. "It's a little bit out of the way, so I wanted to drop you off first." His gaze fell on the forgotten plate of hospital food. "What the hell is that?" he asked in horror.

"My lunch," said Will sadly, wincing at how dreadful it would be to eat ice-cold toast and beans. Now that his emotions were calmer, he could register the fierce growling in his stomach.

"Screw that." Steve promptly grabbed the plate and stuffed into the trash can. "Jonathan's been telling us how awful the food is here. After what you've been through, you deserve a feast."

He unzipped his backpack, and soon the room was consumed with the familiar scent of McDonald's. Will sat up straight, his eyes gleaming with excitement as Steve pulled out a white paper bag and a matching, large cup.

"Chocolate milkshake, cheeseburger, fries and chicken nuggets," proclaimed Steve, holding the take-out containers aloft as if they were the Holy Grail.

The scents were absolute heaven and Will could have sworn he heard his stomach cheering. "Thank you thank you thank you!" he cried, lunging forwards and wrapping his arms around Steve's middle.

The teen jolted; the contact unexpected. But as he gazed down at the boy, his brown eyes softened, and he placed the McDonald's bag on the cot so he could place one hand against Will's hair. "Anything for you, Byers."

As Will tore into the food, shoving fries and chicken nuggets into his mouth while Steve laughed, his fingers still curled in Will's hair, Nancy cradled Barb's glasses against her heart, where the love of her best friend still burned bright.