A poignant silence filled the attic as Vecna dropped to the floor.
It almost felt too easy, too anticlimactic…
The fact that Vecna was just a man, if not a monstrous looking one with psychic powers, but he fell like one - a mortal who could not live forever, who was never invincible.
It's like they expected something bigger and dramatic; maybe for Vecna to burst into a million particles, evaporate even.
"Is… Is it over?" Asked Dustin, quietly and unbelievingly.
Lucas scrunches his face up, "is he really dead? Someone pinch me. Better yet," he walks over toward Vecna's prone form, and nudges him slightly with the tip of his shoe, and at no motion detected, kicks him onto his side.
"Lucas," Nancy gasps, hand flying to her weapon whilst she winces at a gash on her forehead and her blood-matted hair above it.
"Ha, he really is dead." Lucas looks astonished, staring down at Vecna's eyes, open wide but void of life.
Eleven suddenly stumbles, woozy.
Mike rushes to her and holds onto her arms as he lies her down. With dry blood at her nostrils, her face that looks pale under the low light of the room, and her buzzcut hair alike to when he first met her, she looks very delicate and innocent, as if she hadn't just killed a monster and saved their lives. She leans now on Mike's arms, not being able to find any energy.
"El! Are you alright?" He questions, worried.
She nods slowly and smiles as if in part understanding her friends were safe, before she closes her eyes. "Rest," she says.
"No, not yet. No rest, El. We have to get back."
She stays unresponsive with exhaustion.
"It's okay, Mike." Eddie walks over with warm eyes, "I can carry her." He takes her off his hands before unbiddenly, a ringing, chilling howl of anguish shouts out across the room.
"WILL!" Jonathan screams, voice full of alarm and shock.
Because as the group had been preoccupied with Vecna's attack: vines going to clutch at Steve's neck in replace of Vecna's unyielding show of power before Vecna was whacked by Eddie; Eddie being flung to the ceiling to crash down and then shrug off the guitar, groaning in pain at the bruises along his back; Max being clawed at by vines holding her against the wall with Lucas and Dustin attempting to free her; with Nancy firing a shot and the bullet stopping mid-air, to turn around and hit through Jonathan's shoulder, where Nancy had originally stood before Jonathan pushed her out of harm's way... Well, the lone, sharp moment at which Vecna had turned to face Will, face eery and twisted, and when Will had unconsciously cut deep into his wrist… it had been noticed solely by Mike.
And Mike…
Mike became very aware that he had forgot in the event of the final battle, in light of Vecna's death…
But now he is consumed by an overarching guilt, and terror because…
Because Jonathan's very tone signalled goose-bumps to rise along his arms and neck, and Mike feels himself go hot in panic.
He turns to look at where Will is lying on the floor, panting, with a hand resting against his broken arm, in the spot where the cut was made.
But his pressure had grown light as time had passed, and dark oxidised blood had sunk through the threadbare piece of clothing he'd ripped off.
It didn't look good. It looked really, really bad.
Mike feels his throat closing and his chest grow tight.
"Will," he chokes out, and as Eddie takes El off him, he runs to where Will is, where Jonathan is holding him in a hug and his head rests limply on his bloody shoulder.
"W-We have to get him to a hospital."
Robin glances at the twitching vines, slowly coming back to life after they had grown limp when Vecna died, "what are we waiting for? Let's go, now, now, now!"
They all look around to where Robin is pointing and begin to understand the urgency.
"He'll be alright, Jonathan." Nancy says with a tearful voice, but she determined herself to make sure there would be no deaths within this group. Not today, not any day.
Jonathan softly cries, and Nancy wraps Will's arm quickly, and Jonathan's shoulder lastly, with clean bandages they'd left in the bags outside the attic door.
Mike feels useless once again, watching and waiting. Seeing Will's chest rise and deflate sharply, as if fighting with everything he has left to make it through, to make it out of the Upside Down.
Will, Will doesn't want to die here. His bleary vision catches rotting trees, a red sky, curling vines, Jonathan's harried face, black curls on a familiar face tinged with an unbearable expression rushing alongside.
Mike, Will thinks.
He wants to reassure him.
But his vision fades once again.
When he wakes up, it's to the sight of the hospital, with harsh white walls and chemicals stuffing up his nose. It brings back only dark memories, and Will gulps slightly, but coughs a little against the feeling of his dry throat.
His chest feels sore, and his arm is resting in a proper sling, bandages across the expanse of it.
His memory reminds him of the red, weeping gash along his wrist, when his rushing thoughts had slowed, and he saw the motions of his friends fighting for their lives fade in and out.
At that moment, thoughts of life and death had escaped him, and instead he had turned his attention to vines along the ceiling, rippling, and weaving through each other, as if excited.
He felt like he knew the vines knew where he was, where they were. Like they were an omniscient being, intelligent, and watching him.
It comforted him for that moment, weirdly.
Thinking back to it now, whilst weak but now of sound mind, he feels… A prickle of trepidation, of anxiety.
Maybe it's not as weird as he thinks, he was just delirious with blood loss.
"Will?" He hears a perking voice ask him.
"Mike?"
"Will! You're awake!" He feels Mike look over his bed to see him more clearly.
"I, yes, yes I am," he laughs lightly. "Um, what exactly happened?" Will forgets about his wandering thoughts, he desires more to understand the interval between the Upside Down, and now.
He doesn't like having no memory, he feels the need to piece it together for his own sanity.
Mike's face grows unhappy whilst he thinks back to explain, but Jonathan walks in.
"Brought us some ham and cheese sandwiches," he holds them up, as if victorious.
Then he notices Will, who has sat up slightly.
"Will!" Jonathan's eyes widen, and then they water almost immediately.
He drops the sandwiches on the bed as he comes to wrap Will up in a limited embrace, trying to avoid his sling.
Will starts to grin, "I'm okay, Jonathan. Really."
"I know. We knew you'd pull through." He ruffles up his hair, and Will shoves him off with his good arm, laughing once again. He coughs abruptly, throat and mouth still parched for thirst.
"Oh, here." Mike shoves a glass of water at him, tilting it as if to help Will drink from it. Will takes it from him with a raised eyebrow.
"Thanks, Mike." Will smiles at him warmly. Mike feels his ears burning and he slides his eyes away.
"No problem."
"So, what did I miss? Vecna, he-he's dead, right?" Will says, voice uneven.
"Yeah, he is. He can't hurt you again, hurt anyone anymore." The words slide out easily for Jonathan, but then he looks in pain.
"It's been two days since then."
It takes a moment for Will to process, "what? Days? I was out of it for that long?"
Mike butts in now, "Will. You've been recovering since, well." A stuttering inhale, and then he continues, "your heart stopped. For, like, 3 and a half minutes. The blood loss was too much even with the transfusions, and the doctors started crowding you when the machine started blaring and beeping. I was right here, and Dustin, and Lucas. They rushed us all out. We were so scared." Mike's voice catches at the end.
Jonathan squeezes in, clutching Will's free hand, "I wish I was there when it happened. They'd carted me off for my shoulder," Will had noticed his sling too, and Jonathan goes, "they did CPR, eventually turned to the defib. They explained everything to me, and when I got discharged, I came to see you as soon as I could-,"
Will nods slowly, head spinning with the information. He tunes Jonathan out as his brother stands up, continuing to go on about what the primary doctor has been saying with flapping hand motions.
He died, two days ago. And he at least knows why his chest hurts, now.
"But, is everyone else okay?" He thinks back to El's body on the floor, curled up, eyes glazed over. "El, is she-,"
"Yeah, she's fine. You were right, in there. You told me to go to her, and she just needed someone to talk her way out of Vecna's trap. She passed out right after… everything. She hasn't said much after about what Vecna was showing her before we turned up, but it was bad. It makes her upset when I ask about it." Mike is frowning, nails digging into his palm.
Will frowns in kind.
Jonathan changes the topic, a burst of energy as he says, "Dr. Owens got here yesterday, he's been acting strange."
"Yeah." Mike says, eyes widening, "government's been all over this hospital. They actually, um, warded your room from the, uh, ordinary doctors. The hospital's pretty confused. I think they're gonna get ready to move you, actually."
Will looks uncomfortable at the thought.
"Or, I mean, they could deem you in good health, now you're awake 'n' all." Mike says as if in consolation, "I know you don't like hospitals."
"Yeah… But, how has Dr Owens been acting strange?" Will says slowly, "I don't get it."
Jonathan leans in, and quietly begins, "well, Dustin and Steve, they were coming to visit you as well, a bit after your room got sectioned off. They saw Dr Owens arguing with this other guy, military guy, and this military guy apparently got physical. He's been asking about for 'the girl'. We think it's just a matter of time before they question us. Something fishy is going on."
Will starts to feel uneasy again. What could they possibly want with El? He thought the government had given her the slip after everything, given up on tracing her whereabouts, with her new birth certificate, and living in California…
"We think… Vecna's victims, right?" Will nods, and Mike covers his mouth casually, as if scratching at an itch, and he glances at a camera in the corner of the room, "they might have linked her to them. Of course, we know." He shushes himself a little, "we know, it wasn't her. But, some people in the government, they're not convinced."
Will swallows, and nods.
"But! Enough of that, now. We're happy you're back with us, Will." Jonathan says with soft eyes, "everyone else is going to be overjoyed."
Mike seconds that, "yeah! We've missed you so much, you don't even know." Will feels his heart jump at Mike's insistent gaze and beaming smile.
After that, Jonathan went to find Dr. Owens, hoping to convince them to let Will go. Mike stayed where he was, and he sways where he's stood as if undecided; before he plops down next to Will on the hospital bed.
Will nudges away in surprise, and Mike takes the space he's widened for him.
"Hey, this is pretty comfy. I'd try to jump on it, but…" He motions to his sling.
"Yeah, probably not a good idea." Will chuckles, and then quiets as Mike turns to him.
"Um. Hi."
Will looks at him in confusion, edging nervous, "hi?"
"That was stupid. I mean, I want to talk to you."
"We are talking, Mike," Will cheeks at him.
"Stupid," Mike smiles, and nudges his shoulder with his own, "but, I mean, really talk. I want to apologise."
"Apologise?" Will's heart rises to his throat.
"Yeah. I know, apologise. Going to have to do a lot of that, from now on. I'm sorry, for being a dick. I know I've been a dick, to you especially. Like, seriously not been a good friend kind of dick. I just want you to know, I'm sorry. So sorry. I feel like I've, damaged us." He motions between them.
Will stops him there, "Mike, it's, it's okay."
Mike grabs his arm, and gentler he says, "no. No, it's not. Frankly, if I was you. I, I don't know. I'd be so mad." His eyes are glittering. "You're allowed to be mad at me, Will."
"I… know." Will says, tears springing in his own eyes.
He feels, now that Mike is actively acknowledging his distance, it makes it harder to think about. Will wants to bury it, under false platitudes, no deep conversation.
It scares him. What he might say. Whilst he's upset.
Mike shifts on the bed, and his side burns against Will's where it brushes, as Mike catches his eyes properly.
"I don't think you do know, Will. You don't like confrontation, I know you. You'd rather deal with it, on your own, until eventually you break down."
"I can't help that!" Will snaps, and then closes his mouth in astonishment, "I mean, I don't try to hold it in, it just happens. I, okay, maybe confrontation is… difficult for me. But I think it is for you too." His eyebrows scrunch up, "why else… would you ignore me all year? And then ignore me even more when you were in California?" Will scoffs, and then shrugs off Mike's hand. "Listen, can't we just talk later. When I'm not in hospital, maybe?"
Mike looks taken-aback.
"I mean, yeah. But, I just want you to know. Back there, when it felt like you were almost going to, to… Like the worst was going to happen. I wanted to take everything back, send those unsent letters, call for you, not El," he shakes his head, "I wish I'd not distanced myself from you-,"
And Will thinks, as Mike says he distanced himself, it's as if he means he did it on purpose? And it could only be on purpose, couldn't it? Not the fact that he was too engaged with El, his girlfriend, to care much about Will, if at all, but because Mike had genuinely, intentionally, ignored him.
For what reason?
And unsolicited, what Vecna had said to him resurfaces.
"What would happen, say Mike found out your dirty little secret, hm? Would he grow to despise you?"
Will looks at Mike now, and his breathing grows faster.
What if, what if he did know? And that's why he stopped talking to him so long ago?
"I've learned, Will. That I don't think I can really live without you. You're my best friend, alright. I don't want to lose that, lose you."
Emotionlessly, Will says, "see, ha. That's the thing with you, Mike." His voice is raw, shaking now, "why is it you only seem to care about me when I'm dying, or when I'm in danger? Why are you saying all of this now?"
If Mike looked taken-aback before, he looks blown away now, and he scooches away, because whilst Will's body felt calming next to him before, now it feels like a scorching brand of anger.
"Wait, n-no." Mike says, upset, "of course, I care about you. Will,"
"Do you, or don't you, Mike? 'Cause you've made it really unclear lately."
And then Dr. Owens shoves through the door with Jonathan and Nancy in tow.
"Hello, boys."