Five Days Later
They had failed. It all collapsed when Vecna grabbed Will. With no real understanding of his revived strength, the entire party's plan fell apart instantly. Will's possessed form stood over the prone forms of Lucas, El, Dustin and Mike. All dead. Henry took special joy in killing Mike Wheeler. The boy stupidly thought he could just call to Will. Henry smiled. Mike had made all of this possible. Of all the pain inside Will, all the places to pull apart, it was Will's feelings for Mike that were the most painful.
For every memory Will tried to build as a shield, Henry simply showed a counter memory. Perhaps it was because those memories were newer, but they easily cut apart Will's defenses. Castle Byers was Henry's personal favorite as it was the place that had hidden Will from him for so long.
Henry laughed with one final look at Mike's broken corpse and left to reshape a world that was now his. The military for its part was just flat out no match for this creature. It had Will's human features but that was the only normal thing about it. They watched helplessly as their equipment was smashed and soldiers exploded into piles of blood and organs and random partial limbs. Henry laughed and felt the strength burn in him. Will's strength. Will's anger. It was intoxicating.
Henry decided he had to thank Will. He would do that by finding this Troy boy first. He felt a pang of something in Will's chest. Excitement? Pleasure? Henry couldn't tell. The feeling only burned hotter as he spotted the boy and pushed him against a brick Wall of a busted out store front.
"Do you even realize how you ensured the death of your world?" Henry taunted. "Shall I show you?"
Without a response he forced the memories to flood Troy's mind. As they did, a demodog came up beside Will who put a hand down to pet it.
"Please don't. Will. Please. I am sorry, okay?" Troy begged behind tears and a scrunched face.
"We are simply past the point of sorry." Henry's voice growled in a low tone.
Will's hand raised as if it was Vecna's claw and the demodog began to tear into Troy's body. Henry found that once troy stopped screaming, he lost any interest. There was one person Will wanted to see very badly while in this mental state. It would be inconvenient but it really didn't hurt to reward the boy a little more.
Lonnie Byers staggered to his front door. Drunk in the middle of the day. A knock had interrupted him and his pleasant haze. He was going to yell at whoever dared. He tore the door open expecting that first move to put the person on their heels. Instead what greeted him was his youngest son. Bigger now, but there was no mistaking that look.
Henry fired a smile and used Will's true voice.
"Hi Dad, how are you do-" Will started innocently
"What the fuck are you doing here, you fag?" Lonnie barked.
"There's no need to be rude, dad. I have a gift for you." Will's soft voice said as he let himself inside.
"A gift for me?" Lonnie asked confused.
"Oh that, sorry, I wasn't speaking to you." Will's voice said.
"What? What are you even saying?" Lonnie snapped the smell of beer wafting back into Will's nostrils.
"Why don't you take a swing at me Daddy? You wouldn't want me to miss a chance at some nice old memories, right?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, William?" Lonnie looked properly confused.
"Well, unless you're some kind of limp armed queer? Is that what you are now Daddy? A limp armed queer?" Will smirked.
Lonnie might have been confused and cautious but any attack on his strength would set him off. Lonnie exploded and punched Will flush on the side of the face. Lonnie pulled his fist back as blood spilled from Will's mouth.
"Don't fucking bleed on my carp-" Lonnie started with a sharp voice.
"That will be just about-enough-out of you now." Henry said using his real voice.
Lonnie lost his senses as he was pinned on the wall above his fireplace. Not wanting Lonnie to pass out, Henry elected to snap one of his legs to prevent the man's escape. Henry's two guests would be arriving shortly.
Lonnie was too drunk to do more than groan at his pain as he landed on the floor with a broken leg.
A pair of demodogs come up beside Will. He kneels beside his father who is face down on the floor.
"You. It is quite interesting how this boy fears you, even now, protected by me. Such a pathetic and broken creature." Henry growls with pleasure. He licks the blood on his lips. Will stands up. "You may eat him, however, make him suffer first. Start with his feet. When he dies, leave nothing behind."
The last thing Lonnie hears is his youngest son's laughter. The last thing he feels is a pain hundreds of times worse than anything he'd ever be able to inflict.
5 Days Ago
Mike eyed Will. Will looked off, had gotten pale and then started sweating out of nowhere. Will's contributions had stopped a little bit ago. Lucas, Dustin and Mike had been carrying the conversations about the first attack at the Creel house. Will then started grabbing at his head and his eyes sat only half open.
"Will, are you okay?" Mike asked carefully.
"I don't—I don't know Mike." Will whined under his breath.
As if the verbal admission was a trigger, Will shot out of his chair and went over to their kitchen sink and vomited. Mike made his way over to check Will and the others stood up.
"My head feels like it just swelled up two si-" Will vomited again before he could even finish.
Mike rubbed Will's back.
"Take your time Will." Mike said softly.
Lucas and Dustin watched quietly.
"I need El. I need to get El." Will said spiting into the sink.
"She's resting in our room. I can get her." Mike said.
Will nodded.
"Hey, are you good to sit back down?" Lucas asked
Lucas placed an arm across Will's lower back.
"I think so." Will replied.
He rinsed his mouth and let Lucas move him back to his seat.
"Man, that was the first time I've felt something like that." Will breathed.
"What?" Lucas asked.
"It was like a flash of memories, but like a nightmare scenario or something. Like something I've already lived through or have done many times before." Will stared at the table while he talked.
Will's headache seemed to be vanishing like an ice cream headache almost as if it'd never been.
"Vecna possessed me and then killed everyone in the town. Including—all of you." Will explained. "But it's like, I don't think Vecna was showing this to me. Someone else is sending me some kind of warning."
"How can you be sure?" Dustin asked.
"It's strange. This intrusion in my head. It seemed panicked. Scared. I can't recognize it though. That's why I need El." Will finished.
Lucas and Dustin eyed Will carefully. Will knew they were skeptical. There was another reason he needed El. He wanted to know why he wasn't feeling skeptical about what was happening to him. This flash was familiar like his nightmare. However, nightmares didn't come with their own feelings. As far as Will knew, someone sent him this message now because it was the last chance to do it.
El looked weary when she came back on Mike's arm and Will looked at her with concern. It was clear she hadn't been okay recently due to self-isolation. He knew the desire all too well. This is why he wanted her close. Even if she chose to pull away, Will felt like he'd still be able to help her. For now, he needed her help.
"El, I'm sorry to bother you." Will sighed. "I need your help with something possibly dangerous."
"Okay?" El said as a question rather than an answer. "Of course I'll help, Will, but what do you mean dangerous?"
"I think someone is sending a message into my mind. I was going to try and communicate back, but I need you to back me up." Will kept his words even to try and keep El from worrying.
"What do you mean messages?" El asked.
"Like, memories, but not mine I think. Like, we needed to see or at least I needed to see. The feelings attached seemed desperate. They looked like my nightmares from recently, but those never had emotions with them." Will explained.
"And you wanted to talk back to them?" El asked. Her tone unchanged with each answer and question.
"Yes. I think that's why they sent the message." Will admitted.
Will realized he might seem crazy but no one could understand what he felt. What he experienced. He couldn't explain it. He certainly wouldn't tell Mike or the guys what happened.
"That is a heck of a guess. If you're wrong-" El was cut off when her tone got sharp.
"Will, what are you two talking about?" Mike asked.
"I'll explain when El agrees to help." Will stated, staring at El.
El finally nods reluctantly, feeling cornered. Will doesn't seem to notice as he turns to face Lucas and Dustin.
"Whatever we were planning, I don't think it was going to work. I can't explain fully yet. Something went wrong. I think I saw it, like Nancy's vision."
Everyone tensed. Nancy had pulled away from everything and everyone after Vecna had shown her visions of the future. It had really shaken her and she found that the stress and strain was too much to wait around and watch it be fulfilled. It was all going to come down to Will and El and both of them seemed to understand that.
"How do we know this isn't One or Vecna?" Mike asked
"We don't. This is why I need El to back me up." Will said softly trying to acknowledge the fear in his friends' faces.
"Please. I know this is hard to believe, but if we don't take every advantage and see through every risk, we're going to miss something." Will coaxed.
His brain was full of his nightmares and Will was now beyond coping. He had to keep everyone safe and for some reason he knew they wouldn't be safe if he avoided this message.
"Okay Will, I'll trust you and I will help as best as I can." El says softly.
"Sorry for having to ask." Will sighed.
"So you reach out and then I'll jump in." El said in a firm voice. Clearly she didn't want to wait around.
Will found it was simple to change his perspective into his own head. Something he had not practiced; but he felt as though he'd done it countless times. Perhaps he was guided by the upside down's consciousness. When he opened his mind and eyes fully, a smaller version of the Mind Flayer stood in front of him.
"It's you." Will said softly.
It was strange. Will didn't know what to expect, but as soon as he saw this smaller version of the Mind Flayer, he felt at ease. Familiar. It was the oddest sensation. El appeared beside him. Her face was stern.
"Easy El, keep your eye on him." Will said in a harsh Whisper. "I feel like you and I have been here before. Be careful."
El nodded.
"I think you should show us your true form." Will said sharply. "You wanted to warn us. So show us yourself in good faith."
A few moments pass. Then the shadow creature pulls into itself and soon enough, a person emerges. A small boy. Maybe twelve. Slicked down blond hair and in expensive dress clothes.
"Henry Creel" Will smiled. "How in the hell do I know that?"
"I'm sorry." The boy said weakly. Tears fell from his face. "I don't think it's going to work this time either."
"What isn't?" Will asked.
El is confused tense and angry. She knows who this is and at the same time does not know him.
"What isn't going to work this time?" Will asked softer and with a gentle expression.
"You can't save me. There's no way." Henry said.
Will watched Henry sit on the ground. The boy attacked his eyes, trying to get his tears to stop.
"Mike was wrong again. We're all wrong again. You can't save me." Henry shuddered.
"Was Mike here before?" El asked suddenly.
"He's always here when we talk like this." Henry sounded defeated.
"Mike." El spoke as if he was right next to her. "I need to bring you in here. You need to see this."
Without any further acknowledgment, Mike simply appeared as if he stepped past a curtain.
"Oh, it's you." Mike said. "Wait, how do I know him?"
Henry started rubbing his arm across his face.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Henry sobbed.
"For what?" Will coaxed.
"You keep trying to help me but it never works. This time won't be different either." Henry sniffled.
"You sent the message to me." Will said offering understanding to the others.
Henry nodded.
"I don't want you to try again. I want you to kill me. Then you can kill the thing that stole my body from me." Henry said looking at his lap.
"What do you mean?" Mike asked with his soft voice reserved for Will.
"The upside down tricked me and manipulated me. This place. It's a consciousness, but it's more than that. It's hungry and it latches on to wounded people. Offers them power and then pushes their minds down and takes over." Henry's words become tired.
Everyone, El, Mike and Will wonder how many times Henry has explained this to them.
"They manipulated my anger and loneliness and slowly I became a prisoner. I deserved it for giving in to my anger, all I wanted to do was try and fix everything."
Henry looked up at El and the rest of them and smiled sadly.
"I can't and you all keep suffering because of me. I want you to kill-"
"Absolutely not." Mike spoke firmly. "No one is killing anyone. Will?"
Will nodded.
"El?"
El nodded.
"So tell us everything. You say we've tried this before?" Mike asked firmly.
"Yes." Henry sniffed.
"How many times?"
"Hundreds? I don't know. I remember it being a lot. Too many." Henry stared off into the distance.
"Well, us knowing him kinda makes sense now." Will added.
Mike nodded.
El stayed silent.
"So start at the beginning. How does this all unfold each time?" Mike crossed his arms.
"He—It I mean, the upside down. It felt you and it reached out and trapped you here Will. When I felt those first people, I wasn't able to find them. You—I noticed because you started to change the upside down into Hawkins. So I did what I could to make sure you could hide. I couldn't stop him. I didn't know what he wanted with you, but I felt I could protect you, so I did."
"How?" Will asked, sitting himself down.
"I blurred his vision so to speak." Henry answered.
"Wait. We're getting way ahead in this story." Mike spoke sharply. "How are you and him no longer together? Like, if he pushed you down and took your body-"
"Sorry. Yes. It was when he created the Mind Flayer. I was able to pull myself out of my own head and put myself in that form. When I did, the power of this place kind of hid me. Meaning he couldn't tell if I was still in his mind or not. This is how I saved your friend Max."
"Saved her?" El asked in shock.
"Yes. I've been trying to steal the minds away from him." Henry looked away. "I haven't been able to save all of them." Henry looked away from them.
"Okay, I'm getting confused again." Mike interrupted.
"Sorry." Henry said softly. "I always forget how to start this conversation."
"First, you say this place manipulated you and took your body." Mike started.
"Then I pushed you into the upside down." El spoke with her confusion and anger clear.
"Yes." nodded Henry.
"You managed to tear yourself away from your body by becoming part of the mindflayer." Mike stated.
"Yes." Henry said barely audible.
"It got out after El broke open the gate again. Capturing me in the process." Will offered.
Once again Henry nodded.
"So you tried to protect Will and steal away People that it stole the minds of and killed." Mike added
"Yes. That's right."
"Okay, now that we have the order of events right. How long has it been in control of your body?" Mike asked.
"Since I was ten maybe? I was still a kid." Henry started to pick at one of his shoes.
"You said I changed the upside down into Hawkins. How did I do that?" Will asked
"That's not really important even if I did understand how. What you actually did was freeze It here in the upside down in 1983. It cannot move forward or back. It is anchored to the point you arrived there. It has been looking for a way out ever since. From here, we've—all of us have been trying to undo my mistake."
"Of getting manipulated." Mike stated, now fitting the pieces together.
"Yes." Henry nodded.
"Wait, if I trapped it in 1983, are you saying that it could time travel before that?" Will asked incredulous.
"It could I think, but a lot of when I was in my body is just gone or really faded."
"Why not just time travel back to before it got trapped by Eleven?" Mike's voice sounded doubtful.
"It can't do it anymore." Henry said.
"Why not?" Will asked softly.
"Because I took that power when I tore away." Henry admitted.
"So that's how we've been doing this over and over and over. You've been resetting the clock each time we fail. Like going back to the night Will was brought there." Mike is fitting the pieces together. "You can't go further back or forward, but you can go back like a save or a continue on a game." Mike explained.
"I don't know what that is." Henry looks up. "But you're wrong. I can go back or forward but because It is my body or, it was, I myself can no longer change events myself. I need help. But—I'm tired of trying to save myself. Watching you each suffer to try and correct my mistake. Denying yourselves any chance at a life. I just—I'm sorry." Henry drops his head again.
"We've skipped another step here." Will said sharply. "My possession."
"Yeah. That was me trying to warn you about what was happening. Giving you a present view of the upside down."
"The Now memories." Mike says aloud.
"But because it made the mindflayer itself it became aware of you far quicker than I'd hoped. Luckily your mom got it out of you while my power stayed in you." Henry explained. "I grafted some of my power onto your brain stem. Mixed with your own powers-"
"My own powers?" Will interrupted.
"Yes. The lab in Hawkins experimented on you, Will."
"What?!" Will snapped. He realized instantly that neither his boyfriend or sister had reacted to this news."You knew?! You both knew?!"
"Yes." Answered El softly.
Mike continued his silence but looked apologetic.
"Why wouldn't either of you tell me?" Will's question was tinged in betrayal.
"I asked Mike not to say anything. I found out after touching your mind once. I checked the lab records and there you were." El Admits
"But why?" Will reiterates.
"Because I kept seeing you level the whole town of Hawkins. I was worried that if you learned about your powers fully, you might lose control and-" El cuts off her words. "It doesn't matter now. It was wrong. I'm sorry."
"When you were calming his psychic feedback you were reaching into my memories." Henry speaks up.
"But you would be seeing the future, right?" Mike asked
"No. Only past events before I went back to 1983." Henry shifted. "All of this doesn't matter. I keep asking for your help, helping you build a new plan and then watching you fail over and over and over. I just—you can't ask me to do it again. I don't even think I can."
"Then what's the harm in taking one more shot at it Henry? If you can't go back and we die, what's the difference?" Mike asked sounding annoyed.
"Because I don't want you to die. I'm fond of all of you. Especially you and Will because you have always offered to help me. Every time I've come back, no matter how events changed or things unfolded, you always tried to help me. I want you to leave me. Leave Hawkins. Let the military fight the best it can."
"You know they can't win, Henry." Will says softly.
"We don't know that!" Henry shouts desperately.
"Yeah. We do." El spoke.
El and Will watched as Mike walked up to Henry just a foot in front of him and sat on his haunches.
"Do you want me to guess why we agreed to help you all those times?" Mike's face held a small smile.
"Please don't-" Henry slammed his eyes shut.
"Because you asked us to." Mike said. "So ask—ask us Henry. It'll be okay, I promise."
Tears spill out from the boys eyes but he doesn't open them.
"I can't. Not again. Even if I wanted-"
"You do want to. So ask us." Mike whispers.
"I-I-I-don't want-" Henry's face twisted as he tried to fight his emotions.
"Ask Henry, it'll be okay." Mike's words are so familiar and so soft and warm. Henry doesn't remember anyone speaking to him like this in his whole life.
"Will you help me?" Henry relents finally opening his eyes.
"Of course." Mike said.
Mike stands up and walks back to El and Will.
"I've offered our help and he's agreed to take it. But, you both have to agree too."
"Didn't you say 'Our help' like just now?" Will complained.
"Yes." Mike said a smirk on his face.
"So we'll be assholes if we say no."
"No—I mean kinda? I guess?" Mike concedes.
"I want to help if we can save Max." El suddenly offers.
"So we help then. What do we do first?" Will asked looking at Mike.
"We ask Henry for information. Then we go back to Dustin, Lucas and the others and plan a strategy. Like we always do." Mike said in his direct leadership tone.
Will finds that so incredibly hot.
In what was roughly less than three minutes real time, Will, El and Mike returned to their quarters. Lucas and Dustin waited patiently for them to return. Mike was keen on expressing this information they'd been given quickly. He was worried he'd forget things.
"So the mindflayer was an attempted ally?" Dustin asked sounding doubtful.
"Yes. But also the mental manifestation of Henry Creel's younger self. About Will's age when he was possessed." Mike spoke while continuing to write notes.
"Why do you suddenly trust him?" Lucas asked firmly.
"Don't know to be honest. El seemed to be the most hesitant to work with him. Ask her."
Lucas looked at El.
"He said we could save Max. Something about saving her mind from the Upside Down version Henry." El replied in a near whisper.
"He said that?" Lucas asked El.
"Yes."
"And you believe him?"
"I want to."
Lucas pulls back contemplating the new information and still doesn't like it at all.
"What choice do we have?" Lucas asked no one specifically. "We'll have to fight this thing anyway and I want to kill it."
"We all do." El said taking Lucas' hand.
"Okay, listen up." Mike snapped his fingers. "Starting here, up top of the board we have three events that are bad that lead to losing this battle:"
1) Will is possessed. This is self explanatory. Will understands this thing.
2) El becomes separated from the group. She's fought this thing enough, she's our ace/weapon.
3) I die.
"Not even sure how that affects things, but apparently it does. So in any plan we devise we have to avoid these outcomes at least until this creature is dead."
Mike talked about plans and Dustin and Lucas offered thoughts. El wasn't listening, instead she had caught Will staring at her with deep concern on his face.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you Mike." Will said without breaking eye contact with El. "El and I need to have a short talk. We'll be back."
"Sure, okay. I'll fill you in when you both get back."
El and Will headed to the bedroom and Will sat down on the edge of the bed. He taps the area next to him and El slowly sits down. The concern in her face giving in to full worry.
"El, whatever you're thinking, you're wrong." Will said weakly almost as if he had to fight to get the words out.
"What do you mean?"
"You're thinking of fighting by yourself. I can guess why but that doesn't matter. You don't need to do that. You shouldn't—Please don't do that okay?"
"But I created this whole mess, I should fix it."
"Not alone. Look, I know I'm not strong like you okay? I know that. I do. Just please don't do this alone. Not anymore. Not like the last three years."
"It was my choice Will." El frowns hearing the pain in her brother's voice.
"I know but if I'd been a better brother I wouldn't have let you do that."
Tears started falling from Will's eyes
"I should have explained. I shouldn't have been so accepting when you got distant and if it makes you go—if you go off and fight-" Will's face is dripping with tears. "If you fight without me, or Mike or the others—fuck, I'll never forgive myself."
"Will I-" El began.
"Please just listen, okay? I love you, you are my big sister and I love you and I don't—I don't want you to suffer like this. I know so well how you feel. If it came down to it and I could pick me suffering or you suffering, I would always always always pick me."
Now El is crying too.
"But you shouldn't this was my fault." El said through a sob.
"No. It wasn't. I have never once blamed you. Even when I was mad. I never have. Never. I want you to trust me now. Okay? We should fight together. Brother and sister. Even if the brother doesn't have a clue what he's even doing. Okay?" Will wipes his tears away.
"You're not that bad." El laughs through another sob. "I just want to protect everyone Will. I just want to keep everyone safe."
The unspoken words from El were of course that she wanted to protect Will. Will who had suffered like her and yet never looked at her and saw powers. He saw a person. He saw Jane Hopper and that meant the world to her. It was beyond her heart's capacity to express without breaking.
"I know you do El, I know. So let's do it. Let's protect everyone together. You and me. Okay?"
"Okay." El smiled hugging her brother and sniffling.
"I love you El." Will whispered.
El tightened the hug and smiled painfully as more tears fell.
"I love you too, Will."
After a long minute and then a moment composing herself, El went to pull back from the hug only to find Will was asleep. At first she was confused. After some thought she realized that Will had been using his abilities and likely was exhausted. Particularly the mind jumping which wasn't easy.
El held Will against her shoulder. Turning him so she could secure him gently. She knew what these powers did to her and couldn't imagine Will's pain. It would be worse for him with no training. Her resolve to be his protector only increased after what he'd said to her. She felt the strangest instinct to rock Will back and forth. So that's what she did.
"It's okay baby brother, big sister has you."
When they were gone for a little too long, Mike came to find them. Before he could say a word, El held up a finger to shush him.
"Is everything okay?" Mike whispered.
"Yes. He was just tired." El returned in the same volume.
"What did you guys talk about?"
El shook her head.
"Can't say, between us."
"Okay. Do you want me to help you put him to bed?"
"He's fine. Using a little power to keep him from crushing me right now. Good practice."
"Are you saying he's fat—oooh I am gonna tell him you said-" Mike frowned seeing El's lack of expression. "Sorry."
"Can you sit down please? I need to talk with you Mike."
"Sure thing. What's going on El?"
"You need to know the truth about everything."
"Okay, what about?" Mike asked raising his brows.
"I spied on both of you." El said flatly.
"Huh?"
"When Will gave you the painting in the Van. I saw."
"Oh."
"I was confused at first because I thought it was for a girl. I realized he liked you. I didn't know if you liked him back at first but by the time we were at the pizza place I was sure you did. When you said 'I love you' I knew that that wasn't for me. I felt so sorry that you felt like you needed to say that to me."
El stopped a took a deep breath. Stroking Will's neck absentmindedly, she continued;
"I didn't know what to do so I tried to push you away at the cabin but you didn't understand. So I just kind of stayed around. When Will locked himself behind that gate, I knew it was my fault. He needed you. When you broke down realizing he'd trapped himself, I knew you needed him too. When you finally broke up with me I realized how much both of you loved me"
"What?" Mike asked in a disbelieving tone.
"I'd only ever known bad people doing bad things to me. Then I watched both of you hurt yourselves because you were afraid of hurting me. I couldn't believe it and to be honest, I did not like it at all. I love you both so much. To see either of you hurt would make me feel very sad. So I plan to protect both of you as much as I can in this fight. Okay?"
"You got it and we both will do the same because we love you too." Mike said almost falling out of his whisper.
After a few hours Will woke up and realized he was laying in bed. He tried to remember what happened but mostly his memory was a blur. Will's mind suddenly filled, as if someone turned on a faucet. He pieced things together groggily as he stood up. He headed to the dining room and prepared to sit down when Mike and El looked up and smiled at him.
"Hey, did you sleep okay?" Mike asked.
Will noticed Mike was looking down at a grid and slips of paper chaotically placed in the grid.
"What's this?" Will yawned rudely. "Sorry."
"It's my battle chart. It has all of our moving parts. People, equipment, people with powers, people with upside down experience. Then there's ones that have necessary tasks." Mike explained while still looking deep in thought about it.
"That's my Mike." Will yawned again. "God I'm sorry."
"I just feel like someone is missing. Someone I'm not thinking of. It's driving me crazy."
"It's driving us both crazy." El admits with a sigh.
"Where did Lucas and Dustin go?" Will asked.
"Back into Hawkins. They needed a few things. They'll be back tonight." Mike smiles at Will.
Will scratches his head while he eyes the grid.
"Michael, where's Max?" Will asked as if her absence should be obvious.
"What? I don't-" Mike Started.
"Max should be up here." Will reiterates.
It was like watching a tired dog after hearing a dinner bell. Will was in a loop about Max being in on this plan. Mike walked up to Will, swung his arms around him and kissed him.
"Sweetheart, you are a genius." Mike smiled.
Will looked annoyed and still tired.
"We should go over and see her at the hospital." Will grumbled.
"Let me get myself together and we can head over before visiting hours are over." Mike said.
"I think just El and I should go for now." Will said harshly.
He hadn't meant to and when Mike looked dejected Will captured his face with a hand on his chin.
"I'm sorry, that was shitty sounding. I just think you should keep working on this stuff for now. This is where you're the most you. You can't really help at the hospital. I don't want you to feel useless or anything. Maybe I'm not saying any of this right. I'm sorry." Will said looking away.
El coughed and both young men turned to her.
"We should go." She said firmly.
"Yeah." Will acknowledged.
"Bye you two." Mike said.
Once Mike heard the front door click shut he turned back to his grid. Selecting a small slip of blank paper he sloppily scribbled Max on it.