Chapter Text
The world stops moving. Time seems to have stopped. Will falls to the ground, his knees feeling heavy. He slowly brings his hand up to his nose and wipes it, revealing a trail of blood dripping from it.
He feels a pit form in his stomach, and Joyce limps over, trying to help him to his feet.
"Mom." He says, relief washing over his face. Joyce cups his face tightly, touching his arms - almost reminding herself that he is there.
"Oh, baby. I don’t understand. How did you…?"
Just as he's about to speak, Mike is running towards him, "WILL!" Mike pulls Will into his arms, and lets Will collapse into him.
"Mike" Will smiles, as a tear falls down his cheek. He doesn't care about it. All he cares about is Mike. Alive, Hugging him, Holding him, Loving him.
"Holy Shit! You did it!" Mike says. He pulls away slightly, looking at him in the eye, "Will you saved me. You realize that right?"
Will looks back at Mike, barely able to hold eye contact without feeling dizzy.
"Did I- Are you hurt?" Will asks. He feels like the oxygen has been sucked out of him. His whole body is weak, but he isn't his own concern right now.
"No, just.." Mike trails off. His eyebrows furrow, and he pulls out of the hug.
"Scared." Will answers. "Im sorry, I didn't mean to I just- I couldn't see you get hurt- any of you!" Will says, his voice breaking, barely even audible.
Mike looks back at him for a moment, "No. Not scared. You saved my life. You saved me. Will, you're a Sorcerer. A real-life, honest to God Sorcerer!"
Will puts his head in his hands- slightly embarrassed. The adrenaline pumping through his veins makes his body start to shake slightly. Mike looks down at him, and then furrows his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean by, all of us?"
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Slightly later, Mike, Joyce, and Will, slowly trudge through the tunnels, when they see a beam of a flashlight.
"LUCAS" Will yells, running up to his side.
"Oh, shit." Lucas's sweatshirt is being stained a deep red. He's sprawled on the ground, trying to pull himself up.
"its not that bad, just a scratch." Lucas tries to play it off, but winces as he pulls his shirt up, uncovering the gash. "Im sorry I couldn't protect them. The kids."
Will begins to clean the cut, "You did everything you could, nice swing by the way." He half laughs.
"You saw?"
"He more than just saw." Mike cuts in.
"So, Demos floating, limbs snapping, dying. That was… That was all you?" Lucas can barely think straight, hes still processing the intensity of the situation.
"I mean… Yeah." Will laughs.
Lucas pauses for a minute, processing, thinking, "Holy shit. You know what this means, right? You’re like Will the Wise, but for real!"
"He’s more like a sorcerer than a wizard." Mike cuts in. Lucas sends him a look, looking between the boys.
"okay.. yeah.. I mean, sure. But you get what I'm saying! We got our second El!"
Will freezes, the words stuck on his mind. Second El. It's even more cliche than it sounds.
Will has always felt second to El. Memories flash through him mind.
"Because shes my girlfriend!"
"I feel like my life started that day I found you in the woods."
"I love you. I. love. you."
Will flinches, but gets drawn back to reality by Mikes hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
Will shakes himself, pushing the thoughts down. "Yeah, fine. Sorry." Mike looks up at him, increasingly worried. He doesn't believe him. "Lucas, i'm not a second El, I just- Im harnessing, or stealing Vecnas powers. And I cant do it again. Vecna, he has everything he needs. The kids, his vessels."
"Vessels?" Lucas asks. "Will, what does that mean."
Will purses his lips together. "That’s what he called them. He called them; vessels for reshaping the world."
"Well, I hope that your theory is wrong." Mike says, turning to Lucas. "About November 6th, when everything starts, and when everything ends."
The tunnels grow quiet as they approach the ladder. Mike helps Lucas up, but Joyce pulls Will back for a moment.
"Hey, hey. Come here. I wonder if there’s a way we can jack back into the hive mind and access his powers again. I know you need to be close to the hivemind, but after what happened tonight, none of us thought that was possible either."
Will looks at her, shocked.
"You would really trust me with that?" He grins.
"Listen, I’m just saying, what if this time, you don’t use your powers against his army. You use them against him, against Vecna. Stab him with his own sword. You didn’t fail tonight. What you did, was extraordinary. You said so yourself. Vecna chose you because he underestimated you. I think we all have. I know I did. And that is a mistake I will never, ever make again. But I’m willing to bet everything that he does. And when he does, it’ll be the last mistake that son of a bitch ever makes." Joyce smiles at him, and Will grins back, mutual trust has finally been earned.
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Later at the radio station, Robin and Murray look at Will in awe after being filled in on getting their "second El"
"Holy shit Will, you took out that demo with your mind?" Robin laughs, slightly wincing at the pain that shoots through her head.
"Three, to be exact" Mike interjects. He's smiling, he's proud of Will, and Will can feel the warmth circulating his body.
As the group continues to talk, Will can feel his heart beating through his chest. Everything Robin said, was it happening? The snowballs, the electricity? He looks at mike, who looks back at him. They hold eye contact for a second too long- when the chaos brings him back to reality.
Voices overlapping, planning, its all too much.
"Will- You go with Robin. Get ready to Frankenstein that demo."
Robin leads Will outside. They set up the wires and attach them to a pumpkin. Their practice round.
Will sits across from Robin, when suddenly,
"Hey, so, um, I realize, and I know that I’ve waited just long enough to make this super awkward, but I never thanked you for saving my life, which is, you know, kind of, sort of a big deal. Especially to me."
He lets out a laugh, "You’re welcome. I mean, I should be thanking you for talking to me about Tammy, and your life. It was so… helpful." They share a smile.
"Me? Talking? Helpful? Someone should really tell my mother."
Will lets out a half laugh, "So… after… after this Tammy and this whole tape epiphany, is that when you and Vickie started-"
She almost laughs, putting her face in her palms, "No, no, no. I mean, I never would have had the guts to talk to Vic back then. I was finally cool with myself, but sharing that part of myself with someone else, that was a whole other thing. But eventually, I did it. You know, I told someone." She looks down at the pumpkin, wires sticking out of all sides. "Looks like we’re all set."
She goes down the ladder, getting ready to crank the voltage up. Will is still confused "But… Wait. But… But who did you tell?" He asks, leaning over the edge to look at her.
"Oh. The obvious. Steve."
Will cant believe what he's hearing. Steve? as in steve the hair Harrington? That Steve? the Steve who called his brother a queer? the Steve who is always pissed about babysitting the kids. He's the one she would tell?
Robin cranks the voltage and electricity cracks. Will flinches and jumps back.
"That’s good! But wait, Robin. I mean, I like Steve. I just… I don’t understand. He seems-" Robin cuts him off
"Like a totally bonkers choice?" She laughs
"Well, Yeah."
"Believe me, I know. To be fair, we had just been injected with truth serum by evil Russians, which is kind of like liquid courage on steroids. Really, drugs or not, just saying it out loud to someone and hearing him be cool with it, you know? It’s like this weight lifted. And, you know, if I hadn’t have told Steve, then I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to open up to Vickie about it, and probably wouldn’t be talking to you about it either. You know, you’re only audience member number three. I’m hoping to double my audience by the end of this year, but that’s only if you out-sorcerer the sorcerer, and we don’t all die. HOLY SHIT, GET BACK."
They both jump, the pumpkin now in flames. Robin turns off the electricity.
__________________________________________
Once they maneuver their way to getting the demogorgan up to the radio tower, Will goes down the ladder, sitting on the ground. He is ready.
Mike walks up to him, kneeling down,
"You ready for this?" Will nods, breathing slowly. Mike puts a hand on his shoulder, and Wills heart skips a beat, "If anything happens, you just get out of there. We cant lose you." Mike says, giving a small, lighthearted smile.
Will nods again, trying to ease the energy in his body.
"And if shit really hits the fan, we just crank up the voltage, burn out the particles, unplug him from the hive." Lucas says.
"Mom?" Will says, Joyce looking over to him.
"What is it baby?" She crouches down, "If you aren't ready you-"
"Thank you for trusting me."
Joyce smiles at him, and pulls him into her arms for one last hug; For good luck. Robin turns up the voltage, and the monster on the radio tower gets electricity shot through its body. It seizes, but after a moment, its bones readjust, it winces, twitches, and screams. It is alive.
Wills eyes go full white, and he stops twitching. He sees a garden, and the Creel house in front of him.
"I think im Derek, He's with the others. The other lost children."
"Where is Holly? Do you see her?" Mike pleads.
"No.."
Little kids scream at Derek through his vision.
"Wheres Mr. Whatsit?"
"Spit it out dipshit!"
"He's looking for Holly. Henry." Will sputters.
"Holly would never run away."
"She isn’t like that. You’re lying."
Derek interjects, "I’m not lying. A monster tricked her. It’s disguised as a girl with weird clothes and red hair. She calls herself…"
"Max" Will finishes the thought.
"Max is helping Holly. But Vecna is hunting them."
"I told you, Holly." Henry grins, "Never go into the woods."
"Shit!" Max yells, smashing the window with the fire poker. "Max! he's coming, Max, hurry!"
Max gasps as Henry turns the corner, vines releasing from him. He is no longer Henry. He is Vecna. Holly screams, stuck in place. Vecna reaches his arm out and grabs max by the throat, vines tangling around her and choking her.
"At long last, the fox is caught."
Will moves his hands in synchronized motion, twisting Vecna's body, and breaking his leg. Vecna falls to the floor in defeat, releasing max from his grip.
"It is working." Mike calls to Robin, "Sorcerer." Lucas whispers. They all stand around Will, watching him in awe.
"Max! Are you all right?" Holly shreiks, running up to Max, helping her to her feet.
Will realizes theres more to do. Vecna knows what he has done. He screams, louder than ever, ready to let all if Hawkins hear him.
"MAX! Max! If you… can hear me, you… need… to run! RUN!" He speaks through Vecna, voice distorted and fragile. Max and Holly dont dare to waste a second. They run as fast as they can, leaving Vecna there.
Vecna lifts himself up, slowly transforming back into Henry. he can feel Wills presence. He can feel the lack of control. Everywhere.
"Get out." Henry says. "GET OUT." He's louder, angrier, and Will doesn't just hear it. He feels it. He feels his mind being rejected and controlled. He screams, when suddenly he flies backwards through the air, hitting the ground with a thud.
Mike, Joyce, and Lucas run towards Wills unconscious body. "WILL" Joyce yells. Mike falls to the ground beside him, Joyce on the other side. Mike grabs Wills shoulder, moving his head to his lap. "Hey, Will. Will wake up. Get up Will." He whispers. Wills eyes move around under his eyelids.
"Will, can you hear us?" Joyce yells, cradling his face.
The yells and whispers of everyone echo into the distance.