Chapter Text
Will didn't asked for this. He just wanted to play his favourite game with his friends. He was just biking all the way from his best friend's house to his house, when on the road he saw... a monster. He didn't do anything for the first few seconds then his fight-or-flight instinct told him to run. He needed to go to his house, where he could be safe from that thing and be safe in the arms of his family. Unfortunately, that's not what he found in his home when he got there. The house was empty, devoid of any lights, only desk lamps lit, and his dog Chester was waiting for him at the back of the shed.
He ruffled the dirty white-haired dog and went to the shed. He needed to get to the shed to fill up his dad's rifle with bullets to protect himself from that thing. He raised the rifle to the door of the shed and pointed at it. He waited for someone or something to open it. Then, he felt a presence behind him. He slowly looked back and there it was. It's shiny skin, hiding within the darkness of the shed, and growling. It opened up its mouth and showed it's sharp rows of teeth, it's head shaped like a flower blooming, with the most horrifying petals. He screamed and then it all went quiet. The only that could be heard is the dog barking, the bulb flickering on and off, and the creaky sound of the bulb.
That was 1 year ago, and now at October 1984, he was possessed by an entity in the Upside Down. He didn't feel like himself, he knew something was wrong with him, inside his body. He couldn't control himself from saying things he didn't meant, leading those people to their deaths. He didn't want to do that, no he wanted to save them from their tragic fate. But he couldn't because he's just 'Will Byers'.
As his father once said, he is just a 'queer', 'fairy', 'faggot', 'weak' boy. It's a miracle he has endured all that much and putting up with it, for that he was already a brave soul. If he could take on his father's abuse, then what could society do? He was already used to the mean words his father always say to him, the bullies at school just repeat it. But it didn't mean it didn't hurt no less. Can he just have 1 normal school year? And now, in his sleep he was taken to the Upside Down, he woke up feeling cold and smelling the stench of decay everywhere. He could see vines layed everywhere on the wall, ceiling, and floor. They were always disgusting, because they are always slimy, and pulsing. He got up from his bed and looked around. Once he realized where he was, he was having panic attacks again. He clutched his heart, hoping to stop it's rapid beating and it feels like it will jump out of his chest of he didn't stop it. He is breathing but shallow, and his vision is getting blurry. There's an unstoppable ringing in his head and he wants to stop it.
Once he regained his composure, he walked out of his room and wandered to their living room. He was seeing flakes floating everywhere, so he covered his nose. It was also the same deep blue background of the Upside Down, mixed with just a speck of darkness. Or it's just the lack of lights here. He walked out his house with his nose covered and once he opened the front door of his home, he realized he was still in his sleeping pajamas.
He laughed because it was ironic. If he were taken to the Upside Down, he would were thick clothes to block out the freezing cold of the Upside Down, but it's still not enough. He also just realized he doesn't mind the cold, actually he welcomes it. He was wearing a loose t-shirt, a hand-me-down from his older brother, Jonathan. And a pair of sleeping pajamas his mom bought him from one of the clothing stores. He went out of his house and walked around, strangely calm.
He should be panicking, his heart racing because he was taken to the one dreadful place he didn't want to be in. Surprisingly, maybe it's because he got accustomed to it, having spent a week in it. He got used to the place so much, he knows where to walk. He began to walk to the woods behind his house, going to his safe house 'Castle Byers'. While he was walking in the woods, his feet didn't step and crunch on the leaves.
Instead, he steps on vines and almost tripped multiple times because of it. He stepped on them multiple times but surprisingly, they didn't attack him. They just lash out at him, but not touching him almost as if saying 'Dont do that again.' Weird. He didn't have any idea where he was going. His destination was to go this safe haven 'Castle Byers'. But he knew wherever he was going. He was going to the direction of the one and only Steve 'The Hair' Harrington's luxurious home.
He walked up the pool and looked at it, the water was surprisingly clean, if not fore the vines at the bottom of the pool. The vines were sprouting at the bottom and it was shaped like the sun but with multiple rays on it. He was looking at it for a while. Then, the vines moved and opened up and out came... a gate? It's orange glow striking a familiarity with the boy. It was the same glow that filled him with hope in his most desperate and dreadful times.
'Wait, wait, wait hold on. Is this a gate?' Will thought. He didn't have any idea how that opened up a gate. 'Wait, that means I can get out of here!' Will though happily. His chest feeling warmth all of a sudden amidst the coldness of the damp, moist and decaying atmosphere. But the problem was the gate was at the bottom of the pool. Can he even go through it? He could, but it'll just be a lot harder. It would be hard swimming to the bottom—eh, fuck it. He needs to get out of this place anyway before he meets one of the Demogorgons.
As he was just about to jump in the pool, he feels heavy all of a sudden. He feels sad. He didn't want to leave this place. 'Wait, what's wrong with me?' Will thought angrily. He couldn't be connected to the Upside Down still. His family got it out of him, even if the process was brutally painful. He was relieved that they got it out of him. He was once finally 'normal' again. So why is he feeling sad about leaving his home? 'Wha—home? This isn't my home, it's the Mind Flayer's! I need to get out of here.' He was no longer connected to it, but just the Upside Down. He finally jumped in the pool and swam to the bottom of it. He swam to the familiar orange glow in the water and once he touched it, his arm finally went to the other side. The Right-side Up. His arm first went through, then followed by his head and his next arm. He then tried to fit his whole body through. And he succeeded, not without getting slime and mucus on him. He was still in water, so he'll clean it off with that. He's still at the bottom of the pool, but he could already see the bright daylight through the water.
He swam up to the top and finally regained his breath. He was finally out of the Upside Down. It actually seemed easy to get out of the Upside Down now. He doesn't understand why. He looked at the bottom of the pool and was surprised because there it is, the familiar dark vines, surrounding a bright glowing gate. He doesn't know how to get rid of it, but what could he do about it?
Without thinking, he swam towards the gate and held out his hand to it, and unexplainably, it slowly closed. After what happened, Will was confused, surprised, and dreadful all at once. Did he have powers? Power to close gates? Maybe also open it? Why did he have powers? Who chose to give him powers? If he has powers, did he have to tell his family and friends? 'No.' He thought. He doesn't want to worry his friends and family, now that they were happy after all that happened to them. They deserved to be happy. Even if it left him unhappy. They deserve it after all, after they saved him and others. He just feels like he doesn't want to burden them anymore or worry them after they finally got the break they needed from dimensional monsters and evil governments. They moved on from what happened, from him, from Will. Will was stuck in the past. Will was stuck in the time that he was in the Upside Down.
The time he was stuck there for a week, he found... clarity within himself. He was weak. His dad was right. If only he could be strong, then maybe he could save himself and others, but no. He's the one that needed saving on multiple times. His friends keeps telling him that 'You need to let it go, man. It's not there anymore, it won't hurt you.' 'Cone on, Will. Stop being a sissy and get on with it. We still have to go to the arcade, remember?' They don't even know what it feels like to be trapped in the Upside Down. They said 'they can only imagine what it feels like.' That's true. They don't know what it feels like. Everyday or every hour, your hope is always loosening the longer time passes. Always hanging on by that one single thread of hope, or desperation. Desperation to be saved from this nightmare.
But now, his nightmare is just feeling alone or being left alone. He missed the time his friends would spent countless hours in the Wheeler's basement, playing Mike's campaign of Dungeons and Dragons. He missed the time they would compete, boast, laugh and play with each other. See, that's the reason why he's stuck in the past. Because he miss those times he felt happy. He finally accepted that they moved on, and that's good for them.
After closing the gate at the bottom of the pool and swimming to the top. He once again regained his breath and took in his surroundings. He was at the back of the Harrington's house. He finally got out of the pool, his clothes dripping wet and walked to the back of the woods. His house is just near the the woods, and the Harrington's house is also near the woods, so his house is just close.
He walked back to the woods, to the path he was oddly familiar with, all the way to his house. He stopped in front of his home and looked at his clothes. He can't go in like this. They could be suspecting him if going anywhere and he'll be forced to stay at home for days on end. He didn't want that, so he wringed his loose t-shirt that clung to his body dry, and shake off the excess water. He also did the same with his pajamas, that clung tightly to his legs. He shakes off water on his head and wiped his face clean. Once he deems he looks not suspicious enough. He went to the front door, opened it, and went inside. He made a beeline straight to his room, because he could already hear Jonathan's bed creaking, meaning he's getting up and making breakfast soon. He didn't want to be seen, so he went to his room quietly.
Once he was back in the safety of his room, he quickly took of his clothes, and put them in a basket besides his table. He opened his drawer and took out a t-shirt and pants and he quickly put them on. He forgot to dry his body, he took his towel and dried first his hair, and then his body. Once he didn't looked like he jumped in a pool, he got out of his room and went to the living room where his older brother is currently making breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice for him and his brother.
He greeted his brother with a good morning, and took a seat the table. His brother greeted him back with a good morning, and took a plate to put the scrambled eggs on. He put the eggs on a plate and took it to the table with toast and filled his glass with orange juice and his brothers glass with orange juice. His brother took a seat infront of him and began to put eggs on his toast.
Will did the same and quickly took a bite, relishing his brothers cooking—or maybe he was just hungry because he took a short swim with an empty stomach. Anyways, he was just glad that this was real, and not fake. He could enjoy this short moment with his brother, because it's the only time they get to spend with each other nowadays, because he spends most of his time with Nancy and doing whatever couples do.
He just hopes nothing bad happens.