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Vecna was gone. His mom made sure of that. Their connection was gone. Severed.
Will should’ve felt relieved. Happy that he was gone. Everyone else was—he could see it on their faces, satisfied with the ending. But Will wasn’t. He wasn’t satisfied with the ending at all. All he felt was… empty.
He knew it was wrong, but Will couldn’t stop thinking that maybe he could’ve saved Henry. Wishing that he somehow, magically, said the right words. He had felt Henry hesitate, just for a moment, but it wasn’t enough. If he had just tried harder, then maybe Henry would’ve turned against the Mind Flayer.
But Will knew that even if Henry had defected at the last minute, it wouldn’t have fixed anything. Some endings were too late to be changed.
Will realized that he didn’t just want Henry to help defeat the Mind Flayer. He wanted Henry to live. To have a happy ending like the rest of them.
And Will didn’t know how to feel about this fantasy he kept conjuring up in his mind.
Vecna had hurt him. Hurt his friends and family. Everyone. For years. He had haunted Will for so long. And yet, here he was, wishing Henry were still alive. Wishing there was proof the man hadn’t disappeared completely.
It didn’t make sense. Wanting to save the man that had nearly destroyed him, and the entire world. Wanting there to still be that mental connection he loathed for so long. Something that belonged only between Will and Henry.
He knew he could never say any of this out loud. His friends wouldn’t understand. His family wouldn’t either, no matter how supportive they’ve been. Will himself didn’t understand it.
He only knew that somewhere, in another life, Henry would’ve made a different choice. He’d have broken free before it was too late. And in that world, they would still be connected.
And if Will allowed himself to fantasize about that world, then maybe he could let himself imagine that Henry wouldn’t have minded keeping their connection at all.