Chapter Text
Everyone has secrets.
Some are small—guilty pleasures and embarrassing tales, little crushes and whispered confessions.
Others, though, are life-changing. World-altering. Secrets that fracture reality and turn it upside down, the rules of the world shifting like glimmering fish-scales in the moonlight.
Will Byers has that kind of secret. And it all happened, miraculously and magically, by accident.
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"Will, just pick something already!" Max huffs, stomping down the stairs from the raised porch to where Will and Jane are sorting through a pile of brightly-colored friendship bracelets.
"I'm curating the perfect stack," he says, serene and unbothered. Max goes even redder, grumbling under her breath.
"I like the blue and yellow," Jane quips, slipping two bracelets onto his wrist. "Complementary colors!"
"Oh, ho ho. I'm sure the bracelets will complement perfectly with the loss of our jobs!" Max squawks. "Come on!"
She pulls Will away from the pile, and Jane scrambles after them as they hurry through the sand and onto the street, piling into Max's beat-up red Camaro. Will looks ruefully at the abandoned bracelets—if seagulls don't snatch them up in the next few hours, Holly Wheeler and her friends will.
"We aren't gonna get fired just for being late on our first day, Max," Jane says sweetly, sliding into the front seat next to her. Will stretches out in the back, boneless and comfortable against the warm leather seats. "Robin and Steve like us way too much to do that."
"Plus," Will adds, waving his hand in the air, "Steve literally can't find anyone else to work at Benny's."
"Because it's a dump," Max hisses, and presses down hard on the acceleration.
Then they're flying down the street, palm trees and the ocean beyond blurring into a world of green, blue, and yellow. It's the perfect kind of California morning—sunny but not scorching, the sky a perfect mirror of the sea. Will rolls down the window, his hair ruffled by the wind. He wishes Mike had gotten hired at Benny's, too—there's a noticeable emptiness next to him in the car.
He sighs and stares out at the world, sun-soaked and vibrant.
When they pull into the parking lot of Benny's, Max lets out a gasp. "Holy shit!"
When Will had submitted his application weeks ago before the end of the semester, Benny's was a dilapidated smear on the beachside, a haunt for drunks and no-good teens.
But now…
Steve Harrington steps out of the brightly-colored building that looks more tiki bar than sea-weathered shack. He gestures widely, grinning, clad in an obnoxious Hawaiian shirt and sporting his typical Wayfarers.
"We've rebranded! Welcome to Benny's, your beachside destination for cool refreshments!" He says.
Robin Buckley comes stumbling out of the building, holding a drill and grinning. "And wheatgrass shots," she adds. Will grimaces.
"Little Byers, you know the rules! No shirt, no service! And no job!"
Will stares down at himself, suddenly hyperaware that he is, in fact, shirtless. He's gotten so used to bumming around the house with Jane and Max that he's forgotten all professionalism.
There's a clatter of some sort from within Benny's, and a pair of distant, screeching yells.
Then Mike Wheeler pops out of the window, wearing safety goggles, his hair sticking up in thirty different directions.
"Will's here?" He crows, pulling his goggles off and squinting. Will's heart jumps in his chest, a happy little leap at the sight of his best friend.
"What're you doing here?" Will calls, jogging up to him. Mike has gone quiet and still, his face unreadable as he takes in the sight of Will.
"Wh—uh, where's your shirt?" Mike squawks, his voice pitching higher than usual.
Will flushes pink, heart pitter-pattering under Mike's wandering gaze. "Oh. Uh. I forgot. Went swimming at sunrise and then just… forgot I have a job now."
"He's just showing off his muscles," someone scoffs, and Lucas Sinclair leans through the window next to Mike. "Aren't you, Byers?"
"Hi, Lucas. No, I'm not. It would be too much for you to handle if I did," Will replies, scrunching his nose and batting at Lucas as he reaches through the window to ruffle Will's hair. "Why are you two here? Don't you have to… y'know… save drowning kids from riptides?"
"Beach doesn't open 'til ten. Steve said he'd give us free smoothies if we helped him fix this table." Mike explains, pointing to a sad-looking pile of wood that's far beyond saving.
"Right," Will says slowly, dragging his gaze away and back to Mike. He wants to run a hand through his curls and set them right. His hands twitch at his side. "Hey, you—you wanna meet up after work today? We can get ice cream to celebrate our first day," he suggests with a smile.
Mike is already nodding at his words. "Yeah. Around four? I can meet you here."
"Yeah. S'good." Will replies, breaking out into a stupid grin, as if he doesn't see Mike every day and gets to spend a whole summer by his side every afternoon after work. It's a little embarrassing, really, but they're best friends—joined at the hip since kindergarten.
"Thanks for inviting me on your little date, guys," Lucas mutters.
Mike sputters and Will goes red. "It's not—you know what, nevermi—don't you have an actual date with your girlfriend, Lucas?!"
Lucas snickers and shoves Mike in the shoulder, nearly sending him careening through the open window. Will bites back a laugh, trembling a little from Lucas' words. No, it's not a date, but sometimes Will wishes it could be something more than just… well, friends.
Best friends.
"Okay, morons," Steve calls from the front door. "That table is toast. Mike and Lucas, go… I don't know. Practice CPR on each other. Scram. Max, Will, and Jane? You're with me."
He stands, arms akimbo, as the Party splits, scrambling into their little groups. Mike and Lucas ditch the goggles and hop through the window, scurrying down to the beach, and Max and Jane cluster around Will at the entrance to Benny's.
"This is gonna be a record summer for you guys," Steve drawls. "Total magic."
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The record summer in question turns out to be a long morning of training, learning the ins and outs of running Benny's. Will can't decide if it's the best place he's ever seen or the worst. Robin and Steve leaned heavily into that tiki theme, and it borders on too kitschy. But it's the beach—there's no such thing as too many coconuts and palm trees, he supposes.
Jane is already making friends with customers by the time their lunch break hits, and Max has yelled at Steve in a manner that makes her seem like the manager. Will busies himself with learning the fruit delivery schedule, making mental notes of when to show up early to meet the delivery driver. All in all, it's an easy job. He feels a little silly in a yellow Benny's shirt that's two sizes too small and stretched tight over his chest, but it'll have to do for now.
"Ugh, I'm starved. And bored." Max says when they finally break for lunch. Steve, in all his generosity, has given them a little under an hour to eat and return for more training.
"Let's go to that shack by the marina," Jane says. "They've got that veggie burger that Will likes."
"Good idea," Will says, kicking off his sandals and joining the girls as they shuffle through the sand. It's warm on his feet, and he basks in the heat of the high sun as they walk towards the boat dock.
Will searches down the beach for any glimpse of Mike, his pulse quickening at the sight of red lifeguard shorts. But he's nowhere to be found. His chest aches a little—he's not sure why Mike decided to get a job with Lucas instead of him.
He'd always thought that they'd spend this summer together. It was the last time they'd be living next to each other down by the beach, stumbling home far after curfew or sneaking into each other's rooms to watch MTV and read comics. Will didn't like the idea of three months of voluntary separation—Mike could've easily applied to Benny's.
But he didn't. And it hurt.
"You okay?"
Jane's voice rips him from his thoughts, and he gives her a smile, nodding rapidly. "Yeah. Just thinking."
She narrows her eyes, tilting her head until her short hair brushes her shoulder. Then she looks away. She's always been good at reading Will's emotions. They might not be blood-related, but they're twins in every way that counts.
They spend the next few minutes ordering their food, Will's musings forgotten as he tucks into the burger and fries. Max complains about Steve, coming up with an "alternative management" plan that involves locking him in the freezer, and Jane tries to feed her fries to the seagulls.
After they're satisfied, they buy sodas and walk along the marina, sipping at their Cokes and walking down to the boat dock. Will is engrossed by the sight of a school of fishes nibbling at the pillar underneath his feet. He's always loved the ocean—the idea of a whole world down there, hidden from sight and home to bright and colorful creatures. It seems peaceful down there, if not a little mysterious.
"Oh my God," Max squeals. "Holy shit, you guys. Look at this!"
Will spins around, joining Jane where she peers over Max's shoulder.
There's a sleek, blue boat moored in front of them, a name airbrushed onto the side.
Paladin.
"Isn't that Mike's?" Jane asks.
"Yes," Max hisses, turning around to face them. There's a malicious sort of glee in her eyes. "And look. That idiot left his key in the boat." She holds up a hand, dangling the key in front of Will's face.
Jane giggles. "He's so dumb."
"I know. I can't believe you dated him. Man… this could have been way worse. What if, like, a criminal found the boat instead of us?" Max asks innocently, sea-green eyes wide and glassy with mania.
She's asking a silent question with her gaze, and Will's heart drops.
"Max, no," Will groans. "No way."
"Yes way, William. We have what—thirty minutes until we have to be back?"
Jane checks her watch. "Yeah. Hey, that's enough for a spin around the bend and back. We should do it. Revenge for Mike being a terrible boyfriend."
"You broke up over a year ago," Will points out drily. The memory is burned into his brain.
"Not the point. Come on," Max says hastily, lowering herself into the boat while Jane unravels the moorings.
Will sucks on his lower lip, conflicted. On one hand, they've all got experience with boats. What's the worst that could happen?
But on the other… it's Mike's boat. Or, more accurately, Mike's dad's boat. If anything was to happen… there's not a job in this state that would pay him enough to cover the cost of damages. Not to mention the cost of Mike and Will's friendship.
"Time is ticking, Will," Max sings, turning the key in the ignition. The Zodiac sputters to life.
Will looks around hastily, and then groans. Apologize later, he thinks.
And hops in the boat.
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Taking Paladin out for a spin wasn't too bad of an idea, actually.
Max speeds around the curve of the coastline, Jane whooping and laughing as they pick up speed, cresting the waves. The marina becomes a blur in the distance, and Will finally lets himself relax, his grip on the edge of the boat relaxing as he takes in the wide expanse of the ocean. White-capped waves roll in from afar, glittering in the sun, and Will even spots the dorsal fins of a pod of dolphins as they crest the surface before disappearing back into the blue.
"Think we can make it out to Hawk Cove and back in twenty?" Max calls over the wind. It whips her hair into a red cloud of curls, stark against the blue sky.
"Yeah," Will replies, craning his neck. "Just past this outcropping."
The rocks turn craggy and tall down this side of the coast, the sandy beaches tumbling away into hard, dark coastline. It's a good spot for fishing, but not much else. Will has loved this stretch of the land, though, for as long as he can remember. It's peaceful out here, far enough away from the bustle of the beaches and the highways that he can finally hear himself think. He's memorized the colors and the shapes of the cove over the years, painting the landscape over and over again. One painting hangs in Mike's basement.
"Dolphins!" Jane shouts, pointing to where a pod of them have started to swim alongside the boat. Will chuckles, smiling at the sight of his sister's bright grin.
Max speeds up, pushing the boat's limit. "We'll race 'em to the cove!" She shouts, joining Jane in her hollering.
Will watches as Hawk Cove comes into view, the white sands of the hidden beach near-glowing in the high sun. The dolphins peel off to the side, back towards the depths of the sea, and Max slows down, bringing the boat to a stop in the middle of the calm waters.
"They're so cute," Jane gushes, watching as the last of the dolphins swim out beyond the cove. "I wish I could talk to them. I bet they have so much to say about what goes on in the ocean."
"Oh, yeah," Max says. "Like all the uses for those big sea cucumbers,"
"Gross," Jane groans. "You suck."
"On big sea cucumbers," Will adds with a snort.
"I hate both of you. I hope you know that," Max says lightly, pulling her knees to her chest with a little sigh. "So nice out today. Jane—what time is it?"
She hums, looking down at her watch. "We've got about ten minutes to get back," she announces.
"Just ten?" Will asks, panic bleeding into the calm of the cove. "Shit, we gotta go."
Max frowns, her eyebrows furrowing. Her eyes go to the sky, and she taps her chin dramatically. "Hmm. Weren't you the one just saying we wouldn't get fired for being late?"
"That was Jane," Will argues.
"Was not."
"Was too."
"Ugh, twins…"
Max turns the key in the ignition, and the boat sputters like usual, until it doesn't.
Jane and Will exchange a worried glance.
She keys the ignition again, and the engine coughs once, then goes quiet.
"Max," Will begins slowly, "did you check the fuel before we left the marina?"
Max purses her lips, squinting, her face going cherry-red. Jane drops her head into her hands. Will's stomach goes sour, his eyes wide. "Max!" He says shrilly. "That's, like, boat rule number zero!"
"It's fine," she says, her voice suspiciously even as she fishes her cell phone out of her pocket, flipping it open. "We'll just call Mike."
Will's blood pressure spikes, and he lunges for the phone, tipping the boat dangerously to the side. Max bars him from reaching her hand, the phone just out of reach.
"We are not calling Mike!" He says shrilly. "He'll kill us!"
"Also," Jane says, raising a finger, "he is stupid. There's no way he'll know what to do."
Max pushes Will backwards with a surprising amount of strength, and then frowns at her phone. "Doesn't matter anyways. No service."
Jane and Will groan in unison.
"Maybe if we row to the shore?" Max suggests.
"Do you see paddles in here, Maxine?"
"Just a suggestion, Will."
Will worries at his lower lip again until he bites down so hard he draws blood. He looks to the shore—it's no more than a hundred yards. It's not impossible.
"I can swim. I'll just pull you both along, and we'll see if we can get a signal on the shore. And then we call Jonathan, or—or Nancy. But not Mike," he stresses, the mere idea sending his heart rate into overdrive.
"I'll go in with you," Jane says, already pulling off her t-shirt and revealing a purple bikini underneath. "Max, stay here. Let us know if you get a signal," she says, and then she's over the side, diving into the water.
Will's never been more grateful for his sister.
He shucks off the too-small shirt and dives in after her, the shock of the cool water welcome on his quickly-burning skin. The current's not bad here, and he surfaces with a gasp, shaking the salt water from his hair and licking it from his lips.
"Okay," he calls up to Max, "hand me the rope."
She nods, tossing him the length, and Jane picks up the slack. They tread water for a second, and then they're moving, tugging the boat along.
"Thank God it's an inflatable," Jane mutters, gritting her teeth. Will grunts in agreement.
It takes far more than ten minutes to reach the shore, Max complaining and groaning the whole way, but they're finally able to lug the boat up onto the shore, trudging through the hot sand. Max steps out of the boat, collapsing onto the beach with a frustrated sigh.
"Still no service," she grumbles. "We're doomed," she moans.
"We're not doomed, Max. Maybe we need higher ground. Let's go," Will says, offering her his hand and pulling her up from the ground. Jane scampers ahead, reaching down and picking up two rogue hermit crabs and setting them on a path back to the ocean.
They head towards the rocky outcropping that makes up the crescent-shaped cove. There's no vegetation save for a few scrubby bushes and a few palm trees. Will stares up at the rock wall.
"I bet we could climb up to the top," he says, hiking a leg up and pulling himself up.
Max holds her cell phone up to where he stands. "Only thing I'm getting from here is a really good view of your ass," she says. Jane cackles.
"Come on, Max," he pleads, making grabby hands at the phone. With a sigh, she hands it over. He looks down at the two girls. "I'm climbing up here. You can either stay down there, or work on your arm muscles," he says, his patience waning. Sweat beads on his brow and upper lip.
"We're coming, we're coming," Jane tuts, hoisting herself up on the rocks.
Will continues his climb, picking his way up the outcropping and grunting as the incline gets steeper. He hears Max and Jane huffing short breaths behind him, falling into a steady rhythm of scaling the rocks.
He can almost see the crest of the final rock, and he reaches out a hand towards it, stepping forward once more, when suddenly the ground gives out from under him in a tumble of rocks and sand.
With a yelp, Will falls into the sudden sinkhole, free-falling alongside a shower of shell fragments, palm fronds, and rocks. He scrambles for something, anything, to hold onto, and—
He hits cool, still water with a smack.
Sputtering and coughing, he surfaces, light from above illuminating what looks to be a small cavern. He treads water, swimming to the edge of the pool and gripping the rough-hewn stone with shaking fingers.
"Will!" Jane calls. "Oh my God, are you okay?"
Shaking his head rapidly and letting out a sigh, dispelling the shock, he nods. "Yeah. Down here," he shouts, swimming back to the center of the pool and staring up at the hole. Max and Jane peer down at him, black silhouettes against the sun.
"Any signal down there?" Max asks.
"Oh, shit," Will whispers, fumbling for the phone in his pocket underwater. He pulls it out—it's positively fried. Oops.
At least now they can't call Mike.
"My phone!" Max exclaims, reaching out as if her extended hands can save the useless hunk of metal. The movement unseats her, and within seconds she's careening down through the hole and into the water.
She lands in the pool with a splash. Will winces.
"Oh, good grief," she moans.
"That's it," Jane says, "I'm coming in too."
She lowers herself with significantly more grace, dropping down into the pool in a cannonball position and soaking Max and Will anew.
When she breaks the surface, her eyes are starry. "Whoa," she says in a hushed voice. "This place is so cool."
"Cool and useless," Max mutters. "Now how is anyone going to find us?"
Will swims the length of the pool, and then pulls himself up onto the edge. The ground is sandy and coarse, unlike the white, fine sand of the beach. It feels… old here. Like they've stumbled upon something that's been sealed away from the outside world for longer than they've walked the earth.
"I wonder if anyone else knows this is here," he murmurs, running a hand through the sand. Then he stands, exploring the rest of the cavern. It's like a small, dark, circular room—a new secret place. Will wishes he could show Mike.
"I wonder if anyone else knows we're here." Jane deadpans. She sighs, swimming to the edge of the pool and resting her chin on the stone. "Are we gonna be stuck here forever?"
"No, of course not," Will responds, his voice softening. "We've just gotta wait. I'm sure… I'm sure someone will come soon."
"They'll find our skeletons here after a century," Max breathes, "after some beach bum discovers this place and tries to squat here."
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The minutes bleed into hours, and soon the light is quickly fading from the opening above the cavern. Will can't find it in himself to worry too much—because being found means also facing Mike, something he doesn't want to do. Mike's been prickly as of late, and after the whole job fiasco, he wonders if this is Mike's way of silently, slowly distancing himself from Will. He worries that Mike knows there's something deeper than friendship in his eyes when they lock gazes from across the basement, or when their hands brush while they're swimming in the ocean.
He sighs, laying back on the coarse ground. He's thirsty and tired, muscles aching from pulling Paladin onto shore. At least the boat hasn't been lost at sea or damaged. That much he can be grateful for.
As darkness falls, Max suddenly scrambles towards the edge of the pool again. "Guys," she calls, "look at this."
Will props himself up on his elbows, vaguely interested. Jane peers over Max's shoulder, working complicated braids into her curly hair.
The pool is starting to… bubble. A sudden whirlpool of movement, the water babbling and roiling in the dim light.
Tentatively, Max dips her hand into the water, swirling it around. She gasps softly. "It's warm."
"Like a jacuzzi," Jane murmurs. "Let's get in," she says with a giggle.
"Is that really a good—" Will starts, but stops himself because Max and Jane are already sliding back into the pool with satisfied sighs.
Since they don't vanish or melt or turn green in front of him, Will sits up with a grunt and crawls to the edge of the pool, slipping in after them. It is deliciously warm, a balm for his sore muscles. He hums, a pleasant heat spreading through his body as he hangs on to the edge of the pool.
Jane breathes in sharply, looking down into the water.
It's silver and glassy, and at first Will is confused—it was just dark and bubbly. But then the bubbles begin anew, and the pool seems to radiate with an otherworldly, opalite glow. Max stares up at the opening at the top of the cavern.
The full moon's light shines down into the pool, casting everything in purple, blue, and silver.
"Whoa," Will breathes, taken by the beauty of the moment. He isn't even sure he could capture it in paint— it's positively magic.
The three of them are transfixed by the way the moon fills the opening above, staring into its pale depth as its ghostly light shines down into the warm water. The currents in the water grow more frantic, splashing up to their shoulders and collarbones.
And then the moon passes, the bubbles subside, and everything is still.
For a moment, all three are silent. Then Max opens her mouth. "That was…"
"Beautiful,"
"Magical,"
Will and Jane say in unison.
"I was gonna say creepy, but sure," Max says lightly. She shivers. "And now it's cold again!"
"It's not terrible," Will responds, and then he notices the light at the bottom of the pool. "Hey," he says urgently. "Look."
Max gasps. "A way out?"
"Maybe."
He dives down to the bottom of the pool, straining to keep his eyes open. The world is blurry, but Will can see that there's a lavender-blue slice of light pouring in from beyond a short tunnel. Moonlight, he thinks. It's only a few yards away, and the tunnel is wide enough for any one of them to fit through easily.
He swims back up to the surface, gasping for air.
"Okay," he says, coughing once, "here's the plan. There's a tunnel that goes out to the ocean. We each swim through, get back to shore, and then wait for help."
"You're sure it leads to the surface?" Max asks, dubious. She narrows her eyes, looking down at the exit like she's sizing it up.
He nods. "I'll go first. I promise it's safe."
Both Max and Jane nod, their eyes round and frightened. He squeezes his sister's hand briefly, and then draws in a deep breath before diving back down into the cool, clear water. It's not ocean water, exactly. It's more pure than that— it's untouched, its clarity settling somewhere in Will's bones and leaving him feeling a mysterious sense of knowingness.
Knowing what, he's not sure exactly. But as he swims through the tunnel, breast-stroking back up towards the surface, he feels like something has shifted.
Max appears next to him a few minutes later, and then Jane. They cough and spit seawater from their mouths, and then swim back to the shore—the tunnel spit them out just paces from where the Zodiac still sits, abandoned.
Lights dance on the water, and for a moment Will thinks it's more of that hypnotizing moonlight. But then a small vessel rounds the corner, speeding into the cove.
"US Coast Guard," a voice booms from a loudspeaker. "We're here to rescue you!"
Max groans in relief, and Jane waves. The ship's floodlights beam towards them, and Will shields his eyes with his forearm.
"The entire Coast Guard is here?" Will asks, incredulous.
"Must've been Ted Wheeler's doing," Max says wryly. "Pulling out all the stops for his precious boat."
Will barks a laugh at that.
The Coast Guard vessel docks, and a few people come running up to the shore. There's a paramedic, and an older white-haired man who surveys the situation with a look of resigned interest on his face. Next to him is a younger man, with cornsilk hair and piercing blue eyes.
A slow smile spreads across his face when his eyes land on Will. "Alright there?" He asks in an even, slow voice. It makes the back of Will's neck prickle with unease.
"Yeah," Will croaks. "Fine."
"Good to hear," the man responds, gesturing towards the boat. "Climb on in. You too, girls. You too."
They clambor into the boat, watching as the team ties the Zodiac to the ship, and then they disembark from the shore.
"Lost your way in the dark?" The blue-eyed man asks.
Will shakes his head. "No. Just exploring, and ran out of fuel."
He tilts his head and then nods, that same slow smile fixed on his face. It's too placid—too calm. Max seems to notice too, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"On a full moon, of all nights!" The man exclaims. He doesn't raise his voice—there's just more power behind his words. A hint of something darker behind the smooth exterior.
"It can be dangerous, you know," he murmurs, leaning in closer to Will. "Hawk Cove."
Will swallows, and then the man pulls back. He's silent the rest of the way back to the marina, but Will still feels decidedly unsettled.
As the boat docks and Will, Jane, and Max disembark, Will notices a tall, lithe figure standing at the edge of the pier, shoulders squared and arms crossed.
"Oh, no," Jane sighs, already exasperated.
Max turns on her foot to flee, but there's nowhere to go because the ocean is right there. She turns back around, slowly, with an uncomfortable grimace on her face.
Mike stays where he is, appraising the three of them with a holier-than-thou sneer on his face.
"Maxine," he says slowly. "What did you do to my boat?"
Max squeezes her eyes shut, scrunching her nose. She sighs briefly through pursed lips and then opens her eyes. "Um. It wasn't my idea," she lies, and turns from Jane to Will. "Will took it out for a spin," she says quickly.
Will opens his mouth, betrayal stabbing low in his stomach at Max's lie. Oh, he is so getting her back for—
"Oh!" Mike exclaims, his posture loosening and an easy smile spreading across his face. "Will—you know you could have just asked. What'd you need it for? Also, why're you shirtless again?"
Will blinks, his face suddenly boiling. "Uh. You know. Lunchtime… exploration?"
Mike hums to himself, his eyes raking over Will's bare chest in a way that suggests more than friendship. "I'd like to explore. Take me with you next time? And please fill up on fuel—we were all really worried. I—well, I wasn't worried, because you can take care of yourself, but you missed our ice cream date, and—but you know—in the case that you were hurt, or…Whatever."
Will can't breathe. He just stands there, lips slightly parted, as Mike's words dismantle his earlier doubts. He's not mad, he's making plans, he… cares. Mike cares.
"Anyways," Mike chirps, "I'm glad you're safe. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Will."
He turns on his heel and walks away before Will can respond, flip-flops smacking obnoxiously on the wooden deck.
"Bye, Jane. Bye, Max," Max does in a horrible rendition of Mike's voice. "I can't stand that guy. Suddenly grand theft boat is perfectly legal when it's you doing it," Max seethes, throwing her hands up in defeat. "It's not fair you're his favorite."
Will smiles to himself, a private little thing. His favorite.
It has a nice ring to it. Grand theft boat? Not so much.
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Will and Jane managed to make it into the house without waking their parents or Jonathan.
Although Jonathan probably doesn't care anyways—Nancy Wheeler is always in his bedroom, anyways. Will turned his nose up at the thought.
After a hasty shower, Will had collapsed in bed, pulled into a deep sleep.
Now, he wakes to the cool darkness of dawn, his mouth dry and muscles aching.
With a groan, he sits up and rubs his eyes, turning to the alarm clock. 5:30 am blinks back at him, taunting.
There's no chance he's falling back asleep now, his body wired and replaying the moments of yesterday's adventure. The boat, Hawk Cove, the mysterious pool… his skin itches at the thought of the place, and suddenly Will yearns for a morning swim.
It's not an uncommon thing. Sometimes, after sleepovers, he'll drag a sleepy Mike down to the shore with him. The beach this early is a quiet, enchanting thing— peace before the sky explodes with dazzling colors and the sound of the world waking up.
Will throws back his covers and crosses the room to his chest of drawers, rooting around for a fresh pair of trunks.
Then he slips on his sandals, padding quietly through the house. Hop's already awake and in uniform, sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper.
"Morning, kid," he says gruffly. "You're up early."
"Hey Hop," Will chirps. "Gonna go for a swim."
"Watch out for sharks. Or Wheeler," he adds, an undertone of malice in his voice. Will cracks a smile. Hop never really got over how badly Mike treated Jane, and it came out often as snide remarks.
Shaking his head and rolling his eyes at the thought, Will pushes open the door and jogs down the deck stairs into the sand, picking up his pace as he reaches the water's edge.
He stops just before the seafoam tide, the first blue of dawn casting a soft glow on the water. The only sounds are the gentle lap of the waves against the sand and the distant call of the gulls. Will closes his eyes, suddenly feeling more connected to the ocean than he has in years. He breathes in the salt air, letting it settle in his lungs.
And then he sprints into the water, diving into the waves.
The cold water is bracing but refreshing, and he lets himself be pulled to and fro by the current, drifting out just beyond where he can touch.
And then he's feeling something other than the chill of the early morning sea, a strange tingling sensation in his feet and legs. He breaks the surface, taking in a deep breath, and kicks his legs. Will's movements are slow, sluggish even—he feels a jolt of panic in his chest as he flounders in the waves, his legs going limp and useless even as he tries to kick and swim back to the surface.
Will lets out a cry that's swallowed by the waves as he sinks deeper and deeper, lungs burning and brain buzzing with—thoughts? Echoes? The sounds of fins fluttering and dolphins squealing. It's no longer muffled and nebulous under the water. It's like a whole new world.
Then, in a frenzy of bubbles and the whirl of the current, Will feels a sharp tug at his navel that races across his waist and down his legs. He gives one more futile kick, opening his eyes wide and staring down at himself.
Golden, shimmering scales stare back at him.
What the fuck?
He squirms, flopping around in the water like a—oh, my God—like a fish. He's… a fish?
Suddenly, the burning in his chest is replaced with a not-unbearable tightness, like he's just gone underwater. Steadying himself against the current, heart hammering, Will stretches his arms out and swims a single dolphin kick stroke.
He moves fast.
Holy shit, his mind screams. He kicks again, swimming towards the surface, spine and hips popping as his body adjusts to its new, inexplicable form.
His head emerges from the ocean, and he's met with the explosion of orange, pink, and blue that is the sunrise. Scattered clouds are like puffs of cotton candy against the watercolor sky. Will looks down again, peering into the water with squinted eyes. The scales are brilliant and glittering in the morning light, yellow-orange and stunning against the tan of his skin. Everything below his belly button is a long, graceful tail that ends in a wide, powerful fin.
"Holy shit," he gasps, treading water and dragging himself forward with his arms towards the shore. Something instinctual, buried deep in his mind, warns him to search for a secluded spot to beach himself. There's a copse of palm trees just beyond the path that leads back up to his house, and he swims clumsily towards it, still adjusting to the new weight of the tail.
This has to be a dream. Or a hallucination. Will pinches himself hard as he swims, easing into the dolphin kick and letting the fin do most of the work, powering him forwards. The rising tide pushes him the rest of the way, and soon his scales scratch against the sand. He pulls himself forward, scrambling for purchase in the soft sand as he claws his way out of the water.
Then he flops uselessly onto his back, the warm morning sun radiating down on him as he breathes hard.
Will props himself up on his forearms, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of himself.
He's a fucking mermaid.
As his heartbeat calms, he can suddenly hear everything: the click-clack of crab legs as they skitter across the sand. The gulp of a leopard shark in the shallows, swallowing up a meal of tiny minnows. The rustle of seagrass.
Will can hear the ocean. It whispers to him, a hive mind of activity that buzzes in his head. It's like listening into a conch shell and hearing the crash of the distant waves, but instead, it's right in front of him in vivid detail.
He flutters his fin experimentally, running his hands down the smooth, glimmering scales. He's a fish. He's literally a fish.
Will lays there for a moment, the sun drying his damp skin. His tail starts to sting in the heat, and he shifts uncomfortably in the sand, scrunching his nose and frowning. As if the transformation wasn't strange enough, now he just feels… weird.
Will blinks, tilting his head back, groaning against the feeling that's akin to his foot falling asleep—well, when he had feet—and then he feels that same sharp tug from his navel to his toes.
When he tilts his head forward and opens his eyes, he's staring at his bare legs again.
He scrambles up into a sitting position, breathing hard and patting himself down to make sure his legs are real. Thankfully, his swim trunks have returned along with his legs and feet.
He wiggles his toes and then sighs in relief, standing up on shaky legs and turning back towards the sandy path that leads to his house.
He needs to tell someone, and it has to be Jane.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Will bursts through the front door of the house, which is thankfully empty. His mom's car is gone, and Hop's long gone, out on patrol. He breathes a relieved sigh and walks down the hallway, seeing Jane's door ajar. He peeks his head in, surprised to find it empty.
There's a distant splash from beyond the bathroom door further down the hallway. Will turns, and—
"WHAT THE HELL!!!"
Jane's screech goes straight to Will's chest, and he springs into action, rushing down the remaining length of hallway and skidding to a halt outside the door.
"Jane?" Will asks, breathing rapidly. "You okay?"
"Uh—" her voice is strained and panicked. "I… Will, I have no idea what's happening right now."
He nudges the door open just an inch.
"WAIT!" Jane yelps. Will pauses. "I don't—I don't know how to explain this," she mutters.
Will thinks he knows how to explain it. He shoulders the door open the rest of the way, shuffling into the steam-filled bathroom.
"Oh no," he says, taking in the sight in front of him, "not you, too!"
Jane is in the bath, bubbles up to her chin, slumped back and staring with wide eyes at the purple-pink tail that drapes over the edge of the bathtub.
"What do you mean, 'you too?'" She hisses, flopping her tail frantically and sending water droplets flying onto Will's skin.
He holds out his hands, sighing, trying to calm her. "Listen, it happened to me this morning, and—"
Suddenly, he feels the now-familiar tingling sensation in his legs. He looks down, mutters a weak oh no and then collapses to the ground, transformed once more into a mermaid.
"Aw," Jane says lightly, panic seemingly forgotten, "yours is pretty!"
Will rolls onto his back with some difficulty, groaning. "Okay, so just a drop can cause the transformation," he sighs. "It happened to me earlier this morning when I went for a swim."
"I got in the bath and then it felt like my legs were falling asleep. Next thing I know, I'm… well," she gestures to her tail.
"Pretty colors," Will says, and pokes at her scales. Her fin twitches and she scrunches her nose.
"Tickles," she mutters. "So—uh—how do we…"
"Last time I just dried off at the beach. Seems the sun was enough. Maybe you'll just have to drain your bath," he suggests with a shrug. Then he starts to root around in the drawer that's within reach, looking for a hair dryer.
Jane groans, splashing around in the tub and then pulling the drain stop free. She crosses her arms over her chest, huffing an angry sigh. "It was a really nice bath," she grumbles.
Will finally locates the hair dryer, and is untangling the cord when he hears a voice filter in from the bathroom window, which is cracked open.
"Will?"
His blood runs cold.
Jane claps a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.
"Hey, Will, you in the house still? I knocked on the front door but no one answered." Mike's voice grows closer, and Will's pulse drums in his ears.
In a clumsy set of movements, he pulls himself up to the edge of the window, tail flopping uselessly behind him on the ground. The edge of the counter digs into his sensitive scales, and he fights a wince.
Will pops his head out the window. Mike is standing below, a to-go cup of steaming coffee with milk in his hand.
"Hi," Will says, and Mike looks up, a smile spreading across his face.
"Hey," he says, and then, "you still haven't found a shirt?"
Will's cheeks go all rosy. "Shut up, Mike," he mutters. He gestures to the coffee. "That for me?"
Mike nods. "Since we missed ice cream. Had to make it up to you. And—you were up late. Thought you might need it. To, uh, get through the morning."
An overwhelming wave of fondness courses through Will's body, and he smiles—big and toothy—down at Mike.
"Thanks, Mike."
"Yeah. No worries. Uh—" he gestures in the direction of the front door, "can I bring the coffee inside?"
Mike's eyebrows pitch together, asking a silent question, and Will almost says yes. But then he sees Jane shaking her head violently out of the corner of his eye and thinks better of it.
"Um. Do you think you could just… leave it on the porch?" Will asks.
Mike's eyes narrow, and his lips turn down in a displeased frown. "I guess," he mutters. "Wanted to talk to you before work."
Will feels a stabbing ache in his chest. When he can't give Mike what he wants, it's a different kind of pain. Always has been.
"I'll see you after," Will says softly. "S'not a good time right now, Mike," he says pointedly.
Mike nods, sullen, and then forces a sad smile onto his face. "Can we maybe get ice cream later today?"
Will nods, enthusiastic this time. "Yeah. 'Course. Thanks for the coffee, Mike."
A goofy grin returns to Mike's face, and he shuffles over to the side of the house. "Just wanted to make sure you were awake!" He shouts, before placing the coffee cup on the front porch deck.
Will hears another set of footsteps, frantic and stompy.
"Wheeler! Stop moping around like a lost dog," Max snaps. Will breathes a sigh of relief.
"I was just bringing Will some coffee, Max," Mike whines. Then he grumbles something unintelligible.
Max groans. "Just get out of here," she hisses. He hears the front door swing open.
"Hey!" Mike squawks, indignant. "He said it wasn't a good time—"
"For you, loser. Get lost, Mike!"
Will turns to Jane, who cringes. "Harsh," she whispers.
"Ruthless," Will agrees.
There's a clatter of shoes hitting the hardwood floor, an exasperated sigh, and the front door slamming shut. Then hurried footsteps down the hallway, until Max is standing in the bathroom door.
Her face floods with relief almost immediately. "Oh, thank God."
"Hi," Jane and Will chime.
"Hey. So…" Max trails off, and then looks down at her bare feet, having stepped directly into a puddle of water dripping from Jane's tail.
"Oh, shi—"
Will winces as Max falls to the floor, squeezing his eyes shut as she collapses with a thud.
When he opens his eyes, she's stretched out halfway into the hallway on her stomach. She's got a bikini top on that seems to meld with her pale, freckled skin, glittering with emerald green scales.
And then there's the tail, that same brilliant emerald green that contrasts beautifully with her red hair.
"I like that color," Will comments with a smile.
"This is so weird," Jane says, awestruck. "All three of us are seeing this, right?"
Max nods, propping herself up on her elbows. "Yeah. We're all…"
"Mermaids," Will murmurs. "We're mermaids."
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