Chapter Text
It was a few weeks after the Snowball winter dance. School was on break for two weeks and the party had big plans on what they were going to do during their time off. Mike had the brilliant idea to stay over at Eleven and Hopper's cabin for a few days. They decided it sounded fun so they all agreed to meet at Mike's house on Monday morning, each of them bringing one of the important ingredients for a fun filled week long sleepover. Mike and Lucas were to bring the games, Dustin of course complied to bring the snacks, Will volunteered to bring some of his art supplies, Eleven already had the sleeping bags covered, and Max was exempted from bringing anything considering her living situation.
It was only nine AM on Sunday morning and Will was contemplating calling in sick the next day so he could escape from everyone for a little while. He loved his party. He really did. But sometimes he needed time to think. Time to address everything that was going on.
He was happy that everyone was happy. Lucas had Max, Dustin was still in shock that Nancy danced with him, and Mike, well Mike had Eleven. They were all happy.
Except for Will. He was always the one not having anyone to hold hands with, or show his affection for. Sure, he had that random girl at the Snowball who danced with him, but afterwards the girl apologized and said it was a dare from her friends.
Will refrained from telling his friends because he didn't want them to worry. He never wanted them to worry. He always felt like a burden. He tried to remain silent about his emotions, flashbacks, and nightmares. He didn't want anyone fretting over him. He agreed silently to himself that he was not a little boy anymore, and therefore didn't need to be treated like fragile glass that could break at any second.
After getting lost in the sea of his thoughts the clock read 11:30 am. He sighed quietly and reluctantly got up and started to pack his bags. He packed clothes for only three days hoping that it would be a good enough excuse to go home early. Anything to get out of the same room as Mike and Eleven attached at the hip cuddling non-stop. He then went to his art supply, which was in his closet, and grabbed two hand fulls of paintbrushes and dumped it into another bag. Then he went to his paint drawer and rummaged through looking for his watercolor sets. He frowned when he realized he was running low on most of his colors.
He left everything on his dresser and walked out into the living room where his mother was sitting. She was leaning up against Hopper, resting her feet on the other end of the couch.
"Mom?" He asked hesitantly. She turned her head towards her small son and Hopper quickly followed her eyes. They both smiled sincerely with a twinge of sadness in their eyes. Will hated this. He hated that everyone in town looked down at him. The only person who doesn't do that is Mike. Will wondered if that's the reason why he feels so safe when he's alone with Mike. He quickly pushed the thought down when he noticed that his mom was staring at him.
"Do you need anything baby? What's wrong?" Joyce asked with a sound of worry in her throat. Will walked slowly to the edge of the couch.
"Well I'm going to hang out with the party this week and I need more paint. Can you take me to the store in a few minutes?" He asked in a low voice. He didn't want to be too needy because he knew how hard his mother worked to keep the bills paid.
"I'd love to sweetie, but I've got work in an hour." She paused and thought for a second. "Johnathan can take you!" She beamed. Will nodded and slowly walked to Johnathan's room, feeling the other's eyes glued to his back. When he reached the door he knocked gently three times and waited for a reply.
"Come in" a voice from behind the door called back. He quickly walked in and shut the door behind him.
"Is mom acting weird today?" Will asked looking at what Johnathan was doing. Johnathan was organizing his tapes. "Should I stay or should I go?" was playing softly in the background. That song always calmed Will down, and he laid back onto the soft pillows and let out a loud sigh.
"I think it's because Hopper's here. And they're spending one on one time. Mom hasn't had that since Lonnie, and we both know that that isn't a good example." Johnathan replied in a monotone voice.
"Ah okay." was all Will managed to get out. To Will everyone seemed to be acting weird today. He began to wonder if maybe it was him. He shed off the theory and looked over at his brother. He was hunched down angled towards his boom box.
"Did you need something buddy?" He asked. -That sounded more like him!- Will thought.
"Oh..yeah.. can you drive me to the art store today? I need more paint." He asked knowing his brother wouldn't say no to him.
"Sure buddy." Johnathon said turning and leaning in to his brother playfully. "We can leave in about 10 minutes if you want?" Johnathan belted out happily. Will nodded and smiled a little as he inched off the bed and to the door.
"Thanks" Will said quickly and with that he opened the door and zoomed to his room. Will checked his art supplies again, making a list of all the colors he needed. He scribbled down on the note quickly and then stuffed it in his pocket. He threw on his coat and jammed his feet into his shoes. Will walked out of his room and waited patiently at the front door for his brother.
A few minutes later Johnathan walked out of his room and walked to the couch. He rubbed his mom's arm sincerely. "Don't work too hard tonight mom" was all he said and then he waltzed to the front door smiling gleefully at Will. "Ready buddy?" He asked ruffling Will's hair a little. Will giggled quietly and then fixed his hair. He was a perfectionist when it came to his hair. Will nodded reassuringly and they both walked out to the car and got in.
The drive to downtown was silent with only the sound of Christmas music on the radio playing softly. The song "Christmas is the Time to say I Love You" came on and Johnathan started bobbing his head to the beat.
Will laughed slightly and then asked "who is this by?" trying to speak over the music.
"Billy squier!" Johnathan replied bobbing his head faster.
The lyrics flooded the car. "Christmas is the time to say 'I love you.' And the feeling that will last all through the year." Will smiled at the lyrics. There weren't many Christmas songs about love and Will enjoyed imagining how he would sing it to the one he loves.
Soon they arrive at the store and Johnathan unlocks the door. "You okay to go in by yourself? I'm gonna drive to the store and pick up a few things for the house." He asked. Will nodded and smiled before getting out of the car and waving his brother off. He walked to the entrance where a beautiful Garland wreath hanging. He admired it. He always had a creative side, which only his friends ever saw, and he enjoyed appreciating crafts. He opened the door and it gave a little jungle which prompted the cashier to welcome the new customer.
"Good afternoon! Merry Christmas!" The tall man said from behind the counter. When Will was close enough he thanked him and returned a smile. He searched around quietly observing all the new colors they had gotten since the last time he was in. He picked out each item and crossed out the item from his list. After he'd gotten a full basket full he took it to the counter. The cashier rung him up with a smile on his face the whole time.
"You're total is $22.59" the cashier said. Will pulled out his wallet. He only had $25 but he only ever spent his money on art supplies. He handed the cash over and as soon as he got his receipt and change back he was on his way out. He walked outside but his brother wasn't there yet so he decided to sit down on a bench and wait. A few moments passed until a few boys that Will knew walked by.
Troy and his friends. They noticed Will and trotted over to him with pride. "Little fairy buying some faggot materials?" Troy said as his little posse stood behind him with evil grins on their face. Will was used to the name calling by now and he decided to ignore it. "You not gonna look at me fairy? Too embarrassed? Scared?" Troy mocked while he pushed Will's right arm around. Will stood up. He didn't feel like dealing with any shit today and even though he was half Troy's size he stood with bravery.
"Don't you have any better to do on a Sunday than pick on the town's local zombie boy?" Will asked hoping they would soon leave him alone. Troy frowned and then looked back at his boys an nodded. Next thing Will knew he was thrown to the ground and was being kicked. He didn't know where he was being kicked though because the pain was immense and radiated throughout his whole body. While each of Troy's friends got a side of Will Troy pulled out his Swiss army knife and leaned over Will. He gently stroked it across Byer's face leaving a faint scratch. It bled slightly and Will winched in pain.
Suddenly Troy held the knife to Will's throat. "If you ever talk back to me again it won't be a little scratch. You understand?" Troy asked with authority. Will quickly nodded scared that he might lose his life.
Just then Johnathan pulled up and jumped out of the car to catch Troy but him and his friends ran off in time to get away. Johnathan didn't bother chasing after him and instead he ran to his brother to help him up. Will winched over and over coming to tears.
"Will what happened????" Johnathan asked clearly concerned. Will hobbled to the car and gestured for his brother to follow. He did so and and helped easy Will into the passenger side.
"They just saw me and attacked." Was all Will could cough out. His face was bleeding even more now and he held his sleeve to it to try and stop the bleeding. Johnathan had no idea what to do so he just got in the car and drove home to figure out if mom was home. Sure enough she had already left for work so he cleaned Will's cuts and bruises up himself.
"You're not going tomorrow to El's!" Johnathon warned him. Will didn't want to go but he didn't want to seem like a baby and he knew he would truthfully be bored by himself.
"No! I'm going. I have to. I can't miss it." He fired back. They argued back and forth and then finally agreed that he could go for a few days and when mom came back for work Johnathan would explain what happened and they'd go to Hopper with the whole situation. Will didn't want to get the police involved because they would only make it worse, but Will trusted Hopper so it was okay. Will walked slowly to his room and finished packing his bags. He rolled up his long sleeves halfway to reveal horizontal pinkish marks on his wrists. He knew he needed to stop but will everything that was going on that was how he coped. His excuse was that it was better than pulling his hair out or inflicting pain on others. He really was feeling like shit, and really needed a huge hug and a ruffle of his hair, which always calmed him down when he was anxious or stressed. He couldn't wait to see that special someone tomorrow morning, and that was what was keeping his mind off of the bad thoughts. He soon fell asleep on his bed packing his bags, and later on Johnathan came in and tucked him in.