Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kates fingers drummed against the wheel, creating a consistent tempo of noise. Soft music played through a speaker, lowered down to the point where you could barely hear it. Will anxiously fiddled with the handle, pulling lightly only to let go seconds later in fear of accidentally opening it. 

He had done that once, when he was younger. Luckily, the car was moving slowly, as they were about to pull into a parking space. Unluckily, he skinned both his knees, and that was enough for him not to do it again.

“So,” Kate began, trying to rid her car of awkwardness. “anything interesting happen recently?” Other then the whole starcourt mall debacle, nothing truly of note has a happened since. Unless you count Wills failing friendships, but he likes to ignore that can of worms. 

“Not really. What about you?” He tried. 

“Nothing other than this job.” And the awkwardness was back. 

Which left Will to his thoughts, something he has desperately trying to avoid for obvious reasons. Faint memories of starcourt, of melted flesh and screaming grazed his thoughts. He tried to push it back, but that only pushed forward the whole friendship thing, which he wasn’t sure was worse. 

He missed his friends. That’s a given, but at the same time it goes much deeper then that. They had been with him through everything, supernatural or not. Now? He doesn’t have them, he hadn’t realized how much he relied on them until they were gone. 

He focused his thoughts on the new, trying not to cry. Apparently, he was going to have to stay at a new house for a month or so, or however long he could until his mom got to worried to let him stay longer. He loved his mom, he truly did, but this distance was refreshing as much as it was daunting. 

His lips were bitten red, nerves and emotions getting the best of him. He looked towards the front of the car, Kates eyes firmly locked on the road ahead with apprehension. It had taken a lot of convincing for his mother -Joyce- to allow him to come along with Kate, but after some bargaining she reluctantly agreed.

Now, Will almost wished she had declined, as contradictory as it was. He took a deep breath, trying to push back the uncomfortable feeling building up in his chest. It didn’t work, of course, but atleast he tried, right? He silently groaned, eyes flickering back towards his window. 

The boredom of the long car ride was starting to ebb at him, and he tried his best to distract himself from dying of boredom. His eyes caught on one of the yellow signs passing by, and an idea popped into his head. 

The trees past by in blurs, leaving him to try and catch them with his eyes. By the time they got to the gate, his vision was blurring significantly, but it had kept him entertained. Kate exited the car, walking over to the gate. After a second of attempting, and failing, to get it open, she called him over for help.

Will quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, but by the time he was reaching for the door she had managed to wrangle it open. She turned to him. “Well,” she smiled, hopping back into the car. 

Will quickly refastened his belt, the house finally coming into view. It was grand, in some old Victorian way. Stark white walls, dirtied by age. Windows circled the home, and Will could only guess that they were in every room. The surrounding grass was even larger, completely dominating the area in a flush of green. Paths lined the ground, going off in various directions. Will didn’t think he would ever be allowed into a house like this. 

Will couldn’t help but gasp softly, Kate seeming just a shocked as he was. “Woah..this can’t be real.” she muttered, eyes sparkling when she pulled up towards the house. Excitement was clear on her face, her hands drumming faster. 

They parked near a patch of grass, Kate quickly emerging from the car, Will following suit. The sky was slightly cloudy, a gray haze following them as they began the trek towards the front door. Will did his best to avoid stepping onto any of it, not wanting to ruin the trimmed grass. 

Soon after reaching it, she knocked on the door, glancing back at Will for a moment. After seconds of no answer, she knocked yet again, to no avail. They shared a look. “Well.. let’s take this time to explore, shall we?” Kate encouraged, her babysitting skills kicking in as she began to guide him around. 

It was clear she had to clue where she was going, judging by her stumbling movements and gaze that flickered between every new corner. Will couldn’t blame her, the place was massive, bigger then any other house he had seen back home. 

Angel statutes and alike donned the outskirts, lining the pavements and walls with architecture. It was admittedly beautiful, albeit a bit creepy. Will twiddled his fingers, following after Kate like a lost duckling.  

A beautiful long stretch of water was ahead of them, green, almost fake looking grass coating the edges of it. It painted a pretty picture. In the back of his mind, Will wished he had brought his paints with him. He turned back to his temporary caretaker. 

Her eyes locked on something, her path changing as she turned directions. Will followed, finally noticing the slightly ajar greenhouse door. She grabbed the door, pushing it aside as they walked in.

Plants littered the room, but Wills eyes were locked on the small fountain in the middle of the room, pink water flowing in. On the sides, cut off doll heads surrounding the pink water. 

“Flora leaves her toys everywhere.” A sudden, old sounding voice began. The sharp sound of snipping filled the room as Will jumped, head snapping towards the perpetrator of the noise. An old looking lady walked around the corner.

“Don’t be suprised if you find a little mermaid in your toilet.” Her voice was decisive, leaving no room for argument - not that there could be one- as she turned towards the two. Her eyes glanced down at Will for a split second before turning back to the babysitter. 

“You must be Kate.” She declared, staring her down. Her eyes trailed downward, staring at him now too. Cold sweat built on the back of his neck. “And you must be William.” 

“Yes, hi.” Kate smothered her grin, forcing it into a small smile. Will swallowed thickly, the woman’s eyes still boring into his skull. If Will was any younger, he might’ve believed she could read his thoughts. 

“Come along.” She turned and briskly made her way into the main house, leaving Will and Kate to hurry after her. Kate spluttered for a second, trying to find her words.

“Are you Mrs. Grose?” She inquired, trying to keep up her fast pace. ‘Mrs. Grose’ led them through the house, taking them down a narrow looking hall and into a large, surprisingly comfortable looking room. 

“I am.” She simply replied. Kate looked around in awe, eying the pillars surrounding the room. Will mimicked her, eyes flittering around the home. And yet, the sense of uneasiness stayed, only deepening the more he got into the house. It dampened his shrinking excitement.

”And it’s just the two of you here?” She asked, speaking the words on Wills mind. He was nervous to meet the other occupants of the home, stuck between wanting someone his age so they could talk, but at the same time wanting someone younger so that they wouldn’t judge him. 

“Cleaners, and the gardeners come in every couple of weeks. But yes, it’s just me and Flora while Miles is away at school.” she paused as she walked, continuing after a second. “and this is where you’ll give Flora her lessons.” She halted. “Have you ever been a live-in governess?” She asked, staring her down just like before.

Taking in her words, Will wondered if Flora was older or younger then him. If he’s to guess by Kates job, presumably younger. He had been forced to accompany her once, awkwardly watching as the young children ran and giggled, one of them attempting to draw him. He smiled fondly at the memory. 

”No, no, not since the eighteen hundreds.” She attempted to lighten the mood, smiling at Mrs. Grose. 

Her face only hardened. “Is that a joke?” She asked with no question, lips pursing. It seemed she was a very… serious woman. 

“No-no not a funny one.” Awkwardly, she tried to take it back. Will winced inwardly, standing stiffly by the door. “This is my first live in job.”

“Ah. Well I hope you know what you’re doing. The children, are very special Kate.” She plucked the dishes off the counter. “They’re throughbreds.”

Will dodged out of the way as she speeds through the door, puttering off.

“Now come on, I have something on the stove.”

She wandered off into the hall, dishes in hand. Will pursed his lips, sending one last look at the room and trying to commit it to his memory. Kate grabbed his arm, gently pulling him out of the room.

The hall was long and winding, branching off into other, longer halls. Will knew how likely it was to get lost, and he stuck to the adults side. They stayed quiet for most of the walk.

“It’s so quiet.” Kate suddenly commented, eyes still attempting to commit the place to memory. She, too, was nervous about getting lost.  

“All the better to hear you when you get lost.” Mrs. Grose replied, walking through a door on the left. 

“Is that a joke?” 

“No.”

They entered into a spacious kitchen, utensils and food items stocked securely into cabinets and drawers. “I made this soup for Floras Father, when he was her age.” 

“Oh, You’ve been with the family for that long? That’s quite a commitment-“ 

”It’s an honor.” Mrs. Grose bit back. “Is what it is.” She continued with the dish, mixing in different ingredients out of pure memory. It was impressive, in all honesty. 

”And may I ask how the parents died?” Kate hesitated, like it was touching a fresh bruise, testing the severity.

”They died in a tragic car accident. Just outside the gate.” Her voice was surprisingly flat. 

”Flora saw the whole thing.” Will felt his heart twinge in sympathy. 

”It’s hard for the children” She finished.

”Growing up without parents is…my father left when I was Floras age.” Kate began, trying to sympathize. 

”Is that right.”

Thick silence fell over the room, Kate withdrawing awkwardly, eyes looking anywhere but the old lady. Wills eyes dropped to the window, watching the still water. 

“I’d love to meet Flora.” She tested. 

“She’s down by the stables,” Mrs. Grose replied, as blank as before. 

”Uh,” she looked at Will for a second, Will giving a subtle shake of the head. “may I?” a slight frown played on her lips. 

Mrs. Grose seemed to catch on. “I’ll show you to your room, William.” She finished up the mixing, putting the mix on the stove. Like always, she left in quick succession, leaving Will to basically chase after her. As she wandered down the Hall, she began pointing out the different rooms.

They got past Floras room, and down one more hall they finally seemed to get to his. She pointed towards the left room “That one is Miles room.” Then she moved toward the right, opening his door with a flourish. “And this one is yours.” 

Will felt his eyes widen in shock as he took in the room. The bed was neatly made, red and white bedsheets and curtains folded neatly, as if it had just been made. The bed was a canopy, the top hanging see through red… things. There were two drawers beside his bed, the end of it having the third. A bathroom was connected to his, and a closet opposite it. A window was open, sunlight shining through. 

“This is all my room?” He asked, turning to look at everything, shocked. 

“Yes, now come along, dinner should be ready soon.”

She led him back towards the kitchen, Will getting a better memory of the path. Once inside, he quickly sit down, trying not to agitate Mrs. Grose. A short nod was sent his way, and she went back to cooking. the room was silent for a moment.

”You’re around Miles age.” She spook suddenly, eyes abruptly looking directly at him. He froze for a second, unable to come up with a good response. Unreasonably, his throat felt uncomfortably dry.

“Really?” Was his only ‘good’ response, the woman turning off the stove. She mixed the liquid around, adding different spices. Her hand was harsh, but it didn’t knock any of it out. 

“Yes. When he comes home from boarding school, I think you should talk to him. He needs friends.” Her voice was as short cut as before. Will dug his hand into his pants, swallowing down his protest. He didn’t really want to see what would happen if he said no.

“Sure.” Her lips twitched, a ghost of a smile. Will had wondered if she even knew how to smile. “Uhm, do you know when he comes back?” 

“A few weeks I’m sure.” Okay. So he had a couple weeks to prepare for this Miles person. He hadn’t ever actively tried to make a friend since kindergarten so this was certainly new to him. 

Max and Jane just kind of.. popped up one day, like a lost shoe that you found. There was no introduction, his friends already did that for him. 

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear the door opening until a small, but loud voice rang out.

”Foods ready!” Flora, he assumes.

Will stared at his spoon, twirling it around. She moved to pour the thick looking soup into his bowl, Will resisting a wince. It would be incredibly rude, especially considering the fact that they gave him a room. 

Hesitantly, he began to scoop it into his mouth. Kate played with hers, spinning her spoon. She turned to Flora. “So, what about, before we start school tomorrow we go get some ice cream!” Her voice was inforced with the cheery teacher voice, looking at Flora curiously. 

The girl bit her cheek, glancing between the two women of the room. Mrs. Grose shook her head. “Flora doesn’t leave the property.” Floras eyes drifted to her bowl, movement slowing. Wills lips twitched downward, but he quickly covered it by following her, staring into his soup. 

He spaced out, ignoring the conversation in turn of focusing on his food, doing his very best not to make a face when he swallowed. It’s a skill he’s pretty damn good at, considering how Joyce is at cooking. As much as he hates to admit it, it was usually Jonathan or even him sometimes cooking.

“-will? Will?” He looks up, meeting Kates concerned eyes. 

“I was saying we should probably get some rest.” She said, gentler then usual. His face flushed, murmuring an apology and standing to bring his dish to the sink. 

Mrs. Grose stands aswell, grabbing his dish. “No, no. I’m the maid.” She brings it over to the sink, putting on gloves and  beginning the washing. Will blinks, startled. After a second, Flora wanders over to him, big eyes staring up.

”What’s your name?” She asked, gently swaying back and forth. He musters up the best smile he can, still shocked. 

“My name is Will, what about you?” 

“Flora!” She grins, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the kitchen. Kate trails behind them, making sure they don’t hurt themselves. She gives him a tour of the house, pointing out different rooms, including the ones he was already shown. 

She ran up to his bed, bouncing on it with a grin. “Do you like it? I made it myself!” She proudly announced, jumping off. Will gave her a genuine grin. 

“I love it!” She giggled a thanks, dragging Kate to her room for a goodnight. Will grinned wider, waving at her as she left. He closed the door once they were far enough away, taking a deep breath. 

The sky was beginning to darken, and Will knew he should try and get some sleep. He tried his best, pushing away the troubling thoughts-to empty his mind. Despite his normal sleeping problems he managed to fall asleep. 

He awakes to the soft sound of creaking. Mind groggy and confused, he gently pushes himself off the bed, eyes fluttering open and drifting toward the slightly ajar door. 

A dark silhouette greets him. 

Chapter Text

Will jumped halfway across the bed, a scream stuck in his throat. It felt as if someone had dunked him into ice cold water, body freezing in panic soon after he moved. The figure froze as-well, stopping in its advancing movement. His hands gripped the sheets, instincts screaming at him to grab something to defend himself.

After a moment of tense silence, Wills urge to scream slowly rebuilding itself up. The figure turned heel and left, entering into the room next to his. Will jumped as soon as he heard the door close, stumbling towards the door and near slamming it shut, only remembering at the last second to slow it down. His hand fumbled on the lock, taking a second before he managed it. 

He forgot to lock his door.

A quiet groan, and he slump against the post of the bed, hand slipping from the knob. Now that he wasn’t in fight or flight, the reasonable thoughts began to flood his mind. He wasn’t sure if the possibility of it just being the maid was worse than the possibility of ghosts. 

If it was just the maid, then now he has to deal with the embarrassment of actually lunging himself across the bed in-front of her when she was just doing her job. If it was ghosts, then that’s a whole new problem. 

His head thumps against the post, slowly climbing back up into his temporary bed. The warmth of the blankets was surprisingly comforting, a drastic change from the coldness of the room. 

Safe to say, he didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

He pushed himself off the bed when light began to shine through the window, yawning tiredly and rubbing his eyes. Despite getting barely any sleep, he felt surprisingly fine. He made his way to the door, undoing the lock and carefully making his way out into the hall.

Only about halfway through, Kate emerged from her room, sending him an exhausted smile and making a vague hand motion for him to follow. School books cluttered her hands. She made her way down the hall, into what Will had considered the living room. The soft sound of voices floated through, one of them unrecognized. When nearing the room, Kate ventured off into the teaching room and went straight to setting up her books.

He entered the room shortly after her, eyes catching on the couch in which two kids sat, side by side. Flora was on the right, giggling and clapping her hands to the older boy on the left. He had messy, curly hair. He was wearing a worn red sweater, along with some messily ripped jeans, probably handmade. 

“The tables in the park!” They sang out in unison, Floras giggling being the only thing interrupting. The boy grinning widely.

Will was struck with how much he looked like Mike. It left him shocked in the  doorway for a second, blinking slowly as his mind slowly convinced him that Mike had not in-fact come to the mansion. Out of his shock, it was rather easy to point out some differences, but it was too similar to truly ignore. 

”Mrs. Katy and her boyfriend, are screaming in the-“ Kate wandered back in, observing the two kids. 

“Flies are in the dead girl, the devils in the park! Mrs. Katy and her boyfriend, are screaming in the dark!” After finishing the song the boy - miles? - launched forward, repeating the last word as he tickled his little sister. 

Flora squealed, giggling and twisting to try and escape his attack. It stopped after a second. Her gaze drifted bouncing from Kate, then back to Will. “Kate! Will! Come meet Miles!” Miles turned aswell, eyes locking on Will. His first thought was wondering why he was home so early, and the second was if he was the silhouette. (Still so embarrassing) 

Quietly, Will sat down on the couch infront of them after a short nod of approval from Mrs. Grose. Kate sat down on his other side, closing him in. It didn’t feel as claustrophobic as you might imagine, as they still had atleast half the couch in between them. 

Miles stared at him for a second, eyes roaming. Flora nudged him. “I’m really sorry for last night, I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry.” Wills face flushed in embarrassment, eyes locking on the coffee table separating them. So it wasn’t a ghost. Still, that doesn’t explain why he’s home so early. 

“It’s- it’s fine. I shouldn’t have gotten scared.” He apologized, hand messing with the end of his sleeve. Miles grinned at him,  seeming to take his words well. He bounced slightly in his seat. 

“Maybe you’re a sleep walker like Flora!” 

“I’m not a sleep walker!”

”How would you know silly you’re asleep the whole time!” Will grinned a little at the siblings banter, remembering times with Jonathan when they were younger. 

“That’s a cool sweater.” Kate mentioned, startling Will out of his mind. 

“Thanks.” Miles said, hands patting his knees. He popped his mouth, eyes darting to and from Kate, unable to meet her eyes.

”You shouldn’t be wearing that.” Flora said, voice low and incriminating. She leaned forward, only leaning back once she was done talking.

”He wanted me to have it” Miles argued, and Will felt the odd feelings beginning to bubble up again. 

”Was it your dads?” Kates asks. Mrs. Grose rounds the corner, pouring tea into her cup and seemingly trying to ignore the conversation. 

“It was Quints.” Miles replies, looking rather uncomfortable. 

”Who’s quint.” Kate questions, confused, seemingly not having seen how nervous he is. 

”He was the riding instructor.” Mrs. Grose interrupted, bringing the now empty teapot back into the kitchen. Faintly, Will heard her begin to run the water to wash the left over leafs out. 

”He managed the estate. He was the best.” Miles said, fondness clear in his voice. 

”Oh and he’s not… here anymore?” Kate carefully asked. 

”He died.” Miles said after a short pause, the awkwardness seeming to get to him too. 

”Oh..” Kate murmured, looking at Will for a split second. He shrugged subtly, helplessly. He had no idea what to do either. 

”Everyone dies Miles.” Flora, surprisingly casually says. 

Abruptly, the sound of a phone ringing fills the room, Flora practically bounces from her seat, jogging over to the phone with a smile. Miles watches her for a second. “So,” he suddenly says, eying will. “Do you ride horses?” He asks, biting his bottom lip. It’s rather cute, actually. Wills face flushes slightly, pushing away that intrusive thought.

”Uhm, no, not yet.” Will murmurs, slightly embarrassed. 

Miles grins, a newfound determination of some kind in his eyes. “I can teach you if you want.. I mean, if you can handle it.” Will looks at him for a second, knowing a challenge when he hears one.

When they were younger, The whole party used to have these all of the time. Whether it be to go up the stairs faster, or to bike the fastest, everything was made into a fun little challenge. Will usually didn’t participate, stuck watching his friends. But, he figured it was time to try, right? If he learnt anything from last year, it was that it was time to finally start trying new things out. But despite his realization, the sickening feeling of change still lingered.

Flora calls Kate over, running back across the room towards her. “It was the headmaster at Miles school, he’d like to speak to the person incharge of us.” Kate pauses mid stand, turning to Mrs. Grose for reassurance. 

”Yes fine.” She says, nodding and taking Kates place on the couch, next to Will. 

”Better go get that.” Miles says, nervousness back by tenfold. His eyes trail her as she walks, head slowly turning. 

Kate picks up the phone, voice low and muffled by distance. Will does his best not to eavesdrop, watching as Flora bounces around the room before coming to a rest beside her brother. 

That seems to snap Miles out of his trance, and he turns back to the other three. Kate finishes the call, face twisted when she re-enters the room. She sits down beside Will again, and now he’s fully boxed in.

“So.. what did fragile old farty want?” Miles starts, hands digging into his knees. 

“He gave me a list of your homework.” Kate lies. It’s easily detectable, even though Will hasn’t been with her for to long, he know a when he sees one.

“Cool.. uh.” Miles stands.

”Where are you going?” Kate asks, still in edge from whatever she talked about with the headmaster.

“To my room.” He says, beginning the trek down the hall. 

“Your plate, aren’t you going to take it to the kitchen?” Kate says, staring at him with an intensity. Wills watched, careful to keep silent incase the conversation shifts to him.

“What, want me to cut the grass too?” Miles jokes, meeting her gaze and staring her down. 

“No, but Mrs. Grose prepared a delicious breakfast for us and it would be the polite thing to do.” Kate insists. 

”That’s her job right.” 

“Miles-“ She sounds shocked, as if she couldn’t fathom a kid acting like this. Of course, Will isn’t used to someone acting like this, but he knows that for some kids, it is normal for them. He shakes his head lightly, trying to convince her to stop. Nothing good would come of it. 

“It’s fine miles, I’ll do it darling. You go on ahead.” Mrs. Grose interrupts, grabbing his dishes and placing it in the sink with the teapot. 

”Cmon Will, Flora.” Kate motions for Will to stay, but his mine flashes to his earlier conversation with the maid, and he is quick to stand aswell, both him and Flora moving to grab their plates. 

“Not your jobs either.” He turns to leave, Flora bounding off. Will sends a guilty look at the back of Mrs. Grose’s head, before making off. Kate begins to speak to Mrs. Grose, but he can’t catch any of it.

”Hey Will,” his head snaps, finding Miles at the end of the hall. “You coming?” He nods, hurrying over. Flora stops a little down the hall aswell, waiting for the two before letting Miles take the lead. 

It’s mostly silent on the way there, Flora staying surprisingly quiet as they wander back to Miles room. His room is surprisingly monotone compared to the rest of the house, gray walls and a messy, unmade bed. One window sits at the end, pointed toward the Great Lake. A drum set sits on the left edge, still the same gray color with black sides. A tank of some sort sits by the door, and Will can only guess that it contains some sort of reptile. A bathroom is across from his bed, door slightly parted.

Miles slump on his bed, Flora jumping onto it and bouncing him slightly. Will stands in the doorway, unsure if he was allowed to come in or not. Miles motions with his hand, still face-planted into the bed. Still hesitant, Will slowly steps in, carefully sitting at the edge of the bed. 

There’s a second of silence before Flora begins to fill it with rambling, about anything and everything all at once. She’s a smart kid, topics all the way from her French studies to what food is her favorite.

Will tries his best to listen, he really does, but at some point his eyes draw to the only other boy in the room. Sometime during her rambling he must have flipped, as now he’s laying back down on the bed. He’s nodding along with her, blinking slowly. His hair is messy, circling his entire face. Wills face feels hot, and he swallows thickly to try and rid himself of the feeling. For a moment, he looks like Mike again.

Miles shifts, making eye contact as Flora slows down her rambling. He smirks, glancing down at his lips for a second. He swallows, eyes darting to the drum set. 

“So- uh… you play drums then?” Will asked, throat tight and face red. Miles sits up revealing that, even sitting, Miles is slightly taller. His eyes drift downward again. He nods, eyes snapping up. 

“Yeah uh… wanna hear it?” He asks, wide eyes staring at him. Will nodded, shuffling slightly to give him space to stand up. He made his way over to the drum set, the back of his hand brushing Wills knee. His flush deepened, coming back from when it had been fading away.

He sits down, and Flora leaves the room, seemingly having the pre-sight to know it’s going to be loud. She closes the door, and Miles begins to play his drums.

The first loud sound startles him slightly, not having expected it to be that loud. However, after a couple plays he manages to deal with the noise, watching as the other boy plays whatever song he is playing. 

Slowly, he begins to bob his head, a smile on his face. Miles plays slightly louder. 

By the time the song is finished, Will is grinning widely. “That was great!” He almost yells, remembering that they’re still at a different house. Miles nods, a smile on his face. 

He turns, looking at his clock.

”I think it’s time for Flora to start her lessons.”

Chapter Text

Miles tosses him the tennis ball, outstretched hands still cupped. He throws it’s back after a second, trying not to miss incase it’ll disturb Floras lesson. He tries to focus on the ball, trying to ignore Kates eyes burning into the back of his head. 

She had been distant ever since he started getting along with Miles. Sure, he was a little odd sometimes but so is he. He’s a good person, even if he has a bit of a staring problem. Besides, he wasn’t particularly eager to find out what Mrs. Grose would have to say about it if he didn’t try. 

They didn’t have much to do whilst Flora was doing her lessons, so after awhile of just sitting on his bed they decided to come to the teaching room. Before miles had found a ball of course, then they started tossing it back and fourth. 

Distracted, he didn’t realize Miles had thrown the ball again, it hitting the wall behind him with a thunk! He stiffened, wincing and hoping it hadn’t done any damage. Miles didn’t seem affected, waiting hands still posed in-front of him. 

Kate began speaking to Flora somewhere beside them, still staring at the duo. He stepped back, grabbing the ball to continue tossing it. “Hey, Miles?” He started, rolling it around in his hands. “Shouldn’t we do this somewhere else? So we aren’t distracting them?” He asked. 

Miles blinked. “Flora won’t get distracted.” He said simply, grabbing the ball from his hands to begin tossing it again. He chose to take his word for it, after all he knew her way better then Will did. 

Will did his best to focus on the game now, catching it with ease now that he wasn’t distracted. He could kind of understand why he wanted to be near Flora, as her new teacher was.. well, new here. He didn’t know if he would want to leave his older brother alone with some random girl.

After a couple more tosses, Kate began to make her way over, Flora gravitating towards the wooden horse. Once she had finally made it over, she gave them a stern look. Will caught the ball, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. 

“Please stop.” She said simply, turning and bringing Flora back to her lesson quickly. Will now felt incredibly embarrassed, handing the ball back to Miles with a newfound shyness. Miles seemed abruptly confused, eyebrows slightly furrowing and lips turning down.

He shuffled, eyes drifting to the floor. “I’m- uh, I’m gonna go lay down.” He murmurs, swallowing and heading back to his room. Miles eyes trail him the entire walk back, at-least until he gets out of sight. Faintly, he hears Miles throw the ball against the wall roughly, leaving it to bounce. He winces softly 

When he finally made it into his room, he threw himself on the bed, groaning into the blankets. He should’ve known that it would’ve annoyed her, she was teaching after all. He frowned into the blanket, twisting and looking toward the ceiling. He just layed there for a second, staring up at the flat ceiling. He had never done well with yelling, or any anger in general.

Even when he was younger, any slight raising of the voice would send him to tears. He's gotten better at getting used to it, but after years of practice it still sends him panicking when someone yells. There’s a faint, tingling sensation in his neck. 

Something crawled on his face. He jolted, hand slapping his cheek. A soft crunch, and when he pulled away a crushed spider lay on his palm, still spasming.  

He gags, rushing to the bathroom to wash his hands. He runs his hand under the warm water, using a bar of soap to scrub away any of the leftover guts. Twisting the tab, only a small drip of water remains in the otherwise silent bathroom. Too silent. He looks into the mirror, pausing for a second. 

A smiling, greasy man stands behind him, broken fingers waving a slow hello.  

He whirls around so fast it gives him whiplash.

The man isn’t there. The room is filled with the soft sound of water drops hitting the porcelain sink. Pressing his back to it, and feeling the water coating the edges sink into his shirt. It’s cold. He takes a raggedy breath, adrenaline still pumping in his veins.
What the fuck. 

He runs, slamming both doors behind him. 

He knocks frantically on the door, trying to keep his breathing in check. It takes a couple seconds, but eventually the door swings open, Miles standing in the doorway. He eyes him up and down, pursing his lips. He must feel some kind of sympathy for his rattled state, as he hesitantly invites him in. Will sits back on his bed, knee jumping up and down even with his attempts to repress the feeling to run. The lack of air is beginning to make him feel faint. 

He keeps trying to take deep breaths, chest stuttering. Miles stares, eyes still confused as he struggles. The feeling in the back of his neck has faded, just a soft buzz now. Miles slowly sits beside him, bed dipping under his weight. He stares at the door, halfway expecting the man to come bursting in at any given moment.

”Want to stay in my room tonight?” It’s an unexpected offer, and Will turns and now he’s the one staring. There’s something unexplainably knowing in his eyes. Will doesn’t think he would’ve been able to go to sleep in his room anyway. 

He nods slowly, forcing his shoulders to relax. More silence, and Will is finally able to breathe properly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wonders if this is a new episode caused by stress. Miles hand sneaks over to his.

“We have some time before we go to sleep.” He states. Will ponders his words, glancing out the window. The sun is barely dipping below the earth, the orange sky casting light into the boys room. Miles pinky touches his upturned palm.

Will studies his face. 

The longer he looks, the more he finds himself staring. He’s undeniably beautiful. He hadn’t thought that that word could describe a boy, bht it’s the only word that he thinks even begins to describe him. The window is shadowing his face in orange, highlighting all the right places. 

Wills face flushes, remembering that this is a boy. He shouldn’t be feeling this way. He really, really shouldn’t. But he can’t find it in himself to glance away, even when Miles finally notices his prolonged staring. 

He had expected him to swat him away, or even start yelling about how it was wrong to look at another boy like this. What he didn’t expect was for him to stare back blatantly.

“It’s Saturday tomorrow, want to learn how to ride horses then?” He asks, shattering the moment. Wills head jerks, face tomato red yet again. Out of the corner of his vision, Miles lip twitches deviously. 

“Uh, sure?” It sounds like more of a question, but Miles just nods.

Not even a couple seconds later, Flora bursts into the room, grinning widely. 

“I have an idea!” She announces

Will isn’t sure this is a good idea. 

Despite his doubts however, the siblings still manage to wrangle him into doing it with a pair of irresistible puppy dog eyes. Miles sneaks the somewhat-creepy-even-though-he’d-never-say-it doll out of Kates room, and they sit by the warming pool until nighttime hits. 

Once the moon begins showing itself over the trees, Miles throws the doll into the water before dragging the two over to hide by a nearby statue. Guilt swirls in Wills chest, knowing how stressed she probably is and- 

The door bursts open, Kate sprinting faster then he’d ever seen her move. Her face is panicked, and she wastes no time in diving into the pool. Water splashes around her entry area, soaking the concretes. Soon after she gets close to the doll she begins… thrashing? Will can’t see well, but he’s pretty sure she’s thrashing. Just as wills about to move closer, she swims up. 

Gasping, she emerges, even more panicked eyes glancing back and forth between the pools edge and into the water, as if she expects it to move. She chokes on air, almost slipping back into the pool. 

Confused and scared, she sits at the edge of the pool, gasping. Flora giggles, stepping around the statue. Miles follows, pulling Will with him. 

He can’t bear to look up. 

“Haha!” Flora laughs, “Pranked!” She continues laughing, and Will feels Miles shoulder shaking with silent laughter beside him. He stays still, as if he’ll disappear. Guilt is basically eating him alive now. 

“What..?” Her voice is thick and confused, scared. 

”Pranked?” Flora says, and you can hear the way her smile seemingly drops.

Kate splutters, her wet palms slapping against the floor when she stands up. 

“Go to your rooms.” She commands, voice rough and slightly angry as-well. Miles grip loosens on his arm, and Will feels his heart sink when they start walking away.

“Will, can I talk to you?” Her voice is pissed. Will dry swallows, finally meeting her eyes. She’s sopping wet, water still dripping from her hair and clothes in droplets.  

He nods slowly. She grabs him, leading him over to a more secluded part of the garden. His heart is pounding, hand sweaty and he’s anxious beyond belief. Why did he agree to this again?

“Will.” She stops them, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Miles isn’t good for you. Neither of them are good for you.” His nose scrunches, but he can’t get anything out before she starts talking again. “You wouldn’t have done this on your own, you’re a good kid, and Miles…” she trails off. 

She shakes her head. “Just avoid them.” She finishes, turning to leave. 

Will stands by the hedge, alone and confused. 
It starts to rain. 

He’s freezing when he gets inside, running his hands up and down his arms in a feeble attempt to buffer warmth into them. He shivers, rushing up the stairs to get to his room. He pauses, halfway down the hall. 

He could’ve sworn he closed his door. 

He hesitated, remembering Miles earlier offer to let him sleep in his room. And the man in the mirror. Yet, he bets the other boy is asleep already, and he doesn’t want to bug him, and how Kate doesn’t want him even near Miles-

He walks over to Miles door, knocking. He opens, looking slightly groggy. It seems to take a moment to process, but soon after he’s slowly moving out of the way. Still slightly damp, Will hesitated to lay down, not wanting to soak his bed in water. He gets a sense of Deja Vu. 

Miles doesn’t seem to care though, tugging Will over, he moves out of the way when Will sits down. He seems slightly more awake now, judging by his no longer drooping eyelids. 

Incredibly hesitant, Will lays down. Miles seems extra fidgety, head bobbing up and down. “Cool uh…” he hesitates.

”You’re not mad, right?” His question barely makes sense, and it takes him a second of processing to fully register.

”No?” He says, voice heavy with a unsaid question. Miles only nods, pacified. His anxious twiddling only increases though. His vision is already dimming, and he hadn’t realized how exhausted he is until now. It seems odd, but today had surprisingly taken the energy out of him. 

Everything is slipping away, and right before he drifts off he swears he can feel lips against his cheek.

He’s running. He’s not sure what from, and he wonders as he bursts from the door, sprinting towards the unrecognizable yellow car. The keys feel heavy in his hand, breath staggering as he almost trips. He passes by the garden, the previously clear water seemingly red in the moonlight.

Wind rushes past his face, goosebumps crawling up his arm. The air is frigid, leaving Will to shiver every movement he makes. 

He makes it into the car, only making it to the gate before escaping again. The gate doesn’t open, leaving him to pry it open with his hands. Tears stream down his face, and the panic is consuming him. He can’t breathe. The gate is jammed, talking more then a little effort to wedge it open. 

A soft cry escapes him when he manages to get it open, and he is quick to jump back in, locking his car door and restarting the engine as quickly as he can. 

He glances in the mirror. 

He was too slow. 

He awakes with a strangled gasp, shooting straight up in the bed. There’s a hand on his arm, tightening slightly. He pries it off, slipping off the bed. He knows he’s being frantic, but he can’t bring himself out of the pure fear of the nightmare. His mind feels foggy, clouding his logic.

The figure - Miles he has to remind himself - pushes himself off the bed, blinking at him blankly. He swallows, heart racing. That’s two episodes in one day. He’s usually never this bad. His mind begins to calm itself, and he surveys his surroundings again.

He pushes himself to his feet, sending Miles an apologetic look. Miles simply pushes his head into the pillow and stares, probably expecting him to get back into bed. He does, after a second. 

Miles grabs his arm again, face burying itself into the pillow. Something still feels terribly wrong. There’s a spider on the bedpost, and Will is quick to quietly kill it, having grabbed a nearby book. The bad feeling eases, and he places the book back on the stand, killing side down. 

Tiredness now envelopes him, just like before. Now that the last of the panic had ebbed away, he was left feeling exhausted. God, he really doesn’t sleep enough, does he? He swallows, staring at Miles sleeping face. He doesn’t understand why he let him sleep in his bed after only a day of knowing him, but he’s grateful.

He falls asleep, and much to his delight he doesn’t have another nightmare. 

Chapter Text

Will wakes up slowly, consciousnesses bleeding into his sleepy mind. He shifts, the first thing mind registers is how comfortable these blankets are. They seems to be weighted, but not so that you wake up sweaty and hot, but just simply warm. He yawns, trying to push himself up.

After a second, he manages to wedge himself out from in between the blankets, limbs heavy. He doesn’t think he’s felt this rested for awhile, and it feels nice. He yawns again, just as the room door opens.

Miles walks in, donning a new sweater. It’s dark, almost black in color. His hair is slightly damp, as he probably took a shower before changing. He wears a soft looking jacket over it, this one completely black. His pants are white, and the outfit is completed by a pair of black riding boots. 

Right, he’s going to ride a horse today.

”Oh, you’re awake.” He states, doing like he always does and staring into his very soul. Will swallows, feeling self conscious as he scoots himself off the bed. 

“Yeah, sorry for sleeping in.” Light bleeds from the closed curtains, darkened by the slightly cloudy sky. It seems to always be cloudy up here, not that he’s complaining. 

He shrugs, “I left you some clothes for when you take a shower.” He turns and walks away, leaving Will alone in his room. Will enters the bathroom, immediately spotting the spare clothes on the counter. Riding clothes. 

His first though is that he doesn’t have any horse riding clothes. His second is that Miles does. His face flushes when he realizes. He seems to be doing that a lot lately. Somehow, he manages to convince himself that it’s just because he doesn’t have any, and hops into the shower. 

He doesn’t take long, only long enough so that he can successfully wash himself off. The water is almost melting his skin off by the end of it, but he just glad that the water isn’t cold. 

The air feels unfairly cold when he steps out, and he hurries to switch clothes. They’re slightly big on him, but not big enough that it’ll cause a problem. He tries to dry his hair to the best of his ability, but it remains damp and wavy. Sighing, he abandons the act before his arms start aching. 

He makes his way down, trying to find either of the only other two kids. His stomach grumbles slightly, but he figures that can wait. It clocks in his mind that they’re probably at the stables, if they have them. 

Problem is he doesn’t know where they are. 

Honestly, he probably should’ve gone down with Kate yesterday. He purses his lips, trying to remember anywhere that looked stable-like. Somewhere by the lake? Yeah, that sounds right. 

He wanders around, until he eventually comes across the pool. Kate sits by one of the statues, vacant eyes staring into the dirtied water. Did the prank cause this?

Silently, he tries to creep away. It works, shockingly. He wanders through the grass for awhile longer, until finally he sees Miles and Flora standing in the middle of a circular patch of dirt, a horse standing on one of the sides. 

He jogs over, not even having to announce his arrival before Miles turns. He nods, tugging on the horses reins. “Want to start now?” He asks as Will walks closer. 

“Sure.” He’s still incredibly hesitant, nervously giving the white horse a look over. Flora leaves, sitting over on a nearby stand to watch. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.” He reassures, seeing his anxiety. Will takes a deep breath and heaves himself onto the horse, gripping onto the reins for dear life. 

Miles seems to think, and that devious looking glint appears in his eyes again. He takes the rein from Will, hoisting himself up onto the horse with much less effort than Will. His legs closed on either side of Wills, hands grabbing Wills from the back so that they could both hold the reins. 

Wills stomach did all kinds of funny things. His heart is beating so fast that he’s betting that Miles can feel it, judging by the way his front is completely pressed against Wills back.

”Snap the reins.” He murmurs, breath ghosting over the back of Wills neck. He represses a shiver, mind working overtime to process the words previously spoken. He does as he’s told, jolting as the horse begins a steady trot around the dirt.

His lips are pressed against Wills neck, eyelashes brushing the bottom of his hair and Will actually feels like he’s going to explode. He adjusts his grip on Wills hands, shifting his fingers into what he can only assume to be an actual grip.

He can feel Miles lip curl up into a little smile. “Press your legs tighter.” He demands, and Will does it without complaint. God, he’s pathetic. Miles hits his leg against the side of the horse, causing the horse to begin running. 

Miles hums, sending vibrations into his very skull. His whole body feels hot, like someone lit him on fire. “Good job.” He congratulates, head slightly slotted onto Wills shoulder.

Will risks a glance backward. Miles eyes are staring forward, watching the horses road attentively. There’s something pleased shining inside them. His hair is ruffled from the wind, and is being blown by the wind as the horse runs them in circles. His jacket has slipped down to his shoulders, but he doesn’t move to fix it. 

Will swallows, looking toward the road again when Miles turns to him. He tugs on the reins again, but this time he doesn’t stop and the horse skids to a halt, neighing. Miles slids off, landing in a slight crouch. 

“You should probably sit down, you’re looking rather faint.” He states, slightly pushing him towards where Flora is sitting. He takes a deep breath to try and right is wobbly legs, and manages to sit down before they give out. Flora slides over. 

“I think he likes you.” She giggles, swinging her legs back and forth. Will blinks. 

“What?” He hoarsely asks.

”Miles, I’ve never seen him do that with anyone else.” She continues, blissfully unaware of the emotions she’s currently tossing Will headfirst into. Before he gets time to process, Kate finally makes her appearance. She eyes the situation, lips pursing with distaste once she sees Will. 

Right. Last night at the hedge. 

He glances away, looking to Flora again. Abruptly, she groans. “I’m bored!” She announces, swinging her legs and looking towards Miles. He nods, somehow having brang the horse back to its stable whilst they were talking. 

“Can we go to the Koi pond?” She asks, eyes lighting up. Miles turns to Kate, whispering something before turning back to Flora.

”Sure!” 

After deciding not to ride the horses over, the group began the long walk across the property to what was apparently Flora’s favorite place. She’s rambling, happily talking Kates ear off. She seems on edge, eying the way Miles and Will walk together.

Miles keeps watching him as they walk, eyes trailing up and down his body. He’s obviously flustered, from the experience earlier to now. The silence is a bit awkward, but nothing unbearable. Will sighs, legs aching slightly. 

He’s still hungry, of course, but he’s pretty sure that turning all of them around just to go get some food is not the best way to go.

”You look good in my clothes.” Wills head snapped over, watching as Miles casually looks him up and down again. His hands feel unnecessary sweaty, and he’s wondering if this is what butterflies feel like. Now he’s pretty certain that Miles isn’t doing this just out of kindness. He’s also pretty sure that he’ll never get used to whatever Miles is doing. 

Finally, the pond comes into view. Trees circle it, leaves orange and red instead of green. The pond is in a perfect circle, and steady you can see multiple fish swimming around inside. Flora drags Kate over faster, little legs running as fast as she can.

Miles begins a slow jog to keep up, Will having to do the same to not be left behind. They stop around the same time Flora does, as she bends down and marvels at all the fish. Will can’t help but stare too, watching them all swim around. 

“How old do you think that fish is?” Miles suddenly asks, pointing towards one that’s closest to them. 

Flora hms, pressing into her brothers side. “It’s twenty five!” He announces, is looking down at the kid. She laughs.

”What if it grows to be like, a hundred?” She asks, staring down with wide awe filled eyes. Will stares into the water, his face rippling and contorting, but never changing. Unexplainably, he feels intense relief.

“Hes got a fish!” Miles abruptly shouts, running. Will jolts, head snapping toward him. The other three follow, and it’s not until they move that Will can see what the fuss is about. A stray crow had eaten out the insides of one of the Koi, the fish withering. Will winces, trying to push back the memory of Starcourt, and how much that wound looks like Billy’s wound. Flora is clinging onto Kate, eyes scared and worried. The back of his neck tingles faintly. 

A spider crawls across the edge of his vision. Miles stomps on the fishs head. Then again. And again, until it no longer twitches when he does it. Wills gasp is stuck in his throat, eyes impossible wide. 

“Miles!” Kade chides, looking just about as shocked as he feels. 

“Nothing deserves to suffer.” He puts it simple.

”That was my favorite fish.” Flora sniffles. 

Only second later, his own eyes widen, as if he too can’t believe what he’s done. 

They decide to go back inside after that. 

No one talks on the walk back, silence almost stifling. The only sounds being the crunching of the leaves. Flora is walking closer to Miles now, and Kate is slowly maneuvering Will closer to her and away from the other two. 

Eventually, she manages to separate them. “Now you see why I told you to avoid him?” Theres a certain pride to her voice, as if she’s proving a point. Will foes agree that what happened was odd, but still, despite that one instance he still seems like a good kid.

He doesn’t respond, keeping his eyes on the grass. “I know, you want to be his friend. But I promised your mother that I would keep you safe if we went.”

He takes a deep breath, and if he was religious he probably would’ve prayed for the house to come closer. He knows that she’s just trying to make sure he’s okay, but he can’t help but feel some resentment. He hates it when his mother is over protective, and now she’s doing the exact same thing? 

His nails dig into his palm, and he still keeps quiet. Kate sighs, realizing that it’s no use to try and talk to him. 

When the house finally comes into view, he’s more than happy to run into it, trying to keep his footsteps light as he runs to his temporary room. Only slight discomfort comes from his earlier episode, and he’s quick to lay down, staring into the ceiling just like before. 

But this time, there’s no spider.

Chapter Text

What shakes him from his sleep - when did he even fall asleep - is the shrill calls of his name. Groaning, he pushes himself up and off the bed. Mrs. Grose finishes her ringing calls for him to come down for dinner. 

After a scuffle with his blankets in which his ankle got stuck, he managed to wedge himself out and make his way to the kitchen. The house was scarily quiet, and Will resists the urge to sprint, instead switching to a speed walk.

After damn near getting lost a total of 20 times, He finally makes it to the kitchen, the rest of the house already seated in their respective chairs. The only empty chair is between Kate and Miles. He almost groans, already feeling like this is going to end horribly. 

Agonizingly slowly, he sits down between them, trying his best to compact himself into a little ball and disappear. Miles and Flora don’t hesitate to dig into their food. The remaining three all awkwardly glance around for a second. Wills slowly picks up his utensils, going at a snails pace compared to the other children. The food is the same sort of soup from earlier. Will hopes he’ll get used to it. 

”So.” Kate starts, swallowing her bite before continuing. “How was ‘Horse riding,’ Will?” Will almost inhales his glass of water, only managing to stop himself a few milliseconds before.

He clears his throat, swallowing down the rest of the water. “Uhm, good?” It’s not like they inherently did anything bad, but judging by the look in Kates eye she’s definitely trying to prove that they did. 

Miles nods, “Yeah, he’s pretty good for his first time.” He replies casually. His bowl is already halfway gone, despite the fact that they have barely even started eating. Flora almost spills her bowl, catching it just in the right second before her soup goes everywhere.

Kate clears her throat, looking between Miles and Will. Her eyes are knowing, and they tinge with distain when they land on Miles. Her fingers drum against her leg, a foil of the car drive. 

Mrs. Grose stares at them, considering and taking in Kates words. She frowns slightly, staring at Miles.

“What?” Miles asks, already having finished his bowl. He wipes his mouth with a spare napkin, crumpling it up and throwing it into the garbage across the room. He grins when it makes it in.

Wills states into his bowl, swirling around his food. He’s barely taken a few bites, but he no longer feels hungry. 

Standing, he apologizes for not eating a lot and brings his dish to the sink, making sure not to spill it before heading out the door. Faintly, he can hear Kate call his name. He ignores it.

Footsteps hurry after him. Before he can react, rough hands spin him around, and now he’s face to face with Miles. “Come to my room?” He asks, not waiting for an answer before he begins to drag Will.

The paintings and walls pass in a muddled flash, Miles damn near sprinting down the hall. Will wonders if he abandoned his dish at the table. They make it to his room eventually. 

Miles closes the door behind him. “Can I kiss you?” He rushes, eyes staring at his lips.

Will splutters. “I-I’ve never kissed anyone before?” He stutters, heart pounding. He seriously want to kiss him? It’s only been like, two days since they met? 

“Me neither.” He replied simply, still staring. Will almost wants to say no, he barely know him, and what if he’s a bad kisser? Worries float in and out of his head, until his mouth eventually opens without him even having to think about it.

”Sure.”

Miles doesn’t hesitate to smash their lips together. His are slightly chapped, and incredibly rough and inexperienced. His hand threads itself into Wills hair, and he tilts Wills head upward. Slowly, Will starts to reciprocate, head angled. He wraps his arms around Miles, squeezing his waist lightly. Miles other hand finds itself on Wills back, curling into his shirt and pulling him even closer.

He feels warm, and it’s slowly encompassing his whole body. He pulls back slightly, Miles chasing it before realizing and pulling back aswell. They stare for a moment.

”Wow.” Miles breathed, eyes wide in shock. Will nodded slowly, taking deep breaths.

This was certainly not what he was expecting when he came along.

Chapter Text

Will lays down. Next to him, Miles has his arm draped across his stomach, staring into the roof. Will is staring at him, mind still refusing to process the events earlier. Miles hand snakes over, holding Will’s. 

”Hey,” Miles suddenly speaks up. Will turns to face him head on. “Did you see it when I made the napkin earlier?”

Will wants to punch him. 

Like any logical person would, he turns to the opposite side of the bed to go to sleep now. He can hear a muffled noise of complaint behind him, but he ignores it in favor of trying to force himself to sleep.

Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work. After a while, he can feel Miles drift off behind him, breathing becoming slower. He shifts, turning around and facing him. 

He kissed him. They kissed eachother. It feels surreal, a kiss, especially with another male? He shivers when he thinks of what Lonnie would say. He pushes the thoughts away. Lonnie isn’t here. He doesn’t know. But how would his friends react? Would they care? Would Mike care? By now, he has already separated the two in his mind, but it still lingers. 

On another thought, did Miles really want to kiss him? Was it out of pity? Why did it happen so quick? He knows he isn’t gonna get answers, but his mind is still buzzing with questions. Faintly, he wonders if it was so quick because he was alone as a kid, but he is quick to brush that off. It seems rude. 

He yawns, almost cracking his jaw in the process. Miles looks… peaceful. His features have smoothed up, and Will almost wants to run his fingers over his cheekbones, tracing his face. He would be a good person to draw. He smiles, shifting again.

What are they now? Boyfriends? Friends who kiss each other occasionally?

And… what was Kate trying to do earlier? They hadn’t done anything, what was she trying to prove? It’s been on his mind ever since dinner, but no matter how much he digs he can’t find a suitable answer. He resolves ask her tomorrow morning.

It’s a little complicated now, but he’s almost sure that it’ll get sorted out.

There’s a pinching sensation on his cheek, and he slaps it with his hand not being held. It comes away with spider guts. He groans, shivering when the many legs twitch, fighting against death. Why the hell are there so many spiders here? Surely it’s unnatural?

He doesn’t want to move, but he gets up anyway, being careful not to touch Miles with his dirtied hand and heading to Miles bathroom.

He shuts the door, turning on the light and washing it off. He stiffens at the memory of a similar occasion, and is quick to hurry out of the bathroom once the spider is washed off.

Shutting the door and turning off the light, he forcefully relaxed his shoulders. He’s not surprised that nothing happened, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There’s a sharp bang outside the room, coming from down the hall. He stiffens. Eyes glued to the door as if that’ll give him the answers.

A couple seconds of thick silence, before sudden voices overpower his thoughts. “No, no-“ she’s cut off. Will stiffens again. Should he intervene? If he’s learned anything from horror movies, it’s that you shouldn’t… but he’s been through some stuff, so it surely couldn’t hurt to see what’s going on? Because he has expert? Besides, who knows, maybe someone needs help. 

He carefully creeps out of the room, keeping his footsteps light. Walking down the hall, he surveys the different rooms to check if sometimes is off. He finds the odd room by the slightly opened door, letting moonlight bleed in. The talking has stopped, but still, he decides to check it out. 

Pushing the door open, he looks around the room. There’s a singular bed, sitting underneath a window. That’s… basically it. The room is desolate. The walls are rough and scratched, patches of wallpaper missing. Almost as if it had been torn apart. The window above the room starts banging, starting Will out of his mind. 

Carefully, he makes his way into the room, shutting the window firmly. The back of his neck starts tingling, and just as he realizes the door slams shut behind him. He jolts, jumping off the bed and grabbing the knob to try and yank it open. The door is stuck, not even budging when Will tries to push instead of pull. 

A spider crawls across the door, and like a predator it slowly starts to make its way over to Will. The tingling has shifting to a burning sensation, as if someone stabbed him with a hot poker again. He gasps, fear gripping his heart as he tugs at the door. 

His hands are trembling, and when the spider gets to close he makes the decision to jump back, not wanting another one of them close to him. 

Unluckily, he bumps into something behind him. Something taller than him. 

He circles around, coming face to face with a sickeningly familiar one. The man in the mirror. He grins, all crooked teeth. Then he lunges, hands grasping and wrapping around Wills throat. 

He gasps, the man bashing his back into a wall. Air knocked out of him, he tries to choke in more air to no avail. His hands claw weakly, trying to get the ones around his throat off. His head is pounding, his heart slowing its rabid pumps. 

He probably shouldn’t have checked out the noise. Was this a trap? 

Is this what dying feels like? It’s a random thought, but it sends Will spiraling. He may be being dramatic, but forgive him he’s scared. Has he said bye to his mother? That he loves her? And el, his sweet sister who didn’t deserve any of the pain she has endured.

And his brother. Has he ever thanked him? All he’s done to help Will, but he’s never recognized it? There’s blood on his teeth, in his mouth. 

His vision is fading, but he still tries to get away. Is this how El felt, while Billy had her? Is one of his last coherent thoughts, darkness clouding his vision. Faintly, he hears the sound of someone calling his name right before everything fades away.

There’s warmth on the back of his head, around his torso. His throat aches, a harsh contrast to the warmth. Subconsciously, he tries to inhale, only to be met with a blinding pain. He stops after a second. 

Curly hair brushes his cheek, hands on his head shifting to cup his cheeks. The pinky brushes over a sore spot on his neck, and Will whines quietly. “Come on, get up-“ Miles, he recognizes. His eyes flutter, lungs burning as he meets Miles eyes. 

They’re wide with fear, face paler than a vampires. He pushes himself up, mind registering the position they’re in. Miles legs are on either side of him, closing in on his torso. He’s leaning forward towards his face.

He clears his throat, wincing when a bolt of pain shoots through. 

Then he remembers. He snaps his head around, as if he’ll still be there. He isn’t, of course, but Will doesn’t feel any comfort. That means he’s somewhere else in the house. His head swims at the sudden movement, and he is only saved from falling over by Miles. 

His mouth tastes, and after a swipe of his tongue across his teeth he realizes its blood. It gives him proof, that what happened was real. He wishes it wasn’t.

Miles shifts, looping one of Wills arms over his shoulder and pulling him to his feet. “We’re going back to my room.” He says simply, dragging him.

The walk down the hall seems much more ominous now, and Will tries to eye every corner as they move out of fear of seeing him again. Miles places him down on his bed, closing the door before sitting next to him. “I thought you were dead.” He begins. Staring at him. Will swallows.

”When I came in, you were just… laying on the floor.” He talks slowly, hand inching up. It rests on his throat, hand pressing lightly onto the new bruise. His breath hitches in pain. Miles stops pressing, but he holds his hand there.

”It looks like you had been strangled.” He states, slowly shaking his head. His hand slid to the back of Wills neck, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It pulls him closer,  pressing Wills head into his shoulder. Miles rests his cheek on top. 

“You’re not leaving my room tonight.” He says in a low murmer. Will adjusts, curling up slightly towards him. Miles other hand wraps around his waist, a kiss pressed into the crown of his head. He wasn’t planning to leave, not again. 

Chapter Text

Breakfast that morning was awkward, as every time before, even including dinner. Everyone else eyeing the bruise that wrapped around Wills neck like whatever- or whoever- did it was going to pop out and get them too. Honestly, Will wouldn’t be shocked if he did. 

Kate however, seemed to come to her own conclusion on who caused Will the injury, looking like she was attempting to explode Miles with her mind. Based on past experiences, Will was worried it would actually work.

”So, you weren’t in your room last night.” Kate addresses Will accusingly, putting down her spoon and letting it slip slightly into the cereal. Will shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

“Yeah we slept together.” Miles says with the straightest face you can imagine, seemingly not noticing the way Will sends him a semi-panicked look. Mrs.Grose looks like she want to explode, eyes uncomfortable, but she stays silent. 

Surprisingly, she didn’t comment on the yellowing bruise, only sparing him a second-to-long glance before bringing him his bowl. Kate however, was a different story. The moment he had lifted his neck and revealed it, she seemed to zone in. Not on the bruise, but on Miles, as if he was the one who did is. 

She had asked him, absentmindedly, if he had iced it, and Will doesn’t think that would work but he said yes anyway. 

Flora had asked where it came from, eyes wide. He just shook his head gently and softly tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. 

Miles had taken a look at it in the morning, face almost blank if it wasn’t for the look in his eyes. Recognition. He tilted Wills head up, cold fingers pressing against his throat, a mirror of last night. He confessed that he hadn’t gotten a good look at it earlier, as it was too dark. So Will excepted the words easily, letting Miles look him over again.

It felt… different. it was a sharp contrast to the feeling he got whilst his friends fussed over him. When they did it, he got unnecessarily mad, feeling as if he was being babied and snapping. When Miles did it however, it felt warm despite his naturally frigid fingers. Will hated the cold, for a multitude of reasons. But he truly didn’t mind how cold Miles were, especially because they always snapped him back to reality. 

Like now, where his pointer finger is pressing against Wills wrist. Will blinks, hand twitching. Miles is still eating, not even looking in Wills direction. Kate sighs, deciding not to pry for the moment. She seems to have ignored Miles last comment.

”So, why were you in his room?” She asks. For a second, Will is confused. Didn’t she see them going together earlier? Miles answers anyway.

“I wanted some… alone time with him.” Will flushes again. There’s no way he keeps doing this on accident. Everyone is staring at him.

”What?” Kate just purses her lips.

Turning to Flora, who’s stayed quiet the whole time, she asks. “Since it’s Saturday why don’t we get some ice-cream?” She asks. Will has wondered why they arrived at the house on a Wednesday instead of a Monday, but he chooses to ignore it. 

Flora slowly shakes her head, turning to Miles. He seems to think for a moment m, glancing over at Will, then Kate, then Mrs. Grose. Then he finally glances back. 

“I think we should! I think you’ll like ice-cream.” He says. All of them look at him, rather shocked. Usually, he goes along with whatever his sisters says for her own comfort. It’s rather sweet, actually. 

Flora seems more convinced, but still not completely. She glances off to the side, eyes fluttering to Wills bruise before snapping back to Miles. Sensing her hesitation, he seemed to think for a moment. 

“I’ll be with you the whole time, and if you ever get uncomfortable we can stop.” He promises, looking over the table at the girl. She seems to think again. 

“Alright..”

Will wasn’t afraid to admit that he was excited to get off the property. 

Yeah, it was big and cool, but sometimes it just begins to feel.. stuffy. The car was bumpy, Flora sliding slightly despite the seatbelt wrapped around her. Miles sat in the front, staring out the window, towards the closed gate. 

The dream flashed in his mind, and he shivered slightly. Flora was anxiously twiddling Wills fingers, and he tried his best to keep them limp. He understood the discomfort of going out of your comfort zone. 

They were approaching the gate, and a bad feeling began to build in Wills stomach. Floras hand tightened around his, her darting eyes getting rapid. “I want to go back.” She spoke quietly. 

Miles looked back, lips slightly parted. Flora trembles, and Will softly linked his hands with her, trying to provide a comfort. She shuffled closer, away from Kate’s seat. Miles turned to Kate. 

“Stop the car.”

She looked at them, and turned back to the road. Flora sniffles, eyes panicked.

”I’ll die if we leave!” Well that escalated. Wills head snaps back, panic replacing the sick feeling. Flora is crying now, pressing tightly into Wills side. Miles seems angry, voice rougher when he spoke.

”Stop the car.”

”Miles make her stop!” She wails. 

“Kate!” Will yells, shocked. Why isn’t she stopping? She pressing on the gas. Miles glares, eyes furious. 

“Only a little farther.” She whispers, knuckles white and face pale.

Will whispers soft, useless comforts. “I don’t wanna die!” She screams, the sound echoing within the car. A spider crawls across the handle of the escape door. That seems to be the snapping point for Miles.

”Stop the car or I’ll fucking kill you.”

She jams on the breaks, car jolting to a stop. Flora lunges herself across the car, pushing her door open. Will is quick to follow, not wanting to let the frantic little girl out of his sight. They both slip out of the car, Flora getting a head-start and running into the woods. Will scrambles after her. 

He can hear Miles and Flora conversing, but it becomes muffled when he enters the thick woods. He almost loses sight of the girl, but just before he does Miles is by his side and running past him to his sister. 

They both disappear, and Will feels slight comfort over the fact that Flora won’t be lost. However, he didn’t find comfort in the fact that he didn’t know where he was. He had done a few turns, and he couldn’t remember his way back. 

He stumbled, foot catching on a root. A feeling of panic rebuilt back in him, mind unfairly pushing forward the memory of a red sky, and dark, vine covered trees. He gagged, head swimming as his mind rapidly flashes from the upside down to the forest.

He gasped, stumbling back. He tripped over the previous root, his arm smashing into the ground with a soft crack! He grits his teeth, pain flashing through his entire arm as he twists to try and push himself up. Pain flashes the moment he does, and he collapses back onto the ground. It went bad so fast, he humors himself, tears prickling in his eyes.

He cries out softly. 

After a few seconds, he managed to get himself to stand up. His legs were jelly underneath him, and he leaned against a tree for support. He sits down against it, head swimming. He doesn't process the fact that he just ruined his progress in standing up 

The pain muddled his senses, and he felt his eyelids slipping. Distantly, he knew he shouldn’t fall asleep whilst running. Distantly, he knew it would take awhile to find him. He failed to keep his eyes open, light flicking to black in a second.

Chapter Text

Will slowly blinked himself awake. Burning pain was enveloping his arm. His back and neck ached, overshadowed by the agony in his arm. He groaned, pushing himself up with his only free hand. 

He wobbled when he stood, using the tree behind his back to steady himself. He could barely walk when he finally pushed himself up. 

The sky was a dark black, stars barely visible from the gaps between the trees. It was almost pitch black, Will barely being able to see past his own two feet. He pushes past his fear, ignoring how his mind automatically seems to correct the dark sky to a dark blue one.

Shivering, he makes his way through the forest, doing his best to try and remember where the others ran off to. Had they made it out safely? He hopes so.

His teeth chatter, and he hopes he won’t get lost. But, judging by the way he can’t even remember the way.. well. He blew out a slightly frustrated breath, stumbling again. He decided to try and ignore the pain in his arm, it didn’t really work, especially since every-time. he looked down the pain sparked again. 

The faint moonlight caused some illumination, but it was barely enough. After what he could only assume to be just a few minutes, he came across something else other then the messy forest. 

A deep pond, glistening in the moonlight. He frowned. Moving forward, he positioned himself hovering above it, moving his arm infront of the water to get a better look.

Staring into the water, it gave him an all around view of his arm, showing some previously hidden, and probably infected, scars. He carefully viewed the water, trying to gauge how clean it was. It seemed… fairly clean. Rips off a spare piece of his shirt, grimacing and dipping it into the water. After waving it around for a second, he gently pressed it against the scratches.

He winced, but he managed to push through the pain and clean it off. He frowned at his ruined part of the shirt, but he dipped it into the water again, wrist dipping below the surface and getting soaked.

He glances up to his arm, view drifting to his face. 

A greasy, grinning man smiled up at him. 

Screaming, he felt a pruny hand wrap around his wrist with a squeeze. He tried to pull is out, but he was unable too. His throat was beginning to get sore.

And then the hand pulled him under the water.

He plunges, thrashing as he was pulled headfirst. He had never learned out to swim. His screams were muffled by the water, coming up in bubbles. The hand slipped down to his ankle, pulling him upright and dragging him down.

He slams his mouth shut so harshly he can feel his gums ache. 

The water seems dirtier now, junk and a messy, torn white dress elegantly floating in the water. The sleeve of the dress was caught on a branch. He kicked, and after a moment he felt his foot hit something, and the hand went limp, brushing his shoe. 

Grabbing onto the dress, he pulls himself up, clawing at the holes. Finally, finally he resurfaces, gasping and choking up water. Gagging, water spills from his lips. 

He takes ragged breaths frantically, chest heaving. 

He looks around, catching on the edge he was pulled in by. He pushes himself over with trembling, weak arms. He swallows down his spit, grabbing onto the ledge. The grass bites into his fingers.

And not even second after, he finds himself getting dragged down once again. 

He refuses the urge to open his mouth again, muffled noise trapped against his lips. He tries to keep a grip on the dirt, but his hands slip. Water splashes around him, the hand unrelenting. 

The dress had dropped into the water, sinking down into the water. His clothes felt heavy, weighing him down. He felt his feet, and by extension his ankles hit the bottom, dirt splaying up around him. He was more then a few feet underwater, the moon hovering above him. His head pounds with the lack of air, lungs screaming. 

The hand slips form his ankle, and he can feel the water warp as the man swims away. He whips his head to the side, trying to find something he can grapple onto. His vision blurs, but his eyes manage to catch onto a red sweater. 

A familiar red sweater. Curly hair left floating in the water, limbs upward. Lips parted and a deep blue. Miles. Will feels his heart sink. He muffles a shocked cry, pressing his palms against the rough bottom in an attempt to propel himself forward.

He grasps onto the limp arm. ‘Miles’ head twisted, hair growing and shifting into the same, sickening face. It was a trick. He presses his feet against the body just as the man lunges, and in a split second of coherent thoughts he kicks the body down and himself up. 

He was quick to drag himself away from the pond, palms bloody from the rough rocks. Blood stained the green grass, tinting it red in droplets. He watches as a hand peeks out from the water, searching. 

He crawls behind a tree, slow as he only used his free hand. He presses his back against the tree, ragged breathing quieting as the man exits the water.

He presses his hand against his mouth, vision spotting. He can hear wet, soaked riding shoes walking closer. His arm dug into the wood, and Will is damn near crying from the pain. The thrashing in the water had irritated it. 

Suddenly, the footsteps stop. Thick silence. After a couple seconds, he pryed his eyes open, glancing around at the empty ground around him. Carefully, he peaked around. The water was splashed around, but he couldn’t see the man. 

He removed his hands from his mouth, inhaling through his teeth. In the distance, he could see the mansion. How…how didn’t he see this before? He was too exhausted to care, stumbling to his feet. His legs ached. 

He almost tripped more than a few times, head thumping against unseen obstacles. He can barely see now, colors consuming his mind. He almost wandered off a couple too many times. His lungs felt clogged, water stuck in his throat. Blearily, he tried to clear it.

He leans against the door of the home, - when did he get here - knocking weakly. 

The door is flung open. “Miles.” He breathed.

Then he collapsed.

Chapter Text

Will picked at the makeshift sling on his arm, Miles slapping his hand when he almost tore the cloth. He purses his lips, shifting against the bed. The window was closed, a cold rag on top of his forehead. Miles switched the rag with a new one, Will tensing when the cold touched his neck. He felt hot, yet cold at the same time. 

His memory is fuzzy, but be can still clearly remember the events at the pond. The paralyzing fear, enveloping his bones. He remembers how the Miles trick had looked. He shivers, checking to make sure Miles was still there.

And he remembers after, waking up to the agonizing feeling of his arm being roughly snapped into place. He had tried to scream, but Miles had already stuffed a cloth into his mouth to muffle it, his throat wailing in pain. Miles had carried him- he carried him oh god how embarrassing - back to his room then, through the cold hallways. His arms still have lingering cold.

Wills been sick before, the most memorable being after he had built Castle Byers. He had been bedridden for days, sneezing constantly. He seriously hoped he wasn’t that sick this time. 

When he was barely conscious, mind dimming now that the pain in his arm had subsided, Miles had forced him into the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothes. He struggled to change, but he did eventually. That should probably help prevent him from getting actually sick, right? He turned to look at Miles, finding him already staring with a frown.

”I would’ve looked, but I had to stay and watch Flora.” Miles sighed.

Right. When he had gained semi-full consciousness, Kate was already asleep, apparently having assumed he had made it home safe. Miles however, had to stay and watch Flora, as Mrs. Grose had already gone to bed, Miles had explained.

Just second before he had knocked, Miles had put Flora to bed, beginning to get ready to head outside to look for him, answering the door as soon as he knocked. It made him feel warm. He blinked sleepily. He just passed out, why is he tired again?

He fights to keep himself from drifting off, afraid of what his dreams will hold. They already have enough fuel from starcourt and before, and now it’s like he just added more. 

He knows that, without doubt, Kate is going to be mad. From his injuries, all the way to spending time with Miles again. He prays that she’ll let him explain, and furthermore believe him. It’s a slim chance, but possible. He mulls over the possible scenarios in his mind. 

”Here.” Miles suddenly said, a certain playfulness tinging in his eyes. He reached over, unwrapping a bandaid. To be more specific, a spider-man bandaid. Will giggled deliriously. His throat stung. The irritation from screaming earlier made it painful to even breathe.

He places it on one of the many scratches, covering it up only slightly. His hand drags on Wills, movements gentle. Wills lip twitches. Miles discards the extras, moving to adjust Wills ‘sling’. He stops, staring at his shoulder with considering eyes. Suddenly, he moves.

He promptly chomps down on Wills shoulder.

Will yelps, jolting in shock. It didn’t hurt, but shock convinced him it did. Miles withdraws, continuing to fix his sling as if nothing is wrong in the world. Will gapes openly, not hiding his shock as Miles finally finishes. His hand trails down wills arm as he looks up. 

“What?” He asks, blinking slowly. Will swallows. Did he hallucinate that or something? He glances over and nope, there’s a faint bite mark. His mind is completely rid of earlier thoughts.  

”You uh..” how does he phrase this. “you bit me?” Miles nods. He looks at Will as if it was obvious why he bit him.

“Oh… okay.” 

Wills eyes burn with the ‘lack’ of sleep. Miles seems to notice, and he lays down on the bed beside him. He wraps his arms around wills torso, hand against the back of his head and pulling him closer.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Miles promised fiercely, curling protectively around him. One of his legs is thrown over Wills own, and he’s careful to avoid his arm. Will melts. 

He decides to think over the bite when he actually has a portion of his consciousness. Miles presses a kiss to the side of his head. Will sighs contently, feeling comfortable for the first time today. Even if the person who he’s comfortable with is a little odd.  

“I’ll still be here when you wake up.” Miles states, voice low in his ear. It’s more comforting then he’ll admit. Will sighs into his chest, shifting slightly. His cheek is squeezed up against him. 

Miles is murmuring something into his hair, low but soft. 

“I’m glad we get to sleep together again.” Will would’ve gotten out of the bed if he didn’t fall asleep a literal second later.

Chapter Text

When he woke up, he was pleasantly warm. True to his word, Miles was still curled around him tightly, head buried into Wills hair. Will didn’t want to get up. His whole entire body still stung but he opted to try and ignore it for the time being. His shoulder no longer aches, and because of that Will chooses to force himself to forget the bite. It doesn’t really work. 

Miles shifted, the hand on his back clenching and unchenching in the fabric of Wills borrowed shirt. Will pushed himself up with his unharmed arm, not enjoying the way warmth seemed to inch away. Sighing, he stretches, wincing when he pulls his arm to hard.

He felt the bed shift, and Miles peered up at him with dazed, sleepy eyes. Will felt a flood of warmth, shifting his leg off the bed. “I’m gonna take a shower.” He says, hopping off the bed. 

He heads into his room slowly, nervous. Now he knows, for sure, that whatever that thing was in the mirror was real. He almost feels like he’s gonna vomit. This whole visit has been so damn confusing, all the way from Miles to supernatural. And yet, there’s one question that’s constantly at the front of his mind. 

Why is the ghost -he thinks it’s a ghost- after him? He hasn’t seen it attack anyone else at this point. Besides, it’s attacks are fairly violent, so Will can assume it’s not just trying to stall him. It’s trying to kill him. 

He removes the sling, putting it on the counter. He carefully flexes his arm, trying to get the aching to stop. 

While he’s glad it’s not attacking anyone else, he wishes it would lay off on him. But, if it’s him then no one else is getting hurt, so that’s a win. He tries to shake that thought from his head.

His family had been trying to get his ‘self-sacrificing’ behaviors under control, but he always slips up every now and then. He knows why he thinks like this, but it hurts seeing his friends pain when he says anything along those lines.

It makes him feel incredibly guilty. They had risked their lives to get him back, but all he does is complain. His eyes burn with unshed tears. 

The hot shower water is a slight comfort. 

Sometimes, he wishes he had been left in the upside down. Then his family and even his friends wouldn’t have been dragged into all this, they wouldn’t have to hurt. He feels water drip off his face, and he’s unsure if it’s tears to just shower water.

Even if being left in the upside down probably would’ve killed him, he would much rather that then to constantly be the cause to all of the pain. He’s a burden, in a way. 

He turns the shower off, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He changes again, hair wet and dribbling into his shirt. Lastly, he puts his ‘sling’ on again. Will blinks, taking a long look at himself. His palms are still scratched up, and when Will looks down his ankle is clotted with dried blood. If he’s being honest he probably got some on Miles bed. 

When he exits the bathroom, Miles is already sitting on Wills bed. Will jumps a little. His hair is much more dried then Wills, so Will can assume he took one before Will. Or just finished faster.

”We should probably head down for breakfast.” He mentions, pushing himself up. He grabs Wills hand, pulling him along. Wills felt his stomach drop. How would Kate react to seeing him in the mangled state he’s in?

He knows she dislikes Miles, seeing him drag Will to her will only further her suspicions. He silently prays that, somehow, she won’t notice. Mrs. Grose does a double take when he enters. 

The kitchen is the same as always. Luckily, Kate seemingly hasn’t woken up yet. Flora spots them, skipping over. She asks if she can draw on the sling. Will feels a smile begin to form, glad to see she has calmed down from yesterday. He agrees. Both he and Miles sit down, Miles chair extremely close to his. They’re still holding hands. 

Shes about halfway through a dog when Kate enters the room. Flora moves away from her, and she stops talking. Will frowns. Anxiety is eating him alive when he turns to look at the caretaker. She stares at their hands. Then at Wills arm. Then at him.

She looks to be stuck between a mix of anger and concern. “What.” She seethes, looking at Miles. “Did you do?” 

Miles grits his teeth, previous happiness from watching his sister dissipating draw within a second. His nails dig into the back of Wills hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He hisses. 

Kate scoffs. Flora moves toward the maid, glancing between the three. “You keep hurting him, then trying to pass it off. You’re not sneaky.” She finally snaps. That seems to push Miles over the edge aswell, his gradually building anger at her over-spilling. 

“I’m trying to protect him! If anything you’re the one hurting him!” He yells. Flora winces, running out of the kitchen and away from the conflict. Faintly, Will can hear her pounding footsteps all the way to her room. Will sinks in his seat, wishing he could run away like Flora. He’s never been good with arguing. 

“Where even were you when Will went missing for 7 hours?!” He explodes. “I don’t even know if you were sleeping! You’re probably the one that hurt him!” He attacks.

“Do not blame this all on me! Ever since he met you he has been gaining more and more injuries and don’t even try to tell me that I’m wrong.” 

“He’s been gaining injuries! You’re right! But I’m the one that’s been caring for him, you just lay back and watch it all happen. I’m not going to let him get hurt just because you can’t accept the fact that we’re friends!” 

“It’s not about that! It’s about the fact that you keep hurting him and no one else is doing anything about it!”

”Im not hurting him! How stupid are you?! You forced my little sister to do something she was uncomfortable with, only to then try and go after someone else I care about! Then you wonder ‘oh I wonder why he doesn’t like me’ it’s because all you have done is hurt them!” 

“You barely even know Will! You met him a couple days ago!”

”And? Clearly I care for him more than you do!”

There’s a deafening silence. Miles and Kate are glaring, and sometime during the argument Miles had pulled him closer, away from Kate. He wants to talk, to tell them it’s nether of their faults, but his mouth feels like cotton. Why does everything always go wrong?

”Fine.” She looks to Will. “Since you’re taking Miles side, I won’t bother.” She turns and leaves, slamming the door shut behind her. Miles stares at the closed door for a moment, pissed off. 

He sits down, almost knocking his chair over in the process. Mrs. Grose is frozen. Wills silently groans. Miles wraps an arm possessively around his shoulder, as if Kate is just going to snatch him away and never give him back. 

“Well.” Mrs. Grose says, still staring. Will doesn’t think he could’ve said it better. 

Chapter Text

It seems like every breakfast here was going to be awkward, and Will decided to resign himself to his fate. Flora came back a few minutes after Kate stormed out, sniffling. Mrs. Grose had still distributed breakfast like normal. 

Miles was still clinging to Will, angry. Will sighed weakly, trying to eat his breakfast before Miles inevitably leaves. 

Just like he has assumed, Miles leaves when he’s about three fourths through his food. He drags Will with him, and he sends an apologetic look towards the maid. He has an iron grip on his hand. 

Will silently sighed. Why is he always in a conflict? It’s genuinely beginning to seem like the world is praying on his downfall. 

Miles slammed the door, pushing Will into his bed. He sits down at his drum set, shaking his messy hair out of his face. Will watches in muddled confusion. He is banging on the drums without rhythm, hair bouncing.

Will purses his lips, concerned. Is this how he gets out his anger? Will sighs softly, heart clenching in concern. Atleast it’s a semi-healthy coping mechanism. 

“Miles.” No response.

”Miles.” He says, louder. Miles doesn’t even look up. The drums get louder.

”Miles!” As he spoke, he slipped out of the bed. Finally, he looks up. His brow is furrowed In deep thought, and doesn’t look like he’s truly seeing Will. Without thinking, Will cups his face with one hand. 

“What’s wrong?” His words hold a weight even Will himself doesn’t understand. Miles purses his lips, deciding if he wants to spill.

”I don’t know why I got so angry,” He confesses, voice hushed like he’s telling a terrible secret. He slowly puts the drumsticks down.

”Yeah I’m mad about how she treats you and Flora but..” he pauses.

”I’m never that angry.” He sighs. 

“It’s like… it’s almost like it’s not my own. Like that anger is not mine.” Will swears he can feel his heart stop. It’s almost a perfect description of how he felt when the shadow monster had him. He feels himself freeze. Miles remains oblivious to his inner battle, continuing on his rant.

”I feel horrible after, but I don’t feel bad for yelling at Kate.” He says earnestly, looking toward Will. But he’s still froze, staring with wide eyes at the other boy. 

“Will?” But is has to be different, right? He’s still remembering names, so it surely can’t be possession? But what if the mind flayer is doing it slower this time, and that’s why- 

“Will!” He snaps his head toward Miles with wide eyes. Miles frowns. 

“Were you listening?” He asks harshly. Then he winces. “Sorry.”

Will swallows down his fear. “Yeah, sorry. It. Just reminded me of.. something.” He apologizes. Surprisingly, Miles doesn’t question it. 

“Thanks for letting my vent.” He says, standing up. Wills hand slips from his face. He brushes off his pants, as if brushing away the subject aswell. Will blinks. His mind lingers on the possibility of possession, and the more he thinks of it the more probable it seems. 

But if it is possession, than what would be the trigger? He tries to think back, running through his thoughts to try and account every time Miles has ‘snapped.’ After a bit of thinking, he remembers what always seems to happen, of all times except the last one. Or even just there when creepy shit happened in general. 

There’s been a spider present.

Chapter Text

It all seemed to click then.

It was like the final puzzle piece was placed, the maker leaning away and finally showing Will the final picture. A picture of a great, eight-legged insect. Will shivered, looking around himself as if another one will pop out. 

He can only assume that that’s why there’s so many of the little creepy crawlers. 

Frowning, he turns to look at Miles spider enclosure, watching as the spider seems to cower, hide now that he knows the truth. He sighs, pressing his palm into Miles upper-arm. Miles glances at him, slightly confused. Will just frowns.

”I think I know why.” That peaks Miles interest. 

It had taken awhile of convincing, aswell as bickering with the other. He had been unable to believe it at first, scoffing and doing his best to ignore Will. But, the more evidence he provided, along with proof of the spiders now running away from him, it seemed to knock the reasoning into Miles thick skull. 

He was still reluctant, but Will could see the acceptance in his eyes so he took that as a win. Miles sighed, looking over at him. “How come as soon as you guys get here it gets figured out?” It’s more a rhetorical question, but it still makes Will pause.

Why was that? 

The obvious answer would be that he’s already experienced super natural things, so I’d make sense if he was already tuned into anything out of the ordinary. like a sensor for the supernatural, in a way. 

But he feels like that isn’t the full story.  

“Well…” Miles cuts his thought off, severing the red string he was chasing earlier. 

“Shouldn’t we.. you know, kill all of the spiders then?” He seems saddened by the loss of his previous spiders. Will hates to do this, but he shrugs it off in the face of the bigger concern. It’s not like Miles will have to forever not have a spider, as Will assumes he should be able too after this. 

Still, Will opts to pat his back as a form of his condolences. 

Miles snorts. Will can’t help but smile aswell, even in this dark of a moment. Something in Miles eyes glitters with playfulness.

”You know what would make me feel better?” He asks, smug. Will narrows his eyes.

”If you kissed me.” He finishes, staring him down with a small smile. Will malfunctions for a mere second, blinking at him. 

“…seriously?” He asks, baffled. Miles laughs. 

“Well can I kiss you?” He rephrases. Wills face is on fire, but he nods his approval slowly. 

Miles lips twitch, grappling ahold of Wills jaw and bringing it in. It’s a rough thing, Miles apparently discarding the word ‘gentle’ . Will gasps, not having expected the sudden movement even though he agreed. 

He reciprocates, tilting his head to mirror the other. Miles smiles into the kiss, the hand on his jaw sliding down to his neck and holding him. Will grabs onto his wrist, fingers curling around it. Will feels a embarrassing giggle slip out, and Miles smile grows. 

When they pull away, Miles lips are flushed a beautiful red, almost matching with his cherry red face. He has a blinding grin on his face. Will bets he looks the same. Miles fingers press in his cheek, squishing it. Will bats his hand away. 

“I was right. It did make me feel better.”