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This was one of the best days in a long time for Will Byers.
With his life being constantly thrown around from monsters and evils, things were right for once.
Johnathon was home, finally off work,
His mom and Hopper were going to Enzo's tonight for dinner,
Mike had come over for the first time in a while,
Everything felt normal again, which was a relief.
Will hated change.
But things were better now.
In the middle of writing a D&D campaign with Mike, Johnathon reminded Will to take care of their mom's chickens outside.
Will didn't mind. He had been in and out all day, walking around Hawkins with his best friend, getting snacks and soda for their night in.
He told Mike he would be right back.
As he left his room, he grabbed the bag of chicken feed and heaved it over his shoulder. He opened the door only to realize
It was dark out.
And he forgot a damn flashlight.
The bag fell off his shoulder and hit the ground with a loud thud.
This only startled him more.
As much as he wanted to say he wasn't scared of the dark anymore, he was.
Usually during nights he would hold his mom's or his brother's hand as a means of safety.
But now Will couldn't see anything around him.
The chicken coop was far from the safety of the porch light, what was he to do? Tell his brother he couldn't do it? Embarrass himself in front of Mike? Hell no. He didn't want to be a quitter.
Yet the image of those things that took him that cold November night all came back to him. Worse than ever before.
The tree's limbs soon turned to claws and tentacles in his mind. He stood frozen. The only movement that came to him was the heaving of his stomach as he took deep breaths and the shaking of his own body.
Will collapsed, hitting the earth hard.
He was out of breath. He was trembling. He couldn't breathe. He didn't have his inhaler, or a flashlight, for that matter.
Soon everything got darker...
and darker...
and d a r k e r . . .
Soon enough he felt the reach of his brother's arms. Will hit them furiously out of fear and from being overstimulated. Johnathon didn't mind, he'd rather his brother hit his arm than his own head or legs. He saw himself as his younger brother's shield.
He brought Will inside and lay him on the couch to calm down, handing him a blanket and cup of warm blueberry tea, his comfort drink.
"The chickens can wait till tomorrow. They'll be okay." He assured his younger brother.
Johnathon gave Will his earmuffs and he put them on over his head. Will was in his own world now. One where nothing could get him.
Mike came into the living room to see Will bundled up with his tea. He was used to Will's breakdowns, but he didn't know what could've caused it.
Until he noticed the screen door.
It was nighttime.
And Will hated the dark.
He ran over to the other boy and asked if he could sit with him. Will was good at reading lips, and usually was very closed off during his meltdowns, but he let Mike sit with him. He even offered him some of his tea.
Will liked to share with him, and being around him helped calm him down.
"You could have come and got me, you know," Mike said in an attempt to help his friend. "I know you don't like the dark, even before everything happened you didn't like it."
Mike kept rattling on about being there for him, and the words soon turned to mush, at least as far as Will could read. He simply just decided to hold onto his hand.
For comfort of course.
Mike didn't mind, next thing he knew Will was sound asleep. His tea was gone, nothing but a spoon left in the cup.
Mike planted a small kiss on his forehead, and fell asleep next to him.
Their snacks and soda could wait till tomorrow.