you can color my world with sunshine every day

[deadboywalking]

Featuring: Will Byers deadboywalking and you~
What's happening: General March catch-all business
Day/s: Throughout March (3/02-3/31)
Content warning: panic attacks, ptsd, mentions of self-harm, possession, death, suicidal ideation (all in prompt 3)

i. casa de wheeler-byer

[So Will and Mike have a house now, which is an excellent thing for two eighth-graders to have. It's small, just enough for the two of them, and Will is obsessed with it. He's barely left it since the first day it appeared, busy painting every single wall with the variety of art supplies he got from Eddie.

One wall is a forest, one is a lake, another is a field with the sun shining and the sky a brilliant blue (and a rainbow ofc), and another is a literal castle. Will's working on this last one now, in the living room, sitting cross-legged so he can work on the details of every single stone in the outer wall, the links in the chain of the drawbridge, the sprigs of bright green grass along the moat. He's got paint all over him, in his hair, smudged on his face, on his clothes.

He hasn't been this happy in weeks. Since before coming to Reims. Since before the Upside-Down. He's in a focused, intent trance, but he's calm and happy enough that any visitors would be welcomed.]

ii. do you take commissions?

[Now that Will has his art supplies back, he's on a roll. He's already helped Kara and Faith redecorate, as well as made a sign for Majima, so why not offer his services to more people who might need it?

Hence:] un: willthewise - if anyone needs anything drawn or painted or any signs or anything done, let me or mike know. it's really grey and sad here, so i wanna help it be a little more colorful, if i can. mike's usually at fight club, and i'm at castle wheeler-byers. it's got a sign, you can't miss it.

i'll also be doing illustrations for mike's book of monsters thing, so if you gave him anything for that and want to make sure i did it right, come by.

iii. because a vision softly creeping left it's seeds while i was sleeping; open to close CR

[Most days are good ones. Will has settled in to a routine here in Reims -- go to Fight Club with Mike, visit his friends, draw or paint or sketch late into the night. Try and stay out of trouble -- nothing stupid or risky, stay away from the monsters. Help out where-ever he can. It's not perfect, it's not home, but Will's sort of happy here.

On the good days.

But then there are the bad ones. Sometimes it's a nightmare, sometimes it's a smell or a sight or a barely-audible sound. Sometimes Will just wakes up and he knows already it's going to be one of the bad days. He'll try to go through his routine like normal, try to pretend that everything's okay, but then there'll be that one tiny thing that flips the switch in his brain and --

-- and he's back, he's riding home from mike's and something is chasing him, he's in the shed with the rifle, no he's in the shed tied to a chair, no he's not in the shed he's in castle byers and there's something growingfesteringliving in his lungs and his throat and his stomach, no he's in the field behind school and it's in his ears in his eyes in his mouth and arms and legs and mind and bones and it's walking for him talking for him killing for him, he's in the upside-down and he's so so cold, he's in the lab and there are needles in his arms, he's in the lab and bob is dying bleeding screaming and he's happy he's so happy it's exactly as he planned, he's in the shed and tapping out C L O S E G A T E C L O S E G A T E K I L L I T K I L L M E K I L L M E --

and in reality Will is sitting hunched over on the front steps of his house in Reims, doubled almost in half, absolutely still, absolutely silent, because he has his wrist shoved into his mouth and he's biting down as hard as he can to keep from screaming.

Because he has to be quiet.]

Comments

[rockypath]

[College? Ha! Funny. Faith never even graduated high school.] Nah. It's kind of a calling thing. You get Chosen. One day. Bam, here, have some super powers and all the demons in the world wanting to kill you. Enjoy.

Well, I did have some very important business of sitting on my butt. Very important. But I think I can spare a moment ;) I'll be right over.

[deadboywalking]

that's...a lot of pressure. wow.

[You can't see it right now, Faith, but Will is beaming.] okay! okay, cool. cause i've never actually seen a vampire.

[rockypath]

I'm gonna make sure it stays that way. Over in five.

[Faith takes a bit longer than five minutes, but she makes pretty good time to his house. When she's there, Faith will enter the house holding the very large tome under one arm, glancing around for Will, looking around until she finds him.]

[deadboywalking]

[Will's easy to find, sitting in front of one of his murals in the front room -- that one's of a forest, lots of trees and bushes and shadows with yellow eyes peering out of them. It's a little creepy, actually. But Will seems to be enjoying himself, leaning in to outline some of the eyes with lighter yellow, so they're brighter, more reflective.

He notices Faith out of the corner of his eyes, waving with his free hand, finishing up the eyes and then sitting back. He's a paint-y mess, covered in splotches from head to toe.]

[rockypath]

[It is a little creepy. But it's really good, like everything she's seen Will do. Faith waves back, grinning as she moves closer to him, setting the big Vampyr tome on the table. It's an impressive looking book.]

Nice painting. You gonna do murals through your whole house?

[deadboywalking]

[The soft thunk of the book being set down has Will's attention almost immediately, and he leans over to try and get a better look. What a neat, spooky book, wow.]

thanks. i want to. i guess i'll keep going until mike makes me stop.

[rockypath]

[Faith moves out of his way to have a look. Unless he's got paint all over his hands and he goes to touch it. Then she'll reach out to stop him.] Why would Mike stop you?

[deadboywalking]

[He's a good kiddo, he won't touch with messy hands. He definitely wants to, though.] cause the paint smell is too much.

[rockypath]

[She moves to sit on the couch.] Well, you could take it slow? Do some painting, then wait a bit and do more later? So you're not making all your roommates high on paint fumes.

[deadboywalking]

[Will stifles a laugh, sitting next to her, cross-legged.] i could, yeah. or use pastels or something for some of the murals.

is this the book you were talking about?

[rockypath]

Yeah. It's a book that helps Slayers learn how to fight the baddies. Like vampires and it's got a couple other demons in here too. Also spells, but I'm not going to show you those. [She's no witch and doesn't want anyone trying something they really shouldn't.]

[She cracks it open, flipping to the large vampire section, which is in turn full of different vampires of note- the strong ones, that killed a lot of people or managed to kill Slayers. Spike and Angel are both in there somewhere.]

[deadboywalking]

[Will pulls a little bit of a pout -- he wants to learn magic, Faith, come one! But then the sight of the pages distracts him and he scoots even closer. Hope you don't mind a curious kiddo practically on your lap, Faith.]

who wrote it?

[rockypath]

You know, I don't know... probably some old crusty Watcher back in the dark ages. Watchers are the people who train Slayers, find them and tell them what they are. [And occasionally act like entitled dick heads who think they can make you do whatever they like.

She finally lands on the page about Kakistos. A frown creases her forehead.] This one should probably go in Mike's book. If he ever shows up. I need to know ASAP. [So she can murder him over and over and over until it sticks for good.]

[deadboywalking]

[Will stifles a little laugh at her description of Watchers. Then he grabs his paper and pencil, sitting up attentively.]

okay, what's he look like? and how do you beat him?

[rockypath]

He was an old vampire. Maybe the oldest. So old that his face was permanently vamped out. Which is like... [She gestured to her own face, and mimes a large angry protruded brow.] Kind of like just a messed up face, like if someone were permanently scowling.

Also fangs. Short buzz cut with a receding hairline. Also big scar I gave him down his right eye.

The biggest thing though is he's got cloven feet and like... crab claws. [She shows him with her own hands holding fingers together so it looks like she's only got two large fingers and her thumb.]

[deadboywalking]

[Will nods seriously, scribbling for a long moment. The rough semblance he gets is...actually not bad. A scowling face, fangs, buzz cut, scar. It's not an expert drawing, but it's better than you'd expect a kid his age to do. He holds it up for approval.

And then makes a face.] gross. why?

[rockypath]

Yeah, that's pretty close, the scars a bit more jagged. Think like an angry lightning bolt.

He grew hooves because he was so old. Like thousands of years.

Oh, right- [She nearly forgot] And I beat him by shoving a stake the size of a two by four into his heart. A regular sized wooden stake wouldn't do.

[deadboywalking]

[Will nods seriously, adjusting the scar accordingly.]

is that what happens? you get hooves when you're old?

really?? how did you lift it??

[rockypath]

I guess it's what happens to vampires when they're old enough. Or maybe Kakistos was just special like that.

[Faith smiles at the question regarding the two by four.]

I can lift it because I'm a Vampire Slayer. I've got super powers.

[deadboywalking]

[Will makes a dramatic face because grooooss. The mental image of ancient crab vampires is really disgusting.

Aaaand then cue him giving Faith the starry-eyed hero-worship-y look.]

you do?? since when???

[rockypath]

[Faith smirks at his reaction, unable to stop herself from reaching over to muss his hair. Sorry Will, it's too hard to pass up. Very muss-worthy] Since I was eighteen. So like six or so years.

[deadboywalking]

[Will makes a little face at her, but there's a smile hiding in it. Faith and Kara are pretty much the only ones he'll let muss up his hair at this point.]

really? you're only a little younger than my mom is. i guess i thought you were the same age. [...it's a compliment. Honest.]

[rockypath]

[Now she's giving him a face of her own. But it's just as good natured.] Yeah, well. Rough life. Adds to the crows feet, you know. I may look like an octigenerian when I reach forty. [Not that she really thinks she'll live that long. But she's the good sense not to say so to Will. Slayers didn't have a long self-life and she was already well past her sell-by date...]

[deadboywalking]

is that why batman looks so old and gross?

[Wow, Will, S A V A G E.]

[rockypath]

[Faith looks baffled. Really, Will.] Well, first of all... you're not supposed to admit I look like an old fart. Second, what's wrong with Batman? I thought he was supposed to be a ripped hottie. Right?