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

[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?

[deadboywalking]

YOU don't look old. you're pretty. [So there, Faith. Also have a bit of a grimace. Remember, he's still five years off from the first Batman movie since the 60's so that's his entire frame of reference.] he looks like a dad.

[rockypath]

Thanks, Will. [It feels far less strange having a child like Will call her pretty than when Kara did it. It made her feel far more girly than she's ever been in her entire life when an adult did it. Especially Kara of all people.] Dad's can be hot too. [Have they ever discussed what times they are from? Faith doesn't know he's thinking of Adam West Batman and not any of the others she knows of.]

[deadboywalking]

[Confide in your son about how Kara calling you pretty gives you butterflies, Faith. He is here to support you.]

i'm not supposed to think that about guys. [Important distinction: not supposed to.]

[rockypath]

[Faith is pretty perceptive about people, so that comment rings all sorts of bells for her. She blinks giving Will a critical but ultimately warm look.] Yeah? Says who? We like what we like. Supposed to's don't matter.

[deadboywalking]

[Will shrugs, shrinking in on himself a little under that searching look.]

says everyone. where i'm from.

[rockypath]

[She reaches out the touch his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.] Then everyone is an idiot where you're from. And we're not there right now, are we? So you like whatever you like, Will. And anyone says any different they can answer to me.