This Is Christmas

My Life Started That Day

After school Will had managed to attract some unwanted attention while walking down one of the many hallways in the school trying to find El. Maybe Will hadn't been totally honest with Mike yesterday. There aren't just people asking him if he is the 'zombie boy,' there are also people bullying him for it.

"Hey, zombie boy!" Will was pushed against the wall. Will squeezed his eyes shut and after a moment he shot them open. It was Troy. That one kid that Will just couldn't understand. Why did he have to bully him at any chance he got? Was it because Will was different?
"Troy-"
"Shut it, fag! Why couldn't you just stay gone, huh? Why did you have to bring your gayness back? Don't you think there's enough fairies in this town?!" Troy yelled. Will didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He was frozen. Will was already a timid kid but because of everything that had happened to him, when things like this happened he couldn't move, speak, all he could do was stare blankly.

"ANSWER ME, FAG!" Troy yelled slamming Will's head into a locker.
"HEY, GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!" Troy let go of Will's hair and he fell onto the floor half conscious.
"What're you doing here, Wheeler? Here to join the fairy?!" Troy yelled. Mike's eyes widened.
"Are you fucking serious?!" Mike walked over angrily and attempted to punch Troy in which he missed and instantly got punched. He fell onto the floor.
"Mike!" Will yelled worried for his friend. Mike looked over to Will and quickly got up only to take another punch.
Mike had gotten up once more and finally landed a punch on Troy that sent him flying across the hall. Both Will and Mike's eyes widened. Troy slowly got up in pain.
"OW, OW, FUCK.. YOU STUPID FUCKING FARIES! HOW IN THE HELL?!" Troy scrambled but eventually ran off.
"How did you?-" Will paused when he saw El walk down the hall seemingly angry as her eyes darted at Will. Mike ran over to help Will up.

"Are you alright, can you walk?!" Mike asked.
"I'm okay.. I'm fine..." Will mumbled rubbing his head.
"El, thank god you came, we-" Mike stopped talking as she walked past him to Will.

"You said they weren't bullying you. You lied." Eleven said sternly.
"I'm sorry, El.. I didn't want you to lose control or get you involved." Will mumbled.
"Well, what about me, Will? You said you were fine.."
"Mike-"
"Let's leave, Will." El interrupted.
"Oh, uh, okay." Will said as he was pulled away by El. Mike stood in the hall alone and confused.

Later on in the evening Mike made his way to the Byers' door. He wanted to make sure Will was okay and he also wanted to ask why he'd hide something like that from him. Mike knocked on the door and Hopper opened it. He looked angry to see Mike.

"Leave, Mike." He said and went to close the door but before he could Mike stopped him placing his hand onto the door.
"Please, let me in. I need to talk with Will." Mike exclaimed.
"Leave, now." He said angrily. Mike backed away and the door slammed shut. Of course Hopper was angry at Mike for breaking his daughter's heart, just when Mike was getting somewhere with him, too.
Mike rolled his eyes and was about to leave in defeat when he got an idea. Mike ran over to the back of the house and stopped at Will's window.

Mike saw Will hanging up one of his paintings in his room. Mike knocked onto the window in which startled Will causing him to drop the painting. Will turned to the window in fear only to calm down once he saw his friend at the window. Mike felt bad knowing he probably thought it was Vecna instead of him. Will walked over and opened the window.

"Mike, what are you doing?" Will asked. "Well, I'm not really welcomed here since I.. you know... broke up with El." Will nodded understanding his situation.
"Okay, so.." Will waited to see why Mike was here.
"So, I came to check up on you. I mean, Troy did knock the shit out of you." Mike said.
"Speak for yourself.." Will mumbled holding out a hand to help Mike into his room.
"And... thank you." Will said looking pulling Mike through his window.