Winter ➳ Byler ♡

December 1986

"Sit still or it won't come out right" Mike softly laughs trying to apply gloss to Will's lips.

This is something Will hasn't done in awhile and when he decided to try wearing makeup again Mike insisted on helping him.

Will had only been back in Hawkins for 3 hours now and the two were already doing the same things one another had done in the past. It's like he never left.

Will put his lips into a thin line trying his hardest not to smile and ruin the layer Mike had just spread on. Of course the boy failed and let out a laugh causing Mike to groan.

"Ugh,Will you got it all over your nose" Mike frowns and holds the boys face gently rubbing the gloss from the parts of his face that weren't his lips. "You're lucky you're so adorable....or I'd be really mad right now" Mike smirked while wiping the excess makeup from off of his hands with wipes.

"Not as adorable as you though" Will shyly smiles.

"Oh would you two please get a room I'm trying to do my homework" Max rolls her eyes at the two.

Mike blushes and hides his face Will following the same gesture.

"Why don't we just go to your place Mikey, we should leave Max to do her school work" Will begins to get up but Mike pulls him back down.

Max gives Mike a frown which the boy returned.

Will watched the two give each other sad expressions. "Um did I miss something here?"

"I'll leave you two alone...." Makes grabs her things and shuts the door, seeing that this was her cue to leave.

"What's going on?" Will furrows his eyebrows.

Mike sighed and took a minute to get himself ready for what he's about to tell Will.

"Remember everything that happened between my mom and d-dad and how um.....my mom ran away from h-home" Will noticed how Mike seemed to have trouble speaking suddenly which made the boy even more anxious to hear whatever else Mike needed to say.

"yes, I remember" the brunette swallows hard.

"My dad got so depressed like extremely depressed to the point where he wouldn't even eat anymore. I was so worried about him that I spent all my time trying to get him a therapist, just so he has someone to talk to. Most of my days were spent here with Max because I just couldn't be in that house anymore, it was tearing me apart. Once or twice a week I'd check up on him but he just kept getting worse. One day when I came home from school I was excited to tell him that I finally found him a really good therapist.....but I never got to let him know about it." Mikes breath was now uneasy as he tried his hardest to hold in his tears. "He killed himself last year on that day, I found him hanging in his bedroom closet.....a rope around his neck."

Will blinked rapidly at Mike trying to find the right words to say. "Mike I'm so.....I'm so sorry, come here" The boy fell into Will's arms, he held him there officially causing Mike to let out several sobs. He hugged Will's torso crying into his chest, allowing the boy to rock him back and forth.

"Shhhh it's ok I'm here" Will softly speaks running his hands through his hair, the only thing that seemed to ease his crying.

It may have happened a year ago but the tragic and traumatic memory of seeing his own father hung inside a closet was something he could never get over. The boy knew he probably needed some form of therapy but he constantly held back because whenever he would even think of his dad his crying started and would go on for awhile.

"Please promise you won't leave Will" Mike pulled Will in closer needing all the comfort he could get.

"I would never dream of leaving you, you're my world"