Secrets (boyxboy)

~Chapter Thirty~

The month had finally changed to December, and surprisingly it was snowing a perfect blanket over the city of London. Will was getting ready to decorate for Christmas. However it seemed like nobody else in the house was bothered about being festive. But Will had always loved Christmas, it was his favourite time of year. Sadly this year felt different.

Dylan wasn't himself and Jack was too focused on their brother to care about Christmas. All Will wanted was their family to be together and happy, just once.

It didn't seem to be going so well for him though, as nobody was home and Will was trying so hard to make the house decorative. Well, Dylan was home, but all he did was lay in bed. He wouldn't even come down for food and that's why he felt so alone. Nothing was right this Christmas.

Hesitantly, he walked around the house and tried to be quiet as he stood in front of Dylan's bedroom door. There was no noise at all, and he was scared that his brother would be asleep and scream at him if he woke him up. With one hand he knocked on the door, and with the other he held a plate with a sandwich that he had made for him.

When he received no response, he gulped and pushed the door open. His brother was asleep as expected, despite it being four in the afternoon. Gently, he tiptoed to his bedside table and put the plate down on the surface in the hopes that when he woke up he would eat.

The boy in the bed looked nothing like his brother. All colour had been drained from his complexion, and his cheeks were sunken in. There were dark bags under his eyes despite him having slept all day most days. He didn't know what to do, and it didn't seem like his parents did either because they never seemed to check up on him. They were supposed to be home to care for their children, but they still felt one thousand miles away.

After closing Dylan's bedroom door behind him, he heard someone call, "Will!"

Jack was home.

"Just a minute!" He called back as he wandered down the stairs, seeing his family stood in the hall waiting for him. Their clothes were covered in snow, and their cheeks rosy from the cold.

"I didn't know you were decorating, Will," His mother said, looking at the boxes filled with decorations scattered around the hall that was usually empty.

Shrugging, he explained, "It's the first of December. We always decorate today."

Jack smiled, but it was sad and clearly forced. It was the same one he shared with their parents, who could only look at him with sympathy. Obviously he was trying to make light of an awful situation, but it just wasn't working. Not when everyone was miserable.

"I'll just do it another day," Will sighed.

"Probably for the best," His father commented, looking at the boxes distastefully. Gulping, the boy just nodded and decided not to argue. Though it was tradition to decorate this day every year, he supposed this year was different and he couldn't change that. Hopefully they could still enjoy Christmas.

-

"-And they're not even decorating for Christmas. Jack can't look me in the eye anymore and nothing is going to get better," Will choked out, a tear falling down his cheek as Parker rocked him back and forth. The older boy just placed gentle kisses on the top of his head, brushing his messy hair out of his flushed face.

"I'm sorry, Will," Parker mumbled into his hair.

"No," Will sat up. "I'm sorry. I'm being pathetic." He wiped his tears away while trying to gain some composure.

"You're not being pathetic. You have every right to be upset," Parker shook his head. He knew that Will wasn't coping well with family changes, and he had to be there for him. For the longest time he had been used to no conflict, but in the last few months there had been nothing but secrets and lies and surprises. Everything in Will's life was changing, so maybe he needed Parker to be his constant.