[ CLOSED ] Boys Night (spooky and traumatised edition)

[willtheunwise]

WHO: (willtheunwise) & (possessum)

WHAT: They’re gonna hang out and have a nice time and by nice time I mean they’re probably both gonna cry a bit

WHERE: Wills apartment

WHEN: Early November

WARNINGS: To be updated but will likely include demonic possession and parental abuse

Comments

[willtheunwise]

[ Wills apartment is set up in such a way that it is soothing to anxiety, there’s plenty of soft furnishings because sometimes when you feel like shit all you can do is bury yourself in a pile of blankets and wait it out. Mostly what it says is a teenager lives here. It’s not a show home, cold and un-lived in, it’s a warm space and it’s been designed to be. ]

It’s been crazy, right? Like I don’t know what they’re trying to do here but it’s like they’re trying to stress everyone out all the time.

[ He’s been lucky recently, even though he’s bruised and his anxiety levels have been off the charts with the door problems he’s building himself a solid base of people who he genuinely gets along with and feels safe with.

Will flops into the other space and grabs a packet of gummy worms, taking one out and biting it’s head off. Because you have to eat animal shaped candy head first, it’s the rules, so they don’t suffer… yeah…

He reaches down and pats one of the dragons heads. ]

I got her here, the fair was a bit scary in concept but I was checking it out from the sidelines and met someone who invited me in. So we hung out and played games and won a bunch of prizes. [ the more ridiculous pile of prizes lives in his bedroom but Tiamat is special and gets dragged into whatever room he’s in at the time. ] So Armand won Tiamat for me, she’s named after a dungeons and dragons character, and I won him a massive kinda scary bear. It was nice once I got over being super suspicious that something stressful was about to happen.

[possessum]

[ Peter's listening attentively as he munches on a couple pieces of candy, aware on some level that the space he's in does feel comfortable... which makes it feel safe. His own anxiety is worn like a second skin, with him nearly everywhere he goes, and he's so sensitive to every fucking thing. A certain setting can make it worse, or make it better, and this one...? Is definitely the latter. He doesn't even consciously really realise that he's relaxing more into the sofa as he listens, but it's a nice feeling.

So is listening to Will talk about something that sounds like a good experience. But of course, something like that can't last. Peter's smiling until something catches hold of it, and then he's feeling empathy tug so hard at his insides that he can't help offering a little frown instead. Once again, he looks over the younger teen's face, taking in the bruising. Will's mentioned the word "stressed" more than once, and as much as Peter would love to just forget about everything bad... he can't stop thinking about what Will talked about on the way up here. ]

I know what you mean. I uh.... every time I do anything around here, or... go anywhere, I'm like waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?

[ The dread that something awful's going to happen. He's sure most people feel it in this place; they're all in the same freaky fucking boat, but.... ]

....I guess I was already kind of like that back home, though. Scared of like. Everything.

[ Peter gives a soft snort, like he's trying to make light of it, so that things don't get So Serious and he's not just depressing, but. It's hard to pretend. He sucks at pretending; that's why he always just got numb instead. Kept himself high and stupid and unfeeling. ]

[willtheunwise]

[ Will looks over, scared of everything even at home sounds familiar. Even before the monsters started pouring through into Hawkins, even before the first time he told Joyce he couldn’t breathe and his chest hurt and he couldn’t feel his hands and maybe he was dying, there was Lonnie and the shouting and name calling. He doesn’t talk about any of it, he’d rather his friends and family didn’t worry about him, rather keep it to himself even if it’s lonely. So it feels impossibly brave of someone to just admit it out loud.

And maybe he can be brave too. Even as he pulls his free hand into his sleeve and wraps his arm around himself like a shield. ]

Yeah I… uh… I know that feeling. We moved out of my hometown a little while before I ended up here instead and I thought… [ Joyce had called it a fresh start, she’d gotten a job that let her be at home, they were finally free of the Byers reputation and yet… ] I guess I figured if I wasn’t in a place where bad things kept happening I’d feel better but it was just worse. I was scared of everything all the time and I just wanted to hide so I don’t think I ever really left Hawkins, not mentally anyway.

And it’s weird because being here is more predictable, you know? It’s horrible and I’m anxious all the time but at least I’ve got a reason.