𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛; byler

t w e n t y - t h r e e

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and with the quiet came the numbness.

will felt the blood. he felt his aching red face, stricken with tears he didn't remember crying, he felt his back pulsing with pain. he felt everything- yet he felt nothing.

he knew he was in pain, he knew he should be sobbing- no, screaming, and running out of there as fast as he could. he knew he should be furious, or at the very least shocked.

but all he felt was the slow dripping of the warm blood down his forehead, to his cheek, the slight metalic taste on his lips as the drops made their way to his shirt, staining it.

just the blood, and this strange calm.

"will! will, oh my god!" tyler's voice was the one to break the silence finally. will kept his head on the floor firmly, too numb to really move it, but his eyes looked up at tyler nevertheless. 

tyler looked- frightened. completely, utterly, entirely frightened. all color had drained from his face, his beautiful green eyes were open wide... his hands, still reached out, were trembling. he was trembling, his entire body shaking. like he couldn't believe what he had just done.

and before another second passed, tyler was running to where will was sprawled on the floor, dropping to his knees besides him.

" i'm so sorry, will! will, can you hear me? oh god, will, please tell me you can hear me," tyler said, his voice frantic.

and even though he definitely could hear him, will didn't respond. it's not that he couldn't, he just... he didn't want to. even with tyler's entirely distraught energy, that strange calm was yet to lift. he couldn't seem to care about anything that was happening, couldn't seem to focus on tyler's words. just on that dripping blood.

"will, baby, i'm so so sorry! please, will, i didn't mean to, please talk to me!" tyler tried again. and still will did nothing.

suddenly, he felt himself being lifted up. tyler's arms, that had been so aggressive just moments ago, the very arms that caused the marks undoubtedly staining his face, couldn't be softer now. tyler proped him up a sitting position, so gentle they were barely even touching him, and will didn't argue. he simply didn't care.

"i'm so sorry baby. i'm so, so sorry, i didn't mean to, i lost contol- i promise i didn't mean to!" tyler kept repeating himself, his words bumping into each other on the way out and his sentences confused as his tone remained panicked. at this point will wasn't even looking at him, but staring at the floor next to his knees. just staring.

but then tyler grabbed his face with both his hands, forcing him to look at him again. tears were streaming down his cheeks, his eyes glittering with remorse and guilt.
"will, i'm so sorry, i never meant to- god, i would never- i was scared for you, i lost control. i can't tell you how sorry i am for..." he took a deep, shaky breath, "i'm so sorry will. that wasn't me, i would never do that- i won't ever do that again, i promise i won't!"

will said nothing. his words couldn't matter less. nothing seemed to matter, nothing at all.

"will, i love you. i love you so freaking much!" tyler said. and it was the first time he had ever said that, and it was way too soon and they had only been dating two weeks and will didn't say it back- and it didn't matter at all.
"you know i'll never hurt you, right? you know you're safe with me?" tyler begged, his voice quiet and desperate. 

and will knew he had no choice but to nodd slowly.
"yeah," he said, his voice weird and high and not his own but at the same time perfectly level.

tyler sunk with relief, hurrying to free will's face and grab him in a tight hug instead.
"thank you, thank you, i'm so sorry, i love you, i'm so sorry, i'm-" tyler kept murmuring as he hugged him, but for will it was just like he wasn't there at all.

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maybe if he was another person he would've believed tyler's claims. because tyler had never done anything like this and he really did look remorseful. maybe he could've have believed that this was just an incident, something that would never happen again, and choose to forgive him, blinded by the promise of tyler's love. the promise of a relationship

maybe if he was any other person he would push tyler as far away as he could, get up and run all the way to the police station. maybe he would've dumped tyler right there and then, yell at him to get out and never come back.

but the problem was, he was will byers. will byers, the son of lonnie byers. 

the problem was, he knew exactly how this goes, because he had seen it happen right on front of him. he had felt it happening. he knew exactly what would happen next.

because he knew this wasn't the last time this would happen, not even close. and he knew that after every time tyler would cry and beg for forgiveness- and then, after a while, the tears would stop: but the punches won't.

so why didn't he dump tyler? why didn't he leave and run as far as he could?

because he couldn't. he just couldn't. because the moment that first slap hit his cheek, he was just a kid again, standing in front of his father. those half faded scars on his body buzzed to life, reminding him once again.

and that numbness he was feeling- it left him frozen. he couldn't leave, he couldn't do anything but tremble as tyler hugged him. 
because he remembered that tyler was everywhere, that even if he ended it all tyler would wait for him before work- but this time he wouldn't have hot chocolate and a book to give... and that scared him half to death.

and when tyler pulled back to kiss him slightly on the forehead, all he could focus on was the red on his knuckles. all he could see in this gorgeous boy that he had felt so lucky to have just minutes ago were those bloody knuckles. 

and tyler stayed, and insisted on holding him as night fell, and all will could think as he was staring at the dark sky outside was one sentence, over and over again.

like mother, like son.

except, his mother had broken free- and he really didn't know if he could, not with those strong arms holding him close to his chest.

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𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟔𝐭𝐡. 𝟏𝟏𝟔𝟐  𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬: guys i'm sorry this is so depressing AHH but I hope you're liking thisss

and lastly due to a crazy week the next part will only be out Tuesday:((