Stevehharringtcns​:

who: Cole & @mmuscles​​

where: the Montgomery residence

Cole had thought about calling off the repair about a hundred times, given everything that happened at the impromptu keg party in the woods. The last thing he wanted was to give Adam another reason to be upset. Not upset, but more confused. But, he didn’t have a phone number for Thad, and... his mom’s car was borderline undriveable, so he was stuck.

He’d been a bundle of nerves all morning: worried about what Adam thought of him, worried that maybe Adam wasn’t thinking of him at all, worried about what Thad would do or say. It was all unreasonable, he knew that, but if Cole had a talent for anything, it was catastrophizing. 

Just twenty minutes before Thad was scheduled to arrive, Cole had finally peeled himself out of bed to move from wallowing in the dark to wallowing in the shower; drama was another one of his talents. He trudged down the stairs and opened the garage door. Two beers in hand, he plopped down in a lawn chair with sunglasses hiding the remnants of his nasty hangover.

And waited, for thirty extra minutes, in the heat. By the time he heard Thad pull up, Cole had gone through both beers. “You’re late, guy,” Cole called, gruffly. Though, he supposed he couldn’t be too upset-- free labor and all. He stood up, pushing the lawn chair with a loud screech-- and gestured for Thad to step inside the garage. “’m gonna get some more beers, but, uh... make yourself at home, I guess.” 

Cole slipped inside and exchanged the two empty bottles for two fresh ones. Shutting the door behind him, Cole stretched his arm out to offer Thad the bottle. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he kicked some leaves to the side. “So, you met my boyfriend.”

To say Cole was having a really fucking bad day was the understatement of the century. He’d started his morning being yelled at by a woman at work who was positively incensed that The Music Center of Hawkins, Indiana didn’t carry some brand new Yamaha keyboard. As if Hawkins was the epicenter for all trends and expensive brands? Then, he’d taken his mom’s car to the shop to assess the damage, and those crooks were claiming he’d have to pay $3,000. Who in Hawkins had that kind of cash laying around and what the hell did they need it for? So, yeah, he’d left the shop in a bit of a flurry and maybe wasn’t paying the best attention to his surroundings-- but it was not his fault that his car slid into the one in front of him. He’d slammed on the brakes, but the damn thing reacted so slowly. Could you damage your brakes in a crash?

Cole groaned when the prick got out of the car. This was going to be fun. The guy started yelling and, truthfully, Cole was barely listening. He was distracted by the guy’s antics... and maybe a little by his face. Cole unclicked his seatbelt and slid out of the car, wishing he had a cigarette right now. He had barely even hit the car, it wasn’t even dented-- something that could easily buff out, which Cole knew because he’d buffed out plenty of scratches on his mom’s old station wagon before. “Calm the fuck down, guy,” Cole said, rolling his eyes. “I happen to like driving my car around like this, unsure if the brakes will give out or if it’ll all just go up in flames at any minute. Keeps me awake,” he articulated every syllable, leaning into the guy’s personal space. Then, because he couldn’t help it: “If you wanted my number, you could’ve just asked without all the fuss.” He paused and, when the guy prompted him again, Cole threw his hands out in a shrugging motion. “The fuck do you want me to write my information on? Your car?” he dangled his keys in front of the guy, as if he would key his home address into the bumper. 

WHO: thad bradshaw and @colemontgomeryx​ WHERE: the streets of hawkins 

thad could read a map, he really could! he’d even taken cartography lessons growing up, but nothing, nothing, could have prepared him for how to navigate hawkins. the roadways made no sense, the city planning was incomprehensible, and he was thoroughly irritated. as his road rage was about to peak, everything halted when some piece of shit came barreling into the back of his car. his baby. he had a lot of outlandish things in life, but none quite as important as his car. money was no object, and neither was the labor, thad would drop both gladly, but it was the principle. nice things, like his car, should be kept nice. and ugly things, like the clunker that hit him, should be driven off a bridge. 

stepping out of his car huffing and puffing, thad slammed the door closed, “hey, man.” he said, jaw clenched. “i don’t know if your brains are scrambled or you think driving that thing is street legal, but you just ruined my car!” it was a dramatization, really. he hadn’t even looked at his bumper, but right now it was more important that thad get the point across that he was upset. “it’s an engine combustion waiting to happen,” he placed his hands on his hips, “not only are you stupid, but you’re lazy. that would take me maybe…two…three afternoons worth of work.” he boasted, simultaneously insulting the other, “and god knows, there’s nothing to do around here, so maybe you should get your priorities in check, pal.” now that he had sufficiently ranted, thad thought clearly to demand, “give me your information, so i can contact you with a bill after i fix my car.” he looked back at his baby, all dented and scratched in the back. thad’s lip could’ve quivered. he turned back to the monster who did this, and more forcefully prompted, “well don’t just stand there, now.”

jackforeman​:

Weird. That was one way to describe it, anyway. Jack didn’t know what to think of any of it besides that it was weird: weird that he woke up and walked out of the Hawkins forest one morning, weird that he even went in the first place. But, Jo had shown him the newspaper articles and everything–it had to be true, even if he didn’t want to believe it. Maybe talking to Adam again, getting some clarity, wasn’t a terrible idea. 

“I’m glad to be back, too,” he agreed, matching Cole’s smile. “Yeah, they’re … you know, shocked, but good. My mom is saying I’m never allowed to leave Hawkins again, so I guess community college it is,” he joked, as if it were the only light he could make out of the situation. “My sister, Jo, she was pretty freaked out, but that’s probably because she didn’t expect to see a man in her basement when she came home from work. So, you’ve … talked to Adam, then? How is he?”

xx.

Cole genuinely chuckled at Jack’s answer. He remembered the first day he and Adam had left the Richards house, the fear in his mom’s eyes when Adam had told her he was going out for a bit. Cole couldn’t blame her, but Cole also would rather spend time with Adam alone than with his whole family. At least for a while, an attempt to make up for lost time. “That sounds like Mrs. Richards,” he admitted with a smile. “I can’t imagine what it feels like for them-- the moms.”

Raising a singular eyebrow, Cole nodded. He wondered if that was why Jo was freaked out, or if she might have the same questions Cole had. “That’s... understandable,” he said. Even he still hadn’t adjusted to Adam’s return, a return he never could have predicted. “Yeah! Yeah, we’ve been hanging out. He’s okay... he feels shitty for leaving his family behind, and all. I keep trying to tell him it isn’t his fault, you know, but...” Cole shrugged. That’s just who Adam was, always the one who wanted to help, who his family relied on. If only it was as easy as saying ‘it’s not your fault.’ “Have you? Talked to him?”

eddiemcnson​:

+++

droplets of nervous sweat starting to appear above his brow, eddie’s eyes darted down to where cole pulled out that blasted bandana before he took both the cigarette and lighter from him. he clicked it a couple of times, no light appeared, eddie nervously glanced back up at cole, down at the lighter. violently shook it around for a moment, another attempt - it thankfully lit this time and he handed it back to cole.

he was a bundle of nerves. the previous pleasant buzz from the alcohol had almost entirely disappeared, he flicked  the cigarette’s filter repeatedly, fidgeted with his rings on his other hand. as if he was almost….waiting for cole to ridicule him. instead, however, he said something completely unexpected and eddie chocked on his own breath, sputtering cough.

he looked up to lock eyes with him. i am, too. the fuck did he mean? and ‘too’? was this some sort of trap? or was he literally genuinely saying what…eddie thought…he was saying? hadn’t he not gotten any of his surely widely popularly used phrases moments ago? he quirked a brow, took a drag once his coughing had subised. “you are….what?”, eyes narrowed, voice low in case this was, indeed, a trap.

adam richards was mentioned and, oh, jeez, it all made sense. eddie almost instantly felt bad, a guilty nauseau creeping up on him. way to go, munson, way to go. “your best friend, wasn’t he?” brows pulled together, lips twisted into a sympathetic smile. of course, max hadn’t been the only one who’d lost someone on the very ground they were standing on. “listen, man, i’m so…sorry - like, that’s gotta be rough, like, being here and everything. sorry. i can go and  leave you alone if you want to.”

xx. 

Cole didn’t waver under Eddie’s gaze. If he was correct, Eddie’s behavior made sense. Cole felt it too, the fear of being found out by someone who wasn’t safe. It was the reason Cole and Adam snuck around for the three years they were together-- to avoid the football jocks and the band geeks and the teachers berating them and calling them names. Only it never stopped there; it often got physical, violent. Of course Eddie was afraid.

It was like they were playing chicken, like they were standing in front of a train for as long as possible and pulling back at the last second-- exhilarating, maybe, but not satisfying. Something about being in the mall, all his thoughts about Adam... it was the perfect concoction for a confession. “I like guys,” he said, meeting Eddie’s eyes again. “Adam was my boyfriend.”

And then: relief. Cole felt like he’d recovered part of himself, like he’d regained a phantom limb. He hadn’t been able to talk about his feelings this openly since, well, Adam. It was refreshing, rejuvenating even. “If you want, I’ll prove it,” he teased, giving Eddie a once-over. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so open about it, but what’s the worst that could happen?

mmuscles​:

still utterly fixated on getting cole to agree, the words that came from his mouth flew right over thad’s head. with a determined huff, he pointed his finger seriously in cole’s direction as he insisted, “yeah! you won’t!” as soon as it fully clicked that they had a deal, thad deflated a healthy amount and nodded, “oh. okay. cool.” feeling confident in his negotiation skills, he dropped his hands to a comfortable resting position on his hips. 

there was some kind of energy cole exuded that was causing thad’s stomach to churn. what was he thinking about? why was he thinking so hard? thad never thought that hard about anything. right when it curious sparks were about to fly off the tip of his tongue, cole cracked a joke, and thad instantly frowned. this fucking guy. “i am, pretty boy. thank you very much.” he said proudly. he liked to think he was skilled in a lot of departments, money, girls, sports, but he put the most value into being good with cars. as if he were scheduling a meeting, thad held out his hand in proposed, “i’ll swing by monday afternoon?” 

xx.

Cole studied Thad’s eyes, attempting to nail down what the other was feeling. Wondering if he’d even thought about why what had happened had happened. But, Cole decided, this ‘deal’ seemed like the best option for them both. If it would make Thad feel good enough not to take out his anger on Cole and Adam, it was good enough for Cole. Though, it was hard for him not to care, not to sympathize with Thad. It wasn’t his place. Thad would figure it out when he was ready.

“Great. Monday it is,” Cole agreed. “I’ll try not to wreck it again before then,” he added in, to ease the tension he’d built up in his mind. Something about Thad being at his house to fix his car felt... risky. But Cole decided not to press the issue. With a polite nod, he left the other standing there and went to look for Adam in the crowd. 

END.

who: Cole & @rcbinbvckleys​

where: hate to say... the hospital

Since Cole and Adam had cleared the air and sort of discussed what happened at the carnival, Adam had refused to leave Cole’s side for more than a few minutes. It was the comfort he needed-- to know that every time he woke up, Adam would be there, holding his hand. Luckily, Cole hadn’t had any visitors who were out of the loop-- Max and his roommate(s) Steve and Eddie were well aware, and when Jack had stopped by it was clear that Adam had told him.

When Robin walked in, Cole instinctively pulled his hand away from Adam’s. With a slightly nervous smile, he greeted Robin. “Hey, Buckley,” he said, his voice notably hoarse. Maybe he was paranoid, but Cole could’ve sworn that her eyes lingered on Adam, his proximity to Cole, the intimate moment she’d walked in on. “You know Adam? We were really close in high school. I’m friends with his sister,” Cole’s cheeks flushed and he knew he was stumbling over his words.

He changed the topic, partially to divert her attention away from the Adam equation and partially because he had been worried about her, since Max mentioned they’d both been separated from the group. “Are you okay? Max mentioned... something.” 

cassieconrads​:

Cassie wanted to laugh at the demise of Cole’s car, but she had just met the guy. Instead, she kept her reaction to wide eyes and a bit of a smile. “Oh, that’s–unfortunate,” she commented, leaving it at a small laugh. “So, I guess your skateboard is now your preferred mode of transportation? What happened?”

She took his hand to shake, imitating his theatrics. “Well, I’m from California, near the San Francisco area, and I didn’t really want to go all the way home for the summer. That, and Nancy always has crazy stories to tell about this place, so I figured it might be a fun time. I had to see all the Hawkins commotion for myself.”

xx.

Cole laughed at the memory, shaking his head. What kind of crossfaded had he been to decide that wrecking his car was the best course of action? “So, my friend Max got herself arrested for vandalism-- even though it was, like, all of us vandalizing, even Nancy, if you believe it!-- and my... bright idea to free her was to crash my car into a cop car. I was the distraction, basically, while the rest of us tried to jail break her,” he explained, ignoring the fact that he sounded like a complete idiot.

“You may be the first person ever to choose Indiana over California, so that makes me think you might just be deranged enough to fit in here,” he teased. “There is always something insane going on, it seems,” Cole paused a beat, navigating them through the empty parking lot. “Have you heard that some people think Hawkins is cursed? Not saying I do, but not saying I don’t.”

After a few days at the hospital, Cole was finally home, in his bed, staring at the same Smiths poster he’d tacked up when he was sixteen. He’d pretended not to notice that his room was much cleaner than he’d left it, instead flashing his mom a guilty smile when she’d first ushered him up the stairs. Cole knew that she’d found his stash of beer cans, and something in her eyes promised he’d be hearing about it later.

His first few days home had passed thanks to a steady rotation of Adam, his mom, and his aunt. He felt better than he had in the hospital, but it was still hard to walk on his own and he hadn’t been sleeping at all. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard people screaming during the explosion or saw Adam shoving him away. None of it made any sense, and Cole wasn’t up to figuring it out. He’d leave that to Will and his friends. 

When his mom called up the stairs that he had a visitor, Cole expected it to be Adam. If it was Max, she would just climb through the window or something, and he assumed Chrissy was under her mother’s lock and key. He was pleasantly surprised when he recognized her sing song-y voice. Pasting on a grin, he attempted to push himself into more of a seated position. “Hey, Chriss!” he said, hissing the ‘s’ sound in pain at his sudden movement. 

Cole smoothed out the comforter for her to sit down. “You didn’t have to do that,” he smiled, though he took a tart right away. Biting into it, he savored the flavor. “This is so much better than hospital food,” he praised her, mouth still full. “God, how did you know I needed this.” 

Wiping any lemon tart remnants off of his mouth, Cole gave Chrissy a half-hearted shrug. “Like I got hit by a bus, honestly.”  

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Chrissy Cunningham & @loverboymontgomery​

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Chrissy’s first order of business after being set free? Visiting Cole!

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Cole’s House!

When Chrissy found out about the explosion at the carnival, she had counted her blessings that she had been far away from the fairgrounds, despite the circumstances. That was until word got around of all who had been killed or hurt and when she heard Cole’s name, she was set into a slight panic which led to calling the Montgomery residence which led to a conversation with Maggie that Cole was fine for the most part, or at least fine enough that he was alive and would recover. She let that qualm her anxiety for the next few days, until she knew that Cole was home from the hospital. She knew that his hospital room was probably full of family and friends, and she just didn’t want to be a burden. She’d let everyone else see him first. 

When she heard that Cole was back home, Chrissy spent most of the morning figuring out what she wanted to bring over. Cole was sick, and what brought someone back to life more than a sweet treat? She sat atop her kitchen counter, perusing her grandmother’s cookbook (until he mom yelled at her to get down), and she eventually settled on a lemon tart recipe she found.

Hours later, lemon tarts in hand, she knocked on the front door. She made light conversation with Cole’s aunt, even handing her a tart, before making her way to Cole’s room. Tapping lightly on the door, she pushed it open, holding up the lemon tarts so high that they were covering her face. “Coley,” she sang, pushing the door closed with her foot. “I’ve got the best medicine you could buy… lemon tarts!” It may or may not have been helpful in her case that she knew Cole liked fruity desserts.

She sat towards the edge of his bed, holding the plate out to him. “How are we feeling?”

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: cole? do you copy?

MAX: i hope you're home because i just got off work and i'm headed right there, loser.

COLE: max? I don't know all the lingo.

COLE: what the fuck does 'copy' mean?

COLE: .... but yeah, i'm here. maybe, uh, give me a minute?

goldenboyrichards​:

Home had always been a safe place for Adam. It was a place full of laughter, of love, a place where he could mostly be himself. Even once Adam had realized he was gay, home hadn’t felt scary or unfamiliar. He hadn’t told his parents or sisters - although, he was pretty sure at least Beth knew - but he hadn’t felt weird about bringing Cole around, either. They were friends first, Cole was technically even Adam’s tutor, so it was never weird having him around. He’d fit into their family seamlessly, almost. Adam could even pretend that it would still be like that if his family fully knew the truth. 

Come home after…. whatever had happened to him over the last three years was the first time things felt off. Something had shifted within the Richards’ household once he had left, something he never could have anticipated. Adam knew that when he and Cole ran away, his family would be hurt. But then Adam hadn’t run away with Cole - he’d gone to live in the forest around Hawkins, apparently. And while he was gone, his family had fractured in small ways. Like the result of an earthquake, the foundation had cracked and changed, and the happy family of five was now a sad family of four. 

Now they were a family of five again, if Adam could just figure out how he fit into the new picture. But it felt like maybe he was too jagged now; his pieces didn’t fit anymore. 

Going out in public seemed too scary these days. Everyone knew his face, knew his name, knew the golden boy he’d been before. And they all wanted to know just what the hell would make someone like him, someone seemingly perfect, disappear for three years. And the worst thing was, Adam had no answers. He didn’t know. Because he just couldn’t wrap his brain around the idea that he would run away and leave Cole behind. 

He sat on his front porch, baseball cap pulled low and sunglasses on to hide his face from prying neighbors. If Mrs. Sanders asked one more fucking time how he was feeling, he might actually explode. As someone approached the front door, Adam was ready to bolt back inside, warm weather be damned, when he heard a voice he knew as well as his own.

“Cole?” He asked, looking up at him to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. But standing there in the flesh was Cole Montgomery. Adam’s heart fluttered at the sight of him standing there with his skateboard, exactly as Adam remembered him. 

Pulling the sunglasses off, Adam tossed them aside carelessly to show Cole that it was him. “Cole, I’m so sorry.” He apologized, slowly standing up and taking a cautious step towards him. Adam didn’t know how upset Cole might be with him; he’d just abandoned him for three years, after all. But… if he was mad at Adam, why was he visiting Adam’s house? “I swear, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to just leave you. I’m so sorry.” 

xx.

Cole’s arms went slack and the VHS tape clattered to the ground. His jaw dropped and he was sure he looked like a cheesy cartoon character. He couldn’t believe he was having another vision, like what happened at the graveyard last week. Only, this time, he knew he had come to the Richards’ house. If nothing else, the VHS was evidence of that. And, besides, if this was a vision-- why would Adam be apologizing for leaving him? As if he had a choice?

If this was a vision, Cole knew it would quickly turn dark-- he’d watch Adam die, again-- so he should just turn around and leave. But Cole couldn’t resist just a few more moments together, one last kiss, even if it was fake. So he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Adam’s torso. Burying his face in Adam’s chest, Cole’s tears pooling against the other’s t-shirt. He squeezed his teary eyes shut and waited for the dark eyes, the “I’m sorry,” the body bursting into flames...

Only, it didn’t. Cole’s death grip around Adam loosened and he peered up at the familiar face. Everything was the same: same lips, same nose, same eyes-- though they looked sadder. What if this was real? He searched his lover’s eyes, looking for answers. If this was real, what did he mean he left? Cole had seen his body, had gone to the funeral, had grieved the death of the only person he could ever love for three years. What kind of sick joke could this be? Cole untangled his hand to swipe at his face and finally choked out: “Are you really real?”