Xx.

backtowheeler​:

Nancy was surprised to see Cole Montgomery show up at the little shindig put on by her mom. She knew this was mostly the time for Karen to shuffle her eldest and most successful child around (who knows? Maybe Holly will grow up to be a doctor!) for all her friends to see. It wasn’t so much about Nancy’s friends, and she especially didn’t expect to see Cole. Maybe Max, or Robin, but her and Cole’s family had such a convoluted past that she’d thought he’d sit this one out.

For all intensive purposes, Nancy and Cole should have hated each other. They were pitted against each other from the moment they were born. Nancy could recall early years when Karen would mutter to her that Cole had gotten a better score than her on a Social Studies test, pushing Nancy to try harder and be better, a mantra she would often hear until the day she left Hawkins and moved to Boston. Yet, she never had disdain for Cole. She learned early on that it wasn’t him doing anything, it was her mother perpetuating a different narrative, and while they weren’t close in high school, Nancy was glad they could grow closer in recent years.

“Probably drop dead,” she chuckled, knocking her cup against his. Nancy was legally able to drink (the National Minimum Drinking Age Act had never affected Indiana), but her parents weren’t heavy drinkers and assumed the same for their children. Or at least for Nancy. The booze was mostly there for guests and no one else. “I wish, but I’d like to try to keep her panic to a minimum,” she took a sip from her cup. “What brought you here? Surely it can’t be just because of me.”

Cole chuckled at the thought of Mrs. Wheeler spontaneously combusting; it’s not that he hated her, he didn’t dislike her at all, really, it’s just that he hated what she represented: the overbearing presence of a small town, the way everyone everywhere was ready to whisper about you behind your back. There’s a certain type of person who does well in this town: someone like Nancy, who is generally impressive and straight-edge (or so she seems). But Cole knows what that’s like, and he knows all-too-well the fear of bursting everyone’s bubble.

Maybe that’s what drew him to Nancy. He sensed there was more underneath the surface, that she could also understand the feeling of hiding from everyone. Maybe, together, they could escape from it all a while. Part of him was disappointed when she declined his offer to get out of there, but he knew it was for the best. “Keep her panic to a minimum,” he repeated, “probably best for your sanity, anyway.” 

A wry smile teased the edges of Cole’s mouth. “Funny you should ask, actually, I bummed a ride off Harrington,” he said, raising his beer to his lips and keeping his eyes trained on her face. He hoped he could deduce exactly what was going on between the once-hottest couple in town from her expression, but he guessed Nancy was sneakier than that. She wouldn’t reveal anything she didn’t want to... but Cole was never above prying. “So, you excited to see him? What’s the deal?” 

bethkrichards​:

“You know, just because you’re sick in bed, it doesn’t give you a free pass to talk about how attractive you think my brother is,” Beth teased, giving his shoulder a poke with her finger. “When I come back, I’ll be throwing popcorn at you the whole movie.” Cole wanted to try something new, and this was it. They’d never really talked about Adam in this same light in years. It was strange, getting used to talking about him in the present tense, leaving out the part about his death like it’d never happened. Ever since Adam had come back, they’d never discussed why or how his sudden reappearance came to be: it just was. That seemed to be more than enough for both of them.

Still, she sauntered off to the kitchen, throwing in a bowl of kernels to microwave, just as Cole had asked. Beth noticed that there was a photo of the three of them in there again, perched on a shelf, from Adam’s football days. One that made her smile now, instead of wanting to cry. “Here’s your snack, my liege,” she offered upon reappearance, sitting down on the couch beside him with a bowl full of warm popcorn. “Forgive me for a moment until I get up again and put the movie in, will you? I want to hear about how you’re doing without the voice, and face, of Link Larkin distracting us.”

xx.

“What, I need a pass now? Being the love of his life suddenly isn’t enough?” Cole pouted, leaning his head back dramatically. “Count your blessings, Elizabeth, because if he hadn’t met me do you have any idea how many guys he would’ve gone through looking like that?” He was intentionally laying it on thick, and the grin showing through his hand was evidence enough. As Beth stood up to get the popcorn, Cole couldn’t help the content smile on his face. Sure, things were complicated with what happened at the carnival and how Adam came back in the first place, but he couldn’t help how right this felt. How this was always what life was meant to be. 

Cole took the bowl, ignoring the pang in his ribs as he stretched his arm out to grab it. At this point, the pain was all the same, just a dull, nagging ache. “Woah, no need for formalities. I’m still the same old Cole,” he teased. He took a few pieces of popcorn and smiled agreeably at her proposition. They did have a lot to catch up on. “Link Larkin can wait.” Cole shifted his body so he could face Beth head-on. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m worried about him, you know? He’s gonna carry that shit-- the guilt-- no matter what I say.”

@goldenboyrichards

PARKS AND RECREATION — 4.05 “Meet n Greet”

𝐌𝐘 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐘

WHO: max mayfield & @loverboymontgomery WHAT: after max and cole hop of their walkies, max shows up, heart to hearts are had, and the glimpses of each other in their own behaviors become abundantly apparent (aka colemax mirrors w hints of lumax and richgomery) WHERE: the montgomery residence, july 1st-ish

Keep reading

who: Cole & @sinclairss​​

where: The Hideaway 🍻 

Since he’d been admitted to the hospital, Cole had rarely had a moment alone. He didn’t mind it, when the people surrounding him were Adam or Max or Chrissy or Beth, not at all! But he had so many questions and was exhausted to his core with worry, and around them? Cole wouldn’t express that. Everyone else was scared enough, the last thing he wanted to do was add to that. Even still, Cole hadn’t been able to get the carnival out of his head-- the way Adam had reverted back to whatever happened before he died-- the way Max wasn’t even there-- the way Tommy H had acted more animal than human. 

So he’d found himself at The Hideaway a few times this week, somewhere he doubted any of his friends and certainly not his boyfriend would willingly go. It was a nice excuse to wallow for a while, allow himself to drown the fear in a few jack and cokes. At the moment, Cole was on his third, desperately trying to numb the ache in his chest, the uncertainty about whether or not Adam would live to the end of the week. Cole finished the glass, setting it down on the bar with a rattle, and motioned to the bar tender that he’d take another. With his eyes lifted, Cole saw the last person he’d expected to see: Lucas Sinclair. When it was clear that the other had seen him, Cole lifted a hand in greeting and pasted a smile on his face. 

“Hey, man. What... uh, what are you doing here?” Cole asked, ignoring the twinge of embarrassment in his gut. Drinking alone was so uncharacteristically uncool. “Can I buy you a drink?” he offered, figuring Lucas had some shit to air out, too. He’d been attacked by Tommy H, after all, and that was the last Cole remembered seeing of him before the explosion. Though, admittedly, he’d been a little busy. 

who: cole & @joycefm​​

where: the byers residence

I know the timing isn’t great, but I just wanted to let you know... No. I just wanted to run this by you... Still no. I hope Will’s okay and also I’m his half brother. 

The entire ride to the Byers house, Cole tried to rehearse his opening line. So far, nothing inspiring had come to mind. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous; Joyce had always been kind and everyone in town knew how much he loved her boys. But, Cole wasn’t sure how she’d feel about her ex-husband having another one... who happened to be very close in age to her oldest.

To Cole’s credit, he hadn’t grown up around Lonnie; Maggie was convinced Lonnie didn’t even connect the dots and realize that Cole was his. Fitting. Cole never felt like he was missing out on much, and after his mom told him who his real dad was when he was sixteen, Cole knew for sure he was better off without Lonnie Byers as a father figure. He felt a pang of guilt, knowing that Jonathan, Will, and Joyce had to live with the asshole for so long.

Before he knew it, Cole was on the Byers’ front porch, his hand balled in a fist to knock on the door. Now or never. He knocked, stepped back, and pasted a smile on his face when Joyce opened the door. “Hi, Mrs. Byers! Sorry to just barge in... but I was hoping you had a minute?” 

zccming​:

.

“a shrink.” max echoed with a laugh, “boys are so dramatic.” and it was true, not about his feelings, but for believing there was something wrong with them. big hypocrite thing of her to say, but the rules were different when placed on his shoulders. she didn’t think cole needed a shrink, not for what he had with adam, and not for missing it. sometimes, max felt like grief was her best friend in place of el, so she couldn’t judge how it’s cruelty made anyone feel. but she was high, and she was curious, and it was cole. stuck in her head, max remained laying on her back even when he flipped over, but she still eyed him closely when she spoke, “moving here really sucked for me…” she opened up, something must have been in the air. “and mike and lucas and dustin and will are all really awesome, but it hasn’t always been like that. you know i mean, they’re guys, it’s different. i had to weasel my way into their circle. but then el came along and everything clicked and just like that she was gone again and now she’s back and–” max started feeling like she had never said so many words at once, so she stopped her stoned ramblings, closed her eyes tightly, and forced herself to reset. 

max thought back to the conversation her and cole had at blue quarry mall, how he’d come clean on accident, and how relieved he looked when he had. max wondered what that felt like, to let it all go and free fall for a moment into the arms of someone she trusted. she opened her eyes, then slowly turned onto her side to face cole, “i’ve been really confused about my feelings lately.” she admitted, sure he was familiar with the feeling. “and you’re a shithead but not about this stuff.” max added, then revealed, “i think i’ve always known i’ve liked girls.” the air left her lungs as she waited for a response. thanks to the weed, this revelation didn’t feel so world ending, in fact, max felt calm, ready for cole’s reaction. she was so mellowed in fact, she added, “but with el it’s different…what you said about missing adam… when she was gone, that’s how i felt.” max couldn’t really explain to cole how she spent half the time speculating eleven was dead, but she hoped he could feel her sincerity. stupidly, she concluded, “but i don’t know what that means.” 

xx.

Cole laughed, allowing himself to flop onto his back and stare at the ceiling. Max had a point, but he found that it was easier to joke about the pain than to sit with it. He remembered right after Adam died, when he went to visit Adam’s sisters. He’d snuck into Adam’s room and stolen a few shirts, a photo, random artifacts that proved to him that what they had was real. He thought about that now, wondered if Max felt the same way when El was gone. Cole offered a sad smile, he knew completely how that felt... well, up to the him coming back part. “Honestly? I think some connections are like that. There’s a distinct before and after... people you’ll never be the same after meeting and loving them,” he mused, blowing smoke into the stale air. 

He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face; he was glad Max felt safe enough to tell him the truth. He reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it to show that he understood. “What’s there to be confused about, then?” he asked, not in a prodding way, but gently. Cole took another drag and passed the joint back. “What do you want it to mean?” he asked, figuring she already knew the answer. Cole tucked a hand behind his head, lost in thought for a moment. “Did I tell you that Adam broke up with me before he died?” He’d been thinking about that a lot lately, about how Adam was completely different the days before the fire; how his eyes were even different, darker somehow. He knew he would never get answers, but he had never shared it with anyone and figured now was as good a time as any.

thequeenofhawkins​:

— ♔ —

“Easy, don’t hurt yourself for me,” Chrissy teased as Cole hissed in pain. He looked… good. Better than she had expected him to look, at least. Sure, he had a cast and was in clear pain, but after she heard of explosion followed by people dying followed by her friends being hospitalized, she expected Cole to look fully out of commission. “Sorry, I didn’t visit sooner. I just thought that your hospital room would be jam packed,” and I didn’t want to be a burden. “And you know how my mom is. I’m pretty sure she’s convinced that if I walk into a hospital, I’ll come out with some disease.”

But today wasn’t about her, it was about Cole. “I know I didn’t, but sugar will like, totally heal you,” it may have not been her most sound advice, but she had dealt with her fair share of torn ligaments and sprained ankles. Cheering was a dangerous sport at times, and nothing made her feel better than something a little indulgent when she felt bad. She grabbed her own tart, not caring about how there was the nagging voice of Laura Cunningham in her head telling her not to enjoy a dessert because it would go straight to her thighs or something equally as ridiculous. “Right? So much better than Jell-O and moldy sandwiches,” she agreed, sticking the lemon tart in her mouth, and reaching over to place the plate on Cole’s nightstand. 

She chewed up the tart before speaking again. Another Laura Cunningham ingrained thought? Never speak with an open mouth. Although that one sounded like decent advice. “You look better than I thought you would,” she admitted with a light laugh. “I really thought you were going to be in a full body cast,” then she peeked around the corner to make sure Maggie or Maude weren’t lurking. She glanced back at Cole. “How’s Adam taking it all? He’s not being a total maniac, is he?”

xx.

“I figured,” Cole said, unable to help the smile Chrissy brought out of him. To him, she was a reminder of a simpler time, the first person other than Adam who fully knew him and fully accepted him. “You’ll never guess who I shared a room with,” he paused a beat to build suspense. “Steve Harrington. I’m afraid most of the visitors were for him,” he joked. 

Taking another tart and plopping it in his mouth, Cole raise both his eyebrows. “I feel better already,” he declared. It was true, though he doubted it had much to do with the dessert and more to do with her company. “Fucking Steve Harrington took all my Jell-O,” he grumbled. “But I bet he doesn’t have a homemade lemon tart, so I win anyways.” He leaned back against his pillows, genuinely glad to be out of the hospital room, away from the constant alcohol smell, the too-bright lights, and the beeps and whirrs that kept him up all night.

Cole laughed at the image of him in a full body cast, then promptly winced. Laughter didn’t feel good yet, which hadn’t been a problem until now. Readjusting the ice pack on his rib cage, he sighed. “Helps to be naturally pretty, I guess. Distracts from the wounds,” he joked. At the mention of Adam, though, the smile melted off of Cole’s lips. Adam hadn’t been hurt physically, but mentally and emotionally? The carnival had done a number on him. ‘A total maniac’ was one way to describe his out-of-body experience. 

Furrowed brow, Cole studied his hands. He didn’t know how much to tell Chrissy; if she didn’t know anything, why should she be burdened with it? But on the other hand, what if she was in danger, too? He should’ve asked Chance about it when he visited the other day. “He’s... yeah, not great. Just, worried I think. He feels guilty. You know how he always finds a way to feel guilty,” Cole confided, knowing that even without all of the details, she would recognize this pattern. 

willthewize​:

    Will returned the friendly smile as Cole called him over, raising his hand in a little wave as a greeting. “Hey! I’m not doing anything right now if you wanna hang out,” he offered. It had been a while since they’d really had a proper conversation, but he wasn’t busy and Cole was definitely a welcome presence.

     The simple mention of the camping trip as a launching point for a catch-up chat, however, caused the grin on his face to falter. Not-so-pleasant memories from the day immediately resurfaced and he offered a shrug in response. “It was okay, I guess,” he said, glancing away. He was never very good at lying. In fact, the trip was pretty uncomfortable for more than one reason, but he wasn’t about to dump all of that on someone who wasn’t involved with any of it.

    “How about you? Did you have a good time?” He met Cole’s eyes again as he returned the question and relaxed his expression back into something more open, hopeful. He would love to hear that the other guy’s night had been a lot more fun, that it involved a lot less embarrassment, confusion, panic and general unease. Somebody should have had a good time at the lake at least, because he knew nobody he’d been stuck in the cabin with had.

xx.

When Cole first found out that he and the Byers boys shared a father, it had somehow made sense to him, intuitively. He and Jonathan had never been super close despite being the same age, and neither had he and Will for the opposite reason, but Cole always felt a soft spot for the younger Byers. Maybe because Will couldn’t seem to catch a break, maybe it was simply biological. Smiling at Will’s suggestion, Cole nodded. “Sounds great. Where to? Don’t you guys usually hang at the Palace?” Cole could’ve sworn that Max had mentioned the arcade as a meeting point for the party a few times.

Cole noticed the change in Will’s expression when he brought up the camping trip and immediately felt a pang of guilt. Clearly, that was an off-limits topic for now, and Cole had hit a sore spot. Though he didn’t get the impression that Will was similar to Max in that he would react poorly to prodding, Cole didn’t feel it was his place to pry. So he let the answer go without comment, and followed Will’s diversion.

“It was okay, I guess,” he repeated, with a teasing smile. Then, leaning back against the bench, Cole decided to be a bit more honest. “It was really weird, honestly.” The last thing he wanted to do was stress Will out about something going on in Hawkins, especially given what Max had told him about Will being sort of the first one to fall victim to the alternate universe Hawkins. Following Will’s example, he diverted. “But it was nice to see everyone all together. Especially with all of this... commune stuff. It felt like a reunion.” 

@zccming

one of the best/funniest dynamics on TV is antagonistic best friends who insult each other constantly but are immediately in cahoots whenever there’s a whiff of shenanigans. nothing better than two bozos bickering nonstop as they execute the stupidest plan you’ve ever heard