Feat. Jonathan - Blog Posts

xx.

Things were weird and tense and off in most areas of Cole’s life lately-- with Adam, with Max, and in town. Though, he wasn’t exactly predisposed to care all that much about whatever was going on unless it directly affected him. He didn’t know why, but the only place Cole felt like he could escape from everything for a while was The Hideaway-- the old, wooden bar with familiar scrapes and carvings from hundreds of sad sacks just like him. He bet if he looked hard enough, he could even find evidence that dear old dad had spent hours here, too.

He was just finishing his third vodka cran when someone planted two hands on the counter next to him. Cole glanced up at the stranger and instantly wished he hadn’t. A myriad of feelings twisted together in his gut-- embarrassment, guilt, and even jealousy, for some reason. Cole wasn’t the most emotionally intelligent person, but he could tell Jonathan was tense... more than usual. The way he gripped the bar as if it was the only thing keeping him on his feet was evidence enough. “Hey,” he echoed, decidedly not turning to face Jonathan. Decidedly not turning to face much of anything, lately. 

As he continued, Cole’s brow furrowed and he hurriedly took another sip of the drink in front of him, setting it on the bar and grasping the glass tightly between two hands. Truthfully, he didn’t get what Jonathan was angry about, or why he felt so guilty. He remembered the conversation at the Wheeler’s-- of course he did-- but he thought they’d left on good terms. Better terms than this, at least. 

I thought we agreed to be careful. Cole’s grip on the slick glass tightened again, so much so that the glass went careening forward and the sticky liquid pooled onto the bar. “Fuck,” he muttered, grabbing it up and mopping up the spill with the thinnest paper napkin he’d ever been given. He used it as a ploy to buy time, wiping up every streak and stuffing the napkin into his now-empty glass with an apologetic smile at the bartender. 

If they’d agreed to be careful, Cole didn’t remember. Maybe he’d been more drunk than he realized; but it was a party, anyway, who wasn’t drunk? Maybe Jonathan had been, too, and they’d both come away with different ideas about the conversation. “I just thought...” he started, angling his shoulders in Jonathan’s direction and shrugging as he trailed off. He didn’t know what he was thinking, telling Will without so much as a heads-up. He doesn’t quite remember what the urgency was all about, either. “I mean, I guess I thought he should know.”

As the bartender brought another drink to Cole, he relished the opportunity to look at someone other than Jonathan. “Thanks, man,” he muttered, taking a sip and scanning the other occupants. “Joyce was fine with it, so I figured I should just, like... rip off the band-aid,” Cole said, nonchalant glance in Jonathan’s direction.

Who: Jonnie & @loverboymontgomery​​

Where: The Hideaway

Why: Nuclear War

TW: Alcohol/Alcoholism.

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Jonathan entered The Hideaway and immediately recognized the mop of curls sitting at the bar.

Cole.

He drove over to this pub half expecting to see nothing but a few old geezers enjoying an afternoon pitcher of beer. It was, after all, 3pm on a weekday but finding him here was almost poetic after their discussion on the Wheeler patio. Clearly, the tip he gathered earlier about Cole spending an atrocious amount at this place hadn’t been wrong.

Jonathan had given himself a few days to gather his thoughts after Will approached him about Cole’s second patio reveal. The entire conversation threw him completely off-guard. Will didn’t seem particularly affected by the newfound family dynamic but he wondered why Cole hadn’t approached him before dropping the bomb. Between struggling to keep his head above water at work, running around town and Hawkins Lab like a rat for information, grasping at straws to mend his already precarious friendship with Nancy … He didn’t want to deal with this right now but replaying the whole Wheeler patio conversation in his head left one question hanging heavy in his chest: what happened to Cole’s whole - “Don’t worry, it can be our little secret?”

Jonathan opted not to take a seat as he approached the bar and instead planted his hands down on the counter. “Hey.” He said, rocking himself forward to take a breath before turning his head to study Cole. Maybe his message at the barbecue hadn’t been clear. “I heard …  that you showed up at my mom’s place-” He paused, eyes flickering towards the bartender who was now looking at him. “I’m okay. Thanks.” He confirmed, pursing his lips into a small smile that read -  I don’t need a drink right now.

Returning to the issue at hand, he kept his voice calm but serious, “What … what were you thinking, man? I thought we-” he eyed condensation pooling between the glass and coaster in front of Cole, one heel bouncing into the sticky pub floor, “I thought we agreed to be careful.”

byersphotography​:

..

Jonathan pursed his lips as Cole knocked over the planter, resisting the urge to hush him.His heart raced. This was an overwhelming piece of news. Today had literally been an emotional roller coaster. He couldn’t think straight right now and the disorientation frustrated him.

“Okay.” He nodded, acknowledging Cole’s statement.His mom knew. Perfect. It was a good sign. Why hadn’t she said anything, though? This was a pretty sensitive family issue. Jonathan loved his mother - he’d lay down his life for her, but sometimes her choices really perplexed him. What were they going to do with this information? Sometimes it felt like he was the only one who feared instability.

“No – Cole.” He glanced over Cole’s shoulder, frowning to navigate his own thoughts.  “I’m not mad.” To be honest, Jonathan wasn’t sure what he felt. This whole situation was fucked up. “Can you just - be careful, okay?” He wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by careful. All he knew was that this patio conversation couldn’t continue with Cole like this, in this state. He swallowed, grappling with the reality that maybe he didn’t want people to know about this. Right now he couldn’t put his finger on why. “I don’t know … how my brother will react to this.” He used brother in the singular form. It wasn’t a malicious choice but Will was truly the only thing on his mind right now. And perhaps he just wanted to buy time for himself, to figure out how he should react to this news.

xx.

Now lost in thought about Joyce Byers, a pensive look overtook Cole’s features. He ran a hand through his hair, depositing soil on his forehead. “Your mom-- she’s really nice,” he said, nodding as if to affirm his own statement. “And so is my mom.”  Leaning against the porch railing, Cole rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “Why were they with such an asshole?” his tone was bordering on philosophical, and beer sloshing around in his gut defeated any attempts to read Jonathan’s expression-- or pick up on how much Jonathan really didn’t want to talk about this. 

Jonathan’s admission--I’m not mad-- was like balm to Cole’s soul, and a wide smile spread across his features. He reached out to pull Jonathan into a bear hug-- a brotherly love hug-- but once again his foot got caught on that damn snake plant. Dropping his arms, all thoughts of a warm embrace vanished at Jonathan’s chastisement. “I’m always careful....” Cole said, unconvincingly. At the mention of Jonathan’s brother-- singular-- Cole’s eyebrows knit together. “Oh, Will, right,” he slurred, then forced a smirk onto his lips. “Don’t worry. It can be our little secret,” Cole wiggled his eyebrows, though his stomach was churning and he felt like he might vomit.

“Get home safe--” bro, he was going to say. Cole’s tone was dismissive; If he were more clearheaded, maybe he would realize he was hurt. But, thankfully, the alcohol numbed it out and allowed Cole to twist on his heel and clamor down the stairs, deciding to wait for Adam further away from the house-- get some fresh air and finish his cigarette. Plus, if he was going to vomit, he’d rather it be away from any watchful eyes. 

END.

byersphotography​:

TW: FAMILY ABUSE MENTION

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“I’m fiiiiine.” 

Cole’s assurance didn’t strike confidence. This guy needed help. He sighed, exasperated - the best course of action would be to drive him home. Where did this dude even live? While Jonathan had plans to go downtown and investigate Barb’s return, he couldn’t leave Cole stranded on this patio … even if it meant cleaning vomit from the carpet of his passenger seat. “Come on.” He shrugged towards the patio stairs. “I’ll take you home, man-”

“Lonnie, dude, he’s my daddy too,”

Cut off - the realization dawned on him. Lonnie. He hadn’t heard it aloud in a long time. Cole really couldn’t have come up with a more shocking way of saying – Surprise. Your dad fucked my mom. We’re all alcoholics in this family.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. This couldn’t happen here. Right now. Jonathan’s stomach sunk seeing Mike blast by the door. He did the only logical thing and sprung into action, calmly pulling Cole by the sleeve of his shirt to a corner of the patio, lowering his voice. “Are you fucking with me right now?” He knew Will was somewhere in the Wheeler house. Lonnie was virtually dead to him, but his mom and brother always seemed more affected by his antics. He wasn’t sure how they would react to this news. His own relationship with Lonnie was terrible. Fighting, yelling, neglect – it had all been tucked away in effort to keep the family afloat, but his dad had also been gone for a long time now. Things were good now. The Byers household didn’t need Lonnie’s legacy resurfaced for all of Hawkins to see – especially on his ex-girlfriend’s front porch, in one of the most pristine neighborhoods in town. “Who knows about this, Cole?” Jonathan remained calm but close to Cole, arm still on his shoulder, trying to decipher his drunken expression.

If only he could go back five minutes in time to the peace of Nancy’s bedroom.

xx.

Cole wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so tipsy-- were he thinking straight before the barbecue, perhaps he would’ve eaten something before playing several rounds of beer pong-- but he’d been so anxious about the conflict between he and Adam that he didn’t know the last time he’d had more than a few crackers. And unfortunately, Jonathan was experiencing the brunt of his thoughtlessness.  

At Jonathan’s offer to take him home, Cole shook his head furiously. “No, no, it’s okay, dude--” he paused, dizzy from the motion. “My boy... best... friend is taking me home,” he smiled at the thought of Adam. “Don’t worry, can’t drive anyway,” Cole murmured, picturing his mom’s wrecked car, a side effect from the last ‘party’ Cole had attended. 

There it was again, that look. Cole scrunched up his face, peering at Jonathan’s. Before he could ask if there was something on his face, Jonathan was pulling Cole away. In his less-than-coordinated state, Cole stumbled into a planter. “Fuck!” he exclaimed, as the snake plant toppled over. “Sorry, Karen,” he called over his shoulder, into the darkness. “’m not fucking with you, ‘m sorry... didn‘t mean to kick the plant,” he answered with a deep frown. Leaning down, Cole made a valiant attempt to right the planter, instead pushing too hard and sending it toppling to the other side. “Well, shit,” he stared at the feat of gravity. 

Jonathan repeated himself, causing Cole to raise on wobbly legs and look at him. “--the plant? I dunno, dude, there’s no one out here?” He scratched his head, nevermind the potting soil on his fingers. When Jonathan’s arm reached out to steady Cole, he stared at the other’s hand. Lonnie. Right. “Your mom,” he offered, leaning into Jonathan’s stability.  “Told her... a few days ago...” he struggled to remember what day it was, when he’d talked to Joyce. A warmth crept through his body at the memory of her acceptance. 

Suddenly insecure and unable to read Jonathan, Cole’s expression drooped. “Are you mad at me?”

byersphotography​:

Striped wallpaper - it haunted him on his way down the stairs. Flushed, he opted for the front door. It was the fastest way to his car. Jonathan’s first time back in the Wheeler residence had been … successful? He wasn’t entirely sure. Regardless, no amount of cocktail offers would make it easier to stick around any longer. His adventures down the rabbit hole of a Wheeler supply closet and heartfelt throwback in Nancy’s bedroom needed to end.

Jonathan opened the front door, reaching for his car keys as he walked towards the patio stairs. Cole’s greeting caught him off guard. As of lately, people always seemed to slap him around the shoulder. “Heey.” He said, frowning at the use of brother. Sharing a joint at the keg party was a nice gesture but it didn’t produce a cosmic bond between them. “Yeah, thanks - yeah – I uh, I guess it was.” The way Cole examined  him added tension to his already uncomfortable stance. 

This day could not get any weirder. Removing himself from Cole’s grasp, Jonathan looked at him with desperation that read – I can’t do this right now. “Are you okay?” He looked around, wondering if the guy was alone on the patio. Is Cole always drunk? It probably wasn’t ethical to leave him out here like this. Jonathan really didn’t remember much from high school - especially Cole.  “What… what are you talking about, man?”

xx.

“Was sooooo good,” Cole said with a goofy grin, using the porch’s railing to swing away from Jonathan. He stumbled over his feet but caught himself, laughing hat his lack of coordination. “Said it’s from California? Or... Colorado? No! Culver City,” he decided, nodding with finality. “Gotta go sometime, bro.”

As hard as he concentrated, Cole couldn’t decipher Jonathan’s expression. He felt like the other was trying to send him a message, but his face was blurry-- Cole wished he would just say it, whatever it was. “What?” he asked, louder than he had intended. “I’m fiiiiine. ‘S been a fun night.” Cole leaned his back against the porch railing and smiled absentmindedly into the dark. 

“Lonnie, dude, he’s my daddy too,” he laughed, like he’d just told an incredibly intelligent joke. Hearing commotion by the front door, Cole turned, hoping it was Adam finally escaping from his final round of goodbyes. He frowned when he saw it was just one of the kids-- Mike-- rushing past the door. “Looks like everyone had fun,” he commented as if to continue a casual conversation, then turned to Jonathan with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, I didn’t see you earlier? You just get here?”

who: Cole & @byersphotography​​

where: Outside the Wheeler barbecue 

when: the end of the BBQ!

Cole had been hitting the beer pretty heavy throughout the night, not unintentionally, but that didn’t mean he wanted anyone else to notice. So, he slipped to the front lawn somewhere between beer pong games to catch some fresh air and have a smoke; maybe the nicotine would help him hide the fact that by now he was properly tipsy. 

He was standing on the front porch, propped up by the railing, when the door opened. Turning too quickly for how dizzy he was, Cole’s eyes landed on none other than Jonathan Byers. “Jonathan!” he said, with enthusiasm that could only be described as drunken. “Hey, brother,” Cole grinned, clapping the other on the shoulder and giving him a squeeze. “That shit you brought to Skull Rock? Fuckin’ great, dude,” he explained. 

Furrowing his brow, Cole studied Jonathan’s face, as if he was looking for something. Looking for any similarities between his own face and his half-brother’s. “You know, back in high school, I thought-- no way we’re brothers. We’re soooo different. But now-” a hiccup interrupted his thought, “I get it!”