Feat. Will - Blog Posts

willthewize​:

     Will looked up from his sketchbook as a familiar figure approached, a surprised smile forming on his face to see him out of the blue. Cole hadn’t called to let him know he was stopping by, but it wasn’t an unwelcome visit by any means. But then something about the nervous tone the other guy spoke with—or just the words themselves, there’s something I wanna talk to you about, which were never usually the opener to a pleasant conversation—clued him into the fact that this was maybe more serious than a friendly little hang-out, and his easy grin faltered.

     “Sure, wanna…?” He motioned to the bench, the space next to him, offering a seat before Cole continued on to say that he had talked to Jonathan, and…why would he feel the need to tell him that, anyway? What was this all abo…Lonnie’s my dad, too. Oh. Oh. That wasn’t the last thing Will had expected to hear: it wasn’t even on the list.  His gaze suddenly focused on the sling Cole wore, the loose threads he fiddled with and he replied, “How is your arm doing?” It was almost funny that he would rather talk about the aftermath of the carnival, with its explosions and casualties, than his—their—father.

     He had to answer the massive revelation that was just dropped. Paradigm-altering information. His dad was Cole’s dad, too. But what was he supposed to say—my condolences? This shouldn’t be quite as much of a rug-pull as all that had been happening this summer with the border and the doppelganger and the cabin and who knew what else. Was it really surprising that Lonnie Byers had had another son with someone out there (even one whose age made it clear that the man had had an affair?) Not really. But Will couldn’t help the feeling that in all of this, he was the butt of some cosmic joke right now.

     It was like he was always the last to know anything, like he was always the one who walked into a room right after something cool happened, always just missing the moment. Or in cases like this—like nobody thought he could handle the truth; he was just too fragile, too sensitive, or at least that was how everyone viewed him. Jonathan knew? Will didn’t even think he and Cole were friends. How long was ‘a while back,’ anyway: a couple weeks or even longer? When the hell would Will become an active participant in his own life, instead of stuff just…happening and him learning to deal with it. Not today, evidently.

     Rather than allowing himself to get upset, Will had to remember that this wasn’t just a big deal to him, in fact it wasn’t about him. It was Cole’s news to share when he felt ready—the fact that they were…they were brothers. They were half-brothers. They were related. They have been this whole time. Well, obviously. Cole has known it, the whole time…? Will forced himself to look up and meet his eyes. “That must have been really difficult for you,” he said. “Thanks for telling me.” That wasn’t what he wanted to say. He had so many questions and no way to verbalize them, because the moment he started, he just stuttered, “So, when did…I mean, have you always…Did you…What?”

xx.

Too nervous to sit down, Cole leaned against the porch rail instead, his nervous fingers moving between picking at the cast to tapping on the splintering wood  Cole’s expression betrayed his bewilderment at Will’s question. Had he heard what he’d said? Had he said it aloud at all? But, autopilot kicked in and he answered with a shrug, “It’s fine, I guess. Just a fracture. Should be off in a few more weeks.” 

He studied Will’s face, trying to read any emotion he could detect, and also trying to find any similarities, any features they shared. Growing up, Cole had always been told he was the spitting image of his mother-- he had her dark curls and her eyes and her cheekbones. Maybe he hoped he had her temperament too-- her easygoing spirit, her openness. But lately he’s wondered what all he’d inherited from the other side: the drinking? The standoffishness? The thought itself made him want to reach for the flask in his back pocket, but he could investigate that urge later. 

Will seemed upset, which was understandable. It was a lot to take in, and Cole’s lingering feeling of being exposed intensified. Maybe Will and Jonathan were upset at him-- maybe he was right in thinking that his very existence was a scandal. It certainly made sense, even his own grandparents had wanted to hide him away, to let his mother and aunt raise him in New York. For a brief moment, Cole entertained the question: what would his life look like now if he’d stayed in New York? Who would he be? Would it be better for everyone in Hawkins if he’d simply stayed gone?

When Will finally spoke, Cole’s shoulders relaxed in relief. Whatever it was, it was better than the silence. But he certainly hadn’t expected this. Cole opened his mouth to respond, then clamped it shut again. Will was... thanking him? He couldn’t make sense of that. Will was a sweet kid, he’d always known that, but this level of empathy felt like too much to ask for. “No, don’t... I mean... I’m sorry,” he managed. He was lost, wondering how Will was being so nice about it all. Maybe it wasn’t a huge deal to him, but... wouldn’t it be to Cole if the roles were reversed? He’d probably be furious, but maybe Will hadn’t inherited the rage gene from Lonnie. 

Then, when Will tried asking for more information, Cole clicked into gear. That he could do. The minefield of what each of them were thinking and feeling, not so much in his lane. “Right. I found out five years ago,” Cole admitted, with an apologetic smile. “There was sort of... a lot going on for you guys. I didn’t want to, like, make it worse.” Cole shrugged, not sure if Max had told Will that Cole knew, but not sure it even mattered at the moment. “Then, I... guess I thought it wasn’t a big deal for a while. But, with everything...” he gestured vaguely, hoping to communicate that he meant the bigger picture in town.

“I wanted you to hear it from me,” he settled on. Not that Cole’s life was in any immediate danger, other than the way that everyone’s was all the time. Still, it felt like an urgent enough need to come here today. 

who: Cole & @willthewize​

where: the Byers’ porch!

what: brother reveal (2.0) (semi-sober version)

The day after the Wheeler’s Fourth of July barbecue Cole woke up with a pounding headache and a faint memory of a conversation with Jonathan Byers. But, he’d also woken up in Adam’s arms, and that took precedence. Still, the memory haunted him; Cole couldn’t escape the embarrassment he felt knowing that he’d been noticeably drunk when he told Jonathan they were related. Not his brightest moment. 

In truth, he’d wanted to tell Will first-- he’d even tried before, after the camping trip at the lake, but he was too nervous. Cole figured that it might be an easier pill for Will to swallow, since they weren’t close in age like he and Jonathan. He’d fully intended to tell Will right away, Jonathan’s warning to ‘be careful’ ringing in his ears and convincing him that he needed to tell Will before someone else did. But, then the explosion happened and Cole was in the hospital. 

At this point, he didn’t know what to expect, and he was certainly worse for for the wear: bruises and cuts still healing, arm in a sling, bursts of pain in his torso from the broken ribs, and the ever-present fear that something worse was going to happen. That something worse might cause him to lose Adam again. And if something worse happened and Cole died (physically or otherwise) before he got to talk to Will, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. 

So, he filled up his flask-- only for a few bursts of liquid courage-- and drove over to the Byers’ neighborhood. Only, he couldn’t stop in front of the house. Nervous fingers tapping on the steering wheel, Cole looped around the neighborhood once. Twice. Three times. God, he didn’t have the gas money for that, so he parked about five houses down and got out, careful not to bang his ribs or his arm on the car, and began pacing. 

About a half hour passed, accompanied by a few more swigs of the stinging liquid, and the dread didn’t go away. So Cole took a deep breath and approached the house... only to see Will sitting on the porch, sketchbook in hand. Had he seen him the whole time? An embarrassed flush gathered on Cole’s cheeks, and he wiped his good hand on his jeans to dispel the sweat that had gathered.

“Hey, man,” Cole greeted, attempting to put on a casual smile. “Got a minute? There’s something I wanna talk to you about,” the words fell out in a jumbled heap, but he was glad he’d said it. That he couldn’t escape from it this time. “I talked to Jonathan a while back and, I just... I thought I should tell you.” Cole studied his sling, picking at the fabric fraying on the edge. “Lonnie’s my dad, too.” Saying it out loud, without copious amounts of beer to numb the feeling, left Cole feeling like he’d ripped a bandaid off. He was exposed, bare, vulnerable to whatever Will’s response would be. He wished desperately that he remembered what Jonathan had said, if only to have some litmus for how this would go.

willthewize​:

    “Yeah, the Palace. If you’re into video games?” That came out more like a question than he’d intended. He wasn’t sure whether Cole was actually interested in hitting up the arcade or if he was just picking a spot he knew Will liked because it was easier than the alternative of going back and forth trying to figure out where the hell else to go or what else there was to do in this small town. Either way, he was down to head over there for a hangout if Cole was willing.

     When his own words were used back at him, he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips even as he rolled his eyes. Then, as Cole said something that was a little more real, a little more open—It was really weird, honestly—Will straightened up in interest. “God, I know, right? It was…weird, yeah.” He didn’t exactly know what the other guy was referring to, but what they’d discovered at the cabin was enough to rattle him and the rest of the party.

     As for the mention of the commune stuff, Will shrugged. He didn’t really know much about that besides the news coming out about people returning from some weird forest community, but nobody he knew very well. Not enough for him to feel like it was a reunion, at least. Cole’s use of the word sparked his curiosity. “Oh, did you have family or a friend who was involved with that?”

Cole chuckled and shrugged “I’m not not into video games... but maybe I get my ass handed to me every time Max and I play.” He stood up, motioning for Will to follow him. At least the Palace gave them something to do, something to take Cole’s mind off of the piece of information lodged in his throat. He knew timing wasn’t his strong suit, but Cole had to wonder if there was some information that even timing couldn’t make palatable. 

At Will’s reaction, Cole’s dull worry that the camping trip had been weird for everyone was confirmed. He hadn’t asked around yet-- he’d been too occupied by the disappearing lesions on his ankle-- but he knew something had been off. “It feels like it’s always something,” Cole replied. He was happy to leave it at that, or happy to talk about it-- whatever Will decided.  

So even Will didn’t know anything about the tree commune. At least, according to his reaction. Cole shoved his hands in his pockets and ventured a sideways glance at the other. “Sort of-- my best friend, Adam Richards? He... left right after the mall fire. Closest thing I had to family, I guess, so I’m relieved he’s back.” He was rambling and digging himself into a rabbit hole-- not one, but two of his ‘big secrets’ were scarily close to the surface. Thankfully, they’d arrived at the Palace and could leave this topic outside, for another day.

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.” 

who: Cole & @willthewize​

where: Main Street

Cole had just gotten off work and was a few blocks into the skate home. On days when he had nothing else to do, which was most days now, he liked to pass through downtown via Main Street. It was nice to see the activity and be reminded that people were here and going about their normal lives.

Since the camping trip fiasco, Cole had felt phantom pains in his ankle from where... whatever it was... had dragged him underwater. He was pretty sure it was all in his head, because Adam hadn’t been feeling the same thing. But still, Cole stopped and sat on a bench to give it a break. He studied it closely, looking for any sign of contact or inflammation, but there was nothing. Maybe Hawkins was making him crazy.

Thankfully, he was interrupted by footsteps on his side of the street. Snapping his head up, Cole’s face broke out into a smile. “Hey, Will,” he called, hoping the other wasn’t in a rush and would come over. He’d been meaning to talk to him, anyway, ever since he’d spoken with Joyce. “What are you up to?” he asked. Cole vaguely recalled that Will had been at the camping trip, too-- but he must’ve been with a different group. “How was the camping trip for you?” Cole had heard whispers about weird stuff happening in a cabin, but he had admittedly been too focused on his almost-drowning to gather any details.

Will and Cole weren't exactly close, despite being half-brothers. Not that Will was aware of that... yet. Every time Will came into the Music Center and chatted with Cole, guilt crept its way into Cole's chest and settled there. He's sure nothing would change once Will knew, it's not like either of them talked to their dad anyway, but the longer Cole put it off, the weirder it became to bring up in casual conversation.

So, when Will came in today looking for a model, Cole volunteered. He always thought he had an artistic form anyway, and the Music Center was always dead this time of day. But now, his nervousness and guilt caused him to fidget-- which was less than ideal for the artist. "Right, right, sorry," he straightened his spine. "So... how's your family? Everyone home?" Cole had to force himself not to wince at the awkwardness of his phrasing.

WHO: will byers + open

WHERE: you decide

     His drawing skills have only improved since those childhood days scribbling with crayons and colored pencils, but it still requires practice, a constant honing of his abilities to stay sharp. And anatomy, realistic human portraiture, is one of the hardest things to get right, because when it’s just a little off…well, it can get creepy fast. People have always been one of Will’s favorite subjects to draw, probably stemming from his interest in visualizing his and the party’s childhood DnD characters. It would just be a lot easier if…

     “Could you try not to move so much? Sorry, it just helps if you stay still.” He didn’t want to come across as impatient, but if his model was already fidgety, then sitting longer to finish the sketch wasn’t going to help matters.