Latest Posts by loverboymontgomery - Page 2

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?”

Cole had never been a tough guy, despite his grandfather’s targeted encouragement towards more masculine pastimes. He’d always been different than the guys on the football team-- he very obviously preferred gossiping with Chrissy and the cheerleaders over ‘locker room talk’ with the guys. That and his covert relationship with Adam meant Cole kept his distance. He’d gotten to know very few of his teammates, save for Jack and Chance who were always hanging around Adam. Jack had always been nice enough to Cole, following Adam’s lead maybe, but Adam disappearing and coming back and then acting like that put Cole on edge.

When he woke up to the sounds of shuffling-- which was not uncommon at this point in his hospital stay-- Cole’s heart jumped into his throat. He hoped against hope that in the same way... whatever had happened had worn off of Adam, it had worn off of Jack. Cole breathed a little easier at Jack’s apology, and a lump formed in his throat as Jack produced the stuffed dog Adam had won, before things got weird. He took the dog and studied its matted fur, eyed the multiple spots where stuffing was poking out. “Thanks,” he smiled weakly, tucking it under his arm. “I feel like shit,” he said, coughing over the dryness of his throat. “But I’ll live.” He studied Jack, trying to detect the other’s thoughts. What the fuck had happened to Jack at the carnival? Did he even remember shoving Cole around? “Are you... feeling okay?” 

WHO: jack foreman & @loverboymontgomery​ WHERE: the hospital </33

If he was being honest, Jack probably didn’t have the time or capacity to visit Cole in the hospital after hearing from his sisters that he had been dead for three years. If it wasn’t for the knowledge that he was dating Adam, and that if he’d hurt Steve, there was a possibility that he’d hurt Cole, too, Jack would still be in his room, making what resembled Jo’s murder board for himself. It was also Cole who had given Adam some news that he’d felt necessary to share with Jack, that he probably should have heard, even if he didn’t want to. All of that, and he was fairly certain the stuffed animal he’d found in the ashes of the carnival rightfully belonged to Cole after Adam had flexed his quarterback skills to beat him in Down-a-Clown. After making a stop by Steve’s room, who was still sleeping, Jack made his way to Cole’s, the plush that he’d tried to clean as best as he could in hand. 

Jack thanked whatever luck he had out there that Adam wasn’t in the room when he’d arrived, because he didn’t have the head or the heart to deal with the guy who had killed him in front of his battered boyfriend. It was just Cole, his eyes still closed in sleep until Jack closed the door behind him with a click. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he apologized, sliding into the seat that was beside Cole’s bed. “I have this, I think it belongs to you?” Jack held out the stuffed animal, placing it on the table next to the cards and flowers he had been gifted. “How are you feeling?”

mmuscles​:

thad refused to meet cole’s eyes as they got into boyfriend talk. sure, cool, they were a couple or whatever, but he didn’t want to hear about it. it had been so deeply conditioned within him that what cole was…boasting about was wrong. maybe it was right for other people, but not for thad, not in this lifetime. the whole conversation confused thad to the point he regretted even asking, so he put on his best sour expression and stared at the car. his hands were numb and he had to take another large gulp of beer before he got back to work on this piece of shit car.  “whatever man,” he shook his head, “i’m not gonna go tattle to the first person i see, don’t flatter yourself.” thad huffed, insisting cole and now adam didn’t take up nearly as much space in his mind as they did. 

“everyone keeps talking about being gone…” thad started, no acutely aware that he couldn’t stand to talk about cole or adam any longer, otherwise this job wasn’t getting done. “but where did they go, like, study abroad? vacation? i don’t get it.” he didn’t read the papers or keep up with the times. as far as thad was concerned, he kind of lived in his own little bubble amidst the chaos that descended upon hawkins. it was one of many things he remained blissfully unaware of. 

xx.

Thad clearly didn’t want to talk about it. And that was fine, it’s not like Cole wanted to get into details... but he felt a sense of relief that Thad knew, if only so that what had happened before wouldn’t happen again. It was easier, anyways, to fall into the bickering back-and-forth with Thad; avoid the real stuff. “Whatever,” he echoed Thad’s tone. “I know you’re obsessed with me,” he laughed, to make it obvious he was joking.

Cole felt his stomach sink at Thad’s question. Of course Thad Bradshaw didn’t know what was going on in Hawkins, if Cole barely knew himself. “They were... off in this... group. In the forest. Like, a commune?” Cole said, trying and failing to infuse certainty into his tone. “It’s weird, but a bunch of them did it. Guess they had enough of the bullshit. Anyway, you can read about it in the paper. Assuming you can read,” he tacked on the end, hoping to piss Thad off enough to distract him from the ‘commune’ nonsense. 

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.” 

who: Cole & @stevehharringtcns​

where: the gayest hospital room in Hawkins <3

Cole had been in and out of sleep for... he wasn’t sure how long, exactly. A few hours, a few days? Not a few months-- if it had been a few months, he’s sure he’d have at least a little bit of stubble gathering on his jaw. Brushing a hand over his still-smooth skin, he looked at the bed across from him. The last time he remembered being awake, when Max was here, she’d opened the curtain so he could see his temporary roommate: Steve Harrington.

“Psst, Steve,” Cole whispered, careful not to wake Adam up. The one good thing about being hospitalized was that Adam hadn’t left his side for more than a few hours, and he’d been sleeping with their arms tangled together. He wasn’t sure if Adam moved every time a nurse walked in or if he was just past the point of caring. 

When he’d successfully gotten Steve’s attention, Cole shot him a brave smile. First order of business: “How are you doing?” Then: “Did you eat my fucking jell-o?” 

who: Cole & @goldenboyrichards​​

where: Cole’s hospital room :’) 

Everything hurt: his head, his abdomen, his shoulder, his throat. He blinked, but his eyes were heavy and hard to open. What the fuck had happened? His head felt foggy, and his memories were short and senseless. He saw a flash of the Tunnel of Love ride, some unidentified black goo, an explosion, and... Adam looking angry. At him. Adam shoving him away, telling Cole to ‘leave him the fuck alone.’ 

Cole tried to turn onto his side, to hide his teary eyes from the door, in case anyone walked in. Only, moving was no longer simple-- he must’ve broken a rib or two, because the pain that lit up Cole’s body was almost strong enough to knock him out. “Fuck,” he exclaimed, brows knit together and stars in his eyes. If he could keep his eyes open long enough to look around, he might have seen Steve in the bed across the room or the figure entering the room and nearing his bed.

Lifting his hands to his face, Cole shielded his eyes from the fluorescent lights. “Why are the lights so fucking bright,” he grumbled to no one in particular. He was about to complain about the bed being angled too high when he locked eyes with him. 

His stomach did a backflip and Cole’s mouth dropped open. He desperately searched Adam’s eyes, trying to decipher who he was right now-- his Adam or... whatever he’d been at the carnival? 

“Hey,” he managed, after a beat of silence. Cole desperately wanted to be held, to have some confirmation that Adam was himself again, to push the memories of anyone else to the edge of his mind. 

As he began blinking awake, Cole’s memories from the fucking carnival from hell began to resurface. He saw Lucas crumped on the ground, Jack shoving him away, Adam yelling at him to leave him the fuck alone. But then he woke up and the first thing he saw was Adam, their arms intertwined, blonde head bobbing up and down as he snored. Cole squeezed his eyes shut. Was it a dream? Why did he remember a bomb? An explosion? It was all making his head hurt. 

Cole must’ve fallen back asleep, because the next time he opened his eyes, Max was there. She was holding his other hand and mumbling something. He shifted, trying to sit up, and instantly regretted it. Pain shot through his abdomen and he groaned. His movement caused a barely-cold icepack to shift off of his ribcage; had he broken a rib? 

With a weak smile, Cole turned his gaze to Max. “Tell me you’re not crying over me, asshole.” His throat was painfully brittle, and he attempted to swallow to make it easier to speak up. “The fuck did you do to me, Maxine?” he asked, a piss poor excuse for a joke, and squeezed his eyes shut again in an attempt to stop the pounding in his head. 

WHO: max mayfield & @loverboymontgomery​ WHAT: max checks on cole WHERE: hospital </3

max had been lingering in the hospital for around twelve hours now and had no intentions of leaving any time soon. herself, dustin, and max, worked in shifts, using steve’s room as base. she was in and out a lot, mostly to cry, but sometimes to check on the status of her other friends who had been admitted last night. it was nearing ten-thirty in the morning when max took a break. she went to cole’s room first, after a nurse told her he woke up between now and her last break. anything that stood between her and that door got shoved out of the way or fully knocked over until she was on her knees beside his bed. 

unfortunately, cole was out again when she entered his room. she clocked adam’s close proximity, who was also asleep. not wanting to disturb them too much, but at least see how cole was doing for herself, she took the hand of his that wasn’t occupied and grabbed it with both of hers, then set her forehead on top of it. she sat like that for a second, listening to the chorusing of the heart monitor. all good signs, all good, but still, she found herself wanting to cry again. max rubbed her lips together, then whispered, not intending for cole to hear her, “hey, fucking…stupid shithead…” she mumbled, “i leave for one night and you land yourself in the hospital? geez.” she laughed wryly, a tear slipping out. a life without cole flashed across her mind. it wasn’t one she was interested in seeing. this blows, she thought. sitting up, max wiped the couple of tears that snuck up on her, then rubbed her tired eyes, “i’m glad you’re okay…” she continued in her quiet tone, “and i’m so kicking your ass when you get out of here.” 

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?”

goldenboyrichards​:

Their relationship had never gotten to look like a straight couple’s. In high school, Adam didn’t get to walk down the hall hand in hand with Cole, or kiss him when they got to their classroom door. Cole couldn’t show up to Adam’s games with Adam’s jersey number painted on his cheek. They couldn’t be out. That just wasn’t an option in Hawkins, Indiana. But they had always managed to find little ways of reclaiming the public displays of affection that they deserved. From sitting too close on the bus to away games to a casual arm thrown across the other’s shoulder, Adam and Cole had always tried to show how much they loved one another in their own way. Cole wearing Adam’s clothes was probably Adam’s favorite, though. He loved seeing the other in his hoodies or sweaters; he’d even given Cole his fucking letterman jacket in school, almost daring anyone to say something. So giving him another hoodie tonight was more than worth it if it warmed Cole up and brought a smile to his face after everything that had happened. 

“Yeah, me too,” Adam agreed, leaning back on the log. If only it was that simple. If only they’d had some sort of weird, freaky, shared nightmare or something. But something had happened, hadn’t it? Adam had felt it just as much as Cole. And that didn’t comfort him in the end. “But, we’re okay. Right? We both lived. We’re both here. We’ll get through this.” Maybe that was too optimistic, but Adam had always brought that to their relationship. Where Cole was more pragmatic, more understanding of the cruelties of the world, Adam was kind. He was gentle. He saw the best in all situations and people. And right now, they needed a little bit of optimism before they….well, before they drowned. 

It killed Adam to turn Cole down. If he could just go, he would in a heartbeat. That had always been the plan, after all - for them to leave, runaway together and move out to California. Somewhere where they could just be together. Where no one would hurt them for holding hands, or would look at them strangely for living together. And Adam had ruined that. Whether he meant to or not, Adam had kept them from leaving, and he was doing it again. It broke him to do that, but he couldn’t just leave his family. Not right now. “I’m so sorry, honey,” Adam told him, bringing Cole’s hand up to his mouth and kissing the back of it. If someone saw right now, Adam would say he was fucking kidding or something - but he needed to comfort Cole. “No, baby, it’s okay to be emotional.” Fuck, Adam was emotional. He felt sometimes like his heart was too big for his rib cage - it expanded out, bloody and raw for the world to see and judge and treat however it saw fit. He couldn’t hide a fucking emotion if he tried. “You won’t.” Adam swore. “I promise, Cole, I’m going to do everything that I can to be with you forever. Whatever happened before - we’ll just make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay? Together.” 

xx.

We’re okay. We’re both here. We’ll get through this. Adam’s words washed over Cole, enveloping him in the comforting hug Adam couldn’t physically give him right now. Cole’s smile gained strength as he met his boyfriend’s eyes. There were plenty of times in their relationship that Cole wasn’t particularly welcoming of Adam’s optimism; but now, there was nothing he was more thankful for in the world. It felt like confirmation that Adam was back-- that the cruel, cold flash of him was truly dead and gone. Cole squeezed his hand back. “Yeah. We’ll get through this. We can get through it together.” 

Cole’s heart sank at Adam’s apology, and he quickly tried to remediate the effects of his words. “No no no,” he murmured, scooting closer to Adam so he could keep his voice low. “Never apologize, my love,” he narrowly resisted the urge to cup Adam’s face, brush his cheek. It’s okay to be emotional... it is! But Cole was scared, so scared that if he let the cracks show, Adam would see how utterly broken he was. How his entire life stopped and lost meaning when Adam died. The ache had ebbed and flowed throughout the three years of Adam’s absence, but it was constant. Under the surface, Cole always knew that part of him was missing. But that didn’t matter, what mattered now was that Adam was here. They had a second chance, and Cole wasn’t going to ruin it.

“I just want you. Us. It doesn’t matter where, love, I promise.” Cole willed himself not to cry, but he couldn’t help the feeling that the ache in his chest was more exposed than ever. He’d learned what to do with the hollow feeling, how to cope with it, but this fear? The knowledge of life without Adam was too heavy to hold. So, he accepted Adam’s promise, knowing fully that neither of them could promise forever, not really. “It won’t happen again,” Cole repeated, almost convincing himself of its truth. “I love you so much. Always.”

END.

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 & @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!”

mmuscles​:

so, yes, thad was late, but he had to scour town for decent enough tools to get this repair on the road. he doubted that cole had anything that would suffice and he wasn’t gonna half ass this job, but truthfully, he didn’t think cole would notice. he pulled up to the montgomery residence, motley crue’s girls, girls girls, blaring as he put the car in park. the sound stopped when he took the key out of the ignition, grabbed the tools from his backseat, and made for the garage. of course cole commented on the fact he was late, which caused thad to place a hand on the side of his head, dragging it gently after him in a bro rough housing kind of way as he head for the garage. 

he called back as he moved to assess the damage, “are you drunk already, pretty boy?” thad wondered if cole really found him that insufferable, but quickly concluded that couldn’t be the case. he was…thad. and people loved him. he shook off the thought and began buffing feeling around the dents of the car, not entirely focused on conversation with cole, but still responding, “grab me one!” 

thad was pushing around on the crumped metal, seeing if any of the repairs could be done by hand when cole returned with the drink. gladly, he took the bottle, took a sip, but nearly spit it out as cole called adam his boyfriend. fortunately for his own pride, he swallowed the beer, then stood to meet cole at eye level, “yeah, i met him. no big deal.” he shrugged, and thad hadn’t thought it was, until now. adam wasn’t anything spectacular in thad’s eyes, but he could feel this conversation going downhill fast, so he diverted to another question, “is he really like, your boyfriend?” the idea of a guy so openly, so gently calling another guy that, well, it formed a lump in thad’s throat that he had no idea how to explain. it definitely wasn’t a bad thing, just different, in fact, thad felt kind of jealous that cole was so comfortable with the word. so, he set his beer down, and turned back to the car. 

xx.

A hint of an amused smile flashed over Cole’s face when he heard what Thad had been listening to on the way here. Motley Crue: Girls, Girls, Girls. A bit obvious, in Cole’s opinion, but for once he didn’t feel like picking a fight over something so small. That is, until Thad grabbed Cole by the side of the head. Wiggling out of his grip, Cole shot Thad a look. “Don’t mess up my hair,” he grumbled, fully knowing it was still wet and unstyled. It was the principle. 

“I’m not drunk,” he corrected, and watched as Thad inspected the car. Honestly, he was still surprised Thad even came. That was... decent of him. Since they’d met, and since Thad had kissed him, Cole’s sneaking suspicion that Thad wasn’t that bad had been on shaky ground. There were glimpses of decency, even kindness-- but Thad hid that behind whatever show he thought he was putting on. 

Cole hid his smirk behind the beer bottle, taking another swig. He didn’t tell Thad about Adam solely for his reaction, though he assumed it would be amusing. Resisting the urge to argue with him-- actually, Adam is a big deal-- Cole crossed his arms over his chest. Not helpful right now, probably. At Thad’s question, Cole was glad he’d held off. “Yeah, he is,” Cole said simply, words accompanied by the smile that always lifted Cole’s lips when he mentioned Adam. The stupid smile that he couldn’t banish even though things were so tense right now. “Since high school. He was... gone for a while, but obviously, he’s here now.” 

Pretending to inspect the passenger side door, Cole hazarded a glance at Thad’s face. As usual, his expression was unreadable-- guarded. “It goes without saying, but... not everyone knows.” 

eddiemcnson​:

+++

pursed lips, eddie took another drag, buried one hand in the pocket of his jeans. he huffed. oh, he’d known about this stuff for a while, alright. the mere thought of it made his stomach drop, he squeezed his eyes shut for a second, softly, almost unnoticeably, shook his head. trying to shake the image of red skies and black lightning, swarming bats from his mind. 

eddie clicked his tongue, absent-mindedly kicked some gravel. “’easier’.”, he echoed, musing. wondering if he should shield cole from the truth. but he’d been roped into it, too, now. so what good it denial do him. and how cruel would it be of eddie, not letting him in on all the crazy. “remember….remember spring break ‘86? the.. ‘earthquake’ - it wasn’t an earthquake. anyway.”, another drag, eddie quickly exhaled. “anyway. anyway, shit …. went down, basically. like, supernatural shit. and i, well. i almost died.” eddie shrugged, resigned. it seemed so far away now, unreal. though it became frighteningly present again, every other night when eddie woke up in a cold sweat, heaving and panting and clutching at his chest to remind himself that he was alive and breathing. “it’s not …. it’s serious stuff, cole. but it - well, in a way, it sort of gets better. when you get outta here, it gets better.”

he glanced at cole, a small smile tugging at his lips, he nodded. “yeah. friends, i’d like that. that’d be cool. you’re not half bad yourself, montgomery.”truly, eddie hadn’t expected to make any new friends during his summer back in hawkins. and this was a pleasant surprise. 

quirked brows, eddie watched with an amused expression on his face as cole went on about adam, gushing about him, and he felt a warmth swelling in his chest. he was genuinely happy for cole, even more so since they were both so alike. which made eddie hopeful that maybe he could be just as happy as cole one day. “yeah, he seems pretty cool. great catch, cole. well done.”

eddie quickly looked away, flustered chuckle, the mention of steve brought a blush to his cheeks. “it’s… ah, it’s nothng, not really. it’s - “he was cut off by his own incredulous laugh, eddie ran a hand through his hair, then rested his palm on his forehead, he turned to look at cole. “i just can’t wrap my head around the fact that i, like….i made out with steve harrington. king steve. that’s - that’s not real, you know? like, guys like him don’t… they don’t go for guys like me. it’s mental.”

xx.

Cole searched Eddie’s face, noting how viscerally uncomfortable talking about this made him. Clearly, Eddie had seen some shit. If Cole couldn’t sleep because of a vision of Adam’s death, how much worse would he be feeling if he had really experienced any of that shit? 

With a frown, Cole watched the gravel scatter under Eddie’s foot. He nodded, trying to wrap his mind around another tragedy that was actually supernatural in origin. “What the fuck,” he said, incredulously. He almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity, because... why Hawkins? Lifting his eyes to Eddie’s face, Cole nodded at his hopeful conclusion. He patted the other’s shoulder in a slightly awkward display of affection. “I’m sorry... I know that was... fucked up,” he said, at a loss for something more substantial to say. He took a puff of the cigarette and turned it over in his mind. When you get outta here, it gets better. Cole hoped that much was true, and hoped that he and Adam could get out sooner rather than later.

With a teasing smile, Cole flicked his cigarette. “Not half bad,” he echoed, his eyes lingering on the water in front of them. It was nice, something glaringly normal in the midst of everything else. A reminder, almost, that things could be simple and easy. “Don’t let it go to your head,” he warned, with a chuckle.

“Thank you, really... it’s nice to get to talk about it,” Cole said, Eddie’s congratulations causing a swell in his chest. In another world, where they didn’t have to sneak around, Cole would parade Adam around, would wear his name ever on Cole’s lips, because he could never get tired of the feeling that Adam loved him. Despite everything, Adam chose him.

Clearly, Eddie could relate to the feeling. He nodded his understanding, smile still pushing on his lips. “But why shouldn’t he? You’re a catch too.” With a hint of mischief in his eyes, Cole shrugged, “I mean, we already established that I have good taste.”

jofcreman​:

+++

a strained smile. “yeah, i need my sad music fix, now that the smiths have broken up.” said in a desperate attempt to make light hearted conversation. small talk. not one of jo’s forte’s, for sure. when it got to idle chitchat, she never really participated in the conversation, except for a few nods and affirming noises to show that she was listening. she chuckled at cole’s joke, though she hadn’t missed his initial grimace which, in turn, had made her grimace a bit, too, as she felt bad for … well, calling out his state like that. smalltalk. not her thing.

people skills? lacking. she gave him a shrug. “yeah, i’m alright, i guess.it was a, uh…interesting night.” in truth, the keg party at skull rock had faded into somewhat of a blur in her head. a blur of tossing around a football with jack and his friends - and nancy wheeler’s boyfriend ? -; a blur of californian weed and jonathan byers’  pretty face. 

eyes wide, she instinctively held up her hands, nearly dropping the record. “oh my god, no, yeah, i get it, totally. i didn’t think - i mean, you’re also great, cole, you’re like, tops, you’re major and …. everything. just - but i don’t - yeah, don’t feel that way either. “ eager nods, she cleared her throat. “definitely on the same page here.”

boy, was jo glad that there weren’t any other customers present to hear their stopmach churningly awkward exchange. she quickly looked back at the record, smacked her lips together and moved them around as if she was applying chapstick .finding anything to do but talk. 

anyways. glad that cole had broken their silence again she looked back up with a smile. “uh, yeah, sure. shoot.”

xx.

Hand to his heart, Cole groaned. “Don’t remind me before noon, Foreman, Jesus,” he teased. “Some of us are still in mourning.” He turned to the other side of the aisle, raking his fingers through the intentionally-small country section. One of Cole’s greatest battles in life was whether or not they needed to carry every genre of music, but the Big Man wouldn’t budge on this one. 

Cole glanced at her over his shoulder. “Interesting is a good way to put it.” He pulled The Clash’s ‘Combat Rock’ out of the Country/Western section with a raised brow and slid around Jo to return it to its rightful place. “Byers’ shit was pretty good,” he commented, remembering Jo had smoked it, too. “You had it before?”

At Jo’s response, Cole smiled-- actually smiled-- for the first time that day. It was amusing, the way they were both tumbling over their words because of some far-fetched lie printed in some dude’s basement. “That’s a relief,” he said, turning to face her with a mock-serious expression. “Because usually I have to beat girls off with a bat, or enlist Max. Embarrassing for them, really,” he joked.

Turning back to the records in front of him, Cole pretending to skim his clipboard while a heaviness wedged itself back into his chest. All of the sudden, he felt silly, asking Jo if she had heard anything about Adam instead of talking to Adam himself-- but they hadn’t really fought before and it seemed like Adam needed space. Only, Cole wasn’t so good at giving space. Not after the Mindflayer incident.

“It’s not a big deal,” he lied, attempting to put on a casual air. “Just... Adam’s a good friend of mine. And he seemed off that night. I was wondering if Jack said anything? Or if you heard anything?” He said, eyes not leaving the paper in front of him in an attempt to keep his voice steady and light. At the end, he looked up at Jo and offered a small smile, as if to say see? I’m totally normal about this. 

Cole had been extra stressed lately. What with the graveyard debacle, the rumors he’d heart about the border, his boyfriend coming back from the dead, and him and aforementioned undead boyfriend almost drowning in Lovers Lake, Cole hadn’t been sleeping well. Most nights, he averaged three hours-- give or taking depending on if Adam was with him; he was the only thing that really helped, as usual. 

So when Julie Foreman had called, saying she was back in town and selling again? He jumped at the chance to connect with an old friend and hopefully sleep easier for a few nights. Julie was a few years older than him, but they’d had a few classes together. She’d actually been instrumental in keeping Cole from getting his ass kicked on more than one occasion; upperclassmen were not typically a fan of his sarcastic comments. Go figure.

A smile broke out on Cole’s face as she stumbled over to him. “Foreman! They let you out this time of night?” he teased. He knew what her parents were like well enough from high school and, though she was twenty-three now, he doubted they were much different. “Who among us can resist the allure of the skatepark at,” he checked his watch, “twelve fifty-two?” 

Cole pretending to think on her offer for a moment before nodding. “Deal. It’s kind of sad to smoke alone, anyways,” he remarked, as if he hadn’t done it just last night. Details. He passed her the money and leaned back on his hands, stretching out under the dim streetlight. “Nothing too thrilling... working at the Music Center. Wrecking my mom’s car,” he said with a laugh. “Laying low because of that. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be back at Indiana State in August.” With a sideways glance, he asked her the same question. “And you? How’s college and... everything?” he tacked on the end, in case she wanted to talk about the Jack thing. And if not, her choice.

WHO: Julie Foreman & @loverboymontgomery​

WHAT: Look away, Keith. No drugs here!

WHERE: The park after dark 

So far, Julie actually hadn’t snuck out much since she’d gotten back. Her parents had become earlier risers as they got older, making it much easier for Julie to just use the front door when she wanted to go out at night. But, old habits died hard, and with her father up watching some sporting event on TV, Julie had gotten out the rope ladder she’d made in high school and existed out her window tonight. It wasn’t the most glamourous exit, but it was kind of fun, honestly. It was climbing back up that sucked. 

As she arrived in the park, she smirked at the sight of Cole Montgomery. She’d grown a soft spot for the nerd in high school, making it her mission to defend him from the other upperclassman in his advanced classes. Julie had also been his weed dealer, and with her getting back into the business this summer, she’d hit him up to see if he was interested in buying from her again. Thankfully for her wallet, he was. 

“Montgomery!” She greeted with a dramatic wave, laughing as she stumbled closer in her doc martens. “Fancy meeting you here,” As if Julie hadn’t suggested it. God, it was good to see him though. She missed the smartass more than she would have thought back in high school. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the friends and family discount because I’m feeling generous tonight. But, you have to let me split some with you,” Julie tacked on. It actually probably wouldn’t come out to much of a deal if he let her share it, but she was hoping her company would be payment enough. “So what the hell have you been up to anyway?” 

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: yeah, your timing was shit i won't lie.

MAX: why would that be a dick move? he's still your boyfriend isn't he?

MAX: [simultaneously] don't think too much about it.

MAX: exactly.

MAX: i'll see you in an hour, loser?

COLE: not thinking about it

COLE: trying not to think about it

COLE: ... see you in an hour

COLE: am I supposed to say over?

END.

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: gross.

MAX: how were you supposed to know this would happen?

MAX: i don't know, for once, i don't think it's your fault.

MAX: but maybe i'm biased.

MAX: also not convinced talking works, so, are you really missing out or whatever...?

MAX: do you want me to pick up a movie? give your lazy ass some extra time?

COLE: i mean, yeah... fair point.

COLE: i think it's more like... my timing was really awful

COLE: and then i went and put on his sweatshirt which was kind of a dick move.

COLE: i don't know. i can't think about it anymore

COLE: yeah a movie would be cool. maybe i'll shower for you or something

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: ew

MAX: since when do you know religion freak?

MAX: oh.

MAX: well, you are an asshole, but not for this. was the situation a lapse in taste? definitely, but you didn't do anything wrong or whatever.

MAX: i'm guessing adam didn't take it well?

COLE: my grandparents dragged me to church like, once

COLE: yeah.

COLE: i mean, technically i didn't, but... it sucked.

COLE: i don't think he's like, mad. hurt, probably?

COLE: i don't know. we haven't talked and i'm trying not to freak out.

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: do you have windows? i'm pretty good with windows.

MAX: what are you talking about? you know im useless with science.

MAX: yeah i can tell.

MAX: well, you have like, fifteen minutes to tell me about it now, or you can wait until i get there.

COLE: it's not science, maxine. it's religion

COLE: or something...

COLE: i told adam...

COLE: we were going to that keg thing and Thad was going to be there and

COLE: i panicked and told him right before

COLE: i'm an asshole

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

MAX: sorry. i'll try again.

MAX: [clearing her throat]

MAX: dickwad, are you there?

MAX: geez, sound more excited to see me.

MAX: it's gonna take me a second to skate there from downtown.

MAX: are you like, good?

COLE: i could lock the door

COLE: if i'm leaving the door open, assume there's some excitement

COLE: sorry i'm not like singing the doxology or something

COLE: [sigh]

COLE: i'm in a shitty mood. it's not your fault

thequeenofhawkins​:

— ♔ —

Chrissy never considered herself as someone who had close friends. She always kept fellow jocks and cheerleaders at arms length, but there were two people who she kept at elbow’s length. Cole Montgomery and Adam Richards. Maybe it was because they never wanted anything from her, other than a little bit of trust. “It’s totally crazy. I was like, in this forest commune?” Chrissy tried to explain, but she came up rather vague. She had two years ripped away from her and she couldn’t even remember what it was like on the commune. “Kinda gives me the heebie jeebies if I think about it for too long.” 

So, instead of thinking about it, she was more than content to move the conversation to a more pressing topic. Adam. “Yeah, yeah, I have. I think we were like, together the entire time? I don’t know, it’s all fuzzy,” and she left it at that. It sounded like a bitchy move, so she didn’t want to linger on how she had allegedly been with Adam the entire time. It was like they deliberately left Cole out, but that just didn’t make sense to Chrissy because she knew that she’d invite him, and the same could probably be said to Adam.

“So… where does that leave you and Adam?” She asked, resting a hand on one of the racks. Chrissy had a habit of holing herself into Adam and Cole’s relationship business, whether she did it on purpose or not. Either with one of them coming to her for advice or Chrissy seeking it out herself whenever she noticed something was up. “You’re not like, mad at him or anything, right?” 

xx.

Cole frowned ever so slightly when Chrissy mentioned that she was in the forest commune, too. He knew she’d been out of town, but if he really thought about it, he couldn’t remember any details or any goodbye. It was strange; he and Chrissy were close enough that he definitely would’ve wanted to say goodbye to her if she was leaving for a long time. But everyone wrapped up in the forest commune business had hazy memories attached to them. Maybe the drugs, if he were to guess. “Right. I totally get it if you don’t want to talk about it,” he offered, a genuine look of concern in his eyes.

While the forest commune was fuzzy for everyone else, Cole knew what had happened to Adam. He’d gone to the funeral, he’d checked in on Adam’s sisters every week for the past three years. Adam had died. And now he was back, and Chrissy claimed she was with him this whole time? None of it made sense... but maybe it didn’t need to. Maybe he was tempting fate by asking questions and should just shut up and accept it. “Yeah... it’s fuzzy for him, too. I guess we just hadn’t really talked details, yet,” Cole lied. “But, you’re here now. Why not pretend everything is normal for a while?” Cole asked with the biggest smile he could muster.

If he had any doubt about this really being Chrissy Cunningham standing in front of him, the glint in her eye when she asked about Adam confirmed it. Cole had seen that same look in her eye every time she asked about Adam; some cross between fondness and amusement and concern. Honestly, Chrissy was as much a part of their relationship as they were-- besides the obvious bits, anyways. Cole shook his head at her question, a content smile smoothing out his features. “You know I’m shit at being mad at him,” he said. “It wasn’t his fault, you know? Like, he didn’t want to leave... so how can I be upset?”

“Everything’s just... weird right now. Not because of him. Because of me, I think,” he sighed. Cole knew Chrissy would never let him get away with such a vague answer, so he continued speaking and absentmindedly picking through the same t-shirt in ten different colors. “I just mean... I feel like I’m bracing myself. Like I’ll lose him again? And he’s obviously fucked up about it all, the leaving thing. So we’re good-- like, sometimes it feels like nothing has changed-- but it’s like this thing is lurking.” He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Stop me if I sound insane, please.” 

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?

jackforeman​:

It was a loaded question, but all things considering, Jack supposed that he was as about okay as he could’ve been. No one really knew any answers, which would have probably helped the several lingering questions that would’ve settled his anxiety about why he had been gone for so long. “Yeah, yeah. You know, just trying to get back to the way things were as much as I can. What about you, though? I feel like I need someone to write me a manual of everything everyone’s been up to for the past couple of years,” Jack laughed, “I assume everything’s relatively okay with you, too?” he asked.

Everyone seemed to have a lot of questions, that much was a recurring theme. “Yeah, Jo might as well have put me in an official interrogation with how much she wants to know, but Julie I think is still getting over the shock of it. I guess her questions will come later. My parents are trying to get me legally un-dead, so that’s a bit of a process.”

xx.

Jack’s answer helped Cole breathe a little easier. If Jack could adjust, even just a little, then maybe this thing would wear off-- maybe Adam could have a normal life. And all of them, but mostly Adam. Cole grimaced, “I hadn’t even thought about that. Everyone’s like completely different now. Maybe that would be a better use of that Keith guy’s time-- putting out updates for those of you who were... gone.” He shrugged, gave Jack a halfhearted nod. “Can’t complain. I ended up going to Indiana State. Got two years left and then... who fucking knows,” he shook his head. He’d originally intended to come home this summer, save up some spending money, and figure out what his big plan was. But, for obvious reasons, he hadn’t found the time to think about it much. 

Cole nodded as Jack spoke; from what he knew about the Foreman sisters, that checked out. He wasn’t surprised that Jo was at the heart of trying to figure it out, and he especially wasn’t surprised that Julie was a bit calmer. "Legally un-dead?” Cole questioned, his expression darkening. “What does that... mean?”

Cole had a lot on his mind. Despite the glaringly obvious-- being pushed into open graves, having horrific visions, and his boyfriend coming back to life-- now they were fighting. Kind of. It wasn’t a fight, really, but things were tense in a way they never had been before. And Cole really didn’t know how to handle himself in a fight-- he could give great advice to people like Steve, sure, but when it came to him? He was miserable and whiny and terrified to say too much or not enough.

He’d been going over the whole night all morning-- everything he said, every look they exchanged, looking for anything to find comfort in. And it was driving him crazy. So crazy that he decided to go into work on a day he wasn’t scheduled. He had leftover inventory to do, anyway. Cole clicked ‘The Queen is Dead’ into his Walkman and skated over to the Music Center. The Smiths were, objectively, the perfect music for wallowing in self-pity.

A few hours passed of Cole listening to the album on repeat and getting a surprising amount of work done. It was nice to drown out his brain for a while, uninterrupted except for when the clerk told him that he was singing out loud again. As he finished up cataloguing the folk section, Cole looked up to see Jo walking in. His cheeks flushed involuntarily-- this Keith guy’s paper had been pushed to the back of Cole’s mind, but not forgotten. 

Stepping through the aisles, Cole approached her and lowered his headphones. “Good album,” he commented, always a little relieved when someone with taste came into the store. He offered an awkward smile-- it looked more like a grimace-- as she commented on his state. “Not quite, I just have naturally dewy skin,” he joked. His hangover was certainly still with him, as per the pressure behind his eyes. “You feeling okay?”

He laughed, relief evident in his tone. Thank God she had brought it up. “No, no, yeah, I didn’t think you... I mean, even if you did...” Cole groaned at how awkward he was making this. “Jo, you’re great. I’m just... not... I don’t feel that way! So, I’m glad we’re on the same page.” He said, finding his words at last. 

Cole knew better than to listen to anything published in that shitty paper when Keith suggested that Cassie Conrad go for Thad or Adam. Talk about misreading the room. But still, he didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea, or completely ignore it and come off like an asshole.  

“Anyways,” he said, dragging out the syllables. “Can I ask you something? About the keg party?” Cole knew that Jack and Adam were close, and thought that maybe, if Adam had said something to Jack, maybe Jack had said something to Jo. Worth a shot, at least. 

where: the music center

what: jo’s browsing through some new sweet tunes !

who: @loverboymontgomery​​ + jo

truly, it felt like her first day off in weeks, and jo intended to spend it as follows: lounging in bed as long as possible ( until her mother started passive aggressively vaccuming up and down the hallways, seeing as this was her day off, too ), driving down to the music centre to browse through their latest releases and then straight back home to work on the board. a perfect day, in her humble opinion. or as perfect as it got in hawkins, indiana.

with the first part of her day off concluded, jo had wasted no time grabbing her walkman, pulling her headphones over her ears before she’d even left the house to drown out her mother’s incessant sighing. not even half of side a was finished when she’d reached the music center - a new personal best - and she quickly locked her bike, rushing into the store, straight to the aisle with the new releases.

humming happily to herself, a content smile on her face as she inspected a copy of the new cocteau twins album, jo jumped sligthly as a figure came into view. she looked up, pulled her headphones down around her neck. “oh - hi, montgomery.” said somewhat awkwardly, she gave him a smile. it felt a bit silly, calling him by his last name with how often jo came into the store. “i see you’ve recovered from the keg party.”

a couple of beats passed, jo hesitated, drew in a breath - no, it wouldn’t leave her mind. she had to say something. “listen - keith is an ass.” a bold yet true statement, another beat passed before jo continued. “like… i don’t know if you’ve seen his stupid little paper, but.. .i don’t know, he’s spreading rumors that i, like, have a thing for you? and i just wanted to make clear that i don’t. i’m not into you, cole, i promise!”

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.”

Eyes of Timothée Chalamet

jackforeman​:

“Yeah, Adam and I were in the woods together … in the commune. So, I guess they let us go, or we just left together,” he explained with a shrug. Didn’t Cole know that Adam had gone away with him? “I mean, I don’t know, I guess it makes sense. He was one of my friends in high school, so I guess if he’d decided to go into the woods for some shit like this, then the other would’ve followed.” At least, that’s what he was telling himself. Everything made sense.

Jack didn’t recall Adam and Cole being that close in high school. He knew the two were friends, but he didn’t think that they’d be hanging out so much that Adam’s parents would be sick of him, or so he said. “No, I’m sure they’re glad Adam has a friend now that he’s back. You know, someone to hang out with. I went over to Steve’s after I saw my family, you know, just to say hi, but other than that, I’ve kind of just been hanging out with my sisters. Not that they’ve ever missed me before this, but I think they might have this time,” he said with a laugh.

xx.

Cole nodded, going along with Jack’s story. It was certainly easier than telling what had really happened to Adam. Though, it made no sense-- why would Jack have a memory of being with Adam at the commune? None of this made any sense, and Cole was too nervous to figure it out, in case he uncovered something he didn’t want to know. “Right, of course. Well, I’m just glad you’re both back and... relatively okay?” he phrased it as a question, raising an eyebrow at Jack as if to assess his mental wellbeing.

With a smile, Cole agreed with Jack. That much was true, at least with Adam’s sisters. He’d gotten very close with them after Adam-- died, disappeared, whatever-- and he felt as if they were his sisters now, too. “Well, that’s valid. I’m assuming you also didn’t contact anyone while you were gone, right? I’m sure they have a lot fo questions.”  

stevehharringtcns​:

.

steve looked at cole as he moved to get another drink for them. with the conversation, steve hadn’t really paid attention to his bottle, so when the other handed him the second one, he just grabbed it and held onto it, now holding two bottles in both his hands, before tilting them both towards in a cheer way once the other spoke. “right… at least in lover’s lake. it just doesn’t seem like a good place to swim anymore.” he said with a small chuckle, nodding his head as he took a sip from the first bottle he had and letting out a sigh. it felt good to talk about everything, especially with someone like cole. he had never expected for this to happen and if someone were to tell him it would be with cole montgomery, he wouldn’t have believed it.

seeing cole laugh made steve raise an eyebrow, nodding his head as the other explained their connection with chrissy. “oh… i didn’t know about that.” he said, nodding his head slowly. “she’s really nice… i mean, even when i was in high school, she would usually sit with… you know, the jocks and all of that, but i had no idea she was doing that for you guys. that’s… sweet.” he said with a smile. hearing cole say that eddie liked him and that the way he looked at him was obvious, steve nodded his head. maybe it was all in his head - he was looking for reasons on why eddie wouldn’t be interested in him, self-sabotaging if one could call it that. he just hoped that one day the two could share how they really felt about one another. “you would think i would know what a look means, but liking a dude really makes it a whole new experience…” he said quietly, shaking his head as he chuckled.

steve appreciated that cole had taken the time to talk to him about it. he could have just dismissed him, but he didn’t. and steve was thankful. he smiled over at cole, nodding his head at the other’s statement. “well, i definitely got some practice with them… i’m sure eddie did too.” he said with a smile. he thought of the party and all of the things he had done together. sure, they gave him a hard time, but at the end of the day, steve knew that they were the closest thing he had to family. and that was saying something, considering he shared a house with his parents. maybe eddie felt the same way. “i guess you can say that… they’re kind of hard to ignore.” he said with a chuckle.

xx.

“Definitely not in Lover’s Lake. It’s eerie enough being this close to it,” Cole shuddered. He couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever it was was still out there, waiting for him. Shaking his head and taking another swig of beer, Cole decided that he would stop thinking about it for the night. Or, he would try to. But Steve was making it easier, by having a genuine conversation with him-- one that wasn’t all teasing and shallow, like they usually did. Earnestness looked good on Steve Harrington, unsurprisingly. 

Cole smiled with a fondness he rarely felt for others-- it was a category reserved for Adam, Chrissy, and Max. “Yeah, she’s great. She and Adam dated, you know, but obviously that didn’t work out... thank God all stayed friends,” he chuckled. Cole studied the multiple emotions that seemed to flash across Steve’s face and, God, he could relate. The agonizing months of after-school tutoring when Cole had to pretend he saw Adam as a friend or teammate only... he wouldn’t go back to that for anything. He nodded to communicate his understanding. “I get that, I really do. The first move is always the scariest,” he said, remembering his and Adam’s first kiss-- rushed, nervous, in the back of Adam’s car, but still complete magic. 

With a laugh, Cole shook his head. It was a surprise to everyone, he was sure, that Steve Harrington had become the designated babysitter for the party. But now that he knew Steve a little better, it made all the sense in the world. He was a comforting and steady presence, and he did have a nice car. "All that to say, I don’t think it’ll scare Eddie off. Just one man’s opinion,” he said, a hint of teasing in his tone. Then, with a more serious look, he asked: “So, what’s your next move, Harrington?”

goldenboyrichards​:

Being co-host of the camping trip, Adam had had to spend awhile checking in on everyone else when they got back. A lot of theories were being thrown around, as well as stories from the cabin, but he wasn’t paying much attention to them. They sort of went over his head. He didn’t know what grabbed him and Cole, but it had felt stronger than algae. He couldn’t be sure, though. 

Cole drifting away from the others wasn’t surprising to Adam. He understood needing a minute after all of that, and it was starting to get a bit cold out here now that the sun had gone down. Without asking, he passed Cole one of the hoodies he’d brought with him in his duffle bag. If anyone noticed that Cole was wearing his clothes, Adam was kind of beyond caring. He’d do anything that Cole needed him to do right now. 

“You didn’t make it up,” Adam assured with sad eyes, hating that what had happened to them was real. If only it could have been some fucked up nightmare or something. “I’m fine,” He assured, giving Cole a small smile. Honestly, he was worried. But there were no physical marks on him, and he and Cole had both eventually made it to shore. Adam would be okay - this was just another weird thing to add to the list of awful stuff happening around him lately. “I’m not going anywhere.” Adam glanced around, checking to make sure no one was paying too much attention to them. Once he was sure they were safe, he squeezed Cole’s knee in reassurance. 

As Cole began begging him to leave with him, Adam’s heart ached. That had always been the plan, hadn’t it? But Adam had fucked it up somehow three years ago, leaving Cole alone to pick up the pieces. And as much as Adam wanted to go now, he thought about his mother. His dad. Beth, Cindy. He couldn’t just leave them again. He couldn’t run away this time. When he and Cole left, they deserved to know in advance. “Cole,” Adam began sadly, squeezing his hand. “Cole, I want that so bad. I want us to go to California like we planned. I want that.” He assured him, voice steady because someone had to be. “But I can’t leave my family right now. My mom…I don’t think she’s sleeping much, these days. My dad calls home to check and make sure I’m still here every few hours when he’s at work. My sisters didn’t stop crying for hours when I finally came back,” Adam rambled, running a hand through his hair. “I just can’t go right now. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” 

xx.

When Adam passed Cole his hoodie, he smiled. Though it was a cliche, he loved wearing Adam’s clothes-- so much so that he’d periodically stolen dozens of shirts, hoodies, and jackets over the years. He brushed his hand against Adam’s and tugged the hoodie on, trying to act cool, calm, and collected when he was anything but. Both because he was freaking out about whatever had grabbed them in the lake and because Adam was here, looking at him with those eyes, and he wasn’t allowed to hold him.

“Kind of wish I did,” Cole said, with a sigh. He wished he had answers for Adam-- or rather, that his answers made any fucking sense. When Max had told him about the Upside Down and the Mindflayer and the fucked up shit happening in Hawkins, it had actually made him feel better, for a while. He finally knew that Adam hadn’t died hating him, that he was... possessed. But when Adam showed back up with a completely different story, any comfort Cole took in the truth was long gone. 

I’m not going anywhere. Cole closed his eyes for a moment and willed himself to believe it. Only, Adam couldn’t guarantee that. Cole couldn’t guarantee that either. Adam coming back both gave Cole a future again and threatened his utter demise. Losing Adam once had already destroyed him, but the thought of losing him twice felt like a death sentence. He did his best to muster up a smile, so as not to worry his boyfriend, but Cole knew better. Adam was always able to tell when something was up. 

Cole knew Adam’s answer before he elaborated, just based on the way he said his name. He nodded profusely along as Adam spoke, as guilt settled into his stomach. Of course Adam couldn’t leave his family now. He’d just gotten caught up in the moment, in his own fears, and was desperately trying to find something to cling to. “Of course, love. Of course,” he murmured, squeezing Adam’s hand back. “I’m sorry, that was... I was being emotional. I don’t want you to leave your family.” If anything, Cole wanted to bring Adam’s family with them. “I understand how they feel. I’m so scared of losing you again,” he finally admitted, rubbing circles on Adam’s hand with his thumb. 

joycefm​:

  lonnie  byers  had  been  everything  that  joyce  had  been  looking  for  as  a  teenager  -  the  pair  got  along  and  had  for  years,  he  was  the  bad  boy..  the  guy  that  all  the  girls  wanted.  and  he  had  picked  joyce  of  all  people.  they  had  something  special  in  the  beginning  and  then  things  started  to  crumble  pretty  quickly.  whilst  joyce  loved  her  little  family  and  loved  being  a  mother,  lonnie  didn’t  seem  to  enjoy  his  role  so  much.  “i’m  sorry  i  put  my  kids  through  dealing  with  him.”  that  was  truly  her  only  regret.  "i  should  have  kicked  him  out  sooner.  he  wasn’t  good  for  anybody.”  she  couldn’t  really  describe  how  happy  she  was  that  cole  didn’t  have  to  experience  that.  the  less?  the  better.

    hand  reaches  up  to  touch  his  shoulder,  giving  it  a  small  squeeze.  she  didn’t  know  why  he  was  crying  either  -  but  she  did  understand  it  to  an  extent.  he  was  clearly  worried  about  what  she  might  think.  “you’ve  always  got  us,  cole.”  and  she  meant  it  to.  he  might  not  have  been  related  to  her..  but  he  was  family.  he  would  always  be  family  now.  “i  mean  it.  come  here  whenever  you  need  it.“

      and  yet,  a  small  smile  crosses  over  her  lips  at  his  words,  amused  that  he  was  panicking  ever  so  slightly.  “you  don’t  need  to  ask  for  permission.”  head  shakes.  “they  deserve  to  hear  it  from  you.”  they  knew  that  their  father  was  an  asshole.  joyce  sounded  like  a  broken  record  ranting  about  lonnie  at  times.  “so  whenever  you’re  ready  -  whenever  you  want.  i’ll  leave  that  all  up  to  you.  they’re  good  kids,  i  don’t  think  it’ll  take  them  long  to  get  used  to  it.”  or  believe  it,  for  that  matter.

If Cole knew one thing about the Byers family, it was that Joyce’s boys adored her. And for good reason, obviously. Admittedly he didn’t know much about marriage and even less about raising kids with someone, but he did know that Lonnie being an asshole wasn’t Joyce’s fault as much as it wasn’t Maggie’s. “I don’t think they’d want you to be so hard on yourself,” Cole offered, gently.

With watery eyes, he smiled at her shoulder squeeze. It was weird, how familiar and comforting she felt to him. “Thank you,” he repeated. “And, for what it’s worth, um... same here.” He wasn’t sure exactly what he could offer to their familial unit-- maybe a discount at The Music Center-- but he wanted to contribute if he could. “I mean, they don’t really need another brother, but whatever I can do, you know.”

He smiled, nodding as Joyce spoke. He knew they would be cool about it, but he also worried about like... ruining whatever view of their dad Will and Jonathan had. But, he trusted Joyce. “Okay... yeah. Thank you.” He knew he should stop thanking her, but he really was so relieved to have it out in the open. “I’ll tell them,” he confirmed, growing confident as he got used to the idea. “I’m glad you’re okay with it,” he admitted, sheepishly. “I always wanted a big family.”