Latest Posts by loverboymontgomery - Page 3

eddiemcnson​:

+++

“sure, here ya go.”, eddie nodded, fumbled to pull a cigarette from his pack and handed it to cole, along with the lighter. his eyes followed cole’s, dropping down to his ankle, brows drawn together in worried concern.

he shook his head. “no, you’re not going insane, man. i saw it, too. i mean, like, not what… what exactly dragged you down or anything but, uh, i was there.” eddie shrugged, pulled his lips into a polite smile - certainly not his best bid at reassuring someone that they weren’t losing their mind but hey, he’d tried.

the question, albeit expected, caught eddie somewhat off-guard. fingers flexing, he nearly dropped the cigarette, straightened his back, searched cole’s eyes. “uh, yeah. totally, totally, man. we’re, uh, we’re cool. yeah.” accompanied by eager nods,brows still drawn together.

they hadn’t had a chance to talk since the mall disaster, really, eddie had been preoccupied with committing arson, coming to terms with the fact that the supernatural was making a reappearance in town and kissing steve harrington, his schedule was quite busy these days. eddie had stopped by the music centre a couple of times, though he’d either been too nervous to talk to cole or had been roped into long, winding conversations about jazz and being a metalhead. so, yeah, they hadn’t talked. and now, apparently, it was time to do just that.

not that eddie hadn’t picked up on the fact that cole and adam were seemingly going strong again - the looks the two of them exchanged reminded him of one’s that he shared with steve, too, and the thought of it made a faint blush rise to his cheek.

he nodded again. “yeah, we’re cool. no worries. i…. saw that adam’s back in town. im happy for you, man. really.” said with a genuine smile, he patted cole’s shoulder. “and also he’s like smoking hot, so go you.”

xx.

With a grateful smile, Cole took the cigarette from Eddie’s hands and lit it. He took an extended drag, hoping the hit of nicotine would numb the panic swirling around his insides. It had subsided to a dull ache now, to the point where he was just coexisting with it, but after the lake, it was loud again. He was determined not to let it show, lest he worried Adam.

Cole nodded, his lips pulled into a thin smile. It was reassuring for his sanity, at least, but he couldn’t deny that it is not what he wanted to hear. “You’ve known about... this stuff for a while, right?” he asked, meeting Eddie’s eyes. “Does it get... I don’t know, easier?” Everyone else seemed relatively well-adjusted, like they were taking all of this in stride, though, Cole supposed that could just be for show.

He couldn’t help but smile at Eddie’s characteristically nervous response. “Okay,” Cole breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, yeah. I just wanted to... check in, I guess.” He paused, sucked on the cigarette again. “Because you’re not half bad, and I think it’d be cool if we were friends,” he suggested. 

It would be hard for Cole to forget the relief he’d felt when Eddie had approached him at the mall-- not in a romantic way, the kissing had been good and all-- but because Eddie was also like him. Other than Adam, Cole hadn’t met anyone he could be honest with. And that was refreshing. Maybe even one day, after the dust settled and Cole had finally told Adam, all of them could be friends. 

A blush rose to Cole’s cheeks at the other’s comment. “Shit. I didn’t realize we were so obvious,” he said with a breathy laugh. But it was probably true; this time around, Cole cared very little about who saw and more about being near Adam. “Thanks. I know he is,” Cole gushed. Even after all this time, Adam’s smile made him feel like he was staring at the sun. “And he’s like... an incredible person,” Cole said, dopey smile and all. 

Feeling exposed, Cole quickly turned the conversation back to Eddie. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you and King Steve,” he raised a brow, lifting his cigarette once more to give him a chance to respond. 

jackforeman​:

Jack matched Cole’s laugh, and it was almost a relief to be able to just laugh about the whole thing, about going missing for years. It wasn’t funny, no, but there wasn’t much more he could do than laugh about it when there weren’t answers lying around waiting for him to find.·“Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think I would really know how to react if one of my sisters went missing for that long, either.”

He nodded at Cole’s question.·“I walked out of the woods with Adam, we woke up together, and it was so weird. I figured if we had just woken up after a party or something that someone’s car would be there, or that it would be more than just the two of us, but it wasn’t. So, we walked here, actually,” he said with a chuckle, gesturing around the store,·“and used the phone, because we didn’t want to go to the police, in case it was because we were partying in the woods or something. I need to catch up with him again, though, you know, just make sure he’s adjusting okay. I’m glad you’ve been keeping an eye on him.”

xx.

Cole was taken aback at Jack’s statement. They had walked out of the woods together? Cole wasn’t sure how it worked-- dying and coming back to life-- but how was Jack there? Adam had died, that he was sure of... but everything else made no sense. Less than no sense. “Oh....” he started, brows coming together in confusion. “I didn’t realize you were together. That’s strange.” 

Realizing he was probably acting super weird, Cole pasted on a smile at Jack’s story. It was nice, actually, to know that Adam had a friend in his first few moments back in town. A pang in his chest said that he was sad Adam hadn’t called him from the store phone, but he understood why. “I’m glad he had you,” Cole said, with a genuine smile. He nodded, “Yeah. It would be nice if you did, just because you, like, get it more than I do. Plus, his parents are starting to get sick of me, I’m sure.” 

zccming​:

.

if max hadn’t been so pleased with cole’s vow towards safety, there was a one hundred percent chance she would have wacked him across the chest for touching her. but this go around, just this once, she welcomed it. she closed her eyes, simply grateful to have him near. after taking a moment to convince herself that he would make good on that promise and be careful she flashed him a small smile and clapped her hand over his, “thanks.” and that was that. 

it was much easier to throw herself into teasing conversations. it wasn’t difficult for max to find a good time, but it did take some concentration to force herself to stay in the moment now and again. that being said, the information that cole dropped into her lap fully grabbed her attention. she had been expecting cole to stumble to come up with a full five people, so when he not only did that, but also name dropped steve and eddie, max’s jaw dropped, “shut the fuck up!” the back of her hand came into harsh contact with cole’s chest, “you’re joking.” she levelled with him. when it became abundantly clear that cole was being honest, she turned her head and curiously leaned in a little closer, “what the fuck? when?” screw adam and luke from college and also nancy’s boyfriend? there was no judgement to be found in max’s expression or in her tone, merely shock from apparently being severely out of the loop. regardless, she was fully invested now and swore her own secrecy with a zipping motion over her lips, “it will. i can keep quiet.” 

the reveal had been a nice reprieve, but matters circled back to billy, as they always seemed to these days, and max’s expression darkened. she hunched over, slightly more protective of her body as she divulged cole with details from her own life. “it’s cool, you didn’t force the asshole to come back.” she shrugged, picking up a pebble from the ground and fixing her eyes on it while she rolled it between her thumb and index finger. max sighed, shaking her head, then throwing the pebble into the distance, “he’s staying in the living room.” she looked back to cole. did she really need to say more than that? max didn’t seem to think so. 

cole’s unspoken offer to not talk about what happened with el was snatched up by max in record time and replaced with the sharp and giddy jabbing of her elbow into his ribs, “really good? like, you’re dating good? or what? i wanna know!” she’d been moody enough for one conversation and she’d caught a sudden wave of energy that she was finding to be extremely helpful in her enthusiastic efforts. 

the suggestion of breaking into melvald’s left max scoffing, “yeah, right. not my brightest moment.” she rolled her eyes and ashed her cigarette. despite the criticism of her past idea, max offered an equally as bad, but much more fresh one, “do you think we could get away with spray painting the police station? like what are the odds we pull it off?”

xx.

“Ow,” Cole groaned, rubbing his chest where Max had hit him. It wasn’t that hard, he just liked to make a point. He wondered for a moment if he should be offended that Max was so shocked, but the question passed when she asked for details. He knew she wasn’t judging him-- that had never been a factor in their friendship-- so he allowed himself to crack a smile. It was pretty ridiculous, after all.

“Steve was a while ago-- couple months, maybe. At some party; well, in his car outside of some party,” he admitted. “Eddie was... at the Blue Quarry Mall party, thing. Before your arrest, obviously,” Cole noted. “And Thad was a few weeks ago. That was weird,” his brow furrowed. He still didn’t know what to make of it, and he’d taken to pushing it out of his mind now that Adam was back. Cole nodded, relief passing over him at her promise to keep it secret. Obviously, he needed to tell Adam, but... it hadn’t come up. Truthfully, he was afraid it would change things, or change the way Adam viewed him. Cole really couldn’t take that. He couldn’t even entertain the thought.

He watched as Max’s body language shifted dramatically. Cole had never gotten details on what her and Billy’s relationship was like, other than he was an asshole, but how she was acting now was all he needed to know. “Goes without saying, but if you need to crash, my house is open. My mom loves you anyways,” he said, hoping she would take the offer. Or any offer really, just something that would put distance between her and Billy. Cole got a bad feeling in his gut when he thought about them staying together in the already-cramped trailer. It felt like playing with fire. 

At Max’s sudden change, Cole quirked an eyebrow. But whatever, maybe it was her way of signaling that she’d had too much of the heavy stuff, so he went along with it. A laugh escaped Cole’s lips, “Yeah? I mean, yes. We haven’t like explicitly talked about it, but...” Cole shrugged. “Not to be gross, but he’s my future. He’s it.” It was a funny question, he realized in retrospect, because Cole wouldn’t call Adam his ‘boyfriend’-- that felt too high school. Adam meant more to him than that, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. Hopefully Max got the gist.

Cole openly scoffed at Max’s new-and-improved suggestion. “Christ, Mayfield. Are you trying to get arrested again so soon?” Not that he had a better idea. “Why don’t we, like, break into Harrington’s pool or something else that won’t get us handcuffed.”

who: Cole & @drewcampbell​​

where: The Music Center

It was inventory day, which was easily Cole’s least favorite day of the month. Since he’d become manager of The Music Center a few years back, he’d been delegated the task of coming in on his day ‘off’ and checking the in-store inventory versus their log. Basically, to see what Max had stolen. Or anyone else, but usually Max.

Today, though, the new guy was working-- Cole hadn’t hired him or even met him yet, so he was curious as to what he was like. Cole stepped into the store and immediately spotted the employee over by the records. He smiled, walked over, and stuck out his hand. “Hey, man. I’m Cole, one of the managers here. You’re Drew?” 

“How are you settling in?” he asked, as he pulled out his inventory sheet and skimmed the list. “I heard you were new in town, and all.” 

Cole still hadn’t quite recovered from discovering that Family Video in Hawkins, Indiana had a copy of Maurice. That had been a few months ago, and he’d forced Max to check it out for him so they could ogle Hugh Grant together. Well, so he could ogle Hugh Grant and Max could sigh disapprovingly. Anyway, today he was on a mission to find Full Metal Jacket; some film major had told him that Kubrick was shaping up to be the ‘voice of their generation,’ or something, so Cole figured he’d give it a try.

But of course, he’d ended up wandering the entire square footage of the store. He was glancing at new releases when a familiar voice asked him a question. He hadn’t known Barb well in high school, given that she was a year above him, but he knew her as Nancy’s friend. Cole smiled warmly at her and peered around to see her options. He wasn’t much of a comedy guy, so he didn’t recognize many. “Hmmm,” he studied the shelves, then had an idea. He ducked into another aisle and came back with The Lost Boys. “It’s technically horror, but I promise it isn’t scary. Just... a cheesy vampire movie. It’s my go-to,” he said, holding the title out for her. “Other than that, I’m afraid I’m out of suggestions.” 

Where: Family Video Who: Barb & ??

Barb had become reliant on video tapes since she’d come home. She couldn’t afford anything beyond the basic cable package, and even then, the reception in the postage stamp she called an apartment wasn’t the greatest. So she’d been checking a lot of books out of the library – even more than usual – and renting plenty of video tapes. She had started out renting her favorites, like the 1978 version of Lord of the Rings, along with Grey Gardens, All the President’s Men, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But in the past few weeks, she’d started to branch out. She started with political thrillers, because they were fairly familiar ground. Marathon Man, The Odessa File, Sleeping Dogs…from there she began watching action movies, like Jaws, Alien, and Star Wars: A New Hope.

Tonight, she was perusing the comedy section, which was definitely unprecedented ground for her. “Oh, shoot,” Barb muttered, as the movie she was looking at turned out to be rented already. Seeing someone out of the corner of her eye, she turned to look at them. It wasn’t like her to seek the advice of a stranger, but since she was already trying a new genre tonight – why not? “Hey, would you recommend anything?” she said, gesturing at the shelves in front of them. “These movies aren’t really my thing, so…you could really tell me any one of these is great, and I’d sort of have to believe you.”

stevehharringtcns​:

.

steve couldn’t blame cole for what he was saying. he would have probably done the same if he hadn’t been a swimmer during high school, knowing that he just couldn’t stop swimming. but even then, he preferred using the public pool rather than his own pool. “right… that makes sense. you know, i haven’t really been able to use my pool after…” he said, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember. he didn’t remember, but he knew that he had associated a bad memory to his pool, even if he couldn’t remember exactly what it was. “you know what, i don’t even know… it’s just that my pool kind of gives me the creeps and i don’t like being near that much. but it’s kind of hard to ignore it.” he said with a small shrug of his shoulders, pursing his lips as he looked at cole.

steve couldn’t remember the last time he had liked someone this much. obviously, he had liked nancy a lot, but those feelings eventually had faded away. and there was always his crush he had on robin, but that had been cut short, obviously. he looked over at cole, nodding his head slowly, but frowning slightly when cole said that eddie didn’t like girls. “right, right… but, even if he doesn’t like nancy.” he said, letting out a sigh. “what if he liked… you know, chrissy? the two were seen together a lot before she… disappeared or whatever. you can’t tell me that they weren’t like… into each other, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at his own question. steve wondered if eddie would be dating chrissy if she hadn’t disappeared, but he decided to not think about it that much.

listening to cole talk made steve a little more relaxed. it didn’t fix how he was feeling, but it definitely gave him some more comfort, knowing that he wasn’t alone in this situation. he would never have thought that when they made out in the back of his car, that this is how they would end up - with steve asking cole for advice. “thank you, cole… that’s really cool of you.” he said, nodding his head with a smile. “i should talk to him about this, but i don’t want him to get scared or anything. plus, i’m not sure if the whole talk about… wanting a family and six kids will work on eddie.” he said, sighing.

xx.

Cole studied Steve’s face as he spoke, trying to determine whether or not Harrington was pulling his leg. But his confusion seemed genuine, which maybe... was worse. Cole finished off the beer Steve had originally handed him and slipped into the kitchen, grabbing two more from the fridge and presenting one to Steve. “Cheers to never swimming again,” he said with a smirk. Maybe this was his gift, making light of really terrifying shit.

He couldn’t hold back his laugh when Steve mentioned Chrissy. Quickly, he explained so Steve wouldn’t think he was laughing at him. “Sorry. I just... Chrissy covered for me and Adam a lot back in high school.” It was funny to think of her, perfect Christian Chrissy Cunningham, being part of yet another scheme to cover for two guys. “To be honest, Harrington? I’m sure Eddie likes you. You don’t just look at a guy like that unless you want to jump his bones.” Cole didn’t elaborate on how he knew that look from Eddie; it wasn’t relevant, especially with the state Steve was in. 

Cole took a sip of his beer to hide his smile. It was surreal; at first, Cole was sure what happened between him and Steve was a one-off, just a jock experimenting. And honestly, Cole hadn’t expected it to ever come up again, but he was sort of glad it did. At least so that they could be friends... or something. “No problem, seriously. I get it.” He chuckled at Steve’s thought process. “Don’t you both like... kind of already have six kids? With the DnD club and all?” he teased. Cole swirled the beer around in the bottle, giving Steve a one-shoulder shrug. “It’s a scary conversation, but maybe what’s scarier is not having it at all.” Jesus, he needed a blunt. If only he could take his own advice. 

Cole was certainly freaked out by what had happened at the lake. One minute, it felt like high school again-- like they were just hanging out with friends at the lake. Then, whatever the fuck was going on reared its ugly head again, freaked Adam out again. That was the worst part to Cole. He desperately wanted Adam’s second chance at life-- or re-entering into society, whatever-- to be positive. He’d even settle for bearable.

When they’d come away from the shore, Cole had found refuge in the fire. It was starting to get chilly, and he felt like moping alone for a while. Let everyone else talk it out and theorize, but he wanted nothing to do with it. All he could think about was getting out of Hawkins. Clearly, he and Adam had no shot at a normal life here for a multitude of reasons. Their plan had always been to get away, what was stopping them now?

Cole tore his eyes away from the crackling fire as Adam sat down next to him. Despite everything, he smiled at his boyfriend. This felt familiar-- the sensation that Adam was nearby but never too close so as to arouse suspicion. Finally, the point in the night where it was safe to be close again, even if they still had to be on guard. 

“Hey,” he echoed, taking the drink with a grateful smile. “It’s really not bad. Maybe I made it all up,” Cole confessed. “And you? Are you okay?” he looked Adam up and down for any sign of injury or distress. Whatever had happened, Adam had been right there, too. “No--” Cole protested quickly, “It’s okay. Really.” Then, quieter, he chanced: “Just... stay with me?” 

In the dark, Cole reached over and took Adam’s hand in his own. It was a risk, but he needed the reassurance. After a few moments of silence, words tumbled frantically out of Cole’s mouth: “What if we just got out of here? We could go anywhere, really, just... maybe it’s Hawkins, and it’s time go. Like we always said. Then all of this wouldn’t matter. I can fix everything.” Cole was embarrassed by his pleading tone.

WHO: Adam Richards & @loverboymontgomery​

WHAT: A sweet lil fireside check-in

WHERE: Lovers’ Lake

Adam couldn’t begin to explain what had happened to them tonight on the shore. One minute, everything was fun and happy; the closest Adam had felt to normal since coming back. And then the waves had picked up, and he’d not been able to make it back to shore with Cole. Something had grabbed them both - Adam had felt it - but only Cole had gotten marks. None of it made any sense, and Adam was so fucking sick of nothing making sense. 

He wished, more than anything, that he could just have normal issues to deal with for five minutes instead of whatever this stuff was. 

After they’d made it back to the campsite, Adam had tried to stick as close to Cole as possible without being too clingy. He just needed to know that his boyfriend was okay. It had been scary for both of them, but Cole was the only one to actually get hurt from it. Maybe Adam hadn’t been grabbed as hard?

“Hey,” He greeted Cole later, when most people had drifted back towards the shore or to their tents. “How’s your ankle?” Sitting beside Cole at the fire, he offered him a drink and a small smile. Adam knew that the marks had disappeared from Cole’s leg - another thing he couldn’t explain - but he wasn’t sure if it still hurt. “I can go put some ice from the cooler in a bag, if you want. Or someone might have brought a First Aid kit.” That would have been a good idea for them, honestly. 

stevehharringtcns​:

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cole’s response made steve nod his head slowly, letting out a sigh. he figured that someone would have told him about what had happened two years before, but he didn’t feel like talking about it. he was sure the scars on his torso spoke for themselves, if cole had even noticed that. raising an eyebrow once he heard cole talk about how adam didn’t have any marks, he sighed again. they were not close to figuring anything out and it didn’t seem like that was going to change anytime soon. steve just hoped that sooner or later, one of them would figure it out, but it definitely wouldn’t be him. he was better at swinging bats either way. “that’s… weird. but as long as the two of you are okay… just don’t go swimming in there anytime soon. once is enough.” he said with a nod, smiling at cole.

as the conversation switched about steve’s love life, steve wished they were talking about something else. but he had been the one to go looking for answers to cole, even though he probably didn’t have many. but he couldn’t help but to think that his love life had failed all along because he was looking for the right woman instead of… you know. he sighed as he looked at cole and bit his lower lip as he thought. “you don’t think…” he said, clearing his throat. “you don’t think he likes nancy? because apparently they’ve been hanging out lately. and you know, two years ago when eddie got pulled into… all of this.” he said, motioning towards the party and his group of friends. “i don’t know.” he said with a sigh, he wasn’t even sure what he was talking about anymore. but he was a bit relieved to hear cole say that eddie liked him. it made things easier, even if they were still hard. “i guess i just don’t want to scare him away like i do with most girls, you know? it’s just different with eddie, it feels… good.” he said, feeling almost as a weight got off his chest.

steve listened carefully as cole talked about his relationship with adam. they really knew how to keep a secret if steve hadn’t noticed, but then again, steve didn’t notice a lot of stuff. plus, he spent most of his time worried about basketball, swimming and his hair during high school. “i mean, at least you two got back together when he… came back.” he said, not sure what cole meant about the other being dead. he remembered him missing, but that seemed to be confusing a lot of people lately. he looked down at the ground at cole’s advice and nodded his head. “right… you’re right.” he said, although he still cared about what people thought. and he didn’t want people commenting on what he was doing.

xx.

Cole laughed, which was odd, given the situation. But the thought that he would ever swim in Lovers Lake, or anywhere else again? Was laughable. The part of his mind that was still trying to make sense of everything was increasingly concerned that Steve seemed just as lost as him. Shouldn’t Steve have more firsthand experience? Shouldn’t that help find an answer? But Cole pushed the thoughts away, shaking his head vehemently. “Yeah... I may never swim anywhere again, to be honest.” He shuddered, remembering the feeling of a hand or something around his ankle. 

Though he could’ve laughed, Cole instead nodded at Steve’s fears. He remembered having the same thoughts about Adam, and the insane jealousy Cole felt when Chrissy and Adam were together. He and Steve were different though; Cole had never been with a girl, never even wanted to. Everyone figured out their shit at different paces, he supposed. “I’m 99% sure Eddie doesn’t like Nancy, Steve. Or... girls at all.” He said, hoping it could put Steve at ease. Cole smiled. He’d never expected to see Steve Harrington flustered over someone. 

Cole couldn’t help the amused smile on his face. It was so surreal to be talking to Steve about this, and Cole didn’t take that lightly. It was just unexpected. “For whatever it’s worth... people don’t have to know right away. Or at all. It’s no one’s business but yours,” he shrugged. The only reason Chrissy had known was because Adam didn’t want to cheat on her; the only other person who knew was Max. And now Steve, obviously. “I won’t say anything,” he promised, giving Steve and encouraging smile.  

elevcnhops​:

xx

A dark and secluded area, Eleven hiding within the darkness. This whole night had been nothing short than a disaster. Mike’s rejection stinging more than she cared to admit, it was the first time things felt.. aggressive between the childhood sweethearts. Now, she was alone and rethinking this stupid decision to come along. Maybe it was the normalcy of it all. Her first time camping and pitching a tent all on her own was somehow refreshing in a way. Sure, she inquired for help with the poles of the tent, but otherwise, she felt confident that Hop would be nothing short of proud.

After cleaning herself off in the lake, trying to scrub off the experience of having to kiss another. Another that was not Mike Wheeler. Shaking that thought with another sigh, desperate and planning an escape back into the woods. But she was so very welcome for Cole’s sudden appearance.  Gently lifting her hand to return his wave and greeting, “ Hello, Cole. “ the whisper light on her lips, masking the scowl that was recently a fixture for the night. The mention of ‘ s’mores ‘ causing her head to tilt to the side, a question now replacing her indifference. “ S’mores? “ echoing back to him, “ What is s’mores? “ without waiting for his answer, Eleven perked up. Forcefully shoving herself up into a standing position, nearing the fire and taking his offering with a hesitant grasp. Sitting next to him lightly, “ Now what? “ looking from him to the marshmallow that had been penetrated by the silver rod. Flipping it around in her grasp, prodding at the soft sugar treat with her fingers. 

“ Everything has changed. “ the whisper was so sudden upon her lips that she wasn’t sure Cole actually heard it. 

xx.

Grateful for something other than the ‘lake incident’ to focus on, Cole’s eyes lit up at El’s question. “Oh, you’re going to love S’more’s.” He enthusiastically stood up and took his own skewered marshmallow in one hand. “First, we have to melt the marshmallow. Some people like it extra burnt-- like me-- but it’s up to you.” Cole stuck his marshmallow into the middle of the fire, welcoming the warmth of the flames licking so close to his outstretched arm. 

He pulled the iron back suddenly when his marshmallow caught on fire. “I always do this,” he groaned as he blew it out. The half that wasn’t charcoal was the exact type of gooey he liked. “Then, once you’re satisfied, we take the graham cracker and chocolate like so,” he demonstrated, taking the graham cracker chocolate combination he’d prepped and using them to pull the marshmallow off of the iron’s end. “Et voila! C’est magnifique,” he exclaimed, taking a bite of the sticky dessert. 

At the least opportune time, she spoke up. Cole attempted to gulp down the comically large bite he’d taken to answer her. “What do you mean?” his words were slightly muffled, and he attempted to swipe the stickiness off of his face.

jackforeman​:

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

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

xx.

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

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

mmuscles​:

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

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

xx.

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

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

END.

Since Adam had returned, Cole had lost half of his wardrobe. It wasn’t Adam’s idea or even his preference-- he always said Cole looked better in his clothes--  but Cole felt bad for all the shirts and flannels he’d stolen from Adam’s room over the years. It was a comfort thing, and Cole figured that now with his boyfriend back, he could let go of some of the shirts. He definitely kept his favorites. 

His mission today to replenish his wardrobe led him to Blue Quarry Mall. He had mixed memories of the place, and always felt a bit on edge when he was there. But lately, he’d felt on edge everywhere. After the chaos at the cemetery and then the lake, Cole had a hard time trusting that anything was what it seemed. Still, he walked into the first store he saw and began sifting through the t-shirts, picked out a few, absentmindedly chewed on his lip. 

Hearing the familiar voice calling his name, Cole turned around. “No way,” he said, a grin overtaking his face as he welcomed Chrissy’s hug. He was never much of a hugger, but with her, it had never mattered. “Chrissy fucking Cunningham!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. “My God, what are you doing here? I thought you were out of town, or whatever?” Cole laughed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m okay, I mean, same old,” he lied. The last thing he wanted was to scare Chrissy away when she’d just gotten here. 

“Wow, I seriously can’t believe you’re here. Have you seen Adam yet? He’ll totally freak out!” Cole was ecstatic at the thought of reuniting their group, then it would surely be just like old times and they could forget all the bullshit that had happened in between.

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Chrissy Cunningham & @loverboymontgomery​​​

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Chrissy loves Cole. that’s all <333

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Blue Quarry Mall!

Reintroducing herself into society felt particularly odd to Chrissy. Was two years really that long to not know anything in town? As far as Chrissy was concerned, it all looked the same. Maybe a few less people, but nothing unusual to note other than herself. When Chrissy woke up, she realized that maybe her high school threads weren’t really cutting it anymore. They were out of fashion for 1988 and what was still in fashion either had Hawkins Cheer or Hawkins Basketball on the front of it and when she heard of a new mall? She was skirting out of the house in an instant.

The Blue Quarry Mall was nothing compared to the Starcourt Mall she once remembered, but the outlet mall at least had a couple of clothing stores. Sifting through the bargain bin, she spotted a few tops she deemed cute enough to consider buying and when she looked up, she spotted none other than Cole Montgomery walking in. “Cole?” She let out a laugh, partially in shock of just seeing an old friend standing a mere five feet away from her. “Cole Montgomery?” She repeated, almost sprinting over towards him. Chrissy wrapped her arms around her, regardless of any protests Cole had. She was a hugger, after all!

Chrissy pulled away, a million questions roaming in her head. Was he in college? What was he doing nowadays, if not? Did he have a boyfriend? How was Maggie? It didn’t go completely unnoticed that if Adam was at the commune and Cole was in Hawkins that there had been some sort of falling out between the two. All Chrissy could muster up though was, “how are you?”

eddiemcnson​:

+++

god, it had been an eventful six-ish hours at the lake,and eddie was more than ready to just fuck it and go home again. he’d even debated sleeping in the van but after what had went down he wasn’t sure if he’d be brave enough to be on his own tonight.

a nice, simple, fun, relaxing camping trip had sounded like a hell of an idea, once he’d found out about it he’d been all game. not to say that the fact that they were camping at lover’s lake didn’t make him uneasy, oh god it did. everytime his gaze fell on the open water he gulped, a ghastly shiver running down his spine as he remembered the events of spring break ‘86. watergate. the upside down.

still he’d come along, because what else was there to do? soon enough the fun had turned sour, when adam and cole had been dragged down in the water, when dustin had started acting weird, apparently some shit had gone down over at the cabin, too, but he could barely even wrap his head around what had happened at the shore. in true hawkins fashion, the paranormal apparently couldn’t take a day off.

he needed a break. he needed some time to clear his head, so eddie had split from the group. to breathe, have a smoke, be alone with his racing thoughts for a moment. though the solitary didn’t last long.

a lopsided grin, eddie awkwardly waved at cole, cigarette between his fingers. a faint blush rising to his cheeks as memories of the day of the mall protest flooded his mind. “nah, not here for nessie. just…. needed a break. from all this.” he shrugged, took a drag. “how’s your ankle, montgomery?”

xx.

As he walked closer to Eddie, he tried flexing his ankle. It was sore, but the soreness was dull enough that it left Cole wondering if it was all in his head. The last few weeks had Cole questioning his sanity more times than he was comfortable with. Pulling Adam’s flannel around his torso, Cole nodded in agreement with Eddie’s statement. “Yeah... it’s a lot. Kind of too much to try and figure out right now, after that keg stand,” Cole admitted with a grimace. Not his brightest idea.

“Can I bum a smoke?” Cole asked when Eddie brought the cigarette to his lips.  Cole glanced down to his ankle and laughed humorlessly. “I don’t know. I can’t tell if it’s all in my head or if that really happened. You’d tell me if you thought I was going crazy, right?” he asked, half-joking. Cole straightened his back and met Eddie’s eyes. 

“So, not to be awkward, but... we’re cool, right?” Cole asked, sincerity written on his face. “I just mean... like, to me, we’re good.” They never had a chance to talk about what had happened, and since then, there was Thad and then Adam coming back. He didn’t think it was that deep, really, but wanted to make sure.

With Steve, it had been an unspoken agreement: Steve will bring it up if he wants to. But with Eddie, he wasn’t sure. With the frantic way things ended at the mall, it was impossible to know what Eddie had been thinking, what he could be thinking now. Cole felt drawn to him as a friend, and he hoped what had happened hadn’t ruined that from the start.  

Besides, Cole was very curious about what he’d seen between Eddie and Steve. It was glaringly obvious to him at the shore that something had happened, and when it clicked in Cole’s mind, he’d wanted nothing more than to congratulate them. Obviously, that was out of the question, but now that he’d found Eddie alone, he hoped it would come up. 

stevehharringtcns​:

.

steve smiled once cole accepted his beer, nodding his head as he took the bottle to his mouth and took a sip, looking at cole as he talked about the lake. letting out a chuckle, steve shrugged his shoulders slightly. “yeah, i haven’t exactly had the best experience with lover’s lake… trust me.” he said, his eyes widening a bit at the memory of being pulled down all the way to watergate and the demo-bats. the simple thought sending shivers down his spine, but he thought it probably wouldn’t be for the best if he shared that with cole. he didn’t want to sound crazy at that hour. “is adam okay?” he asked, remembering that the other had been with cole when something had grabbed them in the water, raising an eyebrow at cole for a few moments and then nodding his head.

once cole gave him the green light to ask the question, steve nodded his head slowly. cole would definitely know what to say, after all, he had been his first… experience with another guy. and steve trusted the other. after all, he had never told anyone, so there wasn’t a reason not to trust him. “oh, uh… we’re not together.” he said, closing his eyes momentarily as he tilted his head down and sighed. “it’s not even really a question, it’s just… i think eddie likes me. and i… kind of like him too. but i don’t know, i don’t know what to do. i’ve never been with… a guy. you know, besides you.” he said almost in a whisper. he really didn’t want people to listen to his trouble in his love life. “do you have any advice for that? i mean, you were… are together with adam, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

xx.

Cole wasn’t surprised at Steve’s comment. Max had mentioned that Steve was one of the people who knew about the... spooky shit going on in Hawkins. Cole gave him a grim nod: “So I’ve heard.” Shrugging, he answered Steve’s question. “That’s the weird thing... he didn’t have any kind of mark. Just me. I think he’s shaken up, but we’ll be okay.” But he didn’t really want to talk about it. For some reason, Cole didn’t want answers anymore. He was afraid of what the answers would mean for him, for Adam, for Max, for... everyone. Wouldn’t it just be easier to stay out of its way and move on? Or was it wishful thinking? 

He welcomed the change of topic to something lighter. Well, maybe it wasn’t lighter for Steve, but it wasn’t sea monsters and ghosts. Cole nodded at Steve’s explanation. The hint of a smile played on Cole’s lips at the mention of their hookup in the back of Steve’s car. He wondered if Eddie had told Steve about the mall. It didn’t matter. “I’ll be honest, the way you two were looking at each other by the beach? It definitely seems like he likes you. But I think I’m more sensitive to that... since I know you both, you know.” He paused for a moment, chewing on his lip. “I think you have options, but you’ll have to decide that with him. Like... if you want to be together, then do it. There’s a way, and there are plenty of people who won’t think a thing about it.”

Cole nodded, confirming Steve’s question. “Adam and I dated in high school. Secretly, obviously, except for a few people we really trusted. And then... well, he died. Or disappeared. Whatever. So that was that, which is why I... sort of, was with a few other people. Yourself included. But now that he’s back, yeah, we’re together.” He looked over at Steve, giving him a tender smile. “It’s worth whatever risk I was afraid of to be with the person I love. I know you and Eddie might not be there yet, but... to me, it’s worth the risk.” 

zccming​:

.

“the grave had nothing to do with me.” max reminded cole. she wouldn’t try too hard to defend the idea she wouldn’t yell at him for using sign language too loud, or that she hadn’t indirectly been the cause of his broken finger, so she’d settle with acknowledging the one thing she could deny. while it was evident that cole was joking, she couldn’t seem to pick up the pace and get into the mood. instead, her voice came out as a surprising lecture, “you and lucas need to be careful. seriously.” the heeding was unexpected, but sincere. since childhood, max felt like her life was moving in a rapid, downward spiral. she didn’t want to think about how much worse it could get if anything happened to lucas or cole. her concern and care wasn’t often displayed so openly, but in this moment, she locked eyes with cole, expressing the full force of her love.

“lots?” max laughed in his face, shaking off the seriousness of the prior conversation. “fine. name five. go.” she demanded, a smile ghosting across her features. she wasn’t sure if cole could give her a genuine answer, but whatever he came up with was sure to ease the mood towards normalcy. 

still, max couldn’t find herself fully present. not about adam, not about cole’s smile. he didn’t know just how bad things could get around here and she hoped it would stay that way. she wouldn’t burden him with her feelings about billy or urge him to be more skeptical about adam. it was like interacting with a child who hadn’t been able to comprehend what atrocities their parent had just watched on the seven o’clock news. max could tack a lot of adjectives to cole’s name, but she never thought she’d use innocent. 

with the flick of her cigarette, she shrugged at cole when he dug a little deeper about billy. “i’m wondering the same thing.” vague as ever she took another drag and stared off into the night. max hoped if they left it at that though, maybe he’d understand a flash of her misery and leave it be. if there was anyone she felt she could allow herself to be miserable with, it was cole. god knows it was one of the foundations of their friendship. wanting to show she had been listening to him too, she asked, “what about adam? how’s…that?”

then of course, there was the matter of el and her’s kiss, which was an entirely different layer of stress. “well, not like i hoped.” the kiss itself had been good, really good. so good it scared her. but the events that followed tainted the memory, “she like, ran away from me.” max sighed, “i guess i must’ve been bad or whatever.” she joked wryly, gaze falling to the blooming cherry on the end of her cigarette. “i think she might hate me.” she truthfully didn’t know and she wasn’t sure what she was seeking to gain by sharing this with cole, but the more they talked about it, she thought maybe she merely wanted to share. 

frustrated with her own moping, she shifted gears and asked cole, “so what are we getting up to tonight?” implying, im not feeling up to sleep. 

xx.

“I didn’t claim it did,” He corrected, though he was teasing. For all of his young life, Cole had desperately wanted a sibling; someone to talk to when he was home all day. Max had filled that void in a lot of ways-- she was always around, it seemed, and always ready to argue with him. Except today. Today her concern for him, the affection she usually buried way down deep, was on the surface. “Yeah, I’ll be more careful. Promise,” he said, her expression reason enough to save his snarky response for another time. Cole reached over and squeezed her knee, perhaps the only display of affection he could give without fear of being hit. 

Cole smirked, took a drag of his cigarette, and shrugged. “This stays between us,” he said, an air of faux-seriousness glancing over his features. “But... I have it on good authority that Steve, Eddie and Adam think I’m pretty irresistible,” he paused, not meeting her eyes for the next confession. “Also... Nancy’s boyfriend. And this guy Luke from college.” He couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. He and Adam hadn’t talked about it yet, but Cole hoped he wouldn’t be hurt. He’d thought Adam was dead after all, surely that gave him the right to at least try and move on? And it’s not like any of these flings compared to what he and Adam had, what they would always have. “I know that I can trust that this will stay between us,” Cole reminded Max, raising an eyebrow. The last thing he needed was to be the person who had outed Steve or Eddie or, worse, Thad. 

Settling back into a relaxed position, Cole watched Max’s face out of the corner of his eye. At once, he knew that her feelings about Billy returning were the exact opposite from his feelings about Adam being back. Warranted, based on what he knew about Billy. It felt strange; for once, Max’s misery was something Cole didn’t share. Not that he couldn’t relate, but he couldn’t commiserate like usual. He felt a pang of guilt, not wanting her to feel alone with him. “I know you’re not asking for an apology, but... I am sorry about Billy. Where is he living?” Cole asked, worried about the answer.

Cole couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his mouth in response to Max’s question. It really was insufferable how in love he was, but he tried to tone it down-- it felt inappropriate to be over-the-top right now. “It’s been really good. Obviously really confusing... But I’m trying not to focus on that. Maybe that’s dumb, given everything, but...” Cole shrugged. If anyone would understand, he figured it would be Max. At least, she would try to understand. 

God, Cole desperately wished Max could say that the kiss was everything she’d wanted, that it had been received well. He wished Max could catch a break. Breathing out a cloud of smoke, Cole was reminded of his experience with Thad. How Thad had kissed him and run, and the look in his eyes when he left; anger, sure, but beyond that, it was fear. “I don’t think she hates you,” Cole said. “Maybe she’s scared,” he offered, his voice soft. “Maybe... she didn’t know what it meant and it was easier to run from it right now. Not everyone can be as self aware and well-adjusted as us,” Cole added with a joking smile. He shrugged and lifted his cigarette to his lips, as if to say we don’t have to talk about it. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” Cole jumped to his feet and stuck his hand out for Max. “I don’t know... wanna break into Melvald’s?” He smiled mischievously, remembering their Memorial Day antics. “Unless you have a better idea.”

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.” 

joycefm​:

    hand  freezes  on  the  refrigerator  handle  at  cole’s  words.  again,  she’s  not  surprised  at  all.  lonnie  had  always  tested  joyce’s  trust  -  she  wasn’t  stupid  nor  was  she  blind.  she  saw  how  people  looked  at  him  in  high  school  and  she  chose  to  ignore  it..  simply  because  she  thought  she  was  head  over  heels  in  love.  and  well…  she  definitely  was  at  the  time.  there  was  a  lot  of  love  there  at  one  point  but  the  idea  of  happily  ever  after  with  lonnie  didn’t  last  long  when  she  started  catching  him  out  on  lies,  multiple  fights..  she  could  go  on  and  on.  “i  mean..”  she  started,  a  small  shrugging  following  as  she  moved  back  towards  cole  to  take  a  seat  next  to  the  other.  “i  thought  there’d  be  more  of  you,  honestly.”  there  probably  was.  joyce  knew  well  that  lonnie  was  up  to  no  good  —  it  was  more  surprising  to  her  that  lonnie  had  been  cheating  on  her  way  before  she  picked  up  on  it.

    “it’s  fine,  cole.  you’re  fine.”  it  wasn’t  like  you  could  chose  your  parents  -  lonnie  byers  certainly  shouldn’t  have  been  anyone’s  first  choice.  “he  sucks  even  more  for  not  being  in  your  life..  you’re  a  good  kid.”  it  just  reminded  her  of  will  -  it  wasn’t  like  lonnie  was  around  much  for  him  either.  not  to  mention  the  name  calling  and  the  fights  that  came  along  with  all  that.  “either  way..  i’m  not  surprised  at  all  and  i  promise  you  that  you  aren’t  missing  out  on  anything  with  him.”  hand  reaches  out  towards  his  shoulder,  giving  it  a  small  squeeze.  “but  that  also  means  you’re  family  now.”  joyce  smiles  wide,  looking  for  the  positive  in  the  whole  situation.  “have  you  told  jonathan  and  will?”

Cole kept his eyes trained on Joyce, watching her hand freeze and looking for any indication of what was going on in her head. He’d imagined this moment dozens of time in the last hour, many more in the last five years. He knew he couldn’t expect her to welcome him with open arms; even if she didn’t love Lonnie anymore, Cole’s existence was evidence that Lonnie had been running out on her for a long time. That was enough of a reason to resent someone, in Cole’s mind. When she finally spoke, Cole let out an involuntary sigh of relief. If it weren’t so fucked up, Cole would’ve laughed at her comment-- I thought there’d be more of you. What a fucking asshole. “I know it wasn’t me, but... for what it’s worth, I’m sorry he was such an ass. Sorry that you all had to deal with him.” 

And then, Joyce offered the thing Cole hadn’t dared ask for: acceptance, permission to exist without guilt. He felt pressure behind his eyes and tried to blink it away; he so desperately didn’t want to make this a thing. “Thank you,” he breathed, glistening eyes meeting yours. Cole laughed at himself, swiping at his face, “I don’t know why I’m crying.” But he knew; he had never, in a million years, expected that he’d be welcomed into a family that, for all intents and purposes, wasn’t his. Should have never been his. He never even thought that anyone other than his mother would consider him family or look out for him, and in one single moment he was offered an entire family unit. 

Joyce’s remark shook Cole out of his thoughts. He nodded, readily agreeing that he wasn’t missing out on dad of the year. Eyes dropping to his hands, Cole shook his head. Then, lifting his gaze to meet Joyce’s eyes, he explained: “No.. I wanted to make sure you knew first. And, I guess, ask for your permission?” That sounded weird. “Like... if you didn’t want me to tell them, I don’t have to,” he shrugged. Cole didn’t want to give more detail if he didn’t have to; he knew he had a certain reputation around town, not a bad one, but one that everyone wouldn’t appreciate... and he wasn’t sure how Joyce would feel if he got close to Will and Jonathan and started bringing his ‘best friend’ around. But that felt like a conversation for another day; there was no need to spill every one of his secrets today. 

After everyone had dispersed, Cole had slipped away into the cabin so he could change out of his wet swimsuit and decompress for a bit. He was actively trying not to think about whatever had been pulling him; based on what had happened at the graveyard and then what Max had told him about the Upside Down, he knew there was likely something else going on. But he also knew that whatever answers there were meant trouble for him and Adam, so it was easier to push the thoughts away.

Cole toweled off his hair and tossed the towel and wet clothes to the side when Steve approached him. A relieved smile filled Cole’s face, and he took the beer. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I need. Thanks,” he said, using the counter to pop the top off and taking a swig. “I’ve been better,” he admitted, gesturing in the general direction of the lake. “But... I’ve also been worse.” He knew it was a cryptic response, but he figured of all people, Steve would understand. Like, sure, maybe I’m being haunted by supernatural forces but at least I have my boyfriend.

Cole’s eyes gleamed with interest when Steve confessed his real reason for being here. Leaning against the countertop, Cole nodded. He tried to suppress his grin, but he had definitely noticed how Steve and Eddie were looking at each other earlier, and the curiosity was killing him. “Oh yeah? Shoot.” Cole said, welcoming the question. “And... good for you,” he tacked onto the end. Both Steve and Eddie were very attractive and genuinely good people, but Cole understood the trepidation of beginning a relationship that others might not approve of. 

who: steve harrington & @loverboymontgomery​

where: the cabin

everything that had happened down at the shore had freaked out steve, to say the least. mostly because thinking two years back, steve had been under that lake, getting pulled into the upside down through the watergate. so, when both adam and cole got pulled down, steve’s immediate reaction was to never set foot inside the lake ever again. he couldn’t risk it again. he wouldn’t. he had made his way back to the cabin, looking around at everyone for a couple of moments until he spotted cole. maybe it was for the best if he asked how he was doing. approaching him slowly, steve grabbed two beers as he walked towards cole, offering one as a peace offering. “you look like you need this… you okay?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

he looked at cole for a couple of moments, chewing on his bottom lip for a few seconds before he decided to say something. “also, can i ask you something?” he asked as he approached cole, looking around for a few moments. “about- about eddie?” he asked. he wasn’t sure what he was going to ask, but he was definitely… interested in eddie, if that wasn’t obvious already. he was sure that some people had started to notice. 

jackforeman​:

Jack knew he should’ve stayed quiet, but it was too late now. He had been answering enough of his family’s questions about his whereabouts the past few years, and he didn’t really need anyone else judging the shit out of him for skipping town to go live in the woods, but Col never seemed one to be judgmental, at a least from what Jack could remember. He dropped a stick of deodorant in his basket, then a razor and shaving cream before turning back to Cole, giving a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, I, uh—“ he started, letting out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. “Hard to explain. I guess we both decided it was a good idea to run off to the woods for a few years?” It certainly didn’t get any less embarrassing the more times he said it. “I don’t know, honestly, I think I was high the whole time, because it’s a bit of a blur, but yeah. All I know is that Adam was with me when I left the woods.” It was one of the only things keeping him sane, knowing that at a lets he must’ve joined because his friend had, too.

xx.

Cole’s expression froze at Jack’s comment, and he quickly turned to pluck something, anything, off the shelf to hide his concern. Of course, he knew that Adam thought he had been off in a commune, and he’d heard that there were others who’d returned, too. Jack’s story checked out, at least with what Adam had said. But he knew Adam had died-- there had been a funeral and everything. 

Composing himself, Cole turned around with shampoo in his hand. He gave Jack a thin-lipped smile. “Yeah... that’s essentially what Adam is saying, too.” He shrugged, “It does seem... weird.” Cole desperately didn’t want to ask questions-- he didn’t even want an explanation, really, for fear that Adam would be ripped away from him again. “But, I guess, I’m glad you guys are all back. And relatively okay,” he said, with a sympathetic smile. “How’s your family holding up?”

@goldenboyrichards

PARKS AND RECREATION — 4.05 “Meet n Greet”

who: Cole & @elevcnhops​​

where: by the fire

He knew he had almost drowned and then had a mysterious.. burn? And then Dustin had disappeared. But all Cole could think about was finding ingredients to make S’more’s. He wondered if this was how he coped, by just ignoring the unexplainable. And he wondered if that was really a bad thing, given the circumstances. Cole rummaged around the cabin’s kitchen and, at last, found the stash. Graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows, and even skewers. If he had to bet, he’d put money on these being the forethought of one Nancy Wheeler. With a satisfied hum, Cole shut the door behind him and made a beeline to the fire.

There were a few people scattered throughout the campsite talking and drinking, and Cole’s eyes immediately landed on Adam, who was currently occupied by Melissa. Damage control, maybe. As Cole looked at the fire, he noticed El sitting alone in the dark. Lifting a hand to her, Cole waved. “Hey El,” he raised up the package of graham crackers, “Want to make S’mores?” He sat down on the log near her and began unpacking everything. Handing her a skewer, he slipped a marshmallow on it. “Okay, good to toast it,” he pronounced. As he readied his own, Cole cast her a sidelong glance. “Everything okay?” She seemed... quieter than usual.

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.

who: Cole & @eddiemcnson​

where: the shores of Lover’s Lake

What a weird fucking night it had been. It was already weird enough for Cole to come to an open-invitation camping trip. Add onto that that Adam, his resurrected boyfriend, was helping to plan it. And then everything that had actually happened in the lake. Ninety percent of Cole was internally screaming at him to go home-- but he wanted to be a good sport and a supportive boyfriend, and besides, whatever ‘injury’ he had earlier was now gone. 

Still, Cole needed a reprieve from the crowd; apparently shit had gone down in the cabin, too, and Adam was being the usual Good Samaritan and helping some stragglers put their tents together. So, Cole slipped away back towards the lake. He was certainly going to keep his distance from the water, but something about the scene and the sun setting on the lake’s horizon was enough to calm his fears from before. 

As he rounded the corner and heard the chatter behind him die down, Cole spotted a figure closer to the shore. That hair was unmistakeable, and a grin broke out onto Cole’s face. “Hey, Munson!” he called to announce his presence. Though they hadn’t spoken much since that day in the mall (and they hardly spoke that day either, to be fair), Cole felt incredibly comfortable with Eddie. Like they’d been friends for years. “You hoping to find the Lochness monster down here or something?” 

mmuscles​:

.

thad hadn’t come to cole for some bullshit heart to heart, he came to level with him. considering what a pain in the ass he had been for the duration of their prior interactions, he was kicked off guard when cole was so…cool about it. he didn’t understand. and most definitely thought it was a trick. “i’m not bribing you, man.” thad ran a contemplative hand through his hair. there was no way he was trusting a guy he just met with a secret this big. “let me fix the car.” it obviously wasn’t out of kindness, but he didn’t have the words to explain what he was trying to do here. the way his brain worked though, was if he actually did something for cole, he’d feel less inclined to spill. thad merely hoped if he pushed enough, rather than articulate, cole would surrender. other than through his parents, that was how thad got most things he wanted in life, through brute force. 

for the record, it’s okay to feel that way. 

thad’s tongue got stuck at the front of his mouth and he gulped down his initial thoughts. how dare he? he didn’t feel any way. not him, not towards cole. “what way?” he asked, aggressively jutting his chin out towards cole. he wasn’t going to hit him or anything, but scaring him wasn’t out of the question. the last thing he needed was some…pretty boy telling him how to feel. 

xx.

It was a good deal... a $3,000 worth of a repair for his silence. But Cole felt weird blatantly accepting it as a bribe, as if what had happened was gross or wrong. It was unexpected, sure, but... Cole had asked for it, hadn’t he? He assumed Thad was just very confused. Either that or Thad had a major lapse in judgement and now thinks Cole is wrong, sinful, a freak, even. With a tentative shrug, Cole gave in. “Okay, fine. Guess I won’t get a better deal than that.”

Cole was torn. He wanted to push the issue, to prove to Thad that there really is nothing wrong with liking guys... but that put him, and by association, Adam, in an extremely vulnerable position. At least with he kiss, the two were on equal footing. Leaning away from the discomfort, Cole decided to lighten the mood. “I guess I have to hope you’re good with your hands, guy,” he smirked. The usual back-and-forth of their interactions was a welcome reprieve from the temporary heaviness. 

zccming​:

.

“well, maybe you shouldn’t be so loud when you come around. whisper…or…knock on the window, like a normal person.” max suggested as if it were simple math. her shoulders seemed to unwind as cole turned the music down. as much as she protested about it, that smile did minorly aid in lifting her spirits. as a thank you to cole, she punched him in the arm as he called her an asshole and let that fire die out with a “yeah, yeah. sure i am.” still. she saw the look of concern in his eyes and felt a brief twinge of regret for spilling about the upside down to him. max mayfield was not a girl who liked to be treated as fragile. 

fortunately for their friendship, cole knew better and offered her a cigarette in lieu of questions. much better. she lit it and began puffing away. “irresistible?” max scoffed, “yeah, right. who said that? your mom?” she teased, taking another drag. this was peaceful. it was one thing in her life that felt normal right now. at least when the tides were changing in hawkins, max had the comfort that her and cole would stay the same. “adam?” she verified. yeah, she’d heard about that commune. she couldn’t fake a smile for cole granted those were the same circumstances that allegedly brought billy back to her doorstep. max knew he died, but billy, billy didn’t seem to think so. she didn’t know what to make of that. instead of digging into the mystery, she threw him the meager bone of, “i heard. that’s great.” he must be so happy, she thought. she didn’t want to spit on his moment. 

clearly, cole had some fears though. max shrugged, “i mean, i definitely don’t feel as excited about my shithead step-brother being back home.” her tone was flat, not indicating how much it really rocked her. diverting the focus back to cole, she told him more sincerely, “i’m glad you have adam back.” it was her turn to look up at the stars and smoke now. what’s up with you, mayfield? sighing, she looked back down at him, “i kissed el.” talk about a shitshow.

xx.

Cole leveled another dramatic sigh in Max’s direction. “Even if I learned sign language, you’d complain about the sound of my hands.” As much as they picked on each other, Cole usually knew how to decode Max. But tonight, there was something else going on-- something he couldn’t figure out. He faked a wince when she punched him, holding his arm. “Listen, I already broke my finger for you and got a fucking concussion from falling into a grave, what more do you want from me?” he protested, though the glimmer in his eye proved that he was joking.

Taking a puff of his cigarette, Cole leaned back on his arms. “Lots of people. I can name names,” he fired back, jutting his chin out to make his point. It was a nice night, which is part of why Cole had originally come to the skate park. It was rare to be outside without the heat making everything sticky, and he fully intended to take advantage of it, and he’d been wanting to update Max, anyways. But her response was weird. It was like she hadn’t heard what he said. Or her mind was elsewhere.

Before he could repeat himself-- hello? Adam is back?-- Max continued, and Cole’s face fell. Billy Hargrove. He was back, too? Thinking about it, Cole had heard that Billy had been off in some community in the woods... “That asshole’s back? Why?” Cole asked, shelving the Adam conversation for now. It was better this way; no questions about how Adam came back to life meant no sending him back to the grave. Hopefully. 

Then, another bomb from Max Mayfield. “Seriously?” he exclaimed, sitting up straight and turning to look at her. “What was it like? How do you feel?” 

rcbinbvckleys​:

⚢

“i don’t think we made it up either. when i usually make up or think out scenarios in my brain they’re always just a little bit fuzzy and out of reach. but this was totally different. because i was there, and i felt everything. did you- have that?” robin had considered that maybe she’d just been thrown back into a memory from long ago which went completely haywire.

but herself and barb had only gone swimming when they were kids, and in this ‘vision’, barb had looked older. as in, the same age as when she first went missing. and it had been night time. and then there was the pool… “i just wish we’d still been friends. i wish i could have helped her.” although robin logically knew that there wasn’t much that she could have done. the two of them had still been friendly, but they had drifted apart. it wasn’t anyone’s fault, sometimes that just happened, right?

“i don’t know.” the only real running theory was one that she didn’t believe cole could possibly know — that the upside down stuff was happening again. “i think — we might have disturbed barb’s grave.” it was what robin had initially believed too, before realising everything had been far too much of a coincidence.

xx.

“Yes! Yeah... it felt like a memory, only I know it wasn’t a real one; I wasn’t there when he died, I know that,” Cole said, relief washing over him in waves. They had both experienced the same thing. As the relief came, so did a growing sense of fear; why had they both experienced the same thing? 

The knot in Cole’s stomach twisted at Robin’s words. He didn’t know much about what happened to Barbara, but he knew that, with things like this, there was no use blaming oneself. Some things are just out of our control, no matter how desperately we wished they weren’t. No matter how desperately he wished he could change the past, he couldn’t. Instinctively, Cole leaned over to Robin and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He was pretty sure she wasn’t the kind of person to get the wrong idea from a comforting gesture like this, and he couldn’t stand letting her sit there with that sad look in her eyes. “I know,” was all he said.

Puling out of the hug, Cole nodded. Eyes dropped to his hands, a chill runing down his spine as he remembered the feeling of being in a grave. “It was Barb’s grave?” he asked, “The one me and Lucas were in?” As much as he tried to remember what had happened, the details were fuzzy. “Wasn’t it already... disturbed?” 

joycefm​:

    “cole!!”  a  smile  rests  on  her  face  as  she  greets  the  other,  hiding  anything  that  resembled  surprise.  she  definitely  hadn’t  been  expecting  the  other  but  there  had  always  been  something  about  cole  that  felt  so  familiar.  maybe  because  they  simply  fit  into  hawkins  so  well  -  or  because  he  simply  got  along  with  her  boys  so  well..  she  wasn’t  exactly  sure.  but  she  extended  her  kindness  to  everyone  across  town  unless  they  gave  her  reason  not  to.  

    brows  raise  at  his  words  but  yet  she  doesn’t  hesitate  to  open  her  door  further,  welcoming  him  in.  “i  have  all  the  time  in  the  world  -  i  bought  some  fresh  fruit  so  come  on  in.”  she’s  already  moving  to  grab  the  other  a  bowl,  placing  it  on  the  kitchen  table  and  moving  immediately  to  the  refrigerator  to  grab  some  grapes.  "talk  to  me  -  what’s  on  your  mind?”

If Joyce was surprised, she certainly didn’t show it, which put Cole at ease. He supposed she was relatively used to all the youth of Hawkins showing up unannounced, but for Cole this was a first. Following Joyce to the kitchen, Cole tapped his fingers nervously on his legs. He smiled at her as she handed him a bowl and plopped grapes into it. “Thank you, you didn’t have to,” he said, though he bit down on a grape.

What’s on your mind? 

A lot, actually, but in the moment Cole was focused on his timing. Was this the right time? Was there ever a right time to say what he was going to say? He decided to just be honest. Five years late, maybe, but nonetheless. “I don’t really have like... a tactful way to say this?” Cole explained, with an apologetic smile. “Lonnie Byers was my dad. Or, is. But we don’t talk or anything. I’ve never met him.” Realizing that his sentences were running into each other, Cole took a breath, popped another grape into his mouth. “Um. My mom... Maggie, you might know her from school... she told me a few years back and I just didn’t know if I wanted to say anything? I don’t want to complicate your life, or Will’s or Jonathan’s, but...” He didn’t know how exactly to express what he’d been feeling for his whole life: the desire for a family, to come home to a house teeming with life, to not be so... alone in the world. 

eddiemcnson​:

+++

eddie very nearly hissed when cole pulled on his shirt, when he felt his breath ghost over his ear a few seconds later. almost instinctively, his grip on cole’s waist tightened, fingers experimentally darting underneath the fabric to feel the warmth of his skin, the sensation made his arms break out in goosebumps. god, it had been a fucking long time since he’d last been this close to someone. and eddie certainly hadn’t expected to find himself in this situation when he’d loaded his stereo into the van to drive to an illegal party in the mall some four hours ago.

a slight, dazed grin tugged at his lips, he rolled his eyes. “you’re a cocky bastard, you know that?”, he whispered with a slight shake of his head before their lips were connected yet again and eddie gasped into the kiss, shivered as their tongues lazily brushed together.

he hummed, pleased, when cole moved onto his neck, let one hand travel up to card his fingers through cole’s hair. he let his head fall back, eyes closed, trying to town in the sensation of cole’s lips on his skin -

- but no, there was something else, something disturbing them. he frowned, and, tugging at cole’s hair slightly, pulled back. “i - d'you hear that?”

xx.

When Eddie slipped his hands beneath Cole’s shirt, Cole decided he was glad he came to this protest/party/whatever it was. A rush of warmth flooded Cole’s chest and he leaned into Eddie’s body, wishing they could be closer still. He knew he made Eddie feel good; the goosebumps and hums were evidence enough.

At Eddie’s eye roll, a confident grin pushed Cole’s lips upwards. “It’s been said. Not sure I agree,” was all he managed before their lips connected again with a desperate crash. Cole relished the feeling of Eddie’s soft lips, his tangled hair, their arms intertwined. 

As Eddie tugged on Cole’s hair, his kisses became more frantic, eventually leading back to the other’s mouth. Cole hummed back as their lips connected; the hum turned into a groan when Eddie pulled back. Blinking and catching his breath, Cole reluctantly pulled his hands out from underneath Eddie’s shirt.

Shit. Did someone just say the cops were here? Smoothing out Eddie’s tussled hair, Cole grabbed his hand and pulled him to the wall nearest them. There was an exit that way, if he remembered correctly. Cole glanced at Eddie one last time and winked, “That’ll be hard to forget, Munson.” Patting down his own hair, Cole slipped off to the right to inconspicuously re-join the group, allowing Eddie to do the same a few moments later. He was sure the vandals would be too frantic to notice.

mmuscles​:

.

thad watched the grass crunch below his feet as he walked off with cole. the fact he even had to say anything about this at all was stressing him out and the one feeling he kept coming back was wishing he simply hadn’t done it. maybe the thoughts of cole couldn’t haunt his mind and maybe he wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable with having to use some tact. as easy as it was to intimidate with fists and words, he didn’t want to do that with cole. with what little he knew about the guy, it didn’t seem like it would work. they spent a long time wandering around the field, thad unspeaking despite pulling cole aside.

finally, he shoved his fists into the pockets of his shorts and looked down at cole, “look, i like, really don’t want anyone finding out about….” he trailed off, nervously licking his lips. he was too embarrassed to even say what had happened, speaking about the incident made it more real, and that made thad more nervous. trying to keep up a tough exterior for cole, he continued, “i’ll fix your car if you keep that big mouth shut, deal?” he asked, sticking out his hand for cole to shake. would this be a business deal that thad’s father would be proud of? probably not. as he waited for cole to take it, thad added, “like, as collateral or whatever.” 

xx.

Wordlessly, Cole followed Thad around the field. Maybe Thad wanted to be further from people to say what he wanted to say. Cole had a foggy idea of what this conversation would be about; he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it too. Mostly, he’d thought up about a dozen questions, all that he couldn’t imagine Thad wanted to hear. Cole knew from personal experience that things as big as this couldn’t be forced; Thad had to be ready on his own.

He could tell Thad was nervous, ashamed even, and that made Cole sad. God, he was getting soft. Cole ventured to look into Thad’s eyes and decided, for once, to be earnest. “You don’t have to bribe me. I won’t say anything.”  Deciding to be the bigger person, Cole let the ‘big mouth’ comment slide. Besides, he knew how Thad really felt about his mouth. “For the record... it’s okay to feel that way,” he said, though his muscles were tense. He was ready to duck out of the way if Thad swung on him, just in case.