Eddiemcnson​:

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.

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.” 

where: blue quarry mall who: cole + robin @rcbinbvckleys

From the moment he stepped into the mall, Cole knew this night was going to be wild. Not because everyone was in the mood to party-- no, not at all-- but because everyone was uncomfortable. It made sense, everyone in the room had been affected by the fire in some way, and of course no one really wanted to be here. And if there's one thing Cole retained from high school, it's that when people are uncomfortable, they drink. A lot. Which is why Cole was offended when Harringon questioned his forethought.

After about six cups of lukewarm beer, Cole decided to venture into the crowd. The closest person to him was Robin, who he had never officially met but knew from afar. He noticed her cup was dangerously low and took it from her hand, using his head to motion towards the keg. "Here, let me top you off," he offered, his words slightly slurred.

Then, through his alcohol-infused haze, he realized how weird it was for a guy she doesn't know to take her cup and he turned towards her, splashing beer onto his shirt. "I'm Cole. A friend of Harrington's. Sorry, not trying to be weird, or like... predatory." He handed her the cup back and laughed at his stupidity. "So, how's your night going?"

tessacallovvay​:.

Mr. Sarcastic, as always. Good to know somethings hadn’t changed since high school. And, just like high school, he was doing his own… thing here, at this dingy little music store. Yawn. Tapping her nails on the counter, Tessa smiled, “Just wanted to chat, that’s all. About that little kickback you were at.” She said, glancing discretely around. She’d already talked to Sinclair about what had happened, but there was something that didn’t sit right with her about his answers. It made sense, but… it didn’t feel right.

“What sort of gross prank were you pulling that night, hm?” Tessa asked. She’d asked Lucas and he’d freely admitted to it, though he’d sworn he’d worked alone. She wanted to test a little theory of hers.

xx.

A humorless smile pushed up the corners of Cole’s mouth at her question. Well, at least he wasn’t completely crazy. The recurring nightmare he’d been having about Adam, though... that made him feel like his mind was splintering. Had he hit his head hard enough to cause hallucination? Or insomnia? He supposed both were possible, though the doctor Lucas had taken him to had assured him that the symptoms of the concussion would be gone in about a week. 

Cole’s eyes snapped up to Tessa’s face and offense crossed over his features. A prank? She couldn’t be serious. “You’re fucking with me, right?” Cole scoffed. “Tessa, why the hell would I throw myself into an open grave and give myself a concussion for a prank?” He wasn’t going to go so far as to say something pushed him into the grave, although that’s what it felt like, but he certainly hadn’t fallen in on purpose. 

who: Cole & @willthewize​

where: the Byers’ porch!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

mmuscles​:

“cole montgomery,” thad repeated the name back to him in a scoff. he shook his head, lowering his voice in turn, “i like pretty boy better.” he felt dizzy, confused even. why had he come here in the first place, again? the only thing he could hone in on was cole’s stare, their proximity was suffocating. while his brain screamed at his feet to bolt and get back in the car, thad only found them firmly planted on the floor of his garage and his gaze unwavering as it bored into cole. who was this guy? 

thad liked to think he was strong. he liked to think he acted in way that would make his family proud, but as cole drew closer and demanded that show him, he was suddenly a very weak man. exasperated, he unnecessarily exclaimed, “fine! i will!” then fervently closed the distance between them. in one urgent motion, thad’s lips were on cole’s and his body was on his body, effectively sandwiching the other between himself and the wall.  

the anger thad felt towards cole was especially invigorating, only furthering the franticness of each of his actions – kissing, roaming hands, whatever. thad, obviously, didn’t divulge these impulses very often, so the moment his brain slipped back into his head, he pulled away. he looked at cole, wide eyed with an expression somewhere between pissed and shocked. forcing himself in the intimidating direction of indignation, thad glared at cole, then marched off to his car without another word. 

xx.

Cole wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, but he could see a battle waging behind Thad’s eyes. Through narrowed eyes, Cole studied Thad, trying to crack his code-- until, suddenly, Thad was pushing him against the wall again, and pressing his lips to Cole’s. At first, Cole was too shocked to respond. Thad who refused to learn his name was now kissing him?

It didn’t take long for Cole to give in; he hadn’t been kissed like this, maybe ever. Thad’s aggression translated to passion, and Cole ran his hands along Thad’s arms, encouraging him to keep going. When Thad pulled away, Cole couldn’t help the pout that his lips turned into. But he dared not protest-- something about Thad’s expression felt dangerous. Cole wasn’t sure what he would do, whether he would never speak of it again or whether he would take out his anger and repression on Cole.

So, Cole let him go. As Thad stormed off to his car and peeled out-- loudly, of course-- Cole lazily traced his lips, as if to check for physical signs that this had really happened. Steve was surprising to Cole, as was Eddie, but this? This felt earth-shattering in a completely different way. Not exhilarating and meaningful like with Adam, but... scary. And though it should’ve made him afraid of Thad, he couldn’t help be a little sad for him, too. 

eddiemcnson​:

+++

droplets of nervous sweat starting to appear above his brow, eddie’s eyes darted down to where cole pulled out that blasted bandana before he took both the cigarette and lighter from him. he clicked it a couple of times, no light appeared, eddie nervously glanced back up at cole, down at the lighter. violently shook it around for a moment, another attempt - it thankfully lit this time and he handed it back to cole.

he was a bundle of nerves. the previous pleasant buzz from the alcohol had almost entirely disappeared, he flicked  the cigarette’s filter repeatedly, fidgeted with his rings on his other hand. as if he was almost….waiting for cole to ridicule him. instead, however, he said something completely unexpected and eddie chocked on his own breath, sputtering cough.

he looked up to lock eyes with him. i am, too. the fuck did he mean? and ‘too’? was this some sort of trap? or was he literally genuinely saying what…eddie thought…he was saying? hadn’t he not gotten any of his surely widely popularly used phrases moments ago? he quirked a brow, took a drag once his coughing had subised. “you are….what?”, eyes narrowed, voice low in case this was, indeed, a trap.

adam richards was mentioned and, oh, jeez, it all made sense. eddie almost instantly felt bad, a guilty nauseau creeping up on him. way to go, munson, way to go. “your best friend, wasn’t he?” brows pulled together, lips twisted into a sympathetic smile. of course, max hadn’t been the only one who’d lost someone on the very ground they were standing on. “listen, man, i’m so…sorry - like, that’s gotta be rough, like, being here and everything. sorry. i can go and  leave you alone if you want to.”

xx. 

Cole didn’t waver under Eddie’s gaze. If he was correct, Eddie’s behavior made sense. Cole felt it too, the fear of being found out by someone who wasn’t safe. It was the reason Cole and Adam snuck around for the three years they were together-- to avoid the football jocks and the band geeks and the teachers berating them and calling them names. Only it never stopped there; it often got physical, violent. Of course Eddie was afraid.

It was like they were playing chicken, like they were standing in front of a train for as long as possible and pulling back at the last second-- exhilarating, maybe, but not satisfying. Something about being in the mall, all his thoughts about Adam... it was the perfect concoction for a confession. “I like guys,” he said, meeting Eddie’s eyes again. “Adam was my boyfriend.”

And then: relief. Cole felt like he’d recovered part of himself, like he’d regained a phantom limb. He hadn’t been able to talk about his feelings this openly since, well, Adam. It was refreshing, rejuvenating even. “If you want, I’ll prove it,” he teased, giving Eddie a once-over. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so open about it, but what’s the worst that could happen?

mmuscles​:

.

thad hadn’t known what he was expecting when he started (deservedly) railing into a random stranger for denting up his car, but it wasn’t this attitude. as if the temperature rapidly ticked up about ten degrees, thad had the sudden urge to tug on the collar of his own polo shirt. he bit back the desire and instead combatted the other, “i’m not guy, i’m thad.” he exclaimed, “you’re guy.” he shook his head, huffing. the feeling began to sink in that this wasn’t going to be easy in the slightest as the other continued arguing in that annoying tone of his. right as thad opened his mouth to recover, the other intruded on his personal space, knocking the words directly out of his mouth. thad attempted to hide that fact with a scoff. “right. tell me, pretty boy, you make a habit out of rear ending people? is that how your car got so fucked?” he looked past him, and to the car. partly because he wanted to see it again, but mostly because he couldn’t stand to meet his eyes. 

groaning and throwing his neck back dramatically, thad condescendingly laughed at the stranger, “i don’t want your fucking number, champ.” he proceeded in his attempts to assert his importance by giving him a firm smack on the shoulder, “i want you to pay for my car.” thad gripped his shoulder, hard, “put the keys down, you look ridiculous.” he followed that up by releasing the other. thad clicked his tongue, then shot him a finger gun, “be right back.” he turned around and jogged back to his car. throwing open the front door he dug into his glove compart for his mini legal pad and ballpoint pen that read bradshaw & co. diamond manufacturing. with both in hand, he was surprised to see his car’s assailant still standing in the road. thad jogged back, extending the pen and paper, “now be a good boy and give me your information, guy.” 

xx.

Cole couldn’t help the smirk that overtook his features. Though this was an objectively shitty situation, the guy’s out of proportion outrage was entertaining, at least. “Thad?” Cole repeated, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “If I were you, I’d stick with guy.” At least ‘guy’ didn’t give off super-rich silver spoon asshole. Though, if Cole had to guess... that wasn’t far from the truth. Then it clicked: this was Nancy’s boyfriend Thad. Summer home in the Hamptons Thad. Completely ignoring Thad’s questioning, Cole arched a brow. “Careful, guy, I’m not sure Nancy would love the idea of you calling another me pretty,” he winked. “But hey, what happens in Hawkins can stay in Hawkins.” He was purposely laying it on thick, hoping to make Thad squirm a little. 

I want you to pay for my car. Yeah, good luck, as Cole could barely even pay for his own. Wiggling out of Thad’s grip, Cole fixed him with a sickly-sweet and very fake smile. “Why would I pay for your car when that’s an easy touch up? Hell, I’ll even buff it for you, but I’ve got other expenses.” Cole rolled his eyes, shoving his keys in his back pocket. Rolling the pen around in his fingers, Cole snickered at the company name. A diamond manufacturer was asking him, a music store manager, to pay for a tiny dent? The irony. So, Cole decided to fuck with him. On the legal pad, he wrote: Steve Harrington, 6130 Valley View Rd. Plastering on the sickly sweet smile once again, Cole handed the notepad and pen back over to Thad. If Thad managed to make his way across town from Steve’s house to his own, he might be impressed enough to actually chip in for the car’s repairs. “You sure you don’t want me to throw in my phone number, guy?” 

@goldenboyrichards