Xx.

zccming​:

.

cole was handing her hard hitting question after hard hitting question, max didn’t quite know how to take them, let alone answer them. it would be something she’d have to sit with for a while before she got comfortable enough to share an answer. she was sure cole would understand. el was one of many sensitive topics max mayfield kept close to her heart. she didn’t bother explaining that to him as cole began to share more about adam. it didn’t take long for a heavy guilt to blanket her room. max felt a vague crushing in her chest, like the weight was too much, she couldn’t breathe. “give me that.” she snapped, taking the joint from cole, then puffing on it for an extra long time. she’d need to brace herself for this conversation. apparently, getting high with cole was a very dangerous game. 

she looked him in his eyes, nervous. she had been quiet for too long. it was suspicious, there was no hiding now. “cole…” max handed him back the joint, “i….at the mall…” she was struggling to find the words. as she stumbled, she reached for both of his hands and grasped them firmly. it would likely be a minimal comfort, but it was the least she could think to do, “i lied to you. billy was different before the fire.” she was only scratching the surface, but she figured it might be best to rip the whole bandaid off for cole rather than deliver shocking blow after blow, “and i know why adam was different, too…it…adam wasn’t the one who broke up with you…” fearing that cole would be angry, or might think she was crazy, max bit down firmly on the inside of her check, “him, and billy, and…the others…they were sort of possessed. by this thing called the mind flayer.” she minimally covered all of her bases, still gripping cole’s hands when she was done. trying to get a read on his thoughts, she intensely watched his expression as she asked, “do you think i’m crazy?” 

max didn’t offer up an apology, she didn’t regret hiding it from cole, but it was time he knew. the more he spoke about adam, the more max learned, it seemed only fair that the full picture be painted. that being said, max knew the whole thing sounded like a crock of bullshit, so she wanted cole to know, “you can ask questions, or for proof, or whatever. i know it’s kind of a lot to hear. i didn’t believe it at first. but i’m telling you the truth.”

xx.

Cole wasn’t surprised that Max didn’t answer his questions right away; he hadn’t really expected her to. If anything, he just hoped she knew he was a safe space to talk about her true feelings, in the same way she had been for him. He was surprised by he sudden mood change though. Handing the joint over with no protest, Cole cast her a sidelong glance. He was about to ask what was wrong when she broke the silence.

When Max took his hands, Cole straightened his back, his stomach swirling. But neither the anxiety nor the frantic guesses about what she was going to say could have prepared him. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and Cole was unable to keep them from falling. He felt a strange sense of relief. That really wasn’t Adam. He’d blamed himself for so long, only to find out that it wasn’t him. Cole searched Max’s face for any hint of a smile, anything to show she was pulling his leg-- but she was sincere. “Mind... flayer?” he repeated, slowly. The words felt strange coming out of his mouth. It made sense, in theory-- Adam’s dark eyes, his sudden cruelty, the silent treatment-- but this made no sense. “I don’t think you’re crazy,” Cole said, though he felt like his brain was in overdrive. 

With her prompting, Cole let his questions flow: “How did this thing possess them? And why them? And why Hawkins? This is insane.” As things continued clicking in his mind, Cole wondered how long Max had known, and what her involvement was. “How do you know all of this?” he asked, more quietly. He felt protective over Max all of the sudden, and he was afraid of her answer.

willthewize​:

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

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

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

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

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

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

who: Cole & @drewcampbell​​

where: The Music Center

It had been a week and a half since Cole had gotten out of the hospital, and he’d run a few errands by himself despite his mother’s and Adam’s protests. Truly, Cole was sick of being stuck in the house, like he had been sick of the hospital room. He was restless. Though the owner of the Music Center had told him to take all the time he needed, Cole wanted to go back in to work, if only to get out of the house for a while. Plus, he hadn’t taught the new guy how to do inventory, and Cole hated when the owner attempted it. He’d once come back to find Joni Mitchell in the heavy metal section, and promptly banned anyone else from the job. 

The drive over was a spectacle, from Cole having to carefully lower himself into the driver’s seat and avoid moving too much or too quickly and inflame the pain in his broken ribs, to him driving with one hand and adjusting the radio with his arm in the sling. But, he pulled into his usual parking spot and let himself into the Music Center from the back door. Smiling at Drew, Cole waved with his good arm. “Hey, man. How’s it going? Holding everything down here?” he asked, eyes skimming over piles of undone inventory. Cole tucked a stack of records under his arm and busied himself immediately.

He turned, feeling Drew’s eyes on his back, and supposed he should explain his more-ghostly-than normal appearance, the still-healing cuts and bruises, the sling. “From the carnival. Wrong place, wrong time,” he grimaced. Then, lifting a brow, he asked the other: “Were you there? I don’t remember much. You didn’t get hurt, did you?” He didn’t know much about Drew, so he wasn’t necessarily worried about him, but Cole winced at the thought that they’d forced him to work because Cole had been hospitalized.

[Timothée Chalamet, cismale, he/him] who’s that? oh it’s [walden cole montgomery]. i hear they’re [21] and are known as [the loverboy] around [the skate park]. they’re also a [junior] at [indiana state] and a [manager] at the [music center]. they’re known to be [artistic + intellectual] and [self-involved + elusive]. some people say they remind them of [poetry whispered during a rainstorm, snide remarks from the back of the classroom, the outline of a flask in his jean pocket].

STATISTICS

FULL  NAME: walden cole montgomery GENDER/PRONOUNS: cis male; he/him AGE: twenty-one FACECLAIM: timothée chalamet BIRTHDAY: april 23 STAR  SIGN: taurus HOMETOWN: albany, new york HEIGHT:  5′10″ OCCUPATION: manager at the music center; junior at Indiana state ORIENTATION: homosexual (but not officially out)

HEADCANONS

* Cole is the half-brother of Jonathan and Will Byers (Lonnie sure got around in high school); he only found out a few years ago, right around when Will went missing and, frankly, Cole didn’t say anything because he didn’t particularly want to be tied to “Zombie Boy.” Since then, he hasn’t known how or even if he should say something. * Cole has been in love once: with Adam, the star quarterback two years his senior. For two years, they shared clandestine meetings and quiet declarations of love and whispered promises that they’d move somewhere where things could be different, where everyone could know. But then Adam changed, seemingly overnight. He avoided Cole and acted cruel and empty; Cole still doesn’t know what happened, and never will, because Adam died in the mall fire. *note: Adam was one of The Flayed, and while Cole knows something was very off, he has no idea how to find answers * Cole hasn’t been the same since Adam died. He went away to college to study Literature, which should have made him happy, but he just felt like a ghost. He’s not sure if it’s worse to be away at college pretending like nothing happened, or back in Hawkins constantly reminded of him.

PINTEREST | BIOGRAPHY | CONNECTIONS | PLAYLIST

The Wheeler family barbecue wasn't exactly Cole's first choice as far as Memorial Day festivities go. He would much rather be by the lake, pretending to read a book-- away from all the prying eyes of Hawkins' very own helicopter parents. But one chance run-in with Steve Harrington can derail even the strongest man's plans for the day. And Cole didn't mind, he sort of liked the twitch Karen Wheeler got when he was around.

See, Karen and Cole's mom used to be friends-- best friends, as Cole understood it. But best friends in the girl way, where they secretly hate each other and are always competing to be the prettiest, smartest, funniest, whatever. And then Maggie Montgomery got shipped off to New York and Karen won prom queen and that was supposed to be that. Until Maggie came back with a son, born around the same time as Karen's oldest, and suddenly the competition began again. Whose kid would be the smartest? The most athletic? The prettiest? It was amusing to Cole, especially in the last few years since he and Nancy have become friends.

So, he matched Karen's polite smile when he greeted her and raided her kitchen, making a plate of every feasible kind of chip and dip he could find. Karen watched him the whole time, peppering him with faux-questions used to assert Nancy's superiority. Are you still at Indiana State? Meaning: you aren't at a real college like Emory. How are you liking the Music Center? Meaning: Nancy has a real job running a newspaper, etc etc. After no less than twenty questions, Cole escaped to the front yard and to a cold beer. Glancing sideways, he noticed that Nancy had the same idea. "Prized pony, huh?" He grinned, clinking his beer to her plastic cup. "What would Mrs. Wheeler think if she knew Secretariat was defiling her body with alcohol?" he whispered, raising his eyebrows. "Hey, say the word and we can get outta here. You know I love to see Karen squirm."

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Nancy Wheeler & OPEN

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Nancy escapes the confines of Karen Wheeler, spots your muse, and forces them to talk to her.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Memorial Day aka Nancy’s Day!

Nancy had been home from Emerson for approximately five days and eight hours. In that time, she had barely seen the sunlight let alone escape from the grasp that was Karen Wheeler’s perfectly manicured hand. It was thing after thing with her mom. First, they went to the nail salon, then grocery shopping, then to The Gap, and then to her nana’s house for a visit. There had barely been time for her to even sit down and breathe for the last week. Then Karen began talking about how they should throw a BBQ for Nancy! It made perfect sense, in Karen’s mind. The Wheeler’s knew so many people and a cook out on Memorial Day was the perfect kickstarter to reintroduce Nancy to people who she had actively been avoiding since leaving Hawkins. Nancy would protest, looking over at her dad who’s glued to his Lay-Z Boy for some help, only for Ted to grumble and ask, “Do I have to cook?”

There was no use and come Memorial Day, the Wheeler’s backyard had been decorated. Her dad was on the grill and her mom was pushing Nancy along to talk to all of Karen’s friends. Nancy goes to Emerson! She’s a part of Alpha Epsilon Phi! And she’s dating the president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon! Oh, and she’s editor-in-chief at The Berkeley Beacon! Karen was bragging and bragging about all of Nancy’s accolades. It seemed to give Karen a leg up against all of her other friends who’s kids were still stuck in Hawkins. “Hey, I’ll be right back,” she said, excusing herself from the gaggle of moms.

Grabbing a red solo cup, she snuck off with one of the beers she spotted in the cooler, and poured it in the cup. There was no way she could tackle this sober. Taking a long drink, she spotted a familiar face, and booked it towards them. She needed some kind of distraction away from the clutches of Karen Wheeler. “Hey, do you think you could distract me for like… five minutes before I have to go back to being trotted around like a prized pony?”

stevehharringtcns​:

.

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

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

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

xx.

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

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

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

sinclairss​:

if it weren’t for the most recent injury, lucas would’ve gone on a run right now. the adrenaline coursing through his veins meant he barely felt any pain, not from his surgically-repaired knee and not from his newly-dislocated shoulder. he could use something to channel that adrenaline, especially when he wasn’t entirely sure how deep into this conversation he wanted to get.

to buy himself some time, lucas hopped out of the car and rounded the passenger side to tug cole’s door open. “yeah,” he finally said with quick nod. “i felt like…i thought i was gonna die.” and that would be a shitty way to go. he held his arm out, unsure if cole might need him for balance and then heading for the doors beneath the glowing EMERGENCY ROOM sign.

this, lucas wasn’t sure on, but he had a hunch. “two’s a coincidence. three’s a pattern,” he said, like he didn’t need to elaborate at all.

xx.

“Thanks,” Cole gave Lucas a grim smile as he climbed out of the passenger seat. He was able to stand on his own, which Cole hoped meant it wasn’t a major injury. Something that would go away in two days, tops. But Cole was tired-- not just physically, but emotionally. He was drained and if he was honest, all he really wanted to do was lock himself in his room for a few days to try and understand what was going on.

Cole waved his hand, dismissing Lucas’ arm. “I’m good, thank you though,” he repeated, feeling bad that Lucas had driven him all the way here just to field his questions and be released with a concussion. Lucas said ‘I thought I was gonna die’ so casually that Cole barely clocked it, so when he realized what Lucas said, Cole stumbled over some shitty landscaping job. “Mine was really real too. Only I wasn’t the one dying,” he added the last part in a mumble.

Raising an eyebrow at Lucas’ comment, Cole turned to him. “Three?” he prodded. He knew he’d remembered a few others mentioning things they’d seen, but everyone was so rattled that he guessed he hadn’t paid much attention. “What does it mean, if it is a pattern?”

𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙻 #𝟶𝟶𝟼: cole & max

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

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

MAX: yeah i can tell.

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

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

COLE: or something...

COLE: i told adam...

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

COLE: i panicked and told him right before

COLE: i'm an asshole

zccming​:

“everyone expresses their rebellion differently.” max rolled her eyes at the notion, then took a drag from the joint. this party was objectively stupid, but she was there anyhow. so who was she to judge?  “It’s just… do you ever feel like it should’ve been you? Like, why did all those people die and not me?” “heavy.” she replied. the effects of her indulgence throughout the night were hitting her all at once, so to hell with it. she’d be honest with cole. “yeah. i mean, paramedics pretty much saved me and a bunch of other people. pulled us out.” at least, that was the official police story. not the truth, but it was the closest max could get to saying she watched billy die here.

 “i…still don’t understand why it worked out that way.” she rubbed her temples with one hand, then handed cole the joint with the other. time felt heavy on her shoulders, so she wasn’t going to waste it. “i didn’t like, really know adam…” code for, i always thought he was just a dumb asshole jock. “but since he was your friend, i doubt he’d want you thinking like that.” she was confident in that at least. “what do you think he’d think of this party?” max didn’t know what had inspired her to ask such a loaded question, maybe it was something in the air, or maybe it was the hope that prompting cole to remember would help him feel better. 

xx.

Cole studied Max's face when she told her story. They hadn't ever talked about that night before, not explicitly. He knew the substances helped make the conversation easier. "But it was too late? For your brother?" he asked, the high making him bolder. He could probably still recite all of the names of people who'd died in the fire, and when he met Max he put two and two together. "Maybe we'll never know. But none of it makes sense to me," Cole admitted.

He took the joint and sucked in a deep breath, exhaling with a cough. Leaning back against the wall, Cole cracked a smile thinking about what Adam would say if he was here. Why are you pouting? You know it doesn't look good on you. "Yeah, you're probably right," he paused, passing the blunt back. "Though he was a selfish prick sometimes." His expression darkened, remembering the last days they spent together. The fight. "Hey, listen... was Billy... like, different, right before? Was he acting weird?" He shuffled, crossing a leg underneath him. 

“Just because Adam and I got into this huge fight right before. He kept saying that he couldn't be with me anymore. It's like it wasn't him, and... I don't know, I've felt guilty about it ever since." Cole trailed off. Did he just come out to Max? Maybe she was too high to catch it. Maybe he was too high to be talking about this.

bethkrichards​:

“You know, just because you’re sick in bed, it doesn’t give you a free pass to talk about how attractive you think my brother is,” Beth teased, giving his shoulder a poke with her finger. “When I come back, I’ll be throwing popcorn at you the whole movie.” Cole wanted to try something new, and this was it. They’d never really talked about Adam in this same light in years. It was strange, getting used to talking about him in the present tense, leaving out the part about his death like it’d never happened. Ever since Adam had come back, they’d never discussed why or how his sudden reappearance came to be: it just was. That seemed to be more than enough for both of them.

Still, she sauntered off to the kitchen, throwing in a bowl of kernels to microwave, just as Cole had asked. Beth noticed that there was a photo of the three of them in there again, perched on a shelf, from Adam’s football days. One that made her smile now, instead of wanting to cry. “Here’s your snack, my liege,” she offered upon reappearance, sitting down on the couch beside him with a bowl full of warm popcorn. “Forgive me for a moment until I get up again and put the movie in, will you? I want to hear about how you’re doing without the voice, and face, of Link Larkin distracting us.”

xx.

“What, I need a pass now? Being the love of his life suddenly isn’t enough?” Cole pouted, leaning his head back dramatically. “Count your blessings, Elizabeth, because if he hadn’t met me do you have any idea how many guys he would’ve gone through looking like that?” He was intentionally laying it on thick, and the grin showing through his hand was evidence enough. As Beth stood up to get the popcorn, Cole couldn’t help the content smile on his face. Sure, things were complicated with what happened at the carnival and how Adam came back in the first place, but he couldn’t help how right this felt. How this was always what life was meant to be. 

Cole took the bowl, ignoring the pang in his ribs as he stretched his arm out to grab it. At this point, the pain was all the same, just a dull, nagging ache. “Woah, no need for formalities. I’m still the same old Cole,” he teased. He took a few pieces of popcorn and smiled agreeably at her proposition. They did have a lot to catch up on. “Link Larkin can wait.” Cole shifted his body so he could face Beth head-on. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m worried about him, you know? He’s gonna carry that shit-- the guilt-- no matter what I say.”