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[ Will's disappearance has been slowly taking its toll on Jonathan. He can tell just how much it's tearing the family apart, with how detached his mother has been lately. He knows she partially blames him, for not being home. And with how absent she has been lately, that just leaves Jonathan to deal with the funeral arrangements.

He hates it. Part of him wants this all to be over with, to bury his brother and move on, but another part of him hopes that maybe his mother's right.

Maybe there is something more to this, maybe there's a chance Will could still be alive. But then that means he's in danger, and --

And the last thing he needs on top of everything else is to get in the middle of Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington's relationship. Those photos weren't meant to ever see the light of day, nor were Nancy and Steve ever supposed to even notice him. As much as he's been enjoying the sympathy from Nancy, he can tell by the way Steve sneers at him, that it's only a matter of time before the camera isn't the thing that gets destroyed.

He just doesn't expect that day to happen so soon. The next thing he knows, Jonathan's throwing a punch, defending Nancy's honor, despite the fact that Jonathan knows he's the last person who should be making any judgment calls after taking photos without their consent. But he's seeing red, and he just wants it to stop. ]

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[Everything had been going so perfectly for the one they call King Steve. He was at top popularity status and who would have thought that he would have it bad for a girl like Nancy Wheeler? He was pretty damn crazy about her, dare he admit he was actually developing true feelings for the Hawkins good girl and finally getting Nancy to have sex with him sealed the deal. Steve didn't press, he wasn't that kind of guy and there was only so long Nancy Wheeler could resist his charm.

It had been Nancy's choice.

The night had been pretty damn perfect and then came morning. Everything just

Changed.

Byers had the audacity to snap a few creepy pictures that night of the party. They just weren't any pictures, they were pictures of his girlfriend getting undressed without Nancy's knowledge. It had infuriated Steve that someone could invade her privacy in what was supposed to be a private moment. Maybe it had been a little harsh to break Jonathan's camera like that?

It only got better now that Barb was officially missing and when he had caught fucking Byers in Nancy's room....

Tommy took it upon himself to handle the situation but Steve had no idea what the other boy had up his sleeve, Tommy could be pretty reckless. Steve didn't think Tommy would go as far as he did by spray painting the Hawkins theater board. Tommy didn't hold back when it came to soiling Nancy's name and that didn't stop Steve's stomach from dropping once the cruel deed was done.

She deserved it. Only she didn't.....

He wasn't surprised by the slap to his face, not with the way Nancy came storming towards him and fucking Byers right at her heels. No surprise there. The fight had broken out so suddenly, Jonathan's fist made contact with Steve's jaw and suddenly fists were just flying.

Seconds later he's on the pavement with Byers on top of him and punches are still coming. He can hear Tommy screaming in the background, mixed with those of the girls.

Shit. ]

[ Jonathan knows he lost control. He never meant for it to get so bad, but he had seen red as soon as Steve brought his brother into it.

If Will hadn't gone missing...well, they definitely wouldn't be in this situation at all, but he wonders if it would have affected him to the point where he's trying to beat Steve to a bloody pulp.

It's Tommy who pulls him off of Steve, and Jonathan is completely unaware of what's about to happen. He thinks Tommy is just trying to save his friend from getting a terrible concussion. What he doesn't notice is that Tommy is brandishing a knife.

All Jonathan does is try to wrestle out of Tommy's grip, and it isn't until Tommy's got the knife to his neck that he even recognizes how much deep shit he's in, if so much as make one wrong move. He goes silent, and it feels like everything is going in slow motion, like his life is about to flash before his eyes. ]

[Steve is pretty sure he's lost the hearing in both ears, it's just this extreme ringing and his face has gone pretty numb. His arms are raised in attempt to block further blows, get a few licks in on Jonathon own face. One second his head is bouncing back against the pavement and the next he doesn't feel anything at all. It takes him a moment to gather his surroundings, his vision to fully come back without a haze of blurriness.

His face is on fire, shit his nose. A hand goes up to lightly get a touch and he's greeted by warm liquid. Blood. Fuck, he can taste it in his mouth.

He can hear the faint screams coming from Nancy and once he glances up he notices that she's yelling uncontrollably and her face appears wet with tears. Even Carol's expression is that of horrified. Tommy. Tommy has Byers pinned against brick and Steve's eyes catch a glimmer of the knifes reflection. Never has Steve's heart dropped so rapidly and there is this sudden wave of panic that embraces his body whole. ]

Tommy?! Tommy stop! STOP!

[Steve is up and on his feet in a matter of seconds, tackling Tommy at full speed. Both boys collide along the pavement and thankfully the weapon goes sliding. ]

Are you fucking crazy?

[SHIT!

Steve didn't expect the police to suddenly show up, he's also never seen Tommy run so fast in his life. He tries to make a break for it himself but he's suddenly grabbed and yanked back.]

GET OFF!!!! LET GO!!!!!

[Hes suddenly being pinned against the cop car with his hands placed behind his back. He can feel the cold metal, hear the sudden click.

Fuck.

Fuuuuuck!

He's dead. He's so fucking dead.

He doesn't even hear what's being shouted now and he just closes his eyes tightly because this could not be happening. He can not be getting arrested.

Shit.

Fuck. You. Byers.]

Edited 2022-12-25 04:17 (UTC)

[ And to think, Jonathan had planned on hunting down this damn monster and killing it once and for all. Instead, he finds himself with Tommy H holding his life in his hands. Much to his chagrin though, Steve comes to his rescue, and Jonathan is left just feeling nothing but confusion.

Steve, saved his life, after Jonathan had just tried to punch the life out of him?

It makes no sense.

He doesn't get to think much more about this though, as in his shock, he finds himself pinned next to Steve against the cop car, his wrists secured with another pair of handcuffs, and guided into the cop car next to Steve. Well, fuck.

He says nothing, just trying to replay all of the events through his head, to figure out how in the hell he wound up in this position. ]

[Steve has no explanation as to why he had charged Tommy and stopped him from making a very huge mistake. Steve likes to believe that the other boy was merely going to scare Byers, threaten him a bit for attacking Steve like he had but deep down Steve knew it went much deeper. Tommy would have done much more than just threats, he would have actually done something to Jonathan in order to get his point across.

The end result wouldn't have been pleasant for anyone. Steve didn't want that guilt on his hands.

He remains silent as Jonathan is forced in the other side of the cop car and seconds later they are speeding towards the station. He doesn't have the strength to look back at Nancy. This is literally pure humiliation and Steve wishes he could just disappear like all of this other missing people in town.

Fuck.

His father was going to be so pissed.]

[ The ride to the station is silent, as Jonathan is left to ruminate over what just happened. He knows that he fucked up. He shouldn't have let Steve get to him, but he just saw red as soon as his family was brought into this.

Now he's stuck with the consequences, sitting right next to him.

He should apologize, but he knows no amount of words will make what just happened any better. No, he's just going to stew over everything, and try not to make things worse. Once they get back to the station, and his mom comes to get him out of this, it'll all be okay. Maybe Steve won't press charges.

...

Yeah, right.

Jonathan is the first to be hoisted out of the cop car, and he's eventually handcuffed to a chair while he waits to be processed, silently hoping that this can all be resolved quietly. But he keeps looking up at Steve, seeing the state of his face, and feels guilt washing over him as he looks away. ]

[It's for the best that both boys ride in silence because at one wrong word spoken Steve would literally be screaming at Jonathan until his throat turned raw. Was he a fucking moron? Tommy would have killed him with no second thought if Steve had not intervened. What if Steve hadn't even been there? Steve's mind keeps replaying each gruesome outcome and it's about to drive him insane.

How could Tommy be so careless and stupid? Did he actually think he would get away with stabbing Byers? The harsh reality is that he probably would have given the story Tommy could conjure up. His body is trembling in pure anger that Tommy took the confrontation this far.

Shit.

He doesn't want to even begin thinking about his own consequences he'll be facing once his parents were back in town. Shit! He's officially screwed and he might be spending some time in one of the cells. Fuuck!

This day just keeps getting so much better.

He's pulled out of the cop car not much longer after Jonathan and he too is handcuffed to a chair as he's forced to wait himself. He still can't believe this is actually happening. Why can't this just be some shit nightmare?

He just closes his eyes and rests his head back against the wall. He doesn't even want to look at Jonathan.]

[ Jonathan probably should say something, right? It's his fault Steve is in this mess --

or, okay that's not entirely true. Steve did provoke Nancy into slapping him, and then him into losing his composure and letting loose in an alleyway scuffle. But he still feels guilty. Maybe if he hadn't gone so hard on Steve, Tommy wouldn't have pulled a knife on him...

He stares down at his hands, trying his hardest to ignore Steve's presence. And Steve is doing mostly the same, so it's easier than he thought it would be.

Until, of course, Officer Callahan comes to sit down, trying to get a sense of what happened, goading both of them, and Jonathan can't take it anymore -- ]

It's my fault. I started it.

[Tommy would have pulled that knife regardless. He was just waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect excuse. Whats terrifying is Tommy could easily scream self-defense and Jonathan's current situation would be much worse. Steve had never felt this amount of hatred and rage before in his life towards anyone. Its difficult to separate who it's all directed too.

Jonathan or Tommy.

It would have been easier to just allow Tommy to attack Byers with the knife, hell maybe Steve could have done it himself? Release some of this rage that was burning hot throughout his body. Only Steve wasn't that guy.

At least he hoped he wasn't.

He isn't saying a word to Officer Callahan about anything but his head suddenly snaps up as Jonathan blurts out that this was all his fault. Steve sure as hell isn't going to protest, he'll happily let Jonathan take the fall.

Fucking asshole.

That was until Tommy's knife is held up in a little plastic bag a few inches from Jonathan's face. ]

That's not his. Byers didn't have a knife.

[ Jonathan was so ready to take the fall that he hadn't stopped to look at the details. Yes, he started the initial scuffle, but Tommy escalated it, and having that pinned on Jonathan would not have been fair. It's one thing to have a schoolyard brawl, and another thing entirely to be in possession of a deadly weapon.

He looks to Steve, astonished that he would stick up for him, even if it's just for this one thing. He quickly averted his gaze, lest his cheeks darken while thoughts swirled around his head. ]

It's not Harrington's either. [ Would Steve admit that it's Tommy's? Or would they be forced to a standstill while both boys plead not guilty to brandishing that knife. ]

[It would have been easy to cry wolf against Jonathan, claim that he had attacked Steve out of nowhere with the knife and Tommy was just trying to intervene in order to protect his friend. It would be two against one, three because Carol would more than likely open her own damn mouth in Tommy's defense. Jonathan would be locked away with no questions asked and all of Steve’s troubles would be over.

Steve might be a top level asshole but he isn't cruel despite he's brain cursing him for not throwing Byers under the bus while he had the advantage.

Steve also isn't going to drop Tommy's name into the mix, he isn't going to admit that the knife belongs to the douchebag he dare call his best friend. It's best to just leave Tommy out of it for the sake of everyone in involved. So he remains silent when asked who the knife truly belongs too. Steve isn't a damn snitch.

So he keeps his head down and his mouth shut.]

[ With neither boy admitting to owning the knife, Callahan is at a loss. He doesn't really have enough evidence to charge them with possession of the weapon, but he can't just let them go.

It doesn't matter for much longer, though, because Joyce Byers is bursting through the doors, having been called following the altercation, and is demanding her son be released. Jonathan's cheeks go pink immediately, and he refuses to look at Steve.

For a moment, he half expects one of Steve's parents to show up simultaneously, and chew Jonathan out for daring to lay a hand on their son. But, nobody seems to be showing up. ]

Mom, it's -- I'm okay. I'll be fine.

[Steve can hear Mrs. Byers from the moment she walks in the station. The annoyance and frustration wrapped within her words has almost everyone glancing up to see what all of the fuss is about. Steve shifts uncontrollably in his chair, head turning the other way as Joyce rushes protectively towards her older son.

Steve doesn't want to be caught up in a private moment. So he keeps his head turned and remains silent.

As for his own parents? They aren't going to be at the station anytime soon considering both are out of town as usual. Steve figures his dad will serve a punishment upon his return but he won't stick around long enough for Steve to completely serve it.

He guesses for now he'll probably be placed inside a cell until they return. ]

[ Joyce Byers is giving everyone a piece of her mind. Jonathan can't really blame her. She's been through a lot, and now Jonathan has gone and made things even worse for her because he couldn't hold back his anger and frustration, taking it out on Steve.

And while he maybe deserved it a little bit for this shit he said about his family, he doesn't deserve to be a scapegoat when Steve had tried to save his life. ]

Mom, wait. Can we-- [ He turns to glance at Steve. ] Is there anything we can do for him?

[ And thank goodness for Joyce, because she made a huge fuss over keeping innocent handcuffs and, upon learning that Steve's parents were out of town, insisted on taking the Harrington boy home. Even if they maybe made her promise that she would be responsible for him if he did anything to get himself into trouble.

So, the implication was there, that Joyce would be taking him home with her. And Jonathan. After they had just tried to beat each other half to death.

Yeah...this isn't awkward at all. ]

[Mrs. Byers voice carries through the station and the petite woman is literally going off on every face she happens to come across, no one stands a chance in her line of fire. In only causes Steve to sink into his seat a little further because now he's really starting to feel like total shit that she's this worked up.

She has been through a lot and Steve failed to take any of that into consideration. She kind of reminds him of his own mother when she gets upset and worked up about something serious.

Steve is caught by utter surprise when Jonathan actually speaks up for him and it's a wonder he didn't have a heart attack once Mrs. Byers demand that he now be her responsibility until his parents return.

What is happening?

Shit, this is awkward as all hell and Steve can feel it creeping down his body.]

Uh? No, not ummm this really isn't necessary.

[He tries to argue in his own defense. He can't fucking stay with the Byers family!]

[ Jonathan just flashes him a look of bewilderment, as if silently saying, are you serious? He's trying to tell Steve to just shut up and follow them, lest he get them into more trouble.

He has no intention of forcing Steve to stay at their home, but he's not about to let the guy stay in the police station overnight when it wasn't even his fault. ]

Come on, trust me, arguing with my mom is not productive. [ He smiles awkwardly, rubbing a hand at the back of his head. He waits until they're out of the police station, and out of earshot of even his own mom. ]

Look, we'll drop you off at our place, you don't have to stay. [ And then, a beat passes before the color drains his face and he remembers what it is that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. ] Besides there's...some things that I have to take care of.

[ The monster isn't going to hunt itself. ]

[Steve does not want the Byers of all people to take pity on him. He also has this unsettling ball of guilt forming within his stomach that Mrs. Byers and Jonathan both were willing to offer him the get out of jail card. It only made him feel that much worse due to the shitty things he had spat out in anger and here they were offering him kindness.

That was punishment enough and it made him feel like the worst human in all of Hawkins.

Joyce leaves no room for protesting as she marches both boys out of the police station and Steve figures it wouldn't do much to argue with the woman. Jonathan confirms this once the two are by themselves and Steve finds himself bouncing on his heels anxiously. ]

I don't want her thinking that I'm now her responsibility too. [Again, that makes Steve feel completely awful and he doesn't want to be a burden. He's about 99.9 percent sure that Joyce does not need to worry about another mouth to feed.]

I'm totally fine on my own anyways.

[With both parents constantly gone Steve has learned to adapt with being alone almost all the time. At this point in his life he wonders why does he even need his parents. Steve can't figure if it's Jonathan's words or the way his facial expression suddenly changes that has Steve crossing his arms over his chest in slight irritation.]

Seriously?

[ Jonathan smiles wryly at Steve's comment. He can't really blame Steve for that, though he doesn't think his mom would hold it against Steve. She was sometimes too kind for her own good.

But with how busy they all were, with planning the funeral for Will and then finding out he wasn't actually dead? And then all the loose ends with trying to figure out how to track down the monster, to try and figure out how they could get his brother back, it's not as if anyone is going to be trying to babysit Steve against his will or anything. ]

Yeah, of course you are. [ He can't even argue with that, because Jonathan has done all too much on his own. With his mother picking up so many extra shifts to cover the necessities, a lot of responsibilities ended up falling back on Jonathan. ]

It's to do with Will. [ Jonathan adds that quickly, so Steve doesn't think he's running off after Nancy again. Even if they sort of did have plans to track down this monster together. ] My brother, that is. So, you know, you don't have to worry. I'll be out of your hair in no time.

[ He smiles weakly, trying to ignore the panic that is starting to bubble to the surface as it begins to occur to him, just how dangerous luring the monster out of hiding will be. ]

[Steve just needs some much needed time to himself so that he can disconnect and figure out if he eveb has a girlfriend anymore. Jonathan Byers sure did ruin everything and Steve still doesn't understand why he just didn't allow Tommy to proceed with the attack. Right, Steve wasn't that guy and deep down he knew Jonathan didn't deserve to be threatened with a knife. (Tommy wouldn't have ended it with just a loose threat and Steve knew that as much as he hated to admit it.)

Steve doesn't necessarily think it's such a wise idea he should stay in the home of someone he still wants to royally destroy despite Jonathan's hospitality. There is still too much tension between the two boys and Steve doesn't want to bring that into Mrs. Byers' own place.

There is something about the way Jonathan speaks and his own mannerisms that go well past just Jonathan's typical awkwardness that seems very off and strange. Steve isn't buying a damn word coming out of the other boy's mouth and his lame attempt at lying is only making Steve that much more agitated. ]

And Nancy?

[Because Steve just isn't buying this shit and it's evident with the way his eyes narrow along Jonathan in a way that could melt the younger boy to a mere puddle if Steve had the ability. ]

I don't know what kind of stupid bullshit you're about to get yourself into but just know I'm not going to be around to save your ass all the time, Byers. And seriously? Your brother?

[ Jonathan isn't sure what it is about Steve that even makes him want to come clean. Not that Steve would even believe what they've been through. But maybe there had been a time when he looked up to Steve, had wanted the jock to notice him, even though he knew the only kind of attention he would get would be negative.

Maybe that's why he took those pictures. It was stupid of him to develop them at school, but it's the only darkroom he has access to. He should have just kept the negatives, he knows that, but...

Well, at least Steve only saw the ones of Nancy. He's not sure what he would do if he noticed the ones of Steve. ]

That's not my story to tell. [ He pauses for a moment, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh before opening them again, though avoiding Steve's eye contact. ] We didn't... [ Why would Steve even believe him? Just because he was there and Steve was not didn't give him the right to sleep in the same bed as Nancy, but they were both so terrified, how could he not? ]

We thought the same thing that happened to Will happened to Barb. I've got to finish what we started. [ He's being deliberately vague, because it's not as if even showing him photographic evidence will get Steve to believe that monsters are real. And it's not like Steve has any real investment in this. ]

[Steve is oblivious to the fact that Jonathan could have possibly looked up to him at one point. He's too focused on what's so special about the scrawny boy standing before him? Why does his own girlfriend seem so interested in Jonathan Byers and why did she keep herself in his company? Especially after the whole photography incident? Steve just can't seem to make since of it and it infuriates him.

Jonathan Byers isn't fucking special!

And lucky for Jonathan, Steve hadn't a clue about the photos Jonathan snapped of him. Of course it would make him uncomfortable, angry but not as furious as it had when he seen those of Nancy. Many ladies of Hawkins had seen Steve naked, that wasn't a big deal but the photos taken of Nancy were different. It was an intimate moment, one that was meant to be private and comfortable. It felt like Jonathan had stolen that.

This could be why its difficult to believe any word coming out of Jonathan's mouth. What was Steve supposed to assume after catching Jonathan in Nancy's bedroom? True, he doesn't want to believe that Nancy would do something like that to him but the mind has an awful way of deceiving you. ]

Uh huh.

[At the mention of Barb's name Steve can feel his stomach suddenly drop and by this point he just wants to scream. Both Barb and Will were gone, there was no bringing either one of them back unless Jonathan knew something Steve didn't. Maybe that was for the best but Steve's curiosity gets the best of him because Jonathan is talking nonsense.

But something about all of this doesn't sit right and Stevw begins to shift along his feet.]

Finish what you started? The hell are you talking about?

[ Now comes the conundrum. Part of Jonathan wants to come clean, wants Steve to trust him. But is that even possible? Would Steve even believe him? The photographic evidence could probably be explained away as some weird phenomenon, even though Jonathan knows what they saw that night. Shit, how terrifying that had been. And now...

Now Jonathan wants to end it. Wants to get Will back if they can and kill the damn thing. ]

Can I show you something? [ He waits for an answer from Steve because he knows he won't have an open mind unless he's willing to even look. ]

I captured something on my camera that night at your pool. It was Nancy who spotted it. That night, before you spotted us...we saw the thing in this photo and we need to find it. Steve, this thing is still out there. Will might still be out there.

[How in the hell can Steve even bring to trust Jonathan Byers after everything with Nancy? Why would Steve want to believe him in the first place? The younger boy is talking more crazy talk and Steve finds himself becoming even more annoyed the longer Byers keeps babbling on.

Whatever.

The question has Steve's head snapping up suddenly, eyes narrowing sharp. This boy is seriously bringing up more photos after the current incident? Steve's blood is boiling but there is this strange urgency in Jonathan's voice, a fear in his eyes that runs much deeper than people in this town going missing. No, this is more serious, more dangerous. Steve's stomach goes tight as he begins to shift along his feet once again. ]

The hell are you talking about, Byers? Your brother is gone....

[He glances over his shoulder to make sure no one is within earshot because again this conversation is not normal. He then turns back to face the other teen with a frustrated sigh. ]

Fine! Hurry up.

[ It's not like Jonathan can really blame Steve for any ill will he has towards Jonathan. Regardless of what actually happened between him and Nancy, he shouldn't have gotten between her and her relationship with Steve.

But there's not much he can do about it now. Now all he wants to do is try to make Steve understand that what he was doing with Nancy had nothing to do with Steve. Maybe he could try to help repair the relationship by showing him the truth.

It's fine, Jonathan's used to ending up alone. It's not like either Steve or Nancy are his to have. ]

Yeah, we thought so, too, but my mom... [ He frowns as he remembers Steve's words before. ] I know everyone thinks she's crazy, but she's been communicating with him somehow, through the lights. And she said she saw something. The same kind of thing that's in this photo. [ He pauses as he leads Steve into his house and into his room, where he's kept the photo, in case he needs to submit it as evidence after all of this is over.

Shit, he hopes this has a happy ending. ]

Look. That thing...that's not human. [ He points at the figure on the edge of the photo by Barb, by the pool. ]

[Nancy Wheeler was a good thing for Steve. At least he thought she was before Jonathan Byers came swooping into the picture. What was Steve supposed to assume or feel? Did Jonathan actually believe that everything was going to be alright? That's fucking ridiculous and Byers knows it.

But this is about supposed monsters now, right?

It's overwhelming keeping up with what Jonathan is spouting out about his "dead" brother, this creature in the night and woah! What the hell? Communicating lights? Steve's expression is that of Jonathan being insane. Seriously is this dude high or what? What the hell is Steve missing or not comprehending?]

Are you insane?

[It's a serious question asked as he slowly follows behind the other. Automatically there is something oddly off about the Byers' home. Something that doesn't sit right at all. He stands with his arms crossed while Jonathan fetches the photo and within seconds Steve is staring at something not from this world.

He squints his eyes as he takes the thing in, a hand reaching out to take the photo for himself. What is that? His brow furrows as he slowly sits on Jonathan's bed, eyes glued to the image before him. ]

What the hell is that?

[His voice is low, eyes wide as he gazes at the unknown that's lurking close to Barbara. ]

What the fuck is that?!

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