jonathan byers

He took the camera out of his messenger bag and started practicing his stance for when the fireworks finally started, taking a few test shots, not realizing someone had walked over and stood in front of him until he pulled the camera away to adjust the settings.

"Oh," he jumped, dropping the camera. "Didn't see you. Uh, hi."

“Okay, now you’re just being rude,” he said with a laugh, relieved that they could still have their back and forth banter despite the bombshell Jonathan had just dropped on him. Mainly, though, it was just a relief. To know he wasn’t the only person in Hawkins who could feel that way about another guy. “Does anyone else know?” Read: had Jonathan been brave enough to tell anyone besides him? He was still ahead of Will when it came to people knowing the secret, even if he’d spilled it accidentally.

Will positively beamed as his story was a complete success in achieving his intended objective. He snapped a photo or two of Jonathan smiling for real, chuckling again at the memories. So many of the good memories were like that, just the three of them and the various shenanigans they found themselves in. “Thank you,” he said with a grin, willingly handing the camera back when Jonathan asked for it. It was nice of him to humor him, but it was a very rare occasion when he didn’t. His mind was still reeling over Jonathan and his mystery guy, but he didn’t want to inundate him with questions now that he knew a big reason behind why things were so complicated.

Jonathan tried to shake himself out of it, going back to joking with his brother, but he couldn't blame him for wanting to know more. It made him want to run and throw his guts up, but he couldn't blame him. "No," he responded quickly, shaking his head. "No. I've never... no, I've never told anyone." A part of him wanted to scream for Will not to tell anyone, to burst into tears, to disappear, all at the same time. But somehow, he managed to hold himself together. "So... complicated."

Jonathan took a breath and reminded himself that everything was fine. He gave Will a small smile as he returned the camera, looking at it to readjust the settings for the fireworks. "They should be starting soon," he informed, "the fireworks. We can, um, sit. Talk more... about... whatever you want." As much as Jonathan wanted to keep everything to himself, he could tell his brother was curious. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back and all that. "Unless you want to get back to your friends."

He took a step back and sat down in the grass, trying to adjust his position so he didn't seem as awkward as he felt, though he could tell it hadn't worked. And trying not to let his hands tremble, he patted the space beside him, looking up at Will.

He took the camera out of his messenger bag and started practicing his stance for when the fireworks finally started, taking a few test shots, not realizing someone had walked over and stood in front of him until he pulled the camera away to adjust the settings.

"Oh," he jumped, dropping the camera. "Didn't see you. Uh, hi."

“I mean, they’re around, but I saw you and told them I’d catch up with them later,” he explained. Pretty much anytime he saw someone with a camera, he thought of Jonathan. Only this time it had actually been him, so what better excuse to go talk to him for a little bit. “What about you? Not gonna meet up with Nancy?” he wondered. Things between the two of them definitely seemed…. Different these days. Like maybe the move had made things more strained between them? But now they were back, Will figured they could just pick up where they left off. He knew Jonathan really loved her, and they seemed to make each other happy most of the time. Still, he almost regretted bringing it up after he said something because he didn’t want to make things more awkward for Jonathan.

“I’ll be careful,” Will promised, knowing that he was going to treat it like glass. “And I won’t even touch the settings,” he added, to hopefully reassure him. He very gently held the camera in his hands and then took a few paces back from Jonathan before holding it up to take the picture. “Smile!” he encouraged, fairly certain that Jonathan would be flabbergasted by his request. “Come on, you’re never in front of the camera, and someday you’ll be off to college, and this will be all I have to remember you by.” Okay, maybe the guilt trip was a little excessive, but he also knew what worked on his brother.

He looked up at Will and carefully handed the camera over, still eyeing him skeptically. And then he froze like a deer in headlights when Will looked about to take a picture of him. "Woah, woah," he said, putting a hand in front of his face, "no paparazzi!" But he flinched a little at Will's guilting, lowering his hand slowly, and giving Will a pointed look. Jonathan hated people taking pictures of him. And at the moment, the only thing he hated more was when people talked about college and his future. Jonathan's future was with his family. He couldn't leave them now, not after everything they'd been through, and especially not with them not even having their own house anymore. But this was Will, asking for a picture to remember him by. So he relented and stood for a picture, giving him a tight-lipped smile as his shoulders hunched forward in habit.

"Done now, Picasso?" He teased, hands at his sides itching to reach for the camera. "Why don't I stand here and be a model for you, too?" He snickered at that, then stopped when he considered Will might actually take him up on that. "Um, actually, scratch that. Please don't ask me to do that for you." He stepped toward him, figuring that Will wouldn't torture his favorite brother for long. (It doesn't matter that he's his only brother—Jonathan is sure he's his favorite) "I'll take your picture with the fireworks," he offered, "Mom will love it."

“Jonathan! You ruined my shot,” Will grumbled, pouting as his brother shied away from the camera. The one situation in which the guy was totally unhelpful. Which, considering how many situations he’d found himself in over the years, was actually pretty impressive. Then when he stood and gave him the most cardboard smile he’d ever smiled, Will rolled his eyes. “Now maybe one where you don’t look like you’re in pain?” he asked with a smirk.

“Not just yet,” Will told him with an expression that meant business. Then he laughed. “Yeah, go for it!” he encouraged, knowing without a doubt that that would not be happening. “Okay, fine, you don’t have to be a model. Just. One more,” he said, already plotting how he could get Jonathan to actually smile. “She will love it, and I will let you do that, but first…” His gaze moved skyward as he thought of something that might make Jonathan laugh. A smile rose to his lips as the thought entered his head. “Remember that time when you made soup, and I wanted some crackers to go with it, so you went to get them off the top of the fridge, but accidentally knocked that box of pancake mix over and got totally covered in it—“ he laughed in the middle of his own story. “So mom—“ he cackled again, but was fully ready to snap a shot if Jonathan actually smiled, too. “Mom had to hose you off with the vacuum cleaner?” It had been hilarious to Will at the time, and clearly he still couldn’t tell the story without guffawing like he’d just caught Dustin trying to act totally inconspicuous holding a bra in a place he hadn’t expected to find it.

As Will complained, Jonathan rolled his eyes, but made no effort to change his smile. "This is just my face," he protested. "You said you wanted a picture—never said you wanted a good one."

At Will's insistence, he reluctantly agreed to just one more photo. Giving him the same tight-lipped smile, Jonathan listened to Will's storytelling until he couldn't stop the corners of his lips upturning and revealing his teeth as he huffed out a laugh. But even with the camera going off, Jonathan still smiled at the memory. "I remember that you ran through the house laughing while I tried to chase you down with a hug. Then Mom said we'd be having me for breakfast and you couldn't stop laughing every time you looked at me for thr rest of the week."

"Okay, okay, that's enough pictures of me," he insisted, holding a hand out for his camera.

He took the camera out of his messenger bag and started practicing his stance for when the fireworks finally started, taking a few test shots, not realizing someone had walked over and stood in front of him until he pulled the camera away to adjust the settings.

"Oh," he jumped, dropping the camera. "Didn't see you. Uh, hi."

“I mean, they’re around, but I saw you and told them I’d catch up with them later,” he explained. Pretty much anytime he saw someone with a camera, he thought of Jonathan. Only this time it had actually been him, so what better excuse to go talk to him for a little bit. “What about you? Not gonna meet up with Nancy?” he wondered. Things between the two of them definitely seemed…. Different these days. Like maybe the move had made things more strained between them? But now they were back, Will figured they could just pick up where they left off. He knew Jonathan really loved her, and they seemed to make each other happy most of the time. Still, he almost regretted bringing it up after he said something because he didn’t want to make things more awkward for Jonathan.

“I’ll be careful,” Will promised, knowing that he was going to treat it like glass. “And I won’t even touch the settings,” he added, to hopefully reassure him. He very gently held the camera in his hands and then took a few paces back from Jonathan before holding it up to take the picture. “Smile!” he encouraged, fairly certain that Jonathan would be flabbergasted by his request. “Come on, you’re never in front of the camera, and someday you’ll be off to college, and this will be all I have to remember you by.” Okay, maybe the guilt trip was a little excessive, but he also knew what worked on his brother.

He looked up at Will and carefully handed the camera over, still eyeing him skeptically. And then he froze like a deer in headlights when Will looked about to take a picture of him. "Woah, woah," he said, putting a hand in front of his face, "no paparazzi!" But he flinched a little at Will's guilting, lowering his hand slowly, and giving Will a pointed look. Jonathan hated people taking pictures of him. And at the moment, the only thing he hated more was when people talked about college and his future. Jonathan's future was with his family. He couldn't leave them now, not after everything they'd been through, and especially not with them not even having their own house anymore. But this was Will, asking for a picture to remember him by. So he relented and stood for a picture, giving him a tight-lipped smile as his shoulders hunched forward in habit.

"Done now, Picasso?" He teased, hands at his sides itching to reach for the camera. "Why don't I stand here and be a model for you, too?" He snickered at that, then stopped when he considered Will might actually take him up on that. "Um, actually, scratch that. Please don't ask me to do that for you." He stepped toward him, figuring that Will wouldn't torture his favorite brother for long. (It doesn't matter that he's his only brother—Jonathan is sure he's his favorite) "I'll take your picture with the fireworks," he offered, "Mom will love it."

He took the camera out of his messenger bag and started practicing his stance for when the fireworks finally started, taking a few test shots, not realizing someone had walked over and stood in front of him until he pulled the camera away to adjust the settings.

"Oh," he jumped, dropping the camera. "Didn't see you. Uh, hi."

“I wasn’t trying to interrupt the artist’s process, though, so feel free to tell me to get lost.” When he was younger, he was the one begging Jonathan to let him go off and be a kid by himself, but now that their mom wasn’t quite so insistent that he have his older brother as a perpetual shadow, it was kind of nice to run into him at an event like this. They probably wouldn’t hang out the whole time, but taking a second to check in on Jonathan wasn’t a bad idea. Especially since usually it was the other way around.

“How’s it going?” Will asked as he approached. “Can I borrow that for a second? I promise I’ll be super careful.” Ever since it occurred to him that Jonathan was always the one behind the camera, and sooner or later he’d be leaving for college, Will had become of the mind that he needed to snap a few pictures of him for once. Much to Jonathan’s dismay, he was sure.

Jonathan shook his head, glancing up at Will. "Get lost? And miss a chance to hang out with the coolest kid around? Now that's just ridiculous." Okay, maybe that was a bit overboard. But Jonathan hadn't got the chance to just sit and talk to Will for a while, and it was comforting to be in his presence again. Though, he was a bit shocked that he'd stopped by to say hello—Jonathan sometimes felt like Will would do anything to get away and be on his own, to not be stuck with his older brother all the time. "You didn't come here with your friends? Dustin, Lucas, Mike... not even El?"

Jonathan clutched his camera tighter, nervous about anyone touching it, even Will. It had never been handled by anyone but himself since he got it. Skeptical, he asked, "Why? What do you want to do?" And, because it was his brother and he couldn't possibly have ulterior motives, "I guess... if you're super careful. It breaks easy, and the settings are finicky. So, just—careful, okay?"

Dumping the pile onto the table, Jonathan spun to look at the other man. "Uh, yeah, sure. And I don't have to pay for any of these, right?" He glanced back at the pile, and at the soda Steve was now acquiring for them.

Movie, candy, drinks, and two people. "This what you do on all your first dates?" Jonathan joked.

"Honestly, no. You're special," admitted in a tone that could be taken lightly, but it was a touch too soft to be dismissed at the same time.

The video store was where he hung out with Robin and Connie, two friendships he cherished. He might overshare about his love life to them, but it would feel too weird to bring around a random date to the store. Jonathan might seem like an odd choice, given their history, but he was nothing like any date he had before, unofficial or not.

"Call it a date, just don't call it a bad one," he joked, trying to hide his nerves as he settled into his seat.

"Special?" He managed to choke out, stunned for a moment. He couldn't think of anyone who would regard him as special, except maybe his mother. But then, special wasn't always a good thing. "I—uhm—I hope that's a compliment."

Looking at the man beside him, Jonathan surprised himself, unable to read his expression. It was something he usually excelled at—he always knew what someone wanted, their next move, at a glance. But maybe it was because Jonathan didn't know what his own next move might be, that he was sitting there, staring, utterly clueless.

"Well, let's, um—the movie," Jonathan suggested, forcing his eyes to the television.

"Dawn of the Dead, definitely," Jonathan decided, returning Steve's smile. "Am I, uh, going behind the counter, or do you guys have a secret backroom where you slack off to?"

"There is a backroom," he confirmed, holding up a finger to signal the other to wait as he dug behind the counter. He pulled out a bell and a ring for help sign. "Follow me and grab some candy."

Steve moved out from the counter, grabbing a copy of Dawn of the Dead before he led the other male to the store's backroom. "Do you want a pepsi? We have a stash of regular and wild cherry." There was a table, an out of date but decent TV, cabinets, and a mini fridge.

Dumping the pile onto the table, Jonathan spun to look at the other man. "Uh, yeah, sure. And I don't have to pay for any of these, right?" He glanced back at the pile, and at the soda Steve was now acquiring for them.

Movie, candy, drinks, and two people. "This what you do on all your first dates?" Jonathan joked.

He took the camera out of his messenger bag and started practicing his stance for when the fireworks finally started, taking a few test shots, not realizing someone had walked over and stood in front of him until he pulled the camera away to adjust the settings.

"Oh," he jumped, dropping the camera. "Didn't see you. Uh, hi."

“Oh, hey, don’t worry about it—wait. Jonathan?” Ollie said with a smile. It was a couple of months ago when she was paired with him for a class assignment. She remembered that day fondly because she and Jonathan became friends that day. She really got to know him through that assignment, and how she opened up about the pain of her dad walking out, the pain she still dealt with on a daily basis.

Today, Ollie was actually happy and cheerful. She never liked fireworks, but she didn’t mind showing up where most of her friends were. Ollie sat next to Jonathan in the grass, feeling it brush against her skin as she sat down.

Ollie’s outfit was much different from the dark-colored clothes she wore all the time. For once, Ollie was wearing a black tank top with ripped black jeans and her famous Converse. Her hair was dyed blonde with pink streaks, blowing around in the wind. Her green eyes looked at him as she smiled.

“Cool if I hang out with you?” A beat. “I don’t see the others here yet, so I figured we could hang out.”

She said, placing her hands in her lap as some kids passed them. Ollie looked at them. Something about being a kid again made her stomach twist, for good reason. She remembered having fun at Fourth of July parties, but then it just brought her back to the time the government took her away. Ollie shook the thought away before it could even start as she looked at Jonathan again.

He dropped to the grass beside her, making sure to pick up his camera and ensure it hadn't broken. It was the same one he'd gotten from Nancy after Steve had broken his—but the details didn't really matter anymore. He and Steve were friends now, and he liked hanging out with the guy more than he'd like to admit.

"Of course," he nodded, placing his camera bag aside as he settled into the grass. He was usually such a loner, but recently, Jonathan had been around and talked to more people than he probably ever had in his life. And surprisingly, he was grateful for it.

He followed the girl up to the counter a bit awkwardly and forced a half-smile onto his lips, wishing that simple act would ease the tension in his body. They made it up to the cashier and Jonathan explained what happened to Rhea's drink, asking if they could give her a replacement. The girl working gave Jonathan a weird look, glancing between him and Rhea multiple times, before nodding, and he let out a grateful breath.

"Strength in numbers works wonders," he nodded while they waited for the drink. "So, uh, what were you reading? And if, uh, you don't mind... I wouldn't mind joining you in your coffee endeavours."

When Jonathan explained what happened to her drink, she watched the cashier’s expression flick between them, her brows lifting slightly. But when the girl finally nodded, Rhea let out a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Guess strength in numbers really does work,” she said, her voice soft but amused.

While they waited, she shifted her weight, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He looked tense, not in a bad way, just… like someone trying to make sure he didn’t mess up a simple moment. Something about that made her shoulders relax.

When he asked what she’d been reading, she lifted the book a little so he could see the cover. “Just a mystery novel,” she said. “Nothing fancy. It’s one of those slow-burn ones where nothing happens for a hundred pages and then everything happens at once.” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “And… I don’t mind,” she added, meeting his eyes. “If you want to sit with me, I mean.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her voice dipping quieter. “It’d be nice. Having company.”

"Mysteries are... cool," he nodded, though he felt he had experienced them much too often over the past few years. He watched her while she spoke, finding it hard to tell what she was thinking, which he was usually great at. Standing a little straighter as she accepted his suggestion, he blurted out without meaning to, "Great. Yeah, that's, um... great."

The barista brought out the new drink for Rhea, and Jonathan ordered a tea for himself. allowing the two to stand in wait a little longer. "So are you... new in Hawkins, or...?"

Jonathan smiled at her teasing him. "Well, believe it or not, I have been a sibling for a very long time. Now, I just... have another one. And Ava," he met her eyes, "you're not too bad at this 'sibling thing' too."

And then, after a beat of comfortable silence, letting the warmth from the tea spread throughout his body, he asked, "Made any friends yet? Or have you officially received the Byers treatment?"

She wrapped both hands around her mug, letting the warmth soak into her palms. When he said she wasn’t bad at the sibling thing, her eyes flicked up to his, surprised but touched. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “Coming from you, that actually means a lot.”

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy, just comfortable, the kind that made her feel like she belonged in the room instead of hovering at the edges of it.

When he asked about friends, Ava huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head. “Friends? Yeah, a few,” she answered. “I’ve talked to people. Mostly by accident.” She lifted her mug again, hiding a small smile behind the rim. “I don’t think I’ve gotten the full Byers treatment yet,” she teased lightly. “But I’m sure it’s coming." A soft laugh escaped her lips, "People are still curious right now. I'm a new face.”

He took another sip of tea, shifting slightly. "So... uh, sorry to keep interrogating you," he shook his head, another question at the tip of his tongue, "I feel like I should get to know you better. Um..." a small smile lit his face as he leaned close, feigning seriousness, "this is a deep question, so I'm going to need you to really think about this: what... is your favorite color?"

His eyes widened at Steve's suggestions, surprised at his actual movie knowledge. "Wow, Dawn of the Dead. How did you know?" He didn't expect the other man to suggest one of his favorite movies. "But—Escape from New York? Really?"

"Dawn of the Dead, definitely," Jonathan decided, returning Steve's smile. "Am I, uh, going behind the counter, or do you guys have a secret backroom where you slack off to?"

As Steve leaned forward, Jonathan followed suit, placing his hands on the edges of the counter. "Go for it." And after a beat, he tilted his head slightly, "But if they don't cut it, what are you gonna do?"

"So, dawn of the dead, escape from new york, or altered states," he suggested, hoping at least one of his suggestions would impress the other.

His eyes widened at Steve's suggestions, surprised at his actual movie knowledge. "Wow, Dawn of the Dead. How did you know?" He didn't expect the other man to suggest one of his favorite movies. "But—Escape from New York? Really?"

He gave Steve a small smile, shaking his head. "So that's what you watch in your free time? When you're not doing sports, you're watching movies about them? And here I thought you had taste."

He leaned forward against the counter, trying to defend himself. "You want a good recommendation?" He asked without waiting for an answer. "I can name three movies right now that I bet would be just up your alley."

As Steve leaned forward, Jonathan followed suit, placing his hands on the edges of the counter. "Go for it." And after a beat, he tilted his head slightly, "But if they don't cut it, what are you gonna do?"

The store was empty, and Jonathan watched Steve open his mouth to talk, but he still jumped at the sound of his voice. "Uh, no. Not exactly. Just... something not Pretty in Pink."

"Connie's made sure I know of at least one horror movie for every letter of the alphabet, and Robin has refused to let me watch Rocky on repeat anymore."

He gave Steve a small smile, shaking his head. "So that's what you watch in your free time? When you're not doing sports, you're watching movies about them? And here I thought you had taste."