bestfeature | open rp post.

{ He's brushing it off. Okay, well, makes sense, but Jonathan is tempted to take him at his word on this one. He doesn't want to call Steve his friend, exactly, and probably wouldn't to his face, but they've got this whole situation in common. Fought the demogorgon together. Hell, Steve Harrington saved his life that time. It's kinda like that whole shared trauma bullshit that Murray talked about. Weird thinking about it that way, but it's not... untrue or anything, is it?

He wrings his hands together. ]

I just want you to know that... things sort of just happened, okay?

[ There was no ulterior motive or shit like that. ]

[ "No, that was your other boyfriend. Jonathan."

He's not a fool. So when Jonathan says that things "sort of just happened" — he knows. It would hurt more, probably, if their lives weren't insane thanks to the upside-down of it all. But he and Nancy had broken up and coped with the insanity around them differently. For her, it was Jonathan; for him, it was discovering his newfound role as the babysitter of the "party."

It takes him a moment to respond as he processes it quietly, scratching at his cheek. Nancy had tried to say something, hadn't she? But he didn't want her to feel— obligated to him in some way. Hearing it now still stung, but not so much. ]

Don't worry about it. [ a beat. ] Seriously. We're good. Nancy, too.

[ It does hurt, more than he wants to admit, but that's no one's fault, really. He forces a brief half smile as he lowers his hand from his cheek. ]

Yeah.

[ Voice quiet, as always, but there's the sense that he's relieved seeping through. Didn't expect this to come up when he'd run into Steve, but it's better than letting it sit there any longer. He'd apologize for dragging it up but... no. Better not. So instead - ]

Thanks for letting me get some of this off my chest.

Yeah, well.

[ Steve pauses for a long moment before lifting his hands to scrub at his face, wincing slightly at the ache from his fading bruises. He could just leave it there, leave it at that, but— ]

Turns out, you're one of the few people in this shithole that I actually like. Go figure.

[ Funny, how miserable he'd been around "pleasant" people like Tommy H and Carol and his old social circle. But around Nancy and Jonathan? Despite the heartbreak and the beatdowns and the residual awkwardness that lingered, it was . . . better. ]

Seriously?

[ Kind of unexpected, but... yeah. He's cool with that. Makes him feel better about what he's said. How he thinks about Steve. That maybe friends wouldn't be too far off. He can't help but grin, glancing up. ]

Same. Once you stopped being an asshole, anyway.

[ Had he ever actually seen him grin like that before? Probably not, given the situations they'd found themselves in and the stress of it all. He lets out a chuckle in response, shaking his head. ]

Turns out, no one really liked that guy.

[ Least of all him. ]

[ Probably hasn't seen it. Jonathan's usually too closed off, and even if they were friendly, it's not like he's one to just... put himself out there easily. Still his cheek is still tugged into that grin as he glances from Steve out to the parking lot in front of them, looking off into the distance. ]

He could have been worse.

[ The good parts of him were there all along, after all. ]

Okay, don't get sappy on me, Byers.

[ He's only half-joking as he lifts his hands above his head, stretching. ]

It's not sappy!

[ He's still quiet even if he's forceful saying as much. ]

I'm just saying, imagine you were like that even without the shitty friends?

[ Tommy, Carol. Jonathan's pretty sure they were half the reason Steve constantly was a shit back then. Peer pressure, whatever the hell you want to call it. ]

Jesus, no, why would I want to even imagine that? What a miserable guy.

[ He wanted to be cool, he wanted to be liked, be loved, and sure, running with that group had him at the top of the food chain, but god was it lonely. He hadn't even realized it until he'd laid eyes on Nancy Wheeler and stepped out of that clique's shadow for the first time. ]

[ He shrugs, turning back to Steve. ]

So, you could have been worse. That guy would never have come back to do something like apologize. I wouldn't trust that guy with my kid brother, or anyone else's.

[ He actually seems pretty caught off guard by that, to the point where it takes him a moment to respond. ]

I told you not to get sappy.

Sorry to burst your bubble. It's just the truth.

[ The truth that probably makes Jonathan sound pretty uncool, and makes Steve feel less cool too. At least Steve still has the hair going for him? ]

You probably didn't wanna hear it from me, though.

Seriously.

[ Jesus. If anyone had told him a little over a year ago that Jonathan Byers of all people would be talking about him like that — and that he was happy to hear it, honestly — Steve might have just dropped dead then and there. ]

[ The bell starts ringing inside the building and it echoes through the door to their spot outside. Has it been that long? ]

And I just wasted all your time between periods.

[ Saved by the bell — quite literally this time. Steve sucks in a bit of air, grinning as he runs a hand through his hair. ]

Yeah, you did. Way to be selfish there, Byers.

[ But he's not annoyed by it; there's something teasing about his tone, almost. ]

[ That brief, private grin flashes across Jonathan's face again, but he knows he should get to class, so he stands up. ]

Nobody stopped you from leaving.

Like I had anything better to do.

[ He pushes himself up as well, dusting his jeans off. ]

Wasting time with Jonathan Byers knocks you down a few cool points.

[ He turns, grabs the railing and takes a step up toward the door. ]

Good thing I've got a hell of a lot of those banked up, then.

[ He doesn't really care about popularity any more; he hasn't for awhile, even before he started collecting children, apparently. But even then, the reputation he'd built up over the years was still heavily imprinted on the student body, and not even Billy Hargrove could topple that. ]

Good thing.

[ Nodding, understanding the implications of Steve's words, Jonathan pulls the door open, holding it. ]

We should probably hurry?

Hope you've got the stamina, Byers.

[ He chuckles lightly as he steps through, starting to jog off towards his class. At least he's had a lot of practice at this, what with basketball and all, but he's never quite considered what Jonathan's level of athleticism was. Aside from the fact that he couldn't swing a bat as well as Steve, but hey. Who could? ]

Yeah.

[ Half a sigh, half a laugh. There's a reason why he isn't on any sports teams and keeps to the photography side of the house. it's not that he's completely inept, but. ]

See you later.

[ And he takes off for his class too - it's not like he's never been late before anyway. ]

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