━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄
With a wretched expression on his face, Will turned away from the scene and slowly resumed his designated task of stirring salt into the tub of water. He tried his hardest to mask his sadness, as he didn't want to attract any attention to himself. So, rather than sulking, he focused on the grains of salt dissolving as he stirred. Unfortunately, this technique wasn't successful, as Jonathan caught on to his emotions in less than five seconds.
"Do you remember that time you told me you had a LEGO stuck up your nose?" The older teen asked with a cheesy grin plastered to his face.
"What?" Will responded, confused as to how his brother's remark was relevant.
"Yeah, it was, like, a construction guy," Jonathan explained. "You'd call him Larry."
Will stared at his brother with a blank expression on his face. What the hell was he talking about?
"Oh, come on. You don't remember? You know, he had the high viz jacket and the removable hat?" The older teen continued.
"I mean, yeah, vaguely," Will nodded, his voice soft.
"Well, I remember it like it was yesterday," Jonathan retorted, swishing the water around a few more times. "And I was freaked because Larry was way, way up there! I don't even know how you got him that far up! I had to do surgery! I had to get tweezers to pull him out!"
"Bull!" Will laughed.
"No, no, I swear on my life," Jonathan chuckled, his expression becoming serious again. "I don't know, I just . . . I feel like you used to come to me more for help. Or to just talk, you know? It feels like you don't do that anymore. Not like before."
Will felt a pang of guilt igniting inside of his chest. His brother was right — he couldn't recall the last time he had a deep conversation with him or asked for his advice. It was probably due to the younger boy being extremely worked up about his sexuality. In a way, he felt as if talking to his older brother would cause him to slip up and reveal everything right then and there.
"A lot of that is probably my fault," Jonathan sighed. "This last year, I know I've been distant."
"Or stoned," Will muttered with an eye roll.
"Or stoned," The older boy echoed, cracking a small smile. "But that has nothing to do with you. That's just me dealing with my own shit, hiding from my own problems."
The younger boy broke eye contact for a moment and allowed his brother's words to soak into his frazzled brain.
"The truth is, I miss talking to you," Jonathan said. "I really miss it. And I think right now, we need to talk more than ever. Because things are getting complicated — a lot more complicated than LEGOs up your nose, you know?"
Will's lips curved into a small smile, a faint chuckle escaping from his mouth.
"I just . . . I don't want you to forget that I'm here," Jonathan continued. "And I'll always be here, no matter what. Because you're my brother, and I love you. And there is nothing in this world that could ever change that."
Will felt his breath hitch at that last sentence. He believed Jonathan, he really did, but he also felt a bit skeptical. Would he still love him if he knew his deepest, darkest secret that he had yet to tell a single soul? The simple, two-word sentence he had never said aloud, not even to himself?
"Nothing?" He repeated.
"Nothing, Will. I mean it."
"Not even if I murdered somebody?"
"Did you?" Jonathan asked, his eyes widening.
"God, no!" Will snorted.
"Then I stand by what I said."
At this point, Will just needed to suck it up and spill his guts. He couldn't continue allowing his secret to bubble up inside of his chest or else it would eventually erupt like Mount Vesuvius.
"Jonathan, I have to tell you something," Will started, tears brimming his hazel eyes.
This was it. He couldn't believe he was about to say it out loud for the first time.
Jonathan signaled for him to go on, patiently waiting as his brother attempted to form a coherent sentence. The look in his eyes made Will feel safe, like he could tell him absolutely anything and receive zero backlash for it.
"I, uh . . . I'm . . . I like . . ."
Just spit it out, Will. You've got this.
"I'm gay."
Will winced for a second, anxious to find out how his brother would react. To his bewilderment, Jonathan's facial expression didn't change in the slightest. It remained neutral; understanding, almost.
"I'm sorry," He sobbed, shielding his face with the palms of his hands.
"Why?" Jonathan asked.
"What?" Will sniffled.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"For being this way."
"Will," Jonathan frowned, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me. But please don't apologize for the way you are. You're still my brother."
"But the way I'm feeling isn't normal, Jonathan! It's unnatural and disgusting! I'm a freak!" Will protested.
"What, so you just want to be the same as everyone else? Boring," The older teen teased, providing a fake yawn for dramatic effect. "I mean, if you think about it, we all have our own quirks that make us different. Freaks, if you will. Just look at me, for instance! I'm unemployed, my car is broken, and I don't have any friends."
"What about Argyle?" Will asked.
"Oh, please. His brain is so fried that he barely passes as a functional human being."
The brothers erupted into a simultaneous fit of laughter, their sides starting to ache after a few seconds. Will had almost entirely forgotten how anxious he had been just three minutes prior.
Once their laughter died down, Jonathan pulled Will in for a tight embrace, causing the latter to burst into tears of joy.
He couldn't believe how supportive his older brother had been. It was difficult to fathom how anyone could be okay with the controversial issue that was homosexuality. The news constantly discussed the AIDS epidemic and how homosexual men were at fault, causing ordinary people to attach negative connotations to them. Adults would frequently rant about how "faggots were destined to rot in Hell." Parents would disown their homosexual sons and daughters without having an ounce of sympathy.
But Jonathan Byers was vastly different. He miraculously disagreed with the rest of the cruel world.
The brothers held their embrace for at least two consecutive minutes — not that Will had been keeping track of time — before finally letting go of one another.
"It's gonna be okay," Jonathan whispered with a reassuring grin.
And for once in his life, Will believed that
everything was, in fact, going to be okay.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
i feel like every author's note is just me apologizing for taking 382882 years to update so i won't apologize this time, but i will give you an explanation! so basically i had zero motivation to write & then i had covid for like three days. but i'm finally starting to feel better so i decided to finish this chapter & give you guys the update you deserve! let's hope it doesn't take me too long to publish the next chapter lmao <3