Things were different now, that much was certain. Not all the changes were bad however; they found Will, his mom's mental state was much better than it had been, and the stress and grief he was forced to deal with were slowly subsiding. But not everything was great. His mom still had anxiety attacks and he stayed up until early hours hearing Will get up frequently to go into the bathroom, coughing up a lung. He'd then hear the water turn on, and Will returning to bed. Jonathan wasn't stupid and he knew something was up, but he was afraid to say anything for fear of disturbing the peace. He figured it would be short-lived, but he wanted it to stay as long as it could.
Things at school were just as they had always been, and the winter break hadn't changed that. When school started up again, he fell back into his routine: wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, spend time with his family, go to bed, repeat. To some it seemed boring, but for him it was a comfort. It was the one stable thing in his life, the one thing he could always count on. The other kids at school were weary of him, just how he liked it. He wasn't a people person and didn't do social interaction. It was better for him to be alone. Just about everyone else was annoying and immature and he'd just rather not interact with them. Who needed friends anyway?
Jonathan was walking through the parking lot after school. It had been a long day, and he couldn't be more ready for the weekend. It was only Monday yet it felt as if it had already been an entire week. He was halfway to his car when he heard his name being called out.
Wait, that couldn't be right. No one ever talked to him. Jonathan's a pretty common name, and he knew at least three other Jonathan's, so he only paused momentarily before continuing on his way.
"Beyers!"
Now Jonathan recognized the voice, and turned around to see Steve Harrington walking up to him. He didn't know what exactly to expect, so he braced himself. "Hey, can I talk to you?"
"Uhh..." Jonathan trailed off, looking longingly at his car. Steve followed his gaze and reassured him, "It'll only be a few minutes." Jonathan sighed in defeat, "Sure, what is it?"
Steve looked a bit sheepish, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. What I did was shitty, and I feel real bad about it. I meant to apologize earlier, but when I came to your house, all that... stuff, happened," he said, referring to the Demogorgon. Jonathan met his gaze.
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been watching you guys, and I'm sorry I kicked your ass," his lips curled at the corners as he said the last part. Steve couldn't help but smile at that, "You just caught me off guard. Though I think we fight better as a team rather than against one another," he said seriously. Jonathan's smile was less noticeable, but still there, "Yeah, we kicked some ass, didn't we?"
Steve stared at him, "How are you, after all that?"
Jonathan inhaled deeply. He contemplated whether he should open up, or lie, or just not answer. But he was one of the only people who experienced what he did, and he had everything bottled up for so long he was sure he would explode if he kept it in any longer.
"It's been rough. But things help. I usually busy myself so that I don't think about it. Will and Mom help," he admitted.
Steve looked at him with wide eyes, "Do you have... y'know... nightmares?" His face was scrunched with fear and something else that Jonathan couldn't quite read. "Nancy and I both have them. I figured you might too. What do you do to make them go away?"
Jonathan shrugged, shaking his head. "I wish I knew but I'm about as clueless as you are. I usually wake up and stare at my ceiling counting as high as I can before falling back asleep," he supplied. Steve nodded, letting the information sink in, "I'll keep that in mind."
Jonathan began walking off, sensing the conversation was coming to a close.
"You seem like a pretty cool dude, we should hang out sometime," Steve said. Jonathan's lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded curtly before walking off. How many times has he heard that one? Way too many to count. How many ever actually hung out with him though?
~~~~
The next day at lunch, Jonathan sat alone at his usual table eating his sandwich when suddenly Steve plopped down in the seat next to him. Jonathan stared at him in shock and Steve offered a large smile, "Hope this seat's not taken. Too bad of it was, cause I'm not moving," he said, setting his lunch onto the table. Nancy came over then, sitting across the table from both of them.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked as she took a bite of the school's spaghetti. Jonathan was still trying to process what was going on. People didn't just sit with him at lunch, especially people as popular as Nancy and Steve. He looked at them skeptically.
"What?" Nancy asked.
"I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but why are you sitting with me?" he questioned. Steve acted as though the answer was obvious, "I said we should start hanging out." Jonathan rolled his eyes.
"I know that, but it's not like anyone ever actually means it," he clarified. A brief look of hurt washed over Steve's face, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared, "Well, I meant it." And he really did. He and Nancy sat with him every day at lunch. It was a bit awkward at first. None of them were sure of what to say, a somewhat tense silence lingering in the air. They knew not to bring up what happened and chose to pretend they lived an average life. They ate in silence.
"If you never plan on talking you might as well not even sit here," Jonathan snarked, taking a bite of his food.
"Excuse me?"
"If this is your idea of "hanging out" then you must be boring as hell. I don't know how Nancy stands it." Said girl covered her mouth, snickering behind her palm. Steve was shocked, mouth agape. His mouth finally formed a large smile.
"I didn't peg you as a sarcastic kinda guy."
"Once you get to know me, that's like 40% of my personality."
Nancy tilted her head in curiosity, "What's the other 60%?" He smiled, "You're gonna have to figure that out for yourselves."
~~~~
Steve and Nancy now sat with Jonathan regularly at lunch, though Jonathan still went straight home after school. It had been weeks, and Steve kept insisting he go out and do something with them.
"There's nothing to do here," Jonathan stated when Steve suggested they do something that night.
"We don't always have to go out. We can all just hang at my place," he offered. Jonathan shrugged, "Even if I wanted to I couldn't, I promised my mom I'd make dinner since she's been so busy this week." Steve narrowed his eyes playfully, pointing a finger at him, "Mark my words Beyers, you will come to my house sooner or later." Jonathan smirked.
"Sounds like a threat."Steve glared at him, "You know what I mean." Nancy gave him a sympathetic look, shaking her head, "I'm afraid Jonathan's right. You sounded like someone straight out of a slasher flick."
Steve gasped, looking between them, "I can't believe my own friends would say that about me!" he said with a look of betrayal.
Friends. Jonathan supposed they really were all friends by now, but he still wasn't used to it. He decided early on that it wasn't so bad having them around. They were good company, and after everything that's happened to him, he was glad to know he didn't always have to be alone.
~~~~
It was a Saturday, which meant Will planned on spending the entire day at Mike's house playing games. Despite what his mom said, Jonathan still felt as though it was his fault Will had gone missing in the first place, so he promised to always walk with him to and from Mike's house. He couldn't let it happen again...
Will was riding his bike while Jonathan walked beside them and they talked. When they got to the door, Mike opened it. "Come in, we're just setting up in the basement. Oh hey Jonathan," he greeted with a smile, "Wanna join?"
Jonathan really didn't want to spend his day in a dimly lit basement playing a complicated board game. He honestly couldn't understand how Will could take it. He was going to politely decline when Will looked up at him, "You should play, I mean, you used to play with us." Damnit...
It wasn't as agonizing as he thought, but he still hated the damn game. Watching his brother and his friends' reactions was funny as hell though. They would get all worked up and scream at each other or yell and jump in victory. But still, it wasn't Jonathan's thing, and he had been sitting in the basement for over three hours and needed to get a drink and use the restroom. And even though he wasn't the tallest guy, it was still uncomfortable to be scrunched up like a damn folding chair.
He walked up the stairs and into the kitchen, filling up a glass of water. He gulped it down just as Nancy walked through the doorway.
"Oh, I didn't know you were here," she said, smiling sweetly as she put the phone back on its holder. Before he could say anything, they heard shouting from downstairs.
"Jonathan get your ass down here, it's your turn!" Nancy covered her mouth, trying not to laugh as Jonathan let out a groan.
"Oho no, you're not going back down there. You're coming with me," she said, grabbing his wrist.
"Where are we going?" he asked as she went down the stairs. She stopped halfway, looking down at the group of boys.
"I'm rescuing Jonathan, we're going to Steve's," she said, dashing back up the stairs before they could protest. "I just got off the phone with him, so he knows we're coming," she explained.
"How did you know I was there?" he asked. She smiled at him, "I didn't, but he'll be glad to see you. He's been dying to hang out with you outside of school, but you never wanna do anything," she finished, a slightly sad note to her voice as she glanced at him from the driver's seat.
He shrugged, "I'm not really a "go out and party" kinda guy, I'm more of a "stay at home and read" kinda guy."
"Wouldn't kill you to just go out and do something sometime," she pointed out. He didn't say anything else.
When they arrived, Steve opened up the door and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Told you I'd get you in my house."
Jonathan couldn't help but to smile as he joked, "Again with the serial killer vibe." Steve gasped, placing a hand over his heart, "I'm hurt Beyers."
"Only your pride," he quipped, walking past him. Steve followed him, "You were right; at least 40% of you is sarcasm." Jonathan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "You figure out the other 60%?"
Steve shook his head, "Not all of it, but I'd say I know you pretty well by now."
Jonathan wasn't sure how to react to this. He had spent so long trying to distance himself from others and build up a wall, and all of a sudden Steve and Nancy enter his life and just tear it down. But maybe that was a good thing.
"Do you wanna go out by the pool? Or are you guys fine in here?" Steve asked. Nancy looked over at him, "I'm fine inside." He smiled, "Perfect."
They hung out and talked for a while, but eventually Steve got bored, and he didn't mind voicing his opinion.
"I'm boooooored," he whined, flopping on the couch.
"It's your house stupid," Nancy pointed out.
"Which makes it even MORE boring for meeee," he complained again. Jonathan rolled his eyes, "Why don't we play a game?" This immediately caught his attention, "I like the way you think Beyers! So!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Beyers, truth or dare?" And so that's how Jonathan ended up licking Steve's shoe, Nancy admitting she still sleeps with a stuffed animal, and Steve jumping off the roof. After a few more turns, Steve looked to Jonathan, "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Steve let out a groan, falling onto his back. "You've picked truth the last five turns," he whined. Jonathan raised his brows, "Do you think maybe there's a reason for that?" Steve gasped, looking him up and down. "I take offense to that."
"You made me lick your shoe!"
"Correction: I dared you to lick my shoe."
Jonathan shrugged, "Either way I still choose truth."
"Uuuuuuuugh, fine. But I'm still gonna try to make this interesting." He thought for a moment before giving a devious smile. "So,
Jonathan, are you," he paused, wiggling his fingers at him and raising his eyebrows, "Ticklish?" Jonathan's face remained neutral, "No."
Steve smiled, "Oh really? So you wouldn't mind if I-"
"Touch me and I kick your ass," he said, cutting him off.
"That sounds exactly like something someone who's ticklish would say. You're kinda incriminating yourself here," Steve's smile grew as he spoke while Jonathan remained standoffish.
"I'm not a fan of being touched," he explained, though it was clear Steve didn't believe him. Nancy shot Steve a warning look, which he of course ignored.
Jonathan looked unamused and sighed, "You don't believe me? Fine I'll prove it," he said and raised his arms a little, giving Steve access to his body. Steve slowly reached out, skittering his fingers lightly over his sides, getting no reaction. "See?" He turned his attention to Nancy, his back turned completely to Steve, "Truth or dare?"
But Steve still wasn't convinced. Jonathan was extremely tense and guarded when he had tried to tickle him, and Steve thought that if he could catch him off guard he might be able to get a reaction. Steve slowly crept forward, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"I dare you to... AH!" Jonathan whipped around and was met with Steve's grinning face. Steve tilted his head in a quizzical manner, "I'm sorry, what was it that you said earlier? About not being ticklish?" Jonathan's lips quirked up ever so slightly, barely even noticeable, but still there. Jonathan had never been given the chance to play or mess around with friends and now that the situation had arose, he wasn't sure how to go about it. Thankfully for him though, Steve was not new to this whatsoever.
"The game's called truth or dare, Beyers. I'm pretty sure lying is against the rules, don't you agree Nancy?" She was now catching on, and the mischievous smile on her face matched Steve's. "Oh yes, it's definitely against the rules Jonathan. And there are consequences for breaking the rules."
He was trapped between the two of them, unable to escape, and not sure if he really wanted to. He felt... giddy. But he made sure to not make it too obvious and started scooting away until Steve wrapped a hand around his legs and pulled him back, quickly setting to work.
Jonathan had rarely ever been tickled and he never quite understood its purpose. He knew it could be used as a bonding method but not many people have ever tried tickling him, aside from his mom. Truthfully he didn't even know where he was ticklish, as it happened so few times. He didn't even think he was that ticklish. He had forced himself to build a wall around himself, shutting himself off from most physical contact. It was clear that his new friends wouldn't allow that anymore, tearing down his defenses.
Steve wiggled his fingers into his side and Jonathan slapped a hand over his mouth to prevent laughter from pouring out. Steve mock pouted, " I wanna hear you laugh, see that smile!" he teased, poking between his ribs. Jonathan grunted, struggling in his efforts to keep his mirth at bay. It didn't help once Nancy joined in the teasing as well, "C'mon Jonathan, doesn't it feel good to laugh and not hold anything back?" Her voice was soft and sweet while Steve's was teasing and taunting. The contradiction just seemed to make his predicament worse.
Nancy managed to gather his wrists and pin them above his head using her knees, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape. "Shihihit! Nonono," he started once Nancy walked her fingers down his arms towards his armpits. Steve was beaming, "Aww look how much you're smiling! I think this is the happiest I've seen you, Mr. Doom and Gloom," he teased, forming his hand into a claw and vibrating it against his stomach.
Jonathan let out an honest to god scream before falling into hysterics, trying to buck Steve off. It didn't deter him in the slightest however, and he drilled his thumbs into his hips. Jonathan actually snorted at that and Steve had to stop because he himself was laughing so hard.
"Oh my god, did you just snort? That is the cutest thing I've ever heard!" His cheeks heated up hearing this and he tried to hide his blushing face is his arm. Nancy quickly skittered her nails over his neck, making him scrunch up and giggle.
"Guhuhuhuys" he whined through his laughter, not used to so much attention, and most certainly not used to this much contact.
"Yeeeeees?" they both answered in unison, matching grins on their faces.
"It tihihihihickles!"
Steve smirked, "Well duh it tickles, we're tickling you! And you just so happen to be very ticklish. Which you lied about. Don't think I haven't forgotten about that," he said in a stern voice, using one hand to point at him while the other spidered over his ribs.
"Alright Steve, better cut it out, it looks like he's about to pass out," Nancy said backing off. Steve did the same, moving off of him and letting him catch his breath.
"You two," he said pointing at them and pausing for a breath, "Are evil. Why did I ever agree to be friends with you again?" he asked, though his ever present smile made it clear he meant none of it.
"Because were awesome. And we make things, like, 10 times as fun. Well, I do anyways," Steve spoke, earning a shove from Nancy. "And I think I figured out the other 60%." Jonathan gave him a skeptical look, "What is it then?"
"60% ticklish dork," he said, smile so wide it could split his face in two. Jonathan's blush deepened and he rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into a nearby pillow, "You're never going to let this go, are you?"
"Not likely, no," Steve shook his head.
"Just remember I can kick your ass in a fight," he threatened, but Steve just waved his hand.
"If it's a tickle fight, I'm pretty sure I would win anyways," he smirked and Jonathan let out a strange but endearing mix of a frustrated groan, a scream, and a giggle, "Why are you so adamant about torturing me?"
"Cause you got a nice laugh that I wanna hear more of," Steve admitted.
"Then tell a joke! Oh wait, I forgot, you aren't funny."
Steve's mouth dropped and Nancy had to cover her mouth to muffle her laughter at the sight. "Oh that's it Beyers, you're dead!"
That was definitely not the last time Steve and Nancy used this particular weakness against him. In fact, it was only the beginning. And Jonathan found that he didn't really mind it all that much.