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Jonathan didn’t really remember a time before he was a big brother. Before he was given the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the small bundle his mom had brought home one day when he was barely four.
She had called him over to the sofa where he carefully, after being warned, crawled up next to her to peek at the sleeping baby cradled in her arms. He had a shock of dark hair atop his head, and his face was wrinkled even when relaxed.
If Jonathan was honest, he was an ugly baby, but his mom promised he wouldn’t look so much like an alien as he grew.
Jonathan didn’t care what he looked like, when the baby slowly blinked awake, his eyes barely opening and yawned gummily. Jonathan had beamed back at the squashed potato, eagerly holding his arms out as he mom gently placed the lump in them carefully positioning Jonathan so the baby’s head was supported.
Jonathan wasn’t the strongest, but the baby weighed nothing, and he couldn’t look away. His mom told him his name and Jonathan introduced himself to his little brother.
Will.
“Hello Will,” Jonathan exhaled, using his free hand to touch Wills tightly curled fist. His skin was the softest thing Jonathan had ever touched, and gasped when Will uncurled his fingers enough to wrap around his finger.
“I’m Jonathan,” He whispered, entranced by the point where the baby gripped him tightly, “I’m your big brother-“
He was a big brother. He knew it was a big responsibility but Jonathan was going to be the best big brother ever.
“I’m always going to protect you.” He promised, kissing the top of his head briefly, “Always.” He repeated.
Not breaking his stare even when he heard his dads boisterous entrance into the house, slamming the front door open forcefully rebounding of the wall with a loud bang.
Will must have known he was lying as he immediately started crying.
His mom had taken the baby back, scolding his dad quietly for the noise, attempting to get the baby to settle once more. Wills cries only got louder when his dad got angry at mom, shouting at her for her tone and then shouting at her to quieten the baby.
Jonathan was only four but he already didn’t like his dad very much. He thought he was mean and scary. Always shouting at him and his mom, and making Jonathan do things he didn’t like. As he saw his dad yelling at his mom holding his baby brother, for the first time he wasn’t scared.
He was angry too.
Baby Will didn’t know he was supposed to be quiet. He would learn quickly, unfortunately. He was only a baby; how could his dad expect him to follow the rules yet. Jonathan wasn’t big enough to fight back, so instead he crawled off the sofa and tugged on his moms hand pulling her away from the screaming man.
He led her down the hall to his bedroom, jumping on his bed and holding his hands out for the baby which she gladly gave him. Jonathan carefully positioned the baby next to him with his mom placing a pillow on the edge.
His dad had followed them still shouting, and his mom hastened to leave pushing him with her and closing Jonathan’s bedroom door behind them.
Baby Will was still crying, tears pouring down his cheeks, and Jonathan tried to comfort him but he didn’t know how. His parents yelling was still audible in the room and it made Wills crying worse, small hiccups bubbling out of his lips.
Out of ideas he started humming one of the songs his mom played in the car when they went grocery shopping. He couldn’t remember the words but the beat came easily and Will seemed to like it.
He didn’t know how long he hummed the song to his brother but by the time the baby fell back to sleep his parents had quietened down. Jonathan kept humming even as throat started to hurt.
He would do anything for his brother.
Jonathan hated school.
Not the classes or the learning. If anything, he wished he could learn even more, get even smarter. Then he could teach Will more. Will loved learning his letters and animals with Jonathan, so if Jonathan was smarter he could be a better teacher to Will.
He hated the other kids. He tried at first to make friends. His mom said it was important. But they didn’t understand that Jonathan couldn’t go to their houses after school, he had to get home. He had a job to do, and the other children were just too...
Childish.
It didn’t matter, Jonathan didn’t care or anything, who needed friends really? He had more important things to do. He had someone he had to look after, that he had to protect. Besides Will was his best friend, he didn’t even want more than one friend.
It just sucked when Jonathan didn’t have anyone to hang out with at recess, or when he was paired with the teacher because no-one wanted to work with him but it was fine,
At least he didn’t get nosey questions from the other kids like he did from the teachers. Jonathan’s not stupid, he knows what was happening when they ask him those weird questions. Subtlety prodding Jonathan on his home life and his parents and their relationship.
Side-eyeing his ratty t-shirts and his sneakers with the soles falling off.
Jonathan didn’t care, they were just shoes and they did the job besides Will kept growing and constantly needed new clothes. So Jonathan might have hid the fact that his feet were too big for his shoes, making it painful to walk and causing the other kids to tease him because of his gait.
It was fine.
Jonathan couldn’t say anything because what if they took Will away, what if they took Jonathan away and he couldn’t protect them anymore. His mom needed his help in that house, and Will still wasn’t very good at following the rules.
Jonathan knew he tried but for some reason his dad really hated Will.
It made no sense because there wasn’t a bad bone in Wills body, he was the sweetest, most well-behaved kid Jonathan had ever seen. He was good. Not like Jonathan, who was bad, could be bad at least.
He felt it inside him. The anger when he looked at his dad, the same anger his dad was filled with that made Jonathan hate him. The way Jonathan would seethe when his dad berated and scolded his mom and brother.
Jonathan was full of fury and indignation, and if he was stronger he would fight back…
And that scared him.
That he mirrored his dad. That he was undoubtedly his fathers son. His mom and Will were so good, and Jonathan was not… he was like their dad. He was bad.
If he was bad, the least he could do with it, would be protect the good ones.
Will had started school a few years ago and he had friends!
Jonathan had been thrilled! Not that he was shocked someone as sweet as Will would make friends but Jonathan goes to school, he knows what kids are like and Will was…
Will was…
Well, lets just say Jonathan understood what the names his dad calls Will mean now. He hoped he could keep Will from learning what they meant but it seemed unlikely, especially considering Jonathan had already heard a few of the things the bullies at school had said.
About him.
Jonathan thought it was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. Just because Will was quiet and small, and sensitive as his mom said, didn’t mean that… Didn’t give them permission to say things like that. Jonathan had been called queer before, quite a few times in fact, he was also quiet but the vitriol they say it with, when they direct it at his brother.
Frightened him.
The whole town had marked his baby brother as wrong. As different. As a mistake.
Jonathan wanted to burn the whole town down. With their accusations, and gossip; their fake and vapid smiles hiding any piece of authenticity. They all lied and hid, and they hated his brother because he didn’t.
Because he couldn’t.
It terrified him because they were right.
Will was always different. Not different in the way Jonathan was, but different in the way that Jonathan couldn’t make better. Not make Will better, he was perfect, but make the world better for him.
All he could do was repeat ad nauseum that it was everyone else who was wrong. They were boring and didn’t change anything in the world. Being different was cool, was the best, and Will was better for being different. For being himself.
He knew Will didn’t understand what he meant. He thought Jonathan was literally talking about Will liking fairy tales instead of baseball but what else could he do? He didn’t even know how much it would help when everyone else in the world was telling Will it was bad. When they spat awful words at him.
Jonathan felt useless and helpless.
He wasn’t trying to assume like the assholes around town. Like his dad and his pointed words. But Jonathan knows his brother, he just knows. From the way Will lit up talking about his best friend, to his innocent remarks concerning the handsome prince when they watched Cinderella.
Jonathan had been thankful his dad wasn’t there. Though they wouldn’t have been watching Cinderella, had he been. Will only six, entranced by the animation and bright colors, had fallen silent when the prince and Cinderella danced.
Shyly turning to Jonathan and whispering if he thought Will would ever get to dance with a prince.
And Jonathan had gone cold. Heart halted abruptly as he instinctively tensed waiting for his dads shouting to begin. When it wasn’t forthcoming he relaxed, turning terrified eyes to Will, who didn’t look like anything was amiss.
Like he hadn’t realised he asked a question that could have got him killed.
He was only six, Jonathan had despaired.
“Yeah,” Jonathan had whispered, deciding he had made the right decision when Will brightened like he had never seen before, “You can dance with whoever you want.”
Well, it was the right decision until the following week when Jonathan entered the house to screaming and banging and the sounds of objects being flung across the room.
He rushed to the where the noise was originating from, to find his little brother and his best friend cowered against the far wall in his parents bedroom, his dad towering over them as he screamed. Will had moms one fancy dress on, torn from the shoulder as it hung on his bony frame, silent tears pouring down his face.
The best friend, Mike, looked terrified at the shouting man but he was standing half-protectively in front of his younger brother and Jonathan felt a wave of affection for the kid. He wouldn’t expect a six-year-old to have stuck around in this situation, let alone look like he was trying to take the brunt of his dads anger.
Jonathan was ten now. That meant he was bigger but still not big enough. He was a lot bigger than a six-year-old though so it would have to do, it would have to be enough he thought determinedly standing between the children and his irate father.
He was glad he planted his feet, as his dad didn’t give him the opportunity to move, slapping him forcefully in the face. Jonathan smirked when he managed to catch himself from flying across the room like usually happens. Will letting out an audible scream behind him.
See stronger.
He felt the blood dribble over his lips, not breaking eye-contact with his dad who actually looked at him when he didn’t get out of the way, shock and, Jonathan shuddered, respect in his face.
“Leave them alone.” Jonathan had spat at his dad, spraying blood, “Will take Mike to your room and call mom, okay.” He said to his brother, not turning around or letting his glare leave his dad.
The kids scurried out from behind him, hugging close to the wall, and Jonathan was relieved his dad let them go. He crossed his arms as he stared down Jonathan and they were close enough Jonathan could smell the beer on his breath.
His father sneered at him, “Do you even know what they were doing. You saw what the little fag was wearing-“
“Don’t call him that,” Jonathan clenched his hands into tight fists, “He didn’t know. They’re only six-“
“He shouldn’t need to know-“ his dad hissed, “Normal boys don’t do that-“
“Wills normal.” Jonathan rebutted. Maybe he didn’t fit his dad’s idea of normal, but his dad didn’t fit Jonathan’s idea of normal.
Normal dads don’t rant and scream. Normal dads don’t hit and shove. Normal dads don’t corner two children for acting like… children.
His dad scoffed, “and to think I didn’t believe it could be worse after you-“ he shook his head disappointedly, “Cries when he shoots a gun but at least you never dressed up in your mothers clothes.”
He considered Jonathan critically, “Prepared to fight back, maybe there’s a chance for you yet. Just like your old man-“
“I’m nothing like you!”
I’m too much like you.
His dad raised an eyebrow almost challengingly, “Maybe I should go speak to your brothe-“
Jonathan raised his shaking fists, “Don’t you dare!”
His dad smirked cruelly, “Yeah, chip off the old block-“ he patted down his front jacket, “I’m going out. The other kid better be gone by the time I’m back and you tell your brother if he ever does that again, I won’t be as nice.”
Like he was ever nice. But Jonathan recognised the truth in his stern stare. To his dad he had been nice about it, Jonathan didn’t know what he could do to stop him if he did decide to be as cruel as he wanted too.
His dad left and Jonathan hurried to his brothers room, doing their secret knock so his brother knew it was him. Will and Mike were sat on the floor, hidden behind Wills bed, huddled up together. The torn dress Will had been wearing was nowhere in sight.
Will was still crying, in that silent way he had developed over the years, Mike sat beside him with an arm over his shoulder comforting him. Mike looked almost as scared as Will but there was a fire in his eyes that Jonathan recognised in his own.
Will delicately touched his face when Jonathan kneeled before the two kids, asking if he was okay. Jonathan belatedly felt the dull pain throbbing in his lip and knew it would be swollen by morning. Another thing he was going to have to lie and avoid teachers questioning him about.
“I’m fine,” he assured Will, smiling despite the pain it caused in stretching his lips up, “Are you okay, did he hurt you?” Jonathan asked, checking his brother over for injuries.
Will shook his head, “He just grabbed-“ Will hiccupped, “I didn’t mean too Jonathan… we were just dancing, like the movie.” He whispered; eyes wide.
“I know,” Jonathan said, pulling the small boy into his arms, “I know, you didn’t do anything wrong. Dads wrong, he’s just mean.” He stroked Wills chestnut hair, “Don’t ever listen to him.”
“Okay,” Will whispered back into his ear.
Jonathan jumped when the front door slammed open, only relaxing when it was his moms voice shouting through the house. Relieved to not be in charge anymore. Willing to follow whatever his mom said, including watching over Will as she drove Mike home and then attempting to make dinner when she led Will to his bedroom later for a private chat.
No-one spoke about the ruined dress that ended up in the trash.
Jonathan got his first proper job at eleven. It was only a paper round and he didn’t make much, but he would shove every cent in his secret stash saving up for Christmas. Now, Jonathan didn’t actually have a bike which made things harder, but Mike had given Will his old one a few months ago.
So Jonathan would borrow it in the mornings, despite being far to big for the bike, pumping his legs to the side to avoid the handlebars. The hassle and pain would be worth it when Jonathan managed to afford the huge pack of crayons for Will.
He had been resorting to coloring his fireballs green recently.
Sometimes he was a bit tired at school, getting up early to work and not going to bed until late. He would babysit for mom in the evenings whilst she was working. Dad probably could have but he liked to go for a drink after work and honestly Jonathan didn’t trust their dad with Will.
He was always mad at him for something or another. Even when Will did something well, like winning the science fair or actually being a good shot unlike Jonathan. There was something about the way he did it, that his dad didn’t like.
Will had picked up on it, realised that no matter what he did, his dad wasn’t impressed. He was even quieter when his dad was home, staying in his room and out of the way. Jonathan did that too but it was because he didn’t like his dad, Will did it because dad didn’t like him.
It made Jonathan so mad because Will tried. He didn’t think anyone had tried as hard as Will. He pretended to enjoy the things his dad did, his brother just wasn’t the best liar. He learned to hide instead. Following Jonathan’s orders when things got out of control.
Like they were oft to do.
It just got worse over the years. Before his dad would freak out once a week or so and now, it felt like everyday there was a new problem, a new argument.
Jonathan was tired.
It would be worth it when he saw Wills face at Christmas.
It did end up being worth it but not for Wills face, for his own.
Jonathan had stopped asking for Christmas presents years ago, understanding the more he got the less Will did, and Jonathan has known Santa wasn’t real since the moment his dad spilled the beans when he was three so…
Obviously, he told his mom to only get Will gifts.
He was excited to shyly give her his saving the first Christmas after he started working, instructing her to buy Will the biggest pack she could find. He expected her to be happy that he was helping, not to burst into tears and squeeze the life out of him as she wept into his shoulder.
Jonathan had awkwardly patted her shoulder not sure what he had done wrong. His mom refused to take the money so Jonathan used it to take Will to the arcade instead, sad that Will wouldn’t get his crayons.
But he did. He got the biggest pack Jonathan had ever seen, and he spent the entire day coloring happily, even his dad didn’t ruin the peace that Christmas.
And Jonathan! Jonathan got a gift too. A small box he unwrapped that contained an obviously used beat up camera and Jonathan loved it.
Jonathan treasured it.
Jonathan had been working for a few years by the time his dad officially left.
He still underestimated the cost of everything and how close they were to utter devastation until he walked into the kitchen in the middle of the night to his mother sobbing over the pile of bills and late notices spread out across the table.
He got a second job the very next day. Reluctantly quitting the school paper he had tentatively joined at the start of the semester, as it clashed with his new diner shift. He didn’t tell his mom, instead personally contacting the electricity company and started paying that bill with the new job.
He used his discount at the supermarket and would pilfer all the expired products he could. Feeling no shame or embarrassment, not when it meant his family would go to bed with full bellies. Jonathan had gone to sleep hungry enough times for a lifetime already.
If he thought he was tired at eleven, it was nothing compared to fifteen.
It was still better. Poorer and more exhausted than ever before but his house had one thing now it didn’t before.
It had love.
It had love that wasn’t scared to be expressed. So Jonathan would take the lack of sleep, the lack of food, the lack of hobbies or time. He would take it a hundred times over as long as his dad stayed far away.
Where he couldn’t hurt them. Where he couldn’t hurt his mom, hurt his brother, and selfishly, hurt him. Jonathan’s strong, he was, but it was hard after a while. To keep pretending. To keep pushing through like nothing was wrong like his dad wasn’t beatin-
No.
Things were better now. And nothing bad was ever going to happen to them again. Jonathan would make sure of it. Nothing was going to happen to his mom or Will.
Especially Will.
Who had blossomed after his dad left. Like a flower whose light had been obstructed by the dark blackhole his dad was. His confidence grew and happiness swelled to a level Jonathan didn’t know was possible.
He was so proud of his brother. Nothing was going to extinguish that spark. Not on Jonathan’s watch.
Jonathan failed.
He naively assumed the worst monster he had to protect his brother from was their own dad. That was before he learned there were actual monsters, and alternative dimensions, and his little brother was kidnapped.
On Jonathan’s watch.
He failed.
And kept failing over and over. From possessions, to deaths, to moving across the country, to missing his little brothers heart-break until he was sobbing in the back of a pizza van in the middle of the desert.
He didn’t prevent Will from getting taken. He didn’t save him when he was. He couldn’t even shoot a gun straight enough to defend him. He let his brother get possessed and then helped burn it out of him, burning up his baby brother in the process.
He got so used to failing it became his default.
The worst thing was that whilst his brother was going through the worst time of his life, Jonathan was going through the best.
He had Nancy.
He’d never even had a friend, let alone a beautiful and intelligent young woman who for some reason thought Jonathan was worth something. Despite his failures and his off-putting nature. Despite the darkness Jonathan knew was inside him.
She loved him, and he loved her.
It made him guilty.
It was one thing to dream of escaping to New York, attending NYU with all the other art freaks, somewhere he would fit in. When he knew he would never abandon his family for it. It was always a dream. It was never going to be his reality.
But Nancy and Emerson. He was tempted, he was so tempted to cut and run and live for himself for the first time in his life. Not for the college, that was her dream not his, but for Nancy. He wanted to follow her but he couldn’t.
He couldn’t tell her either. How could he? She wouldn’t understand, she didn’t understand this no matter how hard she tried. Jonathan didn’t think she could, like he couldn’t understand what it was like to be a woman.
He was scared if he tried, she would leave him. He was scared she wouldn’t leave him and he would drag her down like his dad did to their family. Jonathan couldn’t escape. He was sentenced to repeating the same cycle because all he could do was lie.
He kept lying.
And clouding his mind with weed, ignoring the mounting problems until it was so high he couldn’t imagine starting to sort through it, because his mind was finally peaceful.
Jonathan didn’t think he had had a moment of peace since he was four years old.
As he watched his baby brother silently sob over unrequited love, to scared to share his pain with even Jonathan, he was brutally reminded of why.
Why he gave up peace.
For love.
He wouldn’t forget again he promised himself and Will as he comforted the most important person in his life. His charge. His brother. How Jonathan considered even for a moment ever leaving him. Leaving him when he needed him most.
Jonathan would throw away his own happiness in a heartbeat for his family. Especially seeing as he couldn’t ensure he wouldn’t just turn into his dad if he started his own anyway.
Better to try to fix what his dad had broken, than go on to break others himself.
Jonathan was in his early twenties by the time everything was over.
Honestly, he was surprised to be alive. He had assumed early in the war he would be one of the ones to sacrifice their lives for the cause. What else did Jonathan have to offer but throw himself between the people he loved and those who wished them harm.
It was all he had known since four-years-old.
But he made it. His mom made it and was happy with Hopper of all people. Jonathan had gained another younger sibling he had to protect, his job made easier by the fact she had superpowers. The same powers she had used to save his life in the final battle.
His sister who had screamed gutturally when a Demogorgon had charged at where Will and Mike stood defenceless, Jonathan instinctively jumped in its path, preparing to be ripped to pieces when instead the Demogorgon was split brutally apart, blood splattering all over him, and Nancy stood the other side gun raised absolute terror on her face.
He hadn’t thought before he acted. He didn’t have a plan and if El hadn’t… Jonathan would have died and he would have been okay with that, as long as it gave Will time to run. Even saving Mike was worth it, if only for his brother.
Jonathan would always value Wills happiness over his own. Over his own life.
A consequence he didn’t expect was Nancy’s. He saw her face when she thought he was about to die, beyond the fear was betrayal and yet he was still surprised when she broke up with him.
Despite everything she said Jonathan could only think it was because of Steve, no matter how many times she argued it was for him. She accused him of not valuing his own life. That he had to stop putting everyone else first, including her, and Jonathan felt betrayed.
Jonathan couldn’t see past his anger.
The anger he hated.
She went of to Emerson like was her plan all along. Argyle went back to California, and Jonathan lost his only friend in the world.
But it was okay because he still had his family, and they needed him…
But they didn’t need him. Not anymore, not in the same way. They didn’t need Jonathan to work and pay the bills, when Hopper was there. His mom didn’t need him to look after Will because he was old enough to look after himself.
El never needed him in the first place and even Will…
Didn’t need him anymore.
Not when Jonathan didn’t have to protect him from their dad. Not now there wasn’t an evil eldritch force hunting him down. Not now the burden had lifted from Wills shoulders when he was honest about who he was, and everyone loved him just the same.
And one person loved him even more.
Jonathan had been more surprised Mike felt the same than Will. Certain the boy had lost his way over the years, but Jonathan underestimated him. He forgot the boy who stood protecting his baby brother from the screaming maniac, only remembering the teenager who ignored his sobs in the van.
One could be forgiven a few stumbles along the way. Jonathan sure as hell had made plenty of mistakes over the years.
Being happy for his family didn’t mean he was happy overall.
He didn’t know what to do. Where to go. How to move on. There was nothing left for him. No role that needed to be filled. No purpose to fulfil. He felt more aimless than when he was high 24/7 on weed.
Until his mom pressed a plane ticket into his hand with an acceptance letter from NYU that he never applied too. Jonathan had been silent as he read the letter welcoming him into their photography course that fall.
It was the first thing that made him excited since the war, but he couldn’t-
“Jonathan,” His mom said softly, gazing at him so motherly he wanted to weep. Instead he thrust the ticket and letter back at her, “We can’t afford it.” He mumbled, averting his gaze like it didn’t kill him to refuse.
“Yes, we can-“ she smiled, “Turns out there are some perks to saving the world.”
He could- Jonathan was slammed with images of being sat in classes, escaping to Central park taking pictures, meeting new people and-
His brother.
Jonathan shook his head, “I can’t- you guys need me, and-“ he pushed the papers insistently back at his mom, “I can go to the community college-“
“Jonathan,” she said sternly, softening her features when he flinched, “Jonathan-“ she whispered, cupping his cheek, “You are not here because you are needed. You are here because you are wanted. You are loved. You are my son,”
Jonathan couldn’t help relaxing his face into her palm, seeking out her comfort, “And I would love if you never left, you’re my baby boy but-“
Her features tightened sternly once more, “You have to stop living for everyone else. I’m so sorry I put you in the position to have to take on to much-“
“Mom, no-“ Jonathan tried to interrupt. He didn’t blame her. Never. She only ever did her best.
“No, Jonathan. It wasn’t fair of me and you helped so much but you shouldn’t of had too and I-“ she swallowed, “I’m so so sorry sweetie.”
Jonathan desperately blinked back the heavy tears he could feel.
His mom matched him, with a watery smile “But you don’t have too anymore, okay. We will be all right. You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself anymore. So-“
She pushed the tickets back at him, “You are going to go to college, and you are going to have fun but if you dare think about missing Christmas I will drag you back by your ear.”
Jonathan stared down at the tickets. Could he? His family didn’t need him, and Nancy left him and Jonathan had nothing-
“Mom?” Jonathan didn’t know what he was asking but it sounded like he was pleading.
He was scared. Why was he so scared? He was more scared than when the Demogorgon bore down on him with it’s flower head open snarling with a full mouth of deadly teeth.
“NYU Jonathan,” his moms blinding smile made her look a decade younger, “Your dream. Are you ready to take it?”
His mom said they would be okay. Jonathan thinks she might actually mean it this time. Not like when he found her crying over the late bills. Could he- they don’t need him, but they want him. He wouldn’t be abandoned if he wasn’t useful.
Will was safe and happy-
“Your brother would be mad if you said no.” She tacked on, knowing the way to convince him.
“Okay,” he whispered, looking up and seeing the joy in her eyes at his agreement, “NYU.” He said louder, a small smile twisting his lips, “I’m going to NYU.”
“Yeah, you are,” she beamed throwing her arms around him, or at least attempting to, his mom was so short. Jonathan leaned down to make it easier, laughing into the side of her head.
He was going to NYU, holy shit. He never thought he would actually get to go. Things like that didn’t happen to kids like him. It wasn’t for people like him.
“Lets go tell the family.” His mom said when they stopped hugging, “We can even order take-out to celebrate.”
Jonathan smiled cheekily back at her, “What you’re not going to cook a delicious-“
His mom pushed him lightly in the arm, “Sshh you, just wait till you have cafeteria food, you’ll be begging for my meatloaf.”
Jonathan snorted as he followed her, pretty sure that was not going to be the case. His moms cooking was barely fit for human consumption.
Jonathan loved life.
Mostly.
There was one area he could work on but for the most part his life was great.
He moved to bustling New York for college and never left. Getting an internship at the New York Post as soon as he graduated and had steadily worked his way up to a fulltime photographer for the paper.
In addition to his freelance work, he made a steady income, enough to put up his brother for the first few months he moved to the city. Until he found a place a Greenwich village which he could just about afford when Mike agreed to follow him to the city.
Jonathan had friends now. Not just his siblings and the long-distance relationship with Argyle. He met actually cool people in college, not just posers and fakers, who liked the same kind of music as him and had the same interests and most importantly didn’t call his brother a fag when he visited with his boyfriend.
Jonathan even dated a few girls over the years, but it was never serious. It was never… Nancy.
Who he hadn’t spoken to or seen since they both left for separate colleges. Mike courteous enough to not mention her in front of Jonathan. Likely trying to make up for how shit he was to his brother for so long.
Besides his love life, Jonathan was happy.
Until Nancy Wheeler walked into the NYP one Tuesday morning for her first day as their newest journalist and Jonathan was paired with her.
She was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her, the fire in her eyes burned even brighter, and Jonathan fell in love all over again. Her quick wit and dedication won over their colleagues immediately and Jonathan still thought they underestimated her.
No-one could truly appreciate just how special Nancy Wheeler was.
They were cordial, friendly even. Jonathan wasn’t angry anymore. He didn’t blame her, he was aimless at the time and he would have dragged her down like his dad did his mom. He was still terrified of turning into his dad but the older he got the easier it was to manage that fear.
It’s why he had the courage to ask her out for a drink.
Ready to answer her question honestly, “Did you figure out what you want?” She had asked, examining him in that critical way of hers.
Jonathan had smiled back, “I did.” He paused, “And I go after it now, so how about that drink?”
She had nodded lightly, consideration in her eyes before they crinkled into her own smile, “After you Byers.”
He had grinned widely back.
Jonathan was happy.