#feat. thad

[courtroomphilosopher]

who: cole montgomery & @shophands where: thee auto shop

Cole's arrival in Hawkins had been... fitting, to say the least. He'd flown into O'Hare, not at all trusting that folks from Indiana knew how to operate aircraft, and rented the first available sedan-- A Honda something. He hadn't planned ahead at all, and Cole hadn't really driven since he was.... probably twenty-two, so the long drive to Buttfuck, Indiana was an adjustment period.

Even though it had been years since he'd driven, the blowout was not Cole's fault. He's not sure that it was anyone else's, either, when he climbed out of the newly scraped rental and inspected the now-shredded tire. Thankfully, a handsome stranger had arrived just in time to give Cole a lift to his hotel-- a welcome reprieve from the heat and a nice distraction for the night.

But now... now Cole had to get the rental car fixed so he could find Max and get the hell outta Dodge. So much for a quick weekend trip. Hawkins didn't seem to have many options as far as mechanics went, so Cole followed the hotel clerk's directions to the nearest shop and hoofed it like it was 1950. By the time he walked up to the obnoxiously loud shop, Cole's hair was sticking to the back of his neck and he was loosening his tie to help with the heat flushing his face. Fuck, how was Indiana hotter than LA?

He locked eyes with the first mechanic he saw, allowed his gaze to linger as he undid another button to loosen his collar, and cleared his throat impatiently. "Are you busy? I assume you have a tow truck. My car--" he hesitated to include that it was a rental. Cole may not drive, but he knew how these places worked. Anything to add on an extra hundred dollars to somebody desperate. "It blew a tire off I-65." Cole waited, watching the man for a beat before interjecting again: "So, tow truck? I can show you where it is."

[evienotnicks]

who: Evie & @mmuscles​​

where: Henry Melvald’s fabulous funeral

Evie didn’t expect to be so torn up about her grandfather’s death. She’d been preparing for years for one of her grandparents to kick it; hell, she’d been talking to them about their past life and their next life since she was, like, sixteen. (Donald and Henry humored her; she was pretty sure she caught Hanna Garcia sprinkling holy water on her in her sleep more than once.) But none of those conversations had prepared her for the phone call; for the image of her grandfather dying in an explosion at the Fourth of July carnival she’d grown up going to with him. 

Thankfully, she’d held herself together long enough to get through her eulogy, which was admittedly more of a poem addressed to her grandfather. Immediately after the service, she’d stationed herself at the bar with a flute of champagne she’d already refilled twice. Evie hoped that, over here, she wouldn’t have to deal with the long train of hugs and ‘sorry for your loss’ whispers. Funerals fucking sucked. 

As an unfamiliar face approached, Evie attempted to turn, but he seemed like he wanted to talk to her. Offering a flute of champagne, Evie lifted her own to her lips. “I don’t recognize you. Did you know Henry? Loyal customer, or something?” she asked, hoping to uncover why he was looking at her so intently. 

[loverboymontgomery]

who: Cole & @mmuscles​​

where: the Montgomery residence

Cole had thought about calling off the repair about a hundred times, given everything that happened at the impromptu keg party in the woods. The last thing he wanted was to give Adam another reason to be upset. Not upset, but more confused. But, he didn’t have a phone number for Thad, and... his mom’s car was borderline undriveable, so he was stuck.

He’d been a bundle of nerves all morning: worried about what Adam thought of him, worried that maybe Adam wasn’t thinking of him at all, worried about what Thad would do or say. It was all unreasonable, he knew that, but if Cole had a talent for anything, it was catastrophizing. 

Just twenty minutes before Thad was scheduled to arrive, Cole had finally peeled himself out of bed to move from wallowing in the dark to wallowing in the shower; drama was another one of his talents. He trudged down the stairs and opened the garage door. Two beers in hand, he plopped down in a lawn chair with sunglasses hiding the remnants of his nasty hangover.

And waited, for thirty extra minutes, in the heat. By the time he heard Thad pull up, Cole had gone through both beers. “You’re late, guy,” Cole called, gruffly. Though, he supposed he couldn’t be too upset-- free labor and all. He stood up, pushing the lawn chair with a loud screech-- and gestured for Thad to step inside the garage. “’m gonna get some more beers, but, uh... make yourself at home, I guess.” 

Cole slipped inside and exchanged the two empty bottles for two fresh ones. Shutting the door behind him, Cole stretched his arm out to offer Thad the bottle. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he kicked some leaves to the side. “So, you met my boyfriend.”

[murray-baumans]

who: Murray & @mmuscles​​

where: outside the cabin

While he was still at the campsite, Murray decided to scope out the cabin.  He’d heard a few of the kids earlier whispering about strange papers and a double room, or something, and he wanted to investigate before he left for the night. By now, he knew there was something happening in Hawkins. The border all but confirmed that nefarious forces were once again on display... but he couldn’t figure out the connection. 

Lost in thought, Murray didn’t see the other until it was too late. A young man, definitely drunk, had run into him and spilled his lukewarm beer down the front of Murray’s shirt. “Mother Mary, kid, you alright?” Murray asked, reaching out a hand to steady the other. He knew from experience that any kind of well-meaning lecture would go nowhere fast with someone this far gone. But maybe he could get some information. “Kid, listen. Were you in this cabin all night?” he asked, gesturing to the cabin behind them. “You feeling okay?” He didn’t really care, but he couldn’t seem too eager for information.