Chapter Text
Some people were destined to be special. Either were born that way, or simply gained the powers later on. Jonathan was not one of them.
If somebody was to ask him years ago, he'd claim supernatural didn't exist. There was no afterlife, no ghosts or monsters hiding under beds. Bunnies didn't go off to heaven after getting shot. Death was the final stage and he knew that better than anyone. If only he could stay a skeptic forever.
But Hawkins didn't work under those rules. There was much more going on, things that they couldn't even explain or comprehand. So the thought of coming back, returning to that bridge between life and death after gaining sense of freedom, it scared him.
"C'mon, guys, you're gonna be late!"
Jonathan groaned, rolling over only to accidentaly smack his younger brother. Neither of them have gotten used to such limited sleeping area. Growing up they always had separate rooms, considering Lonnie didn't believe in mixing genders. If only he knew how that backfired.
"Seriously, Jonathan, kids need a ride!" Nancy yelled again, this time standing at the top of the stairs. Looking at her with tired eyes, she very much resembled the devil himself.
It finally clicked.
"Shit!"
Jonathan scrambled off the pull-out couch, searching for the nearest semi-clean shirt that seemed to be his size, all while nudging Will to awaken him from his slumber.
Messy mornings became a routine ever since they moved in with the Wheelers. Joyce managed to keep some of her basic human decency and slept upstairs on the sofa, followed by a nice morning coffee and chat with Karen. Minwhile her three kids were stuck in the basement, usually having to deal with Mike overtaking the little space they had since he wanted to spend more time with Will.
Speaking of Mike, he was now seated right behind one tired teenager kind enough to drive their asses all the way to school. With Jane in the passenger seat things felt different. Just a while ago it used to be him in that very spot, screaming along to The Clash in a cramped up yellow van. Jonathan missed those times. Missed California and all the new feelings it brought. He would give anything to speak with Argyle again...
"You alright, Jon?"
A soft voice snapped him out of the self-pity. Jane's eyes were gentle, partially covered by regrowing hair.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, totally," Jonathan shook his head. He had to keep his eyes on the road, wrapping his attention around the lie of not being bothered.
Jane followed with a quick skeptical silence, before proposing another question.
"Are you having a headache again?"
"Mhm."
This time it wasn't a lie. Headaches have followed Jonathan his whole life. It was the by-product of being an overworked, anxious, sleep deprived teenager. Yet ever since they first encountered the Upside Down the issues only became worse. More frequent, painful. Years ago, the day before Will disappeared from the face of the earth, Jonathan's migraine got so bad he threw up and couldn't move. Those were super dark times. Jonathan didn't like to think about them.
"Jonathan, you missed the turn. Jonathan?"
Will's voice cut through his limited attention span. Jonathan glanced over his shoulder to meet the confused faces of two teenage boys.
"Right, my bad."
The old car came to a halt, the engine barely managing to keep up. He really should stay focused. Else he'd end up in a crash someday. Which wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have three kids he cared about in the car.
"It's okay, Jon," Jane unbuckled her seatbelt. The look in her eyes neared worry as she leaned in for a brief hug. "We can walk back."
Jonathan wrapped an arm around his sister, only for a sharp pain to hit him like a truck. The pressure in his skull paired up with a flash of light in a deadly mix of absolute migraine. A high-pitched sound rang in his ears. Will's words from the backseat got muffled and replaced by nausea worse than the worst period cramps.
It was like a dream. One that he couldn't remember the moment he woke up, but snippets of sound and vague visuals clung to his mind anyway. It was so quick it could have been a memory. Jane standing in front of the class, tears running down her face, with loud laughter echoing somewhere in the back of his head.
"I don't wanna walk-"
By the way Mike hissed halfway through his sentence, Jonathan could only assume Jane gave him one of those looks. Or maybe Will punched his shoulder to shut him up. Not like Jonathan could see any of that, he was too busy being tangled in Jane's embrace and his own feeling of deja vu that began to fade as quickly as it appeared.
The car doors slammed three times, footsteps fading away accompanied by a bunch of "thank you"s and "i love you"s from his siblings. And Jonathan loved them too. More than anything. More than himself. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of them sometimes.
…
"... And that concludes today's news! I'm Rockin' Robin, this is my co-host Steve, and this is Madonna."
Robin waved at her co-host, signaling him to do his damn job, and just seconds later Like a Virgin began to play idly in the background. Jonathan always preffered music with a story, or at least some political commentary, but Madonna was pretty solid too. Then again this wasn't his radio station, he was just acting useful.
The front door swung open with a gust of wind blowing Nancy's curly hair around. A stack of papers rested in her arms, and the bottom of her dress clashed with the tactical nature of her boots. Talk about a dramatic entry.
"Nance, finally! I was starting to think you wouldn't show up and I'll be stuck here with these two bozos," Robin let out a sigh of relief, her headphones taking a rest in the booth.
Nancy rolled her eyes, but pulled the girl into a sidehug anyway. "And miss out on all the fun? Never."
Her soft laugh filled the space instantly. She always had this sense of grace and elegance that was hard not to fall for. Jonathan was a victim of it himself, and he wasn't the first nor the last in this room. He never regretted what him and Nancy had. But at the same time was pleased with the way it ended. She needed to move forward and pursue future, Jonathan knew he was weighting her down. And he also seeked some kind of freedom to find out who he really was and what he wanted. Breaking up was the best move in the long run.
"And I brought mail," her hand waved around, and before Jonathan knew it, unidentifiable flying object was making it's way through the air towards him. The envelope hit the cushion beside his knees, clearly reading a familiar name on the front.
It moved again when another weight got added to the couch. Steve hopped over the backrest, the look in his eyes already curious before Jonathan even opened the letter.
"Hey, Jonnie.
I'm glad things are going well. How are super-siblings doing? It's been lonely since you left, but Eden and I are really kicking it off! She wants to meet you someday..."
"What's he sayin'?" Steve leaned over. His arm was swung behind Jonathan's shoulders, not quite touching them. But close enough to invade the man's personal space, all in the hope of getting into other people's business.
Robin was faster to react. "Let him and his Californian boyfriend be, dickhead!"
Jonathan would have protested about Argyle's role in his life. But that was a topic he wasn't certain about himself. They weren't dating. Argyle had a thing going on with Eden, plus they haven't seen each other for eternity. But Jonathan would be lying if he said Argyle didn't mean more to him than any other friend.
"... I know it sucks when your brother is controlling supernatural creatures and Jane throws things around using her mind. But you're special too. Okay, that sounds wrong, but you know what I mean. You don't need all that bullshit to..."
"Huh, I never thought of that," Steve muttered right next to his ear, making Jonathan realize he was still reading along.
"Isn't it weird how you're the only Byers sibling without powers?" Harrington continued to think out loud, attracting the attention of their female friends.
Nancy slowly sat down opposite to them, skeptical look on her face.
"What do you mean?"
Jonathan bit his lip. The letter in his hands crumpled under the pressure of his hand clenching into fists.
"Y'know, maybe it's genetic."
"I'm not blood related to Jane," Jonathan turned to face him. His tone remained calm and just as awkward as usual. But the tension in his chest was something he couldn't hide from himself. "And Will got his abilities because of Vecna and... all that..."
Just then Robin snapped her fingers, and Jonathan could almost see the the light bulb above her head lit up like a cartoon character. "Maybe it's contagious. Sibling bonds and all that."
"We should test it," Steve supported the idea.
"We totally should."
"It doesn't make sense." Jonathan's loud ground paused their plan rambling. And the silence would remain if Nancy didn't tilt her head.
"Neither does Upside Down. We still don't know how it works, perhaps something really did rub off on you."
Jonathan couldn't believe it. Nancy Wheeler, the one sane person in this room, was on board with the idea. And maybe he wasn't blaming her, but rather himself. He didn't want to explore such thought, because he already knew the outcome. He didn't need to feel even more overlooked than he already did.
"Jon, c'mon." Steve's hand landed on top of his shoulder. It felt just as warm as the day they declared peace. "We'll just try it. Once. The result could help us understand what we're deling with better."
"I can't. I have to pick up the kids after school and-"
"Mrs. Henderson has that covered," Nancy interuped his excuse.
"Yeah, they're hanging out at Dustin's," Steve confirmed. And Jonathan's expression quickly shifted into a knowing look, exchanging it with the man beside him.
"D&D?"
"D&D."
"So? Whatcha say?" Robin chimmed in carefully. As if approaching a wild animal. "One harmless experiment after work?"
Jonathan feared confirming his invisibility. But disappointing his friends, the thought of being alone again, terrified him more.