TEENAGE NIGHTMARE
CHAPTER TWELVE — PART ONE.
THE REVELATION.

Joyce had enlisted the help of her boyfriend, Bob Newby, after recalling the stupid nickname that Hopper often referred to him as: Bob the Brain. Hopper hadn't told them where he was going before he left in such a rush, and Joyce was banking on Bob to be able to figure out what the vines were and where they were in order to help Hopper. He quickly realized that it was a map of Hawkins, albeit still not fully understanding what the drawings were and why Joyce had called him so urgently.

            Mike, Joyce, Charlie, Joseph, and a newly steadied Will helped him try to figure out where the vines correlated along the map of the small town, measuring each section piece by piece with a measuring tape and labeling them as each county. Franny had told them that she was going to find Dustin, who was the only member of the party that didn't respond to Charlie's distress call earlier. She insisted on taking Charlie's walkie and Mike's bike, assuring them both that they'd get their respective possession back afterwards.

             Neither Charlie or Mike liked the idea of her leaving, especially because they weren't sure what could happen to her because of her hand, but there was no way they were going to stop her, so they let her go with little protest.

              Meanwhile, Dustin was already walking away from the Walker household to search for someone to help him with his Dart-problem. Mrs. Wheeler had told him that Mike went to Will's for a sleepover, and he thanked her for that information and headed to the next nearest house, the Walkers, to see if Charlie, or even Franny was home. No luck. He hadn't heard from anyone in the party in a while, but he was more preoccupied with the creature running amok somewhere in his cellar. He just needed some help.

             
             He wasn't expecting that help to come in the form of Steve Harrington.

             The tall boy stood near his car, something small and rectangular in his hands as he fiddled with it. Dustin could see him muttering something before declaring himself an idiot, throwing his head back towards the sky and letting out an exasperated sigh.

            " Hey, you know where Franny is? " Dustin called, approaching the lanky boy, who squinted down at him questionably.

           " Uh, I was kind of hoping she was in her house. " Steve replied, recalling the familiar looking face in front of him; he had seen him at the football field, he was one of Charlie's friends.

             " Yeah, well, looks like I'm stuck with you, then. " Dustin declared, sounding a bit unenthusiastic as he moved to the passenger side of Steve's car, climbing in, much to Steve's surprise. The taller boy stood in shock, eyes wide and mouth open in confusion, but Dustin leaned over the console to look up at him, " What are you doing? Come on! "

            Steve attempted to splutter a few words, then he just scoffed and got into the car, placing the rectangular item in the cup holder. He started the car, glancing over at Dustin as he reached for whatever the thing was. Steve instantly smacked the boy's hand, glaring at him, " Hands off, kid. "

            " Jeez, touchy. " Dustin commented, raising an eyebrow at Steve, who started to ask what exactly he needed from him when his walkie made a staticky sound, finally connecting. Dustin unnecessarily shushed Steve, holding the walkie up to his mouth, " Hello? Is anyone there? This is Dustin, can anyone hear me? "

            " Dustin. . . " The sentences were fragmented, his connection was shitty and would probably go out at any moment, even as he tried to extend the antennas to compensate. " It's Franny. . . are you. . "

            " Franny? " Dustin repeated, sharing a look with Steve; Dustin was just excited to be in contact with someone that could possibly help. " Franny, can you hear me? Where are you? I could use some help. "

             " Leaving. . . where. . you? " Her voice could barely be heard, but Dustin trusted that she could hear him better than he could her.

             " Meet me at my house, we've got a Code Purple on our hands. " Dustin said, ignoring the wide eyed look Steve was giving him, " Over. "

             Franny didn't reply, and Dustin could only hope that she had heard him. He turned his head and looked at Steve after laying the walkie back in his lap, raising his eyebrows, " What? "

             " Code Purple? "

X X X

           Surprisingly, or, maybe not so surprisingly, Murray had taken every word they said as truth. He was even more convinced when Nancy played back the recording of Owens' confession to Barb's murder. He had insisted they make multiple copies of the tape just in case that one ended up missing or broken, and he also suggested that they water down the story to make it more believable to the public. For the first time that night, JP and Murray agreed on something: normal people wouldn't believe a word of what came out of Nancy Wheeler's mouth. And, finally, JP had felt back in his zone when Murray declared they celebrate, pouring the trio each a glass of what smelled strongly of whiskey.

           " To taking down the man. " He stated, a small grin on his lips as he raised his own glass; in far less enthused voices, Jonathan and Nancy repeated him, while JP leaned forward to clank their  glasses together.

           " Here, here! " He exclaimed before downing the glass, making Jonathan stare at him in surprise, and Murray let out a hefty laugh. Nancy has seen him chug enough drinks to not be shocked by it anymore.

          " Commie bastards sure know how to make a spirit, am I right? " Murray commented, leaning forward to pour more of the bronze liquid into their glasses, Nancy quick to reject it.

           " Oh, no, we-we can't. " She insisted, shaking her head lightly and looking to Jonathan for help as JP raised an eyebrow at her.

          " Yeah, no, no, I gotta drive, " Jonathan agreed, and JP pointed to himself, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

           " I don't have to drive, though. " He pointed out, earning a frown from Nancy that told him they weren't necessarily trying to overstay their welcome.

           " Drive? " Murray repeated, an amused look on his face as he still went on to fill JP's glass, " What, tonight? "

            " Our parents— " Nancy started, although her voice wasn't all that confident as JP picked up the glass with a grateful grin.

            " Would be proud if they knew what you were up to. " Murray finished for her matter-of-factly before sitting back in his chair, waving his hand dismissively and raising his own drink to his lips. " Just tell them you're at Tammy's, or Dawn's, or whoever's, and take my guest room. "

            JP nearly choked on the alcohol as he thought of spending another night in awkward tension alongside Nancy and Jonathan, and his reaction didn't go unnoticed by Murray. Jonathan looked over at Nancy for an answer, but she just averted her eyes away from him, making Murray grin subtly behind his glass.

            " It is pretty late. " Nancy finally said, making JP inwardly groan as he sat forward to place his glass on the coffee table wedged between them and Murray, wiping his sleeve across his mouth. Jonathan nodded at Nancy and turned to look at Murray, patting the couch the trio sat on.

            " Uh, could I use the sofa? " He asked, and Murray just stared between them, waiting as if he was expecting Jonathan to tell him he was just joking. After he didn't, Murray made a puzzled face.

            " Okay, uh, I'm confused. " He admitted, and JP dropped his head into his hands as he heard the familiar tone approaching; it was the same knowing sound that Owens has used when addressing the status between the trio. " What is this, a lover's quarrel? "

             " For fuck's sake, why does everyone say that? " JP questioned, throwing his hands up and letting them fall to his thighs with a loud smack. Jonathan and Nancy paused for a moment, gesturing between themselves and JP, who wore an annoyed expression.

               " We're just friends. "

                " Yeah, friends. "

                 Murray paused again, waiting for a punchline that never came, then he chuckled at their responses, throwing his head back and laughing airily as the three of them watched him with equally thrown off expressions. Jonathan swallowed thickly and Nancy's smile faded from her face, while JP just stared at the man through his fingers.

                He quickly sobered up from his laughter, looking as if that was the funniest thing he had heard in years, and he claimed, " You've told me a lot of shockers today, but that— that is the first lie. "

               " It's not a lie, " Nancy persisted, a nervous smile on her face as she shook her head. JP would rather they just cut the conversation short, not wanting to go through this again. Something told him that Murray's eccentric personality would drag this topic out until JP either drowned himself in the toilet or drank himself to the point of no return so that he didn't have to hear it.

              " No? You're young, attractive, you've got chemistry, history, plus— the real shit —shared trauma. " Murray informed them, looking between the trio almost thoughtfully as he continued, gesturing towards them, " Not necessarily sure where it lies, but there is definitely some tension floating around in this vicinity. "

               When none of them said anything, Murray nodded towards Jonathan, " Trust issues, am I right? Something to do with your dad. "

               " What? " Jonathan asked in surprise, but his expression was his tell. Murray had hit it right on the nose. " N-no, no, I mean, my dad's. . "

               " An asshole. " Nancy declared, making Jonathan slowly look over at her as Murray hummed in response.

               " Mm-mm, it is a curse to see so clearly. " He told them, dragging his eyes past Nancy to JP, who was trying hard to avoid eye contact with the man; if he was able to read that easily into Jonathan, he was a little afraid of what he would see in him. " You. . you don't have many friends, yeah? Just her? I can tell, you two have that energy, it's different with him, though. "

              JP clenched his jaw at his words, digging his nails into his palm as he clasped his hands in between his knees. He looked up at Murray with narrowed eyes, " Yeah? What else? Pretty sure it's a given that I'm not a people person, so what else do you think you know about me? "

              " Touchy. " Murray noted, nodding as if he was thinking, eyes lingering over JP's frustrated face while a small grin lifted on his face. " You drink a lot, but that seems to be a given, too, huh? You do it to distract yourself from what's really going on, except, it's not working too great right now, is it, JP? "

                JP closed his eyes briefly, a forced smile on his face as he turned to look at Murray before spitting out, " Fuck you. "

                  Nancy's eyes widened at that, but Murray was simply amused, gaining the reaction he expected. The man turned to Nancy, " You're harder to read. Probably, like everyone, afraid of what would happen if you accepted yourself for who you really are, and retreated back to the safety of. . . Name. Name? "

                  Jonathan and JP both answered in a quiet voice, " Steve. "

                " Steve! " Murray exclaimed while Nancy shot an accusatory glare to both Jonathan and JP, only the former looking slightly apologetic. Murray made a sympathetic face as he looked to Nancy, " Steve. . we like Steve. "

                 " Yes! " Nancy replied as if it should be obvious, lifting her hands in the air before they fell back to her lap.

                " But we don't love Steve. " Murray concluded, and Nancy shook her head.

               " What? No, we-I. .I mean, " Nancy's hesitation was a dead giveaway, making both JP and Jonathan look over at her, " I-I do, I do. "

                Murray pointed at her, " There it is, ladies and germs, the second lie of the evening. " He crossed a leg over his knee, holding a palm up as he asked, " So, how'd I do? "

                 Nancy and Jonathan looked in opposite directions, but JP glared right at Murray, who just stared amongst them for a moment with a knowing smile on his face before he stood. He took the bottle with him, groaning before saying, " Alright, there's a pullout sofa in my study if you want it. "

                 The three of them followed him up the stairs with their eyes as he added, " But, if I were you, I'd just cut the bullshit and figure out all of that, and share the damn bed. "

                  The stairs creaked as he disappeared into the second floor, and the trio of teenagers sat on the couch in awkward silence. JP was the first to break it, suddenly standing up with a huff.

                  " Fuck this. " He muttered, storming off to the bathroom, leaving Nancy and Jonathan to stare at him as left, the door slamming shut behind him, vibrating the room.

                  Nancy and Jonathan glanced over at one another, both looking as if they wanted to say something, but ultimately decided not to. As soon as JP entered the bathroom, he locked the door and turned on the shower, tugging the curtain shut before standing across from the toilet, pressing his back into the wall and sliding down to the floor. He leaned his head back against the wall, noticing the little frog pattern that was printed on the shower curtain. Any other time when he was buzzed, JP would've probably found that hilarious, but now all he felt was a thick feeling in his chest.

JP had convinced himself a long time ago that he didn't have feelings for Nancy Wheeler, and he never would. He didn't look at her like other girls, the thought of kissing her didn't even pass his mind, and he would wretch at the suggestion when other people teased him about it. Nancy was, as JP would describe the word, perfect, but for all the reasons that he was not. She was pretty, sure, but she was also clever, always somehow one step ahead of him, and she was trustworthy. She never overstepped boundaries and she never told anyone about what happened when JP came to her in the middle of the night after a nightmare. She knew what he was thinking before he even said it. Nancy Wheeler was the best friend he had ever had, and he couldn't jeopardize that just because some conspiracy theorist asshole made a few lucky guesses about his life.

Which, in turn, meant that JP had to let Nancy and Jonathan get together, because he had also seen the energy between the two of them. He saw the connection they shared and never acknowledged it because he was scared. He was scared that he would lose Nancy if he let it happen. He tried to convince himself last year that he just didn't like Steve Harrington and that was why he was so against Nancy dating him, but he was jealous, in a way. He'd been envious, and he was afraid that he'd lose her to King Steve. Now, he was afraid to lose his best friend to Jonathan Byers, and he wasn't sure who he was jealous of anymore.

If JP was being honest, out of all the girls he had ever made out with, he never really thought twice about them. Of course, he'd only approached them because they were attractive enough in his less than sober state, but he never really thought any of them were beautiful, not in the sort of pure hearted way that Nancy was. He was definitely never in love with any of them, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could say he was in love with Nancy Wheeler, either, but he was smart enough to conclude that he did love her. But Murray had purposefully ignored that. If he had wanted to insinuate anything between JP and Nancy, he would've, but he didn't because he knew that JP already knew that he did love Nancy, whether it was on his conscious mind or not.

No, instead, Murray made it a point to say that the way JP felt about Nancy was similar to, almost the same but not totally, how he felt about Jonathan. Thinking back on it, JP's initial reaction now would probably be a little bit of disgust and confusion. He thought he made it pretty clear that he thought Jonathan was bad news, even though he was beginning to change his mind over the past few days, but, like everything else, Murray had somehow seen right through that. He'd seen something that JP had been subconsciously pushing down for at least a few days now, something that JP still couldn't see within himself. All he knew was that he couldn't get his mind off of trying to figure out whatever the hell it was.

In a word, JP would describe Nancy as perfect. Reversely, he would describe himself as imperfect. He would describe Jonathan Byers as perfected imperfection.

He didn't know what that meant, but it sounded right in his head. If he and Nancy were on opposite ends of the spectrum, then Jonathan was somewhere off the spectrum entirely. Even though he was sure both Nancy and Jonathan were smart enough on their own to somehow understand it, he could never say that out loud without knowing what it meant to him. JP would never tell Jonathan that anyways, he would probably never even speak to him again after all of this unless Nancy somehow roped him into it, but he found that realizing that made JP's blood boil. He didn't know why, and he tried his hardest to think of anything else, but it made him so angry that Murray could just look at him and know everything about him. JP couldn't remember when he first started drinking, sometime during freshman year, he would assume, but he did remember why; his mother had died in the mental hospital right before the second semester of his first year in high school, and that just seemed to set him off.

He'd started going to parties hosted by the upperclassmen, mainly only getting invited because they had all had high expectations of him being the 'life of the party'. There were many aspects of high school that he used as a distraction: the girls were the easiest to come by, since apparently every Hawkins' girl's true wet dream is a lanky ass teenager with slicked back blond hair and coffee colored eyes. Alcohol was the next easiest to obtain, since almost every junior or senior bragged about having a mystery donor for their parties. Nancy Wheeler was the hardest to get and the most difficult to understand. She kept him grounded in a way that drowning himself in alcohol could not, and she did it without an incentive. While he would never consider her a negative in his life ever, JP knew now that she was a distraction in his life. All of these things, he had used to keep himself from facing whatever lurked in the dark, scary parts of his brain. He kept a tight lock around his childhood terror and the key was lost within Nancy.

Murray's revelation wouldn't make him stop distracting himself, but it did allow him to remind himself that, eventually, he would have to face those demons. But, eventually was not now.

X X X

             " Alright I'm 3.46 inches, what do you got? " Bob asked, ruler splayed against the map as he tried to draw the ratio of distance.

              " I'm not sure! " Mike called back from where he stood in one of the bedrooms, fingers holding the measuring tape against the wall. " Ms. Byers? "

                " Hold on, " Joyce said, pulling the measuring tape through the hallway as she rounded the corner into another room, where Tippecanoe had been labeled. " twenty one feet, four inches. "

                " What about Tippecanoe to Danford Creek? " Bob asked, and Joyce sighed.

                 " D-Danford, where's Danford? " She questioned.

                  They had been converting the distances of the drawings and what place on the map of Hawkins they represented for nearly an hour, and it was growing tiresome to all those involved, except maybe Bob, who hadn't been filled in on the urgency of the situation.

                  " Dining room! " Will shouted, and Joyce came over to measure it, looking back at Bob, who sat in the living room across from the dining room.

                 " Sixteen feet, ten inches. "

                  " How about Danford to Jordan? "

                  " C'mon, Bob. " Joseph persisted as he walked into the living room where his son stood hovering over the shoulder of the man to see if he could catch something Bob hadn't. " There's gotta be a quicker way to do this. "

                  " This has gotta be enough. " Joyce agreed, her and Will, and eventually Mike, joining them around the table that the map sat.

                   " It's not, " Bob said, shaking his head and looking up at Joyce, " it's-it's really not. "

                   " Can't you just figure it out? " Joyce suggested desperately, and Bob sighed quietly.

                   " Well, it's hard, the ratio isn't exactly one to one. " He explained shortly, eyes scanning the map briefly before he glanced amongst the people that stood around him, " I mean, if you're twisting my arm, and you are twisting my arm, I would say that the X is. . "

                  He used the ruler to draw two straight lines on the map, crisscrossing them at a certain point on the map as he declared, " Maybe. . A half mile southeast of Danford. "

                   Joyce breathed in relief, pressing a kiss to Bob's cheek, " Thank you. "

                   Then, she picked up the map and rushed out the door, Will, Charlie, and Mike quick to follow her. Joseph exhaled sharply, clapping a hand on Bob's shoulder as he urged him, " C'mon, Newby. "

                   " Wait-wait, we're going? We're actually going? "

X X X

JP had gone to the guest room some time after clawing through his head to try and put some sort of sense to Murray's words and his own feelings towards them. Nancy and Jonathan were already asleep in the bed, and he briefly wondered how long it had taken before they agreed to let that happen. Nonetheless, he went made himself a makeshift bed on the floor after carefully taking one of the many pillows underneath Jonathan's head and stealing an extra blanket from the closet.

            JP was barely asleep for thirty minutes before he gasped awake, finding himself laying on the floor in a cold sweat. Rolling onto his back, he quickly reminded himself of where he was as he stared up at the dark ceiling, chest heaving as he tried to regulate his breathing. He dropped one of his hands to his chest, feeling his heart pounding against his ribs. He wasn't certain what the nightmare was about, but from the chilling feeling in his bones he could tell that it was one that felt way too real for him. After that, he really did try to go back to sleep, whereas he would usually drive to Nancy's house, climb up into her window and knock until she let him in. More often than he would like to admit, he woke up in Nancy's bed after she managed to soothe him to sleep. Needless to say, he failed miserably.

He sat up, his eyes adjusting rather slowly to the darkness round him as he cautiously made his way to his feet, rising quietly. He didn't want to wake both Nancy and Jonathan, but once he looked to the bed, he realized that they were both still soundlessly asleep, facing opposite ways. JP tiptoed his way over to Nancy's side of the bed, clenching his jaw as he tried to lessen his own panic, reminding himself that it was just a nightmare and that it wasn't real, but he couldn't convince himself better than Nancy. He wasn't sure if anyone could, and, with all the thoughts racing through his head from the bathroom, he didn't even know if she could do it this time.

" Nance, " He whispered faintly, badly wanting to clear his throat when he heard the sliver of a crack in his voice; he leaned slightly closer to the girl, not going so far as to shake her awake. He felt bad for even trying to wake her, but he knew his nerves weren't going to settle without her. " Nancy, Nance, c'mon— "

The bed creaked, and JP froze, closing his eyes briefly as he quietly leaned back up, looking over Nancy to see Jonathan sitting up, looking at him through bleary, sleep-ridden eyes. He rubbed one of his eyes as if he thought JP was a dream, but upon deciding that it was real, Jonathan narrowed his eyes and whispered, " What are you doing? What's wrong? "

          Nancy shifted an inch, and JP silently cursed himself; of course he had to have a nightmare tonight of all nights. JP walked around the bed, Jonathan's adjusting eyes following him as he stood idly at his side of the bed before sitting down on the blanket he laid out on the ground, placing his chin in his hand.

            " Are you okay? " Jonathan asked in a hushed voice, and JP gritted his teeth, wishing that he had just told him to go back to bed instead of initiating a conversation he was sure he didn't want to have.

            " I'm fine. . I just. . " JP couldn't look at him, even in the darkness; he felt embarrassed, heat rising to his face as he pulled at the collar of his t shirt.

             " Nightmare. " Jonathan said it more than asked it, and JP turned back to look at him with a small nod; the Byers boy pressed his lips together for a moment before adding, " I have them, too. About Will. The Upside Down. Nancy in the Upside Down. "

              JP knew Jonathan was silently asking him what his were about, but he couldn't honestly answer that considering he didn't usually remember his dreams. He just always felt incredibly frightened and anxious about all the things he couldn't see and what lurked in the darkness when he woke up. Since he couldn't explain his reason for waking up at god-knows-what time in the middle of the night, he went for the next best explanation.

              " She, uh. . she usually helps me get back to sleep. " He said quietly, lowering his gaze to his hands as he picked at one of the ends of the raggedy blanket. If there was one thing JP absolutely hated, it was being vulnerable, and he was feeling increasingly vulnerable the longer he was there.

                Then, Jonathan asked him something that nearly made his eyes bug out in surprise, " How? "

                " What? " JP asked, almost forgetting to be quiet as the word left his mouth, and he quickly shut it, blinking at Jonathan as if he had grown another head. He nearly told him before he realized that would be a huge mistake, " She. . fuck, you'd laugh at me if I told you. "

                 " I won't. " Jonathan insisted, shaking his head lightly, leaning back on his elbow, placing his head on his hand as he looked down at JP. " I swear I won't. "

                 JP wasn't fully convinced, but he had nothing better to do. He wasn't going to be going to sleep anytime soon without Nancy, and, after everything that had been said earlier, he didn't think he had much to lose anymore.

                " She. . fuck, I swear to god, Byers, if you tell anyone this, I will kick your ass to California. . . . She sings. " JP muttered, and Jonathan just stared at him. JP was going to scream if he had to say it out loud again, but, whether fortunately or not, Jonathan had heard him.

               " Oh. " Was all he said, and JP just shook his head, scoffing under his breath. Jonathan shifted on the bed, giving JP an odd look before he uncertainly asked, " Do you. . want me to. . sing? "

               " No, God, Byers, no! " JP whisper shouted, nearly smacking himself in the face as he turned and laid down with a huff. He crossed one arm underneath his head, and stared up at the ceiling, painfully aware of Jonathan's unsure eyes locked onto him.

                He tried to go back to sleep after that, but he couldn't even keep his eyes closed for more than a minute before they were shooting open again. His mind was still spinning and he couldn't seem to calm his nerves. He pulled his arm out from underneath him, placing the back of his palm to his forehead and inwardly groaning before turning it over and covering his eyes with his hand. He could already feel the regret filling his soul as he spoke.

               " Byers. "

                " Yeah? "

                 " I don't want you to sing, trust me, but. . I'm not going to be able to sleep. "

                 " Okay. " Jonathan said, pausing for a moment before speaking again, " What do you want me to do? "

               " Just. . Give me your hand. " JP could hear the hesitation in his voice, and he was thankful that he couldn't see Jonathan's face or vice verse. He'd never been so grateful for darkness before. Jonathan cleared his throat quietly and then placed his hand on the edge of the bed without saying a word. JP tried to imagine it was Nancy as he grabbed his hand, but that was proving difficult considering her hand was thin and soft compared to Jonathan's calloused palm. He wasn't sure which one of their hands was the sweaty one, but it didn't matter, since he already started to feel a tad bit calmer while a dozen new worries popped into his head.

            " If you tell anyone about this, Byers— "

            " Yeah, you'll kick my ass to California. " Jonathan repeated his earlier words, and JP could just hear the grin in his voice, " I know. "

X X X

note.
that was so much of JP's brain that I think I got lost in it.

so, if there's any questions about it all, feel free to ask and I'll try to explain whatever the chapter didn't. also, I feel like this was kind of clear, but I figured I should just say it since if you missed it it probably won't be addressed again for the rest of this part. As hinted in an earlier chapter and in this one, JP has a bit of internal homophobia, and, he is indeed bisexual. Since it was rare to be openly gay in the 80s, it's even rarer to be openly bisexual, as some people TODAY don't even know what bisexuality is. I won't say anything more about his sexuality or his feelings towards either Nancy or Jonathan, as its up to your interpretation, I will try to clear up any questions though.

as always, feedback, comments, questions, and predictions are greatly appreciated!