Shadows and Monsters- A Jonathan Byers/Stranger Things fanfiction

Chapter 34: Here We Go Again

      After being escorted out of the lab, Jonathan and I got into his car as quickly as we could. Without even conversing with Jonathan, I knew he shared the shock that I felt after what we just witnessed. Jonathan started his car, perfectly this time, and we both looked at each other as the car pulled off of the property. We drove for a few miles when I finally took the tape recorder from RadioShack out of my jacket and played back the lab scientist's words about "mistakes". Everything sounded loud and clear which was exactly what I wanted. 

"You still wanna do this?" Jonathan asked.

"Let's burn that fucking lab to the ground." 

     Jonathan and I decided to bring the tape to Murray Bauman. Murray was hired as a private investigator for Barb's case and also used to work for the Chicago Sun Times. So if anyone could distribute this tape to expose these evil men and the truth, it would be Murray. Sadly he lives outside of Hawkins and a ways away and it was getting late. 

"Should we just find some cheap place to crash for the night?" I turned to Jonathan.

"Yeah we could probably find a motel or something this way." Jonathan responded, eyes on the road. I hoped something good could come out of all of this.

      With bright red lights reading MOTEL, Jonathan pulled into the parking lot. We got out of the car and walked up to the office to rent a room. Jonathan opened the door for me, and I let out a smile. We both walked up to a counter with a woman sitting behind the desk reading. She didn't notice us come in and the two of us stood for a moment in front of her waiting for her to acknowledge us. We looked at each other as I reached my hand over the big silver bell to ring it to get her attention. She still paid us no mind.

"We'd...uh... like a room." I finally voiced.

"We got those." The woman responded with attitude, not once looking up at us.

"Do you want a single.. or a double?" She eyed us up and down.

"Double" We both responded with simultaneously.  We looked at each other as answered and for some reason my heart broke ever so slightly.

    Jonathan and I had shared a bed before. We liked sleeping next to each other, but after how rocky things have been it was like it was our instinct to want separate beds at this point. Part of me also didn't want this woman to think about us if we got a single bed, so I felt conflicted. We never discussed what happened at the party with Billy and I felt like Jonathan hated me, but only wanted me help in doing what was right for Will and Barb. I didn't bring any clothes with me so I slept in the clothes I slept in the night before, which were Jonathan's. Jonathan had jeans and a shirt on. I got into the bed, which surprisingly was not too bad.

"Hey I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, but do you mind if I sleep in my boxers? I'll be more comfortable than with jeans-

"Yeah that's fine." I cut him off. I wouldn't want to sleep in jeans either. I closed my eyes while Jonathan got comfy and into his bed. Awkwardness hung in the air while we were close to each other, but too far away at the same time.

"Jonathan?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's weird that we feel closest when the world is about to end?" I asked and genuinely thought about this for a while.

"It's not going to end." Jonathan let out a small smile and giggle, letting me know how ridiculous I sounded.

"It feels like it." A moment of silence brushed past us. I laid my palm out on the desk between us so the light could show my scar from the night we killed the monster together. The night Jonathan told me he loved me.