Chapter Text
Prologue - Greyscale
Jonathan Byers didn’t believe in soulmates. Not in the sense that they didn’t exist. He knew they were out there– in theory. He wasn’t naive enough to think that he’d actually find his. He also didn’t buy into the belief that you couldn’t live a happy life without finding your soulmate. He didn’t know anyone who had found their soulmate and they all lived perfectly happy and normal lives.
His parents certainly weren’t soulmates. He may not have known for sure, but he was willing to bet that hardly anyone in the town of Hawkins had actually found their soulmate. None of the couples felt particularly in-love— except for maybe the Sinclairs, but even that was a bit of a stretch. He heard rumors that some people from town found their soulmates after they left for college, but even those stories were few and far between– and Jonathan wasn’t even sure how true they were if he was being honest.
The idea of having a soulmate really didn’t even interest him much. He was a solitary creature by nature. He loved his Mom and Will, but he didn’t need to have others around if he could avoid it. He was content to keep their little family unit as exclusive as possible. Except they didn’t seem to share his opinions about soulmates.
Anytime the subject came up, his mother would just get this troubled look on her face. Jonathan suspected that she wanted to let Will believe that maybe she and Lonnie actually were soulmates, which seemed like a poor choice. Will might have been young, but even he could see that their parents were just a poor match.
Will, on the other hand, would gush about how he couldn’t wait to find his soulmate. Since Will was old enough to talk, all he’d talk about was finding his soulmate and living happily ever after with them. Jonathan just let him talk, while his mother got that far away look in her eyes. Jonathan might not have believed he’d ever find his soulmate—if he even had one out there.
That was the thing. They existed–sure. He just wasn’t so sure that everyone had one out there. It seemed like there were a select few people who had one, but that didn’t mean it extended to everyone . There were so many reports of people growing old alone because they were waiting around for a soulmate they’d never find.
It was stupid.
Jonathan couldn’t wrap his head around it. Why would you waste your life waiting for someone who’d never come? He may have opted for a solitary life, but he was going to live it . Once he was done with high school, he’d be off to New York for school and then the world was his oyster. His mom and Will wouldn’t rely on him as much and he’d be able to live a life… alone by choice. Being alone was synonymous to being free.
There was just one benefit of finding a soulmate. It was the one part of it that Jonathan envied .
Colors.
Jonathan–and anyone else– would be destined to live the entirety of their lives without color if they never found their soulmates. Supposedly, the moment a person and their soulmate touch, their worlds are flooded with vibrant, beautiful colors. Without that person, you were stuck in a world of black and white.
Most days this didn’t bother him. It was easy enough to forget that some people were able to see vibrant colors when you were surrounded by people who also only saw things in black and white. There were moments though. Moments when an author would describe something in a novel using colors, or a film would reference colors in a painting, those moments made Jonathan feel irrationally jealous. He was an artist. He loved capturing photos. The idea that there were so many details of the images that he couldn’t see because he’d never find his soulmate kept him up at night.
He imagined that played a big role in why Will felt so strongly about finding his soulmate. He loved art almost as much as Jonathan did. He was always doodling on any piece of paper he could find. He probably felt limited– making art without being able to see color. The benefit of living in a place like Hawkins was that no one else could see them either… so it wasn’t as much of a disadvantage as it felt.
Jonathan was certain that it was different in bigger cities. There were more people. The chances of finding their soulmates were higher there. They could make as much vibrant, colorful art as their hearts desired. The only downside was that then they had to be with their soulmate. How could you possibly turn them away after they gave you the gift of color? He knew in theory soulmates should have been a perfect match but who determined what made a perfect match? What if they were wrong?
Jonathan had seen enough instances of how being in the wrong relationship could mess with a person. How could someone really know that their soulmate was the right person for them? It required a level of blind faith that Jonathan could never envision having.
Decidedly the only thing that mattered to him was his family. They could have whatever thoughts or beliefs they wanted about soulmates. Who was Jonathan to judge? If anything he was the unconventional one. He’d let them hold onto their hopes of finding a soulmate. Maybe they’d get lucky. If anyone deserved it, it’d be them.
Finding a soulmate was the least of Jonathan Byers’ issues. He had real life things on his plate– things that a fifteen year old boy had no business being wrapped up in.
Currently, he was cooking breakfast for Will. Mom was running all over the place trying to get ready for work. She’d overslept again. He should have been annoyed–most boys in his position would have been. He didn’t mind it though, eggs and toast was easy enough. He could get Will ready. Most mornings, he’d even be happy to do it.
Not that morning.
That morning he was exhausted . He’d picked up a shift the night before. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have taken it, but the mortgage was coming due, and the Byers were not in the position to be turning down any extra cash that came their way. Besides, Will was at his friend’s all day and Mom was working. Jonathan would have been alone in the house all night if he didn’t take the shift.
“Where’s Will?” His mom asked. She was distracted, looking all over the place for her keys.
Jonathan stiffened at that, sensing the fight that was inevitably coming. “I didn’t get him up yet.”
“You have to get him up on time, Jonathan,” she snapped predictably. “How many times do we need to have this conversation?”
Jonathan grunted, shifting a bit where he stood. “I’m making breakfast. I’ll get him up in a few minutes.”
No use. She was already walking down the hall to wake Will up herself. Fine. One less thing for Jonathan to worry about. Will getting a few extra minutes of sleep wasn’t going to be the end of the world or anything. He really didn’t understand why she was making such a huge deal about it.
If only Will was just getting a few extra minutes of sleep.
“Where’s Will?” His mom asked, her voice decidedly less angry and more worried than it was before.
“He’s not in his room?” Jonathan asked. He turned off the stove. Oh no .
Joyce shook her head. “He came home last night, right?”
“I’m not sure–”
“What do you mean, you’re not sure? Did he come home or didn’t he?” She demanded, the anger returning to her voice.
“I don’t know, when I got back from work it was late I thought he went to bed–”
“Damn it, Jonathan! You can’t take shifts when I’m working,” she scolded him.
Jonathan looked out the door. Will’s bike was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he never came home to begin with. “He probably slept over at the Wheeler’s or something,” Jonathan said, praying that was all it was. Nothing was allowed to happen to Will. Nothing.
His mom picked up the phone, presumably calling the Wheelers. Jonathan couldn’t even focus on what she was saying. He couldn’t help imagining Will helpless and unconscious in a ditch somewhere. He needed Will to just be at the Wheeler’s place.
She hung up the phone. The look on his mother’s face was not one that he ever wanted to see again. Her face was ashen, her eyes filled with dread. Jonathan could feel the pain emanating from her. He didn’t even need to ask. Will was definitely not at the Wheeler’s.