. * & andrew ♡

  ^{andrew watches him closely, mirroring the same concern that was almost permanently plastered on joyce’s face for so long. while she’s been smiling again, just a little, she looks EXHAUSTED  ;  and not the kind of tired this sleepy town brings. jonathan looks like that, too. he reaches out, fingers hesitating inches away at first until he finally closes the space and pats at his arm, feather light touch but enough to hopefully provide some sort of comfort before his hands are back to being folded in the pocket of his hoodie.}

            ^{❝ it - it - it d-doesn’t b-bug m-me ! it’s… scare - scary stuff. d-don’t want you to - to - to d-…
                                 mmm… deal with-th it on your o-own, you’re my - my friend. ❞}

  ^{the shadow of a smile forming quickly fades, voice lowering to an almost whisper.}

                                 ^{❝ do you think - think… think s-somethin’ c-came with him ? ❞}

^{the touch momentarily distracts him from his worry, enough to even get his lips to curl upwards a bit. andrew’s always been good to him - SWEET AND PATIENT - and he hasn’t come across one thing wrong with him. his mom and will even love him, which is definitely a bonus. he doesn’t know why it’s so important to him for them to like andrew, but he’s never quite had a friend like him, that’s for sure. when andrew pulls his hand away, jonathan can’t help but to follow the movement for a few seconds, before he’s back to staring straight ahead.}

                                                            ^{❝ — you’re my friend, too, andrew. ❞}

^{his voice is soft, calmer than before.} 

^{it does make him feel much better to know that he’s not alone. he knows he should probably voice his concerns to his mom, but he doesn’t have the heart to pop her ‘ HAPPY WILL BUBBLE ‘ with what could simply be jonathan being paranoid. wouldn’t that just be icing on top of the cake? that’s just what she needs.}

                             ^{( please note the heavy sarcasm ; his mom just needs a nap )}

                      ^{❝ would - would that be crazy ? it’s just a feeling - an AWFUL one.
    there’s no telling what was going on in the upside down. it’s just… he’s been back for a while now,
                      I don’t want to bring it up and freak him out all over again, you know ? ❞}