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LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU!

CHAPTER THREE: SCREAMING HEART.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

⠀⠀For Mike, this whole situation was a nightmare. Not only had there basically been an ELEVEN pt. 2 in his basement, which was practically like a big banner flashing the words "THE GIRL YOU LOVE IS GONE!" in front of him, but now he had to also ride with FIVE on the back of his bike. It was her all over again.

⠀⠀Hopper had told them to go to the Byers' house — also called them stupid for not doing that in the first place. They had fetched FIVE, gone outside and Lucas and Dustin had already been halfway down the street, leaving Mike with a glare adorning his freckled face, a screaming heart and the task of driving with FIVE on the back. It was like they expected him to do it, because he always had with her. That was different, though. She was different.

⠀⠀Nonetheless, the hurting boy had pushed his distaste for the stranger aside, told him to hop on and then they'd taken off down the street after the two others. He had no choice, after all.

⠀⠀Arriving at the Byers', they were greeted by the faces of Hopper, Joyce, Will and Jonathan.

⠀⠀"Explain," Hopper had ordered the minute they all stepped inside, eyes locking on the face of FIVE with an unreadable glint in them. He was a strongly built man with a beard decorating the aging skin of his face and a brown-ish uniform. He was intimidating, eyes sharp and watching your every move, yet he radiated a fatherly energy almost. A protective energy, a caring energy. Just like a father.

⠀⠀As the three boys quickly dove into the subject of exactly how they stumbled upon the poor boy, FIVE stayed behind Mike, eyes watching warily over the slightly taller boy's shoulder. He didn't trust any of them, not the boys either, but so far they had meant him no harm so he stayed by them. He didn't want to risk anything. He couldn't. God knows what they'd do to him if they caught him again after his escape.

⠀⠀"He can stay with us," Joyce, a middle-aged woman with brown hair and eyes warmer and kinder than he'd ever seen, offered, gazing around the room at the others expectantly.

⠀⠀"We're the ones who know how to do this, though!" Dustin exclaimed, his argument kind of silly since it was against literal adults. Parents. "We've been through this before with Eleven! He can just stay in Mike's basement."

⠀⠀"No way in hell is that happening," snapped Mike instantly, mild rage flowing visibly in his eyes and if you looked close enough, if you dug deeper, you could also see the pain. The hurt he tried so hard to hide away as if that would make it disappear.

⠀⠀"He's staying with an adult, Dustin, that's not up for discussion," agreed Hopper, his voice raised and a little harsh but they all knew he had the best intentions. All of them did. The older man then averted his gaze away from the curly-haired boy and towards Joyce, "Are you sure he can stay here?"

⠀⠀"Yeah. Yeah, of course," nodded Joyce reassuringly without a moment of hesitation. She was being asked to take a strange boy into her home, give him shelter; a boy who could he dangerous and she wasn't even hesitating. "We can make room for him here."

⠀⠀"Fine, but we're coming to check on him every day then," Dustin stated, arms folded across his chest and a look on his face that told the others he wasn't budging with that. In all honesty, FIVE didn't know why it was such a big deal for him. It was nice, though, even if it was just because he had some extreme fascination with his abilities.

⠀⠀"You're always welcome here, of course."

⠀⠀It was silent for a moment, like no one knew what to say or how to say it. Hopper was the one to cut through the tension, his voice like a shard of broken glass, as he peered over at the boy standing by Mike, "You okay with that, kid?"

⠀⠀He'd had never been asked that.

⠀⠀Swallowing harshly, fright still evident in the green of his eyes, FIVE took a moment to stare at all of them, like he was scanning them for any sign of danger. Then he gave a short nod of his head, well aware that it was either this or living on the streets or in the woods.

⠀⠀Hopper offered him a faint, barely visible yet oddly comforting smile. It was like reassuring him that he'd be okay, despite the two only just having met. Again with the fatherly vibe, though.

⠀⠀Little did he know that Hopper was giving shelter to someone just like him, a secret hidden away from the others. The man understood in a way that the others couldn't, because he had become the father-figure of the girl who'd been through almost the exact same thing.

⠀⠀"Honey," Joyce's voice, almost like melted honey, sounded, resulting in the boy's head snapping towards her fast enough to give him whiplash. "Can you tell us exactly what happened?"

⠀⠀"I escaped," he informed, voice quiet and hoarse like he hadn't talked in years. The memory of what happened had been replaying in the back of his mind ever since. He wanted to have it in reach, scared it would fade away and turn out to be nothing but a dream. "It was 1981."

⠀⠀"And your power is time-travel?"

⠀⠀"Time-travel and teleportation," confirmed FIVE, the distaste tasting awful on the tip of his tongue. He hated what others would call a gift. His powers were what had ripped his chance at a normal life away from him, it was what had landed him in Hawkins Lab in the first place. His powers had ruined his life and given him nothing but pain and tragedy.

⠀⠀"I guess each subject has a different power," Jonathan Byers, a scrawny adolescent with brown hair cut poorly and eyes that resembled the brown of his mother's, spoke up for the first time since they arrived.

⠀⠀"Are you hungry?" Joyce, already taking the role of his new guardian, questioned, eyes dripping with concern for the boy. Like she felt for him.

⠀⠀FIVE was quick to nod his head, not even remembering when he'd last filled his stomach. Anyone could look at him and tell that the children trapped in the lab were barely fed. He was dangerously skinny, cheeks sunken in, hands awfully boney and if you looked beneath his clothing, you'd see ribs that looked like they weren't even covered in skin. 

⠀⠀"I can make you a sandwich?" Joyce flashed him a small, warm-as-summer smile while giving a nod of her head towards the kitchen.

⠀⠀FIVE hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether he should follow her or not. He craned his neck to look over at the three boys beside him, his trust in them stronger than the others. They were already looking at him, patiently waiting for his answer in the silence. Then the boy gulped, before he then proceeded to come out from behind Mike and wander after Joyce, unknowingly leaving the rest to talk about him.

⠀⠀Away from the others' perked ears and burning gazes, FIVE felt his shoulders drop in relaxation just a bit more. Joyce stood by the counter already, hands at work, while the young boy took a seat by the table with a shaky breath. He was feeling too much at once. It confused his mind, his actions.

⠀⠀"You're safe now, FIVE," the mother broke the silence between them after a few minutes, sliding a plate towards him as she sat down beside him. Her eyes were so comforting, so filled with warmth and love, it instantly made FIVE feel a tad bit better around her.

⠀⠀"It was home for me," he reminded her, himself as well, his eyes looking empty and lost as he stared down at his plate while twirling it around between his thumb and index finger. It was the truth. Growing up, he'd know nothing else. "I grew up there. I know only the lab."

⠀⠀Joyce's features softened even more, if even possible, her heart clearly aching for the young boy and everything he'd faced at such an age. She propped her chin onto the palm of her pale hand, the corners of her lips twitching upwards slightly, "Home isn't necessarily where you grew up, FIVE. Home can be a person, too. Home is when you leave, yet yearn to go back."

⠀⠀Maybe she was right. Maybe this could be his home. Or someone could b e c o m e his home.

IDA'S NOTE!
this was a little shorter sorry /:
five obviously has a hard time
trusting them all since he has
that crushing fear of being forced
back in the lab. but because
mike and dustin and lucas were
the ones who found him and took
him in first and gave him warm
clothes and such, he d o e s
trust them a bit more.

⠀⠀

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