· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
˚ ₊ ♡ ❰  𝚃𝙷𝚁𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚁  ❱ ˖⋆࿐໋ ⋆ ✰
CHAPTER FIFTEEN ━━
milo arthur hopper

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      MILO, MILO SOUNDED STRANGE AS HE WHISPERED THE NAME under his breath when the doctor, who finally introduced herself as Ingrid, let him back to where Will was. The walk back was in silence, which he was grateful for.

      They finally reached their destination only to find that almost everyone was now cramped into the small makeshift hospital room.

    Immediately, his gaze fell on Hopper, the same man who was holding a younger him in his arms so many years ago. The blonde didn't know what to do, as all eyes turned to him and he even caught the small step Jim made in his direction.

    Ingrid gentle pushed him fully inside the room before approaching Jim.

    No one could make out what they were saying before the man silently followed after the brunette but not before sending a gentle smile in Zero's direction.

    This time, he didn't cower away from the tall man, not now after knowing who he was. He couldn't wrap his head around it but he wanted to try. Carefully he gave the man a small smile in return. It was just a small upturn of the corner of his mouth but it filled Jim with happiness.

    The door closed behind the chief and the others focused their attention on a sleeping Will again.

    Suddenly he found Mike standing next to him the smaller boy glancing up at the blonde. "What did she want?" He whispered.

    "Told me truth. About me." He answered in an equally soft voice. "Not Zero, said I was Milo."

    Mike grinned softly, a small spark of hope that if they knew who Milo really was they might know about Eleven's past too.

     Suddenly, Will's eyes slowly fluttered open, catching the mother of the boy by surprise. "Will?"

     Bob was quick on his feet, opening the door where Ingrid and Jim were still talking in hushed whispers. A conversation where the boy caught the last piece of. 

     "- he knows he is your son, he knew Sara, but he can't remember anything else."

     "We need a doctor in here!" Bob called out, slight panic laced in his tone as he looked down the hall.

      Zero stood awkwardly behind the short man, even now already towering over the man despite his age and he caught Jim's gaze again. The two held eyecontact for a moment before Ingrid suddenly walked away to look for a doctor.

     Jim took this as his chance to approach Milo again, slowly but this time the blonde boy didn't flinch away, he looke tense but he stayed rooted to his spot.

    Neither one spoke they just stood side by side the two looked like father and son, the resemblence quite obvious. While Sara had been almost an carbon copy of their mother, Milo took more after the Hopper genetics, only his lanky figure a feature he inherited from his mother.

     There still was a small distant seperating the two but that was alright for the moment, it was progress after all.

     Both Hopper's looked towards the door when they saw Dr. Owens approach the room, his white labcoat trailing after him as he moved in a fast pace.

     Everyone remained quiet when the greying man greeted them quickly before he went to look at Will. He gave the young boy a small smile but he didn't move an inch.

     Dr. Owens cleared his throat before he grabbed an unknown object from his pocket. Zero watched confused as he pointed the pen-like object at Will's eyes.

    Surprised, Zero watched a light flicker on as he used it to inspect the brunette boy, the only sound was the constant beeping of the monitor Will was attached to before Owens cut through it when he clicked the light off.

     "Do you know your name?"

     "Will." The boy replied instantly, his eyes never once leaving the man in front of him.

     "Your full name?" The greying man pressed.

     "William Byers."

     "Do you... do you know who I am?" Owens leaned back a bit eying him cautiously as Zero watched the exchange with furrowed brows. Something was off, he could feel it in his bones.

     "A doctor." There was some hesitation in his answer as the boy blinked confused.

     "Have we met before?" He continued as everyone in the room looked at Will in confusion.

     "I don't remember." He murmered.

     "You don't remember me? Okay." Owens nodded before turning to the others and he pointed to Mike. "How about this guy?"

    There was something unsettling about the way Will turned his head towards Mike and Zero could feel the hairs on his arm stand up when for a split second the blonde and the brunette made eyecontact.

    Mike waved quickly, but put his hands back in his pockets immediately afterwards, not quite sure on how to act in this particulair situation.

     "It's alright. Take your time." Ownes assured him giving him a small pat on the shoulder as Will closed his eyes. Like he was grasping for memories.

     "That's my friend." Will finally spoke again. "Mike."

     "What about me kid? You remember me?" Zero looked up too when Jim spoke, a comforting smile on his face as he did so.

     The small smile Will had on his face when talking to Mike completely vanished as he turned to look at Hopper, and he shook his head slowly.

     "They tell me you helped save my last night. You remember that?" He continued, his own smile faltering.

      Again the boy shook his head, before he turned back to look at Dr. Owens when he asked another question. "Do you remember anything about last night? About what happened?"

     "I remember they hurt me."

     "You mean the doctors?

     He shook his head. "No the soldiers."

     "The soldiers hurt you?" Owens repeated as everyone watched the exchange in confusion.

    "They shouldn't have done that." His tone shifted and Zero narrowed his eyes. He could feel the same pull as before but this time he knew what it meant. The same pull his felt in the Byers home when he had latched onto Will's arm. "It upsets him."

     "You say 'upset him' is that him?" Owens grabbed something from a blue document map and held a photograph out for Will to see.

     Will nodded as he grasped the photo in his hand. "Okay, okay. I wanna try something." Owens turned to the others and again, Zero caught Will's unnerving gaze.

     Zero's breath hitched as he slowly reached for Jim's arm while Owens spoke to Joyce. There was a slight trembling in Milo's fingers as he grapsed onto the material of Jim's shirt. His knuckles turning white from the force he used as he pulled at it.

     Starled, Jim's eyes snapped to look down at Milo who was already staring up at him with such terror in his eyes. "something wrong with Will." He spoke softly, not wanting for Will to hear him.

      "I know kid." Jim nodded confused. "That's why were here. These doctors can help him."

     "No you not understand." There was desperation in his voice now. "Danger, danger."

    "What are you talking about? What danger?"

     "Will."

     "What danger kid? Is Will in danger?" He pressed unsure as his eyes flickered to the boy in the hospital bed. But Will's eyes were already trained in their direction, more specifically at Milo.

     "No he is-" milo tried to speak but he never finished his sentence as darkness consumed him.

     The blonde didn't know that that certain pull, that thread connecting him to specific people could work both ways. And the person, or better said being on the other side was pulling the strings now.

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