•••

IT WAS ONLY ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES after the situation went down. Levi was acting completely normal and it was honestly scaring Five.

The teen had never seen so much emotion pouring out of the younger boy. Sure Levi would break down crying, all the kids did but Five never heard Twelve scream and cry till his throat was raw and aching. Neither has he seen Twelve glow bright orange. But I guess it was normal for him to see the unexplainable.

Eleven was in her room, staring at the static on the t.v intently before she put on a blindfold.

The girl knew she had to this, after what happened she felt as if it was her responsibility. El took a deep breath, concentrating on the ringing echoing in her head.

El gasped, opening her eyes and started looking around the large neverending black room, the girl walked around the water splashing under her shoes until she hears a voice echoing.

"It's been almost a year…I-i miss you, Lev. So much."

She turned, seeing Dustin on his bed looking down at a stuffed animal, her heart clenching when she realized he was holding Klaus.

Dustin cleared his throat, his voice breaking slightly. "I don't know why I even do this. It's not like you're going to hear me anyway."

El watched as Dustin held the plush close to his chest, sniffling. "And if you do. I-if you're out there. Just know...um... I'm taking care of Klaus."

Dustin let out a watery chuckle as El let a tear fall from her eye, "And I...um...have a lot of pudding for me and you to eat when--if you come back. P-please, come back." El swallowed harshly as Dustin let out a sob before everything started to fade away.

Eleven pulled the blindfold off, looking down at it with teary eyes, wondering if she should check on Mike too, but she threw the cloth, grabbing her jacket.

Five and Levi share a confused look when they hear a knock on their door. El peeks her head in, before coming in fully. "Leaving. Come on."

Five gaped at the girl, sarcastically smiling. "Um...excuse me? We're not supposed to leave."

Eleven glanced at him, shaking her head. "Mike needs me. Dustin wants Levi back."

Levi looked up from Ben, furrowing his brows, feeling his stomach churn at the girls' words.

Five shook his head frantically as he watched Levi put his jacket on, "No! No! I know what you're doing! You can't do this. And how dare you use Dustin against him."

Eleven ignored the boy, grabbing Levi's free hand as the other held Ben and the two walked into the living room with Five shouting behind them.

"We have rules remember?!" Five yelled, "Rule one: always keep the curtains closed."

El glared at the boy before she started opening the curtains, letting the sunlight beam through.

Five threw his arms in the air, "Rule two: only open the door if you hear the secret knock?!"

El walked over the door, unlocking all of the locks Hopper had installed.

Five laughed humorously, "Oh, my god! Levi's powers are invisibility, not mine!! Quit ignoring me!"

Eleven grabbed Twelve's hand, opening the front door as Five shouted the last rule.

"Don't ever go outside! Especially in the daytime!"

Levi looked over his shoulder as El and him walked outside, "Come, Five."

Five clenched his jaw, "Is my life a joke? What the hell?"

Five reluctantly followed the two but the three-stop when they come across the trees that held the tripwire Hopper had put. "Not stupid," El mumbled before stepping over the tripwire, Levi followed after the girl as Five groaned catching up to them.

Eleven stops as she heard a distant giggle causing Levi to stop talking to Six and Five to snap out of his thoughts.

Five and Levi cautiously followed El as she walked forward, towards the sound. Stopping at a clearing they see a brick house, with a woman pushing what looks to be her child on the swing, the toddler's giggles filled the air.

Levi furrowed his brows, watching the happiness come off in waves from the two by the swings, thinking back to his conversation with Hopper a few nights after the man found them.

Twelve lied on the bed in the room he and Five cleaned out earlier, the room was also the room that Hopper claimed would be the one they shared, not that the two boys minded.

Five was facing the wall as he lied on his own bed on the other side of the room. He was staring at the wall, taking in the pale color of the wallpaper.

Hopper sat on the edge of Levi’s bed, talking quietly since he thought Five was asleep as Twelve listened to Hopper telling him a story.

Levi picked something out of a stack of children's books that Hopper had lying around. Twelve wanted to ask why the man had children books, maybe Hop has a child? If he did where is she or he? Levi listened to the man read the book, it was something cliche about the girl getting saved by a boy which made the young boy confused.

“--question.” Levi interrupted the man mid-sentence.

Hopper sighed, furrowing his brows, placing the book in his lap and turning to the boy. “What?”

Levi hesitated before squinting his eyes in thought. “Why boy always save girl?”

Hopper looked at the boy confused, “What?”

Twelve cleared his throat trying to make his words less choppy, “Story.” the boy pointed to the book in the man's lap, “Boy save girl. W-why not girl save boy? O-or girl save h-herself?

Hopper nodded, taking in the boy's words not really wanting to have this conversation. “Um...some boys they uh...think girls need a superhero to save them and that superhero is them.”

Twelve looked at the man weirdly, “Bullshit. Girl their own s-superhero.” Five bit his lip trying to keep his laugh from escaping, while pretending to sleep, hearing the smile in Hopper’s voice as he spoke.

“Yeah, kid. But don’t say that word again, alright?”

“Yes.”

Levi listened to the story again as the man continued. “--question?” the young boy fiddled with the soft blanket in between his skinny fingers feeling his cheeks heat up as he felt Hopper’s eyes on him.

“...yes?”

Levi furrowed his brows, thinking of what Jim read about the girl going back home and talking to her mother, leaving questions in his mind about who his mother was.

“Do I...have mom?” Levi hesitantly looked up, locking eyes with the older man whose heart clenched, “Like girl?”

Hopper exhaled, feeling his heart race, “Everyone has a mom.”

“Where is...mine?”

Hopper watched as the kid in front of him looked at him with baby blue eyes filled with curiosity. Jim felt a lump in his throat as he smiled sadly at the boy, "She's...gone."

Levi blinked, feeling his eyes well with tears, "Coming back?"

Levi's heart shattered as the older man shook his head, "Sorry, kid."

Twelve nodded towards the book, "Continue."

Hopper hesitantly started reading the rest of the book as Six whispered sweet nothings in Twelve's ear from his seat cuddled into the bed beside the blue-eyed boy.

"Are you okay?" the three kids seem to snap out of their own memories looking towards the young mom who was now standing in front of them holding her child's hand.

Levi looked at the child who stared back at him curiously. Twelve squinted smiling at the girl but frowned as she didn't smile back. Twelve heard Five and Eleven talking to the mother but the boy ignored them having a stare-off with the curious child.

Levi thought for a second before puffing his cheeks out and crossing his eyes, smiling widely as he hears the little toddler's giggle.

Five rolled his eyes, smirking. Finishing the conversation, Five grabs the boy's hand, dragging him as El follows behind. Levi looked over his shoulder, smiling at the young child who finally returned the gesture.

"Where we going?" Levi asked as they continued walking, the boy looking between the two confusingly.

"School," El mumbled.

•••

The three...well four — if you counted Six who was walking behind them — entered the school, looking around the familiar halls, remembering the memories that haunted them.

The halls were empty, no students in sight and it was eerily silent. Eleven stopped in front of the two boys causing them to stare at her in curiosity.

"I'm going to find Mike. You go find Dustin." The girl stated, the two boys shared a look before nodding.

The boys watch as the girl walks off down the hall, "Come on." Five whispered, leading Levi down a hall.

The two...well three walks through multiple halls, looking into several classrooms but find them empty. Levi continued walking but stopped looking at the boy next to him as Five stopped looking around with furrowed brows.

"Wha—" 

"Shh, do you hear that?"

Twelve listened, careful not to make a sound, his heart clenching when he hears two familiar voices.

"She's just cool, okay?"

“You think she’s more than cool, admit it, Dustin, you like her!” Levi and Five peaked around the corner, seeing Lucas and Dustin looking around the halls coming towards them.

“Jesus, I don’t like her, Lucas! She’s yours, okay? Just drop it.” Dustin exclaimed, looking down the hall, his heart-stopping as he swears he saw someone peeking around the corner.

Five pulled Levi back with a curse as Twelve tried to reach out for Dustin with tears in his eyes. Twelve’s heart ached, thinking of Lucas’ words. Did Dustin like someone else? Levi shook that thought out of his head and the bad feeling in his stomach.

If Dustin was happy, then Levi was. Even if that meant if Dustin liked someone who was not him.

“You go that way, I’ll go this way.”

The three watched as Lucas and Dustin turned down different halls, looking for something unknown to them.

Five looked at the younger boy beside him who had tears in his eyes, knowingly. “You okay, bud?” he asked in a soft tone, putting a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

One lone tear streamed down from the boy's blue eye, wiping it quickly, Levi nodded smiling softly, “I'm fine."

Six looked at the boy in concern and confusion while Five looked at him sadly knowing what the young boy was doing.

The three turn as they heard footsteps, seeing El round the corner with a frown and glare on her face. “Let’s go.”

Five didn’t question the sad look on the girl's face, just helping Levi off the ground from where Five pulled him to and followed the girl silently, wondering what happened.