Will and Five got up the next morning and shared breakfast with Will's mother. As he conversed with Joyce and Will at the breakfast table, Five felt a strange but comforting feeling. His father would frown at talking during meal times but Five liked that Will and Joyce took time to talk as a family. They were going on about the Fun Fair for the Fourth of July which sounded like a lot of fun. He was for sure going to go with Will or bring Will along for the fun. Joyce noticed Five was quiet and asked,
"Are you worried about your first day of work?" Joyce asked.
Five shook his head and bit into his piece of toast. Yeah it was going to be...well work, but he really wanted some money of his own.
"I'll be fine. It's just cleaning tables and floors. I doubt I'll have any trouble."
"I hope not. Families might not give you trouble but kids our age might. They might try and have 'accidents' for you to clean up. Some may get you to lose your cool." Will explained a bit softly.
Ah yes that could be a thing, but those jerks wouldn't be worth the mouth off or his job. If things truly get that bad, he could always teach them a lesson later when he's off work. Besides if Steve and Robin were going to have his back there shouldn't be too much of an issue. They seemed nice, more so Robin than Steve but he was going to make the most of his time working with them.
"I should be okay, Will, but thanks for caring." Five said with a light smile.
Five finished his breakfast and made his way to work. Joyce looked at the clock and it read 9:30. She was rather concerned if Five was going to make it on time, especially if he was going without a bike again. She looked to Will and asked,
"You sure Five got a job at the ice cream parlor?"
"Yeah mom he did. Why do you ask?"
"It's just…well he's cutting a bit close to get to the mall. And I know he didn't take a bike yesterday to the mall as well. Did he mention anything about maybe not getting the job and he's…"
Will groaned a bit in annoyance and shook his head.
"No mom, he did get the job. He's just kind of a fast runner and really doesn't want to inconvenience you with driving. Not even sure he knows how to ride a bike." Will lied and defended.
Joyce knew something was off, especially since she noticed Aidan was trying hard to cover the tattoo on his arm during breakfast. It clearly wasn't the one El had but it still seemed to be a marking of some kind and not something Aidan would have gotten willingly. It seemed whoever Aidan's father was, it was clear abuse had to be in Aidan's past Joyce thought. It broke her heart and wondered if maybe he was similar to El and hence the runaway.
"Is he…you know, like El? Like does he have some sort of power that maybe helps with travel?"
Will gulped a bit and he tried to avoid his mother's gaze but Joyce can see right through him. He didn't know what to do since Five trusted him but he couldn't lie to his mother could he. Still he was worried for Five and hoped his mother would understand that Aidan isn't bad, far from it. Joyce noticed he was uncomfortable with the prying and she held her hands up in defense.
"Alright, I get it. He probably was getting exploited and he ran off. Just so you know Will, so long as he isn't a danger to you he is welcome here, okay. It seems you and him are getting along so very well and I'm so glad to see you smiling again, Will."
Will breathed a sigh of relief and he smiled very widely.
"Yeah…I will admit since meeting Aidan I've been a bit happier. I do hope he comes by Mike's and plays D&D with us. He's a bit strange but I've been picked on for being the same so…I connect with him you know? I just wanted to protect him since with everything that happened with El, I didn't want Aidan to be treated the same way."
Joyce got up and kissed her son on the cheek as any loving mother would. After all the pain, the suffering, and danger Will experienced, he should have the chance for a normal life. While Aidan maybe perhaps wasn't normal, he did bring out the best in her son; a confident, hopeful expression.
"You're a wonderful person Will and Aidan sees that too. I'm just glad you and him are getting along so well."
Will nodded and he couldn't wait to see Five after his day of work. Maybe he could bond with his friends too since he would like for everyone would get along.
Five made it into work at Scoops Ahoy and already he was already feeling contempt for his uniform. God in some ways he looked like a miniature Steve in this get up and he was sure to get some comments from the ladies. The uniform couldn't be anymore cheesy as Five looked over it with disdain. It was a typical sailor outfit; blue shirt, matching shorts, the hat to cover up his hair and to promote the Scoops Ahoy brand, and a red name tag with an anchor on it. The one change he did was he put the red neckerchief that was supposed to go around his neck around his left forearm. He didn't want too many people to see his Umbrella Academy tattoo even though he knows Steve, Joyce, and Will have seen it already. The less people knew, the better off he could be. He knew the risks and he didn't want to get himself into trouble with his father in this time.
Steve went to get Five from the employee backroom and freezer and Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Whoa, that neckerchief is supposed to be around your neck Aidan. You know, company policy and all that jazz." Steve commented with clear snark in his voice.
Five rolled his eyes and shot back with,
"Yeah well I want to keep the family image of the place and cover up my tattoo. Dad was a sadist and made most of the family get it as a reminder of him."
Steve went over to Five and pulled down the neckerchief to take a closer look at the tattoo. He was able to touch it with the tips of his fingers before Five pulled away quickly. Steve's eyes widened and expressed,
"Holy shit that's a real tattoo?"
Five simply nodded, glaring at him slightly as he put the neckerchief around his left forearm. He trudged past him and started to clean down the tables before customers came into the parlor. It was a bit of a thankless job since he would just have to clean the tables down anyway when people were done with their ice cream, but he was going to make his pay. He also kind of acted like a waiter with a forced smile and asked some patrons, ones on the older side with families, if he could get them anything else. Five put on his charms and some of the patrons felt sorry for 'the poor kid'. Some of the older patrons gave Five a small tip, nothing more than a dollar, but Five accepted with a polite smile to them but shot Steve a smug one.
"How in the shit does this asshole get tips?" Steve whispered to Robin as he helped her to make a sundae for the customers waiting.
"I mean, a young looking kid, maybe too young to be working, is doing all he can to make their 'voyage' a pleasant one. I mean you have to admit the little guy has more charm than you do."
Steve rolled his eyes as he saw an elderly woman and a husband give him two bucks and his mouth dropped. The old couple left and Five went towards the employee back room to get his cleaning supplies.
"Okay Aidan, how the hell are you doing that?" Steve questioned with crossed arms.
Five shrugged and answered,
"I'm polite and make sure they are enjoying their ice cream and experience. Also making sure their tables and booths are clean is a plus for them too."
Steve scoffed but then saw someone spill their ice cream to the floor and he pointed the area to Five.
"You're on, scrub the stern of the store."
Five rolled his eyes since clearly Steve wasn't too bright behind the hair.
"The front of a ship is called the bow dumbass but yeah okay, I'll clean up." Five quipped as he went into the back to get a mop and bucket to clean that up.
The work day continued and Five was honestly a bit tired from all the cleaning. He rested a bit in the back since he was on break and made himself a milkshake. No cleaning, no melted ice cream or sticky messy tables, just him and a wonderful icy yet milky creation. Slowly, he savored the sweet chocolate goodness and sighed in sheer bliss from the taste. He could get used to this job, degrading or not if it meant milkshakes and ice cream. Robin opened the window to check on Five and she laughed softly at him.
"Enjoying your break Aidan?"
Five chuckled and nodded as he sipped on more of his milkshake. Robin could tell that Five really didn't want to be here and like her and Steve, really needed the money. They really shouldn't be hard on him if he was truly a runaway trying to get by.
"Right so I'm going to need you to finish that milkshake soon. Steve took a break to hang with one of his child friends. Actually the kid's probably your age so it could be good to make some friends." Robin mused lightly.
"Gee thanks 'Momma Robin', I'll be sure to be a good little boy and make friends and play nice." Five sassed.
"Yeah yeah little dingus. But I'm serious, take some time and socialize. You can't be worse than Steve's failed flirting attempts."
He sipped up the remnants of his milkshake and tossed the cup in the garbage. He got himself a bottle of cleaning solution and a rag to see if any of the tables needed cleaning. When he was cleaning a table, Five did see Steve with a kid his age and got rather curious. The kid didn't look like anyone he'd seen, as if he was missing a collarbone and some teeth. He also had lots of curls in his hair and a Camp Know Where baseball cap. Five raised an eyebrow and wondered if this kid had to be Dustin, the one Will told him about. He placed the bottle and rag on the table and approached the booth where Steve and the kid were sitting. The kid was eating one of the signature sundaes and Five knew Steve gave that to him on the house.
"So Steve, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Five asked with a light smile.
Steve scoffed a bit but he did motion Dustin to him and introduced,
"Dustin this is our newest employee Aidan, Aidan this is Dustin."
Dustin's eyes lit up. This was the kid he thought, he was real.
"You're Aidan, the kid Will met and wanted to teach D&D last night?"
Ah so Will did tell Dustin about him. He chuckled and nodded politely.
"Let me guess, I don't look the part or you expected someone a bit…nerdier?" Five sassed.
Dustin kind of laughed and nodded in agreement. Even in the sailor outfit, Dustin had a sense that Five was a bit of a prep school kind of guy. The neckerchief on the forearm was strange and wondered what he was hiding behind it. He didn't seem so bad all things considered but he still kind of felt a bit upset Will left last night for him.
"Kind of yeah no offense. Honestly, I thought Will was just ditching me like everyone else did."
"Ah right, you came back yesterday from camp. Sounds like it was fun, I do like the pun Know Where sounding like Nowhere. Plus the radio Will told me you made and it sounds incredible. Maybe I can have a look at it sometime since it sounds cool. Shame to hear it wasn't working but maybe we can spruce it up and fix it. I'm very big into science and gadgets."
Steve raised an eyebrow at Five while Dustin just chuckled and awed at him. He liked science too, awesome! He wondered what stuff Aidan had made and maybe they could work on building something together sometime.
"You really would help me fix my radio so I can call Suzie?"
"Sounds like fun. Besides I hadn't worked on a radio in awhile but I'm sure your ham radio, Cerebro was it, won't be much of a challenge for the both of us. I might see you later."
"Yeah perhaps, see you later or around."
Five went to retrieve his cleaning equipment and Steve just rubbed his temples. Dustin noticed this and asked,
"You have a problem with Aidan?"
Steve stopped and cracked a light smile.
"Not really no. I mean he's a bit of a prick and sassy smart ass, making tips outside the tip jar but…I have to say he does his job of cleaning well. Wonder why he's hiding that tattoo."
Dustin's eyes widened and he asked,
"Aidan has a tattoo, of what?"
"Hey you talk to me about camp first then I'll share. It's just weird."
The day seemed to be going slower rather than faster and Five was wondering if his shift was over or not. He was currently cleaning up vomit because some little kid couldn't handle the shit ton of ice cream his parents got. It was gross and it was a ghastly pink color. God he was thankful he didn't like strawberry too much or else this would have ruined the flavor for him. As he was mopping, he saw a familiar red-head walk into the parlor with another girl. Five lingered a bit on the brunette in the colorful dress and doe-eyes and cracked a light little smile at her. She was a bit pretty and she did have a sweet tender little smile. While Steve was making them ice cream, the red-headed girl noticed him. Her eyes widened and she laughed at the outfit he was wearing.
"Shit, is that you Aidan?"
Five raised an eyebrow and it dawned on him. Wait this was one of Will's friends, no wonder she looked familiar, she was.
"Ah Max, hi. Sorry you looked different, nice but different. Good to see you again." Five spoke politely.
"And good to see you, didn't think you'd be working here of all places."
"Yeah well, I wanted to earn a working man's wage and be able to buy stuff for myself. I don't want to ask Will's mother for money, she's doing enough as is."
Max chuckled and shook her head,
"Wow it's like taking Will and Steve and blending the two of them to make you Aidan."
Five scoffed and expressed,
"Well I am honored to be compared to Will but being compared to Steve…shit that's just cold Max."
The brunette looked at Max and she nodded softly.
"He is Will's new friend. We met at the movie's and he seemed to come out of nowhere. Ran away and everything." she explained.
The girls got their ice cream cones and the brunette walked up to Five with a curious look in her eye. She looked at Five, studying him carefully and tilted her head. This Aidan wasn't like Mike; his hair was shorter, styled and neat, his eyes were a soft green, and he seemed to be very outgoing and had this nice smile and aura around him.
"You're new here, to Hawkins, yes?"
"Indeed I am." Five answered warmly.
"And your name is Aidan?" she questioned.
Five nodded and joked,
"That's what Will calls me."
This made her laugh and she replied with,
"Well my friends call me El. It seems you know my friends Max and Will. Are you here for the summer only?"
Five sighed as he continued to mop.
"Not sure. Kind of don't want to go home but yet I wouldn't know what I would be returning to or how I would get home. But I'm not going to let that bother me."
"Yet being here kind of bothers you for some reason, I can feel it." El commented as she licks her ice cream cone.
Five nodded and was still ruminating on his failure. He wanted so hard to be able to master time travel that he got himself trapped in a time that wasn't his own. While successful in jumping in time to be here, he was out of his depth. Who knows how long it will take to figure out the right equations to go home and yet he kind of liked being here.
"Yeah kind of but I'm just so used to being the best and better that this set back kind of angers me. I want to prove my father wrong in that I didn't need him. I don't but I'm still stuck here all things considered, something I know my father is relishing in."
El frowned a bit and noticed the neckerchief on Five's arm. Meanwhile Five noticed a very small yet noticeable tattoo on El's wrist that read 011. He hid his interest and notice of the tattoo well since it seemed to be something El wouldn't want others to see. No way she could be tied to Hargreaves yet there was a familiarness and kinship he wanted with El. Perhaps she had powers too and he may confide in her.
"Your father doesn't sound like a nice man."
"He doesn't, he hated kids which is why I always wondered why he wanted us. Still, if there are positives of being in Hawkins it's that I get to be a kid, make my own way, and make new friends…or rather friends in general."
Max chuckled and looked to El who seemed a bit…focused on Aidan and she couldn't help but wonder if El was checking Aidan out.
"Yeah I know dipshit family. My stepbrother is a big asshole and my stepdad's a bit firm. So you can join the club on hard family life or dipshit family members; so far it's you, me, El, and Will if we count his dad who walked out on him." Max commented.
"Do we get jackets and have a secret handshake Max?" Five quipped as he held out his hand.
Max laughed and slapped his hand, taking it in hers.
"Maybe we can, what do you think El?"
El laughed and she looked to Aidan and asked,
"You won't lie to us will you?"
Five removed his hand and really thought about it. He was already lying but probably for the reasons El would understand. Still he kind of didn't want to lie to her either. She seemed a bit strange, a bit monotone in her speech, but she was also a bit lively at times, sweet, and kind of pretty.
"When the times are right, you might know everything. Until then, I am but a mystery for you ladies to decide if you want to solve and uncover my truths." Five expressed with a playful grin.
"Wow how can you be smooth yet a dork Aidan. Anyway, we will see you around and we should hang out sometime, right El?"
El raised an eyebrow but she did look back at Aidan and smiled. He did seem better than Mike but she did wonder if Max meant what she said about boys earlier if she wanted them to hang out with Aidan.
"O-Of course. B-Bye." El spoke somewhat nervously as she left the ice cream parlor with Max. When they were a good distance away she did ask,
"I thought you said there was more to life than stupid boys?"
Max chuckled,
"More to life than dating boys, but you should be around guys that won't treat you like garbage. Aidan might be snarky but he's seems funny and a bit sweet."
El nodded and she thought about Aidan. He did seem very, very cute and he did seem to show interest in her. She couldn't stand how Mike was lying to her and how he was treating her. Max saw El's cheeks becoming slightly pink and she asked nicely,
"Although, it seems like you want to dump Mike's ass just so you can get to know Aidan better."
El laughed a bit but also shook her head.
"You said to let him explain and if he can't then I'll dump his ass. Still I wonder about Aidan. He seems like he's different and I wonder what he is hiding behind that red little scarf on his arm."
"Well like he said, if we want to 'uncover his mysteries' we would have to get to know him…would you want that? Mike won't like it."
"Mike only likes it if I am his pet and so he could kiss me. I want to do more and make new friends. Aidan might be able to relate to me but I have to see for myself."
As El and Max finished up their shopping trip, she kind of wondered what Aidan's story was. He seemed to speak a bit differently and also had a past that was hard for him. There was just something El couldn't ignore about Aidan and she wanted to know what, no matter what anyone, not even Mike, had to say about it.
I made it to the five chapter mark. Now for those who are reading and think Five might be close to everyone...well he will know most of the main cast and important people but he won't be friends with everyone. He might be civil to some but I see his friends mainly being El, Max, Dustin, Robin, and of course Will. I do wonder what people think about this story, more so since this is classified as a friendship and romance tale. Reviews and comments are appreciated but thanks for the support in general.