Five got up ahead of Will the next morning and was wondering what Will would want them to do together. D&D last night was a shit show because of Mike and that really was a shame for Five to experience. Yeah he was kind of out of line maybe by coming uninvited by Mike himself, but Will was friends with both of them. He glanced up at Will who was fast asleep in his bed and oddly couldn't help but smile at the boy. Never did Five imagine he would have a friend, let alone someone as unique and kind of sensitive as Will. Still, he really wanted to tear Mike a new one for upsetting him yesterday and ruining the fun campaign Will perhaps spent weeks making. Five saw Will starting to stir and he called out,

"Morning Will."

Will woke up and couldn't help but be thankful Five was still here. At first he maybe thought Mike would have been right and that Five was simply using him. There was even a thought that Five was scoping out the place, planning to rob him blind, and leave without a trace. However, Five is still here and making himself as comfortable as he could in the sleeping bag in his room. He was so…ordinary yet strange and Five was just this boy with powers, charm, and an attitude. This friendship shouldn't work and yet it was working very well. He smiled warmly at Five and let out a long yawn.

"Morning Five."

Both boys did their usual routine of getting up, dressed, and having breakfast with Will's mom. However, they were joined this morning by Jonathan which was rare. Jonathan looked at Five with a rather curious yet pensive look as he wondered how Five really was. It was strange seeing another boy here that wasn't Lucas, Mike, or Dustin.

"So…how are you liking Hawkins?" Jonathan asked.

Five looked curiously at him since this is the first time he and Jonathan spoke, like really spoken since Five got here. Jonathan was either at work and/or with his girlfriend so it was new to finally speak with the other Byers brother.

"It's actually really nice, a bit quiet but considering where I grew up before this is a nice change. I like it here." Five said.

Johnathan looked to his brother Will and then back to Five. How were they getting along Johnathon thought since in some ways for some unexplained reason; Five was like a pre-Upside Down exposed Steve. He just had this…smug yet know it all presence, like he was hot shit and maybe can charm anyone. Jonathan was wary and he didn't want his brother to be in any more danger, let alone with this random boy.

"Right, mom mentioned you two meeting at the theater. Hope you're not giving Will a hard time." Jonathan expressed a bit bluntly.

Five scoffed since he seems to be the blunt yet either overprotective or rude greeting Max, Will, and Joyce aside. Sadly Five wouldn't trust himself either but he didn't want to be on Jonathan's bad side.

"Don't worry, I am not. Will is cool. He gave me a friend when I needed one. I'm not going to bite the hand that extends kindness, I'm not that much of an asshole." Five sassed.

"Aidan, be mindful of your words please." Joyce warned as she got some eggs on her fork.

Five nodded and apologized,

"Sorry Mrs. Byers, I will try to limit my swears."

Jonathan was a bit dumbfounded but then shot back with,

"So you kind of admit you are in a way. I'm just looking after my brother. Do you have any siblings, Aidan?"

Will kind of groaned since he was giving Five the third degree. He'd hoped Jonathan would trust his judgment but he was being the protective brother.

"Six actually, ironic since my dad hated kids yet he adopted us all. I am a rough person but I'm working on it. I grew up homeschooled and our dad had a superiority about him so I probably got it from him. Will is a good guy and I see where you're going with this. I get you care for him and it's actually really awesome and I admit I am a bit jealous." Five admitted bit bitterly

Jonathan seemed a bit shocked at so many children and yet he was also kind of upset Five just left his siblings. He understood asshole dads, but he left his family, his brothers and sisters and that kind of unsettled him. I mean they must have cared for Aidan he thought and just seemed a bit troubled by that.

"I bet you have siblings that care that you ran off Aidan. I can't imagine just leaving my family without a goodbye. Talk about heartless." Jonathan expressed a bit harshly.

"Jonathan, you don't know what Aidan or his siblings have been through. You and Will have been through a lot with your father so you know better. Sadly it just seems Aidan and his siblings weren't as good as you and Will." Joyce expressed equal parts warmly yet sternly.

This got Jonathan to calm down slightly since his mother did have a point. Perhaps not all siblings can have good relationships like he had with Will or Nancy had with her siblings. Heck even Lucas and his sister Erica were good to each other. How bad and alone did Aidan feel if he ran away from his siblings and his father Johnathan thought with a slight furrow.

"She's right. My family is not as fortunate as yours Jonathan. Our dad didn't give a shit and my siblings developed their own agendas whether it's sucking up to get dad's approval or trying to look out for themselves. Considering they did not care to come after me when I ran off, I doubt they even miss me." Five said.

Will could see Five's slight pain on his face and he wondered just what his siblings were like, powers aside. It must have been hard for Five to live with his family seeing how there was very little love. He munched on his toast and he had a bit of an idea for what they could do.

"I've been thinking about what we could do on your day off Five, if you're interested I mean." Will asked.

Five raised a curious eyebrow and asked,

"What do you have in mind?"

"We can hang out in my fort, it's called Castle Byers. It's not much but it is a very nice place to just get away from everything that's troubling." Will suggested.

Five did hear Will comment about his 'castle' and was kind of intrigued. It probably was just a small tree house or fort, but it was still something that was essentially Will. Besides, he did want some time away from the mall as he would be working there a lot in his near future. It's the simple things Five wanted, and this would seemingly scratch the boyhood adventure itch.

"Sure that sounds cool. I have been curious about your castle." Five asked.

Will smiled as they finished their breakfast and he went into his room to get some things to put in his backpack like his sketchbook, a book, and some comics. He hoped Five wouldn't find it lame and that they could really have it be their spot instead of just his. The fact that Five was almost like what Mike was before El made him happy that he had that feeling in his heart again. He heard someone knock on the door and opened the door and was kind of surprised it was Jonathan. Shouldn't he be at work by now Will thought?

"Hey you got a minute?"

He let Jonathan in as he finished packing his bag.

"I thought you would be at work by now? Everything okay?" Will asked as he slung his bag on his back.

"Yea I will be going there soon. I just wanted to chat really quickly about Aidan without mom around. Your friend Aidan, did he really run away from home? He is not like some government spy that will kidnap you right?" Jonathan asked.

Will groaned and shook his head.

"First Mike has something against him and now you? He's not like that at all, Jonathan. He ran away because his father was just using him and his siblings okay? Don't you like that I'm making new friends?"

That was pretty huge and Will just seemed so happy, but he couldn't help but worry for his baby brother.

"Of course I do, I got nothing against Aidan. He is just very unusual and the first day you meet you invite him to stay over a few days, longer it seems at this rate. You don't make friends that fast usually so I just want to be sure Aidan is a decent kid. I don't want him to screw with our family and you, especially after what happened last winter. We don't want to lose you again Will." Jonathan expressed

Will sighed. From nearly dying in the Upside Down, to being a spy to the Mind Flayer and nearly dying from that too, he could see his worries. Five wasn't going to hurt him, he felt that strongly in his heart. Will wondered if he should let his brother in on Five's truth. He didn't want to lie to his family and his mom already kind of knows. He bit his lip and shook his head.

"He's not going to screw us okay? He knows what happened to me, well partly, but I trust him. Aidan has nowhere to go, and I mean he really has nowhere to go." Will expressed a bit nervously.

" Was his dad worse than ours?" Jonathan asked

Will nodded.

"I mean they might have had more than us but they weren't loved, at least that's what Aidan told me. They were nothing but numbers to him and they were worked hard a lot of the time. He didn't have a name before he and I picked out Aidan. I just felt bad for him and connected with him. Who knows what he was doing to them, maybe they were like El; not sure but he's suffered despite his seemingly good upbringing."

Numbers…wait a second and Jonathan was kind of taken aback.

"Wait, is Aidan's name actually a number? Like El?" Jonathan asked

"Yeah it is and…he's a stranger here in time too." Will whispered.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow.

" Like he time traveled here? Really? Did you watch Back to the Future too much? Sounds a bit wild to me." he asked

"We're living in a time where I was abducted by a demogorgon and possessed by a giant monster called a Mind Flayer. Are you really going to question time travel being possible?"

Yeah that was a good point he thought.

" Uh ok so what time did he come from?" Jonathan asked, he wasn't sure if he still believed but Will is not the type to lie. In fact, the nerves seemed to be more from hoping Aidan didn't find out he was sharing this.

"2002 and yes if you do that math, he's not even born yet. I know it's crazy but he's really stuck here since he hasn't mastered time travel."

"Why would he travel here in the first place?" Jonathan asked. Hawkins wasn't exactly hot spot for entertainment."

Five was overhearing their talk and he might as well show Johnathan that Will was being truthful in that he had powers. All of a sudden Five just appeared next to Will in a slight flash and he couldn't help but scoff.

"Oh trust me, I was trying to go forward in time. Even more of a fucking mistake. I'm just thankful it's the eighties and not a horrible period of time."

Jonathan jumped, startled that Five seemed to be able to travel in space and time. He was going to ask Aidan, or whatever his name/number was, more about himself.

"You have powers too, terrific." Jonathan remarked in a deadpanned sass.

"Too? What do you mean too?" Five questioned.

" You didn't tell him?" Jonathan asked

Will shook his head.

"No, I thought if they hung out he would talk to her about it. Besides, it wasn't my place to say since we didn't want her to be caught."

Her…El thought Five to himself. So she did have powers but kept them hidden. Yeah the 80s were a rough time in terms of government and espionage. Now he really wanted to get to know El and wondered what her story was like. Based on subtle clues, her life had to be worse than his.

"Yeah and hence why Will was also trying to keep my secret, but I can understand why he would tell you. Wish my brothers gave more a shit." Five expressed.

Jonathan sighed and looked at his watch.

"Shit I gotta go to work, we will talk about this later. Keep an eye on Will or I will end you, superpowers or not." Jonathan warned.

Five rolled his eyes. He took down so many threats that it would make Jonathan's mind spin. Still, he couldn't be so hard on him since Jonathan was doing his part as the older brother well. Will was very lucky he thought tenderly.

"I'm the most dangerous person here Jonathan so Will's in safe hands." Jonathan ran out and got into his car to pick up Nancy and get to his job.

Will looked to Five and he kind of cowered his head down. He didn't know if Five was going to be upset with him sharing his powers with his brother but Johnathan was just worried about him.

"You're not upset with me are you Five? He was just concerned and I worried he was going to be like Mike. By the way he's not but…he's never been the same since he thought I was dead."

Five should have been bothered but he understood. What was done was already done and perhaps this needed to happen for Jonathan to trust him. After all, it sounds like the whole Upside Down got the government involved and Will and Jonathan needed to look out for each other. What was Five going to do really, yell and storm out?

" It's fine…I may not like it too much but it's fine. You trust him and he gives a shit about you, his questions and concerns are warranted. If I was him I would probably question my existence here too." Five assured

"And you have kind of in a way. I mean, you want to go forward and not backwards." Will mused a bit.

Yeah that was always going to bother him. He thought about Vanya and how she would say some things perhaps happen for a reason. Five didn't mean to make this mistake yet as days passed, it was feeling less and less like one. If he did go to the future, would he have made a friend and would he have been…chipper for the days to come.

" True, but no time like the present….or past? Anyway let's see this Castle Byers you hide out in? Sounds like it's a great hideout" Five asked with a light smile.

Will nodded and led the way into the forest behind his house and led will to his little makeshift fort. It was a rather flimsy wooden fort, with a white curtain for a door, a red and white striped canopy like towel on top, and if it rained, it would leak a tad. Signs that read Castle Byers and All Friends of Will the Wise are welcomed graced the entrance. It was a safe space for Will to draw and to read, a peaceful place. When he actually got there with Five, a part of him did feel kind of embarrassed as Five looked over every little square inch.

"Well…here it is, 'Castle Byers'."

Five chuckled a bit as he trailed his fingers on the curtain entrance.

" This looks more like a tepee than a castle Will. Then again Luther and Allison had a tent so this is an improvement. Must be cozier on the inside." Five sassed.

Will blushed in embarrassment and thought this was a stupid idea. God this was lame and childish, Five had to be making fun of him.

"We can return to the house and do something else then. I don't want to have you deal with this."

Five raised a light eyebrow and shook his head. He should have expected something a little less grand but it had a lot of heart and comfort like Will had

"Relax it's fine, but we can fix it up one day and make it actually looked better. It could be a fun project and Jonathan can help with it too." Five suggested

Will's ears perked up at that. 'We' as in him and Five. He never bothered to question if Five perhaps was going to be here for long but…Will perhaps hoped they would have a good length of time together.

"I'd like that. Now let's go in…oh and for the future, the password is Radagast."

When walking into the fort, it was full of pillows, quilts, and drawings. Will got himself settled on a couch like space and motioned Five to look around. Five looked around and chuckled. He oddly loved this space and felt a bit of wonder and excitement despite fighting bad guys and seeing the world.

" I like the concept of the pictures and coziness, but the inside will need to look better too. It's really cool though. Does anyone aside from your mom and brother know about this clubhouse?' Five asked

Will nodded and shared,

"My friends do. We used to all come here to read comic books and just hang out. However it's been a long time since me, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas have all been here. Makes me sad to think we're all growing up and they have changed yet I feel the same."

Five frowned slightly since it sounded like he's been through a lot and more that Five wasn't aware of as he glanced at photos of Will and his friends. They all looked happy and it did make Five wonder how things could change so soon.

" Well you been through a lot, I mean I wasn't there for any of that so I can't judge but clinging onto something familiar until you're ready is not a bad thing. It's your way of coping which is normal, though your friends do not seem to see it that way. They see it as you not growing up but they didn't go through what you did." Five said compassionately.

Will managed to smile despite the pain he was still feeling from last night. He thought Five was going to be an ass about this place but he was understanding and kid of like it. Their lives were different but Will wanted to understand Five a bit more. He could see in Five's eyes traces of sadness looking at photos of Will's family and friends. Five lingered on one of Will, Jonathan, and Joyce at a birthday party and they were all smiling and happy. Despite the powers, Five didn't have everything Will thought.

"Were you lonely back in your time?" Will questioned as he got out some books for them to read.

"Somewhat. I mean we never really got to play together, at meal times we were not allowed to talk to each other or dad, and I guess I never paid attention to it, maybe my siblings were lonely too, dad wasn't giving us attention and Grace well, she wasn't human so I couldn't connect to her. Plus, she was probably programmed to show us any affection so dad didn't have to be bothered." Five said

Will's mouth dropped when he heard about Grace. Not human, programmed…wow Will thought. Five saw Will's face and he mentally cursed for just letting a big thing like Grace flow off his tongue. Why was he doing this, Five thought, he was normally so careful.

"Wait, what do you mean she wasn't human!? Wasn't she like your mom like you said? Wasn't she human?" Will asked in shock.

"She was a robot our dad made, to act as our mom, but it's not the same. It's not like your mom where I know she loves you where Grace was just programmed, perhaps none of her 'love' was real. " Five expressed.

Will was blown away; there were robots in 2002, even earlier if their dad made one. Holy shit Will thought and he wanted to know as much as Five could share.

"How great is the future or how smart was your dad if robots are around?

You're talking like a real life like robot with some sort of AI right?" Will questioned in amazement.

" Well robots aren't as common unless you count like kid toys, but Grace wasn't allowed outside ever so no one but us knew about her." Five explained

"That's still awesome but sad she had to be a mother figure because it sounds like Reggie really didn't want to be a parent despite adoption. I can't talk since my dad never liked me, like at all."

Five softened his expression since it was clear both their father figures were awful, but Will's dad wasn't around at all.

" What's his deal? Your dad I mean?" Five asked

Will kind of shrugged it off and motioned to his art.

"My dad was never supportive of my interests. He didn't see me and sometimes my brother as real men as he would say. He took Jonathan hunting to kill a rabbit once and that upset him and me when I heard about it. I refused to go since I didn't want to kill anything. He would call me names and try making me do things I didn't want to do. The only time he cared about me was when I 'died' but only because he thought he and my mom could get money from a lawsuit from the people who owned the quarry since the government or a lab planted a body there to fake my death. Goes to show he rather me dead since that was what I was good for."

Will didn't need his dad and his life was better without his mom being upset. He was kind of a piece of shit and he didn't care if he saw him again.

"Well why bother having kids if you're not going to love them for who they are or who they want to be. Some people don't need kids in their life. It's not the old days where if a woman has no kids it's looked down on." Five expressed

Will kind of chuckled at that but added,

"I kind of told my mom once that I wasn't going to fall in love. I mean I just don't see things like others do I guess."

"Because you don't think people will accept you as you are?" Five asked

"Pretty much. But I'm sure it could be a possibility for you."

Five chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. If his father had his way, they would be a team with very limited social appearances. He worried if perhaps they were all already fucked in social developments and perhaps sexual maturation.

" Had I not run away I would grow up like most of my siblings emotionally stunted with daddy issues, or incestual tendencies like my brother Luther and sister Allison have. God it was starting to get bad with them when I left." Five commented

Will at first laughed a bit but when he saw Five's wasn't laughing, his face cringed.

"Wait seriously? I know you're all adopted but…gross. How does that happen? Like that's his sister, your sister too. You all grew up together."

Five chuckled but still was cringing at the thought.

"Well, when you're not exposed to outside much, and only really see 'family', my brother and sister started getting a bit too close. Dad's a smart man but you would think he would maybe try maybe arranging future couple arrangements, but maybe he thought that would be distracting. Yet I don't think he wanted us to inbreed in a way and I really worry for my siblings if it's starting with Luther and Allison." Five admitted with a look of disgust on his face.

"Well I'm glad you escaped so you won't have to fall in love with your other sister or worse, fight your other brothers to have her. Least you can maybe find yourself here." Will mentioned.

Five nodded and made himself comfortable beside Will in the space.

" Well we're all adopted but yea, that's just weird. But I agree…I'm glad I escaped but it was at a cost but even then…it's all rather nice. "Five chuckled

Will and Five spent their day in Castle Byers reading comics, Will drawing in his notebook and Five starting to scribble things down but got frustrated and moved on to reading a worn copy of Lord of the Rings Will brought with him. Will noticed how entranced Five was with reading it and kind of found it sweet. While they read comics or books, they talked and Will just seemed more amazed with Five with each passing conversation.

"So…we make it past the year 2000 clearly since people had an idea the world would end in the year 2000."

Five laughed at that. Ah yes, computers would crash all over and bring upon the end. He was told by Reggie as such that would not happen and because computers were not as flawed as humans perceived them.

"Man whoever came up with that clearly listened to some crackpot conspiracy theories, considering I am from 2002 its safe to say the world is still standing." Five said.

Will nodded and he shared,

"Well since Jonathan shared it…we do know a girl with powers, El who you met. She can move objects, has this ESP where she can spy on others, and has like strong telekinetic abilities. If you see her, don't bring it up from the get go even though you have powers too."

" Let me guess she got experimented on?" Five asked

"That's something you have to ask her. Why were you?" he asked.

He was born with his powers but Reggie would always test them. Even at night they were being studied and he hated how the machines read his brain waves as he slept.

" Well in some ways we were, Reggie wanted to do weird test at times to see what kind of powers would show up or how far we can push ourselves." Five explained

"And you ended up here because your father didn't want to test time travel with you."

Five scoffed bitterly and nodded.

"His expression in regards to spatial vs time travel was and I quote 'One is akin to sliding on thin ice, the other is like diving into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn'."

Will closed his comic and looked really confused and baffled,

"What is that supposed to mean? I don't get it?"

Five chucked.

"Neither do I but if I had to translate it time travel has a lot of issues especially since I got it wrong." Five said rubbing back of his neck.

"I don't think you got it so wrong. Well okay you did in terms of wanting the future and can't go back…But maybe you perhaps needed to do this. Am I bad for liking that you're here?" Will said sheepishly.

Five smiled.

" No you're not, I like it here. I oddly enjoy the occasional boredom and doing something with my life that doesn't involve constant fighting and getting stabbed or whatever." Five said

"And thanks to El, I don't think we have to deal with any more Upside Down trouble. I don't feel the connection to the place as much anymore or the evils of the creatures. Sorry if you missed out on being the hero, in some ways my hero."

Five mused at that since honestly it's the reverse. He got his ass here and Will plucked him up. If it'd been anyone else Five probably would have had a man-hunt on him at this point, but right now he was safe.

" I want to thank you, you gave me what I never got to have and don't know if I ever would if I stayed in that house." Five expressed with a warm smile

"You mean the mansion with the 42 bedroom and 19 bathrooms while you have to camp out in my room on the floor for now? But…really…why thank me. You could have met anyone else and you will meet others."

" Yea I suppose I could. But really the four days I spent here have made more impact in my life than the 13 years I grew up in that mansion. Your home may be small but it is warm and filled with memories and pictures of you growing up…. What's having all the money and fame worth if in end you're all alone" Five said bit sad.

"Well…I know it may seem like I'm eager or desperate but…you will always have a place with me. We're both a bit broken and damaged so we should stick together for as long as we can, shouldn't we?" Five nodded with a smile and put a hand on Will's shoulder.

"Thank you Will, can't believe a kid my own age is capable of giving more care than my old man. My siblings can learn from you and your family." Five said

Will chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Stop it, now I know you're teasing me."

"I'm not Will, I mean it. You're a good person and I am thankful you and I are friends."

Will and Five were interrupted by banging on the fort. Five was a bit on edge but Will calmed him down and called,

"Who approaches Castle Byers!?"

"Will? Is that you? It's Dustin! I thought that Aidan kid did something to you? Are you alright?"

Will looked to Five and he cursed.

"Shit, he caught me using my powers. Fuck I'm so sloppy. Why does this keep happening? I'm usually so much more…or rather I'm usually better at being composed and careful not to show my hand." Five whispered to Will.

Will nodded but if anyone was going to catch them, he hoped it be Dustin.

"I'm fine but we should probably talk…all of us." Will told him.

"Wait Aidan's there too?" Dustin asked.

"Indeed and trust me, all I did was bring us home. Nothing sinister. I will come clean but you can't tell Mike or Lucas or Max okay." Five expressed.

Dustin thought for a moment and his mind was somewhat appeased when Will opened the curtain. He looked unharmed and was focused on Dustin, kind of protective of Five.

"I assume you remember the password?" Will questioned.

Dustin nodded and gave him the password. He entered the fort and saw Five there with arms crossed and an intense yet concerned gaze. It didn't take Dustin long to ask him,

"Who are you really and how did you take Will yesterday home?"

Five went over what he's told Will; that he was from the future, that he had powers of spatial and temporal teleportation, that he was supposed to be jumping forward in time but instead went back in time, and that his real name was Five. He also mentioned being part of a superhero academy with his adopted siblings and father and that he really needs to keep somewhat of a low profile and not share too big of details of the future. Five even demonstrated his spatial jumps, causing Dustin to kind of nerd out and get excited.

"Shit…holy fucking shit! Will you knew?!" Dustin asked.

Will nodded and expressed,

"How do you think I found him? He time jumped in the theater and his powers were burned out."

"Yeah and I really should have had a time formula to help guide me on where to go but alas I didn't and I am stuck here until I get the right formula to go to the right place in time. And my old man was right, it's very complex, the equations I need, and I'm not sure how long I am going to be around." Five stated.

Dustin looked to Five, then Will, then back to Five. The friendship made a bit more sense now.

"Okay so…you really just jumped back in time to show your dad you could. Kind of a stupid and dangerous reason since time travel is very complex in theory, let alone in practice." Dustin told him.

"Don't remind me and clearly I know Dustin. But at least I can maybe see what I missed. There are prices to pay when you're adopted by a man who wants to make you a superhero, a normal childhood was the biggest cost."

Dustin looked to Five in amazement. There must be so much Five could share and maybe help speed up advancements in many fields of science. Then again, time was tricky and Five was right in him not sharing to much since no one should know the future. Still they had another superpowered person in their group. El was probably going to enjoy having Five around despite Mike being pissed with him.

"So just so I am clear; he's not forcing you to have him Will?"

"Not at all, I invited him to stay with me. He's been very nice, he listens to me, and kind of finds me…cool I guess?" Will commented.

"Despite the fact you dress way younger than you should and I thought I was older…then again I might be younger than most of you by a few months to a year. Not really sure."

"Says someone who's supposed to probably just an egg in their mother's body at this point in time?" Dustin joked.

Five rolled his eyes but couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh sure, make that joke. But honestly me being born was weird in itself too. Supposedly, me and 42 others were born on October 1st, 1989, but none of the mothers were pregnant. They suddenly got pregnant and gave birth. Clearly there's probably a connection between those sudden births and my powers." Five expressed.

Will and Dustin were floored by that. That sounded like extreme body horror and something out of science fiction. Yet it kind of made sense and a lot of what they been through was scary horror shit too. Still Dustin was amazed and he asked,

"All of these women were ordinary?"

"Guess so, but clearly I don't know my birth mother since my adopted father paid all of mine and my siblings' mothers to have us. Needless to say…there are times I wished I wasn't adopted but I can't focus on what ifs. Besides I wouldn't be here if I wasn't adopted would I?"

"Still it's pretty freaky. Perhaps someday we can understand your powers and make a time machine, wouldn't that be cool?" Dustin asked.

Dustin and Will chuckled at that but Five shook his head.

"Time is dangerous to mess with. I just hope I'm not causing too many problems as it is. Though I wonder if I had with Mike and everything." Five sighed.

"It's not you, Mike is just an ass to new people who come into our group if they weren't El. I mean if you met Max….well he was horrible to her too. But now they are kind of okay…maybe not now since El and her are hanging out but he will come around…eventually." Dustin expressed.

Will nodded in agreement and maybe he needed some time away from Mike to see if things get better. The three boys hung out in the fort until it was getting dark. Dustin left for his home while Five and Will returned to the Byers home. When Jonathan came back home, he went into Will's room and saw his brother and 'Aidan' on Will's bed talking about what they would be doing at the Fun Fair this Thursday. He gave a light knock and the boys looked to the older boy. Jonathan sat in the chair and gave a light smile to them.

"I know maybe this morning I was a bit abrasive but…as an older brother and someone who feels they need to take care of things since their dad left…I got a bit concerned. But I can see that Will is happier and I know it has to be because of you Aidan…or whatever your name really is. So um…I'm sorry okay."

Five nodded and chuckled a bit.

"Oh trust me, I can see your side. Random kid is now living with you and your family, know very little and what you've just learned is worrying? Yeah I wouldn't trust me either but trust me, Will is too great to screw or fuck over. Name's actually Five by the way, Aidan is something Will gave me so I am normal to everyone else."

Right so first an Eleven and now a Five. He shouldn't find things so strange anymore yet he does with this time traveler sitting in bed with his brother. Still Five was just a boy and the way he seemed to find joy in the fair coming up and just enjoying mealtimes with them, makes Jonathan wonder what kind of piece of shit Five's dad was. He looked to Will and there was a hopeful look on his brother's face. Jonathan has heard from Nancy that Mike and Will were having a rough patch so perhaps it was good Will had Five for company.

"I might keep calling you Aidan since Five just sounds like your father saw you as an experiment. You should be treated like a human being and not a number." Jonathan told him.

Five kind of scoffed internally at that notion but it did kind of make him feel…well normal to have a name. He glanced over to Will and he asked,

"What about you?"

"Whichever you prefer but I think in private you want me to call you by your name right, even if it is a number?" Will answered.

Five nodded and Johnathan just laughed softly at Five wanting to be called Five by his brother.

"You're a strange one aren't you?" he asked.

Will cracked a light smile but then he remembered something.

"Oh right. Five likes the mixtape you made me, you know the one with The Clash. I guess we all have similar tastes."

Jonathan looked to Five and asked,

"Does music get any better in your time or does it go downhill?"

Five shrugged and playfully commented,

"Depends on the genre. Some stuff is great while others it's way worse. The 80s will continue to have a lot more hits I can say that much. Still my tastes are all over but I do like certain bands and artists a bit more than others. I just can't for what will come out and I can have Will and you listen to them."

"Yeah that would sound fun…You're not really that bad Aidan." Jonathan expressed with a light smile.

"Likewise…"

Joyce found all the boys in Will's room and liked that they were getting along.

"Alright boys, dinner's on the table. It's burgers and fries."

Five cracked a light smile as he joined the Byers for dinner. It was bad that he was getting used to this since he didn't belong here, yet why did he feel so much at home. If he went it would be trouble but if he stayed it would be double since who knows how he's changing time. Still he liked the Byer family and he wanted to stay for as long as he could. They were a family…something he kind of wanted more from his. At least now, he was living out what he wanted despite giving off a don't care attitude back home. He couldn't wait to celebrate July 4th with his dear friend Will.

I know a long update, I'm surprised too. I think this one and the next one are going to be some of my best so far, but that's just my opinion and it's very biased.

So a few things:

1. I've decided after much thought I am making it a strict AU after Season 2's events, meaning Vecna is not showing up either. Let's say in this timeline when El opened the gate she killed Vecna aka Henry aka One in the first season. With how much the whole Vecna thing is impacting my other Stranger Things fic (meaning it's becoming a slog and unfun to cover the Vecna part kind of like the show with little variance), I don't want to tackle Vecna again in this one.

2. You can't imagine how many different spellings of Jonathan I was spelling while writing this before I looked up the correct one. If somehow I missed a variation in editing, sorry in advance. I went through this like three times.

3. Consider this story a slow burn if you're here for romance. It's purposely that way for reasons I can't as of now.

More to come and thank you for the support and reads. Messages and reviews are always helpful.