When Will awoke the next morning, he honestly thought last night had been a dream. A vivid, loving, sweet and tender dream he's had for a few years now of him and Five getting together. However, he noticed Five in his arms and he couldn't help but smile and cuddle with him. It happened, it actually happened Will thought as he gently hugged him and took in just how handsome yet sweet Five truly was. Five truly cared for him beyond friendship and that made Will's heart melt. He didn't want to get up but he knew his mother would check in on them. Sizzling bacon and aromatic omelets were being cooked and he knew his mother would probably call them in for breakfast.
"Morning." Will muttered softly against Five's ear.
Five stirred awake and cracked a light smile in the position he was in. He yet out a yawn and cuddled closer to Will to take in his warmth and softness.
"Hmm. Morning Will." Five yawned and slowly awoke.
"Guess we both fell asleep on the couch again." Will spoke with a soft sheepish expression.
Five smirked and turned to face Will. He gently put a hand to Will's cheek and lingered on the soft look of his…boyfriend, Will was his boyfriend Five thought or at least that was what he wanted.
" Yes, well guess we got sidetracked with movies and all that, guess we just crashed after the excitement."
Will nodded and he noticed the blanket on them. His mother must have placed it on them; sweet but he hoped she wasn't thinking much about this yet. Hopefully it just looked to be two friends crashing after a movie marathon and nothing more sexual or obscene.
"So…last night really happened?" Will asked, blushing a bit and glancing at Five's tender lips.
"Yeah, it did… though I guess it still feels odd, doesn't it?"
"How would it be odd?" Will questioned.
"Not odd in a bad way, just surreal is what I mean. Having you in this new yet caring way. We've changed so little and yet everything's changed for the better." Five explained softly and kissed Will's nose
Will chuckled softly at Five's attempts to be sweet and romantic with him, but he returned the favor by pressing his forehead against his in loving comfort. This still felt like a dream, one Will wished to never wake from.
"I know…I honestly thought you would be with El or perhaps another girl since…well I don't really know what I thought. You just seemed so larger than life that…why would you settle for me?" Will shared.
"Hey now, stop that. I'm not settling, settling would be me with some girl who I don't like. Being with someone I don't care about just for status or reputation or prestige. It would be a slow and unhappy life if I was with someone else, someone that isn't you."
His face softened and stroked Will's arms to comfort him and reassure him that he wasn't making a mistake. He knew Will was the kind of guy to worry about how others felt about him to some degree. The sensitive soul who didn't want to see animals in pain, let alone another person.
"You are a terrific guy. Don't ever think otherwise since it's our connection that is truly extraordinary and brought us together in this way. "
Will smiled but then sighed soon afterwards. Despite the changes, one big that that hasn't was that they lived in Hawkins. They couldn't be like everyone else unless they wanted the harassment that came with being two boys approaching manhood being together. Deep down Will knew he couldn't handle going through those tough words and moments again even with Five at his side.
"We have to play it cool; you know act normal. I don't want to tell my mom just yet and…well people would harass us you know…badly."
Five understood and gently kissed his lips. Even if they had to hide, they would still be together.
"No problem. I know it's not something you casually bring up during conversation. I won't say anything either so don't worry. You're safe…we'll be safe." he whispered gently.
Will nodded but he did give Five a small peck on his lips before he went to get breakfast. It did seem a bit weird for Will and Five that they had to pretend to be friends at breakfast. They already missed being able to be a bit touchy and feely but they wanted to tell Joyce when both were ready. Will did feel a bit of a touch on his foot and glanced over to Five who was suppressing a playful smirk. It took Will everything not to blush as to tip off his mom what they were doing. Joyce did look at the two boys and just smiled. Five was practically a member of the family and it would be hard to imagine their life being different. She also loved that Five rarely missed any family meal times and was active in conversations, something she knew Five never got to do in his old life.
"Everything okay Mrs. Byers?" Five asked curiously.
"Oh yes everything is just great. I was just thinking about all the times we spent together at this table and how much you add to them Aiden."
Five appreciated in a way that Joyce was treating him like a person. While yes, his friends and even Will still called him Five when they hung out; Joyce was one of the few who still called him Aiden even when the truth about his origins came out. She along with Robin, Steve, Jonathan and Hop called him Aiden not as a cover, but out of care and comfort for him.
"Thanks…I truly love them too. It's become normal for me to have this that I can't imagine not having them.
"You know, seeing you and Will be so close and enjoying your time together really does make me happy. I do hope this continues when you both eventually go to college, marry, and have families of your own. We will all still be a family and maintain these traditions when we can when you're older." Joyce said with a light smile.
Five smiled at that since he could imagine becoming a bigger part of Will's family. He already felt at home with the Byers and now that he realizes he may like perhaps love Will, that was going to be a reality if things went well.
" I am sure we will. I know college can be busy but Will is a kind of person who won't forget about his friends"
"No of course not; Aiden and I are looking into schools we can go together and we will always keep in touch with everyone. We're not going to let time or distance break down what we have with others even if we get busy." Will shared as he munched on his scrambled eggs.
"Have you decided what you want to major in?" Five asked curiously.
"Thinking I'll double in art and literature. Makes the most sense in what I want to do if I want to be an artist or comic book author. I know you're going into the sciences but we can work out arrangements to live together. Whether it be the same school or an apartment we can rent together, I want us to be a part of each other's college lives too. Hence why I am saving all the money I get from work in case we need rent money to start off with." Will shared.
Will had thought of them living together or dorming together long before last night. Now that they were more, he wanted that even more so their relationship could grow stronger. Waking up with him, perhaps cuddled in the same bed, breakfast, long study sessions together, eating cheap ramen or quick dinners…it sounded peaceful and mundane and Five wanted that greatly.
"Yea I'm going to start saving up for that too so that we can afford it. One of my teachers thinks I can get a scholarship with my grades so that should help somewhat with our future finances. Jobs might need to be taken too but we shall see where it takes us when we get to that point." Five said
The family enjoyed breakfast together and the phone rang. Right on cue Five thought with a smile as he went to pick it up.
"Hey Aiden. So sorry I haven't been calling much. So much going on."
" It's fine Rob. It's been busy here too you know with Hellfire, work, science club on occasion, homework and trying to have time with friends…yeah, I know busy. You're fine though, right?"
"Yeah, all is well. Just going through the usual crap of college and a part time job but I'm getting there. Just wanted to check in since I know senior year can be hell and I want to be sure you're not overtly stressed or slacking off."
"When have you ever known me to slack on my studies?" Five sassed.
"Just don't want you to take after Steve. I mean he's not a bad guy to look up to but you seem to be going hard in the dating department moving from one girl to the next. Gross by the way but I just don't want you to burn out or grow fickle to love." Robin mentioned.
Five rubbed the back of his neck. He did wonder what he was thinking this pass year just going on dates that didn't matter at all. Brandy aside, the girls were all pretty and had good personalities but he knew deep down he wasn't feeling the same way. Yet with Brandy's words he didn't think he was fully gay either and that he only truly felt romantic feelings for Will and no one else. He wondered if that was strange and he really needed some advice, some he thought Robin would be great at giving.
"Yeah… I'm thinking of stopping that actually and for a good reason. Hey Robin, do you have any free time coming up? I would like to talk to you in person about some important things." Five asked.
"You know what, I'm ahead on assignments and my study group canceled their meeting today. Travel's not going to be an issue, will it?" Robin teased.
" Do you have to ask that?" Five asked sarcastically
"I don't know; sometimes you burn out sometimes when you travel your way. But don't be rude and give me a heart attack again by popping behind me. First time learning about your powers was enough and other times with your jump scares were not fun either. Seriously you can be such a shit about it and you play it off so cool like an ass sometimes. They are cool but not at the expense of my health." she rambled.
Five chuckled since…yea Robin had the unfortunate discovery of his powers when he thought she went home and he was blipping tapes to the back room when they worked together. Ah how he kind of missed showing off his powers if only the tiniest hint. He was relieved that Robin had the time since despite his happiness thoughts were lingering in his mind.
"Alright, so where should I pop up so I don't give you a heart attack?" Five asked
"Outside my dorm building in like an hour. We can chill out at the campus coffee shop and discuss what you want to talk about. I'll even have Steve join us if he's free after his class."
"Great, see you soon." Five said and hung up.
Will raised an eyebrow to him and Five commented,
"I'm seeing Robin and Steve for coffee before my shift at the video store."
"Everything alright with…you know?" Will asked while rubbing his arm nervously.
"Of course, everything's alright, don't worry, okay. Nothing is wrong." Five spoke with a smile.
He noticed Joyce had her back turned to do the dishes and Five gave Will a soft little kiss. Just as sweet, warm, and tender as last night and equally stirring his heart, mind, and even his lower regions. He pulled away and Will had to suppress a whimper when Five pulled his lips off him.
"I'll see you later Will." Five said with a playful wink as he went to get changed so he could meet up with Robin to talk about…well himself and just how he was going to handle this wonderful part of himself.
Once Five was dressed and said goodbye to Joyce and Will, he met up with Robin outside her dorm building. They went to the coffee shop and settled at one of the tables with their drinks; Robin with a latte and Five with a black coffee. It wasn't so crowded in the shop and Five felt at ease with his older friend. She was very knowledge and wise behind her snark and charms and it was her experience with non-traditional love Five needed.
"Thanks…I know this was sudden, but I really needed to see you." Five said, clutching to his coffee.
" It's cool. The way it sounds seems like it's serious. Is everything okay? Did those things come back, the ones Steve talked about with the teeth?"
Five shook his head.
"No none of that thankfully. But yea it is kind of serious in a way…. how did you handle…you know…being who you are in Hawkins?" he asked quietly.
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Being who I am?" Robin asked
"Uh yea you know…on a different yet same team? You know…what you told me and Steve?" he asked, sipping his coffee.
Robin thought for a minute, then it dawned what Five was asking.
" Uh, well I would say it was easy hiding it, though it does suck, especially when I lived in Hawkins. You have to be super careful about who you open up to, cause if you say it to the wrong person... You're in deep shit, royally deep shit." Robin expressed
Five nodded since he knew that. Robin being a lesbian was one thing and she knew she liked women and only women. But it was hard to explain his situation since he wasn't like her and yet to others, he would be deemed gay but it was more than that to him. Robin at least was able to have a small love life since moving out of Hawkins but the risks were still present Five knew that. He did want to know how it was for her since…he didn't think he would be having this kind of talk with her.
" I know, you trust me and Steve and that wasn't easy."
"No more so since I used to have a crush on this girl Steve went out with, and it just made me hate the whole stupid town. I'm actually glad you from whenever you were, cause aside Steve you're probably the most accepting of this…Made me feel so open and free that you accept me and find it not weird. That aside, why did you ask about…That?" Robin was curious what made Five bring this up all of sudden.
Five sighed and glanced at Robin.
"Recent date with Brandy was a shit show, more than any other date I've had. It did make me think about something and…I guess I'm kind of struggling a bit on what to do next or with what's on my mind."
"What's going on? Did that chick say anything to you that makes you doubt yourself?"
Five stroked his arm and shook his head. It shouldn't have bothered him, yet hearing those words in Brandy's voice just made him seethe and he nearly crushed his coffee cup.
"I wasn't falling for her charms so she called me a faggot and queer. Really pissed me off." he added.
"Wow... not surprised. That you turned her down I mean. You have a class which a lot of guys at that school do not. I get being bothered by insults, but it's not just that is it? Usually, you wouldn't give a shit." Robin asked
Five nodded and he couldn't help but smile if being concerned about himself and Will.
"I mean I did have a good date after her and it did change things…a lot of things actually but it just sucks since Brandy isn't right about that but yet…I can't help with who I am with now and if that makes me what she says."
Robin was at a loss…that was until she remembered that he and Will have movie nights…and then it all clicked for her. Her previous observations were proving to be true. She gently squeezed Five's wrist in comfort since this had to be a small shock to him.
"This is about Will, isn't it?"
Five saw Robin's soft almost smirkish smile and he didn't know whether to laugh or be embarrassed. He nodded and sipped more of his coffee.
"Yeah…we watched movies, kind of used some of Steve's moves on him and…and we kissed."
Robin's eyes widened.
"Oh shit, really? How was it?" Robin asked.
Five sighed dreamily and sipped on his coffee, recalling how they seemed to be connected.
"Wonderful. The most I felt when kissing anyone and…it was nice. However, I don't think I'm gay and yet I want to be with Will. I know it's strange but does it make sense? I thought I like women; I do find them pretty or gorgeous at times but…they don't make me feel how I am with will and he's male."
Didn't sound like a bisexual Robin thought but there had to be something to explain Five's sexuality. He was right on two main things though; Five wasn't entirely straight and if small minded people saw Five with Will, he would be labeled a gay pariah in Hawkins.
"Well yea it makes sense, but it is odd that you're only attracted to Will and deeply I may add. He is a good guy and I had feeling you liked him for a long time."
Five raised an eyebrow since he didn't think he loved Will for that long…did he? He was just always a good friend and good friends did a lot of kind stuff for one another.
"You're kidding right? No way I was that way for that long." Five denied.
" I've seen how you are with Will when we used to work in the video store. You always paid the most attention to him and were super protective, more than Mike. I kind of figured there had to be something more than friendship. Plus, you would do that hair thing, comfort Will, and try to find a reason to touch him. If that doesn't sound like a budding attraction then you really have me stumped Aiden."
Five did linger on that and perhaps Robin had a point. Maybe they were closer than friends even back then and he perhaps didn't know his reasons for doing all that were out of love and not just platonic friendship.
"Yeah, well I wonder what we can do…date wise. I mean we can't be like El and Mike and just go out to dinners or do normal couple stuff. Will doesn't need to go through being called those names again and I don't want to beat up all of Hawkins for that. Just wonder what I can do. Before you ask, I can't just take him anywhere since I will have to tell Joyce if I use my powers to take Will out of state and it might set off flags that it's not a friendly trip if you know what I mean. Shit this sucks." he sighed.
"You're usually good at this so you shouldn't worry about it now. Just take him somewhere nice, but where you won't be hassled." Robin mused
Five ran his fingers in his hair. He wanted to be a good boyfriend to Will and he hoped to make their first official date special.
"I know. Will deserves to have dates and be treated. I just don't want to let him down." Five shared.
'Will is a low maintenance guy, you know that. He's going to enjoy being with you. He likes romance and sweet gestures and you give your heart in what you do. Trust me, you're never going to half-ass anything for him." Robin assured him.
Private, intimate, take him somewhere they could be alone perhaps with food and just each other's company with a fall landscape…now there's an idea Five thought warmly.
"True…he would like anything with effort and with heart. I think I have an idea on what I can do with him, something intimate but yet it would be perfect and private."
Five mused at the thought of being in a relationship with Will and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm glad I can tell you about this. Normally I wouldn't care about this sort of thing, but it's not just me in this. I just know what I feel but most are going to focus on the gender you know?"
"If he makes you happy, that's important. Have fun together but do be careful."
"Of course, we will be careful. I don't want people to hurt him or I will hurt them." Five told her.
"Hey, there you guys are. Sorry, classes ran long."
Five and Robin looked up to see Steve. He sat down with them and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"I swear my Health professor would not stop talking for the life of him. Just goes on and on and on." Steve complained.
" It's called a lecture dingus; they talk and we take notes. Not a hard concept to understand." Robin sassed
"Yeah, well he was talking long after class was supposed to end. Remind me why I took this professor?" Steve asked.
"Because he was an easy grader if what you told me was anything. Even when you made it to college life you want to find easier ways to go through it." Five commented.
Steve chuckled but looked at Five with a light smile. Steve addressed, glancing at Five's hair with a raised eyebrow.
"You're missing steps in your hair routine Aiden. I thought I taught you better than that." he playfully scolded him.
"That's on purpose Steve. Five is trying to have his own style, not just rip off your style."
"Exactly and maybe it's a good thing I don't copy fully otherwise girls would really be on my ass. I'm done with dating and done with girls." Five shared with Steve, causing him to look to Five with concern.
"What the cheerleader was horrible? She was a knockout." Steve asked.
"She might have some looks, but she was desperate, no self-respect, kind of stupid and vain, and had the nerve to insult me because I wasn't in the mood to do more with her. Not pleasant at all and clearly fake and cold like plastic." Five expressed
"Shit man sorry. But don't give up, you'll find someone special. Take it from me, there is someone out there for you."
Five chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"I already found them." he shared.
Steve's eyes widened but also was confused.
"Wait, your date was last night and it was horrible yet you found someone special? Makes zero sense unless you had another date after her." Steve questioned.
" I already had that person, that dumb cheerleader kind of made me see that even if it was rude and left me pissed at her for insulting them. We were close and last night we only got closer." Five admitted with a lovesick grin.
Steve tilted his head and looked at Robin.
"You know what Aiden's talking about Rob since I'm drawing blanks."
Five gave Robin a slight nod to fill Steve in since he was really being dense today.
" He is talking about Will. They decided to start dating each other since they have feelings, romantic feelings." Robin said.
"Oh…Oh?!...Oh shit wow. Um…congrats Aiden….didn't see that coming and I thought Robin was pulling my leg years ago about you two." Steve told Five.
"Why would I do that dingus? I mean sure I enjoy messing with you but not about things like that." Robin said.
"Yeah and…it took me some time to understand what I was feeling for him since…he's the only person to make me feel how I feel with him." Five told Steve.
Steve gave Five a comforting smile and patted Five's back.
"Hey, that's good, no it's great. Hawkins sucks but you'll be good for Will and you will make it out together. Might have to be creative with dates but you can make this work Aiden." Steve shared and supported.
"Thanks and I know. I can't wait to graduate so I can leave Hawkins. I do care a lot about Joyce and our friends, but there is not really a future unless you settle down and pop kids out like gumball machine, something I don't see for myself." Five expressed
"Yeah smart and good for you both. Just be careful and safe, okay. I can get you some…things if you'd like?" Steve told him.
Five let out an embarrassed groan since he wasn't going to jump into that with Will just yet. He wanted to treat Will like a gentleman and go at his speed. Will loved romance and simple things like cuddles, reading together, and cute things. Five wasn't entirely focused on sex much either and valued Will's companionship more than a sexual release.
"We're not there yet Steve. Not every relationship has to have sex all the time to function. We're not like you." Five told him a bit firmly.
"Okay sorry man. Just saying in case you both get there…though not sure how that would even work…"
"Let's close this topic please." Five said, getting a bit nervous and maybe even a bit squeamish.
"Yeah dingus, don't make it weird. Aiden is still Aiden and he has class. He wants things to be slow and I don't blame him." Robin stressed.
"Yeah, you're right, sorry. I am happy for you since…well I hated just mindlessly dating after a while and I'm glad you're done with it." Steve told him.
"To be fair I wasn't mindless dating like you. I wanted a genuine connection, women just didn't do it for me." Five quipped.
"Yeah but you were going through a lot of women Aiden even for the genuine connection. I was going to tell you to slow down if you continued like that." Robin told him.
Five nodded in agreement and he was in fact done with mindless dates. He genuinely liked Will and he wanted their time together to mean something. Five was even going to lovingly court Will and be someone Will should deserve. Five didn't want to know how Will's life was supposed to be without his intrusions or mistake, but he no longer cared. Time was changed and being Will's friend changed him as well.
"Well you can rest easy since I've found what I was looking for…even if it did take me longer to realize I had it all this time." Five shared with Robin and Steve.
"You were a bit of a dingus Aiden not seeing what was in front of you but I've been there at some point. You're a great guy Aiden and Will…he's so lucky to have you."
"Extremely I mean Marty goes back in time and nearly ruins his existence and yet you go back in time and you find a soulmate…wow that's actually quite nice Aiden, beautiful even." Steve shared.
Five smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I know, could make for a good romance novel or comic. Maybe I can share that with Will and he'll make something amazing…I can't imagine not having a day with him."
"Aw he's becoming a romantic sap.' Robin teased in a supportive way.
"I know right, Mr. Cynical Smartass' heart is thawing." Steve added with a light grin.
"Oh, fuck off you two." Five chuckled.
It was good he had this time with Steve and Robin as both knew a bit more about romance and sexuality. He couldn't ask Jon or Joyce since they might not understand or even his other friends. Five knew in his heart that he had a chance to perhaps have something he would never have in his natural timeline; love. It was a strong yet curious word but Five knew what he was feeling for Will had to be love. They've been friends for years so it wouldn't be wrong to assume that they might have loved each other all that time. He was going to show Will how much he cared and he knew just how to do it, grand yet modest and with a touch of heart and soul.