✓ | 1. subject thirteen [STRANGER THINGS]

nine.

CHAPTER NINE:
THE ESCAPE

[ THE BATHTUB PART I ]

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          "That's better," Dustin hummed out as he placed the wet cloth, which he had been using to scrub THIRTEEN's face clean, on the table beside them, next to the upside down game board and some superhero figures.

         THIRTEEN managed a weak smile of thanks and wiped his sleeves across his face to dry his face off, then rubbed his knuckles into his eyes, both to keep himself awake and to stop himself from letting any more tears of guilt and weakness flow. He expected Dustin to go fetch Mike, or possibly move over to the sofa, but instead, the boy remained seated where he was, watching THIRTEEN with caution — not a worried, weary sort of caution, but instead he appeared to be concerned and waiting for THIRTEEN to break down all over again.

         Then, all of a sudden, he cried out, "Hey!" with a happy tone and a grin, and reached up with a chubby hand to touch THIRTEEN's scalp. THIRTEEN watched him cautiously, feeling the boy run his hand over the top of his head like he was stroking a cat. "It's growing out," he stated, meaning his hair. "Do you feel it? You're even getting a fringe."

          "Fringe?" THIRTEEN questioned, his hand replacing Dustin's to feel his hair. It did feel like it had gotten longer, no longer prickling his fingers quite as much as it did on his first night out of the lab (they had freshly shaven his hair earlier that very same day of his escape, as a matter of fact).

        "Like Mike's," said Dustin, no slip in his expression or change in his tone revealing a resentment or annoyance toward his lack of knowledge. THIRTEEN was stricken by his kindness. "It's a piece of hair over your forehead." He slapped his hand over his forehead, maybe as an example or maybe to show him what a forehead was. THIRTEEN knew what one was, of course, but he appreciated the sentiment. "You're a brunette, like me. Huh. I always thought you'd be blonde."

        "Brunette?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

        "Brown. It means you have brown hair," Dustin answered, grinning goofily. "Like this." He lifted his cap off his head, allowing THIRTEEN to see the curly tufts of brown hair that fell messily over his forehead better than usual.

            Playfully, THIRTEEN stole the cap from his hand, instead fixing it over his own head. Dustin laughed, reaching up with both hands to straighten it, and when THIRTEEN smiled — such a sweet and rare thing, that even reached his eyes — Dustin practically beamed with pride, radiating happiness.

          Brunette. Fringe, THIRTEEN thought to himself in wonder as Dustin sat back, admiring his new look, complete with the blue and red hat, memorising the words much like all of the other words he had learnt. Friend. Promise. Spider-Man.