Story requested by Bridgee2000 💕
You stare at the sign on a town you've never visited before.
Hawkins.
After long hours on bus, your body is still sore. But you feel panicking.
Because you're about to enter your enemy's lair.
On your own. All alone.
You try to recall all the instructions that Henry told you, but your mind is blank.
And you are tired. Tired of days as a fugitive. Tired to feel like no place is safe in the world. Tired that nobody can protect you from them.
Like someone sentenced to death, you take a road through the forest, until the barbed wire fence comes to view, until you see the gates and the guards.
You raise your hands when loud voices talk to you and weapons are aimed at you.
You tell them your name, then let them check through your pockets. They take your bag and find your ID card.
One of the guard speaks on the radio to warn the people inside the large building that you're observing.
Henry is there. That's the only thought that persuaded you to go there. In the place where evil strangers want to lock you in.
The guards becomes more kind to you and they escort you to the entrance doors, where some doctors greet you with big smiles and shake hands.
"We didn't expect your visit, Y/N. Dr Brenner is impatient to meet you. He wants you to go to his office right now" one of the doctors say with unhidden excitement "But for our security protocols, we have to blindfold you. You'll be alright, we will take care of you".
You stand petrified, too scared to protest or think of something sharp to say.
When the blindfold covers your eyes, you struggle not to panic. The strangers around you speaking sweetly to comfort you are not helpful.
Hands grab your arms and guide you.
You step into an elevator that when it moves, it makes you feel more dizzy.
When finally the blindfold is removed, you feel so sick that you need to sit down.
And there's a chair in front of you.
And a stranger doctor on his feet next to you.
"What an unexpected surprise" the doctor says taking your hand to shake it "It's a honor to have you here, Miss Y/L/N. I'm Foctor Martin Brenner. I run this place".
You don't care of him or anyone else in that room.
Because you've spotted the young man who is standing in a corner, in a white uniform.
Henry is even more handsome than what you remember from your visions. You had believed that his appearance was affected by how you wanted to see him. Instead in person he looks even more striking.
His presence feels so heavy although he acts like he's just one of the many people working in there.
You couldn't have found the perfect way to describe how you feel about him.
Until you recall your last conversation and he suggested the right word to define him.
A predator.
You are not the prey. You are the predator. Never forget that.
You cross Henry's eyes for a brief moment, then he looks away and you move your eyes to focus on Brenner. You don't even listen to his words, his lies.
He calls you his guest, he promises protection, he says he can help you with your abilities.
You pay attention only when he turns to Henry and say softly to him "You've really impressed me this time. Well done".
Other orderlies escort you to your new room.
You feel chased by your own doubts.
Who is to trust? Who is playing the predator and who the prey?
Because what if you've been fooled and Henry tricked you? What if you won't find a way out of that sinister place?
Because few hours in that place and you see that those strangers know perfectly how to control and deal with people with abilities like yours. While you've been like an amateur. You never trained properly, you never fully understood how your powers work and how to use them when you need them.
You stay alone in your room, knowing that you're never truly alone.
Red lights spy on you.
Henry had warned you.
Nowhere is safe in there.
You are given food, water and clean clothes.
You are hungry so you surrender to the need of feeding. But then you regret it, feeling sick and weak.
Shivering, you lie down on the bed and try to rest. Your mind is so blurred that you can't find the dark void and the familiar face in it.
You are alone.
The next days are days to forget.
You keep feeling sick while doctors check your vitals and take blood samples.
Time passes, you hear the annoying ticks of the clock. And you feel stuck there.
And then your mind wanders on its own.
You see there are children in near room, you see them going through impossible tasks. And then you see and feel the punishments.
You're not going to forget that, no matter how much you try.
That's a place of torture.
And you fear physical pain as much as you fear not having control on your own mind and body.
One night you are woken up by the blaring of an alarm.
You jump down from your bed to turn on the lights and start sweating cold.
Is it another trick of your mind? Are the effects of the medicines you're fed with?
The door bursts open and you let out a weak scream.
Henry freezes for a moment at the sight of you, then cut the distance with long paces.
"Y/N, it's okay. I'm taking you out of here".
He grabs your hands and squeeze them.
You see that he's bleeding from a cut in his neck.
"What's going on...?".
"Not now" he says quickly and grabs your few belongings "We have to run".
The fear of the tortures make you hesitate.
What if it's just a trap to have an excuse to punish you?
"We will never a chance like this. Do you want to be stuck here forever?" he speaks with urgency, pulling your hand to follow him out.
You suppress a sob and force your legs to move.
Few days in that hell and you feel already broken.
The noise of the alarm makes you want to cover your ears. Some steps echoed at the end of the hall, so Henry makes you deviate abruptly.
For a moment you spot military uniforms and you're tempted to call for help. Isn't it the role of guards? Helping?
Henry notices your reaction and pulls you into an empty room.
He takes your face into his palms, making you cross his stare.
"It's the medicines. They use them to try to tame you" he explains.
Then unexpectedly he presses his lips on yours.
That's like a wind blowing away the fog in your mind.
And you feel it. His power is like a light blinding you.
He let you go quickly, smirking at your shocked face.
"I need you to cover my back so we can fight our way out together. Just, never let my hand go".
He grabs your hand and you just nod.
He pulls you out of the room and you two start running.
You focus on your goal. Getting out of that hell as soon as possible.
Your power supports Henry's and you're speechless when you see how just a tilt of his head can defeat the group of soldiers at the gates.
Leaving the lab behind, Henry chooses a car in the parking lot.
Since he never got a license, you have to drive.
You feel the weight of his stare while you have to stare at the road.
"Y/N, breathe. We are free now" he urges you.
"I'm a bad driver" you snap the first thing that comes to your mind. And it's true, since you got the license just few months ago.
"You're fine. Even if someone chases us, we can take care of it".
The idea that you're like a criminal petrifies you.
"Where do we go?" you want to go home, to check on your aunt, to be back to your normal life...
"As far as we can get. Brenner is still alive. He won't let us go without fighting" he doesn't sound encouraging, but he adds more softly "But hey, we are together. I'll protect you. He won't catch us".
You swallow hard and try to believe him.
After a lot of miles, Henry chooses a quiet town where to stop.
You wonder how long it takes before the police will track the stolen car.
"This house seems empty. We can spend the rest of the night here" Henry approaches an isolated building that had no lights and unlocked the door.
You feel intimidated as you step into a stranger's house, but behind four walls you felt safer than outdoor.
Henry turns out the lights and you cross several rooms before he finds a large bedroom.
"I hope you understand that it's safer if we stay close".
You just nod. The idea of being in a bedroom with him isn't so scary after you grew used to meet him in the dark void of your mind constantly at night.
Although he is now standing physically in a room next to you.
"You're bleeding" you say eyeing the wound on his neck and how it stained his white uniform.
He touches it, then removes his shirt.
"I'll get some water" you say urgently, suddenly feeling thirsty. And also thinking of cleaning his wound.
You find an adjacent bathroom and turn the tap. You wash your face and the dried blood under your nose.
You wince when you look up in the mirror and see that Henry stepped in and you didn't even hear him.
He joins you by the sink and you pick a towel, wetting it.
He seems intended to do it himself, then he lets you clean his neck.
"Does it hurt?" you ask, worrying about the wound that can get infected or if it needed to be stitched.
"Not anymore" he says keeping his hair away from the wound while you carefully tap around the cut.
"I've had to chance my plans a lot" he reveals while you patiently clean his skin "I didn't want you to stay there for so many days. But you were drugged and couldn't help me remove Soteria. So I had to use one of the children. I came to find you as soon as I was free".
You struggle to breathe, realizing that he rested his hands on the sink behind you, trapping you there.
You feel his bare arms brush against your sides and you do everything to focus on helping him with his wound instead of thinking of his quick kiss.
He kissed you to wake you from the dizziness caused by the medicines... right?
"Thank you" he says softly when he notices that you stopped. He straightens his back to check himself on the mirror "It's already clotting".
You take advantage of his hands leaving the sink to slip away from him and let him see the mirror clearly.
"You can find some clothes in the wardrobes to get changed, if you don't mind that I use the bathroom first" he suggests you and you quickly agree and flee the room, closing the door behind you.
Once alone, you finally breathe deeply.
You check the wardrobes and find something to exchange with the clothes you're wearing and that still smell of the lab.
You hesitate when you start to undress, fearing that Henry might suddenly appear from the bathroom.
But you hear the noises of the running water, so you quickly remove your clothes and put on the clean ones.
You find also some larger clothes for Henry, but you don't dare to knock on the bathroom's door, so you sit on the bed and wait.
You recall the kiss again, then think of how dangerous he is, now that he has his powers back.
He defeated a group of armed soldiers with just a bored tilt of his head.
What he can do to you?
You felt his power in the kiss, you felt how his powers melted with yours to bring you out of the fog in your mind.
You shared your powers as you fought side by side, his hand squeezing yours.
You guess that he can suck your powers away with his next kiss, if he wants to. Or he can lock you into your mind once you fall asleep.
You startle when the door opens and Henry appears with just a tower around his hips.
He took a shower to wash away the blood stains. Water still drips from his hair.
"I'm sorry. I've been as quick as I can" he studies your shocked face "Are you alright? You're pale like you're seeing a ghost".
You drop your gaze and offers him the clothes you found "I'm just exhausted".
He walks to you and takes the clothes you're handing him. His hands brushes yours and you barely stifle a shiver.
"Thank you, darling" he says sweetly.
Caugh off guard by that nick, you just mumble something and rush into the bathroom, before his tower could drop to the floor and you'd die of embarassment.
You close your eyes and you can imagine so realistically how he would look without the tower, moving as he put on the clothes.
You grab the sink and let the water flow, wishing it can carry away your inappropriate thoughts.
You take a longer time to get washed.
When you leave the bathroom, you expect him to be asleep, instead he's sitting on the bed, welcoming you with a smile.
"You look ready to rest, darling" he smirks at how you stiffen at that name "I've been thinking about where to move next. We need to steal another car and keep travelling. And we need to feed. But we'll focus on that after we sleep a little".
You nod and you walk to the other side of the bed. You're so tired that you gladly lay down, but you're not sure you can fall asleep next to him.
He lies down by your side.
The bed is large enough to keep a little distance between your bodies, but you still feel overwhelmed by his close presence.
"Inhale slowly" he instructs softly "Hold for a moment. Exhale slowly. Repeat until your body relaxs. Your mind will follow eventually".
You obey and focus on your breathing.
You close your eyes and keep repeating, until you find yourself int the dark void and Henry is there too.
"The darkness doesn't help you, darling" he says peering at you, then he takes your hand "You can change it, you know? You can go wherever you want".
You look around in awe as the darkness is blown away like smoke in the wind and a foreign countryside landscape appears around you.
Henry stares at you as you turn your head to see how realistic that view is.
Then he snaps his fingers and the view is replaced by a city landscape. It feels less stranger because you guess it's a view of Hawkins.
"You have to help me" Henry muses "These are just my old memories. The world must have changed a lot in twenty years".
You stop gaping around and stare at him "You've been there... for twenty years?".
He nods.
Less than a week there was already traumatic to you. How did he survive twenty years in that cage?
You don't think as you wrap your arms around him to comfort him with a hug.
He thanks you softly and awkwardly you let him go.
He caresses your face with his long fingers "You are safe here too. Let your beautiful mind rest".
His fingers move slowly on your skin in a shooting way.
You fall asleep but it's not a quiet night.
You're still fearing the lab. You fear going back there.
On the next days you move from cities to cities, until you find a nice empty house where you can stay longer.
But no matter how far you travel, no matter how much tranquil time passes, you still feel unsafe.
You are used to pay a visit at the dark void every night, practicing in switching it to places you remember.
You often recreate your home, letting Henry see it. But he warns you that it's just in your mind. You can't see how your aunt and your friends are doing for real.
One night you have the feeling that your aunt can see you from the front door where she's waiting. You wave your hand and she seems about to reply.
"She can't see you, sweetie. It's in your mind" Henry warns you at your back.
You swallow and drop your hand.
You are aware of his presence at your back. Suddenly he lifts his hands and cover your eyes.
You feel like blindfolded and it brings you back into the lab.
You struggle to pull his hands away, but his hands are no more on your eyes.
You are in the dark, until you are blinded by white walls surrounding you.
You are lying on a stretcher, your limbs tied with belts.
You see Brenner watching over you with a satisfied grin. From his back appears Henry, in his white uniform, looking at you with a mocking smirk and walking closer to you.
"You little sleepyhead, why are you so surprised? You never left".
You stare at him in horror, then notice the collar he is holding. They want to electrocut you, to torture you.
"We can help you wake up, sleepyhead" Henry says with fake sweetness, placing the collar around your neck.
"No... Henry, please, no..." you say begging him, but you have no powers, you are helpless against your worst phobia.
"NO NO NO!" you scream, fighting the belts that are keeping you trapped.
"Y/N? Wake up!".
Someone's shouting above you.
You open your eyes and see Henry on you.
Your hands are grabbing his shirt.
"No! Let me go!" you shout thinking you're still trapped.
He raises his hands then slips by your side.
You sit up and realize that you're on a large bed with him. And your limbs are free.
The blanket covering you had given you the impression that you were trapped.
"Y/N, it was just a nightmare" Henry says softly, caressing your sweating face.
You breathe, but even if you close your eyes, you can still clearly the lab walls and Brenner's victorious face.
"I was back there" you say trembling "You said I never left. And then you placed the collar...".
He hushes you and wraps his arms delicately around you "Just a nightmare, darling".
You drown in his embrace, letting that sweet nick replace the sleepyhead she heard in the dream.
"I didn't know you were tortured there" he whispers carefully "I thought they just drugged you to weaken you. When did they electrocut you?".
You grab his arms and let this caring and sweet version of Henry replace the one in your nightmare.
"They didn't" you reply shaken "But the medicines made my mind wander. I felt the pain of the people tortured in the other rooms. The electroshock. The prods. The collar...".
His arms tightens around you "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I shouldn't have let you get into that place. Everything is poison there".
"Henry, it's not your fault".
He takes your face in his palms and his thumbs wipe the tears on your cheeks.
"You left that place once and for all. But the lab is still in your mind. You have to lock it away" he says strongly.
You stare into his eyes feeling lost "How?".
"Trick your mind. Focus hard and imagine you throw all your memories and your fears related to the lab into a room with no windows. You close the door. You lock the door. You throw away the key into a dark abyss".
You picture in your mind what he said.
You feel a little better when the key is gone.
"Thanks" you say, then you recall how you wake up. He looks dishevelled like you've been fighting him.
"I'm sorry" you add, not sure how you ended with your hands grabbing his shirt but you do wonder how he needed to move on top of you to wake you up.
"It's alright. I'm here. You're safe".
He caresses your face and his thumb brushes under your nose.
You are surprised to see your blood on your fingertip.
"You tried to use your powers in your sleep" he explains.
You freeze "Did I hurt you?".
"No, I'm fine. I've got you, beautiful" he smirks "But I don't mind if we will practice together for real, once you feel ready".
You swallow hard at the idea and nod.
"I fetch you some water while you can change into dry clothes. You've been sweating a lot".
You agree and when he leaves the room, you quickly go to the bathroom to wash your face, then put on clean clothes.
Anxiety torments you again, you check the windows to see that no suspect lights or shadows are spying on you.
You feel better only when Henry returns with something to drink and his caring keeps you distracted.
"I'm sorry for waking you up like that. I should move to the smaller bedroom".
"Nonsense" he dismisses your suggestion, taking away the bottle and the glass after you satisfied your thirst. He comes back and climbs on the bed to sit next to you.
"I don't feel okay when I can't watch over you. I can't protect you from your nightmares, but I can protect you from the menaces on the real world. And I want to be here when you need someone to wake you up".
You don't know how to tell him how grateful you are for his help. Your heart aches for how sweet and caring he is... when he is not playing the predator.
He grabs your hand and squeezes it, lying on the bed and pulling you down too.
"I dare anyone to try to take you away from me" he says softly as a challenge to the enemies you are both thinking of "We earned our freedom. We won't let anyone steal it from us ever again".
You totally agree and squeeze his hand that is still holding yours and won't let you go.
"Now go back to sleep. I'll be right here" he whispers with a warn smile.
You smile back. You don't feel afraid anymore. As long as he's holding your hand, you're safe in the real world and in dreams too.
A/N
Thursday 22nd September 2022
Even nightmares have to fear Henry 😏
*predator Henry* 🛐
I love giving a happy ending to Henry 💓 I always want it to be realistic, so I included the struggle of leaving the lab behind not just physically, but mentally.
But if Henry is around and safe, we can handle any trauma from our past 🥰
Even if he just holds my hand, I'd feel safe and powerful 💪
I hope you enjoyed this story and I remind you that if you have ideas, requests are still open 🙃
Okay, sweet dreams for now 💕
Pull me close, wrap me in your aching arms
I see that you're hurtin', why'd you take so long
To tell me you need me? I see that you're bleeding
You don't need to show me again
But if you decide to, I'll ride in this life with you
I won't let go 'til the end 🎶