It Takes Five

5

"K...Kevin?” The other three watched on in confusion as smiles spread across the faces of the two conversing men. Kevin got up from the couch to give the guy a once over, finally coming to terms with what he heard, the deep voice that he had been longing to hear finally flooded his ears.

“Avi!” He said again, about to make his way to him but was beat to it.

“KEVIN!” Avi screamed, lion instincts kicking in once more as he pounced onto his long lost best friend in a bone crushing hug, Kevin returning it just as forcefully as he stumbled and fell back onto the couch both men laughing at their fortune, which quickly turned into tears. “I...I missed you… I thought you would’ve forgotten about me by now…” Avi confessed, tears running down his face as he pushed his head into the crook of Kevin’s shoulder.

“The attack has been the only dream I've had ever since… I thought you would’ve moved on and forgotten about me too…” Kevin told the small lion in his arms as he sniffled.

Kirstie’s eyes widened when the attack was mentioned as she pieced it all together.

“Kevin, is he...?” She asked, directing her gaze to the stranger on her friend’s chest.

“Kirst, this is Avi, my best friend since high school, and yes he is that boy.” He confirmed for her, Avi looked up in confusion.

“I am what boy?” He asked. Kevin looked back down at him, shaking his head.

“The boy that I’ve been so desperate to see again even if it was just one last time. The boy who appeared in my recurring nightmare of the attack.” He told his best friend, Avi’s face flushed slightly. He didn’t think Kevin cared so much about him or missed him to the point he was all Kevin could think about. “Wait, Avi…” Kevin was looking at his ear, more specifically the tag.

“Yeah?” Avi was watching his face, Kevin’s hand reaching out to touch his ear like how Scott had done, causing pain to shoot through the man in his lap.

“What?”

“Ear tag… they put it on me while I was unconscious…” He told Kevin, he suddenly remembered why he had the tag and why it took him ten years to escape. “oh no...” He stood up, shaking, he turned to the door then to the four people in front of him. The four lives he had endangered. “Oh no.” He freaking out, he never meant for this to happen.

“Avi what’s wrong?” Kevin tried to hug him but Avi swatted him away, backing away from him in the process.

"I"ve put you all in danger… I shouldn’t be here…” He said to them, Scott was confused.

“But we out ran them.” He said, reminding them of the drive home they had together, that was until Mitch realised what he was talking about.

“Shit! Scott the ear tag!” Mitch screamed, running into the kitchen to find the ear tag removal tool he kept.

“What?” Scott didn’t understand so Mitch continued.

“On farms, the cows have ear tags so farmers can track their every move and find where they are! He’s being tracked!” Mitch finally confirmed and all eyes turned to Avi, who saw that as an order to leave, he turned to the door and opened it about to leave the building when Scott pulled him back in and slammed it shut.

“Where are you going?” He asked. Avi looked at him like it was obvious.

“Y-you’re all looking at me like you want me to go… so I am… thanks for the hospitality while it lasted.” He tried to leave again but this time Mitch grabbed him and sat him down on Kevin’s lap.

“We’re not sending you anywhere… you’re staying… we’ll just have to rid that tag. Hold onto Kevin, this’ll hurt. A lot.” Mitch warned him and Avi whimpered, burying his face into Kevin’s neck letting him grab a hold of him to try and keep him calm.

Mitch slipped the hook between the male side of the tag and the ear so the blade encircled the stem of the tag before gently pulling on the hook, moving it up and down in a twisting motion, removing the hook.

Mitch was right, this was extremely painful for Avi, he was howling in pain while the procedure was being done. His nails were almost piercing Kevin’s skin as Mitch removed the tag. He was only half way done when he turned to Scott. “Scott, get me the cotton pads, antiseptic, needle and thread, bandages and ice pack from the First Aid bag in the bathroom. Kirstie, get a towel from the kitchen” The blondes wasted no time in running to the designated locations to retrieve what Mitch had asked for.

Tears were streaming down Avi’s face when Mitch finally got the tag out of his ear, blood began gushing out of his ear as Kirstie ran back in with a towel for Mitch to place at the bleeding ear while Scott made his way down the steps with the supplies. Mitch poured some antiseptic onto one of the pads and placed it to the wound. 

“It hurts I know but just hold on a little longer alright? Scott, get rid of the tag, throw it as hard and far as you can.” Scott picked up the tag and ran out the back door with it, he didn’t take off his shoes or coat so he was able to run far before he made it to an alleyway by an abandoned road and threw the tag as far as possible before he ran back to the house.

Mitch was finishing stitching up the ear when he returned and closed the door behind him. He walked over just in time for Mitch to finish and tie the stitch so it wouldn’t come undone before applying more antiseptic to it, cleaning up anything that could cause infection to the seam before wrapping the bandage around it using a medical plaster he had Kirste get him to hold it in place and cracking the ice pack and placing it to his ear. “Should reduce any possible swelling.” He concluded.

Avi looked up at him. “Thanks… why’d you do it though?” He was so confused, he was a danger to them all. Why didn’t they kick him out? Why were they being so nice?

“I don’t want them tracking you anymore, especially if we’re all living together now.” Mitch said to him, Avi’s eyes widened. 

“Are you sure you want me to stay? I can leave.” Avi suggested. The dog suddenly made it his mission to keep the bearded man safe in his care.

“You’re staying. You can room with Kevin since you have a clear history.” Kevin looked down at his friend who was smiling up at him with that toothy grin, his canines showing.

Kevin couldn’t believe how much he had grown, ten years ago, you couldn’t tell what tooth was which but now, he could easily decipher all his teeth, canines, premolars, molars, all twelve incisor teeth and his adult teeth.

He had been day dreaming for sometime now, Avi was asleep in his arms and everyone was watching TV, Kevin picked him up and carried him to their now shared bedroom, placing him on the extra bed that was now his, letting him sleep before dinner. He would need to eat as he was dangerously underweight. 

Kevin went back down the stairs, three pairs of eyes on him. Kirstie grinning up at him. “You’ve fantasized about this day haven’t you?” She asked.

“You couldn’t imagine.” He told her, sitting next to her watching TV as Mitch made dinner and Scott watched with them until Kirstie and Kevin went upstairs, bored of the show. They enjoyed having another face around, though they wouldn’t be prepared for the baggage he would bring their way.