Fandom Stranger Things Have Happened

[KillerQuinn]

El sighed, looking down. She really was good at causing trouble for everyone around her. Sometimes El wondered if Hopper loved her as she loved him or if he simply felt pity for her. She didnt like to think about these things.. they broke her heart. "I'm sorry.. I just wanted a pet. I'm stupid.. I broke the rule." She said once again, looking down at her arm. "Nooo!" She said, laughing slightly at that. "Is Mike in trouble..?" She asked. "Its my fault.. not his. My idea.." She said, giving him those adorable puppy eyes of hers.

 

[NickNacks]

Hopper was already shaking his head at her repeated apologies. "Nah, it's okay. Just be more careful next time. We'll talk about a pet later, okay?" That would take a lot of planning. his cabin was messy enough as it was, he wasn't sure if he wanted to add a cat or dog to the mix...He began carefully wiping down the cut with some antibacterial tissue, holding her hand carefully to keep her arm stretched out. "This'll be fixed up in no time. And no, Mike's not in trouble. He's probably waiting outside the door right now."

As though on cue, a quick shuffle of feet was heard from the other side of the doorway as Mike probably abandoned his post.

 

[KillerQuinn]

"Really?!" El didnt think he'd even consider letting her have a pet.. but it'd sure help her with being so lonely. "Thank you!" She said, a big smile on her face almost forgetting the pain until the sting of the wipe hit. "Ow!" She said, looking back down at her arm. She squeezed his hand tight, finding some relief and comfort in doing so. "Okay." She nodded, wiping all the tears away with her free hand. Joyce soon joined them in the kitchen with a bag in hand. "Will and I got you something, El. Might cheer you up?'

 

[NickNacks]

"Sorry, hon. That's as bad as it'll get." Hopper assured her, before placing a large bandage over the bite. Thankfully it wasn't very large, even if it looked irritated and painful. "We'll get some ice on that and it'll feel better in no time." The man offered her a fond smile, squeezing her hand before Joyce came up alongside them.

 

[KillerQuinn]

"Okay.." El nodded, smiling up to Hopper. "I'll listen from now on." She said. Once he was finished, El leaned in to give him a big hug. "I love you.." She whispered quietly. She hadnt said that before.. to anyone really.. ever. Joyce walkede up beside the two of them and handed El the bag "We got this for you. Since we dont get to see you much and you've done so much for us.." El opened the bag to reveal a teddy bear in a tiny police uniform.

 

[NickNacks]

Just when he assumed he wasn't liable to get any more emotional than he had been just previously, she pulls that card. Jim swallowed with some degree of difficulty, gently patting El's back. He was a man of few words to begin with, so he didn't repeat the sentence, but he did give a firm nod and a gruff, "I gotcha." After Joyce approached, he went ahead and stood back in order to see what El had been given, raising an eyebrow at Joyce when the gift was revealed. "That's not from the gift section of Headquarters, is it?" he asked under his breath.

 

[KillerQuinn]

When El's words werent returned it hurt her.. Maybe she was right. She felt that maybe she didnt belong here.. She didnt want to burden anybody. She turned away from him as she opened the gift, smiling when she saw it. "I love it! Thank you!" She hugged the bear tight, smiling. Joyce smiled and nodded. "It sure is. I thought she might like to have a little Hopper bear.. Since you're not around much." she said

 

[NickNacks]

Hopper shot Joyce a narrow glance, jokingly stern. "Yeah, yeah, I get the hint," he replied with an exasperated shake of his head. Mike, on the other hand, made no qualms about approaching El, leaning his arms on the kitchen counter beside where she sat. "Hey, is your arm okay? I'm sorry about the dog, I had no clue it was there, or I would've said something..."

 

[KillerQuinn]

El's saddness seemingly washed away as Mike approached. At least for now.. She had so much time to think that she rarely forgot such things. "I'm okay" She said, nodding. "I didnt mean to scare him.. I just wanted to pet him" She said, sighing. "Look what i got!" She showed Mike the bear, hugging it tight. "He said maybe i can get a pet! He never says maybe! Always no,"

 

[NickNacks]

"Huh.." Mike examined the stuffed toy. He'd kind of grown out of such things-well, mostly. He may or may not have a plush wolf he keeps hidden beneath his bed, but that was besides the point. "That's...Cute, I guess," he remarked, reaching out to poke the bears nose with interest. Behind him came Hopper's voice. "Just don't push your luck, El," he warned, though the playful glint in his eyes betrayed that he was by no means genuinely angry. "Oh, that reminds me...Joyce needed a bit of help around here. I figure as long as you don't have a night excursion like that again, it might be fun for you to hang out with the boys tonight, and we can leave in the morning."

 

[KillerQuinn]

El sighed. "I miss playing with your toys, Mike. I dont have many.. Yours are so cool! Like Rory." She smiled. El's face lit up at the thought of geting to stay an entire night.. Afterall, She knew she probably wouldnt be allowed to see her friends for a long time. "Really?! Thank you!" She was overcome with excitment. "I call sleeping next to Mike!" She said, hopping off of the counter with the bear still in hand. Joyce watched the two.. She could tell that she liked him a bit.. more than the other boys. She smirked and turned to Hopper. "Hmm.. Looks like someones got a crush, huh?"

 

[NickNacks]

Mike's response was immediate. "Do you wanna take a couple back with you? I don't mind. I've got plenty." Indeed, he had several little action figures and the like, and El would have more fun with them than he currently did. As the two rejoined the others, Mike did hear Lucas demanding to know since when they started calling dibs on who slept where, but decided to ignore them.

Hopper, meanwhile, looked from Joyce to the two kids as they scurried off. Surely she was exaggerating, but the more he thought about it-Mike always wanting to know where El was, El following him around...And not to mention, Mike often looked at El the way he'd looked at Joyce back in high school.

"Oh, God, please no." Jim groaned, placing his palm on his face. "Not a crush. How am I supposed to handle that one? I was sneaking out of my house at her age..."

 

[KillerQuinn]

El smiled. "Really? You'd let me do that?!" She seemed so excited at the thought. "I'd love that! Thank you!" El followed Mike downstairs with the bear and joined the other boys.

Joyce shrugged. '"I mean, You cant blame her. Mike is the first person to ever show her kindness. Thats very special." She sat back down. "I think you should have a talk with her. Hell, She probably knows nothing about any of this. Mike's a good kid.. But he is a kid. Hes a teenage boy. Of course, you have the right to just say no all together but.. Mike isnt just any boy to her."

 

[NickNacks]

Her sheer delight when he offered the toys made his chest flutter, even as he tried to play it off with a casual shrug. "I mean, I don't ever use them. And I don't think Hopper has any Star Wars stuff up there in the woods."

Jim shook his head quickly as Joyce mentioned him putting an end to the relationship. "No-even if I stepped in, that'd just make her more determined to see him, anyway. Besides, Mike's a good kid. I'm more worried about her trying to pull something than him." But, Joyce was right. The two were getting to a rather chaotic range...He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll talk to her. Eventually."

 

[KillerQuinn]

"He doesnt! Im so excited to have a sleepover." She smiled, sticking close to Mike as if her life depended on it. Of course, She loved the others but.. Mike was so special.

Joyce nodded. "I agree. They've got something special.. Dont take it away. El needs love.. Most of all she needs your love. She needs that type of love. However, If Mike really cares for her.. Shes spent her entire life abused and unloved. She deserves it." She sighed. "I cant even imagine what shes been through.." Joyce sat back, kicking her feet up. "Just make sure its not too late"

 

[NickNacks]

"I'm not planning on it," Hopper replied. Did he really come across as such a hardass? He knew he was strict about certain things, but..Well, he had to be. He couldn't risk anything happening to El or Joyce, or the other kids. It was the whole feelings notion he wasn't great at all the time. He'd always been a bit more guarded, even when he was young. "She knows I care about her, anyway. Or she ought to." He brought the cigarette Joyce had given him to his mouth, this time going to take a seat beside her. He took one last drag before extinguishing it in the ashtray.

 

[KillerQuinn]

"I'm sure she knows, Hop. You're a good guy. Just the way she looks at you.. She adores you." Joyce smiled. "She's a lucky kid." Joyce looked over to him as he sat down, smiling. She loved having Hopper around.. She didnt have many friends and well, Hopper was just special. He'd done so much for her and her boys. Her boys didnt have their father so it had to feel good that they were being looked out for by someone. Joyce yawned, leaning back. She was exhausted.. "What time is it?"

 

[NickNacks]

Jim shot her a quick smile, grateful just to be told he was doing an alright job. The whole situation had been crazy from start to finished. He just hope things would get back to normal again for everyone's sake. At Joyce's question, he leaned forward in order to take a look at the clock on the wall. "Uh...Just turning midnight now, it looks like. Maybe I should go down and tell them to go to bed," he mused thoughtfully. "Though I guess that would ruin the full sleepover experience." He looked back at Joyce for a moment. Despite her chat with him, she looked incredibly tired. "You can go ahead and sleep, I'll keep an eye on things down here."

 

[KillerQuinn]

Joyce nodded. "Its late!" She sighed. "Are you sure? I dont want you tired at work!" She said, placing a gentle kiss to his cheek before standing up. "Thank you.. So much. You can sleep on the couch or I've got a queen bed." She said before heading off to change into a pair of soft shorts and a tank top. She then climbed into bed and drifted off quite quickly.. Surprising considering she didnt think she'd be able to sleep tonight. She just felt safe with Hopper there.

 

[NickNacks]

"Oh-No, I'll take the couch. That's fine." He definetly didn't want to intrude on Joyce any more than he had already, and not to mention that he didn't want to give Will or Jonathan the wrong idea-not that Jonathan seemed to be home. Probably out with Nancy again, if he had to guess, but Joyce didn't seem too worried. Once she departed upstairs, Jim sighed and removed his shoes, settling down on the couch. It was difficult for him to fall asleep, and he lay awake for a few hours listening, before eventually drifting off.

 

[KillerQuinn]

El had already fallen asleep with Mike and the boys. However, that didnt last long. She soon awoke with tears filling her eyes due to more nightmares.. Nightmares that would keep a grown man up. She sighed, standing up with her bear and going upstairs.. she didnt want to wake Mike. She soon found Hopper on the couch and approached him, making sure he was asleep before climbing under his blanket with him and resting her head on his shoulder.

 

[NickNacks]

He awoke to a distinct weight on his chest that had little to do with the blankets.

Jim grumbled under his breath, still half asleep as he blearily reached up to rub his eyes with one hand. His other arm was curled loosely around whatever figure had seen fit to join him. For a wild second, he wondered if it was Joyce, but the weight was too small to be her. The answer was revealed when he heard a sniffle and caught sight of a distinctly curly head of hair.

"El..?" He blinked, lifting his head. "Shouldn't..." He paused, yawning. "Shouldn't you be downstairs?"

 

[KillerQuinn]

El sighed, wiping her eyes. "Bad dream.." She mumbled softly, only moving closer to him. She felt safe like this. El had bad dreams often, but she had never done this before. Tonight though.. She was terrified. She wanted to be held.. comforted. "Sorry.." She said softly, almost as if she thought she was going to be in trouble for waking him up. "I want to sleep with you.."

 

[NickNacks]

A low hum of understanding resonated from Hopper's chest as he gave a small nod. Without thinking, he reached up to rub the girl's back, in the same manner he had for his own daughter when she'd been sick with chemotherapy. He remembered feeling such a pull at his heart for her back then, as she cried and cried. He felt that same sympathy now, listening to El mention her nightmare. "You wanna talk about it, or do you just wanna sleep?"

 

[KillerQuinn]

El sighed. “I want you to stay up..” she said, sniffling as a tear rolled down her cheek. She was scared.. so scared. She wanted him to stay awake and make sure that she was safe. Hopper made her feel safer.. and right now she couldnt get close enough to him. "They're gonna get me.." She mumbled as another tear escaped her eyes. "I want to stay with y-you.."