MOUSE

the dailykatnep anniversary is in 2 days.

El moved to iceland after s5 and started afresh

She settles in a small village and when the people living there see a teenage girl alone with an air of melancholy? Immediately she is taken in as the village child to look after

someone sees her using her powers by accident and the whole village silently agrees “we tell no one. She is ours to protect now” and they go about their daily lives

years pass, el grows into an adult and takes over the village bakery after the elderly owner passes away

sometimes she checks in on The Party, using her powers, she watches mike and will fall in love, lucas and max blossom, and she is so very happy for them

and then she sees dustin. Dustin does not fall in love, she doesnt understand why because dustin always talked about suzie when they were dating, el figured dustin really valued romance

after a long while of living—when shes about 25-27—she is taking her daily walk through the forests and waterfalls (the one time a day she lets herself truly think about what she left behind) and she comes across a small child. No older than five or six, and so *so* small, shivering, terrified. El looks at her and sees herself that night in the woods when hopper found her

she remembers what hopper said the last time they saw eachother “give her the life you never had”

so she does

a year later dustin—a fully fledged nasa engineer—moves to work in iceland to study the geothermal vents and renewable energy possibilities. Hes posted in a small village.

the day after he arrives he walks into the village bakery to see el—jane—laughing with a customer behind the counter, flour on her cheek, her hair long, so long (she never cuts it, not after the lab) and smiling. Really truly smiling.

he’s about to call out to her, sweep her into a crushing hug, cry, shout, *something*, a young girl comes running behind the counter waving a sheet of scribbled on paper shouting “mama look what i made!”

and dustin comes to the conclusion that Jane has well and truly moved on from everything. From hawkins. From everyone.

he leaves the bakery without buying anything

and now has to try and get through his year long post without running into Jane, or her daughter

Non-animated:

A heart’s a heavy burden ✨