i love you, too.

“i can’t see,” eleven groaned in complaint, readjusting the massive frames on her face. jonathan only took her to the carnival under two conditions: she stick with him the whole time and she covered her identity as much as possible. she donned one of her usual oversized plaid shirts of hopper’s and left her hair down, but had on dark-framed sunglasses that caused her to walk into a wall within five seconds of initially putting them on. not only were they darkening her vision, but it was blurrier now too. her eyesight had always been not the best, but now it wasn’t helping at all. “no one’s even noticing me. can i take them off? please?” she looked up at him pleadingly, but didn’t let go of his hand. not like she could anyway with how tightly he was holding it. she sighed slightly, her exterior softening. it was only out of fear for her, and she knew that and appreciated it. el knew she couldn’t be so easily annoyed with how much he’d done for her that hopper wouldn’t let her. “i promise i’ll stay close... please...?”

he gripped onto her hand tightly and headed out the door. “ DON’T WORRY⏤ if we do get caught, i’ll take the blame, okay ? ” he wasn’t about to let el get punished just for some ice cream. it was the most innocent mistake to make. he opens the car door for her before getting into the driver’s seat, turning on the engine and putting his seatbelt on. 

“no,” el gasped, shaking her head swiftly as she looked up at him. but then he was ushering her into the front seat and she quickly climbed in. she immediately turned to him once he was inside too, forgoing her seatbelt for the time being. “jonathan, you are not going to get in trouble for me. hopper would go easier on me that he would with you. and if the bad men come... i can handle them better than anyone.”

what was going on? people seemed to be crowded around the billboard, the one near the entrance of starcourt. it was loud and people shoved, but still el moved through everyone, anxious to see what it was. was the mind flayer back? was someone else missing? already her heart was starting to race until she caught sight of the flyer. a carnival. a carnival here in hawkins. oh... that was good news. she sighed shakily and froze in place, letting herself be shoved past. she really needed to quit panicking about the mind flayer; although it wouldn’t leave her mind. she had nightmares about it even still, almost every night. the people rushing around her weren’t helping her tension. finally el ducked out of the crowd rapidly, her breaths quickening, then ended up tripping over another’s foot and falling to the ground right at someone’s feet. “i- s-sorry- i’m sorry,” she muttered rapidly, rising to her feet and keeping her eyes down, trying to remain inconspicuous.

the library. a place el had only heard about. hopper had told her, albeit gently, that she wouldn’t likely find anything of interest in the library. not yet. eleven knew exactly what that meant: she wasn’t yet smart enough. he was teaching her things every day, giving her words of the day and all, but she still struggled. but no longer. el had about twelve books in her small arms as she stumbled to the exit of the library, and was nearly out the door until she heard someone call to her. “excuse me, you have to check those out. do you have a library card?” the librarian at the desk asked. no. she didn’t. she still barely had an identity. frowning in disappointment, eleven just turned and set all the books on the closest table. though she was eager to learn, it would be impossible for her. she sighed sharply then sunk into the closest chair, tucking her knees to her chest. it wasn’t fair. it wasn’t.

“why do you like boys? they suck.” at least that was how max felt. el believed it, too. she adored her friends, but she knew how people like troy and the other bullies could be. no girls had been mean to her; not yet, at least. she offered her cone out to will, letting him have another lick of her concoction: peanut butter with strawberry sauce, rainbow sprinkles, and not one, but two waffle cones. though she was pretty sure he didn’t love the combination, he was good at pretending like he did. thankfully, steve had let them hide out in the back room of scoops ahoy, meaning el didn’t have to be worried about people seeing her. “you should tell your mom to come over. my dad keeps asking about her. he’s in love with her or something, probably.”

joyce continuously forgets that eleven still isn’t quite used to a lot. poor girl had been locked away in a lab for so long, it never bothered joyce to have to explain things but she also didn’t want to speak to el like she was dumb. the girl was far from it. still, her explanation brought out a laugh. “yes! that’s the one!” she smiled, holding the door for eleven as they made their way to joyce’s car. “i’m no five star chef but if you like it, you could take some back to the cabin with you. i’m sure hopper could use a home cooked meal these days.” she shook her head, the thought of the man bringing a small grin to her lips as she started her car up. “and hopefully spending some time with me won’t be as boring as being in that cabin for god knows how long now.”

el’s expression mirrored joyce’s instantly, the grin breaking out across her face as she perked up, following her out of the store. “everything you make is really good,” she replied without hesitation, giving a slight shake of her head. not only was el eager for any sort of home-cooked meal after her years in the lab, but joyce truly was good at it. she giggled, then thought for a second before looking up at her again. “maybe you could bring it back with me,” she proposed, turning her body in joyce’s direction after buckling her seatbelt. “i think hopper would like to see you.” also, if eleven was being honest, she’d love to see hopper and joyce spend time together, and finally get closer to getting together officially.

with a low laugh, he steadied himself as she gave him a hug, balancing them both in his arms. he hugs her back before pulling back. “ you can thank me later, we need to get there and back without getting in TROUBLE first. ” he sighs like he’s preparing himself for war, but it was all lighthearted. “ you ready to go now ? ” he asks, wanting to make sure she had everything she needed. 

he was right; they weren’t in the clear yet. not even close. el nodded firmly, getting as serious as he was. it sounded ridiculous, but he was right. if they stumbled across the wrong people, both of their lives could be in danger. “mhmm,” she murmured, setting her picture with the others. she could come get them later when they were fully dry. then she reached out for his hand and held it tightly as they exited, both out of her excitement but also her anxiousness.

mickey didn’t want to enter the home without permission from el, that would have been rude of him to do so otherwise so he waited in the doorframe. he knew she couldn’t be of any harm or anything odd if she was friends with will, dustin and mike, so he continued on with their conversation — shaking off any weird feeling he was getting from the girl’s behavior. “just here to fix up a couple of the windows, hopper said they’re letting in some air and you can’t have that when you’re trying to keep the place cool in the summer,” he tried to lighten the mood. “i just need to take a look at the windows and seal them up, shouldn’t take too long.”

so he did know about the fix hopper said he needed to have done, which meant he couldn’t have been lying. hopper wouldn’t send anyone here that he didn’t one-hundred percent trust. which meant eleven trusted him too. her eyebrows pulled further together before she finally took a small step back and opened the door wider for him to come in, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. it was almost comical, her trying to look threatening with her much shorter height; but she knew she could do a ton of damage, if necessary. as he began, el moved closer and closer until she was practically hovering over him, still watching him carefully.

he huffs, annoyance growing over their stilted interaction. keane shrugs. “i don’t know what to tell ya kid. what d’ya wanna even know huh?” his eyes narrow in at her expression as he tilts his head. “m’keane. i just wanted to go for a fuckin’ walk and - i just wanna know what’s beyond that secret zone y’seem to care so much ‘bout.” he doesn’t know if his cause for invasion is worth sympathizing over but keane’s honest for once.

el hesitated, glancing away for a few moments but not relaxing her stance at all. how could she be sure he wasn’t lying? he seemed pretty serious, but... the bad men would do or say anything to get to her. she knew this already, ever since the incident at benny’s burgers. “none of your business. there’s nothing for you there,” she snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “do you live in hawkins?”

joyce could sense the excitement in el’s tone and written across her features. “gosh, how long has he kept you cooped up for?” she questioned rhetorically with an airy chuckle. joyce knew it was a risk to take eleven out anywhere too public and she didn’t want to go against hopper’s wishes when it came down to protecting her at all costs. because that’s why this rule was enforced to begin with, to keep her safe. that was the main priority. “great because i have some leftovers at home that are calling our names.” she hoped it wouldn’t be too much of a disappointment to el, not being able to take her anywhere to eat but the safest place for her other than at the cabin would be at joyce’s. “lasagna sound good to you?” she questioned the young girl with a warm smile, grabbing her bag as she waved at the employee taking over the shop for now.

el let out an exhausted chuckle, giving a shrug of her shoulders in response. none of her wanted to hold anger towards hopper for keeping her locked away, as she knew now that it was only for her safety, but she truthfully had been so bored there. though leftovers at the byers’ house was no restaurant, it was just as meaningful for eleven, and she smiled again, nodding her head. she began walking with her, tilting her head slightly in confusion. lasagna. knowing she didn’t have to be hesitant to ask joyce for clarification on things, she questioned, “is that the one with the pasta that’s shaped funny?” it was hard for her to define what foods were, but hopefully she would know what she was referring to.

he genuinely laughs, for maybe the first time in a while as el ruffles his hair. it was nice, to not have to think so hard about how others thought of you or what others were going through. it seemed like el had experienced so much for such a young age but she showed some of the most genuine emotions out of everyone he had ever met. she was a good reminder for him. to be better. “ hm ? ” he hums lowly in his chest, curious. “ starcourt ? ” god there was so many people there that could see her and if hopper found out⏤. sighing he grabs a hold of her shoulders. “ you promise to stay by my side the entire time ? ” 

el prepared herself for disappointment at his response. usually everyone gave her a hard ‘no’ as soon as she tried to ask. but jonathan’s hesitation gave her a bit of hope. when he held onto her narrow shoulders, her eyes widened slightly, wondering if she really would have a shot at this. and evidently... she did. the grin broke out on her face immediately, and she nodded fervently as he spoke. as soon as he finished, she sputtered out a response. “yes, i will, i promise.” she felt like bouncing off the walls in her excitement, but instead she just wrapped her arms around him tightly in appreciation. “thank you so much.”

keane stumbles back from the force, surprise colouring his face. and maybe it’s because there’s some desperation in her eyes, and that he doesn’t exactly want another rumour to spread over a strange girl - keane doesn’t push forward. “fine - jesus christ.” the woods aren’t going anywhere, he figures, so he’ll just come back another time when the nameless stranger isn’t blocking his way.

el sighed deeply, but raised her chin in a small form of victory, still standing her guard. she took the time to study him once more. wait... what if he had been here to spy on her? now he had everything he needed to go back and confirm her identity. “wait,” she called out before she could stop herself, moving towards him again. then she paused before asking, “who are you? and what are you doing here?”

the pool seemed to be one of the safest bets in town for el to visit. despite how crowded it could get, people tended to only pay attention to themselves, so they never noticed her. especially if she wore hopper’s sunglasses and fishing hat. anywhere else, she would’ve stuck out like a sore thumb, but thankfully not here. even now, as she waited for mike to finish changing so they could go to the movies, el simply sat at a table and ate an ice cream sandwich, though her eyes were locked on one specific person. a girl, who seemed much calmer than the rest of the crowd. she fascinated el, enough for her gaze to remain locked on her as she simply watched her interact with her surroundings so gently. it was interesting, and different for this town; el would have to keep an eye on her.

✖ for my muses reaction to waking up in a hospital bed and finding yours asleep in the chair beside them.

at first she panicked. any place that even remotely reminded el of the lab terrified her. she jolted, eyes shooting open, and clutched onto the sheets beneath her. her breathing was already getting quicker and quicker as she tried to figure out where she was exactly. it was like the lab, but… not. sterile and bright, yes. but it was here to help. she didn’t feel any danger here. “…dad…?” she winced, looking around for hopper. but instead she saw someone asleep in the chair next to her bedside. her eyebrows pulled together. it was the one boy, who had come to fix the cabin. not wanting to wake him, eleven just laid back down but kept her stare on him, ready to press him for questions when he woke.

“no.” it came almost too quickly. eleven could never vouch for her own ideas, mostly because there was so much she wasn’t able to do. but regardless, she took a deep breath then turned the radio until it was on a station that was pure static. then she tied her signature black blindfold around her eyes and focused. the blood trickled slightly from her nose, but she still didn’t move, instead using her abilities as best as she could. then… there he was. “pictures…” she murmured quietly, seeing how jonathan was developing the film just like he showed her. “developing pictures…” it had been el’s idea to see what jonathan was doing, since she and nancy tended to talk boys often and their confusions and frustrations regarding them. “a picture of you,” she pointed out, her eyebrows raising slightly. then, even still in her focus, a small smile formed on her lips, genuinely happy for the two friends she considered her brother and sister.

of course eleven could tell that steve was still hung up on nancy ( and maybe something else, too ). either way, he wasn’t happy. and el didn’t like to see her friends sad. he’d come all the way to the cabin to ‘check on her’, but she knew what he’d really come for. an ear to listen, maybe even just someone who was close with jonathan and nancy to give him the scoop on their relationship. but el, truthfully, didn’t know too much, and she could tell it wasn’t the answer he’d wanted. especially when she noticed the tears shining down his cheeks. it hit her then how intense this really was for him. though she was still uncertain about human interaction, it felt only natural for el to reach forward and gently wipe his tears with her fingertips. sure, it wasn’t the most practical way to do it, but surely he’d know what a gesture like that meant coming from her. then she scooted even closer to him on the couch, wrapping her small arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. “i hope you find someone who loves you, steve…”