stranger things - one shots

eleven h.

summary - spending a late winter evening in the comfort of hopper's cabin with the one and only el <333

(set in somewhere around the end of season 2)

———

hawkins, indiana 1984

Due to the chill of the late winter season outside, you found a certain comfort in the warmth of the cabin you sat in with your one and only girlfriend, El. Hopper had been working late, as usual, but rather than getting angry and locking her door from the chief, El had you. You seemed to be the only solution to her easy-temper, like water on fire. Sometimes it was better when Hop was gone, when she could just have you all to herself without the worry that his knocking would arrive on her bedroom door and he'd step in to tell you your mother had called for you to go home.

Maybe that was selfish.

But after all, it had been an entire year since she disappeared with the demogorgon and you thought you'd never see her again. Then, in she came through the Byers front door, after the entirely too long Halloween season, seeming to stitch your broken heart back together within a matter of seconds.

It was now Christmas season, when winter blanketed Hawkins in white, powdery snow, rainbow colored lights decorating the downtown windows, wreaths on the riches' front doors. This was one of the lucky days when there was a snow day on Friday, promising a three day weekend, guaranteed. And that meant more time with El. School had seemed to get in the way of that more than you liked, so every weekend, rather than gathering around Mike's basement table with the other four of the party, you spent it all with her.

This could've been selfish in its own ways too, but you guessed being away from someone for so long made it harder to stay away for even the shortest of times.

El listened intently as you read the book in your hands to her, after explaining that you were reading it in your English class and that it was homework, she then told you she didn't mind listening. So, there you sat, carefully reading over the words so she could understand them as she listened, or at least, tried to. Yet, your eyes seemed especially easy to get lost in, your hair looking softer than silk sheets, oh, and the way your eyebrows knitted together when you didn't know how to pronounce a word, and how the seconds she ran her hand through the long length of your hair (unlike her short chestnut curls), you smiled, wrinkles appearing under your eyes as a response to the curve of your lips,

"Maybe I should just chop it all off and give it to you?" You held up a part of your hair, looking to her.

Her eyes widened as she smiled, "No!"

"What? Since you like it so much." You teased, watching the way her cheeks grew pink, that addicting smile of hers revealing her dimples. You set the book on the ground, growing quite bored of it. You then turned to her, her eyes already glued on you.

Laying down next to her, you focused on staring at her ceiling, basking in the silence that was always comfortable with El. Although you looked up, she was focused entirely on you, as if you were the sun and she was a planet, the kind of planet that couldn't live without your sunlight. You could feel a pair of eyes on you, turning your head to see El staring for not even a second before she looked away, face flushed.

You then turned on your side, completely facing her as your hand trailed down to hers, your fingers slowly interlacing. The contact caused her to look at you again, and though she might have looked at you like that a thousand times before, you still got lost in the beautiful depth of her copper eyes like it was the first time you'd met all over again. — That dark night in the woods while looking for a missing Will Byers. Mike was most worried for the boy, that being the closest friend he had in the party. Lucas tagged along for support and Dustin, well he was the one that insisted you all should turn back at the thought of what danger may lie ahead. Except, there really was no danger, at least not on that night, just a shivering girl lost in the woods, the same girl you happened to fall in love with.

Soon, El turned on her side too, both of your faces only a few inches apart. You saw a smile brighten her face once again, causing you to question,

"What?"

El stayed silent for a moment, as if to let the moment soak in, before responding quite shyly, "Nothing.."

A long string of silence passed by, letting the both of you get lost in the galaxy of eye contact, then, you had done something without even realizing it until both of your cheeks were flaming pink, and your eyes were looking anywhere but her.  You had just kissed her. You kissed El. That hadn't happened since that time in the school gym, as the boys were grabbing pudding and you were explaining the Snow Ball to her, how you go with someone you... someone that you... then boom. You kissed, just like that, you go to a dance with someone that you like or...

someone you love.

You loved El, and that was just easier expressing through actions than through words, like the way you and her had fallen asleep. Her head in your neck as you wrapped your arms around her, her breathing becoming slower until you could tell she was sleeping. You enjoyed moments like this most, when everything was still and nearly as quiet as the beginning of snowfall outside El's bedroom window. Those delicate moments of late winter evenings that you would forever cherish.

2-ish hours later..

Hopper arrived home later than he wanted to, unfortunately. The snow had piled up on the backroads much more than in town, the drive home lasting nearly an hour. The second the chief stepped inside the warm cabin, his nose shaded a pink color due to the temperature difference. He kicked off his shoes, knowing that El was more than likely asleep with how late it was. What he hadn't expected was for you to be fast asleep beside her. You were both buried under El's thousands of blankets, her head resting in your neck. Though, your mother might not have been too happy you spent the night without telling her, there was no way he could interrupt such a fragile moment. So, he carefully and most definitely quietly, closed the bedroom door and left it at a crack.  He then headed to his own room, ready for a deep sleep after a long, dragging day at work.

———