Stranger Things Oneshots (Multiship)

to ohio and back (hopclair)

Summary: When El escapes the lab, again, the party comes to her rescue. Again.

4.4k words | Alt Universe: Canon Divergence | Mutual-ish Pining

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El had been running for god knows how long. Her chest was constricting and burning as if she'd swallowed fire, and she knew at any moment her legs would give out from under her, but she continued running.

She was not going through with this. Whatever other training they had set up for her - however successful it could be - she doesn't care. She was not spending another day calling that man Papa. That man wasn't her father, just someone acting like he could be.

She'd acted fast, and thanks to the minimal training she'd undergone, her powers were strong enough to at least get her out of their hands and out into the deserted plains she was running across. It's a melancholy issue now that she's lost all the hair she'd grown, but she supposes it was worth it to be able to get out.

She had to get to her friends. Whether that be in California or in Hawkins, she didn't care. She just needed to be there.

Stealing food was something she'd unfortunately grown accustomed to. While she hadn't needed to for a long time, her skills weren't withered.

Sneaking into the back of restaurants, snagging food from picnic tables - it was delinquent stuff, but necessary. She'll pay them back later. Maybe.

As she gets closer and closer to more dense civilisation and away from scarce gas stations and along-the-road cafes, she can feel the anxiety rising in her stomach.

If she's seen, or causes any drama with police, they'll find her. She'll have to live like she did with Hopper, or with Mike. She must not exist. She must be silent and undetected.

There's the beginnings to a town along the road she'd been walking. A few cars actually start to pass her with more frequency, and she hopes beyond anything that someone will know how to get to a place she recognises.

There's a man loading a truck by a store at the edge of the road. He spots her quickly, tilting his head at her as if she's out of place. Given the state of her, she likely is.

He approaches her, slow. He's cautious about it. She lets him come.

"Are you lost there, girl?" He asks, and there's a certain accent to his words. "D'ya need some help?"

"Lost," she blurts, "I need to find Hawkins, Indiana."

"Oh, well, you're not too far," he tells her, and pushes the brim of his hat up slightly, "you'll be heading quite a ways west, though. Do you have parents to call or anything like that? There's a phone inside the shop you can use."

He points a thumb over his shoulder to the store. It's a hardware store - the windows display wood and paint.

El can remember Mike's phone number, but that's too dangerous. Anybody listening could recognise her voice, or anybody who answers could say her name.

"I can't talk to them," she says, "can you pass a message for me? Over the phone? I know the number."

The man considers her for a moment, giving her a sympathetic look. He nods, and waves for her to follow as he heads inside.

"What happened to your hair?" He asks as he closes the door behind them. "Are you ill?"

"No," she assures, "I had a...surgery. It's growing back soon."