It's Not Three Inches With You

Chapter 9

Max

The sun filtered in through our window much earlier than back home in Hawkins.

Huh, home. I never realised that I called Hawkins home before.

El was still asleep, tired from how late we had been up last night. I quietly got out of bed so as not to wake her, watching with a slight pang of longing as she stirred.

Stop thinking like that, I urged myself, though it wasn't as if I could help it.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen where my father sat with a plate of toast and the newspaper.

"Morning," he said to me, and I grinned back in response.

Taking the cereal from the cupboard I poured myself a bowl and took a seat at the table with him. (A/N: My friend and I read each other our fics and when I read this sentence I accidentally said 'creel' instead of 'cereal' so now I think of Victor and Vecna every time I read this lmaooo)

"How'd you sleep?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. It's better than the mattress at El's."

A look that I couldn't quite place flashed over my dad's face before he looked up at me.

"That's good. You know, it's great to see you again Max."

I smiled down at my cereal.

"Its great to see you too, Dad. I've missed you."

He smiled.

"Do you like it in Hawkins?" he asked and I shrugged again.

"Its okay. Too cold," I joked and he nodded.

"You know you can always stay here of you wanted. We could sort it out."

I didn't reply. I hadn't known this.

"You don't have to of cou-"

"I don't know." I interrupted and he nodded again, though I could tell he was a little taken aback.

At that moment El appeared.

"Hi, " she said to me with a shy smile as she walked over to the cupboard to pour her own bowl of cereal.

Internally I began to panic. She was so cute when she smiled like that.

"Hi," I replied, though my voice had risen about three octaves higher than normal and I sounded like I had just inhaled a litre of helium.

"So are you girls going shopping today?" My father asked and El looked at me.

I grinned back at her.

"Totally. El doesn't even have a swimsuit!" I told him and he smiled.

"Swimming's not your thing then?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"I've never been swimming before," she replied and he looked shocked.

"Really? Are there no pools in Hawkins?" my father asked me and I shook my head.

"There are but...El only moved to Hawkins a few years back." I lied, not wanting to get into the detail of the lab.

"Oh!" my father exclaimed. "Where are you from?"

"Five one five." She replied. (A/N: Or as Faith says five by five I'm sorry I'll shut up now lol)

My dad stared at her, and then me.

"I'm sorry?"

I wasn't entirely sure how to answer his question.