Mileven One-Shots

ring ring!

-

hopper's boots clacked against the cabin's porch, its old wood bending and creaking the slightest bit under his sturdy weight. he sighs blowing out the last of his cigarette, knowing fully well that his daughter (who would've thought?) would chastise him over the nasty habit.

she had a particular itch to throw the cancer sticks in the trash when he wasn't looking; he knew this because he'd caught her only a handful of times.

the girl even made him try to stop that sailor mouth of his, and now a swear jar sat a quarter full on the kitchen counter.

hop, smiles fondly at the thought anyways before knocking upon the door in a secret rhythm. usually the door will unlock within only a couple of seconds and he'll be greeted with the sight of the curly haired girl at the table, ready to eat and pester him about his day, it's comforting to have someone to go home to now.

but the door doesn't swing open and for a split second he thinks the worst; that the men from before have some how found her and taken her away. the man's one second away from a near freak out when he suddenly hears a high pitched giggle ringing out from inside the house.

oh. and then another thought occurs, remembering something suddenly.

she's probably too enamored with her new phone, yes after weeks and weeks of el's constant bringing up of it, he finally caved and with the help of joyce, pulled out the big bucks and bought one just for her. he'd been a little anxious at first; the idea of it being tapped with the bad men listening, but he'd lessened only when hopper saw how she'd lit up. the browns of her eyes sparkling, grinning ear to ear at how pretty ("and it's pink!") it was.

he's thrown back to the current moment when another bright giggle escapes into the night, and the man sighs having to unlock the door himself for once.

the door to her room is creaked open the slightest bit, and he can see how her shadow moves slightly.

hopper, setting his hat down, walks over and knocks gently peering in to see eleven looking like a such a picture perfect normal teenage girl that it takes him by surprise for a moment.

her fingers are wrapped around the cord, twisted loosely around each of them and she's smiling so goddamn lovestruck at the phone he doesn't even have to know who it is on the other end.

she spots him after a second, her widened grin making his heart melt. "hold on, hops home," el whispers before setting the phone on the bed and walking into the man's already open arms.

"hey kiddo, you have a good day?"

eleven gives a nod. "i read and steve came over to help with school."

(he'd been a little iffy at first about the once party boy teaching el about school, but he'd been surprised to learn that the kid wasn't so bad. not like hopper would tell him anyways that though.)

hop ruffles her hair giving a grin, "alright, well, dinner will be ready soon then, we still have some of that casserole joyce froze for us. go talk to lover boy over there before he thinks you hung up on him," he teases and she turns red glaring playfully at him, but she all but rushes back to the phone anyways talking rushed, and the man smiles.

he'll give her all the time in the world to be a normal kid.

even if that means talking to a boy.

eleven's fingers find their way back into the cord only moments after hopper closes the door, and she smiles softly into the phone once more.

"i'm back, hoppers making food right now. we can still talk for a bit if you want."

"i do!" mike's voice eagerly responds and she giggles at how he curses lowly at himself. "okay mike."