Oneshots

Reparations

Mike and El slowly walked into the cabin. In the background, they could hear Hopper checking the surrounding area. "So this is where you've been?" Mike asked. He looked around the living room, seeing the unplugged television which was his technical reason for being there. He was really just excited to have a reason to finally see what Hopper deemed safe for El. The door slammed shut, drawing Mike's attention.

"So you think you could fix it, kid?" the sheriff said, motioning to the television in the corner. "Uh, yeah. It shouldn't be too hard." Mike started taking off his bag. "You said you got some stuff from the store?" The chief held up the bag at his side. "Yeah, I got a pretty good deal. It's been hard covering up how they lost their best employee." Hopper stared at nothing in particular, a heavy weight suddenly upon him. Mike knew what it was like. He still saw Bob and the demodogs in his sleep.

"Here, you know what you're doing," Hopper said, handing Mike the bag. "I have to go finish some paperwork at the station. I know I can trust you two, right?" He crescendoed, glaring between the two. The raven-haired boy nodded frantically, while the girl behind him just smiled and nodded calmly. "Alright, I'll be back around ten. Hopefully, you guys don't burn this place down by then." He said, turning to the door. As he opened the door, he turned back around to the kids. Mike was already hard at work pulling out the dead wires, while El sat close by, already asking questions about what each cable did and how Mike learned to repair electronics. As Hopper walked back to his car he pondered what to think of Mike. He was filling in as El's father figure now, and he had to think like that. But at the same time, he couldn't find it in his heart to dislike the boy that El had, dare he say it, fallen in love with.

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"And what does that one do?" El asked for the hundredth time. Usually, when people talked to Mike, and especially when they asked questions, he tended to get impatient. Like when his mom kept asking questions about the science fair projects, or when they'd recently tried to show Max how to play Dungeons and Dragons. He liked when people could just pick up information like him. But with El, it was as if he was a completely different person.

"This is what connects the receiver to the television. So it takes all the signals going around in the air and converts it into something we can see. Kind of like the super comms. Except, instead of sound, it's visual." Mike explained, pausing at some words that El might not have known so he could explain if needed. Her eyes just widened and she nodded slowly. That was her way of showing she understood, she just had to wrap her mind around it. "And that one?" She asked, pointing to the last cable. "This is the power. It should be all," He paused as he plugged the cable in and turned on the TV, "We need."

The pair were met with static, the last channel El had tuned it to. It was enough for her however, as she began to jump around. "Thank you!" She yelled as she hugged Mike. He looked down at her, noticing the height difference between them. She met his gaze, eyes full of love, and a smile that warmed some deep part of him that he didn't even know was cold.

A part of his mind went back to that night in the cafeteria. When it felt like it was just him and her. Like he could take on anything. But now was different. Now he had her, she was here to stay. Just as he decided to take a risk and begin leaning in, El seemed to have a different plan. "Let's make Eggo's to celebrate!" She ran to the kitchen and began getting together everything she needed. Mike, though a bit disappointed, just laughed to himself. Sure she'd gone back to the Upside Down, been separated for just shy of a year, and then defeated an inter-dimensional monster, and survived it all, but she was still the girl that he remembered.

After El showed Mike how to make a Triple Decker Eggo Extravaganza, they sat down on the couch. Mike had never really thought about what shows El watched, but he was curious to learn. He watched as she flipped through some channels, muttering to herself different musings about what was on each one, before landing on one which she seemed to like and wiping away a drop of blood. Mike's eyes widened as he realized it was a soap opera. He looked back towards El, prepared to ask her why she would enjoy something like this, but he was met with the sight of El mouthing every word. She'd memorized it.

Mike turned back to the screen, now looking at it through El's eyes. He saw the drama and the love, and the stories the shows told. She'd always had that effect on him, forcing him to look at the world with a new perspective. His trance was broken as he felt a weight on him. He looked down to see El's head in his lap, her eyes struggling to stay open. As he began to play with her curly hair, she yawned causing him to mimic her actions. He felt his eyes get heavier with each brush his hands made through her hair, the tv becoming more of a blur before he finally succumbed to the warmth surrounding him.

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Hopper knocked for the third time, more frantic. He paused, listening for any signs of movement on the inside. Still nothing. Grumbling to himself, he pulled a key ring from his pocket, shoving it angrily into each lock. He opened the door, ready to face whatever was waiting for him. On the couch, in front of him, he saw the couple dozing away, smiles on both of their faces, as one of El's soaps played in the background.

Hopper gave a small smile as he turned off the TV, giving one last look at the two. Maybe at another time he'd have gotten mad at El for not responding to the signal, or at Mike for sleeping with El when they were supposed to be in separate rooms. But for now, he'd let them rest. They had a lot of catching up to do.

A/N: I'm finishing some chapters for some other stories but saw that people liked this series and thought I'd update it. I might use this as more of a testing ground for more story ideas or as quick writing refreshers, but I hope I can still make stories that people enjoy.