Invisible- Stranger Things Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty Five: Back Again

*Nikki's POV*
   "So... you're really my little girl?"
   We'd all gone to Hopper and El's cabin, allowing the chief to sit down and process everything as his daughter explained it. He thought we were pranking him at first, that Sarah was just an actress we'd hired that looked like his kid. But the more Sarah talked, the more he believed her.
   Sarah nodded. "I'm not so little anymore, though, am I?" she said with a gentle laugh.
   "Where are you staying, kid?"
   "I don't really know yet. Nikki and Steve were taking care of me, but they-"
   "Our parents are having renovations done on the house," Steve said quickly. "They're on vacation again and-"
   I realized that Hopper needed us to be honest with him about everything. After all, we'd told him Sarah was only a few miles outside of town and that Dustin was on a day trip with us when we found her. "No, Steve," I said, stopping him mid-lie. "Chief Hopper, sir, Steve and I ran away. We skipped town for a week and ended up in Gary. Dustin came to look for us, and that's how he found your daughter. But you see, we can't go back with our parents because I just can't be there anymore."
   Hopper tensed a bit. "Why? Do they hurt you or something, Nikki?"
   "No, not physically. They just don't really care about Steve or me, and we needed to get away from them. We're really just back in Hawkins to get Sarah home, then we've got to find somewhere to go."
   "Nope." Hopper shook his head. "You two are staying with me until we can find you a new place."
   Steve shook his head. "Chief, you really don't have to do that for us. I can just-"
   "Oh, shut up, Harrington. Your sister doesn't have anywhere else to go, right?"
   "She can stay with me," many of my friends offered at once.
   Hopper laughed at their eagerness. El really had made him softer. "Do your parents know you're offering to let her live with you?" he asked all of the kids, most of whom frowned at this.
   Dustin nodded. "My mom loves her."
   "All right, then," Hopper said. "Little Harrington can stay with you, but Steve's with me."
   Sarah stood between El and Will, awkwardly shifting her eyes about.
   "Um... Sarah?" The police chief seemed almost afraid of his long-lost daughter, gingerly approaching her. "You can stay here, if you want."
   Sarah then looked at me, as if waiting for validation. When I just smiled at her, she turned to her dad and said, "Thank you, sir."
   "You can... call me Dad... if you want." Hopper seemed unsure of what to do with the young woman before him, trying to break the tension and making it worse.
   Dustin grabbed my hand and began to pull me out of the house. "Well, now that the family's reunited, I say we let the happy Hoppers get reacquainted and call a party meeting at my place."
   Steve gave me the keys to his car. "Your bag and his bike are in the trunk. Do not start the engine," he said, pointing his finger at both of us.
   "Damn it," Dustin muttered under his breath, making me laugh as we walked outside, the other party members except for El following us out. I grabbed my bag and got in the back of his bike.
Will soon drifted next to us. "So, um... are you two...?"
"Back together?" Max finished for him, her skateboard on our left side, Lucas's bike next to her.
I shrugged. "Can't we just enjoy the fact that you've got your little Toothless Wonder back and forget for a minute all of the politics that come with teenaged relationships?"
Everyone stayed silent for a moment as they pondered my long-winded lament. Mike rolled his eyes as he continued to ride his bike, calling to his friends, "She's right, you know."
   I looked at him gratefully, but he had already zoomed off, waiting for all of us to join him in Dustin's front yard.
   As soon as we got there, Mrs. Henderson flung open the door. "Nikki?"
"Wow, thanks, Mom. Love you too," Dustin whispered.
Dustin's Mom ran over to our bike, making me jump off, afraid she was going to bitch slap me for making her son run away. Instead, though, she picked me up and almost crushed me in a hug. "Honey, I was so worried about you. Dusty told me you ran away in his note, and I was just terrified for you!"
So, this is what it's like to have a mom who cares. "Mrs. Henderson-"
"Claudia," she corrected.
"Claudia," I repeated, "I'm fine, don't worry. Dustin found me and brought me back."
Claudia ran to her son, clinger her arms around him. "Oh, Dusty! You're so brave, leaving to find your little friend like that! I'm proud of you, honey."
Dustin's face was going red, making me laugh. "Mom," he groaned.
Will laughed at him. "Aww, Dusty, how cute," he said, mimicking Claudia.
I smack his arm. "Don't mock her, she missed us."
After a few more minutes of Claudia gushing over me and Dustin, we all went inside, greeted warmly by the smell of freshly-baked cookies and Claudia's favorite rose candle. She made sure we were all settled, then left us to our discussion, going to her room to take a nap.
"Okay. Now that Sarah's here, the game has changed a little." Dustin took charge as leader of our little meeting, standing while the rest of us were sitting around his living room. "So now we've got a new member to the party? And don't deny it, Mike, she kind of has to be in the party, being El's sister and all."
   Mike held up his hands in defense. "I wasn't going to dispute that."
   All of us gasped dramatically. "You mean you're actually going to allow someone into the party? No protest whatsoever?" Max asked with half-feigned surprise.
   Will raised his hand. "Not to mention that we'll have an additional new party member once Nancy has her baby-"
   "No babies in the party!" We all shouted at him in unison.
   He laughed. "It was worth a shot," he mumbled sheepishly.
Lucas checked the time, then started to freak out. "Shit, man. We've gotta get home, it's almost eight."
"Eight at night?" I clarified. Normally these kids stay out 'til the sun comes up during the summer.
Lucas, Mike and Will hung their heads in shame. "Our moms want us to get back on a schedule," Mike admitted.
"Nerds," Dustin and I muttered at the same time, earning a laugh from Max.
"My parents don't care," she said casually. "And I hate Billy, so Lucas, can I come over to your place?"
"Ooooh," the other party members chorused. Including me. Yes, I can be immature.
Lucas and Max both rolled their eyes before getting up with everyone else to leave.
"Night, guys!" I called, to which I got many mumbled responses.
The door closed behind them, leaving me and Dustin alone. (Claudia was sleeping in her room.)
"So..." I said. That was it, nothing more to say, I just wanted to break the silence.
Dustin let out a small laugh. "So," he repeated. But he kept going: "I can sleep on the couch if you're more comfortable that way."
"No, no, I don't want to take your bed."
"Well, I'm not letting you sleep on the couch."
Realizing this could take a while, I stopped him. "Dustin, we've shared a bed plenty of times."
He caught my drift, smiling lightheartedly. "Oh. Okay." He grabbed my duffle bag and brought it to his room. "So, um... Mon?"
"Yeah, Dustin?"
"What... um... what are we?"
I scoffed. "Humans," I replied, giving him a duh look.
"Mon, seriously."
Sitting on the bed, I rolled my eyes. "Dustin, can't we just be? Ya know, not worry about labels? I mean, for God's sake, we're fourteen. It's not like our friends expect us to get engaged." Dustin looked down. "Omigosh, they do, don't they?"
Dustin smiled sheepishly. "I mean... not right away-"
"Shut up, Henderson," I sighed, giving him a small smirk.
As the sky darkened outside, I rummaged through my bag to get my pyjamas. Now where to change...
"Mon? Why are you in the closet?" Dustin asked as I ran past him and shut the closet door.
I ignored him for a second, changing faster than lightning and jumping back out. "Ta-da!"
"Holy shit!" Dustin tumbled backwards, his eyes wider than saucers.
Pulling him up, I moved close enough that I was about a centimeter from his face. "Did I startle you?" I whispered.
   Dustin's face went from scared to confused to calm in a manner of seconds. He pressed his forehead gently to mine, his face now showing off his toothy grin. "Yeah, but I loved it."
   As he moved in for a kiss, I pulled back, a wild smirk on my face. Dustin's cheeks got incredibly red, like the burner on a stove that's just gotten to its hottest point.
   "Son of a bitch, Mon, you can't do shit like that!" Dustin huffed, pouting his way to the bed and sitting on the edge.
   I flopped down next to him, my head up against the wall. "Didn't love that, now did you?" I giggled.
   "Bitch," he whispered.
   "I'm sorry," I said in a teasing tone, "what did you just say?"
   His cheeks flushed as he tried to work himself up to say it again. "I- you- um... you heard me!"
   Realizing I should do something to make him feel better, I sat up and wiggles closer to him. "I'm sorry, Dustin," I murmured, kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks for letting me stay here, by the way."
   "You stayed here all the time this summer," he pointed out.
   "Yeah, but..."
But what? What could I possibly say that properly expressed my gratitude towards Dustin? Sure, we had a few rough patches, but he'd been there for me all summer. Played D&D with me, got me back into the party, slayed a monster with me. Normal couple stuff. Still, Hawkins may suck, but sitting on his bed, just laughing our asses off at each other- like we were doing now- finally made me feel at home.
   "Mon?" Dustin rubbed my arm. "You okay?"
   Wrapping my arms around him, I smiled contently. Without an ounce of selfishness, he hugged back; he knew I needed it. "Never better."