Jailbird || Stranger Things

thirty ➵ liar, liar, pants on fire

Mike and El embraced, something long overdue. Hopper lowered his gun, as did Nancy and Steve with their own weapons.

    "What are we? Invisible?" Teresa asked her father as they watched the kids greet each other.

    "Is that—"

    "Yeah," Lucas replied to Max's predictable question.

    "I never gave up on you. I called you every night. Every night for—"

    "353 days. I heard," El nodded as they pulled apart, still in their own world. It had been too long. It really had.

    "Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike asked, the two Hoppers sharing a look. They knew how the moment would turn out.

    Teresa had just opened her mouth to reply, when Jim took the blame.

    "Because I wouldn't let her," he spoke, Mike and the other kids turning to him, accusation burning in their eyes.

    "This is how you knew?" Dustin asked Teresa, and she wasn't sure what to reply. His eyes were accusing, hell, it hurt her and he was just looking at her. She didn't want to know what Mike was going to reply with.

    "I didn't let her say anything either," Hopper cut off any of her explanations, stepping to his younger daughter. Or girl who was already like his daughter. "The hell is this?" he asked, indicating her clothes. "Where you been?"

    "Where have you been?" Eleven echoed the question. Unable to remain angry at her, just appreciating the fact that they were alive, Hopper pulled the girl into him, the hug full of emotions they hadn't been able to express. "Reese?" El looked around Jim, and the girl tackled her into a hug, holding El close to her.

    "What, are you punk now?" the older girl asked, crouching down and tugging at the blazer.

    "You've been hiding her. You've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike exploded at Jim, attempting to shove him, but the man was built stronger than he'd realised.

    "Hey! Let's talk," the man held onto the boy's arm. "Alone."

    "Protecting her?!" the door was soon closed behind the two, blocking out most of Mike's pained shouts.

    Instead of dwelling on it, Teresa pulled El into another hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

    "You too," El nodded, pulling away. Her eyes found the scratches on the girl's neck, the bruises, the scratches on her face, her fingers coming up to trace them. "You're hurt," she said as he eyes went down to the girl's knee, eyes widening at the sight of the bloody bandage.

    "Eh, don't worry about me," Teresa pulled the girl's attention to her face again. "You weren't home last night?"

    "No."

    "Okay," she breathed out. "I heard you saw your mom?" El nodded again, Reese smiling as she wiped the blood from El's nose with her thumb. "If you want to live with her, I'd understand, you know? We would."

    "No," El shook her head this time, hand cupping Teresa's cheek. "Sister."

    Teresa could feel her eyes fill with tears, but instead of saying anything too emotional, she let her shoulders drop.

    The whole living room was watching the exchange, but none of them could explain it. The only person who could was calming down one of the party in a separate room, leaving most of them to look to Nancy and Steve, who they believed were Teresa's closest friends. Even they had no clue how much Teresa had known all this time.