you're my safe place ~ MILEVEN ONE SHOTS~

Three - Inches

(I MISSED YOU ALL!!!!!!This may rip your hearts out, hopefully in a well-written way. Again, this is full of spoilers so do not continue if you have not watched all of stranger things 3)

He told her that life was always moving, whether she would like it or not. That it was full of heartbreak and great triumphs, each of them tampering with your emotions in different ways. He was always right, and his letter was no exception. The clocks moved quickly, time speeding up around her until she could hardly find her place in the new town that they had moved to on that Wednesday afternoon. The new life was waiting for her, but despite how she was able to breathe better away from the town that started it all, she never truly felt prepared. Maybe he was right, perhaps she was scared of change just like he was. But despite the way that life moved on around her in the months that past by, she could not stop circling back to that moment. The moment that she went cold all over, her heart sinking right down into the bottom of her chest once she finally came to the terrifying realization. The realization that he was gone and he wasn't coming back. 

She kept the letter tucked into her pocket every single day, switching it depending on which clothes she wore, always wanting it as close to her heart as possible. Soon enough the words became a part of her, stitched into the lining of her soul as if his voice could never be taken away. She didn't want to forget his words, because it would mean forgetting him. It would mean forgetting all of those mornings filled with eggos and teasing, how he would roll his eyes at her and Mike but how they would ignore him. There were so many days that she took him for granted, staying up with Mike instead of watching Miami Vice at 10 pm, dozing off and giggling at the harsh sound of his snores. There were moments that she could never get back, final words that he could never hear, comfort snatched away that was once provided when she fell into his arms. There was a feeling that she could never label when she was with him, a feeling that lie deeply within her heart. It was rumbling gently within her soul when they watched television, when he ruffled her hair and taught her a new word. Now that she spent everyday without that feeling, she had finally discovered what it was. 

The feeling of home. 

"El?" his voice interrupted her thoughts, her head snapping up. 

She blinked. "Yes?"

Hopper sighed, stepping into the room hesitantly and looking at the sight before him. The little girl that he once met in the woods had blossomed with time, small body encased in a pretty blue dress with pink polka dots, cheeks interrupted by smiley dimples. He was nervous about the dance at first, but as soon as he saw the giddy smile on her face as Joyce brought over a dress, all of his nerves faded away. It was wiped away by sheer joy, and the sense that perhaps he would never truly stop being proud of her. 

El noticed that moments later, his gaze traveled back down to his fingers. She tilted her head at the small blue ring that he held, almost as if it was something precious. Her feet walked over to him slowly after she placed down the lip gloss, speaking in a small voice. 

"What is that?"

A sharp sigh escaped his lips. "Uh, it's uh-something for you."

"Me?" her eyes lit up. 

He smiled lightly, passing over the small blue elastic and letting out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. El's small fingers grasped onto the fabric gently, her eyes widening at how the fabric was woven to create a small hairband, something that she never had use for. She frowned, looking at her own hair before Hopper took the object from her, gently pushing it over her fingers until it stuck around her thin wrist. The corner of her lips twitched softly and she looked up at him with grateful eyes, frowning at the sadness within his own eyes.