Hello! Thank you for tuning in again. It mean's the world to me. See you at the bottom, and apologies in advance for a short chapter.
P.S if you wanna add a little bit of spice to your life, listen to Outside the Realm by Big Giant Circles, because that's what I listened to when writing this!
"I don't get it," Eleven munched on the eggo, between her hands like a rabbit nibbling a carrot. As usual, her legs were folded in front of her as she sat on the couch facing the television. Hopper had brought over the television and set it up for them before his night shift, which wasn't a shift he worked often.
Along with television, as a 'welcoming gift' (what he had called it when he gave it to her) he gave them the 1979 Dracula.
"So this is supposed to be you?"
"No," Naomi snorted, on the opposite end of the coach. "It's just a joke. Well…. Like I'm kinda like that."
"No garlic?" She asked, to which Naomi smiled. Her shortened sentences were amusing, despite the sad reality of why she spoke like that.
She shrugged, "I'm not gonna die if I touch, no. I don't eat food like you guys, though."
"No sun?" She frowned, her face scrunching up.
Naomi held up her ringed hand, "I'm protected from it from this ring."
She cocked her head, "Sleeping?" She pointed to the Dracula, erecting pin straight from the coffin.
She licked her lips, trying to hide her smile. "No," She exhaled a held in laugh, "I don't sleep in coffins. In fact, Hopper wanted me to run something by you."
She nibbled on her Eggo waffle again, munching small bites of it between her teeth as she looked back at the television. "And you have to drink blood to survive?"
Naomi sulked into the couch, resting her chin on her fist, with her elbow propped up. "Wish I didn't have to."
She didn't reply, which was nice. She didn't judge her for it, nor did she fake a response that made it seem okay.
"Are you alright if I pull up an air mattress in your room for a little bit? Just until I decide to leave… or get kicked out."
"Air mattress?"
She saw that coming. She answered with a smirk, "It's like what you sleep on, only it's filled with air instead of fluff and springs."
"A balloon."
"Basically," She shrugged her shoulders back, "Yeah."
"Oh," She took another bite, chewing as she talked, "Well yeah. I don't like to be alone when I sleep anyways…"
"How come?" While her eyes were pinned on Eleven, El's were glued to the TV. It was her new holy grail. She had told Naomi that she had seen them before, and that they fascinated her. She liked to change the channels with her mind instead of going up to the television.
She watched as Eleven fisted her jeans, her knuckles turning white. "I dream of my Papa."
Naomi froze, her eyes bulging from her forehead. She trotted over to the television, turning down the volume. As she walked back to the couch, leisurely, she spoke. "Do you want to talk about your Papa?"
Eleven finished the last bite of her Eggo, dusting the crumbs off her hand, and leaned back in the couch. Her fingers locked together around her knees, and she rocked back and forth a little. "I'm… not sure."
"Oh! Well you don't have to." Stupid she thought, stupid, stupid, stupid. Eleven had spent her whole life obeying adults, doing things she was uncomfortable she was doing. She shouldn't have to spill her guts just to fuel Naomi's curiosity. "I thought it might help, that's all. I mean—you don't have to."
"It's okay," She changes her mind and she sat up in the couch. Her knees dropped, and her hands folded in her lap. "It's grey. Blood. Like here, but evil. Papa is there, in blood. He tells me I'm wounded… I'm sick. He tells me I'm very sick. That I caused this." She started to whimper, and her voice cracked. "A-And then the Demogorgon…. He get's everyone."
Demogorgon… That must have been the monster Hop had told her about, that came from the Upside Down.
Eleven continued, without looking at her still. Naomi scooched closer to her, seeing her fragile body tremble with trepidation.
"Papa is mad. He's very mad and he locks me up in the dark room. I scream and scream and scream, I break the walls with my mind, but I can never get through. And Papa just laughs…"
She's crying now. Not sobbing, but there are evident tears leaving wet trails down her face. Naomi wraps an arm around her, startling Eleven. Eleven doesn't move, but Naomi forcefully curled her body into her side. "El, it's not your fault. You know that, right?"
El's lips curled back, and her voice gets caught in her throat in a wad of saliva. "I did… I opened it."
She shook her head. "I wasn't there, but I know. You were forced by your Papa, Eleven."
"No mike… Dustin or Lucas then. I didn't know." Her words start to falter, but it was easy of Naomi to keep up. She was trying to explain that she didn't know about them then, didn't know it was bad.
Naomi squeezes her tighter into her side, "Hey, kid. Don't worry about it… Not your fault."
"It is…"
This kid was stubborn, and for a reason. Not only did Dr. Brenner, her Papa, define her youth and upbringing, he was basically responsible for her existing after testing on Terry Ives. Dr. Brenner was her only social engagement.. The only one who hugged her gave her discipline. 'Loved' her. She depended on the man for attention, because that's all she got to thrive on. When she got out of that prison, she experienced love for the first time. She saw through her Papa's front.
A stray tear fell down Naomi's face, now. "Not your fault. You hear me, El? Not your fault." She said nothing this time, and maybe if Naomi kept repeating it, Eleven would've believed her. "Is anyone mad at you?"
"Papa would be."
"I don't give a shit about your 'Papa'" She froze, "Don't tell Hop I said that," She shook it off, releasing Eleven "My point is, Eleven, is that his opinion is irrelevant. Now that you're out of that lab, you can realize what people who truly care about you act like. They don't strap you to tables, or make you kill cats. They don't put you in a dark room for time out… They sit, and watch movies with you. They give you a bed, and a place to stay. They feed you Eggos, they let you ride on the back of their bike. They appreciate you."
Eleven nods, and Naomi wasn't sure if she completely understood all of what she was saying, but hoped she got the gist of it.
"Like Hopper said, those bad men aren't gonna get you. Not with us standing in the way." This time, Eleven curls into her side.
"Maybe I'll be like your dream catcher," Naomi continues, "Make all the nightmares go away."
"You can catch dreams, too?" She refers to Naomi's powers, which she hadn't held back on showing Eleven earlier before the movie.
"No, a dreamcatcher. It's like this little craft made of feathers and string and stuff from Native American's. They used to make a little circle with a web design in the middle and then hang it from their bed. It's supposed to catch the nightmares. It's said that as the first rays of the morning light hit the dream catcher, the bad dreams would disappear."
"Dream catcher…" She tested the words.
"Here…." She sat up from the couch, "Hold on, okay?" Naomi did a quick jog to the door.
Eleven opened her eyes, "No leaving," She warned, repeating Hopper's orders.
Naomi slipped on her boots, "I'll be like three seconds," She exaggerated, "Just stay inside. Lock the door, I'll be back in no time. Okay?"
Eleven swallowed forcefully, sitting in the same fetal position in the couch.
Eleven used her powers to unlock all the bolts on the door, and Naomi slipped outside, shooting Eleven a quick smile before she shut it after her. She heart the locks bolt shut again.
Naomi breathed out a cold exhale of air, seeing her breath dissipate in the freezing temperatures of dusk. She scanned the forest floor for some supplies. This would help her bond with her new roommate for the time being, and maybe it would be like a placebo-effect and making Eleven a dreamcatcher would help with her nightmares.
She grabbed a few sticks, some moldable and bendy. She grabbd a handful of pebbles, finding a particularly polished one that looked greenish in the last light of the sun. The feathers were the hardest to find. She only found two. One was that of a duck, and the other looked like a crow's. They would do, though.
She bolted back to the house with her speed and did Hopper's special knock. Two knocks. Pause, one knock. Pause, three quick knocks.
The locks unbolted, and Naomi flew inside, shutting the door behind her.
Eleven re-locked it as Naomi slipped her boots off, questiong her as she dumped her supplies on the kithen table. "What are you doing?
Naomi ignored her, searching for the string and yarn in Hopper's very tiny sewing kit. She managed to find some off white egg-shell color yarn and black string. She sat down on the table and got to work.
She heard Eleven creep behind her, watch her for a moment, and then move around to sit across from her. She was heavily invested in Naomi's quick movements, her hands moving in a flash. They were blurred movements, as Naomi was particularly impatient and liked to use her powers to her advantage.
She started off making a ring sheep with one of the loose branches, and secured it with some twigs and string. She tied the bottom of the loose wood into a somewhat bow. She then took the egg-shell yarn and started to loop around the ring she had made.
Once that was done, she took the yarn and started to twine it to the sides. She pulled the yarn erect, looped it, then pulled it across the ring. She kept weaving the twine around in a square pattern until there was some sort of uneven pattern around it.
As if she had read her mind, Eleven handed Naomi the greenish-color stone. It looked more gray in the dull light of Hopper's grimey colored lamp. She knotted the stone to the middle of the twine and held it up.
It was coming along.
Eleven started to work on her own, too. She tied both feathers to two strings of yarn, and put a pebble on each one about halfway up. She handed them to Naomi, and Naomi tied both strings to the bottom of the ring.
Naomi added a little loop on the top so it could hang up, and then held it up to Eleven.
"There." When she held onto loop, the ring slumped a little looking more oval then round, but it still managed to create a contagious beam upon Eleven's face. She had never seen Eleven smile with teeth, before.
"Dream catcher?" She asked, although she already knew.
Naomi nodded, a grin plastered to her face as well. She gave it to Eleven to hold. It was only a foot and a half long, or so, but it was good enough for her.
Eleven examined it, twirling it around in her hand like a nursery above a babies crib. "Pretty," She smirked.
Naomi tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Put it somewhere safe. You're supposed to keep it close to where you sleep, just make sure Hopper doesn't see it or he'll know I opened the door. Ok?"
Eleven nodded, and trotted off towards the bedroom.
Naomi smiled to herself.
She had the power, as a vampire, to smell chemosignals. She couldn't necessary smell… feelings. She could pick up the scent they gave off, though. The scent that drifted from Eleven was joy. Not only was it joyful, but it was carefree. Untroubled.
Something Naomi sensed that Eleven hadn't felt in a long, long time.
A/N:
Please read and review they honestly make my entire life. I just got a Stranger Things tattoo, so if that doesn't prove how obsessed I am with this show, I don't know what does.
FutureOlympian: Thanks for the review! So glad to hear someone is enjoying it as it is very... different.
SSJGamerYT: So am I! I'm excited to write it. There will probably be atleast five chapters of Hopper x El x Naomi life first, but that will be the first or second chapter right after !