El cleaned her plate first-per usual-and was beginning to nod off into her scraps when Hopper shook her shoulder, signaling the girl to put her dishes in the sink. She did, rubbing her eyes hard and leaning into the man afterwards.
"I'm tired." she said into his chest.
"Yeah, I always get tired after I eat turkey, too." Jim said, thinking about how good Joyce's chair would feel right now.
All three Byers stood at the sink, Will speaking up. "Mom, are we going on a walk?"
"A walk?" Hopper asked incredulously.
"We do it every year," said Jonathan.
"It keeps us from falling asleep in the middle of the day, and we're ready to do all the dishes by the time we get back." Joyce explained.
Thanks to Hopper's constant washing, however, there wasn't much of a pile in the sink. While going on a walk was practically the last thing he wanted to do after stuffing himself, El perked up immediately at the offer. "I want to walk!" she said, then, looking up at Hopper, "Can we go sledding?"
The man's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "You wanna go sledding again? After what happened to your lip?"
El touched the wound lightly with her finger, as if suddenly remembering it was there. She contemplated for a moment before nodding in affirmance. "I will be careful."
Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine, you can go, just don't break your neck." he said, searching his pockets for a cigarette. "Christ."
"No! You too!" the girl insisted, tugging on his arm.
Joyce, Will, and Jonathan watched the pair in silence, the woman noting for the first time how normal this interaction between them was. Without perspective, Eleven and Hopper could be any average father and daughter, and it made her heart surge with happiness. Their bond was well deserved for the both of them in so many different ways, and so beautiful to watch blossom.
"El, I just ate my weight in turkey, if I go sledding I'm going to explode." Hopper told her.
The child glanced at the table, where the remains of the carved bird sat. "No," she said, shaking her head in confusion. "You're way bigger than the turkey."
That elicited a laugh from everyone, including the chief, who ruffled El's hair playfully. "Maybe I'll go sledding with you. Let's see how I feel after the walk. Go get dressed."
Eleven squealed with delight, her and Will both rushing to the coat rack. Since the girl was using borrowed clothes, Joyce wore two pairs of socks and rain boots instead, and Jonathan layered up with three sweatshirts in preparation for their walk. The kids were bouncing by the door when everyone else was finally ready, and ran ahead with a sudden burst of exuberance even though they'd played in the snow practically all day. There was almost a foot already and it was still coming down in soft flurries, Hopper noted as they shuffled through the backyard and into the beautifully silent woods.
Joyce had offered to host he and El another night, and judging by the weather, it looked like they'd probably have to. If there was no way Jim could fix the power outage at the cabin yesterday, he sure as hell wouldn't be able to today. The man was suddenly glad that he'd packed a second set of pajamas for the child, but wondered with worry how they'd manage any sleep tonight. The girl would be tired after both a crummy night's sleep and the day's activities, but she was a restless sleeper and he really didn't want her rolling off the couch again. Maybe he'd just sleep on the floor beside her and catch her if she fell. It'd probably be more comfortable than the chair he crashed in the night before.
"Thank God her lip is okay," Joyce spoke up suddenly. Jonathan, Will, and El had become engaged in a snowball right and ran ahead, staying within sight as the sun began to set; it wasn't yet five, but it felt much later. "She scared the hell out of me."
"Me too." Jim admitted, remembering the feeling of his heart stopping in his chest at the sight of blood running through the child's fingers and down her neck. Joyce hadn't seemed nearly as fazed by it, though, and he wondered what her secret to staying so calm was. "I'm glad you were there, I probably would've just made it worse."
The woman agreed with him inwardly, but just lit a cigarette. "I have two boys, so I guess I'm a little more used to stuff like that."
"El's pretty careful, that's probably one of the first times something like this has happened to her."
"Really?" Joyce asked in surprise, passing the cigarette to him. "She's never been hurt otherwise?"
"Not with me." Hopper said, trying to think. "Well, she did get stung by a bee over the summer, but that didn't bleed. And I guess there was the time she hit her head when she was sleepwalking."
"El sleepwalks?" That was one thing Joyce hadn't experienced with either of her children. She'd heard of it in other kids though, and could only imagine how stressful it would be for that particular child to be mobile while unconscious.
"She hasn't in months, it was kind of a phase." The man replied, returning the stick to her. "There's always something screwing with her sleep, whether she's walking around, or having a nightmare, or wetting the bed. I'm just glad she didn't wake up screaming last night."
"Has she fallen out of bed before?"
"No, but I'm really not surprised she did. She rolls around a lot, sometimes I find her totally upside down in bed, her arms or legs hanging off the mattress. The couch is just smaller than she's used to." Jim explained.
"She can sleep in Will's bed tonight." The woman offered, even though just the week before she'd finally transitioned her son back to his own room.
"Joyce, I'm not letting you kick your son out of his own bed."
"Then she can sleep in my bed."
This time the man scoffed. "I'm not putting you out like that!"
"Like what? You're not putting me out. There's plenty of room for the both of us."
Had the woman not processed any of the information he'd just given about El's sleeping habits? "Joyce.."
"Don't lecture me, Hop, I'm offering." the woman quipped.
Jim just chuckled. "Fine, you can ask her what she wants to do. She'd probably love it."
Joyce smiled up at the man kicked snow at him playfully. He tossed a handful back at her, and soon the two were abandoning their walk in favor of joining the kids in the snowball fight. The war started with the kids against the adults, but quickly switched to boys vs girls, in which Eleven proceeded to destroy the boys with snowballs telekinetically thrown at an alarming rate. The three ran in different directions and tried to use trees as protective barriers, but it didn't work for long, and soon the five of them were out of breath (and energy) and called a truce, slumping into the snow in a semi circle. The boys were all sporting red cheeks and noses-courtesy of El's uncanny aim-Joyce's feet were freezing in her rubber boots, and Eleven was absolutely exhausted, barely able to even sit up. She was bleeding again, from her nose this time, but the minute Hopper noticed, the game was over.
"Alright, kiddo, let's head inside and clean up. It's been a long day and I know you're tired." he said, trying to help the girl to her feet.
"Sledding?" she asked halfheartedly, knowing the answer already. Her knees wobbled and she gripped Hopper tightly, attempting to stay upright but to no avail.
Jim noticed her struggling and swung her onto his hip in resignation. "Not tonight, maybe tomorrow."
El didn't have the energy to fight him on it and instead rested her head in the hollow between Hopper's neck and shoulder as he lead the shuffling crew back towards the house. The sun had set and El's nosebleed had long since stopped by the time they arrived at the Byers, and the girl was nearly asleep when Hopper deposited her on the couch and helped her out of her boots, coat, and bibs. Will retrieved his Supercomm-knowing El usually checked in with both Mike and the rest of the boys around this time-before turning on the TV and sitting down next to the girl, where Joyce wrapped them both in a throw blanket.
Joyce pointed playfully at them. "Don't fall asleep yet, you two, it's not even seven."
She smoothed the kids' very different heads of hair. Even though they'd both been wearing hats throughout the day, Will's was tamed, straight and thin but so, so soft. El's, however, was frizzy and curly and full of volume; it needed to be washed. In the kitchen, Jonathan and Hopper stacked the freezer full of leftovers and cleaned off the dinner table, Joyce joining them to finish the small amount of dishes they had left.
While they cleaned up, Will and El spoke to the rest of the party about their individual Thanksgivings. Dustin was out of town for the holidays and Max didn't have a radio, but Lucas raved that his mom made the best apple pie he'd ever had. Mike tried his best not to complain, even though his parents made him wear an itchy sweater and take pictures with the whole family. He told El he wished she'd been there too, then awkwardly and hastily included Will, something the girl didn't catch but both boys did. El was exhausted and hardly up for a conversation, even with Mike, so when the kitchen trio returned to the living room, they finished the call and bid an early goodnight to their friends.
Jonathan dished up Hopper's 'homemade' pie-something El quickly outed him on-and Will offered to watch the remaining half of Gremlins that El missed after she fell asleep the night before. Even though she agreed and everyone watched together, taking turns explaining certain things to her, she did so through atired haze and didn't register the plot much at all. The girl was barely awake when the movie finished, and had nearly melted into a puddle on the couch. The boys both bid goodnight shortly afterwards, though they stayed up in their respective bedrooms. It was barely eight and El was crashing hard; she'd gotten so little sleep the night before, had been active all day, hurt herself sledding, and used her powers until she couldn't stand anymore. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and fall asleep. She'd have been happy to do so on the floor, so she whined in protest even when Hopper suggested something she loved because it required getting up and moving around.
"Do you wanna take a bath or shower, Kid?" he said, as if he was only giving her a choice between the two,
"No." she mumbled into the blanket she was curled up in.
She had the couch to herself but didn't want to spread out, leaving room for Joyce to sit down next to her when she emerged from around the corner. El was so tired she hadn't even noticed that the woman had left the room. Now she could hear the loud rushing of water from the bathroom and knew where she'd gone.
"Yes, El, you need to. You've still got blood on your neck." the man said.
"And look, honey, you have gravy in your hair." Joyce pointed out, touching a knotted, greasy lock.
"How in the hell…" Hopper exclaimed, searching the rest of the child's head. "Yeah, you definitely need to get clean. Up to you kiddo, shower or bath?"
Eleven whined in protest, wrapping the blanket tighter around her. "No. I'm tired."
Joyce glanced at Hopper, who nodded in approval. "El, you can sleep in my bed tonight if you want. I don't want you to fall off the couch again."
The girl stared at her in shock and confusion, glancing at Hopper for guidance. The man held up his hands in indifference. "Totally your choice, Kid. Wherever you want is fine with me."
She turned back to the woman. "But...where will you sleep?"
"We can both sleep in my bed, it's pretty big." Joyce replied.
El's eyes lit up and she nodded in affirmation immediately. She cherished the rare occasions she'd slept next to Hopper, and wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to sleep in Joyce's bed with her. Would the woman let El lean her head on her shoulder or rub her back like Hopper did?
Hopper.
"Where will you sleep?" She asked the man. Joyce said her bed was big, could all of them sleep in it?
"I'll sleep on the couch." he said. The child frowned, and he quickly tried to placate her. "I'll come tuck you in though, don't worry."
"And read?"
He sighed, then got an idea. "I will read to you if you get clean first. Bath or shower?"
El stared him down for a few long moments before finally relenting quietly. "Bath."
"Okay," Hopper said, giving her a gentle push towards the bathroom. "Get in there and wash that gravy out of your hair, I'll bring your jammies and a towel in a minute."
The girl obeyed, albeit at a snail's pace as Jim gathered her clothes and toothbrush. Joyce offered to deliver them to her while Hopper stepped outside for a lone cigarette. He was as exhausted as his daughter and was greatly anticipating the potential for possibility of a good sleep, but was worried still about El. She'd been restless the night before, but at least she hadn't peed on Joyce's couch or woken anyone up with her screaming and crying. Nevertheless, Hopper still feared the worst. What if the woman woke up in the middle of the night to her bed floating, as he had many times before? What would he do if Eleven broke all the windows in their house, or threw one of them across the room when they tried to comfort her? He'd feel terrible if someone got hurt, and he knew El would never forgive herself either.
That being said; Hopper needed sleep, and Joyce had offered. If anything happened, he'd surely be the first one to hear the child cry out.
In the bathroom, El had turned the faucet off after she finished washing her hair, and was floating on her back, tiredly staring up at the ceiling when Joyce entered. She didn't hear the woman come in, and jumped in surprise when she came into her peripheral vision, water splashing out of the tub and onto the floor.
"Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to startle you." Joyce said.
She stared at El for a moment, taking the girl in. Her dark hair was long when wet, curling well past her ears and covering her eyebrows. She was thin, thinner than Will, even; her son's rib cage was visible, but she could actually count the bones in El's. Her skin was pale from the lack of exposure to sunlight, but her cheeks were plump and rosy, accenting her swollen lower lip. Her eyes were dark and droopy, her blinking slow and heavy.
"Are you almost ready to get out?" the woman asked, worried she'd fall asleep right there in the tub.
El nodded and stood, slipping a little on the tile floor as she stepped out. Joyce caught her by the elbow and wrapped a towel around her shaking shoulders. She offered to brush the child's hair when she was dressed, an offer El hadn't been given since she first began living with Hopper, but she'd hardly had any hair then, and he was just teaching her how to use a brush. The girl agreed, watching their reflection in the bathroom mirror while the Joyce toweled off her hair. She was almost as tall as the woman now, but still felt much smaller, standing in front of her in her striped pajamas as Joyce gently pulled the tangles from her wet curls. She parted El's hair down the middle and kissed the back of her head, passing the child her toothbrush.
"You brush your teeth, I'm going to get a cup of tea." Joyce said, before adding, "Do you want any?"
El hadn't tried tea before and wanted to, but Hopper's voice rang in her subconscious before she could accept the offer, and she quickly shook her head. "Hop says no drinks after dinner."
The woman smiled inwardly, remembering to relay that response to him later. "Okay. Do you need anything else before we lay down?"
The child's chest fluttered; Joyce wasn't just going to sleep next to her, she would stay with her until she fell asleep. She shook her head once before pausing and considering again. "I want Hopper."
"Okay, I'll tell him." Joyce replied, smiling and petting her hair once more before leaving the bathroom.
El watched herself in the mirror while she brushed her teeth, careful to avoid touching the painful slit in her skin. She could still feel lingering pain around the swollen wound, and wondered if it would feel better or worse in the morning. She'd never been in pain like that before, and wasn't accustomed to seeing both Hopper and everyone else so actively concerned for her. It seemed like the day had started that way, too, when she woke up on the floor after a terrible dream. It sent a chill though her just thinking about it now, and El worried suddenly that she'd have another nightmare tonight, maybe even one that was worse. What if she scared or hurt Joyce? Or Will and Jonathan? Just the thought made her stomach churn.
Despite her excitement just moments prior, Eleven's anticipation was quickly clouded by the sudden onset of anxiety she felt as she finished brushing her teeth and entered Joyce's bedroom, where the woman was nowhere to be seen, though Hopper was waiting for her with a smile in a chair at the bedside. El hesitated a moment before she tentatively crawled under the covers, immediately feeling the thickened texture of towels underneath the sheets; that's why the man was already there. Her cheeks flushed with renewed heat, and Jim didn't miss it.
"Kid, I doubt you'll have an accident, but it's just in case, okay?" he said, reaching out to touch her hand.
Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "But what if I…"
"Then we take care of it like always, right? No big deal."
El nodded as the man squeezed her hand, still clearly embarrassed. Hopper opened the book on his lap, signaling for her to lie down. She did, inhaling the fresh scent of Joyce's pillowcases. Her eyelids were getting heavy again when the woman crawled in next to her after checking on her own boys just as Jim finished the last page of the chapter they were on. The girl was barely conscious when Hopper closed the book and helped her to the bathroom one last time before returning to Joyce's bed, which held the largest and tallest one El had ever been in. Her spot next to the woman was still warm when she curled up in it again, and Hopper smiled down at her as he pulled the blankets over her, tucking her tightly in the one she'd brought from home.
"Goodnight, kiddo. Come get me if you need anything, okay?" He said petting her loosely curled hair. It looked nice brushed through, maybe he should be doing that with her.
El nodded and leaned into the kiss he pressed to her cheek, watching him as he turned off the lamp and exited the bedroom. The only light was dim and came from far down the hallway, but it was enough for the girl to see clearly if she needed to get up. It was just enough to illuminate the woman's soft features, which El couldn't help but stare tiredly at. Joyce was so pretty, not just in the way she looked but in the way she acted, and as Joyce pulled her closer, wrapping her in a soft, warm embrace, El's heart fluttered with a desperate ache she couldn't understand or explain. Any remaining ounce of anxiety she felt was immediately washed away by their echoing heartbeats, and the child fell asleep faster than she ever had before.
The girl woke from a deep sleep sometime after midnight, not to screams or a wet bed, but instead a grumbling stomach. She was starving, she hadn't been this hungry in the middle of the night since she'd lived in the woods. El sat up in bed, waking Joyce as soon as she moved.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" the woman asked. El didn't appear distressed, but she was wide awake; what had woken her?
"I'm hungry." she said. A moment later they both heard a distinct rumble, and the child looked down at her stomach. Though she wasn't normally hungry in the night, she also didn't normally eat dinner at three in the afternoon or go to bed before nine.
Joyce chuckled, she couldn't help it. Though she'd willingly offered her bed to El, she'd done so knowing the possible consequences, and after hearing some of Hopper's stories, had been mentally preparing herself to wake up to some kind of catastrophe or at least destroyed bedroom, but a kid desperate for a midnight snack? Incredibly manageable. Come to think of it, she was actually a little hungry herself.
"You know what? I am too." the woman said with a smile, offering her hand. El took it, her fingers warm and her grip firm. "Let's go see what we can find."
Upon entering the hallway, they followed the light emanating from the kitchen, where Hopper's dim silhouette could be seen standing over the counter, shoveling something into his mouth as a half spent cigarette burned in the ashtray beside him. He spotted the two quickly, standing up straight and clearing his throat.
"El? You alright?" he asked, immediately fearing the worst.
"Yes. I want Eggos." she said simply, quickly stalling his worries as she approached and hugged him.
The man belted out a quick laugh as he patted her back and picked up his cigarette. "Guess its about that time, Will and Jonathan just ate again about a half hour ago."
"Are they still awake?" Joyce asked as she slipped two waffles into the toaster.
Jim boosted El up onto the counter beside him when he noticed her stealing bites of his ham and turkey. "Will's light went out a minute ago, but Jonathan might still be up. You hungry too, Joyce?"
"I am, actually." she said, gathering a plate and utensils for El.
"What can I get you?" the man offered. It was the least he could do; he should be making his kid's plate, not her.
"I'll just have whatever you're having." she said, then, remembering her oldest son's special touch, added, "With extra gravy."
The three ate in relative silence, El finishing her Eggos quickly and bumming occasional bites from the adults, sometimes glancing out the kitchen window once or twice at the still falling snow. She hoped that she'd be able to see Mike in the morning, and Lucas too, and they could all do something together. Maybe they could come to Joyce's house and everyone could be together. It didn't take long for the turkey to make El tired again, and Jim walked her to the bathroom and tucked her back into bed while Joyce checked in on her boys one last time, both of whom had fallen asleep. She climbed in next to El again, who curled into her like she was made to fit there.
"Joyce?" the child whispered after a while. Her voice was sleepy, and she sounded far away.
"Yes, sweetheart?" she replied, running her hand up and down across El's back, her bare skin warm and so soft.
"Can we have Thanksgiving again?"
"Of course we can, it happens every year." Joyce explained. "Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday of November."
El knew the order of the days of the week and the months of the year, but still didn't quite grasp the concept of an annual holiday. "So...we have to wait?"
Now the woman understood what she was getting at. "Yes, we have to wait another year for Thanksgiving again. But there are other special days, like Christmas and New Years, where we celebrate kind of like this. Did you have a good time this year?" El nodded into her chest, pressing her ear to her heart. "What was your favorite part?"
El thought for a long time before finally replying. "This part."