Chapitre 52: 52. Blackbird
[A/N: AHHHH THE FINAL CHAPTER! I can't believe this day has finally come! Holy crap! Thank you to everyone who has followed along on this crazy journey! I can't BELIEVE how long this story ended up getting but I'm sooooo so happy I was able to finish it!
I really hope you guys like this final chapter and once again, thank you for all of your reviews and encouragement! This wouldn't have gotten finished without you guys inspiring and prompting me to keep going. :)
P.S: I'm thinking about maybe setting up a Spotify playlist with all of the songs from this fic? If you'd be interested, let me know and I'll do it! I'll make an announcement on my tumblr whenever it's up - muffinlove03]
Chapter 52: Blackbird
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night... take these broken wings and learn to fly..."
. . . . . . . .
It wasn't often that Joyce had the night off. No kids, no work, and all the time she could want to relax and recuperate from the craziness of the work week. The days seemed to bleed together with the same routines replaying on a loop so having a few hours to slow down and regroup was a precious commodity.
"You're sure you don't need a hand in there?" Joyce called out to the kitchen where a series of metal clangs caused her to raise an eyebrow.
"It's fine, just start the tape," Hopper replied. "I hate sitting through previews anyway," he added as an afterthought.
They'd rented a movie for the night as a way to take advantage of the fact that the kids were occupied with the dance for the evening. Jonathan and Nancy were at the school chaperoning so they could relax for a few child-free hours.
Ever since the fire, Hopper and Joyce had been spending more casual time together. There were no emergencies, no missing children or secret government agencies to hide from or conspire against. Still, neither of them had spoken aloud the invisible tether that was slowly but steadily binding and pulling them together. It was almost as if the whole dynamic would disappear in a cloud of smoke if either of them put it to words. So they let things happen naturally, albeit slowly, and over the past few weeks, they'd fallen into a rhythm.
Hopper and El spent a lot of time at the Byers house these days. El always loved the chance to see Joyce and hang out with the boys; Hopper certainly didn't want to be the one to limit how much or how often she could be surrounded by the surrogate family she'd found in Hawkins just a few short months ago. Not anymore, at least. However, he couldn't say his motivation was entirely selfless. There'd always been something pulling him toward Joyce and while it'd lay dormant for years, the past few months were blatant evidence that nothing had really changed.
Still, he didn't want to screw anything up. Again.
More clangs from the kitchen as the oven door shut and something plopped onto the top of the stove. Joyce could smell the faint scent of something that had burnt. She was no star chef herself but still…
"Are you sure?" she called out hesitantly, unable to hide her smirk as she absent-mindedly watched another movie preview on the screen.
"Yup, be right there."
As Hopper entered the living room, oven mitts up to his elbows and a large plastic TV dinner tray in his hands, Joyce couldn't help but chuckle at how domestic this usually burly and rugged man looked. There was tomato sauce splattered on his jeans and the tray of lasagna was dark around the edges. One side of the tray had cheese and sauce spilled over the edge, partially wiped clean after whatever debacle had happened in the next room. Joyce could only imagine what her kitchen looked like but it wasn't often she was given the opportunity to pass the dinner-making reins off to someone else for a night. And even if it was half-burnt frozen lasagna, it was the thought that counted.
"Hot, hot, hot," Hopper muttered as Joyce, taking the hint, quickly grabbed a pair of wooden tray tables and set one up by the couch. Hopper set the tray down and exhaled, seemingly relieved that the whole mess of "cooking" was over.
Joyce was doing her best to keep from laughing as Hopper yanked the mitts off. "Don't say a word."
"Oh, I'm not," Joyce said, putting up her hands as her grin widened. "Everything alright in there?"
"I'll clean it up," he answered, moving the table so he could sit down.
As the movie's title sequence appeared on the screen, Joyce grabbed the remote and paused it. "Should I get us some forks?" she asked, assessing the tray of lasagna and the otherwise barren table.
"Shit," Hopper sighed, lunging forward to pull himself to standing. "Hold on."
Joyce sat patiently, one elbow resting on the back of the couch as Hopper retrieved their silverware.
"Should I grab plates?" he called out and Joyce considered before replying. Did she really want more dishes to wash later?
"No, don't worry about it." she said. If she was having dinner cooked by a bachelor for the night, she might as well eat like one, right?
That felt strange - thinking of Hopper as a bachelor. But why?
"Alright," Hopper said, entering the room again and handing her a fork. "I know it doesn't look that great but if it tastes like crap, you can blame Stouffer's, not me."
"I'm sure it's fine," Joyce said, moving the tray table so Hopper could sit back down. "You didn't have to do all this."
"Nope, no more of that," Hopper said dismissively. This wasn't the first time tonight she'd made a similar comment. "It's the least I can do, hanging around here all the time and leaving El with you when I'm at the station..."
"Hop, you know that doesn't matter. She's welcome here even if you aren't working."
"Yeah, well," he said, unable to come up with a quick retort. "Just eat your dinner before the burnt part gets cold, too."
As the two settled in to watch the movie, taking turns at the lasagna, neither could believe just how right this felt. Though they both hesitated to verbally acknowledge what was happening between them, everything about their relationship seemed to be falling into place seamlessly. It'd taken a couple decades, but somehow it felt like they were exactly where they were supposed to be. The only thing keeping them from moving forward was the fear that it could all be a mirage and the slightest variance from their current pattern could cause one or both of them to awaken and realize it wasn't real.
Still, it was hard to deny what was building between them. While each had their own reasons to doubt, their chemistry was self-evident and there was no mistaking that they both cared deeply for one another. How deep those feelings ran, however, was the question.
After eating her fill, Joyce left her fork next to Hopper's in the now-empty tray. His eyes fixed on the screen, it would have appeared that Hopper's attention was focused solely on the movie. However, he maintained peripheral awareness of Joyce's movements as she settled back into the cushions. Stretching his arms out across the back of the couch, he waited for her next move. It was a game they played, an interpretive dance of intentions and questions that had gone on for weeks, if not months. Sure enough, Joyce wordlessly followed his lead, sinking into the space beside him, her body heat warming his side. What he didn't expect, however, was for her to lean farther into him, resting her head slightly against his chest. This was new, a chess piece he had yet to see come into play on the board. And when her hand rose to rest gracefully on his side, it was as if it had belonged there all along.
. . . . . . . .
"Okay, okay," Dustin said, laughing at himself more than anyone else was. "I got another one,"
"Oh my god…" Lucas said, rolling his eyes in exasperation as their group walked around outside. They were headed for the bus loop where Emma's sister would be picking her, Trish, and Gabby up to go back to Clarksville. The dance was over and a lot of kids had already gone home but Jonathan and Nancy were still packing up and Dustin's mom had yet to arrive to pick up Dustin and Lucas.
"El, this one's for you," Dustin said, undeterred by his friends' groans. "On a scale of 1-10, where do you think you rank?"
El looked from Dustin to Mike to the others with a puzzled expression.
Trish clapped a hand to her forehead. "For the love of - she's an eleven! Can we stop with the corny jokes now?"
"Thank you!" Lucas exclaimed with an exaggerated wave of his arms. "I should have hidden that stupid joke book."
Dustin wagged a finger at Lucas. "You leave that book alone!"
"Make me," Lucas challenged and the two boys started a shoving match that continued even as they walked toward the bus loop.
"Boys are so stupid…" Trish muttered as they stopped in front of a large tree a few yards away from the loop. There was a small fountain covered in leaves and buds from the trees as well as a wooden bench to which the girls immediately flocked. They could clearly see the bus loop from this distance so whenever Emma's sister arrived, they'd be ready.
"Is that your sister's car?" Gabby asked, struggling to peer through the distance in the dark.
Emma looked up. "Yup, that's her."
As the girls stood, El took turns hugging her friends good-bye.
"See you later, El."
Gabby's gaze drifted to Dustin, whom she caught staring at her before he quickly averted his eyes.
"See ya later, dance partner," Gabby said playfully as she followed Trish and Emma to the loop.
"Yeah, bye," Dustin replied curtly, his expression betraying his attempts at disinterest.
Lucas and Mike exchanged glances as Dustin looked up at them.
"What?" he demanded, looking between them. "What?"
"Nothing," Mike shrugged nonchalantly, then turned to Will. "How long do you think Jonathan's gonna take to get his stuff together?" He tried not to react too much as El linked her arm through his and snuggled up against his shoulder. The air was a bit crisp and her light spring jacket wasn't cutting it after dark.
Will shrugged, digging a handful of popcorn out of the cup he'd taken from inside. "I dunno, probably not too long."
Eyeing the cup, El focused her energy on the popcorn inside and almost instantly, kernels were floating out of Will's cup and over to El where she caught them on her tongue like snowflakes.
"Hey!" Will laughed, clapping a hand over the cup. "Stop it!"
El laughed as she chewed, then returned her head to Mike's shoulder, a smile of satisfaction on her face. "It's cold," she said, pulling Mike tighter as she shivered, though it was impossible for them to get any closer than they already were.
"Sorry El, do you wanna go back inside?" Mike said, unable to actually look at her since her face was nearly buried in his collarbone. "Or you could have my jacket if you want?"
Never one to turn down clothes from Mike, El nodded quickly, stepping back to allow Mike to slip out of the light suit jacket he'd been wearing. It fit El like it was made for her, though the sleeves were a bit too long, and she returned to her place at his side. As she got comfortable, she couldn't help but stare up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen and the stars shone brightly against their blue-black backdrop. She didn't notice Mike's eyes constantly flicking down toward her or the way he tried in vain to minimize his nervous shuffling.
Dustin couldn't help but grin at the awkward yet enamored expression on his best friend's face. It was nothing new but it had yet to stop amusing him.
"Hi, I'm Mike," Dustin playfully mocked. "I don't know what I'm feeling but there's a lot of it!"
Lucas gave Dustin a light shove. "You should talk. I saw you and Gabby out there on the dancefloor tonight."
Momentarily caught off-guard, Dustin deflected. "Yeah, and?"
"'Yeah, and?!'" Lucas mimicked and the two exchanged a series of pointed looks before dropping the subject, only to find that Mike and El had disappeared.
Up in the highest limbs of the tree, hidden by the coniferous branches, El had levitated herself and Mike into a better position to see the stars.
"What the hell are you guys doing up there?" Lucas shouted from below, having realized where they had to have gone.
Mike looked down warily. They were awfully high up and he couldn't see the ground through all of the criss-crossing branches and pine needles. "What are we doing up here?" he almost whispered, though unintentional.
El pointed through a hole in the branches to the sky above. Mike hesitated to tilt his head all the way up - he was still feeling a bit of vertigo - but if he fell, he knew El wouldn't let him hit the ground.
"Stars," El breathed, as if the word alone encapsulated every possible reason she could have for wanting to slip up to the tallest sturdy branch she could find. Rather than following her gaze, Mike stared at the enigmatic girl next to him, simultaneously bewildered and amazed. When she looked back at him, however, he quickly looked away.
"Mike?" she said quietly and her voice immediately pulled his eyes back to hers. He watched her chew on her lip for a second, her brow furrowed in thought. Or was it nervousness? He'd always been best at reading her subtleties but he was a far cry from an expert. "Remember… the cafeteria?"
Mike furrowed his own brow for a second, before his eyes widened with hesitant realization. "Um, what about the cafeteria?" he almost squeaked.
"The thing…" El replied quietly, looking up at him and making him feel like his head would have been spinning even if he'd been standing on solid ground. "Mouth to mouth? What...what was it called?"
"Oh, that…" Mike said, filling the space between them with extra words because the weight of what she was saying or at least implying was enough to make him feel like he was falling. "Uh, that was… that was a um, a kiss…"
"'Kiss'," El parroted, and somehow hearing her say the word was even more overwhelming. After a brief pause, her own heart racing and toppling over itself in her chest, El looked back at him. "Can we?"
Dumbstruck, Mike swallowed hard even as he leaned forward. El had already closed her eyes, somehow innately trusting that she wouldn't fall as the gap between them dwindled. When their lips finally met, it was as if shockwaves had been sent through Mike's body and he suddenly felt breathless and almost giddy. It only lasted a moment but as they pulled away, their smiles were infectious.
"I like that." El declared softly, almost bashful as Mike pursed his lips to try and hinder the way his smile threatened to take control of his entire face.
"Yeah, me too."
Feeling emboldened, Mike draped an arm around El's shoulders as they looked off through the gap in the branches at the sky above. They could hear Dustin and Lucas down below, shouting across the school yard at whom they could only assume was Jonathan and Nancy finally on their way out of the school. Still, that didn't matter for now. If for only a couple short minutes, they were swept up in the excitement and elation of being together and simply being able to enjoy that.
There was no one to run from, no need to hide, and especially for El, the ability to feel safe was a rare treasure she'd never realized could feel so incredible. She was surrounded by people who loved and cared about her. She had friends, a family, and Mike - a life she had never fathomed as a possibility until the week he and his friends found her in the rain, changing everything forever. The bad men were gone. The monsters were gone. Soon enough, she'd be able to start school and really act like a real girl. The idea of it was unbelievable. She'd spent her life in cages and here she was sitting in a tree with the boy who rescued her from the bad men and took her in out of the rain. She'd grown up with a Papa who used her for her abilities and now she had Joyce and Hopper and the rest of her friends' parents who all seemed to like her. She'd gotten to know her real Mama and her Aunt Becky and even though they were gone, she could still feel their love for her in her heart. The world was still huge and confusing and scary at times but it was also amazing and beautiful. She couldn't wait to explore it even more.
. . . . . . . .
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see... All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free..."
. . . . . . . .
THE END.
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