Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

nine - someone to you

song - Someone To You by BANNERS

~"I'll make the moon shine just for your view
I'll make the starlight circle the room
And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling
'Cause I believe that you could lead the way"~

There was something so special about her newfound freedom. She could be herself instead of having to hide away from the feelings that were trapped inside of her. She could let her chest fly open and feel the sparkles of hope swim out into the open, even letting them grow into little explosions of light. Every smile directed at him wasn't just filled with happiness and adoration, it was filled with everything. All of what he made her feel, the hope that life could get better if she stayed by his side and the sheer warmth that he was encased in, like a star exploding far out in the universe. She wanted to give him so much in return, to light up the moon and the stars on the nights that he wished for some comfort, and to make sure that he never truly felt alone. He had given her so much without even knowing it, filling her with so much hope for the future and happiness in her present, that she almost forgot about her own past. He made everything fade away until the pain from her childhood was no more than a distant ache, something that he had soothed with a kind smile and smiley red cheeks. Part of her worried that she would scare him off with her adoring eyes and flushed cheeks, but after hiding her feelings for so long, she just couldn't stand to hold them back anymore. 

Every single time that she was with him, it felt like her heart was ready to burst. She had to close her mouth sometimes to stop the feelings flowing from her lips, from telling him everything that she truly wanted to say. She swallowed down the guilt that crept up her throat whenever Hopper apologized and asked her if she was okay, unaware that she was more okay than she had been for a long time. They had made a pact when he took her in, that they would never keep anything from each other and most importantly that friends don't lie. But she was taken in by dark freckles and caring brown eyes that made her feel like she was drowning, not ever wanting to try and swim back up to the surface. 

"Y-You don't have to..." Mike interjected quickly, "really. She can be a bit of a nuisance, but none of my friends would help when I asked them. I think that she would like having another girl with her, other than me helping you..."

A smile melted across her face. "I would love to."

"Really?" he grinned back at her. "the chief won't mind you staying late?"

The smile tilted off her face slightly and his face clouded over with worry. She spoke in a small voice, tucking a curl behind her ear. "We aren't really speaking much at the moment...I would like to get away from there, you know?"

Mike frowned. "Are you okay?"

Jane nodded. "Yeah. But I would love to help babysit Holly...really. I-I have never helped to babysit before and I think it would be fun."

"You'll be great" he reassured her quickly, "I'm sure she will adore you."

The second that she walked into the Wheeler home on Maple Street, a feeling of calm washed over her like no other. She knew that her home was in the cabin with Hopper, feeling nothing but safety when he placed a plateful of eggos in front of her at breakfast time. But being there with Mike, it almost felt like somewhere that could be her home in a different life, somewhere that she could grow and change in the best way. Holly turned out to be a sweet four year old that instantly grabbed Jane's hand, her hand small and soft as she guided her to her bedroom. Mike followed and encouraged her with a kind smile, enjoying the peaceful silence of his parents not being around for the night. It did not surprise him how easily Holly was entranced by Jane, looking up at her like she was a magical princess from a fairy tale. Jane seemed to have an aura that drew people to her instantly, Mike falling under her spell quicker than he could have ever imagined, as if it was all so easy for her. From the short amount of time that he had spent with her, she was so confident and sweet as if he made her feel at ease just by being in the room. Mike wished that he could stop his hands from sweating, to push away the feeling of panic when she entered the room, terrified that he would mess up whatever was forming between them.