Freckles & Curls | MILEVEN AU

eighteen - mistakes

song - One by Lewis Capaldi 

~"You don't know what you got 'til it's gone
Know when it's right 'til it's wrong
In search of perfect when you had it with you all along"~

There were selfish people in the world, ones that would glance at her fragile body and only see the power that it held. They would label her as a doll, just another thing for them to use and abuse until they got what they needed. Experiments were just another form of torture, needles prodding her like bars against her windows, making it clear that she would never be free until they were satisfied. They were hungry, selfish and cruel.

Mike sat there stroking her cheek, wondering how anyone could ever look at her and not see what truly lay on the inside. He could not understand how they looked past the pain in her pretty brown eyes and the shake of her hands begging them to stop. Her skin was so soft and warm, something that never should have been touched and prodded with different needles. Now that he had seen the power that lay deep within her heart and soul, it only made him more aware of the human that was stuck with this magical ability. She was not a thing for them to keep, not an object for them to trap and inspect in a fishbowl. He sniffed and held back his own tears at the thought of someone hurting her, at the thought of her face being covered with anything over than a beaming smile. She was kind to everyone around her, shining in the world like a bright star that swung high behind the clouds, something that he wanted to protect. It sent shivers down his spine the moment that he realized her powers, his eyes widening and guilt flooding into his heart. Suddenly he could understand why she was so afraid to get close to him, and why she had been acting strange ever since he had met her. She was stuck with something that she never wanted, something that everyone had tried to take advantage of, not willing to admit that she was still just a fragile girl in need of love. 

"I think we need to talk" Hopper spoke gruffly, "...don't you?"

Mike huffed under his breath, letting his fingers glide through her soft hair one more time before glancing at the man behind him. There was a tense silence, both of them staring at the girl between them, her face smudged with fresh blood and dark circles. 

Hopper spoke slowly. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

Mike turned to sharply glare at him. "Are you serious right now?"

"I have to ask the question, kid" the chief pushed, his eyes cold and filled with no understanding whatsoever. "It is a lot to take in, and I don't want you to get angry if you two have a fight or some shit, okay? You can't use this as blackmail or something stupid, it is her goddamn life. I don't expect you to understand what it-"

"And I don't expect you to understand" Mike cut back in sharply, "You know nothing about us, okay? I would never do anything to put her in danger."

"Well, we both have that in common then."

"I guess we do."

There was a silence between the pair, but after a moment their glares faded. It was replaced by a strange kind of understanding, a warmer look in their eyes than what lay before. Mike could see the softer side of the Chief that El talked about, the one that played board games with her every single night and made her favorite breakfast. 

Hop shook his head, sighing. "You don't know what she has been through, kid."

"Tell me."

"Huh?"

Mike clenched his fists. "Tell me."

His eyes shut for a moment, his body becoming overwhelmed with the memories surfacing in his mind. He could remember the day that he met her, the day that she hid in his cabin like a rabid animal that wanted nothing more than to be cared for. Her eyes were filled with terror that he still haunted him, the fear that he was just another person to treat her like an experiment. Over years of eating eggos for breakfast and dozing off together while watching Westerns, he had tried his best to convince her that he wasn't another selfish soul. That day he made a promise to himself, that he would keep her safe no matter what it took. It took a long time for him to realize, but that is what you did for someone that you loved.