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˚ ₊ ♡ ❰  CRUEL SUMMER ❱
*✧ ─── ❝ ❪ RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN ❫ ❞
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˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SEASON THREE ☀️ ⁺⑅

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SUPER FREAKS SERIES ⋆ 🚲.
♯ ❝ HE'S A BIT SHY ! ❞
CHAPTER FOUR ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚ ₊ ♡ 1985, june 30th ─── episode two
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     COME MORNING LIGHT, THE TWO HOPPER SIBLINGS WERE REGRETTING THE POSITION THEY FELL ASLEEP IN THE MINUTE THEY tumbled out of bed in a mess of awkward limbs, tousled hair and painfully stiff necks. Luckily after making up the previous night, the two kids were in better spirits than they had been for the last couple of days as they jokingly pushed the other around trying to reach the bathroom first to shower.

     Milo ever the kind older brother had let her go first (-Eleven however would beg the different and say she just beat him to it. which if Milo is honest, was actually true. ) So with no other choice than to wait for Eleven to finish, the tall blonde teen took it upon himself to prepare their usual breakfast. Sliding the delicious Eggo's into the toaster like he had seen his dad do many times before, Milo waited by the counter, leaning on the rough dark wood.

    "Mornin' bud." Hopper came around the corner, chief uniform already on, but his shirt remained unbuttoned still as he opened the fridge to pull out the carton of milk. Without any regard of the other occupants of the house, the chief took a generous gulp from the carton before placing it back inside.

     Milo cringed slightly at the sight as his father wiped away any excess left on his face before smiling brightly at the blonde boy, but before anymore words could be exchanged, Eleven came marching down into the cosy living room, a dark purple coloured shirt on, (-that once belonged to Jim for sure ) as she dashed outside. With one simple look at the clock, Milo could proudly say that it was 9:30 AM, glad that the extra lessons from Nancy Wheeler were beginning to pay off.

     He watched, mildly confused, mixed with a small tether of worry as Eleven ran outside to look for something, or better said someone. And it was only when the brunette girl picked up the phone that he realise what was wrong. Mike Wheeler.

     While Milo liked the kid enough, ever since he and his sister were reunited they spend so much time together that he was slowly feeling like Eleven was replacing him in some sort of way.

     It could easily be said that Milo didn't really have any friends, not until that dreadful October month with the Shadow monster and maybe before that with Will when he was stuck inside the Upside Down. Eleven was his first friend, the one he tried to sneak of to when they were still held at the lab with Dr. Brenner.

    They had found solace in each other, only trusting each other. He had always been her protector, the line between a friend and a brother blurring together later on. But she was branching out, making friends and memories without him. And he felt like he was falling behind, still somewhere stuck in the past. The one where he was nothing more than Zero. A number on a sheet where he had been nothing more than a ghost to the people of Hawkins.

    He was scared. Scared to be forgotten again.

    "It is 9:32." Eleven's voice brought him back to reality as she leaned against the wall, twirling the phone cord around her finger impatiently as she listened to whatever Mike was saying to her.

    Unconsciously, Milo could feel them connecting, the familiar feeling of a tether between them like the telephone line El was twirling mindlessly. He could feel all her emotions, the confusion, the worry even a small hint of anger as she the conversation continued. Trying to make her feel better, a wave of calmness exuded from him and he could visually see her relax, tense shoulder slouching and the frown on her face slowly melting off.

    The girl quickly recognised her brother's empathic powers over her and send him a small glare, but she also couldn't help the small smile that creeped up her face at his puppy dog look. She knew he only tried to help, and she was glad he did try.

    "W-what why not?" Eleven stuttered out, confusing Milo as he went to stand next to her to try and listen in on the conversation. Eleven easily let him, trusting him completely as she tilted the phone slightly.

     Milo could make out Mike's familiar voice as it cracked through the phone, "It's my nana. She's very sick."

     "But Hop said that your nana was okay, that it was a false alarm.' Eleven replied unsurely, eyes flickering up to Milo's warm brown ones.

    "That's... what we thought it was at first, but then she took a real turn for the worse."

    "Oh."

     "Yeah. We think she might die."

     "What?!" Milo jumped back slightly in surprise by the sudden intrusion of Mike's mother as she screeched down the  telephone.

    "Mum! Get of the phone, how many times!?"

     "Did nana call?!"

     "No mum! Get. Off. The. Phone!"

      Milo blinked confused unsure on how the interpreted the current situation.

     "Was that your mom?" El ask, a hint of anger in her voice.

     "Yeah. . . She-she is upset, she's making no sense because we have to go to the nursing home to see nana." Mike hurriedly explained but even Milo could detect that something was completely off. With every word he spoke, his voice raised an octave higher.

     "You can come over after?" Eleven suggested after a pregnant pause, trying to get her boyfriend to come see her.

     "no!"

     Milo's face twisted in anger as Mike shouted at his little sister, and without thinking about it, Milo grabbed the phone that El was holding and turned it to face him instead. "Do not shout at my little sister!"

     "Milo!" Eleven's eyes widened, not happy that Milo revealed himself and took the phone out of his hand quickly.

     "I just think. . . I need to be alone today." Mike continued, slightly off put by the fact that Milo had apparently heard the whole conversation.

     While Milo had always seemed to be a gentle giant to everyone who met him, it was as clear as day that the shy blonde boy was more powerful than expected. He might have not been gifted with powers like El's, (-empathic gifts, locater instincts and shadow walking weren't really combat-like skills) when he was mad, he could be pretty damn scary. Mike still vividly remembered how he fought the demodogs back in the lab, how he ran and tried to save Bob from his unkind demise, how he was ready to die and sacrifice himself to save Will. It showed pretty much how far Milo would go for the people he loved. And there was none he loved more than Eleven.

    He gulped, "With my feelings." He added awkwardly.

     "Do you lie?" El accused, eyebrows scrunched together as she faced away from Milo.

     "What? No!" Even if the telephone was out of his reach, the blonde could still hear Mike's desperately loud denials being shouted down the phone. "Friends don't lie."

     It was silent for a moment, muffled sounds coming from the phone, "What mum? My mum is calling me. Better go, talk to you tomorrow. Miss you already. Bye!" The words were fired like bullets that Milo could barely keep up with it before the line went dead.

     Eleven slammed the phone harshly back where it belonged before running to her room, with a flick of her wrist the door closed behind her with loud bang that echoed around the cabin. Milo's mouth fell slightly open at the sight as Jim called after her. "What happened?"

     The small smirk on his face did not go unnoticed by the eldest Hopper child as he frowned at his father. But the chief paid no mind as he grabbed his hat from the table, ruffling Milo's already tousled hair, quietly humming before walking out the door.

     And Milo? Milo just wondered if anything would ever not confuse him at this point.

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˚ ₊ ♡ 1985, june 30th ─── episode two
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     THE SUMMER SUN WAS BEAMING MERCILESS DOWN ON THE CONCRETE PAVEMENT OF HAWKINS, the normal busy streets were almost deserted as he biked down the street, seeing as most people were in favour of going to Starcourt Mall ever since it had opened. But seeing as he nor Eleven were allowed to go there, it left little to do for Milo Hopper. And furthermore, he didn't know that many people to begin with, it didn't leave him with many options. So instead of going with Eleven to hunt down Max or going to look for Lucas and Will who were supposedly going to play Dungeons and Dragons, a game he could for the life of him comprehend even after the thousands of times Will tried to explain it to him.

    So instead he stopped in front of Melvad's, far more excited about spending some time with Joyce, seeing as the woman had become some sort of second mum to him over time.

     The bell dinged above the door as he opened it, the cold air from the aircon brushing against his face as he entered the almost empty store. From what he could see, Joyce was leaning against the counter, talking to the same woman he had seen yesterday evening.

     "Ah Milo!" Joyce greeted him brightly when she spotted him. "You remember Claire right?"

     Milo only nodded, only now hearing the name of the brunette woman standing across from Joyce. She greeted him brightly, an infectious smile sprawled on her face.

     "Yeah." He smiled dopily strolling towards the two woman, both hands in the pockets of his shorts.

     "Aren't you just adorable." Claire grinned wildly as she observed him for a moment before turning to look at Joyce.

     "Mum! Can we get a patch of sour kids?" The familiar voice of Juno Carlton infiltrated his ears and Milo had to resist the urge to dash away immediately after that rather embarrassing first encounter as the pretty brunette girl came into view.

     There was a bounce in her step again as she walked over, smile becoming even bigger when she spotted him standing next to Joyce. "Milo, hey!"

     "Hello Juno." Milo coughed out awkwardly as the girl approached him.

     "What are you up to?" Juno inquired, swinging her arms back and forward, the same blue sweater she had worn yesterday adorning her body. He found it rather absurd that the girl still seemed to be layered up despite the sweltering heat, but he was not one to call out anyone on behaving out of the ordinary, especially when he was the epitome of peculiar.

    "N-nothing really." He stuttered out and from the corner of his eye he could see Joyce biting back laughter. "uh, what about you?"

     If she found anything strange about his awkward display, Juno didn't show it as she remained unnerved. "I was planning to go to the mall, but then I realised I didn't really have anyone to go with except my mum-" She coughed rather obnoxiously, "-who doesn't want to go."

     Milo chuckled softly at Juno's exaggerated expression, and the girl brightened even more if it was possible when she coaxed the sound out of him. Latching onto his arm excitedly, like she just discovered the most thrilling thing in the universe she turned to face him completely, "Would you want to go with me?"

     The blonde watched as the girl eagerly looked at him, and Milo felt something swell inside his chest. It had been a long time that someone had been that excited to spend time with him and he felt almost as happy as Juno looked in that moment.

    But even if he wished for nothing more than to go to Starcourt Mall, he couldn't blatantly ignore his father's rules. There weren't many things he couldn't do, there were two simple rules.

     One: don't tell anyone your name.

     Two: don't go to the mall.

    The first rule had already been broken, seeing as both Ellis and Juno knew who he truly was, even going as far as Joyce naming him the chief's son. The chief's dead son if it were to be spoken to anyone else.

     He wasn't about to break the second rule too.

     "He'd love to go!" Joyce clapped her hands together breaking him free from his own thoughts.

      He stared at her with wide eyes, ones that Joyce could read easier than a children's book.

      "But...but dad said-"

      "Don't worry about Hop Milo. Go have fun," Joyce gently pushed him forward and back towards Juno.

      "His dad is a bit overprotective of him." Joyce elaborated when Claire stared at the two unsurely.

     Claire chuckled, a faraway look in her eyes as she looked outside the window. "I know the type."

     Claire didn't say anything else, but she did turn to her daughter, "You be back before dinner alright?" She kissed her daughter's head before turning her narrowed gaze on the chief's son. "And you take care of my little girl, no funny business mister."

      Milo's eyes widened, a tad bit frightened by Claire's words but the dangerous look was quickly replaced by her normal happy smile that told he she didn't mean any harm.

     "Come on let's go." Juno grabbed his arm again, sending a glare over her shoulder at her mother before the two disappeared from view.

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look at me, actually updating again like promised 🙈🙌😎!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of milo being his normal adorable big brother self. And Joyce acting all match maker for my bby Milo. Poor thing doesn't know what's happening 🥺. How you guys liking juno so far by the way!