14. Hickeys (El and Hopper)

A/N: Hey, guys! I'm kind of bummed because you aren't reviewing as much as you were at the begining :( Is it because of the no-request thing? I promise I'll lift the ban in about 4 chapters! Remember a writer's pay is the feedback, so please keep in mind that I'm a greedy bitch and I love your reviews; so come back, please! This is for 'KGBKBG' who wanted some hickey talk. I really enjoyed writing this one, lmao.

PROMPT: Mike gives El a hickey, and Hopper sees it.

"Hey, kid." Hopper greeted as he entered the cabin and took off his coat, hanging it on the hook behind the door.

"Hey." El said cheerily as she munched on a mouthful of cereal.

"Did you have dinner first?" He asked as he eyed the cereal bowl in her hand, taking his hat from his balding head and hanging it on top of his coat.

"Mmhm," El nodded as she chewed, her eyes still glued to the TV screen as a woman began crying on the show. "Mike cooked." She muttered distracted.

"Oh, did he, now?" Hopper questioned as he walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge door with a contented sigh as the cool air hit him. It was well into May now, and the heat wave that was hitting Hawkins got to him pretty badly. "What time did he left?"

"Like an hour ago." She answered before gasping as a dark haired man began professing his undying love to the still crying woman.

He chuckled, watching her react to the dramatic scene, while he drank from a cold can of beer. "So he stayed with you the whole day?"

"Not the whole day, we had school," she reminded him, throwing him a look and then raising the bowl to slurp what was left of the milk. "But yes, he stayed here the whole afternoon."

The soap paused for a commercial break and she stood up from the couch and walked to the sink.

"What did you guys do the whole day?" He asked her as he leaned against the counter.

She momentarily paused and then sneaked a look at his face, before shrugging and going back to wash the bowl. "Nothing, just homework and stuff."

"Don't you have any shoes?" He reprimanded her as he stared at her bare feet, smiling when she wriggled her toes self-consciously.

"What about you? Finished the paperwork?" She laughed. "Did Flo finally back down from your ass?"

"Ugh," he groaned, his head lolling onto his shoulder. "Don't even remind me," she giggled as she shook her hands to get rid of the water excess, her movement shifting her oversized shirt and revealing her shoulder and upper chest. "That woman drives me nuts, I swear." He rolled his eyes as he thought of Flo. "Today," he swallowed a gulp of beer as she turned around to look at him. "She told me: 'Hopper, I swear on my dear mother's grave'—"

He paused his Flo impersonation as his eyes caught a weird looking shape on his daughter's skin. Below her collarbone, just above the swell of her breast, an obvious purple/reddish bruise was printed on El's chest, and Hopper choked on air as he figured why the bruise looked oddly familiar.

"What the hell is that?!" He snapped suddenly, pointing at it and startling Eleven.

The girl frowned, looking down at herself before her eyes widened comically and she hastily righted her shirt, flushing and looking guiltily at Hopper.

"Nothing," She responded quickly. "I burned myself with the blow drier." She lied pathetically.

Hopper threw her an incredulous look as her messy bun showed no sign of a fresh blow out.

A hickey.

Eleven had a hickey, and he could take a damn good guess at who had given it to her.

"Did Mike give that to you?" He glared at her.

El had the audacity of going blank faced, as if she was innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking," he said through gritted teeth as he took the shoulder of her shirt and lowered it enough to glare at the hickey. "About this damn hickey."

She huffed and pushed him back, righting her shirt again and stalking past him.

"Doing homework, my ass." He glared at her back. "Is that what you two were doing while I was gone? And don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you." He glared as she took a seat on the couch.

"It's nothing." She lied again as she crossed her arms and pretended to watch the toothpaste commercial on the TV.

"Nothing? You— I— Ughh." He groaned as he threw his hands in the air, not knowing what to say to her. Sure, he knew they had been dating for quite a while now, and he suspected they were rounding bases (as he did in his youth), but did he expect to see proof of it? Not a chance in hell.

"Dad," she deliberately called him that, knowing it secretly turned him to mush. "It's nothing, really. We're good." She told him reassuringly, giving him puppy eyes.

Hopper groaned again, putting his hands on his eyes and joining her on the couch.

"I—" He paused, sighing. "I don't even know what to tell you." He knew it would be a bit hypocrite of him to reprimand her, as he was younger than her when he started giving and receiving hickeys.

"We're not having sex, yet," she informed him after a few seconds of silence. "If that's what you're worried about. But..." she threw a hesitant look in his direction. "It's going to happen someday, you know?"

He knew it was bound to happen; like he already knew he was going to be giving her away to Mike Wheeler at some altar in a few years. But he still saw her as the little girl from a few years ago, and he didn't want her to grow up so fast. Still, he would rather know and provide her safety, than her going behind his back.

"Just—" He sighed again, looking at her and nodding to himself in resignation, after a few minutes of heavy thinking. "Promise me you'll be safe when it happens."

"We will," she nodded reassuringly. "Coach Carlson gave us a few condoms when he gave us the Sex-Ed talk again."

"Hmmm," he hummed. "Coach Carlson, you say?"

She nodded distractedly, watching as her soap opera returned on the TV.

"Those are probably not good." The crying woman was gasping as another woman found her kissing the dark haired man. "I'll buy you a box. But you have to promise me you'll be responsible, safe and...?" He prompted, looking at her.

"Not stupid." She smiled affectionately up at him.

"That's right, kid," he nodded, smiling gently. She wasn't a kid anymore. "Not stupid." He brought her close and kissed the side of her head as she swung an arm across his stomach and snuggled close to him, sighing contently. Their argument was over.

"Damn, that's his fiancée?" He asked as the new woman slapped the previously crying one, the fight escalating quickly.

"Yep," El nodded as she watched with rapt attention, too. "She caught them kissing. But that's good, she's a bitch and they're in love."

He grunted and they continued watching until the episode was dramatically over. He could see now why she was so interested in those soaps, they were addictive.

As for the condoms, a week later he made sure Mike Wheeler was in front of him when he gave her the box, his eyes glued to the freckled boy's. He sternly instructed them to use them safely and not ever near him, and he got great satisfaction when Michael choked with his own spit.

A/N #2: I'd like to think that although Hopper does look like the typical over-protecting dad, he would also be understanding with El. I hope you guys enjoyed this, and please leave a review!

P.S: Why am I so busy? I'm working on a little (not really little) story for you guys, so stay tunned for a new AU coming soon! *wink wink*.