"I'm sorry my heart's too big for my own good! I just want to be a good person!"
~
Theodore Chambers moves from his home in London to Hawkins and realizes this town isn't what it seems
Or
In which the new kid in town is thrown into all sorts of insa...
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prologue; promises into the new year
"Can I open my eyes now?" El softly asked, gripping Teddy's hand. A cloth was tied around her head being used as a blindfold to block her eyesight, so the boy gently guided her down the stairs into his basement. He kept one hand positioned on her waist with the other laced with her hand to keep her from falling—to be fair, Teddy tripped down those same stairs with his eyes open multiple times in the past... so he didn't wish that fate on his girlfriend. As creepy as that might have sounded, blindfolding one's girlfriend and taking her into a basement, it was all with good intentions. Below awaited a surprise, something Teddy worked on for a few hours, something he couldn't wait to show her.
Teddy shook his head. "No, not yet, my love." He could barely contain himself. He couldn't be completely still, some part of him was shaking. His smile couldn't be wiped off his face even if anyone tried. A sense of pride filled his body, eager to see her reaction. He spent all afternoon on this surprise and it was for both of them to enjoy. He couldn't wait to see her reaction. He almost squealed and let the surprise slip numerous times (as El repeated her questions over and over), but he kept himself composed.
"Please?"
"We're almost there."
El pouted her lip. "Pleaseeee?"
"Nooooo," Teddy repeated in the same long, and slightly dramatic, tone as his girlfriend. With her other hand, she attempted to lift the cloth just enough for her eye to slip out and watch where they were going. El thought she was sneaky; however, Teddy immediately noticed and readjusted the blindfold. "Oi! No peaking!"
The two burst into lovestruck giggles. El hid her face into his shoulder, prompting Teddy to kiss her head lovingly. Through her laughter, she managed to comment, "Your voice."
Teddy's English accent had yet to fade despite his time in the U.S. and sometimes it slipped... and it slipped harshly... case and point, what he just said. And El always loved to point it out. The boy playfully rolled his eyes and continued to help her. "Yeah, yeah. It'll never go away."
"Good." El was utterly fascinated with Teddy's accent from the beginning, the moment she met him. She loved it even more now that they were dating. She loved the nicknames he gave her: my love, my darling, my Ellie. It sounded angelic. No one else spoke like him... besides his father of course but that didn't count. She loved his awkward slang she never heard anyone else say. She loved to copy his accent or phrases (and Teddy did not have the heart to tell her that wanker didn't roll off the tongue well on a Midwestern accent). She loved his voice. She loved... she loved everything about him.
Teddy and El enjoyed being together. Just the two of them. They always did. Even as friends before and now dating—they loved being with one another. It didn't happen often anymore as they lived states apart now, so they made the best of their time when given the chance. Two months. It had been two months since El and Teddy last saw each other. It felt even longer than that... two months. It was 89 days... but who was counting?
