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the snow came overnight.
hawkins looked wrong because of it, too clean. too untouched. like the town was pretending nothing bad had ever happened here, like the cracks in the streets hadn’t swallowed people whole months ago. cars were buried up to their doors. trees bent under the weight.
even the burned out trailer down the road looked gentler under white, like snow could soften anything if it tried hard enough. el stood at the front window of hoppers cabin, her breath fogging the glass. her hair brushed the tops of her ears now. it had grown unevenly, curling in places it hadn't before, refusing to behave. a pixie cut in progress, proof that time was moving whether she wanted it to or not. she touched it absently, fingers lingering like she still didn’t trust it to stay.
outside, snow drifted down slowly. the radio murmured behind her, low and crackly, some song she didn’t recognize bleeding into static. hopper was still asleep in the other room. he’d been sleeping more lately, they all had.
there was a knock at the door, three taps. a pause. then two more, uneven. familiar. el smiled before she turned around.
dustin stood on the porch with snow dusting his shoulders and clinging to his curls. his jacket was zipped all the way up to his chin, like he was trying to disappear into it. the hat he wore was eddies. she knew because she’d seen it before, black, worn and a little too big for him. his grin was there, like always, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes anymore, it hadn’t in a while.
"okay" he said when she opened the door, voice low, almost careful. "i know things are... you know, bad. but hear me out. snow day."
el studied him for a second longer than usual. the way his shoulders sloped. the way his hands were shoved into his pockets like he was holding something fragile.
"schools canceled'' he added quickly. "and i figured we could, i don’t know. go outside, just for a bit."
she nodded and stepped onto the porch. the cold hit her immediately, it burned her lungs in a way that made her feel awake, alive. el looked down at the snow beneath her boots, then crouched, pressing her gloved hand into it. it gave easily. she laughed before she could stop herself.
the sound startled her. startled him too. dustin froze. for a second, she thought she’d done something wrong. but then she saw it. the way his face softened. the way his shoulders relaxed just a little. "okay" he said quietly. "yeah. thats.. yeah." "it’s soft" el said, turning her hand over, watching snow cling to the fabric.
"it doesn’t hurt." "yeah" dustin replied, swallowing. "eddie used to say snow was just clouds that got tired." el looked at him. "he also said it was metal as hell" dustin added quickly, forcing a laugh. "which i’m pretty sure is not scientifically accurate."
they stood there for a moment, snow falling between them. dustin shifted his weight, boots crunching. "i know it’s stupid" he said. "but i keep thinking if i can find, like, one good thing a day. maybe it won’t feel so heavy."
el reached out without thinking and took his glove. his hand was cold, she squeezed anyway. "this can be the good thing" she said. he blinked at her, eyes shining in a way he tried very hard to hide. "yeah" he said softly.
"yeah. okay." then, without warning, he dropped backward into the snow, arms and legs spreading out wide. when he stood again, there was a perfect imprint left behind.
"snow angel" he said, voice quieter now. "they’re not real angels, just... snow ones." el stared at the shape he’d left behind, at the empty space where he’d been. then she stepped forward, and laid down. the cold seeped into her back. snow clung to her hair, melting against her skin. above her, the sky was pale and endless.
for the first time in a long time, el felt like it was okay to just lie there. snow crept into the collar of her jacket, cold and startling. el breathed out and watched the air bloom white above her face. the sky looked endless from down here. "you gotta move your arms" dustin said, crouching beside her. "otherwise it’s just.. you. in snow."
she did as he said, lifting her arms slowly, dragging them through the powder. it felt strange. heavy and light at the same time. when she moved her legs, snow slipped into her boots and she grimaced.
"yeah" dustin said, smiling a little. "that part sucks." el sat up, brushing snow from her sleeves. her hair stuck up in uneven pieces, damp and stubborn. dustin watched her without realizing he was doing it.
"it’s growing" he said suddenly. el blinked. "what is?" "your hair" he said. then, quieter, "it looks good." she reached up again, fingers grazing the short curls near her ear. "it won’t do what i tell it." "it makes you look like siouxsie sioux!" dustin said before he could stop himself.
"sorry" he said. "you probably dont know who that is." "it’s okay" el said. "is she pretty?" dustin swallowed. his voice cracked out of nervousness. "yeah, youre prettier though." el smiled, she was used to dustins compliments. she really appreciated them but she never really knew how to react, mike never called her pretty.
"thank you, dustin" snow kept falling, quiet and patient. dustin reached up and pulled the hat from his head, turning it over in his hands. his fingers traced the frayed edge like he knew it by heart.
"eddie.. he gave me this" he said. "said it made me look less like a middle schooler." el smiled faintly. "did it work?" "absolutely not." he hesitated, then held the hat out to her.
"you want it for now? its warm." el stared at it. "are you sure?"
"yeah" he said. "i think youd look cute with it" she took it carefully, like it might break. when she pulled it on, it slid down over her ears, warm and heavy. she felt something twist in her chest. not pain exactly. something else. something close. dustin watched her, eyes shining again.
"yeah" he said. "that’s.. yeah." they walked further into the clearing, snow crunching beneath their boots. el slipped once and dustin caught her without thinking, hands firm at her elbows. neither of them moved for a second.
"sorry" he said. "don’t be" she replied. their hands lingered. then slowly, like they were afraid to rush it, they let go.
they sat on a fallen log dusted with snow. dustin wiped it off with his sleeve first, careful.
"sometimes" he said, staring at the ground, "i feel bad for laughing." el frowned. "why?" "because he can’t" dustin said. "because everythings still wrong." she leaned closer, their shoulders touching. "laughing doesn’t mean you forgot." he breathed out. "you’re really good at this. the saying the right thing part." "i practice." she said.
he smiled at that. a real one, small but real. they sat there in silence, watching the snow fill in their footprints. erasing the sharp edges. making everything look softer than it really was. for a moment, that was enough.
"its christmas tonight." dustin mentioned, about to ask a question. "do you want to, like, spend it together?"
el blinked. "what do you mean?" she asked, she honestly didnt know what he meant. he sighed and frowned for a moment, rewording his phrase.
"you, me, and my mom. you can come over for dinner and like, decorate together and..i bought you a present, so you could like, um, open it."
el looked confused still. "jus-just come, it'll be fun. i promise you." el looked up to the pale sky.
"i trust you, I'll come." dustin let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “yeah?” he asked, like he needed to hear it again. “yeah” el said. “i’ll come.”
his smile came slow this time. snow settled into the shoulders of his jacket, melting there. he didn’t brush it off. “okay.” he said. “okay. cool.” they stayed on the log a little longer after that. the cold crept in slowly, into el’s fingers, into dustin’s knees, but neither of them mentioned it.
the woods were quiet in that heavy, snow muted way, like even sound knew better than to interrupt. dustin nudged her boot with his own. “my moms gonna make too much food.” “she always does” el said. “yeah, but like, extra. because christmas, and because she thinks if she feeds everyone enough, nothing bad can happen.”
el smiled at that. “does it work?” “sometimes.” dustin said. then, softer, “sometimes it helps.”
they stood up together, brushing snow from their clothes. el adjusted the hat again, pulling it lower over her ears. it smelled faintly like cigarette smoke and something sweet underneath. it felt strange wearing something that belonged to someone who wasn’t here anymore. comforting, sad, both at once.
as they walked back toward the cabin, dustin slowed his steps to match hers. the path they’d made earlier was already filling in behind them, footprints softening, disappearing.
“hey” he said suddenly. el looked at him. “thanks” he said. “for coming out here. for, you know.” “for being with you,” she said. he nodded. “yeah.” they reached the porch. dustin hesitated at the bottom of the steps, rocking back on his heels.
“i’ll see you tonight?” he asked. el smiled. “tonight.” he grinned back, then paused. “you can keep the hat until then.” she touched the brim lightly. “okay.”
he waved awkwardly, backing away into the snow, nearly slipping before catching himself. el laughed, covering her mouth instinctively, like the sound was fragile. he laughed too.
for a second, it felt almost normal. inside the cabin, el peeled off her gloves and set them on the table. hopper was awake now, standing by the stove, coffee in hand. “snow day” he said.
“yeah” el replied. she went back to the window. dustin was still there, halfway down the path, turning back one last time to look at the cabin. when he saw her watching, he lifted a hand in a small wave. she waved back.
outside, the snow kept falling. and for the first time since everything broke, el thought maybe christmas didn’t have to be perfect. maybe it just had to be shared.
el turned to hopper, her hands still dusted with snow. "i’m going to dustin’s tonight." she said quietly.
hopper looked up from his mug, eyes softening behind the rim of it. "that’s… okay?" "yeah" she said, smiling faintly. "we’re going to have dinner, decorate, and… he even said he got me a present." hopper set the mug down, leaning back against the counter. "alright" he said slowly. "just… be careful. and make sure you’re back before it gets too late.” "i will" she promised.
she reached up and brushed the hair from her face, feeling the uneven curls stick out where the snow had melted. hopper gave her a small nod, like he trusted her, and that little bit of trust made her chest feel lighter.
the afternoon passed slowly, the snow outside thickening, blanketing hawkins in quiet white. el stayed near the window, watching the soft flakes drift down, imagining the small, crooked tree they would decorate later, the lights blinking unevenly, dustins smile waiting for her.
she thought about eddie, about dustins grief, about how fragile everything felt, and how even in the middle of it, happiness could still sneak in if she let it.
as night fell, the cabin grew dim. the radio played quietly in the background, low static and soft music blending together. hopper had dozed off in his chair, a blanket thrown over his shoulders.
el slipped on her coat and the hat dustin had given her, tugging it low over her ears. the warmth was comforting, and the faint scent of him lingered in the fabric. she opened the door quietly, stepping into the snow that still glimmered under the pale moonlight.
her boots sank slightly with every step, the cold biting through the fabric, but she barely noticed. she was thinking only of dustin, of the crooked little tree, of the presents, of the laughter they might share tonight.
when she reached the Henderson house, the lights were on, spilling warm gold onto the snow outside. she knocked, her heart thudding softly, and the door opened almost immediately.
"el!" dustins voice was a mix of excitement and relief.
he stepped aside, gesturing her in. "come on, come in before you freeze!"
el stepped inside, shaking the snow from her coat, the warmth of the house hitting her like a wave. she took a deep breath, letting herself sink into the small bubble of safety and comfort dustin had created.
"you’re just in time" dustin said, tugging her gently toward the living room. "the tree’s almost ready, and my moms cooking right now"
el smiled, letting the tension in her shoulders slip away slightly. "i’m glad i came" she said. dustin grinned, that real, careful smile she loved. "me too."
they spent the evening decorating, small crooked ornaments hanging lopsidedly, lights blinking unpredictably, and for the first time in a long while, el felt a small thread of normalcy. dustin laughed softly when tinsel got caught in her hair, and she laughed back, the sound feeling fragile but real.
the living room smelled like pine and cinnamon, soft light from the crooked tree casting shadows across the walls. el sat cross legged on the floor, the blanket draped loosely around her shoulders. dustin knelt beside her, hands hovering over the small, carefully wrapped box.
"okay" he said, voice a little too high, a little too excited, "don’t peek."
el tilted her head, examining the simple wrapping paper. it was red, speckled with tiny white snowflakes. she could feel dustin watching her, could hear the slight tremor in his hands as he gestured for her to open it.
"you didn’t have t-" she started. "i wanted to." he interrupted softly, ducking his head like he was embarrassed. "i thought… maybe it would be fun. and maybe… um, you’d like it."
el smiled faintly, heart twisting. he always had a way of making ordinary things feel like little miracles. she lifted the lid.
inside was a beautiful light purple necklace, with a spiral charm. she fell inlove with it immediately, but what made her breath catch was the lette- no..poem? he wrote to her.
I found a map in my backpack,
marked with monsters and secret tracks.
Every corner, every hidden door,
reminds me why I adore you more.
Even when the world flips upside down,
and the shadows crawl through our small town,
your laugh is the spell that keeps me sane,
like Hawkins’ lights in the pouring rain.
If I could roll the dice forever,
I’d choose you,
again and again,
no clever trick,
no trap,
no Demogorgon fight,
just you beside me,
through every night.
Love, Dustin
el was shocked, he wrote her a poem? and..he said love.
"dustin… this is… it’s perfect." he shrugged, cheeks pink, looking everywhere but at her.
"i wrote it while really tired and i… i wanted you to have something that felt like, i don’t know... special. so i wrote a poem and bought you this necklace, it reminded me of you."
el laughed softly, a breathy sound that made dustins shoulders relax. "i love it" she whispered, holding the poem and the necklace close. "i’ll keep them forever."
dustin finally looked at her, eyes shining. "you better" he said, smiling like he was proud and terrified all at once.
"do you need help to put on the necklace?" he asked, checking if she actually wanted to wear it. "yes, please!" she said enthusiastic, giving him the necklace and turning around.
he gently put it on, this felt way more intimate than it was supposed to be. "it looks beautiful on you." he breathed out, proud to see her wearing something he bought for her.
"thank you, dustin." she kissed his cheek. and for a long moment, they just sat there, the snow outside still falling silently, the crooked lights of the tree blinking around them, and el felt something soft settle in her chest. it wasn’t perfect. nothing was. but right now, it felt like it was.
later, as they curled up on the couch under a shared blanket, the room glowing with the crooked lights of the tree, dustin rested his head against the back of the couch, el leaning against him.
outside, the snow continued to fall, soft and patient. "i wish he was here" dustin murmured suddenly, voice low, barely audible. el rested her hand on his, squeezing gently. "he’s here" she said softly. "in the memories, in the laughter, in this hat…" dustin let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes for a moment, and leaned a little closer to her. "yeah" he said. "in us."
they stayed like that, letting the quiet fill the room, the snow outside covering the world in white, soft, forgiving. inside, with each other, it felt okay to breathe.