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The world was falling apart yet the friend group still managed to gather for a sleepover at the radio station. El, Max, Lucas, Dustin, Mike and Will had been granted the parents permission to stay the night with each other. Joyce and Hopper had quickly agreed, glad El would be catching a break from training. Ted and Karen where also all for the idea, deciding the kids spirits needed brightening.
It was eleven o'clock at night and the party had exhausted the minimal gossip they had in their locked down town. It was the first sleepover they'd had in ages and it was being held in the radio station, of all places. Midst the thinking, Max proposed the idea of a game El and her had played the previous summer. They would spin the bottle and whatever name it landed on, El would search and spy on them in the void.
The party agreed it would be enjoyable and proceeded to search the cupboards for a pen and some scrap paper.
Minutes later, Mike retrieved the equipment, holding it in the air with triumph. "Who's names are being written down then?"
After they'd regrouped on the floor where they could all congregate comfortably, they began to debate. "Murray?" Dustin suggested.
But, Will quickly shook his head with a scrunched nose. "Mom always complains about that guy. Can't blame her. All he does is make comments about her and Hop."
"Yeah, he's a little eccentric. But, if he's doing something sketchy then El can just back out of there," Max stated and the party agreed, scribbling his name onto the paper.
"We need to put Hop and Joyce on there," El stated and Will grimaced.
"What if they're... you know-"
El's brow's knitted innocently asking, "What do you mean Will? What would they be doing?"
Lucas tried to hide his smirk and teased, "Yeah, what would they be doing Will?"
"Just put their names down," Will mumbled, much to El's delight.
"Next?" El asked.
"Mr Clarke," suggested one and his name was scribbled onto a piece of paper.
Following this were many suggestions, all of them making the cut:
"Mr Wheeler."
"Nancy."
"Mrs Wheeler."
"Jonathan."
"Holly."
"Steve."
"Robin."
Finally, El suggested, "Flo."
"Who's that?" Mike questioned.
"Hop's secretary."
"Isn't she like seventy?" Will asked.
"Seventy five," El corrected.
Max shrugged her shoulders, "Write her name down. Though, she'll probably be asleep."
The group then put the names in a circle with the bottle in the centre. "You ready?" El asked before spinning the bottle when met with eager nods.
It landed on no over than Jonathan. "Okay, let's do this," El said, bringing the eye mask over her head.
Seconds later, El's nose was bleeding and she was passed a tissue by Mike. "He's at your house Mike. Watching the TV." There was a minute long pause, El gathering information and the party not daring to speak. "Nancy is sat next to him. He's watching her, she's watching the movie. It's an old movie. Wizard of oz, I think."
"Anything else?" Someone asked, receiving a shake of El's head in response.
El pulled they eye mask of her head and wiped her nose. "That was a little boring, next?"
"Sure," Mike replied, spinning the bottle.
This time, much to Will's dismay, it landed on Joyce. "It can't be that bad," Mike reasoned as El put on the eye mask.
"She's at the cabin," El began.
Will muttered sarcastically, "Surprise." However, he was quickly silenced by request from El.
"She's on the couch with Hop. On top of Hop actually. Wait, Hop's now on top of her."
Will's face dropped and his hands quickly covered his ears, "Stop, stop stop. El, get out of there. Now!"
The majority of the party where in fits of giggles and if Will's complaints weren't enough, the parties laughter brought El out if the void. "They were... happy screaming."
Max gagged and El looked as though she'd seen a ghost.
"I warned you," Will announced with his head in his hands.
"Maybe let's not play this game," Mike mumbled.
***
The following day, Will and Jonathan had accompanied Joyce to the cabin. Will mainly wanting to see El and not the two who he had learnt a little too much about. "What'd you do at the Wheeler's the other night Jonathan?" Joyce asked as they ate their dinner.
"Nothing much," he replied.
"How about you two," Joyce asked turning her attention towards Will and El. "You get up too much on your sleepover?"
"Talking, games. Stuff like that," Will answered casually.
El looked at Will, appearing as though she was struggling to reign in her laughter before asking, "What about you two?"
"Just watched a movie," Hopper replied, sending a look towards Joyce that Will never would have usually caught sight of. That he was kind of glad he never usually caught sight of. He fought to keep his casserole down.
The two kids nodded, not daring to say another word. Though, Will was admittedly struggling to school his expression.
***
The family decided to retreat to the couch and Joyce took a seat, followed by Hopper. Jonathan claimed the chair. Meaning, the younger two had no other option apart from the couch. El and Will hesitated, minds flashing back to what El had walked in on in the void. "What's up with you two?" Joyce asked, clocking the tension.
"Nothing," the pair answered, way too quickly.
Hopper huffed, "Cut the crap. What is it?"
Will and El shared a look but remained silent, evidently agitating their parents even more. "Tell us," Joyce said, getting comfy next to Hopper on the sofa.
Will could tell El wouldn't be able to hide the truth any longer. He held his breath, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop the light from being turned on. "We played a game... when we had a sleepover."
Their parent's eyebrows furrowed. Hopper shrugged, "And...?"
"We spied on people," El revealed and Will winced. He noticed how his brother was just as curious and puzzled as his mother and that made him want to dissolve into the floor even more.
Joyce and Hopper urged them to reveal more and Will added, "In the void."
"Okay... and what's the matter about that?" His Mom asked.
El audibly gulped, "We spied on you two."
"You what?" Hopper exclaimed and the jigsaw pieces began to connect for Joyce, cheeks flushing furiously.
Will bit his bottom lip, "Yeah... I hope you understand when I say that I really don't want to sit on that couch."
His mother was dumbfounded, as was Hopper. Jonathan was clearly in between a laugh and a disgusted gag, not knowing how he was feeling. Will and El were stationed awkwardly, twiddling their thumbs and awaiting a further comment.
Joyce cleared her throat, "I'm sorry you had to... see that El."
"Yeah, but don't you dare spy on us again," Hopper warned, pointing his finger. "You hear me?"
"Trust me, we won't be," Will said and El nodded profusely.
As the duo stood, still not daring to take a seat on the couch Joyce bit her lip, "I am sorry, El. But, you shouldn't have been spying on an... established couple, at eleven o'clock at night when you know they are alone."
Will groaned, knowing where this conversation was going.
"What?" Joyce asked.
"Please, stop talking," he mumbled.
"What?" Joyce questioned. "We're adults... adults do adult things."
Jonathan was now the one to complain, "Will's right Mom. Please, stop talking."
Hopper's head was buried in his hands and Joyce huffed. "Okay. But, I'm just saying, what do you expect?"
"I don't know," Will answered, throwing his arms in the air. "Maybe for my forty year old Mom to not be doing that. "
Joyce shrugged, "You wouldn't know whether I'd even be doing that if you weren't spying on us."
Will huffed, "It wasn't my idea."
Hopper's eyebrows rose, "Who was it's?"
Will stuttered, not wanting to out his friend but El clearly didn't comprehend his intentions. "Max."
Will's parents huffed, not knowing what else to say. When the younger two continued to refuse to sit on the couch, Hopper snapped, "You both have no problem with sitting on my bed. Please, for the love of god, get over it."
Joyce playfully swiped Hopper at the bed statement, frowning when her kids made no move. "I'll go get cushions so you can sit on the floor."
A chorus of 'thank-yous' were voiced and Joyce retreated from the room into Hopper's bedroom to retrieve something for the pair sit on. On return, she passed them the pillows, "Here."
"Are these from your room Hop?" El asked and when met with a nod, she shook her head with a grimace.
"We'll just get some cushions from El's room," Will stated.
Joyce shook her head, muttering something along the lines of 'unbelievable' under her breath.