stranger things | dick grayson

forty nine

word count: 2.5k

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Eleanor wrapped her arms around Dawn tightly, pursing her lips together to suppress her emotions. She had enough of letting them show, especially after last night's anxiety attack.

'Have fun wherever you end up,' she said and pulled away from her to offer a smile. 'Just don't forget you've always got family here.'

'I don't think I'll be coming back,' Dawn admitted quietly. 'But I'll keep that in mind.'

'You're onto something with that... I love you, Dawn. Thank you for everything you've done for everybody,' Eleanor said as she pulled the woman into another tight hug before leaning away, the both of them still standing quite close to one another.

Dawn placed a hand on her cheek gently. 

'I love you too. Take care of yourself, and make sure you take care of him as well... Promise me?' She asked, not needing to elaborate on what she meant. Eleanor nodded and frowned a little as she stepped back and let go of her, using the same hand to open the passenger door to Dick's car.

Dick appeared behind Eleanor and placed his hand on her hip before pressing a kiss into her temple. 

'I'll be back, okay?' He asked as he rounded the front of the car and opened the driver's door.

'Yeah, of course. Drive safe,' she said to him, earning a small smile in reply before he closed the door.

Eleanor remained standing in the driveway with her arms crossed over her chest tightly, watching as her friends disappeared from view. Spinning on her heel, Eleanor entered back into the manor in search of Zoe, who hadn't been seen since early that morning.

She wandered the empty halls calling for Zoe, and she even checked her room yet there was still no sign of her. She was unable to find what Zoe had been hiding from her, but then again she didn't go snooping through her things.

Finally, she almost ran headfirst into her in the hallway. She was leaving the kitchen and had her arms full of food containers of various leftovers they had kept. Eleanor wasn't even sure if some of them were even edible.

'What are you doing with those?' She asked quietly as Zoe continued to walk past, almost as if she didn't even see her, which was bullshit because they had made direct eye contact. 'Zoe, I'm talking to you.'

Zoe picked up her pace and so Eleanor followed her back up the stairs and down the hall. Zoe tossed the containers into her bedroom, letting them fly out of her arms with a great deal of free will before turning around and attempting to slam the door in Eleanor's face.

'What the hell is going on with you?' Eleanor exclaimed in frustration as she bounced off the door.

'Just leave me alone!'

With a huff, Eleanor attempted to open the door, but Zoe locked it quickly like a pro.

'Is it about last night? Zoe? I'm sorry if I freaked you out, I'm just trying to wrap my head around everything happening— It's a lot. And that panic attack, or anxiety attack, whatever, that hasn't happened in a long time. I was just unsure of what to do, I'm really sorry if it scared you.' Eleanor's rant finally faded out as she stared at the door.

There was silence in the room, causing Eleanor to duck her head and rub her neck. She fucked up so bad. Seconds after she turned away from her room, the door swung open and Zoe latched onto her tightly.

'Oh!' Eleanor muttered in surprise as she hugged her back. 'You're not mad at me?'

'No, but you might be mad at me,' Zoe mumbled sheepishly as she stepped away and grabbed Eleanor's hand. Eleanor's stomach churned in worry and followed Zoe as she led her into her room.