"either way, we're not alone..."
In which Sophie Hargrove struggles to close off her heart, especially when she starts to let Steve Harrington in.
STRANGER THINGS
SEASON TWO - SEASON FIVE
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***
(tw: violence, blood and needles)
Mike was the first to step forward, welcoming her home. "Eleven."
"Mike." The girl softly uttered, her voice shaky. She immediately accepted a hug from the young boy, melting in his embrace. From the looks of it, she'd been waiting a long while to hold him again.
"Is that...?" Max glanced at Lucas, who nodded, confirming her suspicions.
"That's who I saw when we were looking for Dart." Sophie peered down at the young redhead, smirking. "I told you it wasn't a ghost."
The boys spun around, their eyes wide. "What?"
"Why didn't you say anything?" Lucas asked.
"Well, I didn't know who she was, did I?" Besides, they wouldn't have believed her anyway; Max certainly didn't.
"I never gave up on you." Mike seemed like a different person around Eleven; he was a lot more caring. She must be pretty special if he's treating her this way. "I called you every night. Every night for-"
"Three hundred and fifty-three days." Eleven finished for him, tearing up a little. "I heard."
The young boy was caught off guard, astounded by this revelation. "Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?"
"Because I wouldn't let her." Hopper chimed in, drawing the group's attention, though his focus was on the younger girl. He marched forward with a stern expression. "The hell is this? Where have you been?"
"Where have you been?" she fired back, her tone malicious.
Neither answered the other's question, instead, Hopper wrapped an arm around Eleven and pulled her in for a hug to the others' collective shock. There was more going on behind the scenes than they first realised. It looked like everyone was keeping secrets at one point or another.
"You've been hiding her..." Mike realised. "You've been hiding her this whole time!"
Though small and weak compared to the older man, Mike shoved Hopper, causing him to stumble. "Hey!" He grabbed the boy by his shirt, keeping him still. "Let's talk." Hopper yanked him closer. "Alone."
Mike obeyed, and the pair made their way down the hallway. They could hear Hopper trying to keep his cool, calmly addressing the boy by name and telling him he was protecting her.
But as the yelling began, Eleven sighed, watching them enter another room. Hopper closed the door behind him, muffling Mike's enraged outburst.
Slowly, Lucas and Dustin approached Eleven, though the girl was quick to pull them both into a tight embrace, a smile forming on her face. "We missed you."
"I missed you, too." She replied.
"We talked about you pretty much every day," Dustin told her.
As they broke away, Eleven stared at Dustin with a furrowed brow. She reached out her hand and grazed his teeth with her thumb. The boy backed away as she uttered. "Teeth."
