𝟎𝟏𝟎 ᵐⁱᵏᵉ ʷʰᵉᵉˡᵉʳ ˣ ᵒᶜ

016

"CLOSE IT"

Delilah moved away from behind Hopper, her eyes filled with tears. Eleven looked at her with the same teared up smile.

"Eleven" she smiled.

"Del" El replied and wrapped her arms around the other's torso. Delilah cried on the girl's shoulder, she had missed her so much.

"I never gave up on you. I called you every
night. Every night for..." Delilah told her.

"353 days. I heard" El nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" She asked in confusion.

"Because I wouldn't let her" Hopper interrupted before walking up to Eleven "The hell is this? Where you been?" He asked her.

"Where have you been?" She replied but he just gave her a hug.

"You've been hiding her" Delilah realised "You've been hiding her this whole time!" She pushed at Hopper's arm.

"Hey! Let's talk. Alone" he told her, taking her into another room.

"Protecting her! Protecting her?" Delilah shouted at him.

"Listen. Listen to me. The more people know about
her, the more danger she's in. And the more danger you're in, you don't need them finding out about you on top of what's going on with Will" he explained calmly.

"So I should be thanking you?" Delilah asked bitterly.

"I'm not asking you to thank me! I'm asking you to try to understand" he remained calm.

"I don't! I don't understand!" she shouted at him.

"That's fine. That's fine! Just do not blame her! All right? She's upset enough as it is" he shouted back.

"I don't blame her! I blame you! I blame you!" She pushed him.

"That's okay, kid. That's okay"

"No! Nothing about this is okay!" She wasn't just pushing anymore, she was punching Hopper's stomach, harshly.

"Oh, jeez.."

"She was the closest thing" she punched again "that I had to a real family" she punched again "the only person who actually understands me and you had to take her, you lying piece of shit".

"Okay. All right! Stop it"

Delilah cried as she punched "I hate you, I hate you so much".

"Stop it. It's okay" Hopper spoke calmly as he wrapped Delilah into a hug, he held her close to his chest and let her cry.

"You're okay, kid. You're okay. I'm sorry, kid. It won't be like this anymore" he rubbed her back as she cried.

"It's not like it was before. It's grown" Hopper sighed as he spoke about the gate.

"El doesn't have to do it alone" Delilah made eye contact with Hopper "I can help, the both of us can definitely close the gate".

"You're not hearing me" Hopper continue.

"I'm hearing you" Delilah nodded.

"We can do it" Eleven agreed.

"Even if they can, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies" Mike told them.