Traveler // [billy hargrove / stranger things]

9 - "Ready, dumbass."

"Eleven." Mike takes a step towards the girl.

"Mike." They hug.

"I thought she was dead." I whisper behind my hand to Steve.

"So did I." He whispers back.

"I never gave up on you." Mike says. "I called you every night. Every night for—"

"353 days." She finishes his sentence. "I heard."

"Why wouldn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?"

"Because I wouldn't let her." Hopper cuts in. "The hell is this? Where you been?" He asks her.

"Where have you been?" She shoots right back and my eyebrows raise.

It's like seeing a tiny me.

"You've been hiding her." Mike says to Hopper, interrupting his and Eleven's hug. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike pushes him.

"Why is this reminding me of you and Billy just without the hiding?" Steve whispers to me and I roll my eyes.

"Hey." Hopper grabs Mike by the collar of his shirt. "Let's talk. Alone." He says and then they leave the room, allowing Eleven to say her other hellos.

"We missed you." Lucas says as she hugs him and Dustin.

"I missed you too."

"We talked about you pretty much everyday." Dustin smiles and she shoves her finger into his mouth.

"Teeth."

"What?"

"You have teeth." She says.

"Oh you like these pearls?" He asks, and then does the purring noise that Steve and I have told him to not do, and Lucas shakes his head.

"Eleven?" Max asks. "Hey, um, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you." She puts out her hand and Eleven pushes right past her.

Holy shit she really is like a tiny me.

"Hey. Hey sweetheart." Joyce says, hugging Eleven as she cries into her shoulder. "Hey." She wipes her cheeks of tears.

"Can I see him?" Eleven asks and they leave the room.

"Clearly doesn't take well to strangers. I'll be saying hello a different time." April says, coming up to Steve and I and we both nod.

"Are you seeing the similarities between the two of us? She's like me, but with powers. I love it." I say and April shakes her head.

/

"It's not like it was before. It's grown." Hopper says as we gather in the kitchen for our fucking group meeting. "A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demo-dogs." Dustin corrects and Steve and I shake our heads.

"I'm sorry, what?" Hopper asks Dustin and I laugh.

"I said, uh, Demo-dogs. Like Demogorgon and dogs." He explains his reasoning even though it's not making anything better.

"How is this important right now?" Hopper asks.

"It's not. I'm sorry." Dustin turns around and Steve and I purse our lips to not laugh.

This kid is funny.

"I can do it." Eleven says.

"You're not hearing me." Hopper shakes his head.

"I'm hearing you. I can do it." Eleven repeats.