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"Eleven." Mike said, tears pooling in his eyes as some dripped down his cheeks.
"Mike." Eleven sobbed, hugging him tight.
"I never gave up on you." he told her with a smile that warmed Beth's heart. "I called you every night. Every night for-"
"353 days." Eleven finished. "I heard."
"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike asked, shocked.
Hopper sighed, stepping close to Eleven. "Because I wouldn't let her." So he had been keeping her with him the whole time? Beth knew El was suspicious when they first met, but she never put two and two together. "The hell is this? Where have you been?" Hopper asked the significantly smaller girl.
"Where have you been?" She snapped, an attitude that impressed Beth immensely, her tone and look completely different from when they used to drive around every day and talk and play music before.
Hopper pulled her into a hug, rubbing her arm.
"You've been hiding her." Mike realized. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" He pushed Hopper, causing the older and stronger man to jump forwards and grab Mike. "Hey!" Hopper snapped. "Let's talk. Alone." he dragged Mike to Will's room, their voices loud but unintelligible.
Lucas and Dustin immediately ran to her, double hugging her. "We missed you." Lucas said.
"I missed you too." Eleven told them, pulling away from the hug.
"We talked about you pretty much every day." Dustin grinned, showing off his "pearls." Beth snorted as she looked at them in confusion, pushing on them with her finger. "Teeth." she said.
"What?" Dustin asked.
"You have teeth." she repeated.
"Oh?" Dustin grinned. "You like these pearls?" he then purred, slightly scaring Eleven.
Beth laughed, Eleven's eyes averting to her. The young girl's eyes went wide, her feet carrying her to one of the only people who she knew understood her. Who really understood her. "Beth." Eleven squeaked, her eyes being covered by a sheet of tears as Beth pulled her into a tight hug, repeatedly kissing the top of her head. "Nancy told me about you, but it never clicked that you were Eleven. I missed you, El." Beth cried, rocking her gently.
Eleven pulled back, slowly reaching her hand up to tug on Beth's hair that was now let out of its previous loose bun. "Longer." Eleven half smiled, rolling the curls around her fingers briefly.
"I know. I let it grow out for the school year." Beth grinned, letting her go to greet everyone else.
Beth wiped her tears, being consoled by Steve who brought her into a hug, the amount of emotional waves in the room making it hard for Beth to not cry. Even though didn't know El very well, she understood her pain. She understood how she felt. Beth missed her little "mini me."
"She's here now." Steve comforted, letting Beth wipe her tears and compose herself before she pulled out of the hug that he tried to savor as long as he could.
He still didn't know that Beth heard his confession to Joyce, the words hanging heavy on Beth's heart and mind. But she had bigger things to focus on. They all did.
Defeating this thing.
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this chapter is SUPER short, but i wanted to reserve the particular emotion this part of the episode gives for one chapter. the next chapters will be longer. (unedited) happy reading!
