-november 4th 1984-
-357 days without eleven-
-reader's pov-
it felt as if my heart was in my throat as eleven and I raced into eachother's open embrace. I clung onto el as if she was my lifeline, because honesty, she was.
my hands quivered as they were tightly wrapped around el, a shaky breath slipped my lips before I burrowed my head deep into her warm shoulder. I didn't want to ever let go. I felt the hot tears flood from my eyes and dampen el's shoulder as she huddled me close to herself.
I slowly peeled my head from el's shoulder to gaze into her brown, doe eyes. "I-I never gave up on you.. I never stopped believing you were gone.. I-I looked for you every weekend a-and I called you every night for-"
"356 days." she finished for me, "I heard."
"I- I saw you.. you were like a ghost.. I thought you were haunting me for a moment.." this caused a weak chuckle to escape el's lips.
"b-but.. why didn't you come see me.. I- I mean-" I began to tremble but hopper interrupted.
"-because I wouldn't let her." he said before approaching el, "the hell is this? where've you been."
"where have you been." she spat back before hopper pulled her into a loving hug.
"you've been hiding her." mike said, everything had suddenly clicked.
"h-hop.. I thought you said that you'd keep a look out.." I stuttered out as I started to realise the lies that had been made too.
"you've been hiding her this whole time!" mike snapped whilst giving hopper a hard shove, "do you understand the state y/n's been in for the whole past year!"
hopper grabbed the cuff of mike's collar and grunted in his face, "let's talk, alone. both of you wheelers." he then pulled mike and I into joyce's empty room.
"protecting her! protecting her!" mike boomed.
"listen to me." hopper began, "the more people know about her, the more danger she's in, and the more danger you and your family are in-"
"oh, so you care about my family, do you?!" mike fired back, "you obviously don't because you've lied to my sister, you've lied right in her damn face!"
"I'm not going to repeat myself michael! it was for eleven's safety!" hopper yelled back before calming his tone a little, "look, kids.. I know it's hard to understand but-"
"hard?!" I retorted, now also growing annoyed along with mike, "no. no, you don't get it hopper, and you never will. I've gone absolute batshit crazy in the past year over this girl and now I find out that it's your fault and you're asking me to thank you?!"
"I'm not asking for that!" he bellowed, "just don't blame eleven, alright? that's all I ask for because she's upset enough as it is."
"why on earth would I ever blame her?!" I retorted, "I blame you!" mike had now joined in, "it's all your fault!" he cried out.
"that's okay kids, that's okay." he soothed down a little.
"NO! NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OKAY!" mike shouted, never once did he stop sticking up for me. he then proceeded to punch hopper in the stomach, repetitively, "YOU'RE A STUPID DISGUSTING LIAR! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO THEM! BOTH Y/N AND EL. YOU'VE DESTROYED THEM, YOU MONSTER!"
"alright!" hopper demanded, "stop it!" mike slowly calmed down and hopper eased him into a hug. I shot hopper a look, part of the look said 'I fucking hate you' but the other half really did say, 'thank you.' thank you for keeping eleven safe, because this whole thing was a lot to understand, especially for a 13 year old. but one thing I did get was that the lab was still out there, eleven was still in danger and hopper had kept her safe, and that I was thankful for.
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"it's not like it was before.." hopper sighed as we all now stood around the dinner table again, "it's grown. a lot, and, I mean, that's considering we can get in there, the place is crawling with those dogs."
"demodogs." dustin swiftly corrected.
"-dustin, just don't." max muttered, she was clearly pissed for some reason.
"I can do it." el suddenly piped up from beside me.
"you're not hearing me." hopper said sternly.
"I'm hearing you. I can do it." she repeated.
"even if el can, there's still another problem. if the brain dies, the body dies.. meaning w-w.." mike couldn't get the words out of his mouth.
"meaning will would die too." lucas finished for him after noticing his struggle.
"he likes it cold.." joyce suddenly said as she leapt up from her seat, everyone followed her into will's bedroom. he lay there, unresponsive, no longer himself.
"what?" hopper replied.
"it's what will kept saying to me." joyce informed, "he likes it cold." she then went around closing all of the open windows, "we keep giving it what it wants."
"if this is a virus.." nancy began, "and will's the host.. then.."
"we need to make the host uninhabitable." jonathan finished for her.
"so if he like it cold.." nancy trailed off.
"we need to burn it out of him." joyce announced.
"but we have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time." mike added.
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hopper had just told jonathan the directions to his cabin and sent him off with joyce and nancy to burn the shadow-monster out of will.
"j-just be careful, okay?" I spoke to eleven, "I can't lose you again."
"you won't lose me." she assured.
"oh, I sure do hope so." I grinned weakly as el's lips curled up into a smile. we both began to lean in, I felt her warm breath blow onto my cheek until hopper interrupted.
"el, come on. let's go, it's time." hopper ordered before calling out to me, "you make sure to keep the others safe, alright? from what that henderson kid told me, you're 'demodog kryptonite.' whatever the hell that means."
I chuckled proudly at what dustin had referred to me as, before eleven clambered into the police truck. the vehicle started up with a roar before speeding down the roads. I waved with teary eyes whilst watching the car leave, begging that I would be able to see el again.