electric // mike wheeler

PROTSI

Tee ended up falling asleep against Hopper's chest in the bathroom, mentally and physically exhausted from what was going on around her. Hopper felt his heart sink in this chest as he stared down at his little girl, he didn't want her to feel pain, of be scared, or get hurt, but he didn't know how to properly protect her either.

He ended up carrying her back into the room they had been in before. Alexei staring in worry as he placed the young girl down on the couch, her head on a pillow.

"Is she okay?" Joyce asked him, watching as he placed a blanket over her, she snuggled into it.

"No," hopper replied, "But she will be. We've gotta call Sam Owens."

-

When Tee woke up, it was to Hopper carrying her out to the car. Her head was on his shoulder, so when she opened her eyes she saw Alexei behind him, smiling up at her. She smiled back weakly as they walked to the car.

"Where are we going?" She mumbled to Hopper as she rubbed her eyes.

He lowered into the back seat, "Home," he replied to her, making her smile. Murray got in on the other side of her, Alexei doing the same as Hopper and Joyce sat in the front seats.

"Oh my god!" She gasped, turning and grabbing onto Alexei's shoulder, "you can meet my friends! Oh my god, I already know Dustin will love you-"

"Tee, I love you, but please be quiet," Hopper mumbled from the front, and Murray smiled deviously, he could get some payback.

"No, keep going Tee, I'll translate for you," he said to her, making her smile widely as Hopper sent Murray a glare.

"Okay, so, first there's El. S-she's my sister," Tee began, Murray translating it for her as she went, "she's my b-best friend, and I-I love her. She'll like you, b-because you annoy Hop."

"Hey-" Hopper tries to cut in.

"Shush, the lady is talking," Joyce said to him, making him send her a glare.

"The other g-girl is max. I-I love her hair, I-it's ginger and g-gorgeous. She's f-fiesty, and strong, and w-will do anything f-for her friends. S-she's great with advice, and is a-always there to listen." Tee explains.

"There's Mike. My boyfriend," she says, making hopper furrow his eyebrows, "h-he's my best friend, and I-I knew him g-growing up, we got separated when I-I was taken away," she explained as Murray translated, "he-he's pretty, and kind o-of a meanie s-sometimes. B-but he bakes cookies with me." She continues.

"Then there's L-Lucas, he d-didn't really like me at first, b-bu-but I grew on him, and now he-he's like an older brother. H-his sister is funny, too," Tee continued.

"There's Will." Tee said, making Joyce's ears perk up, "I help-helped save him from bad things a-a while ago, and it ended up with m-me getting put in danger," she explained, "b-but I'd do it all over again if I-it meant he w-was safe."

"That's very sweet of you, Tee," Joyce smiled from the front. Tee smiled back at her before looking over to Alexei, who was looking at her with a grin on his face.

"Last, b-but not least, is Dustin. He's so s-smart, too smart. He-he is quick witted, and kind, b-but s-sarcastic." She tells him, as Murray translates, "w-who are your friends?" She then asks him.

He sighs for a moment, leaning back in his seat as he looks out the window. He never planned on opening up to a fourteen year old, especially American, but he had a soft spot for her. She cared.

He spoke in Russian, quietly, and Tee looked over at Murray to translate.

"He has a wife and a daughter who's just turned four," He explains to Tee, making her nod her head.

"What does she look like!" Tee asked excitedly, her excitement making Alexei smile wider as he told Murray in Russian.

"Gorgeous, there aren't enough words to describe her." He says, and Tee notices how Alexei suddenly gets sad and says something else.

"What did he say?" Tee asks Murray quietly, feeling the switch in atmosphere.

"He worries he'll never see her again."

At that, Tee felt her heart crumble in her chest, her smile dissappearing as she stared at the man sat next to her.

She quickly moved closer, hugging him, and felt him freeze, before he slowly put his arm around her and held her back.

"Protsi," Tee mumbled, saying sorry in Russian, and Alexei just sighed, holding her tighter.

The silence in the air was deafening, the news Alexei had shared hitting them all. He was more than just a Russian scientist, he was a normal human being, with a bit of a weird situation. He cared about people, and clearly never wanted to be put in such an uncomfortable situation.

The silence was cut short, however, when the frequency on the radio changed.

"Turn it off!" Tee suddenly yelled, the frequency causing her eardrums to feel like they were ready to burst. Her hands flew up to her ears as she yelled.

Hopper and Joyce stared yelling and fumbling over the radio as Alexei and Murray watched on in shock, not knowing what was going on.

"Make it stop!" Tee screamed and cried as Hopper tried to change the frequency, but nothing was working.

She suddenly yelled her hand coming out as a small crack sounded throughout the car, the radio going silent.

"you shouldn't have looked for me... because now I see you. Now we can all see you."

"What the hell?" Hopper mumbled, looking back at Tee as she stared at the radio.

"You let us in. And now... you are going to have to let us stay."

"Who is that talking?" Joyce asked Hopper, but he didn't have an answer.

"Don't you see? All this time, we've been building it. We've been building it for you, Eleven, you and your little, precious Twelve. All that work, all that pain... all of it.... for the both of you. And now it's time. Time to end it. And we are going to end you. And when you are gone, we are going to end your sister, and then when she's gone, we're going to end everyone."

The radio suddenly crackled as it turned off.

"No!" Tee screamed as it ended, jumping up out of her trance as her breath hitched, unable to control her jumping heart.

Alexei grabbed her shoulder, making her grab his hand as she tried to ground herself. She wasn't in danger in that moment, but the fact her friends were scared her more.

"What the..." Murray mumbled as he looked over to Tee. The girl had tears streaming down her face as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Who was that?" Hopper asked her the question from earlier, his heart jumping out of his chest.

"Billy," Tee trembled, "it's been h-him all along."

(This chapters short but i thought I'd give u a couple cute moments before I destroy you all with the next chapter, sorry ladies)