Chapter Text
Dustin Henderson is a mess. There’s no point in trying to deny it. The death of Eddie Munson had taken a major toll on him, and his form of grieving was also the best form of flattery. Imitation. He couldn’t not, his best friend, his idol, his leader asked him to. To carry on the legacy of Hellfire. And he couldn’t. Eddie lived in a town that hated him, and he fought for it. But Dustin couldn’t. He didn’t know what Eddie had to take everyday. He was failing. Every night, he would relive the moment. He hated it. Most people would of fallen down a path. Of drugs, alcohol, smoking. But he couldn’t. Every night was the same. The bats, the upside down, him. And he would wake up in a cold sweat. Except one night, it didn’t end there. Dustin awoke, sitting up. He looked around his surroundings. His bedroom. In the past few years, from young boy to teen, you would have expected someone like him to change his interests. No longer liking comics, no longer being a nerd. However, his attitude to them had changed, he didn’t hate his interests, but he didn’t have time. The grief of Eddie, and the military now practically having Hawkins on lockdown changed his perspective on what he deemed important’. He reached over, turning on his small bedside lamp. He looked at posters of all sorts of media. He decided if he was awake, he’d decide to do some good. His door cracked open, he walked out into his kitchen, coming back with.. lettuce? He walked to one side of his room, his desk. And right next to it, was his pet. Turt. Short for Turtle. But, it wasn’t a turtle. It was a tortoise. 9 year old thought he was so smart, and funny, thinking that calling him that was a good decision. “Hey there little guy.” Dustin whispered, sitting at his chair. He took off the metal lid, placing some lettuce in the rocky terrain.
“I haven’t been treating you well, huh.”
He looked at Turt, seeing him emerge from its own slumber for an early breakfast, or a midnight feast.
“Well, I’d think you’d call me crazy if I told you that my best friend died in a alternate dimension exactly similar to this one, but there’s vines everywhere and it’s very dark.. but I think you’d think I’m crazy as I’m talking to a tortoise.”
He smiled, a genuine smile. He was happy, but… he paused once again.
“Do you remember.. when you got evicted..?” He asks, looking at him, seeing him chomp on his lettuce.
“You got kicked out for a tadpole. Huh. Well, It became more than a tadpole, and became a lizard, and I was proud of myself. I was gonna give him a name.”
He smiled, but no longer looking at the tortoise.
“I discovered it. Nothing like it. I gave it a species nickname. Dustonious Pollywogus. But him?.. He was special, he was called d’Artagnan. Dart. He was gonna be my ticket out of this hell hole.”
He stated, looking off into the distance
“But then.. I find out he had been coughed up by my friend.. and then he decided his face would open up and eat my cat so.. Not a good choice huh.”
He says, looking back at the enclosure, now seeing an asleep Turt.
“Night buddy.” Dustin said.
He stood up from his chair, as he walked back to his bed, reaching over to the lamp, turning it off. He got under the covers, ready to get comfy in bed. He knew what would happen when he fell back asleep. The same dream. The same incident, but.. for some odd reason, he felt a bit better. Knowing at least someone around him was happy. His eyes began to get heavy, making one last trip around his room. Everything was normal. The bookshelf; the vent of his room leading into the basement, his closet, his desk. So; he began to drift off, ready for what was to come next. However he wasn’t.
“Dustin?..”
A voice called out.
He wasn’t.. dreaming was he..?
His eyes, shot dead awake. This was new. His eyes, first looked around his roof, head still on his pillow. Nothing. He sat up, looking around once again. His eyes scouting around. Where did he hear that from?.. and who was it? He checked everywhere. The bookshelf; his closet, his desk.. but not the vent of his room leading into the basement. He shot up from his bed, as he quietly bent over to the vent, listening carefully. Nothing. Silence. All he could hear were the vent’s fan spinning. Was he going crazy? He sat up, sitting next to the vent. Waiting for another noise. Then..
“Dustin.? Are you awake..?” The voice, seemed more recognisable. Feminine. Familiar, but he still didn’t know who.
“Who.. goes there?..” His voice, echoing through the vent, scared shitless.
“Jane.” It replied back.
He paused, not sure if he heard correctly.
“Eleven?..” He asked.
“Meet me in.. this room.. It’s cold.. dusty and has a heater.” Jane asked.
Well, considering there was only one place that it could be, he put on a pair of slippers, and crept outside of the house, sneaking around the side, opening the large basement shutter doors, lantern in hand. He walked down the steps, letting the light guide him his path. He saw the silhouette in the dark, but needed to verify who it was. His arm, extended outwards, right infront of the figure’s face.. and it was Eleven.
“El… what are you doing here? In public? And especially at my house, in my basement at 4 in the god’ damn morning?!” He whispered, but asking each question like an interrogation.
“I used the tunnels.. no one saw me. Not even Hop” she replied, not seeming anything. Not anger, not sadness, not.. anything. She just replied.
“And he let you?!” Dustin asked, confused.
“I snook out.” Eleven answered once again. “Hopper passed out from drinking. Again.” Her voice, shifting to a slight amount of annoyance.
“So… why are you here?” Dustin asked, his voice full of curiosity.
“I missed… talking to my friends outside crawls… without needing to risk my life.. I missed my friends. I missed you.” She answered. Her voice, now stern. This wasn’t just her feelings, it was a fact.
Dustin felt.. confused. Sure, El was a good friend, and for a while thought that El was pretty.. but it was Mike who was El’s. Then when Max moved to Hawkins, he liked her too but again, it was Lucas who was El’s. Then, he went to camp. The science camp, and met Suzie. And he liked her but, it would never work. Come on, a 23 hour drive across America for a girl? Sure she was pretty but.. Eddie was the final nail in the coffin with Suzie. Dustin was pushing people away and.. hang on, this was about Dustin and El. Not Dustin’s relationship. She missed him.
“You… missed me..?” Dustin asked, not sure if he heard her correctly
Eleven nodded.
“Yes. I missed you.” She replied, she was being honest. “Because.. you are special. Not like my special but.. you are special.”
You know, coming from a girl who had telekinetic superpowers who had saved him and his friends time and time again saying he was special felt… oddly comforting?
Dustin looked at her, wanting to explain more.
Seeing Dustin’s look, she carried on.
“You never saw me as a weapon. It felt nice. And whenever I used my powers.. You wanted me to recharge. You wanted me safe.. so i thank you.”
She answered, looking at Dustin.
And Dustin looked at her. Did he really do that? Care so much for a girl who wasn’t even his?
“You’re welcome but.. why come here? Tonight?” He asks, persisting with each question.
“Why were you awake?” She asked him this time.
“Because if someone said your name from your basement.. you’d sure as hell respond. And don’t avoid my question.” He replies, not giving her the answer she wanted.. and the answer he didn’t want to give.
“Because I had planned it. My own crawl.” She responded. “And I wanted to speak to you, because.. you understand me.”
Dustin looked at her; the only thing that was helping him was the light from the lantern, but he had a very confused look. He.. understood her? A boy who rarely spoke to in private understood her. Makes sense.
“Well.. if that’s true.. what do you want to talk about?” Dustin asked her, curious.
“Well… Mike usually does the talking in our conversations so..” She answered
“Well, I’m not really in a talkative mood so..” Dustin replied, he was being honest. It was god-knows when in the morning, and.. what would they talk about? They were opposites in the same group.
“We don’t need to talk.” She answered. “I came here for company. And I got it.” She answered. Her voice normal, with a slight hint of sadness. She turned back to the tunnel, ready to go off.
“Wait, El.” Dustin shouted, grabbing her hand. They were warm. Well, they felt warm. He didn’t really notice if they were or not, but they felt nice. “We don’t have to talk.” He used her own words against her. “But that doesn’t mean you have to go.” He stated, letting go of her hand.
Eleven didn’t know what he was saying, confused. “I don’t? But, you said we wont talk.” She said, turning to a very red-faced Dustin.
“I mean.. we don’t have to talk but.. we can still enjoy each other’s presence.” He said, not sure what he was even saying.
“Presence…?” She asked.
“Do you not know the word?”
“I do not.”
“It’s like.. knowing someone’s there. When.. even when it’s quiet, and you can’t see anyone.. or anything but.. you can feel that someone is near. And it can be scary, knowing someone is there you don’t see. But it’s also comforting. Knowing someone is there you don’t see. Knowing that there’s someone there to.. step in when you need help.”
Dustin replied. He didn’t know what he was saying. He just said what he thought. He was thinking of some bullshit.
“So.. you want my presence?” Eleven asked Dustin, genuinely curious if thats he wanted.
“I mean… would you want that?” Dustin asked her, wanting to hear HER opinion. Not the party’s, not Lucas’, not Will’s, not Max, and DEFINITELY not Mike’s.
Before responding, a sudden shift in shape moved. She sat down, before realising the dirt and grime was now on her.
Dustin sat down, behind her, back to back. It was… odd. Comforting, yes but.. odd. His eyes felt heavy, a comfort he hasn’t felt for a while. He tried staying awake, but the lightly dimmed lantern keeping the room from a pitch black that would engulf the room, but also knowing that she was behind him.
“Can we do this again?” She asked.
But before he could respond, his eyes started to close, and for the first time in about a year, he began to have a good nights sleep. The next time his eyes would open, he could see more. Brighter. Warmer. He looked around his surroundings. He was sat on the basement floor. Was everything that happened last night… real? He turned behind him, not seeing Eleven. But, there was an addition of a crate covering the hole in the wall. It was true. He stood up, as he patted the dust of him, and staggered towards the basement door, wide open from the night prior. For someone who had a good nights sleep for the first time in a while, his back ached. Most likely from sitting up.
He took his first step out, the bright light temporarily blinding him. Then; when his eyes adjusted, he saw that he needed to go back to his room, before anyone else would see him. He crept back into his house, using the side door of his house by the garden. He successfully managed to get into his house, and then his bedroom. He crept into his bed, and threw the covers over him. That was strange, but he enjoyed it, he thought to himself. And for the final time, his eyes became heavy. As he drifted off into sleep once again.