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Chapter Text

"So you've never had a girl sleepover before?" Max asked her with curious eyes as they sat on her bed.

"No." She shook her head as she concentrated on brushing her small toenail with electric blue nail polish.

"It's okay, me neither." Max assured her with a smile, as she did the same with an emerald color on her toes.

The girls were having a sleepover for the first time. After becoming friends over their dislike of certain girls in the school, and defending each other to them, Max and El became super close. One could go as far as to say they were best friends, but to be fair, the whole party were best friends. Although, El wouldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy having a girl best friend. The boys were amazing, but she couldn't share period tips with them, and there was only a certain level of redness Will could have when she told him about Mike's kisses until the boy shut her up. Also, Dustin gave the worst advice when it came to lipstick, so really having a girl best friend was amazing.

Max wasn't the girliest of girls, far from it, but her mom insisted on her having some normal teenager things, so when they planned their Friday night, Max's collection of (5) nail polishes had to be present.

"I feel like such a girl." Max laughed as she sat back and admired her freshly painted toenails, wiggling her little fingers amusingly.

El giggled in response as she capped the blue polish bottle, putting it on her bedside table. "You are a girl, Max."

"I know, weirdo, it's just that sometimes it feels different, you know? Like I'm not a normal girl." Max shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, to be fair we're not normal girls. I mean, we've seen so much that it's okay to forget about cliché things like nail polish and purses." El told her seriously, staring at her. "It's okay not to be normal."

"Wow, El." Max laughed. "When did you get so wise?"

El flushed self-conscious next to her. "I've been reading. And Jonathan told me it's okay to not be like everyone else."

"I know," Max patted the girl's hand in agreement. "And he's right."

"I've been spending a lot of time with him." El told her with a smile as they munched on the chips and popcorn bag next to them.

"Yeah? I bet. How's that going?" Max asked her as she shoved a handful of chips inside her mouth.

Right on cue a knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and Hopper's head appeared, much to the girls' amusement.

"Hey, I'm leaving in five. I left some money on the table if you girls want to order some pizza, okay? Be nice and behave while I'm gone." Hop told them pointedly with a stern finger.

"Thanks, Dad. Have fun. Tell Joyce I said hi." El told him with a teasing smile.

"Bye, Chief." Max waved her fingers with a laugh.

Hopper only smirked back at them and then he disappeared with a click of the door.

"Man, those two." Max shook her head as she laughed, grabbing another handful of buttered popcorn.

"I'm so happy for them. Everything's going- don't choke," she warned laughing at the redhead as Max gagged from the excess of food in her mouth. "Everything's going great. And Will and Jonathan are super on board!" She gushed.

"You guys sound like a great happy family." Max chuckled as she swallowed, with a tint of sadness edging on her voice.

"How are things at home?" El asked her worriedly, wondering if Max was still successful in making Billy stay away from her business.

"Eh, you know. Same old, same old." Max shrugged with a frown.

A few minutes passed in silence, and then El broke it with the sudden need to revive the mood, not wanting her friend to get sad. "Let's go order some pizza."

After ordering the mushroom and pepperoni pizza, both girls lounged in the living room for a while, looking for a movie to put on for later. Max had brought a few from the Rental store but they were curious to see Hopper's own stash.

"Pick anything you want." El told Max as she walked towards the phone. There was a certain boy she wanted to talk to.

"You know, Wheeler isn't going to melt if you don't say goodnight to him." Max teased from her place on the ground as she inspected the contents of Hopper's Movie Box. "Or who knows, maybe he will." Max muttered to herself under her breath.

El chuckled and listened to the phone as the line beeped, waiting for someone on the other side to answer.

"Hello?" A little girl's voice answered her.

"Hey, Holly." El smiled to the little blonde's voice.

"El! Hi!" Holly greeted her excitedly.

"Is Mike around?"

"Yes, he's-" Holly's voice was muffled and was replaced by a deeper one. One she knew very well.

"Holly, what have I told you about answering the phone yourself? Hello?" Mike spoke into the phone.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey, you." He told her fondly, and she could picture him smiling against the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Max and I are looking for a movie to watch."

"More like Max is looking for a movie while you grin like a fool." Max shouted loud enough so she could be heard by Mike.

"What was that?" Mike laughed.

"She said I'm grinning like a fool while she's looking for the move." El explained with a laugh as she flipped Max off.

"Oh," Mike paused to laugh. "Tell her she has to suck it up."

"He says to suck it up." El repeated to Max.

"Tell him to man up and quit his whining. He's never getting a sleepover with you while Hopper lives." Max instructed her as she laughed.

"Did you hear that?" El asked him with a laugh.

"Yeah. Not fair, I've known you for a longer time. I call seniority dibs." Mike told her and she could see him pout even from miles away. She knew him.

"You know Hop wouldn't let us have a sleepover together." She told him with a giggle as her finger circled the phone cord.

"I know. But it's not like-," He cut himself off and then he lowered his voice. "It's not like we would do anything like that." He murmured into the phone.

"Yes, but Hopper doesn't think that. And honestly... I wouldn't promise anything either." She flushed scarlet and busied herself with the phone cord to ignore Max's raised eyebrows and tinkling eyes.

She heard Mike's breath hitch and she could imagine him throwing cautious glances around his living room, knowing Holly was probably there with him and Mrs. Wheeler wasn't too far away.

"Yeah?" He asked her breathily.

"Yeah," she gulped and she knew Max could tell what she was taking about with Mike. "Nothing like that, though." She told Mike quickly.

"I know, I know." Mike's breath was definitely hitched and his voice took a higher pitch. "You know I wouldn't push you into doing anything you didn't want to. Ever."

"I know." She told him earnestly as she watched Max put the box away and dust herself off as she stood up.

"Hey," Mike told her suddenly. "I love you."

"Nawww," she smiled warmly. "I love you, too. I miss you."

Max fake gagged as she passed her to go into the kitchen. "You literally saw him a few hours ago. And I found nothing in your dad's movies. We're watching Grease."

"I miss you, too, babe." Mike told her with a chuckle and she suddenly wanted to kiss him badly.

"Hey, Wheeler?" Max questioned loudly, coming closer and actually taking the phone from her. "Why don't stop interrupting our sleepover and go to bed already? Isn't it way past your bedtime now?"

"Why don't you give me my girlfriend back so I can say goodnight to her in peace, Mayfield?" Mike told her resignedly, knowing Max was right and it was time to say goodbye to El.

"Alright. Bye, lover boy." Max teased as she gave the phone back to El.

"Hey, I have to go. This annoying redhead doesn't want to share you with me." Mike told her amused.

"Well, it is her night." El teased him.

"I know. But hey, how about I go and steal you away tomorrow? Wanna go to the movies with me?"

"Yes," El breathed into the phone, excited to spend the whole day with Mike. "Come around 11."

"What?! That's too early! We're supposed to sleep in! It's Saturday!" Max whined next to her.

"Well, how about you call me when you're free of that redheaded terror next to you?" Mike told her, laughing at Max's annoyance.

"Okay. I love you." El grinned.

"I love you, too. So much."

"Good night, Mike." She made a kissing sound, wishing that he would get it through the phone.

"Good night, babe." He waited a few seconds before making a tiny kissing sound, too. She grinned as she heard Holly's teasing voice in the background and Mike's embarrassed complaining as he hung up.

"God, you two are disgusting." Max complained as she sipped from a can of coke.

"Have you seen yourself lately? You and Lucas could take us for a run on our money."

"Give us a run for our money," she corrected gently. "And that's not true! Nothing can get to your level." She defended herself and her not-mushy relationship.

"But you're not denying you've been sappy, too." El asked her with a teasing grin.

"No! We're cool. Nothing like you weirdos."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Mrs. Sinclair."

"Oh my god, stop!" Max complained as the pizza guy beeped outside.

El went to grab the money while Max opened the door; and after, when both girls were happily eating the pizza while watching Danny Zuko be a total douche to Sandy, they did what teenager girls did and began giggling over boys and 70's fashion choices. It was nice to have a typical girl sleepover, even though they weren't normal themselves. But normal was boring anyways.

Chapter Text

She and Lucas have been dating for over 4 months when he enters her house for the first time.

Their hangout place was always the Sinclair's; the warm welcome she received from Lucas' mom and the funny dad jokes from Mr. Sinclair made her feel at ease and comfortable; not to mention the little terror named Erica, who was completely devoted to make her big brother's life a chaos, and who had clicked with Max right away due to both girls' devilish behavior. All of that, compared to Max's home life, made them stay at Lucas' house and they never intended to switch locations.

But after procrastinating their Geography project for a week straight, and Lucas erupting in a nervous ball, they were hurriedly putting the project's materials together to go to Lucas' house.

"Shit," Max cursed. "I don't have the Mexican map! I left it on my desk at home!" She slapped her forehead in frustration, knowing they would have to stop at her house to get it.

"Let's just go get it. It's getting late and we still have to draw the Olmec head." Lucas said as he took a deep breath to relax himself a little.

When they arrived at Max's house, it was a little after four pm, and she cursed colorfully when she realized they would lose even more time getting to the Sinclair's.

"Why don't we just... do the project here?" Lucas asked her tentatively.

Max stared at him for a few heartbeats, weighting the cons and pros before nodding carefully, knowing that if they were fast enough, they wouldn't take too long. "Okay."

He put his bike next to the mailbox as Max went inside, inspecting the house interior to see if there was anyone home.

Neil was at work, surely lazing out; and her mom would be getting home in about an hour, but neither of them were really her concern.

His blue Camaro wasn't in the driveway, but she still felt tense when she took notice of Billy's closed door. The bastard wasn't home yet, but she knew it wouldn't take too long before he was.

"We can go to my house. I'm sure if we hurry up we'll make it on time," Lucas said, noticing her anxiety. "And we don't have to put all of the foods, I'm sure if we just put the Pozol there, the teacher will-"

"No," Max interrupted, turning around to look him in the eye. "Let's just do it here. And you know Pozol is just a drink, right?"

Lucas chuckled and followed her into her room, taking it in with curious eyes. It was the first time he was there, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in seeing her living area, knowing this was the only room in the whole house she felt at ease.

He took the framed photo she kept on her desk and smiled as Max's crinkled eyes smiled back at him, along with her dad, taking in the similarities between them.

"That's my dad." Max told him with a smile, closing the door and dumping her things on her bed, taking a seat on it.

"I know. You look exactly like him; only with red hair." He smiled as he put the photo back in its place next to the Mexican map, and walked towards her.

"I miss him." She told him quietly as he took her face between his warm palms.

"I know." He whispered, leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

A few minutes later, when they were unfolding the large sheet of paper they would be gluing Tabasco's pictures on, they heard a roaring engine approaching.

The wheels screeching on the driveway and the sound of a slamming door announced Billy's arrival, and Max gulped with nerves as she listened to the front door be opened. She shared an anxious look with Lucas, hoping with all her might that the older boy would ignore her presence and leave them alone for the whole afternoon.

Lucas cut through the multiple colorful pictures, the scissors making a scratchy soothing sound, and he concentrated on his task, seated on the carpeted floor of her bedroom as Max began shaping the Colossal Head on another sheet of paper, on her desk.

They heard a few things slam outside, and then Max's heart stopped as the door to her bedroom opened with a creak.

Billy's face appeared on the threshold and it froze as he took in the teen boy seated on his step-sister's floor. "What the hell are you doing in my house?" He asked coldly.

Lucas only glared at him darkly as Max stood up and walked towards Billy, pushing the boy from her room and slamming the door behind her.

"Who told you it was okay to bring people over?" He asked Max angrily, nostrils flaring like a bull's.

"Billy, we're just doing homework." Max told him annoyed.

"I don't give a fuck if you're in there reading the Bible, who told you it was okay to have people over? Who told you it was okay to have him over, huh?"

"I don't need permission from you." Max scoffed angrily, not liking his tone towards Lucas.

Billy grabbed her arm roughly, bringing her closer to snarl in her face. "What was that?"

"You're hurting me." She told him as she tried to slip from his grasp.

"What have I told you of using that tone with me? Do I need to remind you who's in charge when they're not around? Don't make me angry, Max." He told her threateningly, referring to their parents.

"And do I need to remind you I'm not afraid of you? Don't make me angry, Billy." She warned him dangerously as she shoved his hand from her arm, making sure to drag her nails on his skin.

"We'll see about you not being scared anymore." He told her lowly as he shoved her away, stomping towards his room. "Make a single sound and I'll throw him out myself."

"I'd love to see you try to touch him." She threatened, and Billy's only response was to glare darkly at her as he slammed his door close, disappearing from her view.

Heavy rock music blasted suddenly from his room, making the walls of the house thump with the loud noise. She took a deep breath to calm her shaking hands as she opened her door again, coming to a stop as she found her boyfriend hovering behind the door.

"What are you doing?" She asked him as she closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her instead.

"I-yeah. Yeah, of course." She nodded reassuringly.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him, feeling her shaky arms cross behind his back. "I was ready to go out there." He admitted quietly against her copper strands.

"I'm okay," she repeated as she squeezed his middle. Lucas was super tall now; her head barely grazed his shoulders. "I can handle him."

"I know you can. But I'm scared he will push you too much one day." He confessed.

"I'll be okay."

"Will you still go to have dinner at my place? My mom made you cheesecake." Lucas told her, still hugging her.

"Mmmm, yes." She basked in his warm embrace for a few indulgent minutes more, before breaking the hug and leading him in further by the hand. "C'mon. There's a project we need to finish."

They finished their Tabasco exposition between laughs and kisses, trying to ignore the thundering music coming from Billy's room, and when she was helping herself to a second serving of the delicious cheesecake Lucas' mom had made for her, she promised herself she wouldn't ever let Billy get near Lucas enough to harm him. He'd have to get through her first, and after everything she had lived, he now knew she wasn't going to be an easy obstacle.

Chapter Text

Snuggled comfortably in her bed, El sighed warmly as the last minutes of sleep passed through her. She began to gain consciousness, listening to the soft howls of the wind outside her window, making the trees rustle their leaves, still heavy with snow as the first days of February creeped in.

Still holding on to her sleep, she turned inside her covers, moving to lie on her left side to try and get a few more minutes of peaceful slumber; but just as her right knee slapped against her left one, she felt a sharp pain in her lower stomach.

She inhaled sharply as her eyes snapped open and her hazy gaze inspected her room as she took her hands to her pelvis, where the pain was coming from.

She gave a whine as she moved to lie on her back, and whimpered softly as she pressed her fingertips to her skin, confirming to herself that she was indeed hurting.

She sat up in bed with a grimace and felt something warm pooling in her underwear. Panic erupted in her chest and she was afraid that she had peed herself while she was asleep. She flinched when her warm feet touched the cold floor, but still walked all the way to the bathroom, whimpering softly as every step shook her insides and made the pain throb harder.

She closed the door behind her, sat on the toilet and gasped loudly as red stained her underwear.

"I'm dying!" She cried softly to herself in alarm. While she contemplated the blood and inspected her thighs for any injuries, she began peeing, as she usually did when she first woke up every day. When she wiped herself, her eyes widened as more blood appeared on the toilet paper.

She gulped, her hands shaking as she threw the used piece of paper in the trashcan, and a heavy feeling settled itself in her stomach. Worry, her brain told her. W-o-r-r-y: to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts. Hopper had explained the word to her when it had been her word of the day a few months ago, when she was still hidden.

Hopper! She gasped mentally.

"Hop." She whimpered as she gripped her lower abdomen, supporting her forearms on her thighs. "Hopper!" She repeated.

Nothing.

She knew he was probably asleep, and that meant she would have to go out and shake the man in order for him to wake up.

Unless she woke him up differently.

She closed her eyes in concentration and she leveled her breathing, pushing, pushing, tightening her mind, until a crash was heard and then a startled cry was emitted by her adoptive father. Satisfied her plan had worked, she wiped her nose on the back of her hand, grimacing as the metal tang of blood rubbed on her upper lip.

"Eleven?" Hopper called in the living room, groaning as he presumably stood up from his warm place in the couch.

"Help! Bathroom!" She called, trying to be loud but every time she made the effort of straining her vocal cords, her stomach pushed in and that made the pain pulse again.

The heavy footsteps of her dad thumped through the hallway, and then his large silhouette was outside the door. "You okay there, kid? You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," El told him quietly. "I'm not okay."

"What's the matter?" Hopper asked her with a more urgent tone.

"I'm bleeding," El whimpered. "And it hurts."

"Where?" Hopper asked, and his tone was certainly urgent and alert.

"... In my underwear."

"...Your underwear?" Hopper asked confused. It took a couple seconds for her words to make sense, but then it hit him, and he cursed softly. "Uhh... okay. Did you clean yourself yet?"

"Yes, but the blood is still coming." El whimpered as a sudden pinch erupted in her pelvis and she felt sad, as if she wanted to cry all of the sudden. Her torso leaned further down, folding herself to rest against her thighs.

"Uh, okay. Hold in there for a second okay, kid?" Hopper told her as his large form moved from behind the door.

A couple minutes were spent in silence and then his voice reached El's ears again.

"El? Here's what we're going to do, okay? You're going to take a shower; I turned the heater on so it's nice and warm, okay?"

"Uh-huh?" She asked expectantly, trying to control her shaky voice as tears started streaming down her face. Her lip quivered and she huffed to herself, not wanting to be weak.

"And then you're going to grab more toilet paper, fold it and then you're going to put it in your underwear. I'm going to leave a clean pair on the lid of the toilet, all right, kid? I'm going out for a bit—"

"No, don't leave!" Panic was fluttering in her chest again, at the thought of him leaving her like this.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay, kid. Listen to me." Her cries were more persistent now, and she sniffled as she started to sob softly. "El? Listen to me, sweetheart. Calm down, it's okay. I'll be back real quick. I'm going to buy some things for you, and when I'm back I'll explain everything, okay?"

More sniffling.

"El?" He repeated.

"Okay." She answered shakily and quietly.

"All right, I'm going to get your underwear. Get in the shower."

His heavy feet thumped away from the bathroom and El found herself alone again.

"Okay." She whispered to herself. I can do this, she thought.

She took off her ruined underwear and threw it in the trashcan, along with more paper as she cleaned herself again, pouting when some blood got on her hand.

She stood up shakily, took off the rest of her clothes, and watched with a heavy sigh how the blood swirled around in the toilet as she flushed it. Hopper knocking on the door startled her, and she quickly closed the lid and got in the shower.

"You can come in."

She peeked from behind the blue curtain as his hand appeared, throwing her panties on the toilet lid and then his eyes met hers for the first time that morning.

"I'm leaving now, okay? I'll be right back. Everything's all right, sweetheart, okay?"

He smiled awkwardly at her when she nodded, and then he closed the door and left.

She turned the shower on, gasping when ice cold water sprayed on her face. She backed away to wait for it to warm up as the front door slammed closed outside. A few minutes later she got under the shower head and tried to ignore the drops of blood that fell from her; she watched with rapt attention how, if she squatted a little, more blood dropped down, and she understood the blood was coming from her genitals.

She put her hand there and frowned when her fingers got coated in more blood. She washed it away, coating her hands and legs with soap, and then lathering her hands with suds again, not wanting the soap to get bloody when she washed her nether regions.

After cleaning herself, she grabbed her towel from the rack and dried herself, patting her wet face with the fluffy towel for some comfort.

Later, when she redressed herself and did what Hopper told her to do with the toilet paper, she was laying down on her bed again. Her damp hair was wetting her shirt, but she liked the coolness of it, as her body was beginning to get too warm.

The front door opened again, and a few minutes later Hopper appeared in her room, carrying a plastic bag.

"Okay. Okay." He kept repeating as he shook the contents of the bag on top of her covers. El sat up, curious to see what those colorful boxes contained.

"Okay, Ellie. You ready?" Hopper asked her as he sat by her feet on the bed.

"For what?" She frowned.

He ignored her question and instead grabbed a purple box. He opened the flaps and she sat further up to peer inside of it. "This," He held up a large white plastic square. "Is a pad."

He handed it to her and she curiously inspected it as she turned it around in her hands.

"It goes on your underwear, like the paper." He explained further.

"What does it do?"

"It kind of soaks the blood; to prevent it from staining your underwear."

"Oh." She nodded, lifting her eyebrows in surprise as she imagined it. But her brows furrowed again as she took in the shape. "Does it fit?"

"Well, you have to open it. I bought two sizes, because I didn't know which one would be more fitting. Joyce said those are better because they have 'wings', whatever that means." He shook his head to show his confusion at Joyce's words. "She'll be stopping by later, to explain this much better." After her nod, he took the pad in his hands again and opened it, revealing a long stripe-like cotton pad.

"You open it like this, and there's some kind of glue or something behind it," he explained as he turned the pad and pointed to the back of it, where it was still stuck to the plastic. Hopper wasn't going to waste one, even if it was for explanation; those things were expensive. "And then you press it to your underwear. And uhhh... I guess these are the wings." Hopper pointed to a half-circular part attached to the pad.

He handed her the pad again and grabbed the box with furrowed brows as he read the instructions. "It says here that you fold those to the outer part of the underwear."

El frowned with him; she understood the instructions (she was always good with those; that's why the lab guys liked her), but was confused on how to do it.

"Alright! Go put it on." Hopper abruptly clapped, ushering her to the bathroom.

She stood up on throbbing legs, and went to the bathroom, where she spent a few minutes figuring out how to place the pad.

She emerged a few minutes later with a grimace, standing just outside the bathroom.

"Well?" Hopper asked her.

"It's tugging on my hair." She told him as she squirmed a little.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he wondered how on earth was the pad tugging on her head, and then he blushed scarlet as he understood what hair was she taking about.

"Go, um, fix it. It shouldn't do that." He told her gruffly, coughing uncomfortably.

Hours later, after he explained the woman's reproduction and why periods happened, and avoided taking about sex as much as he could, Hopper sighed in relief as they were having a late breakfast.

"Can I call Mike?" El asked as she chewed on a piece of Eggo. He figured the girl was in enough pain, so he gave in to let her eat the sweet treat. She had a near breakdown when he made her take a few painkillers, whimpering about "No pills" and only taking them after he promised it wouldn't harm her.

"What for?" He asked after he took a bite of bacon.

"I want to tell him. About my period."

He coughed in surprise, almost choking as he forced his throat to swallow.

"No!" He responded.

"Why?" She asked seriously and a bit upset by his tone.

"Remember what I told you about limits and privacy?" She nodded, and he continued. "This is one of those things. Boys are stupid. They get weird." He explained.

"Are you stupid?" She asked with a sly smile, acting innocent.

"No." He deadpanned as she giggled, and he chuckled, relieved that her gloomy mood was passing. "But I do get weird. It's just not a subject I'm really comfortable about, because I am a boy, and I don't know much about it."

She nodded in understanding as she finished her Eggo in silence. After taking a sip of her OJ, she swallowed and watched him hesitantly. "Can I call Max? She's a girl." She explained further.

After he nodded, she quickly took her plate to the sink (a habit he was proud of inflicting on her), washed it and ran to the phone. On the wall, Hopper had pasted a yellow post-it so she could write the numbers of her friends, and she quickly searched Max's phone number with her finger.

"Hello?" A woman's voice greeted her once the phone was answered.

"Good morning, can I talk to Max, please?" El asked politely, using the words Hopper taught her when talking to an adult. Except when they weren't nice; he taught her other colorful ones for those.

"Who's this?" The woman asked her.

"Jane." She told the woman, using the name Hopper told her to give every adult.

"One second, dear. MAX! JANE FROM SCHOOL IS ON THE PHONE!" The woman shouted away from the phone, and El frowned in confusion. All of her friends' parents knew she wasn't in school with them. A flashback on a conversation with Max about her family cleared a bit of the confusion away. Neglect, she remembered. N-e-g-l-e-c-t: to pay no attention or too little attention to people or things that are your responsibility.

"Hey? It's me." Max spoke on the phone.

"I got my period this morning." El informed the redhead.

"Oh... weird topic, but I guess it's a bit uncommon for you. Is this your first period?" Max asked her.

"Yes. I'm wearing a pad." El told her friend.

"Yeah, you're supposed to wear one. My mom says tampons are for big girls and I got to agree on that one. It must be so uncomfortable to have that shoved up there. Wait, who showed you how to wear the pad?" Max was doing that thing where she spoke really fast and El had a bit of trouble in getting all her words, but she was becoming familiar with the redhead, so she managed just fine.

"Hopper."

"Hopper showed you how to put on a pad?" Max didn't wait for an answer as she let out a huge bark of laughter, and El was confused for a little bit, but then she put Max's amusement and her dad's uncomfortableness together and somehow it all made sense.

El giggled on the phone with the redhead, because the situation was a little funny. All of her worries and fright were for nothing. Periods are a natural thing, Hopper had told her. She had nothing to worry about. And to think she thought she was dying! Besides, Max's laughter was infectious.

Both girls talked a few minutes more, before El got tired and she decided to end the call. She hung up and lingered there for a minute, thinking back to her conversation with Max.

"Hop?" She looked at her father. He was drinking coffee, and he swung his eyes to hers over the rim of the mug. "What's a tampon and why does it go up there?" Needless to say, the coffee sprayed everywhere when Hopper choked.

"Uhm... why don't you save that question for Joyce? I bet she'll love to answer that one."

Chapter Text

Max rolled her eyes for the fourth time in three minutes as Dustin yelled at Lucas to fireball whatever monster they were fighting on the campaign now. The squad, or The Party, as Dustin liked to call them, had reunited in Mike's house to hang out. Or so they told Max, but instead she found herself 3 hours in a campaign of Dungeons and Dragons, bored out of her mind. At first she had decided to not be an annoying jerk and listen to the campaign. She had to admit Mike was a great DM, his storytelling was spot on and capturing; but she didn't have the patience for a game this long. They were barely halfway through, and Max wanted to flip the damn table already. She looked over from her spot beside Lucas, and locked eyes with an equally bored El.

The brunette was lazily resting her head against Mike's shoulder, pretending to read from his open book, but Max could tell the girl was ready to get out of there, only remaining in place by Mike's sporadic attention. Mike was in the zone, and although his puppy love made him want to glue his eyes to El's face, he was totally enraptured by the story.

Max lifted her eyebrows, and raised her eyes to the ceiling, jerking her head towards the stairs to signal her plans to El.

The girl nodded and Max let a relieved sigh slip from her lips. "We're going upstairs for a bit."

"What, why?" Lucas asked her as he interrupted his bickering with Dustin to look in her direction.

"We're bored." She stated plainly, smirking as Will let a gasp in fake-astonishment.

"You too?" A crestfallen Mike asked El as the telekinetic girl stood up.

"Yeah." She nodded ruefully.

"Oh, okay." He nodded, upset that his favorite girl was leaving. "Sorry for boring you."

"It's okay. You're great." El smiled as she touched Mike's shoulder for one last time, as both girls walked towards the stairs. "We'll be back in a few." She threw behind her shoulder.

"I'm great!" Mike repeated happily and the boys erupted in teasing voices, making fun of the boy as he tried to shush them angrily.

Both girls giggled as the teasing fell to muffled voices, closing the basement door behind them.

"We're not going back there, are we?" Max asked El.

"God, no." El shook her head as they made their way through the house.

The TV was on in the living room and Max peered over hesitantly, thinking Ted was asleep again, but instead she found Nancy watching a movie by herself.

"Hey!" Nancy told the pair as she spotted both girls entering the living room. "Those nerds bored you, already?"

"I've been bored since the first 20 minutes we got here." Max answered as she plopped herself next to Nancy on the couch.

The older girl laughed as she passed the bowl of popcorn to El, who took a seat on her other side. "Well, you girls want to stay here with me? My movie partner has a bedtime."

The girls proceed to watch as Farmer Ted made the bet of getting Sam's panties with his friends Cliff and Bryce.

"Yeah, that's such a good thing to do to get a girl to go out with you." Max scoffed sarcastically as she chewed on a mouthful of popcorn.

"High school boys are douches. They only care about one thing." Nancy shared a pointed look with both girls, happy when they both nodded in understanding. "Great thing you'll both have each other when you get there. Not that you'll need the help on boys; as I see it there's no worries there, is it?" She smirked at both girls, watching in satisfaction as their cheeks began to pink. She had caught Max and Lucas greeting the other with a kiss on the cheek, and El and Mike-, well, those two were a known fact.

"But seriously, is a great thing to have a best friend girl who gets you." Nancy sighed.

"Do you have a girl best friend?" Max asked curiously as they watched Jake slow dance with Caroline Mulford.

Nancy tensed beside her, and tightly gulped down the mouthful of popcorn she had been chewing.

"I did." She answered carefully.

"What happened to her?" Max asked hesitantly, watching the blue eyed brunette's reaction.

"She... umm—"

"She's gone." El answered carefully for her as she took Nancy's right hand in hers.

"Oh. Gone-gone?" Max asked warily, not knowing if she was overstepping with her questions.

"Yeah," Nancy sighed heavily. "Gone-gone. She... uh—"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Nancy. I understand." Max told her earnestly, watching the older girl struggle with her words.

"No," Nancy reassured her, pausing the movie and turning to look at her. "No, it's not that. You deserve to know." Nancy nodded to herself and after taking the redhead's hand in her free one, Nancy told her about Barb's disappearance, and how the Demogorgon took her forever.

"I had to lie to her parents. About everything. And it was harder for me to sit there and look them in the face as they kept on hoping that Barb would come back, while I knew she wouldn't." Nancy took a shaky breath. "That's where I was when you guys were with Steve. I was with Murray, the investigator. He was actually pretty cool. Helped me shape up the story to make it sound convincing and to make those bastards take the blame. I had to, for Barb. I owed that to her."

"How was she?" El asked tentatively, after a few minutes of heavy silence. "Was she pretty?"

"Oh, she was super pretty. The prettiest," Nancy nodded with a watery smile. "She had this gorgeous red hair, like you," she smiled at Max. "She wore it short, around her ears, but she rocked that haircut like no one else. And she had these freckles dotted around her nose—"

"Like Mike's?" El asked curiously.

"Kind of. Mike's are darker, hers were paler. She had really pale skin, almost white; we used to joke she was a vampire. And because she used braces in elementary school, we used to joke they were for keeping her fangs in." The girls laughed, and Nancy took a deep breath, gathering fun stories to tell the girls.

"Once, when we went to the Hawk, we had to get out at mid movie because we couldn't stop laughing. Barb had soda running down her nose and popcorn was flying out of my mouth," the three girls laughed, two of them from imagination, and Nancy from memory. "The woman in front of me had to remove wet popcorn from her hair and I couldn't stop laughing, even after she turned in her seat and actually told me to shut up. I swear that was the first time someone looked at me with hate in their eyes."

"Why were you laughing?" El wondered with laughter.

"I don't know," Nancy laughed even harder. "I don't know."

"When I began to date Steve, many girls were jealous. Steve had this kind of unofficial fan-club." Nancy rolled her eyes.

"This girl, Dana McNamara, pushed me once against the sinks of the bathroom, and told me she didn't know how a 'stud' like Steve could date someone as plain and ugly like me. She told me I had the body of a twelve year old." Nancy shook her head, reviving the moment on her mind. "That was the first time someone made fun of me to my face. Know what Barb said to her?"

"What?" Both girls asked at the same time, watching Nancy with undivided attention.

"Well, first she got her off of me, and then she told her: 'Nancy doesn't have to be Miss Universe in order to be beautiful. She's unique and amazing on her own right; she's smart and kind, and everything you'll always wish to be. And there's one more thing she is, and you'll never get to be, and that's being Steve's girlfriend. And while you cry and get angry over it, Nancy is happily living her life while you stay bitterly alone. Go and live your plastic life, because you may be pretty on the outside, but you're rotting inside'; and after that, I had to hug her for the longest of time, because I knew she would always have my back." Nancy swallowed tightly again. "High school girls are bitches. That's why you two have to remain together." She looked at the two younger girls on her couch, and smiled, knowing their hearts would remain pure, no matter what.

And after, when the kids had all gone home, and she was alone in her room, Nancy found the picture of braces-Barb in her Halloween costume, posing threateningly as a vampire. Tears sprang from her eyes as she clutched the photo of her best friend to her chest, crying for the girl who had her life stolen. The girl who had been and would always be the best friend Nancy ever had; she wept because she hadn't been the best friend Barbara Holland deserved, and she sobbed because even through all of her mistakes, Barb had never stopped believing in Nancy.

"I'm sorry, Barb," she cried. "I'm sorry, Barbie." She pressed wet kisses to the face of her best friend, and then placed the photo back on her album, stashing it away next to the few items of clothing Barb had left in Nancy's room.

That night, she dreamed of a fierce red head, hissing and clawing like a vampire, defending herself from the real monster and then coming back to laugh with Nancy in the movies.

Chapter Text

A few weeks into the New Year, Mike had to admit Max wasn't too bad.

Yes, she complained about anything and everything; she told you straight up if she didn't like something; she was broody if she didn't get her way; and she was slowly taking Lucas' attention from the rest of the party. But all of that made her somewhat cool to Mike.

Nancy explained to him that many girls were strong opinionated, and that they had no trouble speaking their mind. Max was one of them, apparently, and that was one of the traits Mike actually liked from her. They wouldn't have to worry about Max lying to them because she was too straightforward.

And all right, Mike could recognize he had been a little shit, as Steve loved to call them, and although he had his reasons to be one, the redhead didn't deserve his moodiness. He thought back, with startling realization, that he was once in her place, with no friends and seeking human contact. He thought back to that first talk with Will in the swings, and he understood that Max had been like him.

Besides all of that, Lucas had been on his ass about integrating Max in their group after the girl helped them, saving their asses on the wheel.

Mike had to recognize she was a pretty good zoomer. And that she had worked hard for her insignia. He knew it was time to break bread.

On their way to El's cabin in the woods, Max, who had been invited for the first time, was talking animatedly with Will and Dustin, who after un-crushing on the redhead, decided she was pretty cool, too.

"I'm doing it. Today." Mike told Lucas, who had lingered behind with him when he noticed their Paladin had fallen back.

"What?" Lucas asked him confused.

"I'm talking to Max. Today. Right now." Mike decided.

He left Lucas behind, much to the boy's bewilderment and annoyance, and marched forward, tapping Max on the shoulder once he reached her.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked her seriously. Will and Dustin stopped walking, staring curiously at the duo as Max nodded, weirded out by him.

Lucas briefly touched Max's hand as he passed them, and gave him a warning look as if to say 'screw it up and I'll kill you', before falling back into step with the other boys.

"Listen, I'm going to start this by recognizing I was the biggest mouth breather to you." Mike told Max as they resumed their waking. "I was a dick to you—"

"Understatement of the year." Max interrupted with a nod.

"And I treated you really bad—"

"Understatement number two."

"And I said some nasty things to you—"

"Understatement numbed three."

"And Max's an idiot."

"Un— hey!" The redhead glared at him sideways.

"Then let me talk! I hate it when you do that!" Mike told her annoyed.

"Oh, should I be the one apologizing to you? Mmm let me think, NO!" Max snapped at him, jumping over a fallen branch.

"I didn't say that, but I'm trying to talk here and you keep interrupting me—"

"Well, that's just who I am! I have to say what's on my mind or I'll burst!" Max defended herself.

"Stop interrupting me!" Mike scowled annoyed.

Lucas turned his head and glanced at him in warning, before turning around again to help Will climb onto a walking Dustin's back.

"Sorry. Look, I know I can be annoying and I know you're not really used to things not going your way, and here I come, a new girl trying to get into your party—" Max started.

"No, it's okay. That's what I wanted to talk about." Mike told her earnestly.

"Now, who's interrupting?" Max teased him and they shared a laugh.

"Still you." He rebutted. "Listen, I get how's it like, being in a new school and having no friends. It can be pretty terrifying, and me stopping you from having friends was a pretty douchy move from my side. I do think you're annoying some times, and I think you're pushy and overwhelming, and you aren't a good listener—"

"Wait is this an apology, or— okay, I'm shutting up." She trailed off after his dark look.

"But those traits make you kinda cool, too."

"Really?" Max asked him curiously.

"Yeah," Mike shrugged. "I like that you speak your mind. I mean, it gets annoying pretty quickly when you interrupt me every five seconds, but I like that you don't change your personality for anyone. The world is a screwed up place, and the other side is, too, but people like you, people who stay true to themselves no matter what dimension we're in, those are the best." He gave her a smile. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry." He extended his hand to her.

She gazed up at him with intense eyes, before looking down and shaking his hand. "You're forgiven." She smiled.

He sighed in relief and shook her hand firmly, sealing the deal as they arrived at the cabin.

"Only because your best friend is cute." She told him quietly as she went to stand beside Lucas.

He laughed amused, and knocked on the door as the Chief had taught him.

"One tall, crispy Mike Wheeler for El Hopper!" Dustin yelled at the door as it began unlocking.

"And a side dish of beautiful boys and girl to accompany him!" Will screamed as a giggle was heard inside the house.

The door swung open and Mike entered first, coming face to face with El as she waited patiently for them inside. They shared a smile and he hugged her close to him as Dustin fake-gagged behind them.

"Hey." He greeted her softly.

"Hi." She smiled up to him.

El's smile fell as she noticed the redhead standing quietly next to Lucas, and Mike grimaced.

Max and him were cool, but his girlfriend, well, that was another story.

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since El came back. Mike had been calling her nonstop after getting the phone number of the cabin from an exasperated Hopper.

The Chief relented, only because he wasn't letting him see the girl yet, and because he had a new found respect for the kid after he beat him up. It took some balls to stand up to Hopper, and anyone who cared so deeply and fiercely for El was on his good side (even if Mike didn't know that yet).

That morning, Mike had received his usual good morning call from the brunette beauty, only that day he received an unusual treat.

"Hopper says it's okay for you to come." El told him slowly, still new to forming long sentences.

"What? Really?!" Mike asked her excitedly.

"Yes. He is picking you up from your house, and he will bring you here."

"Okay, what time?"

He heard her ask someone in the background and he guessed Hopper was somewhere around her. "He said 10."

"Oh! In an hour! I have to go then, I have to prepare my things! What do you want me to take for you? I got some board games, a few cards, uhmm... my toys— Oh! You remember Rory?" Mike cut his rambling.

"Rory?" El asked tentatively.

"My dinosaur, the one I showed you." Mike explained.

"What is dinosaur?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh, ummm, well, they were these huge animals that existed way before us. They were many kinds, like the T-Rex; he was the coolest, but he had these little arms that didn't match the rest of his body--" Mike laughed on the phone and El smiled as she listened to him. "Anyway, I'll bring my dinosaur book. Oh, I've got some books for you. You want me to bring those, too?"

"Yes." El smiled, happy to have Mike teach her about the funny T-Rex.

"Well, I'm going to pack my things, okay? I'll see you in an hour, El." He told her softly.

"See you in an hour." She repeated, hanging up.

A few minutes later, Mike ran up the stairs, grabbing his backpack and shoving a bunch of colorful books he thought El would like inside of it. He took Rory and put him inside, too. He then grabbed monopoly, but decided better against it, knowing El might get frustrated and that's not something he wanted for her. He wanted his first play date with her to be perfect.

10 minutes before Hopper was supposed to get him, he finished tying his shoelaces and was almost out of the door when his mother stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Karen asked him as she watched him from her place in the kitchen.

"Uhh, out."

"With who?"

"My friends."

"Are you waiting for someone?" Karen asked as he stood expectantly behind the door.

"Uhh, yes."

"Who?"

He sighed. How do I explain my mother I'm about to go see the love of my life who happens to be a runaway from the government because she can do things with her mind, and who now is being hidden by the Chief of police? He thought.

Thankfully, Hopper's honking saved him from answering.

"Oh! That's my ride! Bye, mom!" He told her very quickly as he ran out the door.

"Michael! Will you be back for dinner?" She screamed/asked to his back but her only response was the slam of the door.

"Hurry up, kid." Hopper grunted as Mike opened the door of the Blazer.

"Yes, hi, sorry, sir." Mike greeted/apologized to him and Hopper hid a smirk while he backed from the Wheeler's driveway.

The whole ride was a bit uncomfortable, as the radio guy talked about the 4 bodies found in a dumpster in New Jersey, grossly describing the decomposed state of the bodies, and Hopper only changed the station after Mike winced for the sixth time when he heard about the worms coming out of a guy's nostril.

Mike sighed in relief as the truck stopped, and got out cautiously as he realized the Chief had stopped in the proverbial middle of nowhere. Was he going to kill him and bury him here?

"Straight forward. Watch your step." Hopper instructed him as he began walking into the trees.

A good five minutes later, he realized that, one: he was out of shape; two: he hated sports and he hated walking, hence why he was out of shape; three: they had arrived at a cabin.

"This is yours?" Mike asked Hopper curiously.

"Was my grandfather's. But yes, it's mine now." Hopper answered him, panting slightly.

Mike's eyes watched curiously as Hopper knocked what was obviously a secret password for them, and then the locks clanged as the door opened for them.

Hopper entered first, and then Mike walked in, taking in the homely cabin. He heard footsteps and he swung his eyes to the hallway just in time to catch the girl coming from it.

"Mike." El breathed against his chest.

"Hey." He smiled against her head. "Hey, El." He hugged her close and breathed her in for a second.

"Hey, Romeo? Close the door." Hopper told him as he took off his hat and disappeared into the hallway.

Mike reached back with one arm and pushed the door closed, smiling down to El as she mentally clicked the locks back into place.

She broke their hug but remained close to him, and he took in her big brown eyes, her smile and her—

Her curls?

His eyes widened and he involuntary reached out to brush his hand against her hair. He gave her a lopsided smile as he took a curl and wrapped his finger around it.

"You have curly hair." He grinned in wonder.

She smiled back and nodded, wincing when the curl tightened around his finger in the process.

"You like it?" She asked timidly, gazing up at him with her huge doe eyes.

"Yes," he breathed, nodding crazily. "I like it. I like it very much."

"Very much." El repeated with a grin.

"Yeah." He told her breathily, smiling again. He couldn't seem to stop smiling around her.

They stayed there, looking at each other for a long time, before Hopper came back and barked at them about the hole they were making on his doorstep.

"Dinosaur?" El asked tentatively.

"Oh! Yeah!" Mike quickly opened his backpack and took out his Larousse book, handing it to her. "We'll be reading that in a minute, okay? Now, do you remember..." he placed Rory in her hand. "This guy?"

El gasped in recognition, turning the little dinosaur in her fingers and grinning up at a lovesick Mike with twinkling eyes.

Chapter Text

"Kid, c'mon!" Hopper grunted around his cigarette as he stood outside, calling for his daughter. "We're going to be late."

"Coming!" A faint scream was heard from inside the cabin. Seconds later, light footsteps were heard and then El was closing the door behind her.

"Well look at you," Hopper said sarcastically. "You look the same as you did an hour ago."

She fidgeted with the soft skirt of her dress for a little. "Maybe I should wear the blue one—"

Hopper groaned loudly as she turned towards the door again, grabbing her arm quickly to stop her from going inside. "Honestly, El," he glared as he threw his cigarette to the ground. "You look fine!"

"I don't want to look just fine, I want to—"

"Yeah, yeah," he huffed as he descended the steps of the cabin, waking towards the Blazer. "You want to look pretty."

He stopped when he didn't hear her coming behind him and he turned, a pang of sympathy and a little exasperation erupting in his chest as he saw the troubled expression on his daughter's face.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." He told her softly and earnestly, smiling with affection as she sent him a lopsided smile.

"Now, can we please get in the car so we can be on time for once?"

"I didn't even take that long." El rolled her eyes as she walked past him to get on the passenger's seat, fixing the sparkly barrette that held the left side of her hair back from her ear.

To say she was nervous was an understatement. Why she was nervous, she didn't really know. It's not like everyone didn't suspect it already.

It was Christmas Eve, and they were having dinner at the Wheelers'. Karen had extended her invitation to Hopper and Joyce (who were slowly becoming one household) when she had invited Eleven to her Christmas dinner.

She had immediately accepted, happy that she would get to spend one of her favorite holidays with Mike; but then Mike had told her that, seizing the reunion of both families, he would be announcing their official relationship.

They had been dancing around the obvious for almost a year, never paying too much attention to labels and other pressures. They always had been just them. Just El and Mike. But after entering high school, and a few too many jokes from the guys, Mike had realized he never actually asked her to be his girlfriend. So, a few rambles and stammering words after, El had happily kissed him and metaphorically cut the red ribbon on their relationship.

Their friends had laughed and teased them, but The Party had been used to 'Mileven' ever since the girl had come back, and them being official changed literally nothing about the couple's daily behavior.

The only thing was, they hadn't told their parents. Mike wasn't worried about his mom; he knew she liked El— she adored the girl—, and she would be accepting and happy. He wasn't worried about Joyce either; the woman had known him since he was a baby— she had even bathed him once— and although she wasn't officially related to El, Joyce was her mother figure, and El took her opinions to heart. Who he was worried about was Hopper; the Chief had made it his mission to stare a hole into Mike's head every time he was near Eleven. The man was intimidation in person, and the fact that he had tried to pummel him once didn't help Mike's nerves. But nonetheless, he knew Hopper would come around. Either Joyce blackmailed him into accepting them, or El literally willed him to.

On the other side, Eleven was dying. Her parents where the least of her concern. Karen Wheeler was the big red X. Mrs. Wheeler had been nothing but nice to her, but she was afraid she would kick her out when Mike announced her as his girlfriend. She had noticed Mike was kind of a mama's boy, even if he didn't want to admit it, and she would be lying if she said Karen's overprotectiveness didn't intimidate her a little. What if she thought El wasn't good enough for her son? Would she prevent them from seeing each other again? Would she ground Mike? Would she—

"Penny for your thoughts?" Hopper asked her as he watched her make a million faces from the corner of his eyes, interrupting her thinking.

"You'll need a few thousands." She murmured back as she watched them enter Mike's street.

"That bad?" He asked her with an amused laugh.

"Don't laugh." El groaned, hiding her embarrassment on her palms, careful of not ruining her makeup.

"Hey," he told her as he parked behind Joyce's car. "Everything's gonna be great. I don't know what are you so nervous for, it's just dinner."

"It's not just dinner." El pouted.

"Oh?" Hopper made an inquiring noise. "Is that why you spent the whole afternoon trying on dresses?"

"Yes..." El answered hesitantly, not wanting to reveal too much.

"Mmm... want to tell me about it before we go inside?" Hopper requested as he watched her finger the hem of her velvet dress.

"Mmm, no." El shook her head. "You'll find out in a minute." Before he could tell her anything else, she opened the door and jumped out of the Blazer, walking towards the Wheeler house.

"Is he proposing tonight, or what?" He mumbled to himself in confusion as he walked behind her.

She rang the doorbell and then waited anxiously outside, only calming down a little when Hopper placed his heavy hand on her shoulder.

The door opened and Karen's face greeted them.

"Hello! We were wondering when were you going to get here!" Her red lips pulled back into a dazzling smile, and El contemplated how beautiful Mrs. Wheeler was, before her attention shifted over Karen's shoulder.

"Hey." Mike breathed as he appeared behind his mother's figure, towering over her.

"Hey." She smiled as she took in his handsome face, and her heart beat wildly as he came closer, pushing his mother aside.

"Hey." Hopper interrupted the teens' greeting sarcastically.

"Mike, let them in." Karen chastised her son, pushing him back a little and opening the door wide enough to let Hopper's large figure enter the house.

"Yeah, don't mind me, I'll just stand outside all night." He huffed as he walked inside.

"You look beautiful." He heard Mike tell El, and he was tempted to inform him that she had spent an hour deciding between 2 dresses and changing back and forth into them until she kept her current one on. But he decided he liked to live, so he kept quiet and hanged his coat on the rack behind the door.

"Let's leave those two alone for a minute." Karen rolled her eyes fondly, and led him further into the house, where he found the rest of the people.

Holly and Will were coloring on the table, the older boy directing the little blonde on what colors suited the image better; Nancy was talking animatedly with Jonathan behind the staircase, a laughing Steve clutching his almost-step-son's arm as they shook with laughter.

He could hear Christmas songs coming from the living room, mixing with the snores he was sure were coming from Ted.

"Joyce, Hopper is here!" Karen announced as she walked in the kitchen.

"Great! He can carry the turkey, then." He heard Joyce say before she appeared. He involuntarily smiled as he took in her Christmas sweater, Rudolph smiling up at him as she came closer.

"Great outfit." He snickered as they stood under the entrance of the dining room.

"Shut up, it was Will's idea." She hit his arm and he barked out a laugh as he looked back and took in Jonathan's gingerbread man sweater.

"Mistletoe!" Holly and Will hollered together, pausing their coloring and pointing at them.

"Ugh." Joyce rolled her eyes as he looked up and sighed at the little ornament hanging above their heads.

"You have to kiss!" Holly exclaimed with expectant eyes.

Joyce laughed as she held his bearded cheek and brought him down, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Mmmm," he hummed as they broke apart. "Hello."

"Hello." She smiled up at him.

"We said kiss, not eye-bang." Will told them without looking up from Holly's coloring book.

"William!" Joyce chastised as she took Hopper's hand and led him away.

"What does eye-bang mean?" He heard Holly whisper to Will before he entered the kitchen.

A few minutes later, when he was placing the giant honey baked turkey on the table, and Steve was being hand-slapped by Nancy for dipping his finger into the mashed potatoes, he looked around suspiciously as he noticed El and Mike were distinctly absent.

"Did your sister even came inside?" He asked Will as the boy helped Holly put the crayons inside the box.

"Mmm, I don't know, I haven't seen her." The boy answered with a shrug, but he wasn't convinced.

Hopper sighed as Joyce took a seat on the chair he was leaning on. "El Hopper!" He yelled into the air, expecting to see her head pop out somewhere around.

"Sit down, Hop. She'll come soon." Joyce ordered him as the older teens took a seat on the other side of the table.

"Who, El?" Jonathan asked as he began filling cups with apple cider. "I saw her go upstairs."

"What?" Hopper eye's widened.

"Shhh," Joyce frowned. "She probably went to the bathroom."

"With Mike? I don't think so." Steve snorted, oblivious to Nancy's glare.

"What?!" Hopper repeated indignantly as Karen reappeared with a sleepy Ted in tow.

"Mistletoe!" Holly and Will yelled expectantly.

Karen rolled her eyes and planted a chaste kiss to her husband's lips, before rounding the table and sitting down.

"Where is Mike?" She frowned.

"That's what I want to know." Hopper said, darkly, trying to keep himself from storming upstairs and yanking his daughter down with him.

Right on cue, a pair of footsteps thumped down the stairs and then a giggling Eleven resurfaced with a pink cheeked Mike.

"Where in the hell where you two?" Hopper asked with furrowed brows as he eyed their clasped hands and Mike's shiny lips. He was sure the boy hadn't been wearing lipgloss when they arrived.

"Uh... I was just- we were—" Mike blinked rapidly.

"Mike was giving me my present." El fluttered her lashes, smiling pleasantly up at Mike.

"Presents are for Christmas morning, son." Ted said, looking sadly at Karen when she slapped his hands away from the turkey.

"This was kind of special." Mike rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

"How lovely," Nancy said in a breathy voice, obviously annoyed by his tardiness. "Sit down so we can eat already." she rolled her eyes.

The couple began entering the dining room area, but stopped short when they were rooted in place by the shouts from their siblings.

"Mistletoe!" Holly and Will hollered together again, pointing at the little leaves above their heads.

"Uhhh..." Mike panicked, watching Hopper's fingers tighten on his knife.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Holly, Will and Steve chanted together, clapping their hands for good measure.

"Just kiss so we can eat already." Nancy rolled her eyes again.

Mike looked down to see El's hands touch his cheeks and pull his face down to hers. Their lips touched briefly, pressing down gently against the other's, before separating with a soft smile.

"What?!" Hopper huffed indignantly.

"Mike, not in front of everyone." Karen blinked at her son.

"Oh, my god! You literally kissed dad in front of us 5 seconds ago." Nancy defended her brother, annoyed.

"We're married, Nancy." Ted told his oldest, as if that was fresh news.

"El." Hopper glared at her.

"And they're—" Nancy began telling her father, before her brother interrupted her.

"Dating." Mike shouted over the noise. "We're dating." He announced, voice shaking a little with nerves as he met Hopper's eyes.

"Wait, weren't you together already?" Jonathan frowned in confusion, Steve nodding with furrowed brows next to him.

"We're official now." El told them anxiously as she watched Karen blink perplexed.

A few silent seconds passed without anyone saying a thing, before the quietness was interrupted.

"Well, that's amazing and everything, but can we eat now?" Nancy asked annoyed as she reached for the mashed potatoes, her father nodding in agreement as his fingers dipped into the dripping honey.

"Pass me the large knife, Steve, please." Karen requested as she stood up from her seat, leaning over the table to receive the knife from her daughter's boyfriend.

She began cutting the turkey as Ted nearly salivated beside her. "Holly, don't you want to sit next to me?" She asked her youngest daughter who was seated comfortably and closely next to Will.

She sighed as the little girl shook her head, and looked over her shoulder as she realized Mike and El were still standing under the mistletoe.

"Unless you two want to give us another show, why don't you sit down?" She told them amused. "I'm glad you two finally made it oficial." She smiled indulgently at El, who beamed back with sparkly eyes.

"Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler." El told her with relief as she took a seat next to Hopper.

"Is this your not-just-dinner? Is that why you were so nervous?" He asked her quietly as Joyce passed him the bread basket.

"Yeah." She nodded as she spooned Mac 'n Cheese in her plate.

"You two are so ridiculous." He rolled his eyes as he bit into a rosemary roll.

"Why were you yelling at me for, then?" She wondered as she passed the pasta to Mike, who was seated next to her.

"One thing is me being okay with you dating," he said as he pulled the plate of garlic roasted veggies to him and spooned some in his plate and then in hers. "And another thing is you being all over each other in my face." He sent a pointed look in her direction.

"Oh, sorry." She grimaced and then glared at him as he stole a breadstick from her plate.

"I don't ever— hey, Wheeler?" He leaned over her and called Mike into their conversation. "I don't want to see you two kiss in front of me again. Ever."

"Yes, sir. Sorry." Mike apologized with a sheepish smile, sharing an awkward laugh with El.

"Hopper, shut up and eat your dinner." Joyce huffed at him, before leaning over and smiling at her almost-step-daughter. "I'm so happy for you two, sweetie."

"Talking about official relationships..." Will began with a smirk, staring at his brother and the two older teens next to him. Jonathan and Steve sent panicked looks in his direction, while Nancy outright glared at him. She was still intimidating even with a turkey leg in her mouth.

"Why won't anyone let me eat in peace?!" She whined annoyed as Holly giggled incessantly.

It was a great Christmas Dinner, El though on her way home, as she fingered the snowflake on the necklace resting against her collarbone, which Mike had given her as a present.

Chapter Text

Hopper sighed as another cough rocked El's body. The girl had caught a cold after spending Sunday with that Wheeler boy and his little sister, who, unknown to them, had the cold.

"Let me see." He told the sniffling kid as he took the thermometer from her mouth. She had a mild fever, nothing to worry about, but Hopper had more pressing matters.

She didn't want to take the medicine.

Sunday night she had returned with a plastic tea set, gifted by little Holly Wheeler, and had insisted on him playing with her.

"Aren't you a little too old for that?" He had asked the 13 year old as she began placing the cups on the coffee table in the living room. A dark glare had shut him up, but he still refused to play with her, much to the girl's chagrin. "Besides, it's too late and I have work tomorrow, kid."

Yesterday, he had spent the whole day at the station, up to his elbows in calls from leads on a local case; he had a little thief who had been stealing from the neighbors.

So he got home tired and ready to fall into bed, and he had to refuse El's pleas for him to go to her Tea Party. It nearly broke his heart to see the disappointment on the girl's face, so he promised he would play with her the next day when he came home.

Imagine his surprise when he woke up Tuesday morning to find his daughter with a stuffed nose and watery eyes, stuck in bed but still wanting to play with her tea set.

"No! You need to stay put and take some medicine. I'm going to call Flo and tell her I'm not going to work today. Now, blow your nose." He instructed her as he placed a Kleenex box on her nightstand.

He had searched his cupboards for the bottle of Triaminic he knew was somewhere around, and smiled triumphantly as he spooned some of the cough medicine. This will do, he thought.

But El was more interested in him seating down with her in the living room— why had she decided to leave the bed, was beyond him— than taking the syrupy substance.

"I bant you to blay bith be." She told him nasally.

"And I want you to take this so you stop talking like a 2 year old." He told her, gesturing to the clutched spoon in his hand.

"No bedicine." She shook her head, and then coughed, squeezing her eyes as her sore throat rasped with the hacks. She whined after she was done, but still continued to place the little spoons beside the little saucers.

"Sweetheart," he tried reasoning with her. "It'll make the cough go away."

She only glared at him with red rimmed eyes and continued spooning honey on her tea cup.

Hopper sighed and went back to the kitchen, placing the spoon carefully on the counter to prevent it from spilling over.

Until now, she had refused medicine in every way. He had avoided the pills, knowing her distress over them— he suspected those bastards made her take some kind of pills that caused her to have bad experiences — and only succeeded in making her suck on a lemon and honey lollipop.

"You're not easy to work with, you know that, kid?" He told her grumpily.

She paused for a minute, and then resumed her drinking, completely ignoring him.

He huffed and went outside the cabin, disappearing into the Blazer. "Flo?" He called into the radio. "Flo, I need your help."

Static met his ears for a few minutes before she answered him. "What do you want, Hop?" The older woman asked him tiredly.

"How do I get that girl to take the medicine?" He pressed his thumb and pointer finger to his eyes.

Flo's static laughter resounded in the truck and Hopper glared at the radio, wishing he was standing in front of her so he could glare at her face instead. "Being overpowered by a 13 year old, are you?"

"I'm serious, Florence! She doesn't want to take the damn medicine! I've tried bribing her, forcing her, threatening her, I even asked nicely." He told her frustrated.

"And she didn't concede to your kindness?" Flo asked him sarcastically.

"No! All she wants to do is play with her tea set!"

"She's drinking tea?"

"It might just be water, I haven't really checked, but that's not important!" He huffed.

"Yes, it is, dumbass. If she's drinking tea, you can slip the medicine in it. Just make sure it's brown enough."

Hopper's eyes widened in surprise, and he began mapping out his plan, berating himself for not thinking about it sooner.

"Yes," he breathed in. "Yes! You're a genius, Flo!"

"Tell me something I don't know." Flo told him smugly. "Now, go and be a dad."

He turned the radio off and jumped out of the truck, quickly running to the cabin and slamming the door behind him. He stood there, watching Eleven as he thought on how to approach her.

"Hob," she called him. "Blease?" She pleaded gently, gesturing to the teacup on the other side of the coffee table, which she had set out for him.

Hopper sighed, feigning reluctance, and he neared her tea set to peer into her cup, smiling when he saw her nearly empty drink.

"Okay." He nodded, chuckling when her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled happily. "But," he raised a finger. "You have to drink some real tea. It'll help your throat, okay?"

"Yes," she nodded excitedly, and he felt a little guilty by milking her willingness to his advantage. "Okay."

He took her teapot, weighting how to proceed, and walked to the kitchen to start boiling some water.

"Don't bake it doo hot or dhe deapot will belt." She informed him after a few minutes, not wanting him to ruin her set.

"Mhm, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He responded as he turned off the stove. "I know what I'm doing." He murmured to himself as he threw a cautious look at her form, turning back to the teapot.

He hunched his shoulders, trying to block her view of his hands, as he took two chamomile teabags from the little box on the counter. He quickly grabbed the spoon containing the medicine and dumped the syrup inside of her teapot; adrenaline pumped through his body and he quickly grabbed another spoonful, knowing it would be the right measurement for the amount of water it would dissolve into. His fingers tickled with nerves as he grabbed the hot kettle from the stove, pouring water into the teapot and quickly stirring it with the spoon to move the medicine around. He left the kettle back on the stove and dumped the two teabags inside the pot, hoping two would be enough to hide the tang of the medicine.

He capped the teapot and carried it carefully to the coffee table, where an expectant El was waiting.

"Okay, kid. We just—" He grunted as he sat down in front of her. "Have to wait for the tea to let some flavor out."

She eyed the teapot and then her eyes went to the counter, where they stayed for a few seconds. He gulped as his mind did a rewind, trying to remember if he hid the Triaminic bottle from view.

Her eyes swung to his and she stared at him for the entirety of the 6 minutes it took for the tea to be ready.

He poured her some tea and smiled innocently when she took her cup.

"Drink it." He nodded encouragingly.

Her eyes watched him cautiously and then she set her cup down again.

"You're dot dridking." She stated suspiciously.

"Uh... I'm more of a coffee man, myself."

She set her jaw stubbornly and thrusted her teacup at him. "You drink id first."

"El, don't be ridiculous," he rolled his eyes. "You'll pass your virus to me."

"Fine," she set her cup down again, and then reached for the teapot, pouring some on his cup. "Drink." She demanded with expectant eyes as she left the teapot in the middle of the small coffee table.

Fuck, he cursed mentally. If he didn't drink it, she would get even more suspicious and everything would go to shit. But, if he did drink it he would be disgusted and possibly poisoned.

"Okay," He nodded, taking his cup. Drinking it was, then. "Cheers." He toasted to her, receiving only a raised eyebrow from her.

He took a sip from the tea and nearly spat it out as the blandness of the chamomile and the sourness of the medicine engulfed his taste buds.

"Hmmm," he hummed with a grimace. "So good." he nodded, setting his cup down. "Could use some sugar, though."

She smiled and giggled, and he finally sighed in relief as she took her cup and drank from it.

Her expression furrowed and her runny nose crinkled as she set it back down, and Hopper's heart stopped.

"Dis is derrible." She announced as she took the honey bottle and squirted some in her cup.

"Oh, I'm sorry, your highness," he acted offended. "I'm not a professional tea maker, and this is my first Tea Party."

She giggled again and he indulged her by taking a second sip of his concoction. "This is pretty terrible, give me the honey."

And a week later, when he stayed home for the second time because he caught her cold, El played nurse and made him tea. "I tried dissolving the cough medicine better this time, because you didn't succeed last week." She told him as she handed him a cup.

He could only laugh in response as he sipped from his daughter's tea set, knowing he had been busted.

Chapter Text

Lucas tried not to look angry as Max walked towards him, smiling and clutching the strap of her backpack, turning back to wave at the shaggy haired boy still standing by her locker.

He knew he was being a bit obvious in his annoyance, knowing his face was betraying his feelings, and he shifted against the wall as his girlfriend finally approached him.

"Hey," she poked his middle. "I'm ready."

"Great." He answered, pulling away from her touch and taking her hand in his.

He started walking fast, pulling her behind him through the parking lot, towards his car.

"Everything okay?" Max asked him wearily.

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asked neutrally; or at least that's what he was going for, but instead his tone sounded sarcastic.

"Okay," she stopped in the middle of the parking lot, making him stop, too, because of her hold on him. "What's wrong?" Her blue eyes searched his face.

"Nothing." He lied, not looking at her.

"Lucas," she looked concerned. "What's wrong?" She repeated, walking closer to him and squeezing his hand for attention.

He sighed, closing his eyes against his will. He didn't want to make a scene, and he knew he was starting something that made little sense, but he was still annoyed and jealous and they weren't the type of couple to keep things from each other.

"You looked awfully happy just now." He said, looking down at her with cautious eyes.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her mouth parting, and then her face pinched in bewilderment. "What, with Jack?"

"Yes, with Jack." He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

She scoffed. "Lucas, you got to be kidding me." Her hand unclutched his to cross her arms under her breasts. "Are you jealous?"

"I—" His head rolled against his shoulders, closing his eyes, and exhaling. "Yes, I am."

Her bark of laughter made him snap his eyes open, glaring down at her. How dare she mock his feelings now? "This is not funny!"

"Yes, it is!" She grabbed his arm, still laughing. "Lucas, oh my god, how can you be jealous of Jack?"

"You laugh with him all the time! You don't like a lot of people, and you aren't even in the same classes to make him your classmate." He explained frustrated.

"Okay, yes, I don't like most people," she conceded, nodding her head and still clutching his arm. "But Jack is the most idiotic dude I've ever met! And I've met Dustin." He snorted involuntarily at that.

"But you know he likes you." He raised his eyebrows pointedly.

"So? I don't like him; I like you." She purred, squeezing his arm and pressing her nose against his chest.

"I know, and I trust you, but he's taking your friendliness as something else." He breathed her in, closing his eyes to bask in her sent. As much as Max liked to avoid being a girl, she always smelled like cinnamon and a splash of vanilla, and that drove him nuts.

"Listen, he's funny and he's pretty good with the skateboard, but he also smells like weed all the time, and he never takes off that awful beanie," he laughed as she began to rant. "What I'm trying to say is that even though I do like his company, I wouldn't ever look at him as boyfriend material. Not even as crush material! So, don't worry, I'm not about to leave you for skater Jack." She laughed against his chest.

"Sorry, carrot." He mumbled against her head after a few minutes, a little embarrassed by his outburst.

"Hey, it's okay," she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "It's natural to get jealous when you've got a girlfriend as hot as me."

He laughed out loud, shaking his head and smiling until his eyes creased. "I love you."

She smiled happily and leaned in to kiss his pouty lips, humming contentedly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his on her hips.

"I love you, too, stalker." She grinned, still fond of the old nickname. "Now, take me to your house."

"Yes, sir." He teased, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pressing a loving kiss to her head, resuming their walk to his car.

Chapter Text

"Why can't you just accept when I try to make nice things for you?!" Mike screamed at her.

"Well, I didn't know you wanted to give me a present! How was I supposed to know you—" She screamed back, the enclosed space of the car making their voices sound even louder.

"No!" Mike interrupted, brows furrowed in anger. "The thing is you don't trust me!"

"I do trust you, Michael!" She glared at him. "You were just acting shady and weird!"

"And you should've trusted me enough when I told you it was nothing!"

"Well, I'm sorry, alright?! I'm sorry for wanting to find out why you were canceling our plans!"

"And this has nothing to do with my project with Elisa?" He asked her, knowing damn well her response.

El glared at him darkly, nostrils flaring. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Well, I do." He frowned when she turned away from him, looking out the window. "Look at me, Eleven."

"Oh, so now it's Eleven?" She snapped, turning back to him.

"Oh my god," Mike groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "We're going to fight about that, too? You're being ridiculous!"

"Why can't we just forget about all of this?!" She asked him angrily.

"Because you don't want to admit you're wrong!" Mike told her exasperated, throwing an arm in the air and hitting the driver's headrest in the process. "You never want to be the one to back down, El, and that frustrates me to no end!"

"Why are you turning this on me?!"

"Because this is your fault!" He shouted in frustration. "If you had trusted me from the begging, you wouldn't have been snooping around my things and you wouldn't have blown my anniversary plans away! And also," he sat completely sideways on the backseat. "You wouldn't have risked my grades! Now, I have to find Elisa and try to make her let me in on the project again!"

"Well, then go find her! Go find Elisa, if that's what you're so worried about!" El barked at him, uncrossing her arms and tightening her hands against her thighs.

"What I'm worried about," Mike screamed. "Is you being so jealous of her! Haven't I proved myself to you enough?! That I love you with my entire being?! Why don't you trust me?!"

"Because I don't trust her! And this isn't about Elisa, this is about you not trusting me enough, too, to give me a valid reason as to why were you cancelling on me the whole week!" Her throat was raw and her eyes were beginning to sting with frustrated tears.

"What did you want me to tell you?! 'Sorry, El, I have to go pick up the tickets for the air balloon ride that I'm surprising you with for our anniversary, and I don't want you to find them, so I have to cancel our movie date'. You know how much of a bad liar I am! If I saw you I would have blabbed— don't cry!" He huffed annoyed, already feeling his anger wavering away as he watched her wipe her eyes hastily and sniffle.

Suddenly, she grabbed her backpack from under him, yanked it and threw the door of his car open.

"El! Eleven!" He yelled as she closed the door and walked towards the school. "Fuck!" He shouted, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms and lying down on the backseat of his car in exasperation, sighing tiredly up at the ceiling as if God was watching down in pity.

El sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, walking quickly towards the bathroom, thankful that school was over and only few people remained here. She knew she was being ridiculous. She did trust him; she trusted him with her life. And she knew he loved her, so much and enough to never even think of cheating on her. But her overthinking nature and his shady nerves had been grating on her the whole week. She knew she was overstepping when she had looked inside his locker, and she knew she had screwed up when she found the tickets, placing two and two together, thinking back to two weeks ago when he had asked her about the air balloon rides.

She specially knew she had fucked up, when in the middle of his rant about Elisa Brown not wanting to work with him anymore, she had blurted out that she found the tickets and that the Elisa thing was all her.

He was so angry, dragging her all the way to the back of his car and screaming his throat raw at her. They didn't fight a lot, but she knew Mike got worked up quickly, and all the tension she had been feeling fueled her to keep up with the fight.

Against her will, hot tears streamed down her face once she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had been so suspicious and resentful with him; and now she ruined his surprise.

She choked on her saliva when the door opened with a bang and she quickly sprayed some water on her face to hide the wetness on it. Relief hit her when a familiar red headed girl bumped into her, reaching into the sink to wash her hands.

"Hey, weirdo." Max smiled.

"Hi." El murmured against her hands.

"Wait," Max's cold hands tugged hers from her eyes. "Are you crying?" A sob escaped from her and then Max had her arms full of El. "What's the matter, Ellie?"

She told Max everything, about her doubts, about Mike's avoidance, about Elisa and her stupid grabby hands, and about the tickets.

"It's going be okay, El." The redhead soothed her, rubbing gentle circles on her back.

"He hates me." El sobbed against her shoulder.

Max snorted. "Yeah, right. And the sky's black." She broke the hug and took El's face in her hands. "The day Mike Wheeler hates you, will be when the aliens come for us and decide to terminate the human race."

"Don't talk about aliens! Anything is possible." El whined, knowing that if Demogorgons and the Upside Down were real, aliens were probable, too.

"Okay, that was a terrible metaphor," Max laughed, smiling when she drew a chuckle from the brunette. "He loves you, El. He could never hate you."

"I know he does." El nodded, finally smiling as she sniffled.

"You two are so weird, Ellie—"

Both girls jumped when the door banged open, only this time there wasn't a friendly face on the other side.

"Well, well," Katherine Chandler smirked. "What do we have here?"

"What do you want?" Max huffed, rolling her eyes as El wiped her eyes discretely behind her.

"Looks like Janie was peeling some onions." Katherine smirked gleefully as she took in El's red rimmed eyes.

Daysi McNamara giggled evilly behind Katherine. "Looked at yourself in the mirror, El?"

"Fuck off." El snapped, not in the mood to play around.

"Listen, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, we're not really in the mood for your stupidness right now, so why don't you mind your own business, for once?" Max smiled without humor.

"You're not really in a position to make requests, are you Mayfield?" Katherine came closer. "You two still owe us one for the little stunt in Art Class."

"What's a little paint on you?" Max huffed, trying not to laugh as she remembered a shocked Katherine covered in red paint.

"Still think it's funny, don't you?" Katherine asked her rhetorically without a trace of humor. El's spine straightened up as she felt the air grow heavy and dangerous around them. "Well, guess what? Mrs. Sostini isn't here anymore."

She heard more than she saw the slap Katherine planted on Max. She heard a sharp breath be taken and she knew it came from Max as the shock of being slapped actually hit her. El stood gob-smacked for a second, not believing her eyes, as Max roughly pushed the taller girl away and sucker punched her in the face. Max was not the type to slap and pull hair; the redhead was more of a closed fist and knocking teeth kind.

"Shit!" Daysi cursed as she, too, stood there shell-shocked.

Eleven's senses returned to her when Katherine and Max began throwing hands at each other, and she saw red when Daysi launched herself at Max's back, pulling her hair and making her more vulnerable to Katherine's attack.

El darted forward, gripping Daysi's arm and flinging her away from Max, pulling her face away just in time to avoid Daysi's smack.

"You bitch." El gasped as Daysi's hand smacked against the sink instead.

She gripped Daysi's head and forced her down against the sink, hitting the shorter girl's forehead.

Daysi's nails sank in her wrists, dragging them against the soft skin and gathering bloody tissue under her nails.

El hissed and let go of the girl on instinct, but paid the price when Daysi delivered the first punch, catching her mouth and busting her lip in the process.

She remembered Hopper's thumb out advice as she fisted her hands, trying to remember every fighting move she had seen in movies to help her take down this girl.

She delivered a blow at Daysi's jaw, grunting at the unexpected pressure on her knuckles, and using her other hand, she gripped the other girl's hair again, holding her head back to punch her again.

Max was wrestling Katherine down to the floor, knowing she could take her down if she took the height advantage from her. She ignored her throbbing head and concentrated on hooking her leg on the other girl's knee, while Katherine pulled on her scalp and shook her head around.

Grunts and gasps echoed around them as skin slapping against skin mixed with the harsh insults the girls exchanged with each other.

Both Daysi and El winced when Max finally took Katherine down, hitting the taller girl's head against the floor and grunting as the air left her lungs.

Max began swinging fists left and right as Katherine attempted to throw the girl off of balance, bucking underneath her and hitting Max's back with her knees.

Daysi threw a measuring look in El's direction as both girls held each other by the hair, pulling until both had arched necks and strained eyes. Their harsh breathing mingled with the pained exclamations coming from the other girls, and El knew she had to stop Max before she did some serious damage on Katherine.

"You ready to let go of me?" Daysi asked her, testing the waters.

"You let go first." El gasped back.

"Both on count of three." Daysi rasped, wincing when El pulled again.

"One," El counted, throwing another look at Max's back as the redhead yelped in pain.

"Two," Daysi looked in concern as Katherine toppled Max from her, both girls laying on their sides now.

"Three." Both finished, letting go from each other with a sigh of relief, running towards the other girls.

"Max! Max, c'mon!" El gasped trying to drag her best friend away from Katherine.

"Kat, look at yourself! Stop!" Daysi cried, grabbing Katherine's tired arms and dragging her backwards.

El pulled harder when both girls began kicking each other, their legs the only parts that were in near range now.

"Stop, you sick fucker!" El yelled as Katherine began lunging from Daysi's arms.

"Let me go. Let me go, El." Max muttered lowly, tired as hell but still vibrating with anger.

"No!" El exclaimed, hissing when her tender wrists scrapped against Max's clothes as she tried to lift her up.

The door banged open behind her again, and she jumped with Max still in her arms.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Mike asked shocked, looking at the scene in front of him.

"Help me." She told him tiredly, still looking wearily at Katherine.

He leaned down and scooped Max in his arms, looking concerned at El. "What the fuck?!"

"I'm okay," she grunted as she lifted herself up. "I'm okay." She dusted herself off and winced as her body throbbed; she felt a little satisfaction when she saw Daysi's bruised forehead, and Katherine's pummeled ass sprawled tiredly on the floor.

"Don't come near us again." El threatened, pointing a finger at them.

"Come on." Mike snapped, holding Max with both arms.

She swooped down and draped Max's other arm around her shoulders, helping Mike to drag the redhead between them.

"What the hell was that?! I leave you alone for 10 minutes and I find you looking like you ran into Rocky!" Mike questioned, throwing concerned glances at his girlfriend and at his friend.

"Unfinished business." Max answered, looking sluggish but alive.

"Damnit, Max, you look worse."

"Not as much as Katherine!" Max laughed, but then groaned as the painful throbbing in her head intensified.

"I'm taking you home. Both of you." Mike informed them, searching his pocket for his car keys.

"No! Take me to Lucas'," Max pleaded as she leaned against his car. "Take me to Lucas'."

"Are you sure you want his parents to see you like this?" El asked her breathlessly as she opened the door for her.

"They've seen me worse," Max muttered. "But I'll just sneak into his room. Erica will help me." She nodded to herself.

"Alright, get in already." Mike told the redhead as he gently pushed her to lay on the backseat. He hissed when he saw her badly bruised knuckles, closing the door behind her feet. He turned to see El already looking at him, leaning against the passenger's door.

"You want to tell me what was that all about?" He requested softly, standing in front of her, not sure if their fight was forgotten.

"Like Max said," El sighed, leaning further on against the car. "Unfinished business."

He stayed quiet for a little bit, inspecting her bruises with weary eyes and crossed arms. "Trust me," She pleaded gently, using their argument to her advantage. His eyebrows raised in a pointed look, as if to say really? He came closer, looking deep into her eyes. "Like I trust you." She finished, and just like that he knew their fight was over.

His shoulders slumped with his sigh, shuffling closer to her, pressing her against his car and touching their foreheads together. "I'm sorry."

"No," El rubbed her thumbs on his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

His hands circled hers and he dropped his when she hissed. He grabbed her arm and his eyes widened as her jagged skin was revealed to his gaze.

"Motherfucker!" He gasped.

"It stings." El whispered, furrowing her brows as the result of the fight began to wear her down.

"I bet! It looks like she made ribbons on your skin!" Mike frowned, turning her hands around to inspect her better. "Let me clean you up, okay? Let's go to my house."

"Only if you get in the shower with me." She grinned.

"My mom's there, crazy." He laughed, grabbing her face and pulling her close to kiss her sloppily.

"Mmowww!" She groaned as her split lip burned from their kiss.

"Ow, sorry," he hissed concerned. "It hurts?"

"Yeah." She pouted.

"Here?" He fake-pouted with her.

"Yeah." She pouted harder, making him laugh.

A thump sounded next to them and they turned to see Max's sneakered foot bang against the window, calling for their attention. "Hey, lovebirds?" Her muffled voice said. "Hurry the fuck up, I'm dying here!"

"Sorry!" Mike yelped, letting go of El and running to the driver's side to start the car as El laughed and got in, relieved that the fighting (all of it) was over.

Chapter Text

His feet padded softly against the tiles of the hallway as they walked towards his sister's room.

They were in the hospital, about to meet his new nephew.

Nancy had called him last night to talk about nothing in particular, like she always did when she was bored, and reminded him that she was scheduled for her C-section today.

Her pregnancy had been healthy and without much troubles, but Nancy had always been small for her age, and if the ultrasounds were right, the baby appeared to be big, so the doctor advised a C-section would be the better option.

His mom had called him over three hours ago to tell him his sister had delivered a healthy and pink baby boy at exactly 3:24 in the afternoon, and Jonathan had called El an hour ago to tell her it was okay to come now.

"Are you excited?" El asked him as she tugged in his hand.

"Well, yeah. This is the first baby in our family." He smiled down at his girlfriend, clutching her hand in one of his, and hugging a stuffed bear on the other.

"Jon is high on emotions right now." She laughed.

"I bet." His eyes landed on a familiar head of blonde hair and he smiled, passing the stuffed bear to El just in time to catch his little sister.

"Mike!" Holly Wheeler squealed as she threw herself at her brother.

"Hey, Holls." He grunted as he held the 15 year old against him. He twirled her a little, smiling joyfully as he hugged his little girl. Holly was growing up to be a beautiful girl, like all the Wheeler women, and she hated to be treated like a child, but in his eyes, she would always be his little baby.

"Hey, Ellie." The teen smiled cheekily as Mike planted her back on the ground, leaning in to hug her sister-in-law. "Mom is inside with Joyce and your dad."

"Where's our dad?" Mike frowned.

"He's in the resting area," Holly rolled her eyes. "He's probably asleep, like always. Like, honestly," she huffed as the three walked to the room. "We got here around 5! Mom's been here since morning."

"Did you see him yet?" El asked her, referring to their nephew.

"Yes, he's so cute!" Holly gushed, cooing over the baby with El while Mike peered into the tiny window on the door. Inside, he could see his sister on the bed, looking tired but still awake, talking to his mom and Joyce, who was seated on one of the couches in the room. Jonathan was walking around the room, moving his arms gently to bounce the baby in his embrace. Hopper was lazily stretching his legs, seated next to Joyce on the couch and he was the first to catch Mike's eyes.

He opened the door and smiled as the hushed conversation inside ceased.

"Hey." He greeted quietly, instantly locking eyes with Nancy.

"It was about time." His sister croaked at him, smiling as he leaned down to give her a gentle hug.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her as El greeted everyone in the room behind him.

"Like I got run over by a truck." She confessed, laughing lightly with a wince.

"Don't laugh, honey, it pulls on your stitches." Karen admonished lightly, coming closer to Mike and reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hey, Mom." He kissed her cheek, smiling down at her as he hugged her warmly.

"It should be illegal to look that good while I'm laying here like this." Nancy teased El as she leaned down to hug the new mom.

"What are you taking about? You look great." El laughed, sharing a look with Mike over Nancy's head.

"You didn't come here to lie to my face! Mike, tell her to stop lying." Nancy chuckled.

"Stop, you look beautiful." Jonathan told his wife as El stood up and hugged her brother from behind.

"He's entitled to say that." Nancy told her brother conspiringly.

Mike laughed, still hugging his mom as El peered inside the blanket in Jonathan's arms and cooed at the baby.

"Oh my god. He's so cute!" She gushed excitedly.

"I told you." Holly sighed as she took the last seat beside Joyce.

"Want to hold him?" Jonathan asked his sister.

"Really?" El whispered, still captivated by the baby.

She quickly sat down on the other couch, in front of the bed, and flipped her long hair behind her shoulders as she extended her arms to receive her nephew.

Jonathan carefully placed the baby in her arms and Mike sighed at the lovely picture in front of him.

He knew she wanted kids. He wanted kids, too, but they just recently had bought a house and he was halfway through his master's program. Besides, they weren't married yet. Kids outside of marriage wasn't an issue for him, but he wanted the wedding first. The ring was stashed in the back of his underwear drawer, and he knew she was more than willing to be his wife, but he hadn't found the right moment yet. But nonetheless, looking at her now, holding a baby and looking more beautiful and gorgeous than normal, he knew a baby would definitely be in their future plans.

"What a sight, right?" Nancy smirked at him from her bed.

He flushed, caught staring at El while Joyce laughed at his awestruck expression.

"When are you popping the big question?" Jonathan asked him quietly as he took a seat on the chair next to the bed, taking hold of Nancy's hand and giving it a quick kiss.

"I haven't found the right moment." He answered as he gulped with emotion, still looking as Hopper took a seat next to El, who was bouncing the baby up and down with a smile. The Chief leaned over and whispered something in his daughter's ear, making El laugh and whisper something back to him. Hopper's rumbling laughter echoed around them and Mike grinned even bigger.

"Shhh, Hop." Joyce admonished lightly.

He met Hopper's eyes and the older man threw him a pointed look in El's direction, clearly asking what Jonathan had, too.

Mike simply smiled indulgently, letting go of his mom and waking closer to El. He crouched down in front of her and met her brown eyes. They shared a meaningful smile that made everyone else advert their eyes from the couple, and he reached out to push a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

"Look." She smiled at him, lifting an elbow to rise the baby's face up.

He smiled softly as he looked at his newborn nephew's wrinkly face; eyes squeezed shut as he slept soundlessly.

"Wow, look at that," Mike whispered as he reached out to softly touch the baby's head. "Hey, little guy."

"He smells so good." El told him in a whisper, laughing quietly with him as she brought the baby's head to her nose.

"That's Nancy's inner guts."

"Ew, Mike!" He laughed at her amused grimace.

She sighed and looked back at the baby, rocking him gently and dancing her eyes all over his face in curiosity.

His heart swelled and he sighed in adoration, not believing how in love he really was.

"What?" She asked him in a murmur, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"You're gorgeous." He smiled up at her.

She blushed prettily and shifted to hold the baby in one arm, reaching the other out to run her fingers though his dark waves softly.

"Want to go for a coffee?" Hopper asked his wife with a grunt, standing up from his seat, trying to look fine and unbothered as the sappiness in Mike Wheeler's words got to him. Damn the kid for loving his daughter so much.

Joyce smiled, standing up and taking his extended hand. "We'll be back in a minute. Anyone want anything?"

A few 'No, thanks' were murmured all around, and after a soft touch at Jonathan's hair, the couple was gone.

Mike took the seat Hopper had vacated, and threw an arm around El, leaning down to press a kiss to her shoulder and laying his head on it, still enraptured by her interaction with the baby.

"Aren't you going to hold him?" El questioned.

He nodded and a few seconds after, the warm weight that was his nephew was firmly placed in his arms.

"Oh, let me take a photo of this!" His mom squealed, running to her bag and taking out the old Polaroid she loved so much.

"Mom!" Mike groaned as Holly laughed from her place on the other couch, totally entertained by her brother's annoyance.

"A few years from now you'll be the one with a baby! The family is growing!" Karen teared up, snapping furiously as Mike flushed and shared a look with El.

She only smiled and bit her thumb, looking at him with love shining through her eyes.

"Have I ever told you how good you look with a baby?" She fluttered her lashes.

"Yeah," He raised his eyebrows, breath caught in his throat at the look she was giving him. "You have."

He ignored the laughter coming from Nancy and Jonathan, and instead received the kiss from El, still cradling the baby close.

Chapter Text

"Wow, look at you, carrot!" Will exclaimed with a smile. "You do own a dress."

"Shut up." Max rolled her eyes, shoving the boy good naturally.

"You okay there, Mike?" Dustin teased the taller boy as his friend began imitating a fish, opening and closing his mouth rapidly, staring at the brown haired girl giggling in front of him, clad in a burgundy dress.

"Hey!" Lucas said with a high-pitched voice, flushing as Max smiled shyly at him.

"Hey, stalker." She shifted to stand closer to him. "You clean up nicely."

"Thanks," he smiled, cheeks matching her red ones. "You look amazing."

"Ugh," Will groaned, placing his cup on the table. "When did this turn into Fluff Town?"

"Probably about the time she came around." Dustin motioned with his head at El, who was currently trying to disappear in Mike's embrace; or at least that's what it looked like for Dustin.

A few hours in, Homecoming was great.

The appetizers were amazing, the decorations were eye-catching, the music was spot-on and the company was to die-for.

After being taken under Steve's caring wing, Dustin had shaken Stacy's stinging rejection off, and came back from it with a new found confidence thanks to Nancy's indulgent praises. He was now the life of the dance floor, and had already danced the night away with a handful of girls. It seemed like High School would be a bright road ahead.

Will had been wing-maning Dustin all night; he had his share of fun with the ladies, too. Even though he was suspecting girls weren't really his thing, he couldn't deny there were pretty ones in High School. Rachel Benson had asked him to be her date for Homecoming, but after a previous agreement with the whole party and a 'No Date' contract, he had to refuse the pretty girl. That didn't stop him from dancing with her, though. "Got a thing for blondes, Will?" Lucas had asked him when Rachel had approached their table. Will guessed he kind of did. Patrick Adams was blond, after all.

"What happened to the No Date contract?" Dustin asked Lucas teasingly as they crossed paths on the dance floor.

"You're not even with us!" He huffed, as Max laughed beside him.

"Damn right I'm not with you!" Dustin laughed as he twirled Becca Ritz in one hand and Ashley Adams on the other one. "And I'm happy here!"

Lucas shook his head as his curly friend danced away from him, turning back to the red headed beauty in front of him. Max was wearing an emerald green strapless dress; her bare shoulders shining with freckles. She had refused to wear the heels her mom insisted on, choosing a pair of pretty flats to go with the look, instead. He smiled when she caught him staring. "You really do look amazing."

She laughed, blushing prettily. "Stop."

"What?" He grinned, causing Max to laugh again, hiding her face against the crook of his neck while blushing harder. "What?"

A few couples behind them, El laughed as Mike attempted to moonwalk. "What? No success?" The boy asked amused as she nearly doubled over.

"You're just bending your knees! You look ridiculous." She wiped her eyes, careful of not smudging her eyeliner.

"And you look stunning." He smiled softly, grabbing her waist and tugging her closer.

"Really?" She asked with a smile, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Really." He nodded, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

El hummed, looking up at him when they broke apart. "When did you get so tall?"

Mike laughed, throwing his head back and receiving a look from the girl behind him. "Maybe you're just really small." He smirked.

"I know you think I'm a midget, but that's because you're the size of a mountain." She laughed, running her hands on the soft fabric of his suit.

"I love this color on you." She admitted as she ran her hands on the lapels on his chest. He had rented a navy blue suit, the color making a great contrast with the dark charcoal of his hair. Her bright eyes blinked up at him, and Mike thought he couldn't be more in love even if he tried. "You look stunning, too."

"Oh, really?" He smiled down at her, acting coy, fluttering his eyelashes.

"Really." She leaned on her tiptoes as he leaned down again, pressing their lips together for a long time.

Chapter Text

"Hey, man, you there? Over." Lucas greeted Mike over the Super Com.

"Yeah, what's up? Over." Mike responded.

"Are you busy? Over." He wondered as he watched Erica grab another one of his action figures with an eye roll.

"Not really, I was just practicing guitar. Why? Over."

"Can you come over? I'm alone and I need to talk to you. And bring Holly! I need someone to neutralize Erica for a while. Over." His little sister threw him a look.

"Okaaay? I'll get her and we'll be there in five. Over and out."

Lucas turned his Super Com off and put it back on his desk as Erica got up and went to her room.

He followed her and leaned on the threshold as she sat on her carpet.

"Are you going to stare at me the whole day, or what?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I need to watch you." He reminded her.

"No, you need to take care of me, not to stand there like a creep." She told him with a sassy move of her head.

"I'm just making sure you don't get injured by your doll. You know, because you need a babysitter all the time." He rolled his eyes annoyed.

"It's not my fault you have no life. If you had any plans, Mom would have found a babysitter for me instead of making you do it." She huffed as she slipped a blue plastic high heel on Christie's foot.

"Well, if you weren't such a little terror then you wouldn't even need a babysitter."

"Yes, I would," she stood up and placed her hands under her chin, fluttering her lashes and pouting adorably. "I'm just a baby."

He huffed as she laughed, knowing that look got her out of any trouble with their parents. Thankfully, the doorbell rang just in time.

"Stay here." He told her seriously.

He ran downstairs and opened the door. Mike was standing there clutching the hand of his blonde little sister.

"Hey, dude." Mike greeted with a smile.

"Hey, man, come in." He let them enter, smiling as Holly's curious eyes wandered around the house. "Hey, Holly."

"Hi." She smiled cherubically, much to her big brother's adoration.

"C'mon, Erica is upstairs. You like dolls, Holly?" Lucas asked the little girl as he took the lead, and Mike led her up the stairs.

"Oh, she hates dolls. Right, Holls?" Mike asked his baby sister teasingly.

"He's lying," she shook her head, blonde ponytails flying around her face. "I love dolls."

"Well, let's see if Erica wants to share." He muttered as he pushed his little sister's door open.

"Hey, look," Lucas said as Erica's eyes ran over the new guests. "I got you a play mate."

"Hey, Erica." Mike waved.

"Hey, nerd." She giggled as she stood up and went to her toys chest.

Both boys rolled their eyes, used to the girl's attitude. Mike looked down and saw Holly look up with uncertainty in her eyes. "It's okay, Holly." He told her soothingly as he patted her soft hair.

"You wanna play with me? I got a few white Barbies somewhere around here." Erica asked Holly over her shoulder as she searched her toys.

Mike chuckled as Holly took tentative steps towards the other girl, looking at Erica's toys curiously.

"Here," The black haired girl told the blonde one. "You can have Astronaut Barbie." She handed Holly the doll and resumed her search, emerging with the Great Shape Barbie and Fashion Jeans Ken. Erica sat down on the floor and placed the dolls between them as Holly sat in front of her.

"Ken can be your boyfriend if you want. He's too plain for Christie." She caressed her Barbie's dark hair lovingly.

"Let's sit." Lucas told Mike as he moved further inside his sister's bedroom.

Both teens took a seat on the pink bed, making themselves comfortable while they watched the girls play.

"So, you said you wanted to talk." Mike reminded him as he watched Holly redress her doll.

"Yeah... it's about Dustin."

"About Dustin?" Mike raised his eyebrows. "What about him?"

"Well, you know how we both had a crush on Max?" Lucas fiddled with his fingers.

"Yeah, kind of hard to miss at the beginning." Mike laughed.

"Well, I thought he moved on from that." Lucas frowned.

"Wait," Mike sat up straighter. "I thought you and Max—"

"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "We're kind of seeing how it goes. But the thing is, I thought Dustin would be okay with it. I mean, he didn't show interest in her after the whole Demodogs thing, so I was sure he was over it."

"But he isn't?" Mike asked as he lowered his eyes to the butterflies in Erica's bedspread.

"I don't know! He exploded on me, called me a bad friend and a horrible person because I didn't care about his feelings or whatever." Lucas huffed. "You know I'm not like that, Mike. I don't know why he gets like that sometimes."

"Well," Mike leaned back and rested his head against the headboard. "I've been noticing he gets a little snappy recently. Maybe he's just jealous."

"But, why? I don't understand him, Mike." Lucas shook his head frustrated. "He isn't the type of person to keep his feelings bottled up. You know Dustin, if he's feeling someway he will tell you straight up! That's one of the things I admire from him. He's never afraid of expressing himself and his emotions. I don't understand what's gotten into him."

"I was taking to Will the other day, about us. You know, you and Max, me and El," he smiled briefly at the thought of the brunette. "He said he sometimes got lonely. He told me he is happy for all of us, but being single in a group of couples gets pretty depressing."

"You think that's what's happening to Dustin? Maybe he's feeling a little left out?" Lucas asked him concerned after a few seconds.

"Maybe he's feeling a bit neglected from you." Mike nodded thoughtfully.

"I have been spending a lot of time with Max." Lucas nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you should talk to him, then." Erica said loudly, sending a sharp look in her brother's direction, and receiving an annoyed nod in response.

"Mm, yeah. I'll tell him to meet me at the arcade after my parents get here." Lucas said thoughtfully after a few seconds of silence.

"Good idea. Safe ground for him; he'll be right in his element." Mike nodded.

They watched their sisters play for a few minutes more, chuckling when Holly's doll cheated on Ken with Lucas' action figure, and laughing when Erica's Christie dramatically ended her friendship with Astronaut Barbie.

"I feel like I'm watching one of El's soaps." Mike laughed.

"How is she, by the way? How are things between you two?" Lucas asked curiously, fluffing a tiny pillow on his hands.

Mike smiled. "Great, actually. I was at her house yesterday, and she's making so much progress. Hopper thinks she'll be ready to start high school with us in August." He said happily.

"Oh, that's awesome!" Lucas said excitedly, sitting up against the headboard like Mike. "Hey, I have question..." he started hesitantly.

"Shoot." Mike looked at him expectantly.

"So... how did you get El to go out with you?" Lucas felt himself blush and he was thankful that his dark complexion didn't show much of it.

"Uhmmmm..." Mike looked speechless. "I actually haven't asked her."

Lucas frowned. "What do you mean you haven't asked her? You two have been joined at the hip everywhere!"

"Well, yeah," Mike sat up. "And we have been going to the movies and stuff, but I haven't actually asked her to be my girlfriend."

Mike grimaced as his words sank in. "Oh, shit," his eyes widened. "I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend!"

"Damnit, I was going to ask you how to ask Max to be my girlfriend!" Lucas exclaimed annoyed.

They looked at each other for a few heartbeats before exploding in laughter.

"Man," Mike wheezed out. "How do we get them, then?"

"Maybe," Erica stood up and approached her bed. "If you both were smarter, you'd ask an actual girl for some advice."

"Who, you?" Lucas asked her teasingly.

"Yes, me!" The little girl huffed.

"What do you suggest?" Mike asked her curiously.

"Well, what does Max like?" Erica asked her brother.

"Uhh... skateboarding? Video games, chocolate, horror movies..." he trailed off.

"Well, didn't you say she needed a new skateboard? Buy her one."

"You heard that?" Lucas asked her surprised, remembering when he asked his mom for the skate store.

"I tried not to, but you're so loud." Erica rolled her eyes. "Give her a new one as a present, and maybe you can take her on a date to the movies. Then, if you don't screw up, you ask her to be your girlfriend. That's it. No big gestures. She likes things to be simpler, right?"

"Yeah..." he nodded, analyzing her words. "Wow, Erica, that's actually pretty good. I think I'll go with it."

"You're welcome." She smiled smugly.

"Wait, now help me." Mike pleaded her. "El likes pink, butterflies, drama movies, books, Eggos, crayons, ice cream, puppies—"

"I asked what does she like, not to give me her biography." Erica interrupted him. "Well..." she thought hard. "You could take her to the ice cream place."

"And make her a sign," Holly said, coming closer and standing next to Erica at the foot of the bed. "A big sign. With lots of pink and butterflies glued to it."

"Wouldn't that be better for prom? I've seen the movies, the guys usually make the signs for prom." Mike said thoughtfully.

"Or buy her a puppy!" Holly clapped cheerily.

"I'm pretty sure Hopper would kick me out, dog in tow." Mike shook his head.

"Buy her a book?" Holly asked hesitantly.

"Mmm... isn't that too simple?" Mike scrunched his face.

"Well, what do you want?!" Erica huffed, throwing her arms in the air.

"It's— I—," Mike sighed, leaning back on Erica's pillows. "I just want it to be special."

"And it will be, man." Lucas patted his back in comradery.

Mike sighed, looking down for a few seconds before eying both girls in front of him. "I'll take your advice and think it through, girls."

"You better do." Erica nodded seriously.

"You really are clueless, Mike." Holly told her big brother seriously.

"Get used to it," Erica rolled her eyes. "I don't know if it's a big brother thing, but mine is just the same."

Both boys huffed as both little girls turned towards each other and began giggling.

Chapter Text

"Hey, kid." Hopper greeted as he entered the cabin and took off his coat, hanging it on the hook behind the door.

"Hey." El said cheerily as she munched on a mouthful of cereal.

"Did you have dinner first?" He asked as he eyed the cereal bowl in her hand, taking his hat from his balding head and hanging it on top of his coat.

"Mmhm," El nodded as she chewed, her eyes still glued to the TV screen as a woman began crying on the show. "Mike cooked." She muttered distracted.

"Oh, did he, now?" Hopper questioned as he walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge door with a contented sigh as the cool air hit him. It was well into May now, and the heat wave that was hitting Hawkins got to him pretty badly. "What time did he left?"

"Like an hour ago." She answered before gasping as a dark haired man began professing his undying love to the still crying woman.

He chuckled, watching her react to the dramatic scene, while he drank from a cold can of beer. "So he stayed with you the whole day?"

"Not the whole day, we had school," she reminded him, throwing him a look and then raising the bowl to slurp what was left of the milk. "But yes, he stayed here the whole afternoon."

The soap paused for a commercial break and she stood up from the couch and walked to the sink.

"What did you guys do the whole day?" He asked her as he leaned against the counter.

She momentarily paused and then sneaked a look at his face, before shrugging and going back to wash the bowl. "Nothing, just homework and stuff."

"Don't you have any shoes?" He reprimanded her as he stared at her bare feet, smiling when she wriggled her toes self-consciously.

"What about you? Finished the paperwork?" She laughed instead. "Did Flo finally back down from your ass?"

"Ugh," he groaned, his head lolling onto his shoulder. "Don't even remind me," she giggled as she shook her hands to get rid of the water excess, her movement shifting her oversized shirt and revealing her shoulder and upper chest. "That woman drives me nuts, I swear." He rolled his eyes as he thought of Flo. "Today," he swallowed a gulp of beer as she turned around to look at him. "She told me: 'Hopper, I swear on my dear mother's grave'—"

He paused his Flo impersonation as his eyes caught a weird looking shape on his daughter's skin. Below her collarbone, just above the swell of her breast, an obvious purple/reddish bruise was printed on El's chest, and Hopper choked on air as he figured why the bruise looked oddly familiar.

"What the hell is that?!" He snapped suddenly, pointing at it and startling Eleven.

The girl frowned, looking down at herself before her eyes widened comically and she hastily righted her shirt, flushing and looking guiltily at Hopper.

"Nothing," She responded quickly. "I burned myself with the blow drier." She lied pathetically.

Hopper threw her an incredulous look as her messy bun showed no sign of a fresh blow out.

A hickey.

Eleven had a hickey, and he could take a damn good guess at who had given it to her.

"Did Mike give that to you?" He glared at her.

El had the audacity of going blank faced, as if she was innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking," he said through gritted teeth as he took the shoulder of her shirt and lowered it enough to glare at the hickey. "About this damn hickey."

She huffed and pushed him back, righting her shirt again and stalking past him.

"Doing homework, my ass." He glared at her back. "Is that what you two were doing while I was gone? And don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you." He glared as she took a seat on the couch.

"It's nothing." She lied again as she crossed her arms and pretended to watch the toothpaste commercial on the TV.

"Nothing? You— I— Ughh." He groaned as he threw his hands in the air, not knowing what to say to her. Sure, he knew they had been dating for quite a while now, and he suspected they were rounding bases (as he did in his youth), but did he expect to see proof of it? Not a chance in hell.

"Dad," she deliberately called him that, knowing it secretly turned him to mush. "It's nothing, really. We're good." She told him reassuringly, giving him puppy eyes.

Hopper groaned again, putting his hands on his eyes and joining her on the couch.

"I—" He paused, sighing. "I don't even know what to tell you." He knew it would be a bit hypocrite of him to reprimand her, as he was younger than her when he started giving and receiving hickeys.

"We're not having sex, yet," she informed him after a few seconds of silence. "If that's what you're worried about. But..." she threw a hesitant look in his direction. "It's going to happen someday, you know?"

He knew it was bound to happen; like he already knew he was going to be giving her away to Mike Wheeler at some altar in a few years. But he still saw her as the little girl from a few years ago, and he didn't want her to grow up so fast. Still, he would rather know and provide her safety, than her going behind his back.

"Just—" He sighed again, looking at her and nodding to himself in resignation, after a few minutes of heavy thinking. "Promise me you'll be safe when it happens."

"We will," she nodded reassuringly. "Coach Carlson gave us a few condoms when he gave us the Sex-Ed talk again."

"Hmmm," he hummed. "Coach Carlson, you say?"

She nodded distractedly, watching as her soap opera returned on the TV.

"Those are probably not good." The crying woman was gasping as another woman found her kissing the dark haired man. "I'll buy you a box. But you have to promise me you'll be responsible, safe and...?" He prompted, looking at her.

"Not stupid." She smiled affectionately up at him.

"That's right, kid," he nodded, smiling gently. She wasn't a kid anymore. "Not stupid." He brought her close and kissed the side of her head as she swung an arm across his stomach and snuggled close to him, sighing contently. Their argument was over.

"Damn, that's his fiancée?" He asked as the new woman slapped the previously crying one, the fight escalating quickly. 

"Yep," El nodded as she watched with rapt attention, too. "She caught them kissing. But that's good, she's a bitch and they're in love."

He grunted and they continued watching until the episode was dramatically over. He could see now why she was so interested in those soaps, they were addictive.

As for the condoms, a week later he made sure Mike Wheeler was in front of him when he gave her the box, his eyes glued to the freckled boy's. He sternly instructed them to use them safely and not ever near him, and he got great satisfaction when Michael choked with his own spit.

Chapter Text

"Look at them!" Will gushed from their place behind the wall. He and El were stalking their respective parents, looking at them as they shared a cigarette outside the Byers' house, snuggled under a warm blanket.

"They're so cute." El sighed dreamily.

"Damnit, why don't they make a move already?" Will sighed annoyed. "It's like they're just waiting for us to match-make them."

"Hopper will kill you if he catches you spying." Jonathan told them from the table, chuckling at the two teens by the window.

"He won't." El responded without looking at him.

"Did he read the new letters yet?" Will asked the girl.

"Yes, but he only put his poker face on and went to the bathroom without a word." El rolled her eyes as she remembered their failed attempt at writing fake letters for their parents.

They had been trying to get Hopper and Joyce together for over two months now. After literally saving the world twice together and spending an awful load of time alone, apart from their past history in high school, the two adults had grown attached to one another. One would have to be stupid to ignore the attraction between them, and Will and El had gotten tired of waiting for them to make a move. So, naturally, they decided to make it for them.

They had tried everything in their books: they had locked them in together, sent them letters addressed to each other, delivered presents and chocolates at the store and station, dropped hints and they even went as far as to invent that one was continually asking about the other. None of that was proven effective, because Joyce and Hopper were still not dating!

"Honestly, I'm begging to think the Upside Down air got to their brain cells! How clueless can they be?!" Will exclaimed as El shuddered beside him. He threw an arm around her and rubbed her arm quickly, apologizing for the mention of the scary place.

"Maybe they just want to take it slow." Jonathan told the pair as he munched on a leftover Eggo from El's breakfast that morning.

"Slow?!" Will scoffed. "They have been dancing around each other for over a year now!"

"Look, look!" El slapped Will's shoulder rapidly. They pressed their noses to the window and watched as Hopper pressed a kiss to Joyce's head, before the woman stood up from the steps.

"Ugh," Will groaned. "They will never get together, and we will never be a fam—"

He cut himself off as Hopper tugged on Joyce's hand and she leaned down to kiss his lips with a laugh.

Both teens gasped and they quickly sat down on the couch that was placed under the window in shock.

"Did you see that?!" Will asked El in one breath.

"Oh my god, yes." El gasped with a smile.

"What?" Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, walking towards them as both teens kneeled on the couch again and peered over to see Joyce and Hopper kissing softly.

"Huh," Jonathan breathed. "I guess your plans did work, after all."

Suddenly, Hopper stood up and kissed Joyce for the last time, throwing an arm around her shoulders and leading her to the house.

The trio gasped and quickly ducked from view, arranging themselves around to sit on the couch innocently as the door opened.

"What are you three up to?" Joyce asked them with a confused laugh as she entered the house and went to the kitchen.

"Nothing." They lied together.

Hopper gave them a suspicious look as he closed the door, walking towards them to throw the blanket on their laps. "Enjoyed the show?"

The three kids gaped at the man as he threw them a smirk and joined Joyce in the kitchen, sharing a laugh with her as he whispered something in her ear. The couple looked over at them with a grin, and the three teenagers laughed breathlessly as they realized the plan had actually been successful.

"I'm making hot chocolate, you guys want some?" Joyce asked them with a smirk as Hopper hugged her from behind.

"Yeah." Will nodded with a big smile on his face, as El and Jonathan stood up from the couch and walked towards their parents.

It seemed like he was finally getting his family.

Chapter Text

Shouts were flying in the air outside her bedroom, and Max could only turn the volume of her Walkman higher up to drown them.

Neil and Billy had been fighting for over an hour; her stepdad had found Billy smoking in the bathroom and had thrown a fit, screaming at the blond and calling him all names, as if he didn't know his son had been smoking since he was 14. Her mom was nowhere to be seen, probably locked inside her bedroom and trying to block the noise, just like Max was trying to do.

A huge crash was heard outside and Max jumped, lowering her headphones down to her neck and standing up nervously, her heart hammering inside her chest.

"Fuck you!" Neil screamed at Billy, and Max heard the bedroom door across from hers open. She grimaced, her mind going no, no, no as she heard her mom walk out into the hallway.

"Neil." Susan's quiet voice interrupted.

"Shut up!" Neil screamed at her mother, and she heard him walk heavily, his footsteps thumping against the floor, as her mother began talking to him in hushed tones that couldn't reach her ears.

Her mom's hushed "you're hurting me" was what made Max fling her Walkman on the bed and throw the door open to walk into the mess that was her home life.

"Mom." Her voice cut the tense conversation like ice.

Susan's eyes swung to her daughter's. "It's okay, Maxie." Her arm was clutched in Neil's grasp.

Her stepfather stared at her as he breathed deeply, his stomach moving up and down in harsh pants.

"Let's go for a drive." He told Susan without taking his eyes from Max.

He walked towards his bedroom to get the car keys, putting a heavy hand on Max's head as he passed her.

"Mom." Max repeated as she walked closer to her mother. Her eyes found the hunched figure that was her stepbrother, with his hands on the wall and his back to her. His shoulders heaved with the force of his breathing and his fingers were smearing blood on the wall.

"It's okay, honey. We'll be back later. He just has to calm down, okay?" Susan told her as she caressed Max's cheek, smiling down at her with no trace of happiness in it.

"Don't leave me here." With him was left unsaid, but Max knew her mother had understood what she meant, her blue eyes glued to the blond's tense back.

"It's okay, Maxie. It's going to be okay." Her mother just told her again; Neil came back and stalked past them, boots stepping over the broken glass on the floor and leaned on the wall next to his son.

"When I'm back," he began ordering Billy, quietly and threateningly. "I want this cleaned up." He stayed there, glaring into his son's eyes for a few seconds, before sniffling and motioning to Susan with a jerk of his head to the door. "And move. You're getting blood on my wall."

She knew she should probably move into her room and lock the door, but Max's feet were planted on the floor, staring at Billy's back in terrified numbness as her mother and stepfather left.

Her breathing grew labored in anxiety and it was the only thing that was heard for a few minutes, before Billy's harsh laughter broke the silence.

He threw his head back and laughed some more, scaring Max and making him look like a maniac. He straightened up, dragging his hand against the wall and leaving a trail of smeared blood on it. He stood back and contemplated his work before he thumped the same spot with a fist as he roared a frustrated scream out.

Max sprang into action and quickly began backpedaling to the hallway again, but unfortunately Billy had been awakened from his numb silence.

"Where do you think you're going?" His cold voice told her.

He slowly turned around and Max's eyes went wide as saucers as she took in her stepbrother's face.

His nose was bleeding, rusty red caking under his nostrils as it began drying; his right eyebrow was cut and swollen, making his eye puffy and bright red. His temple was covered in bruises, all looking fresh and hurtful. She could see a few bleeding cuts on his neck, and the shattered vase at his feet told her that Neil had thrown it at him.

"Hey, Max," Billy laughed without any humor, extending his arms wide and outstretching his hands. "I'm still a pretty boy, right?"

"Billy..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say to him and cursing herself mentally for even trying to talk. Although he had been staying out of her way, her body trembled with fear at the wild look in his eyes.

His eyes darkened and he began walking towards her slowly, every footstep making her back tense even more.

"Do you like seeing me like this, Max? Do you enjoy it? Does it make you feel good? Powerful? In control? Do you think you won?" He began raising his voice with every question.

"Billy, I—"

"Do you think I deserve it? Hell, you're probably over the moon, right? All of this is your fault."

"Billy, please—"

"All of this. If your stupid fucking father—"

"Billy, don't start!"

"—in this shitty town! Fucking Indiana?! How the fuck am I getting out of here now, Max?!—"

"Billy, you're hurting me—"

"—Are you happy?! You're fucking ruining my life and you're sitting there, in your room, probably laughing—"

"Stop!—"

"You little shit! I fucking hate you—"

"STOP!" She finally screamed, pushing at his chest wildly and pulling her wrist out of his vicious fist.

He charged then, grabbing both of her upper arms and shaking her violently, her neck jerking up and down with his movements, and then he slammed her hard against the wall.

"You fucking piece of shit!" His eyes were furious and his teeth gritted with anger.

"This is not my fault, Billy, please! I'm sorry he does this to—"

"Shut up!" He screamed in her face, pressing his nose against hers. "Shut up. You think you know what's going on between me and my father? You have no idea. You don't even have a dad. He left you. He doesn't want you."

"Stop." Her voice hardened with a newfound stability, as she glared at him.

"— He didn't even fight for you. Is that what a real dad looks for you, Max? Is he who you think of when mine's beating the shit out of me? Or do you think of your friends? Those little losers who think they're better than me?"

"Don't fucking start, Billy." She threatened him through gritted teeth. All thoughts of pity leaving her mind as his ugly words turned to her friends.

He laughed, moving out of her space and standing back a little to grin evenly at her.

"You still with those fuckers? Still hanging out with that kid? That good for nothing little nigg—"

"Don't you fucking dare!" She screamed loudly, her throat scratching raw with ferocity. "Don't you fucking dare insult him."

"Don't talk to me like that!" He yelled, coming closer again to push her with his chest, glaring down at her with hatred in his eyes. "You think you're safe? I hate to break it to you, sis, but I'm not afraid of you and I never have been! Maybe you need a remainder of what I'm capable of."

Her heart hammered painfully in her ribcage, and she mentally prepared herself for a smack or something physical, but instead she watched as he began waking to the door.

"There's a little toy of yours that I haven't destroyed in a while." He threw over his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she remembered her skateboard which was sitting on the grass outside.

"No, Billy!" She pleaded as she ran towards him, but he only smirked evilly and slammed the door closed behind him.

She stopped short in the middle of the living room, tears of frustration falling from her eyes as she heard him start slamming her beloved skateboard against the sidewalk; she took a moment to mourn, before realizing she was losing time from the opportunity window that her skateboard had just given her.

She ran to her room, locking the door behind her and quickly grabbing the phone, pressing the numbers while she sobbed.

She couldn't call Lucas now; Billy was still outside and she knew that if he neared her house right now, her stepbrother would want to take his frustrations out on him. She still didn't get along enough with Mike to call him in the middle of the night. Will was too far away, as was Eleven. Dustin was probably asleep by now, and even then, he was alone with his mom; she couldn't ask him to come and help her. That only left—

"Steve?" She asked quietly, tapping her foot against the carpet and concentrating to hear if the front door opened again.

"Max? Is that you?" Steve asked in a clear voice, and she was thankful that he wasn't asleep yet.

"Yeah. Listen, I- it's-are you busy?" She sniffled.

"Well... it's 11 PM on a Friday."

"Oh." She bit her lip anxiously; not knowing if that meant he was going out or what.

"Hey, is everything okay? Are you okay? Did something happen?" He questioned worriedly.

"... Kind of."

"Where is he?" He asked her seriously, and she could hear him walking around his room, and the telltale tinkling of his car keys.

"Outside. He's... not okay. Can you come get me? Please? My skateboard—" She cut herself with a wince as the front door slammed, and she held her breath as his footsteps reached her ears.

"Maaax?" Billy called her from outside her door, his voice doing that singsong tone he used to mess with her. The doorknob rattled as he shook the door, trying to open it. "Open the door, Max."

She gulped, breathing hard as Steve continued talking on the phone.

"Neil won't take long and there's still blood on the wall, Billy." She told her stepbrother with a surprisingly even tone, just a little bit of shaking at the end of her sentence.

The doorknob stopped shaking and his harsh breath was the only sound for a few seconds.

"Fuck you." Billy told her, before walking away to presumably clean the house up.

She sighed in relief, knowing his reluctance to another beating was bigger than his need to torment her. She put the phone back on her ear to listen to Steve's frantic voice.

"Max? Hold on, okay? I'm coming! Just hold on!"

"Hurry." She pleaded and then hung up.

She quickly grabbed her backpack and shoved a change of clothes inside, along with a few things she might need. It wasn't the first time Steve picked her up and let her stay the night at his place.

The good thing about having a friend who was a high school graduate, had a car, had parents who were never home, and cared deeply and enormously for your wellbeing, was, well, everything previously mentioned.

She grabbed a jacket and put it on, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. She opened her window and jumped outside, wincing as the cold night air hit her face. She walked quietly around her house to stand in the shadow of it, waiting for the familiar BMW to appear.

She wondered idly if her mother would worry if she found out she wasn't home, but decided she would think she was asleep when she found her locked door.

She smiled as Steve's car rolled a little bit past her house, stopping nearly at her neighbor's driveway, running quickly to jump inside the passenger's seat.

"Hey." She breathed out as she closed the door.

"Hey, carrot, you okay?" Steve asked her without looking her way, too busy looking into the side mirror for any signs of her angry stepbrother.

"I'm fine. Just drive, please." She clicked her seatbelt and leaned back to rest her head and close her eyes with a tired sigh.

"You sure? You look like the same little shit, but I could always go back and kick his ass for you." Steve smiled at her as they began driving.

She laughed, shaking her head as he continued promising her how he could win this time around. She marveled at the thought of how she didn't mind at all when Steve was the one to call her little shit.

He talked the whole way to his house. He told her about his parents trip, the cruise they were on and how they didn't take him; he told her about the dog he was thinking on getting; he told her about Dustin and how Claudia had been babying Steve every time he was at the Henderson home; he told her about babysitting El for the Chief; he told her about everything and anything. Steve always managed to distract her from her current situation, always running his mouth on whatever came to mind. She liked that about him: how he almost unconsciously tried to protect her from her own thoughts.

Steve really was the brother she never wished for, but the one she yearned and wanted now.

A few hours later, when she had showered and he had managed to make them a night snack without burning the kitchen, they were both lying in his large bed. Steve was in the middle of telling her this story about three bears and a little redheaded girl, which was awfully familiar to Goldie Locks, and which he had refused to admit (she knew it was Goldie Locks), when she interrupted him.

"Steve?" Her soft voice said.

"Yeah?" He paused his description of Ginger Curls.

"Thank you."

"... You know I'm here for you for everything you need. Anything you need, Max," his voice sounded sincere, and he reached out a soothing hand to run it softly through her red locks, unconsciously comforting the younger girl enormously. "I'll be there, carrot."

"I know," Silent tears slipped involuntarily from her eyes, falling into the soft pillows. "Thank you."

She fell asleep with Steve's soothing stories and his hand massaging her tired head as she drifted off with a smile.

Chapter Text

"Holy shit, you're getting married!" Max gasped as she clutched El's forearm and shook the brunette around. "To the biggest nerd that has ever nerded!"

"You're just realizing that?" El laughed as Max clapped and squealed next to her.

She was getting married! To Mike Wheeler!

She had been dreaming of this ever since she was 13 and she learned what being married was. When Mike had 'popped' the question and she had said yes while crying hysterically over the beautiful ring, the only thing she could think of was how she was finally going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved.

"God, when did we grow up?" Max wondered as she rested her face on her closed fist and twirled her finger in her drink.

El only laughed and took a sip of her Cosmo, grimacing when the burning of the alcohol slipped down her throat.

"What are you two doing here?! Come on! Gisselle has been drinking jagerbombs with the blond girl from the bathroom and she's trashed!" Nancy told them sluggishly as she appeared in front of the girls and grabbed Max's arm, trying to pull the redhead from the bar.

She was getting married and that gave Max the perfect excuse to get her drunk and throw her a bachelorette party.

The redhead had appeared a week before and announced she had to clear her Friday night because she was taking her out.

Before coming to the bar, Karen and Joyce had hosted a dinner with her girl friends and Mike's sisters to celebrate, complete with the veiled plastic tiara and the penis shaped cake.

"Man, I can't wait to tell Lucas I ate a huge dick." Max had shaken her head as she licked white frosting from her fork.

Now, they were all way into their way to get drunk. Nancy had been having Margaritas all night long, while Holly (still being watched by her older sister in spite of being 22 already) had settled for nursing a long trail of beers and watching Dustin's girlfriend, Gisselle, make friends with the girls from next booth and drink herself into oblivion.

"C'mon." El dragged her best friend by the hand, taking their drinks and walking towards their table.

"Oh my god, here comes the bride!" Gisselle squealed as she spotted El come closer, still wearing her veiled tiara. "She's getting married to one of my boyfriend's best friends." She told the blonde girl— Andy— who was sipping drunkenly from a beer bottle.

"Oh my god, how are you so drunk and why the fuck am I not on your level?" El asked amusedly as she sat down next to the dark skinned girl.

"Here!" Gisselle thrusted a giant glass of what appeared to be Tequila in her hand. "Why are you not dead yet? This is a party, isn't it?! Whoooohhohhh!" She cheered, receiving hollers and whoops from the girls around them.

El laughed and proceeded to get stupid drunk with her friends and family.

The night progressed as the girls continued to party, dancing to the newest songs the DJ played and laughing incessantly as they told their new bar-friends stories from their lives.

"I'm so glad we're friends." A drunk Gisselle told Max as the redhead held the girl's purple-streaked dark hair in her hands while she threw up.

"Me too." She laughed as Gisselle gagged again, not even grossed out because of how much fun she was having.

Max couldn't get too drunk (or drunk at all, really) because she was El's designated driver. Mike would murder her if she crashed her car with his bride inside. She was staying at their house for the night, while Holly stayed with Nancy at her house with Steve and Jonathan, and Gisselle returned home to her and Dustin's apartment.

At this point, she would have to call Nancy and Holly an Uber, because both girls had been drinking all night, and Gisselle was so trashed she needed to see her friend enter her home safely.

An hour later, Max was screaming wildly as Holly and El threw their heads back while taking tequila shots, winning a battle against a girl and a boy who had somehow challenged the pair to a drinking contest.

The rest of the bar chanted and cheered the girls on, while the other couple was being coached by their friends.

"Chug, Chug, Chug!" Nancy pumped her fist in the air, along with Max, their new friends and a more conscious Gisselle (who was seated in a bar stool next to the girls).

El slammed the shot glass against the counter, eyes shut and a hiss living her lips as Holly drained the last drops of her own shot, and when she was done, she shared a nod with her sister-in-law and they both reached for their second-to-last shot, while the other couple was still beginning their fifth shot.

"They're going to win!" Nancy clapped, hugging Cindy— one of their new bar-friends— as the brunette slammed her hands on the marble counter, wildly cheering her new friends on.

"Holy shit, those girls have iron livers!" Max heard someone say and she laughed as she watched her friends reach for their seventh and last shot.

Suddenly, the black haired girl who had challenged them reached out and, without stopping her drinking, slapped Holly's shot glass in obvious cheating. The young blonde gasped as the tequila shot ran down her blouse and the crowd went ohhh while some began screaming "CHEATER!" in dismay.

"That's not fair!" Max yelled in anger as the other boy kept on drinking, now onto their last shot as El paused her drinking of their seventh shot and glared drunkenly at the black haired girl.

"That's against the rules!" She yelled as she threw the remaining tequila at the girl's face.

"Bitch!" The girl gasped, as the other boy reached out and pushed Holly's face hard, making the younger girl fall from her stool.

The crowd gasped and shouted as some people began thumping the guy's back in anger for hitting the girl.

"Oh my god!" Gisselle gasped as suddenly the bar exploded in a fight. The people around them began fighting each other as the couple's friends joined in.

El jumped from her seat and punched the guy's face, having a clear shot at him.

The black haired girl, moving from the middle of the fight around them, grabbed El's arm and sank her nails there, trying to push the girl from her presumed boyfriend's space.

Max jumped in and punched the cheating girl, and suddenly the girls were consumed by the fighting crowd.

The bartenders tried to control the situation by yelling and one of them even climbed on the counter, hitting a knife against a martini glass to try and gain the crowd's attention to no avail.

"Get her, Holly!" Gisselle screamed as the little Wheeler began pulling on the dark haired girl's neck.

"Holy shit, holy shit!" Cindy jumped excitedly, greatly enjoying the show as she watched Max beat two blondes' asses.

"This night is going way different than how I thought it would!" Andy told Nancy, still sipping a drink, as they watched the tumultuous fight.

"Whoop her ass, Eleven!" Nancy cheered as she watched her sister-in-law headlock a taller girl against the counter, a few feet from her.

The fight began ceasing (or at least, the crowd began thinning) as the bouncers entered the bar and began throwing people out.

"Get her the fuck off of me!" A girl screamed as she was lifted by a bouncer, even though she was the one on top of Max.

"Holly!" Nancy yelled as she struggled to separate her little sister from a shorter ginger. "Holly!"

Suddenly, she was lifted from behind and Nancy wiggled and screamed in protest as she was carried out, along with her sister.

"Shit, Nancy!" Gisselle screamed as she tried to support herself against the counter, watching as they carried her friends out.

"Motherfucker!" Max screamed as she watched the black haired girl lift a wooden bar stool and bring it down on El's shoulder, hitting the side of her face first.

Her best friend yelped as she went down, and Max ran to push the other girl to the ground, away from El. She was too drunk to get up again, and Max watched as a guy lifted her and carried her away.

"I WANT EVERYBODY OUT!" A bartender was screaming as another one was on the phone. "THE POLICE IS COMING, YOU FUCKERS!"

"Shit, Max, we have to go!" El desperately told her as the redhead helped her up.

Both girls ran out, along with a drunk Gisselle, who was being held up by Cindy, once they found out the Wheeler girls had been thrown out.

Max spotted Holly's blonde head first; Nancy was propped up against a telephone booth, a few feet from the entrance of the bar, inspecting her little sister's bruised eye.

"You guys okay?" Max asked them, as Cindy set Gisselle down on the ground at Nancy's feet.

"Yeah. God, how crazy was that?" Holly exclaimed as she threw a hand in the air.

"It was horrible!" Andy said, still drunk but high on adrenaline.

"Girls, we have to go. The police are on their way and they will question everyone who's still here!" Cindy told them anxiously as she grabbed Andy's arm and held the other girl against her.

"Shit. Okay, we need to think how we are getting us all home." Max said, closing her eyes to concentrate.

"I can drive." Nancy told Max seriously.

"Are you kidding me?" Max deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

"Max, look at me!" Nancy exclaimed, pulling herself away from the phone booth and standing tall and proper to show the redhead she wasn't drunk anymore. "This just sobered me up! I'm fine, I can drive."

Max scrutinized the older girl for a few seconds, making her do the '4' and walk in a straight line, before nodding reluctantly. "Don't make me fucking regret this, Nancy." She told her as they propped Gisselle up between them.

She only shook her head and propped her hip at Holly, silently ordering her sister to pull her car keys from her jeans.

"Well, I guess we're parting ways now. It was really nice to meet you guys!" Cindy told them with a smile, as she held a now saggy Andy.

"Good luck with the wedding!" Andy threw over her shoulder as they began walking.

"Wait! Let's trade numbers and then we can hang out at my wedding, again!" El exclaimed suddenly, stopping the pair from walking to their other friends who were waiting for them in a car.

A few minutes later, Max, Gisselle, the Wheelers and El (soon-to-be-a-Wheeler, too) walked to their cars.

"I'll drive Gisselle and then I'll call you to let you know when we get to Mike's, okay?" Max told Nancy as she pushed Gisselle in the backseat of her car.

"What a wild night, right?" El asked Holly in the background as she got in the passenger's seat of Max's car. "You chugged like a champ!"

"We totally would've won." Holly told her sister-in-law as she leaned down to hug her goodbye.

"I think I'm feeling drunk now." El admitted as they separated.

"Me too," Holly whispered with a grimace. "Tell Mike I said hey!" She yelled as she got in Nancy's car.

The girls parted ways and Max watched from the inside of her car as Nancy drove steadily away.

"I need to get home." Gisselle mumbled drunkenly from the backseat.

"Gisselle," Max told her as she began driving away from the bar, just in time to catch the flashing blue and red lights of the police car. "If you throw up back there I will drop your ass on the street."

"Meany." Gisselle pouted as she laid back on the seat.

"You okay?" Max asked El as she threw a look at her best friend.

"I left my tiara." El complained sadly as she leaned her head against the window, enjoying the coolness of it.

"You'll get a real one in two weeks." She smiled.

"Yeah," El grinned back drowsily. "Max, I'm drunk!" She exclaimed after a few silent minutes.

"You'll be home with that mouth-breather in no time, Ellie. We just have to make a quick stop." She told her as she pulled up to Dustin's building.

"Get down here, your princess is dead." Max told her friend over the phone once he answered.

"What?!" Dustin yelped, quickly throwing some shoes on and racing to the elevator.

A few minutes later he was walking to the car in spaceship boxers and a Chewbacca T-shirt.

"Nice outfit." Max snorted.

"Nice face." He snarked back as he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.

"What?" She frowned as she pulled her visor down and stared into the mirror. She winced when she saw her bruised cheek and her mascara-smudged eyes.

"Hey, El." He smirked, getting a weak wave from the girl as a response. "Damn, you guys really hit it hard tonight." He whistled as he inspected his girlfriend passed out in the backseat.

"You have no idea." She told him with a grimace as she unlocked the car to let him take Gisselle out.

"Blood." El told her suddenly.

"What?"

"Blood." She repeated, showing Max her bloody fingertips.

"What the fuck?" She exclaimed as Dustin pulled a groaning Gisselle out of the car. "Where is that coming from?" Max pulled on her best friend's T-shirt and gasped as she moved the shoulder of it away.

"Fuck, Mike is going to kill me." She groaned as she touched Eleven's cut shoulder, taking in the bride-to-be's split lip, too.

"I'm coming over tomorrow to hear about this wild night. Don't leave early, carrot!" Dustin told her as he closed the car's door and began carrying Gisselle home. "C'mon, baby."

"Okay, bye!"

Max drove away and sighed, rolling her eyes as El began giggling next to her.

"This was such a crazy bachelorette party. Thank you!"

She chuckled amused, shaking her head as she drove the few minutes to Mike and El's home, thankful that the boys lived close to each other. "You're welcome, weirdo. It was all free anyway, we didn't pay the tab." She snickered.

When they pulled up to the driveway, Mike was already out, sitting on the house steps. Max suspected Nancy or Dustin had called him already to tell him what had happened.

"Hey, Wheeler." She smiled sheepishly as she got out of her car.

He sighed heavily and shook his head at her, walking quickly to help El out.

"Hey." El smiled up at him.

"Hey. What happened to your face?" He asked her as he passed an arm around her waist to lean her weight on him.

"We had a fight."

"Oh, you don't say." He rolled his eyes as he entered the house behind Max.

Yup, Max thought, somebody called him already.

They walked all the way to the kitchen and Mike sat El on a stool, walking away for a little bit before coming back with a first aid kit.

"Mike the nurse." El giggled.

He smiled involuntarily as he looked at her and he shared an amused laugh with Max.

"Yay, you're not mad." El clapped lightly.

"Who told you?" Max asked him as he gently wiped El's face with a cotton ball.

"Nancy called me, said you guys got into a huge fight. Figured you were a little drunk by Holly's trashed babbling." He answered with a shrug as he carefully smeared some balm on El's lip, smiling when El stared up at him fascinated.

"Oh, yeah! She was doing tequila shots with El when it all happened. Your little sister deserves an award, Mike! She— Check her shoulder, she got hit with a wooden stool— drank them like it was water!"

"Not sure if that's something I'd award her for." He muttered as he inspected El's shoulder with difficulty. "I'm going to take off your shirt okay? It's in the way." He told the brunette.

"Of your dick?" Max laughed, clutching the kitchen's countertop as Mike gave her a flat look over El's head. "Oh, yeah! Your mom made a dick cake!"

"What?" Mike asked with a weirded out face.

"Yeah, it was delicious." El told him as she shivered from being in only a bra.

"Oh, god, I don't ever want to hear the words 'mom' and 'dick' in a sentence again." Mike shuddered as he finished cleaning El's wound. "You good?" He asked her and Max nodded. "All right, c'mon."

"You're not putting a bandage over it?" Max frowned as he held El up against him.

"She looks like she rolled on a bar floor," he told her sarcastically, getting a laugh from both girls. "I'm getting her in the shower and then I'm bandaging her up."

"Please keep it PG-13." Max pleaded teasingly as he began dragging El with him to the stairs.

"Shut up." El groaned, clutching Mike's neck.

"Can you put everything back in its place, please? That's your punishment for giving me my fiancée back all bruised up." He told her with a smirk as he began climbing the stairs.

Max huffed, leaning over and shoving the cotton bag and the tape back in the kit. "Whatever, she loved it, Wheeler."

"Goodnight, Max." Mike sinsonged at her.

"Did you have fun, babe?" She heard him ask El and she couldn't hear the girl's answer but she definitely heard Mike's laugh as he closed their bedroom door behind them.

Those two were meant to be.

Speaking of meant to be, she thought, taking the first aid kit and putting it back in the first floor bathroom, where she knew they kept it. She ran upstairs and entered the guest room, taking off her boots and sitting tiredly on the bed as she took out her cellphone. She sent a quick text to Nancy, telling her they were safe and sound, and then laid back against the pillows as she called Lucas.

"Hello?" His sleepy voice answered her.

"Hey, babe. Sorry, did I wake you?" She whispered, sitting up again to press the phone against her cheek and shoulder, taking off her socks and pants.

"No, carrot, what's up?" He asked her groggily.

"Liar," she told him fondly, pausing their conversation to take off the rest of her clothes. "You won't believe what happened to us tonight."

Chapter Text

El opened her eyes to a quiet room and the sun shining through the window.

She stretched her legs out and glanced to the tiny clock on her night stand, smiling when the clock's numbers blinked 10:08 at her.

She sighed warmly and turned her head to see Mike's face smashed against his pillow, his mouth open slightly as he slept peacefully. She laughed quietly, amusement growing in her the more she looked at him. She reached a hand out and lifted a black curl that had fallen on his face, smiling lovingly as she watched him sleep soundlessly.

El got out of bed, shivering slightly as her bare legs slipped out of the comfy duvet, and went to the bathroom.

Once she had relieved her bladder, brushed her teeth and washed her face, she put her hair up in a messy bun, walking out of the room and leaving Mike to sleep in a little bit longer.

It was the first time in months that their day-off coincided with the other's. Mike was always having shifts at the hospital, sometimes doubles, and when they let him take the day off, she somehow was always needed at the office.

Her thoughts drifted off as her stomach rumbled, and she entered the kitchen to start breakfast, biting her lip as she pondered over what to cook.

Months ago, Mike had nearly blown their kitchen apart when he decided to make his mother's casserole, and that resulted in them taking a cooking class together.

The useful lesson and the recipes they had been reading were proven successful, because now they both could cook without having the fire department on speed dial. Nothing fancy, of course, but El took pride in her new cooking techniques.

When she had a batch of banana pancakes ready, and Mike's milk cup was as warm as he liked it, she decided it was time to wake him up.

She smiled softly when she got in bed again, rubbing a hand on his warm back and pressing sloppy kisses to his jaw.

"Mike," she whispered. "Wake up."

"Mmmm." He mumbled against the pillow, his brows furrowing as she continued shaking him.

"Breakfast is ready." She mumbled when one of his eyes opened.

"Mmmmmkay." He mumbled again, gathering her in his arms and pressing his face against her head.

"Mike," she laughed. "I'm serious, breakfast is ready."

His lips stretched in a smile and her heart sped up when he shifted to lay on his back, looking down at her with sleepy eyes. "Mornin', beautiful." He mumbled with a smile, rubbing his eyes with one hand and touching her cheek with the other.

"Good morning," she said brightly "C'mon, breakfast is getting cold." She pressed one last kiss to his pillow-wrinkled cheek, patted his chest and then sprang up from the bed to walk downstairs as Mike got up and went to the bathroom.

She began washing fresh strawberries to put in a bowl, and when she was taking off the green stuff on top of the last one, cold hands slipped under her tank top, startling her.

"Need help?" Mike asked against her neck as he pressed multiple soft kisses on her skin.

"No," she smiled. "I'm all done." She turned around and placed the bowl in his hands, wordlessly ordering him to take it to the kitchen island where all of their breakfast was set; she popped a strawberry in her mouth and he hummed happily when the sweetness of it swiped on his lips as she pressed the first kiss of the day to his mouth.

"All of this for me?" He asked her in fake wonder when they sat down to eat.

"For us." She corrected, amused by his 'O' mouth and his wide eyes.

"Man, I'm so marrying you." Mike hummed happily as he took a bite of his pancake, and El preened under his soft gaze as she smiled around her fork.

When they were finished, both did the dishes together, El yelping in protest as Mike flicked water at her from his place in the sink, and she hit him with the drying towel in return.

"What are we doing today, mmm?" He wondered as he pressed soft kisses on her lips, gently hugging her to him as she sat on the counter in front of him.

"I don't know," she smiled, kissing him back. "Whatever we want. It's our day off." She sighed happily, savoring their free day.

"Well, I say we laze it out." He proposed, rubbing her thighs with gentle fingers.

"Do nothing?"

"Mhmh." Mike nodded as he kissed her again.

"That sounds amazing." She grinned, throwing her arms around his neck and responding to his kisses with eagerness.

So that's how they ended up sprawled on the couch watching Rugrats reruns, and only getting up to order some pizza when they were too hungry to keep postponing their lunch, around 4 pm.

When they were in the middle of a tickle fight, the phone rang and she used that opportunity to get away from his crazy fingers, sprinting away from the living room and running to the ringing phone as she readjusted her pajama shorts.

"Hello?" She answered, trying to keep her laughter at bay as she watched Mike get up from the floor, his bed hair even wilder by the way he had thrashed around on the rug when she was tickling him.

"Oh, hey, Carla." She greeted the office's secretary.

Mike made a face as he sat down again, grabbing the popcorn bowl and munching on the few kernels left as he watched the DeVille twins bicker.

"... no, I left Ms. Sioux file to Dr. K because she needed to add yesterday's session's notes to it... she has it... at 3 PM... mhm,"

Mike rolled his eyes as he listened to El's conversation, throwing her a look over his shoulder in annoyance. She was talking to someone from work while they could be snuggling right now.

"If you have a key to her office then you can open her file archive and slip the reminder inside... yeah, it's the same..." El nodded, trying to help Carla over the phone as she grimaced in a silent apology when Mike threw her another look.

Her boyfriend got up and walked to her, holding the empty popcorn bowl, and then he leaned down against her neck to whine. "It's her day off!" He said into the phone, and then walked away to refill their late afternoon snack as she laughed.

"Sorry, that was Mike... yeah, he's home, too... yeah, just do that and if you have any more problems I'll check it over tomorrow when I get to the office... okay," she heard the microwave beep and then Mike's arms were around her, hugging her from behind as he started whispering in her other ear.

"Hang up on her," He whispered funnily as her shoulders began to shake in laughter. "Tell her: hey, my handsome, needy boyfriend wants to watch Tommy Pickles' adventures with me, and you're taking me away from him."

She laughed quietly and turned to look at him in amusement. "Okay... I'll see you tomorrow, then. Bye, Carla." She hung up quickly, letting out a loud laugh as Mike continued whispering in her ear.

"Finally!" He shouted, throwing his head back in bliss as she hugged him.

"Sorry." She kissed his cheek in an apology.

The microwave beeped as the popcorn bag finished exploding, and they both walked to fix their snack.

Hours later, when they had showered and they had eaten a light dinner, they were back in bed, giggling under the covers like little kids as they shared kisses.

"Mmm," Mike muttered against her lips. "I don't want to go back to work tomorrow."

"Me neither. I want to stay with you all day."

"Why don't we just quit, then?" He asked her teasingly as she bit his lower lip.

She released it in a laugh, her eyebrows rising in amused surprise at his words.

"Because then we won't have any money, and we won't be able to order pizza anytime we want."

"Mmm, you're right," he pretended to analyze. "Then we wouldn't be able to afford nice things." He thought about a certain piece of jewelry he was in the middle of paying so the amazing girl who was snuggled against his chest would be his forever, officially.

"Exactly." She received another one of his kisses.

"Mmm, you know I love you, right?" He mumbled after a few kisses.

"Yes."

"Like, so much?"

"Yes, I know," she kissed him again. "I love you, too. So, so, much."

He threaded his fingers in her hair, pushing the few fallen strands away from her forehead as he stared into her soft eyes, smiling contentedly at the thought that he would spend the rest of his life like this, every night.

"Here's to many more off-days like this with you." He toasted, lifting a hand in the air as she giggled against him.

"Cheers." She mumbled against his lips as they kissed again.

Chapter Text

Lucas was doing homework in his room when Erica popped her head in.

"Hey, nerd, you've got code red."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he stood up from his desk and followed his little sister downstairs to the basement. Max didn't mention anything about stopping by when he saw her a few hours ago in school.

"You might need the first aid kit." Erica threw over her shoulder as she opened the door to their basement.

"What?! Why?" He questioned in concern as he descended the stairs.

The answer to his question was plainly stated as his mouth hung open when he saw his bruised girlfriend on the couch.

"Hey, stalker." She lifted two fingers in a salute.

"What the hell happened to you?!" He asked her as he walked hurriedly to her, a little freaked out.

"Shhh!" Erica shushed him as she threw a pointed look at the door, reminding him that his mother was somewhere upstairs.

"I was reading a book in the library and then poof! Maybe I'm allergic to studying." She told him as he inspected her bruised face.

"I'm serious, Max!"

"As a heart attack?" She asked teasingly, but her face fell at his flat look. "El and I—"

"Oh, of course El and you! Don't tell me," He lifted a hand to pinch the crease between his eyebrows." "Katherine and her stupid sidekicks."

"Yup." She answered flatly.

"Of fucking course." Lucas muttered darkly. He dragged a hand down his face with a deep sigh, and then turned to his little sister. "Can you go get the first aid kit? Please." He pleaded when she threw him an incredulous look.

Erica raised an eyebrow and then looked in Max's direction, thinking it over, before nodding and walking upstairs. Thank God she loved Max.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly as soon as they were alone.

"Been worse." She mumbled with a tired smile.

He sighed again, leaning down to kiss her hair gently and smiling against his will as her hands took his face and pulled him down to kiss his lips.

He hissed when he saw her sliced knuckles. "You got her good, didn't you?"

"You know it, baby." Max tried to wink but grimaced instead when her bruised eyebrow burned.

Erica returned just in time and she handed the kit to her big brother as she sat down next to Max.

"So, what happened to you, for real?" She asked the redhead, knowing that her library joke was an actual lie.

"Some girls decided to mess with El and I. You remember El, right?"

"Holly's sister-in-law." The younger girl answered as she remembered a pretty brunette who was dating Holly's brother and who the blonde couldn't stop taking about.

"Uh, yeah, her." Max answered with a smile as Lucas began soaking a cotton ball with alcohol.

"This is going to hurt." He warned as he took her hand.

She nodded, watching curiously along with Erica as he pressed the cotton ball to her knuckles, and then she hissed loudly as her skin began burning.

"Ow, fuck, Lucas!" She exclaimed without caring if her young sister-in-law heard her curse. She was in pain, damnit!

"I told you." He shrugged, gently rubbing her raw knuckles to clean the gathered blood from them.

She pouted as her knuckles throbbed, grimacing and squirming when he moved to the other hand and she hissed again when the previous process was repeated.

He proceeded to patch her up, reluctantly agreeing to let an eager Erica help when Max threw a glare at him for refusing the younger girl, and he pressed a loving kiss to her bruised cheek once he was finished.

"You want to go upstairs with me and do homework?" He asked her as Erica rearranged the first aid kit in place again.

"Ugh, why do you hate me?" She groaned, rolling her head to rest against the back of the couch. "I'll go upstairs with you if..." she mouthed the rest of her sentence to him and laughed amusedly as his eyes widened and he looked at his little sister in alarm to see if she had caught the redhead's mouthed words.

"You're terrible." He threw a look at her as he extended his hands to help her stand up.

"I didn't hear a no." She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"No! You're all bruised up!" He shook his head, placing a hand against her back to lead her to the stairs as Erica walked in front of them to open the door for the redhead.

"You're no fun." Max pouted again, yelping a little when he pinched her butt.

"Hey, Mom." Erica said, and Max stopped short as Mrs. Sinclair appeared in the hallway to the stairs.

"Oh, hey, Max!" The older woman smiled as she realized her son's girlfriend was with them, but her smile dimmed when she took in the redhead's bruised face and taped knuckles. "What happened to you?" She gasped.

"I, uhh— Well, I—" Max rummaged through her brain to answer, not wanting to admit that she had gotten in a school fight. She liked Lucas' mom, and she didn't want her to start thinking she could turn violent, too.

Lucas coughed behind her, saving her from answering. "Mom." He threw her a look, and the older woman widened her eyes as she 'understood' her son's implication.

"Oh, sweetie," she sighed with a slight downturn of her lower lip, walking until she was in front of Max and then hugging the redhead to her chest. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Mrs. Sinclair, don't worry." She answered as she happily returned the woman's warm hug; she really liked Lucas' mom, and she felt loved when the woman cared for her. Even though nothing related to her home life had happened now.

The older woman separated them and took the redhead's face in her hands, inspecting her tender cheek and bruised eyebrow. "Did you help her get cleaned up, Lucas?"

"Yes, Erica helped me." Her boyfriend answered behind her, and Mrs. Sinclair turned to look at her daughter who was watching them from her place on the second step of the staircase.

"Good," she nodded, turning back to Max. "You're welcome to stay for dinner, sweetie; you know you're always welcomed here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sinclair." Max smiled warmly.

"I'll even make that cheesecake you like so much, how does that sound?" Her mother-in-law smiled down at her indulgently as Lucas grinned at them, enormously pleased that they got along so well.

"That sounds amazing." Max sighed dreamily as her mouth watered.

"Perfect, then!" Mrs. Sinclair clapped lightly. "Erica, will you come with me to buy the ingredients?" She turned to her youngest, and frowned when Erica shook her head. "You're coming with me." She told her, leaving no room for arguing.

Erica groaned as she handed the first aid kit to Lucas and dutifully followed her mother to the front door.

"Why do I have to go?" Lucas heard his sister whine as he guided Max upstairs by the hand, and he snickered when his mom began snapping at Erica.

"And don't make that face at me." He heard his mom say before she closed the front door.

Max walked inside his room and he marched down the hall to place the kit back into place in the bathroom, and then returned to his room to see Max watching herself in the mirror inside his closet.

"That bitch got me good." She huffed as she touched her puffy cheek.

"Stop touching your face." He chided as he took a seat on his desk chair. "Come here."

Max walked to him and he smiled when she sat on his lap, making the chair groan under their weight.

"Oh," Max laughed with raised eyebrows. "We're too heavy! If you make me fall again, we're going to have a problem here."

He laughed, shaking his head as he brought her face closer and kissed her chapped lips.

"I love you." He told her as he ran his fingers through her red locks.

She grinned slowly. "You cheesy idiot." She chuckled when he threw his head back in a laugh and then she leaned down to press their lips together again.

"I love you, too." She whispered softly, his heart beating wildly at the vulnerability in her eyes and the honesty in her voice. "And guess what?"

"What?" He mumbled as he kissed her again.

"We're alone now." She whispered with a mischievous smile.

"Max." He groaned amusedly as she laughed against his neck.

Chapter Text

The bed creaked as El moved her hips back and forth, breathing loudly as Mike grunted underneath her, his fingers tightening on her hips as he helped her move down on him.

Their eyes met as they panted and she leaned down to press a sloppy kiss to his lips as her face scrunched up from the pleasure she was feeling.

She leaned back and pressed her hands more surely on his chest for leverage and then moved down hard, gasping when the movement made him reach a point inside that made her quiver.

"Mike!" She gasped, leaving a hand on his chest and moving the other to his lower stomach to help herself slam down repeatedly.

They were alone in the house, Hopper at the station and Joyce in the store. Mike thanked the heavens for Dustin, because he had challenged Will in a bike race for another one of his comics, and that meant he would be gone for a good while, leaving the Hopper-Byers house all to El and himself.

"Holy shit!" He gasped as her inner walls started squeezing him. He shut his eyes tightly as his mouth fell open, thanking God (again)for making his gorgeous girlfriend and for letting her stay in his life long enough to be able to do this with him.

"Unhhhgghh." He groaned incomprehensible as El began yelping.

His ears turned completely deaf to everything else except El's sounds and his own breathing; if he had paid more attention to the outer world, it would have saved him and his girlfriend from an unforgettable experience that would haunt them through the years.

.

.

.

"You son of a bitch!" Dustin panted with a frown as Will stopped his pedaling, letting the bike slow down to a halt in his house's driveway.

"I want that X-man 141." Will panted with a grin as he watched his friend dismount his old bike and place it against the house steps with a pout.

"Oh, no!" Dustin shouted in dismay as he pressed his hands dramatically over his eyes, groaning and stomping his face in a tantrum as if he was a 6 year old, and not a senior of almost 18.

"C'mon, Dusty," He threw an arm around the curly haired boy while he laughed. "Let's see if there's any lemonade left for us."

They entered the house as Dustin continued complaining loudly, huffing and trying to backtrack from their previous agreement as Will took out the lemonade jug from the fridge.

"Try to see my point here, dude! If I want to reread Days of the Future Past, it'll be incomplete because now you'll have the f—"

"Shhh," Will slapped a hand against his friends' mouth with a frown. "Did you hear that?"

"The sound of your palm hitting my lips? Yes, and I felt it, too!" Dustin glared at him as he removed Will's hand from his face.

"No, listen!" Will frowned, putting down the lemonade jug and straining his ears to hear the noise that had caught his attention.

"There it is again!" Will muttered as Dustin frowned.

"I don't hear anything, Will." His eyebrows furrowed as he watched Will's concentrated eyes, feeling a cold shiver creeping up his spine. If Will was hearing things, weird things, then it wasn't good.

"Shush!" Will snapped, lifting a finger to his lips. Dustin grew silent, trying to hear what Will was hearing, and his heart thumped when a low groan reached his ears.

"Is anyone home?" Dustin whispered worriedly.

"No! My parents are working and El said she was going to Mike's." Will whispered back. Their gazes met and both boys' eyes widened in fear as they heard a louder groan.

"Fuck!" Will exclaimed suddenly, spinning around the kitchen in search for a weapon as Dustin had the urge to run for Steve's nailed bat.

"Here!" Will thrusted a sharp knife in his palm. "I'll go first and if I need back up, you jump and stab the thing, okay?"

"What the hell are we doing?" Dustin asked worriedly as he watched Will take a hidden rifle (obviously from the Chief's stash) from a kitchen cabinet.

"Hunting." Will said as he clicked the gun into place and started walking to the hallway, where they heard the noise.

Dustin walked behind the shorter boy cautiously, throwing looks around just in case another demogorgon decided to come out of the walls again. Both boys jumped when a loud gasp cut the tense air, and they hurried to the last room, which was El's, to catch whatever monster the fucked up universe decided to throw at them now.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Dustin mumbled anxiously as Will took hold of the doorknob, grimacing with anxiety as he mentally prepared himself to face what was on the other side of the door.

"El!" Will gasped as loud breathing, which he recognized as his sister's, was perceived by his ears, and he couldn't take the distress anymore.

"Uhh, Will?" Dustin muttered confusedly behind him as Will turned the doorknob.

Will's heart leaped out of his throat as he pushed the door open, pointing the rifle in front of him for protection as his stomach clenched in panic at the thought of El being attacked.

But then it clenched in disgust as his eyes fell on his sister's naked back jumping up and down on—

"Mike?!" Will yelled.

"Ahh!" El screamed in fright as she fell against her boyfriend, scurrying under the duvet to cover herself as Mike shouted in shock.

"What the fuck?!" Dustin screamed as he tried to cover his eyes.

"Oh my god, Will, what are you doing here?!" Mike screamed in embarrassment as he ducked under the covers to hide from view.

"What? I live here! What are you doing here?!"

"I thought you were at Dustin's!" El's muffled voice said.

"I thought you were dying!" Will screamed back, still in shock but definitely disgusted as he realized what all those noises meant.

"Why?!" She asked in a loud tone.

"We heard all of these noises and I thought—"

"Oh my god, oh my god, they were having sex." Dustin gagged behind him.

"Just— put some clothes on and come out!" Will exclaimed, wanting to get out of there. He slammed the door and dragged a traumatized Dustin by the wrist as he huffed, now angry because of his previous worry.

"I thought something was eating her!" He grumped as he slammed the rifle down on the table.

"It was Mike!" Dustin yelped as he shook his hands in a reflective move, as if trying to shake the image through his fingers.

"Dustin!" Will cried out with a pinched face.

The door of El's room opened and padding feet were heard on the hallway, and then his sister's sheepish face appeared in the kitchen.

"Hey." She smiled tightly.

"Where's Mike?" Dustin asked her without meeting her eyes. He couldn't.

"He's... not ready to come out yet."

"Ugh, god, no." Dustin gagged again and Will closed his eyes in disgust as he had a fleeting thought of what his best friend was taking care of.

"I'm sorry," Will apologized. "I didn't know you were here. No, scratch that! Why were you screwing around here? I thought you said you were at Mike's!"

"This is my house, too!" El frowned at him in defense. "And we were, until you told me you were going to race by Dustin's place and we thought we could make good use of the empty house!"

"Oh my god, good use!" Dustin gagged again.

"Who won, anyway?" El asked casually.

"Don't try to change the subject! What if Hop was the one who came by and caught you?"

"Then I would be 6 feet underground." Mike's voice said from the hallway and then his best friend appeared, face red with embarrassment and wrinkled clothes on. "Listen, I'm sorry you caught us—"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Dustin gagged again, and Will reached out and shoved him in the direction of the sink in annoyance.

"I'm sorry you caught us," Mike continued. "But honestly, this is embarrassing enough as it is, we don't need you yelling at us."

"Yeah, let's just pretend this never happened." El smiled as she spread her hands out in the air.

"It's engraved in my mind forever!" Dustin exclaimed dramatically as he returned to stand next to Will.

"Then erase it!" El snapped at him.

"Oh, believe me, I want to!" He snapped back at her.

"Both of you shush!" Will exclaimed with more annoyance. "Okay," he nodded. "Okay, okay. Let's forget all of this happened. I came back with Dustin and I found you two doing homework— shut up Dustin! — instead of—"

"That. Yes, and then this day was forgotten because nothing remotely interesting happened." Mike nodded.

"Okay." Will nodded.

"Okay. This never happened," El shook Will's hand. "And we'll never speak of this again."

"I'm not touching neither of you." Dustin crossed his arms as El and Mike extended their hands to shake his.

"Dustin!"

Chapter Text

"Where does this go?" Dustin asked as he entered the house with a box labeled as 'Masters' shit'.

"And where does this go?" Max snickered as she lifted a photograph album that had a naked baby Mike on the cover.

"What?" Mike yelped, running to snatch the album from the redhead's hands and cover his younger self from his friends' laughter. "How did this even get here?"

"Your mom gave it to me." El answered as she entered the house carrying two suitcases.

"Why?" Mike frowned as he pushed Dustin in the direction of their home office.

"Because you look cute in it." El smiled adorably as she rolled the suitcases to the base of the stairs, where she left them standing to go back to carry more stuff from the cars.

Today they were moving in to their new house, freshly furnished and just ready for them to settle in to start the rest of their lives.

At 26, Mike had been working his ass off to receive a good credit to cover the house expenses, and both of their salaries had been fully reserved to pay off the debt. Both set of parents had helped them as much as they could (or as much as Mike and El let them), and with all of that, their mortgage was noticeably less to pay, and just in a few years their dream house would be completely paid off.

"Oh my god," Steve panted as he set down a pile of boxes that he had carried inside. "How do you two have so much shit?"

"If you stopped complaining and actually started helping," Lucas told him as he dragged black plastic bags full of clothing through the door. "I would really appreciate it."

"Hey! I've been here for lesser time than you dipshits and I've already gotten more stuff done than all of you." Steve snapped, hands going to his waist in his signature pose.

"You've only carried the big suitcase and a few boxes!" Will complained as he avoided colliding with the floating boxes that El was summoning from the car.

"Yes, but those boxes had the kitchen things!" Steve said as he popped the lid of a box that was on the couch, and gestured to the set of plates that were neatly arranged inside. "Mass! Mass trumps quantity!"

"When did you become a physic?" Max snorted as she began sorting the boxes in 'areas of the house'.

"It's basics, carrot." Steve pointed at her dramatically, and then jerked his head to throw his fluffy hair back from his sweaty forehead.

The kids chuckled and resumed their task, sighing in relief when Mike and Will dragged the last set of boxes through the door.

"Okay," Dustin clapped his hands. "Now all we have to do is put everything in place."

"Can we eat first?" Max whined as she leaned back to rest against the couch from where she was sitting on the floor.

"Yes, please," El moaned as she hugged Will from behind. "I'm starving!"

Two hours later, when they had eaten a few boxes of greasy pizzas (courtesy of Steve the mom), and they all resumed the unpacking, Max and El were in the master bedroom folding clothes and hanging T-shirts to lessen the couple's job in tidying their closet up.

"You still have this?" Max laughed as she lifted a red thong in the air.

El gasped as her face erupted in redness. "Put it away!" She yelped, running to the redhead who was laughing like a maniac and snatching the flimsy underwear from her hands. "I don't even know how that got here!"

"Did you ever use it?" Max asked as her laughter began dying down.

"No!" El exclaimed as she put the red thing inside one of the plastic bags she was using for unused clothes. "Well... I tried— don't get excited, it didn't stay on for long-and not for that either, weirdo!" She said as Max's face started shifting into a knowing smirk. "I tried to put it on, for curiosity, but it was so uncomfortable that I took it off after, like, three seconds."

"I still remember your face when I gave it to you," Max laughed again, remembering the day El turned 17 and she gifted her a thong as a gag gift, a few years ago. "Mike wouldn't look at me for days!"

Both girls laughed as they resumed their clothing folding, reviving old adventures as the day went on.

Hours later, when the whole Party had left, and only a handful of boxes were left to unpack, Mike closed the door of the home office with a deep sigh, rubbing his neck in tiredness as he began ascending the stairs. Moving was hard. He was thankful he and El didn't suffer through it alone, as their friends (family, really) had insisted on helping the minute their house key was delivered to them.

He entered the master bedroom in search for a certain brunette and smiled as he found her soaking up inside the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles and a few candles lit around the bathroom.

"Hey." She smiled weakly as she spotted him on the doorway.

"Enjoying ourselves, are we?" He asked with a smirk as her head lolled against her shoulder in relaxation.

"Greatly." She told him with a contented smile.

"That looks amazing." He commented as he neared her.

"It is amazing. Want to join me?" El asked with a tired smile as she relaxed against the bathtub, the scent of vanilla that came from the lit candles making her a bit drowsy.

"Tempting," he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her damp forehead. "In a minute, toots. I'll let you relax a little longer while I go check out how Max sorted my boxers."

She laughed as she leaned her head against the edge of the tub and smiled sleepily as he reached a hand in and tweaked her big toe underwater.

He left the bathroom and she sighed drowsily as she watched his back, tired and wanting nothing but her bed (her new and huge bed), but also wanting to chat with Mike a little before they gave in into their exhaustion.

She closed her eyes and mentally listed all the things she still needed to buy tomorrow, and then she opened her tired gaze to see a shirtless Mike walking into their bathroom.

"What's with all the candles?" He asked as he unzipped his pants.

"Your mom gave them to me."

"Why am I not surprised?" He snorted as he removed his underwear and then tapped her shoulder gently so she could make room for him.

He sighed contentedly once the warm water surrounded him, wiggling his tired toes in the sudsy surface as El settled against his chest.

"I think I want to buy more." She muttered as she closed her eyes and let him snuggle her close.

"Mm?" He made and inquiring noise as he rested his nose on her shoulder.

"Candles," she explained. "More candles. And we need a sugar container."

"We'll go buy them tomorrow." He mumbled against her skin as closed his eyes and basked in the quiet moment, happily realizing that this would be his forever.

The conversation ceased as they remained drowsily snuggled up, the relaxed state they were in more than enough to soothe their tired muscles. They finished bathing, and once they were done, Mike hugged his robed girlfriend and pressed a kiss to her wet hair.

"Are you happy?" He asked her quietly, the intimacy of the moment requiring hushed voices.

"Yes," she answered immediately. "Are you?"

"Yes," they shared a smile and he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips moved against each other gently and they savored the softness of the exchange as her hands fingered the wet strands of hair at the base of his neck. "I love you." He muttered once they broke apart.

"I love you, too, Mike." She smiled up at him, and he hugged her to his chest as he became overwhelmed by his feelings for her, closing his eyes in happiness as the hustle of their moving day came to an end.

Chapter Text

Hopper had been having a rough day. Eugene and his farmer neighbor were fighting again, Callahan had "accidentally" insulted a woman and he had to calm the neurotic female down, Flo had thrown the entire box of donuts in the trash and left him with just the glaze on his fingertips before he had a chance to take a bite of one (his mouth watered and his stomach clenched in sadness at the thought), and to top it all off, they had a rat in the station.

What he really didn't need was more trouble, and yet...

"Hello?" He answered the phone of his office as Powell continued thumping the corners of the station in search of the rat outside.

"Mr. Hopper, sir?" A woman's voice told him.

"Who's this?" He frowned.

"This is Celia, Principal Langdon's secretary, and I'm calling from Hawkins High."

He sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing a tired hand on his forehead. "What's she done now?"

"Umm... I'll let her tell you, sir." The line shifted and then slightly-harsh breathing was heard on the other side.

"Yes?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Uhh... hi," El answered, finally, with a bit of a nervous voice. "So, I'll be home late today."

"Why?" He asked his daughter as he lit a cigarette.

"... I'm in detention."

"El!" He groaned through an exhale full of smoke. "What happened?"

"Listen, I have to go, but I swear I'll explain everything later. Just know this," her voice grew louder, as if she wanted everyone who was near her to listen. "It was not our fault."

"Our? Am I to assume that your little group of friends is there, too?" He rolled his eyes.

"Yup."

"What time are you getting out?"

"They gave us two hours, so..." her voice trailed off as she was checking the hour. "5?"

"I'm picking you up."

"Dad!" El groaned on the other side of the phone.

"And I want to hear everything about this when I do, you hear me?"

"Yes," she sighed sulkily. "I have to go, for real. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." He muttered around his cigarette.

He hung up the phone and leaned back again to plop his feet on the desk, running a hand on his balding head in exhaustion as he contemplated his shitty day.

"Chief!" Callahan knocked on his door with an urgent tone as Flo began shouting at Powell to give her the broom. "Help!"

"For fuck's sake!" He groaned, taking one last deep drag of his cigarette, and then putting it out in the ash tray as he stood up, walking moodily outside to find that damn rat.

At 4:57 Hopper was leaning back on the hood of his Blazer, arms crossed and an intimidating frown on his face as he waited for the little band of rebels and, more importantly, his daughter, to get out of school.

He lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke as the nicotine helped him calm down. He knew El was a good kid, sweet and— mostly— well behaved, but he also knew she was a little terror when she was mad, so he really wanted to know why and how she had landed herself in detention.

He was halfway done with his cancer stick when he saw her walking out attached to Mike's hand, followed by the other kids as they talked to themselves.

He stood up and began forming his gaze into a glare (a little fear would do her some good), when he saw a group of boys walk out behind them, quickly walking to fall in pace with them.

He saw a blond boy walk backwards to face the group and then he saw Mike's face contort into a sneer while El glared at the laughing group.

"Fuck off, asshole!" Lucas snapped.

Hopper frowned as the boys walked off, led by the blond kid who, even from a few good feet away, Hopper could see sported a few bruises on his face.

He met El's eyes and the girl sighed, giving him a grimace as the kids came closer to where he was standing.

"Hey, Chief." Dustin greeted as soon as they were close.

Hopper only responded with a flare of his nostrils and wordlessly summoned El to his side.

The girl squeezed Mike's hand and said thanks to the other kids, much to Hopper's confusion.

"Chief," Mike stopped him as he turned around to walk around the Blazer. "It's not El's fault she was in detention." Mike's words caused a verbal explotion.

"Yeah, this asshole named Brian—"

"We were just—"

"We tried—"

"—next thing I know—"

"We didn't even—"

"—and then we—"

"They tried to—"

"—out of nowhere!"

"OKAY!" The Chief shouted, overwhelmed by the sudden chatter the teens in front of him had erupted in. "One at a damn time."

"Some asshole grabbed my ass." His daughter said from next to him.

"What?!" He snapped, looking at her with anger that was quickly burning through his large body.

"I was in the hallway with Max and Will, and this idiot called Brian Allen leaned down to kiss me on the cheek out of nowhere," El started to explain with a deep frown. "And when I pushed him away he just reached down and literally squeezed my butt."

Words couldn't explain what he was feeling. Rage. Pure unadulterated rage began to seep through his pores, and he had the need to get into the truck and race after that stupid blond kid to run him over.

"Oh my God, El!" He finally said, reaching over to hold his kid to his chest, hugging her tightly as he kissed her head.

"It was really uncomfortable." She admitted in a quiet murmur.

"I know, sweetheart. That is not okay! Why did they put you in detention?"

"Well," Will said, speaking for the first time. "We kind of pummeled the kid."

"Will sucker punched that asshole so fast, I swear his head spun all the way 'round." Max said as she let out a laugh at the memory.

"You punched him?" Hopper asked the green eyed boy, impressed.

"I wasn't going to stand there and let him grope her." Will exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows, and Hopper took in the kid's bruised knuckles.

"That's right," he reached out to mess with Will's hair. "You have to watch out for your sister." He received a lopsided smile in return for his words, knowing Will got really warm when he mentioned their family.

"I can watch out for myself," El said as she separated herself from his embrace. "I didn't punch him, but I kneed him in the balls."

"Good job." He told her fondly.

"Then his stupid friends came running to help him." Will continued.

"I punched a couple." Max smiled proudly, showing her bruised knuckles to the Chief, who chuckled softly. He liked the redhead.

"That's when we came in," Dustin said. "We were at my locker because I wanted to show the boys my Biology project- It's amazing Chief; it's an album of the different stages is the Krebs cy—"

"Dustin!" Lucas exclaimed with an eye roll. "Nobody cares about your stupid album!"

"Uh, excuse me! My album is amazing! You're just jealous." Dustin stated.

"Uh," Lucas mocked. "No, I'm not! Why are you even talking about biology?"

"Whatever," Mike said pointedly, sending Dustin a glare as the curly haired boy began talking back to Lucas. "We were at Dustin's locker when Brian... did that to El," He had a hard time saying it, furious with the whole situation. "We just ran to help them."

"And then we all got into a fight." Max finished with a shrug.

"Mhmh," Hopper nodded as he hummed. "So, you all got detention because you were defending El?"

"Yeah, I mean," Max scoffed. "What kind of school just gives detention to an actual molester?"

"Gotta love Hawkins." Lucas said with a shake of his head.

"They only let me use the phone because I threatened to sue them." El informed him as she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"And we will," Hopper promised her. "That asshole touched you without consent and that's basically abuse in my eyes."

"He's almost eighteen, too." Will added helpfully.

"Huh," Hopper made a pleased sound. "Even better, then."

"So, am I grounded?" El asked tentatively.

"Hell no," Hopper shook his head. "As a matter of fact..." he said as he eyed the group of teens.

"You each get a scoop, my treat." He informed them as soon as they entered the Ice Cream place.

The kids cheered and went to get in line, but Mike tagged behind, walking slowly as if he didn't want to walk away from Hopper. And he was right, because after 3 steps, the freckled boy turned around to face him.

"Hey, Chief?" He said tentatively, shuffling his feet and pushing his fists inside the pockets of his jacket. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

"What for?" He frowned.

"For not being there for her." Mike said with sad eyes and lowered eyebrows.

"What are you talking about, kid?"

"I wasn't there. I could've prevented that asshole touching her, and I wasn't there because I wanted to see Dustin's stupid album." Mike was nearly spitting in anger at himself.

"Mike," Hopper sighed. "It's not your fault."

"But I—"

"Unless you somehow knew what that stupid blond was going to do. Did you? Because if you did then we are going to have a problem."

"No, of course not." Mike scoffed, shaking his head and flopping his dark hair around.

"Then you couldn't have done anything."

"Still." Mike mumbled as he scuffed his foot against the black and white floor of the ice cream parlor.

"Hey," He reached out to place a hand on Mike's shoulder. "You were with her after, weren't you?" Mike nodded. "And you comforted her when I wasn't there?" He nodded again. "Then you've done more than I have."

"But you weren't there Chief, you couldn't have—"

"Exactly, and you weren't either. But you were there after. You're here now. And that's what matters." That got a tiny small from Mike. "Besides," Hopper continued. "You kicked some ass, didn't you?"

"Hell yeah, I did." Mike said with a satisfied nod. "I landed a couple punches on that idiot."

Hopper chuckled deeply, his stomach moving from the effort, and he reached out again to mess Mike's hair like he did with Will's. "Good."

"I wouldn't leave her, you know?" Mike said. "I'll stay with her forever."

"I know." Hopper nodded as he watched him turn around and watch his daughter, who was laughing with Max while they waited in line.

"I love her." Mike admitted with a blush as he stared like a love-sick puppy.

"I know you do."

"Wait," Mike said as he turned around and looked at the Chief. Hopper tried to remember when the kid stopped looking up at him. "Did we just have a man-to-man?"

"Uh..." Hopper shook his head with a frown. "Yeah. I'm ending it now. Now," he cleared his throat as he squared up his shoulders. "Stop pouting and go get me some coffee ice cream." He pushed Mike in the direction of the line.

"I'm not pouting." Mike frowned back at him, and then he walked away to hug El from behind as soon as he got in line.

Hopper watched his daughter smile as Mike kissed her cheek and she continued talking to her friends. He was glad she had them all to be there for her, even though they got on his nerves a lot. Still, they're good kids. They're even better when they bring him a double scoop of that coffee ice cream. The cold treat was definitely what he needed to eat away the awful day he had, and as he gulfed it down, he felt the stress finally leave his body.

He's definitely suing that asshole, though.

Chapter Text

Sophia Gravano was one of the meanest girls in school. She was tall, thin, dark haired, and had the greenest eyes ever seen, ones that seemed to pierce through your head and into your brain. She had a wicked sharp tongue that made everyone pity the poor soul who found themselves on its other end. The fact that she was very pretty and came from a very wealthy family (the old money kind) helped to boost her ego, and she surrounded herself with people she decided were worth her time.

That's why it perplexed Mike to no end when she began talking to El in class.

The whole Party shared at max 3 classes weekly, and History was one of them. Mrs. Amalia had separated them from their usual seats, and made each member sit at different places of the classroom. Lucas, because he had been unsurprisingly bickering with Dustin, was sent to the right back corner of the room, next to the world map (which he was glad for, it would come in handy in exams, he was sure); Dustin had been sent to the first place in the first row, next to the classroom's door, in plain view of Mrs. Amalia's watchful gaze; Max had been sent to the opposite row, in the first seat next to the window, away from her friends and next to Bruce Rowland (who wouldn't stop flirting with her, even though she had threatened to break his nose in multiple occasions); Mike had been sent to the other back corner, opposite of Lucas, and it was the perfect seat to watch El and Will as they sat in the middle of the classroom.

While Mrs. Amalia blabbered about World War 2, Mike frowned as he watched Sophia chat quietly with El, Will taking notes next to the brunette. He found it weird, because just that morning, Sophia had shoulder-shoved Dustin out of her way while they had been walking in the hallway. El had glared and Sophia had only tossed her long, shiny hair behind her shoulders as she kept on walking with her head held high. His freckled nose scrunched up as El's shoulders began to shake in silent laughter, and he threw a cautious look in their teacher's direction, not wanting his girlfriend to get in trouble again, and especially not because of Sophia Gravano.

He watched as the raven haired girl leaned over and muttered something in El's ear, making the brunette snicker loudly; loud enough, Mike noticed with a grimace, for Mrs. Amalia to stop her lecture.

"Ms. Hopper," the teacher scolded, and every head turned to the middle seat where El's face began turning an impressive shade of red because of the attention. "It seems like you find new friends in every seat I assign you. Do I need to sign a detention pass for you?"

"No!" El yelped. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Amalia, please continue."

The blonde teacher nodded with warning in her eyes and then resumed to list the countries that had formed the Axis.

That was the first interaction that Mike had caught between the two girls.

The weeks that followed, Sophia continued talking to El in History class (and in other classes he didn't share with her, according to Max and Will, who shared all of their classes with the brunette), in the hallway, and even at lunch.

Needless to say, their group was under the eyes of the other students once Sophia had approached their table to chat with El for a few minutes before she went to her own, much to Dustin's awe.

"She's a complete bitch, you idiot." Max had rolled her eyes.

"But she's gorgeous." The curly haired boy had sighed as the girl walked away.

The heaviest gaze came from Mike, though. He knew El was pretty friendly once you shattered that first-time-shyness wall, but El didn't like bullies, and Sophia could get pretty nasty with her words, so the sudden friendship his girlfriend had acquired baffled Mike. When he had inquired El about it, the girl had shrugged and revealed that Sophia wasn't so bad once she wasn't in the constant pressure the high school hierarchy put upon her.

"She's pretty funny," El told him over a mouthful of popcorn as they watched a movie in his basement. "Reminds me of Hopper's sarcasm." And that had been it.

The mutters that had reached his ears from some of the Hawkins High students had confused him, and he hadn't given them much thought, like that time Kurt Smith had snickered when he overheard El and Sophia's plans for a girl's day in Sophia's house.

"You should go with them, Wheeler," the stupid shaggy haired boy neared him as he patiently waited for El, who was talking to Sophia by the dark haired girl's locker. "That'd be one hell of a show." Kurt practically drooled as he threw a lusty look in the girls' direction; Mike had only pushed the annoying kid away with a glare and a threat of frying his balls if he ever looked in his girlfriend's direction like that again.

Stacey had dared to insult the girl in front of the whole Biology class, and Mike had been too astonished by Sophia's venom-dripping retort (which landed her in detention, and resulted in Stacey living what was surely the worst year of school for anyone) to pay much attention to the slur that had caused the whole argument.

Now, Mike tried to pick his jaw from the floor and to reintegrate his brain cells from the mush they turned into as El fidgeted with the grass in front of him.

Sophia tried to kiss El.

Sophia tried to kiss his girlfriend.

"Mike!" El frowned. "Are you listening?"

"Uh, yeah," His tongue untangled. "What the fuck?!"

"It was so weird. We were laughing in the bathroom and then she just leaned in and went muah," El pursed her lips in a kiss demonstration, while Mike continued to frown. "And I tried to reject her as best as I could, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings."

"What did you tell her?" He asked her as he pulled on a grass blade, sitting cross-legged on his backyard.

"That I had a boyfriend and that I wasn't into girls." El explained calmly.

"And what did she say?"

"That she understands. And to please keep her secret. She isn't out," El eyed him as he continued to frown down at the ground while cutting the grass blade into a million pieces. "So I'm telling you now because I trust you, and I know you won't tell anyone. Right?"

"Right." She tried to kiss his girlfriend.

Anger flowed in his veins and he huffed a little as he realized why Sophia had a sudden interest in El.

She liked her.

Sophia had been trying to steal his girl right under his large nose and Mike had been too stupid to realize it. All the whispers in class, and the looks, and the friendly touches… Mike nodded to himself as he remembered his apprehensive feelings from the start, now understanding that he had been right.

"Mike?" El asked him warily as she looked at him with curious eyes, noticing his mind seemed to be miles away. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," He muttered gloomily. "I'm fine."

"Are you angry?" She asked tentatively as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, is just—", he cut himself off with a sigh.

He couldn't describe it. They had been dating for nearly three years, and yes, there had been a few boys that took interest in her, but he never really cared because she never gave them a second look. But, Sophia? Sophia had her attention almost every day; they spent time together both in school and outside of it, they shared similar interests, both watched the same 7 PM soap, and they even borrowed each other's things sometimes. Also, it didn't help that Sophia was stunning. Even Max had said so, and his redheaded friend hated Sophia.

He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt intimidated by her closeness with his girlfriend. He knew El didn't swing that way because of their relationship, but to be honest, she hadn't really experienced or even thought of being with a girl, so maybe Sophia would be the one to ignite that little flame in El. Would El break up with him and leave him for Sophia Gravano? He felt threatened, he felt shook, he felt—

"Wait," El sat up straighter and took his hand away from the abused grass blades he was tearing apart. "Are you jealous?"

Yes.

"What? No," Mike scoffed. "I'm not jealous."

"You're totally jealous." El grinned as she realized why he was acting so weird.

Yes, he was totally jealous. He reluctantly nodded and dared a look in her direction to see if she was still looking at him, and his heart thumped in his chest when she gave him a soft smile.

"Why are you jealous?"

"'Cause." He muttered ruefully.

"C'mon, tell me why you're jealous." She requested gently while squeezing his hand in reassurance.

"'Cause!" He repeated louder. "She's really pretty and you spend so much time with her."

"Mike," El scoffed. "We're just friends. And I already told you I'm not into girls."

"But that's because you have not given yourself an opportunity to really think about it."

"Well, I mean," El pondered for a minute. "Some girls are really pretty," she admitted with a cock of her head. "Sophia's really pretty."

There it is. She was leaving him now. Goodbye Mileven, like the whole Party called them.

"But she's not you." El giggled a little as she leaned in and caressed his cheek with a grass-smelling hand.

"She's way prettier than me, though." He shrugged, still a little down in his self-pity.

"Mmmm," El cocked her head again. "You're both a different kind of pretty."

"How so?" Mike frowned.

"Well, Sophia is…" she trailed off with a frown, struggling to find the right word.

He made a sound to help her out, knowing she still struggled with the language barrier even after all these years, but she moved her hand to his mouth to silence him.

"Gorgeous," She nodded after finding the word she was looking for. "She's the kind of pretty you notice at first sight. You are more of a clean pretty; with your sharp cheekbones," She traced his features with soft fingertips. "And your cute freckles. But you have to look closer to notice the gold shades in your eyes, and how this curl," She tugged on a stubborn piece of hair on his forehead. "Always stays here, no matter how many times you brush it back. You're a different kind of pretty than she is, but you're my kind of pretty."

His mouth curved upwards in an emotional smile as his heart sped up. How did he get so damn lucky? How did he, a nerd, end up with a girl as amazing and beautiful as El?

"And I love you. I don't care about anyone else but you. Understand?" She asked him with her big doe eyes wide and bright, and he couldn't help the little sigh that escaped his lips as he nodded, looking up at her with his whole heart shining in his eyes.

"I love you, too." He murmured with a smile as reached out to finger one of her loose curls.

"You're just so cute." El leaned in on her knees to kiss him, and she squealed as Mike held her waist and leaned back, throwing their weight on the grass as they fell backwards with a laugh.

"I love you, I love you, I love you." He told her with a smile as he smacked tons of kisses on her cheeks, jaw, chin, lips, forehead, and anywhere he could reach.

When he saw Sophia smiling at El in lunch, her green eyes crinkled in fondness, it only took El squeezing his hand in reassurance to calm his jealousy.

She loved him and everything was alright.

Chapter Text

"Shh!" Lucas shushed her quietly as Max began chuckling deeply, still laughing as Lucas tripping on his mom's tulips a few minutes ago continued playing in her head.

His shushing only made her laugh harder, and he kissed her to get her to shut up. His tongue sneaked inside her mouth with a warm hum, and she wrapped her arms around his neck with a contented sigh, leaning into him as he leaned back to rest against the wall. Making out in the stairs on their way to his room was probably not a good idea, but at the moment, it seemed like a perfect one.

Wet noises echoed from their mouths as they kissed greedily, and Max's breathy sighs mingled with Lucas' puffs of air as he lifted a hand from her waist and ran his fingers through her red locks.

A tingling feeling on his groin made him regain focus on their plans, and he broke their kiss to take her hand and guide her upstairs again, trying to be quiet as his dad's snores became louder the closer to the second floor they got.

They passed his parents' bedroom with a cautious look at the closed door, and he sighed in relief once they were inside his bedroom. The minute the door closed with a soft click of the lock, they were on each other again.

This kiss was more frantic than the one they shared in the staircase, their breath puffing out hotly and heavy as their tongues rolled against each other's.

Lucas began guiding her towards the bed without breaking the kiss, walking backwards while clutching her hips. Once his thighs hit the bed, he separated their lips with a wet sound, and the room erupted in panting as they looked at each other with lusty eyes.

"Off." Max demanded as she tangled her fingers in the hem of his hoody.

He obliged, removing the item with quick hands, and then shrugging his T-shirt off once she pulled it up to follow his hoody.

He helped her pull her shirt from her body, chuckling when it got stuck on her head.

"God damnit, Max," he chuckled quietly as she began struggling with the red thing. "Why did you have to have such a huge head?"

"Shut the fuck up or I swear you won't be getting any." Her muffled voice answered in a heartbeat.

He laughed and then proceeded to smile wolfishly as her purple bra greeted him once the shirt was off of her.

He leaned down to kiss her neck softly, shuddering in pleasure as her cold hands made contact with his warm back, running her palms all over his dark skin.

He kissed the space between her neck and jaw, grinning when her lips parted and her eyes closed with a furrow of her eyebrows at the sensation of his lips.

He stopped his kisses and just looked at her, smiling as her eyebrows furrowed further in confusion.

Her eyes snapped open and blue hazy orbs flew down to look at him. She smiled when she caught him staring at her. "I- What?" He laughed again and leaned in to kiss her lips again.

They kissed for a few seconds more, before he turned around and abruptly dropped her on the bed.

"Shhh," he shushed her with alarm as she fell with a loud squeal. "Max, shhh!"

She muffled her laughter on her forearm as she threw an arm across her face, her eyes crinkling and her hair a bright halo around her head, and Lucas seriously couldn't be any more in love.

He leaned down to press an open mouthed kiss to her stomach, just below her belly button, and he was rewarded with a quiet moan as her hips lifted from the bed.

He leaned back as his fingers popped the button of her jeans open, unzipping them and pulling the fabric down her creamy legs as she watched him with heavy eyes.

He eyed her patterned panties with a smile, adorned with green and red dinosaurs, as he began removing his own pants. He tickled the arch of her foot as she lifted it on his stomach, leaning down to run his fingertips on the skin of her calf briefly as he finished taking his pants off with his own feet.

His breath hit her forehead when she sat up suddenly, running her hands on his stomach as she leaned in to kiss his chest, teasingly flicking his nipple with her tongue.

She leaned back with a smirk as he panted above her, taking her hands behind her back to unsnap her bra with agile fingers. Her stomach fluttered at the way his eyes darkened once she threw the purple garment to the floor and her breasts were bared to his gaze.

He leaned down and took her head in his hands, kissing her deeply with a groan as her hands rounded his body and gently squeezed his butt.

They broke the kiss when the need for air became too much, and then Max scurried back on the bed while she panted, sharing a heavy look with him as Lucas crawled on the bed and on top of her.

She moaned when her nipples rubbed against his bare chest, whining on the back of her throat when Lucas leaned down to flatten his tongue on one of her rosy tips. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back on his pillow as he teased her hardened buds, basking in the feeling as she ran her fingers through his short hair.

Her underwear was uncomfortable, her legs were already shaky, and the part where she most wanted him throbbed painfully, so she smacked his shoulder with her hand to gain his attention.

"Hurry up, stalker." She murmured once his eyes lifted to her face. She punctuated her words with a look at her nether regions as she lifted her legs up to rest against his sides to make room for him.

He kissed her chest one last time and then lifted himself up on his knees, grunting when her fingers brushed against the tent in his white boxers. He reached out to his bedside table, taking a yellow square from the drawer and then placing it on her chest as he panted, jerking his hips back and forth as her expert fingers moved inside his underwear.

"Max." He mumbled in pleasure as he moved above her, and she decided to be selfish and end his fun there, wanting his attention, too.

She took her hands from his crotch and sat up further, making room for her legs as she hooked her thumbs on both sides of her panties and pulled them down her legs.

She laid back with a sigh, shuddering from his lusty look as he continued playing with himself. She parted her legs as an invitation and chuckled softly as his eyes widened comically, quickly pushing his boxers downs his hips as his gaze traveled down her body.

"Okay," he whispered as he took the condom from her chest, tore it apart and put the latex on himself. "You ready?"

"Yes." She whispered back, welcoming him in her arms once he was on top of her again.

"Remember we have a full house, okay?" He murmured as she kissed his chin, placing her hands on his hips as he lined himself up with one hand and leaned his weight on his other arm "Be quiet." He said to her as he kissed her.

Then he thrusted in.

She gasped against his mouth when he entered her, furrowing her eyebrows in pleasure as he stretched her out quickly, and then her sounds were swallowed by his kisses as he hilted inside of her.

"Shit!" He swore lowly, moving past her lips to rest his face on her neck. The tight muscles on his back moved as he shifted to brace himself on both forearms, careful of not pulling her long hair underneath his arms. Her hitched sighs rushed against his ears as he began moving, grunting and panting with the effort as her legs wrapped around his moving hips, and he winced when her cold heels rested an inch above his ass. As much as she wore sneakers and socks, Max's feet were perpetually cold and in moments like this, he wished he could do something about them.

Instead, he concentrated on her pleasured moans, trying to keep himself from moaning too loud as he remembered his parents were just down the hall. His hips snapped back and forth as they moved together, their breaths mingling with their sounds as their skin met each other's.

"God!" She hissed when he hit a particular spot, spasming beneath him as she took a hand down to help herself reach her peak.

"No, baby," he grunted against her ear as she began tightening around his shaft. "Just me."

"I'm going to kick your ass for that later." She promised with a gasp, closing her eyes tightly against his shoulder as her mouth hung open and her eyebrows flew high on her forehead.

Her keening began to be high pitched and the way her hips snapped up to meet his rapidly made him thank the lord, because he was nearly there, too.

He picked up the pace with a moan, thrusting into her quickly as he smothered his gasps against her neck, and then he felt her tense, tightening her legs on his hips to the point of pain, and he knew she was coming.

He leaned down to swallow her moan with a kiss, covering her lips with his own as her body erupted in goosebumps and she shuddered underneath him, and then he was nearly blacking out, too. Stars exploded behind his lids, his hips chased the feeling, his fingers fisted the sheets around her head, and he fleetingly felt her hands rub his back with soothing fingers as he came in her embrace, whining against her skin as shocks ran through his body.

He took a few minutes to recover his breath, basking in the warmth of her body as she continued hugging him to her chest, and she breathed against his hair, closing her eyes as she began relaxing against his blue sheets.

"That was amazing." He rasped out a few minutes of bliss later.

"I know." She murmured into the quiet night.

A sharp pinch on his side made him yelp in pain, and he looked down with a glare as she soothed the sore spot with her thumb while she smirked.

"What was that for?"

"If you ever say something so stupid to me like that ever again while we're having sex, I promise we'll go celibate until we're 50." She told him with raised eyebrows as she tried to keep herself from laughing at his affronted look.

"Sorry." He pouted with a frown, and then he removed himself from her arms. He stood up and removed the condom, tying it up and throwing it into the trashcan next to his bedside table. Max took the box of Kleenex from the first drawer, taking a couple to clean herself, and then she passed it to him so he could do the same.

Once they were clean (or as clean as they could be without taking a shower), both crawled in his bed, Lucas reaching out to pull the sheets around them and snuggling her under them warmly.

"I love you." He told her happily as he kissed her shoulder, moving his head around the pillow to settle himself for the night.

"I love you, too." She whispered with a contented grin, and they shared one last kiss before giving in to their sudden sleepiness.

Chapter Text

Jonathan wasn't a babysitter.

He once told Nancy that he didn't like most people, and that still was true.

But, Will's friends were something else. He liked the little kiddos (teens, really). They were always fun to be around, and they carried that childish-like aura with them, as if nothing dark had tainted their souls yet. He was glad everything about the Upside Down and the Mind Flyer was brushed aside by them.

Again, he really liked the kids.

But he wasn't a babysitter. That was Steve's job.

So, why the hell was he pouring chips in a bowl for the 6 kids in his living room?

Somehow, he had gotten roped in on staying home with them, supervising the movie night and making sure they were safe (and not breaking anything, again).

And, as randomly as it was, he found himself having fun.

Dustin and Will were bickering over the movie, still not deciding which one they would play; Mike and Lucas were sprawled on the couch, trying to fix the antenna in Will's Supercom (which had gotten bent when Lucas had thrown both Mike and Dustin on Will's bed); El was happily coloring on the table, using Will's crayons and his old coloring book; and Max was—

Well, where was Max?

Jonathan frowned, licking salt from his fingers and putting down the bag of chips, as he counted heads in search for copper curls.

"El?" He called his almost-sister, who acknowledged him with a slight jerk of her chin. "Where's Max?"

The brunette didn't stop her coloring, only letting go of a blue crayon to point in the direction of the bedrooms. "Rooms."

His frown deepened as he walked past Eleven, throwing a look in the direction of the boys who were still in the same positions. He wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't a bit worried. He didn't really know Max. He didn't want to think ill of her, but being 18 years on this earth made him be aware of people and what they could do when left alone.

He calmed himself down with the thought of Max being Will's friend. If there was a person whose judgment he trusted blindly, it was Will's. And he knew his brother wouldn't befriend a bad person.

When he spied inside of Will's room, the only thing that greeted him was silence, and the rumpled sheets on his brother's unmade bed.

He eyed the bathroom next, finding nothing but toilet paper and an open shower curtain.

He didn't have to search his mom's room, because when he peeked inside his own bedroom, surprisingly, he found the redhead he was looking for.

Max was sitting on his bed, calmly looking through the freshly revealed photos he took of Nancy early in the week. He watched Max's pale eyelashes flutter against her cheeks as she blinked, not noticing him at first.

"Max." He knocked on the door to gain her attention.

"Oh my god!" She gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin as the photo she was holding flew in the air from her shock. "Jonathan!" She took a hand to her chest with a frown. "You scared me!"

"I could tell," he chuckled as she caught the photo. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry," she flushed then, realizing she was in his room without his permission and that she had taken the liberty of going through his things. "I didn't mean to snoop around."

"It's fine, I just got worried a little," he admitted as he walked into the room. "The boys are all out there and then you disappeared on us."

"They're just fighting like always," she rolled her blue eyes as he took a seat on the bed, too. "It gets kind of tiring after a while."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jonathan laughed as he took one of the photos between them. It was one of Nancy smiling softly at him while she was driving. The sunlight hit the left side of her face, highlighting her cheekbones and hair, giving her a soft look while her eyes showed amusement.

"These are really good." Max commented as she grabbed another photo.

"Thanks. It's easy when you have such a good model." He smiled as he looked down at his girlfriend.

"You took them with this?" Max asked as she eyed his camera on his bedside table. He almost had a heart attack when she took his Pentax in a hand and pulled it towards her.

"Yup." He answered once his technological baby was safely in her grasp.

She inspected his camera for a few minutes, turning it over in her hands, and then she handed it to him with a shrug.

"I don't know how you work it, but I definitely like the results." She pointed down at the spread photos.

"Want to see more?" He asked with a small smile as he set the Pentax down in the middle of the bed and stood up when she made an inquiring noise.

He walked to his closet, crouching down to take out a medium sized shoe box, and then walked back to hand it to her.

"What's this?" She asked him curiously, popping the orange lid off.

He didn't have to answer her, as her eyes went round with wonder at the stacks of photos he had in there. Her pale hands reached in to take a couple, flicking through them with different looks. For Will's birthday photos, her eyes would crinkle as she smiled softly; for the water fight the boys had in the backyard, her cheeks would lift up as she laughed, eyes scanning all of the corners she could find; for the Snowball, her eyebrows dropped a little and her blue eyes shined as the right corner of her mouth twitched up while she touched Lucas' face with a gentle finger.

Those shiny eyes made him reach for his camera, and she only registered that when the loud click of the photo echoed around them. Her head snapped up as the photo was taken, and her eyes widened beautifully just in time for a second click of the Pentax.

"What are you doing?" She questioned with slight alarm in her face.

"Keep looking."

"No, what the hell?" She frowned, her shoulders slumping down as she lowered the stack of photos to her thighs. He only smiled encouragingly as he clicked away.

"C'mon, give me a pose." He said teasingly as her mouth began to twitch up with amusement.

"No!" She was grinning now.

"Oh, she smiles!"

"Jonathan!" She was laughing now. "Stop!" She reached out to block the lens but he leaned back just in time to capture her laughing face in the new angle.

"Wow, beautiful." He clicked away.

"If I had known this would end in a photoshoot, at least I would have worn something nicer."

"You would've?" He lowered the Pentax with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really." She shook her head with a laugh, making her red locks flop around and he quickly captured the movement with the Pentax.

"Why wasn't I invited to this photoshoot?!" El suddenly appeared in the doorway, hands on hips and a pout on her lips.

"It was improvised, El." He smiled at his sister.

"And not wanted." Max raised her eyebrows pointedly, putting the photos back inside the box.

"I was just outside, you could've yelled for me," El said as she walked in to take a peek inside the orange shoe box. "Besides, Max and I look good together." She smiled as she put her head next to the redhead and he lifted the Pentax with a laugh, taking a quick photo as Max rolled her eyes.

"Photoshoot is over, weirdo." The redhead smiled, putting the lid back on the box and pushing it over to Jonathan.

"The boys put on 'The meaning of Life'." El informed them as Jonathan stood up and placed the box inside his closet again.

"Ugh, no!" Max groaned, standing up and taking El's hand in hers to drag the brunette away. "I wanted to watch Jaws 3!"

"And I wanted Muppets take Manhattan." El whined as both girls walked out of his room.

Jonathan laughed as Max's disgusted sound echoed through the hallway. He took Nancy's photos and grouped them into a neat stack, placing them on his bedside table next to his Pentax.

He walked out to finish with the snacks with a mental note of taking the camera with him when he went out tomorrow.

A week later, next time he sees Max, they're all walking inside his house again, just before he went out the door.

"Max," he called her while the others rushed past him and ran inside Will's bedroom. "Hold up."

"What's up?" She questioned with a slight frown.

He opened the flap of his bag, took out a crinkled paper bag and handed it to her.

"It wasn't so bad, was it?" He smiled as she opened the bag and took out its contents. Her blue eyes widened behind the photograph paper, and her eyebrows flew up on her forehead as her lips parted in awe.

"Wow," she breathed in wonder as she looked at the photos. "These are amazing!"

"It's easy when you have such a good model." He smiled, and he was rewarded with her blue eyes twinkling in surprise. Her lips stretched into a soft smile and she ducked her head to hide her blush.

She surprised him when she stepped up and actually hugged him.

"Thanks, Jonathan." She mumbled against his jacket.

"You're welcome, Max." He smiled, squeezing her back as he placed his chin on top of her head.

Will really did know how to pick his friends.

Chapter Text

El was aware that she was not a normal girl. Sometimes it was easy to forget she didn't have a life until a few years ago because of her friends and family. They always made her feel so included and they were always in tune with her. They made her feel comfortable, like she was meant to be with them, like she belonged there. And with them, she does.

But sometimes they'd talk about a certain show they watched when they were little, or ask her what her favorite baby food was, and their eyes go wide and they wince in apology, because they too forget she didn't have a normal childhood, and that she spent her early years being prodded by needles in a lab while they were watching Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch.

She knew she wasn't a normal girl, and there were times that she was reminded of it in a horrible way.

Hopper had always been protective of her. Maybe it was because he knew her past and how she used to live, maybe it was because he once had a daughter and he didn't have the chance to experience with her what she was living with him, or maybe it was because he loved her and he worried over her. Maybe it was all three of the above (she definitely knew the third reason was true).

So, when Hopper found out Mike and her were having sex, he (naturally) blew a gasket.

She didn't really plan on him finding out about it; she just thought her and Mike's relationship would progress until they were married and then she would plop a baby on Hopper's lap and obviously he would have to know how it was made. She definitely never thought her dad would find out by finding a used condom in her room.

He freaked out (obviously), yelling about respect, and STD's, and it was only when he began talking about shotguns and 'Mike Wheeler is dead', she snapped awake from her I'm-nodding-like-I-understand-what-you're-telling-me-but-I'm-basically-asleep-right-now Hopper-induced coma and decided to calm him down.

"Fine," Hopper had sighed as he ran an exasperated hand across his face. "But we're going to get you a check up with a gynecologist or something. You need to be safe. And we're bringing Wheeler, too."

She didn't really understand what a gynecologist was, but she agreed if that meant he would get out of her room so she could pick up the condom from the floor and call Mike.

She really should have asked.

"You okay, kid?" Hopper asked her as the elevator they were in traveled upwards, noticing the way she tapped her fingers against her thigh.

"Just- closed spaces." She admitted with a humorless chuckle.

Mike reached down and grasped her hand in his, squeezing gently as he leaned down to kiss her head. Hopper placed a comforting hand on her other shoulder, rubbing warmly, and she felt enormously comforted by both.

She didn't know what it was, but she felt uneasy; uncomfortable, anxious and hesitant. There was something in the air that made her chest tighten and her stomach flutter around. She thought maybe it was the elevator, and she held onto that thought until she was inside the doctor's office.

The woman was kind, and she had a warm smile on her face, but her white robe reminded her too much of the scientists back in the lab, and the patient's chair reminded her too much of the little bed they made her lie on when they ran tests on her, and the white floor reminded her of the one back in the testing room, and—

"El?" Mike murmured quietly next to her while the doctor explained the different anti conceptive methods.

She shook her head and smiled at him, grasping his hand back in hers with a gulp as she turned back to the doctor.

She wasn't there.

She was here, with this nice lady doctor who had the whitest teeth El had ever seen, with her dad, who would protect her from anyone from her past, and with Mike, who loved her unconditionally and made everything better.

She grounded herself with happy thoughts, actually paying attention and responding to the doctor when she questioned her, but the fluttering in her stomach and the tightening in her chest didn't go away.

It was only when she made her go behind a little curtain to change, and when she sent both Mike and Hopper out, that she realized she had trouble breathing.

She stared at the paper gown in her shaking hands, cringing when the fabric crinkled easily in her grasp, and she had the sudden need to tear it to pieces. The color and the material weren't the same, but she couldn't tell the difference between it and the hospital gown she had worn inside the lab.

She breathed hard, her chest heaving up and down with the effort, and her eyes closed tightly at the brightness of the room, and her tears were running freely down her sticky cheeks, and suddenly it was too cold, it was too white, it was too bright, and it was too hard to stand up, and she was alone, and she was back in the lab, and she could feel the hundreds of needles inserted in her skin, and she could feel Papa's breath on her ear as he ordered her to go into the Void, and it was too dark, and she was alone in the Upside Down, and- there it was, the monster was there, and then she was opening the Gate, and there was blood, so much blood, and it was her fault, her fault, her fault.

Unbeknownst to her, she was sobbing loudly, sitting against the wall with her knees to her chest, and her hands over her ears as she closed her eyes tightly, and the stupid paper gown was balled up next to her.

Gasps left her lips as she cried, scared out of her mind for being there, and she didn't want the stupid doctor touching her, she didn't want to listen as she tried to comfort her. Mike was there in an instant, hugging her to his chest and rubbing her back as she sobbed against his neck, wetting the collar of his cotton shirt, and she just wanted to get out of there; she just wanted to be out, to be out, to be out.

"Get her outside, now." She heard Hopper scream through the ringing in her ears, and then Mike was pulling her up, and the desk lady that had received them when they entered the building was staring at her in shock, and then she saw the front doors of the building.

She ran out of Mike's arms, away from the enclosed space of the building, through the glass doors towards the fresh air, clean of any sterile scents and full of life. The birds chirped and the sunlight hit her skin and then she was running through the parking lot.

"El!" She heard someone call her, but she wanted to be away.

"El!" She kept running.

"EL!"

And then big arms were around her.

"No!" She struggled, not wanting to be dragged in again. "No! I want to be out, I want to be out!"

"El, El! Listen! El, it's me!"

"Don't make me go back inside! I want to be out, please, please, please!" Her tears blurred her vision, but she would always recognize the blue and black flannel and she finally realized her dad was the one in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Hopped panted. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to go back in," She cried against his chest, breathing in the familiar scent and hugging him as tight as she could, as if she could melt in his embrace and never suffer again. "Please don't make me go back in there, dad, please."

"It's okay, El. It's okay, sweetie, it's over. I'm sorry." Hopper sniffled against her temple as he rubbed circles on her back and hugged her back just as tightly.

She wept, her cries rocking her body, as the terror and anxiety subsided, letting her fear seep out in her tears.

She was a little girl again, crying over bad nightmares in Hopper's arms while he soothed her with warm hugs and loving words.

Mike was fidgeting behind them, holding himself back from ripping her out of Hopper's arms and holding her himself, but waiting his turn as the Chief calmed her down. Tears were running down his face from the wild fear that had cursed trough his body at her state. He had never seen her get so scared in his life, and he would rather break his neck than see her like that ever again. He shared a look with Hopper over El's head, and the red rimmed eyes the bigger man looked him with were enough proof that he was just as scared as Mike.

A few minutes later, when El's sobs had fallen to wet sniffles, Hopper gave her one last kiss, and then walked her back to the Blazer. Mike trailed behind them again, wringing his hands in uneasiness as the Chief continued murmuring against El's hair while they walked.

Once they were next to the cruiser, Hopper gave him a look and then separated himself from her.

Mike nearly leaped in the air to take his girlfriend in his arms, sighing in relief once she hugged him softly. Hopper opened the door to the backseat for them, and Mike pushed El in first. He closed the door behind him once he was in, while Hopper started the car in the front seat.

El shuffled until her legs were draped over his lap, sneaking an arm behind his back to keep hugging him as they began pulling out of the parking lot.

They didn't say anything, letting the silence engulf them as Mike kissed her head repeatedly, cradling her in his embrace and rocking her a little to assure himself that she was safe. Hopper smoked all the way home, the window open to let the smoke out, and Mike would've been impressed by the way he was going through the whole pack of cigarettes if he wasn't so busy staring at the brunette in his arms.

The Chief didn't even need to ask if Mike would be going to the cabin; he only drove there, and then he walked behind the couple as Mike guided his daughter through the fallen leaves in the woods.

When they were inside, Hopper took El in his arms again, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I love you."

"I love you, too." She croaked out, her voice broken and scratchy from not using it for nearly an hour and from the crying, and then she buried her face against her father's chest, snuggling into him for a few soft seconds, before she separated them.

"I'm okay." She smiled weakly as tears ran down Hopper's face, and she raised her hands to wipe them away with her thumbs as Mike averted his eyes.

Hopper took her hand and kissed her palm in apology, looking into her eyes and having a silent conversation with her that didn't need explaining.

He sighed, nodding to himself, and then she turned around to take Mike's hand in hers, walking in the direction of her room.

She heard her dad open a kitchen cabinet, and then she heard him go outside, no doubt with the bottle of whiskey he kept stashed. Mike closed the door behind them, and she took of her jacket with closed eyes, basking in the calmness of her room. She took off her boots, placed them by her window, and then took off her pants.

Mike was in the middle of closing the curtains when she stopped him.

"Let the light in." She mumbled as she got in bed.

He nodded, understanding, and then he took off his sweater, shoes, and jeans, too. They looked at each other with gentle eyes once Mike got inside the covers with her, their bare legs rubbing against each other for warmth.

Sex wasn't in their mind right now; only wanting to hold each other as close as possible without the obstruction of clothes in their way.

"I love you so much." El murmured quietly.

"Me, too, El. So much. So much, you have no idea." Mike whispered against her forehead, and then he leaned down to kiss her lips and gather her closer.

She closed her eyes and she didn't see Brenner again; she didn't see the Demogorgon, and the darkness wasn't like the Void's; she still felt down, but she wasn't scared anymore. She had her dad, and she had Mike, and she could control her life now. She could walk out of situations that made her uncomfortable because she was free.

She wasn't a normal girl, but she was okay with that.

Chapter Text

"Oh my god, your father is going to kill me." Mike muttered under his breath as he dumped his girlfriend on the bed.

"I want to go downstairs again." El slurred against the sheets as she turned on her stomach and attempted to plant her feet on the carpeted floor.

"No, no, no," Mike chided as he grabbed her arm and her waist and turned her around to lie on her back again. "If you puke, you'll choke on your own vomit and then I'll die with you."

"I don't want you to die." El whined as she gripped his wrist with weak hands.

"Then stay put."

"Okay." She whispered sluggishly, and then she closed her eyes with a wince at the bright lights of the room.

He didn't know how she got like this.

It was Saturday night and they were in Kenia Grady's party. Lucas and Max had been fighting for the entire night (their host was the reason), and when Lucas had tiredly walked towards the kitchen to get a beer, and El was dragged away by an angry Max, he had shrugged and proceeded to be a good friend and stay with Lucas. A member of the Party required assistance and he was the only one who could provide it; so he followed Lucas into the kitchen, and then to the backyard.

Dustin and Will had disappeared in the basement a while ago to play some kind of Texas Hold 'Em variation and he didn't want to know what they were up to.

Somehow, Max had managed to get El and herself stupid drunk, and he only realized this when Max actually stuck her head out of the window and vomited all over Mrs. Grady's hydrangeas.

While Lucas ran to help his sick girlfriend (the fight forgotten), his El senses tingled, and when he entered the kitchen, he not only saw Max's lunch all over the sink as Lucas held her hair back, but he also found Eleven slumped against the kitchen island.

He tried to make her get up but she was a dead weight, so he had to summon (from deep, deep, deep within) his inner strength and muscles to lift her up.

"I want to lie down." Was the only thing that he understood from the incoherent babble that her lips were saying.

So he had dragged her to the living room, where he found more people playing beer pong on the coffee table and Farty Marty on the couch (how did that kid even got invited, was beyond him), and there was no way in hell he was living El in the middle of that.

So, he dragged her up the stairs in search of a room. He found two busy couples in different rooms, and after a lamp was nearly thrown their way in Kenia's room (she really should've locked the doors), he finally found what appeared to be a guest room.

The bed was neatly made with white pristine-looking sheets, and it looked like the perfect place for his drunk princess to rest.

So, that's how he found himself here.

He eyed her stained sweater and nearly shuddered as he saw bits of the chewed fries they had eaten before coming here.

"I'm going to take this off, okay?" Mike announced as he placed a hand behind her head to lift her up a little, and took the hem of her sweater in the other.

"Not tonight, okay?" She told him sluggishly as she squeezed his wrist again.

"What?" He frowned. "I'm not trying to- You have puke on this!"

"Oh. Take it off." She tried raising her arms, but only managed to knock her fingers on his nose, making him sneeze all over her face from their closeness.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry." He cringed as he took her face in one hand and inspected it for any signs of snot.

"Ew." She pouted, dragging the sleeve of the sweater down her face (hitting herself first).

"Okay, now I'm really taking this off." He nearly gagged as his finger touched a piece of what was previously a very delicious and salty fry, and then tried to gently push her head away from the ruined garment as he slipped it from her head.

"I'm cold." She mumbled, her skin erupting in goosebumps once she was in her bra.

Mike furrowed his eyebrows, glancing down at the sweater in his hand, down to his clothes, and then back to his girlfriend, who was lying on her back again with her arms crossed on top of her chest to shield herself from the cold.

He hadn't really thought about what she was going to wear after he took off the sweater, but he threw the ruined thing on the floor and was in the middle of taking his jean jacket off when the door of the room opened.

"What— We're in here!" He yelped indignantly as he rushed to cover El's exposed front with a pillow.

"What the hell is going on here?" A familiar voice said, and Mike turned around to see Dustin standing half inside the room with a confused expression on his face and what appeared to be a bra tied around his curly head.

"Is that a bra?" Mike frowned.

"Yeah," Dustin grinned as he closed the door behind him. "Poker got intense."

"I don't even want to know where Will is." He shook his head and turned back to a blinking El, who was watching the exchange with hazy eyes.

"Shit, is she okay?" Dustin came closer with a concerned expression.

"Hey, Dustin." El mumbled as she tried to wave at him with her foot.

"Hey, Jean Grey. You okay?" Dustin frowned as he eyed her. El only nodded and closed her eyes again.

"She's way too drunk, Dustin," Mike sighed as he took off his jacket. "Hopper's gonna murder me." He ran a hand through his hair in stress.

"Hey, it's okay. She only has to sleep it off." Dustin shrugged as he patted his shoulder.

"Yes, but now her sweater is ruined and she's falling asleep in a stranger's bed."

"Oh, c'mon, we know Kenia."

"You know what I mean." Mike glared over his shoulder as he leaned down to check if El had fallen asleep.

"Here," Dustin said as he slipped off his shirt. "Use mine."

"Really?" Mike asked as he took the red T-shirt in a fist, already slipping an arm behind El's shoulders to sit her up.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Dustin was still wearing under shirts, and although the boys teased him for it, Mike would definitely buy him an entire pack because he was saving his life now.

"Put my jacket on." He handed his jean jacket to his friend, who took it gratefully and slipped it over his shoulders. He turned around to inspect the room as Mike finally sat El up fully, and flung the pillow back to the headboard.

"Hey, I got you a new shirt. See?" He murmured gently as El frowned confusedly at the fabric that was suddenly around her neck. Mike took her right arm and slipped it inside the right sleeve, and then did the same thing to the left arm.

"Oh, look at that," Mike told her amusedly as he lowered the hem to her hips. "It has a puppy on the front."

"What kind?" El questioned with curious eyes as she grabbed the hem and stretched it away from her to look at the printed image in the front.

"A Beagle." Dustin answered with a chuckle as he came back to stand next to Mike.

El gasped with a smile. "I love Beagles!"

Mike and Dustin shared an amused laugh as El rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Are you going to stay here with her?" Dustin asked him as Mike gathered her hair and pulled it on top of her head in a high pony tail, tying it with a scrunchie he took from her wrist.

"Yeah. She'll probably take a long nap, and then I'll go find you guys, okay?"

"Yeah, man. Take care of her. I'm going to find Lucas and see if Max is done drunk crying on him." Dustin patted his shoulder again before he turned around and headed for the door.

"Do me a favor and find Will?" Mike requested as he pulled El across the bed.

"Roger that." Dustin saluted and then he was gone.

He lifted the covers and pushed El to the middle of the bed, pausing to take off her shoes first. "Are you feeling okay?" She nodded. "No funny feeling in your stomach?" She shook her head, the end of her ponytail smacking against her cheek. "You're not going to puke on me?" She shook her head again. "Okay." He sighed, pushing her again to make her scoot over as he took off his sneakers, and then he was lying down next to her, pulling her to himself with a hum.

"I'm still cold." She mumbled against his chest.

"I'll keep you warm. Now, just take a nice nap, okay? I'll stay here with you." He kissed her head as he rubbed his hands on her uncovered arms.

He felt her nod, and then she was intertwining their legs while she hugged him, throwing an arm around his stomach with a grunt.

He extended an arm and pressed a switch on the wall, sighing in relief as the lights were turned off.

"You'll be the death of me one day, you know that?" He whispered into the quiet air.

"Mhmh." She agreed with a hum, and then he felt her breathing deeply.

He shifted a little to make himself more comfortable, closing his eyes with another sigh as she slept peacefully in his arms.

Chapter Text

“So are we doing this or not?” Dustin asked him once he was buckled in inside his car.

“Doing what?” Steve frowned.

Dustin had called him earlier to ask if he could pick him up from the arcade. Steve complained, tried to say no, but reluctantly (honestly, not even he believed this) he’d agreed.

“You’re teaching me to how to drive.” Dustin said as Steve began pulling out of The Palace.

“Am I?” He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

“Well, the doctor did say there would be repercussions for that concussion Billy gave you.”

“Shut up,” Steve rolled his eyes as Dustin began snickering at his own joke. “Why do you even want to learn, anyway? You don’t even have a car.”

“But maybe Claudia has one waiting for me for my birthday, and then BAM!” He clapped his hands, startling Steve a little. “I own a car. But that will be of no use to me if I don’t know how to drive.”

“And why can’t your mom teach you?” Steve asked, even though he was already heading for the parking lot he had learned to drive in.

“Have you met my mother?” Dustin snorted.

“Yes. Yes, I have. She’s lovely, I love your mom.”

“I know you think you’re my dad or something, but I hope you know you’re not getting my mom.” Dustin raised his eyebrows in an amused expression as Steve frowned.

“I wasn’t thinking about it, you dumb shit!”

“Well, good! The only man she needs is me.”

“That sounds so wrong in so many levels.” Steve laughed and Dustin reached out to punch him in the shoulder.

“Hey!” Steve shoved him back single-handedly. “What have I told you about annoying the driver? That’s rule number one, Mr. Bam-I-own-a-car.”

“Should I start taking notes?” Dustin asked him half-jokingly as he sat up straight.

“Since you got in the car, dude. As I was saying, rule number one: always stay focused on the road. There might be times when there’s a lot going on around you, or the passenger seat is occupied by an annoying little shit, and you want to see what’s going on, but your focus should be solely on the front.” Steve punctuated his words with a finger, pointing to the road as Dustin nodded eagerly.

“Obviously, as you get more experienced, you learn to split your focus and you get to do both. Like me,” Steve grinned at him. “But learn this: eyes always on the front.”

“Eyes always on the front,” Dustin nodded. “Roger that.”

“Rule number two: mirrors.” He pointed to the side of the car, were Dustin could see the objects they were leaving behind as they drove on.

Steve continued explaining the ‘rules of driving’, straight out of Steve Harrington’s Book of Doing it Right: Driving, Dustin nodding eagerly next to him as he drank in the older guy’s words like holy water.

“Okay,” Steve sighed as he turned his car off, turning to look at Dustin. “You ready?”

“Wait, you’re actually letting me drive?” The curly haired teen asked him with wide eyes.

Steve scoffed. “Did you think I was just wasting gas by driving around because I wanted to? You’re doing this.”

“But, I'm not ready!” Dustin exclaimed.

“Didn’t you just tell me that you wanted to learn to drive?” Steve asked him with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

“I just-“, Dustin cut himself off with a sigh. The teen unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in to rest his hands against the dashboard. “What if I crash or something?”

“I just wasted 15 minutes of my life explaining all the things you need to do in order to drive right, you dipshit, so you better don’t.”

“You’ll tell me if I'm doing it wrong, right?” Dustin asked him anxiously while throwing the door open.

“No, Henderson,” Steve rolled his eyes as he got out of the car. “I think I’ll just let you fuck my car up for fun.”

“I'm serious, you shithead!” Dustin snapped as they crossed paths in front of the car. Steve punched him lightly on the shoulder, regretting saying that curse in front of him so much now.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you.” He told him as they finally got inside the car again.

Dustin breathed deeply, shifting around in his seat to make himself more comfortable, while Steve stared at him impatiently. The curly haired teen gripped the wheel with one hand, squeezing the hard material, while holding the key with the other.

“First the clutch,” Steve began, trying to cut the kid some slack by easing his nerves with instructions. “Then the key.”

“First the clutch…” Dustin repeated, pushing said pedal with a foot. “… Then the key.” He turned the key as he spoke, and his face split into a wide toothy grin when the car shuddered to life. “I did it!”

“Hell yeah, you did!” Steve laughed, Dustin’s cheerful expression making his chest all warm and soft and he definitely got annoyed by the kid, but God damnit did he love him. “Okay, now shift into Reverse… don’t let go of the clutch yet- and then turn the wheel to the left… more to the left,” Steve hadn’t even buckled his seatbelt yet, but he was more focused on nearly sitting on the dashboard so he could see Dustin’s every move. “Yeah, now-- slowly, Dustin, or I swear to God—let go of the clutch and press on the gas.”

After an hour of more directions, a few raised voices, and some nervously excited laughs from the younger boy, Steve had to give Dustin enough credit.  The kid was managing just right; he was pretty good when it came to working under pressure, and he was a good listener when it came to instructions (“It’s like in school,” Dustin had said. “And I like school.”).

“You know, this isn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” Dustin commented casually as they drove around, sticking to lone roads and empty places to avoid running into other cars or (God forbid) people.

“Don’t know what the hell you were so worried about.” Steve shrugged as he munched on a bag of slightly stale chips he’d found in the glove compartment.

“It’s just that you make it seem so easy and cool… I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.” Dustin admitted in a quiet voice, shrugging a shoulder lightly as he continued focusing on the road.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, popping a chip in his mouth as he turned his head to stare at Dustin’s profile. “Yeah?” The younger boy nodded. “Well, I think you’re cool enough to pull anything off.”

“Really?” Dustin turned to look at him quickly, keeping an eye out for the road.

“Yeah,” Steve shrugged again. “I mean, you’re pretty annoying when you want to be—“

“Gee, thanks, Steve.” Dustin exclaimed sarcastically, interrupting him.

“—but you’re one of the coolest kids I’ve ever met. You’re smart as hell, funny—yeah, don’t let it get to your head—and I think you can do anything you set your mind to.”

A few seconds of silence lingered as both boys analyzed their impromptu feelings talk, and then it was broken by Dustin.

“Oh, God,” He pretended to sob loudly, taking a hand off of the wheel to cover his mouth. “That was beautiful—“

“Oh, can it, you idiot.” Steve huffed as he grabbed another chip and munched on it to keep his mouth busy while Dustin continued to fake-cry.

“I didn’t know you had it in you, Harrington.” The younger teen grinned, placing both hands on the wheel again and glancing at his moody companion.

“Yeah, well, it won’t happen again.” He nearly pouted, looking down at his chips as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

“Hey,” Dustin reached out and took a chip from the bag, making Steve look up at him with a glare. “Thanks, though. That’s really nice of you. I think you’re the coolest guy I’ve ever met.”

He shot Steve a wide grin, his baby blue eyes crinkled by the push of his still-kind-of-chubby cheeks, and the older boy couldn’t help but grin back with a chuckle. Jesus, he really was a goner when it came to his kids.

“Thanks, Dusty.” He told him fondly, reaching out to tug a long curl teasingly.

“Hey!” Dustin exclaimed as he slapped his hand away. “Don’t ever annoy the driver! That’s rule number one.” He mocked.

Steve laughed heartily, leaning his head back against the headrest. “Just drive, you little idiot.”

Chapter Text

Hopper was cooking dinner when the door's multiple locks clicked, announcing El's arrival.

"Hey, kid! I'm making dinner, you want some?"

The door slamming loudly behind her was his only response.

He jumped a little, the fork scratching against the pan, and he furrowed his eyebrows as he turned around to peer over his shoulder at her, only catching a slight look at her back as her sneakered-feet thumped away from him, her pony tail bouncing in the air.

"Not hungry, then." He frowned again as the door to her room was slammed, weirded out by his daughter's moodiness.

That had been happening for a few days.

As her senior year came to an end, her mood dropped; drowned in final projects, assignments, essays, homework, extracurricular activities, and the heaviness of future decisions.

He felt bad for the poor thing; he'd been through all of that, and she didn't work all that well under pressure, so he could only try and keep himself mute when she got like this.

But then a few sniffles reached his ears, and then loud sobbing overpowered the sizzling that came from his burger meat.

He frowned deeper, turning the stove off (dinner could wait now) and then marched towards her bedroom.

"El?" He pounded on the locked door.

Her sobs were abruptly muffled, as if she was pressing a hand against her mouth to contain the hiccups, and then his heart clenched when she finally spoke.

"I'm fine." Her voice sounded broken, small and timid, not like the one belonging to his nearly-adult daughter.

"El, let me in." He said in a firm tone.

"I'm fine." She sounded anything but that, her hiccupping cries making an emphasis on her not fine state.

"El," he spoke again, his voice hard and demanding, but then thought back to his previous approaches, and decided that Bad Cop wasn't the right figure for the situation. "El, it's okay," he heard her sniffle again. "Whatever it is, sweetheart, it's going to be alright."

Then she started crying again, but this time really hard, so much that it scared him.

"El?" He pounded on the door again.

"No, it won't." She responded brokenly, much closer than he anticipated, and then her door opened.

The first thing he saw was El's swollen face; puffy, red and wet, eyes in a grimace as she cried. And then he saw the plastic stick in her hand, and he came to the conclusion that he was fucked.

"Oh, El," he groaned, dragging a hand down his face as his heart tightened painfully and his stomach lurched up. "Not this."

She cried more, her sobs rocking her petite frame, and she bit her lips in a failed attempt of keeping her sobs in.

He entered her room, walking quickly to her as she began shaking, and then he plucked the white stick from her fist and looked down at the two pink lines that he never thought of seeing from her at this age.

"El," he breathed in, ice running in his veins from the actual shock of catching his daughter with a pregnancy test, and from it being positive. "El, oh my God."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry, dad." She lifted both hands to her face and hid her swollen features from him, finally giving in into her fear and desperation, and he could only reach out to hold her against him. Her head barely brushed his shoulders, and he couldn't understand how a girl so small was going to have to face something so big.

"How?" He shook his head, berating himself for the stupid question. "I mean…What did Mike—"

"He doesn't know." She muttered against him, and then she sniffled greatly, separating herself from his arms. She swallowed thickly, running her hands up her face to wipe it and brushing messy strands of hair away from her forehead.

"What do you mean he doesn't know? When did you find out?" He frowned, taking her hand and leading her to her bed.

"A few days ago," she swallowed again, sitting down on her bed and then twisting her hands tightly against her thighs, a nervous habit she had picked from Mike. "I was late, and I went to Melvald's when Joyce was on her lunch break. I grabbed a pregnancy test and went to the bathroom to take it-", she hiccupped deeply. "And it came out positive, too."

"Wait, so this isn't the first one you take?" He questioned, lifting said plastic stick in the air for confirmation. She shook her head. "So, where is the other one?"

"I threw it away," she looked at him with watery, red rimmed eyes. "I thought if I got rid of it, then..."

"It would go away," he concluded with a sigh. "Well, this kind of thing just doesn't go away if you ignore it."

"I know," she rubbed her eye. "I took more with me so I would know for sure."

"Does Joyce know?"

"No," she shook her head again, and she looked up with a guilty expression. "I kinda... took them without telling her."

"So, you stole them?" He snapped. "We talked about this!"

"I'm sorry! I got freaked out!" She hit the bed with a hand in frustration.

"How did you pass the beeping thingies anyway?" He was referring to the ones that were placed in the entrance of the store to prevent this kind of thievery.

"I tweaked them. With my mind." She tapped her temple absentmindedly.

He rolled his eyes with a huff. "So, where did you take this one?"

"Mike's." She admitted with a weak mumble.

"Why haven't you told him?"

"I was going to today, but he was telling me about MTI and how much he's going to study, and he's already thinking about dorms and school supplies and- God!" She cried out, tears leaking out of her eyes again as she put her head in her palm. "He's so excited, dad, I can't do that to him!" She nearly folded herself in half, and he took pity on her and scooted closer so she could cry on his shoulder instead.

"I wanted to tell him so bad. I cried in his bathroom, and I wanted to burst out of there to tell him because this is eating me alive! But then, he started talking about college and the fucking future and I was just there, about to tell him to say goodbye to all of that because surprise! There's a baby- oh my god, a baby!" She broke her rant to sob again, closing her eyes tightly as Hopper rubbed circles on her back. "And then I just wanted to come home! I wanted to come home! And we fought all the way here, and I just didn't want to see his face when I ruined all his hopes and dreams, dad!" Her body rocked with the force of her tears, and his throat bobbed with emotion. It was never easy to see your kid cry, even more so when they're in the situation Eleven was currently in.

"What about you?" He asked tightly.

"About me?" Her confused question was muffled against his shirt.

"Yes, what about your hopes and dreams? All I'm hearing is how you're going to ruin Mike's future but you're not thinking of yours, too," he couldn't help but sound harsher. "What about college? What about Speech Therapy? What about your future, Eleven?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, extracting herself from him. "I don't know! I have no idea what to do, Hop! I'm so tired! I'm so tired of thinking! I don't know what to do!" Her eyes shined, full to the brim with tears, and his heart clenched again for her. He had a sudden need of protecting her against everything; of shielding her from exhaustion, from unknown futures and bad decisions, from unplanned babies and a hopeful boyfriend. He had a sudden need of locking her up in the cabin again, to never let her go and keep her safe, here, with him.

Instead, he gathered her in his arms again, letting her cry on him all she wanted, wetting his flannel shirt until it was sticky on his skin, rubbing her back with big hands and kissing her head as he fought tears of his own.

"El," he sighed with closed eyes as she almost choked from her sobs. "El, El, El. Not you, honey." A little whine cut his voice, and then a lone tear ran down his bearded cheek.

He had such big hopes for her. She was everything he ever wanted. The girl he once wished Sara could grow up to be. She was good in school, amazing grades, nice and polite, great manners, sweet as candy, stubborn and hard headed sometimes, but unique in her own way. He taught her good, not taking shit from anyone and standing up for others when no one else did, and she loved so much. She loved him, she loved Mike, she loved Joyce, she loved her little band of goons, she loved. She might not be perfect, but in his eyes, she was the perfect girl. The apple of his eye. And he had so many dreams for her, but now, she had tripped, hard, and she had to figure out how to stand up on her own.

"I don't want to do this, dad." She cried softly.

"You need to calm down," he cleared his throat. "And then talk to Michael."

"He's going to hate me."

"He's not going to hate you," he had to roll his eyes at that. "I don't think he'd be capable of it even if he tried," he snorted a little. "No matter what you think it'll happen, he deserves to know. You can't take that from him, El. He's half guilty of this, and he has to take full responsibility if he doesn't want my shotgun pressed to his nostrils."

She snorted at that, and he sighed inwardly at finally breaking through her depressed state to make her take in his words.

"I know you're scared," he continued talking against her hair. "But you don't have to be scared alone. You're not alone. And that boy loves you so much, El. You're both smart," he broke their hug but still kept her at arm's length. "You'll figure it out."

"What if he leaves?" She asked in a small voice.

"Don't you want him to?"

"I do," she sighed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "I want him to chase his dreams. I want him to be able to do whatever he wants, because he deserves it. He's so smart, and so kind, and I love him so much," her voice broke again and he reached out to rub her shoulder in a comforting touch. "I want him to be successful, and I want him to be happy. And I don't think this baby will let him accomplish all that."

"I understand, but he has the right to make his own choices."

"I'm also so scared of being away from him," she admitted in a meek voice. "I don't even know if this," she gestured to her stomach. "Is really real; if this is happening. But I'm scared. And I don't want to be alone. But I don't want to trap him either."

"Oh, El," he sighed heavily. "You're not going to be alone. I'm not going to lie; I'm really disappointed in you. You knew the risks, and I gave you every bit of protection I could so you guys would be safe, and this is the result?" She furrowed her eyebrows with a pained look, lowering her head in shame. "But you're still my kid. You're still my little girl. C'mere," he tugged her under his arm, side hugging her strongly as he dropped a kiss to her forehead. "And I won't ever leave you alone. Understand?" She nodded with a sniffle, a fresh batch of tears threatening to fall.

"The black hole," she sniffled with misery written all over her face. "It got me."

He refused to let that happen. "No, it didn't," he tapped her nose gently. "Not on my watch, kid. Over my dead body."

She hiccupped, and then she leaned over to hug him tightly again. She squeezed her eyes shut, her chest a tight box of emotions, and she just wanted to drown in the mixed scent of stale cigarettes, burger grease, old coffee and musk that was pure Hopper; pure Dad; pure home.

"You need to be strong," he told her seriously, holding her face between his hands, "You need to be tough. And I'll be here when you need me, but you have to figure things out. With him."

She looked into his eyes for a few silent minutes, their whole conversation replaying in her head. "Not stupid." She murmured with a hesitant tilt of her lips.

He sighed. "You did some stupid things, but you're right," he nodded. "You are not stupid." He gave her a lopsided smile, making her laugh through a wet sniffle.

He brought their foreheads together, their eyes meeting intensely, and he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. "You'll figure it out, El. I know you will."

"I'll talk to him," she decided with a nod. "Tomorrow. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"And then we'll talk again. Figure your future out a little. Things will have to be adjusted," he told her with a serious nod. "You know that, right?"

"Yes." She murmured with a resigned sigh.

Her stomach rumbled, interrupting the moment, and El flushed a little as she laughed.

"Sorry," she smiled cheekily. "I didn't have dinner."

"I thought you had dinner at Mike's." He frowned, standing up from the bed.

"I told you- I couldn't stay." She shook her head as she looked up at him with her big Bambi eyes.

"Well, I was in the middle of making myself a burger when you shook the entire house with that door slam. You want one?"

"Yes, please." She smiled tiredly, leaning back to rest her head against the headboard.

"On it, kiddo," he began walking out. "I'm gonna have to buy a bigger fridge now that you'll be eating for two." He looked back to see her staring at him pensively.

"Hey," he tapped his knuckles on the wooden doorframe. "Don't let it get to you." The black hole, he meant.

"I won't." She told him firmly, shaking her head for emphasis.

He nodded, heading out of her room but stopping when she called him.

"Hey?" She continued when he appeared on the doorway again. "I love you. Thanks for everything, dad."

His heart fluttered with affection, and he knew this girl could do anything she set her mind and heart to.

"I love you, too, Ellie."

Everything would work out. He knew she would be all right. He would be there to see it.

Chapter Text

The minute he entered the cabin and saw her eyes shine with tears, he knew she had visited him again.

He sighed deeply, putting his hat on the coat hanger behind the door, and walked to her as she sniffled, the static sound of the TV mixing with his heavy footsteps.

"How's he?" Was the first thing he asked her as he sat down on the couch behind her.

She kept sniffing, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her (his) flannel shirt, and then she turned those doe eyes he was realizing he was a sucker for on him.

"Sad," She mumbled with quivering lips. "In the basement. Talks to me."

"He's still doing that?" He asked as he leaned back with a quirk of his eyebrow.

She nodded. "Misses me."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed as his head rolled back to rest on the back of the couch, his eyes closing in tiredness.

It wasn't the first time El tried to (kind of) bribe him into letting her out. She always seemed to know which topics or which people to bring up so he knew how much she was missed. His grinch heart tightened every time she sadly pleaded him to let her out, but if he wanted to keep her safe (and he did), he had to suck it up and not fall for those puppy eyes.

"When?" She whispered cautiously.

That was a tough question.

"Soon," he responded, sighing heavily as he scratched his balding head. "Soon, I promise."

Her eyes brightened up and she sat up straighter in the floor; his heart tugged when a hopeful smile began stretching her lips, and then she stood up to join him on the couch.

"Check?" She asked, folding her legs Indian style as she sat down next to him.

"You want me to check up on him?" He asked for confirmation, and when she nodded hastily, he knew it was the least thing he could do. "Okay, kid. I'll check on him tomorrow."

Ted Wheeler was an idiot.

A stupid, foolish, gullible, boring, but (thank fuck) patriotic idiot.

Say anything about 'this is for the country', and the man will have his hand on his forehead faster than you can say America.

Although the man was pretty much useless, it made Hopper's job easier when he came to check up on Mike.

"Say no more, Hopper, come in," Ted said as he lowered his hand from his salute and closed the door behind him. "He's in the basement."

As much as he was easy to fool, Karen Wheeler was the opposite.

"Oh, hey, Hop," she smiled when she saw him. "What are you doing here?"

"Routine check." He smiled blandly, trying to make this quick.

"Oh," her smile dimmed, and her eyes sharpened as she understood what he was doing in her house. "You want to see Mike again?"

"Yeah, you know how it is with these things," he tried playing it cool, acting as the broody Chief who wanted this to be over. "Need to keep an eye out for them."

Since the first time he came to the Wheeler house, his story had been that the bigger fishes in the city had been concerned about the safety and after state of the people affected by Will Byers' pseudo death. Karen had been suspicious ("Since when does the government care about these kids?" She had asked skeptically. "Karen," Ted had interrupted her with a frown on his wrinkled face. "They always have been concerned about the kids. They're the new generation; someday they will be serving for this country like they do. The government knows that and they show it by keeping an eye on them now. Isn't that right, Chief?" He had turned to him with a salute and Hopper was tempted to break his hand off if he did it again), but he had won her over with his over-it-already mood.

"Alright," she smiled again, but it didn't reach her eyes anymore. "You can go on, I guess. He's down there. He never leaves the basement now." She laughed softly, but he could see some of her concern bleed through her nonchalant attitude.

"Thanks." He nodded, and then he was walking past her, through the white door and then down the stairs.

His eyes fell on the dark blob of hair on the couch, and then Mike Wheeler's face appeared underneath that raven hair.

"Chief?" He asked curiously.

"Hey, kid," He greeted awkwardly. "How are you?"

"Is this another therapy session?" Mike huffed as he lay down on the couch again, going back to fiddle with his Supercom. "Because if that's what you're here for, then you can save it."

Hopper rolled his eyes, walking through the basement, touching knick knacks and old stuffed toys to buy himself some time.

The parents he could deal with. A few big words and some imposing threats, and he was done; but Mike was a kid. And once he saw the near-depressed boy, his I'm-the-Chief-and-you-need-to-listen attitude washed away. Here, he needed to be patient and understating, not pushing too hard but not letting him go easily. He needed to act as if he was dealing with El; only the girl made this easier because she actually lived with him, and trusted him implicitly. This kid barely knew him, and the few times they actually interacted were the ones where monsters were out in the world and little Will was talking through the lights.

"I know," he began, sighing heavily as he inspected a fluffy pink bunny. "That you don't want to talk about it, but I need to report back to—"

"Then you can tell them that I'm fine. Everything is fine," Mike exclaimed grumpily. "Everything is fucking daisies and rainbows, and nobody is suffering and everyone is fucking happy."

"Hey," Hopper frowned as he finally turned towards him. "What's wrong?" That always did the trick.

"What's wrong?" Mike laughed sarcastically, sitting up. "What's wrong?! Nothing's wrong! No," he laughed again, but Hopper knew there was nothing funny in it. "Nothing's wrong here."

"Kid," he sighed deeply again (he seemed to be doing that a lot), sitting down in the space his legs had vacated. He threw a pointed glance to the floor above them, and then around the basement, gesturing to the empty (save from them) room. "You can talk."

Mike looked up at him with narrowed eyes, a big scowl in his face, but then he actually saw him crumble. His shoulders sagged, his face unpinched, and then his shaggy hair was hiding his features as he lowered his head.

"It's hard," He admitted in a quiet voice. "Everything is back to normal. Everyone's back to normal, except me," Mike leaned back, rising his head and looking deep in thought. "Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy that Will is back. All of us are. But sometimes I feel like nothing ever happened," His hands gripped his knees and he swallowed drily. "Everyone brushes it aside. Dustin and Lucas keep on as if they didn't see that... thing in school. The only time they actually talk about it, it's when Will's mom picks him up to take him to the Doctor's. Nancy… I tried reaching out to her, but she only said no and now she locks herself in her room all the time." He shrugged, and Hopper could see him hurting over it.

"Teenagers," Hopper sighed. "Your sister's just… confused."

"No," Mike frowned. "She's just an asshole. She's always just snuggling up to Steve Harrington, pretending everything's fine and nothing even remotely weird tainted her perfect little life."

He spoke in such a harsh tone that Hopper actually inched away from him. "Maybe she's dealing with it in a different way."

"She's not dealing with it! Nobody is!" Mike snapped, standing up to pace in front of him, "Everyone moved on as if we didn't fight a fucking monster! As if those bastards didn't put Will's fake body in a casket—"

"Hey!" Hopper butted in, hissing angrily. "Keep your voice down."

"As if she didn't happen!"

There it was.

Mike fell quiet, swallowing again as he turned around with his hands in his hair, his back to Hopper. The Chief worried his hat in his hands, waiting for the growing pre-teen in front of him to pull himself together a little, like he always did when he came here.

"It's so hard," the words came out shaking, his developing voice making them break as he turned around with tears in his eyes, and Hopper scooted forward when he caught sight of the brightness in his dark orbs. "Pretending she wasn't here for that week. I have to pretend that I'm sick, or that I'm just not in the mood when my mom asks 'what's wrong' over and over, because I can't tell her. I have to pretend to be fine, even if I'm not, and I'm so sick of it, and I miss her!"

He suspected Michael didn't want him to see him cry, so he turned around again when the first tear fell, and Hopper had that paternal instinct that was resurfacing again (thanks to her) to hug the boy; to hold him and sooth his aching little heart; to let him get it all out, to tell him it was fine, she's alive, and she'll come out soon, and I'll make it easy on you, kid.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't because her safety was more important. He was learning that she was rapidly becoming the priority in his decisions, in his thoughts, and in his life. Because even though he felt sorry for Mike Wheeler, she came first.

So he settled for clearing his throat, watching as Mike looked longingly at the blanket fort in the corner. "I know this is hard, kid. But you need to understand that everyone has a different coping mechanism. Maybe Dustin and Luke—"

"Lucas." Mike interrupted, looking back at him with shiny eyes. He walked over and sat down next to him again.

"Dustin and Lucas," Hopper repeated with a roll of his eyes. "Are so traumatized by what happened that they just want to move on from it. Your sister lost a friend, too. Have you thought of that?"

Mike looked at him with what was looking like a guilty expression, but then his gaze hardened, and he lowered his eyes back to the buttons on his Supercom.

"Why don't you just…" Hopper sighed, eyes to the ceiling as he listened to the footsteps above them. "Try focusing on the good things. Focus on Will, and how he's alive; how all of you are alive. Don't dwell on the bad things, okay, kid?" That was what he'd done after everything with Sara happened. Of course, he didn't really follow his own advice, so he hoped Wheeler was actually smarter than him.

Mike said nothing, only tweaking the antenna of his walkie-talkie, and Hopper knew their conversation was over. He sighed heavily, standing up as he put his hat on his head again.

"Think it over, Mike." He placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder in goodbye, but again, the kid kept himself muted.

He sighed again, walking to the stairs, and when he was in the middle of them, he looked back at the kid. "As for her…"

Mike looked up with wide eyes, Supercom forgotten in his lap and Hopper contained himself from spilling the beans at the kid's hopeful look.

(Don't fall for the puppy eyes)

"She's in a better place now, Mike."

He resumed his walk, leaving him alone in the basement, watery eyes and quibbling lips on his mind.

A few months from that day, Mike Wheeler would try to pummel him as he screamed his throat raw. Betrayal and hurt and you hid her from me, and you piece of shit, and different coping mechanisms, and how many talks did you lie to my face?! But for now, Hopper said goodbye to the Wheelers, got inside his cruiser, and made his way back to the cabin. There was a little girl waiting for him that needed to still be protected; even if the boy who gave her a home for the first time had to be the one to pay the price

Chapter Text

"Steve, I swear on Jesus name, if you don't give me the fucking popcorn, I will decapitate you."

Steve hung his mouth open, munched popcorn falling off of the roof of his mouth to his tongue, as his fingers stilled inside the bowl and his wide eyes remained on Jonathan.

"Jon," Nancy laughed exasperated from the kitchen as she finished pouring soda on the three cups. "Be nice!"

"He doesn't want to share!" He defended himself as Steve went back to chewing, slowly, almost hesitant while never taking his eyes off of Jonathan. "I'll do it, Harrington, right here on this very white couch." He threatened quietly as Nancy padded back into the living room.

"Fuck, yeah, baby," Steve finally responded, licking butter from his fingers as he (finally) passed the popcorn bowl to him. "Talk dirty to me!"

Jonathan rolled his eyes, already shoving a handful of buttery popcorn inside his mouth, as Nancy placed the cups on the coffee table in front of them, walking back to sit on the other side of Jonathan.

"You guys are ridiculous." She rolled her eyes with a small grin, sighing when she was finally sitting down and popping some fallen popcorn from Jonathan's chest inside her mouth.

"You're the ridiculous one for liking us." Steve responded in a heartbeat, eyes on the screen as he pressed play on the movie again.

"I should just break up with you, then." She retorted, smiling amusedly as Steve gasped in fake astonishment.

"Do it," Jonathan said teasingly. "We'll just date without you."

Nancy gasped out right, looking up at her boyfriend in fake anger as her other boyfriend gasped again. "Oh!" Steve sat up with a huge smile. "So you do love me!"

"Nobody said anything about love." Jonathan responded as he leaned in to take a cup of soda, drinking deeply from it once he was back against the couch.

"But you thought it." Steve smiled amusedly, leaning in to ruffle Jon's hair, ignoring the glare thrown his way for it, and then took the popcorn from Nancy, who had been eating from it once Jonathan propped the bowl on her lap.

"You hog," Steve tsked teasingly. "This is for everyone!"

"I'm beginning to think the real hog is you," She said as she snuggled up against Jonathan's side, her feet resting on his outstretched legs which were propped on the coffee table. "It's the second time you got a hold of the popcorn in the last 10 minutes."

"That's true." Jon said as he watched the movie, his right arm linked with Nancy's as he held onto his soda cup.

"Okay," Steve rolled his eyes, grabbing a handful of popcorn in his left fist and passing the bowl to Nancy, who began eating happily once she took it from him. "I'll share."

"Thanks." Jon mumbled, sighing warmly when Steve leaned against him, reaching down to clasp his right hand with Jon's left one, and resting his fluffy head on his shoulder. His boyfriend reached up and placed a single popcorn from his stash against Jonathan's lips, smirking when he opened his mouth to receive the snack, and nipping Steve's fingertip when his lips sealed behind the little buttery ball.

The three resumed their movie afternoon, enjoying the privacy Steve's house gave them, and fighting over the popcorn that the Mom-of-six continued to hog.

All was well.

Chapter Text

"And call me when your mom gets there, alright? She's still angry and won't answer the store's phone."

"Okay." Will tried not to laugh as he listened to Hopper's exasperated voice.

"Okay, get something to eat and do your homework, alright? We'll see each other in a few hours."

"Yes," he sighed, sharing a look with El as the girl walked in from her room, freshly out of her jeans and rid of her school backpack. "Don't worry, we have it all under control."

"Okay, kid," Hopper sighed softly on the phone. "Bye, then."

"Bye, dad."

His eyes widened, and he heard Hopper's breath stop in shock as his mind registered what he had just said.

Dad?

He just called Hopper dad!

He looked up at El with panic, the girl furrowing her eyebrows as she took in the wild look in his eyes, and she snapped her fingers as if to say 'get it together'.

"Uh," he swallowed, shifting on his feet, dancing around like he did when he was little and wanted to pee, as his hand clutched the phone tighter and he ran a hand through his silky hair. "I didn't mean- I just- uh..." his breathing sped up, face flushed red as the word kept repeating again and again on his mind.

Dad?

Did he saw Hopper as a father?

The man had been dating his mom for a good year now, and had been a strong paternal-like figure when he had been sick (and slowly being possessed *cough*) and through the years until now.

He'd never had a male constantly in his life like Hopper had been. It was no secret that his own biological sperm donor was a piece of garbage, and Will thanked the heavens and the seven hells for only being able to remember short periods of time when Lonnie had actually been present in his childhood.

Sure, Jonathan had always been with him, too, but that was different. He didn't see Jon as a father figure; he always saw him as the best big brother ever, like he continued to be.

And it was only natural that he stared to think of Hopper as Dad, he defended himself mentally, because of El. The fact that both Hoppers lived with them now that they were all a family, assured him that it was only a human's reaction that he picked on the name reserved for the big, moody, bearded mountain of a man he had on the other line now.

But, again, dad?!

"Listen, Hop, I'm sorry," Will cringed, fingers tangled around the phone cord as he continued his pee-dance, El watching curiously from the couch as she munched on a baby carrot. "I know I have no right to call you that, and this is already awkward as it is, so let's just f—"

"No right?" His stepfather's voice cut his rambling, repeating Will's words in an incredulous tone. "Why would you think that, Will?"

"Uh... because I'm not your son?" He answered in a small voice, his stomach moving in heavy flips.

"Says who?" Hopper grunted back.

"Uh, genetics?" Will asked pathetically.

"Kid, I've got a telekinetic girl standing somewhere around you there, don't make me use her against you." Hopper snorted, and he heard two heavy thumps on the other side of the line, making him imagine Hopper leaning back on his chair with his feet propped on the desk, meaning he was relaxed and not weirded out by Will's word choice.

"You're not... freaked out?" He asked tentatively, glaring at his sister when she snorted loudly.

"Why would I be, Will? You think I don't think of you as a son?"

"Do you?" He asked quickly, too quickly to sound uninterested.

"Sometimes, yeah. It's not like I deliberately think 'oh, Will is my son'," Will chuckled, his nerves easing out of him as his body untightened from the stiffness it had sprang up into. "But you're part of my family, kid. You and Jonathan might not see it, but I worry over you a lot."

"Yeah, we see it," Will smiled, his heart warming up as he admitted one of his favorite observations of Hopper. "I just thought it came with your character."

"Because I'm such a person worrier," he could hear his stepdad roll his eyes, and he smirked when he saw El do the same. They really were too much alike sometimes. "Listen, I don't worry over you because I'm dating your mother, or because it comes with the territory or whatever, I worry because I genuinely care about you. I've never had a son, and I know you didn't really have the opportunity to have a dad, but I'm telling you now, Will, you are my son. Even if I didn't make you, I very much love you as one."

"Really?" When did his voice get so tight?

"Yes, really," Hopper smiled, chest all warm and gooey, because those kids meant the world to him; even if he hadn't created any of the three, El, Will and Jonathan were his children in every way. "And if you're comfortable with it or you just feel like calling me like that, I'm Dad for you, then."

"Wow," Will breathed out, eyes suddenly bright and blinking at the ceiling while El watched him with an adorable smile, chin against her palm and half eaten carrot forgotten in the other. "I, like, love you so much, Hop."

His Dad's booming laughter echoed on the phone, and Will laughed, too, emotion making him soar high on affection.

"I, like, love you so much, too, kid." Hopper chuckled, voice deep and gruff, but calm and soothing to Will's ears. "Alright, enough mush for now," Hopper sniffled, and Will wondered if he too had become emotional, or if the dust gathering around his office was finally getting to him. "Eat something and do your homework. I'll be a good father and check your equations or… science project when I get home, alright?"

"Do you even know what a variable is?" He asked amusedly.

"I-... shut up, Will." Hopper scoffed, and Will couldn't control the bark of laughter at the frustration in Hop's voice. "Okay, I said enough. Go make sure your sister eats something else than Eggos and I'll see you for dinner."

"Okay," he laughed again. "Bye, dad."

"See you later, kid." Hopper smiled involuntarily, and the last thing he heard was Will's voice telling El to 'finish that damn carrot already!'.

Chapter Text

Steve often questioned how he ended up in situations he didn't plan to find himself in.

Like that time he freaked out because Barbara Holland had gone missing when all he wanted was a fun night with his asshole friends (and maybe some action with Nancy); like that time he had gotten involved fighting a monster from another dimension while all he wanted was to be a decent person and apologize to Jonathan; like that time Nancy had crushed his heart while all he wanted was to help her move on from her buried pain; like that time he had somehow acquired 6 children when all he wanted was to apologize to his (now ex) girlfriend.

Like now, watching Mike and Eleven kiss each other senseless while all he wanted to do was be a nice Mom and drop his kids off from their play date.

He rolled his eyes exasperated while he parked his car in the Wheeler's driveway, getting out of the vehicle as the couple leaned against one of the walls in the garage. He could see them kiss softly, their heads moving gently with the pull of their lips, and he whistled sharply to make his presence known, tapping the hood of his car with an open palm as the teens sprang apart quickly, startled by the sudden noise.

"Ease up, Romeo and Juliet!" He shouted. "I did not pay for a show!"

"You didn't even pay!" Mike shouted back, huffing while rolling his eyes as El licked her lips with a giggle, waving sheepishly at Steve in greeting.

"What are you two doing outside, anyways?" He walked up to them, swag in his footsteps as the car keys dangled from his finger. "Isn't there a small village of children inside?"

"We came out here to say goodbye." El informed him innocently, smiling up at Mike when the boy flushed under Steve's smirk.

"Oh, is that right, Mr. Wheeler?" He raised his eyebrows in amusement, enjoying the way Mike's freckles disappeared under the redness on his face.

"Why don't you go bother Dustin or Lucas?" The younger boy snapped, waving a hand towards the door.

"Yeah, all right," Steve nodded, walking through the couple (bumping into Mike a little to mess with the kid). "I'll leave you two to say goodbye properly."

"Thanks, Steve!" El smiled, and Mike began sputtering at his back until his rumbling was smothered against El's lips again.

Steve walked inside the house, waving at Mrs. Wheeler when he saw her hovering by the window, and then he paused in the middle of the stairs on his way down to the basement when he was met with silence. Weird, he thought with a frown, there's not a chance in hell that these kids know the word quiet.

Then he heard a sound.

His eyebrows lowered further down over his eyes, straining his ears to see if he had been imagining the noise or- nope! There it was again. It was like a wet sound; a sucking kind that went silent for short seconds before it increased in volume.

He descended the stairs fully, his footsteps light as his fingers itched for the nail bat, and then his eyes reached the sky again as he found where the wet sound was coming from.

Max had Lucas cornered against the D&D table, standing between the boy's legs as they kissed slowly, eyes closed in bliss as Lucas' hands ran through Max's red locks.

"Ahem," He cleared his throat, and he almost enjoyed the way both teens' eyes went wide, had a small figurine not been thrown to his forehead. "Ow! Maxine!" He frowned, rubbing the now red spot as the redhead glared at him while Lucas wiped the spit that was shining on his lips with the back of his hand.

"Why do you have to be such a creep?" She snapped, crossing her arms.

"Be glad it was me!" He exclaimed, picking the little Paladin from the floor and walking over to slam it down the table. "I'm sure Mrs. Wheeler would have taken this shit to the forehead like a champ!"

"Mrs. Wheeler is too preoccupied making sure Mike doesn't swallow El's tongue right now to come down here to catch us." Lucas shrugged, tapping his girlfriend's hip to make her step back so he could jump from the table and walk to his backpack, swinging it over his shoulder.

"Where are Dustin and Will, anyway?" Steve frowned again, noticing the lack of wild curly and straight bowl cut hair in the room.

"They're in the backyard running boredom out of their system." Max informed him as Lucas took her hand in his, ready to call it a night now that their ride was here.

Right on cue, two pairs of footsteps came running down the stairs. "Is he here?" Dustin's cracking voice said, and then Steve's pseudo little brother appeared under a mass of big curls and his signature cap, Will trailing behind him with a hand on his chest as gasps left his mouth. "You need to wait for me!"

"You need to keep up, old man." Dustin quipped at the smaller boy as he ran to get his things.

"And you need a haircut, young boy." Steve palmed Dustin's head, tugging on a curl as the boy grinned toothily up at him.

"Alright, nerds, let's go!" Max clapped abruptly. "Night's not getting shorter and I'm not getting younger."

"You got all your things?" He asked them as Will shoved one last chip in his mouth, swinging his own bag against his back.

They all nodded their 'Hm-hm's, and then he was leading them all up the stairs, saying bye to Karen as she came in from her trip outside to untangle Mike and El.

"Alright, Mileven, time to say goodbye." Steve said over his shoulder as they passed the hugging pair, Will reaching out to shove them lightly with a laugh.

"Shotgun!" Dustin yelled, running up to his BMW with all the speed his growing legs could give him, but it was all for nothing when El broke apart from Mike suddenly, freezing Dustin's feet with her mind as she ran past them all, coming to a stop next to the passenger's door with a smirk. "I think you're getting bitch instead."

"That's not fair!" Dustin screamed indignantly as they all guffawed at his stunned expression, Max leaning all her weight against Lucas as her body shook with laughter.

"Let him go, J." Steve laughed, tapping the girl on the head as he passed her to get to the driver's side.

Somehow, after a few minutes, they were all piled up and ready to go (Dustin ended up in a window seat, much to El's bemusement). They all obnoxiously waved bye at Mike, receiving an equally excited wave from the laughing boy, until they stopped literally 3 houses away from his to drop Lucas off.

"First stop, kiddos." He announced as the door opened and Max stepped out to let Lucas out.

"Wow, what a long ride!" Will exclaimed sarcastically as he shuffled until he was no longer on Dustin's lap.

"Make it quick, Darcy and Bennet, I still have a small hoard of children to drop off." He teased as Lucas hugged Max goodbye.

"Who's Elizabeth?" Lucas asked teasingly once he had rounded the car and Max was inside again, leaning down over Steve's window to grin at him.

"Definitely you." He nodded seriously, El giggling unceasingly beside him.

They watched him get inside his house, and Steve honked as Mike waved bye again, having been outside to wait until they had safely dropped Lucas off; El watched through the side mirror until her boyfriend was a small shape from afar.

A few minutes later, and a few nice houses less, they were in Max's neighborhood, pulling up in front of her house.

"Off you go, girlie." Dustin said in a terrible accent, which landed him a punch to the shoulder.

"Never talk to me like that again." Max said with a threatening finger, her serious face breaking into a bark of laughter as Dustin moaned in pain; she reached out to hug him quickly and then leaned in to squeeze Will's hand.

"Thanks, Steve!" She exclaimed, leaning further in to reach into the driver's seat and tug a lock of fluffy hair. "Bye, El. Bye, guys!" She waved, running quickly to get inside as Steve watched with wary eyes for any signs of a certain blond.

"He's not here," El told him reassuringly, watching as his narrowed eyes stared at the door even though Max had been inside for a few minutes now. "Max said he's been gone for a few days."

"I wish he'd stay away forever." Will sighed from the backseat.

"One can only hope, right?" Dustin smiled tightly as Steve began moving slowly, still watching the house in case Max showed any signs of needing help.

"Never hurts to be sure." Steve murmured to El in explanation as they finally rolled away from the Hargrove household.

A few minutes later, Dustin's house was in plain view, with his mother outside popping the trunk of her car open.

"Dusty, is that you, honey?" Claudia Henderson smiled as she watched the familiar BMW stop outside her house.

"Yes, your royal highness," Dustin exclaimed as he stepped out, Steve and the step-siblings inside smiling at the mother/son interaction. "It is me."

"Oh, my prince!" The blonde woman exclaimed with a big smile, wrapping her arms around her taller-than-her-now son, kissing his face repeatedly while Dustin whined in embarrassment when the kids started laughing. "Mom!"

"Okay, okay." She laughed, releasing him out of her mama bear hug.

"Need any help, Mrs. Henderson?" Steve asked courteously as he spotted the bagged groceries in her car.

"Oh, no, sweetie, thank you," she grinned as Dustin began pulling the bags from the trunk. "You go on and drop these beautiful children before Joyce kills you."

El and Will grinned toothily at Dustin's mom, preening under the compliment as Steve nodded with a smile. "Alright, see you!"

"Have a good night, and thank you for dropping my baby off!" Claudia waved.

"Mom!" Dustin whined again, and with one last laugh, Steve and the Hopper-Byers siblings were off.

El fiddled with the radio the whole way to their house, while Will talked their ears off about The Scorpions' Love at First Sting album, Steve nodding as the boy explained the songs' content and why it was 'the best fucking break up album ever!'

"What do you even know about break ups?" El asked with a frown, and Will's only response was a light shrug with a bright smile.

As the lights from the BMW began to highlight the Byers' driveway, it also landed on a pair of older teens curled up on the porch, their mouths glued together as they kissed languidly, and Steve's throat bobbed when his eyes fell on the third make out session he was seeing today, courtesy of Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler.

"Hey! There's people who don't enjoy coming home to a freaking show, okay?!" Will shouted when he rolled the window down, Jonathan and Nancy startled out of their kiss by them as Steve parked in front of them.

This time his eyes didn't reach the sky, but they did reach his shoes on the pedals of the car as he lowered them to the floor.

Jonathan blushed and stood up to greet his little siblings while Nancy grimaced and waved at Steve with a sheepish expression.

"Thanks, Steve!" Will said, grinning up at him when the older boy reached back to mess his shaggy hair up fondly, and then he got out of the car.

"It's okay to miss her sometimes." El murmured quietly as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"What?" Steve frowned.

"It's okay to miss her sometimes," El repeated slowly, her eyes meeting his to emphasize the words. "I see the way you still look at her," she explained further when he pretended to have no idea of what she was saying. "It's okay, Steve."

He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt him anymore, and the way El's words cut deep into his heart was proof enough of it.

"She's happy." He sighed finally, shrugging it off with heavy shoulders.

"And you'll be too," El smiled softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek, and his heart squeezed lovingly as he looked back at her with a lopsided smile. "Soon, Steve."

"How soon?" He whispered as Nancy began to throw suspicious looks in their way.

El swallowed. "Soon." She repeated.

"Okay, Juliet," he smiled again, sadness tainting the corners of it as he reached out to scratch her scalp lightly. "Soon."

El ducked her head away from his hands fondly, smiling at him one last time before she got out, too.

Jonathan raised a hand in a silent 'thanks' when both of his siblings were walking in front of him to get inside the house, where he could see Joyce waiting for them, and he smiled back (a bit tight, but who could tell in the darkness of the night, right?), waving at Nancy when she threw him a hesitant smile.

On the way home, like a joke from destiny, Still Loving You played on the radio, and if his eyes got a little moist and his heart thumped more painfully than usual, well, who could tell?

Steve often questioned how he ended up in situations he didn't plan to find himself in. Like now, when his eyes started leaking small tears out and a few quiet whimpers broke out of his lips as he sang along to words he didn't know but felt, when he only wanted to drop off the most important group of kids he would ever have in his life.

"Soon, Steve."

Chapter Text

She was dying.

To put it simply, she was completely dying inside.

The pregnancy tests felt heavy in her purse, the used one with the two pink lines the heaviest out of them. Her stomach was doing flips and she idly wondered if it was the baby, but she shook her head in exasperation, berating herself for procrastinating this.

She watched how her finger left an obvious print on the doorbell as she rang it, her palms slick with sweat from her nerves.

She looked over her shoulder, where her dad's Blazer was parked, and she met Hopper's eyes as she shuffled her feet on the 'Welcome' mat; he made an encouraging face and then he pointed, just in time for the door in front of her to open.

"Oh, hi, El," Karen Wheeler smiled at her surprised. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Don't worry, Mike doesn't either." She chuckled nervously, Karen waving behind her as she heard her dad drive away.

"Oh, is this a surprise?" Her mother-in-law wondered as she closed the door behind her.

"You can call it that." El chuckled sarcastically.

"Well, he's upstairs in his room. You know the way, sweetie." Karen smiled again, oblivious to the huge secret the younger brunette was holding in her purse.

She touched El's shoulder with warm fingers, squeezing it with a smile, and even though she started walking away as she did it, El panicked for a minute, as if Karen knew what she was carrying in her purse and would try to rip it apart and the pregnancy test would fall on the floor and then she would shove her out of her house and demand to never come back again and she would never be able to tell Mike and she would raise a baby on her own and she would never be able to go to college and she would DIE!

She let out a heavy breath as her mother-in-law's footsteps faded away behind her, and she gripped the staircase's handrail with a firm grip, telling herself it would be okay all the way to Mike's room.

She took a deep breath, rattling the doorknob a little with her shaking hand as she gripped it, and then she opened the door.

Mike was hunched over his desk, his hand obscured by his shaggy hair as he leaned his head on it, and his other hand was writing away quickly in a familiar notebook, one she knew held great adventures and beautifully written stories by the boy who was now smiling at her.

"El," he said surprised, leaning back on his chair and putting the pencil down. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprise." She smiled weakly, closing the door behind her and gripping the strap of her purse in an attempt to steady her shaking hand.

His smile disappeared and she knew she had done a shitty job in hiding her nerves. "What's wrong?" He asked immediately.

And that did it.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Mike asked, a little scared but mostly surprised as his girlfriend started crying, her shoulders shaking with the effort of her tears.

"We need to talk!" She exclaimed, her eyes tight and her mouth quivering, and Mike could only get up from his chair quick enough before she was in his arms.

"Are you okay? What happened? Did I do something?" He asked breathlessly, hugging her tight and rubbing her back in soothing circles, while she cried loudly against him.

"No, I'm n-not okay," she gasped out, wrinkling the back of his t-shirt in her fists. "And you k-kind of d-did."

"What's wrong, El? Talk to me." He said softly, walking backwards to his bed with her still in his arms.

He managed to get her on his lap, sitting down on the bed, and he took her wet face in his hands, concerned eyes running all over her features as his heart began to throb in worry.

Still, she took his hands in her, squeezing them with shaking fingers, and then she leaned in to press her mouth to his.

He let her kiss him slowly, tasting the salty tears that had gathered on her lips, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was about to go down.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly once she had ended the kiss.

"I love you," she whispered instead. "I love you so much, Mike."

"You're scaring me." He admitted with a frown.

"Tell me." She whispered brokenly, her fingers tracing his freckles, and his heart really did throb painfully because of her cracking voice.

"I love you," He said in heartbeat. "I love you, but you're scaring me. Please tell me what's going on."

She swallowed thickly, looking down at their laps for a few moments. Was this really the moment to tell him everything? She came here for a reason, and that was to come clean from the secret that was swallowing her whole, but now that she was here, with him, on him, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"El?" Mike murmured worriedly, his dark eyes wide and very focused on her, his large palms warm against her wet face, and she looked into his eyes for reassurance. When he looked at her like that, like she was the only thing in the world, like he would rather die than not give her his undivided attention, she felt like she could do anything. Still, the words wouldn't come out of her mouth.

So she settled for showing him.

She reached behind him, where her purse had been flung to when they reached his bed, and with trembling hands and tears still falling steadily from her eyes, she grabbed the plastic stick.

"I'm pregnant." She whispered when she pressed the pregnancy test in his hand. She watched his eyes go even wider, his long eyelashes touching the hairs on his eyebrows as they lowered in a surprised frown, his mouth slipped open, no breathing coming out of it as his hand raised the white stick to eye level.

"I think." She added with a grimace.

"You think?" He asked shakily, his chest finally pushing up and down with the force of his breathing, and she felt herself slipping off as he stood up, pausing to deposit her on the bed as a second thought.

"Are you not sure?" He asked for reassurance, his eyes not leaving the two pink lines that he clutched in his now shaking hand, as he ran the other through his dark hair.

"No." She admitted in a quiet voice, her legs numbing underneath her as she sat on his bed, her fingers knotting on his bedsheets. His shoulders heaved with the force of his breathing, and for a few scaring seconds she thought he had begun to hyperventilate, before he turned around and looked her dead in the eye.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally, his eyes hooded with fear and his voice was shaking, but his gaze was firm and unwavering on her.

"No." She said again, and this time he walked back to her.

He didn't say anything for a few moments, holding her tight against him as she cried softly, rubbing his fingers through her long hair and apologizing gently when she cried out when he pulled on a knot. His breathing was warm next to her ear, and even though this had to be one of the worst situations she had been in, she couldn't help but feel at ease. Everything about Michael Wheeler calmed her, and that's why she knew he wouldn't leave her alone to face this.

"When did you take this?" He mumbled against her ear.

"On Thursday." She answered, just as softly. The lamp on his desk gave the room a soft orange haze, the falling darkness of the night making voices even more hushed.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked her, and it pained her to hear the hurt on his voice.

"Because I was scared," she pouted slightly, her chest burning again as she remembered the width of her emotions, and the unadulterated panic she felt at Melvald's that day. "I still am."

He broke their hug, running his hands all over her hair, making her close her eyes in bliss and then smiled timidly when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

They stared into each other's eyes, communicating their emotions in a wordless conversation that came effortlessly to them. He reached out and pulled her closer with an arm around her neck, breathing gently against her cheek and pressing kisses to her damp skin.

"So you're not sure," he murmured against her cheek. "Do you need more to figure out if you're..."

"I have more." She answered, pulling back from him and reaching into her purse again, pulling out three unwrapped boxes containing different brands of pregnancy tests.

"Oh, wow, okay," he breathed out, laughing nervously as he took a box in his hand. "So, this is really happening."

"We don't know for sure." She shrugged, her nail scratching the price tag on the box to soothe her still-shaking hands.

"So, you pee on these and they tell you?" He wondered curiously, his leader side coming out as he inspected the instructions in the back of the box he was holding.

"Yeah, pretty much." She shrugged again.

He looked up with calculating eyes, his dark irises scanning his room as if a bathroom would pop out from the corner and tell them: 'Use me! Now you don't have to risk Karen finding you're about to see if you're having a baby or not!'

"Alright," he sighed heavily. "Let's do this." He took her hand in his, gave her a squeeze and then they were heading out of his room.

With cautious eyes, he walked over to the staircase, eyed over it for any signs of his mother, and then came back to push her inside the bathroom.

Once he closed the door, he pushed her against it and breathed out against her forehead.

"Whatever happens," he whispered shakily, clasping their trembling hands together, the pregnancy test boxes between them. "I'll love you forever and just as bad as I do now, okay?"

He took her face between his hands, and with the immense love he felt for her shining through his eyes, she kissed him.

Their lips met tenderly, brushing softly against each other's, a whisper of the millions of things they felt for the other.

"I'll love you forever too." She mumbled against his lips, and with one last trembling smile, it was time.

"Is it okay if I... Do you want me to turn around, or—"

"We're getting ready to see if we're pregnant and you're asking if you can watch me pee?" Against all odds, she snorted. They were literally all the way down now, proof enough the pregnancy test she was peeing on, and he still had boundaries over her privacy. It's why she loved him so much.

After a few whistles from Mike, a few 'ew's' from her when a few drops of her pee fell on her palm, and some escaped giggles from both of them, she was throwing looks at the three pregnancy tests resting on the bathroom counter as Mike held her against his chest, his long legs sprawled against her thighs as they sat on the floor.

"If they're all positive," he murmured against her hair as she played with the watch on his wrist. "And you are pregnant... would you want me to stay with you until the baby is born and we figure the rest out?"

She looked over her shoulder to him, a small frown on her face as she considered his words.

"I want you to go to college," she told him seriously. "I don't want this to stop you from continuing your studies."

"Yeah, but what about you?" He rolled his eyes a little, looking down at her with lowered eyebrows. "It doesn't seem fair that I'm out there while you're stuck here with my baby just because I couldn't keep it in my pants."

"Mike," she whispered. "It's not just your fault, okay? It takes two to tango."

Against his will, he snickered, biting his lips to hide his smile, and she couldn't help but laugh too.

"We'll figure it out," she sighed comfortably, running a hand through his shaggy hair as he leaned down to press a kiss to her neck, nuzzling his face against her shoulder warmly. "We always do."

"By the way," his lips left her skin. "Does your dad know?"

"Yes."

"Why am I not rotting in the dirt by now?" He asked with wide eyes.

She giggled, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand. "He said he'd let me handle things as an adult. Obviously, he wants to talk to you and me together, but I needed to come here first before we crossed that bridge."

"Fuck," he cursed suddenly, leaning his head back against the tiled wall with closed eyes. "What am I going to tell my parents?"

She nibbled on her lip worriedly, watching him with sad eyes as a million emotions ran beneath his skin. "We'll figure it out." She repeated quietly.

He opened his eyes and stared at her, leaning in without breaking eye contact and kissed her shoulder softly. "I love you so much, El."

Her smile began to get watery again, but before she could say anything, his watch beeped, signaling the tests were ready.

"Okay," he breathed out heavily as she began panicking again. "Okay, we can do this."

"Totally." She nodded, standing up and extending a hand to him to help him up too.

They stood there for a few seconds, neither daring to go near the tests, before she turned around abruptly to bury herself in his arms.

"Oh, God, I'm terrified!" She cried out, her nose smashed against his T-shirt.

"Shhh," he soothed, his heartbeat fast and loud against her face as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "It'll be okay. We have to be brave."

She breathed out, counting to one, two, three, and then she was walking to the sink.

"Each turns one and the last on three, okay?" Mike requested quietly, his arm brushing hers.

"Okay." She nodded.

"One," Mike mumbled, and with trembling fingers he turned the first test around.

/

Negative.

Air rushed out from his lungs, her heartbeat picking up as the new hope of not being pregnant appeared.

"Two," she whispered.

Negative.

"And three." Mike didn't even wait for her to set the second test fully on the counter, flipping the third test to reveal another single line.

"I- what the fuck?" She muttered confusedly, looking up at Mike with widened eyes as he grabbed the three tests and picked them up to stare at them closely.

"All negative." He said in wonder.

"But the others..." she frowned, utterly confused at this new predicament.

"Three negatives and... how much—"

"Two positives."

Mike frowned, staring at her while tapping the tests to his leg nervously, biting his lip. "Maybe we should go see a doctor."

She nodded slowly. "Maybe."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before a slow smile lifted the corner of her lips. "Maybe this means I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, God, I hope so." Mike breathed out next to her ear as she hugged him tightly, inhaling his comforting smell.

He pulled back abruptly, an alarmed expression on his face. "Not that I wouldn't love our baby! It's just—"

"It's not the time." She shook her head with a gentle smile, understanding his relief.

He threw the tests in the sink, freeing his hand to run it through her hair, pinning some strands back from her face. "One day," he whispered. "When we're older and we're mature and we don't have to hide the tests from my mom—"

She laughed. "Then we'll have as many as we want."

"A family." He sighed, putting his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes with love and all the beautiful feelings they felt for each other.

"I love you," she murmured, kissing him softly. "No matter what."

"No matter what." He nodded.

A few minutes later, she was calling the Station from Mike's phone, her foot tapping the carpet nervously as she played with the phone cord. Mike had to bribe Holly with a few dollars when she found them locked up in the bathroom, and the little blonde was now obnoxiously counting the two dollars Mike had given her, passing them behind each other numerous times as if she had a million instead of the lone two bills.

"Hey," she said straight away when her dad picked up after being connected by Flo. "I'm done."

"And?" Hopper asked anxiously.

"False alarm," she mumbled quietly, Mike watching her from the bed as he flicked Holly's pigtails. "The three were negative."

Her dad hummed, a deep sound that helped her calm down. "That's not enough to call it a false alarm."

"I need to see a doctor." She sighed, leaning back on Mike's desk chair and flicking through his newest campaign.

"I'll see to it," Hopper said, and she could hear him fumble around his desk. "Maybe Owens is available tomorrow."

She made an uncomfortable sound. "Is Owens qualified for these kind of things?"

"I meant he would find someone for us, kid." He mumbled, and then she heard the tale tell click of a lighter.

"Are you smoking?" She narrowed her eyes.

"... Maybe?"

"Hopper—" She sighed.

"This is all stressing me out, El! Not every day your kid is having another kid and then turns out to not be having another kid."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, when I do have them, I'd like for them to meet their granddad and not tell them he died from lung cancer."

"It'll take more than a few cigarettes to take this old oak down," he laughed heartily and she smiled warmly. "But you bet your ass I'll be there when you have your kids. Now or in the future."

"I know you will." She murmured quietly.

"Yeah, well... are you done? Do you want me to come pick you up?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Holly covering Mike's eyes with the dollars, laughing when the blonde girl hit her brother for moving too much. "Give me a few more minutes, okay?"

He grunted. "You want a positive on those tests?"

"Dad!" She exclaimed. "Holly's here. Just... call me when you're done at the station, okay?"

"Alright, kid. See you in a bit."

"Bye."

She hung up and turned around to see the siblings staring at her.

"Are you sick, El?" Holly asked timidly. "You said you needed to see a doctor."

"Hey, you're such an eavesdropper." Mike poked her.

"No, Holls," El smiled with a sigh. "Just... lady stuff."

"Oh," Mike's little sister wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I won't have my period until I'm older."

El laughed, sharing an amused smile with Mike at the blonde's advanced thinking. "Nancy," He said as an explanation. "Hey, little terror, why don't you go see what mom's up to?"

Holly nodded, and with one last poke at Mike's cheek, she was running out of her brother's room.

"What did he say?" Mike asked her with a sigh as she came to lie down next to him on the bed.

"He said he'll arrange a doctor's appointment."

"Owens?" He murmured against her hair, and he continued when she nodded. "Want me to come with you?"

"Obviously." She mumbled against his shoulder.

They stayed there until it was time for her to go home, saying goodbye with a kiss (breaking it when Hopper honked impatiently) and a promise to see each other in the morning.

The next day, when they were in Owen's private clinic in the city, and they were waiting the results from the blood test they had ran on her, Hopper spoke.

"I hope you know you two are not getting off the hook even if it is a negative." He eyed them from the couch in the corner as they sat in the chairs in front of the Doctor's desk.

"Hop—" Mike begun, but he was cut off by Hopper's glare.

"Quiet. There's nothing in the world that will excuse this. It all comes down to you two doing stupid decisions and mistakes that should not have happened in the first place. If I bought you condoms was for you to be safe, because I knew even I said something it wouldn't stop you from doing it, and to avoid these kind of situations."

El kept her head down, her hand clasping Mike's tightly as Hopper continued to chew their asses off, taking whatever the large man threw their way, because she knew he was right. Even if it was positive and their baby would be loved and cared for, it wouldn't excuse the fact that it was the cause of stupid, rushed decisions in moments of delirium, and that no matter how many things they had endured for their age, they weren't ready for that level of maturing yet.

"So," Dr. Tesfaye walked in, her beautiful dark braided hair wrapped in a big bun on top of her head, and if this situation wasn't as life-threatening as it was, El would've taken more time admiring the African-American woman and her beauty. "I got the results."

"What do they say? Is she pregnant? Was it a false alarm?" Mike asked in a rush.

"Ease up, Michael," The doctor laughed, sitting down on her chair and placing the documents on the desk. "Okay, are you ready?"

"For fuck's sake!" Hopper exclaimed suddenly from the back, making them all jump. "Just read them already!"

At Dr. Tesfaye's frown, his own lessened, his deep worry lines softening up a little. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"We just want to know." El whispered, taking the doctor's attention and gripping Mike's hand tightly.

"Okay, I will not make you suffer any longer." She nodded empathically, opening the folder to peer into the analysis.

El's hand was cold, the blood rushing out as Mike's grip began numbing her fingers, but she didn't feel it, her mind solely focused on the words that fell from Dr. Tesfaye's lips.

"You're not pregnant."

A rush of air left El's, Mike's and Hopper's lips simultaneously, relief lifting the heaviness on their shoulders as they looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"The reason the tests came back positive were because you're under a lot of stress," the doctor continued. "The body tends to release the tension in weird ways, so that explains your period coming in late, the mood swings and the breaking out. I understand you're in finals?"

"Yes." She nodded happily, suddenly glad for the ton of shit the school put on her which meant there was no baby.

No baby!

Everything else Dr. Tesfaye told her fell on deft ears, her mind already jumping up and down in joy.

No baby! That meant yes college, yes free time, yes future, yes life!

Once they were on their way back to Hawkins, and Hopper was once again ripping them a new asshole (albeit, softer this time), she sighed, looking back at Mike who was laying down on the backseat with a relieved expression.

"Don't worry," He laughed. "I think we'll go celibate for a long time after this."

"For once, I agree with that." El smiled, looking down into her purse to stare at the 4 plastic sticks she had kept inside, now as a memory of a huge scare that she would store for the future generations.

Chapter Text

Here's the thing…

Max and Lucas didn't fight.

Sure, they bickered and verbal spared continuously, but that was all for fun. They couldn't help but talk back whenever an interesting topic was brought up. It was all part of their relationship.

But something about this felt different. It felt heavier and more dangerous.

Kenia Grady's little smiling notes on Lucas' locker had annoyed Max to no end at the beginning of the week. She couldn't think about what other way could she make Kenia understand that Lucas had a girlfriend, and that said girlfriend didn't like the girl's over-friendly gestures for him.

Because they hadn't ever been the type to not voice their thoughts, she had told Lucas how annoying the girl was. From the cupcakes she gave him, to the notes she wrote on the back of his notebook in the class they were together in and Max wasn't. But she had chosen a bad moment to rant to Lucas, because unbeknownst to her, Mr. Saltsman had given him a C on his essay, the one she had watched him read countless of books for research for the past weeks and the one that made him oversleep on Saturday morning, leaving her stood up in Benny's old diner for breakfast.

He had snapped, telling her to quit her jealousy and angrily ripping the 'have a great day. K xoxo' pastel colored notes from his locker, shoving them into her palms and stomping away from her without a glance back.

Of course she had been furious. How dare he embarrass her in front of the nosy little assholes that had watched them in the hallway? He had made her look like a green giant jealous ball, like the cliché girlfriend who demanded him to stop having girl friends, which she wasn't. Of course Lucas could have girl friends; she wasn't a control freak. The thing with Kenia was that she didn't stop. The girl was persistent, Max would give her that. But she could only take so much before she snapped, and that wasn't going to end pretty.

So after the locker thing, they naturally ignored each other for the rest of the week. The Party had been divided. She felt kind of bad, because that had made El and Mike divide too. The brunette obviously followed the redhead to lunch, and Mike, in a comradery attempt, had followed Lucas to the table he had very obviously chosen to sit, on the other side of the cafeteria and in sight range so they could look up and glare moodily at each other. The only two who split evenly between the two groups were Will and Dustin, who took turns throughout the week to sit with the girls and with the other two boys.

But on Thursday, when the bell rang and she got out of a very difficult class of math in which Mike had attempted to tutor her with no success, she watched through narrowed eyes as Kenia, all lilac dress fluttering around her knees and white sneakers circling the floor, laughed prettily up at Lucas, who was smiling nicely down at the girl as he took books for his next period out of his locker.

The sudden anger that had shot through her veins would later awe her, but at that moment the only thing she could do was walk towards the pair with quick stomps, nearly shoving a boy out of her way when he had walked out of the bathroom.

"Excuse me," she interrupted whatever the hell Kenia was in the middle of saying. "We need to talk." She said with finality at her estranged boyfriend, and without waiting for his response, she walked out of the school doors, her long hair blowing around her face as the air hit her face.

Lucas could only stare, watching her purple backpack (full of badges and band pins he had helped collect) smack against her back as she walked away fiercely.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Kenia said uncomfortably.

"Yeah," he sighed, slamming his locker door closed. "Sure." I might be single by then, he thought sardonically.

Max was pacing on the pavement by the bike racks, her lips tight and her eyebrows drawn together in a frown, which he knew meant she was angry.

"What is it?" He asked stonily, his eyes on the cars that littered the parking lot to avoid looking into her glaring blue eyes.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Me?!" He questioned loudly, anger coming back to him. "What is wrong with me?!"

"Yeah, did I fucking stutter?" She snapped, crossing her arms tightly across her stomach and planting her feet on the ground. "You've been ignoring me all week because I told you I didn't like your little friend's notes—which, what, are they sacred to you?- and then I walk out of fucking Smith's class to see her—"

"Oh, not this again." Lucas groaned, throwing his head back and lifting his arms in the air.

"Yes, this again!" She snapped loudly, her patience running thin as she saw how annoyed he suddenly got with her. "Because even if you don't like to talk about my feelings on this or you just don't care anymore—"

"When have I ever not cared about your feelings?!" His nostrils flared, and his eyes pinned her with anger as he glared at her.

"This whole week!" She nearly screamed, lifting her arms in the air and lowering them down to slap her hands against her thighs in frustration. "This whole… fight we've been having is because I told you what I thought and you didn't like it, so you chose to snap at me and then ignore me for the rest of the week!"

"Well, if you had bothered to put your fucking ego aside and tried talking to me—which, it's your fault too, because you have been ignoring me too—you would've found out that I got a C on my Holocaust essay, and that all those fucking nights of going to bed at 1 in the morning were for nothing, because even if I tried to talk to the asshole, Saltsman refused to reread it and I'm going to be stuck with a C, and I can already hear my mother chewing my ass for it—"

"That's not my fault! You didn't have to take it out on me by shoving those notes on my hand! I got a paper cut and you—"

"Oh, grow up, Max!" Lucas groaned with an incredulous face, anger on his face; anger at her.

"You grow up!" She shrieked back, knowing it was the most immature thing to say now, but she couldn't help herself. She felt the grip she had on control slipping away to reveal the unmasked anger and hurt she felt at him.

"Yeah, real mature thing to say. Come back to me when you learn a little and—"

"Don't you dare walk away from me again!" Her throat scratched raw when he started to turn towards the school entrance, and she walked over to roughly grab his elbow and make him stare at her again.

He slipped out of her hold easily, his stature giving him the upper hand in the stare down that had involuntarily begun. But she was done.

"I'm done," she said heavily, her palms spread open. "Being patronized by you because of every little thing you don't like about me."

"It's not that, Max," He answered with frustrated eyes, his eyebrows high with near desperation. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in her or that I don't see her in that way because—"

"And that's the thing!" She laughed humorlessly, taking a deep breath because she felt it coming. Whatever it was, it felt like it was coming to an end. "You don't see. You've told me- I know you've told me, I'm not deaf, contrary to what you think, I do listen; but you don't see her, and the way she looks at you, the way everyone else can see it but you."

Lucas shook his head in exasperation, his hands running through his short dark hair and a tired look on his face. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Max. I don't know what you want me to do! Do you want me to slap the cupcakes out of her hands whenever she brings them to me? Do you want me to rip her notes and hand them to her so she can take your point?"

"What I want is for you to put yourself in my shoes! A little trust and understanding would do this relationship real good right now!"

"Trust?" He nodded, his lips a tight line as he put his hands on his hips. "Okay, want to tell me why didn't you say anything about Billy being back in town?"

She didn't see that one coming.

"What does that have to do with this?" She spluttered with a frown.

"I want to know why you didn't trust me enough to ignore whatever the hell is going on between us and tell me he was back!"

"That's none of your business!" She snapped, eyes tight and mouth pursed. "I figured you were too high on your horse to listen, so I—"

"I know you're not suggesting I wouldn't have listened if you came to me." He said tersely, the vein in his neck staring to protrude out.

"I don't know who told you it was your duty to protect me, but newsflash, Lucas, you're not a fucking superhero and I can take care of myself!"

"So all those times you came over because—"

"Don't." She hissed.

"—he was on another rampage were you taking care of yourself?" Lucas continued, ignoring her threatening finger. He was heading down an ally with no way out, but at this point, who fucking cared? "Why do you keep doing this? You're not alone, Max! You don't have to pretend to be tough, and I don't know when you started, but I'm not liking it!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't like me then!" She yelled. "Maybe you should just go back inside to perfect little Kenia, with your perfect family and no worries in your life—"

"It's not my fault you have a shitty family!" He screamed finally, his hands in the air and a wild look of raw desperation on his face, and it was until the words left his mouth, she made the decision. Why keep tiring each other out? Why continue to drag this on when it was clear they didn't have anything to drag anymore?

She sighed with heaviness, her chest hard and her throat constricting, and she lowered her eyes to her shoes as she berated herself mentally as her eyes began to sting.

"I shouldn't ha—"

"You know what?" She licked her lips. Her ears suddenly cleared up to listen to the clean air around them, freshening up her head as she saw their situation with sudden clarity.

"Tell me what." Lucas said, nodding his head as he took in her straightened back and high chin.

Her mind was made up.

"Maybe we shouldn't date anymore."

His throat bobbed, his eyes widening momentarily, before a cold mask slipped on his face, hiding his feelings behind squared shoulders and sharpened jaw.

"Yeah," He nodded, and even though she was sure of it, she couldn't help the way her heart dropped. "I agree."

"You're agreeing with me?" Max smiled sarcastically. "Miracle of the year."

"So we're on the same page, then?" He asked wearily, his hands tightening into fists inside his pockets. "We're breaking up?"

"Yeah," she nodded stonily, looking over her shoulder in an attempt to gather herself. "We're breaking up."

"Great."

"Awesome."

They stared at each other for a few terse seconds, blue against dark brown, and she cursed herself when her heart sped up at the sight of his watering eyes.

"Alright," he threw his shoulders back. "You can do the honors of delivering the news to the others. Fight's over." And then he turned around, walking away from her with quick, sturdy steps.

"Say hi to Kenia for me!" She screamed at his back, hating the way her voice was beginning to shake. "Enjoy her cupcakes!" His response was a salute with two fingers over his shoulders.

She stood there for a few minutes, contemplating what just had happened, before she gave in and burst into tears. Silent cries fell from her throat as she hid her face in both hands, and she felt pathetic, crying over a mutual break up in the middle of the school's entrance.

"Christ, Max," she gasped at herself, wiping her tears hastily and then drying her moist palms against her jeans. "This is what you wanted."

She took a few minutes to even her breath and to make her face appear less puffy, before she walked back into school. It was well into fifth period by that time, so the halls were deserted as she walked to her locker. Getting her skateboard out, she paused at the little photo of them glued to the inside door. She had complained about being cheesy, but she secretly loved staring at it every time she opened her locker. With a furrow of her eyebrows and a pang in her chest, she tugged it down, shoving it inside her backpack and making a mental note to clean her locker for any Lucas remains inside.

There was no way in hell she was staying there now, so she skated home with tears on her cheeks and trembling lips, not caring if Billy would be home if it meant she could lock herself in her room and cry in peace.

That afternoon she collected everything Lucas had given her, shoving gifts and stupid teddy bears she supposedly hated but held in her sleep inside a duffel bag he had stashed away in her closet. Hoodies, t-shirts, that one bandana and one tear-stained letter joined the pile, and she cried the whole time.

It seemed fighting wasn't really their thing, after all, but after this, there wouldn't be more to tell.

Chapter Text

It was early January of 1986 and snow covered the grassed front yards in Lucas' street. The thick white cape buried everything that resided before in the Sinclairs' lawn, and Erica had spent the past afternoon giggling madly with Holly Wheeler as they dug through the snow to find buried sticks and leaves with their tiny pink plastic shovels.

Supposedly, the Party was going to hang out the whole week, rotating between Mike's, Will's, Lucas', Dustin's and El's homes to engage in their usual Party-like shenanigans; but by fate, that very crisp morning, they had decided to take a break from each-other. (Dustin alleged to have received more than enough sight scarring from Mileven, and his usual share of Max for a month's worth).

Although he had been seeing her throughout the whole week, Lucas had invited Max to hang out at his house. One of the main reasons was because she was still a bit down from the holidays (or more specifically, how her family celebrated them), and the other was because he seemed to never get enough of her these days.

He was woken up from his thoughts by a cold rain of snow being splatted on top of his head. He gasped as some fell inside his orange winter jacket, numbing the skin of his neck as his attacker cackled in front of him.

"Holy shit!" He yelped, shaking the hood of the jacket with one gloved hand while Max continued to laugh behind him. "You witch!"

"Oh, we're calling each other names now?" Max asked with a teasing grin, the tip of her nose and her freckled cheeks tinted a bright pink from the cold.

"I'll tell you what else we're doing now!" He threatened, grabbing a handful of snow from the ground and flinging it back at her, laughing joyfully as she shrieked when it landed on her face.

"Not at my face, you idiot!" Her nostrils flared (still pretty when she's angry, some sappy voice on the back of his head whispered) and she reached up to yank the black beany that was pinning her ginger locks from her head, clutching it on her hand and pointing with it at him.

"Oh, not the face?" He laughed as he flicked the damp remains of the snow from his gloves at her. "Everything but the pretty face, huh?"

She glared without heat at him, her lips pursing into the smallest of pouts as she placed the beany between her legs to free her hands as she begun to take her gloves off.

"What're you doing?" He asked as he walked towards her, his footsteps leaving deep prints in the snow. "You'll lose some fingers."

"Bite me!" She pouted up at him, pausing her removal as he took her elbows in his hands. She flicked the glove that was currently hanging off of her fingertips at his face, chuckling softly when he flinched.

He took her pale hands in his and began to wiggle the gloves back down her slim digits, taking a little too much time in tracing the lines in her unclothed hand. When he was done, and her hands were black-fabric covered again, he laced their hands, the thickness of the gloves making it harder to squeeze their fingers together. His dark eyes looked deep into her blue orbs, the clearness in them blending with the copper of her locks and the fairness of her skin, making a clean and soft palette of colors that Lucas thought matched the whiteness of the snow and weather perfectly.

"What you lookin' at?" She whispered teasingly as she watched him observe her.

"You're all pink." He mumbled with a lopsided smile, widening it into a full grin when she flushed deeper, reaching up to touch her nose gently.

"It's the cold." She explained with a little laugh as she slipped her beany on again.

And even though he knew it would probably land him a well-deserved bruise on the shoulder, or a sharp elbow in the ribs, he couldn't help himself.

"Jack Frost might not be nipping at your nose right now but I can do that for you." He grinned at her.

"Oh my god, shut up!" Max groaned, her gloved hand pressing against his face in a gentle shove as he laughed maniacally under it.

He suddenly grabbed the sides of her face, getting her closer to his own, and he nipped at her pink nose with his teeth, emitting an indignant cry from the redhead.

"Lucas!" She yelped as she jerked away from him, wiping at her nose with the back of her clothed hand. "Gross!"

"Oh, you think my saliva is gross?" He asked in a teasing tone, smirking when she caught his meaning. "Good to know."

"C'mon, stalker," She rolled her eyes, taking his hand in hers and walking towards the front of his house with deep footsteps. "I think I saw your mom making hot chocolate before we came out here, and if you're lucky enough, I'll let you snuggle me in front of the fire."

"I didn't know snuggle was in your vocabulary." He commented idly, obviously teasing, as they wiped their wet boots on the mat.

She turned around abruptly, letting go of his hand to take his cheeks in her hands like he had done to hers. "I'll tell you a little secret though," She leaned in to press her cold lips on his, the stark coolness in her soft mouth making his own lips tingle, but he didn't know if it was from the cold, or if it was pure her. "It is in yours."

His eyes lit up as she laughed, taking his hand again as she turned around to twist the handle of the front door, and the smell of hot chocolate hit his nostrils instantly.

Turns out, snuggle was in both of their vocabularies that afternoon.

Chapter Text

Ever since El saw Grease, she wanted to have a date with all of their friends.

Well, not really with all of their friends. She just wanted to be able to kiss Mike and still hang out with all of them like she had watched in the film. Because there were only two couples in The Party, she had settled for what Will had told her was called a double date. Going out with Mike, plus having Max and Lucas and watching them be all cute to each other (El was their biggest fan and adored seeing her friends be in love, even if it meant getting a shove from Max when she caught her looking when the redhead and Lucas kissed) sounded perfect to El.

But it hadn’t happened, much to her chagrin, because Max had stated multiple times that double dates were cheesy and cliché and as much as I love you, I don’t want to have you all in my business, more than you already are, El!

The issue had been addressed again the previous night when both girls were having a sleepover. (“Aren’t we too grown to have a sleepover?” Max had asked. “You’re saying no?” El asked smartly with a raised eyebrow. “I never said that.” Max had replied quickly, unknowingly proving El’s point.) And the redhead’s answer had been the same.

But she couldn’t do anything now, could she?

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Mike looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows in surprise when Lucas appeared behind him.  “It’s my girlfriend’s house.” He said in a ‘duh’ tone as Lucas finally caught up with him, standing in front of his friend as they stopped a few meters away from the first wire trap. “What are you doing here?”

“Max’s here,” his friend explained as they resumed their walking. “I brought her some things.”

“Period blues?” Mike questioned as he inspected the numerous chocolate bars and colorful candy wrappers inside the transparent plastic bag in Lucas’ hand. “El too.” He chuckled as he raised his left hand and showed his friend a similar bag.

The brunette had answered to his usual morning call, but her voice gave away she wasn’t feeling right. After being together for four years, and watching her grump away when she had her period through them, he knew what made her feel better, and because he suspected Hopper was at work, he decided to come for a visit and comfort her for the day.

Something similar had happened with Lucas; he’d woken up very early in the morning to hear the voice of his beloved through his Supercom, telling him to wake up in a very soft voice, and that had given it away for him. Max got very Lucas-seeking when she had her monthly, so he had gotten dressed, took the car and went to the nearest grocery store to buy some candy for the redhead, who claimed sugar soothed her cramps. He’d headed to El’s cabin to seek her out, and to maybe lure her out to his house so he could pamper her there in case the Chief was home (Hopper didn’t scare him anymore, but he had a tendency to rile the kids up for fun, so it wasn’t the best idea to have Max there at the moment).

Knock. Knock.

Knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Both boys waited patiently as they heard some shuffling inside, and then the locks clanked as the door creaked open.

“Eww.” Mike said teasingly as he spotted Max on the couch. The redhead was wearing a big blue hoody with her copper hair in a messy bun, grey sweats and a very miserable face as she curled up in Hopper’s favorite spot.

“Bite me, asshole!” She snapped viciously, glaring at him through narrowed eyes as she shifted on the couch, her electric blue painted toenails peeking under her thighs as she sat on her legs.

“Well, aren’t you just a little ray of pitch black?” He said sarcastically as Lucas closed the door behind them. The redhead chose to ignore him in favor of extending her arms out to her boyfriend. Mike rolled his eyes in amusement as Lucas instantly fell into them, curling around the redhead like a python.

“Has anyone seen my girlfriend?” He asked loudly, placing the bag on the little table by the kitchen and looking around as Max and Lucas continued to whisper sweetly at each other. “Brunette, kind of a shorty, can throw you out of the window with her mind?”

“I'm not a shorty.” Her voice was muffled by the sound of the flushing toilet, and a few moments later she appeared out of the hallway, her eyes hooded and her face pinched in a grimace while her hand massaged her lower stomach.

“Hey,” He greeted softly, reaching out to gather her in his arms. “How’re you feeling?”

“Like my uterus hates me.” She mumbled against him. He laughed, rubbing circles on her back as she clutched the back of his shirt. “What’s that?” She pointed behind him, to the table where the bag was.

“Oh, yeah, I brought you some stuff.” He mumbled against her hair.

As she rummaged through the bag, sighing gratefully up at him when she took out the Tupper full of cookies his mom had baked last night, he lounged against the wall, taking in her outfit. She was wearing a pair of black leggings, loose enough to not suffocate her, but tight enough to keep the pad from shifting (he knew, okay?) and a large Hawkins Police t shirt that she had stolen from Hopper. He smiled at the fussy pair of socks she had on, and he swung his gaze back on her face after she wiggled her feet self-consciously.

“Stop staring at me,” she whined as she bit into a half-eaten cookie. “I look disgusting.”

“No, you don´t.” He replied instantly, helping himself to a cookie.

“Yes, we do,” Max said grumpily from the couch. “Why can’t our bodies tell us we’re not pregnant by sending us a nice fruit basket or something?”

“Because we all come to earth to suffer.” Lucas said wisely as he stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen, Max following him to plop down on one of the chairs in the table with a groan. “Have you guys eaten anything?”

“Just these.” El said quietly with a mouthful of cookie, gesturing to the container in her other hand.

“And you?” Lucas asked the redhead who was currently trying to melt her head into the table.

“Whadda ya think?” She mumbled.

He nodded to himself, sighing, and with a nod from El, he began to rummage through the cupboards, looking for any signs of eatable food in the Hopper home.

Mike watched as El ate cookie after cookie, sharing some with Max when the redhead sneaked her hand inside the container. When she paused to swallow, he saw her rub her lower stomach again with a tiny whimper. “Do you want to go lay down for a bit?” He asked her gently.

When she nodded, he took her hand and led her to her room, scooting back in her bed to make room for her once he was on it. She sighed blissfully when they were lying on top of her covers, and even though his touch usually comforted her, El got really heated on her period, so he settled for passing an arm behind her head instead of pulling her against him.

He placed his other hand on her stomach, under her shirt, and began to rub the skin in circles, applying pressure occasionally. Sighs of relief left her lips as she closed her eyes, clasping her hand with the one against her shoulder.

“I'm really happy you’re here.” She mumbled.

“Me too.” He whispered back.

She opened her eyes and met his dark ones, her lips stretching in a slow smile. “Are you going to kiss me or what?”

He chuckled, matching her smile, before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips, humming in contentedness as they broke apart.

“You guys are sickeningly sweet.” Max said as she appeared on the doorway, her shoulders slumping and her bun even messier than how Mike had seen it when he arrived.

“This is some private time, Mayfield.” He deadpanned as she began to climb on the bed.

“Oh, my bad,” she said without meaning it. “Scoot over for your zoomer, nerds.” She managed to squeeze herself in next to El, her face on the brunette’s neck and her breathing hitting Mike’s hand as she settled down. His girlfriend huffed a little from the close contact, but kept mute in favor of reaching down and tangling her fingers with the redhead’s, leaving Mike’s hand to bury itself in her hair.

The room was quiet for a few minutes, the soft breathing of the three mingling with the light sizzling that came from the kitchen, before Lucas voice sliced the air. “Michael Edward Wheeler!” He screamed loudly, channeling Karen Wheeler with frightening accuracy. “Help!”

“Coming!” He yelled back, maneuvering himself over the two girls and jumping out of the bed to walk out into the kitchen.

He whistled. “Chef Lucas!” He patted one of his best friends on the back as his eyes wandered over the counter where Lucas had laid out the breakfast.

“All right,” Lucas exclaimed as he turned the stove off, rubbing his palms together with a grin as he contemplated his work. “We’ve got: bacon, scrambled eggs and toasted bread for us, and some banana pancakes for the girls. I figured grease would mess their stomachs up a bit and they don’t need that right now.”

“Oh, sweet!” Mike cheered as he spotted the chocolate milkshake.

“No!” Lucas slapped his hands away before he could grab a glass. “That’s for the girls. I mixed two nutty bars and a Hershey’s with some milk to get that. Man,” he shook his head as they started gathering the food in their arms, figuring El wouldn’t mind to eat in her room. “Given how El inhales chocolate milk whenever she can get her hands on it, you’d think Hopper would have a few gallons around.”

“He doesn’t let her eat much sugar,” Mike explained as they carried the girls’ meal first. “We’re spoiling her.”

Lucas chuckled when Max opened her tired eyes and they lit up the moment she spotted food. “Is that a chocolate milkshake?”

El’s head snapped up. “Gimme!” She made grabby hands, not bothering to sit up fully.

“Okay,” Mike stopped, eyeing the bed and the two girls on it. “We need new sitting arrangements if we’re all eating here.”

“Who said you’d be eating with us?” Max mock-glared at him without moving an inch from her laying position.

“Play nice.” El chastised her, moving around the bed on her knees with slight winces, settling herself with her back against the wall and her feet nearly dangling off the side of the bed.

“Here you go, babe.” He waited until she plopped a throw pillow on her lap, before he placed the plate full of pancakes on top of it, setting her drink on the floor.

Max whined loudly as she sat up, a frown marking her face as her bent pelvis made pressure on her insides, making the cramps appear again. She shuffled to sit next to El, and then received the plate from Lucas’ outstretched hands. “Thank you.” She mumbled gratefully to him, and then proceeded to tear a chunk of the pancake with her bare hands.

“There’s a fork right there, you know?” El told her as she swallowed her first bite.

“Shut up.” The redhead bumped her shoulder.

The boys went out to get the two chairs from the tiny table, returning for their own food and settling down to eat in front of the girls, their feet nearly touching their plates.

“Am I eating toes for breakfast?” Lucas chuckled as Max gently bumped his hand with her toes again, which was holding his spoonful of eggs on the way to his mouth. The redhead giggled (quite adorably, if anyone asked Lucas’ opinion), before resuming her eating.

“Wasn’t Eggos,” El said after they boys finished cleaning their plates, returning with some water bottles and more chocolate milkshakes for their girlfriends. “But those were pretty good. Thanks, Lucas.” She was lying down again, next to Max who was sandwiched between her and Lucas, who was nearly crushed against the wall now that Max had curled herself around him.  Mike, like the slave he was for her, was sitting on a chair next to her, holding her drink as she slurped from a straw, too tired to sit up and drink it from the glass like a normal person (He really did spoil her too much).

“Yeah, thanks, baby.” Max said sluggishly while Lucas ran his fingers through her scalp, making sure to not pull on her bun, lulling her to sleep as the Advil both girls had taken after breakfast kicked in.

“You’re welcome.” He answered against her forehead, locking eyes with El and chuckling as he watched her drink from Mike’s hand.

The brunette smacked her lips with a contented sigh, leaning back down on her pillow as Mike set the empty glass on her night stand. “Max?”

“Mmh?”

“Guess what?”

“What?” The redhead answered, sounding more asleep than alive.

“… We just had a double date.”

Mike full out laughed, holding onto El’s fingers as she giggled madly and Max groaned loudly through her haziness, reaching back to bump her butt against El’s as Lucas chuckled deeply, still running his fingers through her scalp.

Milkshakes, food, cute boys and two friends? Yeah, that definitely counted as a double date in El’s book.

Chapter Text

El sighed tiredly as she shook off her jacket, throwing it on the couch as Joyce closed the door behind them.

"You hungry, sweetie?" Her step mom asked as she threw the car keys on the table, walking into the kitchen with quick footsteps and opening the fridge. "What should we have for dinner?"

"Whatever you guys want." El rolled her shoulders back, moving her neck from side to side as her hands massaged her lower back.

"Mmmm, your dad had too much beef this week already... how's grilled chicken sound?" Joyce asked with a smile as she took some frozen chicken breasts out of the fridge and put them on the counter.

"Mouth-watering," El hummed. "Can we have some mashed potatoes too?"

"Yeah," Joyce nodded, rummaging through the fridge. "But you need more veggies. You took your vitamins today?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes, putting her hair up in a ponytail. "I took them with a strawberry smoothie."

"And your yogurt? Did you take your yogurt?" The older woman continued to ask her as she took out some broccoli and chicken peas.

"Yes, Dad packed it for me." El sighed again, shifting on her feet. "I want to go lay down for a bit. Do you need any help?"

"Oh, no, sweetie, I'm fine!" Joyce gasped, looking at her with alert eyes as if she was keeping El from doing something important. "Go rest your feet."

"Okay," she smiled softly. "Thank you."

She smiled at Joyce one last time before she walked off into the hallway, and inside what used to be Jonathan's room, and was now hers.

She took off her shoes first, placing her worn Chucks by the dresser and then pulling her blue socks off. She removed her T-shirt with light struggle, her arms and head stuck for a minute, before she wrenched it off and flung the long-sleeved top across the room. Her jeans came off after, a sigh living her lips as the pressure on her stomach was finally lifted.

Once she was in her underwear, she walked across the room, closing the door all the way to look at herself in the mirror behind it.

26 weeks of pregnancy.

Her hands found the now familiar spot on her bulging stomach, her fingers caressing the creases made by her jeans, making a mental note to buy more dresses so she can stop using pants for real now.

"What are you up to, little peanut?" She murmured as she observed her stomach from the side, her eyes running over her ever-changing body which never ceased to amaze her.

She walked to her bed and lay down with a soft grunt, grabbing the little flashlight she kept on the nightstand for this sole purpose, and pointing it at her stomach.

"Are you awake?" She whispered, one finger rubbing a circle around her belly button while her other hand was busy gently running the light across her stomach.

With a slightly harsher sigh, she smiled, pressing the pad of her finger against the spot she felt her baby kick. "Oh, so you are awake," she rubbed a circle on her belly and her smile broadened when she saw the skin move upwards in response. "Did I wake you up? Were you sleeping? You were very calm today, peanut."

That's what they were calling her for now. Mike had come up with the nickname a few weeks back, when he was home for the weekend.

It had been hard. With Mike being away and her staying in Hawkins, it suddenly got more difficult than she imagined it'd be.

"We'll figure it out," Mike breathed out hard, almost in a pant, against her head as she sobbed noisily on his chest. One positive pregnancy stick clutched in his hand while his eyes were glued to the two positive others on the counter. "We'll figure it out. We'll be okay, El."

That was also the night his mom found out.

Mike had been so nervous after El left, filled to the brim with anxiety, that he had stayed over an hour under the shower, stonily staring at the opposite wall until his mother yelled at him for wasting water. He'd gotten out, hair dripping wet and a towel around his waist, and bumped into Karen on his way to his room.

"Mike?" She had asked with a hesitant voice and concerned eyes, noticing the drop on her son's shoulders and the way his mind seemed to be miles away.

The way he had looked back at her would be forever stuck inside Karen Wheeler's brain. It was the look of a desperate person, one who was on the verge of drowning; Mike's eyes had been heavy, his mouth downturned with sadness as his already pale skin seemed to glim with sick whiteness, damp from the shower.

He had managed to escape her questioning gaze long enough to close his bedroom door to gather himself a bit, before she was knocking on it.

"Michael?" He could hear the alarm in her voice. "Let me in." It wasn't a request.

He had always tried to hide things from her. From the china plate he'd broken when he was 6, to the reason he fell into a deep void in 1984. Unconsciously, he'd always tried to protect his mother from the horrors outside of the safety bubble she had built around herself and her family, even if she didn't know her two oldest had burst out of it long, long ago.

But this… he couldn't bottle it up. He couldn't just pretend it wasn't happening. Hell, it would show in a few months, so what was the purpose of swallowing the bomb of emotions that had exploded inside of him at the moment?

So he did something he hadn't done ever since he was 12 years old and Eleven was just a number in his mathematical life.

He let his mother in.

"Michael!" Karen gasped, fear already running through her veins as he threw himself at her, sobbing immediately on her shoulders as he squeezed his mom with all his might, hoping she could absorb all his worries and fears. "What- Mike, what's wrong, sweetie?" She closed the door behind them, falling against it as her only son wrapped his arms around her neck and continued to sob. He was taller than her, a few good feet, but the way he was folding himself to fit against her, how he was crumbling, made her think of the times he came running to her with scraped knees and tears running down his face. But back then a few kisses would soothe away his pain, and now, she had a feeling this couldn't be solved with a press of her lips.

That night Mike confessed everything to her. Not about El and why the DOE wasn't making light bulbs in Hawkins Lab anymore, but about the pregnancy. Karen had cried. Black tears running from her mascara-coated eyelashes, and she asked why, why, why a million times, but he didn't have the answer. And neither did she when he asked her what to do.

Even though nothing was resolved, and certainly nothing had been made easier, Mike felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His mom wasn't happy of course, but she knew. And she would be there for him and El in any way they needed.

"We're not telling your dad yet," She sniffled as she wiped clumps of wet mascara with dainty fingertips, Mike wiping his face with a pillow as his towel was still wrapped around his waist, albeit a bit rumpled because of the way he was nearly on his mother's lap. "He has to know, of course, but we'll wait a little longer."

"How about after the birth?" Mike had said, partially joking, and even though he received a face, his spirits were still lifted when the corner of her lips twitched up.

"Well," Karen gave in, a chuckle escaping her dry lips. "It's not like he would notice."

As they both gasped with laughter, Mike knew with his mother on his side, it wouldn't be so bad.

Right on cue, she heard the phone ring outside, along with the one installed on her nightstand.

"I got it!" She yelled out to Joyce, receiving a thank you in response from her stepmom. "Hello?"

"Hey, love."

"Hi!" She couldn't help but swoon, a huge, dorky smile splitting her face in half when she heard his voice on the other side of the phone.

"What are you up to?" She heard him move around his dorm, a few tinkers in the background, before he sighed deeply and he settled down on his bed.

"Nothing," she said absently, turning the flashlight off and placing it back on her nightstand. "I just got back from the Station and was talking to peanut."

"How was she today? Is she still on about joining the soccer team?"

"No," she laughed, rubbing a hand up and down her stomach to sooth the now moving baby. "She was pretty calm today, actually."

"Well, that's good. Did you finish your homework on time?"

"Yeah, Dad let me drive the Blazer— yeah, I know—," she snorted when Mike actually gasped. "- and I went to the library. I got some copies of that Research book I needed and because I was there last week I got a discount coupon for the Statistics one and I basically got it for free."

"Oh, that's awesome! Now you got some money left for that Cognitive Psychology class you wanted."

"Yeah, but I'd still need more money for that, so I thought we could use it to buy the changing table."

"Mmmhh," Mike hummed thoughtfully, and even from miles away (miles, miles, miles away, she thought sadly) she could picture him running his fingers through his hair. "Are you sure? I told you I just need to take some more shifts and we can buy the table and some more clothes."

"I don't want you to fail Chemistry, Mike," She rolled her eyes, shifting on the bed as her back began to ache in that one spot that had been driving her mad. "You're already getting late to Calculus on Wednesdays, let's not stretch it over to Chemistry as well."

"But Mr. Ovando is super cool," Mike argued. "The other night when I took the late shift, I was like fifteen minutes late to Chem, but because I did all my homework he let it slide. I already talked to him, and he said he'd let me be thirty minutes late if I make the compromise of delivering all my homework on time, to be participant in class and to never be late to a test."

"Mike, you went off to college so you can learn and actually study. Not so you can work until dawn, sleep four hours, and then be late to class. Besides, she's still has some more months to go," She rubbed her belly again, eyes closed and her mouth pinched in light annoyance. "We don't need to buy everything right now, but if I have the money, then we can get her changing table."

"I just want things to be ready." He admitted softly, and her heart squeezed inside her chest when she heard the hopefulness in his voice. "And what about your class?"

"Look," She began, sitting up higher against the headboard and putting a pillow behind her lower back. "I decided four classes are enough for me right now. I have enough homework, and Flo keeps me busy at the station, so it's not like I'm not doing anything. Besides, if I'm not going to college until a semester after she's born, I don't want to be spending even more money."

He sighed heavily. "Are you sure?"

"God, Mike, yes." She rolled her eyes. Damn, those hormones really made everyone else seem more annoying than usual.

"Okay," He gave in with another sigh. Why the hell was he sighing so damn much for? "Just wait until I get home for Thanksgiving break so we can buy it together, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled happily now. She couldn't wait for Thanksgiving Break.

A whole week with Mike home, catching up and making up for lost time. It also helped that everyone else came home for that week too.

After graduation, and the Party receiving the news about the future little member of their group, they became as closer as human nature could allow them. Closer because they had already been close, but college and goodbyes were just around the corner, and with the news of Mileven's baby, they were set on getting as much time together as they could.

That summer had been awesome (except for the fucking morning sickness that had hit her up in June), but now she was alone in Hawkins. She had decided to not take the risk and stay home instead of going to college. What was the point in wasting a shit ton of money if she was going to drop out in the middle of it? Also, she knew stress would be bad for the baby, and she didn't want any harm done to the little person living inside her; so she settled for taking classes in next town's community college, and working at the station as Flo's second in command to kill time and to have a job, like a normal person.

Surprising everyone after his much proclaimed dream of MIT, Mike decided for Florida State University, after checking its Biomedical Engineering program. After much persuasion from both her and his parents, he settled in Tallahassee, along with Lucas who had been the one to talk Mike into applying for it. The boys shared an apartment close to their career buildings (Lucas' was nearer, the College of Arts and Science closer to the cheaper housing apartments, so Mike had to be the one to get up earlier to catch the bus) and shared the rent. It was reassuring for both families and their friends to know they had each other for company while being away from the commodity that was Hawkins.

Dustin was the one who was closer to her, studying Aerospace Engineering in Illinois's IT, and he often called her to see how she and the baby were doing. He was a kind boy with a heart of gold, and El missed him terribly.

Max had followed Will to New York, both settling in with Jonathan, who had been gone for a few years and had an apartment of his own. The safety that his older brother provided, plus the lesser rent money between the two boys because of Max helped Joyce with her boys-leaving-the-nest anxiety.

With everyone gone, and the whole Byers house for herself, Joyce decided to take the next step and asked Hopper (and El) to move in with her. Obviously, he wasn't going to say no, and because of the motherly figure Joyce was for El, he felt assured that she would be well taken care of while he was busy at work. Joyce had been a heaven-sent gift for El in these months. Having been pregnant twice, and mostly alone, her stepmom knew what eased the pains, what eased the nausea, when to leave her alone, and most importantly, how to comfort her when the unpredictable wave of depression hit her.

She was mostly fine these days; busy with homework and life, and feeling her baby move and kick, and reading pregnancy books with Mike over the phone as each settled down for the night miles and miles away from each other. But at the beginning it was harder.

She had to confirm the pregnancy, a real doctor telling her she was indeed carrying a tiny life ("6 weeks, to be exact," Dr. Tesfaye had told them gently when El, Mike and Hopper were all inside her office. "Congratulations are in order?" It came out as a question, and as El's tear filled eyes met Mike's terrified ones, neither could answer the woman), and the ride back home had been deadly silent except for the few sighs Hopper let out in the front seat.

Then Mike had told Ted, who had (again, surprising everyone) just sighed sadly and patted his son on the shoulder, telling him he had to be a grown up and handle things like an adult now. His father had always been an absent figure, but before Mike left, it suddenly was like a wakeup call for Ted. He started saving more, giving Mike money whenever he saw him go out with El, and pulling him up into the attic to retrieve the crib and stacked boxes of baby stuff that had belonged to the Wheeler kids.

"A baby changes things, son," Ted said as he blew dust from the lid of a box labeled 'Onesies' while they were unboxing the stuff from the attic in the living room. "Your relationship will take a toll, more so with you being away in college, so you need to figure things out. Take some time alone; enjoy your relationship while it's just you and her. Don't just focus on the baby." Ted had looked longingly at the kitchen, where Karen was animatedly talking on the phone, and he looked back at Mike with a sad, pointed look. In that moment, he understood what his father was telling him (don't end up like us).

Their friends had been shocked, some angry ("You little shit!" Will had screamed at Mike, and then El had punched him in the shoulder), but at the end, they settled for supportive and happy, trying to make things easier for the couple while they still could.

But then Mike left, and the guys did too, and she was reminded that Hawkins wasn't the nicest town.

She had been on her way from Melvald's to the Station, Steve in his Hawkins Police uniform by her side, when she was pointed at for the first time.

She was barely showing, her blouse loose enough to hide it if she wanted to, but she was carrying some books against her hip, and the movement pinned her shirt down, outlining the soft bump that was growing each day. She was listening to Steve rant about her dad's shitty ways—"Like, is it the hair? Because I understand he's getting bald, but there's no need to be jealous."— with a smile as they waited for the light to turn red so they could cross the street, and she casually swung her eyes to the little cafe next to them, and her heart jolted in her throat when she caught two pairs of eyes looking at her. The women's eyes screamed their judgement, and they both turned to look at each other with raised eyebrows and shaking heads ("So young, so young, in my times-") while they sipped from their coffee cups, and she felt ashamed. With stinging eyes and a gulp, she crossed the street quickly when the light finally blinked red, and she didn't speak until she was in the safety of the Station.

"El?" Steve had asked, but she paid him no mind. She paid no mind to anyone, until she reached her father's office and closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay?!" Hopper shot up from his chair as soon as he saw her eyes, and then she was burying the hot tears on his chest, books and bag forgotten on the chair.

Later, at home, Joyce had a talk with her. "Nobody," she hissed viciously, her eyes lit with a furious fire. "And I mean, nobody, gets to look down on you. You hold your chin up high and shove your middle finger in those assholes' faces, you hear me?" Her stepmom had lived through the judgment that came with being young and pregnant (even though she had been a little older than El when Jonathan was conceived), and she refused to let her daughter suffer the same treatment.

("Who was it?" Mike snapped over the phone, Lucas yelling in the background about his mother ruining those bitches. "I'll set them on fire when I'm home.")

(There was no need for flames, because Karen Wheeler, with an angelic smile on her face, deeply regretted to inform Sandra Greene and Claire Richards that they were banned from Hawkins Women's Book Club, from Hawkins Women's Cooking Club and from Hawkins Festivities Council, and when they protested, she simply closed the Club's doors on their faces, with one last whisper: "You might want to stick those plastic noses out of my daughter-in-law's business.")

If her belly hadn't been showing already, she most certainly would've been looking pregnant by how much food she had shoveled inside her mouth just now. Thanksgiving had been a huge event this year. Motivated by their kids' bond, and the overall happiness of having them home for the week, the Party's families had gathered to have Thanksgiving Dinner together (minus the Hargroves, of course). The Wheeler's had been the arranged place, and although they had been crammed because of the amount of people, it had been nice and homely.

("I'm grateful to be home, here with all of you. I'm grateful for my family," it was Mike's turn, and now he was looking at her. "And I'm grateful for our little present that will be making her appearance sometime next year."

"It's a girl?!" Karen had exclaimed with excitement, Claudia Henderson, Daphne Sinclair and Nancy wearing matching expressions of wide eyes and smiling lips. "It's a girl!" Holly squealed with her mother, the table erupting in happy cheers and excited chatter, Hopper reaching out to rub a gentle hand on El's belly in fondness, while Ted clasped his son's hand with a soft smile, Mike smiling back awkwardly).

A soft giggle erupted from her throat as her skin tickled from the soft kisses Mike was pressing on her stomach, her large t-shirt bunched underneath her swollen breasts so her large bump was exposed to his hands.

"Peanut?" He whispered against her belly button, the tingling that his lips made while he talked making her giggle again. "It's me," another kiss. "It's daddy."

She ran her hands through his shaggy hair, marveling at the silky strands that curled around her fingers. She grunted when she felt a kick against her ribs, and she lowered a hand to guide one of his to the spot she felt their little girl poke.

"She's kicking?" He questioned with a look at her face as he saw her take a sharp breath.

"She's pressing a foot against my ribs," She grunted again, the unexpected pain making her uncomfortable, and she was glad they were already showered and dressed in their pjs, (and even more grateful that he was spending the night with her) because there was no way in hell she was doing anything else but wait until she settled down. "She knows it's you."

"Did you miss me?" He was talking to peanut again, his large hands around her stomach and his thumbs caressing her skin. "I missed you so much. I missed talking to you, and feeling you move, and reading to you, and also playing music for you." He pressed another kiss to her belly, and the baby kicked again, this time moving around too. With curious eyes, they watched the skin of El's stomach move around as the baby stretched, a foot print pushing up from the inside, and Mike's finger pressed against the spot in wonder.

"Can she feel that?" He wondered, moving his finger in circles against the foot of their baby.

"I don't know," El shrugged, her hands holding onto her lower stomach, the soft curve the perfect spot for her hands. "What does your book say?"

"It only says she's gonna be more active, and that you're probably going to be constipated and light headed. She's the size of a butternut squash."

Her fingers touched the bumpy lines across her lower stomach, and she sucked her teeth in annoyance, huffing when Mike lowered his head to press a kiss to her stretch marks. "Stop," he chastised as he stood up from her bed. "You're beautiful."

"Tell that to my stretched skin." She grouched back, sighing when the baby kicked again. "Damnit, Mike, now she's gonna be awake for God knows how long."

"Sorry," he piped with a smirk, not looking sorry at all. "You can go to sleep if you want. I'll stay with her."

"Yeah, I'll just pretend she's not summersaulting inside of me." She retorted sarcastically as he returned to the bed, carrying a bottle of cocoa lotion. She winced when the cold cream hit her skin, but then she sighed blissfully when he massaged the cool substance on the angry red lines across her skin.

"You've been eating enough dairy?" He asked softly as he continued to rub her stomach.

"Joyce's been feeding me yogurt every day. I'm sick of it."

He chuckled, lowering the lotion to her thighs and massaging her aching muscles with gentle hands. "You know you need—"

"As much calcium as I can eat. I know. I read too, you know?"

He laughed again, rubbing the excess of cream on her hands and elbows, before he reached out and placed the bottle on her nightstand.

She lowered the hem of her sleeping shirt and snuggled under the covers with him, killing the lights with a flick of her head, causing a light dizziness to erupt behind her eyelids.

"Stop using your powers." He reprimanded her, throwing her a look as his hand found her bump.

"Sorry." She winced back, humming contentedly when he kissed her forehead tenderly.

It hadn't been easy, and it would continue to be so, even more when she arrived in the middle of February to a cold weather and a crazed Mike, who had bought the fastest flight from Florida to Indiana, and had literally ran a marathon to arrive on time for the birth of his daughter.

They had to figure out how they would organize their schedules now, with him starting classes on the other side of the country, and her and their baby girl in Hawkins.

But they were El and Mike, and if previous events were proof enough, then they could do anything together.

Chapter Text

Max thought the universe was out to get her.

How else could anyone explain all the things she had been through since she was 11 and her mother decided to remarry, bringing in the monster that was Billy to her life? Then came goodbye Dad, Hawkins and the headache that was 1984 for her and her friends.

Good things came out of it, of course. Like Will being alive, the Party including her, El not hating her and actually becoming her almost-sister, and most of all, Lucas.

Lucas who was her whole heart, even though he infuriated her on a weekly basis, only because he thought she looked beautiful when she got angry. The boy was a masochist, for sure.

But, holy fuck, did God have a good laugh at her? He must have, given all the things that happened to her.

It all started when she decided to visit her Dad in Cali, Party in tow.

"Holy shit, please tell me we're going to Disney!" 25-year-old Dustin exclaimed excitedly when she told them her plans.

"Disney?!" El perked up, her brown eyes wide and sharp on Max as if demanding her to say yes.

And of course she wouldn't say anything else but yes.

They bought the plane tickets (because once Lucas and her had made the mistake of saying 'fuck it, let's take the car' and had ended with very sore bodies and pains that didn't go away even when they massaged each other through the whole week when they were back home; "There's no way I'm losing my ass crack again," Lucas had exclaimed as they discussed the transportation. "I already had to paint it back with a marker. We're flying there and anyone who disagrees can fucking fight me") and they were off.

Her dad lived in a modest home with only one room for him and his girlfriend, so they had to book rooms in a near hotel.

The excitement of being in California together for the first time had the whole group vibrating with energy, throwing them back to their early teens and the times they would spend the whole day adventuring out in the woods.

The day they left for Disney, they woke up at ass-crack of dawn, and piled their backpacks into the rented SUV. Mike had to drag a sleepy El to the back, where the girl spent the whole ride with her legs thrown over his lap and her face buried on his neck while she slept. Will, who was supposed to be sitting in the middle row, kept tickling her nose with a finger, and Mike kept trying to push him away when the brunette would wake up with a whine.

With energy that wouldn't go away no matter how old he got, Dustin was the one in charge of driving, eyes sharp and focused with Max in the passenger seat, passing him his coffee cup, because there was no way in hell she was letting him kill them if he dared to fall asleep. Lucas dozed off the entire way there, much like El, but with one single sharp shove to the boy's side when he tried to mess with him, he was unperturbed by Will, unlike the other female in their group.

After the five hours from San Jose to Anaheim, the group was noticeably perkier after some more rest and chatter.

The first one out of the car was El, who ran out of the car with an excited scream.

"Oh my god, we're in Disney!" She jumped in the air, her arms stretched out in the middle of the parking lot while the rest climbed out of the car.

"Yep," Max said as she breathed in the fresh morning air, letting the boys pull their things from the trunk. "Ready to fall in love with Prince Eric?"

"I know I'm ready." Will snorted as he stood next to them, backpack already slung over his shoulders.

"This is so exciting!" El exclaimed again, reaching out to hug her brother tightly while jumping up and down excitedly against him.

Max smiled fondly at the brunette, and then took her water bottle from Lucas, who had their backpack on his back and was yawning widely.

"You tired?" She asked as she pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah, but I'll manage." He answered, hugging her to himself and then pressing a kiss to her mouth.

"Alright kids," Mike clapped his hands. "Stop the PDA and let's engage!"

Hours later, many hours later, they were waiting for the Sleeping Beauty Castle show to start. They had ridden every ride possible, passing the ones that were bursting with people (except for the ones that they really wanted to get on) and laughing their asses off at Mike's faces in the after-ride photos.

"Leave him alone." El told them as Mike hid his face in her neck, but she was still laughing even when he squeezed her sides in vengeance.

El had nearly creamed her pants when they ran into Minnie at Snow White's Scary Adventures, and the whole Party had exploited Will's camera after they spotted the Princesses walking through Mickey's Toontown.

When the music started, all the lights were killed and the people started cheering, Mike stood up from his place on the ground. He went to stand next to El, who was looking around in anxious waiting, and took her hand. He smiled down at her in reassurance, and even though they were engulfed by the dark, he still saw the gleam in her eyes when she smiled back.

The moment the lights exploded, the people clapped around them, and El cheered, her eyes wide and her lips smiling widely as Will took his camera out again.

Lucas slung an arm around Max's shoulders, sighing against her temple as she watched the show. When he felt Dustin nudge him, he turned his head to see the curly haired boy jerk his head towards Mike, who was staring at El with an expression that couldn't be described as anything else but besotted and utterly in love.

If there was any time he doubted, and he was sure there had been none, this moment, the way the purple lights highlighted the soft side of her face, the way her eyes glimmered with emotion while watching the castle she dreamed of visiting ever since she saw it on TV when she was younger, the way her lips parted in awe, and the way she smiled at him when she caught him looking, killed any doubts he might have been feeling.

He was sure of his love for her, and he was sure she loved him back just as fiercely.

And it was time.

"What?" El laughed while she squeezed their laced fingers, looking away from the show for a moment.

"I love you," he breathed out, his unoccupied hand clutching the box in his pocket, and he saw Will lift the camera in the background while Dustin started grinning. He untangled his hand from hers and lifted it to caress her cheek gently, her eyes staring at him with love but also with confusion. "I can't imagine my life without you, El."

"What's gotten into you?" She asked softly, the lights dancing around her face, and damnit he loved her so, so much.

With shaky hands, he squeezed her hips, and then lowered himself onto one knee.

Her face broke in shock, her eyes wider than ever and her mouth open while Max squealed next to him. Some people noticed and started 'awwing' and gasping around them, but he paid them no mind.

"Now that you've accomplished your dream of being in Disney," he took the box out, his fingers shaking crazily while Dustin shook Lucas around in excitement and Will clicked his camera away. "Will you help me make my dream of spending the rest of our lives together come true? El," she was crying, her hands on her mouth while she stared down at him. His throat was tight with emotion and his eyes began to blur with tears too, but through it all, he smiled, opening the lid of the velvety box to reveal a sparkly ring that shined with the lights around them. "Will you marry me?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face steadily, and for a minute he panicked over the thought of them being tears of regret, but then she was nodding.

"Of course, you mouth breather," she laughed wetly, opening her arms to welcome him while people screamed and clapped. "Get up and kiss me."

He laughed, overjoyed and full with happiness, and then she was taking his face in her hands, kissing him with all her might while their friends cheered.

"I love you," she mumbled between kisses. "I love you so much, Mike."

"God, I love you more." He sniffled, laughing, and kissing her again, because, Jesus, they were getting married. They separated so he could put the ring on her finger, her eyes leaking tears again when she had the diamond on her skin, and then she was in his arms again, her nose pressed to his chest and his lips against her hair, the Mickey ears against his eyes.

"God, I love you all so bad!" Dustin cried out, running to engulf the engaged couple in his arms.

"GROUP HUG!" Will screamed, taking Lucas' hand and yanking him over to their friends.

Over El's shoulder, Max met Lucas's eyes, and in that moment, she knew she wanted that too. She didn't want the applauses or the cheers, but the happiness and the moment, the love. In that very moment, Max knew she had to marry Lucas Sinclair.

After their California trip, and some weeks of wedding talk with El, the redhead wondered if Lucas was on the same page as her.

Sure, they lived together and had talked about their future, and she knew they would get married eventually, but they hadn't actually set a date or even talked about when they would get married. What if she was getting way ahead of them and he wanted to wait another few years or longer? She would die! She didn't know if Mike proposing to El was an unconscious pressure on her, but she had the need of getting married right there and then. When was Lucas going to propose?

She started dropping hints, like a wedding dresses magazine on their bed, a talk in the car about El wanting pink and silver as the main colors of the wedding ("The colors for our wedding have to be blue and whatever else you want." She had said in the most innocent voice she could muster, sneaking a look at him from the corner of her eyes, but she only saw him nod while his focus was still on the road), what kind of ring she thought looked prettier, were would she want their wedding to be, etc. But she only received noncommittal responses in return, and she was beginning to get frustrated.

She needed a word of advice, so she drove over to Mike and El's house, made use of her given key, barged in— "Max, what the hell?!" Mike exclaimed as he covered himself with the covers while El frowned sleepily and startled, sitting up on the bed and fishing Mike's T-shirt from the bed frame to cover her bare body— and demanded the brunette to get ready because they were having breakfast.

"I don't know why he's taking so long!" She exclaimed as she buttered a piece of bread. "I don't know how much more blunt I need to be so he gets it!"

"Has he said anything about the wedding?" El asked as she swallowed a bite of her pancakes.

"Nothing new besides of what I know. Mike's needing him too much, though."

"Yeah, he wants Lucas opinion for his outfit." El laughed weirdly while she sipped her milkshake.

"Whatever," Max rolled her eyes, biting into her bread viciously as she eyed El's nails. "That's a pretty French."

"Thanks," The brunette said happily, wiggling her fingers and making the ring on her fourth finger sparkle. "Mike thought so too."

Max smiled softly, actually happy for her best friend and other best friend (yes, they were all best friends), but her mouth still pursed in sadness. Was Lucas really not going to propose?

"Here," El said, slipping her ring off and pressing it to the redhead's palm. "Try it on. It might make you feel better."

She sighed, throwing the brunette a look, before she slipped the ring on with light struggle. "It's a bit tight, but your fingers are thinner than mine," she shrugged, admiring the way the diamond looked on her pale hand. "I'd probably be a size larger than you."

El hummed around her fork, licking syrup from the metal as Max returned the piece of jewelry to her.

"Maybe I should just propose to him." The redhead thought out loud as she stabbed her half-eaten omelet. Her eyes widened and she looked up at El with her mouth parted open to see her friend looking smug.

"Something inside of me knew you would eventually think of that." The brunette laughed.

"No, really," Max sat up straighter, already thinking of the millions of possibilities. "I should propose to him. I mean, it's 1996! If Julia Roberts can run away with her ex, then I can propose to my own boyfriend!"

She laughed, her brain already forming a plan, leaning back on the IHOP seat as El stared at her with increasing worry while shoving more pancakes in her mouth.

What's Lucas ring size?

A week later, after tricking him into tying a rubber bad around his finger ("It's for an experiment." She told him idly as he tied the band with a weirded out face), she had the silver band in her purse and was on her way home when he called her on the phone.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey," She pulled up to their driveway. "What's up?"

"I was just calling to let you know I'm waiting for you in our dining room with a huge glass of wine and a perfectly done stake."

"Oh," she exclaimed with surprise as she got out of the car. "What's the occasion?"

He appeared on the window, a hand moving the curtain aside. "Come inside and find out." With a smirk, he let the curtains fall back into place.

She stood outside for a minute, wondering what in earth had gotten into him, but if there was something Lucas knew what to do (and he knew how to do lots of things) was how to cook a steak to perfection, so she hurried up and got inside their home, the cool air hitting her and relaxing her in an instant.

"Honey, I'm home!" She yelled over the slam of the door, the phrase stuck on her thanks to Mike's words to El every time he arrived at their house.

She slipped her shoes off and left them by the doorway, walking further into the house with her purse still on the crook of her elbow. "Lucas?"

"Come closer, my dear!"

"Stop, you sappy idiot!" She exclaimed, peering into the kitchen to find it deserted. "Where are you?!"

She screamed when she felt him press behind her, his arms wrapping around her middle strongly and his lips pressing to her neck. "Lucas, Jesus Christ, I think I pissed myself!"

"Hot," He wrinkled his nose, turning her around to kiss her in greeting. "Hey, carrot."

She hummed against his lips. "Hey, stalker." She pressed one last kiss to his lips, and then they broke apart.

"You hungry?" He took her hand, guiding her to the kitchen island. "Dinner's ready."

"Oh, wow," she admired the whole meal he had prepared, complete with her favorite recipe (his mother's) of salted asparagus and mashed potatoes. "Look at that stake!" Her mouth watered at the sight of the still-sizzling T-bone, the meat's juice dripping on the pure whiteness of the plate.

"All for you," he kissed her temple. "C'mon, I've been trying to keep myself from eating it all."

They had a nice dinner, chatting about each other's day and whatever came to their minds, and Max relished in the fact of them being, well, just them. They were simple, they knew what each other liked, and they enjoyed just spending time together. There was no other man she would rather spend her dinners with. She'd give him all her mornings, afternoons and nights, her ups and downs, her laughs and tears, her soft words and shouted arguments, all because he was really it for her. He was the Prince Eric to her Ariel, obviously without the royalty and mermaid thing.

If she thought it hard enough, she could see them standing in an altar. Yes, she wanted the white dress and the flowy veil, the bouquet of blue cornflowers (he thought they contrasted beautifully with her hair, and that's why they were her favorite), the borrowed item and the old one; she wanted to see him all handsome and polished, standing at the end of the altar, waiting for her so they could join their lives forever. She wanted all with him. She wanted beautiful dark-skinned babies with her eyes and his nose, soft feet paddling on the floors in the mornings while they were still waking up. She was all in with him, and she really wished he was too, because the ring in her purse was burning a hole already.

"It's time for desert." He said excitedly, wiping his mouth with a napkin while she drained the last drops of her wine.

When he didn't make a move, she raised an eyebrow. "Well?" She questioned. "Are you getting the dessert or not?"

"Oh, excuse me, princess," he scoffed teasingly, leaning back on his chair to rest his arms comfortably on the arm-rests. "Who was the one who cooked today? The least you can do is get the cheesecake."

"Ugh, fine." She groaned, standing up from the chair and walking to the kitchen while he chuckled in the background.

She took the dessert out of the fridge (also his mother's recipe, her absolute favorite; he was so getting some tonight), cutting two triangles and plating them along with a fork. She walked back with a plate on each hand, giving him a sarcastic smile when he grinned at the sight of her. "There you go, your highness."

But when she took her place in front of him, instead of eating his own, he rose from his seat, walking over to sit on the chair next to her.

"What?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows. He was staring at her with an intense look in his eyes, his dark orbs penetrating her very soul, and she felt the air shift around them. The room suddenly got darker, the sound quieter, and the only thing she could focus on was him.

He reached out to cut the tip of her cheesecake with the fork, a sly smile curling his lips when he lifted the dessert to her lips. "Open up." He murmured.

With her throat suddenly drier, she took the soft concoction from him, her taste buds exploding from the richness of the flavor, and she hummed with a contented smile as she swallowed her first bite. "I love you mother."

"I love you more." He retorted in a heartbeat.

"Uh," she chuckled, taking the fork from him and cutting another bite. "Wait until Daphne hears—"

Something was clanking. The fork was met with an unknown object inside the soft creaminess of the dessert, and when she pulled the silverware out of the cheesecake, her heart stopped when she saw the unmistakable shape of a ring stuck inside the metal teeth of the fork.

"Lucas?" She questioned breathlessly, her fingers messy from the sticky dessert around the ring as she pulled it from the fork, and she could barely feel the ridges of the tiny jewels incrusted on the silver band, before he was taking it from her.

"Baby," he started, getting down from the chair to kneel before her, one hand taking hers while the other held the ring. "I know you thought I wouldn't be doing this soon, but if there's something I've always known how to do is read you. I know what you want before you even voice it, and I hope you know this is everything I've ever wanted ever since you nearly killed us all in Billy's car. You're super cool in everything you do; you're the sunlight in my dark days, you're the stars in my sky, the blood in my veins, the breath in my lungs; you're the woman of my dreams, the princess of my fairytale, and it would make me the happiest, the most luckiest man in the world… if you take this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty for the years to come…"

He had to pause to swallow, because the thick emotion in his voice was nearly choking him, just like her tears were doing to her. "…I guess what I'm trying to say is: Max, Maxine, my MadMax, my carrot-" he cut himself off with a smile when she laughed, her face wet with tears and her nose shining with snot, but she was still the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever seen. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will," She nodded quickly, wiping her nose on the back of her hand and reaching down to kiss him sloppily. "I love you," she kept on kissing him. "I love you so much, Lucas, you have no idea."

"If you love me as much as I love you, then I do have an idea." He said against her lips, kissing her senseless until his knees started to throb. He stood up, pulling her up with him, and took her soft hand in his. "I should probably clean this first though," he licked the ring, gathering the bits of cheesecake form it as Max exclaimed her disgust. "There." He slipped the ring on her finger, the band fitting perfectly on her thanks to El, and he smiled lovingly when she placed her hand on his chest.

"I swear fate has something on me," She laughed against him, shaking her head once her tears had simmered down to sticky splotches on her cheeks. "I have something for you too."

She reached out for her purse, which was resting on the backrest of one of the chairs, and fished around for the box inside. She pulled the velvet thing out and chuckled when Lucas let a bark of laughter out.

"Seriously?" He grinned.

"I didn't know if you were going to do it!" She defended herself, opening the box and taking the silver band out. "Lucas," she took his left hand. "My love, my chocolate daddy, my lovely stalker… will you take this ring and promise to say 'I do' somewhere along this year with me?"

"I'll think about it." He said teasingly even though she was already slipping the ring on his fourth finger.

They kissed again, tongues and hands and all soft and beautiful and hot, because that's what they were. They were beautiful together.

"My impatient little ginger locks." He mumbled fondly against her hair, hugging her tightly while she buried her nose on his chest, inhaling his scent.

"I love you, stalker."

"I love you too, zoomer."

They were getting married. Her dreams were about to come true.

(And he totally got some that night.)

Chapter Text

"Hopper!" Flo pounded on the door, voice shrill and urgent, making him jump. "Answer the damn phone!"

"Alright, alright, Jesus," He smashed the butt of his cigarette on the ashtray on his desk, sitting up and taking the phone in his large palm. "Yeah, Chief Hopper speaking, who's this?"

"Hop?" He knew that voice. "It's Steve."

"Harrington," Hopper frowned, his ears sharpening at the tone the boy was using. "What the hell is going on?" He was supposed to be back like half an hour ago.

"It's- uhm—", he blew air from his nostrils sharply, his breaths coming out in pants, and somehow, Hopper knew something bad had happened. "It's El."

His heart stopped.

"Where?" He demanded, ass out of the chair and hat on his head before Steve even finished talking.

"She's in the hospital."

He hung up without another word, heart racing and palms sweating already. He could feel a burn on the back of his neck, but it was nothing compared to the sinking feeling in his chest.

He rushed past Flo, a quick mutter that might be utter nonsense to her by the way the words just stumbled out his lips, but he did not care. He ran to the Blazer, gripped the wheel with white knuckles and then he was off.

1 hour before.

The shouting had become unbearable. She watched with furrowed eyebrows as Mike pretended to do his homework, writing on the notebook before erasing the words with jerky moves of his hand, the page thinning in the place he had been pressing the rubber square back and forth.

From her place on the couch, she could head Karen's shrill voice raise even louder, and she wondered how the woman hadn't popped a blood vessel yet.

"I DON'T CARE!"

The sharp shout pierced the tense air, the thundering snarl scaring her, and Mike dropped every pretense that he hadn't been listening with a harsh pant, leaning in to place his head on his hands against the D&D table.

"Mike." She muttered softly, rising up from her seat as his hands tugged at his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled brokenly, his eyes heavy and the corners of his lips turned down with sadness. "I thought they had made up already, but—"

"YOU'RE SO USELESS!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, face pinched tight, and she pulled him to her, hugging him and making soothing sounds while he buried his face in her neck, breath harsh and chest bumping against hers.

They were supposed to be doing homework first so they could hang out after, but given the fight that his parents had been having since an hour ago, she could tell he hadn't gotten past the second exercise.

"Maybe we should just go—", he began, his words mumbled against her skin, but they were interrupted by the door to the basement being opened.

"Mikey?" A soft voice said, and then pink little shoes were walking down the stairs.

Holly appeared, eyes puffy, swollen and glistening with the tears streaming steadily down her face, and Mike lurched out of her hold just in time to catch his baby sister. "They're fighting again." The little blonde sobbed against her brother's chest.

"I know, Holls," he rubbed her back, cradling her while she squeezed him tightly. "It'll be over soon, okay? Want to help me do my homework?"

"Mm-hm." Holly nodded, nose red and sniffling, and Mike carried her over to the little table, sitting down with her on his lap.

"MAYBE IF YOU STOPPED SLEEPING ON THAT DAMN COUCH YOU'D—"

"LIKE HOW YOU STOPPED DRINKING? MAYBE WE SHOULD START WITH THAT!"

"DON'T YOU DARE—"

"Do you want to listen to music?!" Mike asked frantically, taking his sister's chin in one hand to make her focus on him. "I have loads of music up in my room!"

Holly just whimpered, burying her face deeper on his sweater, and he leaned his cheek on her blonde head when she started sobbing again.

"Take her upstairs, Mike," El said, putting his pens in his pencil case and his notebook in his backpack. "The room is smaller and the music will drown them out faster."

"I'm sorry," he said again, gulping with a miserable face. "I know I said we could—"

"She needs you right now," she whispered, gesturing to the crying girl on him. "I'm okay, really. I'll just go home."

"Are you sure?" He asked her, standing up with difficulty due to Holly koala-ing him.

"Yes," she kissed his cheek, placing the strap of his backpack in one shoulder when he extended an arm out while he held his sister with the other. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll pick you up," he promised, holding Holly while El zipped her own backpack and swung it over her shoulders. "With coffee."

"And Eggos." She smiled gently, kissing him quickly when he leaned down with puckered lips, and then she waited until he was up the stairs, Holly giving her a weak wave over his shoulder.

She left the Wheeler house through the basement's back door, the loud fight Karen and Ted Wheeler had going on in there muffled to the outside ears by the house's walls, and she frowned sadly when the thought of it being the perfect metaphor for their life crossed her mind.

It was getting late, the sky tainted a deep dark orange with dashes of purple and blue, the sun getting lower and lower with each footstep, and then she was out of the cul-de-sac. Surely Hopper was still at the Station, so maybe she could wait there until he finished his shift. Maybe she could hang out with Flo, or with Steve, if her dad hadn't sent him in one of his 'officer duties' (he loved annoying the younger boy by making him go out to do the most ridiculous things, like get a cat down from a tree, or getting him a pack of Camels, or getting new coffee beans because the coffee maker is running low, Harrington, that's basically a gun without a bullet for an officer).

She walked down the road, bushes and trees making shapes and shadows appear around her even though it was no later than 6:30 pm, but the lampposts were already lit. A shiver went down her spine, and she shook her shoulders with a huff (get over yourself, El), but still quickened her pace.

Something was off.

Her body was aware.

It was something she couldn't put her finger on, but she knew. Her skin erupted in goosebumps and she felt her senses sharpen, along with the pressure on her mind that she fought to get control of.

That's when it happened.

"Hands up!" A man snapped, jumping from the bushes with a switchblade in his hand, the sharp tip glinting in the lamppost's light. "Give me everything you've got!"

Her heart thumped wildly inside her rib cage, her eyes wide and scared as the man cornered her on the side road, her feet dragging her backwards onto the grass and leaves.

Speechless, she could only hold her palms up, the fingertips suddenly freezing. The unfamiliar man was young; not young like her and the boys, or like Steve, but younger than her dad, yes. He was wearing ripped jeans, a dirty jean jacket over a blue flannel, his filthy and greasy blonde hair pinned down by a beany, and he had a long scar running down the side of his jaw. He was saying something, but her heart was hammering so hard she could only hear the blood rushing through her veins, her ears pounding loudly.

"Empty your pockets!" He snapped again, hand out and knife pointed at her.

The anger behind his voice scared her, his demands and crazy eyes making every hair on her body stand up.

"I said empty your pockets!" He snarled, fist clutching the switch blade tighter, and she finally found her voice when he harshly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her towards him.

"No, please!" She cried out. "Help! Help!"

"Scream again and I'll slice your tongue out!" He hissed furiously, and the cold metal against her chin made her gasp and blink startled through her fresh tears. "Pockets. Now!" He barked, his hot breath hitting her face.

She was going to throw up, she could feel it; bile and nerves and fear balling up in her throat, when she remembered she had something to fight with (you have a gift, a monster in a suit once told her).

Every sense in her body was now screaming at her to use her powers. This man looked nothing like the guys in the lab, with his dirty hands, jean jacket and beany, but his actions were those of the bad men. But Hopper's stern voice kept replying in her head, telling her not to use her powers in public under any circumstances.

("Do you want to go back in there?!" He asked angrily after she froze Dustin from falling in the middle of the park. "Because that's what's going to happen if somebody sees! Do not use them! I don't care if the Queen herself requests it, under any circumstances, you will not use your powers. Understand?"

"Not stupid." She mumbled softly, nodding her head up and down, and then he hugged her tightly).

So, against her judgment and against her very instinct, she pulled the only money she had in her pockets—a crumpled 5 dollar bill— and gave it to the man with shaking hands, tears wetting her face and falling on the knife's blade.

"The backpack," he shoved the money in his pockets, looking around the deserted road. "Give me the fucking backpack!"

She had Sostini's essay in there. And her books, and homework. Finals were about three weeks away and she couldn't risk it. "But my homework—"

She cried out sharply when he punched her, busting her lip instantly and making her jaw throb.

"Shut up and give me the backpack now!" He screamed, the knife by her shoulder in a fist and the other bruising her upper arm.

She couldn't help it.

She hated it when people treated her unkindly, and, well, she was her father's daughter.

"Get the fuck off of me!" She struggled desperately, bucking away from him, her torso pushing up against his in a burst of anger to throw him off, but he was heavier and stronger than her.

The air left her lungs when she felt the sharp pain in her side, gasping without sound as the switchblade was inserted in her right side, and she doubled over, falling backwards on the ground with a hard shove from him.

With quick hands, he turned her on her side, not caring about the blood flowing from her open wound as he snatched the switch blade from her.

She was openly sobbing now, her hands pressing against the blood seeping through her pink sweater as she lied on the grass.

The man didn't stop, thrusting his hands inside her pockets to check for more money or any items he found worthy of stealing. He was in the middle of tugging her backpack off, when he spotted the sparkly snowflake against her throat.

"No," she whimpered weakly as he yanked on the silver chain around her neck, one bloody hand reaching up to hold Mike's Christmas present in protectiveness. "Please, don't."

Then a siren wail entered the road.

"Shit!" The man cursed, yanking sharply on the chain to no avail, leaving a red welt on her abused skin.

"Hey!" A scream sliced the air, the voice sharp and familiar, but she was beginning to have trouble breathing, the wound bleeding freely, and she cried out again when the thief shoved her onto her stomach to rip her backpack away. "Back off and hands up, now!"

Crying, she placed a hand on the ground to steady herself, trying to get onto her back again, and that's when she saw him running.

"Holy fuck!" Steve yelled in shock as he realized who was lying there, jumping out from the police car and running after the man who disappeared into the woods, El's backpack slung over his shoulder and the bloody knife tucked inside his pocket.

"Shit," he panted, his face a wild show of panic as he debated between running after the criminal or checking on El first. "Fuck!"

His kids, man.

"Ellie," he breathed out, forehead already shiny with sweat and hands shaking. "El-Jane, Jesus!"

He lifted her sweater to show a bleeding wound, an open crimson line on her otherwise unblemished skin.

"El—"

"He said don't scream and I did," She sobbed, hand on his wrist and the other on her wound, her bloody fingers leaving smears on the back of his hand, but he didn't care. "He said he'd cut my tongue out."

"Ellie, Jesus Christ," she was bleeding. A lot. "I have to get you to a hospital." Who knew where that knife had been; she could get an infection if he didn't hurry.

With some struggle and a lot of 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know it hurts, you'll be okay soon, I promise' when he carried her, he put her in the passenger's seat, the back rest laid back all the way and a Benny's Diner napkin pressed to her wound.

"Keep pressure on it," He was driving fast, siren wailing and blue and red lights on. "We need to stop the blood flow."

El couldn't stop crying. She tried leveling her breathing, but she was so scared. Not even when the freaking Demogorgon jumped out of the wall she had been like this; something about that man shook her. Monsters were real, they were also human, and they lived among them.

"It'll be okay El, I promise." Steve reached out to grip the hand that wasn't holding her side, bloody fingers tangled with his smeared ones. He needed to make her stop crying, or she would start to hyperventilate.

"What did you do today?" He tried distracting her, eyes on her between glances back at the road. I'm in a freaking police car, get out of my way.

"Went to M-M-Mike's."

Shit, he mentally cursed, Wheeler. What a joy it'll be to tell him the news.

Fuck, he cursed again, Hopper.

"Yeah?" The hospital was near; he could see the tall building already, Hawkins' Local Hospital in large blue letters. "How's he?"

"Sad," she whimpered, eyes closed and breath jagged. Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, fuck. "Parents are fighting again."

He pulled up into the emergency entry. "You'll be back with him in no time, alright, J?"

He got out, pulled her out of the car and walked into the emergency room. "Help! I need help, please!"

Two nurses ran to him when they caught sight of the young police officer carrying a bleeding teen girl. "Stretcher!"

"What happened to her?" Pink Scrubs blonde asked him, taking El's arm and helping him lay her down on the stretcher that Blue Scrubs rolled in.

"She was stabbed. There was a- a guy, and he had a knife, and he stole her backpack. I- I couldn't catch him!" Steve ran his hands through his hair, watching as Blue Scrubs took El's vital signs and put her on an oxygen mask, the young girl breathing easier when the clear thing was slipped on her face.

"It's not too deep but she's going to need stitches." Blue Scrubs informed Pink Scrubs, lifting El's ruined sweater to inspect her wound.

"Roll her in," Pink Scrubs ordered, jerking her chin towards a set of double doors on the side of the desk. "Clean the wound and put her on morphine. Call Charlie, she's in charge of stitches today."

And then they started rolling her away.

"Wait, wait, wait," He advanced, trying to follow the scared girl who was looking desperately back at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "Hold up!"

"You can't come in, sir." Damn, Pink Scrubs was not on his good side now.

"Excuse me," He huffed, hand gripping the bars on the sides of El's stretcher. "I'm going in with her—"

"Sir—"

"-If you think I'm leaving her for even a sec—"

"Young man, you can't—"

"That's Officer Harrington for you, Pink Scrubs." He finally snapped, glaring at the blonde nurse who was pursing her lips in exasperation.

"Officer Harrington," Blue Scrubs interrupted, voice gentle but urgent. "I need to get her clean and ready. She's still losing blood as we speak. You can come in when you're calmer and she's out of risk."

"But—"

"Steve," El called weakly, and that was enough to shut him up. He leaned down, caressing her hair away from her forehead. "I'll be alright."

He hesitated, looking back at the two nurses. "You sure, El?"

She nodded, tears still shining in her doe eyes, and then they were wheeling her off for good. "Call my Dad."

And with his heart in his throat and tears threatening to spill from his eyes too, he watched her disappear behind the double doors.

"Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling down, down," Mike sung, fingers streaming the strings on his guitar as Simple Minds blared on his Walkman. "Hey—"

"Hey, hey, hey! Ohh woahh!" Holly sung along, voice loud like her brother's as she sat on his bed.

Their parents had quieted down a while ago, but the fight had picked up from where they left it a few minutes ago. Mike was getting tired. His unfinished homework was still packed inside his backpack and the skin on his fingertips was red and burning from the guitar strings, but Holly wasn't crying anymore, so he had to keep going.

Until Steve called.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked annoyed, their parents' voices louder now that he wasn't playing his guitar along with the song, and he saw Holly shift.

"El's in the hospital."

His heart dropped.

"Wait, what?"

"She was stabbed. I found her in Oaks; a guy stole her backpack and—"

"When was this?!" He asked desperately, phone cord stretching as he lunged for his shoes.

"Uh… we got here like 20 minutes ago?"

"And you're just calling me now?!" He roared, fear and panic and anger and fuck! She left alone because of him!

"Mike?" Holly whimpered, startled by his loud voice.

"It's okay, Holly," He tried to smile, but bile was already making a trip up his throat. Nothing about this is okay! "Put your shoes on, we're going out."

"Mike?"

"Wait there, asshole," He snapped in the phone. "I'm coming."

"I'm a police officer, you know, I could have you arrested—"

"Fucking bite me, Steve!"

"She's fine, Mike," Steve sighed on the other side of the phone. "She got some stitches but she's fine now."

"I don't give a damn!" He snarled, voice shaking while he tied his sneakers on. "I should've been there! I should've fucking been there, but my fucking parents—", he stopped short, breath puffing out of his mouth while Holly twirled her pigtails nervously. "My fucking parents."

He hung up, slamming the phone on the receiver and yanking a jacket out of his closet. "C'mon, Holly." There was no way he was leaving her here.

They stopped by her room to get her a jacket, and then he was stomping down the stairs, Holly trailing behind him.

"Karen, we've been over this a million times now-", his dad was sighing tiredly, palm against his forehead while his mom fumed.

"And we'll go over it a million times more!" She snapped, hands on her hips, and Mike couldn't understand how neither of them noticed their two still-at-home children standing literally there.

"Is it so hard for you to be quiet—"

"Is it so hard for you to not be an idi—"

"Jesus Chri—"

"TED! HOW MANY TIME—"

"HEY!" He finally snapped, voice booming and loud and everything he'd been repressing snarling out of his mouth in that very second because, fuck, El was injured and these assholes couldn't stop fighting for even a minute. "DO US ALL A FAVOR AND SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!"

Karen's was stunned, eyebrows up and mouth hanging open in shock. "Michael—"

"El is in the hospital. She was stabbed and I'm going to see her. You know, in case you two can get your heads out of your asses for a second and care about something else that isn't your crumbling marriage."

Ted stood up. "Mike—",

"I'm taking Holly," He snapped, holding onto the little blonde's hand who was hiding her face against his side. "And the car." He snatched the keys from the bowl by the door, and then he was slamming the door behind his sister and him.

"Your hair is a mess."

He chuckled, fingers threading through the strands in light self-consciousness as she blinked drowsily at him. "That's what happens when you're stressed."

"When I'm stressed I get constipated."

"Man," he laughed. "Those pain killers are really showing themselves, aren't they?"

"They sure are, Stevie, they sure are. Did you call Mike?"

"No, I haven't. I'll call him in a minute." He chuckled again at the look she gave him, holding onto her hand while she played with his fingers. "How's your side?"

"Numb," she blurted out, honest in all her splendor. "I can't feel shit."

"You will soon, so enjoy it while you can."

"Experienced this often?" She giggled, red lips tugging up in a grin—wincing when she stretched her busted lip- while she tightened her grip on his hand.

"Har, har," he said sarcastically, knowing she was talking about his little run-in with Billy. "Asshole."

"Excuse me," Charlie, the nice (and hot) nurse who had patched El up and given her a cherry lollipop because you took it like a champ, girl, stepped up from behind the curtain. "There's a very anxious and demanding Chief Hopper outside who told me to get your ass out so he can come in and see his girl?"

"That'll be her dad," he sighed, standing up from the plastic chair they had placed beside El's bed. "You'll be okay, right, J?"

"I'm a champ, haven't you heard?" She smiled up at him, and when he patted her knee and was ready to go, she stopped him. "Steve?"

"Yes, little Hopper?"

"Thank you," she said softly, eyes shining again, and damnit, it was suddenly dusty in the sterile room. "You saved me."

"Any time, kiddo." He smiled gently, leaning down to press a kiss to her cold forehead, and then he was off.

Hopper was pacing behind the double doors when he got out.

"Were you doing brain surgery in there?" He snapped. "Took you long enough!"

"I was making sure your daughter was safe." He snapped back, suddenly on edge. There was a feeling of guilt he had been burying in favor of emotionally supporting El, but now, staring at Hopper in the face, it was out like word-vomit. "I'm sorry."

"I'll make sure it won't happen again, don't worry." Hopper said, pushing past him to walk through the doors.

"No, Hop," He said quickly, following him inside the doors, ignoring the slight protest form the nurse behind the desk. "I'm sorry."

"What on earth for?" Hopper frowned, hard eyes pinning Steve to the ground.

"I let him get away," He confessed, chest tight and guilt on his face. "The guy who stabbed her. He ran away and I let him."

"Why?" Hopper crossed his arms.

"I don't know, I'm sorry—"

"No," the Chief interrupted. "Why did he get away?"

Steve frowned. "Because I stopped to check on El first…" He trailed off when Hopper walked closer to him, his eyes serious but they held a gentleness that soothed Steve.

"Exactly," Hopper told him quietly, his heavy hand on his shoulder. "You chose to save my daughter instead of running after that fucker, and I will never be able to thank you enough, Steve. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything," He answered, voice suddenly tight. "I know it's a known joke, but those kids… they mean the world to me, Hop, and I know it might sound cheesy and stupid, but El- she's one of my own, you know? And I would never let anything happen to her."

"Not stupid, kid." Hopper told him with a lopsided smile, and Steve had the sudden urge to hug the man, to make him wrap those big arms around him and hold him tightly, like his own father had never done.

But thank God he was strong willed.

"Alright," Hop coughed lightly, patting him on the shoulder. "I gotta go see my kid. She's probably wondering where I am."

"She's probably wondering why she has a nose." He laughed.

"What?" Hopper frowned, staring at him with a look that clearly questioned his intelligence.

"She's kind of high on painkillers."

"Oh, great," the Chief groaned. "And here I am wasting my time instead of gathering blackmail material." They both laughed, and with one last smirk, Hopper walked into the actual ER.

Time to make that call, Steve thought as he headed for the desk again.

"Uh, hi, hello, uh… I'm here to see El Hopper? No, Jane! Jane Hopper! Or El Hopper—Whatever name she's under."

"Uh, are you sure we have the person you're looking for?" The lady at the desk questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Just look 'Hopper' up, please." He huffed, trying to keep his cool, but the sterile smell of the hospital was making him anxious, and Holly trying to get away to go 'see the newborn babies' was not helping.

"She's in there," the nurse informed, jerking her head to the double doors behind them, without looking up from her file. "But only one person is allowed in with her, and the vacant is already filled."

"Who's in with her?" He wondered, peering over the desk to sneak a peek at the file, but it was snapped shut with a short-nailed hand.

"Does it look like I keep tabs on visitors?" The nurse questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Gee, thank you very much!" Mike exclaimed sarcastically. "You sure love to help people!"

He left with a huff, peering over the doors in hopes of casually catching her through them, but Holly tugged on his hand in that exact moment. "Steve."

"What?" He looked down at her to see his little sister pointing at the back of the room, where his sister's ex-boyfriend was walking in with a coffee cup in one hand and a donut on the other.

"Wheeler," He greeted casually, Mike meeting him in the middle of the room where the waiting chairs were. "Little Wheeler," He lifted two fingers from his donut and waved them at holly, who giggled in return. "Wait, that makes you Medium Wheeler."

"Oh, god, shut up," Mike groaned, throwing his head back for good measure. "How is she? Have you seen her?"

"Uh, I would say so, given I was the one who brought her in."

"I meant recently, you ass!" He snapped.

"Hey!" Steve said loudly, lifting one glazed finger from his donut and pointing it at him. "There's an infant present. Watch your language."

"I don't mind." Holly giggled again, fluttering her eyelashes and even twirling around a little, and Mike kind of wanted to gag at the effect Steve had on girls.

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't, little bug." Steve smiled down at her, and then he motioned to the chairs. "She's fine, I told you already."

"I wouldn't call getting stabbed fine," Mike scoffed, sitting down two chairs from him and pulling Holly in the middle one, between them. "What happened?"

"Well," He took a sip of his coffee and offered a bite of his donut to Holly, who eagerly bit into the soft snack. "She told me she was walking down Oaks to get to the main and then go to the Station, when he jumped out of the bushes with a switchblade in his hand. He wanted money, she gave him five bucks, and then he stabbed her. That's when I found her; I thought he… well, he was on top of her, and I thought… but the guy was taking her backpack and when he saw me, he ran away. Took the knife with him too, that's why the wound stretched out and she kept on bleeding."

"Did you saw him? The man?" He asked seriously, mind already playing out the events.

"I don't know who the hell he is," Steve frowned, looking down at his coffee cup. "I didn't recognize his face. Might not be from around here."

"I heard Dad say some people are getting here from the city. Might be one of them."

"I don't know," Steve shook his head with a sigh. "But we'll catch him. I promise you, we'll catch him."

"Yeah," Mike nodded, staring at him. "I know you will." He might be an unbearable asshole, but he knew Steve cared about them a lot. He might love them. And even though he acted like his sole presence annoyed the shit out of him, he cared for the older guy too.

"Am I sensing trust here, Wheeler?" Steve smirked, not even looking away from him when he offered more of his donut to Holly.

"Listen," He sighed. "You might be one of the most annoying people I've ever met, but you care. About us, about people, about this shitty town. I don't know, Steve," Mike shrugged. "After this, I think you deserve my respect and my heart on a silver platter."

Both boys shared a laugh, Holly smiling between them. "I hope the words didn't hurt too much to get out."

"Just some light scratching." Mike joked back, his fingers grazing his throat.

"So, Hopper's still in there?" Steve asked as he gulped from his coffee.

"That nurse didn't want to tell me who's in there with her, but I'm assuming he is." The dark haired boy threw an annoyed glance at the desk, where the nurse was filing her nails without a care.

"I'll get you in," Steve told him, standing up quickly, his eyes on an incoming nurse in light blue scrubs. "Charlie!"

"Officer Harrington," The brunette stopped, eyes on Steve, and Mike had to roll his eyes at the sudden aura that they emitted. "What can I do for you?"

"It's Steve," He smiled, hands on his waist and hair all perfect again. "And yes, could you let Chief Hopper know that El's other half is here and ready to see her?"

"Don't tell him that." Mike's face was flaming, blushing as the nurse looked back at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"I'll see if we can lure him out," Charlie nodded, eyes on Steve again and hands gripping her note board. "He hasn't left her side."

She was pale. Her rich skin that tanned easily was pale and he was angry about it.

"Hey, kid." He breathed gently, sitting down on the chair next to her bed.

"You're here," El said sluggishly, her eyes heavy like she would drop into sleep any time soon, but she perked up immediately when she saw him. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," He sniffled, eyes glazing when he saw the faint smears of the blood that had stained her hands before, the dark spot on her lip and the bulge of gauze under her hospital gown. "You gave me quite the scare."

"I got scared too," her whisper cracked, fingers gripping the stiff sheets, and red lips pouting slightly. "He stole my backpack. My homework was there, and my books and now I'm going to fail Mrs. Sostini's class because my essay was there!" Tears leaked from her eyes, and Hopper's heart throbbed as he watched her cry.

"It'll be okay," He reached out to hold her, careful of not moving her too much. "I'll personally talk to your teachers so they can give you time to recover and do your homework again."

"What if they say no? Mrs. Sostini's kind of a fucking asshole." She sniffled.

"Language. I have my ways—"

"You're not sleeping with her." El deadpanned, looking up at him.

"I wasn't planning to," He glared, making her laugh wetly. "As I was saying before you decided to be a brat and interrupt me, I have my ways. I can be very convincing, you know?"

"Well, that solves a problem."

"What happened anyway?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows, wanting to hear her full version.

"I left Mike's around six thirty, and I was on my way to the Station, walking through Oaks to cut short and get to the main faster, when a man jumped out. He had a knife," she paused to swallow, fingers tightening on his hand as he clutched hers. "Told me to be quiet and to give him everything I had on me. But then he punched me and… and I wanted to hurt him," she admitted quietly, her eyes glazing with buried fire as she relived the scene in her head. "I wanted to hurt him like he was hurting me."

"Why didn't you do it?" He inquired, frowning as he tried to grasp his bearings. He knew she could get vicious if she wanted to. She had mind powers, damn it! She could've snapped that man in half and he would've made damn sure it looked like an accident.

She furrowed her brows, eyes on him and a confused look on her face. "You said… you said I shouldn't—"

"El—"

"You said no. Under any circumstances, no."

"Jane," He exhaled sharply, and she winced. She was Jane when he was angry or frustrated with her. "You—", he lowered his voice, looking around quickly to see if the privacy curtain would serve its purpose. "You're telling me you didn't defend yourself because I said to not use your… abilities to pull Dustin from a pile of duck shit?"

"You said—"

"I know what I said!" He said sharply, pausing when she flinched back, and he pinched his nose, closing his eyes to breathe and pull himself together. "I know what I said," he searched into her eyes to make her listen. "But when it comes to your security, when it comes to your life, you have my full permission to make a man's head explode if you think he's going to harm you. New rule: if you're in danger, under any circumstances, do not even hesitate. Go for it."

"But you said people might see," she persuaded quietly, doe eyes wide and serious. "It's important to keep them secret."

"You're more important. You're what matters the most to me," he hugged her, kissing her curly head warmly and sighing softly against her when she snuggled her face into his shoulder. "God, I don't know what I would do without you, kid. I'd kill myself."

"Don't say that." El said sharply, pulling back to glare at him.

"I couldn't lose you too."

And then she understood what he meant. He'd already lost a daughter; he couldn't bear the thought of losing another. "You won't lose me," she mumbled, pulling him down with a hand on his neck because she was figuring out if she stretched out she pulled on her stitches, and that hurt. Steve was right, she should enjoy it while it lasted. "I promise I learned my lesson now." She kissed his cheek, the scratchy hairs of his beard a comforting and familiar roughness on her face.

"This was not a lesson, you got fucking assaulted!" He scoffed, pulling back to check her over again. "How many stitches did you get? Was Steve with you?"

"Language," she reprimanded lightly, a dark haired man fleetingly passing through her mind before she tossed him away like the useless heap of bones he was. "Seven, and they let him in when I was already on morphine. He held my hand while Charlie—that's the nice nurse—stitched me up. I could feel my skin tug up while she stuck the needle in." Hopper hissed, making a face and rubbing her hair in a comforting manner.

"Does it hurt?"

"Only when I move too much. How long am I staying here for, anyway? I want to go home." She sighed, closing her eyes and laying back on the pillow.

"You're staying for a few hours, and then I'll be signing you out. Probably for two more hours and then I'll move my influences here and get you home. How's that sound?"

"Like corruption but I'm okay with it."

He laughed again, getting a smile out of her, and then he leaned back on the chair with crossed arms.

"Steve deserves a raise, by the way," She threw out casually, lifting an eyelid to side-eye him. "And he deserves to stop being your errand boy."

"Aww, but he's such a good coffee picker," his smile died when she glared again. "Okay, I know. I owe that to him. Now, about that Mrs. Sostini… she hot?"

"Dad, I'm going to ask you to leave." She pursed her mouth and her nostrils flared, but her lips still hiked in the corners at his hearty cackle. Somewhere around them, a person shushed him, and he sobered up when he remembered they were in the ER.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked quietly, running his thumb on her forehead in soothing circles as she sighed deeply with her eyes still closed, probably drained from the day's events. "You're kind of cold. Do you want me to call someone to get the AC—"
"Excuse me," Charlie interrupted with a grimace, an awkward smile on her lips and her eyes wandering between Hopper and the sleepy girl on the bed. "Sorry to interrupt but Steve says El's other half is here to see her?"

El gasped, eyes open and bright, and of fucking course the thought of Michael would spring her up. "Tall, dark haired, never-seen-the-sun skin, sharp features?"

"Never-seen-a-hair-cut hair too." Charlie chuckled back to Hopper, earning a grin from him. Steve, was it now? Hmmmm, he hummed mentally, interesting.

"That'd be Mike." El mumbled happily, eyes still hazy but awake enough.

"You can tell him to go home, I'll just stay here—"

"No, Hop!" El gasped, eyebrows drawn in an angry expression.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" He laughed, already standing up from the chair with a grunt. "But I'll be back soon. I don't think they'll let too many people in anymore."

"Mmmm," Charlie interrupted. "I think we can let it slide for you."

"I knew Steve liked you for a reason." El smiled happily, snuggling further down on the bed.

"Holly, stop!" Mike whined, catching his little sister by the waist before she ran after another nurse. "They're not letting you go in with the babies!"

"But I just want to see them, Mike!" The blonde whined back, her hands on his knees as she wiggled on her feet, making Steve laugh next to them.

"Well they're sleeping, so leave them alone!" Mike chuckled, pulling her back to sit on the chair next to him.

"Steve?" Charlie called as she walked out of the double doors, her footsteps light and quick, her brunette hair pulled back from her face in a braid that smacked against her back when she walked, and Steve could feel himself sigh at the sight of her. "Hopper will be out now."

"Oh, great!" Mike jumped from his seat, eyebrows up and eyes wide, but then he looked down to see Holly peering up at him, her legs swinging back and forth. "Uhmm… they won't let her come in with me, will they?"

"No, kids aren't allowed in the ER as visitors." Charlie told him with a grimace.

"It's okay," Steve stepped in. "I can watch her while you're there."

"Really?"

"I'll help," Charlie smiled, locking eyes with Steve (whose heart fluttered). "It's not like I have a job or anything."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked as he caught sight of the Chief.

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Hey," Hopper breathed as he caught up with them. "You can go in now." He placed a hand on Mike's shoulder, giving him a light squeeze.

Mike nodded, twirling his car keys on his fingers, and then he turned to Holly. "Stay with Steve while I'm gone, okay? No running away or playing hide and seek without his knowing. I'll be out later."

"Just go already, Mike," Holly giggled, holding onto Steve's hand as she made him stand up. "Tell El I said hey."

"Okay." Mike breathed out, looking around before he marched on, throwing a look at the nurse behind the desk when he passed through the doors.

"So, Charlie," Holly exclaimed once Mike was out. "Any chance the newborn babies are awake?"

"Some of them might be," Charlie laughed, taking her other hand when the little blonde tugged on hers. "Want to go check?"

"Yes!" Holly exclaimed excitedly, tugging on her and Steve's hands, making them laugh.

"You'll be okay alone for a few, old man?" Steve threw over his shoulder at Hopper as Holly directed them to the door in the back as if she had any idea where the baby area was.

"Not as much as you'll be." His boss snorted as he sat down on a chair, making him flush and look at Charlie who only smiled at him.

"So…" Steve cleared his throat once they were watching Holly coo over the babies through the glass window. "Do you—"

"My off-day is on Sundays." Charlie tugged on the end of her long braid with a nervous chuckle.

"What time do you get out today?"

"My shift ends at one." She grimaced, knowing it was too late for an impromptu date.

"Ahh," He nodded with a sigh. "You must probably be tired after. I'd only want my bed, not even think of dinner or—"

"Or," Charlie interrupted him, nodding with a breathy, excited smile. "I could go for dinner. I can put on hold my bed for a few. Got anywhere in mind?"

"I know this diner that has some of the greatest smoothies I've ever tried; and their fries are to die for."

"Smoothies and fries," Charlie hummed, closing her eyes, and Steve took the moment to appreciate the smooth canvas that was her face, her long eyelashes against her cheeks. "Sounds delicious."

"Sounds like a date." Holly threw over her shoulder, smirking at both with every ounce of Wheeler-ness Steve knew.

"Sounds like a date." Both agreed, laughing together.

"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't—fuck."

He had been mentally preparing himself for the sigh of his girlfriend on the hospital bed, but actually seeing her was a whole other blow. Her eyes were closed, her chest moving up and down gently with every breath, and her curly hair was a halo around her pale face. He would've though she was asleep if she hadn't opened her eyes the minute he cursed.

"Hey," She mumbled when she saw him standing a few feet away. "C'mere."

His feet shuffled stupidly until he was tugging the blue privacy curtain around them, shielding them from prying eyes as he ignored the chair and sat on the space next to her thighs, cradling her face in his hands with soft moves.

"Hi," He breathed out finally, his throat tight against her chin. "Hi, gorgeous."

"Mike," She could tell he was out of it. She tugged on his elbow, leaning away from him a little so she could see his face. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," He whined, his thumb tracing the bruise on her chin and the scab on her lip as his eyes slowly began to shine brighter against the fluorescent lights above them. "You're hurt."

"Yes, but I'm okay now."

"I'm not."

His voice came out strangled, as if it hurt him to say the words, and he buried his face against her hair with a shudder, kissing her head as his shoulders began to shake.

"Mike—", her lip quivered. She squeezed his wrist while her own eyes began to sting, her voice broken.

"I should've been there," he rushed out against her. "I should've been there and I wasn't and I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault, Mike."

"I know it's not, but if I had drove you home instead of letting you walk alone that fucker wouldn't have found you and you wouldn't be here right now, in this stupid hospital where there's only one nice nurse and in this stiff ass bed with scratchy blankets and- look at you," he sniffled touching her lip. "How am I going to kiss you now if I know I could have prevented-"

"Like this." She tugged him forward, her hand sliding through the back of his hair, and then she was kissing him. The light peck they started with turned into soft kisses, tugging each other's lips until El hissed lightly, moving back from the slight burn on her growing scab. "Mike, it's okay. I'm okay."

Her eyes were serious (a little bit wet and hazy too, but she had been crying through the night and the pain killers were still there), the cold certainty and assurance that she transmitted when she was making a point present in her brown orbs, and Mike nodded, a bit dazed from the kiss—like he always was; that was her effect on him—, gently touching her cheek as his eyes scrutinized every inch of her again.

She was strong; the strongest person he had ever met and he knew she would recover from this, but it still hurt him to see her hurt. El had been nothing but a happy girl since 1984, and seeing her like this, bruised, drained, in a hospital gown and wounded… well, it reminded him too much of the first time they met, and the way she had slipped out of their lives that night in Middle School.

"How are you feeling?" He settled for asking, moving one of her curls around the white pillow as she sighed softly.

"Fine. A little bit sore, and I'm sure it will get worse, but given the situation I'd say it's normal."

He wiggled until he reached the footrest, throwing his hand around until his fingers found the board clipped to her bed that explained her status.

"Let's see," he hummed as he began to inspect her medical record. "Jane E. Hopper, Female, Age 16, Boyfriend: Mike Wheeler, the best boyfriend ev—"

"Mike," she laughed, slapping his knee. "Stop trying to make me laugh. I'll rip my stitches and then I will be in serious trouble."

"Shit, sorry, sorry," He hissed, rubbing her stomach carefully to not touch the bandages underneath. "Penetrating Abdominal Trauma—oh, fancy names around here-, stopped blood flow, cleaned wound with sterile solution, 8 ml of Morphine for pain relief through IV, no found foreign bodies in the wound, 3 centimeters of depth, clean cut, 4 mg of Lidocaine for Local Anesthesia, seven stitches across the wound, covered it with clean bandages. Well," Mike finally said as he tapped the clip board with his car keys. "That was quite the ride you got."

"I just understood they drugged me a bit to numb me and then stitched me up. I don't understand any of that… medical shit." She shrugged, smiling lightly when he outright laughed at her.

"That medical shit is very educative and just saved your life."

"No, Steve did." She rebutted.

"Yeah," He sighed, nodding his head as he returned to his task of arranging her curls around the pillow. "And thank God he did."

She snickered suddenly. "He just met his new girlfriend here."

"Charlie? Yeah," Mike laughed with her. "I bet he already landed himself a date by now."

"Smooth Stevie," She leaned back again, her eyes closed and a deep sigh leaving her lips. "I don't know why your sister dumped him. He's awesome."

"She dumped him for your brother, though." He reminded with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk tilting his lips as he watched her reaction.

"Still," She shrugged a shoulder, the hospital gown slipping a little. "Jon is great but... Steve is Steve."

"Yeah, he's awesome." Mike agreed, thinking of the fluffy haired man. "He's watching Holly right now."

"Holly's here?" El lifted an eyelid.

"Oh, yeah, she says hey." He chuckled, grasping her un-IVied hand and rubbing his thumb on the back of it.

"Are things better at home now?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Eh. They didn't get a chance to say anything. I practically flew the car here with Holly, so…"

"I'm glad you distracted Holly first."

"I'm glad you're okay."

She could see his home life situation wasn't a topic he desired to approach now, so for his sake, she dropped it.

"Do you want to sleep?" He asked when he saw her start to drift away, her eyes closed for a few silent minutes. "I can go—"

"No, don't go," She mumbled without opening her eyes, clutching his hand tighter. "Stay for a little longer."

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to." He replied in a heartbeat, eagerly turning to her to watch her fall into sleep. He liked watching her sleep, not in the creepy way, but because seeing her so serene and calm soothed him too.

"Stay forever." She whispered.

A tug on his heart and a lopsided love-sick smile were his response. "I intend to."

She fell asleep to the soft sounds of his breathing, the beeping of the multiple heart monitors around the room, and the murmured words that left his mouth as he sang to her.

"Tell me your troubles and doubts, giving me everything inside and out. Love's strange so real in the dark, think of the tender things that we were working on…"

Chapter Text

"Mooooooommm!" Dustin screamed from his room as he lifted clothes and random things from the floor.

"Whaaaat?" Claudia screamed back from somewhere around the house.

"Have you seen my baseball glove?"

"Why? Where are you going?" His mother suddenly appeared on his doorstep, her hands on the frame as she watched him move around the floor.

"Steve is picking me up so we can practice on my throwing," his voice was muffled as he stuck his head under his bed, his arms reaching out to move shoe boxes and old toys around in hopes of finding his glove. "He's like— oh, Stretch Armstrong!" He got out from under the bed to show his mother the old toy he loved to play with when he was younger, a wide toothy grin on his face.

"Aww," Claudia cooed, walking over to her son to sit on his bed, taking the silicone figure from his outstretched hands. "It's been years since you played with this, Dusty. Remember how you always wanted to cut him up so you could look at what was inside?" She giggled, and then she sighed wistfully, playing with the arms of the toy. "Now you're all grown up. Where's my little boy gone?" She reached out to caress his cheek with a soft smile.

"Mom," he chuckled bashfully, giving her hand a soft squeeze before he walked backwards, returning to his search. "Now's not the time to get melancholic. Help me find my glove?"

"Oh, it's in the shed." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You could've said that from the beginning." Dustin rolled his eyes, straightening up from his crouched position in front of his closet.

"But that would've robbed us from this precious moment!" His mother exclaimed playfully.

"You're terrible." He chuckled fondly, walking over to kiss her cheek (much to her delight) and then he was off. "If Steve comes before I've found it, tell him to wait!"

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Henderson!" Steve waved with a hand, smiling around the vanilla wafer he had taken from Dustin's box when he was in the kitchen waiting for him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Claudia!" She exclaimed from the doorway as Dustin buckled his seatbelt next to him.

"Okay," he yelled, putting the car in Drive. "Bye, Claudia!"

"Bye, boys!" She waved. "Have fun, sweetie!"

"Yes, mom!" Dustin waved as he munched on his own wafer.

"Love you!" Claudia screamed as they pulled off.

"Love you too!" Dustin managed to scream back, sticking his head out of the window to look back at his mom.

He fumbled with the radio, chatting with Steve about his tardiness and the unstoppable return to school.

"You nervous?" The older boy asked as they started entering their practice spot.

"Nah," Dustin waved a hand. "Just a few months and then I'll be nervous."

"The big High," Steve nodded, sneaking a look at his curly haired companion as the trees began to clear up. "You'll do fine. All of you will."

"Hopefully El can be with us."

"At the rate she's going," They parked the car. "I wouldn't be surprised if she graduated before all you nerds."

"To be honest, me neither." Dustin laughed as they exited the vehicle.

While Steve popped open the trunk and began to pull the bag out, Dustin contemplated their surroundings.

The ample field where Hopper had gotten caught under the earth was probably not a good place to be at if the person wanted to move on from past trauma, but Dustin had never been the type to pass an opportunity, and after the whole circus that happened here, the field was mostly deserted and in a good area to practice.

Naturally, he charmed Steve into yielding, and sometimes the boys and the girls (El's outings were still very supervised by Hopper, and given the place, her appearances where fewer than the others') joined them to really play some baseball, or to make fun of him and his stubbornness ("You can't catch a ball to save your life!" Max screamed at him while the others laughed after he had to chase the baseball for the third time in a row as he failed to catch it).

Sometimes Steve really made him work. There were days in which he swung the bat softly, trying to throw him off and to make him run towards the ball instead of it flying to him; and some days he literally cracked the air with the force behind his swings.

Today was one of those days.

"Oh, you son of a bitch!" Dustin moaned out a groan as the white ball flew way past his head, through the air and into the line of trees.

"Go get it, tiger." Steve laughed as he rested the bat along his shoulders, and if Dustin wasn't in the middle of dragging his tired legs through the field, he would've taken some time to admire the utter coolness Steve Harrington oozed.

Rumbling under his breath and cursing the fluffy haired boy, he made his way through the grass, glove still in his hand and cap on to block the sunlight from his eyes. He entered the line of trees and sharpened his baby blues to look for the ball, seeking white from the browns and greens of the woods.

His eyebrows furrowed momentarily when he heard a strange noise, but the sweat sliding down his neck and the itchiness of the glove in his hand didn't let him pay attention to it, and it was only when the ball rolled back to him, bumping against his shoe and chilling him to the bone, that he recognized the sound.

And the creature it came from.

"Dart?"

With wide eyes and his heart in his throat, he stared as his old pet hesitantly neared him, his flower-like head closed, like a newborn rose. Ball forgotten, Dustin stood frozen as the Demodog studied him, his footsteps slow and dangerous, and in the back of his brain, somewhere in his subconscious, a voice screamed at him to run; to distract the creature and then run to Steve, and get in the car, and drive to the Station or to the Byers', and to contact Hopper because holy shit Dart was alive and he was out!

But before he could do any of that, his self-proclaimed mentor was strutting to him.

"I know you can't catch a ball for shit, but I didn't know you couldn't find one eith— holy shit, what tHE FUCK?!"

Startled, Dart opened his mouth and there it was, the scary flower-like cavity full of sharp little teeth in full view for them.

"No, Steve!" He suddenly remembered how to speak, throwing a gloved hand out to shield the screaming boy behind him, and another to the snarling Demodog in front of him. "Dart," he called to him. "D'Artagnan! It's me! It's Dustin, your friend!"

Still hissing, Dart lowered his shoulders, in a way Dustin had seen lionesses do before attacking a poor antelope in TV, and he decided that even though he couldn't catch a ball to save his life, he was gonna have to dominate an inter-dimensional creature to do it. "Dart!"

"Dustin, get the hell back in here or so help me—"

"Shhh!" He turned his head to glare at an anxious Steve, taking his glove off and throwing it at him. He continued his walk with slow, measured steps, his hands out and spread open like he had seen Lucas approach Max when he did something that angered her, and he clicked his tongue to try and take Dart's attention.

"Hey," he said soothingly, his eyes focused on the creature. "Hey, buddy."

It seemed to work, because Dart's mouth began to close up until it was a mere opening, and his tail began to wiggle up and down gently, as if starting to recognize his old feeder and friend.

"Yeah, it's me, it's Dustin! I fed you nougat, remember?"

"And you ate Mews too." Steve added with a scowl, and after Dart hissed at him, he quieted down again, squeezing the baseball glove like a vice in his hands.

"Right, that wasn't nice of you." Dustin told the Demodog who was beginning to sniffle the air between them.

"What the hell is he doing out? Why is he alive?" Steve questioned quietly behind him.

"I don't know, Steve, but I'm guessing he… I don't know, he felt me out here, so he seeked us out."

"Stop believing he's a fucking dog!" Steve snapped. "He's dangerous! He's going to eat us alive if we don't get out of here now!"

"Stop screaming, you're freaking him out!" Dustin exclaimed as Dart began to screech.

"I don't give a fuck! We need to leave right now." Steve barked furiously, grabbing his arm and dragging him backwards.

Dart snarled, opening his mouth again and walking menacingly to them while his tail moved wildly behind him.

"Steve—"

"No!"

"Steve!"

Dustin wrestled himself out of the older guy's hold, putting some distance between them and standing in the edge of the woods, between the trees and the field, hands out and eyes darting from a frantic Steve to a hissing Dart.

"Run." Dustin told him without looking at him, eyes on Dart and hand towards the car.

"What? I'm not leaving you, you sick fu—"

"Run to our things and get the fucking chocolate bars, you bumbling idiot!" He snapped, sneaking a look at his pseudo older brother.

Steve was anxious about leaving him behind, but he knew how smart the younger boy was, and he could already see a plan forming inside his curly head; so against his motherly instincts, he slowly backtracked, heart thumping wildly inside his chest, eyes on the green-streaked thing that was slowly closing its mouth again.

"Dart," Dustin snapped his fingers, catching the creature's attention once Steve was a safe distance away. "You hungry?"

"I- holy fuck, Hop, I don't know what to do." His voice was shaking so hard, and his hands trembled terribly.

"Keep it entertained. I'll be there in five."

"Okay." Steve breathed as he watched D'Artagnan munch on the bunch of chocolate Dustin kept on feeding him.

"And for God's sake, keep that boy from taking it home."

"I'll try."

He turned his radio off, took a moment to breathe and run his hands through his hair, smearing the drops of sweat gathering on the follicles, and then got out of the car.

"—if you like peanuts, I know some people are allergic to them and I don't know if animals can be too, but—"

"He's not an animal." Steve huffed, closing the door of the car and watching Dart through squinted eyes.

Dustin glared at him. "He's an undiscovered species, so I'm treating him as one."

"He's a dangerous monster, that's what he is." Steve crossed his arms.

Dustin lowered his eyes and settled for watching Dart munch on the Reeses. It kind of stung that Steve was being such an asshole to Dart; they hadn't really disagreed on anything before, and when he had wanted to keep that Demodog for studies Steve had supported him, even helping him to put it inside Mrs. Byers' fridge.

"Stop overanalyzing this," he cut through his thoughts. "This isn't safe, Dustin. He isn't safe."

"But he likes me," Dustin finally broke down, his voice quiet and pleading, looking up at him to tell him why he was so attached to the creature. "He likes nougat, and he's weird looking, and he doesn't like heat. He likes to have his back scratched and I know they were all dangerous and a few killed Bob, but… he's not evil."

"He killed Mews." Steve pointed out.

"But that's his instinct! He was hungry, and the only source he could find while I was gone was my mom's poor cat, but that doesn't mean he kills for fun!"

"Yeah? And what about when you're not home and he can't find any Reeses to eat? What about when he goes out and finds Claudia? Will you excuse that too?"

The thought of his mom, his blonde, happy and caring mom, covered in blood and squirming lifeless on the ground while Dart fed on her like Mews had been threw him into a new spectrum; it shone a new light on Dart, and the danger he could present to his home life.

"I know you found him when he was a little frog—"

"Pollywog." He said instinctively.

" A pollywog, whatever," Steve huffed. "But being small doesn't mean he wasn't… a killer then, Dust. He's a creature from another… dimension, and if we're treating him like an animal, he's got survival instincts, and he will kill like any other wild animal would when he has the chance. I know you think of him as a pet, but he's not a puppy."

"I know," Dustin murmured, his chest tight with resign. "What are we going to do, then?"

"Hop will get to it." Steve said as he caught sight of the Blazer.

"You called Hopper?" Dustin yelped.

"Who else?" He exclaimed. "Now help me get this thing still while he gets here."

He mentally cursed, observing Dart as the creature began to feel the air shifting and heard the crunching sounds from the Blazer as it got nearer.

"How do you put a dragon to sleep?" Steve mused as he rounded Dart up.

"Uh… you don't. The dragon needs to be slayed or—"

"It was a rhetorical question, Dustin." The older boy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, well, I didn't know, ass—"

With a snarl, D'Artagnan sprang up, making Steve curse violently as it pounced on him. The creature bounced off of him, leaving him sprawled on the ground as Dustin screamed, and began to take off in the direction of the woods.

"He's leaving!" Steve screamed as he tried to get up, rolling on the ground to lift himself up on his knees. "Shit, he's leaving!"

"GET THAT MOTHERFUCKING THING BEFORE IT'S GONE FOR GOOD!" Hopper screamed somewhere behind them, the Blazer roaring louder as he pressed on the gas.

Steve took off, hair flying in the air as he pumped his arms, running as fast as his legs could take him, but even with the older boy's impressive sports record, Dustin knew he wouldn't be able to outrun Dart. With the amazing brain he had been blessed with since birth, he thought quick, looking around between candy wrappers and baseball stuff. His hand took hold of the ball Dart had rolled back at him, and with a sudden rush of adrenaline, he threw the ball as hard and as aimed as he could with a hissed "Fuck it."

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed in shock as he watched the ball land squarely on Dart's head, thumping the creature's skull with a hard clonk and making him fall instantly.

Steve stopped short, hands on knees and pants leaving his mouth as he stared at Dart's green-streaked back sprawled against the dry grass. "What the hell?"

He looked back, noticing Dustin's shock and Hopper's approaching figure, and with a wide grin he sprang up, arms in the air and stomach exposed by his stretched shirt as he jumped in the air. "Hell yeah! Great throw, Dustin!"

The curly haired boy grinned back, running next to Hopper who had a rifle on his shoulder and what looked like ropes in a bag.

"Alright," The man exclaimed. "Let's bring this thing into the car. We're taking it to the Lab. Owen's waiting for us."

"What's going to happen to him?" Dustin dared to ask, because even if he technically had accepted Dart's fate already, he was still concerned over hisfuture.

"They're not letting it out into town, that's for sure," Hopper snorted sardonically as Steve helped him tie the Demodog. He looked over his shoulder, noticing Dustin's kind-of-down mood, and sighed, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder. "They'll know what to do. Don't worry."

That's what I'm afraid of, Dustin thought as he watched Steve and Hopper lift Dart into a blanket, and then carry him inside the Blazer.

"Damn," Steve grunted. "This thing is heavier than I thought."

"All that candy," Hopper grunted back, panting when they finally put him inside the Blazer's trunk. "You better clean that up before I give you a ticket for littering." He told Dustin as he eyed the multiple candy wrappers on the ground.

"You wouldn't fine me." The kid shot back, but still crouched down to gather the trash in his hands.

Hopper snorted again. "Try me, Henderson."

With a sigh, Steve shared a look with his boss. Hopper grunted, not-but-kind-of giving Steve the feeling that he understood the situation, and opened the trunk of the Blazer. With a discreet cough, he walked over to Owens, who greeted him and Steve with a hand shake and a smile, chatting idly as if there wasn't a Demogorgon in the car.

Dustin took an unopened 3 Musketeers bar and placed it inside Dart's blanket. "This is in case you get hungry," he whispered quietly to the still-out creature. "There's going to be new faces around you, so try to stay calm, okay? The lesser fuss you give them, the better they'll treat you." He gulped, suddenly overwhelmed as he stared down at the animal and remembered the tiny slug he had found that Halloween night in his trashcan. "You did some bad things, Dart. And your siblings were worse, but… I hope you live happily in the Upside Down Heaven, or wherever you guys go," he sniffled, looking up to find Steve looking his way from afar. The older boy gave him a sad smile and then looked away again, giving him space. "I'll never forget you, buddy. We were good while we lasted, right? Look at me, I might as well be breaking up with you." He laughed wetly, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. He sighed again, deeply and resignedly, and then he carefully traced the round contours of his old pet's face. "Goodbye, Dart."

With one last look, he walked away into the safe and warm arms of Steve, who was waiting for him as soon as he left the trunk.

"We're all good to go?" He heard Owens ask, and he guessed Hopper gave him the green light, because then he watched from under Steve's arms as 3 guys in protective overalls walked past them and lifted the blanket from the Blazer.

Dustin squeezed his eyes shut and buried himself further into Steve's arms when the older boy tightened his hold on him, wondering why his life was so hard and involved with interdimensional shit.

"You okay?" Steve asked him quietly.

"Kind of," He mumbled, pulling back from his hug. He coughed, rolling his shoulders to try and get a hold of himself. "How's my hair?"

Steve laughed, taking his cap off and rolling his curls between his fingers. "Wild, but you know what? I think that's your look."

He grinned, snatching his cap back. "Tubular."

"Okay," Hopper sighed heavily once he was standing next to them, the agents inside the Lab and Owens waving at them from the door. "I think we can call it a day."

"How about a shot?" Steve asked as Hopper led them away with a hand on each boy's neck. His boss shot him a look, eyeing Dustin in pointedness.

"How about some ice cream?" Dustin asked.

Hopper hummed. "How about some ice cream and alcohol?"

"You have the best ideas, Chief." Steve smirked.

"I know," Hopper smirked back. "Now, that was quite a throw, Henderson."

"Shit, yeah, I almost forgot!" Dustin grinned.

"I think we should switch your position," Steve mused as he unlocked his car. "You're not a catcher, you're a pitcher."

"Let's discuss this at the Cabin." Hopper said as he rounded the Blazer.

"Meet'ya there!" Dustin exclaimed as he got in the passenger seat of Steve's car, and then they were off.

Chapter Text

Three times Mike gets caught sneaking out to see El and the one time she does.

1

14; Nancy.

They had the habit of saying goodnight to each other every night through the Supercoms, or through the phone, but they hadn't seen each other for three days now, and he was desperate.

He had caught the flu thanks to Holly, who had shared her apple juice with a friend in school, and said friend had left the germs on her Hello Kitty thermos. He had started sneezing a few days ago, and his mother had literally locked him in his room, away from civilization, with his Supercom, books and medicines for company.

El had been harder to keep away, but Hopper had forbidden her from going to the Wheelers', and Karen was more than willing to help the Chief in his task. Knowing his girlfriend, it hadn't been easy, but both parents had succeeded.

He missed her. Terribly. He knew he was being dramatic, but he knew she missed him too, by the way she had nearly whined her goodbye at him that night.

So, naturally, he had to see her.

Tired limbs and drippy nose aside, he waited until everyone was asleep, and then he got out of bed, put his jacket on (along with the blue facemask his mother insisted on making him wear—he wasn't going to get El sick, he wasn't that much of an idiot-), and then he was quietly making his way downstairs, shoes in hand.

He didn't have powers like Eleven did, so he wasn't even going to attempt to climb out of the window. He was already sick, he didn't want to add dead to the mix.

He was in the middle of tying his shoelaces by the door when a light blinded him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nancy hissed at him, clad in pink pajamas and a flashlight in her hand, her brunette hair messy on the back of her hair. She had clearly woken up, if the pillow printed marks on the right side of her face were any indication.

"Nothing." He replied innocently, eyes wide and hands still on his one shoe.

Her eyes narrowed, smartly running all over his attire, and then she rolled those blue orbs to the ceiling. "You can't go out, Mike. You're sick."

"So?" He scoffed, although all he did was heat his face up by the hotness in his breath that was enclosed by the facemask. "I can't get more sick."

"Are you kidding?" Nancy scoffed as well. "It's midnight, it's cold outside! You could get lost, or even murdered. It's dangerous out there."

"So come with me," his eyes sparkled in the harsh light. "You can drive me to El's!"

"Oh, I shouldn't even be surprised that's where you're going," she rolled her eyes again, turning the flashlight off. "No."

"Nance, c'mon!" He pleaded quietly, a hand on the floor and another extended to her, which she promptly held onto to help him stand up.

"I shouldn't even be touching you," she muttered annoyed. "You could get me sick. And again, no."

"Please?" He persuaded, clutching her arm when she started to turn around. "Then I won't go alone and we can return home safe."

"No!" She huffed with a pinched face. "It's late, you're sick and I have school tomorrow! Besides, do you even know what Mom would do to us if she finds out we sneaked out?"

"It's not like you haven't done it before." He scoffed.

"Yes, but I'm older, and was never bedridden when I did it." She retorted, crossing her arms as she threw a cautious look at the stairs.

"I'm not bedridden, Mom's just paranoid," he rolled his eyes. "And you were just a year older when Steve started picking you up outside."

"That was different," she gave him a leveling look. "And I said no. Period. Now go back to bed before someone wakes up."

"Nancy," he hissed, holding her arm again when she walked to the stairs. "I'm asking a favor out of you and this is how you help me?"

"I'm not putting myself in danger of punishment for you." She snapped, trying to break his hold on her.

"So much for a great big sister," he sneered behind the facemask, planting his feet on the ground to keep her from escaping him. "Also, have I ever put you in a dangerous situation?"

"Yes! More than once!" She exclaimed, throwing her free arm in the air for good measure.

"Then you should be used to it!" He rebutted.

"Mike," his sister huffed, snatching her arm out of his grasp and smacking him on the chest while she pressed her other fingers against her eyelids, feeling a headache coming at 12 am. "You're unbelievable."

"And you're the worst sister ever!" He grumbled, glowering at her through watery eyes. "This is why Holly is my favorite."

"Holly got you sick." Nancy protested with a glare.

"Holly would go with me to see El."

"Holly doesn't know how to drive!"

"Yeah, well, she does know how to make me happy!"

"She also knows how to tell on you, something I also know how to do, and perfectly well, so don't try me!"

"You wouldn't dare." He narrowed his eyes.

"Try me," she challenged, eyebrows up and mouth pursed. "I'll scream right now."

"You wouldn't dare," he repeated, although his shoulders began to sag from the exhaustion his current illness kept on causing, and from the look she was giving him. "I just wanted to see her, Nance."

Her gaze softened, her mouth loosened and then she sighed with a roll of her neck, throwing her head back. "Mike, it's been three days."

"But I miss her!" He whined, his clammy skin flushing with embarrassment when her lips twitched with laughter. "Please, Nance, just for an hour!" He continued to plead, trying to use her amusement to his benefit.

"Michael," she sighed again, closing her eyes to his eager ones. "She's probably asleep anyway, why would you wake her up-"

"She misses me too! She wouldn't mind if we—"

A snore startled both siblings, Mike widening his eyes in alarm while Nancy turned the flashlight on again, frantically bouncing the light around until it fell on the form of their father, who slowly blinked his eyes open to the harsh yellow light.

"Kids?" Ted frowned sleepily, sitting up drowsily as he eyed them both. "Mike, what are you doing up? You should be resting."

"I..."

"And you should be in bed too. Don't you have school tomorrow?" He questioned Nancy as he adjusted the watch on his wrist, his white office shirt wrinkled from sleep and his glasses askew.

The siblings only glanced at each other, silently wondering how long had he been there and how had he remained asleep during their little argument.

"I got thirsty, Dad." Nancy decided to answer, bare feet shifting against the carpet as Ted stood up, stretching his arms with a yawn.

He nodded, absently scratching his back, and then his small eyes narrowed on Mike's tall form. "Were you going somewhere?" He asked as he took in his son's attire, frowning deeper when he saw him wearing only one shoe.

"I- Uh… was going… outside… to… uhm—"

"Get some fresh air," Nancy answered for him, smiling sweetly at their father; the lie came naturally as breathing to her, a familiar sport she had mastered through the years. "He's been locked up in his room for too long, Dad. He felt suffocated." She shook her head in mock-sadness, looking at Mike with false pity.

"Yeah, I haven't seen the sun in days, Dad."

"Well, there's no sunlight right now, son." Ted answered, glancing at the window to confirm his words. "The cold air won't be good for you right now. Let's go to bed." He ushered them away from the living room, fishing his shoes from underneath the La-Z-Boy, and walking sluggishly behind them.

Although he was grateful for her save, Mike still glowered at Nancy when they walked to the stairs, resentful with her for frustrating his plans. "You're the worst."

"I just saved your ass," she mouthed. "Say you're sorry. I told you this would happen." She shrugged simply, tapping his shoulder with the flashlight.

"I told you this would happen." Mike mimicked with a high-pitched voice, sneering underneath the damn scratchy facemask.

"You know, that's not what an apology sounds like." She raised an eyebrow, smirking when he glared harder.

"Fuck you." He snapped, voice still a bit muffled behind the facemask, and he tried to hit her with the shoe he hadn't put on and was currently holding, but she ran up the three remaining steps with a giggle, successfully escaping his attack.

"Language." Ted chided tiredly as Nancy disappeared inside her bedroom, throwing one last smirk at Mike, who walked stiffly to his room with a muttered "Night" at his father.

2

16; Steve.

They had been warned, obviously, but they didn't actually think Hopper would do it. It wasn't like they were doing anything bad either; they just wanted to spend more time alone. It wasn't easy with their friends always crashing their hangouts, so they took the little chances they got. Or they made those little chances happen.

"I have to go." He mumbled against her hair, his fingertips tracing lines on her waist under her shirt.

"Why?"

"Because it's late," he looked to the clock, confirming his suspicions. "And your Dad won't take too long to come home."

She sighed, kind of sad, leaning away from her place on his chest and sat down next to him, her back against the headboard.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

He grinned. "You know you will. We have school."

"Oh, right," she gently slapped her forehead, her mouth in a wide grin. "Silly me."

It had become an inside joke for them. Before she was… released into the world, they didn't know when they would be able to see each other again. El had still been in hiding and Hopper wasn't too keen on him being over all the time, so they would always wonder. But that wasn't the case anymore.

With a jerk of her chin, the window sprang open, creaking a little bit, causing twin grimaces on their faces. Hopper had to see a 'crime scene' (they had a feeling one of the farmers had insisted on spying the competition at night), so he wouldn't be home until after midnight (which wasn't too far now, and Mike shuddered as he realized they were tempting the fates), but Jonathan was home, and so was Will, but out of the two of them, the former would be the one to watch out from. He took the role of older brother very seriously, and had told them way too many times to keep the door open or some other Hopper thing.

"I could've opened myself." Mike whispered as he eyed the window handle, one hand still pulling his shoe on.

She shrugged, shoulders covered with the long sleeved shirt she used for bed, but her collarbones were still exposed, so that's where he decided to kiss her.

"Come here." He tugged on her arm, trying to pull her closer.

"No, you come here." She giggled, pulling on his hand, and he decided to humor her. He leaned in on his knees, pressing a kiss to her protruding collarbone, the skin soft over the hard bone against his lips, and then he trailed a series of kisses up the column of her throat, pausing to bite that spot on her jawline that made her… he laughed, his breath a moist cloud on her skin, as she mewled.

"Ugh, Michael." She groaned out, embarrassed. She didn't know why she could make that noise, but the first time it happened they had been so startled, and she had been so stiff from shock, he actually took like five entire minutes to start laughing.

"Okay," he chuckled, finally kissing her lips. "Sorry."

"'S, okay," she mumbled, kissing him back softly. Her hands were on his cheeks, the skin still smooth thanks to his slowly-raising puberty. She actually liked that he wasn't growing a beard, like Lucas and Dustin, whose stubbles scratched roughly against her skin whenever they decided to be affectionate with her. Also, Hopper had the thickest beard, and the hairs tickled her face every time she wanted to kiss his cheek, so she was thankful Mike hadn't grown any facial hair yet. "I like you."

He laughed again, the hand on her thigh squeezing involuntarily. "I like you too."

"Well, good, otherwise this would be very awkward."

He laughed again, the smile making the creases next to his eyes to appear, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

"Love you, Ed."

It was his turn to groan now, much to her amusement. She had started to call him that ever since she learned his middle name from his mother, and he hated it.

"Love you too, I guess." He rolled his eyes, kissing her again, and then he crawled off from the bed, standing up with quiet footsteps.

"Call me when you get home." She requested (it sounded more like and order from her, but he had learned by now), anxiously watching him pull himself through the window, wincing and throwing worried glances at the door when he made too much noise.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered once he was standing outside. "Lock this." He pressed his lips to his fingers and waved them at her, sending her a kiss. Another jerk of her chin and the window was closed again, and he stepped away when he heard the click of the lock.

He walked to the line of trees, grabbing his bike from where he had left it, and began to step into the woods. The trees rustled from the cold air, some owls hooted and a dog barked in the distance. If he hadn't been so over-exposed to the horrors of the Upside Down, the dark would definitely scare him.

The leaves crunched underneath his footsteps, and he frowned for the three seconds it took for him to realize why they crunched so loud. He whirled around just in time for a hand to grasp his shoulder, and he shouted in fright, nearly passing out when a face greeted him.

"Oh my God," he moaned, a hand on his rapidly beating heart and the other in his hair, his bike at his feet. "What the hell, Steve?!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" He defended himself.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Mike snapped, picking his fallen bike up again.

"Uh… I… that's none of your business, Wheeler." Steve huffed, crossing his arms, and Mike took the time to observe him. His hair was fluffier than usual, messier, his shirt was wrinkled and the collar of his jacket was pulled up. His neck sported a little bruise, one that made him smirk. He looked thoroughly fucked, honestly.

"Yeah, you're right," Mike countered, the satisfied smirk never leaving his lips as he began to walk to the front of the house. "It's none of my business who you were doing in there."

"What?!" Steve yelped, running after him. "What's that supposed to mean, you shithead?"

"Nothing," he said innocently, not matching the deviant smirk on his face. "Nothing at all."

"I don't have to ask who you were doing in there."

"I wasn't doing nobody in there!" Mike hissed, glaring at the older boy.

"Yeah, right," Steve snickered sarcastically, righting the collar of his jacket and rummaging in his pockets for his car keys. "That ship has sailed long, long, loooong time—"

"That ship is still… in the port!" Mike countered, hating the way his face automatically flushed in embarrassment.

Steve looked at him for a few minutes, a stupid, knowing, indulgent smile on his face. Mike wasn't lying, though. That ship was still in the port. Although it was slowly drifting away from it. Or something like that.

"Anyway," Steve shrugged, sauntering past him to unlock his car, which was parked in the Hopper-Byers' driveway. He must have gotten here after Mike, before he was sure the BMW wasn't there when he arrived. "Need a ride?"

"No," He sulked, still glaring at Steve. "I'm my own ride."

"It'll be faster if I take you."

"But I'll have to be in an enclosed space with you for 15 minutes." He huffed, rolling his bike to start walking out of the driveway.

"Oh, come on, Mike! I'm being nice here, you little asshole, it was a joke. I know you guys haven't—"

"Why are you still talking?" Mike growled.

"—so, just put your bike in the backseat and I'll drive you."

"No!"

"I don't want you biking on your own at this time in the dark, Wheeler!"

"I'm not three!" Mike snapped, stopping to look back at his sister's ex-boyfriend (was he really still her ex? Or was she just sharing Jonathan with him? He nearly shuddered; he didn't want to know).

"Well, then act your age!" Steve argued back, still standing by the open door of the passenger seat.

"I am!" Mike yelled back. "Maybe you should—"

He was nearly thrown into cardiac arrest again when a car horn was beeped on him, the blinding lights making him screw his eyes shut. He heard Steve curse loudly behind him, and then the car turned off, letting him blink back from blindness.

Hopper got out of the Blazer with a slowness that would look like tiredness for the average person, but both boys knew it was a dangerous kind of slow.

"Hey, Chief," Steve greeted weakly, throwing a hand in the air with barely controlled nerves. "So, we were just leav—"

"Do I want to know what the hell are you two doing in my house at one am?" Hopper questioned, closing the door of the Blazer with a slam of his palm.

"Well, I-… we—"

"You," he pointed at Mike, who was channeling his inner possum by the way he stood rooted to the floor. "What were you doing in there? I know what he's doing here," he looked at Steve, who managed to clamp his mouth shut from the shock of the Chief knowing. "They're both old enough to know to not disrespect my house."

"Hop, I—", Steve stepped up, trying to argue for his case.

"Save it. I already talked to Jonathan about it, he can explain to you. Now," he turned to Mike again, glowering through sleep-depraved eyes. “What have I told you about coming to see her, at night, when you're alone?"

"But we weren't alone! Jonathan and Will are here!" Mike protested.

"Will can have a house tumble down on him and he will remain asleep. Jonathan was… busy, so, no, you were really alone."

"We didn't even do anything!" Mike exclaimed with a frown, tired from being questioned about… his sexual activities, which hadn't been much to be honest.

"I can testify for them," Steve quipped, a bit too relaxed from being older and the step-father of his kind-of-boyfriend knowing about their kind-of-relationship. "He said, and I quote: 'That ship is still in the port'."

"I'm not even going to say anything," Hopper rolled his eyes, mentally counting to five because these two idiots were trying him, and he wasn't in the mood to be tried. He was in the mood for a warm bed, a warm blanket, and a warm Joyce; so he needed to get rid of them. "Just… go home. It's late. Harrington, get his ass in that car and move it. You're blocking my driveway."

He walked to the Blazer, getting in and turning the engine on, and after seeing neither of the two boys move, he honked impatiently.

"Okay, so, how about that ride?" Steve asked with a snicker as he moved to help Mike place his bike in the backseat of the BMW.

"Shut up and just drive me home," Mike hissed, throwing an anxious look in Hopper's direction. "And don't you dare say anything on the way."

"Or else what?" Steve questioned as they got inside the car.

"I'll tell Max you were the one who told Dustin about her rash."

The older boy miraculously kept quiet for a few minutes, contemplating the probable physical damage the redhead would do to him if Wheeler opened his mouth. "Okay, fine," He finally agreed, driving out of the dirt road and into the actual road. "But you also have to promise not to berate Nancy. We haven't… exactly… figured all this out yet."

"I wasn't going to," Mike frowned, pursing his lips in a grossed out manner. "As if I want to know what you three are up to."

"Yes, you do," Steve smiled suddenly, all smug and, yes, alright, Mike was curious. "But all in its own time, Michael… Let the ship sail on its own."

"Oh, god, you're never letting that one go, are you, huh?" Mike groaned, resting his head back against the car seat's headrest, closing his eyes as Steve snickered.

3

17; Joyce.

He hadn't exactly planned to spend the night, but after… some activities, he just fell asleep beside her. He woke up with a start when Hopper let out a giant snore a few rooms away, and he sleepily reached out to grab the clock, widening his eyes when 4:39 blinked back at him.

"Fuck." He cursed colorfully, closing his eyes tightly as he leaned back against El's pillows. He could leave now and arrive home an hour before dawn; he just wished his mother hadn't decided to check on him before she went to bed last night, otherwise, he was dead.

He sat up, looking around the floor in search for his clothes, when he felt her stir behind him. He looked over his shoulder as he grabbed his shirt from the foot of the bed, watching as the muscles of her naked back moved until her face turned towards him.

"Mike?" She mumbled, her eyes still half-closed with sleep as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Shh," he reached for her, kissing her forehead when she shifted to lie on her back, her skin warm from the covers. "Go back to sleep."

"Are you leaving?" She blinked up at him, her head falling back on the pillows when he lifted the covers over her body and tucked her in, gentle hands securing the blanket against her neck to lull her back into her warm sleep.

"Yeah," he whispered, pulling his underwear on and standing up to retrieve his pants from the middle of the room, his body still too slow from sleep. "If my mom notices I didn't go home last night she will throw a fit."

He kneeled down to pull his shoes from underneath her bed, smiling when the tips of her long hair tickled the back of his neck, and he carefully avoided knocking her head as she leaned over the side of the bed, staring at him with those doe eyes of hers he loved so much.

"Be careful," she warned, her curls a curtain of soft strands against her shoulder as she leaned her weight on one hand and the other secured the sheets around her. "He's out like a bear but he can wake up in any minute."

"I know," he had been around Hopper enough time to know the man's ears twitched at every creak of the floors. "This is not my first rodeo." He chuckled with her, finished tying his shoelaces, and then leaned in to kiss her goodbye. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Love you." She muttered as she pulled him back for another peck.

"Love you too." He grinned, kissing her back.

His hair was a wild mane of dark curls, and he was sure his breath stank a little, but she didn't seem to mind. He made sure his keys were still in his pocket, and then he threw his hoodie at her, snickering when she squeaked in surprise when it landed against her face. "Put that on and make sure you get some panties before you get out to face the world."

"Yeah, because Will didn't see you sneaking in last night wearing this." She said sarcastically, lifting the hoodie, but still pulled her arms through the sleeves. He got momentarily distracted when the sheet fell, but then his hoodie covered her chest, and her eyes met his.

"Perv," she grinned, snuggling back on the bed with her curls pinned down by the hood. "Mike, go."

"Right. Bye, pretty Number Girl."

He left her giggling, quietly smiling to himself as he closed the door of her bedroom behind him, and then he got in Ninja Mode, toes on the floor first and then heels, repeating the process until he got out of the hallway, mentally cheering as he heard the unceasing snores of Hopper, but then he stopped like a deer in headlights when he met Joyce's eyes.

"Mike?" She asked, eyes wide and shimmery as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Uhh… good morning, Mrs. Byers?" He grimaced, hating himself and God for letting him be caught by Will and El's (step, but she didn't use the word) mom, but then he shifted on his feet as he realized why her eyes looked so bright against the moonlight coming in through the windows.

She was crying.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, hesitantly walking to her with slow footsteps as she sniffled.

She waved a hand in the air with an unstable smile, as if it wasn't a big deal to find her crying at four in the morning. "I'm fine. I just… had a nightmare, that's all."

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about crying moms and traumas didn't let him leave her like that.

He walked inside the kitchen, Hopper's snores still loud in the silent house, and cleared his throat, a bit awkward and uncomfortable, but he firmly told himself that this was Will's mom; this was the woman who comforted El when the monsters got too close in her dreams and he was too far away; this was the woman who saw him grow up, and even took care of him like he was her own. He had to help her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked tentatively, watching as she took deep breaths and clutched the counter with shaky fingers.

She looked surprised, momentarily caught off guard, and then she smiled again, even laughing a little. "No, sweetie, I'm fine," her eyes were still shimmering, and her voice trembled, and he was sure there was a sob she was burying inside her throat. "I just… It- I—", she shut her lips, pressing them together as she started squeezing her eyes, her face scrunching up as she tried to suppress her tears.

Her shoulders started shaking and that's when he stepped up. She let out a sob against his shoulder, her hands desperately clutching the back of his shirt as he rubbed her back in what he hoped were comforting circles and not awkward slides of his hand.

"I-," she sobbed harder, a broken whimper escaping her and Mike felt his heart clench in agony. "Bob."

It felt like a sucker punch to the stomach.

His eyes widened in the darkness of the kitchen, images running through his mind of the nice and smart man that had existed very briefly in his life, but had left a big print in it. He squeezed Joyce harder, letting her bury her face against him, and he felt the need to lull her like she once had done when he was little and had scraped his knees while running with Will in her backyard.

He leaned his cheek against her hair, his height perfect to cradle her just right, and he began to rock her slowly, letting her cry it out.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered quietly. "I woke up and Hopper was asleep and he had a rough day at the Station and I didn't want to wake him up so I just came out here because I didn't want to wake the kids and—"

"It's okay, Mrs. Byers," he interrupted, his voice a murmur, shutting his eyes as he felt the prick of tears behind his lids. "Sometimes we need some time to… grieve."

"It's just… I keep seeing him. As the months go by, he won't go away. And it isn't even him," she sniffled. "It's not my Bob. It's a bloody corpse, eaten by those… monsters, and then he tells me it's my fault. That it's Will's fault, and—"

"Hey," Mike interrupted again, squeezing her harder. "Hey, we know Bob wouldn't say that. And it isn't Will's fault."

"I know that," Joyce pulled her head back, face shining with tears, eyes puffy and swollen. "Will… it wasn't him, but that… thing… I just can never forget his eyes before they attacked him," she closed her eyes, her expression painful and sorrowful, pressing a hand against her mouth to bury her grieving words. "They were full of hope. He thought it was all over… that he had stopped them, and I thought so too. But then…"

He nodded with her, understanding her feelings. Bob Newby had given his life for all of theirs. He sacrificed himself, knowing he didn't really stand a chance against those monsters, but he was brave enough to come to terms with that; to save Joyce; to save them.

"Sometimes I think what would've happened… if he… don't get me wrong," she swallowed thickly, her bright eyes widening in concern. "I love Hopper. I love El, and the family we all have. It's really what I've always wanted. But, Bob… he just… he had so much more to live, we… we didn't really had a chance."

She breathed out shakily, her hands still trembling as she opened a cabinet and took out an aluminum pot, the red paint peeling off on the edges from the well use it had been given. He watched her pour water in it, the cup bumping against the pot from the jerks of her hands.

"Hopper lives for coffee, but I've always preferred tea," she explained with a watery smile, pulling some tea bags from a box and placing them inside the pot, turning the stove on to get the water boiling. "Do you want some?"

"No offence, Mrs. Byers, but I've always thought tea's just hot water with some flowers in it."

Joyce laughed, her lips stretching into a grin that showed her gleaming set of teeth, and he smiled at the sight.

"We got some chocolate milk I think." She opened the fridge, the light of it shining on her face and highlighting the wet tracks of tears on her cheeks.

After some minutes, she clinked her mug of chamomile tea against his cold glass of milk in a toast.

"To Bob." He murmured, watching the sad tilt of her lips as she tried to find the silver lining, trying to remember the good times instead of the bad ones.

"To Bob." She repeated.

They drank in comfortable silence for a few seconds, each mind a wild hurricane of thoughts, before he interrupted the quiet.

"Did you know he was the founder of the AV Club?"

"Oh, I do," Joyce nodded vehemently, warming her hands with the mug. "He wouldn't shut up about it. I've never understood technology a lot, so I had to endure long rants about TV signal and new devices from RadioShack," she paused to laugh endearingly, smiling softly to herself as she thought of the memory. "When I told him you guys were in the AV Club he got very excited. He wanted to talk to Will about his days in Middle School, but they didn't really had much time alone, and by the time Bob was more involved with me, Will wasn't really himself anymore."

He took the information in, processing it and feeling Joyce's mood decline again, and this time he joined her on it.

"Will would've loved talking to him about it."

"He would've," she nodded sadly, looking into her tea as the hurricane inside her head picked the pace up again. "He would've."

They drank in silence again, and even though not much was said again, Joyce thanked him for the emotional and physical support, even if he felt he hadn't done much. She didn't even mention a thing about him spending the night, which he was thankful for.

And when he got home, and only slept about 30 minutes before his mother showed up in his room, harassing him about not being home all night, he thought it had been worth it.

+ 1

15; Hopper.

She knew he would be busy with Holly, but she still wanted to take his mind off.

He had to cut their nightly call short when his parents started fighting, their screams reaching her ears from the kitchen phone, and her heart had throbbed painfully for him when he had whispered his goodbye, his voice quiet and sad, Holly's whimpers against his neck as she sought comfort in him.

She felt the insides of her nostrils start to tickle as she maintained the window of her bedroom open, one leg dangling out of it as she placed both hands on the rail and tried to reach the ground on the other side. Her foot touched solid and she grinned in triumph, jerking in little jumps to throw the rest of her body out, when the room suddenly erupted in light.

"Going somewhere?" Hopper questioned gruffly, one hand on the light switch and another on the door handle.

"Ah, shit." El groaned out—sounding way too much like Dustin, which was actually his fault-, throwing her head back with closed eyes. The distraction and startle of the lights made her lose her concentration, and she was reminded of that by the window slamming back down painfully on her head. "Ah, shit!" She cursed louder, bringing her head back in and rubbing the throbbing spot on the middle of her skull.

"Ah, shit, alright," Hopper huffed, walking inside with crossed arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Having a possible concussion." She frowned, pouting slightly, still rubbing her head as she swung her legs nonchalantly, one in and the other still out in the night air.

"Start talking, smart ass." His frown got deeper, and she sighed, knowing she hadn't been successful in throwing him off.

"I was talking." She rolled her eyes, wiping her nose out of habit and catching a faint smear of orange on the back of her hand.

"Get in already!" Her father snapped,

She rolled her eyes again, pushing the window up and throwing her leg back in, ducking inside her bedroom to land on her sneakered feet under Hopper's glare.

"It's midnight, Jane," she sighed in annoyance at the use of her given name. "Everyone's asleep. Why aren't you?"

"Why aren't you?" She rebutted.

"I was in the middle of falling into bed, when I heard you waltzing around here with the slyness of a bull in a china shop."

"What's a china shop?"

"It's a- don't try me! I'm not letting you out of the loop here." He huffed, his moustache moving with the annoyed purse of his lips. "You're lucky Joyce is sleeping, or else she would be here—"
"I'd rather her being here than you." She sulked, throwing an irritated look in his way.

"Why? Because she'd let you sneak out to be with your boyfriend?"

"At least she would be understanding!" She snapped, glowering at him while she stomped to her bed and plopped herself on the mattress.

"Well, princess, I'm not exactly in the best mood right now, so, sorry to burst your bubble—"

"I've never been in a bubble!" She bristled, the lamp on her night stand flickering along with her temper. "It's always bad, and you being a mouth-breather isn't any good—"

"Well, sorry for not letting you run away in the middle of the night! You think that's normal? It's that out of the bubble enough for you?"

"Stop treating me like a child!" She snarled, head hot and throbbing while Hopper glared down at her with stormy eyes that were smudged with tiredness.

"Then stop acting like one! How many times are we having this conversation?! Mike Wheeler is miles away and even though I know how much you wish you could be in his house with a flutter of your eyelids, it's not going to happen!"

"Maybe if you bothered to hear me out first, instead of jumping to conclusions, then maybe—"

A thump on the wall made her shut up, both shooting a look at the wooden surface behind her bed, before Will's sleepy voice rang through their ears.

"Can't you guys fight later? It's late and I want to sleep!"

"So you weren't going to Mike's, then?" Hopper asked her once they both turned back to each other, completely ignoring Will's request.

"So what if I was?"

Jesus all mighty, he didn't have the patience for this. "You know what?" His temples were throbbing so he placed his fingers there, rubbing circles on the skin and applying some reliving pressure on the spot. "You're grounded. The end. I won't keep on fighting with you."

"Hopper!" She snarled, fisting a pillow.

"And I won't leave until I see you back in bed." He was too smart to be fooled, and he knew she would do what she pleased if he didn't inflict some parental authority there.

"Well, start getting comfortable, then." She glared, crossing her legs as she sat against the headboard, dirty Chucks on top of her purple covers and jacket still on.

"I won't say it again," he growled, feeling the grey hairs growing out of his skull. "You're. Not. Going. Out."

"His parents are fighting again! He's sad and he's taking care of Holly, and I want to be there for him—"

"You can be there for him tomorrow. At a reasonable hour."

"He won't need me then!"

"He's always needing you!" He rolled his eyes, shifting on his feet.

"The Wheelers aren't doing well right now. I don't know what else—"

"Well, that's all very sad and common, but I won't change my mind. Please get into bed."

"But—"

"Right now!" He barked, pointing a stern finger as he felt the ache in the middle of his spine began to pound harder.

"Gosh, you're such a douchebag sometimes!" El snapped, sitting up in a furious lung.

"Hey!" Hopper scowled. "Where did you learn that word?!"

"It's quite common, maybe if you got your head out of the 10th century sometime," she grunted, slipping one shoe off and throwing it at the floor. "You would've heard it!"

"I won't stand here and let you insult me because I didn't let you go out in the middle of the night--"

"God, Dad, you won't even listen!" She hurled her other shoe at his feet, missing his shin, where she intended the shoe to land.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry Mike's going through rough times, but this isn't the time to go pay him a visit! And because of this," he glared down at the shoe, kicking it away from him. "You won't go see him tomorrow either!"

"You can't do that!" She snarled, standing up in anger, her fingers twitching with the urge to do something.

"I just did! And if you keep on like this, it'll be No TV all over again!"

She though back to that time she had been a little rebel and he had taken the TV from her, snatching the cable out of the wall in defiance to her disrespect, and couldn't help the frustrated scream that tore out of her throat.

The lamp next to her, the one on her ceiling and all the lightbulbs of the hallway were suddenly lit, the light so bright it looked like the sun was rising inside the Hopper-Byers house, and then the glass shattered in a loud crash, the snap of her temper and the pulsing of the blood of her veins rushing out of her in a small explosion.

Hopper yelped, jumping away from the broken lightbulb, and she had the fleeting though to step away just in time for a glass shard to fly her way.

She panted, her breaths the only sound that was heard in the darkness of her room, and then she heard him curse violently.

"For fucking Chris's sake, Eleven!"

"At least the windows are untouched." She muttered with a shrug he couldn't see, brushing her hand against the wetness on her upper lip, and cursing softly when she felt the heaviness of blood stain the back of her hand.

"Hop?! El?! Will?!" Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and then Joyce appeared in the doorway, a flashlight in hand and her hair all rumpled. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"Ask her, this was all her doing." Hopper rolled his eyes with a tired sigh, walking to the desk in the corner to fetch some tissues from the Kleenex box she kept there for this sole purpose.

"El? Want to tell me why you blew our lights off?" Her stepmother asked as she watched Hopper clean the girl up.

"Because of him." The teenage brunette muttered broodily, staring up at her adoptive father in the light of the flashlight but keeping still as he squeezed the blood out of her nostrils.

"I didn't—", Hopper began to defend himself, but then a body landed against Joyce's side, long hair sticking up and pajama pants wrinkled.

"Aw, man, I told you to fight later," Will whined, leaning his head on his mother's shoulders as she passed an arm around his. "My night light exploded!"

"Sorry." El muttered, swiping her thumb against her left nostril while Hopper dumped the bloody tissues in the trash bin next to her bed.

"Sorry won't do it," he said, grabbing the flashlight from Joyce and pointing it at the floor. "There's glass everywhere. We need to clean this up before we go to bed. And I mean we all go to bed." He emphasized, throwing one last look at El before he gently pushed Joyce and Will aside, walking out to find something to clean with.

"What happened, sweetie?" Joyce whispered, grabbing Will's hand and guiding him around the glass to sit on the clean side of the bed.

"Nothing, it's just… you know Mike's parents are fighting, and I wanted to go see him so he would feel better, but Dad caught me."

"Honey—"

"Honey, nothing," Hopper's voice muttered from the hallway, and then his large form appeared. He threw the flashlight they had been using to Will, who caught it and turned it on to light his stepfather up, his shadow a huge shape on the opposite wall thanks to the small light. "When I say no, I mean no. You need to learn that. And we have to talk about this temper of yours."

Eleven scoffed at that. "Like yours is any better!"

"I don't make every light explode with a scream!" He huffed, motioning to their surroundings as he used a broom to sweep the glass in the hallway into a dustpan.

"And he doesn't leave me sleepless," Will added with a salty look. "What am I going to do now?"

"You're sleeping with her," Hopper told them as he threw the glass in the trash, the clang of the dustpan against El's bin making Joyce's eyes flutter from where they had fallen shut. "That way you have some company to make up for your night light and you can block her exit if she tries to leave."

"You know I sleep like a rock, right?" Will questioned, already slipping under the covers.

"I trust you won't fail me." Hopper answered, leaving the broom against the wall, and the dustpan on the floor.

"You seriously underestimate my ability to sleep." Will muttered, snuggled in a nest of blankets.

"Clean this up," Hopper ordered her, ignoring the way Will's eyes began to flutter immediately. "And then you're getting into bed. We'll talk in the morning."

She had some clarity in her, obviously. She felt a little ashamed and embarrassed, so she decided to listen and nodded, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Sorry." She murmured softly as Joyce walked past her, pausing to kiss her head, unintentionally on the same spot the window had landed on.

Hopper just sighed heavily, nodding reluctantly when Joyce swatted him on the stomach on her way out of the room. "Yeah, yeah. We'll talk in the morning." He stared at her for a moment; the still-on flashlight shadowing her features, but bringing out her huge eyes. "Just know this… if I catch you sneaking out again, I'll have to put bars on your window or something. Don't make me do it, kid." He warned, pointing a finger again.

She nodded, somewhat appraising, before Will's snore startled them both.

She looked behind her, chuckling when she saw her brother's face buried in her pillow, and she looked back at her dad only to laugh with him.

After a few minutes, they sobered up. "I love you, okay? You just have to stop being so damn stubborn." He shook his head lightly.

"Pot, kettle." She muttered under her breath, collecting glass shards on the dustpan, and she looked up from her crouched position when he groaned.

"Just… we'll talk tomorrow."

"Night, Dad."

"Night, kid." Hopper sighed heavily.

"Hey," she stopped him before he could get too far away, and he stuck his head in to hear what she was about to say. "… I love you too."

He smiled softly, the huge, untamed beard hiding most of it, but she knew it was there.

With one last smile, he was gone, closing his and Joyce's room door behind him.

She finished cleaning her floor and then she took off her jacket, thankful of not removing her pajamas when she had decided to go to Mike's. She slipped in beside Will, pushing him a little to make space for her, and then she fell asleep.

A few months later, or maybe even a year, the bars would be on her window, preventing a certain boy from slipping in unnoticed, and her from sneaking out.

But hey, that was the price of love.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"I've got an idea."

"Another one?"

"This time is a good one!"

El snorted, flipping through the glossy magazine. "Okay, shoot."

"What if—and don't laugh— what if we build a volcano, put some red gel inside, get some silver streamers, put some baking soda and vinegar inside, and then BOOM! It's like a party exploded in the classroom."

She raised an eyebrow at him, plainly stating her thoughts through her expression. "A volcano," she repeated. "With streamers. Does that scream art revolution to you?"

"Kind of... well, I don't see you proposing anything." Mike huffed as he flopped on the bed beside her.

"I'm thinking." She said as she read an article about color-opposites on eyes and clothes. It made sense that Max used so much green and blue. It was a perfect contrast to her orange hair.

He snatched the magazine from her hands, rolling to rest on his back as she protested. "Well, if we want to make a fashion show, we know what colors to use, then."

She giggled, sitting up and poking his side. "Don't be silly. Of course we're not doing a fashion show. We just need to think... how did Mrs. Sostini put it?"

"Outside of the box." Mike supplied helpfully, nodding as he lowered the magazine to his chest.

"Be original," El continued thoughtfully. "Creative."

"Ugh," Mike groaned dramatically. "I don't know why I let you and Will rope me into taking Art class."

"Because you love us both and enjoy spending the entire class doing absolutely nothing."

"Yeah, but I didn't count on the final project being a damn Golden Age revival."

"Now you're just being a drama queen," El chuckled. "Or drama king?"

"I can be both." He sat up, shifting until they were facing each other on her bed. "How about we forget about this for a minute and kiss each other senseless?" Mike wiggled his eyebrows, making her laugh loudly.

"No, I don't think I will." She whispered with a smile, lifting a hand to finger the collar of his striped shirt.

"Why?" He whispered indulgently, leaning in to brush his nose with hers.

"Because my dad is outside." She whispered back, their lips brushing slightly

"And I can hear everything that's going on in there!" Hopper's voice rang out from the living room.

Mike huffed, leaning back as El laughed once more.

She took a moment to observe her boyfriend. He was laying back all the way again, resting on her bed, his arms spread against her pillows and his hands under his head. His shirt had risen a bit from the movement, and a sliver of pale skin was showing between the bottom of his polo and the waistband of his jeans.

"See something you like?" Mike muttered teasingly, a lopsided smile tilting his lips as he watched her observe him.

"I see a lot I like." She grinned, leaning in to rest against his side.

His hand automatically went to the spot between her hip and waist, a place that was becoming pleasantly familiar to him.

He couldn't help himself and leaned down to kiss her, making sure they didn't make too much noise as to not alert Hopper.

As they kissed, she threaded her fingers into his dark locks, curling her digits around the soft curls, tugging teasingly and then relaxing her palm to scratch her nails lightly on his scalp. He sighed softly, melting further up against her, his lips leaving hers so he could place his chin on her collarbone and his nose on her neck.

She giggled softly, continuing her massage, as he threw his other arm around her waist, clasping his hands together against her lower back.

"Know what we should do in the meantime?" She asked gently as she observed his hair. He hadn't cut it since Christmas, and only because his mother had threatened to do it herself if he didn't went to the hairdresser. It was long, nearly brushing his shoulders.

"What?" He responded, his voice sluggish and muffled, and his lips tickled her skin when he spoke.

She withdrew her hand, making him whine in protest, but she only did it so she could place her fingers at his hairline, pressing her palm against his forehead as her fingers combed his dark locks, starting from the roots.

She hummed, internally nodding. "You should let me braid your hair."

He made an inquiring sound, his thumb rubbing a circle on the base of her spine.

"It's long enough," she continued, talking softly. "And I need to practice. I can't see my own hair and Max doesn't like braids."

"You should practice on Hopper."

She chuckled, her stomach caving in with the force, and she felt his shoulder shake with his snicker. "Can you imagine a braid on his mustache?" Mike continued with a snort.

She laughed again, nearly gasping from the image that came to her head. "Multiple braids on his mustache!"

They laughed, their bodies shaking together as they were pressed against each other.

She continued threading her fingers through his hair, still giggling quietly from the picture of her father talking with tiny braids slapping against his lips.

"So?" Mike mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"The braid."

"What braid?" She got easily distracted by him, and his hair was too long to not be throughly enjoyed by her fingers.

"Are you going to braid my hair?" Mike questioned, opening an eye to peer up at her face. "You have full permission to do whatever you want with me."

Somewhere outside, Hopper grunted. "With my hair." Mike corrected loudly, receiving an 'mhm' in approval.

"No, I won't be able to work with all your hair if you're laying on me." She pushed at his shoulders when he began to shift to lay his back against her chest.

"How do you want me, then?"

Hopper coughed outside.

"Christ." Mike whispered under his breath.

"Just..." she bit her lip, pondering over how she wanted him, before she sat on her knees and shuffled out of his sight. "Lay on your stomach."

He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything, doing exactly what she had instructed. He smiled softly when he felt her straddle his hips, her palms open against his clothed back.

"Mmmm," she hummed thoughtfully. "I didn't think of this."

"What?"

"I don't want you to die from suffocation, so you're going to... there." She placed a hand on his chin and spun his head around, laying his cheek flat on her pillows.

"How are you going to reach the other side?" He asked sluggishly, already feeling his eyes flutter as her fingers started combing his hair.

"I'll manage."

He stayed quiet, sighing deeply as she tugged strands of hair, muttering to herself while she crossed the pieces underneath the others. Once or twice she cursed as a curl fell out, feeling his back move underneath her when he chuckled at her, but she continued to French braid his hair, seriously concentrated.

"How you holdin' up?" Mike questioned gently after a few minutes, when he felt her fingers going down the middle of his head.

"Your hair isn't as long as I thought. The front curls won't make it to the end."

"Oh, poor guys."

She giggled, again, making him smile. Even though they were nowhere near to even beginning their project, he was very happy with how their day was going. Every minute spent with her was worth it. Sometimes he questioned the depth of his feels for her, and... well, it didn't necessarily scare him, but he knew they were young. Still, he was very aware that they weren't a normal couple, in a normal situation. Their true love story couldn't be told, but they had adjusted the beginnings for the people, had watered down how they met, and the result was fine. It didn't matter anyway. There was only her and him. They didn't need anyone else.

"El?"

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

Her fingers stilled on the back of his head, and he felt her thighs clench around his hips. He internally panicked for the entire 12 seconds it took her to respond, thinking 'oh, shit, she isn't there yet' and 'damnit, Michael, you should've waited', but then she sighed.

"Fuck, Mike."

Shit, he should've definitely waited. She already knew what love was, but maybe she didn't feel that for him yet. God-fucking-damnit, Mike!

"I'm sorry, I- it's okay if you—"

"Shut up, mouth-breather." She said, tugging on the braid. He protested lightly, feeling the tiny hairs on the nape of his neck strain and tug at his scalp from their place inside the braid.

She sighed again, and he wanted to cry.

She surprised him by laying her front on his back, her chest, stomach and whole torso pressed against him. Her breath tickled his ear and her neck was laying next to his.

"I love you too, silly," she whispered lovingly, kissing his cheek twice, and then the corner of his tilted lips, grinning against his smile. "You just made me mess up my braid."

"You can do it again." He started to move, trying to grab at her waist so he could lay on his back and kiss her properly, but stopped at her protests.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," she sat back on his hips, one hand holding on the end of the messy braid, while she held the other in the air towards her dresser. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and then a hair tie flew into her palm. With a sniffle, she turned back to the braid, tying the thing with rapid fingers. She took a moment to inspect her work, noticing the places where his curls had escaped, and where she needed to tighten the hair a bit more (next time, she thought), but then her seat was moving underneath her.

She made a sound between a yelp and a laugh, trying to hold onto his shoulder as Mike shifted until he was flat on his back, a huge smile on his lips and his hands on her hips.

"Hi." He grinned widely, squeezing her hips, his thumbs pressing on her skin as they sneaked underneath the waistband of her shorts.

She couldn't help but laugh; his hair was pinned back by the braid, his usual halo of dark curls hidden on the back of his head and smashed against her pillow. His eyes were bright, a show of twinkling stars against the dark wideness of the universe, constellations blinking all over her face; his lips were also wide, the gleaming set of teeth made visible by the huge grin.

She leaned down, pressing her lips to the scatter of freckles adorning his nose and cheeks. His arms wrapped around her again, squeezing her gently against him as he kissed her jaw. "Hi." He mumbled again.

She grinned, moving back to peer down at him. "Hi."

They kissed again, their warm breaths mingling with the other's as they deepened the kiss. She had learned what a French kiss was a few months ago, thanks to Max and a very structured explanation from Will, and they had been trying it out ever since then.

The rasp of his tongue still felt weird against hers, but it wasn't unpleasant. It never was. And she felt herself enjoying this type of kissing more and more each time.

They separated with a noisy sound, their lips moist and gleaming, breath a puff of air from their nostrils.

"I love you." She repeated, matching his grin.

"I love you," he repeated too, just because he could now. "I love you, I love you, I love you." She laughed, feeling enormously happy and dizzy with love, for him. He pressed noisy kisses to her cheek, her nose sliding against his skin.

He leaned back, the smile never leaving his lips, and they shared another giddy laugh, their gazes flooding with warmth and amusement. She was still sitting on top of him, her chin resting on his chest, and if he tried to concentrate better, he could count the gold rays around her irises. But because they were so damn distracting, he refocused on her lips.

"Mmm, we're... not doing...anything," she mumbled between kisses. "Mike, we have a project to do."

"You're a very important task, and I think I need to focus on you first." He nodded seriously.

"Oh, so I'm part of the project now?" She laughed, letting him maneuver her onto her side so they were facing each other.

"You're my whole project," he whispered cutely, leaning in to kiss her nose. "And you've always been the biggest part."

She smiled, half of her face smashed against the pillow. "You always say the sweetest things."

"That's because you give me reason to."

She giggled, returning his kiss, before she leaned in to snuggle against him.

His neck was warm, and so was his breath as he sighed against her cheek.

They loved each other, and they knew those feelings wouldn't change, no matter what. Even better, they would grow and grow as the years progressed.

But for now, they settled for cuddling and kissing, ignoring Hopper's reprimanding voice and their unplanned project.

Homework could wait.

And Art wasn't even a subject he cared about.

Screw you, Sostini, Mike thought as they made out, this is my Golden Age.

Chapter Text

Will was stressed out.

To put it plainly, he was stressed out to his very last hair.

Asher had been on daycare for only a week and he had managed to catch an ear infection. One that made the little 18 month old very cranky and hard to deal with.

Mike had talked to his boss and had been granted a few days off. Thank God, because Will wouldn't have been able to take care of their baby by himself.

"Will!" Mike's voice cut through his 5 minute break in the laundry room. "I need some wipes!"

He sighed, running his hands down his face with a deep grunt, and then he got out of his little escape room.

He swung by the nursery, gathering the pack of baby wipes, some diapers and Asher's currently favorite stuffed spaceship toy from the crib.

He walked down the stairs to see his husband bouncing the whimpering baby in his arms, Mike's nose buried in the little brunette curls on top of their son's head.

"Did he poop?" Will questioned softly, laying the baby's stuff on the coffee table pushed to the wall. The living room had been made into a large, pillowed, blanketed space, the tables and couches pushed to the edges of the room so Asher had room to walk around. He was beginning to let go of things to walk on his own, and after a day with a cranky baby in their arms, they had realized that walking or crawling made him be a little less fussy.

"I think so," Mike answered with a sigh, walking carefully to stand in the middle of the splayed-out blanket. "He kind of smells."

"Well, did you check his diaper?"

"I'm scared he will cry if I jostle him too much." Mike admitted with a whisper, throwing him a suffering look while he continued to bounce Asher.

Will couldn't help but snicker. "Bring him here." He sat down on the floor, pulling the baby mat from one of the couches and unfolding it between his legs.

"But he's calm." Mike protested, eying their baby who was still grumbling, but very gently.

"He won't be for long if he has a pile of crap against his butt."

Mike gave him a 'your funeral' look, shrugging lightly before he crouched down to extend their son to him.

Asher started whimpering immediately, wiggling his little feet in anger as his dad took him from his other dad.

"Hey, hey," Will admonished softly, placing the baby on the mat as Mike sat down next to him with a tired sigh, pushing curls out of his face. "What did we agree? No crying for daddy."

It seemed Asher didn't give a damn what they had agreed on, because the minute Will stopped him from rolling on his side, he started wailing.

Mike groaned beside him, throwing his head back. "I told you."

"Shut up." Will scoffed, gripping Asher's legs to pull his shorts down. He managed to unwrap his diaper before a nasty smell filled the living room.

"Yep," Mike pinched his nose. "Definitely poop."

"Give me the wipes." Will demanded over their son's cries, feeling his temples throb with an upcoming headache. Once he had the pack next to him, he went to work. Piling the used wipes on the dirty diaper, he cleaned his son from any residues, rubbing some anti-chaffing cream on his little baby butt and putting a clean diaper on him. "Get rid of this, please."

Mike took the balled-up, dirty diaper from him, standing up quickly and walking away to the kitchen while Will took the crying baby from the floor.

"What is it, buddy? Huh? Does your ear hurt? I know," he rubbed gentle circles on the one-and-a-half year old's back, cuddling the baby against him when Asher leaned his head on his father's shoulder. "I know; it doesn't feel good. You'll be okay, I promise."

Mike returned with clean hands and a moist face, clearly using the moment to refresh his tired head. "Asher," his partner called. "Look who it is!" He took the toy Will had taken from the nursery and sat back down next to him, wiggling the spaceship in the air to call their son's attention.

The baby continued to cry, not even bothering to look at his father. Will sighed, cradling him close while he stood up. He began to bounce Asher up and down, making shushing noises with his mouth in order to sooth the baby.

Right on time, Mike's watch beeped, a blue light blinking on his husband's wrist from the previously set up alarm. "Time for his medicine."

Will sighed deeply, sharing a look with Mike.

Asher didn't like to take his medicine.

Turns out, their son seemed to not like having a syringe full of yucky liquid shoved down his throat every 6 hours. But then again, who did?

"C'mon, baby," Mike muttered as he eyed their son, putting the tip of the syringe inside the bottle and pulling the correct amount out. "Don't give us hell."

"Oh, wow, look at that!" Will pretended to be awed. "What is that, Asher?" He got his son's attention, pointing a finger up at the plain, white ceiling of their living room.

Meanwhile, like a sly ninja, Mike sneaked up behind them, holding Asher's death-serum in one hand. With the practice of the week, Will pinned the baby's arms down very quickly, playing with the curly haired boy as he threw him back, distracting the baby with some giggles while Mike waited for Will's signal.

"Now, now." Will fake-laughed obnoxiously, throwing a look in his husband's direction, giving Mike the signal.

While Asher was still kind-of distracted, he didn't realize the purpose of his currently-holding him father when he grabbed his chubby cheeks in one hand, making his lips pucker up. He realized the treason once his other dad was sticking the plastic thing inside his mouth, scowling and struggling to free himself once Mike started pushing on the syringe's stick to release the medicine. Asher started crying again, the foul taste on his tongue still a weird and uncomfortable sensation.

"Shh, shh, shhh, it's okay, Ash," Will soothed, bouncing the baby up and down while pressing kisses to his wet cheeks. "It'll get you better. You'll be fine in no time!"

"I feel terrible," Mike sighed heavily, capping the bottle of medicine and placing it back inside its box. "I betrayed him."

"Mike," Will laughed. "It's medicine. Of course he's gonna cry. And this will not be the first time we go through this. When he's older, he'll get sick too. Hopefully he understands what the medicine is for then, instead of glaring like he does now."

They didn't know how, but Asher was mastering the art of glaring, even from his young age. Will had a feeling it had something to do with Mike's personality and his own telekinetic sister. Which reminded him of the fact that last night she had said she'd swing by to help them with her sick nephew.

El had been the one to help them with the adoption. As a social worker, she saw a lot of kids being dropped off in foster homes, or even in their own offices (the one she worked in). She was the one who found Asher in the parking lot. The little guy had been in a classical cliché basket, wrapped in a soft blue blanket with an attached note that read 'I'm sorry. I can't take care of him. Please help him.'

His sister had been so shaken up about it. Asher had still been a tiny three-month old. He really couldn't understand how someone would just leave a baby like that, but he was thankful for it. He didn't know Asher's biological parents' situation, but he thanked… destiny, God, luck, whatever it was that made it possible for him and Mike to have their little angel.

El had pushed and pushed with the government, putting pressure every day on the main office so they really took their case and could grant the adoption. Mike and Will would go nearly every day to spend time with Asher in the foster home's nursery, trying to form a bond, but that wasn't really necessary. Will felt the connection ever since the first time he laid eyes on his son. He would never forget that moment; El holding the baby for them to see, Asher's sleepy eyes meeting his own, holding him for the first time, trying not to cry from the warm weight of the baby and Mike's hushed 'hellos'. He had known that there would be a million chances of them not getting the baby. Homophobia was still steadily rising like always, and some people in the Adoption Department weren't too keen on a couple of gay men adopting Asher.

The process had been long; nights full of fearful tears buried in Mike's shirt while they cried at the thought of losing the beautiful baby. El had been a beast. He still recalled the way everyone's hair stood on the backs of their necks when she and the other social worker fought in the main office. His sister's voice had risen to volumes he had never heard, and Mike had gripped his hand tightly when they felt the sudden pressure of energy in the air. Mike had only barely managed to keep from bursting inside the office and pulling his once-upon-a-time girlfriend out, fearing the prospect of her revealing her powers.

But in the end, they got him. They had arranged their house and baby-proofed every corner to assure the AD that they were ready to welcome Asher into their family.

For the second time that day, as if calling her with his mind, right on cue the doorbell rang.

"It must be El." Will said, passing the still whimpering baby to Mike and jumping over the cushions and pillows on the floor.

He opened the door, and indeed, on the other side his petite sister was standing on the 'Welcome' mat.

"Hey," Will greeted her. "Come in."

"I come bearing food." El grinned, wrapping her arms around him once he had closed the door. He chuckled, feeling the bags of food smacking against his back from where she was holding them in her hands.

"Thanks, we barely had breakfast earlier." He sighed, taking the bags from her as she slipped her jacket off and shook her feet free from her flats.

"Yeah, I thought so." She took a minute to observe him, hanging her jacket on the hook on the wall while he inspected the contents of the bags. From the restaurant label, he guessed she had gotten them Italian food. Good, he could really use some pasta at the moment. "You look like hell."

"You should see Mike." He told her tiredly, pointing at the living room with a jerk of his chin.

"Is Asher awake?" She questioned while she began to head in that direction.

"He has slept for, like, seven hours since last night." He threw over his shoulder while he walked to the kitchen to put the food on the counter.

"Hey, shorty." He heard Mike greet his sister.

"Hey," she leaned on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, the interaction familiar after all the shared years. "And hey." She cooed, running gentle fingers on Asher's curls when he turned to face the new voice in the house.

Asher absolutely loved El.

"Oh, her you like today?" Mike huffed when his son extended his arms towards his aunt.

"Shut up, grump," El laughed while she took the baby from him, humming contentedly once she was cradling him close. "He hasn't seen me in a while."

"He spoke to you yesterday on the phone." Mike crossed his arms, watching her hug his (noticeably calmer now) son.

"But did he see me? No. Of course he missed this face, didn't you? Didn't you miss me?" She directed her attention to Asher, pressing noisy kisses to his cheeks. "He's warm," she observed, touching the boy's face with a hand. "Did he take his medicine already?"

"Yes," Will answered, coming in from the kitchen, licking his lips free of any remains of Alfredo sauce. "We gave him the fever one just before you got here."

"Hopefully that takes it down quick." El shared worried glances with the two men while she swung their son from side to side, Asher's little face tucked against her bare neck.

"Maybe you'll be able to make him take a nap," Mike sighed as he threw an arm around Will's shoulders, pulling him close. "He doesn't want any of us today."

She hummed thoughtfully, looking down at her nephew. "I'll try to tire him out first. Why don't you guys go have lunch? You look like you really need a break."

"Oh, yes, thank you, Jesus." Will sighed with a smile, taking Mike's hand in his. "What did we ever do to deserve you?"

"Save me from the rain?" El giggled as he pressed a kiss to her head.

"Be good for aunty, okay? We'll be back." Mike murmured as he rubbed his thumb on Asher's forehead, staring into his son's eyes with a gentle gaze.

"I bought some pasta and garlic bread. Mike, if you eat my cannoli I will murder you." El threatened at their backs while they walked away to the kitchen.

"We'll see about that." He winked over his shoulder.

"Will!" She whined.

"He won't eat it, Ellie, I'll make sure of it." He assured her, sharing a chuckle with his husband.

"She won't be able to tell if we steal a bite, right?" Mike murmured indulgently once they were unwrapping the take-out boxes.

"Only a bite." Will pointed at him, snickering when his eyes went wide with excitement.

They took plates and cups out of the cabinets, falling into a familiar routine with El's quiet singing in the background. They sighed deeply once they were seated on the kitchen stools, their elbows resting on the island and their backs hunched in exhaustion. They shared a laugh, understanding their mutual tiredness.

"What a day, right?" Mike chuckled, while Will reached for the fettuccini.

"You can say that again."

"What a day, right?"

"Ha. Ha." Will deadpanned, giving Mike a look while his husband laughed at his own joke. "Very funny, dad."

"Oh, wow, look at me," Mike gave him a startled look. "I'm already making dad jokes. When did I turn into my father?!" He exclaimed with a horrified face.

Will snickered, pulling some breadsticks from the bag while Mike rolled his fork around the pasta. "Well, you're nearly thirty-three. It was about time, right?"

"I refuse to become Ted Wheeler."

Although he knew he was joking, he couldn't help but put his own fork down, reaching out to grab Mike's hand. "You won't. You're an awesome father, you know?"

Mike gave him a lopsided smile, the wrinkles around his mouth from so many years of laughter appearing on his face. He was aging gracefully, something Will hadn't been worried about because he would always love him, no matter if he looked like a wrinkled raisin. "Thank you. I think you're an amazing father too."

"Even if I take impulsive breaks in the laundry room?" Will chuckled.

"Ah, so that's what you were doing upstairs." Mike smirked, squeezing his hand.

Will gave him a guilty smile, lacing their fingers together. "I take breaks too. And you're the one who's mostly with him. I have work the whole week."

"Yeah, but that's because you work in an actual office. Ah," Will sighed playfully, taking a bite of his pasta. "The pleasures of working from home and being your own boss."

"What's going to happen with the exhibition in Chicago?" Mike questioned as he swallowed a bite from his garlic bread.

"I postponed it," Will shrugged unworried. "My son is sick and I need to take care of him. I was thinking of taking him with me. Like, I know it'll sound rushed, but… I don't want to leave him in the daycare again."

"Me neither," Mike agreed instantly. "I mean, he'll have to be in it, someday… but he's too little. We should enjoy him as much as we can now."

"I like the way you think." Will grinned.

"You have some…" Mike gestured to his mouth.

"What?" He swiped his thumb on the corners of his lips, coming clean-handed.

"Here." Mike leaned in, gripping the back of his head and pressing their lips together. Will hummed, smiling into the kiss as he returned it, sighing softly.

It had been such an erratic day, they hadn't had the time to be alone. It felt good, to be able to have intimate moments with him still.

But of course, when you have a baby, your time isn't really yours anymore.

"Hey," El suddenly materialized in the entrance to the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt, but he's asleep." She gestured to the drooling baby on her chest, one hand resting on his back and the other securing his legs against her ribs. "Where do I put him?"

"Let me." Will stood up quickly, wiping his hands on a napkin and walking to his sister. With careful movements, they managed to place the sleeping Asher on his father's arms, Will shushing him lightly when he began to fuss. He turned to Mike. "Should I put him in the crib or do I lay him down in the living room?"

"Living room," Mike gulped the mouthful of soda before answering. "That way we can hear him if he wakes up."

"There's something called baby monitors, you know?" El sassed as she walked to the counter, where the food was served. "I'm pretty sure you have plenty of those."

"I know, smartass," Mike snorted at her, passing her a plate. "I just want him to be close enough."

"He won't—", she paused, staring at the insides of a small container before she swung her eyes up. "Michael Wheeler, I told you to not touch my fucking cannoli!" She hissed with narrowed eyes.

Will turned around with a quiet chuckle, tuning the pair out in favor of staring down at his baby son. He could hear El arguing while Mike laughed, and he chuckled again as he leaned down to place Asher on the made-up blanket crib.

"Those two are crazy, baby." He whispered with a smile, taking a tiny pillow and putting it between Asher's arms so he could cuddle with it while he slept. He pushed some curls away from his forehead, marveling once again at the unexpected similarities between them. Asher's hair was brown, two shades darker than Will's, but he had the same frizzy curls that Mike used to struggle with in his younger years. He had creamy skin, a peachy tone that made his cheeks flush when he was out in the sun, similar to Mike's sunburn issues. The only difference that was obvious at first glance were his eyes. They were hazel, sometimes a honey yellow in the morning light, different from Will's green orbs and Mike's dark browns.

But he didn't care about his looks. Asher was his dream baby. Their dream baby. The one he thought he'd never have thanks to his relationship and the unjust society. But here he was, sick and fuzzy, but so very loved.

"Sleep well, my angel baby." He muttered against his son's forehead, smiling when his little nose twitched, and then he was walking away to stop those two from killing each other, not without one last glance at his sick baby.

Chapter Text

The sudden ringing startled her out of sleep, and she wrestled her hands out of the sheets to fumble around her nightstand for the phone, knocking things around. While she put it to her ear, she blinked quickly, eyes on the ceiling of her room.

"Hello?"

No words were said on the other side of the line, but the breathing was enormously familiar to her, and this had become a frequent situation, so she instantly knew who it was.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes with her free hand as she shifted on her back, the phone cord stretching over her chest.

"I know it's you." She mumbled, waiting for him while she stared at the blinking 2:13 numbers on the clock.

A shaky breath reached her ears, and just when she was sure it would be one of those nights where he hung up after she answered, he finally spoke.

"...Hey."

Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced the sudden pang in her chest down. "Mike—"

"Were you sleeping?" He interrupted, voice quiet and dragged.

"You know I was," she whispered. "I always am."

"Oh..." he paused, as if trying to find the words, any words, to keep the conversation flowing. "Sorry."

"Mike, it's late."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just..." the line went static for a minute while he shifted the phone. "I wanted to hear your voice."

He sounded louder, the speaker closer to his mouth, and she sighed deeply as she detected the slurring in his voice.

"Have you been drinking?"

"...no..."

"Mike—", she cut herself off, lightly shaking her head as she repeated in her mind that it was useless. "You can't keep doing this."

"I'm sorry," his voice cracked, and she closed her eyes again in anticipation. "I just- I miss you so much and I know you hate me but—"

"I don't hate you, Mike." She sighed, pressing her fingertips to her eyelids.

"Yes, you do." He insisted.

"I've told you a million times that I don't hate you, okay?"

"Then... please—"

"Mike, I'm not—"

"Please, El—"

"Michael," she snapped, trying to control her emotions. "We've talked about this. Please, please, stop."

He hiccupped, a whine escaping from the back of his throat, and she had to pull the phone away so he wouldn't hear her bury her own anguished cry. She pressed her lips together tightly, gulping as she felt the tears start pooling in her eyes.

This had been going on for months. She tried telling herself that it wasn't her fault, but it kind of was.

They hadn't spoken a lot since the breakup, the distance proving to be a lot of help, but she couldn't miss his graduation. It had been an impulsive, selfish and emotional decision, but she couldn't have forgiven herself if she wasn't there to see him get the title he had struggled so hard to achieve. The one that had torn them apart. They had been an unstable mess, but their friends and their parents had been the perfect moderators to their emotional meeting.

Of course, she had never counted on going back to his apartment. And kissing him. A lot. The worse thing is that they didn't even had sex, they just fell asleep together, in his bed.

She had left with a million apologies falling from her lips and his watery eyes pleading for her to stay, but she couldn't.

And that had resulted on him calling her weekly. She was kind of concerned about him getting drunk at least once a week, but by then she knew her scolding fell on deaf ears every time.

The worst thing-even though she didn't want to admit it to herself- was that he never called in the morning. It was always in the middle of the night, hidden in the shadows, where he could be vulnerable and she could be patient. She didn't know how she would react if he did call in the day. Would they be normal? Chatting like the pair of old friends they were? Or would they be awkward and stiff, conversation falling to pieces as the hurt from their failed relationship seeped through their pores?

Sometimes he called and hung up after a few minutes, just breathing with her through the phone until she caved and said his name. Other times he would be pure babble, talking about anything that came to mind. Sometimes he cried and cursed her for not fighting for them; those times left her with an achy throat from screaming at him and with a trembling body, hands pressed against her face and feet kicking the covers away as she sobbed. She didn't know how she liked him best, but even though she always got exasperated and demanded for him to stop calling in the middle of the night, she knew she had grown attached to his calls.

Maybe it was the hope in her; the one that hit her out of nowhere and the one she couldn't squish away, no matter how hard she tried. The depth of their feelings ran so deep that she knew no matter how much time passed, pieces of them would always linger inside.

"What are you wearing?" His voice cut through her thoughts.

Surprisingly, she chuckled, cheekbones pushed high and teeth gleaming in the dark. "Really? That's what we're doing tonight?"

"Only if you want us to."

She couldn't help herself from laughing, melancholy staining the corners of her lips.

"I'll let you guess."

"Is it the Ramones shirt? I always loved the way it looked on you. It was never long enough to cover your ass." He slurred, but she could hear a grin on his voice.

She laughed again. "No, sorry to disappoint you but I'm actually wearing the biggest sweater I own and a pair of sweatpants."

"Oh... it's okay. I'm not disappointed. You look good in anything. I bet you look beautiful right now." He sighed deeply, gripping the phone tighter, and she rolled to lie on her side, chest tight again.

"How's the internship going?" She decided to ask after a few minutes of silence.

"Good. The boss is amazing but his PA is a complete bitch."

She chuckled gently, closing her eyes as sleep started blurring her vision again. "How's the work place?"

"I made some friends."

"Yeah, what they're called? Tequila and Vodka?"

He snorted, the puff of air loud on the phone. "Funny. That's actually a deathly combination."

"Yeah, tell me about it, you would know." She sighed, playing with the phone cord.

"Matthew and Liam. The names. Those are my new friends' names."

"Are they nice?"

"Yeah. Matt's from Ohio and Liam is a local. The guys would like them. You would like them."

"Maybe I'll meet them someday."

"Yeah," he rushed out, and she grimaced, knowing she had made a mistake. "Maybe you could... come and visit again."

"I... I don't think that's a good idea, Mike." She whispered sadly, feeling her walls start to crumble.

"El… I know that we didn't- I- we fucked it up. But we're in different places now. Maybe—"

"Mike, I'm tired and I have to wake up early tomorrow." She nearly gasped out, sitting up with her back against the wall.

"Just- listen! You always do this! Why do you always do this to me? You just… run and run every time and I love you and I can't keep you out of my mind—"

"Mike, please—"

"—even though you don't want to admit it. I know you still love me. And we can- we can fight. For each other, El."

She was crying. There. Another night in which he succeeded in making her cry.

"Stop guilt-tripping me—"

"Why are you so scared, Eleven?!" The presumed high-level of alcohol in his system always made him bolder, louder. "What are you scared of?!"

"You!" She finally screamed, anguish rushing though her vocal cords like vomit. "I can't let you in again, Mike. You… broke my heart," her voice cracked, nose stinging from the cold AC. "And I won't let you do it again."

"You broke my heart too," he whispered brokenly, making her heart ache even more. "You broke me. You're not innocent in this, you know?"

"I never said I was." She snapped, wiping the tears from her cheeks with trembling fingertips.

"Why won't you try? Why won't you give us another chance, El?"

She sobbed, her feelings running out in the form of fat tears. She couldn't help herself. All the hurt, pain, anger, guilt, regret, from their final fight always caught up with her. He made her revive those buried memories.

"I love you," Mike cried drunkenly, hiccupping through his tears. "I'll always love you, Ellie. I don't care if you want to keep lying to yourself, but I won't hide anymore."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll wait," he took a deep breath, shaky and full of emotions, but when he spoke again, he sounded calmer, sobered up. "I'll wait for you, okay? Just… don't leave me like this again."

"Mike," she tried weakly, words failing her. "I…"

Of course she loved him. Even though she'd tried to convince herself otherwise, their reunion back in June proved that those feelings hadn't been erased. They had merely been asleep; on pause, ready to press play the minute their eyes met.

But she had crawled out of the dark hole she had been in. She had recovered, focusing on school, on work, on anything but him. And she was scared of going back to the deep abysm.

"I'm scared." She finally admitted, biting her lip anxiously.

"I'm scared too," he whispered, hope drowning his voice. "But I know we'll make it work. I'm scared of the 'what ifs', but I'm not scared of us."

She had to take a minute to appreciate his words. Even sloppy drunk, Michael Wheeler still managed to sound like a modern Shakespeare.

She sighed again, sniffling as she combed her hair back from her sticky face and eyed the hour on the clock. "I can't promise you it'll work, Mike."

"You don't have to. I'm just asking for a chance. It's not a promise, it's a… maybe."

"…Maybe." She repeated shakily, fingers knotted on the sheets by her hip. She couldn't just say yes. She had to think things through, and she couldn't do that at three in the morning. "I need to go."

"Okay," he whispered back, sniffling quietly. "I'm sorry for keeping you up."

"… I'm not." And she was being honest.

"Thank you for hearing me out."

"I always do. It's like a spell. I can't just hang up on you." She chuckled quietly, shaking her head while she slipped down the bed again.

Out of nowhere, he burped. Loud and disgustingly, but it made her laugh while he hastily apologized. "I'm sorry. I think I had too many drinks tonight."

"Do me a favor and drink some Advil in the morning. That's gonna leave one hell of a hangover."

"Will do." He coughed lightly, sniffling again as she heard him move around in the background. She wondered if he was in bed like her, or if he was calling from a random phone. She couldn't hear any street sounds, only the deafening silence of the enclosed space he was in, so she concluded of him being in his apartment.

He sighed softly, and she knew he had one last thing to say before saying goodbye. "Do me a favor and don't give up on us."

She stalled, eyes blinking bright again. "I… I'll try. I promise that I'll try, Mike."

"Okay," he whispered again, sounding too much like the teenager boy she used to talk in the late hours of the night, tucked in her bed back at the Hopper-Byers' house, SuperCom in hand and giggles muffled against her pillows. Those were the days. "Sleep tight."

"Good night, Mike." She muttered, shutting her eyes and feeling her wet lashes cling to the bags under her eyes.

"Good night, El."

And then they hung up.

It took her a few minutes, tossing around the bed and letting some tears out for relief, but she fell asleep with the promise of letting herself be and his voice in her mind.

Chapter Text

It always reached a place when he wondered how in the hell did he get to this point.

"Hey, we're out of Poptarts!" Max exclaimed as soon as she saw him, standing with Will inside of his pantry.

"What?" Steve frowned, entering his kitchen with hands on his hips as he heard the other four laughing somewhere in the living room. "How did you get inside my house? You don't live here."

"Back door was open." Will dimpled at him, snacking on a bag of chips he'd grabbed when he realized he wasn't getting Poptarts.

"So what you're gonna do about the no Pop Tarts thing?" Max questioned with a raised eyebrow as she shook the empty blue container in the air.

He sighed with a groan, throwing his head back as the two teens high-fived each other, because by then they knew when their battle was won. "Let me go get the car keys. You two get the others. I had to do some grocery shopping anyways."

He somehow had acquired 6 children, and they proved to be a handful in more than one occasion. Like this one.

His parents, like all the time, were on a business trip. Honestly, it baffled him why they even bothered to tell him before they left. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it. He had practically raised himself (with a few nannies included), and by the time he was fourteen, he could look after himself on his own.

Which was the reason he got exasperated when something went wrong with the six pre-teens when they were under his supervision.

They were all fairly independent; they didn't need much taking care of, for starters, but they had a damn good amount of recklessness and lack of good judgment when it came to their safety.

A few months after he 'adopted' them had him discovering that by taking an injured Max to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder because Dustin had dared her to jump from the treehouse without using the ladder, which she did, because 'she was brave and what was a dislocated shoulder after 30 bucks she could spend on a new and better skateboard'.

Anyway, his current predicament wasn't as serious as a hospital rush, but it still made his heart stop when he noticed.

Getting the six of them inside his car was always a dispute; shotgun was for the first one to call it, and that was the rule. The trouble was in the backseat. Five bodies crammed in the back just wasn't an option for the ever-growing teenagers, so each took a turn on sitting on someone's lap; the good thing about it was that they rotated every time, so nobody could complain about "I carried you last time!"

That day Mike had ended up riding shotgun, his long legs stretched out in the space under the glovebox, and his long torso comfortably resting on the passenger seat.

Dustin and Lucas were heading down that path too; their legs and shoulders growing out into adult limbs, which made them harder to arrange in the backseat. Will, bless his petite structure, was still the smallest out of all the boys. That didn't mean he was still the short and skinny 12-year-old with a bowl cut. His arms and legs had thickened out, his face sharpening into boyish features, losing the puppy fat on his cheeks.

The girls had smaller frames, but that didn't stop them from fighting for a seat.

"Move your ass out of there or I swear to Stan Lee that I will bodily shove you, Mayfield." Dustin snapped, glaring into the car as the redhead did him one up and opened the door on the other side, stealing his seat while he was waiting for Lucas to move.

"You put one finger on me and you'll never have it back." She retorted in a heartbeat, the smug expression on her face not moving an inch, even when Lucas nudged her with his shoulder. "No! I beat him to it. He can suck it up or walk to the store."

"How about you suck—"

"How about all of you shut your mouths and hurry your asses up?" Steve interrupted with an annoyed glance over his shoulder, closing the door of the driver's seat. "We're only going to Melvald's, not Disneyland."

He heard them curse as they tried to fit themselves in the back, grunting and mumbling 'ouch's' when someone stepped on a limb. He shared an amused look with Mike, chuckling under his breath as they heard Will cry out.

"God's sake, El!"

"Shut up, she didn't do anything."

"Then why is her foot on my knee? I'm literally on the other side."

"There's no space back here, okay, Will? If my foot messes up your jeans, I'll clean them once we get out." The brunette said exasperated, her hand gripping the shoulder of Steve's seat while she sat on Max's lap and her leg dangled over Lucas' thighs.

"Can you drive over the speed limit, Harrington?" Dustin pleaded as he turned the engine on. "I don't want to be here for the rest of my life, and that probably won't last long if Will's hair keeps suffocating me."

"Besides, we have the Chief's daughter and an officer here," Max smirked. "I'm sure he would let it slip."

He laughed as he reversed from the driveway, Mike instantly taking over the radio and fumbling through the stations until he found one he liked.

"Oh, turn that up!" Will yelled excitedly, his face appearing in the middle of the front seats as he leaned in. "This is a good one, guys, I swear. Summer jam, for sure!"

They bobbed their heads to the beat, humming the catchy music and lyrics of "Take on Me" as they drove through the city, the occupants of the backseat sighing in relief once they made it to Melvald's.

Mike held the door open for Will and Dustin, laughingly fully out loud when the former was nearly pushed out by the curly haired boy.

"Ass." Will pouted, running his hands through his hairline to push the strands back, and Steve had the recurring thought again to lent him some of his tricks. Dustin had taken them in consideration, but after a few hits a misses, he decided his curls just weren't Farrah Fawcett material. But Will's straight hair... and with the length he was letting it be... he could make the kid a superstar for their sophomore year.

The six kids and their older guardian sighed in tune as they entered the store's conditioned coolness, the chilly air at the entrance ruffling their hair.

He took a cart, taking the list of things from his back pocket as the kids went to say hi to Joyce, who greeted them excitedly once she spotted them.

A bit later, they drifted to the back of his head as they spread out through the store. Lucas and Max, arm thrown over her shoulders as they laughed loudly, went to the sale section, taking plastic beach buckets and sand trucks with "oh, remember that one time..."

Will went straight to the music racks, eying discs and vinyls as he checked one after another with his fingers.

Mike and El accompanied Dustin to the food aisles, giggling as he complained about being stuck "third Wheeling for Wheeler."

He crossed those three by the cookies and junk food aisle, shooting them an annoyed glance as they shoved more than 3 large bags of chips inside the cart, along with two packets of buttered popcorn and a box of cake mix. "Anything else?" He asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, Eggo's!" El exclaimed in alarm, her eyes widening as she took off for the frozen aisle.

He chuckled as he watched her go, her hair swaying in the air as she ran, and he looked back to tease Mike a bit to find both boys gone from his side.

He kept on with his list, crossing milk and cheese off when he got to the dairy isle, smiling and nodding at El when she requested strawberry Eggo's. That girl was as cute as a button. (And he was kind of scared to find out what she'd do if he said no to her).

Some girls from his past days at high school entered the store, and channeling his younger self, he flirted left and right, smirking to himself when one of them plucked his grocery list out of his hand and wrote her number on the back of the paper, letting the other two do the same.

That took him to a trip down memory lane, remembering his past conquests and how Nancy had ruined his old thirst for hook ups. She was doing fine; they still spoke sometimes on the phone, when she was home for break or when he couldn't get her voice out of his head. But she was a star out of his reach now. Jonathan Byers had snatched the girl, and he had to respect that. They were clearly smitten, and he promised himself to do as he'd said when he told Nancy to follow her heart, to seek happiness, even if it wasn't with him anymore.

Sighing, he shook his head, trying to blow the cloud of sadness out of it as he entered the check-out line, placing things on the band.

"Are you okay, Steve?" Joyce asked kindly, giving him a small smile as she started passing the items through the scanner. "You're looking a little troubled."

"Every head is a world, right?" He grinned at her, brushing it off. "Or something like that."

She laughed, her bright eyes crinkling with amusement as she continued scanning his groceries, and he smiled to himself when he remembered the conversation he'd accidentally heard in the Station. He'd never heard Hopper like that, but it was long overdue, those two. He was happy for them. Now all he needed to do was wait for them to make it public so he could finally breathe in relief about being the one to find out. He was sure the looks Hopper kept on giving him weren't a coincidence.

"That'll be 34.67, sweetie." Joyce woke him up from his thoughts, the kind smile still on her lips.

He paid for his things, helping her putting them in plastic bags to hurry the process up, and then he was strolling out of the store. He opened the trunk of the BMW, placing the bags inside with a grunt as the handles dug into the skin of his forearms.

Once they were in order, he slammed the trunk closed and got inside the car, driving home.

He thought of calling or not calling those girls, trying to decide if any of them had caught his attention. That led him to a personal inspection of what he looked for in a girl, which understandably led to Nancy again. He nearly cried out in frustration from it, turning the volume of the radio up so he could drown his thoughts.

When he got home, he grunted again as he lifted the bags out of the trunk, keeping the door of his house open with a kick of his foot, cursing himself for buying so much crap. He really didn't know why he bought so much stuff every time he went grocery shopping. It's not like his parents were home for long, or if he ate his feelings in with carbs. Which he considered for a second, staring at the multiple bags of chips he was putting away in the pantry, but decided not to, reminding himself that a healthy body was a healthy mind.

He was in the middle of that, when the phone rang; he frowned as he realized the sound was too loud in the too silent house.

"Hello?" He answered, uncapping a fresh bottle of water and taking a sip.

"Hey, did you get all the groceries?" It was Lucas, his voice smooth and inquisitive.

Steve frowned, trying to put his finger on the new sensation in his chest. "Uh, yeah, I think so."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" There was definitely something hinting in Lucas' voice, which told him he was forgetting something.

He paused, racking his brain as he did a rewind of the past hour, which made him groan out loud when he realized he had forgotten the whole reason he went grocery shopping.

"Oh, no!" He face-palmed, throwing the pantry an annoyed look. "I forgot the Poptarts. Great, now I have to go back—"

The other line went static for a second before a new, familiar voice was yelling on his ear. "No, you fluffy haired idiot! You forgot us!"

"Oh, shit!" He actually gasped, his eyes growing the size of plates as Max continued yelling at him. "Shit, Max! Oh, God, I'm sorry! Are you still at Melvald's?!" He wanted to run, but the phone cord would snap in two and he wouldn't even make it to the door, so he waited impatiently for her to answer, bouncing on his feet.

"Yeah, duh. Where do you think we're calling you from? Mrs. Byers let us use the phone."

"Okay, wait for me, I'm coming to get you! Don't go anywhere else or talk to any stranger while I'm not there, you understand me?!" He didn't even wait for her answer, hanging the phone up and sprinting to the door with his keys secured in his pocket.

Giving into Dustin's wish (even though his poor boy wasn't in the car with him), he sped through the city again, shaking his head in disbelief at the situation. How in the hell had he forgotten about his kids? What the actual fuck? See? That's what happened when Nancy took over his mind. He needed to get some help. Next time he'd be leaving them in the movies after hours and the poor children would have to sleep there. Who knew what kind of people slept in the movie theater after dark. He'd heard some rumors about hobos and criminals, and he did not want the kids near any of that (not that they hadn't been near criminals before, but he didn't like talking about 1983 or 1984).

He got back to Melvald's in record time, sighing in relief when he spotted Mike's tall frame hovering inside by the door and Max's fiery hair through the windows.

"What the hell, man?" Lucas frowned, crossing his arms as they stood up from their place on the floor, Max walking away the minute he got inside.

El was visually upset, her lips in a sad pout as Mike hugged her to himself; Dustin was calmly sipping from a slushie, hands moist with condensation as Will leaned against the check-out band.

"I know, I know, I'm an idiot." Steve closed his eyes in exasperation, passing a hand through his hair as Joyce watched him with an amused grin. "I'm sorry Joyce. I just—"

"Told you so; you seemed troubled. But hey," she held her hands in the air, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Every head is a world, right?"

"You're paying for this, by the way." Dustin shook his slushie, slurping it until he was finished with a loud sucking noise and passing the empty container to him.

"And for this," Max said as she came back. She deposited various boxes of Poptarts on the check-out band, each a different flavor as she hip-shoved Will aside. "We came here for Poptarts and you left without them and without us. Seriously, Harrington, where is your head at today?"

"Not on my shoulders, apparently." He sighed, sending them all an apologetic grimace as he took his wallet out.

He paid for their stuff, handing the plastic bag containing the Pop Tarts to Dustin once they were done. Waving goodbye at Joyce, they left the store.

"You okay?" Steve asked Eleven, reaching out for her when he noticed she was still slumping.

"Yeah, I just got a little bit scared." She shrugged, a soft smile shifting on her lips once he squeezed her shoulder.

"Me too, El. I don't know why I left without you guys, but I promise it won't happen again."

"Okay." She smiled, bumping her hip with his and giggling when he bumped back.

"SHOTGUN!" Max and Will screamed at the same time, running to the BMW once they realized they were each other's competition.

Steve chuckled, unlocking the car and watching the pair struggle with the door, fighting between them as Dustin got inside the backseat.

"Shotgun." He said simply, sliding into the passenger's seat while Max and Will continued to pull the door between them.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Will exclaimed as Max huffed and rolled her eyes behind him.

"I called it since we left the house, and since you guys were too busy fighting, I took the chance. Better luck next time, William." Dustin snickered, grabbing the door's handle and closing it, leaving a glaring Will on the other side.

"Just get in, Will," Lucas sighed tiredly, gesturing with a hand as he waited outside with Max while Mike was already sitting behind the driver's seat, El comfortably on his lap. "I'm carrying Max and we can't have the middle seat or we'll block Steve's view."

Grumbling, the younger Byers climbed inside, crossing his arms and glaring at El when she teasingly rested her foot on his knee.

"Chill out, Will." Mike laughed as Lucas closed the other door, Max's hands tugging on Dustin's curls from behind. "It's only for a moment. We're only going to Steve's, not Disneyland." He snickered, repeating Steve's words from earlier and receiving an unimpressed look from the older boy in return.

"Unless he decides to leave us in the middle of the road." Dustin said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I wouldn't put it past him now." Will finally gave in, chuckling with them as Steve rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to be the one in the middle of the road if you guys don't drop this."

"Do it," Max urged, a teasing smile on her face. "I can get us back to yours."

"Yeah, let her drive," El exclaimed with doe eyes, an excited grin on her lips. "I wasn't there when she did it."

"Yeah, that's a no." He met her gaze through the rear mirror, moving his eyes to Max's after. "I might have forgotten you at Melvald's, but I won't let you die in this car."

"Oh, c'mon, it wasn't that bad!" Dustin said.

"Yeah, he just doesn't remember because he'd just gotten his ass beat." The redhead snickered, making them all laugh at the memory of a bruised up Steve freaking out in the backseat while he was covered in rainbow band-aids.

"Oh, God, why do I keep hanging out with you assholes?" He groaned through their laughter, turning the volume of the radio up to drown them out while they continued to drive through the road.

He hated them sometimes, but he was glad they were always there.

Or at least until he left them somewhere else.

Chapter Text

When he was younger, he had witnessed his mother crying in the darkness of the kitchen. It had been an accident of course, and she had tried to play it off by telling him that she was just thinking of something else while she wiped her tears.

He could tell she was lying; at the age of 8, Mike was very smart. He knew his parents were going through a rough patch. He didn't know what originated it, or if it had always been there but he was too oblivious to notice it.

He only remembered the way his mother had trembled as she held him, telling him not to worry, she would be okay.

That, the fake smiles and the fake love he realized his parents showed, along with the way girls walked away from him with a disgusted expression on their faces, made him resign to the fact that he wouldn't experience love.

Maybe it didn't exist. Maybe it was pure crap and it was just another way for the capitalists to sell their merchandise, with fake sentimental promotion. He promised he wouldn't fall in love. The pain, the tears, the heart break. All for phony smiles and a ring? It wasn't worth it.

But this... he knew he must have done something for the fates or God to like him a great hell of a deal if they sent this to him.

He never believed in love until he met her.

The first time they were together, even if it was only for a week, he knew El was special. The void she left in him after she disappeared was proof of it. And the way life was breathed back into his lungs the minute she stepped inside the Byers' house showed him that what he felt ran way deeper than he had initially thought.

It was one of those rare days in which Hopper let them be alone for more than an hour; he had dropped El off at his house, promising to be back after sunset. Karen had some errands to do, and thankfully, she had taken Holly with her.

They were alone.

And if this was one of those corny movies about discovering and exploring the differences between boys and girls, they'd be peering into each other's clothes by now.

But no, they weren't in a corny movie. Mike certainly felt a bit corny, his thoughts too intense and sickeningly sweet, but they were only in his mind.

Her hand traced patterns on his face, fingertips cold to the touch, and he tried to control his facial movements as her pointer finger ran down the length of his nose.

"You're cold." He whispered, his lips twitching when she lightly pressed her nail in the crease of his mouth. Unable to help himself, he raised his hand and grabbed hers. He kissed her cold fingertips, butterfly touches as he opened his eyes again.

And this is why he thought she was the exception of his promise.

The light of the basement highlighted the golden tones in her curls; the chestnut strands falling against her face as she sat next to him, looking down at where he was observing her. Her eyes glinted with every move of her hazel irises, the big Bambi orbs accompanied by curled lashes that brushed against her under-eyes and tickled his face when they kissed. Her small shoulders blocked the light from the little window on the door, and the white light from there shadowed her silhouette.

Her lips were rosy, like her cheeks, and her nose twitched when he reached out to touch them. His thumb pressed against the tiny freckle by her mouth, following the crease of her skin as she smiled.

Just the sight of her was enough to make his heart flutter.

"I want to see it." She whispered, tracing his eyebrows.

"What?"

She looked over her shoulder, her curls spilling from her shoulder over her back, a cascade of browns and golden rays. "The snow."

He sat up slowly, her attention back on him, and he smiled at her when she shuffled to be closer.

"But you've seen it before. Remember? At the cabin?"

"But I couldn't go out and I wasn't with you."

He smiled again, leaning in to kiss her cheek just because he wanted to. He felt her skin warm up under his lips, and when he pulled back, her cheeks were rosier.

Their eyes met again, and she giggled softly, the fluttering in her stomach matching his. The indescribable feeling that he felt was shared by her too, and even though he always thought he wasn't meant to have it, he couldn't help but feel like it was love.

"Come on." He grinned, taking her hand in his to pull her up.

They wandered upstairs to his room, finding comfy sweaters and gloves to shield the cold from their bodies.

He pulled one of his hoodies over her head, chuckling gently when she got stuck. He kissed her nose lovingly once her face reappeared, and he was rewarded with one on his cheek when he helped her put the gloves on.

He opened the front door of the house, the cold air hitting his face immediately, but he endured it just because of the excited exhale she let out behind him. Pulling her by the hand, they shuffled out of the house, their footsteps sinking into the thick cape of snow.

"It's cold!" She exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder as she took in the whiteness around them.

"It's ice," he explained with a chuckle, pulling her closer. "Of course it's cold."

"Can I touch it?"

"Without gloves?" He frowned, watching as she shook one hand free.

"Oh, it's colder like this." She breathed, flexing her fingers in the cool air.

He smiled, watching her crouch down and dip her hand into the snow. She made a fist, the snow slipping from her digits like wet clumps of sand.

The cold reddened her face; her cheeks were splotchy, her lips nearly crimson as she kept licking them from the cold, and the tip of her nose was turning pink.

His lips were begging to be pressed against her face, so he gave into his desires and waddled closer.

She yelped in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose against her cheek. "Now you're cold." She laughed quietly, her bare hand slipping into the back of his hair. He closed his eyes, basking in her scent and the cool weather as she massaged his scalp.

Somewhere along the lines of a random book, a paragraph stuck to his mind. It seemed fitting.

"Did you know," he breathed against her skin, his warm breath puffing out into a cloud as it mingled with the ice particles in the air. "That you're very special to me?"

"Yes," she whispered, her lashes fluttering against his cheek. The soft brush tickled, but he ignored the sensation in favor of keeping his mouth against her skin. "You're very special to me too, Mike."

"There's people who make your laugh be a little louder, your smile a little brighter and your life a little better. You are one of them." He recited quietly, closing his eyes against the fast beat of his own heart. He felt her fingers go still in his hair, her nails scratching lightly as she lowered a hand to his neck.

She leaned back slightly, keeping the hand on his neck there while the other slipped to his cheek. He jumped slightly when her cold palm pressed against his face, and that made him blink his eyes open.

He knew he was a goner already, but the intense look in her eyes sealed the deal.

"Do you mean it?" El whispered, caressing his jaw.

"Every bit of it." He mumbled back, the weather not the only one responsible for the redness of his face.

Her eyes sparkled, the pure emotion in them starting to shine with wetness before she leaned in. He met her halfway there, grabbing the sides of her face to hold her in place. Their lips were cold, his chapped and hers a bit dry, but neither cared.

He would never get tired of kissing her; of the feel of her mouth against his. When he was younger, he never understood people's addiction to kissing. What was the point of pressing your mouth to another? It kind of grossed him out, if he was being honest. The germs and saliva they shared was disgusting. But he understood the infatuation once he got to do the gross kissing himself.

And he understood there was nothing gross about this either; her soft, pretty mouth, lightly sucking his own lip between hers, sharing the intimate gesture between them... how could this be anything but sweet?

Is this what love felt like?

He didn't know, but he was determined to find out, as long as it was with her.

"El?"

"Yes?" She wondered against his lips.

He leaned back a little, smiling when he found her eyes still closed, lost in the feeling. He couldn't blame her. The aftermath was always warm and fuzzy; he wanted to drown in her.

"I once made a promise to myself... about never falling in love."

Her eyes opened in an instant, a hesitant edge to them. Her forehead started creasing with worry, but he put a stop to it with a kiss.

His cold nose was pressed to her hairline, and he inhaled, loving the way she smelled of summer in the middle of winter.

That was what she represented for him. Warmth. The sun. The stars. The depth of the ocean. The breeze of the sea.

"But I think that's one promise I'm willing to break for you."

He felt more than he saw her smile. Her lips stretched against his chin, the lifted corners making creases appear next to her eyes, and he smiled with her, chuckling lightly at the feeling in his chest.

She looked up, nose frosty and cheeks red, eyes bright and dark while bits of snow clung to her curls. And he swore he would never see someone as beautiful as her. "I'll fall with you."

Chapter Text

"It's that good, huh?" Hopper asked with a chuckle, watching her take another bite with eagerness. "Thought you'd like that one."

"Yours is boring," El said with her mouth full of cold dessert. After he gave her a look, she waited until she swallowed to explain. "You always drink coffee. Your ice cream is... predictable."

Hopper raised his eyebrows slightly, momentarily caught off ward by her word choice, but then he smirked and laughed approvingly.

He really shouldn't be surprised she was using big words in sentences now. After all, that was the whole reason they were in Scoops Ahoy. Also because he wanted to tease the shit out of Harrington when he took their order, but that was a second thought.

She had literally aced her test.

Days of long, hard studying and hours of private tutoring by friends and family had proved to be positive in paper results, because she passed the test that would eventually let her in High School. She had a few struggles with certain subjects (Math and Chemistry— which had annoyed him, because that's why Wheeler had been the one tutoring her on those and it was obvious that they did more than study on their solo time, but okay, she'd passed), but she was ready.

To say he was proud would be an understatement.

"What now?" El asked curiously while licking her spoon, eyes wandering through the different people that passed the Ice Cream parlor.

"Now we enroll you in High School." He answered, taking a bite of his coffee flavored ice cream and nodding appreciatively at the taste. "We just have to wait for a few papers that Owens will send, just to make sure you have a school record of sorts, and then—"

"And then I'm in?" Her eyes brightened, a smile tugging at the end of her Salted Caramel-covered lips.

"Yeah, kiddo," he smiled back. "You're in."

She sighed happily, looking down at her ice cream cup before she met his gaze again. "I'm excited. I will be with Mike and the boys every day."

"As if you're not doing that now." He snorted, licking his lips after taking another bite.

"Yeah," she said slowly, scooping more ice cream on her plastic spoon. "But it will be different, right?"

"Yes, El, it'll be different. Also, you'll have more responsibilities. Homework, more studying, tests... yeah?" He explained with care, staring back as she looked at him with full attention. "The boys will be there but I don't want you to be distracted by them. You need to pay attention in school. Especially if Mike is going to be there."

He tried to keep his smirk from blooming out as she blushed lightly, shoving the spoon inside her mouth to keep herself busy.

"They're smart," she replied after swallowing, giving him a smile. "They will help with homework and studying."

He sighed, leaning back in his seat as he finished his ice cream. "I know, kid."

And he did know. They may be a pain in the ass to be around, and they had more sass in them that a normal adult probably did and more than he could endure, but Hopper knew they were damn smart.

"I'm proud of you, you know?" He confessed with a grin. "You've accomplished so much in such a short time."

She gave him that lopsided smile, the one where she hunched her shoulders, lowered her head and looked at him through her eyelashes. The one that made him want to mess up her hair fondly and hug her, just because he could and because she deserved the gesture.

So he did. He reached an arm out and curled it around her slender neck, her chair scraping against the floor as she moved to hug him back. The soft curls of her hair reached past his arm, and he fingered the ends with a smile. It was longer, the fluffy crown of curls that had grown while she was hidden now a pretty cascade that almost reached her shoulders.

"You did so good," he murmured against the red ribbon on her head, rubbing his thumb on the exposed skin of her arm. "So good, El."

"Thank you." She answered, smiling against his chest.

"I love you, kid." He said off-handedly, pressing his lips to her head before letting her go.

He was about to urge her to eat the rest of her ice cream when he noticed the expression on her face. And then he realized what he had said.

I love you, kid.

It was the first time he ever said that to her.

"Really?" El whispered, eyes wide and serious as she slowly leaned back on her seat.

He was frozen, glued to his seat as he stared back.

I love you, kid.

El had come into his life unexpectedly. And unwanted, really. He never wished to have another kid after everything that happened with Sara. But he had taken her in with as much care as he was capable of at that time. She needed protection and a safe place, and he gave both to her. Her situation was delicate and unheard of and it never failed to infuriate him every time he had to meet with those people to receive more papers of her or to put pressure on the legal action against some of the bigger fish in the program.

El was hotheaded and impulsive and had a streak of tantrums that ended with some broken things and tears down her face while he made her clean the mess up. But she also had a record of hot chocolate talks after their fights were she apologized and listened to what he said, moments where she said something surprisingly funny that made him laugh because, Jesus, was she gaining his sense of humor, nights of holding his hand while he read her bed time stories or nights of her asking if they could share the bed when it was storming outside, and panicked phone calls to the station to ask if he was alright after she couldn't reach his radio when he was late for dinner.

El was caring and sweet, stubborn and snappy, with mind powers that had nearly harmed him more than once and soft smiles with bright eyes reserved for him.

And he loved her.

Because she was the daughter he never got the chance to have and the one he didn't ask for, but, god, did he love her now.

"Yeah," he finally breathed out, a wobbly smile tugging his mouth up in the corners before it turned into a full-on grin that made his eye-sight blurry. "Really, kid. I love you."

Her eyes shone with affection, the smile on her face more than enough to tug at his heart, and then she was hugging him again.

"I love you too." She said thickly, because she knew what love meant, Mike had explained it with red cheeks and recently-kissed lips, and she had read it on the dictionary and searched about it in the library and had watched more than enough soaps to know that here was more than one kind of love. And this one was the family kind.

Family. Because Hopper was her family. Not only because the papers said so, or because he fit into the dictionary description of the word ('the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children; also:any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family, 'a single-parent family'), but because he was her warm home; because he was her dad, and he loved her and made her feel safe and cared for, and she loved him too.

"— your ice cream is melting."

"What?" Her mind finally registered that Hopper was talking to her, and she gasped when she heard the end of his sentence. "Oh, no!" She returned to her seat, not even aware that she had stood up, and shoved the remains of the delicious dessert in her mouth.

Her father chuckled, running a hand down his thick beard to smooth the hairs down while he watched her slurp the melted ice cream from the cup, some sticky drops staining her chin.

"You have some... on your face. Go ask Harrington for a napkin." He gestured to his own chin, pointing a finger in the direction of the counter where the surly ex-High schooler was resting his crossed arms on.

El walked to him, her pretty hair bouncing with every step she took until she reached the blue countertop and called for Steve's attention.

Hopper watched the exchange, smiling at the way Harrington brightened up when he realized it was El.

Then she said something he couldn't hear, but he guessed some teasing was involved because Steve threw his head back and groaned so loud that some people noticed.

She swaggered back to the table with a light smirk on her face and a crumpled napkin in her hand, the sound of Hopper's booming laughter a soundtrack in the background.

Damn, he loved his kid.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Wednesday morning had El blinking blearily into her locker, her finger running over her timetable while a giant yawn escaped her mouth.

"Hey, El." Cody Parrish greeted her, giving her a smile as he walked past her.

"Hi." She smiled back, discreetly patting her hair.

She hadn't had time to shower that morning, curtesy of one Jim Hopper nearly yanking her out of bed so he could drive her to school, so she had gathered a few handfuls of water, ran her fingers through her bed-hair and tried to soften the waves out of her sleep-braid. It didn't do much, but she rocked the messy look, so it didn't really matter.

"Hey," Max approached her, bubble of gum already popping in her mouth and high ponytail swinging over her shoulders. "What ya doing here so early?"

"Dad drove us," El explained, switching books out of her backpack and into her locker. "Remember Mr. Wheeler's tiny bump on the car? Well, it wasn't as tiny as he thought."

"Oh, yeah. Lucas mentioned something like that." The redhead nodded as she leaned against the locker next to El's, backpack thrown over her Chucks while she played with the car keys dangling from her fingers.

"Mike has to drive his father to the office while the car is in the shop, which, hopefully, will be for today only. Otherwise I'll be getting up at ass-crack of dawn to catch a ride with Hop."

"Wait, is that why Will is so cranky? I just saw him by his locker and he nearly punched me when I poked his side." Max snickered, pointing her thumb over her shoulder where, just as described, a cranky Will was rubbing his eyes with both hands while resting his elbows inside his locker.

"It looks like he's trying to disappear." She snorted, watching her brother.

"Or trying to take a nap. I wouldn't blame him."

"We already took a nap," El sighed, turning to the mirror glued to her locker door. She had mascara smudged all over her under eyes. "We got here like an hour ago. We went to the library to sleep. That's why he's so cranky, I had to wake him up."

"Well, if Mr. Wheeler's car is not ready for today, let me know and I'll pick you up tomorrow." Max shrugged, watching the people walking by through her sunglasses.

"Really?" El asked eagerly, trying to rub the smudged mascara away with her fingers.

"Yeah, it's no problem. Just remember I live a bit further, so I'd be there a good fifteen minutes earlier than Mike usually is."

"Fifteen minutes is better than an hour. My father is barbaric."

"Honestly, it's seven in the morning. It's too early for your big vocabulary." The redhead grouched, slouching further into the lockers as she pushed her signature aviators to the top of her head.

"Shut up. Where is Lucas, anyway?"

"He went to talk to Mr. Saltzman about that thing."

"Oh, that thing." She nodded, understanding Max's pointed look.

"Hi, Max." Jack Donovan waved, skateboard under his arm as he and Tyler Green strolled past them.

The redhead returned the wave, a small smile tilting the corners of her lips before she turned back to the shorter girl. "He'll tell us more about it at lunch. And by the way, you're making things worse with your fingers."

"Ugh," El groaned loudly, lowering her hands from her face. "Help me!"

"Take out a tissue! Don't you have some in there?" Max gestured to her open locker while she eyed El's raccoon eyes.

"I don't know. Mike usually carries those for me. And I haven't had nosebleeds for a while now." She muttered while she lifted books and paper sheets to see if she had any tissues, which she did find. "Here."

"Turn around," the redhead said as she took the Kleenex and grabbed her friend's chin. "You got any concealer?"

"Yes." Taking the tube out of her bag, she held it in her grasp and smiled at a few girls who walked past them. "This is doing wonders to my reputation, by the way." El mumbled in amusement as she felt Max's dabs under her eyes.

"As if you care."

"What are we doing?" A new voice said behind them.

"Cleaning up El's lack of Michael Wheeler." Max snorted, uncapping the concealer and squeezing a tiny dollop on her fingertip. "You should go do the same to your boyfriend," she added as she tapped the makeup on El's skin. "He's barely alive."

"Careful, he bites." El added.

"I already knew that, ladies." Chris Perez smirked, winking at Max as she stuck her tongue out at him. "See you in Chem, carrot."

"Stop calling me that." Max said immediately as he walked away, more out of habit than anything. The nickname was kind of endearing, and it had long since grown on her. But she wasn't going to let those asses know.

"Am I pretty again?" El murmured as she felt the redhead's hands leave her face. With Max's hum of approval, she turned to the mirror again. A bit of dark grey still lingered under her lower lashes, but that couldn't be avoided.

"I don't know when I became the she-mergency girl." Max muttered to herself, shaking her head a little while she wiped her fingers with the tissue and handed the tube of concealer to the brunette.

"Hey," Lucas materialized next to them, backpack slung over his shoulder and two cups of coffee in his hands. "Morning sunshine."

"Sun isn't shining for her yet." Max informed him as she took one of the coffees. Behind them, a few locker rows down, she could hear two girls giggling with each other as they gushed over her boyfriend. With a tiny roll of her eyes and a snort, she turned back to the conversation.

"Yeah, he's not coming until later. Where did you get those?" El questioned, pointing at the styrofoam cups with a pout.

"Teacher's lounge," Lucas supplied. "That's where I found Mr. Saltzman. I finally spoke with him, which I'll tell you about later, when everyone gets here. He let me grab some coffee, and because I only got two limbs, cutie here was the obvious winner." He nodded at Max with a grin on his face.

"Cheeseball." She muttered, trying to hide her smile into her coffee cup.

"How dare you not extend that free coffee to the whole Party, Sinclair?" Dustin exclaimed as he caught the end of their conversation. His curls bounced with every step that he took, and he paused momentarily to shake Brock Wright's meaty fist, before he was standing next to Lucas and El. He was just about to follow their conversation when he was interrupted again.

"Good morning, guys," Corbin Richards, captain of Hawkins High Baseball Team, stopped next to them, patting the boys' shoulders while nodding goodbye at Brock. He was a tall boy, green eyes and tanned skin that glowed golden under every practice and game. "El, Max." Corbin smiled at them, receiving a nod and a wave from the girls. "Just stopping by to let you two know the new jackets arrived."

"Oh, sweet!" Dustin cheered, clapping Corbin in the back. "Are we getting them now?"

"Nope. Stay a few minutes after school to check them out. You know, to see if your last name is right and to let the coach know about any mistakes. Run the voice if you see the boys first. And tell Mike."

"Will do, Cap." Lucas grinned, bumping his fist against his teammate's as Corbin turned to leave. "Man, those jackets are gonna be sick!" He gushed as he swung an arm around Max's shoulders. "If the sketches alone were good—"

"I know, dude!" Dustin smiled, his baby blues sparkling under his trusty cap. "Good thing we don't have practice today. We can go hang out with our jackets on after school!"

"If you start wearing that everywhere I will literally stop talking to you." Max rolled her eyes, shaking her ponytail out from under Lucas' arm before it sagged.

"Why's that a bad thing?" El frowned curiously.

"Because then they'll be the typical jocks."

"It's a jacket, Mayfield," Dustin raised his eyebrows teasingly. "What if I get cold?"

"We're proud of ourselves. You know how many people didn't make it into the team." Lucas reminded his girlfriend.

"Well, that's because you're cool and they aren't."

"Now, who's being a typical mean girl?" Dustin teased again.

"Henderson, I´ll—"

Whatever threat Max was about to make was cut off by El's startled shriek, the sound carrying out into the hallway.

The girl nearly jumped out of her skin as she was lifted up in the air, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and she relaxed as soon as she heard the familiar laughter rumbling against her back.

"Mike!" El whined, covering her face with both hands as Lucas, Dustin and Max joined Mike's laughter. A few people had turned to look, chuckling in amusement as they watched the group's antics.

"Morning sunshine!" Lucas snickered.

"Did I scare you?" Mike asked, shoulders still shaking with laughter as El turned to face him.

"Shut up." The brunette mumbled, burying her face against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Mike pressed a kiss to her head, snuggling her tighter for a few minutes.

"Did you get here okay?"

"Yes. Dad drove us. We had to wake up really early though."

"I'm sorry," he smoothed her hair back as she leaned away from his torso to look up at him properly. "But I have good news! My Dad's car is ready, so my mother is picking him up from work to drive him to the shop. Which means, I'm released from driving duties, which means I'm all yours this afternoon. Where do you want to go, gorgeous?"

Leaning up on her tiptoes, she reached for his face and brought him down for a kiss, the first one of the day. "Hi." El giggled as they broke apart.

"Hi." Mike chuckled along, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You guys are gross." Will said as he and Chris walked over.

"Yeah, like, hate to break it to you, but we're all standing here and it's more than a little awkward." Dustin pretended to gag, dodging Mike's hand with a laugh when the freckled boy tried to hit him.

"Thanks to you I had to talk Will out of slamming his face on his locker door." Chris told Mike with a smirk, flinching and rubbing his stomach with a pained giggle as Will pinched him.

"Hopper drove us here at six." Will groaned, rolling his head against Chris' arm and nestling further into his grey-eyed boyfriend. Sleep wasn't totally out of his system yet and Chris was warm.

"Six fifty-seven, you drama king." El rolled her eyes in amusement. "And we napped until seven thirty afterwards."

"Still," her brother pouted. "Don't ever leave us again, Mike, please. Our father loves to pretend he really likes the Station."

"Don't worry, I was just telling El—"

"We were all here."

"Fine. I was just telling everyone my Dad's car is fixed. I'm picking you up tomorrow again. But what are we doing today?"

"Oh! Team jackets arrived already. Corbin said to swing by after school to get ours." Lucas said, finishing his coffee.

"Damn, you three in Go Tigers! jackets." Chris nodded with a snort. "What a fashion statement."

"Damnit, Will, you could've had yours." Max lifted a jean-clad leg to point one of her shoes at said boy.

"I'm not into sports." Will rolled his eyes.

"So we said too," Mike shrugged a shoulder, still standing behind El with both arms around her waist. She was wearing a soft sweater and a flowy skirt, and his hands had found the gap between the two garments. "And now look at us."

"I still don't get how you got into the team. Like, no offence, but my guy here was always jacked," Max reached up to squeeze one of Lucas' biceps to prove her point. Or to just touch him, it didn't matter. "Mike was still a noodle and Dustin still had baby fat when you decided to do the try-outs."

"Steve." The boys chorused together, giving each other grins for it.

"That guy didn't let us out skip practice for even a day." Mike shook his head, remembering the weeks of long games with Steve barking orders until they got it right.

"Even after try-outs." Dustin snickered.

"But it sure showed results." Lucas said pointedly, gesturing at Mike's no-longer-noodle figure. He was still on the thinner side, but his thighs didn't disappear beneath his jeans anymore and his red hoodie rested comfortably over his broad shoulders.

"It's how I got these guns." Dustin grinned as he flexed, showing some muscle underneath his sweatshirt.

"You're still nerds at heart." El reminded them with a smile.

"Oh, no doubt about that. When are we having the next campaign, by the way?"

"Let me finish Sostini's project and I'll get to it." Mike sighed, stress already nagging at him.

"Hey, Will." Lauren Spoon waved as she walked past them.

"Hey." Will waved back with a smile. They all watched the girl go in silence until they turned back to face each other.

"I don't get how girls still flirt with you when you're with Chris."

"Was that flirting to you?"

"No, but I know for a fact Lauren asked you out a few months ago."

"So? We're friends."

"You're friends with a lot of people and they don't all ask you out."

"So are you and you still don't have a girlfriend."

"Hey!"

The bell rang just in time, signaling the start of classes and the end of their chat.

"We discussed this already," Mike stated with a finger in Will's direction, as if he were chastising a dog. "Dustin being the only single person in this group is a sore subject and you don't have a right to throw it in his face."

"Uhm, red flag, stop talking about it!" Dustin scowled, shoving Mike's shoulder.

"I'm defending you, mouth-breather!"

"Ugh, you guys are too much." Max groaned, tightening her high ponytail and pressing a kiss to Lucas' lips. "Walk me to class?" She said to Chris, curling her arm though his as she shouldered her backpack.

"See you in Algebra, baby." Chris pecked Will's cheek, waving goodbye at everyone as he and Max walked away. "Move! Red queen coming through!"

"Chris, shut the hell up!" The redhead laughed, apologizing when she bumped into people as Will's boyfriend pushed her by the shoulders, making train noises with his mouth. It didn't matter though, people laughed along and smiled in entertainment as they walked by. Everyone liked them.

It was weird sometimes, the transition from outcast to cool kids. None of them could pinpoint the moment it happened. Some might say Lucas, Dustin and Mike's entrance to the school's Baseball Team had something to do with the Party's popularity, but it wasn't true because people still liked them before they joined the Tigers.

Will breaking Troy's nose in freshman year and gaining some kind of bad-boy rep for a few months could also be a cause, but that would've ebbed away when he joined the Drama class and stole the show as Danny Zuko in the school's production of Grease. He still had fangirls, even after two years, even after his very public relationship with Christopher Perez, resident eye-candy and trend setter, so it wasn't his once-upon-a-time bad-boy reputation.

It could also be because of the girls. El's sweet personality made her get along with everyone who approached her, which was a lot of people these days (they would talk to her to ask her about homework, or about her friends, or just to chat). She was more than chatty now, thanks to her classmates and upperclassmen who she was kind-of friends with. El didn't think of them as friends. The Party was her group. Dustin, Max, Lucas, Will, Mike and now Chris were her friends. Even though she liked everyone in school, she still didn't count them as friends; they were more acquaintances.

Max was a tougher cookie, but her grunge style and sarcastic banter made her likeable and a hilarious girl to be around. It kind of baffled her when girls approached her to ask about her outfit or about the products she used with her hair (shampoo and conditioner? There wasn't a secret recipe or anything. Just good genes, she guessed). Guys engaged her in skate and video games conversations, and those were qualities that added a slight edgier vibe to her reputation.

The once loser group became the liked one.

"See you at lunch?" Mike murmured to El, dropping a kiss to her lips after she nodded.

"Will you kiss me goodbye too?" Dustin teased as El and Lucas took off.

"Stop trying to steal my sister's boyfriend," Will mock-elbowed him as the three remaining boys started walking to the other side of the hallway. "We seriously need to find you a girl."

"I can find a girl just fine by my own, thank you very much." The catcher sassed back.

"I'd love to see that."

"Mike, Will is being a bitch today. Make it stop."

"Max is right, you two are too much." Mike groaned, rolling his eyes as they entered their classroom.

"Oh, my next girlfriend is alone!" Dustin said suddenly, spotting Gisselle Scott dropping her school back on a desk by the window. "No, no, no, girl, we do not sit on this side of the classroom at this hour." He said as he walked to the dark-skinned girl and took her backpack.

"Why?" Gisselle asked, eying the taller boy with a chuckle.

"The light is too bright! It would come right through this window," he tapped the glass, "and go straight into these beautiful eyes." He finished with a tap to her nose. Mike and Will were trying not to choke with laughter as they watched their friend flirt.

"He's finding a girl on his own right away." Mike muttered as a pink-cheeked Gisselle trailed after Dustin, who continued to carry her backpack until they reached the last desk of their row.

"Guess we'll see you after class." Will smirked over his shoulder at the curly haired boy.

"Or not." Dustin winked, boldly taking Gisselle's hand in his as he sat down in front of her. The two began chatting quietly, transitioning to passing notes when the teacher entered. Once or twice Gisselle giggled too loud, but Dustin always saved her, and because their charisma didn't just affect the student body, the teacher let it pass.

Being part of the cool kids had its perks, and they were all aware now, and although they did not rely on their popularity at all, it wasn't too bad.

But, after school, the only ones who got together to eat ice cream and listen to Dustin's excited rant about his new crush were the seven of them.

Still, in the end, it would always be the Party forever.

Chapter Text

"Just, fyi, I have access to parts of you that I know make you weak on the knees if you burn me."

She chuckles softly, closing her fingers over the strand of long hair. "I'm not going to burn you. I've been doing this for years."

"You've been doing other boys' hairs for years?" He teases quietly as he feels the heat on his head. His hands are gripping her hips, fingers toying with the unused belt loop in her jeans as she stands between his legs.

"Yes." El leans back a little bit as she passes the straightener down the strand, flattening the curls. "I'm a secret hair dresser."

"Must be why your hair's so nice."

He smirks as he watches her smile in the mirror, her eyes focused on the task at hand. The little bench of the vanity is soft underneath his backside, the pillow-y cushion hiding the hardness of the seat as he observes her work.

He'd arrived about an hour ago, greeting her Dad at the door and feeling relieved when he confirmed Terry wasn't home yet. El had tugged him upstairs into her room, and after a few minutes of quiet chatter while they laid on her bed, she had come to the abrupt conclusion that his hair had to be flat ironed.

"I need to do it." El had said very seriously.

So, here he was: sitting in front of her vanity table, eying the various bottles of perfumes and creams in front of him while his girlfriend straightened his hair. Was it out of boredom? Yes. Was he enjoying it? Not really. He'd rather be back in bed with her, with his scalp at a normal temperature and his back on the mattress.

"Will this give me points with your mom?"

"I don't know." El murmurs without much commitment as she takes another bundle of curls between her fingers. "We'll have to wait for the finished look, I guess."

"I want to look hot." He peers up at her, grinning as she giggles.

He was trying to look at ease, getting lost in her soft touches and the warmth of her body against his palms, and it seems to be working, otherwise his leg would be shooting up and down in nerves.

A couple of more minutes passed in silence, El taking more and more curls and taming them into silky strands of raven hair as Mike was lulled into drowsiness, his head falling against her chest and his hands hanging limply from the belt loops.

"Mike, I can't finish if your hair is all smashed between us." El tuts softly, moving the flat iron out of the way to press a kiss to his warm head. Inhaling his scent, and smiling at the way his shoulders move gently, she stays there for a second. "Mike."

"Leave it." He mutters without opening his eyes.

"It'll look weird."

Mike slowly separates from her, blinking owlishly at his reflection before he turns back to face her. "I look ridiculous, Hopper."

El barks out a laugh at his disgruntled face. "No, you don't! You're just not used to it."

"Hurry up and finish so I can sleep a bit more before dinner." He nearly whines, gripping her hips to sway her into action.

"Okay," she nods as she keeps on laughing, taking another piece of hair and closing the straightener around it. "I'll try to be fast."

"Try not to laugh either." That only prompts her into a fit of more giggles, which she tries to suppress.

She carries on with the straightener, using her free hand to grip the roots of his hair to put tension in it. It was something she had been wanting to do.

Her father didn't have a lot of hair, although he did let them do his makeup when she and Sara were younger. Still, she never got the chance to do a boy's hair before. Mike's hair had a mind of its own. Every curl pointed in a different direction, and the smooth exterior of them always felt soft and nice through her fingers.

"I'm done." She whispers after a while, putting the flat iron on her vanity.

"Am I a stud yet?" He stands up from his seat, stretching his hands towards the ceiling as his back gives a satisfactory crack. He frowns at his reflection once he turns towards the mirror. "This is not me."

"Shut up, who else would it be?" El smacks his lower back, leaning against his side to join him while he stares at himself. He lifts a hand to touch his newly tamed hair, experiencing the new sensation of having no curls.

"I feel weird."

"You look good, though." His girlfriend chuckles, touching the back of his head. "Your natural volume prevents it from being limp. It gives it a lot of body."

"I suppose." He looks down at her, scowling briefly at the laugh she gives him, before he takes her hand. "I was promised a nap."

El nods, a smile still on her lips, and she nudges him to her bed.

"Will you sing to me?" Mike asks as he slips against her pillows, face down.

"What do you want me to sing for you?"

"Anything."

"I'll think about it." She says as she snuggles up against him, placing a hand on his back. She begins to touch the tips of his hair, moving slowly up the longs strands until she reaches the roots. She slips her fingertips trough them, massaging his scalp as his breathing turns deeper.

She has learned this is the most effective way to put him to sleep. Her hands on his hair relaxes him to the point of slumber, and the sight of his fluttering eyelashes never fails to put a smile on her face.

A song makes its way to the very tip of her tongue, and she decides to sing it while his eyes are closing up.

"It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside," she begins, her voice a touch away from a whisper. "I'm not one of those who can easily hide..."

His eyes spring apart to watch her, a sleepy smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and she traces the shape of his eyebrow to lull him back to sleep. She continues singing, breathing slowly as Mike shuts his eyes again.

"Don't have much money, but boy if I did, I'd buy a big house where we both could live..."

Chapter Text

They were supposed to be playing outside with the others, but laughter led to staring and then staring led to touching and then kissing and that required privacy, so there they were.

It was around noon. Mike, Will, Lucas and Max had arrived at the cabin at 9 am, accompanied by Nancy (who was still fruitless in her search of a summer job) per Hopper's request. He did not trust the Party to play chaperones by themselves, and it was a good thing, although Nancy wasn't doing any preventing either.

Her bed was soft, the radio was on, playing an upbeat song that she couldn't recognize yet but was enjoying listening to, and Mike's hands felt firm in hers.

It was nice, the discovery of his lips again. He had been busy with school but now that it was summer, he was free to kiss her all the time.

Again, it was nice, but sometimes she found herself... needing more? She didn't know what else to do, though. Was there any other base in kissing? Dustin had kind-of explained the "bases" thing in touching but he never said anything about kissing.

"What's wrong?"

"What?"

Mike chuckled, his lips pink and puckered. "You stopped. Kissing me, I mean. You stopped kissing me." He explained as he fingered the ends of her hair.

"Oh," she hadn't even realized. "Can we do something else?"

Mike's face pulled down into a frown, blinking confusedly, before it erupted into a blush. "Oh, okay. Uhmmm, we can go back outside with t—"

"No, I mean with kissing." She interrupted quickly, grasping his hand again and pulling him back from turning towards the door.

He frowned again, shifting as he faced her on the bed. "What do you mean?"

How could she put it into words? "I... I like kissing you," she started slowly, watching the pink reappear on his cheeks. She felt her face warm up too. "A lot. But, uhm, is there more? Is there any other kissing?"

She hoped she had transmitted her feelings into the right words. Mike was staring at her, his eyebrows drawn together in deep thinking as he analyzed her words.

His freckles looked adorable against the fading pink. He was beautiful.

"...more?"

She nodded, running her thumb on his wrist. His pink turned redder and redder, and her own eyebrows furrowed as he avoided her eyes for a few seconds.

He cleared his throat, shifting on the bed again, and his fingers clenched on hers. "There's..." he looked up, biting his lip, before he suddenly got a lot closer to her. He put one hand on her chin, fingertips skimming her jawline, and then he pulled her lips to his. His nose blew warm air against her face, his lips felt firm on hers, and she wanted to sigh. "I'm going to try something. You just... go with it, okay?" He mumbled against her mouth, and she managed to hum her consent.

He kept kissing her as he normally did, his other hand clenching hers, for so long that she thought he'd forgotten. "Open your mouth." He coaxed quietly.

She frowned a little, but nonetheless dropped her lower lip. She started in unexpectedness as his tongue tickled past her lips, and caressed hers, and then she really gasped, pulling back.

Her eyes were wide, her heart was beating fast, but she couldn't deny that she liked the tingling on her tongue.

"Was that okay?" Mike asked breathless, eyes equally wide. "I've never... was it okay?"

"Again." She pulled his mouth to hers.

Their lips pressed against each other, and she waited with a still breath for... there, his tongue rested on hers for a second before it rolled against it, tickling her taste buds.

"Press yours to mine." Mike plunged his tongue back in after he spoke, and it took a moment for her to process his words.

She waited for him to do that tongue thing again, and then she pushed back, feeling restrain on the digit as his tongue rolled against hers.

If she thought about it for too long, it was weird. They were... licking... each other? But inside their mouths? It was weird, but it felt good, and it was that something else she wanted, so they kept doing it.

Until they were reminded they weren't really alone.

"Ew! They're sucking face!" Lucas' voice yelled from the doorway, and in her panic, she slammed the door on his face with her mind.

"Ugh, Jesus." Mike groaned, getting pink in the face again.

The door was pushed open and Lucas' disgusted face was now accompanied by Max's curious one.

"You guys got lost on your way to the lemonade?" The redhead snickered. El shot her a glare.

"If the Chief knew you two were making out while I was supposed to be watching you, I'd be sued! Get out of here." Nancy huffed, rolling her blue eyes as she pushed Max and Lucas away from El's room.

"Shut up!" Mike snapped, getting up from the bed and helping El up too.

"You guys suck." Will deadpanned, giving them a disapproving stare as they walked out into the living room/kitchen.

"Yeah," Max snickered again. "They suck hard."

"I saw some tongue," Lucas jumped in with a smirk. "They definitely suck."

"Shut up!" Mike snapped again, and his higher tone made his already distressed voice crack.

"God, Mike, you shut up. You sound like you swallowed a cat." Nancy teased him, poking his shoulder.

"Nancy!" He shoved his sister's hand away with a glare, getting even more laughter from his friends as puberty betrayed him and his voice cracked again.

"Maybe you should tongue him again, El," Lucas snickered. "It sounds like his throat needs some soothing."

The brunette frowned. "That helps?"

"No, no, don't listen to him. That doesn't help and the cracking can't be stopped." Mike explained, blushing to his neck as even Will giggled. Mike growled, shooting everyone a glare. "Let's go back outside." He snatched El's hand in his and he marched to the door.

"Wait, you two can't be trusted alone." Will smirked, getting up from the couch and trailing after the couple.

Lucas and Max chuckled into their cups, draining the last drops of the lemonade Mike and El were supposed to be getting like, half an hour ago, while Nancy shook her head.

"These kids." She muttered in exasperation.

Chapter Text

Here’s the thing.

He liked El Hopper. He liked her a lot. Ever since she started school, she was all soft smiles, gentle eyes and kind words. To everyone, really. But it felt more special when it was directed at him. He thought it’d change when she joined the cheerleaders, his friends told him so, but they were wrong. El was still the same kind-hearted girl who would sit next to him in English class and greet him in the halls whenever they crossed paths.

She was really nice, and that got extended to his friends when she started having lunch with them. She even brought a friend in, one who, although tough and blunt, was funny and sarcastic in a way that they enjoyed (Lucas the most). But, again, it felt even more special when her niceness was for him. Her smiles, her touches, her whispers... reserved just for him. He’d never though that would happen. And yes, he liked to think that she liked him back. Not just because his friends told him so, or because Max subtly tried to tell him to finally make a move, but because El didn’t really hide it. He might lack experience when it came to girls, but he wasn’t an idiot. He was a nerd for a reason, and that was being smart, which she apparently liked about him too. She was a dream, truly. The whole package.

Which, that’s the thing.

He wasn’t the only one who liked her.

It wasn’t a secret that Zack Heron had chased after her for months, and every time she turned him down. It’d be depressing if it wasn’t so annoying. Like, the guy just wouldn’t go away; and he made it clear to him one day after he basically stalked his locker until Mike arrived, warning him to step away. But as time progressed and El and him got way closer, that guy just went to the back of his mind.

Until he had him face to face.

It was a Friday, and it was Pep Rally day. El was in cheer uniform, and he’d been distracted all morning after catching her creamy legs in class. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair at all. And that distraction came to an end as he and the boys walked into the cafeteria to grab lunch. They’d barely made it past the door when he heard a sharp intake of breath and he turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of Will being thrown into a wall before his sight was obscured by a fist.

Pain erupted in his whole being. It felt like he could see the waves of it crashing through him, red flags rising everywhere, when he felt a second punch land on his eye, and then the color changed to black.

He could hear his friends yelling his name, but it was faint. As if he was underwater and the sound was above the surface.

He felt another punch, and then he felt warmth trickling past his chin. A foot connected with his stomach and he doubled over, feeling his world turn upside down as he fell.

Through the haziness, he could make out a familiar face that came with ash blond hair, and a recognizable voice that confirmed his abuser.

“You just don’t know where to draw the line, don’t you, Wheeler?” Zack Heron was saying, a vicious sneer on his lips as he flexed his bruised knuckles. “Thought I told you to stay away from her. I think I made myself clear when I said I saw her first. But maybe you just needed a little something to, you know, make it kick in.”

He felt another kick in his side, his ribs instantly throbbing and his breath escaping him in a huff. Pain rose to his face once more, and he curled into himself with a whimper.

“Leave him alone!” Lucas shouted.

“Michael needs to remember who he is, Sinclair. And maybe so do you.” Zack landed another kick to Mike’s face, watching blood sprinkle the white tile of the floor, and he would’ve done it again if the doors to the cafeteria hadn’t slammed open with urgency.

Max’s notorious red hair bounced into view, alertness on her blue eyes as assessed the situation and held the door open to let someone else in.

Then El came in, ponytail bouncing as she ran after Max, who’d come to find her as soon as she heard what was happening, horror crossing her face as her brain processed the scene.

“Mike!” She yelled in shock as she saw him curled into a bloody ball. At the foot of her annoying shadow. Understanding dawned on her and then all she felt was hot, liquid fury.

No fucks given--as her dad would say--she marched right up between the two boys and pushed as hard as her body allowed against Zack’s chest.

“God, what’s wrong with you?!” El cried out loudly, an anguished look on her face as she crouched in front of Mike. Her hand had barely reached out for his bruised face when her arm was snatched back.

“Listen,” Zack said in a snarl, his hand wrapped around her bicep tightly. “Hopper, I’m sick—“.

But he never finished his sentence as his mouth dropped open in a loud yell when El’s knee made contact with his crotch. She shoved him back with fury and watched as he fell to the ground with a pained groan.

“Touch me again and I’ll break your fucking hand.” She hissed, a dark glare etched on her usually serene face. “You want to talk about sick? How about this? I’m sick of you. I’m sick of you not getting how disgusting you are to me. You think I’ll eventually cave in and go out with you but the truth is, Zack, that no matter how many times you corner me in the hallway or how many guys you try to scare off, I’ll never date you. And ‘it’s not me’,” she said mockingly. “It’s you. You’re a pig and an asshole and I rather chew glass for a living than actually talk to you.”

With one finally glare at the fallen boy, she turned back around and finally came face to face with Mike, who was being held up by the underarms by Lucas, with Dustin by their side.

His eye was swollen, but he still blinked dazedly up at her. She really was quite the girl, wasn’t she?

“His eye is gonna swell shut.” Max muttered in a hiss as she stood beside her.

“We need to get you to the infirmary.” El mumbled worriedly, cold fingertips grazing his throbbing chin.

“C’mon, Mike.” Lucas finally said, snapping out of it. With a pointed look in Dustin’s way, both boys helped their bruised friend up, grimacing under the weight of him.

Zack had sat up, propped up by one of his sidekicks and mostly shame, and he made a sound in his throat as the boys moved towards the doors, where Will was holding them open, but El put herself between them.

Her lip curled up in disgust, strands of hair falling from her high ponytail, and she eyed him for a few dead seconds before she walked away, head held high.

“Oh,” she paused next to Will, Max behind her; Dustin, Lucas and Mike waiting in the hallway. “And if you try to hurt him again, or come near me, just remember who my Dad is. I’m sure he could arrange a thing or two to make sure you get the message. That goes for your little band of goons, too.” She threw them pointed looks, not caring about the witnesses hearing her implied misuse of influence, and let the doors of the cafeteria slam closed behind her.

Once they were totally out of there, the only sound echoing in the hall were their hurried footsteps and Mike’s hushed but pained breathing.

Until, of course, it had to be broken.

“So, like, I know it’s super out of order here, but that was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.” Dustin said to her over his shoulder, eyes wide with awe.

“Dude.” Mike muttered.

“Not the best timing,” Lucas rolled his eyes at the cap-wearing boy, but still turned his head to look at the cheerleaders trailing behind them. “But I have to agree.”

“Same.” Will gave her a tiny smile, fear still fading from his eyes, and her heart gave a pang when she remembered it all started when he was pushed against the wall first.

“Are you okay?” She questioned worriedly, eyes checking him out for any signs of trauma.

“Yeah, yeah,” Will waved a hand, hair flying as he shook his head. “I just freaked out. I wasn’t hurt.”

“Okay.” She mumbled, biting her lip.

It was all her fault.

These guys had been nothing but nice to her since the day they met her, and because of her, they had gotten involved in a fight that didn’t even concern them.

“Boys?” She stopped them just as they reached the nurse’s office door. “I’m sorry.”

Three pairs of eyes, one totally focused and the rest over their occupied shoulders, turned to her.

“I’m so sorry this happened.” Her voice took a tremble, her stomach felt tight and her eyes began to sting. Max slid her hand in hers.

“It’s not your fault.” Lucas assured her, an unexpected smile forming on his lips, before they opened the door.

As soon as they stepped inside, the nurse took one look at Mike and gasped. She sat him on the little cot by the window and immediately started firing questions.

“What happened?” The older woman asked as she took the first aid kit out.

“Fight.” Mike mumbled.

“I mean, what happened to you?” The nurse rephrased, taking a gauze and dabbing at his busted lip.

Mike hissed. “Somebody fought me? Punched me—ow!”

“This might sting.”

“I noticed,” Mike hissed, trying to talk but finding the task difficult as she cleaned his bloody mouth up. “Punsh’e indaye...punsh’d m’nose and lip. Thin’ee kicked m’jaw too.”

“Oh, yeah, he definitely kicked him in the face. Then some more to the stomach.” Dustin added, causing the nurse to turn to them.

“Are any of you hurt?”

They eyed each other up, shaking their heads and emitting a ‘no’ in unison.

“Okay, good.” The nurse nodded, turning back to Mike. “Then I need you to get out.”

“But—“.

“Out, Mr. Henderson. It’s not a request.”

The boys harrumphed and groaned their unwillingness out, but still shuffled to the hallway, not before saying some encouraging words to Mike.

El took a long look at him, meeting his eyes (maybe not the swollen one) and nearly melting into a puddle when he still managed to give her a reassuring smile.

“C’mon.” Max tugged on her hand, closing the door behind them once they were out.

For a moment nobody said anything, just leaned against the walls of the hallway.

And again, that didn’t last long.

“So, how long do you guys think it’ll be before that douche tries to get revenge?” Dustin mused out loud.

Max snorted.

“I wasn’t kidding, you know?” El eyed them.

“About what?”

“You are telling the Chief about this, right?” Max raised an eyebrow.

“If he approaches him, any of you included, I’ll handle him. Rightly this time.” She promised, crossing her arms. A thought occurred her. “Not that I don’t think you guys are capable of defending yourselves, is just—“.

“El, who are we kidding?” Will snorted sardonically. “Zack could blow on my face and I’d probably fly in the air.”

“He’s got like 30 pounds on us.” Dusting agreed with a grimace.

“We’re nerds, Hopper,” Lucas said with ease, like he’d come to terms with it a long time ago. Which he probably did. “We’re not fighters.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Max said, looking down at her shoes. “I’ve seen you at practice. Your swing’s not bad at all.”

Lucas cleared his throat, a pleased look fighting to break on his face. “Did I—Did I hear that right? Was that a compliment?”

Max huffed, trying to mask her amusement. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Sinclair.”

“Hey, you said it, not me.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Nothing. I just think it’s interesting how you’ve been clearly stalking me at practice.” Lucas smirked.

The redhead had to laugh at that. “So now I’m the stalker?”

“Evidence points that way.”

“The only evidence you allegedly have is my word. What if I just made that up to make you feel better?” Max taunted.

Lucas’ face shook. “Did you?”

Even if she tried to hide it, she couldn’t help the way her heart clenched. Her lips softened out of the grin she had, and she gave the boy a tiny smile. “No. I did not.”

Will grinned quietly, watching the whole thing.

Dustin rolled his eyes.

El turned the handle on the door.

She was happy for the progress in her friend’s pursuit, she really was, but her mind was on something else. Or rather, someone.

She met the nurse’s eye as soon as her friends’ voices were muffled by the closed door.

“Miss Hopper, I thought I told you—“.

“Oh,” El interrupted, looking at Mike. She fought a grin. “My wrist. I forgot to say it hurts a little. Maybe I twisted it when I pushed that guy. Could I get an ice pack?” She smiled sweetly, dimples showing and eyes shiny, and Mike had to cough to bury the laugh that wanted to burst out. The movement made his stomach hurt and he couldn’t help but groan, making El’s eyes snap to him in worry.

The nurse rolled her eyes, finishing putting anti-swelling cream on Mike’s eye.

She said nothing, grabbing a piece of cloth from the rack by the tiny sink in the corner and running it under the faucet. “Here,” she held it out until it was tied up around El’s right wrist. It was cold and damp, and it made goosebumps appear on her skin. “This should make the ache go away. Though I’m sure it’ll go away in...” she looked between the two teens, mild annoyance in her gaze. “A few minutes.”

El bit her lips, sharing an amused look with Mike, before rubbing at the cloth. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the older woman dismissed. “I’m going to step out to... get more gauze. Or something. I’ll give you a few minutes.” She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she walked away. “Kids.” She sighed under her breath, closing the door behind her.

Once her eyes left the nurse’s back, she swung then back to catch Mike staring at her.

“Hi.” El whispered, shuffling closer until his parted knees were nearly touching the outside of her thighs.

“Hey.”

His eye was definitely going to swell shut. No amount of cream would prevent that. His nose was red from squeezing the blood out, but it didn’t seem to be flowing anything out anymore, so she was sure it wasn’t broken. His lip was purple and scraped, as well as his jaw, and his breath kind of rattled when he breathed, probably because of his ribs.

He looked well beaten up and it hurt.

“Hey, now,” Mike spoke softly, catching her expression. “Nobody’s dead.”

“I’m sure your mom will be on the verge of it when she finds out.” El said, lower lip pouting out a little as she lifted a hand to his face. Her finger lightly grazed the beginnings of his black eye, cream sliding underneath her skin. “I’m sorry, Mike.”

“And as Lucas said, it’s not your fault.” He answered in a heartbeat, watching the way her eyes drank every bruise up.

“Yes, it is,” she nearly whined. “This wouldn’t have happened if I—“.

“What? Didn’t talk to me? Didn’t stand near me? Made sure he didn’t see us together?”

“No,” El hurried to say. “I don’t regret talking to you at all. I just wish... I don’t know, maybe I should’ve been way harsher since the first time he asked me out so he got the message loud and clear.”

“El,” Mike sighed, fighting the urge to lick his lip. “Zack Heron doesn’t take a no for an answer. Not even if you spelled it for him in glitter letters that flew around his head and sang ‘NoNoNoNooooo’ in B flat.”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “That was very specific.”

He shrugged. “Came to mind. The thing is, you said no and he was the one to take that as a challenge. It’s not your fault the way other people react. You can’t control that.”

“But look how that ended up.” She said sadly, brushing her thumb on the underside of his jaw. At some point she had gotten way closer. His legs were trapping her in, one of his hands gripping loosely the ends of her skirt, while the other held her elbow.

“Not your fault. Just sucks I can’t throw a punch to save my life.” Mike shrugged.

“You’re not a fighter,” she smiled softly, letting her hand trail to his ear, flicking the lobe lightly. He chuckled. “You’re a lover.”

“I’m a nerd.”

“Fine, you’re a nerdy lover.”

“Oh,” he rose his eyebrows in flirty amusement. “Whose lover, though?”

He had to fight a dopey sigh as he watched color spread on her cheeks.

“I don’t know...” she mumbled shyly, eyelashes fluttering as her fingers slid into his hair.

“You don’t know?” His voice got lower. Damn, he loved when she played with his hair. Not that she’d done it often, but he loved it. She also felt a lot closer, or was the room getting smaller?

“No.”

“Then who?”

“Huh?” She was definitely closer. Or maybe he was having a panic attack.

“Who knows?”

“Knows what?” Her other hand rose, thumb on his chin, and he shuddered as her warm breath hit his face.

“I don’t know.”

“No?”

“Nuh-uh.”

They weren’t making any sense. But did it matter? No. Was she closer? Yes. Was she beautiful? Hell yes. Was he going to kiss her? Yeah. Or maybe she would kiss him. Did it matter? Also, no.

It was like that amazing climax on a good book. Or that ‘fuck yeah!’ Moment on a movie. There should be fireworks or a song playing in the background.

Instead, there were giggles and muffled conversation from their friends and the sound of a leaking faucet as they finally--God, finally--stopped playing around and pressed their lips together for a kiss.

It was magical. Her lips felt soft and lush. Her mouth was warm and her skin too. Her hand lowered down to grip the back of his neck, and he, unconsciously, gripped one of her legs in support while the other one rested against her strongly beating pulse.

But, of course, the moment had to be broken.

Although magical, divine, heavenly, otherworldly, orgasm-inducing, life-changing, you name it, the kiss didn’t have healing powers, so after a few seconds, his busted lip began to protest its usage, and he pulled back with a yelp.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry,” El widened her eyes, a little breathless. Her mouth was pink, her cheeks even more so, and her fingers touched her lips as if to prolong the tingles. “Your lip, it could bleed again and I—“

“No,” he laughed, wincing as he stretched his lip again. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Her guilt melted into a blushing giggle, brown eyes shining with mirth. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you.”

“Oh, believe me, if it’s anywhere near how much I’ve wanted to, I know. Boy, do I know.” He shook his head, grinning again.

El laughed, ducking her chin in shyness, before she looked up again. Her face twisted into a grimace as she placed both hands on the sides of his face. “God, you’re so beat up.”

“Worth it,” he mumbled as she touched his forehead with hers. “Totally worth it.”

El grinned, shaking her head. “You’re really something else, Mike Wheeler.” She kissed him again, careful of not pulling on his lip this time.

And he wasn’t lying. Even if it hurt to be sitting up, he would go through all of it again if it meant he could finally kiss the girl of his dreams at the end of the day.