Work Text:
Hop had warned her that it would get worse in November.
Ever since she had closed the gate, the nightmares would come and go. Sometimes they plagued her all night long, leaving her to toss and turn all night long. She’ll cry out or whine and Hop will press a cold washcloth to her forehead and refill her water glass.
Sometimes, there were deep seeded and would interrupt her otherwise happy dreams. These were the worst ones. El would wake up in tears, her heart in her throat and her voice gone. She would lay in bed, wide awake until morning, frozen in fear. Hop didn’t know about these nightmares.
Recently, they hadn’t been as bad, but Hop was quick to warn her that they soon might get worse.
“Anniversary effect.” He had explained to her one night at dinner near the end of October. El could only barely crinkle her eyebrows together before he was continuing. “Sometimes, when something bad happens, you get sad when the anniversary of that something bad comes around.”
“Anniversary?” El had asked, still a little lost. She had heard the word before, Mike had once told her that their anniversary was in December, she hadn’t known what it meant, but Mike had sounded so happy when he said to her that she knew it was a good thing. Which is part of why she was so confused.
She had watched as Hopper wiped his napkin against his mustache and perched his elbows on the table. “You know how it was almost a two years ago since Will went missing?” He asked, and El nodded. November 6th. The boys had found her on November 7th. She knew that. “November 6th is the anniversary of him going missing.”
El nodded then, having some understanding. That meant it had been almost a year since the gate. Almost two years since the Demogorgon. Bad stuff.
And Hop had been right. The first couple nights had been okay, she was a little restless, a little more sensitive to noise and light.
Then, November 6th happened.
She hadn’t really been paying attention to the date, simply grateful for not yet being plagued by awful images and sounds and memories. But that night, it felt different. Her room seemed darker, the shadows more menacing and even though she fell asleep eventually, she was awake, screaming into the night before she knew it.
Luckily, Hop was there. Almost as if he had been expecting it. He quelled her tears, held her while she sobbed and stayed by her side until she fell asleep once more. This happened for a couple of days, and as awful as it was, having Hop around made it better. She wasn’t getting much sleep, but Hop never woke her up in the morning, letting her doze as long as she wanted, and he was gentler and kinder.
It couldn’t last forever though, and on the third day she was reminded of such. Hop had been roped into working the night shift, she knew by the way that he cursed when he hung up the phone that night at dinner that he very much wasn’t happy about it. But, Callahan’s wife had just had a baby and Powell’s dad was sick and Hop was the only other officer available, and he was the “goddamn Chief of Police”, as Flo had reminded him during said phone call.
So, he really didn’t have much of a choice. This is what he had told El when he was shucking his jacket on after dinner, an unpleasant frown on his face and an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. He had cut back on smoking considerably in the last year, but El knew he still did it sometimes when he was worried or stressed.
“I understand.” El whispered, trying her best to sound like she was okay with it, so Hop wouldn’t worry. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears and the cabin suddenly felt hot and suffocating.
Hop hadn’t said another word, simply nodded before pressing a gruff, but gentle, kiss on the top of her head. He looked back at her over his shoulder as he walked out the door, giving her what El knew was supposed to be an encouraging smile.
Then she was alone.
It was already close to her bedtime, so luckily El didn’t have to entertain herself for too long. She brushed her teeth and busied herself by getting ready to go to bed, trying her best to ignore the gaping Hop sized hole that had wormed it way into her heart.
An hour or so, and one conversation with Mike (who didn’t know she was alone, and El wasn’t going to let him know because the last thing she needed was Mike getting worried about her), later, El was in bed. Her bedroom was dark, the small night light in the corner of her room not helping. She curled up into herself, her heart hammering against her ribcage.
Something creaked in the corner and El whimpered. There was nothing that she hated more than feeling weak, even if Hop told her it was okay, and right now she felt as weak as she had ever felt.
She sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks. Sneaking a glance at her clock, she saw that it was almost nine thirty. Hop wouldn’t be home for another 9 hours. Burrowing her face into her pillow, El pulled her blanket up over her head and clutched her teddy bear hard against her chest, willing herself to ignore everything around her. When she heard another creak, she silently sobbed, sloppily wiping tears from her cheeks.
At some point she must have fallen asleep, but the next thing El knew she was gasping herself awake, her eyes burning with unshed tears and snot dripping from her nose. Even as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her bedroom, all she could see was the nightmare that had awoken her.
Mike being taken by Brenner. Mike screaming her name. Brenner holding a gun to Mike’s head.
“Mike.” She choked out into the darkness, his name the only word on her tongue and his face the only thought in her mind. Rationally she knew that he was okay, it was the middle of the night, but that wasn’t enough. She needed to know.
Vaulting from her bed without a second thought, El haphazardly stumbled around her room, pulling the first shoes she could find onto her feet, an old pair of slip ons she had inherited from Nancy, and pulling a long sleeve shirt on over her t shirt.
The rest of the cabin was just as dark as her bedroom and El didn’t bother to turn any of the lights on as she hurried around the small living area. Her mind was running at a million miles per hour and she could barely think straight as she located a scrap piece of paper and a pencil. She scribbled something, but she wasn’t paying much attention, the only thing she could think about was Mike.
(She would later learn that all she had scribbled was ‘ Mike’ which luckily, was all Hopper needed to know where she had gone off to).
She barely had the sense to throw a jacket over her body before she was yanking the door open and tossing herself into the cold night. It was dark and the wind was chilly around her, but she didn’t slow down, in fact, it only motivated her to move faster.
Luckily, she knew the route to Mike’s house like the back of her hand. Despite how much time she had spent coped up in the cabin for the last year, she had still been to Mike’s enough times to know how to get there with her eyes closed.
Left at the tree, two miles down the road, past the library and the police station, right on maple street, directly past the weird tree and then you’re there .
El was on autopilot as she navigated herself there. A couple cars pass by her, but no one stops and it’s hardly like El notices anyway. All she can focus on is Mike. Each step of her foot only brings her one step closer to knowing that Mike is okay and that’s safe.
When she finally arrives at the Wheeler house, she realizes just how crazy she is for walking all the way over here in the middle of the night. But she also doesn’t care. The image of the gun being held to Mike’s head is still burned in the back of her brain and she knows the only thing that will calm her speeding heart is seeing him.
With a little help from her powers, which in hindsight she probably shouldn’t have used but at this point she’s too tired and emotional to care, she scales the side of the Wheeler house. It’s easier for to go in through Nancy’s window, and when she peeks into the older girl’s window, the room is empty.
Sliding the window open, El tries to be as quiet as possible as she climbs through the opening, landing with a soft thud onto the floor. The Wheeler house is silent around her and her breath is heavy and rough as she pulls herself up and slowly makes her way out of Nancy’s room and down the hallway.
She stops when she reaches Mike’s bedroom, her hand hovering over the door knob. Her heart feels like a stone in her stomach and she swallows.
A flood of relief crashes over her when she opens the door.
Mike is sound asleep in his bed, a wide double to accommodate his still growing height, and he was currently taking up as much room as possible. Clicking the door as quietly as she could behind her, El took a deep breath as she stepped further into the room.
Her heart stopped as Mike stirred while there was a certain calmness settled over her by seeing him in one piece and very much alive, she was nervous for his reaction to her being in his room at such a late hour. She knew what she wanted to do, she wanted to climb in next to him, into his warmth and safety and calmness. She wanted to breath in his familiar smell and feel like she didn’t have to worry about something happening to him.
“El?” Mike’s voice was quiet and rough with sleep, so much so that El almost didn't hear him. She hadn’t even noticed that he had awoken. “What are you doing here?”
El opened her mouth to speak, but all she could do was let out a soft whimper. Tears of relief were suddenly clouding her vision, exhaustion rolling off of her in waves. Mike reached for her then, pulling her towards him and El went, willingly.
She allowed him to maneuver her onto his bed, positioning her against his pillow and covering her with his blanket. The actions reminded her of what Hop usually did, and that just made her want to cry even more.
“Nightmares?” He whispered softly, once he was sure she was settled. Anxiety and fear was still inching their way up her spine, but exhaustion and serenity were slowly taking over and she could barely nod before feeling her eyes slip shut.
Mike wordlessly grabbed her hand under the blanket. She wanted so desperately for him to pull her against him and hold her in his arms, but she knew why he wasn’t. He was scared too. Scared that anything he did would make her more upset, or that he would do something that she was uncomfortable with.
“You’re okay, you’re gonna be okay.” Mike’s voice was soft and soothing and she could feel his breath against her cheek, his lips brushing against her skin softly. El could feel herself drifting, her hand still intertwined with Mike’s.
Minutes later she fell asleep, Mike’s voice still whispering encouragements into her ear.
When she awoke the next morning, Mike followed her down the hallway back to Nancy’s room, kissing her soundly before sending her out the window. The sun was just peeking up over the horizon, and no one else in the Wheeler house was awake yet. It was past six though, so El knew Hop would be waiting for her when she returned home.
Mike stayed in the window until El reached the end of Maple Street and when she did she turned to get one last look at him. His face is stretched into a small smile and when he catches her eye, his hand comes up in a wave.
El bites her lip to contain her ear splitting grin, before turning back and continuing her way home.
Mike felt like all they did these days was fight.
Thinking back on it now, he was pretty sure they had always fought. What he used to think were just muffled conversations in the kitchen after him and his sisters went to bed, he learned were truly whispered arguments and tense disagreements. Turns out that the longer you try and hold back your arguments, the louder you become.
Tonight, it was worse than it had been in a long time. Even through a closed door and the headphones connected to the walkman he had received for Christmas, he could still hear every word, every fist against the countertop and every nearly broken plate thrown into the sink. A weight was heavy on his chest and all he wanted to do was cry, but he couldn’t bring himself too.
Rolling over on his bed, he pressed a pillow against his ear, hoping, desperately, fleetlessly, hoping that it would muffle the sound, but to no avail. His dad’s voice was deep and grumbling, and his mom’s was high pitched and loud, both sounds carrying perfectly up the stairs.
“Well excuse me Ted for feeling like I do all the work around here. I know you work all day but would it kill you to help with the dishes or put Holly to bed a couple nights a week, I don’t think I’m asking for much?!” Mike groaned, his stomach twisting uncomfortably at his mother’s words. This is the same argument they had been having for months and Mike was sick of it.
“Karen. You don’t think I do enough for this family as is. Who do you think is paying for this house? Who puts all the food on this table?” Clenching his fists tightly, Mike screwed his eyes shut, preparing for the outburst from his mother that was going to happen.
Cranking the volume up to the highest decibel on his walkman, Mike curled up in on himself, fists clenched and fingernails digging raw into his palms. The only plus side to all of this was that he was the only one home. Nancy was gone, away at college, and Holly at her friends house. Mike would gladly listen to his parents scream at each other all night if it meant that his sisters weren’t subjected to it.
Squinting one eye open, he took a look at the clock on his bedside table. 7:35 . It would be at least another hour before either one of his parents considered turning in for the night so Mike knew it was going to be a long, grueling and miserable next couple of hours.
Doing his best to distract himself from the voices drifting up the stairs, Mike pulled his notebook from under his bed and attempted to start working on the upcoming campaign that he promised to have done for the following weekend. Reality was he wasn’t even close to being done, even though he told Dustin almost every day that it was nearly finished. Between his parents constant arguments and piles of homework and always being exhausted but never able to sleep, the campaign had been pushed to the back of his mind.
After about half an hour it became evident that nothing was actually going to be accomplished and the heavy weight of unreleased sobs and unshed tears was becoming harder and harder to ignore. Everything around him made him feel like he was suffocating. Downstairs he heard the unmistakable shattering of a wine glass and decided that he couldn’t stay here any longer.
Throwing a couple books in his backpack, he grabbed his sweatshirt and bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He knew his parents would notice his presence, and that was half the reason he was being so loud.
“Michael, where do you think you’re going?” His mom asked when he got to the front door, the keys to the station wagon (which after passing his driver’s test just last month he was now free to use) in his hands and his shoes half on his feet. There was unmistakable wobble to his mom’s voice and Mike felt his stomach drop.
“El’s.” The answer came to him before he could even think about it. He knew that’s where he would end up no matter where he intended to go. It was the only place he wanted to be right now. He could see his mom swallow roughly and his dad still hadn’t turned around to look at him so Mike took that as enough of a response and pushed himself out the door without another word.
Ever since Hop and Joyce’s wedding last summer, El now lived considerably closer than the cabin she had called home for over two years, and as much as Mike missed going out there sometimes, he was eternally grateful for how much more accessible she was now. The drive to the Hopper-Byers residence was fast and Mike was there before he even had much time to think about.
Parking in front of the house, Mike quickly made his way up the front path. All the lights were still on downstairs and Mike spotted an unmistakable purple glow coming from El’s room (courtesy of the garish lava lamp that Dustin had given her for her last birthday), that helped him breathe a little easier as he knocked on the front door.
“Mike, wasn’t expecting to see you.” Hop greeted him as he opened the door with a small smile. Mike would be forever grateful for the shift that had occured in his relationship with Hopper in the last couple years. What had started out as a slightly tense dynamic when Mike was still angry about El being hidden had slowly morphed into something that he felt comfortable in. “El forget to tell me you were coming over?”
Hop didn’t seem angry at this possibility, which definitely quelled Mike’s still heightened anxiety. He shook his head though, his eyes falling to his sneakers. “No. My parents were fighting….” He trailed off, watching as Hop nodded in understanding. While Mike hadn’t fully disclosed the troubles his parents were having to anyone but El, he certainly hadn’t kept Hop in the dark about any of it, either.
“Well, El’s up in her room, she said she was gonna be working on some homework but since it’s Friday, I doubt that’s what she’s actually doing.” Mike felt himself smile and gave a wave to Joyce, who had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, before bounding up the stairs in the direction of El’s bedroom.
His girlfriend’s door was propped open slightly and Mike could hear her humming softly along to a record that she was listening too. A pang of guilt reverberated in his chest, suddenly feeling bad that he was interrupting her with his personal problems, but he also was already here and now that he knew she was on the other side of the door, all he wanted was to see her.
Knocking softly, Mike pushed the door open before she could respond and the smile that spread across her face when she saw him didn’t take away all of his problems, but it certainly helped that’s for sure.
“Mike!” With a jump off of her bed, El bounded into his arms, immediately throwing herself into him. It had only been a couple of hours since they had last seen each other, but Mike felt immediately calmer in her presence. “What are you doing here?”
Swallowing, Mike shrugged watching as El’s face morphed from confusion to concern. He could tell just by the look on her face that she understood. She didn’t need to use words and neither did he. “Is it okay if I stay here for a while?”
El nods, using a flick of her wrist to turn down the music she had been listening to, some Madonna record that her and Max were currently obsessed with. She moves around her room slowly, and Mike follows her, desperate to stay in her orbit as long as he possibly can.
Before Mike can even properly focus on what it is El’s actually doing, she’s pushing a bundle of clothing into his hands. He must look confused because she gives a small smile. “The sweatpants are an old pair of my dads that I wear sometimes and the t shirt is one I may have stolen from you a while ago, but I thought you might want to be comfortable.”
Looking down at his attire, Mike had barely even realized that he was still wearing his cords and polo that he had worn to school that day. Nodding, he goes to change. In the hallway, Mike realizes that he never stopped to say hi to Will, but his door is closed and honestly the last thing Mike wants is to get wrapped up in a conversation that’s going to keep him away from El.
He loves his friends, he really does. But, his love for El outshines every other emotion he could possibly feel. That’s something he’s always been sure of.
By the time he’s back in El’s room, her dad’s old sweatpants rolled up at least six times at Mike’s waist to keep them from slipping, El’s turned off all the lights except the nightlight she’d had for years that rests in the corner of her room, casting a soft yellow light over everything. El, herself, had changed into pajama pants and an oversized shirt, and Mike felt his heart warm in his chest.
“I don’t know how long you want to stay, but I figured it would be more cozy this way.” She said with a shrug, coming up next to him, a small grin on her face. Wordlessly Mike bent down and pressed his lips softly against hers, his heart soaring when he felt her smile.
“Thank you.” Mike whispered, his voice thick with emotion. Despite the calmness and rare serenity that he felt in El’s presence, the looming thought of his parents was still gnawing his heart.
El nodded, reaching down and intertwining their fingers together. “Let’s lay down.” Mike didn’t say anything, merely squeezed her fingers in encouragement, allowing El to pull her towards her bed. “It’s been a long week.”
As soon as Mike’s head hit El’s pillow, he felt the exhaustion he had been avoiding for days begin to creep up on him. He was pretty sure that he had only gotten six hours total all week long and now that he was in the comfort of El’s bedroom, his mind finally at some semblance of peace, all he wanted to do was sleep.
“Hmm.” El hummed next to him, pillowing her head against his chest. The weight of El against his body was a comforting, calming presence and he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her closer, desperate to be reminded that she was there next to him.
Mike wasn’t sure when exactly he fell asleep, but eventually something pulled him awake, maybe a bad dream that he couldn’t remember or a sound from somewhere in the Hopper-Byers house. A soft light was streaming through El’s window and Mike could tell by the colors splashing against the bright yellow of her bedroom that it was early morning.
He knew he should get up, pull himself away from the safety and comfort of El’s bed and go home. But he wasn’t quite ready to face his parents, who were no doubt already mad he had spent the night at his girlfriend’s house, and he didn’t know how Hop was going to feel about this.
Against him El shifted, her cheek rubbing against the fabric of Mike’s t shirt and his eyes sought her out in the pale morning light. Her face was lax and peaceful with sleep, her breathing deep and heavy. She looked like an angel. Burrowing deeper into El’s duvet, he pressed his own cheek to the top of her head, nuzzling her crown.
He supposed he could wait just a little while longer before getting up. It was Saturday after all.
The muffled cough against the skin of neck is enough to wake her up. Her sleep had been dreamless, so being pulled from unconsciousness wasn’t a difficult task.
Eyes opening slowly, El squinted as she adjusted to the dark, still, quiet of the Wheeler basement. The only noises are the deep, heavy breathing coming from her friends, scattered around the room, and the unmistakable sound of someone adjusting behind her.
She has to resist the urge to giggle.
El can tell Mike is trying his best to be as quiet and discreet as possible, but she can feel his knees pressing against the back of her legs, as he tries his best to get comfortable. His hands keep grabbing and releasing the hem of her t shirt, like he’s trying to figure out exactly where he wants to rest them. A quiet sigh is released from Mike’s nose as he shuffles and a ‘hmph’ escaping his lips as she feels the pillow under her head dip.
“Mike.” She whispers, unable to keep quiet much longer. His body stills behind her and while she can’t see him based on the position they’re laying in, she can bet there’s a light blush covering his cheeks.
“Sorry.” He mutters, his hands falling to her hips. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” His lips are next to the shell of her ear and he drops a kiss to the skin where her jaw meets her neck and she smiles.
“It’s okay.” They’re quiet for a moment and El feels her eyelids getting heavy but before she can submit to sleep, she feels Mike’s feel stretch against the bottom of her calves, his ankle hooking around hers and his hip adjusting against the couch cushion. “Do you need more room?”
This was far from the first time that her and Mike had curled up and fallen asleep together on the well worn, well loved couch in the Wheeler basement. Typically it’s where they ended up at sleepovers, the rest of their friends fine with scattering around the floor, Lucas and Max huddled together near the tv and Dustin and Will face to face under the table, so they could fall asleep talking. But more and more lately, El could tell it was becoming uncomfortable for Mike. It seemed as though he was still growing a little bit every day, even though her and all their friends had stopped doing so months ago.
El could feel him shaking his head, his nose rubbing against the skin of her neck. His hands on her hips pulled her closer. “No.” Mike drops another kiss against her skin, this time against the exposed skin of her shoulder.
They lie like that for a couple more minutes, El can feel her breathing becoming heavier and her eyes start drooping closed. Mike coughs again, his hand pushing against her hip so he can adjust his legs and El’s eyes pop open.
“Mike.” She says again and she hears him groan, giggling softly. “Seriously, I can give you more room.”
Mike sighs loudly, pushing himself into a sitting position. For the first time since before they fell asleep earlier, she gets a look at his face in the blue light of the basement. His hair is bemused, sticking up in all directions, and there’s a line running down his cheek from the imprint of the couch cushion.
“I have an idea.” He says simply. El watches him as he pushes the blanket away from him, frowning when her own skin is exposed to the chill of the room. He climbs over her, careful not to knock her with either one of his feet, and El has to hold in her laughter when he takes him a few seconds to keep himself upright and not fall into the table or trip over Will and Dustin’s sleeping bodies.
El can only smile with a shake of her head as he holds out his hand. “Where are you taking me?” She whispers as he navigates them through the sleeping bags and scattered pieces of popcorn and empty soda cans. A laugh escapes her lips when she almost trips over Will’s discarded sketchbook.
“Shhh.” Mike whispers, barely holding back laughter. El feels like she’s doing something bad, and her heart is beating quickly in her chest. She’s almost feels like she’s going to get caught, even though her and Mike aren’t doing anything wrong, at least technically speaking.
They quickly ascend the stairs and when they reach the main floor of the Wheeler house, El feels her laughter die in her throat. Mike squeezes her hand softly as he pulls her down the hallway and through the living room and kitchen. While the basement had signs of life with their friends deep breathing and Dustin’s soft snoring, the Wheeler kitchen and basement feel completely devoid of human existence. Even Ted Wheeler had retired to the master upstairs instead of dozing on the recliner.
Mike seems surprised by this, as El watches as his shoulders relax once they pass by the quiet and still living room. He throws a look over his shoulder at her, giving her a small smile before continuing to tug her along. El goes willingly, knowing in that moment, deep in her heart that she would follow him anywhere.
Silently they make their way to the upper floor, passing the closed bedroom doors of Holly and the Mike’s parents. “Dustin is gonna be pissed he had to sleep on the floor while we slept in here, but he’ll live.” Mike whispers as he opens the door to his bedroom.
El makes sure the door is latched behind her as they step into the warmth and safety of Mike’s childhood bedroom. There are books and pairs of socks scattered all over the floor and three half full glasses of water resting on Mike’s bedside table, but El hardly cares. It feels lived in and authentic. It feels like Mike.
Mike, who is currently yawning, dropping her hand so he can stretch his arms above his head. His sleep shirt rises on his frame and El’s eyes fall to the sliver of skin visible above the waist of his sweatpants. Her gaze then travels up his chest and to his face, which is pale and slack with exhaustion. There are bags under his eyes and worry pulls at her heart and stomach.
She knew he had been having trouble sleeping again, his AP History class and his parent’s money problems weighing him down, but she had no idea how bad it truly was. Her heart sinks because she doesn’t know how to help him.
“Sleep.” She whispers, tugging at him. Mike nods, smiling at her gratefully.
Together, they climbed under Mike’s comforter, El sighing contently as her head hit the pillow. Immediately, Mike adjusted, wrapping his arms securely around her waist and burrowing his nose into her hair. It’s the same position they had been in on the couch downstairs, but far more comfortable.
Mike hums, his lips vibrating against her skin and she smiles. Deep down, she knows the risk she’s facing by spending the night curled up against Mike in his bed. When Mike had spent the night with her last year and her dad had discovered them the following morning, he had been firm about El being open with her about what her and Mike were doing, but he had been understanding. El had a feeling that Mrs. Wheeler wouldn’t feel the same way.
“Tonight was fun.” El says softly. She feels Mike smile against her neck and his grip around her waist tightens, pulling her ever closer to him.
“Yeah.” He whispers, pressing one, two, three kisses against the corner of her jaw and behind her ear. “Even if Lucas and Dustin wouldn’t stop fighting.”
El snorted in agreement, squeezing Mike’s hand that’s around her waist. Dustin and Lucas were in a weird place, constantly bickering and snapping at each other. It made El said, watching them, but she had faith that they would work it out soon. That was just the way The Party worked, sometimes they fought, got so angry that they wouldn’t speak to each other, but always , forgave each other.
“You know, they’re all going to tease us in the morning.” Their friends already teased them enough for falling asleep on the couch together, legs intertwined and chests pressed against each other, that El could only imagine the field day they would have this time.
“Don’t care.” Mike muttered. El beamed.
Mike had never been ashamed of their relationship, and neither had El, but when they were younger, all nervous smiles and flushed skin brushing against flushed skin, Mike used to get worked up and flustered at their friends teasing. Now he took it in stride.
El smiled, sleepy, content, as she remembered last week at lunch. The Party was outside, enjoying the last days of warmth, basking in the privileges of being seniors and having more freedom than their younger classmates. El was settled between Mike’s knees, his chest against her back and his hands resting on her hips.
Dustin and Will were tossing pieces of pizza crust at them, making gagging noises as they did. Even Lucas and Max, who sometimes were even more disgustingly attached at the hip then El and Mike were, were joining in on the teasing.
If Mike was bothered by it, however, he didn’t showed it. He simply tightened his grip on her waist and if anything, spent more time hunched over her, whispering in her ear and kissing the skin of her neck. El could only smile, sticking her tongue out at her friends and curling even further into Mike’s embrace.
Which is exactly what she did now. Even under the heat of the blanket, El still craved as much of Mike’s warmth as she could get. Pushing her back against his chest, she grinned when his arms tightened around her waist, his hand splayed across her stomach.
Outside, El began to hear the light tapping of rain against the window and her eyes began to drop close, her heart settling on a peaceful thrum in her chest. Behind her, Mike’s breathing became slow and she knew he had fallen asleep and she knew it wouldn’t be long until she followed.
Her last thought before she did was that she never wanted to leave this spot.
Will was the one that found them in the morning, the sun breaking through the leftover rain clouds and painting Mike’s room in sunshine. El opens her eyes just in time to see Will shake his head, rolling his eyes playfully.
“I found them.” He says to someone down the hall, his voice low. Ted and Karen must still be sleeping. El can’t tell exactly who he’s talking to but moments later, Dustin and Max appear in the doorway, Lucas looming behind them, and all four of their friends have similar amused expressions on their faces.
Mike stirs at the sound of their friends shuffling in the doorway and as he wakes he burrows his face even further into the crook of El’s neck, a soft groan vibrating her skin. She laughs, watching as her friends all roll their eyes.
Down the hall, there’s an unmistakable sound of movement and El freezes. Mike groans again and she knows that he heard what she did. They don’t move for a second though and El hears Max scoff from the doorway.
“Oh my god, if you two could tear away from each other for like two seconds I would appreciate it so we don’t have to get kicked out because Mrs. Wheeler is mad that you two slept in the same bed.”
Mike shakes his head, his nose pressing against the column of her spine and his lips ghosting over her skin. “Don’t want to.” He whispered, waiting for Max to finally get tired of waiting, the door slamming shut behind her.
“She’s right.” El whispered, turning in his arms so she could look at his face. One of his cheeks was red from rubbing against his pillow and his hair was a wild mane around his head, but he looked something that would only ever appear in her dreams.
“I know, but I really hate when she’s right.” El giggled, bringing one of her hands up from beneath the blanket and pushing his curls away from his forehead.
“Well, I haven’t heard your mom’s door open yet, so I think we still have a couple more minutes.” Mike smiled, leaning forward and pecking her lips, before pillowing his head onto her shoulder and nuzzling it.
Eventually they pull themselves away from the warmth of the bed and the warmth of each other, El sneaking back down the stairs and into the basement, where she was met with light teasing. But she’s smiling far too much to care.
When Mrs. Wheeler calls them up to breakfast a couple minutes later, El gravitates towards Mike around the table, their hands finding each other between their chairs. El glances at him around a bite of her eggs and she smiles.
The sounds of her friends and the way Mike is looking at each makes her heart burst in her chest and she decides she never wants this feeling to go away.
As the summer after senior year ticks on, Mike begins to feel more and more anxious for what’s to come.
There had been a certain level of anxiety that had come with each of the milestones he had reached in the last couple months. Getting into Indiana University. Turning eighteen. Graduating from high school. But none of that compared to what he was feeling now.
Leaving for school, leaving Hawkins behind him. Leaving El.
Logically he knew that he was only going a hundred or so miles away from Hawkins, but it was still a distance. A distance that made him miss El already, even though he hadn’t even left yet.
Mike knew he wasn’t the only one already fretting the distance. The way he would catch El looking at him when The Party was hanging out at the local diner. Or how she would grab his hand more frequently, constantly squeezing his fingers and rubbing her thumb against the skin of his hand. Or when she would hold him tighter, and longer when they parted in the evenings, her ear pressed against his chest, almost like she was listening to his heartbeat to remind herself that he was still there.
It all broke Mike’s heart a little bit.
They had had a long conversation back in the fall. El had made the executive decision months ago that she didn’t think she was ready for college. She wanted to further her education and someday get a degree, but high school had been a little too much too fast and she didn’t know what she wanted to do yet, so she decided she was going to stay in Hawkins.
Mike knew that he wanted to go somewhere to college, but he didn’t exactly know where. Indiana University seemed the best fit for him, but it was so far away. It was also expensive and Mike, while planning to major in engineering, didn’t even know if that’s what he wanted to do with his life.
El, however, refused to let him pass up any kind of opportunity for his future and basically was ready to push him to Bloomington herself, even if she was far from happy about it. She had been teary eyed during their talk about it, but Mike knew that she would never be able to live with herself if he stayed here all because of her.
Even if Mike would do it in a heartbeat.
But, instead of focusing on that, they instead spent every second of time together that they could before he would have to leave at the end of the summer. They took a trip in December to Indianapolis, they spent hours together at the lake and in the woods behind El’s house. They went to prom, they went to their first high school party and Mike realized that he hated beer and and El learned the hard way that her powers and alcohol did not mix.
Mike was soaking up every second that he could, trying his best to avoid the inevitable. But now the inevitable was here knocking on his door and he couldn’t pretend that it wasn’t coming any longer.
The summer had flown by faster then Mike could blink and now it was mid-August and he only had a week left before his parents would drive him to Bloomington and he would say goodbye to Hawkins until Thanksgiving. A weight was laying heavy on his chest and Mike had been feeling like he was going to cry, or vomit, for days but so far neither had happened.
This particular evening, Mike was trying not only to ignore the crushing weight the size of an elephant on his chest, but also the stifling heat and humidity that was making his bedroom unbearable. He was trying to pack up the rest of his books that he wanted to take with him, his mom had been on him for weeks about it, but even with the sun having just dipped below the true line, after five minutes he was drenched in sweat.
Rubbing his hand against his forehead as he threw another fantasy novel in the “bring to school” box, Mike sighed. Downstairs he could hear his mom and dad speaking in low tones and his stomach twisted.
He missed El.
It had only been a couple hours since he had last seen her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t miss her.
Especially since he knew he was running out of time where she would be just a short drive away and he would be able to see her every day. He knew he needed to enjoy all of the time with her he could. Even if that meant that he needed to wait a few more hours before he could.
A glance at his clock told him that it was just past eight, which meant that dinner was just wrapping up over at El’s house. Since it was Tuesday, that meant that it was family night. Typically Mike would be included, but since Will would be leaving this weekend, Mike decided he wouldn’t intrude.
Besides, he could wait a couple hours.
Right?
The next couple hours of Mike’s life ticked by slowly and painfully. He spent about twenty more minutes sorting books, sweat pooling at the small of his back, before he gave up, flopping onto his bed and burying his face into his pillow. So much of his room was already packed, as he planned on spending most of the next week with his friends, so that meant he had virtually nothing to entertain himself with.
He practically whined, he just wanted to see El.
It was so unfair. Having to be separated from her, especially when they had reached a point in their relationship where all Mike wanted was to be around her all the time. He hadn’t felt like this since 84, and that was only because they had been apart for almost a year. Now, he really had no reason, he just loved her.
Eventually he found himself flipping through a notebook buried under his bed that he’s pretty sure he started writing in back in middle school. Outside his room, he heard his mom disappear into her bedroom and Holly start running the shower in their shared bathroom. By this point it was almost ten and Mike was dying .
His hands were twitching and his leg was shaking anxiously.
Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. He was going to take his chances.
Grabbing his wallet and pocketing it, Mike bounded down the stairs, barely giving his dad, who was dozing in his armchair, a second glance. He didn’t bother calling up the stairs to his mom, she would be halfway through a wine induced bubble bath at this point.
The August air was stifling and heavy outside and by the time Mike had made it to his car, he was drenched. But, he had a smile on his face and his heart was beating excitedly in his chest. It was like his heart knew that he was on his way to see El, and it was just as happy about it as he himself was.
Navigating the drive he had taken hundreds of times before, Mike had to swallow the emotion that was catching in his throat. He was only going to make this drive a couple more times. Mike almost had to laugh at himself, he knew that he was being dramatic, he was only going away to college and he would be back in Hawkins for the holidays before he knew it but still. It was change. And change was scary.
Parking down the street from the Hopper-Byers house, not sure if Hopper would approve of him coming over at such a late hour, Mike made the rest of the journey as quickly as possible.
There was only one light on downstairs, and it looked like the lights were out in El’s room but Mike didn’t care. He knew her well enough to know that she was still awake. She never went to bed this early, especially in the summer. He didn’t want to risk knocking on the door, so instead Mike decided to try and scale the house to get in through her window.
Potentially, this could be a horrible idea because one, Mike was the clumsiest human being possibly in the entire world and there was a very high, high chance that he would fall on his ass in the process. There was also the fact that El’s window faced the street, so someone could very easily see him and call the cops on him. Which could be very awkward, considering he was sneaking in the Chief of Police’s house.
Those however, were risks he was willing to take.
Somehow, some way (he credited the power of love and the books that he had been carrying around earlier helping him somehow develop more arm muscles in the last two hours), Mike managed to push himself up the side of the house, sweaty and out of breath when he was outside of El’s window.
A smile fell on his face as he saw her. She was laying on her bed, eyes on a book that she was holding in front of her. She was in her own little world and Mike’s heart was hammering happily in her chest at the mere sight of her.
Luckily, El had her window open, so it was easy for him to swing himself in.
“Mike?” El questioned as soon as his feet were hitting the floor of her bedroom. He had been so focused on landing that he hadn’t noticed her leap from her bed in surprise and make her way over to the window so she was now standing in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
Her eyebrows were raised an amused expression was playing on her lips. He realized that he probably looked a little dazed and maybe just slightly deranged. He could tell by how hot he was that his face was probably bright red and he could feel his hair sticking to the back of neck.
“I missed you.” He said, shrugging his shoulders, a smirk on his face. El giggled, shaking her head with an affectionate role of her eyes. “So, I decided to come over and see you.”
El smiled, wide and bright and Mike’s heart warmed in his chest. “Well I’m glad you did because I missed you too.” She went up on her tiptoes and Mike met her halfway so he could press his lips softly against hers.
Perfect.
All the emotion that had been stirring inside of him threatened to bubble over the surface as El’s lips continued to press against his, and before he knew it, there were tears forming in his eyes as El pulled away. The smile on her face quickly morphed into concern and her fingertips gently rubbing against the apple of his cheek.
“What’s wrong?” She whispered. “Did something happen?” Her voice was laced with worry and Mike couldn’t blame her, the only time he ever really cried in front of her is when things were rough with his parents or with school.
He shook his head though, leaning his forehead against hers and sighing, his breath shaky. “I just...I’m really gonna miss you.”
El nods, understanding and Mike knows that all the emotions that are swirling inside of him, she’s feeling too. His hands seek her out, finding the small of her back and tugging her closer. El folds into his embrace, her hands joining around his neck so she can pull him against her body, her face in the crook of his neck and his his chin resting on her shoulder.
“I just want to spend as much time with you as I can.” Mike whispers, pressing his lips to the skin of her neck. He can feel the quirking of her lips into a smile and despite the sadness he feels and the nerves he has about leaving her, his heart soars, happy.
“Me too.” El says, and Mike tightens his hold on her.
He doesn’t know how long they stand there, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, but Mike knows he doesn’t want to let go any time soon. After some length of time, Mike feels El yawn against his skin, her breath tickling the hair on his neck.
“Tired?” He asks, pulling away ever so slightly so he can look at her. She’s beginning to get bags under her eyes and her can see the exhaustion in the lines of her face and something tugs at his heart. She nods, rubbing the heels of her hand against her eyes.
Wordlessly, Mike pulls her towards her bed, laying down quickly so he can pull her against him. She falls easily against his chest, immediately wrapping her arm around his waist and tangling her legs with his. Mike doesn’t bother with her duvet, it’s far too hot and Mike’s pretty sure his body heat is enough for the both of them.
He presses a kiss to the top of her head when she’s settled and he hears her sighing contently, a smile crossing his face. “Your parents go to bed already?”
El nods, her head nudging against his shoulder as she glances up at him. “Joyce started crying when the movie ended, so dad made her go to bed.” Sadness clouds El’s vision and Mike squeezes her hip encouragingly. “Will seemed upset, but I could tell he didn’t want to talk about it.”
Mike frowns, noting that he should talk to Will sometime in the next couple days before he leaves. But his focus is quickly back on El, who is rubbing her nose against the fabric of his t shirt. One of his hands moves to brush her hair from her face, tucking it softly behind her ear. Silence covers them and Mike hums.
“I’m glad you’re here.” El whispers after a couple minutes. Mike had been hovering close to sleep and he smiles.
“Me too.” He takes a look at El’s face, and her eyes are fluttering close and he can hear the lull in her breathing. He presses another soft kiss to the top of her head and his heart threatens to burst out of his chest. “Goodnight, El.”
El’s asleep by then, but Mike doesn’t care. All he needs to do is to lay there with her wrapped up in his arms for a couple more minutes before he feels himself begin to drifting off.
I love you, for now. Forever. For always. His heart beats out and the smile on his face widens and he knows that night he’ll dream of El.
Even though he knows his dreams will never compare to the real thing.
It takes El a while to decide if she likes college or not.
Some parts of it she loves. She loves not having her classes every single day, which gives her time to complete her homework on time. She loves being able to spend her time in the library during the day, and the freedom she has to do what she wants with her time when she’s not in class or working on homework.
On the other hand, some parts of it she hates. She hates how intimidated she feels by all her professors with their knowledge and their expectations. She hates how inexperienced she feels compared to her classmates, who all buddy up together and form friendships that El isn’t a part of (not that she necessarily wants to make friends with the people around her, but it still hurts to see it). She hates how hard the campus is to navigate and how everything is always changing.
One thing that definitely checks a box in the love category is Mike.
When El had applied to, and subsequently been accepted to, Ivy Tech Community College, she had always intended to live with Mike as soon as she got there. It was something they had extensively talked about during her first visit his freshman year. The distance was hard enough as is, that the idea of being separated even longer, even while living in the same city, wasn’t something either of them wanted.
But then, Hop had sat her down and suggested maybe trying the normal college kid thing, at least for one year. El had been hesitant but ultimately agreed after Joyce told her that she would never know until she tried it. Will had been extremely against having any kind of roommate at first and now they were extremely close.
So, here she was.
Mike had been a little disappointed, but ultimately encouraging and supportive of El’s decision, not wanting to hold her back from doing anything. Besides, it’s not like they would never see each other, it just wouldn’t be as much as they both had originally hoped, but that was alright.
The best part of all of it, was that Mike had a room all to himself.
He had made the decision that if he was going to spend another year living in the dorms, he was going to make sure he had a room all to himself. He had liked his first year roommate well enough, and El had too, in the brief moments she had spent in his presence, but having a space all his own was something that El knew he needed.
It just so happened that it was pretty good for her too.
El liked her roommate, she did really, more than she thought she was going to. But she much prefered to take the bus over to Mike’s campus to spend time with him in his room. It was her own little safe haven away from the chaos and stress of college.
By the time November rolled around, El seemed to be spending more time in Mike’s room then she was her own, but she knew that Mike was hardly complaining about it. Her roommate, a kind girl named Jenny, thought it was cute that El spent so much time with her boyfriend, so she thought it was cute when El would disappear for days at a time to spend time with Mike.
“I don’t want to take my chem test tomorrow.” Mike groaned, rolling over onto his back from his place on the floor. It was a snowy, cold, Thursday afternoon and El and Mike were both working on their respective homework.
El gave him a sympathetic smile from her place on Mike’s bed. Somehow it was more comfortable than the one back in her own room, but she attributed that more to the fact that it was Mike’s, then anything else. “Just be glad you don’t have to write my English paper.”
Mike snorted, using his arms to cover his eyes. “I would much rather write an English paper. Do you wanna switch, I’ll write your paper and you can go take my chem test for me tomorrow.”
“I wish.” El said, a smirk playing on her lips. “Actually, no I don't. Your chemistry looks really hard, but you can still write my paper for me.” Mike gasped, holding his hand to his chest and mock offense.
“I see how it is.” He said, sitting up from his lying position and shaking his head at her. “You’re only using me for my brain, have been all this time. How did I miss all the signs.”
El rolled her eyes, but went along with his game. “Oh yes, I’ve been stringing you along for the past six years all because I think you’re super smart.” She said, rolling over on his bed and propping herself up on her elbow. “Turns out I actually think you’re the worst and am leaving you for Troy as soon as I get my diploma.”
She couldn’t resist the laugh that bubbled out of her when she saw the disgusted look on her face. “Between the two of us, you could do so much better.”
El watched with a small smile on her face as Mike pushed himself off the floor and pulled himself onto his bed. He hovered over her, his breath fanning out against her cheeks and blowing her hair off of her face. “Oh, could I? Is that your academic opinion?”
Mike nodded, his lips stretching into a wide, amused grin. “That’s what I’m getting my degree in.” Anchoring himself down with both of his elbows on either side of her head, Mike brushed his lips against hers, and El’s heart thumped steadily and happily in her chest.
“So, in your professional, academic opinion Doctor Wheeler,” El teased, watching as Mike’s face pinked against his cheekbones, “who do you think is the best match for me?”
El brought her hands up and began playing with the dangling strings of Mike’s sweatshirt, resisting the urge to tickle him with them, afraid it would cause him to lose his stability and he would tumble down on top of her. “In my honest, professional opinion, I think you are out of everyone’s league and no one will ever be good enough for you.”
The earlier teasing tone was void from his voice and replaced with a gentler, sincere tone that caused butterflies to explode in El’s stomach and a blush to creep onto her cheeks.
“You’re such a liar.” She whispered. Mike rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m serious. You’re a dirty, rotten liar.”
“Am not.” Mike argued, frowning.
“Are too.” El said, reaching up and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “You’re more than good for me, you’re perfect for me.”
El bit her lip, smiling as she watched Mike’s eyes light up and a wide grin spread across his face. She couldn’t hold back the squeal that escaped her lips as Mike leaned down and kissed her soundly. His elbows were still locking him in place and she could feel his fingers tangle themselves in her hair.
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, trading kisses and laughing and whispering, pretending that the world around them didn’t exist. El could have stayed there forever, she thinks.
“I’m tired.” Mike whispers at one point, pressing his forehead against her shoulder, nuzzling her underarm with the tip of his nose.
“Then, sleep. Your chemistry will still be there when you wake up.” El responds, pressing her lips gently against his temple. She can feel his vein against her lips, a sure sign of his stress. She’s been watching him worry about this test for days now, so she hopes for his sake he listens to her.
Mike shook his head, his hair tickling her cheek. “Can’t.” He mutters, blowing air out of his nose which tickles the skin of her armpit. “Need to study.” El frowns, watching the tension buck at his shoulders and his body stiffens against her.
“You’re allowed to take a break.” El said, carding her fingers through his hair, rubbing her thumb against the crease of his forehead. He lifts his face to look at her, his chin resting against the top of her breast, an incredulous look on his face.
A groan escapes his lips and El worries her bottom lip. “I’m gonna fail if I take a break.” She watched his Adam’s apple bob and she hear the genuine worry in his voice. “I’m already not doing as well in that class as I hoped I would.”
Sighing softly, El sits herself up on her elbows, taking Mike with her, as he’s still using her as a cushion. “Mike, you shouldn’t work yourself to death.” She says. “Nothing is worth stressing yourself out this much, not even chemistry.” El takes a deep breath, giving him a small smile. “I would really prefer you to stay in piece, preferably one piece that got a little bit more sleep.
Mike looks like he wants to argue with her, but he also looks like he’s far too tired and worn out to try. El can’t even feel pride for being right, because of how much it squeezes at her heart. Mike had been tearing himself apart this semester, between his chemistry lectures and engineering labs. On top of all that, he had also taken a weekend job at the local bookstore, mainly for pocket cash, so they could order take out on Friday nights, or go to the movies on Sunday afternoons.
She also knew he wasn’t getting nearly as much sleep as he should. So if she can get him to sleep a few hours now, she’s going to take it.
Mike sighs, pillow his face against her shoulder. He seems resigned now, his eyes closed and his shoulders begin to relax. El uses a flick of her wrist to discard her own books to the ground, tilting her chin to cover them with the blanket Mike keeps at the end of his bed.
“Promise to still love me even if I fail my chemistry test tomorrow?” Mike whispers when they’re settled in the warmth of the throw blanket. El knows he’s trying to tease, but she can hear the anxiety and worry in his voice. She knows him well enough to know that he worries that he’ll never be good enough.
She smiles, pressing her lips against the crown of his head. “I promise that I’ll love you no matter what you do.” She whispers.
There’s no response from Mike, but she feels the nudge of his nose against the skin of her neck, a sure sign of his thanks. They’ve been together long enough to not need words to express their feelings.
Slowly but surely, Mike falls asleep, his deep breath hot and steady against her skin and his hand lax around her waist. El smiles, feeling relaxed and content. Before she knows it, her own eyes are drifting closed, Mike’s heavy breathing being enough to lull her into unconsciousness.
A couple hours later, El feels herself being pulled awake. The room has darkened around them, the only light coming from the desk lamp that was still flicked on in the corner of Mike’s desk. Mike was still breathing heavily, his lips puckered against her neck and his nose burrowed into her hair.
According to the clock it was nearly eight and El had a feeling that in a couple more hours, her and Mike would be gorging on the microwavable dinners that Mike kept stocked in his mini fridge, before falling back into bed. El knows it won’t even be a question for her to spend the night here. Especially because she could see snow swirling under the streetlamp outside Mike’s window, the hope of cancelled classes tomorrow blooming inside of her.
But for now, in the dimly lit warmth of Mike’s dorm room, with Mike sleeping soundly against her, his arm around her waist and his ankles threaded through hers, El didn’t care about what happened in the future.
All she cared about was now. All she cared about was him.
“Well, that’s the last of the boxes.”
Mike reached up to wipe the sweat from his brow as soon as the box he was carrying hit the ground. He had been insistent that El not use any of her powers to help them move in any of the boxes, something that he now kind of wishes he hadn’t said.
“Perfect.” El said from the kitchen, stepping down from the stool she was on where had been putting away their plates and cups. She smiled as she stepped towards him and Mike pulled her into his arms, easily.
El, who was considerable less covered in sweat than he was, wrinkled his nose when he pressed his forehead against his, but she didn’t pull away. “I can’t believe we’re actually standing here.”
Mike’s voice was soft, punctuated with a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. “I know.” El said, taking a step back and looking around the room, almost as if she’s in complete disbelief. “Took longer than expected, but we really did it.”
He smiled, nodding his head in agreement. It was true, it had taken about a year longer than they had expected, and hoped, but regardless, it had happened and here they were. After everything they had to go through to be standing here, Mike couldn’t help but feel an insurmountable amount of pride and love, for the both of them.
They had intended to do all this last year, after El’s first year at Ivy Tech. She was going to do one year of living in the dorms, which Mike knew that, despite her liking her roommate and being surprisingly okay with living in a building with a bunch of other people, she still much preferred spending the nights in his room (which he definitely also preferred), and Mike was going to save up some money so they could afford at least a month’s worth of rent.
It was a conversation that had had only a couple weeks after El had moved to Bloomington, one night while huddled beneath his dark blue duvet, whispered voices and hands clasped. It was something that Mike had been looking forward to all winter long.
Then, he had gotten his internship.
Mike had applied for it at the insistence of his engineering professor, who told him she believed he had what it took to get accepted. He hadn’t really wanted to, but he should have known as soon as he mentioned it to El that she would practically be ripping the application out of his hands to fill it out for him herself.
Come January, Mike was holding an acceptance letter in his hand. His parents, of course, were thrilled and were basically pushing him out the door the day he was intended to leave the following August. El, while bummed that their plans of getting an apartment together would be put on hold, was supportive and as much as it sucked that they were seperated for another four months while El continued her studies at Ivy Tech and Mike did his internship in Chicago, knowing that he had something to look forward to the following year had been all Mike needed to get him through it.
The following January it was his turn to be proud as El excitedly told him that she had been accepted into Indiana University to get her four year degree. After doing two years of college, El had made the decision that she believed she could do it, and Mike was there to support her every step of the way.
That’s the way they had always been, and that’s how they were always going to be. Mike knew that.
So, things had been put on hold, but now here they were. In a little one bedroom that was worth more than either one of them could ever imagine, but it was theirs. That’s all that mattered. Sure, he wished that the bathroom was bigger than his childhood closet, and it would be nice if they could fit more than a single loveseat in the cramped living room. But, it also had El, and a jumbled, well loved mix of all their stuff and that’s what was most important.
“It’s gonna be weird, living together like this.” El said, looking towards the single bathroom they had, no doubt thinking about how in all their years together they had never shared a bathroom before.
Mike laughs. “By the end of last year you were practically living out of my dorm room, we’ve basically already lived together for over a year, now it’s just official.” El giggled, shaking her head softly.
“I know.” Mike smirked, because he was telling nothing but the truth. Throughout most of El’s first year in Bloomington and after he had returned from his internship, El spent more time in his room than she did anywhere else, by the end of her freshman year, half of her wardrobe was in his dresser and scattered around his room. Not that you would ever hear him complaining. “I just hope that living together doesn’t completely ruin everything.”
Mike frowned, despite the teasing nature to her voice he hoped she didn’t actually think that there would be any reason for their relationship to be ruined by living together. He knew that there were risks to moving in together, some people just didn’t work as living partners, even if their relationship was otherwise perfect. Sure, Mike had been plagued with a bout of anxiety about it, but he knew deep in his mind that him and El’s relationship could make it through anything.
Some people’s relationships might fall apart when living together, but him and El weren’t just “some people.”
“Hey, I resent that, I am a great roommate.” He joked, pointing his finger at her, raising his eyebrow. El nodded, a smirk falling onto her face.
“I’m sure that you are, I just hope that us sharing a bathroom doesn’t change my opinion of you.” With a punctuated, short, kiss to his lips, she pulled away, grabbing one of the boxes on the counter next to them as she went. Mike pouted following her with his eyes.
El, knowing, like she always seems to, that he’s watching her, spins on her heels, a smirk on her face. “Are you going to watch me all day or are you actually going to help?” There’s a mischievous nature to the curve of her lips an the arc of her brow and Mike has to bit his lips to keep from grinning too wide.
“Hey, don’t act like I didn’t carry all the boxes in myself.” He puts his hands on his hips and takes a few steps closer to her. The box she had been carrying was now sitting open on their living room floor and El reaches down and pulls a throw pillow from it.
“I offered to help.” She exclaims, tossing the pillow to him, which he’s surprised he actually catches.
“Yeah, with your brain powers.” Mike scoffs, placing the pillow on the corner of their love seat. He knows that El will probably move it at some point, but for now it works. “Which is cheating.”
El laughs then, the sound bright and clear and Mike’s heart squeezes affectionately in his chest. He can’t believe she really agreed to live with him of all people. He has no idea how he got this lucky, but he’s definitely not going to ask any questions.
“Here, help me unpack.” She gestures him over and he frowns when all the contents of the box in front of her are things they had bought to decorate the living room with.
“El, you can put that stuff wherever you want, it doesn’t really matter to me.” He says, giving her a look. She rolls her eyes at him and he’s almost offended.
“Mike.” He swallows. “I don’t want to just put all this stuff anywhere, you already told me that I could buy whatever I wanted.”
“Which is true.”
El sighs, pursing her lips slightly. “But I don’t want our living room to just be full of stuff that I bought, put in the places where I think that they look good. I don’t want you to feel like a this apartment doesn’t have any part of you in it.”
If possible, Mike’s heart glows ever brighter for her. He didn’t think there was any way he could love her anymore than he already does, but she surprises him everyday.
“And I love you for that.” El smiles, pecking his lips quickly. “I just honestly, don’t think you want my decorating abilities anywhere near this room.”
At that, El nods, giggles escaping her lips. Mike leans down and kisses her again, just because he can, because this is their apartment and there’s absolutely no one around to tell him that he can’t.
After that, they fall into an easy routine. El unpacks the living room and bathroom stuff, the throw rug that his mom had bought before they left Hawkins, the ugly lamp that they both loved from the cabin that Hopper had generously let them have, and more than one painting that Will had insisted that they hang up in their apartment.
Mike finishes up what El had started in the kitchen, putting all their plates and cups and bowls in the appropriate cupboards and making sure that they at least have enough of everything for when their parents, or friends, decide to come and visit. Because he knows that they will and there’s a good chance there won’t be any advance warning. Because well, that’s just how things have always been.
At some point, El pugs in the clock radio that had been a joint Christmas present from Lucas and Max last year, and they work to the low, comforting sounds of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Eventually, Mike moves to their bedroom, which is tiny and doesn’t have room for much more besides their bed, dresser and one bedside table, and makes sure everything in there is in order for when him and El are both exhausted and don’t want to think about anything else besides sleep.
When the sun begins to dip below the horizon, splashing their walls with vibrant pinks and yellows, they order pizza, eating their first meal in their new apartment on the floor in the kitchen. It’s perfect and everything Mike had ever wanted.
By the time it’s dark outside, El and Mike are both exhausted. The heat had been nearly unbearable and Mike makes the decision to go out and buy a couple fans in the morning so it at least feels like there’s air circulating.
It takes some pushing, to get El to abandon her task of assorting all of their movies and books and various other nerdy collectables that had mainly come from Mike’s bedroom back home, but Mike finally convinces her that it’ll all be there for her in the morning.
The clock, which Mike had made sure to plug in as he knew El hated not knowing what time it was when she woke up in the morning, was just turning nine when they fell into bed. El immediately curls up against him, her hand finding his t shirt, gripping it tightly.
“I feel like I might wake up the morning and this isn’t actually happening.” She whispers into the darkness of their bedroom. “Like, I’ll wake up to my dad yelling at me to get out of bed so he can move me into the dorms again.”
Mike chuckles, his fingertips playing with the ends of hair by her shoulders, his lips falling to the top of her forehead. “Yeah, it definitely feels good enough to be a dream.”
She hums in agreement, pressing a kiss to the part of his chest that holds his heart. Mike wonders if she can feel it beating against her lips considering it threatens to burst out of his chest with pure indescribable joy and love.
Silence covers them like a comfortable, well loved blanket, the only noise being the light street noise coming in through their open window. El nuzzles closer to him, and he can tell by the sound of her breathing that she’s almost sleep. He smiles.
“I love you.” He whispers, his lips brushing against her hairline. El doesn’t reply, but Mike swears the grip on his t shirt tightens. He smiles.
It doesn’t take long before the exhaustion of the day catches up to him and the weight of El’s sleeping body against him helps lull him to sleep. He feels his eyes slip close, his chin tilted so he can rest it on the top of El’s head as he sleeps. The last thing he remembers thinking before he slips into unconsciousness is how he gets to fall asleep with her now every night for the rest of his life.
He can’t wait.