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Chapter Text

353

The room seemed to spin around while they could feel the demo dogs (as Dustin called them)  haunting outside. I was kind of like a deja vú, a nasty one to be living the same experience again and, at the same time, it was reassuring to be working together as a team once more; a team that came to be rather oddly. Even Steve, who had nothing to do with it was as compromised as the rest of them and, at the same time, wondering how he found himself ready to be eaten by those creatures growling outside.

Suddenly a noise made everyone gasp and turn around even they couldn’t really see what was going on, they all held as a weapon anything they could find and waited to be attack and fight back. Then, out of nowhere a glass exploded and it took a moment for everyone to find the cause of that broken glass: a demo dog had flown across the Byers front window and got poked by Hopper’s foot only to check that it was indeed dead. Questions like how and why was a dead demo dog on the living room seemed to be all that was on the mind of the people in there, like the sensation of fear that wrap them all again as a new noise, this time from the front door unlocking itself, took everyone into action pointing their guns and weapons to whatever that was getting closer to the Byers household.

The chain on the door slide until it fell loose and, as if it had taken years, it slowly opened before the presents, but none of them was ready for the person they saw, neither Mike even when he had been waiting that moment for almost a year.

Her feet stepped in and got inside, straightforward, wearing black clothes, different from how they all reminded her but with a bleeding nostril, she cause surprise and relief not caring about he worn down makeup in her serious and hard dark eyes.  Seriousness that flew away and became something a lot more powerful as she saw Mike walking between Hopper and Steve with his body filled with emotions that overwhelmed him.

It was Eleven.

After so long, after so much loneliness, so much desperation, after missing her more than his bones could even bare, there she finally was. When Eleven finally saw him suddenly there was nobody else there, only Mike. His face looked sad and she could see how the boy’s eyes became irritated as she herself felt like all her wishes of seeing him again became true on his surprise and the happiness she knew he was feeling right then. He was like an open book she could read and always understand and that it’d open just for her. And she knew, she knew because she had been visiting him all those days, away from him.

She knew he had missed her, she knew how much he missed her, she also knew how much that moment in time meant to Mike because it was the same for her. They were bonded, they were tight together by a rope that had been forced to stretch out until breaking but didn’t, even when it had hurt. Finally it was time to see him and soon came to be.

Mike froze for a moment and he felt as nothing he ever thought that made him happy could now even compare to that moment. It wasn’t a mirage or his imagination, they were Eleven’s eyes looking at him like someone who sees a dream becoming true. It was like someone who was able to smile for the first time, with the face of a drowning person feeling the fresh air once more. He could read her so perfectly, even when they first met she was lack of any expression, Mike knew that the blank page she once was, now had his name written all over it, because she was looking at him like he knew he was looking at her. And in that moment, Mike was sure as real as it was the sun and it was the rain, that El felt the same.

Because Mike was in love with Eleven, and Eleven was in love with him.

"Eleven…"

"Mike…"

The desire living in their guts worked like two magnets pulling themselves to one another, colliding into a crushing hug. They had missed each other so much that they weren’t fisically able to pull apart.

Mike hold her a fraction of a second faster than she did because he couldn’t let her go. She was there, she had came back and there wasn’t, really wasn’t the smallest chance where he would even allowed her leaving his side ever again. To feel her warmth against his chest was as necessary as drinking water after a week lost in the desert. It was a matter of life and death; he had lived for that moment and died every day that went by without it.

Eleven felt his voice calling for her and only then she could said his name. Her voice crawled its way through her throat and the tears she had been holding back, choking her like every time she visited him without Mike knowing it, like every time she touched him without feeling his skin and then shouted her pain out when she got back to her loneliness so far away from him; were now pouring out of her eyes. Mike’s arms held her tighter to his body and she sighed the air on her chest as she cried her sadness away. After being drowning for so long she could finally breathe and pulled her hands up to his back holding him close like if he was a lifesaver pulling herself from the ocean and saving her life… again.

"I never gave up on you." said Mike looking at her straight in the eye.

He was a lot taller, she found out right away and she had to look up to see him in his eyes, and it made Eleven like him even more. Need him even more. His voice brought her joy and she listened to what he said on his relief face and the sincerity in his eyes, El on her torn apart heart, heard how he kept telling the truth because friends don’t lie.

"I called you every night. Every night for…"

"353 days…" Eleven cut him off as she nodded her head.

She heard the way she said it and, just then, she was aware of how grateful she was with her fate for putting him on her way. At saying it out loud, at saying how many days he held on his hopes, El surprised herself of what she already knew; and even when she had a rough start her entire life in the lab, she now felt how everything begun to heal only because of it, because of Mike’s hopes and because he needed her as much as she needed him. But he didn’t have to explain or proof anything to her because Eleven knew better just how true he had been.

"I heard…" she whispered and looked at him while her heart pounded so hard she knew he could hear it. Yes, she had listened to Mike and his struggle, and his desperate search for her didn’t passed unnoticed to Eleven nor she would ever forget. She wanted Mike to know that all his sacrifice and all his pain made El value him even more.

All that pain, all that agony, all that fear of not seeing each other again was replaced by a happiness greater than any demogorgon and any threat.

Chapter Text

353

Electricity

It was totally unfair, she had just got back! When would she rest for a moment? When could he take five minutes alone with her? She had literally just came back and already had the burden of the world on her shoulders, burden that she put herself onto and Mike felt a little bit of rage towards his own luck for not being able to have a moment with El.

The guys had hugged her, he was sure of it even when he didn’t quite see it being so busy yelling and punching Hopper, but he knew they had. Both Lucas and Dustin had also missed her, she was a member of the party and, for that entire year, the party felt incomplete.

While they prepared to take Will where the mind flayer couldn’t find him and Nancy and Steve were looking for any heaters they could use, Mike went outside with Eleven to the Byers front door to spend with her as much time as he could. Another long moment, another absence from the people around them; she turned to look at him and Mike took her hands into his and their eyes met being, once again, the only two people in there. It worked, there was silence because they disconnected from the reality and to both of them the only person in the world was the one standing before one another.

When had he changed so much? In which moment, Mike wondered, that tingle had begun? Was it when he met her under the rain, or was it when he looked at her confused face while he offered his dry clothes? He felt like his life was a board game and reaching Eleven was a shot of luck that he had meant to reach one day.  For whatever reason he took her to his house, for whatever reason she had chosen to stay with him, to trust him. Did that feeling already existed when El sat on his bike and hold him from behind? Or was it when looking at her with the dress all dirty and without the wig he still believed she was really pretty?

When did he had his heart stolen from him?

Even when Eleven didn’t knew much about words and less of all naming what she felt, she did know that what she felt was real. The movies and soap operas she had seen on Hopper’s TV, the longing she felt when a love scene came and she thought about Mike, the feeling of safety she reminded holding her whenever she was with him in his basement; were the prelude of something that was new. The way she thought about him, that she cried for how much she missed him were the empirical proof that she felt something for him she didn’t felt for anyone else. It wasn’t like that with Lucas or Dustin because no one was like Mike. He meant salvation, he meant tenderness on her lips, he meant softness in her hands.

They had hold hands before, when Mike gave her a tour on his house, or when they had to run up the stairs back to his room so Mike’s mom doesn’t caught them, or when they were running away from the bad men, whatever the reason was they had hold hands before, but it didn’t felt that way. This time there was something more, this time there was something unspoken, this time it was expectation.

It was electricity.

The teenager, yes, he was already a teenager, became suddenly very aware of Eleven’s fingers between his. And also he became very much aware of her warmth, her softness and he thought that maybe, if he had time enough and got really concentrated, he could feel her powers running under her skin; but then El moved her thumbs caressing he back of his hands and Mike gasp and did the same.

That was more than a tingle, that was a two way complicity, an unspoken bond, it was something wonderful beginning, it was the promise of what could finally happen once the gate was closed.

Eleven looked at both their hands linked and then she looked back into his eyes, watering again. She knew he was getting hurt, she felt like she was the one hurting him, she knew Mike was suffering. She also suffered because in all those fantasies when she pictured herself reuniting with him she never thought she had to leave again so quickly even when it was only for minutes. Yes, it hurts, she wanted to stay, she wanted to be a little more selfish and stay with Mike but she couldn’t; not only because she wasn’t selfish but also because if she didn’t close the gate then the shadow monster would still haunt them. It was only a little sacrifice, just a little more and she would return to Mike.

Because if only there was a chance in which after all the suffering, happiness would come then every single tear would have been worth it.

"Just be careful, alright? I can’t lose you again."

His desperation was clear even when he tried to hide it. Of course he couldn’t lose her, no, it was out of the question. How could he live through it again? Would he want to recover if something happens to her?

"You won’t loose me." El whispered.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

It was a promise and nothing would stop her from keeping it. She wanted to make him feel better and she gave him her word because nothing else was allowed. To see Mike like that with his tears falling was as painful as it was being away from him, day after day, trying to survive. No, he wouldn’t lose her, not only because she was determined on defeating the shadow monster and closing the gate but also because she couldn’t even think of how Mike would feel if she didn’t came back. If he would lose her again, she would lose him too, they were a team.

Suddenly she felt the urge and didn’t even think about it. Looking at Mike and the way he was staring into her eyes, the holding of their hands, the electricity between their fingers that she didn’t fully understand made Eleven get closer to him. It was like a force that pulled her onto Mike, that was calling for her; it was something that she could tell Mike was feeling as he could see her getting closer and was okay with it, waiting for the touch. She couldn’t explain it but her entire body was longing for it, she wanted to feel his lips, just a little bit closer…

"El come on, let’s go. It’s time." Hopper called and the world begun spinning again and got as real as everyone around them and the danger that was waiting. She couldn’t help but get frustrated. Both of them.

But there were more important things to do.

El got on the van along with the Chief of Police and when he started to drive away, she looked back at Mike and saw how he was terrified. She also was, but also then as powerful and strong as ever, she felt determined to close the gate once and for all as fast as she could so she could get back with Mike and, this time, not letting go.

Chapter Text

353

Home

And she didn’t.

Because her reason to resist closing the gate, the reason that helped her put a barrier against the shadow monster when it reached to capture her, that made her levitate; her reason to save them all, to stop he upside down to spread in her dimension, the one that gave her friends, a home and love. Her reason was to live to finally honour her promise, to have a life. A life that includes eggos with Hopper, the TV in the cabin, the rules she loathed, Mrs. Byers hugs, Dustin's teeth, Lucas’s comments and meeting Will. And above all, above herself, above life itself, what gave her strength to resist and overcome herself, even when after she had done it almost fainted in the arms of Hopper; she had a one true motive to win, a feeling that brought her peace. Because her greatest reason, her enthusiasm, her source of courage was waiting for her as he had been waiting for three hundred and fifty three days. It was time to get home with Mike.

“You did good, kid… You did so good.” Hopper whispered as he was holding her, afraid she would break as he himself was on the verge of crying, not only out of relief but also happiness. He knew how much El had been waiting for what was going to come: to live, no hiding, no fear, no danger…

“Mike…”

Eleven’s whisper made Hopper laugh a little. He thought about all the people who said that kids that age couldn’t feel real love, should now meet Mike and El… Damn, they would prove them wrong!

For almost a year they lived together and even when nobody could ever replace Sarah, Jim Hopper found that he had also received a gift, a compensation in his life. He now had without planning it, the possibility of raising a whole human being in the entire meaning of the word, because as Eleven hold herself into his arms he felt as powerful as ever that he would always be there for her; that she could always lean on him for help, he would always be an advice she could find, and also a guide to show her the way and forever take good care of her. Because El, just like Sarah, is also his little girl.

xx

They had barely stepped a foot into the cabin, Hopper carrying El in his arms, when Mike throw himself onto them holding her hand.

“Mike wait…” Lucas called trying to hold his friend away from them, to keep him calm and let the Chief Police laid her down, but even he should've know that trying to stop him would be in vain.

From the moment they arrived, Mike wasn’t able to move away from the window. There was no one in that cabin that hadn’t told him to stay cool, that everything would be okay but even as he himself tried to keep his head busy on checking Will, his mind and his heart were with El.

After what it seemed like forever, he saw the lights of the van in the dark of the forest as it parked near by and he heard his heart pound on his chest faster than ever. Only when he saw Hopper walking with Eleven in his arms he felt as he released a deep breath he didn’t knew how long he had been holding. But she looked exhausted, she was apparently unconscious, and pale, and she looked so weak, like she wasn’t able to even speak.

A part of him could hear Hopper complaining for stepping in his way but to Mike there wasn’t force, or gate, of shadow monster, or whatever living thing on earth that could now keep him away from El.

“Damn it, kid! Will you please wait a minu...”

“Mike…” called Eleven, interrupting the Chief as he sighed and roll his eyes for how stubborn those teenagers were.

El squeezed his hand softly with the little strength she had left without opening his eyes but wanting to be clear that she wanted Mike. He was there; they both were as everyone else. Steve drove the kids to the cabin since he remembered where it was because he had listened when Hopper told Jonathan and also because the kids had insisted on it and he was too tired to fight all those ‘little shits’. But he understood, they wanted to see their friend, not only Eleven but also Will whom they almost lost again. They had to see if he was okay, to tell him the gate was closed, the mind flyer was gone, that he was free.

“Here.” Joyce took a few things out of the couch and made room for El to be laid down, she looked so tired but she also had a smile on her face fully pointing at the boy kneeled on the floor next to her. When she was comfortable resting on the couch she opened her eyes and looked at the boy holding her hand. He was also tired, his face was wet with tears but his smile was as beautiful as she remembered. He was happy and it was because of her.

Suddenly El wasn’t tired, she could laid on her side and smile back to Mike as he leaned on her and buried his face on her neck and cried his worries away while Eleven felt so much happiness and so much love surrounding her that she knew she was home, because that was what Mike was for her. He was home, he was luck, and he was journey and destination. Her destination. Then as they embrace in front of everyone, Dustin tapped Lucas and Mrs. Byers calling for them and cough to get the attention of Steve and the rest and also shook his head to where Will was resting. He knew his friends needed a moment alone because they deserved it regardless of Chief Hopper frown; thank God for Joyce Byers and for taking him out of the room.

Mike knew that probably the best thing for El would be to get check but as soon as he started to pull away from the hug, she hold him tighter and wrap her hand on his hair making him blush as she nuzzled her nose on the line of his neck and cried. Worried from the way she was crying, Mike tapped down her body with a shaking hand looking for damage but just then he felt a smile against his skin and knew her tears were nothing to worry about.

Then El barely pulled away, only to catch her breath.

“Mike...” she whispered and those brown eyes he adored were looking at him. “I promised... I’m here. You are here….”

His hand wandered unconsciously trough the side of her body caressing her like if he was trying to brush her fatigue away, trying to make her feel relaxed. After all they’ve been trough, after all that agony and all that pain, they were finally together. El took his hand in hers and did something that shook him to his bone in the best way. She kissed his hand and rested her cheek against it sighing happily without looking away.

“You are amazing.” he stated and stroke her cheek tenderly making her smile and close her eyes as she enjoyed his touch. She was so beautiful he couldn’t believe it. “I’m not leaving from your side, you know? I’m sure my mom will ground me for not coming home for like three days but I don’t care. You are here and I’m not leaving until you are fully recovered and then I’ll keep staying. You are at home.” he looked around the cabin and back to her eyes smiling wider.

Eleven, resting her cheek against his hand listened to Mike and the wonderful things he kept saying. Her breathing was calm, her crying begun ceasing, she even felt sleepy and started to think of how lucky she was because he still believed in her, because he remain with her, no matter what they’ve been trough he stood there believing he could find her, he called for her, he cried for her and he gave Eleven something she never had until hey met. Just then, as Eleven heard when Mike told her she was at home, she shook her head.

“No.” El replied but immediately poke a finger at Mike chest. “Home. You my home.”

Chapter Text

353

Future

After closing the gate it wasn’t really much what Mike could see from El. Things were hard, Hopper was being too overprotective and his rules had hardened especially after Eleven told him she had been wandering around the state and also because of all the dead people they had to cover from. Not to mention the Hawkins Lab scandal that had brought the news and national attention to their town. So Mike couldn’t see or talk to El, and he was driving insane.

“If the lab is closed, El is free”, his friends kept telling him to cheer him up and yes, Mike knew that and he also tried to see the glass half full, but being away from her was a torture he did not wanted to suffer again. He tried, really tried, to stay calm and find some kind of consolation at knowing that she was okay, that she had came back, and had came back because of him. That last thought always made him smile; the fact that she had returned because of him, that she had thought about him the whole time they’ve been separated. When he rest his head on the pillows gather inside the fort that once belonged to Eleven, he delighted into the moment when she arrived to Will’s house and looked at him, and smiled at him, and the desperate way she hugged him. Yes, there were times when he wanted a little more but then he tried to focus on the knowledge that he was no longer suffering or having nightmares because he didn’t know where she was. Those horrible months that shattered him had gone away and he found joy every time he saw a month ago when she called his name between tears of happiness and told him she had been listening to him.

Even when Hopper had allowed one visit two weeks after the closed the gate and that visit Mike had enjoyed it all he could, he also needed something else. He adored his friends, really, but seeing El along with the rest of the party wasn’t exactly what he had in mind after being apart for so long especially if he compared with the time she lived in his basement and they were alone as much as they wanted. That’s what he needed, a little privacy with her to hold her, to talk to her about that hug they gave each other, to tell her just how much he missed her –if he could explain it-; he needed some time alone with Eleven to look into her eyes and lose himself on them, to listen her speak, to teach her more words and what they meant, just the two of them.

He missed her. He needed her.

He had been so sullen for about two weeks since they saw El again that maybe that was the reason why Dustin, Lucas and even Will had been insisting, a little too much actually, on going to the Snow Ball. They have never been there before, neither of them and Mike didn’t understand why it was so important to go, although he partially guessed Lucas and Dustin’s reason on a red haired girl he wasn’t too please with yet, but he didn’t see his own place into that evening when the only girl he wanted to spend his life giving twirls and dances was Eleven. But Will insisted, and if it was someone who he knew needed desperately a little normal back into his life, that was Will, so after days of pitiful begging from his friends Mike agreed to go. Whatever Will need, maybe he could even help him and push him into dancing with some girl if anyone seemed interested and Will decided to freeze himself. Sometimes Mike saw his friend like a little brother even when they were the same age.

Back into the cabin, Eleven was pissed.

By the time Hopper step inside the house, El would slam the bedroom door shut at him as a very clear signal that she was still mad at him. The night before they had a huge fight because she wanted Mike to go visit and he refused, unlike that one fight before where Hopper took the boys to see her, but that was two weeks ago. But this time was different, he had said ‘no’ despite her puppy eyes and her door slamming. Yes, she knew that the time will pass, that she would be free because she technically already was but another year of hiding was like putting salt to an open wound. She wanted to see Mike so badly she felt the needs in her body, she was literally aching to hug him, she felt thirsty. After their reunion and the way they had hugged, she wanted to melt in his arms and become one. She couldn’t even imagine being away from him for another year and she couldn’t understand how she had managed to lived trough it.

“Kid, open up, got to show you something.” She heard Hopper talk from the door. El still called him by his name because she had to take Brenner out of her head first before connecting ‘Papa’ to someone actually good who really cared for her. Yes, she was mad at him at the moment but to Eleven, Hopper was her father. In time she would call him that way.

But again no matter how much she loved him, she was still pissed because El, even when she partially understood the whole another year of hiding thing, she couldn’t see why he wouldn’t allow Mike to go see her and she also, for the life of her, did not understand why Hopper wouldn’t allow only Mike to spent time with her. El enjoyed seeing the boys again and she adored finally meeting Will, but she couldn’t see why why Hop was so reluctant on leaving Mike alone with her. What was wrong about him?

Fortunately, the Chief Police wasn’t alone that day and Eleven got surprised in the best way to hear the familiar voice of Joyce Byers talking with him from the other side of the door. She left her room to crush Will’s mom into a hug who was like a mother for her. El felt like she could talk to her about anything, even things she somehow felt couldn’t talk to Jim. Maybe she’ll ask her what her father held against someone as good as Mike.

“Look, I know you are mad at me right now because you miss the boys but…”

“I want Mike.” she cut him off and, again, could see the expression on his face she couldn’t figure out what it meant. Every time she would say something about the boy, Hopper always turned his head and looked away from her at the same time he touched his face somewhat awkwardly and pat a cigarette faster than any other day. And now she also couldn’t see what was so funny that made Joyce giggled as she looked to the both of them and looked at El with an awe kind of face.

“Yeah, well I know you want to see…him, but we agreed that we had to wait a year until you can leave the house. But…” he stopped her by putting his hand in the air as he could feel another outburst from his girl, and rested that hand on Mrs. Byers back. “Look, this is girls stuff. After tonight we can figure something out, okay?”

If Eleven would have known what he meant at the moment, she would have hugged him so hard he would have probably end up with broken ribs.

xx

Just as he imagined, he was at the dance bored out of his mind wondering what all the fuzz about him being there was. All he had done, and actually was kind of funny, was shook Will when he froze up because of a girl who asked him to dance. Other than that, the dance was as plain as he had imagined, not even Dustin dancing with Nancy caught his amusement but he will definitely poke his friend with it sometime on the next day.

At the moment another song started and he begun to wonder its name, he lifted his head from the dancing feet of the school kids and looked towards the door when he saw her. There she was, Eleven, like a dream came true, like a gift, she was a long wanted promise on a blue dress, she had came to the Snow Ball at his one-year-ago request and she looked just as pretty as he had imagined. So pretty he felt his heart skip a beat.

Her heart was beating so hard when she stepped into the gym it felt like a race. She didn’t knew what to expect when she get there, all she knew about the dance was the light explanation Mrs. Byers had given as she helped Eleven dressing up. Since she found out she was finally going out to see Mike and also going to see him at the dance he had talked about, that she felt her legs shaking and a sparkly tingle in her chest. When she finally arrived and saw Mike between the shiny decorations and the children dancing around him, that tingling sparkly feeling spread through her body, from head to toes, taking her breath away. The world stopped from spinning once more or maybe it started to spin faster, she didn’t know. All she knew was that everybody around them got lost somewhere because Mike was the only one in there. They walked towards each other pulled by a force, like a magnet, like a dream, like it was meant to be. It felt just right, it felt correct, and it felt like life should be, both of them together again.

“You look beautiful.”

Mike said shivering, she really was and El only smiled and looked down, she felt shy and small and at the same time, she felt happy. She had heard that word before on TV, it meant ‘more than pretty, a lot pretty’, it was new but it was better. It was nice to know that he thought so.

“Do you wanna dance?”

Eleven felt shy and a little embarrassed as she looked around her.

“I… don’t know how.”

“I don’t either.” he said as it didn’t matter and El was relief to know they were both on the same page. “You wanna figure it out?”

She just nodded because there was no one else than Mike with whom Eleven wanted to learn to have a life and everything that came with it. She wanted to learn, to explore being actually free while he took her hand and at lead her to the dance floor between all those kids. El wanted to learn everything with him, one dance at a time.

“I think like this… Yeah like that.” Mike explained taking both of her hands and placing them, somehow nervous, some how confident, on his own shoulders and making Eleven blush into that closeness. She had only see people like that in soap operas and she felt the tingling in her stomach ever stronger when she felt his hands hold her close by her waist and smiled at her the same dreamy kind of way she adored.

She wanted to have the words to tell him what he meant for her, what being right there meant for her. He was so handsome and it had nothing to do with the different kind of clothes he was wearing, no, he was handsome because he was Mike. His voice was deeper than she remembered, his height no longer matches her, he got a lot taller and wiser and if even possible, he was even kinder. He was changing from the boy she knew in the forest into a young adult, more confident about himself but El did not know it was thanks to her.

Dancing with El was priceless. He would have liked to tell her that ‘beautiful’ wasn’t enough, that she was a lot more than that. To him Eleven was salvation beyond her powers; she was the sun, the day and warmth. She was all kind of new feeling gathering in his stomach making him feel tingles. She was perfect, with her tiny shy smile, her curiosity as she looked around, Mike felt proud at knowing she only took a quick peek to the rest of the people before looking back at him as he was everything that mattered. It was wonderful to know for sure that they were both standing at the same place.

It was then when Mike went back into the day they met and compared that after all they’ve been through, she became his strength. She gave him the energy to grow, to become a better man, to be someone who could take care of her because he wanted to. He definitely wanted to be the one who she could lean to, the one who held the answers for whatever she’d wanted to know, he wanted to be the one whom she would run to when she get scared, just like when they first met. He knew that he loved her from the moment he saw her, so scared, that he knew he had to protect her, it was a bond they instantly made and Mike could actually named it when he kissed her for the first time. If anyone had told him back then he would have thought it was true and at the same time insane because he was sure enough of how lucky he really was. Only to think that around the world people spent their lives looking for someone to love, Mike with only thirteen years old had already found his other half.

To Eleven it was the same. She was aware that she still had a lot to learn. She had to put a name to her feelings and know what everything meant, but she did know for a fact in her heart and her mind one absolute truth: Mike was the first and the last because he was the one.

For almost a year, Eleven’s only shelter to keep herself busy was the TV and even when she could get bored out of her mind, she also learned. Watching movies and so many soap operas, a recurrent theme on many of them was romance and that person they named ‘soul mate’, and every time she heard it she could only think of Mike. When she watched scenes like these, when a man held a woman in his arms, when he kissed her, El would remember that fast and nervous kiss he gave her and she could see why he was different from Lucas and Dustin. She could finally understand in the time they were away and how much she had missed him that Mike was a lot more than just a friend.

With Mike she wanted to live more than friendship. She wanted adventures that didn’t involve other dimensions, she wanted to get crazy, she wanted to keep that sparkly tingle in her belly and stop the world from spinning every time they hold their hands. To El there was no better place in her universe that standing there with Mike holding her by the waist, with his arms around her. He was every emotion gathered in one person; he was all care and courage when she remembered all he had done for her and all he had fought for her. She remembered how good it felt to hold him when he biked with her, it was correct even when they had just met.

Eleven had moved her hands up to the back of his neck closing the space between them a little more, she wanted him close, and it made her heart race.

Suddenly it was too much for Mike.

Drunk from the music and the line of the song that fit him as it was written for him: ‘Since you've gone I been lost without a trace I dream at night I can only see your face’ . Mike felt Eleven’s scent and he felt something pushing him from the bottom of his soul. That same electricity, the connection between their eyes, the unspoken complicity they shared with a smile, all those things pushed to gather his courage and claim his divine right leaning his head and being soft but determined, Mike was touched and scared; he blinked as he had been under a spell and with dreamy eyes he closed the space between them and put his lips onto Eleven’s, sharing a kiss.

And the world just stopped because Mike could have sworn that this time El kissed him back.

Even when she could figure what he wanted to do when she noticed something changing in his eyes, she got surprised by the kiss but didn’t want to pull apart.

El hoped to feel that way the rest of her life, she wanted to get surprised with him and get as many kisses as she possibly can. She smiled when he pulled apart and looked down at his chest and back to his eyes, she didn’t wanted to leave, she wanted to stay with him, she was so comfortable with his arms around her as she hold him from his neck. In Mike’s arms she was safe and they put their foreheads together smiling at he kiss they shared.

If the world started to move again they didn’t’ noticed because when they were together nothing else seemed to exist, everything just disappeared. No matter what the future may hold, to Mike and Eleven what mattered the most was to have that future… together.

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I own nothing.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rated: K+. // Romance – Hurt/Comfort. // ( Eleven and Mike ).

xx

HOLD ME UNTIL SIX

January 4^th, 1985

It took a lot for Mike and Eleven to finally be there together. After the Snow Ball and that kiss, none of them would tolerate being kept apart even if it was for precaution. Mike had to behave, that was what Hopper told him after one week when Eleven wouldn’t even talk to him for not allowing the boys come to visit her for a while, so Hopper agreed a state of compromise with her. If she didn’t wander around the forest without his approval, he would let the boys to visit her twice a week, after school until 6 pm and call her over the supercom he bought her all they want, as long as they were extra careful on the way there and on the way back from the cabin, making sure that no one was following them. It was a good deal, except that El no longer wanted to be ‘half-way-happy’.

“El, here… Sorry it took so long, I couldn’t find the sugar.” said Mike to Eleven who was lying on a hammock on the back of the cabin.

Eleven smiled at him as she looked away from the snow covered trees and turn to Mike who was reaching her a cup of tea. She happily took the cup with both hands enjoying the warmth of the glass on her already freezing cold hands. Mike had his cup on his other hand and waited for El to sit comfortable before he could sit himself. The hammock was very nice but also kind of a mess for two people wanting to fit on it with two cups of hot beverage, but they had El’s powers to keep it still until both of them fit properly and Mike put the blanket they carried on top of them so they would be comfortable.

It was the very first days of January and even if it was freezing cold out there, and snowing almost every day, they found themselves enjoying that hammock and blanket as if it was the fanciest thing. It was kind of a luxury for them, drinking a nice tea, enjoying the view and being so close to each other.

Even when Hopper arrived after the kids had left, he didn’t knew that one of those two visits he had allowed, belonged only to Mike. He didn’t had to ask the boys too long until they agreed to let him have one of the days because yes, they had missed her, and they loved being with her and taught her things, and making her laugh, but also they all knew how hard was for both of them to be kept apart specially with the bond they shared, so it was kind of a gift the boys gave to both Mike and El. Privacy, some alone time to heal.

It wasn’t actually cheating. El tried to convince herself that she wasn’t breaking any promise or lying to her father, when Hopper came home from work and he’d ask her if she had a nice day, she said yes because it was the truth. She did have a nice day…with Mike, so it technically wasn’t a lie, although Eleven wished he never asked specifically about Dustin, Lucas or Will the days they weren’t there.

“Mmm… That’s better.” she sighed as she took another zip from her cup. The warmth of the tea filled her while she enjoyed the sensation heating her from the inside, all the way to her belly and out through her cheeks making her blush against the cold outside. It was pleasant, with Mike beside her, feeling the way he was looking at her without gazing up to him.

Mike loved to see her like that, every visit was a new discovery like when she lived in his house. This time, although confined to another year of hiding, it was nice to watch her as she experience some kind of freedom. To see the innocence in her face while she blow the steam of the tea tickling her nose and closed her eyes in pleasure while she drank a little more. And even more, above all, Mike loved to be there, with her.

“What is it?”

Soon the teenager woke up from the hypnosis she was for him and felt Eleven’s hand on his knee calling for him. He had just stood there, staring at her like a fool and she noticed but it only took a wave of his hand, El could easily recognize he made when he was embarrassed, and she just smiled at him and they got back to their drinks.

“Don’t you wanna go inside? Today is really freezing and if you get a cold Hopper would not let me come for a long time.”

Eleven only shook her head in reply. She loved being outside, it was her favourite place to be even when ‘outside’ meant more that one place. To be confined to the cabin for almost a year had been boring to the tears and even when she wasn’t allowed to wander around the forest; it had nothing wrong with cuddling and resting in a hammock with Mike and an old radio playing music beside them.

Mike understood so didn’t say another word about coming back inside. He knew how much she loved going out and he was not going to do anything else than making her happy wherever she wanted to be.

When the cups where empty it was him who stood up to take them back to the kitchen but he got hold back by the sleeve by Eleven who was looking at him with pleading big brown eyes, asking for him to stay. It was so sweet when she looked at him like that, he could never say no to anything, and they both knew that so he just placed the cups on the floor and got back to his previous spot. That beautiful moment was only theirs and it was their secret, they covered themselves with the blanket and cuddle together. Eleven laid on her side, nuzzling her nose on his neck and hugged him with her arm across his chest while Mike hold her by he shoulders, tight to him and used his other hand to link fingers with El’s hand on his chest.

And everything was perfect.

Feeling Eleven in his arms again was like a gift he would never gave up, that was a sure thing. Sometimes when he wake up he had to remind himself that he was no longer living that nightmare when he could only find some kind of consolation by sitting on El’s fort he built and trying to find her on his supercom. Horrible nights and days talking to the static, believing that he could hear her voice calling his name and becoming sure that he was driving insane. He was lost, he could see that he was no longer himself, he could see that in everyone else but since she came back, since Mike could hug her again and feel Eleven’s lips on his, he finally knew he had awaken.

Mike sighed in relief staring at the wooden ceiling when he felt El talking to him.

“What are you thinking of?”

Her question was a happy whisper. El was also drunk in the moment, lying onto him hearing his heart beating and loving every moment of it, it was so calm, it had its own rhythm. It was definitely her favourite place, cuddle on him feeling his arm around her and their hands holding, she never felt so protected. They used to spend a lot like this, keeping each other company in silence. Even when she had powers she didn’t fully understand, it was Mike who had his special kind of power she could only felt. He could make her feel great only by lying in there. He was the one that made her complete, the only puzzle piece that matter, he was all she could ever need.

Mike leaned only a bit so he could see her in the eye and she lost herself on his. Her face light up pink as it always did when he looked at her like that, so deep, so intense while his full lips smiled softly at her.

“I was thinking about how happy you make me.”

She knew he was being sincere and Eleven gave him that small shy smile he adored in return while moving the hand from his chest to his neck and Mike knew what she wanted. He kissed her tenderly on her forehead as she rest her head on his chest again at the same time he buried his fingers on her soft curly hair. It was an unspoken agreement, none of them was sure of when it had started, but it made El feel amazing as Mike stroke her hair and played free on it and she gave back something to him as El moaned so innocently in delight making Mike feel only but pride as she grew her smile.

“Don’t stop…”

How could he? Hadn’t he told her he would do anything for her?

As the minutes went by the world got better and better and didn’t seemed like it was going to change. Although when they used to spend the afternoons shouting and screaming when the party was there, everyone always talking at the same time and always so excited; it was even better when they spent that time adoring themselves in silence with the radio beside them playing songs they didn’t really listen.

But that afternoon a familiar song made Mike sunk into a memory and the day he played it for her.

xx

It was on the day 342 when Mike’s parents had an anniversary and he was forced to spend the day with his family celebrating. He never really paid attention to his parents, less of all on that time when he even forgot about himself, but that day he had felt particularly broken. When he was finally free of the family attaches, he got down to the basement with Nancy’s walkman in one hand and his parents tape on the other and went to sit on El’s fort and picked his supercom.

His voice was hard to find that day; he had to breathe deep over ten times before he could speak.

“El…” as soon as he said her name he had to stop to gather his strength, he never went defeated that quickly. “Its day three hundred and forty two and today is my mom and dad’s anniversary.” He stopped so he could explain. “Anniversary, is when another year has passed since one special event. My parents got marry a day like today eighteen years ago…” it was hard, too hard and he started shaking fast. “El, I can’t talk much today, it feels like I can’t hold on anymore, that I’m gonna break. I think I’m going crazy, like there’s no air left. I think any strength I had has finally left me.”

His eyes burned, his nose was red and Mike felt defeated and his voice did all it could to keep talking instead of breaking down and crying.

“Have you ever heard a song that you felt it was talking about you or something you were feeling?” he asked as he reached for his sister’s walkman. “My parents love this song, they play it every anniversary since a couple of years ago, and I never paid any attention to it but today… Today I remembered that day when we were biking to my school and the sun on your face. I…” he cut himself off, he was on the edge. Mike put Nancy’s walkman to the speaker on his supercom and didn’t say another word. He pressed the button and buried his face on the pillows on he fort and let the song speak for him.

I know your eyes in the morning sun
I feel you touch me in the pouring rain
And the moment that you wander far from me
I wanna feel you in my arms again

But Mike didn’t knew that in that very moment, like every day, at the same hour she knew he’d be there, Eleven was in the void next to him.

And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love then you softly leave
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love

She felt so helpless and so guilty by no being able to say anything to him. Seeing Mike like this, so broken tore Eleven apart so bad, so deep, she doubted it would ever heal. But she had to keep her distance even if it was short, she couldn’t touch him afraid he would become white smoke. Eleven sat down next to him listening to the song and getting all the messages and why he chose it.

How deep is your love,
How deep is your love
I really mean to learn
'Cause we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down
When they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

Yes, they did live in a world filled with bad men, a world of fools like the song said that kept them away. El didn’t blame Hopper for not letting her out even when they fight often; she thought painfully and angry about those who made her hide, that went to Mike’s to threat him, and spy on him and that kept them apart.

All of them should let Mike and El be free, they should allow them to be together and not there all broken into pieces.

I believe in you
You know the door to my very soul
You're the light in my deepest darkest hour
You're my saviour when I fall

For a moment Eleven could feel a smile on her face even when it was covered in tears. Of course he believe in her, she could tell by the lyrics of the song that Mike was holding her by making El hear it even when he didn’t know she actually did. And for a moment El become filled with a tinkling in her stomach when she could hear how himself told her how deep he really felt, how much he understood her, that she was the light on a clouded day. She also knew that Mike would held her if she ever fell.

And you may not think
I care for you
When you know down inside
That I really do
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love

No one knew Eleven as well as Mike. Even when she couldn’t tell him she was there, that she was listening and was dying to hold him, even when she could see how desperate he was; she could see that even when he missed her she knew how much he cared for her. And that he was waiting for her.

Eleven felt how her heart exploded by the knowledge that she was so loved.

And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love then you softly leave
And it's me you need to show
How deep is your love

On the void, Eleven laid next to him without touching Mike, even when she knew she had to leave soon, it’d never be as hard as in that moment. She liked the song and if it wasn’t for how painfully broken they both were, she would have been so happy that she would have enjoyed it. So El closed her eyes and moved her hand almost to touch Mike pretending like there was no pain, like if it was only the two of them listening to a radio and the singers were their guest to share a moment of undeniable peace and happiness.

But suddenly Mike made a sound that shot a hole on El’s chest.

“… I miss you, El…” he whispered through his tears that covered the happy face she once met as he lifted his head from the pillows. He was so sad, so wrecked, and so vulnerable that, again, she felt the guilt stabbing her.

She wished, oh how hard she wished she could be there to wipe his tears, to fill herself with his scent, to hug him and never let him leave. And reality had never felt more painful as she got back to her room.

How deep is your love,
How deep is your love
I really mean to learn
'Cause we're living in a world of fools
Breaking us down
When they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

xx

“We belong to you and me…” Eleven’s voice whispered unconsciously on top of Mike’s chest while her thumb played with the fair skin of his neck but Mike, as soon as he heard her sing that last trade of the song, stop his fingers on her hair and his heart froze.

He never knew when exactly he had travelled back into the past when he was so desperately sad, but the song had ended now and both of them just remain there sunk on that painful moment that had held a declaration of love.

“I meant to tell you then, Mike. I really meant to tell you at that moment but it wasn’t safe for you to know…”

Mike was ashamed but he never let go El from his grip. Eleven’s eyes were watery holding back a few tears but it wasn’t pain, no, it was something beautiful, it was appreciation and the boy felt how the world just stopped and took his breath away. El then pulled herself up and leaning Mike towards her holding the back of his neck, it was the first time she began the kiss.

Both the acknowledgment of Eleven hearing the song when he dedicated to her and the fact that she started kissing him, took him by surprise. Even when she got back and told him she heard him every day, at that moment the song has been forgotten but he didn’t thought about it anymore, no. Mike focused on closing his eyes and like Eleven had done, he moved his lips on that innocent peck they made. That sweet pure touch, flavoured with tea and the sweet warmth of El’s lips.

Holding hands was basic, hugs were needed and even when they had kissed a few times since the Snow Ball, always suddenly and shy, this kiss was the first time they left, just a little bit, of innocence behind. Mike moved his lips ever so tenderly leaning his head to catch her moving lips better as she brushed his lower lip with her own, biting a little. There was so much sweetness and innocence between them that Eleven knew she never wanted to kiss anyone else but Mike. Every kiss was full of love; it was a new world and also a new beginning.

When they pulled apart El was the only one who spoke.

“Thank you for the song.”

She was only inches apart, her gaze moving from his eyes to his lips and forward, she tasted her lips still feeling Mike’s on them and smiled before kissing him again, only a happy peck. And what could Mike possibly do other than smile? Buried in the past were all that suffering and all those tears and that desperate longing for comfort. Now he could kiss Eleven as much as he wanted, and hold her on hammocks in afternoons in the winter and lean his forehead against hers while she smiled back at him when Mike started to stroke her soft locks again.

The love they shared make them forget about the cold around them and the snow falling again, and the fact that it was already six p.m.

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I own nothing.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rated: T. // Romance - Friendship. // ( Eleven y Mike ), Dustin, Will, Lucas, Max, Hopper.

xx

I THINK I LOVE YOU

July 6th, 1985.

While driving, Hopper asked himself how he had become this soft. Literally an hour ago he had made clear that she was not allowed to go and there he was, taking his new daughter on his van, downtown where everyone could see her, all because of Joyce.

On the last few weeks, Eleven had asked, begged, claimed and plead to Hopper to allow her going to the movies with her friends. Obviously the Chief refused, saying it wasn’t safe and that in fact, they were already jeopardising her safety at letting her start school on September with the rest of the kids instead of waiting until December when the year of hiding would actually be completed. But starting school two months later wouldn’t make things any easier for her, that’s why they had been tutoring her all three of them, Steve, the Wheeler boy and himself; yet school was one thing and letting her go out was another, an unnecessary risk so he said no despite of her puppy eyes.

And no meant no… for about ten minutes, because as soon as he made his decision clear, Eleven called Mike to tell him the bad news and, a couple of minutes later, Joyce Byers called Hopper to the cabin and informed that he was going to take the girl to the movies or God help her, she would slap some sense on him and then drive Eleven herself to her friends.

Both Mike and El were very thankful to Joyce and the unexplainable control she had over the Chief of Police.

“Now listen to me, kid. These I’ll call the ‘Don't be stupid rules: Play dates edition’: You stay with your friends at all times, you keep a low profile and when you guys leave the cinema you go straight to your friend Mike’s house, okay? And you will not, really NOT use your powers in public, is that understood? Keep in mind that I agreed on this only because his parents aren’t home this weekend.” he said while getting closer to the movie theatre.

It wasn’t like Hopper loved the idea of letting her go to that boy’s house with no parents around but, given that they might recognize her, it was wiser to wait until they met.

“Hopper, Mike is not my friend, he is my boyfriend.” El corrected, not understanding why it was so hard for him to simply accept it.

“Whatever.”

Soon they spotted the cinema from a block away and saw the party waiting at the entrance greeting Will who just arrived on his mother’s car and also, he saw the tall – taller than the last week, how much taller will he get? – figure of Mike. The word ‘boyfriend’ still haunted Hopper in the air and he was tempted to turn around the corner, drive back to the cabin and not let her go out until she was fifty years old.

When they parked, Mike was the first to stand next to her door wearing a big smile. He was so excited because not only it was the first time she was allowed to leave the cabin for real and taste a bit of true freedom; but also it was the very first time she would actually watch a movie at a cinema.

The teenage girl jumped on her seat, more excited than she was when she spotted Mike between the rest of the boys and felt her heart pounding on her chest which made Hopper sighed. He still believed that those kids were a little – a lot – too young to be dating already, although he pretty much figured those two would end up dating eventually. The one year he had Eleven hidden in secret, he realized she had feelings for Mike and, when he witnessed the moment when they reunited it was very, very clear that those feelings were reciprocated and that having them dating was imminent. Eleven opened her door as soon as her boyfriend reached the van, she would have thrown herself on his arms if Hopper wouldn’t have held her back, grabbing the door and facing her.

“Just tell me what I want to hear, kid.”

Eleven huffed. “No walking around, no show off, no powers.”

“And no kissing.” added Hopper.

“And no breathing!” she said, sardonically. “Seriously, dad?”

He wasn’t sure if it was the sarcasm or the fact that she had call him dad again, – three times if you count this one –, but it made him chuckle so he ruffled her hair, smiled and let her go.

“Hell, kid. Come on, get out.”

Eleven leaned and kissed his cheek before getting out. She didn’t even stand with both feet on the side walk when her arms were already around Mike’s neck and her lips lingered with his, like she did every time she saw him. Even though Mike blushed because he actually heard Eleven and Hopper’s talk a moment ago, he was just standing next to the vehicle after all, but he quickly forgot about it because her lips were soft, warm and perfect, and way more interesting so he kissed her back until the Chief honked at them, causing both teenagers to jump.

Eleven, slowly and refusing to let Mike go completely, turned around and glared at her father as if asking him how did he dare to interrupt them.

“Hey! What did I just said?” asked Hopper, pissed.

“Don’t worry Chief, I’ll be your eyes at all times and keep them away from each other.” said Dustin, moving between Mike and Eleven causing them to look at him with narrowed eyes. He just waved at Hopper, military style and the Chief rolled his eyes and sighed, driving back to his house without another word.

When he was out of sight, Dustin tapped his friends on the back and made his classic grin, then looked at El.

“There, he is gone. Keep eating your boyfriend’s face.”

The entire party laughed, especially Eleven who hugged her curly friend. Dustin was her favourite, – after Mike, of course – and then she kissed her boyfriend again eagerly before giving the rest of her friends her classic ‘hello hugs’.

And then back to Mike’s mouth.

“Oh shit, can’t you guys just stop for once?” said Lucas.

“Seriously, get a room already.” added Max.

El only left Mike’s lips a moment to reply. “But we do have rooms. Me at Hopper’s and Mike at his house too.” she said completely unaware about the double meaning on her read haired friend, and then she claimed his lips back, forgetting about everyone else.

Will just smiled and Dustin tapped their backs again hard and playfully while his friends kept on sucking face.

“Okay, people. It’s $4,50 each, I’ll get the tickets.” he clapped his hands and then whispered to Mike, even when he was busy doing something else. “I’m gonna take your wallet, okay buddy?” he asked while opening his backpack and taking nine dollars – both him and El’s ticket – and left, leaving his friends and their make out session alone.

Of course no one seemed surprised, they had already gotten used to witness how gross those two could get, in fact it was rather shocking if they stopped to think about it given that Mike was the one to make the first move when they kissed at the beginning of their relationship, yet that changed abruptly in January when the party saw, dumbfounded, how Eleven simply throw herself to Mike to kiss him senseless. And of course he couldn’t be happier about it, because it had been that one date when they fell asleep on the hammock in he cabin when El confessed hearing that time when Mike played a Bee Gee’s song for her when they were apart; that she lean to kiss him for the first time and for the first time, it was more than a peck, it had been a full, breathtaking kiss and it helped Mike relax a lot. Sure, he wasn’t against the idea of leaning to kiss her but every time he wanted to do so, he always got really scared he might cross a line or make her feel uncomfortable, that he always needed very clear, obvious signs to gather the courage to do it even after they became boyfriend and girlfriend; so after Eleven became the one who reach his lips first to suck the air from his lungs, was simply the best for Michael Wheeler and he only had to relax and enjoy and kiss her back the way she liked it.

And Eleven really enjoyed making out, oh yeah. Whenever it was when Mike arrived to the cabin or during his visits, or when he had to go, or whatever reason from a peck on the cheek to a full proper kiss, since she gathered the courage to start kissing him, El felt completely free.

After so many soap operas, El found out one day the meaning of that thing Mike did with his mouth on the cafeteria back then, and why he did it, what it meant and also, she found herself longing for Mike to do it again. Even if she couldn’t exactly tell when she started feeling for him something that was no longer just friendship, she kind of realized it was somewhere in between the first time on the void and the day she knew what a kiss meant; that that was called ‘kiss’ and that it was something special someone gives to another person whom one likes better than anybody else and to Eleven, nobody was as special as Mike, nor she liked anyone better than him. She spent all those days day-dreaming about how it’d feel to re-live that moment, she felt excited and thirsty every time a kissing scene showed up on her screen, so she’d close her eyes and imagined how would it be to have his lips on hers and move against him and put the world on a stop while the kissed.

At the Snow Ball, when Mike looked at her that way almost like he had been hypnotized, her heart stopped all at once because she realized that that was it, that was the moment she had been dreaming about. The moment that Hopper had taken away from them outside Will’s house, the moment when she would finally had her kiss and yet, she couldn’t help but being surprised because, in fact, it had been even better than she could have possibly imagine. That night wasn’t just a kiss like the one at the cafeteria, that night at the dance was the first kiss they gave each other since she did kissed him back and continue to do so until Hopper picked her up. But she always had to wait until Mike kissed her and she wondered why he seemed to hesitate before doing it, why – even when they were officially dating – he seemed nervous to lean and touch their lips. El never understood that because she thought she was obvious enough and, truth be told, she had no patience at all, so now that Mike gave her green light she could ease her urges and wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him all she wanted, for as long as she likes and he never complained. Especially since El made sure to keep his mouth busy enough.

“Hey, lovebirds! We have to get in, come on, hurry! We have to buy pop corn still!” yelled Lucas from the door and both teenagers pulled apart and nodded.

Mike smiled and leaned a bit to peck her lips before taking her hand with his and walking inside.

xx

Almost two hours later, a group of six astonished teenagers came out of the movie theatre.

“Holy shit! I am never ever getting over this!” said Dustin, holding his cap on his head walking with his friend on his back.

“Best. Movie. Ever!” said Lucas, pacing along his friend. “I mean, it had it all! It is just as good as…”

“Star Wars? Yeah!” Dustin agreed and high fived with him.

Lucas turned to his girlfriend, holding her from her shoulders and pulling Max next to him. She elbowed him playfully. “What do you think?”

Max rolled her eyes. “Call me crazy, stalker, but I think you are going to drag me to watch it again.”

Lucas laughed and pretended to be thinking carefully, caressing his chin. “Well… Maybe.”

“What do you think, buddy?” asked Dustin turning to Will, a few steps behind him while they walked to the alley next to the cinema where they left their bikes parked, right outside its emergency exit. “Which part was your favourite?”

“Huh, I don’t know. All of it!” Will replied, as it was obvious. “But I think the funniest line was when Doc. Brown thought there was a problem with gravity in the future because Marty kept saying ‘oh this is heavy’.”

They laughed; especially Dustin and Lucas who repeated the line like last Halloween, when they kept on saying things were ‘tubular’, even when they didn’t know what it meant.

Mike behind them was walking with Eleven, hands linked and he squeezed her ever so tenderly to caught her attention and he leaned, making her feel goosebumps on her cheek and all the way through her heart. “What do you think, El? Which one was your favourite?” he asked with a smile.

Eleven thought about it for a moment, imitating Lucas and caressing her chin like she was thinking what to say.

“Well, Lorraine and George’s kiss at the end, yes. I thought he wasn’t going to make it because that guy pushed him but then he took her back and… Oh the way he held her face right before kissing.” she whispered like a totally normal teenage girl, closing her eyes to all that romance. “Mike, could you hold me like that?”

Mike almost became jealous of George McFly when he heard his girlfriend day-dreaming, but then he quickly saw that she was bewildered with the scene and not the actor. He moved his hands up to her neck and her jaw, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. Eleven’s eyes grew wider before closing and she smiled when he leaned, waiting for his touch. “Like this?”

El nodded and he kissed her lips tenderly, making her fly and not caring about anything else. No matter how many times she kissed Mike, she could never get tired of it; they didn’t care about anything else when they tasted each other lips. Not even about their friends complaining again.

“Fuck, dude! Is it absolutely necessary?” Lucas whined.

“Yeah, get a room right now or else I’ll skate at 88 mph, even if it takes me back in time.” Max said, half true half kidding and they all laughed, even them when they pulled apart.

“Hey!” called Dustin, holding his bike. “Wanna have a race to Mike’s? El and Will were dropped by their parents, I can go with Will, Max goes with Lucas and El goes with Mike. What do you say?”

“Yeah, I’m in!”

Max placed her skateboard between her and Lucas and she held him by his shoulders. Will sat behind Dustin, holding his seat and Eleven wrapped her arms around Mike’s waist, kissing his nape.

“Good luck.” she whispered.

Mike turned around, looking at her from his shoulder and narrowed his eyes with a smile on his lips. “Did you… just quoted Princess Leia?”

Her only response was a soft giggle.

xx

The race to the Wheeler’s ended up on a tie between Lucas and Dustin which led to a bunch of cursing and pranks. Mike and El on the other hand, arrived a couple of seconds later causing the rest of the party to joke around about Mike’s skills on his bike, especially since they thought Eleven would use her powers to win.

“I think El has been sucking the life out of Mike with her mouth.” joked Dustin and she immediately turned to her boyfriend, looking at him absolutely worried she might have been hurting him.

He shook his head. “Don’t pay attention to him, El. He’s an idiot.”

Truth was that Mike was actually the fastest of them all, maybe because he was currently the tallest one, but he enjoyed having Eleven’s arms around his waist far more than winning a race. Her breathing against the hairs on his nape, her laughter next to his ear, the wind around them melting with her perfume, the way her hands squeezed him when he rode down the street were all reasons enough for him to drive his bike slowly so he could keep enjoying her embrace and the way she experienced a slice of freedom.

When the party stepped inside his house, they wandered around a bit through the living room and the kitchen, given that Mike’s parents were out on the holidays and Nancy also left on a date. Dustin, the best one at cooking, made his way to the kitchen and begun taking ingredients from the cabinets to make a bunch of homemade waffles, so they could eat when they’d go to the basement.

Eleven, on the other hand, felt her heart frozen up when they set a foot again on her boyfriend’s house. She remembered that day when a boy and two of his friends took her, no questions asked to that house; she was covered on his jacket protecting her from the cold and the rain, getting wet himself. A boy who skipped school on the next day to show her what was life like when you have a house, a family and a couch.

Mike saw how she walked slowly through his living room, touching the furnitures, the photographs and the walls with the tip of her fingers, reminiscing that week and the way her eyes begun welling up.

“Can we go to the basement?” she asked in such way that melted his heart and those big shinny eyes bewitched him.

Mike nodded, of course. In fact, if she had ask him to stand next to the end of the world and then jump, he would have done that too. She smiled, they both did because he knew what she really wanted to see: the fort, her fort.

“Yeah, we always end up there anyway!” said Will, walking beside her unbeknownst of the moment his friends were sharing.

“Hey, assholes! Turn the TV or something; I get bored of listening to you chitchatting all the time!” yelled Dustin from the kitchen and Mike took the remote and turned the TV on at a random channel.

A couple of minutes had gone by when Will decided he was too excited with the movie they just saw and he wanted to keep talking about it.

“You know what I loved the most? The music!”

They all looked at each other and snorted. “No shit, Byers. I think I’m in shock.” said Max.

“I liked it too, Will. That slow song when they danced was beautiful.” said Eleven, while cuddling next to Mike on his father’s La-Z-Boy.

“I loved when Marty played ‘Johnny B. Goode’; besides it was very clever to make Chuck Berry’s cousin call him to listen that new sound, right?” they all agreed. “Although ‘The Power of Love’ is a hell of a song too and, if you think about it, Marty uses that opportunity to make his parent’s lives better by changing their adolescence.”

Mike, Eleven and Max agreed but Lucas shook his head.

“Nu-uh, dude. He has to help his parents because he messed up their first encounter and he was going to die.” said Lucas.

“Disappear from existence!” yelled Dustin while pouring some batter to the waffle iron.

“Okay, disappear.” corrected Lucas.

“Yeah but it turns out for the best.” pointed Max. “Because they were losers and then Marty fix them up by changing their personalities a little, right?”

Max conclusion seemed to satisfy the rest of the party and also made an opening line for something interesting for them to discuss. Lucas was the first one to talk while sitting on the couch next to her and looking far away, meanwhile on the TV was a playing a rerun of a popular sitcom.

“Man, can you imagine?” Lucas asked to his friends, his eyes sparkling from excitement. “How would it be to actually travel in time?”

They remained silent for a moment, thinking about his question.

“I think the best part of the time machine Doc. Brown made was the actual DeLorean he used.” said Max. “That’s one hell of a car.”

“That we agree.” simply said Mike. He was quiet because he was very comfortable laying on his father’s chair with Eleven practically on top of him, holding him tight like they did when they were on the hammock at the cabin, while he curled his fingers through her hair.

Sharing those moments and cuddling with their friends around got easier and easier as the time went by. At the beginning Mike had been really nervous when Eleven nonchalantly laid on top of him, or sat on his lap when they were all together, but she seemed so comfortable doing it that he soon found himself needing her to do those things, whether they were alone or not. Besides, if she enjoyed sitting on his lap or cuddling with him with other people around, who was he to stop her?

“I got it!” said Dustin excited, walking into the living room with a spatula in hand, looking at his friends. “What would you guys change if you have a DeLorean?”

“I would… drive it?” suggested Lucas.

“Not the car, you moron. The time machine!”

Dustin's question seemed to fall on his friends like a cloth of fantasy in their heads, taking them to different scenarios. The idea of moving in time as free as they rode their bikes was extremely tempting even if it was to change something from the past or see the future.

It was Lucas the one who broke the silence and told them about the week before when Erica pulled a particular nasty prank on him changing the sugar and the salt before he had his chocolate milk. He knew it was a poor use for a time machine but still.

“Wow, stalker! If you need a time machine just to pull a prank on your little sister, I’m getting really disappointed on you.” said Max jokingly and they all laughed.

Lucas huffed. “Oh yeah? Then tell me, Madmax, what would you do?”

Max thought about last November when she injected her step-brother with the sedative. She wasn’t regretting it at all, she just wished she could go back in time and do it again so she could see the look on his face as she smacked Steve’s bat between his legs.

“This time I would take a picture of him when he looked down at how close I was from smashing his balls.” she said between giggles, feeling nothing but pride.

Dustin, who gave the idea, wanted to go back to the Snow Ball and think about something clever to say when he asked Stacy to dance with him. Lucas snorted.

“Really? What about all that crap you put on your hair? Maybe you should start with that.” Lucas said and Dustin threw the spatula at him. Before they got into a fight, Mike cut them off and turned to Will.

Will, unlike his friends, thought about not travelling to the past, but the future.

“I guess it’d be normal to say that I would prefer not to find the demogorgon on my way home.” he said. To the entire party, Will had become more like his own character from their games than he himself knew about. “But I would go and see the future and see how my mom and Jonathan are and also, see how we are and if we are all still together.”

Will, The Wise. Definitely.

“What about you, buddy?” asked Dustin to Mike.

Mike didn’t need to think too much. He knew that, if he had a time machine he would have pushed Eleven aside from the demogorgon when she saved their lives so she would’ve never had to be lost in the woods scared and cold. He would have made anything to avoid them the pain that was being away for so long.

“If I had a DeLorean.” he begun, looking at his girlfriend and caressing her cheek with his fingers. “I would do anything I could to have this from day one.”

Two seconds later, he found himself wanting to get back in time and just whisper that on her ear, because his friends started joking, making kisses noises, embarrassing him. But El looked at him with such adoration he quickly forgot about their mocking.

“Okay, okay!” said Dustin again. “What about you, El? If you had a time machine, what would you chang… Ouch!” he complained when Lucas smacked him with the spatula he had previously thrown at him.

“Duh! Isn’t that obvious? The lab would be the first thing she would change about her life.”

“You don’t know that, asshole. Maybe she would, I don’t know, turn away from the demogorgon before it pulled her back to the Upside Down.” replied Dustin.

“No.” interrupted Max. “She obviously would change the days when she was away from Wheeler.”

“How about if we hear what El has to say?” cut Will, trying to stop his friends mumbling and looking at the girl directly. “What would you change, El?”

They all stopped talking and looked at Eleven who blushed deep, shaking her head slowly and avoiding eye contact, looking at her hand and playing with Mike’s polo shirt.

“Nothing.”

That they didn’t expect. They were surprised because, given that she was the one who had the most reasons to use a time travel machine and change her life entirely, she had said that she wouldn’t change any of it.

“Nothing?” asked Will in disbelief. She only looked at her hands, incapable of facing her friends.

“I… wouldn’t change anything.” she whispered so low it was hard to hear her.

Eleven knew that the normal thing to say would have been to get back to the day that she was born and stop the bad men to take away from her the life she was supposed to have. She knew it would’ve been practical to say that she would have stop ‘Papa’ to screw her mother’s brain. It would’ve been predictable to say that she wanted to go back in time and never believe a word of what Brenner told her about the world or herself, even it would’ve been a great idea to throw him on the Upside Down when she accidentally opened the gate. It would’ve been obvious to say that she would try to find a way to say something to Mike when he kept on calling, without the bad men hearing too. All those things would’ve been great in which time travels could do but she had a better reason yet, to not use any of them.

“Why?” Lucas couldn’t help but to ask.

She continued staring at her hands while making that soft, shy smile and she shrugged then she sat up on the La-Z-Boy she was sharing with Mike and stayed still until he sat up too and placed a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her. It was then when Eleven look back at her friends, looking at each of them slowly and carefully. Her friends, those who helped her, who spent the afternoon with her, who shared their pranks and movies and music and, finally she looked back at Mike, fixing her eyes on his. He was waiting for her to speak because she knew he knew her like the back of his hand.

Eleven smiled. Her eyes were gigantic moons shining on Mike and the lips she couldn’t stop kissing and then back to those dark beautiful eyes that took her breath away every time he looked at her like that.

“Because everything I’ve been through made possible for me to find you.”

Just then Mike forgot what his name was.

A frenzy of thoughts made unclear noises and feelings, twirling around his mind and messing his head like a twister, plus Eleven’s voice echoing in his ears with all his friends watching them; Mike felt his mouth hanging open in shock because of what she had just said and, suddenly, he saw things crystal clear. Even if he knew his feelings towards Eleven were so deep they reach his bones, so strong they stopped the world entire and so pure they pulled them both onto one true centre where everyone else disappeared, creating a parallel universe that was only theirs; Mike saw then, at that moment, the one and only sentence so palpable like the chair underneath him, so real like the movie they saw that afternoon. It was something that was… real. He could touch it, he couldn’t deny it.

Because he knew it, he had always known but maybe, he couldn’t even say it to himself. How could he? Everywhere where he heard adults talking, whether it was TV, or his teachers or his mother when she fought with Nancy when she came home after hours from her dates; made Mike think that he was too young to feel that way, but he knew. He just knew.

His feelings weren’t deep to the bone, no. The love he felt for El was his bones, it was the muscles in his body, the veins and the blood running through them. The love he felt for her was the air on his lungs, the dreams he had when he fell asleep and the sun shinning in the morning when the went to school. He had been aware of it since he refuse to believe she was dead, since he called her on his supercom for the first time and every night, not giving up. He knew it because, now that she told him she had been hearing all those days, he was sure he didn’t imagined hearing her voice disguised on the statics when he called. Because they were bonded, because they found each other even when they weren’t supposed to; Will should have never disappeared, Eleven should have never escaped – actually she wasn’t supposed to get taken away from her mother – and he wasn’t supposed to be outside under the rain that night, but they did, and they went through all of it so they could now spent an afternoon on his living room talking about the movie they’ve seen that day.

There was one sentence that fits the moment, a sentence so pure like the way she kept on looking at him, like the soft smile he adored. It wasn’t enough to whisper in her ear that ‘he likes her a lot’ anymore. Saying that he ‘likes’ her was like describing Da Vinci’s work as a ‘nice drawing’; saying that what he felt for her was just a ‘crush’, was like saying the Millennium Falcon was a only a random star ship. And Mike, even when he knew the night that she came back that his feelings were strong as never before, just then sitting in his living room and looking at her in the eyes, he became completely sure that what he felt for her was true love.

“El, I…” his mouth was dry and his cheeks went flushed when he realized that his friends were still there, stunned and for the first time in a while Mike felt completely shy yet he couldn’t stop himself from doing something. He had to say something of else he would die.

I think I love you

David Cassidy’s voice on TV broke the silence between the party, forcing them to turn around. Mike saw Eleven and he felt like he was going to burst into flames and she watched the television and then him again, smiling in such way that was warmer than the sun and sweeter than every candy in store.

Damn!

But the boys knew very well about Mike’s feelings, they knew even before himself that those feelings existed and those words were floating above both Mike and El even when they hadn’t say it, yet. The boys also knew their friend very, very well and they noticed he was panicking so it was Dustin the one who saved his life by walking towards Eleven, taking her hand and starting dancing with her, singing out loud.

“This morning I woke up with this feeling I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself, I'd hide it to myself…” Dustin started singing, shaking Eleven from side to side and dancing fast, giving the rest of the party a meaningful look.

“And never talk about it and did not go and shout it when you walked into the room!” yelled Will jumping on the couch and taking the remote turning the TV volume up all he could.

“I THINK I LOVE YOU!!!” Lucas started singing as well, taking Max’s hand and mimicking the dancing Dustin was doing. Max played along as well.

“I think I love you so what am I so afraid of, I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for!”

The sudden, loud singing and dancing from her friends made Eleven laughed, feeling a rush of adrenaline and happiness running from her belly to her limbs, pushing aside the odd moment from a few seconds ago. She didn’t know what happened that left Mike with his mouth hanging open. She thought she said something wrong but, apparently was only her imagination since, after all, if she had done something wrong, her friends wouldn’t start dancing and singing like crazy, right? Besides it reminded her that night at the Snow Ball when they all danced together.

Mike still remained sitting on the La-Z-Boy, looking at his friends and his girlfriend laughing. Will was jumping on the couch and he found himself smiling at his friends and the way they all saved the moment. Because he had been so close to say the words in front of them and he shouldn’t, because he should find a way to say those words in a way she would never forget.

Suddenly, like it had just appeared from nowhere, Mike noticed behind his friends, the long forgotten piano in his living room, the piano in which he used to practice when he was little when he received lessons until he turned ten and an idea popped in his head. Because Eleven had begun to enjoy music, because he still had his notes from his piano lessons somewhere in his room, because he remembered his teacher telling him that he actually had a rather good voice and the skills to write his own song.  Because suddenly, while Eleven said that meeting him was worthy of all those things she had to suffer, because while she said that he, Michael Wheeler was her destination, Mike realized he needed to lean and whisper those words in her ear as much as he needed to breathe.

But he had to wait.

Because if El made him feel that important, because if she liked music and singing between giggles, because if she was amazed by the skills of all those musicians when they made music with their hands, then he should do his best to surprise her. Mike set a goal, he knew it would take some time and a lot of practice but he had time, because Eleven told him she decided to call the day they found her on November 7^th, her birthday and it was only July. Yes, he had time enough. There would be no better opportunity and no better surprise than making her a song and play it for her on her first birthday ever when he would finally confess his love.

Because like the song said he knew that love had no cure and, truth be told, he did not wanted to get cured at all.

Eleven looked at Mike when Dustin turned her around and she laughed, extending her hand to call him asking for help or to go and dance with her, he couldn’t tell. He got lost again in the sound of her voice, the pink of her lips, the blush on her cheeks, and the look on her face. She was perfect to him. She was made for him to be in love with.

I think I love you isn't that what life is made of? Though it worries me to say that I never felt this way.

While he stood up she pulled him to her and held him tight, dancing and burying her face on his chest and smiling against it, feeling complete. Mike was everything to Eleven and Eleven was everything to him. Yeah, maybe they were young and stupid and inexperienced but he knew what he felt and he kissed the top of her head, loving every single hair on her head, surrendering to the music, the dancing and the girl hugging him.

‘I love you, El.’ Mike thought, allowing the words to fill him with the inspiration that would help him write his girlfriend a love song.

November couldn’t come fast enough.

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I own nothing.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rated: T. // Family – Romance – Humour. // ( Eleven & Mike ); Dustin; Will; Lucas; Max; Karen.

xx

BLIND RAGE

September 27th, 1985.

If Eleven has to classify her days since she started to have a normal life, she had to acknowledge herself as a person who lived in little segments and she also had to admit that she wasn’t very fond of changes, once she was comfortable with something. One of the reasons why she hated Math is because in every new class there were less numbers and more letters – so dumb – and it was constantly changing, turning messy and she had to solve the problems given by those changes. Yeah right. But, on the other hand, she loved Science and Literature. In Science she had simple facts that really happened, she could find herself understanding the world which she recently was living in and how all came to be from one little particle somewhere; and with Literature is was the same. She had to read novels, analyze them and, even when she had to accept other people’s opinions, – being that she never liked the fact that people could think different from her –, it was another of her favourites subjects.

Those little segments were what is normally called ‘routine’ and her routine was a bunch of things she likes to do and the people with whom she likes doing them. Having class and lunch with the party, softball with Max and Art Class with Will – the only ones her boyfriend wasn’t in – and, of course the best segment of all: Mike, although he isn’t a segment, he is her everlasting favourite one.

Everyday he waited for her at the school door, the kiss they shared as a hello, those kisses they managed to share during the day, the secret notes they so sneaky exchanged during class; walking hand in hand around school and holding him from his back when he biked her back to the cabin or his house on Fridays to hang out and then go eat ice cream on ‘Lover’s Delight’.

Of course much like any person she found things in her day that she liked and didn’t like that contradicted each other. For example: Eleven hates orange. It was annoying, noisy (somehow), presumptuous, cheesy and she hated that people wears it… Yet she loved it on Max hair or in her juice for breakfast. It may seem silly to think about it but it was a good analogy to explain what she felt about the life she was discovering; the life that, sometimes, made her feel dizzy, scared but also so so great.

With Mike it was pretty much the same. She loves Mike more than anything, than anyone, her boyfriend and best friend. She adores his permanent caring, she adores how much he spoils her – even when her dad told him he shouldn’t do it, he still did and she was very happy with it –; she adores that Mike always waits for her at the school entrance, that he holds her hand, that he walks her to her locker where he discovered the picture she had of him on it, held by a bunch of little hearts stickers and she loved dying from embarrassment because of it. She, oh boy, she loves kissing him all the time, she just adores how he always wants to give her a ride back to the cabin or the Police Station; she adores how even without asking him, he always wants to help her with her homework and always pays attention to her needs. But, just like the orange, there was something bugging her and that was that, sometimes, she wondered if she was getting all of Mike’s time. Maybe she should give him more time to do other stuff but as soon as Mike looked at her with those deep chocolate eyes, any resolution she had went flying away and Eleven allowed herself being a little selfish and simply enjoy him beside her. And, truth be told, they actually did a lot of stuff with the party so, what was the point about doing them separately? Besides, and that was a matter of fact, Eleven proclaimed her ownership on Mike so, yeah. Mike belongs to her, period.

Anyway, she had a routine and she loves every minute of it just the way it is. Maybe that was the reason why, one day when she crossed the school doors to meet her friends and her boyfriend after class, it took Eleven barely two seconds to see that something wasn’t right, because there they were Dustin, Lucas, Will and Max… and no Mike.

Eleven was all smiley as she walked out of school to meet the party by their bikes and she was looking forward to sit behind her boyfriend while they ride back to his house and do whatever homework they had and then take a nap under the fort before their date at the ice cream shop; but when she went outside to find the boys and Max all talking at the same time in a circle and immediately falling silence when they noticed her, Eleven almost heard an alarm shouting inside her brain. Because Mike knew it was Friday, he knew she was supposed to go with him and he never ever changed his routine when El is a part of it.

“Where’s Mike?” El asked, frowning and worrying.

The look on her friend’s faces did nothing to calm her down.

“Hey El, wanna come to my house? Billy isn’t home and we could just have a…” Max started rambling, trying to come up with something.

“Girl’s night.” finished Lucas and his girlfriend looked at him both amused and ashamed.

“Yeah, that, a girl’s night.” she said. “You know, getting some distance from these dorks, am I right?”

Her tone wasn’t convincing at all, even Eleven noticed she was trying way too hard to sound relaxed. There was definitely something wrong, not only with Max but with the weird, big, creepy smile on her friends faces and the way they kept staring at her.

It wasn’t like she was uncomfortable around them, they were her friends too and she loved them all but there was something beyond Mike’s absence, something about the way they kept smiling at her and also how they seemed to find Max’s idea so good even when she insulted them. Not to mention that no one answered her question.

She could feel them getting anxious, nervous and something on Will’s sleeve caught her attention when she saw him suddenly hiding his arm behind his back, although it wasn’t fast enough for her to not recognize the unmistakable stain of blood. The party looked at her in shock and that was the trigger that pulled her thoughts to find out what was going on, because that wasn’t Will’s blood, or Dustin’s, or Lucas’s o Max’s…

“Where’s Mike?”

By the time she started to place her thoughts in order, a bunch of older teens walked out of the school, laughing and talking about a fight in the boy’s locker room and how this kid got beaten by two guys.

And it all went to shit when Dustin lied. “He went to the dentist!”

Eleven at first felt confused and worried but now, as those boys who were laughing because of a fight in the male’s locker room, a dark cloud of blind rage covered her eyes and every peaceful thought in her mind. The blood on Will jacket’s sleeve plus the weird attitude the party had and adding Dustin’s lie to the fact that friend’s don’t lie made El go crazy in a matter of seconds.

Because she knew Mike went to the dentist last Monday and he didn’t have another appointment until next month.

If that stain of blood belongs to the one she thought it did, Eleven was going to haunt the responsible for it and show him that no hell held as much rage as she does when someone touches what belongs to her.

She took a step towards Dustin and, as much as she likes him, she couldn’t nor even wanted to hide the anger building inside her body and studied his features while she spoke again in, what in future years would be called, ‘El’s death whisper’.

“Where is Mike?”

xx

“I cannot believe this, Michael. Again with the bad behaviour? What is next, graffiti the bathroom and plagiarism essays? You’ve done so well since last November all of a sudden and then school just starts and you come home… like this!” Karen was nagging her son while walking hysterically across the kitchen, exaggerating things and stopping to keep fixing his broken lip.

“Mom, stop, I’m okay. Let me do it, you’re acting craz…” the boy stopped talking when he realized the fire behind is mother’s eyes, warning him to stop talking like, at all.

Truth was he didn’t even start the fight although he understood why his mom was acting like that. After Eleven disappeared, he had changed from the sweet nerdy boy he was to an obnoxious pre-teen who kept getting into troubles for selling essays, making doodles on the school’s bathroom and talking back to teachers; but since El came back he also did. He went back to be that sweet kid he had always been and his mother was very, very pleased with having him again.

But that day he had gym with the boys and the coach tested speed on them. Nothing too hard, he just had to run fast and he did, and scored a nine and then got back to the showers with the rest of the class. When he was changing his clothes, the problem introduced himself to him when Troy approached from behind and started pushing him to his locker while Mike was putting back his polo shirt.

“Hey, Wheeler! Next time you cheat I’m gonna run you over with my dad’s car!” said Troy as a ‘hello’ talk.

He didn’t cheat, he just won over him because since Mike got taller, he discovered that he was swift and gained tone, making gym a little easier for him. But he wasn’t an athlete nor will he be.

Mike took a deep breath and ignored Troy, he didn’t even worth the energy to explain that he not only won fair and square but also that his anger towards himself had a very simple explanation: and that was that Mike knew Troy hated how he, the ‘Frog Face’ was now a good inches taller than him and also the first one on getting a girlfriend. But he kept his mouth shut and exchanged a look with Will, who was beside him putting his jacket on.

“You are such a freak, Wheeler, just like your fag friend.” Troy snaped, making Will his target so he could get Mike to talk back.

But Will just gave Mike a meaningful look, not even sore by that asshole’s words and simply begun walking to the door, ignoring Troy completely.

“Hey, Frog face, answer to me you pussy! Have you lost your tongue somewhere?” said Troy, pushing him again and since Mike didn’t even turned around, he tried something else. “Maybe inside your whore girlfriend’s pants?”

That made the trick; because while Dustin, Lucas and Will saw Mike clenching his jaw, they realized that Troy hit a nerve when he talked shit about Eleven, who was the light in his eyes. He turned around, slowly, and closed the gap between them.

Bingo.

Troy smiled. “You know, I have been checking your girlfriend.” he said, a crooked smile on his face while he crossed his arms and lifted his head to reach Mike a little bit. Troy, stupid as he was, didn’t remembered Eleven as the girl who he imagined two years ago, breaking his arm with ‘magic’. A therapist convinced him that it was only his imagination. “If she likes hanging out with you dorks, then I think she really is a freak. Plus she is dating you so… Damn! Tell me something Wheeler, is it true what they say about quiet girls?”

The guys went to grab Mike by the arm, calling for him and trying to keep him away from trouble. They knew that a mouth breather like Troy was more than ready to pick up a fight, yet Mike knew how to hurt him without even touching him. He just looked down at him and smiled.

“Such big words for such a little stupid boy.” whispered Mike, emphasizing the word ‘little’ causing not only the cheers and whistles from the rest of the students in the locker room but also the embarrassment on Troy’s face when he turned red.

Sadly nor Mike or his friends knew that James – Troy’s sort of bodyguard and friend – was behind him like they planed and he unceremoniously pushed Mike, making him stumble into a bench and hit his head with a locker making him feel dizzy and unprotected enough for Troy to take advantage on him and punch him hard on his eye and his lip. Mike punched back but as they heard the coach approaching, Dustin took Mike by the collar of his shirt and dragged him outside, saving his ass from getting detention while Will took off his jacket and wrapped his face to stop the bleeding on his lip.

xx

But escaping detention was one thing and escaping his mother’s scolding was something entirely different.

“Okay, I’m done with your lip just don’t touch it too much.” – whispered Karen, checking her son’s face with tenderness, just like any mom would do. As angry as she might be, she’d never be too angry not to worry about him. “I’m going to put some ice in the bag to lower the heat from your eye, honey. It’ll still be black but at least it won’t be swollen anymore.”

Mike nodded. His eye was already black and he would have to come up with something good before tomorrow to say to Eleven when he sees her. At least he knew the guys had probably told her something, he only hoped it was something convincing enough.

But suddenly he heard those bickering voices talking all together and he knew who they were because he could easily recognize them no matter what and, as the voices became clearer and clearer while Karen was humming a song and taking little ice cubs from the freezer, he already felt both hot on the cheeks and frozen on his chair.

“Shit! Since when is she this strong?” Max complained. She had her hands on Eleven’s chest trying to push her back with the weight of her entire body and yet, her feet were sliding in the grass on the Wheeler’s front lawn.

When the party arrived to Mike’s house, Eleven jumped off Dustin’s bike and started walking to her boyfriend’s front door but as soon as she did, Will held her by the arm, Lucas by the other arm, Max pushed her and Dustin wrapped his arms around her from the back, trying to stop her. But of course it wasn’t enough because no one would stop her from seeing Mike.

“Is not strength, its powers!” Will whispered.

When they reached Mrs. Wheeler’s car, the party turned to each other because Mike’s mom was in the house so Lucas let go El’s arm and run to open the fort door which was always unlocked giving that that was their designated hang out spot, yet they decided to clear the area and keep her from having a telekinesis tantrum with the door.

Bad idea.

As soon as Eleven had the chance, she took her friends off of her with a flick of her mind and walked inside the house forgetting about the manners Hopper had been trying to teach her, ignoring the voices of her friends calling for her, forgetting about the fact that she should technically pretend she’d never been in Mike’s house before when she walked from the living room to the kitchen with ease and passing by Karen, ignoring her completely. She stood there in front of Mike – who covered his left eye stupidly – and looked at him with pure rage written all over her face.

Her eyes widened.

When Mike saw her coming and the rest of the party standing on the threshold between the living room and the kitchen, exchanging astonished looks between Mrs. Wheeler and him, he felt his cheeks flushing pink. The boy looked at his girlfriend, she was so gorgeous with her pink overalls, her yellow heart’s shirt and a blue pin holding back her curls, and yet she also looked so freaking dangerous.

“Who the hell did this!?”

Mike hesitated before speaking, he looked at his friends and then back at his girlfriend noticing that it was the first time El was in front of his mother.

“Hi bab…”

“Who the hell did this to you, Mike!?” Eleven asked again, this time shouting and closing the gap between them and leaning to his level, taking his face in her hands carefully and checking his swollen split lip.

Eleven ignored completely the fact that she had people around them. When Dustin was forced to say the truth, – a part of it at least –, she jumped on his bike and made them drive her to Mike’s house to check on him. The anger had blinded her, she didn’t even cared that his family might be there, she didn’t even cared what her friends kept telling her, she didn’t even cared about being nice, sweet and polite; all she cared about was that Mike was currently covering his left eye and his lip was split with dry blood on it. His bottom lip, her bottom lip.

“You didn’t have to come up here, really. I’m fine.” whispered Mike, placing his other hand on Eleven’s shoulder in an effort to calm her down but, the look she gave him was identical to the one his mom gave to him when he arrived to his house, bleeding.

She was so worried for him and also so angry and hearing Mike saying that he was fine, well… It was like throwing gasoline to a raging fire.

“Are you fucking serious!?” she yelled, causing the light to buzz but Lucas pretended to be him, tapping the switch on the wall. “What did you think I would have done when I left school and saw all of our friends but not you? Did you actually believe that I wasn’t going to notice blood on Will’s jacket’s sleeve?”

Mike looked down while Eleven kept on spilling truth out of her mouth, moving her arms frantically in the air, raising her usually calm and sweet voice to him and not caring about all the people there to see. Still Mike looked at his friends, exasperated.

“I told you guys to hide the jacket.” he huffed. The party just raised their hands in surrender, not knowing what to say.

“Don’t you dare blaming on them, Michael Wheeler. Just… Look at you! Look at your lip and…” she stopped, trying to push Mike’s hand away from his left eye. “Let me see.”

“It’s nothing, really.” answered Mike, covering his eye with both hands and struggling with Eleven who was trying look at the punch he so clearly had. Even when it may be awkward and a little violent for others to witness that moment, Mike couldn’t stop smiling because he knew that under her tug of war and that anger, his girlfriend was ultimately worried about him, and she was worried because she cares for him.

But Karen, who apparently was invisible for that unknown girl who unceremoniously walked into the house, decided to interrupt the little fight that girl and his son were having. She was utterly surprised when she saw and heard that girl talking to Mike as openly and as free as she never seen before, not even with the boys, yet the way she was trying to push Mike’s hand away from his face was less than tender.

“Wow hold on, stop it you two, calm down or he will get hurt.” Karen said, getting their attention and firmly but kindly pulling them apart.

But Eleven just didn’t care who was talking to her.

“He is hurt already!” El snapped, turning back and fixing her eyes on Mike’s. “Was it Troy, wasn’t it?” she asked looking at the party all falling silent and looking at their feet and then at her boyfriend who did the same. Their silence was all she needed. “Oh I swear I am gonna kick his as…”

“Hey, language!” Karen interrupted.

Karen’s head was about to explode from all the emotions and questions dancing in her brain. She felt like the world was upside down with Mike having troubles in school again, with the boys weirdly silent when they usually were bickering at each other in excitement and a girl she didn’t know coming into the house like she had been there before and talking – shouting, actually – to her son like if she had some special green light to speak to him like that. She had to ask.

“Hang on, let’s start again, okay?” said the older woman, looking at the teenage girl. “I’m sorry, sweetie and you are?”

“Jane Hopper.” answered Eleven, not even looking at her.

“My girlfriend.” whispered Mike, blushing deep red.

Well, at least that was a little more original than showing one day to an awkward conversation and saying ‘Hi mom, this is my girlfriend. Bye.’

Yet the confession plus the heat of the moment and the shock from the entire situation took Karen by surprise. She felt dizzy, forced to step back with her mouth slightly open, looking at the boys who were carefully walking backwards to the front door and leaving the house.

Yeah, she wanted to do that too.

At that moment Mike looked at his mother over El’s shoulder for a second and noticed how shocked she was, even more than last week when they heard Holly saying ‘crap’, and then he looked back at his girlfriend who took her opportunity and pulled Mike’s hand away from his face.

And there he was thinking she couldn’t get angrier.

“Oh my God, look at your face!” yelled Eleven when she could finally see the punch Troy gave him. His eye was swollen, half closed and it had blood vessels broken all around his eye’s socket. It was red, almost mauve already turning purple on the centre. It was a hell of a punch.

Mike felt very self-conscious.

“What would you have told me if I’d never forced the truth out of Dustin?”

“Uhmm…”

“That you fell over?”

“Uhmm… Yes?”

“Over what? A stone, a mountain, a truck!?” Eleven was definitely loosing her grip, worried out of her mind for Mike’s black eye.

Meanwhile, Karen still in shock was sitting on the couch a few feet away from those kids, looking at the girl who she just found out was Mike’s girlfriend still yelling at him and nagging him like she did before but, this time, she didn’t interrupted. She was right after all, besides the way she seemed so worried only meant that she cared for him, right?

Since when? What else had she been missing? How didn’t she notice before? In that year when Mike was so annoying and so difficult to deal with, he suddenly changed back and became the sweet kid she liked again. She didn’t knew what had made the trick because not only her son was back on being the nice boy he was but also, around November, he came back… better. Sometimes he just stood up from the table and offered to do the dishes, sometimes he asked her if she needed him to go pick up some groceries; he even offered to babysit Holly. It was amazing just how happy he seemed since then, even Ted noticed it. Mike was like under a spell, a permanent smile on his face and now she understood who was responsible for her son’s happiness: the young girl with the pink overalls and yellow shirt.

Suddenly, while the girl placed a hand on her hips staring at Mike and asking for an explanation and also checking his injuries with a soft tender hand against her sharp remarks; Karen Wheeler was able see… something. Not only she began feeling comfortable with that girl in her kitchen but she also saw the relationship between them.

It was obvious in the way that – Jane, was it? – was moving with ease, that she’d been there before. Maybe on Fridays, when Karen had aerobics and then she picked up Holly from kinder garden in her way to the supermarket, Mike and his girlfriend spent the afternoons in the house and then left to have a date. Now she understood why her son ate ice cream so often.

The idea of picturing her son, her not-so-little son going on dates with a girl was, all of a sudden, very cute. She also noticed the look on Mike’s eyes and the way he smiled at the girl. That was pure adoration and she could also see that, under all the nagging, that young girl looked at Mike with the same level of affection… Maybe even love.

Love.

Sure they were young to feel that strongly but something in her guts told her that if she said those two kids were in fact in love, then she wouldn’t be wrong.

The boy spoke again, obliviously pulling his mother away from her thoughts since he forgot there were people in there.

“I… fell over you?” offered Mike in a very desperate, sweet and pathetic attempt to appease Eleven.

It worked. The absurd, cheesy and beautiful way Mike spoke to her felt like if she had taken a cold shower, freezing all the scolding in her throat and causing her to smile at him, then frown and smile… And frown again.

Goddamn it! Why did he have to be so cute?

Not knowing whether to feel flattered or exasperated, Eleven turned to the kitchen counter and took he bag Karen had been filling with ice and finished it, getting back to Mike and smacking the ice bag against his left eye.

“Ouch!”

“You are such a bonehead.” whispered El but she leaned and placed a kiss in the corner of his mouth, caressing his cheek and placing a chair next to him, while she held the ice bag on her boyfriend’s eye. She couldn’t help but smile, he couldn’t help it either.

“But if you get in a fight again, I will be the one hitting you with a ton of bricks.”

The threat caused both teenagers to laugh hysterically and when Eleven leaned to kiss Mike on the lips, Karen was as shock as before by witnessing the kiss those kids shared and the way they so simply did it, so naturally fitting with each other’s mouths. She immediately knew that the girl and her not-so-little boy had probably been sharing kisses for a while already, so instead of watching she decided to give them some privacy and walk out of the house and go buy some band-aids and pain killers to the drugstore.

A couple of minutes later, Mike and Eleven noticed, a little relieved actually, that they were alone and they could speak without people hearing.

“I am so gonna break his leg this time.” said Eleven while she studied Mike’s face, holding the ice bag.

He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You don’t have to, El. I did give him a punch, you know?”

“Wow, a whole punch?” she joked.

Mike rolled his eyes – one at least – and she couldn’t hold back a snicker, none of them did. Anyway she hoped that whatever punch Mike gave him, would be very noticeable but still, Troy wasn’t going to get away with it. As soon as that asshole has his next running tracks test, she would be there watching him and making sure that he can’t jump the obstacles fast enough.

“He dared touching my stuff.” El softly said, leaning towards Mike and placing a small careful kiss on his lip, more specifically on his bottom lip. “Look what he did to my lip.”

Mike giggled. “It’s actually my lip.” he teased, although he knew what she meant.

Eleven nudged him and gave him a knowing look. “Well, I thought I earned my ownership over it after making out with you so much.”

Mike couldn’t nor even tried to hold back laughter. He just couldn’t believe how lucky he was. “I thought you meant me when you said he touched your stuff.”

“Duh, of course. You are all mine.” El snorted. She was amused by Mike joking around and yet, while she kept noticing some other injuries on her boyfriend’s gorgeous face, she also made a mental note to not only break Troy’s leg but also make him fall and loose a tooth for every single cut she finds on Mike’s skin.

“I’m sorry I lied, El. I really didn’t want you to be worried.” he apologized and El, who was sitting next to him, stood up and sat down on his lap. She kissed him.

“Friends don’t lie, Mike. And neither do boyfriends.” said Eleven, playing with the locks on his hair. “But I understand. Just, promise me you’ll let me know if you are having troubles, okay?”

He nodded and leaned to kiss her again. “I promise.”

Eleven let the ice bag on the table and went back on Mike’s lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders while he did the same around her waist, keeping her close in a tight hug. She smiled in content, finally kissing him like they should have done from the moment they finished school that day. It was a little tricky though, given that they had to be extra careful because Mike was still sore and she could feel him whimpering when the kiss turned more passionate, still he didn’t stop kissing her.

“You know…” Mike whispered when they had to come up for air, Eleven started kissing his cheek. “I do find  something positive from all of this, besides you taking care of me of course.”

“Nobody can take care of you better than me.” El’s voice was muffled against Mike’s skin while she started kissing her way from his cheek to his jaw, to his neck.

The teenager simply laughed. “At least we don’t have to worry about how and when you will meet my mom.”

Mike and Eleven laughed quite a lot after that, not to mention when Ted got back from work and found his fourteen year old boy making out with a girl… against the kitchen wall.

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I make no profits on writing this.

oOoOoOo

RED SPOTS OF LOVE

November 7, 1985.

Eleven was celebrating her first birthday ever. A year ago between the events that took her into closing the gate and defeating the shadow monster, plus Will’s and herself recovering and the fact that she had to hide again specially after Hopper found out in detail just how exposed she really was with her little field trip all the way to Chicago, – which to be fair was completely reckless of her –; the date had passed so, when her father asked her if she wanted to have a birthday, she said that it was on November 7^th when the boys found her and rescue her, so she thought it was only logic to have that date as a birthday being that from that day on, her life actually begun. She decided that waiting another year would be worth it so she could celebrate with all her friends, her father and her boyfriend because all of them were her family now.

It would not only be a birthday but also a life celebration because that year Eleven had really started living. Since December until August of the current year Hopper, Mike, the boys and even Steve himself – who helped until he had to leave for college –, had been preparing her to catch up with the main subjects so no one would noticed when she initiated school, that she never attended one before. She still remembered the knot on her stomach and how nervous she was. Hopper had taken her to the school door telling her to rehearsal the story they made up in the very likely event that someone asks what relationship she had with Chief Hopper: She would say that Hopper had an affair with her mother a year before he got married to Sarah’s mom and he never knew he had a daughter all those years, but her aunt found him after El’s mom died in a car crash before New Year so he brought her to live with him. It was a good cover story, that way it’d explain the holes in their relationship because, in the end, it does take time for two people to know each other and learn to live together and that last part was the only one that was true. So after they explained her the difference between a lie and a ‘lie’ and the benefits of such, it was only a matter of saying it once to whomever asks and then it would be case closed.

When they got to the school that first day, the party was already waiting for her on the parking lot and after a few reassuring words from her father, she took Mike’s hand who walked towards the van when they pulled over and they walked to the school doors. At first she froze up and all she could ask Mike was if she looked pretty enough, his kiss was as good as a ‘hell yeah’ and that encouraged her enough to walk in and finally, after all those years, have a normal teenage life. And she absolutely loved school; there were so many subjects that caught her interest: Literature, English and Science were her favourites and, even when she had a few that first day she quickly decided that some were a waste of her time, like math. But she was completely happy because she could hang out with her friends at least seven hours a day every day. Yes, she had to deal with a few mouth breathers and even got them into falling on their asses, – because no one calls Mike ‘frog face’ and get away with it –; still the best part of school were her friends.

And, let’s say the truth; the best best part of all was kissing Mike during periods as much as she wanted to.

Mike, he was definitely the best part of her new found life. Every day it was a surprise, every day he was sweeter, kinder, more considerate and he also kept encouraging her into being free and adventurous and, even when they weren’t hand in hand all day, Mike and El found very hard to be apart more than ten minutes a day. To be honest, he was her favourite place to be, especially when he’d hold her by the waist so close to his body, when she smiled in content.

Eleven sighed on the couch in the cabin while she watched some of her favourite’s soaps and waited for her friends to show up. Hopper was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in one hand and the news paper on the other, with all the food and preparations ready for the party to start, her first birthday party. He knew how much El had been waiting since she decided she’d have a party but even when he could see her jump up from the couch whenever a noise came from outside believing it could be her guests, there was one person irreplaceable for El, that wouldn’t be sharing that day with her. Mike only three days before had begun with a lot of fever and even one of those days had to leave early from school which worried her a lot and it was even worse when, on the next day, Mike did not show up at school at all; so Hopper had to drive all the way to the Wheeler’s house and ask about him and, when he got back home, he had to give Eleven the worst news: Mike had gotten the measles which meant he would not go to her birthday and she wouldn’t even see him for, at least, the next ten days.

Ok, fine, maybe saying that that was the ‘worst’ thing someone could have told her was overreacting a little, it wasn’t like he had died – God forbids it –; but he would not be there on the day that he had also worked so hard preparing to be perfect. It was totally unfair, it was like she had a birthday and no cake, and it was even worst when she found out the exact reason why he wouldn’t come. Hopper did not allowed it and his reason, (stupid, according Eleven), was that she was the only one in the party that had never gotten the measles.

After several months in which El hadn’t even thought about her past, the lab or Brenner, when her father told her that she wasn’t immune to the disease, she had to take all of her rage against a poor innocent tree turning it into wood for the winter, breaking it into pieces until she got all of her fury out of her body. She was so frustrated because if she hadn’t lived on such sterile environment, she would have caught every bug ever existed and Mike would be there celebrating her birthday without her father getting worried about her ending up with red spots all over her body.

“Hopper, why can’t Mike come?” she asked her father who was sitting in the kitchen relaxing, looking at him with her head hanging from the side of the couch.

Jim just sighed for the hundredth time that week but giggled as she asked again, he knew she wasn’t that mad at him and he had already explained her a hundred times but it was kinda funny to see how she still tried to change his mind.

“Already told you why, kid.”

“Because I haven’t had the measles…” she huffed as any teenager who wasn’t getting what she wanted. “But Dustin told me that they all had it already and that is not serious. He said Mike’s lucky as…” she hesitated because she knew Hopper did not liked that word even when he used it a lot. “As the ‘f’ word, and that he is enjoying paid vacations.”

Eleven stop for a moment, thinking about what she said. “Dad, why is Mike getting paid?”

Hop smiled again.

“He is not getting paid, it’s just a figure of speech.” he explained. “The measles only presents it’s symptoms the first few days and, after that, Mike only has to stay inside so he doesn’t infects anyone else. But he is just fine, only covered in red spots and probably bored out of his mind, but fine.” he finished, getting back to his cup.

“So… If Mike is bored he could come here because if he is not feeling bad he just…” she started her last lame try of convincing her father to go and pick up her boyfriend but the look he gave her was enough to cut her off mid-sentence and Eleven sat straight on the couch again, cursing her bad luck in silence.

xx

Less than an hour after her last begging, Eleven recognized the noise of two cars arriving to the cabin and, after Hopper stood up to watch from the window and told her it was them, she rushed to open the door and to welcome her guests.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart!” Joyce Byers was the first one to come in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek since she was holding the huge cake she prepared for the girl as a birthday present.

“Can I see it?” El asked as she tried to peek from the paper wrapped around the cake but Jonathan held her away from it saying it was a surprise and also to say happy birthday himself.

There they all were, Jonathan and Nancy had given her a walkman so she can listen to as much music as she wanted and not one, but five mixed tapes Jonathan had carefully been recording for the last two days. Eleven loved music, since the Snow Ball when she started dating Mike officially, music became a drug to her. She couldn’t get enough of it, not only because of the beautiful and sometimes funny lyrics, but also because she was amazed of how those pretty melodies were created by the hands of different people touching instruments. It was incredible for El.

Steve was there too who, after Mike of course, became her favourite tutor because he had is own hilarious way of teaching, making examples with the kids of her party. She was surprised of how fast she stared to look at him as an older brother. She had seen Steve on Will’s house when she saved them from the demodogs and, even when at first she didn’t know what was he doing there, later on they told her how brave he had been and how much he helped and stood by her friends even when he didn’t have to. Steve was the one preparing her with subjects like English and literature and he taught her how to really enjoy a good book. El still remembers the surprise on her friend’s faces when they found out that King Steve knew more about Lord of the Rings than themselves.

“I came only for you, kiddo. Had to drive all the way from Indianapolis but I couldn’t miss this day.” he said ruffling her hair just as Hopper did and she knew he was making an effort since, for what she heard, college was no joke. He gave her the pocket edition of Stephen King’s best sellers ‘The Shinning, Carrie and Christine’.

Max, whom she had started to like on the Snow Ball after talking to Mike and being sure she was interested in Lucas, soon became her friend and was actually very fond of her. It was nice to have a girl friend especially when the boys became too excited on their D&D campaigns. The red haired girl had bought her a make-up set that Eleven just adored and the boys started to joke about how could Max known where to get it from since that was girl’s stuff. El was sure that it did was a joke when Max punched all of them.

Dustin, Lucas and Will on the other hand didn’t bought her anything, better yet, the made her a present and soon she realized why the three of them had been spending so much time on the Sinclair’s house. She was touched by their gift when she opened it and they helped her unfolding the blanket. Thanks to Lucas’s mom that the boys had cut, painted and sew on fabric into dozens of Eggos all placed on a white puffy blanket filled with drawings – made by Will –  and those told their adventures since the day she met them. It was her story, their story that would keep her warm in the night, it was a beautiful gift. She spent at least three whole minutes hugging each of them and then all together.

“It’s so beautiful, guys, thank you so much and thank you to all of you; you are all very important to me.” said Eleven touched. They all smiled at her because spoiling that girl was the least they could all do after everything she had done for them from the moment they met.

“Hey El, here we have Mike’s present.” said Dustin giving her a gift bag.

At hearing Mike’s name, – not that she had forgotten him –, she felt a little sad but tried to focus on her party and not on the whole measles thing. She didn’t wanted to upset anyone and she was sure he would have wanted her to enjoy her special day.

“What did you get her, Hop?” asked Joyce, she was slicing some pizza in the kitchen counter.

“Oh, I got her a VCR so she can watch any movie she wants, and also have a little rest from the soaps operas I’m forced to see every day.” he whispered while turning on the oven and laughing with Joyce.

Eleven opened the bag of Mike’s present and she found a beautiful pink jacket like the one in that movie where everyone kept singing, it had the words ‘girl power’ in glitter on the back. It was like an inner joke for all who knew her and she laughed picturing her boyfriend as when he bought it. When he gets better she would be there wearing it.

“It’s really pretty, guys, I’ll call him to say thanks later.”

“What’s the other present?” asked Nancy reaching up to them to look into the empty bag. El looked at her and then she remembered they said it was more than one and before she asked she noticed they were all smiling.

“Ok El, you know how Mike is sorry he can’t be here today, right?” Dustin explained while Will was setting the video camera on the TV with Jonathan’s help.

“Wait until you see what he prepared for you, El! Come on everyone, sit down.” called Will while he turned on the TV and all the people in the cabin settled around it, all intrigued by what they were about to watch.

“It’s the cheesiest thing I have ever seen.” said Lucas but he smiled too, although Max hit him again.

El was intrigued just as the rest of them when Will hit play.

xx

“Here we go.. Ok there! Mike, it’s ready.” Will’s voice was heard as he held the video camera and focused on his friend and, next to him, Dustin who wasn’t giving up on trying to comb his hair even when Mike tried to push him away.

“Dude, you gotta look your best for your girl on her birthday.” said Dustin who kept trying onto putting the Farah Fawcett spray on his head.

“Mike don’t let him spray that shit on your hair, man, you gotta look like yourself not like if you have a bird nest.” said Lucas's voice which came from behind the camera but you could still see his hands.

“Hey, we are already recording you pieces of shit! Would you keep it quiet?”

That was old-sweet Max also behind the camera and both Dustin and Mike step on each other before Mike push him away and it was only himself, like it should have been from the beginning. The teenager that left his childish features behind and held his hair a bit longer, wilder, (and hotter according to Eleven), settled on a chair in front of the piano in his house while he was rubbing his hands.

“Hi, El! So as you know and you can see because I didn’t let Dustin putting make up on me…” said pointing at his red spot covered face as he stared at his friend.

“Hey I’m only looking out for your relationship, buddy. Do you think El would like to look at you all covered in polka dots? She already has the dress from the dance for that.” he joked and everyone burst into a loud laughter.

Mike glaced daggers at them.

“Come on now, guys, be cool.” said Will although he was also laughing. Mike sighed and rolled his eyes before speaking.

“Sorry about that, El, I’ll get new friends later.” he said and everyone booed him. “Okay, like I was saying, I’m not there because of this fucking measles that couldn’t have waited apparently. I was really looking forward to share this day with you, you know that right? And I figured you are also mad a Hopper for not letting me come because I could infect you, but let me tell you that I agree with him. It’s not a big deal, in a few days everything will be fine but I also wanted to give you something special besides the jacket.”

Will walked over next to Mike and he settled facing the piano in his living room and it was obvious he was about to play something.

“I thought a lot about this and I wasn’t planning to show this on a tape, I wanted to do it someday after school when you came, but I figured it would be a nice gift now that I can’t be there with you.” Mike chewed his lip and rubbed his hands again while he blushed a little. El and everyone in there were silent as they watched enthusiastically to the TV. She knew, from the way he was bouncing on his seat that he was nervous.

“Ever since you started to enjoy music I had been looking at my piano lessons from when I was younger and… well, I kinda wrote you a song, you know? To uhm, to show you what you mean to me.” he said in a whisper as a smiled crossed his face. “Sometimes, when we are at school and you are thinking hard looking at nowhere and biting your pencil, and before you realize I’ve been staring at you like an idiot, I get lost thinking of all we’ve been through and yet I cannot believe how lucky I am for being with you. You, completely you, make me wanna be a better man, that’s why your birthday is so important to me. You came into my life a day like today and from that moment you’ve turned my world upside down in the best way. Every single moment that we share makes me incredibly happy so… yeah, I hope you like this.”

Everyone were amazed by the words of that teenage boy and also were anxious at what was he going to do. Lucas, Will, Dustin and Max, they all kept looking at the TV and El with a smile, they didn’t wanted to miss her expression because they knew what was coming. She had her mouth slightly open in surprise while sitting on the floor holding her knees. If Mike was about to give her music, she was sure enough she’d cry her eyes out.

“Get your tissues ready, buddy.” whispered Dustin playfully.

Mike looked at the camera one last time before facing the piano entirely. He cracked his fingers to loose them up and gently touched the piano keyboard and clearly very concentrated he started to play a melody that took Eleven’s breath away. But she couldn’t have guess, for the life of her, that her boyfriend would parted his lips and sing the lyrics of the song he had written for her with his own voice.

Look into my eyes - you will see
what you mean to me.
Search your heart, search your soul
and when you find me there you'll search no more.

All her guests were shocked as they listened and saw for the first time at Mike Wheeler singing a song. Neither Nancy could believe it even when she remembered the piano lessons, she could have never known that her brother had such voice and also, she absolutely could not believe, not even in her wildest dreams that she would live to see him singing a song for the girl he adored.

But no surprise was bigger than Eleven’s, and nothing could break her hypnosis at the moment, not even the flash of the camera that took a picture of her.

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for,
you can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for.
You know it's true
everything I do - I do it for you .

Mike’s voice was different, unique, and El couldn’t get enough of what she was listening and what she’d seen. She was bewildered with Mike’s face as he sang with his heart, with his rough but beautiful voice and the way he rocked his head at the rhythm of the music he made; she thought he was capable to do anything, like a superhero, especially when she noticed a few times when he closed his eyes lost in the song but yet kept on playing. He knew what he was doing, she could tell. It was a natural gift, it was his power that until that day she didn’t know it existed; the power of making music with the hands she spends so much time holding and he was singing a song he had written for her, from the bottom of his heart.

Look into your heart - you will find
there's nothin' there to hide .
Take me as I am, take my life
I would give it all, I would sacrifice .

El took the lyrics of the song like he was giving her and order. She couldn’t help but taking all those messages and what each word held behind. Everything they had lived together, all the pain, the waiting, the search, the struggle and their feelings were on that song her boyfriend was giving to her. Just like it said, that she should look into her heart and found there was nothing to hide, not only because they never tell lies but also because she knew just how much he would sacrifice. She knew for a fact that he would indeed give everything for her because he already had, from day one.

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for,
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more.
You know it's true,
everything I do - I do it for you .

How could she not know? There she was surrounded by all those people who became her family watching as that boy they all knew was undeniably brave, was giving her the prettiest gift anyone had ever seen. He was giving her his feelings shaped onto music made by his own hands. Was it something more precious than this?

There's no love like your love
and no other could give more love.
There's nowhere unless you're there,
all the time, all the way, yeah.

She knew that everything he was saying was entirely true. She knew she was everything to Mike even when sometimes she felt like she didn’t deserve him. He’d rock the world if she’d ever ask him to, she knew she had him wrapped around her finger even when she never intended to, and that if she ever asked him to give her the moon and a star, she may as well start making some room in her house because there he would be, bringing them in. And now he was saying that there was no love like the love she gave him, she couldn’t believe it; there she was listening as he was giving her love as big as anyone had seen before. She could almost touch it in the air, in the song he was singing, in the attention he’d give her every day, in the history they shared, on the way he had stopped living when she was away… Eleven had said it before, he surprised her every day.

Your can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it, there's nothin' I want more .
Yeah, I would fight for you, I'd lie for you ,
walk the wire for you ,  yeah, I'd die for you.

You know it's true,
everything I do - I do it for you .

Every word turned her universe smaller until they were only Eleven sitting on the floor and Mike on her screen, finishing a love song. The lights in the cabin were tinkling, caused no doubt by El’s shaken emotions and she lost her grip around her legs, looking amazed at her boyfriend with a sparkly feeling dancing from her chest to her toes and the top of her head. Her face was covered in tears because she felt so happy that it even surpassed the infinite happiness she was already into. Had the world ever seen a boyfriend so wonderful? Was the word ‘boyfriend’ even good enough to be Michael’s? She knew as the song had said it that there was no way she could ever make him understand he didn’t have to do all those things for her; she knew that that would be the only thing he’d never listen to even if she’d asked him.

Suddenly El travelled back in time when Brenner tried to take her back to the lab whispering lies to her and how she called for Mike. Back then there were bad men holding him away and, even when he had been a child, he still tried to fight against them to save her. Yes, El was sure like never before, – since she actually hadn’t fully known how strong were Mike’s feeling towards her until then –, because every day, every struggle, every moment he proved her even before they became friends, that he’d fight for her, lie for her, put himself in danger for her, something that happened far too many times already; and, she was a little scared to be so sure about it, that he would die for her, only to keep her safe.

At the end of the song, Mike played for another few seconds before licking his lips and take a deep breath looking at his hands before turning to the camera and look through it, burying his eyes on Eleven’s.

“Today you are celebrating your birthday and getting all kinds of presents and I wish for you to be happy every single day because no one deserves it better.” he begun talking again not knowing he had such an audience. “But what you don’t know, El, is that I get every day all kinds of presents from you. You, just as you are, you’re a walking miracle. Your big eyes that look at me and take my breath away, your smile no matter how big or small knows how to make my heart skip a beat… or fifteen; your hand when you hold mine, your hugs, your intrigue, you completely, I wouldn’t change a single hair of your head…”

He was pointing at her almost like he could see her.

“I don’t want to take too long; I don’t pretend you get bored of me. There are so many things I had planned to say and I can’t even begin to explain how happy you make me every time we kiss.” he said with the biggest smile in his face. “There’s no other explanation for this. I’ve always known but until now I haven’t had the courage to say the words, to really say it out loud…”

Almost like a presence placing itself onto the cabin and all around them, eyes wide open with excitement listening to Mike while he was talking, they were all very conscious of what they all knew and were about to hear.

“I love you.”

xx

The recording had ended with a wave of his hand and his words floating in the air, in her eyes, in the cabin and everywhere, yet nobody dare to speak first. All the people looked at each other in awe, feeling warmth running through their veins. Steve had a smile on his face and shook his head lightly, thinking Mike was a hero. Jonathan and his mother were sobbing like little girls, Nancy on the other hand was still in shock like when the video had begun because she couldn’t understand when had her little brother grown so much. The boys and Max were bouncing on their chairs waiting for Eleven to react; they all knew what that gift would do to her, they all knew it would make her more happy than ever before. They also were, because they were their friends and behind every joke was always a true sense on joy for Mike and El.

They were all silent for a moment because no one could believe what they had just seen; even Hopper had his mouth open because he was also shocked. Deep down he felt embarrassed, ashamed of himself thinking of how many times he had shoved Mike’s arm away from El’s shoulders, or thinking about how many times he had lost his grip when he caught them kissing. He thought about how unfair he had been, and how he should have paid attention from the beginning. That wasn’t just a hormonal teenage boy trying to grope his kid, no, that was a young man who was genuinely and unquestionably in love with his girl. Jim Hopper had never felt that amount of respect towards a single person, and he never could’ve guessed that respect would belong to his daughter’s boyfriend.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Mrs. Byers soft voice asked and she placed a hand on El’s shoulder, who hadn’t move an inch until then.

Eleven nodded enthusiastically, she hadn’t moved or said anything because her voice was nowhere near, she also had apparently got lost somewhere in a way she never thought would be so pleased with. Was it something to say good enough to break the silence? El believed that speaking right now would be offensive because she could still hear Mike saying ‘I love you’ and she honestly hoped she could spend the rest of her life listening to him. Someone handed her a tissue and she just smiled while trying to stop crying, she was drying her tears but they were pouring out of her.

Would she ever stop? Was it any line to cross from how happy can a person get? She was sure she had broken a record.

It was then, that in the middle of her tenth tissue she gave up on her tears and she accepted that nothing, really nothing ever could surpass that moment of immeasurable joy, so Eleven turned to her father and exchanged a look. There was nothing else she wanted more, now it was her who wasn’t giving him any choice and Hopper could see that she was touched because, honestly, who wouldn’t?

Damn.

Jim Hopper scratched his neck and looked at the floor and back to El until he moved his hand to cup his face and sighed, laughing a bit.

“Okay, kid…” he said while taking his coat, he couldn’t believe that, again, he was defeated by his little girl. “Call that boy of yours and tell him to be ready in fifteen minutes, I’m on my way. After all, you could use some measles right now, before you get older…”

Only then Eleven stood back on her feet and flew to Hopper’s arms to hug him. They all agreed, after all only and ice man could keep those two teens apart when they loved each other the way they did.

By the time the Chief got back to the cabin with Mike, there was not one guest on that birthday that hadn’t been sure on a hundred percent, that Eleven would soon be covered in red spots of measles all over herself because as soon as Mike got off the van, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard for a full five minutes kiss that not even Hopper, or her guests, or anyone in the entire world had the heart to interrupt. Not after witnessing the most beautiful love confession ever made.

oOoOoOo

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I own nothing.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rated: K+. // Romance - Friendship. // (Eleven & Mike), Dustin, Will, Lucas, Max, Nancy.

xx

MINE

December 15th, 1984.

As the song faded away, Mike and Eleven knew that, even when it was ending, that sweet melody would last forever just like that moment.

A glimpse of eternity; a moment that had been stolen from them for almost a year and a kiss tickling their lips – and by which they couldn’t stop smiling. A kiss like the one a scared, nervous kid gave her on a scary and tragic night, taking her by surprise as she didn’t know what it was but when she did, she yearn for them to kiss again. The kiss they almost shared a month ago before Hopper interrupted them; a kiss that finally came, a kiss they shared because, this time, Eleven kissed him back.

How long have they been waiting for it? Mike called her for three hundred and fifty three days, holding against pain and fighting his every day reality he never wanted to accept. He called her every night to let her know he was there, to tell her about the feelings he couldn’t dare to share with anybody else; feelings beyond friendship he wouldn’t deny and those deep, pure wishes that had flourished as a celestial command because he needed her without thinking twice and adored her with no questions asked. He needed her, he missed her, he had promised a life with her only for it to be taken away but now she is back, now Eleven is there with him.

Michael Wheeler, President of Hawkins Middle AV Club, nerd for everyone who knows him, frog face for every moron in school and trouble boy for his parents since last year, he wasn’t himself since she faded away but now he was finally awake from the nightmare he had been living every day and from which he escaped every night when he saw El in his dreams. Those dreams became what he craved for every single moment because in those dreams she came back to him. For almost a year every aspect in his everyday routine stabbed him in the back when he went down the basement only to find she wasn’t there; when he lived his life, when he ate his breakfast or went to school wondering if Eleven had even eaten that day or if she had a bed to sleep in, or if she was even alive. Those dreams were his refugee, they had given him something to look for, a moment of temporary insanity where he saw himself in the basement and she was listening to him. Those dreams gave him hope as they whispered ‘Come on, hang on just a little bit more because she’s out there and she needs you’ and Mike gathered his strength because he truly believed she’d be back one day and therefore he’d be back too. He would come back to his happy self, to laugh again, to eat again and this time he’d be holding her hand because she would also bring him back to life.

Mike could feel Eleven’s blush and how she felt so shy she wouldn’t even look at him. It didn’t matter; everything was perfect because he was holding her waist and moving along with a melody still playing in their heads as the world around them came back to them.

Meanwhile, as Mike felt as happy as never before, Eleven felt like if she was in heaven.

Hopper kept telling her during the entire trip to the dance it will only be for two hours, that they were taking a huge risk. ‘Hey kid, listen I’m serious. Just two hours and we have to get back’ he said for the tenth time while she fixed her hair she never wore that way before and checking on those pretty colours Joyce put on her eyes and her lips. Her heart fluttering and beating as fast as it could while she jumped on her seat thinking about the beautiful boy she was going to see. The boy that had given everything to her, the boy who’s name echoed in her ears; the boy who meant dreams come true, the stars in the sky and a bright, shiny future for them to share.

How would she explain to Hopper the gigantic smile on her face? Because she knew she wouldn’t stop smiling, because her cheeks almost hurt from how happy she felt, how wonderful she felt. Her brand-new father told her she could only attend for two hours, that she had to understand and, for now, she must settled for a compromise and try to resist once again being half-way-happy. But no, she wasn’t half-way-happy because having Mike with here resting his forehead against her own, having his hands on her waist while she wore a pretty dress as they danced on the Snowball he told her about last year; having his eyelashes caressing her skin and a song that burned its way through their hearts, all of that meant she was completely, stupidly, wonderfully, amazingly happy.

Happy from the root of every new hair on her head to the tip of her toes. Happy because during a scary and dreadful night after escaping from hell itself, three wonderful boys who were looking for a friend they loved found her by accident and she finally saw the light; a light coming not only from a flashlight but from a pair of brown chocolate eyes of a boy who turned into a beautiful teenager; the one who took off his jacket, place it on her shoulders and guided her to his bike giving her the salvation she had been pleading her entire life for.

Happy because during those endless and boring days watching soap operas that unwillingly became an addiction, she learned that that new and weird thing Mike did with his mouth was called ‘kiss’ and that… Uff, that meant so much more than she could have possibly imagined. Someway she found herself replaying that kiss in her head and wondering how it would be to re-live that moment and share with him kisses like the ones she saw on TV. She was happy because she finally had the chance to kiss him, like they just did.

How can Eleven explain the overwhelming need to laugh, jump and cry out of happiness all because she had Mike in her arms and a big grin on their lips?

Because Eleven doesn’t know many words yet; because sometimes she needs to ask about what to say or how to say it and think hard to find a right way to express what she wants, but she does know that her feelings for Mike had only one word. A tiny word which turns her stomach and plays with the million butterflies living inside her because Mike and that tiny word, both have only four little letters and yet they mean so, so much more.

Love.

They could taste it in the back of their tongues as they played with the word in their minds, travelling from every single part of their brains, flying right through the heart and fit like a puzzle piece so they could finally feel complete.

None of them had even dared to put a name into their feelings during the time they weren’t together because it would have only made those days harder. They dreamt about each other, they called and visit each other, they cried over each other; they even felt each other’s presence when the need to hug, support, and see one another and never let go was so heavy it stabbed them in the heart along with their torturous reality. It was hard, it was unbelievable hard because they knew, because they saw what they did to one another from the moment their eyes locked. A feeling so powerful which seeded during that rainy night, a feeling so strong it sprouted during that adventurous week, a feeling so sweet it blossomed during a stolen first kiss and then that feeling simply flourished during those lonely days and horrible nights when tears brought back their gorgeous eyes and how they desperately needed to be together. But then, facing or even putting a name to what they felt during those dark, lonely days was beyond their own strength because saying that their friendship grew into something that deep was like crushing their hearts in the worst possible way.

But that was then; now they could finally say it. Now the single thought that those feelings were possible, something they could sense in the air, reach with their hands and hold in their arms, all of that gave both Mike and Eleven the necessary courage to face and yell to the entire world: Yes, here it is, this is love.

“El?”

His voice pulled her out from her thoughts but not from what she felt. They weren’t dancing anymore but she could feel their world swaying into a calming peace like if they were dancing on a cloud and billions of colours and all kinds of dreams brought her joy, love and safety all thanks to the boy with the prettiest freckles and sweetest lips.

“Hm?”

Closed eyes, foreheads touching, big smiles, their chests so close they could feel each other’s hearts, Eleven playing with the hairs on Mike’s nape as he rubbed his thumb on the belt around her waist, she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach because she knew what he wanted to say. She just knew.

“Can I kiss you again?”

Eleven smiled; she knew he was going to ask her that as if he needed her permission, as if she didn’t spend every night thinking about kissing him for the rest of their lives.

She nodded but couldn’t dare to look at him because the warmth on her cheeks was overwhelming and the knot of happiness inside her chest to big to even speak. She felt breathless and yet she still needed Mike’s kiss more than she needed air.

Slowly and almost without moving from the way they were, Mike leaned down and tilted his head in which it seemed like an eternity and Eleven could appreciate how careful he was, as if he needed to be, as if she would move anyway that wasn’t his lips. But she loved that, it gave her the chance to take note of their noses touching and how she instinctively tilted her head up to meet him as Mike spread his lips and Eleven noticed for the first or the tenth time that day how pink, soft and beautiful they were; and he knew exactly how to kiss her when their lips finally meet.

This time they stayed there; this time it lingered.

It was a chaste, tender kiss and their lips connected in a way it stopped the time, the entire world around them and every existing life on the planet. The only thing they could feel was the warmth they gave to each other; Eleven’s arms pulling him down her level, hugging him tight and Mike clinging on her by the waist in a way that no one could deny that those kids had fallen deep and hard for each other. That second kiss of the night was also a first kiss and every single one they’d share would also be because Mike did not intend to stop kissing her if she allows him to and Eleven have no objection whatsoever; if Hopper told her she had only two hours then she’d spend every single minute on the lips of the boy she loves.

That moment they were sharing felt like a magical spot between hope and every dream becoming true; they sighed in their kiss feeling content and filled as they tried to deepen their kiss until they were abruptly interrupted by someone’s loud scream.

“Oh my God, your first kiss!” Nancy’s voice came to them so suddenly it forced them to break apart, stealing their special moment and the special touch they were enjoying so much. The seventeen year old girl walked towards them with a big blush and covering her mouth – a bit too late for that – as she came closer to the young teenagers embracing, behind her Dustin was grinning at them and Mike wanted to slap him before he could say anything.

But instead of slapping him, Mike smiled; he smiled because of Nancy’s excitement, because of Dustin’s dopey grin even if it meant hearing some inappropriate – and awesome – joke at his own expense and most of all because he knew that not only his friend but the entire party were aware of how much Mike had been waiting for the kiss him and Eleven shared; but then when El shifted and hid her face in the crook of his neck, probably feeling shy and cute as hell, Mike’s smile did nothing but keep growing because he also felt her own beautiful smile as she breathed him in.

Happy, he was unrealistically happy.

“I can’t believe it, Mike. I witnessed you first kiss!” said Nancy again now standing right in front of them and noticing how Eleven, that brave innocent girl hugged her younger brother, finding shelter on the crook of his neck. Nancy had already noticed that when El came to save their lives at the Byers house and when her brother and that girl saw and hugged each other that something was going on. It was so clear back in that moment and now adding that beautiful kiss, that her little bother who kept growing up and that tender, brave girl created a bond for all eternity.

That girl who was becoming a teenager and blushing so much that her ears were practically red, was hiding her own gaze from her and yet Nancy realized she had never seen the big picture until now; something so cute, so real.

The ease in which her younger brother hugged that girl overwhelmed Nancy. There he was, the little boy, the one with whom Nancy fights all the time but also loves no matter what, the same boy that when he was only one year old gave his sister his first word was so grown up that made Nancy go through every one of their childhood memories as reality fell upon her that her little brother wasn’t a kid anymore. Somehow that little boy who once looked at her with big eyes from his cradle and called her name for the first time was now standing in there, looking so tall and handsome as he kept growing up to become a wonderful young man and it was then that Nancy noticed some sort of glow around her kid brother that she hadn’t seen for a long time. She noticed that as if it was a revelation that Mike wasn’t the same and then when Eleven came back and they had the chance to witness their encounter, that boy was eating properly again, laughing again and living as if every day was a new gift and all of that made Nancy realize that what she saw, that that kiss she just interrupted was simply the world getting back to normal. It was what it should be and nothing more.

The way in which Mike simply stood there, a hand in his pocket and another on Eleven’s waist with no second thought; the way in which he was barely looking at his sister in the eye probably because he was terribly embarrassed – was also the cutest thing she had ever seen because at the same time Mike couldn’t stop smiling in Eleven’s arms. And she was also so sweet, Nancy thought, because that little girl who suffered some horrible things was becoming a gorgeous woman with a normal life ahead and that meant kissing Mike on school dances, hugging him for a very long time and placing on him her entire trust because she knew that in his arms she would always be safe. Because that’s her personal home, the one with whom she belonged and Nancy saw that she had never seen people loving each other so deeply, so fiercely and so naturally like these two teenagers do.

Made for each other, meant to be. Her baby brother and the weird girl she barely knew who had been apart for almost a year after spending together an entire week, it all created this unbreakable bond that Nancy swore would always protect just like she did when Mike was born.

“Hi Eleven, you look really pretty.” said the older teenager with a smile as she paid closer attention to that new relationship flourishing. Mike caressing her back and whispering something only the girl could hear, making Eleven look at Nancy and smile at her.

“Thank you, Nancy. You look really pretty too.” said the girl in a low, shy voice and then, just like that, she hid her face on Mike’s neck again and that simple action, the way she caressed Mike’s shoulder and smiled against his skin showed Nancy that she wasn’t hiding from her but actually she was breathing him in. She was filling with him right in front of her.

How deep and meaningful was their bond? She didn’t know but it was so obvious that they took their new relationship seriously; she noticed they could show their love with simple, innocent touches and how they looked for each other as they hugged.

Was it love? Nancy believed it was.

She nodded. “Okay, kids, I must get back to my spot. Have fun.” she waved at them and let that cute couple alone because that was their moment and she didn’t want to impose.

Unfortunately not everyone is as subtle and polite as her and Dustin decided to stay right there, smiling at them in a very mischievous way and Mike chose to give his friend a smile instead of slapping him.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

“Come on, man, don’t start.” Mike pleaded.

Yet Eleven felt a lot more comfortable around Dustin and she smiled at him, not letting Mike’s embrace of course.

“Hi Dustin.” she waved with a cute smile showing her dimples. He smiled back.

“My lady.” he bowed at her and took off an imaginary hat which made her giggle. “I see Hopper brought you after all.”

Both Mike and Eleven opened their eyes in shock as Will and Lucas joined them and smiled at her when they noticed she was also there.

“Hey, she came!”

“Awesome, I knew the Chief would come around.”

“Hey, whoa, wait a minute.” said Mike to his friends. “You… You guys knew she was coming?” he didn’t ask Eleven since she looked as surprised as himself.

The guys rolled their eyes and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pff obviously! Why would you think we insist that you came too? It was all planned.” revealed Lucas with pride since it was his plan, it was like when they present a great project that ends up winning on science fairs. “The Chief asked us to buy her ticket but he wasn’t so convinced so we talked to him.”

“Yeah, Hopper came the other day to my house to check on us and he asked me when the dance was since El mentioned it non-stop for almost a year.” Will added and then looked at Eleven. “Right, El?”

The teenager felt the heat crawling to her cheeks so fast she couldn’t hide it, specially since her first reaction was hiding on Mike’s chest but it was also from him she wanted to hide, suddenly too conscious of her feelings for him; yet she couldn’t deny what Will said. It was the truth; she had spent every single day telling Hopper about the dance they promised each other to go, about everything Mike planned for her and how much she wanted to share with him. Sometimes Hopper even asked her to stop talking about the boy or she’ll cause him diabetes…whatever that is.

Nevertheless she felt too awkward and too shy to simply admit that entire but she also knew that friends don’t lie so she chose to look down at her feet and bit his lip until Mike gave her a little squeeze on her waist and she looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Those sweet, understanding eyes and that beautiful smile; that sweet look from a boy who understood her, who would never think she is weird.

She nodded in response, and when his smile grew she could barely resist the urge to kiss him again.

“Wow, I’m so flattered.” whispered Mike, his minty breath made her shiver.

Even if those too were extremely corny and the way they looked at each other made people feel a little uncomfortable, Will, Lucas and Dustin felt a weird sense of happiness and a bubbling feeling on their bellies when Mike and El smiled at each other. It wasn’t just seeing the little girl who helped them now finally living like a normal kid or, in Will’s case seeing the girl who rescued him without even knowing him; seeing them both that happy meant seeing Mike coming back to life.

For almost a year their friend, their best friend was so moody, so sad, so cranky and so ‘not there’. He wasn’t even the shadow of the happy boy who leads the party, who put lots of effort as the Dungeons Master, who joked with them all the time. He had been so lost, so different and so sad that they often felt like giving up on him but when Dustin came one day telling Lucas and Will that Mike called Eleven every single night as he put his hopes and his heart on the edge of sanity, holding to a miracle as he pleaded for her to be safe and alive; all three of them realized that their friend hadn’t change, he simply vanished as well.

Mike became an empty shell shaped as the boy he once was. A hollow boy filled with broken pieces of himself that couldn’t rebuild because both reason and love had crushed and hit him so hard when he met her but then, when she was taken away from him, all his dreams disappeared as well. But that was before; now not only Eleven was back but also Mike’s authentic smile, his many jokes, his many games and the friend who always supported them. The love they felt for their friend was what helped them resist his bad mood, his terrible temper and it was also for him that they secretly plotted an encounter between those two; all because they loved him, all because they spent a year picking up the pieces of their best friend and now those pieces were finally healing thanks to the girl holding him, the girl he just kissed.

And it was just so sweet but they better cut off with all that sweetness or they will need an appointment with their dentist; luckily Max joined them bringing a cup of punch for her and Lucas.

“Hey stalker, here. I brought you some punch because I’m that nice.” said the girl and just then she noticed the other girl standing on that blue dress. “Oh Eleven, hi. I didn’t know you were coming!”

Even if Dustin and Lucas witnessed that night how rude El behaved with Max, it was the first time Mike and Will saw it with their own eyes.

Eleven not only didn’t answer to Max’s greeting but she also went suddenly so serious that the party wondered how a girl as cute as her could have such a scary stare. Her answer was reaching for Mike’s hand and clinging on his arm with the other, as if she wanted to make herself clear that no one else but her had permission to touch him because he is hers; she had her eyes locked on Max’s, she didn’t even blinked once.

A clear message: If she ever wants to take him away from her, then she better be fucking ready to fight her.

Luckily for everyone and in order to keep Max alive, the boys decided to step up.

“Ok, uhm, I better get something to drink myself. Mike, come here.” said Dustin, placing a friendly hand on Mike’s shoulder and looking at the girl next to him. “Hey El, may I borrow your boyfriend for a second?”

Both Mike and El gasped at Dustin’s words but Will step up too, taking the girl’s hand and pulling her away from his friend.

“Come here El, dance with me.” Will said. “Hey guys, bring us some punch, alright?”

Dustin nodded, taking Mike with him and gave Lucas a meaningful look. He understood and nodded, placing a hand on Max’s waist.

“Why are you smiling, stalker?” asked Max when they were left alone. “I don’t get why she hates me so much.”

Lucas smiled at her. “Don’t worry Madmax; Dustin and Will are about to take care of everything. Come on; let’s go with Jonathan for a picture.”

x

Everything was so nice, so upbeat.

When they were driving there, Eleven felt a mix of happiness, nerves and anxiety; happiness because she would see Mike again, nerves because they had waited so long for their dream date and anxiety because she didn’t really know what to expect. When she stepped inside she was overwhelmed and scared for the crazy amount of people, the way all the other teenagers were looking at her only to ignore her which was actually a good thing since no one seemed to notice how different she was and then, when El found Mike, she forgot about everyone else.

Now, as Mike and Dustin went to have some punch – whatever that was – and she started dancing with Will, she could take a better look to where they were and how pretty it looked. The different clothes from the kids around them, the way those girls had their hair and the separate group of kids just having fun, completely unaware of the things she and her friends have done to keep that town and the world safe. But she shouldn’t think about that; it was all behind them, for now she only needed to enjoy every minute and keep dancing with Will who was jumping, shaking and twirling her.

“Is this also dancing?” she asked in between giggles.

Will shook his head. “I don’t know, is the first time we come but Jonathan told me to dance as I wish and feel comfortable.”

“Is he a good dancer?”

“Pff, no.” Will snorted and El laughed. “But I guess is all about having fun no matter what.”

They kept moving at Cindy Lauper’s rhythm as Eleven looked at the way the gym was decorated. Those shiny curtains and glittery snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and that light blue sign in the back. So different from the first time she was there.

“Hey El.” said Will, pulling her out of her thoughts. “We are becoming friends, aren’t we? I mean you and me.”

El looked at him in the eye and nodded; even if she barely knew him, she also felt like they had a strong connection.

“Yes, we are friends.”

Will nodded. “Cool, so if we are friend then, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, Will.”

The boy smiled, gave her a twirl and then another as they danced, getting her to laugh so he could get her on the best possible mood.

“Why you hate Max?” he blurted out of nowhere.

El stopped moving immediately, as if someone had punched her in the stomach and the air was sucked out of her lungs. She didn’t want to answer; she looked down at her feet and bit her lip, a clear sign of how uncomfortable she felt and tried really hard not to look at him. Will insisted, squeezed her hands a bit so she would look at him. Warm green eyes, understanding eyes inviting her to trust. She loves Mike but she felt better that it was Will the one who asked that because if she had to tell Mike the truth she knew she would probably faint.

“El?”

Her response came as fast as a sneeze. “Because she wants to take Mike away from me.”

Now it was Will who felt as if he just got punched.

“W-what?”

El looked around them, making sure nor Mike or any of their friends were anywhere near. She stepped forward, getting closer to Will and since the fast song ended and a slow song begun, it allowed them to speak softly and yet make sure he would listen.

“Mike. I know she wants him.” El said as serious as a heart attack. “I… I like Mike, you know? I like Mike as in more than a friend, in the kissing way.” she whispered, unable to hold his gaze and blushing deep red.

She practiced that confession for so long in front of the mirror that it felt good to be able to say it out loud, even if it wasn’t to Mike himself. She wanted to, she was just really really nervous.

“Well, I think we noticed.” Will said and laughed almost immediately which shocked El.

How did they know?

“I…Uhm…”

“I saw you guys before, right before Nancy interrupted, you know? We saw you guys kissing and I don’t know why but something tells me you guys kissed before, right?”

His eyes sparkled and he beamed, as if he knew a lot more and it made her feel confident, like she could share anything with him. As if he was…family.

El smiled. “It was our third kiss.”

Will was very surprised, in a good way. “Wait, really? Ha, look at Mike!”

“Where?” El gasped, looking for Mike and a bit scared he might have heard about her insecurities. Will caught her attention again.

“No no, it’s just a figure of speech, never mind.” said the boy between giggles, sometimes he forgets she is still learning how to communicate. “So three kisses, huh? Well, if you ever wondered if Mike feels the same way about you, I believe you just found your answer.” he said and pushed the buttons a bit more, he wanted to know a little bit more. “I’m sorry El but if you and Mike like each other the way you do, I just don’t understand what Max has to do with everything. Why do you think she wants to steal him away?”

Despite of feeling comfortable with Will the fact that the other’s girls name came back to their conversation bothered her. She felt so insecure, so angry; it annoyed her so much that she could spent so many hours with the boys as a member of the party, that she could go to school with them and see them everyday when she could only see them once since she closed the gate. She hated that Hopper didn’t let them go visit her and all she could do was write letters to Mike and give them to Hopper so he could give those to Joyce and she could give them to Will who delivered them to Mike and vice versa. But Max? She never need to do all that; she had it easy and she only needed to reach for him if she wanted to touch him, whirling her beautiful long hair and showing off her skills on that flat board with wheels.

But saying what she saw went she broke Hopper’s rules meant admitting she used her powers against her and, even if she knew she had to confess it someday, she didn’t wanted to ruin the evening just yet.

Luckily Will noticed there was something more, he didn’t know exactly what was it but he chose not to pressure Eleven anymore so he tried a different solution; he spotted Max and Lucas only a couple feet away from them dancing really close and looking into each other’s eyes with tenderness.

“El, believe me you have nothing to be afraid of and, if you don’t believe me then turn around and see for yourself.”

And so she did, immediately noticing how Lucas and that girl looked at each other with so much love that she realized it was the same look she and Mike gave to each other. If she needed any other proof than those heart eyes she could trust on the kiss they shared.

“Oh…”

“I know!” Will laughed and put an arm on El’s shoulder, walking back to their table. “Those two are even worst than you guys. Look, I don’t know why you were jealous of Max but if you can give her a chance you’ll find she is actually quite nice. I mean sure, she has some rude manners but we all do, Mike didn’t like her at first, he is beginning to know her and accept her as a part of the group mainly because he knows how Lucas feels about her.”

El nodded, pondering about what Will said and taking seriously the evidence in front of her. Maybe she overreacted, it wouldn’t be the first time; poor Hopper he knew that better than anyone, well him and his windows.

“Take your time, El. You don’t need to talk to Max tonight, all you need to know is that you have nothing to be worried about. Even if Max wanted to steal Mike, which she doesn’t, you still need to understand that Mike knows where his heart is and trust me, you are the only girl for him.”

Will’s words came as calming as a morning breeze and lifted the weight on her shoulders caused only by her own insecurities. It was true, Mike also has a saying in all of this and as soon as she looked at their table she noticed Mike and Dustin already there with two cups of punch in each hand. His smile so sincere, his eyes sparkling and their connection so real, so infinite that Eleven knew, she just knew that there was no one else; Mike is hers, completely hers.

x

Even if it was normal for two friends to go and pick something to drink, Mike wasn’t born yesterday and didn’t even need to look at Dustin to be sure he was grinning at him the same way he did when he caught them kissing.

“Come on, man. Stop it.”

Unfortunately Dustin had other things in mind; his grin only grew wider. “I sure don’t know what you mean, buddy.”

He sighed for what it must have been the tenth time and rolled his eyes at his friend, half sick half amused by him, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“Okay okay, stop and say what you have to say already.” Mike complained as they took a plastic cup and got on the line, waiting for their turn.

“No, you stop.” Dustin mocked. “Do you actually think that neither me, Lucas or Will, even Max for that matter, haven’t noticed you are totally in love with El? To be honest, we never thought you’d have the guts to go and kiss her and something tells me this wasn’t your first kiss.”

Mike didn’t answer but the smile on his lips was all Dustin needed.

“I knew it! Last year, right?” said the boy waving his hands in the air. “Damn, Lucas owes me a dollar, remind me to tell him on Monday; I don’t think he has eyes or head for anyone other than…”

They both fell silent for a moment.

“Yeah, I could tell.” Mike whispered, he knew his friends liked the same girl and he also knew Lucas won Max’s heart already. “How you feel?”

Dustin made a gesture as if it didn’t matter. “Nah, it’s okay.” he said and even if he didn’t mean it, he knew it’ll pass eventually. Besides, making fun of his friend was a lot more fun at the moment. “What matters now is how you feel? I mean if that love struck grin isn’t clear enough.”

“Shut up you idiot! Someone can hear you!”

“Are you serious?” huffed Dustin. “You may as well get on stage, proclaim your love for her on the microphone and no one would be surprised. You are so in love with her that I can even see the little hearts floating around you two.”

“Hi there.” greeted Nancy, taking the boy’s cups.

Dustin winked at her and kept talking to Mike. “So, what’s the plan?”

Mike couldn’t stop the blush on his cheeks.

“What plan?” he asked, pretending he had no idea what he was talking about and trying his best not to look at his sister or Dustin’s eyes.

“Well.” Dustin begun. “I don’t know much about romance but something tells me that if you like a girl and she likes you back and oh I forgot, if you kissed already then the most reasonable thing to do would be, I don’t know, asking her to be your girlfriend? But again, what do I know? Let’s ask someone with experience on this issue, shall we?” he offered, putting a hand on Mike’s shoulder and pointing at Nancy.

“Nance, what do you think?”

“Dude, I don’t need help.”

“Yeah, you do.” said Nancy. “What are you waiting for?”

Damn it, he really didn’t want to have this talk with his older sister. “Because… Because I don’t know what she’ll say, okay?”

They fell silent for a moment until Dustin and Nancy started laughing outright and Mike felt so angry at them and himself for the blush on his cheeks.

“This is not funny!”

“Yes, yes it is.” said the older teenager.

“My God, Mike, in which world do you live? I don’t think there is a single dimension in which El could turn you down. Hell, if there’s someone even more obvious than you, its her.” stated Dustin, making fun but also helping his friend. “I mean come on, aside from the kissing, do you really think that a kiss was the only sign we had? Mike, when we went to visit her two weeks ago she actually threw herself onto you when she opened the door and clung on you the entire visit. A part of me thought that she’d ask you to leave your arm on the cabin so she could keep hugging it.”

Okay, Mike sort of knew these feelings went both ways but he was also afraid. He was perfectly aware that those fears were completely irrational since they were all caused by his dumb insecurities which had nothing to back on. There were no doubts that El felt the same way; he smiled behind his cup, remembering that day Dustin mentioned – the day when El and Will officially met – and how she looked at him during the entire visit.

It had been like a couple minutes before, she was clinging on him as in making sure he was real and wouldn’t go anywhere. She touched his face without any other reason, she rubbed her cheek on her shoulder, she even hid her nose on the crook of his neck breathing him in literally in front of everyone and his heart kept beating hard against his ribcage he felt he was going to pass out. It was wonderful.

“I’m nervous.”  he finally whispered and took another sip of his punch. It was sweet and he couldn’t help to think of Eleven’s chap stick; it tasted like cherries, he could still taste it on his own lips.

“Mike.” called Nancy, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Relax, bring her some punch and take a sit with her. Tell her how you feel.”

The boy nodded but then he hesitated again. “Wait, she may not even know what dating means, how can I explain what a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship means? We haven’t talked about these things since she came back and we never mentioned it on our letters.”

Mike’s questions were perfectly understandable but Dustin knew what to say.

“Buddy, even if she doesn’t know what a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship stands for, she does know how she feels about you. Yes, she might need help with understanding the whole dating thing but believe me, if it’s with you she’ll know exactly what it means.”

Mike fell silent again, pondering on what his friend and his sister told him, as if he was solving some calculus test and every result was correct. A new sense of confidence fell onto him and expanded like when he lean to kiss her for the first time that night and knowing she kissed him back.

“Here.” Nancy gave him a cup of punch for her. “Good luck.”

x

Mike was really nervous, he never thought he would live to ask a girl to be his girlfriend. Okay, yes, he may have figure that one day he’d grow up and meet someone but it wasn’t something he wished for. He used to see romantic relationships as a burden, a joke. He saw his classmates engaging ‘deep’ relationships from sixth grade, ‘relationships’ that would last a week at its best. That week would be obscenely public and too open for everyone to see, to pry into and then, just like on TV, those relationships performed some scandalous break ups as public and embarrassing as when it started. Naturally all those things only made relationships anything but appealing to Mike; he wasn’t excited at the very least.

How could he? He lives with his parents, the least romantic couple in history and Nancy, he loved his sister and all but he knew and couldn’t understand why she spent a year dating a boy she didn’t love. He loves his sister and he liked Jonathan, sure, but Steve had proven himself to be really cool and it kinda bothers Mike what she did to him; so after all of that, after witnessing his schoolmates and his family behaviour when it came to romance, he hoped he would never fall in love.

Until he met her.

There, as she walked towards him next to Will – Mike felt really happy they were becoming friends –, he could appreciate once more all those things his grandma told him about. She used to say that he wasn’t interested in romance only because he hasn’t feel it but, someday, love would come, knock on his door and hit him so hard he wouldn’t be able to escape from it.

‘It’s like being caught by a bolt of lightning, darling or being hit by a truck.’ Theresa used to say. She was right, even if those analogies could most likely kill him he realized his grandmother didn’t exaggerate; because when Eleven came to him and, with not a single word wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose on the crook of his neck, Mike knew that every analogy his grandma used were true because he knew he would die for Eleven anytime, anywhere.

All that rejection he felt towards the kind of romance his schoolmates shared were well-funded; he rejected them all because those relationships were in no way what he was looking for. What Mike wanted was true love, a real and everlasting relationship and not a meaningless affair. He wanted El’s hugs, kisses, smiles and all the butterflies in his stomach every time she smiled against his skin as he holds two cups filled with punch.

He wanted the same thing that for almost a year he was terrified to say ot out loud: that he had fallen in love for real and that love may never come back. He was terrified that he had found the one person he was meant to be only to live his entire life knowing he lost her but now, now he could finally say it. He could finally admit that his feelings had gown more than he ever could have think of, higher than any building, higher than clouds and deeper than any ocean. He knew his love for her could reach the furthest star in the universe and then get back to him to put a sincere smile on his lips.

The lightning that caught him, the truck running over him and every beat of his heart now belonged to one girl. It was her, Eleven, the one who gave him the honour of taking the name he gave and not only his first, but his second and third kiss and – holly shit – she started kissing his jaw repeatedly while she hugged him.

Where the fuck did she learn to do that? Damn it, that tickling, that electricity made his knees tremble and at the same time gave him as much energy that if he touched an electric socket he knew he could provide electricity to the entire planet.

“Let me help you.” said Dustin, taking the cups and placing them on the table so he could hug El properly.

His face hurt, he couldn’t stop smiling by how confident she felt all of the sudden, so open to show him her love and give him as many kisses as possible while placing her hands on his nape, holding him still as she made a trail of kisses from his jaw to his chin. Mike had to remind himself to keep breathing.

When Dustin gestured he and Will would leave them alone, Mike winked at him and mouthed a ‘thank you’ to both of them as he rubbed her back gently, enjoying every single one of those little cute kisses.

“I saw that on TV once and wanted to do it.” whispered Eleven when she pulled apart, still she remained as close as possible to look at him in the eye and brush her lips on his. “I uhm, I saw a lot of things on TV.”

Sure Mike knew Eleven was talking about kissing under the rain or against a wall but a little yet very adolescent part of him thought about what else she might have seen; he shook that thought away, it would do no good to think about stuff they were too young to even consider. He didn’t need for his teenage mind to think about stuff that could embarrass him easily, besides he was barely learning how to deal with those things.

But her gesture was beautiful, perfect. He wanted more kisses, more of that new fondness and warmth she was so willing to give him and Mike wondered if it was a good idea teaching her about social boundaries when he was getting used to those cuddles and hugs and closeness and how she straightforwardly shows her love for him.

“I really liked it.” replied Mike, his minty breath brushing against her lips as he closed his arms around her waist, the sound of his voice a joy to her ears. He could feel her trembling under his touch when he ran the tip of his fingers against the bare skin of the arm on his shoulder.

Suddenly Nancy’s words and everything she felt fell onto Mike as pouring rain. In that moment Mike noticed he was growing up, evolving as he walked on the path that would inevitably turn him into a man. Now he was teenager and a girl, the most beautiful and amazing girl was hugging and kissing him in a way it gave him goose bumps. Sure they were way too young to do anything else than kissing but having Eleven there, showering him with kisses and touches on a school dance in front of everyone who could see that they were a lot more than just friends, all that overwhelmed Mike. It was true, they weren’t just friends; there was no way they could ever be only good friends but he knew he had to establish their relationship for her own sake so she could join the world without any doubts, so she could talk about him to anyone who asks without having to explain much; just a word, a label, but it means so much because Mike never wanted for her to doubt about what he is. Even if he kind of knew already which Eleven’s answer would be, he still needed to pack up some courage and be a man and ask her the question that, in ten years, would become a marriage proposal.

“El, will you be my girlf…?”

“Hey Mike, you are not gonna believe what Mr. Clarke just asked!” said Lucas coming from literally nowhere and making them jump on their feet. “I was taking a picture with Max and he asked me if you were making out with your cousin!” he gasped and started laughing hysterically holding his stomach.

Okay, maybe it was funny and he would have laugh if the moment was different but, unfortunately, Lucas cut the moment not only Mike but also Eleven had been waiting for. Luckily Max was there and she noticed immediately the frustrated look on the young couple so, in order to protect the boy she liked from their rage she went to get Dustin and Will.

“Hey you pieces of shit, do something.” Max asked as she grabbed her friends and shoved them to Lucas direction so they could prevent his death and also to win a little bit of Eleven’s good side and wash up her faults, whatever they’d be.

“Oh wow, that’s really funny.” said Dustin as he grabbed Lucas arm and Will did the same with the other.

“Don’t listen to him, guys. I think Troy put something on the punch, who knows.” Will added and they took the boy away from the annoyed couple.

Mike tilted his head backwards, looking at the ceiling and sighed; if there was a perfect moment when all his courage and strength hit the boiling point it was five seconds ago and now, he was too much aware of his own insecurities. He swallowed and tried not to curse.

“Mike?”

Eleven’s heavenly voice brought him back to reality. She placed her hands on his nape playing with his hair; her thumb drawing circles under his ear and he lean down finding her gorgeous eyes, her perfect smile.

His courage came back; her huge honey eyes, those soft velvet lips and the girl glowing for him guided him back to where his mind should be. Yes, he could do it.

He smiled. “El, come here, lets take a seat I… I need to talk to you.”

Mike realized he had special abilities too and those were a) packing up the courage to ask what he almost asked, b) not killing Lucas, c) pull apart when she leaned for a kiss.

“Is everything okay?” asked Eleven as they went to the furthest table they could find. Anxiety washed over her, had she crossed the line? Were her kisses, the ones she practiced on her hand for two weeks, a little too much? El knew she still had a lot to learn, not only how to speak properly but also how she is supposed to behave in public. Were her cuddles and kisses something she is supposed to do only in private? Did she caused discomfort to the boy she adored? El couldn’t stop thinking about what Lucas said; last year when the boys snuck her into the school they bumped into their teacher and the boys said she was Mike’s cousin; but now that teacher saw him kissing said cousin so, will this bring him trouble? She hoped not, she really hoped Mike wouldn’t have problems because of her since he only brought happiness into her life. He gave her life, dreams, everything she could ever wish for.

“Did I do something?” asked Eleven as she noticed him struggling whether to do something or say something or a mix of both.

Mike was there, sitting next to her, both facing one of the decorated walls; those metallic curtains with blue, white and silver stripes hanging beautifully as he holds her hand looking at everything except her eyes until she asked that last thing.

“No, no of course not.” he assured her and Eleven felt relief at the confidence sensed in his words. He wandered his eyes again to the roof and his feet then licked his own lips as if trying to find a way to say something he couldn’t figure out how to say.

Except she knew; the butterflies in her tummy and the tickling she felt right before Lucas interrupted them came back again with full force, fluttering incessantly. She could almost hear them.

“You know, uhm, you know El, I kinda needed to ask you something but I don’t know how to do it.” Mike started. “I mean, I do know but I’m not sure you’ll get what I mean when I say what I want to say and I don’t know if I have to explain what I want to ask before asking you…”

Shit, he wanted to make it easy for her and he ended up doing the exact opposite. Mike felt as if he just talked for a whole hour and said absolutely nothing.

However for El, who was looking at him with endless love as Mike’s blush grew from his cheeks to his ears, she couldn’t stop smiling at how wonderfully sweet he is. How splendidly caring, considerate and gorgeous he is.

What did she do to deserve him?

Which superior force decided that a boy like him, a boy who was turning into a handsome young man, should like her the way she liked him? Because she knew she was quite obvious; she knew she couldn’t hide it even if she tries although when the party went to visit her she thought she did. She thought she had been cautious into not showing too much but Dustin grinned at her every time she stared at Mike and well, it shouldn’t surprise her that everyone else knew too since she barely let Mike alone during the entire visit. How could she not cling on his arms and touch his face and stare at him if, for almost a year, she visited him on the void but never touched him? How could she not take the opportunity to feel him when for almost a year he became white smoke only by trying to kiss him? How many times did they cry together in the void, how many times she heard him confessing his love? How many times she got mad at Hopper for keeping them apart with the promise that ‘soon’ would come?

El could spend the entire night wondering all sort of things except what he was for her. She knew it. She knew what he means to her; she knew it when she made those mistakes so far away from Hawkins and his memory came to her, making her return and walk away from that group of people who only wanted to take advantage of her, but it wasn’t time to think about that. El smiled, focusing on what Mike was trying to say and how she knew exactly what he was trying to ask her; he was there, rambling between an ocean of metaphors and so many things as he struggled with the question lying on the tip of his tongue.

His eyes so warm and caring wandered from hers as he explained what he tried to say only to feel shy and scared and look down at their feet again.

“You know El, sometimes two people who really like each other and feel in a certain way about each other that they don’t feel about anyone else, decide to get into a relationship.” Mike kept saying. “I mean, they get into a relationship with each other and no one else. But not as prisoners I mean, they still have friends and families and well, you know…”

He is so cute.

He is rambling, nervous; he even panics a little and doesn’t know how to say what he wants to say because what Mike is trying to do is explain what a relationship is. El knew it wasn’t because he thinks she is dumb, no; what Mike was trying to do as his caring and considerate heart considered was the right thing to do was explain what a relationship is so she could take her decision completely free. Because that’s how sweet he is, because he wants her free to decide about her own life and the people with whom she wants to be with, because he wants her to do, feel and say whatever she feels like with any regrets so she can experience life and enjoy every second of it knowing she is no longer a prisoner of any kind.

Mike doesn’t want her decision to be taken lightly; he would never use her or tell her to do something by making her think is the right thing – like Kali did – no; Mike wants her to know what everything means so she can use her free will as it is meant to be used. That’s the reason why El adores Mike because he is so, so much more.

Eleven appreciated how careful and nervous he was because it provided her more time too, but not to think about her answer because she knew what her answer would be; she just spent that extra time he gave her to really enjoy how much he changed from the boy he was. She admired his long eyelashes and how they looked exquisite with those deep chocolate eyes, his lips red pouty lips she loved more than waffles; she took in those infinite brown dots on his nose and cheekbones and she thought that if Mike was like the star that glows and guides a lost person to home, then he who actually gave her her first home when she was lost and scared, he is her world and those little brown dots are a sky filled with stars so, if she ever feels lost or scared El knows that whenever she needs help he’ll be right there to make her feel safe again.

He means the world to her and no less.

“Sometimes when a person likes another person but as in more than a friend…” Mike kept saying, looking into her eyes, her feet and so on. “Well, there’s a person who likes this other person so they decide this because they both want to become more than friends, you know? As if, of course they are friends but they also show the rest of the people that there are things only a special friend does to another special friend like holding hands and, uhm, k-kissing.”

The soft touch of his hand when he said that last word sent a tickle to every bone in her body. It was like electricity flowing through they fingers as Mike drew circles on her palm and wet his lips again, trying to pack up some courage.

Maybe she should stop him and tell him to calm down; maybe she should tell him what she feels but, how? How can Eleven describe what she feels if she doesn’t have enough words yet? Because saying that she likes him isn’t enough, it doesn’t explain the whole enormity of what he means to her and even if she had the words, would they fill the entire concept so he could understand just how much she actually loves him? Because Mike is more, so much more than saying ‘I like you’; he is night after night of unceasing crying when they were apart, he is what she craved the most for over three hundred and fifty three torturous days. It was more than wanting him close, she truly needs him.

Mike is the feeling that she knows him since thousands of years, something that grows, spreads and consumes her because is so hard to believe just how suddenly he came into her life; unbelievable because it only took the touch of his hands for her to feel whole. Eleven knew she can forget about anything and lost her mind in those chocolate eyes, she knew that she could be anywhere but as long as he is with her she would always feel at home because she is his and he is hers too. Every second, every single moment Mike breaths, smiles or blinks he gives a reason to everything that could have been and everything yet to come because every love story she heard of must have found its muse on the kisses he gave her, on his long wait and how faithful he was calling for her every single night while he fought against his own pain. That, the way he hold on the hope she’d return made him so unreal and yet so true, a dream or a wish she could touch because he waited for her. He is this crazy feeling, something so big that distance couldn’t break them apart but instead, it brought them closer, stronger to realize their feelings for each other were unfathomable.

She knew that every moment of her life, even the years she was locked up were worth it because that was the plan; he was meant to find her, to rescue her, he was meant to become the boy who would show her the life she had been dreaming about and Eleven knows that living without him is no life at all.

As for Mike, who was starting to sweat like a false witness and whose nerves had reached the boiling point had lost again the courage to speak and messed up his own words.

“Then these two people that were friends and are still friends but a new kind of friends that became something called boyfriend and girlfriend that interacts… Uhm, in a way that… Oh God, they kiss and…”

“Mike.” Eleven stopped him between amused and moved by the beauty he brings with his caring way of expressing his love, for the love itself he gives. She also stooped him because she was also afraid he might faint too and because she wanted to tell him he never needed to explain what a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship was. She knew, after all she spends the entire day watching every soap opera on TV and aside from the drama and the people falling down the stairs, the main topic on most of these is romance.

“Uh yeah?” he asked, blinking a couple times as she pulled him out from his monologue about dating which, honestly, was a bit useless.

El smiled and held his hands firmly. “Yes.”

“Y-yes… Yes for, w-what?” he practically squeaked in shock, panic and the most amazing kind of love.

El couldn’t contain her joy. “Yes to what you are trying to ask me. You don’t need to explain what dating means, Mike. TV showed me that, I know what it means and I want it.”

The fire inside the boy’s chest grew so fast he could almost hear his cheeks blushing so unbelievably pink as El started to lean closer to him.

He brushed his finger trough his hair. “I’m sorry El I, I probably worry too much.” Mike admitted, a smile on his lips as he begun to chill.

“You do.” El said and stroked his cheek with her fingers. “That’s why.”

He swallowed hard, his smiled rapidly growing as his courage jumped and he felt brave and powerful all thanks to the honesty and warmth her honey eyes provided. He could finally do it, the words coming out loud and clear.

He cupped her cheek as he caressed a cute dimple with his thumb. So beautiful it hurts, so magical it astonishes him, so perfect it fills him.

“El, will you be my girlfriend?”

The happiness Eleven felt had no comparison and it couldn’t be measured; she became a whole mess of joy, tears and words tangled with the lump in her throat.

“Yes Mike, a million times yes.” she cried out as her arms clung on his shoulders and they shared a tight hug which became a new kiss and another and another and another one until Dustin threw a dirty napkin on their heads and told them to knock it off and join the dance.

xx

“Five… more… minutes.” asked Mike in between kisses.

El giggled at every kiss. She said goodbye to her friends fifteen minutes ago when Mike’s clock warned them her curfew would soon begun. After they became girlfriend and boyfriend officially they spend the rest of their night dancing and joking around with the party, which was fun even when their friends kept mocking them on their new relationship and making kisses noises. Lucas had to pay Dustin a dollar and he had to pay Will said dollar, and then they went to Jonathan for a picture and another with the party all together, even Max.

El enjoyed every second of it; the beginning of a new life, a real life filled with friends that assured they’ll go visit soon and even harass Hopper until he allows them to. A new life that in only a couple months she would enjoy as a free human being, ready to walk around the town and see everything the couldn’t at the moment but it was there, waiting for her and she was ready for it. She was so ready to explore and see places and run around and laugh and go to the movies and experience all of that with her boyfriend holding her hand.

Yeah, her boyfriend, the one she would kiss in every chance she gets from now on, as she was doing at the moment.

“I want to but Hopper said if I take more time then no eggo’s for a week.” El said although she didn’t even try to let go of Mike’s mouth. Unfortunately she didn’t know when her new father would let her see him again but she would insist non-stop and drive him crazy if she must until he lets Mike go to the cabin because those kisses became more important than breathing.

“I’ll bring you ten boxes.” Mike said and they smiled in their kiss which lingered even when they heard a group of kids whistling and cheering near them, but they couldn’t care less.

“Mmhh…” El suddenly winces when someone opened the gymnasium door and a cold December breeze hit her pretty but no-very-warm dress.

Mike, as always, noticed. “Oh shit, you need your coat. Where is it?” he asked as she shivered in her arms and when the door went opened again he rubbed his hands on her arms, trying to warm her up.

El bit her lip. “I left it in the car.”

Another student opened the gymnasium door and another new breeze hit both of them. Mike was concerned.

“You’ll get sick if you get out like this, El, even if it’s only to the car.” he said, rubbing his hands on her bare arms, trying keep his girlfriend warm. He couldn’t help but smile, it felt so good to know that she was now his girlfriend, maybe he’d celebrate by jumping on the bed later.

“Hopper said he’ll be nearby.”

But then El shivered once more when another kid left and Mike noticed a bit of snow in the wind.

“Wait, I know!” said the boy and just like that he took off his jacket and then the sweater underneath it. “Here, I won’t have my girl getting sick if I can do something about it.”

For a moment Eleven’s brain shut down and a butterfly’s bomb exploded in her stomach as an intense tingle spread to every inch of her body. There, it could be silly to anyone else but Mike, who didn’t take a moment to think what his gesture would mean to her and with no hesitation whatsoever, only prompted by the eternal sweetness of being a boy who gives his sweater to his girlfriend to keep her from getting a cold; all of that rocked Eleven to her very core.

She couldn’t even say a single word.

“…” no, she couldn’t. She just looked back into Mike’s eyes, her boyfriend’s eyes and still couldn’t believe how this wonderful boy is her boyfriend. El could do nothing more than to accept his sweater.

The memory of a twelve year old boy who took off his jacket under the pouring rain to put it on her shoulders with no questions asked; the memory of a sweet boy picking up clothes from a basket of clean laundry and offering it to her because it was the right thing to do, it all fell on Eleven as she took in again how amazed she felt. It was thanks to a kid who kept her safe and warm because his heart, as pure as it is, couldn’t take any other option than to protect someone in need.

Was that a sign? Eleven believed it was as she felt his smile in his voice when he helped her putting on the sweater so she wouldn’t mess up her hairdo or the pretty make up she was wearing. Maybe that night when Mike gave her his own clothes was a presage or a clue of what this night would become; the first step that’d lead to the kisses they shared, the songs they danced, the softness of their hands or the warmth from Mike’s dark eyes. Those eyes, those dark pools that shook her to her very roots and made her feel so incredibly, endlessly, stupidly happy that when she looked up again she knew the comfort and balmy joy surrounding her could either come from her boyfriend’s sweater or the love bubbling from within.

El suddenly couldn’t hold his gaze. Mike held her in her arms as her shy smile grew thanks to his presence and she tried to figure out what to say or how to proceed or talk to him so she can explain how much happiness he brought into her life from the moment she realized he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. He was so sweet trying to explain her what it was before even asking her, as if she didn’t know; as if Eleven hadn’t spent a year watching five soap operas a day, as if she didn’t practiced kissing in her hand when Hopper explained what a kiss was and those kisses are something people usually shared when they are together and in love.

Yes, she still had a lot to learn, like when she told her new father that Mike kissed her already and she couldn’t understand why his cheeks turned all shades of pink. Maybe she still need to develop her social abilities and get used to formalities that seemed so alien but, if there was something Eleven was completely sure about was that Mike in any scenario, in every way, in a year or an eternity would always be the one she belongs with. The right answer, the destination, the one made for her.

Only for being himself, only for being Mike, because he offered his clothes on a rainy night, because he built her a home with sheets, pillows and a sleeping bag. Because he called her for three hundred and fifty three days and since she came back he sends her letters in ever chance he has. It was all thanks to him why Eleven dreamed day and night with building a life with him so the future they have ahead of them could always find them together so El could offer Mike her heart just like he trusted his to her.

“There, all set. Sorry, it’s little too big for you but…”

“Is perfect.” El interrupted, touching the edge of the wooden blue sweater and then sniffing its collar and finding a mixture of detergent, soap, perfume and Mike’s unmistakeable scent. That night she would wear that sweater in bed as if he was there holding her while she sleeps. “You are perfect.”

And now it was Mike’s turn to be speechless.

She thinks he is perfect? He was he one who should tell her she is the perfect one, that no matter what may happen he knew his feeling could only grow bigger and wider and motivate him to become a great man. She is perfect because that’s exactly how Mike dreamed her; the key that opened every existing door, the honey eyes he adores, the future crystal clear as he felt so wonderfully blessed to be able to walk into that future holding her hand. Eleven is perfect because he wouldn’t change a single hair in her head.

But he was overjoyed, maybe too overwhelmed to talk and all he could do was hug her as tight as he could, smile when she nuzzled her nose on his neck as the swayed like if they were dancing again.

Mike couldn’t believe his luck. He watched spellbound as Eleven sniffed his sweater and his heart forgot it had to keep beating, his mouth forgot how to speak, music around them forgot it was supposed to be listened and the world forgot it should keep spinning. She stopped his world and the world entire wouldn’t dare to function until Mike’s brain cells starts connecting again. No, he wasn’t perfect, he was simply the luckiest of them both because, when Eleven looked into his eyes again, Mike knew he wasn’t supposed to speak because he had to use his lips to kiss her once more. An explosion of colours, shades and sparks in every dimension of a world stopped by two kids who spent nights and days missing each other, calling each other; two kids who with every brush from their joined lips became teenagers. Because they were growing together, because they were together. Because they fit perfectly like pieces of a complete puzzle.

The way she looks at him made Mike feel invincible, as if he was a treasure. Eleven made him feel incredible, incomparable, irreplaceable and so powerful he knew he could do everything as long as she is there.

Mike would do anything for her.

“I don’t want to go, I’ll miss you.” whispered Eleven on his lips; their foreheads touching, their eyelashes caressing each other’s skin.

Mike smiled. “I’ll go even if Hopper doesn’t let me. Screw his rules, I can be invisible if I have to but I’ll visit you. We’ll all go, I promise.”

El smiled again; a comforting and trusting promise that she could go to sleep that night because she knew it was true, because Mike said ‘promise’ and she knew she has nothing to worry about.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to Hopper’s car.” said Mike and gave her another peck as he held her hand and went to the door. The Chief should be on the parking lot waiting for her and probably a little pissed since it was past nine but he’d take the responsibility.

But El didn’t move and Mike looked at her, still glued to the floor.

“El, are you okay?”

The girl simply looked around her, the kids dancing; the colours decorating the gym, the smells she couldn’t describe and their friends dancing somewhere near their table. A new life giving her its welcome, opportunities waiting, a beautiful boy holding her hand and looking at her with those big heart eyes.

She touched the sweater again, a smile on her lips, a question on the tip of her tongue.

“Mine?”

Mike nodded. “Yeah, sure, you can keep it. It looks way cuter in you anyway.”

“No.” murmured El, taking a hand to Mike’s chest where she could feel his heartbeat and then up to his chin, caressing his bottom lip with her thumb. “You, are you mine now?”

Eleven’s dreamy smile made him tremble and he didn’t care how mad the Chief would get; Mike would wake up early, buy every box of Eggo’s he can afford and go to share breakfast with her because her smile didn’t give him any choice, he didn’t even want another choice.

His friends were right, maybe people can see hearts coming out of them like in cartoons. He hoped everyone could see it.

Mike smiled, choking on his own words, cupping her cheeks before kissing her again.

“Yes El. I’m yours, forever.”

oOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter Text

Stranger Things belongs to The Duffer Brothers and Netflix. I own nothing.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Rated: K+. // Romance - Friendship. // (Eleven & Mike), Hopper.

xx

LOVESICK

November 21^st, 1985

Two weeks after Eleven’s first birthday, the one that according to her would be on the top of every future birthday because of Mike’s wonderful present that she finally got the measles. Everyone bet she would get it after Hopper took the Wheeler boy to the cabin and after all the kisses she gave him when he arrived, plus all the kissing as the days went by, it was pretty obvious she would end up sick as well.

She still remembered the butterflies she felt in her tummy when her father said he would go pick up her boyfriend and, even when she carried on with her party because she had her guests there, it was very hard to stay calm in the half hour she had to wait until her dad came back. When she felt Hopper’s car parking outside, she ran towards it to greet Mike with open arms and a wide shiny smile. He was covered in little red spots and yet she never thought he’d looked more handsome.

With Mike’s ‘I love you’ at the end of the video burned in her heart and still in the air wrapping her body, Eleven run to hug him and kiss him. He seemed to be in shock because of the sudden closeness and, even when they were used to kiss in public, like school or the Arcade; they had never kissed so open in front of Hopper, or Nancy, and he never thought her father wouldn’t shove him off of her. He had heard Joyce’s calling for the Chief telling him to leave them alone but none of them knew when that happened because, as soon as he woke up from his surprise, he let her pinned him against the van and wrapped his arms around El’s waist and kissed her back fiercely.

" Mike…" Eleven whispered when they had to catch their breaths, she had only pulled apart the necessary inches to breathe but not further away. She looked at him with their noses still touching and the overwhelming emotions she felt during the song, holding her again and making her cry while putting little kisses all around his face. " I saw the video, we all saw it and… And oh Mike, I loved it!"

He licked his lips tasting Eleven’s kiss on them while she talked and struggled with the tears pouring from her gorgeous eyes while she kept kissing him in every piece of skin she could reach. Mike moved one his hands from her waist to her cheek to wipe her tears with his thumb.

" I think I noticed." he said smiling and making her laugh, they both did. " I love you, El." he said again now face to face and looking deep into her eyes, so deep Eleven felt Mike burying himself in her brain all the way through the other side, taking over everything.

El gasp and started welling up and exploding into tears all over again while she tightened her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him but, the other hand he still had in her waist moved up to her face and he hold her still gently, making Eleven keep looking at him in the eye, which cause her to pout a little bit since she wanted more kisses. Lucky for her, he pecked her sweetly before speaking.

" El, what I played for you and what I said, I want you to know that is all for you." he said but realized it was hard to explain what he wanted to say. He didn’t wanted to seem bumptious, he didn’t wanted to simply assume she would also say the words, he wasn’t that presumptuous. But he wanted to be clear.

" I know, Mike. I know."

He shook his head smiling and placed their foreheads together. " You are so beautiful." he whispered making her blush. " What I meant to say was, uhm, is hard to explain. You know those TV shows you like? Well, you had probably seen already that when people say ‘I love you’ to someone, the other person says it back…" he said and noticed how she opened her mouth to say something but he immediately put a finger on her lips to keep her quiet. " El, don’t say it."

That took her by surprise. " But Mike I…"

" What I mean is that today don’t say it. Today is for you, only for you. Today is you who gets presents, today is you who listens to my song and to whom I say ‘I love you’ to. Today you receive, you don’t give." he explained and waited for her to understand what he meant.

He kept smiling the entire time he was talking and, only when he stopped, only then he moved his finger away from her lips.

Eleven thought about what Mike said deeply and, to his surprise, she understood what he meant so she simply smiled back and pecked him in the lips and just stood there, pulling him close in her arms and pressing their foreheads together, looking at him adoringly in the eyes.

" Thank you for singing that song to me."

xx

Now, two weeks after her birthday, Eleven was cracking her head open not knowing what to do. Yes, she had understood what Mike meant when he said he didn’t wanted her to say the words that same day, because that day was only for her, but also she knew she had to try and find someway to make it as special as he did. Because she knew she was in love with him, but she also had to find the right time to tell him and surprise him and she didn’t knew how and, as the days went by, she started to grow afraid that whatever she did would never be good enough.

" El, it’s me."

Suddenly a voice a six very familiar knocks on the door made her jump, pushing her thoughts aside when she heard her boyfriend calling outside.

It was 3:30 pm and, like the last few days, Mike already recovered from his measles had biked after school to the cabin to check and take her of her, and also – so Hopper wouldn’t get them a hard time – he was bringing her the work she had been missing from school. With him, she almost never used her powers anymore, with him she wanted to be just her because there was no room for any kind of magic that wasn’t the one they created when they were together; and even when she was a little ‘lazy’, like Hopper said, she never behave as such when it came to Mike. He definitely was worthy enough for her to stand up from the couch and greet him herself.

" Hi." they said at the same time when she opened the door. Mike leaned down while she reached for him standing in her tiptoes to kiss him hello like he deserved. She loved to do that, reaching up to kiss him, she loved that he was getting that tall.

Eleven had been missing school for four days already and the fever was fading away almost completely so she felt a lot better and, even when she knew she didn’t need to cover her red spots with Mike, she was very thankful with Max and the make-up kit she got her.

Since the snowball, almost a year ago and since that afternoon on the hammock last January, that their kisses had been evolving from a shy innocent peck on the lips into a full proper passionate kiss. They enjoyed kissing, a lot, especially after her birthday and they enjoyed even more to try new kinds of kissing in every moment they could find to be alone. Lips intertwined, Mike sucking on her upper lip while she did the same with his lower one, they kissed passionately everyway they could. Like she had been doing for a few days now, Eleven soon bit and suck his lip and let it go enjoying the sound it made and taking him again; immediately after she would make that playful little game, Mike leaned his head to the right and one of his hands on her waist moved to her nape to hold her still, then – sometimes Mike, sometimes El – they’d taste each other’s lips with the tip of their tongues and when entrance would be allowed, they fully went french kissing, falling deep and intense on one another.

Five minutes after Mike’s arrival to the cabin and an exchange of saliva that would have get Hopper outrageous, he started to feel the cold breeze of November on his back, so they broke apart from the kiss and Mike looked at El in the eye making her feel so small she would probably fit in the little pocket of his polo shirt. It was in moments like that when Eleven would give him one of her big eyes looks and shy smiles breathing deep from the bottom of her heart, that she couldn’t believe how wonderful he was. Mike loved when she’d do that, she had been doing it for almost two weeks now and it always made him think that she was building something huge inside.

" Get in, want some tea?" she asked taking his hand while locking the door with her mind.

Mike nodded and took off his backpack and throw it on the couch letting all his notebooks fall on the coffee table. Eleven turned around to the kitchen to put some water to boil and prepare two cups of tea while she heard every book and notebook falling onto the table. She huffed softly because she hated just how much homework she had to do every day, it seemed almost like a punishment for missing school, it was ridiculous but she didn’t wanted to tell that to Mike. He took his free time to bike all the way from school to the cabin to pass all the work of the day and also to help her out with math, and she didn’t wanted him to think that she didn’t appreciated what he did because she really was thankful. The problem with El was that, ever since he told her he loved her, it was extremely hard for her to think or do anything else other than think about him.

Eleven squealed and jumped when she felt a pair of warm, very familiar lips on her neck kissing the smooth skin between her shoulder and her nape, then placing his chin on the top of her head.

" My mom sends you her ‘get well soon’ cookies." he whispered, placing a Tupper in front of her on the kitchen counter and then he wrapped his arms around her waist holding her from behind.

They were still very young and those hugs and touches were still far away from turning into something more mature but, deep down under an innocence cloth that still none of them dare to unfold, they kept enjoying those sweet little moments and touches that were the prelude of all the things that would happen further into the future. But for now their kisses were the main source when it came to show each other their love.

x

After two cups of tea and with half of Karen’s ‘get well cookies’ now eaten, three hours had come and gone while Eleven and Mike were still sitting on the carpet floor in the living room doing homework. Books and notebooks on the coffee table and the couch behind them, Mike had given El her literature and science classes she missed and, in that moment he was currently teaching math. She hated math and it had been over 45 minutes since he begun teaching how to turn letters into numbers while she had her head in one hand, staring at him without looking or blinking.

" Then if you have any doubt about the result you’ve got, you can put the answers here where the ‘x’ and ‘y’ were and if you get the total of the number first given, then you have your definitive answer. I mean it’s tricky but if you have to make a graphic then…"

Sadly for Mike it’d been a while since Eleven stopped listening and was standing about a million miles behind, probably since he started. And, to be fair with her, how could she ever focus on some stupid math problem when her biggest issue was that her boyfriend was talking when she wanted to kiss him?

A smile crossed her face while she bit her pencil and stop listening to Mike all together when she started to think about what she felt for him. She thought about the first times she realized that visiting him on the void was something she needed as much as breathing when they were away almost an eternity ago. She remembered the tingle in her stomach everytime she saw him sitting on the fort, feeling something she couldn’t name. She remembered the way she’d get lost during the day time when, sick of boredom, she thought about his deep dark eyes that show so much, the one that took her soul out on the void into the night when he unconsciously looked back into her eyes. She remembered feeling different, changing a little bit at a time not knowing when it begun but finally knowing when they found each other.

She also thought about that time when she left the cabin and went to the school, ready to see him no mater what. She remember the feeling in her chest when she found his bike and saw herself sitting on it, holding him from behind and she also remembered how bitter it was to find him laughing with Max. Now that she knew Mike was only hers, she felt guilty for what she did to her friend but in that moment all she could do to handle such irrational rage was throwing Max off of her skateboard. Later she knew she had been jealous.

" Earth calling for Eleven…"

She blinked a couple of times before looking a him and his hands he had been waving right in front of her, probably calling for two hours before she noticed. El blushed in embarrassment and looked away from his gaze but he smiled one of his irresistible smiles before speaking again.

" I think that’s enough maths for today, we’ll continue tomorrow." he said closing his notebook and opening his History notes instead.

Eleven bit back a whine because she really didn’t care about anything related to World War I but luckily Mike told her they had to do an essay in groups of two, so he would started reading a few chapter before taking notes. She tried really hard to stay focused on what he was reading but again she found herself lost inside the love she felt.

Because El really was lost, she had to tell him what she felt but she couldn’t because she needed to surprise him. If only she was more eloquent, she could explain to him why there were times when she found herself lost deep down into her memories and, at the same time, she didn’t wanted him to find out. But she was so damn obvious, she knew she was, anyone could see that even before they started dating, even before they kissed on the snowball, even Hopper knew before herself that Mike had, one day, become a lot more than just a friend.

Few minutes after he started reading, Mike placed his hand on top of Eleven’s and draw little circles with his thumb sending electric shots through her skin and all the way to her heart making her feel goosebumps. El leaned closer to him and snuggled against him, burying her face on the crook of his neck. She could almost hear his smile when she playfully kissed him on that one tiny spot under his jaw and then took a deep breath when Mike pulled his hand up to her head and played with the curls in her head.

She was so happy that, sometimes, she couldn’t believe how it wasn’t a dream. Mike bringing her the classes she missed, his tutoring hours he gave her when he could’ve been playing at the Arcade and everything he had done to keep her safe; made Eleven think that the way he had came into her life seemed to be so unreal. If only Mike knew how lonely she had been and how much she begged for someone to show up and rescue her and how impossible it seemed back in those days.

How would she ever found the right way to tell him everything she felt when she didn’t had enough words to say it?

Because no matter how many times her dad could say that it was ‘only a crush’, Eleven knew that her love was as real as the measles she had. Except that her love would never go away, she knew she could lose herself thinking about Mike and she would never feel lost. When she was with him El would forgot about her fears, except the fear of loosing him. She wanted to tell him that he was the night and the day, that he gave everything sense, that his mere existence was the entire reason why the world existed. He was the gravity pulling her down on the earth and also the wings that could make her fly high up in the sky.

It’d seemed to be only a few seconds ago when she rested her head against his shoulder but maybe it had been a couple of hours because Mike looked into her eyes to check if she had fallen sleep; and when he caressed his thumb against her cheek and spoke, she could feel her breath leaving her lungs and the world vanishing outside the door.

" Are you awake, El?"

That was it, she had enough homework. Eleven stopped him from speaking again by running her fingers on his cheek until she found the hair she loved and pulled him down to her lips.

She didn’t even think about it, she never did. She acted by impulse like almost every time she started the kiss. Trying to find the way to tell him what she felt had taken Eleven into a labyrinth she didn’t know how to get out from and the only answer she could think about was kissing him passionately until every thought in her mind was erased, just like she wanted to do since they started to do their homework in the living room. His lips tasted like the tea and the slice of lemon he used to put in his cup and they were sweeter than the cookies they ate; his lips were warm and moist and they knew how to move against hers and the way in which she liked to be kissed even when she never needed to explain. They knew how to make every kiss perfect on its own way, especially when he would take control of the kiss by running his hand up and down her waist, pulling her closer and holding her tighter.

What she felt for Mike was never going to end, it was something that no measure of time could ever be enough and it was something she couldn’t explain. When they broke the kiss panting and catching their breaths, she felt those same butterflies building up in her stomach, shaking her thoughts and pushing her to the edge ready to explode like an earthquake.

" Mike, I…"

" TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRL, WHEELER!"

Hopper’s growl scared both of them and they jump away from each other. Mike fell down on his butt and he realized that he had kneeled closer to El and, when he saw his girlfriend also falling down from him, he noticed she had somehow ended up sitting on his lap while they made out. Unfortunately Hopper also realized that and, poor Michael, he could feel the chief eyes burning holes in his head… and his lower parts.

Eleven, on the other hands, felt like the weight of the world had suddenly fall onto her back when she realized just how close she had been to finally tell Mike what she felt, until her father ruined the moment; besides she could also feel Hopper’s burning gaze on both of them. She sighed feeling very pissed with her dad and unlocked the door with her mind.

When Hopper got inside he looked like those giants in fairytales that walk into villages to destroy everything.

" O-okay, I think I should be go…" Mike stammered, he was scared like a three year old before a tetanus shot.

" Immediately, Wheeler." the Chief said, ignoring the murderous look on Eleven’s face and, as much as she wanted to fight against him and yell a him that he was unfair with Mike who biked all the way to the cabin to help her out; she knew better that if she wanted to keep those visits she had to shut up.

Two minutes later, Mike with all his notebooks in his backpack, except for the ones El still needed, went to the door and barely looked at the man so dangerously close to him and said a shy ‘goodbye’ to the chief before heading back to his bike with his girlfriend behind him.

" I hope you don’t get grounded because of… You know, the kissing."

She sighed. " If I do it won’t be because of you or us making out, besides he said after the video that he would be more fel-flel- flexible with the kissing rule. I don’t know what caught on him today." she said holding him by the neck, nuzzling her nose against his playfully but clearly upset with her dad. She wasn’t upset only because they got caught during a make-out session, but also because she had been so close to finally tell Mike what she felt that she would definitely ignore her father for the rest of the day. " Maybe I should…"

" Easy, El, don’t worry. I do want to keep coming here with all my limbs attached to my body."

She laughed at his joke and nodded, knowing that he was right, as always. " Okay." she softly said, looking at him in the eye, one of her hands playing with the zipper in his jacket and the other resting in his neck. " Will I see you tomorrow?"

Despite of having Hopper watching over them, Mike nodded and leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips, not caring if her father was okay with it. He partially understood why the Chief lost his grip when he found them making out in the cabin while being alone, but he would definitely not get back to his house without kissing El goodnight the way she deserved.

Even if it lasted only a few seconds, to Eleven that was a wonderful kiss.

" Call me when you get home, okay?"

" I will. Now go back inside before he burst into flames." he said and got onto his bike but leaned and gave her another quick kiss. " I love you."

Suddenly Eleven felt like she was back on the edge and almost leaned for another kiss but, again, Hopper interrupted clearing his throat way louder than necessary to cut them off. She sighed and finally let Mike go, sending him a flying kiss. She stood there watching him biking back into the forest until he was lost from her sight, and she remained there tasting her lips with her tongue still feeling Mike’s lips on hers. She took a deep breath and pressed a hand on her mouth and smiling against her fingers thinking about how close she was to finally tell her boyfriend what she felt.

Eleven was still pretty upset with her father but, now that she had a few minutes to think about it, she realized that she had been granted with a great opportunity.

" I love you too, Mike."

She whispered to breeze and set a clear goal in her mind: As soon as the measles was over, El would use every second she has to plan her confession and make it as unique as she can, like he did, and make Mike happy just like she was thanks to him.

oOoOoOoOoOo