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Mike Wheeler was never one for haunted houses.
Sure, they were fun for about twenty minutes until Holly started crying and throwing a temper tantrum. And don't even get him started on going with Nancy and Jonathan, they remained curled up and linked at the arms the entire time, their acts of love making him involuntary gag.
"You realize that's exactly how you and El are, right?" Lucas pointed out, snapping Mike out of his trance.
Oh, yeah. El.
Just by the mention of her name, his milky white cheeks unconsciously turned a deep shade of crimson, which was sure to ensue teasing from Lucas. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. God, he had just seen her the night before and he already missed her.
He ached to feel her arm cling to his as he explained an unfamiliar word in a new book she was reading, (Currently, she was devouring Little Women page by page.) He missed the feeling of her warm lips against his, perfectly soft and lingering with a hint of cherry chapstick. But he especially missed the simplicity of her presence, knowing that she was there and wasn't leaving any soon. With her, he could finally take a deep breath. No one will ever hurt her when she's with me. Ever.
"Oh god, you mentioned her name and he's already gone." Dustin snickered as his hand reached for another potato chip. Mike rolled his eyes, blushing with embarrassment. The worst part was he couldn't even argue because they were correct.
"My point is that the last thing El and I would want to do is go to a haunted house with you and Max." Mike decided as he leaned back on the basement couch.
"You haven't even asked her!" Lucas exclaimed, both Dustin and Will nodding along in agreement.
"Oh yeah, because after spending twelve years in an evil lab she's going to be so excited to be stuck in a room full of monsters, I don't think so." Mike decided with a scowl.
—
"That sounds so fun, Mike! When are we going?" El grinned from ear to ear, tugging on his hand as she sat him down on her bed. Mike's eyebrows furrowed. Why would El, out of all people, want to go to a haunted house?
Sure, maybe it wasn't fair of him to make decisions for her... And maybe he shouldn't have automatically assumed she wouldn't want to go, but doesn't that make sense? After battling inter-dimensional monsters and dealing with irrecoverable nightmares, he didn't find it to be a bold assumption.
"Uh, I don't think we should go." Mike confessed as nonchalantly as he could, not wanting to upset his girlfriend.
"What? Why?" El frowned, her lips puffing out into a pout. Her caramel eyes dilated as she rested her chin on his shoulder, the look on her face causing Mike to resist the temptation to kiss her full lips.
"Those things are so creepy!" Mike laughed as he brushed a strand of fawn hair out of her face, causing her to giggle and place a quick kiss on his freckled cheek.
"Yes, I know. They're called haunted houses for a reason." El snickered while nudging him with her elbow, making him chuckle.
"We would be stuck with Lucas and Max, and you are too innocent to listen to their gross makeout sessions." Mike claimed, resting his head on a plush pillow.
He pulled his girlfriend closer to his chest, wrapping his arm around her stomach and proceeding to rest his cheek on her chest. El tangled her fingers through his hair, threading her fingertips through his black curls. He sighed softly at the feeling of her heartbeat beneath his ear, assuring him that she was there. She was safe.
"Make out?" El questioned, bewildered. She had heard Dustin make jokes with the phrase, jokes that would always result in Mike rolling his eyes or making a rude gesture.
"Like kissing for a really long time." Mike vaguely elucidated, not caring to give a full explanation as he bathed in the warmth of her soothing touch.
"We make out. Is it gross?" El tilted her head, sitting up from the comfortable position and hugging her knees.
"What?! No! That's completely different." Mike hastily stated, propping himself up and grabbing both of her hands. He pressed a kiss to the permanent numbered tattoo that resides on her wrist, rubbing his thumb against the faded ink.
"How is it different?" El pushed, resting her hand in her chin. Her boyfriend sighed in return.
"Because Max and Lucas are gross and we aren't." He shrugged, causing El to burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Mike's cheeks warmed up, his heart melting at the sight of her wide smile and crinkled nose.
"You're mean." El said once she had recovered from his joke. He jokingly rolled his eyes, shoving her lightly.
"Only to them." He hummed, bringing his hand up to her pale face and leaning in to kiss her.
El happily obliged, pressing her lips against his softly. She grasped onto his neck, pulling him closer to her. She swears she could stay like that forever, locked in his embrace as his fingers ran through her hair, protecting her from everyone and everything else that could harm her. Their kisses were like a nonverbal promise, a pact that their hearts belonged to each other.
She eventually pulled away, causing Mike to let out an embarrassing whine of protest. Her cheeks flushed, her hand reaching up to his hair to brush it away from his eyes.
"I really want to go, Mike." El pleaded with puppy-dog eyes. Mike's heart melted at the sight.
"Alright, but don't complain when we have to listen to them swapping spit the entire night." Mike smirked.
—
El shivered next to Mike as they waited outside a sketchy tent, Lucas and Max walking closely beside them.
"Are you excited for your first haunted house, El?" Lucas interrogated as they moved further up in the line and closer to the tent.
Inside, groups of teenagers screeched out of horror as loud noises flowed throughout the haunted house. It was a windy night in Hawkins, El forcefully gripping onto Mike's arm in an attempt to keep warm.
"I'm really excited! I think Mike is a bit nervous though." El teased him with a sly smile.
"I am not! I'll bet twenty dollars that Lucas will be the first to piss his pants." Mike challenged, the girls laughing along in agreement. Lucas's face scrunched up in visible confusion.
"No way! Mike is definitely the first one out." Lucas argued with pride, the group following him as he moved further up in the line. They were the next group to go in.
"Lucas, I love you, but you're a wimp." Max admitted with a grimace, patting his shoulder. His face contorted with a look of utter shock, his jaw dropping as he heavily gasped in a dramatic manner.
"Am not," He fought with an angry scowl tugging on his lips, moving up in the line as what appeared to be a young woman in college directed them into the house.
"Now, Max, despite your cruel words, I have decided I will protect you. If you feel scared, you can grab onto my arm, M'lady." Lucas offered with a triumphant smirk as the group entered the house.
The house started with a dim hallway, flickering lights flashing past them as they trudged through. Unintelligible graffiti marked the poorly-insulted walls, Mike clutching onto his girlfriend's hand in a protective manner.
El smiled softly, looking up at him with batted eyelashes. She understood his concern, squeezing his hand in reassurance.
"I'm okay. Promise," She whispered, standing on her tiptoes and shyly pecking his cheek.
Suddenly, a monster with washed makeup jumped at the group, causing Mike to flinch. He walked towards the worker with a threatening look in his eyes, ready to protect his girlfriend if he had to.
"Mike! It's okay!" El giggled, her cheeks heating up at the action. Mike sighed through pouted lips, still visibly upset as he squeezed her hand once again.
"Ha! Mike got scared so he had to act like he was just trying to protect El. See, I told you guys Mike would be the first one —" Lucas started, interrupting himself with an ear-piercing screech as a monster jumped out at him. He lost hold of Max's arm, Max bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter at Lucas's reaction.
"Karma's a bitch." Mike muttered under his breath as he struggled to hold in his laughter, Lucas glaring at him bitterly. Lucas picked himself up from the ground, dusting himself off as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Wow stalker, you scream like a girl!" Max confirmed, eliciting an eye roll form the embarrassed boy.
"Lucas does scream like a girl." El reaffirmed as she spoke into Mike's ear, resting her chin on his shoulder. Mike nodded in agreement.
"Lucas is scared of everything. A few weeks ago, we were at the arcade and Dustin sneezed a little to loudly for his liking, and he freaked out and had to hide in the bathroom for ten minutes before Will calmed down." He admitted causing El to cover her mouth as she tried to hide her growing smile.
"I can't believe we payed ten dollars for this shit!" Lucas complained, still breathing heavily as he attempted to recover from his scare.
"It was your idea, dumbass!" His autumn-haired girlfriend taunted him as he continued to walk with labored breaths, the agitated boy giving her the flick of his middle finger.
Just as he was about to tease her back, a middle-aged man adorned with streaks of poorly-done makeup crept up behind El. His cracked hands grabbed her shoulders harshly, causing her to gasp in surprise.
The whimper that escaped her parted lips was enough to capture Mike's attention, his eyes filling with fury as he witnessed the man maniacally laugh at her frightened response. His hands clenched into strong fists, his knuckles whitening as his rough nails digged into the sensitive skin of his palm.
Without a second thought, Mike lunged towards the man. Tackling him to the ground, (which, by the way, was an impressive feat for him considering he was against two hundred fifty pounds of a man in heavy clothing attire,) his fist collided into his cheek repeatedly, an open gash beginning to appear on his face.
The man began to fight back with equal force, beginning to bash his hand into his stomach, causing Mike to grunt out of pain. Nevertheless, he continued to fight.
The others gathered beside him quickly, El fighting to get the boy she adored off the heavy man's chest.
"You piece of shit! Touch her again, I dare you!" Mike yelled, spitting in his face as his friends continued to helplessly attempt to tug on his arm. The man began to call for security, trying to budge his way out of Mike's strong grip.
"Alright, that's enough!" A man with broad shoulders yelled, harshly gripping onto Mike's shoulders as he yanked him off the worker. Multiple security guards escorted the group out, Lucas bickering with the group of men as they were kicked out of the building.
—
El let out a heavy sigh as she dabbed a moist towelette against the small gashes on Mike's face. Mike winced as the rubbing alcohol made contact with the marks painted on his face, grimacing uncomfortably as it stung his skin.
She applied more pressure, her nostrils flaring and eyebrows furrowing. Mike let out a yelp as she pushed the cloth into the gash, causing him to turn away.
"What was that for?!" Mike groaned, turning his head away as El rolled her eyes.
"Why would you do that, Mike? You hurt him." She frowned. The look of disappointment drawn on her face caused his heart to sink, a frown appearing on his own lips as well.
"Look, I know I got carried away. I just don't like to see you scared, okay?" Mike admitted bashfully, his eyes meeting the ground as she crossed her arms.
"That doesn't make it okay." El decided in a quiet yet firm voice, her eyes flickering everywhere but his.
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but his words failed him as no sound left his lips. El shook her head, turning around to walk out the doorway of the cabin's bathroom.
An inaudible gasp left her lips as she felt Mike grip her arm tightly, his thumb brushing against her soft skin as his eyes refused to stare into hers.
"Last summer, at Starcourt." He whispered under his breath, gulping as his chin began to wobble.
"What?" El asked while tilting her head, a look of bewilderment brewing in her eyes as she faced him.
"When I saw you with that monster. It was huge, and you looked so scared. God, y-you looked so scared, El. You were shaking and crying and I just stood there and watched. I couldn't move. You were so scared and I didn't do anything about it. I'll never forgive myself for that." Mike confessed in a hoarse voice, tears brimming in the corner of his eyes.
El's shoulders slumped in realization, her eyes turning softer as she noticed the way his breathing had grown heavier. Mike sniffled, attempting to hold back his tears. She let out a soft sigh of understanding, pulling him towards her to hug him.
She wrapped her arms around his back, her hand rubbing soothing circles on the fabric of his sweater. He fell into her embrace without hesitation, dipping his head into the crook of her neck as his arms circled around her waist.
A tear of his fell on her shirt, causing her breath to hitch. He sniffled again, burying himself deeper into her arms with trembling lips. She ran his fingers through his hair, something she typically enjoyed, but all she felt this time was heartbreak as the boy she loved crumbled in front of her.
She pulled away, Mike reluctantly letting her go. His body shook, grasping onto her hands in an attempt to anchor himself. El brought her hands up to cradle his face, using the pads of her thumbs to wipe away his salty tears.
"I'm here, though. With you. And I'm okay." She smiled softly, her voice small as she laced her fingers with his.
He looked into her eyes. He really looked. They shone with a shade of fawns, hints of a rich gold sparkling across her pupils.
As he looked, a smile managed to etch its way onto his face. She was smiling, her dimples curling at the corners of her cheeks. She was safe and happy, and for as long as he lived, that would be the only medicine he needed to repair his broken heart.
"Promise?" He asked simply, leaning his forehead against hers, his nose bumping hers awkwardly.
"Promise." El answered.