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Mike had wanted to show up at the Hawkins Police Department the morning after El had closed the gate - had returned to them, returned to him - but he had woken up early for nothing . It was Nancy that had informed him with a sad but sympathetic smile that it was a Sunday and Chief Hopper would not be there until the following day. Every hour crawled slowly to the next, leaving Mike to pace around his basement. He had sat in the blanket fort and attempted to contact El through the static on his walkie three times, trying his best to control his racing heartbeat when there was no response.
He knew El was safe and recuperating at Hopper’s cabin - where she lived now. Every time he thought about the fact she had been so close to him this whole time, he heard a roaring in his ears, and had to clench his jaw to alleviate the sound. Thinking about the situation from El’s perspective helped ease his overwhelming feelings - Hopper had provided a safe home for her, had cared and helped her. With him, she was safe. That’s all that really mattered, and that year Mike had been left behind feeling empty and numb and broken - well, he could put that behind him now.
Still, the sight of her limp body in Hopper’s arms had stayed with Mike. As soon as Steve had driven them back to the Byers’ house (and they’d all helped to drag Billy’s unconscious body outside), Mike had not moved from the window. The hours were painfully slow and he had felt like every nerve in his body was buzzing, but eventually the phone had rang and Nancy had tearfully let them know that the plan had worked, that Will was okay, and the Mind-Flayer had disappeared.
All of them had collectively sighed in relief, their shoulders slumping and Dustin had grinned over at him. “El did it.”
Of course she had done it. Mike had never doubted her for a second. He just wanted her home now, to be safe and to not have to put herself in danger again.
The others were asleep when Hopper’s police wagon finally came into view. Mike had not moved from his seat by the window. He had leapt up and out of the door, but froze in his tracks as he watched Hopper gently lift El from the wagon’s backseat, cradling her head close to his chest. Mike couldn’t see much of her, but what he did see made his stomach drop. He had quickly grown accustomed to El’s nosebleeds, but the sight of deep crimson blood trickling from both of her ears was something completely new, completely distressing. Mike started to tremble.
“Wheeler.” Hopper’s voice was gruff. “Hey. Wheeler. She’s fine, kid. She’s just resting. She needs a lot of that now.”
Mike was nodding so fast he was scared his neck was going to snap. He tried to discreetly wipe a tear that had slipped down his face, but judging from the way Hopper’s face had softened, he had caught him doing it.
“Mike? Can you get the door for me please?”
Mike hurried to open the door for him, allowing Hopper to carry El through and place her gently on the sofa. He trailed behind, grabbing a blanket to cover her with, and then a washcloth. He knelt next to where she lay, and gently began to wipe away the smears of blood, as well as the streaks of black makeup around her eyes. It reminded him of the last time he had wiped her face, when she had asked him if she was still pretty. Yeah. Pretty. Really pretty.
Mike hadn’t really registered her new look earlier - he was too focused on the pure elation he had felt knowing she was alive and safe, and the betrayal that Hopper had kept her from him. As if he would’ve told anyone. Not a single person could have pried that from him, not even Lucas, Dustin, or Will. Definitely not any of the evil bastards from Hawkins Lab. He would’ve done anything to protect El.
Her all-black outfit was a far cry from the clothes he and the others had dressed her in. She had been stuck wearing his clothes, and then Nancy’s old pink dress that had been pretty much destroyed. Whenever he pictured her - which was a lot - she was always wearing that pink dress, but never the wig. Mike thought she looked better without it. He often wondered how she would dress herself if she had the option to. The punk-rock look was really cool, if a little surprising. She simultaneously looked so different, and exactly the same as she did when he had last seen her.
The feeling of Hopper’s hand clasping his shoulder startled him, and he soon realised he had stopped wiping her face and had simply sat there, watching her sleep. He turned to look at Hopper, his cheeks burning, but Hopper had simply squeezed his shoulder again.
“Get some sleep, kid. We all need it. You will be able to see her again soon, I promise.”
Promises meant a hell of a lot to Mike Wheeler, even more so since he had explained what they were to El, since they’d promised each other that they could go to the snowball together. That is why the second the final bell rang at school on Monday, Mike blurted out a random excuse to his friends and biked as fast as he could to Hawkins Police Department. Once there, a kindly lady with huge glasses informed him that Chief Hopper was not available, and could she take a message? He asked her to let Hopper know that he had called, and would do so the next day.
And so he did, the next day, and the day after that. No such luck. By Thursday, the party was aware of his antics and had ambushed him by the bike shed, the boys already on their bikes and Max on her skateboard. They’d demanded to come with, wherever he was going, and by this point Mike had started to think Hopper was purposefully avoiding him and was in no mood to argue so let them tag along.
When they got there, Hopper was just exiting his station wagon. When he noticed them, he told the other two officers to go inside and had walked over to them, offering a kind smile to Will.
“Is it my daughter or my receptionist you’re after, Wheeler?” Hopper asked quietly, earning a laugh from everyone other than Mike who was spluttering indignantly.
Mike was not there to be made fun of. “How is El? I - We - want to see her.”
Hopper held Mike’s gaze. “She’s fine. She’s doing better. She wants to see you too, but not today.”
Mike’s heart dropped. “She doesn’t?”
Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose between two of his fingers. “Jesus Christ, kid. I meant today doesn’t work for me. I do actually have to do things that don’t involve you guys.”
“When can we see her, then?” Lucas asked.
Hopper sighed. “Tomorrow. Seven. Just Wheeler.”
“I know they’re like star-crossed love rs or whatever,” Dustin argued. “But how come Mike gets to see her and we don’t? We’re her friends too!”
Both Hopper and Mike ignored the comment. “You will all get to see her, I swear. She just has to continue to lie low for a while, so we will do it one at a time. Wheeler’s up first. If you’re not here at seven, I’m leaving without you.” With that, Hopper swung the station's door in their faces.
The next afternoon when he arrives home from school, Mike steals a tub of Nancy’s hair gel from the bathroom and slicks his unruly black hair back, leaving only the front to be messy and styled upwards. He usually just picked out a random sweater, but that evening he dug deep into the back to find the only black one he owned. He had been thinking about it all day, what to wear, and he didn’t want El to think of him as a dweeb like Max sometimes called him. He thought that maybe he should try dressing similarly to how El did that night, as she looked so cool, maybe he would too. Maybe she would be impressed.
Mike made his way to the police station and braced himself for any comments Hopper would make. When Hopper did finally show, at 7:12pm, he had simply looked at Mike once, blinked, then told him to get in the car. Once in there, Hopper was going over the very important ground rules and Mike tried his best to listen, but at the same time he was concentrating hard on watching exactly which route they took. In case anything happened, he needed to know he would be able to get to El if he needed to - if she needed him to. The familiar roaring in his ears was back when he truly comprehended just how close El had been the whole time he had been searching for her. He gripped the side of the car, and his knuckles were white. It’s fine , he told himself, you’re not gonna lose her again.
They pulled up close to a small, discreet cabin, mostly hidden by the trees surrounding it. Hopper told him to watch out for a trip wire, and Mike appreciated just how safe he had made it here. His heart was beating out of his chest. He couldn’t believe that El was inside there, that he’d finally get a chance to talk to her.
“ Breathe, kid. You’re gonna put it off even longer if you pass out.” Hopper stopped at the front door. “Watch and listen closely. We have a special knock, and El will only open the door if she hears it. Call me psychic, but I have a feeling that you’ll probably be coming round here a lot, so I want to make sure you know it.”
Hopper demonstrated the knock, and Mike felt like the world was playing a joke on him. Eleven was on the other side of that door, and Mike had to stand outside with Chief Hopper proving to him that he can remember the sequence of bangs. Finally, when Mike had got it right three times, Hopper yelled alright, open up! And the latch clicked.
The door swung open, and Mike felt like an even bigger fool. He had dressed like someone off of MTV whilst El stood there in a pretty yellow dress, nervously tugging at the hem. Her face lit up when she saw him, and that’s when it truly hit him. El’s hair. It was curly . No, that wasn’t enough. Her hair was a beautiful shade of honey brown, and it was in ringlets .
El stepped forward and embraced him, hugging him close like they had done a few nights ago. Mike wasted no time in holding her back.
“I missed you.” Mike blurted. “Also, hi.”
“Hello. I missed you too.” El smiled, big and bright. It made him feel like he couldn’t catch his breath. “Do you want to see where I live?”
Mike couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah. It’s your turn to give me the tour.”
El showed him room by room, and told him all about her time with Hopper. She spoke about triple Eggo extravaganzas, Miami Vice Fridays, her favourite Soap Operas, Mr Fibbly the squirrel, and how awful a dancer Hopper was. Her words were still slightly hesitant, but every single one she said filled Mike with so much pride he felt like he was gonna burst. He couldn’t believe after all this time he was actually with her again, spending time with her. He nearly jumped out of his skin when El laced her fingers through his, and guided him towards a door.
“And for last,” El said, “This is my bedroom.”
El showed Mike into her room, whilst Hopper hovered in the doorway.
“It’s nice.” Mike said. “Really nice.”
“It is not as fun as yours,” El replied. “You have…pictures.”
“Oh, you mean like my posters? You can have some if you like. I have plenty.” Mike offered.
El nodded. “Yes. You can bring them when you come to visit me again tomorrow.”
El turned and smiled sweetly at Hopper, and it was clear to Mike that she clearly had him wrapped around her finger. She shifted her attention back to Mike, and grinned at him, a real smile, with a slight blush on her cheeks. She giggled, and her ringlets bounced.
Hopper wasn’t the only one wrapped around her finger.