Chapter Text
They end up being the last to leave Hawkins Middle School that night. It hadn’t initially been Mike’s intention to get lost in Eleven's dark brown eyes for nearly two hours, but hey, who could blame him?
Being with her now is still mind-blowing. To be able to see her-- to feel her, really reach out and touch her, not just sense her presence in the void-- it’s something Mike thought he might never have again. All those days apart, all those nights he lay awake wondering if she was okay. It was all over, and he couldn’t be happier.
Once El had shut the gate, Mike was confident Hopper would once again lock his daughter away within the confines of his cabin. He’d been ready to fight too. To say or do anything that could perhaps persuade the police chief to let the girl see her friends. By some grace of God though, apparently, Hopper had made a few alterations to his list of rules.
El wasn’t allowed to leave the cabin (safe for the night of the Snow Ball, which she later told Mike took a lot of convincing and one explosive tantrum to be allowed to go) for the rest of the school year. Afterward, if she did choose to leave, it could only be within the presence of her friends or an adult, and could not be anywhere too public. The occasional visit to the cabin had also been reluctantly approved by Hopper. Mike’s pretty sure he only allowed it out of fear it would happen anyways.
Even so, Mike has yet to visit. In fact, before tonight, it had been exactly fourteen days since he’d seen El. They’d called, of course. Every day, actually. For hours . His mom called it unhealthy, Nancy called it puppy love. He called it being glad his friend was finally safe and out of harm's way. It was refreshing to finally be able to speak to El. Like truly talk to her, not just about the end of the world or how to keep herself hidden. Her speech, although still broken, had improved exponentially since last year. She’d told him Hopper was giving her lessons. Mike had never been so proud. She told him about her days, the kinds of movies she watches, her favorite colors, and the stupid jokes her adoptive father tells her. Mike listened to it all. Hearing her voice, carefree and happy, was quickly becoming his favorite thing.
However, nothing compares to actually being next to the girl. To be able to dance with her, even if neither of them knows how and even when she steps on the tips of his toes. It makes him feel lightheaded with so many emotions he doesn’t know how to articulate. He figures kissing her will get the point across. So he does. And she does it back.
Which is how the two of them ended up being the only pair left in the gymnasium that night, forehead to forehead, his arms carefully resting just above her hips, and her hands loosely hanging from his neck.
When the lights go up and the last song dies out, Mike reluctantly pulls away. El is already staring at him. Sometimes it feels like there’s a magnet pulling her eyes to his face. At times it makes him self-conscious. Because really, there’s no reason for someone like her to be looking at him like he hung the sun. But here she is, doing just that.
“Looks like it’s time to go.” He says, taking a step back, “Sorry for keeping you so late.”
“It is ok.” She tells him, entwining her fingers with his. “Hop is taking me home.”
Right on cue, Nancy-- who’d been tidying up across the gym-- makes her way over to the pair. “Hopper is waiting for you two outside.”
Mike jumps, releasing his grip on El’s hand, “Oh uh, okay. Is something wrong?”
Nancy simply rolls her eyes, “No need to act all jumpy, you two aren’t exactly subtle. But no, nothing is wrong. I have to help Jonathan clean up so I asked Hopper to drive you home.”
Mike scoffs, “You just want more alone time with your boyfriend.”
His big sister cocks an eyebrow, “I wouldn’t be complaining if I were you.” Her eyes flick to Eleven. Mike's face gets warm.
“Fine, whatever. See you later Nance.”
“G’night love birds!” She calls after them.
Mike ignores her. Ever since El has been back, all his sister has done is bug him about his little crush on her. It’s not like she has any room to talk, what with her and Jonathan being all over each other twenty-four seven. He just wishes she would lay off him a little bit when Eleven is around.
“What is love… bird?” El asks him as he leads them through the empty school.
Mike swallows. He still isn’t sure about all this. He’s never had a girlfriend before-- he doesn’t even know if El counts as his girlfriend. They’ve never talked about it. He doesn’t even know if she knows what that means. Of course, he knows his own feelings. Mike has had small crushes before, but none that have ever liked him back. He’s pretty sure El does, at least on a basic level. But talking about it… he doesn’t know if he can. He’s never been taught how.
“It’s just a stupid term, ignore her.” Mike says, “She likes teasing me about you.”
“Teasing?”
“Yeah,” he nods, “I’ve never had a girl-- a friend that’s a girl before… so I guess she thinks it’s funny.”
She ponders this for a moment, “What about Max?” El asks, tone slightly accusational.
“What?” Mike wrinkles his nose, “Max and I are barely friends. It’s different with her. She likes Lucas anyway.”
“Like… friend like?”
Mike shrugs, staring pointedly at the brick walls around them instead of the girl beside him, “Like… more than friends.”
Eleven's eyes widen, “More than friends?”
“Y’know, they… hold hands and kiss and stuff. You don’t really do that with your friends. I mean, you don’t see me going around kissing Dustin.” Mike tries for a joke.
El seems a bit confused by this. Then, after a beat of silence, she asks, “...We are more than friends, too?”
Mike’s heart skips a beat, “I mean, I dunno. If-- if you want to be… yeah.” He doesn’t know what else to say. Sure, they’re basically joined at the hip— as Lucas would say— and maybe they’ve kissed once (or twice if you consider his leap of faith last fall), but he still isn’t sure if any of that counts for something if you don’t know how to say the words out loud.
The girl bites her lip, holding back a smile. She ducks her head, hiding her blushing face in her new head of curly hair.
Tentatively, she brushes the side of her hand against his own, sending a wave of goosebumps up his arm.
“I want to be.” She tells him.
Mike releases a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Oh! Cool. cool.” He laughs awkwardly.
El grins, “Cool.”
When they eventually reach the exit to the back parking lot, Jim Hopper is already standing outside, cigarette lit and truck running.
“You’re fifteen minutes late.” He informs them, opening the back door of his vehicle and gesturing for them to get in.
“We were having fun.” El beams.
“Sure looks like it.” He grumbles, glaring at Mike as he climbs in after Eleven. Hopper steps around to the driver's side of the truck, slamming the door with a harsh thud.
Beside him, Mike feels El scoot closer, resting a hand on his thigh. She looks up at him, doe-eyed and blushing. His skin feels like it’s a billion degrees.
“Let’s keep the PDA to a minimum, alright?” Hopper says, staring at how little space is left between them through the rearview mirror.
El doesn’t move, “We are more than friends Hop,” she says matter of factly, “it is okay.”
The chief's eyebrows shoot up, “You’re what ?”
“ El, ” Mike hisses.
She taps her fingers on his leg, “What?”
“Just-- keep your hands to yourselves.” Hopper grunts, face visibly red despite the dim lighting, “I don’t need Wheeler creaming his pants in the back of my car.”
Mike wants to curl up and die.
“Cream-- creaming?” El asks, squinting.
“Let’s just go home.” Mike blurts, voice strained, “It’s already past my curfew.”
In front of them, Hopper releases a chuckle, “Heh, alright kid. Whatever you say.” He shifts the clutch into gear and pulls swiftly out of the parking lot.
Feeling impossibly awkward, Mike looks out the window at the night sky. It’s begun to snow.
Next to him, El rests her head on his shoulder, eyelids heavy from lack of sleep. Somehow the action is enough to ward off any feelings of embarrassment.
I make her feel safe, he realizes. And Mike can easily say he’s pretty content with life right now. Maybe he can’t quite say how he truly feels, but he’ll get there someday. He’ll articulate the words so El knows undoubtedly how much he cares about her. How much he lov— no. It’s too soon for that.
So not now, but someday.