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Kissing El was one of Mike’s favorite activities. Because she kissed the same way she did everything else.
Gently, but with this demanding aura that got her whatever she wanted anyways.
Kissing El had gotten even better too, because the two didn’t get to see each other very much, what with the Byers living in California now.
Sure, they called all the time, they wrote letters and stuff, but nothing compared to when they got to be together in the same room.
El and Mike sat cross-legged on his bed, making out in the form of sweet, simple kisses as soft music filled the room.
She smelled like strawberries, and her lips tasted like them as well, and that was enough to make Mike swoon.
Hell, anything El did was enough to make him fall apart into a puddle of goo.
Sometimes he wondered if El even realized how special she was. How amazing she was. She was a superhero, and not in the superpowers sense.
Whenever he was having a hard time, the mere mention of El could bring him out of it. He never had to be tough around her. She knew exactly what to say and do to make everything better and he loved her so much for it.
He hoped he did the same for her, if only a little.
As their kissing grew more heated, El slid a hand under his shirt to feel up his back, and Mike naturally welcomed the feeling with ease as he tugged her closer to him.
But then her hand stopped over one spot, and started to hesitantly prod at it, as if more examining the spot with touch instead of the caressing she’d been doing before.
Mike broke their kiss with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
“What…is that?” El asked softly, a frown formed on her face and a pinch between her brows.
He had no idea at first what she was taking about, and reached a hand around to touch right on the lower part of his spine, and his eyes shot open with realization.
“Oh, uh, it’s an old scar.” He explained awkwardly.
“It felt big.” El spoke worriedly.
Mike felt flushed with shame. “It’s…It’s from…my dad.” He confessed weakly.
El’s eyes went wide, but before she could even ask, he continued.
“I guess it was technically an accident. I mean, he didn’t mean to do it but…” He hesitated. Why was he even defending the man? It had been two years since he’d seen his father, he should be over it. “He’d been uh, giving me a hard time cause I got home late from…something. Anyways, he pushed me a few times and I tripped and sliced my back pretty good on the metal framing of a side table and I couldn’t really care for it that well cause of the awkward placing so it ended up leaving a pretty nasty scar-“
Mike cut himself off as tears rushed down El’s cheeks, and he hurried to make it right. “Whoa! El, shhh, shhh, I’m fine. Why are you crying?”
He cupped her face in his hands so he could look her in the eyes. Her eyes held nothing but pain and guilt.
“You were coming back from seeing me…weren’t you?” She choked out in a whisper. “That’s why you were late.”
He couldn’t deny it. He wasn’t going to lie to her.
So instead, he smiled sadly and pressed his forehead to hers. “El, it’s not your fault. I don’t regret anything about that night, or any others, okay? I feel blessed when I get to stay with you later then we planned. You are my…everything, and I don’t- I don’t know where I’d be without you. So…please don’t cry.”
El whimpered and brought a hand up to grab his own, rubbing her thumb along it soothingly as she lowered it from her face.
Hesitantly, she backed away from him, and lifted up part of her shirt.
Mike was about to question her, only to see the large scar going from her side down to her belly button.
“From the lab…” She whispered, eyes still puffy but no longer crying. “I was hurt too.”
He knew that, of course. But it was another thing to see the results.
His heart ached for her, because he understood, and she understood, and he hated that they both understood.
But it made him love her even more all the same.
“Still pretty?” She asked softly, already smiling because she knew his answer.
He let out a small laugh, grin widening. “Always pretty.” He promised.
El scooted closer to him once more, and leaned her forehead against his again. She had that look in her eyes, that one that told an entire novel in mere seconds.
“Always pretty.” She told him, reaching around to set her hand over his scar once more.
Mike’s smile softened as he rubbed over her scar with his thumb. “Always pretty.”