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The weather is changing a lot, so Mike spends a night riding with Eleven through the pleasant transition of spring to summer.
Tonight is warm. The feeling of summer breeze works with the sound of wind brushing over and through treetops to create an overall peaceful atmosphere as it quickly brushes over the lovers’ skin and fills their ears with ambience.
Eleven holds Mike with one arm and extends her other one outwards, feeling the wind go through her fingers. Her eyes are shut and a content smile rests on her face.
. . .
After a moment of just feeling it all, she opens her eyes to watch as buds come off of trees and wind rattles leaves. She brings her extended arm back around Mike's waist, her face smushed against his upper back. She continues enjoying the sights and safety of being here with Mike.
With the comfort and security of Eleven's embrace, Mike feels this inner warmth rather than an outer warmth. It's a happy, almost airy feeling inside. It’s like being anxious, yet the opposite. Instead of a heavy nausea, it feels like this weightlessness and excitement– Almost indescribable! It's amazing, really, and all housed within the torso. He feels so bubbly, a smile stuck on his face.
“I love this, Mike.” Eleven looks around, her arms snuggly around him. “Thank you.”
Mike grins, slowing down his pedaling. “You don't have to thank me. I love it, too.”
She wants to express appreciation, though. “Good. I love seeing all of this, but.. especially with you.” Sure, freedom is nice. Being in the moment is really nice. Feeling it all is nice, too. But she picks this all apart and the nicest thing is just being with him. Adding him to any equation is like a bright formula. It always works.
The words flatter him. He stops under a tree with blooms and petals rapidly blowing away from it. “I love being with you… anywhere.” He laughs at himself a little, afraid that sounded too cheesy despite its truth, but it elicits a smile from her that he doesn't see. He continues; “And, ah, it's pretty cool, isn't it? Just seeing all of this?”
She watches the tree shedding blooms that carry with the wind. “It's bitchin’.”
He's surprised by her wording and giggles, but he was totally into it. “Really bitchin’!” He looks back at her. “Do you want to stay here for a moment?”
“Yeah.” Eleven says, and gets off of the bike, Mike following.
When their feet are on the ground, Mike comes over and offers her his hand, which she takes with a little smile. They walk over to the tree trunk and Mike sits down, Eleven following. Their shoulders brush as their hands stay clasped together.
This contact… It's nice, but it isn't enough for Eleven. She lets go of Mike's hand, which makes him frown, but then she links their arms and grabs his hand again, his eyes widening. She knew what she wanted, but now she's shy. “Good?”
Mike's lips curve up into a really big smile, one that shows in his eyes. “Good,” he nods, giving her hand a reassuring and affectionate squeeze. “Really good!”
She smiles really big, too, the expression completely brightening up her face. She looks at their hands and feels a warmth in her cheeks. She then looks up at the tree. She feels happy.
His eyes don't leave her, though, and they just roam her side profile. He admires little things about her face, liking the way her hair frames it, as well as the joyous look on it. He feels that lightness in his stomach again, so he leans in and kisses her cheek.
The warmth in her face only grows, her cheeks almost tingling and her eyes wide as she looks to her lover.
He looks at her with a mirrored expression, eyes wide, but more so with curiosity. Is she going to reciprocate? Is that okay?
It stays like that for a moment.
Then Eleven rotates. She leans in to kiss Mike's lips, her head tilted like his was the couple of times he'd kissed her before. Hesitant, she moves her hand to his hair, heartbeat fast in the moment she realizes how foreign this is– She isn't sure why, for she'd never done anything like that before, but she wants to more than anything right now. She trails her hand further into his hair. It's all happening so quickly!
He feels humbled– She'd never initiated it before, but before she gets the wrong message, he quickly cups her cheek in his hand, kissing her back. It feels amazing– She's amazing! And she's kissing him! He takes his hand from her face and places it over the hand she'd run through his hair, head tilting opposite to hers.
They aren't the best at this, no, but they don't really care. It's a little shy, the way their lips meet over and over, but neither Mike nor Eleven pull away, which spurs their confidence to continue the pattern.
After multiple seconds, they break the kiss, their eyes meeting when their lips disconnect and their hands fall.
“W-Was that okay–” Mike and Eleven speak simultaneously. “I really liked that.”
They softly laugh at each other and shyly glance away.
“Yeah, that was okay!” Eleven and Mike speak simultaneously. “I did, too!”
Eleven's eyes come back to Mike, then Mike's dart to hers again.
She takes a breath. “I know I don't have to say it, but.. I want to.”
He tilts his head, his hand finding hers again. “Say what?”
“I really, really like you.” She looks down to their joined hands, heart beating so fast with the anxiety and excitement of wanting to say; “I love you.”
Mike's brain begins to spin, but he loves her too. He wants her to know how loved she is. He can't understand what she sees in him but he knows she's been adoring it all evening. Whatever she wants, he wants to just give it to her. She– “I love you, too. I just–”
She squeezes his hands, but feels a little anxious. The pretty rain of petals becomes nothing but blur in her peripheral sight, eyes only on him.
“I just didn't expect you to say it to me.” He's struggling to explain this, or even articulate it. He holds her hands.
Her brows furrow a little, worrying about his tangled reaction. “Why not? Is it me?”
“No, no, no! It's nothing you did.” He starts fidgeting more, more high-energy. “You've been so amazing and loving–” he reiterates, his eyes wide as they look at hers. His eyes fall away and he licks his lips. “I just…” He takes a breath, calming down. “It's just this weird, personal problem with me. I don't know why, but it was just surprising to hear you say.” He meets her eyes again, face sort of scrunched with all the confusion and gratitude he has for her. “But I'm really happy you said it, El. Because I love you, too. I don't want you to think for a second I don't.”
She nods along to the things he says, trying to empathize with his issue. A personal problem? Did he just not think he was.. worth it? Why would he ever? “That's okay.” She brings his hand up to her heart space. “I want you to believe me too, whenever I say it.”
He feels her pulse under his hand, the contact making the warmth in his face come back. “I want to believe it, too.” He takes a moment, looking at the grass and a blossom that rolls along it. He feels as though he'd ruined the moment by scaring her. “I didn't mean to scare you.”
The breeze passes through, a cool and brief caress. “Mike.” Eleven says, the mere delivery of his name drawing attention to many unsaid words.
While Mike wasn't entirely sure what all those words were, he knew he wanted to. He looks at her, noticing the rustling of wind through leaves again. “Yeah?”
She leans in, her voice soft, her eyes on his. “I want you to understand.” She reaches up to touch his shoulders. “But I want to know if it's okay first.”
He moves his hands to her sides, feeling shyness and excitement once more. “It's okay,” he says softly, wanting what he thinks she's about to do.
If her words make him think too much, then maybe an action will speak much more clearly. She wants him to feel as happy as he did earlier, and she wants to feel that way, too. Her fingers traverse through his hair and her lips press to his.
He pushes away whatever fear that tries to take this moment away from him! It's happier for both of them if he's fearless, if he's here. He stays aware of the treasure he has, one hand on the side of her neck and the other on her cheek. She wants this. So does he.
Their lips connect, disconnect, then reconnect and repeat. Cool breezes follow fingers as they ebb through strands of hair. Petals fall and almost reciprocate the affectionate grazing of caring hands. Fear melts away with warm weather.
They feel this moment and they feel each other.
They feel warm inside