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Mike hated watching El go into the tub. He hated the idea that she had to use her energy, that she had to be submerged, that she had to be in total darkness. He understood why, of course, but he felt so helpless while she was in there. He traced a shape on her thigh, his mind elsewhere. He’d already lost so much, and he couldn’t bear to lose her in this too.
El reached out and caressed his cheek. He instantly met her gaze. He knew what was coming.
“Are you okay?” she gently asked.
He shook his head. How could he be? His dad was gone, his sister was in danger, his mom was hurt, Max was practically braindead, and his girlfriend was constantly risking her life. She put her other hand on his, and his left came up to join the right on her knee. He softly ran his thumb over hers.
Words went unspoken between them. El let out a soft sigh as she brushed her fingers along his jawline. Her hand dropped to her lap far too quickly for his liking. He knew they couldn’t prolong things any more. He nodded at her.
El rose to her feet, pulling Mike up with her. She gave him a soft kiss to the lips. “Trust me?”
“Always,” he whispered.
El climbed into the tank, Mike’s hand softly guiding her. She eased back into the water and nodded at him. Mike slowly closed the door, not wanting to stop looking at her face. He felt the energy in the room shift as El was covered in darkness, signaling that she was in the void.
The routine was well established at this point. El would go into the void. She’d look for Max and Holly. She’d try to figure out where Vecna was hiding. And while she was in there, Mike would sit on a chair nearby and wait. He’d wait for her, ready to open the door at a moment’s notice.
The telltale gasp alerted him, tearing him from his circular thoughts. Mike knew, before the knock on the door to signal him, that El needed him. He rushed to the tank, and lifted the door as quickly as he could. His eyes met El’s. She shook her head slightly.
She still couldn’t find them.
He pulled her out of the tank, not caring if his sweater got wet. When her feet were back on solid ground he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
“Mike.”
“I know,” he whispered.
El buried her face in his chest, letting a few tears mix in with the salt water dampening his sweater. She gripped the knit fabric with her fingers, digging into the space just below his shoulder blades.
Her breath steadied, and she felt him start to release her. She refused to let go. He obliged her request and resumed holding her tightly.
She opened her eyes and looked at their feet. Water had pooled beneath them, running down her legs and dripping onto the wood. His shoes were wet. She giggled. The idea of him standing damp in the middle of the cabin was amusing.
Mike raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t move.
“Mike?” she asked through stifled giggles.
“Yeah?”
“Can you help me?” She looked up at him then. Her eyes burned with something Mike wasn’t sure he could identify. Something that both scared and excited him.
“With what?”
She took his hand in hers and stepped backwards until she bumped into the couch.
“El?”
Slowly she led him towards her bedroom, never breaking eye contact with the boy who owned her heart. She knew there would never be another. Mike was it for her. He was her person. His was the mate to her soul. She’d given him her heart, her soul, her mind. Now she wanted to give him herself.
She turned slowly in the middle of her room, shutting the door behind them with her powers. Mike turned to look at the door as it latched.
“El,” he said.
“Help me.” She looked over her shoulder at him. His brow was furrowed in confusion, and it made her smile. She knew he was trying to work out what was going on in that beautiful head of his.
“Help you what?” he asked, still looking at the door. He knew the rules. He knew he’d be in trouble if Hopper found them in El’s room with the door closed.
She turned to face him and reached out to touch his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “Help me.” She kissed him.
The neurons turned on in Mike’s brain and started firing at top speed. “Oh,” he breathed out. “Of course.”
El turned and brushed her fingers along the collar of her wetsuit. Mike pinched the zipper pull between his thumb and forefinger and slowly pulled it down. He’d had dreams about this kind of thing, he was sure. He wasn’t convinced he wasn’t dreaming in that moment.
El’s bare back appeared before his eyes. He greedily memorized every hill and valley of her spine as he brushed his knuckles against her skin, sure he wouldn’t get the chance to do so again for a long time.
She let out a soft gasp at his touch. She wanted that touch everywhere. But as soon as she began to relish in it, it ended. She heard the floor creak as Mike stepped backwards. She turned to look at him.
His hand was hanging in midair, like he didn’t want to stop but had forced himself. He reached behind himself slowly, feeling for the doorknob.
She giggled silently. “What are you doing?”
He pulled his gaze up to her face. “Letting you get dressed.”
“Why?”
Mike stopped grasping for the doorknob. He was sure his brain had stopped working. Maybe he was having a stroke. What did a stroke feel like? He stared at her for what felt like an eternity before moisture returned to his mouth and allowed him to speak. “What?”
She took a step towards him. She’d done a lot of brave and courageous things in her life. She’d fought monsters and beasts. She restarted Max’s heart from across the country. She could practically fly. But she had never felt as brave as she did, standing in front of the boy she loved, asking him to take the plunge with her.
She reached up and grabbed the neck of the wetsuit and slowly rolled it down. She looked up at Mike. He was staring at her in disbelief and, oh she hoped, hunger. She moved the wetsuit lower, but a hand grasped her own.
“El, what are you—”
She knew that tone. She knew that look. He was worried, concerned for her. Mike had always happily let her lead the way, making sure she was comfortable with whatever step they took in their physical relationship. He never wanted to push her boundaries. He always confirmed, always double checked to make sure she was certain.
She was absolutely certain.
She grasped his hand in hers and resumed pulling off her wetsuit. Down one arm. Then the other. She looked up at him. They had time. Hopper would be gone for a while longer. She nodded, just barely.
All the restraint Mike had fled his body as he crashed his lips onto hers. His hands moved over her bare shoulders as he pulled her flush against him. It was like he’d been dying of thirst, and El’s lips were the water of life.
Whatever was going on in the world didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know where Vecna was. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know how to close the Upside Down for good. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know how to save Max. All that mattered was the two of them, in that moment, being together.
Mike barely registered El pulling his sweater over his head, only realizing what was happening when they had to part. Their lips reconnected over and over as they moved towards the mattress. His knees bent as his legs collided into the bed, and he tumbled backwards.
El was panting as she stared down at him. Her face was flushed with desire and her eyes were dark with want. “Help me,” she demanded.
Mike reached up and grabbed the wetsuit where it clung to her skin just above her breasts. She placed her hands on top of his, lacing her fingers in the spaces left by his own. Together they slowly peeled away the fabric from her body. Mike let out a soft noise of appreciation as his girlfriend’s body was revealed to him.
She was gorgeous.
If he wasn’t aroused before, he certainly was now.
El’s body was better than his imagination could come up with. Sure, he had an idea. He’d thought about it more than he’d like to admit. She would pop up in his dreams occasionally. She’d drift into his thoughts while he took a shower more often than not. He was a teenage boy, after all.
He looked at her for permission. She gave him a shy smile in return.
“El, you’re beautiful,” he said softly. His fingers ghosted over her body, running down her side, wanting so badly but afraid to touch. He pulled her down for a deep, lingering kiss.
She pressed her forehead to his. “You,” she said breathily, “Your turn.”
He hastily kicked off his shoes and socks, briefly wondering why he was even still wearing them. El helped him with the rest of his clothes. She was just as eager to see him as he was to match her nakedness.
Her hands moved over his bare chest, mapping the territory and marking it as hers. They moved to his shoulders, his back, his hips, his legs. Any inch of him she could touch, she did. She moved, pulling him on top of her as her back hit the blanket.
Her skin felt like it was on fire under Mike’s touch. He was touching her everywhere. Everywhere except— His mouth traced the trail his hands had taken, moving down her neck, behind her ear, to her collar bone. He sucked on her skin, and she squirmed.
Mike pulled back. “Are you okay?”
“More than okay.”
She pulled him down, pressing her forehead into his. She grabbed one of his hands and placed it firmly on her breast. “Touch me,” she breathed into his ear.
With permission granted, Mike finally allowed himself to become familiar with her most intimate parts.
His mouth followed the trail his fingers marked, hot wet kisses staining her skin. He learned by listening to the sounds El made. He teased and pleased all the way down her body and back again. When he briefly touched her more intimate place, she grabbed him and roughly pulled him up to her mouth, pressing hot needy kisses to his lips. He groaned as she nibbled on his bottom lip. Their tongues tangled together as their bodies pressed together. Their bare chests touching felt incredible.
As her fingers tangled in his hair, El became aware of the hard length pressing against her thigh. She felt powerful in a way she had never felt before. She had done that to him. She had made him want her. She reached down and lightly touched him.
Mike groaned as he pressed his face into her neck. “God, El,” he said into her skin.
“Is it okay?”
He pulled back to look at her. She was beautiful. She was his. She loved him. She wanted him. He pressed his forehead to hers. He knew what she really meant. Was it okay that she wanted him this way? Was it okay that he wanted her? Was it okay to take this step? His answer for all of her questions was the same.
Yes.
“Absolutely.”
She pulled him back with new fervor, kissing him so hard she was sure their lips were bruised. Her hands moved up and down his back and he moved towards her neck again. Before he could travel much lower, she stopped him.
Her voice came out low, “I need you, Mike.”
They locked eyes. He nodded. He positioned himself, teasing her with the feeling.
“Ready?” he asked in a whisper.
She nodded.
Quickly, and yet oh so slowly they merged into one. It was like fireworks had exploded in El’s head as they found a rhythm. She didn’t have anything to compare it to. Her body felt like it was on fire, burning, simmering, bright.
Mike had never felt more complete in his life. He wanted to feel this way all of the time. Connected, whole, loved. He felt like every nerve in his body was exploding simultaneously. All of the worries that clouded his head had disappeared. All that remained was El, real flesh and blood beneath him. Moving with him. Breathing with him.
Their hands clasped together as they moved as one, chasing the climbing feelings in their bodies. The sounds of their bodies moving together mixed with the sounds of their breathing. They whispered I love you to each other in between passionate kisses. And when they reached the peak, they did so together, wrapped in each other’s embrace.
Afterwards, they laid tangled up together. Mike brushed a strand of hair behind El’s ear. His hand lingered as he cupped her cheek with his palm. She moved her head, tilting to look up at him from her position on his chest.
“Mike?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you really think we’ll live happily ever after?” Her hand stilled on his chest.
“Yeah, I do.” He resumed running his fingers through her hair. “Because no matter what happens, as long as I’m with you I’ll be happy.”
Tears formed in El’s eyes as she readjusted to place a kiss on his lips. “Happy. Forever.”
Mike smiled at her. “Forever.”