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When everyone had found her in the woods they’d mistaken her for Will, in the dark she was almost indistinguishable.
When she first found her new family, she had been the happiest she ever was, at first it was Hopper, then it became the Byers’ house, and she’d gained a mother and two brothers, one older one younger. They’d practically felt like twins despite having far different lives.
But what she had noticed was Mike’s lack of ability to say ‘I love you.’ When they were a couple. She noticed he seemed to genuinely love her when her hair was shaved, and she’d adorned that buzz cut for years.
But, when it grew out, he seemed to loose much interest in her.
She might not know much, but what she does know is the way Will looks at Mike.
He looks like he’s in physical pain everytime Mike talks to her, even when they’re both kissing, or holding hands. A part of her wants to ask Will why he aches, but a part of her feels like she already knows.
Will had that lovestruck look in his eyes when Mike came to visit them, from the corner of her eye, she saw how Will’s face shifted from happy to the saddest he’s ever been, as soon as their barely hug happened.
It hurt deep inside.
She knew her brother deserved to be happy, but how do you break off a relationship that’s been steady for years, and only just now, analysing everything, you realise this entire time, your brother’s been in love with said boyfriend?
She decides his happiness is worth more. After all, they’re siblings, and siblings lookout for eachother. Sure they argue, they fight, but it’s never out of hatred, siblings fight all the time, as Joyce had told her.
“Mike, can I talk to you?” She asks, after taking a deep breath, and awkwardly sighing.
”Oh, uh sure,” he follows El into her room, and gently shuts the door. “What is it?”
El takes a second deep breath. “I dump your ass.”
”What? Why!?”
”Because you can’t even say I love you! It’s always care, care, care, never love.”
There it was, her heartfelt honesty. She never told him about Will’s crush on him, she doesn’t believe it’s her duty to interfere.
”But I do! I deeply care for you El!”
”Even now, Mike, you can’t say love! We are done.”
She had started crying, and so did Mike, so they both had resigned to different parts of the house.
Will had been out in search of the art supplies he’d ran out of, at the nearest store, so coming home to a distressed Mike and a crying El, certainly wasn’t fun.
He wasn’t sure who to comfort first, so he mentally prepared himself to comfort El first, as he wants to put away his bags first.
”El?” He knocks on her door gently.
”Go away.”
”It’s just me, Will.”
”Okay, doors open.”
He gently turned the handle and allowed himself inside.
”What’s wrong? Did something happen, are you hurt?”
Sometimes she wonders what she did to deserve such a kind brother.
”No, no I’m okay,” she sits up away from her tear-stained pillow, to meet his eyes.
”If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay too, do you want a hug?”
She simply nods, and practically launches herself onto him for a hug.
Against her teary eyes and Will’s shirt, she finally tells him. “I broke up with Mike.”
Oh.
Oh dear, how does he fix this now?
”I’m sorry, El I thought things were going well with you two, did he do something?”
She just nods no, while calming down after a while.
”Well, if he did something, tell me and I’ll have a word with him.” He speaks through gritted teeth.
”Will calm down, it’s okay, we just kind of, fell out of love? Well, he never really said I love you, so I kind of just let him go.”
”Oh, I see.”
Maybe it won’t be so bad if he talks to Mike after, but right now, he’s got a sister to cheer up.