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The roof of WSKQ station was quiet in a way that felt almost unreal. The sky stretched wide above, painted in soft oranges and fading yellow, the sun sinking low as if it, too, was reluctant to leave. The wind moved gently, brushing past them in slow, careful breaths.
For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed—like they were still just kids sitting side by side at the edge of everything. But the silence between them said otherwise.
El was the first to speak. "Do you think Dustin is okay?"
Mike eyes drifting toward the fading sunset, though his mind was clearly somewhere else. “I hope so. He was acting weird today.”
El turned her head toward him, brows knitting just a little, her voice soft but attentive. “Weird how?”
Mike let out a quiet sigh, searching for the right words. "Just angry, scared, reckless. Not himself.”
El looked down for a moment, her fingers lightly brushing against the rough surface of the roof. “Hopper’s the same. Not himself.”
Mike nodded slowly, glancing at her, then back at the horizon. “Maybe it’s just getting to us, you know? Being stuck in here, not knowing where Vecna is, no end in sight.”
He swallowed, his voice tightening slightly. “I mean, we’re really starting to lose it. I mean, we really need to catch a break.”
He shifted a little closer without even realizing it. “And maybe we will. Because earlier, Will had a feeling.”
El’s eyes flickered up at that, something more certain settling in her expression. “If Will has a feeling…”
Mike nodded quickly, a small spark of hope breaking through. “Then it means something. So… So, maybe tonight’s our break. Maybe even our last crawl.”
He gave a faint, almost nervous smile. “We find Vecna, and we end this once and for all.”
El watched him carefully, then asked, quieter. “And then what happens?”
Mike blinked, caught slightly off guard, then smiled a little more genuinely. “You mean after we totally demolish Vecna?”
El let out a soft chuckle, the sound light but brief, like it slipped out before she could stop it.
Mike’s smile lingered for a second, and he looked down, almost shy now. “In my campaigns, if the party wins, then they all live happily ever after.”
El tilted her head, genuinely curious, her voice gentle. “Happily how?”
Mike looked back at her, as he spoke. “Well, usually what happens is the party doesn’t return to their local village, because too much has happened. They’ve seen too much.”
“So they travel to a faraway land, a… a peaceful land, somewhere beautiful, with like three waterfalls or something—”
He huffed a small laugh at himself, shaking his head. “—and they all start again, together.”
El’s lips curved into a faint smile at that, but then it drifted away, her expression slowly turning thoughtful again. “Do you think that could be real for us?”
There was a small pause—just enough to feel it.
Mike answered quickly, almost instinctively, not noticing the hesitation behind her question. “Yeah, of course. I mean, not the three waterfalls part.”
He gave a tiny grin again, trying to lighten it. “But the other stuff, yeah, of course. If Vecna’s gone, then what’s stopping us?”
El didn’t respond right away.
Her fingers curled slightly against her palm, her eyes lowering for just a second—like she was holding onto something she wasn’t sure how to say. “Mike..."
“I remember… when I first came here,” she said softly, her eyes fixed on the horizon. “I had nothing. No home. No family. No friends.”
Her voice was steady, but there was something fragile beneath it. “But then… I found all of you.”
Mike swallowed, his chest already tightening.
“You… you were my first friend,” she continued, glancing at him for just a second before looking away again. “You showed me kindness. You made me feel… safe.”
“El—” Mike started, his voice breaking slightly.
She shook her head gently. “Please. Let me finish.”
He fell silent.
“I have a home now,” she said. “A real one. I have Hopper… I have Will and Jonathan.”
A small smile touched her lips. “I have friends. I have a life.” She paused, breathing in slowly. “And my powers… they’re stronger now. I'm really greatful."
Mike frowned, confusion flickering across his face. “That’s—that’s good, El. That’s really good.”
“It is,” she nodded. Then, quieter, “And you… you were my first friend and then boyfriend too.”
His heart stuttered.
“I love you, Mike.”
The words hung between them, heavy and delicate all at once.
Mike blinked, caught off guard, emotions crashing into each other too fast to sort through. “I—”
He let out a shaky breath. “Me too.”
Something shifted.
El looked at him then—really looked—and there was no anger in her eyes. Just understanding. And something that hurt more than anger ever could.
“You like talking to me,” she said gently.
"Yeah, I do"
“You like kissing me?"
Mike nodded hesitantly. “Sure?”
“But what are we exactly talking about?” His voice started to shake.
She held his gaze for a moment longer, then gave a small, almost sad smile.
His stomach dropped. “I'm sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You don’t have to apologize.”
Her fingers twisted together, but she kept her voice calm. “See, I like you, but I think I am not doing... good?"
“What? No—no, that’s not true,” Mike said immediately. “You’re doing amazing. You’re—El, you’re incredible.”
She shook her head slightly. “Maybe. But I have a feeling...”
She hesitated, like even saying it out loud might break something. “And I could be wrong… but I think...”
Mike’s chest tightened.
“I think,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper now, “you would rather kiss someone else?"
It hit him like a brick.
His breath caught, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe right, couldn’t think straight. “What—” his voice cracked, tears already spilling over, “Why are you saying this?”
El held his hand immediately, grounding him. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re safe. I’m okay.”
“Why are you doing—,” Mike sobbed, shaking his head. “Please don’t do this.”
“I love you,” she said again, squeezing his hand. “And I think… you love me too. Maybe.”
She paused. “But we can’t keep doing this.”
“No,” he whispered, panic rising. “No, we can—we can fix it. El, please—”
“We can’t keep forcing each other!" she said.
That was the moment it clicked.
The words. The feeling. The truth he had been running from.
Mike’s resistance faltered. His grip loosened. His shoulders dropped as everything inside him finally gave in.
“…no,” he repeated, but this time it was weaker. Defeated.
El watched him carefully, her expression soft. “I would be happy… if we stay friends,” she said. “Best friends.”
Mike let out a broken breath, tears still falling, unable to respond.
She hesitated, then asked quietly, "Mike? Can I ask who he is?”
Mike froze.
Now he understood.
“Don’t,” he said quickly, shaking his head.
Everything inside him dropped.
She knew.
“I—” he tried, but the words caught somewhere in his throat.
He couldn’t say it.
Not out loud. Not like this.
So instead, almost helplessly, he shook his head. “…no.”
El didn’t look surprised. If anything, her expression softened, like she had expected that answer.
“It’s okay,” she said gently. “I can make it easier for you.”
Mike’s chest tightened. “El—”
But she didn’t look away.
She just waited.
And somehow, that was worse.
She then asked. "Between me and Will... who would you choose?"
But there was no escape from it.
Not anymore.
"El! Don't make me choose between you and him."
“Why?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Because you’ll choose him?”
Silence.
And then, barely audible—
“Yeah.”
His voice trembled. “I’ll choose him.”
And once it was out there, there was no taking it back.
Mike squeezed his eyes shut, like the truth itself hurt. When he finally looked at her again, he expected something to break but...
El smiled?
Not a sad smile. Not a broken one.
A knowing one.
“Have you told anyone?” she asked softly.
Mike shook his head, his voice barely holding together. “No.”
El nodded, like she had already known that too.
Then, after a small pause—
“Do you think… you love him?”
Mike didn’t hesitate this time.
He couldn’t.
So he just nodded.
A small, shaky motion—but it said everything.
El’s smile lingered, gentle and real, like this answer—this truth—was something she had been waiting for, not fearing.
And for a moment, everything felt strangely… calm.
Like something had finally fallen into place.
Mike let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, his shoulders sagging, emotions still crashing through him, messy and overwhelming.
“I thought so,” she said softly.
“I tried to put the pieces together… year ago.”
She looked back at the sky, the last light of the sun fading. “I’m happy I was right.”
Beside her, Mike was falling apart.
He let out a slow, shaky breath, wiping at his face again, though it didn’t really help. “El…"
For a second, he didn’t know how to say it. His thoughts felt tangled, too big for words, but he tried anyway.
“Thank you,” he said.
El blinked, a little surprised. “For what?”
“For… everything.” His voice wavered, but he didn’t look away. “For coming into my life. For—” he let out a small, breathless laugh, “—for basically saving it.”
Her expression softened.
“For helping me,” he continued. “For understanding me. Even when I didn’t understand myself.”
He swallowed. “For… the painting.”
El frowned slightly.
“What painting?” she asked, confused.
“huh,” Mike said, confused now by her reaction.
"Mike, what painting?" She repeated
“The one you—” he gestured vaguely, “—you commissioned. Will said you asked him to make it. For me.”
El shook her head slowly. "I didn’t.”
Mike blinked. “What?”
“I did not commission any painting,” she said, more certain now. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
The words landed, quiet but heavy.
Mike stared at her.
“No, he—” he let out a confused breath, running a hand through his hair. “He said it was from you. That you wanted him to give it to me.”
El’s brows knit together. “I never said that.”
Silence.
Something shifted.
Mike’s thoughts started racing again, but differently now—pieces clicking together in a way that made his chest tighten all over again.
“Then why would he—” he started, more to himself than to her.
Lucas leaned out, squinting against the dimming light. "Hey Lovebirds! Chief’s almost ready. Let’s do this. Come on!”
Mike and El both turned towards him. El gave him a look. Mike gave him the exact same one.
Lucas blinked and whispered. “...Okay? that was a weird.”
Then, slowly, they looked at each other.
That word—lovebirds—hung in the air, almost ironic now.
The moment lingered for just a second longer—confusion, realization, something unspoken still building beneath the surface.
Then El stood.
Mike followed.
And together, in a silence that felt entirely new, they walked towards the door.
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