I own none of the characters, they all belong to the Duffer Brothers. The main idea for this fanfic was inspired by another Stranger Things fanfic I read. Any feedback you have, I'd love to hear!
Eleven's POV:
"Eleven! Time for school, honey!" That's Joyce. She's my adoptive mom, now. I hear steps coming down the hallway. The door makes a creak, as Will slowly steps inside my room.
"Hey, El," he greets me.
"Good morning, Will," I reply. I've been learning different words, how you're supposed to say things, and other stuff like that. It's been a year since the Snow Ball, the Mind Flayer, and closing the gate. "We have to do the school today?" I ask, pouting. "The school is boring."
Will chuckles in response. "Yeah, I know. But it's required… So let's get going!" He exclaims. "I'll race you on the bikes!"
"Okay." I love using bikes. They're fun to ride. It makes me feel like I'm running super fast. I like riding with Mike, though.
"First one to school gets Eggos tomorrow!" Will shouts. He races out of the room, me following after him. I WILL get those Eggos.
"Bye, Joyce!" I shout as I race out the door with Will. We both hop on our bikes, racing down the road.
Mike's POV:
When will it finally be time for lunch! I wanna see El.
RING, RING! Everyone jumps out of their seats, racing out the classroom door. I wait for Will and Dustin. We walk out of the class together, meeting up with Lucas on the way to the cafeteria. We all sit down at a table. Where's El?
"Hey, Will?" I start.
"Yeah?" He replies.
"Where's El?" I ask nervously. "Shouldn't she be here by now?"
"Yeah," Dustin says. "Didn't she just have American History?"
"She did," Will replies. He frowns. "I'm not sure where she is."
"I saw her before last period," Lucas adds.
"I'll be back, guys," I say, standing from my seat. "I'm gonna go see if I can find her." I walk out of the cafeteria, ignoring the suggestive joke Dustin makes.
The hallway is quiet except for my footsteps. I walk for a few minutes, wondering where El could be. Then I hear the sound of low voices. Who's in the halls?
I turn the corner of the hallway, finding El. She is standing in the middle of the posse of popular girls. The girls are poking and prodding her. She looks between all of them, confused and scared.
Eleven's POV:
"So, El…" I turn to see Stacy and her posse walking towards me. The bell's just rung. I need to meet Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike for lunch. I try to walk away, but they corner me.
"Yes?" I reply meekly.
"You're dating the Wheeler boy, right? Mike?" Stacy asks me. I nod slowly. Why does she want to know about Mike? "Have you guys…" She pauses to glance at the other girls. They're all giggling and smiling. "Done it?"
"Done what?" I ask.
"You know. It." Stacy raises her eyebrows.
"What's it?" I question. I have no clue what she's talking about.
"Sex, El. Have you had sex?" one girl says. Stacy glares at the girl, shushing her. Then she turns back to me.
"So. Have you?" She asks again.
"What is… Sex?" I ask.
"You don't know what sex is?" Stacy asks dumbfounded. "Everyone knows what sex is, El. I guess Mike's just boring."
"Mike isn't boring!" I say indignantly.
"Sorry, El," she replies. I can tell she doesn't mean it. "Have you ever seen Mike's dick?" she asks me. This just confuses me even more.
"What's that?"
"You don't-" she breaks off with an exasperated sigh. She shakes her head, looking bored. Then she brightens up again. "Wanna know about sex, El?"
"I, um… Yes?" I reply.
"Well, it's-"
"Leave her alone!" I turn to see Mike standing at the end of the hallway.
"Mike!" I yell, relieved to see him.
Mike's POV:
I walk towards El, Stacy and her posse looking shocked. "El!" I shout. Stacy and her posse part like the Red Sea. "Are you okay?" I ask when I reach her.
"Yes," she replies. She looks confused and kind of shaken. I hug her, holding her close for a moment. Then I turn to Stacy, glaring.
"Stay away from El," I warn her.
"We weren't bothering her. Just… Trying to teach her," Stacy replies. "Bye," she says. She waves and sashays away, her little posse following close behind.
I turn to look at El again. "Were they bothering you, El?" I ask fiercely.
"No, Mike. They just asked me some questions," she assures me.
I kiss her softly. When I pull away, her cheeks are red and she's smiling a little. "Okay," I say, satisfied with her answer. "Let's go. Lunch is almost over and Will, Lucas, and Dustin are probably wondering what happened." I grab her hand, leading her through the maze of hallways, back to the cafeteria.
When we arrive, Lucas, Dustin, and Will all look slightly worried. I sit down at the table, El settling done besides me.
"What happened?" Dustin questions.
"Yeah!" Lucas adds. "Where was El, Mike?"
"She was in the hall, close to the history room. Stacy and her stupid posse cornered her," I inform them "She says they were just asking her some questions."
"They didn't hurt you, did they, El?" Will asks. He looks kind of queasy. I can understand why, though. El is like a little sister for him.
"No. I'm okay," she reassures him. "They just asked me questions."
"What did they ask you?" Dustin and Lucas ask in unison.
"Um… I don't remember," El responds. She has an odd look on her face.
Eleven's POV:
"Whoever gets to Mike's house first, gets any comic they want!" Dustin yells as he, Lucas, Mike, Will, and I peddle down the road on our bikes.
"Any comic!" Will exclaims. "You're on!" Dustin, Will, and Lucas all speed up, passing me and Mike. They disappear around a bend, their whoops and hollers still audible.
"Mike?" I say hesitantly.
"Yeah, El?" he responds.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask. I want to know what a dick is. And what sex is.
"Sure, what is it?" he replies.
"Later. Not now," I tell him.
"Alright? I guess so," he agrees, somewhat puzzled. "We should probably speed up a bit," he recommends. "They're gonna leave us in the dust."
"Okay." Mike and I start to peddle faster. After a few minutes, his house comes into view. Lucas, Dustin, and Will are all by the garage, their bikes lying on the ground. Dustin is lying on the ground face-down, his limbs splayed in all directions. Will is sitting glumly next to his bike. Lucas is whooping and jumping up and down, a wide grin on his face.
I can hear him saying to Dustin, "You owe me an Uncanny X-Men #193!"
"C'mon guys!" Mike calls. "Time to start a new campaign!"
"Yeah!" Dustin yells, sitting up and brushing off dirt. We all head inside, to Mike's basement. The boys set up everything while I sit on the couch, playing around with Mike's Millenium Falcon.
"We're ready!" Will announces. "Come on, El! You're our mage!" I stand up and join them around the table.
Mike's POV:
"Bye, Dustin! Bye, Lucas! See ya later!" Mike calls from the garage. Lucas and Dustin zoom off, waving goodbye. A minute or so later, Joyce's car pulls up in the driveway. She steps out and comes over to Mike, Will, and me.
"Come on, Will, El. Let's go," she says. She motions for us to come join her.
"Bye, Mike," Will says. He walks over to Joyce, who gives him a hug.
"Joyce," I say tentatively.
She raises an eyebrow. "Yes, El?"
"Can I, um… Can I stay at Mike's house tonight?" I ask. I prepare myself for her answer.
"I suppose so." Mike and Will gape in response. My eyes widen. "As long as Mrs. Wheeler is okay with it."
"Yeah, my mom doesn't mind!" Mike says. "El can stay over anytime!"
"Okay," Joyce says. "El, make sure you behave yourself. Do you need me to bring you anything, honey?" There's the mom in her.
"No, I'm okay," I tell her.
"Alright. Bye, honey," Joyce says.
"Bye, El!" Will calls. Will and Joyce both climb into her car, Joyce looking somewhat worried. Will waves as Joyce drives off. Once her car is out of view, Mike turns to me.
"What is it you wanted to ask me, El?" he asks.
"Inside," I order. I walk back inside, Mike hurridly following behind me. I plop myself down on the couch. Mike pauses, then pulls up a chair in front of me.
"So…" he starts.
"What's sex?" I blurt out.
"Woah, um… Where did you hear that word?" Mike asks.
"Stacy asked me," I pause thinking. "If we have sexed. Have we sexed, Mike?"
"NO!" he exclaims. "Definitely not!"
"Is it bad?" I ask. "Do you not want to sex me?" He turns red, making me even more worried.
"No, no, no! Of course I'd like to have sex with you," he exclaims. "It's just not something that we should be doing. It's for adults," he explains.
"What is it?" I reply. "I wanna know."
"Well," he starts. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, El!"
"Please, Mike," I plead. "Friends don't lie."
He looks away for a moment, chewing a nail. He looks back at me. "Fine."
"I love you," I say, smiling.
He smiles softly. "I love you, too."
"So. What's sex?" I ask.
"Ummm… Well, it's when two people love each other, they-"
"Like us?" I say. "We love each other."
"Yeah, I guess so." His face turns red. "Well, those people, they have sex. During sex, you're naked. A guy, he um… Do you know anything about anatomy, El?" He pauses.
"What's… Anatomy?" I ask.
"It's like science about the human body," Mike explains.
"Oh, okay."
"Well, I should explain some anatomy to you. So, a guy, he, uh… Guys have different parts in their… lower areas."
"I don't understand." I frown. There's a lot of stuff I don't know yet. I've been in school a little bit. All my friends and my new family has taught me stuff, but not much. "What do boys have?"
"Well, scientifically, a penis. Most people will call it a dick, though," he tells me.
"Ohh, Stacy mentioned that," I reply.
"What!" Mike exclaims.
"She asked if I've ever seen your dick," I tell him.
"Oh, um, yeah, okay," he stammers, turning redder. "I should keep explaining sex to you," he says, recovering himself. "Basically, the guy puts his dick inside the girl's… area."
"What's the big deal, then?" I wonder.
"Well, it's how babies are made. And it's more than just that. Apparently, it's supposed to feel really good. It's like a way for two people to become physically closer," he elaborates. "It's also referred to as sleeping with someone."
"Is that what Jonathan and Nancy do when they sleep together?"
"I mean, I guess. I don't want to think about that!" He replies, scrunching up his nose.
"Okay. Sorry. I guess that's all I was wondering," I say. We sit there for a couple of minutes in silence. Finally, I yawn loudly.
"Oh, you're probably tired," Mike realizes. "It's getting late. If you want, you can sleep in my bed with me," he offers.
"I'd like that," I reply. I let Mike lead me up the flights of stairs, into his bedroom. He quickly throws some toys and comics off his bed, pulling down the blanket so we can crawl in.
"Can I use one of your shirts to sleep in?" I ask.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I'll get you one right now," he replies. He grabs a big shirt from his dresser. "This one's too big for me. It should be comfortable enough for you to sleep in." He tosses the shirt to me.
"Thank you," I respond.
"If you want, the bathroom's down the hall," he tells me.
"No. I'll change here." Before Mike can react, I pull my shirt up, over my head.