Author's Note: I've been working on this ficlet ever since I finished the second season, some months ago. It will be 2-3 chapters and will progress to an M rating as it goes on. Cheers.

It had been some time since the gate had closed. Years in fact. Nancy and Jonathan were off at college. Steve was still in town, working part-time for his father's company and studying at the local community college. As for the party, they had recently began their junior year of high school.

Things had settled. One way or another, things had settled into a new normal. The party remained steadfast. Even as the boys grew and changed their loyalty never wavered. Through the unfair changes of puberty, high school, elective classes, new interests, and even girls, Friday nights in Mike Wheeler's basement remained the same. Maybe it wasn't D&D, maybe it wasn't atari, but the boys were there.

They had all grown. Seventeen year olds on the brink of manhood were quite different from twelve year old boys who had risked life and limb to save their friend. Dustin seemed to grow up first. He noticed girls first. His voice changed first. He became interested in music and joined the school band. Lucas and Max continuing an on again, off again relationship. It was the friendship Max forged with El that solidified her place in the party.

Will, the 'zombie boy,' with the artist's eye and poet's soul found himself taking creative writing courses, extra art classes, joining the drama club to help with tech. He was the town's Holden Caulfield. Mysterious, yet sweet. More than one girl noticed how he'd shot up from a scrawny preteen to a rather handsome young man.

As for Mike, the last four years had not always been kind. After the gate was closed, after he'd finally had El back, he thought it would be better. The year without her had been miserable. He had been angry and alone. He was overwhelmed with unfamiliar feelings and they would bubble over in the form of 'acting out' his parents had said. But she'd come back. Only for her to be ripped away from him again.

It was 'all for her safety' Hop had said. The buzz of scandal needed to leave Hawkins before El could live a normal life amongst her friends. She needed to continue to understand how to control her powers, how to blend in. It was the only way to keep her safe. Tracks needed to be covered, papers needed to be forged. It was all bullshit to Mike. He would never let anything happen to El ever again. But no one cared what he thought.

After the Snow Ball she'd been whisked away to place unknown. Well, the day after the Snow Ball, when he and El had been found sleeping in her cabin bed together. He'd biked to the sequestered shack that night desperate to be close to her. Hop had not been happy to see El in bed with a boy, despite both still wearing their formal wear, and insisting that nothing other than sleeping had taken place.

Then he was home and she was gone. They'd been lectured on the danger of sneaking out at night. The danger of pushing things beyond their understanding. Lectured on how if Mike continued to be reckless he could expose El and put her in more danger.

Mike had listened, clenching his jaw at the unfairness of it all, and grinding his teeth at the truth of the police chief's words. He cared too much for the girl sitting next to him to deny that they had been foolish.

They were gone two days later. Hopper had promised Mike that he would let El call the boys, and even bring her back periodically to visit. No more isolation that had been the lonely girl's life the last three hundred and fifty three days. Mike didn't like the situation, but he begrudgingly agreed that El's safety was most important.

So time passed. Hopper kept his word. She called him and the boys every few months. Hopper brought her to visit around Christmas time every year, and for a few days near the end of the summers, but it wasn't enough.

Mike was still angry. How could he protect her if he never saw her? He was distracted at school, angry the rest of the time. His grades began slipping. He started getting into trouble. The boys tried to pull him out of it, but they couldn't understand. By the end of eighth grade he was given an ultimatum, get himself together or boarding school. Despite the rage he felt, Mike knew the last thing he wanted was to leave Hawkins and give up his only opportunities to see El.

By his mother's request he joined the swim team that summer. It was meant for him to work out his extra energy, 'his extra anger.' Keep him busy and out of trouble. Never one for athletics, Mike was surprised about how much he actually enjoyed swimming. He liked the quiet of the sport. He didn't have to talk to anyone. He didn't have to work with anyone. It was him against himself. He could pound out his frustration swimming laps. He could exhaust himself and finally sleep without dreaming of her.

With his coach's encouragement, Mike tried out for the high school swim team once his summer league ended. He made it. His grades once again returned to the top of the class, his anger was dissipating, and to his friend's relief he seemed happier. He was back to being Mike Wheeler, their unspoken leader.

Now as a junior, with three years of hard swim training behind him, excellent grades, and a disinterested attitude, Mike Wheeler was something of an enigma to the rest of the Hawkins High population. He was a top athlete, but rarely seen at a party or a sports event that wasn't a swim meet. He was always with his band of friends.

To the girls of Hawkins High, the awkwardness of his preteen years was all but forgotten as his too long, skinny body slowly transformed into that of a serious swimmer; tall, broad shouldered, and narrow waisted. He'd gone on a few dates, but to their chagrin, he never seemed all that interested, making him even more unattainable.

In the last three years Mike had learned that you don't always get what you want. After the Snow Ball things between he and El became more complicated. He had cared about her more than his young thirteen year old self could understand. Now he knew it was love. He'd loved El, but at that time sorting through the anger and the overwhelming amount of feelings had been difficult. He and El started to argue almost every time she called on the phone. Over stupid things. He was jealous. Jealous that she was growing up without him.

During a heated argument with Will about how Mike had been acting toward El, Mike found himself yelling, "she's mine!" It was then that he realized that he'd been trying to keep her for himself.

He had been so stupid and he finally realized it. So he backed off. He suppressed his feelings every time she would visit. Not wanting to sequester her off for himself. He took a huge step back. Bit his tongue. Watched her grow up and flourish as the world opened up to her. He didn't deserve her, and she didn't deserve to be kept in a cage.

She seemed confused at first, but never asked why things started to change between them.

They eventually settled into a somewhat tense friendship. Something far from what he wanted, but it seemed to be best.

It didn't help that she continued to grow more and more beautiful. Every six months or so when he got to see her it nearly knocked the wind out of him. She continued to grow her curly brown hair long. A choice seeming to be in direct opposition to when she was forced to keep her head shaved to make testing easier. Her smile came easier, her expressive brown eyes lighter. Her body…

Well, Mike didn't let himself think too often of how her body had changed over the past three years.

But now things were going to be completely up-ended as Hopper and Joyce finally decided that it was safe enough for El to join the boys at Hawkins High School.

Their excitement, however, was tempered by the multiple lectures from both Joyce and Hopper on how extremely careful they all must be to not bring unwanted attention to 'the new girl.' They had to get their stories straight. They drilled and drilled in the Byer's kitchen for two weeks leading up to her first day of High School.

"How do you know Jane?"

"She's the former Police Chief's adopted daughter. She used to come around on holidays to Will's house. So I've known her for a while," answered Lucas confidently.

"Good," affirmed Hop, with a nod of his head.

"Dustin, why doesn't she seem to understand certain words?"

Without missing a beat the curly haired boy answered, "Her parents traveled a lot during her childhood and she didn't grow up speaking English."

"Perfect. Will, why do the four of you call her El when her name is Jane?"

"It's just a nickname we gave her when we were kids and it stuck," responded Will with a casual shrug.

"Right," Turning toward the other girl at the table, he quizzed, "Max, what happened to her parents?"

The red head took a deep breath and answered, "She doesn't really talk about it much. So I've never pushed it."

"Excellent."

The former police chief then turned to Mike, a new level of seriousness in his expression. "What do you do if she is about to lose control and use her powers?"

"Dad!"

Mike flinched at El's sudden protest at the turn in questioning. Her outburst was quickly silenced by Hopper's pointed expression towards the girl. Mike felt his mouth go dry, and kept his eyes focused on Hopper, trying to ignore the looks the others were sharing about he and the brunette seated next to him.

Chancing a quick look toward her, he noted that she had a blush on her cheeks that matched his own. Giving away that she knew the exact reason why Hopper was asking Mike this particular question. Although El typically had excellent control over her abilities, there were instances where things had gotten out of hand. Nothing like that had happened in quite a while, but the last time it did Mike had been the only one able to get through to her.

His jaw clenched at the memory. "Help her calm down, or distract-"

"- Enough!" came her angry protest from his right. El's patience had apparently reached its limit. She'd risen from her chair, directing her frustration at her adopted father. 'I'm not a little girl anymore. I have control!"

Hopper let out a steadying breath and turned to address his adopted daughter. "You may not be a little girl, but you're still a kid. My kid," argued the older man.

El opened her mouth to argue back when thankfully Joyce cut in. "I think that's enough for tonight. It's still a school night," she started, sending her own pointed look in the police chief's direction. The maternal sound in her voice seemed to break the tension that had built in the room, allowing the party to relax and collectively slump in their chairs. "You've all done well." She reassured them, placing a comforting arm around El's shoulders. "Come on, Nancy sent you some clothes. We'll go through them."

Mike watched as Joyce ushered El out of the room.

It was Hopper's heavy sigh, that brought his attention back to the kitchen. He hadn't seen the older man look this tired in a long time.

"We'll look out for her," promised Mike suddenly, standing from his chair.

"Yeah," agreed Will, mirroring his friends actions. Dustin, Lucas, and Max followed suit.

Hopper looked around at the four young men standing in front of him. For a minute he saw them as their twelve year old selves, just as brave and loyal now as they were then. A nod of his head was the only thank you he could muster at that moment. Clearing his throat he finally spoke, "That's enough for tonight. We'll meet you in front of the school tomorrow."

The party dispersed. Each heading in their respective directions, but not before stopping by Joyce's bedroom, where she and El were going through the clothes Nancy had bought as a gift for the younger girl, to wish her good luck. Mike stood in the doorway and watched as they all joked about El's first day of school.

Mike felt himself being swept up in the excitement and took a step into the room to join the boys giddy antics, when he overheard Max and Joyce teasing El about high school boys.

And like that all the feelings and jealousy and possession that he had been repressing for three years came roaring to the surface. He knew he wouldn't be able to contain himself tonight, not when he was already on edge from the previous drilling. He looked around the room at all the smiling and laughing faces. How could he ruin this for her?

She didn't want him. Not the way he wanted her. They were friends, and she more than anyone deserved to be happy. He looked at her one last time. Her long brown hair had fallen across her face as she laughed and blushed at the teasing of the two other girls.

He couldn't be the reason that she was unhappy. Not when she was finally going to have a chance at the one thing she had always wanted; a normal life. So without a word he left.

He pushed through the door to the Byer's and stepped out into the dark October night. It was too early in the month for it be cold outside, but he zipped up the hooded jacket he wore anyway.

Everything would be fine. He would figure out a way to get over his feelings for her and be a better friend. It's what she needed. What she wanted. He needed to accept it and let go.

Of course he'd been trying to do that for the past three years and apparently had made no progress. Christ. He scrubbed a tired hand over his face before getting in his car and making the lonely drive home.

El stared nervously out of the window of Hopper's truck. She clutched the book bag sitting on her lap trying to calm her ever increasing fears. Today would be her first day of High School. She was going to start a normal life. Something she dreamed about ever since she'd met Mike and the boys.

Her knees bobbed nervously as they rounded the corner. The brick and mortar building that was Hawkin's High came into view. She knew it sounded stupid but it was like a fairytale castle to her, the ones she'd read about in the books she'd had to keep her company in between the visits and phone calls to her friends.

She was ready for this. She knew she was ready. Her private tutor had said so, and Hopper and Joyce agreed. She'd worked so hard these last few years trying desperately to catch up on all she had missed from a formal education.

Numbers came easiest, and she had sailed through her math lessons to the point that she apparently was now far ahead of others her age. Science was next, tangible and sensible. It was English and Literature that she snagged on. Reading took a while. There were so many words she didn't know, feelings she had trouble understanding. Phrases that made no sense, always having to ask Hopper about them.

"Nervous, kid?"

El startled at the sudden interruption of the silence. She looked across the cabin of her truck to her adopted father, Hopper, Dad. They'd each been uncommonly quiet all morning. Unable to break her silence just yet, she merely nodded her response.

He gave her a warm smile. "Are you happy, though?"

Her lips turned up to a genuine smile at this question and she nodded again earnestly. Her excitement overwhelming any fears she had.

"Good," was his answer. El noticed the proud smile on the police chief's lips as he focused his attentions back to the road. The pair weren't one for long affectionate speeches, but they understood each other's love in the small ways they showed it.

Pulling to a stop in front of the school, Hopper turned to face her. "Be careful. Okay?" he asked, and El was surprised at the tears forming in her eyes. She gave him a watery smile and a rare hug. His grip on her told her how much he cared. Letting go, he ruffled her hair with a chuckle, earning him a roll of her brown eyes.

"I'll see you after school, Dad," she told him excitedly, wiping the evidence of her emotions from her cheeks. With a long exhale, she grabbed her backpack and slung it over one shoulder like she'd seen Nancy Wheeler do all those times before, and left the truck for the gray-skied parking lot.

"El!"

The brunette girl turned to see her friends rushing towards her. They had promised to meet her in front of the school and help her navigate her first day of classes. El let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as she was swept up in hug after hug as the party welcomed her.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly.

"Best year ever!" Dustin agreed with a laugh. She looked around at them all. Will smiled at her reassuringly and she returned a nervous one of her own, grateful for her pseudo-brother's presence. Max quickly pulled her into a hug whispering how happy she was to have another girl around.

She and the redhead had gotten off to a rough start, but once El realized Max's preference to Lucas and her willingness to sit with her and watch soap operas, a fast bond had formed. Now she was her closest girl friend. But something was missing.

She looked around again. Glancing over everyone's shoulders, wondering if he was just hanging back like he sometimes did.

"Um, Mike?" she asked, doing her best to hide her worry. She turned to the boys for an explanation.

"I haven't seen him yet this morning," answered Dustin off-handedly, scanning the parking lot for their missing member.

"Yeah, where is Wheeler?" Lucas asked, obviously confused by the absence. "He should be here."

El tried to keep the disappointment from her face. She didn't want the others to think she wasn't grateful they were there, but Mike had promised her he would be here. He'd promised.

"I haven't seen Mike since last night." Will added thoughtfully, looking to the others who shrugged their agreeance.

Of course. Things had been tense between she and Mike for the last few weeks, ever since she had moved back to Hawkins. El hoped that seeing him more often would help things return to normal between them, settle whatever it was between them, but instead they had fallen back into an old routine of arguing. He could bait her so easily, and she had a hard time ignoring his moods, especially when they were directed at her. Which they commonly were.

And then last night when Hopper had brought up the last time she'd lost control of her powers…the last time she and Mike had kissed...

El tried to fight the flush creeping up her neck.

It had grown quiet among the usually rowdy crowd. The brunette lost in thought about how Mike had wanted to obviously get as far away from her as possible. She noticed the boys share a concerned look.

"Forget Wheeler." Max suddenly cut through the silence with a cheerful grin, wrapping a reassuring arm around the shorter girl. El found herself smiling as well. "Let's go find your locker?"

El nodded and the pack took off.

"Find another spot." Dustin whispered adamantly, shutting the door to the pantry. Mike rolled his eyes and went searching for a different hiding place. Why they were even playing this stupid game, he didn't know. El was only going to be in town for another night, and they had the run of his house, with his parents and Holly visiting his Aunt for the weekend. All it took was for one of them to find out El had never played hide and seek before for that to be the events of the evening.

They had been hiding, and running, and tagging, and laughing for an hour now. She was smiling and laughing, so he would play this game until he died.

"Come on!" encouraged Will as he raced paced him for the basement. Mike chuckled as the distant sound of Max counting down rang in his ears. Okay, so he was having fun. Not that he would admit it. And maybe he hadn't minded the excuse to chase El down the stairs and grab her around the waist, swinging her around in his arms as she laughed last time he'd been 'it.'

Mike trodded down the stairs two by two, searching for a place to conceal himself. He found Will in the middle of the large room, circling. "Where haven't we hidden yet?" he asked with a laugh. Mike answered with an amused shrug. It was true, they were all a lot bigger than the last time they had played as children. Now at fifteen their creative hiding spots no longer fit them. This time they mostly just hid behind a couch or a curtain and made a run for base, which still somehow gave them a rush.

"Come on," Mike prompted pointing toward the basement door which led outside. It may technically be cheating, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They could sneak around to the front and get right into the living room which held the safe haven, the couch.

Will seemed a bit apprehensive to not follow the rules, but after one more look around the basement finding no new ideas, he followed Mike to the door. Just as Mike reached for the knob, the lights flickered. A familiar chill ran down his spine, as he looked over his shoulder to Will. Hopeful he had he imagined it.

"Did you just see-" the question hung in the air as the lights flickered again, but stronger this time. They regarded each other for a silent moment. Then the unquestionable sound of foot falls trampled above them. Followed by yelling, and it wasn't the sound of the happy shouts and laughs of being chased to home base.

"El," breathed Mike. The boys were in motion, sprinting back up the basement stairs. Mike was reeling. Images of the Demogorgon, Brenner, and the men in suits flashing through his mind. He pumped his legs faster. The shouting only got louder as they reached the first floor.

"El!" he yelled, searching for her. The main floor was empty. Where the fuck was everyone?!

They followed the sounds of shouting to the stairs, where they were met with a panicked looking Lucas. Mike could hear the blood rushing in his ears as he demanded, "Where is she?"

"In Nancy's room, come on," Lucas told them. Mike didn't wait for further explanation as he charged up the stairs, Will and Lucas hot on his heels.

"It's all my fault," he heard Lucas explaining behind him. He sounded sick with himself. "She must have hidden in Nancy's closet…"

The flickering lights only added to Mike's panic. He could hear Max and Dustin calling El's name now, and the sound of banging. Then a sound that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Mike!" El was screaming for him.

He arrived to the room to see Max kneeling by the closet door, looking desperate. Dustin was pulling at the handle. Mike could hear El crying on the other side of the door, her screams, interrupted by hiccuping sobs. He thought he would be sick.

"It's okay, El. We'll get you out. There's nothing that can hurt you in there," Max spoke, trying to soothe her frantic friend.

El hated small spaces, and complete darkness. It reminded her too much of the sensory deprivation chambers that tortured her in childhood. The lights flickered in time with her screams.

"We can't get the door open. It's locked or something," explained Dustin as he tried feverishly to twist the knob. Mike was across the room in a second as she cried out for him again.

"El, can you hear me?" he asked the door, grabbing at the handle and desperately trying to turn it. His words were met with only the same fearful sobs.

"She's too panicked. I don't think she can hear us." Max explained miserably, tears forming in her blue eyes as they listened to their friends suffering.

"I'm so sorry," Lucas apologized again, his head in his hands. "I bumped into the door earlier when I was looking for a hiding spot. I didn't know she was in there!"

Mike wanted to throttle his friend, but there was no time to waste. He looked at the door knob. It was like the one on his bedroom door. It locked from the inside by twisting the handle a certain way. Nancy's room was the only closet that had a lock, and that's why she'd been given this particular room, because she had been the oldest and deemed most responsible. As a kid he'd locked himself in her closet just to piss her off a few times.

She screamed for him again. "El, it's okay. I'm here. I'll get you out," he promised, praying that she heard him, and that she would forgive him for this nightmare. He ripped at the handle but it refused to budge. "Damn it!" he yelled punching the door in his frustration. He could feel the skin on his knuckles split, but he didn't care.

Taking a breath he tried to think through the sound of her screams, the flickering lights, and Lucas' repeated apologies. "There's a key!" It came to him suddenly. There was a narrow, silver key that looked more like one of Nancy's hair pins than anything useful. But he remembered his Mom using it to open the bathroom door when Holly locked herself inside and cut her own hair a few years ago. Where had she put it?

Think. He had to think. Mike turned back to the closet, it was killing him to hear her like this. It reminded him of when they were twelve and she'd called for him when the bad men had captured them at the school. He'd been too small then, too weak to protect her. But he wasn't any more.

The boys were all staring at him for instructions. "It's, uh…," Yes! It was above his parent's bathroom door. Instead of finishing his sentence he took off down the hall for the key. He grappled at the trim above the door, until his hand hit something cool. Pulling down the small pin, he thanked God, and set back towards the room.

They gathered around him as he returned all watching nervously as he tried to use the pin to unlock the door. It wasn't a typical key and it had to be inserted perfectly for it to work. Mike hadn't realized his hands had been shaking, or how much his hand hurt from punching the door. "Shit!" he burst, as he tried and failed for a third time to unlock the door.

He was pulled away from the door by Will telling him to calm down and let someone else try. Dustin took over. "It's okay. I've got this," his friend reassured him. The curly headed boy kneeled down, putting his ear to the lock. Everyone fell silent at this, to help him hear the mechanism.

For Mike this only served to emphasize El's sobs. He found himself pacing the room, unable to stand still.

"Got it!" cried Dustin triumphantly, and Mike let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. The door was wrenched open.

The sight of her was like a punch to the gut. El was curled up with her legs pulled against her chest and her face buried in her knees. Her arms shielding her face against the darkness. Mike watched frozen as she continued to cry; begging now. "Please. Please, no!"

"It's over, El," Will reassured her, but she wasn't listening. She was so scared, so lost in her head. Refusing to leave her protected position. Max reached for her, but El flinched away from her touch, screaming her terror. She needed to open her eyes, to see that she was okay.

She called for him again, and Mike finally found his feet and pushed his way to her, dropping to his knees in front of her.

"El, it's okay. Open your eyes."

But she wouldn't listen, or couldn't hear him over her tears. The lights continued to flicker.

"El look at me," he pleaded biting back the emotion in his voice. He took hold of her arms, and she fought him as he pulled them away from her face. Hoping that the light from the room would snap her out of the nightmare in her head. He was stronger than her now when she wasn't using her powers, and from the small trail trace of blood under her nose she had been doing all she could to contain her herself, always afraid she might lose control and hurt someone.

"No, no!" she screamed, pulling against his grip. Her eyes remaining firmly shut.

He grappled with her as he tried to restrain her. Her instinct to move back into the closet. "It's okay. I won't hurt you," Mike told her desperately, pulling her closer in his attempt.

"Mike, please!" she begged for his help, all the while he was right in front of her.

"It's me! It's Mike, just look at me. I've got you," he tried to tell her as she continued to struggle away from him. It was killing him to be right there, just like last time, and not able to help her. He had to do something. Anchor her here. She needed to feel this reality.

Without further thought, he yanked her forward, his other hand coming up to cup her face. There, on the floor of his sister's bedroom, surrounded by his panicked and shouting friends, he kissed her. The world went silent. The lights flashed, went black, and then glowed brightly. He moved his mouth over hers trying to revive her, to bring her back. She was still for a moment, her shock evident. But then she relaxed and her mouth gave way to his, kissing him back.

He could taste blood in his mouth as he he pulled her closer, bringing her fully into his arms. Her grip tightened on him and he felt heady. He felt his lips opening her mouth. That's when he pulled away, his breath coming out in heavy pants. Mike watched as she slowly opened her eyes. Her uneven breathing matching his.

"Mike?" she asked, looking as if she'd just woken up from a bad dream.

He continued to hold her close. "I'm here. You're okay," he told her with a nod.

Her eyes finally focused on him then. Something about him causing her to reach up and touch his cheek. Mike felt this heart rate kick back up. She pulled her hand away and stared at the blood on her fingertips. "I'm sorry," she repeated desperately, eyes focused on the red stain.

He pulled her against him once again, repeating in her ear, "I don't care. I don't care. You're safe." Her hands clung to his shirt. He whispered this over and over until she stopped her apologies.

He could feel the tension leaving her body as she relaxed, her rapid heartbeat slowing. She pulled out of his arms, and he reluctantly let her go. The fraught girl stood looking around at the rest of her friends in the room. Mike peered at them all from his place kneeling on the floor. Everyone had been speechless til that point having witnessed such an intimate moment between he and El, but Mike could care less as long as they didn't make her feel worse than she already did. Thankfully, their concern for their friend thankfully over rode their shock.

"I'm so sorry, for ruining the night," she told them despairingly. Fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"It's fine, El. You didn't ruin anything." Max broke through the silence first, comforting her friend, quieting El's unnecessary apologies. The redhead nodded toward the rest of the boys. "Right?" she asked them pointedly.

Then it was pandemonium again, as they all voiced their concern and reassurances at once. Mike stood, satisfied that El seemed to be coming back to herself, but he stayed close to her as she listened to their comforting words.

He found himself stepping in front of her when Lucas moved forward to desperately to explain that it had been an accident, and he was so sorry, and he would do anything to make it up to her. Mike knew it truly was an accident and that Lucas felt terrible, but in that moment he was still livid. He could still hear her screaming. His blood was still pulsing through his veins, and his instincts to protect the girl next to him was still in overdrive.

"Mike," Will warned, giving him a look to ease off, but it was El's steadying hand on his arm that had him shuffling aside so Lucas could apologize.

Lucas was of course forgiven immediately, returning her own profuse apologies to everyone for what had happened, asking if anyone had been hurt. She was crying again but it seemed like grateful tears, for their concern for her. Mike pulled her under his arm and she hid her face against his chest as she wiped her eyes, giving the rest of them a moment to regroup.

They regarded each other. The weight of the nightmares of El's past hitting them in that moment. No one seemed to know what to say, so Mike just held her closer to him.

"You two should clean up." It was Max once again who broke through the silence, and everyone seemed grateful for an order to follow.

Dustin perked up at this. "Yeah, I'll make you some Eggos, El. That will make you feel better," he offered with a smile. Mike was relieved to see a grateful smile grace El's lips. The tension seemed to deflate in that moment and the party shuffled out of the room. Everyone but Mike and El headed down stairs, instead he led them in the opposite direction to the bathroom.

Mike flipped on the lights, and let go of her. She leaned quietly against the sink counter. He took a good look at her then. Even drawn and pale, with blood smeared under her nose and across her cheeks she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He busied himself getting each of them a washcloth, running the rags under warm water so they could clean the blood from their faces. Anything to distract himself from thinking of the kiss they just shared.

He went to hand her the damp cloth, to see her lost in thought. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice deeper and raspier than he expected.

Her eyes focused at the sound of his voice, and swept over him, pausing on his face. "You're covered in blood," she replied instead of answering his question.

"It's fine," he assured her with a shrug. She looked at him for a moment longer before setting herself to washing.

They were silent as she turned on the tap and splashed her face with cold water. Using the cloth to scrub away the blood under her nose, across her lips, and cheeks. Mike pulled a towel from the rack as she finished offering it to her as they switched positions in the tiny room.

Mike made sure the water was freezing as he washed off his face, watching the blood-tinged water swirl down the drain. Remembering the taste of that blood on her lips. He splashed his face one more time before taking the offered towel. She was watching him, worrying her lip in her teeth.

He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he found himself distracted by her lips. So instead he ran his bloody knuckles under the tap. Hissing as the stinging returned.

"Mike!" gasped El, grabbing his hand to inspect it.

He reluctantly let her pull her him closer as she looked over the bruises. His jaw clenched as she brushed her fingers over his injured knuckles. "I'm so sorry," she told him earnestly, fresh tears forming in her brown eyes.

He shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. I was upset and stupid," he tried to convince her, but she wouldn't look at him, instead focused on his hand.

"I ruined everyone's night," she protested, "and you hurt your hand because of me." She was rambling now. Tears spilling down her cheeks. "You had to kiss . . .You had to kiss me."

Mike hated the anguish in her voice. "I don't care," he told her desperately, taking her face in his hands, making her look at him. "I don't care about any of that." He wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"But, Mike," she argued, trying to pull herself away. He wouldn't let her, instead drawing her closer. Their breaths mingling. "You don't want-"

He didn't let her finish the sentence, instead silencing her with his lips. She gasped against his mouth, and Mike couldn't keep himself from deepening the kiss. Their lips moved frantically as they pulled at each other, desperate to be closer. Mike was out of his mind as her small hands grabbed his shirt bringing his taller frame down to her. It was the moan from her mouth, when his tongue licked the seam of her lips that had him grabbing her and hoisting her onto the counter of the sink.

"Mike," she breathed, between kisses.

"El." Her name out of his mouth like a prayer.

"Mike." Her voice was different this time. Mike shook his head. "Mike." Things were getting blurrier.

"Mike!"

Mike sat up in bed covered in a cold sweat. He was in his bedroom. He had dreamt about that night again. Except this time Lucas hadn't come with an ice pack for his hand just as he had finished washing his face. It wasn't the first time he dreamed that he'd kissed her while they had cleaned themselves up. Sometimes when his teenage hormones got the better of him it was more than that. He ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the feel of her against him.

"Mike, you have to get up. You'll be late!" It was his mother's voice outside his room.

Trying to get his body under control, he looked over at his alarm clock. It was eight o'clock. School started in thirty minutes. He had overslept.

Mike sprung out of bed, tripping on the blankets that had twisted around him in his sleep. Shit. He was going to be late on El's first day of school. He'd promised he would be there.

Untangling himself he grabbed his towel and sprinted out the door.