Mike hurried frantically up the familiar path, his own secret route through the thick woods and prickly underbrush. The ground was covered in a thick coat of fresh snow, as it continued to fall in a comforting drizzle of flakes that glided down to the earth, his hurried boot tracks the only disturbance to this serene setting. Sticks cracked and the dirt crunched as Mike breathed heavily in and out, puffs of wheezy mist emitting from his pale lips. With his sagging bag on and the thick heavy coat that his mom made him wear this cold February day, it was a group effort of his gangling body to propel himself this fast. But it was the goal at the end of this journey that made him be the Zoomer during this part of the day. It was his motivation every single time.

Eventually, he saw the clearing coming up ahead, the wooden structure of his destination beginning to become visible between the looming trees that marked this landscape as theirs. Smoke blazed out from the cabin's chimney, a gentle reminder that inside- one could find a cozy abode of warmth and comfort and sanctuary. Mike smiled contemplatively, shivering with the freezing temperature outside and an excitement for what was to come next. Now slowing down- pacing his steps to a steadying series of movements- he spotted the tripwire and hopped over it, with a knowing glance.

Precautions were always necessary, and Mike had become used to the presence of these rules. "Hopper isn't here yet..", He had realized when he first went past the usual parking spot. A grin had spread across his face. It meant he knew and approved of what Mike had in store..even if...he hadn't mentioned it to him yet. Although they still had their disagreements from time to time, Mike already realized how important Hopper had been so far, and could at least understand his intentions; regarding El. She needed that someone in her life, one who wasn't using or manipulating her as some demented father figure, but instead, filled in that role naturally and honorably. She needed a family, and they were all working together to provide that. To help her heal and move past the prison that had kept her for so long. And if the bad people ever, ever returned, they all knew to be prepared. It was a promise; she would never leave him…her true family, again.

Now, as Mike made his way towards the cabin's creaky old steps, he readied for the much-anticipated surprise he had in store. "God..please don't be mad at me. The last few days have been rough, but you would understand..." He spoke in his head to an imaginary girl.

With a narrow look towards the nearby structure, his foot touched the first wooden plank, and it emitted a painful squeak from within. Mike, grimacing with how loud the sound was, kept his foot steadied there. "Dammit!", he hissed to himself. He didn't want her to hear his approach right away. As far as El was aware, he wasn't even going to be coming to the cabin this cold Thursday afternoon. That's how it all started on Monday.

She kept on asking him the days before, trying to find out whether or not he would visit, and Mike forced himself to act nonchalant and say, "No, I have a big assignment due on Friday, so...I have to work with my partner after school."

"Partner? What partner?", she had asked with a tinge of disappointment in her gentle voice.

He felt really bad for leading her on like this, but he knew that at the end, it would all be worth it. "Uh...Stacy, she's a girl in my geography class.", Okay, now he was being mean.

El's face turned into an even frown as she blinked more rapidly. After a lengthening moment of silence, Mike had spoken up again. "Uh..the teacher picked the partners for us, so I have to work with her.."

"Oh. Okay."

El had then become quiet for most of that afternoon. He kind of intended it as a little joke, but now he was going to have to follow through with it."You jerk, Wheeler! You didn't have to mention another girl..", he just prayed she wouldn't get too mad at him.

That was on Monday, yes, and before he left that day to go back home, he saw the calendar flipped open to February 1985- hanged on her bedroom wall. Scanning over a few days to the right, he saw it, and his heart fluttered with a bittersweet double-twinge; one in guilt of this little trick he was playing and the other anxiously anticipating his surprise reveal:

THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 14TH And in smaller, chicken scratch writing below: "Valentyne Day with Mike"

In seeing that, Mike felt himself start to melt to the floor, a sudden emotional wallop hitting him like a 100-ton force of raw warmth. For every single night that he lay in bed, in simple astonishment of how lucky he was to have Jane "El" Hopper, this was just as, if not even more, of a surreality. Every time he was around her, or talking to her, or making jokes and laughing with this perfect girl, he never failed to be in wonder of what led to it all. "Imagine telling that story of how you met years from now, just twelve years old, in the woods on that fateful stormy night.."

God, for all the torment they went through; the pain and heartbreak and separation, it was worth it at the end. No matter what..it was all these factors that led to the now.

Mike wished he could have just mentioned it to her right then and there, as he heard her changing the television channel with her powers again, in the main room. There was the crunchy sound of her eating the Nilla Wafers that he brought for her, something a bit different from the usual eggos; As per Dustin's recommendation of course. She was probably trying to find a good show to watch, to get her mind off of Mike's underwhelming "news". Turning back to face the calendar, it was then on Monday the 11th, that he made it a necessity to make El's first real Valentine's Day something she would never forget.

For what she would have to go through for the next few days, feeling as if Mike didn't care...or even forgot- he knew it was his mission to make this the best.

"Mike? What are you doing..?", El was standing by the doorway, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Oh..I think I dropped a pencil..", he then feigned a determined look on his face, as if he was looking frantically around the room. "Crap, probably rolled under the bed.. Never mind, let's go watch some TV!" Mike walked over to the doorway where she stood, grabbing her hand and interlacing her fingers with his.

"You can pick the show we watch today. okay?". He smiled widely at her, and she grinned back, nodding enthusiastically, happy that he wasn't going to be leaving just yet. But as they walked towards the sofa in the main living room, he caught her glancing back towards the bedroom, a sad look on her face.

"Oh no, she was hoping I mentioned the calendar in there..", Every increasing sign of her dissatisfaction made him ache more and more. "Play it cool, Wheeler. It's only until Thursday. We both had to wait for much longer before.."

Making their way to the couch, they both plopped down on the comfy cushions, El honing in on the channel knob with concentration. They were fairly silent- almost as if secretly both aware of this unspoken talk between them- but soon enough, they got back into the happy mood of things. El ended up choosing cartoon reruns, and Mike knew she did it for him. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, thanking her and promising he would explain all the events as they unfolded. El blushed, looking on in wonder as his eyes blazed with the colors of the intro appearing on screen. Quite truly, this was one of the things she lived for. To see him happy and being so close to her. She snuggled close to his side. Even if he forgot about Valentine's, she could accept it. But...maybe he would mention it tomorrow? El hoped so, she really did, as they continued to watch the episode.

"So basically! King Miro is the father of King Randor, and Man-At-Arms finds the bracelet with Miro's symbol, see?", Mike pointed excitedly towards the colourful screen, as El smiled with a gleam of curiosity. It was another He-Man episode, one of Mike's favorites, and she just loved seeing him so passionate about it. El nodded her head vigorously, she didn't always grasp all the names and such of the characters; but Mike was explaining well enough for her to get a basic sense. He was always good at telling tales, or making them himself..

"So..they are going to find King Miro?", El asked; hoping she passed the correctness test.

Mike's face spread into one of his best smiles yet. "Yeah! You got it."

"And the merch- ant? He found the bracelet first?", El looked down towards her own blue bracelet that Hopper had given her. It meant a lot to both of them.

"Yep! He found it in the Swamps of Enchantment. They're going to look for King Randor now, who was missing...for a while", Mike smiled softly, taking El's hand once again. "Thanks El. I can be a real wastoid with me talking all the time, but..you're so patient sometimes, with me, with everyone..", Mike pulled El closer, holding her in his arms warmly. "You're awesome.."

El got all tingly when he talked about her like that- why did she have to stay in this place any more? She could go to Mike's house, he would protect her too. Of course, she would want to live with Hop, but a whole year until she could be out of the cabin- free to be in Hawkins?! It felt so long until that would come to be. El sighed heavily, breathing shakily out of contentedness and sad he would be leaving soon. She never wanted to leave that embrace, it felt so comfortable. "You aren't a wastoid, Mike.", El whispered softly to him, "I like when you talk like that"

And she did. Whenever they watched a movie, or he read her one of his comics, even when he introduced her to some new music; She glanced happily towards the Walkman player that Mike had given to her. It was Nancy's and Mike had even learned how to make a mixtape from Jonathan. El already loved Cyndi Lauper, The Police, and the other bands that Mike made sure to compile a variety of. He had taught her about synth music, his favorite type, the "electronic buzz" that he had loved ever since Blade Runner. And every now and then, El would pop in a mixtape by Mike Wheeler- her very own personal disk jockey- to listen to the little voice recordings he put in between. They were like special whispers that could be a secret between them, that El could cherish when he wasn't there in person. Her favorite happened to be his intro to Every Breath You Take, the song they had danced to first when they went to The Snowball.

"Hey, El...or Ellie..I know you don't like that one!". Then he started laughing to himself awkwardly, she always laughed with him at that part- "Ellie" was a nickname he sometimes called her to bug the crap out of El- for some reason, she hated that extended version.

"Um..well, this is the song, that weee danced to..at the Snowball! It was our first dance ever together, and uh..well, it really means alot to me and both us us...as...a….whole.", His voice cracked towards the end, making El giggle every time. Ever since she came back, she had noticed that Mike's voice was changing…it sounded more deep. She still was getting used to him, to how he had grown, to how her hand felt different when she held his since they last had in the hallways of Hawkins Middle; running away from the bad men, and finally, in that classroom- as she lay there weakened, them both making a promise. They had both changed, and they were both learning so much about each other and the world around them, but nonetheless, El didn't find it unsettling- she found it exciting, promising.

"So, yeah, there's a story to tell behind everything, and this song..well, now we have a story to tell for years from now..", Mike's voice paused, he was probably recording this in his room, with the door shut. Then he lowered his tone down to a whisper.

"..El, remember when we made the promise? When I said..you can have as many Eggos as you want, and that...you can join the family and..you would never leave me? Well, that's going to happen...and I...I can't wait..I hope we can go places beyond Hawkins and make a lot of more memories with music..and this song. It'll always be our song…" Mike coughed into the mic, he would be turning red a lot at that point, she knew-, then he continued, "Hey...maybe we can blast this on a nice summer drive one day….", another pause, "Well, anyways, back to the song! Enjoy, El! I'm going to make more of these, full credit to Jonath-", then it cut out.

And the song started, and El would always have the largest smile on her face afterwards. At first, she didn't know what he meant with going "beyond Hawkins" or "a nice summer drive one day", but she later came to the realization- the surprise that they were secret promises, for both of them. When they were older, when they could explore the world. She had gotten a taste of that...last year, and now, she was really looking forward to exploring with Mike...for him to be her guide.

...

"You do? I could be a big nerd a lot of the times, especially with the guys around!", Mike smirked timidly towards all the comics and games in front of them, stuff he had accumulated into this second home of sorts just in the past months.

"Huh?", El snapped out of her daze, turning away from the Walkman. Then she realized what he meant. "Oh..no, Mike. I am a nerd too!", she beamed, showing her perfectly imperfect pearls and putting her hands to her hips in a sarcastic exaggeration.

"Oh, reallly..", Mike playfully tapped El on the shoulder, speaking in a deep Mr. Man voice. "Well, I guess you can thank me, your mentor of sorts to the world of pop culture..", he started to laugh, snorting with the mock voice he used.

"Yes, thannnnks, Mike.", Maybe he was going to mention Valentine's now, she hoped? She looked on hopefully, eager with a silent sort of stare. He just smiled with his big, dog-eared grin, thinking she was expecting something else. Then, Mike slowly leaned in and pecked her a quick kiss on the lips. El's eyes went wide, well, this was still the perfect compromise; then she relaxed against his shoulders, pulling him back in, and whispered into his ear.

"Can you stay for a little longer, Mike?", Usually he kissed her like that before he was going to leave, so this meant it was almost time to depart. But, right before he whispered an answer back, the tv blared loudly- switching to a commercial break. Both of them moved apart and turned to the screen:

"GET THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE SOMETHING THEY'LL NEVER FORGET! ALL NEW VALENTINE'S MEMORABILIA AVAILABLE AT….HALLMARK!"

Then, a familiar jingle played, pictures of happy couples and their cheery storefronts filling the view in front of them. Once the ad ended, an abrupt silence filled the air. Mike had turned off the television, already up and packing his stuff in his bag. "Why was he trying so hard to avoid the conversation? Did he not want to go on valentine's with her? Had he chosen someone else….Stacy?!". A quizzical and gloomy frown filled El's face as she saw him bundling on his winter coat, face towards the ground.

She wanted to just break the tension and ask him upfront..but that may make her look too...greedy or selfish. Those were both words she had learned from the daily soaps. They were not good. Maybe he was just planning to ask her right before? El convinced herself this was the case and walked up to Mike, her hands nervously jumbled together. "So...you'll come, um..tomorrow, Mike?"

"Huh?", he turned swiftly, his feet awkwardly side-pacing, "Uh..yeah, of course! I'll see you at...3:15. I'll run like usual!", he smiled weakly then heaved his bag onto his back.

"Bye, El..". Pulling her into a quick hug then swiftly leaving to go outside.

And that was how that visit ended, El feeling confused and abandoned in a way; Mike feeling utterly ashamed and guilty at how he handled that. Both Tuesday and Wednesday went the same way, with bad blocking and secret-keeping, furtive glances towards each other, and both of them finding their own ways to distract themselves from the elephant in the room. El felt very puzzled and nervous about what was going on...this situation, how Mike was acting and all.

And Mike...he was beginning to doubt if his plan to keep "Valentine's a secret" was even a mediocre idea. It was crap. No, it was shit, especially for El. Anyhow; he had carried it out in full, and now found himself by the cabin's doorstep.

Thursday had arrived, it was now 3:20- he had gotten a bit lost in thought- and Valentine's day for him and El was going to begin. Hopefully with no major setbacks. "God, god...she may be really mad…", but he knew that if he explained in the best way possible, she would come to understand what he was up to.

Steadily, Mike raised his gloved fist to the door, knowing which knock he was going to use. Not his own, which in Morse equaled "M I K E"- Heh, very fitting- but instead, the one that Hopper had always used. "US". In a concise manner, Mike did the corresponding knocks, and no more than a few seconds later, the click of the locks echoed into the cold air. Mike hesitantly burst into a beam of white, not knowing what to expect behind that door...she thought it was going to be an early Hopper back from the police department..

Then, he pushed the wooden door open with one swift move. Boy, was he in for a surprise...