A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've been so overloaded with schoolwork lately, it's been hard to keep my head above water. On the bright side, there was actually more to this chapter than what you're seeing right now, but it ended up dragging, so I cut it. But what that means is I already have half a chapter extra, so the next one can (hopefully) come soon! Woo! Thanks, as always, for all the feedback. It's welcome and super appreciated. Enjoy!
"And there, that's Sagittarius, see?"
"Sag-itt-ar…"
"Sagittarius. It's a constellation."
"Constellation?"
"Yeah, they're like pictures made of stars. You can only see them at certain times during the year."
"Who makes them?"
"Nobody, really. I guess people just looked up at the stars one day and thought they looked liked something."
"What does sag-itt-ar-i-us look like?"
"Well, it's supposed to be a centaur, but it's kind of hard to tell unless you really know what you're looking for."
"Centaur?"
"A centaur is a made-up animal. It's a horse's body with a guy's torso, arms and head where the neck should be. Weird, right?"
They had been up here for what felt like forever. Mike had no clue exactly how many hours; after awhile they seemed to blend together. He was only conscious of the girl lying pressed up against his side, her head on his shoulder as she looked up at the stars.
"I love looking at the night sky," he said softly. "It's so peaceful, you know?"
He felt El nod, nestling closer to his chest.
"Mike?" she said after another minute of silence.
"Yeah?"
"Is love the same as like?"
Mike thought for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. "Kind of," he told her. "They're similar, but love is a lot… stronger. When you love something, you like it too. Only a lot more."
She made a confused noise in her throat. "So, you love looking at the sky? More than like?"
Mike laughed softly. "No, not really. I enjoy it, a lot, but it was just a figure of speech. Or an exaggeration. Love is reserved for really special things. Like family, and…" he trailed off, glancing at her sidelong.
"And what?" she prompted. Mike shook his head.
"Never mind."
"How do you know if you love instead of like?" El asked.
"Well…" Mike shrugged slightly. "If you love someone, they're your favorite person to be around. When you're with them, everything else becomes better and you feel all warm and… complete, I guess." He frowned after a second. "Sorry, that wasn't a very good explanation."
She shook her head. "I understand," she assured him, gazing up at the bright white moon.
Mike smiled, closing his eyes and relaxing. After another minute he checked his watch and let out a regretful sigh. "El, I hate to say it, but we should probably be getting back soon. It's way past midnight." He pushed himself to his feet, stretching, and suddenly realizing how long they'd been lying here. He groaned quietly at the stiffness of his muscles, jumping up and down to loosen them up.
El blinked up at him lazily and extended a hand. He grasped it and pulled her to her feet. Unprepared for the sudden force, El shrieked in surprise and fell into Mike's arms, giggling. He smiled and poked her, stepping back but keeping ahold of her hand.
"Come on, you," he said. "I bet our moms are freaking out right now." He shook his head in apprehension at the prospect of dealing with his parents, who would probably be seething at his lateness.
Then he looked over at the girl walking down the hill beside him, hand in his, skin silvery in the moonlight, and suddenly he didn't care that he was going to get told off. Spending time with El was worth any amount of harsh words and punishment.
Mike had said goodbye to El outside her house, and now, standing outside his own front door, he took a deep breath and steeled himself. Stepping inside, he walked into the living room and braced for harsh words. Then he looked around in shock. Nobody was there.
Normally, this wouldn't be a surprise. His parents usually went to bed much earlier than this. But Mike knew from experience that if he wasn't home at a reasonable hour, they would be all too happy to stay up and shout themselves hoarse at him. Particularly after Will's disappearance.
Mike spotted a piece of paper on the coffee table. He picked it up. It read FOR MIKE on the front, underlined twice and circled.
Mike~
I told Mom and Dad this morning that the dance didn't end until midnight. That's why they're asleep right now instead of waiting to jump your ass. Just be thankful that I think ahead and that I'm willing to lie for you, little bro, because otherwise, you'd be screwed right about now. You owe me one.
—N
Mike grinned ruefully to himself and rubbed his face, grateful that his sister had more foresight than he did. Making a mental note to thank her tomorrow morning, Mike threw the letter in the garbage (taking a moment to first shred it into pieces, just in case) and tiptoed upstairs to his room, changed, washed up, and fell asleep within a matter of minutes. He hadn't realized how tired he was.
The next morning Mike woke feeling groggy. He checked the clock next to his bed. 9:30. He jumped up, panicking, before remembering that there was no school the day after the Snowball. Heaving a sigh of relief, he changed into a t-shirt, sweater and jeans before making his way downstairs. The smell of frying bacon and strong coffee hit his nostrils, making his mouth water.
"Hey, honey!" his mom greeted him with a smile. "How was the dance? Did you come home late?"
"Uh, not too late. It was really fun, but I got tired," he fibbed, shooting a glance at Nancy. She was deliberately avoiding his gaze, reading a newspaper and sipping coffee loudly. He plopped into the chair next to her and made a show of stretching, arching his back so his head was right next to her ear.
"Thanks," he breathed, so quietly his parents didn't hear. He was answered with the tiniest of nods.
"Well, that's great, sweetie. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," his mom said, sliding a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him. "And El? Did she have fun too?"
Mike reddened slightly. Karen knew of his relationship with El (how could she not?) and approved of it, which came as a surprise for him at the beginning. He was endlessly grateful that she was so accepting, but it was still undeniably awkward to talk about his girlfriend with his own mother.
"Yeah, Mike, did El enjoy herself?" Nancy added, smiling innocently.
"Yeah, she did," he replied evenly, glaring at his sister. She suppressed a snicker and took a bite of toast. Karen went to the kitchen to pour herself some more coffee, and Nancy took the opportunity to lean over and whisper in Mike's ear.
"Glad I got you the condoms now?"
Mike choked on his bacon. "What the— NO! We were just hanging out on the hill near school, you perv!" he whispered fiercely back.
"Seriously?" Nancy rolled her eyes in exasperation and disbelief. "You have that opportunity and you don't take it? Are you sure you're a fifteen year old boy?"
"Are you sure you're a—"
"What are you two bickering about now?" their mom sighed, sitting back down at the table. Both kids straightened up.
"Nothing," they said in unison. Karen looked from Mike to Nancy and shook her head slightly.
"Well," she said. "I was just saying that your father and I are going to be out of town tonight, but I don't think either of you were listening. We're going to do some shopping and then we'll stay the night at Richie and Emma's, since we haven't seen them in awhile." Richie and Emma were childhood friends of hers, Mike knew. "Will you guys be okay alone?"
"We'll be fine, Mom," Nancy assured her.
"Can I bring my friends over?" Mike asked excitedly. His sister groaned.
"I don't see why not, as long as you guys don't trash the house," Karen replied after a moment's consideration. Nancy finished her coffee, scraped the last of her food into the garbage, and headed for the front door.
"Well, in that case, I'll be at Jonathan's. Call him if you need me." The door shut behind her. Mike snorted to himself, watching her leave out the front window.
Hypocrite, he thought.
"…and the Nycadaemon staggers to its knees. It hisses at you one more time before sizzling into a pile of glowing ash." Mike stretched. "Good job, guys."
"Hell yeah!" Dustin high-fived Lucas and slapped Will on the back. He even hugged El, who wasn't playing but was observing with interest, as she always did when they played D&D.
"That was a great campaign, Mike," Will said. "You've really improved over the years, you know that?"
"Thanks, Will," Mike replied with a grin. They had been playing for most of the evening, and Mike glanced out the window to see that the sky was pitch black. Since his parents weren't home, they were able to stay up late. "You guys are all sleeping over, right?" Mike asked.
"I am," Lucas answered. Dustin nodded, indicating that he could, too. Mike looked at Will and El.
"And you two?" he prompted.
"Yep," said Will cheerfully. "Jonathan was really happy to hear we would be. If I didn't know better I'd think he wanted us out of the house."
Dustin raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Nancy there?"
Will reddened. "Uh, yeah. But they wouldn't be…" He gestured vaguely with his hands.
"Why not?" Lucas asked, grinning at Will's embarrassment. "What else would they be doing in a house alone all day?"
"Maybe— maybe they're watching a movie?" Will suggested weakly. Lucas just shrugged and spread his hands, as though to say think what you want.
Mike cleared his throat, rescuing Will from the situation. "Are you guys going to shower before bed?"
Will jumped up at the opportunity and nodded over-enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah, I was just about to, actually!" he said hastily, and half-jogged out of the room, followed by Dustin and Lucas's sniggers.
El smiled, watching her foster brother's receding form. She knew, at this point, what the boys were talking about whenever they dodged around a direct subject like this. She didn't entirely understand, though, why they avoided saying the word sex directly, and why it would inevitably end up embarrassing at least one of the boys. Why was it so taboo? They could talk about kissing just fine. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that sex was "more extreme" than kissing like Mike had said.
Mr. Clarke had explained to her how it worked, though she didn't remember all the strange complicated words he had used. She knew something from the guy went into something else from the girl and apparently it felt really good and sometimes made a baby, but it was difficult to conjure up an image based on that.
Suddenly she realized Mike was trying to speak to her. "El?" he was saying. "Do you want to shower in the other bathroom?"
"Okay," she replied. It was very important to shower every day, Joyce had taught her. Even in the bad place, Papa had ensured that she got sprayed down with soapy water every morning and every night, to "avoid contamination". It was not a particularly pleasant experience, so El had not been looking forward to washing daily. But it turned out showering was different. El liked it. It was relaxing to stand in the hot water and made her feel all fresh and sleepy afterwards.
She climbed the basement stairs, walking past the bathroom Will was currently occupying, then ascended another flight of stairs in the living room. She entered the second floor bathroom, looking around appreciatively. El liked this room. The floor tiles were pink and shiny and there were butterfly decorations on the mirror. She suspected Nancy may have had a hand in picking out the aesthetic.
Stripping off her clothes, El set the water to the temperature just where she liked it. The complicated levers had confused her at first, but Karen and Nancy had been patient, always reminding her which one was hot and which one was cold, and eventually she had gotten the hang of it. She waited until she could see steam rising from the flow of water, then stepped into the jets, sighing in appreciation at the hot water.
El rubbed shampoo into her short hair, observing with interest the way it foamed on her hand. She stepped into the jet of water and, squeezing her eyes shut, tilted her head back, rinsing the frothy white stuff from her hair. She reached for the bottle of conditioner when the sound of a knock on the door made her jump, knocking it off the shower rack.
"El?" she heard Mike's voice call from behind the closed door. "I'm just gonna brush my teeth quickly. I tried Will's bathroom but he locked the door. Is it okay if I come in?" He sounded bizarrely hesitant, almost strained.
"Yes," El replied. She heard the sound of the door opening, then shutting a second later. Suddenly she became conscious of the fact that she was completely naked, hidden from Mike only by the thin cloth of the shower curtain. The realization made her feel hot and tingly all over, in a way she had never felt before. Her heart was racing.
Mike's was, too. He was glad El couldn't see him, because he was pretty sure his face was an unflattering shade of bright red at the moment. El — pretty, innocent, wonderful El — was completely naked behind that thin sheet of fabric. He could see her clothes flung over the towel rack off to the side.
It was driving him mad. Teenage hormones were doing crazy things to his head (and other places) and Mike knew he needed to get out of the room, fast. He picked up his toothbrush and shoved it into his mouth too forcefully. It jabbed the back of his throat, making him cough. He started brushing vigorously
El stood still for a moment, the hot water spraying on the top of her head. It seemed like only a second had passed before she heard Mike's voice again.
"Okay, I'm done," he called, and she heard his footsteps going toward the door. But El didn't want that, she realized suddenly. She didn't want that one bit.
Mike reached for the doorknob, still blushing. El's naked. In a room. With me. And nobody else. The thought kept repeating over and over in his head. He felt guilty for a moment, then shoved the emotion aside. It was only natural to feel the way he was feeling, he told himself. He was, like Nancy had said, a fifteen year old boy. And El was his girlfriend now. It would be wrong for him not to want to… do things to her.
Wouldn't it?
He shook himself, seized the knob, and twisted. It was stuck. He frowned and tried again. Still locked. This door didn't even have a lock, though, unlike the other bathroom. What was going on?
"Mike."
He turned and his eyes shot wide open. She was peering around the curtain, and the right side of her body was in plain view to him. His eyes traced the lines of her bare shoulder, the gentle curve of her waist and hip. Her chest was, thankfully, hidden (Mike would've said he was thankful, anyway)."E-El? What are you doing?"
She glanced shyly away and bit her lip before looking back at him, all soft brown eyes and maddening innocence. "Stay?"
"Uhm." Mike opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find his voice. It stubbornly evaded him.
El tilted her head. "Mike?"
"No. No no no no! No, El, we can't—we shouldn't—" he took a deep breath, in and out. "That's— not a good idea."
The look on her face hurt his heart. Her eyebrows were pushed together and her mouth turned down at the corner visible to him. "You don't want to stay?" she asked quietly.
"No, that's not what I meant!" Mike shouted, too loud. Deep breath. In and out. He couldn't control the blush he knew was spreading across his cheeks. "Of course I want to. But the guys, they're downstairs…" She probably doesn't even know what she's asking.
"Please?" She was reddening, too.
Oh my god, she does know.
Mike said nothing. He tried not to look at her, but his eyes couldn't stay away. The sight of El, dripping with water, teasingly outlined behind the curtain, skin flushed from the heat, was undeniably alluring. And, damn it, at the moment his body was speaking a lot louder than his mind.
"O-okay," he whispered, more to himself than her.
"Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I come out now?"
"…Yeah. You can come out."
A/N: So this is where I ask your opinion, guys. I left out the explicit stuff, because this is a rated T fanfic. But I've already gotten a couple PMs asking if there will ever be more ~mature~ scenes, so I'm asking now: would you guys be interested in seeing that? Or do you prefer the Mileven relationship staying all pure? If you have an opinion on the matter, be sure to shoot me a PM or comment. Thanks so much for reading, and as always...
Over and out!
