iAmCc- She'll be getting some more moments for sure ;) And thank you! I'm sorry they deleted it, that sucks!
Cdsis- Yay! I'm glad you like it!
THESTRANGERLAB- lmao sorry this one wasn't as quick but I'ma start trying to work on it more since I'm done with Collision!
We have a very special guest in this one!
I don't like this chapter much but… what're ya gonna do?
My best friend graduated high school (a year early btw, can I say she's a smart bitch?) today! I've been busy for the last week and will stay busy for the next couple of days, which is one main reason this one wasn't posted as quick as the last, so sorry about that. I hope you guys like it even though I don't! XD
While the group of four were gone, there were many different things going on in and outside the bunker. Brittany, CeCe, Andi and Mack were outside training, Polly and Nora were in their room talking about who knows what, Shawn and John were with Asher, helping him gather some more school supplies, and Tannern and Axel were practicing knife throwing. Well, Tannern was and Axel was annoying him to death.
"You know, if I had powers like Mack, I'd have frozen your ass a while ago. Or electrocuted you like Andi." Axel snickered and pretended to poke him with the knife in his hand. "We don't have a healer right now, you shit! Stop before I blink you out of existence."
"Wait, you can do that?" Axel asked, pausing his poking to look at him.
"Yeah." Tannern sighed. Axel stayed quiet for a good ten minutes, which surprised Tannern, but was glad nonetheless. He hit his target perfectly every time. He looked at Axel, who was staring off into space. He nudged his shoulder and Axel looked at him.
"What?"
"Are you alright in the head?" Axel snorted.
"No." He shrugged. "If you can go back to the past or whatever, why don't you just go make sure the Projects were never formed and then we'd all be okay?"
"It's a lot more complicated than that, Axel." Tannern told him. "It's dangerous."
"How is it complicated?"
"It just is, okay? If you do one wrong thing, everything could end up in disaster."
"Everything's a disaster already." Tannern looked at him and pointed.
"That is the smartest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."
"Have you ever sneezed so hard you farted?" Andi asked, attempting to distract Mack. Mack froze, literally, and looked at her.
"What the fuck, Andi? Ask Mike when they get back, he sneezes like a hundred times a day." She continued shooting ice at the figures Brittany made out of the ground. Andi snickered and waved her hand, making a rainbow appear in the sky.
"It's so pretty." CeCe said, glancing at her, and then back at the sky. Andi grinned at her and winked. CeCe made a face. "What?" Andi motioned with her head to follow her and walked off. CeCe followed her, putting her hands on her hips. "What?" She repeated.
"I made the rainbow for you." She said, appearing from behind a tree. CeCe jumped and glared at her.
"Don't do that!" Andi snickered. "And why would you make it for me?" Andi gave her a look. CeCe made a face and then realized it. "What the hell? What if they found out?"
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Andi exclaimed. "You know everyone would except you." CeCe snorted.
"I doubt it." She shook her head. "Not happening."
"Why? Why don't you just see? If they're bothered by it, fuck them."
"Why don't you tell Axel you like him?" She threw back. Andi rolled her eyes.
"That's completely different. I'm just trying to help you. There's nothing wrong with being gay. No, most people don't like it, but a lot don't give two shits either. Ask Mike, he'll tell you that!"
"How would Mike know? He hasn't been home in almost a year!"
"I don't think that matters. If people accepted it then, they accept it now. Like I said, I'm just trying to help you, as your friend. It's up to you if you tell them, but I guarantee you'll feel a lot better when you do." CeCe didn't say anything for a minute or two.
"I will, soon, I think. I… I kinda wanna talk to Mike too, you know? Just to see what he says. He's pretty good with advice."
"That's the spirit! Kinda." Andi threw an arm around CeCe's shoulders as they walked back towards the other two.
"On one condition though."
"Hm?"
"You've gotta tell Axel you like him."
"Fuck."
It was a couple hours later when the group finally arrived, a crying child in Kali's arms as Catherine held an exhausted Ender up, and an almost as equally as exhausted Mike, holding a box. Mike nearly fell over but John caught him, helping him sit down. He dropped the box down and put his face in his hands.
"Shit, man." He mumbled.
"Here, eat and drink." Polly instructed, shoving a sandwich and water bottle in front of him. He thanked her and did as she was told. Axel, surprisingly quiet, helped him back to their room but left him alone.
In the main room, Brittany had taken it upon herself to take Tyler from Kali, who had a little bit of dried blood on her mouth, that Shawn cleaned up for her. Tyler calmed down pretty quickly once Brittany had him, and ended up falling asleep after she managed to give him some water.
"We need to take him and get him some clothes and stuff." She said eventually, once everyone had quieted down from asking Kali and Catherine questions.
"I'll talk to dad or something." Mack said, flipping through a magazine.
"I'm gonna go check on Mike." CeCe said, and not even five minutes later, they heard her yell, "Mike! Mike! Stop, everything's on fire!"
Monday, January 26, 1987
"So uh, we have a situation." Hopper said as soon as he and Polly appeared. Kali raised an eyebrow and he stepped aside to show a pissed off looking El, who had her arms crossed over her chest. Kali's eyes widened.
"Jane!"
"My name is El." El grumbled, hugging her back. "And you're lucky I love you because if not, I'd break your neck for this bullshit. You too." She looked at Hopper. "And my boyfriend. Where is he?"
"He's not speaking to Kali." Mack said. "She pulled some shit like a week ago and he didn't take it very well."
"Well, I guess when you kill over a hundred people at one time it'll do that. They did rescue a kid though." Axel said, shrugging.
"What?" El shrieked, causing a couple of the others to come into the main area, wondering what was going on.
"Mike didn't tell you?" Kali asked. El shook her head.
"He has a good reason not to." Polly said, shaking her head. "But you fucking blabbermouths." She walked off.
"Either explain what happened or take me to him." El demanded. Kali sighed and nodded.
"Stay here. Can you go get Mike, Axel?" She asked. Axel just walked off, giving a slight nod. "I'm gonna go practice. He won't come out if I'm out here." She gave El and Hopper a smile and nod and left as well. El looked at Hopper, who shrugged. A couple more came out and surrounded them.
"Who are you?" Nora asked.
"Who do you think, you shit?" Polly said, nudging her shoulder. Nora glared at her and then looked back to El.
"You're… El?" El nodded. Nora grinned. "Girl, that boy loves you to death." El grinned.
"Axel, I swear to fuck, if you don't quit pushing me I'm gonna fucking burn the piss out of you. Stop!" Mike grumbled. "God, I'm not in the mood for your shit today."
"When are you in the mood for anyone's shit?" John asked. Mike glared at him. Mike saw Hopper then, and instead of grinning at him like he usually does, he just stares at him. He hadn't seen El yet.
"Hey, Hop." Mike sighed.
"Kid." Hopper shook his head. He nodded towards El, who was just staring at Mike. Sure, she's watched him in the void nearly everyday, but seeing him in person just made her feel whole.
"Mike…" She whispered. His head snapped towards her and his eyes widened.
"El?" He couldn't believe it. She was standing there, in one of his old sweaters, blue jeans and converse, wearing a pink jacket over it. Her hair was below her shoulders, falling in ringlets. He took in her face, she looked older, filled out a little more,but just as beautiful as ever. He swallowed and his fingers twitched, like he wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was too far away. Everyone looked back and forth between them, waiting for who would react first. It was Mike. He took three long strides towards her and pulled her into his arms, literally picking her up and hugging her tightly, spinning her a little. She let out a breathy laugh and hugged him back just as tight. He put her down and pulled back a little, curling his fingers in her hair. She stared back up at him, her doe eyes watering. She pulled him down by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. Axel and Andi started wolf-whistling and cheering. Mike flipped them off but kissed her back. Hopper coughed and they pulled away, looking at him. He gave them a look and El glared at him.
"You lied to me about where you were going for almost a year, don't look at me like that." She hissed, putting her arms around Mike's waist and hugging him. He draped an arm around her and buried his face in her hair.
"I know, I'm sorry. You know I'd have brought you everytime kid, but it'd have been suspicious." She gave him a look.
"There's literally nothing going on in Hawkins, or Chicago for that matter."
"There is in Texas." Mack muttered. El looked at her and then at Mike when he tensed up.
"Can someone explain what the hell's going on?" Hopper asked. "And dear God, why is there a half naked toddler running around." Mike looked up again then.
"Dammit." He muttered, letting go of El and running after Tyler. "Tyler! Get your little ass back here!" El made a face and looked at them.
"He's been taking care of him this week since the rest of us don't know how to take care of children younger than fourteen." Ender explained.
"It's not that hard." Hopper said.
"It is when they fucking run from you." Mike said a minute later, coming back with Tyler on one hip, a shirt across his other shoulder.
"I've got him, Mike, go take a chill pill." Brittany said and Mike glared at her, but handed him over. He looked at Hopper and El and ran a hand through his hair.
"Fuck, I don't know what to do." He said. He let out a breathy laugh and walked towards El, running his fingers through her hair. "It's so long and pretty… You're pretty. Beautiful." She blushed and looked down. He smiled slightly, but felt his eyes watering. "I missed you to much, El." He whispered. She reached up and put her hands on either side of his face.
"I missed you too. Don't cry." She whispered back, wiping at a tear. The others left, all except for Hopper (obviously), Ender, and Catherine. "I didn't think you'd cry if you saw me."
"I'm happy, I am… I just… I did something you'll probably hate me for." She raised an eyebrow but shook her head.
"I could never hate you, Mike."
"I killed people." He managed to whisper, sniffling and looking anywhere but her face. "Kali didn't make me, but she wanted me to and I did and…"
"Mike, hush." She gave Hopper a look and he nodded, walking away and ushering the other two with him. "Come on." She said, letting her hands fall and catch his hands in hers. She pulled him over to a couch and she sat in his lap, pulling him in for another hug. "Have you forgotten that I've killed too?" She asked. He shook his head.
"But-"
"Mike, I don't agree with whatever Kali's doing, which someone really needs to explain, by the way, but the people I killed didn't deserve to die, they did deserve to suffer the way I did, and those other experiments did. They should be treated how we were."
"I burned them alive." He said, looking at his hands. She grabbed them and squeezed gently. "They weren't doing anything, just doing their jobs and I killed them."
"And I squeezed their brains and made them bleed out their eyes, nose, mouths and ears." She shrugged a little. "I snapped their necks. I'm not saying it's right to kill, it never is. This isn't an eye for an eye type of thing, it's more like an eye for a life. Literally and figuratively. And they were doing their jobs too. They were basically brainwashed into trying to get me and hurt me, and I killed them. I have regret, Mike, and it's a part of life, in this case, literally. You did what you had to do when you were doing whatever it was, and I don't hate you for it." Mike stared at her, eyes glistening. He still felt so horrible for what he did, and what he'll do, but he was amazed at her speaking skills. Even before he went missing, she never said this much at once, and he was proud.
"I've never heard you say so much." He said, finally. She snorted and rolled her eyes fondly.
"Of course, I give you a mini speech and you say that."
This'll be continued in the next chapter and there'll probably be another time skip.