Part of Your World
AN: Ahh it's been like two weeks since I lasted updated POYW and I'm freaking out! Lol
But have no fear because this is currently the only story I'm working on, so it has my full attention now
I'm also currently on holiday (or vacation as some of you say!) so I'm getting to do lots of writing which I am loving.
This chapter is dedicated to robysel and chelseapenny, because you're both amazing and I hope you are feeling better soon!
Chapter 7: Secrets and Friends
Saturday 25th January 1992
El walked back from Mike's dormitory building in a daze. She had what felt like a permanent smile plastered on her lips and a light in her eyes that she knew would be hard to diminish. The feel of his skin against her lips was still making her tingle with electricity and her heart was continuously fluttering in her chest.
She couldn't feel the bitter cold January air against her bare legs or the way the wind whipped at her hair. In fact, she didn't think she had ever been so warm in her life. It felt like heat was radiating from her chest, emitting warmth all over her body. Is this what love feels like? Her thoughts whispered gently, and she only smiled wider at the prospect.
El was brought back to reality when she passed two men stumbling out of a bar who took one look at her and wolf whistled from across the street. She looked up at them, fixing them with a deadly stare, "mouth breathers," she muttered under her breath before continuing her walk. Luckily for them they didn't follow her, it wasn't the first time she had knocked out late night creeps and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
She shivered slightly, the cold of the night finally seeping into her flesh and reminding her brain of the freezing temperatures. El set her eyes on a McDonald's in the distance and decided she'd change in the restroom back into her jeans and hoodie before making her way to the warehouse.
Her legs had goose bumps by the time she entered the fast food restaurant and she shuddered as the warmth from the kitchen heated up her body. El immediately headed for the public restroom, swinging her bag along with her.
As soon as she was in a cubicle she pulled off her skirt, smiling to herself as she remembered picking it out the day before with Max. The red head had insisted that she "showed a bit of leg" and El had to admit that from the way Mike had looked at her, it had certainly proven that he was attracted to her just like she was to him.
El quickly pulled on her jeans and pulled her hoodie over the cream sweater that Max had insisted would show off her curves without being slutty. She grinned to herself thinking about her new friend. Friend. It was probably one of El's favourite words, something she had never truly felt would be significant to her until now. Of course, Mike was her friend too, her best friend in fact. But even that word didn't seem special enough for him.
She became distracted once more thinking about the handsome Michael Wheeler, having to lean back against the cubicle and grin sappily to herself as she remembered the look of happy surprise on his face when she had kissed his cheek. El had wanted to kiss him on the lips but lost her nerve at the last minute.
She wanted it to be special and that moment didn't feel as special as it had when they were sat on his bed watching 'The Little Mermaid'. But there would be a next time, she was positive of that. In fact, in about 11 hours and 30 minutes she would get to experience being in Mike's presence all over again.
El bought a hot drink from the McDonald's counter and then finally headed back to the warehouse, for the first time that night she was beginning to worry about what Kali and the others would say if they were still awake when she got back.
She wanted to tell them about Mike, she wasn't ashamed of him, but she was scared of what they would say about him. El knew Kali would immediately tell her to no longer see him, and she didn't think she could face up to that true. Not yet at least.
When El entered the warehouse she tried to be as quiet as possible, tiptoeing across the cold concrete flooring towards the metal staircase that led up to the makeshift bedrooms. Her heart which had been pounding in her ears from adrenaline started to fall into a lull of security that she had made it back without being caught.
The dark and sparse area that the gang used as a living room erupted into a warm light when the click of a lamp was switched on. El looked up quickly, her gaze locking with Kali's almost immediately. The latter had an expression of relief that was masked with anger.
"Where have you been Eleven?" Kali practically hissed from the hushed tone of her voice mixing with her exasperation.
El swallowed nervously, averting her eyes from Kali's penetrating stare. "I…I didn't realise how late it had got…" she mumbled out. It wasn't technically a lie after all, because time didn't seem to matter when she was with Mike. Nothing else mattered but him, and his sparkling dark eyes and beautiful smile.
Kali heaved a harsh breath and shook her head slightly, "I have been waiting for you sister. I was worried." El felt guilt burning in her gut from how concerned Kali was for her, how she had been sat there waiting for her to come back safely.
"I told you someone has been following us and you think it is okay to stay out that late?" Kali asked sharply, getting up from her seat and making El cower slightly at how upset she was.
"I'm sorry," El croaked, her stomach flipping uncomfortably, and her lips lowered in a frown at how she had caused her sister such anxiety. "It won't happen again."
Kali sighed, and her eyes softened just slightly but her jaw was still clenched. "Good," she nodded taking a deep breath. "We need to stick together Eleven. Someone out there is following us, someone wants to hurt us. And I think we both know who that is. We need to dispose of him before he disposes of us."
Her words were solemn and El felt the seriousness of the situation hitting her once more. She felt foolish for letting herself get distracted, for allowing herself to imagine a life without bad men and purely surviving from one day to the next. It wasn't the life that she could have, that had been determined from the moment she was taken from her mother's womb.
El nodded unable to speak because her throat felt constricted and tight from the realisation that she couldn't see Mike anymore. It was too dangerous, for him, for her and for Kali. Her sole focus needed to be on destroying Brenner for good.
She followed Kali up the stairs not long after their talk, closing her bedroom door and changing into her pyjamas as if she was on auto pilot. El felt numb from her emotions, the prospect of never seeing Mike again was making her feel sick. There was no time for Disney movies to cheer her up, she just needed to sleep and accept her fate.
But while she thought she could control her life, she couldn't control her feelings. Especially not for him.
El lay awake for a while, staring up at the dark ceiling, the warm hum of Mike's laughter ringing in her ears, the surprised and happy grin on his face when she kissed his cheek flashing through her mind and the feel of his body close to hers sending a shiver up her spine.
She couldn't stop seeing him.
She should.
But she couldn't.
With a groan of frustration El turned over, pulling the blankets up to her chin and closing her eyes, trying to welcome sleep, hoping it would ease her worries and soothe her thoughts. She was playing a dangerous game and she just hoped she wouldn't get burnt.
Mike took a space on the granite steps leading up to the Department of Computer Science and sat down, wincing slightly at the way the freezing flat stone surface bled through his jeans making him shiver from the cold. He pulled his coat closer to his body and stuck his hands in his pocket, occasionally turning his head from one side to the other on the lookout for El.
It was 12.50pm and they had agreed to meet here on campus in ten minutes time so Mike could walk El to Will's house. Mike still couldn't believe she had agreed to come and meet his friends and Joyce. He knew she wasn't going to stay for the sleepover but getting to spend time with her was totally worth it, even if it was just for the afternoon.
He hoped Will, Max, Lucas and Joyce's reaction to El would be a lot better than Dustin's. Mike cringed just thinking about how his roommate had been so blatantly in awe of the beautiful superhero and completely over the top. Of course, Mike was in awe of her too, but he liked to think he was a bit more composed…right?
His own theory was put to the test when he looked up and immediately caught El's eye from where she was walking up to him with a smile. Mike gulped, his hands still stuffed in his pockets were starting to shake from nerves. She looked gorgeous all over again and it was very hard to cope with. Mike hoped he wouldn't feel so out of control every time he saw her because it was kind of pathetic.
El was wearing the same fitted cream sweater and denim jacket from yesterday, coupled with a pair of black jeans that clung to her legs in a way that made Mike gulp anxiously. She had a small bag slung over her shoulder and Mike wanted to audibly sigh at how just looking at her had his heart hammering in his chest.
He slowly stood up, worried if he went any quicker he would stumble because he couldn't concentrate on anything else but the light in her eyes and the relieved smile on her face. Mike could no longer feel the icy air or the blistering wind, he could only feel a warmth that was creeping from his chest and spreading all over his body.
"Hi," Mike said breathlessly the moment El was in ear shot. She paused by the bottom of the steps and he tried to make his way down to her, grabbing his own bag and stumbling slightly here and there, blushing at his lack of coordination.
"Hi," El beamed in response, an amused smile quirking on her lips as she held her hands out to press on his shoulders to stop him from falling off the last step. She giggled softly, her eyes flicking down to his feet and back up to his red face. "You really are very clumsy." She said it like it was a fact but there was no annoyance in her voice, just humour.
Mike grinned like the fool he was and shrugged, trying not to hyperventilate at how El was still holding onto his shoulders even though he was no longer at risk of falling. "I was just born this way." He teased, a smirk slowly playing on his lips. "You were born with your gifts and I guess I've got some gifts of my own too."
El looked at him in surprise for a moment and Mike's heart froze wondering if he had gone too far. Why did he think it was okay to joke about her powers? Just when he was about to apologise El laughed, full on laughed at his comment and gave him a beautiful smile that had him melting into a puddle of fluff.
"You're very funny," She giggled, taking her hands off his shoulders. Mike hoped the disappointment at the lack of contact didn't show up on his face, but then El reached for his hand and all was right in the world again. Mike beamed at the beautiful girl, a blush creeping up his neck as their fingers instinctively entwined together.
"So how far away is Will's house?" El asked as they started to walk, their arms swinging gently together from where their hands were clasped.
Mike glanced at El and smiled softly, "it's only a ten-minute walk away. Is that okay?"
"Of course," she replied sharing his grin, both of them staring at each other so much that they were hardly looking where they were going. When Mike almost took them in the wrong direction he refocused his efforts on concentrating on their destination.
"Did you get much sleep last night?" Mike asked, unsure of how long it had taken her to get home. He didn't even know where home was for El, it wasn't something she had discussed with him before and he didn't want to push her for information. No matter how curious he was about her life and the people in it.
El cleared her throat and looked down at the pavement in front of them. "Um, yeah, I slept fine…"
Mike frowned knowing she wasn't being honest. He had been around her so little and yet he could tell when she was lying instantly. Mike didn't know if it was just obvious or whether he was in sync with her emotions. He didn't press her on the issue though, sensing it wasn't something she was happy to discuss. Instead Mike just nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
They walked in comfortable silence for a while until he noticed that El shivered and tried to pull her jacket closer to her body. Mike came to a halt making her stop too when his hand tugged on hers. "Here," he said calmly before shrugging off his winter coat and handing it over to the freezing girl.
El looked at the black warm coat and then turned her hazel eyes onto Mike's face. "No Mike I can't. You'll be cold." She said seriously, shaking her head for good measure.
Mike couldn't help but chuckle and grin at how cute she was. "El I can't let you freeze to death, especially not when I'm about to introduce you to my friends," he teased, pushing the coat further forward to her. "Besides, I've got a hoodie on and a sweater, I'll be fine." He added with reassurance, not wanting her to feel bad. Mike knew he probably would be freezing but if he got a chance to be chivalrous like those Disney princes she liked so much, then he would happily turn into an icicle.
El sighed begrudgingly put took the coat anyway, both of them laughing at how much she drowned inside of it. It fell down just below her knees and Mike watched as she snuggled into it and gave him a shy grin. "It's comfy," she admitted. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Mike smiled in return, his eyes soft and adoring as he took her in, her slim figure tucked away inside of his coat. They joined hands again and carried on with their journey.
After another five minutes Mike and El entered Dorchester Avenue which was a long straight road comprising of so many houses they were practically on top of each other. It wasn't the nicest of neighbours, with many run-down houses, broken porches and unkept gardens with weeds sticking out of the uneven flagstones.
But it was home to Will and Joyce, and Mike had only ever felt welcome and warm inside of their modest house. It only had two bedrooms, not that anyone seemed to mind, whenever there was a sleepover at the property, the party always slept in the living room and when Jonathan was home for the holidays he shared a room with his brother.
Mike didn't notice the way that El looked around suspiciously, or how she glanced behind her shoulder, that feeling of being followed making her spine tingle uneasily. She subconsciously grasped onto Mike's hand even tighter and allowed him to lead her to the house.
"Here we are," he said happily as they walked up the rickety steps of the porch and faced the front door. Mike knocked gently on the glass panel of the door and then turned to El, hearing her clear her throat.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Yeah," she gasped taking a deep breath. "Just a little nervous."
Mike only had time to give her an understanding smile before the front door opened and Joyce appeared, her hair was a little messy and she had flour on her cheeks, but she was smiling like normal.
"Mike!" she shouted, immediately drawing him into a tight motherly hug.
"Hi Joyce," Mike chuckled propping his chin on her dainty shoulder for a moment before pulling back. Before he had even straightened up Joyce was looking at El who was standing there awkwardly, her hands wringing together nervously.
"Joyce this is El, my um…" Mike froze, his throat tight as he realised how he would like to introduce her but knowing that he definitely couldn't overstep the mark and just assume things. "My friend. My really good friend." He croaked, trying to ignore the slightly disappointed look on El's face because it just made his emotions more confusing than ever.
"El it's so lovely to meet you!" Joyce exclaimed, pulling the beautiful girl into a warm embrace. El looked slightly panicked like she wasn't used to this kind of affection, but she slowly wrapped her arms around Joyce in return and Mike saw a fleeting smile on El's face that broke his heart slightly. He guessed she had never been hugged by a mother before.
"It's nice to meet you too Joyce," she said quietly, before pulling away and smiling up at Mike in what looked like relief that the older woman didn't hate her. Like she ever could.
"Come in, come in!" Joyce called happily, ushering Mike and El in before she closed and locked the front door. "I was just making a birthday cake for you Mike," she added with a warm grin to the tall dark-haired boy.
"More like trying to make a cake," came a teasing voice that Mike would recognise anywhere. He looked up to see Will descending the stairs, a friendly smile on his face and curiosity in his green eyes when they flickered to El.
"Oh shush you," Joyce chuckled, affectionately messing up Will's hair as soon as he was in reach. Her son tried getting away from her grasp and rolled his eyes in amusement as he sorted out his hair whilst Joyce shouted that she needed to put the cake in the oven and then she'd make everyone a drink.
"Hey Will," Mike said happily, sharing a quick hug with his best friend before turning slightly to look at the beautiful girl who was appraising Will with curiosity.
"El this is Will, Will this is El." Mike exclaimed nervously. He had no idea why he was anxious about them both meeting, but he knew it had something to do with the fact that they both had powers and he found himself worried that El would be more interested in Will then she ever was in him. After all, her and Will had a lot in common.
And while Mike hadn't told Joyce about El, Will knew everything. He had been a part of 'Operation Find The Jedi' adeptly named by Dustin, even if Will hadn't been part of the actual search he knew about El's powers and she knew about his.
"It's good to meet you El," Will said with a warm smile as he moved forward to give the girl a brisk hug. He glanced over at Mike and smirked before looking back at El. "Mike talks about you all the time."
"Will!"
"What?! It's true!" Will laughed, El was giggling and smiling adoringly at Mike's embarrassment. Her grin made it all worth it and he begrudgingly smiled back bashfully, trying to ignore his bright red cheeks.
"It's nice to meet you too Will," El said once she had settled down from her laughter over Mike's blushing. "I have never met anyone else with powers, except my sister." She explained quietly, her eyes slightly shifty as if she was concerned someone might jump out.
Will smiled and looked calmer than Mike had ever seen him. "I've never meet anyone with powers. I thought it was just me." He confessed with a heavy sigh. "It's kind of cool that I'm not alone, but Mike…well he told me that your experience has been pretty different to mine…"
Mike's dark eyes went to El and she nodded solemnly. "Yes, the lab is all I knew until I was eighteen."
Will looked horrified and turned from the girl to Mike, as if wanting to see the truth in his best friend's eyes which he immediately recognised. "El I'm so sorry."
She sighed and shrugged, "I'm no longer there…and I've met Mike, so things are good now," El admitted giving Mike a shy smile and not realising how her words had made fireworks explode in his heart. She thought things were good in her life because she had met him?! Him, Michael Wheeler, king of the nerds? Socially awkward and clumsy as hell Michael Wheeler?
Will caught Mike's awe over her words and from his playful smirk, he knew that he was going to get relentless teasing about this later. But Mike couldn't make himself care about the teasing, because it was all worth it when El was saying things were good in her life now because of him. He couldn't stop the pleased and slightly painful grin from etching into his cheeks.
"Is tea good for everyone?" Joyce called from the kitchen where they could hear her clattering around.
Will looked at El and Mike in question, both of them nodding their heads in agreement. "Yeah we're all happy with tea mom!" he responded back in a shout before motioning the couple to follow him into the living room which was small but cosy.
El sat down on the couch next to Mike and he was immediately thankful for the crowded space meaning that their legs were touching from hips to toes. It sent a shiver down his spine that wasn't caused by the freezing temperatures outside.
Will flopped down into a cushy armchair and faced the couple smirking playfully as he looked at their shy expressions at being so close together. He leaned back into the cushions and turned his gaze solely onto El for a moment. "Do you want to tell my mom about your powers? You don't have to of course, it's just she's always been very supportive for me." He exclaimed clearly hoping that he wasn't encroaching on what she was comfortable with.
El frowned, torn between wanting to know more about Will's journey and Joyce's thoughts but also nervous about letting more people in on her secret. What would Kali think?
She tried not to think about her sister and what she wanted, and for once think about what El wanted.
"Here we go," Joyce interrupted the tension in a sing song voice as she walked into the living room with a tray laden with steaming mugs and cookies. She was careful of where she stood trying to manoeuvre around the armchair and the couch, so she could place the tray on the coffee table.
"There," she said happily before turning to the young group, her smile faltering when she noticed their matching serious expressions. "What is it?" Joyce asked with concern, her kind eyes flickering from El, to Mike and then onto her son.
Will exhaled slowly and met his mother's stare. "Mom, there's something you should know…"
"So you were stuck in that place from when you were born?" Joyce sniffled sorrowfully, sitting on the other side of El and clutching the young girl's hand whilst she dabbed at her own tears with the other.
"Yes," El practically whispered, the one word holding more emotion than either Mike, Will or Joyce could even comprehend.
"Oh sweet heart, I'm so sorry," Joyce gasped before pulling El into a soothing embrace, clutching onto her like she were her own daughter. El's tension seemed to bleed away and she clung onto Joyce, burying her head slightly in the older woman's shoulder.
Mike and Will watched on helplessly, sharing concerned glances. Mike knew it was a hard topic for El to talk about, and he hated the fact that it made her so sad, but he couldn't help but be thankful that Joyce now knew. He could already tell that she wanted to be a mother figure to El, who had never got to experience that kind of love before.
"Those bastards," Joyce hissed out in anger, her whole body tense with fury as she continued to hold onto El. She closed her eyes and shook her head in frustration, "if I had known sweet heart that you and other children were still there, I would have done something I promise. I am so sorry."
"It's not your fault," El's voice was slightly muffled from where her face was pushed into Joyce's warm red sweater.
"I have a friend whose daughter was taken by those people and killed during the experiments," Joyce muttered quietly, Will and Mike both frowning in confusion at each other.
"What do you mean mom?" Will asked with concern, not sure to who she was referring.
"It doesn't matter." Joyce said sighing heavily, "he has never been the same since and he always believed that those bastards were still kidnapping children. I just wish I had believed him." There was a sombre look on her face for a moment as she was clearly lost in her own thoughts and worries.
Everyone was quiet for a while until Joyce exhaled slowly and pulled away from El just enough to lift the beautiful girl's chin and look into her doe eyes. "If you or your sister ever need anything, I want you to come here okay?" she said seriously, her calming gaze filtering into El's more wider eyes.
El nodded, a small thankful smile lifting up her pink lips. Mike felt his chest feel a little lighter at finally seeing her relieving some of her pain. "Thank you, Joyce," she whispered, her voice choked.
Joyce looked at her lovingly, the same expression on her face that she gave to Will, Jonathan and the party. "Any time sweet heart, you can always feel at home here."
The sound of the timer in the kitchen went off loudly making the group all jump, breaking through the serious discussion and making them all smile sheepishly. "That'll be the cake!" Joyce said jumping up. She turned to El and grinned warmly, "would you like to help me decorate it? Heaven knows I'll ruin it."
El looked to Mike as if seeking permission, not that she needed it of course. But Mike just smiled at her reassuringly, wanting her to be able to relax here and know she could do whatever she wanted, she didn't need his consent to be herself.
"Yes please," El said taking Joyce's extended hand to help her off the cushy sofa. "I would like to help with Mike's cake." She added, her cheeks blushing a pretty pink.
Will and Mike watched the women disappear and then turned to each other, both sighing at how heavy the conversation had been.
"That was intense." Will admitted, shuffling closer in his seat to Mike so he could talk quietly. "I didn't realise she had been through all of that. She is so brave."
"She is incredible." Mike said sighing in awe, as his eyes glanced towards the kitchen. "I just wish I could protect her from all of this. She deserves so much better than what she's been through."
"Oh I don't know," Will answered smiling slightly. "I'd say she's pretty happy with you. I mean she wanted to decorate your birthday cake and she kind of looks like at you like you invented the moon, sun and stars or something."
Mike averted his eyes to his lap where his knee was bouncing slightly from his nerves. "You think?" he asked feebly, slowly looking up to catch his best friend's gaze.
"Oh definitely." Will said knowingly with a smirk. "And wait until Max gets here, she'll tell you. That girl knows everything."
El had never decorated a cake in her life but found that it seemed to come natural as she carefully spread the chocolate frosting over the cake, mindful to keep it neat and smooth. When Mike popped his head around the door to ask if she needed help, El and Joyce both shooed him away playfully.
"You can't see it yet!" El said unable to hide her wide smile at how cute Mike was as he obediently covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. "It's a surprise until your birthday."
Mike chuckled and El could see his grin through the gap in his hands. "Okay, okay I'll leave you alone…for now."
He backed out still comically covering his eyes before turning and heading back to the living room where Will was setting up the table for the game of D&D they would be having. El didn't understand what D&D was but she was excited to watch Mike and his friends playing it.
El was still staring at the spot by the door where Mike had just stood, a longing in her eyes as she thought about the boy who completely changed her world, if he knew it yet or not.
"So," Joyce said clearing her throat and giving El a knowing smile. "You and Mike huh?"
El blushed and went back to putting more frosting on the cake. "He's very special," she admitted, keeping her gaze on a persistent crumb of cake that didn't want to be covered in chocolate.
"He certainly is," Joyce agreed handing El a piping bag full of whipped cream. "He's a lovely boy, I've known him since he was a baby and I can tell he likes you too honey."
El looked up at Joyce meeting her caring gaze. She couldn't help but smile in surprise, "really? Like…more than a friend?"
"Oh definitely," Joyce said seriously before smiling and showing El how to pipe the cream into small artistic blobs around the edge of the cake surface. "Mike wears his heart on his sleeve and he's never introduced a girl to the others, so you are very special sweetie." She added with a teasing wink to El who blushed, unable to hide her pleased grin.
Her joy at Mike potentially liking her just as much as she liked him made El nervous and giddy all at once. But it only made her more anxious about making a good first impression on his friends, wanting them to like her and hopefully accept her for who she was.
When the cake was finished Joyce stored it away and declined El's offer of cleaning up. "No don't worry about it honey, you go and hang out with the boys."
El wandered back into the living room to see Mike and Will sitting at the table that they had pulled into the middle of the room. There was a strange board in the middle of the hard-wooden surface with little figurines plastered about.
"Is this D&D?" El asked curiously, causing Mike to quickly look up from a large black book he had set in front of him.
"Yeah," he said breathlessly, his hitched voice making butterflies erupt into El's stomach, especially when it was accompanied with a heart melting smile. "Do you want to sit by me and I can tell you about the campaign?" Mike added hopefully whilst Will looked away trying to contain his smile.
"Yes," El grinned in response, immediately taking the seat to Mike's right and scooting the chair closer so she could look intensely at his scrawled writing. She didn't notice his red blotchy cheeks or hear how fast his heart was racing as he cleared his throat and started to explain what he had planned for the D&D game and how it worked.
Will helped Joyce set out snacks and drinks for the party whilst Mike and El were immersed in D&D. Mike eagerly explaining the rules of the game with the enthusiasm of a child whilst El was captivated by his voice, smile and eyes. How he seemed to talk more quickly when he was excited about something, similar to when he was nervous. How his eyes had lit up and how his smile was happy and innocent. El loved it.
After a while there was muffled voices coming from outside and the sound of footsteps on the old porch before there was loud knocking at the door. "Joyce! Will! Let us in! It's freaking freezing out here!"
Mike and Will laughed and Joyce chuckled as she hurried to the front door. Even El was smiling because she recognised the voice of Dustin who she had met in the early hours of the morning. She wondered if he was going to be as funny about seeing her as he was before.
El could just faintly catch two other voices, one of them bickering with Dustin before Joyce opened the door. "Come in you three, I can't have any of you freezing to death on my conscience." She teased as she ushered them in.
"It's definitely going to snow out there," came a deeper male's voice just as a dark skinned tall man came into view. He was rubbing his gloved hands together and shuddering slightly from the cold.
"No shit sherlock," Dustin responded rolling his eyes as he stepped over the threshold. "You don't have to be a genius to know that."
"Eurgh will you two wastoids just shut up for once? I've been hearing you two talking shit for the entire walk over here." Came a third female voice that immediately had El confused before she came into view. Her red hair looked slightly windswept, but it was mostly kept in place by the woollen hat she was wearing. She shook it off along with her coat whilst El sat at the table in shock staring at the red head.
Mike cleared his throat, getting up from the table but stayed next to El protectively. "Guys," he said making the three new additions turn their heads in the direction of the table. He exhaled deeply and smiled at El, gesturing his hand slightly to her. "This is – "
"El?!" Max gasped in surprise, her blue eyes displaying shock and then confusion. Everyone else looked between El and Max in bewilderment whilst the two girls stared at one another.
"Hi Max," El said with a sheepish smile, blood rushing to her cheeks and highlighting a blush when she remembered everything she had told the redhead about the boy she liked and how she wanted to kiss him. Never could she have imagined that Max would know exactly who she was swooning over.
But Max did know, and her shocked expression soon turned into a teasing smirk as her blue sharp eyes flickered from El to Mike and then back to El who was now awkwardly looking away.
"How do you two know each other?" Mike asked in amazement as he stared between his red headed friend and El who was not really just a friend, more like his girlfriend, but not his girlfriend. It was all very confusing.
When El said nothing, still too concerned that Max would out her and tell Mike that she thought he was the sweetest man she'd ever met and how cute, kind and handsome he was. Not to mention the fact that she had admitted to Max just how crazy she was about him.
"Just from the store," the red head answered smiling innocently. "El comes in all the time so we've become friends."
El looked up at Max and gave her what she hoped was a grateful smile at not letting slip how they had been discussing how she practically melted anytime she spoke about Mike and that the red head had helped her pick an outfit especially for the movie marathon.
"Yeah Max let me keep my favourite videos from her store," El added giving her only female friend a big grin, still feeling beyond happy that she now had a permanent copy of 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Beauty and the Beast'.
"Won't your step dad be pissed for doing that?" the dark-skinned boy asked, a deep set frown on his brow as he looked at Max. El realised that he had to be Lucas considering the red head had spoken about her boyfriend and El had already met Will and Dustin.
Max rolled her eyes, "as if I give a shit about what my step dad thinks."
"He is an ass hole." Joyce agreed with a nod of her head that made Will and Mike smirk. "Anyway," she said clapping her hands together. "I'll leave you to your games and I'll be in my room with the TV and a bottle of wine if anyone needs me." Joyce waved over her shoulder to the young adults before heading to the kitchen to grab a wine glass and her bottle from the fridge.
"My mother ladies and gentlemen," Will teased whilst the others laughed. There was silence for a moment, no one knowing what to say about the fact that El with super powers was sat at the D&D table and even more bizarrely, her and Max already knew each other.
"So El you're the girl who has powers? Why didn't you tell me?!" The red head said abruptly, but not in anger. She just seemed frustrated as if she was the last person in on a secret.
El shrugged, "sorry Max, I didn't realise you knew Mike." She explained as the red head, Dustin and Lucas came over to the table.
"To be fair, if I met me, I wouldn't think I hung out with a bunch of nerds either." Max said fairly, ignoring the shouts of indignation from the boys. "This is Lucas by the way, my boy toy." She teased gesturing to the boy who took a seat on her left.
"Hey El," he said with a grin. "It's nice to finally meet you. Mike talks about you all the - "
"Okay!" Mike shouted, his hands up in surrender and his face flustered. "Can everyone stop making me sound like a creep?!"
El giggled and the others laughed, all of them teasing Mike who was bright red when Dustin said, "well you were trying to stalk her. But you were like the worst stalker ever because you didn't know where the hell she was."
Mike huffed in indignation, his face practically on fire now. "I wasn't stalking her! I just wanted to see her…" he clearly realised what he said was even worse because his friends barked with laughter while Mike dropped his boiling hot face into his sweaty palms.
El chuckled at him, her eyes warm and loving as she reached over under the table and placed her hand on his knee. Mike immediately brought his head up and caught her gaze, his eyes wide with surprise before a dopey grin slowly erupted onto his face. El kept her hand on his knee throughout the game and she didn't know whose heart was racing more.
Dungeons and Dragons was more fascinating then El could have expected and she found herself completely consumed by the story that Mike set out, how captivating he was as the Dungeon Master and the control that he had over the game. El watched him closely more than the game, loving the glint of mischief in his eyes as the campaign involved twists and turns, constantly keeping the party in suspense.
Another thing El learnt about D&D was how long it took. Whilst being entranced by the game she didn't realise the clock was ticking, nor did she notice it when they stopped to eat, laughing and joking as they ate the tough pasta Joyce cooked them whilst Will mumbled that his mom's cooking skills were very different from her baking skills.
It was way past midnight when the campaign finally ended, and the party were rewarded by a King for their bravery. El smiled around at the group as they bickered with Mike that the campaign had been way too short whilst he argued exasperatedly, "it was ten hours!"
At his words El looked at the clock shocked to see it was past 1am, the hands of the clock taunting and reminding her that she was going to be in a lot of trouble when she finally got back to the warehouse.
"I've got to go." El said breathlessly more to herself than the others. But at her outbreak the party members stopped their squabbling and turned to her in surprise.
"Really?" Mike asked quietly, his eyes sad and disappointed.
"You can stay here tonight El, we're having a sleepover anyway." Will added kindly, giving her a gentle smile.
"Yeah stay El!" Dustin said brightly, still not completely over his fangirling.
"You can't go out there this late," Lucas looked concerned. "There's weirdos out at this time of night. It's not safe."
"We're not doubting that you can't look after yourself," Max said quickly when it was obvious El was about to explain that her powers kept her out of harm's way. "But it would be cool if you could stay. For one it's really nice having another girl around and second of all it's Wheeler's birthday." The red head added, her eyes wide and knowing as she glanced at Mike who had a desperate hope in his eyes before looking back at El.
She swallowed anxiously, knowing that Kali was going to be mad at her anyway for being out so late after she told her that it wouldn't happen again. What was a few more hours? She could just leave really early.
"Okay," El finally blurted out, smiling bashfully when the party cheered and clapped, and Mike beamed at her. She met his dark starry eyes and blushed, so overwhelmed by his gaze that she forgot the practicalities for a moment before reality set back in.
"I don't have pyjamas with me," El confessed feeling slightly embarrassed. "Or a sleeping bag."
"That's okay," Will said coming up with a solution. "I know we have a spare sleeping bag around here somewhere that my brother Jonathan used to use. And you can always borrow something off my mom – "
"Or you can have my shirt if you want." Mike blurted out, his eyes wide with surprise at his words, especially when the whole party looked at him in amusement. "Er…I m-meant, you can like use my shirt because I have another one to sleep in."
El couldn't help but blush too, the idea of being enveloped in Mike's shirt, that smelt like him and that he had worn was more thrilling then she could explain. "Okay," she answered breathlessly, not taking her eyes off him.
The party rearranged the living room to lay out their sleeping bags whilst Joyce found El a pair of pyjamas bottoms. After Mike had changed in the bathroom he shyly handed El his shirt which was still warm, and she was able to hide her gleeful smile by hurrying into the bathroom that he had just vacated.
Once his shirt was covering her upper body and falling to her thighs in length, she lifted the collar and gave it a sniff, feeling embarrassed but comforted when she inhaled Mike's scent. El sighed happily and exited the bathroom so that Max could change.
She only got out of the door way before she was ambushed by the red head who ushered her back into the bathroom and closed the door. El knew immediately what this was going to be about and quickly averted her eyes.
"Oh my freaking god," Max exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air. "Wheeler?! You're crazy about Michael Wheeler?!" The red head chuckled to herself and shook her head in amazement. "I never thought this day would come. I thought he was going to die a virgin..."
El blushed bright red at Max's outburst, especially over her confession about Mike's sexual life. She couldn't help but be secretly pleased that no other girl had got to experience intimacy in that way with Mike. And while El didn't know a lot about sex, she knew enough. She did read Cosmopolitan after all…
"Does this mean that Mike hasn't got a lot of experience kissing?" El asked breathlessly, too curious to allow herself to be embarrassed by her question.
Max snorted in amusement, "trust me, I think he has kissed two girls in his whole life and I don't even think either of them were with tongue. So, you're on a pretty level playing field."
El practically beamed with relief, her worries over Mike's experiences being so different to hers slowly ebbing away. She suddenly wasn't so scared to try and push the boundaries of their friendship.
"I'm thinking we should put El's sleeping bag right here…" Dustin said teasingly as he moved the blue soft mattress bag along so it was touching Mike's black one.
Mike sighed in exasperation while the boys sniggered and pushed his own sleeping bag slightly to the left so there was at least a gap between his and El's, even if it was small. He wasn't going to lie, of course he wanted to sleep next to her, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable either, and if she preferred to move her sleeping bag by Max then he would understand.
"Hey Will, why don't you let Mike and El have your bed for the night?" Lucas joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "It is his twenty-first birthday after all…"
"Eurgh gross," Will shuddered whilst Mike attacked Lucas with sofa cushions. "No one is having sex in my bed."
"Aw bad luck Paladin," Dustin joined in the goading making Mike throw a pillow at him too.
"Me and El are not having sex," he practically hissed in anger and embarrassment. "Just drop it okay?" he told them in a hushed whisper when they heard the bathroom door open and El and Max's footsteps.
The boys obediently dropped the topic, but Mike still felt himself going red when he saw El, loving the way she looked in his shirt. The fact that it was against her bare skin was making his own skin burn with heat and he had to excuse himself to the kitchen where he quickly downed a pint of water. He shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts and get some sense back into his brain.
He was secretly relieved to see that El didn't move her sleeping bag even when Will explained to her where everyone was sleeping. In fact, she seemed to be relieved that Mike was next to her, giving him a shy smile that made his heart flutter madly.
Everyone got into their sleeping bags, laughing and talking for another 30 minutes before they all started to drift to sleep. Will was first, then Dustin, Lucas, Max and Mike. But he was having trouble sleeping, hyperaware of El and every time she moved in her sleeping bag.
After another five minutes Mike turned on his side, so he was facing El's direction. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her in the dark, it had just started snowing outside and the illuminated brightness of the sky shed a small amount of light into the living room. Mike could make out El's silhouette and when he really focused he could see her face, she looked worried.
El seemed startled by his question but she turned on her side too, so that they could look at each other easier. She didn't say anything for a while and Mike's question hung in the air between them until she sighed quietly.
"I find it hard to get to sleep sometimes because I'm scared to dream…"
"Why?" he asked her softly, his voice quiet and calming but his brow furrowed in concern for her.
El's eyes flickered over his for a moment, "I have nightmares…almost every night. About the lab, about…about the man who called himself my papa."
Mike gulped, his heart racing at the thought of having frequent nightmares, but it was even worse for El who wasn't just having nightmares of ghosts or stupid things, hers were flashbacks. Things that had actually happened to her and now she was having to relive them in her unconscious mind.
"Is there anything that helps to stop the nightmares?" Mike whispered, his eyes fixed on El's.
She seemed to ponder this for a moment, her hazel eyes glazing over, deep in thought. "There was one night when I didn't have nightmares…"
Mike didn't say anything and waited patiently for her to continue. In the darkness, even with the highlight of the flurrying heavy snow brightening the room, he couldn't distinguish the pink blush that was appearing on El's cheeks.
"It was the night I visited you in the void Mike." She finally admitted, her voice vulnerable and quiet.
Mike blinked, surprised by her answer, his heart in his throat. "And w-why…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "And why do you think that stopped the nightmares?" His voice was slightly shaky, but he tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting the others to wake up and hear this. It felt like a very private moment between the two of them.
El maintained her gaze with Mike's, their eyes connected, not just physically but emotionally. He felt like he could almost hear her heart racing as fast as his own.
"Because you make me feel safe Mike." El finally whispered.
Mike reached for her hand, finding it in the small space between their sleeping bags. Their fingers laced together, fitting perfectly. There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he wanted to express, but he couldn't be sure that the others were definitely asleep.
He smiled softly, his eyes wandering over El's beautiful face as his thumb stroked slowly over the back of her hand. "I will always keep you safe El. I promise."
El eyes widened in surprise and a smile crept onto her lips as she stared back at him. She squeezed his hand and snuggled forever into her pillow, keeping her eyes on his until she was finally pulled into a slumber.
Mike watched over her for a long time, hoping she was having good dreams. He could only fall into his own sleep when he watched a grin flicker on her face whilst she slept. Feeling reassured she was okay, Mike allowed himself to shut his heavy eyes.
Sunday 26th January 1992
Mike was in the space between dreaming and consciousness. He could hear distance voices, hushed sniggers and laughter and he frowned, groaning slightly as he pulled the warm pillow that was already next to him closer to his body. He snuggled further into it, but the distant laughter only seemed to get closer.
His eyelids started to flicker, bleary eyes trying to blink and focus, coming back to reality. "Wha's going on?" Mike mumbled quietly, content to fall back asleep with this warm pillow by his side.
"This is the best thing I've ever seen," Lucas sniggered.
"Leave them alone," Max whispered, but her grin was evident.
"Quick Will get a photo before Mike wakes up," Dustin whispered between his laughter.
The snap of a camera was what made Mike open his eyes in confusion. But it wasn't a flash or a lens that caught his gaze, in fact he was too consumed by the fact that his forehead was against El's and his nose and hers were inches from each other whilst his arm was wrapped around her waist whilst hers was flung over his chest.
Mike blinked in a panic and hurried to put a bit of distance between them whilst his friends sniggered and tried desperately to contain their laughter whilst El slept soundly. However, at Mike's hurried movements her own eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. By that point there was a significant gap between them and he tried to pretend that he hadn't just been cuddling her in his sleep.
"M-Morning," Mike croaked to El as she stretched her arms above her head, oblivious to the rest of the party watching them avidly, highly entertained by their cuddling session.
"Good morning," El said smiling at him slightly before she turned to look at the others who were now averting their eyes and containing their grins. "Morning," she added politely before they all greeted her in return.
El turned to Mike, a soft smile on her face while the other party members mumbled about grabbing breakfast and hurried to the kitchen where Joyce was already scrambling eggs.
"What was that about?" El giggled, a small bemused smile on her face as she watched the party scurrying away.
"Oh nothing," Mike said as nonchalantly as he could as he cleared his throat and sat up, the sleeping bag feeling tight against his legs. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked her, allowing his embarrassment at cuddling her without her knowledge to slip away as he felt the same protectiveness from last night coming back.
"I have never slept better," El admitted with a shy smile as she averted her eyes. "I didn't have one nightmare."
"Maybe I'm your lucky charm," Mike teased, trying to ease the tension in his heart to just kiss her by making a joke which only made him feel more bashful and awkward.
"Maybe…" El whispered softly, looking up at Mike, their gazes locking before they both smiled shyly. They both jumped when Joyce called them in for breakfast and hurried to their feet to join the others.
Before Mike could head to the kitchen El grabbed his hand, "Mike?"
"Y-Yeah?" he asked sheepishly, looking back at her, his gaze dancing across her beautiful face.
"Happy birthday," she said with a sweet smile that warmed his heart and made his stomach explode with butterflies. He could only grin foolishly as she giggled and pulled him along to the kitchen.
It turned out that the flurry of icy particles in the middle of the night had caused a vast blanket of snow to cover most of Chicago. And while there was the sound of snow shovels out in the street and the grumbles of neighbours trying to unearth their cars, there was only childish excitement happening in the Byers household.
"We need to have a snow ball fight!" Max was saying breathlessly, her enthusiasm heightened at the idea of getting to chuck frozen ice at her friends. She was the most athletic out of all of the boys and so to her this was the main reason why a snow ball fight was so appealing.
"A snow ball fight?" El whispered to Mike in confusion. He turned to her in surprise, shocked that she had never got to experience the fun aspects to winter and then immediately angry at the things she had been forced to miss out on.
"It's fun," he insisted with a warm smile, determined to make this as good of an experience as possible. "You form the snow into a ball shape and run around throwing it at each other. Like in Beauty and the Beast when they try to hit each other in the face." Mike realised that didn't sound exactly appealing but El chuckled in surprise all the same.
Before Joyce would allow any of the party in the back yard to play in the snow, she insisted that they were all appropriately dressed. She borrowed El a coat and gloves whilst Mike gave her his beanie hat, insisting that his mop of dark hair would keep his ears warm. He loved seeing her pleased grin when she tucked the hat over her curly brown locks.
Mike watched as El's hazel eyes widened with wonder as they stepped into the back yard which looked like an untouched winter wonderland. That was until Dustin, Lucas, Max and Will rushed forward, their footprints sticking in the fluffy snow as they yelled and laughed, quickly patting the snow into snow balls.
"It is like Beauty and the Beast," El gasped with an amazed look on her face as she watched the party having fun.
His dark eyes gazed at El and he grinned adoringly, "come on. Let's join them." Mike held out his hand and El turned to him, glowing with excitement as she clasped his glove covered hand and let him run with her, trying to find them cover before they could make their own snow balls and join the fight.
Mike was hit more times than he could count, his clothes dusted in snow because of how distracted he was with staring at El. He couldn't help it, he was absolutely captivated by how much fun she was having. She was laughing and fully involved in the game, running around the yard throwing snow balls at any chance she got, narrowly avoiding being hit by most of them.
Mike beamed with happiness knowing this was the best birthday of his life. He tried to pay attention to the game as much as he could, feeling slightly disappointed when they stopped to drink hot cocoa until he noticed that El's button nose was tinged red from the cold and it was the most adorable thing Mike had ever seen. She caught his gaze over the steaming mugs of chocolate and grinned knowingly, both of them blushing and smiling foolishly.
"We should make a snow man next," Mike said to El, grinning even wider when he saw the amazement in her eyes as she nodded her head intently.
The rest of the party carried on with their snow ball fight, leaving a distance between Mike and El to give them some alone time. They found an area near the back of the yard where the snow lay untouched and Mike showed El how to start scooping up the snow and rolling it along so it became more compact and bigger. It formed the bottom circle of their snow man as they worked together to make the middle and finally the top.
El had fun routing around the garden searching for twigs and small stones to decorate their snow man. "What should we call him?" she shouted from across the yard walking back to Mike with a carrot in her hand that Joyce had just donated for the cause. The rest of the party had hurried inside for some lunch.
Mike looked at the snow man that was complete except for its nose. "Whatever you want," he said back to El, smiling softly when she joined him and pushed the carrot into the centre of the snow man's face.
El appraised the snow man and grinned, "Eggo," she said with a stern finality that made Mike laugh before she joined in, her eyes sparkling.
They both looked at each other, stood in front of their snow man proudly. Their eyes lingered on each other, their gaze saying so much in the moment as the snow fell gracefully around them.
Mike could see the fun El had, the childlike and innocent excitement she got to experience that day beaming through her features. And then there was the softer side of her, the glint in her eyes when she looked at him. Only him. The depth of her pupils staring into Mike's, the hitches in her breaths when they didn't look away and the glow of her beauty shining from her pure soul as they moved closer to one another.
Mike gulped, the moment felt intense and important. He knew in his heart that this was it.
He slowly lifted his hand up to her cold cheek, basking in her beauty as her lips parted slightly, her eyes wide and dare he say loving as she stared back at him, completely captivated.
The cold air and the fluttering of snow falling onto their cheeks and settling on their clothing no longer mattered as the gap between them grew shorter and shorter.
El's breath was warm on Mike's face, a gasp of anticipation hitting his mouth as he closed his eyes and felt her eyelashes flicker down on his cheeks as he just went with his instinct, finally, finally kissing El like he had been dreaming of.
Their lips only brushed together at first, delicate and soft, testing the waters. El whimpered, the vibration of the sound tickling Mike's mouth and causing him to smile into the kiss. He kept his hand on her cheek as he put more pressure into the kiss, feeling El respond not only with her lips.
Her hands moved to his shoulders, gripping his coat and holding him in place before her arms wrapped around his neck. El moved onto her tip toes causing Mike to not need to lean down as much. His free hand went to her waist and he pulled her closer, his heart exploding with so much happiness and love that he suddenly realised that maybe those magical Disney kisses could be real. Because there was nothing else to describe this kiss than magical.
Their lips finally parted from one another, oxygen a necessity after a while even though Mike felt he could have survived solely on kissing El for the rest of his life. Their foreheads touched and they both stared at each other with matching blissful grins.
"I've wanted to do that for so long," Mike admitted breathlessly, laughing softly because he was so incredibly overwhelmed.
El giggled too, her smile blindingly beautiful. "Me too." She sighed happily, brushing her nose against Mike's and making him beam with happiness.
"Was it like a Disney kiss?" he couldn't help but tease, feeling so elated, like he could do anything.
El grinned and stared straight into Mike's eyes, her gaze so warm. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and her hands moved to the back of his head, her fingers weaving into his hair as she pulled him down and kissed him again.
Mike immediately kissed her back, tilting his head slightly to deepen the kiss and overwhelm his senses with El and nothing but El. After a while she pulled back, both of their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath.
She looked up at him and giggled softly. "Much better than a Disney kiss."
AN: Okay I really loved writing that :-)
I really hope you enjoyed it, pretty please let me know what you thought!
