A/N: Extra fluff and feels. Chapter 7 and this one have been the most fun to write. Hope what I tried to do comes across ok.
Sunset In The Fort
That knock on the door again.
Mike almost tripped over himself getting to the door. When he slid it open, El was standing there looking freshly scrubbed and radiant. Her round eyes were looking troubled.
"You ok, El?"
"We need to talk...in the blanket fort?" Doe eyes turned Mike's heart into pudding. He was suddenly very anxious that this might not be a good talk.
They both crawled into to the blanket fort. Mike sat crossed legged and El sat opposite sitting on her feet.
"Go ahead El, tell me what's on your mind."
"Ooh, this is going to be harder than I thought." El said in a shaky voice."About last night-"
"-You don't need to explain anything" Mike cut her off.
"No, Mike, this part I do. I never meant to cry like that in front of you. I figured that particular cry would be with my dad or Max. Even though, I came to terms with all that stuff a long time ago, it all came rushing back, and I was overwhelmed. But the worst part was, " Her voice got shakier still.
"Worst part was that I thought I'd ruined any chance I had with you."
El cast her eyes down unable to look to see if what she feared was reflected in Mike's eyes. Twin tears etched their way down her cheeks.
Mike was silent.
"Mike?" El's voice was barely above a whisper. "...please say something." She was terrified that he didn't feel the same way.
"I have been alone so long" Mike said slowly. He took a ragged breath. "I didn't think it was even possible to feel for someone the way I feel about you."
He leaned over and pressed a simple kiss on her mouth. Lingering for a few seconds. The kiss was a promise.. Mike put his entire being into it.
El looked a little surprised, with a quirky half smile as if she was neither expecting it or knew what it was for. Then she burst into tears.
"I'm such an ugly crier" she said breaking out into a laugh while still crying.
"I think you're pretty when you cry."
Mike reached up with both thumbs and brushed her tears away. "So, um, I'm not very good at this. I don't really know whatl the rules are but, uh, I think because you slept in the blanket fort, you have to be my girlfriend?" he looked at her, he had stopped breathing.
"Yes"
Mike let out his breath all at once. "Thanks El...you made that a lot… just...thanks El."
"Saying 'yes' was the easiest thing I've ever had to do Mike."
El sniffed, drying her eyes, "...and besides I already marked you with about ten hours of drool. That's how I know you are my boyfriend." El felt giddy saying it aloud. Then with more confidence "I am Mike Wheeler's girlfriend."
"We should get T-shirts made" Mike said making her laugh.
"Mike, I want to run back over and tell Max, I'll actually help you unpack when I get back instead of unloading my emotional baggage on you."
"Sure." He pointed to his right shoulder. "You can unload on this shoulder anytime" then he pointed to his left. "This one is forever reserved for you're drool."
El giggled, leaned over, hesitated a second and kissed him quick then crawled out of the blanket fort.
Max was drying her hair with a towel while looking at the morning sun streaming through their turned when she heard El close the door. "Shit" If El was back this early it probably didn't go well.
The look on El's face could have powered a small city. "I am Mike Wheeler's girlfriend."
"Shit." Max said again. "Now I have to go hug him again. Come on, have to tell you both something anyway" She started back over to the loft dragging El behind her.
Mike was head deep in a box when he heard Max's voice. "Stand up Wheeler, It's good news bad news time.
Mike stood up, "What did i do wrong this time? "Max immediately pulled him into a hug. "Ok Wheeler that was the last hug you get from me, you have a girlfriend now, El can take over the hugging duties."
"Ok, last hug" He said "...that was the bad news" He gave Max a sheepish look , "what's the good news?"
"You get to meet Chief Jim Hopper."
"Actually Max, I've already met him."
Max grinned. "Not as El's boyfriend you haven't. That will be a whole new experience for you. You're welcome."
"Hawkins is like five hours away."
"Road trip." Max smiled. "That's the real bad news. But the twist is, it's bad news for me, I have to be in the same car as you two for that length of time. I don't I have nearly enough barf bags."
"So I take it you're driving then? I don't think my clunker of a car would make it."
"I'm going to deliver you safe and sound to Hopper. No way you're getting out of this Wheeler."
"Don't stay up late kids, we leave when he sun comes up tomorrow morning." Max spun on her heel and left the loft.
Mike turned to El. "I am El Hopper's terrified boyfriend". He put his hands on her waist. "And I'm ok with that " He leaned in to kiss her. El smiled against his lips.
"So later after a hard days work unpacking, I get to watch the sunset in the blanket fort with my girlfriend."
Mike looked into her eyes. " El, I have no words to describe how good that makes me feel." El gave him that smile.
El was an unpacking machine. She emptied boxes, broke them down and piled them by the loft door. She helped Mike put the few dishes she had in the kitchen area cupboards, assemble books cases for his books, and helped build the kingsize bed he had bought, while blushing the whole time.
"Wow. I thought it was going to take me a month to get all this done and still get some writing done. Thanks El."
El smiled. "I think I deserve a kiss for that...don't you?" Mike smiled, kissed her quick. El was flushed but not from but kiss.
"You ok, you look really flushed? I'd like to think it was me that did that to you but..." El giggled.
"I'm ok, I was working fast. I get that way when I put out a lot of energy. I need to rest a bit...blanket fort?"
"Blanket fort"
"I also really need a glass of wine" she smiled.
"Sorry El, I'm not much of drinker. I have a cold six pack in the fridge. No wine at all"
"Bag I brought over?"
"Um, I put it over here". Mike went over, took the bag off the floor and put it on the kitchen counter. There was a bottle of white wine in it.
"I will pour you a glass...after you have a glass of water". He grabbed a freshly unpacked glass, rinsed it out first, and filled it up.
"Drink up, you could be a little dehydrated...mostly from all the drool that came out of you."
"And the crying" El said quietly.
"Water for the drool, wine to replace the tears" Mike held both of her cheeks and kissed her softly. "Ok, drink up"
El finished the entire glass of water. "Good girl, wine will be your reward...but not right now. We should probably eat first, I'm starved."
"Can make you something…if you like my dad's cooking, it's the same"
"We'll order something..."
"Pizza in a blanket fort. It doesn't get any better than this El" Mike smiled at her "well actually it does, sunset coming up"
They managed a quick cleanup, before settling into the blanket fort. El scooted next to Mike and he put his arm around her waist.
The sunset was spectacular. Mike felt vindicated that the time he put looking for the loft was worth it. But he would have sat there and looked at a brick wall as long El was by his side.
"You saved me," Mike said in a soft voice, "I didn't realize until I first heard your voice, how lonely I really was. At one point I thought I was going to go through life with no one. Then I heard your voice again. I was only half joking when I said you were an angel."
"And then, when I saw your eyes…" Mike's voice was barely a whisper by this point.
"You saved me, El"
"Mike," El breathed and laid her head on his shoulder. "My heart feels safe with you. Your heart is safe with me. I promise."
