The Life You Deserve
AN: I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while! I was focused on getting Happier With You finished. Now that it is complete, I'm back to focusing on this story :-) Caution - lots of Mileven fluff ahead!
Chapter 9: Breaking The Rules
March 1985.
Spring break couldn't have come quicker Mike thought as he biked hard to the cabin with Dustin and Will, Lucas falling back slightly as Max kept up on her skate board.
El only had her tutoring for four hours in the morning and then they were free to come over every day and see her. Mike smirked knowing there wasn't anything Hopper could do about it because he was in work.
Mike chucked his bike to the side as he approached the cabin eagerly, his friends trailing behind making kissing noises and jokes.
Before he could even knock, El came out of the cabin looking simply radiant in a pink dress, her curly hair plaited. Mike's breath caught in his chest.
"You look beautiful" he said breathlessly as El beamed and skipped down the steps to him. He pulled her immediately into his arms and lay his head on top of her curls, a goofy smile on his face.
"I missed you," El sighed into Mike's chest making his heart constrict with how much he loved her. "I missed you too…" he murmured.
There was a loud cough from behind the pair and Dustin's amused voice. "You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that El and Mike missed each other."
The others laughed whilst Mike and El broke out of their embrace, although he didn't hesitate to entwine their fingers. "Shut up," he glared playfully.
"We'll shut up when you two stop with the whole love heart eyes," Max smirked before putting her hands on her hips. "So what do we want to do today?"
Everyone went quiet as they thought about their limited options.
"What about hide and seek?" Will asked.
"No we've played that six times this week." Lucas answered rolling his eyes.
"Climbing trees?" Mike suggested.
"No! Not after Dusty here almost broke his arm." Max scoffed.
Dustin scowled, "I didn't almost break my arm!"
"Movies in the cabin?" Lucas offered.
"No, it gets really hot in there at this hour remember. When the suns on it. We need somewhere cooler like my basement." Mike said casually.
"Let's go to your basement Mike." El said in her sweet soft tone.
The party looked at her in surprise and Mike felt immediately anxious. "El…you know we can't leave the cabin. Your dad would have a fit."
El shrugged, "he wouldn't need to know."
"Wow what did you do to pure and innocent El Mike? She's a rebel now!" Dustin teased making Mike immediately go red at the insinuation.
"Nothing you idiot!"
"Well I think El's idea is the best one. We could play D&D or something." Lucas said leaning against his parked bike.
Mike frowned whilst the others nodded eagerly. "But what if some one spots her?" he asked nervously.
Max stepped forward, "well we can like disguise her. Have you still got all that crap Nancy gave you El?"
When El nodded and smiled, Max took her other hand and dragged her away into the cabin from Mike. He watched them leave like a part of his heart had just walked off too.
Five minutes later Max reappeared with El. Her curly brunette locks hidden underneath a red long wig and dark sunglasses.
Mike couldn't help but grin with the rest of the group as nostalgia hit him. He remembered El walking out of his bathroom with a blonde wig and pink dress and a look of hesitant confidence on her beautiful face.
"Careful, now we have two fiery red heads!" Dustin called as he picked up his bike.
Max rolled her eyes whilst the boys all laughed. El hesitated and then looked up at Mike with a smile.
"Is it pretty?" she asked him quietly.
Mike looked at her with love and walked up to her, entwining their hands. "Yeah it is. You look beautiful no matter what you wear though." He said shrugging bashfully whilst his friends all made vomiting noises and Max yelled "here we go again!"
"Right let's hit the road then!" Lucas said happily mounting his bike whilst Max walked next to him with her skateboard under her arm.
El looked around at the modes of transport and Mike could feel the nerves growing in his stomach. "Er…El? Do you wanna get on the back of my bike?"
She turned to him with bright eyes and nodded with excitement. Mike tried to keep a cool face when El hopped on the bike and moved her arms around his stomach, her body tucked up to his. He knew the boys were smirking at him and he was determined not to let them tease him anymore.
The ride to his house was utter bliss in Mike's opinion. The temperature wasn't too cold and wasn't too hot and the angel laying her head on his back and her hands on his abdomen was making him feel jittery sparks of electricity and heat as he rode.
He couldn't stop smiling to himself as he biked, knowing that Hopper would kill him if he found out they took El out of the cabin, but knowing it was worth it for her to finally have some freedom and proper fresh air.
"You okay back there?" Mike asked sweetly, turning his head slightly in El's direction before turning his gaze to the road, trying his hardest to concentrate on the trail and not on the beautiful girl tucked up to him.
"Yes…" El said breathing a sigh of relief. "I feel happy." She added in contentment making Mike's heart flutter madly. Her hands stroked slightly against his stomach and Mike's eyes widened with shock but he tried to keep silent, wondering if she knew what the contact was doing to his body.
"Your stomach is harder than I remember. Why is it?" El said rather curiously as her stroking hand prodded him slightly. Mike felt himself blushing madly and was thankful that she couldn't see his face.
"Er…I guess it's just muscle?" He said weakly. Mike knew he wasn't exactly buff, far from it in fact. But now that he was growing taller by the day and puberty had hit him like a train, he knew all the exercise he did on the bike was starting to slowly catch up with his body.
El didn't say anything but carried on her innocent but tantalising stroking of his stomach. Mike was thankful when they reached his house because he didn't think he would have been able to concentrate on biking a moment longer.
"You okay there Mike?" Will said watching his friend with amusement as they all started to dismount the bikes by the basement door.
Mike blushed furiously and averted his eyes from his friends as he helped El off the back. "Yeah I'm fine." He said quickly, his friends only sharing smirks and thankfully not pressing the issue further.
As soon as El got off the bike she looked up at the house with awe. She couldn't believe she was back to where it had all started. A strange heaviness hit her chest that she didn't fully understand and she followed Mike and her friends into the basement trying to ignore the feeling.
Everyone piled into the basement and went their separate ways. Dustin and Lucas headed to the kitchen upstairs whilst Max helped Will set up the D&D game. Mike hovered by the door and watched El closely as she looked around the basement with wonder.
Her eyes finally fell on the object she had been hopeful would still be there. Her fort. El couldn't understand the tears that started to rush down her cheeks and she walked closer to her old bed.
"Are you okay?" El heard the calming voice of her boyfriend as he walked up behind her, clearly having seen what she was looking at.
El turned back to look at Mike over her shoulder and gave him a warm smile. "I just can't believe it's still here." She mused.
Mike grinned and moved his arms around her, placing a kiss onto her cheek before they both turned their gaze back onto the fort. "And I will make sure it stays here for as long as possible." He assured her.
She looked into his dark eyes, so warm and bright to her. They made her heart flip every time. "I love you." She said boldly.
Mike blushed and grinned happily. "I love you too."
"Woah, woah woah! Did you two just say the L word?!" Max gasped. El had forgotten for a moment that her and Mike weren't alone and they both turned to see Will and Max watching them avidly.
"Yeah we did." Mike said defiantly as he reached for El's hand, their fingers lacing together naturally.
Will smirked and Max looked oddly proud of them both. "Well just don't let those two hear you." She joked, her finger pointing up to the ceiling where El knew the kitchen was.
10 minutes later the party were all sat around the table and immersed in D&D. Well the boys were whilst the girls watched on. Max and El were still learning more about the game before they were due to start playing and Will was still designing their characters.
El didn't particularly mind, she was sat next to Mike, her chair tucked up as close as possible to his and holding his hand under the table. She watched him with awe as he controlled the game, it caused an odd stir of excitement in her chest at his power.
Max grew irritated after a while and started to tell Lucas that he'd taken the wrong move whilst he became flustered and his character almost died. They bickered playfully between one another and El watched them with interest, wondering if her and Mike would ever argue, she had certainly argued with her dad before. At the thought of Hopper El felt instantly guilty, knowing that he would be furious if he found out she was breaking the rules. But there was only so much time she could stand being cooped up.
After another hour Dustin's rumbling stomach signified lunch time. Will and Dustin headed upstairs promising the rest of the group that they would make a bunch of sandwiches since Mrs Wheeler was out at book club. El was slightly thankful otherwise she'd have to be hiding right now if Mike's mom was home, she still didn't know about her.
The two young couples left each other alone, Max and Lucas headed to the couch and snuggled whilst El and Mike went and sat in the fort whispering to each other and holding hands.
They stopped talking for a moment and Mike just stared at El, his eyes slightly wide as he gazed immediately into her eyes. "What is it?" she asked him suddenly feeling shy as a blush crept up her cheeks.
"It's just…I sat in here for 353 days desperate for you to come home. And…now you're here." Mike's voice came out cracked and dry and El felt her chest squeeze with that odd feeling again.
Their joined hands grip seemed to get a little tighter as if they were holding onto each other for dear life. Mike sniffed and sighed staring at her still. "I just feel…complete."
El couldn't stop the blinding smile that arose onto her lips. She had never known a truer word than what Mike had just exclaimed. "I feel complete too." El whispered, slowly closing the short gap between them.
"Ew get a room you two!" Dustin's voice suddenly boomed as he came down the stairs with Will. One of their hands laden with a plate of sandwiches whilst the other held potato chips and soda.
Mike rolled his eyes in annoyance but before he could bite back, Max came to their rescue. "Relax they are holding hands you dumbass. Go get yourself a girlfriend and you won't have to worry about other people's relationships."
Dustin glared at her, "I'll have you know I was asked out by three girls last week."
"Well then why don't you say yes?" Lucas asked confused from his position on the couch.
"Steve said to act like I don't care." Dustin said shrugging.
"The same Steve that lost his girlfriend to Will's brother?" Max asked deadpan, her eyebrow rising making the others snort.
"Can we not talk about my sister please." Mike said shuddering as he got out of the fort and gave his hand to El, helping her to her feet.
"Fair enough." Dustin said putting the sandwiches on the table and scoffing into one. His eyes turned on Will who was opening the potato chips. "Have you asked Jennifer out yet?" he asked curiously.
Will suddenly became flustered and almost dropped the packet of potato chips on the floor. "Er…no. Not yet." He said trying to clear his dry throat.
"Well don't leave it too long, some other guy will ask her out." Lucas said grabbing a sandwich.
"But she likes Will doesn't she? Why would she go out with another boy?" El asked confused. She couldn't comprehend loving another boy like she did Mike.
"Probably because they're stronger, smarter and cooler than me." Will mumbled looking down at the food.
El frowned, "but you are cool." She said in confusion.
"And you're called Will the Wise for a reason." Mike interjected smiling at his friend.
"And you did kind of survive an entire week in the Upside Down dude. I'd say you're pretty strong." Lucas said pointing a potato chip at Will before eating it whilst Max and Dustin nodded in agreement, their mouths full of sandwich.
Will cringed but looked at his friends with surprise. "Thanks guys." He said brightly.
"No problem." Max said swallowing her sandwich whilst Lucas snorted. "You didn't say anything."
Max shrugged, "I don't need to." She said with sass making Lucas give her love heart eyes of admiration. El grinned to herself knowing she had seen a similar look on Mike's face when he looked at her sometimes. She happily grabbed a sandwich not even minding that it wasn't an eggo.
The party played D&D until the late afternoon when Mike knew he begrudgingly would have to take El home. Not just to get her back before Hopper, but she also couldn't be seen by his parents.
Mike wondered to himself when he would finally be able to tell his mom and dad that he had a girlfriend and introduce her to them. He knew his mom must have seen a difference in him but she hadn't questioned it. He had literally gone from depressed and extremely unhappy to bright as a button the next day. It was crazy to think of the affect El had on him sometimes.
Mike asked the party if just he could take El home and they agreed with smiles thinking he had some big plan to suck face or something. But in reality, he just wanted some alone time with El. They didn't even need to talk, just being in each other presence was just enough sometimes.
The bike journey was quieter than before as they both mulled over the idea that they were about to be separated again. Mike knew he probably was under the category of clingy boyfriend, but after being separated from El for almost a year, he couldn't get enough of seeing her. He knew once spring breaker was over he would go back to seeing her every other day but for now he would just try and enjoy the rest of spring break with his girlfriend.
Mike walked El up to the porch, their hands swinging together as they approached the front door. He watched as El opened the door with her mind and it swung open slowly. He sighed knowing that this was good bye for today.
"I had a lot of fun today." El said stepping closer to him and playing with the hem of her dress with her free hand. Mike watched her with love, wanting nothing more than to kiss her but also remembering that Hopper had signed his death warrant.
"Me too. I mean I always have fun with you…but it was nice to take you back home." He said gently, his eyes staring into hers hoping she would always think of his house as her first proper home. She belonged with him, he knew it, El knew it and even Hopper knew it deep down.
El hummed gently and she moved her hand to his cheek, Mike gulped nervously and stared at her with adoration. "Does home always have to be a place?" she asked him softly, her head cocking slightly as she thought about her own question.
Mike could feel his heart hammering. "Er…I guess not. I guess it can be something else." He mumbled nervously.
She smiled slowly at first until it reached her eyes, and then she was positively sparkling. "You are my home Mike. Wherever you are is home."
Mike's breath hitched and he felt his chest become wracked with emotion at her beautiful words. "You are my home El. I love you so much." He gasped before giving into his temptations and kissing her.
His hands moved to cup her cheeks before knotting into her hair whilst El's hands gripped his shoulders as she sighed into the kiss. Mike couldn't stop the groan that escaped his lips and he opened her mouth gently with his open, their tongues meeting almost immediately as a burning fire started to take place in the pit of his stomach.
They could have stayed like that for minutes or even hours before El broke the kiss slowly. Mike looked at her dazed and breathless. "I don't think dad would like to see this." She panted.
Mike couldn't help but laugh as the adrenaline rushed around his veins, his body still shaking. "You're right." He told her as he exhaled a deep breath.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" Mike all but whispered as the tension in his chest tried to slowly lift.
El beamed, "yes please. Will you call me later?"
"Of course!" Mike replied watching her with big wide eyes, trying to take in everything about her before they parted.
El sighed and leaned in, kissing his cheek sweetly. The area her lips had touched immediately burned. "Good night Mike." She whispered.
"Good night El" Mike said anxiously, his heart fit to burst out of his chest as he watched her give him a sly smile, walk in the cabin and slowly close the door. A big grin of utter love sickness took over Mike's face.
He was completely overwhelmed that he forgot there was even steps to the porch and he fell down them with an "umph!" landing on the grass. Feeling incredibly embarrassed and hoping El hadn't seen from inside, he quickly jumped up and brushed off his clothes, rushing over to his bike with red hot cheeks.
"Hey El, are you there? Over."
"Hi Mike…over."
"I miss you El."
"Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"You didn't say over."
"Oh shit. Well…forget over. We don't need it. Just…don't tell the others okay?"
"Okay. And Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you too. And I had a lot of fun today."
"What was your favourite part?"
"Kissing you."
"Really?! I mean…cool."
"Do you like kissing me too Mike?"
"Are you kidding El?! I love it. I wish I could kiss you all the time."
"Why can't we?"
"Because your dad would kill me."
"I'd never let him kill you."
"That's true I guess…I forget sometimes that my girlfriend is a superhero."
"I'm not a superhero…"
"You are El. You're powerful, amazing, strong…and beautiful."
"Superheroes are beautiful?"
"No…just you."
"I love you Mike."
"I love you too El."
A/N: Sorry for updating this again! I saw a few spelling errors and it really bothered me! The summer chapter should be out today :-)
