I. June 1994
After graduation, Mike moves to Chicago, living with Lucas and doing grad work at the University of Chicago. Will moves out to New York and Dustin stays in California. Eleven remains in Hawkins, working at the library, reading everything in sight, starting to feel a bit constrained in the small town. She goes up to Chicago sometimes; she likes it there - the bustle of the city but less claustrophobic than New York, the lake providing space and air and light.
On this June day, Mike is visiting home, and El spends every spare minute with him. Ted and Karen have left to take Holly to summer camp, and the two take refuge from the oppressive heat in his basement. They're feeling lazy and silly and after El makes a comment about the old blanket fort, they decide to make a new one. It's a little bigger than the original, but not by much. They lie there side by side, Popsicles in their mouths, relaying stories of the library and the university and things they've heard from their friends. After a while they quiet down, almost dozing, content to hear each other's breathing.
El stares at the blanket above her, thinking of the first time she slept under it. Scared and cold and confused, but this boy gave her clothes and a name and spoke so kindly that she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. She's never forgotten that night, that week, every feeling she had as her world took on color and music and life. Sometimes she's amazed that it wasn't a dream, that it still isn't, that she won't wake up in that little bed with the lion in her arms and Papa just outside the door.
She's thought about it a lot lately, over the past few months, and there's a question dancing on her tongue but she hasn't been able to ask it yet. Until now. Now seems perfect.
"Mike?" She softly asks, turning her head to look at him next to her.
"Mhmm?" He hums, his eyes closed.
"Mike?"
"Yeah?" He opens his eyes and looks at her.
"Will you marry me?"
His mouth opens but nothing comes out because his whole body has stopped. Her eyes are wide, looking into him, and as he pauses she purses her lips together. He finally, hoarsely, asks,
"You want me to marry you?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I? Unless you don't want to." She looks almost nervous.
He springs up on his elbow and looks down at her. "What? Of course I do! I've - I've actually been thinking about it for a while now, but I wanted to save, you know, for a ring."
"I don't need that." She gently shakes her head and gives a tiny smile, her lips stained red from the cherry popsicle.
"Ok," his smile widening, eyes shining.
"I just want this."
"Ok." This time barely a whisper and he pulls her up for a kiss, laughing against her lips because he still can't believe what's going on.
He leans back and tries to look stern. "You know, this was supposed to be my job!"
She sweetly shrugs. "I wanted it. So I asked."
He laughs again, shaking his head in wonder, looking up at the blanket.
"What is it?"
"I don't know, I just...I was this little spazz of a kid and you were this amazing girl and I loved you so much and then you were gone but you found me and now you want to marry me. YOU want to marry ME. I - I'm not even making sense, I'm just - I'm so happy."
"So that's a yes?"
"Yes! Yes! Hell yes!" He buries his face in the crook of her neck and holds her tightly, tears forming his eyes, and she clutches at his shirt and closes her eyes in happiness.
II. July 1994
They keep it to themselves for a few weeks, reveling in this secret of theirs. Mike comes to Hawkins again for the Fourth of July and they arrange for a meeting with all four parents. Mike thinks that maybe Hopper won't kill him if his mom is there.
"He's not going to kill you."
"We don't know that."
"He likes you."
"We don't know that either."
"Believe me, he does. Don't worry."
When they've gathered both sets of parents, Mike stutters and beats around the bush until El takes over and gives it to them straight. Joyce lets out a little shriek of delight, covering her mouth with her hands. Karen places a hand on her heart and immediately starts congratulating them ("Oh my goodness, oh this is so wonderful"). Ted stands to shake his son's hand and Hopper gives El a proud grin (he does not kill Mike, in fact he hugs the boy, much to Mike's surprise).
They don't want anything grand - they'd prefer to get married right away. Karen just seems thrilled that there's a wedding at all, considering her oldest daughter has been living with two men for five years now and no talk of marriage - to either one.
Mike has convinced the other three boys to come home for the Fourth and lines them up on his basement couch as he and El stand before them. Hands held tight, smiles barely contained, eyes glittering, they make their announcement.
"We're getting married." The three stare up at them in shock for a moment, before Dustin breaks the silence.
"Holy fuck."
Lucas smacks his arm. "Dustin! Way to ruin a moment."
"Um, you're hitting me now so you're the one ruining it," he replies with a light shove.
"Shut up!"
"No, you-"
"Are you guys done yet?" Mike cuts in and the two quickly sit up straight. Will is smiling widely next to them and jumps up to hug his sister and pulls Mike in too. Dustin and Lucas are quick to follow.
"Mike, we're gonna be brothers!"
"What? No fair, you guys!" Dustin complains as he rubs Mike's head affectionately.
"Yeah, how do we get in on this? Is Holly available?" Lucas jokes as he embraces El.
"So who's gonna be your best man?"
"I was thinking Steve."
III. August 1994
They go simple and sweet. She wears a long white slip, hair flowing down her back, topped with a daisy crown made by Holly. He wears a white shirt and vest, forgoing a tie.
In true Mike fashion, he names Lucas, Dustin and Will all as his best men. Dustin tries to argue that you can only have one, but Mike say "you lost that argument years ago."
It's small, just their families in the backyard at the Byers-Hopper house. Mr. Clarke attends with his wife and son and Dustin brings Christy, his college girlfriend (it's getting serious and he's finally brought her to Indiana to meet his family). Pastor Charles comes out to officiate and Jonathan takes hundreds of photos.
Mike isn't supposed to see her until the ceremony, but when he pops inside to use the bathroom he runs right into her. Literally. He's about to apologize when he realizes it's her and he gets a good look at her. Brian had told him she looks like a fairy and Mike thinks to himself that the boy was dead right. She's glowing and beautiful and his. "You're..."
"Yes?" She whispers, a warmth growing in her chest because his eyes look so loving and his outfit is so perfectly him and he's hers.
"The prettiest." She smiles with all her teeth and ducks her head and he leans forward to lift her chin up for a kiss. But Nancy swoops in and shuffles her brother out, Eleven sending him off with a little wave.
Her three brothers crowd around her all at once, Brian pressed against her waist and Will and Jonathan taking turns hugging her shoulders. They whisper congratulations and I-love-yous and tell her how wonderful she is. Lucas and Dustin clasp her hands and tell her that the weirdo really cleans up nicely, before they're pushed outside by the girls.
Joyce comes in with flowers, the daisies and buttercups and wildflowers that Holly was charged with picking, and hands them to El before looking her over. She fixes a few strands of hair and then pulls her in for a hug, because she's already getting weepy and the ceremony hasn't even started, dammit.
"Thank you for being my mom," the girl whispers and Joyce breaks down into tears, tightening her hold on her daughter. She has a flash of Terry Ives but tucks it away in the back of her mind; she'll bring it out another time, as she does every so often. Hopper gently pulls her off the bride, handing her a tissue before sending her to Will for her entrance.
Hopper looks down at Eleven and she looks up at him and neither one says a word. They've always been good at communicating silently. For a long time, he thought he would never walk anyone down an aisle. For a long time, she didn't know what a father was supposed to be. He squeezes her hand as they leave the house and she squeezes back.
The ceremony is short and Mike and El spend most of it trying to hold in laughter - they're so full of joy. Joyce has tears rolling down her face and Karen daintily dabs her eyes with handkerchief and Lucas of all people tears up and tries to hide it (Dustin definitely notices but simply pats his shoulder). In what seems like a flash they're already walking back down the aisle, everyone cheering and clapping behind them. They look at each other with the widest of smiles - they did it, they're married, they'll be together always.
Dinner is held in the backyard and as dusk falls they light sparklers. El thinks back to her first real birthday, all the magic and lights and her second kiss. She reminds Mike about the latter and he leans down to recreate it.
Jonathan will capture this moment (their eyes locked after just breaking from a kiss, faces lit up by the sparkler in her hand) and it will be their favorite photo of the day - the one he'll keep on his desk at work and she'll hang in various homes over the years and their children will hold when they ask about how they fell in love.