Like a bruise, Mike's gonna get worse before he gets better. Lot's of sad, pissy, just straight up heartbroken Mike in the chapters to come.
Karen and Nancy's talk will be in the next chapter, while Karen explains her conversation with Hopper to Nancy.
Also, thank you guys so much for your reviews on the last chapter!
MoEffect: Many more plot twists to come in the future, right along with an even more sassy Mike. All I'ma say is lots of tears to come ;) Also, thank you! I hope you like the next few chapters :D
walco007: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I binge watch them all the time haha. And thank you! It'll be up soon!
phieillydinyia: Yes, they are technically still married, but some people are really effed up. That post has actually given me a little inspo for this, but you'll just have to wait and see (or, technically, read xD). Ted is an idiot.
I'm gonna stop now, it's 4 AM, I'm tired, and these long ass A/N's are probably annoying af, but I hope you guys enjoy!
P.S. Thank you for over 92 follows, 56 favorites, and 45 reviews! It makes me so happy and I honestly appreciate it! :') Thank you! (Imagine a bunch of heart emoji's xD)
"This is gonna be a pretty dumb question to ask, but uh, are you okay Mike?" Dustin asked. The crowd had significantly become smaller in the last thirty minutes, mainly because most of the people there didn't have kids or didn't care to stay and watch the lighting of the tree. The group of friends and family were standing on the sidewalk, a good couple of feet from the tree itself. Nancy, who automatically knew something was up with Mike, tried to get him to talk, and then Karen, who wouldn't tell her. Hopper had yet to come back from his little chat with Ted, and almost everyone was nervous after what happened with Mike and his dad.
"Good as I can get, I guess." Mike said with a shrug. El squeezed him a little tighter and he gave her the tiniest smile. It was relatively quiet after than that, other than the crowd around them talking. A few minutes before they lit the tree, Hopper came back and pulled Karen to the side and talked to her in hushed whispers. Mike gave them a look, silently asking them what they were talking about, when they came back but they both dismissed him.
"Is everyone ready?" A random person called. Everyone responded with either yes, hurry up, or just yelled. He counted down from three in lit the tree. The lights had a blueish tint to them, and it covered the tree, and there was a gold star at the top, but it didn't light up. Mike couldn't help but smile at the look on El's face. She smiled at him widely, rocking back and forth on her heels.
"Do you like it?" He asked her quietly. She looked back at him and nodded, the smile never leaving her face.
"Pretty." She replied.
"Yeah...really pretty." He said, not looking at the tree, but at her. Her smile grew bigger at that. She glanced down at his lips and then back up at his eyes. She leaned in and kissed him, and with that kiss, he forgot about everything that had happened tonight. All the bad things, if only for a little while.
"Ooh!" Dustin exclaimed. Everyone had seen it. Mike blushed and looked down, afraid that Hopper would kill him or something, while El just smiled widely.
"I'm so glad I got a picture of that!" Nancy exclaimed.
"Boyfriend, girlfriend, or no?" That's all Hopper and asked.
"Y-yes." Mike stuttered, his face turning and even darker shade of red.
"Remember what I said the other night?"
"Yes sir." He didn't stutter that time.
"Good." Dustin just started making jokes so Mike just looked down and covered his face with his hands in embarrassment. Don't get him wrong, he loved the kiss, but it was just that everyone was staring.
"Shut up dip shit." Max said, pushing Dustin. "It's cute."
"Did you just say cute?" Lucas asked.
"I will punch the both of you." She threatened.
"Nancy, take picture?" El asked Nancy, who nodded happily. El wrapped her arms around Mike, and he finally uncovered his face and wrapped his arms around her as well. Nancy took a picture of them smiling, and took another of El kissing Mike's cheek, causing him to grin the biggest grin he'd probably ever has. After hanging around the square for a little while longer, they all went to dinner, and no one spoke one word about what happened.
When everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, the Wheeler's made their way home, and when they did, not only was Ted's car gone, but so was the majority of his stuff.
"Mom? What the hell is going on?" Nancy almost yelled, which scared Holly, who backed away from her. "I'm sorry Holly." She apologized. "I didn't mean to yell."
"Mike, Sweetie, can you put Holly to bed for me while I talk to Nancy about..." She didn't have to finish the sentence for him to understand. He just nodded and took Holly's hand to lead her upstairs. Having put her to bed many times before, Mike knew her routine like the back of his hand. He took her in the bathroom to brush her teeth and as she did so, he got her pajamas. When she was done, he got her in her pajamas and brushed her hair for her.
"Mikey?" She whispered as he was about to leave her room. He could hear his mom and Nancy talking downstairs, and wanted to go in his room and try to drown out the sound.
"Hm?" He hummed.
"Daddy gone?" She asked. He sighed quietly and went to sit on the side of the bed.
"I-Well, yeah, he is, Holly."
"Never see him again?"
"I have no idea." He told her honestly. I hope not he thought. "I'm sure you'll get to see him, Holly."
"Don't want to." She replied. He raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Mean. Too lazy." She said. "He doesn't like us." That was when he realized that she knew a lot more than anyone thought.
"It seems like it, Holls, but he does. He loves us."He told her, honestly. He didn't want to lie to her, but she's only four. Though it sure didn't seem true, but to Mike? The only thing really keeping him from screaming his lungs out is the thought that maybe, just maybe, he loved them at one point.