A/N: I know I said I wanted to get this out by Christmas, and trust me, I have been working on this chapter for a week and a half. I hope it was worth the wait, and I hope I can make those of you who have been patiently waiting for some Mileven moments a little happy.
*TRIGGER WARNING*: Just to be safe, and because I appreciate and care about those of you who read this story, I am going to include a trigger warning for attempted sexual assault. It DOES NOT get graphic, as I will not write that, but if you are uncomfortable reading the events leading up to an attempted assault, you can stop reading when Brad and El leave the kitchen table, and you can pick back up when Will enters the room.
Guest: Good point. Mike has certainly felt pain in this story. There is more to come.
Guest: Maybe in the next story I write, I will let Max be a likable character. We'll see.
Joe: Don't worry, a sex scene between Brad and El was never planned for this story.
UnoPeso22: Yes, big things are definitely coming soon in the coming chapters. Interesting thoughts on Lindsey! I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you like this chapter.
NoDownSide: It's true, Mike has made some frustrating decisions just like everyone else. We'll see the thoughts of El he has been repressing soon.
Guest: Thank you for all your thoughts, and I am flattered that you consider this your favorite story. I hope you like this chapter!
Guest: They're young, they're hurting, they're bound to have some selfish tendencies.
Alisea: I actually wasn't going to include the Mike/Lindsey sex scene in chapter 12. The one in chapter 8 was meant to be the only one, but it just kind of happened. I understand what you are saying, absolutely! But hopefully as more things are revealed, you like what direction I take it.
Guest: Yeah, Max is pretty unlikable. Most of it comes from trying to be a good friend, but her tactics could use some work.
Nighting Ryder: El's past and upbringing impacting her is definitely going to be brought up. Not in this chapter, but soon. So don't worry!
JayneFawn: I'm sorry I didn't get you your Mileven crumbs before Christmas, but I hope this was worth the wait. And for what it's worth, there will be no more Mike/Lindsey smut scenes. I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you like this chapter.
Guest: Thank you so much! Don't worry, that was the last Mike/Lindsey smut scene for the story.
Guest: Yes, she absolutely had love and happiness with Mike. Unfortunately, her choices led her to where she is now. Hopefully, their choices can lead them all to happiness again.
Guest123: I'm not Max's biggest fan either. Good thoughts about Mike and El. We'll see if you're right soon!
Guest: Yes, El made a mistake and is paying the price for it. I wouldn't give up hope for the future though just because of how the breakup in chapter 2 went. A lot of things have changed since then!
Guest: Yes, Lindsey is really showing she's a good girl.
Ejbeckmann: El going off on Max would certainly be fun, wouldn't it? Also, redemption arcs can work wonders.
OdoMango: Thank you! There is more tension to come between Max and El. And I'm glad you like it!
Phieillydinyia: All of your questions will be answered soon : )
Niko: I can't say that I disagree.
GuestXYZ: Yes, it was made clear in chapter 1 that Max doesn't fully understand Love… or at least Mike and El's love. We'll see if/how El is able to turn things around.
Guest: I agree, El is smart. But she is also 17 years old, only in her fifth year of living in the free world. She is bound to make mistakes and take advice from people who don't fully understand her situation. I appreciate all your thoughts, and I hope you like this chapter!
Song-wei: The difference between having sex and making love is a very important distinction. I'm glad you like the story!
Guest: Interesting theories. We will see soon!
Guest: Yes, if there is one thing that is obvious, it is the pure love that Mike has for El. Remember that.
Guest: I like that you said it'll be interesting when "everyone" realizes that instead of just El realizing it.
NotThatGuest: I don't know if the big guest comments come from the same person or not. I like to think not, as that would mean even more people are reading my story. But, if that is the case, I can appreciate that they have a lot of thoughts lol
Mileven83: Yes, everyone is welcome to feel how they feel about the story : )
Grievesforyou: I'm not trying to get you to hate El. Sorry if it comes across that way! We still have a ways to go and flaws to introduce themselves : )
Guest: It's always interesting to read different interpretations of things, and I can see how Lindsey could come off as a jerk. I'm glad you are liking the story!
Guest: I kind of understand it. Some people think Lindsey is too good to be true, so they don't trust her. Others think she's boring, so they don't like her. And some love her!
Guest: El's choices are what led us here, yes. I'm glad you want them all to be happy!
Guest: Yes, many people have similar thoughts, both registered accounts and guest reviewers. I appreciate your kind words, and I am glad you like the story!
Angenian: Very interesting thoughts on Lindsey. And it's interesting that you bring up El's powers…
HarleyGrove: I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you that I am not intentionally trying to make people hate El. I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm happy to have you as a reader if you choose to stick around, but if not, hopefully something I write in the future will be more your cup of tea. (I have a T-rated Mileven AU story planned for when I finish this one – be on the lookout!).
Guest: Hmm, that is an interesting concept.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or any of its original characters.
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Mike was laying on his back in the remodeled blanket fort, his arm around El while she cuddled into his side. His hand rested on her back, and he could feel her body rise and fall with each heavy breath as her breathing tried to return to normal. Mike was out of breath, too, though. His panting was dying down, but he could still feel how hard his heart was pounding through his chest underneath El's hand.
He absentmindedly began tracing small circles on El's back. Her skin was perfectly smooth and soft, albeit slightly sticky from the light coating of sweat. It was a warm day outside, and it had just been even hotter inside the blanket fort. The low rumble from the air conditioner promised that their body temperatures would return to normal soon.
Mike's head was still spinning as he stared at the ceiling of the fort. He never thought it was going to happen when El came over that afternoon. He hadn't been intending for it to happen. Not yet, anyway. El had just turned sixteen a couple weeks ago, and he himself had just turned sixteen a couple months prior. They had been experimenting for over a year on the weekends and holiday breaks when they were able to see each other, and Mike knew they would go all the way eventually. At least he had hoped they would.
El had told him last month that Joyce was moving herself, Will, and El back to Hawkins. Joyce had a job lined up and was finalizing the details on their new house. They would be moving in about a month. That month had dragged on for Mike, but finally, it was moving day. When the U-Haul showed up at the new address, everyone had been waiting in the driveway. Mike, Nancy, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Jonathan. They got everything moved in and had started unpacking.
That was only yesterday. This morning, El had helped Joyce unpack until noon, and Joyce gave in to her requests, though Joyce would call it begging, to go over to Mike's house.
Mike had fixed lunch for the two of them, and when they retreated to the basement, El confided in him for the first time about her fears of starting at Hawkins High School in August. Mike had been so excited over the past month at the thought of having his girlfriend with him every day that he hadn't stopped to consider that El could be feeling anything other than happiness and excitement as well. It pained him to see the fear and insecurity in El's eyes when she spoke about how different she would be from the other students and how she didn't want to look stupid in front of her classmates and teachers. Mike had pulled her into a tight hug and reminded her how smart and brave she was, and he assured her that he would do his best to help her with her classes as much as he could.
El had thanked him with kisses, and Mike could tell by the smile on her face that she had really started to feel better about things. Then she had asked if they could cuddle in the blanket fort. One thing led to another…
It was everything Mike had hoped it would be as he lay there afterward in silence holding El close to his side. Sure, she had brought him to orgasm countless times over the past year in other ways, but nothing like what he had just felt. Mike didn't know it was possible to feel what he just felt. He looked down at El's head resting on his chest, and if he hadn't seen her eyelashes fluttering, he would've thought she had fallen asleep.
"El?" Mike said softly, and El tilted her head up to face him.
Her big brown doe eyes were looking up at him, and now he didn't know what to say. Tons of thoughts were running through his mind. How was it for her? Did it really feel good? Was it how she pictured it? Did it hurt too much? Would she ever want to do it again?
"Um, how did… I mean, was it…" Mike stammered for a moment and sighed.
"Mike," El said with a smile as she brought her hand up to the side of his face. "It was perfect."
"Really?" Mike asked in confusion. There is no way that could be true. He knew it had felt beyond incredible for him, but he had always heard that the first time wasn't nearly as enjoyable for women.
"Of course. It was perfect because it was with you," El replied, and she couldn't help but laugh as Mike blushed.
"Okay. I was worried that it would hurt or something," Mike said.
"It did a little bit," El said honestly. "But we have the rest of our lives, and it will only get better each time."
"You're seriously just so amazing," Mike said. He turned on his side to face her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I love you so much."
"I love you too," El promised. "I always will."
Mike woke up blinking rapidly and reached his arm out next to him. He felt only the empty bed. He turned his head to his nightstand, and his heart sank when he saw it was empty. The realization floated back to him that the framed photo of him and El that was usually displayed there was currently laying facedown in the top drawer, just like it had been for two months.
He rubbed his eyes and cursed his brain for having that dream. It was the second night in a row he had dreamed about El. Two nights ago when Max had barged in on him and Lindsey in the basement, the mood had been completely ruined. They had tried to laugh it off and continue, but it just didn't happen. Lindsey had gone home soon after that, after Mike had apologized profusely and she had assured him that it was okay.
That night, he had dreamed about the day that El and the Byers family moved back to Hawkins. After unloading the U-Haul, Mike and El had gone to El's new room to unpack. They were going through the boxes and talking about different memories associated with each item they pulled out. El had gotten a little teary-eyed when she was unpacking her clothes and reached a couple of Hopper's shirts that she had taken. Mike comforted her, and soon they were making out on her bed, their hands roaming each other's bodies.
Mike had woken up confused, wondering why this memory had invaded his dreams so suddenly after being broken up for two months. Sure, in the beginning, he had dreamt of her, but El hadn't shown up in a dream of his in at least a month. Now, it happened again the very next night. This time, it was the day they had lost their virginities to each other.
He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, slowly making his way to the bathroom to shower while his mind continued to question his dreams. Maybe he was just hormonal and sexually frustrated? He hadn't actually had sex in over two months, and the interruption with Lindsey the other night had been quite a disappointment. That could potentially make sense, except Mike's dreams hadn't actually shown anything sexual. The first dream had focused on them unpacking and him comforting El when she became upset, and the second dream was all about his feelings and their conversation after having sex for the first time.
Maybe it was meant to remind him of the closeness and intimacy that he had had with El? Mike knew that Lindsey was a sweet girl, and he really cared about her. Still, El would pop into his head every now and then, but he was usually able to shake the thought away. He was certain that as time went on, memories of El would come less and less until they stopped altogether, and the feelings of love and intimacy would be able to grow with Lindsey.
Mike turned on the hot water and stepped into the shower, closing his eyes. Whatever the dreams meant, he hoped they stopped soon. El was gone. The only thing keeping her in his mind was doing was keeping him from fully moving on with Lindsey, and that's what he needed to do. Hopefully when he saw Lindsey later that afternoon, he would be able to give her the attention she deserved without his mind drifting back to the recent dreams he had of his ex-girlfriend.
El woke up Saturday morning feeling anxious. The past couple of days, Max had done what she said she would do. She asked more often about El's feelings, about how El was really doing. It was nice; El felt like her best friend was finally being there for her. She didn't feel quite as alone. Max also had not brought up the idea of applying to Indiana State again; it looked like she was giving El some time to think it over. El was happy that Max was being the supportive friend that she had wanted her to be all along.
Today, El was seeing Brad. They were going out in the afternoon, and in the evening they were coming back to her house to work on their book reports for English. El had told Max that she was going to spend the day with Brad, and Max seemed just as supportive, but with more certainty. Almost like Max knew something that El didn't.
El got out of bed and gathered some clothes to change into after showering. She stood under the hot water for longer than usual and focused on taking deep breaths. She was still anxious, and she didn't know why, but it wouldn't go away. She hadn't had any nightmares, so there was no discernible reason for her to wake up like that. She thought maybe she was feeling jittery about her day with Brad, but El had spent many days with him, so why would today be any different?
It could be because El had been considering taking the next step with Brad. Not necessarily having sex, but finally going a little further than making out. El had thought a lot about Mike and Lindsey since her conversation with Max, and she had begrudgingly decided that Max was right when she told El there was nothing she could do about it. It was a hard pill to swallow, and as much as it pained El to see them together, and as angry as she was by what she still considered an ambush by Lindsey in the bathroom, El didn't think she should spend her senior year pining after a boy who had moved on from her. So, as difficult as it was, El was going to keep trying with Brad.
After she was dressed and ready for the day, El walked to the kitchen to join Joyce and Will for breakfast.
"Good morning, sweetie," Joyce smiled warmly from where she stood in front of the toaster.
El returned the smile and sat at the table across from Will who was half finished with his Eggos. After living with El for three years, the Byers family has become quite accustomed to Eggos for breakfast. After a moment, Joyce set a plate with two Eggos in front of El and took a seat between the two teenagers.
"I have to work late tonight. I won't be home until around ten, so you'll be on your own for dinner," Joyce said as El began to drizzle syrup over her waffles.
"I'm probably getting dinner with Brad tonight," El said. "We're hanging out this afternoon and then coming back here to work on our English papers."
"And I have plans too. We'll be fine," Will agreed.
"What are your plans? Staying over at Mike's tonight?" Joyce asked.
"No, I think he's got plans or something tonight," Will shook his head. "I'm going to a movie tonight."
"With Dustin? Lucas?" Joyce pressed casually.
"No, um, actually I'm going with this girl Jessica," Will revealed before turning to El. "You remember my homecoming date? She's in a couple of my classes, and she's pretty cool."
"You're going on a date tonight?! And I have to work late?!" Joyce exclaimed.
"Mom! It's not a big deal," Will insisted. "We're just hanging out and seeing a movie."
"It most certainly is a big deal," Joyce countered. "My baby boy who said he would never fall in love-"
"Mom! Don't make me regret telling you," Will said sharply, blushing slightly.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Joyce said, raising her hands in surrender. "I'll be cool. Just… be safe-"
"Mom!"
"-and call me if you need anything-"
"Mom!"
"Okay!" Joyce finally gave up and glanced at her watch. "I'd better get going. You two both have a good day, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Joyce hugged the two teenagers and grabbed her purse and keys before heading out the door. When the front door had closed, Will looked at El who was unable to contain the wide grin on her face.
"Do you see why I don't tell her things?" Will said, gesturing toward the front door. "Did she react that way when you first told her about Brad?"
"No," El replied. "But that could be because I was with Mike for so long, so me dating wasn't really a new concept… Or, it could be because you're her baby boy."
"Shut up," Will muttered, blushing as El laughed.
Will was glad to see El happy, even if it was at his own expense. There had been a lot of tension between them over the last couple months because of her breaking up with Mike and because of Will's feelings about Brad. Today, in this moment, Will felt like things were back to normal between himself and El. It felt like the old times when their sibling bond was fresh and their friendship had barely encountered any damage.
"Well, just be careful. Isn't that what you tell me all the time?" El said, walking her plate to the sink.
"I will be," Will replied, not acknowledging that the reason he always insisted that she be careful with Brad was very different.
Brad picked El up a couple hours later, saying he had the whole afternoon planned for them. He started by driving them to a diner in town for lunch. She sat across from him in the booth as they ate their sandwiches. Brad was talking about his family's plans for Thanksgiving which was coming up, sharing how his dad prepares the turkey in a deep fryer instead of the oven, and the card games his family plays around the table after dinner, and how his whole family including his aunts, uncles, and cousins always draw their names for the Secret Santa gift exchange that evening.
"What about you? Do you and the Byers' do anything cool on Thanksgiving?" Brad asked.
El thought of the few Thanksgivings she had experienced over the years. Her first and only Thanksgiving with Hopper had been spent at the cabin, just the two of them. He had gotten what he called a small turkey, though El remembered staring at the ten-pound bird in awe, and they had eaten leftovers for a week. The next Thanksgiving was her first one with the Byers family. Mike and Nancy had come to visit, and Joyce had cooked a dinner similar to what Hopper had prepared the previous year, but with more side dishes. The next Thanksgiving, El had caught a ride with Jonathan down to Hawkins and spent it with Mike. Mrs. Wheeler had made more food than El could ever imagine would be eaten. And last Thanksgiving, it was the first year that she and the Byers family lived in Hawkins again. Joyce had hosted the whole party. They had the traditional Thanksgiving feast, and afterward they watched A Christmas Story while decorating the Byers' Christmas tree.
Of El's seventeen years of life, Thanksgiving of 1988 was only going to be her fifth year celebrating, or even knowing about, the holiday. And each of the four Thanksgivings she had experienced had been different. The only constant seemed to be the turkey.
"Um, it's usually just a small family dinner. I think we'll put up the Christmas tree afterward again," El replied. She couldn't complicate things with the truth about her inexperience with Thanksgiving.
"That sounds fun," Brad said. "Who knows, maybe next year you can spend Thanksgiving with my family, or I can spend it with yours, and we can share each other's traditions."
El wasn't quite sure how to respond to that suggestion, so she simply offered a warm smile, which Brad reciprocated.
When they finished their lunch, Brad drove them downtown where he parked in front of the frozen yogurt shop. El momentarily questioned getting the frozen dessert in mid-November, but it wasn't too cold out, and after all, she did like frozen yogurt. They walked inside and each ordered their flavor, took their cones, and headed back outside. Brad and El walked slowly down the sidewalk, glancing through the windows of the locally owned shops that remained downtown. Downtown had taken a hit when the Starcourt Mall opened, but after it "burned down," no mall was rebuilt in Hawkins, so downtown was seeing more traffic again.
"How's your frozen yogurt?" Brad asked, looking at El's half-eaten peanut butter dessert.
"It's really good. Thank you," she smiled, thanking him again for the treat.
"Do you like snickerdoodles?"
El scrunched her forehead in confusion. She didn't know what snickerdoodles were. She had never heard the word before.
"I've… never had them," she said, figuring that if her friends hadn't given her one in the last five years, it wouldn't be too unbelievable.
"They're one of my favorite cookies, and this place in town is the only yogurt shop I've ever been to with snickerdoodle flavored frozen yogurt," Brad marveled. "Here, try it and see if you like it."
He handed his cone over to El, and El took it from him and inspected it. It looked like vanilla ice cream with brown specks all throughout it, and it smelled of cinnamon. Brad watched as El raised it to her lips and licked the frozen yogurt.
"Wow, that's really good," El exclaimed, handing the cone back to him.
"Isn't it? We'll have to make some snickerdoodles before Christmas," Brad said.
El noticed that Brad had just made another comment about future activities for the two of them. First the comment about spending next Thanksgiving with each other's families, and now the comment about baking cookies together before Christmas. He had been working little comments in throughout the day, and El couldn't remember him really doing that before. She smiled, thinking the gesture was sweet, and thought that opening up and progressing their relationship a bit may be easier than she had thought.
They walked to the end of the block and turned left, walking another block as they ate their dessert and talked. Right as El was putting the last bite of her cone into her mouth, Brad stopped in front of their destination.
"We're here," he said.
El looked up and saw they were standing in front of the ice skating rink. She had been ice skating a few times; the first time had been just she and Mike when Mike taught her how. The party had gone together a few times in the past couple years, and El thought she had picked up on it pretty well.
They walked inside and got their skates, and a few minutes later, they were stepping onto the ice. Brad reached for El's hand, and they slowly started their first lap around the rink. For over an hour, the two of them circled the skating rink, hand in hand. When El started to pull ahead a little bit, Brad jokingly asked if she was challenging him to a race. She playfully shrugged before dropping his hand and taking off down the ice.
"Gotcha!" Brad exclaimed when he caught up to El, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her.
El squealed in surprise and laughed as Brad's grip tightened around her. She spun around in his hold to face him, but her footing slipped, and she fell backward onto the ice, pulling Brad down with her.
"Sorry! I'm s-sor…" El trailed off when her eyes met Brad's while he hovered over her on the ice.
He was looking down at her intensely with something embedded deep in his gaze. Lust? Infatuation? El didn't have time to place it before Brad sat back on his knees and rose to his feet. He offered her his hands and pulled her up as well.
"You okay?" Brad asked.
"Y-yeah," El replied, diverting her eyes from his as she noticed her anxiousness from the morning was stirring again.
"Come on, let's head out," Brad suggested.
Three hours later, Brad and El were sitting at the Byers' kitchen table with their textbooks and notebooks spread out in front of them. El was skimming through some pages with a highlighter in hand, and Brad was watching her intently over the cover of his own book. She was so confusing. It was almost hot and cold from her today. She was sweet and friendly at lunch, and she was almost flirty when they got frozen yogurt. After all, she had licked from his cone when he offered it to her, and she had reacted well when he suggested Christmas activities later on. At the skating rink, she had flirted with him, held his hand, teasingly challenged him to a race, and it seemed like she was having the time of her life when he wrapped her up from behind… but after she slipped and he fell on top of her, things had changed. It was almost like the progress he had made with her was backtracking, and El had acted almost shy after leaving the skating rink. She hadn't spoken much on the walk back to his car, and he had to try harder than usual for conversation over dinner. Now as they sat working on their book reports, El had barely made eye contact with him. Was she embarrassed about what happened at the skating rink? Or was she finally ready for more between them, and she was timidly hoping he would pick up on it and make the first move? Was she playing hard to get? He had to find out.
"Is Will not home tonight?" Brad asked, glancing down the hallway.
"He's seeing a movie. He'll probably be home within the hour," El replied, glancing up from her work.
"Well, if he's going to be home soon, maybe we should move our stuff to your room," Brad suggested. He saw El scrunch her forehead in confusion, so he clarified. "You know, so we can stay focused on our reports and he can do whatever he wants in the common area."
He did kind of have a point, El thought to herself. Plus, El knew Will wasn't the biggest fan of the idea of her with Brad, so she thought that avoiding the two of them interacting would be better for everyone.
Brad cringed internally at the explanation he had given. Letting Will do whatever he wants in the common area? Brad knew that was lame. Surely, El would see through him. So, if she said no and decided to stay in the kitchen, Brad would know she wasn't on the same page as him. But, if she said yes and agreed to move to her bedroom… that would be the green light, right? Brad felt his hopes rising as he saw the expression on El's face soften and she started to nod.
"Sure, we can move to my room," she agreed.
Brad quickly stacked their books together and carried them down the hall behind El as she led the two of them to her room.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and El had not looked up from her book. Brad was sitting next to her on her bed, both of them with their backs leaned against the wall. He had his own book in his lap, but his mind had never been further from his homework. Was El still waiting for him to initiate? He thought suggesting they move to her bedroom had been making the first move, and he had hoped that once they were in here, El would be the one to make the next move. Was she really this shy?
"What do you say we take a little break?" Brad suggested, slowly closing the book El was holding and laying it, along with his, on the nightstand.
"Okay," El agreed hesitantly. She could already feel her heartrate increasing, and she wasn't quite sure why.
"I had a really great time with you today," Brad said, draping his arm around El's shoulders and scooting closer to her.
"I had a great time, too," El smiled. She swore that her heart was going to pound quite literally out of her chest at any moment.
"I don't know if I told you, but you look beautiful today," Brad murmured. El felt the words catch in her throat as she realized how close his face had gotten to hers.
Brad raised his hand to the side of El's face and gently caressed her cheek as he closed the gap between their mouths. The kiss was normal at first, but within moments, Brad's lips were attacking hers, his tongue prying through her slightly parted lips and into her mouth. El opened her eyes in surprise by how passionate he was being. She thought about pulling back, but she was reminded of her plan to take things with Brad to the next level. She wrapped her arms around his neck, encouraging him to continue.
Slowly, Brad began to inch his hand toward El's thigh, resting it motionlessly to test the waters. When she didn't move his hand away, he started rubbing his hand up and down her thigh, and when he felt El tense up, he opened his eyes a bit. Brad saw that El's eyes were still closed, her lips still reciprocating his kiss, and she made no move to pull away. He knew she wanted him to continue.
Brad leaned forward against El to help lay her down so he was positioned on top of her. He moved his hand around to the back of her thigh and slid it up to grip her ass while he traced his kisses from her lips to her neck.
Beneath him, El's heart was still pounding in her chest. She tried to calm herself by focusing on taking steady breaths through her nose, but all she seemed to be able to focus on was Brad on top of her. He was kissing her neck, which was something that always drove El wild in the past, but instead of passion and excitement, all El was feeling was anxiety and discomfort. She thought she would be ready for this. She thought this would be okay. But it wasn't.
Brad started to unbutton her pants, and El instinctively squeezed her thighs together and grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away.
"You don't have to play hard to get anymore," Brad rumbled against El's neck. "I know you've been wanting this."
El's entire body turned to ice as Brad pulled his hand out of El's grasp and pulled down her zipper. She shuddered when she felt him press his hips firmly against hers, and suddenly she was repulsed. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't want this. This was wrong.
"Stop it. I don't want to do this," El said, lifting her hand to push up on Brad's shoulder.
Brad grabbed her hand and pinned it on the mattress next to her head and trailed his kisses down her collarbone to the top of her cleavage.
"Yes you do. You know you do. You practically asked me for it," Brad growled.
He moved his free hand to El's unfastened pants and started to shimmy them down her legs, despite her free hand trying to smack his hand away.
"No, stop it," she demanded.
Her world started to close in, and her breathing became shorter. El suddenly became aware of how heavy Brad was on top of her and how strong he was as her pinned wrist struggled against his hold. She felt tears start to fill her eyes, and then the best advice Max had ever given her rang in her ears.
I guess it's a good thing you have superpowers.
"I said STOP!" El screamed, and in an instant, Brad's body was ripped off of her own and he tumbled onto his back on the floor just two feet from the bed.
"What the fuck?!" Brad exclaimed as he sat up and glared over at El. "Did you have to push me off the fucking bed like that?!"
The tears had started spilling out of El's eyes, and she reached down to button and zip her pants with trembling hands. She sat on her bed with her back against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs as Brad stood up, his eyes filled with fury and locked on her.
"Are you gonna speak?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he spat.
"I… I t-told you. I told you to stop," El managed.
"You're nothing but a fucking tease. Fuck you, El," Brad said venomously.
He took two large strides toward her bedroom door and flung it open so hard that the doorknob chipped the wall. A moment later, El heard the front door slam shut as well, and she released the sob she was holding in.
Instantly, Will was in her doorway, having gotten home from the movie just in time to hear El screaming at Brad as she knocked him off of herself. Terror was plastered on his face at the sight of El curled up, hugging her knees, her body shaking with sobs. He ran to the edge of her bed and knelt in front of her.
"El! El, what happened?" Will asked urgently.
He reached a hand out to place on El's knee, but she jerked away from his touch.
"El?" Will repeated.
She couldn't speak. El was sobbing so hard she was choking on her saliva and tears, and Will was scared she would soon make herself sick. He stood up and ran a hand through his hair, frantically wondering what to do. His mom still wouldn't be home for a bit, and El wouldn't talk to him.
Will pursed his lips when the answer came to him. He knew there was only one person who would be able to help. Will sighed and hoped that Mike would be able to understand that, even after everything that has gone on between him and El, he was still the only choice. El's face was buried in her arms which rested on her knees when Will hurried from her bedroom to the phone in the living room.
Across town, Mike was in his bedroom with Lindsey. They had spent the afternoon with a couple of her friends, and they were finally alone for the first time all day. Mike was looking forward to putting on a movie and cuddling up with Lindsey for the next couple hours, but he was soon interrupted by his mom who knocked on his bedroom door and opened it a couple inches.
"Mike, Will is on the phone for you," Karen said.
"Can you just tell him I'll call him tomorrow?" Mike asked.
"I would, honey, but he said it's really important that he talks to you right now," Karen explained.
Mike sighed in annoyance and looked back at Lindsey who was propped against his headboard, ready to start the movie.
"I'll be back in, like, two minutes," Mike said apologetically, and Lindsey nodded with a small smile. He hurried into the hall, pulled his bedroom door shut behind him, and picked up the phone.
"Okay, Will, you've got two minutes. What is so important?" Mike asked into the receiver.
"Mike, I need your help. It's El," Will's panicked voice said through the phone.
Chills shot through Mike's body at the sound of Will's tone. What was wrong with El? It was too early for her to have a nightmare. Did something trigger a memory of Hopper? Or the lab? Or Brenner?
"Mike, I don't know what to do," Will urged after a moment of Mike's silence. Mike glanced at his closed bedroom door.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know. All I know is Brad was over here, I heard a bunch of screaming, he stormed out of the house, and now El is curled up sobbing in her room and won't talk to me," Will explained.
"Son of a bitch," Mike muttered under his breath.
"What?" Will asked.
"I just… What do you want me to do?" Mike asked.
"I need you to come over. Mike, I need you to help her with whatever is happening right now," Will said bluntly.
Mike exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, shooting another glance at his closed bedroom door. He was gripping the phone so hard his knuckles were white, and his stomach had been doing somersaults since the moment Will had said 'It's El.'
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say? 'She doesn't want me there'? 'You can't call me about El's problems'? 'I don't care anymore'? Mike knew that wasn't true, and Will would too.
"Mike, please. I wouldn't be asking this of you if I had any other choice," Will pleaded.
"I know," Mike sighed. "And of course I'll help. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Mike hung up the phone and hurried back to his bedroom door. He took a deep breath before going inside.
"Is everything okay?" Lindsey asked, giving him a concerned look from her place on his bed.
"Uh, no, actually," Mike said honestly. He walked toward the bed, and Lindsey stood up and reached for his hand.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I, uh, need to go to Will's. He needs my help with something," Mike said.
"This late on a Saturday?" Lindsey asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"Yeah," Mike nodded. "I'm sorry, Linds. I promise, I'll make it up to you, but I've really got to go."
Lindsey had quickly gathered her things, and she and Mike stepped onto the Wheelers' driveway. Originally, Mike was going to pick Lindsey up before their plans that afternoon, but Lindsey had ended up needing to run an errand and had just driven herself to Mike's house. Turns out, Mike was lucky she had done that, so he didn't have to take her home before going to see what was wrong with El.
"I promise, I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks for understanding," Mike said quickly. He leaned down to kiss Lindsey on the cheek and started to walk past her to his own car when she grabbed his hand to stop him.
"Mike," she said seriously. Mike looked at her, hoping he seemed more patient than he felt. "I just need to know… Is it really Will who needs you to come over… or is it El?"
Mike felt chills run down his spine at Lindsey's question, and he looked down at the ground between them. Technically, it had been Will who called him asking him to come over, so it's not like he was lying.
"It's Will, I swear," he replied.
Mike gave Lindsey a hug before she got into her car and he got into his. He tried to ignore the guilt he was feeling in the pit of his stomach as he quickly made his way through town, going through any and every possibility of what could be wrong with El, and what that Brad bastard could've done to her.
When he got to the Byers' house, Will was waiting for him on the front porch. Mike hurried to his friend from the driveway, and Will instantly started trying to apologize for calling him and saying that he didn't know what else to do. Mike brushed past him and hurried into the house and down the hall where he stopped and stood outside El's door. He took a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever was on the other side of the door.
Mike knocked lightly on El's bedroom door and listened for a response. He heard the sounds of muffled crying, but nothing more. He knocked again.
"El? Open up, it's me," he called gently. A moment later, he heard the door unlock and saw it open to reveal El sitting, still with her knees pulled to her chest, with her face red and tearstained and her eyes swollen.
Mike slowly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He stood silently in the bedroom he had been in hundreds of times while El sat quietly on the bed they had made love in hundreds of times. Where they had laid and talked about each other's day, talked about the future, talked about their friends and families, talked about going to college. It was where they shared thousands of 'I love you's. And it was where El told him that they should take time to see other people.
"Mike," El's timid voice croaked, bringing him out of his own thoughts. "I know that you hate me… But could you just hold me for a while? Please?"
El's words stung when they reached him, but Mike didn't say anything in return. He walked over to her bedside and sat in the spot next to her, wrapping both of his arms around her as El collapsed against him, burying her face in his chest. He hugged her as her small frame shook against him, and he rubbed her back to comfort her.
"I don't hate you, El," she heard him whisper.
She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as more tears snuck out. As hurt as she was, sitting right here in Mike's arms was the most at home she had felt in two months. She melted into him, and he held her closely, rubbing her back, no questions asked. Because that's who he was. He was the only person who was there for her through everything. From the moment he found her in the woods, to Hopper dying, to learning to deal with bullies, and everything in between, Mike was her rock through everything. And here he was, coming through for her again. Even though she hurt him. Even though she didn't deserve it. He was here.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Mike asked gently when he felt that El had calmed down and her breathing had returned to normal.
"Will was right about Brad," El said quietly, not lifting her head from its resting place on Mike's chest. "He kept trying to have sex with me… and I kept telling him no. In his car… after homecoming. Well tonight, he got on top of me, and he… he w-wouldn't stop."
Mike squeezed her tightly against him as tears started to slip down El's cheeks again. He clenched his teeth tightly together to keep himself from calling Brad every name he could think of.
"I t-told him n-no… He said I was… a-asking for it," El continued, hiccupping through her tears. "He wouldn't stop… so I… I threw him off me with my p-powers."
Mike's blood was boiling.
"El, I'm so sorry he did that to you," he said as steadily as he could, stroking her hair. "Nobody deserves to be treated that way."
"He thought I just pushed him hard," El explained so Mike wouldn't worry about someone finding out about her powers. "And he was so mad. He started screaming at me and called me a tease."
"Well he can go to hell," Mike said, still absentmindedly stroking her hair.
El was silent after that, just laying against Mike, breathing in the familiar scent that she would've recognized anywhere, even after being apart for two months. Eventually, she drifted off, listening to his heartbeat and slightly rising and falling with each breath he took.
Two hours later, Mike's eyes slowly opened, and he realized he must have dozed off. He glanced at the clock on El's nightstand before looking down at the girl who was sleeping on him. Mike carefully shifted her from himself to the pillows behind them and draped her blanket over her body. As he was quietly walking toward her bedroom door to leave, he heard her timid voice behind him.
"Stay with me tonight?"
Mike froze where he stood. Her voice was so vulnerable, and the question pulled at Mike's heart. He turned around to see El propped up on one elbow, looking at him with her big brown eyes. She made him want to say yes. She made him want to crawl into that bed with her and hold her against him until all her pain was gone.
"You know I can't do that," he said gently. El nodded, a sad look on her face, and sat up cross-legged on the bed facing him.
"I understand," she said quietly. Mike turned to leave when El stopped him again. "Mike?"
"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her again. There was a long silence before El asked the question that had been on her mind.
"Are you sleeping with her?" she asked.
Mike was taken aback, his mouth dropping open when the words left El's mouth. What was he supposed to say to that? No, he wasn't actually having sex with Lindsey. He had done nearly everything else with her, but for some reason he just hadn't fully crossed that line with her. It was the truth, but what good would it do to tell El? Especially when she was in as vulnerable of a state as she was tonight.
"I… um… El, I don't think we should talk about that," he stammered.
"So that's a yes," El muttered. She looked him straight in the eyes and spoke again before he could say anything. "Do you love her?"
"El, come on," Mike sighed.
"It's a simple question, Mike. Do you love her or not? You're already sleeping with her," El said.
"Love and sex are two different things, El," Mike said.
She gaped at him, her eyes filled with pain. Did he really think that? Could he really separate love and sex so easily?
"I should go," Mike said finally, and El nodded. "I'm glad you're okay."
He turned and left before El could thank him for coming over or even say goodbye. She laid back in her bed; the spot beside her was still warm from where Mike had spent the last couple hours holding her, just like old times. She pulled her blanket tightly around her and squeezed her eyes shut, only to be met with a long, sleepless night.
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A/N: Thanks for sticking with me through the long wait for this chapter. Thanksgiving is coming up (in the story), which brings the arrival of Abby and Robin in El's storyline, and the arrival of Nancy in Mike's storyline. I hope you liked this chapter. Please remember to leave me a review, and please be respectful of one another in the comments!