Okay, so here are the differences in this AU:
After season 1, Mike and El never got together again due to both not knowing how the other feels. Season 2 happened but there was no Mileven and everything went normal after closing the gate, no dumb Russians imprisoning Hop. After that all happened, El spent the summer once more in the cabin with Hop, but after she got her birth certificate she began to learn and got tutored by Joyce and Mike whenever they were around. After the summer, she had caught up enough to attend high school with The Party, they started freshman year together, Mike and El stayed friends and now they've finished Sophmore year and are now Juniors. Mike is dating Stacy after being put up to it by Dustin and Lucas after they got tired of his sad, single self. He still has feelings for El but is too scared to say anything. El is single, she too still has feelings for Mike and is too scared to say anything, especially now that he's dating someone else. Mike doesn't really like Stacy but they've been together for 4 months now, it's the end of summer so they're going to be in school again, Mike joined the swim team so he got bulked up a bit, Troy now leaves him alone due to his height and intimidating figure, but he still fucks with the rest of The Party whenever Mike's not around. Mike and El lost their virginities to each other last chapter, obviously it means a lot to both of them but they both just go on with everything normally because they still don't know the extent of how much they "care" (Love) each other. I think that's it, and if not, any added differences will be told clearly in the story. Anyway, on with the show, enjoy ;)
Chapter two: Everything Changes
Mike Wheeler awoke with a start, he had been having a reoccurring dream that El was crying in front of him, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't get to her. He was stuck and couldn't say a word, his attempts of movement proved futile. It was only them two and they were in his room, it was weird, to say the least.
After shaking off the weird dream, his senses came back to him and he noticed the noises coming from downstairs. He could hear the bacon crackling on the stove and his mouth watered, he could hear the TV playing cartoons that Holly was watching and thought his dad was probably sitting in his La-Z-Boy asleep. Everything was normal, he thought, the world isn't ending because he cheated on Stacy, everything was gonna be okay.
It had been a month and a half since the events of that rainy night, but Mike still felt incredibly guilty, after a few days of him and El feeling awkward around each other, they went back to being their regular old selves. School's first few weeks went well and they had a lot more classes together than the years prior.
He got out of bed with a big yawn and a stretch, and after doing his usual morning routine, he made his way downstairs. He walked into the kitchen just as his mom put bacon and eggs into a plate, she noticed him and slid the plate across the island to him. Mike left the plate there and headed over to the fridge, opening the freezer and taking two Eggos out of the box, he put them in the toaster and waited patiently, pouring a glass of O.J. After the two Eggos popped up, he grabbed them and placed them on his plate, grabbing his drink and food, he made his way over to the table, taking his usual spot.
The day started as it always had for the Wheeler family, but breakfast was finished rather quickly due to all of them nearly running late. Mike made his way out of the house and Lucas, who lived down the street, was leaning against the passenger side of Mike's car. They both gave a nod to each other and got in, heading off for Hawkins High. It was only once they'd left the neighborhood that they talked. "So how's everything going with Stacy?" Lucas asked, he always asked Mike about his relationship 'cause he knew just how reluctant Mike was to date her in the first place.
"Everything's fine. I can't complain, really... It just still doesn't feel right, man." Mike replied, giving Lucas a look that conveyed confusion, he was looking for answers, advice that Lucas gladly gave.
"Hey, look. It's gonna be tough, man, I mean, Max has broken up with me eight times now! But you'll know when it clicks, have you guys moved on from kissing and hand-holding?" Lucas decided to tease after giving small advice, he wanted his friend to be happy, and being a middle schooler when it comes to relationships was what he was trying to work on with Mike at the moment.
Mike cringed at the question. "Dude, we were in my room last Friday, just studying, when she practically pounced on me. She shoved her tongue into my mouth and I was so shocked, I didn't know what the hell to do. It was so awkward after that!" Mike exclaimed, him and Lucas laughing it off. Mike was comfortable telling Lucas of his experiences, but definitely didn't tell him about that night with El, they were both moving on from it pretty well, even though Mike's heart and mind were still struggling. And somehow he just knew Lucas wouldn't take it well. If he didn't like them being "together" when they were twelve, what would make him like it now?
"She probably couldn't resist you any longer, man," Lucas said after his laughter died down. "Hey, Mike... Thanks for trying anyway. I know it's been tough to, you know, get out of your shell a bit, but I'm glad you're at least giving it a go," he gave a warm smile to Mike, and they rode on in silence.
The day went as normal for The Party as it could go. Nothing major ever happened. In all the classes they had together, Mike would goof off with whoever from the group was in it with him. At lunch, they'd sit together, and on this rare day, Stacey sat with them. The usual conversations they had without her there were different, but it wasn't too much of a change, they just talked about what was going on in the media and what movies were coming out that they were excited for.
El was doing pretty well, Mike noticed, she had talked to Hop and Joyce about what was making her so depressed, and they took all the necessary steps to make her more comfortable in their home. Mike was still willing to be her shoulder to cry on should she need it, and the few times Stacey would be there, she was clearly bothered by Mike and El's closeness and clear chemistry that neither seemed to notice. They only thought they treated each other like good friends, clueless to each other's feelings.
After school, like they usually did, they were in the Wheeler's basement, studying and talking into the later afternoon.
They were all just finishing up, Mike was working on his English paper with Will and Dustin, Lucas would occasionally ask a Math related question, and Max and El were working on Science problems. It was a pretty mundane ritual they had, but all of them being in the same room after all that they went through was a ritual no one complained about.
El stole a few Eggos and was munching on them while working with Max, and everything was going fine.
That is... until she suddenly got up and rushed into the basement bathroom, they all heard her retching and the sounds of liquids hitting the toilet bowl made them exchange worried glances to one another.
Mike and Max both got up and went to the door while Lucas, Dustin, and Will put their work down. Mike knocked softly on the door once El had stopped vomiting. "El, are you okay?" he asked in that same soft tone he used when they were twelve, trying but failing to hide the worry in his voice.
"Yes. I'm fine, I think I ate too much Eggos is all," she replied. "Can Max come in?" she asked, Mike went to sit while Max slipped into the bathroom with El.
Once inside, Max started asking questions. "Hey, El, you okay? Gotta lay off those Eggos, I'm pretty sure eating nothing but those are bad for you," she joked.
El didn't respond, she was holding one hand to her head, clearly in pain. "El, you okay?" Max asked once more, a little more worry conveying in her voice.
"Yeah, I've just been feeling like crap lately. I just keep craving Eggos, and whatever I eat, I usually end up puking back out. And these headaches are killing me," El replied miserably.
Max had an uneasy look on her face, El had told her that she'd lost her virginity, but not to who. El noticed her expression and was quick to reassure, not wanting her own mind to go there.
"Woah, Max, no. It's probably just a stomach bug, and I've always loved Eggos since I first had them, you know this. The headaches are just a side effect from barfing so much," El said confidently, she couldn't tell if she was trying to convince Max or herself.
"Yeah, right, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you... Just, uh, ask Joyce for some medicine when you get home or something," Max said, not fully sounding convinced but dropping the matter.
They returned to the group, and after Mike relentlessly asked if she was okay, they finished up their studying.
Dustin was the first to get picked up, offering Will to borrow some comics, Will agreed and left with him, Max and Lucas left shortly after, heading to his house for dinner later. Mike and El were the only ones left, simply hanging out in his room, they made some more Eggos and were talking about what they expected out of the year.
Everything seemed to be going fine once more. El was in the middle of a sentence, talking about the electives she wanted to take next semester when suddenly her eyes went wide and she ran out of the room and into the bathroom down the hall.
Mike didn't know what to do, her sickness must be serious, he thought. He decided to stay and wait for her there, giving her some space, he didn't need a part two to what they had done, God knows what might happen if he tried to comfort her again.
Meanwhile, down the hall, El was panicking. Max's worried expression getting to her and her thoughts running wild. There was no way. She couldn't do this to Mike, and she wasn't ready to be a mama, not on her own.
She washed up, and just as she was turning from the sink, she saw the cabinet was slightly open, a pink-ish box catching her eye. Nancy had been back home for a while now, looking for small jobs while now attending a college just outside of Hawkins. Jonathan often visited when he could and stayed with Nancy, their relationship was getting serious by the day after being together for so long.
El looked slightly scared, it wouldn't hurt to check, she thought.
She bent down and grabbed the box with shaky hands, grabbing one of the pregnancy sticks and reading the instructions. Tears were flowing down her face now, she was so scared, this was all so real. She continued to cry silently, trying so hard to convince herself the test would most definitely come out negative.
She sat on the toilet and took a few moments to take deep breaths and get her heartbeat back to something normal. When her attempts failed, she decided to just get it over with, she reached down and pulled her panties from under her skirt. With shaky hands, she grabbed the test and placed it under the skirt, after she peed on it, she placed it on the counter and washed up once more. The box said to wait fifteen minutes, so she cried for a few of those minutes. Bracing herself for the worst, she grabbed the test and went to Mike's room, she didn't dare look at it, she was too scared, she couldn't do this on her own. She needed Mike to be there with her for obvious reasons, but also so she didn't just fall apart. She hoped he wouldn't be mad with her, she was so scared of what he'd say if it read positive.
That thought made her stop just outside his room, she felt a panging in her chest, and she cried so hard, trying to be silent.
Inside the room, Mike was starting to get really worried, she was taking quite a while now. His thoughts flashed with images of El passed out on the floor of the bathroom, needing his help. He shut them down and took deep breaths, she's okay, he thought, maybe she just had to use the restroom while she was there.
His thoughts were disrupted when he heard El's muffled crying just outside his door. Oh no, maybe she's feeling worse than he thought, he worried. He shot up from his bed and tried not to run to the door, he opened it and what he saw was terrifying, to say the least. Mike froze, what he saw was too much for him, El was there, crying into her hands, a pregnancy test in one of them. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't do anything. One of her broken sobs gave him a flashback of his dream that morning, and he quickly broke from his spell. He didn't want to not be there for her anymore, he didn't want to just watch her cry and not be able to help her. She needed him now more than ever, he realized.
He pulled her into a tight hug, his own tears coming out. He ruined her life, he thought, she was gonna hate him forever. Hopper would kill him and he deserved no less, but until then he was going to be there for her, no matter what. He pulled her into the room and shut and locked the door. He sat her down on his bed and tried to think of something, anything to say. He was so lost.
She was still crying, her hands at her sides and her head down. He kneeled in front of her and did what he could to calm her and take her worries away. "El, i-it's going to be okay, I'm not gonna leave your side. I p-promise. I love you, El," he said in a shaky voice, the sincerity was present though.
El looked up at him, still crying, she pulled him into a desperate and scared hug. "M-Mike, I love you too. So m-much. I'm s-so scared, Mike," El cried into his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his neck tightly. They both held on tight for a while longer, she broke from it first, sniffling and wiping at her eyes. He was there, he told her he loved her, everything was going to be okay, and maybe after they both find it negative, they could get together and be safer next time, she thought. "Mike, I... I think it's ready, do you wanna see first or...?" she asked, pain and fear and the result of crying still evident in her voice.
"W-wait, what?" Mike asked, he felt relief wash over him that she wasn't crying because she knew the result, but it quickly subsided when he realized there was still a possibility. "I... I don't know. I-we should look together," he replied as steadily as he could. When she only nodded, he sat next to her and took her hand, both squeezing tightly. They looked into each other's eyes and kissed desperately, it only lasted a few seconds, but they both tried to convey the love that was there for more than four years. They rested their foreheads against each other and took deep breaths. "I love you so, so much, El. No matter what it says, I won't stop loving you," he said, being fully honest with her for once, admitting your love for someone was way less scary than possibly bringing life into the world.
"I love you, Mike, I always have. No matter what," El replied, her voice slightly deeper from the crying. They both parted, hands still held in a death grip.
Time seemed to have slowed so much when they both turned to look at the pregnancy test in El's hand, letting out a shaky breath, El turned the test to the side with the results. Both pairs of eyes widened when they saw the result. Two lines. Positive. El dropped the stick and it seemed to drop in slow motion, her hand flying to her mouth as her tears came back stronger than before. Mike was left speechless, but when he saw El his heart ached at how broken she looked. She needs you, don't let her deal with this alone, Mike thought. He quickly pulled her into another tight hug, and like before, they both cried. They broke from the hug after what seemed like hours, they no longer had tears to cry. El gently placed her hands on Mike's cheeks and he leaned his head a little to kiss her wrist, right over her 011 tattoo. Her heart swelled and she knew everything was going to be fine as long as he was there with her, which she knew he intended to do, she could see it in his eyes. The love that was between them could be felt, and they leaned into another kiss.
But this one was different, instead of fear they felt reassurance, everything was going to be okay. They kissed for a long time, not wanting the other to feel scared, just loved and safe, which they both felt immensely.
They broke from the kiss after running out of breath, and El had a sickening thought.
"M-Mike, do... do you want to k-keep the b-baby?" El asked, fear taking over her entire being at the idea of both keeping and killing their baby.
"El, it's your body, no matter what, I won't be mad with your decision, I'll be here for you all the way through," Mike wanted nothing more than to keep it, it was a bundle of their love, half El and half Mike, even if it was causing them intense fear and stress.
"Mike, it's our b-baby," she said, it was so scary saying that word but for some reason, her heart swelled with love the more she thought of having Mike's child and raising it with him. "We both have to decide, please, tell me honestly," she silently crossed her fingers and hoped to god he felt the same about keeping their child.
Mike took a few seconds to compose himself, he was scared that she'd be mad at him for wanting to keep it, it was his fault after all. He took hold of both of her hands and looked her in the eyes, only love being seen from them. "El, I-I want to keep our baby, I don't think I'd be able to live knowing that we gave life only to kill it," Mike said honestly, he had just found out a few minutes ago that he was going to be a dad, but he knew he'd love and care for it as much as he would for El.
She was visibly relieved to find that Mike felt the same about keeping the baby, she gave him a weak smile. "Okay, Mike, I want nothing more than to have our baby. I love you." she kissed him deeply, and they were both somehow crying again, while there was still fear present, there was also hope and happiness for the future and for the fact that they were both okay with keeping and raising their child.
They lay down on his bed and rested their tired, stressed out heads on Mike's pillows, clinging to each other as if at the moment they let go, the other would disappear. For most of the time that they lay together, they either basked in the presence of one another and the fact that they felt the same, or they made out, trying to catch up for all the lost time they had been without each other's love.
A few hours later, it was around 7:00 and they heard a knock from the front door, they both knew they'd soon have to part. El looked up at mike from beside him and had a scared expression on her face. "M-Mike, I... I don't want to leave you," El admitted, fearing being alone at a time like this, knowing her thoughts would lead her to a dark, dark place.
Mike felt the same, knowing that guilt would kill him once she was no longer in his arms, giving him the smile that reassured that she was happy with him and their baby. "It's okay, my love. Sneak out at 10:00 and I'll be there to pick you up," Mike thought quickly, satisfied when he saw her face light up. She gave him a long, lingering kiss that once more showed all the love and happiness that radiated from her, then got up to leave.
He walked with her downstairs, they weren't holding hands, though. Mike's relationship with Stacey was well-known in Hawkins after she flaunted it around like a trophy. And they didn't need Hopper or Mrs. Wheeler asking questions, not until they were fully ready to come out about starting a family.
They settled for a hug since it was still a display of affection, both holding on tightly until Hopper cleared his throat from behind El, giving the teens a questioning look. They just smiled and said goodbye.
Mike's thoughts were racing, he still felt guilty for cheating and impregnating El, but he knew what had to be done, his mind was made, he was El's for the rest of his life.
Everything was going to be okay, they were going to be there for one another each step of the way, and no matter what, Mike would be the best dad he could be to his and El's baby, and he would show El his undying love for her.
Mike and El are going to have a bebe! lol
Sorry if this felt rushed, there's just a lot that's gonna go down next chapter, so look out for that ;)
Now, I wanna ask you people who've read this so far if I should change the rating to M, I can fit in some smut next chapter and the topic of this Fic is pretty serious, idk, please review and let me know, Thanks.