Thank you, thank you, thank you, to those who gave such wonderful reviews, I loved reading each and every one! They truly make writing these stories so meaningful! I know I left you on a cliffhanger from the last chapter, so I hope this one makes up for it! Thank you again!
Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things or His Dark Materials
June 15th 1993
She's not surprised when she watches Mike's mouth drop open in shock at the declaration of her words. She lowers her head slightly as she evaluates him, because he's opening and closing his mouth like he wants to say something, but isn't quite sure with what he actually wants to say
Finally, he chokes out, "Tortured?" his dark eyes wide.
El nods sadly, "Yes" is all that she says.
Mike lets out a long breath of air as he brushes back his wild mess of curls. El silently enjoys watching his hair go right back to its original state after he removes his hand.
His eyes catch hers, and she can see the worry glistening behind his dark orbs.
She's never shared her story with anyone. Kali was the one who told their story to the gang when they first moved to New York. And El had never had any friends outside of the gang, so who would she ever tell it to?
But, then there's this man who sits before her. He's wildly searching her face, uncertain of just the little information she has just shared with him.
She's afraid that she will see pity in his eyes, but she's actually surprised when she doesn't, but instead sees a flash of fear, worry and interest instead.
His next words break the silence, "A lab...you were born there?" is his first question.
El nods slowly, "Yes, it's actually a good place to start," she sighs.
She turns and looks out the window before her, the sun now harshly glinting off the reflective windows of the buildings, her eyes squint at the brightness.
"My mom…" a small smile ghosts at the corner of El's mouth before she shakes her head and turns to look at Mike whose attention is rapt on her, "My mom, got involved in some experiments back in the early seventies. Back when psychedelic drugs were being used to push the boundaries of the mind".
Mike nodded awaiting for El to continue. "However" El breathed, fiddling with her hands in her lap, "My mom got a little too involved with the experiments. She didn't live at the lab, and had a separate life from it, but the head doctor there took a liking to her and what she was able to do".
"But, it wasn't her that he was interested in, but...me" she says quietly and she watches as Mike shifts in his seat leaning closer to her.
"What did you have to do with anything?" Mike asks, his brows furrowed.
"My mom didn't realize she was pregnant with me till she was almost in her third trimester, but I think the doctor did. And I was exposed to a lot of different things, I think he knew that when I was born that I'd be special" she shrugs her shoulders.
El pauses for a second before she continues. "So, when my mom went into labor with me, the doctor was there, and my mom was delirious, so she had no idea what was going on".
El tucks in her lips, "The doctor took me from her the moment I was born".
"What!?" Mike cried out shoving his kitchen chair back suddenly, causing El to flinch at the screeching noise.
"He just took you!?" he casts his arm out in frustration and El merely nods.
"Yes, he was famous for kidnapping children with unique abilities, however, I was different, he got me from birth, something he was unable to do with any of the others".
"Others?" Mike raises his eyebrows.
"Yes, I'm number Eleven" she says and at that moment El silently moves her right hand towards her left wrist, she always keeps it covered whether it be with an old bandana or some kind of bracelet, but now it is covered in the Mike's sweatshirts long arm. She hates seeing the permanent mark but she knows she needs to show Mike. So, she pushes up her sleeve and moves her arm towards him, and his eyes widened even more when the numbers 011 are seen.
He studies the tattoo and before she can react, he reaches forward and gently takes her wrist in his large hand.
She shivers at the contact, his hands cool to the touch, but also that same spark is there yet again.
El gazes at him as he almost caresses the faded mark with a single fingertip.
"He did this to you" his voice cool, as he lifts his eyes to meet hers. She can see within the depths that there's pure hatred.
El didn't answer, but instead slid her hand through Mike's grasp and took ahold of his fingers, squeezing them gently.
Mike's eyes immediately flashed to hers. She tried to give him a soft smile, but she knew he could see through it.
"I can't remember when, but yes, I've had it for as long as I can remember.''
Mike scoffs, looking away from her, but he squeezes her hand tightly, and she feels the tingly sensation return.
"Wait" he says turning back towards her. "El, Eleven, that's your name?"
El nods once again, humming to his answer.
"You...you don't even have like… a real name?!" his grip becomes tighter, and at this El giggles.
"No, I do, I just don't like it, I like El better" she shrugs.
"How did yo-" Mike begins to ask and El cuts him off, "Lots of research after we left the lab,'' she answers, and Mike nods slowly.
After a beat, she speaks, "Jane, my real name is Jane," she says. Mike gives her a once over and a shy smile plays on his lips.
"Yeah, you don't look like a Jane" he laughs lightly.
El grins at this, "My sister Kali used to call me Jane, but I don't like it. El was the name I gave myself after we left the lab, it's mine" she states firmly.
Mike makes a noise in agreeance. "So, what about your sister, was she there as a baby too?" he asks.
El shakes her hair, "No, the doctor found her when she was four or so, kidnapped her from her parents".
Mike lets out a long breath of air at this, "So, this is just some guy who kidnaps children for his own needs?" his voice drips with venom.
She can't help but shrug at this, "There were others there, but...none of them were like Kali and I, we were stronger, had more adept powers. Apparently the doctor wanted the strongest, he let others go", her voice is timid.
Mike shakes his head, "What did this 'doctor' even hope to accomplish?" he asks, searching El's face.
"Something to do with the Russians. He was always pushing Kali and I to our limits...even on each other" she whispers.
At this Mike pulls back again, "What do you mean?"
El sighs, "Well, obviously we didn't like everything he had us do. Whether it was torturing animals, or straining our powers so much that we would be drained for days. But, then he figured out that if he used our Anima's against us, then he could have whatever he wanted from us".
She's pretty sure Mike growls at this. "He tortured you, and Veda" his teeth are gritted together as he speaks.
El nods, "Yes, if he separated us from our Anima and tortured them, it was hard to not do what he said. It was even worse once he had us starting to use our powers against each other" her voice lowers an octave.
"Wait, each other?" Mike's eyes narrow.
She huffs, "That was the worst part. He thought if we used our powers against each other we would grow stronger. He also wanted to see if our own powers could affect the other...they did".
Mike shakes his head, "How could anyone do that to a child?" his voice strains.
El shrugs her shoulder, "This man wasn't like anybody else. All he cared about was pushing us to our limits, figuring out what our full potential was. We weren't his children, we were his weapons" she cautiously lifts her eyes and she can see Mike is shaking with furry.
"Children?" it's more of a question than anything.
"He made us call him papa, but he was never our father" El says cooly.
"Sick bastard" Mike says clenching his fists together.
He then looks at her quickly, "But wait, how did you-" he starts but El meets him halfway, "Escape?" she finishes, and Mike nods.
El looks upwards as she recalls the day where she and Kali finally got their freedom.
"We had been planning it for months, I was fifteen and Kali was seventeen at the time, everything had to go just right if we wanted it to work and not get captured again, that would have been the worst possible outcome" El begins to explain.
"You see, Kali and I had only one day of rest within each week, and it was those days that there were less lab attendants than usual.''
"So, when Kali and I got brought out of our rooms for lunch, it's when we struck", she looks at Mike who is hanging off of his seat listening to her story.
"Kali used her powers to have our guards believe that a fire had broken out in the lab, which of course sent them into a frenzy. Then Kali and I made our way to the nearest exit, of course we were met with a flurry of lab workers who tried to stop us, and...that's where I came in" her voice lowers somberly.
"I-" she starts but falls short. She takes in a shaky breath, "I...I killed them."
Mike doesn't make a noise, so El tentatively looks at him as he shakes his head, as his hand squeezes hers tighter, "They tortured you El, they deserved it" his voice is firm, and El softens as she tries to hold back her tears.
"I still hated doing it though, killing another human being...it still doesn't feel right," she explains.
Mike doesn't respond so El continues, "But, we made it out, nothing but the clothes on our backs, and we escaped into the woods".
"How did you get here though? Was the lab in New York?" he questions.
"No. When we escaped from the lab we just ran, we ran through the thick forest until we came across a restaurant and the first person who was kind to us" a sad smile dances across her face.
She takes a steadying breath, closing her eyes as she pictures the restaurant clear as day. It was small and old, but full of charm. El remembers the greasy and enticing scent that drifted from the building.
"It was something neither of us had seen before, and the smell…" El inhales deeply, as if she was once again standing in the midst of the messy kitchen.
She exhales, "Was just so appealing, and we were starving, so we went in" El smiles once again recalling the memory. "There was a basket of french fries just sitting there and Kali and I just helped ourselves. We were so enamored by the food we didn't even notice that there was other people there".
"We didn't know what to do when Benny came after us" El laughed.
"But, when he grabbed us and saw that we were dressed in hospital gowns, and my shaved head-" El continued but Mike cut her off with a puzzled look, "Shaved head?" he asks incredulously.
El froze slightly, it wasn't something she necessarily liked to talk about, but she was the one who brought it up. She swallows before she continues nodding her head, "Yeah. The doctor liked my head shaved, he used these-" and then she gestures to her head, "Electrode things used to monitor my brain waves or something, so he kept my head shaved" she finishes bitterly.
"That's why I like my hair long now" she smiles at Mike shyly tucking a stray lock behind her ear.
He finally breaks his blank look and a dopey smile crosses his face, he ducks away shyly, "It looks really pretty" he mumbled as he eyes her nervously and El's mouth drops open at his words, her face flushed furiously.
"Thanks" she whispers back, both of them with shy looks on their faces.
A silence falls over them for a minute as they allow their tender moment to pass. And then El picks up where she left off, "Anyways, Benny realized we weren't your 'normal' teenagers, so he fed us some real food and found some old clothes that were his daughters.
"It was a relief honestly, to actually feel safe" El breathes out slowly, "But, it didn't last long" her mouth falls.
"What do you mean?" Mike questions giving her a curious look as he leans forward, his chair creaked as he did so.
El sighs heavily, tears pricking at her eyes once again, really not liking recounting this part of the story, "Benny he...he called a child services number and, later on in the evening, a woman from the lab, who was close to the doctor came".
A stray tear escapes her eye, "Kali saw her and before she could warn Benny...she shot him" she sniffles trying to hold back her crying.
"Kali and I escaped again and...we just ran" she states, taking Mike's sweatshirt and rubbing her tear stained face.
Mike places a gentle hand on her arm, he looks at her, "That's awful El, I'm really sorry to hear that" he says softly.
She can see the empathy in his face and she knows he's being genuine.
He pulls back and glances away, El follows his gaze, "Wow, it's almost lunch time" he laughs as he nods towards their breakfast plates that have remained vacant for the time they've spent talking.
Mike gives her a look, "Hey, why don't we get changed, and regroup a bit, this must be really hard for you, so...let's take a break?" it's more of a question. He's allowing her to control this situation, and for some reason, it warms her to her core.
El sniffs again nodding, "Yeah, that sounds good" she flashes him a quick smile as she pushes out her chair, standing to her feet and bends to grab her plate, but Mike beats her to it with a quick laugh.
"Nope, you're my guest I got it" he chuckles.
El softens, "Thank you" she says gently looking at the man before her. He only nods, "Anytime" he states as he takes his plate as well and moves back towards the kitchen.
She begins to shuffle towards Mike's spare bedroom, but his voice stops her, "Hey!" he says and El pivots rapidly on her feet, her eyebrows raising to her hairline.
"Uh, my sister Nancy is about your size, she leaves clothes here all the time, you're welcome to wear them" he raises a hand towards the room and then drops it to his side. He shifts anxiously on his feet.
El gives him a warm smile, "I managed to grab some of my clothes, but thank you though" she tries to keep her voice gentle, hating to have to deny him of his offer.
But, her worry leaves her when Mike grins back, "Okay, just wanted you to know," he says. And with one last nod to Mike, El and Veda shuffle into the spare bedroom, El shutting the door for privacy behind her.
Behind the closed door, El lays her back against the white door and slides down slowly. She can feel her anxiety begin to bubble deep within her as she pulled her knees up to her chest and burrows her face into them.
Her body begins to shake, a common factor when she feels overwhelmed by emotions. Veda is immediately by her side as she tries to not cry out.
"El, you're okay, you're safe" her Anima tries to soothe her.
Fresh hot tears stream down her face as Veda attempts to calm her.
"I know...it's...it's just so hard" she cries quietly into Mike's sweatpants, her tears leaving marks.
"I know, it's not easy recounting everything you've been through after going through our ordeal yesterday" the fox nuzzles under El's chin, causing the girl to smile. Veda then moves swiftly into El's lap, curling up there, El stroking her affectionately.
"At least he's listening, and he seems to care" Veda states.
"He does care" the words come effortlessly from El's mouth, and it surprises herself.
Veda cranes her neck to El and gives her a pointed look, and El shakes her head. She knows her Anima is teasing her, but she chooses to ignore her.
After a handful of minutes El finally rises to her feet and moves to her bag. She retrieves her dark clothing and gets dressed slowly. Eventually moving back to the bathroom to freshen up a bit.
When she's done she looks at the clock beside her bed and the numbers flash 1:45 at her. El flopped back onto the bed and sighed heavily looking at the ceiling above her.
Her eyes grow heavy and she allows herself to drift off.
The moment El shuts the door to her room. The smile he had been giving her falls quickly to a frown. Not because of El, but because of everything he's learned so far about her childhood, her upbringing, and the man who called himself her father.
Mike turns towards his kitchen sink and places both of his hands against it. Closing his eyes tightly as his body shakes with anger. He tries to hold back the scream that pounds against his chest he so desperately wants to release.
"Mike, you've got to calm down a bit" Pitch says slowly by Mike's side.
Mike lets out a long breath and then turns to his companion, he can't help but give the wolf a glare.
"Calm? How do you expect me to stay calm after what El just told us?!" he strains gesturing towards the door El just closed, as he attempts to keep his voice hushed.
Pitch rolls his eyes at Mike, "Freaking out about what we've just been told won't help the situation, it won't help El".
Mike's chest rises and falls quickly at Pitch's words. He silently hates the beast for his rationality. No, freaking out and causing a scene won't help El. He secretly hates how his companion is able to make sense most of the time.
Grumbling, Mike turns back to the sink and turns on the running water, rinsing off their plates from breakfast and places them into his dishwasher, his brain mulling over everything El has shared with him.
Once he's done with the dishes, Mike aimlessly walks towards his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He mindlessly ruffles through his casual clothing, pulling on a pair of faded jeans and one of his favorite Star Wars t-shirts.
He moves to his bathroom and begins to brush his teeth, staring at his reflection the entire time.
"What do I do?" he asks himself. He feels as if there's everything and anything that he needs to do. Like, all the things El's lost out on in her life, he wishes he could fix everything.
"But you can't", his brain reminds him and his brushing slows.
He spits into the sink and leans into it, his brain going a mile a minute.
"But, I can make it better," he whispered to himself. And with a split decision, Mike hastily moves back to the kitchen and begins to rummage through his cabinets.
Mike has a couple of flashes of childhood memories of his mother always making him fresh hot chocolate when he was feeling down and it always seemed to cheer him up. Even though it was nowhere near winter, the thought of a warm beverage seemed to be the key.
As he pulled out a cooking pot, and the ingredients needed to make his intended drink, he stops and glances to El's door, which still remains closed.
His shoulders sag, wondering if she's okay. He glances at his microwave clock which flashes 2:02 at him.
"Give her time" Pitch states from his spot on the floor where he is curled up and lets out a short yawn.
Mike sighs, "I know" he says softly and turns back to his task at hand.
He eventually gets wrapped up in his thoughts as he continues to bustle through his kitchen. Time seems to slip away as he prepares not just the hot chocolate for El, but also a couple plate full of snacks that he has on hand.
Just as Mike places one of his mismatched plates onto his grey speckled countertop, he freezes slightly, recalling this morning when he had handed El a plate.
He was certain the reason she had almost dropped the plate was when their hands gently brushed up against one another's. It was a lightning fast sensation that traveled all throughout his body. It seemed to happen every time they touched, and if Mike wasn't lying, he secretly enjoyed it.
His mind began to wander to when El had talked about her past shaved head, and truthfully, Mike believed that she would have looked beautiful no matter how her hair looked. But, the way her warm brown curls cascaded around her face, and the shy smile she gave him after he complimented her hair almost caused him to faint right there. He wasn't sure what this girl, who was a stranger not even twenty-four hours ago was doing to him.
Just as he finished setting up the plates with an assortment of cheese and crackers, he side glanced at the clock, which now read 2:46, and just as he moved his head to El's door, it popped open.
He startled slightly not expecting El to open it the moment he looked at the door, but he ducked his head back to the plate and only looked up when El came to stand across from him.
Lifting his head, he smiles easily, and El gives him one in return, "Hey" he says softly, giving her a quick once over.
It surprises him slightly to see her dressed in so much black, it fits her, but it also doesn't scream 'El' to him.
"Hi" she squeaks back as her mouth opened widely, as she tries to stuff the yawn that takes over.
She laughs, "Sorry, just tired" she apologizes.
Mike shakes his head, "No need to apologize, did you take a nap?"
El nods, "Yeah, I kind of drifted off there" she shrugs her shoulders.
"That's okay, this morning was a lot" his voice is gentle.
El sighs, "Mhm, and there's more where that came from" she tries to joke, but Mike can see that there's a lot weighing on her, and it's exhausting.
So, he decides to pull her from wherever her thoughts take her by raising the plate before her, she eyes it curiously, "Why don't we move to the living room, we don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. But, I got us some snacks and homemade hot chocolate too!" he winces at the excitement that finds its way to his voice.
El giggles lightly at his enthusiasm, but then her brows furrow, causing a slight concern to rifle through Mike.
She tilts her head in the most adorable way possible, "What's...hot chocolate?" she gives him a stare.
Mike tries to stop his mouth from falling open in shock, but fails to do so. He sees a light blush covering El's cheeks at her question as she shys away.
He shakes his head though, "Oh, uhm...it's this really warm drink, it's made out of milk and melted chocolate, I mean, you can by it in powder form too but this is better, and most people drink it when it's cold and-" he stops short, and laughs awkwardly, "Sorry, I'm rambling".
And at this El giggles, "It's fine, I actually prefer it when someone explains things to me instead of just ostracizing me for not knowing what they're talking about," she explains.
Mike's shoulders drop and he gives her a gentle look, he then moves towards the stove where the hot chocolate had been cooling slightly. He then divvies out two cups into his mugs he has sitting nearby.
He places them before El and her eyes widen as she peers into the mugs.
"Hold on!" Mike says excitedly as he moves towards his fridge and removes a can of whip cream. He shakes it quickly and then squirts out two perfect twirls of whipped cream onto the warm beverage.
He picks up the leftover pieces of chocolate he shredded and sprinkles it on top.
"There! Perfect!" he steps back placing his hands on his hips proudly.
El's face lights up as a bright, genuine smile dances across her face.
"Go ahead, try it" he gestures towards the mug.
El gives him a tentative look, the smile never leaving her face as she reaches for the mug. Her eyes flash to his once again and he nods in encouragement.
With wide eyes El brings the mug to her lips and takes a small sip, her eyes glittering.
She swallows, "That's...amazing!" she cheers as she pulls the cup back to her face as she takes another drink from the mug.
She hums in contentment.
Mike watches her and can't help but feel giddy at being the first person to introduce her to his favorite drink.
When she pulls the mug away the second time though, he can't help but outwardly laugh, catching El by surprise, "What?" she asks so innocently, Mike could have melted right there.
He leans forward across his small island, and El follows suit, leaning in as well. Mike gestures towards her upper lip, "You've got cream on your lip and nose" he laughs.
El's eyes widen as she tries to wipe it away, but smudges it even more. Mike chuckles again, leaning closer to her. "Here, let me" and he slowly reaches his hand forward to the girl who freezes and watches as his hand approaches her face.
He hooks his finger and gets what's left of the cream off of her face, he's so focused on the task, he doesn't realize how close he and El are. So, it's no surprise that both of them are met with wide eyes from each other when they realize they are only a breath away.
Their eyes meet, and Mike is astounded to see that up close El's eyes aren't just a rich amber, but they are flecked with golden sparkles that enrapture him completely. He's completely mesmerized by the woman before him.
His eyes flicker from her eyes and then unconsciously to her lips, and then back up to her eyes. He watches her eyes move, he's pretty sure they flick to his lips as well.
It could be so easily, he decides, to just lean in and...before his mind can go any further, El lets out a light giggle, pulling him from his impending thoughts. He can't help but chuckle as well, as they both duck their heads shyly, both of their cheeks lighting up to bright red. They both slowly leaned back from the counter, the interesting encounter causing them both to fluster a bit.
Mike rubs the back of his neck, "Uh, so...want to move to the living room? I've got some snacks as well" he gestures to the plate of snacks on the counter. El gives him a shy nod as she grabs her mug, and Mike follows suit, grabbing his own and then the plate of snacks.
El allows Mike to take the lead as he walks into the living room, he sets the plate of snacks down on the table, as he sits down on his small loveseat.
His eyes move to El, who seems hesitant as she stands awkwardly, not knowing where to sit.
So, Mike eliminates her uncertainty and pats the seat next to him. "Here, you can sit here" he tries to not sound awkward, but he's pretty sure that he fails miserably.
But El gives him a warm look and moves to the empty seat. She tucks her knees up underneath her and leans into the back of the couch, her mug of warm hot chocolate locked in her grip.
Mike nervously takes a sip of his own hot chocolate, and quips an eyebrow up at her, "Uhm, are you feeling better?"
El nods slowly, she holds up her mug, "This is great, makes me feel warm" she tucks her shoulders inward.
"I know right, my mom always made it for me when I felt down, I thought you might enjoy it" he shrugs sheepishly.
He watches as El face lights up, but then a frown pulls at her face, she looked down at her hands. Her thumb strokes the glass slowly, "I...I never had someone do stuff like this before, it's...nice" she comments looking back up at him.
Mike wants to take her in his arms and just hold her tight, to give her everything that she never had, but he knows right now she needs him to just be there, so, he looks at her and grins, "Well, I'm glad I'm able to make you feel better".
El hums in agreement, "You've been wonderful, Mike" she says softly, and it makes Mike's heart melt.
Before he can say anything, El continues, "I've only really had Kali in my life who's been consistent, but even after we escaped from the lab, life wasn't easy".
Mike sits rapt with attention, making sure she knows he's listening.
"Where did you go after?" he asks.
El sighs, "Well, Kali said we needed to get out of Indiana, so we-" she starts, but Mike sits up straight at her words, causing her to stop abruptly.
"Wait, Indiana?!" his voice is tight.
El gives him a curious look, "Yeah? That's where the lab was".
Mike feels a bit dumbfounded, he leans closer to her, one hand is gripping his mug firmly, the other holds up a hand between them, "You...you don't mean Hawkins...do you?" he asks slowly.
He watches as El's eyes widen, "Yes...Hawkins…Hawkins lab is where I was born" she's giving him a look of uncertainty.
It all clicks suddenly. Mike turns to place his mug on his coffee table and then leans forward in his seat rubbing his hands anxiously against his legs.
El copies his movements and leans closer to him, he feels her gentle hand rest against his shoulder, "Mike...are you okay?" she questions.
Mike nods effortlessly, as he moves his head calmly towards her. El peers at him with an anxious expression.
"Mike, what's wrong?" she says worriedly.
But, it's not nerves that has Mike feeling this way, it's a realization. He opens his mouth to speak, "Hawkins, Indiana, that's where I was born, I lived there" he can't help but let out a laugh.
He feels El's hand tightened on his shoulder.
"What?" is all she's able to choke out.
Mike shakes his head, "I grew up there, my friends and I moved to New York for college".
El pulls away from him, her body freezes.
"This...this is too weird" she laughs lightly, clapping her hands on her lap in surprise.
"Yeah, it really is" Mike agrees.
"So, you were there, the whole time I-" he stops short, another realization hitting him.
He runs a hand through his hair in disbelief, "Hawkins Lab, they shut that place down years ago, I remember, there was this huge debacle over what went on there and-" he looks at El with wide eyes.
"Dr. Brenner" he whispers.
El nods, "Papa" is what she says and Mike's heart sinks.
He can't believe it. All this time...she was right there, barely five miles away.
Once again El places her hand on Mike, this time his thigh, he turns to look at her with a sad look. She gives him a soft expression, "Mike" she said gently, "There was nothing you could have done".
It was like she had read his mind. He swallows hard, holding back the anger for himself, for the man who abused this wonderful woman before him. His fingers tightened into fists.
"I could of" is what he says, and El shakes her head quickly.
"No. Dr. Brenner kept us locked up tight, you would've never known we were there" she says sadly.
Mike tucks his lips in tightly unable to follow how weird everything about his and El's meeting had continued to get.
"Besides...you're doing something now, whether you meant to or not" El says lightly giving Mike a smile.
He sighs, she's right, and he knows it. It's a fact that he's constantly been fighting with since he's met El.
Mike unravels his fist and moves it slowly so that he can place it on top of El's, they stare into each other's eyes.
"I promise to keep you safe," he affirms, knowing that no, he couldn't do anything before, but he could do everything now.
El's eyes widen at his declaration, he watches as her eyes glisten, and she bows her head, shyly looking at him, "Thank you Mike" she whispers.
And Mike knows right then and there he will do everything in his power to protect El.
The day passes on in a daze as she and Mike sit and continue to share their stories. El is honestly still swirling with emotions about everything that has gone on, everything that they've shared.
After the realization that Mike had grown up in Hawkins, Mike had taken that moment to go on and explain his childhood. His school, his best friends and how he and his friends all went to New York together and that he and two of them worked together.
El marveled as to how effortlessly Mike explained his childhood memories. They found themselves both with one leg up on the loveseat, turned towards one another. El propped herself up with her right elbow, resting her head gently against her hand as a smile never left her face as Mike recounted animatedly his memories.
She enjoyed the way he talked with his hands, and the way his eyes danced with a lightness she's never seen before. As he wove from one story to the next, time melted away, and so did her anxiety about the whole situation she found herself in.
He stopped at one point bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck, an adorable nervous habit she enjoyed watching. He rose to his feet and called in a pizza.
It didn't take long for the delivery to come, and El found herself and Mike curled up once again on the couch enjoying the warm, cheesy food.
Pitch and Veda had found themselves curled up by one another as she and Mike continued to talk. She immediately felt the warmth and comfort overwhelm her as both of their Anima's layed near one another, it made her feel dizzy with satisfaction.
As the night went on she had finally finished her story, recounting how she and Kali took a greyhound to Chicago, but they were only there for a couple of years before Kali had discovered that the bad men had been tailing them.
They had fled to New York and met the gang with whom they had lived with.
El then went on to talk about how Kali became obsessed with tracking down the bad men and eliminating them. Of course, she had told Mike about how Kali had abused El's power, using her to track down the men.
"That's awful El" Mike had stated, and El shrugged her shoulders.
"I know, but she's my sister, she's all I had" her voice was heavy with sadness.
Mike nods slowly.
"I have to find her" El finally states as she begins to pull at a loose string on her pants.
She hears Mike sigh heavily, he then reaches out a hand and touches her elbow, "We will El. Now that I know what's happened, I'll help you find her" he smiles warmly at her.
El softens, "I really can't thank you enough for everything you've done".
Mike gives her a pointed look, "Hey, we're in this together now, you can't get rid of me that easily".
El laughs at this and then looks at his hand, "Hey, I'm pretty sure you've told me every story about your childhood, but...you've never said anything about your powers".
Mike gives a half smile at this, "Yeah, I guess it's just because it's always been apart of me, my friends have known forever, and I don't use them often," he shrugs.
El nods at his explanation.
He huffs again, "I think I was born with them?" he says uncertain.
"I first found out about them when my friend Will fell off his bike and broke his wrist when we were nine" he begins to recount the memory.
"We all rushed to his side and I grabbed his arm and I remember wishing I could do something about it, then...Pitch was a frog at the time, he was just sitting on my knee, and it was like...a weird connection between us, and my hand started to glow".
"Then, Will winced in pain and, then his arm was fine" Mike shook his head in his own disbelief.
"We didn't understand it then, but overtime I began to figure out that it had something to do with Pitch and mine's connection. You see-" he gestures to Pitch, "I can only use my powers when Pitch is touching me".
El frowns at this, "Really?" she questions.
Mike nods, "Yeah, and depending on the injury I can only heal so much, like your leg" he gestures to her said ligament.
"I never really practiced, only used them when necessary,'' he finishes.
"No one ever found out about them?" El can't help but question.
Mike shook his head, "No, you see, my friends and I have an old pact, 'friends don't lie', and we don't share each other secrets either" he smiles.
"What about your parents?" she questions.
"No, I never told them either, figured it'd be better that way".
"Safer" El adds.
"Yeah, that too" Mike agrees.
A silence falls between them, and a yawn escapes her mouth, Mike laughs.
"Tired?" he asks her gently.
She nods, but then casually glances at the clock in Mike's living room, it only read 8:37.
"I'm not ready to go to bed though," she says, her mind still reeling with all the new information.
Mike chuckles, he then reaches forward for a remote he points it at the t.v. and it flicks on.
"Here, we can watch this for awhile" he then turns to face the t.v. kicking his feet onto his coffee table.
El can't help but turn and copy Mike's movements.
His couch isn't huge, so their shoulders brush against one another. She can feel Mike's eyes on her and she looks up at him.
Their eyes meet and soft smiles grace each others features. He does a sideways nod towards the t.v. "You good with an old classic?" he asks.
El turns her head halfway, not wanting to pull her attention from Mike's face. She had enjoyed their closeness this afternoon when Mike had introduced her to hot chocolate. But, the electricity that hung between them had almost been too much for her, and so she had shyly pulled away.
Her eyes saw that The Little Mermaid was playing on the screen and she secretly smiled. She turned back to Mike and gave him a winning smile, "It's one of my favorites".
And with that, they stayed on the couch, comfortable with just each other's presence.
Okay, I know there isn't much interaction with the Anima's this chapter, but they will play a bigger role in later chapters.
What do you guys think? Kind of needed to get El's and some of Mike's background out and I hope you all liked it! I love writing Mike and El's interaction, it's my favorite part of these stories.
Again, you guys were wonderful with your reviews and I love hearing how much you enjoy this story.
So, as always, please let me know how you enjoyed this chapter by leaving a REVIEW! :)
