The smell of fallen pine needles scattered beneath the tree, the heat of the fireplace hitting your skin, the sounds of people laughing and singing carols next door, the taste of egg nog lingering in your mouth and throat, with decorations and lights everywhere you see. All were new sensations for El, leading her to believe that Mike was right- there was in fact, no happier, more magical time of the year than Christmas.

The night before Christmas, however, Mike and El had agreed that whoever got up first would wake the other person up. El usually liked to sleep in, that was when she could get a wink of sleep at all, but being as excited as she was about spending Christmas with her boyfriend, she struggled to stay asleep and instead popped up early. Quietly tiptoeing up the stairs, she came to find that Mike too was already up, with his back turned to the basement door.

After spending as much time with the boys as she had over the past year, she knew all of their tricks. So, seeing that he was turned around, she decided to put her powers to the test and tap him on the shoulder from behind with her mind, knowing that he would look in the wrong direction the first time she did so.

"Ha! Gotcha!" she said.

"Wha-How?" he replied.

"Figured out I could do that one yesterday…" she said coyly.

He smiled, proud, while also amused by her playfulness. Then, he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles, continuing to hold her hands afterward.

"Why were you turned around anyway?" she asked.

"Oh, I-I was gonna wake you up, but it was kind of early and I didn't know if you were still sleeping. I kept nearly opening the door, but then stopping myself because I didn't want to disturb you. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this… *dorkily chuckles, shakes head* You get the idea."

"Quit worrying, Wheeler! *kisses*"

*smiles and blushes*

"*eyes light up, blurts out* Hey! *pauses, holds waist, then says in a soft voice* Merry Christmas…"

"Merry Christmas," she said, her smile projecting onto his.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" he asked.

"I don't know...No one else is up yet."

"Yeah, I know. Well, I guess we could just make some eggos and watch something quietly until everyone's ready to open presents and stuff."

"Sounds good to me."

Though he hid it well, Mike was secretly really eager to give El her present already. Little did she know the trouble he went through to get it for her. There was even a whole story about it.

[3 Months Prior, Starcourt Mall]

"Do you think anything survived in the fire?" Mike asked the fireman.

"Probably a few things. The damage was less extensive in some areas more than others…Why?"

"Well, you see, there was this ring that I was going to buy for my girlfriend and-"

"Oh, god, give me a break, kid!"

"*furrows brows, shrugs* What?"

"You're one of those kids!"

"What do you mean one of those kids?"

"One of those kids who proposes to their girlfriend before they're even out of high school."

"What? No!"

"Uh huh…"

"Look, I realize I'm just some stupid kid, so why even pay any attention to me, right? But hear me out…I was going to buy this teddy bear ring for my girlfriend, until I found out that it was $300. I was broke at the time, so I never ended up getting it and I know it's wrong and stupid to even ask, but if somehow it survived, could I have it?"

"*sighs* I'll see what I can do..."

"Really?" he said, the excitement showing through his eyes.

"Yeah, but no promises that I'll be able to find it and if anyone asks, I had nothing to do with it, got it?"

"Yes, sir," he said.

And so, he patiently waited until he saw the fireman return from inside.

"Well?" he asked.

"I'm afraid-"

*Mike sighs*

"It was right here all along," he said, pulling it out of his pocket with a smile.

"*takes it* Oh, thank you!" he said, ironically getting down on one knee, clasping his hands together, and shaking them in gratitude.

And so, he put that ring in a little red box, having his mom assist him with wrapping it of course, and put it under the tree just before El had arrived in Hawkins. It was simple, but thoughtful and he knew she would appreciate it.

El on the other hand, had had a harder time finding something to give him. She wanted it to be just right, something that he would never forget, something that honored everything he had done for her.

"What are you supposed to give guys anyway?" she had asked Max over the phone.

"That's one mystery no woman has ever been able to solve!" Max replied.

*El sighs*

"Don't overthink it. Just give him something that you think he would enjoy and that would make him happy. Frankly, I think anything coming from you would make him giddy as a schoolgirl."

"*laughs* Thanks, Max."

"No sweat!"

So, after a lot of thought, she was finally able to come up with something good...something meaningful- Hopper's trusty cross pen.

For someone like Mike, a pen would actually be a very practical gift, but the fact that it used to be Hopper's made it all the more special. And so, as Mike was fixing her some Christmas morning eggos, she discretely slipped the pen, encased in a box with big red bow wrapped around it, underneath the tree.

"There you are," he said, setting the plate down on the table.

"Thanks, love," she said, a smile emerging between those rosy cheeks of hers.

"No problem," he said.

After breakfast, they lied down on the couch, bundled under a warm blanket together and quietly watched some television.

"Mike, don't take this the wrong way, but why are squirming so much?"

"I don't know why, but my shoulders really hurt. It kinda feels like there's a knot in my back. I think I may have slept on it wrong or something."

"Do you want me to massage it for you?"

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," she replied.

And so she knelt on the couch, straddling over his lower back as she positioned her hands on his shoulders and began rubbing them.

"Good?" she asked.

"A little lower."

"How 'bout now?"

"Yeah, that's it, just really dig in right there."

Mike continued to make noises both in pain and relief as she kept going. She couldn't tell whether or not it was actually helping or working, but luckily she had another thought in mind.

"Mike, I'm gonna try something different, okay? I don't know if it's gonna work, but just trust me."

"O-Okay," he said nervously, eager to know what she was gonna do to him.

And so she intertwined her hands together and turned them inside out, pushing them against the air to stretch them out. Then, she took a deep breath and centered her thoughts, once again, reaching her hands out while staring down at Mike's back with intense focus. Scrunching her fingertips towards her hands, she knew it was working, not only because that oddly satisfying feeling of blood dripping down her nose was back, but also because Mike's hyena-like noises were too.

"I can't tell...Does this feel good?"

"More than good...Great! Can you trying chopping it too?"

"Like this?" she asked, her hands moving like the Karate Kid.

"Yeah, just like that!"

And by the time Mike sat up, even after El had already wiped the blood away from her nose, he had still caught onto the fact that she had used her powers. After knowing her just as El, his girlfriend and nothing more for months, seeing her with powers again felt strange and he had to get used to it all over again. He looked at her surprised, maybe even a little scared, despite feeling safe in her protection.

"What else can you do?" he asked.

*pinches him, nose starts bleeding*

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a dingus."

"Well, what else am I supposed t- Yeah...you're right. I sounded like someone who tests products out for a living."

"*laughs* Exactly!"

"I wanna try more though...I know that I can do things again that I wasn't able to before, but I still feel...different," she continued.

"Different how?"

"It's just a feeling. I can't explain it, but when I had my powers, I was very aware of the fact that I had them. I was really in touch with myself and I still don't completely feel that way."

"Well, there's only one real way to know...Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Try to enter The Void and move something bigger?"

"Yeah, and if neither works yet, then we'll know...we'll know that we still have work to do."

"And eventually we can figure out the source of my powers. Knowing that might help me channel them better."

"Precisely."

El liked to watch Mike brainstorm. Whenever a problem emerged, there was nothing that could stop him from trying to solve it. He hated sitting around when he knew he could do something. He wouldn't rest until a plan was set in place and whenever he made a plan, he stuck to it. That was what she loved about him. He was reliable.

"Which first?" he asked her.

"The Void because there's a chance that I can move big things, just not see into The Void. Hopefully, I can do both though."

"Sounds like a plan," he said.

Checkered tablecloth over her eyes, tv static in the background, Mike's hand holding hers, she attempted to enter the empty, echoey, black space, but instead, she just saw the backs of her eyelids and nothing else.

"Anything?" Mike asked, rubbing her index finger with his thumb.

"No," she said, disappointed, yanking her blindfold off.

She sat there for a minute and put her head on his shoulder, telling herself that everything would be okay.

10 minutes later, she was ready to try again:

"So, you were able to lift the mistletoe, but that's nothing compared to the cars you've flipped and thrown in the past...Maybe try lifting or dragging something a little heavier, without hurting yourself of course," said Mike.

"Like a chair?"

"Yeah, that'll work."

"How 'bout I try your dad's La-Z-Boy chair?"

"Are you sure about that? It's pretty heavy…"

"Isn't that the point?"

"I mean, I guess, but just be careful."

"Always," she said with a smile.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them once again, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the challenge before her. Then, she eyeballed the ratty old thing, going over everything Kali had taught her in her head.

Breathing heavily, grunting in frustration, with hands and fingers squirming and twitching, she was struggling. Mike hated to watch her struggle, but he admired her determination through it all.

"El, I don't think it's-"

"Mike, please! Don't," she said firmly.

And so she continued until she couldn't anymore, until her head started to feel light as a feather.

As she started falling back in exhaustion, Mike caught her, saying:

"Easy, easy. You're okay, I've got you."

And so he carried her to the couch, getting her something to drink and then sitting by her feet.

"Look, I know you feel like giving up right now, but that's not who you are. We can take a break for now, and we should, we both need it, but we're going to have to try again at some point," he said.

"*sighs* What use is it! It's never gonna work, not like it used to anyway..."

"Yes, it will! *grabs hands, moves them while speaking* We just need to think through all of the things you were able to do before you lost your powers, that way, we can make sure we've covered all of our bases."

"That'll take forever!"

"This is gonna be harder than we thought, but that's okay, El. They're still in there, I just know it."

"*sits in lap* You're not usually one to be optimistic," she said.

"You're right, I'm not," he said, holding her.

"But I love seeing you this way!"

"Do you know why, why I am this way now?"

"*shrugs* No."

"Guess."

"Because of me?"

"Bingo!"

And he looked at her, her eyes, her lips, but not like that was all there was, but rather like it was merely only a fragment of his attraction to her. Yes, there was so much more to her than met the eye. He looked at her with love beyond his own lifespan, beyond his own understanding. Love so endless, so infinite, so true. Love that lived above what he even knew. Now leaning in, he gave her a kiss that grabbed her lip as it did her attention.

And she pulled away and smiled, her face suddenly turning serious as she said:

"I think I hear someone."

And sure enough, little Holly came running down the stairs, eager to open every present with her name written on the label.

"*whispers in El's ear* Remember she doesn't know about Santa, so just play along, okay?"

"Okay," she said, kissing his cheek and wrapping her arm around his.

"Morning, Holly," said El.

"Good morning!" she said joyfully.

*El nudges Mike*

"*sighs* You wanna sit with us?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, breaking their embrace by sitting in between them.

"You excited?" asked Mike.

"You have no idea!" she said.

"What do you hope Santa brought you this year?" asked El.

"Holiday Barbie or...a Cabbage Patch Kid!"

"Ooh, those are good ones! I'm sure you'll get at least one thing on your list this year."

"I sure hope so!"

*Mike rubs Holly's head*

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"*chuckles* What do you want? Cereal?"

"Um...Yeah!"

"Okay, I'll go fix you some."

"El, can you watch her?" he continued.

"Of course! I got this," she said, kissing him.

[2 minutes later]

"I should check and see if Santa ate my cookies!" said Holly.

"I'll come with you," said El, thinking back to when she and Mike snacked on them the night before.

El wasn't crazy about deceiving Holly with this whole "Santa" business, but she knew that it was just something that practically all families who celebrated this beloved holiday did, so she went along with it, finding that for the first time, she was apart of a secret instead of having one that was being kept from her as usual. It made her feel important somehow and responsible. Maybe she was even enjoying it a little.

"He did! He ate them!"

"*gasps* With hardly any left," El added.

"I guess he liked them," she said with a giggle.

As Holly ate her cereal a thought occurred to El.

"Wanna make breakfast?"

"*laughs* We already ate, silly!" said Mike.

"No, not for us, I meant for everyone else."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. That's a great idea! Uh wha-what do you wanna make?"

"Pancakes and eggs."

"Okay. Well, lead the way, Martha Stewart!"

"Who?"

"She's a famous businesswoman who writes cookbooks and that type of thing."

"Oh," she said with a shy smile.

"You want an apron?"

"Sure."

He searched in the cupboard for his mom's apron, the one with the patchwork his grandma had sewn herself. After having found it, he slid the loop over her head and kissed her neck as he tied it in the back.

"Thank you, dear," El joked.

"Sure thing, honey," he said with a wink.

And so they fixed breakfast, side-by-side, enjoying partaking in an activity that neither of them usually had much of knack for. Everything was somehow just more fun when they did it together.

Joyce had taught El how to make eggs herself for whenever she had to go into work early and wasn't able to fix them for her, but El wasn't sure how to make pancakes, so Mike taught her.

After pouring the batter one time and flipping it once ready, he let her give it a try herself. It was one of those cliché moments where the guy stands over the girl's shoulder and guides her hand in whatever she's doing, trying to impress her while also getting closer to her. The only difference was that at this point in their relationship, El didn't need any more reason to be impressed. She was totally and completely captivated by him in a smitten kind of way. She still felt a little fluttery every time he touched her.

"There you go, you got it!"

"All thanks to you…" she said, rubbing her nose with his.

And not long after that, Nancy and her parents came trudging down the stairs with Joyce and Jonathan tagging along.

"Good morning, sweetie," Mrs. Wheeler said to Mike, kissing his forehead.

"Morning, Mom."

"What's all of this?" she asked.

"Oh, that! Um, El and I made breakfast for you guys."

"Ted, would you look at that! Blueberry pancakes, your favorite."

"Oh boy!" he said.

"El, look at you in the apron! You look so cute! Jonathan, would you get a picture of this?" asked Joyce.

"JOY-OYCE!" said El, her face red as Rudolph's nose.

"What? You do! Now stand together, you two, don't be shy."

"Alright, say Merry Christmas!" said Jonathan.

"Merry Christmas," they said in unison.

"On the bright side, at least we'll have some more pictures to hold onto when you go back to your town and I sulk here at home," said Mike, talking through his smile.

"Yeah, true. Good thing we have Jonathan to take lots."

And after a delicious breakfast, they all gathered around the tree, lights and all, but not without making a couple of Joyce jokes.

"Holly, would you like to go first, sweetheart?" asked Mrs. Wheeler.

"Yes, please, please! Can I?"

"Go for it!" said Nancy.

Yanking the bow off and unraveling the wrapping paper surrounding it, sure enough, it was the doll she had asked for.

"*squeals* It's a holiday Barbie!"

"Oh wow, I didn't see that one coming," said Mike.

*El pinches with mind*

*Mike rubs shoulder in pain*

"What are you gonna name it, Holls?" asked Nancy.

"Lucy."

"Ooh, that's a pretty name!" said Joyce.

Next was Jonathan, who got a new tripod for his camera, and then Nancy, who got a typewriter. They went around the circle until it was finally Mike's turn.

"It's just a little something, but hopefully you'll like it," said El.

"It's from you. Of course, I'll love it!"

*El smiles*

"A cross pen!" he said.

Eyes turning glassy, lashes wettening, Joyce put a hand to her mouth, realizing exactly who that little old pen belonged to.

"It-It used to be my dad's. He used to clip it on the pocket of his uniform before he went to work," El added.

"El, this is awfully sweet...Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"I just wouldn't want to accept something this valuable unless you were totally comfortable with giving it away."

"I am, don't worry. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place."

"I guess you have a point there. *pauses to examine it* Wow, I love it! Thank you," he said, giving her a hug that she needed.

"I'll take real good care of it, I promise," he said, over her shoulder as he rubbed it.

"I know you will," she said tearily, thinking of when her dad told Mike to be careful back at the mall.

And next up was El.

"Alright, so this one's kind of small, but I have a feeling you're really gonna like it," he said.

She untied the ribbon and tore away until there was a little circle of wrapping paper scraps scattered around her.

"*squeals* Mike, it's so cute! How did you know?!"

"I just know how much you love teddy bears, but there's actually a story behind that."

"There is?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. *clears throat* You remember when Will and Lucas and I were at the mall that one day when we broke up."

"Yeah…?"

"Well, I really was looking for something to get you and when we stopped in this jewelry shop, I knew I had to get *holds up* this ring because it just had your name written all over it, but the man behind the counter said it was $300, so I knew it was way out of my budget."

"Then how did you get it?"

"Well, at first I started saving up, but when the mall burned down, I thought I had lost my chance. Then, I decided to ask one of the firefighters to do me a solid and check and see if it was still there and if it had survived in the fire and sure enough, it did. I honestly probably shouldn't have taken it, but I couldn't help myself."

"Oh, Mike! I can't believe you went through all of that trouble...I just- I love it!"

"May I do the honors?" he asked with a goofy smile, holding it up.

"You may," she said, presenting her hand to him.

And he slid the ring on her finger, thinking about how one day he might actually get the chance to do this at the altar, with all of his friends and family watching from the pews.

"Hold on, I have one more thing for you," he said.

"Wait, what? You can't do that! I only got you one thing…"

"The hell I can!" he responded.

"LANGUAGE!" yelled Ted.

*Mike rolls eyes*

"It's really not much. Just wait here, I'll be right back."

"O-Okay," she said.

"Do either of you know about this?" she asked Will and Nancy.

"No," said Will.

"Nope, no clue," said Nancy.

*El sighs*

Coming back up from the basement, Mike quietly snuck up behind El, signaling the others by putting a finger to his lips. Then, he took a familiar quilted cloth and wrapped it around her eyes, tying it in the back.

"Mike, seriously! What's going on?"

"Just take it off and you'll see."

Despite her confusion, she did as he said, and studied the fabric closely.

"Wait, a minute...This is from-" she started.

"The fort," he finished.

"I-I don't understand though. Why-Why are you giving this to me?"

"It's to use as you continue practicing to travel into The Void again. It's not just some random bandana we find anymore, it's yours. It's your own blindfold, but I mean it could serve other purposes too. I just thought it might be nice to have something that reminded you of home."

"I'm speechless. This- *holds up* This is perfect, Mike! Thank you," she said, hugging him tightly.

Later that evening, they went back down to the basement and hung out with Will, who had recently taken his love of roleplaying and turned into a talent- acting. He was really into making up skits and things and would perform them for Mike and El, much to their enjoyment. Sometimes, they would even take a Magna Doodle and rank his skits 1 out of 11.

After the last one however, El laughed so hard, she practically fell into Mike's lap.

"*wheezes* That was great!" she said.

"That was more than great- That was...hysterical!" he said.

"MICHAEL, DINNER'S READY!" Mrs. Wheeler yelled.

"COMING!" he yelled back, in the most Mike Wheeler way possible.

"I don't wanna move, I'm too lazyyyyyyy!" said El.

"*says seriously* Then don't…"

*blushes, grabs the Magna Doodle*

Then, she stared down until the little pen floated from the side of her leg and began tracing on the board all by itself, but not tracing just anything...

"I...Love...You," he read as each word appeared.

"Aww, I love you too," he said, rubbing the blood away from her nose.

*El smiles, snuggles close*