Catching Up

El woke up. Her head was resting on Mike's bare chest. She listened to his gentle breathing. He sounded at peace. She gave a satisfied, "Mmmmm" She didn't want to move. Mike's body heat was very comforting.

Her left hand felt funny, but with her fingertips she could feel Mike's abs. From what she'd seen when he'd forgotten to close up the bathrobe he was wearing, he was… what did they call it…? Ripped.

Mike must have thrown the wool blanket from her bed over her. She felt a little itchy, when she realized why she said, "Mike, am I topless?"

"And bottomless," he said.

"Ok, that's why I feel naked. Uh… why?"

"Um, you fainted last night, and I grabbed you before you hit your head. Your hand flew out and hit the shower lever. No bones were broken but your hand is going to be bruised and sore for awhile. Anyway, it soaked both us pretty good. I… um… uh… took your clothes off and dried you off. I got you over to the futon as fast as I could. Grabbed what looked like the warmest blanket and covered you up. Sorry I saw all your charms."

"We're even then, saw yours last night… Mike… you seem to be naked too."

"Uh, yeah, you didn't have any other spare robes, I was sure none of your other clothes would fit me. "

"I'm glad you're not wearing my underwear Mike."

Mike laughed, and then said in a much more serious voice. "Um, Eleven?"

"Yes Mike?"

"I love you." El could feel his breath hitch. She looked up to him tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, MIke."

"I never gave up on you, I called you for six thousand, three-"

"-hundred and fifty two days… I heard. I could never find you in the Void Mike. I tried hundreds of times."

"I didn't want to be found El, not back then."

"Mike," El treaded carefully here. "Is my right hand under your ass?"

He burst out laughing and she felt her right left butt cheek being squeezed. "Uh, yeah, returning the favour. We must have fallen asleep this way."

She also felt his stirring...

"Yes, Mike."

El collapsed exhausted on top of Mike panting.

"Um… wow?" Mike said hugging her tightly trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry Mike I told myself I would not do a homeless guy on my futon…. Oops." She giggled.

"El…" Mike's voice took on a serious tone again. "When I saw you coming through the door last night, I thought… I don't know… I couldn't believe it. I thought I'd finally caved to my… grief."

El used her thumbs to brush away Mike's tears and kissed him softly. "You already know it was too much for me… and… Mike. You are no longer homeless. I'm not letting you out of my sight. I… can't lose you again."

This time it was Mike who brushed away her tears. "You won't lose me... I've wanted to kiss you again for almost twenty years. I didn't expect anything more… but that was… nice."

"It was more than nice Mike… you are…" El turned a deep shade of red… "um, very talented."

Mike blushed. "I was in the moment… I'm also trapped in your apartment naked with no clothes. If you could find it in your heart to get mine from the laundry room."

She laughed. "Yes, they should be dry now. Let me get dressed first."

El did not close the bathroom door when she got dressed. She wanted Mike's eyes on her. She wanted everything about Mike. Again.

"Mike… let's go back home for the holidays. Back to Hawkins, we can figure things out from there."

"I don't know how I'm going to face my family, or the Party if any of them are still living there... Ok El, with you by my side, I can do it."

She came over sat on the futon beside him and gave him a deep kiss. "I'm not kidding Mike, when I go downstairs to get your clothes, it's the last time I'm going to be more than five feet away from you. I've waited too long…"

She gave him another quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

They were finally out of the city on the main highway."What are you smiling about El?"

"I have no reason not to smile. The guy I've loved since I was twelve years old… and who loves me…" Her voice started to waver, "is sitting beside me and we are going home, to where it all started."

"You mentioned the Void this morning. Does your nose still bleed when you move things?"

"No, I got a lot stronger. You'd be surprised what I can move now."

"Stronger than a locomotive, faster than a speeding bullet?"

El smiled at him. "Something like that, the locomotive part anyway."

"Are you telling me you can move a train?"

"Just one train car… sideways."

"Wow. I thought it would take time for me to get used to having a telekinetic girlfriend again, but I fell right into it I…. Um, oh…"

"What is it?" She looked over concerned.

"Are you…" he took a deep breath… "...are you my girlfriend?" He sounded so fragile and unsure of himself that her eyes stung with fresh tears . We're were both so new at this she thought.

"Mike… I was yours when you kissed me in the lunchroom. I was surprised, maybe a little confused… but I was yours Mike... I am yours."

He was wiping his eyes. "Thanks El… I've been alone so long…"

"Me too, Mike."

"The second after I realized you'd killed the Demogorgan and disappeared… I knew my life was over… and… well you see where it led me… were you trapped in the Upside Down?"

"I was… I called out to you…" She stopped that part of her story when she saw Mike had his face in his hands, wiping his tears away furiously. She burst out into tears and had to pull over to the side of the road.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea it was as bad for you as it was for me." She leaned over and they held each other tight.

"I know you think I was being funny, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."

He laughed through his tears. "I'm ok with that…"

"There are some changes that happened in Hawkins that you don't know about."

"It's been almost twenty years, I'm sure there's a lot of changes."

"Some of these happened in the first year after you… left."

"Ok El, I'm prepared for it. I have you… nothing can be as bad… I'll be ok."

"Will is gone."

Helooked down… "ok."

"You were his best friend, he went off a few days after you did, to find you. I guess he never found you."

Mike shook his head.

"That was really the big one, everything else is just minor after that. There's one other thing."

Mike looked at her, a calm settling into his features.

"My birth certificate says Jane Hopper on it."

He looked puzzled, "Why would the chief adopt you?"

"He felt guilty, it's a long story, and it's not important anymore. We had a rough couple of years, but he gave me a life and an education. And he kept me safe."

"You got to go to school with Dustin and Lucas?"

"Yes, and Max."

"Who's he?"

"Max is short for Maxine, but nobody calls her that. She'll punch you."

"Let me guess, is she a redhead?"

El giggled, "as a matter of fact, and she's also married to Lucas… and they are both police officers working under my dad."

"Mike, you're dad is gone too. From what I heard he died in his sleep on his La-Z-Boy"

"I wasn't very close to him? My mom?"

"She's ok, your dad provided her with a comfortable living."

"Did my sister ever marry that douchebag Harrington?"

El laughed. "No, she married Will's brother."

Mike just looked at her.

"And Steve is one of the nicest guys you are ever going to meet. He runs a bar in Hawkins, he and Dustin are almost inseparable… no… not like that. Some interesting things happened when you were gone."

"Upside Down interesting?"

"I opened the gate, but I close it too. No demogorgans, demodogs, or mind flayers to worry about."

"Uh oh, I don't know about the last two."

"Dustin can explain better than I can. Just know that you don't have to worry about them."

"I missed so much. I shouldn't have run away… I was nothing without you El."

"Mike… I understand."

He looked at her and nodded. El swore she could feel the love coming off him in waves. It made her feel special. Wanted.

She was no longer empty inside. It made her feel complete.

Mike Wheeler loved her. Nothing else mattered.