A/N: So here's another late-night Stranger Thursday post for you all! So I decided to split it into three chapters with an epilogue, which will be uploaded next week. I just felt that the end of this chapter felt like a good way to end it, and adding what I'm going to put in the epilogue would be too much of a shift in tone.
Thank you so much to all of my readers, and those who have followed and favorited this story I cannot say how much I appreciate it! Also, special shout-out to ThisisMel and my Guest reviewer, I deeply appreciate your thoughts.
Enjoy!
You still make me nervous when you walk in the room
December 14, 1996
Over the past few months, the Byers-Hopper house had become a hub of activity, different people flowing in and out, flowers everywhere, caterers running amuck…the list simply went on and on. El felt overwhelmed by all of the decisions she needed to make, and how much needed to be done in the short span of one day.
"El!" Her mother rushed to her side, her voice frantic and she absentmindedly ran her hands through El's brown curls. "Honey, shouldn't you be getting ready? There's not much time before we have to go."
"We have six hours," El replied, a confused look coming over her face.
Her mom smiled wistfully, as if she was reminded of some better time, before wrapping her adoptive daughter up in a tight, but brief, hug. "Go, all of the girls will be here soon."
El nodded, thankful to be escaping the hectic nature of the rest of the house. Her parents were calling nearly everyone involved in the event, double- and triple-checking everything, Will had left already, but Jonathan, calm, quiet Jonathan, had gotten into two different fights with the hired photographer in the past three hours, threatening to photograph the event himself at one point. El shook her head, smiling softly to herself at her family's high-strung antics.
Settling herself down in front of her small mirror, she pulled her make-up bag towards her, but had no idea where to even begin. She had learned to do her own make-up over the years, but she had a feeling that her standard look of eyeliner and lip gloss would not be very appropriate for her…
"Hey El!" Nancy Wheeler greeted, dashing over to give the young woman a hug, a beaming smile adorning the eldest Wheeler's face.
"Nancy! How are you?" El exclaimed in relief, practically throwing her make-up tools down in her rush to return the embrace.
"I'm great," the older woman replied, smiling from ear-to-ear. "I just started working for a new CSI agency, and Steve is still at the law firm so we're doing pretty well. How's…all of this going?" She gestured to the spread of make-up products before her, "I don't remember it being this complicated."
"Please help," El whined playfully, shoving a small brush into her hand.
"Of course," Nancy turned the other young woman around in her seat, and immediately started lining up the different make-up products and tools, before selecting a foundation and brush. In the years after her return, Nancy had taken it upon herself to be the older sister that El had never had. She taught her all the girly tools "required" of her—much to the exasperation of her little brother—how to dress, and how to do her make-up without looking clownish like some girls, and most importantly, how to make her natural curls shine and avoid tangles.
El smiled and closed her eyes, letting the older girl work her make-up magic. Brushes kissed her cheeks, and softly swiped across the lids of her eyes. The eyeliner pencil tugged at her lids, and a similar tool traced her lips, before filling them in with what El was sure to be lipstick. She even heard the spray of perfume over her skin, and Nancy moved to fiddle with her hair. But she couldn't help feeling a swirl of butterflies come to life in the pit of her stomach. What if all this extra make-up makes me look too different? She thought to herself, taking deep breaths to calm her overactive nerves, but before she could worry anymore, Nancy told her to open her eyes.
She stared at the face staring back at her in her small mirror, and realized that all of her worries had disappeared. She still looked like 'El' but the make-up made her skin glow, and her hazel eyes pop with liner and eyeshadow. Pretty, she thought with a sigh, her pale pink lips curving upwards into a small smile.
Them butterflies—they come alive when I'm next to you
December 20, 1990
El had been staring the textbook in front of her for around two hours, not comprehending a single word. She had been counting down the days until her friends came back to Hawkins for winter break, and they were all supposed to be arriving within a few days of each other, but Mike had assured her that he would be coming back a day before the rest of the guys.
"Any minute now," El muttered to herself, glancing around the empty house and thinking about running a brush through her untamable curls one more time, but the doorbell rang nearly the second she got out of the chair to go find a hairbrush. A grin spread over her cheeks, and she dashed over to the door, flinging it open to reveal the face of her smiling boyfriend. "Mike," she said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her small form and practically lifted her off her feet.
"Hi El," he stated simply, setting her back on the floor, but she quickly rose back on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cold lips. "I missed you," he whispered, so quietly she would've thought she had imagined it, if she hadn't felt his lips forming the words against her own.
Pulling back, she looked up and studied his freckled face, a bright smile nearly splitting his cheeks, but once El noticed the redness of his nose, and the dusting of snow in his dark hair, she immediately pulled him inside the house.
"Thanks," he said, shedding his heavy winter coat and rubbing his hands over his arms vigorously. "It's freezing out. But never mind that, what's new with you? Any cool stories from the library?"
El shook her head, looking towards her feet, embarrassed by her simple life. She wished she could go off to college with her friends, and experience life outside of Hawkins, and although her parents had never outright forbid her from leaving town, they did warn her about how the world might react to her powers, and that her lack of documentation could be a serious problem outside of their town. So she stayed. Working at the library and volunteering at the middle school as a substitute librarian when they needed her, and waiting for her and Mike's weekly call, or the next lunch with Max or Nancy or Jennifer every few weeks.
"El," Mike interrupted, squeezing her hand reassuringly, "are you okay?"
"Yes," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder contentedly. "Of course."
He nodded brightly, scanning the room, and when he glanced out the window, a spark of mischief lit up his dark eyes. El grinned, adoring the look that came over his face whenever he was planning a campaign or some other adventure because she could practically see the wheels in his brain at work.
"Come on," he urged, grabbing her hand and nearly dragging her out the door, the joy in his voice and on his face, made him seem like he was twelve or fourteen-years-old again with not a care in the world.
She was surprised when he dashed to the backyard, but she was so interested in following him that she completely forgot to grab a coat for either of them. Snowflakes floated in front of her face, catching on her eyelashes and in her curly hair. It had taken her years to see the falling flakes as snow and not the ashy dust that had filled the air of the Upside-Down, but she always managed to stop her train of thought before the nightmarish visions filled her mind. Besides, these fluffy flakes of snow didn't fall with the harshness of the ash, but danced in front of her eyes.
Mike suddenly stopped in the middle of the snow-covered backyard, turning to stare at her with a strange look on his face. El felt slightly self-conscious under his gaze, especially in her hand-me-down jeans and one of his old striped shirts. But, all such thoughts flew out of her head when she felt Mike take one of her hands and place it on his shoulder, and took the other one in his, adjusting them until they were in a similar position as they were during their slow dance at prom. Although, El noticed, I do have to crane my neck to look at him now without those ridiculous heels on.
"What…?" She could only start the question before her boyfriend started to spin her around the backyard, a childish grin lighting up his face. El shook her head at his antics, but soon threw back her head and laughed instead. His smile seemed to grow even brighter, and he lifted one hand for her to spin underneath, before pulling her back close, a ridiculously faux-serious look on his face.
They danced around the backyard until their feet and hands felt numb—El hadn't even been wearing socks when he dragged her outside—and Mike's cheeks soon became so red with the cold that his freckles nearly disappeared. Sighing at having to abandon their dance for the warmth of the house, El and Mike trudged back inside, his arm slung around her shoulders and hers wrapped around his waist.
"What was that?" El asked, as they collapsed onto the Byers's old couch, the two were exhausted but grinning unabashedly.
"Oh," Mike looked down sheepishly, the redness already in his cheeks hiding his blush, "I thought I could finally take you to the Snow Ball. I mean, it's not the same as what I would have taken you to in middle school, but…I thought it could be, I don't know."
El felt a swell of love and affection for him, overcome with emotions as she thought about how long he must have been agonizing over that one broken promise and for a way to finally keep it, for years. She leaned over and kissed him surely, but she poured all of her love and gratitude for their Snow Ball into the kiss.
"It was perfect," she assured him, lacing their fingers together and leaning her head on his shoulder, unbelievably happy that she finally went to the Snow Ball.
When the Hoppers finally returned from the airport with Will, who had just gotten back from art school in California, they found the couple wrapped up in each other's arms on the couch, their hair and clothes slightly damp from melted snow. Will rolled his eyes at the overt affection of his friends, but he would gladly take this sickly romantic display over the silence and heartbreak that had nearly torn an irreparable rift between them a few years ago. Mrs. Byers-Hopper smiled, a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered her own teenage boyfriend, a man that now slung his arm around her as he tried not to appear too happy about the way El had found someone who truly loved her. And Jonathan managed to capture the images of the happy couples.
Over and over the only truth
Everything comes back to you
January 4, 1991
Although El got to spend nearly two full weeks with her friends, it seemed like the time had passed in a blur. It had felt like they were back in high school again, if only it was for a couple weeks, but somehow, El felt like it was more special than a regular winter break.
All of her friends were now spread across the map, and although she knew in her mind that their friendships had been tested by more than just geographical distance, her heart hadn't been raised to quite accepted that yet, as remnants of her time in Hawkins Lab had taught her that the ones you loved didn't always love you back. So, as she gave Max and Jennifer one more good-bye hug, tears filling all three girls' eyes, she still feared that they would forget her.
"You shouldn't worry," Hopper assured warmly, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her an affectionate squeeze. "All of your friends, they're good kids. At this point, you've been friends for so long I think you're stuck with each other."
El smiled, giving her adoptive father a small hug in return, and her grin spread to her eyes when she saw Mike's car pull up to the end of the driveway.
"Although I would be fine if you weren't as good of friends with him," the chief grumbled under her breath and El just rolled her eyes. She knew he wasn't being serious, because she had overheard him talking with her mom about how happy he was that El was with "that Wheeler boy," since he was "a decent kid."
"Are you going to pretend to be this overprotective forever?" She teased, beginning to walk towards her boyfriend.
"Until your wedding day," Hopper stated, a smirk breaking his normally harsh façade as he turned around to go back inside the house.
El laughed, practically skipping the rest of the distance down the driveway, and threw herself into Mike's arms. She felt his arms tighten around her right before he let her go to study her face intensely. For a minute, the two stood at the end of the Byers's driveway, their arms around one another as they tried to memorize each other's faces—Mike was mapping the curve of her lips and the way her hair curled and bounced around her face, while El was counting each freckle that dusted his cheeks and tried to remember the way his dark hair fell into his eyes when he needed to concentrate.
The two didn't really need words to express their care and love for one another, she had crossed worlds to find him again, while he had never stopped looking for a sign of her, and what expressions of love could be greater than those?
El suddenly didn't need to be reassured that he wouldn't forget her.
And I know that it's wrong
February 14, 1991
Mike smiled at the flickering blue screen of his cell phone, as it finally flashed "call ended." He looked around the small coffee shop he had been in when El called, and felt his cheeks flare red when he realized that about a dozen people could have overheard his Valentine's Day call with his girlfriend. He regularly cursed his pale complexion that made every slight change in tone immediately evident to those surrounding him.
"You two are still together, Wheeler?" A malicious and familiar voice snorted, and Mike's head whipped around to land on the speaker: Troy's lackey, James. "It's pretty disgusting how lovey-dovey you two are."
"What's it to you, James?" Mike retorted lazily, not letting the bully's taunts knock him out of his elated mood. "Troy's not here, you can drop the playground tormentor act."
The larger boy shook his head, plopping down into the seat across from Mike, his face transforming into a more open and friendly one. Ever since Troy had moved away for college, his former friend had become a much more amiable person, even apologizing to Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike for bullying them so much during middle and high school. And since he and Mike were in many of the same classes, the two had become somewhat close friends.
"I can still think the two of you are grossly in love with one another," he replied with a laugh, before his face turned a bit more thoughtful. "But on a more serious note, how have you guys managed to stay together for so long?"
Mike smirked, he didn't think, she saved me from a monster straight out of D&D and then disappeared to another realm for a whole year, before returning to save us again, would be the response James was looking for. "Umm, we made long-distance work once before, so anything after that is gonna' be a walk in the park. Besides, we did break up for a year or so in high school, and I know I'm not going to do that again, so I just work hard to make us work."
"You got it bad," James teased, but his smile gave away the fact that he wasn't being mean-spirited. "But you guys can't be together forever? Aren't you going to have to break up with her at some point?"
"Why can't we?" Mike said defensively, his voice rising slightly. His dad had felt the same way when he first went off to college, wanting him to focus on finding a career, and not being "hung up" on some high school girlfriend. When he had brought it up with his son, angry words had been exchanged, and the Wheeler house was cold and on the brink of another screaming match for weeks.
"I mean," he held up his hands, "it's not like you're going to marry her. We're way too young for that."
The dark-haired boy groaned, laying his head down on his crossed arms, but his head shot up as a thought crossed his mind. Maybe not now, but there's no one else I would want to…
That I can't move on
December 14, 1996
The Wheeler house had turned into a controlled tornado of chaos, with Mrs. Wheeler shepherding family and friends alike throughout the different rooms, to take care of various tasks that needed to be done for later in the day. She was just shooing Nancy and Holly out the door as the four boys emerged from the basement.
"Boys, where have you been?" She stalked over to the four friends, and the young men wore identical expressions of fear, Mike even looking around for an escape route. "You need to be ready in…" she paused to check her watch, and Will jumped in.
"Three hours," he supplied meekly.
"Yes," Mrs. Wheeler agreed forcefully, grabbing her adult son by the collar of his rumpled polo and marching him up the stairs.
"Mom, Mom!" Mike twisted out of his mother's grip, annoyance painting his reddening face. His face softened when his mom burst into tears. "Mom, it's okay," he offered, patting her back awkwardly.
"My baby boy grew up so fast," she said, wrapping her son in a tight hug, before straightening up, wiping her tears away, and herded the boys upstairs. "But he's still going to be late, if you three don't keep him on schedule! Everything you boys are going to need is in Mike's old room."
Choruses of "thank you, Mrs. Wheeler," echoed up the stairs, before turning into sighs as the door to Mike's room closed.
"Hey, Mike," Dustin piped up, "if you're still working at that IT company and you have your own apartment…why are we getting ready here?"
When the young man in question didn't respond, the old friends stood around awkwardly for a few minutes, with Lucas, Dustin, and Will all staring at Mike expectantly, who seemed to be boring holes through his tuxedo with his eyes and completely unaware of everyone else.
"Tradition I would guess. Geez, snap out of it, man!" Lucas slapped his friend on the back, startling the young man out of his reverie. "Your mom is going to strangle us if we're not ready soon."
Mike nodded and grabbed the dark suit from its hangar, as his friends quickly found their own suits and started getting ready, the four young men drifting to separate corners of the room, Will even ducking behind the dresser at one point to change into his tuxedo's slacks.
"Come on," Dustin exclaimed, "you just joined the military and you're still worried about what Mike's mom will do to you?"
"You're not?" Lucas retorted, raising an eyebrow defiantly. "I seem to remember you refusing to meet Mrs. Wheeler's eyes when she caught you sneaking a whole duffle bag full of snacks to the basement when we were thirteen."
"At midnight too," Will piped in, a mischievous smirk turning his normally haggard face into one that actually reflected his youth. "How is basic training going anyway?"
"Training's been going well," Lucas elaborated, unconsciously running a hand through his recently buzzed hair. "Really tough, and my mom still worries about deployment but that's not going to be for a while."
The room fell silent for a little bit at the reminder that one of their number might be shipping out to some warzone, never to return. Mike felt a pang of guilt deep in the pit of his stomach, thinking that he shouldn't be worried about his own silly problems when life and death hung in the balance. He fiddled with the buttons on his dress shirt, glancing around at the party back together for the first time in months, and likely the only time they would be together for at least another six months, maybe even years.
"How's being a starving artist working out for you Will," Dustin asked, breaking some of the nervous tension in the small room.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Will snorted, deftly tying his bowtie around his neck and smoothing down his short hair. The Byers boy had matured quickly after his ordeal in the Upside-Down and had even shot up in height in high school, becoming only a few inches shorter than Mike. "I actually just started a series of illustrations for a line of children's books. It's a pretty decent job, and I'm making enough to stay in New York. And, since Jonathan's living in the City too, we get together every weekend for lunch to catch up. My brother's doing well too, making a name for himself as a photographer. I think he's happy—he got himself a girlfriend a couple months ago, and actually started having a social life."
"How's your love life going, Byers?" Mike asked, noting how Will's smile didn't even wrinkle his eyes.
"Same as always," Will replied sadly, staring down at his socked feet. "Girls aren't really lining up to date the kid who came back from the dead."
"Yeah, not if you lead with that, you idiot," Dustin shot back, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Or if you're still hung up on Jennifer Hayes," Mike muttered under his breath, but loud enough that his friend heard.
"Drop it," Will snapped, turning towards the door and away from the other three guys.
Before anyone could respond, or for Mike to apologize, Dustin's phone rang and with one glance at the screen, he disappeared into the hallway, a mix of emotions on his face. The boys took the time to finish up getting into their suits, and Mike tried running a brush through his unruly dark hair, to no avail.
When the door opened once more, Dustin was running a hand through his curly hair, it had been cut short recently, but still fell over his eyes. He had filled out during college, shedding all of his baby fat, becoming fairly athletic after joining the wrestling team, and was second in muscle mass only to Lucas, looking like he was in a mix of adolescence and adulthood.
"You okay?" Mike asked, sitting on his bed to tie his shoes, before shrugging on his tux's jacket.
"Yeah, yeah," he waved a hand nonchalantly, his face remarkably pale. "It was just Max, nothing really important."
The other three shot him identical looks of disbelief and skepticism, but before Dustin could protest, the door banged open and Mike's mother barged into the center of the room.
"Mom!" Mike exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. "What do you want?"
"What have you four been doing for this whole time?" She ignored her son, looking at each of the boys in turn, scrutinizing their appearance, and when she deemed them worthy enough to be photographed, started herding them out into the hallway and down the stairs. "You all look so grown up," she wiped tears that were starting to form in the corners of her eyes.
"Mom!" Mike groaned in embarrassment, "I thought we were in a rush."
"Of course, of course. There's no time to waste."
But there's something 'bout you
December 14, 1996
El was staring at the black dress bag hanging on the back of her closet, her stomach sinking even lower the more she stared at it. She had been so terrified of all the horrible scenarios that could happen if she opened that bag. What if it didn't fit? What if I don't like it? What if it looks different than what I remember? What if? What if? What if?
Her breath started coming in quicker and shorter breaths, and she started seeing two of everything. Two beds, two dressers, two lamps, and two of those dreaded dress bags. Clutching at the thin robe her mother had given her to wear until "the big moment," she plastered herself against the wall. Fear and anxiety swirled in her chest, squeezing her heart until it felt like it might burst. And since Nancy had left to keep her sixteen-year-old sister from interfering too much, there wasn't anyone there to help—which might have been the scariest thought she'd had yet. There weren't many times when she'd felt alone, and this was a day she didn't expect that feeling to reassert its dominance in her system, but whenever it did, there was always one person she'd look to for comfort.
"Mike…" The whisper of a word had barely slipped past her lips, when the door opened, and her friends poured into her room, immediately surrounding her with their comforting chatter.
"Oh my gosh El you look great!" Jennifer praised, wrapping the brunette girl into a tight hug, before pulling back and studying her hair and—thankfully—still intact make-up.
"Little El's all grown up!" Max crowed, in a surprisingly good imitation of El's mom that morning. "That boy's going to drop when he sees you."
"For sure," the blonde agreed, stepping back. "Do you know what I would give for guys to look at me the way he's going to be looking at you?"
"Puh-lease," Max scoffed, shaking her head, nearly ruining the fancy ponytail her red hair had been pulled into. "You're telling me that men don't look at Jennifer Hayes, the wealthy, glam, perfume designer, with absolute adoration?"
"Well, they're not the right men, and not looking at me for the right reasons," she retorted, her blue eyes turning sad for a moment as she played with the end of her blonde braid, before the happy light returned as quick as it had left. "Besides how's Dustin," Jennifer teased playfully. "I heard you guys moved in together."
"Yeah a few months ago. We're both pretty much running the arcade, and so we scraped together enough money to get an apartment a few blocks away." She trailed off as her watch let out a small beep. "We'll continue this later," the redhead promised as she turned to the door and nearly sprinted out of the room. "I'll be right back!"
El shook her head, a smile finally pulling at her lips, "I guess Max will always be Max."
Jennifer nodded, grinning as well. "And happy," she added wistfully. "You have a big day, are you ready?" She asked gently, but with the tone of a friend who already knew the answer.
El nodded resolutely, but still it was hard to look at the bag. "It's been a big day already. I have to be ready."
"And you will be," her mom quietly entered the room, followed by Holly and Nancy, their hair done up in identical yet simple and pristine buns, while her mom's brown hair was laying in loose waves down to her chin. She took one look at the room, the bag still zipped closed on the bed, Max's mysterious absence, and the way El's gaze stayed firmly on her mother's face, and tears welled in her brown eyes. "Oh sweetie," She rushed over and wrapped her arms around El, "I know it's scary, but you have nothing to worry about, I promise. Today is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, and we will all be there for you."
"Your mom's right," Nancy chimed in. She moved over to place her hand on El's arm reassuringly. "Everything's going to be okay. You're allowed to be happy and selfish and carefree today. Just promise me you'll have fun, okay?"
"I will," El smiled, brushing at the tears that had threatened to spill, before they could ruin her perfect day. Taking in a deep breath, she walked over to the bed and finally unzipped the black bag.
'Cause if the whole world was watching I'd still dance with you
December 14, 1996
It seemed to be a pattern in Mike's life, but car rides always seemed to pass by as if no time had passed at all, because he barely noticed his friends laughing and talking during the limo ride to the church. Before he knew it, his mom was standing in front of him, giving him the rundown of the afternoon and he was nodding along blankly.
"Mike!" She snapped, scowling darkly, "Are you even paying attention?"
His dark eyes focused on her exasperated expression, and smiled slightly before slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mom. You've planned this down to a tee, and everything's going to be fine."
"I just…" her voice cracked, but she smoothed the front of her light blue dress and the steel was back in Karen Wheeler's eyes. "I just want to make sure today goes as smoothly as I can make it. God knows you both deserve it."
Mike nodded, his smile becoming sad but he kissed his mother on the head before he was caught up with saying hello to some of his family that had arrived early. It only took twenty minutes, but once Will pulled him aside and for the four of them to get into the proper order, with the newly arrived Nancy taking on the role of "worried mother hen."
"Ready," his sister asked him quietly, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun, with a thin crystal headband that matched Holly's wrapped around the base of the bun. "Don't screw this up," she whispered when he didn't respond, practically pushing him out the door when the music started to swell.
Walking through the church, he tried to avoid the stares of every eye in attendance, but it was impossible to not scan the faces and see the joy—and in some cases of his younger cousins and nephews, extreme boredom—emblazoned there. He made sure to keep the right amount of distance between himself and his parents, who had walked out before him, but he was probably still the most awkward person he knew, and ended up narrowly avoiding a collision with his mother right before he got to the altar. She shot him an exasperated look before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. His father gave him a short hug, before taking his wife by the hand and settling into their seats in the front row.
Taking a deep breath, he walked up the short steps, before turning to stare back down the aisle. The doors opened and Dustin and Max were the first to walk down, her red ponytail swinging behind her, strands of tiny crystals wrapped around the top of the hairdo, and were also intermixed with the hair itself. Dustin's dark blue tie complemented the slash of pale blue that made a small train and peeked out from the back of her floor-length, navy blue dress.
Before they had reached the end of the aisle, Will emerged from the doors, looking vaguely terrified as he escorted a beaming Jennifer Hayes. Her blonde hair was thrown in a braid woven with more strands of crystals, that was pulled over one shoulder, baring the other one due to her strapless dress. Will seemed to loosen up by the time they reached the end of the aisle, and shot Jennifer a quick, "secret," smile before they separated.
Lastly, came Lucas, who had a Wheeler sister on each arm, both of whom were gazing adoringly at their brother. Despite nearly the thirteen-year age difference, the two could've been twins, except for the different color of their hair. Holly had shot up in height in recent years, taking after Mike and their father in that respect, while Nancy stayed relatively the same size she'd been. Their matching dresses and hairstyles didn't do anything to disprove the notion that they could be twins.
All the girls carried small bunches of white roses, and their dark blue dresses were similar enough, but each had managed to inject their own style. While Jennifer's was strapless, Max's had two thick straps and a square neckline, Holly's was one-shouldered, and Nancy's had two thin straps and a draped neck.
Finally, once they all had reached the altar, a hush fell over the church as the music died for half a minute, before resuming as a familiar march. The doors opened once more, and Mike found himself glued to the young woman walking through them. El seemed to float down the aisle, the wide, white skirt of her dress swishing along with every step she took. The lacy pattern that covered the top of the dress, tapered off at the waist, right where she was holding a bouquet of snowbells, bluebells, and white roses. The veil cascaded down her back, trailing behind her slightly, and giving her curls a frosty sheen. He thought he must have looked like an idiot, standing with a grin on his face, as Hopper and her mom each gave her a kiss on the cheek, and Mike took her hand, leading her up to the altar.
Max quickly swooped in, to gently take the bouquet, and as she was handing it off, he noted that the short, off-the-shoulder style of her dress left her tattoo uncovered and on full display. He felt swell of pride and affection towards the young woman next to him, and he gently traced the numbers as the priest began to speak.
"You may now be seated. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Michael John Wheeler, and Eleanor Jane Byers."
Drive highways and byways to be there with you
December 14, 1996
No matter how long the hours leading up to this moment had seemed, Mike would have gladly lived them again if they led to the same ending: standing in front of a priest, with El in a white dress, holding his hand, a shy smile on her face. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life.
It had taken them years, and many trials to find one another again, and Mike wanted to make sure he never lost her again. They had been supporting each other for as long as they've known each other, and loving each other for nearly as long; the wedding was merely a formality.
Most of the priest's speech went in one ear and out the other, as Mike studied El out of the corner of his eye. Her face was shining with a radiance that didn't have much to do with the make-up she was wearing, but with the joyous light found in her eyes and in her pale pink smile. Small diamond teardrops hung from her ears, and a matching choker adorned her neck, but the simple snowflake pendant he had given to her to wear to prom years ago, hung just above the sweetheart neckline of her dress. Mike's smile widened at that, as he didn't think she would wear some old necklace he had bought from the one department store in town, on their wedding day, but the fact that she had, made him want to shout with delight.
She squeezed his hand, her eyes darting meaningfully from his face to the priests,' one eyebrow cocked playfully.
"Sorry, what was that?" Mike blurted out, a red blush spreading across his face as awkward peals of laughter rippled through the church. El looked down at their joined hands, in mock disappointment, but the grin and light in her eyes betrayed her amusement at the situation.
"I said," the priest started condescendingly, "Mr. Wheeler, I believe you have prepared your own vows. Now would be the time to share those with us."
"Uh, yeah, right." Mike scrambled inside his tuxedo jacket's pockets, before emerging with a crumpled-up wad of paper. He gently tugged on El's hand, turning her so they were facing each other. "El, you were my first…everything. And I was so glad you were some of those firsts. My first crush, my first kiss, my first friend who was a girl, and my first girlfriend. But, others I wished could've been anyone but you. My first ex, my first broken heart and my first heartbreak.
"I lost you once, a long time ago but I still remember how it felt. I hated that you had to go, and I hated the monster that took you from me." Mike sucked in a deep breath before continuing, looking deep into El's hazel eyes. Who cares if most people thought "monster" was a metaphor when it meant anything but. "But most of all, I hated that no matter how hard I tried, you made your way back, and you never really needed my help, just someone to hold you when you came back.
"El, I promise, that I will always be that person who will hold you when you find your way back from wherever you are. I want to make so many new firsts with you. Our first car, our first house, our first anniversary, our first…whatever! Everything we do from now on will be a first, because we'll be doing it for the first time together.
"You were my first love, El Byers. When I was twelve years old I fell in love with you, and I promise that I'll never stop."
Mike rolled his eyes when he heard his mom loudly stifle a sob, but when he looked at El, her eyes were shining with unshed tears, a shaky grin adorning his own face.
"Ms. Byers," the priest interjected, and the couple turned towards him in vague surprise that there was someone standing in such close proximity to them. "Would you like to read your vows now?"
El nodded, wiping one hand underneath her eyes quickly, before extracting a piece of paper from a secret pocket in her dress. "Mike. Words were always your strength, and never really mine, but I'm going to try. You were my light in a very dark place. Because whenever I felt alone, or scared, or out of place, I thought of you. Your freckles, and your smile kept me going because I knew that there was still one promise you had to keep."
Mike chuckled at that, and when she looked at him with apprehension in her eyes, he merely smiled and nodded at her to keep going. He knew exactly what promise she was talking about, and how they had both clung to it in their darkest hours, a promise that was kept in so many ways but its originally intended one.
"It's always been hard for me to trust the ones I love, because my Papa taught me how love hurts people. But my real dad, and mom, and brothers have taught me how a proper family should be. And everyone up here has shown me what a friend is—one of the very first words you taught me, and a definition I'll always remember.
"That night, in that pillow fort you built for me, you said that a friend is someone that you'd do anything for. And I'll do anything for you, Mike…because you're my best friend. I'll cross worlds for you, and I'll be by your side when you need it the most, because you were the one who taught me what love is."
Over and over the only truth
Everything comes back to you
December 14, 1996
Mike beamed at his—to use a fairly overused cliché—blushing bride with complete adoration and astonishment at the vows spilling from her lips. He couldn't help but to stare into her earnest hazel eyes, and find a perfect reflection of the love that shone in his own.
More tears and sniffles could be heard from the congregation, mainly from his mom and Mrs. Byers-Hopper. Mike snuck a quick glance over his shoulder and saw his mom, with a watery smile and tears running down her cheeks, mouth, I'm proud of you, to him. He flashed her a grin, but soon turned back around as the priest started talking again.
"Do you, Eleanor Byers, take this man, Michael Wheeler, to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health? For rich or for poor? Until death do you part?"
El took a deep breath, staring up at him, a smile playing at her lips, but her eyes took on a serious gaze, not unlike the one she wore when using her powers. "I promise," she said confidently, and Mike beamed so widely, he thought his cheeks would never stop hurting. He fumbled slightly with the ring, but soon, the thin band of silver was securely encircling her ring finger, and he couldn't have felt happier.
The priest shot his beloved a confused look, but shook his head and continued anyway. Hawkins, Indiana was a strange place, and one odd wedding ceremony where the bride said, "I promise" instead of "I do," probably barely registered on the scale of strange things that had happened in this town. "And do you, Michael Wheeler, take this woman, Eleanor Byers, to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health? For rich or for poor? Until death do you part?"
Not even the Upside-Down could stop me, he thought, nothing else matters now except for her. "I promise."
As El slipped the plain silver ring over his finger, she furrowed her brows and stuck her tongue out a bit, like she always did when she was concentrating on something she desperately wanted to get right. Mike realized that he had to amend his earlier statement, because seeing the twin rings on his and El's hands, made him feel lighter than he could have possibly thought possible. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if he just floated off the floor, this time without the use of telekinesis.
"By the power vested in me by the state of Indiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest turned to Mike, a smirk on his face—or possibly relief that the long ceremony was now over. "You may now kiss your bride."
Mike grinned, looping an arm around her white-clad waist and bent to kiss her lightly on the lips. Warmth seemed to flood from every point of contact, from where her hand rested on his arm, to where his other hand had come up to lightly brush her cheek. El was the one to pull back, but kept her forehead resting against his for another moment longer, savoring the moment as her new husband was. The cheers and whistles from their friends and family going completely unrecognized, as it was like they were in their own world.
"Promise?" He whispered, completely inaudible to anyone but her. Promise that you'll always be there, and keep pushing me to be better, to be worthy of your love? Promise that you'll never stop doing what's right? Promise that you'll love me despite being a complete wasteoid? He didn't actually say any of this, but he knew that he didn't have to ask, El already knew his insecurities and didn't care one bit.
"Promise."
A/N: So here was the fluff I've been promising you! I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter, and I want to know if I was too obvious with the fact that it turned out to be their wedding day, or if the surprise worked?
Here are the links to what I based the dresses off of, since they're period-accurate dresses, I wanted to show a visual representation because I don't know if words were enough.
Bridesmaids' dresses: listing/483387016/vintage-1996-bombshell-evening-gowns
El's wedding dress: pin/473722454534987273
As always, please review! Thanks for reading!