Happier With You
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! Your comments are literally the nicest :-)
This is my last update for today I promise! So I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 5– The Reunion
Summer 1990.
"I think I'm going to puke." El warned Hunter as they walked up to the old Byers now Hopper residence.
He laughed gently, "I'm sure your dad and step mom are going to be really happy to see you Jane."
She turned to him, "I told you, you can call me El."
"I'm used to Jane." Hunter shrugged before giving her hand a squeeze. "You can do this."
El faced the house and took a deep breath, clenching her fists in nerves for the rest of the walk.
With a shaking hand, El knocked at the door and stepped back to try and gain some composure.
The door swung open and her dad who had worn a casual expression now looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his skull.
"Hi dad," El said hesitantly, anxiety attacking her throat. See him was incredibly overwhelming.
Hopper stared at her, his mouth open in shock for a long time.
"You…you are grounded until you are 40." He finally said breathlessly before closing the distance between them and bringing her into a bone crunching hug.
El started to cry into his chest and if it was at all possible he held her even closer.
"Where the hell have you been?! It's been two years El! Do you think a note was a good enough explanation?!" Her dad's pain and hurt was so evident in his voice that it killed her.
"I'm s-so sorry dad. But we did it…B-Brenner…the lab. It's all gone. We destroyed it."
She felt her dad slowly pull out of the hug and hold her arms with his large hands. "All I currently care about is that my daughter is home."
El smiled sadly and caught her dad look behind her shoulder for the first time during their exchange.
"Who-"
"This is Hunter or Ten. I'm hoping you can help him dad."
Hopper frowned at the blonde young man behind his daughter and slowly nodded his head, beckoning them both inside.
"Dustin?! Dustin this is Will! I need you to pick up right now! This is incredibly important! Do you copy?!"
"Will my friend! What are you up to bud? Looking forward to our reunion tomorrow at Benny's? Over."
"Dustin this is crazy important! I've just come out of my bedroom and El is here! Over!"
"Huh…you're breaking up a bit? Can you repeat that? Over."
"El's here at the house! Dustin she's back!"
"What…El's…El's back?!"
"Yes! And she's not alone…she's got some guy with her"
"Will your signal's going again…did you say she's got a friend?"
"Yeah a boy. But anyway, let Lucas know and then get over here! Over and out."
"Lucas? Lucas do you copy it's Dustin."
"What up brother. Over."
"Lucas you're not going to believe this. I have the biggest news ever. Over."
"Well are you gonna like tell me what it is? Over."
"It's unreal! Over."
"Sorry man but Max is here and she's getting really pissed that you're not spilling. So can you like hurry up?"
"Lucas El is back! Will just told me. We need to go over and see her!"
"What?! Oh my god I can't believe this!"
"Me neither. It's been like two years!"
"Er…Max is asking if anyone has told Mike…"
"Oh shit Mike! And he's gonna be pissed too."
"Why would he be pissed?"
"Well Will said she's not alone. She's got a boyfriend with her."
"No way that's mental! Well we need to let him know then."
"Well I called him this morning and he said he's taking Holly to Benny's as she's missed him. So want me to go over there or you?"
"Nah I'll go. Max is saying she's going to go straight to Will and El's to find out what the hell is going on with this boyfriend situation. I'll speak to Mike. Over and out."
"Which milkshake do you want Hol?" Mike asked his ten year old sister as he leaned against the order counter.
Holly didn't have to look at the options and he didn't even know why he was asking, because she had the same thing every time.
"Chocolate with extra whipped cream please." She said in her sweetest voice.
Mike smirked and nodded before ordering for her and got a chocolate milkshake for himself.
He remembered with a sigh the amount of times he had brought El here. Her favourite had been a strawberry milkshake with extra whipped cream and a cherry.
He thanked the waitress for the drinks and let Holly choose a booth in the corner.
Mike put their drinks down and relaxed in the seat, watching his sister for a minute with a smile. She was the blonde version of Nancy.
"You enjoying the summer Hol?" he asked as he sipped at his drink. She nodded enthusiastically.
"Me, Lily, Georgia and Ben are going swimming tomorrow."
Mike almost spat out his drink. "Ben? Whose Ben?"
"My boyfriend," Holly said as if this was common news.
Mike gaped at her, "boyfriend? Holly you remember you're ten right?"
"So? You started dating El when you were young."
He felt his throat quickly constrict at her words. "That…that was different!"
Holly raised her eyebrow like a mini teenager and drank from her straw, staring at him with what he could only register as pity eyes.
He was seriously getting pity off his 10 year old sister?
Mike sighed, "well as long as he's a gentleman and nice to you…me and him won't have any problems."
Holly snorted, "like you could do anything…" she said rolling her eyes in amusement.
"Excuse me? I could so beat his ass if I wanted to!" He said half joking, half serious.
She grinned at him with humour and carried on drinking from her straw.
Once the conversation had moved away from Holly's love life, they got talking about Nancy, their parents, Holly's room make over and what Mike was planning to do over the summer.
Well that was until Lucas came bursting into the dinner and ran over to Mike in relief and panic.
"Lucas?" Mike asked confused whilst his best friend grabbed his milkshake and gulped it down with thirst whilst Holly looked on equally as bewildered as her brother.
"Urgh that's better…" Lucas panted putting down the empty glass and placed his hands onto the table, gaining his breath.
"Lucas what the hell is going on?"
"I needed to catch you before you…before you found out. You haven't found out right?" Lucas asked him nervously.
Mike looked at Holly and then back at Lucas. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Lucas shifted on his feet suddenly looking incredibly uncomfortable. "The thing is…El…well…she's back."
There was complete silence between the boys as they stared at each other, only broken by Holly exclaiming, "oh yay! I love El."
"I-I…I'm sorry but what do you mean she's back? She…she can't be." Mike stumbled out some words. His heart was pounding like there was no tomorrow and his palms began to sweat.
Lucas sighed, "it's true man. She's back home. Will called Dustin and Dustin called me."
Mike blinked and let his mouth fall open like a fish out of water, desperate to say something but his voice was gone.
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Er…and there's something else. I don't know how to tell you this man…but she's got a boyfriend with her."
Mike's eyes widened in horror as he felt all the colour drain out of his face. No, she couldn't have a boyfriend. She was his.
"I…I can't do this." Mike said faintly, stumbling as he stood up and got out of the booth.
"Mike?" Holly's sweet little voice asked in concern but her brother had already started to walk away.
"Lucas…Lucas take Holly home." Mike called numbly before running out of Benny's, his whole body quivering as he made off for the woods.
Confused and angry tears sprang from his dark eyes as he ran breathlessly. His limbs feeling weak and heavy, but all he could do was move and keep moving.
El stood under the shower head, closing her eyes as she took in the familiar smells of home.
She breathed heavily, hardly able to believe she was back with her family. Back to Hawkins.
El opened her eyes and finished washing her hair as she thought about her dad's and Joyce's reactions to everything she had been up to. Thankfully she was having Hunter explain it all in detail whilst she got showered and changed.
El had been stunned walking into her bedroom. It was exactly as she had left it. Her prom photo still stood proudly on her side table. Her and Mike at their happiest.
She towel dried her hair before walking hesitantly to her closet and being stunned when all her clothes were still there.
Her clothes still in the duffle bag were in desperate need of a clean, but she was happy to find plenty of options still to wear.
El picked out a blue floral summer dress and changed quickly. She brushed her hair in the mirror feeling nostalgia rush over as if she was still under the shower head.
"Where the hell is she?!" Came a very familiar voice from the living room which made El bite her lip in amusement.
"Maxine you can't just walk into someone's house!" She heard her dad moan but Max clearly wasn't having any of it.
"Oh bull Hopper. I know my girl's here and I wanna see her."
El took a breath and went over to the doorway of her room.
Max gasped and looked at her for a moment.
"I honestly don't know whether I want to kill you for leaving or hug you for coming back!" Max shouted.
El smiled slightly and shrugged her dainty shoulders, "I'd prefer a hug to be honest…"
Max grinned and the girls rushed to each other, holding the other in a squeeze.
"Where the actual hell have you been Eleven?!" Max said the moment they broke out of their hug.
El sighed and looked over at her dad and Hunter who were sat at the table together looking through documentation.
"Let's go to my room." She told her favourite female friend. Max nodded and followed her in, making sure to close the door.
The girls sat on the bed and El explained everything about what she had to do, breaking down the wall, the actual fight, the people who she had to kill. How they had destroyed Brenner.
Max waved her hand impatiently. "That's all well and good. But who is that man? Is he your boyfriend?"
El hesitated not entirely sure what they were to each other. "His name is Hunter. He's number ten."
Max rolled her eyes, "that's not what I wanted to know. Is there something going on between the two of you? Why have you brought him here?"
"I brought him here because he has literally no ID and my dad knows this doctor who helped me out, so I'm sure he can help Hunter too."
Max groaned in frustration. "El you're leaving me hanging here! Come on!"
"Fine! We…we kissed."
Her best friend gasped. "What?! What about Wheeler?!"
El felt a dagger to the heart at the mention of Mike. "It was just one kiss after the battle. We were both feeling crazy and free. But…I shouldn't have to feel guilty. Not after what he did…" she mumbled looking down at her sheets.
Max frowned, "why what did he do? Last I heard he was heart broken over you."
El gulped and clutch the duvet in her fingers. "I used to visit him in the void. And there was one time I visited. It was the end of school…he was…" Tears started to drop down her cheeks.
"I can't…I can't say it."
Max reached out and grasped El's hands. "You know you can tell me anything."
El looked up at her best friend with sad eyes. "He slept with Jennifer Hayes and I witnessed it in the void."
Max's jaw almost hit the floor. "What?! When the fuck did this happen?!"
El sighed, "like I said I think it was the end of school. Maybe a party or something. It wasn't his room."
"Oh my god I bet it was Danny Robertson's party! Wheeler was all depressed so the boys kept filling him up with drink and then we lost him and he said he left. That son of a bitch." Max said shaking her head in disgust.
El's stomach clenched, no matter how upset she was about the whole thing, she hated Mike being insulted.
Max sighed, "look…I am not excusing what he did at all. But he might not have done it for the reasons you think he did. He was so drunk and really depressed over losing you."
"He said he needed her." El stated coldly.
Both girls went quiet for the moment, neither of them knowing what to say.
"Well screw him then!" Max said boldly.
El smiled sadly, if only it was that simple.
"So…you and that Hunter kissed. Do you like him?" Max asked carefully.
El bit her lip and looked back up at the red head. "Yeah…I like him but…"
"You don't love him." Max finished for her.
"Look…feel free to hang out here but I want to go for walk and get some fresh air." El suddenly stated jumping off the bed, knowing she couldn't deal with these heavy topics. Not yet anyway.
"Oh okay…sure. I'll go hang out with Will. Dustin and Lucas are coming over too at some point." Max said in a fake cheerful voice.
El only nodded and gave her best friend a smile before leaving the bedroom.
"Where do you think you're going?" She heard her dad's voice the moment she walked to the front door.
"Just out dad…I promise I'll be back." El already knew he was going to moan, so she left the house without having to hear his grunts.
For a while El just walked and walked through the woods, enjoying the sounds of the birds singing and loving the feel of the warm sun rays on her body.
There was an opening in the trees and she noticed with a smile that she had made it to the quarry subconsciously.
El walked down the gravel path that she had first taken at the age of 12 to save her friends. To save Mike.
In fact she almost felt as if she could see him stood near the edge, looking out towards the water.
El's smile immediately faltered and she felt like her heart had just exploded.
No…she wasn't imagining it. Mike Wheeler was stood near the edge of the cliff and looking like a warm summer on the coldest day of winter.
Mike had walked for over an hour, with no obvious destination but just wanting to get away.
How could she be back? One moment his semi existence had changed into vibrant colour, only to be ripped once again by the fact she had a boyfriend.
How the hell did she even have time to find a boyfriend if she was on the run?
A hollow feeling took over in Mike's chest at the idea that maybe she'd been free for a long time and had just not wanted to come back to Hawkins…to him.
Mike had been on a few dates over the two years but to no real success. No girl would ever and could never be El. She was perfection.
He ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he carried on walking, his feet pounding the forest floor until he found himself in front of the quarry.
Mike felt a bitter sweet smile take over his face as he remembered the moment El had saved his life.
As she had walked down that road to him, that was the moment he realised he didn't just like the pretty girl who was kick ass, he loved her.
Mike wiped at his tears and walked slowly towards the cliff top. His heart pounding as he looked out at the scenery.
He didn't know how long he stood there, his eyes shut, breathing in the fresh air. But it calmed him. It made him think of a simpler time when it was just him and El against the world.
The world had never been kind to them, but he had felt invincible with her at his side. And it was never to do with her powers, but it was what she did to him. She made him feel so loved, so strong, so wanted.
"I hope you're not going to jump…" came a breathless and soft voice.
Mike's eyes opened in shock, his breath caught in his throat. He didn't dare to turn around. This couldn't be real.
"Even if I did jump, you'd catch me."
"Always."
His body was physically shaking and despite being concerned that this wasn't real, Mike slowly turned around.
And there she was.
Her thick curls blowing slightly in the breeze, he noticed immediately they had grown to just under her shoulders. Her slender body wrapped in a light blue summer dress that clung to her curves, her lips soft pink, her skin glowing in the sunlight and her hazel eyes wide and drawing him in.
Mike couldn't talk, only take in the beauty in front of him. She was mesmerising him. He had no idea if he was breathing, moving, standing or sitting because none of that seemed to matter.
"Y-your hair…it's grown." He choked out, wanting to kick himself for not thinking of something much better to say.
El smiled slightly, the smile reaching her eyes which seemed to shine. "Yours too. You…you look taller."
Mike shrugged in response, not knowing how to function properly because he'd heard her voice and it was like heaven.
"H-how long have you been h-home?" He stammered out, desperate to say anything to hear her voice again.
El looked down at her watch, well his watch he'd given her when they were 13. "About 3 hours," she said side smiling.
Through all of his confusion Mike found himself smiling too because no matter the hurt or the anger, seeing her was like staring at an angel.
"So…er are you back for good?" Mike couldn't help but ask.
El nodded slowly, still staring into his dark eyes. "Yes."
He watched her, trying to drink her in like she was water in the dessert.
She fidgeted with her dress slightly, "em…do you wanna walk me home?" She asked anxiously.
Mike nodded eagerly, "yeah! Yeah that'd be great."
He found that his legs still worked and moved closer to her, the closer he got his heart was at risk of stopping from how quickly it was beating in his chest.
Mike tried to clear his dry throat as he got closer to El, a stupid instinct to hold her hand came over him, but he quickly swung his arm back to his side just in time.
For his own sake, he quickly put both of his hands safely in his jeans pockets.
"So um…did you go to MIT?" El suddenly asked breaking the silence.
"Yeah I did. I'm starting my second year in two months." He said looking forward but catching a glimpse of her every few seconds through the corner of his eye to make sure he wasn't making her up.
The quiet took over once more as they walked together through the woods, knowing the route between her house and the quarry very well.
As they passed a small clearing Mike wondered if she remembered when they had sex there on impulse at 16. He doubted it.
Mike tried to clear his throat again and licked his dry lips nervously, trying to think of anything to say. But the tension between them was unbearable and he wasn't ready to break the magic just yet.
"So er…Holly's got a boyfriend."
"What? Really?" El gasped at this new information.
Mike found himself grinning slightly, "yeah she's like 10 and has a boyfriend called Ben apparently. She gave me a right teenage scowl because I was being over protective."
El laughed and Mike was positive he almost left his body back on the ground because the sound of it killed him inside. It was so beautiful.
"And let me guess you threatened to beat him up if he wasn't a gentleman?" She asked amused.
It was Mike's turn to laugh in surprise, "yeah that's literally what I said!"
El scoffed, "as if you could beat him up."
"Hey! That's what she said! Are you in on some secret with her or something?" he teased. "Anyway, I could so beat his ass!"
El rolled her eyes in amusement and turned to look at him as they walked. "No you're too gentle to beat someone up Mike."
Her words made a heat rise up his neck and onto his cheeks, he tried to desperately ignore it. Silence fell on them once again.
They came out of the woods and the house that El shared with Hopper, Joyce and Will came into focus. Mike immediately hesitated and remembered the last time he had been at this place.
"What happened El…where have you been?" he suddenly asked her, turning to her with anxiety ripping through his body.
El looked straight into Mike's eyes and he was taken back with the sorrow he saw there.
"I never expected for it to take that long Mike. Brenner had put up a defence so I couldn't track him. It took almost two years to find the lab location in Texas."
Mike held onto every word coming out of El's mouth like it was oxygen.
"We ambushed the lab. The others, they all have different powers. We used each other's powers to our advantage and got to him. He had like 50 soldiers with him but it didn't matter."
Mike noticed that El's voice had turned darker as she recounted the memory.
"We got through all the soldiers and then there was just him left. He tried taunting us…but we destroyed him. All of us together." She said, standing up straight as if she was proud and was expecting him to judge her.
"Good." He said immediately and with anger. "That bastard deserved everything he got."
El's eyes softened as she looked at him. "Mike I-"
They were suddenly interrupted as Hopper and an unknown man came walking out of the house together, deep in conversation until they spotted El and Mike.
"Jane?" the man asked confused and Mike felt his heart completely stop as jealously ripped through him like fire.
He was the boyfriend. He had short blonde hair, bright blue eyes and was muscular. He looked the complete opposite to Mike in every way and he hated every single inch of him.
What killed Mike was that this boyfriend looked strong. He looked like he could look after El and keep her safe, something Mike had never succeeded in.
"I have to go." Mike's voice suddenly broke through the awkward silence between them.
"Mike-"
"No. I have to go. Bye El." He said as calmly as he could, trying with all his might to stop his voice from shaking and to stop the anger from bubbling over onto his face.
Mike turned back to the woods and walked with rage that made his hands tremble and his heart quiver.
He took his pain out on a tree stump which he regretted immediately after the shooting pain in his foot. "For fucks sake!" he shouted into the forest.
He couldn't even kick a damn tree in anger! He was too weak and scrawny unlike El's stupid muscular boyfriend.
Mike scowled and continued his walk home, wanting nothing more than the safety and quiet of his basement where he could try with all his might to put El and that dick head boyfriend out of his mind.