Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or Eggos.
It was one thing when Ted Wheeler was a little...uninvolved. It was quite another when the man was an insufferable ass-hat. Mike suspected that his dad thought of him as a disappointment -especially in the past year, with him sneaking out to see Eleven and actually standing up for himself and for his friends for once. But when the man flat out said it, Mike was hit harder than he expected. It seemed no matter how much he expected it, the words struck him with a blow that he didn't quite understand.
"You're a good kid, Michael. You're better than this! You shouldn't be running around and screwing the chief's daughter -"
"Dad," Mike had said. The word felt foreign on his lips. Ted kept going:
"Your grades are slipping,"
Mike bit back a scoff. His lowest grade was a ninety one.
"You're never home anymore. You spend all your time with your friends and that girl. You don't even acknowledge your family exists..."
Mike tried to tune out the rest of what his dad was saying as he made Holly's peanut butter sandwich (because he did acknowledge his family's existence, thank you very much).
"You're such a -"
The room was silent as the butter knife slipped out of Mike's grip and clattered to the ground.
"A what?" He said, almost daring Ted to finish his sentence.
"A disappointment."
Mike placed the top piece of bread on his little sister's sandwich before crossing over to the door.
His hand paused on the handle, "Give Holly her snack. She's the little blonde girl, in case you forgot,"
And the door slammed behind him.
Disappointment.
Disappointment.
The word echoed in his ears even after he had left the house and slammed the door.
The fight had started because Mike had just gotten back from Dustin's and Ted had assumed he had run off to see El. Ironically enough, that was exactly what he was doing now.
He was at the cabin (which El was still temporarily staying at) within half an hour. He didn't know it was possible to knock that fast.
Within seconds, the locks began clicking and the door swung open. Mike didn't realize he had been on the verge of tears, but it didn't slip past Eleven. She wasted no time in pulling him towards her and wrapping her arms around her.
Mike was usually the one to hold Eleven, but he didn't fight her embrace. He closed his eyes and laid his head and against her shoulder, breathing in the familiar, sugary scent with a fair trace of cologne (Hopper's cologne seemed to linger on everything in the cabin, including El).
Eqleven reluctantly pulled away but kept him at an arm's length, "Talk," she said.
Mike felt his cheeks go hot with anger as he recalled the arguement, "I'm a disappointment,"
Eleven had learned that word just last week, "Never,"
"According to my dad I am," Mike said as he paced the living room. With anyone else, he might've felt silly -and maybe a bit pathetic, just blurting out his feelings like that. But El was different. She was his safe place.
"He's wrong," Eleven said sternly, "You never disappoint me,"
Eleven pressed her lips to corner of Mike's mouth, and the boy gave a slight smile.
"You're amazing," He told her, taking his turn and pulling her to his chest.
"So are you," She mumbled, her voice muffled by his sweater. She added with a giggle, "And you smell nice,"
Mike would've shook his head if he wasn't pressed so close against her. Of course, "I had eggos for breakfast,"
She didn't look up, but Mike felt her smile.
"Are you okay?" She asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm okay," He added, in his head, thanks to you.
Oops? Thanks to MoEffect for suggesting this. I really liked writing this :)