Love is Strange
A Willeven fanfic
Chapter 1: When I First Met You
November 13,1983
From the moment El first laid eyes on Will she knew she was in love with him. There was just something about him that drew her towards him. She could sense that they were both different, both outcasts. It all began in the fall of 1983, when Will discovered El wandering in the forest. Without further ado, let us embark on a trip down memory lane.
El emerged from the portal feeling very disoriented, not knowing where she was. She had no idea where her friends had gone or if they had managed to save Will. When she had first seen the picture of Will she instantly felt connected to him. Even though he wasn't there it's like she could still sense his presence. She also feels a little guilty because part of her feels responsible for what happened. She was the one who opened the portal that led to all of this happening. If she hadn't opened the portal, none of this would have happened. But then, on the flipside, if she hadn't opened the portal she would likely still be stuck in the lab with Papa and she wouldn't have met any of her new friends. So, in the end things ultimately turned out for the best. She wandered down the hallway not having any idea on where to go. She also felt cold and confused and hungry and so many different things all at once. She could not stop thinking about Will, wondering if her friends had managed to save him. El opened the door to leave the middle school and started heading towards the forest. Hopefully she would run into someone she knew, and they could help her. Because right now she was scared and confused and aimlessly wandering through the forest. As the days passed by, El began to lose any hope she had that her friends would find her. She developed a routine, she would use her powers to kill a squirrel, then she would cook it and eat it. She ate,slept and repeated day after day. She didn't really have much energy to do anything else. After a while of living on her own in the forest El began to feel lonely. That's when El remembered that she had a picture of Will that Mike had given her that she could use to find him. There wasn't really any fabric around, being that she was in a forest, so she tore off a piece of her shirt and used it as a blindfold. She focused on Will as she entered his Mindscape. She started walking towards Will and began calling out his name.
"Will! Will! Will!" she yelled. As she called out Will's name, he turned his head toward her as if he could somehow sense her. "Will, can you hear me?" She cried out. She faintly heard Will say "El, is that you? Where are you?" "Somewhere in the woods, I don't know exactly!" She said with a hint of panic in her voice. "Don't worry, I'll find you!" Will said. "Please hurry!" El replied, still slightly panicked and confused. "Wait, Will are you safe? Where are you?" El asked. "Yes, I'm safe, Hopper and Joyce saved me from the Upside Down and I'm back at my house now safe and sound." Will replied. El was relieved to hear that Will was safe. For the first time in a while El had hope. Will was alright and he was coming to find her. She took off the blindfold and paced around the makeshift campfire she had set up and waited for Will to show up. Hours passed by and there was still no sign of Will yet. It was nightfall when she heard what sounded like footsteps heading towards her. She turned around and saw Will Byers standing in front of her. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug. "Let's get you home." Will said. Will carried Eleven on his shoulders as she had fallen asleep. He began walking through the woods towards his house. When he was trapped in the Upside Down, he had developed a connection with Eleven, like he could sense her even though she physically wasn't there. That was how he had communicated with her in the Mindscape. He'd heard her voice in the back of his mind, almost as if it was his own thought. He was extremely grateful to El for her role in saving him from the upside down. Eventually they arrived at his house and El woke up. They opened the door and went into Will's room. They sat on Will's bed and there was a long awkward silence before Will finally broke the silence."You look really pretty." He said. "Thanks, you too." El replied. "When I first saw the picture of you at Mike's house it's like something inside me changed. Somehow I was suddenly connected to you and sometimes I could sense you even though you weren't physically there. When I was feeling sad your presence comforted me and helped me feel less sad." "You helped me too because when I was trapped in the Upside Down, I was very lonely and sad but your presence helped me to not feel so alone, so thank you. "Will Said. He leaned in to kiss her and she did the same. They kissed for a good 2 minutes before pulling apart. "That was- -" "Amazing!" El interrupted before he could finish.
THE NEXT DAY
El and Will woke up early in the morning, looked at each other and exchanged a quick kiss. "We should probably let Mike, Lucas and Dustin know you're ok. They've been worried about you, we all have. But especially me." El laughed before kissing Will. "Ok, but should we also tell them about us? "El asked. "Sure, but only if you want to." Will said "I do! I really do! I don't want to hide it." she said. "Ok, we can tell them then." Will replied. They exchanged one more quick kiss before Will used his Super-Com to let the boys know that El is safe and invited them to come over. Dustin, Mike and Lucas arrived soon after and gave El a big hug. "El, we're glad you're safe." Mike said. "Thanks, me too." El said. "Me and Will have something we wanna tell you." "We're together." She said as she held Will's hand and gave him a quick little kiss." "Oh wow, congrats! I'm happy for you" Mike said. "Thanks." El said. El was the happiest she had ever been in this moment, surrounded by her friends and the boy she loves.