Chapter 20: 20. Connection (Finale)
She feels it long before she opens her eyes. Heck, she feels it before she even registers that she's awake. The sensation is so pleasant and soothing that she keeps her eyes shut to soak it in, feeling the corners of her lips twitch up into a soft smile.
This, without a doubt is the best way to wake up, ever. She can't wait until the day where she gets to start all her mornings like this.
"Good morning Mike," she mumbles and is rewarded with a surprised chuckle that comes from somewhere in front of her. She has yet to open her eyes to see him today, choosing to focus on what she can feel from him instead. The back of her mind is tingling, bathed in a warmth that swirls around quietly. Out of all the emotions she can decipher from Mike, this one is definitely a favorite.
Admiration. He had bashfully explained the definition to her during the first few days of their connection, since, of course, it was one of the feelings that came up the most and she got curious as to what was making her feel so loved.
"How long have you been watching me?" she asks teasingly, finally cracking open her eyes and peeking out from under the blankets of her fort just in time to watch his cheeks go red. But his adoration is stays strong as he responds, "Not too long," with a smile. "I came to tell you that we're leaving for the lake in about five minutes. And...and I didn't have the heart to wake you up. You just looked so...peaceful, you know?"
She's glowing inside as she pulls herself into a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. "Can you wake me up like that every morning?" she says quietly and she's hit with another wave of admiration, causing her to grin. "Yeah, someday, that'll happen, I'll make sure of it," he responds almost in a whisper, but it's all she needs as he stretches out a hand to her and helps her crawl out of her fort.
It takes her a second to glance around the basement in confusion. "Where's everyone else?" she asks, cocking her head to the side as he locks their fingers together. When she had fallen asleep the night before, the rest of the party members had been stretched out in sleeping bags on the basement floor, eagerly anticipating the events of the next morning as they closed their eyes. They were currently nowhere in sight and the place was now spotless, making it nearly impossible to tell that six rowdy teenagers had held a sleepover the night before.
"Most of them are already in their cars," he responds and her eyes go wide. "I'm not ready, though!" she exclaims, starting to panic at the thought of holding all her friends up. "Are they all waiting for me?" "No, no, no, you're fine, we all agreed you could use a few extra minutes of sleep," he reassures her quickly, skimming his thumb over her skin. "Go ahead and get dressed, I've already packed you breakfast. You brought a lot of layers, right? It's gonna be really cold today." She nods, finding the way he looks after her adorable. "Okay," he breathes. "I'll wait for you upstairs," and with that, he squeezes her hand before releasing it, turning to jog up the stairs. She watches him go happily, before turning to the duffel bag Hopper had packed for her.
After the blizzard that shut down schools and snowed in all of Hawkins last week, the Party had been begging their parents to take them up to the lake outside of town that was bound to be frozen over this time of year. It was one of the best places to go ice skating and, after being cooped up in their houses for a couple days, they were itching to go out and enjoy the weather together.
Had El ever been ice skating? No. Was she insanely excited to try it? Yes.
She pulls on her warmest jacket over her clothes for the day and tugs on her boots as fast as she can, dashing up the stairs to join Mike at the top, carrying her mittens in one hand and her thick, knitted hat in the other. She knows she probably looks like a mess, but he's never been one to judge her. Or...so she thought.
"You look like a marshmallow," he says, probably without realizing and she nudges him playfully. "I'm sure you will too," she retorts, watching his smile turn into a grimace. "Yeah, the coat my mom packed me isn't the most...flattering thing," he admits, shrugging his shoulders. Checking to make sure no one's watching, she presses a soft kiss to his cheek as she replies, "I don't care."
The blush that spreads across his face lights up her whole world.
It's not until they settle themselves in the car, his mom has very cheerily wished her good morning and they're rolling out of the driveway that she notices his exhaustion. Heavy and dull, it throbs in the back of her mind and she looks at him with alarm. "You're tired," she states blatantly, placing a hand on his arm. His eyebrows knit together as he glances at her. "I mean, I guess, I am a little. It's fine though, I'm okay," he tells her reassuringly.
'A little' wouldn't cause the back of her mind to be nearly pounding.
"Mike, you're really tired," she says again and she finally sees it in his eyes when he looks at her again. A beat passes before she rearranges herself so she can rest her head on his shoulder, snuggling into his side as he sighs. "Rest," she tells him quietly. "We'll be here a while." His cheek lands against her hair and it doesn't take long for his thoughts to slow and his body to relax against hers.
Her mind wanders as she listens to his constant inhales and exhales, eventually landing on how grateful she is they made the decision they did a couple weeks ago. She had been so scared of regret and the potential pain it would cause, but their risk paid off.
Their mental connection had become almost a blessing. It's not like they were bad at reading one another and caring for the other to their full capacity before, but now...now they had a bond that transcended human relationships, though human they both still were. On the outside, it only appeared as if they were more comfortable around each other, if that was even possible. Physical contact had always been common between them, but now, it happened without them even consciously thinking about it, finding it the remedy to whatever mood the other was in. El was happy, Mike would squeeze her hand. Mike was annoyed, El would give him a hug. El was upset, Mike would put an arm around her shoulders and take them somewhere where they could talk about it. Mike was excited, El would rush to his side to see what he was so enthusiastic about, etc. etc. etc. It happened automatically, without them having to look at each other most of the time and while that creeped their friends out, the random glances they'd throw the other seemingly out of nowhere were probably the strangest part.
Between them, the days of masking an emotion were gone. They knew each other inside and out, and while the thought frightened her sometimes, she trusted Mike wholeheartedly, knowing there's no one else she would rather share her deepest, most private feelings with. It was more comforting than anything, since she never had been the best at expressing herself through words. Him, he was the opposite, seemingly too good at articulating exactly how he felt. So being able to rely on each other for help without needing to verbalize anything had been a tremendous change.
Really, their connection was perfect in every way. She almost can't believe they ever survived without their mental bond, it's made that much of a difference.
Eventually, her thoughts become sluggish and she willingly lets herself fade away, dozing on Mike's shoulder contently as the tires thrumming on the pavement put her to sleep.
Surprisingly, it's Mike who wakes first. His eyes flutter open to reveal the exact same thing he was looking at when he fell asleep, although the unfamiliar trees outside indicate they're much closer to the lake. Slowly, he becomes aware of the warmth on his shoulder and glances over to see his girl curled up at his side.
How he didn't wake her up again when his heart melts and his insides leap is beyond him.
Her hair tickles his cheek in the best possible way when he turns his head to look out the window, observing the passing forest, still white from the previous snow.
Sure, he's still a little wary about taking El out on the lake, even though his family has done this trip hundreds of times. She's never skated before, obviously, and while he was worried she wouldn't like it or she would seriously injure herself if she fell, he had felt her enthusiasm when he first brought up today to her and it was enough to convince him that she'd be fine.
A few more minutes and El's thoughts suddenly whir back to life as he feels her shift beside him. She's confused, disoriented at first, but then he feels that all give way to curiosity as she leans over to peek out the window. "We're about five minutes away," he says, answering her question before it's asked and she beams up at him. "You excited?" "Very," she replies as he lifts his arm to wrap it around her shoulders and she burrows against him once more.
The rest of the trip is uneventful, each enjoying the warmth of the other as his parents chatter quietly in the front seat, Holly playing with the radio every so often.
Her excitement buzzes in the corners of his mind and when they finally, finally come into view of the lake and pull into the parking lot, he's surprised she hasn't burst with anticipation yet. Still keeping close to his side, she cranes her neck, the purest of smiles ghosting her lips as she takes in everything.
When his mom chooses a parking spot, he gets out of the car as quickly as he can, tugging her along with him and once her feet hit the ground, she takes off running toward the icy sheet of a lake without a word. Knowing their friends will be here soon, he opts to stay at the top of the hill and give her this moment alone, although he wanders to the edge of the crest so he can watch her as she races down the path.
When she reaches the very edge of the lake, she stops and he can see her tiny shoulders moving heavily with her exhales as she catches her breath. But he knows she's not even close to thinking about that.
She's in awe. Astounded. Amazed. Astonished.
The second her feet stop moving, the elation that explodes within her and, consequently in him, is so powerful and so consuming that he can't help the tears that prick his eyes.
An outsider would assume she's just being childish, getting worked up over nothing. It's just a frozen body of water.
But Mike knows better. He knows better than anyone. He knows that she's been itching to see the world, he knows she has days where the confinements of the cabin start to drive her crazy, he knows there's a world out there that she'd been deprived of and she just wants to experience it all, he knows that this is the farthest she's gone from Hawkins in six months.
He knows that this moment means the world to her. To stand out in the open, at the edge of one of nature's wonders that's so often undervalued, to see nothing but shimmering ice for miles, to see something other than the small town she's trapped in, without worrying about being in danger or being discovered.
He knows she deserves to soak in this moment more than anyone. So, nudging up against her thoughts just enough to reassure her that she can take her time and he'll be waiting for her (and that he loves her, but that slipped in on accident), he makes his way back to the lot, smiling when he sees that Max and Lucas have just arrived.
He greets them cheerfully as they pile out of the Sinclair's minivan and it isn't long before a conversation is struck up about skateboarding vs. ice skating and who's most likely to fall on their face first today.
Just as Lucas and Mike are enthusiastically recounting the time that Dustin wasn't watching where he was going and collided with a tree branch, resulting in a minor concussion, the victim of that very story and the one who had been smart enough to call an ambulance that day roll up in the parking lot behind them, spurring another round of hugs and greetings among the party.
Chaos ensues shortly after, as it usually tends to do when they all get together, but they wouldn't have it any other way. Food is unpacked, ice skates are pulled out, more pairs of gloves and hats than can be counted are thrown around as they all prepare for the next few hours, lugging everything they need down to the edge of the lake.
Though her fascination still hasn't dissolved, Mike soon spots the familiar head of creamy brown curls making its way back up the hill and he grabs her pair of skates they had rented along with his as she says hello to all their friends with the biggest smile on her face. He can't help but overhear as she shares with all of them how happy she is to be here and they reciprocate her feelings without a second thought. A sentimental tone has come over her voice and he chuckles when he glances over his shoulder to see her giving hugs to each and every one of their friends, thanking them profusely not just for letting her join them today, but for just about everything they've done to get her to this point.
He hadn't intended for today to spark this much emotion and nostalgia in her, but being here truly meant more to her than he can ever imagine and he's more than willing to just let all of this happen. Checking to make sure he has everything, he makes his way back over to his friends, where El's embracing Will tightly, and he can see him murmuring something in her ear.
"Man. All I did was show up," Dustin cracks when Mike gets close enough, the hint of surprise unmistakable in his voice. Mike smacks his arm lightly, rolling his eyes with a grin. "She's happy," he says simply, only to be met with Dustin's "Yeah, I can see that."
There's a comfortable silence between the two friends, before the curly-haired one pipes up with, "You gonna be helping her learn to skate today?" "Yeah, of course," Mike replies and Dustin nods shortly. A weird feeling twists in his gut at his friend's reaction, not sure how to interpret his less-than-optimistic response. "Is that okay?" he asks genuinely, even though it's been a good while since anyone in the party had a problem with Mike and El's strong relationship. "Yeah, totally, it's fine," Dustin replies, but he still isn't convinced, despite that smile displaying all of his pearls. "You sure?" "Mike." He turns to look him in the eye. "You're gonna make this day so much more special for her. We understand," he says, placing a hand on his shoulder. A smile tugs at Mike's lips, and he nods in response, turning his attention back to El.
Who, wow, is still hugging Will. He tries to repress it the second he feels it, the bubble of jealousy that makes his hands clench and his breathing increase, repeating to himself over and over again that she has other friends that she appreciates a lot too. It's no big deal, he's fine, everything's fi-
El lifts her head from Will's shoulder, glancing at him with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye.
Dang it, he let his emotion slip into their bond. Oh well, at least she releases Will and comes to nuzzle her forehead into the crook of his neck, palms flat on the front of his jacket, the best she can do with his hands being full.
He drops a kiss against her curls in response and she gives a small hum of delight. "This is beautiful," she murmurs, finally lifting her head and gesturing towards the scene below them. "I agree," he replies and hands her her skates. "But just wait until you're actually out on the ice, it's awesome!" She grins, taking the skates from him and he joins their hands as she heads back for the lake. Making sure his friends know they're not just abandoning them, Mike turns to glance over his shoulder at the group, smiling when he sees Dustin give them a thumbs up and Lucas nod encouragingly at him.
"Will this be hard?" El's small voice pipes up beside him as they walk down the path. "It's not too bad. It just takes a lot of balance and patience. Remember when Max taught you how to skateboard? It's a little like that, only you move your feet more." He watches her eyes go wide and a mix of uncertainty and fear dances through the back of his mind. "But...but I fell learning how to do that. And it hurt...a lot," she says to him, her eyebrows creasing in alarm. "I know, but that's how you learn how to do these things. But hey, look at me." They pause their route as she turns to eye him warily. "I'm going to be by your side every step of the way, okay? I'm not the best skater, but I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you don't get hurt today. I want you to enjoy this as much as possible, so let me do the worrying, okay? All you have to do is follow my lead and I'll help you through everything. You're gonna be okay," he finishes with a reassuring nod. The little smile that he's grown to love so much twists up the corners of her mouth and he feels her anxiety subside. "Okay," she whispers, squeezing his hand and together, they walk the rest of the way down the path and he leads her over to a small wooden bench by the water's edge.
She gazes out across the ice as he kneels at her feet to help put her skates on and lace them up. He makes the mistake of glancing up at her right as a breeze begins to blow gently through the trees, ruffling her hair and, combined with the entranced look on her face, she looks like a freaking princess.
"Mike, focus," she chastises playfully, still looking out at the lake. "Right, sorry," he mumbles, turning his attention back to her laces, missing the completely love struck smile she gives him when she sees he's not looking.
When he's finished, he hastily pulls on his own skates, tying them up expertly and rises to his feet when he's done, taking a moment to steady himself before extending both hands down to El. He helps her stand up slowly, the ice beneath them making it slightly difficult for him to bear her weight, but he doesn't care. This is about her, not him.
She grips his mitten-covered fingers tightly, staring at her feet as she gets used to only a thin piece of metal supporting her. "Does that feel okay?" he asks after a little bit, once her legs stop shaking and she feels a little more stable. Raising her head ever so slightly to meet his gaze, she nods her head and he offers her a small smile in return. "Okay, I'm gonna let go okay? Just so you can get used to it?" She's been fairly calm up until this point, but the second he mentions her standing on her own, her panic spikes alarmingly, her eyes going wide and she shakes her head firmly, grasping onto him as tightly as she can. "Okay, okay," he chuckles, "We can wait." She settles down a little and glances at her feet, shifting them a little to feel how they glide along the surface underneath her. It takes her a second, but he slowly feels her determination grow in the back of his thoughts. He waits until he can tell she's a little more comfortable before whispering, "I'm gonna stay right in front of you, okay? I'm not going anywhere." She gives a small nod to show she understands and then, ever so slightly, her grip on him loosens. It feels like she's having to force her fingers to pry away from him, but eventually, only her palms rest on his forearms. "Don't leave," she murmurs, her gaze now fixed on his face. "I won't," he tells her and she lets go of him completely.
Her fear is instantaneous, sharp and jagged in his mind as she holds her arms out to help herself balance. But, no matter how terrified she feels, she keeps all her concentration on staying upright for as long as she can. For a few moments, she stays completely still, before she subconsciously shifts her weight and her left foot slips out behind her. She whimpers his name as her arms flail and he catches her the second he sees her start to struggle.
He says nothing as she clings desperately to him, frozen in the position he caught her in, letting the shock of what just happened dissolve. She's breathing heavily and ever so slightly, he rests his forehead against the top of her hair, in an attempt to drag her back to reality and reassure her that everything's okay.
When she whispers, "One more time," he really isn't that surprised, having felt her shred of confidence spring back up once the cloudiness of her thoughts had cleared. Carefully, he readjusts them back to their previous position, her gripping his forearms and him holding her elbows gently as she made herself stable. She releases him as she's ready, focusing diligently on remaining immobile and this time, she manages to stay up for a few more moments, before she falls back into his arms once more.
Her face buried in his chest, she heaves a sigh of exasperation and he quietly helps her get back up on her feet. The process repeats itself over and over again and each time, her frustration grows, whirling around the back of his mind as her persistence to get this right and her annoyance at how much she's lost her balance clash. But, throughout it all, he makes sure she feels nothing but patience from him and that he's there to catch her when she slips every single time. He feeds her encouragement mentally while supporting her physically, figuring spoken words couldn't really do much in this situation. And it pays off, because the second she gets it, her brilliant smile lights up everything around them. Her triumphant glee dances in the back of his thoughts when as she stands fully upright on the ice, her hands at her sides, her feet steady and solid. Carefully, he backs away from her, keeping close enough that he can help her if need be, but giving her the space to feel independent. She's confident, her body relaxed as she beams up at him and when she successfully goes a while without falling, he skates back over to her, grinning widely.
"El, this is awesome, I'm proud of you!" he says earnestly and he extends his arm to hold so she can relax. "Thank you," she says as she grasps onto his forearm with less urgency this time, her sense of accomplishment radiating from her mind. "Do you want to try moving around a little?" he asks and watches her face closely, seeing if she still feels comfortable out here and is up for the challenge. He doesn't get a response as her eyes flicker away from his and out to their surroundings, scanning the ice around them as if she had momentarily forgotten where they were, since all her focus had been on not collapsing. With a small, firm nod, she smiles and looks back to him, sliding her hand down to the crook of his elbow. He bends it to give her enough support, before turning so they face in the same direction.
"Okay, how this works is you're gonna pick one foot up a little, slide it forward and diagonally, and then do the same with the other foot, except in the other direction when the other foot can't go any further without you falling." He gestures with his hands as he explains, pantomiming feet sliding over the ice. "It's gonna take a little while, but you'll get into the rhythm of it soon enough. Sound okay?" "Yes," she replies and he turns his attention to his feet. "Okay, copy what my feet do." He slides his left foot out to their left, going slow as she gingerly does the same. "Stop," he whispers gently. "Now the right one, okay?" She stares at their feet and he can tell she's pondering how this is going to work.
She's not as scared as he admittedly thought she would be, but this is unfamiliar territory for her and the fear of falling is buzzing anxiously through the back of his thoughts. It heightens when he feels her shift her weight, unsure of how to make her right foot move.
He knows it's better to show her than to try to explain, so with his left foot planted firmly, he crosses his right foot in front of her left and she follows, gasping when they move forward, causing her to wobble slightly. The other hand flies up to grip his arm and she holds onto him tightly.
"We're just gonna repeat that over and over again, because just sliding your feet like that is really all there is to skating," he explains, covering the hand linked on his elbow with his. "Don't worry, we'll go slow." "Don't let me go," she replies instantly and he shakes his head. "Never."
Over the next few hours, he takes her around in a circle more times than he can count, gently guiding her on how to move her feet and murmuring encouraging things to her as she slowly got used to the rhythm of skating. Although, honestly, he could do this forever. Watching her cheeks turn pink from the cold, her lips tinged slightly blue, her curls framing her cheeks her face as they skate lazily around the edge of the lake, clinging gently to one another. Their friends join them eventually, and then it's watching them race each other over and over again, failed attempts to do figure skating tricks, spinning until they almost puke, there's no other place they would want to be this afternoon.
By the end of the day, as the activities wind down, El has gotten the hang of being on the ice and he could not be more proud of her. Her feet now move effortlessly in sync with his and while she could probably make it on her own now, her fingers stay wrapped around his arm lovingly, making his skin tingle even through all the layers he's wearing.
Her fear has long since dissolved into contentment and as they drag themselves off the lake, hints of pure, undeniable love have slipped into his mind and he's positive she can feel his in return. Not many words were exchanged as they trudged back up the hill, bid farewell to their friends and collapsed against one another in the car, but the silence was anything but empty. After an entire day of just simply being by each other's side, they felt renewed and complete as if a missing piece of them had now been restored. They find complete comfort in the love sizzling between their thoughts as he runs his fingers through her hair, her head in his lap, their thoughts consumed with nothing but one another.
Maybe that's why it finally happened. Maybe the fact that all they could think about was the other, their emotions strong and sure was enough to finally pull them even closer.
It happened so quickly and felt so natural that he had to do a double take to make sure his brain wasn't messing with him. But, sure enough, out of the middle of nowhere, three quiet, genuine words danced through his thoughts with a voice that certainly didn't belong to him. They left a buzz in their wake, lighting his mind up in ways he didn't know was possible.
"I love you"
It was her whisper, yet her lips never moved, her eyes never fluttered open.
That was it. The last barrier separating them had been shattered and he gasps as he realizes what had become of their connection.
"I love you too", he sends back without opening his mouth and she cracks open an eye to smile at him.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
No one could be closer. Their thoughts now fully entangled with one another, they were untouchable, a pure symbol of unconditional love and devotion.
They were Mike and Eleven, bound together in every sense.
By their emotions.
By their thoughts.
By a promise.
A/N: Hi! Just so you guys know, I'm not planning on continuing to have them be mentally connected in my future oneshots, so when that disappears, don't be confused!
Also, I know it's been way too long since I've updated, I apologize...I'll try to be better about that and I definitely won't make you wait this long again! Thanks everyone for all your support, I love you all!
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