Chapter 25: 25. Summer
A/N: Hi friends! Today is my last day of summer, so I decided to share Mike and El's as well!
I know my past couple of one shots have been nothing but a bunch of adorable fluff and I hope you guys have enjoyed that, because the next one will be...very intense. Prepare yourselves.
"El.""El."Poke."Eleven."Poke poke."El. Wake up."..."El?"He grins and rolls his eyes."El," he whispers softer and leans forward to tenderly kiss her cheek."Elllll," he singsongs, kissing her forehead."Eleeeeeven." Kiss."Ellll, wake uuuuuup cutie." Kiss kiss."Mmmmm, what time izit?""Time for you to open your eyes." Kiss."But if I do, you'll stop doing this," she sighs, scooting closer to him in the bed.He sighs and presses a soft kiss to her lips."Mmm, good mornin," she mumbles."Good morning, you sleep good?"She nods, her eyes opening just a crack."Good. Well, I've got breakfast for us when you're ready, okay?""Mmmph." She rolls onto her side and stretches out her arms."You want me to...carry you to breakfast?"He's joking. He knows what she wants.Her lips curl up in a smile and she shakes her head, her eyes still not fully open, her arms still outstretched."Miiiiiike," she whines."Okay, just for a little bit, alright?""Mmhm," she responds as he lifts up the edge of her blanket and crawls in next to her. His arms go around her waist and he pulls her against him, flipping onto his back in the same motion so at least half of her lands on top of him. She cuddles into him like he's a giant teddy bear and he holds her close, breathing her in as her body relaxes.
Today is the last day of their summer vacation and they plan on spending it like most of their summer days have been, except now, it's about soaking every last second in before they're swept back into the whirlwind of high school.
For El, this marks the last day ever where she's not technically a student. Sure, she's already enrolled, she's met her teachers, but she still has yet to attend a class and officially start her education. Tomorrow, she'll join the rest of the Hawkins teenage population in school, a place she's only heard stories of from her friends. This was huge. She'd studied with the people who knew her best for about a year, desperate to be able to do what normal kids her age do and all her hard worked paid off, because she now knew and understood enough to be a sophomore along with her friends. And while she won't have a full schedule, just a few classes a day to help her ease into it, this was still a very, very big deal for the girl who had been out in the real world for only a little less than three years.
But neither of them are thinking about that as El nuzzles her head into his chest and he smiles at how warm and relaxed she is, since she still hasn't woken up fully. His hand is tracing tiny circles on her back while the other keeps her in place and he couldn't be happier. He even starts to get sleepy as sunlight begins to light up the room, comfortable with El basically laying on top of him.
Everything starts to get fuzzy and deliciously swimmy as he fades from consciousness, clutching El to him until he realizes with a start that they have plans today. And while their schedule is structured to allow them some room to laze about, they still have to meet their friends in a couple hours.
Reluctantly, he nudges the girl snuggled up to him. "Ready for breakfast?" he asks, keeping his voice low and soft. She stirs eventually and lets out a big yawn before slowly opening her eyes and looking up at him. A warm glow spreads throughout him as he takes in El's deep, rich orbs blinking up at him as she adjusts to the light, gazing up at him. He goes to sit up, but before he can, she shifts and kisses his lips gently.
"Good morning," she mumbles and he responds by pressing his lips against her cheek. "Breakfast?" "Okay," he whispers and it takes everything within him to pull away from her and let her sit up. But he manages to do it anyway and stands to his feet, stretching before saying, "I'm gonna go make sure it's still okay," and she nods, letting him go as she reaches for the brush on her dresser.
Mike smiles when he sees the Eggos he'd laid out on the table previously still look just the way he wanted them to. His stack is fairly normal, save for the obscene amount of syrup drizzled all over it, but hers is a work of art if he does say so himself. Knowing she also likes them stacked, he glued each waffle together with whipped cream and covered the top one with the white fluffy goodness. "El" is spelled out in blueberries and the strawberries he had previously cut up form a heart around the base, creating a masterpiece that he can't wait for her to see.
After opening the curtains to let in the morning light, he takes a seat and waits for her to finish getting ready, a routine he's never really understood because she would look pretty even if she had just rolled out of bed. A few minutes later, her door opens and he smiles at just how radiant she looks as she blushes under his gaze. It takes a second for her eyes to land on her breakfast, but when they do, her face lights up and she dashes to his side, planting a kiss on his cheek. His smile grows as she plops down into her seat and they dig into their waffles, a comfortable silence settling between them as they listen to the birds chirping outside and try to steal glances at the other when they aren't looking.
Honestly, Eggos taste so much better when he's with her and watching her enjoy the food he's responsible for getting her hooked on. At the rate she's devouring them, they finish quickly, and Mike offers to do the dishes so she can get her shoes on and grab whatever she needs for the day.
He meets her outside by his bike when she's ready and goes to stabilize it, intending for her to get on the back, but she hesitates. "Mike?" she asks, looking up at him. "Yeah?" "Can I pedal today?" He raises his eyebrows and looks down at the bike. "...sure! You remember how?" he asks, making sure she feels safe. She nods and swings her leg over the seat. "I want to practice...is that okay?" "Yeah, yeah, of course! Just let me know if you get tired, okay? The arcade is pretty far from here," he tells her as he climbs on behind her. Once again, she nods, only half listening as she focuses on putting her hands and her feet in the right place.
He tries to ignore the way his stomach flips when he wraps his arms around her waist and when she glances behind her to make sure he's secure, her face is painted with the same blush that he's sure is on his, making him unable resist nuzzling his nose against hers.
It takes her a couple minutes to get used to having extra weight on the back as she pedals up the dirt road, but she gets the hang of it by the time they reach the pavement. He feels her relax as she gets into a rhythm and he settles his chin on her shoulder contently as the breeze flutters around them.
He's proud of her when she makes it all the way to the arcade without taking a break and he tells her so when they pull up in the parking lot. And although she beams at him, he knows they were both desperately wishing that could've lasted longer. Holding onto her as she rode through the streets made him understand exactly why she loved the back of his bike—he felt secure, warm, extremely content and sad that he hadn't planned this day for just the two of them because now all he wants to do is spend more time alone with her by her side. Not that that feeling is anything new, but he's already missing being that close to her and disappointed that he can't just cuddle with her in the middle of the arcade. One look at her face and he can tell she's thinking the same thing, but he settles for the hug she gives him after he locks up his bike. Hand in hand, they walk inside to find all their friends already waiting for them, chattering excitedly about all the games they wanted to play that day.
The arcade actually turns out to be a blast, even though they'd been there more times than he can count. It being the end of summer, none of them really have any reason to hold onto their loose change (except for maybe to pay for the ice cream they're getting after this, but Steve always gives them a discount if he's working), so today, they didn't have any reason not to play as many games as many times as they wanted to. They hadn't had this much freedom since the time Hopper wanted them all out of the cabin and handed over all the coins he could find just so he would have some peace and quiet for once, so they exploited this as much as possible. The Party spent almost the entire afternoon running around, challenging one another to epic battles (Dustin and Lucas), trying over and over again to beat their previously set high scores (Max), discovering new games they'd never touched (El and Will) and cheering their friends on wherever they happened to be playing (Mike).
Right before the building shut down, they begged the manager to let them play one last round of pinball to close out the summer and he agreed immediately, knowing how much this place meant to these kids.
With a cheer, they rushed over to the two machines in the corner and quickly devised a system. Two people would play and the person with the lowest score would be replaced with someone else while the winner stayed. In order to be declared the winner, someone had to beat not one, not two, but all five of the other party members. Consecutively. Why? Because it was summer and they could.
It ended up taking them way longer than they thought, but they didn't care. They were way too engrossed in betting on one another and the way they were acting, you would think this was a competition to win a million dollars or something.
After a solid hour of playing, the final showdown had arrived. Dustin managed to pull ahead and had beaten every one of his friends...except one.
"Screw you, Dustin," Lucas mutters jokingly when he looks up, shaking his head upon seeing his friend has beaten him fair and square. Dustin laughs and jerks his head, motioning for his friend to leave his place at the machine. "Alright, this is it!" Will says excitedly as Dustin turns to face the Party. "The Final Showdown!" he calls dramatically. "El, you ready?"
Dustin had beaten Max. And Will. And Mike. And Lucas. But one remained. And she intended to take him down.
"Are you?" she says challengingly, taking her place at the machine and quirking an eyebrow as her friends laugh behind her. She feels a familiar hand fall on her waist as she grasps the lever and a pair of lips is pressed against her cheek, before Mike whispers, "For luck," in her ear. Grinning up at him, appreciating his Princess Leia quote, she exhales heavily and turns her attention to the machine. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to witness the last battle, the eternal fight, the final showdown between El Hopper and Dustin Henderson!" Will's dramatic voice comes behind them. The two slip their coins into the machine and it whirs to life once again. As the ball is dispensed into the spot and the lights flash on, Dustin looks over at El and shoots her his signature purr, displaying all his teeth menacingly. "Mouthbreather," she responds with a smirk and he chuckles.
"On your mark!" She grips the lever once again. "Get set!" They both pull it back and wait, her heart beating rapidly, her concentration zeroing. She can do this. "And!" "Come on Will!" Dustin says, his face also a mask of concentration. "...GO!" their friend cries and she lets the lever go, making the ball shoot up into the maze of tunnels and contraptions.
She quickly gets in the zone, hitting the buttons on the side exactly when she needs to, keeping her eye on the ball the whole time as it bounces around sporadically. Behind them, their friends are silent, an odd contrast to the usual cacophony of cheers and banter. However, now, they're all watching with rapt attention, holding their breaths, not daring to move as they watch their friends expertly keep the ball alive.
It's intense, to say the least, and it's clear why these two deserved to be battling each other for the final title. They're racking up points faster than they can count, bells and sound effects going off constantly. It takes a while for the ball to finally fall down the hole, consequently ending the game, but when it eventually happens...
Their gazes all turn simultaneously up to the scoreboards. El's machine reads "19,385,400" and Dustin's "19,079,275".
Silence. And then...
They explode. "YEAAAAAH EL!" "WHOOOO YOU DID IT!" "HA, I KNEW SHE WOULD WIN!" "IN YOUR FACE, DUSTIN!" She laughs in disbelief, staring up at her score as her friends celebrate around them. Dustin's mouth is hanging open when she glances over at him and he looks...really sad, actually. She smiles and wraps him in a hug, apologizing for stealing his title from him. He chuckles and congratulates her, even offering to pay for her ice cream as a reward, to which she politely declines, saying Mike's got her covered. Which is true...kind of.
She's met with a ton of hugs and high fives when she turns back to her friends and Mike even picks her up, spinning her in a circle as she giggles, still high off adrenaline.
Of course, this was an event that went down in history and they would be talking about this for a very, very long time. Her friends will even make her a crown for her birthday that reads "Queen of Pinball" and she'll cherish it forever.
When they finally make it out of the arcade in high spirits, she hops on the back of Mike's bike and they all head off to the mall, excited to see Steve and tell him about what just went down.
"I can't believe you're better at pinball than me," Mike says, shaking his head as they coast behind their friends. She chuckles and rests her head against his back. "You're the one who taught me to play," she points out teasingly, remembering the day she was first allowed to go to the arcade and they'd started with pinball once they were there, since it was a fairly easy game to operate. And it gave Mike an excuse to put his hands over hers. "You're right. I never thought I'd see the day an apprentice takes down his own master," he replies and she can hear the smile on his voice. However, that situation sounds oddly familiar to her and it isn't until they've all parked their bikes in front of the mall and are heading inside that it strikes her where she's heard that before. "Darth Vader and Obi-Wan!" she says excitedly out of the blue and her friends all look at her. "What about them, El?" Lucas says as they dodge rowdy groups of teenagers and pairs of moms who look like they've been to every store in the building.
"Master and apprentice," she says simply, looking to Mike, hoping he'll make the connection between their previous conversation and one of his favorite movies of all time. "Oh...oh! I understand!" he exclaims, flashing her a smile before sheepishly explaining the situation to everyone else.
'I understand' weren't words they necessarily needed to say, since they never had any trouble comprehending what the other was expressing, but that didn't mean they didn't like to reference the first week they met every once in a while. It baffled them both how quickly they not only became attached to each other, but how transparent they immediately were to the other, their understanding of the way they functioned and saw the world beyond what they could comprehend. 'I understand' was a nod to the day El had first said those words to Mike, realizing she truly could connect with him.
The analogy is found quite ingenious by the Party and they talk over one another as they build and expand on it, pointing out that Obi-Wan did claim he'd come back more powerful once he was struck down, much to Mike's amusement and they even jokingly suggest that El had turned to the dark side, making her able to rise up without anyone noticing, much to her amusement.
Needless to say, Steve is very, very confused when the gang shows up to Scoops Ahoy going on and on about El being like Darth Vader and the rest of them accidentally creating a Sith Lord, but he doesn't even bother asking, knowing they probably would never shut up. So instead he greets them with, "What do you nerds want?", which diverts their attention pretty quickly, thank heaven above.
"What do you want today, El?" Mike asks her as they take in all the flavors the store has in stock this week and she can already feel her mouth watering. "Chocolate," she responds instantly. Sometimes it's cotton candy, sometimes it's something fruity, but today, she's feeling something richer. He chuckles and turns to Steve. "We'll take the Triple Fudge in a cup," he orders and their friend behind their counter smirks as he opens the glass cover. "A scoop for you and a scoop for the lady?" he asks, throwing El a wink, to which she smiles back at him and nods, while Mike's face turns a bright red. "We always share, you know this, Steve," he says in irritation as he pulls out his wallet to pay for their dessert. "Yeah, and you always do it in the most disgustingly cute way, how can I resist teasing you?" Harrington retorts as he rings him up. Apparently, everyone else had been listening, because Dustin chimes in with, "THANK you, I'm glad someone agrees!" Mike and El just roll their eyes as they stick their spoons into their ice cream and walk back over to join their friends.
"Dustin, you know when you get a girlfriend, you're gonna regret all the times you've teased us, right?" Mike tells him as they exit the mall and head for the bikes. "Well, the joke's on you Wheeler, because I'm very much forever alone, so I doubt you'll ever be able to return the favor." Despite the grin on Dustin's face as he announces his relationship status, the hint of sadness behind his eyes doesn't go unnoticed and El suspects that he isn't as enthusiastic about his predicament as he might seem.
"You'll find her one day, Dustin," she says to him, flashing a smile. He visibly softens at her words and she pats him on the back. "Thanks, El," he mumbles. And they leave it at that.
Not wanting their day to be over so soon, Mike and El bid their friends farewell as one by one, they hop on their bikes and ride home. Soon, it's just the two of them and their ice cream. "Want to go to the park?" Mike asks, handing the cup to her and she nods, taking a bite while he links their arms.
They stroll down the path into their city park, smiling when they see all the kids running around and climbing on the playground while the exhausted parents take a break on the benches. "Isn't it weird to think that at this time tomorrow, none of these kids will be here? They'll all be in a classroom, wishing they were back here," Mike comments as he leads them to a more quiet area.
At the mention of school, El feels her mood shift and she merely nods in reply. Yes, it is weird to think about and it's weird to think that she'll be one of them. For the first time, it started to sink in that tomorrow, she will officially be a "normal kid", or at least, as close to one as she can be. And she can't decide if that excites her or terrifies her.
Mike must've sensed her demeanor change because he disposes of their now empty ice cream cup and pulls her down with him onto the grass under the shade of the looming trees. They lay down on their backs, scooting so their shoulders are touching and they can hold hands as they stare up at leaves.
"What're you thinking about?" he asks quietly when she's been silent for a while. She tosses his question around in her mind and he waits patiently before she finally speaks. "Mike, do you think I'm ready?" "For tomorrow?" She nods. "Yeah, I do," he responds without a shred of hesitation and she sighs, his confidence taking the edge off her jumble of uneasiness. "Do you?" he asks after a moment's pause.
It scares her, that's for sure. It's going to be...a lot. A lot of work, a lot of concentration, a lot of interaction, a lot of learning and she can't pinpoint exactly why, but the whole thing is making her nervous. But is she ready for it?
"I hope so," she says barely above a whisper and he tenderly squeezes her hand. "You are. I know you are," he replies definitively. "I promise you're smart enough." His words make her smile, but it's not just what happens in the classroom that she's worried about. She's actually excited to be taught every single day and yes, she's a little nervous that she won't be able to keep up with the workload, but she's seen her friends do it before, which means that it's manageable. No, what is making her anxious more than anything is it won't just be the Party that she'll be around.
"Do you think they'll like me?" Her voice is vulnerable and shakes just the tiniest bit. 'They' meaning the teachers, the staff, her counselor and more importantly, her classmates. Mike has explained to her before how high school cliques work and how everyone seems to have their own little place, and if they move out of their stereotype, they aren't treated in a very kind way. But she's okay with that—she isn't looking to join a certain clique or mess up the status quo, she just wants to be accepted by them.
"El, there isn't anything about you that people wouldn't like," he says softly, propping himself up on an elbow so he can look at her and she does the same. "I don't want to say that everyone will like you because...you know, some kids are mouth breathers." She winces at that, knowing, inevitably, she'd have to deal with bullies. And she was not looking forward to doing it without her powers.
"But hey, look at me." His earnest voice catches her attention and she looks back into his eyes. "I will not let anyone say or do anything mean to you. I won't stand for it. Even if I get in trouble, I'll make sure no one can put you down. I don't even know why they would, because if they can't see how amazing you are, then, El, they aren't seeing you at all. But I'm going to be there for you because there are kids who're jerks. And I won't let them hurt you, okay?"
"Okay," she murmurs as he skims his fingertips up and down her arm, a reassurance that he's there and he won't leave her alone.
She was still nervous. She was still worried about what they would think and how she would interact with them. But her fears were overshadowed by something much bigger and much more powerful. The love Mike held for her and the promise that he'd be by her side. With those two things, she was invincible. She could conquer the entire world.
Or, at least, her first day of high school.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone