Chapitre 37: 37. After
A/N: Hi everyone.
So. Season Three happened. Before I go any further, I'd just like to say how much I enjoyed this season. I absolutely loved everything before the epilogue, from the storyline to the character development to the stunning cinematography and of course, all the freaking amazing Mileven scenes that made me sooooo happy.
But then the epilogue happened. And I'm not going to pretend that I took it in stride, because it completely crushed me. I spent the few days after the release of the season sitting closer to depression than I ever had before, because a good majority of my happiness relies on Mike and El being together and happy. And at the end (spoiler alert, but why are you here if you haven't watched it?) they kind of...weren't and that hurt. A lot. So then I wrote this. It's kind of all over the place and I'm still trying to get a grip on writing these two wonderful people in this new stage of their life, but I hope it's what you guys need after the emotional rollercoaster that was this season, because it's definitely what I needed.
If you ever want to talk about Mileven or ST, or anything at all really, please feel free to PM me. I'm here to talk and I'm here to listen.
Thanks everyone for sticking around this far and welcome to those who are new! I'm excited to start this new journey in my writing moving forward and I hope you guys enjoy this (very long) one-shot.
They got five days for Thanksgiving. Five blissful days where all they did was talk and kiss and hold one another in between all the feasting and gatherings with the rest of their friends.
The past month has been harder than they'd thought it would be. Mike found that he woke up every morning with a pit in his stomach, one that twisted and manipulated his heart, until all he could feel was the dull throbbing pressure of pain and all he wanted to do was fall back asleep so he could escape it.
Because she wasn't there. No matter how hard he wished and pleaded and begged, she was still thirty miles away from him and it was an unfortunately familiar ache that he could never shake no matter how hard he tried.
She wasn't doing much better. Even though that town held memories she didn't think she was strong enough to face, it also held her home. Sitting in her new room felt...wrong and she always felt a pull to go back up north, to run back into his arms and never, ever leave.
Because that is where she belonged. She belonged with him.
What part of the universe didn't seem to understand that?
They put every effort into lifting each other's spirits though. Before she had left, he had reminded her that they would figure it out together just like they always did and they promised one another over and over again to call every night and to visit as much as they could. "I'll see you soon," and the occasional, "I'm yours," was murmured over and over again in the final moments and it had given them to strength to part.
They did indeed call each other every night, without fail. On nice clear nights, it was with Cerebro, where Mike would lay on his back on the grass, staring up at the stars with a goofy grin on his face as her voice floated through the speaker telling him anything she wanted to and he could just picture her lying on her bed clutching the stuffed animals she adores so much. He'd respond with jokes and stories of his own and for an hour every night, everything was okay.
"I miss you. Nine more days, alright?" "I miss you too. I'll see you then, Mike." Then there would always be a pause, words that still were daunting to both of them echoing in every pulse of their hearts and they knew it without having to say it that the other still loved them and always would.
"Eight more days, alright?"
"Seven more days, alright?"
And then before he knew it, it was one more day and then she was standing on his porch with Will and not wasting a second before throwing her arms around him so lovingly he almost started crying. He smiled over her shoulder apologetically to Will, letting him know that he missed one of his best friends too and Will nods, smiling as he pats his friend on the back and makes his way into the house.
Without an audience, Mike squeezes her tighter and buries his face in the crook of her neck. He mumbles, "I don't think I'm gonna let you go," against her skin with a smile and chuckles when she responds with, "Good."
They eventually do let go of one another, only to clasp their hands immediately and even though they just talked last night, they already have so many things to tell each other as they make their way down to the basement. Mike greets Will enthusiastically and the three of them spend the next hour catching up and soaking in the relief that they're together again.
When the rest of the Party arrives, they fall back into the natural order of things as easy as breathing...stories of stupid things they've done are shared, teasing insults are thrown and laughter is constant, a true testament to the strength and health of their friendship.
'This is what it should always be," Mike thinks bitterly, glancing over at the wide smiles on Will and El's faces and he grips El's hand a little tighter, which he's scarcely let go of since he arrived.
He'd learned the importance of giving El the independence she needed back in July, but he hadn't been able to touch her in a month and he was clingy as heck. Much to his relief, so was she. She stayed by his side as she engaged with the Party, joining in on their antics, but always making sure she was connected to him in some way. He was learning when to let her go and likewise for her, giving her space to talk with Max or see something Dustin wanted to show her. But whatever she was doing, he kept his possessiveness firmly at bay, because he knew, in the end, she would return to him.
She would always return to him.
Thanksgiving renewed his shriveled spirit, giving him hope in the strength of the Party and El's parting declaration of love sent him soaring through the clouds, a place he has yet to come down from.
(He finally said it to her over the phone a week before he saw her, after an hour and a half long conversation spent reminiscing on their past. He had wanted to kiss her so bad in that moment, but he had settled for something even better and he'll never forget her breathless gasp or her sweet voice returning the words back to him.)
He saw her once more before Christmas, when Jonathan drove down to pick up Nancy...something about a college photography exhibit? He wasn't really paying attention, because he had no idea El was coming and he almost knocked her off her feet with the force of his hug when he suddenly saw her standing at the top of his basement steps.
Nancy convinced her boyfriend to stay a little longer, looking pointedly at him and El with a grin, a move he later thanked her profusely for. He dragged her down to the basement and was about to pull her back into his arms when he noticed the hint of sadness tinting her beautiful brown eyes. He asks her what's wrong, interlacing their fingers and squeezing gently enough to keep her grounded until she looks back up at him and tearfully explains that the Snow Ball was one year ago today.
It hits him like a punch in the gut, the reason why she looks so torn up about this. She's mourning what they had. Had. His heart cracks dangerously and then he's cupping her face without thinking about it, wiping the tears away with his thumbs and shaking his head over and over as his words fumble out of him.
"I'm...I'm right here, nothing's changing, El. Please don't...don't worry, we are okay, nothing can change us, okay? Don't be sad, we're figuring it out, I'm...I'm not going to let you go, remember? I'm right here. El. I am right here."
Always.
When she calms down, resting her forehead against his and clutching his hands like her life depends on it, he lets her just breathe, kissing her lips occasionally, before he leads them over to the couch, where he lays down and invites her to rest on top of him. She accepts gladly, nuzzling her face into his chest and sighing as he begins to rub her back softly.
It took a very long time for them to part that day. Jonathan and Nancy were late to their event, but neither of them could find it in them to care. El apologized profusely that night for bringing down the mood, apologies that Mike blocked every time, telling her over and over how he was glad she brought it up and how they shouldn't be afraid of working through their feelings about this time in their lives together.
The Byers all drive down for Christmas a few days later, staying with one of Joyce's old friends. Why they couldn't just stay there all the time was beyond him, but nevertheless, he was so glad they were back and for a whole week too. A whole week of pretending things were back to normal and he would take what he could get.
It didn't take long for the Party to figure out that Will was acting weird. They caught him staring blankly off into space with this hopeless look in his eyes more than once and it stabbed Mike's heart every time he saw it. They figured it was just flashbacks, memories resurfacing because he was once again back in the town that had never been anything but mean to him. But when Mike casually asked how his new school was, he finally spit out the truth.
His high school was terrible. The classes and teachers were fine, but the kids? Bullies. All of them. It'd been two months and none of them had bothered to reach out to him or invited him to hang out or sit with them at lunch. He'd heard whispers floating through the hallways about him. There were no nicknames he hadn't heard before and he was baffled how the entire student body had already figured out that he wasn't entirely straight.
He was lonely. Lonely and sad.
No one knows what to say after that. One glance at El proves she knew all this, but it still hurts because she doesn't know how to help. She's not there to beat up the kids who pick on him and while she does her best to comfort him every time, listening to him and giving him hugs when he needs them, she still can't prevent what happens to him at school.
"What can we do, Will?" Lucas, ever the practical one, asks eventually. "We want to help you." Will shrugs, fidgeting with a Rubik's Cube he picked up from the shelf. "Just...just don't stop being my friends. It helps knowing I have you guys." "Of course, Will. We'll always, always be here for you. Will you call us if you ever need to talk?" Mike asks, watching his best friend carefully and as he replies, "Yeah, yeah of course," with a small smile, he can tell he's not lying.
They sit in a heavy silence for a few moments longer, before Max asks El how homeschooling with Joyce is going, effectively getting the attention off of Will and the conversation is rebooted, picking right up where they left off.
Knowing the distance had been as hard on Will as it had been for him and El, Mike poured everything into making sure he was spending as much time with them as possible, even establishing a day for each of them to hang out with them individually. He and Will took a day to go through Mike's old comics and memorabilia, swapping stories back and forth about both the past and the present as they decided what they should keep, what they didn't need anymore and what they should purchase at the comic book store next time they visit.
He also reserved the day after Christmas specifically for him and El to have together alone so they could trade gifts in private. He was a little confused when he opened his bag to find a bunch of sweaters that actually matched his style perfectly, but when she shyly explained that it was so he could wear them, she could steal them from him and then she'd have even more things to remind her of him, he laughed at her bluntness, kissing her on the cheek in thanks for her thoughtfulness. When she lifts her gift out of her bag, she almost starts crying and he sits up a little bit straighter with pride. He'd found a teddy bear at one of their local stores and immediately thought of her when he felt how soft it was and how comforting it was to hold. He'd asked his grandma to embroider the word, "Promise" on it's fuzzy stomach and when he'd explained it was for a girl, she'd gotten it done within an hour.
El's clutching that bear when she climbs into the car a few days later, turning around so she can watch him through the back window as the distance between them widens painfully once again. He waves sadly as he watches them go, the new sweater he's wearing keeping him warm as he stares numbly at the place where they just were, already looking forward to calling his girl that night.
In January, El's nightmares come back with a vengeance. And they're bad. Like, really bad. Horrible images of all her friends dead, Papa killing Hopper, the Mind Flayer killing her instead of Billy, blood, so much blood and violence and screams filled her nights, making her wake up shaking uncontrollably as she cries out, tears rolling down her face. Will and Joyce do everything they can and they help so much, holding her patiently, talking her through it, calming her down. She loves her new family so much and she's so grateful for their comfort.
It tears Mike apart to hear about them whenever she tells him over the phone the following day, always asking what he can do to help her and the answer is always "just talk to me," because the sound of Mike's voice holds a power that she will never fully understand, but knows she craves desperately. So he tells her over and over again how she's safe, he's safe, everyone they know is safe and everything's okay, hoping his words settle into her subconscious at night and calm the terrors it tries to send her way.
But it doesn't work and one blustery late night, the phone on Mike's nightstand rings, startling him and the rest of the Wheeler household awake. He grabs it blearily, mumbling a "hello?" and when he's met with a frantic, "Mike?" he bolts upright, almost yanking the phone off the surface. "El? El, hey, what's wrong, what's going on? Are you okay?" "N-no! Mike!" She's sobbing, and the last time he heard her sound so distraught was the moment she'd found out about her father. It sends his stomach plummeting and his heart twists in on itself, aching for the girl that's so painfully far away from him.
He does his best, speaking every word of comfort he knows, trying everything that's worked before and even trying what hasn't, anything to get her to breathe, to focus on what's real and not what's been fed to her, but nothing is working and he begins to fear that she's going to pass out if she keeps crying this hard.
"Please come, I need to see you," she keeps whimpering, despite the reassurance he tried to pour over her. "Please, please, Mike." So, finally he sighs and asks her to put Mrs. Byers on the phone, already having made up his mind that he was gonna see El tonight but wanting to check with her guardian, just in case.
"How bad is it?" "It's...it's bad Mike, I'm so sorry. We normally can calm her down pretty quickly, but she's very shaken up tonight. She woke up fifteen minutes ago and she's still..." She trails off, but El's shaky breaths in the background speak for themselves. "Okay. I'll be there soon. Can you put her back on?" "Mike, no, you really don't have to-" "No. She needs me. I'll be there." "...thank you," Mrs. Byers responds and he sighs internally, grateful that he was doing the right thing. The phone is passed back to his girl and he bites her lip at the way she whispers his name, desperate to know that he's still there.
"El? I'm coming, okay? I'll...I'll see you soon. Promise." "Okay. Hurry." He nods his head, though to what he's really not sure and hangs up, pushing himself to his feet to throw a sweatshirt on, guessing she won't care if he's still in his pajama pants. He throws a change of clothes into a backpack along with his SuperComm, just in case someone tries to reach him, and is racing down his stairs before he knows it.
It occurs to him as he heads to the garage that his entire plan is to ride his bike down a route that takes at least forty-five minutes driving, so biking it will take at least two hours...but he doesn't have any other choice.
His hand is on the doorknob when he hears a deep voice behind him calls his name. Much to his surprise, his father is standing on the stairs, looking at him all confused and bewildered. Ted goes to say something, but Mike beats him to it. "I'm going down to the Byers. I know it's one in the morning, but...my girlfriend needs me." "Son, I know, I heard your conversation." "You...you did?" "Yes, I picked up the phone too. Are you planning on biking all the way down there?"
He resists the urge to roll his eyes, not having the patience for this argument right now. "Yes Dad, and this is urgent, so please just let me-" "Calm down Mike, I can drive you." "...what?" "I'll drive you. What, you think I'm just gonna let you bike to another city in the middle of the night?" "Um...yes?" "No way, you should be safe. C'mon, we can take my car."
Mike stares at him dumbfounded, before following him out to the car, hardly believing his luck. Who was this man who was suddenly so compassionate for his son? He'd noticed an uplift in his attentiveness over the past few months, intentionally being a part of his family more often than usual, but he didn't think he'd come this far. They make it out of the garage and to the entrance of the neighborhood before he finally blurts out, "Why are you doing this?" He doesn't say it out of annoyance, he's just...baffled.
He watches as his dad sighs, clearly tossing the question around in his head as he turns onto the main road. "Your...girlfriend, El. She sounded...well, like she wasn't going to live if she didn't see you soon. I knew you would go to her no matter what, so I just wanted to make sure you didn't give yourself hypothermia by trying to get to her on your own." Mike hums noncommittally, nodding his head as he thanked the heavens that his dad had listened in, because he was right. He probably would've gotten sick if he'd tried to bike for two hours in the middle of January.
"I can tell you care about her, Michael. And she cares about you. Don't...don't let her go, okay? Don't ever let her go."
A burst of warmth that he can't explain spreads through his chest at his dad's words. He accepts them. He accepts that he's in love with a girl even at such a young age, and his approval shouldn't mean so much to him, but he does, and... "Thanks, Dad. Thank you, that, um...that means a lot. And I don't plan on letting her go. She's...I think she's the one." He gulps, hoping that isn't too dramatic, but he means it. Thinking about being with anyone else but El feels...wrong in an awful sort of way. No, she's it for him. He knows it. His dad nods, a genuine smile on his face, and Mike smiles back, all the tension he's had tied up in his chest slowly fading blissfully.
The car is mostly quiet after that, save for Mike giving him directions from the ones Joyce had mailed him right after they moved, so he would always know how to reach El. The closer they get, the more his thoughts grow anxious, hoping he wasn't too late and she was able to calm down eventually. The after effects of her nightmares always lasted way longer than he liked, but he had always stayed with her every step of the way and he didn't intend on stopping that now.
When they cross into the city limits, he begins to radio her every so often, wanting to give her hope that they were close and that he'd be with her soon. His leg bounces nervously, clutching the SuperComm so tightly his muscles begin to ache and finally, on the fifth call, she responds, her voice breaking through the static and he slumps back in his seat with relief. "M-Mike? Is that you?" "Hey, hey El, it's me. I'm almost there, okay? Are you doing okay? Over." "B-better. I still want to s-see you. O-over," she replies and he doesn't think he's ever responded so fast. "I'll be there. I'll be there before you know it. Hold on, okay? Over." "Yes. Over and out," and the static returns just as quickly as it left, swallowing her voice up whole.
His dad, thankfully, says nothing and he's sucked up into his thoughts once again, mulling over what he's gonna say to her, what she's gonna need and how he's gonna help her. He knows generally how these episodes go, but it's been two months and he's hoping it hasn't grown so bad he can't do a thing. But she asked for you, he keeps reminding himself. She knows you can help.
When they finally roll up to the Byers house, he swallows, gathering his strength before going to open the car door, only for his father's hand to fall on his shoulder before he can move further. "Mike?" He turns back to look at him. "Yeah?" "Call if you need anything. I'm proud of you."
He doesn't think he's ever heard his dad tell him that.
"Thank you. Really. I'll...I'll call later." And with that, he climbs out of the car, closing the door quickly before racing up the driveway, heart thudding with each step, because she's so close. Please let her be okay, please let her-
The door swings open abruptly as soon as he's on the porch and he can suddenly see her standing in the entryway, all bloodshot eyes and pink stained cheeks. She's a mess, but he couldn't care less, because her face crumples as she tentatively takes one step out towards him, walking cautiously until she's right in front of him, and he can hardly breathe, suffocating in the pain of seeing her so...broken, but he doesn't dare touch her yet, afraid she'll break completely if he does.
She reaches for him slowly, her lips quivering as she holds back her tears and her hands encircle his arms hesitantly, gasping when she squeezes ever so slightly and it suddenly hits him what she's doing.
She's making sure he's real.
"El..." Her name tumbles out of his mouth desperately, and he goes to say more, but she's suddenly throwing herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she begins to sob and he wraps his arms around her on instinct, holding her as tightly as he dares. Once he has a firm grip on her, he slowly lowers to the ground, taking her with him so she's not at risk at falling over from the force of her sobs and she keeps her head pressed to his chest as he pulls her closer to his body, moving one hand up to weave his fingers through her hair and rubbing her back with the other. She's still crying, still shaking with the sobs she has no control over and he rocks her gently, whispering sweet nothings against her hair and making sure she hears and feels nothing but comfort and love from him.
Her cries begin to lessen the more they sit there holding each other close and he leaves kisses on her forehead as she slowly begins to focus on evening out her breaths, until finally she only whimpers occasionally and her hands no longer shake where she's gripping him. A breath he didn't know he'd been holding escapes him as her body relaxes against his, relieved that she's beginning to calm down.
They sit there in a heavy, yet comfortable silence as she sniffs occasionally and he continues to sift through her hair with his fingers, a quiet reminder that she's not alone and he's here for whatever she could possibly need. Which is exactly this, right now—to be held and sheltered in the most loving way possible.
A breeze floats pass them, rustling the leaves of the bushes nearby and she shivers, pushing herself further against him in a subconscious attempt for warmth and he notices, pausing his movements and kissing her head once more. "El?" he says quietly, his voice low and scratchy, but he knows she heard him, because she tilts her face up to look at him. His heart jolts at the sleepy look on her face, her brow creased just slightly as she gazes at him with puffy red eyes and he forces himself to continue. "We can go inside if you want, to get out of the cold," he tells her, suddenly very aware of how freezing the midnight air is and watches as she blinks slowly, looking around them as if she had forgotten where they were before nodding, mumbling an "okay" and rubbing at her eyes.
He slowly extracts his arms from around her and she shivers again, suddenly exposed to the cold and he's quick to get to his feet, reaching down to help her up to hers. He lets her lead him inside the house and he takes a moment to appreciate how cozy it feels. It's not their old house, but it's close and he's glad they'd been able to create something that felt like a home.
Joyce and Will stand huddled in the kitchen, glancing at them expectantly, looking worried enough that El waves timidly at them and quietly murmurs that's she's better now, glancing up at him as she trails off. Better now, because of you she's implying, and it warms his heart. They both nod, their faces relaxing noticeably and Joyce sighs, walking over slowly and when she's close enough, she pulls the both of them into an embrace that they gladly return. "Thank you Mike," she whispers before she plants a kiss on El's head.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like," she tells him as they pull back and he nods, smiling weakly at her. "Is it...is it okay if I take him to my room?" El pipes up beside him and he tenses, remembering how stern Hopper was with him being in her room, but to his relief, Joyce responds with, "Of course, sweetie. Just...behave alright?" She winks and they know she means it in good nature, bidding both her and Will goodnight, before she grasps his hand and tugs him down the hall with her.
Her room isn't anything fancy...just a bed, a dresser with some knickknacks on it, a nightstand that holds a framed picture of his smiling face that makes his heart skip a beat, another one of the whole Party and a lamp in the corner that she turns on, bathing the room in a soft orange glow.
He lets her take the lead from then on out, sitting on her bed when she asks him to, resting against the headboard as he laces their fingers together once again and just lets her talk. Her head slides down to rest on his shoulder and he holds her hand firmly as she quietly recounts the dream to him.
She had been back in StarCourt, Billy hovering menacingly over her as the Mind Flayer screeches in the background, its sounds magnified a hundred times by her subconscious. She can't hear Billy, but she knows what he's telling her...to stay still, that it'll be over soon, but she looks him dead in the eye and tells him exactly what she'd told him the first time. There was a time when he was happy. There was a time when he wasn't the monster. He didn't have to do this. Only, it wasn't working, he couldn't hear her over the screams of the horrible monster looming over them and she panicked, kicking and writhing and screaming, but it was no use, Billy's grip on her was too strong. With he powers out, she was helpless to the tendril that was extending from the Flayer, snaking its way towards her, ready to infect, devour, kill and she screams and screams and screams.
"But it didn't get me." "Really?" "No. B-Because you and H-Hopper ran out from the Gap and stood right in front of me. I couldn't do anything and I had to watch a-as that th-thing..." she begins sobbing again and he reaches his arm up to wrap it around her gently, allowing her to curl up against his chest. "That thing ripped out y-your heart..." Her hand comes to rest above his very alive, very beating heart and he kisses her forehead softly. "And I...I had to watch as you fell to the g-ground and M-Mike...it was awful. It didn't even t-touch Hopper, it just went straight for y-you and it all just felt so r-real..."
"And then...you woke up believing Hopper was, um, alive..." He concludes and she nods sorrowfully. "And when I remembered that h-he's not..." She whimpers, holding back a sob and he squeezes her tighter, a lump crawling up his throat, because he knows where she's going with this. "You thought I wasn't either?" he whispers quietly as she purses her lips, nodding slowly, her eyes cast downward. "Which...is stupid, because it's obviously not true, because you're here and...I'm so sorry I made you come down here."
He's shaking his head before she's even finished her sentence. "If you ever need me for anything, I'll be here, you only have to ask, El. Nothing you need could be stupid. You are not stupid, okay?" She's looking up with him with glassy eyes as his thumb draws circles on her shoulder. "And besides, I always need an excuse to come down and see you," he says lightly and her lips curl up into a watery smile. "I just feel bad—" "Don't. Don't ever feel bad. I want to be here with you. A-Always."
A flash of doubt crosses his mind, wincing at how dramatic that sounds, but it causes her to melt, smiling warmly and wrapping her arm around his waist, burrowing further into his side and this, this feels like home. "I wish you could be here always too."
He ends up spending the rest of the night with her, knowing Mrs. Byers wouldn't mind. His arm is draped cautiously over her waist as they begin to doze off, her fingers clinging lazily to his shirt and he watches her closely, waiting until she's finally asleep to let himself drift off as well.
When morning finally comes, Mrs. Byers tells them something over breakfast that lights up the world for both of them. "El,
I was thinking a lot last night. I have a question for you and I want you to give me an honest answer, alright?" When El nods, she takes a breath before looking her right in the eyes. "If Mike came up and spent the night here sometimes, do you think your nightmares would go away?"
Mike feels his jaw drop, knowing immediately what El's answer would be and his heart is already leaping for joy. Glancing at him with excitement, El squeezes his hand before replying confidently, "Yes. I think they would." And that's how Mike got permission to visit every two weeks to have a sleepover with two of his favorite people in the entire world.
Things got better after that. For her, the nightmares did indeed cease, the feeling of him and Will resting beside her giving her the peace of mind that she was indeed safe and protected shoving away the horrible memories and for him, having a definite time when he knew he was for sure going to see his girlfriend gave him back the hope and the contentment their move had robbed him of. For the first time in a while, both of them were happy. Maybe not completely, but happier than their friends had seen them in a very long time.
February brought Valentine's Day and while Mike had enjoyed every moment of the holiday last year, stumbling through an explanation of how special the day was and why he wanted to celebrate it with her, before showering her in gifts and being showered with kisses in return, he wanted this one to be even more memorable than the last. Hence, why he convinced his mom to drive him down early that day so he could surprise El and spend the entire holiday with her celebrating their relationship. Only, as they were driving along the now-familiar county road, a car whizzed past them and when Mike got a glimpse of Joyce and El in the front seats, he yelled for his mom to stop and turn around, ignoring her reprimanding for scaring her half to death.
Thank goodness the Byers had noticed them too, because they also swung back around and once the cars had been pulled over to the side of the road, the two teenagers leaped out of their seats, laughing in disbelief as they ran to one another. They met in a fierce embrace, talking excitedly, trying to make sense of what was happening over the sheer thrill of seeing one another that he hopes secretly will never go away.
El had been on her way to surprise him too, and as they're laughing about their timing, Mike pulls her back into his arms, whispering an "I love you," wanting only her to hear it.
March brought Will's birthday and the Party surprised him with a D&D Day. As much as he tried to protest that he was over that phase, his friends knew him better than that. He had missed this. And if they were being honest, so had they.
They all found themselves piled in Mike's basement, nostalgia hitting them in waves as they ventured into the campaign Mike had spent all his free time whipping up, getting help from anyone he could. It was only Max and El's second time playing, but that was okay, because they hadn't played in so long that they were all kind of bad at it. Mike lost count of how many times each character came within an inch of their lives and while their twelve-year old selves would've been pacing the length of the basement, acting like the world was ending, after they actually had seen the world about to end, a little statue of a monster didn't seem so threatening anymore.
But they had fun. They were having so much fun exploring the world Mike had built, the dynamic different than before, but that was okay, because they couldn't stop laughing or teasing each other.
Until Mike grabbed the wrong game piece, accidentally putting out the Demogorgon and the silence that paralyzed the group was jarring. He hastily pulls it back, apologizing profusely for grabbing the wrong figurine, painfully aware that he killed the mood. El silences his rambling by slipping a hand into the crook of his elbow, glancing at him with a look that both shuts him up and quiets his guilt for ruining everything.
No one speaks for a while, the campaign having halted in its tracks, because no one really knows what to say. That monster was the beginning of all the trauma they've worked so hard to heal over the past few years and they're not scared of it, no, they're past that. But the reminder of it is crippling and it's as if they're afraid they'll open the floodgates if they dare say a word.
It's Max who breaks the spell. She stands suddenly and Mike can feel El jolt next to him at the noise, but before he can reprimand her, she marches over to him and plucks the offending figurine off the table. There's various confused questions from the Party, calling after her as she walks over to the basement door determinedly. In one swift motion, she opens the door, steps outside, throws the Demogorgon as far as she can and reenters the basement, closing the door like nothing had happened.
And that was that.
In April, Mike came down with the flu. So, Joyce drove El up to Mike for their regular visit much to his protest, not wanting to get her sick as well, but his girlfriend is as stubborn as she is loving and he finally ended their phone call one night by sheepishly admitting that he still wants to see her, even if that means she has to stay across the room from him. Because the truth is, he was miserable, but anything related to El would make him feel better under any circumstance.
He's asleep when she sneaks up to his room that Saturday morning, smiling softly at the sight of him curled up in his blankets, his feet peeking out at the end of the mattress. He doesn't look great objectively...his skin is clammy and unnaturally pasty, his nose a rosy red and he's breathing through his mouth, drooling a little as his breaths flow unevenly. His hair is a mess and he looks so worn out, it makes her heart hurt. But despite all that, she's here and he's here and that's all that matters.
She sits with her back against the wall facing his bed for a while, reading one of the books she pulled off his shelf, sounding out the harder words to herself. She's hooked by the plot, sure, but she catches herself just staring at Mike more often than she's paying attention to the words in front of her, a dilemma she has no complaints about.
Which is why she notices it easily when he begins to stir, groaning as he surfaces back to consciousness. She watches, amused, while he tries to make sense of his surroundings, wiping the grogginess from his eyes and trying to sit up, only for the burden of his sickness to force him to lay back down. It takes him a while to notice that she's there, but when his glazed eyes finally flit over to her, she smiles, letting him take his time to figure out that she's actually there. He murmurs her name with a dopey smile on his face...before promptly dozing off once again and she can't hold back a giggle at the way he slips so easily from looking at her lovingly to being asleep in mere seconds.
She loses track of how long she sits there, content with a book and a sleeping Mike as the sun goes from glaring through his window to lighting the room gently while climbing high into the sky. Mrs. Wheeler pokes her head into the room just when El's stomach is starting to grumble, smiling fondly at her son, before entering the room with a tray that holds two steaming bowls of what she assumes is soup. She places one in front of El on the floor, handing her a spoon with a gentle "Here you go, sweetie," before going to place the other one on Mike's nightstand. She nods her thanks and begins to devour it quickly, sighing at the flavors that explode in her mouth.
The smell must've woken him up, because his eyes blink open shortly after and, just like before, he glances around in a disoriented haze, before he notices she's there. "You're still here," he mumbles as his lips stretch up into a smile and she nods. "I'm still here. I don't want to leave you," she tells him tenderly. "Mmm, I don't want you to leave." As he finishes his sentence, his eyes drift up to his nightstand and she has to bite back a laugh at just how excited he looks to see food sitting there and she has to shove down the urge to rush to his side and cover his face in kisses at just how adorable he's being. She really, really shouldn't go near him...she hates being sick and her immune system isn't fantastic, so she's stuck with just being in the same room as him, and nothing more.
Only, as he tries to push himself up to a sitting position, he falters, grunting as his arms shake and El is by his side in an instant, looping his arm around her shoulders to help support him and together they get him upright and leaning against the pillows.
Oops. Well, since she's already over here...
"Hi," she whispers, before kissing his forehead, watching as a blush adds itself to the rosiness of his cheeks. "Hi," he whispers back, smiling up at her, looking hopelessly in love and she adores it. She hands him the bowl of soup, kneeling by his bed as he slurps it slowly, watching her intently. She does most of the talking, since his throat is sore and his energy has been drained by his illness, telling him what she thought of the book she was reading, the silly conversation she'd had with Holly when she arrived, the cute deer she'd seen on the drive up, no matter how mundane the content, he listened.
She took his bowl once he was done, crossing the room to stack it on top of hers. His eyes must've followed her, because he noticed the book where she'd placed it face down to mark her spot. "Hey El?" "Yes?" "You could, um...you could read to me if you want."
She knows him. She knows that means "Please read to me, I like hearing your voice." So she grabs the book, hurrying back to his bedside and propping herself against the wall by his head as she flashes him a smile, earning one in return. Mike reaches a hand out to her, and she grasps it, resting their hands up on the mattress as she begins where she'd left off, weaving the story for the boy beside her as he traces patterns on her hand.
How she doesn't get sick after that is a mystery beyond her.
In May, El's powers returned. She hadn't tried using them in a while, accepting that they were no longer a part of who she was, but when she accidentally knocks a framed photo off her dresser, her mind reaching out instinctively, willing it not to hit the ground...it freezes mid-fall. In shock, she plucks it out of the air, putting it back on the dresser hastily to wipe at her nose.
They were back. They weren't nearly as strong as before, but they were back.
Being powerless not only meant no telekinesis, but no void as well. Finding people just by thinking about it was a luxury she hadn't realized she needed so much until she had to wait to see them in person like people normally have to. She'd missed watching her friends in the void, if only for a few seconds just to make sure they were okay. But more importantly, she missed being able to reach out to a certain ebony-haired boy whenever she was feeling lonely and just sitting in his presence, watching as he became adorably confused as to why he felt her all of a sudden.
With a grin, she rushes over to her closet, pulling out the blindfold she had kept just in case and switches on her radio, before tying it around her eyes and waiting patiently to slip into the space she'd missed so dearly.
When she opens her eyes, Mike is there. Her heart leaps and she rushes over to him, her feet splashing in the wet nothingness of the Void until she's standing in front of the Wheeler kitchen table, watching him take a bite of a cookie as he writes something down on a piece of paper.
He's just so pretty in the Void and she sighs, thrilled that she can finally access this place again. The dark backdrop brings out his eyes more and the pale contrast of his skin is beautiful and she wants to touch him so badly. She reaches out a hand on instinct, but before she makes contact with anything, his movements stop suddenly, and his brow furrows in the familiar way she loves. He looks up and makes direct eye contact with her and she gasps sharply, her heart thudding at his gaze. She watches as his eyes light up and she knows he can't actually see her, but she's always loved the moment when he realizes she can see him. With a goofy smile, he waves ('dork', she thinks affectionately), before glancing around, probably making sure there's no one around, before he whispers, "Hi El. I'm gonna go get my SuperComm, alright? Don't go anywhere, I'm coming back." With that, he rushes off to somewhere she can't see and she shuts her eyes, not wanting to see him disappear. She hates seeing him disappear. Teetering on the edge of the real world and the void, she fights to stay here, gritting her teeth until she hears footsteps and opens her eyes in relief to see he's returned clutching his device.
He switches it on eagerly, before walking towards her with cautious steps, not wanting to accidentally touch her and send her hurtling out of the void. When he's close enough, he sets the SuperComm on the table and turns to face her.
"El, can you hear me?" "Yes. Hi Mike," she replies and he looks ecstatic, grinning widely as he chuckles. "Hi El. I've, um...I've missed this. A lot." She's smiling so wide, her cheeks hurt but she really doesn't care. "I've missed this too. They're back. My powers, I mean. I can use them again." "El, that's so awesome! When did they come back?" She giggles. "Five minutes ago. I wanted to come tell you." "I'm so glad you did. Do they hurt? You know, from being out of use for so long?"
His concern warms her from the inside out and she just wants to kiss him and hold him, but that's impossible, she reminds herself bitterly. "I'm not as strong," she admits and his eyebrows raise so high she's surprised they're not touching his hairline. "Well don't tire yourself out, alright? I love it when you visit, but if you need to rest, I'll talk to you tonight, okay?" She sighs in relief, because she can feel her head throbbing distantly. "Thank you Mike. I'll see you soon." "Anytime El, I'll talk to you later..." He clears his throat, glancing down at the ground and she inches forward, smiling softly at the blush on his face. "I miss you. I'm excited to see you next week," he whispers. "I miss you too," she says, pouring all of her heart into the words that they unfortunately say so often.
Screw it, she thinks and darts forward to kiss his cheek softly. There's skin-on-skin contact for the briefest second and she hears his gasp before she's launched out of the darkness and back into her body, which is very, very tired. She grabs a box of tissues, cleaning herself up before falling asleep blissfully.
Mike revokes the "no spying" rule that night. "Just...just please don't keep looking if I'm doing something embarrassing." "Too late." "El!"
When summer rolls around, El is delighted to hear that Mike isn't needed much around his house, since his parents are mainly focused on Nancy leaving for college in the next few months. Plus, without school or homework or responsibilities, that leaves them whole weeks that they get to spend with each other. And finally, finally, things begin to feel normal again. The constant pang of being separated isn't as sharp anymore, because they know that the longest they'll go without seeing each other is a few days.
Admittedly, everyone is on edge as they get closer to the anniversary of the Mind Flayer trying to take over the world, so the Party sticks close together, going about their regular teenage summer antics, but looking over their shoulders every once in a while, because if the evils that plagued them last year return, at least they'll be ready.
Fourth of July comes and goes without a hitch, much to the Party's relief. They finally get to stuff themselves with hamburgers and laze about in the pool and enjoy the celebrations just the six of them, like the holiday should've gone the year before. But the highlight by far was getting to show El fireworks in a setting that wasn't destroying a giant inter-dimensional monster. She flinched at the first couple that went off, but Mike looped an arm around her waist as Max grabbed her hand and she relaxed at the touch, her head lolling back onto Mike's shoulder as she slowly let the painful connotations of the display above her dissolve into ones of celebration, independence and, most importantly, love.
When Joyce told Will and El, it took everything within them not to phone all their friends and scream the wonderful news at them. No, they agreed together, this had to be special, something they dropped on them like a bombshell when they weren't expecting it. They spent so many nights whispering conspiratorially, planning out just what they were gonna say and when they were gonna say it and predicting who was gonna cry (Mike, El insisted. Mike was gonna cry). Every night when she called him, the secret bubbled happily inside her, lifting her spirits and her soulmate couldn't help but hear the giddiness that she tried to mask. "What're you so happy about today?" "I can't tell you," she teases him. "Why not?" "Trust me. You'll know soon." "Okay..." He sighs and there's a heavy beat of silence, before he continues, his voice all warm and soothing. "I'm, uh...really glad you're happy, El. That makes me happy."
Little does he know how overjoyed he's going to be tomorrow. Because tomorrow, Mrs. Byers is driving them up to Hawkins and dropping them off at Mike's house, before meeting with the local realtor to inquire about houses on the market in the small, cozy town.
They were moving back after Jonathan went to college. The distance had stretched them too thin and her mom had noticed, sitting them down night after night to discuss the pros and cons of staying right where they were. They understood that money was an issue, and it had taken a financial hit to uproot the first time and move everything down south, but both El and Will were clear on the feelings they'd suppressed for the sake of their mom who was convinced she was doing the right thing. Their home was in Hawkins, even with all the pain that came with it. The people there were everything, and while they were appreciative of each other and the bonds of family between them...they felt horribly incomplete without their friends.
"Okay," Joyce had said with a sigh. "We'll go back. For good this time. You two deserve it." She was met with two pairs of arms wrapping around her, thanking her profusely over and over again, tears welling up at the thought of finally being near their true family once again.
El finds herself almost shaking with anticipation as she sits on Mike's bed, grasping the hand of her boyfriend, "tomorrow" having finally turned into "today". The rest of their friends are lounging on the floor, discussing back and forth over what they should do that day. She hopes she's not being too obvious, because she keeps glancing over at Will, barely suppressing a grin at the knowledge they both hold. Getting everyone's attention is going to be a lot harder than she originally thought, as she swears there's seven different conversations happening right now, but that's how it should be with them and she soaks in the feeling of being with her friends for just a few moments longer.
'It's going to be like this all the time again. Soon,' and as that thought fizzles deliciously in her chest, she blurts out, "Will and I have something to tell you guys." She's met with curious silence as all attention suddenly snaps to her and her brother and she bites her lip to contain her grin, subconsciously holding Mike's hand tighter. One glance at Will shows him smiling uncontrollably and he nods at her, graciously letting her do the honors, because he knows how desperately she wants to tell them.
She breathes in. She breathes out.
"We're moving back!"
...
"What?!" "Are you serious?" "You're gonna come back?! You're gonna go to school with us?!" "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
She bursts out laughing as everyone starts talking at once, the excitement and relief of finally telling them lighting up every corner of her being and the sheer joy of the moment bursts within her vibrantly. "Yes, seriously, we're coming back!" They enthusiastically begin to talk over each other again, clamoring for details as she feels herself being pulled into Mike's arms. He smushes her against his chest, but she doesn't care, because she knows it's purely out of joy and she'll happily stay squished as she listens his voice bouncing spastically, asking as many frantic questions as the rest of them. Resting a hand on his forearm, she lets him hold her as Will gets them all to quiet down with a goodnatured, "Hang on, we have answers if you nerds would shut up!"
They do and glance between the two of them expectedly, anticipation making them all jittery and El finds it adorable. "We never wanted to move away, you guys know that," Will started, his voice serious and calming the atmosphere. "But we knew it was what was best at the time." "Or so we told ourselves," El adds and Mike squeezes her empathetically. "Right," Will continues. "As we told you guys over Christmas...um...the school I was at sucked." "It didn't get better, did it?" Lucas cuts in, looking at his friend with concern and Will shakes his head, gazing down at the ground. "No, the, um...the bullies got worse. I couldn't...I couldn't find anyone who wanted to be friends."
El could hear the heartbreak settle among her friends and is about to pipe up, when Dustin nudges Will with his foot. "Why didn't you tell us? That it was still happening, I mean." "I didn't want you to worry, especially since there wasn't much you guys could do. But I can tell you that thinking of you guys and how...how much you all actually care about me is what got me through each day. That and El," he says simply, smiling up at her appreciatively and she nods at him, recalling all the nights spent soothing him through his insecurities and sharing hers in return. Mike's thumb discreetly traces circles on her back and she nuzzles further into his chest.
"Anyway," Will says, clearing his throat. "El wasn't much better off." "Hmm, I wonder why," Max says, but to everyone's surprise, there's only a hint of teasing in her voice. The rest of it almost is...sad, like she was hurting for her best friend and El shoots her an appreciative glance. To her surprise, she feels Mike's lips press against her forehead, right there in front of everyone and her cheeks grow warm as she smiles softly. "And I wanted to go to school with my friends," she adds casually and feels Mike jolt is surprise. "You're actually going to school? With us?" The hope in his voice makes her heart sing and she nods eagerly, grinning up at him to see his face purely alight with exuberance. "That's incredible, you guys! You're coming to Hawkins High!" Dustin whoops and when Will adds, "Mom is looking for houses right now as we speak," that's the final blow and the reality that El and Will Byers are coming back to them is cemented into place.
Suddenly, it's like when they left, but the complete opposite—warm hugs overjoyed instead of sorrowful, words exchanged laced with laughter instead of tears, eyes dancing with happiness instead of barely concealed fear. The world was righting itself again and they each knew somewhere in their hearts that it was going to stay that way for a very, very long time.
Somewhere in the celebration, someone (probably Dustin), shouts, "We gotta go tell Steve!" and they're suddenly rushing for the door, laughing and talking energetically as they relish in the adrenaline of this revelation.
El feels a familiar hand tug her back and she watches her friends go, catching Max's eye and motioning to the boy behind her and she nods, winking as she guides the rest of the Party downstairs to let the two of them have a moment. El closes the door softly with her mind and turns back to face him.
His eyes are watery (she totally called it), but that's okay because hers are too, and he wordlessly pulls her closer, grasping both of her hands in his. As she watches patiently, he opens his mouth, shaking his head and chuckling breathlessly as words fail him. He tries again a couple of times, stuttering out a few words, before blowing out a breath with a smile and his eyes flit up to meet hers.
She sucks in a breath at the deep, consuming look in his eyes and she willingly falls farther and farther into it as she feels her tears start to spill over her lashes because she's gazing at her future. She's gazing at the boy she's gotten to grow with over the past several months through aching separation and patches of the days she did get to spend with him that were weaved with love and happiness. She's gazing at the impossible dream she'd almost let go of that's now just over the horizon.
Because they're going to go to high school together. They're going to work through piles of homework together and face down bullies and be that couple in the hallways and take each other to dances and rebelliously stay out way past their curfew if only to have a few more minutes with one another. They're going to watch the other mature and flourish into their own wonderful person, exploring the world with the assurance that the other is supporting them every step of the way. Everything that had crumbled, slipped out of their fingers in an instant was rebuilding itself in a vision that seemed almost too good to be true.
But it was real this time. This was real.
She rests a hand on his cheek, gently wiping away the few tears rolling down his skin and when they realize no words are powerful enough to match this moment, he lowers his lips to hers and she meets him halfway, wrapping her arms around his neck as he kisses her tenderly over and over again. His hands clutch at her waist as she meets him kiss for kiss, reassuring him silently that she's not leaving him again and they now have all the time in the world to just do this.
They part eventually when they both are giggling too much to continue and she hopes this wonderfully childish feeling of joy never goes away. "I-I love you, El," Mike murmurs to her, grinning like the fool in love that he was and she laughs just because she can. "I love you too." She presses one more kiss to his mouth before whispering, "Forever."
She tugs them gently out of the room then, away from the doubt and the pain and the longing of the past year and towards the rest of their lives.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone