Chapitre 11: 11. 011: Mountains
A/N: Ever since I started writing fanfiction, I've had a separate document just for random concepts and snapshots of Mike and El being cute together. So, I finally decided to throw as many of them as I could into a one-shot and came up with this! It isn't the most well-written piece I've ever written, but it's not terrible, so I'm posting it!
Also, there's five days. Most of us have been waiting for this for over a year and there's FIVE DAYS left! *screams in a corner* I'M SO FLIPPIN' EXCITED EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! :D
Okay, I'll be quiet. Enjoy!
The Wheelers had never been the most outdoorsy people. Karen and Ted much preferred lounging on the couch and watching TV to running around and enjoying nature. As for Mike and Nancy, it's not like they didn't like being outside, but their day-to-day lives had never expanded much beyond the suburbs.
So when Joyce suggested a camping trip to properly end their summer vacation, Mike was shocked when, not only did Dustin's and Lucas's parents agree to it, but his own couch potato parents were on board with the idea. Even more surprising was when Hopper reluctantly agreed to let El tag along with them. Not that he minded, of course.
So that's how he found himself smushed in the back of their family car, in between a couple sleeping bags and a tub of food, driving up a mountain road with a pop-up trailer attached to the back that he didn't even know his dad owned. El is seated up front watching the trees fly by with great curiosity, and he smiles at the sight of wonder on her face. He glances out the window behind him and makes sure the Hendersons and Sinclairs are still following them and the Byers closely up the winding mountain path. Settling back in his seat, he lets his mind wander to all the fun things he wanted to do with his friends this weekend and everything he was hoping El could experience.
He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize they had reached their destination until he hears El gently say, "Mike, we're here." Glancing up, he grins when he looks out the window to see his friends already climbing out of their cars. El must've seen the excitement on his face, because she smiles and opens the car door, glancing back at Mike before sliding out and soaking in the mountain air. He climbs out after her and runs over to his friends.
"This is so cool!" Dustin exclaims, spinning in circles as he took in their surroundings. "How did Jonathan know about this place?" "Who knows!" Will replies, "but this is perfect!"
They were almost completely secluded. On every side of this campsite were trees as far as they could see. There wasn't a cloud in the sky above their heads and somewhere, they could hear the sound of water flowing in the distance. The far end of the clearing sloped upwards to create a hill that the boys immediately want to climb, but their parents are calling for them, asking for their help unloading everything.
"We should totally build a fort!" Lucas suddenly says as they were pulling containers out of the trunks of their cars. "Yeah!" Dustin agrees. "We haven't built a decent one since that epic fort back in fifth grade! I still can't believe my mom made me take it down," he says, kicking at a rock.
"Is this our tent?" Will calls excitedly, pulling out a box that's almost half his size. "Yeah, that's yours!" Jonathan says. "I can set it up for you guys if you want to go explore." "Thanks Jonathan!" they all say and drop whatever they had been carrying. Mike grabs El's hand and the group dashes for the tree-covered hill, laughing and shouting "race you!" all the way up.
When they reach what they assume to be the top, they're surprised to find that there was another smaller clearing up here, one that was conveniently perfect for a fort. Their eyes are wide as they soak in the sight of this private place they had all to their own. All it took was one glance at each other for them to all take off in different directions, leaving El only mildly confused as each one begins working on their silently agreed-upon tasks. Mike heads straight for the middle of the clearing, scoping out the terrain they were dealing with and analyzing which area would be best to build this fort in. After finding the perfect tree to be the center of it, he starts the job of clearing away anything that would get in their way, blueprints for this thing already running through his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lucas and Dustin hunting for fallen trees they could haul over and Will's on the hunt for the biggest sticks he can find. As for El, she is curiously observing all of them, but there comes a moment when Mike catches her watching him, causing his stomach to flip. He's about to beckon her over, when he hears Dustin call out to her.
"Hey El! Could you give us a little help?" he calls, gesturing to the long, lanky tree he and Lucas are clearly struggling to carry. Mike's eyes widen and he makes his way over to his friends. "Dustin..." he starts wearily, ready to scold him for trying to use El's powers for his own advantage, but he's cut off when he sees El nod and walk over to them. He bites his lip and subtly moves so he's positioned behind her, ready to catch her in his arms, were she to overexert herself. Because that has happened far too many times for his liking.
Lucas and Dustin step back as the tree begins to levitate, grinning as they watch it smoothly float over to the middle of the clearing. No matter how many times they've seen this, it never fails to amaze them. Sure, Mike is always shocked to see things moving through the air on their own, but there's always a side of him that's extremely concerned for her. He keeps a careful eye on El, only relaxing when the tree finally crashes down and she wipes the tiny droplet of blood from her nose.
To his relief, that's the only thing his friends ask her to move for the rest of the fort-building process, and his mind quickly turns back to the task at hand. Slowly but surely, their grand fort comes together as they rush around, finding the best materials they can, swapping ideas with each other and occasionally giving orders. Every once in awhile, each individual will pause and chuckle at how serious they're being about this, but, screw it, they're still kids and they don't have anything else to worry about right now.
Finally, they step back to admire their work. It's a beautifully crafted fort, complete with two rooms, three entrances and a leaf-covered "carpet", courtesy of Will. Mike's mind flashes for a second to the makeshift blanket fort standing in his basement and his eyes flicker to El, wondering if she's thinking the same thing.
Lucas speaks up eventually and they all snap out of staring at their work of art.
"Now what?"
"That...is a great question..." Dustin replies, shrugging his shoulders. "How about hide-and-seek?" Will offers and the others immediately agree enthusiastically. These woods surrounding them are huge and they're surprised they hadn't thought of the idea before. "Hide-and-seek?" El quietly pipes up and the boys wait patiently as Mike explains the rules to her. "Do you want to play?" he concludes when she understands the concept. She nods eagerly and Dustin is quickly elected as the seeker.
The second Dustin starts counting, Lucas and Will take off, but Mike pauses when he feels a hand brush against his. El's fingers slip between his and when he turns around to meet her eyes, he's afraid he would find something is wrong, but all he can see on her face is bashful admiration. He smiles and gently rubs his thumb against her hand, the warmth in her eyes making his heart melt. Something passes between them, and although he can't put a finger on exactly what, he knows she feels it too, as she squeezes his hand gently. He realizes with a start that Dustin is still counting and they smile one last time before releasing each other and heading in opposite directions, ignoring the panic that rises of not knowing where the other person is.
Mike is deep in the woods when he finally finds a bush to hide behind, crouching down beside it, but making sure he can still see the path he came from. It's a while before he sees Dustin come near him, with Lucas following behind, but it takes even longer for Dustin to check his hiding spot. "Took you long enough!" Mike remarks as he climbs out from under his bush, brushing himself off as Dustin smirks. "At least your hiding place was better than Lucas's." "Hey!" the boy exclaims, lightly smacking Dustin on the arm. Mike rolls his eyes and glances around, not surprised that they hadn't found Will yet. He always was the best at this game and is famously known for the most creative hiding spots. As for El...well, he supposes he shouldn't worry...she is fully capable of taking care of herself, after all.
Dustin sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Why do we even let Will play this game?" he says, exasperated. "And a more important question...where are we?" "Umm...I have no idea..." Mike replies, realizing he completely forgot how he got here. Lucas swears under his breath and is about to say something else when they hear a voice come from above them.
"Guys! Look up!" Their eyes widen and they slowly raise their heads to find a figure sitting on a branch in the tree above their heads.
"Will! How long have you been sitting up there?!" Mike calls, surprised that he never noticed him. "Since before you wandered over here. I watched you hide behind that bush," Will said with a smirk. "I was planning on not saying anything, but I heard you guys are lost and I can see the way back from up here." They watch, dumbfounded as he nimbly swings down from the tree, landing with a soft thud among the pine needles.
Mike jumps when he feels something wet hit his cheek. He wipes at it in confusion, pulling his finger away to find to was just water. When he sees Lucas flinch as well, he looks upward, along with his friends, to see that that giant rain cloud that had previously looked miles away was now right above them.
Pitter patter pitter patter PITTER PATTER
SPLOOSH
The sky opens up and the rain falls thick and fast, drenching the four friends within seconds. Mike's stomach drops all the way to the ground when he realizes who's still out there.
"El."
"What?"
He begins to panic, cursing himself for not thinking of this sooner. He glances around wildly, his heart rate shooting up.
"EL!" he screams, and is about to start running, when Dustin grabs his wrist. "Hey! You're going to get lost if you go out there by yourself! Here's the plan: Will, get us back to where we came from as soon as you can, and we'll split up to see if we can find Eleven from there. She can't have gone far."
Mike swallows and nods, shoving his hands into his pockets and glancing around one more time. Will takes the lead and they trudge behind him, calling El's name every once in a while and trying to keep themselves as warm as possible. By the time they begin to recognize their surroundings, the rain hasn't let up and is instead growing heavier by the second.
"Alright!" Dustin yells. "Don't go too far, but we should split up from here!" Mike doesn't need to be told twice. He turns and sprints from the group, blindly dodging branches and fallen trees. "El!" he screams, his eyes darting all around him, the rain limiting his visibility. He calls her name over and over again, becoming more frantic each time he's only met with the pounding of the rain. He presses on, making sure he knows where he came from and he never ceases calling out for her. Eventually, his foot snags on a root sticking up from the ground and he falls to the earth, narrowly avoiding a puddle on the way down.
He lies there panting, internally screaming at himself to get back up and keep looking. He's soaked, he's freezing and he just wants to find his girl. "El!" he cries again out of desperation.
Then finally, FINALLY, her voice came, distant and soft, but he hears it all the same. "MIKE!" He sighs in relief and scrambles to his feet, starting to run in the direction he thought her voice was coming from. "MIKE, HELP!" she calls again, and he whips his head to the right, sure her voice was now coming from that way. "El, I'm coming!" he calls as he climbs over a fallen tree in his path.
But she wasn't in that direction either. He squints through the rain, trying to make some sense of where her voice was coming from as she continued to yell for him. He spins in circles, hearing her in what seems like a different place each time. "El, I don't know where you are!"
This was it. This was absolute torture. He would argue this was worse than when disappeared last year, because then, he couldn't even contact her. Now, he could hear her loud and clear. He could hear the pain in her voice as she cried out for him. And he couldn't do a thing about it.
He's disoriented and the sheets of rain that separated them would not stop coming. Still, he's determined not to give up. Pausing to take a breath, he closes his eyes and lets the noise of the rain fade away. He waits for her voice again, and when she screams his name, his eyes fly open and he turns, running confidently through the trees.
"Eleven!"
"Mike!"
There! He found her, thank goodness he finally found her. She's sprawled under a tree, reaching for him, and he drops beside her to wrap her in his arms. They're both soaked to the bone and she shivers as she clings to him. He suddenly realizes that she's been out here way too long as he holds her tighter, but he's just so happy he found her.
"We need to get you dried off," he says and she nods. He grasps onto her hands and rises to his feet, pulling her along with him. However, the second she stands up, she lets out a yelp of pain and was about to crumple back to the ground, when Mike slipped his arms around her and hoisted her back up. She leans heavily against him as he asks, "El, what's wrong?" "I h-hurt my foot, I-I think it's twisted," she replies, her voice strangled. His heart clenches and he adjusts them, so he can better support her weight. Her arm immediately goes around his shoulders, and he grabs her wrist, putting his other arm around her waist. "Ready?" he asks softly. She nods and they both take a step, Mike wincing at her sharp inhale. "Try putting as little weight on it as you can, okay?" "Mm-hm," she murmurs, biting her lip and taking another step, shifting off her right foot as soon as she can. They continue like that for a while, the rain still coming down and the terrain not helping at all, but they're making process.
That is, until El's whimpers grow louder and more frequent. He tightens his grip and they make it a few more steps before he finally feels everything leave her. Her knees buckle and she falls to the ground, on the verge of breaking down in tears. He immediately drops to his knees beside her as she chokes out "Mike, I can't...I can't do it." She's a mess and frantically tells him over and over again, "I can't do this!'
What he wouldn't give to be able to stop this rainstorm and be able to carry her all the way back to the campsite.
He puts his hands on either side of her face and gently raises it, so she looks him in the eye. Her breaths are rapid and pain is written all over her face as she stares back at him.
"El, I know it hurts. I'm really sorry, but we have to keep going. We can't be that far now and you can rest your foot when we get back, okay? You are the strongest person I know, you're gonna make it, I know you are. And I will be with you every step of the way. Please El, you can do this."
Slowly, her breathing returns back to normal and he moves his hands down to cover hers. She nods her head hesitantly and Mike smiles, pulling her up once more. Clinging more tightly to his shoulders, they begin to walk once more and soon they get into a rhythm as she hobbles beside him.
They eventually run into their friends, who were starting to make their way back to the campsite. "Hey guys!" he shouts and they all turn around, relief flooding their faces when they see El is with him. "She hurt her foot, she needs help," he tells them and Dustin rushes to support her other side.
The second they get back to the campsite, Mike hears his mom call, "Michael, there you are! Come here, please!" He's reluctant to leave El, but his friends reassure him that they'll get her to the tent and help her with whatever she needs. He sighs and squeezes her shoulders before Lucas trades places with him. Returning El's small smile she flashes to him, he turns and makes his way to his parents' trailer.
Her ankle hurts, and it hurts a lot. As Dustin, Lucas and Will help her into the tent and over to their sleeping bags, she puts as little weight on it as possible, because when she does, a lightning bolt of pain shoots through her lower leg. They're as gentle as they can be with her and she is grateful for that as they set her down on top of her sleeping bag. Her leg is stretched out in front of her and she's doing her best to keep to keep her foot immobile. She's still shivering and the boys notice. One of them throws a blanket around her and she wraps it tightly around herself as they watch her in sympathy.
She had been lying out there in the rain for longer than she'd like to admit, unable to put pressure on her ankle. She'd been running, hoping to get a perfect hiding spot before the boys did, when her foot sunk into a hole on the forest floor that she hadn't seen. It's all a blur after that-she just remembers falling and an eruption of pain in her ankle. She remembers crying out and gingerly pulling her foot out of the hole, terrified to move it at all. She had sat there in that position until the rain came, and even then, she knew she wouldn't be able to walk on her own for a while, so she had just laid there until Mike found her like that.
Staying in one position for so long wasn't the smartest idea, and she was regretting that now. The muscles in her back are sore and tight, twinging every time she moves. Her neck is starting to stiffen up and she winces as she rolls her head around, trying to relieve some of the tightness. Will, ever the observant one, notices this and comes to kneel beside her. "El, does your neck hurt? Do you want a massage?"
Bless you, Will Byers.
She nods and Will moves behind her, but before he even lays a finger on her, he asks, "Is Mike going to kill me for this?" causing her to grin and shake her head. He then begins rubbing her neck and down her back, per her request. He finds her knots soon enough, but he can't quite get them out, though he tries his best. "Wow. Yeah, you're holding a lot of tension here, aren't you," he comments as he works on one of them.
They all jump a little when they hear the zipper on their tent start to move. Mike pokes his head into the tent, and they all sigh in relief. "My mom gave me a bunch of stuff to hold us over until the rain stops." "Did she give you food?" Dustin asks immediately and Mike chucks the supply of snacks his mom gave him at his friends. "Yes!" Dustin cheers and Mike throws the blankets she'd given him to them as well, his eyes darting to El and Will.
"Will, I can take it from here," she hears him say when he's handed everything to his friends. Her heart leaps as Will gratefully moves out of the way, shooting Dustin and Lucas an "I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing" look and Mike sits down behind her. She sheds the blanket she's wearing and he whispers "Hi," in her ear as he slides his hands over her shoulders. She hopes he can see the smile that creeps onto her face from where he's sitting.
He then begins to knead her neck, gently but firmly and she sighs contently. It wasn't that Will was rough, but his hands are smooth and gentle and...well, they're Mike's. They're the hands she knows. The boys have struck up some conversation about who knows what, but she's paying more attention to this than she is to them. He goes slow as he works his way down her back, his fingers pressing into her skin, knowing exactly which spots to hit and she can already feel her muscles relaxing. When he finds a knot on her lower back, he digs his knuckles into it in a circular motion. The tension starts to disappear, and it's then that she realizes how much she's been needing this. When he's sure he's worked it out, his thumbs work their way up her spine, leaving a trail of warmth, and he moves onto another knot. This time, he places one hand on her shoulder to steady her and presses into the knot with the heel of his palm, rolling it back and forth, and checking with her every once in a while to make sure he's not hurting her. She says no every time, because Mike Wheeler hurting El on purpose? That's the most unlikely thing in the world. Once that knot's out, he does one more once-over, making sure all her tension is out by thoroughly rubbing her shoulders, neck and back and she makes a mental note to ask him to do this more often. She almost turns to ask him to do one of her favorite things, but he's one step ahead of her. His fingertips grace the back of her neck and she turns her head downwards. Mike's fingers brush smoothly over her skin, tracing lazy patterns that make her shiver. He smiles when he sees the goose bumps appear on her neck.
When he's finally finished, she leans back into him, amazed at how she can feel his love in just his touch. He tenderly kisses her cheek, his arms go around her and she's convinced this is where she wants to stay. Raindrops are still pattering on the roof of the tent and she's perfectly content to rest her head against Mike's chest and let herself drift off to sleep.
"Dude, I think she fell asleep."
"Hmm?" Mike hums, lifting his cheek from her head. He realizes then how relaxed the girl nestled up to him has become and he chuckles. Nudging her, he whispers, "El, you awake?" There's no response and he smiles. Gripping her shoulders, he supports her weight as he moves out from behind her and gently lays her down on the sleeping bag, being extremely careful not to move her injured ankle. She shifts slightly in her sleep, exhaling softly. Not really caring that his friends are watching, he takes her hand that's lying at her side in both of his and gently runs his thumb up and down her skin.
Lucas clears his throat and Mike winces, waiting for the teasing he knows is coming. "So. Are you two dating now?" he asks and Will and Dustin lean in expectantly. He sighs and glances back down at her, the corner of his lips turning upward at the peaceful look on her face. "Well, we're...we're something," he replies, looking back up at them. Lucas nods and launches back into their conversation about a group project they don't want to do. Mike sighs in relief, happy that he dodged that question. But, to be perfectly honest, what he answered with wasn't a lie. They hadn't labeled anything yet, but right now, he loves her and knows he will for a very, very long time, he's positive she loves him back, and that's all he needs.
Soon enough, they all find themselves gathered around a crackling fire, the sun long gone behind the horizon. El woke up about an hour ago, just in time to join everyone for dinner, where the boys were shocked to learn she had never had a hot dog, and proceeded to feed her as many as they could, which she thankfully didn't mind. Now, hushed conversations between his family and friends were blending with the cool mountain breeze as they roasted marshmallows and life was good.
Mike glanced across the fire where El was sliding the chocolate into her third s'more of the night, another American treat she had never been exposed to. It was one of the first times she had left his side that night, but he was just so happy she was happy and doing something he grew up doing. Her ankle wasn't bothering her as much as it was previously, and though she still walked with a limp, she was able to move around, to his relief. He sighed contently as he watched the flames lick at the sky.
He slowly became aware of the glowing, pale light that was hovering in the corner of his eye. When he looked up, he gasped at the sight of the moon silhouetting the trees. He had seen plenty of full moons back in Hawkins, but without the lights from the suburb, the sky was a deep inky black, with tiny glowing dots scattered perfectly throughout. It all highlighted nature's main attraction for the night-a sliver, perfectly round circle that cast a gentle, ethereal glow across the treetops.
It was absolutely gorgeous.
His feet started moving automatically to get a better view, but he stopped when he realized he wanted to share this moment with a certain someone.
He watched as she bit into the gooey, graham-crackery, sweet concoction she had made and smiled as her eyelids dropped and an expression of pure delight appeared on her face. He broke out of his trance when he remembered why he had turned his attention to her in the first place with a chuckle. Avoiding the smoke the best he could, he weaved his way through his family and friends, stopping just behind El. Making sure his parents weren't watching, he slipped his hand into hers.
Her fingers latched on instantly, but before she could turn around, he whispered, "Can I show you something?" She nodded eagerly and he led her by the hand away from the campfire and into the trees.
Mike spotted a clearing right away and helped her climb over the fallen trees and bushes, going slow so she wouldn't stumble and fall in the dark. He supported her as best he could, making sure it was as painless as possible for her to follow him, growing more and more excited for the look on her face when she sees what's hanging in the sky tonight. When they finally reached the opening, he took both her hands in his. "Okay. Look up."
When she turned her gaze upwards, he could hear her breath catch in her throat and his heart melted at the amazement lighting up her face. "Moon?" "Yeah." "And stars?" she asked with a fascinated giggle. "Mm-hm," he responded, remembering the night they had laid on the grass outside his house and he had explained everything she wanted to know about what was above them.
"Pretty," she whispered, the awe evident in her voice. She hadn't taken her eyes away from the sky since she looked up, but she gently squeezed his hands as a content silence fell around them. Mike, on the other hand, couldn't peel his eyes away from her face, which was bathed in the soft moonlight, making her skin glow and her eyes sparkle.
His heart swelled and he pressed his lips against her temple. She murmured her response and, taking one last glance at the beautiful sight above them, wrapped her arms around his chest, after leaving a kiss of her own on his cheek. His arms went around her and he realized how perfect of an ending to today this was. They weren't running from an interdimensional monster or worried about government agents hunting them down. Instead, they were holding each other by the light of the moon, without a care in the world.
An unspoken promise passes between them. They don't say a word, but somehow, the kind-hearted, loving nerd and the gentle, telekinetic superhuman both come to an agreement that they'll never, ever leave each other.
Surely you've heard stranger things.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone