What is Love? (A Byler AU)

Mike Likes to Read with El

It was just a typical day for me and my girlfriend. I came over and we spent as much time as possible hanging out. Whether it was watching her favorite soaps or westerns, or my favorite cartoons, or just listening to music. I had actually made her a few different mixtapes to listen to because let's face it- Hopper has really bad taste. Don't tell him I said that though, I think he's already planning my murder.

Anyway, tonight was like any normal night. El and I listened to music while reading magazines and comics in her room. Ok, so maybe we weren't actually reading... but the comics were still laying on her bed, so it counts. She and I sat on the bed kissing, whilst Never Surrender by Corey Heart played on her boombox.

Just a little uncertainty can bring you down

The lyrics softly sounded in my ears as El held my face in her hands, our lips moving to the rhythm. Her soft hands moved down to my shoulders, and then they began to hold mine. God, her hands were soft. And warm. It felt nice to have her back for the foreseeable future, even though Hopper was insultingly overprotective. I mean, come on man, it's not like I'm Tommy whats-his-name that Steve used to hang out with or Billy Hargrove. He's known me forever; I'm a decent kid most of the time.

As a new beat sounded in the song I pulled away from El's face, eyes still closed. I began to shake my fists along to the rhythm, in a strange kind of dance. I hoped it would impress El.

"And nobody wants to know you now!" I sang along to the song.

I could feel El place her hands on mine, "Mike!" she called out in a half-laugh.

"Nobody wants to show you-" My singing was cut off by El as she placed one hand on my cheek and the other on my mouth to shut me up.

"Mike, stop! Stop!" she laughed. Her laugh was a nice sound, it made me burst with joy when I heard it.

I quickly pulled her hands away, "So if you're lost and on your own!"

"Mike! Stop!" she laughed a bit more. "Mike! Mike!"

I opened my eyes but continued to shake my hands around, hers in my grip, "You can never surrender!" I made a weird noise as I finished my song, and stuck my tongue out a bit like I see those rockstars do on MTV sometimes.

"Stop!"

"What, you don't like it?"

"No!" she laughed and smiled over at me. She had a gorgeous smile, it suited her perfectly. We then leaned in for another kiss, the magic in the room flying through the air.

Suddenly we heard a loud, "Hey!" from the next room. El and I broke apart and turned to the door. Hopper was watching us from his recliner, and he did not look happy. El slammed the door shut with her powers "Hey!" the man continued to shout as El and I scrambled apart and grabbed a comic.

"Three-inch minimum!" Hopper shouted. "Leave the door open three inches!" Bangs and rattles were heard at the door, as he struggled to enter thanks to El's powers. "El, open this door." He knocked again, "Open the-"

His words were cut off as El threw the door open. Hopper looked shocked to see El and I casually reading on her bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Hopper looked furious.

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After the door incident, Hopper told me to say goodbye seeing as it was almost time to go see the rest of the party at Starcourt anyway. We had been planning to sneak through the back room at Scoops Ahoy to get in free to see Day of The Dead- a new movie that had recently come out.

We had been doing this all summer thanks to Steve; he could be annoying at times, but this was awesome!

I rode my bike through the night, still talking to my girlfriend through the radio.

"My God, that was priceless!" I smiled as I spoke. "Did you see his face?"

"It was like a tomato!" El laughed through the radio.

"Yeah, a fat tomato."

"I wish I was still with you."

"I know. Me too" I wish I could spend a whole year with her, to make up for the lost time. I wanted to take her to Starcourt to see a movie. I wanted to show her the arcade. And I really wanted to take her on a real first date. Maybe someday I would though if Hopper wasn't so goddamn overprotective. "But I'll see you tomorrow, all right? First thing."

"Tomorrow," El assured.

We turned our radios off a short while later since I had arrived at the mall. As happy as I was to be with El, I also was excited to be able to spend more time with my friends this summer.

I couldn't wait to hang out in the mall and go to the arcade with Will. And Lucas, and Dustin when he gets home.

I soon ran through the brightly lit entrance of the mall, looking around for Will. And my other friends and Max apparently.