i promise ♥ mileven one-shots

Birthday Countdown

For as long as she could remember, El never celebrated her birthday. Every day was the same: wake up, get experimented on, go to sleep. 24/7 until she escaped at 12-years-old.

Which is when she met Mike. Her favourite human being on the planet. Nothing would ever take him away from her ever again. Not even the Chief of Police, her father.

When Hopper had found out that El didn't know when her birthday was, he went over to see El's birth family - Terry and Becky Ives. As Terry was unable to speak after the lab messed her up, he asked Becky when Terry went into labour and baby Jane 'died'.

Sunday 30th May 1971.

Hopper remembers where he was the day El was born - signing the divorce papers as he separated from his former wife after the passing of Sara, who caught leukaemia while she was fighting her battle with cancer.

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When Mike found out when El's birthday was, he was extremely excited. He was finally able to celebrate his girl's birthday - although he'd never asked her to 'go steady' with him, everyone knew that Jane Hopper was Mike's, and Mike Wheeler was Jane's.

He wanted Terry and Becky to come to celebrate El's first official birthday as she entered her teenage years, officially. Even though she was already 13, like the rest of the party.

So when he suggested this to Hopper, who actually agreed with Mike and thought it was a good idea and a nice offer.

Whilst Hopper was offering the invitation to the Ives', Mike had been told to ask his mother to make El a cake...

Which meant Mike had to admit there was another girl in his life... Telling his mother about El meant explaining everything that happened last year.

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When Karen found out that Mike hid the 'test subject' from the shut  Hawkins Laboratory, she slightly flipped her lid.

But, after Mike told her this. He looked up at her, with his soft puppy like eyes, that have always looked forward to her for advice, guidance, support and help. He asked if she could make El a birthday cake that was shaped like Eggo waffles.

That's when she realised when all the Eggos went missing when Will was missing. The Eggo waffles, apparently are El's favourite.

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Thursday 30th May 1985

El woke up, to Hopper's face hovering over hers, that was something she wasn't used to.

"Morning, birthday girl!" He smiles, making El's eyebrows crinkle. She knew what a birthday was, she had celebrated Will's earlier in March and Mike's is in July.

"Birthday girl?" She asks, having never heard the statement before.

Hopper chuckled, and sat on the edge of El's bed, letting her sit up, stretch and yawn. "Today is your birthday, and you, kiddo, are a girl," Hopper explained to his little girl.

"My birthday?" She asks, smiling at her father. Today was her day, like how Joyce had said that Will when it was his birthday.

Her smile brightened when her father nodded. Today was her birthday, from what Hopper has told her, she's turning/turned 14 today - just like Will and Max have, like Mike, Lucas and Dustin will.

Hopper smiles at his little girl, hugs her tightly and whispers in her ear, "Happy birthday, kiddo," even though he misses Sara every day - he's thankful for El, he was slowly getting sucked into the black hole that took Sara, but when he found El in the woods just before Christmas in a winter coat too many sizes against her shivering frame. She was his life preserver, as she saved him like he saved her all that time ago.

"Thanks, dad," that had been a recent development. It had taken her a while to start calling Hopper 'dad', when she did - he denies that there were tears in his eyes (just like the times when El announced the big changes that were happening in hers and Mike's relationship: moving in together, engagement, marriage, children) it wasn't until he was on his deathbed, that he admitted that he did cry the first time she called him 'dad'.

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Mike had been taken over to the Byers home, gently carrying El's birthday cake, his mother walking at his side, cautious of him dropping it.

"Mom. It's El's birthday cake! Why would I drop it?" He asked, taking his eyes off the cake and floor for one second to raise his eyebrows at his mom. Why would he drop his favourite girl's birthday cake?

Karen sighed, as she went up the steps first to open the door that Joyce always left unlocked - something Karen always remembers from when their kids were, well, kids. It's hard for her to believe that Mike will be 14 in July - even though he was one of the youngest in his friend group, he was the tallest.

"I know, honey. It's just you've grown so much in such a little amount of time, you're like a baby giraffe learning how to walk," Karen explained, making Mike roll his eyes.

"Mom, please don't say that in front of my friends, they don't need any more ammunition," Mike complains, setting the delicate cake on the Byers kitchen table.

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Later on, it was time for the birthday girl to arrive for her surprise birthday party. There was someone more excited than El about her leaving her cabin, and that was Mike.

He couldn't stop pacing and jumping around as he waited for his girl to arrive.

"Mikey! Sit down!" Holly shouted, yanking at her brother's sleeve as he walked past her for the millionth time. As much as Holly loved her big brother, he was starting to get annoying.

Mike looked down at Holly, and his heart just melted. "For you, I will," out of all his family members - Holly was his favourite. His absolute favourite. Sure, she was innocent, tiny little girl - but she had always clung to him like a tiny Koala Bear.

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Hopper arrived at the Byers home, smiled at his daughter who was bouncing in her seat next to him. "Calm down, kiddo!" Hopper sighed heavily, rolling his eyes as she stopped bouncing in her seat but she still had her happy, carefree look on her face.

"Yes, dad," El nods, smiling at the man he rescued her and she will be forever thankful. And so will Hopper, for finding her.

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Mike smiles down at El, who had a smudge of her vanilla birthday cake along her cheek, and frosting around her mouth. She looked like Holly, who sat at the other end of the room, who also had cake smudged on her cheek and frosting around her mouth.

Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulder, making her look up at him, with a large grin on her face. "Happy birthday, El," he kissed her cheek while everyone else wasn't looking, just missing the cake smudge.

"Thank you, Mike," she whispered up at him, taking a large bite of the cake, leaving a smudge of white chocolate along her lip.