Stranger Things 4

Episode One: Reunited (Part One)

"El, do you copy?" Mike Wheeler was met by silence, making his eyes well up with tears. This was the tenth time today he had tried to reach El with no success whatsoever. It was Saturday, the beginning of a weekend that followed an extremely busy week, giving Mike no chance to get in touch with El, his El. It had been six months since El and Will had left and Mike hadn't felt the same since. He couldn't seem to adjust to a life without El in it. In all honesty, Mike did not want a life without her in it. Every day, Mike was haunted by memories of him and El walking hand in hand, laughing and whispering sweet little nothings to each other. It almost brought him back to those miserable 353 days where El was hidden in plain sight from Mike, the days where the Demogorgon took his light away. No matter how bad the past months had proved to be, Mike had to admit that nothing was worse than those 353 days. Besides, he still heard from El from time to time, got to hear the voice that he loved more than anything in the world.

Love. He used to be scared of that word, used to wither away at the mere mention of it. That all changed on that day, the day the Byers and El moved away. Mike had wanted to declare his love for her so badly, but he couldn't find the right words to say. Even when El had confessed her love for the very first time, Mike found himself tongue-tied and even more confused than he had ever been. How do you tell somehow you love them when there is no phrase, how do you say it when what you truly feel is stronger than love? Now, he would give anything to say those words to El, even if they weren't as strong as the feelings he had for her that were tucked deep into a special spot in his heart.
Mike sighed and stood up, watching the sun lower over the grassy hills that surrounded him. He was expected to be home for dinner soon, but his heart pulled him towards the Cerebro every single time he set foot in the direction of his house. Obeying the wishes of his heart, Mike perched near the Cerebro, promising himself he would stay for just a few more minutes. While Mike watched the moon switch places with the sun and the hills cast a dark shadow among one another, a memory flooded into his head. Although he would be due at home soon, he allowed the memory to replay in his head the second he realized it was one with El in it.

SIX MONTHS AGO
"Mike, do you think I will ever..ever forget my Dad?" Mike looked over at El as she finished her sentence, tears clouding in her eyes that held so much pain. Mike carefully contemplated the answer to her intense question in the simplest way possible. It had been two months since Hopper had died and the aftermath was still lingering over Hawkins, especially over El. It was already miserable enough to lose the powers that she had obtained for most of her lifetime, but to lose the man who showed her what a real father was like, Mike couldn't even fathom the pain that probably had embedded itself into her fragile heart. Mike could, however, see the effects the elusive pain had on El over the past few weeks. Mike couldn't count how many times he was met by Will's voice claiming that El wanted to be alone whenever he went over to the Byer's house or the number of times he was awoken to El shouting his name on his walkie-talkie, an event that always led to Mike comforting her with his words in the dead of night. Truthfully, Mike would do things over and over again just to make her happy, to help her be able to live again.
This was the first time that Mike had gotten to see El since Hopper's funeral and he had done everything in his power to make her smile and laugh, promising himself that he would make her forget, if only for a few hours. To fulfill his self-made promise, Mike set up a little picnic on the hills that were located on the outskirts of Hawkins, the same hills that provided a home for Dustin's Cerebro. He made sure to include plenty of Eggos and ice cream and brought the blanket El used in the basement for them to sit on, things that El had enjoyed and used in happier simpler times. Times that didn't include losing her dad. It had been a good afternoon so far, with Mike successfully making El forget and smile and laugh. Honestly, he would do anything in the world to hear that laugh and see that smile, both things that seemed to only come out of dreams. El was his dream, after all. Just as the sunny afternoon transformed into a starry evening, the dreamlike environment of the picnic vanished as the claws of grief latched onto El's mind. Her smile was replaced with a frown, her laugh traded in with sobs, and her ability to forget was exchanged for the power to remember.
"Mike?" El whispered, forcing him out of his mind and out into the real world with her. Mike panicked for a moment, still unsure of the right words to say. All the uncertainty went away when his eyes met with El's and he saw the grief that was rooted within them. At that moment, nothing else mattered but making that go away. "When people die, it can get harder to remember them. Especially as time passes." Mike explained, becoming quiet when tears began to make a little trail down El's face. "But, but, that doesn't mean we have to forget them. Do you remember Barb? Nancy's best friend who died in the Upside Down?" El nodded, allowing Mike to further explain. "It's been a long time since she died, but Nancy has never forgotten her, not even for a day. She keeps a picture of her by her bed side table and visits her grave every once in a while, just to let Barb know that she still remembers her. You could do things like that for Hopper. I could even help you come up with more ideas, if you want." Mike finished, exhaling a sigh of relief when El flashed a small smile of understanding. "Okay. I think I would like to do that." She admitted this happily, but Mike sensed that she still didn't feel as if her question had been answered. Mike's eyes flashed as an idea presented itself in his head. "El, look up at the sky and pick any star you want. Tell me when you've found it." A few seconds passed as El searched and scanned the sky for the perfect star. "That one." El presented, holding her outstretched finger towards a bright star in the northern part of the sky. "Okay, good. Now, every time you feel like you are on the verge of forgetting Hopper, or you just miss him, look up at that star. Hopper's star. That will help you always remember him." Mike's heart fluttered when he watched a huge grin spread across El's face, letting him know that she was satisfied with his answer. However, more tears began to fall down her cheeks, creating a noticeable contrast to the smile that was still present on her face. "Thank you, Mike. Thank you for helping me. I feel better, happy." El revealed, grabbing Mike's hand and threading it through her tiny one. "Always, El. I'm here to help you, always." Mike promised, tightening his grip on her hand. The two were met with silence soon after, with El looking up at Hopper's star and Mike looking at her with admiration in his eyes. It wasn't long before confusion crossed El's face once more, causing Mike to become alert. "What's wrong, El?" He asked nervously. Seconds passed. "Will you forget me, Mike? When we move away?" El questioned curiously, referring to the big move that the Byers were going to make in a months time. Mike was planning to stray away from that topic, but there was no way he would let El go on to think that he would ever forget her. "El, you mean more to me than anything else in this world. Just because we are gonna be apart for a while, that doesn't mean that I would ever forget you. I've waited 353 days for you and I never forgot you even once. I think I can handle a few miles and couple months." Mike answered, his gaze never leaving El's. El nodded, her free hand finding Mike's almost instantly. "So, we don't need to pick out stars for each other?" El wondered, her eyebrows knitted together. "Um, I.. I don't think that w..." Mike stammered, immediately stopping when El's face flashed a look of embarrassment. "I...I mean we could, we definitely could. But I wouldn't need to because I'll always keep you in my mind and in my.. in my um." Mike paused unable to say the word and finish his sentence. El looked up at Mike, her eyes sparkling like the evening sky above her. "In your heart?" El finished quietly, removing her hand from his and placing it on his chest where his heart was located beneath. Mike nodded mutely, unable to say or do anything except place his hand onto of hers. "I'll keep you in my heart too, Mike. I promise." With the stars looking down at them, including Hopper's star, Mike and Eleven finally felt at peace for the first time in months.