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mike & el
El and Max were making their way back from Heather's house, both feeling a little on edge after their encounter with the girl and Max's rather intense stepbrother.
Mike, Lucas and Will were not too far from them, leaving behind a now destroyed Castle Byers, all three drenched from the rain still falling from the sky.
A couple of minutes passed before the five of them somehow managed to cross paths, neither group expecting to find the other out in the middle of a storm.
"What are you two doing out here??" Lucas hollered out, rushing over to Max.
"Why are you guys out here?" She snapped back, not wanting to tell them anything just yet.
Lucas shook his head, not understanding why he had to go first, but didn't really see the need to fight her on it. He explained everything, yelling nearly every word so they could hear him properly.
Max was quick to fill the boys in on how their night had gone, seeing as it might have something to do with what Lucas had told her, but Mike wasn't listening to anything she was saying.
He hadn't stopped looking at El since the moment they all ran into each other. He could only see half of her face from where he was standing, the other half concealed by the red hood of her jacket, but he could tell she was trying to avoid looking in his direction.
He hated how things were with them right now. This was the longest he had gone without talking to her since she came back to him that night all those months ago. It was also the longest he had gone without holding her hand, without kissing her, without witnessing that beautiful smile of hers and feeling the warmth instantly spread throughout his entire body.
He just wanted things to be how they were before. Everything was so perfect, then Hopper had to intervene and now El won't even look at him.
Mike still didn't let his gaze falter, looking at her and only her.
Thunder boomed again, lightning following right after, brightening up the whole sky. Mike knew how much El hates storms, she always has and just as he expected, fear had found its way onto her face.
She flinched each time another flash lit up the dark sky, the sight being much too difficult for him to just watch happen.
Before his brain could even try to talk him out of it, he walked right over to where she stood. Her head snapped in his direction, looking up at him in complete surprise.
"Come here." He insisted, opening up his arms for her. "I know you're scared right now."
He almost thought she wasn't going to take him up on his offer, but then she was suddenly rushing into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around him. She clung to him, desperately needing the comfort that only he could give her.
The two stayed in that position, Mike holding El like his life depended on it, while the others continued to discuss everything that tonight had brought them.
After another loud boom of thunder, they decided they should probably move the conversation indoors, so they all took off toward Mike's house.
El never left her place in Mike's arms, only shifting around so they could walk together. Their inability to let go of one another caused them to fall a little behind on their walk back, but they didn't mind.
A good six minutes later, they had finally made it to his house, each carefully rushing down the small hill to get to the basement, but El grabbed Mike's hand to stop him from going any further.
He instantly whipped around to face her. The hood to her jacket had now fallen off, but she didn't seem to care, letting the heavy rain drops get her wet.
"Why did you lie?" El blurted out, the question being the first words she had spoken to him since they broke up.
It was pouring down so hard around them now, making it a little hard to see but Mike knew that she was crying. He couldn't distinguish between the tears and the rain drops, but the hurt laced throughout her soft voice was enough to convince him.
He moved closer to her, reaching up to brush the wet hair back from her face. She looked so disappointed in him and it gave him the worst feeling inside. He never wanted her to look at him like that again, he couldn't bear it.
"I didn't want to lie. I promise I didn't! Hopper made me. He said we were spending way too much time together, that I had to put a stop it or he would've done something to stop it himself. He would've stopped us from seeing each other and I couldn't let that happen!"
El was still silent, an undecipherable look on her face as she simply stared at him. He took that as his to cue to keep going. He had already admitted the truth, but if it took him hours out here in the rain explaining to her, begging her to forgive him, then that's exactly what he'd do.
"I'm so sorry, El! Believe me, it's the last thing I wanted to do. You know I would never want to lie to you."
Again, El said nothing.
"Guys! Come on! Get in here already!" They heard Lucas shout, both glancing in the direction of where their friends now all stood inside his basement. They quickly looked back to each other though, the ongoing storm surrounding them being the least of their worries.
Mike reached his hand down to grab hers, lacing his fingers through hers with ease.
"I know friends don't lie, boyfriends especially. And I know that it hurt you, so I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be with me anymore, but I-"
El suddenly snatched her hand from his, bringing both of them to rest on his cheeks. She leapt forward, her lips forcefully meeting his.
It caught him off guard a little, since he was not expecting her to do that at all. They were out in the middle of a storm and she hadn't even given him so much as a smile, now she's suddenly kissing him?
Despite his surprise, he was quick to reciprocate, certainly not passing up the chance to kiss her. It had been almost two whole days since he's gotten to do that. Two whole days.
That's entirely too long for him to go without getting to kiss his favorite pair of lips.
It was much different than any kiss they'd ever shared though, something about the rain just made it more meaningful. It felt like the whole world around them just fell away, leaving the two of them in their own land of bliss.
They took their time, savoring the moment, until El made a sudden move to pull away.
"I always want to be with you, Mike. No matter what." She grinned, the sight bringing a similar foolish smile to his face.
Mike brought his hands up to hers, tugging them away from his cheeks so he could hold them again. He leaned down to kiss her once more, his heart finally feeling like it was whole again now that he had gotten her back.
"No matter what."
