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mike & el
"El?" Mike softly spoke her name, as his gaze landed back on her.
"Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to tell you something." He said, opening up the flood gates that would surely lead to him babbling like a fool, as he tended to do around her. "It's just, being broken up, it's been hard."
The faint sound of static coming from the Supercom on the floor interrupted for a moment, but Mike kept going. He had something to tell El, so whatever that was could wait.
"And I like that you and Max are friends now. It's just, I was jealous at first and angry and that's why I said all that stupid stuff. And it's like, I wanted you all to myself."
El's brows rose for a moment, but she didn't say anything, just listened intently as he spoke.
"And now I realize how unfair that is and selfish and like, I'm sorry."
El smiled warmly, the kind of smile that always gives him loads of butterflies inside. She placed her hand on his knee, her comforting touch easing his nerves a bit.
"I just, like, I've never felt like this, you know, with anyone before and... You know, they do say it makes you crazy."
"What makes you crazy?" She asked, looking as clueless as ever.
"You've never heard that term? You know like the phrase? Like, blank makes you crazy? Like the word?"
"Girlfriends?" She wondered aloud, clearly trying to fill in the blank he was referring to.
"No no no, not girlfriends." He quickly denied, with a rushed shake of his head.
"Boyfriends." El said, this time more sure of her answer.
"No no no no, not boyfriends either. It's like, it's like a feeling." He rambled, trying to get the words out, but was failing miserably.
"Feeling?"
"Yeah, like something... Old people say it to each other sometimes."
"Old people??" El questioned, sounding utterly confused, as she should be.
"Yeah! What I wanna say, is that I just, I know that I-"
Mike wanted to tell her, he wanted to say it so very badly, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Much like that devastating night in '83, he had landed himself in a rather difficult situation— sitting across from a girl who made his heart beat so incredibly fast, unable to tell her how he truly felt about her.
And what did he do then? Well, he leapt forward and kissed her, which was exactly what he wanted to do now, as he struggled to speak the three words that would sum up the depth of his feelings for her.
Screw it.
Mike didn't waste any more time talking, instead he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers so forcefully that it caught her off guard. She was quick to melt into the kiss, having missed the thrilling feeling that always came along with it.
As if the mere touch of El's sweet lips to his had given him the boost of confidence he so desperately needed, Mike savored the moment a bit longer before pulling away slowly.
"I love you." He finally told her, finally, his shaky voice barely above a whisper.
His eyes were still shut tight, as if he were afraid to see what her reaction would be. At the same time though, he needed to see it. He needed to know if she felt the same way, so he finally opened his eyes.
He found her staring back at him, smiling so bright that he felt compelled to do the same.
El's hand came up to graze his cheek, her tender touch setting his relatively pale skin ablaze.
The smile on her face grew even more so before she moved closer and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
"I love you too, Mike."
The words rolled off her tongue so easily, like she had been waiting for the moment to tell him.
Really, she had. Ever since she overheard Mike tell everyone that he loved her, that he couldn't lose her again, she couldn't get it out of her head.
Those words replaying over and over again were what kept her going, what kept her fighting with everything she had in her.
She knew that she loved him too. It was the only way to describe what she felt in that racing heart of hers. She knew it and had no hesitation in letting him know that she felt the same.
As her words sank in, Mike happily closed the distance between them, wanting to kiss her now more than ever. Each and every kiss that followed was so full of affection, as they completely forgot about the world around them.
Unfortunately, the world hadn't forgotten about them, neither had their friends.
"Ooh, we got some smoochin' on aisle seven!" They suddenly heard Lucas holler out, interrupting their perfect moment.
Mike groaned as he pulled away from El, glaring heavily at his best friend. "Shut up Lucas."
Lucas only teased them further, puckering his lips and making kissing noises. Mike rolled his eyes, not appreciating the teasing, especially not in this particular moment.
His irritation faded away though, as he looked back to El, who was focused on him and only him. The two shared a look so full of love for one another, until everyone else came back to join them and they went on with their latest adventure of saving the world.
