Work Text:
Valentine's Day 1986
Mike wandered the aisles of Bradley's Big Buy, eyes wide as he looked at the large assortments of teddy bears holding hearts and boxes full of chocolate.
He and El had celebrated Valentine's Day together in 1985, on the couch of her cabin with Hopper. He'd given her a card, in which he wrote a sappy poem he knew she would love. And he'd also given her a small stuffed bear, just like the ones atop the shelves in front of him.
He wanted to do something different than the year before. He had a card clasped in his hand already, but he wanted to get her a gift to go along with it.
She was coming down to Hawkins with the Byers for the weekend, so Mike was excited that he'd get to spend the special day with her.
Mike never knew how sappy of a person he could be until he started dating El.
Okay, maybe he knew when he called her every day for 353 days.
But he always wanted to do special things for her, like making her mixtapes or sending her long letters in the mail about how much he loved her. He knew they made her happy, so he did them.
So Valentine's Day was Mike's favorite time to get her something special. And even though they expressed how much they loved each other often, it was still fun to celebrate the special day.
As Mike's dark brown eyes scanned to shelves, he stopped at one item in particular.
Similar to the other boxes scattered across the shelves, it was heart shaped and carboard, as cheesy as ever, but Mike didn't care as he pulled it off the shelf. He stared at it for a moment before, with a huge grin upon his face, he brought his $3.00 to the counter to pay.
A week later, Mike was standing outside the Byers' new house, his fist shaking as it hovered before the door. He tightned his grip on the box in his other hand before he rapped his knuckles against the wooden surface of the door.
The door swung open in a matter of seconds.
"Mike!" It was her, her voice like an angel's. Even though he heard her voice almost every night either over the walkie or the phone, it still made him so happy hearing it.
Damn, he loved her so much.
He was holding the box and card behind his back, so when she leapt into his arms, he could only hug her back with one arm, which she noticed right away.
She pulled her head from his neck, looking at him with scrunched brows.
"Mike, what are you hiding?" She was always so straightfoward, and honestly, he admired her for it.
He stepped in, trying not to glare at his sister as she brushed past him and into Jonathan's arms.
"Can we go to your room?" he asked. She nodded quickly, grabbing his free hand and pulling him down the hall.
He watched as she slowly closed the door, making sure it was open precisely three inches. Mike's heart warmed, knowing exactly why she still did it: to honor Hopper's wishes. Mike would never want otherwise.
She watched him expectantly as she took a seat on the bed next to him. He could feel his palms start to sweat under her gaze. It was crazy how nervous she still made him feel.
"So, as you probably know, it's Valentine's Day today." Her eyes lit up, like they always did when she understood what he was talking about.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, almost bouncing on the bed. "We celebrated it last year."
"Yeah, we did." He smiled, remembering that day. "Well, I may have gotten you something again this year." She smiled a shy smile that made his heart flutter. She was just so pretty and he sometimes found himself still amazed that he was somehow dating that girl.
"Oh, Mike. You're sweet," she said, a pretty blush spreading across her cheeks.
He blushed, too. "Well, here." He took his hand from behind his back and helf the box and card out to her. She looked down, a grin spreading across her face as she looked at the items in his hand.
She took them from him. She sat the card aside, setting it lovingly atop the bedspread. She looked down at the box, her dimples showing as she grinned down at it.
It was a heart, like the other chocolate boxes, but printed on the front was the M&M's logo, with a heart made of the small chocolate candies.
It was cheesy. It was very cheesy. But he didn't care because he got to see her smile that beautiful smile.
"Mike," she breathed, looking up at him. In a second, she was in his arms, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and they sat there for a few loving moments, their arms wrapped around each other.
El pulled back. "You're cheesy, but I really love you," she said.
As he gazed into her hazel eyes, he couldn't stop thinking about how lucky he was. "I love you, too, El." He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. They shared sweet, soft kisses, conveying their love for each other with actions.
And later, El read Mike's card, tearing up and giving Mike another sweet kiss, before they snuggled up together on her bed and opened her box, which was filled with small packets of M&M's. They ripped open the packages one by one and shared the sweets, later deciding to throw them at each other and try to catch them in their mouths.
And Mike knew every Valentine's Day was going to be better than the last.
June 1987
It was a Saturday and the newly-renovated movie theater in the heart of Hawkins was busy as people tried to get out of the building heat of summer. But Mike and El were oblivious to them as they got their tickets.
It was a big day for the two of them. Mike had gotten his liscense the week before and had insisted on bringing El on a real date where he drove her somewhere and they could just be together and in-love.
So there they were, holding hands tightly as they shared giddy smiles, tickets clutched tightly in ther free hands. Mike pulled El towards the counter where they could buy popcorn and drinks.
As they stood in line, El leaned over to look around the people in front of them. Mike watched as her eyes lit up, as if she was spotting something she'd been searching for. Mike didn't say anything when she squeezed his hand and gave him a sweet smile.
When they were at the front of the line, Mike ordered for them. "One large popcorn and a soda, please," he said to the bored-looking teen behind the counter. The guy typed their order into the register.
"And some M&M's!" El added quickly before he could finsh the order. The teen nodded, going to get their items, but Mike was paying no attention as he looked over at El, metting her eyes.
They gave each other huge, lovesick grins, both knowing exactly why she had added those to their order. "You're cute," Mike said, and El giggled.
After getting their stuff that Mike insisted on paying for (after a little fight and a joking glare from El) they sat together in the dark theater, the movie paying on the screen before their eyes. Their hands became intertwined once again.
And, as they shared popcorn and M&M's, El's head resting on Mike's shoulder and his head resting on hers, they both felt so utterly happy.
March 1988
El sighed as she closed the door behind her. It was 5:00 in the afternoon, and she had just gotten done with her tutoring, which had taken a lot out of her.
And on top of that, she hadn't gotten to be with her friends at all, which sucked. But what sucked most was that she only got about 0.2 seconds with Mike that day, and that really wasn't enough.
She was also surprised Mike hadn't asked her to prom yet. She was expecting him to ask her earlier, but he hadn't mentioned it. But she tried to put that thought aside because they were probably going together anyways, so it shouldn't matter.
She dropped her backpack on the floor and tore off her Converse. It felt so good to finally be home after a long day out. All she wanted to do was snuggle up with her book before getting to some homework.
"Mom?" she called out. There was no reply. El shrugged, figuring she was either out getting groceries or still at work. And Will had art club. Jonathan was at college, of course, so he was gone, too.
She had the house all to herself.
She headed straight to the kitchen to grab something to eat to tide her over until dinner, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw the sight in front of her.
Walking closer, a grin spread across her face as she read what was on the kitchen table.
P R O M ? it read. But every single letter was spelled out in...M&M's.
El giggled, knowing exactly who had done this, and she felt so, so in love with her lovable dork. "Mike?" she called out, knowing he was probably still there.
"Will you?" She looked over to where his head was peaking around the corner of the room. She walked up to him and put her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him.
"Is that even a question?" she teased. "Of course I'll go with you, silly." She rubbed her nose against his softly before leaing in and giving him a kiss; a kiss so full of love and the promise of an amazing night where they could be together and happy.
When they pulled back, he smirked at her as her stomach growled. "You hungry? I've got M&M's," he said, pulling away to gesture at the table covered in the chocolate candies.
She pouts her lips. "I'd hate to ruin your hard work," she said. He snorted.
Spoiler: they ate them anyways.
Another spoiler: prom was one of the best nights of their lives.
August 1993
"This is too much. Too much, Mike," El huffed as she gestured to their kicthen table, which was covered in the papers that held their wedding plans.
They were trying to get everything figured out, but it was starting to get to be too much. "El, we're just trying to figure out some extra stuff to add," Mike soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And I know it seems crazy right now, but we're almost done, and then we get married in just three months."
She smiled a little at that. She alwyas did when she thought about marrying Mike. "I just can't think of anything," she complained.
He licked his lips, scrunching his brows as he thought.
"What...what about a candy bar?"
She thought about his suggestion for a moment. "That could be cool. What candies would we have?"
They both looked at each other at the same time, then said at the same time, "M&M's."
So that was that. They got M&M's in pretty pink and violet colors, and had three vases filled with the candies that had contributed to Mike and El's relationship.
It was a hit.
May 1995
There was a small crowd of people in the Wheeler's kitchen, surrounding the table Mike and El were stood in front of. Their hands where wrapped around each other's and holding a kinfe as it hovered above the pink and blue cake in front of them.
Just like the cake, the small house was decorated with decorations of the same colors. It wasn't crazy or extravagant; just some here and there, but it was perfect. And they had just their friends and family to be there for the special moment.
When El told Mike that she was pregnant, it came as a shock to both of them. They'd thought after so much testing that El wouldn't be able to bare children, and that was okay with them.
But when the time came, and it happened, they were both ecstatic. They had stable jobs and a home. It was perfect timing.
So, there they were, just moments away from finding out the gender of their first child. El hadn't wanted a crazy party, but Karen had insisted on it, so there they were. It was a bit much for El's taste, but she didn't mind too much.
"3...2...1!" Nancy shouted, and Mike and El pushed the knife into the soft cake, then made another cut before taking out the slice.
Before their eyes, pink M&M's poured out of the hollow cake. The couple gasped in excitment, and as cheers erupted around them, El pulled Mike in and kissed him, love for him and their unborn child warming her like a warm blanket on a cold day.
"I love you," she whispered to him as she pulled away, her grin matching his.
"I love you, too," he said back.
Just like he always did.
Halloween 2004
El pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she came down the stairs, having just tucked in her two little girls after a grand night of trick-or-treating. They were angels most of the time, but after sugar? Not so much.
Needless to say, El was exausted. She came into the living room to see her husband sitting on the couch. "We should never let them have that much candy at night again," El said. Mike chuckled, not looking up from whatever he was doing on the couch.
"We say that every year, yet here we are," he pointed out. It was true, they did.
"They're just so cute. I hate saying no to them, and I want them to get to have candy on Halloween, unlike I did as a kid," she said sadly. Mike looked up, giving her the sad look he always had when she talked about her past.
The biggest goal Mike and El had with their children was to raise them how they weren't. Mike tried to be the father figure his dad never was. He treated his little girls with so much love and care it made El get chocked up sometimes.
And El tried to give her daughters everything she didn't have. She let them pick out their own clothes, she brought them swimming and signed them up for whatever they wanted, and she let them eat too much candy on Halloween.
"Come here," Mike said, reaching his arms out. El gave in right away and walked around the couch, plopping down and going straight into Mike's open arms. She snuggled into his chest.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked when she opened her eyes and saw their daughters' candy spread out on the couch. She pulled away and looked at Mike, forcing him to answer her.
"Uh, well, I decided to..." he trailed off, reaching over and grabbing something off the couch. He held his hand, showing her what was in his hand as a peace offering. She melted, her annoyance fading when she realized what he was doing.
The M&M's packets crinkled as El took one out of Mike's outstretched hand. "You dork. Stealing our daughters' Halloween candy to be romantic, really?"
He blushed a little. "Yeah, I mean, they probably won't notice if a couple are missing." She glanced back at the pile of candy, which barely had a dent in it. She shrugged.
"Yeah, probably not. They can lend us a couple. We deserve some." He grinned at her, and she got off his lap to curl up next to him. He put his arm around her and they ripped open one of the packets, sharing them one by one until they were tired and ready to go to bed.
And, the next day, their girls pulled their candy bags out of the cuboard and their oldest, Sarah, as she dumped out the bag, said, "It looks like there's some M&M's missing," she said, but shurgged as she picked up a 3 Musketeers.
Meanwhile, Mike and El were watching them from their spots at the counter. They shared a knowing look, a look outlined with love and happiness.
M&M's were sweet, but not as sweet as the love they shared between them.