Chapter Text
The older Mike and Eleven got, the harder it became for anyone to pretend they were still kids. It was especially hard for Hopper. First it had been manageable - a movie evening here and a bike ride there, Mike stopping by the cabin after school. Normal things that didn’t really worry Hopper, but made him glad that Eleven could taste the normal life with her friends, without worrying about monsters or “bad men” hurting her. The issue was… She mostly hung out with one person and it was Mike Wheeler. And it became clear as day that he was nowhere near “just a friend” of hers.
Somewhere along the way those normal hangouts became something else and Mike and Eleven seemed physically incapable of staying apart. With each passing day they grew closer and simultaneously Hopper's blood pressure grew higher. The chief didn't know exactly when it started happening, but somehow Mike Wheeler had become permanently attached to his daughter.
If Mike wasn't at the cabin, El was constantly talking about him or asking about him. And Mike was calling almost immediately after every hangout to tell her he came home safely and couldn’t wait to see her again as soon as possible. And if they happened to be in the same room? Good luck getting either of them to pay attention to anybody else.
Especially Mike. He looked at El as if she hung the moon. And Hopper hated it.
Well.
Maybe hate was a strong word, but he hated what it was doing to him.
Because every time Mike looked at her like that, Hopper remembered exactly how old they were becoming and he didn't like it one bit. As a result, Hopper found himself increasingly irritated by everything.
El left a sweatshirt on the couch? He complained. She forgot to put away a bowl? He complained. She wore Mike's hoodies? Oh, he complained. And when Mike showed up at the cabin? Hopper immediately needed aspirin.
The worst part was that he genuinely tried to handle things like a mature adult. He sat them down multiple times and had conversations - real conversations about responsibility, trust and respect. He especially liked to bring up boundaries and matters of growing up. But the talks were painful for everybody involved and Mike usually looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. Eleven somehow made everything worse, because while Mike died from embarrassment, El would calmly ask the most direct questions imaginable. Questions that made Hopper wish he had never started the conversation, questions that made Mike as red as a brick. Usually when this happened Hopper called in for Joyce as a support system and eventually “The Talks” (plural, because - yes, there were multiple) turned into El and Joyce talking about “Girl Stuff” with all the details imaginable, while Hopper and Mike sat in another room uncomfortable as ever, Hopper occasionally looking at Mike with a threat drawn all over his face.
“You better not try any more funny business. I hope Ted taught you all about what is and isn’t okay for boys your age, huh?” Hopper said once, while Joyce and El sat in her room after Hopper caught El and Mike just kissing again.
“Yeah, sure” Mike blurted, rolling his eyes impatiently, still feeling a slight sting in his arm, by which Hopper aggressively pulled him away from El when he caught them.
Hopper’s eyes twitched - a habit his body learned after spending too much time with the Wheeler kid. He tried to calm himself down, but that damn boy really had a habit of testing his patience.
And so, the talks accomplished absolutely nothing. If anything, they only encouraged rebellion.
Mike had never been particularly intimidated by authority figures, least of all Hopper. The older he got, the worse it became. The kid swore constantly, ignored basic manners, rarely remembered to say hello and almost never remembered to say thank you. And whenever Hopper stared him down in an attempt to establish dominance, Mike somehow found a way to stare back every single time.
It drove Hopper insane.
Even worse, El occasionally picked up Mike's language. The first time Hopper heard her repeat one of Mike's most used curse words, he nearly dropped a coffee mug. Mike thought it was normal, and Hopper did not.
So when El's birthday approached, convincing Hopper to let her spend the afternoon with the Party became a challenge. A very difficult challenge. Mike practically put on an Oscar-worthy performance of convincing him of all the fun they’ll have with their friends. Promises, reassurances, good behavior - a level of politeness Hopper had never witnessed before. It was suspicious, but unfortunately, it worked. Eventually Hopper agreed, mostly because finally El got to spend more time with her friends as a whole, not just Mike.
"You can leave at one but you're home at eight. Sharp." he reminded El, but he was speaking to both her and Mike, who was already growing impatient by his bike (the kid still didn’t have his license).
"Okay." El agreed.
"No excuses."
"We understand." Mike whined.
Hopper rolled his eyes and pointed directly at Mike.
"You especially - no funny business."
Mike nodded with a completely innocent expression. He looked most dangerous when he appeared innocent, which should have alerted Hopper. The plan seemed simple enough. El would spend the afternoon at the Wheelers' house with the Party, then she'd come home to spend time with her grumpy old man. He planned the evening already. He’d pick up a birthday cake and some movies. A late-night daughter-father celebration that they both would like very much.
Everything planned and everything reasonable.
Everything ruined by Mike Wheeler.
Because Mike had no intention of spending the day in a crowded basement. Not on Eleven's birthday. Instead, he had a surprise. Near Lovers Lake there was a secluded spot he'd discovered months ago - a rocky overlook hidden behind trees. It was quiet, private and beautiful. The kind of place that felt like it belonged in a movie and Mike loved it and he knew El would love it too. So he lied without hesitation, guilt and a second thought to spare. Because in Mike's mind there was absolutely no chance Hopper would ever find out.
They left together shortly after one, Mike's bike rattling along the road while Eleven sat behind him. The entire trip he acted impossibly confident, like he had everything figured out, like there was no possible way this could go wrong.
“You are going to love it there!” Mike kept on saying, as El grew more impatient.
The confidence only grew when they reached the lake. Mike had prepared everything - a blanket, snacks, drinks and a carefully wrapped birthday gift - the books she'd wanted for months plus a simple bracelet - blue string with an attached golden star in the middle.
El's eyes widened the second she opened them. For a moment she couldn't speak. Then she threw her arms around him.
Mike nearly forgot how breathing worked. They were both sixteen but El still made him feel like the little awkward boy he was when he first met her.
"It’s so pretty!” she said, eyes glistening with tears, while she couldn’t decide what to examine first - the books or the bracelet.
She picked the bracelet and offered it to him, so he can clasp it carefully around her wrist. When his fingers brushed her skin, she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach and blushed at the feeling. The smile she gave him afterward made the entire plan worth it, even the lying, although Eleven wasn't quite as comfortable with that part.
"I hope Hopper won’t find out we are alone” she sighed playing with the star pedant on her wrist and sitting on the blanket laid underneath the shadow of a lone tree, growing between the rocks they hid behind. “I don’t like lying to him, but he tries to protect me too much.”
“It’s going to be okay. I mean, it’s not the first time we lied to him. This time it was your idea to spend the day with just the two of us, right? So how could I not agree? You're the birthday girl today! You're in charge!” Mike shrugged and sat right next to her, his back resting against the tree. “Hopper never does anything, he might yell at us, but that’s it. He cares about you too much to punish you.”
El smiled at the last part and nodded fully convinced. She moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder staring at the lake in the distance. The water glistened beautifully in the afternoon sun and since it was the beginning of June, a lot of wild ducks and swans were visible in the distance. The sounds of spring and an approaching summer all around made the whole scenery even more relaxing.
They sat together in silence for a while, basking in the warmth of the sunrays, watching the beauty of it all. At one point El took Mike's hand into her own and started playing with his fingers. Some time passed and he opened a pack of chips and started feeding them to her teasingly, while El read the first chapter of the book she was given. Sometimes biting his fingers playfully when he fed her. And he didn't mind that at all.
Both of them loved the silence when they were together. No forced conversations, just each other’s presence ever so calming. But they also loved to talk and drown in each other's stories, thoughts and views. They could do anything, as long as they were together.
“I'm just saying, I don't understand why you're still homeschooled. You would do so well with us at school, I'm sure!” Mike brought up around the time when the afternoon started to turn into an evening, the day soon approaching it’s end.
El shrugged. She would love to go to school too. But she would still stand out too much and it could bring too much attention to her and she didn't want to put herself and anyone else from her loved ones in trouble.
“It's okay, I like learning at home. I can focus better when there's less people around.” she answered, putting her book away. “I would get too distracted if I was going to your school. Too many people.”
“You'd get distracted by me? Or is there someone else who would distract you more?” Mike teased, a playful expression painted all over his face.
He's teasing her, El immediately noticed. He loved to do it lately, and El liked the flutter in her stomach that it was always causing. So fun.
“Hmm, there are so many other boys at school. I think they'd probably catch my attention too much.” El pretended to think deeply about it and Mike snorted, faking being offended.
“Excuse me?” he said with the most theatrical voice he could do. “My feelings are hurt!”
“Is that so?” El's face got closer to his.
She looked right into his dark eyes and closed the distance between them with a deep, longing kiss. It was chaste, but still passionate. He responded with his own lips, moving in the rhythm she created. His hand reached her face and caressed her cheek gently. Mike would never get bored of the cherry taste of her lips. Once they parted, their eyes met again which made them both smile involuntarily.
“So, a few days ago… you said you wanted to do something new today… What is it?” Mike started slowly, couldn't help his curiosity.
Lately Eleven liked to try new things with him. If it weren't more passionate kisses, then more touching, in new places too… And he knew she wanted to try something different this time. He guessed it must be something more than usual since she wanted to have a lot of privacy. Mike gulped at the thought of going somewhere further with her - he never wanted to pressure her into anything. He knew El was different in many ways from everyone else, upbringing wise, and he didn’t want to unintentionally hurt her so he only did things she wanted to try and the ones she wanted to do. Even then he would make sure a few times if it's really okay to do and if she knew what was happening and what that meant.
She stayed silent and stared deeply into Mike’s dark eyes that carefully watched her expression, trying to calculate what she was thinking about. She leaned in closer again. They both instinctively closed the distance between each other and tilted their heads in a deeper kiss.
The kissing happened a lot lately. Practically non stop, so he wasn't surprised by it at all. Back in the cabin, if Hopper left them alone for a bit more than usual they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other for too long. The older they grew, the more intense their kisses became. They were both clumsy and learning, but they were desperate for each other. So that was what was mostly happening behind the slightly 3 inch crooked door. That and some slight touching. Nothing more. The other stuff… they haven’t had the courage, time and space to explore, even though El wondered about it a lot, especially after she talked with Joyce the last time she was called in, when Mike was kissing her mouth with such intensity, that she couldn’t hold back a loud moan escaping her throat, surprising not only herself but also Mike… And also waking up Hopper from his midday Sunday nap, who found them laying on the bed, Mike’s hands under her shirt (only resting on her waist!) and El breathing deeply against his lips, while his tongue seemed to explore every inch of her mouth. The image left very little to imagination and Hopper stormed in, grabbed Mike by the arm and flung him forcefully to the living room and started one of his “Talks”. There was a lot of yelling involved this time around though.
After that, Joyce was called in to talk with El again. Hopper didn't have the patience, nor knowledge about “Girl Stuff” and she was glad he never really tried to interfere with that. Eleven liked talking with Joyce, she was nice and always had her soothing voice while she throughoutly explained and answered every question. The last talk was what spiked Eleven's curiosity more than ever.
“Do you have any more questions?” Joyce asked after explaining that Mike and El had to slow down a little bit with their “activities” because it's easy to cross the line in the heat of emotions and that crossing might lead to consequences they are both not ready to face yet - in other words “pregnancy”.
El wasn't stupid, she knew what sex was. It was explained to her on her very first “Talk” with Joyce. She knew she wasn't ready to do it just yet and Mike never tried to convince her otherwise.
“Uhm, actually…” El started, trying to find the right words to describe what she wanted.
She thought about how when they were kissing, his knee slightly brushed against her inner tigh and sent an electric feeling in between her legs. When his hands gently touched her waist, skin on skin and her breath hitched against her will. Things like that caused her weird sensations, ones that made her get warm down there pretty often - just at his touch. It was embarrassing her intensely, especially when she noticed that that warmth was also sometimes wet. Was that normal or gross? She blushed and shook her head as if thinking about it made her feel it all more intensely, she didn't dare to look Joyce in the eyes, worried she might suddenly read her mind and judge her.
“What is it El?” Joyce tilted her head, her expression worried. “Is there something you're afraid to say? Something that happened between you and Mike? Something you didn't like?”
El's eyes almost fell out of her skull at that insinuation.
“No! Of course not!” she answered immediately, slightly chuckling at the idea, because it was impossible for Mike and her to do anything that they weren't both comfortable with.
Joyce seemed relieved but still looked at her expectantly.
“Then what is it? You can talk to me about it. You know I won't judge you and tell anyone.” Joyce smiled encouragingly and caressed El's hand to help her relax.
Usually El was pretty straightforward about asking things like that but now it wasn't a hypothetical question, but a real question regarding her own situation and that was precisely what made her hesitant. Eventually after a couple of moments she took a deep breath and spoke.
“Um, when I was kissing Mike before, we were laying on the bed and his knee was right in between my legs. And when he shifted his weight it brushed against me a little and… It made me feel warm down there and…” she hesitated but Joyce was still listening, with the same kind expression as always “And I felt something wet down there.”
Joyce waited a little after El stopped talking, in case she'd like to add anything else. When the girl remained silent she gently squeezed her hand.
“It's normal. Sometimes when you are excited and kissing someone you like very much your private parts get extra sensitive and react to even the slightest touch, and when they get wet - it's like they are preparing for penetration. Sometimes it can happen even when you're not kissing, but touching or even randomly more often on certain days of your cycle.” Joyce spoke slowly and carefully, wanting to pick up all the right words. “And um, do you remember what I told you about orgasms during the intercourse?”
El nodded slowly.
“They are a way of releasing pleasure when you are having sex. And they are wet.” she answered, happy to know she remembered.
“Yes, you're right. Well, orgasms can sometimes happen even without having sex.” Joyce hesitated, not sure if she should talk about it but ultimately the need to answer El as accurately as possible took over and she continued. “Sometimes when you rub a part of your private parts it can trigger an orgasm for you. And it happens for boys too, just differently.”
El nodded, a small crease appearing between her brows, as if contemplating something.
And she was - a lot in fact.
Later that evening she touched herself for the first time and it left her shocked at the intensity of the sensation. Ever since then she kept thinking about the way she could explore this more with Mike - safely. She didn't want Hopper to storm into her room and see anything more than kissing. She's sure she would never be allowed to see Mike again if Hopper caught them like that. So she thought about seeing Mike privately somewhere, but Hop would never allow them alone. So they had to come up with a lie. And right on her birthday presented a perfect opportunity. Mike didn't need to know what was the reason for her wanting to be alone with him, he just liked the idea of lying to Hopper and spending more time with her under any circumstances.
And he knew Hopper would hate to see them like this at the cabin.
Their lips intertwined and seemed to be permanently stuck to each other, in between kisses their mouths gasped for breaths and all they both could think about was “I love it, let's never stop”. Just kissing like that was enough of a good reason for Mike to consider this plan a huge success. He grabbed her hand and moved his thumb over it delicately, smiling against her lips. El reached for his neck and her hands searched his black curls as if there was a treasure hidden underneath their roots. She loved playing with strands of his hair, slightly pulling on them or curling them with her fingers. It hypnotised her and made Mike sigh every time she hit that one spot with her nails.
The kiss deepened, El opened her mouth, slightly brushing Mike's lips with her tongue, as if teasing him to come in. He breathed gladly accepting the welcome and made himself at home in her mouth, on her lips and eventually on her waist as well. His hands instinctively reached for it, tugging a little at the material of her shirt, not really lifting it but playing with it enough to sometimes slip a finger or two under, the feeling of his skin on her skin sent pleasurable shivers down El’s spine. She loved the sensation Mike’s touch gave her and only hoped he was just as hyped to touch her as she was to touch him.
If only she knew how hard Mike was trying to think clearly, failing miserably every time he heard her sigh against his lips. And when El bit his lip, he couldn't help a groan escaping his throat. He was so much more vocal now that they weren't hiding away in the cabin and forced to try and be as silent as possible. She kept on pushing her tongue against his and he fought for his own breath that mingled with hers. Tasting the sweetness of her chapstic and saltiness of the chips from before in her mouth, feeling her warmth, her hands tugging at his hair and acting as if she took him under a magic spell. His back was forced into the hard bark of the tree standing behind him and he didn't care. All he cared about is her tongue in his mouth.
Their heads bumped, sometimes in one direction or the other, depending on who was in charge at the second, but it changed time and time again, as if they were stuck in some type of dance only they knew the moves for. He pushed himself more towards her, trying to establish dominance she clearly possessed at the moment and he could feel her moan against his mouth.
She felt she was losing the air in her lungs so she took a rushed breath right from his mouth. And right then - feeling him pressing his lips forcefully back on her, his hands twitching and gripping a bit tighter on her waist - El felt the familiar warmth in her lower stomach she felt before. Acting purely on instincts, feelings and mostly hormones, she tentatively slipped into his lap, which she never did before. Mike’s eyes shot right open when she placed herself comfortably on him and his hands immediately reached toward her hips to push her away from him. Their mouths finally broke free from one another and Mike gasped for air shifting uncomfortably. His expression pure panic.
“Something wrong?” El tilted her head like a puppy and came even closer to him, slightly brushing herself against his member, unknowingly causing Mike's blood to rush right down into his boxers.
“N-no” he stuttered, moving her a bit off him again.
He felt his cheeks flush and focused hard to keep his growing erection tamed under the weight of his girlfriend, but it seemed impossible. He could feel her private parts directly on it and his breath hitched.
Eleven looked at his face, then down at his lap, only to furrow her brows and study his face again while she rocked her hips forward and backwards once. Mike’s back straightened, the friction of her movement electrifying his erection even more and this time he dug his fingers into her hips and fully forced her off his lap. His heart pounded hard against his ribcage and his mind went completely blank.
“Why… What are you doing?” Mike's hands immediately covered his lap, trying to unsuccessfully hide what was growing there with each second.
El liked his reaction to her movement but didn't understand why Mike showed her down. Maybe he didn't like it?
“I wanted to try something.” El said, her voice a bit hurt. “You don't like it?”
Mike's head shook violently on its own.
“No! No, I liked it! Very much!” Mike chuckled. “A little bit too much…”
“Too much?” El tilted her head again and Mike thought how much he loved when she did that.
He thought for a second, trying to explain it to her as simply as he could without talking her down. Mike felt embarrassed that she might not understand what it was doing to him. What she was doing to him.
“I… When you do that… movement…” he started clumsily. “My…”
“You get hard?” El butted in.
Mike blushed at her bluntness.
“Y-yes. That's why I-” Mike took a breath. “That's why I wanted to stop - to ask where we are going with this. I don't think we are ready to have sex, right? So if that was your plan-”
“No, no! I don't want to have sex.” she declined immediately. “It's just… I heard we can make each other feel good by rubbing against each other and I wanted to try it.”
El's gaze averted shyly and Mike was sure his face was as red as a tomato.
How could he decline her? It's like one of his greatest fantasies coming true.
Feeling her rub against him with just a few layers of clothes in between them was something he fantasised about for a while, ever since they started making out. Though, he would never admit it.
Eleven slowly reached for Mike's hand, which was still in his lap trying to hide his own excitement.
“Do you agree to do this?” Eleven asked and Mike nodded frantically. “I need the words Mike, verbal yes or no.”
“Yes! I do very much!” he blurted out. “And you? Are you sure?”
“Yes” El was a hundred percent sure.
And so he put his hands away and Eleven carefully watched as a slight bulge in his jeans appeared. El was happy he got as excited as she did while they shared such intimate moments.
She slowly climbed right onto his lap and began her rhythmic work swinging her hips up and down and to the sides. At the first movements their mouths hung open and their eyes rolled back as the new heavenly sensation filled them. Each movement, even a little one, made Mike's ears ring, vision blurry and his focus… hard to maintain. The feeling of their bodies brushing against each other seemed to unlock completely new emotions for both of them. A completely new experience, so intense Mike thought he might cream his pants under a minute into it. But he tried his hardest to control himself and wait until El reached her goal first. She was still moving, searching for her spot and he could see her focused expression.
“Can you touch me?” El asked, getting a hold of his wrist and putting it right under her shirt. “Please”
Mike couldn't even manage to form any words in his mouth and just put his left hand on her bare back, slightly caressing her up and down, in rhythm with her own movements and his right hand on her hip, slowly moving towards her butt.
How could he say no to her pleading eyes? How could he not touch her?
El sighed against his neck and kept on brushing herself against him. His lips immediately found hers and gave her a deep and longing kiss. “You're doing so well” - that's what he wanted to say but his ability to speak was temporarily turned off. He wouldn't mind not speaking at all if he could be this close to her, right until the end of the world. She rocked one spot again and her hands gripped his hair rougher than usual. And that's how he knew she found it, her desired spot.
The electrifying feeling shot right up her private parts and into her lower stomach and she squirmed against his lap. She stopped for a second, her body shaking at a sudden sensation.
Mike was glad she found it. He was definitely close to coming and he was trying with everything in his power to postpone it as much as possible. He didn't know how long he could hold it. Just the fact that he could feel her warmth spreading across her jeans, pressed against him, was making his member pulse impatiently. His fingers traced circles under her shirt, while he placed his lips on her neck, feeling her breathing speed up under his touch. His mouth sucked in the sensitive skin of hers. It was so warm and nice and completely his.
Then he moved his hips back, in the same rhythm she just used. Something between a moan and a breath escaped her mouth and he thought “oh right, he should have started moving sooner”. He couldn't believe his own stupidity.
Both of their hips rocked in the same pattern, sometimes El would lose traction because of the electrifying sensations that kept distracting her but Mike helped her move against him by rocking her with his hands on her hips. Her arms were entirely tangled around his neck. Her boobs pressed tightly against his chest. Everything in El's mind screamed “you have to get closer, closer, closer!”. Her clothes felt a few sizes too small and all that mattered for her was that Mike should be all that she feels, his body against her body, as close as physically possible. She didn't care how loud and pleading her sighs were now, they were alone, in a secluded area, covered by rocks from all around, she forgot about the world existing outside of them and let herself enjoy the pleasure they both were basking in. And honestly, Mike seemed to enjoy listening to every sound that escaped her lips, as if it was the music to his ears.
“Mike” she moaned against his shoulder, the smell of his clothes’ laundry detergent filling her nostrils. “Please don't stop”
How could he stop? How could she think he would just stop? How could he hesitate at the sound of her begging him to go on?
He brushed his mouth against her neck in response, massaging it gently with his tongue, sucking on it, leaving a wet spot that shivered anytime he breathed on it.
The air escaped her lips again and she sped up her rhythm against him knowing she was close. His hardness rubbed directly on her clit and she felt her underwear soak in the familiar wetness. The hotness inside grew more impatient and she knew she had to chase it.
She groaned impatiently against his shoulder. Why didn't he speed up?
Mike seemed to read her mind, as his hips started to match her own again, moving faster. His hands still on her hips, helping her move, gripping on her jeans. It took everything in his power to not rip them down right here and there. He could feel her folds pulsing against his erection even through the material of their jeans and his eyes couldn't help but roll back at the sensation. His mouth closed from all the pleasure of having her here, feeling her hair on his face, smelling her skin. Mike bit on her neck hard and El gasped pleasurably.
He needed to taste her. He needed to devour her. He needed her closer. He needed her as close as possible.
And when they both felt the high coming to a dangerously close end, they didn't stop. It was as if some higher force was pushing them instinctively against each other, without hesitation and any thought put into it. Mike bucked against her, feeling the familiar ache in his pants. A cry escaped his lips - a sound he never thought was possible for him to create and he pushed El's hips against him the hardest he possibly could.
That's it, he thought, he can't hold it in anymore.
At the same time El let out a loud sigh as she pushed herself again and again on his lap. She spread herself even more than she did before and rocked her hips, putting more pressure against her clit. Suddenly every single breath of her escapes with a sound - a whimper or a moan, and she doesn't care at all. The electrifying feeling fills her stomach, her shaking legs and also her brain, making her lashes flutter, breath hitch and her nails dig into Mike's neck forcefully. The pressure builds and the blood rushes in her ears until El feels her muscles down there clench and tremble. The overflowing sensation clouding all her senses and all she manages to do is moan Mike's name against his neck. She feels dizzy and limp at the same time when the feeling floods her body. The wetness floods her underwear and she feels herself lose the rhythm they both tried so hard to maintain and right in this moment Mike pushes harder against her, his penis still pulsing right on her most sensitive area which lengthens the heavenly feeling tingling all over her private parts. Mike's chest heaves as he pants down her neck, steadying her rhythm, still going, while El is completely unravelled against this new feeling. Her head falls back, feeling completely weak, as her back arches, hands forcefully gripping his shirt.
Mike falls forward on top of her, still thrusting his hips against her. Then finally he rocks in that one time and his expression changes into a bliss. He can feel the warmth spreading quickly against his boxers and jeans. His hands, now on El's waist, grip at her skin, nails leaving small red crescents on her. He is lost completely in the best orgasm he had the pleasure to feel. His body immediately goes limp and he leans forward, the composure he tried so hard to maintain lets loose in a powerful burst of relief. Mike falls on top of El, his body crushing her with his weight, his breath, sighs and unrestrained moans mix with her own. He wants to muffle it, in a sudden feeling of shame but he's unable to.
The exhaustion and physical activity suddenly catches up with him and all he manages to do is lay there, his face burrowed in El's neck, smelling her, feeling her breathe. Suddenly a small hand reaches his hair and tugs at it. A smile forms at his lips and he manages one long sigh of relief.
“El…” he murmurs, his breath puffing at her neck. “You were… amazing.”
El's hand gripped his hair more in response.
You were amazing too, Mike.
Still out of breath she smiles. Her warm bottom still pressed against Mike continues to send faint pulses of previous pleasure against his private parts.
They lay like this for a few minutes and then Mike manages to push himself up with his elbows, his lips finding hers and giving them a short kiss, filled with love. A thank you, for allowing him to experience something like that with her. He sighs against her lips, his hand sweeping the hair sticking to his forehead while he looks down at El's face, so at peace, so happy.
And then…
El looks towards Mike's watch instinctively and her face drops. She stands up quickly in panic.
“What is it?” Mike is startled by her reaction, afraid maybe she came to regret what happened.
“Curfew!” she answered while scrambling back on her legs clumsily. “It's 8 pm already!”
Mike felt all color fade from his face.
“Shit!” he cursed, quickly grabbing a pack of tissues from his pocket. “Shit, shit, shit!”
“What are you doing?! Let's go!” El stressed, the romantic atmosphere gone in a matter of seconds.
“I need to clean myself a little!” he pointed at his lap, where you could faintly see a stain from their previous rendezvous. “Just!- Give- give me a second!”
Mike rushed behind the rocks, so El wouldn't see him and he quickly pulled his pants down and slid his hand into the boxers. He used almost all of the tissues to get himself at least a little decent. The hoodie he packed just in case got draped around his hips when he pulled his pants back up. He positioned it in a way that would hide the front of his pants. Once he was done he came back to find El already packed all the remaining snacks, their blanket and her gifts into the bag they had with themselves. He felt the adrenaline rush in his veins once he glanced down at her neck.
A hickey.
“No, no, no!” Mike came closer to her and stared at a big red mark, slowly gaining purple shade.
El's eyes widened, immediately knowing what he meant. She touched her neck, still wet from his saliva and looked at him in panic.
“Do you think you'll be able to hide it? With your hair?” Mike suggested, already feeling his sudden death dawn upon him.
She quickly put all of her hair on the side, her locks falling directly on top of it and hiding it. Mike exhaled a breath of relief. He knew she won't be able to hide it all the time but if Hopper were to notice it, he'd rather be far away from the cabin.
“If we leave now, we'll be only 40 minutes late. Let's hurry!” El said going right to Mike's bike.
He glanced at the watch on his already trembling hand.
8:18 pm
Mike's stomach dropped, and he already had a vision of Hopper somehow getting to know what they were doing, ripping him apart, limb by limb. He doesn't even need to know that they were dry humping against each other to kill him. The hickey on El's neck was reasonable enough for him to put Mike in jail. Or throw him off a cliff.
"Hopper's all bark and no bite…" he said trying to convince himself, while placing himself on the bike's seat, El following him and sitting right behind.
Eleven gave him a look and even Mike wasn't sure he believed himself.
A few minutes later they were racing back toward the cabin and this time Mike pedaled much faster. Because despite everything, even he knew Hopper wasn't going to be happy about their late arrival. All the way down to the cabin, Mike imagined all sorts of scenarios including the ways Hopper could kill him. He forgot all about his exhaustion from before and focused on pedalling as fast as he could.
The cabin came into view.
And there he was, standing on the porch waiting, with a cigarette glowing between his fingers, completely motionless.
Mike immediately felt a chill crawl down his spine. He didn't dare look him in the eye. El jumped off the bike first, her expression pure picture of regret.
"Hopper, I'm sorry, we lost track of-"
"Inside."
His voice was calm, far too calm and Eleven stopped talking immediately.
"But-"
"Inside."
The second command left no room for argument. She looked between Hopper and Mike nervously. A sigh left her lips as she took her birthday gifts from Mike and obeyed Hopper, without giving a proper goodbye.
The cabin door closed and silence followed.
And so, Mike slowly started turning his bike around.
Retreat.
"Stay, Wheeler."
Mike froze immediately.
Hopper stepped off the porch, and the cigarette hit the dirt. His boot crushed it.
"Do you know who I met at the store today?"
Mike shrugged trying to appear nonchalant, unsure why the conversation turned to what he was doing and not really what they were doing and why they came home late.
"No?" he felt his palms sweat nevertheless.
"Dustin."
A theatrical pause.
"Lucas."
Another one.
"Max."
Another.
"Will."
The realization hit Mike immediately and his stomach sank.
Shit.
"Oh." his voice sounded weak.
"Yeah," Hopper said, a dangerous smile appeared on his face. "Oh."
Mike briefly considered lying again, unfortunately Hopper continued.
"They told me you weren't with them. And that they planned to meet El for her birthday party on the weekend, since you two wanted to spend time alone today."
Silence. Mike was at a loss of words. He forgot to tell the Party to cover for him. But he didn't expect the Chief to actually meet them.
"Funny thing, right?"
Mike swallowed hard.
Not funny, not funny at all.
"So," Hopper continued, stepping closer, "mind telling me where you were with my daughter?"
"We just went for a picnic." Mike barely recognized his own voice.
He wouldn't be that stressed about this interaction if it weren't for what happened just a few moments ago. He cummed his pants while grinding El, aka Hopper's daughter, and he was one hundred percent sure Hopper somehow could read his mind and that he knew.
Hopper kept walking towards Mike. One step, then another and then another. Until he stood directly in front of him. Mike tried not to look nervous, but failed miserably. He still couldn't really look him in the eyes. But he noticed that Hopper reached toward his head, and Mike physically flinched. But instead of grabbing him, hitting him or choking him, Hopper calmly removed a twig from his hair and then held it up.
Mike immediately turned red. Because suddenly he became very aware of how they looked. Somewhere along their little adventure the blanket must have slipped from under them. He had grass stains on his pants. Messy hair. Wrinkled clothes.
And they were forty minutes late.
Hopper didn't need psychic powers to figure things out. The chief sighed. A very long, slow and dangerous sigh. Then he delivered the verdict.
"You are banned from seeing Eleven for two weeks."
Mike stared blankly, finally meeting Hopper's eyes.
"What?"
"Two weeks."
"Two weeks?!" Mike gasped.
"Correct."
"That's insane!"
The second the words left his mouth, Hopper smiled. A terrifyingly calm smile.
"You're right. Three weeks it is."
Mike's jaw dropped at that. His fear slowly being replaced with burning anger.
"You can't be serious! Hopper, come on! We weren't doing anything! That's just bullshit-” the lie came easy now but it was already a lost battle.
"Want to make it four?" Chief threatened.
Mike immediately shut up, knowing that talking will only lead to more weeks apart from El. And he couldn't take that.
Hopper leaned slightly closer to look Mike straight into his eyes, but he averted his gaze, scared at the sudden closeness.
"You lied to me."
Silence.
"You ignored all of my rules, more than once."
More silence.
"You made my daughter lie to me."
Mike clenched his jaw, trying to control himself from bursting.
"And now you want to argue" the chief folded his arms "Go ahead!"
Mike said nothing.
"That's what I thought."
The silence stretched. Mike had a hundred things he wanted to say. But none of them would help. Because Hopper looked entirely prepared to increase the punishment again.
Hopper grabbed him by the back of his collar, not to hurt him, but to make him look into his eyes, which he managed to successfully avoid so far.
“Do you understand?” Hopper's words were sharp like a knife.
Mike nodded against his will and Hopper released his collar.
“Show me you are worthy of dating her and I'll start treating you like a man, and not a goddamn brat.”
Eventually Mike grabbed his bike and turned around, unable to control his anger. He started riding home and the entire way he muttered angry complaints under his breath.
Three weeks.
Three weeks.
It felt impossible.
Back at the cabin, Hopper watched him disappear down the road and then he kicked an empty soda can lying near the porch. Because despite everything, he was furious.
At Mike.
At teenagers.
At growing up.
At the fact that he somehow understood exactly why the kid had done it. By the time he finally walked back inside, Hopper was already preparing himself for the next battle. Because if there was one thing he knew about Mike Wheeler, it was this:
A punishment wasn't a wall.
To Mike, it was a challenge.
And challenges only made him more determined.