"What took you so long guys? You're lucky Mrs. Wheeler had to finish cooking something or else you would be eating our left overs." Lucas asked, walking to Will and El, that had just got upstairs.
"Um, we just talked." Will seemed specially happy. There was a sparkle on his eyes. What El had told him was exactly what he needed to hear.
"Just talked?" Mike looked worried, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his cheeks were a little flushed.
"Yeah, just talked." El smiled at him before smiling at Will. She walked to where Max was, moving all the presents to try to guess which was hers.
"And, what did you talk about? Since you were there for like an hour." Mike huffed as he flipped his hair.
"Stuff." Will couldn't look at his friend to the eyes, not just after he told his girlfriend he was gay. It somehow felt weird. He walked over to El and Max and Dustin walked to Lucas and Mike.
"Dude, what's wrong?" Mike was snapped out of his thoughts by him.
"Nothi-"
"He's just jealous of Will because he just spent more time with El tonight than what Mike has." Lucas chuckled at Mike's face, that was now redder.
"Lucas!" He smacked the back of his head.
"What? It's true, you were pretty obvious." Mike just rolled his eyes as he walked off to the kitchen.
"Do you need any help mom?"
"No sweetie, just tell everyone dinner is ready now." Mike nodded and walked back to the living room.
"Dinner is ready!" He said, forming a circle around his mouth with his hands. This time everyone cheered, as they were now actually hungry.
Mike moved a seat so that El could sit. She smiled thankfully as he sat down next to her and smiled back.
Now everyone was sitting down around the table, eating and chatting between each other.
"So, El..." El's head shot up from her plate to see Karen, who wasn't even looking at her as she cut her steak. "How did you meet my son?"
El gulped as she looked at Mike, alarmed. He looked at her the same way and the two kids looked at Karen with true eyes wided.
"Um, I met him in the woods."
"When?" Karen looked at her for just a second before returning her stare to her plate.
"A year ago."
"A year ago? And why are we only getting to meet you a year after you met?" This time, Karen put her whole attention on El.
"Because..."
"Because she moved out of town with her mother some time after we met, and returned almost a month ago, so I didn't have the time to introduce you to her." Mike interrupted as he saw the stressed look upon El's face. She looked at him thankfully, and he seemed to understand as he smiled reassuringly.
"Well, now that you're here El, I want to get to know you, so, why don't you tell me about you?"
"About me?" El pointed at her chest with her finger, her voice barely audible.
"Yeah, what you like, what you don't..."
"Uh, I like to sing. I also like to draw, take pictures and read. I love Eggos, and I don't like... bad people." She looked at her lap as she closed her eyes, brushing the thoughts away.
"You seem like a lovely girl." Karen smiled at her and she smiled back, shyly. "I can totally see why my son likes you."
Mike almost choked on his apple juice.
"Wha- what do you mean Mrs. Wheeler?" El's face was pink again.
"What do you mean what do I mean? You've been holding hands under the table during the whole dinner." Karen raised an eyebrow, making El even more nervous as she tightened her grip on Mike's hand, instead of letting go.
"This was delicious Mrs. Wheeler, thank you." Will could literally see the fear and confusion on both El and Mike's faces.
"Yeah, finger licking good." Steve winked as he stood up, picking up his plate from the table to take it to the sink. Everyone else followed his actions as they took their plate to the sink, leaving only Karen, Ted, Mike, Nancy and El sitting at the table.
"We're just surprised, we didn't think our son would actually get a girlfriend by his own." Karen looked at Ted in disbelief.
"Ted, what the hell?"
"What? It's not that my son is not 'boyfriend material', but..." He scrunched his nose as he shook his head.
Mike looked at him in disbelief. Tears were forming on his eyes, so he blinked a lot of times to stop them from falling. Did his father really think he wasn't good enough? His own father?
El looked at Mike, a sad expression on his face and on hers too. She looked back at Ted, anger now on her eyes.
"Your son is the absolute best person I've ever met. He's amazing, and if you actually stopped for a second to look at him and see what kind of person he is instead of falling asleep on the couch by five pm, you'd be really proud of him, as I am. Now, if you excuse us, we'll be downstairs in the basement." She stood up from her seat as Mike did. "The food was delicious, Mrs. Wheeler. Ted." She stared at him one last time before leaving the dining room, followed by Mike.
"Fuck off Ted." Nancy left her seat too, annoyed.
"Language!" He looked back at his wife, who looked at him madly. "What?"
"I seriously cannot believe you, Ted." Karen stood up from her seat too, walking into the living room. "Okay everyone, I think it's time to open the presents." Everyone nodded as they walked up to the Christmas tree to grab their presents. "I'll go check if Mike and El will be joining us or not." Will frowned, confused on why wouldn't they want to, but when he saw the look on Nancy's face he decided not to ask.
Karen walked down the stairs carefully.
"Don't listen to him, Mike. He doesn't know what he's talking about." She could hear El's voice, soft and calmly.
"Can I ask you something?" Mike's voice was weak and waved with each word.
"Of course you can."
"Did you really mean what you said? About me?"
Karen walked down some more steps, and what she saw melted her heart. Mike had his head on El's chest as she passed her fingers through his hair, both of them sitting down on a mess of blankets Mike had had for a year by now.
"What I feel about you, what I say about, I always mean it. Mike, you are, with no doubt, the best person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Without you, i don't know what would have happened to me, and honestly, I don't want to think about a world in which you and I didn't meet each other. I think you're loyal, selfless, caring, understanding, loving and kind in levels that many people can just dream of being. Those are the things that made me like you, and that'll not change."
"But El, his right, maybe I'm not good enough for you."
"Mike, you make me happier than anyone else, so don't you dare to say you are not good enough for me."
"Don't you ever dare to leave me, El. Please."
"I promise I won't. Ever." A single tear fell from her eye, as well as from Karen's. She was surprised when she felt it roll down as she hadn't noticed it forming.
She couldn't stand looking at them like that. "Michael, El." Both Mike And El tugged on each other's sweaters when they heard her. "We're waiting for you upstairs in case you want to come for the presents exchange."
"Uh, sure." Mike got up and helped El get up as well.
They went upstairs, and a few time later Karen got upstairs too, fixing her hair and makeup. "So, who wants to begin?"
"Steve wants to!" Steve glared at Dustin, who just smirked at him.
"I want to?" Dustin nodded. "Guess I do." He got up from the couch and sat down again, but this time his body facing Dustin. "You already knew, didn't you?"
"Of course I did, Steve." He laughed as he accepted the box Steve was handing him. Dustin opened it and inside was a new cap and a pair of sunglasses. He put them on and looked around the room. "How do I look?"
"Bitchin'." El muttered, but loud enough for Dustin to hear.
"I know right?" El giggled as her cheeks turned pink, she didn't think he would hear.
"Lukey, this is for you darling." Dustin gave Lucas his present as everyone in the room laughed. He opened it and inside were some bandanas and a 'survival kit'.
"Wow Dusty, you really outdid yourself!" Max snickered at the nickname as she elbowed Lucas.
"This is for my Mikey boyyyy!" Lucas said as he gave Mike his present. El erupted in laughter as Mike's face went pink.
"Open it, Mikey boy!" She laughed once more. Mike couldn't stop smiling, looking at her laughing, it was pretty much the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face was pink too, but maybe it was because of how hard she was laughing. She was smacking her legs with her hand and covering her mouth with the other as she moved back and forth, her hair bouncing.
"Mike!" Lucas suddenly clapped his hands in front of Mike, snapping him away from his thoughts. "Stop making your heart eyes at El and open the damn present." Mikes face got evens redder.
"Language!" Ted said, crossing his arms around his chest.
"Oh my god it's like if that was the only word you knew!" Dustin said, making Mike laugh too.
He opened it and inside was the new edition of D&D. "Wow, thanks Lukey!" He put it next to him and grabbed his box. "This is for Willy." Will shot his head up and the say of his name.
He opened it and inside was a sketchbook and an art kit. "Oh, this is great Mike, thank you so much!" Will stood up from the couch and hugged Mike. Mike was surprised by the sudden action but soon returned the hug, patting his back.
"You're welcome dude." Will looked at Eleven and she smiled at him, knowing what he felt. They pulled away from the hug.
"He must really like your present Mike. He didn't react like that when I bought him all those 180 crayons." Joyce chuckled as she shook her head.
"My turn!" Will exclaimed. "Nancy, this is for you." Nana you walked up to him as she grabbed the box. She opened it and smiled at what was inside. "It's beautiful, Will. Thank you." Nancy took the baby blue dress out of the box, and El gasped at it.
"Steve, this is for you." Steve took the box Nancy was giving him. He opened it and inside there was a basketball ball.
"I love it, Nance." He kissed her cheek, making her blush a little.
"Looks like someone has to volunteer again!" Said Karen.
"I will." Jonathan grabbed his box and gave it to El.
"Oh, thank you Jonathan!" She smiled and opened the box, and inside there was a camera and a Sketchbook.
"I know you love to take pictures and I thought that maybe you could have your own camera. And Will suggested that I should give you a sketchbook too because you love drawing too."
El looked up at him, a smile spreading across her face slowly. "I- i don't know what to say. Thank you so much." Jonathan smiled back as he went back to Nancy and Steve.
"It's your turn El." She nodded and walked up to Max.
"This is for you." Max took the present out of her hands and opened it eagerly.
"A walkie talkie?" Max frowned, she had expected a new skateboard, or maybe a pair of jeans. And she had always thought those things were stupid and childish.
"Um, yeah... a supper comm." El rubbed her arm with her hand as she looked down at the floor, noticing that Max hadn't really loved it. "It's just that I know you don't have one and I thought that if I gave one to you maybe we could talk, you, me, the boys..." Max gasped as she took her hand to her mouth. "But it's okay if you don't like it, I can buy you somethi-"
"No!" Más suddenly yelled as she moved her hands horizontally. "I, I love it, El. Thanks."
She smiled thankfully and El returned the smile. "Well, guess it's my turn."
El walked back to her place in the couch, next to Mike. He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "Hey, um, would, maybe, only if you want to, like, go back to, you know, the, uh, basement?" El frowned slightly, but the smile on her face just couldn't go away.
"What?" She mumbled back.
"Only if you want to! You don't have to, it's okay if you want to stay here with everyone else, I don't want to force you to-"
"Mike."
"Do anything you don't want to do, I would never did that. It's just that I had-"
"Mike."
"Something I wanted to give you but if you-"
"MIKE!" This time, El spoke loud enough for Dustin to hear and look at her grinning. She just rolled her eyes at him playfully, making him return to his own business.
"Sorry."
"Let's go."
"Really?"
"Yeah, come on." She got up from the couch followed by him, both of them careful not to draw the attention to them as they snuck out to the basement.
Once they were there, still hand on hand, both of them erupted in giggles. "Do you think they noticed?" El asked as she covered her mouth with her hands and giggled.
"Nah, they were too busy laughing at how Max got Hopper a pair of Christmas socks to do so." El laughed again hole heartedly, a full body laughter, and Mike couldn't help but stare at her.
Her laughter was soft and sweet, yet it was pretty contagious. He could hear her laugh all day long and never get tired of it.
"So, Mike?"
Mike shook his head. "Yeah?"
"Why did you bring me down here?"
The box in Mike's pocket suddenly felt heavier, and Mike felt as if a rock had been thrown at his stomach. "Oh."
He noticed just then how close they were, standing in front of the fort with their hands intertwined. He felt like if his heart would bump out of his chest. "I got you something. A little present. I have been working for the past two weeks in the comic store to be able to buy this for you. And it's something small, but I hope you will like it. But it's okay if you don't! Just tell me and I can get you something else or-"
"Mike!"
"What?"
"I get it." El giggled, making Mike laugh.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, it's actually really cute." Mike's face flushed, and El's did too.
"I got you this." Mike tried to take the small box out of his pocket, but as he did the box slipped of his hand and he had to practically jump to save it. El laughed at his clumsiness and nervousness, she really thought it was cute. "Open it." She gave him her new camera and took the box he was giving her. It was color red, and El liked the feeling she got of touching it, it felt nice. She looked at him and smiled softly before returning her eyes to the small box on her hands.
She examined it and opened it carefully, gasping when she saw the golden necklace inside. There was a small heart hanging of it, and El took it out like if she thought it would break.
She looked at the heart, in which the word "Promise?" was written. Her lips were patted and she couldn't stop looking at it.
"I have one too, it matches." Mike took out his keys, and El supposed that those were for his house. There was a heart hanging of it too. She read what it said on it; "Promise.".
She looked at him to the eyes, still unable to react, and he seemed to notice. "Oh god, I knew this would be too much. I'm sorry El, I just-"
He was suddenly cut off by El cupping his face on her hands. He gulped and he stared back at her eyes, who were running across his face. She looked back at his eyes and Mike felt as if he was being hypnotized by them. They kept on staring into each other's eyes for what seemed as an eternity until she finally spoke up. "I love it." She began to lean in, and Mike did too.
Oh my god is she going to kiss me? Oh god. Is she really-
El kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger on it for a while before leaning back. "Thanks, Mike." Mike flushed and a goofy grin spread across his face. He did feel disappointed as he wanted her to kiss him, but a kiss on the cheek, the way she was looking at him and the smile she had plastered on her face was totally worth all the past days in which he hadn't played with his friends, or gone to the arcade, or in which he went to sleep past midnight because of his new 'job'.
"Hey, why don't we take a picture?" El took the camera of Mike's hands as she said that.
"Uh, I don't know El, I don't really like taking pictures..."
El looked at him. "Oh please don't do it, you know I can't say no to that, please don't do-" El made her puppy eyes at him. "Fine, let's take it." El squealed as she put an arm around Mike's shoulders. He almost put a hand on her waist, but stopped it a few centimeters before he did. (Like that photo of them in which Finn's not even touching her shoulder, just has his hand on top of it.)
El noticed and moved so that his hand would actually touch her waist, which made Mike blush. "Don't worry, my waist doesn't bite." She giggled and Mike only got redder. "Smile!"
El pressed the button and the flash made them see some dark dots, but it went away after some seconds and blinks. "Woah." Mike said.
"I didn't think it would have a flash like this." She laughed as she waved the polaroid, trying to make the picture appear on it faster.
"Look, we look good!" El said as he looked at the picture and handed it to Mike. He grabbed it and looked at it, smiling.
"It's actually really good."
"Well, give it to me, I'll keep it."
"Mmmm, no."
"Wha-" Mike put the picture above him, so that El couldn't reach it. "Give it back!"
"I'll give it to you." El looked at him smiling. "But only if you can take it of my hands." El's smile didn't disappear, but she frowned.
She began to jump, trying to reach the Polaroid above Mike's head. "Why do you have to be so tall?" She said, still trying to get the polaroid.
"Mike, put it down! It can make the weird plant above us fall!" She jumped once again.
"What are you talking ab-" Mike looked up and noticed the mistletoe hanging of the ceiling. "Oh god." He let his arm down, and El took the picture of his hand.
"Aha! Got it!" She waved it in front of his face, but he didn't even flinch. "Mike?"
"Yes?"
"What is that thing called and why is it hanging of the ceiling?" El pointed at it curiously.
"Uh, it's a, it's a mistletoe." He answered nervously.
"A misil thor?" She tilted her head.
"A mistletoe." He smiled at her cuteness. It reminded him of when they were waiting in the cafeteria and she asked what "putting" was when Dustin screamed something about pudding. And how they had kissed afterwards.
For some reason, he could feel his face heat up just by remembering that.
"Oh. But, why is hanging of the ceiling?"
Mike's heart began to race. "Um, it's hanging so that two people stand up under it."
"What for?"
Ok, this is it. Fuck. "It's a Christmas tradition. When two people are under a mistletoe, they have to..." Mike looked at the fort next to them, too nervous to even look at El's eyes.
"They have to what?"
"They have to, well, kiss." He looked at her just for a second before returning his gaze to the fort. "But we don't have to, if you don't want."
El didn't answer, nor moved from where she was standing. "El?" Mike looked at her, nervous and kinda scared.
It all went away when El put her lips on his.
He closed his eyes immediately, melting into the kiss. They pulled back a few seconds later, smiling, and put their foreheads together.
"Merry Christmas Mike."
"Merry Christmas El."
The next morning Mike woke up with a smile on his face. He stretched himself as he yawned and jumped out of bed, walking downstairs to the kitchen.
"Good morning." Mike took an apple and the orange juice.
"Good morning sweetie." His mom walked up to him and kissed his head, leaving a plate with waffles in front of him. "So, did you have fun yesterday?"
"Yeah, it was great." Mike smiled again, looking down at his waffles.
"And did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, Max fell as she was walking down the stairs." He chuckled at the memory.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she actually laughed after it happened."
"Good. So, that's it? Nothing more interesting happened?"
"Um, no, I don't think so." His face flushed slightly, and he couldn't stop smiling.
"So it didn't work?"
"What didn't work?" Nancy asked, suddenly walking into the kitchen.
"The mistletoe I put next to that blanket mess in the basement before the present exchange."
"What? It was you?" Mike widened his eyes and tried to clean the juice he had accidentally spit over his face.
Karen nodded shrugging. "But did it work?"
"Uh..." Mike suddenly seemed very interested in his waffles.
"It did! You and El kissed under the mistletoe!" Nancy clapped her hands as she jumped on her place.
"Aw my son is growing up so fast! It's like if it had been just yesterday when I had to read you Little Red Riding Hood to send you to sleep!" Karen hugged Mike as Nancy kept on clapping her hands.
"Mom, stop it!"
"Mim, stip it!" Nancy laughed.
"You know, I'm kinda late for something, see you later." Mike stood up from his chair, slamming his hands on the table.
"Are you going to see your girlfriend, Mikey boy?" Nancy wiggles her eyebrows.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Mike's face looked like a tomato, and he took his hands to his face in an attempt to cover it.
"So you're going to see El." Karen said.
"I'm- ugh, I'm late."
"Sure you are. Have fun with El!" Nancy said and soon began making kissy noises.
"Oh my god." Mike opened the door and left, slamming the door behind him.
"He's totally whipped." Nancy said as she sat down next to her mom.
"Totally."
3944 words!
I know this could have been better but well.
I thought about erasing the part in which Ted is an asshole as always but was too lazy to do so.
I didn't proofread either, so if there are mistakes it's because of that or because I didn't know how to write them correctly.