Mike had his arm wrapped around Alex's waist, the boy's head laying on his shoulder. There were FBI agents and government officials running past them and into the burning mall where the creature lay. Alex wasn't paying attention to anything that was going on, letting Mike wrap around him like a warm comforter. They both had large towels and blankets around them, drying them off and keeping them warm.
Alex wasn't exactly processing the fact that he had just saved the world, and he didn't want to. Things were so insane right now, and he didn't want to think about it. He just wanted to be in Mike's embrace, breathing in his scent, listening to him hum ABBA. And that's exactly what he was doing. He could hear somebody walk up to the two of them, trying to get his attention, but he didn't want to move.
"Al," Mike said, lifting him up softly. He whined, not opening his eyes and latching on to Mike. "I need you to open your eyes for me, it's your mom." Alex's eyes shot open. There stood Maggie Riley, tears in her eyes and fear in her face.
"Mom," he cried, grabbing onto her and pulling her into a hug. It wasn't too long that Nancy and Karen were running forward to Mike. He still couldn't quite believe that any of this was actually happening. He peeked over at Mike, and Mike was looking at him with a smile on his face. Alex pulled away from his mom and cuddled back into Mike's side. Looking around now, his eyes open, his heart rate quickened and his breath caught in his throat. Mike grabbed his face, forcing him to look at him.
"You're okay, it's okay," he said. He watched as Eleven ran into Hopper's arms, a few of their friends walking over.
"Alex, are you okay?" Steve asked, sitting next to him. This time, he wasn't sure that he was, feeling Justin walk forward and wrap his arms around him.
"You know what," he said, pulling back from Justin and looking around at them. "No, no I'm not." He said, looking down and closing his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. He leaned into Mike's side, feeling arms wrap around his body. He smiled contently, flinching when he heard the loud sirens from the fire trucks and the yelling of government officials. Mike tightened his grip, and he could hear muffled voices and footsteps fade away. When he opened his eyes the only people still there were Nancy, Steve, Karen, Mike, and his mother.
For the first time when he closed his eyes, he didn't see that thing, he only saw black. His mind was clear and not full of thoughts that gave him migraines. He smiled to himself as he felt Mike kiss his temple, telling any officials to fuck off. He even did his best to make sure that his mom didn't ask too many questions about what was going on, what happened, or how close the two of them were at the moment. Mike just said it was because they were close and he was tired, and that they were at the mall and there was a fire. That's what Mike said happened. Karen believed him, but Maggie didn't. At least not about them just being "close".
Alex couldn't focus on that, he just focused on the sound of Mike and his friends from a distance. He giggled softly, almost inaudible, when he heard Steve try to explain to his mom how they were friends. He felt Mike take his hand from under the towel, and he tried to hide his blush in his boyfriend's shirt. He smiled even wider when he realized something, he had fucking powers! He giggled, putting his face in his unoccupied hand and running his fingers through his hair. Mike looked at him, confused, and he whispered in his ear what he was laughing about. Mike smiled, interlacing their fingers and squeezing his hand tight.
The boy couldn't quite explain it, but that squeeze told him everything that he needed to know. Mike didn't need to say anything, and neither did Alex; they both knew exactly what the other had to say. He could see a bead of sweat trickle down the side of Mike's face, and when he looked at him, he squeezed back. Mike let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in, looking down at Alex and wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss him. Oh, wait, he did. He was leaning in and pressing his lips against Alex's.
Alex pulled away, eyes wide, flicking his eyes back and forth between Mike and their parents. Mike pulled away, a frown on his face, then Alex smiled. He lurched forward, smashing their lips together in a searing kiss. Mike smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Alex's waist and pulling their chest flush together.
They didn't care about the people glaring at him when they pulled apart, all they cared about in that moment was each other. They stared into each other's eyes, and Justin pointed out when he walked over that you could see hearts in them, gagging as he said so. Will rolled his eyes, letting Justin put his arm over his shoulder. Ron walked over to the two, and Will pushed Justin's arm off, but Alex and Mike didn't see that. All they saw was each other, and that's all they wanted to see. Maggie had a confused and slightly disgusted look on her face, while Karen had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.
Mike and Alex knew that they were with the right person, and they knew that everything was just how it was supposed to be. It was finally over, and they were together. They weren't worried about their parents or the cruel world, they weren't worried about anything. The only thing they could think about was the smiles on their faces and the tears in their eyes. They leaned in again, kissing softly, earning a few rolls of the eyes.
"You guys are so gross," Lucas shouted, earning a slap in the back of his head from Max.
"I love you, Al." Mike said.
"I love you too, Mike," he said, kissing Mike again.
