It was a cool November afternoon in Hawkins, and Mike and El had been biking for what seemed like ages.
El had no idea as to where they were going, all she knew was that there was something Mike was not telling her. Something she felt was strange, considering he doesn't usually keep secrets from her.
"How much further, Mike?" El whined loudly, making sure he heard the annoyance in her voice.
"Not much, I promise." He responded
"Uggghhh." El groaned back at him, and Mike could only laugh. She made the funniest noises when she was annoyed. 'Why was he keeping secrets?' El thought as she biked closely behind him.
They made their way into the forest which surrounded the road. El began to wonder what was so important that Mike wanted to show her here?
The leaves had been changing from their bright green hues into their orange and red tones. Fall was probably El's favorite out of all of the seasons. She loved the colors, the weather, and getting to spend more time inside, drinking warm cups of cocoa with Mike or Hopper.
They made it at least 10 feet outside of the tree line, leaves crunching beneath their feet, when Mike stopped his bike.
"This is it." He said squinting up toward the sky, feeling the sun shining down on his freckled skin. El's heart began to race, a strange fluttering feeling in her stomach arose as she watched him from a few feet back. She found herself feeling this way the more she was with him, and she did not really understand it fully. She remembered the first time she felt it. Her head was still shaven, as she watched him clean her face, admiring his kind dark coffee colored eyes.
"Yeah, pretty. Really pretty."
He said kindly. Her heart skipped a beat, as she smiled at the mirror , eyes glued to her own reflection for a moment.
Or when she saw him at the snowball.
She passed through the double doors of the gym and at the beautiful decorations as well as the lights which twinkled above her like stars in the sky, until her eyes landed on Mike, standing awkwardly at the other end of the gym, adorned in a tan colored suit jacket with a blue sweater vest underneath, staring at her slack jawed at the sight of her.
"You look beautiful."
He said softly, as El looked down at the floor, shyly accepting his compliment. Her heart felt as if it were coming out of her chest, and her stomach was doing flips.
And those kisses.
Oh those kisses were something else. They destroyed her, and she couldn't help but watch herself crumble as his lips met her own. The aftermath always left her dizzy, feeling as if she were gasping for air, but knowing she was breathing just fine. It was a feeling she never wanted to end or forget any time soon.
"We came all the way out here for this?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she approached him, walking her bike along side her, walking toward where Mike was standing.
"What? You mean you don't recognize it?" He asked turning his head to face her.
She looked around, scrunching her face as if she were trying to remember why this place was significant.
"No, not really." She said, sounding defeated, looking back up at him.
Her eyes glinted just right off of the sun to make the most incredible amber color, with flecks of gold and dark brown coming through, making Mike weak at his knees. Her eyes felt like home.
"Well, this is Mirkwood, the place where we first met. Three years ago." He said softly, looking around until meeting her gaze again.
She remembers it like it was yesterday. A cold autumn night, but it was raining hard, and she could barely see.
Her mind was racing, and her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage. Her thin limbs covered only by a t-shirt and her shaved head were completely bare and she felt almost frozen by the cold rain falling hard from the sky, until she saw an almost dizzying bright light. She ran toward it, hoping it was someone who could save her. She ran until she was a couple feet away from them, and could make out three figures but couldn't really tell who they were. Her heart kept pounding heavily in her chest, out of fear that these were the "bad men."
Something, probably a loud noise, made them shift their flashlights off to one side, and El could finally see who they were. Three young boys, about her age, stood huddled in a group. One with the hood of his raincoat up over his head, the second with a bandana, and the last one with a white, red, and blue hat. She didn't want to go back, she couldn't, and so El decided to make herself present, stepping out of the brush. She had no idea who he was at the time, but she was sure he was going to help her no matter what.
And it was a decision she would never regret.
El shook herself out of her thoughts, looking up at Mike, still wondering about their fateful encounter that night.
"You okay?" Mike asked brushing a piece of her wavy short hair out of her face. His eyes searched her face in worry.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." El responded quickly.
"About what?" Mike prompted back. El paused for a moment to put her thoughts together before continuing.
"Do you think it was fate that brought us together?"She asked, with a curious look.
Mike considered her question for a few seconds. 'Was it fate?" He thought for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what to say.
"Maybe it was. If I hadn't gone out looking for Will, I wouldn't have found you. " He said giving her a small smile.
"Are you glad you found me?" She asked, moving closer and wrapping her arms around him. His hand gravitated back toward her face and cupped her cheek, his thumb gliding across with ease, and his long fingers played with the hair at the back of her head.
"Of course. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He said, softly and with purpose.
She smiled up at him admiring the small dots of freckles which spread like constellations across his cheekbones and nose.
He kissed her without a second thought, pressing his lips softly into hers. A wave of warmth rushed over both of them, instantly curing the cold they had felt on their journey to Mirkwood.
They separated from their kiss, and stood together in comfortable silence, admiring the beauty of the changing leaves.
She smirked up at him, her amber eyes beaming with delight, still embracing him in her arms, never wanting to leave.
Mike and El left Mirkwood, arms around each other as they walked with their bikes, but not before carving their initials into to a tree to commemorate the time that fate brought them together.
