Chapter Text
El's retreated to the fort Mike has once made for her many years ago. Mike has followed her, just stopping short at the entrance and kneeling down to face her.
“Don’t do anything stupid at the crawl tomorrow,” she says as she hides her face in a pillow. Her tone is almost like a playful growl. “I’m already worried about Hopper.”
“Come on El.” Mike says softly. “You know I’m not going to do anything stupid.”
She shakes her head, “I want you to be here with me. Always. Can you please not go later?” In the back of her mind, she thinks, Can’t you just stay here so nothing happens to you?
“That’s…” Mike trails off, before a soft puppy dog look tinges his smile. “Alright. I won’t leave you. Well. Not until Dustin calls for me.”
El frowns, but Mike charges in her space so quickly that it surprises her. “Dont worry–” He says in between soft kisses all around her face while she giggles– “I’ll be okay.”
“You look like a..” El bites her lip, pushing him off softly. “A puppy.”
“A puppy?” Mike says, aghast. “Me? Huh.”
“Yes.” She smiles. “A very cute, very handsome puppy.”
To be honest, Mike’s heart almost explodes, and he struggles to keep blood from rushing to his face. He doesn’t really know how to react to that, considering no one has ever called him handsome before (Or maybe just his mother).
He opens his mouth but El is leaning in. “Mike,” she says.
“What?”
El stares at him, for a second too long, before saying, “I'll kiss you now.”
Mike doesn’t really have time to react, because he knows he’s fucked the second he feels the touch of El’s lips. He crawls deeper into the fort as El lies down and tugs him towards her, soft fingers wrapping around his chin and another hand on his back. He supposes it's good to look like a puppy.