Chapter Text
Mike stared at his reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing himself. His black hair was matted and tangled, his shirt was torn at the collar, his face was covered in dirt, and there were dried blood streaks under his nostrils from using his newfound powers. There was also some blood spatters on his face and shirt that must have come from Vecna's neck when he chopped his head off. Mike did not even notice that there was blood spraying onto his face, only recognizing the relief and exhaustion he felt when Vecna's head hit the ground. His mind flashed to all of the times that monster sent him flying up against a wall, the vines that held his wrists, ankles, and neck. That was when he noticed the bruising around those spots on his body, wincing as he moved his wrists and gently touched the sore spot on his neck.
Even though most of these injuries happened while he was in Vecna's mindscape, they all translated into existence. Mike felt so sore and exhausted, finally taking in everything that was done to him in the past 24 hours. He may have survived with his limbs and eyes intact along with only a few physical scars that would fade overtime, but he would never get the images of Nancy with white eyes and vines around her face, Max with blood streaming down her faded eyes, a beaten and broken Lucas in tears, Dustin with a broken leg and tears falling, a possessed Will with dark eyes, and a bloodied El with red eyes, all of them screaming the most vile things at him. The image of Vecna taking pleasure in trying to kill him was seared into his memory and he did not think that he would ever forget it. Mike had not slept since the first vision, but he was sure that each of them would return in his dreams to haunt him.
No one would ever understand the things he had seen and Mike would not know where to start when explaining them. Not even Max, who had also seen similar visions, would understand. El was in his head too and even though she would try, she would not fully get it. These were things that Mike would have to carry with him until the eventual end of his life, but he was surprisingly okay with that now that Vecna was dead.
The last time he looked at himself in the mirror, Mike felt weak and angry at himself for not doing better for his friends and family. They needed him and he felt like a failure there. Here, as he looked at a battle-hardened version of himself that had seen the worst, he no longer felt weak or angry. He did what a paladin should do for the party, and that was leading them to victory and taking the head of the monster that threatened their lives for years.
Mike was not weak. He was a survivor.
The bathroom door opened and Will stepped in, breaking Mike out of his thoughts. "Hey, we can see her now," he told him.
Mike smiled at his friend and nodded. "All of us together, right?" he asked as he exited the bathroom with his best friend.
"Yeah, I think the receptionist is a bit freaked out by us that she's just gonna let us do what we want," Will said with a chuckle. "As long as we don't get kicked out, that's okay."
"And as long as we can all make sure that she's okay," Mike replied. They walked a bit towards the lobby, but then Will suddenly stopped. Mike furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed and turned around to see his friend looking nervous. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, now worried.
"I'm okay. I'm just..." Will started saying before his voice drifted off. "I've been so focused on making sure that you would be okay and trying to save you that it's only now setting in that... we could've lost you today. And if we lost you, then we would've lost El too. And then I keep thinking about the fact that I could've died too if you and El didn't take away Vecna's powers. When those vines rose out of the ground... I didn't want to accept what had to happen. I really thought I was going to die and I only ended up accepting it because it was better that it was me rather than you and El."
"Will, don't say that," Mike reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It wouldn't have been better at all. You are just as important as everyone else in the party, don't even think otherwise. I was not going to kill Vecna if you were going to die with him. I'm never sacrificing anyone. Never. I'm not going to let my best friend die on me, especially after everything that happened to you. You deserve to live."
Will smiled at him. "Thanks, Mike. It feels good to hear you say that," he said. He then looked nervous again, playing with his hands. "And... you're really okay with... me liking guys?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Mike smiled back at him. "You are who you are. In my party, we don't shut out anyone. Well, unless you betray the party, but you would never do that."
"Of course not, a cleric doesn't go back on his word," Will grinned. They then began walking again back to the lobby and to their friends. "Found him. We're still allowed up, right?" Will asked when they rejoined their friends.
"We've still got the all clear," Dustin confirmed as they headed towards the elevator. "They were about to turn us away since Mike was taking forever, but El, Lucas, and Nancy convinced the receptionist that we're pretty much the only family left here."
"Still nothing with her mother?' Mike questioned, concerned.
"No, we haven't been able to reach her," Nancy said, pressing the button to bring the elevator down. "Mom, Dad, Mrs. and Mr. Sinclair, and Mrs. Henderson, yes. They should be on their way back here to see us now."
"I hope they're all okay," El folded her arms across her chest.
Nancy sighed and nodded. "Me too," she murmured.
Mike, El, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Erica, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin all entered the elevator once the doors opened, everyone in a comfortable silence as they went up to the second floor. Lucas was in the front of the group when they reached the door to Room 237, hesitating slightly as he put his hand on the doorknob. Even though he knew what he would find on the other side, there was still part of him that was terrified that it was all an illusion. El put a hand on her friend's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile that allowed him to gain the confidence to open the door.
When they walked in, she was in the same position on the bed as before, her arms and legs bandaged up and her body under a blanket. Her hair was still in two braids that went past her shoulders and she was still in a hospital gown. The only two differences this time was that her neck brace was gone and her eyes were wide open, her head moving towards the sound of the door opening. Her eyes were still that faded white color that Mike had seen her have in his visions, but there was no blood this time. It was as if she sensed that the people coming into her hospital room was not a doctor or a nurse since a wide smile spread across her face.
"I take it you guys killed that motherfucker if you're here," Max Mayfield spoke.
A sob escaped from Lucas as he instantly ran to her bedside, taking her hand and putting his other hand on her cheek. "Max... I... I can't believe it..." he cried, his lip quivering as he took it all in. "I was here everyday... waiting for you to wake up. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you did."
"It's okay. Really," Max reassured him, still with a smile on her face. "Killing Vecna was more important. I'm just glad you're okay. You are okay, right? I can't see if you are or not."
"I'm okay, we're all okay," Lucas replied. He then let out a soft chuckle. "You're really asking me if I'm okay?"
"Yes! You're the one who faced all the end of the world shit while I was stuck in Vecna's mind and then here!" Max exclaimed.
They both laughed together as tears fell down their faces, Lucas squeezing Max's hand tight as he never broke eye contact with her. "I'm so happy you're alive, Max," he quietly spoke again, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I... I felt your heart stop. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him."
Max gave him a sympathetic and caring look, squeezing his hand back. "Hey, please don't blame yourself," she said in a comforting tone. "I knew the risks and I accepted them. I told you that I survived him before and that I could survive again. I don't have my sight anymore, but I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere. Especially since you promised me a movie date, stalker."
That made Lucas laugh again in pure relief, leaning in and giving Max a desperate but passionate kiss. This sudden action took her by surprise, but she immediately kissed him back. Mike watched them with a smile on his face, thinking back to the conversation he had with Max in the mindscape. She was so upset about causing so much pain for Lucas, but now she gave him his happiest moment in his life. She had also told him that she loved Lucas and Max could finally express it now that the monsters were finally gone from their lives. She did not have to be scared anymore, just like how Mike did not have to be scared anymore either.
Mike and Max were both survivors.
When they broke apart, El ran over to the other side of the hospital bed and hugged Max with tears streaming down her face. Even though she did get her out of the mindscape, actually seeing Max alive and awake made her feel as though everything was worth it. "We did it, Max," she murmured. "He's gone."
"Hey El," Max replied with a grin, leaning into her best friend's touch. "Thanks for getting me out of there and for killing that motherfucker. You never stop being awesome, do you?"
"You're the awesome one. You survived," El replied, pulling away. "And I didn't kill him. Mike did."
Max's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "Mike? Mike Wheeler got the final blow?" she questioned in shock.
Mike laughed as he stepped forward. "It was a group effort, but yes, I decapitated Vecna," he told her.
"It was so cool, it was straight out of a D&D campaign!" Dustin exclaimed as he, Will, and Erica got closer to Max's hospital bed. "He had a sword that Hopper got from Russia!"
Max looked even more confused. "Hopper? Huh? Isn't he dead?" he asked.
"No, my mom and Murray Bauman rescued him from Russia," Will explained. "We do need to figure out how we can explain that away."
"They also got a flamethrower from Russia that Will used to fry those ugly monsters," Erica added. "I'm just surprised that they were able to fit all of that in a helicopter and get it past security on the way back here."
"Anyway, apparently El and Mike went into Vecna's head and did something to block him out from using his powers like the badasses they are," Dustin continued. "Oh yeah, Mike has powers now because of some mental link he has with El. Vecna and Will also had that mental link, so that's why they went inside his head in the first place."
"Vecna actually looked scared too," Will commented, a satisfied smile on his face.
"And then Mike cut his damn head off," Erica finished.
Max groaned and threw her head back. "Ugh, I wish I could've seen it!" she said exasperated. "Well, like I said, that motherfucker is dead and that's all I care about."
Mike then decided to change the subject, tired of the attention being on him and Vecna when it should be on Max instead. "What did the doctors say about your condition?" he asked her. "Your neck cast is off, so clearly some progress is being made. How about your arms and legs?"
"Since I've been out for two weeks, they said that my bones should heal in around six weeks or so," Max told him. "I'll definitely be in for a lot of physical therapy once they remove the casts. My sight... they said it's not coming back. They're too damaged to be repaired on its own or through surgery."
Mike could sense the shift in El's emotions as Max recounted how her healing process would work. Despite Vecna being dead and the Upside Down finally being gone for good, there was still a long road to recovery ahead of Max after the amount of physical trauma she went through. El was still feeling guilty over what happened a couple weeks ago and hearing this news was bringing it back. The casts on the arms and legs would be gone before they knew it, but Max would never be able to see again. There were still permanent scars that would actually be noticeable by others, even by the ones who had no idea what the truth was.
"I'm sorry, Max," El spoke in a quiet voice, rubbing her arm in shame. "This should not have happened to you. I... I should have done more."
Max gave her a small smile. "Like I said, I knew the risks," she reassured. "None of this is your fault, El. Or anyone's fault, for that matter. Not being able to see... sucks, but I'll just have to get used to it. You guys are the reason why I'm still here. All of you."
"You're our zoomer, Max," Mike told her. "We'll always be here."
"And I'll always be here too, paladin," Max replied.
"Does that mean you'll play D&D with us for once?" Dustin asked her.
"Absolutely not, I have better things to do," Max remarked. "Now, tell me everything I missed. If Hopper is still alive, then I clearly missed out on a lot of shit."
Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Erica immediately began rambling about everything that happened since the earthquake. It was definitely a bit overwhelming for Max, but she seemed to look like she was managing to keep up with the four voices, even with them overlapping. Mike had pretty much already told her what he knew and what he experienced back when they were in the mindscape together, so he did not chime in. He thought back to that conversation again, wishing that he was able to have it much earlier. They felt like proper friends now when they were just people that were forced to be near each other before all of this. Mike still hated himself for how he treated Max when she first moved to Hawkins and he would likely never forgive himself for it even if she seemed to, but he was glad that they were on much better terms.
El looked over at him and squeezed his hand, sensing his shift in emotions that quickly went from guilt to happiness, just like hers. Mike smiled at her and squeezed back, the voices of their friends drowning out behind him as he looked at his girlfriend. El stood up from the side of the hospital bed and led her boyfriend out of the room, telling Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin that they would be back in a few minutes. Mike had no idea where she was taking him, but he would gladly follow her anywhere she wanted to go.
The couple ended up outside of the hospital and near the edge of the forest, lying down on the grass as they looked up at the sky. While a few military helicopters were still there, the sky was a clear and bright blue with white clouds in the sky. Such a contrast of what the sky was for the past few weeks since the rifts opened up, being so gloomy with grey clouds that soon became a red storm the angrier and stronger their enemy got. For the first time since November 6th, 1983, it felt as though peace finally made its way back to Hawkins.
"It's so pretty," El commented, her eyes glued to the sky. "I missed when it looked like this."
"Yeah... it is," Mike replied as he looked at her, unable to stop the smile that his girlfriend always made him have whenever she was nearby.
El smiled back at him with a blush on her face. "Do you think my dad and mom convinced them?" she asked.
"The military? I hope so," Mike said, thinking back to when the military had surrounded them after Vecna's defeat. He and Hopper had guarded El from view until the teens could all get out of downtown to get to the hospital to see Max. "Vecna's body was right there and all of the rifts are closed. They'd be complete idiots if they still think you're the culprit."
"I could finally have a normal life," El thought out loud, leaning onto her side to fully face Mike. "I won't have to hide anymore."
Mike copied her position, fully facing El and taking her hand. "That'd be amazing," he grinned. "We could go on more proper dates, like the movies or dinner. I could take you to so many places outside of Hawkins too. Well, maybe not until I go to college, but you can come with me! We could live together in an apartment, I can start saving up now. Hopefully it won't be too expensive since I don't know where I want to go for college yet."
El smiled wide as she listened to her boyfriend ramble. "That sounds incredible," she approved. "Just no college in the desert. I don't want to go back to the desert."
"Oh don't worry, no deserts. I'm not the biggest fan of a shit ton of sand. We could live near a beach, but I don't want to live on sand," Mike chuckled. "A city would be pretty cool. Or somewhere with a little more grass and nature surrounding it. Maybe somewhere with three waterfalls!"
"Three waterfalls?" El questioned, amused. "That exists?"
Mike furrowed his eyebrows. "What? We fought an alternate dimension, fought monsters, you have superpowers, we have a mental bond, and you think that three waterfalls is outlandish?" he teased her.
El laughed at that. "I hope it exists, it sounds beautiful," she replied.
"Anywhere is beautiful when you're there," Mike complimented, making El blush again. He then sat up and El followed suit, holding hands with her. He looked down at the ring on her hand, brushing his finger against it. "And I meant what I said before. I want to marry you someday. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, El. I love you so much and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me."
A gentle and warm hand pressed against his cheek and he melted into her touch with a smile. El smiled at him as she caressed Mike's cheek with her thumb. "I will always have you, Mike," she reassured him. "No matter what. You showed me what a life outside of the lab could be. You gave me my name and a home. Without you, I would not have my family, my friends, or a roof over my head. I know you're scared that I won't need you anymore, but the truth is, I will always need you. I love you, Mike."
It was everything Mike needed to hear, feeling tears come into his eyes as he felt her love radiating from her. "Thank you, El," he whispered as they stood up from the ground together. "I love you too."
Their lips fell together as El brought her other hand to Mike's face while he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Mike never wanted to stop kissing her, wanting to be in her arms for the rest of his life. Any reeling thoughts he had of the visions he was forced to experienced were wiped away in that moment as he kissed the girl that he fell in love with in the rain when he was twelve years old. He thought the last kiss they shared together in the mindscape would be their last, but now they were survivors of an inter-dimensional war that was finally over. There was no sense of danger, whether it was from the government or from beasts from another dimension. It was just them now, and Mike would not have it any other way.
As their lips moved in sync, Mike no longer felt the ground beneath his feet. He did not want to pull away from El, but he wanted to make sure that he was not imagining anything. Sure enough, they were no longer standing in the grass. They were rising in the air, nearing the top of the tree line already. Mike looked at El astonished, unable to believe what was happening before his very eyes. She was surprised too, giggling at the feeling of being in the air. There was nothing but joy and love radiating off of her and it only made Mike smile more and never want to go back down.
"Hey, your nose isn't bleeding," Mike pointed out as he looked at her face.
"Neither is yours," El responded, giggling.
"I told you that you can fly," Mike reminded her.
El blushed at that. "We learned to fly together," she told him.
Mike gave her his signature grin. "Want to go move a mountain next?" he asked in a joking manner.
"Maybe later," El said, moving one of her hands into Mike's curls. "For now, I want to stay like this."
"Perfect," Mike whispered as he leaned in again.
Their lips met again and Mike and El felt themselves lifting higher in the air, no longer afraid of what would come next in their future. They could finally rest knowing that Hawkins was intact, their friends and family were safe, and they could finally be themselves in a world that did not accept them.
As the sun rose higher in the bright and endless sky, so did they in each other's arms.