Inspired by The Greatest Showman (I love that movie)
Dedicated to XStaarry_NightX who also loves this movie.

AN: THIS IS AN EXTREME VERSION OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF HOPPER DIDN'T APPROVE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. REMEMBER THIS PLEASE

(Age 15)

"You are too young to have a boyfriend!" Hopper shouted. El had tears streaming down her cheeks and Mike's eyes were cold and glaring at him. "You are not allowed to date Wheeler!"

"But I love him!" El cried, sobs racking at her chest.

"Bullshit," Hopper said, "You spent years in a lab with barley any human contact; you don't even know what love is because you're just an experiment!"

El's eyes grew wide, as if she had just been smacked in the face. The room went deadly quiet.

*record scratch*

Let's go back to the beginning, shall we?

*rewind noise*

After the Snowball, Mike and El had gotten closer. They had caught up for lost time and spent more time together and with their friends who had fully excepted her into the party as the Mage.

El always felt sparks in her stomach whenever she was with Mike. His eyes were always happy and just hearing his voice made her smile. Mike was thrilled to have her home and with him again. Now that she was back, the hole in his heart was healed and he felt complete.

A few months after the Snowball, they had gotten extremely close. Everything had changed that one spring night when Mike had walked her home.

"Thanks for walking me home Mike," El said softly as they walked along the path.

Mike grinned, "Its not a big deal El. I would walk you home any day; I mean, if you needed me to."

The back of his hand brushed against hers, making the sparks shoot up between them. Mike slowly locked one of their fingers together. El smiled softly and watched as he intertwined their fingers, one by one until they were holding hands. She swung their arms slightly, making him chuckle and pull her closer than she already was.

They slowed down as they approached her cabin, and slowly released their fingers. "Goodnight Mike." El whispered softly in the darkness.

"Goodnight," Mike mumbled, subconsciously leaning in closer to her.

She immediately leaned in closer until Mike finally pressed his lips against hers. It was the 5th kiss they had had together, but is one felt different, as if a wave of new feelings had hit them. His hand rested on her lower back while her fingers brushed against his shoulder.

Their lips lingered for a minute before Mike nervously mumbled, "Has Nancy explained to you what dating is yet?" A sudden wave of confidence hit him.

El nodded her slightly in the darkness as Mike thought about his next words. "I-I like you. I mean, like-like you. I like you in a more than friends way, in a dating way; I'm messing this up, aren't I? Shit, I just-"

"Mike, stop rambling," El smiled, slightly please that she had gotten to use that word.

"Do you maybe want to hang out with me at my house tomorrow? I mean, just us. Alone. Like, only if you want to though."

"Are you asking me on a d- da- date-?" El asked quietly, still struggling with that word and others too.

Mike nodded, his cheeks red. "Okay." El said simply before kissing his cheek and going inside her cabin. Mike grinned and began walking home.

And that was the day their relationship become more than a friendship.

Three weeks later

It was official, or unofficial; Mike still wasn't sure. He and El had started dating about a week and a half ago, but hadn't told anyone yet, not even their friends.

You see, Hopper had apparently made it clear to Mike that El was not allowed to be in a relationship. But that didn't stop them from being together. If Hopper found out, he wouldn't hesitate to forbid El from seeing Mike. That was their fate, written in the stars.

They were currently in the cabin together. Mike had snuck in to visit her and they were cuddling on her bed. Hopper wasn't supposed to be home for hours, or at least, that's what Mike and El supposed.

"Mike?"

"Yes El?"

"Why can't we tell him about us yet?" El asked softly, 'him' referring to Hopper.

Mike sighed, "We aren't all allowed to date, El. Hopper "made it clear" that you weren't allowed to be in a relationship, but I like you too much to not be dating you."

"What if he finds out?" She asked nervously, playing with the strings on his hoodie.

"We will be in trouble, obviously. But we'll find a way to be together, even if we have to rewrite the stars to do it." Mike replied, taking her hand in his. "And remember, if he ever does, we say it's a code red."

"Rewrite the stars?" El asked, confused, "How can you write stars again? I thought the stars are really high up in the sky; we can't reach them."

Mike chuckled, "Its kind of like a metaphor, El. It means that we will find a way to kind of change the story and make it work for us, to make everything okay. What I meant was, if something goes wrong along the way, we will find a way to fix and change our story."

"Just don't leave me."

"I wouldn't leave you El, I lov- care about you too much to let anyone, even Hopper come between us, even though he might kill me." Mike wrapped an arm around her as her eyes fluttered closed.

"I won't let him kill you, promise." El mumbled, making Mike smile and pull her closer.

In their minds, they had plenty of time before Hopper would come home and expect to see a house without only one person in it. But as they both fell asleep, the thought of the time escaped their minds. Their minds were only filled with thoughts of each other; officially realizing that they were both safe, and home, and perfectly okay.

Neither of them heard the familiar sound of Hopper's truck slowing to a stop in the front yard or the slam of the door after he had walked inside and immediately began looking for El.

"Hey kid, I'm home!" Hopper called, as he wandered around the house, looking for the young girl. "Where are you El?"

El opened her eyes and sat up tiredly. She heard Hopper's voice calling her, but quickly realized that Mike was still with her. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table; 5:21

"Mike! Mike, wake up!" El whisper-yelled and shook his shoulders.

"What- what's wrong?" Mike said groggily and sat up. El clamped her hand over his mouth and pressed a finger against her lips.

Mike's eyes went wide with realization and nodded. She pulled her hand away and whispered, "What do we do?"

"I'll climb out the window and leave."

"What if he hears you?"

"He won't El. I'll see you later," Mike said and kissed her lips quickly before climbing out the window.

El quickly climbed on her bed just as Hopper opened her bedroom door. "Hey kid, how are you?"

"G-good!" El grinned as Hopper closed her door.

His eyes landed on her desk, "Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

"No. Why?"

El's eyes widened as Hopper picked up one of the hoodies that Mike had El borrow that day. "Isn't this Wheeler's?"

"N-no, it's not Mike's."

"Eleven, why is this here?" Hopper asked.

"I borrowed it," El mumbled and used her powers to pull it out of his hands. She pressed it against her cheek, quickly inhaling the scent that lingered on it.

"Wait a minute, are you dating Wheeler?" Hopper asked suddenly, taking El by surprise.

"What, no. I'm not." El said, trying to remain calm.

"Don't lie to me kid," Hopper stuck his head out the open window. "I told you that you weren't allowed to date and you broke the rules!"

"We aren't dating!"

"Then why is the window open, huh? And why are there footprints in the dirt outside your window?" When she had no answer, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the living room. "Call Wheeler over right now."

El obliged shakily and dialled the number. As it rang, she silently prayed that no one would answer. But unfortunately, Nancy did. "Hello?"

"H-hey Nancy. C-can I, um," She took a deep breathe, trying to ignore Hopper who was glaring at her, "Can I talk to Mike, p-please?"

"Yeah sure, El. Is everything okay? Your voice is wavering."

"I-I'm... I'm fine Nancy." El desperately wanted to tell Nancy what was happening, but she knew, deep down, she couldn't help El.

"Okay hold on a minute." Nancy replied, "Mike! Get down here!"

Mike mumbled something before grabbing the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi M-Mike."

"Hey, El. How are you?" Mike said calmly, playing along with their original plan to act natural.

"I-I need you to c-come over, n-now." El stuttered, on the verge of tears.

His tone instantly changed, "What's wrong El? What happened? Are you okay?"

El met Hopper's eyes and burst into tears. "C-code red." She managed to mumble as she cried, now deeply afraid.

"No no no no. He found out?" Mike asked. Between them, 'code red' meant that Hopper had found out about their relationship. "I-I'm coming over." He hung up the phone and turned to Nancy who had been listening the entire time.

"Me and El have been secretly dating cause Hopper wouldn't let us date but he just found out and I have to go to the cabin and if I don't make it back by dinner, Hopper killed me. Understood?" Mike said suddenly.

Nancy blinked, "Okay, One, I KNEW IT! Two, just stay calm and if things get too bad, bring El here." She placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, "Good luck."

Mike sighed and walked outside to his bike. He stood it up and began riding it to the cabin, his fingers tapped against his handle bars nervously. He was nervous, but he was more worried about El. He cared about her more than anything. Mike loved her, but he wouldn't tell her, not yet.

The bike rolled to a stop in front of the cabin and he dropped it onto the ground and slowly walked up the steps to the door. He knocked 3 times on the door, then 5, then 3 again. 353. El opened the door slowly and immediately wanted to cry again when she saw Mike. Her eyes were red and puffy and her fingers were shaking slightly. Mike walked inside and closed the door.

"Wheeler-" Hopper started but Mike ignored him and wrapped his arms around El tightly.

"Are you okay?" Mike mumbled, and she nodded into his shoulder before pulling away and wiping away some of her tears.

"Okay that's enough," Hopper said strictly, "Wheeler, are you dating El?"

Mike nodded slowly, "Look, I know you said she couldn't date but-"

"She isn't allowed to date! I set that rule for a reason, kid. She's too young and she doesn't need a boyfriend right now."

"Sir, I care about her a lot! I swear that I won't hurt her. I... I think I love her."

"You are both kids. You don't know what love is." Hopper scoffed. "I made it clear that she isn't allowed to have a boyfriend, end of discussion!"

"P-please no!" El shouted, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I am not letting you have a boyfriend! You just got out into the world and you don't need to date someone right now!" Hopper shouted.

"I love him!" El yelled, tears had begun to run down her face. Mike was taken back for a second from her words. She loved him back?

"You don't know what love even is!"

"Please!" Mike and El shouted in unison.

"No!" Hopper argued.

"You aren't my dad, I don't have to listen to you!" El cried, and reached behind her to grab Mike's hand.

"I can send you back to the lab in 2 minutes, do you want that? That way you'll never see Wheeler again!" Hopper said coldly.

"Hopper, don't say that to her-" Mike said coldly, and stepped in front of El.

"I don't have to listen to you kid. And how many times do I have to say it, huh?"

And this is where we came into the story

"You are too young to have a boyfriend!" Hopper shouted. El had tears streaming down her cheeks and Mike's eyes were cold and glaring at him. "You are not allowed to date Wheeler!"

"But I love him!" El cried, sobs racking at her chest.

"Bullshit," Hopper said, "You spent years in a lab with barley any human contact; you don't even know what love is because you're just an experiment!"

El's eyes grew wide, as if she had just been smacked in the face. The room went deadly quiet. Hopper suddenly realized what he had said and his eyes widened slightly.

"Y-you think I-I'm just a-an experiment?" El's voice broke as she met Hopper's eyes.

"Kid, I-" He started, but El grabbed Mike's wrist and pulled him out the front door. Hopper walked towards the door, but El slammed it in his face using her powers.

She let go of Mike's wrist and ran through the trees, tears streaming down her face as Mike ran after her. El finally stopped near a row of trees and fell to her knees, crying. Mike knelt next to her and pulled her into his chest, hugging her tight. She immediately welcomed his warmth and buried her head in his shoulder as his hands rubbed her back gently.

"Shh it's okay, calm down El. I'm right here, I'm here." He kisses her head gently and held her close as the wind blew gently around them. "You promised to not let Hopper kill me; and look, I'm still alive."

El laughed through her tears and wiped her cheeks. Her bloodshot eyes met his warm ones and she had to resist the urge to smile, but failed and did so anyways.

"What do w-we do, Mike?"

"We rewrite the stars. Like I told you."

She shook her head, "H-how?"

"We break the rules and say that we are together. No one will keep us apart, that way. You were the one I was meant to find El. That sounds really sappy and cliche but it's true. I'm staying with you, even if Hopper doesn't let us. I called you for 353 days El, because I care about you that much, okay? Even if we have to leave the country or you move in with me, or if we have to change our names and move to Canada or something, we'll stay together, I promise you. That's how we will rewrite our stars. We weren't supposed to be, but we are, and nothing will change that."

"M-Mike," That was all she could say as she leaned forward and kissed him gently.

Their lips lingered for a minute before Mike mumbled, "You are staying at my house, okay? You aren't going back home until we change the story and make it all okay." El nodded slightly as Mike helped her to her feet. "I'm not losing you again, El. Even if this isn't the way the story was supposed to work, this is how it is. And now, we started rewriting this, to make it all okay for us, just like I told you."

To be continued...

So this was kinda different from what i usually write. It's more of a realistic dating oneshot.

2600 words, damn.