"A movie night? I thought the only thing you watch are those trashy soaps?"

El rolled her eyes at Max.

They were alone in the empty coffee shop, Max leaned against the counter, watching El sweep up as she sipped her coffee. She was working late tonight and popped over on her break while El closed up shop.

"Excuse you, I have a great sense of cinematic direction." She ignored Max's scoff and kept going, "besides, you like movie nights!"

"I like good movie nights." Max smirked into her cup.

El scowled. "Hey! Alex and I picked a great movie."

Mike's number wasn't the only phone number she got the other night at Dustin's birthday.

She sighed dreamily and glanced down at her phone as though she could just summon a text from Mike by thinking about him hard enough. Even the thought of the other night made her heart race.

It was just like she'd been daydreaming about for the last two weeks.

Mike chasing after her, breathless, cheeks flushed, hair adorably askew and dark eyes only for her… An excitement so tangible she could almost taste it.

He opened his mouth and:

"Do you want my number?"

Her jaw dropped.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly like she'd day dreamed, but it was damn close on a different scale of utter adorableness.

She could see the embarrassment slap Mike across his cheeks as realization set in, glowing like a huge neon sign that said, "kill me now". She was pretty sure he meant to ask for her number, but she put two and two together.

"I mean—can I have your phone?"

You can have anything! Her hear thrummed under her skin.

The stifled laughter behind her finally snapped her out of it. It was only the sheer mortification on Mike's face that barely kept her from giggling hysterically (because not only was what he just said absolutely adorable, but because Mike. was. Asking. For. her. Number!) Thank goodness she had a killer poker face, because El didn't let anything show.

"I mean—"

"I do want your number, thanks for asking." She saved him from further embarrassment and smiled shyly up at him. Her heart swelled, knowing that he ran after her from the Dungeon, jacketless in late November just to ask her for her number (or, as it happened, offered her his).

She typed his name into her phone, adding the Pterodactyl Arms to the last name form because it would be sure to make her smile every time she saw it.

And sure enough, he laughed when he saw what she'd put his name in as. But the smile slipped off his face when he realized he forgot his phone at the Dungeon, after just having run all this way to ask for her phone number.

Holy Batman was he cute.

"I'll text you, then you'll have my number."

The sigh of relief nearly pushed her over the edge and El just barely suppressed the overwhelming urge to kiss him senseless when she saw how relieved he looked.

After she'd bid Mike goodnight, Will slyly brought up the topic of exchanging cell numbers too, so El had both Will and Alex's cell numbers as well as Mike's.

When El had finally sat down on the subway alone, she'd agonized only for a moment about what to send Mike so he'd have her number. She'd been halfway through typing: Hi Mike, it's El Hopper! When a devious idea came to her.

She deleted the partial text and instead pulled up an air hockey meme featuring the 'most interesting man on earth'.

I don't always score in air hockey, but when I do, I score on myself.

El smirked. It was perfect.

She sent the text without a second thought and was pleasantly surprised when Mike texted her back a skeleton face only a minute later.

She giggled, immediately firing back a winky face.

She didn't get another response that night, but that was okay because El wasn't sure that could handle any more fluttering nerves, the excitement welling and flooding over in her chest.

That night had been less than a week ago, but El still tingled with warmth every time she thought about it.

When Alex had texted her the just this morning about hosting a bad movie night together, El had jumped on it excitedly. Not only to be able to hang out with Mike again, but to also get more time with the rest of the Party who had so firmly entrenched themselves into Max's heart. She knew Lucas's friends meant a lot to Max, so in extension, they meant a lot to El.

"El."

She hadn't gotten a lot of one on one time with the rest of the Party, but hopefully she could change that soon. The movie was a good step in the right direction.

"El."

Finally, she realized Max was calling her.

"Earth to El?" Max called one last time, smirking.

"Are you in?" El asked hopefully, ignoring her friend's knowing smirk.

"Of course," Max drummed her fingers on the countertop, "I wouldn't miss this show for the world."

Somehow, El doubted that Max was talking about the movie. Either way, Max agreed, so she would take what she could get.

.

.

…

Movie at our place on Saturday. Everyone (plus El ;) ) will be there!

The text knocked him on his ass first thing, Thursday morning.

It was from Will, who texted him late last night, but Mike had been working on his application and hadn't glanced at his phone until close to eight AM the next morning.

When he finally saw the text message, it was too late. Will had already messaged the group text chain and everyone confirmed.

Mike tried not to read too much into the winky face, but it made him frown anyways. He knew Will was a smart cookie when it came to people's feelings—Mike was no exception. Especially after the debacle that was Dustin's birthday party, Mike was certain everyone in the Party knew how he felt about El, and it was a little unnerving.

To go from not dating for three years to suddenly 'catching feelings' as Dustin so helpfully phrased it one time, it was, for better lack of words, terrifying. What if El didn't feel the same way? What if he was just reading way too far into their interactions?

And now that the rest of the Party knew that he kind of, sort of, most definitely had a crush on El, Mike knew it was only a matter of time before he was swarmed. His friends seemed to have learned from last time, and despite the annoying knowing looks and the smirks whenever El was mentioned, they largely backed off about the whole dating thing.

Mike also had a feeling that this might have something to do with Dustin's first and second dates with Suzie. Will and Lucas's attentions were elsewhere for now, but he knew this sweet spot would run out soon.

With that looming over his head, and Robin's warnings of not to wait, Mike had come to a conclusion: he wanted to ask El out on a date.

But of course, once Mike reached this conclusion, it became glaringly apparent that he was just not equipped to deal with this.

How should he ask her? Text? A phone call? A carrier pigeon? Nothing felt quite right.

It was a question he mulled over hard, only to still come up answerless by Saturday night. The thought of seeing El and knowing that he wanted to ask her out but not knowing about how to do it sent him into a stressed tizzy all day. He couldn't help but feel like someone walking into a final test who hadn't studied and was completely unprepared.

Finally, when Saturday night came and he was standing outside of Will's door, it was too late. Whatever happened, happened. Hopefully if he did manage to ask El out, it would go better than his attempt at asking for her phone number.

"Hey Mike! Come on in." Will greeted happily, swinging the door open for him.

Mike grinned nervously. "Sorry I'm late, I got held up at work."

It wasn't a complete lie. It had been a very busy day at the precinct, somehow the closer it got to Christmas, the more it seemed like the workload doubled, but Mike had lost track of time while stressing out over seeing El tonight.

"It's okay, Dustin and Suzie got held up too. They said they're almost here." Will said fondly, rolling his eyes.

The two new lovebirds had a successful date on the Friday following Dustin's birthday, and had officially been on a second date before the two decided very promptly that they wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend. It was a surprise how quickly they decided this, but after it had taken them so long to go out on their first date, perhaps it wasn't really that much of a surprise. If they continued at their previous pace, the Party would all be great grandparents before they took it a step further.

Mike threw his coat on the hook and kicked off his shoes before stepping further into the apartment, following Will.

"Hey man." Lucas greeted happily, as though he hadn't seen him just this afternoon.

Mike returned the greeting and exchanged a wordless fist bump with Max, who was lounging on the couch, her legs draped lazily over Lucas's lap.

"Hey Alex." Mike greeted, calling into the kitchen. Alex popped his head out from behind the kitchen counter and waved.

"Hi Mike, El's here too!" He exclaimed, closing the cupboard which had hidden El.

She was behind the kitchen counter, dressed in Will's apron that read 'kiss the gay cook'. She wore a simple pair of leggings and an oversized emerald jumper that hung just so from her shoulder, exposing her collarbone and the creamy skin of her shoulder. Her hair was pulled into a half-up lopsided bun, which jiggled as she spun around to wave.

"Hi Mike." El chirped with a happy grin, a smear of something that looked suspiciously like white chocolate across her cheek.

"Hi El." He greeted, trying to sound cool and composed despite his heart feeling like it was going to burst. "Do you guys need a hand with anything?" Mike offered, stepping closer to the kitchen.

"I think we're just about done in here. Could you take that tray to the living room for us if you wouldn't mind?" Alex asked, pointing a chocolate covered hand towards a platter with delicious looking chocolate treats on it.

Mike noticed Alex also had a smear of white chocolate on his chin, a stark contrast between the darkness of his skin. It kind of looked like a really bad soul patch from the position and shape of the chocolate smear. He tried not to laugh, biting the corner of his cheek to stop the smile.

"You guys are my guinea pigs tonight; I'm trying out some new recipes before Christmas hits." Alex grinned, gesturing to the chocolate balls, "El was kind enough to help me finish."

"It was my pleasure." El said sincerely, doing a silly little bow.

Mike's heart flipped.

"We're just going to make some popcorn and then we'll be right there." Alex explained, drawing his attention back.

"Sounds great." Mike nodded and grabbed the platter from the counter, turning to head back towards the couches. When he turned around, Max, Will and even Lucas turned away and started conversing, like they all hadn't been watching Mike's every move with his interaction with El.

He made sure to shoot them a scowl when he sat down, but was interrupted by the arrival of Dustin and Suzie.

"Hi guys." Suzie greeted cheerfully, her cheeks rosy from the cold and eyes sparkling with excitement. Despite having only just gone out on two dates together, and officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, Dustin and Suzie reminded everyone of an old married couple who'd been together for fifty plus years. It was adorable yet sickening how cute they were.

By the time Dustin and Suzie had said hello to everyone and got settled, Alex and El appeared with the bowls of popcorn.

"Is everyone ready?" Alex asked excitedly.

"I'm just going to run to the washroom." Mike hopped up and headed towards the hallway.

He was back in a minute and a half flat, but when he walked back into the living room he realized he really hadn't thought this through.

Suzie and Dustin cozied up on one end of the three-seater while Alex and Will cuddled on the other. Even Lucas and Max were all comfy looking on the loveseat, Max's legs draped across Lucas as he absently massaged her calves.

That left…

Oh no.

The round chair in the corner.

The chair Will himself nicknamed "the cuddle chair", because it was literally impossible not to cuddle in it. It was round, a nest chair—Mike vaguely recalled.

Of course, the seating arrangement was logical. The others would want to sit with their significant others and Mike had been a fool to think otherwise. But he honestly thought one of the other pairs would take the aforementioned "cuddle chair", leaving the loveseat or half of the couch for he and El (the seventh and eighth wheel, respectively).

He thought wrong.

He wasn't among friends; he was in a den of wolves.

Lucas, Max, Will, Alex, Dustin and even Suzie waited to see what he would do, their smug gazes watching him panic. Mike realized the only chivalrous option was for him to take the floor and for El to take the chair. He didn't mind, he was adaptable that way.

Before Mike could offer the chair to El, she returned from the kitchen, popcorn bowl in hand.

"Looks a little cozy." El looked at the chair and back to Mike with an unreadable expression. "I don't mind taking the floor if you want the chair."

Shit. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"Oh—er, no I can take the floor, you should have the chair." Mike disagreed politely.

"The chair is big enough for two people." Will called helpfully. The innocent twinkle in his eyes was total bullshit.

"Why don't we share the chair then?" El offered, "better than one of us be on the floor."

What could he say to that?

If he still insisted sitting on the floor, El would think he didn't want to sit close to her. And it's not that Mike didn't want to sit next to El—if anything, it was the very opposite. But this had clearly been a setup—and he was so going to get back at his friends for this.

Mike knew when it was time to admit defeat. "Deal."

She wordlessly handed him the popcorn bowl before she crawled onto the chair and got settled.

Mike handed her back the bowl of popcorn before it was his turn to climb onto the chair. He quickly found out there was no possible way to sit in this chair without being pressed up against the other person from shoulder to calf. He tried to minimize the contact, not wanting to make El uncomfortable, but realized that this just wasn't an option.

"Do you have enough room?" El asked when he kept squirming.

Mike flushed. "Y-yeah." He nodded while mentally cursing his best friends. He stilled, not wanting to bother El with his movements. She seemed at ease, popcorn bowl propped in her lap, hip flush against him. He tried not to think too hard about how his body felt like it would spontaneously combust at any moment.

"Are you ready to have your minds blown?" Alex asked excitedly once everyone settled in.

"What's this movie called again?"

"Birdemic: Shock and Terror."

And before anyone could protest, Alex and El shared a grin and pressed play.

There was no way to describe it other than:

Awful.

The movie was awful, but it was one of those so-bad-it's-good kind of awful. Awkward acting, story lines that made no sense whatsoever and a cheesy script, it had them all laughing or groaning, and Mike had to admit, it was fun.

By the time the "birdemic" part of the movie began (which was way, way, way further into the movie than anyone would have anticipated), everyone was laughing so hard they could barely breathe. Lucas actually fell off the couch with a loud thump.

Mike tried to focus on the movie, but every time El laughed it sent a shiver down his spine. They were sitting so close together that if he turned, it would be nothing to kiss her—and this was a thought he was entirely too aware of.

After a while, when a few particularly cringe worthy scenes passed by without a peep from El, he glanced down at her to see what was going on.

She was asleep. Her eyes were closed, her head rested against his shoulder, breaths quiet and deep.

Everything in Mike screeched to a halt and it wasn't until his mind urged him to resume breathing that he even realized he was holding his breath.

Cute, cute, cute!

How could one person be this cute? Her managed to rip his eyes off of El and tried not to move as he fought to return his attention to the movie. She mentioned she had a busy week, so she probably needed the rest and he was loathe to wake her.

The movie ended only twenty minutes later, and still, El hardly stirred even as everyone else began to talk about the movie.

"Why didn't you warn us, El?" Dustin groaned loudly.

There was no response.

"El?" Dustin sat up to attention, peering over towards the nest chair.

"Shh." Mike held up a finger to his lips as quickly as he could while taking care not to jostle El. "She's sleeping."

Max sat up with more interest this time, a grin like the Cheshire cat stretched across her lips. "Aww! So sweet." She cooed, snapping a photo deftly with her cellphone before he could react.

"Is El one of those people who can fall asleep anywhere?" Lucas asked, eyebrow raised.

Max nodded. "Yep. One time I caught her falling asleep, standing up at her kitchen counter."

"Wow," Will's eyebrows shot up, "that's impressive."

"I talked to her for five minutes before I realized she was asleep."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"Oh, it's late Dustybun." Suzie glanced at the clock on the wall, "I have to go in to the office tomorrow morning. Walk me to the station?" She batted her eyelashes hopefully at her now boyfriend.

Lucas snickered at 'Dustybun', but Dustin looked completely besotted and therefore did not care (although he did hold up his middle finger in an almost mindless gesture to Lucas).

"Sure." He hopped up, pulling Suzie up from the couch.

"We'd better get going too." Lucas agreed, "should we wake up El?"

Max shook her head. "Let her sleep for a minute, we'll help clean up and then Wheeler can wake her up."

Mike stared at Max, wide-eyed. Before he could protest, the remaining Party members were up and helping tidy the living room, leaving him and El alone.

He sighed and glanced down again at El, who was blissfully unaware of the situation.

"El?" He whispered, hating to break that comfortable silence. She didn't respond at first, so Mike very gently reached down and shook her shoulder. "El, it's time to wake up."

"Don't wanna." She sighed, like she wasn't fully awake yet, but somehow aware enough to answer him. He couldn't help but smile.

"The movie is over. Everyone is getting ready to head home."

She made a small, sleepy noise of affirmation, like she was listening, but she was also on the precipice of drifting to back to sleep. It was the cutest noise he had ever heard.

This was a scene Mike could get used to. El, dozing against him, curled up and soft and relaxed. It made something in him ache.

"Would you like to go on a date with me sometime?"

It slipped out. Mike wasn't even sure if he heard himself right, and then a cold dose of reality crashed over him when he realized that holy shit he just asked El out.

El didn't respond right away, but she shifted as though she were trying to get more comfortable on his shoulder. His heart sank, until she sleepily said:

"I'd love to."

Heart hammering in his chest, he nearly melted at the little smile on El's lips as she dozed against him. She was stunning. He tried not to move, despite feeling like he needed to get up and do a dance—or shout from the rooftops that El had said yes! They were going to go on an actual date!

"Okay Wheeler, time to wake up sleeping beauty." Max quipped, returning from the kitchen.

He just barely refrained from jumping. Still, it didn't stop his face from turning red under Max's sharp gaze. Had she heard him ask El out?

She seemed to take pity on him. "I'm going to go get my coat on. Could you get her up? Thanks."

Mike sighed in relief when Max turned back around and headed towards the foyer.

"El. It's time to go." He shook her a little more this time, though just as gentle.

Finally, El groaned and her eyes opened. She blinked sleepily, looking up at him and focusing on his face. For a moment neither of them moved, he could see the confusion in her gaze before it morphed to understanding and El relaxed against him again.

"I fell asleep, huh?" She sighed and stretched, looking around the room. "Whoa, the movie's done?"

Mike grinned. "Yeah, thanks for that, by the way." It was a marvel that he could string together a sentence around El right now. Was she going to ask him about the date? Should he bring it up?

"What?" She said innocently, "Birdemic is a national treasure."

Mike snorted.

"El, you'd better be moving that sweet butt of yours!" Max called from the foyer of the apartment, clearly out of patience.

"I'd better get going." El said reluctantly, "thanks for letting me nap on you."

"No problem." Mike said, heat rising in his cheeks.

They somehow managed to untangle themselves from the 'cuddle chair' without too many awkward moments.

By the time they managed to make it to the front door of the apartment, everyone else was bundled up and ready to go, leaving El and Mike to hurriedly put on their coats and hats.

"Thank you so much for hosting the movie night." El thanked Will and Alex with a hug, "I'll have to host next time. We can watch Birdemic two."

Alex grinned, while everyone else groaned in response.

"Next time you make me watch another movie like this, we're playing a drinking game." Dustin grumbled good naturedly.

El's eyes lit up. "I have just the movie in mind."

"That's what worries me." Max rolled her eyes, "now let's go."

They finished saying their goodbyes to Alex and Will and headed downstairs. Mike desperately tried to think of a way to bring up their date, but the closer they got to the glass doors of the apartment entrance, the more he realized he was running out of time.

Maybe El hadn't really heard him?

His heart sunk in his chest.

Of all the times to ask El out on a date… he had to choose the moment when she was probably asleep.

He was an idiot.

.

.

...

At first, El thought it was a dream.

A really, really good dream.

"Would you like to go with me on a date sometime?"

Mike's low, earnest voice seeped into her dream like warm honey.

She sighed. I'd love to.

The next thing she knew she came to, leaning against his shoulder. He had this indescribable expression on his face as she blinked sleepily, trying to piece together why she was waking up beside Mike (not that she minded one bit). It wasn't a bad expression, in fact, quite the opposite. It made her feel warm all over.

Too soon, they were forced to move from the chair, El only mildly embarrassed that she fell asleep on Mike and missed a good chunk of the movie. At least she'd seen Birdemic before and admittedly, it was a great nap.

Mike seemed to grow just a little distant in the time they said goodbye at Will's apartment building front door, like he was folding in on himself. She wasn't sure what had happened in such a short period of time, but El was already looking through her stash of funny photos and memes to send one to him and cheer him up.

"So." Max rounded on her as soon as they climbed into Lucas's car. "You're going on a date with Wheeler." She grinned.

"What!" Lucas and El both exclaimed at the same time

Max blinked in surprise. "Why are you surprised?" She directed her question to El.

"Wait," El gasped, surprising the heck out of Lucas, "that wasn't a dream?"

Max groaned and turned around in her seat. "No. It was real. So cute it almost made me nauseous. You really thought it was a dream?"

"Wait a second, back up a little—Mike asked you out on a date?" Lucas said excitedly, peering at El in the rear view mirror.

"I thought I was dreaming!" El squeaked, running her hand down her face in mortification. No wonder Mike had wilted.

"I knew you liked Wheeler." Max crowed victoriously.

"And I knew Mike liked you!" Lucas said excitedly, waggling his eyebrows at El in the mirror.

El flushed at Lucas's words. She suspected... because otherwise why would he have asked her on a date? But the confirmation was a really nice boost.

"I do." She confirmed, "he's really cute."

"Awww." Lucas and Max chimed, both unable to stop grinning.

The rest of the car ride Max and Lucas had mercy on her, letting her off the hook to process the excited, dreadful pounding of her heart. Forty minutes later, she was sitting in her bed, idly fiddling with her phone.

In the end, El decided to call him. There was something inside her that urged her to do this now. She needed to clear this up, because she couldn't have missed her chance with Mike.

He answered on the sixth ring.

"Hello?" His voice was thick with sleep and El glanced at the clock.

Shit, she hadn't realized what time it was. By the time Lucas and Max dropped her off it was shortly after one. No wonder he sounded tired, he probably got home before she had and was in bed.

"Hello?" Mike repeated once more, this time confused.

"H-hi! It's me, El."

There was a pause.

"El?" Mike repeated, surprise tinging his voice. She could hear the whisper of fabric as he shifted. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great." El assured him hurriedly, trying not to focus on how her stomach swooped at the concern lacing his voice. "I just uh… I had to call you and ask you about our date?"

"Our date?" Mike repeated, his voice cracking. He sounded much more awake now.

El's heart sank. Had she been dreaming? Had Max been wrong?

He let out a breath.

"I thought you were asleep and didn't hear me." He chuckled, but it was breathy with nerves.

El giggled, equally breathy as she lay down on her bed, phone cradled against her ear. "I was kind of asleep? I thought it was a dream. A really good dream."

His breath hitched.

"Do you have something particular in mind for our date?" She asked curiously, barely stumbling over the 'd' word.

"I was thinking… we could go skating in the park? And maybe get a hot chocolate after?" His voice was tentative, like he was worried she wouldn't like the idea.

He couldn't be more wrong.

"That sounds amazing." El agreed happily, fighting the strangest urge to scream into her pillow with excitement.

She was going on a date with Mike.

Wow.

This was the most excited she had ever been about a first date. It was a foreign feeling, a Molotov cocktail of nerves mixed with excitement.

"It's a date then." He said huskily, the low tone of his voice made El's head swim. What was he doing to her? "Are you free Friday?"

"Friday is good." El confirmed, even as internally she lamented about how far away Friday feels. Six days. How is she going to make it six whole days knowing she's going to be going on a date with Mike?

Mike made a noise of affirmation, but neither moved to say goodbye.

"It was really nice to see you tonight, Mike." El admitted into the phone, somehow feeling slightly braver without the face to face.

"Same here. Except, you know, seeing you, not me." Mike stumbled over the words awkwardly.

El giggled, but then realized she should let Mike go because it was nearing 2:00AM in the morning and she was going to be a zombie tomorrow if she didn't head to bed.

"I guess I should let you get back to sleep." El said quietly, rolling over. She could hear Mike shift on the other end of the line.

"You should get some sleep too. If you're not awake to make Mayfield her coffee, who knows what will happen." He teased.

"For the good of the precinct, I'll go to sleep." El agreed, smiling ear to ear.

"Goodnight, El."

"Night, Mike."

Finally, they hung up and El flopped over on her bed, grinning.

She could get used to saying goodnight to Mike everyday.

.

.

…

"You what?"

Dustin gaped at Mike in amazement.

Will dropped his sandwich in surprise.

It was only Lucas, who knew this already, who grinned and nodded like a proud mama bear.

"I asked El out on a date and she said yes." Mike explained again, slower this time.

"When did you ask her out?" Will asked excitedly.

"At the movie night." Mike mumbled, cheeks tinged pink.

"Yes!" Dustin fist pumped excitedly, "I knew you liked El!"

He said it so loud, he was sure that everyone in the precinct must have heard him. The four friends were having lunch in the break room, Will had his afternoon free and decided to drop by for lunch when Mike had texted everyone that he had some news.

Mike ducked his head in embarrassment. "Say it a little louder next time."

"You know I will gladly rent a bullhorn and shout it from the rooftops if you wanted me to buddy." Dustin grinned.

"Never mind that," Will said impatiently, "what are you doing for your first date? And why does Lucas clearly look like he already knows? We need all the details."

Mike shot Lucas an incredulous look. "How did you know?"

Caught on the spot, Lucas decided to come clean. "El might have let it slip in the car ride home the other night."

"She did? What else did she say?" Mike asked earnestly.

"She might have said that you're cute." Lucas grinned when he got the desired reaction and Mike turned bright pink.

"Really?"

Lucas nodded.

"Details, please! You're killing me." Will whined.

Mike finally seemed to snap out of it, and gave an apologetic smile. "We're going skating in the park and then grab some hot chocolate after."

Will and Dustin pretended to swoon.

"So romantic." Will sighed.

"We're happy for you, man." Dustin said sincerely.

"Thanks." Mike smiled warmly, looking somehow both extremely nervous and excited all at once. "So Will, how is the new job going?" He clearly was done talking about the subject of him and El for now, and everyone let the topic change slide.

Lucas had known about Mike asking El out for three days. He knew Mike could be a very private person ever since his breakup... and at first Lucas wasn't sure if Mike would tell them before the date, but he was glad that wasn't the case. It had nearly killed him to keep tight lipped about this, but Max warned him to let Mike tell them in his own time.

It paid off. Seeing Mike so excited like this was a really good change. He never wanted to see Mike the way he was after his breakup again. But, if El's reaction in the car was anything to go by, El felt the exact same way and Lucas definitely didn't have to worry.

He smiled.

It was going to be a good week.

.

.

…

It didn't really sink in that she was going on a date with Mike until the day before their date, when he texted her a shy reminder and to "dress warm".

All week they'd been sending silly memes back and forth, or "how was your day today?" kind of texts, but the topic of the date was largely laid on the backburner, for which she was grateful. The week would have been a wash if she thought too hard about their date and as it is, the text left El in a dizzying state of euphoria, excitement and nervous nausea because holy shit, she's going on a date with Mike.

All day long Friday she drove Kali up the wall with her flittering, too-excited movements in the kitchen and her giddy non-stop smile.

Finally, an exasperated Kali snapped at her to "go home and get ready for your date", because she's wasn't getting anything done at the cafe. El obliged, heading home to begin prepping for the evening.

Luckily, Max was available to help her not freak out.

"You could wear a flour sack and you'd blow Wheeler's mind." Max snorted from her seat on the edge of El's bed.

"Not helping." El whined, desperately rifling through her closet like she had nothing to wear.

Max flopped over on the bed. "Okay, you're going skating, right?" So that rules out anything too fancy. You need to dress warm… so go with something cute, but that you can comfortably sweat in."

El stared at her friend, like a wide-eyed deer in the headlights.

Max sighed and lurched up off the bed. She gave El a gentle push out of the way and expertly dove into her closet, pulling out a dark maroonish purple sweater dress with a turtle neck and a pair of black plain leggings. She tossed them over her shoulder to El, who caught them with a small fumble.

"Where's that pretty pair of gold earrings you wore the other week?"

El pointed dumbly towards her dresser.

Max quickly pinpointed the small lacquer jewellery box and rifled through it, fishing out the simple but eye-catching pair of gold dangling earrings with a circle and crescent shape and placed them aside.

"Now, where's your cute bras?" Max asked, glancing over her shoulder at El.

El's jaw dropped. "Why?"

"Oh please," Max snorted, "I see the way you look at Wheeler. I'm not saying you guys are going to hop into bed on the first date, but it's good to be prepared if that's what you end up wanting."

El blushed but said, "third drawer down"

Max dutifully rummaged through the drawer, before deciding on a lacey black (but not too over the top) bra and matching set of underwear. Again, she tossed the clothing to El.

"Call me when you're dressed, and we'll do your hair." Max said, walking out of El's bedroom before she could say another word.

El's heart swelled so large for a moment she choked up. She was so lucky to have Max as a friend.

She got dressed quickly and called Max back into the bedroom, surprising her by tackling her in a hug as soon as she walked back through the door.

"You're the best." El gushed, squeezing the startled Max close.

"I know." Max tried to say with her usual snarky bravado, but her cheeks were flushed and she looked pleased.

Once they parted, Max motioned for El to sit on the edge of the bed so she could reach her hair.

As Max began to divide the sections of El's hair, she asked, "so you really like Wheeler, huh?"

It was a quiet, earnest question and El could detect the underlying question within the question.

El knew she was pretty tight-lipped about her past romance; it had taken her a long time to tell Max even a fraction of what had happened with her previous relationship… she squashed the thought down before it could take root.

Tonight was not the night for that kind of thought.

Most of all, El trusted Max. She maybe hadn't been very forthright in admitting her feelings, but that needed to change. She trusted Max completely.

"I do." Els heart skipped a beat at the admission, "I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long time, and we haven't even gone on a date yet."

"I'm happy for you." Max said quietly, but El could hear the sincerity in her voice, and once more El marveled at how lucky she was.

A few minutes passed and they talked about other things, catching up here and there before Max finished.

"Done." She said happily, stepping back. "Go have a look."

El got up from the ground and went to the mirror at the corner of her room. Max had outdone herself. It was a tight, beautiful Dutch braid, Max had left just a few tendrils to frame her face.

"It's lovely, thank you." El crowed happily. The braid would be perfect for skating, to keep her hair out of her face.

"Wheeler's head is going to pop off when he sees you." Max grinned in triumph.

El giggled before glancing at the time. "Shoot, I should get going pretty quick." Max had really worked her magic, distracting her from freaking out about the date.

Max and El quickly prepped to leave the apartment, walking to the subway together before they finally parted ways, El trying to fight the breathless excitement welling her chest and threatening to overwhelm her.

"Have a great date." Max bid El happily with a hug, "text me how it went later. I don't need to know all the details though." Max waggled her eyebrows suggestively, with a grin.

El laughed, "you're awful."

With that, Max got on the train and left El to head the rest of the way to her date alone.

El boarded the subway train and just as she sat down, her phone beeped.

She drew it out of her pocket and snorted. It was a text from Kali.

It only said:

Get it, girl.

El planned to.

.

.

...

Sheer nerves propelled Mike to arrive at the park bench he and El were meeting at nearly a half hour early. He wanted to make absolute certain that he was there on time, having thought of all the things that could have delayed him from getting to their date on time.

The subway could have broken down, all of them. The buses too. Or maybe a water main would burst and he wouldn't be able to get around the water as it got higher and higher!

Of course, none of that happened and he was just ridiculously early.

As six-thirty crept closer and closer, he practically vibrated with nervous excitement. How did people even date anymore? It had been three years since Mike had done anything like this. That was a lifetime in dating years. What if he messed up?

All week long Mike had been looking forward to his date with El. He was glad he told Lucas, Dustin and Will about the date earlier this week, and of course they were elated for him.

This morning, Lucas pretended to wipe a tear from his eye and said, "my little boy is all grown up."

That was nothing compared to Dustin, who bought him his very own copy of Flirting for Dummies.

Will, the wisest of them all, just wished Mike good luck. (What Mike didn't realize was that Will slipped a pamphlet into his back pocket with a "be safe" health guide to sex and dating, complete with courtesy condom, and he wouldn't find this out until much later).

Despite all their trolling, Mike knew his friends wished him well.

"Were you waiting long?"

Mike looked up and promptly forgot how to be a person.

El looked beautiful. Stuffed into her fluffy blue coat, she wore a black beanie and pink, chunky knitted scarf. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, but her eyes twinkled in excitement.

He practically jumped off of the bench when he realized he'd stared at her for a moment too long.

"No!" He blurted out, and then corrected himself, "I mean, no. I haven't been waiting long." It was a little white lie, but it was his fault for arriving a half hour early.

El smiled. "I'm glad."

He couldn't help but smile back, the nerves within him somehow simultaneously quelling, and exploding all at once.

"Ready?"

She nodded happily. "Lead the way."

The two took off at a leisurely stroll, heading towards the centre of the park where the ice rink was setup.

"How was your week?" Mike asked, desperately trying not to focus too hard on the fact that they were on a date. If he thought too hard about it, he was definitely going to panic and that was the last thing he needed right now.

"My week was good! Busy, but good. Yours?"

"It was good." Mike agreed with a soft smile, "I've been working on an application so that took up a lot of time."

El looked to him in curious interest. "An application? For what?"

Mike flushed under her gaze. "Er… It's nothing really, I'm just applying for a position that opened up in the precinct in the cyber crimes division."

It was silly, Mike had been working in the IT department for a few years now, while simultaneously taking courses whenever he could once he learned that he was genuinely interested in cyber crime. When the opportunity opened up at the station, Will, Lucas and Dustin persuaded him to go for it. But the application was a brutal, soul crushing process as most applications were.

"That doesn't sound like nothing, that sounds awesome! I'm sure you'll do great." El said sincerely, leaning against him for just the briefest of moments as though to press home how much she did believe in him.

"Thanks." He said bashfully, and then he did a double take as the ice rink came into view.

The rink was beautiful. It was in the centre of the park, soft, glowing lights were strung from the trees and lamp posts. The centrepiece was the towering lit Christmas tree in the middle of the ice. Soft holiday music played from the large speakers, combined with excited chatter and laughter from people skating, or the leaning against the outer railings of the rink.

"Wow." El breathed beside him, drinking in the twinkling lights and the festive atmosphere.

Mike, looked back down at El and couldn't help but silently agree.

Wow is right.

"Should we go get our skates?" She asked, pointing towards the booth to the right of the rink. It was modeled to look like a ski chalet, the words 'Skate Rentals' in big blue cursive letters hung on a wooden sign directly above the concession like window.

Mike nodded and they went to stand in the small line of people. Luckily the rink wasn't too busy tonight.

Once it was their turn, they ordered their skates in the proper sizes. At the exact same moment El and Mike reached for their wallets.

"I've got this." Mike assured El, who hesitated. "I invited you out, it's my treat."

El pinkened and put her wallet away. "Thanks. I'll get the hot chocolate, okay?"

He grinned. "You drive a hard bargain."

She laughed.

Once he finished paying for the skates, they found an unoccupied bench not too far off and sat down to lace up.

"When was the last time you went skating?" El asked as they laced up their skates.

Mike paused, trying to wrack his brain. "I think… maybe two years? It's been a while. You?"

"I've only ever skated one time before." El admitted nervously, eyeing the ice. "I slipped and fell so hard I couldn't sit down for a week."

Mike's mouth moved into a tiny "oh" of surprise.

"We can do something else if you want to, I don't mind." He offered immediately.

El shook her head determinedly. "I want to. I just might need a little help is all."

"I can do that." Mike agreed, relieved.

El blushed and looked down at her skates. "Thanks."

A few minutes later, Mike stood first and took a few tentative steps, making sure his skates were tight enough.

El did the same, and gave a satisfied nod once she was happy with the results.

He led the way to the ice, stepping out carefully with one foot, and then the other. It didn't take him very long to get the feel of it again. He turned around and held out his gloved hands to El, his heart made strange little leaps between its steady rhythm.

Warmth tingled in his fingertips as she caught his hand in hers and held. She stepped onto the ice tentatively, like a newborn deer gaining its legs, she wobbled onto the ice, holding on to Mike's gloved hands like a lifeline.

"Okay, I got this." El was so focused on moving her feet across the ice, it was a really good thing Mike was steering the both of them. He never let her hands go, maneuvering them around the other skaters. They didn't go fast, but eventually El could look up from the ice.

"Where did you learn to skate?" She asked after she was finally able to concentrate on a little more than her feet.

"Nancy taught me and Holly when we were younger." Mike admitted, embarrassed.

El didn't let that linger.

"That is so sweet." She gushed, "where are your sisters now?"

"Nancy is in New York, she's an investigative journalist. Holly is in her second first year of university in Indianapolis."

El nodded, "they sound wonderful."

"You might get to meet them soon," Mike remarked without thinking. He panicked, realizing that meeting his family might sound too serious too soon and he really didn't want to spook her. "I mean—if you'd like to. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Mike." El smiled fondly, drawing him out of his panicked rambling, "I'd love to meet your sisters."

"Oh." Warmth spread down his spine and to the tips of his toes, "okay."

She smiled, and then said, "want to race?"

Mike looked around the rink and then at El, surprised. "Are you sure?"

Her legs still wobbled a little, but El held strong to her conviction. "I think I've got the hang of it."

She most certainly did not have the hang of it.

As soon as El released one of his gloved mittens, she lurched, her feet sliding out from under her. Luckily, Mike managed grab her, but unluckily, it threw them both off balance and they landed in a slow, awkward fall on the ice with a grunt.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked worriedly, quickly peeling himself up off the ice while trying to check over El for any injuries. She was shaking, and it took him a moment to realize she was laughing.

"Okay, so maybe I'll hold off on the racing for now." El giggled as Mike hauled her up.

"You're competitive." Mike said in a teasingly accusatory tone.

"Guilty." El grinned, "you win this round."

Mike laughed, and they resumed their slow, steady pace around the ice.

For nearly forty minutes they did lazy laps around the Christmas tree in the centre, talking about work, or more on Mike's application, or about how El and Kali got into the coffee business. Mike almost forgot they were on their first date, he was so at ease. Talking with El was like breathing. It was like he didn't need to be anything but himself around her.

She only toppled over two other times, luckily neither of the falls were hard and she always laughed it off. Their gloved hands stayed joined the whole time, even as El purchased hot chocolate for the both of them and they took a break by the wall of the rink.

Once they finished their hot chocolate, Mike and El coasted to a stop in front of the towering Christmas tree, pausing to admire the view up close. It's perfect. The beautiful, lit tree and strung lights were a picture perfect backdrop against the fluffy, gently falling snow.

"Beautiful." El breathed, before blinking in surprise when a big, fat snow flake landed on her nose. She looked up, craning her neck to watch the fluffy snow.

Before Mike realized what was happening, El flailed as her skates slipped out from beneath her, her centre of gravity thrown off as she looked up. He moved unthinkingly and snagged her around the waist, steadying the both of them.

"Don't fall for me just yet." Mike teased, parroting her words from the party that seemed so long ago.

He thought he got the drop on her, but like always, El seemed much more composed than he was.

She leaned in close, her breath fanning against his ear, "too late."

His breath caught in his throat.

El smirked in reply, curling her fist almost sensually around his scarf. Before he realized what she was up to, she tugged his scarf, bringing his face down to her level. For a breath, their eyes met. His heart thumped hard in his chest, but he knew he would have get used to feeling like his heart was about to burst whenever El was around.

Their noses brushed, and Mike's lashes fluttered closed as she slowly pressed her lips against his. She sighed against his lips, her breath intoxicating. She tastes sweet, like hot chocolate and spice and something distinctly El.

His hands move of their own accord and he cupped her face, eliciting a surprised squeak from her.

"Your gloves are wet." She giggled against his lips. She reached up and caught his gloved hand in hers, breaking the kiss reluctantly. She looked up at him with a dazed expression that made the breath whoosh right out of his lungs.

After a moment, he realized he was still staring and blushed brightly. "Oops."

"It's okay." She assured him, "I think we're both soaked, it might be time to turn in the skates before we catch a cold." She glanced towards the skate rental booth.

Between the multiple spills on the ice and the gently falling snow, Mike and El were damp. It would only be a matter of time before they caught a chill at this rate, but Mike never wanted this night to end.

"Can I walk you to the station?"

El perked up at that, smiling brightly. "That would be great."

He returned her smile and led the way towards the rink exit. It didn't take them long to unlace their skates and turn them back in. By now, Mike noticed El begin to shiver from the cold, so it was definitely a good time to head home.

"May I?" He motioned putting his arm around her, and El clued in pretty quick. She nodded and he gently wrapped his arm around her while they started to walk. The little sigh of content she let out when he pulled her close almost made him melt into a puddle there and then. Her shivering subsided as they slowly walked towards the station.

It didn't take long to reach the station, but at least it was warmer in the underground than it was outside.

"I had a great time tonight, Mike." El said shyly, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink.

How had he gotten so lucky?

"I had a great time too."

"Would you…" El and Mike started and stopped at the same time, and then laughed.

"You first." Mike grinned, his stomach flipping excitedly.

"Would you like to go out again sometime soon?" She asked, her dark gaze hopeful.

Mike swallowed thickly. "I would really like that, El."

There was something in her gaze that made his stomach swoop, and this time he presses his lips against hers. It's short, and sweet, El's eyelashes flutter closed for a split second before he pulled back, the familiar chime indicating the train is about to arrive interrupting them.

"You really know how to ace a first date, Mike." El blinked dazedly.

He blushed, speechless.

The train pulled up, and El surprised him this time by pecking him on the cheek as she turned to go. "I'm really looking forward to the next one."

Holy hell, he was too.

He stood, rooted to the spot until the train moved from the station, El waved at him from her seat on the train as it zoomed by.

On his way home that night, Mike was fairly certain he freaked a number of people out because he was smiling so hard.

.

.

...

For the rest of the week, Mike's life could only be described best by the title of Belinda Carlisle's song: "Heaven is a Place on Earth".

After Mike and El's first date, they'd fallen into a comfortable routine with talking to one another. Every morning he texted El, and almost every evening she would call him to ask how his day was.

Their next date was scheduled for Friday night, they were going to order takeout and watch a movie. The pre-Christmas run up always seemed to be nuts no matter what job you had, but El was especially busy. It would be a good way for both of them to relax, and Mike was already looking forward to it so much.

There was only one, inexplicable snag.

Mike didn't understand why, but lately he felt as though he'd been getting the stink eye from Captain Hopper, and he couldn't figure it out. They'd been pretty timely with their IT tickets, fixing what needed to be fixed as fast as they were able, they hadn't gotten in the way of any of the detectives (except for maybe Max, but she didn't count).

Finally, things came to a head when Hopper, for the third time that week, assigned Mike overtime without really saying why.

And then, it hit him. Mike realized that Hopper must have heard the rumour that he had the hots for him! That would make anyone uncomfortable. Heck, the idea still made Mike shudder. So, after a briefing one day, Mike decided to talk to the captain.

"Sir," Mike began hesitantly once he'd finished briefing the captain on any IT concerns.

Hopper gave him a scowl in response. "What is it, Wheeler?"

"I know you must have heard the rumours that I have the hots for you," Mike blurted out, noting how Hopper's eyebrows raised nearly into his hairline. He kept going, otherwise he would never be able to bring this mortifying topic up again. "I need to assure you, that I do not, and I cannot say this enough, I do NOT have the hots for you."

There was a long, horrible moment of silence.

Hopper finally leaned back, let out a strained sigh and said: "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I just assumed the rumour was about you and my daughter."

Mike stared.

Hopper stared back.

"What?"

"My daughter." The captain said slowly, "you took her skating? About this tall? Brown hair? Brown eyes? Is any of this ringing a bell for you yet?"

No words.

No words would come to his lips. Mike opened his mouth, and then closed it several times.

"What?" He croaked.

Hopper rolled his eyes and picked up a framed photo from his desk, plunking it down right in front of Mike.

"You're dating one of my daughters, Wheeler. Did you really not know?" Face unreadable, Hopper pointed to one of the young woman in the framed photo. It must have been taken several years ago, but it was unmistakably El.

El: as in the girl Mike had been crushing on for the month and a bit.

El: as in the girl Mike had finally just managed to work up the courage to take out on a real date.

El Hopper (apparently): as in, the captain's daughter.

Holy.

Shit.

A strange, strangled noise between a croak and a squeak wheezed out of Mike. He slowly sank down into his seat.

Hopper eyed him impassively, mercifully giving Mike a moment to collect himself.

How had he not known? Why hadn't he ever asked El's last name?

Well, Mike knew the answer to that. He was so busy being amazed that El was giving him a second look that he hadn't thought to ask that question. Besides, it hadn't come up naturally, and it would have been a strange thing to ask all of a sudden.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?" Hopper prompted.

"I—uh…" What could Mike even say to the captain now? He wracked his brain, trying to think of some of those 90s romcoms Nancy and Holly used to make him watch with them, specifically the key scene where the romantic interest would ask a girl's father permission to date his daughter.

"Sir—I um… I'm dating your daughter. I mean, I took her out on one date and I would like to take her out on more?" Mike's voice came out higher than he would have liked, and the way his voice cracked made it sound more like a question.

Hopper remained silent, neither encouraging him to continue, nor discouraging him.

"I uh… would like permission to—"

Hopper held up a hand that demanded silence.

Mike obeyed unthinkingly and shut his mouth.

"My daughter is capable of making her own choices. As Kali and Detective Mayfield has reminded me time and time again, El is, and I quote, 'a strong, independent woman who don't need no man'."

It was by far one of the strangest things Mike had ever heard come from the Captain's mouth.

"Thank god." Mike slumped in his seat in relief, asking for Hopper's permission to date his grown daughter felt incredibly strange. He straightened a little when he realized that Hopper was still staring at him.

"I mean, I completely agree. About the strong, independent woman thing, sir. El is amazing. She's… she's jus—-"

"Geez kid, just because you don't need my permission to date my daughter doesn't mean I want to hear you get all mushy for crying out loud." Hopper sighed, running a hand down his face as

Mike went beet red.

"Will this affect your work?" Hopper asked a moment later.

"No sir." Mike shook his head vehemently.

"Let's try and keep our relationship professional for as long as we can." Hopper sighed, "I don't need to be having you over for Sunday brunch anytime soon you hear?"

Mike nodded.

"Dismissed. Let's never talk about you dating my daughter again."

At Hopper's dismissal, Mike nearly made a run for the door, in a state of semi-disbelief that he was still alive.

"One last thing, Wheeler." Hopper's voice stopped him cold.

Mike turned around nervously. "Yes sir?"

"You're never going to live down the hots for Hopper thing." Hopper grinned evilly.

"I know, sir." Mike sighed.

Hopper's laughter followed him across the bullpen.

.

...

A/N: Thank you for your lovely comments, you really made my day!

Apologies for the late posting on this chapter, I had a brain melting head cold that impeded my editing process. When you type the word "skating" in a sentence six times, you know it's time to call it quits.

Hope you enjoyed! If you have a minute, let me know what you thought about this chapter! 3