A/N: The dumping scenes bugs me so much I had to try and fix it. This is my spin on it.

"I dump your ass." El said, a little bit of a sneer on her face.

And just like that Mike was without a girlfriend.

El wasn't just a girlfriend. She was the girl he loved. There was a difference. Max was just Lucas' girlfriend. Who knows how many times she'd dumped him. Nobody who loves you will dump you like that.

But El… she was… well, Mike would die for her and not think twice about it.

He hung his head. He wasn't even sure if he'd acknowledged what she'd just said.

He walked away from bike rack, from his friends.

And from the girl he never wanted to lose again. It had all gone to shit. First Hopper went psycho on him. Mike was genuinely scared of him now. He'd had to lie to El just to keep seeing her.

How screwed up was that?

It was all for nothing.

He could feel the dark closing in on him, as he walked towards home.

"Mike! Wait…"

Mike didn't register who it was, he just kept walking. Suddenly he couldn't move and El walked in front of him and turned to face him.

"Where are you going?"

"Do you really want to know, El."

"Don't lie to me." The sneer was back.

"Ok. I'm going home to cry. There."

"Why?"

"Uh, because you dumped me El."

"But we can still kiss when we are alone?"

"No El, we can't do that anymore. We won't be alone together anymore."

"But…" El's voice wavered a little, her sneer was completely gone, replaced by a little bit of panic.

"...we can still hold hands?"

"No. Don't you know what dumping means?"

"Because boyfriends lie all the time, girls get to dump their ass." El said, proudly using her new found knowledge.

"Max told you that didn't she? She's never really liked me. I lied to you because I still wanted to see you. Hop thinks we are seeing too much of each other. For me it's never been enough. But if I didn't… then he wouldn't let us see each other at all… Now… it doesn't make any difference anymore because you dumped me."

"What does dumping mean?"

"It means you no longer want to be my girlfriend… it means that no matter how much I love you, you don't love me at all.. There's nothing any guy can do about that. So… so I'm going home to cry El. I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you. You know I didn't mean it."

El's lower lip started to tremble, and she said in and quiet even shakier voice, "you love me?"

"Since the day at the quarry. You saved me, and you protected Dustin and I. I should have told you then." Mike shook his head and started walking away he looked back, "I should have told you then… I love you El."

That was the last of his resolve, his breath hitched, and the sobbing started. He wiped his eyes as fast as he could but he couldn't keep up with the tears.

"Mike!" El's own tears had started now. "I didn't know. I'm sorry… can I… can I undump you."

"Only do it if you mean it El."

"I undump you then… because I still want to hold hands with you, and kiss you… because… because, I love you too Mike."

XXXXX

El pulled back from Mike's face… she had started to cry. She looked into his beautiful eyes.

"I killed the demogorgan. It was scary. I was in the Upside Down and thought I'd lost you."

"I closed the gate and I was so scared… that if I didn't I'd never see you again."

"Those were bad… but the scariest thing that's ever happened to me was when you thought I no longer wanted to be your girlfriend. That I could no longer kiss you or hold hands with you."

"It was really scary for me too El."

"So I'm making you a promise Mike. Because I know a promise means that same thing to you as it does to me."

"I promise to be your girlfriend forever. I promise you will never lose me.

El sealed her promise by kissing Mike again.

With all her heart.