Warning: this chapter contains smut. This will be the last time though, so don't worry if that's not your ting.

Chapter three: Responsibility

It was just after 10:00 when Mike arrived at the Byers-Hopper house, he had to park a few yards away so as not to be seen with the bright headlights of his car. He turned off the car, put his keys in the pocket of his jacket, and stepped out into the mid-September night.

While Mike couldn't believe just how much change his life had gone through in a single day, he could honestly say he was okay. Sure, there were a lot of things he'd have to do the next day, but right now all that had been on his mind was El and their baby. But how could they not be?

He constantly thought about the gender of the baby, the beautiful image of El with a big belly, and the family they'd have not too far in the future. It was exciting and scary, but only scary 'cause Mike thought he'd mess up being the best dad their kid deserved. He knew there was gonna be some trials and tribulations along the road, but his only focus was the destination, which was being exactly all that El deserved in the end. It was something he struggled with daily, being what El deserved, but he worked hard at it, never letting her feel alone or left out. He always had his eyes on her to make sure she never felt bad, he could read her easily and it worked to his favor the many times when the rest of The Party was oblivious to El's pain.

Mike kept his distance from the house, walking a big circle around to the back, where El's window was. They spent a lot of time here, just on the steps talking, whether it was just them or not. He was almost like her diary, he held so many of her secrets and thoughts she wouldn't share with anyone else, he figured it helped them get closer over the years. And he always felt like her protection was his top priority, the few times Troy and his goons would make the mistake of exclusively picking on El, Mike would flip his shit, usually giving out flurries of punches to each mouthbreather like it was candy.

No matter what trouble he got in for it, it was really worth it when he knew that she was safe, and the thankful hugs she'd give him kept him from losing hope in the world.

Mike made it to El's window and tapped with his index finger lightly, trying so hard not to be loud. He could see a shadow move from behind the curtains that obscured his view to the inside of her room. After a few more back and forth's from the figure, the curtains were moved aside and Mike's heart melted at the sight of El wearing a beautiful, bright smile. Her face given an angel-like glow from the moonlight. She brought her hands up to the glass and slid it up and open, taking a second to grab her overnight bag since it was a Friday and Joyce would've let her sleep in, locking her door just in case. She threw the bag out to Mike's waiting arms, he slipped it on and got closer to help El on her way out the window. They held hands and ran back to Mike's car, breaking into laughter once they reached it. The thrill of the night making their hearts beat a little quicker.

They shared a long, passionate kiss as a greeting, her hands in his hair and his on her waist, holding her close. They broke from the kiss with dreamy sighs and matching smiles, then got into Mike's car and headed to his house.

It was weird how they got here, Mike thought.

They had just made it to Mike's room, the hardest part (sneaking in and up the stairs without waking a single soul) over. The second Mike's door closed, they looked over at each other and heaved a sigh of relief. The teens held eye contact for a few seconds before they both went in for a kiss, Mike dropped El's bag and placed his hands softly on her hips. El's grip on his shirt tightened as the kiss deepened, she felt her knees go weak at the tingly feeling he gave her lips.

Being in the moment, Mike picked El up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, not once breaking the kiss, it was as if they had done this many times before. She wrapped her arms around his neck to secure herself, then tried to pull him closer, like she was trying to fuse them together.

They stayed there near the door until Mike's arms began to tire out, not wanting to drop her, he brought her over to the edge of his bed and sat her down, pulling back to rip his shirt from his toned body. El looked up at him hungrily and he didn't take a second longer than needed to come back down to kiss her soft lips, laying her down further on his bed, he hovered over her.

Her hands slid lovingly across his upper body, mapping out all that she could reach with her tingle-inducing fingertips. One of Mike's hands slid up El's thigh slowly, leaving a burning trail in its wake, it soon disappeared under her skirt and he pulled back from the kiss once more to give her a questioning look. Is this okay? the look seemed to say, she just bit her lip and nodded frantically, her eyes widening slightly. God yes! her eyes replied. And with that, Mike yanked her skirt down, still being careful not to hurt her.

Mike peppered sweet, loving kisses across every inch of her face and neck, her breath hitching when he reached a spot between her jaw and neck. His hands reached the hem of her shirt and he swiftly lifted it as he once more broke from the kiss, much to El's annoyance. He sat her up and she undid her bra, only having one sexual experience with her in which he didn't take the time to learn.

She slid the bra from her body and Mike's hands found her chest almost immediately, cupping each breast and giving them equal amounts of toe-curling attention as their mouths crashed together in a heated kiss full of love. Their tongues moved in a passionate battle for dominance, Mike losing to El for a few seconds until he'd slightly tighten his grip on her chest, sending electric currents through her body and making her sigh into his mouth.

He reluctantly pulled away from their heated kiss and traveled down her body, focusing on her collar bone, then moving to her chest, leaving burning kisses all over each breast and in between them. Her hands had found their way into his hair, pulling slightly when a particular kiss drove her a little more mad than the rest, guiding him to make her feel euphoric. Mike left a lot more loving, lingering kisses on her stomach, she noticed, a sweet smile unable to leave her face as she massaged his head adoringly.

Things were getting really heated now, Mike was getting closer to her center and he was driving her crazy with how good his lips felt on her burning skin. His hands left her thighs to grab the waistband of her panties, slowly pulling them down her long, shapely legs. He could feel her heat on his neck as he continued to go lower, it took all he had to not just pounce her, but this was for her, he was going to make love to her.

Mike kissed her bare mound and thighs teasingly, only kissing close to her soaked honey lips, eliciting a whine from El as she got impatient with him. He finally relented and ran his tongue up her slit, testing the waters first. He wrapped one arm around her left thigh and found her hand with the other, lacing their fingers together.

Mike went with his instinct and began at the top of her lips, unintentionally finding her clit immediately, making El cry out and tighten her thighs around his head. He went lower and moved his tongue in experimental movements, poking here and circling his tongue there, he repeated only what made her shiver, gasp, or tighten her grip on his hand and hair. He was content with giving her so much pleasure, finding it excruciatingly maddening when she'd cry out his name. He finally made it to the bottom of her pussy and found her opening, tracing his tongue on the edges of her hole, sending her over the edge in an instant.

"O-ohh... MMMike, oh god, I'm cumming!" she said suddenly as she began to quiver in the throes of her powerful orgasm, her toes curling and her thighs trying to hold him still while he continued to lap at her juices.

He crawled back over El's body and gave her a loving kiss as she continued to spasm, little by little regaining her composure. She found that she didn't mind the taste of herself on Mike's tongue, she was reminded of honey or the syrup she'd occasionally drown her eggos in.

Her jerks finally tapered off as Mike just held her close to him, she looked up at him lovingly and gave him a grateful kiss, reassuring him that he'd done a perfect job of giving her pleasure.

She wanted to return the favor and have him bring her to cloud nine again, so she ran one hand down his pants, over his crotch. He seemed to have been surprised and quickly took her hand away, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "No, El, that was for you. We don't have to," he said resolutely, though she could tell his eyes held so much desire. El was kind of annoyed that he didn't let her make him feel good, so she knew she'd have to do a little convincing on her part.

"Mike, it's okay, I want to... Make me feel good like you did over summer, I want you, Mike," she said softly, but surely. She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he decided, she gave him a little push and caressed his groin. He jerked a bit and she giggled, then bit her lip at him in what she hoped was sexy and seductive.

"Okay, okay, let's do it," he said with a chuckle as he kissed her lips. "Wait, can we even... You know? With the..." [yes, it's perfectly safe for the baby as long as the mom has no conditions or sum like dat] he trailed off after breaking from the kiss, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I read in one of those Cosmopolitan magazines that it was fine, even at nine months," El smiled at him and continued to rub him through his jeans. He surprised her when he rolled them over from their sides so she was on top, but she was pleased with taking control and setting her own pace. She leaned down to kiss him again, her hands working at his belt.

When she finally got it, El got up a little to allow him to slide both his pants and boxers down, kicking them off and throwing them to the floor. Her soft hands found his throbbing cock and wasted no time pumping him, earning a groan from Mike.

Mike held onto her hips for dear life, he was already so close. Thankfully, she stopped as she lined him up with herself. He looked up at her and their eyes met, his hands found hers as she began to sink onto him, his dick disappearing inch by inch inside of her. She sank slowly and Mike could feel her squeezing him, moaning as he continued to go deeper.

Once he was fully inside her, she just stay there, getting used to his size. He decided to reach over and play with her clit, making her shiver and squeeze him a little tighter, both their breaths hitching at the heavenly feel of one another. He could feel her begin to relax and her grip on him loosened, but not by much 'cause she was naturally tight.

She began to move a little, just rocking her hips back and forth, then lightly bouncing, her breaths coming shorter as her desire took control of her movements.

She then started to bounce higher and higher as he continued to play with her clit, watching the beauty in front of him as her lovely breasts bounced with her. He removed his hand from her love button and grabbed one of her tits, her head falling back as she was slowly nearing the end.

Mike could tell by her rapid breaths and frantic bouncing that she was close, he was surprised that he had lasted this long, to begin with. El was panting heavily now, she wouldn't bounce as high and kept swiveling her hips every now and then, bringing them both addicting amounts of pleasure. She didn't want to stop, but she could tell she didn't have that long so she began to quicken the pace, Mike's bed creaking ever so slightly as her hips moved in a blur.

Knowing she was close, Mike let go of her breast and once more began to rub her nub furiously, wanting her to have an amazing orgasm since he didn't think he could last much longer either.

It was beginning to be too much for her, her vision was blurring and she was moaning much louder, repeatedly saying his name like a mantra.

Then it hit her, it erupted from her core and seemed to reverberate through her entire body, vibrations of pure ecstasy driving her crazy. She stopped moving her hips, but Mike kept thrusting up a little as he shot into her like a geyser, intensifying her orgasm. She collapsed onto him, holding on for dear life as she continued to spasm and shake. Mike wrapped his arms around her as he shot one final rope of hot cum into her, causing her to squeal lightly.

They were both panting heavily, it felt as if they'd just ran a marathon. Mike and El were exhausted and too deep in a state of euphoria to do anything but lie there, basking in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Mike was the first to come down from his high and rubbed at her back, occasionally caressing her perfect ass, one hand running through her hair. He could feel her smile into his chest, which caused him to chuckle. "So, it was good then?" he asked jokingly, looking down at her with nothing but love in his eyes.

"Mmm, god yes! Even better than the first time," El sighed dreamily and looked up to kiss him as thanks, he slid out of her in the process and she whimpered into his mouth. Even after they broke from the kiss, they just lay there staring into each other's eyes, finding nothing short of the happy future they both hoped for.

They finally got into a more comfortable position, after cleaning up Mike's mess running down the inside of her thighs, and happily drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, El awoke with a bright smile. She had the cutest dream where Mike was playing in the back yard with their son, somehow she knew it was gonna be a boy, he had Mike's freckles, her eyes, and a little button nose, she almost cried at how beautiful it was. She ran a hand down to her stomach, but found Mike's there already, he was rubbing small circles in his sleep and her little heart melted.

Wishing to never leave this moment, she hesitantly turned in mike's arms, now facing him. She couldn't resist pecking him all over his face, he was too cute in his sleep! He had a smile on his face before he opened his eyes, she noticed, and she felt her heart panging with nothing but love for the father of her child. He was everything she'd ever wanted and more, and she couldn't believe it for a second.

"Hello, my love. Did you sleep okay?" Mike asked in a tired but happy voice, he almost thought he was dreaming.

"That's the best sleep I've ever had," she said with a giggle, giving him a chaste kiss since they were both afraid of the horrors of morning breath. Mike replied with a tired grunt, as if agreeing with her, and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead softly. "What time is it, anyway?" she asked after he pulled back.

Mike leaned back and grabbed his watch off the nightstand, bringing it back and up to view. "It's 7:00 A.M., what time do you want to go back?" he asked, hoping she'd say never, but realistically knowing he'd have to, at some point, take her back home.

"Now is fine, don't want to get caught sneaking back in," she joked. His heart kind of broke when she got up and out of bed, he knew it was inevitable but he didn't think he could make it through the day without her. He couldn't even take a second to admire her body as she put her clothes on, he was so distraught.

He was too lost in thought to see that she'd finished putting her clothes on, she noticed his expression almost immediately and did her best to not let herself think of being away from him as well. She walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed, bringing his face up for a kiss. "Hey, you'll see me later, maybe we can tell our friends I'm not feeling too good today?" she asked to try and quell his worries. Thankfully, it worked, and his lovely smile returned.

"I'd love that," he said as he met her lips again, the promise of being with just her again giving him all he needed to go through with the day.

To both their surprise and luck, no one in the Wheeler house was up on this Saturday morning, they swiftly made their way out of the house and to Mike's car. They made it to El's house not too long after, and the many goodbye kisses they shared only made Mike feel like he could, in fact, go through with this day. But he knew, he knew just how hard it was gonna be.

Mike made it home around 7:30 to find the house was still quiet, that was a good thing, no one needed to hear of his plans for the day.

He made it to the kitchen with unsure steps, dreading what this day had in store for him.

Mike reached the kitchen phone, and with shaky hands, took the receiver and dialed in the numbers of the person he was dreading talking to. He put the receiver up to his ear and awaited the person to answer, gulping.

The phone rang for a few seconds before he heard it being picked up. "Hello?" the feminine voice asked.

"Yeah, hey, S-Stacey, uh, could you meet me at the park in an hour?" Mike asked, trying but failing to keep the shakiness out of his voice. She didn't seem to notice, though, maybe she thought he was asking her out on a date or just wanted to hang out for once.

"Yeah, definitely, I'll see you in an hour!" she replied excitedly, only making Mike feel more guilty.

They said their goodbyes and Mike hung up shortly, leaning against the wall with a heavy sigh. Today was going to suck, he thought.

It was now 8:40 as Mike made his way through the only park in Hawkins. He checked his watch frequently and had sweat forming at his forehead, he was so scared.

He had been coming up with what he was gonna say at breakfast, on the drive here, and now, sitting at this bench surrounded by some bushes and trees.

He didn't have a lot of time to think, though, as he saw Stacey near his car, presumably looking for him. She spotted him seconds later and smiled widely while walking over to him. Mike was panicking, he knew she wouldn't take it well, she'd probably be so mad 'cause it would ruin her reputation, getting dumped for another girl. But he had to do this, cheating was bad enough, but leading her on while being with El was way worse, it would be unfair to El and Stacey. Mike steeled himself for what was to come.

"Mike! Hiiiii!" she greeted excitedly, sitting right next to Mike. He felt like he was going to pass out but pushed on.

"Hey, Stace... I, uh, how's it been?" he asked lamely, scolding himself for stalling. She didn't seem to notice Mike having a panic attack, her smile still wide, she was beaming. She's never going to smile at me like that again, he thought, not caring about how she felt for him, but still feeling guilty.

"It's going good, now," she said dreamily, leaning in for a kiss. Mike felt repulsed, it wasn't so much her that made him repulsed, but the fact that she wasn't El. Mike stopped her as fast as humanly possible, pushing on her shoulders until she stopped leaning in. She gave him a questioning look. "Is everything okay, Mike? Did I do something wrong?" she worriedly asked, looking upset.

Mike only felt more horrible, cringing at how quickly downhill this situation will go. "S-Stacey, I have something to tell you...," he said slowly, when she didn't respond he continued, not making eye contact with her. "During the summer, I... I cheated on you," he said, not liking the taste those words left in his mouth. "It was supposed to be a one night stand, but yesterday I found out that the girl I cheated on you with was pregnant. I'm sorry, Stacey, but I love her and I need to be there for her, no matter what... So, I-I'm breaking up with you, I need to man up and take responsibility. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you anymore," Mike said, feeling a bit of weight fall from his shoulders. He knew there was more to come, though. He spared her a glance.

Stacey had one tear sliding down her face, it was the only one that would fall that day. "I... I don't understand...," she said silently, Mike was going to respond but she cut him off. "What is wrong with you? Everyone said you were nice, that you were the least risky option. I thought we had something, Mike. Is that why you never kissed me?! Never took me out or showed me affection in public?!" she said, her voice rising as she yelled the last part, getting up from the bench and looking down at him. Mike expected no less, but it was still unbearable.

"Stacey, I'm sorry, but there's no going back," he said calmly, his head was in his hands. He looked up. "It was better than just leading you on, I have to take respo-" before he could respond, she slapped him. It could be heard from a few feet away and some people turned their heads.

"No, Mike, I don't want to hear it! You must feel like such a big man, huh?! Fuck you, Mike! I'm breaking up with you! Who is she?! Tell me, now!" she was hitting his head, Mike was trying to cover himself the best he could but it stung wherever she slapped. "Tell me! Who is this bitch?!" she finally stopped hitting him, making him look up at her by pulling his hair, she had the meanest look he'd ever seen, she was ugly now, her smile before might not have been believable had he not seen it.

"It doesn't matter, Stacey," he said, pulling her hand from his hair. "We're done, if you can't accept that then that's on you. I don't care who broke up with who, but we're done," Mike said, trying but failing to not sound mad and defeated. He got up and started to walk away.

"Fuck you, Mike! I hope you two are happy with your little fucked up family!" she yelled after him, rushing off angrily once Mike got in his car and sped off.

There was one pair of eyes, hidden behind one of the bushes, that couldn't believe what they had just heard...

I wrote this whole chapter on nothing but 2 hours of sleep, I'm just finishing up with everything and my eyes feel so heavy so I'm gonna stop here lol

I hope you liked, there's still lots of shit these two love birds have to go through so stay tuned, I'm falling asleep, so I'll see ya in the next one.