"Hopper, what does marry mean?" "Well, it's something people do when they really love each other and want to spend their lives together." He sees the twinkle in his daughter's eye and hurries to add further clarifications. "But ONLY when those two people are adults and are mature enough to do so." Or, the one where El learns about marriage over the course of her life.
"You're a superhero, El. And if those mouthbreathers can't see that, it's just because they don't know you." Or the one where Mike finds El in the closet at Rink-O-Mania before she bashes in Angela's head and they talk.
We all know of the six months that Mike and El spent every day together before season 3 (Hopper more than most), but what exactly happens in those quiet moments is left to the imagination. Here's what went down according to my brain. (post snowball, pre s3 timeline) Told in Eleven's POV
"It's going to be the best spring break ever." My take on the upcoming airport reunion in season 4. Lots of mileven fluff, as per my norm
"Mike wanted to comfort his girlfriend, but he wasn't sure how. Sure, they had talked about that time of her life before, but Mike always felt like there were pieces of the story he didn't know. But how does one breach the subject? 'Hey babe, any traumatic memories you want to discuss'" A fluffy mileven oneshot set after s3. El visits Mike in Hawkins and they address her trauma.
Because focusing on little tasks keeps the nightmares away. The train on the Victory Tour, from the POV of the boy in love.