help i’m still at the waterfalls

Summary: Mike makes his way to Iceland and, after a long tortuous road, finally finds what he’s looking for.

Preview:

Pétur nods slowly in thought and he reaches for the map. “Well, Húsavík is a good place, lots of waterfalls there, some very big ones. But it’s not a small town. You could go to Akureyri, but same problem - though Goðafoss is a very beautiful waterfall, name means ‘Waterfall of the Gods’ after all, so it’s worth a visit.” His finger traces the roads on the eastern part of the map, drifting further south as he goes. “Egilsstaðir has Fardagafoss, but that’s quite a hike out of town. And - ah!” He taps the map. “Yes, Seyðisfjörður could be a good place to check out. Many waterfalls there, mostly small, but all beautiful.”

The name sends a shiver bolting down Mike’s spine, a combination of déjà vu and some unexplainable connection clicking into place. “What’s that last one? Seyðisfjörður?” Mike knows he horribly mangles the name as he tries to mimic Pétur’s accent, but it feels like speaking with marbles in his mouth and he knows he sounds like a dumb American. But there’s something in the way his heart races that tells him that, yes, this is the one.

“It’s a port town,” Pétur says. “There’s a ferry that lands there once a week, brings tourists from Denmark and the Faroe Islands who want to drive their own cars in Iceland. It’s a beautiful small town, surrounded by waterfalls. It’s in a fjord, you see, and the water pours over the edge in dozens of small streams. But there are some majestic falls just outside the town if you’re willing to hike.”

A small town with a ferry, surrounded by waterfalls. The words turn over and over in his mind, a whisper prodding him from deep in his subconscious. It’s almost like he can hear the words in El’s voice, a dream born from his desperate mind, a temptation he is powerless to resist. “How do I get there?” he asks with a desperate gasp before he can stop himself, knowing he sounds manic and a lot crazy, but unable to control it.

And then in the end, Mike and the rest of the party say “I believe” after Mike explains his theory about El being alive, almost as if they’re unknowingly responding to El’s request to believe in her too.

And El had told Mike that one day he’d understand her choice and would need to help the others understand. And once Mike has his realization in the finale, he explains it to the others right after, helping them understand what really happened just like El asked. He clearly believes that he finally understands El’s choice just like she said he would. And why would they have El telling Mike that, like she knew one day he’d figure it out, only to have his theory be wrong?

- Time reset fic. Mike & El meet for “the first time” in college after forgetting each other but that soulmate psychic connection is still there so they feel a strong sense of déjà vu when they meet.

- Post s4 monologue right when El wakes up after saving Max. Everyone’s reaction to her waking up.

- El telling Mike about her mom and Kali.

- Mike buying & giving El the ring.

- “What if” they were never intercepted by the military after Mindflayer fight.

- “What if” El stayed with Kali in s2 and her & Mike found each other years later.

- Post El closing the gate in s2 missing moment.

- Milelumax double date.

- Missing moments between s4-s5

- Mike watching El train (bonus: date/cuddling after).

- Memory loss trope.

- Post epilogue Mike finding an old VHS tape of him & El (maybe one of their friends had it or maybe it was Mike documenting how beautiful El is).

- Mileven at jopper’s wedding.

- Christmas celebration post s5 (we’re pretending El & mileven actually got their happy ending for this one 😭).

- Karen catching Mike & El making out in his room post s5 (like Hopper in s3 but with a Karen appropriate reaction).