Work Text:
Mike felt like a live wire. Any part of him that could move was bouncing and anyone that decided to touch him would get a shock.
He’d waited 353 days for her to come back to him, but this day was the worst by far.
The party was hanging around in the living room, but no one could fully relax. Even when Will joined their pacing and worrying, surprisingly lively for someone who just had the mind flayer burned out of them, there was still a tension in the air because El hasn’t returned.
“What is that!?” Joyce screams and everyone immediately panics, it draws Mike away into a new worry. Something’s gone wrong and there’s monsters invading the house again, they’ve failed. (Mike doesn’t know if he” s surprised, maybe they’re all just doomed to stay in this nightmare now it has begun)
It’s only when they run into the kitchen they see a mess of monsters parts and drool falling out of the freezer.
“That is my greatest discovery ever!” Dustin cries, as he marches up to join her, desperately trying to shut the door again.
“Well your discovery can stay in your own freezer!” She begins to try and force it out but Dustin is relentless.
“I haven’t gone through everything I did to not preserve at least one demodog. And anyway, it might be useful to the “backup” that is supposedly coming” his hands make a squelching noise as he pushes against the corpse, and Mike feels a bit sick.
They continue to bicker as he strolls back into the living room. His mind is too full of Eleven to consider the problems going on else where in the house.
Just as he was considering making his way to the lab, desperate to do anything that made him feel like he was helping El, he could hear the sound of a car pulling up and knew immediately who it was.
Mike didn’t waste a second, running through the Byer’s hallway (with the rest of the party and Steve close behind) and yanking the front door open at full speed. He tore up the ground with his shoes and tripped over his own limbs, reaching Hopper’s truck in record speed.
“Is she okay?!” He rushed out, waiting in anticipation to see the damage as Hopper turned around from the back seats.
Mike’s ears are ringing as soon as he sees the limp figure hanging in the chief’s arms, the last thing he’s able to hear is a soft “holy shit” escape Steve’s mouth. The ground is now unsteady under his feet as he feels himself falling backwards into someone, not in control of his actions.
She can’t be. She can’t be.
He just got her back and now she was gone. He felt bile burn his throat as he turned away from the person who caught him. Coughing and spluttering into the earth below him, the ground becoming a constant for his fingers to grip as mud got under his nails. It was only when he had breathed in deeply for a few minutes the ringing stopped and his ears could focus again.
“-alive. She’s alive Mike just breathe” it was Nancy, rubbing slow circles into his back. Hints of her shampoo fill his nostril and he finds familiar comforts.
He took a few more seconds to understand what she’d said but when he did he stood up at dizzying speed and realises that everyone else has returned inside.
“W-what? But I saw-”
“She’s alive Mike, but the chief said she’s exhausted herself. She’s not doing too well right now” Nancy was pulling at her lip with her teeth in worry; as she gently tried to relay the information she’d got from Hopper, who rushed the girl inside.
“Where is she?”
“Bathroom. Joyce is getting her as comfortable as she can, why don’t you come wait in the sitting room alright?” Nancy was gentle as she guided him slowly over, well aware he was probably shaking due to the sudden change in emotions.
The living room seems brighter now and Mike isn’t sure if it’s because he’s coming in from the outside or because he knows Eleven is safe. Maybe not all the way there, but she’s at least away from the lab.
They sit together for awhile, passing conversation sometimes but mainly sitting in a calm quiet. Mike thinks everyone is trying to process the day, which he’s not sure is even possible.
When he reaches the point where the electricity is thrumming through him again, and he feels like he’s becoming a ball of anxiety, Hopper enters the room and the party and Steve all run for him.
“How is she?”
“Is she hurt?”
“How bad is it?”
Hopper sighs and rubs his face harshly with the palm of his hand, his hat clutched in his fingers. Everyone knows by now that means he’s frustrated.
“Her uh, breathing is pretty shallow and her pulse is a bit too fast” he stops to take a breath as the kids try to understand what that means for her.
“Normally I’d try the hospital but she can’t- she can’t go there it’s not safe” he chokes out, clearly worried. The fact that even the Chiefs reserve is crumbling has everyone on edge.
“Can we go in and see her?” Mike asks, he’s just desperate to look, maybe touch, just to know she’s real and that she isn’t going anywhere.
Hopper just sighs again. “Alright you can all see her but five minutes only okay? Then only one of you can stay” no one has to ask who he’s talking about, Mike feels his cheeks heat up a little bit.
They all head down the hallway in anticipated silence, when they reach Jonathan’s room Mike enters first, and no amount of calming or preparation could prepare him for the sight.
Now he could focus properly and not just recognise a limp figure, he knew El looked bad.
Her skin was translucent except from below her eyes, so dark from exhaustion it looked his bruises and her skin was still pink on areas that had to get rubbed to get rid of the blood. Mike feels a bit sick when he realises the pink marks go down her ears, her neck, her nose-
He had to stop before he blew a fuse with his anxious energy, feeling so much he could take out the whole street, Mike wheeler the live wire couldn’t keep calm for five damn minutes.
The only joy he could find in that moment was realising her hair- it was curly. The gel had been washed away and he recognised the smell of Joyce’s shampoo. Mike smiled softly, immediately just wanting to pass his fingers though, feeling the softness of her. Brought out of his revelation by Hopper bristling around.
El is wearing some of Will’s clothes, slightly big on her frame but not as badly as Mike’s would be. (A small part of Mike wishes she was wearing his clothes instead, for extra safety) Her hair is tousled around the pillow like a shadow and Mike thinks she’s so, so pretty.
They all stand around
“She’s just a little girl” whispers Steve, having to catch up twice as fast as everyone else, as he didn’t meet her last year. Mike realises Steve, a damn good babysitter, is struggling on how to handle the sight of an unconscious telekinetic child, that looks like she’s had an equally rough time as himself, and not having a vast amount of previous experience. Mike knows what he needs, to feel as if he’s helping.
“He favourite food is eggos, Hopper said she’d need more strength. I think food would help” he knows Steve understands that he’s talking about the almost defrosted eggos, sitting on the counter from being banished from the freezer in favour of the demo dog corpse.
Steve jumps to action immediately, just like Mike knew he would, and heads to the kitchen, leaving just the party remaining. (Mike isn’t sure when he started including Max in that, maybe as soon as he knew eleven was okay)
Everyone has tears running down their face, even Max who was only recently turned down by El for a handshake.
“She doesn’t fucking deserve this” choked out Lucas, his protectiveness for his friends rearing its head.
“She deserves comic books, and game nights and- love” mutters Dustin, looking solemnly on her figure.
“She deserves to be able to hang out with her friends and stuff her face with sweets” smiled Will, knowing that definitely gave him joy when he came home.
“She’ll have all these things guys. We’ll make sure of it okay?” Spoke Max. Everyone nodded their heads, and Hopper soon came in a told them their time was up.
Everyone turned to look a Mike, hugging him before turning to leave.
He stays there alone until Nancy convinces him she could keep watch. Promising him that she’ll notify him if there’s even a glimpse that eleven is waking up.
He finds Hopper in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee.
They stand in silence for a bit longer before Hopper surprisingly decides to break it.
“I had a daughter, before Eleven” Mike freezes up, knowing the word had is implying what he’s praying it doesn’t.
“She died of cancer when she was little, younger than you kids and- and this is my chance to be a dad again and I’m afraid. I’m afraid that she can’t be taken to a hospital the Sarah could, and than she can’t live a life without suffering. I’m sorry I kept you two apart but- I - I had to” he sighs at the end, looking down and gruff, not used to showing that much emotion at once.
Mike knows he and the chief had a blow up before El left, both of them heated by their love for the young girl. He also knows that this is a time to be forgiving- so he puts his hand out to shake.
The chief looks surprised and confused, almost like he wants to laugh and mock Mike, before reluctantly shaking his hand as the young kid speaks up for the first time in awhile.
“You’re what El needs, I won’t dispute that, but she needs me too! And I’m going to make sure she has me” he stares up, determined as Hopper looks him up and down.
“Alright kid, we can work something out. I won’t keep you two apart anymore”
Before they can talk anymore they’re interrupted by Lucas running towards them.
“Nancy says El is waking up” he rushes out, and Hopper is off before Lucas has even finished.
The other boy turns to Mike now.
“She still looks so-”
“I know” Mike cuts him off, worrying his lip. Before joining Hopper.
He’s running and comes to a quick stop as she sees El pushing Hoppers hands away.
“Kid, you’re gonna hurt yourself” he gruffly argues, trying to get her to stay in the bed.
“N-need Mike” she weakly panics, using her powers to push Hopper away and try and stand. It hits Mike that it was the worst thing she could have done.
Eleven cries out loudly, clutching at her head as her legs give out, Mike lurches forward just in time to catch her and he sinks to the ground. She’s pretty much unconscious again, having over exerted herself again just from trying to get Hopper out the way.
He stands with her, taking her full body weight and helps manoeuvre her back into bed.
He doesn’t have very long to focus on what to do because he realises she’s tossing and turning and whining in pain from moving so much.
“El, El it’s me. I’m here. It’s Mike” his voice sounds odd from lack of use but it’s soft and gentle and it seems to be just right for Eleven. She rolls over faces him, eyes struggling to stay open and tears running down her face.
“M-Mike” her voice is wrecked and it squeezes Mike’s heart.
“Shhh, don’t try and talk much okay? It’ll hurt. I don’t want you to hurt El” he can’t help the tears falling down his face now. It isn’t fair she has to go through this after literally saving the entire world.
El is shaking like crazy but Hopper said she had a fever and Mike’s heart spikes with worry. He shrugs off his jacket, laying it over her body and rubbing her arms, but he’s afraid to do it too hard or she’ll disappear right in front of him.
“M-Mike” she tries again, and Mike hates how weak his name sounds coming from her. “It h-hurts so much” He’s about to break, and he knows it.
“Can-” he has to cut himself off to breathe, he hates this conversation. “Can you tell me where El? Tell me where it hurts, it’ll be okay” he soothes.
“My h-head hurts really bad a- and my chest hurts too. Everything’s going s-so fast and I - I can’t keep up Mike. Everything a-aches and I’m so- so cold”
Mike is crying, his tears falling onto his lap. This wasn’t how he wanted to speak to her again, this wasn’t how he wanted her life to be.
“It’s gonna be okay El I promise” he murmurs, running his hands through her hair. He moves to lie behind her and wraps his arms around her figure, engulfing her and protecting her from anything outside the room.
Mike and Hopper work out a system, that one of them will always be with Eleven, and she knows where the other one is when they’re not with her. Of course, everyone else is on rotation as well, even Will, but one of them has to be with her at all times. She just feels the safest that way.
It’s the first time Mike’s off his rotation and all the previous emotions come down and suddenly Mike is crying and clutching at his friends as the all sink to the ground. everyone is pale and sick with worry.
“It’ll be okay Mike” Will’s voice is weak and tired from emotions,
“Yeah, El is a badass, power wielding monster killer, she’s got this” comforted Dustin, squeezing Mike’s shoulder to emphasise how strong she is.
But that was Mike’s problem, first and foremost before all of the labels Dustin gave her, Eleven was a girl. A young girl who had a breaking point, and Mike was just praying she hadn’t reached it.
They must’ve stayed like that for a long time, maybe an hour or so before Hopper enters the room, and Mike feels himself freeze up. There’s no way he’d leave eleven without a good reason, or rather a bad one. It’s still his turn on rotation.
“She’s coming round a bit kid she- she’s not settling well without you. Can you just-” Hopper cuts himself off and sighs into his hand, clearly stressed and Mike sprints off.
Barging into the room he sees her, tears streaming and body shaking.
“M-Mike” she cries out.
“Oh El” he murmurs softly, rushing forward and stroking her head again like before. “Don’t panic I’m right here. I won’t leave you again I promise. I’m so sorry El just breathe”
Mike knows now that rotation isn’t going to work unless he is every single one. At least until she’s coherent enough to understand that she’s safe, that he’s safe. That they can start counting down the days they get to talk, and not the days they’ve been separated.
So he settles into the bed covers with El, tucking her back into him. Thinking that he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life like this, with her, but with a less pain and anguish.
It’s a few days before Eleven starts to seem more alert. She’s still in pain, still weak and tired but she doesn’t cry as soon as Mike leaves the room and she’s not in danger of dying any time soon, so Mike feels his heart beating at a normal pace for the first time in days.
They’re sat up in Jonathan’s bed together, eating some toast, something other than eggos.
El turns to Mike, her doe eyed look making him slightly breathless and he knows he’ll never get sick of seeing it.
“Thank you Mike. For not giving up on me” she smiles softly. “I’ll never give up on your either”
Mike wraps and arm around her and squeezes her tight, making her giggle and oh my god did he love that sound.
“Hey El? Do you want to go to the snowball with me?”
As soon as Mike gets tackled and nearly hits his head falling off the bed, he knows the answer is yes, and Mike is finally happy.