~ Can't Fight This Feeling - Mileven Oneshots ~

~ Sticky Situation ~

   right after season 2 (maybe like just a few weeks after the   snowball)

   warning: this has mild angst 

   el's POV:

   El felt like trash. Except...not in the way you'd expect. Her entire body felt like it weighed thousands of pounds, and her cramps were agonizing. But that was pretty much it. She had never felt this tired, this exhausted during her period before. She didn't know a ton about periods, but she knew that cramps, mood swings, body aches and nausea were all symptoms of it. However, never before had El felt so tired.

   She crouched into a ball at a restaurant with Hopper, her body coursing with annoyance. She had been feeling like this for over 30 minutes now.

   "What's your problem, kid?" Hopper asked her in a somewhat harsh tone. He didn't seem to have gotten the clue.

   "Just leave me alone." El replied with moist eyes, pushing her half-eaten plate of food farther away. She buried her chin in her knees, starting to cry.

   But Hopper still didn't get it-he pushed the plate back roughly. El could see out of the corner of her teary eyes that he was scowling at her from the other side of the table. This made her cry a little more, since she obviously couldn't control her emotions right then. Turning away from him, she hid her face deeper within her knees.

   "Stop acting like an asshole and eat. Your. Damn. Food." Hopper growled, emphasizing the last four words, his face reddening with anger. But El wouldn't eat. Her period cramps had ruined her appetite a while ago, and regardless of that she hated to be pressured to do things. She cried harder, stuck in a situation she didn't know how to get out of; no matter how much she thought about it. It only made things worse for her mind. But she was so tired...so, so tired... she wasn't sure if she'd be able to move. 

   Suddenly, after a few more excruciating minutes, El felt her feet begin to carry her to the bathroom. As she ran there, she heard Hopper mumble something under his breath and saw him glowering at her from their table. Once she got to the restroom doors, she was at a dead end. Her eyes darting around, she found the only thing that might be able to help her. The exit.

   The next thing she knew, El was sprinting for the door to the restaurant. She could hear Hopper shouting who knows what, and loud footsteps, so she presumed she was being chased by him. But she would never stop running-ever. Not until she was safe, or at least where she felt safer than this. Where would that be? She wasn't sure, not yet. At one point, Hopper even tried to grasp her wrist, but his hand was too slow and she escaped from him. But her feet would not stop her from slamming open the door and running free of that place; no matter how exhausted she had been.

   Once El had ran at least 20 feet away without looking back, she skidded to a careful stop and peeked behind her. Hopper wasn't there, nor was he following her anymore. She breathed a sigh of relief, but it still made her sad enough to cry that he didn't care enough about her to keep searching. That could not be true, El told herself, but it could be. 

   Adrenaline rushed through El's veins as she continued to sprint down the street. Her mind was a blur, she couldn't stop running down the road. By now, it had begun to rain, the cold droplets falling onto poor El's head. As the water dripped off her brown curls and onto her clothes, she began to cry. She was sad. Not because she had run away from Hopper, or because of how she felt awful, or because she had caused a scene in the restaurant. But because she didn't have a warm place to stay; probably not ever again, after that disaster.

   Even through everything, El was still running along, as if adrenaline were the only thing keeping her alive. Finally after about forty minutes, she stopped in shock. There, right in front of her, was a very familiar white house, with green shutters and a brick base. El didn't-and couldn't-stop crying as she stumbled up to the front door, knocking loudly regardless of the time. When Mike finally answered, he looked very surprised, crying as well as she collapsed into him exhaustedly.  

   "El, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Mike asked in a whisper with concern, his eyes moist as he squeezed her gently beneath his arms in a hug like way. He seemed to hate seeing her upset like this. El still cried, the tears falling onto his shoulder. She caught sight of the clock. It read 8:57 pm.

   "I-I-I'm just...s-so tired...and-d sad..." El sniffled.

   "It's okay, El-El. You're safe now. Don't cry, please don't cry." Mike soothed, using the nickname he knew always made El happy. Just hearing his voice seemed to calm her, and she loosened her arms around him. Just then, Mike picked up the small girl that he loved, carrying her up to his room silently.

~~~

   Once they had got there, Mike shut the door in silence, with a sigh of relief that they weren't caught. He set her down on his bed, to which then she huddled herself in with the blankets. He flipped the switch to his heater on, and then went to lie next to her. Facing El, Mike gave her a sad-like smile, lifting one of his hands to softly caress her cheek, the other wrapping around her waist to pull her closer to him.

   "Tell me, my poor El, what happened?" Mike whispered, not a hint of mocking in him. He gazed into her sparkling brown eyes.

  "I'm just so tired...please just hold me, Mike..." El replied. She knew that Mike had noticed her clutching her stomach in pain, and that he must have gotten the hint.

    "Okay. No more questions." Mike reassured her, smiling again and pulling her close enough so that their chests were touching. El closed her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips. With the one hand on her cheek, he lifted her head gently up to his so that he could see her beautiful face. El opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath inches from her face.

   "I'm glad you came over." Mike mumbled, blushing a little. El gave the tiniest giggle. 

   "I know...me too."

   Mike softly kissed her lips for a few long moments, savoring her presence and warmth. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck contentedly. When they both broke it, El soon fell asleep, thinking not of the problems earlier, but of the protection and safety she felt with Mike by her side, just like this.

a/n: hey guys! i thought this one was rly cute, even though it was sad at the beginning. i wrote it when i was feeling like this, ngl i was literally so tired i couldnt move lol. idk if im gonna keep the title, so tell me if u guys have any better ideas! i think i might make a part two for this oneshot eventually, but only if we get enough reads :) love you guys, tysmmmm for the support so far! have a great day pookies <3