"'Cause if I'm gonna learn how to love you
I need to unlearn how to love too
Need to unlearn how to run when it feels right"
max mayfield x fem!oc
[SEASON TWO-FIVE]
cover by @hellfiresoulss
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"Eleven," Mike breathed out, his voice barely audible, but laden with disbelief. The weight of the moment hung between them, and even though his words were quiet, the relief behind them was overwhelming. Without thinking, he rushed forward, his arms going around her, pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace. His heart raced in his chest, and he squeezed her as if afraid she might slip away again. He couldn't believe she was here-alive, in his arms, after all this time.
Eleven buried her face into his shoulder, her own breath shaky as the floodgates of emotion opened. The air around them seemed to crackle with the intensity of their connection. For a moment, the rest of the world ceased to exist. The months of fear, uncertainty, and grief seemed to melt away in that single moment of reunion. It was inevitable, yet heartbreaking, all at once.
A soft sob broke through the silence as Eleven clung to Mike. The sound was small but filled with so much emotion that it resonated deeply with everyone in the cabin. Max, still processing the impossible reality of the moment, turned her wide eyes to Lucas. She didn't have to speak; her face said everything. The shock was evident, but the question was unspoken: Is this real?
Lucas stood frozen for a beat, his gaze locked on Eleven, his expression matching Max's disbelief. Slowly, almost as if he was still trying to grasp the truth, he nodded, his voice a quiet whisper. "Yeah. It's really her."
Julianna stood still, her heart a tangled mess of emotions she couldn't quite name. She wasn't sure what to feel-anger, relief, confusion, or something else entirely. But one thing was certain: Ellie-her Ellie-was back.
Mike, still holding Eleven tightly, pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his hands lingering on her arms, his heart still racing in his chest. "I never gave up on you," he said, his voice thick with the weight of everything he'd carried in the months without her. "I called you every night. Every night for-"
"353 days," Eleven whispered, her voice raw as she shook her head, her tears spilling over. "I heard you, Mike. I heard all of it."
Mike's chest tightened as he tried to process everything. The anger, the hurt, the confusion-it was all tangled up in the deep love he had for her. His voice cracked as he spoke, his frustration spilling out in a way he couldn't control. "Then why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" he demanded, his emotions raw and spilling over. The accusation hung in the air like a heavy weight.
Before Eleven could answer, a gruff voice interrupted them. "Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper's voice was rough, filled with a mix of guilt and authority. He stepped forward, his face unreadable. "You think I'd let her go through that again?" His eyes flashed, but there was an undercurrent of regret in his tone.
