(Hey, this is a request for @CrazePancakeJewl ! I'm so sorry this took literally months, but school and stuff started and I had to take a hiatus from writing. I hope you enjoy this though!)
"What's wrong with you? What is WRONG with you?!"
With a shudder, Eleven's eyes snapped open and she sat up, her breath caught in her throat. She half expected to see Mike standing over her, his eyes glittering with anger and tears. But no, of course not; he would never hurt her, at least not on purpose. He promised.
El's eyes darted around the room, finding comfort in its familiarity. From the top bunk of Mike's bed, she felt the warmth of reality set in. The soft glow of the Star Wars Deathstar nightlight by the door, the gleam of countless academic trophies on his dresser, the neat rows of comics and books on the shelves. Still, she felt tears burning in her eyes and running down her cheeks as she hugged her knees to her chest, panic tightening her lungs.
What if Mike yelled at her? What if she messed up again and hurt him? What if she let him down? He was the one person she couldn't bear to lose, the one person who always believed in her. What if he stopped?
The soft creak of the mattress below made Eleven jump and press her back against the wall, her breath hitching in her throat.
"El?" Suddenly Mike's mop of dark hair appeared over the edge of the bunk, his eyes sleepy and half-shut. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice raspy and soft.
Sniffling, El forced herself to smile and nodded slowly back at Mike. "J-just a bad dream," she whispered, wiping her tears with the back of her left hand.
Frowning, Mike hoisted himself up onto the top bunk so that he was sitting at the opposite end of the mattress, facing Eleven. "What was it about? Do you want me to turn the light on?"
Eleven shook her head, staring down at her hands in embarrassment. "I thought that- that you were mad at me," she said, her voice quavering.
"What? No, El, why would I ever be mad at you? I lov- I mean, I like you, I'd never be upset with you," Mike replied, his nose wrinkling in confusion. "Come on," he said, scooting closer to Eleven and wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
Eleven stiffened at first, her arms in her lap, but she slowly brought her arms up around Mike's back and rested her head on his shoulder. Mike raised one hand to pet her hair, the other arm still hugging her close.
After a moment of holding each other, Mike pulled back the covers and tucked El back into bed, crawling under the blankets with her. Within minutes, Mike was softly snoring and Eleven was drifting away, a smile on her face.
