FRAGILE ➵ Future Mileven (Sequel to BROKEN) [discontinued]

twelve

➵CHAPTER TWELVE
'let me be there for you'
-

eleven's heart broke a little when she entered the small living room. she had just tucked holly into bed upstairs. now she stood against the doorframe of the room. mike was hugging his sister, crying onto her shoulder. tears of her own spilled from her eyes as she shushed his little brother, smoothing his hair gently.

"we'll get through this, mike. together, i promise." nancy whispered.

she ducked her head deeper into the crook of his neck. dang, she hadn't really stopped to think how much he had grown these past few years. nancy remembers when his brother was shorter than her.

when he had a nightmare, he would knock on her bedroom door, nancy would let him in and cuddle him. as he sobbed onto her chest, she'd try to convince him that what he saw wasn't real, that it was only a bad dream. this kind of reminds her of that.

only this is a real nightmare. this is real.

"hey, why don't you and el go and rest? we can talk tomorrow" nancy told him.

mike nodded, unwrapping his arms around his sister. he looked behind him and saw his girlfriend. she gave him a soft, amused smile. he returned it.

"go on" nancy said, her lips pursed. she whipped away the tears from her cheeks with the palm of her hands.

mike walked a few steps closer to el, but stopped midway. he turned around to face nancy again.

"nance?"

she hummed, faking a smile through her watery eyes.

"i love you"

another tear.

"i love you too, mike"

"i hate seeing you like this" she whispered.

mike and el laid face to face on the double-sized bed from nancy and jonathan's guest room. darkness filled the space, however, a small line of moonlight came from the window, enough to see each other's faces.

"i'm okay, el" he said, his voice cracked up.

she sighed.

"mike, you're aloud to not be okay", she placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb caressing his sharp cheekbone, "you've always been there at my most vulnerable moments. you've always shown strength. let me be there for you".

mike looked at her for a few seconds, from her round nose to her lips. to her cheeks. did he ever mention how much he loved her dimples? when she smiled, or when she laughed, they were there. he thought it was the most adorable thing.

his lower lip wobbled a little and when the memories from hours before stroke back into his mind, his heart squeezed in pain, and so, he scooted closer to el. she welcomed him warmly between her arms and he placed his head against her chest, both of his arms comfortably wrapped around her small waist.

one of her arms were around his torso whilst her other hand ran its fingers through his dark locks.

she sighed, "i love you"