Iɴ Tʜᴇ Eɴᴅ Iᴛs Hɪᴍ & I | Mɪʟᴇᴠᴇɴ Oɴᴇsʜᴏᴛs (Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ Tʜɪɴɢs)

Drained

(Age 13)

The events that happen after El closes the gate and Will is okay.

*You've probably read a lot of chapters like this but I need to write one also*

Mike paced back and forth through the hallway, waiting for Hopper and El. Panic surged through him as he waited for the familier sound of Hopper's truck. If he lost her again, he wouldn't be the same. El was their only hope to close the gate, but what if she killed herself while doing it?

"Mike stop it." Lucas said, looking up at Mike from his seat on the floor. "You need to calm down..."

"I can't calm down Lucas!" Mike replied. "I can't lose her again, I just-" He sighed and pressed his back against the wall. "I need her..." He slumped onto the floor next to Lucas and brought his knees to his chest. Lucas placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"He's right, kid," Steve said as he walked into the room, an ice pack pressed against his cheek, "Your girlfriend is gonna be fine. She's pretty badass."

Mike's cheeks turned red. "S-she isn't my girlfriend! She's my... um..."

Mike had to think hard. What was El to him? A friend? A crush? A girl he... loved?

"They're back!" Max shouted. She was kneeling on the couch and was peering through the window. Mike ran to the window and the familier sound of Hopper's truck grew loud as it pulled into the driveway.

The headlights on the truck turned off and the driver side door opened. Hopper got out and walked to the other side and opened the door. He picked up El's limp body and walked inside.

Mike instantly dashed to Hopper with a stream of questions. "Is she okay? What happened? Did she close the gate? Please tell me she's okay!"

"Calm down kid, she's fine..." Hopper layed her down on the couch gently. "She's just completely drained."

Mike knelt next to El and looked at her face. Her skin was pale and dried blood ran down her face. The veins across her neck, face and hands were noticeable. She looked like a corpse.

"Are you sure she's okay...? She looks, um..." Dustin couldn't bring himself to say the words, but everyone was thinking them. She looked dead.

Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy and Will walked through the door. Jonathan had an arm wrapped around Will's waist.

"El!" Nancy and Joyce said in unison as they ran towards the young girl. Will looked at El cautiously and kept his distance from her.

Joyce ran a cloth under water and began wiping the blood and dirt off of El's pale face. Mike knelt next to El, their fingers intertwined. He ran his fingers through her messy, pulled back hair, still is disbelief that she was back.

"What happened at the gate?" Nancy asked Hopper. "She closed it, right!?!

Hopper nodded and everyone sat down on the floor and began listening to Hopper's story about the gate. "She was levitating... And after the gate was closed, she just collapsed and I brought her back here..." He concluded, then met Mike's eyes. "Kid, I'm sorry for keeping her from you... I had to keep her safe... I-"

"Mike...?" A soft voice whispered. El's fingers tightened around Mike's hand as she slowly opened her eyes.

"I'm right here El... I'm right here..." He squeezed her hand gently, earning a smile from her.

She looked around at everyone until her eyes landed on Will. She locked eyes with him and said, "I k-know you... I saw you, in m-my mind." He took a step towards her. "You're Will."

He nodded slowly and kept his distance from her. "And you're the girl Mike never shut up about; you're El."

Mike blushed slightly at Will's words. "She's the girl who helped us find you. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to find you, Will."

Will slowly walked closer to her and eventually knelt next to her. "Thanks, El."

"You're w-welcome." El said shakily before rolling onto her side and coughing. Nancy poured a glass of water and handed it to Mike who sat El up and helped her drink it.

Will had a new found sympathy for the girl who saved his life. He placed a hand on her back gently and helped her lay down again. He was seriously thankful that El had helped him, and the party; without her, he might have been dead by now.

"I-its hurts Mike..." El mumbled, and shut her eyes tightly as a wave of pain ran through her.

"What hurts, El?" He asked worriedly and ran his thumb across her hand.

"E-everything..." She whispered and squeezed his hand. Mike wrapped his arms around her gently and pulled her close. El weakly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"El, honey, do you wanna lay down in one of the rooms?" Joyce asked softly. "Maybe some proper rest will make you feel better..."

"She can use my room." Will spoke up. "I don't mind."

Hopper picked her up gently and took her to Will's bedroom and layed her down on the bed. As he was about to close the door, El spoke up, "I want Mike."

"Kid you should rest..." Hopper argued, leaning against the doorframe.

"N-no! I want Mike! Don't keep him a-away from me, I need him!!" She nearly screamed before having another coughing fit.

He sighed before opening door. "Mike, she wants you in here..."

Mike's eyes lit up and he walked towards the bedroom door. "Is it fine if I talk to her?" Will asked Mike. He nodded and they both walked into the room and closed the door.

Mike sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. "El.." Will said softly as her eyes locked with his. "Thank you for saving my life. I'll make it up to you... somehow..."

El smiled softly. "You don't need to thank me. Friends are always there for each other and they do things for each other."

"Yeah, you're right... that is what friends do..." Will grinned and gave her a quick hug before walking out of the room, leaving El and Mike alone.

"Can you lay down with me, Mike...?" El asked quietly.

Mike blushed slightly, "Hopper might get mad if he sees-"

"I don't care..." El said suddenly, then lowered her voice. "I-I missed you too much to care."

Mike smiled slightly and layed down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist gently. El shifted slightly and rested her head on his chest, and listened to his heartbeat.

He smiled and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist. If Hopper walked in, Mike was dead. "I missed you so much El... I'm glad you're home..."

"I missed you too... but I wish I came home sooner..."

"It's okay El... all that matters is that you are home..." He closed his eyes slowly.

"Did I miss the Snowball?" El asked worriedly.

"No... I promised we would go together, remember? Friends don't break promises..." He whispered. "Do you remember what I said? At the Snowball, we can dance together..."

"I don't know how to dance, though..." El mumbled, exhaustion began to overwhelm her.

"I'll show you how..." He rubbed her back gently. "There are so many things I want to show you... and eventually I will..."

"P-promise?"

"I promise. Friends don't lie, remember?"

An hour later...

Hopper walked into the room silently, not wanting to wake up El. He saw them asleep together and slight anger burned in him, yet, he couldn't help but smile. Mike really loved that girl. She loved him too; it was obvious. He walked out of the room quietly, not wanting to wake up El(who he basically considered his daughter) and Mike.

As for Mike and El, they were happy as they slept in each other's arms. And for the first time in 353 nights, they both had a peaceful, non-nightmare filled sleep.