mileven oneshots

you're my home

michael wheeler needed a break.

he had to get away from his house, from his family and friends.

of course he loved them, more than anything in the world, but he desperately needed to step back for a while.

mike needed to exhale.

and the only person who could keep him at peace, the girl who made him feel happy, in love, and safe all at once. the one that would never let him go nor abandon,

was el hopper.

she was him escape from this harsh, painful reality.

and even when you have the things you want and need the most in life, the past never let's go. the past still ached inside mike, the terrifying and dangerous moments he endured.

he had gone through 353 days of hell. there was never a happy ending at the finish line of every month. it just meant another thirty days of torture. another thirty days without el.

he knew someday he'd make it out of the constant pain as he called the girl who saved, yet broke, him.

and he did call her every night, no matter what the situation was. he called and she heard.

she sparked up the light in him, made him genuinely smile and laugh. el was the best part of his life, and the part he needed at every moment.

mike gripped the handles of his bike, el's arms wrapped around his waist. the two rode down the street towards the familar park mike had gone to almost everyday as a child with the rest of the boys.

he stopped at the bike rack and got off, them helping el off afterwards.

the girl examined the park's structure, "what is this place?"

   "it's the park," said mike, putting his bike in the rack, "and that's the playground."

he went to stand next to her and pointed at the playground infront of them.

"playground?" she said the new word in a low voice, almost questioning herself.

"do you wanna go on it?" he asked. el looked away from the playground to mike and hesitantly nodded. he smiled and connected his hand with hers, rushing up the stairs and leading her to the two long slides attached to each other.

mike sat down on one and patted the slide beside him, "sit down here."

el obeyed and made herself comfortable, looking down the long slide. she felt the boy's hand connect with hers once again, making her blush slightly.

   "so now you just move forward." he watched as she did as told and started to move as well. then the two slid down the slide, el smiling widely through the new experience. once they settled down, she looked at him with wide eyes. "that was awesome!"

   "if you though that was awesome, wait until you check out the swings." stated mike, now leading her towards the swingset. "just sit on the swing and i'll take it from there."

el went over and sat on the swing, allowing it to sway freely with the wind. she then felt two hands push her back, making her swing upward repeatedly.

   "now just swing your legs back and forth!" grinned mike, getting on the other swing.

she did as told and picked up more pace as she gripped on to the chains that held the swing.

her shoulder length hair blew back and front, the smile never leaving her face. after a minute of swinging, el came to a stop as well as mike.

   "that was even more awesome." she admitted. mike nodded, "i knew you'd like it..."

he trailed off as his eyes met with his bare arm, making him panic slightly.

   "what is it?" she asked. the boy hurridley went off the swing and looked around, "my watch, i don't know where it is!"

mike kneeled down and continued to examine the ground with worry until he heard a giggle escape el's lips.

he slowly looked up to see the girl hold the famous watch, making it clear to mike as it dangled from her fingertips. "i think i know where it is."

   "good, now give it back." el stood up and took a few steps back, "you'll have to get it from me, if you can."

she started running as mike clumsily stood up and followed her. they ran all around to park, making their way on the grassy field.

mike playfully tackled el to the ground, her joyful giggling filling his ears.

then he found himself hovering over the girl, their brown eyes holding a memorable gaze.

mike nervously laughed and fell to the side, letting out a quick "ow!" as his back made contact with the ground.

el turned to her side and faced him, smiling as he also turned to face her. "i've been meaning to ask, what's wrong?"

mike looked at her with confusion, "what do you mean? everything's fine."

   "mike," said el, looking straight into his eyes. "friends don't lie."

the boy sighed in defeat and sat up, staring ahead at the grass. "i don't know...i'm just tired."

   "tired? of what?" questioned el, sitting up next to him.

   "tired of everything. the fighting between my parents, how they make me think it's my fault that they have problems. i just needed to get away from all of it. " he replied.

el looked down, trying to find the right words to say. "you feel t-trapped. like you have no control. and their fighting is starting to get to you?"

her voice was soft now, most of her words coming out as questionable.

"when you where gone, i didn't really focus on anyone or anything. i didn't talk with my parents that much, or nancy. i closed them off. and things were slowly getting worse during that time, but i didn't notice." he explained.

mike took a deep breath and continued, tears forming in his eyes. "my mom, finds out that my dad's been cheating on her. and no matter how many chances my mom gave him, he kept on doing it. and who knows what he'll do if my mom leaves him..."

   "he would do something bad, wouldn't he?" el stated.

she saw him slowly nod and close his eyes, tears now making their way down his cheeks. she brought him into her arms, gently rubbing his back as he sobbed.

   "it hurts so much...k-knowing he never loved me or my mom. he doesn't care about how anyone feels, all he did was made me feel worthless." cried mike, holding on to his girlfriend like a baby.

el hated seeing him like this. so broken, as if the whole world had gone against her and hurt the person she cares most about.

she leaned out and cupped his face, wiping the tears from his face. "i know it hurts, and i'm so sorry. you don't deserve this at all. but you have to know that you are not worthless, and that people care about you. lucas, dustin, will, max and the rest will understand that you need space because they want you to be happy..."

el placed a soft kiss on his forehead, smiling as she saw him grin widely. "i want you to be happy. and i'll stay with you, i'll be here for you whenever you need me."

mike layed his head on her shoulder, their hands connecting once more. "thank you. for everything."

all mike needed was time. time to clear his mind and think freely.

he spent the next few weeks in peace, with el right by his side.

and things got better.

i'm kinda proud of this only because i actually knew what i was writing for the first time in months lol