Mileven One Shots

Invasion of Privacy (1992)

This fun little one shot popped into my mind as I wanted to dive into the possibilities of El keeping a journal/diary to work through her traumas since writing can often help to heal old wounds. I slipped a few other fandom references into this one and also added in a little reference back to season one Mileven. Overall, this was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you all enjoy this short mess I've made!

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There was a tale that pertained to thread that perfectly summed up the phenomenon that was Mike and El's love story. The two soulmates have been practically sewn together since their teenage years and it was a difficult task to separate the pair. It was as though wherever El went, a string pulled Mike along with her; and vice versa.

However, as of recent, Mike had sworn he had felt the thread between the two of them grow thinner. El's hand that she offered for him to hold felt colder, and even though he willed the warmth of his heart to channel into her veins, it felt like something had been blocking it from entering her. That wasn't all though, the glow of her honey brown eyes had dimmed and her cheeks had hollowed. He knew she was working herself to the bone; juggling her college courses while working and interning, and his worries were growing stronger.

One day, he had arrived back at their apartment slightly earlier than El, so he decided to do what he swore to never do. Mike never once broke a promise, but for this; for his fiancée's wellbeing, he would risk it all.

He slipped his fingers into the bottom of their dresser and felt around until he found what he was searching for. He pulled out the red journal he had watched her write in for the past several years, and as he dared to open the cover, he recalled the reason El had gotten this in the first place.

The nightmares that visited her unconscious mind wore devilish masks and recalled upon old traumas. They did not offer her any kindness and threatened to tear her apart. While the couple had been in high school, her night terrors had gotten so far out of control that she couldn't sleep without Mike by her side. Hopper had eventually gotten Dr. Owens involved, and he ultimately suggested El utilize a diary as an outlet to release the demons that haunted her. She pursued his suggestion and found that it was a way for her to temporarily keep bad spirits at bay.

As Mike dragged his pointer finger into the first page of her personal belonging, he felt guilt swarm within his belly. He harshly swallowed before focusing on his mission of assuring she was okay. He quickly flipped through the pages that were filled with her cursive writing until he landed upon the most recent entry; which was dated back to last week. His dark eyes filled with tears as he analyzed El's horrors.

•• They have been coming back to me again. The trauma that paints my dreams have been pummeling me once more. I had been doing so well of keeping them away, but here they are, being brought back to life. I've been trying so hard to be the perfect daughter, sister, and fiancée, but I feel I have failed. It started a few nights ago when I awoke from a nightmare so terrible that I had to stay awake and make sure nothing came out of the dark. The morning after that nightmare, when Mike walked me to class, I nearly fainted as my eyes believed a passing dog to have been one of the Demogorgon hybrids.
When my nightmares first became bad years ago, I realized that I tend to lose sight of what's real and not real. The game I used to play to assure myself was not working anymore. I used to say to myself, 'my dad is okay. He's safe,' and instead of comforting me like it once did, I find myself wanting to call just to make sure he's still here. I try telling myself, 'Mike loves me. He will never leave me'. That used to be the easiest thing for me to find real, but with my mind feeling as twisted as it has, I can't seem to stop myself from questioning why someone as perfect as him would ever spend their life loving someone as damaged as me. ••