Mileven One Shots

Perfect Imperfections (1991)

This one shot is super fluffy and highly unedited. This is also another take on a prompt I've already tackled. Anyways, enough rambling. I hope you all enjoy!

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Rejection. The mere idea of not being accepted by society had always been a fear of Mike's. Growing up, he did not feel like he blended in with normalcy. His mother tried to make their family feel like an all inclusive unit, but he never once felt like he belonged. El understood his fears of nonacceptance as she had been raised to believe she was a disposable weapon. Yet, when the two fell into line with one another and built a home, worrying about rejection became a thing of the past.

It had been so long since Mike had felt like a discarded outcast, but here he was now, experiencing one of the biggest rejections he ever had to face. Just the day before, his publishing company called him and informed him that the submitted draft of his novel was not up to their standards. They believed his writing was beautiful; however, they explained that the genre felt too bizarre for their acceptance. Mike had gotten home after that fated meeting and sobbed into his girlfriend's arms. El coddled him the entire night, assuring him through touches and reaffirming words that he and his work were worthy.

The following morning, as Mike prepared to go to classes, El recognized the look of utter defeat in his eyes. As he was grabbing his keys, she took ahold of his wrist and murmured, "are you sure you don't want to stay home today? I can email my professors and we can spend the day doing whatever you want."

Mike attempted to smile at her, but the dimples that typically graced his freckled cheeks failed to appear. He hugged her tightly as he responded, "I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," he pulled away from her too quickly and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth that she wished would've lasted longer.

El helplessly watched him leave their apartment with his shoulders hung low, almost like he was hiding away from the rest of the world. It tore her apart to see Mike this upset, so she began brainstorming ways she could make him feel better. Soon, an electric light bulb illuminated her mind as she was getting ready to start her own day. Once she formulated her idea, she decided to skip her scheduled classes in order to retrieve the necessary items. El proceeded to diligently work on successfully achieving this surprise for Mike, and if it weren't for the help of her powers, she may not have been able to pull it all off in time.

Meanwhile, Mike had spent his day sluggishly moving from one place to the next. While he was physically present in his lectures, his mind could only continue to wander to the reminder of this weighted rejection. All's he wanted to do was make El proud, which is why returning home with this massive failure made him feel immense guilt. But here he was, trudging back towards their sanctuary feeling as though he had provided her with nothing.

As he slowly tugged open the door, Mike felt the emptiness within his heart become replaced with massive shock. The first thing that caught his eye was the ceiling of their living room; which was now covered in rows of rainbow string lights. He then looked downward and saw a display of various sheets that had been arranged to form a large fort in the center of the room. His feet propelled him forward as he walked around the structure, and as soon as he reached the fort's entrance, he was greeted by his favorite sight.

There, laying on a makeshift bed of pillows, sat his iridescent girlfriend. Her golden eyes were alive with addicting energy as she smiled brightly at him. Mike struggled to form words as he dropped to his knees, making himself at eye level with her as he stuttered, "w-what is this?"

Eleven reached forward and soothingly threaded her fingers through his curls. Once his eyes shut in contentment, she stated, "I know you were feeling upset, so I thought that a little reminder of our first home could cheer you up."