Mileven One Shots

Heavy In Your Arms (1988)

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There is no worse feeling than being entirely helpless. To have zero sense of control is unnerving to a new degree; almost like free falling from a significantly high height with no parachute to protect you.

Mike had known the feeling of being powerless on multiple occasions. Watching the love of his life drop to the ground in utter exhaustion while coming face to face with death is excruciating beyond belief. He had never known any greater pain than having to witness El experience such gruesome realities. Alls he ever wanted to do in those scenarios is hold her close, but his arms continually failed her. There had been too many times that Mike had lacked enough muscle to be capable of carrying her away from danger.

Which is the exact reason he now diligently worked on gaining physical strength. He had never been self conscious about his lanky limbs; yet, here he was, eager to change his body's lean ways. He committed to accomplishing this small feat in solitude, not wanting anyone to be aware of his efforts.

However, his sneaky ways were no match for El. She was sharply observant and could easily detect any small change in Mike's presence. Her large infatuation with every single thing about him was ultimately what made it simple to recognize even the most microscopic differences.

It was on a Friday night when the couple decided to have an intimate movie marathon. As the two took their cuddled positions, El accidentally knocked her skull off the hard mass within Mike's bicep. She softly released a huff before poking at his skin. With furrowed brows, she wondered aloud, "what is this?"

Confusion swarmed Mike's mind as he stated, "my arm," he then pulled back, placing the back of his hand upon her forehead as he pondered, "are you feeling ill?"

Eleven flicked his hand away as she wrapped her dainty fingers around his upper arm. With a curious squeeze she asked, "have you been working out?"

Within an instant, the demeanor of the room shifted. The playful humor that was just present moments before felt as though it had been liquidated. There was a strange look within Mike's eyes; one El didn't see very often. This mask of shame plastered upon his bright face in a way that threatened to swallow him whole.

Ever so gently, as if she were approaching a skittish animal, El brushed the stray curls away from Mike's face as she studied him. Her gaze stayed on his pale skin for a moment before her lips met his freckled cheeks. She then pressed her forehead against his as she softly murmured, "talk to me, baby."

A silent second followed before Mike begrudgingly muttered, "what is there to talk about?"

"Hey, look at me," El instructed as she squished his face between her palms. Once his pupils burned into hers, she proceeded, "I can tell something is bothering you and I want to make it better. Please, let me be there for you."

Not being able to shy away from her for a second longer, Mike buried his face into her chest. He took a deep breath, inhaling that heavenly vanilla fragrance as he revealed, "I've been trying to get stronger for you."

Mike groaned inwardly at the feel of her fingers raking through his scalp. Yet, he found himself taken aback when she surprisingly yanked on a few strands of his hair until he was looking at her once more. Sincere concern was painted on Eleven's face as she questioned, "why would you have to be stronger for me? That doesn't make any sense."

Frustration built within Mike as he spewed, "I am a useless boyfriend!" He shot off of the couch and began to pace as he expressed, "do you have any idea how worthless I am? I've sat back and done nothing to protect you. You've overused your powers so much to the point that they were burnt out for months," a weak cry escaped him as he looked down, "alls I want to do is catch you when you fall and take care of you. I want to be strong enough to carry you away from danger. I need to have the strength to make sure you're safe because you mean everything to me," he hastily wiped his cheeks clean of the few tears he had shed as he finalized, "I want to be good enough to take care of you. I want to be worthy of your love."