Mileven One Shots

Void of Cheer (Spring 1986)

I wrote this one shot about a month ago after people in the fandom were bugging out over the idea of Mike leaving El for a cheerleader, so here's my take on that!

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It had been a build up of hard work over a series of excruciatingly long weeks. Stemming from the back of her consciousness and moving outward, El fought to achieve access into the void. She yearned to reach out to the father she believed was alive and all of the people she left behind in Hawkins. Yet, her mind was like withering elastic; practically begging to snap.

It happened like a bursting flash. Behind her blindfolded eyes, El caught a second long glimpse of the boy she loved. Mike's hair had grown to nearly reach his shoulders, but the sparkle of his orbs had dulled. Just before she was propelled back out of the void, Eleven was able to witness a sight that made her stomach churn. A slender arm with yellow and green painted nails touched upon her boyfriend's shoulder; which immediately sent envious shivers down her spine. She could see the twirl of a cheerleader's uniform just before she ripped off the blindfold in heated anger.

Although she had only been gifted her abilities for a fleeting moment, El's nose had somehow become flooded with blood. She choked on the metallic substance that had engulfed her throat as she sputtered out an anxious cry.

Luckily for her, Jonathan; who had become used to her efforts in retrieving back her powers, came bounding into the room with a damp cloth. As the older boy sat beside her, he softly berated, "El, you need to stop this. You're going to end up hurting yourself," he paused, instructing her to lift up her chin as he swiped at the drying blood while adding, "you know that even if you don't have your powers you're still the most badass person any of us know. Nobody is going to love you less."

It was like his last sentence struck an angered cord in El's chest as she huffed, "nobody will love me less, but the only thing I could see in there was Mike with another girl."

"What?" Jonathan questioned harshly in shock, shaking his head as he deadpanned, "are you talking about Mike Wheeler? The boy that would do anything for you?"

A pitiful sigh left Eleven's mouth as she abruptly got up from her bed. She paced for a few moments as she thought over the previous weeks. Just a mere day ago, Mike had felt distant on their phone call. His voice wavered at times as he spoke to her about the new campaign he had crafted. The energetic excitement he usually carried was absent, but at the end of the call when he uttered, 'I love you,' El had felt as though he was being honest. Yet, here she was now, doubting that her love was being reciprocated.

As her fingernails dug into her palms, she muttered, "I'm pretty sure he's going to break up with me," El barked out a dry laugh as she continued, "he's probably already with someone else and I don't blame him. I don't blame him for not loving me anymore—"

Her voice cut off in a sharp cry, her tough facade crumbling at the same moment Jonathan wrapped her up in a tight hug. He consoled the girl delicately for a moment before pulling back with a look of determination.

"We're going on a road trip," Jonathan bluntly declared.

With furrowed brows, Eleven mumbled, "what?"

Moving around her room in a haste, Jonathan proceeded to throw her scattered articles of clothing into a duffel. He then trotted to his room and did the same before returning back in front of El. Her eyes were bleary and her shoulders were slumped in defeat. It wasn't a sight Jonathan liked to see from the person he knew to be so courageous.

"We're going to see Mike," the boy paused, blushing as he murmured, "and Nancy."

A small smile graced El's face as she questioned, "are we really doing this?"