✓ The Games We Play ⇔ Mileven {2nd - "Wake Up, Mike" Trilogy}

Seventy Two

I'm laughing at how Max's death situation isn't mentioned once in this chapter. It's amusing(:
Also that picture omg

Mike.

I opened the door slowly, allowing Nancy to walk in. Holly followed, but then started running to reach the living room faster. I didn't see anything, all I heard was a high pitched yell of excitement.

"Mommy!" Holly yelled, and I heard a gasp after that. I heard my mom crying very audibly before I could even get the door closed. Nancy hurried in and there was more excitement. I turned to El, who was looking around the house with a small smile. She looked over to me and smiled wider, seeming most happy to see me. She walked forward and slowly hugged me, her arms light around my neck. When I hugged her back, I quickly noticed how much I could feel her ribs.

"El, I'm so sorry," I whispered, and I couldn't help but pull my hand back and run my hand lightly over the grooves. She backed up a bit, making me pull my hand away quickly. "I'm sorry. Again. Sorry, I just keep messing stuff up."

"Mike," she stopped me, and I looked up at her.

"Yeah, El?"

"I'm ok, I just don't like this," she whispered, placing her hands on her stomach. "It's too small. It hurts a little." She then looked at my stomach, covered by a slightly baggy shirt. "What's yours like? Your arms look like mine."

"El, c'mon, let's just go see everyone, then get you some food," I encouraged, and she frowned at me. "I just want to take care of you first. We can talk about anything you want later, ok? I just want you ok." She smiled and nodded, and a weight fell off my shoulders.

I led the way into the living room. My mom looked up at me, looking away from Holly. She stood up and ran over, pulling me into a big hug.

"Mike, oh my god, never do that again. I thought I had lost all three of my kids and I-" she stopped mid sentence and was silent for a second. She then pulled away and I saw fresh tears running down her face. She was looking behind me. "El?"

I stepped back, allowing her access. She hurried forward and I quickly noticed that El was crying, too. My mom and Ms. Byers are the closest people she's had to a mom, I don't blame her for crying. They had a long hug, and I just stayed silent with a small smile. My mom pulled away, now wearing a big smile.

"Alright, I assume you're all hungry. I'll make some food," she spoke excitedly, wiping tears off her face.

"Uh, I'm not sure El can handle much food. Ease her into it," I spoke slowly, and my mom nodded. "I can't handle much, either," I added on, and her smile dropped. She nodded again, then continued into the kitchen. I turned to El, and her head was tilted a bit.

"Why can't we handle much?" she asked, and I sighed a bit.

"Well, for you, you haven't eaten much in a long time. I'm not sure exactly why, but that makes it hard to eat for a little while. You just have to eat a small amount, and then slowly eat more and more," I tried to explain, but she still looked confused. "Basically, if you eat too much, you'll get sick and throw up."

"Throw up. That's when everything you ate comes up out of you, right?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed. I nodded, and she looked confused again. "So why are you eating small?" Man, nothing gets past this girl.

"Well, I haven't been eating much, either," I said simply, and she frowned once again. This is a terrible return. "Hey, do you want a drink? I, uh, I have some grape juice for you. I went to the store recently and bought some."

"Why would you buy grape juice if I wasn't here?" she asked as I led the way into the kitchen.

"Kept me sane," I mumbled, then sighed loudly. "I had a feeling you'd be back soon," I changed my answer, and she smiled a little bit. I noticed, though, how she was shivering slightly. In her heavy sweater and thick sweatpants, she was still shivering. "Mom, El is cold. What will help?" I heard her scoff lightly.

"You need to be told what helps when cold? Have you not been alive for almost fourteen years now?" she asked, and I rolled my eyes. "Some socks, a warm drink," she suggested, and my face lit up. I looked at El, who looked confused.

"You remember those socks you wore with the dress?" I asked, and she nodded. I walked forward and grabbed her hand, walking her towards the stairs. "Nancy has these socks that look normal, but they're thick and warm. You'll love them," I explained, being just a bit too enthusiastic. I stole these socks one day and I've never been more comfortable.

I ran into my sister's room, still holding El's hand. She was laughing a bit behind me at how excited I was. It took me seconds to find the socks, obviously, so I quickly handed them to her. She sat on Nancy's bed, pulling them on gently. She finished after a minute, and looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Soft and warm, right?" I asked, and she nodded while standing back up. I was about to lead the way back out of the room, but she stepped closer and grabbed my hand again. I stopped dead as she slowly lifted it up to her face, resting her cheek in my palm. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply as I frowned a bit. "El, what's wrong?" I whispered, noticing the single tear that dripped from her shut eyes.

"I just...I missed you, and-" she started, but was cut off, making both of us jump.

"Kids, your food is finished!" my mom yelled up the stairs loudly. I felt El drop my hand as she started wiping at her eyes. She sniffled once, and I looked at her with a big frown and concerned eyes.

"You can finish, we can go down in a second," I spoke quietly, and she shook her head. "Ok," I replied, but it wasn't even audible. Something's wrong, I want her to tell me. Talk about timing, Mom.

She saw my face and grabbed my hand, obviously trying to distract me. She lead the way that time, so I caught up and we walked down the stairs together. We entered the kitchen, where my mom immediately handed us plates.

"Oh, Mike, come make this," she called out once I set my plate down. I turned to look, seeing two mugs on the counter. I gasped a bit, the excitement bubbling up inside me. I did what my mom said with lightning speed, bringing the mugs to the table.

"Ok, El, this is probably my favorite drink to exist. It's called tea, I don't know if Will showed it to you?" I asked, and her face scrunched up a bit.

"His mom said that word once. I haven't had it," she said simply, and I nodded.

"Well, it's a warm drink. It tastes like heaven, I promise," I rushed out, and she looked at me like I was odd. She reached forward, anyway, taking the warm mug and sipping it a bit. She smiled to herself, taking a bigger drink. My smile grew significantly. She looked up at me and smiled back, her eyes shutting slightly. It was adorable, and I was happy.

She's back. For good.

-

Sorry guys, I meant for this to be longer, but I cut it short because of how late it is. Wednesday's chapter will be fun, though(;

edit, 7-4-19: I don't ship Mileven anymore but the Mileven in my stories is so frickin cute. Probably cuz I was basing them off of soft s1 Mileven instead of s2