These one shots are flopping :)
━━━━━━━━
El and Max finished their ice creams, the red head giggling as El attempted to lick ice cream off the tip of her nose. Giving up she used the back of her thumb to rub it off. It was a scorching hot day in Hawkins and the two best friends were sitting outside 'Starcourt Mall' waiting for their boyfriends to arrive.
Max jumped up excitedly when a familiar dark skinned boy in a vest came cycling around the corner. El frowned when she noticed he was alone, no Mike to be seen. She felt a little upset. Had he decided not to come? Was he doing something better with his time? She felt a lump form in her throat.
"Hey." A warm voice interrupted her thoughts, "Mike really wanted to come but he's sick."
Lucas had sensed El's concern and he smiled, placing a hand on her back. If anything this made her worry more. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Is he okay?"
"Well he can barely get out of bed and he looks like he's about to di..ouch!" Lucas quickly closed his mouth as Max thumped him in the ribs, glaring at him before smiling at El.
"Don't worry he'll be fine." She assured. She knew El could take things quietly literally sometimes, and receiving news that her boyfriend was 'dying' would definitely be one of those times.
Lucas nodded, wincing in pain as he held onto his side. "Maybe you should go check on him. He's really bummed he couldn't see you."
"He was?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah totally! He's like in love with you." Lucas chuckled causing El to blush.
"Okay I'll go check on him right now." She nodded, practically sprinting towards her bike that was leaning against the wall of the shopping center.
"Bye El, love you!" Max yelled from behind her shoulder, as El swung her leg over the saddle, quickly giving a goodbye to Max and Lucas.
Her legs peddled fast as she took a quick left down maple street and towards Mike's house, hoping to get there quickly. She jumped off her bike as she cycled into his driveway, running around to the back of his house. She knew Ms Wheeler wouldn't have a problem with El visiting, but El still wanted to sneak in to avoid any awkwardness.
Luckily the basement door was open so she slipped inside, the homely scent of Mike filling her nose — fresh and warm. She carefully tiptoed up the basement stairs, peaking her head out to make sure the coast was clear. There was no one around accept for Ted Wheeler who was fast on his lazy boy. El smiled , shaking her head.
She dashed quickly towards the stairs, taking them two by two, hoping she didn't crash into Nancy or Karen Wheeler. She sighed in relief as the hallway was empty, the only sound the birds chirping from outside. She heard some distance sniffles and the occasional cough, coming from Mike's door that was slightly opened. She tapped on it softly before entering.
Mike was barely visible, a large duvet surrounding him and reaching his nose. There was several tissues scrunched up and thrown onto the floor, and he just looked awful in general. But to El he was still very handsome.
He attempted to sit up, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his girlfriend in a colorful romper, "El?" He croaked out, his voice sounding deeper from sickness.
She took a seat at the end of his bed and felt herself gulp. She has never seen Mike like this and she felt her eyes well with tears.
"Hey, what's wrong." He rasped, slowly sitting up and reaching forward for her hand. She took it and squeezed it tightly.
"You're hurting." She sobbed quietly, scooting forward even more and taking a seat beside him so they were squished together in his twin bed.
He chuckled despite how awful he was feeling and gave her hand a squeeze, "I'm okay El, it's just a cold, I'll be better in a couple of days."
She looked down at her feet that were crossed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She sighed looking back up at him, noticing how red his nose was and how tired his eyes looked.
"You need to sleep." She whispered, reaching out and fixing his messy waves, combing them out of his eyes.
He nodded, letting a small yawn escape his lips and sighed, giving El a small smile. She bent down to place a soft kiss on his lips but he jerked away suddenly and she retracted her hands that were resting on his shoulders.
"Sorry El, but you can't kiss me when I'm sick." He said quickly, noticing the hurt flicker across her eyes, "I don't want you getting my germs."
He softly stroked her forearm and she nodded, not completely understanding but felt better, knowing he hadn't deliberately tried to hurt her feelings.
"Can I stay with you?" She asked, hoping the least she could do was comfort him and look after him until he got better.
He nodded, and watched her tuck herself under his covers, their legs bumping against each other's. This was new for them, and they were both nervous. Mike stiffened at first but soon relaxed into her warmth. She moved forward a little more, taking control as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to rest on her chest.
He sighed contently, closing his eyes and listening to the soft sound of her heartbeat. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, humming softly as he fell into a light sleep.
Usually Mike was the one who made El feel safe, but she felt as if now it was her turn. As she held him tightly to her, she listened to his soft breathing and watched as his eyelashes fluttered against his freckle painted cheeks. She often wondered, why did this boy take care of me and feed me and teach me when he could of just left me in those woods that night.
Imagining how different her life would have been if they somehow weren't there in the pouring rain that very same one, pained her to think about. Mike made her feel so loved and worthy and cared for. He gave her a home when nobody else did. He was her home.
She rested her head on top of his, inhaling the cinnamon scent of his dark hair and closing her own eyes now. The two young teenagers clung onto each other, as if scared to let go. They basked in each other's warmth and fell into a deep sleep together, the only sound that their gentle breathing.
━━━━━━━━
This was honestly so bad ahahh.
It's like 2am and I'm delusional as hell rn so goodnight xxx
