A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this story!
Mike couldn't help but worry about his girlfriend Eleven. Will, Jonathan, Argyle, and himself had only just picked up El from getting her powers back when she had collapsed in the seat next to him from the exhaustion of the last few days.
She was currently curled up against him dead asleep.
He kept his gaze focused on her only removing it every few seconds to look out for any military cars that could possibly be following them. He also was aware of the other members in the car looking over at Eleven and him whenever they could spare a glance.
While she was busy sleeping he took the time to check if there was any visible injuries on her- frowning when he noticed the cuts and bruises that littered her arms and legs along with the faint circle marks left around her neck.
When he had first gotten out of the van his attention was completely focused on the fact that Eleven was alive and nothing else. It was only after she had walked over to the man who she had called Papa for so long that he let it sink in that her hair was shaved again and her neck was locked in a shock collar mere seconds before.
The thought that the shock collar might have been used against her gave him chills. What was even more frightening was that he didn't have a clue what else Dr. Brenner might have done to torture her while inside the bunker or how long they had been alone together. After all he hadn't yet seen Dr. Owens show himself and something told him the man wasn't going to appear anytime soon.
An endless circle of thoughts about what could have happened to the girl he loves while she was away plagued his brain The thought of her disappearing forever without him even being able to tell her that she was the girl he loved made the nausea grow inside him. The negative thoughts flooding his brain probably would've continued on for longer if it wasn't for the stirring at his side.
He felt Eleven burry her face deeper into his side before hearing a faint, "Mike."
He looked down and noticed that Eleven had tilted her head up to the point where she could meet his eyes.
"Hey, El. How are you feeling?" Mike said.
After a brief second a soft, "Fine." greeted his ears.
"Yeah. That's good. We're on the road to Hawkins right now but it's still about two days away." Mike said.
All he get in reply was a simple, "Soon."
Before he could reassure Eleven they were trying their best Will interrupted, "El, I don't think there is a way to get there sooner then that."
"Sooner." Was all El said in reply.
"El, I know you want to get there as soon as possible. We'll try our best okay?" Jonathan asked.
Mike watched as Eleven nodded her head in reply before she slunk back down against him.
"So care to catch us up on the details?" Jonathan said.
With a brief nudge for an explanation on what was happening in Hawkins from both Mike and Will, Eleven started recounting the details she had learned. Mike listened intently to how she got her powers back and about what or in this case who was threating Hawkins this time around.
When she had finished- or at least finished with all she was willing to tell at the moment, she reached for his hand in which he gladly surrendered. There was a stunned and almost chilling silence that filled the air before Argyle started mumbling about how "We are all going to die."
He tucked Elevens head into his neck before meeting eyes with Will and then with Jonathan through the rear view mirror.
Their faces both shined with a mix of fear for their friends and a determination to stop the upcoming doom. He was sure his face matched theirs. The thought of his home being torn apart with all his friends and family inside of it was frightening but he knew that he couldn't let the fear of what could be control him.
"Thanks for telling us El." Mike said.
He tilted his head down only to see that once again Eleven had positioned her head up so she could meet his eyes. He stared into her eyes and saw all the emotions floating threw them. It was in that moment that he decided that all his hesitations about confessing his love to El were meaningless. Not only did he owe it to her but he wanted to say those three complicated words that seemed so simple but yet were so powerful.
He needed to tell her. Who knows how things could turn out for them once fighting to protect Max and Hawkins. As much as it pained him to think about, he knew he might not get another opportunity to tell her how he feels. He wants to spend the rest of his days giving El soft kisses on the head and whispering his love to her gently in her ear.
He knew he needed to confess it now but he also knew it needed to be just the two of them. So he held his tongue and continued to match El's stare and as soon they stopped for gas he told the others he needed to talk to El alone.
In his dreams he always imagined telling El he loved her on a beautiful field of flowers with the stars littering the sky- shining bright above them. Instead they were behind a gas station with the only thing littering the scenery was the actual trash that was dumped everywhere. There was a foul smell and a dim orange light taking away from any charm the place might have had left; yet somehow it seemed to match everything else that had happened to them. So even though it wasn't a dreamy location the scene seemed perfect to him because in the end she was the one standing there and that's all that truly mattered.
Eleven must have been getting impatient with waiting due to her surely overwhelming desire to be back on the road because she interrupted his silence, "Mike. Why are we here?"
"El-l." He took a deep breathe before continuing, "Listen I've been so stupid lately! I'm sorry, your right I haven't told you I loved you! I've just been too afraid that if I did you'd realize you didn't need me anymore- and I couldn't handle the thought of loosing you!"
"Never lose me." El said while forcing him to meet his eyes. "I'm yours and your mine."
"I know El... That's why we're back here."
"Why?"
"Because El... I love you." He spoke the words so softly he was afraid she hadn't heard them- she proved that thought wrong when she swung her arms around his neck.
"I love you El! I always have! From that very first day I met you, you were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers t-shirt and it was so big that it almost swallowed you whole."
Eleven had let out a small wet chuckle at his description.
"Right then and there in that moment I knew that I loved you and I've loved you every day since. I love you on your good days; on your bad days. I love you with your powers; I love you without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are El."
"Mike." Eleven whispered.
"El, I'm sorry I don't say it more. It's not because I'm scared of you- I'm not. I've never felt that way- never! I've just been scared that one day you will realize you don't need me anymore. That if I told you how I felt it would make that day hurt more but the truth is I don't know how to live without you. I feel like that day in the woods, when I first saw you- that's when my life started. El, your my superhero. You are El."
Before Mike had the chance to say anything else Eleven had leaned in and gently kissed his lips. Suddenly, Eleven leaned back and placed her head right before his ear. Her breathe tickled his ear as she leaned in closer before simply saying a soft, "I love you too."
At her words Mike twisted his face around and started a long but gentle kiss. Their kissing continued until they heard Will shouting from around the building, "What's taking so long? We're ready to go now!"
The two of them separated with matching grins on their faces.
"Come on, El. We've got to go."
The two of them made their way back inside the van where they curled up next to each other both feeling satisfied.
They all had a long few days ahead but they would manage it together.
A/N: Hey! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Thank You so much for reading! Thank you to everyone who liked and/or commented on this, it means a lot! Till next chapter!