Hold My Head Inside Your Hands

At this point, he doesn't know or even care how long it's actually been. He just knows it's been entirely too long.

Where the fuck is Hopper?

Mrs. Byers had returned with Will, Nancy and Jonathan in tow about half an hour before. Jonathan had carried an unconscious Will straight to his bedroom, their mother following, while Nancy had walked over to Mike and crushed him in a hug. He'd been surprised for a moment before hugging her back; the two of them weren't really the most touchy-feely of siblings or even very close at all. They had been, once, but that was a long time ago.

Stepping back, she had furrowed her brows. "Why are all of you covered in dirt?" She'd asked, surveying the ragtag group of thirteen year olds spread out in the living room. "Where's Steve?"

They'd explained what happened, talking over each other loudly and then telling each other to be quiet because Will and Steve were sleeping, as thirteen year olds were wont to do.

"I'm going to kill him," Nancy fumed, before Dustin interjected in the older boy's defense.

"It was Mike's idea, Steve didn't want to let us go!" He said, causing Mike to glare at him. Right now was not the time to get him in trouble with his sister.

Nancy turned to him, surprised. "You came up with that crazy plan?"

He shrugged. He didn't know what to say, honestly; it had come to him and he knew they had to do something to help El.

El.

God, just remembering that she's on her way back is enough to keep him awake even after the insanely long night he's just had. It almost feels like a dream, knowing that she's alive and that she was listening to him all year. She'd missed him just as much as he missed her.

Which is why he's so anxious for Hopper to get back. He needs to see her, to talk to her, feel her and know that she's really there. When she had walked through the door to the Byers' house, Mike had thought a demodog had killed him and he was in heaven for a second, but then decided that not even heaven could be that good. Unfortunately, they hadn't had any time together since everyone had split up so quickly, and now he waits.

He's been pacing by the front windows for the last fifteen minutes, looking outside every so often to watch for headlights on the road. The house is quiet. Nancy has disappeared somewhere (probably with Jonathan, if Mike has to guess. Her thing with Steve has taken a weird turn lately), Mrs. Byers hasn't come out of Will's room, Steve's still asleep slumped on the kitchen table, and the rest of his friends are spread on the living room floor, also asleep.

Or so he thinks, until a voice pipes up from behind him. "Do you think they're okay?"

He whips around to stare at Max, who freezes when he does. "What?"

"Hopper," she says. "...and El."

Mike turns back to the window. "They've been gone too long."

"I thought what we did... helped them," she continues. She joins him at the window, looking outside.

"I hope so," he replies. "I don't know." He sneaks a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and he thinks she looks incredibly tired and paler than usual. He probably doesn't look much different. "Why are you still awake? I thought you were sleeping."

Max shrugs. "I was trying to, but I couldn't fall asleep. Lucas snores."

At that, Mike smiles a little bit. He's been the victim of Lucas' loud snoring at one too many a sleepover not to know that. He's tuned it out at the moment, but Max is right. "He sounds like a tractor."