you are not alone → stranger things

xxxviii. asleep (part i)

^YOU DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND I AM HARDCORE SOBBING OMFG

Saturday evening, January 13, 1984
Mike's POV

I tried not to look at the death surrounding us, but it was impossible not to. I was glad for a few seconds that El didn't have to see it, but then I remembered that she might not wake up to see anything ever again.

Will looked at me with an incomprehensibly calm expression. "We need to find it as soon as we can," he declared, sounding weary just thinking about it.

Mrs. Byers put her arm around him, and he leaned on her. "You need sleep," she told him softly.

Will looked outraged and pushed her away. "And let the rest of this town end up like them?" He gestured to the bodies. "I know what it's capable of, Mom. I have to stop it." He sighed and looked around slightly for something to lean against.

Chief Hopper looked down at Will. "This thing," he said to Will, glancing at the portal. "Can you close it?"

"No," Will replied, settling for the wall beside it.

"Eleven probably can," Hopper said, looking at her. He then looked at me questioningly.

I looked away. "Another time." I sounded harsher than I'd intended and felt slightly guilty.

The chief turned and surveyed at the room, furrowing his brow thoughtfully. "We should leave before more agents arrive," he said finally. He gestured to Max and added, "Plus, she needs a doctor."

***

I gazed at the still-sleeping El sadly. It had been almost an hour since we'd left the lab, and she was still unresponsive.

We had all come to my house. Will, after giving in to Mrs. Byers' attempts to get him to sleep, had borrowed my room. Hopper had decided that it would be best not to take Max to the hospital so no one would ask questions, so she ended up in there too, on the top bunk. The adults were talking in low, urgent voices in the living room. Nancy had come home with Jonathan earlier, and she had come down to the basement for a moment. She hadn't said anything, and I hadn't either. They went in the living room for a few minutes after that, probably for an explanation, then went upstairs. I didn't care enough to wonder what they were doing.

I'd laid El on the sofa in the basement, covered her in a blanket, and pulled up a chair from the table. She'd stirred once and scrunched up her fave like she was about to cry, but hadn't done anything since. So all I could do was watch and wait.

"El," I said to her, glancing at the door to make sure it was closed, "if you die because of that awful thing... I'll never forgive myself." I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. "I could have helped. Stopped it from torturing you like it did. I could have fought against it. But I didn't. I gave up too easily. And if you... if you die..." I couldn't bring myself to go on, and instead reached for her hand and lowered my face to my knees. "Please wake up," I whispered.

***

I left her side for only a few minutes because Mom insisted that I eat. And, of course, in those minutes, she woke up.

I was shoveling chicken in my mouth, alone in the kitchen, when Nancy sidled in, looking at me. "Slow down, Mike!" she chided, wrinkling her nose. "That's disgusting." I smiled, understanding her joke, and kept eating. After a moment, Nancy walked over to the fridge, opened it, looked inside, and said casually, "So she's awake."

My fork fell to my plate with a loud clatter. "El?" I exclaimed, barely getting the word through with the chicken in my mouth.

She gave me a disapproving look. "Who else?"

I immediately jumped up and, spitting the chicken in the trash, ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Mom won't like that!" Nancy called after me, but I ignored her.

El was sitting up. Mrs. Byers was with her, patting her hand and speaking softly. She looked up at me. "Here he is now." An understanding twinkled in her eyes, and she got up. "I have to tell Hopper that you're awake!" In another moment, she was gone, closing the basement door halfway.

El looked up at me tiredly. "Mike."

"El," I breathed, and ran to her. I hugged her tightly, and she hugged back, tucking her head into my neck. I could feel her soft breathing on my neck. We stayed like that for a long time, then I pulled away slightly to look at her. "I love you," I burst out breathlessly.

She smiled effortlessly and kissed me lightly. "I know."

I raised an eyebrow, not sure if that was the reference I thought it was. "You remember...?"

"Han Solo and Princess Leia," she confirmed, nodding. {A/N: I know the episode with that scene hadn't come out in 1983 but I had to put it in lol}

I smiled at her and hugged her again. "You're amazing."