Every Day Without You *Mileven*

We Tell Each Other Everything, Remember?

~Mike's POV~

We finally pulled up to my house. Hopper told El to wait in the car when he walked me up to my house. El tried to argue, but Hopper had made up his mind. She sighed in defeat.

As Hopper was getting out of the car, I turned to the disappointed girl. I quickly leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She blushed and smiled from ear to ear.

"Goodbye El, for now," I said, getting out of the vehicle.

"Goodbye, Mike."

That heart-wrenching phrase. It still bothered me everytime someone would say it. The two simple words only reminded me of the night my life took a turn for the worse. The night El disappeared. The night my life turned upside down.

I shut the car door and walked up to the front porch with Hopper. He knocked on the door and we waited for someone to answer it.

My mom opened the door. 

"Mike! Thank goodness you're okay!" She exclaimed pulling me into a hug.

She squeezed me right where I had been injured.

"Oww," I groaned.

"What's wrong Mike?" My mom asked.

I wasn't sure what to say. I looked at Hopper, hoping he had an idea.

"Well, you see Mrs. Wheeler, Mike and his friends got into some trouble the other night, if you recall what I told you over the phone," he told my mom.

The two stepped outside to talk, alone. I walked into the basement only to find Nancy sitting on the couch.

"Nancy?"

"Mike!" She exclaimed, running up to me and pulling me into an embrace.

"I was so worried about you!" She said.

I grunted, pushing away.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, no, I'm fine," I said.

"Mike, we promised to tell each other everything, remember?" She scolded me.

"Look, it's complicated," I said, trying to avoid Nancy's question.

"Mike," she said, leading me to the couch. The two of us sat down.

"Mom got a phone call the other night from Joyce Byers. She said that Hopper needed you to stay with him for a night. What happened? Please tell me, Mike. I care about you," Nancy said.

I sighed. I knew I could trust Nancy, and we did promise that there would be no more secrets between us.

"Ok, fine," I started. "The other night, the party and I were walking back from the Snowball when some people in Hawkins Laboratory vans started chasing us with guns."

"What?! But I thought they had agreed to leave you guys alone?" Nancy asked.

"That's why we were so confused. Apparently, another experiment victim, 007, was involved somehow.

"But why did you have to stay overnight?" Nancy asked, still a little confused.

"One of the agents shot me," I said, looking downwards, failing to meet Nancy's gaze.

I don't know why, but I just started crying. What was wrong with me? I was such a baby sometimes. I should be happy that Eleven's back, right? I am happy, yet still, a part of me breaks from time to time.

"Mike, what's wrong?" Nancy asked.

"I-I'm just scared. Why do t-they always have to treat El so terribly? W-What if they hurt her? And I-I'm not there to protect her?" I croaked. The thought made me feel a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Mike, it's ok. I'm sure El will be fine. She has Hopper with her, and he won't let anything bad happen to her while you're not around," Nancy reassured me.

"I guess you're right," I said. "Thanks, Nance."

Nancy pulled me into a gentle hug.