you're my safe place ~ MILEVEN ONE SHOTS~

Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming

(request by imissmileven who wanted me to incorporate the beautiful content that we have been given this week, into a fluffy one shot! Enjoy and let me know what you thought and if you have any further requests!)

When she was brought up in the lab, she was raised to believe that she was nothing more than a machine. She was supposed to be something that was controlled, the push of buttons operating her powers as if she was nothing more than a robot. Some of the words that they spat at her started to resonate, worthless, stupid, experiment. These were terms that she was familiar with, simple words that filled her with darkness, darkness that spilled as it was filled right to the brim of her soul. There was no room for light, no sunshine that could enter through the passageways that they had filled with such cruel terms. After learning what love was and what it felt like to have a family, there were still days where El found it difficult to accept her new feelings. Sometimes she believed that she truly didn't deserve the new kindness that had been thrust upon her, the gifts that she received over Christmas and the way that Hop always smiled at her. It took a lot of reassurance for her to remember that this was the life that she had always wanted, the life that she had always deserved. 

As she opened the door to Mike, the feeling filled her up once more. His grin was so genuine, so warm, that she wasn't sure if she was really awake. Sometimes she had to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming, pinching her arm softly so that she wouldn't know that she would wake up within the cold stone walls of the lab. She pinched her arm softly, holding back her wince as Mike stepped inside, instantly dropping his backpack on the sofa. 

"I missed you" he exclaimed softly. 

El smiled when she didn't wake up from the sweet dream, her body relaxing slightly. "I missed you too, Mike."

"What do you want to do today?" he asked gently. 

She wasn't used to having so many options, sometimes feeling overwhelmed when a choice was left up to her. While it broke Mike's heart, he understood that she had been controlled and restricted for so long that freedom was nothing more than a stranger. All he wanted to do was give her the world, to paint the moon and the stars with no boundaries, no walls to cage her in like an animal. He would design a world made out of sunflower fields and clear blue skies, a world where she could run with their fingers linked, never trapped again. 

She struggled with her words. "M-Make up?"

He frowned slightly, "What do you mean? You have make up?"

El nodded so enthusiastically that he couldn't help but feel excitement soaring through his own bones, her fingers clasped loosely around his thin wrist as she dragged him to her bedroom. The fabric of his yellow t-shirt was soft when she pulled him in front of her, sitting him down on the bed, his dark denim vest contrasting with the pale color. He sat on the bed patiently as she grabbed a small box, several brushes spilling from it, coated in different powders. 

"You want me to do it?" he asked sweetly, nudging her. 

Her eyes lit up at the memory, his voice so much deeper but just as soft. She could remember the way that he ran the brush across her cheeks, tapping the lip gloss tube against her puckered lips. It was the first time that she felt pretty, but it was also the first time that Mike had truly taken care of her. He had handled her with such care, treating her like shattered glass, fragile and destined to break. She didn't mind breaking as long as he would be there to catch her when she fell, building her back up again with his own strength. 

Instead she shook her head, "Me."

He grinned, feeling proud of her. "You want to do your make up?"