tangled (mileven au)

shouldn't have left

๑ 9 ๑

From the moment Mike woke from his night's sleep, he could feel the change within himself, the change that a certain lively brunette was responsible for.

Instead of the usual dread and carelessness that came with the start of each day, he found himself feeling rather excited. For the first time in awhile, he woke up eager for what the day might possibly bring him and it was all because of El.

She had only just come into his life two days ago, yet somehow managed to gain a power over him, a power that he simply could not find it in him to fight.

She was the embodiment of perfection, in every way possible and not a single part of him wanted to deny the way that she made him feel inside. There was just something about her, something that made her different than anyone he had ever known. And no, it wasn't just because she basically had superpowers.

El's presence alone made him feel lighter, like that pressing weight he was left with after his mother died had been lifted right off his shoulders. He was now free to be the better version of himself that he once was. He was free to be happy again and because of her, he actually wanted to try.

So, that's exactly what he planned to do.

He just needed to see her again. Ever since he returned home last night, he couldn't seem to get El out of his head. Every moment of their day together had been stuck on his mind, repeating on a seemingly never ending loop— the way she looked to be sleeping so peacefully when he woke up and found her next to him in his bed, the way that she had risked her life to save him from the mess that he had created all on his own, the way she had looked at him so fondly as they lied beneath those twinkling stars, the way that everything seemed to fall right into place when his lips first met hers.

It all kept him awake much later than it should've, but he didn't mind that. He'd rather lie awake at night thinking of her, than what's been nagging at him for the past few months. And he would much rather wake up feeling the way that he did right now, even if it was causing him to rush around his room like a maniac, just so he could get to El sooner.

It wasn't long though, before he was ready to go and came barreling down the stairs with his keys in hand. His mind was set on leaving as soon as possible, but that plan was put on hold as he was stopped by the sight of his father.

The man was sitting at the kitchen table, completely immersed in the morning paper. Mike figured he could sneak by without getting caught, but his dad would still hear the car start up, so there was no point in trying.

"Oh, hey dad. I didn't know you were still here." Mike said, as he began taking cautious steps into the kitchen.

"I'm actually about to leave." His dad muttered from his place at the table, his eyes still glued to the newspaper. He continued to look it over for another moment, before peering over his glasses to look Mike's way. "I'm assuming since you're still here, that means you're skipping again?"

"Oh, yeah. I just... I don't feel good. I woke up and my head, it really hurt bad and my throat was all scratchy." Mike forced out a cough, attempting to sell the act as best as he could. "I feel like shit, to be honest."

"If you feel so bad, then why are you dressed like you're about to go out?"

Mike looked down at himself, though he already knew that he was dressed to do exactly that. He didn't just spend the past five minutes digging through piles of clothes for nothing. Of course he was going out, but his dad didn't need to know that.