Hi everyone! I've been writing a bunch of Mileven drabbles based on prompts over on Tumblr ( writer-lia) and decided to start posting them as a collection here and on AO3. They range in length from short drabbles to more substantial one-shots. Each chapter will be one scene that corresponds to the prompt I was given. Hope you enjoy them, and please let me know what you think! :)

Prompts: "Kiss me" & "You need sleep"

Mike had never been more grateful for silence. First, because it allowed El to slip quickly into the restful sleep she desperately needed; and second, because he was able to hear her quiet, shallow breaths. On a logical level he knew it was creepy to lay awake listening to someone breathe, but after everything that had gone on that night - the Demodogs and the tunnels and the hour of crippling anxiety waiting for her and Hopper to return from the lab - her slow inhale-exhale pattern was a constant reminder that she was really there; alive, unhurt, as far as anyone could tell. There, in his arms.

When Hopper had burst through the Byers' front door hours earlier, El limp in his arms, there'd been a frantic reaction. In the midst of the Chief's hurried attempts to assure everyone that she was okay, in her haze El had managed to utter one word, one syllable: Mike. Thinking about it again made his heart ache; the plain fact that in her barely conscious state, his was the only name she could muster, a plea not for food or water or sleep, but him. No one had said anything. And no one protested when Mike followed Hopper into Jonathan's room, hovering as he laid El down on the bed. As soon as she was in place Mike had moved to her side, taking one of her hands in both of his. The Chief had only looked at him sternly and said, "She needs to rest," before turning to leave.

At first he'd just sat there and taken in the sight of her: pale skin, remnants of hastily cleaned dried blood streaked on her cheeks and chin. Then he'd begun to nervously check her pulse, shifting a finger every few moments against the inside of her wrist. Eventually his eyes had grown heavy, the incredible exhaustion finally catching up to him, and he'd laid down as gently as possible. The moment he was settled beside El she'd curled into him, still asleep, flinging an arm around his waist and tucking her head under his chin. That was what had jolted him into the relentless awake that he was now.

The feeling of El in his arms after so long was too important to fall asleep.

The rhythm of her breathing hitched for a moment and Mike's heart began to race. He was about to jostle her and ask what was wrong but then she groaned, and he felt her shift a little beside him. The small bedside lamp had been left on, and in its dim glow Mike glanced down to see El's eyes fluttering open. She looked up at him, and though obviously still groggy she managed a small smile that he instantly returned.

"Mike," she breathed, an echo of the way she'd said it earlier in the throes of her return - a sigh of relief, like his name was the only thing keeping her tethered to the world.

"Hey," he replied, keeping his voice low. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said, her brow furrowing.

"I bet."

El yawned and shimmied up so she was eye level with him. She moved onto her side and he followed suit so that they were facing each other, still close. In a slow manner indicative of her exhausted state, she reached for one of his hands and clasped it tightly, resting it between them.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep," she said then, her voice a near whisper.

Mike bristled with confusion. "What? Don't be sorry. You need it."

Her eyes met his and she held his gaze long enough to make Mike blush. "I know but, I want to talk, and be.. be awake with you," she murmured. Mike couldn't help the smile that spread quickly across his face.

"There's lots of time for that El, don't worry. Right now you need sleep." She nodded in agreement but there was still a searching look in her eyes that Mike couldn't quite place.

"I know," she said. "But…" her voice trailed off and Mike swore he could see a blush creep onto her cheeks.

He squeezed her hand. "What is it?"

There was that look again. "Can you… will you kiss me?"

Mike's nerves jolted, caught off guard. He swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say for a few frantic moments before deciding not to spoil the moment with words. Of course he'd kiss her. So he slid his head across the pillow toward her, noticing that as soon as he came close her eyes drifted shut and it made his heart lurch for her again. Before he could lose his nerve he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers gently. The question made him shy and nervous, but kissing El didn't at all. It felt so right and normal, like they'd never been apart to begin with, like the act of it put the world on its proper axis again. Reluctantly, Mike pulled away when he found himself out of breath and he and El simply looked at each other, smiling shyly. After a moment she was the one to lean in, pressing a firm kiss to his lips one more time before curling back into his chest.

"Better now," she mumbled.

His heart soaring, Mike found himself cradling the back of her head, his fingers mindlessly playing with her hair. The motion soothed him into his own desire for sleep. There would be time to be awake together, to talk and catch up and face everything. But for now he only wanted the silence, the red-orange shadows from the lamp light, the weight of her in his arms.

"Me too," he whispered back.