"Eleven? Eleven, can you hear me?" A foggy noise resounded through El's dark head. She tried to push it away. All she wanted was sleep. To get away from the monsters and bad men. Bad men. What if the bad men hurt Mike? She couldn't leave him.
El slowly forced her eyes open and blinked.
"Mike?" She managed to mumble, her mouth painfully dry.
"Eleven? El, are you alright?" Her vision swam into focus as she blinked once more. El felt cold- what had Mike called it?- tile under her back and her head hurt like a... like a bitch. Dustin liked to use that word a lot.
Mike bent over her, a terrified expression on his face, and a strange wetness to his eyes.
"Eleven?" He whispered. She tried her best to smile. Mike liked it when she smiled. She probably didn't look very pretty right now, though.
Memories rushed through her head. The monster. The school. Pudding. Mike pressing his face against hers in a strange way that felt very nice and made her knees feel weird, even though she hadn't used her powers at all. Telling Mike goodbye as she defeated the beast. And now, cold and Mike's face.
"Mike." A pathetic smile spread over his face.
"Eleven!" He wrapped her in a hug and she winced as the pain in her head intensified. Mike pulled away.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" El started to say no, to make him feel better, but Friends don't lie. echoed through her mind.
"A little." She managed.
"Mike, she just took down a big-ass monster, she's gonna be a bit sore." Lucas stated from behind Mike.
"I got pudding!" Dustin yelled, his arms full of cups of the brown goo. El winced.
"Dustin! Leave her alone." Mike shouted.
"Everyone knows pudding is the best way to help someone heal up!" Dustin protested.
El smiled. She liked being back with her boys.
"Friends." She whispered before fainting.
A/N: This fic is gonna be long, but given that there is next-to-no good Mileven, I decided putting out a short starter chapter would not in any way hurt. Remember, reviews are love!