Chapter 1: Everytime I go

The night was slowly coming to an end. It had been a while when he'd just sat and looked at the starry night with something other than anguish. The distance had been painful, but now it was slowly coming to an end.

"...Mike, you still there?"

Yet another sigh escaped from his lungs. His right hand massaging the fingers of his left, he sat on the lawn in front of the front door, eyes transfixed on the night sky, waiting for Jonathan's car to arrive, which it should've about hours ago. His brain made another painful recap of a number of things that could go wrong on the way and he suppressed another shudder.

"Mike, are you listening to me?"

"The stupid car had to break down today of all days!" he muttered irritably to himself, for the umpteenth time in the day. His stomach complained loudly at the distinct lack of food he'd given it throughout the day, only the bare minimum that could keep him functioning. No, he had more important things to worry about. He needed to be here.

He'd only gotten her back a few months before and now, every day apart felt like he was losing her all over again.

"You stupid son of a bitch! MIKE!"

He turned, annoyed at his friend. "What?!"

Dustin gave him his trademark exasperated look. He ignored it. "What?!" he said again.

"Are you just gonna sit out here in the cold and wait for her the whole night?" Dustin asked.

"What do you think?" he retorted, turning away again.

"For the seventeenth time, Mike! Come inside. We're freezing here."

Mike raised an eyebrow at him. "And for the ninth time, I never told you guys to sit here with me. You can go back inside."

"Yeah, we go sit inside in the warmth and let you freeze to death out here, while you wait for your lady love to arrive. Sure, that makes total sense," Lucas chimed, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Mike blushed, but didn't bother correcting them. "I'm fine," he said assertively.

"No, you're not," Dustin said in the same tone.

Mike folded his arms across his chest. "Yes I am."

"No you're not," Dustin said back.

"Yes. I am," he repeated forcefully.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

Mike realised what he'd said too late as Dustin smirked. "Aha! Got you! Works every time!"

Mike threw up his hands in protest. Lucas spoke, "Now, you're coming inside with us."

His retort was cut short by the arrival of Max, her skateboard in hand as she came to stand where they were seated.

"What are you guys doing out here? Is this some DnD thing that I don't know about?" she asked curiously.

Lucas hugged her as a greeting and said, "Mike won't go inside until El arrives."

Her face mirrored her confusion. "So why can't you wait inside?"

Lucas and Dustin shrugged together. "Ask him," Lucas said, rolling his eyes.

She shook her head. "They're obviously late. Would El really want you to catch a cold or something and stay sick for the whole time she's visiting, Mike?"

Mike closed his eyes, not rising to the bait. Lucas shared a look with her. Dustin nodded encouragingly.

Max continued. "Yeah, you won't be able to go anywhere alone with her, you know? You'll be confined to your room everyday. Who knows if Mrs. Wheeler will even let you near El in such a state. You might not even get to talk to her until you get better."

Mike hung his head. She made sense but he refused to budge. He'd decided close to an hour ago that he won't stay in the warmth and comfort of his home when she was still out there, away from her home and away from him. His brain made the argument that she must still be pretty much warm and okay in the car, but his heart didn't listen.

It was stupid, he knew. But he couldn't help it.

"No."

"Fine. Then we'll just drag you inside then," Dustin remarked gleefully, rubbing his hands together as if preparing to strike.

Mike looked on incredulously as all three of them began to step closer to him.

"What are you guys doing?" he said, standing up and facing them.

Max smirked. "What do you think?"

Lucas looked doubtfully in between his friends and shook his head in consternation. This didn't feel good to him.

"Look guys, stop! Okay? I'm sure they won't be too long now and we can just-" Mike began taking a step back as Dustin and Max kept approaching.

"I don't care. You're coming with us!" Dustin yelled as he charged, grabbing hold of Mike's right arm.

"Dustin, get off!" Mike snapped just as Max descended on his left side, pretty much locking his arms on both sides.

"Not a chance!" Dustin exclaimed as they literally began to drag him back to the house.

Mike tried to shake them off but they were too strong together. He looked towards his other best friend for help. "Lucas! Help me!"

Lucas came to walk by his side and shrugged at him, not meeting his eye. "Whatever works, Mike. We can't have you ruining our whole holiday for us by falling sick."

"What?" he couldn't believe it. Everybody had turned against him!

"I'm sorry, Mike," Lucas muttered.

Mike struggled in vain. "Seriously guys! This is not funny! Let go of me!"

Max made a teasing face at him, struggling ahead while still keeping her balance. "It wasn't funny before. Now it is."

Lucas glared at her. "You're not helping Max."

She held her tongue out at him. "It's not like you're helping us, stalker."

They were almost at the end of the lawn. "We're almost there!" Dustin announced happily and Mike realised that they were way too close to the front door now.

"Just a little more to go, lover boy," Lucas piped up, going ahead and throwing the door open.

Mike took a deep breath and planted his feet firmly on the concrete pavement. Dustin was quite unprepared for the sudden change in momentum as his upper body continued to move forward.

To his credit, he never let go of Mike's arm.

"Dustin!" Max screamed as he began to fall and his leg struck Mike's toe.

"OW OW! YOU IDIOT!"

"Max!" Lucas shouted in concern as he saw his girlfriend lose her balance in the scuffle too.

"You asshole!" Dustin yelled back as Max was pulled onwards by the two boys and ended up falling on top of them in a tangle of limbs.

Mike, enraged by the sheer idiocy of he'd just been a part of, began to shake Dustin by the shoulders as he began to scream insults in his face. Max put her hand down on the ground to get up but Dustin moved again and she fell back on his stomach in response to which he let out a painful scream directly into her left eardrum.

It was her turn to swear and scream. "You assholes! I hate you all!"

"I hate you! All of you!" Mike panted as he tried to sit up but his fisted grip unfortunately landed on Dustin's t-shirt upon which Max's hair lay scattered.

She screamed again as Mike was pulled back on top of Dustin and he barely kept his head from hitting the rock hard pavement.

Breathing hard, Mike glanced in front of him and saw a pair of dark blue shoes. His heart leapt inside his chest as his arms froze in their attempts to get him upright.

For all of 27 days in between the two holidays, Mike had felt a part of him had gone missing again. He was extensively familiar with this feeling of hollowness, he'd survived it for a gut wrenching 353 days after all. He had never known, nor given a name to that feeling, that warmth in his chest that always made him feel whole when he was with her.

He knew he needed her. He'd always needed her since he'd first met her in that pouring rain in the forest. But it wasn't because she was useful to them, not because she was a member of their party and he and his friends liked her and they always had a fighting chance against actual monsters when they were with her.

No, it was because he loved her. And it had taken him a while to admit it to himself, and then to her.

Without another breath, his eyes travelled slowly towards the wearer above and he saw Eleven standing there with a half amused and half confused smile on her face.

He scrambled to his feet. Even in a simple dark green shirt and blue jeans, she looked so beautiful that he felt overwhelmed. He was almost shaking. How was it possible for him to be so consumed by the mere proximity of the girl he'd come to love so much?

It was then a short breath escaped her lips as her mouth slowly formed the words.

"Mike?"


My first fanfiction story in years. I hope it doesn't suck.

God, I'm so out of practice...