#implied elmax

Mike, he's across the room out cold. And bleeding. Your stomach flips, heart plummeting, and hoping it's not as bad as it seems.

"Damn it," you groan, shuffling across the floor as fast and painlessly as you can to get to him. "Mike? Mike! Wake up!"

Your hands meet his paled face and as gently as you can you turn his head, only to find his hair sticking to the corner of his forehead and you wince. You realize now why your palms have grown sticky and you feel your stomach flip.

"Shit,"

You take a deep breath and prepare yourself for what you had to do. Your eyes flutter closed, and soon your mind was filled with warm memories. It was a bit easier this time around considering the environment. Sure it wasn't ideal, but it beat having whatever crazy new threat you and friends might have in the room with you. But again, healing someone was always stressful regardless, especially if it was someone important to you.

Which is exactly why you had to focus, and quick. He was losing a lot of blood, he must have put up quite a fight considering the damage.

Another quick and deep breath left your lungs and your hand came to center directly over his wound. Almost like a Rolodex, your best memories dance across your mind and you gladly accept the warmth it brings you.

Most of them, you've been noticing, involve Mike. Mostly little moments, but bring you great happiness and already you can feel a warmth spreading from your chest to your palms.

Racing with your friends last summer. Will had brought up the fact that, technically, Dustin still owed him a comic book. And that quickly snowballed into another race for more comic books that everyone took part in. In the end, it all came down to you and Mike.

"On my mark," Dustin declares.

One foot on the pedal, ready to take off in a moment's notice, you glanced to your left to see Mike doing the same.

Feeling a rush of confidence, you quirked a brow. "You hungry, Wheeler?"

"What?" Mike did a double-take, obviously confused though he was quick to dismiss it. "Hungry?"

"Get set,"

"Yeah," You repeated with a sly smile. "Cause you're about to eat my dirt,"

His face scrunched up once more, his mouth falling into a small 'o' as he tried to form a response.

"Go!"

A bright chuckle left your lungs and your legs had kicked into gear. The last thing you saw before you sped off was the precious look on his face. It was a delightful mix of offense and shock that quickly turned into a smile. You heard the sounds of his bike chains approaching followed by a low rumble in his chest as he let a hearty laugh.

"Hey! Get back here, L/n!"

You could feel the familiar tingle on your palms that felt as if your nerves were dancing. It was working.

Your mind jumps to another memory. One you could not believe you hadn't thought of earlier that had taken place only weeks before everything had gone south.

"You awake?"

You wade against the tides of sleep, trying your best to keep your eyelids open. The last remaining rays of dusk streaming through the high windows had faded out long ago, bathing Mike's basement in darkness. The only remaining source of light came from the small television across the room that you and your friends had camped out in front of. From your heavy cocoon of blankets on the couch, you lazily rolled your head to the side to look at Mike.

He was buried under a plethora of knitted blankets as well, and he was looking at you softly.

You nodded groggily and blinked heavily before putting on a weak smile. "Barely,"

Mike responses with a yawn, nodding his head briefly before picking it up and readjusting it on the couch so he was looking at you properly. The ends of his slip rise into a small smile at his unintended timing. The two of you share a smile.

Your head rolls around once more, but only so you can get a look at your friends around you. Long ago, El had passed out beside you, and she now lay unconscious on your lap. Her arm was draped in front of her, and on top of Max's shoulder. As for Max, her head was beginning to slip and now rested against El's hand. You had to strain a bit to see Will who was on the floor next to Max, cuddled up in his a blanket of his own using Lucas's legs as a pillow. Dustin had nested on top of the couch and against the wall, but you didn't need to look at him to know he was passed out as well given how much he was snoring.

You looked back at Mike once more, and two of you share a look of amusement at your friends. Particularly Lucas, who is fast asleep directly in between you two, his body as slid down the couch to a point you fear he might fall off.

"Y/n?" Mike whispers.

"Yeah?"

"I'm," he pauses, and you can almost see him casting away any nervous hesitation. "I'm glad you suggested this,"

You nodded in agreement, your chest growing warm as his eyes remained on yours.

"and, I'm glad you're here."

The warmth in your chest grew into a kindled fire, your heart thumping with every flicker while your stomach became occupied with butterflies. You smiled back at him, and you could feel the sleep pulling at you grow a little weaker.

"Me too," you mumbled, keeping your gaze locked on to his. "This is nice,"

His smile grew into a grin, and for one brief second you feared you had mistaken as a trick of the light, you thought you saw his eyes flicker to your lips. Your smile simmered away at your growing nerves, but you couldn't deny the exciting feeling of it all. You wondered how long you could go before your heart inevitably burst, but your question was answered just as soon as it was asked with a sudden and loud noise pierced the air.

Lucas' sleeping form came to life in a matter of seconds as his sudden burst of snores rocketed his head backwards into the couch nearly hitting your noses. The two of you freeze, not realizing until this moment that you had been inching forward, and watch as Lucas wakes briefly. His eyes flicker open before he rubs them sleepily and promptly passes back out against the couch.

Once you two are sure he is asleep, your eyes meet with Mike's, and all previous nerves are buried in your uncontrollable hushed laughter. The two of you snicker, though you try to silence it by burying your mouth into the edge of your blankets while Mike throws his head back at the ceiling and his hand clutched over his mouth, shoulders shaking.

Your laughs are mostly noiseless and ended up lasting long into the night before the two you promptly fell asleep against each other over Lucas.

Your mind flickers to countless other memories but in the back of your mind, you can't seem to shake the image of Mike and you on his couch that night. Not just the unspoken thing between you two but also the undying fits of laughter thereafter. Together overall, what you felt in these moments with Mike, and even now as you held his face in your palms you felt general warmth when he was around.

You take another deep breath and all this warmth and spreads from your heart to your palms and paints his forehead. You're eyes flutter open, and you try your best to fight the lightheadedness beginning to fog your brain and the heaviness of your limbs. You grimace as you remember where you are, but you do not dwell on this for long. Instead, your eyes fall to the boy on the floor.

His head is still painted his blood but the gash has faded to nothing but a thin white line. You hear a breath of relief escape your lungs and shakily you gently brush the hair from his eyes.

"Mike?" You croak. "Mike, come on,"

You fear you are too late, and in your rising panic you pick his head up once more and look for any more gashes you might have missed when suddenly you notice his eyes begin to flutter. A groan leaves his lips and he peels his eyes open, wincing at the harsh light.

"Y/n?"

"Mike!" You laugh in overwhelming relief and you smile down at him. "You scared the shit out of me, I thought- I thought..."

Your eyes begin to water and his began to adjust to the light. He looked around at the room.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he tried moving his head, and hesitantly you released your gentle hold on his face. "W-what happened?"

You sniffled and stuck your hand out for him to take and helped him to sit up. You shook your head.

"Billy found us," you shook your head in disbelief and fear, and helped him to his feet, a confused frown molding onto your face. "I don't remember much after that,"

You looked around the room and your stomach flipped when you noticed it had begun to spin. You shuffled on your feet aa your balance begins to weaken and that's when you feel a gentle hand on your back. You looked back at Mike to find him watching you worriedly. His eyes fall to your upper lip, this time in worry and seeing the blood dripping from your nose he realizes what the problem is.

The expression on his face changes subtly many times as if he didn't know what to say first. He settles into a look of genuine concern and it's then you realize his hand has yet to leave your back.

"Are you okay?" He asks finally.

You nod, and your nose involuntary twitches as you feel the blood continue to trickle down your lip, tickling your nerves. You wipe away the blood and plaster on a weak smile.

"Yeah, thanks. Just takes a lot out of me sometimes,"

"Thanks," he mumbles.

You nod once more, and you look around the room, finally addressing the dread that had been plaguing you since you woke. You gasp suddenly when you see another pair of pale legs, painted with scrapes and brushes peeking around the corner from the hallway.

You ran forward, pushing past your wobbling knees and dropped to the floor beside Max. Mike was quick to follow, his expression of worry matched yours completely when he saw her and you felt a surge of guilt for not spotting her earlier in your frightful state over Mike. Though this evaporates for the most part when you realize she does not seem to have any critical injuries like Mike had.

Grabbing her shoulders you begin to shake her gently. Mike leans over your shoulder and lays a hand on her arm and begins to shake her awake as well.

"Max?" He calls.

She does not respond, only shifts around as you two try to shake her from sleep. You look fearfully into Mike's eyes before looking around the room trying to collect yourself and stifle any climbing panic. That's when another heavy weight falls on your shoulders when you realize you three are the only ones in sight.

"Mike? Where's El?"

His eyes widen, and he looks around for a brief second and you know he is experiencing the same fear as you croak when it dawns on you.

"Billy,"

You take a deep breath, your hands beginning to sweat and it mixes with the remanents of Mike's blood that still stains your hands. You turn frantically back to Max, now even more desperate to wake her, something you hadn't previously thought possible. You shake her once more, your voice rising in panic.

"Max? Max come on, please wake up! Max, we need-"

She groans, brow furrowing and seeming to experience what both you and Mike had just experienced. She squinted against the harsh light and you felt a completely different kind of pit form in your stomach knowing what you had to tell her.

"Max, we need to leave-" your voice grew hoarse as you continued. "Billy, he... Billy took her. El, she's gone, we need to go help her,"

Her eyes shoot open before blinking rapidly, still not fully adjusted to the light. Nevertheless, her actions are already more urgent and she struggles to sit up. Her face flushed with worry.

"What?"

"Come on," Mike says, and the two of you offer your hands to her. "Let's go get her back."

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