nightmares

✈︎

Mike woke up in a familiar room. It was El's room. The suitcases were no longer by her closet door, her closet was empty, her room was bare. The walls were too bare, none of the usual pictures and posters, just white walls. He sat up in the bed, her comfortable blankets weren't there, just the mattress.

"Mike!" He heard someone calling to him. He couldn't put his finger on who was speaking, or where it was coming from. It was like a whisper inside of his brain, suddenly pulling him out of her bed. His feet were moving on their own, taking him out of her bare room.

Where was El? He thought as his feet walked through the now empty house. Everything in her home was gone. The furniture, the pictures on the walls, decoration, everything was gone.

"El?" He called out, only for his words to echo through the empty house. Where was she?!

"Mike! Come outside!" The voice whispered, he followed the command and walked out of the house. Instead of seeing her neighborhood, it looked like a blank canvas. Everything white, no color anywhere. Everything was in black and white.

The houses, trees, flowers, streets, everything lacked its usual color. Mike looked around, still no sign of El.

"El, where are you? This isn't funny." He called out, his voice echoing through the colorless world. "Mike, come on! I'm over here, I'm waiting." Now he knew who the voice was. It was El, but where was it coming from?

"Where is over here?" He called out as he began to walk forward. "Thompsons Bridge!" That was a bridge that connected downtown Hawkins and El's neighborhood. It wasn't far and he knew the way. He walked towards where the bridge was.

As he got closer to the bridge and it was now in his view, the color in the world slowly started to fade back. But barely. The world still lacked the color, now only with natural colors.

That's weird. Mike thought as he got to the bridge. On the other side of the bridge stood El, in her favorite pair of jeans and her favorite sweater. "There you are! It's about time you found me!" She laughed.

But his feet refused to move as they stuck to the ground in front of the bridge. "Well come on, aren't you going to cross the bridge?"

On the other side of the bridge everything was in color, whereas his side was black, white, green, and brown. He wanted to cross the bridge, he wanted to be on the colorful side with El.

But he couldn't.

El frowned, "Why won't you come over here?" She asked impatiently. "I-I want to! I can't move. Can't you just come to this side?"

El shrugged, "Sure." She took a few steps out onto the bridge and began walking towards him. Then he saw something.

The stabilizers of the bridge began shaking and the bridge started to shake. "El turn back! It's not safe!" He called out. "It's fine, Mike. I'll make it across."

No, she wouldn't. "No! Turn around! I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! Turn around!" He yelled as the bridge continuously shook. El shook her head, "I'll be fine."

She made it to the middle of the bridge and if he could, Mike would go right to her and get her off of there. But his feet were stuck to the ground. He couldn't do anything but pray she'd make it across.

Then, just as she passed the middle of the bridge, it snapped in half and crashed down to the harsh river below, El going straight down with it.

"El!" He screamed, the only piece of the bridge remaining was the only part she didn't get to. He watched as the destroyed bridge flowed down the river, El somewhere in there.

He felt tears falling from his eyes, but he felt too numb to even acknowledge them.

"Mike!" He heard from somewhere above him. "E-El?" He sniffled, looking around but not seeing her anywhere. "Mike, wake up!"

Mike sat up quickly, gasping for air. He looked around and spotted El sitting up next to him, looking at him worriedly. "Mike are you-"

Before she could even finish her sentence he quickly pulled her close to him, "It's all my f-fault that you... I shouldn't have t-told you to cross the b-bridge!" He cried, his tears hitting the top of her head one after another.

"Mike, it's okay! I'm here, I'm here, and I'm safe." She said reassuringly. "No! It's not okay! You.. you were-" He couldn't say it. God, he couldn't say that he watched her fall to her death. "Mike, listen to me! I'm here. Nothing happened to me. I'm right here with you."

He only sobbed harder, pulling her closer to him so there was no space left in between them. "Just breathe, Mike. Breathe. Remember? In and out... In, and out." She said slowly, taking a deep breath in herself before exhaling.

Mike nodded and followed her instructions.

In and out.

It didn't help. Everytime he closed his eyes all he could see was the bridge crashing, El going down with it. His breathing only got heavier, it felt like the room was spinning and he could hear his heartbeat getting faster and faster. He could tell El was talking to him, but he couldn't hear a word of what she was saying.

He tried to remember what she would used tell him when this happened, but he couldn't seem to recall what she'd say. All he could do was hold onto her like his life depended on it, because right now it felt like he might explode.

Then, slowly he heard her words more clearly. "Mike, you're okay! Breathe," She said over and over. He didn't want to listen to her, but he had to. The only way he would calm down is if he listened to her. He took deep breaths, feeling himself slowly calm down with each breath.

After a few minutes, his breathing was back to normal and the room stopped spinning. He lifted his head up and rubbed his eyes, trying to get the last of his tears out of his eyes. El sat up too and stared at him, "Are you okay?" She asks softly. Mike shook his head, "I'm just so happy to see you right now." He says quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe it will make you feel better?" El offers, placing her hand up to his cheek and rubbing some of the tears off of his cheek. "Um.. maybe later."

"Okay.. just let me know, alright?"

"Sorry I woke you up," Mike mumbled quietly, he knew how much she loved her sleep. "I usually wake up before something happens, but this time I couldn't and-"

"Wait this has happened before?" El questions, her eyebrows furrowing together. Mike's eyes widened, he wasn't supposed to say that. But he couldn't lie to her now. "Uh, yeah."

"For how long?!" She asks, "Um.. I don't know.. ever since you got the letter."

"Mike! That was like.. a month ago! How could you not tell me about this?"

"I don't know! I just didn't want you to worry."

"So you chose to tell me the day before I go to Italy?" She scoffs, "I didn't mean to! It just came out!"

"Still! You could've told me and I would have helped you through it." El says with a sigh. Of course this has to happen to day before she leaves.

"What are the dreams even about?" She asks. Mike frowns, "All of them are about the same thing, but different scenarios. They are all about you and there's always something keeping me from you, or you being taken away from me."

"Oh." El responds quietly, "Yeah." Mike sighs. If only she could reassure him that there was nothing keeping them apart, but then she would just be lying. Mike glanced around the room and saw her suitcases. "Guess we're packing today then?"

She nods, "yeah. My flight is at 6 tomorrow morning."

"Oh, great." Mike mumbles. "It's okay, should we start now so we can have some free time later to watch a movie or something? I need to pack up like most of my closet and drawers, and pillows and blankets."

"Are you sure you're gonna have enough suitcases for that? Your closet is a nightmare in itself." Mike teased, "yes I'm sure! Dad has some big suitcases, like I could fit inside of them."

"Well you're like a tiny little baby so of course you could fit." Mike snorts. El smacks his arm playfully, "I'm not that small!"

Mike shrugs, "You totally are."

"Whatever. Let's just get started, shall we?"

✈︎

"Oh my gosh, do you remember this?" El asks, holding up a piece of paper with sloppy writing on it that she pulled out of her closet. Mike looks at it closer from where he was standing, it was his apology note to her from when they got in a fight in 5th grade.

"Dear El," She started out, "Don't-"

"I'm really sorry for not picking you to be my partner. You were my first choice, but Lucas already asked me and I felt bad knowing I'd have to let him down. But instead I let you down, and I'm sorry you had to be partners with Max. She's such a pain in the butt, how did you even stand her?

Besides the point. When you didn't sit next to me at lunch, I knew you were mad. So, sorry I made you upset. Can I make it up to you? I'm sure my mom could drive us to that ice cream place and I can pay for it with my allowance?

-from your very sorry best friend that loves you a whole lot"

Mike cringed at the letter, "I re-wrote that like 5 times and it still turned out bad." Mike chuckles. "No it didn't! It's so cute!" El says with a grin. Mike rolled his eyes, "It is not."

"Don't argue with me." El warns, placing the note on her bed so she could put it somewhere safe later. She walked back to her closet and picked out some of the clothes she would wear a lot in Italy, she had read that it gets extremely hot there in the summertime. Even though it would be summer, she would bring every single one of Mike's sweaters that were in her room, leaving one for him to wear tomorrow.

She packed most of the esscentials, tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, leggings, jeans, socks, and more. Mike was busy putting the clothes she picked out into the suitcases, he folded them neatly and placed them in the suitcase, making sure to leave a lot of room for all of the other things she would need besides clothes.

"I heard that they aren't very up to date on technology so you'll probably have a phone in your room from like the 50s." Mike mentions, "The phone won't be that old!" She argued, throwing a pillow at his head.

"You don't know that. Also, they don't have air conditioning." He says, "Some buildings do but the dorms probably don't. Dad gave me some money for basic things like food and other stuff, so I'll definitely buy a little fan."

"Don't you have a roomate?" Mike asks, "Yeah I do. I don't know her name yet, but I hope she's not a total bitch."

"If you don't like you, I could always take her place." Mike offers, "As much as I would love that, both you and I need to get used to being away from each other for a little bit."

"But I don't want to!" Mike whines, "Too bad. Why don't you hang out with Lucas?" El suggests. "I haven't spoken to him since like.. the middle of the school year. Plus, he goes to a bunch of parties and I don't want to do that shit without you."

"Still, what about the rest of his friends? Dustin, Will, and your favorite, Max." El teases, knowing Mike and Max's hatred for one another. "I love all those guys, not Max, but I'd rather hang out with you.." Mike says stubbornly.

"Well you can't. So either you spend the summer alone, or you try to make the most of it."

"Yeah, yeah.. can we just quit talking about that?" Mike asks, he doesn't want to be reminded every single second of how she wasn't going to be with him the whole summer. "Right, I'm sorry." El said quietly.

Mike made his way over to her vanity and picked up a cassette tape laying next to her radio. "Are you gonna bring this sucker?" Mike asks, holding it out for her to see. She grinned, "Of course."

El walked over to him and plucked it out of his hands and then placed it in her radio. She clicked play once it was secure and a familiar tune started to play.

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far awaynow it looks so though they're here to stay oh I believe, in yesterday"

"Oh I love this song!" El says to Mike, even though he already knew that. "Okay," she says, "let's get back to work, it's getting pretty late." El says turning around and going to fold some blankets up.

Mike hummed the tune under his breath as he went back to the suitcases and folded up her clothes into the suitcases.

"why she had to go, I don't know she wouldn't sayI said, something wrong now i long for yesterday"

Soon enough they were finished packing all of the essentials. Most of her closet and drawers her packed up, blankets and pillows, shower supplies, hygiene products, all of it.

Mike walked over to her dresser where a picture of them sat in a frame. The picture was taken 2 years ago at Mike's 14th birthday party, El smashed a pie onto his head and the picture showed her holding the empty pie container and Mike's face was white with whipped cream. Mike picked it up and looked at it, El came up next to him and rested her head on the side of his arm.

"I'll miss you, Mike." She says quietly, though she doesn't know how much she really would. "I'll miss you too."

authors note:

hiyaaa i really liked this chapter, and i already have the next one done!! it's probably really obvious but Mike's nightmare does actually mean something, so share what you think it is in the comments :)

next chapter is gonna break you guys so get tissues ready!!!

swipe up for a surprise 🥰