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Mike Wheeler had tried to put the night he thought he had lost Eleven behind him for the longest time. But every time he had faced down threats that came even close to that moment, he could only freeze in fear or fight like hell with no regard for himself or anyone that wasn't her. As the threats got more dangerous and the Upside Down continued to bleed into the real world...the dreams somehow became more horrifying than when she had been gone. And much like most nights, this was another night Mike found himself struggling to sleep. Even though he was at the WQSK radio station, staying with El and Hopper...those feelings continued. They had been even when him and the girl he loved so much were together.
As Mike finally found himself giving in to the comfort of sleep, he felt himself drifting. That's how sleep usually was. And hopefully it'd stay that way. All of a sudden though, Mike's eyes jolted open. He sat up...to find himself in a familiar setting. The Upside Down...but it was Hawkins Middle School.
No. Not again, Mike thought to himself.
"El?! Will?! Lucas?? Dustin?? Max?? Is anyone here?!" Mike yelled out.
Mike tried to look around, but suddenly the ground beneath his feet gave way. He slid down as things tilted before that slide turned into a free-fall. He soon found himself in a room. No one was there. Not his friends nor his family. But all of a sudden, Mike's eyes widened as he looked around. This was the same room where Eleven had disappeared, back in 1983.
"Goodbye Mike."
"No, no!" Mike yelled, as he ran out of the empty room and tried to run through the building to find her. He kept running for what felt like forever, down endless hallways. And then, in the distance...he saw her. Eleven. She was vanishing again, against something. Mike screamed out, as he ran towards her. But all of a sudden, things started to flicker.
"MIKE! MIKE!!!"
Mike opened his eyes as he stopped screaming though his heart was still pounding. He turned to see El, holding his hand. She looked scared, as she said, "You were screaming."
At that moment, Mike noticed he was in a cold sweat. He tried to respond to the girl he loved as he focused back on her.
"I-I-h-had a bad dream, th-that's all," Mike stuttered, desperately trying not to cry.
"Mike," Eleven said, as she gripped her boyfriend's hand tighter. "What was the dream?"
Mike's breath hitched. He didn't want to tell her, but at the same time...she deserved to know.
"El, I...I-I lost you. Again. At the same place I lost you b-before," Mike said as tears began to fell. After he said that, he started to let out ragged sobs. Eleven held Mike in her arms as he continued to cry, his rapid breathing finally slowing down.
"You're not going to lose me again," Eleven said, after a long while.
Mike lifted his head from El's shoulders, as he responded, "How are you so sure?"
"I'm going to make sure I live," Eleven replied. "I'm not going to leave you. Ever. I promise."
Mike's heart skipped a beat from hearing "promise."
"You promise?" Mike asked.
"Promise," Eleven said, smiling at him.
"I love you," Mike said, smiling back.
Eleven pulled Mike in for a brief kiss, before she pulled back to say, "I love you too, Mike."
For Mike and El, sometimes their love was all they needed to get through the night. Though the fears still lingered, as does anyone's fears at the end of the world do.