(The lyrics from "This Town" by: Niall Horan are changed a little bit so it matches Mike and El more)
Age 13
~Mike~

It had been 8 months or 243 days since El had disappeared. Mike was still depressed; well why wouldn't he be, he had lost the girl he... loved.

He sat in the blanket fort, a pillow pressed against his chest. His birthday had passed and he was now 13. When he blew out the candles, he had wished for El to come back to him.

Tears ran down his face and his chest racked with sobs as he buried his face into the already tear-stained pillow.

'Waking up to see you but nobody's there.'

He missed coming into the basement every morning with a plate of eggos and seeing her warm smile each time.

'The smell of your perfume still stuck in the air. Its hard.'

Mike missed the sweet, waffle smell that always followed her. Everything was hard without her. He layed down in the fort, the pillows and blankets that El had used wrapped around him, inhaling the sweet scent that faintly lingered on them.

'Yesterday i thought i saw your shadow running around'

El was always in his mind. She never left his thoughts or dreams.

'Its funny how things never change in this old town'

El's disappearance changed everything so quickly. Everyone, but Mike especially, was affected by her going missing.

As he layed down in the fort, the memories of them riding his bike around together flashed in his mind, making him cry harder. He remembered El's arms around his waist and her head resting on his back. He remembered the warm feelings he had when she was close to him.

'And i want to tell you everything, the words i never got to say the first time around'

There were so many things Mike should have said that night in the cafeteria.

Mike cried into the pillow and thought about the night she disappeared. Not saying anything more to her was the second biggest mistake Mike had made that night; the first mistake was not protecting her when she needed him the most. He could have kept her safe; she would still be with him right now.

'And i remember everything from when we were the children playing in this fairground.'

The bike rides. The movies. The Eggo breakfasts. Sneaking into the school. Trying to find Will. Mike remembered everything they had done together. The memories were as vivid as if the events had happened yesterday.

'Wish i was there with you.'

Jeez, Mike would kill to be with her. He would die to save her. He would do whatever he had to do to bring her back to him, or to at least know if she was still out there or not.

'If the whole world was watching i'd still dance with you.'

The Snow Ball. Mike had promised he would take her, or at least dance with her once. He had promised her a lot of things; he was hoping he could fulfill those promises one day.

'Drive highways and byways to be there with you.'

If Mike had to go to the Upside Down just to find her, he would. He would sacrafice anything for the girl who changed him and unintentionally played with his heart.

Tears stained his face and he hugged the pillow tightly. "W-why didnt i s-s-save her?! I'm so stupid!"

'Over and over the only truth. Everything comes back to you.'

He dug his fingernails into his arms, trying to dull the pain in his heart. But nothing could numb the sharp pain that could only be fixed by one girl who may or may not be alive. Mike's entire body racked with pain and sobs, as tears ran down his face.

Only El, the girl from the lab, the girl with crazy powers, the girl who loved eggos, the girl who sacraficed herself for him could fix his broken heart.

~El~

El sat on the couch in Hopper's cabin, watching soap operas while Hopper was at work. Her heart ached; Mike filled her mind. She had snuck out to see him, but he had been with some... girl.

'I saw that you moved on with someone new. Near the place that we met she's got her arms around you.'

The girl with red hair and the skateboard. Tears formed in her eyes as the memory got vivid. Mike was laughing and talking with that girl; had he forgotten about her?

'I want to tell you everything,the words I never got to say the first time around.'

El never knew what love was until she met Mike. He made her feel happy and safe. She felt butterflies in her stomach everytime he took her hand.

The tears in her eyes started to fall.

'And I remember everything from when we were the children playing in this fairground.'

She didnt forget; the party, bike rides, eggos, the blanket fort, Mike and his promises...

The image of Mike's warm, loving smile flashed in her mind as she started crying harder. She wrapped a blanket around herself as she closed her eyes, trying to stop her tears.

'Wish I was there with you now.'

She had sacraficed her life to keep Mike safe from the demogorgon. No one would be able to understand how much she needed him and his love.

'Drive highways and byways to be there with you. Over and over the only truth. Everything comes back to you'

El started sobbing; the pain in her heart was unbearable. She needed his warm arms around her. She needed to hear his soft, soothing voice telling her everything would be okay.

'You still make me nervous when you walk in the room. Them butterflies they come alive when I'm next to you.'

Mike was the only person who could make El feel this way. He could make her heart flutter from a single look. He could make her smile just from a single word. He could make her feel so happy and safe, regardless of the situation. She missed, and loved Mike with all her heart.

'Over and over the only truth. Everything comes back to you'

El would see Mike again one day,even if she had to kill to do it.

She wiped away her tears, but new one took their place. Noticing the time, she switched the TV to static and put on a blindfold and sat infront of it. Her tears stained the white fabric that covered her eyes.

~Mike~

'And I know that it's wrong. That I can't move on. But there's something about you...'

Mike had been calling El for 242 days straight; tonight would be the 243 day. He couldnt give up on her. Something about El made him feel so different... And so happy. She was his air, his world, his everything.

His chest still racked with sobs and tears ran down his cheeks as he picked up his supercom and switched it to static. Little did he know that El was listening, like she had for the other nights. He didnt know how much pain she was in... And how much she missed him... And how desperatly she needed to see him.

Pressing the button, he said in a shakey voice. "E-El,its day 243... I..." Mike broke into tears again. "I m-miss you s-s-so much! P-please come h-home! I c-cant live w-without you!"

El started crying harder as she listened to Mike's words. She desperatly wished that he could hear her reply.

"El, I need you!" Mike cried and put the supercom down, burying himself in the pillows and blankets again.

El pulled off the blindfold and laid down on the floor, crying. She let out a scream in anger, causing a window to shatter.

El and Mike both continued to cry because of eachother. They were two pieces of paper that had been ripped apart and would only feel better if they were taped back together.

'Over and over the only truth'

"I n-need y-you Mike..." El whispered, tears ran down her cheeks.

"I-I need you E-El..." Mike said softly, tears streaked his face. "Please c-come h-home. P-Please come back to me...."

'Oh, everything comes back to you.'

If you arent crying or wanting to cry right now, your heart is fake. Im crying from writing this rn! 😭💔