[SEASON THREE SPOILERS] 'season three when they're in the store, alone in an aisle because the party is looking for weapons and doesn't know how to tell her he loves her' thank you for the request, i hope you enjoy this one!

y/n was taking deep breaths, instantly melting into mike wheeler's arms. she and eleven had just visited the mind palace where they saw billy who seemed pretty set on killing the both of them. the girl had her arms laced around the boy's, not wanting to let g. y/n had been worried about fighting the mind flayer. even though her friends would be by her side, she couldn't help but worry that something would happen or that one of them would get hurt. when the mind flayer had eventually made his grand entrance, he had taken eleven by the leg and was attempting to pull her away. y/n and eleven had learned that the mind flayer was, first, after the both of them. he knew that without them, the rest of the party and the rest of the whole town of hawkins would be more vulnerable.

this scared y/n even more. she didn't fear her own death, but she never wanted anything to happen to her friends. so she had used her powers to help pry the mind flayer off of her friend. she and max had then helped eleven get to the car so they could go get supplies to fix her leg. eleven was clearly in a lot of pain, and y/n was holding her friend's hand tightly. "don't die on me, el." she whispered to no one but herself, leading her way into the gas station.

max, who knew how to stitch things up from her skateboarding experience, helped eleven clean her wound. y/n didn't want to leave, but was told to go get more cottonballs. she was surprised when mike followed her into the aisle, not speaking. "mike?" y/n finally asked, looking over at the boy.

"hi." he responded, lips curving into a small smile that y/n copied. "you- you were really brave. what you did back at the cabin? finding billy and fighting the mind flayer and everything." the girl listened to mike, looking up at him with soft eyes. she muttered happy thank yous when he would stop speaking. "i don't know what i'm trying to say i guess." mike laughed. "but i do know that i can't have you dying, okay?"

y/n's brows furrowed and she shookher head. "no?"

mike took a breath and looked down at his feet. "i mean, i don't want you to feel like i'm too protective because that's not what i'm trying to say. what i'm trying to say is that i can't lose you again." mike made eye contact, but could tell that y/n didn't understand what he meant. "what i'm saying is, i love you and i don't want anything to happen to you out there because i wouldn't be able to live with myself if i let anything hurt you."

the girl smiled, setting her hand on mike's cheek. "mike." the boy looked up at her expectantly through dark lashes. "i love you, too." mike was smiling brightly as y/n's hand on his cheek lowered. "but i came here to get cottonballs." she smiled, grabbing them. she pressed a soft kiss to mike's cheek before walking back to eleven, leaving the boy standing paralyzed and speechless.