Chapter Text
June 29, 1985
Dustin Henderson hoped that the Party would wait as long as possible in the hopes that his new girlfriend Suzie would respond to his first call on his recently constructed radio tower. Mike and Eleven flaked far earlier than anyone expected, and eventually Lucas and Max had to leave because the two had other plans. That just left Will and Dustin.
"Don't feel bad, Dustin," Will said as he and Dustin sat in anticipation as Dustin fiddled with the radio.
"Yeah, I know," Dustin said absentmindedly, "Just thought the welcome party would last longer."
"Well," Will replied, "I'm sure the others will come around. We still haven't finished that D&D campaign I came up with. I was talking with Lucas and Max about when we'll start it up, and maybe you have some ideas of how we can get Mike and El away from her cabin."
Dustin nodded in response, as he hit a channel on his radio. It was a weird warbling, and all of a sudden...Will touched his neck in a fear he had been feeling off and on since El closed the gate. But that couldn't be it. It was just a faulty channel...
...wasn't it?
"That's weird," Dustin said as he fiddled around with the radio and soon switched to another channel.
Will got up as he said, "Dustin, I just remembered that Mom probably is wondering where I am. I'll catch you later, okay? Tell us if you find her."
Dustin nodded, as he said, "Sorry to waste your day, Will."
Will responded, "You didn't."
Dustin looked up and smiled as he replied, "Thanks, man. I'm probably gonna go hang with Steve for a bit tomorrow so I'll figure out when we can finish the campaign."
Will nodded as he started down the hill, saying, "Good night Dustin!"
Dustin sighed as Will disappeared from view. Now no one is going to actually believe Suzie is real, Dustin thought to himself.
Several hours earlier...
"Joyce, I think I have an issue," Jim Hopper said as he entered Joyce Byers' store. Hawkins General was still one of the stores miraculously in business following the boom of the new Starcourt Mall.
"Hey, Hop," Joyce said with a smile. "What's the issue?"
Hopper shook his head as he said, "Mike. And the amount of time he's spending with El."
Joyce nodded as she asked, "And you're worried about that because...?"
Jim paused, as he thought about it for a moment. The most he could come up with was...
"Now that you say that...I really don't know why. Maybe, I don't know...the two of them...jeez."
"Hey..." Joyce said as she sat next to Hopper and put her hand on his, "It's okay to be worried. The kids are growing up. They want to spend time with each other."
"Yeah, but..." Hopper said, "I wanted to spend time with El. Give her the experiences that Sara did. That any kid with their parents should. Or at the very least, have her go out and meet new people."
Joyce hummed a "hmm" as she got up to move some things. After a moment, she asked, "Is Mike still mad at you?"
"He definitely still holds somewhat of a grudge against me, I think." Hopper knew that it would take a lot to make amends with Mike after telling him that he had El hidden away for a year.
Joyce then asked, "You've had heart-to-hearts with El, right?"
Hopper nodded, as he added, "Never particularly about Mike though."
Joyce continued. "Then, maybe you could talk with Mike and then after a bit then talk to El...if you want."
Hopper nodded in agreement again, as he said, "That sounds right. I don't know how I'll be able to talk to the kid though."
Joyce thought for a moment before she said, "Maybe ask him to speak first? And then respond after."
Jim was about to reply when he got a call on his radio. That ended the conversation with him and Joyce, but it gave the chief a lot to think about.
Later...
"Why the hell are we standing around outside?!"
Hopper had interrupted Mike and Eleven's hangout/makeout session to talk to Mike, trying to take Joyce's advice and try to connect with his daughter's boyfriend. It still felt so crazy for Jim to call El his daughter after all this time.
Mike, however...he wasn't a fan of being asked to come outside to talk.
"Well?!" Mike asked, voice rising.
"Lower your voice, Mike," Hopper said, clearly starting to lose a little patience.
Mike scoffed, as he responded, "Fine."
Hopper rubbed his head in frustration, as he said, "Look, I just want to have a conversation about you and El. Can you give me the benefit of the doubt for once, kid?"
Mike was silent for the moment, so Hopper continued to speak.
"I know you two care about each other a lot. Okay? But that's why I want to make sure you two have boundaries. So that neither of you get hurt."
"You're being overprotective," Mike said, with a twinge of bitterness.
"And you're not helping by giving me sass, kid." Hopper was starting to lose his patience. God, teenagers were the worst sometimes.
Mike huffed again, as he snapped, "We're not kids anymore! Sure, we won't do anything crazy. But if anything, you don't want me around at all! That's what it really is, right?! You probably think I'm corrupting her or some shit!"
Hopper put his hands on Mike's shoulders as he said, "Look, I want the two of you to be happy. But there should be boundaries, because people being attached this much is unhealthy. Believe me, I've seen it! El will need her space every once in a while, and won't you?"
"Oh, because you're the chief of police you know everything. You don't know me!" Mike hissed as he moved Hopper's hands away from him forcibly.
"Kid, I oughta drive you back home right now without a word. And maybe just ban you from coming here for God knows how long," Hopper said, as his temper began to flare.
That snapped something in Mike, as he yelled out, "Fine! That's just one way that things could go, because one way or another El will never stick with a wastoid like me!"
Hopper froze, as he saw Mike shaking. He could notice, though it was dark that tears were streaming down Mike's face.
"She's not going to want me anymore once she's known me for long enough. So I might as well make the time I have last, right? But no, I can't even have that," Mike said, trying to calm down. But the pain was evident in his voice.
Damn it, Hopper thought. He knew that Mike had struggled in the year that he hadn't seen El, but he had always suspected he had been turning out in an unhealthy way because his parents weren't exactly great parents. They definitely didn't love each other, that was for sure. He had wondered if it had rubbed off on Nancy and Mike, but now he knew for sure the negative effects had reached Mike. Or maybe it was Mike seeing how Will experienced something similar with Joyce and Lonnie. Hopper wasn't quite sure, but he knew that the world Mike had come from...love didn't have happy endings.
Hopper pulled Mike into a hug, almost instinctively as he said, "I'm sorry, kid."
Mike was a little shocked, as he asked, "Wh-what are you doing? You don't know me."
Hopper pulled back as he said, "It won't end like your parents, or Will's. I would tell you to stop being scared, but...it makes a little more sense now."
Mike's surprise continued, as he wiped his eyes and said, "You...do?"
Hopper nodded and said, "Kind of. But what I said about attachment still stands. And I do want you to treat me more respectfully. I want to get along with you, because I will get along with El better as well and maybe I can at least have conversations with the two of you when I need to."
Mike hummed in agreement, as he said, "I guess I haven't exactly tried to spend a summer day with anyone else besides El."
Hopper replied, "If you can manage that, you can come over the day after tomorrow. All day, not just the afternoon and evening."
Mike gawked as he responded, "Really?"
"Yeah," Hopper said, as he stuck out his hand. Mike shook it after a moment of hesitation, and proceeded to head back to the cabin. As the door opened and closed, Hopper turned to look at the night sky. He thought to himself about what Sarah would think about his approach. He wasn't sure.
He knew that she would be proud of him for trying, though.
It seemed like Dustin just needed to pack it in for the night. Suzie hadn't picked up. So he would have to try again later. He had the whole summer, anyways. As he flipped through channels once more though, he suddenly paused. Someone was on this channel, an unfamiliar voice. But it wasn't English...it sounded like a language he had heard before...but suddenly, it clicked for him what this was. Though it was still a shock either way.
"What the fu--"