Yes, it's been forever and a day since I've updated this story, but I really wanted to get Stranger Tides done, which I did, yay! So, now I can put my full attention into this story.

It's awesome that we've finally gotten a trailer for season 3! It looks amazing and like there will be a lot of Mileven fluff, which I was sad to not see as much of in season 2.

Anyways, I've been wracking my brain slightly as to what I'd like to do for this next chapter, but, I think I've gotten it figured out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stranger Things.

Chapter 5.1: The Plan (Hopper's POV)

The snow continues to fall in sleepy flurries throughout the month of January. Keeping the forest around a cozy cabin covered in shimmering white. The cold bites even deeper as the days progress.

He finds that he hates the bitter cold that seems to have sunk into everyday. And the snow just doesn't seem to stop cascading from the grey skies above. Making traveling to and from the cabin not an easy task.

He grumbles to himself as he shuffles out into the chilled living room, like he does every morning before he heads off to work. He approaches the small fireplace that is crackling ever so lightly in the silent home. Creaking open the iron door, Hopper reaches his stiff arm to the side to grab ahold of the matching iron poker, as he thrusts it towards the charred remains of the last few longs he fed to the flames.

The pieces crumble at the touch of the poker, once rich brown pieces are now blackened and emitting a soft glow of red as they turn to ash.

Hopper grunts as he moves to the side, grabbing a couple more pieces of wood, being sure to not get a sliver stuck in his hand, as he shoves three pieces into the stove and adjusting them just right. He then takes in a couple deep breaths and blows into the fireplace, the glowing embers ignite at the new air as small little flames burst forward and begin to lick at the new pieces of wood, igniting them as well.

Satisfied, Hopper nods his head, closes the stove, and adjusts the air flow so as to not snuff out the flame that begins to grow. With a huff, and creaking limbs Hopper rises to his feet, brushing off his hands and moves towards the kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee.

A loud yawn escapes from his lips just as he pours his first cup of the day, when a nearby door creaks open. His head moves to the new noise and his eyebrows raise as he watches El exit her room, wrapped tightly in a blanket as she approaches him, and sits down on a nearby stool.

She looks tired, so it surprises him that she is awake. "Morning" he quips to her, as he moves to take a sip of his coffee.

Instead of answering, she grumbles, wrapping the blanket around her tighter. Hopper chuckles at her, "What's wrong kid? You usually sleep in" he notes.

He watches as she shivers lightly, "It was too cold, couldn't sleep" she mutters, as her eyelids flutter from exhaustion.

His lips turn into a tight frown at her words. "Why didn't you come out to the couch? It's warmer out here?" he questions.

El lets out a heavy sigh, "It's not comfortable" she mutters, as she moves to wipe her apparently running nose.

Hopper squints at her, and he can see that she's slightly more paler than she usually is and is shivering lightly. Before he knows what he's doing, he moves a hand to her forehead, which startles her slightly.

Her dark eyes meet his in a curious look, "What..are you doing?" she asks in a low voice. Hopper pulls his hand away, shaking his head, "Nothing, you just didn't look well, I wanted to see if you had a fever, but...you are just cold" he shrugs.

"Fever?" El questions just as Hopper takes another sip from his mug. He nods while swallowing his black coffee, "Yeah, like you're sick? Your body gets all warm and you don't feel good, a fever means your body's fighting off an infection" he explains.

El nods her head slowly, not asking anymore questions, which takes Hopper back slightly, because usually after he answers one, there's usually a couple more that follow.

He bends down towards her, "You sure you're okay?" he asks again. El doesn't meet his gaze, as she slowly lifts and lowers her shoulders.

Hopper doesn't press, but he doesn't move away either, hoping she'll get the idea and answer him.

She takes the bait, sighing before speaking, "It's always cold here, and the boys and Max have a harder time getting out here in the snow, I miss them" her voice sad and defeated.

Hopper's taken aback slightly, not expecting that explanation for her answer. He moves away from her, his soft eyes still gazing at her, as she continues to stare at her lap, moving the blanket tighter against her small figure.

He sighs heavily, "Well, they were here for new years and that following weekend, and you just saw them…." his mind begins to think of the last time the group of noisy obnoxious teens were over, and nothing pops into his mind.

El flicks her head up to the man, and gives him a tight glare, "That was last time, almost a month ago" she mutters. "It's too hard for Mike and them to bike here and it's been so cold, walking doesn't work either".

Hopper listens to her explanation, it dawns on him that he has had less headaches, meaning that the teens hadn't been over much. Because after their first visit on Christmas, they had stopped by over more often than not, always following his rules.

However, looking out the window and seeing the heavy frost set on the new glass, and the piling snow that doesn't seem to stop, he can see where El and her friends are coming from.

He drops his shoulders in defeat, "Yeah, I know kid, how about we set up a time for them to come over, I'll pick them up" he suggests taking another sip of his coffee.

El brightens up slightly, "Can...can I go over...to Mike's house?" she asks tentatively. Hopper slowly turns his head towards the girl, he quirked an eyebrow up at her.

He sets down his mug gently against the table, he gives her a look, "What gave you that idea?" he questions the girl with a knowing gaze.

El fumbles slightly with her next words, shaking her head, "What do you mean?" she says with indifference.

Hopper turns his head slightly to the side, as his lips pull up slightly, "You need to work on your lying kid, you're not very good at it" he chuckles pulling away slightly from the girl, whose mouth is now hanging open in shock.

He continues to laugh, "I'm assuming Mike asked you?" he quips at her, before reaching for his mug again, raising it to his mouth, his eyes grinning at her.

El finally lets out a long breath before she says, "Yes" in a small voice. Hopper nods at her answer, "Thought so, what gave him that idea?"

The young girl shrugs her shoulders, "His mom keeps asking about me, wants to have us over for dinner" she explains.

Hopper's pretty sure he can feel his heart tightening slightly at that idea. For, he has still been hesitating to bring her into town even though shortly after Christmas he had finally begun to share to his colleagues and other members of the town that he had adopted El, making sure to entwine some of what Mike had explained to his mother so that their stories coincided with one another.

His story was that El was his cousins kid, and she fell ill and couldn't take care of her anymore, so he took her in. Of course, Flo was more than eager to meet the new girl, but Hopper kept coming up with meager excuses to introduce her to everyone. But, he was slowly running out, and with Karen knowing about El, it didn't take long for the whole town to be buzzing with the excitement of Hopper's new adopted daughter.

He heard the whispers, and he knew that some didn't believe his story. It seemed that the most popular twisted tale was that El was his illegitimate daughter, but didn't want to admit it, or for the town to know. However, not one story crept close to El's true upbringing, and he was thankful for that. He would take illegitimate daughter over a telekinetic girl who was being used as a weapon.

But, overall, it seemed that the town was excited to meet her, and were happy for his new addition to his family. So, he knew keeping her cooked up in the cabin wouldn't last too much longer.

As Hopper processed this through his head, he flicked his eyes towards the girl who sat tucked under her blanket and he could see the brimming hope written across her face.

He let out a heavy sigh, "Alright, look...I'll think about it-" and at this El sat up even straighter, and Hopper held out a hand to stop her from getting too excited, "But...I've got to think about how I want to approach this with Mike's family, they saw a picture of you before, I'm sure after getting to know you they'll figure out who you are" he gives El a narrow look.

El's shoulders sag at his words, turning to look away from him, "They won't like me" she mutters.

Hopper's a bit taken aback by this, he leans over the counter, "What do you mean?"

El tightens her lips together, "They'll think I'm a monster, or a freak" her voice is filled with sadness, and Hopper can feel his heart break sadly. He then moves around the counter, and kneels before El, resting gentle hands on her hips, she doesn't look at him.

"Hey" he says gently, trying to reassure the girl, "They won't think that, I just want them to understand who you really are because I believe they will accept you for everything you are, and not just because you have powers" he explains.

El slowly moves her eyes over to Hopper, her mouth still drawn into a frown, "Kid, Mike likes you not just because of your powers, and if he cares enough to talk to you for three hundred and fifty three days and more so...then I have to believe his parents will understand".

The girl sits silently for a moment, Hopper's words processing through her mind, before she gives a slow nod, "Okay" she says in a small voice, and Hopper releases a breath he doesn't realize he's been holding.

"Alright, so, I need to think about this for a bit, and how we would do this, so give me some time, okay?" he gives the girl a look, and she in return gives him a half smile, which he returns.

He stands to his feet, his knees cracking in the process. "I've got to get going, don't get into too much trouble" Hopper moves to grab his hat, jacket and keys before he moves back to El and ruffles her ever growing hair.

She giggles at his actions, her eyes dancing lightly before he approaches the door, giving El one last wave before he leaves.

Hopper steps into the brisk cold, as the snow dances around him as he sighs, his breath clouding before him, shaking his head, and muttering to himself, "Boy..this won't be easy".


He finds himself very distracted by the thoughts of how he will be able to bring up El to Mike's parents without them freaking out, that in return he has been unable to get much work done this day.

He lets out a frustrated sigh as he rereads the same sentence of a court order, over again, and barely processes it. Hopper pushes himself back away from his desk, his chair screeching across the linoleum floor as he reaches for his pocket and withdraws a cigarette and lighter.

Pressing the cigarette to his lips, he lights it aimlessly as he takes a long pull from the stick, and exhales deeply, a cloud of toxic smoke hanging around him.

Hopper leans back in his chair as his eyes fixate on his ceiling, his brain still reeling about what his best option was.

A knock at his office door shakes him from his thoughts as he straightens in his chair, pulling his cigarette from his mouth as he holds it between two fingers. He huffs a "Yeah" to the door, as he rubs a hand against his face.

"Hopper, Mrs. Morrison is on the phone? Can I patch her through to you?" Flo's voice rings through his door.

"Yep, go ahead" he responds as he takes another moment to think before his phone begins to ring, and just as his hand reaches for the phone, he figures out what he's going to do.


Honestly, this wasn't his first plan, nor was it in his top five ideas, however, he figured this was the best option. It was like ripping off a band-aid, he knew he had to just get it over with, but he needed to make sure there was one particular person who would be okay with it.

That's why Hopper found himself waiting outside the local middle school, smoking another cigarette as he waited for the last bell to ring.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, he heard the shrill ring of the bell, and almost immediately students began to pour from the buildings entrance.

Hopper flicked the last of his cigarette onto the ground as he stepped out of his vehicle. Almost every eye was on him as he approached the middle school. Most of the kids shrunk away out of his path, eyeing him suspiciously, some paid him no attention.

However, approaching the well known bike rack, he got the full attention of five teenagers who all look at him with wide eyes. He stops with his hands on his hips, evaluating the kids.

"Hopper, what are you doing here?" Mike asks unceremoniously giving him a look. The older man looks down at him, returning the same look.

"Needed to talk to you" he says low. Mike turns to look at his friends who shrug their shoulders at him, and then he turns back to Hopper, "Now?" he asks.

Hopper huffs, "Obviously, why do you think I'm here?"

Mike rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "Okay, make it quick though, I promised-" and he looks around as to make sure no one is eavesdropping on their conversation, "El-" he whispers, "I'd give her a call as soon as I got him" he explains.

It's Hopper's turn to roll his eyes, "That's why I'm here, I'm bringing you back with me, need to talk to both of you".

Mike's eyes widen at this, "Really?!" his voice jumps an octave in excitement, not seeming to care what Hopper wants to talk to him about, but having the chance to see El peaks his interest immediately.

Hopper holds up a hand to settle him, "Yes, plus...she's been moping again, figured she'd like to see ya" he shrugs his shoulders as he watches Mike smile.

"Can we come too?" Dustin's voice perks up behind Mike and Hopper fixes him with a glare, "No, it's already weird enough I'm taking Mike with me, even worse to take all of you".

The other kids let out annoyed sounds, "Hopper, when are you going to bring her out into town, people are already talking" Max pipes up with her arms folded over her chest.

Hopper gives the teens quick looks, sighing as he does so, "Look" he states firmly, "I'm working on it okay, it needs to be a slow process, and you kids have to understand that".

The group of teens cast their eyes at one another, silently communicating, as Hopper begins to wonder if they are reading each other's minds or something. Mike's the one to speak up, "Alright, we understand, it's just hard" he shrugs his shoulders.

Hopper nods at him, "I get it, the snow's been rough for you guys to come, but...I truly promise, she'll be out soon, okay?"

The teens give him sceptical looks but they eventually give exasperated nods to him.

"Good, now come on Mike, we need to get going" he motions towards his cruiser. Mike turns to his friends, "I'll see you guys later".

"Tell El, 'hi' for us" Max says hurriedly as Mike grabs onto his bike, he gives them all a brimming smile, "Don't worry, I will" and he turns once again, following Hopper towards his cruiser.


Once Mike's bike is stored safely in the back of Hopper's cruiser, both males settle into the vehicle as a pregnant silence falls on them.

Hopper barely glances at Mike as, he, fastens his seatbelt, while Hopper revs the engine to life.

The silence doesn't last long as Mike turns his attention to Hopper, "How is she?" his voice is soft and full of curiosity. Hopper rolls his eyes, turning to give Mike an incredulous look, "You're going to see her in a bit, you can ask her then".

Mike falls back into his seat, huffing turning to look out the window. The older man sneaks a glance at the kid, who has his body turned from him, he exhales slowly, clearing his throat before speaking, "She's uh...she's good, bored out of her mind" he chuckles a bit, flicking his eyes over to Mike, who turns his head slightly.

When he doesn't speak, Hopper believes that he's ignoring him, so he turns his attention back on the road. But, Mike turns his head to him, "I'm sure, you should get her a bike when summer comes" he offers.

Hopper raises an eyebrow at the teen, who gives a small secret smile, "She really liked riding with me last year, I'm not sure if my bike would fit us both anymore".

The older man nods slowly at Mike's words, "It'll be a little hard living in the woods" he says as the cruiser bumps along the road.

It's silent for a moment before Mike speaks again, "Yeah, it's going to be hard to get to see her over the summer, you guys live a ways out there" he grumbles.

Hopper refrains from growling at the kid, because, deep down he knows he's right, and it's been something that has been circulating through his mind more and more lately. Especially with the fact of how difficult it is even for himself to get in and out of the woods when the winter is especially long as this one has been.

Not just that, but his mind flickers back to this morning as he watched El exit her room, shivering from the cold. The cabin was old and the insulation was by far from being what it used to be. It also sucked with how small the place was, his room was no bigger than a closet, and he was pretty sure that the lack of personal space was one of the many reasons for his and El's blowouts.

He obviously kept this to himself, for, he had been exploring options of houses that were closer to the community, and closer for him to access if something went wrong. But, he knew El wanted to be closer to her friends, so that was something to consider as well.

The twenty minute ride to the cabin seemed longer than usual for Hopper as his and Mike's conversations dies off and they resort to looking out the window.

Hopper lets out a sigh of relief when the pull off into the forest comes into view. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Mike sit up straighter, and he can see the look of anticipation written on his face.

A small smile pulls at the corner of Hopper's mouth, knowing that his adopted daughter would be very excited to be seeing her beloved boyfriend.

His cruiser rolls to a quick stop as he cuts the engine, and no sooner does Mike whip open his door and makes a beeline towards the cabin.

Hopper opens his door, following the boy shaking his head. Mike's all but bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for Hopper to approach the door so that he can knock.

"Go ahead kid" he nods at the cabin door as he climbs the creaking steps. And without having to be told twice, Mike moves his hand and performs the secret knock, and seconds later, the door swings open, Mike entering immediately.

Hopper follows behind, stepping into the warmer cabin. A quick look around tells him that El is still in her room, as Mike stretches his neck searching for her.

"Kid, come out here for a second, want to show you something" Hopper's booming voice rolls through the cabin. A second later, he hears a small voice echo back "Okay".

The chief of police moves to hang his coat and hat, as he looks over his shoulder, as he sees El's door open, "Dad, what's.." and before she can finish her sentence, her eyes fall on the other person in the home, her eyes going wide.

"Mike!" the young girl cries as she barrels towards the very tall teen, who is waiting with open arms as El slams into him. Her arms encircling her boyfriend, squeezing him tight.

"El, it's so good to see you!" Mike's voice is muffled by El's growing hair in which he has his head buried into.

El pulls away just enough to look up at her boyfriend, and Hopper watches with held breath as she moves her hands up to wrap around Mike's neck as she pulls him down, capturing his lips with hers.

Hopper's pretty sure he's forgotten how to breath as he watches the interaction, thinking that they would pull away after a quick peck, however, his eyes widen in shock as Mike pulls her closer.

The dad monster within him bursts from its depths, "Hey, come on now!" he growls and the two teens pull apart quickly, wide eyed and flushed faces, but still remaining in each other's arms.

His light eyes find his daughters and she gives a sheepish grin, slowly disentangling herself from Mike, but quickly finding his hand and entangling them together.

They then flick to Mike's who only gives him a small shrug and Hopper gives them an exasperated eye roll. "I know you two are happy to see each other, but I don't need to be watching that" he gestures to the two of them.

"Sorry, dad" El whispers slightly, but by the way she turns to look at Mike, whose eyes are already on hers, Hopper knows she's not that sorry.

He moves past the two love birds, shoving Mike's shoulder lightly in passing as he moves towards the kitchen to grab a much needed beer.

El's voice perks up from the living room, "What are you doing here? Hopper usually tells me if someone is coming over".

Hopper pulls a cold beer from the fridge, twisting the top open, and taking a long pull from the beverage, his eyes landing on the teens.

Mike shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know, Hopper picked me up from school and told me he had something to talk to us about" his smile never leaves his face.

El immediately turns to Hopper, "How long can he stay?" her voice perks up. "He can stay for dinner, but I've got to talk to you two about something" he gives them each a stare.

He watches in amusement as El throws him a questioning look, however, Mike's expression falls and becomes more worried, this makes Hopper crack a smile, for he's pretty sure a million thoughts are running through the poor boys mind, and he's going to leave it for after dinner to allow him to worry.

"I'll get dinner ready, and we'll talk after, okay?" he gives the two of them a look. El brightens as she pulls on Mike's arm, "Come on, we can catch up while we wait!"

Hopper quirks an eyebrow up at the two teens, and he sees something mischievous glinting within his daughters amber eyes, and he sees Mike's red cheeks get even redder as El pulls him towards her room.

"Hold it" Hopper's voice escapes him and the two teens freeze. "Keep the door open" his eyes find El's, who rolls them dramatically.

"Dad!" she whines, throwing her free hand at her side. "You heard me" he says slowly, as he gives her a look that says, 'don't argue'.

But, her just as quick temper flares, "What do you think is going to happen?" she throws back, and at this Mike's eyes go wide turning towards the girl, "No...El it's fine" he tries to dampen the fight.

However, El's eyes are burning through Hopper's, and a thought dawns on him, 'does she know about that stuff?'

He truly doesn't know the answer to his own question. He can only believe the answer to be 'no', with the fact that she was raised in a lab for most of her life, and this was the first time she would be alone with a boy...her boyfriend, no less.

He lowers his head, shaking it, knowing that another very pressing talk needs to happen sooner rather than later, he thinks he might need to get Joyce involved with this one. He turns his head up and looks again at the teens.

Mike's eyes catch his and the teen gives him a soft look, and it's there that Hopper can see it written on his face, 'nothing will happen'.

So, with one last sigh he opens his mouth to speak, "Part way open, or you'll be on the couch" he gives El a look, he can see she wants to, but her shoulders slump in defeat.

"Fine" she gives a soft whisper as she continues to pull Mike with her, as she leaves her door partly open.

He peeks through, not being able to see her bed from this angle, his heart is in his throat at this moment, but he knows that nothing will happen. Especially since they're literally right there and he's only a couple feet away. But, that important talk moves to the forefront of his mind, knowing it will be something to talk about.


The monster within him has Hopper peeking more often than not into El's room, as he tries to keep his moving around the kitchen as quiet as possible.

His ears are on high alert as he tries to pay attention to the voices of the teens as they hole themselves up in El's room. His heart sighs heavily each time he hears their voices cascading through the crack of door.

'Geez, never thought this is what it would be like having a teenager', trails through his mind, as he continues to busy himself in the kitchen, his thoughts straying somewhat. Mostly to what he wants to talk to the kids about with letting Mike's parents know about El's past.

He grumbles lightly under his breath as he tries to assure himself of what he wants to say and how he wants things to go, just to be sure the teens understand the plan.

Hopper's thoughts and clanking of the dishes causes him to lapse in listening to the teens, and suddenly he stops what he's doing, and tries to listen. Only, this time he doesn't hear anything coming from El's room, and his heart rises to his throat as he quickly approaches El's bedroom. The monster within him stirring his insides, making his emotions run amuk within his brain.

But, just as he approaches the door, he hears El's small giggle, and he stops in his place. Freezing right next to her door, he peaks in ever so slightly.

It takes his eyes a second to find the two, who are sitting on El's messy bed, their backs pressed against the wall as their legs dangle off the edge, Mike's doing so much more than El's. His eyes move to their heads, which are pressed very close together, as Mike holds a comic out in front of him.

Both teens seem relaxed in each others presence, soft smiles etched on both of their faces, as El moves ever so slightly, nuzzling into Mike's neck.

Hopper watches as El stretches her hand out to point at the comic, "Who's that?" her voice is full of wonder. Mike's smile grows even more as he moves his head just enough so that he doesn't disturb El's head, "That's Jean Grey, or The Phoenix, she's really cool, she's got powers that are a lot like yours" he explains.

El's eyes go wide as she moves her head up so that she and Mike are even closer, their eyes scanning each other's faces, "Really? Is she strong?" El quips to the boy beside her.

Mike raises his eyebrows, "She's the strongest of all the X-Men, you don't find that out till the Dark Phoenix Saga".

El nods and then turns back to the comic, Mike following her gaze, "She's pretty", her voice is soft.

Mike's head whips back over to El's, and he nudges her with her nose, "Nowhere as pretty or beautiful as you though, and you're much more badass than her when it comes to your powers", the words flow effortlessly from the boys mouth, and it stuns Hopper slightly as he continues to spy on the teens interaction.

El's head whips back towards Mike, and her eyes are wide, searching his face to see if there's any indication of whether he's lying or not, it takes her a millisecond to realize all of what Mike said is honest and true. A tear escapes her eyes.

"Mike" the girl whispers, and the boy gives her a gentle look, "You really are amazing El, and I'm lucky to be able to call you my girlfriend".

At his words, El seems even more stunned, and instead of answering, Hopper watches as El brings up her free hands and places them delicately on Mike's face, the boys eyes widening.

The telekinetic girl gently pulls at the boys face, guiding it to hers as both of their eyes flutter shut, and their lips meet in a sweet embrace.

Hopper knows, wants, to stop watching their interaction with one another, but as he continues to watch with his mouth wide open, he can see everything that exists between the two. He can see the love, the compassion, the eternal happiness that stretches between them.

He sees Mike move slightly as he wraps one hand behind his daughters back, and the other around her waist, they shift slightly so El moves to sit on his lap, their kiss continuing.

It's here that Hopper finally moves away from El's door, and looks away, taking a couple steps from her door, not looking back.

He can feel the monster within him growling with displeasure as he had watched his daughter pretty much start making out with her boyfriend. But, the calm rational side of his brain saw how much the boy he always worries about, treat the girl he holds in his arms.

Hopper moves back towards the kitchen, his mind reeling about this next step in his new daughters life. He knows limits and understandings are apart of this growing relationship. But, he now knows that this boy his daughter holds so dear will never hurt her.

So, the chief of police lets out a long harrowing breath as he returns to the dinner he left waiting to be finished as he allows the teens this moment, hoping that accepting it will only get easier as time passes.


Not too much later, Hopper finished up the dinner as he sets out plates around his and El's small rickety dining room table.

He nods to the setup before he looks over his shoulder and calls out, "Hey, kids come on out, dinners ready!"

And, without having to ask a second time, both Mike and El trek out of her room, their hands tightly squeezed together, and each sporting soft looks. He watches as they exchange small, knowing glances at one another as they approach the table.

Hopper tries desperately to refrain from rolling his eyes as he watches their interaction with one another. Mike moving quickly in front of El to pull out her seat, much to her surprise, however, once he explains that it's a 'gentleman thing to do', the girl beams brightly and sits down in her seat, as Mike sits to her left in the middle of the table.

Mike looks down at his portion of chicken, potatoes and carrots, he turns to Hopper, "This looks great, thanks Hop", the boy says earnestly, which surprises the man slightly, but he gives a small grunt of thanks in return, as they all dig into their dinner.

Most of the meal is silent, however, small talk about Mike's schooling gets brought up by El, and he's more than happy to explain everything to her. She continues to eat her meal, but is mesmerized by his explanations, and Hopper knows that he'll have to do something to make sure El is enrolled in school by the start of next year.

Just as they wind down from the meal, Hopper pats his face and nods towards the kids. "Alright, you know I brought Mike here for a reason, so...we've got to talk about it" Hopper begins to explain as both teens eyes flick to his, each wide with worry.

He rolls his eyes at the two's reaction, "Geez, don't look at me like it's the end of the world, it's not like it's the end of the world or something", or that's what he believed anyways.

"So, what's it about then?" Mike questions looking at the older man.

Hopper clears his throat, "Well, El's told me that your mom is looking to have dinner with us?"

Mike nods slowly, "Yeah, she's been hinting at it pretty hard, she keeps asking why El doesn't come over and stuff".

"So, what have you been telling her?" Hopper asks.

Mike shrugs, "I just told her that El's new to town and has been adjusting".

Hopper huffs, " , I think we're going to have to tell your mother and father the truth" he comes out with the words with a wave of his hand, and both Mike and El's eyes widen.

"The truth?" Mike squeaks, shaking his head, "That's crazy!"

The older man scratches at his beard, "Look, if El starts coming over to your house or shes out in town or something, your mom and dad are going to realize who El is. They saw a picture of her last year, I'm sure they'll recognize her".

Mike falls back in his seat as El reaches a reassuring hand out to her boyfriend, her eyes turn to Hopper, "Do we have to?" she asks gently.

He ponders her question in his mind, and he's been over it more times than not in his head. He's seen how close Mike and El have gotten, and no matter what happens in their lives, he knows that his daughter and her boyfriend will always have a connection, and he knows Karen and Ted aren't that oblivious.

So, he lets out a long breath before answering, "Yes, I think it's the right thing to do", and at this both kids look down at their laps, "Look, you kids want El to be out in public, and…" he pauses slightly, causing both the teens to turn their dark eyes towards him.

"And...I know you want to have a relationship" he states plainly, as both teens try to hide the blush that spreads across both of their faces.

"And if that's something you want, then I think having Mike's parents understand El and her background will make things easier for the both of you" he finishes as he gauges the teens reactions.

Both of them look towards one another, and to Hopper, it's as if they're having a silent conversation just by looking at each other's eyes. Finally, he watches Mike's mouth turn up slightly, as El nods her head.

"Okay, but...I think we'll need a game plan" Mike states, and Hopper rolls his eyes once again, "Obviously, that's why I needed you here".

Mike frowns at him, but Hopper doesn't care as he stands from his seat and moves towards his room, grabbing hold of a box and walking back out to the teens who give him a questioning look. El spots the box and her eyebrows raise to her hairline.

Hopper places the box labeled: Hawkins Lab, in front of the teens as he removes the lid. Mike stands and peers inside the box filled with numerous papers scattered about. "What's this?" the boy asks giving Hopper a look.

He can't help but smirk, "This-" he starts as he begins grabbing files from the box, "Is how your parents will understand everything they need to know about El".


Three exhausting hours later, as the sun had set in the distance many hours before, the dark settles across the cabin.

Hopper rubs at his tired eyes as he finishes listening to Mike's part of his story he's to share with his parents. Just as the boy finishes he leans back in his chair and lets out a long yawn, in which El mimics.

"Alright" Hopper mumbles through tired breath, "Guess that's as good as it's going to get, besides it's...ten o'clock!" he roars as he looks at his wrist watch, and Mike jumps to his feet.

"Shit! My mom's going to kill me, I've got to call her!" he rushes over to the phone to start dialing his phone number, but freezes, he turns towards the chief of police, "What am I supposed to tell her, especially when I arrive home in your cruiser!" he stresses.

Hopper shakes his head, "She knows I've adopted El" he shrugs, but Mike sighs, "Doesn't matter, she'll think I did something wrong, and that's why I didn't call her, dammit!" he shouts in anger.

At this Hopper stands and takes the receiver from the shaking teen, "What's your number, I'll give her a call" he asks calmly.

Mike scrunches his face towards the man, but with another look from the chief, Mike rattles off his number, in which Hopper dials into the phone.

One ring later a frantic woman answers the phone, "Hello?!"

Hopper coughs slightly, "Uh, yes, hi Karen, this is Chief Hopper calling" he tries to stay calm.

"Chief? What are you doing calling here?"

"I'm just calling to let you know Mike is still at our house" he tries to explain.

He hears Karen let out a sigh of relief, "Well, why didn't he call to let me know where he was, I thought he might be at one of the boys house, but he usually calls", she explains.

"Heh, well I'm sorry about that Karen, you see uh-" he starts to blank as he stares back at the teens who are watching his phone call with Karen with utmost attention.

"Uh, Mike caught me at the station and asked if he could see El, uhm, we live a ways out of town and it's not easy to get here on bike, especially with all the snow, they...they haven't seen each other for awhile and I figured it would be okay", he lies smoothly.

Karen tuts on the other line, "Well, I guess that's what happens when my little boy is in love" her attitude makes a total one-eighty, and when Hopper hears the word 'love' he almost chokes on his next words, but instead he laughs, "Oh, haha, yes, of course, you know teens" he streams along.

Karen sighs, "Oh, it's so nice to know Mike found a girl, I mean, he doesn't talk about her much, but he says she's a quiet girl".

Hopper nods on his side of the phone, "Yes, she's been adjusting, a lot of new changes".

"Mhm, yes, oh!" she says quickly, "Before I forget, I've been hounding Mike for weeks to invite you and El over for dinner, how does next weekend sound? I'd love to get to know this young lady my son has found such an interest in that he forgets to call and tell his mother where he's at" she singsongs.

Hopper can't believe how quickly she brought this subject up, and he's lucky that he's coached the kids enough to be able to pull off El's story. So, he lets out a long sigh before talking back into the receiver, "Yeah, yeah, El's talked a bit about it, we've...just been settling in, but, next week should work".

"Wonderful!" Karen cheers from the other end. "That sounds great! Will you be bringing Mike home?" her voice is joyous.

Hopper turns to look at the teens who seem tired and exhausted, and he is too, and it'll be a good hour till he's back home, so, even though with the not so pleasant thought in his mind, he speaks, "You know, I lost track of time, the kids are tired, and I had a long day too, how about Mike crashes on the couch, tomorrow's Saturday anyways, I'm sure they'll enjoy spending the day together".

At Hopper's words he watches as both the teens perk up in their seats and tun to each other with winning smiles. And after seeing this reaction, he's pretty sure he's made a mistake.

Karen's voice brings him back to reality, "Oh...are you sure Hopper, I mean…" her voice trails off and he knows exactly what she's thinking.

"Don't worry Karen, I'll be here the whole time, and I'll have a little talk with both of them. I don't think your son wants any trouble with the chief of police" he jokes, but sends Mike a glare, knowing he heard his words.

Karen chuckles on the other end, "Okay, I'm sure they'll be fine, I mean they're young, but I guess that talk will need to be reiterated to Michael".

Hopper nods slowly, "Yep, same here too" he agrees.

"Well, alright then, I'll be expecting Mike home tomorrow then, thanks for looking out for him chief" Karen says.

"No worries Karen, see you tomorrow, bye" he quips, before Karen says a quick, "Bye", and he hangs up the phone.

His light eyes turn to the teens who seem a little too excited by his suggestion. He walks over to them and gives them a look, "Yes, it's okay for you to stay here Mike, but don't think it's going to be something regular" he gives the boy a look who nods quickly.

"Okay then, why don't you kids get ready for bed, El, you take the bathroom first" Hopper nods to the bathroom.

El pops up from her seat, "Ok" she turns to Mike with a shy smile, in which he returns, as she disappears behind the bathroom door, leaving both Mike and Hopper alone, in silence.

Hopper throws Mike a tight grin, as Mike tries to avoid his gaze, however, Hopper approaches him slowly, causing the boy to look at him.

"Chief" Mike says cautiously, "Kid" he gives him a quick look, before moving closer to the boy.

"Look kid, I really hope I can trust you" his voice is low and firm.

Mike lets out an exasperated sigh, "Hop, we've been through this before, I won't do anything to hurt El, you know that" he raises his hands and drops them firmly.

"I know, but...I don't know if El knows anything about...ya know" he shrugs his shoulders in defeat, Mike scoffs at him.

"I'm sure she knows something about, 'it'" Mike bites back but cringes slightly at his choice of words.

"Kid, I honestly don't know if she knows about the 'birds and the bees', which, I'm sure you have some knowledge in", he gives Mike a look.

Mike rolls his eyes as he stuffs his hands into his pockets, fighting the awkwardness that hangs between the two males, "Obviously, I've had health class, and an older sister".

Hopper snorts, "Just...I know she probably understands some things, but...I just don't want her to think…" he stops short, and as he stops, Mike looks up at him, their eyes meet, and Hopper drops his shoulders.

Mike sighs, "I get it Hop, don't worry, I promise nothing will happen...now" he adds at the end, wincing again, which Hopper catches, making the monster within him swirl.

But, he knows where the kid is coming from. Even though both Mike and El have no idea where their relationship will be going in the future, but, if the stars align and they do stay together for years to come, they both know that there probably will be something more intimate developing between the two.

However, in this moment, Hopper has to swallow his worry and believe things will be okay.

Mike quips an eyebrow at Hopper's silence, and the chief finally shakes his head, "Just...just let me get the talk in at least before anything happens" he jokes.

Mike's mouth drops open, "Trust me, nothing will happen, not for quite awhile, we're too young" he stresses, and Hopper feels relief wash through him, but he laughs all the same.

"I'm just teasing, but I guess that talk does need to come sooner rather than later" he huffs crossing his arms over his chest.

Mike laughs, "Yeah, I think it definitely does" and both males give each other small smiles, until a small voice breaks through, "Hey Mike, you can use the bathroom" El's hair is semi-wet from her shower she must have taken.

Hopper watches as Mike's face flushes slightly at the sight of his girlfriend, "Thanks El" he says quietly as he makes his way to the bathroom, the door shutting again behind him. El turns to look at the older man giving him a look.

"What?" Hopper asks innocently, but El rolls her eyes, "Dad, don't scare him" she casts a small smile over her face.

Hopper laughs at his daughter as he approaches her and gives her a tight hug, which she returns, "Don't worry kid, just having some guy talk is all".

El pulls back and gives her dad another look, in which Hopper just ruffles her hair and shoos her off to her own room to get changed.


Hopper tucks an old flat sheet blanket into the worn couch cushions as he tries to make a decent bed for his daughters boyfriend. He shutters slightly at thinking that his daughter and her boyfriend will only be sleeping a couple steps away from each other.

But, he continues to pack the old blanket into the couch and snags an old pillow from his closet and tosses that, along with another blanket for Mike to use for warmth.

Just as he tosses the pillow onto the couch, the bathroom door creaks open, and Hopper raises his head just to catch Mike's hesitant look as he pads his way into the living room.

He's wearing very baggy sweatpants that once belonged to him, while El offered up one of her own baggier graphic t-shirts for him to wear, which in turn fits him perfectly.

Hopper nods to the couch, "Okay kid, it's all yours". Mike returns his own nod, "Thanks" he says quietly as he moves towards the couch, but not before El peeks out from her own bedroom.

Hopper raises an eyebrow to the girl, "Yes?" he asks her. El gives a small shrug, "Can I say goodnight?" her voice is low and sweet.

He can't help but huff as he looks between the two teens. Shaking his head at the two, "Fine, but make it quick, and you both know the rules, Mike stays on the couch, El, you stay in your bedroom, alright?" he gives each of them a look.

Both teens nod aimlessly at his words as they wait for Hopper to make his way into the kitchen where he pours himself a glass of water.

He tries not to listen in, but with them only being a stone throw away, he can't help but hear their conversation.

"Goodnight El, I look forward to spending the day with you tomorrow" Mike's voice is low. El giggles at him, "I know, I can't wait!" she says brightly.

And Hopper watches out of the corner of his eye as the two move towards each other, wrapping their arms tightly around the other. El moves her head, as does Mike, and Hopper cringes once again as El pushes herself upwards towards the boy and gives him a quick, gentle kiss.

He's thankful they keep it short and sweet this time, however, he's not sure if he will ever get used to watching them do that.

"Okay kids, time to turn in" he nods to them, and they both break apart, as El slowly makes her way to her room, as Mike moves to the couch, getting himself comfortable.

Hopper stands in the kitchen for a little longer than attended, making sure his daughter doesn't make a sudden appearance outside her bedroom.

After a couple of minutes, he decides it's been long enough as he moves towards his own room.

He leaves the wooden door mostly open, because even though he can't see out into the living room, he can at least hear.

Hopper settles himself into his own bed as he lays and listens to his surroundings. He can hear the wind blowing outside as it pushes against the worn wood of the cabin, while the trees creak back and forth.

He stays like that for awhile, listening to see if the kids will disobey him or not. However, as he tries to listen to everything and nothing around him, his eyes start to flutter close, and within minutes, he's out.


When Hopper awakens the next morning, it's with a start as the sun streams in through his bedroom window.

He coughs roughly at the dry air that invaded his lungs from the night before, as he throws his feet over his bed, groaning at the earliness.

Hopper rubs his face with his gruff hands, pushing himself from his mattress and stretching out his stiffness.

He shuffles towards the door, which creaks loudly and makes his way towards the living room to see if any harm was done.

As he approaches the living room, he can hear soft voices emanating from the room, and he decides to peak over.

It doesn't surprise him that the kids are already up, what does is the fact that they are sitting modestly on the couch, side by side, wrapped in a blanket as they watch the television before them.

He watches as the two teens cuddle up to one another, El's head placed gingerly on Mike's shoulder as his left arm is cascaded over her shoulder, pulling her close to him.

Hopper chuckles to himself at the sight as he moves towards the kitchen, as he tries to get his presence known. So, he plucks his coffee carafe from its usual spot and turns the sink on, which always makes a gurgling noise when it's first turned on in the morning. The obnoxious sound grabs the teens attention as they pull apart and look towards Hopper.

"Morning!" he gives them a bright, knowing smile, as El rolls her eyes at him, turning back towards the television.

Hopper chuckles at her reaction as he finishes filling his carafe, and sets to getting his coffee made, as he finishes, he moves towards his own single chair in the living room and sets himself down with an exhale.

"Sleep good?" he questions the boy who seems slightly nervous at Hopper's presence. The boy nods, his wild black hair moving in all directions, "Yes, couch was okay, the fire was definitely nice though" he gestures to the dying fire.

"That's good, it does get pretty cold in here at night sometimes" Hopper then moves towards the fireplace to put some more logs in to get it roaring once again.

After he's finished he moves back to the kitchen where his coffee has finished brewing, he pours himself a cup while he looks back to the teens, "What'll it be for breakfast?" he asks the two. And not even a millisecond passes before El turns excitedly towards him, "Eggo-extravaganza!?" she asks enthusiastically.

Hopper sags slightly, "Really, you're going to show your boyfriend how bad you eat?" he teases, which causes the girl to go red, "Daaad!" she groans at him, as Mike laughs.

"Well, I guess it's my fault you like them so much anyways" he jokes, as the girl gives him a slight shove, "Yes, it is your fault" she agrees with a brimming smile.

Hopper moves about the kitchen while the two chat about El's eggo obsession, as he looks into each cabinet seeing what he has available. He manages to find a stash of old candy bars, along with a can of whipped cream in the fridge, he's relieved to see that it has yet to go past expiration.

So, he busies himself in the kitchen, preparing the eggo-extravaganza, El eagerly asked for. It doesn't take him long to put it together as he calls the teens over.

"Wow, that is impressive" Mike nods to the masterpiece. Hopper can't help but grin, "Yep, my own invention".

El sits down with wide eyes as she grabs at one of the eggos, as pieces of candy fall from it. She places it on her plate and no sooner begins to slather it in chocolate and maple syrup.

He sees Mike watching her with awe as she takes a bite of her eggo and hums at the goodness. She turns to her boyfriend, "Try it Mike, it's so good!"

"Chew with your mouth close" Hopper nods to the girl, who only rolls her eyes as she continues to munch on her eggo.

Mike soon takes his own eggo and bites into it, nodding in delight, "Yeah, that's pretty good, definitely cavity inducing" he jokes.

This stops El, "What's, cavity?" she mimics back to Mike, who chews and swallows his food before answering her question. "Oh, it's when you get like this whole in your tooth from eating too much sugar, it kind of rots away at your teeth".

El's eyes widen as she places her eggo back down at her plate, "I don't want my teeth to rot" she says worriedly. And before Hopper can jump back in to reassure her, Mike is already three steps ahead, "Don't worry El, it only happens if you don't brush your teeth or eat way too much sugar, I saw you have a tooth brush in the bathroom".

El nods at this, "Yes, Hopper makes me brush twice a day". Mike smiles at this, "Then you should be good, and it's not like you have this everyday" he gestures to the eggo mountain.

Hopper watches as El brightens from his explanation, and resumes her devouring of her eggo. He still can't believe how much trust and respect this girl has for this boy.

He watches as the kids finish up their breakfast, and without waiting a beat, El drags Mike off, as she chats about playing a game together. A smile never leaves Mike's face as he follows El.

This leaves Hopper to pick up after the sticky breakfast as the teens go off on their own.


Hopper actually finds himself enjoying the day to himself. For, El is usually so bored out of her mind she's constantly asking for him to do something with her. Today, however, with Mike at her beckon call, he is able to relax.

The teens only come to interrupt him when they are ready for lunch, and shortly after when El begs to go out into the snow with Mike.

So, Hopper throws together a couple of sandwiches and yells at them to make sure they bundle up before heading out into the snow.

It doesn't take long for him to look out the window and watch as the two teens begin to throw snowballs at one another, laughing till their faces are red.

Hopper turns his attention to the television which he settles his attention on for the next hour until the teens clomp back inside to warm up.

Once five o'clock rolls around, Hopper makes his way to El's room, where he finds the two teens laying on the rug in her floor, their legs bent back as they each take turns reading the comic Mike has spread between them.

He watches as they laugh at a particular thing one of the characters said, and once it has died down, he clears his throat. Both teens lazily throw their heads over their shoulder to acknowledge Hopper's presence.

"Hate to cut the fun, but I've got to get Mike home, it's started snowing again" the chief of police gestures to El's window, where fat white flakes float down.

El and Mike both groan at his statement, as El moves to sit on her knees, "Can Mike stay again?" she widens her brown eyes, and gives Hopper a look that nearly wins him over, but, Mike hasn't had any clean clothes and his mother wanted him home.

With a huff Hopper shakes his head, "Not tonight kid, I promised Karen I'd have Mike home tonight, besides I'm sure he's sick of being in the same clothes".

"But-" El starts to argue but Hopper holds up a hand to stop her, "El, last night was because it was too late to bring Mike home, he'll be able to come over another time, plus you'll see him next weekend", he tries to reason.

El's face falls even more, but Mike sits up to her level as he reaches out a hand to place on top of hers, "Don't worry El, if the snow is better maybe me and a few of the other party members will come and visit you, and Hopper's right, I'll see you next weekend too".

Hopper rolls his eyes as El brightens at her boyfriends words, "Okay" she says softly, as the two smile at one another.

"Alright, let's get going then before the snow gets any worse" Hopper states to the two teens, who slowly get to their feet and make their way towards the door.

A couple minutes later they're all riding together in the chilled cruiser, as they wait for the heat to kick in.

Mike and El chat quietly in the back seat as Hopper focuses on the road, which have become slick with the new snow. Eventually, they pull up to Mike's house.

Of course, Hopper has to cast his eyes aside as the teens exit his vehicle, as they say their goodbye.

He can somewhat hear their gushy session through the hum of his engine, as El leaves the door open.

He hears El cast one last farewell to the boy as she jumps back into the front of the cruiser, turning her body towards the window as she and Mike continue to wave at one another as Hopper pulls out of the driveway.

When the Wheeler's home is out of view, El finally turns forward, a content smile on her face. Hopper can't help but chuckle lightly to himself, feeling a little happy knowing his new daughter is happy as well.

He eventually sighs to himself knowing that he needs to make sure El is ready for the next weekend, knowing it will be a long one for sure.

Sorry the ending kind of sucked, but it was just trailing on and there will be more Mileven fluff in the next chapter obviously. I was going to fit the dinner in on this chapter, but it was getting too long and I desperately need to get a chapter out to you all!

So, let me know what you think! I love reviews as always, and the next chapter will be in Mike and El's POV, which I believe will be even cuter!

Thanks for your patience! I'll try to have the next one out soon!