This chapter is short and not as good but I hope it holds you guys over until the next one (which is definitely way more exciting)

From where they sat on the couch Mike could hear the front door opening and closing and he guessed it could only be her dad. He could feel a whole new wave of anxiety take over, already worrying about saying something wrong or that might clue him in on what was going on between him and Jane. Mike had to take a mental step back and tell himself that they hadn't even properly met yet and he was worrying for nothing. There was some noise from the entrance hall, likely him taking his jacket and shoes off, before he heard his voice.

"Kid I'm home!"

Jane not so subtly put some distance between her and Mike before he walked in. "Sh! We're watching the best part!"

He wandered in to see what she was talking about and glanced at the tv, seeing the ending scene from Dirty Dancing playing and shaking his head. "Come into the kitchen when it's over."

Jane's eyes had been glued to the screen ever since she put her shirt back on after their make out session. But once her father was gone he felt her gaze on the side of his face. She leaned closer to him, her shoulder gently brushing against his. "Are you nervous?"

"No." he lied.

"You look nervous." She said before putting her hand on his shaking leg. "It'll be fine." She planted a short kiss on his cheek which he wished she hadn't since it only made him want to pull her back when she leaned away from him.

He and Jane weren't official. Technically speaking they were still just friends. He wasn't quite meeting his girlfriends dad but he had jitters none the less. Aside from being Jane's father and the chief of police he was still intimidating. Though Mike was definitely on the taller side he was undeniably all bone and no muscle. The same couldn't be said for Jim Hopper who was only an inch or two taller than him but could probably throw Mike over his shoulder like a rag doll. He checked for the tenth time that the collar of Jane's shirt hid the marks he had made on her only an hour before. Just in case.

When the credits started to roll Jane hopped off the couch to take out the tape and set it back on the shelves next to the tv. She then came back over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "Don't be so nervous." She said. "He's not that scary after you talk to him for a little while. Just don't call him sir, he hates being formal."

"Okay."

Her eyes searched his face and seemed to see that he was still a nervous wreck. She shot a quick glance at the doorway to make sure her dad was nowhere in sight before standing on her toes and kissing him. Only for a couple of seconds but still long enough to calm some of his nerves.

She held his hand as they walked through the house, letting go just before they made it to the kitchen. Her father had changed out of his uniform and was sat at the kitchen table looking over a few take out menus that he slid over when they sat across from him. "Jane's been talking about you for weeks." He said to Mike. "It's about time she invited you over."

Jane hid her face in the Chinese food menu she was holding. "Shut up please."

Hopper ignored her. "She said you're in the AV club? That's pretty cool."

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. It's only me and my best friends so half the time we really only just mess around." He admitted. Ever since they fixed the radio they had mostly spend AV club time joking around. "But we have our own room so that's pretty nice."

"The room is really cool." Jane chimed in, still reading over the menu. He noticed that her cheeks were still splotchy.

"This one's a nerd in disguise." Hopper said, pointing at her. "My god you should have heard her ramble on about that radio you guys have and how we have nothing cool and techy in the house."

Jane leaned across the table and smacked his arm with the menu, then handed it to Mike so he could pick out what he wanted. "If you keep embarrassing me the only friend I'll ever bring over again is Max." she told her father while Mike started reading.

"Oh so we'll just go back to normal?" he replied.

Once they all knew what they were getting Hopper called it in on the phone across the room. While he did Jane held onto Mike's hand under the table, her thumb brushing across his palm. Slowly but surely he could feel himself starting to relax. Hopper was surprisingly easy to talk to. And it was a nice change for Jane to be the one getting teased for once. They chatted for a little while before they all took his police car to pick up their food, Jane climbing into the back to keep him company.

As they pulled out of the driveway Jane reached for the car radio and tuned it in to a familiar station. "Will always puts on this station." He commented when she sat next to him again.

"Will has good taste in music."

The smell of the car on the ride back filled up the car and made their mouths water. Jane snatched the to go bag from her dad and flew into the kitchen, already getting out plates and utensils when they made their way in. Mike hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he stared eating. He supposed his nerves had affected his appetite more than he anticipated.

"So how'd you guys meet again?" Hopper asked after they were all a few bites in.

Mike felt his cheeks turning red and he didn't dare look over at Jane. "At a party."

"The one I went to with Max so she could talk to L- that one guy." Jane offered in hopes of getting her dad to remember.

"Oh yeah, right." He said in between bites. "You said it was a big party. How'd you manage to bump into each other?"

He was thankful Jane took on the responsibility to reply. "We were both in the basement to get away from the crowd. We just, you know, started talking."

"You know Max told me the real story, right?"

Jane replied with Mike's exact thoughts. "Oh."

Across the table he grinned at their embarrassment. "Relax, you two. I just think it's interesting that it never really comes up."

Oops.

"Everyone seems to think it's pretty interesting." Jane mumbled. "I'm gonna need the phone tonight to call my ex best friend."

Hopper only laughed and changed the subject by asking her about school.

Once he got over his embarrassment Mike managed to enjoy the rest of the meal. Jane was right, talking to her father was easy once he was no longer so intimidating. Though he wasn't a techy savvy person he seemed genuinely interested when Mike talked about the type of stuff he did in AV club when they actually worked. It also helped that he shared some familiar mannerisms as Jane. Like how they covered their mouths with their napkins when they laughed whether or not they were chewing. Or keeping the different food items separated on their plates.

After they ate he helped Jane wash the plates and put them away. "I should go soon." He told her when she handed him the last plate to dry. "I didn't tell my mom I was staying for dinner and I don't want her to call the cops or something."

She seemed as disappointed as he felt. "Well at least we'll be able to account for you if she does."

He put his books away in his backpack before heading for the front door, all with Jane following close behind. Mike watched her curiously as she put on her shoes. "Going somewhere?"

"I'm gonna walk with you for a little while." She said simply. "It's a nice day."

It really wasn't. He had a hunch that she just wanted to spend some more time together, which he didn't object to at all.

Her hand slipped into his once they were on the street in front of his house. Something about touching Jane was so much better when she reached for him first. It made it harder for the irrational part of his brain to convince him that she didn't actually like him. The more time they spent together after Halloween the more comfortable and confident he felt with her.

"He's usually not that embarrassing." She assured him once they were a block or two away from the house. "I can't believe Max told him. I hope she didn't say that I was drunk."

"I hope she didn't say I was drunk either." Mike agreed.

She laughed, walking closer to him. "Do your parents know? I know you said Nancy does."

"Um…" he looked away from her, instead watching the sprinkler of a house they were passing by. "Don't take this the wrong way but I've never mentioned you to them before."

"Oh."

"Not because I'm embarrassed or keeping you a secret or anything." He quickly added. "It's just… I don't know. They're not super involved. And it's not just you. There's a lot of things about my life that they don't know."

He could picture her expression so clearly there was no need to look. Small frown, joined brows, crease in her forehead. "Why?"

"I don't know."

She stopped walking and pulled on his hand to get him to stop too. He reluctantly turned to face her, seeing the same expression on her face he had pictured in his mind. "Come on, Mike." She said, her voice turning softer. "Tell me."

He shrugged his shoulders. "There's nothing really to tell." He told her. "My dad is… I don't know. And my mom is so busy with my baby sister that sometimes she just forgets to check in every once in a while." He could see the sympathy written all over her face and tried to think of something to say to make it disappear. "But it's okay. Nancy and I are pretty close. She's annoying enough to make up for both of them."

"Yeah but…" her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the words for her thoughts. "Don't you miss having quality time with them."

"Not really." He admitted. "You can't really miss something you never had, you know?"

Her expression only turned more sympathetic so he pulled on her hand to ge her walking again.

Mike had never thought much about his relationship with his parents. Some kids were really close with their family and some weren't. It was just the way things went. At the end of the day Nancy could be a pain in the ass but he was thankful for her. She made the house less lonely. She gave him advice, whether he wanted her to or not, and made sure he was still eating and drinking when he spent all day in the basement watching movies back to back. Was she more of a mother than a sister? Perhaps. Either way he was glad he had her.

He could feel all of Jane's unanswered questions hanging in the air and was glad she kept them that way. It seemed ironic that someone with the family history he had got all sympathetic just because he and his parents weren't best friends. He was the one who should be worried about her. Mike could tell how worried she was when she stopped him several times on their walk just to kiss him or give him a hug.

Despite the fact that she had only intended to walk with him for a little while she ended up coming with him all the way to his house. They both had homework to do, and she had a phone call to make, so they both knew she couldn't stay. Still they lingered on his front doorstep.

"You should come back over soon." She said. "I can tell he likes you. He only teases people that he likes."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Good to know."

"Or you can come over some time when he's not home?" she suggested. "You know, so he doesn't tease you."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh yeah." He said. "That's why you want me to come over when he's not home."

She grinned and pulled him towards her by his hand. "Okay, maybe it's not the only reason." Jane admitted. "It's more like top three."

"Well if you need someone to keep you company next time he works late you can call me."

"I definitely will."

She placed a not so quick on his lips, her hands landing on the back of his neck. He was well aware of both his parents cars in the driveway but found himself not caring if they saw or not. Mike wouldn't be able to see Jane until the next morning and he intended on enjoying his last few moments with her as much as he could. She pulled away before the kiss could get to heated and they said their reluctant goodbyes. Mike waited to go inside until she was halfway down his front lawn. The same front lawn where she'd told him she liked him. He went inside and went straight to Nancy's room, feeling less annoyed by her enthusiasm in his life after his talk with Jane.