IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE!
Hello everyone and welcome to my new fanfic series, The Stranger Things Get. This is a role-reversal AU I have had in my head for a long time. Essentially all you need to know without me spoiling anything, is that Mike somehow has telekinetic abilities, and has grown up as an adopted member of his family. El Hopper has been raised by Jim Hopper her entire life, and she is his true daughter. This is a headcanon I've had for a while since I love Role Reversal Au's, especially in stranger things. I will not, however, be retelling everything that happened in the story. If I didn't change it in my story, you may assume it is the same as canon.
This story will be touching on much different versions of Mike and Eleven. El is going to be a lot more outgoing, as I imagine she would be being raised by Hopper. I am also making Steve Harrignton Hopper's son, since I think it makes sense. I hate the idea of him being called Steve Hopper, but it's whatever. Mike will be much more quiet, for reasons explained in the story. Overall if you give this story a chance, I think you will like it a lot.
Those of you who already follow me are probably wondering, "You didn't finish stranger things 4 yet, what's going to happen to that?" Stranger Things 4 is basically my child, you can expect no downtime on that story whatsoever. This story is just a way for me to get my creative expression out of the way, since I only want to write one chapter a week for stranger things 4.
The Upload schedule and what you should expect long term: Honestly , I don't know. I have no idea how long this is going to be, but think of it as a long term project. I will be doing one of these for each season, so it will take me awhile. It will mostly be told from Mike and El's perspective, but other people will have POV's. You should at least expect an update every two weeks.
I'm mostly just writing this so I have motivation to write something while in collage. I'm afraid that when I go to college, I will lose my creative drive and not want to write anymore. However, I think it will also be good for me to get out there a little more and experience life. I will most likely have time to write, but I'll have to feel it out. My roommate is on the football team so I should have the dorm to myself a lot. Also, my collage will be doing a lot of online GenEd classes because of corona, which if I may add, makes no sense. By not going to class, we will only be more social. People are going to party more, hookup more, and spread the virus more. But hey, who am I to tell them what to do?
List of Major changes. The Hoppers: Jim, El, Steve, Terry(dead)
The Wheelers: Mike(adopted), Nancy, Ted, Karen, Holly
Everything else is the same.
Without further ado, here's the first chapter!
Chapter 1
Mike woke up gasping for air, as if he were just in the fight of his life. Pools of sweat gathered around his neck area, as if he had just run a marathon and forgot to take a shower. He looked around his room to find his digital clock, which read 6:30 AM, 5 minutes until Mike had to get out of bed and get ready for school.
He stood up and looked around his room, eager to get familiar with his surroundings again, the memory of his nightmare already fading. It was a problem Mike had been having for a while now, and one that didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon. Every single night for the past two weeks, Mike has been having an awful nightmare. Only when he wakes up, he fails to remember any important details.
The vague details of a scream, a growl, and water plague his thoughts for hours, until they too disappear. Only to come back to him less than a day later. It was a continuous cycle, one that has been going on far too long, and frankly Mike is a bit sick of it.
"Mike honey!" A voice on the other side of his door yelled. "It's time to get ready for school.
"Ok!" Mike yelled back, running a hand through his hair. He quickly threw his sweaty shirt back on(he had learned sleeping without it was easier these past few nights), opened the door, and began to make his way downstairs, where his family awaited.
Well, Mike thinks of them as his family anyway, because they were the only people he had ever known. He currently is living with his Aunt Karen, Uncle Ted, and his cousins Holly and Nancy.
See, when Mike was not even one, his mother had taken a turn for the worst. She was mentally ill, and refused to get real help. Since his father was out of the picture, his mother was under a lot of stress trying to raise him by herself. The government intervened, and soon Mike was transported to an orphanage. To be completely honest, Mike didn't remember much from his time at the orphanage. By the time he was eight, Mike had somehow escaped the orphanage, and was found on the streets, totally looped up with drugs.
The doctors think the drugs were the cause of his memory loss, but Mike wasn't completely sure. Mike had somehow wandered all the way from Pittsburgh to his now home Hawkins Indiana. There, the police were able to find him some real family, which happened to be his Aunt Karen and Uncle Ted, who didn't even know Mike's mom had a son.
Mike was totally behind socially and mentally when he was found by his Aunt and Uncle, so he was grateful for how many resources they put into his education. In a couple of years, Mike was completely caught up in all subjects, and was excelling in most. His social skills were still a bit behind the other kids, but he was getting better as time went on. Now in eighth grade, Mike was grateful for his parents and his friends for making him the person he was today.
Mike strolled downstairs, taking his usual seat next to Nancy and Holly at the breakfast table. His Aunt, as usual, had prepared a feast for the 5 of them, and Mike was more than happy to take advantage. He was just about to pour some syrup onto his eggs when he heard a loud groan
"Do you really have to put syrup on eggs Mike, that's disgusting!" Nancy said in disgust.
Mike rolled his eyes and kept pouring, ignoring Nancy like usual.
"Mike," Aunt Karen warned. "Use your words."
Mike sighed and looked up at Nancy, "I like it, ok? Kind of like how you like Steve Hopper, the guy with the hair?"
Nancy kicked his shin under the table, Mike kicked back. Mike and Nancy's relationship was far from perfect, but it was at least sibling-like.
After breakfast, Mike got ready for school and hopped on his bike. Every day, he rode his bike to Hawkins Middle school, meeting his friends Lucas, Dustin, and Will on the way there. When Mike had first started school in 4th grade, he was scared to be around so many kids at once. So naturally, it was really hard for him to make friends at first. That was until Dustin, Will, and Lucas came along.
They approached Mike at lunch one day, and wanted to be his friend. They taught him all about the magical world of Dungeons and Dragons, and helped him become the person he is today. Without his friends, Mike would be nothing right now.
"There he is!" He heard Dustin yell from the bottom of the hill. Mike rode towards him, and was also greeted by Will and Lucas.
"Mikey Boy!" Will and Lucas both gave him hugs. Dustin tapped him on the shoulder. "Did you finish the campaign yet? Dungeon Master.?"
Mike nodded, "Yep, should be really good. It's a lot longer than the last one."
Lucas clapped him on the back, "What would we do without you Mike. You're all good to host tonight, right?"
Mike nodded. He normally hosted the Dungeons and Dragon party nights at his house because he had such a big basement. His Aunt and Uncle were more than happy to oblige, just happy and grateful that Mike had friends.
"Sweet!" Will said, hopping on his bike. "Race you to school?"
The four boys smiled and hopped on their bikes, racing to school. It was a short ride, but a fun one at that. They arrived at the bike rack just in time for school, which gave Dustin and Lucas more time to bicker about who one the race(it was Lucas). Unfortunately for them, they were a little too early.
"Hey Troy, look who it is," A gruff teenage boy yelled, walking up to the boys.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the freak show!" The boy known as Troy said, following Troy.
The four boys groaned, ready to get it over with. The only downside to being friends with Dustin, Lucas, and Will, was that they were a constant target for bully's. Troy and James had been harassing them for years, even before Mike came around.
"Say, James, who do you think would make more money in a freak show," Troy laughed. "Toothless? Midnight? Fairy? or Micheal Myers?"
"Oh," James said, fake scratching his chin. "I would have to go with Tooflesss! Honorable mention for Micheal Myers though, we haven't seen his full potential yet." To make their point, they pushed Mike onto the ground.
The two boys were still laughing as they ran away, and Mike was furious. If he wasn't built like a literal toothpick, he might have the courage to fight back. Lucas helped Mike up. "Don't worry about it Mike, those guys are just stupid. They have to act small to compensate for their tiny dicks."
The group laughed at that and made their way into the school. Mike generally enjoyed school, and despite a few exceptions(gym class) he was probably the smartest kid in every class. Him and Dustin generally dominated the top of the class, which made them even bigger targets for bully's. What Mike didn't enjoy in school however, was lunch.
The cafeteria was a complete madhouse. People normally had large friend groups, for four science nerds who were only friends with each other, it was pretty hard to find somewhere to sit. Thankfully, there were a couple of booths in the cafeteria they normally could sit at. They tried to plan out their new DND campaigns at lunch whenever they could, but since everything for tonight had already been prepped, the conversation lacked flavor.
Lucas and Dustin were currently in the middle of rating girls from their grade when Will got the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. Only when he stood up, he ran right into the table tray of El Hopper, spilling her food all over her chest.
"Oh my God," Will panicked. "I am so sorry. Here, let me help you clean it up."
"Are you kidding me," she yelled, loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. "Don't even bother you faggot. I'll clean it up myself."
A chorus of "Oooo's" erupted from the cafeteria. Will, who looked about ready to cry, silently left to go to the bathroom. El, who looked very angry, proceeded to go towards the girls bathroom to clean herself up.
"What a bitch," Dustin said, angrily. " I don't care how hot she is, she doesn't have the right to call my best friend a faggot."
Jane Eleanor "El" Hopper was quite the public figure in Hawkins Middle school. Not only was she incredibly attractive according to every guy in the grade, but she also had a slight edge to her. If you made her angry, she was going to let you know, while throwing some pretty nasty insults there way. Her father was the police chief of Hawkins, meaning she could get away with practically everything. Oh, and her brother was the most popular kid in Hawkins High, who Mike was pretty sure was hooking up with his sister. So that was great.
"She's nice, some days she just snaps," Lucas shrugged. "I mean she's fine in class, she just gets rough when you get in her way."
"You're just saying that because you want to get in her pants," Dustin facepalmed.
"No! I actually don't think she's that awful. What she just did to Will was unacceptable, but besides that she doesn't really bother me." Lucas added.
"Mike?" Dustin asked, so Mike could be the deciding vote.
If Mike was being honest, he didn't see what the fuss was with that girl. Sure, she was pretty, really pretty. But she just seemed so troubled on the inside. She got frustrated a lot, and often blamed others for her own misfortune. Plus, who needs girls when you have Atari and DND, right?
Mike shrugged, "I would get in her pants."
"I really shouldn't have done that," El thought to herself as she cleaned the mess off the flannel shirt.
Sure, she didn't mean to get mad at Will Byers in front of the whole cafeteria, it just happened! El was already having a rough day. She got a C on her english paper(her first C ever, mind you), her father was grouch all morning, and Steve wasn't able to take her home from school because he has to "study". Aka have sex wiith his new girlfriend, Nancy Wheeler.
If she was being honest, Will Byers was probably one of the nicest boys she had ever met. He was always so polite and kind to the teachers, and was so friendly towards everyone. Kids called him a faggot often because of the way he dresses and his less than small body type, but she had never held it against him.
Until Now.
El just had to slip and call him a faggot in front of the enitre school and make him cry, just like everyone expected. She wanted to apologize and make things right, but she was afraid. Plus, the last person he probably wanted to see right now was her. When El finally came out of the bathroom, she avoided eye contact with his friends. Instead, she tunneled her vision towards Stacy and the rest of her friends.
"There she is!" Stacy clapped. "When you called that queer a fag in front of the whole cafeteria, I died!"
"We remember," Jennifer mumbled."
Stacy, Jennifer, and the rest of the popular click were who El normally ate lunch by. They were nice to her, and provided her with nice stability and comfort. They invited her out on weekends, introduced her to cute boys, and gave her someone to talk to at school.
She hated them.
For starters, Stacy was as shallow bitch, Jennifer was a complex as a wet noodle, Brenda is dumb as bricks, Lisa cheats on her boyfriend every week, the list goes on. So why does El hang out with them then?
Well the truth was, she was lonely. These girls were all she had in terms of friends. Being a girl, especially one on the poor side, was tough. She didn't have the nicest clothes, or the nicest house. She relied solely on her personality to gain friendships, which as a girl, was pretty tough. So when these girls started talking to her around 3rd grade, she didn't question it. Sure, El hates every minute they spend together, but it was better than being on the other side of the wall. She could either be part of the popular crowd, or be one of the girls that gets picked on by the popular crowd. If there was a medium, El hadn't found it yet.
El smiled at the girls, "Yeah well it wasn't worth my shirt getting ruined, that's for sure,"
"Pfffft," Stacy waved. "Just buy another one. Hey do you guys see Troy over there?"
Troy Walsh was currently sitting at his table with the other jocks, laughing about some joke he just made up."
El decided to take the bait. "What about him," She asked.
Stacy liked her lips, "He's just so hot, and I heard he's a great kisser. Wouldn't you think so El?"
El had to keep herself from gagging. She could think of at least 100 other forms of torture she would rather endure than kiss Troy Walsh.
"I would kiss him," Lisa admitted. "Those full lips and that nice body, mhhmmmm."
El never understood the reason why girls went for people like Troy. Sure, he had confidence, but where was it all coming from. Troy was about as interesting as a sack of hammers.
"Don't mind El, she literally doesn't like any boys, it's a shame. Your literally stunning" Brenda shook her head.
"Just because I won't jam my tongue down some kid's throat at the fourth of July fair doesn't mean I don't like boys," El snapped back.
"You did it the year before," Jennifer pointed out.
"Yeah and the kid was a snob. Plus, his mouth tasted like a hotdog. He still won't leave me alone." El said
"All I'm saying Ellie is that once we hit highschool, these guys are going to want girls with some experience. Don't you want some more experience?"
"Sure," El picked at her food. The girls sensed her displeasure and quickly changed the conversation, but El kept her head down. Finding a boyfriend was the least of her worries. What she really wanted to do was find a friend.
After lunch El breezed through the rest of her day, because nothing noteworthy happened. She kept trying to gather the courage to apologize to Will, but she just couldn't. Instead, once the bell rang, El dashed out of school, eager to avoid him and his friends.
El painfully endured the long 20 minute walk home to her house, and once she got home, she collapsed onto the couch. Ironically enough, El lived very close to Will Byers. They both lived on the outskirts of Hawkins near the woods, only on opposite ends of the forest.
El's house was pretty simple. It was one story, had three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. It wasn't much, but it was home.
"Gee kiddo, rough day at school?" Her father walked into the living room, still dressed in Hawkins Police uniform.
"You have no idea," El groaned into the pillow, making her father laugh.
El looked up, looking at her father. "Do you work late shift again?" she asked.
Her father shook his head," Unfortunately kiddo. I would give you some money for pizza but I had to give some to your brother for his date. You're going to be ok making something."
El nodded, not even upset. She was more likely than not just going to eat Eggos either way. Her father smiled, "Good, I'm gonna be on my way then. Have fun tonight kiddo." He almost tripped on a beer can on his way out, but eventually made his way out the front door.
El sighed, looking at the dozens of beer cans that littered the living room currently. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that her father was a complete mess. Ever since El's mother died 6 years back, her father has gotten worse and worse. She was a journalist, investigating a lead in Hawkins El's father didn't think was safe, and sure enough, she was found dead a night later.
It was difficult for El, growing up without a mother. Her and Steve struggled to adapt, but no one was worse than their father. He constantly got drunk, smoked cigarettes, hooked up with multiple women, and took prescribed drugs she was pretty sure he wasn't prescribed to.
Yet she still loved him.
Her father was one of the only people in her life she truly considered a friend. He was always there for her. Whether it was to watch soap opreas, make Eggo extravaganzas, or take her for a spin in the police cruiser. He was always there, so it pained her to see him hurting himself all the time.
El sighed and sat down on the couch, flipping the TV channels to watch some soap operas. It was going to be a long night.
Mike and the boys had just finished their most epic Dungeons and Dragons game yet. Well, almost. They didn't quite get to the end, but it was still fun nonetheless.
"We can finish tomorrow, right Mike?" Dustin asked.
Mike shrugged, "I don't see why not."
The boys clapped excitedly at that the prospect of having a whole other day to play Dungeons and Dragons. The three boys left Mike's house happy as can be, racing each other home. Mike smiled, glad that he was able to have friends as great as this.
As the three boys left, the light on Mike's porch began to flicker. Mike began to feel a chill down his spine, a feeling that was familiar, yet unmemorable. He wasn't sure what it was, but Mike had a really bad feeling. And he wasn't quite sure what it was.
Whew, chapter one completed. Thanks to everyone who tuned into my new story! I really appreciate it. Like I said, I'm not sure how often this will be updated. It is definitely second priority to Stranger Things 4, so don't get too eager for new updates. I will do my best though, and will let you guys know if two storys is beginning to feel like too much. Thank you guys so much for reading, and feel free to comment if you have any questions or concerns