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The last person Hopper ever expected to see outside at 3am was Mike Wheeler.
Hopper had been out doing night patrols because as much as he hated it, it was part of his job. Some juveniles had been running around Hawkins at night, tping and egging people's houses.
So here Hopper is, at 3am, driving alone. Except he's not alone anymore, because Mike Wheeler was there.
It was hard to see, even with his headlights on, but the kid was walking down the side of the road, clutching a duffel bag to his chest.
Hopper instantly felt his concern skyrocket for multiple reasons. The most obvious being that Mike was on the side of the road , alone at 3 in the morning. And the second being the fact that Mike somehow didn't seem to notice Hopper's presence, even though the beams of the headlights were directly on him.
Hopper pulled over onto the side of the road, even though there was really no point. No one else was out anyway.
He quickly got out of the car, jogging towards the boy, who still hadn't heard him.
When he was a few feet away, he slowed down, trying to ensure he didn't scare the kid, "Mike?"
He failed.
Mike flinched violently, so much so that he almost managed to trip over his own feet.
He whipped around, looking at Hopper, wide eyed. If Hopper wasn't concerned before, he definitely was now.
Mike looked terrible and not just in the usual 'teenage dirt bag' kind of way. His hair was disheveled, his face flushed, eyes glassy, and Hopper was 99% sure he could see dried blood on his forehead.
"Jesus kid, what happened to you?" Hopper asked, walking towards him.
Mike didn't answer, taking a step back, clutching his bag. The teen glanced around rapidly, seeming to be looking for a way out.
Hopper froze in his tracks, realizing that the situation might be more severe than he originally thought.
He had been planning on approaching Mike casually, his tone a little annoyed and sarcastic, like always. The two of them weren't close by any means, but they knew each other well and Hopper had no reason to act any other way. Or so he thought.
Hopper was well trained, despite his occasional laziness, and had to deal with countless scared teenagers back in New York. Flight risks.
The presence of a police officer usually scared the teens more than they already had been, so Hopper had to be careful about the way he acted with them if he wanted to ensure that they wouldn't try to run away.
However, Mike had no reason to act like that, considering the fact that he knew Hopper, and he knew that he wasn't just any police officer. And yet, he was showing all of the signs.
Tense posture, shifty movement, nervous tendencies, rapid eye movements, the list goes on and on.
Hopper decided to handle the situation differently, raising his arms up into the 'surrender' position, hoping to calm Mike down, "Listen, kid, I'm not going to try anything, I just want to make sure you're okay."
Mike seemed to calm down a bit, but the nervousness was still very much there.
Hopper continued, "What are you doing out here? Are you safe? I can drive you home if you'd like."
Mike visibly tensed at the word 'home' so Hopper backtracked, "You don't have to go home if you don't want to. We can just hang out here or in my car, we don't have to go anywhere. I can even take you to one of your friend's houses."
Mike didn't seem to have any negative reactions, a good sign, so he continued, "I just need to make sure you're okay. Are you hurt?"
Hopper paused, giving Mike room to answer if he chose to. He glanced at the blood on Mike's head, briefly wondering if Mike wasn't answering because he was concussed.
After a few moments, Mike nodded. Barely. Hopper wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the way the boy's hair bounced. But it was a nod.
"Okay, that's okay. Do you want to come closer so I can help?"
Mike shook his head quickly, a sure, definitive answer. He did not want Hopper near him.
Hopper nodded, staying perfectly still, "Okay, kid, I'll stay right here. Can you tell me what happened?"
Mike opened his mouth, just standing there for a moment, before shutting it again. He looked down at his feet, before looking back up at Hopper, "I need to leave."
His voice was soft, barely there. If it weren't for the silence of the night, Hopper wouldn't have heard it.
"Leave where, kid?" Hopper asked, "Leave here? You don't want to be here with me?"
Mike shook his head slowly. No, that wasn't it. "Hawkins."
Was Mike really trying to leave the city with one bag, on foot?
"Why do you want to leave Hawkins?"
No response.
"Did something happen?"
A nod.
"Upside down?"
A shake of his head.
"A person?"
A pause, then a nod.
"Multiple people?"
A nod.
Hopper frowned. What could've possibly happened to cause Mike to want to leave the city entirely? And who was it? It was apparent that whoever it was had hurt and scared Mike pretty bad.
"Okay, do you want to come with me? I can take you wherever you like and we can talk about what happened there." Hopper offered again.
Mike hesitated for a moment before, "Okay."
Hopper smiled at him, gesturing towards the car, "Okay then, come on. Let's get in the car."
Mike nodded, so Hopper turned around to walk towards the vehicle.
The second he turned away, he heard loud footsteps moving away from him, turning just in time to see Mike disappear into the woods.
"Shit!" Hopper yelled, running after the teen.
How could he be so stupid? He knew there was a chance the kid would bolt and he turned around anyway.
He knew that Mike couldn't be that fast, Hopper was definitely faster than him, but it was easy to lose people and get lost in woods like these.
Luckily, he could still hear Mike's footsteps nearby. He quickened his pace.
The last thing he needed right now was for Mike to get hurt or make some stupid decision to get himself killed. He didn't know what happened, but he knew that it couldn't have been good.
After a few seconds, he heard a loud crack and a thump, then silence.
Shit.
He ran towards where the noise came from, almost slamming straight into Mike, who had just picked himself up off the floor.
Mike stumbled back, away from Hopper, almost falling once again.
Hopper reached out to steady the boy, grabbing his arm and pulling the teen back up. That was a bad idea.
"Get off!" Mike screamed, shoving Hopper's arm away from him, "Get off of me!"
Hopper instantly retracted his arm, watching Mike back away even further, his eyes filled with pure panic.
"Mike." Hopper said sternly, grabbing the teen's attention, "Hey, Mike, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you."
Mike stared at him with wide eyes, shaking his head, "You need to leave."
"Look, kid, I don't know what happened, but you know I can't do that." Hopper said slowly, "You're hurt, you seem tired and scared, and you're clearly not thinking straight. Let me help you."
Mike squeezed his eyes shut, running his hands over his face, once, twice, before opening them again, as if trying to come back to reality.
He wraps his arms around himself defensively, breathing deeply, in and out, tapping his finger against his opposite arm, counting. A breathing exercise. Hopper wonders where he learned that from.
"My parents," Mike starts, when he's calmed down a bit, "They'll kill me if they know I'm here. You can't tell them. You can't tell anyone."
Is this what this is about? Mike getting in trouble with his parents?
"Mike, whatever you got in trouble for, I'm sure we can-"
"No, Hopper." Mike emphasizes, "You don't understand. This isn't something you can fix."
Mike sounds so sure of that statement that Hopper can't help but believe him.
Hopper's gaze flickers back to the blood, freezing, "Did.. did your parents do that?"
Then it was Mike's turn to freeze, "Leave me alone, Hop. I'm fine."
Hopper frowned at the obvious 'yes' in his words, "Are you? Because you don't seem fine to me."
"Yeah, like you have any idea what you're talking about." Mike scoffed.
Hopper chose to ignore the comment. He knew Mike was trying to direct his attention away from the situation by starting an argument. Hopper wasn't falling for it, "Where were you going?"
"Nowhere."
A lie, obviously.
"Were you actually planning on leaving Hawkins?"
Surely not. Mike isn't that stupid, right?
"No. I wasn't." Mike confessed, and he seemed to be telling the truth.
"I can drop you off wherever you were going, I just don't think it's safe for you to walk alone at night." Hopper offered for what felt like the hundredth time.
"It's perfectly safe and you know it." Mike said, "Unless a demogorgon shows up, we both know no one in Hawkins will do shit to anyone."
Hopper knew he was right, but he persisted, "It doesn't have to be a person. What if you fall and get hurt and there's no one around to help?"
Mike scoffs again, "I'm sure I can handle a scrape."
Hopper sighs, pulling out a card he never wanted to use, "Kid, I don't want to do this but I have no choice. Either you come with me or I will be contacting your parents."
And there was that terrified look again, "No, no, no way! That's not fair, Hopper. You can't do that. You can't."
"I can and I will." Hopper said sternly, hoping Mike couldn't see through his lies. He would never actually call the teen’s parents, "So come to my car. Let's talk."
Mike stayed silent and stalked forwards, heading back towards the road. This time Hopper made sure to keep his eye on the kid, staying in arms reach at all times.
They walked in silence until they got to the car. Hopper unlocked it, watching as Mike opened the passenger seat door and got inside.
When Hopper got into his own side of the car, he saw that Mike had pulled his legs onto the seat, wrapping his arms around them, his head resting on his knees. He looked small, smaller than the 6'0 teenager he had grown into.
Hopper went to lock the doors but hesitated, before deciding against it. He didn't want the teen to feel trapped, even though he sort of was.
"So," Hopper started, "Do you want to talk about what happened now or while we're driving to wherever you were going?"
Mike turned his head towards Hopper, head still resting on his knees, "Is there an option where I don't talk about it at all?"
Hopper smiled sadly, "Sorry kid, I'm afraid not. Clearly something happened and someone hurt you. That's assault, I can't let that go."
Mike frowned, turning his head to face downwards and shutting his eyes, "Can you take me to Will's house?"
Hopper paused for a moment, is that where he was going or is he just compromising now that Hopper was here?
It seemed plausible that Mike would be going towards the Byers since he was going the right direction, and he probably had the way there memorized. Was he planning on telling Will what happened or did he just need a safe place to stay?
Hopper didn't know.
"Okay, kid." Hopper said, starting the car, "Okay."
They drove in silence for a few minutes before Mike finally spoke up, "Hop?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"You're a cop."
"I am."
"But you don't always follow the rules, do you?" Mike asked. His eyes were still closed.
Hopper laughed, "Not always. But I try."
"So.. you wouldn't like," Mike paused, "hurt a kid?"
Hopper furrowed his eyebrows. Is that what this is about? Did Mike think Hopper was going to hurt him?
"No, never." Hopper said, and he was sure of it.
"No matter what?" Mike asked, "Not even if you hate them?"
"Mike, I don't-"
"Just humor me."
"Okay.. no, I would never hurt a kid. No matter what. Not even if I hated their guts."
Hopper glanced over at Mike, who had gone quiet. He was tense, more tense than he was before. His eyes were still squeezed shut, doors that weren't going to open any time soon.
Hopper wondered whether or not it was easier to be brave in the dark.
Mike's breath suddenly hitched, and that's how Hopper knew something was coming.
Not even 2 seconds later, "Hopper, I'm gay."
Hopper nearly slammed on the brakes in surprise, almost sending them both flying into the dashboard.
He realized Mike wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He should tell him to. He doesn't.
Hopper took a deep breath. Mike Wheeler being gay? Liking, dating, loving boys? Unexpected. Unfamiliar. But it made sense in Hopper's head.
Hopper couldn't help the image of a familiar brunette coming to mind.
He glanced back at Mike, who had somehow managed to curl in on himself even more, eyes still firmly shut.
Hopper wanted to pull over and comfort him. Tell him that it was okay and he wasn't bad for being that way.
He kept driving.
"Okay."
And finally, Mike's eyes flew open, "Okay?"
"Yeah. Okay." Hopper said, "That's fine with me."
There was a ghost of a smile on Mike's face, "Really?"
"Really." Hopper said it like it was a fact, like it was set in stone, "There's nothing wrong with guys liking guys or girls liking girls. It's all just love."
Then Mike really smiled, "Thanks, Hopper."
"No problem, kid." Hopper said, smiling back. He waited a moment then spoke again, "So you told your parents?"
Hopper wasn't looking at Mike but he knew that the teen nodded solemnly, "They hate me."
"No, they don't." Hopper said, "They're shitty people, but that doesn't mean they don't love you."
"My dad hit me." Mike's voice wavered. Breaking, breaking, breaking-
"Yeah, and I'm going to beat his ass for it."
And then the dam broke, and with it, Mike broke out into tears, shoving his face into his hands.
Now was the time to pull over.
Except, he doesn't really pull over, he just stops in the middle of the road.
Not wanting to get them killed, he makes sure the car is in park before reaching over to wrap his arms around Mike.
Mike comes easily, melting into the hug and crying into Hopper's shoulder. Hopper is instantly reminded of when the same thing happened, years ago. And there was a lot of yelling on both ends and a lot of punching from Mike.
This time seemed a lot better. More comfortable. Like something had shifted between them. Maybe they had both changed, or maybe it was just situational. Hopper likes to think it was the former.
"You're so nice to me." Mike mumbles a few minutes later, as he begins to calm down, "Why are you so nice to me?"
"Because you're a good kid, Mike." Hopper said, almost offended by the fact that Mike thought he didn't deserve kindness, "And you deserve it. You deserve a lot more than you've gotten in life."
He heard Mike's breath hitch and come out shaky, a sign that he was probably holding back more tears, "I wish you were my dad."
And then it was Hopper's turn to hold back tears. He didn't respond, only tightening his hold on Mike.
But the answer was clear enough to both of them, me too, kid. Me too.