For the song: All rights go to Shawn Mendes.

June 12, 1988.

It was the last day of school and Mike was pacing around his room, back and forth. He kept pacing until a sudden knock came from his door. Mike shook his arms out and opened the door to reveal his mom.

"Michael!" She placed a hand on her hip. "You're not even dressed yet!"

Mike looked anywhere but at his mom. "Um, no. I am not."

"Well, hurry up." His mom pushed him back into his room. "It's the last day of school and you might be late."

"Okay." He shut his door but his mom didn't leave. He heard her sigh.

"Michael, I understand that you already graduated but you still need to be on time." His mom began walking away. "And your breakfast is getting cold."

Mike quickly changed out of his pajamas and into a T-shirt and shorts. He counted all the money in his wallet before tucking it into his back pocket. He grabbed his backpack off his bed and hurriedly ran down the stairs and to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and practically inhaled his breakfast. 

His mom eyes him carefully while he continued to inhale his food. His dad even looked up from his newspaper to eye him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Michael." His mom cleared her throat. "Slow down. You'll choke."

"No, I won't." Mike said with his mouth full of chewed up eggs.

Eight year old, Holly made a face at her big brother. "Ew."

His dad raised both eyebrows this time and said, "Michael, don't talk with your mouth full."

Mike rolled his eyes and stood, taking his plate to the sink. With shaky hands, he gently set his plate in the sink and refilled his cup with water, gulping it down.

His mom frowned at how much his hands shook as he set his glass down in the sink. "Michael?" He looked over at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, why?" Mike frowned.

"You're shaking quite a bit." She pointed out.

He laughed quietly and scratched the back of his neck. "Just nervous is all."

"Why are you nervous?" She tilted her head.

Mike glanced back at his dad who was back to reading the newspaper. "I-I'm going to talk to Hopper today." He told his mom. "After school."

His mom tried to hide her growing smile. "And why is that?" 

Mike took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask for his blessing to marry El."

His mom jumped out of her chair with a smile, Holly cheered, but his dad was not happy. Not at all. He slapped his newspaper down on the table and abruptly stood up from his chair, an expression full of anger on his face.

"What?" He said, ice cold. His tone had sent shivers running down Mike's spine. "What did you say?"

Mike swallowed. "I'm asking for Hopper's blessing today."

"And why do you need his blessing?" His dad asked and Mike shook under his gaze. 

"B-because I want to marry his daughter." Mike shakily said.

"I won't allow it." His dad said, sitting back down. "You're not marrying her."

Mike's shoulders dropped and his eyes filled with tears. Sure, call him a baby. Sure, laugh at him for getting teary eyes over something he was going to disobey anyway. Yes, call him pathetic. But before you do, think about how you would feel if your father didn't approve of the love of your life and flat out said you couldn't marry her after you've spent months working on the perfect proposal and being super excited to ask her. Just think about it.

His mom sighed. "Ted..."

"Don't 'Ted' me." His dad said. "I won't allow him to marry her."

"W-why?" Mike asked, blinking away tears.

"Because, she's a freak!" His dad yelled, scaring Holly.

Mike glared at him. "No, she is not a freak." 

His dad looked t him. "Yes, she is. She has powers!"

"So?!" Mike shot back. "She's a human being just like you and me!"

"She's not like us, Michael!" His dad shouted, slamming a fist on the table. "She's a freak, a weirdo, and monster, and a murderer! She could kill us with a tilt of her head! She's very dangerous and I will not let her take my name."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Mike yelled, causing his father to stand up. 

"Like what?" His dad shot back. "Like, the truth? She's a lab rat and should stay as one! She deserves to go back and not be in the real world! She should be where she belongs, a Lab where she is watched at all times!"

Mike couldn't believe is dad. "She doesn't deserve anything that happened to her. She doesn't deserve to go back there!" 

"She's killed, Michael!" He shouted, only three feet away from Mike.

"Only because they were going to hurt her!" Mike yelled at his dad. 

"I will say it again, you will not marry that freak!" His dad shouted, now two feet away from Mike.

Mike looked passed his father and stared at a wall. "I knew I never should have told you who she really was. I thought you were my dad. I thought I could trust you. I never should have told you."

His dad glared. "What did you just say?"

Mike looked at his father right in the eyes. "That I thought you were my dad who I could trust! I never should have told you who El really was!" He screamed.

His father lost all his patience, grabbed a glass plate off the counter, and swung it at Mike. He hit the side of his head and Mike fell to the floor, still conscious, but bleeding out of the side of his head, near his temple.

"TED!" Karen screamed and ran over to help Mike up. She looked at where his head was bleeding. "You're okay. Not deep enough for stitches."

Mike smiled at his kind and loving mother before moving away from her to stare at his dad with pure hatred. "You call my girlfriend, who I love more than anything, a monster but then you hit me over the head with a plate hard enough that it breaks. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you're the monster?"

His mom sighed. "He's right, Ted."

Mike grabbed his keys and backpack. "I'm still marrying her. No matter what you say." Then, he was out the door and on his way to Hawkins High School.

----

Luckily, he arrived ten minutes before the bell rang and even if he was late, it didn't matter because it was locker clean out. His mom must had lied to him about the time to get him out of bed and to school on time.

On the way to his locker, he ran into Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Will. He completely forgot about his head injury so when he heard gasps, he didn't think much about it until his friends said something.

"Holy shit." Lucas said. "What happened to you?"

"Oh my God." Dustin said, staring wide eyes at his friend's bleeding head.

"What happened?" Max asked. "You're bleeding."

"My sister is going to flip." Will said, wide eyes.

Mike's eyes widened. "Shit!" He squeezed his eyes shut. "El is going to freak out." 

"Yup." Max nodded slowly. "Yeah, she is."

"So, uh, what happened?" Lucas asked. his hand laced with Max's.

"My dad happened." Mike sighed.

Dustin's eyes widened. "Your dad did this to you?"

"Yup." Mike nodded his head.

Will asked concerned, "Why did he do that?"

"Because he doesn't approve of El. Like, at all, and he heard that I was going to ask Hopper for his blessing today after school and we got into an argument and well-" He gestured to his head. "-hit me with a plate."

Dustin shook his head. "That son of a bitch."

"Wait." Lucas held up a hand. "You're asking Hopper for his blessing today? To marry El?"

Dustin nudged him. "Don't act so surprised, Lukey." Lucas glared at his curly haired friend. "We all knew it was going to happen sooner than later."

"True." Max agreed. "He's right."

"Thank you, Maxine." Dustin appreciatively said.

"Don't call me that." Max glared.

"Anyway, where is El?" Mike asked.

Will answered, "Cleaning out her locker." He handed Mike a garbage bag. "Which you still have to do."

"C-can you guys come with me?" Mike asked, nervously.

"What, why?" Dustin asked, a smirk growing on his face.

Mike looked around before whispered, "I'm scared to go by myself."

"Wuss." Lucas laughed as they began walking.

Max elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up."

-----

Mike walked to his locker, which was right next to El's, and tried to avoid his girlfriend. He began cleaning out his locker and ignored El's, 'Hey, Mike'. 

"Mike?" El asked. He turned to her and she gasped. "Oh my God!" 

He laughed quietly. "El, keep it down a little."

She shook her head. "What happened!?" She took his head on her hands and pulled him down so she could look at it wound. "Who the hell did this?!" 

"El, calm down." Mike said once she released his head. 

"No, tell me who did this to you." She crossed her arms. "Right now."

Mike sighed, knowing her wasn't going to win. "My dad." 

Her eyebrows shot upwards. "Your dad?!" 

"Yup. That's what I said." Mike said. 

She clenched and un-clenched her fists, her ears practically steaming. "I swear that dad of yours-"

"Wow, hey, calm down." Mike said, wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and wrapped her around his waist. "I'm still alive."

El hugged him tighter before looking up at him with watery eyes. "I just don't like seeing you hurt." El reached up and lightly touched his wound with her fingers, so light he could barely feel her fingers. "And you're hurt and I couldn't do anything to stop it from happening." She blinked and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Mike swiftly wiped it away with his thumb. "Hey, don't blame yourself, okay? None of it's your fault." He kissed her cheek, keeping his lips there for an extra couple seconds instead of just a peck. 

"Okay." El moved out of the embrace and wiped her eyes. "What happened?"

"We got into an argument about... uh, college."

El nodded. "You need to clean that up." She pulled a rag out of her backpack that was sitting on the ground against her locker. 

"Why do you-?" He asked and she tapped her nose. "Ah."

"Come on, Mike." She grabbed his hand and led him to the water fountain. He sent a look of relief to the rest of The Party. Dustin sent him a thumbs up.

"Hey, he didn't get killed!" Dustin cheered.

----- After school-----

El was going over to Max's for the night, a perfect opportunity for Mike to talk to Hopper. He got in his car and started the engine up then checked the time. 3:45 P.M. Hopper was at work until 5:00 P.M.

He drove to the station and walked through the door and waited patiently at the front desk where Flo was taking a phone call and jotting down notes. A few minutes later, Flo set the phone down and smiled up at him, hence she was sitting down.

"Do you have a report or an emergency?" She asked, even though she probably knew he didn't, but you know, work policies.

"No, Ma'am." He said, politely. 

"Then what do you need, Honey?" She kindly asked.

"Um, is Chief Hopper available?" He asked. "I'd like to speak with him."

Flo smiled and nodded. She stood and led him down a hall and to a door that read, 'Jim Hopper'. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"What is it?" The gruff voice of Hopper asked.

"This young man would like to speak to you" Flo said.

There was a heavy sigh. "Send him in."

Flo opened the door and let Mike inside before shutting it behind him. The room smelt of cigarettes and coffee, an odd scent. Mike's hands became slightly sweaty and he wiped them on his shorts.

Hopper looked at him expectantly so Mike opened his mouth to speak but before a word could come out, Hopper spoke first,

"Give me four reasons why I should give you my blessing."

Mike's eyebrows shot upwards. "How-"

"How did I know?" Hopper snorted. "Why else would you be here, wanting to talk to me, at age eighteen?"

"Uh..." Is all Mike said.

"Well?" Hopper crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair. "Four reasons."

"Oh, oh, yes." Mike took a deep breath. "We've been together since we were fourteen, I love her more than anything, I would never leave her, I would never hurt her, and I will do anything to protect her."

Hopper raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Kid." Mike's face fell. "I said four not five."

"I- uh-"

Hopper laughed. "Chill out, Kid. I'm just trying to scare you."

Mike laughed nervously. "Well it worked." He said. "I promise, I swear, that I'll never hurt her or-"

"You have my blessing."

Mike stopped rambling. "What?"

"You have my blessing." Hopper nodded. "You may marry my daughter."

"Really?!" Mike exclaimed and Hopper nodded. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Hopper said when Mike opened the door. "And, Kid?"

Mike turned around. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad it's you and not some other douche." Hopper said with a smile. 

Mike smiled and left the station.

-----

Mike walked inside his house to find his mom cooking dinner in the kitchen. He looked around and didn't see his dad anywhere. He walked into the kitchen.

"Where's dad?" He asked, setting his backpack down.

His mom set down the knife she was using to cut celery and pointed upstairs. "Locked him in our room for tonight."

Mike laughed. "Wow, Mom."

She smiled. "So? What did Hopper say?"

Mike's face split into a huge grin. "I get to marry El!"

His mom screamed in happiness and hugged him tightly. "When are you going to ask her?" She released him.

"Hopefully tomorrow." Mike told her.

"You need to get a ring don't you?" His mom asked.

"Yes." Mike sheepishly said. "I have all the money though."

His mom poured the celery into the pot that was on the stove. "There's a nice jewelry shop two hours away in Indianapolis. If you go now, you'd be home around 8:30." She fished a $20 bill out of her bag and handed it to him. "Get you and Lucas some dinner, too."

"Lucas?" Mike asked.

His mom rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you weren't going to bring him along."

"Okay, bye Mom." He kissed her cheek and grabbed his keys. "Bye, Love you!" Then he was out the door and in his car. He drove across the street to the Sinclair's and knocked on the door.

Thankfully, Lucas answered. One look at Mike's face and Lucas nodded and told his mom he'd be home later.

-----

"Indianapolis, huh?" Lucas asked as they entered the city.

"Yup." Mike nodded. "My mom said there's a nice jewelry store."

"What kind of ring are you looking for?" Lucas asked his best friend.

"Something simple but not too bland." Mike told him.

Lucas looked at the roof of the car in thought. "So, a silver band with a diamond and 'Promise' engraved on it?"

Mike shrugged. "I like the diamond idea but her promise ring has 'Promise' engraved on it." 

"Okay..." Lucas went back into thought. "So a silver band, one diamond, and 'E+M' engraved on it."

"That's cheesy." Mike said. "How about a silver band with a diamond?" 

Lucas shrugged. "That's works." He said as they pulled into the store's parking lot and walked inside.

A man at a desk greeted them. "Hello, gentlemen. What are we looking for today?"

Lucas wrapped an arm around Mike shoulders and tugged on his. "This guys right here, is looking for a simple engagement ring for a special someone."

Mike rolled his eyes. "Lucas, I can talk."

"Sh." Lucas shushed him.

"Ah, right this way, boys." The man led them to a case full of simple engagement rings. "Your ring will be found somewhere in here. Call me over when you find something." Then he left to greet a new costumer. 

"This one?" Lucas pointed at a ring.

Mike shook his head. "Doesn't seem like El." 

"This one?" Lucas pointed at another one.

"No, too much." Mike kept looking and his eyes fell upon this ring. The band was tiny diamonds all around it and one diamond in the middle. "Lucas."

"Yeah?" Lucas looked over at Mike.

"I found it." Mike said and pointed at the ring.

Lucas nodded and smiled, patting Mike on the back. "That's the one."

"Sir." Mike called over to the man who greeted them. He walked over to them.

"And did we find what we were looking for?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Lucas nodded and pointed at the ring.

"Ah, that's a pretty one." The man put a glove on and opened the cage, and took the ring out, placing it in a black box. He walked over to the cash register and rung it up. "$1,290.00"

"Geez, man, do you have that type of money?" Lucas asked and was shocked when Mike brought out that amount of money from his wallet. "Wow, okay, you do."

"Thank you." Mike said to the man and him and Lucas got back into the car and got dinner. The Mike dropped Lucas off and walked inside his house.

His mom immediately jumped off the couch and rushed over to him. "Let me see!" Mike smiled and showed her the ring. "Oh my God, that's beautiful!" 

"Thanks." He smiled at his mom. "I'm going to go call El then go to bed. Night."

"Night, sweetie. I love you." His mom said before he went to his room and dialed Max's number. 

Ring. Ring Ring.

"Yo." The voice of The Zoomer spoke. 

"Hey, Max, it's Mike." He said. 

"You want to talk to El?" She asked.

"Yup." He replied.

"Dammit, Wheeler. I thought you wanted to talk to me." She said jokingly.

"Uh-huh." He answered and waited patiently.

"Hello?" El's sweet voice made it's way to his head.

"Hey, El, it's Mike." He said.

"Oh!" She gasped. "Hi, Mike!"

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic by the lake tomorrow?" He asked.

"Sure!" She exclaimed. "How fancy should I dress?"

"Just- just dress like you, El." He said with a laugh. 

"Um, okay?" She laughed quietly. 

"Okay, see you tomorrow. I'll pick you up around 4:00 P.M. Love you." He said.

"Love you, too." Then the line went dead and he went to bed.

-----

It was 3:30 P.M. the next day and Mike was on his way to the Byer's to pick up El. The blanket and basket of food was in the back seat of his car beside his guitar.

Mike pulled into the driveway and hopped out, walking up to the front door. He knocked. El opened the door and she looked absolutely gorgeous. His hair fell a little passed her shoulders in curls and she wore some light makeup. She wore converse, mom jeans, and a dark pink T-shirt but she looked breathtaking in that outfit. 

"Hey." He breathed as she hugged him tight.

"Hey." She laughed against his chest. She pulled away. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Mike said and she smiled.

"Okay, then let's go!" She ran over to his car and jumped into the passenger seat. He laughed and got into the car after her, driving to their destination.

They arrived a little around 4:15 and he parked the car. He opened the backseat door and took out the basket, blanket, and guitar. 

"I can help you carry something, Mike." El giggled and she took the blanket from him. They set up their picnic on the doc since it was a warm sunny day with no wind. El immediately took a bite of one of the Eggo waffles and dipped her feet in the water. She swallowed and pointed at his guitar. "Why'd you bring your guitar?"

Mike cleared his throat and his face turned a light shade of pink, El smiled at how his blush made his freckled pop out even more. "I-um- wrote us a song."

El's smile widened. "I write songs, too" 

"Yeah." Mike said. "You inspired me to write one."

"Can I- Can I hear it?" El asked, pulling her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. 

"Yes, of course." Mike sat cross legged across from El an gently strummed the strings with his fingers.

He opened his mouth and sang,

"Oh, there she goes again. Every morning it's the same.

  You walk on by my house. I wanna call out your name.

  I wanna tell you how beautiful you are from where I'm standing."

El smiled and blushed at the lyrics. She thought about all the times Mike had called her beautiful or pretty, starting at the age of twelve. "You already tell me, Silly."

Mike just smiled and kept singing.

"You got me thinking what we could because,

  I keep craving, craving you don't know it but it's true

  Can't get my mouth to say the words they wanna say to you."

El remembered the time back in July, 1985 when they were in the store, her leg bleeding badly and he had such a hard time trying to figure out the right words to say to her. To say that he loved her. El blushed and but her lip.

"This is typical of love.

  Can't wait anymore, won't wait.

  I need to tell you how I feel when I see us together forever."

El raised her eyebrows at the lyrics but was still too oblivious to realize what the lyrics actually meant.

Mike smiled at his gorgeous girlfriend, hopefully soon to be Fiancee, as he strummed his guitar. He loved her so much and can't wait to spend the rest of his life with her. Start a family with her. Grow old with her.

"In my dreams, you're with me...

  We'll be everything I want us to be...

  And from there, who knows?

  Maybe this will be the night that we kiss.

 For the first time, or is it just me and my imagination."

El smiled at the memory of their first kiss. They were running from the Bad men. Trying to get rid of the Demogorgon. Getting Will back. So many things were happening that night but that kiss, made it all worth it.

"We walk.

  We left.

  We spend our side walking by the ocean side.

  Our hands out gently intertwines.

  A feeling I just can't describe."

Which is true, to Mike, of course. Every little touch he can't describe. The feeling of her lips on his and how it shoots sparks up his spine. How when her fingers slip through his, lightning shoots up his arm. How when she runs her fingers through his hair and how soothing it all it.

"And all this time we spent alone.

  Thinking we could not be lone.

  So something so damn beautiful.

  So damn beautiful." 

Mike took one hand off his guitar as he sung that part to gently put a curl behind her ear and his hand lingered on her jaw for a moment before he went back to playing the instrument.

"I keep craving craving.

  You don't know it but it's true.

  Cant's get my mouth to say the words they wanna say to you."

El smiled and mouthed, 'I love you' in to which he smiled at.

"This is typical of love.

  Can't wait anymore, won't wait.

  I need to tell you how I feel.

  When I see us together forever."

Mike's heart leaped in his chest as he thought that, in a couple minutes, he could be engaged to this beautiful girl, who he doesn't deserve but she loves him anyway.

"In my dreams, you're with me.

  We'll be everything I want us to be.

  And from there, who knows?

  Maybe this could be the night that we kiss.

 For the first time.

  Or is that just me and my imagination."

Everything he wants them to be? Oh God, that's a lot. 

"Imagination."

He wants them to be happy forever.

"Imagination."

He wants them to be happily married by next year.

"In my dreams, you're with me.

 We'll be everything I want us to be.

  And from then, who knows?

  Maybe this will be the night that we kiss.

  For the first time.

  Or is that just me and my Imagination."

She certainly hoped it's not just in their imagination. She doesn't want to wake up one day without Mike, in the Lab. All alone and vulnerable again. She wouldn't be able to do it.

"I keep craving craving.

  You don't know it but it's true.

  Can't get my mouth to say the words they wanna sat to you."

Mike took a deep breath and set the guitar down. "How was it?"

"It- it was amazing Mike!" She stood and so did he. He stepped across the blanket and she backed up a little bit, giving him some room. 

"Thanks. Now do you want to know why I wrote this song?" Mike asked.

"Yes." She nodded. Mike took the black box out of his pocket and got down on one knee and El's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Is this actually happening?" Mike nodded and she smiled.

"El, when I met you in the rain in November, 1983, I had no idea that you would mean this much to me in the future. You're the most important thing in the world to me and I had no idea back then that we'd be where we are now. In my song, it says, 'in my dreams, you're with me. We'll be everything I want us to be'. El, I want to be with you forever. I want to grow old with you. I want to have a family with you. I want to grow old with you. But for right now, I want to marry you, so bad." Mike opened the box, revealing the ring. El covered her mouth with her hands and let a few tears escape. "So, El Hopper- or whatever they call you now, Hopper or Byers- I love you so much that words can't even explain, our friends even think it's unhealthy. So, El, will you make the biggest promise you could ever make and marry me?"

El jumped a little and smiled a huge smile. "Yes!" She said. Mike sighed in relief and stood, pushing the ring on her finger. She examined the engagement ring with wide eyes. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Mike said, pressing his mouth to hers. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, kissing him hard. His lips moved against hers with passion. His arms tightened around her waist and they pulled away, breathing heavily.

El pressed her forehead against Mike's and smiled. "I love you, so much. I can't wait to marry you."

Mikes smiled. "I love you, too and I can't wait either.

-----

When Mike dropped El off at home later that evening, the first thing she did when she walked into the house and saw her whole family, Hopper, Joyce, Will, and surprisingly Jonathan watching a movie in the living room was say,

"Guys!" She yelled. "I'm getting married!"

The End.

I really liked this one.