Future Mileven One-Shots

When I Was Your Age

(This is a super sweet idea that my other half helped me to come up with - she knows who she is! But I hope you all enjoy it <3)

ages : 34 years old (El) and 35 years old (Mike)

Becoming a parent was always filled with rocky paths - each complete with several wrong turns and experiences of feeling lost along the way. Mike wished that it was more simple, that he had a clear compass that would show him the right way, as if he was trying to navigate his way out of a horde of juju zombies. Throughout his life he had fought his way out of complicated situations - creating thrilling campaigns, surviving through the cruelty of high school, helping to save the world from inter-dimensional monsters. But nothing compared to the helplessness he felt as a father and the fear that he would never be better than his own. 

James Wheeler had always been a firecracker, even named after his stubborn grandfather. He came into their life unexpectedly during the third year of college, just before the exam season - enough on their minds already. It had been a difficult time but they had pulled together, all of the exhaustion a distant memory once they brought their little boy into the world. He was born with a head of curly dark hair just like his fathers - Mike's own strands starting to twist around his ears and neck as he grew older, much harder to tame. James had a personality just as wild as his messy hair, his fierce protectiveness inherited from his father and instincts to fight passed down from his strong mother. Through his young years he was always running around the playground, more confident than his own parents in making new friends - befriending the lonely girl that was sat on the swings. Although he could be rowdy and energetic, he had a heart of gold - something that came from both parents. He would whine before bedtime as a young child, fidgeting as they tucked him into bed with a small pout on his lips. But as soon as they started telling him stories, stories a little too familiar about strong princesses and cruel monsters trying to destroy the world - his eyes would widen with wonder as he hang onto every word. It was the only way that they could keep him quiet, his breathing evening out until he finally fell off the edge of sleep, both parents glancing at each other with knowing smiles. 

Hop whistled underneath his breath, smiling widely at the tired man who opened the door on the other side. "Morning, Mike."

Mike rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"You said that I could borrow the toaster...because ours broke? I spoke to you on the phone yesterday?" the retired-chief raised his eyebrows. 

He frowned slightly, blinking. "Oh-uh, yeah."

Mike's lanky body tiredly made its way back inside the house, his movements sluggish as he went to fetch the toaster. He glanced at the familiar bedroom door with a sigh, shaking his head at the silence behind it before picking up the toaster. When he made his way back over to the front door, Hop took the toaster with a grateful nod before studying the man before him. Mike's pale skin was adorned with dark circles, blue shadows under his dark eyes. 

"Don't worry..." the man tried to joke, "I'll make sure to have it back once ours is fixed this afternoon. I know how my daughter gets when she is deprived of her eggos for breakfast, I wouldn't want to start world war three."

"Uh, yeah" Mike nodded in response, distracted.

Hopper frowned. "Mike, is everything okay?"

The father sighed deeply, shoulders heaving with the tension riddled within his muscles. "I-I don't know. James has been differently lately...he just stays in his room and snaps at the smallest thing. He's...trying to get on our nerves."

Hop scoffed. "Mike, the kid is fourteen. It's probably just an teenager thing! I mean, you were a smug son of a bitch when you were fourteen, remember when-"