Chapter Text
Lover’s Lane, September 1985
So Far Away by The Dire Straits is playing over the radio.
We see a fogged-up window of a car we can’t quite place just yet. We see the outlines of a very passionate couple. Perhaps it’s Nancy and Jonathan.
Across town, the party is watching The Karate Kid in the Wheelers’ basement and Mike is trying to put his arm around El while in the company of the party. He’s quite nervous with this public display of affection.
Back at Lover’s Lane, we see some police-issued boots and belt and a hand getting out a flashlight. It taps against the window and after a beat it’s rolled down.
Hopper shields his eyes from the glare of the flashlight and leans a bit out of the window, “Shit.”
“Hey chief.” Callahan says with extreme amusement then being a nosy little shit he crouches down to shine his light into the backseat to see Joyce Byers’ head resting against Chief Jim Hopper’s shoulder. “Hello, Joyce.”
She waves to the younger officer and dismantles herself from Hop’s lap and rearranges herself in the next seat.
Thinking they can share a moment of camaraderie that he so desperately seeks from his boss, Callahan speaks up with a coy grin and continuing to shine a light at the couple, “So … you two, eh?”
“What’s up, Phil?” Hopper who is no mood responds.
“Just out doing patrols.” He looks around and Joyce’s vehicle is the only one there. “… Don’t you two have homes for this sort of thing?”
Hopper sarcastically replies, “Oh right, I guess we do.” He scratches his beard.
Callahan chuckles like the doofus he is and says, “OK then. Oh, and chief, your secret is safe with me.” He then walks back to his patrol car and speeds off.
Knowing his underling all too well, Hopper waits a beat and lifts Joyce back onto his lap, “So where were we?”
As he kisses down her neck, Joyce responds haughtily, “Oh, we were much further along than that.”
Hop laughs. “Just like old times.”