Hopper dropped El off early Sunday morning to spend the day with her friends at Will's house. It was one of the few places her and Will were allowed to go with limited supervision, so the kids ended up spending a lot of time there.
Though it was only the beginning of June, it was already nearly 90 degrees, so the kids spent majority of the day eating popsicles and lounging in front of fans in the Byers' living room. The Byers didn't have as much money as the other kid's families, but Joyce provided for them the best she could as a single mom. When she had saved up enough money, she bought a new, larger tv for the living room, and so the old television went to her bedroom.
School wasn't out of session yet, so when 8 o'clock hit, all the other kids had to go home. Will had begged Joyce all day to let him and El watch The Shining on ABC's Sunday night movie. Hopper wasn't going to be by until 9 to pick El up. Joyce briefly wondered if Hopper would mind, but she figured it would only be for an hour, so it probably wouldn't hurt to let them watch it.
Will had asked to watch it in her bedroom, so she popped some popcorn, and the 3 of them climbed into her bed. The warning before the movie caused El's eyes to grow wide, and Will looked at her with an excited grin. 'Tonight's film deals with the supernatural as a possessed man attempts to destroy his family. Although edited for television, it may not be suitable for younger viewers. Parental discretion is advised.'
"Are you sure you guys want to watch this?" Joyce asked, narrowing her eyes at them.
"Yes!" both kids answered at the same time.
"Alright, but if it gets too scary, I can turn it off," she warned.
"Come on, mom, we'll be fine. Right, El?"
El nodded her head eagerly in agreement. She loved watching grownup movies, and she especially loved spending time at Will's house. They instantly had a connection, and because she was allowed to spend the most time there, the two of them naturally grew to be very close.
Joyce sat in the middle of the kids with the bowl of popcorn while the both silently ate, not taking their eyes off the screen, except during commercial breaks.
It was just before 9 when Hopper arrived to take El home.
"In here!" El called from Joyce's room when she heard him come in the front door.
"What's going on?" Hopper asked when he found the three of them in Joyce's bedroom.
"We're watching The Shining," El proudly bragged. She turned back to the tv and curled up next to Joyce.
Hopper smiled at the two of them. It was hard not to be happy when he saw El content with the people she thought of as family. Although the four of them have all gone through some terrible things, Hopper was glad that it helped rekindle his friendship with Joyce.
Hopper looked to Joyce. "The Shining?" he repeated.
She threw him an apologetic smile.
"Can we stay?" El asked.
Even though his kid didn't attend school yet, he still used it as an excuse. "I'm sorry kid. It's a school night."
"Mom, please? I want to finish the movie, and who cares about the last week of school. I promise I'll wake up on time tomorrow without complaining," Will begged.
Joyce was putty in their hands. "It's up to Hopper," she said.
"Fine. Scoot over," he told the three of them after only a second of contemplation. Afterall, Joyce said it was fine, and he didn't feel much like fighting with El over her watching a couple hours of a movie.
He kicked his shoes off and everyone moved over so he would have room on the bed too. Hopper had arrived just in time for the scene with the bloody twins. Though nothing on tv had ever really scared El, this had her scrunching up her face and cuddling just a bit closer to him.
It was only a little after 10 when Hopper noticed that both kids had fallen sleep.
"Joyce," Hopper said nodding at them.
"Aw, poor things. They're going to be disappointed if we don't wake them up," she said, though she made no move to do so.
"Yeah," Hopper murmured in agreement.
Though they both decided against waking the kids up, Hopper stayed until the end of the movie anyway. Being there with El, Joyce, and Will felt so natural. Like a whole family. He initially noticed that his days felt different when he moved in with El, like he finally had some sort of purpose in life again. That feeling had only gotten better now that she was no longer a secret.
It was a few minutes into the nightly news when Hopper spoke. "I guess I should wake her up."
"Or," Joyce paused for a moment. "You could have a sleepover. I really like having her here Hop."
"Yeah, but Will has school in the morning. We have work," he excused, though he made no move to get up.
Joyce laughed quietly. "Since when did you become Mr. Responsible."
Hopper sighed, only because he knew she was right. "I suppose I could come get her in the morning."
"I meant you could stay too," Joyce added, as if it were obvious.
"I'm not putting you out," he told her.
"You wouldn't be. I'm very comfortable right here, and it looks like the kids are too."
Hopper looked down to see El snuggled between the two of them, and Will comfortably asleep on the other side of Joyce.
"Yeah, they seem quite content huh," he agreed. El curled up closer to him with a soft sigh. Joyce raised her eyebrows. "Okay fine," he finally agreed with the same you-talked-me-into-it tone that he had when he had first arrived.
When Hopper agreed, they both heard a soft "yesss," from the 'sleeping' kid between them.
Hopper looked down at El. "Were you awake this whole time?"
She looked up at him and innocently shook her head no.
"Well now that you're awake, I guess we can go home."
El closed her eyes tightly and ignored him, doing a poor job at pretending to be asleep.
Hopper shook his head and rolled his eyes, but a smile was evident. "Master manipulator this little one is," he whispered pointing down at the kid.
"She's got you wrapped around her finger," Joyce agreed.
He couldn't argue; it was absolutely true.
While a sleepover seemed like an okay idea when they were all awake, the two adults soon found out that the bed was just a bit crowded to actually sleep in. On top of that, both of their kids were rather restless sleepers.
It was after midnight when Hopper saw Joyce trying to move El off of her. "She's like a tiny magnet when she sleeps," he laughed, speaking from experience.
"Yes she is. I mean, it's fine, but it's just a little hot," Joyce whispered.
Hopper climbed out of bed and rolled El over into his spot.
El complained with a whine.
"Shh kid. Back to sleep," Hopper told her.
El curled the pillow under her head and closed her eyes, while Joyce carefully climbed out of the end of the bed, trying not to wake Will up either.
When her and Hopper got out into the hallway, he teased, "I hate to say I told you so, but-"
Joyce nodded, agreeing that maybe a sleepover in the same bed hadn't been the best idea.
They made their way to sit down at the kitchen table, if only to cool off for a few minutes before trying to go back to bed.
Joyce sat down and pulled her hair up off her neck. She closed her eyes with a sigh. Hopper had meant to look away before she caught him staring at her for just a little too long, but she opened her eyes and they made eye contact.
"What…" she asked.
Hopper smirked at himself for getting caught. Sometimes he was such an idiot.
"Nothing," he replied, suddenly interested in looking out the dark window.
Joyce got up and moved towards the cupboard. She pulled out a glass. "Want a drink?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice," he agreed, glancing at her quickly and then back at the table.
She pulled out a second glass and went to the freezer to crack some ices cubes out of the tray. She brought the glasses over to the table and then found two bottles of liquor in the cupboard.
"You still drink scotch?" Hopper asked, lifting his eyebrows at her selections.
Joyce shrugged and poured a shot of gin in her glass instead. Hopper took the scotch.
"So," he said, taking a long drink. "Did Wheeler behave himself today?"
Joyce laughed softly and took a sip. "They are very…passionate, aren't they." She smiled, though not exactly answering his question.
"Yeah, I suppose that's one way to look at it," Hopper agreed with a heavy sigh.
"He's a good kid. They're good kids."
"Good kids or not, they are 14 and just a little too much. Don't you think?"
Joyce laughed. "Too much? Hop," she raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you remember what we were like at 14?"
"Don't remind me," he grumbled. He looked down to his glass and finished the shot, pouring a second one almost immediately.
"I mean, I get what you are saying. But I think that's just the way she is. El has always been very intense with the people she cares about. Not just him," she reminded Hopper.
He ran a hand through his hair and sat back in the chair, sighing in exasperation. "Yeah. It's just, the kid hasn't even really been out in the world and I feel like she's already committed forever to him. You know?"
Joyce nodded. She fell in love with Lonnie when she was relatively young, so she understood where he was coming from. "I don't know, Hop. I honestly think they have something special," she told him, putting her hand on top of his to ease some of his anxiety.
Hopper knew that Joyce was right, though that was probably what scared him the most.
"So uh, how have you been doing?" he asked, changing the subject.
Joyce finished her drink and ran her fingers along the sweat that had already formed on the outside of the glass. "Fine I suppose. Everything seems like it's finally kind of back to normal."
"Yeah, new normal," Hopper agreed. He could see that Joyce had more on her mind, but he didn't press it. That was one thing he liked about their relationship- they didn't always need to talk to understand what the other was feeling.
He picked up the bottle of gin and poured her a double shot. Joyce eyed him but picked up the glass anyway. Hopper gave an innocent shrug and picked his drink up too. While they saw each other a few times a week to pick up or exchange kids, they hadn't actually spent much time together aside from that. It was nice to just relax, drink, and talk about nothing in particular. The next time they looked at the clock, it was already after one.
"I really should go to bed," Joyce said, wishing that she didn't have to wake up early to work in the morning. She wasn't quite ready for bed yet, but she knew she really needed to get some sleep.
"Yeah," Hopper agreed, mimicking her same sigh. They both finished the liquid in their glasses and then set them in the sink. "I'll take the couch," Hopper said, nodding to the living room.
"Jim," Joyce whispered, stepping close to him.
She rarely called him by his first name, so it caught his attention. Her eyes met his, silently asking him a question. He could immediately feel what it was but didn't want to overstep his boundaries just in case he had misread the situation.
"We can sleep in Will's room…if you want," she added, though she didn't need to.
Needless to say, Hopper knew better than to do what happened next. He knew better than to shut the lights off and silently follow her down the hallway to the kid's room. He knew better than to climb into bed next to her, so close that they couldn't not touch each other. He knew better than to let crazy thoughts take over his mind.
But it was fine. They were just going to sleep, he told himself.
Sleeping. It wasn't anything serious, and it was pretty clear that Joyce had wanted him there.
Damn scotch.
Even though it was hot, Joyce pulled the sheet up over herself, while Hopper stayed on top of the blankets. "You're one of those people?" he asked with a small laugh, shifting in the small bed to get comfortable.
"What?"
"You know, someone who can't sleep unless they're covered up, even when it's like 80 degrees," he bemused softly.
She laughed, never having thought about it before. "Yeah, I suppose so." Joyce turned over towards him after a second and pushed the sheet down around her waist. Hopper was right. It was too hot to be covered up. Why did she feel so hot?
It was probably just all the gin... And the thoughts suddenly rushing through her mind were probably just because of the alcohol too, though she wasn't really that drunk. And she'd most definitely had thoughts like these before on nights when she hadn't even been drinking at all.
Before she could stop herself, her hand grazed his arm.
"Jim."
Was he looking at her differently?
"Joyce."
His voice was low and sexy, or was she just imaging that too? She figured that was how he spoke to all the women he'd picked up during the past few years in Hawkins. Was it that obvious that she was throwing herself at him?
Oh god, that wasn't who she was at all...
She attempted to rein her feelings in, not wanting to complicate their relationship. They had something good, and she didn't want to ruin it with one night of half drunken stupidity.
"Joyce?" Hopper asked again, interrupting her thoughts.
Then it just happened, something that he hadn't mean to do. Or maybe he did.
Hopper leaned over to kiss her, but Joyce turned her head away and his lips landed on her cheek instead.
Fuck. He fucked it all up, just like he always knew he would.
He pulled back instantly, regret taking over his face.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I- I just thought-" He couldn't manage to get the rest out.
He thought what? That Joyce was asking for this? When in reality she was probably only looking for support and comfort from someone she thought of as a friend. Because they were just friends, and that was how it was going to stay.
He was already out of the bed and almost at the bedroom door before she could catch him.
"Hey, stop," she said softly, standing up to grab his arm.
"No, no. Shit, Joyce. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he apologized again, shaking his head.
Joyce shook her head too, laughing. "It's not that," she told him immediately, forcing him to look at her. "It's just- do you have any condoms?"
Hopper's mind nearly imploded. Here he was, thinking he just fucked it all up with a simple kiss, and now Joyce was asking about condoms.
He couldn't hold back a nervous laugh and his breath rushed out of him. "What?"
"Hop, it's just that it's been awhile so I don't-"
"Jesus Joyce." He sighed, pulling her closer. "I thought I just fucked everything up. Are you serious?"
She nodded. "Of course, only if you want to. I understand if you don't," she excused quickly. She knew that she didn't look like the women Jim Hopper typically went after, and she wasn't quite the sexy woman she used to be 20 years ago either.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Believe me, I want to. I've wanted to for-" He stops when he realizes how inappropriate his next words would sound. I've wanted to sleep with you since you left me for Lonnie 20 years ago, since we saved your kid from certain death, since you've been dating someone else, since he's been gone. A groan escaped his lips when her hands slid under his shirt against his stomach.
"Then what took you so long," she murmured, suddenly feeling more confident than she had a minute ago.
His lips met hers and they made their way back over to the bed. Joyce wasted no time, pulling her pajama shorts off and discarding them on the floor before she got back on the bed. Hopper's shirt was off and his jeans were on the floor in the next moment.
His hand slid under her shirt and wrapped around her waist. "Fuck," he swore, remembering her earlier request. "I actually don't have condoms." He pulled back before they got any further.
"Seriously? Jim Hopper has no condoms?" she teased with disbelief.
"I suppose suddenly acquiring a secret kid really cut into my sex life."
Though he was joking, it also wasn't untrue. He hadn't been with a woman since before El came along. He had removed all of his condoms from his wallet after about 6 months, realizing there would be no need for them. He couldn't bring any women into his life with her. Plus, he didn't like going out on meaningless dates when first off, he couldn't have the woman he really wanted. And second, he knew El had been home alone all day waiting for him to come back.
"That's okay," Joyce whispered. Her hand slid under the waist band of his underwear, wasting no time. "We'll just have to figure something else out instead." She smiled, wrapping her hand around him, slowly stroking him up and down.
Hopper laid back on the bed and groaned quietly, feeling like he was closer to 16 than 40. He almost couldn't control his hips thrusting to meet her small hand or the noises that wanted to escape his mouth.
Jesus, he was already embarrassed knowing that he wasn't going to last long with her. Despite his mind and body screaming at him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away.
"You first," he told her instead, rolling her over onto her back. Her legs fell open, and he pulled her underwear to the side, tentatively sliding a finger up and down. He was almost in disbelief of how they had gone from watching a movie with the kids to this. It was clear that they weren't going to mess around tonight. They had both wanted immediate satisfaction, and it seemed like kissing wasn't really going to be part of that.
His finger dragged her wetness up, circling the most sensitive part on her body when Joyce abruptly shoved his hands away, just as he had done to her. However, this time it was only so she could lift her hips to remove her underwear. They were just getting in the way, and she wanted them gone.
Hopper sat back against the headboard and pulled her back into his lap so that she was sitting between his legs with her back against his chest. This way, he would have access to her with both hands. Joyce was petite in his lap and his arms wrapped around her easily. He slid his fingers up and down between her legs, touching Joyce where she ached. He slipped his middle finger inside and kept his right hand kept busy circling her clit. Joyce settled in against his hands and lifted her right leg over the top of his.
The only sound in the room was Joyce's heavy breathing, which rapidly turned into quiet panting whines; Hop was certainly good with his hands. His right hand made its way up her bare stomach, causing her to shiver. His fingertips barely grazed her breasts before she gave a soft whimper of complaint and dragged it back down, planting his fingers back between her legs where they left off. She curled her hand around his wrist, holding it in place.
"'Kay," Hopper chuckled at her assertiveness. Joyce definitely knew what she wanted, and he wasn't about to disappoint her after all this time.
She turned her head to kiss him in thanks. Hopper always thought that gin had tasted like pine needles until tonight. Now he found that he was thoroughly enjoying the taste on Joyce's lips. His finger inside her slowed, bending back and forth at the knuckle, slowing stroking her. Joyce moaned softly against his mouth in approval, trying to stay quiet since there were two sleeping kids in the room across the hall. After only a few seconds, she rolled her head to the side, feeling too distracted to continue kissing him.
She felt his beard scratch against the side of her cheek. "Fuck Joyce. You aren't even touching me and I'm not going to last long," he felt like he had to confess.
"It's okay. I won't either," she breathed.
She felt him pressing hard against the small of her back, lightly grinding himself against her. Joyce arched her back a little, enough to slip her arm between his arm and her back. She pulled his underwear down enough to expose him and wrapped her hand around him as best she could from her position, using her thumb to tease him. The closer she got to orgasm, the tighter her grip on him became until he couldn't take it any longer. He hadn't realized it either, but he was doing the same to her, his fingers moving faster and faster the closer he got.
Hopper had generally thought that hand jobs were quite anticlimactic, like something that he could do himself, and probably better at that. But not this time. Maybe it was just because it was Joyce.
She was so wet that all his fingers were slippery from touching her, and he slid a second finger inside. Her needy cries just louder than a whisper sent him over the edge.
"Joyce," he panted in her ear as a warning, though it was already too late. Just as his orgasm started, Joyce tensed her legs and curled her toes so tight that her calf started to cramp.
"Ahh, Hop," she moaned as loud as she could, while still somehow staying quiet. She clenched his fingers as she came with a body shaking orgasm. Hopper marveled at how it was possible for a woman's orgasm to last so long. She finally laid her head back against his chest, attempting to catch her breath. His fingers lazily stroked the swollen, wet skin between her legs.
"I can't believe we just did that. And in your kid's bed," Hopper sighed, pulling his arms up to wrap around her.
He really was in disbelief. He never thought that he and Joyce would get together, and especially not like what had just happened. As much as he would have denied it, he had fantasized about what it would be like if they ever did get together, and it had not looked like that at all.
"I'll wash the sheets tomorrow," she promised with a content sigh. She pulled away and sat up to put her underwear back on.
Hopper stared down at the mess he made all over his stomach. He couldn't in good conscience use the kid's blankets to clean off, so he told Joyce he'd be back in a second and went down the hall and into the bathroom.
When he came back, Joyce was opening Will's window and turning on his fan. Even in the dim light, he could see her flushed cheeks. He laid back down on the bed, and she laid down next to him. She easily could have gone back to her own room to sleep with the kids in a bigger bed, but she chose to stay here with him.
She glanced at Will's alarm clock. "Alright, now we really have to go to sleep," she murmured sleepily.
"Mm-hm," Hopper agreed softly.
Joyce slid her legs under the tangled sheet, enough so that it was touching her, but not really covering her. She was still too hot for that. Hopper's hand landed on her arm, his thumb softly stroking her. Between, the crickets chirping outside the window, the hum of the fan, and her slightly drunken, sexually satisfied state, Joyce realized she hadn't felt so relaxed in possibly years.
"Night, Hop."
"Goodnight Joyce," he whispered, lightly kissing her head once her eyes closed.
It was 6:30 am when Joyce's alarm clock in her bedroom rang, waking up both of the kids.
"Ugh," Will groaned, slamming his hand on all the buttons to get it to stop. El popped up pretty quickly when she remembered where she was.
"Hey, you got to spend the night!" Will said, when he realized that he wasn't in his own bedroom.
"Did you see the end of the movie?" El asked eagerly when Will turned to her in bed.
"No, I fell asleep," Will replied sheepishly.
"So did I," El laughed. "But I can't believe Hopper actually let me spend the night. Do you think they already got up?"
"Yeah, probably. Mom usually gets me up at 7 though." Will yawned, but he remembered his promise last night to his mom and figured that she would be happy if he got up early without complaining. "Breakfast?" Will asked. "I'm sure we have Eggos."
El smiled and followed him out to the kitchen.
When they didn't see either parent, they looked at each other with a quiet moment of concern. El looked out the window and saw that Hopper's vehicle was still parked out front. They both went back down the hallway, and Will opened his bedroom door in case they were, for some reason, in his bed. Will stood a little shocked when he saw that they were.
Joyce had on only a shirt and her underwear, which wasn't immediately obvious because her lower half was almost covered by a blanket. Hopper was only in his underwear and not under any covers. El didn't think anything of it because she knew he didn't bring any pajamas over, and he slept like that a lot when it was hot outside. Last summer, she had accidentally woken up before him and saw him that way more times than he would care to think about. Just one of the hazards of your bed being in the common living area.
"Still sleeping. Should we wake them up?" El whispered, unfazed with the scene in front of her. Will on the other hand, felt mortified. The entire night had been hot, so Hopper and Joyce weren't in an overly intimate position, but still, he had one hand resting on Joyce's hip with his fingers just inside the waistband of her underwear. Will saw the pile of clothes on the floor and turned around quickly.
"No, I think we should let them sleep a little longer," he told El, closing his door quietly.
El shrugged and followed him back out to the kitchen.
At 7 o'clock, Will's alarm blared. Joyce woke up and realized immediately that her morning was off to a late start.
"Shit," she swore, reaching over Hopper to turn the alarm off. She laid back down and closed her eyes, feeling too exhausted to get up just yet. Joyce stretched her bare legs out, grazing his. "I have to get Will up," she finally sighed. Then they heard the tv turn on and the kids giggling from the living room. "Or not."
She turned to Hopper, and they locked eyes.
"So last night," Hopper started, hoping to get the awkwardness out of the way. He wasn't totally sure if Joyce wanted to just pretend it didn't happen, but if she did, he would comply.
"Yes," she said propping herself up on her elbow, patiently waiting for him to go on.
"Do you, um, is it-" he sighed in frustration. "Joyce, help me out here."
"Are things going to be weird now?" she finished.
"Uh yeah. I mean, we were both a little drunk," he quickly excused for her, just in case.
"Hop. I don't regret it if that's what you are trying to get at. Do you?" she asked.
"What? Fuck, no. No, I don't regret it," he said quickly.
Joyce smiled and leaned over to kiss him, reinforcing what she said. Their lips pressed together, and though it was only for a few moments, it was their longest kiss yet.
"But you are going to regret it if you forget the condoms next time," she threatened with a smirk. Joyce got up and pulled on her pajama bottoms.
"Next time," Hopper repeated, nodding with approval. Joyce raised her eyebrows and shrugged with a teasing smile. She closed Will's door with a soft click, leaving him alone to get dressed.
He laid back down and closed his eyes with a soft groan. She was going to drive him crazy. And he couldn't wait.
He pulled on yesterday's clothes and found her in the kitchen, packing Will's lunch.
"We already ate breakfast!" Hopper heard Will shouting from the living room.
"You need to get dressed and finish getting ready for school," Joyce called back to him.
"You need to get your things too, kid," Hopper called to El. He leaned against the kitchen wall and Joyce sighed.
"I really need to take a shower," she said. She glanced at the clock, knowing there was no way she would get Will to school on time if she did.
"I could help with that," Hopper offered. Joyce lightly smacked his arm, but she couldn't hold back a smile. "I meant I can drop Will off at school. I've got to take El home anyway," he clarified, though he couldn't help but smile at where Joyce's mind went.
"Oh," she laughed. "That actually would be a big help. Thanks." Her eyes met his, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her but thought better of it just as the kids came running into the kitchen.
"Hopper's going to drop you off at school," she said, kissing the top of Will's head.
"We are going to the school?!" El asked excitedly. "Can I see Mike?"
Hopper shook his head. "For like one minute," he grudgingly agreed. "Do you have everything?"
El shrugged. "I think so."
The kids stood at the door, waiting for Hopper. "Oh, and Hop, next time, don't forget that thing," Joyce reminded him seriously.
"Uh-huh," he managed to reply, not believing Joyce would be so bold as to say something in front of the kids.
"What thing?" El asked innocently.
"Oh uh, just a, a- saw," Hopper said after a moment.
"Yeah, the saw for that thing," Joyce confirmed with a nod.
"Mom, we have a couple of saws in the shed," Will said.
"Right. But this one is a certain kind for a special, uhm, project," Hopper tried to excuse, hoping Will didn't know or care enough about tools to argue.
El and Will looked at each other and then back at the adults who were definitely acting weird.
"Okay! Let's go," Hopper said, clapping his hands together. He held the door open for the two kids to go outside.
"A saw?" Joyce mouthed, wrinkling up her nose when he turned back to look at her.
Hopper threw his hands up in the air. What did she want from him when she put him on the spot like that? She shook her head with a laugh and watched the three of them walk out the door.