A/N: From a Stranger Things prompt by Mira_Jade!
Throw a punch
In the year following the closing of The Gate, Hopper knew that being Dad meant teaching a horribly neglected teenager the basics of life, including how to navigate personal relationships.
Socialization.
He shook his head at the enormity of the task ahead. His little girl was 13 and a relative blank slate. Her speech was stunted. Her education was almost nothing. Her ability to deal with common emotions and social conflicts was reactionary. He had a lot of work to do and he decided the next lesson would be about self control. It was absolutely critical for a girl like El to be able to control her rage, separately and together, with the power she had within her.
It all sounded so ominous. But the lesson was born out of very simple question. It happened after dinner while the two were watching Family Ties.
"Dad," El asked, matter of fact. "What's a bully?"
He did not have the ability to stop the show in the middle, but it was El's choice so he decided to turn it off and address her question. The question did not immediately concern him given what he had seen her do, but his concern was more for her emotional welfare.
"How did that come up?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Mike has a bully," she said, a little forlornly. "Still."
"I would have thought those boys learned their lesson the first time around. Not that I condone breaking arms and making boys pee themselves when the situation is less...life threatening."
She smiled, but still appeared concerned and unsure.
"Well, to answer your question, a bully is person who feels bad about themselves, or is embarrassed about something. So, in order to protect himself, or herself, they turn their anger outside of themselves, seeking weaker people to victimize."
El squinted her eyes and scrunched her nose as she said "Victim-ize?"
Hopper smiled, acknowledging that he took his explanation too far. "I'm sorry. A bully wants other people to feel bad so that they can feel better about themselves."
"Even though they feel bad inside?" El said, uncertainly.
"Exactly!" her dad replied, a little more excited than, perhaps, he should be. "I know it's complicated, but it doesn't mean you should let a bully be mean to you."
El shook her head emphatically. "No bully will hurt me, Dad. Or Mike. Or The Party. I will make sure."
Hopper inhaled, taking a moment to regain his calm. "I have no doubt you will, El, but you cannot use your power when you are out in public. We have already added that to the rules, right?"
She looked at him sheepishly, he lower lip protruding more than normal. "Right."
"What I need to do is teach you how to fight...without your powers. With your fists."
El's lips parted in a sinister grin and her voice lowered to a gravelly roughness. "Yeah, beat down."
Hopper's eyes widened and he shook his head again. "Where do you get this stuff?"
"Lots of tube, Dude," she retorted, playfully. "And Mike."
He knew that much was true.
"Come with me," he said, patting her knee and rising from the couch.
"Now?" she asked, puzzled. "You want to teach me now?"
"Why not?" he answered, enthusiastically. "No time like the present." Yes, he had just used that little cliché. Thankfully, El had never heard it before.
"The present?" she asked. "But, what about Alex P. Keaton?"
"The present means now, El," he explained. "Alex P. Keaton will be waiting for you next week."
"Awww...Dad," she whined as her shoulders slumped. Despite the complaints, she rose from the couch and follow him to the small place that separated the kitchen and the living room.
Hopper got his knees, took El by the shoulders, and positioned her in front of him. "I'm going to teach you to throw a punch."
Without warning, his new daughter stepped forward and punched him in the chest. It was a powerful punch, but one he knew was not meant to hurt him.
"How was that?" El asked, confidently.
"Not bad," he replied, rubbing the spot softly. "But what you do not want to do is let the other person know ahead of time that you are going to punch them. That is called telegraphing. Try that same punch again."
She threw the punch, but this time, he blocked it and with his other hand tapped her on the shoulder with this hand. She punched again which he blocked, but this time, she countered with her other fist and hit his left shoulder.
"Very good," he said, praising her adaptability. "Nice counter punch."
"Thanks," she said, breathing heavier than she should be.
"You okay?" he asked. "We didn't do that much for you to be breathing so hard."
El clenched her teeth and redness flushed her cheeks. "I do not like bullies."
Hopper's face softened in compassion for girl who had been subject to the worst kind isolation by the worst kind of bullies. He reached for her and pulled her into this arms. She was stiff with the cold fury and rage he both understood and feared.
"It's okay, El," she whisper into her hair. "You are safe. Breath."
He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his as it slowed and the tension in her body bled away. He pulled away from her, but not very far, and met her eyes.
"I love you, Dad," she said softly.
He could feel the tears welling in his eyes against his will. He hugged her again, the tears yielding to gravity.
"I love you, too. How about we watch Newhart?" he said though emotion. "It's no Family Ties, but it'll work, right?
"Right," she said, nodding her head once with emphasis.
They returned to the couch and snuggled up just as Newhart's theme song ended. Hopper wondered if he had chosen the right time to teach her how to fight. He hadn't taught her much, but it would keep. She was a quick study, which surprised him not at all. She wasn't going to be boxing anytime soon, but it was clear that that if El need to put a down and mean girl or a mean boy, for that matter, she would able to handle herself just fine.