PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS, IMPORTANT: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been putting off editing this for a while because if I'm being honest, writing a story that takes place during season 4 in several different settings and locations is hard to navigate, so to speak. I also just got done with my exams and had a big A Cappella performance too, so it has been quite busy on my end recently. Anyway, fair warning, the end of this chapter is much dirtier than my usual chapters, NOT Mileven-wise, but in regards to another ST ship...I wouldn't call it smut because it's not graphic by any means! It merely only alludes to sex and there are a couple of dirty comments and jokes thrown around too, but I'm just warning you anyway, particularly my younger readers. You can always just skip over it if it makes you uncomfortable, though I doubt it will. Sometimes I just like to take risks like this with my writing. Hopefully, it'll pay off! (P.S. I made a music playlist specific to writing those scenes, but then when I came up with the whole "cowboy" moment, I started playing Old Town Road on a loop, lmao.)
Previously, on The Power of Love…
"Hopper!" Joyce cried.
"Joyce…"
And they ran to each other, with a gasp escaping each of their lips as their foreheads came in contact with each other, holding onto one another's cheeks. They looked at each other as if to kiss, but then, something frightening happened!
You see, while down there, El was sprayed many times with goo and had to use her powers so much to cut through vines that, by the time they had made it to where Hopper was, she grew light-headed and collapsed with exhaustion.
"El! Are you okay? El!" Mike exclaimed.
*no answer, silence falls*
[Continued]
"I said, are you okay?" Mike yelled.
"El! El, can you hear me? El!" he said, shaking her.
She continued to gasp for air until finally passing out. Seeing this, Hopper rushed over to her side, pushing Mike out of the way.
"Step aside," he said firmly.
"What? No! I have to save her."
"Son, let me handle this."
"Why can't it be me?"
"When someone's dying, it doesn't matter who, it just needs to be someone! Now stop arguing and get out of my way!"
"No! I love her and I could never live with myself if she dies on my watch...I have to do something!"
"Fine! You give her mouth-to-mouth, I'll do chest compressions," he said while getting his hands ready to do them.
*does chest compressions*
"Now, that's more like it!" said Mike.
"I don't see you planting those lips!" he said.
Man, I never thought the day would come when I would hear those words come out of Hopper's mouth, thought Mike.
"Sorry! Sorry!" he replied aloud.
*Mike starts to tilt head back and lean in*
"Don't forget to pinch her nostrils," said Hopper.
"I know. Health class basics," he said.
"Right, right," Hopper replied, rolling his eyes.
"*cries* El, please don't die on me...I need you!" Mike said before exhaling into her lips.
Hopper proceeded to do more chest compressions, his soul blackening with anger as his baby girl started fading fast.
"C'mon, kid...C'mon, kid!" said Hopper.
"Come back to me, El," said Mike, filling her lungs with the breath of life.
Was this it? Could this really be the last time he saw the love of his life? He was already devastated enough. He always knew this was a possibility, yet at the same time, he never saw something like this coming. He never thought it would. He was overwhelmed with the sadness that came from his greatest fear- losing her.
And suddenly, much to their surprise and relief, she wheezed, her eyes widening with fear as she coughed and coughed and caught her breath.
"El, oh my god!" he said, pulling her in for an intimate hug.
And she cried over his shoulder, then sniffling, she pulled away to look into his eyes, saying:
"You-You saved me!"
"You sound surprised!"
"No, I'm-I'm not, I'm just...grateful!"
"Well, as much I'd love to take the credit, it wasn't all me. *presents with hand* Hopper too!"
"Dad!" she said, rushing over to him. "It's really you!"
"*chuckles* It's really me, kid!"
"You-You guys worked together to save my life…Do you realize that?"
*Hopper and Mike both look at each other dumbfounded and then with disgust*
"Yeah, I, hah, I guess we did…" said Mike, putting his hand on Hop's shoulder.
"Don't push it!" said Hop.
"Yes, sir," Mike said, skittishly backing his hand away.
"Well, what do you know! When two people are at each other's throats as much as you two work together, they can actually do something right!" she said.
"Ull!" said Hopper with disgust.
*Mike rolls eyes*
"What? Too corny for you?" she asked.
"No, just, you know."
"I know, I'm just teasing."
"Are you okay, kid? You really scared us there…" asked Hop.
"Am I okay? Shouldn't we be asking you that?"
"*chuckles* Yeah, I guess...But we should probably get the hell out of here first, don't ya think?"
"*shrugs* Fair enough."
And so they split, all of them, out of the Upside Down and back to Hawkins, trying to attract as least attention as possible. As far as the town knew, he was still dead, so they couldn't make a scene with his return, not just yet. And so they got in the car, Hopper's police van, which they had brought just for him.
*Hopper tries to take keys from Joyce*
"*tugging away from him* Hop...Hop," she said once with intention and again firmly.
"Geez, Joyce, will you just let me drive my own damn car?"
"Jim...*clears throat, waits, huffs* Jim!" she yelled.
He froze.
"*sighs with annoyance* Jim, you're exhausted. Let me drive," she said, once again, firmly.
"Fine, but if you wreck my car, I'm gonna-"
"You're gonna what? *turns key* Mutter 'son of a bitch' under your breath! *backs out*" she joked. "*steers wheel* Hah! You don't scare me…" she said.
He looked at her, blown away at first, but with an open mouth that soon turned into a wide smile. Before returning her attention back to the road, she looked in his direction briefly with a smile as he playfully nudged her shoulder with his fist.
"I'm going to find you, Hop. I'm going to find you if it's the last thing I do." That's what she told herself at least, before, when he was gone. But now, now that he was here, the world was her oyster...their oyster even. And like a schoolgirl on a movie date with the school's top jock, or in this case, the town's top cop, she removed her hand from the wheel and let it down to rest, waiting for it to be held by his own. And it was only a matter of time before he caught onto her subtle act and hints, locking his fingers with her and feeling the nostalgia of that one night they shared at the fair that past summer.
And so, they drove through the woods (where they had opened the portal) all the way to Hopper's cabin to "wind down," when in actuality, they just peppered him with endless questions. But before that, a nail-biting introduction occurred...
"*points to Kali* I don't know you," said Hop.
"Sure you do!" she said. "Kali Prasad. *extends hand, shakes* Nice to finally meet you."
"*groans, shakes hand back* Kali...Of course! *brief pause* I'm afraid I have a bit of a bone to pick with you, but *sighs* I appreciate your help tonight."
"I expected nothing less, but you should know, I don't do that sort of thing anymore and I'm very sorry for how I may have corrupted El...I did not handle the situation like an adult, to say the least."
"Well, I appreciate your honesty. We're glad you're here," he said, touching her shoulder.
"Thanks," she said with a smile.
Everyone sat down in a circle around the wood floor, looking at Hop, wondering what he would do or say next.
"Okay, look, I know you guys are all tired and waiting for an answer from me about what happened, but let's all just take a deep breath first before we get into it, alright? *pauses for reactions* Alright, ready? In...And out…"
Immediately, he got that same Sara flashback, when she grew short of breath at the park due to her spreading cancer. And then...he snapped out of it.
"Alright, so here's the deal. That night, at the mall, when Joyce and I went back to the control room, the machines were going off the rails. Totally out of control!" he said, with expressive hand gestures.
"We know, she told us how it all went down," said El, pained to hear this tragic story again.
"But not how I got out...See, even she doesn't know this part."
"Sorry, right, continue," she said.
"Well, as the blasts were going off, I gave Joyce one last good look. We both knew that she had no other option than to turn the keys, but then it occurred to me that maybe there was another way. A way to escape...and there was."
"You wanna tell us what that is?" asked Joyce.
"Someone's dying to know, huh?" he asked.
"Just a little, yeah, I mean, we are holding several kids past their bedtimes here and one young lady who lives back in Chicago, so if you could wrap it up, we'd appreciate it."
"Okay, good point, good point. I will try my best to give you the short version of my grand story of return."
"*rolls eyes* Oh, here we go!" she said in reaction to his corny attempt.
"Well, anyway, there was this opening on the other side of the control room. So, I made a snap decision to jump in, and, as it turns out, instead of landing in the Upside Down, I landed on the other side of the gate in Russia."
"But how can that be?!" El asked, rising from her seat with interest. "Didn't we like just find you in the Upside Down?"
"Yes, you like just did, kid," he said, mocking her. "But I was in Russia before any of that happened."
"So, that means, you were 'The American'?" asked Joyce.
"Yep."
"Well, I never thought I'd see the day when Murray was right about a theory!" said Joyce.
"Neither did I!" said Hop.
And the two laughed as the kids and Kali looked at them like Murray and Alexei once did, with their connection being almost more apparent to everyone other than them.
"Anyway...How did you get to the Upside Down?" asked Mike.
"Well, turns out, I wasn't the only one from Hawkins there…"
"Who else?" asked Will.
"*looks down, then at El* Brenner…"
"Papa? *exchanges look with Kali* But Papa's dead!"
"Apparently not."
"But h-h-h-how?"
"I guess that demogorgon somehow transported him to the Upside Down...I don't know, that's what I can't figure out, but somehow, the Russians found out about Brenner and you and Kali and all of the others and they were interrogating me about your whereabouts and how you spied on them. Luckily, I was trained in how to withstand torture back in Vietnam…"
"You were tortured?"
"A little. But hey, *grabs shoulders* don't you worry about me, kid. I've been through much worse."
"But-But you're not missing any teeth or fingernails or anything…" she said.
"*chuckles* That's because I know a little something about negotiating...And so, I decided there was only one way to buy my freedom…"
"What way was that?" asked Mike, with his arm around El and rubbing her back.
"We made a compromise that they would set me free in exchange for information."
"Information...What kind of information?"
"*sighs* I sold out Brenner."
"You did what?!" asked Joyce.
"I wanted to make things right. I wanted to set all of those poor souls free who he captured...for my daughter," he said, placing a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Hop, Brenner's very dangerous...Who's to say that he wouldn't come after us again?"
"His revenge has got to end somewhere, right?"
"I'm not so sure…" said Joyce skeptically.
"Yeah, pretty doubtful, but hey, it's nothing we can't handle. You have legal guardianship over El, right?"
"Course I do, but that hadn't stopped him before…"
"Then we'll be more prepared this time if he strikes again. We'll have backup."
"If you say so...Do you at least know what they did with him?"
"I don't know. They set me free after, but instead of deporting me back to Hawkins, they just threw me in the Upside Down and said 'Find your own way home, you American pig!'"
"Well, that was nice!" Mike exclaimed.
"*chuckles* Yeah, tell me about it!"
"Were you okay down there? I know how…*gulps* cold and lonely it can be," said Will.
"Yeah, I was fine, kid. Don't you worry about me."
"You were down there a lot longer than I was though…"
"Will, please. You sound like your mother right now."
"Always looking for some way to pick on me, huh Hop?" said Joyce.
"*lights cigarette* Well, you're an easy person to annoy," he said, with smoke blowing from his cigarette once in contact with his lips. "Man, I missed this," he murmured to himself.
"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't make fun of the woman who's putting a roof over your head...Just a thought."
"Right…*chuckles* Sorry."
And the kids continued to pepper him with questions to satisfy all of their curiosities until Joyce stopped to discuss the plan with the kids.
"Okay, *claps* so, here's the plan, I'm going to take Mike home first, then, we'll head to Illinois, drop Kali off at the bus station, and if it's okay with you two, I'm going to have you spend the night at our house by yourselves."
"No supervision?" El asked.
"You're a big girl, I'm sure you can handle it," Kali said with a wink.
"Why can't I just sleep here?"
"Well, you can, kid, you always can, but Joyce and I have some things to discuss about where you'll go now and I just think it's best that you're not around when we do that...And besides, all the furniture's gone, so there wouldn't be any place to sleep," said Hop.
"You're going to do that all tonight?"
"Maybe. I don't know…"
"Wait, but where will you and Joyce sleep?"
"We'll probably pay Murray a visit or something...That's really all we can do right now."
"They can always spend the night at our house if you'd rather just grab a hotel while you're still here. We'll let El sleep in Nancy's bed since she's away at college," Mike proposed.
"Nuh-uh. Nope! No way. Not falling for that," said Hop.
"Why not, she's done it before," Will mumbled.
"She WHAT?!"
"Will, seriously, can you keep your foot out of your mouth for ONE second?"
"Sor-ry!"
"*breathes aggressively* I'm gonna kill him...I'm gonna kill him, Joyce! *breathes intensely through nose* You hear that, Wheeler? I will break you!"
*El stands in front of Mike protectively*
"Jesus, Jim, leave the poor boy alone! You want to be mad at someone? Well, what if I told you I'm the one who let it happen, huh?!"
"You wouldn't…"
"Oh, but I did…" she said, nodding with an anxious look on her face.
"Joyce, you know how I feel about this...You-You promised me you wouldn't let anything happen to her!"
"Jim, I am tired of this bullshit! El was devastated the night that she thought you were gone for good. I wasn't in the right emotional state myself to comfort her and I knew she needed her loyal boyfriend at a time like that. And besides, Mike's a great kid...You know that, I know that, clearly El knows that! Why don't you just put this to rest…?"
"*exhales in a sigh* I let you off with a warning the first time, so this is your first strike," he said, holding up his index finger. "You only get one, capiche?"
"Babe Ruth would beg to differ..." Mike joked.
*Hopper grunts, gives death stare*
"*gulps* I mean, yes, of course, sir. *salutes* Understood."
"Did you just salute me?" he asked, laughing a little.
"Maybe, but I assure you, if I did, it was not on purpose," said Mike.
*Hop laughs*
"Hop, do you think we should at least tell Karen that you're back?" asked Joyce.
*imaginary record scratch*
"What?!" Hop exclaimed hysterically. "No, no, no, no!"
"Hop, *puts hands on shoulders* listen to me. *shakes* You have to come out of hiding sometime. I know there's a lot that the rest of the town can't know about, but maybe this is a start."
"Joyce...Sidebar."
*pulls aside*
"You're telling me you really trust Karen Wheeler, of all people, to keep this kind of information a secret?!"
"What's wrong with Karen?" she asked.
"She's a gossip!" he said, a little too loudly.
"Hey, watch it! That's my mom you're talking about," said Mike.
"Sorry, son, that was...insensitive of me," Hop grumbled, not showing much more sensitivity.
Mike raised his eyebrows, not knowing whether to be more taken aback by his apology or his calling him "son," but then he remembered that he had before when they were saving El...He was just in too much shock to notice.
"Eh, I'm not going to act like she doesn't gab with other housewives on the phone a lot..." he said with a nervous, snorty laugh.
"Anyway...If we're going to tell anyone about this, who better than Karen! She's the one person in this town who's in the loop and hasn't told anyone else. She's trustworthy and she's family," said Joyce.
Mike crept up to lightly pat and grab her shoulder as a thank you.
*Joyce winks*
"Fine," said Hopper.
"Great! Okay, kids, let's go."
"We're not kids anymore…" Mike mumbled.
"Mike..." Will grumbled.
"What?"
"Not the time!"
"Right! *nervously laughs* Sorry…"
*kids walk outside, Joyce stays behind*
"Want me to just meet you there, at Murray's? Might save some room," Hop suggested.
"Yeah, that'd probably be easiest. I'll see you then," she said kissing his cheek.
And they all walked out the door, leaving Hop all by himself...again.
"Wait!" said El. "I forgot something…"
"Okay, well, hurry back," said Joyce.
"I will," she said.
And she ran back into the house, swallowing Hopper in a hug.
"Whoa, hey, kid…"
"*pulls away* Dad, there's something I need to tell you before I go."
"Okay, kid, what is it?"
"I love you."
"*pauses, smiles, pulls back into hug* I love you too, kid. *pets hair* I love you too."
Then she smiled, kissed his cheek, and left.
Once arriving at Mike's house, he turned to his loving girlfriend for what ended up being one final goodbye to close the evening.
"*gets out of car, keeps door open* You coming?" he asked.
"Actually, I was going to stay here with Kali if you don't mind…"
"No, of course, I get it! *pauses* Will I see you soon at least?" he asked.
"Shouldn't be too long from now...He is alive after all!"
"True...but when is soon, do you think?"
"Till tomorrow turns into the day I see you…" she said sweetly.
"Till tomorrow comes," he affirmed, kissing her hand.
"At least come out and let me give you a kiss," he added.
*smiles and nods, gets out of car*
Then he gave her a goodnight kiss, a real one, a kiss she had been in dire need of after all of the shit she had been through.
"*hugs* Bye, El. I love you."
"Love you too. Bye, Mike. *kisses cheek, lets go*"
Then, Mike and Will walked to the front door, unlocking it with his house key and unintentionally launching into a conversation with his mom before Joyce could be present with them.
"And where do you think you're going, mister?" she asked turning on the light as he started to sneak in.
"To sleep…?" he said in the most innocent yet smart-ass way possible.
"Haha, very funny. Care to explain why you were out until 12 IN THE MORNING?!"
"Look, Mom, I know it's late and I know you're pissed, but-"
"Excuse me?!"
"*rolls eyes* Ticked off, sorry!"
"*sighs* Much better, now continue, please, Michael…"
"Right, sorry..."
"*scratches head* I'm sorry, am I imagining things or is that Will out there with you?"
"No, it is."
"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler," he said, waving and smiling nervously.
"Sweetie, what are you doing here? Did you and your mom have a fight?"
"*laughs* No, nothing like that…"
"Then what?"
"Uh-"
*turns to Mike, gasps* Michael Theodore Wheeler! Is that why you got back so late?! You were too busy kidnapping your poor friend all the way from Illinois?"
"What? No! He's just dropping me off."
*uncomfortable, furious silence*
"Anywho...See ya, Will," he said, leaning in for a bro hug.
"Oh, he's not going anywhere, not until you two finish explaining!" Mrs. Wheeler said.
"Allow me," said Joyce, stepping into the conversation.
"Joyce, thank god! What on earth is going on here?"
"You might want to be sitting down for this," Will suggested.
"Take it away, Ms. Byers," said Mike.
*Joyce clears throat, puts hair behind ears and then clasps hands together*
"Karen, there's no easy way to tell you this, but…*sighs* Hopper's alive."
"I beg your pardon!"
"I said Hopper's alive!"
"Is it hot in here?" she asked, fanning herself.
"No...not really," said Will.
"Oh!" she said, fainting.
"Mom!" Mike yelled, running to her side and slapping her cheeks lightly till she woke.
"Oh my god, Karen!" Joyce yelled.
"It's okay, she does this a lot," said Mike.
"Oh! *smiles* She's-She's waking up!" he continued excitedly.
"I'll go get her some water," said Joyce.
"Okay, thanks."
"Mom, are you okay? You really scared us there!"
"Yes, Michael, I'm fine."
"You sure? How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked, holding up 4.
"Four. Now, quit it, will you?"
"*laughs nervously* Sorry…" he said. "Now, be careful standing up, otherwise you'll get a headache."
"Yeah, I get that. Help me up, will you?" she asked, grabbing onto his hand for balance as she sat up halfway.
"Good, good. Okay, now all the way. Ready?"
"Yep."
"Alright, *grunts slightly* easy does it...There you go!" he said. "Why don't you sit down and I'll hand you a water, okay?"
*nods*
"There you are," he said, placing it in her hands.
She drank rapidly as Joyce started to talk once again.
"So, you and El started seeing things and then you just waltzed over here and found him out of the blue?" she asked Joyce.
"*laughs* No, it's not that simple. You see, El opened a portal to the Upside Down where he had been stuck for the past few months."
"Michael, you know how I feel about this Upside Down! Last time you came back with so many scratches and bruises...Those took weeks to heal!"
"If I was Lucas, Dustin, or even Max right now, I would so be making fun of you and your boo-boos, ya mama's boy!" said Will.
"Look who's talking!" said Mike.
"Michael!" said Karen.
"Sorry, Mom, I know, I know, you're right...But I guess I just figured- I mean, it's Hop! This is my girlfriend's dad we're talking about."
"Well, I'm just glad that you were able to bring him back. This town hasn't been the same since he's been gone."
"So, does that mean you're not going to ground me?" Mike asked excitedly.
"Oh no, you're still grounded! *holds up 2 fingers* 2 weeks, mister."
"Darn it, so close!" he said, snapping in fury. "Well, anyway, that's why we were gone so long..."
"Wow...I mean, just...WOW! He's really alive?!"
"He's really alive!" said Joyce, nodding.
"Oh, Joyce, this is just great! You guys made such an interesting couple…"
"I'm sorry...Couple?"
"Well, you were together, weren't you? I saw you two holding hands at the fair."
"Oh, well, yeah...I mean, that's not what that was, I mean, it was, but it wasn't. We haven't been on a date or anything. We set one up once, but something else got in the way."
"Oh, I see how it is," she said.
"Wait, Mom, is that true?" asked Will.
"Yes, sweetie, it's true. I was going to tell you, but then it never happened, so I thought I'd just let this one slide. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
"That's okay, Mom. I mean, it's not like it's weird now. El's kind of like my sister, so it can't get any weirder than it already has, right?"
"*chuckles* Right."
"So, you and Hopper?" Mike asked.
"Yep," said Joyce.
"What could she possibly see in him?!" Mike whispered to Will.
*Will glares*
"What? I'm just trying to understand!"
*Will smacks back of head*
*Mike mouths 'ow'*
"Michael!" Karen yelled.
"Sorry, Ms. Byers. I was just joking. You know how hard he is on me and El…"
"*laughs* It's okay, Mike. Believe me, I do!"
"Maybe it's because you've given him a reason to be!" Karen interjected.
"No, no, it's definitely not that...I've been nothing but the perfect gentleman!"
"Oh, you mean like you were just now?" Karen sassily asked.
*Mike sighs*
"Well, it's getting late and I still have to take this one *gently tousles Will's bowl cut* and El back home and drop Kali off at the bus station too."
"Michael, is this a new friend of yours, this Kali person?"
"No, well, in a way, I guess, but Kali's El's sister."
"El has a sister?!"
"Well, sorta...Hard to explain, long story. They're not actually blood-related, they just both grew up in the lab together."
"Oh, I see. Well, I don't want to keep you, Joyce. Thank you for telling me about Jim!"
"Of course, Karen. Anytime! And if you don't mind, we would really appreciate it if you could keep this information to yourself for a while, just until we can tell the whole town, which won't be long! We just have to figure out how…"
"Absolutely! You can count on me and Ted."
"Oh, hey, Dad, didn't see you there," said Mike, turning to a sleeping Ted on the la-Z-boy.
*no response, just snoring*
"Guess what?! Hopper's alive!"
*snores louder*
"Great talk, Dad," he said.
"Oh, hush, Michael. You really are terrible…" Karen joked.
After saying their goodbyes and departing, they quickly stopped for gas and made their way to the bus station in Illinois.
"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night with any of us tonight? You think you can get home okay?" Joyce asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine, don't worry," Kali replied.
"*chuckles* Telling me not to worry is like telling bee not to buzz!"
"*laughs* I was not aware…"
"Well, now ya know!"
"I sure do!"
"Well, it was so nice to finally meet you and put a name to the face! I enjoyed getting to know you," said Joyce.
"Likewise. Hopefully, I'll see you guys not too long from now. You're always welcome to come and visit."
"You are too! Wherever we end up living..."
"'Preciate it. Well, it was nice to meet you, Will and I'll see you, Joyce. Sorry again for barging into your home like that! *laughs*"
"It's all in the past!" Joyce claimed. "Goodnight, Kali. Take care."
"You too," she said just before leaving.
There was, of course, a dramatic goodbye between Kali and El as well, but it was its own special, separate goodbye. They promised that they would stay in touch, visit more often, and not let their own personal vendettas get in the way ever again. And she and Will then returned home shortly after that, but not without a forehead kiss and goodnight from Joyce.
And just when she thought this night couldn't possibly get any longer, she finally stopped at Murray's house, her final destination. Hopper was already there, stretched out on the pull-out.
"Knock, knock…!" Joyce coyly said as she knocked on the front door.
"Who's there?" Hop responded, playing along as he got up from the couch and walked over to the door.
"Wheelbarrow," she replied.
*Hop laughs, opens the door*
"Joyce, just the woman I was hoping to see!"
*smiles in a shy but flattered way*
"Hey! *reaches hand out to face* You shaved!"
"You noticed…"
"You noticed that I noticed."
"*chuckles* How very observant of you!" he said.
*Joyce smiles, laughs slightly*
"Here, why don't you change into a fresh pair of clothes too?" Joyce said, handing him one of his shirts she had held onto and brought with her.
"Ah! Bless you! *pauses* You really are a saint, you know that?"
*Joyce smiles*
"Did El and Will get home okay?"
"Yep."
"Good. You know, it's funny, El's kind of like your kid now too, if you think about it..."
"*chuckles* I never really thought about it like that...I guess she kinda is, but she'll always be your kid. I'm just a substitute."
"But you're not. You're more than that. I've seen the way she looks at you, Joyce. It's the same way that a daughter looks at a mother. She likes you, hell, loves you even! You guys have a special bond."
"Well, that's very sweet of you..."
"Joyce...*touches shoulder*"
"*looks into eyes* What?"
"Why are you doubting me?"
"I'm-I'm not doubting you, Hop."
"You better not be!" he said sassily.
*Joyce chuckles*
"You know, all of this talk about El...It's got me thinking...I'm not so sure if I'm ready to let go of her just yet…" she said.
"Oh you're not now, are you?!"
"Nope," she said, crossing her arms with a smirk.
"Well, then what are we going to do, Joyce?" he asked, throwing his arms up hopelessly in the air.
"*also throws hands up* How am I supposed to know! We haven't even been on a date yet!"
"Let's change that then. You and me, Enzo's, tomorrow night. I'll pick you up at 6."
"You serious?"
"Hell yeah, I'm serious!"
"Oh, but wait! No one in Hawkins other than Karen knows that you've returned yet and we came all this way...We might as well just go somewhere in Illinois while we're here until we get you situated again."
"Fine by me," he said.
"*chuckles* We kind of have bad luck with first dates, don't we?"
"As long as you don't stand me up again, I'm sure we'll be just fine."
"You don't have to worry about that anymore."
"You mean that?"
"Yeah. I do."
"Good," he said with a smile.
"So, we're doing this?" asked Joyce.
"We're doing this," he affirmed.
"Good," she said with a smile.
"And who knows, if all goes well and we're having a good time, if things start getting serious and tomorrow night ends up turning into many other wonderful nights, then maybe we can talk about moving in together."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa...Hold on a second…"
"Hold on a second?! What, you don't think we're going to end up together?"
"No, I do! I mean, I think I do...but it's just a lot to think about right now and I don't think we should rush into things."
"We're not going to rush, we'll take it slow. I think you're just afraid because you know that someone wants to settle down with you and that this man *points to self with thumbs* isn't willing to take no for an answer and maybe you're not quite used to that yet."
"Yeah, you have a point…but we still haven't decided what we're going to do about El."
"Well, if we're both parenting her, then why not just parent together?"
"*wheezes* You've lost your damn mi-"
"*holds side of arm, stares into eyes* I'm serious, Joyce. *sighs* I am possibly the worst single dad in the world. I mean, I love El dearly, I know that, and I try to protect her the best that I can, but work always keeps me away when she needs me the most. I don't always handle things well either, but you put me at ease and straighten me out. I need you as much as I need her and she needs me."
"I guess we have no other choice than to share custody of her because I'm not willing to give her up without a fight."
"*laughs lightly* Well, alright then...Coparenting it is!" he said, extending his hand to shake hers.
*Joyce smiles*
And after shaking hands, they both froze in place, intensely staring into one another's eyes as they held their grip. Whenever they looked into each other's eyes, it was almost as if there was this invisible laser or beam of light connecting them from pupil to pupil, losing themselves in time. Joyce's were a brown so deep, fast-moving, and alert as a doe in traffic lights. His, on the other hand, were a heavy blue with a clarity that felt so genuine and honest, even for someone who was known to compulsively lie from time to time.
Suddenly breaking their gaze, he looked down at their hands and rubbed hers with his thumb before letting go. Then, Hop turned and looked away, sensing that someone else was in the room. And then he cleared his throat and pointed to Murray with his eyes, signaling Joyce that they should let go.
"Ah, I thought I heard you two! I hope I'm not interrupting anything...I would've come out sooner, but you know, can't beat the terribly misunderstood, compelling mind of Sigmund Freud!" Murray said jovially.
"*groans* You don't actually believe that crap, do you?" asked Hop.
"I will admit that his theory of fixation is one step too far, but some of his theories while bizarre have some truth to them, don't you think? The unconscious mind, for instance, and the unconscious desires and motivations behind our behaviors."
"Murray, please, this is why no one buys your theories because you read up on lunatics like Freud for pleasure!"
Joyce just stood and watched these fools launch into debate after debate throughout their stay. It was quite entertaining.
"*laughs* You've always been my #1 fan…" Murray joked. "*grabs shoulder* It's good to have you back, Jim."
When Hop did nothing in return to Murray's truce, Joyce looked at him funny and nudged him until he returned his kindness.
"Good to be back," he said, grabbing his shoulder as well.
And the three continued to catch up a bit for a while until Murray grew irritable.
"*yawns* Well, it is way past my bedtime and you two already interrupted my sleep cycle three times in one night, so if you want this face to stay happy, I suggest we continue this conversation tomorrow and call it a night," said Murray.
"I thought you said you were reading…" said Joyce.
"And why do you think that is? It's to relax me!"
"Ran out of vodka, huh?" Hop joked.
"Haha, very funny..." Murray said sarcastically with a smile that turned to a frown.
"Hop, he's right. We have to get back to the kids tomorrow, so we should probably just head straight to bed," said Joyce. "Um...Murr, where will we be sleeping?"
"Of course! How rude of me! What was I thinking! Joyce, you can stay in the guest room and Jim, you can sleep on the pull-out, if you want to, of course…"
"I've already got it all set up here, I'll just stick with that," said Hop.
"You sure, Jim? You haven't slept in a regular bed in a long time probably. I don't mind using the pull-out," said Joyce.
"No, I insist. I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Okay, well, if you're sure…"
"Well, I'll see you two lovebirds tomorrow. Oh, and if you need anything, don't come crying to me about it!"
*leaves room*
"Sheesh...Someone's cranky!" Joyce muttered.
"Tell me about it!" Hop said, laughing.
"Well, I guess this is goodnight…" said Joyce.
"Yeah, I guess it is," said Hop.
Then they pulled into what was at first, a quick, friendly hug, with Joyce rubbing his back and saying "Night, Hop." But things didn't go quite as she had intended them to, as the hug lingered from the very moment he drew her forehead towards his lips and kissed it dearly. "Goodnight," he said. Then, naturally, as his chin tilted downward and away from her skin, his face leveled down, coming in to contact with hers. And eventually, she gave in to the pressure, she gave in to her primal urge to lean in. And pausing for a moment, they remained face to face.
Hop was ready to kiss her any minute then, but he didn't want to initiate their first one for two reasons: 1. Joyce had been very clear with him that she wanted to take things slow because being a single mom and all, she had every right to want to protect her heart a little & 2. He didn't want to start something they couldn't finish. But to Joyce, Hop was a package left on her doorstep, just waiting to be opened. And as it turns out, she quit listening to reason the moment she was alone with him, as she got up on her tippy toes and aggressively grabbed ahold of each of his cheeks, the ferocity inside her finally coming out as she pulled him in for their first kiss since high school.
It was passionate and relieving, a breath of fresh air that somehow left them breathless and hungry for more. And as he drew away from the comfort that her face brought his own, his mouth hung open like an unset trap, waiting for the moment to pounce.
And simultaneously, each of their wrists crossed, brushing against each other as each of their hands reached out for a face to hold. He leaned in gently and gingerly at first, but then moved in further on her mouth, pushing movement from the cheeked pockets of his mouth to the puff of his lips as they latched onto hers. His mustache swept across the top of her lip like a paintbrush, a friendly greeting to her face. And his eyebrows crinkled inward and flattened with pleasure, involuntarily shaking his head because of how ridiculously good it felt to kiss her.
Pulling away, his nose resting on top of hers as they breathed heavily and in sync, both staring down ground then eventually at each other. Both of their mouths remained ajar, their lips bobbing up and down slightly as if they were both at a loss for words. And as he let go, she hopped down from his height.
Staring into her eyes inquisitively, he looked at her for a sign. Any sign would do, maybe just a simple permissive nod, a word of encouragement, an eager stare, any little gesture or implication really...Would she let him go any further? Take things to the next level perhaps? Or would she stop in his tracks? Get stingy with her pot of gold?
His answer lied amongst those bedroom eyes of hers. It appeared to be staring him right in the face this whole time, the movement of her eyebrows being a mating dance in itself. And suddenly, they just went for it. Their hands snaked around one another's necks in a swirl, with Hop's hugging Joyce around her waist and pulling her into an embrace.
"*pulls away* Wait, do you have a-?"
*Hopper nods*
*kissing resumes*
Clothes flew off in a hurry as they stumbled over to the bedroom, shutting the door behind them, this time, paying no mind to those last 3 inches...And the rest was history!
"Wow…" he said afterward.
"Yeah! *smiles and nods*" said Joyce, her eyes nearly popping out of her head with enthusiasm.
"I haven't fooled around with you like that in a long time…"
"Yeah, it feels like only yesterday we were in high school and now both of our kids are!"
And suddenly, she went back into Mom mode, feeling the need to put her guard up a little.
"You know, I don't usually do this on the first date...or in this case before!"
"I know you don't. No one's judging you here..." he said, grabbing her bare shoulder and rubbing his hand along the side of her arm.
"Yeah, I mean, life's too short to just 'go steady' anymore…"
"Well, I'd say by the looks of it, Murray finally got through to us after all!" he said.
"Yeah, I feel kind of bad though...We probably ruined his sheets."
"Hey, he got what he wanted, okay? With all of that meddling, he was practically asking for it."
"*sighs* The kids are so going to be onto us though…"
"I won't tell if you won't!"
"Can't say I'm disappointed to be sleeping in the same bed as you..."
*Hopper smiles, kisses*
"Hey, speaking of that, we should probably hit the hay if we're going to get back to the kids on time tomorrow," said Joyce.
"Is it 3 am already?"
"I'm afraid so…" she said.
"Oh, don't do that now…"
"Do what?"
"Bite your lip like that."
"Oh, please!"
"What? It's too sexy! I can't handle it..." he said, chuckling.
"Fine, but you can't do that thing you do anymore then."
"What thing? There's a thing?"
"Yeah, you know, the thing, where you stick your tongue out the corner of your mouth slightly when someone's outsmarted you."
"I do not…" he protested.
"Oh, you so do! Anyway, it's silly…"
"No, it's not! Tell me more."
"Okay," she said with a smile. "Well, I guess I find it pretty hot when you make a perfect shot and blow on your gun afterward…"
"Really? That's what does it for you?"
"Oh yeah, especially when you wear that hat of yours...Makes you look like a cowboy or something!"
"So, you have a thing for cowboys, is that what I'm hearing?"
"*playfully hits* I said no such thing! You are twisting my words...*blushes*"
"*gasps* You do! You have a fetish!"
"Come again?"
"Sure," he crudely joked, making his eyebrows dance to guarantee a laugh from her.
Slowly cracking a smile at his dirty joke, they both broke out into a fit of laughter. Realizing that Murray was sound asleep, however, Joyce covered Hop's mouth with her hand, holding a finger to her lips as she shushed him.
"Hold your horses, I've got an idea..." he said, holding up a hand which told her to wait.
He then got out of bed and ran over to the living room, picking up his hat and holding it behind his back as he returned to the bedroom with a rascally, knowing little smirk on his face.
"Hop, what are you up to?" she asked.
Then he placed the hat on her head, tipping the rim forward in a pinch between his fingers.
"Howdy!" she said jokingly.
"*sighs* You never cease to find new ways of turning me on, do you?" he asked rhetorically. "What do you say? You up for another round?"
"Don't you mean...round up?" she asked with a seductive twang as she climbed on top of him.
"*reaches for pack of rubbers* You had me at howdy," he said, almost desperately, smothering her in a kiss followed by a sniffly exchange of breath.
[Several moments later]
"Yee-haw..." he said afterward in the most monotone, Hopper way possible.
*Joyce laughs*
"*laughter fades into sigh, throws hat across room like frisbee* Goodnight, Hop," she said, kissing his cheek and turning away as she turned off the light and pulled the covers over her shoulder.
"Goodnight...partner," he said in her ear, rolling over to spoon her as she started dozing off.
*smile emerges across face*