#hopper proceeds to try to kick them both out of his house

[apple-cider-vinegarrr]

Luca au ft Mike being a little shit

[kaypeace21]

The fathers of Stranger Things:  (narrative analysis)

This analysis will discuss all the dads in st. But will mostly focus on the parallels between Brenner, Lonnie, Neil,and Hopper. And the ramifications on their kids.And no i’m not saying Hopper is necessarily as bad as these other fathers/doesn’t have his reasons. But i think the parallels are worth mentioning.

Cycles of Ab*se  & internalizing your father’s teachings

Baseball-We see in s2 the cycle of abuse is there- Billy mimics Neil, and then Max mimics Billy. And uses violence to stand up for herself- which earlier she said she was trying to combat … explaining she can be angry like Billy sometimes but she never wants to be like him (her nickname symbolizing this: aka ‘mad max’).  

We see in s3 Neil taught Billy baseball and bullied him  and called him a “p*ssy” so Billy as a child bullied others and calls them a “p*ssy” (internalizing his father’s teachings and probably venting his anger towards his father on to others). We also see Billy in s2 antagonizes max and demands “say it. say it!”And later Max yells at Billy “say it! say it” and attacks him with a bat. Showing that even Neil has influenced her to a certain extent (via Billy’s ab*se of Max). 

We also see in s3 when Will is frustrated he destroys cb (a symbol of his artistic ambition/the day his father left) and destroys it with a  baseball bat (and then we see the mf officially return) . We also see in s2, Will has a baseball next to the mf drawing (in his room). This is noteworthy due to the fact Jonathan in s1 asks if Will even likes baseball or is just doing it to appease his father. in s1, Will admits he isn’t a fan of baseball -showing how this ‘interest’ in baseball in later seasons just reflects his desire to win his father’s approval (through more sterotypically masculine hobbies).  And we see how both Neil & Lonnie taught both their sons baseball- who are both named William -and who they would call  “f*gs”. We also see in s1 Jonathan lugs around a baseball bat & his father’s gun -however neither tool is used by him in the end successfully. However, in s3 we see Jonathan using an axe (like Joyce) showing by this point he’s mostly taken on Joyce’s influence. 

El’s spying , fighting the Russians, and  lack of care for her safety shows she internalized Brenner’s teachings- We know in s1 El was trained to be a spy/weapon against the soviets (by Brenner). And in later seasons when it comes to her interpersonal relationships- she continues to spy on everyone around her.  she spies on Mike despite his vocal discomfort in s3. Brenner specifically tells her to spy and repeat the words the guys are saying back to him- which is exactly what she does to Lucas and Mike (spying on them and repeating their words back to Max). And when Mike is concerned for her safety we also have El mimic Brenner’s words (from s1) . in s1 she is also said to be taken by Brenner to be a “weapon to fight the commies” and in s3 that’s exactly what she did!  She does literally everything Brenner ever wanted from her!!!!!!!

Jonathan & Billy’s fights with Steve (reflect their father issues... which Steve accidentally triggered)- We see Billy and Jonathan both shoved into walls by their father’s . For Billy this is in a direct consequence of Max running away and for Jonathan- Will’s disappeareance. Billy first shoves Lucas into the wall similarly to Neil. And both Jonathan and Billy are told to “STOP”.

Billy also breaks a plate over Steve’s head. What’s interesting to note is in s3 we see Billy’s mother threw a plate at  Billy’s father (so he was mimicking the dysfunction he saw as a child). kind of like how in s3 he backhands max (mirroring how neil backhanded his mother in the s3 flashback). 

When it comes to jonathan we see jonathan tell nancy to leave and it’s “not worth it” to argue with Steve. However he stops in his tracks when Steve says he’s “like his father”. Then Steve proceeds to insult his family. And  eventually Jonathan who throughout every season is generally portrayed as non confrontational attacks steve. similarly when Billy and Jonathan are beating Steve (who is laying on the ground)-multiple people are yelling for them to stop.But both are in too much of a triggered daze to stop themselves. Even when the cops come- Jonathan elbows the cop in the face and kicks steve with handcuffs on and even says handcuffed for the cop to “get off’ (like he told Lonnie earlier). 

Both would rather do this to their own fathers-but Steve (and the cops) were used as their proxy instead. The fights might reflect what the boys have been taught by their fathers-aka vi*lence. Also on some subconscious level jonathan may have been like-oh you think i’m like my dad? I’ll show you what my dad is like (beats steve with no mercy).

***also, tw se*ual ab*se (you can skip)-during the jonathan fight they also bring up the “pervy photo sesh”- which jonathan took right after seeing his father. in the movies said to inspire s4 they often had a se*ually ab*sive dad/relative who would take innaproriate pics of his kids.uuuuugh. So jonathan may have just been mimicking that past behavior of his father. ugh.***

father’s ab*se  reflects the supernatural

*if you know about my did theory-part 1 and 2 you’ve heard this stuff in detail but i’ll just give a brief synopsis 

- The demogorgan that attacks Will in s1 is  a demon called the “deep FATHER” in d&d.

-El first comes across the demogorgon  (“deep father” ) eating it’s own eggs- symbolically this shows the ‘father’ is hurting it’s own kids ( a motif in the show)!

hunting/baseball/trunks connecting to Lonnie and the monsters:  Will is attacked by the demogorgan in Lonnie’s old shed (and Will tries to defend himself with Lonnie’s old hunting gun). The demogorgan jumps on Jonathan and knocks the bat out of his hands, when he tries defending himself from the demogorgan( both activities: hunting/baseball Lonnie taught the boys).  We also see the demogorgan also attack hunters and a deer- a ref to the lonnie & Jonathan hunting story about Bambi. In s1 we see Jonathan check Lonnie’s trunk to see if Will is there . But also we see the mf throw heather and later her parents in the trunk as well. Also when Jonathan starts talking car repair lingo in s3 -Will senses the mf (since Lonnie repaired cars as a hobby in s1). When lonnie returns in s1 jonathan asks Joyce “did that thing (demogorgan ) come back?” And when Lonnie says he explored around the quarry-jonathan mentions how the demogorgan only traveled a few miles  around his house. When Lonnie says “someone should be held accountable” for what happened to Will- it transitions from lonnie hammering a nail into the wall to Mike piercing a pencil into paper explaining the hole in the upsidedown and how Will got trapped there- hinting at how Lonnie causing trauma to Will is the explanation for everything supernatural. Also need to point out how we zoom in on the lightbulb in Lonnie’s shed (after Will is taken) and they later zoom in on a red lighbulb (when Jonathan tears the innappropriate photos down from the red room) and then it transitions to the christmas lights. And then we see Lonnie berate Jonathan and there’s a glowing lightbulb beside Lonnie (to mirror him to the demogorgan).

-flowers & monstrous fathers: when Brenner (”papa”) first hurts Terry on a hospital bed she wakes up with sunflowers next to her bed. Lonnie in s1 is shown to have a sunflower blanket, and in s2 we see a sunflower book next to Will’s bed after he has a nightmare. We also see that the demogorgan ( ”deep father’-also called the “the man without a face” in s1 ) have a face that resembles a flower. Brenner also gave El a flower when on her bed (although not a sunflower) before forcing her to face the demogorgan for the 1st time.

I believe  credit goes to the tumblr user lazy-storm-cloud for noticing Lonnie’s sunflower blanket. I noticed most of the flower imagery but never noticed that blanket until they mentioned it.

-supernatural “wounds” connecting to Will,  El, Kali and fathers.The lab workers say the upsidedown’s influence over crops/hawkins is “spreading”  while joyce says the tunnels Will drew are also “spreading”. Will says his now-MEMORIES” (connected to the mf-who parallels lonnie) are “growing, spreading, and killing.” Later, Kali in reference to Brenner says her wounds “spread” because she didn’t address her pain caused by Brenner (her papa). And when kali creates a brenner-double he says El has a terrible wound that’s “growing, spreading, and eventually it’ll kill you.” (if not addressed) and they don’t stand up against their father.

-doors connecting to problematic fathers: We see Will in s1 have a sign on his bedroom door that says “do not enter”. And he also requires a password for cb for people to enter. When joyce in s1 hears aggressive knocking on the door she assumes it’s lonnie and says to “go away, Lonnie”.  In s1 we the demogorgan unlock the door telepathically and chase Will. later we see Will stare at the shed door terrified as the demogorgan sneaks up  behind him. in s2 we see the mf slam open the arcade door by itself, and also open his house door in the same manner . when the house door opens it zooms in on the back of his neck- which indicates it’s based off an old memory-a now memory.  We have El also telepathically unlock people’s doors in a similar fashion-not respecting such boundaries. And El asks in s1e1 for the door to stay open.  And Neil, Hopper, and Billy  angrily yell to “OPEN THE DOOR!!!!!” And Hopper slams doors open demanding they stay 3 inches open. We also see El enter a door in the void to see Heather being attacked in a tub and entering the darkness.

tubs:brenner forces El into a sensory deprivation tank. Later El refers to it as a “tub” after seeing the byers tub. we later see the mf is afraid of the byers’ tub. And tub iconography shows up for billy & heather. the s4 movies hint at Will having a tra*matic memory occurring in the tub.

The fathers of St  (recap):

Brenner (“papa” to El and Kali). He forces El into a dark room for hours when she doesn’t obey him. At one point tries to force her to k*ll an animal.  Given the way she ate at Benny’s- he may have starved her as another form of punishment.He allows El no ability to express herself (and dresses her in a masculine/androgounous way) and bans her from the outside world. He tries using a calm-kind demeanor to try and manipulate mothers (Joyce & Karen) into thinking he cares about their kids. And uses El as a weapon/spy .  He would read to El and give her flowers and  a lion plushie . in the st novel  (suspicious minds) he compared the children/numbers to  “rabbits” he could “hurt”.

Lonnie-(dead beat dad of Jonathan and Will). divorced.Forced Jonathan to k*ll a rabbit. It’s implied he has thrown his kids in his dark car trunk  (since Jonathan checks if Will is lonnie’s trunk in s1). He tries manipulating Joyce into thinking he cares about Will. But he just wanted to use Will’s death to make money. He canonically-joked about his son dissappearing. And insulted his ex wife. Then when he realizes he can profit off his son’s death-who he hasn’t seen in years. He leaves his 20-something live in gf, flirts with Joyce calling her “babe”. And pretends to care for Will and the rest of his family. Then gaslights them when they call out his bs. He also has called Will a “f*g” and it’s implied he forced Will to hunt/play baseball. He also shoves Jonathan into a wall. He can have a relatively calm demeanor like Brenner-but then blows up. He smokes, and it’s implied he may be an alcholic since beer cans are littered all over his house. Will has lion plushie in cb (and since lonnie means ‘lion’ it may have been given to him by Lonnie?). He  (like Hopper) implies Joyce is mentally ill and that she’s hallucinating due to grief-and says she’s going to go “over the edge” mirroring Hopper’s words about Joyce in s1. 

Neil- divorced.Calls Billy a “f*got”, and forced him to play baseball. He later shoves his son into a wall and slaps him. He has a calm demeanor and then yells to make his points with Billy.  He also yells at first wife cause romantically jealous. Him & Lonnie both have fights with their ex wives where the phrase “I’m not lying to you” is used. 

Hopper- divorced.in s1-3 we see he smokes, pops pills,  and is an alocholic. The pilot pitch explicitely states he is . He is shown to have anger issues, sells out El’s location to Brenner in s1. In s2 threatens to send her back to her ab*sers if she doesn’t listen to him/ stay isolated from the outside world. dresses her androgonously and tries controlling her romantic relationships. He yells at Joyce cause romantically jealous . joyce annoyed at Hopper: “yes everyman i speak to is my boyfriend”. El says “you are like papa.” And in the pilot Brenner and Hopper were said to dress similarly. And Murray says to Joyce that Hopper is a “brute” who “reminds (her) of a (past) bad relationship”. Aka Lonnie. 

Steve’s dad- is called an “asshole” by Steve and it’s implied he cheats on his wife.

heather’s dad - is sexist to Nancy and cold to his wife. We see Heather (who is the same age as Nancy) has some hidden resentment towards him.

Sam (Max’s dad)- divorced/out of the picture like Lonnie. in the novel ‘runaway max’ is said to be a criminal who often took Max to shady places/bars. And also taught her how to pick door locks-similar to how Jonathan picked a car lock open in s1 like max with a door in s2.

Dustin’s dad- also out of the picture ? dead... maybe?

Recap: Parallels of fathers

forced their kids to k*ll animals/violence toward rabbits/throws kids in dark places/gave their kids lion plushies/tries unsuccessfully to manipulate mother’s  into thinking he cares for their kids: Lonnie & Brenner

taught kids shady stuff like how to pick locks: Lonnie & Sam 

are described as poor/called their sons “f*gs”/forced sons to play baseball/slam sons into walls/have their sons attack Steve/have sons who are into hard rock music: lonnie & Neil

“i’m not lying to you”-:Neil/ex wife and Lonnie/joyce

dr*gs/smokes/alochol ab*se/womanizers/hunters: lonnie & Hopper

imply Joyce is wrong about the supernatural and is just mentally ill: Lonnie and Hopper. Both use a similar expression of her being on “the edge”.

lie to Joyce: Lonnie and Hopper (specifically lies claiming he took her advice and uses that lie to try and get a date with her)

Gave them cat plushies: Lonnie,Brenner, possibly hopper with sara’s tiger 

being connected to flowers: Brenner & Lonnie

yell at love interest when romantically jealous:Neil and Hopper in s3

Hopper: compared to Lonnie (by Murray in s3) and Papa/brenner (by el in s2). in the original pilot Brenner & Hopper were supposed to look similar. Brenner was supposed to have a beard, and wear jeans and plaid shirts similar to hopper in s1. it’s also interesting to note how Hopper started to look more like Neil -they’re both blondes-and in s3 they have matching moustaches (and billy started growing out a moustache in s3-mirroring him becoming a mini neil too).

dress El in masculine clothes/isolate her from outside world/spy on El/read to El:Hopper & Brenner

calm demeanor but quick to anger/ also divorced: Hopper, lonnie, Neil

yells to “open the door”: Neil, Hopper, (and possessed Billy) .it’s also implied Lonnie can pick door locks open.

outliers

jonathan - In the pilot pitch he’s described as taking on the father role for Will (after Lonnie left).  However, he is often paralleled to the mothers of st. Most likely because he never had a healthy father figure- and distrusts even good men like Bob- so models his parenting behavior more so on maternal figures. We see  Jonathan being paralleled to the mothers taking photos of their kids on Halloween, and Jonathan being paralleled to Karen twice.  We even see him bored/annoyed in s2 watching the film “mr mom” since the comedic premise was haha - dad has to stay at home- cook for their kids , drive them to school, do laundry, whaaa how can a man do that ... look it’s so hard  ? isn’t that what moms do instead? All things Jonathan does without literally tripping over himself and failing like the older male film character, initially does .  He also in canon helps pay for the mortgage. We also see Jonathan is unlike the other problematic fathers (who demand entry into their kid’s room) since we see him knock on Will’s door and get verbal permission before entering Will’s room in s2 (respecting Will’s sign). Similar to joyce ringing cb’s doorbell and getting verbal permission from Will to enter.We also see on Halloween Jonathan mocks Bob but when Will defends him Jonathan later mimics Bob telling Will “hope it doesn’t suck” (in a vampire voice) showing at least subconsciously he was mirroring the parenting-like behavior from Bob (since Will liked Bob). So Bob became the first male he used as an inspiration for his ‘parenting style’.

Ted-  is shown in direct opposition to Lonnie.In s1 we see Ted help Mike put on a tie mentioning to Mike it has to be a “little tight” and that it “looks good”. And  after this scene: we see Jonathan struggle to put on a tie (and then ripping it off in frustration-signifying his lack of a father figure that could have taught him how to do this when younger). So in s3 we see Jonathan’s ties are always poorly done and slightly loose around his neck. The same season Jonathan comments about how Nancy’s dad makes 6 figures and his dad “isn’t even around”. He finacially supports his family. cuddles Holly on his fav laze-boy and takes her to fairs. Wants to comfort Mike after Will dies (but listens to Karen to give him time). Has Karen tell Mike that if he wants to talk to him about Will’s death- he can call him at work and he’ll come home for Mike. His calm demeanor seems genuine -unlike the other father figures who quickly lose their cool facade (Ted has never yelled at his kids). Even when kids yell or insult him he doesn’t lose his cool. Worst things he’s done: told kids to stop cursing, naps alot, gives an outdated football analogy about How Mike needs to stop acting out . Why st fans claim he’s a bad dad : boring af aka the human embodiment of wonder bread, in loveless marriage,  and not rambo-esque like Hopper so people act like he’s a horrible dad in comparison to Hopper. Despite being a  more stable parent in the normal everyday situations.

Lucas’ dad- unfortunately we saw very little of him. But he seems somewhat similar to Ted. He’s nice and gives somewhat dated  advice at the table to his son-like Ted did. He seems like a mellow, chill dude, who finacially supports his family. But,Unlike karen/ted it seems like he loves his wife and vice versa.

Bob-the wannabe stepdad-  as the first romantic interest after Lonnie-He contrasts him. He doesn’t do drugs or smoke.  Is emotionally vulnerable with Joyce and vice versa. He never makes fun of Will or Joyce’s mental health issues. he relates to Will -who was bullied as a kid, and is into computers, comics, and was in av club (just like Will). He is supportive of Will’s non-manly interests and encourages those interests (bringing brain puzzles, and board games over when told Will is sick).  Unlike Lonnie who tried to force ‘manly’ interests on to Will. He isn’t mad when Will busts his brand new camera but is simply concerned that Will is being bullied. He’s also shown being concerned about Will’s mental health. He helps joyce with little things like finding her keys and taking Will to school. His happy calm demeanor  is genuine-and he is never shown yelling in anger. He kindly disagrees with joyce on the ‘ drawings on the walls game’ cause he was concerned it wasn’t good for Will’s mental health (and tells her she can talk more about Will’s issues). He sacrifices himself to save Will, joyce and everyone around him.  And unlike Hopper- Bob was never jealous or mean to joyce about the men in Joyce’s life. Bob was serious about Joyce and the boys-he wanted them to be his family and move them near his own blood relatives. We see he had an impact on the boys at the end of s2- Will drawing the “bob newby superhero” drawing and Jonathan using Bob’s camera. 

[whirlybirbs]

ok but like big dad hop cooking miss murphy a ‘romantic’ dinner n making the most Disastrous meal ever n freaking out big time hop style is my kink

summary: our favorite chief of police burns dinner but doesn’t ruin date night. pairing: hopper x teacher!reader, from my fic moonrise radio.a/n: disaster dad is jim hopper’s middle name, u know i’m right.     

“What are you going to make?”

Hopper’s already on edge. And the date isn’t for another twelve hours. He’s still got the whole day ahead of him -- and as he sips his coffee and sets aside some bacon onto El’s plate, he shrugs. 

“I, uh, I dunno -- what should I make?”

“Eggos.”

She’s smirking into her eggs. 

Jim barks a laugh, making his daughter snort softly. “Yea, kid, why not?”

“Romantic.”

“I dunno about that,” he says, settling in and digging into his cereal, “I’ll think of somethin’ though.”

“You got this.”

Yeah, yeah, he does.

Or so he thought. 

Until the universe decided to take a fat shit on his day.

It’s not even 10am when he’s dealing with a rabid fox on library’s property that successfully chased him (him of all people, not Callahan or Powell, him the biggest out of them all) up a swing-set in front of the crowded windows of the library where parents and children alike watched the whole thing play out.

By noon he’s throwing a cuffed Frank Dawn, the town drunk, in the back of his cruiser where he unceremoniously pukes everywhere. And Hop means everywhere. He’s sure there are chunks on the dash. Guys’s got good projection.

At roughly 4pm, Jim is dragged from Flo’s recipe book by a call about a ruptured sewage line downtown. For the following hour and a half, he’s stuck directing traffic, smelling literal shit, in the heat of the September sun. 

It’s not until 6pm that he finally gets out of the office, only to be stopped by sweet, old Mrs. Samson asking him about her missing cat for thirty minutes.

Safe to say he speeds to the grocery and does double the limit on the way home.

“Shit, shit shit shit shit shit --”

He throws the Blazer in park and leaps from the driver’s seat, hopping out of his boots the second he’s threw the door. He hauls ass, throwing his hat across the room and quickly pulling the meat from the freezer bag and starting a burner -- he’s stripping his uniform as he moves through the cabin, trying his best to straighten up as the 7pm nears. 

And then he smells himself.

“Oh god --”

Shower curtain pulls. Water on. He’s in. Something’s burning. He’s out. Shower curtain pulled. 

“Oh, Christ.”

He’s got the towel around his hips, water dripping on the floor, as he pushes the hamburger around in the pan and starts browning the other side. Hopper tosses the spatula beside the oven on the counter, moving fast into his bedroom and leaping into a pair of jeans. He’s swearing as he buttons up another brightly colored shirt, pushing his hair back as he muscles on a pair of kicks and skids into the kitchen to get to work on dicing the vegetables. 

In the fray, he manages to put a record on, pour wine, and regain some semblance of composure.

And then there’s a knock at the door.

He freezes completely.

You got this. 

He pulls open the door so fast, your hair flies.

His composure is out the window the second he sees you.

You’re grinning, face bright with an amused expression as he bawks and blinks and swallows and tries to remember what words are. 

(He’s distracted by your own bright sweater / black denim mini-skirt combo -- your legs look longer than usual, black heeled boots giving you some height and stopping right below your knees. It’s not the look of a science teacher. It’s the look of a woman who could kick his ass and he’d say thank you.)

“Uh, hi.”

“Hi,” you parrot, laughing a little, “You alright?”

“Yeah -- yeah, I’m great, you... you look great --”

“I mean, I figured if it was a date...”

God, he’s dead. He’s dead and this is heaven and his bones are jello. 

“Come on in -- I, uh, I thought I’d make tacos -- it’s Flo’s recipe so it should be good.”

You grin and follow him in. Dropping your purse on the small table by the door, you take in the cozy space with a wide smile. Jim moves across the room, into the kitchen, and prods at the meat in the skillet before double taking back at you. His gaze is stuck like glue as you poke around, smiling sweetly at some of the art on the walls.

“Tacos sound really good.”

You look right at him when you say it.

He feels like he’s been punched in the gut. 

In the background, an old Derek & the Dominos record spins out the tune of the song “Layla” and Hopper realizes no song could really be more fitting.

“Does wine sound good, too?”

You laugh, arms crossed. “I think so, yeah.”

And then it happens.

He moves, a little too quick and never realizing how big he really is in a space so small, a space he’s called home for nearly two years now, and unceremoniously elbows his own glass of wine as he offers you some and over the glass goes, right onto the gas burner and FWOOSH!

“SHIT!”

“Oh my god --”

He’s swatting at the fire with a dish towel now, coughing as smoke billows from mini explosion that’s left the meat charred and the wallpaper behind the stove blackened. Hopper is quick to chuck a glass of water on the charred embers of the meal before dropping his hands to his knees and taking a long exhale.

You’ve got your hands over your mouth when the fire alarm starts.

Hopper is cursing when he moves through the cabin, storming towards the little alarm in question and decidedly yanking it out of the wall.

You bite your lip and hold back a laugh.

And then Hopper starts laughing.

But, not a good laugh -- no, this is the laugh of a man who was nearly bitten by a rabid fox, puked on by the town drunk, directing shit traffic; a man who just royally fucked up dinner and whose heart rate hasn’t dropped below 140 since he’s been home.

“Ohhhh, man.”

“Hop,” you says slowly, worry on your face, “You’ve got the crazy eyes --”

“I just fucked up our date -- okay, I... This is just the icing on the cake, y’know? I told El, I said, I’ve got this and I jinxed it. i jinxed myself.”

You chew your lip as he moves to chuck the pan in the sink.

“Rough day?”

He plants his hands on the sink.

“You have no idea.”

Taking a step forward, you move to put both your hands on his back. You give his shoulders a little rub, face soft as he sighs and hangs his head. 

“Hey,” you offer slowly, “Why don’t we order a pizza and you can tell me all about it?”

There’s a pause.

“You... -- really?”

You swat at Hop’s arm as he turns, eyeing you with a skeptical look. “Stop it.”

“I’m serious.”

“And so am I. Pizza, wine, some Chips re-runs...” you offer slowly, patting his chest and smoothing down the collar of his button down, “Sounds like a pretty good date to me. I’ll even drive us to Hawkins House of Pizza because I doubt they’ll deliver to your little cabin in the woods, Chief.”

His hands fall along your arms, sweeping in slow circles as a smile cracks and it’s like the sun parting through the clouds. He ducks his head. “Alright.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he says, holding lingering on your arms as you move to grab your purse and keys, “But I’m paying.”

“Fat chance.”

His brows raise as you skirt out the door leaving him to follow -- and he does; long strides carry him into the late, fall air and into the cab of your old Camaro. You’re a real sight to see in the driver’s seat, all heeled boots and miniskirt, as you back out and peel onto the main road towards the lone pizza shop in town. 

“Sorry I burned dinner,” he says with a smile, finally starting to relax.

You laugh loudly. “Burned? Hop, you cremated it.”

He snorts, digging out a cigarette and lighting it. In the light of the dashboard, he looks handsome -- not that that’s new. He’s always handsome. But, right now, he looks like a dream. He cranks the window down and exhales, leaning to eye you.

“Guess that’s what I get for tryna impress a pretty girl like you.”

He’s got that voice he puts on -- low and slow and a rumble that you’re sure has worked on plenty of other women before you. You spare him a roll of your eyes as you pull into the parking lot of the bustling Hawkins House of Pizza and throw the car in park. 

You walk a little closer to him than usual.

You sure don’t complain when he throws an arm over your shoulder in the close quarters of the bustling pizza shop. 

(Hop is sweating as he does it -- the bold gesture of affection is received well, though, and his gut turns to butterflies when you wrap your arm around his middle and lean into him.)

You order two large pies, an order of fries and a brownie to split -- and proceed to battle out for paying at the register.

The teenager, who’s unimpressed and un-enthused as you swat at Hopper’s hand and drop your own twenty dollar bill, just rolls his eyes when you squeeze Hop’s side and urge: “You bought the fire starters -- I mean, dinner --”

Jim blinks down at you, shaking your shoulders in retaliation as he resigns and let it happen. “Fine, fine! Fine. Whatever. I get the next one though.”

You perk up at the prospect of another date. 

“The next one, huh?” you ask as you carry the pizzas out, “There’s gonna be a next one?”

“I’d like a next one -- I dunno about you,” he says as he grunts and folds his long legs up against the dashboard as he settles into the Camaro, “Where maybe we scale it up a bit? Not a couch date?”

“What, like Enzo’s?”

You grin at him, flicking his arm as he muscles the pizzas into his lap.

Hopper tilts his head and shrugs as you start back towards his cabin. “I like Enzo’s.”

“Okay,” you smile, “Enzo’s.”

“You free Saturday?”

You peel into a sort of laughter that makes Hop glow. 

“So soon?”

���For the last three and a half weeks,” he begins, “I didn’t think -- that this was... y’know, I didn’t think you were into me. So, yea, so soon, because I am makin’ up for lost time.”

He’s got you wrapped around his finger. 

Without even thinking, you ask: “So, how about 8pm?”

“You wanna come back to my place after and watch some more Chips re-runs?”

His smile is warm.

How could you say no?

[screaminghalfpastmidnight]

stranger things 3

in which steve doesn’t end up working for his dad, hopper struggles to deal with a telekinetic teenage girl, life is supposed to start being normal when in actuality, the upside down is most definitely out to get them.

Starts straight after hop + el come back from closing the gate and then time skips to a bit after the snow ball

AO3

……….

The light from Billy’s scratched up Camaro was blinding. Not only that, but it was scorching hot. The group shielded their eyes while trying to ignore the burning sensation clawing at their skin. It lasted for a good minute, and then stopped very suddenly. The group exchanged glances as Steve inspected the lights of the car.

“Do you think that means she’s closed the gate?” Max said cautiously, looking at Mike, who had a firm look on his face.

“Either that or something bad has happened.” Lucas whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

“Nothing bad’s happened, okay? Nothing.” Mike responded with a certain look, though his voice couldn’t have been shakier.

“Alright, everyone in the car.” Steve huffed and ushered everyone in.

As Steve made his way toward the Buyers household, assuming the kids would scream at him if he took them anywhere else, he couldn’t help but notice the bouncing of Mike’s knee, the tapping of Dustin’s fingers, Lucas’ heavy breathing, and Max just looking downright confused, yet hesitant to ask anything.

He pulls over quickly, despite the kids protests, and turns around in his seat to look at them all.

“I’m not starting this car again until you all calm down.” The protests begin, the loudest being Mike, of course.

“Okay, okay, okay! The lab is an hours drive. There’s no way they’re already back, okay?” He moves to put his hand on Mike’s knee and gives him an expectant look.

After some hesitation, he replies so quietly, it was almost a whisper. “What if this kills her?”

“Hopper won’t let that happen.” Dustin says with so much certainty you’d think he’d scientifically calculated all the facts.

“Yeah, well we can’t exactly trust him right now.” Mike huffs.

“Seriously, Mike? Look I get you missed your girlfriend, I bet these guys did too, but what Hopper did was for the best. He saved her life. And yours, actually.”

“But-”

“No buts. Everything’s going to be fine.” Steve turns back around in his seat, pleased with his answer, though he’s not sure he even believes it.

“Can you at least go a little bit faster?” Lucas sighs.

“You keep complaining and I’ll start driving slower than your grandmas.”

“Hey! My grandma’s a damn good driver, okay!” Lucas defends. Steve chuckles to himself, and for a moment, loses himself in the goodness that is these kids. They shouldn’t have to deal with some alternate dimension full of alien-like creatures that are trying to attack them 24/7 and they shouldn’t have to deal with thinking their best friend (who basically has superpowers)  is dead and then have her randomly show up and save their asses, only to have her go off to her almost certain death only twenty minutes later. He’d been briefed a tiny bit on the story of Eleven, and you’d have to be an idiot to not know that Mike has a thing for her, but there was still so much he didn’t know, and as he’s driving these kids, these kids who he’s grown to love and would do anything to protect, back to a freezing house with a dead interdimensional being in the refrigerator, he can’t help but let millions of questions swirl around in his head.

When they finally reach the house, he does a quick sweep-over, notices that Billy is gone and all but collapses on the worn out Buyers couch. Lucas lies down beside him, and then Dustin in front and somehow they’re all able to squeeze on the tiny sofa, Steve’s arm wrapped around them both, while keeping a close eye on the other two members of the weird family he’s formed. Max has taken the liberty of being the lookout while Mike, as everyone had expected, is pacing the creaky wooden floors. Max hands him an ice pack, and he props up his head with his free arm and holds it against the growing bump. Twenty minutes pass, then thirty, then forty, and Mike, Max and Steve are more worried than ever. As for Dustin and Lucas, they’d both fallen asleep at the twenty minute mark, but no one can blame them.

Mike’s pacing is stressing him out more than the waiting, so Steve calls him over. Both Max and Mike fall into a weirdly-angled hug, but it’s appreciated nonetheless. They have to lean over Dustin and Lucas, but no one really cares.

“I’m scared.” Mike mutters, and Steve’s never seen him more vulnerable. Sure he was absolutely astonished at the emotion in his eyes when Eleven had returned and saved them from dying a very painful death, but knowing she’s in terrible danger and not being able to do anything? Steve really felt for the boy. He whispers in his ear, the same thing he’s been saying all night. The same thing he’s been trying to convince the kids and himself of.

“Everything’s going to be okay, kid.”

The two pull away and go back to where they were before, although Mike stops pacing, thank god.

Steve’s basically falling asleep, and he would’ve been a while ago, if it weren’t for the constant aching pain in his head. Still, he closes his eyes and tries to think of something else, tries to remember happier times, tries to figure out the answers to some of the questions he’s had since before Eleven walked in the door. However, just as he’s getting somewhere, he hears Max speak cautiously.

“Mike?” Steve opens his eyes just in time to see Mike turn his head towards the girl and raise his eyebrows.

“I don’t know Eleven.” She responds. “But, she seems like she can handle herself. I’m sure she’s kicking ass right about now.”

Steve gets a look at her brief soft smile, before she walks back toward the window.

“Hey, Max?” Mike looks hesitant, like he’s not sure what to say next, but knows he has to say something. Max moves closer to him, as if to encourage him to speak.

“I’m sorry.” He settles on. “For everything.”

The smile on Max’s face is probably bigger than it should be, but it puts a matching one on the other boy’s face.

“I was upset about El, and angry about Will, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“It’s okay.” Max shrugs. “I can kind of see why it would feel like I was replacing El. As if she could ever be replaced, though.”

“Yeah.” At this, Mike moves even closer. “Friends?”

Max’s smile doubles in size, and she nods her head excitedly. “Definitely. I knew I’d win you over eventually.”

“Oh, shut up.” Mike laughs as he pulls her in for a hug. It’s more comforting than he expected it could be and it lasts a pretty long time, but it’s well overdue. They’re broken up by a bright light coming closer to the driveway. They both scramble to the window and peer outside, careful not to be seen.

“It’s Jonathan’s car!” Mike all but yells. The two run towards the door, until Steve tells them to stop.

“Wait to make sure it’s them until you open the door and get us all killed.” Max goes over to the window and waits until the door on the driver’s side opens.

“It’s them.” Is all she says before Mike swings the door open and she’s following close behind him. Steve proceeds to wake the two sleeping kids up, while Will and Joyce barge through the door with Jonathan and Nancy close behind. Dustin and Lucas bolt up to hug their friend and Steve watches as a huge group hug ensues.

Nancy makes her way towards him with her hand covering her mouth as he tries his best to sit up. She reaches up to touch his face and he flinches. “God, Steve. What happened to you?”

“I’m fine.” He says as Joyce approaches. She runs her hand through his hair and frowns. Steve can’t help but feel like curling up in a little ball and crying. It’s been so long since he’s felt a motherly touch, but he pulls himself together as she inspects his face.

“What happened?” Joyce asks firmly, in a way that he knows he won’t be able to avoid the question.

“Actually, that’s something I need to talk to you and Hop about. It’s quite serious.” Joyce frowns yet again, and then nods.

“Let’s get you cleaned up until then.” She leaves to get the first aid kit from the kitchen and Nancy sits beside him as Jonathan walks towards them both.

“Holy shit.” He says as soon as he looks at Steve’s face.

“You should see the other guy.” He replies and he can feel Nancy giggle beside him.

“Of course you would make that joke.” She wipes a tear from her eye and wraps her arm around the man she loves (or loved, she’s still figuring that part out). He leans into her and Jonathan puts a hand on his shoulder, sitting on the arm of the sofa. Steve smiles, not even registering the fact that the three of them are in quite a sticky situation. Joyce comes back with the kit and starts tending to his wounds as he quietly jokes with Nancy, but mostly watches the kids across the room, who for a moment, have forgotten that there’s a big chance that none of this is over yet.

Mike makes his way over to them, and before he can get a word in, Nancy speaks worriedly, “Are you okay?”

“Does it look like I’m okay?” He snaps.

“Mike.” Steve says sternly. The boy’s stoic expression drops and he looks down. Nancy’s eyes flicker between the two.

“Sorry. I’m just…. You know.” Nancy nods and pulls her brother in for a hug, planting a kiss in his curls. She can’t help but feel kind of terrible. How is it that Steve gives her brother one look and he melts, but she can’t even get him to say “Hello.”

After their much needed hug, Steve ruffles Mike’s hair and he makes his way to Will and the gang.

When Joyce finishes, she put the kit away and checks on Will with Jonathan, and it’s just the two of them. It’s different from before though. He still loves her, but things are complicated now.

“I know we need to talk about us.” She starts. “I know I owe you an explanation and we need to figure out how to deal with-”

“How about tonight we just pretend like we don’t have to talk. Can we just be happy that we’re alive, just for tonight, and then get to all the hard stuff tomorrow?” He asks, his eyes hopeful that he won’t have to deal with a whole other aspect of pain.

She nods silently, and lets her head fall on his shoulder, only to raise it a few seconds later when a bright white light flashes onto the Buyers’ driveway. The kids practically jump on top of each other to get to the window, but Joyce makes it there first.

“Go on out.” She says, and yet again, Mike’s the first one out the door.

Just as Hopper’s helping Eleven out of the car, a swarm of teens (and Joyce) come at him. Eleven notices and runs towards them all, specifically Mike. He starts to think she was faking being weak, just so he would carry her. He watches as his girl runs into the arms of this boy, who’s probably been worried sick. He watches as Mike catches her with ease and breathes her in. He sees him speak (though he can only make out a few words), watches El nod, and watches Mike lead her inside. Joyce walks towards him and he leans against his truck.

“You okay?” He nods weakly, already feeling wary that he’s not right by Eleven’s side. Joyce pouts and pulls him in for a hug. The hug is just as much for her as it is for him, but that’s usually the way it is anyways. When it’s over, all too soon, she takes his hand and they walk in together.

When they get inside, El’s in the middle of giving Nancy a hug, and Hopper assumes she’s already hugged everyone else. As soon as her eyes land on Joyce, her face lights up and she all but runs towards her. She’s enclosed in a hug soon enough and Hopper ruffles her hair before going to get a beer from the fridge. Although, to his surprise, the beer is on the floor, along with all of the contents of the fridge, he’s assuming they took out to make room for the friggin’ demodog in there.

When everyone’s sat down, Mike explains his great idea to kidnap Steve and distract the demodogs, to which Dustin adds that demodogs are a scientific discovery and almost starts a fight with Joyce about where to keep it.

As the night goes on, Steve finds the time to pull the two adults to the side to discuss matters such as Billy and Max’s home life. Hopper agrees to keep a close watch on Max and her household, especially Billy, and Joyce offers to have Max stay with them whenever she needs to, to which Steve says he has that covered.

Over the next few hours, Steve is filled in on basically everything that happened with Eleven, being the only one who doesn’t know everything, and Eleven explains how she managed to survive after destroying the demogorgon the first time around. She also explains meeting her manipulative sister and finding out her mama’s braindead. She doesn’t seem to be in as bad of a shape as everyone thought she would be, mentally and physically. She is however, quite tired, as are the the rest of them.

Nancy calls her mom to cover up for her and Mike, Steve’s parents have been out of town for a while, Lucas and Dustin call their own parents, and Max assumes Billy will cover up for getting his ass kicked.

Soon, they’re all dog piled in blankets on the floor. Will gets to be on the couch because his body is still very weak from whatever sickness was just in him, then on the floor beside him is Jonathan, and then Joyce, Hopper, Eleven and Mike. Beside Mike is Nancy, and then Steve, who’s curled up with Dustin, Max and Lucas in his arms.

For a moment, this screwed up family, that’s been through so much, feels safe for the first time in a year. No monsters out to get them (as far as they know), no parents with millions of questions, no one’s gone missing, and yeah, they’ve lost. But, the ones that are still here, aren’t going anywhere.

At least not for tonight.