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Alternative Takes: Matter of Time

What if Joyce had gone over to Hopper’s that evening? Scene takes place in episode 3.01* Read this already? My Season 4 Moments Series is here.

Joyce’s stomach ached from something else besides hunger. Seeing Bob’s cartoon drawing on the fridge every night probably wasn’t helping. She’d pretend he was with her often on evenings like these, when the boys weren’t home. Ugh. She wished they were home now. It’d help distract her.

She twiddled her thumbs, changing the channel, finally sipping from her glass of Chianti, absentmindedly watching Cheers on the television.

Maybe you could do it for me— yeah you could. You could come over after work…

She shouldn’t go over there. Not yet. Not now. Not while she was grieving, guilt racking through her each and every night, lonely…

Wanna have dinner tonight? You could give me some more pointers.

I guess he really wouldn’t leave her mind.

Fiiiiine, her brain huffed at her, as she turned off the television and took a final swig from the glass, moving to put her uneaten lasagna back in the fridge.

This was a bad idea. But damn did she need a distraction. How much she didn’t want to be sitting here. By herself. Alone. Again. All her fault.

Was it?

Yes. Her brain always reminded her.

So going to see Hopper and help him with his daughter’s antics.. A good idea. They’re just friends anyway. Hanging out. It doesn’t mean anything. Nope.

But the way he had looked at her at Melvald’s-

Joyce was suspicious. She couldn’t get the warm feeling out of her belly since their hands had met on the prescription counter. She’d felt it earlier too. Before Bob. But she’d pushed past it.

Lately Hopper had been coming in to see her at the store more often. At first it was to check on Will, then to check on her, then after Bob. She felt guilty about it sometimes but loved seeing him and didn’t have it in her to ask him to stop. The shop wasn’t busy. And without the upside down around, it’s not like he had his own work to get to.

Worried she’d talk herself out of it, she grabbed her keys, walking straight to her car. The drive over to the cabin felt both like seconds and hours. Her brain was struggling. It’s not like she wasn’t ready to date. But it’s also possible Hopper didn’t mean to touch her hand like that? Didn’t mean to make that look?

Whatever. This certainly wasn’t a date. She reassured herself.

He just needs help with raising teenagers. And really, who doesn’t? She was just going over to help. Strategize a game plan.

She parked behind his police car and hopped out, heading straight for the door. It wasn’t super dark out yet, just after dusk. She knocked softly, suddenly regretting not calling first.

Hopper opened the door, surprised to see her.

“Hey.” He beamed.

“Hey.” She blushed. “I ah- I don’t know if I’m still invited over but I’m here to help.” Trying to maintain an ounce of confidence, she strode past him through the door instantly.

“So,” she sighed, putting her hands together and repeating. “I’m here to help! Where are they?”

Hopper laughed, shutting the door and turning to face her.

“Where are who?”

Was he joking?

“You know, the kids. Who keep kissing? I’m here to offer my version of a heart to heart. Whatever I can do to help.” With that, she saluted him.

He smiled, sitting down on the chair, starring up at her now crossed arms. She’s very serious tonight.

“Joyce, they’re not here.”

Her face slanted, awkwardly. “What? Where are they?”

He shrugged, “The mall? Not sure but Will might be there too?”

“Oh right, right.” She was pacing now, feeling both embarrassed and unsure. “Well.. sorry I barged in.”

I gotta get out of here.

“Woah, woah! Hey!” He chuckled, standing up as she headed towards the door. “I wanted your help. I wanted to see you.”

“Oh.”

A beat.

“Well, ugh, what can I help with? Do you wanna practice your speech again?” Her cheeks flushing.

He shook his head, confident she’d stay now, walking away from her and towards the kitchen. “What can I get ya?”

She saw him pull out whiskey and nodded. “Sure, that.” She wasn’t knowledgeable on the forms of liquor. Maybe it’d help her relax.

He laughed, poured a glass for them both.

“Oof,” Joyce sighed, laughing a little as she sat on his couch, kicking her feet into the air, unsure. “I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

Hopper laughed, “You’re here to help me!”

She smiled warmly, taking the cup from him as he returned to his lazyboy beside her. “Yeah but you clearly don’t need it, they’re not even here.”

“For now!” Hop huffed, laughing again. Smiling. He was always smiling at her.

Joyce felt a deep blush invade her space again but she wasn’t unhappy to be here now.

“Well, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“Nonsense,” Hopper replied. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Joyce adjusted herself, sensing him leaning further into her.

She stretched away from him, trying to think. “Well.. do you want to read your speech again? Or we could rehearse possible rebuttal arguments from the teens?”

He just stared back at her, taking her in. She could feel his gaze intimately, like he was asking for something. She didn’t want to acknowledge wha-

“What?” She laughed, nervous.

He was still smiling.

A beat. Finally.

“Why won’t you have dinner with me?”

She rolled her eyes, setting her glass on the coffee table and moving further down the couch. He shifted off his chair and onto the couch to sit next to her.

“No, really.” His face turned more serious.

“I’ve had dinner with you.” She snorted. Rolling her eyes gently.

“No,” he was laughing again, “Not like dinner with Will and El and Jon and me. Just me. You and me.”

She knew where this was going and it both dropped a pit into her stomach while igniting something else inside of her.

She stood abruptly, needing space. “What are you talking about? We can have dinner.”

He shook his head. “No,” he said calmly, “a date.”

She frowned, perplexed. “You didn’t say it was a date?”

“Yeah, well. That’s the whole truth.” He shrugged. Still smiling. Damnit.

She huffed back at him, annoying herself as she started to pace by habit. She couldn’t help the nerves.

“Well… Jesus, Hopper. What would El say?” She mumbled, teasing him. Trying desperately to keep the mood light. She’d heard Will say it a million times: Friends don’t lie.

“I don’t want to be just your friend-“ Hop started, standing up, moving towards her.

“Woah, woah!” Joyce exclaimed. “Stay over there, buddy!”

Hopper laughed. “Buddy?”

She nodded, still moving, finding herself in his small kitchen.

“Why, Joyce?” He smiled. “What’s gonna happen? What are you so worried about?”

She shook her head, speechless. Wordless. Her throat was dry.

“Hmm.” Hop smiled again, coming into the kitchen too. “I need to know, Joyce.”

Her face was hot. Her body flush against the cabinets now on the other side of the kitchenette as he approached her.

“What?” She said, barely audible.

He set his arms on either side of her, careful not to touch her but so close. He gently moved his mouth towards her right ear, “Do you want to have dinner with me?”

That did it.

Joyce couldn’t resist. His cologne and chest and faint whisper were too much to deny and she knew, as much as she’d been avoiding this thing between them, it had indeed only been a matter of time.

She grabbed his shirt, tugging it close to her and kissed him. It was slow for only a few moments before turning feverish as she ran her fingers through his hair.

She felt Hopper grip her thighs, lifting her up and angling her towards the cabinets, desperate to be close to her. He stepped between her legs after placing her on his counter, a better angle for his height. He started to slip his fingers under her shirt, desperate to touch her. Joyce moaned.

Suddenly the front door opened. A giggly Max and El barged in chatting incessantly before gasping.

Hopper and Joyce broke apart instantly. Joyce fell, gracefully landing to her feet.

“Knock!” Hop yelled, annoyed and tense, adjusting himself accordingly and moving AWAY from Joyce.

“Sorry!” Max exclaimed, looking between Joyce and Hopper. She was smirking.

A beat.

“We’re ah - going that way,” Max finished, pointing towards El’s room.

El, still by the front door, a stupid smile on her face looking at Joyce.

“Hi!” She grinned.

“Hi.” Joyce returned the sentiment, a bit embarrassed.

“Hey, hey, hey.. what’s going on here?” Hopper murmured, pointing between her and Max, who’d already entered El’s room.

“Oh!” El said, still smiling, frozen in the same spot. “Sleepover. Can we have one?”

Max interjected from the next room, “But if you need us to go out for a bit, all good, we can come back in like 10-“

“No!” Both adults exclaimed, red faced.

“No?” El frowned, confused.

“I mean..” Hop started, rubbing his hand over his face trying to cool down. “Yes, you can have a sleepover. No, you don’t need to go anywhere. Just go to your room and keep the noise down, got it?”

“Cool,” El nodded, moving towards Max. “Door open or..”

“Closed!” Hop groaned. Then lowered his tone. “Please.”

“Night!” Max hollered. El shut the door behind them leaving a jostled Joyce and Hopper in his living room.

“Joyce!” Jim sighed, seeing her make a mad dash out towards the front door. He followed her to her car.

“No, no, no, no…” she murmured to herself, stopping, now turning to him. “This was a bad idea, Hop. I shouldn’t have come over here.”

“Joyce!” He exclaimed, trying to keep up with her, a gentle hand landing on her arm. He finally noticed tears on her cheeks and cupped her face to turn it towards his.

“I need you!” She cried, face dropping towards the ground.

“You have no idea-“ he started, realizing his adrenaline was misplaced. “Joyce?”

She shook her head. “No- I need you. In my life. I can’t- we can’t-“

“Yes, we can.” Hopper insisted. “Come on, it was only a matter of time-“

“Matter of time?” She sighed, “No, Hop. It’s gonna ruin things like it did the last time.”

He gently tilted her chin towards his face and breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves. “No, it’s not like last time. We were kids. There’s no Vietnam, no Lonnie.. no parents. There’s just you and me. It’s always been you and me.”

He smiled down at her, still sensing trepidation.

“Please.” Hopper breathed. “I want you. There’s no one else like you. I think in a messed up way, the universe brought us back together somehow. You’re all I think about. You and El and Will and Jonathon- please tell me I’m not alone in that.”

Joyce sobbed, unaware she’d ever been holding so much in before. They embraced for a long moment. Hopper rubbing circles on her back to calm her.

“I’m dangerous.” Joyce finally shared, still beneath his shoulder. “I screw up relationships. Or get people killed.” She whispered that last part.

“Hey,” Hopper murmured, moving her chin up toward his. “This isn’t your fault. We’re in this together.” Their foreheads merged, breathing together, realizing, perhaps for the first time in a long time, they didn’t have to do all of this alone anymore.

She hugged him for a long moment until-

“Hungry?” he whispered, suddenly nervous.

She nodded against him as they moved to get into her car. “It’s a date.”

Xx

Notes

I rewatched season 3 recently and finally noticed Hopper tried to asked Joyce out even multiple times the first episode. Then to see Joyce sad and eating alone on her couch that evening (some plans!) I just couldn’t help but write this. They live in my head rent-free.

*PS it’s my timeline- for purposes of this story Max and El’s sleepover happened earlier.

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