best mom award

Joyce Byers, 40, hawkins. mother, protector, retail clerk, conspiracy specialist.riddle-solver.

[outofhermindbyers]

ofelevenisms‌:

El didn’t know how to respond to Joyce’s question. Why would she say that? She shouldn’t have. She didn’t intend to make her feel bad nor did she intend to make it seem like things in Hawkins were terrible. It was fine, but there was something m i s s i n g. The Byers. El didn’t know how to put it into words and she wasn’t sure she wanted to, it was times like these she was grateful she’d never been the best to vocally express herself. Like Hopper, like father like daughter, family in all but blood. 

❝ I don’t know. Can’t ‘xplain it.❞  She feels young again, almost as if shying away from the answer, the truth. ❝Ho-Hawkins,❞  Eleven corrects herself, ❝ Doesn’t feel like Hawkins without you guys.❞  Her stomach feels like it’s in knots and she isn’t sure why she’s feeling anxious all of a sudden ; it’s foolish. She’s aware that she can trust Joyce with her life, but she felt uncertain, almost like if she says too much they’ll leave again.

Eleven doesn’t want to dwell on it and she hopes her internal struggle doesn’t translate outwardly. Instead she gives Joyce a small sheepish smile. The cabin was a mess and she’d made an effort to clean it earlier, it was an organized mess that she and Hop were used to. ❝Some things never change. ❞  El shrugs her shoulders, though, she brighten up at her next words. ❝ Girls night.❞  Brown hues look around the kitchen for snacks, her and Hop had yet to do another trip to the grocery store because they were running low on microwavable food. (Karen had been teaching her how to cook the few times she’d go over for dinner, but El lacked the ingredients back in the cabin.)

❝ Compromise. Halfway happy. Couldn’t talk him into being dropped off at your new house. ❞  Hands grab at a bag of popcorn before placing it in the microwave. Though she can’t help but try to smile at her words: Sweetie, I’ll never be too tired for you. ❝ Grumpy, like the dwarf.❞  She recalls renting and watching Snow White with him and making the comparison to tease him. ❝ You thirsty? We have soda, water, milk and fruit punch.❞

All those nights she’d spent up thinking about if it had been the wrong decision to move, that one sentence kept repeating in her mind -- You have something that I never had. You have people that care about you, right here in Hawkins. Those people -- she’d left them behind. And she knew that they understood her decision, Hopper had told her that during one of their endless nightly phonecalls over and over. She knew that they were safe even without her, that El was well-protected and still it was clear that it had been hard for El, just as it had been hard for Joyce. Ultimately, those people, the ones that cared about her and her family, were what had brought them back. Joyce nodded, blinking heavily again, a weak smile spreading on her lips. “I understand. I do. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Even though the cabin was a mess -- then again, everybody knew what it was like in the Byer’s house, mostly due to Joyce -- it felt so incredibly homely. She was sure that it was mostly Eleven’s work, as she inspected the little bits and bobs around the room. She would have loved to peek into her room, but she didn’t want to invade her privacy. God knew that when she was 17, no one had been allowed in her room, with the exception that they wouldn’t have been able to navigate through the cloud of some in it. At that memory, she felt her fingers restlessly itching for a smoke, just to give them something to do.

So they’d wanted to come over together, huh? Scrapping that thought from her mind, Joye smiled as she watched the girl stuff the bag of popcorn into the microwave. Not entirely because she thought it was cute of her making popcorn for their newly planned girls’ night, but because that was just about what she could teach El in terms of cooking.

The comparison made Joyce laugh out loud wholeheartedly, forming small lines form around her eyes. She’d seen Snow White as a kid, but it had been at least, what? 30 years? Having two boys had kind of ruled out watching that movie when they were kids, instead she’d watched a whole lot of Superman and Star Wars involuntarily. One thing that had lingered on her mind from that movie, though, was the witch -- from which she’d drawn big inspiration when trying to scare Will back in the day. But now she remembered Grumpy the dwarf clearly, and the comparison was striking. “You’re so right.” She’d have to remember that for later use. She sat up and furrowed her brows. “Good choices. Hmm.. I’ll take a fruit punch.”

[outofhermindbyers]

ofelevenisms‌:

She’s a bit hunched over as she hugs Joyce, it might’ve looked silly seeing how Joyce had to stand on the tip of her toes to reach her. But it didn’t matter because no strangers ever traveled out this far and neither cared either way. She’s grateful that they’re both holding on to the embrace longer than usual because El wasn’t ready to pull back anytime soon. It felt right and she’d always sucked at expressing herself vocally but she hoped it translated with her actions.

❝ It’s not the same without you. We’re not the same. ❞  She admits, it comes out as a whisper. Maybe she shouldn’t be outing Hop like this but she knew he also struggled with voicing things. But it extended to everyone else who was wrapped in all the mess, they’d all felt the absence of the Byers. It feels good to say it though, she’d never wanted to worry Joyce whenever they talked on the phone and she hopes she isn’t making her feel guilty for doing what was best for her sons. 

Seeing her in person was much better than speaking on the phone and it almost makes her cry. Joyce was the first adult to genuinely care and worry for her, the only maternal figure she’s ever known. El will never forget her reassuring words all those years ago in Hawkins Middle as she floated on the kiddie pool, stepping into the Void to find Will. They’d only met an hour prior and yet Joyce welcomed her and cared, that’s just the type of person she was. Kind.

❝ I’ve been good. Bored, but good. You haven’t missed much, it’s been quiet. ❞  Which was a great thing, but she couldn’t help but worry still. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. As soon as she noticed Joyce peek over her shoulder, El stepped aside as if inviting her in. ❝ Dad is working. Max is away with her family and the boys wanted to surprise Will with a new campaign to welcome him back. In the words of Mike, Lucas and Dustin: No Girls Allowed. ❞  She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. ❝ So it was a night in for me. Dad and I came to compromise, we were going to go visit you after his shift if you weren’t tired and if it wasn’t late. ❞  She doesn’t mention how he’d dismissed her pleas to be dropped off at the Byers earlier in the day. 

Joyce’s heart sank when she heard the whispered words, warm against her hair right to her guts. She took a shaky breath, suddenly feeling tears sting in her eyes and doing her best to try and blink them away before Eleven could see them, hugging her even closer. “What? Why would you say that...” The moment they’d left, Joyce had thought it to be the best decision for her boys, and for her own sanity -- she was anxious, still, going away hadn’t changed that. But Hawkins made her antsy, made her uneasy, even still, even though it filled that void of home. Leaving the small town had ripped a wound into her heart with the feeling of leaving a part of her family behind. She couldn’t shake that feeling. She knew that Jonathan wasn’t happy with her decision to come back, and she got that, too, but Eleven’s words made her certain that they were in the right place.

“Quiet is good. Just what we wanted, right? We did it.” A smile laid on Joyce’s lips but she knotted her fingers in her pockets. They were traumatized, all of them, and nothing would ever be like it used to, which was a blessing in regards of Eleven. 

Hesitantly, as if intruding, she stepped inside, unable to stop herself from taking a look around. Involuntarily, a smirk spread on her lips as she eyed the familiar mess that was the cabin -- in here, nothing had changed and she felt instantly brought back to ‘85. She let out an almost inaudible sigh as her eyes drifted towards the curtain in one corner of the room, to the fridgemagnets, before she looked back at El. Joyce’s eyes lit up when she heard that Will’s friends had prepared something for him, must be that game they always played... Dragons & Demons? She laughed at El rolling her eyes. “No girls allowed, huh? Sounds like they’re still the same. Well, then this is gonna be a girl’s night.”

The brunette’s eyes grew wider as she raised her eyebrows at the expression. “Compromise? Sweetie, I’ll never be too tired for you. God, he’s such a grump.” She let herself sink into the worn cushions of the sofa in the middle of the room, tugging at her flannel. “Well, I’m here now. Can’t do anything against it.”

[outofhermindbyers]

A word. | Solo #1

‘86.

Ever since they had moved, Joyce had felt a mixture of feelings, all of them all too familiar, but leaving a strange aftertaste when mixed. First and foremost, there was loneliness – something you‘d think she‘d be used to since in Hawkins, she‘d distanced herself from most people at her own discretion, preferring to spend her nights at home with her boys instead of hanging around fellow moms and surburban wives who had their little meetings on friday nights. In truth, she‘d never been that woman. And all that was before she was labeled the resident nutcase. She‘d known the coldness of being alone and knew how to embrace it within herself, without ever showing it to the outside.

Paranoia – of course – was her new plus one whereever she went, and it wasn‘t, like she‘d hoped, tied to Hawkins. She was so convinced that there were no ominous labs around here, no scary woods to get lost in in reach, no cash-grab Lonnie Byers, absolutely no places that reminded her of the people she lost. And yet, in the few weeks of living in the new house, Joyce could hardly sleep.

She would sit on the porch and smoke, one after the other, staring into the new darkness that was so foreign to her, trying to seize it up, thinking if it wanted to hurt them, then it shall come.

Once, Jonathan had carried her small frame to bed after finding her dozed off, head rested against the fencing surrounding the porch.

Over time, a feeling of warmth settled with those, the warmth of seeing her sons walk about with no worries, the warmth of having a job that allowed her to be home more often, which also made her less scatterbrained (for her standards). She‘d managed to make the house feel more homely, more so than the old one ever had.

And still, she secretly checked Hawkins Post every day, looking for anything remotely sounding like El, on guard for anything that sounded ominous.

Eleven called regularly, and to hear her voice filled her with content. Of course, Joyce had formed connections with all of the kids, she‘d always cared for the party, but El had become her daughter in all but blood. She felt like she had left her behind, and in a way, she had. El usually called right before bed, telling her about her day, about the others, about how tutoring went with Nancy. After such calls, Jonathan would usually sneak in questions about Nancy into their conversations and Joyce didn‘t have the heart to ask him about it. She could tell something wasn‘t right anymore by how little the phone was blocked by him these days and it shattered her heart.

“Come on, kid, you can talk to Joyce again tomorrow.“ She‘d hear a muffled rumble of a voice and El would ask: “You want to talk to Hop?“ And she would say: “A word.“

Joyce would usually have to wait until he had shooed his daughter into bed until their conversation really began. She could hear him pulling the curtain to his private area in the cabin closed and she would find herself wiring the phone cord through the small slit beneath her door, so she could place it on her bed, her frame drowning in a worn-out shirt that might have been Bob‘s at some point, lighting a cigarette as per usual.

He sighed, deeply, as he settled. They were different people around their kids, of course, even now that they were so grown up, and Hopper was just like her. “Joyce.“ He breathed, in his rough, worn voice.

“Hey, Jim.“

“You know, I’ve been thinking.” A smile grew on her lips as he muttered the words that promised some sort of story or theory of his that would probably take up most of the evening. “Yeah?”

"Of senior year. ‘66? I think of it a lot. Dunno why.” She could hear him lighting one of his hastily rolled cigarettes, no filter, the ones that always made her choke - then and now. Automatically, Joyce thought of the time they’d shared one of those in the school parking lot about three years ago, and absentmindedly wrapped her free arm around her torso. “When we hadn’t seen so much shit already and our biggest fear was being suspended for smoking on school grounds.”

She laughed at the memory, quietly, although the topic was hardly a laughing matter. Before the war, before the loss of his daughter and his divorce, before Lonnie, before struggling to make end’s meat, before Will disappeared. Their nightly phone calls had hardly stopped at formalities. She dragged at her own cigarette, but said nothing and he understood her silent nod.

“Remember how we took a drive one night and my car broke down?”

Now she laughed more. “Of course. Except it was your Dad’s car.”

“This town just reeks of memories.” He said, and a smile filled his voice with warmth.

“Here, nothing reminds me of anything.” She bit her lip, glad he couldn’t see it. “A year, Hop, it’s been a year and I can’t settle. I can’t.”

“I think you don’t want to settle.”

She frowned. And yet, she knew that he was right. “I still think it’s the best thing for my boys...”

“What’s the big deal in just coming back to -- uh, to Hawkins. The gate is closed. For good.”

“Hop.” She whispered, sincerely, words stuck in her throat. With a shaky hand, she guided her cigarette to her lips. “I can’t see my family go through something like that again. I’ll fall apart.”

“And you think I’d let you?”

Silence. Joyce wanted to speak, but her breath was elevated, and she was busy clawing at the sheets beneath her and analyzing the knot in her stomach.

“Joyce.” His voice was rough, and soft, all at the same time, crackling through the telephone. He repeated: “You really think I would let anything happen to you or one of your sons?”

[outofhermindbyers]

@jcnathanxbycrs

Joyce stood by the kitchen sink, hands soaked, as she tried to lull her mind into a calming dizziness with this familiar, repetitive chore. Beside her, in an ashtray, a cigarette rested on the pile of ashes from before, smoke drifting into the air in a constant stream, while she scrubbed at a drinking glass absentmindedly, gaze directed out the window at first, then stuck on a spec of dust on the glass.

But her mind was racing, circling around the same two faces she’d seen today at Melvald’s, the same faces she’d seen in the back of Hawkins Post two years ago, where Will’s face had been once, too. She couldn’t help but think of the morgue, the funeral, all those crying faces as she’d felt Jonathan’s arms around her while everyone thought her stern expression reflected denial; the five stages of grief or some bullshit like that while all she could see was a fraud.

She wasn’t crazy, that, they had established a long time ago and yet she was doubted again and again. These people, that bought their cereal and newspaper from her today with a friendly, if distorted, smile, they had been to the other side. And they came back. They’d thought them lost when fighting that … monster, she’d turned the keys that closed the gate herself, so where, where were they coming from? How was that --

Joyce flinched and was ripped back to reality when a sharp pain rushed through her hand and as her gaze dropped to the soapy water, she found it tinted red. “Shit, shit--” She exclaimed and grabbed a towel, finally discovering the small cut in her index finger that produced the stream of blood, setting down the cracked glass onto the counter.

[outofhermindbyers]

julia-reese-09‌:

Julia was surprised to see Joyce kneeling down in front of her. It had been so long since she had seen her but for the short time that they did know one another, Joyce was amazing. She was so welcoming and comforting, especially after the Mind Flayer. Joyce was caring and made sure she was okay, she practically treated her like a daughter for the very short time they knew each other. 

Before Julia could react Joyce was pulling her into a hug. After a moment she hugged her back and then Joyce held her at arms length. She sent her a somewhat forced smile when she asked how she was. “I’m okay..” Julia told her with a nod. Not lying, but also not exposing the whole truth. “How are you?” She asked, getting the attention off of her, she was good at doing that. 

Feeling the girl hugging her back spread a faint smile across Joyce’s face. Her worry of being too forward puffed away, and yet was replaced by noticing the smile Julia had plastered onto her face when she pulled back and answered her question. Considering her reaction to the hug, Joyce decided not to pry - if she wanted to talk about it, she surely knew that she could with her, even in a space like this, and instead started rambling on, trying to make Julia more comfortable.

“I’m strangely happy to be back.” Letting go of Julia, she put a hand to her own cheek in something like disbelief. “You’d think I’d calmed down but Hawkins makes me antsy.” She half-laughed. “Nothing has changed, I mean, look at this place. Looks just like when I started here in the 70s. Jonathan’s definitely mad at me for making him come back.”

[outofhermindbyers]

Today, Joyce didn’t bother with Florence at the reception. She didn’t bother with any of the police too busy giving her strange looks go get off their butts and actually stopping her. She stormed into the station in her Melvald’s uniform, crossed the short distance to Hopper’s office, threw open the door, and, “Hop, I need to --”

The office was empty. What was it with him always being out when she needed him!? “Dammit!” She exclaimed, still no regard for anyone else in the small station, extended a hand to lean against the door frame, and one against her head. “God, dammit.” The brunette turned around, to face the same old expression she was used to by now. Good old nutjob Byers is back in town to entertain them with her sightings.

They hadn’t seen what she’s seen. What they’d seen. Of course, there had been oh-so-great coverups, and everyone in this perfect town had believed them, no one mustering the guts to actually question anything the press told them. By now, she was angry, she was frustrated, and she knew that there wasn’t such a thing as coincidence. She needed the chief to talk to. Right. Now.

When you worked in the only store in town, you knew your people, especially when everyone dying in this town was either someone you went to highschool with or their blood relative. And today, two, two people who’d had a full-fletched funeral two years ago showed up in the store all nonchalantly and bought eggs and milk and smiled at her and wished her a good day.

She straightened, looking around the room, threw her hands up in defeat. They could think what they wanted. Another son missing. Magnets. Lovers’ quarrel. Whatever. “Where is he?”

@hawkins-patrol

[writergirl23]

[outofhermindbyers]

ofelevenisms‌:

Eleven was a bit restless on the couch, her hair thrown into a ponytail held together with the help of a scrunchie. She kept flipping through the same three channels on the tv as if it would make the boring movies currently playing end faster. She’s moved the fan from her room to the living room in attempts to help cool her down from the early September heat. It’s hot in the cabin and she’s B O R E D.

Max and her family had gone away on a small family trip, the two had tried [ and failed ] to persuade Max’s parents and Hopper to let El go. The rest of the Party were preparing for Will’s return, wanting to surprise him with a new and fun campaign that would take hours as soon as he got back. The brunette can’t help but scoff at the memory of the guys declaring no girls were allowed ; as if she wanted to be there… She still didn’t understand how to play DnD. But at least she’d be bored and confused with the company of her friends at the Wheelers house or she could be conversing with Nancy or Karen or even Holly. Anything but the suffocating walls of the cabin. 

She’d pleaded for Hopper to drop her off at the new Byers house so she could see Joyce but he’d quickly dismissed the idea, almost like he was avoiding Joyce? Maybe he was nervous to see her again. She knew deep down her dad was happy of her return. They’d come to a compromise, halfway happy, he’d take her when he returned from work.

The knock at the door caught her attention, it was light and not the secret knock Hopper had taught her and who she later taught her friends. Normally she would’ve been on guard and hesitant to open the door but the voice behind it was always welcomed. The teen swung the door open all too eager to be in Joyce’s warm presence. ❝ Joyce ! ❞  El greeted, lips formed into cheeky smile as she embraced the other. ❝ I missed you- we missed you.❞  She corrects herself, ❝ So much.❞

A bright smile lit up Joyce’s face as the door swung open and she saw the girl. As soon as she was within reach, the brunette extended her arms and pulled her into a tight embrace. The kids had gotten so tall - the moment Will had surpassed her in height had been w way back, but it was still kind of rough on her because it reminded her that her youngest was, actually, not so young anymore - and Eleven was a good six or seven inches taller than Joyce by now. She stood on the tips of her toes as well as she could to match her as she held her for a while. This was why they’d come back - this was what home felt like.

Her smile only grew wider when Eleven spoke, but she hesitated at the semantics. We missed you. We, we, we. “I missed you, too, baby.” Both of you. Some part of her was weirdly relieved. They had all been through so much, and El had endured it all, she’d always been the center of aggression, so much so that Joyce had, for the first few weeks in the new home, expected to get a frantic call about there being a new horrifying monster to hunt or lab to shut down that were after Eleven and her powers. She’d pick up the phone to check on her too many times, and finally, she had pretty much convinced herself that the girl didn’t need much of their mothering anymore. It was over.

Still, she was beyond happy to see Hopper’s daughter be well. She’d changed, of course, but as a teenager, that’s just how things were. Finally, she pulled back and took a look at Eleven. “How are you? What did I miss?” Joyce caressed El’s hair, briefly, and was instantly reminded of how they’d met and the shortness of her hair then. “I almost didn’t think you’d be home.” She took a quick peek over the teen’s shoulder to reassure herself. “Your old man’s not here, huh? What are you doing spending your night alone?”

[outofhermindbyers]

Joyce attentively watched the path, if you could even call it that, before her, as if she had trouble finding her way in the dim light that covered the area spottily through the tree crowns. The late summer sun tinted the woods around her a golden color and the brunette steered her old, green Pinto through the forest carefully as not to hurt any of the small plants that were scattered along dirt. In reality, she had no problem navigating through this part of the forest - she’d been here often, and yet she always felt like she was intruding coming here, into this secluded area in the middle of nowhere, to this tiny cabin which she always suspected she might find torn down from a storm someday.

When Joyce parked her car a good distance from the small house, her car was the only one in sight. Her heart dropped just slightly as she pushed open the door and lowered her feet onto the moist forest ground and made her way over quickly.

She ran a hand through her frizzy hair, which was knotted all over, and finally realized how exhausted she was. It had been a long day, the packing, the drive, the move and finally taking will to his friends - but she had to see El and Hopper today. It had been way too long. She was twitchy, fingers itching for a cigarette, but she tried not to smoke in front of the kids, which was stupid, she knew that, they were almost adults. She guessed that was her curse now. Always the concerned mother.

Joyce raised her hand and knocked, lightly. If Hop was gone, she was probably out, too, right? “El? You there? It’s— it’s Joyce!”

@ofelevenisms

[outofhermindbyers]

ahoy-stevie‌:

“Just some gen. ed. courses here and there. You know, English, math, history.” Steve failed to mention that he only took one or two a semester. College was harder than he thought and he was still holding out on the more serious course load until he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. Though he was starting to wonder if he would ever know.

He followed her gaze back to the tapes as he remembered where he was.

“Oh yeah, totally! What are you looking for? We’ve got the new releases out front here?

Joyce smiled knowingly. She wasn’t from a family had could have ever made it possible for her to go to college, unfortunately, but that hadn’t made it easier to decide what she wanted to do with her life. Of course, back then, times had been different, but ending up as a store clerk wasn’t what she’d dreamed of, even though she genuinely liked it. And Joyce could have never been a housewife. What a thought. “I get it.” She said, nodding. “Listen, I might be the wrong one to tell you this, but you don’t need to know what you want your life to go like right now.”

“Actually, I have no idea what I’m looking for.” The brunette started scanning the tapes absentmindedly. “Sure, let’s see what’s new.”

[outofhermindbyers]

hawkins-patrol‌:

“Yeah,” she nodded enthusiastically, “It’s nice to officially meet you.” With a bright smile, Gabrielle reached over her desk and shook Joyce’s hand. She was pleasantly surprised by how well the interaction was going.

She cast a sideways look toward Hopper’s closed office door. “And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, but I think that’s just how the Chief is–perpetually annoyed. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I saw him smile. He usually seems to get a kick out of seeing you here though.” In the back of her mind, Gabrielle wondered if that might be too much information. She didn’t know the details of their relationship and didn’t know Joyce well enough to make assumptions

Officially. Joyce’s cheeks tinted pink and she directed her gaze down with a smile. “I have quite the reputation around here, don’t I?” Surely, everyone here knew her just from the dozen times she’d stormed in here about Will, or the gates, or magnets or something small that had reminded her of what had happened, honestly.

Joyce followed Gabrielle’s gaze to the closed door that said Chief Jim Hopper and chuckled cheerily, nodding. Yeah, no one could deny that, he was definitely the grumpiest guy she’d ever met. “Try depriving him of coffee.” She chuckled again, looking back at Gabrielle. Then, her eyes grew wide for a split second before she could control her features, and her stomach did a little tumble. Once again, she avoided the other’s eyes with a thoughtful smile. A kick? “That’s because he thinks I’m trouble, which I usually am. Not intentionally!”

[outofhermindbyers]

hawkins-patrol‌:

Gabrielle smiled. She had managed to keep things cool this long, why not push her luck further? She cleaned off a pile of folders from the chair opposite her desk and sat them on the ledge. She motioned to the now empty chair.

“You’re welcome to wait for him if you want?” It’s not like we’re doing anything you could distract us from anyway, she wanted to say.

“He shouldn’t be out too long.”

As the woman made room for her on the chair and invited her to sit, Joyce smiled warmly and nodded, scurrying over to the now empty chair. “Thank you! That’s very kind of you:”

As she sat down, she looked around the desk in front of her. “He’ll probably be annoyed I even came by.”She chuckled. Joyce knew that this officer joined Hawkins police not too long ago, but she’d never really gotten a chance to talk to her. Her gaze fell onto the name plate on the table. “Gabrielle, is it? I’m Joyce.” She extended a hand towards her.

[outofhermindbyers]

julia-reese-09‌:

Julia couldn’t find what she was looking for and sighed as she stood back up to walk to another isle. The girl pressed her lips together to turn and walk away when she heard the contents of something crashing to the floor. Immediately, Julia spun around, her instincts kicking in and her hand at her side ready to deflect something if needed. But when she turned she saw harmless box of safety pins all over the floor. 

“Oh let me help..” She said quickly as she bent down to help pick up the safety pins. But when her green eyes landed on the dark haired woman she recognized her immediately. She saved all of their lives back at Starcourt. Joyce had closed the gate and ultimately saved everyone. “Joyce?” She asked unexpectedly before correcting herself. “I mean… uh-Mrs. Byers..” 

“Oh my god, I’m such a klutz.” She exclaimed when she heard someone approaching, letting herself down onto the floor when she realized picking up a whole box of safety pins off the floor would take a while. As she started fumbling for them, she briefly looked up to see who was coming to her aid with a sad smile on her face. That turned around immediately when she laid eyes on who it was.

A surprised gasp escaped her and she straightened, smiling from ear to ear now. “Julia! Oh my god, Julia!” Without thinking, she pulled the girl into a warm hug. Joyce had almost given up believing that she would see her again, sure that she had - understandably - moved away. Seeing her now freed the brunette of so many worries.

Finally realizing that she didn’t even wait for permission to hug the girl, she pulled back, holding on to her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Julia, I’m just so glad to see you! Are you okay?” She gave Julia a once-over.

[hawkins-patrol]

It was a slow day at the station–honestly, they were all slow–but Gabrielle was keeping herself busy with some light filing work when Joyce came in. Gabrielle stopped what she was doing and watched as the woman strode over to the receptionist, listening in on their conversation.

She wanted to know what Hopper was.

Gabrielle could help with that. More importantly, she wanted to help Joyce. Most days, she watched Joyce come in with a smile on her face and enough good vibes to spare. Gabrielle on the other hand was less confident when it came to starting a conversation, her attempts to talk to new people coming off as awkward. So when shown opportunity to make a friend, she leapt at it.

“Hopper’s at lunch. He should be back in thirty,” she supplied, leaning over from her desk.

[outofhermindbyers]

Joyce probably came by too often. By now, she knew the receptionist on a first name basis and could have probably just burst into Hopper’s office to check if he was there, but she wanted to keep it polite. She’d caused enough turmoil at this station, and even though every single time she’d proven to be right, she didn’t need to seem crazy when there was no reason for it.

These days, the police was usually here collectively, because the only thing to investigate were stolen garden gnomes and farmers that argued over the fence seperating their properties. Which was a good thing. God, it was such a good thing.

Joyce turned around as she heard a voice directed at her and spotted a young woman leaning over to her. She smiled and raised a hand to her forehead, hitting it softly. “Aw, of course he is. Just my luck.”

[outofhermindbyers]

ahoy-stevie‌:

“Mrs. Byers!” Steve exclaimed, settling the cardboard man back on his feet. It was Peter Weller in his ridiculous Robocop uniform. His tall figure made it difficult to stand upright.

When Steve was done fiddling with the cutout, he turned his attention back to Joyce. It had been a while since he’d seen her or Jonathan or Will. He had heard rumors that the family had moved back to Hawkins though. It was always weird seeing Joyce. As kind and forgiving as she tended to be, Steve still felt guilty for breaking her son’s camera and all the rumors he had spread in high school. He was a different person back then.

He smiled and shrugged. “Well, college doesn’t pay for itself, and my last job kinda burned to the ground…”

Joyce chuckled again as she watched Steve fumble with the cutout. She’d known about the reputation he’d had in high school, even though Jonathan wasn’t one to talk about school a lot, she knew her stuff. But she’d also seen him with the kids. It wasn’t like Joyce hadn’t been to high school, and she knew how it was. Growing up changed you - especially when you grow up like they had, monsters and all.

“Oh, yeah, I heard something about the mall burning down...” She smiled at him knowingly. “College, huh? What are you taking?”

Her gaze drifted back to the wide array of tapes around her and she finally shrugged. “Good thing you’re here, though, I’m kind of lost.”

[outofhermindbyers]

julia-reese-09‌:

Julia had been away from Hawkins for months now. She had honestly started to lose track of time and how long she had been away. But what she couldn’t forget about was the place where she had actually felt like she fit in. It took a long time but she had found someone else like her, a group that knew the truth about her, and still wanted to be around her. Even though Julia had been spending endless time with her parents, she felt a longing to go back to Hawkins. After her sick mother found out and could see how much her daughter wanted her to go back, she urged her to go back. To spend some time there and she promised she would tell her if anything changed. 

So, Julia found herself back in the eerily familiar town. She hadn’t found a place to live but she was staying at the local motel run by a local. Julia needed to buy some things for her stay there and found herself walking into the store on main street. The bell above the door rang as she opened it and she made her way into the store. Julia started to browse through the selves as she heard someone approaching her. 

@outofhermindbyers

Joyce always found something or someone to worry about. The past few years in Hawkins had brought up so many lost souls, so many devastating backstories. It was still hard for her to give Will enough space, and he was grown now. She checked up on El more than she probably should, but, being completely honest, that wasn’t just because she wanted to see El.

Ever since Joyce and her family had returned to Hawkins, she’d been on the lookout for Julia. She hadn’t gotten her last name, if she even had one, which didn’t make it any easier to find her. No luck. It wasn’t too far fetched to think she had left town, too, after everything that happened. She just kept thinking it would be nice to know she was all right.

Joyce was struggling with a box of miscellaneous items that she’d marked down, and when she finally arrived in the aisle, dropped it and spilled its contents across the floor. “Aw, shugs!” She exclaimed and bent down to start picking them up.

[outofhermindbyers]

ahoy-stevie‌:

Ever since the summer of ‘85, Hawkins had been relatively quiet. There were no more demogorgans or mindflayers to fight, no more Russian portals to the Upside Down, and crooked political corruption was at bay. The kids were in high school and Steve was even in college, taking a few classes here and there. But besides the hum-drum, everyday routine of life in Midwest America, things were honestly… boring.

Steve was working a long shift today. He was busy shelving VHS tapes when he heard the front door chime in tune to the arrival of a new customer. He shelved the last few tapes in hand and fumbled through the aisle, knocking down a few cut-outs on his way to the counter.

“Hi–yeah, welcome to Family Video–how can I help you?”

Joyce didn’t know what she had expected. Hawkins was so quiet. Downtown was alive again since the mall was gone, it was almost like the beginning of the eighties, when nothing bad had ever hit here. Maybe she had expected the monsters to come back running to catch her family as soon as she set foot into this town, that family including El and the gang of course. But nothing happened. It stayed quiet and Joyce could hardly stand it.

As soon as she entered, her gaze fell on a poster of Evil Dead 2, a film Jonathan would surely like her to rent, but it didn’t just make her think of her son. Little things like these made her think of Bob, of how often she’d had to discuss the very existence of these movies and... Well. That’s just what being back in Hawkins did to her.

Soon enough, her eyes were ripped away from the poster and shot to a familiar face sending cardboard cutouts to the floor. Joyce couldn’t help but warmly laugh.

“Steve? I have to say, you’re the last person I expected here!”