𝓟𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝔂 *{𝓐 𝓙𝓸𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓻 𝓢𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂}*

December

(Hopper's POV)

When Hopper's eyes slowly opened, he quickly just wanted to close them again and go back to sleep. Today was Christmas Eve, which was usually good, but since his parents somehow learned that he now had a kid, they invited themselves over, he dreaded the moment when they would knock on the door
He shifted over, and smiled, as Joyce was still peaceful and smiling in her sleep
Of course, a few seconds later, Joyce's eyes opened, her smile luckily staying
"Morning." She kissed him, arms around her neck
"Morning." He grumbled, the only happiness coming from the kiss he just got
"What-Oh right. It's Christmas Eve." Joyce remembered
"I just hope they won't hurt the kids." He told her, reaching out to her hand
"Don't worry, we won't let them." Joyce promised, accepting his hand in to hers, and squeezing it, hers soft and warm, just like her smile
"Thank god it's just for a few hours."
"Yeah..." Joyce's eyes got nervous, which he could tell by the gleam and the glances
"Hey," He kissed her again, "I know they never like you that much, but I swear I won't let them say anything. If they do, I'll kick them out."
He ended the sentence with a chuckle, but he was being serious. He would probably murder his own parents if they said anything that hurt Joyce or the kids
"I love my boyfriend." Joyce announced to no one in particular, smiling like crazy
"I love you too."
He stared at Joyce for barely a few seconds, then watched her sit up, check her watch, and go over to the closet, beginning to try and find an outfit
After he watched her try on what was probably all of her clothes, since it took Joyce forever to even narrow it down to a few shirts, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing-It's just-I know your parents always hated the fact my family was poor-"
"Hey." He got up, and held her hand tightly, staring into her eyes, "Look at me."
Joyce did as he asked, and her lustrous brown eyes soon met his
"I don't care what my parents think of you, because their opinion is bullsh*t. I love you, I love our family, and I don't want them to get into your head."
"W-wow." Joyce stammered, staring at him with awe, "I've never seen you so...like this."
"I just-My parents already hurt me and you enough. I don't want it to continue." He held her, "I love you too much to let that happen."
"I love you too. Now," Joyce stepped back, showing off her outfit of jeans and a sweater, "How does this look?"
"Amazing." He stated, then the anxious part of him returned, which made him begin to stutter out, "I-I mean, you're always look amazing-but you look-I-"
"Hop." Joyce giggled, "What are you thinking?"
"You look perfect, as always." He kissed her forehead, "I'll get the kids up if you start breakfast?"
"Agreed."
While Joyce headed downstairs to the kitchen, he went down the hallway, and slowly opened the kids' door
"Morning..." He said in a soft voice, which carried through the room to the kids, loud enough so they would hear him
"Morning." El sat up, her neck-length hair frizzy from sleeping
Even though it took him forever, he eventually dragged the kids out of bed, with promises of Eggos the only thing motivating them.
"Hey dad." Jonathan greeted them, him already sitting at the table, "Morning."
"Hey." He shot Jonathan a smile, just as Joyce came in with food
"Here you guys.." Joyce sat down a plate of eggs and toast, with an Eggo thrown on each plate
"Yay!" exclaimed El when she spotted the Eggo in front of her, which she quickly devoured, followed by her brothers
"Jesus, slow down you guys, you're gonna choke." Joyce chuckled
As the kids finished with breakfast, Joyce reminded them, "Okay, so Hopper's parents should show up around noon-"
"If they say anything that hurt us, tell you guys. We know." Jonathan, Will, and El said in unison, chuckling at the end
"I'm sorry, I'm being overbearing again." Joyce apologized, hands on her forehead while her elbows sat on the table, stressing out again
"No, it's fine." He put a hand on her shoulder, "You have the right to. They're the worst."
"Then why are they here?" Jonathan asked
"It's just-I don't know..." He sighed, "They wanted to see El, who they call their granddaughter now, but I'm sure they're just lying."
"Can't you just, then, not let them come?" El asked innocently
"I-I-I'm not strong enough..." He choked, emotions taking over him. He had stood up to his parents once, god damn it! Why couldn't he do it again?
"Hey, hey." Joyce pulled him into a hug, "This doesn't have to do with if you're strong or not, cause you are."
He really hadn't been the same since he came back from 'that place'. It had broken him down, and now he had no control over his emotions anymore. Before, he would never cry about stuff like this, but it was either being stuck in an alternate universe that broke him, or Joyce had made him soft. Or both
"This has to do that you were hurt by them. They hurt you, and, especially after everything, you're scared. And that's okay. It's okay to be scared, Hop."
"I-I'm sorry..." He choked out an apology, though he knew he didn't need to
"Don't apologize." Joyce gave him a soothing smile, then kissed his forehead, which made the tears start to dry up
"Mom? What do you mean they hurt dad?" Will looked puzzled, as did his siblings
Thankfully, he didn't have to explain, Joyce ended up speaking before he could say anything
"They...didn't really approve of his choices. They didn't like what job he wanted, his grades, his friends-most of all, they hated me. Did you even tell them about me yet?"
He shook his head, afraid she would get mad at him
Joyce didn't say anything, which probably either meant she was really mad or didn't care
"Anyway, that's why I want to make sure they don't say anything rude or mean, especially to you guys, so if they say anything, tell me or Hop."
"Okay."
After breakfast, he spent hours pacing the bedroom, at least until he was interrupted by Joyce
"Hey, you okay?" Joyce asked, looking at him as he slumped down on the bed
"No..." He sighed, "What if they hurt the kids? I'm sure they'll bring up something like 'Oh, shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend?' or 'Why aren't you wearing a dress?' or some sh*t like that."
"Hey," Joyce sat down next to him, and took his hand in hers, which always made him giddy, "If that happens, we can always kick them out."
"Yeah, that sounds nice." He chuckled, squeezing her hand, "Or we could just kick their a**es."
"That sounds even better."
For no reason, Joyce slammed him on to the bed and kissed him on the lips
"Just in case I can't later." She giggled
"Oh Joycie..." His face went red, secretly wanting more, the same feeling he always got when he secretly and desperately wanted her coming over him, "I love you so much."
"Love you too." She replied with a smile, grabbing the neckline of his sweater, pressing her oh god hot body against him
"Joyce..." He tried not to moan too loudly, just in case the kids were near, arms on Joyce's sides
He went to give Joyce a hickey, but he heard a loud knock on the door, and he pulled himself away from her
"You ready?" Joyce asked him, pushing her hair back down
"I don't know, but no going back, eh?" He shot her a smile
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He took a quick and deep breath, slowly went downstairs and opened the door
"Jimmy!" His mom hugged him, acting like everything was okay, and that they hadn't hurt him for 18 years
"Hey." He smiled, though he was sure they could tell it was fake, but he didn't care. They were the ones forcing themselves into his house
"Where's our little angel?" His mom asked about El
He hated the way she said in in such a condescending way, like she was expecting El to be a perfect little girl with pink dresses and high heels
"Here." El said, coming down the stairs, wearing her usual jeans and shirt
"Oh-you let her wear that?" His mom asked him, already judging her for wearing 'boy clothes'
"Yes, and?" He asked in a sharp tone
"Nothing, it's just not what I'd let my kid wear." She muttered
"Well, I think she looks great." He smiled at El, able to tell that comment had stung her a little.
"Thanks." El smiled back
"Now, have you met any nice girls recently?" His dad asked in a kinda weird way
"Actually, I have a girlfriend." He told them proudly
"Really? Who is it?" His mom asked, genuinely surprised, which kinda hurt
"Sweetie?" He called to Joyce
"Coming!" She responded, then came down the stairs
"This is my girlfriend." He said, wrapping his arms around Joyce
"I feel like I've seen you before..." His mom said
"Oh, you have. I'm Joyce." Joyce smiled
"Joyce? Like, the Joyce from when-" His dad started to ask
"Yep."
His parents didn't say anything, but hopefully, they wouldn't say anything
Even though he was scared out of his mind, they introduced them to Will and Jonathan next
"Oh, you're both so cute! I assume both of you have girlfriends, I mean, how could you not?"
Oh god. That came up
Will looked at him and Joyce desperately, a fearful look over his son's face.
"Of course! They're just-off with their families for Christmas."
That was only half a lie. Mike and Nancy were off for some Christmas thing, but Will, well...
"I knew it. I'm just glad none of them are those annoying f**."
No one spoke, but when Will ran out of the room, he could tell they all wanted to strangle his parents
"What's with him?" His dad asked, suspicious
"Nothing-just people used to think he was..."
"Oh." His parents said, with no sympathy that they just made a child cry. Even worse, it was his child
He found Will sobbing in his bedroom, which to him made his heart hurt
Without saying anything, he sat next to Will and hugged him, running his fingers through his hair
"You're okay." He whispered, "I'm sorry about them."
"No, I'm sorry you ended up with a monster as a child." Will choked out
"Hey, look at me." He said in a serious tone, "Never call yourself that again. You are not a monster. They are. After today, I won't let them anywhere near you guys, don't worry."
"Thanks." Will hugged him back, "I love you, dad."
"Love you too."
When they came back to where everyone was, they were all quietly sitting and eating
"Hey, sweetie." Joyce shot Will a smile as he sat down awkwardly next to her and far away from his parents, "You okay?"
"Yeah." Will said, but he knew everyone but his parents could tell what was going on
Deciding to at least save them all an awkward moment, he sat next to his parents, though he would quickly regret.
"You shouldn't be eating that." His mom told him, quiet enough so the others wouldn't hear
"Why?" He asked, a little nervous about what was coming up
"You're already too fat, I don't want my son to be fatter than he already is."
Okay, he was expecting this. Not that bad, so he just brushed it off, already used to these comments. He could feel Joyce glaring at them, but he ignored it.
But he wasn't expecting the next part. When they were done with lunch, he noticed that his mom had pulled Joyce away from the table, but she'd come back, and not Joyce
"Where's Joyce?" He asked his mom
"I don't know." She avoided his eyes, which he could tell the meaning to
He got up from his seat and found Joyce crying in their bedroom. That was it.
"What did she say to you?" He asked Joyce, sitting down next to her to comfort her
"She-she told me to stay away from you, that you shouldn't be dating such an ugly, poor, worthless woman..."
That made him snap. He got back up and storms back to the kitchen
"Jimmy? What's wrong?" His mom said in the fakest sweet voice ever
"Shut up! You know what's wrong!" He snapped at them, "I am so sick and tired of you abusing me and everyone I love! For one, Joyce is the most beautiful, smart, sweet, perfect woman! Two, just because my daughter doesn't wear all pink or whatever the hell you think girls wear does not mean you can insult her! You two may have ruined my childhood, but I will not let you hurt my family and my kids! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
"Jimmy-"
"Get the hell out of my house, Alexandra." He told her, no longer even wanting to think of them as related to him
Somehow, they actually left, even though it was after a lot of threatening from them, he didn't think they'd leave
"Oh thank god." Jonathan sighed, smiling
Will and El gave him a quick hug, but he noticed Joyce was crying, and pulled away
"Hey, it's okay. They're gone." He assured her
"It's not that-it's just-I'm proud of you." Joyce hugged him, still crying
"Thanks."

(Joyce's POV)

Deciding to try and make the best of what they had left of the day, they watched a Christmas movie, Hopper snuggling against her on the couch as they spooned
"I love you..." Hopper muttered, happily nuzzling her
"Hop..." Joyce giggled, making him nuzzle deeper, "Jim! Stop!"
"I can't! I'm happy, and when I'm happy..." Hopper trailed off, kissing her, his body pressing against hers
"I love you..." She turned and kissed him, arms around Hopper's neck
After a few kisses, the kids notice, and exclaim, "Get a room, you two!"
"Alright." She chuckled, and pulled Hopper away into the hallway where the kids couldn't see them
"Wait-What?" The kids realized they had just left them
"You told us to get a room!" Hopper said, her not able to talk seeing as she had already started to kiss him
"We'll be there in a minute." She told the kids, then continued to give Hopper a hickey
"Joyce..." Hopper muttered under his breath
"You enjoying yourself?" She asked him, hoping her kisses made him forget about before with his parents
"Hell ya." He kissed back, playing with her hair
"I'm so proud of you; with the thing that happened with your parents." She told him
"Thanks, I was really nervous." He chuckled cutely
"But you still did it." She ruffled his hair, "I love you."
"I love you too."
Since Hopper had to start on dinner, even though she didn't trust him in the kitchen, she pulled out Monopoly, so the kids didn't get bored
"Can I be the dog?" El asked
"As long as I can be the top hat." Will declared
"Do you wanna play?" She asked Jonathan
"No, I'm gonna make sure Dad doesn't destroy the kitchen." Jonathan chuckled
"Hey!" Hop exclaimed, "I can hear you!"
"I know." Jonathan smiled at his dad, then started to help him with the food
Just as Will were about to beat the two of them in the game by having a boardwalk and four complete colors, Jonathan and Hopper called to them, telling them dinner was ready
She sat down next to Hopper, and noted, "Wow, this looks really good."
"Thanks." Hopper's face went scarlet, shooting a smile at her
They probably had the best Christmas dinner of her life, even though the turkey was a little burnt, but still better than the usual. She held Hopper's hand as they ate, blushing every time one of his fingers even barely brushed her leg. Of course, the kids noticed, and teased them, which she didn't mind
The kids being too excited about Christmas, they all went to bed early, letting her and Hop set out all the gifts
"I think that's all." She set down the last present
"You took your medicine, right?" Her boyfriend double checked
"Yep, did it earlier." She confirmed
"Goo-Ooh, what's this?" Hopper picked up a present, more specifically, her present for him
"Stop it! You'll break it!" She told him
"Oh, so it's breakable?" Hopper teased her
"Just put it down." She insisted
"Sorry." He apologized and set the wrapped box down
"It's fine." She shot him a smile, then kissed him so strongly she accidentally knocked him into the wall
"Joyce...." Hopper muttered, stumbling up the stairs as they reached the bedroom, her quickly being forced onto the bottom
"Jim...." She quietly let out, her boyfriend kissing her, her arms around his back
"God, Joyce..." Hopper stared her up and down, going to take off her shirt, but she stopped him
"You first." She teased
"Gladly." He pulled his sweater off, his skin soft as always against her
She let him unbutton her shirt and kiss her on the neck hard, enjoying it just as much as him
"I love you." He muttered in her ear, nipping at it
"I love you too..." She giggled
They went at it for an hour or so, probably leaving more marks than she could count, until they just laid next to each other, tired, and staring at the ceiling
"That was-"
"Amazing." She finished Hop's sentence, shooting him a glance, "I love you, you know that?"
"I know. I'm so lucky to have you." Hopper declared, letting her snuggle on his chest
"I'm so lucky to have you, Hop." She kissed him, pressing their noses together, "I know I said it a million times, but I'm proud of you for standing up to your parents like that."
"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have seen how badly they were hurting you guys." Hopper rubbed her arm, "Still sorry about them being here in the first place."
"Hey, don't be. The good news is you got them out." She laughed quietly
"Yeah...." He chuckled, giving her a kiss on the forehead, "I love you."
"Love you too..." She said, then slowly drifted into sleep, her dreams full of Hopper and their happy family

"MOM! DAD! WAKE UP!"
She first thought that the house was burning down, based on how loudly Will was screaming, but then she remembered it was Christmas
Groggily getting up, her and Hop were dragged downstairs by their kids, where they drank their coffee as they watched Will and El unwrap their gifts, Jonathan taking photos
"Mom! Dad!" El called them over, and handed them both presents, one from her and one from Will for both of them
She got a copy of Little Woman, which she heard was a good book, and a painting Will had done. Hopper got a mug, with the most Hopper-like message on it: Coffee, because work is sh****, and some slippers, since he just walked around the house in his shoes half the time
She felt her cheeks get warm as she handed him the small box that had his gift inside
Too excited to speak, she watched him tear off the wrapping paper and smile when he saw it
"Oh Joyce, it's perfect." He hugged her tightly. For Christmas, she'd gotten him a new watch, since the one he had was started to break down (probably had to do with the whole Upside Down thing), but the important thing about it was that inside, was a photo of her and Hopper from high school, holding hands
"Open mine!" He exclaimed, handing her a present
"Oh, Hop, you didn't hav-" She was cut off when she saw the gift. It was a silver necklace with a rectangle that had JB+JH carved on it
"Do you like it?" Hopper asked, nervous for no reason
"Yes! Of course! I love it!" She kissed him, knocking him over again
"I love you."
"I love you too."