Jopper Oneshots

Love and Hate [Angst & Fluff]

He shot a snarky remark at her, and she lost it. She was tired of the ridicule and the fighting. She had tolerated it for this long, but he was pissing her off. "SHUT UP!" She yelled, startling him. "I AM TIRED OF THIS!"

"YEAH WELL STOP BEING SUCH AN ASS AND MAYBE WE CAN MOVE ON!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S MAKING THIS AN ISSUE!"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! YOU'RE THE PROBLEM HERE!"

She was silent for a second. She didn't think about her words, and they tumbled from her mouth against her will. "I hate you, Hop."

His whole demeanor changed. He had been angry, but those four words had shaken him to his core. Joyce, who was his best friend, had just said that she hated him. The person that he loved with his whole soul didn't only not like him, but she hated him. And that hurt. He had trusted her so much, he had opened up, been vulnerable, and she hated him.

She gasped as she realized what she had said. "Hop, I didn't- I don't! I don't hate you!" But he had stopped listening. His mind was racing, his eyes were watering, and he turned away from her. He couldn't breathe, his chest was tight, he was sweating profusely; he was having an anxiety attack.

"Joyce... How long? How long have you hated me?" He was trembling at that point, unable to calm down.

"Hopper I don't hate you! I've never hated you!"

"That's not what you just said."

"I don't hate you. I hate life, I hate myself. And that comes out the wrong way. But I've never hated you, Hopper. God, I've loved you since high school." That was the second time in a matter of about two minutes that she had said something without thinking. 

At first, all he could process was that she loved him. He felt like he was on top of the world for a second; the love of his life loved him back. But as he replayed it in his head, he realized that she said that she hated herself. What is there to hate? he thought. 

He came closer to her, wrapping her in a hug. "Joyce, you are the most perfect person to exist on this planet. You have no reason to hate yourself. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here, because I love you." 

She smiled at him genuinely and hugged him back.