Playing House - [Jopper] ✓

Welcome Home for Now

Hopper carried Will's car seat in one hand and held Jonathan's hand in the other. Joyce fussed with the keys as she tried to fight off the exhaustion long enough to get inside.

"I'll get you some blankets and a pillow. I might have some pajamas here too." Joyce said as she rushed around the house. It wasn't as destroyed as Hopper expected, but it did look like a single mother of two lived there.

"Joyce, I've got this. I will get Jonathan down, I'll feed Will, and I'll get blankets. Just please go rest." Hopper said as he gingerly set down Will's carrier.

"Bu—" Joyce began but Hopper hushed her softly. "Sleep." He said with a reassuring look as he nudged her off. Eventually, she gave up and kissed both boys goodnight.

"Alright, you ready for bed, kiddo? I'll even read you a bedtime story." Hopper said as the six-year-old smiled at him.

"How about you brush your teeth and I'll get you some pajamas? Sound good?" Hopper asked. Jonathan smiled again and ran off to brush his teeth.

"Hey, little guy. Please, please, please, don't cry too much tonight. I'm trying to do your mom a favor." Hopper said as he knelt next to the baby seat. The infant looked at him with wide brown eyes.

"Alright, kiddo, good talk. Let's go read your brother a story then we will chill out and watch some television." Hopper said as he carefully took Will out of the way-too-complicated car seat.

--

With Jonathan tucked into bed and out cold, Joyce snoring loudly from her room, and Will completely fed, Hopper pulled the bassinet next to the couch. Turning the TV on mute, he pulled the throw off the couch and started to drift into sleep.

It wasn't until three in the morning when Hopper shot out of sleep. He could hear Will just about to wail when he picked the infant up to comfort him.

He cradled baby Will in his arm as he tried to prepare a bottle in only the moonlight. Luckily, Hopper remembered the quickest way to warm a bottle was to run it under warm water. Just as Will was about to scream, Hop finished the bottle and began to feed the child.

"Good boy, no need to wake Mommy. We've got this." Hopper whispered as he walked around the kitchen with Will in his arms.

Forty-five minutes after Will finished his bottle and fell asleep, Hopper woke up again as he heard the baby fussing. "Alright, diaper right? Okay..."

Jim fished around the diaper bag for a clean change. "Okay, buddy, some ground rules." Hopper began as he started to unfasten the diaper. "No peeing on Uncle Jim alright? No kicking either, save that for football days." He said as he braced himself for what could very well be an explosion.

Will watched Hopper as he tried to figure out exactly how to maneuver a dirty diaper. The 'no kicking' rule didn't seem to get through to the two week old very well, but luckily there was no fountain.

With Will swaddled into a fresh diaper, Hopper dozed back off the sleep. Only having to do about 3 more bottles throughout the night, but luckily no sobbing cries woke up Joyce.

--

Joyce stirred in her sleep as the sun beamed through her window. As she remembered the previous night, she shot out of bed and ran into the kitchen.

"Alright. Do you know four plus four?" Joyce could barely hear Hopper since the smell of fresh bacon almost knocked her off her feet.

"Is it six?" Came the hopeful voice of Jonathan. "I'm six!" The child cheered.

"Almost! It's not quite six. Four plus four is eight. Good morning sleepy head!" Hopper said as he turned to smile at Joyce. She could see he was wearing a pink apron that said "kiss the cook"

"Oh Hop, you didn't have to do all this." Joyce said as panic began to set in.

"Nonsense. Jonathan and I were just doing some math quizzes while the pancakes finish up. How do you take your coffee?" Hop asked as he flipped the bacon.

"I uh... three creams and three sugar. Really, Hop, this means the world to me. Thank you." Joyce said as she picked Will up out of the bassinet that was pulled into the kitchen.

"We all need some time off, Joyce. It was no trouble at all." Hopper smiled as he handed her the mug of coffee.

Joyce leaned over and kissed the top of Jonathan's head before she sat down with the baby. "How'd it go?" She asked nervously.

"It went perfectly. The little guy is quite the poop machine but I think we tackled the first night." Hopper replied as he set plates down in front of Joyce and Jonathan.

Jonathan burst out laughing at the words 'poop machine' and even Joyce couldn't help but to giggle.

"I really mean it, Hop. Thank you so much." Joyce said as she gave him a warm and grateful smile.

"It was no problem. Seriously."