𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐄𝐏𝐓

chapter 9

"take care of yourself, hop."

{for athena}

~~~

joyce knocked gently on the cabin door (the secret knock, of course), the morning air holding a cold chill and weaving it's way through her short hair. hopper opened it slowly, sighing in relief at the sight of joyce instead of one of el's crazy friends. joyce smiled warmly at hopper as he invited her in, joyce shedding the light jacket she was wearing.

"where is she?" joyce asked, hopper gesturing to the only other door in the cabin, joyce staring at it for a few moments before nodding.

it was still dark outside, joyce checking her watch to make sure it was still early enough for will to be asleep, the time reading 5:25 am. she rubbed her cold hands together, yawning which prompted hopper rush to the kitchen to pour her a cup of coffee. he handed her the white mug, joyce smiling at the gesture.

"thanks, hop." she said, hopper nodding as he returned his hands to his pockets. they stood quietly for a moment, their eyes not on each other. the silence was peaceful, it was so much softer than the silence that echoed through their ears when they were alone. they had one another to add softness to the unbearable quiet of the secluded cabin.

joyce glanced up at hopper, her eyes holding a glint of something, something hopper couldn't identify. however, looking into her eyes, those eyes, with the gleam of something unknown, he was left wanting to know why.

"how has she been?" joyce asked about el, the soft silence being cut through with her even softer voice. hopper froze, his brain not totally processing her words. he inhaled quickly, stumbling over his words as he brought a hand to the back of his neck.

"oh, uh- i dunno. she's been alright, i guess." hopper stumbled out, not sure why he was having such trouble speaking, or why he didn't tell joyce what happened. why didn't he tell her anything?!

"she has had a few nightmares, but that's pretty normal. a-and uh, when i came home last night she was on the couch crying." hopper explained. his mind felt blank, not focused on anything else except that glint, that gleam of an unidentifiable trait in joyce's wide eyes. she nodded, her eyes wandering around the room, the shine doing a dance around her orbs as hopper continued to watch it.

he wasn't sure why, but he felt as though he had seen this in joyce before. this rebellion shown physically, such desire and determination shown only through a small glance in his direction.

the desire felt old, aged, as though it were rising from a grave she had buried them in when she felt they weren't necessary. however, when hopper thought about that grave, he saw the shovel in someone else's hand.

lonny byers.

the man who swooped in at last minute and stole joyce away from hopper. the man who diminished her spark. the man who ruined joyce.

"how about you, joyce? you-uh, you doin' ok?" hopper asked, his voice holding true concern for her well being. she smiled, her face growing hot for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on as she looked down.

"y-yea, i've been ok." she replied, her voice quiet. hopper nodded for what seemed like the thousandth time that morning, looking around awkwardly as the thought of her eyes still taunted him.

she felt her feet shuffling slowly across the wooden floor, out of her control as though an unseen force was picking up each foot and dropping it lightly in front of her. hopper did the same, neither of them noticing the closeness of their bodies until their chests almost bumped, their breathing stopping momentarily and catching in their throats.

they noticed the sun beginning to rise from the trees, joyce checking her watch which displayed 6:01, her arm gently brushing hoppers chest, both of them blushing fiercly. the small woman paused, looking at hopper before reluctantly backing away, grabbing her coat from where she had set it down on the chair.

"i'd better go." she said, rushing to put her jacket on before placing a hand on hoppers shoulder, revealing the shine to him once more. except, behind the shine he noticed a sudden longing, a new saddness in her eyes. it was furtive and reticent, contrasting the wisdom that the familiar glint held. it was vulnerable, spreading into hopper and suffocating him from the inside. time unfroze as her eyes dashed away from his, hitting the floor as she removed her hand from his shoulder, his heart falling at the loss of connection.

"take care of yourself, hop." she said quietly, hopper watching her as she headed out the door closing it quietly behind her. she had left him, though she hadn't realized what an impact she had left that brisk morning. the gleam she held unknowingly had been imprinted into hopper's mind and it lingered there still, even after the small green car pulled out of the clearing in the woods.

it was in this moment, this raw and enigmatic moment, that hopper realized his original need for joyce byers had returned. in fact, it never actually left in the first place.