STRANGER THINGS IMAGINES

Got Off Early | Jim Hopper

Melonhead15 requested this ♡

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The paper grocery bag that weighed half a ton and sat awkwardly in your arms was about to rip as you went up the porch steps. On the second step, your keys dropped from your grasp. You turned on your feet, peering down at them on the floor. Sighing, you struggled to squat to pick them up, praying the bag that was filled to the top wouldn't spill.

The front door opened. Your husband, Jim, was standing there, a cigarette dangling between his lips. "I thought I heard you out here, honey. Here - let me take that for you."

Coming to your rescue, he took the bag from your arms. "Thank you," you gasped, swiping the keys into your hand and standing up. "I didn't know you'd be home this early."

"Wanted to have dinner with my girls," he said, letting you go into the house first. He went to the kitchen table and placed the bag down.

"Aw, that's sweet of you, honey," you said. "But I was gonna just call for a pizza."

He smiled. "Even better."

You flashed a grin in return, kicking your shoes off and tossing the keys in a bowl on one of the small tables in the living room.

"So what is all this stuff, anyway?" He began to pull things from your bag - hair clips, curlers, hair spray,  brushes of different shapes and sizes, creams, pins, and El's favorite - scrunchies.

"Hair stuff for El," you said proudly. "Bought it all dirt cheap, too. All those stores going out of business is sad, but I am getting great deals from these ninety-percent off sales."

He took the cigarette out of his mouth, turning his head so he didn't puff smoke in your face. "Uh, what is this stuff for?"

"El," you said. He looked at you for an explanation. "Well, her hair is getting long now, so I thought maybe she'd like to style it some. All the girls nowadays are stylin' their hair bigger and bigger. Figured she would want to try."

"She's..." He shook his head. "Just a kid. She's young, she doesn't need this stuff."

"She's a teenager now, sweetheart. She's gonna want to start dressing like one." You were patient with your husband. He was overly overprotective of Eleven (and truthfully, rightfully so), but it bothered her a lot.

You were the one that was a gentle balance between "listen to your father, he is just looking out for you" and "take it easy on her, she is changing and learning every single day".

"She's just a little girl!" he whispered.

"Oh, Hop," you sighed, smiling fondly. "She's a teenager who is gonna want to try different hair looks, make up looks... outfit looks..."

"I will want to try what?"

You and Jim both turned. Eleven stood outside of her bedroom door, dressed in one of the cute, colorful outfits Max had bought with her.

"Oh, sweetie, look what I bought you today!"

She smiled fondly at you and walked over, peering excitedly at the bag of contents. "Hair... spray," she read, grabbing the tall can.

"Mhm. I just thought me and you could have a, you know, girls day. Where I show you some cute hairstyles." You tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "Your hair is really growing out now."

Staring at you, her eyes gleamed and glistened. She adored you, she really did. Looking back at the pile, it was only a matter of seconds before she snatched the colorful pink and yellow scrunchies and grinned from ear to ear.

"New scrunchies," you said, fingers back in her hair.

Right away, she hurried to the spot on the floor in front of the recliner. You took a seat behind her, hair supplies gathered all around you. You started to move a brush around her hair.

Jim, who had went to the refrigerator to get a beer, scoffed at you and El taking up his seat.

"Really?" he asked.

"It's girls time," you said in a sing-song voice. "No boys allowed."

"Yes, girls only," El said. "Go to your room."

His jaw dropped. El, looking smug, beamed at you. When she looked back down at her lap, you looked at your husband and winked.

He chuckled, nodding, opened his beer, and started towards his bedroom. "Fine, fine. I see how it is."

Before trudging back to his room, he stopped by the chair. He leaned down and kissed you on the head, then on the lips once you looked up.

"I'll handle getting the pizza," he said.

"Thank you," you said. You kissed him again before he walked in the direction of the bedroom. "Make sure you get two. El and I may want to actually have a chance to get seconds this time around."

As El laughed, he shook his head and smirked. "You two are cruel to me!" he shouted playfully.

"We love you!" you and El both said together.

You happily continued to comb El's hair. She leaned into your movements, eyes closing as she just enjoyed the softness that came with a mother's gentle touch. You asked her to pick a scrunchie, and she chose the bright yellow one.

"Maybe we should put one of these in your dad's hair, huh?" you joked softly, emitting a fit of laughter from her. "The bright, soft pink one?"

She giggled with her hand over her mouth. The sound warned your heart. "He would look stupid."

"Yeah," you agreed, nodding. "He would look really stupid."

"Really really stupid."

As you both laughed to yourselves, enjoying your moment together, Hopper stood in the doorway of his bedroom, staring at you both as he drank his beer. He wasn't watching to eavesdrop on what you were saying about them, but instead enjoying the moment where he watched his beautiful, perfect wife spend time with their beautiful, perfect daughter.