Jopper : You make my heart skip a beat

Chapter 21

Hopper smirked at El, then looked to Joyce, raising an eyebrow. "You wish!" He said, reaching under the table and squeezing Joyce's hand lightly.

And she f*ing squeezed back. Their hands didn't slip away or move as El started drawing furiously and Will started to guess. Hopper loved this moment a little too much. Their little, odd family sitting around their dinner table, smiling and laughing as they played Pictionary. I love this. I love all of them. I just love her. 

"A fish!?" Will guessed wildly as El never stopped her marker from tearing across her page. She was determined to win, like always. He laughed inwardly at how alike her and Joyce were.

Hopper pulled on Joyce's hand gently, making her lean closer to him. Her ear was inches from his lips. "I think we've got this." His voice was so quiet, she barely heard.

Hopper was trying his very best, not to kiss Joyce in that moment. I can't f*ing kiss her. Our kids are right there! And I know for a fact, that she definitely wouldn't want to kiss me. I'd be embarrassed beyond salvation and... just...broken, if she rejected me. I can't handle losing her. She's all I've ever wanted in this weird monster filled world. I need her. I need Joyce.

"A dog?" Will asked uncertainly. El drew the last of her cat and just in time, Will almost shouted, "A cat!" El smiled brightly and smirked at Hopper and Joyce. "We win that round." Hopper leaned away from Joyce before Will could see them. The kids can't see me whispering in Joyce's ear. They'd be get up to something again, like earlier. Giving me a talk about my goddamn feelings. I just want to be with Joyce, with no outside input. All I want...is Joyce. All to myself. What! That's selfish. Others need Joyce in their life. Not just me. But I f*ing love her more than I love life itself. He chuckled. "Ok kid, our turn." Hopper didn't want his hand to leave Joyce's but he knew it had to. The kids can't see us holding hands. And Joyce needs a hand to draw with.

Joyce grabbed a page and a spare marker and started to draw. Hopper got it after one guess, only 10 seconds in. I've known her my whole life. I know her. "And that's what I like to call...victory!" Joyce and Hopper both laughed at the pouting kids opposite them.

"Can we play another round. Will and I need our revenge!" El asked happily. I love it when she's excited and happy. It fills my heart. El is my daughter. She filled that hole that Sara left in my heart. I will always hold Sara in my heart, but right now... my life doesn't feel so empty. Now my life is complete. El and Joyce fill my heart.

 Joyce only chuckled at El's comment on winning. "Yeah, sure kid, if we need to prove we can beat you every time, then so be it!" Hopper teased, earning a playful smack on the arm from Joyce. "What?" He asked, acting innocent. And not doing the best job. "You know what." Joyce laughed, smiling the biggest and brightest smile at Hopper. God...I'm so happy it's not physically possible for someone heart to melt from pure happiness.

"You're on!" Will shouted as he reached for more pages to draw on. Will, El and Jonathan are perfect siblings. They connect so well. Hopper knew the connection El and Will shared and how protective Jonathan is with Will and now El. He's a great older brother. If the five of them went out in public together, people would think they're a real family because of how well they all fit together. 

The game continued with people shouting out guesses. Cries of frustration and annoyance when they ran out of time or couldn't guess right. Laughs from the other teams as the other two struggled on a round. Gloating when their team won, which was mainly Hopper and Joyce. Making up excuses of why their team didn't win, they were all very competitive and did not like to lose. It went on and on.

Hopper and Joyce won almost every time. They understand each other like no one else does. They know how the other person thinks. How they express there thoughts. And most importantly... how to understand each other's messy drawings.

After the last round, the kids began to clean up when Hopper looked over to Joyce and whispered. "We definitely won." Joyce giggled which made his heart sore high above the grey clouds and snow. "Yeah, I think we make a pretty good team."

He looked down at their joined hands briefly. They were gently playing with each other's fingertips. He smiled before looking back up into her beautiful brown eyes. "Yeah, I think we do." His voice was barely a whisper. Hopper slightly leaned towards her as Joyce stared back at him, never faltering.

But for the millionth time that evening, they were interrupted by El. Seriously!? Again!? She and Will were the ones who told me to admit my feelings. And here they are interrupting me and Joyce every time we're having a moment.

She spoke while tidying up the paper left on the table. "Hey, Joyce?" "Yes, sweetheart?" Joyce looked up from her gaze on Hopper and smiled at their girl. "Can you help me pick out a new game, please?" El asked politely. "Yeah sure." Joyce replied. Joyce and Hopper both lifted their hands from under the table at the same time, breaking their connected hands. Hopper immediately missed her natural warmth, radiating from her hand.

 Joyce stood up, before they left the room to find another game.

Hopper and Will were left with each other, a comfortable silence surrounding them. "Don't hurt my mom, please Hopper." Will pleaded quietly from across the table. "Please don't break her heart. She doesn't deserve it." Hopper was heartbroken by the boys plead. "I would never hurt her, Will. I love her. She deserves the world. And I'll try to give it to her." Will seemed pleased by his response.

Joyce and El had been gone a while, so Hopper told Will he was going to check on them as he stood and walked to the door of the living room. He stopped at the door, not making a sound as he overheard their conversation.

"Do you love Hopper?" El asked.

"I-It's not that simple, El." Joyce said sadly. Joyce turned her back from him. She doesn't feel that way. It was like a punch to the gut. He was about to leave when he heard El's voice again. 

"It is simple, do you feel happy around him? Do you light up around him? Does your heart skip a beat when you think about him? That's how I feel about Mike and I love him. It can be simple...you're just overthinking it. He loves you too, you know." El told her firmly.

"Um... El... I-I... I do...I love him." Joyce stuttered. 

Hopper thought his heart would explode. He couldn't help the huge smile that broke out on his face. She loves me too! I love her and she loves me!

Joyce asked uncertainly, "Is that ok...with you?" El smiles and rushes to hug Joyce. "Of course it's ok!" El exclaimed, not letting go. "It's more than ok. It's perfect!" She said.

Hopper forgot El could see him, before she looked up and spotted him. He gave her the biggest smile and told her with a look, not to mention he was here or overheard them.

El nodded briefly at him, before he turned back, smiling like an idiot.

Joyce. Joyce Byers and me, Jim Hopper...are in f*ing love. And I know exactly what I'm going to do.