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delicateisfearless-blog · 5 years

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Stranger Things Review |Season One

So I have just finished the first season of stranger things and I loved it. I had considered watching it in the past, but I thought it would be not as good or just another Riverdale (no shade! But they do drag some things out!!) But I think because the show has like eight episodes that's why it wasn't all over the place. Like the way it was written and the way it was shown to us was just perfect. I felt that we did see all the important characters equally, other shows have a hard time doing that but I really think this show did pretty well at keeping us with everyone each episode.

I would love to talk about every part of this first season but that would take days if I did that and I really need to start on season two. So I'll try to make this review as short and sweet as possible.

The Mother Who Believed

Joyce was one of the characters that truly stuck out this first season. Not only is she the first one to believe all the stuff that is happening, but she believed--or she knew that Will was alive. She isn't selfish in finding her son, she wants him back but she still told El to let her know if she couldn't handle being there long. Despite the fact her life is far from perfect she is a good mother who loves her boys and that's clear.

The females written this season (Joyce, El, and Nancy) were all strong women and I loved that. They had vulnerable moments for sure but that doesn't take away anything. Strong women can show emotion, they can be vulnerable. Joyce wasn't the woman who wanted to be saved, she figured out Lonnie and got him out of there.

Joyce is played by Winona Ryder who I first remember seeing in Bettlejuice as Lydia. (If y'all haven't seen that movie your tasteless af. I don't make the rules y'all!) I think if somebody else had taken on Joyce, then the character wouldn't have been brought to life as much as Winona plays her. Winona honestly had me bawling my eyes out in so many scenes, her talent is just saw raw, real and beautiful.

Even when she was in the most dire of situations she still refused to cower in fear. She didn't care. She had one job to do and that was to bring Will home. And at the end that's what exactly happens, I was crying when he came back and she had me in absolute tears---I'm crying writing this.

The Sister That Lost

Nancy was my favorite character this entire season. I knew before I actually watched that she would be, it was this vibe I got with her. The character isn't by any means perfect---she's this teenaged girl who just wants the guy and to matter. She's a teenager so she is intended to not always make the most calculated decisions, but still she was a major badass this season.

I think Nancy is a little naive in the beginning and even Barb sees that. But I think after she takes the next step with Steve The Shamer (sorry I'm still salty he and his friends pulled that sh*t!), Barb going missing, and the argument with Jonathan makes her realize that she is in fact being naive with chasing after somebody with horrible taste in friends.

There's this scene in the finale where she is smiling at the boys all being reunited. She's smiling but you see it fall and in that moment I just knew she thought Barb, and how she couldn't be reunited with her because she was gone. Her one true friend was dead and she had lost.

What I loved most about Nancy is that she wasn't scared. When it came down to it she went along with Jonathan---it was even her idea to go through with it--she wanted to get rid of it. I do think apart of her wanted to do it to protect Mike, but it was clear the main reasoning was justice for Barb.

The Superhero

El is introduced as this girl with these magnificent powers. She doesn't really know much about the world or what a lot of things mean. She starts learning stuff through Mike by starting off with friend. She doesn't really talk much but we do learn a lot about her as the episodes go on.

We see the brilliant and talent Millie Bobby Brown give off a spectacular performance as we see flashbacks to what she went through and just why she's trying to leave it all behind. I think Winona Ryder was the powerful actress this season, but Millie isn't far behind. When Mike pushes her away from him you see just how hurt she is and that she doesn't really understand. Her portrayal of El was just heartbreaking. She took on this role of this tragic girl who has had to deal with some horrible monsters and gave her hope, and then she lost that hope because she knew she had to take away the monster that was hurting her friends.

The Heartbroken Man

Jim Hopper is a character I wasn't sure what to think of at first. He came off as arrogant but we soon learn that he's this man that is completely lost and heartbroken in the world. As the season progresses we see more of Hopper and we learn that he has lost his daughter Sarah due to cancer.

In his flashbacks we see what appears to be a strong man who is positive. But when we see him by himself he is this broken man crying on hospital stairs because she's sick. I think what drives him to want to save Will is his daughter, it's as if he has this second chance to save somebody's child from dying.

I really fell in love with the character by the end of the season. He was great, a true asset to the series. Without him I don't think they would have had that chance to get Will back. He and Joyce really made a great team and I loved watching them work together.

Oh you should know that David Harbour going to be in the new Hellboy and Blackwidow. I have no idea if Hellboy is out yet but if you like the actor wait for them, I know so many people have waited for Blackwidow movie for years and the fact he's in it might add to the excitement.

The Photographer

Jonathan is a character that I was looking out for. I knew a spoiler and I was scared to watch the scene because I was afraid I would cringe. It's the scene where Steve breaks his camera, it was a well acted scene between the two males who are clearly after Nancy's heart. I think what Jonathan did was um a stranger thing to do--get it?

But he's weird. He's a weirdo, but I don't want to call anyone out here. (Riverdale.) This is how you write a weird socially awkward character. You have them act like this (not the camera thing, that's got nothing to do with being socially awkward.) But there are scenes where we see Jonathan putting up signs and you can just tell this is how he is. You don't need him to proclaim it outloud as him "being weird" you just know he is.

I actually really liked the Jonathan character once we got past the photos. He is this guy who helps around the house, cooks and tries to bring in extra cash. You see just how much family means to him---we see just how different his home life is compared to Nancy's. Nancy's family for sure isn't suffering but they aren't really all that close, but we see that Jonathan had a bond with his brother where they would listen to music together. I think the only thing in common is that there's complication between parents.

And as the season progressed I found myself loving him and Nancy over Nancy and Steve. I am looking forward to what's next for them in season two seeing as it was hinted in the finale something will arise between them at some point.

The Self-Sabotaging Jerk

Steve Harrington. I didn't really like him this season. I thought that he was pretty awful to Nancy this season. I'm not saying he didn't have his "good guy" moments. But he laughed when his friends cracked jokes and mocked her for taking the next step with him and then the slutshaming thing just really didn't set well with me either.

In the finale when he is cuddled up next to Nancy I felt nothing. I didn't feel happy they were together, it just felt like him slutshaming her was overlooked. I know she most likely forgave him by this point but I still didn't feel happy by it. But people said he will grow on me eventually. So I'm not saying I'll never like him, I just feel disappointed in him is all.

I think his problem is that he self sabotages good things in his life. I think he does this by wanting to be in with the right crowd and feel accepted into that life. But I think most likely based on some of the scenes that almost losing Nancy and getting punched he realized that he can't be that person anymore.

I did feel bad for him in the scene where his friends are being horrible to him. I think that's the most I felt bad for him, I didn't care about his selfish worries after Barb went missing. But I am open to seeing what they do with the character and how they'll get me to fall in love with him.

Boys On A Mission

The Party consists of the boys: Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas. And now El seems to be a member but seeing as I've discussed her already I'll leave her out of this one. So Mike is very loud in personality and I think that's what people love about the character. I didn't expect to like the character as much as I did, but the thing about this show is you don't hate the main characters, or I couldn't at least. They are all complicated and as the series goes you kind of see that. I did think Mike was a little selfish and didn't consider how his friends (mainly Lucas) was dealing with everything. But I still love the character and the actor did such a good job with the character.

I did kind of feel like Lucas and Dustin weren't really going to be that significant at first which is crazy because they do in fact appear a lot. I think what made me believe that is because Mike did become really involved with El, so I could understand why Lucas was jealous at first. But the fact that Mike became obsessed with El didn't take away Dustin or Lucas, they were still there. Annoyed but still there.

I do think Lucas was harsh with her but I understand that he was scared to trust letting anyone else into the party. Dustin has a very follow the leader type personality but that won't stop him from telling his friends like it is or calling them out on their sh*t.

Will is very interesting. He is bullied for being more I guess feminine and called fairy. Although he is possibly on the feminine side (we didn't really see much of him. He was barely in the season seeing as he was in the Upside Down) but that doesn't necessarily mean he is gay. I think the fact that showing this character be called these names and in his brother's room listening to music to block it out was one of the saddest things. Whether or not the character is gay doesn't matter, it's great if he is it's fine if he isn't. I think this character is a example to what is against toxic masculinity, guys thinks it's weak to cry or do more feminine stuff.

I think the lengths the party would go for one another is beautiful and what true friendship looks like. And I can't wait to see what's in store for these buds in season 2!

And with that...

So I think I covered all the important characters. Maybe I should have said something on Karen Wheeler... So right quick I had seen people talking about her before as not being the best mother. But she actually was a pretty good mother, she spent the entire season trying to get her children to open up to her and she worried about them nonstop. So Karen was a pretty good mother and I actually really liked her. My favorite mom on the show is still Joyce, but Karen is a close second.

And with that I just want to say that this season was one of the best I've ever seen of any show in this type of genre. Thank you and have a beautiful time and I hope to be on season 3 in a few days :)))))

#Stranger Things #Joyce Byers #Jim Hopper #Mike Wheeler #Eleven #Jane Ives #Dustin Henderson #Lucas Sinclair #Nancy Wheeler #Jonathan Byers #Karen Wheeler #Will Byers #Steve Harrington

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timehealsfanfictionbka · 6 years

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Time Heals..... Chapter Five

“Mama, I can’t find my bathing suit,” Erica called out. Robyn huffed as she dropped the clothes she was folding into the open suitcase splayed on her bed and left into the girls’ bedroom. It looked as if a tornado had blew through the room, Robyn sighed, “What did y’all do to this room? I had all your clothes already picked out.”

“Erica did it,” Erin replied, “she didn’t look for her stuff like you told us the other day.”

“Tattletale,” Erica exclaimed as she tossed a pillow at her sister. Erin laughed and ran to hide behind Robyn.

“Erica, what did you do with your bathing suit last?” Robyn asked.

“I had put it with my clothes that needed to be washed and- Wait, I know where it is.”

Erica took off out the room and Robyn turned to her other daughter, “Erin, where is your suitcase?”

“In the living room where you told me to put it.”

“Did you go over the checklist to make sure you have everything?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Ok, did you eat your lunch?”

“Not yet.”

“Go ahead and eat and I’ll send your sister in once she finished packing.”

“Yes Mommy.”

Erin kissed Robyn’s cheek and left out of the room just as Erica walked back in.

“Did you find it?”

“Yes, it was in the dryer.”

Robyn chuckled a bit and playfully rubbed Erica’s hair, “next time you’ll listen when I tell you to gather all your clothes.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“Finish packing then go eat lunch with your sister. We have to go to the store before Mama J comes to take us to the airport.”

“Ok, Mommy.”

Robyn went back to her bedroom to finish packing her own suitcase.

“Mama, are you serious right now?” Chris whined.

“Look, I would take her if I could but my car won’t start,” Joyce replied, “I can ask somebody else but there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to do it. You already told me you weren’t busy today.”

Chris huffed, “what time do I need to be there?”

“1 pm at the latest, her flight leaves at 4.”

“Ok.”

“Thank you, Sweetie.”

“Mom, you owe me.”

“She’s your best friend, get over it. Besides I’ll make your favorite sweet potato pie for compensation.”

Chris chuckled, “Ok Mama, call me when the mechanics get to your car so I can hear what they’re telling you.”

“Will do. Please let Robyn know I’m sorry.”

“I will, Mama.”

They hung up. Chris grabbed his car keys and left.

Robyn had just set the last suitcase at the bottom of the porch steps when she saw Chris’s SUV pull up. She frowned in confusion as he parked and climbed out and no one else followed, “Uh hey.”

“Hey, you ready?”

“For what?”

“Mama’s car isn’t starting so she asked me to take you to the airport.”

“Oh ok. I just gotta get the girls then we’ll be ready to go.”

“No problem, I’ll start putting these in the trunk for you.”

“Thanks.”

Robyn left back into the house, ‘Erin! Erica! It’s time to go!”

A few moments later, she heard two sets of feet coming down the stairs, “Do you have everything?”

“Yes Ma’am, “ they answer simultaneously.

“Alright, time to go.”

She ushered them out the front door and was pleasantly surprised when they ran over to hug Chris. She watched as he kneeled down to their height and gave them each a big hug.

“You girls look beautiful. You ready to go?” Chris asked with a smile.

“Uh huh. Mr. Chris, have you ever been to Barbados?” Erica asked.

“Your mom took me a long time ago.”

“Was it fun?”

“It was awesome. I’m pretty sure you girls are gonna love it especially if you like the beach.”

“We like the beach.”

“Then you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

“You wanna go with us?”

Chris chuckled, “Thank you for the offer but no thank you.��

“Well, you’re gonna miss all the fun.”

“You can tell me all about it when you get back.”

“Ok.”

Chris had started to speak when he noticed Robyn walking over. He stood up to his normal height and opened the back passenger door for the girls to climb into the car. Robyn handed both the girls their backpacks before closing the door. Chris leaned against the side of the car and Robyn gave him a raised brow, “No hello?”

“That would require me to like you.”

Chris glared at her and Robyn laughed, “You love messing with me, don’t you?”

“It is funny seeing that little furrow in your brow.”

Chris grabbed her into a hug and gently rocked her side to side before letting go, “How you been?”

“I’m good. Just working as usual. How are you?”

“I’m good. You’ve been dodging me and I don’t like it.”

“I am not dodging you. I’m just busy. You seem to have won the girls over.”

“Huh? Oh, we talked that day you left the girls with my mother to make cupcakes. They’re really great kids.”

“Thank you.”

“Definitely act like you.”

“I’ve heard that enough too.”

“How long you staying in Barbados?”

“About two weeks. My mom is probably going to want to talk to you now that we’re friends again.”

“That’s fine with me, I miss my second mommy.”

“I’m sure she misses you too. How’s the wife?”

“She’s good, the luncheon seemed to work because she’s been getting close to a couple people.”

“That’s great.”

“Why didn’t you come to the luncheon?”

“The rehearsal for the girls ran late so I couldn’t make it. Mama J said it was nice.”

“Yea. So you ready to go?”

“Yup.”

Chris held open the passenger door and Robyn climbed into the car. Chris closed the door and went to get in on the driver’s side of the car.

~~~~~~

“So….how’s it been?”

Robyn turned her head and chuckled as Leandra and Melissa came to sit next to her on the porch, “the only reason y’all are here is to be nosy.”

“That’s not true, “Leandra replied, “we missed our best friend.”

“You just want the tea, Leandra.”

“We can be here for both reasons,” Melissa interjected, “I’m still mad you told Big Mouth before you told me.”

“I didn’t even mean to tell her, it just kind of slipped out.”

“That’s a hell of a slip. So y’all fucking was the reason y’all stopped being friends?”

“We had sex the day before his wedding then he still got married as if nothing happened. You can’t tell me if that happened to you, things would just go back to normal.”

“No, I can’t say that. And y’all have never talked about it?”

“No. If we bring it up then we might have to address his wife about it, I don’t know.”

“You’d probably only have to address her if she finds out.”

“And how do you suppose she isn’t gonna find out? The only reason why no one has found out is because we both are just acting like it didn’t happen. I don’t know how else to handle this without it becoming a huge deal.”

“Robyn, you can’t be naive enough to think it’s not gonna come up at some point.”

“I’d rather wait until it comes up before I bring it up.”

“But who’s to say it’ll come up at a good time.”

“I don’t know but I really don’t wanna deal with it.”

A silence fell over the group of ladies before Leandra cleared her throat, “well since no one else is gonna say it, I will. Robyn, are you in love with Chris?”

Robyn frowned, “Am I what?”

“Are you in love with Chris? Do you have feelings for him still?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?’

“Very sure. I moved on 8 years ago and have no interest in looking back. We’re just friends.”

“Just friends who’ve had sex with each other.”

“Yes.”

“Robyn, this is gonna be messy.”

“Not as long as I can help it.”

Melissa and Leandra gave each other a look before lying down next to Robyn on the lounge chairs.

~~~~~~

“Hi, Mama Fenty!” Chris exclaimed as her face appeared on his phone screen. Monica smiled and waved. Chris was sitting in his living room when his phone rang and Robyn quickly handed the phone to her mother.

“How are you, Christopher?” Monica asked.

“I’m great. I missed you, Mama.”

“I missed you too, Sweetie. Where’s that wife of yours?”

“She’s around. Give me a minute to get her.

Chris set his phone down and went into the kitchen where Tiana was cleaning up, “Babe, come here real quick. I got somebody who wants to say hi to you.”

Tiana set down the dishcloth and took Chris’s extended hand to follow him into the living room. They sat down on the couch and Chris picked up his phone, “here she is, Mama Fenty.”

“Hi Ms. Monica,” Tiana said shyly.

“Hi Tiana, how are you?” Monica replied.

“I’m great. How are you?”

“I’m good. How’s Texas treating you?”

“It’s ok.”

“Totally different world than Paris, huh?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Well, I just wanted to say hi, you can get back to what you were doing.”

“Ok, I was just cleaning up but have a nice day.”

“You too.”

Tiana kissed Chris’s cheek and left back into the kitchen. Chris smiled at Monica, “so how is everybody?”

“They’re good. I wish I would’ve known when you were coming back, we would’ve come to the party.”

“I’m surprised my mother didn’t tell you.”

“It actually never came up in conversation. We still thought you were active duty so we didn’t really bother to ask. What happened?”

“I got injured. Shattered my kneecap.”

“Oh my god. Are you ok?”

“I’m good. My knee is pretty much metal but other than that I’m great.”

“Oh ok. So when you coming to visit?”

“Now you know, all I need is an invitation.”

Monica chuckled, “You could’ve come with Anna this time.”

“Nah besides the short notice wasn’t gonna work for me.”

“That’s understandable. You gotta promise to come visit, I’m sure everybody would like to see you and we don’t get back to the states too often.”

“I’d love that. I’d have to find out about my job’s rules with taking leave and let you know when we can make it.”

“Well if not this year, definitely next year for crop over. Our family reunion will be then next year.”

“Oh, then I definitely have to be there.”

“Good. You wanna speak to Robyn?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Alright, give me a second.”

Chris’s view was the high ceilings for a moment before Robyn’s face filled the screen, “Hey Bajan Girl.”

Robyn giggled, “I haven’t heard that nickname in a while. How are you?”

“Good. I miss you, Best Friend.”

“Boy please, it’s been like 3 days.”

“Feels like forever,” Chris said with an exaggerated pout.

Robyn laughed and ran her fingers through her hair, “Christopher, stop being silly. What’s up?”

“Nothing. You didn’t even say hi before you gave the phone to Mama Fenty.”

“Well, I called because she wanted to talk to you.”

“Still could’ve said hello.”

Robyn rolled her eyes and Chris laughed, “You are annoying, you know that.”

“Yea but you love me.”

“Whatever.”

“Didn’t deny it.”

“Shut up.”

“Where’s my little friends?”

“At the beach with my brothers.”

“They like it there?”

“They love it.”

“Did your husband ever get to Barbados?”

“We were supposed to go after we got married but we never really made it. The girls were just born, he was sick and the timing just wasn’t right.”

“When’s the last time you were there?”

“The girls were about 18 months, I left to get myself together once Michael passed. My mom figured I needed to be around family and help with the girls after something like that.”

“That’s understandable. I wish we would’ve stayed in touch, I missed a lot.”

“You know, things happen but we’ve gotten it together somewhat.”

“Are we ever gonna talk about everything?”

Robyn sighed, “Depends on what everything entails.”

“We can’t avoid that topic forever.”

“No, but I don’t really think it’s relevant to our friendship right now. We’ve both moved on, why go digging up what’s gone and buried?”

“I guess.”

“Look, if it starts to affect now we’ll talk about it, but I’d rather leave it where it is.”

“It’s not a flat-out no so I can deal with that.”

Robyn giggled, “How’s the wife?”

“She’s good. Mama Fenty spoke to her.”

“I know. I was sitting beside her.”

“Oh ok. So when are we gonna hang out?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“I’m not the one who has children though.”

“Just give a date, I’ll let you know whether I can go or not then I’ll give you an alternative date.”

“Ok. So what you wanna do?”

“I don’t know. Nothing too serious though.”

“We could go bowling like we used to.”

“Would you wanna go out in Houston or in Dallas?”

“I mean I could come to Dallas since it’d be easier for you to get home to your girls unless you wanna leave them at my mother’s house.”

“You love volunteering your mother to babysit.”

Chris laughed, “She’d jump for joy if you let her babysit. Hell, I ain’t got no kids for her to babysit and my nephew is too old to be babysat.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s gonna want to babysit, maybe she has something to do.”

Chris scoffed and Robyn laughed, “you are such an ass.”

“I’m just trying to hang out with my best friend.”

“I guess but you have to ask Mama J first.”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. What you up to?”

“Nothing. Just relaxing. Mel and Lele were here earlier but they left already.”

“Cool. How are they?”

“Good. Messy but that’s normal.”

Chris laughed, “true.”

Tiana frowned a bit as she listened to Chris and Robyn’s conversation. They had been married for years but she had never heard that level of comfort in his voice. It’s like their eight years apart just vanished into nothing. She was happy he got his friend back but she couldn’t deny that she felt a little uncomfortable with their closeness.

“So…do you need me to get y’all from the airport or is Mama J picking you up?”

“I told her to just bring my car to the airport and I’ll drive home from there. I’m not trying to have anyone go out of their way.”

“Is that really easier?”

“Yea because she’ll have to drive all the way to Dallas then back to Houston when I can just go straight home from the airport. She said she has some kind of meeting over by my house so she’ll pick up and drop my car off the day before my flight comes in.”

“Oh ok.”

“Thanks for the offer though.”

“No problem.”

“So what you up to for the day?”

“Nothing really. What about you?”

“Just relaxing. Once we get back to Dallas, it’s gonna be non-stop.”

“Got a lot of plans?”

“I gotta get the girls ready to start school again, they’re growing overnight and it’s ridiculous.”

Chris chuckled, “I mean you weren’t exactly short when we were growing up.”

“That doesn’t make it any better. I gotta buy new shoes, clothes, it’s just a lot.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Did you ever talk to your wife about the kids situation?”

“No change on the decision but it is what it is.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool.”

“Well, I’m supposed to be helping Mama Fenty cook before everybody else gets home so I gotta go.”

“Save me a plate.”

Robyn chuckled, “I’ll try my best but no guarantee.”

“Ok Bajan Girl, I’ll talk to you later. Be safe.”

“Will do. Later.”

They hung up.

#timehealsfanfiction #chrianna

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whatliesabove-blog1 · 6 years

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small, quiet room

Chapter six | ao3

Hawkins, present day

Six weeks have passed since that thing was exercised from Will's body, since El closed the gate, since Bob's horrific death. The scenes replay in her nightmares and sometimes they’re worse than the reality, if that’s even possible. Sometimes they don’t get that shadow thing out of Will’s body in time, before the demodogs threaten to attack Hopper and El and the gate has to be closed. She loses him, and his limp body sags beneath her despite her best efforts to pull him into her chest, to beg him to wake up.

Sometimes it’s Bob’s death, which can’t get much more horrible, but it just replays in her mind when she closes her eyes. Sometimes it’s Hopper in Bob’s place, his body devoured by those monsters while he reaches out for her, and she jolts awake in a cold sweat, her heart racing. That's not something she chooses to analyze right now.

She hasn’t told anyone about the nightmares. Hopper's gone through his own hell, has his own stuff to worry about, and she won't burden him with her lingering problems. Will’s finally beginning to feel normal again, as per his words, and she couldn't be more thrilled.

He’s losing his demons, she’ll work on her own.

Jonathan will catch her in the kitchen some mornings, too early, when she can’t sleep and he’s trying to sneak off to a morning shift. She’d chastise him but she’s too tired and she knows he'll keep working anyway. He doesn’t ask her why she’s sitting at the table with a cigarette at 5:00 in the morning, dark circles beneath her eyes, and so she simply sends him off with a soft hug and whispered be careful.

It’s sporadic, but sometimes it feels like they're still back there. In the upside down. In that same constant state of anxiety. The edges of darkness still linger, weigh upon her body and mind, but she really is working towards letting it all go.

She's not naive enough to think it's truly over, that nothing will ever come of this weird two year experience, but for now her boy is safe. If she doesn’t wind herself down soon she's not sure what'll happen. Her body will inevitably give out on her; she's put it through hell lately, both literally and figuratively.

She’ll short-circuit or something.

Since Will's doing better he's also been opening up. It’s little by little, and though she’d love to hear all of his thoughts and know exactly how he’s feeling, she’s content to wait him out. Against her better judgement she's been getting better too, been giving him some more of the freedom he requests.

As much as she wants to hover, to keep him in her line of sight and make sure he's okay at all times, she knows she can't.

He's getting older, and if he can muster up the courage to go out on his own after everything that's happened, she should be able to follow his lead.

Jonathan's... well, he’s still her quiet, pensive, sweet Jonathan.

This thing he has going with Nancy Wheeler is still going strong, to the best of her knowledge, and she’s coming to terms with whatever it is they're doing when he's gone nearly all hours. She was a teenager once too, though, and she knows exactly what they’re doing. A smirk curls at the corners of her lips as she remembers just how much she knows, but then it slowly disappears.

She does know what happens. Jonathan is what happens. They're smart kids, and she hopes they're being smart about it.

Senior year's not even half over yet but he'll be going off to college in no time. The thought makes her exceedingly proud and profoundly terrified at the same time. Her boy, leaving the nest and going off on his own. In a big city, New York no less, with nearly a full scholarship. Not quite, but she's been putting money away for years for the boys' college funds. This is exactly what it's there for, to pick up the slack.

But she has time to worry about those details later.

Moving from the kitchen Joyce wipes her wet hands onto her jeans to dry them. "Will?" she calls out when she doesn't find him in the living room.

"In here," she hears, and follows the sound of his voice into his bedroom. When she pushes the door open, he's sitting on the bed. "What's up?"

"I have to go into work for a few hours," Joyce says with a sigh. She was supposed to be off for a few days for Christmas break, what with the holiday coming up in about a week, but Donald called and asked if she could come in for a little bit. It's extra money, which they could use, so she can't really say no. "Jonathan's still at the Wheeler's, but I could drop you off..."

"I'll be okay here, Mom."

She picks at her nails. "Are you sure, baby? Because I can just bring you over before I head in."

"I'm sure," Will smiles. "Besides, Mike's house is in the opposite direction. You don't have to do that."

That's true, but she'd gladly take him over anyway if it meant she'd know he was safe and with other people.

"I don't mind, sweetie."

"I know," he promises with a nod, putting down his crayon. "But I'll be okay. I'll just be drawing or something anyway."

With a small exhale, she takes a step forward. She's still not entirely convinced, but this is what she's trying to be better at. Give him room.

"Okay," she relents, offering him a smile. "You have the number for the store if anything happens, and if no one answers you call Jonathan and he'll come—"

"I know, Mom," Will cuts her off gently. "I'll be fine, promise."

He can't promise that, she knows, but she appreciates the effort. Leaning down, she ruffles his hair and presses a kiss to his temple.

"Okay. I'll only be a few hours."

"Have fun at work," he says brightly, smiling at her as she backs out of the room to grab her bag.

Pushing back the budding anxiety at the prospect of leaving him home alone, she forces herself out the door and into her car.

After two hours she wonders why Donald even called her in. It's no busier than it is on a normal day, and if at all possible it might even be slower. She knows she shouldn't complain; she's getting overtime for this, but the store most certainly would've gotten along just fine without her.

The phone rings a while later and she jumps, the shrill sound cutting harshly into the silence of the store. She scrambles to answer it, almost knocking it off the desk in the process.

"Melvald’s,” she greets, and the second she hears the voice in her ear her heart leaps into her throat. “Will? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Her son laughs on the other end and the tension dissipates. "Nothing's wrong, Mom, sorry."

Joyce exhales, chuckles to herself. Breathe. "It's okay, baby. Did you need something?"

"No, not really." There's a pause. "Can Jonathan and I go shopping with the Chief?"

She blinks, wonders if she's heard him correctly. "Hopper?"

"Yeah, he came looking for you, but you're not here. Obviously."

"Why didn't he just call?"

"I don't know," Will says. There's a grumble in the background she can't quite make out, but knows it's Hop. “He says you weren't supposed to work today, so he figured you’d be here.”

She doesn’t question why Hopper somehow knew she wasn’t supposed to work today.

Joyce nods, cradles the phone to her ear. "Right. So what's this about shopping?"

"Jonathan and I still have to do some Christmas shopping," her boy explains. "Hopper said he's going shopping and I kind of asked if we could tag along. He said it's okay though!"

She laughs, imagining her son stumbling through the question and immediately getting flustered. She only wishes she could've seen Hop's face.

"Oh," she says. "Wait, did you say Jonathan? I thought he was with Nancy." There's silence on his end. "If you're shaking your head I can't see it, sweetheart."

Will gives a small gasp. "Oh, sorry. He got back right before Hopper showed up. So can we go?"

"I—yeah, I guess, sure. As long as Hop's sure it's okay."

She hears (muffled, meaning Will's holding the phone against his shoulder) him ask once more if it's okay, and it's followed by another one of Hop's mumbled responses.

"He says yes," Will returns, and she smiles.

"Okay, then go ahead. I'll be home by the time you guys get back probably, so we'll have dinner then."

"Okay! Thanks Mom!"

When they hang up she holds the phone against her chest for a moment longer, worries her bottom lip between her teeth. Hopper's never actually gone anywhere with her boys alone. She's not worried, no; she trusts him with her sons, knows he wouldn't let anything happen to them. It's just... new.

With a small smile she finally puts the phone back onto its receiver. It'll be good for them, Jonathan and Will, getting to bond with Hopper a little. She's glad for it.

She only wishes she could be a fly on the wall while they’re shopping. Talk about entertainment.

An older gentleman comes through the doors a few moments later, marking the fourth customer to enter the store since she’s arrived. Joyce greets him with a smile, but gets nothing more than a half nod and a grumble in response as he scurries past her and into whatever aisle he needs.

Ah, the holiday season. Such a lovely time for customer service workers.

Joyce makes it back before the boys, but she knew she would. If there’s one thing she knows about her sons it’s that they take an almost unbelievable amount of time in stores. She doesn’t know what it is, but Jonathan spends 10 minutes picking out a single item and Will’s so indecisive he’ll bounce back and forth a few times before making a choice.

Slipping her shoes off, she leaves them on the mat by the front door and shimmies out of her coat on her way to the kitchen. It’s tossed over one of the chairs in the process, draped across the back.

She grabs the chicken she had defrosting while she was at work and puts it onto the counter, and then moves to find the side dish she’d planned on.

With everything cooking in their appropriate kitchen appliances, Joyce wanders into her bedroom. There’s nothing she wants more than to get out of her uniform.

The shirt gets thrown onto her bed to be hung up later, and she pulls a soft pink sweater over her head. She doesn’t wear it often, doesn’t really know why, but it’s fuzzy and warm and she curls her arms into her chest the second it comes into contact with her skin.

When she goes back into the living room, she hovers for a moment. She looks around, lips twisted to the side.

She has nothing to do.

For the first time in longer than she can even remember, there’s not a single thing she needs to be doing or worrying about. The food is cooking, she’s not working, and the boys are with Hopper. There's no unseen force of evil working against her right now, nothing lurking inside her walls. No darkened world waiting just below the surface of her wallpaper with her boy trapped inside.

It feels... well, weird. She doesn’t know what to do with free time anymore.

Fingers tapping at her lips, the corners of her mouth curl into a small smile. It’s weird, but it feels nice.

She peers in at the chicken quickly, makes sure it’s cooking nicely, and then reaches up on her tiptoes to grab a bottle of wine from a high cabinet. It’s not something she does often—not something she has the time for often—but she pours herself a glass and puts the bottle back.

Padding into the living room once more, she settles herself into the couch. Her back rests against the arm and she stretches her legs in front of her, curls her toes into the cushions.

She’ll have to get up eventually to get dinner completed, and the boys will return soon, but for now she allows the knots in her shoulders to loosen.

Joyce takes a sip and lets her eyes fall closed. She forgot what relaxation felt like.

#jopper #joyce byers #jim hopper #joyce x hopper #present day here we come

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