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Joyce knew that sharing the news was inevitable. Part of her wanted to shout the word of her new relationship from the top of a building, the other was anxious about her family's reaction.
She kept on telling herself that she had nothing to worry about. When conversing with Hopper, he reassured her with simple words and a hold of her hand.
To Joyce, it was the matter of returning to Hawkins with a 'dead' man and expecting her kids to go along with it. They did go along with an awful lot. From monsters to alternate dimensions, they had a strange version of normality. However, she was frightened that turning up with a dead man would send them over the edge.
She was being silly and overthinking but that knowledge didn't put a stop to the unforgiving anxiety that had begun to consume her on the journey back from Russia.
They'd been travelling in a fancy, government owned car for way too long when Hopper picked up on her shakiness again. "Hey, we're alright."
"It's," she was lost for words and turned towards him. They were both situated in the backseat. The driver had offered one of them to accompany the front seat but that never would have been an option. They needed to be close to one another. Eight months of being separated meant that Joyce wanted Hopper within arms reach.
"What?" He pushed softly, brushing his thumb over her knuckles reassuringly.
"It's silly," Joyce muttered, breaking the eye contact. Why was she bothering him with her idle worries when he'd withstood such horrifying traumas? He should have been sharing his thoughts and worries, not the other way round. Joyce tried to not feel guilty.
Hopper shook his head, "I'm sure it's not. Tell me, Joyce."
She bit her lip and hesitated before deciding to tell him. Her face was an open book. So, there was no chance she'd be able to school her worried expression for the remainder of the journey. "I'm scared of what the kids will think, about us."
His eyebrows rose and he stumbled over his words for a moment. Whatever he was expecting, it must not have been that. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it."
"That's the thing," Joyce said. "I want them to be more than fine."
"Well then. I'm sure they'll be more than fine. El especially. Didn't you just tell me you've been looking after her like a mother for the past eight months?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No buts. Everything will go smoothly." When his reassurance didn't put her at peace, he added, "You know that when I was alive-"
"Stop with that," she scolded, not allowing him to continue as she shoved him lightly.
"What?"
"Joking about your death!"
"Okay, okay. One day, long before all this, El was talking to me about dating and boyfriends and girlfriends. And, she was asking me if I was dating you."
"Really?"
He nodded, "Yeah. Then, when I told her I wasn't, she didn't believe me at first. When it dawned on her that I was being truthful, she was so disappointed. You wouldn't believe it. So, I'm sure she'll be just fine with it."
At this, Joyce was stunned at first. Slightly in denial. There was just no way that El would assume such a thing. But, like El, it dawned on her that Hop was telling the truth and she really did want them to be dating. Joyce's shoulders no longer held the tension as they once did and she leaned into Hopper for the remaining duration of the drive.
***
Teary reunions and many tight hugs later. And, not forgetting, a peak at what the town of Hawkins had become, they sat defeated on the couch. Hopper held Joyce's hand like a lifeline and when their kids (Jonathan, Will and El) and their kids' plus ones (a.k.a Nancy and Mike) joined them, they made no effort to unlink themselves from the others grasp. The adrenaline that had been keeping Joyce standing for the past couple of days had suddenly packed its bags and left. In its place was someone running off a few hours sleep and a couple of bites of a sandwich.
As the kids joined the couple, each looked between the joined hands and their parents. El was jumping up and down and embracing them, Will couldn't suppress a smile and Jonathan, who Joyce had worried about, sent her a smile that temporarily eliminated all her worries. Though, he did seem slightly taken aback. "I didn't go all the way to Russia because I wanted a proper chief in Hawkins, you know."
"I know. Kinda' saw it coming, to be honest," Jonathan voiced.
Joyce turned to El whose smile was so wide it was contagious. "Now I have a Dad and a Mom who are together!" she exclaimed.
"You do," Hopper nodded, inviting his daughter to sit by his and Joyce's side.
"What an exciting business trip," Will said with a smirk.
Joyce couldn't help but chuckle, "Surprised you didn't guess it wasn't a business trip."
Mike chuckled, "Trust me Mrs Byers, we knew something was going on." A smile then tugged at the corners of his lips and he turned towards his sister, "Last summer, remember? You owe me twenty bucks!"
At that, the young woman groaned and Joyce's eyebrows almost fell off her head because they were raised so high, "Excuse me? Did you bet...?"
"Yep. June '85," Mike admitted. "I needed money for the movies and gathered it would soon happen."
Hopper was dumbfounded. He'd never hidden his distaste for Mike and this bet was clearly not helping. "God help me," he muttered.
Joyce didn't think before she lightly kissed the frown off his lips. Obviously, the audience she forgot was present was quick to explode with complaints. When she shrugged her shoulders and looked into the kids expressions, she saw how truthfully, they seemed happy. How their objections were half-empty and faint smiles threatened to kidnap them. That was all Joyce needed to know as she snuggled into Hopper's side and rested her tired eyes.