#wydd

... let Jim Hopper get drunk and dance. It’s bad enough when he’s sober, rocking out by himself to whatever record he chooses to put on. When he’s drunk, it hits a new level of hysterical - hip checking people, putting his arms over his head and yellin’ “WOO!” and grabbing Joyce Byers to spin her around under his arm.

... think about how Joyce kept having nightmares after the 4th. They didn’t stop - they got worse. Except now, there was no one to call.

Well, not exactly.

Don’t think about her waking up at 2am, running to the phone, dialing the familiar number, and listening to the only voice that she wanted to hear more than anything.

Whatever you do, don’t...

... think about the first time Hopper got the call to the Byers house. Of course it was Byers, of fucking course he turned into a wife beater. Do you ever get a suspicion about someone, but no one else shares it? Yeah. Lonnie Byers was born a trashpile, and now he’s acting out on it.

But then the door opened, and he nearly stopped breathing. His chest ached so miserably that he knew as well as he knew his daughter’s name that he was going to down a handle of something tonight.

Joyce Horowitz answered the door. Although maybe she was Joyce Byers, now. 

... talk to Hopper about the Byers moving out of town. When Gary told him, it was just a casual thing. An answer to a question that Hopper himself had asked - What do you mean, you’re fixing up the Byers place?

When he got home that day, he immediately went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, slammed the door, and retreated to his room. It scared El, who poked her head out of her bedroom to watch him go. But they had finally - finally - reached a silent agreement. When Hopper comes home in a bad mood, leave him be. 

Usually, it was because of work. That night, it was because of guilt. 

.. Think about how Jonathan and Hopper don’t get along. Not in the same way that Jonathan doesn’t get along with people at school. There’s a lingering distrust there that has always been, since before Lonnie left. Bob knew it, too. And bless him, Bob tried to bridge that gap.

Hopper doesn’t know how. He never knew how, especially not with someone of that age. So he does what he does best instead - ignore the problem, pretend it isn’t there, treat Jonathan like an adult. Sure, he might call Jonathan a kid when he talks to Joyce; but anyone under 30 is a kid to Hopper. 

... try to put a costume on Chester. Will tried it once, when he was much younger - and got bit.

Joyce knew immediately. She rushed into the room just as Chester slinked out of it, ready to grab the dog by the collar and give him a good talking to. But even through tears, holding his hand, Will wailed that the dog clearly didn’t mean it, he just got angry, and it was all Will’s fault really, please don’t get mad, mom, it’s okay!