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EL AND MAX STOPPED LAUGHING WHEN THE HEARD A CAR APPROACH THE CABIN. Hopper was back after his solo dinner. Max and El had stayed at the Cabin together, El presuming Seb was going to stay around at Dustin's house for the night. He wouldn't normally come back this late. Hopper shut the front door behind him, sighing. He couldn't believe he had just been stood up. How embarrassing. "Sebastian?" The man slurred, drinking all of the wine he had ordered for him and Joyce out of nervousness. When Seb didn't answer, Hopper sighed again, hearing pop music coming from El's room. "Hey!" Hopper's speech was elongated more than usual, given his tipsiness. "Hey!" Hopper yelled louder, believing that Mike had snuck over when he wasn't there.
"When I say three inches, three-" Hopper opened El's door quite roughly, stopping once he saw Max and El laying on the floor, magazines in hand. "Do you knock? Jeez!" Max let out, frightened of the sudden intrusion. "Yeah! Jeez!" El added on, Hopper in a daze. Why was Max here? She was the last person he would've expected to meet eyes with today. "Oh, hey. I'm sorry." Hopper let out, still in shock himself. "I thought that, uh-" "Mike's not here." Max assured, Hopper nodding slowly. "Max wanted to have... a sleepover. Is that... okay?" El asked wearily, Hopper still in a shock glee that Mike wasn't here. "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Your parents know about it?" Hopper's tone was a lot more gentle, Max nodding. "Yup." She answered, El confused. She was shocked as she's never seen Hopper in this state.
Drunk.
"Uh, yeah. It's cool." Hopper shrugged as he slurred, Max sighing. "That's really cool..." Hopper trailed off, the three in an awkward silence until Max spoke up. "Did you need something?" She asked, Hopper nodding slowly. "Where's your brother?" Hopper asked, El and Max looking to one another before shrugging towards Hopper. "I haven't seen him today." Max spoke, El nodding. "I only saw him this morning." She let out quietly, Hopper nodding. "I'm just gonna make a quick call-" A certain knock played at the door. "There he is." Max spoke, Hopper nodding and closing the door. Max watched as El got up quickly, leaning her head against the side of the door. "He's acting weird." El whispered, Max sighing. "He's drunk. It's fine." Max assured, hearing muffled conversation. "Where have you been all day?" Hopper asked Seb, the boy stopping in his tracks.
Why was Hopper talking like that?
"Why are you talking like that?" Seb asked, Hopper confused. "Talking like what?" He asked back, Seb very confused. "Talking like this?" Seb imitated the slur Hopper had, him trying to take all of the new information in. El and Max are having a sleepover. Not El and Mike. El and Max. "I'm going to bed." Seb spoke, Hopper frozen as he watched Seb click his fingers, his books sorting themselves back into the bookshelf as he shut his door. El leant away from the door, sitting back with Max as Hopper smiled, not bothered by what just happened.
