JAMES HADN'T REALLY been busy the following few days, mostly just tutoring Luna and being at home and then one day he passed by his dad's room and headed out to the livingroom to find his dad was passed out on the couch. He rolled his eyes and exit the trailer home.
He went for a walk through the woods. Today was the funeral for Will Byers, he would go, definitely but he just didn't like the reminder of death. Especially for little kids that age. Will was only twelve but still so young, it was crazy. It made him sad. He passed by a big pond and sat by it, staring at the wind blow the water towards one way.
He sighed and stood up, looking around and then he found it. The perfect tree. He climbed up and once up there, he took out his binoculars and scoured the area, seeing many animals. From birds to foxes, he smiled as he focused on a bunny. It was cute and frollocking around. He remembers Sara being so into animals, he set his binoculars down onto his lap and smiled contently to himself.
He remembers Sara loving animals so much she wanted a pet bunny. He remembered that day, in the park when she started having a panick attack while the two of them were playing with their parents. She was running away from their dad who was chasing after her and he lifted her up, she started to not be able to breath all of the sudden. James remembered the panick he felt as they set her down and tried to relax her, after she had calmed down, James put his arms around her and she rested her head against him. James remembered that day, as clear as a crystal. He remembered the way she calmed down in his arms and he rubbed her back.
He sighed softly and looked down, holding up a blue elastic band he always carried around in his jacket pocket. He usually had it wrapped around his wrist or his pack of cigarettes, but he mostly just kept it in his pocket. His dad had the other blue elastic and he had this one, something they could remember Sara by. He put it around his wrist and sighed softly, closing his eyes.
He leaned against the tree. If he could, James would just run away and live in the wild. All by himself, nothing but supplies to last him a lifetime but other times he's grateful to even go home to a warm bed even if it's in some shitty trailer.
He heard people walking down below and looked down instantly. It was Nancy Wheeler, the princess in the good neighbourhood with a boyfriend like Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers, the supposed freak with a now dead little brother.
He couldn't hear them very clearly so he jumped, landing right in front of them which caused them to yell and wave their weapons at him, a bat and a gun. What the fuck. "What are you two up to?" He asked as he glanced between the two weapons and Nancy just sighed at that. "James Hopper..." She said as she crossed her arms together.
"Monster hunting." Jonathan said and Nancy elbows him. A smile grows onto James' face, "I'm in. Now, where are you two headed off to?" He asked and Nancy looked to Jonathan who brushed right past James. "Oh, what's his deal?" James asked as he and Nancy now walk alongsides of each other. The three walked mostly in silence, Nancy and James often bumping into one another.
After a while of walking, it was nightfall and James was kind of concerned for them. Maybe they were... going insane? He continued to walk with them however, not complaining and wanting to see what it is they wanted to find so badly.
Nancy suddenly stopped and so did James, turning to her and she wasn't looking at him. "What, are you two tired?" Jonathan asked when he stopped and turned as well. "Shut up." Nancy said and James furrows his brows together.
"What?" Jonathan says. "I heard something." Nancy said and they all listened closely. They all heard it then, it sounded like an animal in pain, whimpering. James was the first to walk off, in search of the noise and they followed.
James found it pretty quickly, it was a deer and it looked like it was pretty injured badly. "Oh, no," he kneeled in front of it, frowning. "Oh, God," Nancy said when they saw the deer. James frowned and looked back at the two behind him. "Looks like it's been hit by a car... we can't leave it like this." He said and then looked back to the deer.
Nancy looked down at the gun in her hand and James frowns. "Nancy... no, we-we can just... take him to the vet or something, y-you know?" He said and Jonathan sighed, "come on, get up, get back." He said and pulled James up.
James saw Nancy's hesitation and Jonathan did as well, "I'll do it." He held out his hand. "I thought you said—" "I'm not nine anymore." Jonathan cut off Nancy and James stepped away, turning around and closing his eyes, he shook his head softly.
James didn't understand what Jonathan meant, clearly he had missed out on a whole different conversation. They took a while, Jonathan raising the gun and James turned to look at the pair standing in front of the deer. He frowned and looked at Nancy who looked at him.
Jonathan cocks the gun and James looked away, listening to the deer whimper once more and breath heavily. Jonathan was about to pull the trigger when suddenly the deer is jolted away, dragged away making them gasp and step back. James looked at them, "wh-where'd it go?" He asked and so, naturally they follow the trail of blood. Of course, something mysterious happens, you have to follow it, right? Follow the noise, follow the trail of blood and especially follow what could actually be the monster, definitely. Yup.
"Where'd it go?" Nancy said as they kept looking for the deer. "I don't know." Jonathan said and James sighed. "Do you see anymore blood?" He asked and Nancy shakes her head. "No." He said and as the three now split up, James even going his own way and looking for it in the dark.
"Jonathan? James?" He heard Nancy call out and went towards where he heard her voice and when he got there, he saw her crawling into a hole in a tree. He quickly ran over to the tree. "Nancy, what the fuck, dude?" He said right away.
Then he heard Jonathan start shouting her name, he couldn't really hear Nancy so he wasn't sure what was going on. Then Jonathan ran up to him, pointing his flashlight at him. "Where is she?!" He exclaimed and James pointed, "she crawled into this fucking hole!" He shouts at her.
"Nancy! Nancy! Just follow my voice!" Jonathan yelled and James took off his backpack. "I'll crawl in, try and find her." He said and Jonathan is quick to stop him, "no! I think I can see her." He said and James looked inside. "I don't see sh—" A hand jolted out and James leaped back.
"Fuck!" He exclaimed and Jonathan looked at Nancy's hand, "Jonathan!" She shouted. "Nancy!" He grabbed a hold of it and started pulling her out, James helped and then pulled back as Nancy landed on top of Jonathan, the Byers boy holding her tightly and James looked towards the tree to see it closing up. He stared at it, intrigued and sort of curiously before looking at them. Nancy was sobbing and Jonathan was repeating I got you.
authors note ok but james?? spirit animal
+ me: maybe he can be the one who helps steve redeem himself at the end in season one
my mind: ORRRRR maybe he can thirdwheel with jancy and be really cute bffs with nancy :)
++ icarus 🤝 james
being the best bf to steve and highkey thirdwheeling with jancy in part one
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𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲
Fanfiction✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* steve harrington being the chief's son, james hopper didn't really have much to do, he would mostly sit outside and write, half of the time his dad would get drunk, leaving him to fend for himself but then gets caught up in the mess that...
