Maybe I love you

16. Perfect for me

The school had started again several weeks ago. Summer had given way to autumn, you could already see the warm colour gradation on the leaves of the trees.

Hopper woke up and felt the warmth of a human body at his side. He smiled when he saw Joyce asleep, her legs bent so that her knees touched her chest.

He shook his head to force himself to get up, he had to go to work but he’d have preferred to watch Joyce sleeping all day long...

He left to get dressed in the bathroom, being careful not to wake her and the children in their rooms up.

He buttoned the last button on the top of his long-sleeved uniform, adjusted his badge and went back to the bedroom to wake Joyce up.

He hated waking her up when she slept like that, he only liked to wake her up when she stole his side of the blanket during the night.

How could a person that size need so much blanket!?

He leaned over and kissed her, hoping to wake her gently.

Joyce recognized Hopper's lips resting on hers without even opening her eyes, she brought her hands up to his neck before he moved away.

"I like this kind of waking up", she said, smiling, in a voice that was still asleep.

Once she got used to the darkness around her, she recognized Hopper's face in front of hers, and he smiled at her before sitting on the bed next to her.

"Umm yes, that sounds effective", he said, pinching his lips to hold back his little laugh.

"These are the best alarm clocks, but they're also the worst", Joyce replied, carrying her hands from his neck to his hair.

"Why is that so?" Hopper asked, surprised.

"Because it wakes me up in time to go to work, but... I don't want to go anymore."
Then she brought his lips back to hers.

"Joyce... stop it," he said between two kisses, "we're going to be late."

"Since when do you care?" She answered, raising an eyebrow.

Hopper smiled at her because she had just made a point, after all, he was doing what he wanted to : he was the chief of police. 

He bent down to kiss her again with a smile as the door opened after two little knocks that neither of them had heard.

Will rubbed his forehead with embarrassment, his eyes wide open and El was smiling next to him.

"I... er... sorry... but..."

"I'm going to make breakfast, yes..." Joyce sighed as she walked away from Hopper, who sighed in turn.

—♡—♡—♡—♡—♡—

"Jesus Christ... Jim Hopper!" Joyce shouted on a Wednesday morning like any other.

He hesitated for a moment to come out of the bathroom when he heard her calling him that way. He had obviously done something wrong and what worried him was that he had no idea what it was about...

Hopper unlocked the door and walked out as slowly as possible with his best smile.

"Himself!" He said as he joined Joyce at the table.

Will and El, who were in the middle of their breakfast, finished their drinks as quickly as they could before leaving, almost running out.

He turned his head towards Joyce who was sitting down, rubbing her forehead with her hand. There was a white pool on the table, and he understood before Joyce even looked up at him and shot him with her eyes.