New Fic: Refrain
Dec. 24th, 2017 11:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackwabbitRefrain
Fandom: Stranger Things
Rated: PG
Category: Ficlet. Jopper.
Time Frame: Holiday season following season two.
Spoilers: Stranger Things, season two.
Summary: Some things are worth repeating.
Word Count: 436
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Neither one of them had wanted to go.
But since the kids couldn't shut up about it, they both went.
And that's how they found themselves outside on the Wheeler's porch at nine at night, sharing a smoke and wishing it was socially acceptable to leave a friend’s party after only an hour.
"So, how're things?" asked Hopper, handing over the cigarette.
Joyce took a drag and shrugged. "Status quo. You?"
He returned the shrug. "Same."
"Jane?"
"Fine. Will? Jonathan?"
"The usual. They were excited you let Jane come."
"Yeah," said Hopper, running a hand through his hair and then taking the cigarette back. "Figured no one would notice one more body in the basement."
Joyce laughed at the joke, both because it was funny and because it was true.
Hopper chuckled with her as the strains of "Winter Wonderland" faded away in the house to be replaced by "Blue Christmas."
This made Hopper's chuckle turn into a full laugh for a moment.
"What?" asked Joyce.
"Nothing," mumbled Hopper, stifling another chuckle and handing her the smoke.
Joyce quirked a brow at him as she accepted it. "No, really. What?"
Hopper smiled fondly at her. "It's just... you."
"Me?" Joyce gaped at him.
"Yeah, you," said Hopper, nudging her with his hip and taking the cigarette back for a last drag before stubbing it out.
Joyce blushed, just a little, but the cold covered it. "What about me?"
Hopper grinned and motioned toward the house with his head. "The song."
Joyce listened for a moment, then grinned back. "Elvis," she said.
"Elvis," confirmed Hopper, giving her a wink. "Remember how you were completely obsessed with him?"
Joyce groaned. "I had that rhinestone jacket."
"You did."
"God, I was ridiculous."
"You and every other girl in school."
"True," conceded Joyce. "But I might have taken it a bit overboard."
Hopper held up one hand, indicating a pinch. "A bit."
Joyce laughed.
"Still," mused Hopper. "You pulled it off. And do you remember when..."
Joyce cut him off.
"I remember."
"That was a hell of a dance," said Hopper, smirking.
"It was."
Their eyes met. And suddenly, the years fell away. They were seventeen again.
"Love Me Tender" had played. They'd been without partners. They'd danced. As friends. But afterward, he'd kissed her. Just the once. It had been a simple thing - a short, almost chaste meeting of the lips. It had been the first time, and it was never repeated.
Not until twenty-five years later, on a porch in the dark while a different Elvis song played.
And this time, there was nothing chaste about it.
Fandom: Stranger Things
Rated: PG
Category: Ficlet. Jopper.
Time Frame: Holiday season following season two.
Spoilers: Stranger Things, season two.
Summary: Some things are worth repeating.
Word Count: 436
-------
Neither one of them had wanted to go.
But since the kids couldn't shut up about it, they both went.
And that's how they found themselves outside on the Wheeler's porch at nine at night, sharing a smoke and wishing it was socially acceptable to leave a friend’s party after only an hour.
"So, how're things?" asked Hopper, handing over the cigarette.
Joyce took a drag and shrugged. "Status quo. You?"
He returned the shrug. "Same."
"Jane?"
"Fine. Will? Jonathan?"
"The usual. They were excited you let Jane come."
"Yeah," said Hopper, running a hand through his hair and then taking the cigarette back. "Figured no one would notice one more body in the basement."
Joyce laughed at the joke, both because it was funny and because it was true.
Hopper chuckled with her as the strains of "Winter Wonderland" faded away in the house to be replaced by "Blue Christmas."
This made Hopper's chuckle turn into a full laugh for a moment.
"What?" asked Joyce.
"Nothing," mumbled Hopper, stifling another chuckle and handing her the smoke.
Joyce quirked a brow at him as she accepted it. "No, really. What?"
Hopper smiled fondly at her. "It's just... you."
"Me?" Joyce gaped at him.
"Yeah, you," said Hopper, nudging her with his hip and taking the cigarette back for a last drag before stubbing it out.
Joyce blushed, just a little, but the cold covered it. "What about me?"
Hopper grinned and motioned toward the house with his head. "The song."
Joyce listened for a moment, then grinned back. "Elvis," she said.
"Elvis," confirmed Hopper, giving her a wink. "Remember how you were completely obsessed with him?"
Joyce groaned. "I had that rhinestone jacket."
"You did."
"God, I was ridiculous."
"You and every other girl in school."
"True," conceded Joyce. "But I might have taken it a bit overboard."
Hopper held up one hand, indicating a pinch. "A bit."
Joyce laughed.
"Still," mused Hopper. "You pulled it off. And do you remember when..."
Joyce cut him off.
"I remember."
"That was a hell of a dance," said Hopper, smirking.
"It was."
Their eyes met. And suddenly, the years fell away. They were seventeen again.
"Love Me Tender" had played. They'd been without partners. They'd danced. As friends. But afterward, he'd kissed her. Just the once. It had been a simple thing - a short, almost chaste meeting of the lips. It had been the first time, and it was never repeated.
Not until twenty-five years later, on a porch in the dark while a different Elvis song played.
And this time, there was nothing chaste about it.
no subject
Date: Dec. 26th, 2017 04:08 pm (UTC)Anyway, thanks for this! Merry Christmas!
no subject
Date: Dec. 28th, 2017 07:35 pm (UTC)I was pretty happy with this one, too. Because Elvis. The radio played me Blue Christmas the other night, so what was I supposed to do?! ;)
And I still haven't quite managed to get around to using this site much. I'm posting, but not reading. So you are quite forgiven. ;)
Also, here is a link to the whole collection. Might be easier to read that way: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12749706/1/A-Stranger-Solstice