Stranger Things - Imagines

Jim Hopper X Platonic!Reader - Escapism

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Escapism by Raye and 070 Shake. Reader is probably in her mid-30s and works at the police station, which is how she got all caught up in the show. I hope you all enjoy it. 

Sure, tonight probably hadn't been the brightest idea you'd ever had. Going to a bar on your own and drinking a little too much when you were already on the verge of having a total mental breakdown was an interesting choice, to say the least. But, in the moment, it had seemed like a wonderful plan. Have a couple of drinks. Find a rebound. Get all of the anger and frustration out of your system so that you could go home and just be sad for a couple of days. 

It hadn't taken long to lure a willing man over to your spot at the bar and it had all been going well until a new bartender had started his shift. And then, Steve had been lingering around the two of you like a fly on shit. 

He'd placed a glass of water in front of you at one point, frowning when you nudged it back in his direction before returning to your conversation with the man that was looking at you like he was practically undressing you right there in the middle of the bar. Even that was confusing behaviour, really. Steve had spent the last couple of years listening to your dating advice as if you were the wisest person he'd ever met. After all, you'd been loved up with your boyfriend since you were 16. You were always talking about how great he was. And now, here you were with some random guy that definitely wasn't your boyfriend. 

"You know this kid from somewhere or something?" the guy hummed, glancing up to raise an eyebrow at Steve, attempting to scare him off without actually telling him to go. 

You let out a soft chuckle. "I was sort of his babysitter for a while," you murmured, fingers running over the scarred surface of the bar. "He's harmless," you added softly, finally letting a small smile pull at your lips. 

"Y/N-"

"A little context," you hummed out, your tongue darting out to wet your bottom lip as you interrupted Steve. "If you care, that is," you pressed on, still keeping your focus on the man in front of you, who only seemed to grow more intrigued by your shift in conversation. "I found myself in a real shit position last night. The man that I have loved since I was 16 sat me down and told me that he was ending things. He's suddenly decided that he doesn't want to be with me anymore." You paused for a moment, swallowing as you tried to maintain your lighthearted composure. "Dumb decision on his part," you added softly, letting out a half-hearted bubble of laughter. 

"Shit-"

"And I don't want to feel as shit as I do, so-" you tapped the bar lightly with your palm, lifting your head to look at Steve. "Two more, please," you told him, sliding your empty wine glass in his direction, watching as he frowned at you. 

"Coming right up," he murmured, disappearing to the little storeroom behind the bar. 

When your attention strayed away from the doorway he'd gone through, you noticed the guy was getting closer, his face far too close to yours. "So, you're just looking for a rebound?"

You hesitated for a moment. You had just been looking for a rebound, but now that it was being offered up, you were wondering whether that was such a good idea. Sleeping with some random guy to try and fix a broken heart didn't seem like it would be all that effective. 

Steve returned as you were considering your answer, placing a glass of water in front of you again, looking a lot more stern than he had before. "I called Hopper."

"Steve," you chastised, watching as the guy suddenly backed up. 

"You're ex is the chief?"

"No," you yelped. "What is wrong with you?" you pressed on as the man continued to put distance between you. "I am fine."

Steve shook his head, looking a little lost. "It's his night off; he's going to come and pick you up-"

"I'm not ready to go home-"

"You're drunk," he uttered, cutting you off. "And if I hadn't mentioned Hopper's name, you were going to make a really big mistake with that asshole," he added, gesturing to the spot where the man had been standing, now completely empty. He hesitated for a moment, his expression softening. "I'm sorry about Greg," he added, sliding the water a little closer to you on the bar. 

You nodded, finally caving and taking the glass in hand, taking a generous sip. 

You hadn't had to wait long until Hopper was wandering through the door, his eyes scanning the room until he found you perched at the bar, frowning. 

"What the hell were you thinking?" he hummed, pulling out the stool beside you and slumping onto it. When you didn't answer, he cleared his throat. "Steve told me about Greg," he added softly.

"Steve's getting to be a real blabber mouth," you grumbled around your straw, glancing up at him from your hunched position. "I just thought I could stop feeling so-" you paused shrugging. "God, I don't even know how I feel." 

He reached out, running a hand over your back lightly as he sighed. He knew exactly how you felt. When Diane had left, he'd been a mess. He'd turned to drink and pills and the comfort of random women in bars. He'd been in the exact same position and he knew how much it sucked to be alone after all of that. "Come on, let's get you home."

"It's his house," you muttered, pushing yourself to sit upright. "I don't have a home anymore."

"You've always got a home," he corrected. "El will be happy to see you, but I need you to sober up a bit before we get there, alright?" 

Steve appeared a moment later with a plastic water bottle, holding it out for Hopper to take. 

"Thanks for calling me, Kid," he uttered, taking the offering with a small smile.

*Time Skip*

You'd woken up the next morning with a pounding head, a fresh bottle of water and a pack of Advil sitting on the table beside you. Pushing yourself up into a sitting position, you were already grumbling, regretting the night before more than you ever could've imagined. 

"Morning," a voice interjected, and your head shot around to find Hopper grinning at you from the kitchen, fully dressed in his work uniform and nursing a mug of coffee. "There's coffee in the pot if you want some," he added, patting it affectionately. 

"Thanks," you murmured, propping your elbows on your knees as you gulped down deep breaths. Yep, you weren't a teenager anymore and the hangovers were killer these days. "How bad was I?"

He shrugged slightly, watching you carefully. "Not as bad as I would've been in your position," he hummed. "You're lucky Steve was on shift-"

"Shit," you uttered. "I was giving him a hard time."

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "But you were upset. He knows it wasn't personal."

You nodded, clearing your throat. "Thanks for coming to get me," you started again. "And for letting me crash here."

"You're always welcome here, Sweetheart. You know that."

You swallowed down the lump in your throat. "I'll try to be sober next time," you joked, looking up at him with a sorry smile on your lips. "I know it was stupid-"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter now," he reminded you. "You're safe. And probably suffering real bad for the mistake, right?" You nodded your answer, wincing when your head pulsed from the movement. "Then you learned your lesson."

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