𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲

iii. changing.

     

     THE NEXT day on the 29th, James had a day off and arrived to Starcourt that afternoon, knowing that Dustin was coming back from whatever science or summer camp he had went off to. James walked into Scoops to see Robin at the counter, "hi." He smiles at her as he stopped in front of her. She just pointed behind her with her thumb. "Steve's in the back." She says.

"Okay. Cool." He said and went behind the counter to the swinging doors leading to the back and saw the boy stacking boxes and boxers together. "Hi." He says and sat down at a chair. "Hey." Steve glanced over and fixed his little sailor hat.

"You're so lucky you get the weekend off, I have to work basically everyday." Steve sighed and James glanced around. "I guess, but now I have nothing to do. Oh, Luna did wanna meet me at the pool today." He says and Steve looks over.

"Loony?" He says and James smirks. "What? Still jealous of her?" He says and Steve just rolls his eyes, looking away. "Whatever..." He mumbled and James stands up. "Why are you going to the pool anyway? You hate being at the pool." He says and James shrugs. "I'm a changed man, Stevie, I graduated, I turned eighteen." He said and then he left like that, not really leaving Steve with a good thought. Changed man? Steve worried.

James arrived to the pool at 2:30, around the time Luna said and found her there, wearing a lifeguard swimsuit. "Oh, you're joking..." He says and she stared in disbelief. "I needed a job for the summer! My dad said so." She shrugged and he rolled his eyes. "Why are you only in those and a flannel?" She said and he chuckled at that.

He was wearing black jeans and a flannel over a black tanktop. "Because I don't swim." He shakes his head and she crossed her arms. "Oh, come on, swimming is fun!" She exclaimed and he raised his eyebrows. "Or..." She trailed off and he looked at her right away. She grins, "you don't know how to swim?" She says and he scoffs.

"What?! I use to swim all the time, you kidding?" He says and she raised an eyebrow. "You don't know how to swim." She says and he scoffs. "Only because my dad and mom would refuse to take me as a kid." He shrugged and she looked away. "Right..." She said and he didn't have to say it. But she kind of figured it might have been because of his sister being sick when he was younger.

He pursed his lips and looked away. "I have to go run some errands, but I'll see you." He says and she nods as she glanced up at him. "Later alligator." She waved as she walked off back towards the pool. James left the pool and got back into his car he had parked in the lot next to the public pool building. He didn't have errands, he just wanted to drive around and be alone with his thoughts.

That night, he went to Steve's again and found his boyfriend already in bed. He crawled in next to him, "hi." He whispered and laid there beside him. "Hey..." Steve laid on his side and it was quiet for a while until Steve cleared his throat. "What did you mean? When you... said you were a changed man?" He whispered and James sighed as he looked around. "Just something dumb, don't worry about it." He shrugs his shoulders lightly.

He looked at Steve who was staring at him. He raised his hand to the side of Steve's face, "just... everything that's happened. And everything that's going to happen. Stevie, I turned eighteen this year, not long ago I was just some loner no one spared their time on. Alone and... unwanted." He says as he pulled his hand back but Steve grabbed it gently with his, holding his hand like that for a bit.

"Everything that's going to happen?" He asked and James sighs. "Me having to leave Hawkins, leave my dad... leave El. Going to college. Everything's just changing so fast, you know? I miss the days where I'd spend time with El and we'd just watch tv, eat Eggos and she'd tell me all of her problems or feelings and I'd try to help the best I could... who's going to do that when I leave for college?" He says and Steve just frowned at that.

He raised his hands to either side of James' face, "she has a support system here, Jamie, your dad, Mike, Joyce, and her friends. She has family and you leaving isn't gonna tear her apart, okay? You can't be held back and she knows that. She'll understand. Even if she needs you the most, she can just fly out to where you are or drive to you if she has to." Steve says and James just nodded.

"I have to head home. But I'll see you tomorrow." He whispers and Steve just nodded, smiling faintly. "I love you..." He says and James looked at him in the eyes with a small smile. "And I love you." He says before leaning in to kiss him.

At the cabin, James parked his car and got out to see his dad yelling at Mike in his own car. He furrowed his brows and approached the car. He knocked on the window and Jim rolled it down. "Everything okay?" He asked and Jim looks at him right away. "Yes." He nodded and James looks at Mike to make sure and the boy just quickly nods his head. "Uh, okay..." James said with a confused look before walking around thd car and heading inside the cabin, shutting the door behind him.

James walked by El's room where the door was wide open. "James!" She said and he stopped before slowly backing up to look inside her room. "What's up?" He asked, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. "What... were you doing today?" She asked awkwardly and he just stood there. "Uh... oh, wait, let me think, uh, I woke up, did nothing and came home. Very productive day for me, El, I am... tired." He pretended to stretch and even yawned. She furrows her brows and he just crossed his arms over his waist. "Uh, nothing, pretty much, yeah." He nodded his head.

"Oh... Okay." She says and he glanced towards his room. "I'm gonna head to bed." He says and she looked at him with a look in her eyes he couldn't really read that well so he just looked down. "Night Ellie." He says and she nods.

"Night James..."

authors note can u just imagine james hopper the third? i'd say harrington but like we all know steve would be the one taking his name.