The Learning Curve - Jim Hopper x Reader

ii. Lecture

Holly swore that she could feel her heartbeat reverberate in her eardrums. Her breath caught in her through like a marble, her lungs growing incredibly tight as her light brown eyes raked over Professor Hopper's figure.

There was an aura of undeniable confidence that exuded from him, his strikingly blue eyes focused on the next destination his feet were taking him, tossing his dark red-leather satchel onto the wooden desk with a huff. If she had to guess correctly, she would have assumed that, like her, he had just ran across the campus to get here based off of how heavy his breathing was.

She squeezed her thighs tightly together on instinct, the black denim of her jeans rubbing together and creating electric static. She attempted to swallow down the ball in her throat as nerves began to clump into knots in her stomach. Steve continued to yap in her ear, his attention never deterring despite the fact that a true Greek Adonis stood before the classroom as he set up his presentation on the computer, his eyes furrowed in concentration as he navigated Google Slides.

"...uh, Holly?" Steve interrupted her train of though, his voice fading into Holly's consciousnesses as he attempted to rein her back into his conversation.

Hopper's head shot up quickly, his eyes searching over the room for the person whose name it belonged to. A large smile spread across his face as he made eye contact with Holly. His eyes were soft, his lips even softer as they upturned into a grin. She delicately lifted her hand up in a wave, her cheeks growing to a light shade of pink as the room seemed to stand still. Hopper's nose scrunched up, giving her a small wave in return as he smiled back with equal fervor.

"Oh, Jesus, you've got it bad," Steve murmured under his breath, shaking his head in judgement as he opened up his spiral notebook.

Holly turned around sharply, her long dark curls nearly whipping her friend in the face as she narrowed her eyes at him. She hissed, careful to keep her voice low, "Can you please keep your voice down?"

"What? Why?" he chuckled, a devilish grin appearing on his lips. "Don't want Professor Dreamboat to know he makes you cream your jeans?"

Holly gasped at the same time that Hopper coughed loudly into his fist, his cheeks now a dark shade of burgundy at Steve's voice. Holly turned around with wide eyes, Steve's obscene remark making her head spin with embarrassment, as well as the amount of accuracy it contained. Hopper approached the center of the room, his eyes avoiding Holly's nervous stare as he stopped just a few feet short of her desk.

"Well, class, it's 11:30. You know what that means," he declared to the room, his voice booming yet smooth, causing a shiver to shoot down Holly's spine as she looked up at him. "You've now given all of your time to me. Welcome to the thunder dome, everyone."

Holly giggled nervously, quickly covering her mouth in humiliation at the unexpected volume that escaped her lips. Her eyes quickly shot down to her desk, never noticing the small smirk that pulled at Hopper's lips as he looked down at her frame.

"Well, at least someone thinks that I'm funny," he grumbled with a sly grin. "Remember, everyone, that flattery will get you everywhere with me."

Holly bit her lower lip, peering up at him under long black lashes as he returned his gaze to the rest of the class.

"Well, I am Professor Hopper, but you guys can call me Hop. I graduated from here about twenty-three years ago with a B.A. in historical studies...no shocker there."

Holly smirked, her eyes growing transfixed on him, resting her chin in her hand as he elbow crooked to a perfect 90º angle. She quickly found herself getting lost in the way he spoke so smoothly and deeply, a hypnotic state unwillingly taking over her.