Chapter Text
Hopper had been putting off going back to the cabin for a while now. It was trashed, fully and completely, and had been for just over a year at this point. He knew the moment he saw it, he wouldn't be able to leave it like that. Going back would mean cleaning up, and he was not in the mood for an entire new project now that things finally felt normal again.
But, honestly, he didn't have an excuse not to anymore. It had been easy to justify not going back at first, with the end of the world, the rushed, fuck-it-we're-gonna-die-anyway wedding, the subsequent saving the world, and the weirdly difficult settling into normal life now the world isn't in danger—needless to say, Hopper had been busy. But now things were settled, calm. There was no reason not to go back and fix it up now and the guilt was eating him alive.
It used to just be this random broken down place he'd inherited that he didn't really care much about. But now it was his and El's home. Even though they didn't—and wouldn't—live there anymore, it still mattered.
So he went back.
What he hadn't been expecting was the kid.
It had been many extremely stressful months since he'd been to the cabin, so when it didn't quite look like he had remembered, he assumed it was just faulty memory. He had been certain the cabin was a complete disaster. But when he walked in he saw it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd thought. While it certainly wasn't good as new, it did look a lot more livable. Well, "livable" was a strong word, maybe "less like a death trap" would be more accurate. Maybe Hopper had been too harsh in how he remembered the place.
He got to work. He didn't really do anything, not tonight—it was late anyway—but he looked around to take stock of what he'd need to do, what supplies he'd need, that sort of thing.
He couldn't get over his surprise at how well certain areas had kept despite everything. The bed was still perfectly made. The floor almost looked swept. There was a pot on the stove.
A pot with food that didn't stink in the slightest. It had to be recent, there was no other explanation.
Hopper's guard lifted.
Now, most likely it was one of the kids who'd been going here. No one else even knew this place existed. But Hopper knew you could never be too careful.
He kept looking around carefully, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anything out of the ordinary. There was a half finished puzzle on the table. He and El hadn't put it there. They hadn't done any puzzles since her strict lockdown was tentatively lifted.
He heard the crunching sound of footsteps against the forest floor. He peeked out the window, but the moonless night made it too dark to see anything. He carefully stepped outside.
It took him a few seconds to make out the figure and a few more for it to get close enough for Hopper to be able to tell what he was seeing exactly.
It was a teenage boy, walking towards him, with full grocery bags hanging from his arms. When he saw Hopper, he froze.
"It's a bit late to be in the woods by yourself, kid," Hopper said.
And that would have been that, maybe he would've offered a ride home or something, but the boy just stood there, looking shocked. Which was not a good look for him.
Hopper narrowed his eyes. "Have you been hanging out at my cabin? Think it's the cool new party spot?"
The kid still said nothing, flaring Hopper's annoyance slightly. Fucking teenagers.
"You can tell your friends it's not abandoned and if you keep coming here you'll get arrested, alright? It's private property." Still, he just stood there. "Do you need a ride home?" he prompted, again, only met with silence.
Could Hopper be a little over-suspicious of teenage boys? Yes, he could admit that. But he also wasn't the type of guy to ignore his intuition. Something about the kid's reactions were...off.
Hopper stepped forward and the boy tensed. Another red flag. Hopper looked at what the boy was carrying. He had assumed the plastic grocery bags would be filled with snacks, candy, probably some alcohol that he'd pretend he didn't see. But no, they were...actual groceries. Bread, vegetables, milk, cans of food.
The freshly made bed...the puzzle that he and El had not put there...the pot that he definitely hadn't owned...
"Can I help you with those?" Hopper asked carefully, gesturing to the groceries. The boy looked like he was going to bolt. Jesus, Hopper had to be careful here. "I changed my mind, you can hang out in the cabin if you want, as long as you don't bring any of your friends." He was going for friendly but it came out more grumpy but it was fine. Probably less suspicious at least.
He jumped when the boy actually spoke. "Sorry," he said, his voice a little deeper than Hopper expected. "I think I took a wrong turn. I can walk myself home, it's not that late, and I have a flashlight."
He said it so confidently, Hopper almost wanted to buy it. But as the kid walked away, Hopper realized it had to be a lie. No one takes a wrong turn and just accidentally ends up at a spot in the woods no one ever goes to. And if the cabin was where he was headed, why would he be bringing actual groceries unless...and hadn't there been reports of a boy his age shoplifting from Bradley's?
"Hey, wait," Hopper shouted. To his surprise the boy actually stopped. He took a quick breath. He had to be careful, it would be way too easy to fuck this up. "If you want to stay, or walk home, either way it's fine. I was just about to leave anyway." He shrugged. The boy slowly turned around, now looking openly suspicious, but at least he hadn't run.
As casually as he could, Hopper headed toward his car. The boy's shoulders started to relax. He opened the door, then paused as if he had forgotten something. The kid tensed right back up. Okay, he really had to be careful. This boy wasn't an idiot.
He shrugged. "I just remembered. There is a stash of money in there." He watched the boy's face carefully as hunger flashed across his eyes. Bingo. "Just a hundred bucks or so. I don't really need it, so you're welcome to it. It's underneath the floorboards. They're loose, it's super easy to find."
The boy stared at him. Still suspicious of Hopper, for sure, but he clearly couldn't afford to ignore his words. Literally.
"By the way, I do check here every week." It was an obvious lie. The kid had been so surprised to see Hopper, he clearly had been squatting here for long enough to assume it was abandoned. But he wasn't going to get the kid's trust after a day anyway. No, Hopper was banking on his need. "If you're here next time I stop by, I'll shell out a few twenties. God knows what shit you kids waste it on, but as a father and a cop, I know a teenager with an allowance is better than one without it."
It was a reach, but Hopper was pretty sure he could get away with it.
The boy still didn't say anything, he just stared.
He got into his car and turned the key. He didn't even look back at him as he drove away. He knew the kid would be there next week.