The remainder of the sunlight bleeds through the cracks in the ceiling. The sun is setting and soon the light will be swallowed by the glow of the stars. In front of her lies a man in a million pieces, scattered throughout all of the world, and time.

The rickety wooden floorboards feel all too familiar under her shoes. It was a sight she had never wanted to see again. A place that wept of heartache and agony. Every knot in the wood was a reminder of what had once been, what had nearly been lost, and what had been ripped straight from her fingertips.

The nausea she feels waving through her stomach is indescribable. She wants to keel over, and the urge to do so is almost undeniable. But she still has some strength within her, holding her upright as she watches the world unravel in front of her. Or, her world. Again.

She should've known, and she will spend the rest of her life chastising herself for not knowing. Everything she had become so wound up about, it was all so far fetched. The reason he was leaving, the real reason, it was just so damn innocent. He wanted to come home.

Not Hawkins... home.

Her chapped lips close and open several times but she doesn't have enough air in her lungs to speak... and maybe she never will. But she wasn't sure if there would ever be another person who could see the sight in front of her eyes and still manage to expel the proper words. There were none.

She's angry. She hates how the anger fills her to her fingertips, she's so angry that he lied to her. She's angry that he didn't listen to her, that he put them all in danger.

But with a force stronger than a hurricane, the heartbreak of watching him falling to pieces becomes more prevalent than any anger she had felt before.

Just as the light shined through the cracks in the ceiling, the darkness bled through the cracks of him. The lacerations on his soul, and the shattering of his exterior. All of it became much louder than the sound of his weeps.

She'd pushed too hard and it was apparent more now than ever to her. She fought the universe's wants and needs to compensate for her own. He needed normalcy, she had given him a culture shock with a prayer and a warm blanket. She hadn't meant to break him further.

His fingers stubbed against the splintering wood of the floor, his knees buckled underneath himself. His home. The four walls where he had come to understand and essentially meet his daughter. The shattered planks that monsters had forced their way into. If she listened carefully enough, she could still hear the screams of July 4th reverberating within the walls.

They'd lost everything.

In their gain, he had lost everything.

The magnet that was settled inside of his heart had led him to the one place on Earth he wanted to be more than anything. The realization washed over her like a cold wave as she watched him. He hadn't stepped foot in the place until now. She was witnessing their first moments of reuniting, and it was falling through his fingertips like sand. He had watched, all those times he was outside of state lines, he was just watching; looking. Staring at the dilapidated cabin, questioning who had been the one to call it home now.

But with her realization also came his. She hadn't sold the place. She hadn't brought her hammer and nails to build it back up again. She left it, empty and rotting in the woods. She didn't have the heart to pass it off to a stranger.

With his ghastly sobs came her own shed tears. The salty droplets fell down her cheeks and the guilt filled her to the brim. His fists came down with a terror against the wood, pounding it as if he could break the floor and send himself flying down into the past. She wanted to scream out alongside of him, pleading with him to understand that there was no going back. But she couldn't. Her lungs were frozen shut and her feet were numb from the bitter coldness in the air.

There weren't enough pain-killers and bottles of beer in the world to help heal the mess that was enveloping them both. Two massive scars that also happened to be human beings. There was no sealant on the wooden floors, nothing to stop the planks from absorbing the tears that fell viciously from his eyes.

He had lost too much. He had received a bid of suffering with a sum higher than anyone else. He could only carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for so long before he crumbled.

Well, he had crumbled.

A sight she never wanted to witness.

The sun was setting faster and the golden glow was moving over the objects it rested upon. He must've known she was standing there, he was well-calibrated in vigilance. If he did notice, he said nothing. She wasn't sure that he even had the ability to speak if he wanted to. His forehead reached the floor as his torso curled forward, and the sobs came harder.

He was lying in the remnants of everything that he was supposed to have. Every surge of fate that had brought it all together and in return, had torn it all apart. His home. The straw that broke the camel's back.

She broke just as well. The harder his cries and pleads to God came, the more it broke her. There was no holding back the gasps in her own lungs, the blindness that came with the tears obstructing her vision. Finally, with enough force to part the seas, she broke the magnetic pull that had kept her feet grounded. Sprinting over to his side, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his neck and weeping with him.

Even the power of catharsis couldn't wash away the wrenching in her heart. Her bare hands gripped wherever she could reach, the one hand managed to thread through his hair and pull him close. Her tears soaked through his shirt and with each passing second, she became aware of every fault she had made since his return.

"I'm sorry," she bawled, holding him tighter against her. "I'm so fucking sorry." she lifted her head from him, trying to find his eyes as the light became sparse. She expected him to recoil away from her touch, but instead, his iron-clad grip found her wrist. She found his eyes, red and swollen with anger and heartache. His irises were barely visible through the tears and edemic skin.

The grip that had become so tight on her wrist had transformed into a soft cradle of her cheeks. He did what felt human. For once, he let his body take the reins, his movements non-constrained. On instinct alone, his actions felt fluid.

Only she was the one who closed the gap between them. Her lips crashed down upon his, not bothering to warm up to the event. She fell, full-fledged crashing into him, searching his mouth with a fervent hunger. If the world was ending and she wanted one more taste on her lips, it was him.

They pulled away in matched strides, allowing a moment to just stare at each other. He could see the hurt in her eyes just as much as she saw it within his. She wasn't sure, but she wondered if that was why he had been the one to kiss her again. Only one of his hands was left to cradle her cheek while the other grabbed at her hip, urging her body closer against his.

The voice in the back of her mind reminded her of the ticking clock situation they were in, yet the world melted with the touch of his tongue. The need within his movements, the near-bruising grip of his arm against the small of her back, if the world had crashed before then this must've been its way of re-colliding.

Everything within her body told her to never let go, but her thoughts persisted. They needed to leave. She couldn't. She was coming undone every time he pulled away and re-emerged with her mouth. He couldn't get enough, but it was so much more than a hunger. Even with the urgency in his movements, a softness remained in his touch. He couldn't hurt her, he couldn't leave any sort of unwarranted mark. He just wanted to close the distance between them.

"Hop," she moaned against his lips as they teased hers open. "Hopper," she tried again as he swallowed her pleadings. "We — we need to leave, Hop." she cried out, finally gaining enough willpower to pry herself away from his intoxicating touch. They didn't have time to collect the broken pieces of himself up from off the floor. They could deal with it later, they could talk later. Suddenly, the ringing in her ears was much less from the fury of his effect on her body, and all the more about the danger they were in.

"Do-don't make me leave, Joyce." the words came in a strangled cry, and once again she was forced to pull him away from the one world he knew better than the rest. But safety mattered more. Even if he were to choose to die on this hill, she'd refuse. This couldn't be home anymore.

Her forehead fell against his, both of their breaths strong with the need to compensate for the lack of oxygen. "Listen to me," she whispered as another round of tears fell from her eyes. "I shouldn't have lied to you about selling the cabin, and I know that every fiber of your being is telling you that you need to be here right now, but it's lying to you, Hopper." she sobbed, begging him to just hear her now if he would ever choose to hear her.

"Your daughter needs you more. Your family needs you more, Hopper. I— I need you more." the emphasis on herself came with a much stronger force than she could've ever imagined. "I need you to be safe and alive and the only place on Earth that you can be safe and alive is at home. Our home." she urged, taking his hands and gripping them as if the world was ending around them. "Right now, we need you so much fucking more than you need this place. I am asking you to please, please just do this for me. You shouldn't have to sacrifice anything more but Hop, you need to... Pl-please!"

When she looked into his eyes, her adrenaline frantically rushing through her body, she saw only a sliver of his soul left inside of them. But if a sliver was all she could have, it was so much more than nothing at all. A sliver could grow, but emptiness could not.

"This isn't fair!" his tears hit the ground with the violent force of gravity, but his hands never left hers.

"I know," she whimpered, releasing one of her hands from his to comb the side of his head. "I know it isn't." she knew unfairness like she knew herself. She saw it in the mirror every morning when she realized that the scene behind her in the mirror wasn't where she was meant to be. "But you got me through nearly losing Will. You begged me to trust you. For God's sake, Hopper, let me get you through this. Do you remember that day? When you knelt at my couch and asked for my trust? Do you remember how fiercely you wanted it? Because right now I am asking you the same. You need to trust me! We can't be here!"

She felt the minutes ticking away, they were wasting time. One glimpse from the wrong eyes and everything would come crumbling down, including the illusion that the life she had built was holding steady. They were in the belly of the beast, and although the walls were firm, to her they felt as if they were ready to crash at any moment.

He paused for a moment, struggling to take in his breath. His eyes searched hers and every word she had ever said to him ran through his mind at lightning speed. She was asking for trust. Jesus Fucking Christ, she was the only one who he trusted.

"Okay," he breathed, gulped away the remainder of the sobs. She took a hold of his hand, helping him rise off of the floor. She expected herself to run when she reached her feet, but her body had stopped at its own volition. Instead of running, she held onto the instinct to grab him close and anchor him down for another searing kiss.

She forced herself to pull away, forever wishing they had the time to get lost in the feeling, but time didn't stop for anybody.

Her bedroom door fell shut behind her, and she was re-acquainted with the magnetic pull that forced her towards him. The dim bedside light had been left on throughout the day, providing the only glow in the room for her to see him. His eye was still bruised from the bar fight, and even more swollen from the hysteria she had found him in, but it didn't stop her arms from wrapping around his neck.

He turned his head, gladly accepting her proposition. The urge to fight off the forcefulness he craved was stronger than he could've ever imagined. He wanted to grab her, grip her so hard that his fingerprints would become a tattooed bruise on her skin. Just the thought left him breathing heavily as her lips coaxed his open.

She tasted like coffee and vanilla, but the taste of rain and tears was still lingering. No matter what she tasted of, he wanted as much of it as he could get. She was quickly turning into a drug to him, corrupting every sense of his sanity. A welcome corruption.

He could feel it within the thrum of her heartbeat that she was forcing herself to slow down. Her body cried for the same forcefulness he craved, but she had long awaited this moment and her mind reminded her she wanted to do it correctly. She wanted to savor every moment, because she had learned the hard way that moments passed without any hint of ever returning. She wanted to feel him.

He worked torturously to unfasten her uniform. There was a stark contrast between the color of his skin and the navy rows of buttons that aligned with her sternum. Each one came undone with a 'pop', but they were both too focused on the sounds of the other to notice. Her palms held tightly against his cheeks, steading herself against him as her tongue battled with his; gentle but demanding.

One of her hands pulled away, reaching behind her head to release the tightened pony her hair was held together with. As soon as her auburn locks fell down to her shoulders, her hand resumed its search around his body. She felt her shirt begin to free from the confines of the buttons, and she was reminded that he was still fully clothed.

She wasn't exactly sure how, but she had managed to pull the charcoal-tinted spandex shirt from his body. The new and unbridled heat of his bare chest radiated onto hers, filling her with the feeling of a newfound level of need.

His fingers moved down towards her belt, and dizzying sparks flew throughout every inch of her. Her lips were back to his, once again in a fight that had no winner. He swallowed her moan as it came, using his skilled fingers to undo the belt and the rest of her pants.

She took back her control, beginning to lead him over to the side of the bed. His hands fell to work on his own belt as they moved in few strides. The side of the mattress hit the back of his knees just as he slid out of his cargo pants. "I need you," she whispered, her voice barely an octave above pure silence.

She kicked off her own pants as he moved towards the center of the bed, pulling her with him. He made quick work of getting her camisole off of her chest, leaving her in her light purple bra and the panties that were already growing darker with wetness.

In between the fervent kisses, he'd managed to slip himself out of his boxers, leaving himself fully revealed in front of her. His heavy cock rested against his stomach, angry red and leaking with the need of her touch. "Fuck me, make love to me, I don't care." she breathed against his lips, reaching behind herself to undo her bra. "I just need you."

Her panties were the last to be shed, and with her knees parted on either side of him, she hovered her aching core above him. His eyes darted up towards her through the heavy breaths, watching her as she took ahold of his warm and pulsing length. A deep and strangled groan fell from his lips at her touch, and he wanted to melt as soon as he felt the head of his cock being nuzzled through her wet lips.

Without warning, his hands reached around to grip her ass with a firmness that sent sparks through her. Carefully, she slid down and slowly took him in, inch by inch. Her head fell backward as she mewled from the perfectly painful stretch of him filling her.

He leaned his head forward, wrapping his lips around her hardened nipples. The magic of his tongue on her breast and his cock throbbing inside of her was enough to threaten her to orgasm all too soon.

She paused for a moment, trying to adjust to his size as she continued to bear down against him. It had been an incredibly long time for her, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't accompanied her lonely night with her fingers and the thought of him.

As soon as she started to move, his arms wrapped around her body, his lips migrating to the sensitive spot behind her ear. She forced herself to keep her volume down, she knew the kids were sleeping only a few doors down. But his touch was electric and every nerve ending that existed inside of her blazed with him.

Her hips slid agonizingly slowly until he was nearly out of her, and without much warning, she fell back down and took him in his entirety. He stifled his sounds with his mouth buried in her neck, but the warmth wrapped around him was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He fit her like a puzzle piece, yearning to be paired again with its one true match. Every nerve that was meant to burn did so, and every one meant to make her feel as if she were on top of the world was ignited.

His hips rose to meet hers as they fell, providing a friction that left her with her eyes nearly crossed. It may have been a while, but nobody she had ever shared herself with had instantly made her feel as perfectly pleased as he did.

Her hands clasped behind his head, bringing her forehead down to rest against his. She dared herself to open her eyes, to look into his as she rode his hard and aching cock. She wanted to see her reflection in his baby blues. She wanted to see herself making a deal with the devil in order to feel something so heavenly.

The tip of her nose met his as her forehead still lied against his own, and in his eyes she found a sudden moment of clarity. Here she was, her life in shreds, her safety on the line, her core filled so tightly with him, and all she could care about was the grind of her hips and the thrust of his length. No worry, no care, maybe even love if she wanted to stop being so damn oblivious.

Her moans picked up as she rode him faster. She wanted the burn of bliss to only burn hotter. She wanted every fraction of himself that he had to offer. Even more than that, she wanted to relish in the fact that she was in control. That same devil whispered to her all of the things she could do to drive him mad. She clenched her internal muscles, milking a moan from him as she threw her head back once more.

She didn't regret it. Not really. She regretted the inability to have enough willpower to slow down. She had wanted to go slow, but the lust that had taken over her had said otherwise. It was supposed to be a tearful, emotionally wracking moment of their joining. Instead, she wanted to savor every vehement thrust he gave into her.

"Harder," she whispered, unaware that it was her own voice speaking. She wanted to make love. But more than anything, she wanted to feel alive. His talented tongue on her nipples and his fingers clutching her hips was her revival. "Harder, Jim."

He shuttered at the use of his first name, obliging her request with quicker thrusts into her heat. The sound of his heavy breaths and her wetness colliding with his skin was obscene yet a sound he never wanted to end.

As her moans and mewls became more frequent and certainly more needy, their hips worked harder in tandem. She forced herself down stronger onto him, begging her body to accept him in and feel every sense she could.

It was a long time coming. Nobody could ever deny,

He crashed his mouth down upon her quivering lips, realizing she was hurdling closer towards the finish line with him. It was quick and messy yet he wouldn't change a single fucking moment of it. She was perfection wrapped up in pale skin and dark brown eyes. Every curve and contour of her body was a reminder of his own humanity.

"Hop-hopper," she breathed rapidly. "Jim, I can't." she cried. There was no holding back her sounds any longer, not as she barrelled towards what would be the most forceful orgasm she had felt in years. Her eyes managed to bleed into his, and he watched her fight to keep her lids open as his fingers reached down and found her clit.

Watching her cry with an open mouth as his fingers swirled and his cock thrust into her was like watching a natural wonder of the world. She was an undeniable enigma right in front of him. "Oh my god," she whimpered, her thighs shaking as she pounced harder. "Oh my go— I'm gonna cum, Hop. I'm so close. I'm s— I'm gonna cum!"

"Cum for me," he growled, his fingers working with a stronger rhythm as he took over the pace she was losing. "Joyce, let go. Let go for me, please. I need to see you cum."

With her thighs violently shaking and his cock sliding in and out of her soaked core, she threw her head back one last time and didn't bother to stifle the sounds that erupted. Her orgasm crashed over her like a tidal wave, electrifying every touch that encountered her body.

His eyes met hers as her jaw dropped in euphoria, triggering his own orgasm with one last urgent strike into her. He held onto her with a grip for dear life, smashing his lips down onto hers as he spilled into her. She shivered as she fell against his chest, her body going limp as she rode out the rest of the shockwaves. 

"Promise me," she tiredly whispered, her cheek pressed against his neck. "Promise you won't go back." She listened closely to the sound of his heartbeat thrumming through his body as all of her weight melted against him.

His eyes closed, his arms holding her tighter against himself. The scattered memories of the evening disrupted his sated mind. "Okay," he gulped heavily, using the remainder of his drained energy to nod. "I promise."