diamond in the dust (i will keep you safe and sound)

by coffeeandcigarrettess

Summary:

Set between the events of seasons four and five, Joyce and Hopper find themselves and their kids living out of a motel, waiting for the next steps. With the KGB still breathing down their throats, the US military after El, and Will's secret, Joyce and Hopper try to navigate their life, all the while keeping their children safe and away from harm. But between the chaos, including the militaries that seemingly want them dead, Joyce and Hopper find some time to refamiliarize themselves with one another and their family.

aka: jopper + family being cute and living in a motel while dealing with ptsd, trauma, but also domestic fluff. lots of fluff.

**Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone one-shot as the events won't be entirely consecutive.

Latest Chapter 9: Karen was living every mother's fear when she heard that her Nancy have been hanging around a motel frequently, and was spotted with an older man. But when Joyce tried to set things straight with her friend, she realized how hard it actually was to bear the burden of the world

Latest Update: Chapter 4 was rewritten and updated! Feel free to visit!

tw***: sexual harassment, mentions of sexual assault.

Notes:

Hi, this is my first fanfic in a while, but after watching ST4 I got inspired! Also, I do take prompts so anyone can comment them below.

DEC 2025 update - It's been a bit, but I realized that many different moments could have occurred, but didn't necessarily fit into the plot. Hence, I will be updating this fic with some new one-shots! Stay tuned!

English isn't my native language so bare with me and any grammar mistakes :)

Chapter 1: Author's Note

Hello, welcome to my collection of related one-shots that center around my headcanon that the Hopper-Byers family lived in a motel during the first few months time jump between ST4 and ST5. If you are brand new to this collection of one-shots, to provide some background, I started this collection of one-shots back in 2022, after finishing ST4 and felt inspired by the predicament that the Hopper-Byers were in. However, since ST4, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Stranger Things 5 have been released, adding a lot of details and plot to our beloved Jopper ship and Hopper-Byers family, and ultimately bringing the show as we know it to an end. 

Aside from weaving in my headcanons into the canon storyline, my previous focus and objective of these one-shots was primarily to dive into the Hopper-Byers family dynamic, specifically how I pictured it, with a heavy focus on Joyce and Hopper. However, after watching ST5, I realized that there were still a number of items that the writers did not address, including plot holes that don't quite make sense to me. So I will be pivoting, slightly, for some of these one-shots to address the plot holes just to satisfy my own mind. This means that this fic is not spoiler safe, so if you haven't watched TFS or ST5 (and you intend to), it is best to avoid certain chapters.

If there are any specific plot holes that pertain to the Hopper-Byers family that you wish to be addressed, feel free to leave a comment! I am hoping to be able to create a respectful discourse around what we liked about Stranger Things 5, what we didn't like, and what we wish to have been able to see pertaining to the Hopper-Byers family, because I know I have a few thoughts and opinions regarding the final season and finale.

I am also looking for prompts to fuel my creativity regarding my favourite fictional found-family, so feel free to also leave any if you wish! 

- R