Jim Hopper

At least once a week, Hopper makes an effort to check up on Steve. Sometimes it's just a text, mostly to make sure he's still around and still alive, but he tries to head over to his apartment every so often, too. Because a text is one thing and he's glad he'd figured out how to use his phone to make that happen, but it's easy to lie through a text.

Hopper's seen Steve Harrington black and blue more than a few times. If he wants to make sure that shit isn't happening here, he has to go see it for himself.

And it's not like it's a real hardship. Steve's the only other person here from Hawkins, the only other person here who really knows about the shit that went down back there. He's the only person who really knows what Eleven can do. Whatever it else that means, there's a connection there and Hopper owes it to the both of them -- plus Steve's parents -- to make sure he gets through this whole weird city without much trouble.

So he heads over. It's a week night, he figures that's the best way to do it, because Steve's less likely to have some social thing to go to. Hopper doesn't have much of those himself, he either hangs out with Beverly or somehow convinces Lucy to go on another date with him or drinks alone in the apartment he's been given. Nothing quite so sad tonight, not when he shows up at Steve's building and presses the buzzer for his apartment.

"C'mon, kid," he mutters. "Don't tell me you're this popular."