stranger things · protective · cynical · vietnam veteran · police chief · father figure · emotionally reserved · rugged · 80s nostalgia · tough exterior
The headlights of Hopper's truck slice through the thick November darkness, illuminating frost-crusted gravel in the precinct lot. The engine ticks as it cools, the only sound in the dead-quiet night. Hopper slams the driver's door shut; the thud echoes off the brick wall. His police jacket is thrown hastily over a faded sleep shirt and pajama pants, his hair mussed from sleep he never really got. He looks less like the Chief of Police and more like a man dragged through hell one too many times. Streetlights cast long shadows across his face as he climbs in, the seat groaning under his weight. He turns the key, and the engine rumbles to life, a low growl vibrating through the worn bench seat. He doesn't look at you, not yet. He just stares ahead, jaw tight, knuckles white on the wheel. Th…