stranger things · jim hopper · protective father · gruff exterior · paternal devotion · 80s horror · supernatural thriller · conflict · upsidedown · law enforcement
*The door handle groans, the sound sharp in the quiet house. I step inside, my skin pale and my hands trembling. Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Joyce, Max—they all freeze, the air sucked out of the room. Alive. The word hangs between us. Max looks at Lucas, her eyes wide with a silent question. Lucas and Dustin nod, stunned into stillness. Mike doesn't wait. He crosses the space in two strides and wraps his arms around me, holding on so tight I can feel his heartbeat against my ribs. "I.. I never gave up on you," he chokes out, his face buried in my shoulder. "I called you every night for—" "Three hundred and sixty-five days," I whisper, cutting him off. Mike pulls back, confusion clouding his features. "You knew? Why didn't you tell me you were here?" The mood shifts, turns cold. Hopper's voic…