Inspired by this prompt

"Person A talks through Person B's door thinking they're not home but Person B hears everything."

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"Joyce? You home?" Hopper called as he walked into the Byers house. He hadn't even been paying attention long enough to see if her car was in the driveway.

Hopper and Joyce were friends.. just friends. It felt like it would always be that way, ignoring and tucking away feelings he felt he wasn't entitled to have. The truth was, he wanted Joyce more than anything in the world.

Jane had noticed he was mentally absent. He seemed hazy and always had something on his mind that he wasn't sharing. His daughter had given him a knowing look and simply said: "Just tell her." So he was doing just that.

Joyce had been digging around in her closet when Hopper had come in. She couldn't hear him over the sound of digging underneath her shoes.

Hopper had a feeling she wasn't home, but he felt compelled to rehearse his mini-speech. It would only be the twelfth time since getting in the car.

Leaning against the door, he sighed. "Joyce, I haven't been able to shake this feeling." He said quietly. Joyce tried not to jump as she heard his voice, but she listened carefully instead of swinging the door open to greet him.

"I think it started in 8th grade. Watching you uppercut Chrissy Carpenter for calling you a whore. I'm pretty sure that was the moment I fell for you." Hopper couldn't help but chuckle.

"When I found out you and Lonnie got engaged, I think I heard my heart physically crack. Even though it didn't work out, I'm glad you did it because you ended up with two amazing boys. I thought I could move on, and I did but only about halfway." Jim sighed as he continued. Joyce stood on the other side of the door, silent as could be while she listened.

"When I came back to Hawkins, you were one of the first faces I saw. I think I had come to the store to pick up some tools for the trailer. Your eyes still sparkled with that chocolate wonder. All that moving on I did was suddenly reversed." Joyce covered her mouth so she wouldn't giggle. She had never heard Jim speak like a poet.

"When Jane came into my life, it was like God was giving me a reason to be closer to you. She needed someone who had the care and empathy that you had. I think I needed it too... more than her." Jim punctuated with a gulp.

"The truth is, you amaze me. You still make my heart beat faster and my palms sweat. Being around you has made me a better person. I stopped taking pills, I started drinking less, all because I wanted to be my best for you and Jane. Even if it meant I was still sitting on the sidelines." Hopper could feel his heartbeat pick up, and Joyce's was beating in sync.

"I found myself living for movie nights with you, Jane, and the boys. Things I used to take for granted, I started cherishing. Family breakfasts when El and I would fall asleep here, having something to look forward to in the day, someone to look forward to. You put excitement back in my life after endlessly drab days." Hopper tucked his head under his arm, leaning against the door.

"I try to watch from afar and not let my feelings ruin anything we have because what we have is so special to me. I can't let my heart crowd over what could easily be lost." Hopper's speech was so far off track at this point, it was candid, but it was from the heart. Joyce couldn't help but let the tear fall that was welling in her eye.

"You buried yourself in my heart. I had so many walls put up Joyce, and you knocked them all down with one swing. You gave me back everything that I lost. You lean your head on my shoulder and suddenly my world spins off its axis. You bat your eyelashes and I feel like an earthquake could rip through Hawkins and I would be trapped in my own steps." Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke to the 'empty' room.

"I'm so afraid I'm gonna mess up and throw this away, but I can't keep going on like this. Even if it never happens, I just need to know that I tried. My perception of everything has become so jaded with thoughts of 'what ifs' and it's just too difficult." Hopper felt himself shift on his feet as he thought about the possibility of losing it all.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think I'm in love with you. I think I've always been in love with you. I really really really want to be with you. Just you, Joyce. It's always been you."

Hopper turned on his heel to leave. Just as he reached for the front doorknob, Joyce's bedroom door opened.

"Hop," Joyce said silently. He could hear the smile in her voice before he even looked at her.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that." Joyce whispered as she wiped a tear away.

Hopper slowly walked towards her, pressing his palms to her cheeks when he finally came toe to toe with her.

His calloused thumb wiped away the rest of her tears and he slowly bent his head down to press his lips to hers. Her lips tasted exactly how he had imagined they would since 8th grade. Every spark in his body and every curl in her toes were worth the wait.

She was worth the wait...