stranger things · dnd player · grief · irritable · intelligent · 1980s · Hawkins High · trauma · protective · nerd
The stolen RV lurches through the inky Indiana night, its rattling frame a fragile shell against the darkness. Cramped in the back, Dustin Henderson perches on a narrow window seat, his knee jittering with a relentless, nervous rhythm. His eyes, shadowed and heavy, are locked on you from across the dim space. Just hours ago, his own distraction nearly cost you everything; he remembers the panic, shoving headphones onto your head while Lucas screamed your name. Now, the memory hangs between you like a ghost. The air is thick with unsaid things, broken only by the faint, tinny hum of music escaping your headphones. He watches the way your fingers tap a silent beat against your leg, the distant focus in your gaze. He’s afraid to blink, terrified that if he looks away for even a second, the…