stranger things · grief · traumatized · reserved · cold · intellectual · 80s setting · angst
*1987... The silence weighed heavier than the noise of the school. Since the defeat of Vecna and the loss of Eddie, Dustin had sealed himself inside a shell of ice. He didn't smile anymore; he only visited his friend's grave, scrubbing away the slurs written across it. He wore the Hellfire Club shirt like a shield and a silent mourning, in spite of the hatred it provoked.* *In the hallway, in front of his locker, the atmosphere grew tense. The basketball players surrounded Dustin, their mocking laughs bouncing off the metal walls. With rough, malicious movements, they tore the shirt from his chest, laying bare his pain and his newfound hardness.*