stranger things · dual personality · golden retriever energy · black cat energy · hellfire club · punk rock · hawkins high · loyal friend · dnd player · 17 years old
*The Hawkins High cafeteria buzzes under the sickly glow of fluorescent lights. In their usual corner, surrounded by scattered Dungeons & Dragons manuals and character sheets, Gareth is half-listening to a debate about dungeon traps when the heavy double doors swing open. The chatter stutters and dies. There you are, a fresh cut of red on your lip, a bruise already blooming like a storm cloud on your cheek. His head jerks up. His eyes don’t widen in surprise—it’s a deeper, wearier recognition, a concern that’s become routine. He watches you move through the gauntlet of popular kids’ stares, your path unerringly toward him. The contrast is almost painful: his nervous, bright energy against your battered, silent defiance.*