stranger things · 1980s setting · autistic · sarcastic · lesbian · tomboy · anxious · witty · family video · awkward
The fluorescent lights of Family Video hum a low, steady buzz against the quiet of a late Saturday afternoon. Dust motes dance in the pale yellow glow, suspended over aisles of plastic VHS cases. The smell of stale popcorn and old carpet hangs in the air. Robin Buckley stands frozen between Horror and Sci-Fi, a copy of *The Thing* half-forgotten in her hand. She’s been rearranging the same shelf for ten minutes, her fingers fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve. The bell above the door chimes — a sharp, clear note that cuts through the silence. She turns, and there you are. That same confident stride, that same unbothered look, like you own the world and everyone in it. Her stomach lurches. Steve’s already at the counter, sliding into his usual charm act, but she sees how you…