turn around.

SKYLER GISONDO, CIS MALE, HE/HIM | who’s that? oh it’s DUSTIN HENDERSON. i hear they’re EIGHTEEN and are known as THE BARD around HAWKINS. they’re also a FRESHMAN at HAWKINS COMMUNITY COLLEGE. they’re known to be INTELLECTUAL AND HUMOROUS and OPINIONATED AND INSECURE. some people say they remind them of a pencil trapped between teeth, staying up all night to prove a theory correct, a bullseye that never misses the mark, abandoned cups of coffee in the strangest places, always having to prove yourself to be taken seriously. 

susan danielle bingham & dustin robert henderson

can i go where you go? can we always be this close forever and ever? and take me out, and take me home. you're my, my, my, my lover. we could let our friends crash in the living room. this is our place, we make the call. and i'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you. i've loved you three summers now, honey, but i want 'em all. can i go where you go? can we always be this close forever and ever? and take me out, and take me home, forever and ever. you're my, my, my, my lover. ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? with every guitar string scar on my hand, i take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover. my heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue. all's well that ends well to end up with you. swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover! and you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me. and at every table, i'll save you a seat, lover....

WHAT: What the HELL is happening

WHERE: Will’s House

They’d broken the number one rule of DnD, but for once, nothing that bad had actually happened when they’d split the party. Maybe because they’d had plenty of backup on both sides? Still, there was a lot about what had happened at the lab that Dustin was in the dark about, and he was sure Will felt the same way about their fight at the junkyard. After everything that had happened, Dustin wanted to check in on Will and see what was going on since he hadn’t seen him much since the bonfire. 

So, after his shift at the arcade, Dustin had biked over to the Byers’ house on his way home. After knocking on the door, Dustin waited for Will to open it. “Hey, dude,” Dustin greeted, smiling at his friend. “We’ve got a lot to catch up on. Want to go grab dinner or something? I’m starving.” It had been a long day, and Benny’s was open again, according to the paper. Dustin could go for a burger while they talked everything over. “My treat. Don’t worry, it’s not a date, I swear,” Dustin joked, rolling his eyes at the memory of their nonkiss at the bonfire. “Grab your bike,” He nodded towards his own, which he’d discarded on the ground out front. “Dude, the shit at the junkyard was insane. How was the lab?” Dustin asked as he began peddling back towards town, flipping the light on the front of his bike on. 

WHAT: Sorry Ur Face is Broke and U Have Rabies <333

WHERE: Max’s Trailer 

This summer had been crazy, frankly. From their initial trip to the border where they’d gotten matching scars to a week ago when they’d tried fighting a pack of junkyard dogs, Dustin had been glad to have Max by his side for most of it. She was the strongest person he knew - someone who could handle anything, in his eyes. Even a self-inflicted broken nose. While Dustin was sure she was probably okay, he still wanted to check in on her and get her mind off of all of the shit they had experienced this last month. He’d brought his Nintendo NES with him. It was an older model, but Dustin was very gentle with it compared to some of his other shit. It’d take a few paychecks to be able to replace it, and he’d rather spend that money on more games, or taking Suzie out. 

Knocking on the door of the trailer, Dustin waited until Max opened the door. “Wanna fuck up some creepy shit?” Dustin asked, skipping formalities entirely; he and Max were cut to the chase people. In his hand was a Ghosts n’ Goblins cartridge, along with his Nintendo and two controllers. “I brought Super Mario Bros too, in case you were in that kind of mood.” Brushing past her, Dustin began hooking up the console to her tv. Wordlessly, he handed her the controller she favored - it was the nicer of the two, and usually he’d fight her for it, but his nose wasn’t broken. “What’s up with you lately? Besides the obvious.” He asked after a minute, nudging her leg with his knee. 

erica hadn’t been over at the henderson residence a lot of times before, so now that she was actually in there and not in a rush to escape, she took a few moments to look around. she couldn’t help the face she made when she noticed the cat hairs all over the floor, but it didn’t matter. erica looked over at dustin for a couple of moments and narrowed her eyes as she inspected the other. erica had too many things in common with dustin, she thought to herself. but erica was a lot cooler in the things she did, at least that’s what she thought and she hoped everyone else thought too. she pursed her lips together and crossed her arms together as the other started talking, tilting her head to the side as she listened to him.

“then why are you turning red? and reading what? porn? you really are a nerd, you know there’s videos of that.” she said, shaking her head slowly. erica didn’t actually believe that the other was masturbating, but if dustin was anything like her brother, then she didn’t want to find out what dustin was keeping under his bed. erica watched as the other made his way inside of the kitchen and followed him to it, watching him slowly. she had no idea what the two could do together, it wasn’t like they had hung out just the two of them before. maybe this had been a bad idea, erica thought to herself as she watched the other, her eyes narrowed. “i have better things to do than picture you masturbating.” she said, shuddering at the thought as she took the coke from other’s hand and cracked it open, before taking a sip. “oh, you know, i thought i would just stop by and… hang out.” she said honestly, shrugging her shoulders. “unless you have something else to do, which i doubt.” she said with a nod.

Dustin wasn’t really self-conscious of their home, though it was definitely smaller than the Sinclair’s. It was covered in cat hair from Tews, but otherwise pretty tidy. He and his mom tended to split chores around the house, and with all of the shit he’d gotten into lately, he was trying to stay on her good side in case news that he’d stolen a bus got out. It helped having Suzie here. Dustin might have been a bit of a slob otherwise, but he really didn’t want his girlfriend thinking that he was that messy. So, as Erica made a face and surveyed the area, Dustin tried to not let it get under his skin too much. 

“I’m turning red because we’re having this conversation, not because I was doing it!” Dustin huffed, throwing his arms up. “I was reading Lord of the Rings! And no, I wasn’t masturbating to it!” He sighed heavily, shaking his head. Dustin was very, very aware that porn existed, but he really hadn’t needed it since things had escalated in his and Suzie’s relationship. But either way, that was not a conversation he was having with Erica Sinclair. “Thank god we’re on the same page...” Dustin rolled his eyes. He nodded at the mention of them hanging out - it wasn’t something they really did often, but Dustin actually liked spending time with Erica. They had very similar interests, and while seeing her came with a lot of roasting, he could usually handle it. “Hey! Usually, I’m busy.” Dustin complained at the implication that he didn’t have anything else to do. “You caught me on a day off.” He racked his brain for what they could do together, glancing over at the living room. “Want to watch some tv? Or I have my DnD stuff upstairs, we could swap notes on ideas for a campaign? I kind of had some thoughts on one, and you’d be a great person to talk it through with.” After all, Erica was just as good at DMing as he was - maybe better. And this way, it wouldn’t spoil the surprise for Lucas, Mike or Will. “Or we could go to the pool or mall.” He shrugged, down for whatever. 

who: erica sinclair & @dvstybuns​

where: the henderson residence

erica wasn’t sure when summer had become so boring that she was walking up to the henderson residence to hang out with dustin. it wasn’t like she had necessarily warned him that she was coming over. she had just been riding her bike around town and when she spotted the house, she decided to bother him for a bit. was there a possibility that he wasn’t home? yes, of course. but erica knew very well that it wouldn’t be out of question that he was. the worst case scenario was erica finding his mom and having to be fake nice to her. but she was hoping that wouldn’t happen. plus, there’s only so much fake a person can be to another person and erica was pretty done doing that for the day.

so there she was, making her way up to the henderson residence, knocking on the door a couple of times as she waited for an answer. she looked around until she finally heard the door open. “took you long enough? what were you doing?” she asked, once she saw that it was dustin that had opened the door. without asking, erica walked past dustin and inside of the house as she looked around for a couple of moments. erica couldn’t really remember a time where she had been in there, but she decided that it was probably the last time that she would be. she turned to look at dustin. “you weren’t masturbating, right? and if you were, please don’t tell me because i don’t think i’ll ever be able to delete that image out of my head.” she said, shaking her head slowly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she looked over at dustin.

It wasn’t often that Dustin found himself alone during the days anymore. If he didn’t have work, he usually could be found with Suzie or someone else in the Party. It was a nice change of pace from what he was used to in summer’s past. As an only child, Dustin was prone to feeling lonely, so having so many of his friends to bother and his girlfriend literally living in his house had helped a lot. But today, Suzie had a shift at the library and the others had all been occupied with one thing or another, so Dustin had decided to start rereading The Lord of the Rings series. 

He was a few chapters into The Fellowship of the Ring, lost in thoughts of hobbits and elves when he heard a knocking on the door. That was weird. If Suzie or his mom had gotten off early, they had their own keys to let them in at this point. Slipping an old receipt into the book to serve as a bookmark, Dustin quickly changed out of his pajamas and into shorts and a faded t-shirt. Throwing one of his hats on, he jogged down the stairs and swung the door open. “Erica?” He asked, not surprised when she walked inside without being invited. “No, I wasn’t masturbating!” He hissed, cheeks immediately turning red at the idea. “I was reading! Jesus!” Dustin followed her inside, moving towards the kitchen to offer her a drink or snack like the good host his mother had raised him to be. “Please do not picture that,” He wrinkled his nose, opening the fridge. “What are you doing here anyway?” Dustin grabbed two Coke’s offering her one before popping the tab on his and taking a sip.  

𝐖𝐇𝐎: Nancy Wheeler & @dvstybuns​​​​​​​​

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓: Nancy checking in with her favorite genius

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄: Outside of Town Hall

That entire meeting was absolutely useless. Organize a community meeting for expenses. Yeah, Powell could kiss her ass for that one. She would never cause a public fuss, but if Hawkins P.D. wasn’t even helping with something as simple as expenses for a tragedy then it just meant that they viewed their citizens as expendable. And if they thought that then Hawkins was definitely doomed. She shuffled out of town hall, pushed against a couple of residents as she tried to get out. Turns out, a town wide Q and A was the hot spot for tonight. Once outside, she pulled her satchel closely towards her chest as she looked around for her parents and Cassie. Her head moved from side to side, waiting for someone to stick out to her when she noticed Dustin.

“Dustin, hey!” She called out his name in an attempt to get his attention as she walked towards him. Nancy and Dustin were the type who only ever talked once in a blue moon, usually when help was needed. Now that Dustin wasn’t some little kid stealing snacks from the kitchen, she felt like he could be of more use. He had always been one of the smarter ones in Mike’s little group. Not that any of them were lacking intelligence, but there was no arguing that Dustin Henderson was always one step ahead of the rest. “Could I pick your brain for a second?” She asked, stuffing her notebook and pen back into her bag. Off the record. 

There were already whispers of heading to the Wheeler’s basement afterwards, but she wanted a conversation that was just them. The geniuses. “You mentioned the cabin earlier in there. About the files and the lab,” she pressed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Would you happen to know what any of those files contained? Anything? Maybe about… a monster who can shapeshift?”

This entire thing was bullshit. Dustin wasn’t sure why he was surprised - when had the cops or the town ever actually been helpful, outside of Hopper? They were useless, and this meeting had only ended in disappointment. Powell’s thinly veiled threats about staying away from private property pissed Dustin off. Like hell he was going to keep out of this shit. Five people had already died, and nothing was being done to try and figure out why. He stalked down the stairs of City Hall, pent up frustration blinding him from even looking for the Party. He’d find them later, once things settled down and he’s had a chance to breathe. 

At the sound of his name, Dustin looked up, relieved that it was only Nancy. She had to be just as angry as he was - her question had gotten similar results to his. And if he had to guess, she was already thinking about their next steps as a group. How could they get information if the town wasn’t cooperating with them? Whatever Nancy had in mind, Dustin knew it would be brilliant, quite possibly illegal, and would help them far more than whatever the fuck had just happened inside. “Yeah, of course,” He nodded, taking his hat off to run his fingers through his hair. 

“Lucas told me about it. The one near Lover’s Lake,” Dustin nodded. He hadn’t seen it himself - he’d been lost in the woods with Peter, trying to find his way back to the others. “He didn’t mention the Doppelganger,” Dustin frowned, glancing around. “We could always try to go back and check sometime, though.” He definitely wasn’t above breaking and entering, even if Powell might be watching the place more closely now. “He just said there were lab files and a newspaper from 1985 talking about a fire, or something. His memory of it all was kind of fuzzy.” Dustin frowned, studying Nancy for a minute.

Gently, Suzie reached a hand up to Dustin’s face. She ran her thumb over the beginnings of a bruise with a concerned frown. “You should ice this tonight.” At the mention of Steve, Suzie noted Dustin’s even tone. She couldn’t imagine how he felt, and she hated the idea of him holding it in, trying to be strong. “When things calm down, I’d like to go see Steve. Thank him, and stuff,” she smiled weakly. Suzie hadn’t been able to forget about the way Steve had tried to protect them–everyone, really– at his own expense. It was one of the few things from that day that was comforting.

Suzie pulled Dustin into another hug in response to his many questions about her wellbeing. The last thing she wanted was to become a cause of worry or guilt for him. Not now, with everything else going on. “I’m okay, I promise,” she pulled back to meet his eyes. “Like you, bumps and bruises. A headache from… that guy banging me around, but I’ll be okay.” She didn’t know why she had been a target, what she’d done, but Suzie couldn’t dwell on it if she wanted to sleep ever again. 

The knots of fear that had been forming in Suzie’s gut relaxed when Dustin called her ‘Suzie-poo’ and wiped her tears. He was so gentle and kind, and she knew that no matter what he was about to say, it would be okay. She squeezed his hand back, brows coming together in confusion at his apology. Of course, Suzie had gathered that something strange was going on in Hawkins… but she never could’ve imagined what Dustin was about to tell her.

She was following Dustin’s words until he mentioned another dimension. She’d read about the possibility of parallel universes, she’d even dipped her toe into quantum mechanics, so that wasn’t completely off the deep end. But the idea of Dustin and his friends discovering it? And Will being taken into it– and coming back? And all of this having something to do with what happened on the Fourth? Suzie put her head in her hands, processing what he was telling her. “El opened a gate… to a parallel universe. And that’s connected to the carnival,” she repeated, flashing uncertain eyes at Dustin. “What was the gate? What’s the Upside Down like? How did El get a superpower?” Suzie breathed deeply, dozens of questions circling around her mind, and settled herself. She knew he would tell her, in due time. 

Suzie couldn’t help, it: she laughed. This was why there were so many people on the walkie channel when she forced Dustin to sing to her? Because she was the only kid who paid enough attention in class to remember Planck’s constant and somehow that was key in saving the world? It was a ridiculous notion, but suddenly Dustin’s disappearing act that summer made sense. “This is insane. I believe you, but this is insane,” she shook her head. The fear from before was expanding into dread and guilt– dread with the knowledge that it would get worse before it got better, and the guilt that Dustin had been carrying this for so long, without saying anything or even letting on that something was off.

Though the answers weren’t great news, knowing was always more comfortable than not knowing, at least to Suzie. She wanted to jump immediately into problem-solving, to make Dustin tell her everything so they could avoid the fear and grief for a while. But more than she wanted to fix this, she wanted to be there for Dustin, and that didn’t look like a million questions. Not right now, at least. “Thank you for telling me,” she took his hand again and squeezed it. “I can’t believe you’ve… been dealing with this for so long,” Suzie fixed her eyes on Dustin’s face. “What do you need?”

As Suzie stroked the bruise on his cheek softly, Dustin gave her a sad smile. She was so sweet, so gentle with him - he couldn’t even feel the injury. All he could feel was the tight ball of anxiety in his chest that had taken up residence there while he’d had to sit by and watch her defuse the bomb. Suzie was so smart and so brave, and to think that he might have lost her a few days ago? He felt sick to his stomach. If anything had happened to her because he’d dragged her into this, Dustin would never forgive himself. Slumping forward, he pressed his forehead to hers and took a deep breath. “I think he’d like that,” Dustin told her quietly, wanting two of the most important people in his life to be close. Steve had tried to protect them, as always, and look where it had gotten him. But Dustin knew that Steve would never change. He was the hero, after all. 

Suzie knew everything about him now - the most terrifying, dangerous bits and pieces that had shaped the lives of him and his friends since he was a child. And she was still here. Part of him wished more than anything that he had been able to shield her from this, but the other half was glad that she knew. Glad that she thought he was worth it. Glad that Suzie was just as perfect as he’d always thought she was. He pulled away when she mentioned having a headache, hand coming up to push her hair out of her eyes so he could check her pupils for a concussion. Dustin wasn’t a doctor by any means, but he had seen a few in his day from the general recklessness of his friends. “Maybe you should go see a doctor?” He asked again, biting his lip with concern. 

Telling the girl he was in love with all about an evil dimension linked with theirs wasn’t easy - how the fuck could it be? But he owed her this. Suzie had disarmed a bomb with no questions asked less than 48 hours ago, and then been attacked by a monster. She was owed a long explanation on everything he knew about the situation. And so, as hard as it was to talk about, he pushed forward with his story, holding her hand the entire time and hoping that she believed him. 

“El opened the gate a long time ago. As far as we know, all of the gates are closed. So we don’t know how everything with the carnival happened,” Dustin admitted, studying her expression for any sign that she thought he was full of shit. “There’s this thing running around called the Doppelganger. It can shape shift - it turned into Steve once, and me too. When it was like us? No one could tell any different,” Dustin explained gently, pained by the memory of the monster. How the fuck were they supposed to fight it when it could be any of them at any time? 

He huffed out a humorless laugh at her questions, glad she was at least curious about it all. Of course she was - she was a scientist. “The gate was like this weird, red rip in the fabric of the universe.” He explained, thinking back to the times he’d seen one. “The Upside Down is fucking terrifying. All sorts of insane creatures like in there. Like, Steve, Nancy, Robin and Eddie went a few years ago while some stuff was going on with this wizard from that dimension named Vecna. Steve got attacked by these demobats, which are like normal bats but worse,” Dustin rambled, realizing just how much stuff he had to catch her up on. “El was born with her powers, I think. I don’t really know the details.” Dustin shrugged.

As Suzie began to laugh, Dustin’s heart was in his throat. This was it, wasn’t it? When she told him he was crazy and tried to go back to Utah? “You can’t leave Hawkins,” He blurted out, squeezing her hands tightly. If he could just hold on to her, maybe he could keep her here, with him, in this moment. Away from the dangers that lurked outside. Away from anything that could attack her or harm her. “There’s this barrier around the town. No one can get out. It’s... I should have told you sooner. None of us can go anywhere. I’m so sorry, Suzie. I’m so, so sorry.” Dustin apologized to her, hoping she wouldn’t blame him for getting trapped here. As happy as he was to have her in Hawkins, to be a foot away from her instead of thousands of miles, he hated that she didn’t have a choice in leaving or not. 

When she told him that she believed him, Dustin breathed a sigh of relief. It was crazy - the absolute most life altering information any of them had ever received. But knowing about it almost made her part of some club; she was one of them now, and they protected their own. Dustin would make sure Suzie was okay from here on, no matter what. 

They were both natural born problem solvers at heart; neither had ever met an intellectual challenge that they didn’t want to try to take on. So Dustin knew it must be hard for Suzie to not ask more. He would tell her anything she wanted to know right now - she deserved that. At her words, though, he looked at her in confusion. “Suze, I should have told you weeks ago. Or fuck, even years ago. You’re allowed to be upset with me,” Dustin told her, not understanding how she was being so kind to him right now. 

“I don’t... know...” He admitted. He needed a lot of things, and he was sure she did too. The most pressing, though, was comfort and reassurance. If she really wasn’t upset with him and just wanted to support him? That was more than Dustin deserved and all that he wanted. “Can we just...cuddle?” Dustin asked quietly, feeling more exhausted than he ever had before. “We can stay up talking about it. I’ll tell you whatever you want. But what I really, really want right now is to know that we’re both safe and okay and to hold you.” His face heated up, vulnerable from the emotions of the last few days piling up together. Although he’d always been mushy with Suzie, he was being far more honest right now than he might have been if they hadn’t both been at risk of dying two days ago. But, he was in love with her. Even if she hadn’t said it back yet, he knew that that was how he felt. Dustin Henderson loved Suzie Bingham, and he really wanted to spend the rest of the night with her in his arms. 

who: bob newby & @dvstybuns​ what: a little video game chat! where: palace arcade

bob had walked into the palace arcade half an hour ago with the intention of talking to will, but when he couldn’t find the youngest byers boy anywhere in the building, he’d planted himself in front of pacman and played a couple of rounds. the first quarter only earned him tenth place, but by the second round, he was top 3. this latest round bumped the number one player to number two. with a grin, bob keyed in his first name and abandoned the machine in favor of strolling along the rows with his hands in his pockets, marveling at some of the new machines they had since 1984. there were entirely new games in here, too. it was so fascinating how quickly technology could move. bob still felt the same, but that might have been because he had little to no memory of his forest commune days.

he was just about to move along to the second row of consoles when someone familiar caught his eye. well, sort of familiar, anyway. the people bob remembered from hawkins all had little differences. joyce’s hair was different, hopper’s a little grayer, but the kids? the kids had all shot up like beansprouts and had gotten haircuts, but something about the bright t-shirt and baseball cap reminded him so strongly of one of will’s friends that bob just had to stop at the counter and say hi. it would be rude not to. “dustin henderson? are they putting something in the water here or what? you’ve all gotten so tall.” he shook his head and tipped his head slightly as he studied him. “which of these do you recommend for a guy who’s mastered pacman but hasn’t played anything new since 1984?”

Working at the arcade wasn’t a bad job; it wasn’t too draining. Machines broke occasionally, and Dustin had to yell at kids for being stupid sometimes, but he knew that when they were younger, he and his friends had been just as bad. For the most part, it was a pretty predictable job, with the same kids coming in playing the same games each day. It was just odd going back to it now, after everything that had happened over the last week or so. At least in here, though, he didn’t have to worry about the weird division going on in town. Only weirdos and nerds came to the arcade; the people who blamed Eddie for everything wouldn’t be caught dead in here. 

After snapping at a fourteen year old for trying to climb onto the air hockey table for a second time, Dustin sighed, retreating behind the counter. He flipped through a magazine one of his co-workers had left behind, trying to find something in Tiger Beat that interested him. At the sound of his name, he looked up and locked eyes with... was that Joyce’s ex? Dustin vaguely remembered him from several years ago, but he couldn’t quite remember why they had broken up or what had happened to him since then. “Bob?” Dustin asked, smiling and standing up straighter at the mention of having gotten tall. He had his a growth spurt sophomore year, a little later than some of his other friends, and while he was still shorter than Max, Dustin appreciated the compliment. “1984?” Dustin questioned, looking at him in confusion. Wait... had he been in the forest commune? Jesus, that place sounded more and more like a cult every day. “Uh, Gauntlet’s pretty popular! It’s got kind of a Dragon’s Lair meets Pacman vibe to it,” Dustin said, moving from behind the counter to take Bob over to the game. “It came out in ‘85.” 

WHAT: He’s Valedictorian, baby!

WHERE: Hawkins High Football Field

Dustin Henderson was sweating, and the ceremony hadn’t even started yet. 

It wasn’t the public speaking that was making him nervous. He’d gotten over his shyness after meeting the boys in elementary school, unable to shut up by the time they’d reached sixth grade. Standing up in front of the audience wasn’t something he was scared of, necessarily, it was just... this was a pretty personal speech. He was kind of baring his soul for people, in a way. Standing before them and listing all of the people who had made him who he was, thanking each of his friends for the things they had taught him. And while that was sweet, it was also a bit nerve-wracking. 

eddie pulled away from the embrace very reluctantly, tempted to draw dustin right back in again as he spotted the few wayward tears on his cheeks. why did everything about hawkins have to be so complicated? why could this town not grant them more than a year’s peace? they had no control over where they’d been born, so really, the universe was quite cruel for roping them into the curse so undeniably interwoven with hawkins’ very core. “good. ‘m glad. i  - i saw you going in the tent with suzie and - “ he stopped to take a deep breath, shook his head softly. it didn’t matter, no need to dwell on the tragedies that could’ve been. “you gotta be more careful, kid. got it?”

and eddie gave him a stern look that soon faded into another weak attempt at a smile. the mention of lawyers brought the ever present nausea back to the pit of his stomach and, with a sigh, he turned around and plopped down onthe couch, gestured for dustin to follow along. one hand reaching up to rub at his temples, he shrugged. “i don’t know, man, i - all i know is they released me. said i’m still a ‘prime suspect’ or whatever, that was it, that was - that was all they told me. apparently they think that hargrove and i are responsible for the explosion - or, well, they’re pinning it on us, anyway.” another shrug, he let his head fall back against the cushions. “but it’s - don’t worry ‘bout me, henderson. i’ll be fine. always am.”

Dustin was just glad to see that Eddie was safe, for now. He’d been pulled into this shit so unfairly two years ago, and it was bullshit that he was back to being a suspect for yet another thing he hadn’t done. If anyone deserved to catch a fucking break, it was Eddie Munson. All of them did, honestly, but Eddie somehow always seemed to get blamed for everything. It wasn’t fair that it kept happening, just because Eddie was different than the usual suburban, cookie cutter stereotype most of Hawkins fit into. Dustin wished that they’d been able to do something to keep him from getting arrested, but what were their options? Without Hopper in charge of the police force, it seemed like they were pretty fucking powerless here. “I’m fine,” Dustin assured Eddie, knowing that he’d scared him. Fuck, Dustin had been scared. But Suzie was there, ready and willing to disarm the bomb, so he’d been beside her to support her the entire time. “I couldn’t just let her go through that alone, though. What would you have done if it had been Steve?” Dustin pointed out, raising an eyebrow at Eddie. Thank god it hadn’t been, though. Dustin couldn’t imagine what would have happened if either Steve or Eddie had had to deal with one more terrifying thing that night. 

Dustin followed Eddie easily, sitting down and turning to face him. He let out a deep breath as Eddie explained the situation, frowning at how unfair it all was. “This is such bullshit,” Dustin scoffed, hands balling into fists. “You weren’t holding the fucking lighter, you weren’t even that close to the fireworks! If anything, Billy should take the fall.” That might not be entirely fair, but neither was Eddie being blamed for it. He’d had nothing to do with any of this, and Dustin was sick of seeing Hawkins make him into a villain. “I am worried about you, though.” He frowned, hating feeling so helpless. This entire mess was such a shit show, and it pissed Dustin off. He just wished there was something he could do about it. 

steve definitely worried too much about this kid. it had all started out as a joke, of him being the babysitter, but he had grown a soft spot for him. for all of the kids, if he was being honest. but especially for dustin, max and lucas - those three seemed like they needed him more than anything, like they needed an older brother. will had jonathan, mike had nancy and el had hopper. and in general, they knew what they were doing. but those three, they needed him. and steve needed him too, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud. they had become more family than his own family, and he often found himself wanting their company. he just wished that it wasn’t at a hospital and that he wasn’t in that bad. he couldn’t imagine what dustin was going through, especially after everything that had happened at the carnival. steve had tried to push him away, push him away from everything but he had refused. and steve wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if something had happened to him.

once dustin finally settled on a tv channel after going through all of them, steve let out a small sigh as he looked over at the tv, wanting to focus on it for a couple of moments before he was pulled right back into a conversation with dustin. it felt nice to have someone to talk to, especially when eddie had gone back to his place. sure, steve was the one who made him go so he could get some decent rest, promising him that he would be okay and all, but he still missed him when he wasn’t around. “and your option was the wonder years? c’mon kid, i thought you had better taste than that.” he said with a small chuckle, shaking his head.

he kept eating the jello he had opened, looking over at dustin as he stole one of his. he let out a sigh when he heard dustin say that he wasn’t great, but he figured that he wouldn’t be. who could be, really? “i’m sorry that i… yelled at you.” he said, after a few moments of silence. “i didn’t want you to get in danger, i was just… trying to get you out of there.” he said, remembering the night of the carnival. all that he had done had been to protect them, and he didn’t regret anything. “i’m sorry for mr. clarke.” he said, pursing his lips. steve knew how much dustin admired the man and it couldn’t have been an easy loss for him. or for any party member, he thought.

“i’m… alright. as alright as i can be, you know?” he said, shrugging his shoulders. the first days had been the worse, but he had somehow gotten used to the pain he felt every time he coughed or every time he chuckled. it would be a long process of healing until he went back to normal. “just a little… my ribs hurt the most. the cast on the wrist helps, but it’s inconvenient… i’ll be fine.” he said with a nod. “for someone who’s been almost devoured by some… demo-bats, this is nothing.” he said with a small chuckle, trying not to wince at the pain that it caused. “how’s suzie?” he asked, remembering that the other had disarmed a bomb by herself. steve was impressed by that, he had to admit it, but who wouldn’t be?

When Dustin had first heard about King Steve, he’d thought the guy was an absolute douche. He didn’t know him back then - he had just heard about him from Mike, while Steve was dating Nancy. But then he’d needed someone to help him with Dart, and Steve fit the bill perfectly. Back then, Dustin had had no idea that Steve was going to become one of the most important people in his life; he’d had no clue. But slowly, they’d become friends. Steve had been the person Dustin could always count on, the older brother or father figure he could turn to when he needed advice or support. On paper, the two had nothing in common and shouldn’t have ever become close, but they had. And Dustin was so glad for it. He couldn’t imagine what his life might look like without Steve’s influence. Dustin doubted he’d be half as confident or brave - he certainly never would have jumped into the fight against Jack if they’d never become so close. So, Dustin was grateful for all of the shit they’d lived through together, grateful to know Steve Harrington as well as he did. Grateful that he had lived, and that Dustin hadn’t had to figure out what his life would even look like without the other. 

Dustin was only vaguely watching the screen, still lost in thought about Steve, Mr. Clarke, and how the hell all of them were supposed to stop this thing. They still barely understood it, it seemed. The Doppelganger was chaotic, unpredictable, and Dustin was stuck on how to understand something that didn’t want to be understood. He rolled his eyes at Steve’s quip, handing the remote to him. “Sorry that I didn’t want to watch something too complex right now,” Dustin retorted, taking another bite of his Jello. “MacGyver felt a little too on the nose right now.” 

Watching his girlfriend disarm a bomb had been one of the most stressful things Dustin had ever lived through, but he’d had to stay calm for her. On the inside, though, he’d been fully panicking. But somehow, they’d both gotten out of there thanks to the genius he was in love with. At Steve’s apology, Dustin shook his head. “No, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” He told him quietly. “I know why you did it, but... what was I supposed to do? Leave Suzie?” Dustin asked, shaking his head. “I couldn’t let her do that alone.” It was the only option to Dustin - he never would have chosen differently. Not when her life was on the line. At the mention of Mr. Clarke, Dustin’s chest felt hollow. He was still trying to come to terms with that; it wasn’t easy to process for him. But he knew the rest of the party was in the same boat, at least. “Thank you,” Dustin replied. “I just...I can’t believe he’s gone, you know?” They had lost people before, but this hit close to home for Dustin.

“Yeah,” Dustin nodded, giving Steve a sympathetic look. “I’ve never broken a rib before. It sounds like shit,” He shook his head, glancing down at the cast on Steve’s wrist - that had to hurt too. “Jesus, the fucking demobats,” Dustin groaned, remembering the demonic creatures that had attacked Steve. He hadn’t been there for that, but he’d sure seen the bloody aftermath once Steve and the other had made it back through the gate at Eddie’s. “She’s okay. Okay as she can be, I guess,” Dustin shrugged, biting his lip. “I mean, I thought she’d be pissed at me for not telling her before, but she handled it really well, all things considered.” Frankly, the fact that she hadn’t broken up with him or tried to move out meant she was handling it swimmingly, in Dustin’s mind. But he really did think she’d be okay, once they figured more things out and could stop the Doppelganger. “How’s Eddie?” Dustin asked, though he had seen the other man not long ago. Dustin had gone to check on him one of the few times Eddie had returned to his trailer since he’d gotten released. He was sure that Steve would have more insight, though, considering they were together. 

“thanks, honey,” lucas quipped back, pausing to blow dustin a kiss at the next stop light. there was a certain fondness to his voice despite the teasing words. if he thought too much about dustin and suzie trying to disarm an actual bomb with nothing more than his pocket knife, it made his chest ache. he hadn’t been that scared of losing somebody since vecna. he hated that feeling. but dustin was sitting right beside him, solid and real and alive. lucas was so grateful for that, that even though they’d lost people -important people, even- the party was intact. he didn’t know what he’d do if he lost one of them. 

unwittingly, one side of lucas’ mouth quirked up in a smile. “it’s max,” he parroted back with a shrug. still, hearing it from somebody else who hadn’t just run into her briefly in the corridors of the hospital, where his mind always played tricks on him, was reassuring. some of the tension in his shoulders eased up. “oh, dude, not making any promises on that one.” 

he hung a left turn without having to think about it. he knew the routes and shortcuts to his friends’ houses better than the back of his own hand. it was a little less of a shortcut when they were on bikes, but it would do. “yeah. i just…i saw you get in the ambulance and after i dropped will off it seemed like the right place to be.” lucas couldn’t fault dustin for jumping into the vehicle or for being with steve. he didn’t think suzie did, either. “she’s fine, too. a little shaken up, maybe. but she’s alright.” he caught his friend’s eye in the rearview mirror. “i didn’t really…tell her anything? i just wanted to be there for her. but that’s probably an a and b conversation so…” he’d see himself out.

“Don’t mention it, love,” Dustin teased him back, leaning over to kiss Lucas’ cheek before the light turned green. He was so glad that their friendship was like this, truthfully. That they could just be open and honest with one another, no judgement on either end. They balanced each other out with Lucas’ steadiness and Dustin’s chaotic nature, perfect opposites that complimented one another. And right now, post carnival, Lucas’ grounding presence was helping Dustin more than anything else. Just having his best friend to rely on, to pick him up from the hospital and check in on him, made him feel like he might actually be able to relax slightly for the first time in 24 hours.

“Are you okay? After...” Dustin asked after a beat, pausing as he looked at Lucas. He was always so strong for the rest of them, someone who took care of everyone around him without asking for anything in return. But he had lost Mr. Clarke too, someone both of them had looked up to immensely. Dustin hadn’t even begun to unpack that yet, having spent so many hours worried to death about Steve. “It just doesn’t seem real yet, I guess. I haven’t even had time to think about Mr. Clarke...” He felt like he couldn’t say the word dying. It felt too final, too sad, too big to say yet. So, he relied on the fact that Lucas always seemed to understand what he meant. 

Rolling his eyes at Lucas’ reply, shooting his an exasperated smile. “Okay, fine. Tell her and I’ll deny it.” But they both knew that Max would believe Lucas over him on this one. That was okay, though. She deserved to hear something nice like that right now. “She’ll be okay. She felt up to snapping at me about being too slow still, so you know she’s feeling okay. When she’s nice to me, I’ll really worry.” He laughed, leaning back in his seat.

Dustin nodded, glad that someone had checked on Suzie. He felt guilty for just abandoning her - for not explaining anything she had seen that night before he left, or even really checking to be sure she was okay. Dustin felt shitty about that, but once he’d seen Steve go down, it was like his world had shattered. Steve had always been important to him, ever since they had teamed up during their second time going up against something from the Upside Down. He’d always been there for Dustin when he needed him, whether it was for a ride to the movies or someone to come support him at a robotics competition. Steve was one of the most important people in Dustin’s life, and when he’d thought that he’d lost him? Dustin hadn’t been able to do anything besides help Max and Robin get him to the hospital. “Thank you,” Dustin said to Lucas, uncharacteristically sincere. “I’m glad someone was with her, and I’m glad you were with someone too. Thank you for checking on her,” He added. So, Suzie was still in the dark then. Okay, he could handle this. He’d tell her, and then she could make her own decisions on what she wanted to do. Dustin would just have to be brave. “I’ll tell her,” Dustin assured him, rubbing at his tired eyes. “I should have already told her, but... it’s just so much, you know? I’m sure it was insane trying to explain it to Max years ago, and then we’d only lived through all of that shit once.” 

when dustin began to speak, max peeled her arms off from around him, watching him closely. even if her and dustin spent a lot of their time at odds, she liked to think she could read him better than she could most people. she knew that he was trying to be on, in the same way she knew that she would claw and scrape her way to play the part of unaffected. slowly, her expression fell and max shook her head, “cut the shit, henderson.” there was a bite to her tone, not because she was mad at dustin, but because she cared about him, and sometimes, she had no control over her inherently mean tone. “i know you’re tearing yourself apart right now.” maybe that was…presumptuous of her, but she could afford to be in this moment. max had never seen dustin as lesser, or hated him, but they usually sat on opposite sides of any drawn line, often unintentionally hurting each other with their sarcasm, but she had never read too deeply into it. not until they stole an ambulance under robin’s supervision, then spent twenty-four hours in the hospital together. it was only after all that she had an untimely moment of clarity and thought about how they were sitting on the same side of the line now. 

there was enough that happened in one night that would probably leave them all shaken for years, but in the same way max could tell dustin had gotten a better score on an assignment than her, she could tell by the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and the depressing location of the kitchen table, that this was grief. max thought about mr.clarke. she never shared a connection with him like the rest of the party had, but dustin’s distress made her realize for the first time that mr.clarke was gone, and that was real, not like anything she had seen in the house of mirrors. she felt her cheeks go hot like they always did when angry tears spilled from her eyes, they were always angry, she was always angry when she got emotional. max bit down on her cheek to stop her lip from quivering. but it was too late. a wetness burned her cheeks as she stared at dustin, almost in a trance. she pulled him into her with a thump for another firm hug. they didn’t talk about it ever, but max wasn’t dumb. she’d gathered over the years why dustin’s dad wasn’t around and why they both loved steve and eddie so much. it clicked for her in that moment, the loss of scott clarke probably fell among those ranks. she hadn’t forgotten how dustin’s eyes would light up when they were kids, and he would raise his hand with a question in science class, how he never hesitated to mention their teacher. god, she felt terrible. max wished hugging him would suck the pain from his chest. 

but it wouldn’t, and tough love wouldn’t work on dustin this time she didn’t think. he was soft, but malleable into what he wanted himself to be, like play-doh. if dustin wanted to be the butt of the joke, he would. if dustin wanted to curse someone out, he would. and if dustin wanted to keep crying right now? max hoped he would. still unmoving from their hug, max tried a different approach to comforting him, “hey, remember after the snow ball?” max whispered, then elaborated, “i taught you how to shoot spit balls?” she wasn’t much of the learning type, but mr.clarke’s class had grown to be her favorite. when she walked through those doors, it wasn’t just a backpack she could tear off her shoulders. a lot of burdens melted away in that room. and even if hawkins middle looked like a prison, mr.clarke’s room felt like freedom. a safe space she could just be with her friends without fear of billy or any other adults. and if she thought about it extra hard? mr.clarke never seemed to rail into her like other teachers did. he let her turn in late and crumpled homework, as long as she did it, and he didn’t even care if she showed up to class a few minutes late. 

more fat tears fell and max focused back on the happy memory, something that might make them both laugh, and forget for at least a split second that there was so much loss between them. “i was so pissed off when i heard about stacey.” max pulled away, arms planted on dustin’s shoulders as she gave him a look that said, why didn’t you tell me about that? why did i hear what happened in the girls locker room after p.e? “her hair was so stupid, it felt good when you finally planted one on the back of her head, didn’t it?” she teased, though a smile didn’t meet her lips as she recalled it took him a couple of tries. the memory said all she couldn’t, acknowledged his feelings, and she hoped it showed she was trying to comfort at a level that felt good to him. dustin didn’t have to be the butt of the joke this time. this time? they could reminisce about stupid stacey alrbight with spitballs in her hair and the late and forever great mr.clarke, turning a blind eye. 

Dustin’s relationship with Max probably seemed strained to people who didn’t know them well. They bickered frequently, finding the stupidest things to fight with one another about. Very rarely did they actually actively agree on something; when they did, it was a miracle. But Dustin loved her. He loved all of his friends, the entire party, more than he could put into words most of the time. He had never had a sibling, and for half of his life, he’d also lacked a father. That sort of loneliness ached; it lingered, reappearing in waves. At Bring Your Parent to School days, when he’d first moved to Hawkins and had no one to play with, when he’d won his first Science Fair and Claudia had had to miss because of work so no one was there to take a picture with him, when Dustin woke up from bad dreams and had no one to turn to, when Dustin had needed to tie a tie for the first time for a school dance and had no one around to show him. 

But the party and the older kids had made that ache lessen over the years. First the boys, and then Max and El when they had arrived. Dustin knew Max’s dad was back in California and even though she didn’t talk about it, Dustin knew that that had to suck. He’d always felt like they had an understanding between them when it came to family stuff, Dad stuff, at least. After all, both of them needed Steve and Eddie more than any of the other kids did. So he knew she probably got why this was hitting him so hard. Why Mr. Clarke mattered so much. He was the first adult to take an interest in Dustin when he’d moved; the first to notice that Dustin needed something to distract himself from the pain of his father’s death. Scott Clarke had seen Dustin struggling and had suggested he join AV club. He’d given Dustin books on science, never asking for them back. Mr. Clarke had asked him how he was doing and actually cared about the answer. And Dustin was always going to be so grateful for that.

At Max’s prompting to cut the shit, Dustin did just that. Heavy tears trailed down his face, shoulders shaking again from the effort of keeping his sobs quiet so Claudia and Suzie wouldn’t worry. He stopped trying to joke, or deflect what he was feeling to keep Max’s mind off of it. Dustin just cried. It felt a little vulnerable to do this in front of Max - not because he didn’t trust her, but because their dynamic wasn’t... this. Not usually. She was tough, and mean sometimes, and brash, and the strongest person he knew. Dustin could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen her cry in the past, and while he didn’t necessarily feel ashamed to be crying right now, he felt weird making her be the one to comfort him. But he knew that he would do the same for her in a heartbeat, if she ever needed it. “I just miss him,” He admitted, wiping his eye with the back of his hand. “And I’m mad that this shit keeps happening,” Dustin cried, overwhelmed by the anger he felt too. That was a byproduct of his grief, he knew. Not the real emotion he was processing, just an additional means of coping. “I want it to get easier and it never fucking does.” That was why he always tried to take away the pain when they went through this - why he always made himself the joke to cover up how much he was hurting. If he could make it easier for the others, maybe it wouldn’t affect him so much. But that was never the case. 

When Max pulled him into a hug, Dustin wrapped his own arms around her just as tightly. Hugging her was even rarer than crying around her, but it felt right. This was what he needed. And honestly, Max probably needed it too, if he had to guess. Mr. Clarke had been her teacher too. He didn’t have a monopoly on being upset by his death. Burying his face in her shoulder, he tightened his arms as if that could hold them together and keep them from falling apart. 

“The Snow Ball?” Dustin asked in confusion, pulling away from Max to give her a look. Of course he fucking remembered the Snow Ball. It had been one of the most embarrassing nights of his life. He’d not only been rejected by Stacey, but by pretty much every girl at Hawkins Middle School. Standing there, staring into the crowd and realizing that he might never be handsome or funny or smart enough for a girl to find him attractive had been a formative childhood memory. It had shaped him, given him insecurities that led to him not realizing that Suzie was asking him out even after several attempts. If it weren’t for Nancy Wheeler being the kind, brave person that he knew her to be, Dustin would have asked gone to the payphone and begged Steve to come get him early. She had been his saving grace that night, and then Max had been the following week in class. His eyebrows relaxed as he remembered the spit balls Max had shown him how to spit at Stacey, a surprised laugh bubbling up in his chest at the memory. 

“Yeah, it felt good to see her freaking out about having to go fix it.” He laughed, remembering her outrage as she’s ran off to the bathroom to get the spit balls out. “I can’t believe we didn’t even get in trouble for that.” Actually, he kind of could. Dustin didn’t like being labeled a ‘Teacher’s Pet,’ but he thought that when it came to bullies, Mr. Clarke probably would have let him get away with just about anything. He understood how small bullies and mean girls could make you feel, Dustin was sure. Mr. Clarke had always made sure that the underdogs never felt like they were one - like it was cool to be a dork. He had inspired a confidence in Dustin that had grown even more after he met Steve a few years later, and then Eddie in high school. All three of them had shown Dustin that being himself was enough. That he was enough. They had made him believe in himself, and had helped him to find his own self-worth. Without them and the party, Dustin probably would have felt that aching loneliness forever. 

As Dustin sat with Max, laughing about stupid Stacey Albright, he was immensely glad he’d met her and found someone who related to him the ways she did. Someone who could keep him on his toes, who challenged him and made him want to be braver. Someone who also shielded themselves away from showing just how much they were hurting. “You’re allowed to grieve him too, you know.” Dustin said to her quietly, knowing that her relationship with him had been different. That didn’t lessen it, though, or make any of this easier on her. 

eddie blamed his lack of sleep and judgement but somehow, steve had managed to convince him to leave his bedside for a while. leave the hospital altogether, and despite swearing high and holy that he’d not leave steve out of his sight again, now or ever, he’d eventually complied, after not even fifteen minutes of protest. he’d grabbed his stuff, pressed a kiss to steve’s lips, promising to come back in two hours tops. the rest was hazy. wayne had waited for him at home, pulled him into a bone crushing hug, he remembered that much. one of them had cried, maybe both. it seemed to be all eddie was capable of doing since the carnival. then his uncle had steered him into his room and lights out, the world had gone dark the second eddie’s body had hit his disgusting, worn out mattress. 

he’d woken up with that icky feeling you got from napping too long, mouth dry and sticky, eyes seemingly glued shut, a faint buzz all over his body. no sense of time at all. it was darker outside, he noted as he blinked, eyes narrowed, but not by much. rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he’d dragged himself out of bed to open the door, a faint smile playing at his lips as dusting came into view.

“hey, henderson, hey, man. how’s it going.” it wasn’t a question and eddie didn’t wait for an answer as he pulled dustin into the trailer and into a tight hug, not as strong as wayne’s hug had been earlier but nearly. eddie pressed his lips into a thin lip, exhaled sharply through his nose. he’d only just woken up but he was ready to cry again. god, if he could he’d jump straight into his van and drive back to chicago. taking dustin with him, of course, and max, and steve, and everyone who was near and dear to him. in time he released dustin from his grip, reached up to ruffle through hair. “thanks, man.” you didn’t have to. but dustin never had to and he always did, anyway. eddie gave him a sleepy smile. “how are you holding up? are you okay? you’re not hurt or anything?”

Dustin was glad that Eddie was out - he still for the life of him couldn’t figure out what the fuck they were even charging Eddie with. Hopefully they hadn’t, because a court case was the last fucking thing any of them needed now. He was glad that Eddie was a free man currently, and that he’d finally gone home to rest here instead of with Steve. He had to take care of himself right now too, which Dustin knew was easier said than done. After all, he was struggling with that himself - he assumed most of their group was.

When Eddie finally opened the door and pulled him into a hug, Dustin set the pizza down on the end table beside the couch to wrap both arms around him. He needed this - they both did. It was proof that they were both okay, that they’d made it back here in one piece and comfort from the shit they’d experienced. Dustin hugged him tightly, just happy that he was okay, as a few tears slipped out. He wiped them away quickly when Eddie let him go, smiling at the familiar hair ruffle. Dustin had missed this while Eddie had been in Chicago, although part of him wished now that Eddie had stayed, if only because it meant that he would be safe and not at risk of being arrested again. 

“No, I’m okay.” Dustin told him, shaking his head. “Some bruising and scrapes, but nothing major.” There was a lot happening emotionally, but he didn’t need to talk about that shit right now. Not when he was worried about how Eddie was holding up. “What about you, though? Are you okay? Do we need to find you a lawyer or something?” He asked, brow furrowed in concern for his friend. That was a terrifying prospect, but they’d handle it if they had to.