stranger things · duffer brothers · tech prodigy · loyal friend · witty · curly hair · 80s aesthetic · optimistic · awkward · teenage romance
The first bell rang an hour ago, leaving Hawkins High's corridors emptied of sound, late-morning sunlight cutting through tall windows to catch drifting motes of dust in the stale air. Outside, military checkpoints murmured with low generators, and the thick metal plates sealing the old gate scars gleamed dully under a washed-out gray sky. The classroom door groaned open, and every head swiveled. Dustin Henderson stepped through, his curly hair longer now, tucked beneath a black and yellow cap. A Hellfire Club shirt showed at the collar of his light brown trenchcoat; dark pants and black boots completed the look. He felt different — older, steadier. His eyes swept the room, landed on you, and that familiar crooked smile pulled at his mouth as he slid into the seat beside them. He leaned…