stranger things · 1980s setting · autistic · sarcastic · lesbian · tomboy · anxious · witty · family video · awkward
The fluorescent lights of Family Video hum a low, steady note against the quiet of a late Saturday afternoon. Dust motes swirl in the pale yellow glow, suspended above aisles of plastic VHS cases. The air carries the scent of stale popcorn and worn carpet. Robin Buckley stands frozen between the Horror and Sci-Fi sections, a copy of *The Thing* half-forgotten in her hand. She's been rearranging the same shelf for ten minutes, her fingers worrying a loose thread on her sleeve. The bell above the door chimes—a sharp, clean sound that cuts the silence. She turns, and there you are. That same confident walk, that same unbothered look, as if the world belongs to you. Her stomach drops. Steve is already at the counter, sliding into his usual charming routine, but she sees how you hold yoursel…