o7 || dustin

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The fight between him and his sister was devouring his mind. So much he couldn't focus on Hellfire Club that night. It had been two weeks since it had happened and the two hadn't spoken since. Every time they fought it was like thi;  Delilah shut down and became distant and despondent. Meanwhile Dustin got depressed and anxious. He was rolling the die in his hands according to Eddie's mandatory checks but he wasn't feeling it. His rolls came up mediocre at best the entire game. This particular session lasted about three hours. It's not that it was dull, he just wondered how to remedy things between himself and his older sister. As the members started to disband, Dustin hung around to help Eddie and Mike clean up.

But what if his dad did come home? Would everything really just go back to normal? Would Dustin really be able to forgive him that easily? He knew if there was one force that would refuse to accept Charlie back into their home was Delilah. She once threw a fit because she got grounded for cutting dad out of all of the family photos. He couldn't imagine how she felt. Their mom wasn't really /her/ mom, just adopted mom. It never really bothered her when it came to respecting her and abiding by most of her rules. But when it came to their father, she was a whole other person. She became bitter, angry, even dismissive. It wasn't the sister he was used to seeing. Though since her freshman year, she definitely seemed to numb herself out by smoking weed. Dustin could never understand the appeal, but it seemed to help her.

"Yo, Henderson, you okay?" Eddie called out to him, patting his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine," He lied, "Just bummed about my rolls this round," He lied. He couldn't care less about Dustin the Dwarf's fate that particular evening. All he wanted to do was hang out with his sister. Or at least make some sort of peace offering

"It's okay, there's always next time. Dwarves are strong, resilient even," Eddie reassured him, "You need a ride home?" He offered, seemingly out of the blue.

"I don't know, I brought my bike and Mike-"

"My mom's picking me up tonight. She and my dad went to a late movie or something. I think it's a cover for couples counseling," He admitted to his peers.

"Come on, you can throw it in the back of the van," He smacked him on the shoulder playfully.

Dustin really dreaded the ride home with Eddie since he knew that something had happened between him and his sister. He wasn't sure what, but he knew that the two hung out after his fight. Mostly because Dustin had tried to reach Eddie and Mike on the walkie and Eddie never answered. He couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy towards him. For some reason, his sister had gravitated towards their dungeon master. He hadn't seen her this attached to someone since Billy Hargrove. Rumors swirled that the two were an item, which Dustin was vehemently against, being a close friend of Max's. Delilah never confirmed it, but all Dustin knew was that he was at every party and at school, they were always together when they could be.

He hated that Delilah got roped into the upside down mess. Especially at the mall. He hadn't seen her that sad since their father had left. Maybe that's why she felt such a strong distance between their father; because she thought of him as dead. The same way she was now forced to remember Billy. His mind snapped back to reality when he realized Eddie had been calling his name for a good minute. Granted, he had a hard time hearing him over the Black Sabbath blaring from the speakers. "Dude, are you okay? Seriously?"

Dustin took in a couple of deep breaths before nodding slowly, "Yeah it's just . . . Well . . . Delilah and I had a big fight-"

"About your dad?" Eddie asked, already knowing of the situation apparently.

"Yeah, she just has some . . . battle scars I guess," He couldn't think of a better way to explain his sister's utter disdain for their dad, "And I just don't understand how she can just write someone so important out of her life. Especially if he wants a second chance, ya know?"

He could hear Eddie gulp, which sent his mind wondering how he would react. He was probably on Delilah's side. He didn't know why Eddie lived with his uncle but he didn't think it was for fun. Eddie probably had some battle scars of his own. "Look kid, I get it, you need some hope in all this shit the world has to offer," Not the answer he was expecting, but he appreciated it, "And I just don't think your sister's battle scars have quite healed yet, that's all."

Dustin found himself to be quite intuitive, but Eddie was able to make analogies for Dustin to be more understanding. At least for the time being. As they pulled into the driveway, Eddie turned off his car and looked over at Dustin, almost like he had bad news. "You ready?" He asked, grabbing Dustin's shoulder and making direct eye contact with him.

"For what?" He asked, confused. That is until Eddie leaned into the glove box and pulled out cheap cologne. "Oh no way!" Dustin said exasperated at the smell of Eddie's choice of fragrance.

"Sorry Henderson, but I'm also hear to pick up your sister," He confessed to him. /That's/ why he offered him a ride.

"Sick, are you guys dating now or something?" Dustin said, unamused at the fact that his dungeon master was actually pursuing his sister.

"Nah, we're just hanging out, ya know?" He said, shrugging his shoulders as he hopped out of the car, almost as if he was avoiding the subject.

Dustin burst into the house and saw his mother standing in the living room , clutching a tiny kitten that was growing steadily by the months. "Oh hey kids! How was D&D?" She asked enthusiastically.

Before Dustin could answer, despite his mouth already being open, Eddie took charge of the conversation, "Great! Dustin made some really good tactical moves this round. Is uh- Delilah home?"

Dustin rolled his eyes before storming off to his bedroom, wondering if Delilah would be skipping down the hallway to her- he didn't dare call it a date. He couldn't bare to picture it. Why in the world was his sister into his dungeon master? He swore he was going to get Steve and her together, but to no avail. His sister said he seemed too wrapped up in other priorities. Whatever the fuck that meant. When he didn't see her, he let out a small sigh. He went ot his room and quickly picked up his phone in his room. He dialed a number he had forced himself to memorize in case of emergencies. It rang a couple of times before he heard a familiar voice answer.

"Hello?" A woman's voice rang out to Dustin.

"Uh yeah, it's Dustin Henderson, is Will around?"

just another day. || eddie munson || COMPLETEWhere stories live. Discover now