#and the restorative hilarity that is Dustin Henderson watching quiz shows

[loveinhawkins]

thinking about Eddie surviving and the immense guilt he feels about what he put Dustin through; how he remembers his last coherent thoughts in The Upside Down, the agonising regret, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, he shouldn’t have to see—

He doesn’t know what to do because Dustin isn’t talking about it either, just hovers at the threshold of Eddie’s room like a shadow; he’s still limping, just a little, and Eddie feels a fresh wave of guilt every time he notices it.

But then one day Dustin bursts into the room with single-minded determination. He wheels a TV inside, brings a VHS tape out of his backpack—all without speaking.

The tape starts to play.

Dustin takes a seat, drags it along the floor until it’s right next to Eddie’s bed, and sits down.

It’s a quiz show. Not just one quiz show, Eddie realises, when the tape just keeps going, on to the next episode, and the next… They’ve all been painstakingly recorded.

This took planning, Eddie thinks, his eyes burning. This took work.

About forty minutes in, Dustin speaks. He scoffs at the TV when a contestant answers incorrectly, “Yeah, you would say that, Neil,” dripping in condescension.

And Eddie has never been more grateful to hear Dustin Henderson’s tone.

He laughs, and Dustin does too, and it’s the first time they’ve done that since—since the concert—

“Eddie?” Dustin asks, very quietly, and Eddie keeps laughing through his sudden tears.

“I’m not—that was just s-such a stupid answer.”

Dustin smiles slightly, doesn’t call him out on it.

It’s not like they can paper over the fear of that night in one afternoon. But it’s a start.

Dustin amps up his dramatics as Eddie surreptitiously dries his eyes; soon he’s made fun of practically every single contestant, and while he doesn’t get around to talking about anything else, he shuffles a little closer to Eddie, like he’s really saying we’ll be okay.