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School was shit .
Dustin usually loved school. He loved getting to see his friends, he loved Hellfire club, and he especially loved science class.
Today, however, he did not love it.
He knew when he woke up that it was not going to be a good day. He knew when he woke up and he already felt the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his body tensed when he removed the pressure of his blankets, and no amount of hand flapping and jumping up and down made it feel better.
It wasn’t a meltdown day, just a I feel like I’m vibrating out of my skin and need comfort and I need to stim day.
These days didn’t happen often, but they had become more frequent when all of the Upside Down shit started. He knew why he had them, of course.
He doesn’t remember getting diagnosed, he must have been too young, but his mom explained that he had some pretty severe developmental delays. After months of fighting with insurance and doctors, Dustin was finally diagnosed with autism.
The other party members didn’t know, he had never had a reason to tell them. He knew how to manage his bad days and meltdowns, there was no need to drag someone else into it as well. Sure, of course his mom would help him, but sometimes she was busy. Most days, she had to work, and the younger boy had to make it through his meltdowns on his own.
Dustin suddenly snapped back to reality, not even realizing he had zoned out, when the final bell rang and the students began to rush out of the classroom door. The curly-haired boy sat there, waiting for everyone else to get out before he moved. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice that Will was waiting for him in the classroom.
“Dustin?” Will whispered, tapping the boy’s shoulder. Dustin nearly fell out of his chair from how hard he jumped, his heart rate skyrocketing.
“Holy shit, dude. You scared the shit outta me,” Dustin said breathlessly, trying to get his breathing regulated.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to!” Will quickly apologized, making Dustin frown slightly.
“You don’t have to apologize. What are you doing here?” Dustin asked, quickly changing the subject.
“Well, I noticed that you were still here and I wanted to check on you. You’ve seemed kind of… stressed? Zoned out? Today, at least,” Will explained, words steady and careful.
Dustin immediately put up an I’m-fine-do-not-worry-about-me mask, perfecting the art of masking after having to do it so much and for so long. “All good here, dude. Thanks for checking, though. But, I’ve gotta run, I have to feed the cat tonight.” He lied, trying not to make a face as his own voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard. He was trying to get out of that hellhole as quickly as possible .
“Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call my mom, okay?” Will assured. The other boy shot him a quick thumbs up before running out of the classroom, releasing a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.
You’re okay, Henderson. You’re fine. Just gotta make it back to your house .
But his thoughts were interrupted when he walked out of the doors and saw Steve Harrington’s BMW in the parking lot, said boy immediately waving when he spotted Dustin.
Shit. He had forgotten that he and Steve were hanging out today. This was gonna be great .
Dustin never masked in front of Steve as much as he did the others, having a certain level of trust with the older boy, who quickly became more like a brother figure. When it was just him and Steve, Dustin could jump, flap his hands, flick his fingers, and chew on his shirt and fingers as much as he wanted to. Steve had never seen him on one of these days, though, where the stimming was needed more than usual.
He sighed as he walked over to the car, opening the passenger door and falling into the car.
“Hey, Henderson,” the older boy beamed, genuinely happy to see the curly-haired boy.
“Hi, Steve,” Dustin replied, voice small. Steve frowned when he heard him speak.
“What’s wrong? Was someone mean to you at school? Was it Jason and his group of assholes? I’ll kill ‘em, I swear to God,” Steve rambled, hands moving as he did so. Dustin couldn’t help but chuckle at the care and concern the older boy showed.
“Dude. Calm down. No one was mean, I’m just having an off day,” he replied with a small smile. It wasn’t a lie, but he couldn’t quite tell Steve the complete truth, either. He hadn’t told Steve that he’s autistic. He had been meaning to, he just… kept forgetting. And when he finally remembered, it didn’t feel like the right time.
Steve breathed out a sigh of relief. “Good. Let me know if they are, okay?”
Dustin let out a howling laugh at that, unable to contain his amusement. “Yes, because you’re gonna win a fight against Jason Carver.”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I kept them from ganging up on Eddie last month, thank you,” Steve retaliated, and Dustin could’ve sworn he was pouting.
“Good job, buddy. I’m proud,” he smiled, making Steve roll his eyes.
“Anyways, asshole, I’m thinking we order pizza tonight and watch Back to the Future. Sound good?” Steve suggested.
Dustin had no idea how he was gonna make it through a whole movie while also trying not to stim or move around too much, but he was sure as hell gonna try. “Sounds great,” he replied as they pulled into Steve’s driveway.
Steve was the first one out of the car, going up to the front door and unlocking it before Dustin even climbed out of the vehicle.
It’s gonna be fine. It’s just Steve, he’s seen you stim before.
Dustin exhaled heavily as he forced himself out of the car and into Steve’s house. He took his shoes off and placed them beside the door, along with his backpack. It was Friday, which meant he was going to end up staying the night with Steve. His mom always had early shifts on Saturday anyway, so the three of them had come to an agreement. It made Dustin feel better, not being alone. He never really liked being alone after he found out that interdimensional monsters existed, anyway.
“You can change, if you want. I washed your clothes from last week and put them in your room,” Steve suggested as he began to walk up the stairs. Dustin smiled at the use of ‘your room.” He had started staying over so much that they turned one of the many guest rooms into his own room, complete with posters and a dresser full of clothes. Max had one as well, she stayed over a lot due to her home situation. Steve’s parents were never home to know or care, so it was a win-win situation for everyone.
Dustin followed him up the stairs and went into his own room, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and an old Camp Know Where shirt. He discarded his dirty clothes into the laundry basket before pulling the clean ones on. Once he was done, he took a moment to let out the excess energy that had been building up inside of him all day. It didn’t actually make him feel better, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.
He groaned as he walked back out of his bedroom door and down the stairs, faintly hearing Steve ordering their pizza. He knew by now that Dustin liked regular cheese, reaching a point where he didn’t even ask anymore.
Dustin walked into the living room, practically falling down on one of the big couches. He placed his hand in his mouth, chewing on his fingers lightly. It helped a little bit, which made Dustin practically melt from happiness. He could feel the stress of the day slowly seeping away as he stimmed. However, when he heard Steve walk into the room, he immediately ripped his hand out of his mouth.
“So, how was school?” Steve asked as he sat down beside the younger boy.
Dustin sat up and pulled his knees up to his chest, “It was okay. It definitely could’ve been better. We talked about electromagnetic fields in science today, so that was probably the best part of the day,” he rambled.
“Well, that’s good! I know how much you love all of that nerdy shit. Dude, if I was even half as smart as you are…” Steve praised, making Dustin blush slightly. He never knew how to take compliments, so he just mumbled out a thanks, man . “Any updates on Hellfire?” Steve asked again, knowing how much Dustin loved talking about the Dungeons and Dragons club.
Dustin lit up at the mention of the club, hands immediately starting to flap while he explained Eddie’s newest campaign, something about a wizard named Vecna and another guy named Kas. Steve had no idea what he was talking about, but as long as it made his little brother happy, he was happy.
Dustin barely even realized when the doorbell rang, signaling that their pizza was there. Actually, he wouldn’t have known at all if Steve hadn’t asked him to pause while he grabbed the pizza.
When Steve walked away, Dustin couldn’t help but notice how much tension had released from his shoulders. Talking about his special interests always made him feel better. Soon enough, Steve was headed back in with the pizza, announcing for Dustin to continue while they sat on the living room floor and ate at the coffee table together.
—
A couple of hours later, long after the leftover pizza had been put away, Steve and Dustin were sitting on opposite ends of the couch while watching the movie. Dustin could feel himself starting to tense up again, his lack of movement starting to affect him. Apparently, Steve noticed too.
“Hey, man. Are you okay?” He asked, voice laced with concern. Dustin just nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. “Are you sure? Do you need anything?” And something in Dustin’s brain just snapped.
Before he even realized what he was saying, the words came tumbling out. “Can I chew on your fingers?” He asked, eyes immediately going wide as he clamped his hand over his mouth.
He looked away from the older boy in front of him, face hot with embarrassment. “Holy shit. Holy shit. I cannot believe I just said that. I am so sorry. You can forget about that entirely. Actually, I can just go home if you want,” He rambled, moving to get up as tears sprang to his eyes.
“Hey, hey, Dustin. Sit back down. I’m gonna pause the movie and we’re gonna calm down, okay?” He coaxed, making special use of the word we so Dustin didn’t feel like he was judging him or singling him out. The younger boy was unable to do anything but nod as Steve got up to pause the movie.
Dustin continued to look down, now feeling stray tears falling down his cheeks, when Steve came back to sit down. “Okay. Do you wanna tell me what’s going on?” Steve asked, voice gentle. Dustin nodded, figuring now was his best shot.
“I’m autistic. Diagnosed as a child. I don’t remember getting diagnosed but apparently I had some pretty severe developmental delays, but doctors are shit and wanted to blame it on my disability,” he started, making Steve look at him with wide eyes. “Anyways, sometimes I have these days where I feel like I’m about to vibrate out of my skin. Like I just feel like I need to stim all day. Oh! Stimming is self stimulatory behavior, like repetitive movements or sounds,” he rambled, looking back down at his lap.
“On days like that, like today, I usually chew on my own fingers or find something to chew on at my house. I swear, I didn’t mean to ask if I could chew on yours. I know you probably think it's gross and weird,” His voice got quieter as he talked, eventually barely above a whisper.
It was silent for a few moments, Dustin internally panicking before Steve finally spoke up. “Hey, Dustin. Look at me,” he coaxed, tapping on the younger boy's shoulder. Dustin took a deep breath and slowly looked up, only to be met with Steve, who was honest to God, smiling. Dustin had never seen him look so excited. He was so distracted by the fact that the older boy was smiling that he hadn’t even noticed that he’d begun flapping his hands as well.
“Dustin. I’m autistic, too. I was diagnosed as a kid as well. I know all about stimming and meltdowns and bad days,” Steve explained, making a smile slowly spread on Dustin’s face.
“So… you don’t think I’m weird?” He whispered.
Steve’s eyes softened as his smile turned slightly sad. “Of course I don’t. I’m glad you told me. I kind of thought you were, but I didn’t wanna assume,” Steve replied.
“Wow, my best friend slash brother is also autistic. We’re a match made in heaven,” Dustin joked, letting out a loud laugh.
“Ew. Never say that again, thanks,” Steve groaned as he punched the other boy lightly in the arm. “And for the record, hell yeah. You can chew on my fingers, play with my hands, whatever you want to do. If it makes you feel better, it’s fine by me,” He smiled gently, looking down at the younger boy.
Dustin’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure?” He asked.
“Positive. Let me unpause the movie first,” Steve replied as he got up to resume the movie. A few seconds later, he sat back down and held his left hand out to the curly-haired boy. “Here you go.”
Dustin could feel the tears well in his eyes again, but this time, they were happy tears . Knowing that he had someone who didn’t judge him no matter what meant the absolute world to him. “Thank you,” he whispered as he grabbed Steve’s hand.
“Anytime, man.”
Roughly thirty minutes later, Dustin was asleep on the couch with Steve’s hand still in his mouth. Steve wasn’t complaining, though.
As long as my little brother is happy, I’m happy.