Chapter Text
Jane Byers wanted nothing more than a normal college experience.
After the eventful first eighteen years of her life, she promised herself that she deserved some peace, quiet, and normalcy. Admittedly, her definition of "peace and quiet" wasn't exact. She couldn't stand silence. Her body remembered the moments with no sound. The mere thought of it sent goosebumps creeping over every inch of her skin, and an icy shiver down her spine.
So, the "quiet" part of it was somewhat relative. She never knew how to explain that to people, and opted to keep her headphones on with music playing. Thankfully, her roommate was not very good at being quiet.
His name was Dustin Henderson; they had been roommates for exactly 4 weeks and 2 days, but she still did not know what to think of him.
When they met on September 1st, Dustin almost dropped the box he was holding to wave at her.
"Nice to meet you! Jane, right? Will's told me about you."
Jane couldn't remember what she had said, if she had spoken at all; only that his smile was wide and lopsided.
As it turned out, Dustin was one of her brother's best friends.
Will, her twin, was who she had hoped she would be rooming with when they started at college together. Instead, Will had been paired with a boy named Mike, and their dorm was in the next building over. Jane knew that Will knew him; he never shut up about Mike. Dustin said that he knew Mike too, that all three of them had went through school together with another boy named Lucas.
So, in slightly questionable fashion, she kept a list of things that she knew about him in her mind.
He studied astrophysics; she learned this from the sheer amount of books that he had unpacked on to the dorm's kitchen table on move in day. He usually studied either in the library or his room, and swore under his breath when he struggled with a concept. His room was untidy, but not unclean, and he hummed to himself whenever he washed the dishes.
The calendar on the wall told her that his birthday was May 29th. This made him exactly two months and seven days younger than Jane. He wore chunky silver rings on both hands, and tapped them on the table when he read. If Jane didn't hate the silence so much, she might have found it annoying. He had brown curly hair that looked always looked tidier after he washed it, and almost always wore some kind of cap. He had a condition that Jane always forgot the name of, something starting with "C", but it never seemed to get in his way.
Jane clung to every fact, every one a piece to the puzzle she was trying to solve. The only problem was that she didn't know what picture the puzzle was supposed to be.
She was sitting at the dorm's kitchen table when the door clicked open. Two sets of footsteps shuffled onto the mat, and the cold Chicago air followed them in. It was Dustin and Will, straight from one of their shared general classes. Jane isn't sure what classes an visual art and astrophysics major would share, but college was something she was still trying to understand. She looked up from her place at the table, and smiled to herself. She lowered her headphones from her ears, and waved from her seat.
Will wiped the dirt from his boots and smiled right back at her.
"Hey! We brought you cocoa."
She sat up taller, and grinned at her brother. He walked further in, and lingering by the door was Dustin. After spotting him, she also spotted the tray of takeaway coffee cups in his hand. There were three, each of them the same size. When he caught noticed her looking, he smiled, then looked away and walked into the kitchen.
Will gravitated to her side, looking at the paper on the table. He tilted his head this way and that as if it would make the paper easier to read. "What are you working on?"
Jane turned her page to show Will the basic algebra homework. Half of the equations were scribbled through, or had large Xs or question marks beside them. He peered over her shoulder, hazel eyes scanning the paper, and winced playfully.
"Think you'll have to ask Dustin for help with that one."
"What's up?" came Dustin's voice from the kitchen.
"Jane's got algebra, and I'm barely passing," Will explained, his hand gently coming to rest on her shoulder and squeezing.
"Oh, uhm." Dustin looked at Jane, and met her eyes. She watched his brow soften and the tension drop from his shoulders. His lips pursed for a brief moment before he asked, "D'you want a hand?"
Jane blinked, suddenly self conscious at the attention on her. Dustin's gaze was gentle, but intentional; she couldn't hold the gaze for too long, and looked quickly down at the paper on the table. Will gently squeezed her shoulder, and she reminded herself to relax. Dustin was safe. Will had promised her. She cleared her throat, looked back up, and spoke quietly.
"Yes, please."
Something about hearing Jane's voice lit a tiny spark in Dustin's eyes. He took one of the coffee cups in his ring adorned hand, and approached the table. His eyes went to the offered homework as hovered behind the empty chair, and he set down the cup in front of Jane.
"Okay…" Dustin breathed. His eyes intently traced every problem on the page, lingering on what problems Jane had already completed. "This is good. You're on the right track."
His hands held the back of the chair, pausing. He looked back at Jane, blue eyes wide and earnest.
"Can I sit?"
Jane looked up at him, smiling faintly from the coffee cup on the table, and nodded. Once he had permission, Dustin pulled out the seat beside her and eased into it, each of his movements deliberate and methodical.
Will smiled from his place beside Jane, and leaned down to whisper to her.
"Can I chill here for a bit? Mike's lecture doesn't finish for another hour, and I'm picking him up."
Jane nodded confidently, and smiled up at her brother. He grinned back, the shape of their smiles matching, and kissed the top of her head.
"Thanks. Knock the table twice if you need saving."
"I can hear you, y'know," Dustin hummed, pencil in hand.
Will laughed, doubled back to the kitchen to grab the remaining two cups. He placed one on the table beside Dustin, then took the other with him to perch himself on their couch. Jane watched him rifle through his bag, then settle in with his notebook, pencil, and latest sketch. She always loved watching him draw. Something about the task brought a sense of peace and purpose to him, his face calmly set with the slightest furrow, and his pencil dancing across the page. She wondered if they had the same wrinkle between their eyebrows when they focued. Nothing pulled him away from the sketch besides the buzzing of his phone. Every time it did, Jane watched her brother stop immediately to check, then smile giddily.
"Jane?"
Dustin. She turned and found him with elbows braced on the table, watching her intently.
"Sorry," she mumbled. He immediately shook his head, and sat straight in this chair.
"Don't be sorry. Show me what parts you're having trouble with?"
Jane turned the paper so Dustin could see better. Her finger circled the page, then pointed out the offending question she'd been stuck on.
"Okay… the Pythagorean theorems, right? Here, I'll show you."
He brought his chair closer to the table, taking another pencil into his hand. He reached for a blank piece of paper, and started scribbling some notes.
"Now, I assure you, you're in good hands." Dustin flashed Jane a boyish smile, and wrote a formula on the paper. "So, the basic formula is this. The theorem itself is that A squared plus B squared will always equal C squared. Sometimes they hide the triangle in other shapes to make it trickier, but try not to let it fool you. With me so far?"
Jane stared at the page, the numbers and letters swimming in her mind. Something gnawed at her stomach, something she didn't dare to explain to those new in her life. Her hand tightened around the sleeve of her sweater. She swallowed the lump in her throat, stared at the rings on Dustin's hands and took a big breath in.
This was safe. They were just letters and numbers. He was safe.
She let out the breath and softened her shoulders. When she nodded, Dustin's elbow gently bumped against hers.
"It's easy once you get the hang of it, I promise," he hummed. "C'mon, I'll show you."
Dustin worked through the first problem with Jane, and explained every step with just enough detail to understand without it being overwhelming. On the next one, he wordlessly offered Jane the pencil. She took it, careful in where she held, and stared down the problem on the page.
"So, in this one, you already know what 'A' and 'C' is worth. Next step is to find 'B'."
She scribbled down the theorem, and saw Dustin nod approvingly from the corner of her eye.
"Perfect," he whispered. "So, what's next?"
Jane looked up at the earlier problems, and typed in the equation to her calculator. She slid it across to Dustin, suddenly unsure, and chewed her bottom lip when he looked at the screen. He checked the paper, and slid it back with a smile.
"You got it," he said. "Well done."
Jane smiled, sitting taller as her chest filled with pride. She hit the equals button, and wrote out the rest of the equation on the page.
"Amazing. Try the next one?"
She turned her gaze back to the page, pencil in hand, and set out to conquer the next problem. When she completed it, she turned to the next one, each one feeling easier. With each one, Dustin sat beside her, sitting on his takeaway cup and humming under his breath. Every time she slid the page over to him, he smiled at her work, and either marked it correctly or directed her back to where she went wrong.
Before long, almost every problem on the page had been completed. She rewarded herself with a long sip of hot cocoa. The sweetness of chocolate and melted marshmallows hit her tongue, and every cold breeze of Chicago wind disappeared with each sip. Dustin stood from his seat, sculling back the last of his drink before going for the bin. He looked at the calender on the fridge, and narrowed in on the numbers.
"Will?" Dustin called. "When are we starting the next campaign again?"
Jane furrowed her brows, and looked at Will. Campaign?
"I'll double check with Mike," Will replied, then turned to Jane as if he sensed her looking. "Are you gonna play?"
Jane blinked and tilted her head. Her brother, ever the perceptive, somehow knew exactly what this meant. He always seemed to understand. Maybe it was a twin thing, even if they were still learning how to be twins. His brows knit together, and he looked at Dustin.
"Dude, I thought you were asking her."
Dustin's wide eyes stared back at Will.
"Wait, what? I thought you were asking her."
"You're her roommate, you see her every day."
"Well, you're her brother!"
Jane quietly cleared her throat, and watched both boys immediately turn to her.
"What— what are we playing?"
Dustin briefly glanced to Will, cleared his throat, and looked back at Jane. He kept his voice low, and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. Mike is starting a new D&D campaign soon. Do you know what that is?"
Jane racked her mind for any moment of it she could remember, but came up empy. She reluctantly shook her head.
"That's okay," Dustin assured her. "So, basically, D&D is Dungeons and Dragons is like a… fantasy story-telling game. You make a character, fight monsters, cast magic, all sorts of stuff. You roll dice to determine how well or badly things go, and someone tells the story based from that. Sound fun?"
Jane took a moment to think. It sounded like playing make believe, albeit with a few more steps and with people instead of alone. Her eyes flicked to Will, who was smiling reassuringly at her. She looked back at Dustin, and nodded; she saw his smile got wider.
"Great. Do you want to join? There's me, Will, then Mike, Lucas, and Max who I don't think you've met yet?"
He trailed off into a question, looking at Will. He shook his head in response. Dustin nodded, acknowledging, and turned back to Jane.
Jane's initial excitement was quickly quelled with the reminder than she had no idea what this game was, or how to play. She also only really knew two people that would be there, leaving two strangers and a boy that she only knew as the boy that always made Will blush. It could go very badly. She looked at Dustin, and saw nothing but earnest eyes and that shy, lopsided smile looking back. Something in the expression told Jane all that she needed to know.
When Jane nodded, Dustin's face lit up like fireworks.
"Amazing!" His smile was so wide it looked painful, and he reefed his gaze away from Jane to face her brother. "Hey, Will?"
He looked up from his sketchbook, hazel eyes blinking. "Yeah?"
"Caaaaan you text Mike and double check he's okay with Jane's joining?"
Will's brows furrowed. "We're both in the same group chat, why am I doing it?"
Dustin dropped his chin, held eye contact and raised his eyebrows. "Because Mike is physically incapable of saying no to you."
Jane watched Will's cheek go pink, and that same boyish smile creeped up his face. This was something that happened often. Whenever he was around Mike, or he heard someone say Mike's name, Jane saw Will smile in this same specific way. His face wrinkled, his eyes almost disappearing behind his blushing cheeks. His shoulders relaxed, and his hands fidgeted to grab something. He looked so full of joy he threatened to burst; Jane wondered what could ever make someone feel that way.
"He can, he just… doesn't really," Will defened. Nevertheless, he took out his phone and began to type on the screen.
Dustin rolled his eyes, and placed his phone in between him and Jane.
"Watch this," he murmured. He typed in his passcode, then opened a group chat on his phone and slid it over for Jane to see. "Will, you're up."
Jane watched Will's typing bubble appear, disappear, then reappear. Then, a message bubble.
@Forever DM Jane's interested in the new campaign, can she still join please ml? x
"Mike'll start typing in five, four, three, two…"
Sure enough, another typing bubble appeared, this time staying on the screen before becoming a message.
ofc she can <3 we'll make her character before we do session 0
are you still picking me up?
Dustin grinned wickedly at Jane, eyes still sparkling.
"You're in. You excited?"
Jane beamed, nodding rapidly. This was new. She barely knew what she was getting into, but the way Dustin talked about it made it sound so exciting. She could know him a little better, know her twin a little better, and maybe find something else in this new world that she liked. Yes, it was scary, but this time it was the exciting kind. Still smiling, Dustin checked the time on his watch.
"I've gotta head out, promised Steve I'd help him with something," he explained. "I'll see you guys later?"
"Sure," Will said. He shuffled over on the couch, and pat the cushion. "Jane, come take a break with me?"
Jane nodded, and quickly gathered her homework papers together. She set them neatly on the table, and watched as Dustin slid on his jacket and headed to the door. He doubled back, his eyes finding Jane's.
"Did you need me to bring anything back while I'm out?" he asked. "Groceries, bathroom stuff, surprise treat?"
She paused at the last option, and tilted her head.
"Treat?"
"Yeah? I can do that."
Jane hadn't mean it as confirmation, but found she couldn't correct him with that lopsided smile looking back at her. With a flick of his coat collar and a jingle of his keys, Dustin headed for the door again.
"See you guys later!" he called, and closed the door behind him.
Will lazed back onto the couch, waiting for Jane to take her place. She walked over, slower than normal, and with more than a little confusion on her face. Will frowned at the sight. When she sat down, he slowly rest his arm on the back of the couch, and gently rest against Jane's back.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Jane focused on the feeling of her brother's arm, letting it ground her into the moment. She nodded, but he wasn't convinced.
"Is it the D&D stuff?"
She hesitated, then shrugged. He moved his arm closer to Jane, his hand on her furthest shoulder as he gently tugged her into a half hug.
"I'll be there the whole time, I promise. And if you want to leave, just tell me and we'll go, okay?"
Jane leaned into him, bringing her feet up beside her and resting her head on Will's shoulder.
"I am nervous," she mumbled. "But, it sounds fun."
Will's brows stayed furrowed, even as he nodded. "That's okay, being nervous. But it's pretty cool. You're definitely my sister if you like this stuff."
Jane sat taller, determined.
"I want to like it." It came out in a rushed whisper, the desperation barely concealed.
Will's frown deepened, mentally reprimanding himself for saying it like that. He turned to meet her eyes and held her carefully, his voice low but certain.
"Jane, you— you're still my sister if you don't like this, okay? Nothing can take that away."
She bit her lip and took a big breath in, something Will mirrored instantly. His thumb rubbed back and forth over her shoulder, stopping her from drifting away into her head.
"Promise?" she whispered.
He nodded, and echoed, "Promise. You're stuck with me."
Her lips twitched up, and she whispered to him as if telling him a secret.
"I like being stuck with you."
Will grinned back, and she knew the feeling was mutual.
ೃ⁀➷
It was nightfall by the time Dustin returned. Jane stood in the kitchen, clothed in flannel pajamas with a purple plaid pattern, and talking to the woman who bought them for her on the phone.
"Is it cold there?" Joyce asked. Jane still called her Joyce; she had told Jane that it was fine, and she understood, but she saw the light dim in Joyce's eyes every time she used her name instead of "Mom".
"Yes," she answered. "The pajamas you got me are warm, so I wear them a lot."
Joyce's chuckle sounded through the phone at the same time the door closed. She locked eyes with Dustin, who's trench coat was splattered with rain. He placed his cap on the hat rack with one hand, while in the other he held a brown, paper bag.
"That's good," Joyce said, reminding Jane she was still on the phone. "The last thing I want is for you kids to be getting sick."
"I don't think we are sick. I am not, and Will did not seem sick today."
"How is he?"
"Good. He was here with Dustin today."
Dustin looked over at the sound of his name, and gestured to the phone.
'Who is it?' he mouthed, to which Jane mouthed back 'Joyce'. He perked up, and spoke a little louder to be heard on the other line.
"Hi, Mrs Byers!"
Jane hurriedly brought the phone away from her ear and hit the speaker button.
"Oh, hello Dustin!" Joyce said. "How are you? How's living with Jane?"
"Good," he said, walking over to Jane but leaving a polite space between them. "And it's been nice."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Joyce said. The silence from moments away from becoming awkward. Jane opened her mouth, trying to find something to ask. She glanced to Dustin, and found him already watching her with a slight furrow. He quickly spoke up.
"How's things back in Hawkins?" he asked into the receiver. "Hopper keeping things in line?"
Joyce took the bait quickly, and launched into a ramble about life in Hawkins. Jane listened to everything she said, and even asked a few questions of her own. How long had Hopper been Sheriff for? Did he like it? Did Joyce like her job? She filed everything away on her little mental list on these people she knew she needed to know better.
"Oh, goodness, that's the time?" Joyce asked, muffled like her face was turned away from the receiver. "I better leave you kids to it, Hop's gonna be home soon and I've still got to call Jonathon."
"Bye, Mrs Byers!"
"Bye Dustin, bye Janie. I'll call you on the weekend, okay?"
"Okay," Jane said. She wished the word "Mom" wasn't so terrifying. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
The hang-up noise filled the space an unsaid 'I love you' left.
Dustin walked into the kitchen, seemingly unphased as he set down the paper bag. He started the kitchen tap, filling the sink with steaming water that soon became soapy. Jane fiddled with the charm on her phone, and turned to face his back.
"Thank you."
He turned to face her, mid way through rolling up his sleeves and removing his rings.
"What for?"
Jane held up the phone as if to explain, then grasped it in both hands. She looked down at it, as if it would tell her what words to say.
"It is hard to talk to her sometimes," she admitted quietly. "She is very nice, but I don't always know what to say."
Dustin turned fully then, turning off the tap and wiping the water from his hands on his pant legs.
"That's okay," he said. "I uhm… I don't know the full story with you, Will and Mrs Byers. And you— you don't need to tell me anything, that's not what I'm trying to do."
She looked up when the dorm floor creaked, and saw him take one, two steps closer to her.
"All I'm seeing is that— it makes sense that you find talking to her a little tricky, and that's okay. But, I think you did really well."
"Really?"
He smiled. "Totally."
Her shoulders loosened, and she couldn't help but smile back at him.
"Thanks, Dustin."
"No problem." He gave her a little nod, and started back for the sink. "Oh, and I got you something. Campus cafe doesn't look too bad, but you'll have to tell me how it is."
He focused on the sink in front of him, piling the dishes into the water. Jane tip toed to the kitchen bench, then fled to the couch like a child who'd stolen cookies from the jar, even if she was in no danger.
She tucked herself into the corner, back against the couch arm, and peeked into the paper bag. Inside was a warmed, frosted cinnamon roll.
Jane brought the bag to her nose, and took a deep breath. A smile tugged at her lips, one that only grew as she tore off a piece to take a bite. Piece by piece, she ate the pastry in her new home, and listened to her roommate hum as he washed the dishes.
Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.