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Fin woke up on a Saturday whatever time it is (not like he cares enough to go check) exhausted beyond belief
I mean he was used to being tired, the nightmares, the nonstop headaches and migraines, the drowning mess he grown to usually try to ignore, as if it were pesky background noise making it hard to focus, known as his emotions, and whatever has been wrong with his brain
Were things he had to deal with ever since he for quite some time
the putting on an act everyday, acting as normal as possible, and successfully hiding all the parts and behaviors of himself that aren't well… that. is something he grown used to, also he been doing it for so long everyday, it sorta became second nature in a way.
Didn't mean it didn't drain him, but in a way, it was nice.
pretending to be a normal carefree teenager, acting as Steve let him be able to talk to people more easily and forget himself in the act it was fine.
But now on top of that he got this shitty job at the mall serving ice cream to (mostly) a bunch of bratty children in an atrocious too short itchy outfit that with the summer weather and freezers at the store always left him between too hot and freezing cold. With bright lights that were slowly driving him mad.
needless to say it was a sensory nightmare
keeping up the customer service mask while talking to customers all day, and keeping his Steve mask whenever he was talking to Buckley or the kids on top of that left him super exhausted
So when one of his gremlins (they keep making fun of him for not knowing all this movies but he did get to watch that one with Nancy on some date when they were still together so hah!) came knocking on his door he didn't even notice he wasn't masking and when he did he didn't have the energy to care enough to do anything about it
"Yes Henderson what can i do for you?" Henderson was puzzled and a little taken it back with how different Steve looked and sounded to how he usually did his face that was usually animated with expression was now blank and tired with dark circles under his eyes that he never noticed before his voice that usually was loud and full of energy was now quiet and damped
"I..ehh.are you okay?"
"Yeah. why do you ask?"
"I don't know you're acting different"
"Hmm I guess I am" he said causally with a little shrug and didn't give much thought to it
"Now did you need something?"
"No this is weird this is weird this is totally weird don't just brush this off!
your face and tone is so blank and unlike you it's starting to freak me out! who are you, and what did you do to Steve?!"
" Ohhhh yeah I do usually put effort to make sure my emotions are shown in my face and tone glad to hear it comes off as so natural you never noticed it was forced. I don't have the energy to do that today though so you're gonna have to get used to "robo Steve" "
he said with a little amused smile on his face so unlike his usual grins it was soft and quiet(?) If smiles were sounds, his usual one would be loud and energetic, like him. seeing him so quiet? (Dustin wasn't sure how to describe this new version of Steve) was really weird, yet it kinda suited him.
Dustin wasn't sure how he felt about that, but for now he can't dwell on it any longer, standing at the door like an idiot
"Yeah I was bored wanna hangout?"
"I… sure" he let's him in the house
"Does your mom know you're here?"
"No-pe" with a pop on the p
"Jeez at this rate i don't know why I keep asking of course she doesn't"
He said messaging his forehead to relieve a little the increasing headache
"Soo do you have board games?"
"I got cards I guess we can play speedy "
And so they played speedy and chatted fin probably won't admit it but he appreciated the company and distraction from his thoughts,
and it was nice being his natural himself around someone god knows it's been so long since he got to do that