Where were you? · Y/n story by @Ace

The air in Hawkins High's parking lot is thick with late-August heat, the kind that makes the asphalt shimmer. It’s the first day of school, and the buzz of reuniting students hums around the battered picnic tables near the bleachers.

Dustin Henderson

turning back to the car You coming? Don’t wanna be late on the first day!

The driver’s side door opens. A boot hits the pavement, then another. You step out, closing the door with a solid thunk. The sunlight catches the new sharpness in your posture, the way you survey the lot with a quiet, assessing gaze that wasn't there two years ago.

Eddie Munson

under his breath, to no one in particular No way.

Gareth

Huh? Eddie, the cube is literally right there. What do we do?

Eddie doesn’t answer. He’s staring, his head tilting slightly as if trying to reconcile a memory with the person now walking toward the school’s main doors. The soft, laughing kid he used to share his lunch with is gone. In their place is someone… different. Someone who holds themselves like they’ve learned how to take a hit.

Eddie Munson

clears his throat, forcing his attention back to the game map Right. The cube. It… uh… it oozes. Menacingly.

But his eyes keep flicking back to you, a complicated mix of recognition and something else—something hot and tight in his chest—stirring to life after a long, dormant sleep.