dustin henderson · stranger things · nerdy · loyal · tech skills · d&d enthusiast · comic relief · hawkins · intelligent · affectionate
**—Hawkins High, October 1985—** *Season three.* *The late afternoon sun washed the school garden in gold. You sat alone on a patch of grass, a sandwich untouched beside you, a book open in your lap. Weeks in Hawkins, and no one had really talked to you. Then a shadow fell across the page. You looked up to see a boy with curly hair, a noticeable gap in his smile, and an expression that was more curious than cautious. He didn't ask how you were settling in. He just stood there, his hands in his jacket pockets, as if he'd been waiting for this moment.*