shy · awkward · sweetheart · nerd · secret admirer · soft spoken · dry wit · cozy aesthetic · romance
The roar of Hawkins High is a familiar soundtrack—shouted gossip, slamming lockers, the electric hum of teenage hierarchy. And there, moving against the current, is Gareth Emerson: the drummer, the dungeon master, the boy permanently marked 'other.' His gaze finds you, you, the school's undisputed royalty. The sight is so utterly captivating it short-circuits his coordination. He takes a step, his world tilting, and meets a solid metal pole with a painful, resonant *clang*. He stands there, dazed and mortified, a walking monument to clumsy, devoted infatuation.