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Henderson has already left Hawkins for a week.
It’s already morning, Steve opened his eyes, staring at the ceilings, thinking about his young friend who’s now in his scientific summer camp. If it weren’t summer vacation, he would have already arrived at Henderson’s doorstep by now and be waiting for Dustin.
It’s a little bit weird to not have Henderson around.
He suddenly realized that they’ve been stuck together ever since they’d dealt with that Dart thing. Steve drove him to school everyday and picked him up after school, if they all had time they’d have a movie marathon in Steve’s house and fall asleep together on that coach.
And there was a girl Dustin had crush on months ago.
Steve taught him how to impress that girl and they finally started dating.
He remembered how that boy’s chunky cheeks blushed when telling him about that. Those blue eyes were shining like stars, which made Steve for the first time realized Dustin would definitely grow up to be a charming guy. And there was a moment Steve found himself want this lovely expression of shyness only happen for him.
He was kinda shocked by his own thought. This is unhealthy.
Before long, they broke up. Steve had plenty of experience of breaking up, it was not a big deal in his mind, and this relationship between Dustin and that girl didn’t last too long, which made him expecting that Dustin would be just a little bit blue. He was ready to be a dating mentor for Dustin to have a man-to-man talk.
But to his surprise, Dustin came up to his door with his face covered with tears, looked super distressed, like a kicked puppy.
Steve pulled Dustin into arms right away, and took him to the sofa, comforted him for hours to let him feel better.
That was the first time Steve realized that Dustin was such a sensitive boy with a tender heart, no matter how funny and easy-going he acted. Steve couldn’t deny that he had an indescribable sense of happiness when he was the only one Dustin had turned to when Dustin needed to express his complex adolescent perplexity.
“I’m so lucky to have you here.” Dustin’s sobbing mumble sounded like some fluffy little animal, which melted Steve’s heart.
“And you’ll always have me, Henderson.”
So he thought this camp might be a good chance for that boy to heal his broken heart for his first love.
Even though he really couldn’t get used to not have him around.
Then Steve got a call from the camp.
“Steeeeeeve it’s me!” Dustin’s familiar voice came from the phone, sounded so exited.
“Henderson?” A smile rose up on Steve’s face unconsciously.
“Yeah we’ve got a phone booth here, we can use it in turns, don’t be so surprised and I miss you so much but I——” Dustin spoke so fast and urgently that Steve couldn’t cut in, “ I need your help.”
“Okay, okay, Henderson, breath.” Steve said, a strand of concern came to him, “What happened?”
On the other side of the phone, Dustin went silent for seconds before he let out a light sigh.
“I think I have a new crush now.”Dustin said, “Is it weird? Because I just broke with Rosa...”
Now it was Steve’s turn to went silent.
Dustin has a new crush, in somewhere not under his watch. This thought hit Steve immediately. A strange, strong feeling of anxiety was making him unease, and Steve found himself couldn’t ignore it.
“Ugh...Steve?”
Steve found his voice after Dustin’s calling.
“No...it’s not weird, it’s normal. Look, Henderson, you’re at this age, teenagers screw around at this stupid age, it’s not like you’re cheating on Rosario, you’re not together now.”
“Yeah, I’ve literally reached the age you were when you lost your virginity.”
“...What? No, I mean yes, yes but that was me, I wasn’t a good example for you.” Steve fought back right away, feeling a warm flush creep up behind his ears, “Don’t! Don’t do that.”
“Geez you sound like Hopper.” Dustin chuckled, “Steve, I’m not planing on sex. I just want some advice. I want to date her.”
“Oh, okay, just in case...since you mentioned that.”
“So what do you think? ”
“Maybe you should tell me about her?”Steve asked, but his tone sounded a little bit down, he wasn’t aware of that, apparently Dustin didn’t notice either.
“Oh yes! She’s a smart girl, she’s obsessed with all kinds of machines.” Dustin sounded so proud. “Can you believe that such a brilliant girl at the same time has a face of doll? And her voice is so sweet. She has beautiful curly hair like a angel, but when she beat me down in the parts assembly contest she was like a devil! Pretty cool, huh?”
“Yeah, sounds just like you.”
Steve said on autopilot, then he suddenly realized what that sounded like, his face blushed a little.
“...Umm, yeah we share the same interests.”Dustin paused for a while, then replied, “I guess we are...alike, in that way.”
The atmosphere had gotten a bit strange. Steve could tell from Dustin's voice, which had become softer and slower, that the younger one had realized it too. Before things could get any weirder, he had to get back to the original topic.
“Maybe start from your common interests? Like, do you have any creative idea that might amaze her?”
Dustin let out a laughter, “To be honest, it’s not really a good idea in the terms of the materials we have in the camp. But I’ll try.”
“Hey, just chat with her, more frequently... and actually listen,” Steve said. “That’s from my experience. Pick up on what she says, and she’ll keep wanting to talk to you more and more.”
“I’m taking notes, Mr.Harrington.”
From that day on, Dustin would call Steve every few days to give him an update. This led Steve to start keeping a close eye on his phone. Soon after he started working at the Scoops Ahoy, he gave Dustin the shop’s phone number so that if Dustin called during work hours, he wouldn’t miss the call.
“Hey Steve! What you taught me last time really works. I stayed by her side, and whenever she looked like she needed help, I’d take care of it before she even realized it. Today, when she was assembling a sensor, I handed her the exact part model she needed. I swear I saw her blush!” Dustin said on the other end of the phone, his voice sounding proud and delighted.
“Wow, that’s great,” Steve said with a smile. “You’ve really become quite the gentleman.”
“I learned from you.” Dustin said.
“I just told you to be a thoughtful pre-boyfriend, always be there when she needs you. You are the one who managed the whole thing.”
“Yeah, just like you’re always there when I need you.” Dustin chuckled.
The words were soft and carried a hint of amusement, tapping lightly against Steve’s unguarded heart just as they had countless times before when Dustin had said things that left Steve speechless. Steve found his brain was becoming increasingly prone to crashing whenever Dustin spoke.
“Actually, I think you’ve become a bit of a natural at this.” Steve said softly, rubbing his face, which had inexplicably grown hot.
“Nah. I still need you to give me more advice.” Dustin said. “But before that, tell me how you’ve been these days?”
“Nothing new. Scooping ice cream in a sailor uniform and letting your friends sneak into the movie theater through the back door.”
“Not going on any dates?”
“With this stupid uniform cap? Anyone who puts on this stupid hat will lose all their charm.”
Dustin burst out laughing. “Oh, I can’t wait to see you in that sailor uniform. It’s gonna be hilarious.”
“Give me back that Henderson who treats me like I’m his role model, you arrogant little brat.” Steve couldn’t help but laugh along with him.
“I’ve always looked up to you, Steve!” Dustin retorted. “You and your stupid uniform cap can at least attract a loyal fan like me.”
“Wow, looks like I’ll just have to ask you out on a date, Henderson.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Dustin said, feigning a British accent.
Steve paused, nearly left speechless.
“Looks like this girl Suzie has really made you a lot sweeter with your words, hasn’t she?”
“Why do you sound a little bit jealous?” Dustin asked, his tone rising in a teasing manner.
“Shut up, Henderson.” Steve laughed out loud.
But he found it hard to deny, he was definitely a little jealous.
They chatted for a few more minutes until Dustin said they’d been talking too long and others were waiting to use the phone.
“Seriously? This isn’t your personal phone.” His coworker Robin gave him a disapproving look as he returned to the front desk, still beaming after finishing his call.
“You should make more friends, Robin.” Steve said with a grin as he picked up an ice cream scoop to prepare a mix-flavor sundae for the next customer.
“Of course I have friends. But is that really your friend? Sounds more like your long-distance girlfriend.” Robin snorted, teasingly.
Steve blushed and stared at her: “What makes you even think like that? Actually, I’m teaching him how to have a girlfriend, OK?”
Robin shrugged: “Dude, every time you get a call from him, you smile like you just won a hundred million dollars. And if a day goes by without a call, your attitude toward customers is totally different. You won't even try to flirt with the hot girls who come in for ice cream.”
“Exactly! If I had a thing for Henderson, why would I be hitting on hot girls?” Steve said.
“Whoa, chill out. I was just joking. You don’t need to explain yourself so seriously.” Robin made a surrender gesture, then walked to the back to get something.
Steve stood alone at the front counter, realizing he’d definitely overreacted a bit just now.
It was as if some unspoken thought of his had been exposed.
One evening three days later, Steve received a call from Dustin at home.
“Hey Henderson, how are you doing these days?”
First came a burst of cheerful laughter on the other end of the line, followed by a small cheer.
“Steve! We’re together!!!” Dustin sounded super excited, the sweetness in his voice completely unmasked.
Steve froze for a moment, opening and closing his mouth. He felt no joy, nor any negative emotions, it was as if he’d expected Dustin to win this girl over all along, and it made perfect sense. Yet, for some reason, Steve felt a strange lump in his throat.
He thought again of the strange thoughts about Henderson that had been popping into his head lately, suspecting that the curse of summer’s hormonal chaos had befallen him as well.
He didn’t stay silent for long, these thoughts had merely flashed through his mind.
“...Congratulations. I’m happy for you, man.”
“Steve, you’ve gotta meet her sometime, she’s amazing!”
“I’m sure she’s great.” Steve didn’t really want to continue this conversation now, or maybe he just didn’t know what to say. He felt he should be there for Dustin like a good friend, catching all his emotions, whether sadness or happiness, just like he always had, but today he just wanted the call to end quickly. But still, Steve never wanted to be the one to hang up first.
Dustin was still chattering away on the other end of the line about Suzie. The words flowed past Steve’s ears like a stream, but he was barely paying attention, as if he were watching a romantic movie that held little interest for him.
Until Dustin said, with a touch of shyness and excitement: “...We kissed last night!”
“It was amazing. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me kissing was this great!”
A creaking sound reached his ears, and Steve realized it was his fingers squeezing the receiver so hard it was making a clicking noise.
“Uhh, yeah, really?” he managed to say, noticing his throat was dry and hoarse. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound normal: “That’s really great, Henderson. Wow, look at you, you’re a pro! You don’t even need my guidance!”
Yeah, such a pro that if I weren’t around, he’d suddenly be progressing so quickly with some girl.
“I know I’m awesome.” Dustin chuckled, sounding a bit smug.
Steve could almost picture that smug grin of his. When Dustin smiled, his eyes would crinkle up until his pupils disappeared, his upturned nose and cheeks would flush a soft pink, making those adorable freckles look like sunbeams, and he’d grin widely, his full, rosy lips curving into a delightful smile, not afraid to show the gaps where his late-developing teeth were missing. Oh, of course Suzie would kiss him, who’d refuse to kiss Dustin Henderson like that?
Steve covered his face in a mix of despair and shame, silently grateful that Dustin wasn’t there.
Because he realized that he was exactly the kind of person he’d imagined would want to kiss Dustin.
“Steve?” After a long moment with no reply from Steve, Dustin sounded a little puzzled.
Steve let out a long sigh and pressed his burning face against the cool wall: “Sorry, I’m just so exhausted from work today...Hey, congrats again on taking such an important step, your first kiss.”
“Don’t wear yourself out.” Dustin said softly. “You work at an ice cream shop, you should eat more of the free ice cream.”
“Eating ice cream doesn’t make me any less exhausted.” Steve said.
“But it’ll make you happy.” Dustin chuckled.
Steve closed his eyes, pressed his forehead against the wall, and spoke softly and hoarsely into the receiver: “Would it sound strange if I said this...?”
“Henderson, the thing that’s made me happiest lately is your calls.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, broken only by the sound of slightly ragged breathing.
“It’s not strange, but it is pretty cheesy.” Dustin replied, then added, “Yeah, I’ve missed you too, Steve.”
“My coworker even think you’re my long-distance girlfriend. Apparently, that’s one of the reasons my attempts at flirting always fail.” Steve said with a touch of self-deprecation, as if doing so could dispel the vague restlessness he’d been feeling lately.
“Oh, can’t blame it all on the sailor cap, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“...I’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Hope you haven’t forgotten that hand signal we practiced.”
“I’ve been practicing it in my dreams.”
“Glad to know I’m in your dreams.”
“I’m hanging up now. Good night.”
“Good night.”
[Dustin’s POV]
It rained heavily that day as Dustin left Hawkins, it was the first heavy rain of the summer.
Dustin was sitting in his mom’s car, leaning out the passenger window to say goodbye to Steve, who was standing by the roadside to see him off, when a sudden, unannounced downpour began. Steve quickly shielded his head with one hand and waved the other at Dustin: “Hurry up and go!”
“Wait!” Dustin called out, quickly pulling a spare umbrella from under the seat and handing it to Steve.
The young man took his umbrella, opened it, and held it up. He bent down, covering Dustin's little head that refused to tuck back under the umbrella as well.
“The weather’s been all over the place lately. You’ve got to be careful over there, you hear me?”
Drops of rainwater clung to Steve’s handsome face as they were so close. The warm, humid summer breeze had them both sweating, and Dustin’s heart began to race. He knew exactly why, he’d always known he’d been inexplicably drawn to Steve. He’d chalked it up to the hormonal chaos of adolescence, and since he did like girls, he wasn’t sure what to make of his own feelings. So rather than clumsily expressing his hazy feelings, he would rather hold back that flutter, so as not to lose Steve as a good friend.
“Got it. Don’t be like my mom, Steve.” Dustin grinned as he ducked back into the car and waved at him.
“Dusty is so lucky to have a friend like you,” said Dustin’s mom, Claudia, watching them wave goodbye with a pleased smile. “Hurry home, kid. The rain’s getting heavier.”
“Be safe, Mrs. Henderson!”
Once he arrived at summer camp, Dustin devoted all his attention to science experiments and building little inventions until Suzie showed up and stunned him with her incredible dexterity when handling machine parts and wrenches.
The smart, adorable Suzie caught Dustin’s eye almost instantly, and he quickly fell head over heels for her. That burning sensation was somewhat similar to how he’d felt about Rosario, but it felt like a much better fit.
He couldn’t help but think of Steve. He realized he had some strange, indescribable feelings for Steve, but those feelings were more enduring, as if they’d taken root in his gut, completely different from the feelings he had for Rosario and Suzie. He used this to comfort himself, easing the turmoil that had plagued him for so long: it meant he didn’t feel that way about Steve.
So, after finding out there was a payphone nearby, he started calling Steve, asking him how to approach a girl could be a good starting point.
When he described Suzie to Steve with effusive praise, Steve’s reply “Sounds just like you” made his heartbeat skip a beat. But he quickly realized that Steve probably just meant Suzie was a science nerd like him.
After that, they spoke on the phone every few days, and he did indeed start putting Steve’s advice into practice.
He began seeking out Suzie for conversations, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. And they quickly became friends.
Around their third phone call, Steve told him to be the person who’s always the first to show up when the girl needs you: “That’ll make it easy for someone to fall in love with you.”
Dustin almost couldn’t resist asking him: Do you realize that’s exactly how you’ve been treating me?
Steve was always there for Dustin like that, always showing up when he needed him most. Clearly, Steve’s dating theory had worked perfectly on Dustin without him even realizing it.
But of course, he didn’t ask such a blunt question. He changed the subject, asking about Steve’s daily life, and learned that Steve was planning to work at Scoops Ahoy for the summer.
That’s great. Steve was doing something new too. Maybe he’d find a new date as well. Dustin thought.
Steve’s approach really worked. Dustin could clearly feel his relationship with Suzie taking a step forward.
When he called Steve again, Dustin decided to stop being so awkwardly hesitant about his vague feelings for Steve. Since he was now openly pursuing a new, clear relationship, he no longer shied away from saying those almost instinctive, slightly flirtatious teases to Steve.
So when Steve laughed and said, “Looks like I’ll just have to ask you out” Dustin adopted a very deliberate British accent and replied, “It would be my pleasure”, even though his face was already flushed bright red at that moment. He buried his face in his hands, but the smile playing at the corners of his mouth was almost impossible to hide.
He figured this was the best way to bury these fluttering feelings among the countless strange secrets of adolescence.
Even though just a few minutes earlier, he’d been daydreaming about how funny and undoubtedly adorable Steve would look in a sailor suit. And he wasn’t lying... no matter what Steve wore, Dustin Henderson would always be the one who, without a second thought, thought he was absolutely amazing.
A few days later, the summer camp held a small party that had nothing to do with science projects, they danced around the campfire and ate barbecue.
Dustin had just finished the basic setup for the Cerebro hum radio. He felt this was a perfect opportunity to confess his feelings to Suzie, so he styled his hair into a neat, handsome look, just as Steve had taught him. Then he went to ask Suzie to dance.
Suzie looked at him with a faint smile, saying nothing, as if she were hesitating. Just as Dustin was about to feel rejected again, Suzie took his hand.
They joined the dancing crowd as the music played cheerfully.
Dustin asked Suzie if they could stay in touch via the Cerebro radio after the summer camp ended and they returned to their homes.
Suzie agreed with a gentle, innocent, and sweet kiss.
Dustin closed his eyes and tried to respond. They were officially a couple.
The relationship lasted two years, it was a very healthy, happy relationship. But it ultimately came to an end during the days when Dustin was wallowing in grief after losing Eddie.
Dustin knew that his depression during that time and Suzie’s Mormon family were just convenient excuses. The fuse had been lit long before.
Ever since Steve started spending every day at the video shop hitting on girls because he and Eddie were so close; Ever since Nancy returned to Hawkins to investigate the string of deaths caused by Vecna and Steve seemed to be trying to rekindle that hopeless romance...Ever since countless things, Dustin found himself caring more and more about Steve’s love life.
He couldn’t stand seeing someone as radiant as Steve projecting his feelings onto a situation where he wouldn’t get a response.
He also couldn’t stand the fact that whenever he was chatting with Suzie, he couldn’t help but think that maybe, after tomorrow’s Hellfire game, he should go see a movie with Steve instead of chatting with Suzie. It was just a perfectly normal desire to spend time with a friend, but for some reason, to Dustin, it felt like a betrayal of Suzie.
Perhaps deep down, he had always known that the youthful crush he’d felt for Steve had never truly faded, though he refused to admit it
That was the initial spark to lit the fuse.
Everything that followed happened so quickly and urgently that they had no time to think about their feelings. One thing after another came crashing down, forging their youth into a world-weary state amidst bloodshed and mourning, which that no one at that age should ever have to bear.
Even after everything had settled, it still took them a long time to heal each other.
Now, Dustin was curled up on the couch, leaning against Steve. They were watching a movie. Steve held his hand gently, while Dustin’s thoughts drifted back to that summer many years ago. The warm, humid scent of summer seemed to envelop them once more, so gentle and clinging. He recalled the tone in Steve’s voice when Steve said that receiving a call from him was the happiest thing. He sounded so gentle and fragile, as if some indescribable love had broken through all hesitation, roaring for a response. But they never discussed it again.
Over the years, they hadn’t had the energy to talk about their feelings, yet through one life-or-death situation after another, Dustin realized that all that stood between them now was a confession to lay their hearts bare.
Dustin suddenly remembered that in the process of winning Suzie over, he had basically used Steve's moves the whole time.
And according to Steve, Suzie was basically a female version of Dustin Henderson.
It was almost as if Steve’s courtship skills were designed to have Dustin completely wrapped around his finger, and that had already been proven during that summer romance.
“Haha.” Dustin couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What are you laughing at?” Steve frowned, looking at him curiously. “This is a sad movie. Are you even paying attention?”
Dustin shook his head and laughed even harder, practically curling up on the couch. He buried his face in Steve’s collar, and Steve didn’t push him away, he just ruffled his hair with a sigh.
“Steve, I just remembered something funny.”
“What is it?”
“At that summer camp, all those courtship tips you taught me, you used every single one on me, you know that?”
Dustin lifted half his flushed, smiling face from Steve’s collar, his eyes sparkling like stars in the dimly lit room.
Steve froze on the couch. The flickering light from the screen cast a chaotic play of colors across his face, but Dustin could see he was blushing. Those beautiful brown eyes, even behind their frames, couldn’t hide their ever-deep and gentle glow, they were gazing at him with that mesmerizing tenderness right now, just like the countless times he’d caught him looking at him without meaning to.
“I... When did I...?” Steve looked a bit flustered, but his heart was pounding like a drum. Being this close made it impossible for him to hide his darting gaze or the way his breathing was losing its rhythm.
“And it all worked.” Dustin chuckled, sitting up straight, pulling his hand out of Steve’s, then interlocking their fingers. “Except for kissing, that was the one I figured out on my own.”
Steve’s hair was a mess right now, just like his jumbled thoughts. His mouth hung slightly open, his tone uncertain: “Hey, don’t mess with me, Henderson. Do you mean…?”
“You’re the one messing with me. Don’t make me guess wrong, Steve Harrington.”
Dustin tilted his head, looking at him with a hint of anticipation in his smile.
Steve said nothing. He leaned in, wrapped his free arm around Dustin’s shoulder, and pressed his lips against his.
It was a gentle, lingering, and determined kiss.
It was Dustin’s first kiss since that summer camp ended.