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There are a lot of reasons why they wouldn’t work, like, a lot.
First, Dustin’s a complete and total nerd who likes science and math and history, and really, all of school except gym. And he can quote nearly all of A New Hope. So yeah, he’s a huge nerd.
No girl wants that.
Who would?
Second, he’s Toothless.
Well, no, he’s not toothless anymore as his front teeth have grown in, but he’s still Toothless, the freak with no collar bones and a lisp.
To the people at school, he’s still a part of the “freak show”.
Third, he’s short and girls hate short guys.
His mom told him that boys grow later than girls, which he already knew, and that he’d grow soon enough, but he’s not really sure about that. Due to his cleidocranial dysplasia, he’s not sure if his bones will allow him to grow much more than he already has, which is a total bummer.
Fourth, she is way too good for a guy like himself.
Well, he’s also under the impression that she’s too good for anyone, but that’s because she is quite literally the best person he knows, and Dustin knows a lot of awesome people.
Fifth, love isn’t for people like Dustin.
Dating and love and pretty girls with doe-eyes that glisten and soft questions and kind words and sweet laughter and quiet curiosity aren’t for guys like him. Guys like him, they don’t get the girl, which may seem sad, but Dustin has known this fact from a young age.
He had concluded that he wouldn’t get the girl very early in life, back when he still lived in Minnesota, back when his dad was still alive, back before he even knew that should be a sad realization. Dustin had known he wouldn’t get the girl from the moment he realized that no other boy in school enjoyed what he did, nor did the girls in school avoid them like the plague.
And there are a lot more reasons why they wouldn’t work, too many to list all in one go, but the gist is, it’s just not possible.
Besides, she has a boyfriend anyway.
And yes, this boyfriend just so happens to be Mike, one of his best friends, the first guy in all of Hawkins who was nice to him.
It would break bro code, or he thinks it would. Dustin’s not really sure what “bro code” is, but going after your friend’s girl is definitely a big no-no.
So, yeah, him and El?
Never.
Gonna.
Happen.
He’s not bitter about it or anything, because again, she’s way out of his league, so being friends with her alone is already pushing the limits.
And Mike’s a good guy. He’s kind and brave and smart and funny and a great friend, and he makes El happy in a way Dustin has never been able to do.
Who is he to be upset about their relationship?
No one, that’s who.
Besides, Mike had her first, not–not that she’s something to be owned or anything, but you know…he liked her first, and kissed her first, and asked her to the Snow Ball first.
If Dustin really wanted to be the guy El was dating, the guy she held hands with or smiled at or laughed with, he shoulda just manned up and told her and liked her before Mike did, that way no bro code would be broken.
(Again, he’s not sure what classifies as “bro code”.)
But then again, that wouldn’t really have worked because Dustin’s always been under the impression that El needed to learn more about the world before she started dating anyone.
She was in a lab for her whole life, for Christ’s sake! It’s not like she has immense knowledge of relationships (not that Dustin has any either, but he definitely has more than El) or even being a person.
At least Dustin knows how to be a person…mostly. He’s got most of the whole “being a person” thing down pat. He still struggles with stuff, like keeping his mouth shut in situations that “don’t need his commentary” as Lucas had once put it, and understanding his friend’s emotions when they don’t explicitly tell him how they feel. But compared to El, Dustin’s a pro at being a person.
So even if Mike never liked her, even if Mike wasn’t her boyfriend, even if it didn’t break any “bro codes” by liking her, Dustin would still wait for El to come into herself before he asked her out or anything.
But Mike did like her first, and he is her boyfriend and liking her does break this proverbial “bro code”, so that doesn’t matter much anyway.
Despite all the reasons he and El wouldn’t work, of which there are many, Dustin can’t help but like her; how could he not?
El is kind and smart and such a quick learner that it’s actually kinda insane, and she’s actually interested in learning things, like, really interested. She’s honest and soft and warm, but also incredibly brave and strong and electric and so badass. She’s beautiful and fierce and empathetic and really funny and resilient. She listens when he talks and asks questions and makes him feel seen, but he sees her too. And she’s like, so amazing in a way Dustin can’t even begin to comprehend, let alone explain.
But he won’t do anything about it, not just because she’s dating one of his best friends, and he’s very undeserving of her (though, both of those are, of course, massive parts of it), but because Dustin Henderson is a coward.
When he and the party play D&D, Dustin always plays it safe. He tells Will to cast protection. He uses a 10-foot pole all the time to make sure there aren’t any traps and makes sure they have an escape plan. He prioritizes his defensive stats over everything and even makes them all do session zero before the campaign to know how the game’s gonna go.
What kind of party member does that make him?
A shitty, cowardly one, that’s what.
When Will went missing and he, Lucas, and Mike went to look for him, he was the one who wanted to go back because he was scared. His friend was missing, and he wanted to go back home.
What kind of friend does that make him?
A shitty, cowardly one, that’s what.
When his dad was dying, he didn’t go to see him in the hospital. His dad was dying and he couldn’t bring himself to see him because he was scared to see his dad, who was always so strong, pale and sick in a hospital bed.
What kind of son does that make him?
A shitty, cowardly one, that’s what.
So even if Mike and El broke up and enough time had passed and Dustin stopped being a coward long enough to ask her to be more than friends with him, he would be a shitty, cowardly boyfriend, and El doesn’t deserve that.
Jane “El” Hopper deserves the whole world and Dustin “Toothless” Henderson can’t give it to her, no matter how much he wants to.
Besides, she’s got a boyfriend anyway.