Oh hey, look who's back after missing her "Stranger Things Day" upload. But hey, at least I managed to get it up in time for Veronica's birthday.
Alright, this chapter coincides with 3x07/The Bite, and I'm switching it up with the POVs. Be prepared for the usual dumbassery and tomfoolery commited by the teens of Stranger Things, as well as the gross body horror stuff that comes with the events of Season 3. But there are still some fun moments. I apologize if this chapter feels a little rough, it was actually the most difficult of the third season for me to write for some reason, but I think I did alright. Knowing me, I'll end up editing it anyway. Some of the dialogue has of course changed, but rest assured I have kept in Robin's coming out as that is such an essential moment in the series, and one I'd be loath to exclude from my fic.
As always, I only own my OCs. I hope you enjoy. More will hopefully come within the month, but I make no promises. Quick warning for the canonical body horror/Flesh Monster thing.
Dustin's POV
July 4th
Russian Underground Base
Dustin would like to think he'd done very little to deserve the amount of stress, fear, and intense situations that had been thrust onto him since he was twelve and his best friend disappeared. But no, he still had to deal with interdimensional creatures, his sister also disappearing, said best friend being possessed, and now Russians hellbent on reopening the door into the Upside Down in Hawkins. Why couldn't they do that shit somewhere else?
On top of all that, he and his friends had managed to get trapped in the underground Russian base for twenty-four hours. And he'd… Dustin had… the doctor was evil, he was helping torture Dustin's friends, and Dustin… Dustin killed him. God, is he a murderer, now? Was it murder? Could that be counted as self defense? What would Veronica say, if she found out? His stomach is in knots, the boy nauseous and yet he's not sure whether he regrets what he did. Steve and Robin had sacrificed themselves so he could get Erica and Richard out of there and call for help. They could've been killed. He'd only felt fear like that once before, when his mother told him that Veronica was missing. Steve and Robin were lucky to be alive, although they were definitely out of it. Dustin chalked it up to shock and Steve's probably concussion - he looked worse than the time Billy Hargrove beat his ass - but Richard keeps insisting that it was something more than that.
"Jesus, slow down." Steve pleads from the back of the cart, he and Robin hidden in the compartment.
"Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy 500?" Robin's words come out slurred as she snipes at an impatient Richard - he'd graduated from "Dick" as soon as Dustin found out his favorite book is Dune and he loves science fiction.
"It's the Indy 300." Steve corrects his coworker.
"No, dingus, it's 500!"
"It's 300!"
Dustin nearly gives himself a concussion banging his head on the metal compartment in frustration. "Let's say, 'a million'!" Robin bursts into giggles, Steve following suit.
"What is wrong with them?" Erica asks, practically groaning out her question."
"I don't know."
"I think I do." Dustin and Erica look over at Richard, who's knuckles have turned white from how tightly he's holding onto the steering wheel. "The slurred speech, confusion - did you see how dilated their eyes are? They've been drugged."
"Drugged? How? With what?" Dustin asks.
"Oh, gee, Henderson," Erica begins to sass him, "what else would the enemy give a couple of teens who found a way into their secret base? Truth serum."
"Yeah, that's not real." Dustin shoots back. Richard makes a noise, and Dustin nearly gives himself whiplash. "Truth serum isn't real, right? Right?" The blonde doesn't say anything, and Dustin groans. "Oh, my God, how do you even know?"
"Not important right now -"
"Yeah, it is!"
"Talk, blondie!" Dustin and Erica order.
"Kids, not right - shit!" Distracted, Richard's too late to keep from running them into a bunch of canisters, though thankfully nothing happens. Even better, they're at the elevator and can hopefully escape thanks to the keycard they'd gotten from the Russian in the comms room. Their possibly drugged passengers aren't quiet about their complaints, Robin whining about Richard's driving as the blonde throws her over his shoulder. Dustin and Erica deal with Steve, who's about as coordinated as a baby deer.
"Here goes nothing." Dustin murmurs, and shoves the keycard into the slot by the elevator doors. They open with a welcoming ding! and everyone files in. He and Erica gently place Steve on the floor to lean against the boxes while Richard sets Robin on the metal table in the center of the elevator. Erica hurries over to the controls to send them up, Dustin breathing a little easier as they begin their ascent.
Unfortunately, he, Richard, and Erica are unable to stop Steve and Robin from hurrying over to the red platform truck, Veronica's boyfriend jumping on top while his coworker pushes him back and forth. "Hey! You look like you're -"
"Surfing! Yeah!" Steve hollers back at Robin.
"Whoa!"
"Oh, they're definitely drugged." Erica mutters as Dustin shakes his head, Richard lunging forward to stop the out of control teens.
"I'm a natural, check it out - whoop!" Steve crashes into the boxes across from him, Richard barely missing catching him. He groans and Dustin hurries to check on him, his sister's blonde friend dealing with Robin.
"Wipeout!" She shouts from atop the table, having been forced there by Richard once more. As both drugged teens laugh, Dustin presses his palm to Steve's sweaty forehead.
"He's burning up."
"You're burning up!" Steve shoots back. "Hey, is Roni with you? Wanna tell her about surfing."
"One sec. Steve, Steve, hey - stay still!"
"Ow!" The older teen gruffs as Dustin opens his good eye, then turns to Richard and Erica.
"His pupils are super dilated."
"Like we said." Erica points to herself and Richard. "They've been drugged."
Steve boops Dustin on the nose, then huffs as the younger teen lightly slaps his face to try and sober him up. "Steve, c'mon, man. What color was the drug? Was it one, or a bunch of different ones?"
"How many times, dad?" He practically hissed the word. "I don't do drugs. It's only marijuana." He booped Dustin's nose again.
"This isn't funny, okay? I need to know what they did to you. Are you gonna… is he gonna die on us?" Dusin asks Richard, closing his eyes and shaking his head when Steve boops his nose once more.
"We all die, my strange little child friend." Robin answers before Richard can.
"Robin!"
She lightly pushes the blonde, smiling widely down at Dustin. "It's just a matter of how… and when."
Dustin sighs and refocuses on Steve. "They're gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car." Richard's is a no go, he said so himself when he, Dustin, and Erica were trying to figure out how to save Steve and Robin - something about leaving them in the Scoops back room with the rest of his stuff.
Steve perks up. "Oh, can we make a pit stop at the food court?"
"I would kill for a hot dog on a stick." Robin says to Steve, whose eyes became cartoonishly wide.
"Ooh!"
"Alright, yeah, food. Yes, you can have as much food as you want," Dustin tells the drugged teens, "but only if Steve tells me where his car is parked."
"Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh? What's 'uh-oh'?" Dustin snarks.
"The car's off the board."
"What?" He blinks down at Steve, who hums.
"They took the keys. The Russians, they took the keys." He pulls out his pockets to show that they're empty, then some lucidity glints in his eyes, and his right hand suddenly grabs Dustin by his vest. "Did they take it? Did they take -"
"No." Dustin shakes his head, instantly understanding Steve's panic. "I have it. You told me to hold onto it." He pats one of his buttoned vest pockets.
"Oh, good. But my keys, they're gone. Like, forever ago." Robin starts to cackle, and Steve joins her. "That's a bummer right?" He actually has the audacity to smile, unbelievable, Dustin thinks to himself.
As soon as the elevator stops, Dustin and Erica lead the older teens outside while Richard guides Steve and Robin to freedom. "Oh!" Robin shouts with joy. "Oh, my God, that tastes so good. Ah! Steve, can you taste the air?"
"I taste it! I taste it!"
"Hush up, you two!" Richard hisses as the doors to the secret elevator slam shut behind them. Dustin grabs Erica, the two of them freezing for a moment as the gate to the parking lot starts to slide open, two armed men heading straight for them.
"Stop!" One of the Russians yells, pulling out his gun.
"Shit! Come on! Come on!" Dustin orders.
"Dustin, Erica, get them inside." Richard quickly passes the drugged teens to the youngest of the group. "I'm right behind you. I've got two shots left." He reminds Dustin, pulling the handgun he'd taken from the soldiers in the comms room and clicking off the safety. He'd used most of the clip to confuse the Russians during their escape, firing at random spots in the corridors to get them off their tail.
Dustin and Erica don't have time to object, the older teen shoving the four of them through the side door. It's impossible to hear gunfire, the fireworks covering the sounds. It isn't until they're hurrying towards the secret entrance to the movie theater that Dustin can make out thundering footsteps, followed by the Dune theme being sharply whistled. He glances back as Erica shoves the stumbling Steve and Robin forward, eyes wide as Richard sprints behind him, gun gone.
"I managed to hit one in the shoulder before the damn thing jammed. I ditched it in one of the trash bins, and the other guy stayed behind to check on his comrade." The blonde teen explains, pale-faced and shaking. "I've never… I mean, my mom taught me how to defend myself, but… I don't think… I don't think I killed him." Dustin flinches. He can't say the same for himself. "Where are we off to?"
"Movie theater. It's crowded, they can't risk exposing themselves." Erica tells him. "I need some muscles."
"On it." Richard hurries forward to help Erica with the teens, and Dustin takes a quick moment to catch his breath and thank whatever entity was responsible for bringing Richard into their lives.
Veronica's POV
Hopper Cabin
Seconds after the back of my neck stops tingling, I'm turning towards the others. "Guys, we should seriously be moving. We can talk in the car." I try to urge the others along, Will nodding next to me. In the distance we can hear the marching band playing and the fireworks lighting the sky as the rest of Hawkins celebrates Independence Day.
The others start to move, but El's too in shock to budge from her spot on the couch - one Mike and Max had managed to drag her over to, finally working together. "He said he was building something."
"El, sweetheart, we need to move." I whisper, kneeling in front of her. "We have to -"
"That it was all for me."
"C'mon, you can tell us in the car." Max tries to soothe the shaking girl, then nods at Mike. Between the three of us, we get El standing and moving. "Building something… is he talking about the flayed?" Max questions as we hurry towards the cabin door.
"He must be." Nancy answers as she turns to toss me my bow and quiver - after the hospital, I've refused to be parted from them.
"So he's building an army, just like we thought." Lucas adds as we walk outside, the explosions making my ears ring.
"Yeah, except he's not building this army to spread -"
"He's building it to stop Eleven." Will cuts Mike off, then we both freeze. Our eyes connect as we touch the back of our necks in perfect synchronization.
"Will? Veronica?" Jonathan asks, the first to notice we've become like statues.
"He knows where we are." The youngest Byers responds. The earth shakes, and a roar louder than a raging hurricane echoes through the forest. Then we all stagger back towards the cabin, the house closer than the car as a large creature with more limbs than I'm comfortable with scurries towards us, knocking trees aside like they were nothing more than thin sheets of paper.
"Inside, now!" Nancy orders, jumping into action and bursting towards the shed, where Hopper keeps his shotgun.
"Jonathan, the ax!" Taking her lead, I shove my oldest friend towards the log it's buried in while urging the younger teens into the cabin. "El, how are you feeling?"
"Okay." She replies, voice firm but eyes shining with exhaustion. I only nod, then help her and Mike stack benches to block the kitchen windows. Will, Lucas, and Max cover the rest of the immediate area while Jonathan and Nancy hurry inside and flip the couch to barricade the front door. I haven't stopped shaking since I felt the incoming danger, Will just as intensely on edge as I am - even more than the rest of our group, including El. Taking deep breaths, I do my best to get my hands to stay still as I notch an arrow.
"Hey, get away from the windows." Nancy scolds Mike and Lucas as she picks the shotgun back up. We gather in the center of the living room, backs to each other. The lamp creaks and there's rumbling in the distance. The whole cabin is shaking, dust falling from the ceiling onto our heads and mugs and dishes crashing onto the floor. I wish we'd left earlier, maybe we'd have been close enough to get in the car and drive - but there's no telling how fast that monster is, if we'd have only ended up flattened like my Falcon.
The lights flicker rapidly, and I feel Will grab my elbow. "It's close."
The rumbling and shaking stops, but it feels anything but safe. "No. It's here." I mutter.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, one long limb bursts inside the cabin, barely missing the bookshelf. Wood splinters around it as it curves, the creature shrieking as I loose an arrow, and then another, straight through it. El shoves the others behind her as Jonathan joins me, hacking at the gooey flesh with the ax. Red goop sprays onto my arm, and it's a struggle not to gag as I shoot another arrow into the gash Jonathan left in his wake.
"Johnny!" I shriek as the limb manages to knock him into the opposite wall, before it does the same to me. I roll in front of him, bow lost in the attack but arrow still in hand. The end of the limb opens like a flowerhead - just like the Demogorgon's and the demodogs' - and I shove the arrow straight inside as Nancy shoots at it. The monster wails and screeches, shuddering but not defeated as it sets its focus on my best friend. I scramble for my bow as Nancy's shotgun jams, but before I can even wrap my hands around my weapon the limb is near-frozen, desperately trying to force itself out of an invisible grip.
El moves forward, hand out and nose dripping with blood as she controls the creature, ripping off the flowerhead with the twist of her wrist. More goo splatters as the limbs snakes its way out of the house, squealing.
"Holy shit!" Max curses as it flicks past her, only to scream and lunge to the side as another limb comes through the wall, a third through the kitchen window. El has both arms out, nodding at me as I finally notch an arrow and shoot. She pants and closes her hands into fists, slicing the two heads off with her powers. Both limbs slither out like the first, and I lower my bow, turning to help Jonathan up as something big crashes straight through the roof. I twist in time to see El scrambling to hold onto the floor, the head of a limb wrapped around her left calf, tugging her up towards the main mouth of the Mind Flayer's latest monster.
Mike and I leap forward, each of us grabbing one of El's arms as we dig our heels into the floor while she screams in pain. "We've got you, just hold on! We've got you!" I shout back, watching her become impossibly pale. The others join us as the monster's mouth comes in through the roof, rows upon rows of sharp teeth inch closer to El. As the blood roars in my ears, I can distantly hear Jonathan yelling for Nancy to shoot it. As bullets hit the monster it shrieks, but doesn't release El. Not until Lucas picks up the lost ax and jumps onto a bench, hacking at the limb latched onto the Mind Flayer's main target. We strain and scream until Lucas finally slices it in half. We all tumble to the ground, Mike catching El as I hurry to check on El's leg. "This is going to hurt!" I warn once I realize the head is still attached to her calf before ripping it off. As it slithers away, the monster screeches above us. I help El stand, watching in amazement as she hobbles two steps forward before throwing out her hands screaming with the creature as she split its face in half. Max and I catch her as she falls back.
Using the monster's pain to our advantage, we all hurry out of the cabin. Mike takes my place in supporting El as I lean down to grab my discarded bow, Jonathan shoving the couch aside so we can leave. The creature continues to wail as we run to the car, Nancy and I the last to get in, her behind the wheel and me riding shotgun. "Drive! Drive! Drive!" I shout at her as she starts the engine and speeds away. "Next time I say we leave, we leave!"
"Not helpful." She grunts at me, glowering as she makes a sharp turn.
"I don't fucking care, it would have been!"
I take the ensuing silence as me being right.
Nancy drives like the devil down the empty streets of Hawkins, everyone still at the fair. "We need to get something for El." Mike's quick to tell his sister.
"Bradley's Big Buy." I suggest, Nancy nodding as she takes the next right. Drifting in front of the grocery store just like I showed her, my best friend gives me a look. I snort. "Almost perfect."
"You know it was. Let's go." She shoots back.
I'm the first out of the car, which means it's my job to break in. I quite literally do, striking the glass doors with my bow so it shatters, giving us an easy entrance. Nancy hurries in after me, the others helping Mike and Max bring El inside. "Medical supplies. Which aisle - there!" I say - mostly to myself - as I locate the first aid stuff, Nancy grabbing the rubbing alcohol while I snatch as many boxes of gauze as I can from the shelf.
"Alright, set her down." Nancy tells Mike and Max, who help El sit on the floor, back against the cleaning supplies and Ziploc bags. "Okay. Vera, you're better at this."
Nodding, I kneel in front of El, the girl sweaty and breathless, but less pale than before. "Hey, sweetheart."
"Veronica. Hurts." El mumbles.
"Yeah, I bet." I wince as I gently push up her pants to check the wound, blood oozing out.
"Oh, shit." Max whispers beside me. "We need to stop the bleeding."
I nod in agreement, opening a packet of gauze and holding it against the wounds, El groaning. "Yeah. Then clean."
"Then bandage." The others blink at Max, who shrugs. "I skateboard. That's how I know."
Huffing because I know the truth, I glance at Mike. "Hey. I need you to hold this." I guide his hand to the second gash.
"Keep pressure on it." Max adds. "Nice and firm, okay?"
Turning to Nancy and Jonathan, I say, "We're going to need water and soap."
"Okay."
"On it." The two of them respond at once, scurrying away.
Something clatters to my right, Lucas having emptied the contents of his backpack onto the ground. "Does any of this help?"
"No." Max responds in disbelief while I offer him a smile for trying. "Go get us a washcloth and a bowl."
"A bowl?"
"Lucas." He stares down at me. "Hurry.
"We're on it. Jesus, man." Will gripes at the other boy as they run in the opposite direction.
Shifting my attention back to El, I lick my lips nervously. "You're doing great."
"Fucking hurts."
"Language." I gently scold her, Mike's mouth having dropped open at her curse while Max snorts.
"I, ah, learned it from you."
Letting out the most mockingly offended scoff I'm capable of producing, I shake my head. "Nu-uh, don't blame me for Hop's potty mouth." El laughs, groaning when I add a little more pressure. "Sorry, sweetheart. Need to stop the bleeding."
"I know."
Max sighs from beside me. "Damn it, they're taking too long. Let me see if I can help the boys." I nod and she jogs away, then discarded the blood-soaked gauze for another, happy to find the bleeding has started to slow down.
After a handful of minutes of silence, Mike clears his throat. "Does it still hurt?"
"Not as bad." El whispers back.
"You're gonna have an awesome scar. You'll look even more badass."
"Like Veronica?" The girl asks, her eyes flicking to my arm and then my temple. "Bitchin'."
I laugh as Mike nods in agreement. "Yeah, bitchin'. El…" He trails off.
"Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to tell you something. It's just, being broken up, it's been hard."
Oh, hell no, I don't want to be here for this. "Hey, Nancy and Jonathan are taking their sweet-ass time. I'm just gonna -"
The sound of a radio crackling cuts me off, and all three of us turn our heads to the walkie talkie Lucas had shaken out of his bag. It goes silent, and I get back to trying to get the hell out of dodge as Mike continues, his hand replacing mine as he puts pressure on both wounds. "And… I like that you and Max are friends now. It's just, I was jealous at first, an-and angry. And that's why I said all that stupid stuff." The radio crackles again, and I walk over to pick it up. "And it's like I wanted you all to myself. And now I realize how unfair that is. And selfish. And, like, I'm sorry."
Walkie in hand, I move further away from Mike and El, finding myself in the snacks aisle. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I've pretty much only had Eggos today. "... code red… this…" I jump at how much clearer the radio is. "I repeat… this is a code red." It's still distorted, but I'm finally able to recognize the voice, and it has me choking on a sob as I respond.
"Dustin? Dustin, do you copy?"
"Leia? Leia!" He laughs, and it sounds a little wet. Some sort of music is playing from his end, and he screams over it to be heard. "Oh my God, I know I've been MIA, I'm sorry. It was… we did something stupid. So stupid. We were -"
"Trapped. Underground." I interrupt him. "El found you, said you were stuck in an elevator."
"That's not even the half of it." Whatever he says next comes out garbled, and I shake my head.
"Dusty, slow down, I can't hear you." I turn my head to see Mike sliding around the corner. "It's Dustin!"
"It is… Russians… open the gate." Is all I can make out.
"Shit, I figured. Dusty, it's bad up here. It's really bad. Where's Steve? And Robin and Richard."
"Safe… rica… get us out..."
"Where? Dustin, where are you guys?" The line goes static. "Dustin? Shit, he's breaking up too much." I tell Mike as he comes closer. "Dustin? Dustin!" The line goes silent. "Dustin?" I shake my head. "I lost him. I don't think -"
"Hey, his battery probably just died. You know how he is." Mike tries to reassure me.
"What's going on?" Nancy and Jonathan come around the corner, the former glancing between me and the walkie with wide eyes.
"Dustin." My eyes get wet, and a slight smile tugs at the corner of my lips. "That was Dustin. I think they're okay, I just… I don't know where they are."
"I can find them." We all glance to the left, El having appeared at the end of the aisle, leaning her weight onto her good leg, a determined expression on her face.
"You're hurt." I remind her.
"No." She shakes her leg. "I can find them."
"Fine." I exhale, walking towards her with Mike so we can help her stand more comfortable. "But I'm going to work on your leg."
"Okay."
We manage to track down the other three, Max holding a bowl and towel while Lucas and Will are pushing a cart full of fireworks. "Don't ask." The red-haired girl tells us as she rolls her eyes at her ex-boyfriend. They join us in finding a place for El to slip into the void, which turns out to be the frozen food section. El - because of course she does - chooses the unit holding the Eggos, and we help her sit down. Lucas, Jonathan, Will, and Nancy run down the aisle opening all the freezer doors while Max and I finish cleaning and wrapping El's calf. We make sure to wipe the blood off our hands and Mike's, the boy busy tying an American flag bandana around El's eyes. Then we all sit in silence, letting the Party's mage focus on the humming of the freezers and the darkness from the blindfold.
That is, until Lucas decides to pop open a can of New Coke. "Quiet." Max whispers harshly.
"Oh, sorry."
Mike wrinkles his nose in disgust as we watch him take a sip. "How do you even drink that?"
"Because it's delicious."
"Guys, shut up." I try, but it's too late, an argument's already broken out.
"What?" Both Max and Mike are in agreement about something again, which is its own miracle, but also so not important right now.
"It's like Carpenter's The Thing. The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake…" Lucas takes another slurp, pinky up. Once he's finished he sighs with satisfaction and smacks his lips. "Sweet, bolder… better."
"You're insane."
Lucas scoffs at Mike, and the way he's holding his can of New Coke like I've seen my dad hold a glass of his finest whiskey. "So, you prefer the original Thing?"
"What? No, I'm not talking about The Thing, I'm talking about New Coke."
"Uh, it's the same concept, dude."
"Uh, actually, it's not the same concept."
"Guys." I attempt to cut in, but go ignored once more.
"It is the same concept!" Lucas argues.
"No, it's not."
"Both of you, shut up -"
"Yes, it is!" Lucas yells over me, and El rips the bandana off her face.
"Hey." She scolds the boys, Nancy and I exchanging smiles at the way they both immediately and sincerely apologize, the matter dropped. Mike and Lucas are the best of friends, yeah, but their arguments? Legendary.
"Did you find them?" I ask the younger girl, who nods. "Where are they?"
Steve's POV
Starcourt Mall Bathroom
Steve flushes the toilet, wrinkling his nose at the lingering scent of vomit. He leans back and waits for his stomach to finish settling.
"The ceiling stopped spinning for me." Robin announces from the stall beside his, closest to the bathroom door. "Is it still spinning for you?"
Steve groans and looks up, grinning. "Holy shit. No. You think we puked it all up?"
"Maybe. Ask me something. Interrogate me." She insists in a Russian accent.
Laughing lightly, Steve sits up. "Okay. Interrogate you. Sure. Um." He leans the bulk of his weight on the toilet, the left side of his ribs and face aching, as he thinks. "When was the last time you, uh, peed your pants?"
"Today."
Steve pauses. "What?"
"When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw."
Not really meaning to, he bursts into laughter as Robin giggles. "Oh, my God."
"It was just a little bit, though." She insists.
"Yeah, it's definitely still in her system." Steve whispers to himself.
Once Robin stops laughing, she clears her throat. "Alright, my turn."
"Okay. Hit me."
"Do you love Veronica?" She asks, not evening needing a moment to think.
Steve pauses once more, tilting his head in confusion. "Yeah, obviously."
"No, I mean, do you, like, love her?"
He shakes his head, licking his lips. "Uh, yeah, no. I'm still confused."
"Are you in love with her? Like, fully in love, thinking about the future with her in it?" Robin asks.
"Why are you asking?"
Robin hums. "She's my friend. A really good one, even if we haven't been close for long. She deserves to be happy, and it's taken me some time but I can tell you make her happy. I guess I just wanted to know if it's the same for you."
"Of course it is." Steve responds without hesitation, smiling despite the way his split lip aches when he does. "I love her. I love her more than I thought I could love someone. She's one of the few people who actually, like, sees me, you know? And accepts me, even when I'm at my dumbest. And she does make me happy. God, even just thinking about her… I've liked her since we were kids, I was just so stupid about it. Then I dated Nancy. I don't regret it, I loved Nancy, too. But not like I love Veronica."
"Was it awkward, you know, dating Veronica after Nancy, while staying friends with her?"
"A little, yeah. But other things were going on. Things kind of like this. It puts shit into perspective, you know? At the end of the day, Nance and I knew we were just kidding ourselves. What we felt for each other isn't anything close to how we feel about Jonathan and Roni." Steve clears his throat. "Yes."
"Yes, what?" Robin asks, her turn to be confused.
"Yes, I've thought about my future with Roni. I've thought about it so much, I bought her a promise ring the day after she came back from camp."
"Did the Russians take it?"
Steve shakes his head. "No. That's what was in the box I threw at Dustin to hold onto."
"Oh. Smart." Robin pauses. "So, how are you going to give it to her?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. What I do know, at least for now, is that I've found my person, and I want to build a life with her. I feel like that's really fucking rare, especially with how both of our parents' marriages turned out." He's met with a long silence, then Steve clears his throat. "Uh, Robin, did you O.D. over there?" He hears her sniffling, freezing at the sound. "Robin, what's wrong?"
"I just… I want to… I want to tell you something."
"What is it? Hey, what's going on?" She doesn't answer, and he sighs before sliding into her stall, sitting up so they were facing each other.
Robin peaks up from where she's buried her face in her knees, lips wobbling. "The floor's disgusting."
Steve shrugs. "Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so… talk to me."
"Do you… do you remember what I said about Click's class?" Robin asks. "About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?"
"Yeah."
"It isn't because I had a crush on you." Robin clarifies. "It's because she wouldn't stop staring at you."
"Who? Mrs. Click? What're you -"
"I can trust you, right? I feel like I can. God, this is stupid."
"Whoa, hey, Rob." The nickname slips out, but Steve can see the way it gets his ice cream-slinging partner to calm down. "Whatever it is, you're my friend. Especially after all this shit. Whatever it is, I won't judge you."
"I hope not." Robin whispers. "Tammy Thompson." She mutters, and Steve frowns in confusion. "I wanted her to look at me. But… she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair." Wow, rude. "And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And you asked dumb questions. And you were a douchebag. An-and you didn't even like her and… I would go home… and just scream into my pillow."
"But Tammy Thompson's a girl." Steve points out.
"Steve." Robin murmurs.
"Yeah?" He laughs slightly, but it fades the better he's able to read Robin. As soon as he does, he leans back, the pieces finally coming together. "Oh."
"Oh." Robin nods, and the way she's looking at him takes him back to how his classmates would when he was still King Steve. He hates it.
"Holy shit."
"Yeah." The other teen sighs, leaning back as she stares up at the ceiling. "Holy shit."
"Who, uh, who else knows?" Steve asks. "Because I haven't heard any, you know -"
"Rumors? Not many people. A couple of friends. Not Richard, maybe I'll tell him soon. My ex-girlfriend, obviously." Robin's eyes get even sadder, then she eyes him warily. "Veronica. She, well, I didn't really have to tell her. She figured it out."
"And she kept it a secret. Even from me."
"Steve -"
He smiles and shakes his head. "No, no, I'm not upset that she knew. That she didn't tell me. Believe me, if there's anything I understand, it's how important keeping some secrets can be."
"I wasn't fully sure I could trust her with it, until this summer." Robin admits. "When I realized she hadn't told you, that's when I knew."
Steve hums. "See, I told you. Veronica's good at acceptance. She's taught me about it, too. Just by being around her. But, you know, Tammy Thompson…" Steve clears his throat, then smirks. "She's cute and all, but, I mean, she's a total dud."
Robin gapes at him. "She is not."
"She is." He insists. "Yes, she is. She wants to be, like, a singer. She wants to move to, like, Nashville and shit."
"She has dreams."
"She can't even hold a tune." Steve argues. "She's practically tone-deaf. Have you heard her?" Robin rolls her eyes. "All the time. 'You see me know tonight, you see me more than ever!'" He sings off-key.
Robin scoffs. "She does not sound like that."
"She sounds exactly like that, it's a great impression of her!"
"You sound like that! You sound like a Muppet."
Okay, now Steve's offended. "She sounds like a Muppet! She sounds like a Muppet giving birth." They both break into laughter as he breaks out his Kermit impression next as he keeps singing. "'And if you could hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever!'" Robin joins in at the end, and Steve slaps her show. "Exactly!"
Robin laughs again. "I know!"
Then they're both doubled over, singing like Kermit between giggles until the bathroom door bursts open, revealing three very irritated people. Erica's shaking her head, Richard looks harried, and Dustin's doing an excellent impression of a frantic Claudia Henderson. "Okay. What the hell?"
Steve looks over at Robin, and she makes a face that has them laughing all over again, leaning against each other's legs.
The minute the mall becomes noisier, Steve is herding the others to the bathroom door, side-eyeing Dustin as he shoves his way forward to peek out and watch the movie-goers file out of the theater. "And… blend." Dustin orders, Steve exchanging an eye-roll with Richard at the boy's dramatics before following him, the girls right walking out with Richard.
Still, Steve has to give his buddy some credit, his plan went off without a hitch. "Well, shit, that worked." Erica unknowingly agrees with him, Dustin puffing up his chest.
"Course it worked."
"Don't get cocky." Richard jumps in, winking.
Dustin huffs. "Richard, man, you've earned my respect, but you're no Han Solo. That's Steve."
And, shit, said teen isn't able to stop himself from nudging the youngest teen out of appreciation.
Richard just shrugs it off. "Fair enough. I can be Luke. We're both farm boys."
"Whatever." Dustin sighs. "Now we just have to get on the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home, here we come."
Fuck. Fuckity fuck. "Uh, Dustin?" Guilt eats at Steve as his drugged words pop back into his mind. "Yeah, we might not want to go to your house."
"Why?"
"Well, I might've told them your full name. And Roni's."
Dustin glowers back at him. "What is wrong with you?" He hisses.
"Dude, I was drugged." Steve tries to defend himself, but that does nothing to soothe his guilt.
Richard clears his throat, nodding in agreement. "You saw him, Henderson. Ain't no way he'd have been able to keep things to himself with what they got the two of 'em hopped up on."
Yeah, Richard's not so bad.
"So, he resists. He toughs it out. He toughs it out like a man."
Steve scowls. "Fine, next time you get drugged, and see how well you do."
"Guys?" He feels Robin grab him by the back of his disgusting uniform, and the group freezes. Up ahead they catch sight of one of the Russian's Richard had shot at questioning passing shoppers, joined by whatever comrade who replaced the one the blonde southerner had managed to hit.
"Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a pleasant evening." The ponytailed guard thanks a woman.
"Abort." Dustin urges. "Abort! Abort!" He repeats when the man starts to look in their direction. Steve grabs his elbow to help him pick up his pace, Richard practically carrying Erica - who was insistent she was fine on her own - while Robin led the way. For a somewhat uncoordinated band nerd, she's pretty quick, Steve observes.
They get to the escalators leading down to the food court, but of course they're roped off. "Shit." Steve grunts.
"I see 'em. They're getting closer." Richard informs them, tall enough to see over the crowd.
"Go. Slide down." Steve nudges Robin towards the space between the two escalators, the last to go down. Robin and Dustin help him to his feet, Richard and Erica waving the trio over to The Cookie Company stand. They all jump over the counter, huddled together and hopefully out of sight as the mall finally closes. The lights shut off, but then the ones in the food court turn back on, joined by echoing footsteps and multiple men speaking Russian.
Steve strains to listen, knowing he won't understand anything but their tones. Dread fills his body when it becomes silent, save for the occasional shuffle of boots against the tiled floor. They can all hear the men going closer, and Steve finds himself wrapping an arm around Dustin and pulling him close.
Suddenly, a car honks, breaking the tense silence. The red convertible, Steve remembers, having spent half-a-second wondering why they'd all be able to hear a car so far away from the parking lot. The alarm goes off soon after, and he frowns around at their group, checking to make sure no one's sneaked off to play the hero by setting up a distraction, but no, everyone's here.
One of the guards cries out in pain, and then a second one. The rest scream as something hurtles towards them, sending chairs and tables flying before crashing into a wall. Steve slowly rises with the others, first seeing the totaled car, then the destruction it left in its wake, two Russians groaning on the ground with arrows buried in their shoulders -
Arrows. Arrows.
"Leia!" Dustin shouts, and the others stare up at the balcony across from them. El stands in the middle of the group, shoulders heaving from the exertion of throwing the convertible. Mike, Max, Jonathan, Will, and Nancy are all standing behind her, but Steve's main focus is on his girlfriend. Even from where he's standing, he can see the exhaustion in her body and the tangled mess her curls have become.
Still, she looks strong. Especially when she hurries down the shut down escalator to grab the two wounded Russians, knocking them out with her fists and taking their weapons and radios for good measure. It's only when she runs straight into his arms - first hugging Dustin and murmuring to him before letting him go to his friends - that he can make out the dark circles under her eyes, the way her body is shaking with anxiety, the crazed look in her eyes that he's only ever seen during the Upside Down attacks.
"Steve!" Roni cries when they crash into each other, and he watches in horror as tears slide down her cheeks, his girlfriend's hands carefully exploring his injured face.
"I'm alright, babe." He tries to reassure her. "God, I missed you."
"You're all so stupid!" She shouts tearfully. "Why didn't you just wait for me?"
"I know, we're sorry. I'm so sorry." Steve apologizes, kissing the side of her head. "We saw what the Russians are doing -"
"They opened the gate. We know. It's alright, I was being stupid, too."
"You? Stupid?" He cracks a smile, and Veronica sniffs.
"The reason I crashed my car… It wasn't just because of the rain. I-I felt him. I just, I didn't want to admit it. And then I wanted to tell you, but you were gone!" She sobs, and Steve holds his girlfriend tighter, going over her words.
"How long… how long did you…"
"Since the last night at camp." Veronica admits, pulling back to stare up at him, face blotchy and flushed, her eyes impossibly green from all her crying. "At first, I thought it was just stress. Or my mind playing tricks on me."
"Hey, it's alright." Steve kisses her cheek. "You're okay, we're alright. All of us." He nods over to Dustin, then Richard and Robin, and finally Erica.
"Erica?" Veronica asks.
"What are you doing here?" Lucas loudly questions his sister.
"Ask them. It's their fault!" The girl insists as they all gather in the center of the food court, Steve exchanging tired nods with Jonathan and Nancy, who spare confused glances at Robin and Richard.
Feeling Veronica's eyes on him, he faces the music. "True, yeah. Totally true. It's absolutely our fault."
"Erica was the second girl?" Steve frowns at his girlfriend, but her focus is on El, who nods. And jeez, the girl looks rough. His eyes flick down to her bandaged leg, the gauze spotted with blood.
"I don't understand what happened to that car." Robin panics.
"El has superpowers." Dustin is quick to explain.
"I'm sorry?"
"Superpowers. She threw it with her mind. C'mon, catch up." Steve clarifies, holding Veronica close once more, trying to keep her away from the blood and specks of vomit clinging to the collar of his uniform.
"That's El?" Erica points at the girl, who waves back.
"Who's El?" Robin asks.
"She is. God!" Dustin exclaims, exasperated. "Everyone, this Robin -"
"Yeah, we know who she is -"
"Shut up, Jonathan, they don't know!" Steve snickers as Veronica's brother scolds the older Byers teen while gesturing to the rest of the incoming freshmen. "She cracked the top secret code."
"Yeah, which is how we found out about the Russians." Steve adds.
Nancy nods. "Vera's told us as much."
"So we've actually got Russians in Hawkins?" Jonathan asks, looking for confirmation.
Steve's more than happy to give it. "Yeah, shit, don't you see what they did to my face?"
"Those were Russians?" Max points over at the dead guards.
"Didn't you get my code red?" Dustin asks his sister, but she's too busy letting Steve hold her to answer, so Mike takes over.
"We couldn't understand what you were saying most of the time."
"Goddamn low battery!" Dustin shouts.
Steve can't help but scold his buddy, having had this same lecture with him at least twice a week. "How many times do I have to tell you with the low battery?"
"Well, everything worked out, didn't it, Steve?" Dustin argues.
"Worked out? We almost died!" Erica shouts, Steve wincing at both the volume and the accuracy.
"Yeah, but we didn't, did we?"
"It was pretty damn close." Steve mutters, kissing Veronica's forehead apologetically as her nails dig into his biceps.
"Shit. You're right. Guys, we've got a full-blown Red Dawn situation, not to mention the gate." Dustin points out.
There's a grunt, then a groan, and they all turn to watch El collapse on the ground, having stumbled away from them. Veronica is suddenly alert, shoving herself away from Steve to check on El, the way she falls to her knees making the older of the couple wince.
"El, sweetheart? Talk to me, girlie. El?" Roni pleads.
"What's wrong?" Mike asks as he kneels on the fallen girl's other side, Dustin beside him.
"My leg. My leg." El manages to whine out, crying as Roni brushes her hair back while Jonathan and Nancy unwrap the gauze. They all groan at the throbbing bump over the wound, and then something wriggles under it, kind of like a fish. Steve wrinkles his nose, but when he notices the terror on Roni's face he hurries over to join her and El, trying to soothe her as well, but it's no use. The girl continues to wail, until eventually all she can do is release an ear-shattering scream.