The Long Game━ (l. sinclair)

love in the air, flowers in her hair

Stephanie thought that was very fair. Her last straw, as well, was the thought of anyone hurting Sam. Her baby sister, Sam.

So Stephanie was putting her gun knowledge to use — Thank you, Mom, rest in peace — and searching through War Zone's plentiful collection.

Honestly, she felt insanely freaked out. It wasn't even just about the fact that Sam was wanted and had run from the police. War Zone was filled with a multitude of angry hicks, and Stephanie was their biggest nightmare. Just one look at her — her dyed pink hair, her nose ring — and she was officially Angry Hick Enemy #1. Stephanie knew she'd never really fit into Indiana, but she'd never felt more alone in that than she did right now.

Sam, where are you? she desperately thought.

"And when I, uh — When I thought you couldn't look any cooler."

Stephanie flinched around in fear, combat shotgun in hand. Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington startled backwards in unison, avoiding the brutal force of the end of her gun.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry!" Stephanie hissed, letting the gun fall a little down in her grip. "I didn't — Fuck — Didn't see you — I mean, obviously I didn't, I wouldn't purposely try and hit you with a gun—"

She was cut off by Robin laughing at her. Not maliciously just... fond.

Stephanie's heart swelled a little happily.

Now that she calmed down from the jump scare, Stephanie could properly breathe and soak in the sight before her. Together, Robin and Steve were filling a shopping cart with canisters and canisters of gasoline. It was a little concerning, but their demeanors rose more suspicion. They were — in lack of a kinder word — really dirty, and Steve looked like he'd been beaten up by a hoard of angry bats.

Which was impossible, obviously.

"Hi," Stephanie tried again, face tinting in embarrassment. "Robin, Steve."

Steve waved with an amused smile, nodding up at her. Robin echoed, "S-Steph."

Steve proceeded to make the exact face Warren Aquino made when Stephanie failed to speak properly to Robin.

"I just — You know I wasn't trying to take you guys out, right? I probably look like a menace holding a shotgun, but it's not meant for hurting you guys."

"I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you said when you accidentally stabbed me in the hand with a violin bow," Robin muttered, holding up the back of her hand that still harbored a scar from Stephanie.

Stephanie grimaced, because that wasn't her proudest moment. "I'm sorry. I still stand by the fact that was an accident. I promise."

"You actually stabbed her?" Steve questioned. "I thought she was just being, like, dramatic."

Stephanie's first thought was Robin talks about me? but then it was an embarrassed Steve knows I stabbed his best friend.

"I was just" — so blinded by Robin's beauty that my hand dropped down and her hand coincidentally happened to be there — "a really uncoordinated seventh grader."

"Yeah, sure," Steve responded, though there was an amused note to his voice.

Robin was standing there, just staring at Stephanie, mouth parted slightly. Stephanie internally wondered if she was going to speak up, but it seemed like Robin was in some sort of trance with her eyes on Stephanie. She couldn't do anything but look back at Robin.

From very distantly away, she heard Steve sigh tiredly.

"Robin, I'm gonna get more of this shit, okay?" he said, but Robin only waved her hand back at Steve to show she'd heard him. "All right, awesome, bye."