Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Fifty-Four: We're Good

"It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the county reporter's office." Robin said, laying down a giant sheet of paper on the table. I raised my eyebrows as I saw that it was the building schematics. "Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints."

"Not bad." Dustin told her.

"So this is us, Scoops," She said, pointing at the bottom of the blueprints, "And this is where we want to get." She trailed her fingers across the page to the top.

"I mean, I don't really see a way in." Steve said. I looked up, my eyes landing on the vent on the back wall. 

"There probably isn't...if you're only looking for doors." I said, glancing at Robin for confirmation. She nodded, picking up the blueprints to reveal another page.

"Air ducts." Dustin realized.

"Exactly. Turns out this secret room needs air just like any old room," She said, walking over to the marker board and grabbing the marker before walking back, and "These air ducts," She circled the vent at Scoops, drawing a path to the secret room, "lead all the way...here." She circled the secret room, and we all looked up at the vent.

~~~

Steve stood on a ladder now with a screwdriver clamped between his teeth. He took the great down, handing it off to Dustin while Robin and I stood by and watched. 

"Flashlight," He said to Dustin, who handed it up to him and took the screwdriver, "Thank you." He looked into the vent. "Yeah, I don't know man. I don't know if you can fit in here. It's like...super tight."

"I'll fit," He said, as Steve climbed down, "Trust me. No collar bones, remember?"

"Um, excuse me?" Robin asked as Dustin climbed the ladder.

"Oh yeah, he's got uh...he's got some disease? Chry, uh...its Chrydo, um..."

"Cleidocranial Dysplasia." I told her.

"Yeah...that." Steve agreed. "He's missing bones and stuff, he can bend like Gumbo."

"You mean Gumby." 

"I'm pretty sure its Gumbo." He looked at me, clearly waiting for me to smile and roll my eyes or something that I would normally do. When I didn't do that, his expectant smile fell.

"Steve, just shut up and push me!" Dustin shouted, half of his body in the vent. "Ok," He glanced at us again, pointing at Dustin before walking over to him, "I'll push ya."

He started pushing on his feet.

"Not my feet, dummy push my butt."

"What?"

"Touch my butt! I don't care!"  He climbed up the ladder, beginning to push on his butt. "Come on, Harder!"

"I'm pushing!"

"Push harder!" He screeched.

"This clearly isn't going to work! If we have to jam you in there you're probably not gonna have enough space to move anyway!" I yelled.

"You're playing with my legs."

"I'm not playing, I have terrible footing!' Steve argued, both of them ignoring me.

"Come on!"

"I'm gonna just shove you, ready?"

"They're morons. Absolute Morons." She said, causing me to chuckle halfheartedly. "Hey. You ok? You've been acting weird the past couple of days. You and Harrington haven't been all over each other like you usually are."