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july 4th
starcourt mall - weathertop
"hey, heads up." hopper threw dustin a walkie, "you can navigate, just from someplace safe."
"it's not that simple." dustin sighed.
"the signal won't reach." erica added.
"not with this. you need something with a high enough frequency band to relay with the russians' radio tower." dustin explained, "but for that to work, you need someone who has both seen their comms room and has access to a super-powered handcrafted radio tower. one preferably already situated at the highest point in hawkins. oh, wait-"
"yes dusty, tell him about you and slate's cerebro." tilly praised him.
"right uh, i was getting to that. if you want us to navigate, you got us." dustin nodded, "but we need a head start. and a car."
hopper sighed before throwing steve the car keys.
"sweet." steve gushed as he caught them.
"let's go." dustin headed for the door.
slater crouched down to his best friend who was sitting alone on the fountain edge, "are you going to be okay? wanna come with?"
"we need her here." mike told him.
"right." slater sighed, "stay safe, okay?"
tilly nodded, "only if you stay safer. goodbye, slater."
"see you, loser."
"come on, slater!" robin called out.
slater smiled and kissed her cheek before running off after the other four. steve pushed the mall doors open and they came face-to-face with their new ride.
"oh man. now this... this is what i'm talkin about!" steve gaped at the yellow sports car he was permitted to drive.
"toddfather?" robin read out the licence plate.
"oh, screw todd!" steve chuckled while leaping into the car, "steve's her daddy now."
"did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" robin asked her coworker.
"did he just call himself daddy?" erica added on.
"he's such an airhead." slater shook his head in disappointment as he entered the back of the car.
"all right, where are we going?" steve quizzed.
"weathertop."
"weather-what?"
"just drive!" dustin demanded.
"okay... Jesus."
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will went over to his mother to converse with her before he left while tilly trudged over to her dad.
she collapsed into his arms and he held her up, "whoa, whoa. majo, why didn't you just let me come to you."
"exercise."
"you stay safe, alright?" daniel told her, "stay close to everyone else and make sure you're not alone."
tilly chucked, "i'm pretty sure maxine has appointed herself as my personal bodyguard. i'll be okay."
"define okay."
"alive." she deadpanned.
"no. well, yes." daniel shook his head, "i mean: no injuries, stop getting yourself hurt."
"i know, i know." tilly nodded, "you be okay too? i don't want to lose you. i don't know what i'd do without you. we come as a pair, you know? we complete each-other."
"majo... i'll be fine." daniel told her while pecking her forehead, "i will be fine."
"love you."
"love you more."
"joane! come over here." joyce ushered her over.
tilly pushed herself up from the bench and stumbled over to the pair. once she reached them, will put his arms on her waist to secure him.
"just keep her safe, please." joyce sighed as she pulled them into a group hug.
"i will." he nodded while smiling at the girl.
"ah-ah." tilly shook her head, "i can take care of myself."
joyce playfully rolled her eyes, "of course you can. i know you can."
"will." daniel waved his hands to get his attention.
he looked up nervously, turned to tilly who was smirking and walked over to her dad. as they conversed, joyce continued to talk to tilly.
"october 31st, 1984." joyce started, making her scrunch her face in confusion.
"huh?"
"will told you you looked pretty," joyce stated, "i heard it on the recording."
tilly's eyes widened in pure astonishment, "i-"
"that's when i knew he liked you." joyce resumed, "and he really does. look after each other, okay?"
"of course."
"hey." mike spoke up, grabbing their awareness, "we should probably go."
"cmon, tilda." max put her arms around her and tugged her away.
"mike, will?" hopper called out, "be careful."
they nodded and went over to nancy and jonathan.
"you're like my human crutch." tilly told the girl.
"because i'm helping you stand?" max challenged while lucas held the door open for them.
"because without you, i wouldn't be able to stabilise myself." tilly shrugged.
"awe." max gushed, "is tilda getting heartfelt," she spoke in a babyish voice.
"you're an asshole, maxine." tilly scoffed, "i take it back."
max laughed, "you're my human crutch too."
"oh, i know." tilly grinned as she turned back to look at the four adults.
"you make me feel complete, majo." daniel mouthed to her as he walked backwards to hopper, joyce and murray.
tilly blinked back tears and nodded, sending him a smile.
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"tilda, you're bleeding." max gazed at her nose while her and will walked her to the car.
"are you okay?" will interrogated her.
"mhm."
max opened the trunk door, "here. okay."
"here." will carried her into the seat, "lay down."
"thank you, will." tilly groaned out in agony.
nancy turned the engine on and it spluttered, causing her face to drop.
"what's wrong?" jonathan asked her.
"i don't- i don't know." she stammered before trying again, "you can't be serious. come on!"
"didn't your mum just buy this car?" lucas asked her.
"yes." nancy sighed as she attempted once again, "i'm sure it's fine."
"did you leave the lights on?" will questioned.
"no."
"do we have gas?" lucas quizzed.
"yes!" she snapped, "come on!"
"whoa, whoa, whoa!" jonathan put her arm down, "just stop, stop! pop the hood."
the two stepped out of the car and opened the hood. they watched as the two conversed, looking distressed.
a car revving was heard in the distance - a familiar one. the car's lights turn on and the engine continued to run. the kids stared at it in terror and jumped when nancy slammed her palm on the window.
"back in the mall!" she ordered, "back in the mall!"
"go! go, go, go!"
"be careful!" will instructed as he and max carried tilly out the back.
"holy shit." she gasped.
"go! go!"
"go, go, go!"
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"Jesus, how far is this place, man?" steve groaned in impatience, they had still been driving.
dustin rolled his eyes from the back, "relax, we're almost there."
"suzie and karla must be pretty special, huh?" robin asked, "i mean, if you two built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to them?"
"i mean, nobody's scientifically perfect, but suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be." dustin gushed.
slater nodded, "karla... s-she's great. better than great, she's amazing."
robin smiled happily, but erica didn't look amused. "they both sound made-up to me. they sound made-up to you?"
steve stayed quiet, making everyone look over to him.
"why are you hesitating, steve?"
"i'm- i'm- i'm not! i'm not!" steve exclaimed, "i think they sound real. you know, totally, absolutely real."
"why do you sound unsure?" slater asked.
"me? pssh. i sound sure." steve chuckled nervously, "very sure. so sure."
"left." dustin demanded, "turn left."
"there's not a road here." steve gazed out the window.
"turn left now!" dustin ordered.
"Jesus! hang on!"
steve swerved the car quickly, making them drive straight through a fence. they all screamed out.
"whoa! henderson, where are we going?!" steve questioned.
"up!"
"whoa!" steve called out as he drove up weathertop hill, "oh, Jesus!"
"we're not gonna make it!" robin stated.
"yes, we are." steve reassured her, "come on, baby. come on, baby!"
"steve... the engine is straining." slater called out.
"come on!" steve grunted, "come on. come on. come on!"
"guess the toddfather has its limitations." robin said as the car refused to move.
while panting, steve gave up and stopped the car. they all exited the vehicle and headed up the hill.
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"scoops troop, do you copy?" mike repeated as he paced, "scoops troop, do you copy? scoops troop, do you copy?"
"what's he doing?" tilly asked with her feet on the wooden foodcourt chair.
"we need to get help." will reminded her.
"scoops troop, i repeat, do you copy?" mike recited, "we're trapped in the mall and in need of emergency transportation."
lucas pointed his wrist rocket at the air as nancy prepped her gun.
"you're gonna hit me with that." tilly winced.
"scoops troop, do you copy? billy has found us." mike continued as he paced, "he has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall."
"i'm not even near you." lucas raised his eyebrow.
"i repeat: billy has disabled our car and we are trapped in the mall."
"can someone help get her cleaned up?" nancy asked, "we need all the help we can get."
"scoops troop-"
"nance... i'm not a baby." tilly crossed her arms.
"you're the youngest, so you basically are." lucas gave her a cheeky smile.
"i'm going to get you, sinclair."
"bite me, davis." he challenged.
"okay." will stood up, "i'll do it." he helped her up and the two stalked over to the ground floor's bathroom.
"you're gonna kill him, aren't you?" max worried, her voice trailing off as they got further away.
"this is the girls' bathroom, william." tilly stated as they stood at the entrance.
will flushed red and scratched his neck, "er... would you rather go to the boys."
"ew, no." tilly gagged as he pulled her onto the counter, "boys are gross."
"really?" will asked.
"oh yeah." she nodded, her stomach churning, "i think i-i'm gonna."
beofre will could speak, tilly stumbled to the toilet bowl and retched inside it. will moved after her and removed her hair from her face.
"i'm sorry, will." tilly slumped onto the toilet stall, "i'm a mess."
"it's not you're fault." he sat opposite her.
tilly sighed, "you're the best boyfriend ever, you know?"
"i am? thought boys were gross." will teased her.
she laughed, "that was lifetimes ago."
"more like twenty seconds." will jeered while gently yanking her to her feet, "come on. do you feel better?"
"a bit." she sighed.
"good." will nodded while they made their way back to the others.
⎯ ❃ neens speaks!
it's intense, so intense now and so much went on this chapter
cute will and tilly moment at the end🥺, what would their ship name be?