Yesterday, Steve had shown you around his house and up to the guest room on the second floor. You had slept well in the cozy bed and was now ready to run over to yours to shower and change. Steve was fast asleep although it was early in the morning.
You knocked on his bedroom door and opened it when no one responded. "Steve?" He was snoring. "Hey, Steve?"
"I'm not late, Mr Click cancelled first period..."
"... Steve? It's me.. (Y/N).. anyway, I'm uh... Pick me up when you're done." You went down the stairs and grabbed your still damp shoes and clothes to carry them with you back home barefoot, and wash them.
You snuck up the stairs to shower and took off the big t-shirt Steve gave you last night. Also his sweatpants and... your underwear. You changed into your own clothes afterwards and put the ones you lent on your bed and started to get ready.
Apparently Steve managed to get up in time and you heard his car honk outside.
"Damn, not even a goodbye?"
"Hey, I did say goodbye."
"Oh. You must've left early, then."
You nodded. "Yeah, thanks for letting me stay over. I had a good time yesterday, apart from.. all the.. bad things..?" You tried to sound formal and forget about the fact that Steve totally made your childhood crush come back. Not like, a real crush, but he was cute.
Steve smiled. "Yeah, me too, (Y/L/N). Hey, uh, do you remember if we were going to pick Henderson up or.. cause I remember that Robin didn't need a ride, but..."
You rolled your eyes. "Yeah, Steve, you promised him.. How do you even know each other?"
"Oh. Uhm. I helped him find a lost pet once." His voice was trembling, "We went through some crazy things together and uh, turns out I'm a pretty good babysitter."
"Okay." You figured that Steve would tell you more ingoing about his relationships if he felt like it in the future. "He seems mature for his age."
"Henderson? I mean, I guess sometimes but..."
Dustin was already waiting outside the house and waved wildly when he saw the car.
"That key-card opens the door but the Russian with this key-card also has a massive gun." Dustin explained after he had spied on them from the rooftop again. "Whatever's in that room , whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anyone finding it." He paced back and forward in the backroom of Scoops Ahoy while Robin and Steve sat by the table. You were sitting on the window frame, keeping watch so that no customers were forgotten. Steve was spinning his damp hat on his hand. Apparently he only had one company hat but other work shirts and pants..
"Well, there's gotta be a way in." Robin said.
Steve dropped the hat onto the table, "Well, you know..." he leaned forward with his arms on the table and looked at the three of you. "I could just take him out."
"Take who out?" Robin raised her eyebrows.
"The Russian guard."
Silence.
"What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out and take his key-card. It's easy." Steve put one foot on the chair to put his elbow on it and rest his head on his hand(wordy damn).
"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" You asked.
"Yes, (Y/N), I did." He gave you an annoyed glare. "And that's why I would be sneaking." He imitated a sneaking motion with two fingers walking on the table.
You crossed your arms. "Well, please tell me... have you actually ever won a fight? Cause I remember Billy-"
"Okay, that was one time-"
"Twice. Jonathan. Year prior?" Dustin interrupted.
"Listen, that doesn't count."
"Why wouldn't it? Because it looked like he beat the shit out of you." Dustin reminded you all of how Steve had looked after that fight. Yeah, you remembered.
"It was..." Steve tried.
"You got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye, a lot of blood.."
Robin tapped your shoulder and asked you to leave the room with her. She grabbed some money out of the tips jar on the counter.
"Robin. What are you doing?" Steve shouted from behind the counter.
"I need cash." She said.
"Well, half of that is mine. Where're you two going?"
"To find us a way into that room!"
"A safe way." You added, though you had no idea what Robin's plan was.
"And in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. We'll be back in a jiff!" Robin lead you out of the mall and onto her bike. Her plan was to secure a map over the entire Starcourt Mall from the County Recorder's Office, and she succeeded. You were soon back at the mall with the huge map; the complete blueprint.
"Not bad." Dustin complimented Robin.
"So this is us, Scoops. And this is where we want to get." She pointed at the different rooms.
"I mean, I don't really see a way in." Steve admitted.
"There's not, if you're talking exclusively about doors." Robin replied and you lifted the first map to reveal the one underneath.
"Air ducts." Dustin smiled big.
"Yeah, our secret room needs air as well. And these air ducts lead all the way there."
Steve grabbed a screwdriver to open the vent in the backroom. "Flashlight." Dustin handed it to him. "Thank you." He looked for a moment and decided, "Yeah, I don't know, man. I don't think you can fit in here. It's like... super tight.."
"I'll fit. Trust me. No collarbones, remember?"
You and Robin exchanged glances as per usual. "Uh, excuse me?" She said.
"Oh, he's, uh.. Yeah, he's got some disease." Steve put a hand on one hip as he tried to remember what it was called. " Chry... uh.. It's chrydo, um.. Something. Yeah, I dunno. He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo."
"You mean... Gumby." Robin corrected.
"I'm pretty sure it's Gumbo." He nodded and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Steve, shut up and push me!"
"Okay. I'll push ya." Steve climbed up the steps on the ladder to push Dustin's feet.
"Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass!"
"... What?"
"Touch my butt! I don't care. Push!"
"... I'm pushing!"
"Push harder!" The kid yowled. "You're playing with my legs."
"I'm not playing, I have terrible footing!" Steve climbed further up and tried to push Dustin further in but it was useless.
You laughed at the scene in front of you.
"It's not funny!" Dustin shouted.
"It is." Robin said before the both of you looked out the little window to see Erica Sinclair ready to order free samples. "Perfect." You and Robin said at the same time.
It took an extreme amount of bribing but you finally convinced Erica to help you out. Free ice cream for life was the cost but it would be worth it.
"You nerds in position or what?" Erica asked through the walkie-talkie.
"Yeah, we're in position." Robin replied. You were once again sat on the roof between her and Steve. Sun was down and the sky was clear with stars.
"It's all quiet here, so you've got the green light. Be careful, Erica." You said.
"Green light, roger that. Commence Operation Child Endangerment."
"Can we maybe not call it that?" Robin mumbled.
"See you on the other side. Nerds."
You looked at Robin, then at Steve. You all felt nervous as Erica started crawling through the vents.
After some minutes of grunting she finally said, "Alright, nerds. I'm there."
You breathed out and felt Steve leaning on your left side to get closer to the walkie-talkie that Robin held on your right side. "Do you-- do you see anything?" You asked.
"Yeah, I see those boring boxes you're so excited about."
You nodded as you talked into the mic. "Any guards? You okay?"
"Negative. And positive."
"Booby traps?" Robin asked.
"If I could see them, they'd be pretty shit traps, wouldn't they?" Erica let out a yell as she kicked open the vent. "I'm in."
"Oh, god." Steve put his head in his palms before running them through his hair.
Soon the garage door opened, revealing an Erica in the dark room. "Free ice cream. For life."
You sped down from the roof and into the room to explore. Steve cut a box open with a knife. It was another box inside. He rotated the handle and removed the lid.
"That's definitely not Chinese food." He said and prepared to pick up one of the other handles inside the box, inside the box.. "Uh, maybe you guys should, you know, stand back."
You, Erica and Robin took a step back and you remembered her comment about chemical weapons the other day. Dustin stayed put.
"Just... Just step back, okay?" Steve repeated and tried to push him away.
"No."
"Step back. Seriously."
"No! No! If you die, I die." Dustin was dead serious.
Steve shrugged and lowered his hand from Dustin to rest it on the box. "Okay." Air hissed as he grabbed the metal handle. It was a container of a green strange substance. "What the hell?" You all studied it.
"What is that?"
The entire room suddenly started to shake. "Was that just me or did the room move?" Dustin asked.
"Booby traps." Erica whispered. You heard mechanical wirring.
"You know what? Let's just grab that and go." Robin decided as she took the container from Steve.
"Which one do I press, Erica?" Dustin asked as he repeatedly tried to press them.
"Just press the damn button, nerd! Press 'open door'!"
"I'm pressing the button, okay? I'm pressing 'open door'!"
"Just open the- Press the other button." Steve pushed Dustin out of the way. Everyone was starting to panic while desperately pushing all the possible buttons. You felt your throat go dry when another door slammed shut over the exit that wouldn't open. The room started to drop.
I really don't want to take away Steve and Robin's connection
and friendship, it's important so I'll try to not ruin the real
storyline too much :)