CHAPTER 026. SCOOPS TROOP
APPARENTLY, THE CHIEF WAS EASIER TO CONVINCE THAN LAURIE HAD INITIALLY THOUGHT.
While Laurie and Robin had their heart-to-heart at Orange Julius, Dustin and Erica had been - despite Steve's objections - nagging Hopper over and over again about how they could make his attempt at breaking into the Russian base much smoother if he'd let them navigate him, Murray and Joyce.
Laurie knew that after her dad had been arrested for protesting a few years ago that she and the chief wouldn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but surprisingly, this wasn't one of them. The kids wanted to go back and risk their lives to help the newly joined adults, and sure, their intentions were pure, but logistically, they weren't the best.
Now, whether the Chief had actually decided their assistance was necessary, or that he just agreed to get them to stop bothering him, she's unsure, but regardless, Laurie was finally given the chance to leave the godforsaken mall and she'd be a liar to say that she wasn't a little excited about it.
"Oh, man, now this! This is what I'm talkin' about!" Steve cheered after pushing open the glass doors at the mall's entrance, the keys Hopper had handed to him swinging on his ring finger.
The group were met with a shiny banana-yellow convertible. It was practically begging for negligence with the way it sat perfectly clean and looked all brand new, the hood pulled down to reveal its red leather seats and they beamed against the neon lights that shined from the lights above.
Laurie knew Steve liked cars, fancy ones that she nor her parents have had the luxury to afford, and the way he grinned like a kid at a candy store at the mere sight of the vehicle in front of them made her almost forget that they were on a mission to assist in saving the world.
"Okay, I don't mean to sound like a broken record or anything, but who the hell is Todd?" Laurie had asked as her eyes lingered on the license plate. TODFTH, it had read, and Laurie had to stop herself from cringing at the thought of what kind of person you'd have to be to do something as self-centred as naming your car after yourself.
"Follow-up question, how the hell did Hopper even get this?" Robin quickly followed as Laurie swung open the door and stepped to the side so she and Erica could climb into the back. "I've never seen anybody driving this fancy ass thing around Hawkins,"
"They probably hijacked it from douchebag Todd back in Illinois," Erica suggested and Dustin gaped at her, wide-eyed, silently questioning the Sinclair girl because why would Jim Hopper of all people steal a car? "What? Cops abuse their authority to do shit like that all the time. Just the facts,"
"Okay, so.. we're assisting in Grand Theft Auto. Great. That's great," Robin commented as Laurie pushed back the passenger seat and slide inside, pulling the door closed with her. The sarcasm was practically dripping from her tongue. "Stealing a car has always been at the top of my bucket list,"
"Oh, who cares?" Steve exclaimed, hopping into the driver's seat with a soft thud and he positively beamed at the wheel. "Screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now!"
Dustin groaned. "Dude,"
Robin scowled from the backseat. "Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?"
Erica's eyebrows knitted together. "Did he just call himself Daddy?"
Laurie stifled a laugh at the boy beside her, sparing him a somewhat confused glance because she was pretty sure he hadn't even noticed the sexual implication of the word despite the rest of the group's mutual verbal distaste.
The girl in the front seat quickly twisted to look at the two kids squished in the back, sides flushed against one another and she reminded them, "Seatbelts,"
Robin suddenly leaned forward from behind Laurie and rested an arm on the headrest, bringing herself closer to Laurie's ear and she whispered, "You're about to date a guy who just called himself Daddy,"
"Shut up," Laurie's cheeks rose with heat as she turned back to face the front of the car, and despite the night sky concealing her embarrassment, Robin chuckled at her best friend before sinking back into the leather upholstery.
"So, where are we going?" Steve had asked as he put the keys into the ignition and the car sprung to life.
"Weathertop," Dustin stated in a matter-of-fact tone after sending a momentary glare at Erica, who had yanked on his seatbelt just because she could.
Steve's eyes narrowed at the curly-haired boy in the rearview mirror as he shifted the car into reverse. "Weather-what?"
"Just drive!"
"Okay, Jesus!" Steve shouted back, resting his arm over Laurie's headrest to look back as he reversed the car before shifting it back into drive. The Toddfather's tires screeched in resistance against the wet concrete and Steve pressed his foot harder on the gas and they raced out of the Starcourt parking lot.
That was a few minutes ago, and now an unnerving sensation begins to burn and spread like an infectious disease in Laurie's chest as Steve rounds a corner as they reach the outskirts of Hawkins. To her knowledge, the last time anybody had their eyes on the Mind Flayer was back in the woods where El and the rest of Griswold's Family - Dustin's idea of a call sign - got attacked and injured.
Laurie isn't too sure exactly where this supposed cabin is, whether her worries are meaningless because it's on the opposite side of town or not, but she can't stop herself from flinching at the sight of the trees rustling and the loud bangs and cracks of the fireworks that have been going off at the Fourth of July celebration.
She should be at that carnival with Robin in her family right now, not driving into the middle of nowhere to help the chief of police navigate a secret Russian base hidden beneath the new mall where'd she just been beaten and drugged in. She should be playing obviously rigged games, paying far too much money on food that'll rot her teeth from the inside out- having fun.
Fun. Such a small word that Laurie regrets taking for granted now, because after tonight, whatever might happen, she's not too sure she'll ever have the ability to experience fun and feel pure unabashed joy again.
Laurie isn't sure how long she's been gnawing at her nails, but her once pretty pink polish has now lost all resemblance it had to its once well-manicured status from a few days ago. Chipped and cracked, cuticles aching and hangnails stinging, Laurie's eyes stare on worriedly into the darkness of the woods they drive past as her life depends on it.
Funnily enough, it kind of does.
Part of Laurie feels the need to ask whatever God that will listen to make sure they make it out of this night alive, that the 30-foot whatever won't find them and stop them before they can carry out their hastily made plan and save Hawkins.
She's never been one to heavily indulge herself in religious behaviours other than the occasional times she and her family have gone to church, but this time feels like it's urgent; a time that her faith is truly being put on trial because if there is an upper power, it'll do whatever it can to make sure they'll all be okay by tomorrow.
Laurie would have prayed, begged for protection or safety or whatever it is that people ask of the Lord if it weren't for the sudden feeling of Steve's hand taking place on her thigh and squeezing, a subtle gesture that has her snapping out of her thoughts in one fell swoop.
When Laurie turns to look at Steve, fully expecting him to be sparing her a soft glance, one in an attempt at calming the rapid beating in her chest, she's surprised to see that his gaze is still set on the road ahead of him- almost as if him placing a hand on her thigh was an afterthought and has already become second nature to him, a small mannerism that'll go without saying from this point forward as if he's been doing it for years.
Just pushing past the speed limit, Steve huffs out a sigh and looks at Dustin through the rearview mirror. "So.. exactly how far is this place, man?"
"It's not that far," Dustin retorts. "We're almost there,"
"So.. speaking of," Robin forces out a cough, "Suzie must be pretty special, huh? I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"
She forms it as a question rather than a statement, and even Laurie can tell that Erica was biting her tongue to poke fun at the boy and his apparent girlfriend. Although Laurie's pretty sure Suzie isn't real, she would be a liar to say that it's not romantic if she was. It's a wholesome kind of romantic, innocent and pure and fuelled by genuine admiration and it makes her smile at the thought.
"First of all, we aren't in the middle of nowhere," Dustin corrects for probably the tenth time tonight. "-and second, no one's scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be,"
Laurie and Steve share a glance and the girl has to suppress her laughter when he dramatically rolls his eyes. Her gaze lingers on him before she turns in her seat to look at the boy pinched between Robin and Erica. "That's great, Dustin,"
"Oh, great my ass," Erica barks out a laugh. "She sounds totally made-up to me,"
Dustin's mouth drops open at the Sinclair girl's unapologetic attitude, and he quickly snaps his head back to Laurie as if he's expecting her to do something about it. Laurie's mouth stays agape for a second and she glances over at Robin, eyes flash for help, because who is she to tell a preteen that his girlfriend is existent or not?
Robin is no help, however, because she lightly shrugs and sinks further into the leather cushioning, hiding her toothy grin behind the palm of her ring-cladded hand.
"Why are you hesitating?" Dustin's eyes form into slits. "Why are you hesitating, Laurie?"
"Can you just relax, Henderson?" Steve buts in, pulling the attention over to him. "She didn't.. she's not hesitating, all right? We.. we all think she's real, okay?"
Erica snorts. "I don't think she's real,"
"We think she's real," Steve amends, momentarily lifting his hand from Laurie's thigh and he motions between them both, sparing a glance at the boy who's fuming in the back seat. "Suzie's.. you know, totally.. absolutely real,"
Dustin pushes his cap further off of his mess of curls, before he snaps, "You two are a pair of assholes, you know that?"
"Whoa!"
"Excuse me?"
"I was the one that convinced Steve to ask you out, Laurie!" He quips, earning an annoyed glance from Steve from the driver's seat. "Oh, don't even give me that look, Steve!" His tangent continues despite Robin and Erica bursting into fits of laughter, loud cackles followed by suppressed snickers. "You know damn well that I'm the reason you two are dating and are in love and all that shit!"
Steve and Laurie stare at the curly-haired boy, eyes wide at the accusation, redness flooding their cheeks. The eldest boy barely manages to peel his eyes away from his younger counterpart to look back at the road ahead of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa-"
Laurie's mouth drops open. "I'm sorry?"
"Who said anything about love-"
"We aren't even dating-"
Steve swiftly cranes his neck to look over at Laurie. "We're not?"
Laurie turns, eyes somehow growing wider at the boy sitting in the driver's seat. "We are?"
This is not the time to be talking about labels. Laurie twists in her seat to face the road again, fully intent on letting the conversation sizzle out and die because the last thing she needs is another problem piling onto her mountain of already existing ones.
Dustin's mouth drops open to say something again, probably another snarky comment at the expense of the now flustered pair in the two front seats, but his eyes are suddenly caught on something to his left. "Oh, shit! Turn left!"
"What?"
Dustin voice booms, "Turn left now!"
Laurie barely has the chance to prepare before both of Steve's hands grip the steering wheel and he pulls, hard, causing the car's tires to screech just like they had earlier and they swerve off of the road and crash through a wooden fence, suddenly driving onto a grassy plain.
The group all holler in collective panic as stray pieces of wood fly past them and Laurie can feel the wind knock out of her lungs. The bumpiness of the new terrain has her gripping the dash and at Steve's bicep and the sudden feeling of them inclining up a steep hill has her heart rate going faster and faster.
"Holy shit!" Steve shouts as he tries to keep control of the Toddfather, which had seemingly gained a mind of its own as it bumps over the uneven landscape and starts struggling against the elevation. "Henderson, where are we going?!"
"Just keep going up!"
Laurie whips her head around, eyes wide like a mad woman. "What!?"
"We're not gonna make it!" Robin cries out, head shaking rapidly as the car's speed starts to hinder by the thickness of the grass below the wheels.
"Yes, we are!" The Harrington boy shouts, hands tapping against the wheel. "Come on, baby! Come on!"
Laurie wraps her hands over the side of the car and peers down at the ground below when the Toddfather's engine starts to strain, their movement suddenly starting to come to a slow. The plains are still suffering from the rainstorm from just a few days ago, the dirt beneath the grass revealing itself to still be in a muddy state as the car's wheels continue to try and escape its grasp.
"Come on!" Steve hollers, his foot pushing harder on the gas.
Laurie knows that Steve's never been one to give up right away, especially without a fight, but despite how nice this car is, he has to acknowledge that the Toddfather has its own limitations, too.
"Steve," Laurie grabs at Steve's arm once the Toddfather's slow movements have turned into an eventual stop. He seems disappointed in himself when Laurie mutters his name once more, her grip on his bicep softening and he, reluctantly, starts taking his foot off the gas pedal.
He hangs his head in defeat for a moment as the rest of the group impatiently clammer out of the car. Dustin, Erica, and Robin all start their trek up the hill, energised chattering booming between them all like they'd just hopped off a rollercoaster ride.
It takes some coaxing, a gentle smile followed by the offering of her hand, but Steve eventually drags himself out of the Toddfather and he trails behind Laurie as they start their ascent up Weathertop.
LAURIE USED TO REVEL IN HER PATIENCE.
Being friends with someone like Robin who lacks efficient storytelling skills, having an overly angsty teenaged brother who takes a few pokes and prods before he opens up and working at her mom's diner that frequents elderly customers who take far too long to decide on what they want to order, Laurie's learnt that one of her better qualities is her patience.
It was almost remarkable, really, how well she could shield her frustration or anxiety when waiting for long periods as if she doesn't feel like she was actively going into cardiac arrest. But now, standing around and waiting for Bald Eagle - Murray Bauman - to radio Dustin and Erica for directions makes her feel like she's going crazy and she's lost all motivation to hide it.
Laurie's not too sure at what point she slowly let herself wander away from the group and across the expanse of the top of the hill, but she doesn't mind. She's a few feet away, water from the damp grass seeping through the fabric of her Converse as she takes a moment to have a few deep breaths so she can try and wrap her head around everything.
This is taking too long, she thinks to herself, why is this taking so long? Dustin and Erica swore to the chief that they knew what they were doing, but maybe Laurie was naive to think that a pair of kids knew how to properly navigate a group of adults so they can infiltrate a secret Russian base.
Laurie wraps her arms over her chest as she lets out a huff, head thrown back as her eyes fall shut, basking in the now cool breeze that blows wistfully across her heated face. The fresh air feels good on her skin, good in her lungs.
It's nice, the quiet. The calm before the storm, the brief still of the ocean before the waves come crashing down harder and faster than the time before. Sure, she can still hear the two kids muttering about a My Little Pony Thesis as they try to conclude where Murray should turn next, Robin chiming in ever so often to correct a mistake, but it's nice.
They're almost done, she thinks. This is almost over- the fighting, the Russians, the monsters, the end of the world doom and gloom. Laurie can practically taste it, the fact that she's moments away from finally being able to get back to her normal life and start the process of erasing all of this from her memory so she can start to feel normal again.
"Laurie?"
Well, maybe not all of it.
Laurie almost flinches at the sudden intrusion of Steve's voice, his much louder than the rest of the group's, but when she peels her eyes open and turns to look at Steve, she's met with a weak smile and she feels warmth flood in her chest.
"Hey," The Harrington boy mutters.
"Hi," Laurie replies, voice equally as quiet.
Steve seems to blank, staring at Laurie a little longer than he should until he catches himself, forcing himself to avert his gaze to the horizon over to his right. "I just, uh.. I just wanted to apologise,"
Laurie blinks. "..For?"
"For earlier," Steve mumbles out, hands still shoved into the pockets of his royal blue shorts. Oh, he's nervous. "Y'know, when Henderson.. said what he did, during the drive up here," Laurie's mouth forms into a small 'O' shape as Steve gestures over his shoulder to the boy who's sat a few feet away. "Just don't take what he says to heart, okay? He doesn't know what he's talking about. I mean, he can be a total asshole sometimes, but.. between us, I think he got thumped on his head a few too many times when he was a kid.. and he's, y'know.."
Steve points a finger to his head and twirls his hand in a circular motion. Aren't we all? Laurie thinks to herself before she sends Steve a tight-lipped smile, to which Steve returns. "It's fine, Steve," she tells him.
Steve pauses, almost as if he's expecting her to follow up with something witty or flirtatious, but when she just blinks at him, his smile falls and his eyes start searching her face. His voice drops a little lower and he steps a little closer and asks, "You okay?"
"Oh, no- I mean, yeah, I'm.." She hesitates with a reply, almost unsure of herself because she's not too sure what okay really means anymore, what it feels like. But, finally, she settles on, "I'm okay. Really,"
"Yeah?" Steve hums, eyes still flickering across her face like he's studying her. He steps closer again, pulling a hand from his shorts pockets to point at her face. "You're doing the eyebrow thing again,"
There's no point in arguing, Laurie decides pretty quickly, no point in dismissing his observation because Steve knows her. Of course, there's still a lot for him to learn about her- her favourite pizza toppings, whether she prefers movies over TV, what she wants to do after high school, which hand she'd prefer he held. But relationships are built on a foundation of honesty and trust, and she'd rather not mess this up before things have even really started.
"I'm.. I don't know," Laurie admits, glancing past Steve's shoulder to look back at the group for a second before she lets out a huff. "This is all just.."
The sentence dies on Laurie's tongue because she's unable to find the best way to describe it all, if there's even a word that could really encapsulate the fictionality of it. Insane? Crazy? Unimaginable?
"Batshit?" Steve offers, a little chuckle in his voice, and Laurie quickly realises that he's trying to make her laugh from the way she catches the glint of mischief flashing in his chocolate-brown eyes.
Laurie grins weakly, nodding. "Yeah, you could say that,"
How Steve's still managing to keep his cool is beyond her. If she were him, having dealt with apparent fights to the death with bloodsucking creatures three years running, Laurie would probably be a total mess. And hell, maybe Steve is- fighting and burying the unimaginable in that pretty head of his so he can focus on checking in on those around him like he is now.
Laurie breaks the eye contact first, gaze falling to her feet because she feels hot underneath his stare and Steve huffs out a laugh, stray hand moving through his hair. "Tell me about it. I thought I was going crazy after I saw the Demogorgon for the first time,"
Her features sink, a sullen expression moving across Laurie's face because the idea of there being a lot more than Steve and the rest of the group is letting on is horrifying. She looks up at him. "The what?"
Steve opens his mouth to say something, but stops himself, pausing for a brief moment or two like he's rethinking his choice of words for her benefit. "You know what? Never-mind. Let's talk about something else,"
"Please," Laurie agrees lightly.
Steve hums. "How about that date?" He proposes, rocking back and forth on his feet. He waves his hand around, "I was thinking maybe.. Saturday night? We could go out for dinner, or something,"
Laurie grins. "Dinner sounds nice,"
"How about we try that new place that opened up? The one down on Mulberry?" Suggests Steve, brows knitting together in thought before he snaps his fingers in Laurie's direction. "Enzie's?"
Laurie can't seem to help herself from feeling giddy. "You mean Enzo's?"
Steve tsks, tilting his head slightly before ultimately shaking it. "I'm pretty sure it's pronounced Enzie's, Laur,"
He's distracting her. She knows that, and he probably knows she knows that. He's taking her mind off of things with his boyish charm and his heart that's full of gold and she's never been so thankful.
"Okay. Dinner at Enzie's on Saturday,"
"Cool," Steve nods, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I'll pick you up around.. say, 8? You might even be lucky enough to see me in something other than this shitty sailors costume,"
If you had told Laurie from a week ago that she'd be going out on a date with Steve Harrington, she would call you crazy. But then again, what part of any of this isn't crazy?
"It's not that bad," Laurie amends, eyes raking up and down Steve's body, and if his cheeks weren't flushed before, they definitely are now.
Steve makes a noise, one that echoes his disagreement but he flashes her a sheepish smile anyways. "Well, it's not great,"
"I've always liked you in blue," Laurie offers and the boy smirks, making her feel hot all over. Had they always been standing this close, only inches apart? "It's cute,"
"Oh, is it?"
God, does he know how pretty he is? Even with the bruises, shades of lilac and rose littering across his tanned skin, he's just as handsome as ever. The navy blue hue of the night cascades down on him, his freckles sticking out much like the stars do in the night sky above, a cool glow soaking him up and Laurie has to bury the burning desire to kiss him silly right then and there.
Steve would let her, too, which is a crazy realisation to have, one that makes her heart flip in her chest and her stomach fill with butterflies. But Laurie knows it would be beyond inappropriate to jump her kind-of boyfriend when the world is at stake, when they have a potential audience of three not too far away.
She'll just have to do that later, then.
"Hey, lovebirds!"
Steve and Laurie shoot their heads over to where Robin, Dustin, and Erica are situated, crouched beneath the tall radio the curly-haired boy had assembled a few days prior. The pair's eyes widen with alarm from the franticness of their friend's voice as she calls out, "I hate to ruin the moment, but we've got a problem!"
The freckled girl points towards the edge of the hill, and there, sticking out like a sore thumb is Starcourt amongst the dimmed town of Hawkins, neon lights flickering on and off at an impossible speed. Laurie sees it then, a large dark shadow moving over the ceiling of the building, looming over it like a creature hunting its prey, before it the skylight suddenly breaks, letting it fall inside.
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authors note!
sorry for the wait my lovelies 🫶 i hope this longer-ish chapter to make up for it!!
we're in the endgame now. (yall have no idea what i've got in store for season 4, i'm so hyped to write it.)
WHEN HE SEES ME © austrxlians, 2023.