Strawberry Fields - The Beatles
❝Let me take you down
'Cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields❞
╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
GARBAGE POPCORN
AND CONFESSIONS
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝
(Longest chapter yet. Get your popcorn ready.)
Gwen sits in comfortable silence as she waits for the drugs to begin to take effect on Robin and Steve. It's been at least ten minutes.
"You guys feel it yet?" She asks, leaning the back of her head on theirs.
She feels Steve shrug. "Honestly, I don't really feel anything."
Gwen tilts her head to the left. "Do you?"
"I mean, I... I feel fine," Robin says. "I feel normal."
Gwen tilts her had to the right when Steve begins to talk. "Yeah, I feel- I feel fine," he says.
"You feel fine... but you feel good too, huh?" Gwen smiles, knowing the rugs are about to hit them hard.
"Yeah... I do feel kinda good," Steve begins to chuckle, Robin following shortly after.
"Wanna know a secret?" Robin laughs. "I like it, too!"
"They think this will make us talk?" Gwen laughs. "Morons. They messed up the drug."
"They messed it up!" Robin giggles. "Morons!"
"Morons!" Steve calls.
Gwen chuckles with them. "Hey, morons!"
"There is definitely something wrong with us," Robin says with wide eyes.
Steve nods with a lazy smile. "Something's wrong."
They perk up when the door opens and the Russians once again step in, but the small smiles on their faces don't go away.
"Hello again," Gwen greets as the main guard stands in front of her, smiling coldly. The doctor sets a bag down on a table before taking out a hand gun and other metal instruments, laying them out.
"Would now be a good time to tell you that I don't like doctors?" Robin asks with a gulp.
"Let's try this again, yes?" The main Russian asks, moving to stand in front of Steve, who lazily nods. "Who do you work for?"
"Scoops," he says, and they all begin to giggle. "Scoops Ahoy and Hawkins Vet Clinic."
Gwen's face scrunches as she tries to hold in her laugh.
"How did you find us?" The Russian asks.
"Totally by accident," Steve replies.
The Russian scowls and tells the Doctor something in Russian. The Doctor nods and reaches for the gun.
"What is that shiny little toy?" Steve asks.
"Where are you going with that, doc?" Robin asks as the Doctor passes her and hands the gun to the main Russian.
"You'd think the Russian military would have cooler weapons," Gwen scoffs, but her smile fades when the barrel of the gun makes contact with her forehead. "Okay, woah! Wait!" she shouts with wide eyes.
"Wait! No! No!" Steve panics as the cold metal is pushed harder onto his girlfriends skin.
"There was a code! We heard a code!" Robin shouts quickly, turning her head to look at the man.
The Russian looks at Robin, but doesn't remove the gun from Gwen. "Code? What code?"
"'The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west.' Blah, blah, blah," she says before smiling coldly at the man. "You broadcast that stupid spy shit all over town, and we picked it up on our Cerebro, and we cracked it in a day. A day! You think you're so smart, but a couple of kids who scoop ice cream and intern for a living cracked your code in a day, and now, people know you're here."
"Who knows we are here, little bitch?!" The man asks angrily, shoving the gun on Gwen's skin and making her screw her eyes shut in both pain and fear.
"Uh, well, Dustin knows," Steve says.
"Steve," Gwen harshly whispers.
Steve laughs. "Yeah, Dustin Henderson, he knows."
"Steve!" Robin groans while Gwen sighs.
"Dustin Henderson," the man repeats. "It is your small, curly-haired friend?"
"Oh, Curly-haired. Great hair. Small. Kind of like a 'fro. Yeah," he smiles and nods toward Gwen. "He's her brother, as a matter of fact."
Gwen sighs in absolute despair. Even with a drugged out brain she knows that these people absolutely hate her, more than the others because she already spilled blood. If they find Dustin, she wouldn't be surprised if they just shoot him on the spot in spite of her.
"Where is he?" the man asks with his interest peaked.
"Oh, he's long gone, you big asshole. And he's probably calling Hopper, and Hoppers calling the US cavalry," Steve laughs. "They're gonna come in here, commando-style, guns a-blazin', and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You're gonna be two pieces of toast."
Now at this, Gwen couldn't hold back a small chuckle, but the man just pushes the gun harder onto her skin. "Is that so?"
"Yeah," Steve shrugs before he and Robin descend into more giggles. The Russians begin to mockingly chuckle as well, and Gwen has to bite her lip to stay still.
The chuckles continue until an alarm starts to go off, causing everyone to turn their heads toward the door. The Russian slowly pulls the gun away from Gwen as she smiles smugly at the man. Him and the other Russian guard rush out of the room, leaving the Doctor.
A few moments after they leave, Dustin rushes into the room with a scream, Erica shortly behind him. Gwen watches dumbfounded as Dustin uses a large taser to electrocute the Doctor, making him fall to the floor unconscious.
"Dustin!" Gwen smiles, breaking Dustin from his shock. "We were just talking about you!"
"Get ready to run," Dustin says as he cuts the binds holding the three teenagers together.
After Dustin frees Gwen from her binds, she squeezes her hands in fists, trying to get the blood to flow back into them as they had beed restricted from the tight leather. Gwen sighs in happiness and stands, only stumbling slightly before hugging the small girl who had been looking at her in confusion. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Get off of me, you freckled freak," Erica scoffs and pushes the taller girl away.
"Okay, let's go," Dustin hurriedly opens the door and directs everyone through. They all follow Erica down the hallways, peaking around each corner, but surprisingly seeing no guards. They must be distracted by something else.
Getting to the beginning of the long hallway that they had walked down before, Dustin spots a shuttle car parked by the wall.
"Get in," He shoves the inebriated teenagers into the back of the car before him and Erica sit in the front and begin speeding down the hallway.
"Jesus, slow down," Steve groans.
"Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy 500?" Robin asks, slurring her words.
Steve shakes his head. "It's the indy 300."
"I thought it was 400?" Gwen says, counting her fingers with furrowed eyebrows.
"No, dinguses, it's 500!"
"It's 300!"
Gwen holds her hands out in front of them. "Let's say a million."
The three of them burst into laughter, leaning on each other for support as they try to catch their breaths.
"What is wrong with them?" Erica asks Dustin from the front.
Dustin shakes his head. "I don't know!"
"Dustin, watch out!" Erica yells before Dustin hits the wall of the elevator, causing the three in the back to his their heads on the walls of the shuttle car.
"Oh!" Gwen groans, rubbing the back of her head.
Dustin turns in his seat. "You guys alright back there?" he asks, earning groans of pain. "They're fine," he tells Erica before they both get out of the car and open the back to see the three teenagers splayed out in the car. "Come on. We gotta go, now."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Woo!" Gwen cheers as Steve balances on a box cart while Robin and Gwen move it around.
"Hey! You look like you're surfing!" Robin yells.
"Surfing! Yeah!" Steve laughs. "Woah!"
In the corner of the Elevator, Dustin and Erica watch them in concern.
"They seem drunk," Erica says.
"Why would they be drunk?" Dustin asks.
"I'm a natural, Pengwen! Check it out!" Steve cheers.
"Watch this," Gwen says to Robin before pulling the cart back and sending Steve flying to the ground with a thump.
"Wipeout!" Robin cackles.
Gwen laughs as she stumbles over to Steve, accidentally falling down next to him and rolling onto her back. "A natural! He said he was a natural!"
Dustin kneels down next to them and puts a hand on Steve's forehead. "He's burning up."
"You're burning up," Steve retorts, swatting Dustin's hands away.
"One sec, one sec. Gwen," Dustin turns to Gwen and uses his fingers to peel open one of her half lidded eyes.
"Ow!" she winces when his hand accidentally brushes over her bruised cheek.
"Her pupils are super dilated," Dustin tells Erica.
"Maybe they're drugged," Erica shrugs.
Dustin turns back to the couple and Steve boops his nose, making Gwen laugh.
"Guys, are you drugged?" Dustin asks.
Steve scoffs. "How many times, Dad? I don't do drugs."
Gwen holds out her pointer finger and her thumb. "Only a little marijuana," she says, making Steve laugh and point at her from the floor next to her.
"This isn't funny, okay? I need to know what they did to you," Dustin says. "Are you gonna die on us?"
"Boop," Steve boops his nose again.
"We all die, my strange little child friend," Robin says from her seat on the box cart. "It's just a matter of how... and when."
Dustin blinks at her before turning back to Gwen. "They're gonna be looking for us up there so I need you to tell me where you parked your car."
Gwen gasps. "Can we please make a pit stop at the food court before we go?"
"I would kill for a hot dog on a stick," Robin smiles and Steve makes a noise of agreement.
Dustin sighs. "Alright. Yeah, food. Yes, you can have as much food as you want-"
"Oh, my god!" Gwen gasps again and sits up. "I never killed that Russian prick! I promised I would, damnit."
Steve pats Gwen's thigh in reassurance.
"Gwen! I need you to focus! Where is your car parked?" Dustin asks again.
Her eyes widen. "Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh?" Dustin asks.
"The cars off the board."
"What?"
"They took the keys," she fumbles around her overalls pockets and Steve does the same. "The Russians, they took the keys."
"Like, forever ago," Steve adds.
Gwen laughs. "That's a bummer, huh?"
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Oh!" Robin, Steve, and Gwen all gasp in delight when they step outside.
"Oh, my god, that tastes so good. Ah!" Robin sticks her tongue out towards the night sky. "Guys, can you taste the air?"
"I taste it! I taste it!" Steve cheers.
"I've never felt so happy in my life!" Gwen smiles with her tongue out.
While the three are distracted, armed Russian guards open the gate to the parking lot. The guards spot them and begin to rush toward them.
"Shit! Come on!" Dustin and Erica grab the other three and drag them toward the mall.
"Loosen up!" Gwen complains due to Erica's grip on her arm.
"Why are we running?" Steve asks as they all step inside.
Dustin and Erica run through the back hallways of the mall, dragging the others behind them.
"Where are we going?" Erica asks Dustin.
"Just trust me," he says.
"Please be food. Please be food," Gwen mumbles under her breath.
They get to a set of doors and Dustin steps forward to peak inside. "All clear," he says. He opens the door wider for the others before walking through them himself, the others behind him.
The faint sound of a Back to the Future hits Gwen's ears when she realizes they're in the movie theater. Before she enters the theater though, she grabs a half full bag of popcorn that had been discarded in the trash.
What can she say? She's hungry.
"Come on," Dustin leads them down the rows and into the front row seats. "You three, sit."
"No, no, no! These seats are way too close," Robin complains as she's pushed into the seat between Gwen and Steve.
"Dustin, these seats blow," Gwen groans, eating a piece of popcorn.
"Then don't watch the movie," Dustin whispers.
"We wanna watch it," Steve scowls.
"Then watch it!" Dustin says, louder than he meant to which earns a few shushes from the people behind them.
"Shh!" Gwen shushes back, throwing a piece of popcorn at the man.
"Sorry," Dustin holds a hand out to the man before turning back to the others. "Whatever you do, don't... go... anywhere."
"Fine, dad," Steve jokes, making the other two laugh.
When Erica and Dustin leave to find other seats, Gwen grabs a handful of popcorn before handing the bag to Robin who gasps in delight.
"What's happening?" Steve asks, looking at the movie.
"I have no idea," Gwen whispers back.
After a good five minutes of watching the movie, Gwen wordlessly gets out of her seat.
"Where are you going?" Robin asks.
"To get water. I'm thirsty," she whispers back. "Wanna come with?"
They both nod and follow Gwen out of the theater. When Gwen spots a water fountain, she starts running towards it and begins drinking the cold water in gulps.
You never truly realize how thirsty you are until you start drinking, and right now, Gwen feels like she's drinking water at 5am while everyone's asleep.
Yeah, it's that good.
"Okay, my turn," Steve pushes Gwen out of the way. Gwen sighs happily and slides down the wall next to him while Robin waits her turn.
"That's amazing," Steve says, gasping for air before going back to drinking.
Gwen nods. "I know, right?"
"So, like, I wasn't totally focused in there or anything, but... I'm pretty sure... that mom was trying to bang her son," Robin says.
"Was she really his mom, though? Because they have to be from, like, different dimensions or something, so he was really... wait, no, I'm confused," Gwen says.
"Wait, wait," Steve starts. "The hot chick was Alex P. Keaton's mom?"
Gwen hits his leg in annoyance. "You know I hate the word 'chick'."
"Sorry," he apologizes before taking another sip.
"I'm pretty sure she was," Robin answers his question.
"But they're the same age," Steve says.
"No, but he went back in time."
Steve scoffs. "Then why is it called Back to the Future?"
"Steve, he has to go back to the future because he's in the past. So the future is really the present which is his time," Gwen says. "But then there's the issue with alternate dimensions but I don't really understand that part."
Steve pauses with his mouth hanging open as he tries to process. "Wh... What?"
"No, no, it's my turn. You've had enough," Robin steps around Gwen and throws Steve away so she can use the fountain.
Steve stumbles over toward the skylight in the mall, looking up in amazement as the reflections of light in the glass distort in his vision. "Wow. Guys, you gotta check this out."
Robin takes one final sip before helping Gwen to her feet. They both stand next to Steve and look up at the lights in awe.
"This... The ceiling, it's beautiful," Steve says.
"It's like stars," Gwen says, slowly spinning in a circle.
"Oh, wow," Robin smiles.
The walls become wavy in Gwen's vision and the lights become even more distorted. She begins to stumble in her place, feeling goosebumps form on her cheeks with the sudden nausea.
She can tell Steve and Robin feel it too when she hears them gulp and soon enough, they all sprint toward the bathroom with their hands on their stomachs. Gwen just barely makes it into a stall before she empties the limited contents in her stomach.
She groans as she pulls her out hair back into a makeshift ponytail and spits what's left on her mouth into the toilet before flushing and leaning against the stall wall. The other two finish soon after.
"The ceiling stopped spinning for me," Robin says after a moment. "Is it still spinning for you?"
Gwen shakes her head even though they can't see her. "No."
"Holy shit. No," Steve says. "You think we puked it all up?"
"Probably," Gwen nods.
"Ask me something to make sure. Interrogate me," she says in a Russian accent.
Gwen chuckles. "When was the last time you peed your pants?"
"Today."
"What?" Steve asks.
"When the Russian doctor took out the handgun," she says, sending Steve and her into chuckles. "It was just a little bit, though."
Gwen doesn't laugh though. Honestly, she forgot about that until just now. She was one trigger pull away from death, and even if the Russians got the answers they wanted, they probably would've killed her anyways.
Or maybe they would've locked her up and experimented on her powers.
That thought makes Gwen shudder.
"Gwen?"
Gwen snaps out of her thoughts at the question. "What?"
"I asked you a question," Robin says.
Gwen brings her hands up and almost rubs her face before remembering her hands were just on a toilet seat. "Sorry. What- uh, what was the question?"
"I asked if you've ever been in love before Steve," she repeats.
"Oh," Gwen mumbles before taking a moment to think. "I don't think so... I mean there was a few times where I thought I could've loved someone, but never be in love..."
"What about you, Steve?" Robin asks.
Steve sighs. "Nancy Wheeler."
"Oh, my god," Robin groans. "She's such a priss."
"Not really," Gwen says. "Not anymore."
"Mhm," Steve agrees.
"Are you still in love with Nancy?" Robin asks, and Gwen holds her breath, even though she knows the answer.
"No," Steve answers without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"'Cause I found someone who's way better for me," he says, and Gwen smiles softly while twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Funny thing is, I never even talked to her until junior year of high school, and I don't even know why. Maybe 'cause it would've pissed off Tommy H. because she punched him sophomore year or he would've made fun of me. Or I wouldn't be... prom king. It's stupid... Same goes for the quiet girl in Mrs. Click's junior year history class. It's funny, because when I think about it I should've been hanging around these girls the whole time. First of all, they're both hilarious. I feel like these past few months, I have laughed harder than I have laughed... in a really long time. And they're both smart. Way smarter than me. You know, one of them can crack, like, top secret Russian codes, and the other can literally read minds and... you know, they're my best friends. They're unlike anyone I've ever met before."
Gwen's smile drops slightly when she notices how quiet Robin is. "Robin?" she calls. "Did you just OD in there?"
"No," she sighs. "I... am still alive."
After she gives another heavy sigh, Gwen and Steve both make their way into her stall, Gwen walking over and Steve sliding under the stall. Gwen sits down next to Robin and Steve sits across from Gwen.
"The floor's disgusting," Robin tells Steve.
"Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so..." he trails off. "So what do you think?"
"About what?" she asks.
"What I just said."
"I think you're on drugs, and you're not thinking straight."
Gwen shrugs playfully. "I think he's thinking a lot more clearly than usual."
"He's not," Robin says. "Look... the 'girl' Steve was talking about, neither of you even know this girl, and if you did know her, like- like really know her, I don't think you'd even want to be her friend."
Gwen turns more toward Robin in concern. "No, that's not true. No way is that true."
"Listen to me," Robin glances between the two. "It's shocked me to my core, but I like you guys. I really like you guys, but I'm not like your other friends."
"What are you talking about?" Steve asks.
"Do you remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?" Robin asks.
"Yeah," Steve sighs. "But, like... you know I'm with Gwen," he says softly, trying to let her down easy while Gwen stays silent, sensing this is something more.
Robin chuckles lightly. "It isn't because I had a crush on you. It's because..." She takes a deep breath. "...she wouldn't stop staring at you."
"Mrs. Click?" Steve asks cluelessly causing Robin to chuckle while Gwen hugs her arms around her knees.
"Gwen Henderson, the girl I met at a dumb halloween party," she says after a pause, not looking in the girls direction. "I wanted her to look at me. But... she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and you're stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor, and you asked dumb questions, and you were a douchebag."
Gwen watched as Robin talked to Steve without sparing Gwen a glance. She thinks back to that Junior year history class. It was around the time Steve and her began to really get closer. She remembers Jonathan teasing her about it in the hallway before Halloween, and making her realize she could have feelings for her friends boyfriend.
"And- And you were already in a relationship with someone and... I would go home... and just scream into my pillow," Robin continues.
"But Gwen's a girl," Steve says, confused.
"Steve," Gwen stares at him with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah?" he looks over to Robin again as she sighs. "...Oh."
"Oh," Robin repeats.
"Holy shit," Steve leans back.
"Yeah," Robin sighs. "Holy shit." Reluctantly, Robin glances in Gwen's direction after a moment of silence. "Gwen... did you OD over there?"
Gwen shakes her head. "No, I just, uh... just thinking," she says truthfully.
"Okay," Robin whispers.
"I mean... I get it. I'm a catch. If I could date myself I would, and that's the damn truth," She turns toward Robin with a smile, trying to ease the girls mind. "I'm just thinking about who I think you'd look good with."
"What?" Robin laughs lightly.
"... I think I got it," she says, smiling. "You know Tammy Thomson?" Gwen asks, and Robin nods. "When I started school, I thought she was the prettiest girl I've ever seen. She was the first person at school to introduce herself. We didn't stay friends long. We just drifted apart, but... she was my first crush," she reveals, causing Robins eyes to widen. Gwen wasn't too nervous about telling Robin and Steve this. She's never hid who she was, she's just never blatantly come out before, but right now she doesn't want Robin to feel alone. "I think you two would be really cute together."
Robins smile slowly becomes bigger until she lets out a scoff of disbelief.
"What? You really think I wouldn't wanna be your friend because you like girls? Have you met me? Come here," Gwen chuckles and brings Robin in for a hug that she reciprocates with a tight squeeze and a relieved sigh. "This changes nothing. Thank you for telling me."
"Thank you," Robin whispers.
"Wait," Steve says, causing the girls to split apart. "You're... But me and you... we're..."
"I like boys too, dipshit," Gwen rolls her eyes, not worried about his response, knowing that Steve has one of the kindest hearts she's ever seen. Robin though, she's still nervous.
"Huh," Steve nods. "I mean, yeah... Tammy Thompson, you know, she's cute and all, but... I mean, she's a total dud."
Gwen gapes at him while Robin shakes her head. "She is not."
"Yes, she is," he insists. "She wants to be, like, a singer. She wants to move to, like, Nashville and shit."
"She has dreams," Robin defends.
"She can't even hold a tune."
Gwen snorts which makes Robin turn toward her. "I mean, I not gonna disagree," Gwen laughs.
Robin rolls her eyes playfully. "Didn't you just say you used to have a crush on her, like, five seconds ago.
Gwen shrugs. "She might be nice and pretty but that girl can not sing."
"She's practically tone-deaf. Have you heard her? All the time," Steve begins to sing off key. "You see me now tonight."
"Shut up," Robin says while her and Gwen laugh.
"You see me more than ever-"
"She does not sound like that."
"Robin, she sounds exactly like that," Gwen laughs.
"She does not."
"That was a great impersonation of her," Steve defends.
"You sound like a Muppet," Robin tells him.
"She sounds like a Muppet," Steve laughs. "She sounds like a Muppet giving birth."
The three of them laugh and begin to sing together, off tune. "And if you could cold me tight, we'll be holding on forever."
"See!" Gwen laughs.
Robin nods while laughing. "I know!"
The three descend into more laughter, Gwen leaning on Robin for support before the bathroom door is flung open and Dustin and Erica approach.
"Okay," Dustin says. "What the hell?"
The three make eye contact again and laugh once more.
Word Count: 4194