Touch - Sleeping At Last
❝Can we skip past near-death clichés
Where my heart restarts and my life replays
All I want is to flip a switch
Before something breaks that cannot be fixed❞
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ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝
Gwen stands next to Dustin as everyone explains their own stories. She hasn't spoken to Hopper yet. She's not sure if she wants to.
"The Mind Flayer, it built this monster in Hawkins, to stop El, to kill her and lead a way into our world," Mike explains.
"And it almost did. That was just one tiny piece of it," Nancy adds, referring to the slug Eleven had taken out of her leg.
"How big is this thing?" Hopper asks from his spot next to Eleven.
"It's big," Jonathan answers. "Thirty feet, at least."
"Yeah. It sorta destroyed your cabin," Lucas adds, causing Gwen and Hopper to sigh. "Sorry."
"Okay, so, just to be clear, this... this big fleshy spider thing that hurt El, it's some kind of gigantic... weapon?" Steve asks.
Nancy nods. "Yes."
"But instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon... with melted people."
"Yes, exactly."
"Yeah, okay," Steve shrugs. "I- yeah, I'm just making sure."
"Are we even sure that it's not dead?" Gwen asks. "I mean, it has to at least be damaged, right?"
"El beat the shit out of it, but, yeah, it's still alive," Max answers. "And the flayed people are just making it stronger."
"But, if we close the gate again..." Will starts.
"We cut the brain off from the body," Max nods.
"And kill it," Lucas adds. "Theoretically."
"Yoo-hoo!"Everyone turns to see Murray walking towards them, waving around a paper in his hands. "Yoo-hoo!"
Everyone crowds around a table while Murray explains the drawn out map.
"Okay, this is what Alexi called 'the hub'. Now, the hub takes us to the vault room."
"Okay, where's the gate?" Hopper asks.
Murray points. "Right here. I don't know the scale on this, but I think it's fairly close to the vault room, maybe fifty feet or so."
Gwen scoffs, making Hopper look at her questionably, but before she can answer, Erica steps forward with her hands on her hips. "More like five hundred. What, you're just gonna waltz in there like it's commie Disneyland or something?"
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Murray asks.
"Erica Sinclair. Who are you?"
"Murray... Bauman."
"Listen, Mr. Bunman, I'm not trying to tell you how to do things, but I've been down in that shithole for 24 hours. And with all due respect, you do what this man tells you, you're all gonna die."
Murray scoffs. "I'm sorry, why is this four year old speaking to me?"
"Um, I'm ten, you bald bastard!"
"Erica!" Lucas scolds while Gwen snorts.
"Just the facts!" Erica defends.
Dustin nods. "She's right. You're all gonna die, but you don't have to," he walks towards the map. "Excuse me. Sorry, may I?"
"Please," Murray sneers.
Dustin sits down and pulls the map towards himself. "Okay, see this room here? This is a storage facility," he says, circling a room on the map. "There's a hatch in here that feeds into their underground ventilation system. That will lead you to the base of the weapon," He draws a line from the circle to another room. "It's a bit of a maze down there, but between me and Erica, we can show you the way."
Hopper looks at him with raised eyebrows. "You can show us the way?"
"Don't worry, you can do all the fighting and the dangerous hero shit, and we'll just be your... navigators," he says, Erica nodding along.
"No," Hopper shakes his head. "Nope."
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"Gwen, come on, let's go," Steve walks up to her, twirling a pair of keys on his fingers along with Dustin, Erica, and Robin.
They had come up with a plan. Dustin will navigate Hopper, Joyce, and Murray from his Cerebro while the rest hide at Murray's place.
"Yeah, um..." Gwen jumps down from the counter she was sitting on. "I'm not gonna go with you."
"What?" Dustin asks.
"If you're scared, we're- we're not gonna be in danger," Steve says. "We're just navigating."
"Yeah, exactly, you're not gonna be in danger," Gwen nods. "But what if the Mind Flayer goes for Eleven again? I mean, she's hurt, and I'm the only other one with powers... I have to go with her."
Robin smiles at the girl and gives her a hug. "I'll keep those brats in check while we're gone."
Gwen chuckles and nods, "Thanks."
Robin squeezes her before letting go.
To Gwen's surprise, Erica walks up and gives her a hug. Gwen slowly hugs her back, scared that Erica might be taping a sign onto her back.
"If I had known you have superpowers, I wouldn't have called you a freckled freak, just so you know," Erica pulls back and points at Gwen with raised eyebrows. "You're still a nerd, though."
Gwen nods with a smile. "Got it."
Next is Steve. He hugs Gwen tightly and sighs. "I love you."
Gwen scoffs with a small smile. "Jesus, do you guys have any faith in me? You're acting like you're never gonna see me again," Steve only hugs her harder. Gwen sighs. "I love you."
Steve nods and pulls away. "You be safe, alright?"
Gwen nods. "You too," she says before hugging her brother.
"Be safe," he tells her.
Gwen nods. "We've been through a hell of a lot, but you're gonna help end this thing," She pulls away but keeps her hands on his shoulders. "You can do this."
"Congrats on graduating from the Scoops Troop to the Griswold Family," Dustin gives her a toothy smile, bringing his sister in for one last hug before pulling away and walking with the others.
"Robin, you're in charge!" Gwen calls, earning a thumbs up in response.
Gwen smiles as their retreating figures before glancing toward Eleven and Hopper. Gwen's smile fades while she leans against the counter, playing with the blue hair band on her wrist and trying to push away the anxiety that swirls in her stomach.
Hopper sees her from over Elevens shoulder and sighs. He pulls back from Elevens hug and nods with a smile before Mike takes her away.
Hopper stands up and approaches Gwen, leaning on the counter next to her with crossed arms. "You're going with El?" he asks.
Gwen nods without looking up. "I have to look out for her while her powers recharge."
Hopper nods and looks forward, tilting his head down at her bland answer. "...Listen, kid. If this is about you calling me-"
He cuts himself off when Gwen sniffs. He looks over to see her head tilted down while she fights off tears.
"Hey," Hopper turns toward her. "What is it?"
"I just- I have a really bad feeling about you going there."
"We're gonna be fine-"
"You haven't seen it," Gwen cuts him off without looking up. "They're armed to the teeth, they have the numbers, they almost killed us-"
"Hey," Hopper stands in front of her and places his hands on her shoulders. "We're gonna be fine," he says, wiping away a tear from Gwen's cheek. Gwen nods unconvincingly. "Look at me," Gwen slowly tilts her head up to be met with Hoppers smile. "We're gonna beat this."
Gwen's chin trembles. "... I don't wanna lose you, dad," she whispers.
Hopper brings Gwen in for a tight hug as he fights off his own tears. "And I don't wanna lose my daughters," he replies, his voice full of emotion. Gwen's shoulder shake in his arms as she bundles up the fabric of Hoppers shirt in her fists. "That's why I have to go."
Hopper pulls away when he feels Gwen nod.
"Please come back," she whispers.
"I plan on it, kiddo," he smiles. "And after this, we can fix up the cabin and have dinner with El, as a family... Chicken and gravy?" he asks. Gwen smiles lightly and narrows her eyes. "And ice cream for dessert."
Gwen nods and wipes away her tears. "Okay."
Hopper squeezes her shoulder. "I love you, kiddo."
"I love you, too, dad."
— an
Me, knowing exactly what I'm writing and hating myself for it anyways.
pain
Word Count: 1385