A/n: Hello everybody! Today is October 26, 2020. I watched Labryinth with David Bowie for the first time on Saturday and am now in love with Jareth. If you like Marvel, Star Wars, or Twilight, be sure to check out my other works. I love you with all my person. Enjoy!
Warning: Throwing up
Everyone rapidly piles in the car and speeds down the roads. Luckily they are all empty, due to the large Fourth of July Fair. Nancy spins the wheel and parks in an empty parking lot in front of a grocery store.
Max offers Y/n a rock, but she just kicks the door. Glass shatters everywhere. Mike carries Eleven inside and Y/n stumbles through the broken door frame. Rushing to the refridgerator aisle, she grabs a bottle of water and downs it. Sinking down, she focuses on her breathing.
In...out...in...out...in...out, she thinks, sipping on her water. Soon, the room stops spinning and she stops shaking. She walks to the aisle where everyone has crouched around Eleven. Nancy goes to touch the wound, but Y/n stops her.
"What... What... Hey, what are you doing?" She asks.
"I'm cleaning the wound," Nancy responds.
"No, first, we need to stop the bleeding, then clean, then disinfect, then bandage," Y/n says.
Everyone looks at her.
"I practically raised all of you kids. Trust me. Mike, hold this," she hands a bandage to him.
"Keep the pressure on it, nice and firm, okay? We're gonna need water and soap," Max says. Y/n looks at her. "I skateboard."
Lucas empties his backpack all over the floor.
"Does any of this help?"
Max looks at him in disgust. "No."
"Go get me a washcloth and a bowl," Y/n orders. Looking back at Eleven, she and Mike are gazing into each others eyes. "Mike, hold it firm. I'm going to help the boys."
She stands up and finds Lucas, Will, and Max looking at the firework display. "That doesn't look like a bowl," she jokes.
"Nah, it's way better," Lucas says with pride. "There is a reason this warning label says '18 or older.' This sucker is filled with 150 grains of black powder. AKA gunpowder. Strap two of these together, and it's bigger than an M-80. Five of them, we've got ourselves a stick of dynamite."
"You wanna kill that thing with fireworks?" Max says judgementally.
"It's actually really smart. Do you have a better idea?" Y/n asks.
"Uh, yeah. Eleven."
"Against that thing? She's gonna need some backup," Will agrees.
Max sighs and storms off. Y/n hears Mike yelling, so she jogs back to the aisle. "Mike? What is it?" Y/n asks. Nancy and Jonathan join her side.
\--/
Eleven sits in front of the freezers. All the doors are wide open, and cold air pours out. A bandana is wrapped around Eleven's eyes. Lucas loudly cracks open a Coca-Cola can.
"How do you even drink that?" Mike asks in disgust.
"Because it's delicious," Lucas responds happily.
"What?"
"It's like Carpenter's The Thing. The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake...sweeter, bolder," he sips it and sighs. "Better."
"You're insane," Mike says.
"So, you prefer the original Thing?" Lucas asks.
"What? No, I'm not talking about The Thing, I'm talking about New Coke."
"It's the same concept, dude."
"Uh, actually, it's not the same concept."
"Hey," Eleven says.
"Did you... find him?" Mike asks.
"He's at the movies in Starcourt," she replies.
"The movies? Dustin's so freaked out about the gate, he decides to go watch a movie? Yeah, makes total sense," Mike says.
"You're positive he said "gate" and not "great"?" Y/n asks.
"Yeah, like, 'This movie I'm watching is great.'" Max says.
"Sounded like 'gate.'"Eleven agrees,
"Which would explain how the Mind Flayer's still alive," Will says.
"Yeah, we just have to shut it again. Then the monster dies."
"But if not, we always have Lucas' fireworks," Max says sarcastically.
"Keep mocking my plan, Max. Keep mocking it," Lucas comments dryly. "I wanna hear you say it again, because you keep doubting me."
"You keep doubting me!"
\--/
Steve and Robin burst into the bathroom and slide into stalls, emptying their stomachs. After about 5 minutes of heaving, they collapse beside the toilets, groaning.
Robin lays down on the floor and looks up. "The ceiling stopped spinning for me. Is it still spinning for you?"
Steve looks up skeptically. "Woah. No. You think we puked it all up?"
"Maybe. Ask me something. Interrogate me," Robin says in a bad Russian accent.
"Okay. Interrogate you. Sure. Um... When was the last time you, uh, peed your pants?" He asks.
"Today."
"What?"
"When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw."
"Oh, my God," Steve groans.
"It was just a little bit, though," she giggles.
"Yeah, it's definitely still in her system," Steve laughs.
"All right, my turn," Robin says.
"Hit me."
"Have you... ever been in love?"
He hesitates. "Yep. Nancy Wheeler. First semester, senior year."
"Oh, my God. She's such a priss."
"Turns out, not really," Steve says, cocking his head.
"Are you still in love with Nancy?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Images of Y/n flash through his head. "I think it's because I found someone who's a little bit better for me. It's crazy. Ever since Dustin got home, he's been saying, 'You know, you gotta find your Suzie. You gotta find your Suzie.'"
"Wait, who's Suzie?" Robin asks, confused.
"It's some girl from camp, I guess his girlfriend. To be honest with you, I'm not 100% sure she's even real. But that's not... that's not really the point. That doesn't matter. The point is, this girl, you know, the one that I like, it's somebody that I... didn't even talk to in school that much. Sure we hung out, but it was always on the down-low. And I don't even know why. Maybe 'cause Tommy H. would've made fun of me or... I wouldn't be... prom king." He groans.
"It's stupid. I mean, Dustin's right, it's all just a bunch of crap anyways. Because, when I think about it, I should've been parading around with this girl the whole time. First of all, she's hilarious. She's so funny. I feel like, this past year, I have laughed harder than I have laughed... in a really long time. And she's smart. Way smarter than me. You know, she can crack, like, top secret Russian codes and... You know? She's honestly unlike anyone I've ever even met before," Steve gushes, blushing as he vents about his love.
Robin quietly groans and rests her head on her knees, deeply blushing.
He picks up on her silence. "Robin? Robin, did you just OD in there?"
"No. I... am still alive," she replies meekly.
He slides under the stall wall into her cubicle.
"The floor's disgusting."
"Yeah, well, I already got a bunch of blood and puke on my shirt, so... What do you think?"
"About?"
"This girl."
"She sounds awesome. Absolutely perfect."
Steve cocks his head. "What's up?"
Robin sighs and bites her lip, looking away. "Do you remember what I said about Click's class?About me being jealous and, like, obsessed?"
"Yeah."
"It isn't because I had a crush on you. Not that you implied that, anyways. It's because...she wouldn't stop staring at you."
"...Mrs. Click?"
"Y/n. I wanted her to look at me. But... she couldn't pull her eyes away from her best friend. 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."
Steve nods.
"And... And you would just take her for granted. I would go home...and just scream into my pillow."
Steve looks at the walls, confused. "But Y/n's a girl."
"Steve," Robin looks at him intently.
"Yeah?" He looks back at her. Realization flickers through his eyes and his composure drops. "Oh. Oh. Holy shit."
"Yeah." She sucks in her teeth.
"Holy shit," he repeats.
"Steve... did you OD over there?" She mimics jokingly.
"No, I just, uh... just thinking. I mean, I don't think Y/n is into girls."
Robin nods. "I know. She was the first person I told. Not that I like her, but that I'm gay."
"There are now 3 people that like her," Steve says, resting his head against the stall.
"But only 2 have a chance at getting her," Robin states.
"What?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you are the best option for her. Billy hasn't been treating her all too well this summer. You've been there for her through everything. That should say something."