𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 - easy, banner

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 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍 long for Steve to pinch his hat back; plucking it from Scarlet's head and slamming it back upon his own; if only to cover up the knotted mess of sodden hair it had formerly been hiding.

 To say Steve Harrington absolutely loathed the uniform clinging to his body — the garish blue, the stupid hat... and Oh God, the dumb ascot flittering by his collar — was an understatement. It was the understatement. When he'd first hauled it on, he had truly wanted to trail down to the crystal clear pool in his backyard, and quite simply, drown. The shorts on his thighs were short, unsurprising but certainly horrific.

 The only thing that had kept him even mildly sane, was the light spell of laughter that had tumbled from Scarlet's lips when he'd revealed his uniform to her. She'd been sat in his living room, eyes glued to the flickering television... until she'd heard him hopping down the stairs.

 He'd offered an awkward — very unamused — smile, and thrown his arms wide as if to say 'look at me, I look like the idiot of the century'.

 Scarlet had sucked in her lips, and her cheeks had grown pinker by the second. Then, when she couldn't keep it behind the floodgates any longer, a laugh blurted out. A sweet sound that always sent his heart hammering away as though it was trying to escape.

 It had been worth it.

 "No, but seriously," Robin's voice chattered away whilst Steve continued to peer through the little break room window. Scarlet had hoisted herself atop the counter, watching as Robin worked swiftly clear off the cherry drizzle she'd planted her elbow into, "Why are you two friends with so many kids?"

 Scarlet blinked. She hadn't really questioned it before, and as she leaned her head against the wall, planted just beside Steve who appeared ready to climb through the little window on the wall, it seemed that Steve hadn't really put much thought into it either.

 Scarlet and Steve shared a small look; if they hadn't been through everything that happened the previous year, if Eleven hadn't been the one to tug on Scar's heartstrings and puppeteer her all the way to Hawkins...

 "Those kids are better than half the idiots in this town," Steve said with a non-committal shrug — as though it almost made him shiver to admit it. But it was true.

 Robin made to retort, only for her lips to slam shut as the store was doused in nothing but absolute darkness. The lights had flickered off with a buzz, and with all customers having already vacated the store with sticky ice creams in hand, the only sound to be heard was the clammering of voices throughout the building, wondering what the hell had happened.

 "Did you —" Scarlet paused. For a moment, in the very deepest depths of her mind... she could have sworn she'd heard the chime of a — Nah. She merely waved off the raised brow from Robin and brushed off the goosebumps that had smothered her arms and the nape of her neck even amidst the heat.

 She hopped off the counter with brows clustered together; during the entire time the Mall had been open, nothing like this had ever happened. No outage that took down each and every store. Sure, some lights would flicker and flash, and the freezer might have stopped for an hour a few weeks back, causing Steve to go into an absolute meltdown as chocolate-fudge ice cream began to trickle across the tiles... But never this.

 Steve tried the light switch. Then again, and then again.

 Robin rolled her eyes, "That isn't going to work, dingus."

 "Oh really?" Steve retorted, his face utterly plain as he flipped the switch with as much speed as he could possibly muster. The lights remained well and truly off.

 Scarlet snorted, her fingers grappling for his silly little collar as she pulled him away, "Stop that, moron."

 He only smiled that dopey little grin, "That's me."

 Robin had slouched against the counter, hands tucked into the pockets of her shorts, just... watching the two of them. She had almost rolled her eyes, almost let out an audible scoff. Steve Harrington was so utterly whipped. She truly couldn't comprehend why Scarlet didn't want to see that; she turned a blind eye to every blush, every dazed grin... Robin couldn't fathom why — not that Robin was sticking up for steve Harrington, no, not at all... but they were... well they were perfect for one another.

 Steve really was dumb, and Scarlet was an utter enigma. Robin would never figure her out, but she knew that was exactly how Scarlet wanted it. She was a secret keeper, it seemed; somebody who never truly let her feelings free, someone who kept them behind closed doors and only offered smiles and fluttering lashes in turn.

 It was obvious to Robin that Scarlet held those very same feelings for Steve; she saw the way Scarlet's looks would linger, how her lips would curl just that much higher when he laughed... something was stopping her from admitting it.

 The three of them could only wait beneath the fizzled-out bulbs and hope that soon enough, the power would miraculously return to them. What none of them knew, however, was the very fact that Starcourt Mall hadn't been the only building doused in shadows; but the entirety of Hawkins.

 Mere minutes had passed by the time the lights came flickering back on, brightening Scoops Ahoy and the mess that had still been left behind. There were splodges of melted ice cream on the floor and behind the counter, each dotted with an assortment of rainbow sprinkles. A little drizzle of blue-raspberry syrup was dangerously close to where Scarlet had propped herself.

 Steve had gone back to his former position, finger testing the light switch with every five seconds that passed. When the lights buzzed and beamed down upon them, he grinned, "It worked."

 The neon lights around the mall buzzed with electricity, vibrant pinks, blues and yellows shined as though nothing had happened. The escalators continued to move, jolting those who had been waiting in place.

 Scarlet rose a brow at Steve, her eyes softening as he pointed at the switch he'd been temporarily assaulting while he sent a dazzling beam her way, "Of course," She hummed, watching his eyes crinkle at the corners, his brown eyes glistening, "I'm sure that was all you, sailor."

 Then, with the lights flooding through once more, a steady stream of customers made their way back into Scoops Ahoy. Children with toothy grins and gaps in their teeth shoved their pocket money upon the counter asking for strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Teenage couples spend minutes at a time goggling through the glass, sending Robin into a pit of utter despair when they'd finally decide to share a banana split smothered in syrup. 

 Scarlet spent her time atop the back counter, beside the bowl full of ripe bananas. Her legs swung back and forth as she plucked one free, peeling the skin and taking a hearty chomp, "You know —" She muttered, swallowing her mouthful, "— I never asked... Do you get in trouble because of me?"

 "Trouble?" Robin flung over her shoulder as she crammed the till with a handful of crumpled dollar bills.

 "I mean..." Scarlet's eyes stooped to the side where her banana peel had been left... beside it was a cleared-out paper bowl that had formerly been filled to the brim with chocolate fudge ice cream topped with a drizzle of cherry syrup and a handful of M&M's.

 Robin followed her line of sight and a short snort pulled free, "Oh, please. You think they'd notice a couple of scoops of ice cream vanishing?" She halted and waved a hand, a smug little smile tugging at her lips, freckled cheeks rising higher, "Plus, little Stevie back there slips a dollar or two into the till for you."

 "He does?" Scarlet frowned. She knew exactly why Steve had taken the job, why he'd applied to almost every store within the cluttered mall; his father had cut him off once again, just as a punishment.

 Mr Harrington had gotten pissed off when Steve had mentioned going in a different direction; that following in his father's footsteps just wasn't for him. They'd yelled until their faces were red, and when Steve had appeared at the door of the cabin, he had looked utterly fatigued. He'd been cut off entirely. If anything, Steve had been surprised that his parents hadn't asked for rent, hell, he wouldn't have been shocked if he had been kicked to the curb.

 Robin could see the guilt in her eyes, even if she didn't really understand it; if someone wanted to pay for her ice cream, she'd have happily let them, "Don't worry about it —" Her ocean-blue eyes narrowed when Scarlets pouted lips parted, "— I take it out and put it in the tip jar."

 Scarlet blinked, "You do?"

 "Well duh.  We're getting ripped off working here. Why should any of us give our money to those greedy bastards..." Robin's eyes rolled, "Like I'd make you pay, puh-lease"

 Robins scooper had almost sliced through the entire tub of the oreo ice cream a little girl had requested. The little girl with bows tied in her hair merely stood there, watching with wide eyes as Robin pressed the scoop of sugary dessert atop her cone... it cracked under the pressure.

 "Easy there, Banner," Scarlet muttered, hopping from the counter before peeling Robins's fingers free from the cone. She stole away the scooper and heavy a light ball of dessert onto a fresh cone, adding a little pinch of chocolate sprinkles before passing it to the little girl, "There you go, enjoy!"

 The girl grinned and hoisted her ice cream to her lips, taking a huge chunk into her mouth. She giggled and bounded off, pigtails bouncing with every rushed step.

 "Banner?" Robin grinned, "As in Bruce?"

 "Max is making me read a lot of comics."

 "Ah, somebody with taste."

 Scarlet couldn't deny that. Max had gathered each an every comic she owned; from the ones collecting dust on her shelves to the ones stuffed in boxes beneath her bed, and her most prized collection that had been kept right next to her bed. From copies of Earth's Mightiest Heroes to absolutely anything including Wanda Maximoff, Scarlet's namesake, Max owned them all and had insisted that Scarlet had to read each and every copy.

 "I can't believe we've been friends for months," Robin said, her hand pressed forcefully against her heart, utter shock and horror painted upon her features. "And you never told me you like superheroes."

 "I'm still learning!"

 "Whatever traitor —" Robin had been meaning to continue onwards with a prolonged ramble about how her best friend had treated her with such disrespect but the familiar chime of three heavy knocks against their delivery door sounded out. The children were back, "And now you're abandoning me for your daycare duties. Unbelievable."

 Robin's dramatic groan had been heard by almost all of the customers, and thus, Scarlet only blew her a little kiss and paraded through the door to the break room. Steve had already jumped from his seat — having forced Robin to take the till whilst he hid away and kicked his legs up on the table — and pried the door open.

 The children spilled inside, not even taking a breath to say hello as they gushed and prattled on about the movie they'd watched. It had been some horror flick that Max had been absolutely insistent on watching... so of course, she'd approached Scarlet with her pretty blue eyes and fluttering lashes, positively pleading for her to convince Steve to let them through.

 Whilst the kids were all utterly giddy, eyes wide as they swapped and shared their favourite moments and lines... Will looked pale — Paler than usual. His cheeks seemed sunken, and eyes that usually glimmered like a bowl of melted chocolate were stagnant and dull like a murky and shallow lake.

 She grazed a hand over his shoulder, "You okay?"

 Will only nodded, unable to fathom what he'd felt back in the theatre; the way the hairs upon his neck had stood at attention like a gaggle of soldiers, or the way his skin crawled as though a swarm of bugs had scuttled over him.

 Even though a chill still wracked his bones and chittered up his spine, Will couldn't help but smile at Scarlet. She would always check on him.

 "Alright," She breathed, her hand slipping from his shoulder, "You need a ride home?"

 "No, no, I'm okay." He watched that hesitant look in her eyes and felt his heart warm against the chill that had wracked him, "I promise."

 "Okay, well, be careful and stay safe —" She pivoted on her toes, a finger pointing at each of the kids who all stood at attention, "That goes for all of you, got it?"

 They all chimed in chorus, "Got it!"

 "Good. Ready Michael?"

 Max snorted at the use of his full name, completely disregarding the fact that eighty percent of the time, Scarlet used her full name too. Hearing Michael slip from her sugary tone and watching as Mike's cheeks grew a heavy crimson was a delight for Max. She loved it, and why shouldn't she? After months of Mike acting cold towards her — even now, he still hadn't completely accepted her — she deserved to poke some fun.

 Mike groaned, stomping away. Scarlet took that as a yes.

 Steve had been waiting patiently; he had been ready to scold the kids, to warn them that he'd never let them trail through the tunnels again... but he knew it would fall upon deaf ears, and also knew that he'd only be spouting a bunch of bullshit. Scarlet was right... Those kids were impossible to say no to and actually mean it.

 He cleared his throat, palms heaving him away from the table he'd planted himself on, "You'll be back tomorrow, right?" He had barely registered the hopeful tone to his voice and when it clicked, Steve swiftly shrugged, eyes darting to the side, "Robin's insufferable, I need back-up."

 "Hey!" Robin hollered, her head peeking through the little window, "If anyone's insufferable, it's you, dingus."

 Scarlet flicked a bundle of hair from her face, her lips crooked, "That's an odd way to say I'm your favourite, but sure Stevie —" There that nickname was again, the very one that sounded like velvet coming from her lips. It made Steve physically incapable of forming a sentence, let alone able to quell the flush that sprouted on the very tips of his ears, "— I'll be here."

 Scarlet hadn't noticed the pink on his ears, nor the twitching of his fingers. She was always far too busy staring at those pretty eyes of his... And every time she noticed, she wanted to kick herself.

 Her smile fell flat and tight; it was a battle to force the corners of her mouth to rise even slightly. So Scarlet snatched her keys from the table, threw a final look to Steve and made her way through the door.

 Steve sighed to himself, finally drenched in utter silence and left alone... Except he wasn't. Robin's head was still hanging there, poking through the window with a brow so high on her forehead that it had disappeared.

 Steve recoiled as though a bad smell had smacked him right across his pink cheeks. He gestured to his face, "What's with the look?"

 "You are so obvious."

 "I'm — what?"

 "Scarlet."

 "What uh — what about her?" He swiftly mumbled. His hand darted to his neck, scratching through the shorter hairs lingering at the base of his skull. They were wet through with sweat; it might have been from the summer heat... or his flustered state.

 Robin, however, was her usual self. Her eyes rolled so forcefully that Steve had truly thought one would pop out, land atop an ice cream cone, and pose as some kind of horrific topping. She backed away from the window, her head shaking as a snort tore through her nostrils. The window slammed shut.

 Steve scurried onwards, feet tangling together like his twisted laces, "Hey! What? What about her?"

 Scarlet was the first to wake within the Hopper household the very next morning. There was an ache in her neck pulsating with every little movement — likely from sleeping next to a bundle of sketchbooks and loose pencils, so it was her own fault, really.

 A sheen of sweat graced her this morning, droplets already beading upon her forehead. She hated the Indiana heat. Even so, Scarlet tugged her drawers open, tossed a pair of denim dungarees and one of the colourful shirts she and Max had brought together onto the bed.

 For now, Scarlet clambered down her ladder, sure to keep her steps as light as possible, and padded towards the kitchen. The entire cabin felt like the inside of an oven, and Scarlet's fingers quickly found the handles of the windows, forcing them as wide as they'd go.

 With a stray look towards Hopper's hushed bedroom, Scarlet delved into the refrigerator, pulling free a carton of eggs and a packet of already opened bacon. Two Eggos joined the pile — Eleven would likely combust if she had to start her day without those damned waffles.

 Hopper and Eleven awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon drifting throughout the cabin, the familiar sugary smell of warm maple syrup dribbling down a stack of Eggos. Eleven had surged from her room at the very same time Hopper pulled his sheet back.

 They found Scarlet, still clad in her pyjamas, bobbing her head in time to the radio whilst scooping the crackling bacon from an old and charred frying pan that Hopper still had yet to replace.

 "Mornin'" Hopper muttered, his words as slurred as an old drunks. A relieved smile swiftly took over when a steaming cup of utterly black coffee was placed before him, as eggs slid from a spatula and onto the plate he'd soon be delving into.

 Eleven mirrored his actions and slumped into the seat opposite him, her knife and fork were scooped into her hands, ready to dig straight into her pile of waffles smothered in syrup. She grinned up at her sister as a cold glass of orange juice was left beside her plate.

 Finally, Scarlet took her own seat, stretching like a feline before taking a quick sip of her cool juice, "Dustin's home today, I hope you didn't forget."

 There was a piece of Eggo hanging from Eleven's lip, a droplet of syrup trickling onto the table, "I didn't forget —" her words were muffled, swiftly halted as she chewed and swallowed, "— Can we pick Mike up on the way?"

 "Of course, we can."

 Hopper remained silent, already seething at the mere mention of Mike... But at least Eleven would be with her other friends too. He trusted Will Byers far more than the rest of them. Hop stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth, teeth tearing straight through and a small piece toppled free. It fell back to his plate with a splat, crumbs spewing onto the table.

 He caught his eldest's eyes and spoke as he munched, "What?"

 Scarlet watched as more crumbs spilt from his lips, some jumping to tangle within the bushy moustache resting above his lip, "Nothing. Nothing at all." She twisted her head in time with Eleven's laugh, only to watch as a chunk of waffle tore past her lips too. They were far too alike sometimes, "You're both gross."

 A fresh shower had been exactly what Scarlet needed; from sweat that had soaked her skin and hair through the night, to the stench of charred bacon seeping into her clothes... Now she was as fresh as a daisy... or rather, a cherry, thanks to the sweet-scented soap she'd practically saturated herself in.

 Her sleepwear had been abandoned, chucked into a small pile within the bathroom while fresh clothes clung to her skin; a yellow and white striped tee tucked inside her dungarees. The short cuffs fell to the middle of her thighs, swiftly rolled up just to free that little bit of extra skin that would soon be completely cooked by the summertime heat.

 Her sopping hair had been dried and wrangled once more; curled pigtails sprouted from the back of her skull, blending with the cluster of hair that had been left down to flow freely. A pair of bright yellow sunglasses were perched atop her head, keeping the stray hairs from tangling with her long lashes.

 Scarlet swiftly pulled her pair of white converse onto her sock-covered toes, rolling her eyes at the impatient look Eleven was flinging her way. The young girl had folded her arms, her foot tapping at the wooden floor like an old crone.

 "He won't even be home yet, El," Scarlet muttered, tucking away her laces before springing to her full height. Her curls bounced in time.

 Eleven only surged further, fingers tangling with her sisters as she tugged her onwards; anything to see Mike. Eleven scooped Scarlet's keys from the bowl, tore the front door open and trudged onwards, grass tickling at her ankles.

 "Bye Hop!" Scarlet barely managed as she slammed the cabin door shut behind her, scarcely able to make out Hopper's fatigued response.

 It hadn't taken all that long for the girls to arrive at the Wheeler's residence; music streamed from the car and their poor singing voices finally faded away as Scarlet swiped a piece of Eleven's fizzy hair behind her ear, "Hop's picking you up, alright? So I'll see you when I get home."

 Eleven leaned closer, arms clutching at her sister as tight as she possibly could, "See you later."

 "Tell Dustin I missed him."

 "I will!" With that, Eleven paraded out of the car and scrambled to the cluster of children waiting for her.

 Lucas rose his hand in a wave, Max grinned and wiggled her fingers... Mike only nodded, his lips curling in an awkward smile and Scarlet couldn't help but wonder where the little kid with glistening eyes had disappeared to in such a short space of time.

 Will caught her eyes last, his hands tucked away in the pocket of his shorts. His smile was wide, as always, and yet there was something weighing it down. The edges of his eyes often crinkled while a glimmer resided within his chocolate-coloured eyes... now they were dull and almost lifeless. Something had happened to him last night, Scarlet was sure of it...

 But Will wasn't somebody who hid his feelings from her; their trust between one another had been founded and solidified so swiftly. Scarlet had given every ounce of herself to try and save him, and Will knew he was safe whenever she was around... He'd come to her when the time was right, just as he had before, for so many things.

 Scarlet twisted the dial upon her radio and Madonna became louder and louder to them all. Her fingers waved close to the window, a smile beaming towards the children; it was as bright as the sunlight coursing upon them, "Have fun!"

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11-01-2020

edited version: 24-07-2022

i just want to say that i really appreciate the people who consistently take time to comment throughout the entire chapter; i read each and every comment and they make my day. once more, however, ghost readers... please show some kind of support; this story will only continue as long as i see people interacting and enjoying the content i'm providing.

(ngl i didn't edit this properly, so if there are any mistakes, pls pls pls let me know lmao)

don't forget to let me know what you think; and remember that i now require a particular number of comments and feedback before i consider releasing the next part (this is just to ensure people remain engaged and supportive, as well as to allow me to see what you all enjoyed most!), and please do NOT leave comments telling me to update; they'll be ignored and you'll be muted, much love <3