Christine and Steve walked into Scoops Ahoy, the girl laughing at something he said as they bumped shoulders. Dustin was already in there, the boy immediately walking up to the two of them with  a questioning look.

"Where have you been?!" Dustin asked in a hurried and irritated tone. Christines smile faltered, Steve grabbing Dustin by the shoulders and walking away from Christine with him.

"Woah dude relax. We're here. We were dealing with some lady stuff last night alright? Stayed up late. No big deal."

"Lady stuff?" Dustin asked with raised eyebrows, his face curious as he tried to figure out what Steve meant. He looked past Steve to Christine who was approaching the counter, Steve looking too and then back to Dustin. Dustin seemed to get a realization, his eyes turning accusatory and widening. "She's wearing your clothes. Steve! She-"

"It's not- she stayed the night I told you that. But yes we were up semi late and I am sorry we got here to late. That's it. That's all I had to say." Steve let go of his shoulders, turning to the two girls with a smile and his hands on his hips. Robin raised her eyebrows at him, a tiny smile crossing her lips as she lifted up the Russian dictionary, Steve's face slightly dropping as he realized it wasn't only time to start working, but also time to start worrying about  the Russians again.

"Alright I was out there this morning and this is what I found out." Dustin started as they all field into the break room, Christine sitting at the table and looking at him with a sigh.

"That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun. Whatever's in this room, whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it." Steve had his foot up on the chair, the boy spinning his hat around his finger as Dustin paced back and forth in front of the three who were seated. Christine was fiddling with her hands under the table, the girl frowning at the mention of the massive gun.

"But there's gotta be a way in." Robin said, the girl shaking her head at the table. Steve was the next to speak, everyone looking over at him with a curious look as to what he was going to say.

"Well, you know... I could just take him out." Steve proposed, Robin looking at him with a confused look as Christines eyebrows furrowed.

"Take who out?"

"The Russian guard." Steve said, Christine the next one to speak as she fought back a funny smile.

"Where? On a date?"

"Ha ha, so funny. What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy." Steve said in all seriousness, Christine fighting back a hysterical laugh as she dropped her face into her hands.

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin asked, his arms crossed in front of his stomach as he looked shared a look with Christine who just shrugged.

"Yes, Dustin. I did. And that's why I would be sneaking." Steve made finger gestures on the table, showing them that he would be sneaking and making Christine and Robin share a look now.

Well, please, tell me this, and be honest...have you ever actually...won a fight?" Dustin asked, this pushing Christine over the edge and making her laugh.

"Okay—that was one time..."

"Twice. Jonathan. Year prior?" Dustin said, making Christine chuckle again and Steve start to defend himself further.

"Listen that doesn't count." Christine laughed again, Steve turning his attention to her really quickly and looking at her as if she had no reason to be laughing.

"I don't know why you're laughing like you didn't get your ass kicked too." Steve said, lifting his finger to gesture to her face. She scoffed, her smile dropping as she leaned forwards a little bit.

"Fuck you Steve because I got my ass kicked trying to protect you. Not because—"

"Well you sucked at it." Steve deadpanned, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned back in the chair.

"I got my nose broken for you because you didn't see that piece of shit bringing a plate down on your head. Billy cracked three of my ribs you dick. Be more appreciative fr-"

"You both got your asses kicked." Dustin chimes in, joining the banter between the two and making them both look to him.

"That just might work." Robin hopped up from the table, running out and grabbing the tips from the tip jar, Steve standing from his spot to see where she was going. Christine ignored his calling after her, the girl feeling a pinch of pain in her nose at just the very thought of Billy Hargrove and the night at the Byers house. Dustin followed Steve out, the girl staying in her chair and ignoring the yelling. She figured that Robin was going to do something good for the group, meaning she didn't really have much to contribute.

Christines stomach growled, the girl groaning as Dustin walked back into the room. He looked at her and shrugged, the girl standing from the table and walking towards the window. Steve was leaning against the counter, a groan leaving his lips as Robin disappeared out of sight. Christine stood at the window, the girl leaning against it and putting on a sickly sweet smile.

"Stevie." She called, Steve feeling dread in his body at the sound of the nickname. He turned it looking at her, an expectant expression on his face as he wondered what she wanted. "Can I get something to eat?"

"What do you want? Ice cream?" He asked, walking up to the window and standing in front of her. She gave him a raised eyebrow, shrugging her shoulders and making his sigh again. "Yeah I'll get it."

"Thank you."

"Whatever. Don't say I don't take care of you."

:::

"It is fascinating what 20 bucks will get you at the county recorders office. Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints." Robin laid the paper out on the table, Christine realizing what she had left for and giving a nod of approval. She pushed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, Dustin speaking next.

"Not bad."

"So this is us, Scoops. And this is where we want to get." Robin showed on the map, Steve sitting down at the table and pulling out a chair for Christine to sit in. She sat down, Steve looking over at her and then at the ice cream, the girl scooping some up and giving him a bite.

"I mean, I don't really see a way in." Steve said, gesturing towards the blueprints.

"There's not, if you're talking exclusively about doors." Robin moved the top paper out of the way, revealing a much more intricate layout of passageways, Christine tilting her head to read what it said.

"Air ducts." Dustin confirmed, Christine feeling her chest clench at the thought of the closed space.

"Exactly." Robin rushed around the table, making her way to the white board and grabbing the red marker. "Turns out this secret room needs air just like any old room. And these air ducts lead all the way...." Robin traced with the red marker across the blueprint, all of them following the line until she circled a room. "...here."

They all turned to look at the air duct in the room, Christine taking another bite of her cookies and cream ice cream. She stood from the table, the girl making her way towards a tool box on the shelf in the back of the room and grabbing a screwdriver out of it. She trotted back over, the girl handing Steve the screwdriver and giving him a smile.

He got to work on the vent, the two boys accumulating a ladder and Dustin instructing the girls to stand back. Christine retreated with surrender, Robin looking down at her as she sat and shaking her head.

"Thank god for men right?" Robin joked, Christine chuckling as she finished her ice cream. When Steve opened the grate Christine was finished with her ice cream, the boy holding the screwdriver in his mouth as he pulled the grate off.

"Flashlight." Dustin handed him the flashlight, thanking him for it and then shining it into the air duct. "Yeah I don't know man. I don't know if I can fit in here. It's like...super tight." Steve said, coming down from the ladder.

"I'll fit. Trust me. No collar bones, remember?" Dustin said, starting up the ladder.

"Uh excuse me?" Robin asked curiously, confused about this new information.

"Oh he's uh...yeah hes got some disease. Chry...uh...it's chrydo...um-"

"Cleidocranial dysplasia." Christine finished for him, the girl crossing her arms over her chest and nodding for him to continue.

"He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo." Steve said making Christine shake her head in disappointment and walk towards Dustin.

"You mean Gumby."

"I'm pretty sure its Gumbo." Steve said, Christine rolling her eyes as Dustin spoke.

"Steve just shut up and push me."

"Okay." Christine beat him too it, the girl going up the ladder slightly and grabbing him by the legs.

"Who is that? Those are womanly hands." Dustin said in a panicked voice, Christine taking another step up the ladder and pushing him by the legs.

"It's Christine."

"No! No. Christine don't." Dustin argued, the boy yelping as Christine started to push him by his ass. She pushed him as hard as she could, Dustin yelling for Steve to do it while Steve stood at the bottom with a disappointed face. "Steve help!"

"Alright I'll help." Steve walked up to Christine now, the boy putting his hands on Christines ass and pushing. She jumped, the girl reaching back and slapping him away, Robin laughing as Steve held the side of his head with his hand, the boy groaning from where she had hit him.

"How is grabbing my ass helping?!"

"I'm pushing you and you're pushing him." Steve tried to reason, the voice coming from the vent next.

"That's not helping anyways!" Dustin yelled, Christine reaching back and hitting Steve again before jumping down from the ladder.

"You do it." She said, shaking her head at the older boy who flinched away from her when she walked past him. He got on the ladder, putting Dustins legs over his shoulders and telling him he was just going to push him in.

"Shit!"

"That work?" Steve asked after pushing him, the push clearly not working. A ding started to sound from the front counter, Christine and Robin both looking to see Erica Sinclair, the two older girls having the same idea at the same time.

"Get over here and serve me some samples!"