WE HAD THIS WHOLE
THING PLANNED !

☀︎

AFTER A NIGHT OUT IN WHAT FELT TO BE AN ENDLESS STORM, THE RAIN HAD CAME TO A STOP AND ROBIN AND ALEX HAD FINALLY FALLEN ASLEEP. Waking early in the morning, Robin had debated letting Alex sleep or to get her moving for another day at Starcourt. After the night they had and knowing that the stress would only continue when they chased down the Russians that infiltrated Starcourt, she decided on letting her rest. Instead, she hitched a ride with the younger Henderson for a trip to Starcourt.

When Alex had arrived at Scoops Ahoy later into the afternoon, she had been freshly cleaned from the previous nights race through the mud as if it all had been washed away from her mind. Only Alex was forced to make room for all the chaos that tumbled through her mind. It had stained her mind just as her once white high top Chucks had been the only thing unable to be washed clean from the mud.

Upon entering Scoops, she had made way for the back room, allowing herself in. Sitting around the table, the rest of the group had put their conversation on hold at the sight of her arrival. Throwing his hands up, Dustin had made it a much bigger deal than it had truly been. "Finally, she's here and looks like shit."

Ignoring him, Alex had made her way around the table towards Steve. Leaning against his chair, she rested her arm around the back, "Fill me in on what I missed."

Standing up, Steve offered her his chair, taking his Scoops Ahoy hat off and placing it right on hers the second she filled in his spot. "These morons are trying to find a way into that room those guys were guarding. Dustin was just up on the roof checking it out."

"On your own?" Alex questioned in surprise. A look of guilt spread over Dustin's face before Alex reached out, giving him a smack to his arm. "Dude, you're like a full blown spy. It's like you don't even need us," she laughed.

"Okay, but there's gotta be a way in. We need ideas," Robin stated. She bit her bottom lip as she played thoughtlessly with her ice cream scooper. "I'd settle for anything at this point."

Feeling a surge of confidence, Steve crossed his arms, ready to hear Alex's approval just the same as Dustin. "You know, I could just take 'em out."

"I really hope you mean me... like on a date because there's no way you're fighting anyone," Alex said to his disappointment.

"What, no," he frowned. "I sneak in behind the Russian guard, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy."

"It's so not easy," Alex said as she propped her chin up in her hands.

"Did you not hear the part of the massive gun?" Dustin questioned him.

"Or the massive muscles?" Alex continued.

Steve's confidence began to shrivel as they all began to doubt him. It certainly didn't help as Dustin and Alex questioned him, that Robin had a smirk to her face, watching as his shoulder slacked and his smile faded. "Hey, I have muscles," he mumbled. "And yes, I did hear about the guns and the muscles. And that's why I would be sneaking."

Dustin had perked up as a question he knew the answer to, "Well, please, tell me this, and be honest, have you ever actually won a fight?"

All eyes turned to Steve from Dustin's question. His eyes had shifted across the three in surprise and slight embarrassment. Perhaps fighting wasn't his strong suit but he had fought Billy Hargrove for a purpose. Rather than give reason he fought for love and to protect the children, he settled on bringing another down with him. "To be fair, Alex lost that fight too."

Alex's mouth fell agape the moment her name had been brought into conversation. "Are you serious?" Alex couldn't help but let out a laugh knowing full well he was willing to bring her down with him. "That's not fair. I jumped into the fight to help you. And I'm not afraid to admit I did it in the name of love."

"Max took him out and she's basically the size of a toddler," he stated, unaware he was only hurting himself in the process.

"First of all, that doesn't help your case being the big, strong, Russian fighting man that you claim to be," Alex said through a guilty smile. "Don't worry, I'm not dating you for your strength. I don't care Billy kicked your ass too"

"Okay, it was one time I lost a fight," he spoke up.

"Twice. Jonathan. Year prior?" Dustin reminded him. After hearing from Alex about the fight in the alleyway, the boys had all gathered around, having their own celebration that, at the time, the douchebag Steve Harrington had what was coming to him.

Steve immediately shook his head, "That doesn't count."

"Why wouldn't it count?" Dustin questioned curiously. "Because I heard he beat the shit out of you. You got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye, lots of blood..."

"Look, I was attacked first," Steve claimed loudly. Though many would argue that his attack of his choice of words and berating was enough to earn him that fat lip.

"You were a total dickbag to Jonathan," Alex corrected. "You had it coming. Unlike you, who went crying to Tommy, Jonathan got taken to the police station. Which you also got me in trouble. Callahan was a complete ass."

Realizing now that this was a losing battle for him, Steve finally threw in the towel. Completely giving up, he scoffed loudly with a roll of his eyes. "Well, sorry I'm not this macho boyfriend you want so badly."

Shaking his head quickly, Dustin had reached for Steve, gently laying a hand on him in a comforting manner. "No, no, no. I like it because then we can kick your ass and win if you're ever a dick to her."

Swatting his hand away, Steve turned away from the group in annoyance. Thus began the bickering between the boys with Alex silently listening as her eyes had bounced back and forth between the two. Lost in her own train of thought, Robin's amusement had vanished as a particular thought had crossed her mind. The vent that had sat high up on the wall behind Steve started to formulate an idea for her that she thought was their best option of getting into that room. "That might just work," she smiled to herself. Getting up from her chair, she ignored as the rest had called to her in confusion. Out of the breakroom, she reached across the counter, burying her hand into the tip jar and pulled out a handful of cash for herself.

"Hey, Robin," Steve called out, the first to follow out the door. "Hey, wh-what are you doing?"

Holding onto the cash she turned back to him, but continued out of Scoops Ahoy as she walked backwards. "I need cash," she stated obviously.

"Well, half of that's mine," he fought back. "Where are you going?"

"To find us a way into that room... a safe way. And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. I'll be back in a jiff!" Turning on her heel, she took off into a sprint to find the group a solution. The more she had taken on for herself allowed her to feel included and a part of a team that was already very close.

Alex sighed loudly in annoyance, resting her cheek against Steve's arm as she watched the spot Robin had last stood in. "She didn't even take me," she whispered.

"You'll get over it," Steve assured. Looking over to his left, he felt more bothered with Dustin than he felt he should have had to have been. Somewhere in all the discussion, Dustin had somehow snuck Steve's ice cream scooper from his pocket. After digging out a nice scoop from the tub of chocolate ice cream, he licked it clean as a reward for himself.

Aggravated, Steve had snatched the ice cream scooper back from Dustin and in the process knocking Alex off of his arm. "Oh, dude," he said in disgust. "Come on, man, not my scooper."

"Gross, don't serve me ice cream with that," Alex said with a scrunch of her nose. Heading back into the breakroom, she took a seat, leaning back as she watched the two follow in right after her. Taking the seat across from her, Steve stirred in his frustration with how this day had seemed to be turning out for him. First the Henderson's pointing out his lack of wins in fights and then his missing tips. Pointing over to Alex, he wanted at least one person to know how certain he was. "She's not giving my tips back, you know that, right?"

"I think she'll give it back," Alex said doubtfully. Even Steve could see that she even believed that the money he worked for would never be in his pockets, lost to whatever Robin Buckley had planned.

"We were supposed to go to the movies tonight. We had this whole thing planned."

Alex rested her hands on her stomach as she looked to him, her head tilted to the side as a small smile came to her face. He had clearly been more upset about their plans being ruined more than the money itself. "We can just sneak in like you do for the kids or I can pay, I don't care. Or just skip the movies, we're supposed to go to the fair tomorrow anyways."

Beginning to pace the room, Dustin had shook his head before he stopped at the table. "You know, I had this whole thing planned too. Not hanging out with just you two. I should've went with Robin."

"Got a crush?" Steve mumbled, earning a kick under the table from Alex. In return, he gave a kick to her. "It's a legitimate question."

"He has a girlfriend," Alex reminded him in warning. Dustin's new girlfriend was something that had meant a lot to him and for everyone to consistently question him on her was becoming exhausting and giving him the doubt that he was worthy enough to have a girlfriend like most of his friends.

Pulling her eyes off of Steve, Alex looked to Dustin curiously. "I thought you loved hanging out with us."

"Not when you two are talking about dates and when Steve's..." he paused as he searched for the best way to put it. "Well, when he's Steve."

"Oh, man, come on," Steve groaned. "I'm sitting right here."

Under the table, Alex extended her feet out towards his, lightly tapping her foot against his. "I love hanging out with you. You're my best friend."

Steve gave her another point, this time with a genuine smile. "I love you, Henderson. And this is why I'm getting those tips back. We're going to that movie."

"I love you. We're going to the movie," Dustin mocked loudly. "This is gross and I should not have to be subjected to this torture. I mean, it's disgusting."

"He only said he loves me," Alex said with narrowed eyes at her brother. His strange behavior seemed to come and go, and when he was upset with the two, he did not seem to want to hold back on expressing how he felt.

Dustin didn't seem to care what his sister thought about him and instead held onto his stomach as if it were in pain, gagging over her words. When she had rolled her eyes, he peeked over to her, "What, you want me to stop?"

"That would be nice, actually," Alex said.

"See, that's the thing, I can't. Seeing you two even remotely close to one another makes me sick." Giving another gag, he couldn't help but have to stop just to let out a laugh. His eyes shifted between the two, seeing how annoyed he had made them-- enough that they couldn't look at him, not even one another. "Come on, I have to make up for Lucas and Max not being here. You know they would do the same to you guys."

"No, dipshit. We'd be doing it to them. Or giving them shit for breaking up for the tenth time," Steve claimed.

"See, Suzie and I aren't gonna be that way," Dustin said, looking off to the side, lost in thought of his new girlfriend. Glancing at each other, neither Alex or Steve could hold back. At the very same time, they had sat up, pretending to gag at the hopeless romantic Dustin had became when he talked about Suzie.