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"HEY," MAX STARTED ONCE EL JOINED HER IN HER OWN BED. Max and El were still having their sleepover, the situation being a lot more serious. El and Max played a game of spin the bottle but whoever it lands on, El uses her powers to spy on them. She got Billy, meaning she spied on him and found something horrible. The boy had been holding a girl called Heather captive, El going into her mind and seeing her trapped. "there's nothing to worry about anymore, okay?" Max continued, El sighing. "It doesn't make sense." She spoke, Max confused. "What doesn't make sense?" Max asked, El looking down. "Heather. The blood. The ice." El listed, Max humming. "Heather had a fever, so she took a cold bath, but she's better now. That has to be it." Max summed up, El gulping.

"I don't know where that blood came from, but... we saw her. We both saw her. She's totally fine." Max spoke, El turning to her friend. "What about Billy?" She asked, Max confused again. "What about him?" She asked, El leaning forward. "He seemed wrong." She spoke, Max snickering lightly. "Wrong is kind of like his default." She snickered, "But it's nice to know he's not a murderer, because that would've totally sucked." Max chuckled, El starting to smile before looking down at the comics on the bed. "Who... is that?" She asked, pointing to a 'Wonder Woman' comic. "See, this is why you can't just hang out with Mike all the time." Max grinned, picking up the comic as El smiled, leaning back. "This is Wonder Woman. AKA, Princess Diana." Max started to explain the comic, El getting comfortable in the bed.

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"TRY DUSTIN AGAIN." MIKE TOLD LUCAS, AFTER CALLING MAX AND EL. Lucas, Mike and Will were in Mike's basement again, something about it being a 'code red'. "Maybe him and Seb are still asleep?" Will suggested, Mike shaking his head. "Dustin wouldn't sleep in this late." Mike spoke, Lucas picking his radio up.

"Dustin, do you copy? I repeat, this is a code red."

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"IS THERE STILL THE PANDA BOXES?" SEB ASKED, HIM AND DUSTIN STILL ON THE ROOF. It was the next morning, Seb not going back to the Cabin last night. He had slept over at Dustin's home, his mother not minding at all. Robin and Steve were at work, having to go in as they were they only employees there. Hopper hadn't called Seb to ask where he was, the boy believing he didn't really care. "Yeah." Dustin spoke, watching through his binoculars as a man scanned a keycard through the door from last night to get in.

"That key card 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 anyone finding it." Dustin told Robin and Steve, the four in the back of Scoops Ahoy. "But there's gotta be a way in." Robin spoke, now invested in finding what they're hiding. "Well," Steve started, blowing his work hat back to it's normal position. "you know... I could just take him out." Steve suggested, leaning forward as Seb looked to him. "Take who out?" Robin asked, Steve shrugging. "The Russian guard." Steve spoke as if he could do that, Sebastian nodding. "Like the one with the big gun?" He asked, Steve turning to him as Robin leant back, a grin on her face. "Yes, the one with the big gun." He spoke, Seb nodding slowly as he didn't believe Steve could lay a hand on the man.

"What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out and take his keycard. It's easy." Steve spoke, Seb shrugging. "Did you not hear me say 'big gun'?" He asked, Steve staring at him blankly. "Yes, Sebastian, I did." Dustin crossed his arms, sighing. "The gun is huge Steve-" "Yes, Dustin, I know. Which is why I would be sneaking." Steve spoke as if everyone was dumb except him, Robin nodding as she tried to suppress a laugh. "Ah. Well, please, tell me this, and be honest, have you ever actually... won a fight?" Dustin asked, Seb biting back a smile as Steve sighed. "Okay, that was one time-" "Twice, Johnathan. Year prior?" Dustin interrupted, Seb's head tilting. "Jonathan? Will's brother?" He asked, Steve nodding quietly. "That doesn't count." Steve nodded to Seb, Robin smiling as they two young boys made fun of Steve. "Why wouldn't it? Because it looks like he beat the shit out of you."

Dustin spoke, Seb snickering as Robin looked away. "You got a fat lip, crooked nose..." Robin's eyes landed on a vent as Dustin listed what happened to Steve's face. "You were fucked-" "That just might work." Robin whispered, Seb looking to her curiously. "That was all." Steve defended himself, Robin rushing to grab all the notes out of their tips jar. "Robin." Steve spoke, Robin grabbing her helmet and rushing out of the store. "Wait, what are you doing?" The three got up, chasing after Robin. "I need cash." Robin shrugged, Steve scoffing. "Well, half of that's mine. Where're you going?" Steve spoke from his spot with Dustin and Seb behind the counter. "To find a way into that room, a safe way. And, in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave and don't get beat up." Robin scolded like a mother, Sebastian nodding. "Okay!" He put a thumbs up, Robin smiling.

"I'll be back in a jiff." Robin saluted, rushing away as Seb smiled to her. "She's so cool." He spoke, Steve looking over Dustin to scowl at the boy. Before he could scowl, he caught Dustin licking the ice cream from his scooper. "Ew, dude." Steve snatched the utensil off of him, Sebastian looking to them both.

"Come on, man, not my scooper."

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"I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS ANYTHING AT FIRST." WILL SPOKE, THE WHOLE PARTY, MINUS DUSTIN AND SEB, IN MIKE'S BASEMENT. After being possessed by the Mind Flayer, it had left Will connected to the Upside Down so if there's danger, he can sense it. "I mean, I think I just didn't want to believe it." Will spoke further, sighing. "The first time I felt it was at The Day of the Dead." He admitted, referring back to when the party went to the movies, minus El and Seb as they weren't allowed. "Power went out that night too." Mike inputted, Will humming. "And then I felt it again at the field near the Nelson farm the next day." Will informed, referring back to Dustin with Cerebro. "Then again yesterday outside Castle Byers." Will spoke quieter. After his argument with Mike, Will had destroyed his childhood hut out of anger.

"What does it feel like?" Max asked quietly, as not to startle Will. "It's almost like..." El stared at the boy with her eyebrows furrowed. Was the Mind Flayer back? "You know when you drop on a roller coaster?" He asked, Mike and Max agreeing. "Yes-" "No." El shook her head, Will shrugging. "It's like everything inside your body is just sinking all at once, but... this is worse. Your body... it goes cold and- and you can't breathe." He explained, El's eyes widening. "I've felt it before, whenever he was close." Will spoke, Max confused. "Whenever who was close?" She asked, Will looking to her. "The Mind Flayer." Will spoke, El stuttering. "I closed the gate." She whispered, Will shrugging. "I know, but... what if he never left?" El's breathing sped up.

"What if we locked him out here with us?"

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ROBIN RETURNED BACK TO THE BACK ROOM OF SCOOPS AHOY WITH A BLUEPRINT OF THE ENTIRE MALL, DUSTIN AMAZED. "Not bad." He complimented, Robin pointing where Scoops Ahoy was. Seb was sort of confused but hid it and let Robin explain. "This is us, and this is where we want to get." The three followed her finger to where the room was, Steve shaking his head. "I mean, I don't really see a way in." Steve spoke, Robin sighing. "There's not, if you're talking exclusively about doors." Seb's eyebrows furrowed, Dustin realising. "Air ducts." He grinned, Sebastian beyond confused. "Air ducts?" He asked, Robin nodding to him obliviously. "Exactly." Robin moved to the whiteboard to grab a pen in the back room, everyone watching her. "Turns out, this secret room needs air just like any old room." Robin moved back, marking the way to go through air ducts.

"And these air ducts lead all the way..." Seb's eyes widened when he saw the pen land on Scoops Ahoy from the room. "here." Robin grinned, Seb following her eyes to the vent. There was a small one high up, Steve quickly grabbing a screwdriver. Sebastian watched as the taller boy took the cover off of the vent, looking down to Dustin. "Flashlight." Steve asked, Dustin handing him a torch. "Thank you." He spoke, shining the torch down the vent. "Yeah, I don't know, man. I don't know if you can fit in here. It's like, super tight." Steve spoke, Robin looking to Seb. The boy stood beside her obliviously, Steve and Dustin looking to Sebastian too. This is when he finally noticed everyone looking to him.

"What?"

☆

"THIS KIND OF HURTS." SEB MUTTERED, STEVE SHRUGGING AS ROBIN AND DUSTIN WATCHED SEB HALFWAY THROUGH THE VENT. Given he was the smallest one of the group, Robin suggested he got into the vent, now displaying his lower half to the group. "I could use some help, please." Seb suggested politely, the metal vent making his voice echo. "On it." Dustin spoke, Steve stepping out of the way. The two older teens watched awkwardly as Dustin placed one hand on each of Seb's ass cheeks. "What are you doing?" Seb asked quickly, feeling very violated. "Pushing you." Dustin spoke, Seb feeling uncomfortable as Robin watched awkwardly. Steve just pinched the bridge of his nose, watching as the two boys struggled. "Not by there!" Seb spoke, not being able to push away since his hands were in the vent. "It's the best way-"

"Get your hands off my ass, Dustin, or I swear, I'll kill you-" "Okay!" Dustin spoke, quickly getting off because he knows that Seb will actually hurt him with his powers. He liked the boy too much to kill him but he would hurt him... badly. "I'll just shove your feet." Dustin spoke, Seb confused. "What- ow!" Sebastian let out, hitting his head on the vent when Dustin shoved him out of nowhere. "Just push me!" Seb yelled, "No shoving! That hurts!" Steve moved forward, sighing as he grabbed Seb's ankles, gently pushing him forward. "Thank you whoever that is." The boy spoke, Robin cringing at the scene before the bell rung. "Ahoy, sailors! All hands on deck!" Erica Sinclair spoke, meeting eyes with the young girl. "Who was that?" Sebastian asked, Erica still ringing the bell. Robin just stared at her, making her scoff and continue to ring the bell. "Come on!" Erica urged, Robin's face dropping.

Erica would fit.

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"I DON'T KNOW. HE LOOKS PRETTY NORMAL TO ME." MAX SPOKE THROUGH BINOCULARS, THE PARTY STOPD BEHIND A CAR AS THEY SPIED ON BILLY. After telling the boys their suspicions, the group decided, minus Dustin and Seb, that they would spy on Billy whilst he's at work. Billy was a lifeguard at the new pool, but he was sat underneath a umbrella with a tshirt on covering almost every part of his body from the sun. "Normal? How many times have you seen him with a shirt on?" Lucas spoke, Mike watching as Max shrugged. "I mean, it's a little weird." Max spoke, Mike scoffing. "More than a little. He was in a tub with ice. The Mind Flayer liked it cold." Mike reminded, looking to El. "Plus everything else-" "But he's lounging at the pool," Max shrugged, causing Mike to look back to her. "which is like, the least Mind Flayer thing ever." She spoke, defending her older stepbrother.

In all honesty, Max just didn't want to believe her brother was possessed by a monster because who would? "Not necessarily." Will spoke, everyone looking to him. "The Mind Flayer likes to hide. He only used me when he needed me. It's like... like you're dormant. And then, when he needs you, you're activated." Will informed, Max nodding. "Okay, so we just... wait until he gets activated." Max shrugged, struggling to say it. "No. What if he hurts someone?" Mike spoke, Will looking to them. "Or kills someone?" Max looked to him quickly. "We can't take that chance. We need to find out if he's the host." Mike spoke, walking away. "Where are you going?" El asked, Mike shrugging. "I have an idea. Boys only." Mike spoke, ushering Will and Lucas over which made Max scoff. "Seriously?" She spat, El confused.

"Just trust me on this one!"

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Fun lol

[2159 words!]

Hope you enjoyed!!

Byeee!