CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
AIR DUCTS

Steve and Aaron picked Kimmy and Dustin up the next day before leaving to go into Scoops Ahoy to try figure out what really happened in regard to the Russians.

Upon arriving, Kimmy, Aaron, Steve and Robin were sat at the small table in the staffroom once more, Dustin pacing across from them. The boy had already been up to the roof that morning, spying with his binoculars.

"There's a keycard that opens the door," Dustin told the group when he had arrived back from his trip to the roof. "But unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun. Meaning, whatever is in this room- whatever's in those boxes, they really don't want anybody finding it."

"There's gotta be another way in." Robin shook her head in thought at Dustin's words.

"Well, you know..." Steve trailed off, trying to come off as calm and unbothered. "I could just take him out."

"Take who out?" Robin asked with a voice of disbelief as she tilted her head.

"The Russian guard." Steve shrugged calmly.

Aaron let out a loud laugh, scoffing at his older brothers words. "Yeah," Aaron nodded sarcastically. "Let's see how that works out for you, Steve."

"What?" Steve snapped, clearly offended. "I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy."

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin retorted, Aaron genuinely wasn't sure if Dustin was actually asking or if he was being sarcastic. Knowing Dustin it could be either.

"Yes, Dustin, I did." Steve replied slowly with narrow eyes. "And that is why I would be sneaking."

"Really?" Aaron asked sarcastically, leaning his elbows on the small table and tilting his head towards Steve as he spoke. "Because I think that any one of us four have a better chance at knocking out that guard then you do. You are probably the shittest fighter to walk the face of the earth."

"That is so not true, Aaron." Steve scoffed, shaking his head as he turned to Robin in front of him, pointing to Aaron as if to say he didn't know what his brother was talking about.

"Um- actually it is, Steve." Dustin jumped in, Steve scoffing loudly causing Dustin's brows to rise. "Well, please, tell me this, and be honest. Have you actually ever... won a fight?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay, that was one time-"

"Twice." Dustin corrected hastily. "Jonathan. The year prior?"

Aaron actually hadn't known that Steve had gotten into a fight with Jonathan, but he pretended as if he had known about it, just so it didn't look bad that Dustin had known and Aaron hadn't.

"Listen, that doesn't count." Steve tried to quite pathetically excuse.

"Why wouldn't it?" Dustin laughed as he folded his arms over his chest. "Because it sounds like he beat the shit out of you. You got a fat lip, crooked nose, swollen eye, a lot of blood-"

Dustin cut himself off as Robin ran past him and out of the room, the four looking to each other with confused expressions.

Steve stood and opened the textured sliding windows, Aaron and Kimmy following him.

"Robin!" Steve exclaimed when he saw that she had taken all the tips from the tip jar, running out of the staffroom with the three close behind him. "Hey, Robin! What- what are you doing with that?"

"I need cash!" Robin yelled as she walked backwards and out of the ice cream parlour.

"Well, half of that's mine!" Steve yelled after her, really sounding upset. "Where're you going?"

"To find a way into that room, a safe way!" Robin yelled loudly as she left. "And in the meantime, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up! I'll be back in a jiff."

Steve sighed as Robin ran off, turning to Dustin for some sort of support on the matter, only to find Dustin licking his ice cream scooper.

"Oh, dude!" Steve exclaimed, catching the attention of Kimmy and Aaron. "Come on, man, not my scooper-"

"Dustin!" Aaron scolded in a voice of disbelief. "Why would you do that? That might be the most unsanitary thing I have ever seen!"

Dustin shrugged and rolled his eyes at the boy, Steve going to place the scooper back where it had been.

"Steve, if you even think about not cleaning that I will actually report you." Aaron snapped at his brother, only half joking. "Go and clean that right now. Don't put it back to use!"

"Jesus christ, Aaron." Steve retorted, moving away from behind the counter as he spoke, Dustin following him. "Where would I even clean it at-"

"I don't know." Aaron rolled his eyes at his older brother. "Find somewhere! This place has a million drinking fountains, worst comes to worst use one of them."

"Oh, my god." Steve mumbled as he shoved past his brother, Dustin following close behind him. Aaron pretending he couldn't hear the way Steve immediately went on a rant about the annoying habits of his brother to Dustin.

"Come on," Kimmy told the boy next to her, the girl walking back into the staffroom and shutting the sliding windows so they could hide from any customers.

"Can you believe that?" Aaron asked as he sat opposite her. "That was so unsanitary. I wasn't in the wrong, right?"

"No, you weren't." Kimmy agreed calmly. "I'm sure if you hadn't said anything Steve would have still used it."

Aaron nodded in response, resting his face in his palm.

"Hey," Kimmy teased after a moment of silence, Aaron glancing up confused to look at her. "You've got gel in your hair. You never wear gel."

Aaron felt his cheeks go bright red at her words. Steve had insisted that morning that Aaron had to have some sort of gel in his hair, something to make him look more presentable than normal.

His hair wasn't done like Steve had tried to get him to do it, it literally looked exactly like it usually did, just a little less scruffy. But he had put gel in his hair to make him look a little more put together, and to make sure his hair wasn't a mess by the time the designated time for their movie came around.

"Yeah," Aaron admitted with an embarrassed tone. "Um, Steve said it was probably best so that my hair still looks presentable later."

"It looks nice." Kimmy complimented him, nodding her head as she spoke. However she must have noticed his embarrassed expression, because she instantly began trying to reassure him. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Aaron. If it makes you feel any better, I've got some hairspray in too."

Aaron smiled at her, his cheeks turning redder upon realising that at least she too had put a little more effort in than usual for their date that night. Well at least Aaron was taking it as a date.

"Did you tell Max like you wanted to?" Aaron blurted, saying the first thing that came to his mind.

"I did call her this morning but she didn't answer. She must have been out, maybe with Lucas." Kimmy replied, biting her cheek in thought as she paused. "It's okay. I'll call her tonight."

Aaron nodded slowly, scratching his neck as he looked to her again only to realise she was already watching him from across the small table.

"Did you tell anyone?" Kimmy asked curiously.

"No." Aaron responded simply before back tracking. "Well, I told Steve, but that's it."

"I didn't tell anyone either." Kimmy replied straight after. "I mean, I was going to tell Max this morning, but I couldn't get ahold of her."

Aaron went to say something but stopped himself when Kimmy dropped her gaze to her hands which she had clasped together in her lap, biting her cheek. The girl then smoothed her hands over the ends of her hair before carefully tucking her hair behind both her ears, not even realising the boy was watching her.

Despite the fact the girl didn't even realise, just by her doing that had reassured him more than anything else probably ever could. She was nervous too. Sure, she was definitely doing a better job at hiding it, but she was obviously just as nervous as Aaron was.

Aaron smiled to himself slightly as he watched her try and calm herself down without letting him know what she was doing.

Aaron felt his smile drop slightly as the overthinking began to settle in, worrying that maybe Kimmy didn't want to tell anyone but Max in case it was embarrassing for her. The boy slightly panicking that maybe he was embarrassing or something.

"But... um, it wouldn't be bad if people did know, would it?" Aaron asked hesitantly, almost scared to hear her response.

Kimmy glanced up at his gaze, her brows knitting together as she hesitated, nerves carving into her features. "No, I don't think it would be bad for people to know. Why, do you think-"

"No, I don't think it would be bad." Aaron cut off, already knowing what she was going to say. "I was just asking in case you didn't want me to say anything or something... I don't know, it's stupid."

"Aaron I've told you before that nothings stupid if it's how you feel about something." Kimmy frowned at him. "And... why would you think I wouldn't want anyone to know?"

"I don't know." Aaron lied, clasping his hands together nervously. "I just... I don't know."

Kimmy obviously knew he was lying, however she didn't push him. Most likely not wanting to pressure him into saying something he wasn't comfortable with.

"Well, for future reference - I don't think that." Kimmy nodded, forcing a small smile on her face as she tried to get him to actually believe her words. "I don't care who you tell, you can tell anyone you like. I just mentioned Max because she's my best friend and I wanted her to be the first person I told, you can tell anyone you want. It's completely up to you."

Aaron looked to her blankly for a moment before the words as well as the reassurance actually sunk in.

"Right," he nodded awkwardly before continuing in a more confident voice. "Um... do you know where you want to eat before? Or if you want to eat before?"

"I haven't really thought about it." Kimmy answered honestly. "I don't really know any good places are here in the mall to eat at, we can look around when we're done with this."

Aaron nodded at her and sent her a nervous smile. "Me either, I've just been to where we ran out."

Kimmy laughed in response, nodding her head in agreement. "Me too."

...

It was about an hour later when Robin returned, smiling smugly as she slammed a large piece of paper on the small table in the staffroom.

"It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the County Recorder's office." Robin laughed to herself, picking up the large piece of paper and unfolding it, placing it on the table once more now it was unfolded. "Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints."

"Not bad." Dustin laughed in response, looking to the girl impressed.

"This is great." Kimmy gasped from next to Dustin, Robin turning to look at with two with an amused expression.

"So this is us, Scoops," Robin pointed to the outline of a room on the blueprint, she then moved to point towards another room outlined in blue. "And this is where we want to get."

"I mean, I don't really see a way in." Steve shook his head as he looked down at the blueprints in front of him.

"There's not." Robin responded calmly, Kimmy looking to her confused. "But that's only if you're talking exclusively about doors."

The older girl then took the blueprints off the table and placed another blueprint down in its place, Kimmy furrowing her brows as she looked down.

"Air ducts." Dustin grinned as he looked to Robin.

"Exactly." Robin smiled in response, running to grab a marker, very clearly drawing a line from the Scoops Ahoy air duct to the air duct of the room they needed to be in. "Turns out, this secret room needs air just like any other room. And these air ducts lead all the way there."

Robin then pointed to the large air duct in the staffroom. "That one right there. That's the one we need to use."

The group moved over to inspect it, Steve rushing off to try find something to take off the front of it with so they could actually see how wide the vent was.

Eventually, Steve found a screwdriver, moving in front of the group as he went to take the front of the vent off. Robin pushing over the ladder so that Steve could actually see what he was doing and reach the vent safely.

Once he had taken it off, he peered in curiously before turning around with a hesitant expression. "Yeah, I don't know if any of us will fit in there. It's like... super small."

"Well, I'm not going in." Aaron scoffed at his brother, god knows what diseases are lining the walls of that air duct-"

"Yeah, as if any of us expected you to want to go in there, Aaron." Steve rolled his eyes at his little brother as he climbed down the ladder.

"I'll do it." Dustin shrugged with a small smile, moving to climb up the ladder once Steve had made his way down. "Trust me. No collar bones, remember?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Robin asked sounding confused.

"Yeah, he has some disease that he was born with." Kimmy explained from next to Robin, smiling as she spoke despite Robin's taken aback expression. "I can't remember what it's called but yeah, that's what it is."

"Yeah," Steve nodded, turning to face the two. "He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo."

"You mean Gumby." Robin corrected bluntly.

"I'm pretty sure it's Gumbo." Steve retorted with a slightly annoyed voice.

"Steve, just shut up and push me!" Dustin's abrupt voice caused Kimmy to flinch, her eyes widening at the sight of Dustin quite literally suck on the air duct.

"Okay," Steve scoffed, turning around and climbing the ladder, grabbing ahold of Dustin's feet. "I'll push ya."

"Not my feet, dumbass." Dustin retorted, his voice slightly muffled due to his head literally stuck in the vent. "Push my ass."

"What?" Kimmy watched Steve do a double take, almost taking another step down the ladder before regaining his composure.

"Touch my butt I don't care!" Dustin yelled in response, Steve sighing and taking one more step up the ladder as he began trying to push Dustin up the vent from his ass.

"Come on!" Dustin exclaimed in frustration. "Push harder!"

"I'm pushing!" Steve insisted angrily.

"No, you're playing with my legs." Dustin retorted sounding frustrated.

"I'm not playing, you have terrible footing." Steve sighed, placing Dustin's legs against his shoulder as he took yet another step up the ladder. "I'm just gonna shove you, ready?"

Steve then tried to shove him up the air duct. "Did it work?"

"Does it look like it worked?" Aaron retorted with an eyeroll.

"Shut up." Steve sighed tiredly.

"Okay, okay, stop." Kimmy moved up towards Steve to get his attention. "He's obviously not going to fit, I don't want you to hurt him accidentally."

Reluctantly, Steve let go of Dustin's legs walking down the ladder as Dustin soon followed.

Kimmy turned around, confused to find Robin missing from her previous spot, the girl talking to Lucas' little sister who was at the counter waiting to be served.

Suddenly Erica rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed Robin into the staffroom.

"Guys," Robin spoke loudly to get the three boys attention. "I think she can help us."

Erica looked to Kimmy, Aaron and Dustin with puzzled expressions, clearly not expecting her brothers friends to have been there.

Kimmy sent her a smile and waved at her, the younger girl waving hesitantly back.

"Go up the ladder and look in the air duct." Robin told her, pointing to the air duct Dustin had just been in. "Tell us if you think you could fit in."

The group moved over to where Robin was standing so the younger girl had plenty room to get up the ladder.

Erica sighed, moving over to the ladder as she began climbing it, peering in for a moment before signing and tuning to face the group as she climbed down from the ladder yet again.

"Yeah, I don't know." The girl shrugged carelessly at the group watching her.

"You don't know if you can fit?" Dustin asked in a understanding voice.

"No I can fit." Erica shot down instantly. "I just don't know if I want to."

Kimmy heard Aaron scoff from next to her but the brunette tried to be understanding, wondering if maybe the girl was simple scared, Kimmy knew she would be.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Robin asked bluntly.

"I don't have phobias." Erica snickered in response.

"Okay, we'll, then what's the problem?" Steve sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The problem is," Erica scoffed in response, sounding as if her point should have been obvious. "I still haven't heard what's in this for Erica."

Steve bit his lip as he looked to Robin hesitantly, the two sighing at each other before looking back at the younger girl with reluctant expressions.

...

I'm so tired omg.

New chapter tho lol.

Have a nice day!!!

- AJ :)