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˚ ₊ ♡ ❰  CRUEL SUMMER ❱
*✧ ─── ❝ ❪ THE ERICA IN AMERICA ! ❫ ❞
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˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SEASON THREE ☀️ ⁺⑅

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SUPER FREAKS SERIES ⋆ 🚲.
♯ ❝ OH IT WAS A GIFT ! ❞
CHAPTER TEN ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚ ₊ ♡ 1985, july 2nd ─── episode four
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"IT IS FASCINATING WHAT TWENTY BUCKS WILL GET YOU AT THE COUNTY RECORDER'S OFFICE." ROBIN SLAMMED DOWN A LARGE PIECE OF PAPER ON THE TABLE in the backroom of the Scoop's Ahoy Ice Cream Parlour. "Starcourt Mall." She unfolded the paper carefully, revealing a set of blueprints of the mall. "The complete blueprints." She awed at the surprised expressions on the other's faces with a smug look on her face.

"Not bad." Dusting grinned appreciatively at the short haired girl, toothy grin on display.

Milo and Juno stood side by side, arms pressed together as they both tried to get a look at it, not that Milo knew what they were even looking for. "What are we supposed to do with that?" Juno expressed his thoughts, brows furrowing together as she stared the complicated drawings.

"This is us ━ " Robin pointed out, "Scoops." They followed her finger as it glided over the paper,  "and this is where we want to get."

"I still don't see a way in." Juno muttered as Steve nodded along with her words.

"There's not." Robin acknowledged. "If you're talking exclusively about━ "

"Doors." Milo breathed out in realisation when he looked once more at the path the teenage girl had showed them earlier.

"Airducts." Dustin exclaimed happily, catching on.

"Exactly." Robin rushed around the room, approaching one of the whiteboard in the room to retrieve a marker, shoes squeaking on the floor, "Turns out, this secret rooms needs air just like any old room, and these are the ducts." Leaning down, she traced the same path in red on the blueprints, showing the way until eventually it stopped.

All their eyes turned towards the airduct in the room. Rushing up from his seat, Steve grabbed his chair and hauled it to the duct, climbing up before trying to open it with his bare hands. He grunted, fingers latched on the metal to no avail.  Juno who noticed the boy struggle whirled around to grab her backpack, rummaging around inside for a good second as the group heard all kinds of rattling noise come from it.

"Ah ha!" She exclaimed loudly before facing the group again, "here try this." Juno held up a screwdriver for the boy to take.

He went to reach for the tool, before pausing mid-air with a thoughtful look on his face, eyes glancing between her hand and her backpack. "You just carry that around with you all the time?"

Juno shrugged, a shy smile on her face and a blush coating her sun kissed cheeks, "I got a lot of useful stuff inside that thing." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the tattered and faded orange bag.

Steve just shook his head before grabbing the screwdriver from her hand, working on opening the airduct. "Flashlight?" He asked hopefully over his shoulder at the brunette.

Juno nodded at Milo who in turn dug in her backpack to retrieve one. He paid no mind to the countless of things just strewn around it and grinned victoriously when he found the flashlight and held it up in the air.

"Is that-is that a Lightsaber flashlight?" Dustin uttered in surprise when Milo gave it to Steve.

"What?" Juno looked at the preteen innocently, "I like it."

"Where did you get it?" Dustin inquired excitedly, big brown eyes focused on Juno.

"Oh it... it was a gift."

"Guys!" Robin interrupted.

"Right, sorry!" Dustin spoke apologetically at the older girl as he rushed to Steve side to hand him the flashlight.

"yeah, I don't know, man. I don't know if you can fit in here. It's like... super tight." Steve relayed to the group as he shone the light around the small space.

"I'll fit." Dustin promised with a blasé tone, "trust me. No collar bones, remember?"

"Wait what?!" Juno exclaimed with wide worrisome eyes, staring at Dustin unsurely. "I think I remembered if you mentioned something like that," She turned to Milo who was smiling joyfully at her, dimples showing. Her heart raced a little at the sight. "did you know about that?"

Milo hummed, "It's pretty cool right?"

"Uh..."

"He's got some disease." Steve elaborated breezily, "Chyro...it's cryo, um..." he trailed off. "Something. Yeah, I dunno. He's missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo."

"You mean Gumby?" Robin corrected with a frown.

"Who Gumby?" Milo whispered, lost eyes hopefully looking at Juno to explain.

"It's uh...some green clay figure from an animation show." Juno whispered, "Real bendy and all that."

"I'm pretty sure it's Gumbo." Steve countered defensively. "I would—"

"Steve!" Dustin cut in, "Just shut up and push me!"

"Okay!" Steve grunted dishevelled, climbing back on the ladder and grabbing Dustin. "I'll push you."

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Juno asked hesitantly, gazing between Robin and Milo but the blonde stood staring at one of the movie posters hung up on the wall in the backroom with wonder

"No." Robin shrugged casually. "but these idiots will realise it soon enough."

"Not my feet dumbass!" Dustin complained coarsely , making the trio look back up at the struggling pair. "Push my ass."

Steve recoiled at the words, "What?"

"Touch my butt!" Dustin thundered, "I don't care!"

"Harder!"

"Come one! Push harder!"

"I'm pushing."

Robin and Juno both chuckled loudly at the exchange and when Juno caught Milo's lost expression she snorted. "What's so funny?" He inquired innocently.

"N-nothing." Juno managed to stutter out between fits of laughter.

"you're playing with my legs!"

"I'm not playing with your legs! I have terrible footing!"

"Come one!"

"I'm gonna just shove you, ready?" Steve asked, as he shoulders Dustin's legs.

"Just shove me?"

"One, two..."

"Shit."

"That work?"

"Should we maybe, I don't know, stop them before he gets stuck?" Juno asked nervously, her fingers already wrapping back around Milo's wrist for assurance.

"Uh..." Milo shrugged, not quite sure when a familiar bell sound rung out behind them.

The trio turned around to see Erica standing at the countered and Robin's face lit up as an idea entered her mind.

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˚ ₊ ♡ 1985, july 2nd ─── episode four
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MILO DIDN'T KNOW WHO ERICA WAS, SANS THE SMALL PART DUSTIN MUTTERED IN HIS EAR ABOUT HOW SHE WAS LUCAS' YOUNGER SISTER. He didn't have the chance to ask more, or if she knew about the whole superkids with superpowers ordeal so the blonde opted to stare quietly at the exchange that would surely win over the dark skinned girl in Steve's opinion.

Milo didn't quite trust Steve's opinion though.

But he and Juno still waited patiently for disaster to happen as Steve made ice cream after ice cream with Dustin and Robin talking to the girl in one of the booths in the shop.

"That doesn't look very promising." Juno winched as Erica shoved a large bowl of ice cream away, picking up something along the lines of not enough chocolate fudge and Steve trudged back with a defeated expression on his face.

But like how a frown looked unacceptable and out of place on Milo's face, Juno had to admit Steve's face contorted with a frown looked comical and entertaining.

The conversation kept continuing, hours ticking by as ice creams kept being made and at this point Milo and Juno had slide down against one of the cabinets legs outstretched on the cold floor, shoulders pressed together.

"This is taking ages." Juno sighed, a bored expression on her face as she started to count the tiles again. There were 48 but who cared right?

"Can I, erh, can I ask you something?" Milo spoke softly━ unsurely as he glanced at the brunette from the corner of his eye. "about, Dr. Bren━ your father?"

Juno tensed for a moment and Milo expected her to walk away from him, but instead the brunette tilted her head sideways to look at him. "Yeah, you can."

subconsciously, Milo's hand drifted to Juno's wrist, fingers gliding over the marred skin. Skin that looked just like his own.  Juno noticed he couldn't form the question he had wanted to ask, "I remember his face, "she took in a deep breath, "of all the things I could remember from my time with him, the one where he decided I was a failure, the look in his eyes. It's all I remember. It was around the same time mum found out what he had been up to."

Milo's brown eyes were fixated on the crossed out zero, but before he could say something Juno continued, "Sometimes I wonder if I had been a s-success," her voice cracked, "there wouldn't have been more experiments." You wouldn't be an experiment.

"Juno..."

"I wonder if you would have grown up at home with your real family instead."

"I wouldn't have." Milo cut her off, "I was a success, but then another experiment came, and another, and another. I have seen them be brought in, be changed. Some even died, others disappeared. But there were always more." He leaned down to look her in the eye, ferocious determination inside his own, and he realised he had never spoken more clearly than in that moment. "I'm glad it failed, it meant you could get out."

"did I?" She whispered deflatingly, "even dead, he still ruins my life." 

He grabbed her hand, "You did." He promised, "We both did."

Juno didn't say anything, and instead basked in the warmth of his skin upon her own, a peaceful quiet settling around them. Both teenagers content to let the silence speak of their comfort.

"She agreed!"

Startled the two teens looked up to see Steve leaning over the counter, bright and joyful eyes focused on the two before disappearing again with a bounce in his step.

"He's like an excited puppy." Juno whispered as Milo hauled her to her feet, but the blonde just stared at her blankly.

"You do know what a puppy looks right?"

"Not a clue." He just gave her a toothy grin.

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