𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐧

Ⅹ 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔

STEVE AND DUSTIN LOADED MEAT INTO THE BACK OF STEVE'S CAR. The girls rummaged around the basement looking for stuff to defend themselves, because as Miya pointed out, Miya couldn't exactly snark the things away, as well as them being blind so Alex couldn't even blind them.

Chris looked in a large metal box of tools, watching Alex from the corner of her eye. "How come you didn't tell me?" Chris asked finally facing Alex.

"I was scared," Alex sighed, looking up at Chris. "You don't normally go around telling people you have superpowers. And yes I know about yours, Dustin told us before." Miya hummed in agreement, nodding her head. Chris nodded at smiled at Alex. "I still love you," Chris joked.

"Love you too," Alex smiled.

"Someone will love you one day Miya," Miya shouted, sending the girls a teasing wink.

"Find something?" Chris asked walking over to Miya.

"A pole," Miya said plainly, bouncing it in her palm. It was a dense pole with chips missing along the edges. "The chips would be like like little blades." Chris nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but it'll hurt when they stab your hand," Chris recognized. Chris ripped the sleeve off her shirt and wrapped it around the base. "Now you won't get tetanus."

Miya nodded taking the pole back and doing a practice swing. "It works," She said with a smile. "Ally?" Miya asked watching Alex look through a shelf. Alex shook her head slightly frustrated. "There's another pole here," Miya pointed out pulling a crumbling pole from the shelf.

"It's too rusted, it'll just crumble," Chris noted, brushing her fingers along the pole. "Wait, Alex how strong are you?" Alex merely shrugged her shoulders but did a small shake of her head. "Miya, give Alex your pole," Chris instructed. Miya nodded giving Alex the pole who swung it with ease. Chris ran back up the stairs.

"You girls find anything?" Steve called out, seeing them run out of the cellar. "What happened to your shirt?" Steve looked at Chris's ripped shirt.

"I got a pole!" Alex called with a smile walking over to the two, "Chris ripped her sleeve off so I could use it as a handle". Chris ran to the small shed, the same one she and Dustin used to hide from Dart. Seeing what she wanted, Chris walked back to Miya with an axe.

"Hope you're strong," Chris joked passing the axe to Miya. She nodded and gave it a swing.

"Can I break the handle? It's too long," Miya explained, trying to swing it but it took too long for her to grip it again. Chris nodded, ready to use her powers to char it off when Steve jogged over stopping her.

"While I a hundred per cent believe I know what you're doing-" Steve grabbed the axe from the Miya, "-you need to save your energy." Steve leant it over his knee cracking it in two. Steve gave it back to Miya flashing a smile at both girls.

"We need to sand the handle," Miya pointed to the end with hand splinters pocking out.

"I'll grab something," Chris smiled walking back into the cellar. Chris grabbed a piece of sandpaper glancing at the hole in the process. It caught her attention when she saw a tentacle vine slide through the tunnel like a snake. Chris's breath hitched before running up the stairs. Chris slammed the doors shut and everyone looked at her. "There was a snake," Chris said fake embarrassed; to be fair she wasn't completely wrong.

"Oh my god!" Dustin groaned. "I figured you'd be over that by now." Chris shrugged remembering the memory of Chris yelling for Dustin that was a snake in the front yard.

"Come on," Steve called waving the girls over. "We gotta get there before the sun sets."

"Alex and I will take my car," Miya instead. The boys nodded, throwing the last of the stuff in the trunk.

"Meet us at the old junkyard in a few hours," Chris called opening the car door. Alex nodded hoping in her car with Miya. Dustin tried to sneak into the front seat but Chris grabbed his shoulder pushing him back. "Children in the back," Chris smirked.

"What? No!" Dustin yelled. "You always sit in the front seat when mom drives us!"

"Does that look like mom?" Chris questioned pointing to Steve. Dustin rolled his eyes mumbling to himself, Chris slid into the passenger seat. Steve already sat in the car with an unamused look on his face.

"Are you children done?" Steve grumbled. Chris nodded with a small smile. Steve rolled his eyes driving off to the tracks.

෴

STEVE AND DUSTIN LUGGED THE LARGE BUCKETS OF MEANT FROM STEVE'S TRUNK AND DROPPED THEM ON THE FLOOR. Chris opened Steve's backpack slotting the gasoline inside before propping the baseball bat next to it, zipping it tight. "Dustin!" A voice rang from Dustin's radio, echoing as it came through. "This is Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?"

"Put this in there too," Steve mumbled handing Chris the second gallon of gasoline. Chris nodded, shoving it in the backpack. "Hey, hey, hey, care, that's still my bag." Chris just laughed at him, zipping it up again.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Dustin mocked turning away from Chris and Steve.

"Sorry, man. My stupid sister turned it off," Lucas complained with a sigh. Chris reached further into Steve's car grabbing the bundle of yellow gloves.

"Oi Dust, theres only two pairs of gloves," Chris called out, looking over at Dustin. Dustin span around slapping Chris's arm.

"Is that Chris?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, Some of us have helpful sisters, unlike you, but we have bigger problems. Dart grew again, he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby Demogorgon."

"Wait. What?" Lucas shouted in disbelief.

"I'll explain later," Dustin said quickly, taking a pair of gloves Chris was slapping against his shoulder. "Meet us and Steve at the old junkyard." Chris passed another pair to Steve.

"Steve?" Lucas said bewildered.

"And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket," Chris called slipping the backpack on, making sure she didn't accidentally hit Steve. "Do we take the spare one?" Chris asked Steve, grabbing another gas can.

"Steve Harrington?" Lucas carried on.

"If you wanna carry it," Steve spoke in a joking manner.

Chris rolled her eyes holding the gas can at her side. "You and Dustin have to drop the meat then," Chris bargained, stepping back.

"Sure thing, all right, let's go," Steve called to Dustin.

"Yes and a couple of Chris's friends as well. Just- Just be there, stat. Over and out." Dustin announced clicking his radio on silent before picking up a bucket of meat. Chris shut the trunk door and the three set off down the train tracks.

The group of three walked down the old Hawkins train tracks. Chris was trying to balance herself on one of the tracks losing her footing and slipping every now and then. Dustin and Steve were dropping squares of meat along the tracks with Steve attempting to understand why Dustin kept Dart.

"All right, so let me get this straight," Steve started already confused dropping another peice of meat. "You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?" Steve went on looking to Chris for confirmation, she nodded her head chewing on her lip balancing on the track.

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things," Dustin spoke up throwing a bit of meat on the floor.

"He's really not," Chris said slipping off the track and making a crunching sound as she hit the leaves beneath her. Dustin rolled his eyes throwing a bit of meat at her but missing.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asked throwing meat down as well.

"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome," Dustin laughed, with a wide smile. Chris squinted her eyes in disagreement. She slipped off the track again letting out a yelp.

"Get off you're gonna hurt yourself," Steve scolded sighing, rolling his eyes. "Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just... I don't know. I just feel like you're trying too hard," Steve spoke, and Chris hopped off walking in the space between the boys.

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?" Dustin said a little disappointed.

"Steve 'The Hair' Harrington" Chris joked, smiling up at him. Steve hit her arm slightly.

"It's not about the hair, man," Steve defended. "The key with girls is just... just acting like you don't care." Steve lectured.

"I'm sorry what?" Chris interrupted, but the boys ignored her.

"Even if you do?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts" Steve went on.

"Hold up!" Chris yelled speed walking to stand in front of the boys, now walking backwards, facing the boys. "You, King Steve-" Chris mocked imitating a crown on top of her head. "-Your advice is to ignore the girl you like?" Chris asked her face contorted in confusion. Steve nodded at her as if it was obvious. "Dustin, Steven. If you do that, that girl will just think you're not interested, and then they won't bother to like you back," Chris explained flicking Steve's forehead.

"No, but that's how you get them to like you, playing hard to get," Steve argued, Chris groaned moving back to stand in line with Steve, but back on the tracks.

"Okay, for argument's sake, let's say I take Steve's advice," Dustin said throwing a hunk of meat down "Then what?"

"You just wait until, uh..." Steve looked up at Chris who was wobbling on the track. He huffed and pulled her off the track so they bumped arms. "You wait until you feel it," Steve finished, now walking in the middle of both Henderson's.

"Feel what?" Dustin questioned, paying close attention.

"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh..." Steve stopped searching for a word.

"Electricity?" Chris questioned looking at the older boy.

"Yeah, an electricity" Steve nodded in agreement. Dustin's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-"

"No, no, no, no, no." Steve cut Dustin off "Like a... Like a sexual electricity." Steve spoke

"Steve, he's thirteen" Chris boomed throwing her arm around defensively. "He's not feeling sexual electricity at thirteen." Chris then looked at Dustin "You are not feeling sexual electricity at thirteen" Chris scolded making Dustin nod quickly.

"Ok, then how would you describe it?" Steve questioned throwing more meat on the ground.

"It feels- It feels comforting, but your stomach fills with butterflies," Chris paused a blush creeping up her neck. "When you look at them nothing else matters, it's only them. You feel a buzzing in your throat and fingers." Chris's face was now dusted in a light shade of pink. "A buzzing electricity almost fuzzy."

"Oh," Dustin said finally understanding, while Steve looked at her amazed.

"Yeah- yeah that" Steve stuttered nodding and stuttering on his words. "You feel that and then you make your move," Steve said sneaking a glance at Chris whose blush had calmed down.

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin piped up.

"No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo." Steve and Chris yelled at one, waving their hands around.

"Sorry," Dustin said softly.

"Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive. You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a..." Steve pondered, "I don't know, like a lion." Steve finished throwing some meat behind him.

"Mmm," Dustin said in understanding.

"But not all girls are like that," Chris pointed out. Steve nodded in agreement.

"Chris is right, others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a... like a ninja," Steve explained his voice a little shaken.

"What type is Nancy?" Dustin asked throwing food down.

"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls," Steve explained.

"Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess," Chris mumbled kicking a rock up the tracks.

"Yeah. Yeah, she is." Steve said all lovey-dovey. Dustin looked around Steve, looking up at Chris with a look. Chris shoved him back making him stumble slightly.

"But this girl's special, too, you know. It's just, like, something about her." Dustin spoke up in the same tone, fixing his footing.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey," Steve stopped the boy. Chris stopped walking as well.

"What?" Dustin asked.

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" Steve asked.

"What?" Chris yelled looking at Dustin in shock.

"Uh, no. No," Dustin confirmed shaking his head.

"Okay, good. Don't," Steve spoke and everyone started walking on again.

"I won't," Dustin said reassuringly throwing more meat.

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit," Steve spoke his voice low. Chris slyly bumped into Steve slightly who looked over confused.

Chris gave him a lopsided smile. "Are you okay?" Chris whispered. Steve nodded smiling at her. "Fabergé," Steve said simply turning back to face the front, throwing meant down.

"What?" Dustin asked in confusion.

"The hair spray?" Chris asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's Fabergé Organics," Steve said pointing to his hair. "Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp..." Steve turned around to face Dustin. "It's not wet, okay?"

"When it's damp..." Dustin said in confirmation.

"Damp," Steve repeated, "You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray."

"King Steve's hair secret is Farrah Fawcett spray?" Chris giggled smiling.

"Yeah, Farrah Fawcett," Steve confirmed stopping Dustin from walking, Chris stopping as well.

"You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass," Steve pointed a finger in Dustin's face, "You're dead, Henderson." Steve paused facing Chris "Henderson's" Chris smiled with tight lips. Steve turned back to Dustin. "Do you understand?"

"Yup," Dustin said with a little smile.

"Oh come on," Chris laughed smiling back at the boys, "Steve you're about as dangerous as a Golden Retriever, " Chris continued to laugh. Steve stuck a gloved hand in the meat bucket, letting it get all sticky. Steve passed Dustin the bucket before whipping his hand down Chris's face.

"Oh, My God!" Chris yelled in disgust, and Dustin laughed at his sister's disgusted face. Steve chuckled as well. "Why would you-?" Steve grabbed Chris around her waist spinning her around. Steve tried to shove the glove in Chris's face but Chris grabbed his arm. "Steven stop!"

"I mean it Chrisanna Henderson," Steve warned, using her full name. Steve let Chris go and she slapped his arm

"You a bitch Harrington, " Chris mumbled trying to wipe the stickiness off her cheek. Steve chuckled taking the bucket back from Dustin, who was still laughing. Chris reached over flicking his hat off.

"Hey!" Dustin says picking his hat back up, trying to catch up to Steve and Chris, who kept walking.

෴

❝ there's a calm in my 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 ❞