𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 || 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟

SIXTEEN

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CICATRIX
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ALL FIVE TEENAGERS helped lug Steve into the back of Billy's car and Max climbed into the drivers seat. Lucas got in the front with her, bringing a map to direct her to the pumpkin patch they were headed to, supposedly where the hole Hopper dug was. Dustin and Mike were in the back with two cans of gasoline, which they were going to use to light the fire in the tunnels. Also sat in the back seats with them was Irina, who had Steve's head in her lap as she held an ice pack to his face. The cuts and bruises were nasty.

"He's gonna freak out when he wakes up." Mike said.

"Too late now." Irina sighed.

"Okay, take a right here." Lucas instructed and Max turned right. She was surprisingly calm to say she'd only ever driven in a parking lot before. At that moment, Steve began to stir.

"Uh oh." Dustin said. Steve's swollen eyes began to open and by the look on his face you could tell his vision was distorted. He let out a couple breaths and slightly turned his head to look at his surroundings before going to place a hand on his face.

"Don't touch." Irina whispered, gently pulling his hand away from his face.

"Irina?" He croaked, looking up at the pretty girl, who gave him a sympathetic smile. Seeing her face gazing down at him was like looking up at heaven.

"Hey, buddy." Dustin said and Steve turned his head to him. "You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass but you put up a good fight." He told Steve, who groaned and squinted his eyes in response. Irina ran a couple fingers through his hair, pulling a few strands out of his face.

"Okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai." Lucas directed Max, catching Steve's attention.

"W-what's going on?" He asked, lifted his head a little to see that Max was driving. "Oh my God!" He panicked at the young girl driving, and reached up to grab Irina's hand out of fear for his life.

"Steve, relax, she's driven before." Dustin tried to reassure him, but it didn't work as he gripped onto Irina's hand tighter.

"Yeah, in a parking lot." Mike scoffed.

"That counts!" Lucas protested.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" Steve repeated over and over again as Max sped up the car. "Woah! Stop the car! Slow down!" He fretted.

"I told you he'd freak out!" Mike snapped.

"It's okay, Steve. Max knows what she's doing. Kind of." Irina shrugged.

"Stop the car!" Steve ordered.

"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max yelled.

"Oh, wait! That's Mount Sinai! Make a left!" Lucas said.

"What?" Max asked.

"Make a left!" Lucas shouted and Max make a sharp turn, knocking over a sign in the process. Everyone tipped sideways a little and Steve screamed, grabbing onto Irina's arms frantically in a panic before the car came to an abrupt halt.

"Woah!"

"Incredible!"

"I told you. Zoomer." Max said.

"That was pretty cool." Irina chuckled.

"Wha-pretty cool... what?" Steve stuttered, taking deep breaths. "D-do you have a death wish?" He asked, looking up at her.

"It was fun. Loosen up, Steve." She teased him. He finally caught wind that he was still clutching onto Irina's arms very tightly, so he let go, awkwardly, not wanting her to notice, but they were her arms, so of course she noticed. It amused her though.

The kids piled out the car and began unloading all the equipment - gasoline, lighter, masks, goggles, etcetera - while Irina helped Steve out the car. He stumbled out with a grunt but huffed when he saw what the kids were doing.

"Oh, no, guys." He groaned, but they ignored him. "Hey, what, are you deaf? Hello?!" He yelled when Mike walked past him.

"Steve, calm down. We can help." Irina said.

"No, no, we are not going down there." He told her before turning to the kids. "I made myself clear! Hey, there is no chance we are going down that hole, alright? This ends right now!" He continued when they all still clearly ignored him.

"Steve! You're upset, I get it. But the bottom line is that a party member requires assistance and it is our duty to provide that assistance." Dustin explained. "Irina agreed to keep us safe. Now you should too." He added. Steve turned to Irina with a 'seriously' look on his face.

"It was four against one. I was outvoted!" She defended. Dustin shoved the spikey bat in Steve's hands and Irina grabbed some bandanas and goggles out off he rucksack on the bonnet of the car. They needed some sort of protection from the filthy air down there.

"Here." She said, getting Steve's attention. He stood the bat up against the car door and Irina reached up to tie one of the bandanas around his head. He winced a little at the fabric on his injuries and Irina pulled away.

"Sorry. Did that hurt?" She asked.

"Only a little. Come here, let me tie yours." He said. Irina handed him her bandana and turned around. Steve pushed her hair to one side so it didn't get tangled in the knot when he tied it, but the action revealed the vertical scar on the back of her neck, starting just below her hairline. It was paler than the rest of the skin on Irina's neck, making it stand out, and it was about two inches long. Steve recalled Irina saying that she had to cut a tracker out of her neck when she fled the lab. He figured that's what caused the scar.

Irina knew where his gaze was. She knew he was staring at it. As soon as he pushed her hair to the side, she knew he'd spotted it. She was about to push her hair back to cover it up and hopefully break him out of his daze when she felt his soft thumb brush over it. His fingers and palm rested at the joint where her neck and shoulders met, while his thumb gently stroked the scar.

"Pretty gnarly, right?" She sighed, completely expecting him to agree.

"I wouldn't say it's gnarly. I'd say my face right now is gnarly." He mumbled through the bandana over his face, making Irina stifle a small giggle. "But your scar? No, it's not gnarly. Just makes you even more badass." He smiled before leaning down so his mouth was barely inches away from her ear. "If that's possible." He whispered and watched the smile grow across her face too.

"Now as much as I hate to cover up that pretty smile, I don't want you breathing in the gross air in that... hole." Steve said and gently tied the bandana around her head, stopping just below her eyes, before placing his hands on her shoulders and swivelling her around to face him. "There." He said before slowly taking one of her hands in his own.

"You ready for this?" He asked, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Irina sighed with a small smile tugging at her lips.