you'd taken this job because it had sounded fun.

scooping ice cream in the middle of summer with your boyfriend in the sparkly new mall? hell yeah- the picture of novelty! and something to put on your college apps. job experience, and all- or at least, that's what you'd been told.

aside from the stupid uniform- you'd laughed at steve for, like, five minutes when he'd first put it on- it had almost no downsides. it payed well enough for someone fresh out of high school, and you got free ice cream on occasion.

you may not have taken this job had you realized this situation would occur.

you were trapped. in an elevator- a fairly large one, so claustrophobia couldn't set in very easily- but you were trapped nonetheless.

an elevator that you were fairly certain was one leading down to a russian-super-military-base-thingamajig. or whatever.

to make matters worse- or better, maybe- you were trapped with four other people.

steve harrrington- your boyfriend- robin buckley, and two children. one of which you recognized as dustin henderson, your pseudo-child on account of your relation to steve- the other of which you...frankly had no idea. erica synclair, by name, is basically all you knew.

and steve was very frustrated with her. a ten year old. this boy.

after ranting at her for a moment about how he couldn't give less of a fuck about her uncle jack's party, because her mother wouldn't be able to hunt you four down if you died in the middle of...whatever this was- he sat down beside you.

you were sitting on the floor, back pressed against the cool metal. a small comfort amidst the chaos.

"this happens every year," he muttered, tossing a piece of cardboard jerkily against the wall. "you'd think- you'd really think that we'd dealt with it all by now. or maybe, that when i mind my own business, i'm not dragged into it all! but nooo, god just-- just has it out for me!"

he shot a baleful glare in dustin's direction. "i blame it on him."

dustin was rather distracted with arguing with erica about...god knows what. robin looked as if she was about to pass out. steve was just...sulky.

"i've gotta piss."