Chapter Text
**
It was about 11am, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were both out with Holly and Mike was off with his friends. Nancy was left alone in the house to catch up on some work for her article entry, or at least that was what she was supposed to do.
She knew her father kept a stash of cans in the basement next to the pool table for when his work buddies came over to watch the football, or to just banter about with each other.
Now, Nancy wasn't the type to underage drink, she was always the "role model" according to her mother. "Mike and Holly need someone to look up to, and who better than their big sister?" the words swam around her head, making her feel guilty for what she was about to do.
Moving swiftly, she kicked open the basement door, and went straight over to the slightly hidden minifridge. She knew Mike hid soda in there this morning, and he left the door unlocked. She was about to criticize the fact Holly could have gotten in there, but she bit her lip and pulled back the fridge door. There were 2 x4 crates of Smirnoff Vodka cans, which surprised her, and only dug a cavity into the memories of Starcourt and the Russians.
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a can and closed the fridge door.
As she was popping open the tab, she heard the house phone ringing upstairs. Groaning, she went up to the kitchen with the can.
Picking up the phone, she took a quick sip. The liquid burned her mouth and as she swallowed reluctantly, scalded her throat.
"Thi-" She coughed once. "This is Nancy, hello?" She figured it'd be Steve wanting to check-in with her after the day previously.
"Hi Nance!" A slightly nervous and eager voice greeted Nancy's ears. Robin.
"Hey uh, Robin. What's up?" God, maybe this would put her off drinking forever.
"I'm just checking in to see if you're okay. Because if you're not I can come over for support, if you want of course, It's not like I can break into your house, because that's illegal, but if you needed help I would, like if you were physically unable to unlock the door, that is, or if your life was in danger, but I'd still have to ask-"
She was rambling, and Nancy just let it happen. she sat back on the floor, wall to her back, and took a longer swig of the alcoholic drink. It felt like she swallowed an inferno.
She will admit, she always liked Robin's voice, and even missed it when Robin wasn't around, and it brought some small comfort to her.
"Nance?" Robin sounded cautious.
"Yeah, sorry, I was distracted." Nancy made up the half-excuse. Another swing. One more and the can would be drained. 'It dies down after every drink," She thought.
It didn't taste painful anymore, she found. Just takes a while to get used to the flavour.
"So um, are you feeling okay? From, you know, the um, thing yesterday?" Robin tried to ask casually.
Nancy gave a little chuckle. "I'm fine, Robin. Wasn't that big of a deal." But it was.
She saw Barb's corpse, rotting in the pool, impaled and with a broken jaw. She wanted to cry in that exact moment and hold her, and sob.
It was your fault. That sentence kept playing in her head on loop, ever since. Nancy just wanted to forget it now.
“Are you sure? I don’t trust that. I mean just that sentence, I trust you of course it’s just I find it difficult to when you’re not sounding yourself, I mean, of course you’re yourself, you just sound... distant, Nance.” Robin ended with a whisper.
Nancy gripped the can, and her knuckles were turning white in frustration. "I'm fine, Robin. Really. I just need to.." She took a long slug. "Relax a little."
The liquid burned. It really did.
"Nancy-" Robin started. "I'm coming over today. I can't be sure when, but I'm coming over to check on my friend. Okay?"
Nancy wasn't paying full attention. Her thumb traced the ridges on the drink can, along the brand logo and upwards across the tab & mouthpiece.
"Yeah. Good to talk to you." Nancy barely murmured.
"Okay. I'll see you later. Don't do anything stupid, Nance." Robin hung up first.
**
Nancy was now pacing backwards and forwards, a can and a half later, anxious. What are you doing, Wheeler? You're supposed to be the group's strongest.
And here you are, underage drinking, and wallowing in self-pity.
*Shut. Up.*
You need to smarten up. You're embarrassing yourself.
*Quiet.*
Nancy was getting fed up with the voice in her head, bossing her through the hurt.
She just wanted to curl up and cry on someone she loved.
Steve? But they were through.
*Remember what he did to you.*
Jonathan would be a good option. He was sweet, and kind.
*But he's not the same, is he?*
It was true. He's different than when they parted ways.
*You never consider Robin to be your knight in shining armor, when she's always been here for you.*
What?!
Wheeler, you're losing yourself.
--
She had now gone through approximately 7 cans of that scalding drink, and was sitting against the wall, overwhelmed with emotion. Her muscles ached.
It's your fault.
It's your fault she's dead, Nancy.
Salty tears streamed down her face. The muscles around her eyes stung like hell.
Then, like a godsend, there was a few quick knocks at the door. Nancy pulled her eyes harshly away from the now empty cans next to her, and down the hall to the front door.
"Hello?" It was Robin.
Nancy was only realizing now how raspy Robin's voice was. She giggled. "Your voice sounds so.. roughhhh...." She almost snickered.
Of course, it was only a whisper, her body betraying her and refusing to function properly.
Robin knocked on the door again, while Nancy fell back into the sadness. Her head rolled against the wall, eyes looking at the alcohol cans.
"Nancy, I know you're in there."
"No.." Nancy whimpered. The sober part of her head was saying Robin shouldn't see her like this.
However, the carefree drunk part was down for anything.
Robin turned the handle, and without any shock it opened. "Shit, Wheeler, if you're trying to keep someone out, you lock the door.."
Robin scanned the small vicinity for signs of life. Immediately her nose crinkled with the scent of alcohol.
"God damn... What did you d-" She looked down the hall and saw what was left of Nancy Wheeler.
She ran down to where Nancy was quietly sobbing against the wall, clutching the near empty can of vodka.
"Oh, Nance, what did you do?" Robin panicked a little, going for Nancy's wrist and tried to pry the can out of it. "N..No."
"I'm sorry, Nance. So sorry I didn't come sooner." Robin was trying not to cry as well. Good job, Buckley. You ignored a perfect cry for help.
Robin gripped Nancy's wrist a little too tightly and Nancy winced. "Ow." Nancy's eyebrow's furrowed.
"Sorry. I'm sorry." She threw the can into the nearby kitchen bin, and kicked the strewn empty ones away from Nancy.
Robin sighed, wiped a tear and went to pick up the now nearly-unconcious Nancy. Her face was gone quite slack, and Robin figured it was just Nancy finally relaxing all muscles and unwinding.
Robin knelt down, hooked her left arm around Nancy's back/shoulders and her right arm under Nancy's knees, then held her tight as she stood.
Nancy's head rested against Robin's left shoulder and Nancy was bound to fall asleep.
**
Robin brought Nancy up the stairs to her room, where she kicked the door closed with her foot and laid Nancy carefully on her bed.
Robin then took off Nancy's shoes, pulled the blanket up and over Nancy's now shaking body and stood.
"Jesus, Wheeler, you're a mess." Robin sighed, and lay down next to Nancy, shoulder to shoulder.
The whole time, Nancy was crying, and Robin kept leaning over to wipe her tears and comfort her.
"It's going to be okay, Nance. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Robin pulled her in for a hug, which Nancy melted into and rocked against Robin quietly.
They stayed like that for a while, content and comforted by each other.
--
Nancy's head was overflowing with thoughts and ideas. Oh, but Robin was here to keep her company. Her friend Robin.
Friend? What a strange word, considering that Nancy felt more comfortable with Robin right now than when she did with Jonathan that time she escaped the Upside Down.
And Robin's hand soothingly brushing her hair and going down her neck, it felt more electric than when Steve did it after their first night together.
"But I'm not.. gay." Nancy blurted out, which caught Robin by surprise.
"That's right, you're not.. uhm.." Robin pulled away, in fear that intoxicated Nancy was hinting that Robin was too close.
"No! Stay.. It's nice." Nancy pleaded.
"...Okay." Robin resumed, but made sure to know Nancy's boundaries.
Nancy didn't know what took over her, or if she'd ever know why she did it, but something in that moment made Nancy feel something she knew she would never feel.
A spark.
Nancy suddenly jerked, put her two hands on Robin's jawline and roughly put her lips to the other girl's.
Robin froze in place, questioning time, space and existence in that exact moment. Before gently, pulling away, and returning Nancy's almost weirdly eager hands to the blanket.
She could taste the vodka, unfortunately.
"Right. Okay. Too much alcohol for you, Nancy." Robin's heart was racing.
Nancy only blinked, and lay back down against the pillow.
The sober part of her mind was buzzing, as was the intoxicated, but both felt that it was the right thing to do.
It was a totally different story for Robin.