Chapter Text
The bright light flooded into her room, sending waves of warmth throughout Robin’s body, despite the interruption she had slept quite well. Groaning, she slid out of bed, the warmth leaving her body as the cool air of the house flooded over her. Despite how much she cried last night her eyes were not as puffy as she had expected.
“Mom? Dad? You home?” Robin called out, her voice gravelly and dry against her throat, pushing past her door she found a sticky note on the floor in front of her.
We are going on a trip for a week, we hope you will be able to handle yourself, sorry we didn’t say goodbye properly!
She hates the fact that they barely see each other, but the fact is that her parents are busy with their job and she is busy with hers, there is no logical time to actually hang out together.
Shuffling over to the bathroom she peels off her clothes and jumps in the shower, the cool water seeping over her. She hates that feeling though and turns it up until she is sure that she will probably walk out with burns. Despite the fact that she had showered two days ago, she wanted to be clean and not stink like shit for her date.
No, it is not a date, just two friends hanging out… TWO FRIENDS. But who knows? Maybe she does have feelings for me? But that's impossible, I’m a girl! And she’s… Nancy.
She hates herself for thinking that there might be a possibility that Nancy has feelings for her. Nancy has only dated boys, and while there are only two, there are some people that have never dated and are straighter than a line!
Slipping into something that Robin thinks doesn't look too sloppy nor looks too fancy. Her jeans are tight against her legs with a navy blue shirt reading “beam me up, this place sucks!” on the front, she likes it, it’s new and Nancy hasn’t seen it yet, she thinks only Steve has seen it. Steve, the memories from yesterday come flashing through her mind an avalanche of hurt sadness, remorse and so many feelings that it makes Robin want to puke. But she isn’t, she is going to stay happy for Nancy, she doesn’t want to drag her into this and make her hate Steve even more.
She twirls around, looking at the clock she realises that it is 10:30, only thirty more minutes until Nancy comes. She rushes down the stairs before taking a piece of bread from the kitchen. Robin was about to eat it without cooking; until the toaster sitting perfectly on the counter caught her attention.
Right, I don’t need to eat it un-cooked.
Placing it in, Robin grabs an orange that was sitting next to her on the counter. The sharp ring of the toaster echoes through the house, the toast jumping up from inside. Taking the toast she slathers on butter before taking it to the table instead of her usual spot on the couch.
***
Robin jumped up, the rumbling of a car engine was barely noticeable through the house's wall. But she heard it, slipping her shoes on, Robin yanked the door open as soon as the doorbell rang.
“Hey!” She exclaimed, closing the door behind her, Nancy’s wavy brown hair seemed to glow in the bright noon light.
“Oh! Hey Robin!” Her face moulded into a bright smile, “I didn’t expect you to come so quickly!”
“Uh, yeah… I just was very excited to be… with you!” Robin struggles out the words, unsure what she should say to not make it sound like the only thing that is going to make her happy is Nancy.
“Well, I’m pretty excited too!” Nancy was rocking back and forth awkwardly, “well, um, we should go now!”
“Heh, yeah!” Robin now realises that they have been standing on her front porch for what seems like an eternity.
Robin watches Nancy’s hair bob up and down as she hops over to the car. She opened up the passengers door, “Ladies first,” Nancy smiled.
“Oh, but you didn’t have to,” Robin laughed, not letting Nancy figure out how much this was breaking her, Robin's stomach was practically somersaulting.
Nancy jumped into the driver's seat, before looking at Robin with those beautiful eyes that are forever going to keep her up at night.
“You good, Robin?”
“Huh-oh yeah!” She answered not prepared for that question despite it being the most common question she is asked, “just… didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
“Oh, okay” Nancy started backing out of the driveway, her hands gripping the steering wheel like it would fly off if she even relaxed a bit.
“Are you okay?” Robin pressed, watching a tiny bit of panic fall over Nancy’s face.
“Yeah, I am, Holly just had a nightmare and my parents didn’t wake up.” She stated her tone felt weird but Robin just couldn’t really pick up on what it was.
“Oh, sorry about that” Robin knew that she didn’t need to apologise, but it felt like it was needed.
“You don’t need to apologise for that!” She exclaimed, shock rippling through her face, “That was my parents fault not yours.”
“Sorry, just have a habit of saying sorry- a lot” She reassured her, making sure that Nancy knew that.
The rest of the ride was silent, only the rumble of the car engine filling the space. As they pull up to the newly revamped Benny’s Burgers, Nancy turns to look at her.
“Hey” Nancy stopped Robin before she could get out of the car, “if you ever need to talk to me about anything- and I mean anything,” Nancy looked at Robin, her eyes sparkling in the afternoon light.
“Uh, yeah- I know that” She struggled, her mind flashing to the fight, trying to keep the tears from flowing down.
Hopping out of the car they walked to the restaurant, every brush of skin made butterflies light up in Robin's stomach.
The smell of burgers wafted to her nose as they entered, a staff member smiled as she showed them to a seat.
“So, what do you think of this place? I know you haven’t came since Benny’s death.” Nancy asked, her blue eyes sparkling despite the ugly artificial light casting down onto them.
“Well, I mean- I liked it better when it was just Benny running this, but I guess we will get our food faster” She laughed, her eyes trailing around the restaurant, noticing small things that hadn’t been there before, "at least it has better decor, though I’m not saying Benny had bad taste in decor it’s just-”
“What do you girls want to eat today?” a young lady exclaimed, her face brighter than it should be on a monday.
“Oh, um-” Robin hadn’t really looked at the menu, picking it up she scanned over the options, “I think I'll just have the cheese burger.”
“And will that be a meal or not?”
“Uh, yeah a meal would be good,” Robin replied, looking over to Nancy who was looking over the menu.
“I think I will just have a regular hamburger, but could you hold the mayo and mustard, and add pickles.” Nancy told the girl, her hair bouncing with every turn of her neck.
“That sounds amazing! It will just be a second.”
Nancy glances over at Robin, smiling; her eyes scrunching up in a way that makes Robin feel like she is going to lift off of the ground.
“So… um- not to like, barge into your life,” Nancy started, her eyes starting to paint a worried look, “can I ask why you didn’t want Steve to come?”
Shit, of course she is asking this! You should have been prepared for this.
“Oh, um- I’m not sure I want to really talk about this.” Robin answers, trying not to meet Nancy’s eyes, to see that pitying look that she loved yet hated just as much.
“That’s okay, you can always talk to me if you want to.” Her soft hands taking Robin’s, her heart was beating so loud she swore that Nancy could feel it through her hands.
“The door jingled as someone entered, Robin turned her head, just curious to see who it was. And she regretted doing that more than she regretted everything horrible in her life, because of course, walking into the restaurant: was Steve. Her heart dropped, mouth went dry, watching him walk towards the lady to ask for a seat he spotted her. Steve stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened in shock.
Robin swiftly turned back to Nancy, her heart somehow beating harder than before, she kept her eyes glued to the table, the door jingled again, hopefully signaling that he left.
“He left, by the way” Nancy’s voice echoed through her mind, the only thing that was keeping her afloat in all of her thoughts.
“Thanks,” Robin replied, peeling her eyes away from the table.
“Here you go.” Their food was placed in front of them.
“We had a fight”
“What?” Nancy questions, her eyes blazed into Robin.
“Me and Steve,” she answered, “we had a fight”
“Oh, I’m so sorry-”
“- he called me a fag” tears welded in her eye, she knew that she would have to tell her that it was true, but she wasn’t sure if now was good, or if it would ruin her friend ship.
“Oh my god!” Nancy hissed, anger boiling in her words, “he is such an asshole! Why the fuck would he do that?”
“Well actually-”
No! Don’t say it now- but it’s the perfect time! But you're probably going to ruin things.
“You know what!” she exclaimed, rage now mixing in, “I am going to march over to his house, and knock some fucking sense into him!”
Robin laughed, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, “no- you don’t have too,” she was glad that Nancy was here, something about her fiery temper that made Robin’s heart light up with joy.
Let’s finish this before it gets too cold,” Robin points down at her burger, hers only has a few bites in it, “also, pickles? Really?”
Nancy's anger had seemed to disappear when Robin had laughed, “they're good! Why does everyone hate them!”
“Because they are absolutely disgusting!” Robin retaliates.
Nancy gasped, her hand flying to her heart, “how dare you!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever” she manages through a mouthful of food.
***
“Do you want to go for a swim?” Nancy asked, the trees zooming past her outside.
“Huh- what, we don’t even have a bathing suit.” Robin reminded her, though her brain was screaming to just say yes.
“So? People do it all the time, and we don’t need to be around other people, besides we’re close enough to lovers lake” She stated, her eyes filled with excitement and something else that Robin couldn’t place.
“Oh um-” Robin stuttered, trying to regain confidence “I mean, yeah- lets do it.”
Crap, why do I sound so dorky? Also, LOVER’S LAKE! Is she trying to kill me? Wait- no she doesn’t know, and if she did, we would not be here right now!
Nancy smiled, her bright blue eyes sparkled in the sun, she slowed the car down, pulling up into a parking lot for a popular beach.
“I thought you said that we were not going somewhere with other people?” Robin remarked, looking around as Nancy hopped out of the car.
“We are,” She stated, closing the door. Robin had to open up her car door to hear the rest that Nancy had to say, “I just needed somewhere to park the car.”
“Oh- yeah, that makes sense.”
You idiot! Of course she would do that! You don’t want to leave a car in the middle of the road!
“You coming?” Nancy was already ahead of her, heading towards the forest surrounding the lake.
“Yeah sorry!” Robin didn’t know that she had just been standing there doing nothing, she scurried off in the direction of Nancy.
The sun was beating down despite it being past noon, making Robin sweat as she trudged through the undergrowth, Nancy in the lead pulling back the branches, leading to some [flying into her face.
“I think we found a good spot,” Nancy reported, pulling the leaves back to reveal a small patch of grass leading to the shore of the lake.
“Oh yeah, this looks good,” Robin remarked, walking to the edge of the spot of grass, “It’s already pretty deep here, so we can just jump in.” Turning around her breath hitched as she watched Nancy strip down, leaving her underwear and bra on.
“What?” Nancy questioned, a small sparkle in her eye, “You expect me to just jump in fully clothed?”
“Heh, I guess, just wasn’t expecting it!” Robin managed to squeak, making sure she was only looking at Nancy’s eyes. She risked a glance, her pink lace bra matched her underwear, because of course she would match it even though nobody would see it- well except for Robin. Glancing back up, she saw that Nancy was staring back at her, a smile creeping through her face.
“Are you going to swim or not?” Nancy asks, pulling off her socks.
“Oh, yeah” Robin pulled off her shirt, sliding her pants down, she swore that she heard Nancy’s breath hitch but just brushed it off as her mishearing.
I’m not going down that rabbit hole again, we're just friends- but do friends' breaths hitch when you take off your shirt?
Pushing away that demon, she walks over to where Nancy was standing by the drop into the lake.
“You sure you want to-” her statement was cut short when Nancy shoved her into the lake, the cold water waking up the part of Robin that was still asleep, swimming to the surface she took a big gulp of air “Wha- why did you do that?”
Looking at Nancy her eyes were filled with joy, and it only took a moment for Robin to realise what she was about to do.
“Wait no!” Robin helped her hands up, before she was swallowed in a wave as Nancy jumped in, almost landing on her.
Nancy bobbed up to the surface, laughing as she looked at Robin's dishevelled figure, floating in the water next to her. Nancy’s usually puffy hair was plastered to her forehead, her beautiful blue eyes shining in the light. She laughed even harder and peeled a piece of seaweed off of Robin’s forehead, she laughed, trying hard not to look anywhere but her eyes, the eyes that were staring back at her with a piercing blue.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing, do you want to swim farther out?” Nancy asked, already propelling herself father from shore.
Robin nodded,following Nancy, who was quite a good swimmer.
“Your- really good at swimming.” Robin stated, trying her hardest to not sound like a complete dork.
She laughs looking away to the horizon, “Took lessons when I was younger, stopped them to be able to focus on school more.”
“Oh that’s-”
“Stupid?” Nancy cut in, “I mean, who stops swimming for school?”
“Oh, well- no… I guess?” Robin replied, unsure what to say and shivering slightly.
“Do you want to head in?” Nancy asked, putting her hand on Robin's shoulder.
“Maybe, but we still have to dry and everything” She noted, watching as Nancy’s eyes filled with pity that Robin wished would disappear.
“Come on, let's go in now while the sun is up,” Nancy’s eyes sparkled as she talked, “race ya?”
“Wait- but that’s unfair!” Robin shouted, her pleas were useless as Nancy shot ahead, leaving Robin floating alone, “why you-” she paddled to the shore, watching as Nancy pulled herself up onto the shore, the water on her back glistening in a way that made her breath hitch and stomach do another somersault.
Pulling herself onto the shore, she found Nancy lying on the patch of grass in the sun, eyes closed.
“What are you doing?” Robin asked, sitting down beside her sun hitting the droplets of water running down her legs.
“Drying off, we don’t have a towel , and if you remember 3rd grade science, the sun evaporates water to go back into the atmosphere,” Nancy states, squinting to look at Robin while keeping the sun out of her face.
“Okay then teach,” Robin laughs, laying down beside her.
Looking towards Nancy, she notices her already looking in Robin’s direction.
“Watcha looking at?” Robin asked, watching Nancy’s eyes flit over her face.
“You” She said, her hand toying with Robin’s hair.
“Uh- umm…” Robin stuttered, her heart pounding so hard she swore that Nancy could hear it, “Thanks-?” she managed to squeak out , blood rushing to her head.
Oh my fucking god, oh my fucking god- why did I do that? Thanks? Why do I need to thank her? Of all things to say: THANKS? God… I am such an idiot!
Robin groans, she buries her face into her hands, Nancy giggled in the back but she could barely hear it over the pounding of blood in her ears, “I’m sorry…”
“Sorry?” Nancy exclaimed, “Why do you need to be sorry, I mean- me! I need to say sorry, cause like, why did I- why did I say: You! Of all things to say, I mean I like you and-” she stops, her breath hitching on her last few words.
“You like me?” Robin echoes, her heart pounding even louder.
“Well, I mean, I- uh, a friend.” Nancy stammers, her own face turning red, “Auhhh- as friends, I, uhm, like you as a friend.” she emphasised friend, like she didn’t repeat it enough already.
I told you not to get your hopes up! She is Nancy for gods sake! She is straight as a line!
Robin’s heart felt like it was just stepped on a thousand times, but then again, she was prepared for this, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.
“Um, I think we're dry enough, should we get going now?” Nancy mumbles, barely over a whisper.
“Yeah, we should,” Robin hopped that her face was deadpan enough to not show how much she was hurting.
***
The door creaked as they entered, echoing through the usually empty house.
“This, ladies and gents, is my humble abode,” Robin decreed, gesturing around the house, “it’s not much, but it is me casa.”
God, I sound like a dork.
“It’s very… clean” Nancy says after a while, looking around.
“Well, my parents are very much a clean freak, so that definitely helps.” She answers, not really knowing where to go.
“Are your parents home?” Nancy asked, walking around the entrance.
“No, their gone on a work trip or something-”
“-or something?” Nancy cuts in, “you don’t even know why they are gone?”
“I do, but they only left a sticky note,” Robin hands her the note that was lying on the counter next to the door.
“Oh… well, you can always come over to my place if you get lonely” She smiles, her beautiful, lovely…
Stop getting caught up in her! It will never happen. And that's that.
They stand there silently, not sure what to do. Suddenly, the doorbell rings, a sharp shrill sound that seemed to have woken both the girls out of their trance.
Robin hurried to the door, opening it to reveal a scruffy Steve, he looked worse than at the restaurant, his eyes were puffy, hair sticking out in different directions.
“Steve?”
“STEVE!” Nancy explodes, storming towards the door, “you fucking asshole!”
“Nancy, wait,” Steve pleaded, his face moulding into a look of pure fear.
“No, shut up! You had no right calling her that!” Nancy hissed, pure rage on her face, “she is such an amazing girl, and you have no right calling her something she isn’t
Robin freezes, she watches as Nancy continues to tear Steve apart, but she can’t even tell what she was saying.
I should have told her.
“You didn’t tell her?” Steve's voice breaks her daze, his voice calmer than it was with Nancy.
“Tell her what?” Robin's voice squeaks as she tries and fails to convince him she has no idea what he is talking about.
Steve looks at her expectantly, his eyes burning into hers.
“No, I didn’t tell her.” she confessed, feeling her face burn up with embarrassment.
“Tell me what?” Nancy asked, stepping forward, her anger starting to ebb off of her face.
“Oh, uh- I’ll tell you later.” Robin stammers, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
“No,” Steve’s voice cut through her silence, “I am going to leave, and then you are going to tell her- okay?”
“What- no…” his eyes dug into her soul, “fine.”
“Good,” he backs out, giving Robin a thumbs up of encouragement.
“What do you want to tell me?” Nancy inquired, her voice filled with curiosity.
“Um, I- I think we should sit down for this” Robin answered, tears still pushing her eyes.
They move to the couch, Robin’s leg bouncing up and down as she sits.
“I- I have been scared to… say this, for a while,” Robin's voice shakes as she speaks, “in fact, only Steve really knows this,” she laughs trying to stop the tears, but they still start to trickle down her cheek.
Nancy takes her hand, looking at Robin with those beautiful blue eyes.
“Because- I was scared that-” the tears started to flow down her cheeks, “that- you would hate me”
“No- I would never hate you,” Nancy reassures her, putting her hands on Robin’s, “I would never hate you for anything.”
Robin smiles, her tear stained cheeks shining in the light, “I guess what I have been meaning to say is- I’m…” she pauses, not sure what to say, “I’m gay- and I’m sorry if this ruins our friendship, or makes it weird, but-”
“-Robin,” Nancy cuts in, looking at her with eyes that were clouded over with tears, “I told you, I would never hate you- and this has no effect on our friendship at all. You're still my friend, and I would never want to change that.” Nancy pulls Robin into a hug, letting the tears run down into her sweater.
Robin sniffles looking up at Nancy, “thank you for not hating me.”
Nancy looked at Robin, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “thank you for trusting me.”
Robin laughs, it's small but happy. They stay silent for a bit, letting the truth settle down.
“Wait-” Nancy’s voice was sharp in the silence, Robin's heart dropped in fear.
Did she finally realise what this meant? I knew we should have waited!
“Steve was the first person that you told?”
“To be fair I had been drugged by Russians with liquid courage,” Robin protests, her shoulders relaxing.
“I do guess it is fair,” Nancy looks over her shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall, “oh shit- I told my mom I would be home by now!”
“Oh- shit, okay- see you later?” she questions unsure if they would hang out again.
“Oh- yeah, see you later!” Nancy smiles.
Robin watches as she hurries out of the door, her hair bobbing up and down as she walks. The door shutting behind her.
She doesn’t hate us- and she said see you later!
Robin smiles. A real one, not a sarcastic one, not a sad one, a real happy and excited one.