Chapter Text
Friday finally came around. She did try to write something, it was, after all, the perfect opportunity to bring up her soulmate conundrum. However, every try felt flat, overexplained, lame. So she didn’t end up sending a letter for the segment.
In fact, she almost didn't tune in, and once she did, the urge to bite her nails was unbearable, so she grabbed some nail polish while Robin complained about the cold. It felt somewhat relaxing, the mindless simplicity of talking about the weather. Her left hand was already polished when the first song finished.
“Give me some drums, Steve.”
A disappointed trombone was heard instead.
“I said drums! Ugh, whatever. Like I promised, we’ve been doing some research and classified all your letters. Here are some fun, can I say fun? facts, yeah, just facts. About soulmates. They represent 10% of the population. It doesn't sound like a lot, but we humans are big in numbers.
Soul-bonded Individuals, or SBI. That's how the United States calls them. After running some magic tests, you get a medical certificate that makes you eligible for legal protection in certain cases. Apparently, the utility of this certificate is very controversial. It’s not mandatory and less than a third of SBI ask for it.”
Nancy grabbed a cotton pad to get rid of a slightly wrong brush stroke.
She remembered clearly the day her parents made her obtain the certification after many migraines and callouts of inattentiveness at school. The moment her brother heard his first song, their parents took him there too, even though his soulmate was more on the calm side. The lucky bastard. The only song that had ever popped into his mind on loop had been ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ from The Clash.
“Hannah says: ‘An SBI here! Married for five years. We're both musicians and every day I'm thankful to have been born this way.’ Aww, that’s awesome, I’m very happy for you, let's move on before I ask you for more details. J.D. says ‘OMG, do we exist? Outside teenage magazines? What can I say, it’s an experience, the certification is useless. I’m getting old and I don't know them yet, but I know their mood everyday. And we have this way of communicating that is just ours.’ Wow, you can feel when the other is having a bad day?”
Nancy snorted. If only you could get something out of listening to a sad song after five upbeat ones in less than ten minutes.
"Next one… has a lot of swearing in it, wow. Ethan, I have to censor you, I’m afraid. He says he hates it, his soulmate ruins every jam session and he wonders how he’ll be able to become a rockstar. Ouch. I felt that. Next one is Barb, who says ‘It’s a beautiful concept in theory but the migraines are a major killer’. Eden says ‘I don't know who started it, but I think me and my soulmate are hunting for karaoke bars to see if we find each other. I'm broke, lol.”
Nancy began to blow on her fingernails at the same time Robin let out a deep laugh.
"That’s sad, wholesome and funny at the same time! Next is Will B. ‘For me it’s an emotional roller-coaster. I love singing and I get very sad when my soulmate goes three days without reaching out. Do you have any advice?”
“Just three days!?” Nancy exclaimed.
“Firstly, wow, are there people that can go without singing for three days? Secondly, I’m not sure about what advice to give you, I’ve never experienced this. I can say I love music, I’m always thinking of a song and can’t help singing at least once a day. I just feel it, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the most generic and pedantic advice you’ll get, but I would recommend you to feel it too, maybe what you’re feeling will reach out to them. Maybe not, but the possibility of making their day is always there.”
Robin’s voice was passionate but soft. She made communication sound so easy, natural. She was obviously talking from a place of blissful ignorance, but she did it in a genuine and caring way that Will would probably accept as encouragement.
Nancy swallowed, imagining eyes that she had never looked into, watching the moon, speaking with that same passion while listening to Green Day. Would they glimmer?
A fond smile spread across Nancy’s face while listening to Robin’s mumbling, a sign that she had lost her train of thought.
Then Nancy froze, all brightness drained from her face. She was supposed to be imagining her soulmate, with whom she had been sharing her mind. Not Robin, Nancy had only known Robin for three weeks. She didn’t actually ‘know’ her.
Shit.
“Thank you all, even to those who didn't venture to write, I appreciate you all the same. Sometimes your letters make my day. Now…before we move on to the next segment. I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I can't shake the feeling that I’d have loved to have a soulmate. They wouldn't be very happy being stuck with me, from what you’re telling me. Maybe in another life. Well, it's time to–”
Nancy’s eyes stung. For the first time since listening to Stranger Things, she turned off the radio before leaving for work.
A nagging kernel of truth stuck in her throat.
She was starting to appreciate Robin tenderness more than the stranger that sang within the walls of her mind.
“Nancy, you’re starting to freak me out. Are you gonna turn on that damned thing or not?”
The radio has practically seen every room in the house, accompanying Nancy, who could not bring herself to turn it on. Even at that very moment, it sat mutely on the table in front of Nancy, who was sinking into the sofa, hoping it would swallow her up.
“I am not.”
Eddie glanced at the time, it was noon, the show had ended already.
“Dude, you never take a day off. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, just…thinking.”
Or trying to. Through a terrible migraine that had been her faithful companion since the previous day. The annoying “numa yay song”, as Nancy called it, had been looping in her head for an hour. She’d heard it before, hundreds of times probably. Never to its completion, never in order. Her nausea pulsed at the pace of the electronic beat.
Six weeks had passed since she picked up the radio frequency, and she hadn't tuned in for a whole week. She craved to do it, even though she would never admit it.
The only reason her anger toward her soulmate diminished, was the music playing in sync thanks to Robin. The randomness was still present, breaking every silence. And the inconsideration, the lack of boundaries. Why did her soulmate never think of her? She wanted answers, retaliation. And she knew she needed to dive in sooner rather than later.
But would it do her any good? To meet someone who was still the same even after Nancy had stopped singing?
Thoughts like these were the reason why she needed to distance herself from the show and had to switch directly to confrontation. Vis-a-vis. It was her last hope.
And yet, the show was still the most suited mediator. Robin was soft, and deep down, a romantic. At worst, she would laugh at her on air again if she asked for help. She might even make an outrageous remark. But then she would use that honeyed low tone that she used every time she talked about something they shared in the letters.
Shit. The song wouldn't let her think straight.
She promised herself to come clean after the next broadcast she’d listened in on. Even though Nancy wasn’t ready to let go yet. Robin would help Nancy find her soulmate, that was all there was to it.
The problem was whatever was blocking her from admitting it. There were doubts she couldn't voice. Maybe she wasn't built to be a journalist after all. Journalists didn’t hesitate to go to the source.
She tightened her lips, and let out a long sigh. Eddie patted her head before heading out to work. The room was quiet, while the party in her head ragged on, beat hammering again and again. It had been like that since halfway through the week.
It had to stop. She ached to have a magic dial to turn it off. Or the second best option, to grab them by the shoulders, scream at them, yell, hit, shoot.
Sing.
In reality, Nancy had done everything, and it never made them stop, not when she had been six, not now, not ever.
Because Nancy was a tiny voice left behind in a wrapped box in the darkest corner of a basement. A voice that no one even listened to, not even on Holidays.
And the worst thing was that, for the last few weeks, Nancy had been allowing herself to hope that wasn’t the case, that music mattered, that you could find beauty in the most unexpected places.
The loop stopped, for a blissful moment that Nancy seized to open her eyes slowly, as if any sudden movement would break the quiet spell.
And it did. They swapped to an equally upbeat song that just seemed to discard and mock Nancy’s distress.
You spin my head right round, right round
You spin me right 'round, baby, right 'round
Like a record, baby, right 'round, 'round, 'round
She buried her head into a cushion, her lungs demanding a scream. Singing never got her anywhere. Her melodies weren’t welcome in the broadcast. Deafened and unheard under the constant cacophony.
That had been the reason why she stopped. At first as a tantrum that lasted a few days, then as an experiment that lasted months, and finally as a resignation that lasted years.
But maybe. Just maybe, this time would be different. Because everyone deserved to be heard. Right?
Instead of screaming at the cushion. She licked her lips, exhaled and tried to reach out.
And I need you more tonight…
All her muscles tensed, her voice quivered and came out of tune due to the lack of practice and the fact she couldn't hear herself clearly enough.
And I need you more than ever…
The rhythm from the other side slowed down, but it didn’t go away.
Once upon a time I was falling in love…
Now I’m only falling apart
The music finally stopped, granting Nancy again one moment of blissful silence that lasted exactly that before crashing, louder than before.
She shut her eyes. And tried again. Despite the burning feeling, her vocal chords strained with the deafening volume she hit.
Don't speak, I know what you're thinkin'
I don't need your reasons
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts…
Her own voice was then swallowed up by her mind that finished the song and shifted to another song.
Hey, there, Mr. Blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around, see what you do
Everybody smiles at you
Around two o’clock, songs dimmed in volume, yet a soft hum stayed as a reminder, even after midnight. That was the last straw. Nancy needed to rip-off the bandaid.
“Dude, you look like crap, are you sure you don’t want me to take it from here?”
“What do you know about broadcasting, dingus?”
“I’m here, literally every day.”
Robin made a dismissive gesture with her hands, but let out a faint smile. She took her place on the chair, at a safe distance from the microphone, and took a deep breath. She glanced at messy notes, not her best work, but they would have to do.
Once she signed to Steve to go live, she forced a smile.
“Good morning, Indiana! This is your host, Robin Buckley, AKA Rockin’ Robin.”
Like always, Steve put on her signature song that got stuck in her head before she continued speaking.
“Welcome to Stranger Things. Today is sunny...the hottest day so far this year. And I…can’t complain, I guess.”
She felt Steve’s eyes from the other side of the room, before laugh tracks forcefully interrupted the awkward silence. “I just had coffee. It tasted horrible. Why do you guys drink this stuff? It didn’t wake me up at all. In fact, I think it made me sleepy. You think I could sleep on the soundboard for a while?”
Steve decided to put in the crow of a rooster.
“Okay, okay, got it. No sleeping, then. Actually, I have some good news. For the people who're still listening in. They finally gave us a phone number… wohoo!”
She slowly dictated the numbers to the audience while her mind replayed all the things she had said and done the last week, trying to suss out the reason why N had stopped writing. The most logical conclusion was that they didn’t like the new turn on soulmates, felt pressured or offended by it, and decided to walk out the door. But ‘she got bored’ felt somehow even worse.
And she reaaaaally needed to stop thinking about it, and stop worrying about a woman she'd never even met before. Especially now that they had a considerable amount of callers in line.
She was relieved that no conspiracy theories had shown up yet. They were mostly letters of thanks, a question about music or their lives.
Robin was supposed to be excited, ecstatic even, because her listeners were everything she could have wished for. Open minded, polite, nice. And yet, her mind drifted back to the woman who wasn't present.
The woman who had a soulmate, somewhere out here, who wasn't Robin. And as if that thought wasn't unreasonable enough, there was the fact that she would never get to see her eyes, never hear her voice.
They still had time for three more people before passing to the next segment. Robin didn’t allow herself to even hope N was going to be among them, why should she torture herself like that? There still weren't any new letters.
Steve hit the button and a click told her there was another human being at the other side of the line. So Robin swallowed her pity down and put on her best friendly voice.
“Hi! Rockin’ Robin speaking. You're on the air.” It still came out too dry, normally the other person began speaking at this part. “With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
“Um… Nancy.”
“Nice to meet you, Nancy! Is it your first time joining us?”
“No… I have actually written you letters before…”
In spite of herself, Robin's heart jumped as she straightened up in her chair.
“Ooh, a regular?” Robin smiled near the microphone.
“If just a month is a regular for you, yeah.” The line went silent for a beat. “You might know me as N.”
Robin's smile froze before she eyed Steve, who didn’t look half as surprised as he should, given what was happening. He just shrugged, giving her a hand signal to continue.
“Well, N.” Robin continued after clearing her throat. “For my mental health, you have to give me something here.”
The void of silence created a knot of guilt in her stomach. If it lasted three seconds longer, she might cry or hang up.
“Crocodile rock.”
The name of the song felt like a jolt of electricity that restored all her energy in an instant. Her face brightened and she began to swivel back and forth in her chair.
“You… you’re back.”
Nancy apparently loved to let a beat pass before answering. “...I am. Imagine my surprise… After several days without tuning in, to hear that there’s finally live calls. I figured calling would work faster… There's something I need to do. It’s actually the reason why I began listening to your show.”
Robin paused. The reason. She always wondered why N tuned in, she had this intense vibe, but not in the same way as the rest of the audience. Robin sometimes imagined her as a wild rose in a field full of sunflowers.
“Oh, bummer. It wasn't due to my charming personality?”
“I guess that too.”
Okay, this time the silence definitely stretched out a minute too long. If she knew this person more, she would say that Nancy was uncomfortable. Bad turn, bad turn.
“That’s nice to hear. Well, Nancy. Shoot, what did you have in mind?” Robin said, managing to grasp her public persona of Rockin’ Robin again.
“I think… I have solid reasons to believe that my soulmate is a regular listener.”
“Really? How come?” Robin’s tone changed to one that wasn't meant to be on air. She was being a terrible radio host. Maybe she should quit.
“They sing the songs of the show in perfect sync.”
“Wow. Okay. Good taste, then.” The movement of the chair stopped, like she needed it in order to think. “Sounds like hardcore evidence. Why didn't you realize it before? I thought you were a detective or something.”
Nancy sighed on the other side of the line. Shit. Had she fucked up again? Crossed her boundaries? Had the detective comment been on one of their private letters?
“I'm not a detective. But I did pick up on it pretty early on.”
Robin should definitely steer the conversation away to safer ground or hang up, because she could not stop herself from digging further, even though it obviously made both of them feel awkward.
“Why didn't you mention it before?”
“I don’t know. It’s complicated I guess. I'm not sure they want to meet me. Or if I want to meet them. Most of the time they drive me completely insane, and I hate every minute of my daily life.”
“Hate? That’s a big word.” Robin grabbed the table to pull the chair closer to the microphone.
“No… I didn’t mean…” Another sigh sounded through the headphones. “I need a break. They sing everyday, without any logic behind the transitions. And the loops are just awful.”
Oh, that was why it was a sensitive topic. Robin's heart panged for her. Even through the static quality of the radio, Nancy sounded tired, defeated. It didn’t sit right. It didn’t match her velvety voice.
“I get it. Usually a song gets stuck in my head for hours. I think I could control it better, but still. I- Okay…You. Is there a plan here? Or you just wanted… them to listen?”
“I honestly don’t know. I need answers. I have to listen to the most random songs at the most random times.” Nancy’s voice began to accelerate, turning into a fully necessary and deserved rant. “Day and night, at lunchtime, at work… And then… when it’s my turn… They keep singing. It’s like they don’t want to even hear me.”
What? How was that possible? Robin would eat her own feet if N asked her to shut up.
“Okay. Guys, seriously. Who the heck is not listening to N?” It meant to be a joke, but it might have sounded a tad too serious.
No regrets, though, because the comment drew a marvelous giggle from Nancy and Robin would say anything to hear it again.
“I’m hoping to find that out soon. Yesterday I missed work because they could not shut up. I had a migraine and they just decided to have a three-hour concert of happy songs.”
Robin felt a pang of guilt. She hardly ever shut up, that was why she lived alone.
“Well… honestly… that could be me. I love happy songs when I’m having a bad day. Then BAM! there's a Christmas song before I know it.”
“You… what? Not in January, though, right? That’s awful.”
Robin’s breath was starting to get uneven. Listening to Christmas songs off-season was a guilty pleasure of hers.
“I mean…maybe? Look, believe me, I know it’s annoying. Thankfully no one has to put up with me.”
Why was she sharing this much again?
“Lucky you. Well, at least you don’t sing Spanish songs for an hour without missing a single word”. Something in Nancy’s tone had shifted, it sounded more meticulous. “And then randomly jam in a chorus in English.”
“...I’m fluent in Spanish.”
…
“...And French?”
Okay, this was starting to get a little creepy. How was this person describing her exactly as she was outside her radio persona? Oddly specific. Terrifying, even.
Silence fell over the line. Robin looked around, trying to gather words or at least find the hidden camera before beating Steve up for pranking her on air.
“Did you sing You Spin Me Round for one hour straight after ‘Numa Numa Yay’?”
Robin's body tensed. She stared at the microphone, it was slowly receding, though Robin wasn't moving. She turned to look at Steve, whose eyes had gone as wide as hers. She was on air, she had to say something.
“How…do you know that?”
“...Are you fucking serious?”
From the control room, Steve cut the call short, putting on some random song. The ON AIR sign turned off. Robin wanted to rip off her headphones, but her body wasn’t budging. Was Steve saying something? Her mind wasn’t processing things properly. It had never been good at doing so, but at that moment the jukebox that inhabited her mind was out of service. She only heard a long beep in her ears that faded into the background once she clearly heard the whistle tune from “Rockin’ Robin” that couldn’t possibly be coming from her broken mind jukebox.
She gasped for air once, Steve grounded her with hurried tugs at her shirt. At some point he had joined her in the studio.
“What the hell was that?”
“I–I– Don’t know!”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Steve pulled at his hair. “You have a soulmate?”
“No! That’s impossible! I’m not–”Robin let out a strangled cackle. “Everyone hears music in their mind. I do. You do. Everyone does.”
“Yeah, but not like intrusive thoughts.”
“Those are my only kind of thoughts!” Robin let out a groan with all the force in her lungs. “Shit. Steve. What if it’s true? I never shut up.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“No! You don't get it. I. Never. Shut. Up. I sing when I’m bored. When I’m working. When I’m cooking. When I feel sad. Every… Day.” Robin paled. “I am an intrusive thought.”
Her mind began to spiral again. Every single day… and every word…
Every game you play…
NO.
Robin pressed her hands firmly against her mouth. She felt her neck getting warm as she stared at Steve in horror.
Fuck. The humming. You couldn’t bury humming. Oh god.
Did soulmates work like an antenna? Maybe if she changed countries…
The song on the radio finished, her cue to speak. The “on air” sign didn't light up. She pressed harder and shook her head. Steve went to the control room and put on another song.
“Go home. I can manage here.”
“No, no, no. I can’t be alone right now.” Robin got up and approached the audio console. “Or ever. You have to stop me.”
“Okay.” Steve began pushing some buttons to set up the Enco DAD system with enough music to broadcast until eleven o’clock. It was the first time Stranger Things would ever be left on full automation. It made her skin itch.
While Steve was still arranging everything, Robin went to grab her coat, with shaky hands. Fuck. What was she going to do?
Her thoughts jumped to N… Nancy’s letters. So intense that got Robin swept up. The ugly churn in her stomach every time she wondered if she had disappointed N. The uncomfortable fact that she was unattainable. Then the even more uncomfortable fact that the same N had been listening to her while she was singing upbeat songs to herself to move on. Singing happy songs to alienate woe and not get trapped in a labyrinth of sad songs.
The door of the control room opened, Keith, the promotion assistant, entered without warning.
“Hey, there’s a woman at the front desk, demanding to speak to you.”
Robin and Steve shared a panicked look. Robin opened her mouth, but Steve spoke first.
“Did she give you a name?”
“Nancy Wheeler.”
The name weighed so heavily that she felt like sinking through the floor, as if she’d suddenly been turned into mud. She buried her face in the soft cotton of her coat.
“Could you give us a minute?” Steve spoke again.
Nosy by nature, Keith probably wanted to know more, but whatever expression Steve made, worked. She let out a sigh of relief when the sound of footsteps faded.
“I am not meeting up with her,” Robin said, her voice muffled by the coat.
“Dude, put yourself in her shoes, she’s not gonna leave.” Steve gently removed the cloth from her face. “I wouldn’t.”
“Okay. Then I’m just– gonna stay here.” She crossed her arms, walking towards Steve's designated seat. “I've heard it's a nice place to live, quiet most of the time. The foam on the walls absorbs a good deal of–”
“Robin.”
“Maybe she won’t notice if we make a run for it.”
Steve lets out a hefty sigh, full dad mode activated. Robin made a move to sit down, her arms still crossed, pulling them even closer to her body. So Steve did the unimaginable, he linked his arm with hers and started dragging her to the door.
She struggled until they were in the lift. The building only had four floors; there was no time to brace herself for impact.
“Okay, okay, okay. I got it. You can let go of me now.”
“You’re not gonna make a run for it?”
“Nope. Promise.”
Steve slowly let go of her, side-eyeing her with caution.
“See? I’m totally chill. Cool.”
Ding.
The moment the elevator door opened, Robin bolted for her life. Or tried to. Just a few feet from the main door, a woman threw herself at her. She wasn’t sure if it had been intentional, but it did feel like a full body tackle. They both landed on their backs on the cold ground.
The woman beside Nancy tripped twice before getting up. Once their gazes connected, she just knew.
The reason for her migraines and unanswered questions was standing right in front of her, messy hair, wrinkled shirt and a freckled pale face that looked seconds away from throwing up.
Nancy grabbed her by the forearm.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Nancy said, squeezing every syllable.
“The airport, probably.” Robin looked around until her eyes landed on the man who had been with her in the elevator. Then she visibly deflated when he waved at them from inside the elevator, before promptly hitting the close-door button.
She didn't even struggle when Nancy pulled her out of the building, where Nancy's nose stung from the cold, and the air was filled with the rush of city sounds.
“I have so many questions right now.” The pit of Nancy’s stomach burned. “I don't even know where to begin.”
“Eh… my name?” Robin said, looking at everything but Nancy.
“I know your fucking name.” Nancy hissed, making Robin jump.
“Right…yeah. Sorry. You’ve been listening to the show.”
“You drive me insane.” She took a step forward. “For years. You’ve interrupted me,” her words ran sharp. “And now you have the nerve to deny me on air?”
“Deny?” Robin repeated, quickly. “I wasn't denying you. I didn't even know—wait, that sounds wrong. How was I supposed to know that you were out there?”
“What?” Nancy raised her voice to volumes she had never reached before. “I reached out again, and again and again. There’s no way in hell you didn't know.”
“But I– I’m so, so, so, sorry. I— it was normal.” Robin scrunched her nose. “Not normal normal, but like my brain doing strange things normal. That’s how it works, a random song pops up and then I'm singing it.”
“You are not singing literally everything that crosses your mind.” Nancy pointed at Robin’s temple, brushing against a strand of hair. “I've been there, remember?”
“No. No. God, no. Of course not.” Robin flailed her arms around, so Nancy had to tilt her head back. “Just like, half of it. I thought it was just me. Not an actual person who knows a bunch of lyrics.”
Nancy’s nostrils flared while studying Robin’s expression. Her blood boiled when Robin’s eyes darted around even more frantically. She was about to punch her, and had to use all her self-control to take a deep breath.
“Did you hear me… last week?” Nancy asked, measuring her voice.
Robin stopped looking around. She looked up, fixing her eyes into the distance for a while before answering again.
“Oh, wait! That was you? I thought I was going crazy when Britney Spears kept showing up. I hate Britney Spears.”
Nancy paused. “No, that wasn't me.”
“No?” Robin began pacing on the snow. “Oh, wait! I know! Bye Bye Bye from NSYNC when I was having lunch!”
“I haven’t sung for five years, moron.”
“Five years.” Robin repeated, as if she didn’t hear it right. “Five years!? You're lying. One does not simply stop singing for five years. It’s humanly impossible.”
“You’re right. I sang yesterday, and today.”
Something in Nancy’s demeanour clicked in Robin, who looked utterly devastated.
“Why? Why would you stop?”
“You were always redirecting the melody, so I stopped.” Nancy said, trying hard to play it down.
Robin winced.
“I just…” her voice faltered. “I was redirecting my... I was singing to myself. Alone, mostly.” Robin buried her head between her hands. “You’ve heard everything. God, this is so embarrassing.”
Robin folded into herself while Nancy just observed her.
There was no way this woman was the confident voice from the strange radio show. She was one step away from burying her head in the snow like an ostrich.
But she was. She had to be.
Same hard to follow rhythm. Same way of losing her train of thought.
Nancy’s heart beat uncontrollably, resonating in her ribcage.
Not a far away filtered voice coming through the radio anymore, Rockin’ Robin was there, in the flesh. But far beyond that, Robin was right in front of her.
She was someone who also liked to overcomplicate things. The one who always answered her letters, minded her boundaries, and actually looked at the moon herself before asking people how it made them feel.
Nancy’s expression softened as the image of her soulmate that she built over her entire life crumbled piece by piece. This person could annoy people. Hell, she was born with a fucking gift to do it. But Robin would never ignore a voice. She would have answered every time, so the only logical explanation of constant overlapping music was…
“Oh my god.” Nancy said before a wide smile broke through. “You’re stupid. You’re actually just stupid.”
Robin slumped her shoulders. “I suppose I deserve that, but that was—”
Nancy gripped Robin by the collar with both hands. Forcefully, she pulled her down, bringing their heads to the same level.
Robin didn’t have time to react before their mouths collided. Despite the violence that still coursed through her, Nancy brushed her lips against Robin's with tenderness.
Robin froze, just for a moment, before matching the rhythm of the kiss. The symphony sent a spark through Nancy’s brain.
They broke apart to breathe, then Robin opened her mouth to say something and Nancy silenced her with another kiss. This time Nancy let herself explore farther and slower. She tasted like coffee. Her third coffee. It was too sweet for her liking, but addictive all the same.
When they finally separated, Robin was staring into her eyes, blinking rapidly as if she was waking from a dream. Nancy loosened her grip for a moment, but decided against it when Robin exhaled.
“You’re going to pay. For every fucking song. I’m going to do that every time you open your mouth to sing.”
Robin tried to answer and Nancy silenced her with a peck.
Robin furrowed her eyebrows. “I wasn’t going to sing.”
“You can never be too careful.”
When Nancy woke up, the bed felt cold. Groaning, she got up and went to the kitchen. A cup of coffee was already waiting for her on the counter, next to a small note that read have a great day! See you tonight, princess. But before picking up the coffee she turned on the radio.
“Good morning, Indiana! This is your host, friend and confidant Robin Buckley, AKA Rockin' Robin. How can it still be so cold? We're almost in March. It's not fair.”
Robin trailed off, spending a normal amount of time complaining.
Nancy got in the car when the next segment hit.
“I have some gossip: Back in 1810, Sweden was looking for a new king. Things got messy, aristocratic arguments and everything. The thing is that Marshal Bernadotte, a soldier under Napoleon’s command, was elected, can you say elected king? Well, he was chosen despite a big group supporting the prince of Pontecorvo, who was given this title as a reward for his military services.”
Nancy knew how the story ended, she had been there, helping Robin to write and organize the script. Still, she listened with a grin on her face.
“After some black eyes and yelling, people found out that Jean Baptiste Bernadotte and the prince of Pontecorvo were actually the same guy. Bernadotte was his family name, Marshal his rank, and Prince of Pontecorvo his title. Talk about a major collective facepalm. Couldn't they verify his ID or something? Oh well, I think this calls for the time machine, this is how I imagine Bernadotte reacting.”
After a few songs played only on the radio, Robin began to speak again.
“Okay okay, we have to talk, you know how I really love your mail, but this is getting out of hand. You have so many questions and the thing is, I've been sworn to secrecy. My soulmate gives the best murderous looks. But don't worry, I'm not in any danger. I'm exactly where I want to be. The whole ordeal ended on a high note! That's all I can assure you. Anyway, the next song is meant only for you.”
The beat of drums and an electric guitar filled the car. The songs were the only part of the script that Nancy wasn’t allowed to read in on.
But there's no escaping your love, oh
These lines of lightning mean
We're never alone
Never alone, no, no
Come on, come on
Off microphone, Robin sang specific parts of the song that landed softly in Nancy's brain. In between, there was occasional humming which Nancy allowed herself to harmonize with.
Her mind was clear during work, she worked on some dull stories, but cheered herself up nevertheless. Her big article had been published just that morning. A soft hum every now and then pushed her forward, not in an invasive way, just like short blackouts that miraculously landed when Nancy needed them the most.
Nancy didn't mind, she sometimes answered them or tried humming another melody as if dialing “next”. But she was still taking mental notes of every intervention. Keeping track.
Thirty minutes after Nancy got home, Robin was at the door with flustered cheeks, champagne in one hand, the magazine with her article in the other. And Nancy kissed her, a second for every interruption, meticulously counted. An uncomfortable cough from behind reminded her they weren't alone. A minute too late.
“Hi, Steve.”
“What's up, Nance?”
“All good. You guys can come in, I ordered pizza for tonight.”
They both entered the apartment, and made themselves at home.
“Oooh, is that champagne?” Eddie joined them.
Nancy dragged Robin to the kitchen. Despite too many things happening at the same time, Robin’s eyes were on her.
“You know I don't mind taking you to work, right?” Nancy said, leaning on the counter. “You don't have to turn off the alarm.”
“But you looked so peaceful, and I don't mind walking—” Robin seemed to want to continue, but Nancy's frown stopped her. “Okay, okay. Got it.” She added before sliding a the magazine on the kitchen counter. “Can you sign it for me?”
“Baby, you don't ask a journalist for an autograph.”
“Oh no.” Robin said, faking horror. “Fame has gotten to your head already.”
Nancy’s frown melted into a giggle that shattered Robin’s serious composure.
“Hey, Nance! Can I put on some music?” Steve called out from the living room.
Nancy said yes offhandedly, distracted by Robin's red lips. She tried to stop herself from leaning in again. Robin preferred the intimacy of Nancy's bedroom. They would have time that night anyway, it was Friday and there was no reason to go to bed before midnight.
“Did you like the song?” Robin asked in a small tone, fidgeting with her hands.
“I loved it, but I think you have to slow down on the cheesy songs sooner or later. Having an established music vibe and everything.”
“Well, what's the fun in that?”
“Guys, where do you have the music in here?” Steve's voice came out again. “There's only Metallica and stuff.”
Oh no.
A dramatic gasp echoed in the apartment.
“This. Is. MUSIC.”
Without missing the beat, the boys started to argue, Robin and Nancy stared at each other before bursting from laughter.