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Robin Buckley isn’t certain how she found herself lying beneath a jumble of pillows in Nancy Wheeler's bed, but she sure isn’t complaining about it.
There’s a chilly draft coming in through the open window, causing Robin to burrow herself deeper into her cocoon of Nacy’s bed set. Her nostrils are filled with the floral scent of whatever perfume her friend has on, and if it were anyone else it’d probably make her sinuses burn. Apparently, Nancy is different. Something about pheromones and all that. Robin does her best not to think about it.
It’s been a few months since everything went to shit over spring break. Vecna is gone, for now, thanks to that badass girl with the buzz cut and her weird nerd friends, and Robin can relax for the first time in what feels like years .
Take my breath away is playing softly somewhere in the corner of the bedroom. Listening to it makes her smile.
“I know Tom Cruise isn’t really your whole vibe or whatever…” Nancy had said one day, “but would you want to go see Top Gun with me this weekend?”
Robin had almost passed out when she asked.
“Me? You want me to go with you to watch grown men fight with their little tinker toys for two hours?”
“I wouldn’t really call fighter jets tinker toys but,” Nancy offers a small smile, “yes I would. I mean— now that Jonathan and I are on a break I don’t really have anyone else to do this kind of thing with. I-I get it if you don’t want to. I know it’s not your style but—“
“I’d love to!” Robin exclaims, undoubtedly louder than necessary.
The rest was history.
Since that weekend, all Robin has been able to do is think about how excited Nancy had been when she’d said yes. How close they’d sat beside each other in the dark theatre. How when Charlie and Maverick were all over each other, Robin thought she felt Nancy trace her pinky finger along the side of her hand. It had been playing on loop in her head for days until finally, she got up the courage to ask Nancy if she could come over. Because not being able to see the other girl was driving her bonkers .
“So, nice weather we’re having, huh?” Robin asks, nervously clicking her shoes together.
Nancy rolls her eyes and stands from where she’d previously been sitting at her desk. She’d been scribbling away at some draft for her next article in the Hawkins Post, asking Robin to proofread it every so often while she worked. She doesn’t break eye contact with her as she moves toward the bed, flopping down on it close enough that Robin can feel the heat of Nancy’s skin against hers, but far enough away so they don’t touch.
It's making her head spin.
“I can’t believe you’re wearing those in my bed,” Nancy says, gesturing towards her friend's battered red converse.
“I can’t believe you’re letting me,” Robin snickers.
Nancy bites her lip, and quite frankly it’s unbearably sexy. “I’m not.” She says, nudging Robin's ankle with the tip of her toe until both feet dangle off the edge of the mattress.
“I’ll have you know these shoes are the epitome of my self-expression. Without these bad boys, I am but a shell of a person! How can you be so careless with such items of intimacy?” Robin thrusts herself into a sitting position to display her feet, “Can you not see the magnificent works of art bestowed upon these beauties?”
Nancy suppresses a laugh, but an endearing grin peaks through, “You draw on your shoes?”
Robin puffs out a sigh, “It’s the only way I can bear to sit in class all day. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Nance, but I have a lot of energy and a terrible track record for paying attention during lectures. These doodles are the only things keeping me sane!”
“You’re a trip Buckley, you know that?” Nancy scoffs, swiping away at the other girl.
“I’ve been told I’m somewhat of an anomaly.”
She feels a sort of confidence start to sweep through her body. Normally Robin’s a total blubbering mess around pretty girls. And— ok, she still is with Nancy, but at least it’s getting her to laugh and look at her like that .
But all the confidence suddenly evaporates when Nancy reaches for her shoe and says, “Let me take a look.”
Robin's eyes widen, “O-oh they’re just— they’re stupid really you wouldn’t—“
“Does that say tiddies?” Nancy questions, expression amused and surprised.
“It’s a funny word!” Robin clamors, feeling her face turn the same color as her shoes. In all fairness, it’s her fault for pointing out the drawings in the first place, but she hadn’t been expecting her to ask to see them.
Nancy runs her fingers across a drawing of a naked woman, her eyes unreadable.
Now, for some reason, Robin has been unable to come out to Nancy despite being best friends (almost. Steve is still her number one) for months. She doesn’t know why. There’s never been a reason for her to believe Nancy wouldn’t support her. She knows she will. But at the same time… it’s scary. Because while as fun as it is to have a silly little crush on your friend, the undeniable possibility of Nancy rejecting her is something Robin doesn’t know if she can handle. She’s never had feelings for someone whom she is actually friends with. Someone who actually cares about her, even if it’s not the way she wishes it were.
Watching Nancy now, however, Robin is pretty sure the gears in her head have already begun to turn. It isn’t exactly like she’s done a particularly great job at hiding her flaming homosexual urges either. She’s pretty sure Nancy heard the gasps she let out whenever Jamie Lee Curtis did something particularly hot the other night when the two of them watched Halloween .
“These are really cute.” Nancy pulls her eyes away from the drawing and studies Robin's face. She feels self-conscious beneath her stare. “Do you draw much on actual paper?”
“Uh, sometimes, I guess. When I’m not flunking chemistry or running away from evil demons.”
“I’d like to see them sometime,” Nancy declares. She taps the tip of Robin's shoe, “You ever had anyone else sign them before?”
She scratches the back of her neck, “No, not really. I’ve never had any friends who’d want to, as sad as that sounds.” She attempts to play it off as a joke, but Nancy sees right through her.
“Well, now you do.” She smiles, the kind where she tips her head a little, allowing strands of her permed hair to fall across her forehead. Robin wants nothing more than to be able to reach out and brush them away.
Without another word, Nancy reaches across Robin's chest towards her nightstand to grab a pen. She really hopes Nancy can't feel how fast her heart is pounding against her rib cage.
“Here we go.” She breathes, cradling Robin's foot in her lap as she begins tracing the letters of her name against the white rubber of her shoe. For some reason, it’s become very hard to get enough air in her lungs.
“All done.” Nancy declares proudly, showing off her loopy handwriting. When Robin notices the small heart she’s drawn at the end of her name, she nearly combusts. “Do you like it?”
“Y-yeah I love it.”
Nancy beams, sidling back down into the pile of pillows and blankets. Robin follows her lead.
The pair are quiet for a moment, simply staring at one another through the dim yellow light of the bedside lamp. The sound of crickets chirping rings in from outside. Robin never wants to leave this spot.
“Do you… Do you ever think about what it would be like to escape this town?” Nancy asks quietly.
“All the damn time,” Robin admits.
The corner of Nancy’s mouth quirks up, “Maybe we should run away. Change our names, adopt a dog. Do something absurd like solve mysteries together like Daphne and Velma or something. Or… or I dunno, maybe I’m just crazy.”
“We can be crazy together.” Robin says, voice soft, “Our very own Holmes and Wattson.”
Nancy huffs out a laugh, “Sometimes it feels like you’re the only person who gets me. Steve and Jonathan never took me seriously for talking like that.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m here.”
She nods, eyelids drooping momentarily as she stares at a spot just below Robin's nose.
“Sometimes I miss it though.”
“Miss what?”
“Having someone like that. You know the classic high school sweetheart. A lover boy.” She admits bitterly.
Robin’s heart clenches, “Nance, you could literally have any guy in Hawkins if you wanted.”
“But I don’t… I don’t want just any guy.” Her gaze dips yet again, “Or a guy at all really.”
All of a sudden she feels very dizzy, “What else is there?”
Nancy wets her lips, “I think you know.”
Robin takes in a shaky breath, “Would you— would you want that?”
Ever so slightly, she nods.
“I don’t think I can move,” Robin whispers, voice hoarse with nerves.
“You don’t need to.”
And then she closes what little space is left between them.
Holy shit.
Holy fucking shit.
Robin Buckley is kissing Nancy Wheeler!
She might actually explode in more ways than one.
Robin’s never kissed anyone before, but compared to the palm of her hand she sometimes practices on, Nancy’s lips are soft and pillowed and taste a little bit like strawberry lip gloss.
They start off slow, both a little shaky from nervousness and inexperience. Although, Robin finds out very quickly that Nancy Wheeler has definitely been around the block a few times as she pushes harder into her mouth.
Robin brings her hand up to Nancy’s back and grabs a fist full of her cardigan in an effort to center herself. It doesn’t do much besides spurring the other girl on. Nancy tangles her hands through Robin's hair as she grazes her teeth against her bottom lip.
Robin tries to ignore the ungodly sound that escapes her throat, but if the way Nancy smirks into her lips is anything to go by, she’d say it was the reaction she’d been hoping for.
“Holy shit.” She gasps into Nancy’s open mouth. Nancy shuts her up with another kiss, this one even more desperate than the last.
She presses her hips forward until her knee has found its way between Nancy’s thighs. Her nails dig into Robin's scalp as her hips roll into her leg. It’s the hottest thing that’s ever happened to her.
“Is this,” Nancy bites back a whimper, “ok?”
Robin nods hastily. Quite frankly she can’t get enough of her.
Nancy drags her fingers from Robin's messy hair, trailing her way down her sides until she reaches the hem of her sweater.
“Take this off.” She huffs.
Robin does as she’s told, “Now you.”
Nancy presses two quick pecks to the corner of Robin's mouth before pulling off her own shirt.
“Oh my god.” Robin rasps, unable to keep her eyes from the wide expanse of Nancy’s bare skin.
Hesitantly, she reaches out to brush her fingers across her exposed collar bones. Beneath her fingertips, she feels goosebumps travel across Nancy’s body.
Nancy groans, “Less talking more kissing.”
“Right, right, sorry.” Robin chuckles, diving in for another long kiss. This time it’s slower, less frantic. She brushes her hand across the cup of Nancy’s bra. Robin thinks she might die from excitement, nervousness, and other feelings she doesn’t know how to properly express. She’s never done this before. Never even come close to feeling the way she does now.
“Nance,” she warns, pulling away slightly, “I’m gonna need you to show me how to do this. And it’s probably not gonna be very good.”
Nancy only grins, placing a delicate peck on the side of her cheek, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”