Chapter Text
The sun was setting by the time Nancy and Robin pulled into the Wheeler's driveway. Robin had to admit: she'd been very wrong about Nancy Wheeler. The girl beside her wasn't just some boy-obsessed, straight-A-student, best friend-stealing priss. She was actually kinda badass. And surprisingly good at being a getaway driver.
They'd returned to Nancy's house, per Nancy's suggestion. Sticking together to watch over Max was safer than going back to their respective homes. Nobody had disagreed. Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max would be there in about 20 minutes, which gave the girls just enough time to make arrangements with the Wheelers.
"Let's get a move on," Nancy finished adjusting her hair to look more presentable, then turned the car off. Robin didn’t know why she’d bothered primping herself— she looked pretty already. "The sooner we get inside, the sooner we can shower and plan."
She opened her car door, waiting for Robin to get out.
Robin was busy peeling the gross white socks off of her feet. Nancy peered into the car and threw her a confused look. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know about you, but I don't want to make these socks any more disgusting than they already are. I'd rather walk barefoot," Robin explained as she stepped out of the car. Nancy's look of confusion turned into an amused smirk that made Robin's stomach feel all sparkly.
With Robin out of the car, Nancy could finally lock it. They made their way into the house, hoping to avoid any questions about where they'd been and why they weren't wearing any shoes and why they were so sweaty. Mrs. Wheeler greeted them as they entered, her frizzy hair held back with a headband.
"Hey, Mom, is it alright if Robin, Steve, and the kids spend the night? We're all a little on edge with everything going on," asked Nancy, playing with her car keys absentmindedly. Mrs. Wheeler beamed at her daughter, her face lighting up. When Robin had first met the woman, she'd thought she was trying too hard to be "cool" and "chill". But maybe she was just naturally supportive of whatever her kids wanted to do.
“Of course!” She exclaimed. Robin couldn’t imagine her own parents being so relaxed with a surprise sleepover of five people. “Just keep the noise under control, we don’t need your father to be crankier than usual.”
Nancy hummed in agreement. “Thanks. The others will be here soon. Robin and I are going to get ready.”
“I’ll order pizza!” Mrs. Wheeler announced, heading towards the phone. "Does pepperoni sound good?" Robin and Nancy nodded. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten. She appreciated that Mrs. Wheeler hadn't even questioned her bare-footedness. Nancy gestured at Robin to follow her. She did as requested and trailed after Nancy, following her upstairs and into her room, even though she already knew where it was.
Robin went immediately to Nancy's bed, where her clothes from earlier were neatly folded. She definitely hadn't done that. She had a sneaking suspicion that Mrs. Wheeler had. Nancy was in her closet, picking out more comfortable clothes.
"Your mom is nice," Robin said, trying her hand at small talk as she sat on the bed. She hated awkward silences, but she was really bad at starting conversations.
"She's good. She tries her best," Nancy replied, moving hangers around within her closet. "But she can be a tad overbearing." Robin sympathetically hummed.
The room fell quiet again.
"I'm gonna shower, if that's okay— where's the bathroom? I feel like I should know by now but also I don't think I've ever been in there before." Robin picked at her shirt awkwardly. It was a lot different being alone with Nancy when she was JUST Nancy, not her research partner or Ruth.
"Go out the door then turn left," answered Nancy as she took a gray sweater off the hanger. "There are washcloths and towels underneath the sink. And if there's not enough soap in the shower, there's some under the sink as well."
"Awesome, thanks. I'll be quick. I tend to zone out and take a while but I won't this time because I'm sure you don't want to be in that outfit anymore than you need to," Shut up, Robin . She was begging her mouth (brain? She still didn't know which to blame) to catch up and STOP TALKING. It wasn't working. "But— Not that it looks bad or anything, I just meant that you're probably uncomfortable. 'Cause, I don't know about you, but I'm uncomfortable as hell."
Nancy didn't make an annoyed face. Nancy didn't let out an agitated sigh, trying to regain her temper. Instead, she just smiled. Fondly? Robin's eyes flickered down to her lips. Those damn flutters were back. What WAS that?
"It's not the most comfortable," she agreed, moved to her dresser and pulled out a pair of black pants. "But I won't die if you take a little longer. Just try not to use all the hot water— I can't imagine that any of the kids— or Steve— will appreciate a cold shower."
Robin snorted. "Actually, Steve says cold water is good for your hair. We can make sure he goes last and he can have the coldest shower ever, and therefore, have the best hair ever."
The last thing Robin heard before she left Nancy's bedroom was giggles.
Robin had said she wouldn't zone out in the shower. That wasn't true. Because now, Robin didn't have anything to distract her from getting lost in thought. Standing in the shower as hot water pelts your body really gives you time to think.
She was currently trying to figure out why she felt so hot and sparkly and giddy when Nancy smiled at her or basically whenever she even spoke to her. And why she wanted Nancy to like her so much. And why she would ramble about nothing for seemingly HOURS (seriously— who talks about not taking forever in the shower for THAT LONG. That had been at least fifty words in ten seconds.).
Nancy had hated Robin's guts not even three days ago, but now they were sneaking into asylums, laughing as they escaped said asylum guards and joking about Steve's hair. And now that they were kinda sorta unofficial friends (question mark?), Robin's perspective of the girl had totally shifted.
She hadn't felt like this since—
Oh.
Oh.
Ohhhhhhh my God. FUCK. FUCK FUCK FUCK. Robin's stomach dropped at the realization. For many, many reasons, this was a bad thing. Like, catastrophic. Robin couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe her situation, she couldn’t believe herself. Crushing on a straight girl wasn't new. As far as she was aware, all of her crushes had been straight.
Nancy was just. Well, she was just Nancy. Nancy, who had followed a far-fetched lead that ultimately saved Max's life. Nancy, who had shot fearlessly at Billy Hargrove's charging car just last summer. Nancy, who, even when she was glaring at Robin, had the prettiest blue eyes she'd ever seen.
Shit. Why was she so bad at recognizing crushes until it was already well past a crush? This was just embarrassing. Because now that she'd acknowledged it, it felt x10 stronger than it had three seconds ago.
A few knocks on the door threw Robin out of her head. Right. She was at the Wheeler's house . And she was using up all the hot water, just like she'd said she wouldn't.
"Hey, Robin, I don't mean to rush you, but Dustin just called again and he said they'd be here in a few minutes, and I'd like to be washed and changed by then," Nancy told her through the door.
"Oh, holy shit, I'm sorry, I've been done for like, 5 minutes. I was just standing under the water. I'll be out in a few seconds!!" Robin cried as she hurriedly turned off the shower, grabbed her towel from atop the toilet lid, and dried off as quickly as possible. She threw her clothes on, squeezed her hair out a little more, then made her way back to Nancy's room. She apologized to Nancy again, and even Nancy saying "It's alright" in a kind tone made her feel warm.
Robin wasn't sure how to react when Steve and his kids entered the house. She didn't know the exact details of the cemetary trip, but she knew it wasn't good. Nancy was still getting ready upstairs, so Robin sat awkwardly at the kitchen table. Steve exchanged small talk with Mrs. Wheeler as she got out paper plates for pizza. She was jealous of his small talk capabilities. Max came to sit beside Robin, her headphones covering her ears. Robin could hear music softly coming out of them. Her stomach twisted. Max had come so close to death. She was so young. If she and Nancy hadn't—
No, she wasn't going to think about this right now.
Lucas sat next to Max, two plates of pizza in his hands. He placed it in front of himself and Max. Max quietly mumbled her thanks as she peeled the cheese off of her slices. Dustin came to sit next. Lucas stole one of his extra pieces when he wasn't looking. Robin huffed out a laugh through her nose, but she wasn't going to snitch. Steve settled down at the table just before Nancy came down the stairs.
"Jesus, did you guys take all the pizza?" She cried when she saw everyone's loaded plates.
"There are like, three pieces left," said Steve.
"And if you still want more, you can have one of mine," Robin offered. "I don't like pizza that much."
"WHAT???" Everyone turned to gape at her. Even Max, who she had assumed was checked out from the conversation, especially after… everything, had her jaw dropped in shock.
Robin raised her hands. "Sorry! I didn't know that was such a controversial opinion!"
"You don't like pizza? How did I not know that?" Steve demanded, disbelief on his face. "We've known each other for half a year! We've eaten pizza together! Were you just suffering in silence the entire time?"
"I mean, I'll EAT it, I just won't pick it. And I like it more than I used to, if that makes you all stop looking at me like I confessed to a murder!" Robin frantically defended herself. In her panic, she had failed to notice that Nancy was now sitting directly next to her. Which wouldn't have been an issue prior to the Great Realization of March 24th, 1986.
Because now she felt like she was sweating more than she ever had in her LIFE, all because Nancy looked gorgeous in that sweater. She was always stunning. Of course Robin knew that. It just seemed like she was prettier now that Robin was aware of her massive crush.
Her big blue eyes were looking directly at her. She felt like everyone could tell she had a big, dumb crush on Steve's ex-girlfriend. Not that Nancy should be defined as anyone's ex-anything. That seemed reductive.
"Basically, if I'm hungry, I'll eat it," Robin finished. She felt like she'd said way more than necessary, but nobody was looking at her too strangely, so she figured she was fine.
"Thank you for the offer, Rob, but I think I'll be fine with three pieces," Nancy smiled at Robin and Robin felt like she could faint. Ignoring the lightheadedness and the sparkles in her stomach, she began eating the pizza that everyone now thought she hated, even though she never said that.
She felt like she couldn't eat normally because of Nancy's presence. Her movements seemed robotic and clumsy and was it going to be like this all the time? Get a grip, Buckley. You've only really known her for like, two days. She has a boyfriend and she's your best friend's ex. Calm down.
The group fell into light discussion, avoiding the serious topics until Mrs. Wheeler was asleep upstairs. Nancy shared her plan of sleeping in the living room with someone watching Max at three-hour intervals. Again, nobody disagreed. Robin realized Nancy was sort of the unofficial leader. She had probably known all of these kids since they were young, and she'd dated Steve, so they were all comfortable in her presence and trusted her. Robin trusted her too. She'd followed her into a mental hospital to ask some potential murderer what his connection to Vecna was. There was nowhere she wouldn't go for her now.
And why was Steve looking at her now? Had she been making heart eyes at Nancy without meaning to? She scrunched her face at him. He shook his head and turned away, making conversation with Dustin.
Weird.
"Hey, Robin," Nancy nudged her, startling Robin a little bit. Nancy was really warm compared to her. "If you're done eating, could you help me bring blankets down from my room?"
"Oh! Uh, yeah, sure!" Robin said. "Just let me—" Nancy was already taking her plate and throwing it in the trash. "Oh. Okay. Then, yes." She pushed her chair in and followed Nancy up the stairs. And into her room. For the third time. Nancy crouched by her closet, pulling out a heap of blankets. Robin bent down next to her, picking up as many as she could carry.
"If we have to, we could probably take some of Mike's, since he isn't here," Nancy suggested to her. Robin nodded, as if her agreement made any difference. Luckily, they had seven blankets between them (she couldn't believe Nancy had that many blankets stashed in her closet) so they wouldn't need to steal any gross teenage boy blankets. Nancy picked the pillow up from off her bed.
"For Max," she explained.
"Oh, speaking of Max, if you don't mind, can I watch her first?" Robin requested as they made their way back to the living room. "I don't know how well I'll sleep tonight, what with the whole 'Max almost getting mangled by a Krueger-esque monster' and the Victor Creel story."
"I don't see why not," Nancy set down the pillow and two blankets on the couch. "The only person who might fight you on that is Lucas." Robin put her blankets on the couch as well. She figured everybody could just claim a blanket and a spot, which would inevitably turn into some juvenile argument, but that was a problem for future Robin.
"They're awfully cute," admitted Robin, sitting on the coffee table. "Max and Lucas, I mean."
"They are," Nancy smiled at her. Robin smiled back. Her stomach hurt a little bit from looking at her.
As soon as Lucas was out of the bathroom after his shower, Robin immediately excused herself from the group.
Her mouth tasted disgusting and she couldn't sit there anymore with that taste. She hadn't thought to bring a toothbrush, so she'd have to settle for her finger. Which was gross, and she hated the feeling of the toothpaste, but she had heard that it was better than nothing.
Steve came into the bathroom without knocking. How very Steve of him.
"Have you ever heard of knocking, dingus?" Robin rolled her eyes at him.
"Sorry," Steve said quickly before he started looking at her strangely. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm brushing my teeth."
"It looks like you're kissing your finger."
"Well, I'm not," Robin spat into the sink, running her hands under the faucet. "What do you want?"
"I need to shower," He said as he peeked into the mirror to play with his hair.
"You couldn't have waited for me to come back? I left like, 2 minutes ago," She turned off the sink and turned behind her to dry her hands on the towel.
"I know, but I'm tired and I figured that I'd just get undressed in the shower so we both could use the bathroom."
"That's…" She trailed off in thought. "not a horrible idea."
Steve was in the shower, presumably undressing, when Robin remembered his strange glance while they were eating.
"Why were you looking at me like that at dinner?"
"Like what?"
"Like I was some riddle you were trying to solve," Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, that," Steve peeked his head out of the shower, a smug smirk on his lips. This was not gonna good. "So, you and Nance?"
"What are you talking about?" Playing dumb seemed like her best bet. It was one thing for him to suspect her crush, but it was another for her to flat out admit it .
"C'mon, Rob, it's okay. I was once a victim of Nancy Wheeler too," There was a nostalgic look in his eyes as he said that. "I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're worried about. Nance and I have been over for years. You just had this… insanely dreamy look on your face and I knew."
Robin caved. "I just— I thought I liked Vickie. I mean, I did like Vickie," She ran a hand through her hair as she exhaled. "But ever since the library yesterday, Nancy's been all I can think about. Which, like, of course, I fall for a straight girl with a boyfriend. Typical."
"I don't know. I mean, she definitely has a boyfriend, as far as I know. But Wheeler… she might surprise you."
"What?"
"Just, I don't write her off so quickly," He shut the shower curtain. "You never know." The water started. Robin left the bathroom, Steve's vague hints running around inside her brain.
It was nearly ten by the time everyone was finished showering, and changing.
When Steve got out of the shower, he did complain, just like Nancy expected that he would, but Robin knew he was secretly pleased that his head pores would be closed. Or something like that. She acted like she remembered his tips to tease him, but some of them were actually helpful.
Not that Robin would ever admit to that. She also would not be taking cold showers anytime soon, although that would probably decrease her daily "zone out in the shower" time.
And like Nancy had predicted, Lucas tried to fight Robin for the first Max watch, but Robin wouldn't take it. He needed sleep just as much as Max did. He'd watched his girlfriend (question mark— Robin still didn't know the exact group dynamics, but she knew there was something between them from the way he refused to leave her side since they'd arrived) levitate and nearly die. Nancy had backed her up, and nobody argued with Nancy. It was kinda hot when Nancy got into her Authoritative Mode.
Max took the couch, although anyone could tell she didn't appreciate the special treatment. Steve claimed the armchair, Dustin took a spot on the floor in front of the TV, Lucas was sitting on the TV cabinet, and Nancy and Robin took opposite sides of the coffee table. Robin wanted to be close to Max for her shift and Nancy wanted to be close to the phone in case something went wrong.
Mrs. Wheeler came in to say goodnight. It was sweet. Robin could get why Nancy called her overbearing, but Robin appreciated her concern for all of them. She thought it was nice how these kids had a bunch of moms. They had their own parents, Steve (obviously— Robin had learned about his gaggle of kids over the summer), but they had Mrs. Wheeler too. Nancy was sort of like the bossy aunt that had everyone's best interests at heart. Robin felt more like an older sister than a mother figure.
It took a while for everyone to get settled in and fall asleep. Dustin was the first to go. He lay in a ball on the floor, his head resting on a blanket. Steve was second, sprawled out on the arm chair, his snores bouncing off the walls. Lucas was passed out in the most uncomfortable position Robin had ever seen: hunched over the TV set. He fell asleep surprisingly quickly for someone that had been begging for the first Max watch. It was about two hours into Robin's shift when Nancy finally succumbed to sleep. Not that Robin had been watching her or anything. At least, not intentionally. Nance was just very restless and Robin didn't have much to do and every little sound pulled her attention.
Max didn't really seem to be in the mood for talking, but she also wasn't sleeping. She'd been staring up at the ceiling, her music radiating faintly from her headphones. The only reason Robin knew she was awake because of the quiet click of the tape deck that happened about every hour.
"You alright over there?" Max's voice startled Robin so bad she banged her knee on the table. Robin was wrong. Apparently she was in the mood for talking.
"Uh, yeah. Shouldn't I be the one asking you if you're alright?" Robin shifted to face the younger girl. She was secretly pleased that Max had decided to strike up a conversation. She could only be alone with her thoughts for so long.
"Probably," Max softly responded. "I mean, I almost died. So there's that, I guess. I don't know. How am I supposed to feel after that?"
"It's strange, right?" Robin laughed sympathetically. "When we— Steve and I —were kidnapped and interrogated by the Russians, I was sure I was going to die, trapped under Starcourt forever," She still had nightmares from that. Of Steve, bleeding out on the floor beside her. Of herself, fingerless and on the verge of death. "But I didn't. Even though that was the scariest moment of my life.
"And I still think about it all the time. The Russians, the Mind Flayer, all of it. I almost lost every chance I had of escaping Hawkins. But I didn't. I didn't know how to process it for a while. It all seemed like some horrifying nightmare."
Max lay further back onto the couch. "Yeah. It doesn't feel real to me either. I don't think it's set in yet. Especially with how… bizarre, it all was. I can't even explain it."
The tape deck clicked.
"I think your shift is done," said Max, smiling slightly. "Thank you. For talking to me. It was nice to know I'm not alone."
"Anytime," Robin checked her watch. Max was correct. She stretched her arms as she rose to her feet. "I'll let you pick who's next."
"I'll take Lucas," Max played with her headphone cord, avoiding Robin's gaze. The duo really was so cute.
"Sure," Robin smiled.
Robin lifted her head up off the table, blinking sleep from her eyes. Nancy and Dustin were arguing about… something. She was honestly too tired to tell, but if Nancy was raising her voice at a fourteen year old, it was probably important. She wanted to ask what was going on, but her brain wasn't working properly yet.
"Yep. Yep, yep, yep," Dustin rubbed his eyes.
"Okay, then where is she?" Nancy snarled. Dustin looked at her like she'd asked the most obvious question ever. He pointed at the couch. Robin slowly turned behind her. The couch was empty. The couch was empty. THE COUCH WAS EMPTY.
"She's right there," Dustin's face dropped. "... a second ago. I swear I just dozed off for…" He checked his watch. "... an hour."
If looks could kill, Dustin would've been more dead than a victim of Vecna. Nancy stood up and quickly walked into the kitchen, Dustin and a half-asleep Robin following after her.
Nancy and Dustin were already far ahead of her, as Robin had tripped over a blanket on the floor. They were in the kitchen by the time Robin had detangled her feet and caught up to them.
She didn't realize that Nancy had stopped walking. Robin slammed into the smaller girl, pushing the two of them further into the kitchen.
"Jesus, Nance, I am so sorry," Robin backed away from her. "I was far behind because I tripped on a blanket but I was trying to catch up so I started walking faster but I didn't realize you guys had stopped, and I'm already not the most coordinated person in the world so it was too late to stop and avoid you."
"It's okay, Robin," Nancy soothed her, gently putting her hands on Robin's biceps. She flushed. "I know you didn't mean to." She gave her a quick smile.
"I think it's so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this," Mrs. Wheeler said, loading pancakes onto a plate.
"Could try sticking together at a different house for a change," Her dad grumbled bitterly. Robin watched as Nancy rolled her eyes and went to check on Max. Mrs. Wheeler gave Mr. Wheeler a dangerous look.
"You know you're welcome anytime," She said to Robin and Dustin.
"Totally," Dustin agreed, eyeing up the pancakes. "You're like family. May I?"
"Absolutely," Mrs. Wheeler beamed. She handed Dustin a plate.
"Yeah, why not?" said Mr. Wheeler sarcastically. "Take us for all we're worth."
"Okay!" Dustin grinned at him cheekily as began taking pancakes.
Mrs. Wheeler shot him a dirty look. She turned to Robin.
"Would you like some?" She asked kindly.
"Yes, please," Robin nodded. Karen grabbed her a plate and Robin managed to snag a few pancakes before Dustin took all of them. She wasn't sure if he was just hungry or if it was some quiet attack at Mr. Wheeler. She poured syrup onto her stack.
When Robin had enough, she went to sit next to Nancy, who was having a conversation with Max. Robin waved to Max, who waved back.
"But, Holly let me borrow some of her crayons," Max continued. "We've been having a fun morning, right, Holly?" The youngest Wheeler gave an affirmative hum, not tearing her gaze from the Lite-Brite she was playing with.
Nancy was inspecting the drawings that Max had done. Robin leaned forward to get a better view of the drawings. Her nose wrinkled. It was like her drawings were leaking a threatening aura that made a pit form in the bottom of her stomach.
"Is this what you saw last night?" Nancy asked in a low voice.
"It— It's supposed to be," Max replied, biting her lip. "I thought it'd be easier to draw it out than to explain it, but…" She trailed off. "not so much."
Robin shoveled the last of her pancakes into her mouth as she inspected the pages alongside Nancy. She made a noise that sounded like a squeak and she pointed at a drawing with two... people?
"Are they…?" Robin asked, mouth full of food. Nancy moved closer to Robin to look at what she was pointing out. It was a little hard to focus when Nancy was in her space like that. She smelled intoxicating. Was that a creepy thing to think?
"It was like… they were on display or something," Max nearly whispered. "And then there was this red fog everywhere. It was like a dream. A nightmare."
"Do you think Vecna's just trying to scare you?" Nancy suggested.
Robin picked up another drawing, with some red thing in the middle of a rectangle. There were circles floating around it. It looked… vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before.
"With Billy? Yeah. But when I made it here…" Max's hand waved over the pictures. "I dunno, something was different. He seemed surprised, almost. Like he didn't want me there."
"Maybe you infiltrated his mind," Dustin appeared out of nowhere, setting his plate on the table and pulling out a chair. "He invaded your mind, right? Is it that big a leap to suggest you somehow wound up in his? Like Freddy Krueger's boiler room!"
"Freddy Krueger?" Holly's voice innocently asked.
"Oooh, yes!" Robin came to life at the mention of the slasher. Dustin beamed at her excitement. "Freddy Krueger's this supernatural being that was burned to death in a boiler room after he killed a bunch of kids. He's got these razor fingers and now he kills his victims in a boiler room while they're dreaming. It's brutal, the way he does it. The first kid was—"
"Robin! Dustin! Seriously?" Nancy glared at them in disbelief. She pointed her head at Holly. The two gave quick apologies, Dustin clarifying that it was nothing more than a movie. Robin hoped she hadn't just permanently scarred a six year old because she got excited about the mention of a horror movie.
"Just… think about it," Dustin continued. "What if you somehow unlocked a backdoor to Vecna's world? Like, maybe the answer we're looking for is somewhere in this incredibly vague drawing." He lifted a sheet up to his face, raising an eyebrow at it. Dustin began talking about how much they needed Will, but Robin was too busy watching Nancy stare at the drawings.
"Can I…?" Nancy brushed her hand over Robin's. The touch of Nancy's hand made her shudder. Robin didn't know what she meant until she remembered she was holding a drawing.
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure," Robin wet her lips, passing the paper over to the other girl.
"Is this a window?" Nancy asked Max,
"Yeah."
"Stained glass with roses," She looked at Robin, who's hand was covering her mouth. She was having the same realization Nance was. It was the Creel house. The Creel house. Of course. It made sense. Victor Creel was the first (recorded) person to have an experience with Vecna. They must've been linked, somehow.
"See? Not so terrible after all," Max said proudly to Dustin. He made a mocking expression at her.
"Yeah, well, it helps that I've seen it before," Nancy began folding sheets of paper. Robin was watching her move with fascination. She had really nice hands. Robin wondered what it would feel like to hold one. They looked so soft and warm.
Nancy reached across the table and grabbed a Sharpie. She connected the folded paper parts of the house with marker lines.
"It's pieces of a house," Max concluded.
"Not just any house," Nancy placed the stained glass window in the center of the makeshift puzzle. "It's Victor Creel's house," She rose from the table. She started walking back into the living room.
"Where are you running off to?" Robin leaned back as Nancy turned towards them again.
"Waking the others."