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Steve was brought out of his thoughts by Robin unlocking the door to his house and walking in. At first he’d given her a key for emergencies, but she’d eventually over the last 5 months started making her presence known in the house, to such a point that a few weeks before Chrissy Cunningham’s death at the hands of Vecna, Steve had helped her decorate her own room in the house. His parents were never around, and Robin had slowly become the one constant in his life. He enjoyed driving her to Hawkins High every day, even if it meant he was up 3 hours earlier than he needed to on days he was working at Family Video.
“Earth to dingus?” Steve tilted his head at Robin slightly, repeated head trauma had left him hard of hearing out of his left ear, it was something only she knew, because of course she knew. She could read him like a goddamn book.
“Sorry Robs, what is it?”
“What’s the plan for movie night? You didn’t forget it was movie night did you? Because I can go to the store and get something and pick some snacks up on the way back, I’d just need a lift and-“
“Robs-“ Steve cut her off before she rambled on too much.
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t forget, just didn’t catch what you were saying earlier-“
“Dingus”
“Thought we’d finally watch Dr Zhivago”
“I thought you didn’t do double VHS”
“But Julie Christie is, and I quote you, b- b- bonkers hot in it”
Robin threw a cushion at him and stuck her tongue out as she flopped down on the couch next to him, Steve wrapping an arm around her as the film plays. He doesn’t really pay much attention to it, listening more instead to Robin rambling about the film.
The film ends eventually, and Steve rewinds the tape before ejecting it and putting it back in its case before going to the kitchen to start cooking something for them both to eat. She follows him in, although by her own admission she would manage to burn water, so leaves all cooking requirements to Steve.
“Did I miss anything at work today?” He’d called in sick, although Robin suspected she knew the real reason. Today was Eddie‘s birthday and she knew Steve would have spent the day with Wayne instead. She’d covered for him, saying to Keith that Steve had caught the flu and would be out for a couple of days.
“Hopper came in looking for a date night movie with Joyce. I managed to talk him out of Top Gun.” That elicits a laugh from Steve. “I recommended A Room with a View, so let’s hope that was a good choice or he won’t make his chilli next time we go round”
The “we” makes Steve smile slightly again. Robin always talks about the two of them as though they’re a package deal, which he supposes they are after everything they’ve been through.
“You never make bad choices Rob-“
“Except in dating it seems-“
“Hey that one wasn’t your fault ok?” While Steve had been right, and Vickie was the right kind of girl, with everything going on in Hawkins, Vickie and her family had moved away, meaning her and Robin had split up a week or so ago. “We’ll find you the right person Robs”
“And what about you huh Steve? When are you going to find the right person?”
Steve considered telling her, telling her that he’d thought the right person might have been Eddie Munson. How after they’d killed Vecna he was going to sit Eddie down and talk to him about his feelings for him. But he couldn’t now, thanks to a swarm of demobats and his idiotic self-sacrifice.
“I think that ship sailed a long time ago Robs-“
“Sailed with a certain long haired metal head?”
“…. How could you-“
“Oh please Steve, I know you. Better than yourself sometimes.”
She jumps slightly when he slams his cup down on the countertop surface.
“Why did he have to go and die Robin. Why- why couldn’t he have just stuck to the fucking plan . All he had to do was get the bats away from the house long enough for us to kill Vecna, and then he goes and sacrifices himself!” Steve’s usual happy-go-lucky attitude to life has dropped as he starts to breathe shakily “He was- I just- I just really got on with him Robs” His voice is now quiet, trembling slightly as he tries to keep himself from crying. “I was going to tell him, after we got out. Consequences be damned”
She walks over to him and pulls him into a gentle hug. “I know Steve, I know.”
“Y- you know I went back in? The day before the earthquakes, I went back in to try and find his body but- but he wasn’t there”
“Steve, you went into the Upside Down alone ?” He sniffs and nods “Oh you- you dingus. Why didn’t you ask me to come with you, or Nance?”
“The- the kids needed you more than I did”
“Bullshit Steve, you needed the help too. You’re my best friend, I don’t know what I’d do if anything happens to you”
“L- likewise”
“No going into weird alternate dimensions alone from now on ok? If you’re gonna do it, I’m coming with you”
“Yes boss”
She laughs slightly as she keeps comforting him.
TWO HOURS LATER
They were finishing up the food and Steve was collecting the plates when Robin suddenly had a thought.
“Wait, so how did you first realise you liked guys?”
“…. You have to promise not to tell Henderson this or I’ll never live it down”
“My lips are sealed Harrington, just get on with it”
“I went to see Star Wars and, Han Solo was so hot it was untrue”
Robin bursts out laughing. “Are you telling me that Steve Harrington used to watch Star Wars? And not just as a way to get the kids off your back?”
“Buckley I swear to god I will throw this plate at you in a minute”
“Alright alright, your secret is safe with me. Steve Harrington, the nerd”
“Robin!”
“Shutting up-“
“Thank you!” He shakes his head and smiles at her. They can never stay mad at each other for longer than 24 hours. “You staying over tonight?”
“Yeah- if that’s cool with you?”
“Of course it is, I made your bed up earlier”
“You’re a catch Steve Harrington, a regular housewife”
“Alright alright”
“With a crush on Han Solo-“ She bolts it from the room before he can make good on his promise to throw a plate at her, only coming back in once she’d stopped laughing to kiss him on the top of the head and wish him a goodnight.
He cleared up the table and washed the plates as the lights in the kitchen flickered on and off. He frowned as it started to give him a headache, so he turned them off and worked by torchlight instead. A few minutes later the light flickered again, and this time he thought he noticed a pattern to the flickers.
Three dots. S
Three dashes. O
Three dots. S
Could it be?