Chapter Text
It wasn’t hard to spot Steve’s hair as Robin exited the plane. Of course, he was waiting just like he said he would be. She dropped her bag and booked it to him, wrapping her arms tightly around her best friend as he did the same, lifting her up and spinning her. To anyone watching it definitely looked like a couple who had just reunited, but one look at the bag Robin had dropped and the array of buttons she had collected over the years since graduation would tell a different story, especially the bright purple button with bold black letters spelling out DYKE.
“I missed you,” Steve laughed out as he finally set her down, Robin feeling tears begin to prick at her eyes as she nodded, having not seen Steve in two years, not since she had graduated high school and finally made the decision to act on Operation Croissant, made easier with the hush money given to them by the government after the Vecna situation finally ended. She was finally able to backpack around Europe, explore her dreams, and allow her love of languages to help guide her. She did, however, miss everyone back home and knew it wasn’t a permanent plan for her, bringing her to her current situation as she was back in Indiana.
“I missed you, too, dingus,” she let out, her voice clearly wet as she gave him another tight hug before jogging back to grab her bag, slinging it over her shoulder as they made their way to collect her checked bags and head back.
The drive back to Hawkins was long and full of Steve updating Robin on everything he didn’t during their monthly phone calls. The kids all just finished their junior year of high school, junior prom was the big thing that just happened. Dustin was working with Steve at Family Video while Steve was completing night classes through the local college. Max and Lucas were still together and Max was beating all the doctor’s predictions with her recovery, having vehemently refused to let that “Vecna creep” (her words) win. Mike and El broke up awhile ago but everyone was still friends. Robin just nodded along, going between watching Steve, playing with the radio, and getting lost in watching the familiar scenery pass by, feeling transported back to her teenage self.
“What about Nance?” Robin finally asked after Steve was done telling her another story of working with Dustin and how much of a pain in the ass the kid could be even though she knew he would protect the kid with his whole life. She was happy he had someone to work with since she had left, though part of her expected to join him again now that she was back but she also needed to nail down a more long-term plan.
Steve’s eyes left the road for a second to cast a glance over at Robin, who was fidgeting now with the question she asked. He rose an eyebrow, moving his gaze back to the road. He wasn’t surprised by the question, Robin asked about his ex every now and then on their calls, and also knew that she had not kept in contact with the brunette since heading out to Europe, something he didn’t entirely understand (nor did Nancy as he had to answer the questions coming from her as well). “She’s good, still at Emerson,” he explained with a nod, “She got a job in Boston for the summer so she won’t be moving back this year.”
Robin tried not to let the disappointment be obvious across her face but she knew her shoulders slumped slightly, something Steve pretended not to see but did keep tabs on. The conversation quickly fell back into being about the kids, Robin getting her mind off her disappointment by remembering how excited she was to see everyone.
-
She was staying with Steve as her parent’s had taken the whole empty nesters thing a bit too literally and taken off to do their own traveling around the country, made easier when the town was pretty much on fire. Robin still kept in contact with them but it was sporadic with both of their lack of home base, so Steve’s guest bedroom would be home while his parents also did their own thing. The reunion with the kids was great, Robin was blown away by how much they had all changed but also stayed the same. Max barely moved from the older girl’s side, her adoration for Robin having quickly come back, doubled now with the mystique that came along with stories of Europe and adulthood and freedom. Steve had set a pretty strict end time to the party, though, as he knew Robin would be wiped out from jet lag and didn’t want her to get too overwhelmed.
He was out taking the kids home (having let them all have a beer since they were older now, Robin having vouched for them after having seen the attitudes of alcohol across the ocean and also reminding Steve of his own high school antics, so Steve took on the responsibility of getting everyone home safely) when the phone rang. Robin hesitated but decided she could at least take a message for whoever was calling.
“Harrington residence, Robin speaking,” she let out as she answered on the third ring, having managed to grab a pen but no paper so she was balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear while ready to write down any message on her hand.
A beat of silence before a confused, “Robin?” came through the line. Robin froze, the phone slipping out from her shoulder as it clattered to the floor. She cursed as she quickly picked it back up, placing it back to her ear as she blinked.
“Nance?” Robin let out in a questioning voice, surprised to say the least to be met with Nancy’s voice.
“Yeah, hi,” came through the line, “You’re back? When did you get back? Steve said you’ve been off, like, backpacking around Europe or something? I haven’t heard from you since graduation, when did you get back? Like, not even a postcard or a phone call, Robin, I thought we were friends, you just take off and I heard nothing?” Robin heard the tone shift as Nancy spoke, going from confused to an edge of excitement to almost fury and could picture the moods shift across the brunette’s face. A nervous laugh escaped Robin’s lips as she scratched at the back of her neck, turning and leaning against the wall, her eyes falling closed as she focused on her voice.
“I was… trying to figure some stuff out,” Robin let out meekly, feeling bad now that she didn’t even send the girl a postcard. In all honestly, she had just assumed Nancy would move on with her college life and not even spare a second thought to Robin Buckley being gone while Robin was trying to detangle her feelings surrounding the smaller girl, “And I did, y’know? It’s… It’s easier figuring stuff out when you don’t have roots or have to worry about what people think around you. It’s… freeing.” The words were vague, she knew that, but it was the truth. The line went silent for a moment and for a second, Robin thought she got disconnected. “Nancy?”
“I’m here,” the voice came back, distinctly calmer than the rant that she had prior, and Robin could almost hear her nod, “I just… I missed you. I miss you.”
The words made Robin’s gut twist and she bit at her knuckle to keep herself from letting out a noise, closing her eyes tightly. Part of why she took off was to get over this crush she had on Nancy Wheeler, this crush she had kept locked up tight as to not give it a second thought, and here she was, two years (and a lifetime) later, feeling the exact same as she did in her senior year of high school, pining after her best friend’s ex who wouldn’t give her a second glance in the way she wanted. “I missed you, too, Nance,” Robin let out, sighing softly, “It wasn’t… personal. Steve was the only one I kept in contact with.”
The line was silent again before Nancy spoke again, her voice even again as if the previous conversation didn’t happen, “Well, I was just calling Steve to ask if he wanted to come out to Boston to help me move. I knew it would be a big ask but… I don’t know. I thought it would be nice since I’m not coming back this summer. Is he there?”
Robin bit her lip, her chest aching at how quickly Nancy seemed to slip back into business mode. She was really going to have to get over this if she was going to be back, she couldn’t just take off to Europe again. “He’s, uh, just taking everyone home. The kids—well, I guess they’re not kids anymore, I can’t believe they’re going into their senior year—but yeah, he’s just taking them home. I, uh, just got back today so we had a little get-together—anyway, I can let him know? He’ll give you a callback, I’m sure, does that sound ok?”
Nancy agreed and they said their goodbyes. As Robin hung up the phone, she rested her forehead against the wall, standing there for a moment before the front door opened and shut and Steve found her there, causing her to let out a groan.