Chapter Text
‘I honestly can’t believe we’re still alive and the world didn’t split into two’ Robin thought as the four of them lay on Eddie’s stained trailer carpet. Nancy leaned up to cough as Eddie exhaled a drag of his blunt. “Sure you don’t want a hit Wheeler?” Eddie teased with a smirk “It might calm those nerves of yours”. Nancy’s eyes widened before she snapped “I can’t believe you’re smoking at a time like this! You already took something, and that was before you volunteered to take Dustin and Erica home and -” “Jesus, a simple no would suffice” Eddie cut her off.
At this point the only one still lying down was Eddie, Robin looked at Steve nervously, then to Nancy, then back to Steve. Steve chimed in “Well, it is his house, Nance” “Oh, so you think driving under the influence is ok?” She accused. “What? I didn’t say -” Steve blurted out before Nancy stood abruptly and erupted “I’m leaving!”. She flounced quickly to the crooked trailer door, swung it open and growled “Robin, are you coming?” before stomping down the steps. Robin pulled herself up off the floor and grabbed her beret off the couch before heading to the door.
“Robin? You’re leaving?” Steve stood up, “Uh, yeah, Nance is my ride” she explained, He started “I can -”. Two eardrum bursting honks came from outside making Robin jump, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Steve,” she reassured “For brunch!”. She rushed out the door and down the stairs tripping on a step and nearly face planting. When she got to the car Nancy was still fuming- Her brows furrowed, eyes closed, and fingertips pressed against her temples in irritation. As Robin timidly opened the passenger door Nancy’s eyes popped open and she readied the car.
The air in the car felt thick and tense with nerves and Robin knew better than to speak. The whole ride was completely silent besides the rattle of the car’s engine, the horrible quiet deafening for both of them. Nancy scratched at the steering wheel while Robin traced the cracks of the wood paneling on the car door, both fully aware of any movement the other made. Then suddenly Nancy pulled over to the curb of a large two-story home, “ Um, Nance this isn’t my house” Robin muttered. Three excruciatingly long minutes went by while Robin concerningly stared at Nancy and Nancy stared straight ahead, hands still on the wheel.
Finally she took a deep breath “I’m sorry”, thinking she was talking about the house Robin replied “It's ok, It’s just I live a couple blocks down the -”. “I didn’t mean to be such a jerk earlier, but if I didn’t leave I was going to explode” Nancy spat out.
She continued, still picking at the wheel with her fingernail, “I just needed a minute of silence. Thanks for giving me that, Robin.”
“I will always give you that. I just didn’t want to make you angrier” “I'm not angry anymore, I was never really angry, just scared”. Nancy turned making eye contact with Robin then, “it’s been a strange year or more so strange few years” “ earlier were you scared of Eddie?”. Too afraid of what Robin would think, Nancy turned to look out the window before replying. “No no, I’ve just been so scared for so long now I don’t know if I know how to live normally without being on edge all the time, or waiting for these monsters to attack us every few months. I didn’t know if it would ever really stop, If I would ever be able to live my life without worrying.
I'm so tired of pretending to not be scared. Of pretending to be brave and-“
Cutting Nancy off Robin smirked, “now I know I’m usually rambling but look at you go. And besides Nancy, you are brave, you’re the bravest person I know” Silence filled the car before Robin continued, “You are brave, very brave, the bravest of any of us. You don’t have to pretend to be brave because you are.” Snapping her head to her right, Nancy was bewildered at how Robin thought of her. “I don’t know about that but I’m just so glad we finished it, we’re done, it's over, I can finally breathe.”
Robin broke out into laughter then, “I mean, I wouldn’t take a deep breath in here it smells like sweaty teenagers”. Laughing along with her Nancy felt relieved that she could be open with Robin and not feel judged. “Haha, ugh yeah it does. Seriously, those boys need to get their body odor under control.” “for real it's nasty” Nancy sighed, “I’m sorry about going on and on by the way-“ cutting her off for the second time tonight, “Well you listened to me ramble in the woods so I feel like it's only fair”
“I suppose it is” rubbing her now sweaty hands together before asking Nancy “Would you like to come in and talk more”. Before Nancy could respond Robin shouted out “You don’t have too though, if you want to like not come in-“ this time it was Nancy cutting Robin off, “You want to listen?”
Sighing in relief, “Absolutely, I’m a wonderful listener” laughing again Nancy smiled softly at Robin, “You really are”.