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"Nance, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if your parents don't like me?" Robin asked worriedly, absently wringing her finger.
"Robin," Nancy said gently, "everything's gonna be fine. If they don't like you, I will make sure that they do."
"Aww, you're so sweet." Robin said, and Nancy chuckled.
"Shut up, you."
Wheeler Household, Dinnertime
"So Robin, tell us about yourself." Karen said.
"Um, there's not much to say, honestly. We live a street away, my mom is, well, not really a good one, and I used to work at Family Video."
"And how did you know Nancy?" Nancy's father asked, and despite herself Robin squirmed on her seat uncomfortably. Nancy reached under the table, squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"Eh, shit happened. Got to work together and all that. Got closer during that time, and now..."
"Now she's sticking to me like a bee to a flower." Nancy said. "No offense."
"None taken." Robin grinned.
"Phew. That went better than expected." Robin said as she and Nancy walked back to her house. "And your mom seems pretty cool."
Nancy chuckled. "She does have her moments. My dad, though... He just doesn't give a shit. All right, here we are." Nancy said as they approached Robin's home. "Good night." Nancy said, hugging the taller girl.
Time Jump, Three Days Later...
Nancy rang the doorbell, tapping her feet impatiently. To her surprise it was Steve who answered.
"What do you want?" Steve asked, and Nancy was taken aback at the hostility in his voice.
"Uh, is everything OK? Where's Robin?"
Steve laughed humorlessly. "You are such a f*cking hypocrite, you know that? You claim to be fine with Robin's sexuality, then you go ahead and talk shit about her to your dad? And now you're playing the innocent?"
Nancy froze. "What did you just say?"
"You're a hypocrite."
"No, not that. About my dad. He knew?"
At that Steve's face turned from angry to confused. "Wait, so you didn't tell him?"
"What the f*ck, Harrington? We both know that my dad is a homophobe." Nancy replied. "I'll be back."
Time Jump, Wheeler Household
Nancy marched straight to the living room, where, unsurprisingly, her father was watching. Nancy grabbed the remote and switched the TV off.
"What the f*ck, Dad?" She said angrily. "Seriously?"
Her father sat up straight. "I don't want you to associate with that Buckley girl. I found out she's a dyke, and I don't want you to catch the disease."
"Di-disease?" Nancy spluttered. "Are you even listening to yourself? It's not a disease and there's nothing wrong! And how dare you add me to your homophobic shit, destroying my friendship with Robin!"
"Watch your tone, young woman." Nancy's father said warningly.
Nancy looked him straight in the eye. "F*ck you."
Her father shot to his feet, removing his belt. "What did you just say to me?"
Nancy chuckled. "I've faced and endured worse. Do you really think that a strip of leather can intimidate me? I have fought creatures you can't even begin to fathom. I have killed someone."
Ted stilled. "Come again?"
"You remember everything that has happened? The ashes, the cracks on the road, the explosion at Hawkins Square? It all leads back to the day Will disappeared. We found the mastermind. And I killed him. I slit his throat, then decapitated him with an axe."
Nancy's father looked at her." "What happened to you?"
"Life happened, Dad. But you were so oblivious, always sitting on that f*cking sofa. So much that you have your ass imprinted on it.
" Now this is what's going to happen. You and I will walk out of the door, go over to Robin's house, and you will give her a sincere apology. Understood?"
Ted, surprisingly, just nodded. Nancy jerked her head to the direction of the door.
Time Jump, Buckley Household
Nancy rang the doorbell again. Steve opened the door.
" What did-Ted." Steve practically growled." What is he doing here? "
" My dad just came to his senses and decided to apologize. Isn't that right?" Nancy said, the last part coming out as a snarl. "Please call Robin."
Robin appeared then, eyes red. She caught sight of Nancy's father, and Nancy's heart broke at the small whimper that came out from Robin's mouth.
"Look at what you've done. Now apologize." Nancy hissed to her father.
"I'm sorry. There, I said it." Ted said. "Happy?"
"Far from it. I said a sincere apology." Nancy didn't know where it came from, but suddenly her respect for her father went down the drain.
"I'm so sorry. I'm a homophobe, yes. But I should not have said those things to you, and I should have not included Nancy and made false claims just to sabotage your relationship. Can you forgive me?"
Robin shook her head. "No. Never. I appreciate your apology, but I can never forgive you."
At that Nancy's father turned with a grunt, walking away. Nancy looked at Steve and Robin.
"That was.... Weird." Robin said after a few moments. "How The hell have you convince your dad?"
Nancy chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Funny you should say that..."