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Nancy had already gotten ready for bed and should already be asleep but the book she had borrowed from Robin a few days earlier had captured her attention and she refused to put it down for at least one more chapter, probably more. After all, coffee existed for a reason and being a bit more tired than usual the next day was more than worth knowing what would happen next.
She could tell that a huge twist was coming up any moment now, most likely in the next few pages, and she was so completely entranced that she didn’t even hear the knocking at first. When she did, she almost decided to ignore it in favour of reading some more but then whoever had climbed up to her window knocked again, louder this time, and Nancy realized that she would have to send whoever it was away before they woke up the entire neighbourhood.
The streetlight right in front of her window had gone out in the middle of the night a few days ago and no one had gotten around to fixing it yet so Nancy still couldn’t make out who kept knocking against her window frame even when she stood directly in front of it. If she had, she might not have torn it open quite as aggressively as she did.
Right there, close enough that she nearly got hit by the swinging window, was none other than Robin Buckley, clinging to the windowsill hard enough that her knuckles turned white and looking up at Nancy with tears in her eyes. She looked tired and scared but mostly, she just looked done with everything, like she was dangerously close to giving up altogether. Even her voice was weaker and more timid than usual.
“Can I maybe stay here tonight? I got into another fight with my parents and I can’t stand being home right now but I don’t know where else to go because Steve is on a date and I can’t just make him interrupt that for me and I don’t really have any other friends that aren’t children so now I’m here. Sorry for just showing up unannounced like this, that was probably really weird and you’re probably busy. I shouldn’t have come. I can leave if you want…”
Nancy had never seen her like this, not even when they were fighting demons in a parallel hell dimension. Robin was always funny and confident and full of more energy than a single person should have been able to emit. At first, it had been kind of annoying but it hadn’t taken long for Nancy to grow used to all of Robin’s quirks and now, she found herself looking forward to them whenever she knew they were going to be around each other.
But now Robin was disturbingly quiet and reserved and her movements were sluggish and she looked so very small with rainwater dripping from her hair and mixing with tears on her face. Nancy couldn’t help but stare for just a moment longer than she should have. She didn’t snap out of it until Robin started to move back from the window, defeated and ready to leave and go god knows where for the rest of the night.
Before she could move more than an inch or so away, Nancy reached out and grabbed one of Robin’s arms to pull her back. She could feel surprisingly strong muscles through the thin fabric of her shirt but pushed the thoughts that realisation triggered to the very back of her mind to be ignored until she could properly deal with them on her own. First, she needed to stop Robin from running away.
“Just come inside already before you fall and hurt yourself.”
Apparently, that was all it took because only a few seconds later, she had scrambled through the window face-first, nearly falling down more than once but ending up with both feet placed securely on Nancy’s floor. She wasn’t wearing any shoes but did have socks that were now drenched in rainwater and covered in mud stains that surely wouldn’t come out no matter how many times they were washed. She was also shaking and covered in goose bumps and clearly suppressed a sneeze before she started to ramble again.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it. And sorry for getting water everywhere…Wait, is that one of Eddie’s shirts? I didn’t know you played with him and the kids.”
It was a bit embarrassing to be seen dressed like this and maybe even more embarrassing that she had completely forgotten what she was wearing as soon as she saw Robin looking up at her with those dangerously big and expressive eyes. Then again, she supposed it didn’t really matter all that much. Not with Robin, with whom she had gone through so much already. Still, she felt the strange need to explain herself.
“I don’t, it’s Mike’s. I just borrowed it to sleep in because it’s actually really comfortable. Don’t tell him, though, he would throw a massive fit if he found out I keep taking his clothes.”
Robin just nodded at that, giving Nancy a small smile before turning her head back down to keep looking at the muddy puddle that was slowly forming around her feet. She was still shaking and had even resorted to hugging herself in what was very clearly an attempt to keep herself warm. It was strangely endearing, just like everything else about Robin. It was, however, also worrying.
She almost didn’t want to look away from Robin, even if it was only long enough to pick out some dry and comfortable clothes that would at least sort of fit Robin’s much taller frame. She only managed to pull herself away when she was reminded of how cold her friend must be by another sneeze, this one less well hidden. Luckily, she had recently reorganized her closet so three movements was all it took to collect anything Robin might need and turn back around to offer her the bundle of clothes Nancy had just picked up.
“Here are something dry you can change into. The bathroom is down the hall and to the left if you want to clean up a bit, I’ll wait for you here.”
Robin blushed but took the clothes anyway, checking the texture, cut, and size of each item before nodding once, satisfied with Nancy’s choices. She made her way halfway to the door before stopping again, looking down and then behind her with a disappointed expression, and then taking off her socks in what Nancy was convinced must have been the least practical way possible while moving closer to the door again at the same time. She didn’t look at Nancy until she was already in the hallway.
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
Robin was clearly impressed with herself for actually remembering to whisper while in a house with sleeping people and sent a wide grin Nancy’s way to celebrate. In response, Nancy simply rolled her eyes and shooed her away with some gestures but she couldn’t fully hold back her own smile while she did it. It was always hard not to be happy when Robin was around and lighting up the room with her presence, even if she wasn’t technically in the same room in that moment.
Nancy allowed herself one more eye-roll, then she got to cleaning up the mess Robin and her muddy socks had made before it could dry and become impossible to remove. She already had enough permanent stains in her room that she would eventually have to explain to her parents should they ever think to check. Luckily, fresh mud was relatively easy to clean up so Nancy was done almost as soon as she started.
By the time Robin returned from the bathroom, Nancy was back in her bed and reading in the same book she had been so invested in before she had been interrupted by her unexpected visitor. The story pulled her in again immediately so she didn’t notice Robin lingering by the door until she started speaking, her voice still strangely meek.
“Okay, so, how are we going to do this? I can take your couch if you want or I can even sleep on the floor if your parents don’t want me in the living room alone at night, I’m really not picky about that kind of stuff.”
Nancy nearly dropped her book in shock at that but managed to catch it before she could lose her spot. After taking a moment to find a bookmark and place the novel on her bedside table, she levelled Robin with a glare that Mike had learned to fear before he could even walk. It seemed to have a similar effect on Robin, who almost flinched back, retreating into the shadows until Nancy readjusted her expression into something less threatening and more concerned, also making sure her voice didn’t sound harsh or judgemental in any way.
“Don’t be silly, my bed is more than big enough for both of us and I can promise that it’s much more comfortable than the floor.”
Robin looked like a deer in the headlights, maybe even more scared, and actually stood completely still for what felt like forever. Her entire body was tense enough that Nancy worried it might snap at any moment and she was pretty sure she had even stopped breathing for a while. Just as Nancy was starting to worry that something was seriously wrong, Robin shook off whatever had kept her in this strange state, bounced up and down on her toes a few times, and started talking again.
“Are you sure? I mean, I tend to move around in my sleep and I don’t want to intrude any more than I already am.”
She still sounded nervous but her volume and the speed at which she spoke were almost back to normal so Nancy didn’t give it much thought. Robin probably just wasn’t used to sleepovers, something they now had in common, and just needed some extra reassurance that she didn’t have to sleep on the floor and that she was more than welcome and was in fact supposed to get comfortable. The tricky part was somehow conveying this information without sounding condescending but years in the school paper had taught Nancy how to phrase most requests without offending anyone.
“Of course I’m sure, I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it. Now get in here so you can warm up a bit.”
It was a slightly more aggressive approach than she would have usually applied but she was tired and cold and also a bit worried about Robin, who was still shaking slightly, and this seemed like the fastest way to get her to rest. Besides, Robin wasn’t just someone she was interviewing about some silly new lunch policy or something equally irrelevant. This was her friend, with whom she had gone through a lot already, and who she hoped had just as much trust in her as she did in Robin.
Her request sort of worked because Robin crossed the room in less than a second, leaving her old clothes in a pile by the door, and only hesitated for a moment before getting into bed next to Nancy. She did, however, stay at the very edge of the bed, close enough that she might fall out if she so much as breathed too much, where she lay stiff as a board and stared at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.
It was uncomfortable just to look at and Nancy nearly winced Robin’s almost completely blank face. Clearly, simply telling her to come to bed hadn’t been nearly enough. This might turn out to be a tough case to crack but Nancy refused to give up so early on. Maybe Robin just needed a few more details before she could finally make herself comfortable, something Nancy was more than willing to help with.
“You can come closer, you know, I’m not going to bite.”
This time, Robin didn’t react at all. If anything, she might have moved even further away from Nancy’s side of the bed. By now, one of her arms was dangling off the edge of the bed and if Nancy saw it correctly, she was using it to prop herself up by pressing it against the floor so she wouldn’t fall. That theory was pretty much confirmed when, after a few long moments of silence, Robin answered and her voice came out short and gasping, as if she was out of breath.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
It would have almost been funny how worried Robin was about entering Nancy’s personal space if she hadn’t sounded so scared. There had to be a way to make her understand that this was exactly what Nancy wanted, that she didn’t care about her space. But she couldn’t just say that, she didn’t want to come across as desperate or weird and end up pushing her closest friend away so she tried one last subtle attempt.
“You won’t.”
When Robin still wouldn’t move more than a few inches at most after that, Nancy finally gave up on words. Instead, she reached over and took one of Robin’s hands into her own, pulling on it until the taller girl gave in and followed where she was directed, eventually ending up as the big spoon to Nancy’s much smaller spoon. Their hands were still entwined and Nancy could clearly feel Robin’s pulse race between them.
Nancy decided not to point it out, she didn’t want to make Robin feel worse than she already was so she just kept holding her and letting herself be held until the heart beating against her back slowed down and the breaths huffed against the top of her head evened out, then she relaxed her grip a bit and let herself drift off to sleep, as well, enjoying how close Robin was and how nice it felt to press against her and soak up her warmth as they slept.