Work Text:
Nancy Wheeler was like god among the lowly high schoolers. Boys loved her, she aced every test, she was perfect in every way. God Robin hates her, but unfortunately for her, she needs Nancy’s help. There aren’t a lot of opportunities for someone as insignificant as Robin Buckley to get a moment alone with her royal highness, but right now she’s alone, studying in the library. Here’s nothing.
She walks over to Nancy’s table and sits in the seat across from her, acting confident when she’s not. Robin doesn’t say anything yet, doesn’t know what she could say, so instead she just stares at the queen herself.
“Can I help you?” Nancy’s looking at her like broccoli on a plate of fruit, but it’s fine.
“Yes, yes you can. I’m Robin Buckley, you probably don’t know me, I need your expertise.” She reaches her hand out across the table and try to look confident, tries to look like she’s cool, but she’s so uncool, she can’t even pretend. Nancy shakes the offered hand and smiles gently, her investigative eyes scanning Robin.
“And what would that be?” Robin just wants to scream, ‘cut the bullshit, princess, I see right through you,’ but she can’t so she just smiles.
“I want you to make me known.” She says, leaning back in the chair.
“Known? Look- Robin, was it?” A nod. “Look Robin, there’s a lot of ways to be known, you probably just haven’t been in the school long enough to make yourself important-” Robin cuts her off.
“Nancy, I’ve been in the town my whole life, I’ve gone to school with you since before you were cool- Hell I helped you clean the gym for community service hours. I’ve been waiting to be noticed, it’s not happening, teach me how to get boys to notice me.” She seems stunned when Robin’s done, her bright blue eyes shifting to look like a cloudy sky. After a beat, she shakes herself, short brown curls bobbing with the motion.
“Ok, I’ll help.” Robin couldn’t smile wider if she tried, so she’s sat there in front of the most important person in school, beaming like a fool, when Nancy stands. “Meet me at my car after school, I can’t really teach you anything at school.” She smiles sadly at Robin. “And I’m sorry that I didn’t know you sooner.” Nancy walks away and she’s left there.
...
Robin meets Nancy at her car, she’s leaned up against it with Steve Harrington's tongue all the way down her throat and hands palming her ass. Nancy sees her and immediately pushes him off. “Hey Robin!” She wipes her mouth. “This is Steve, Steve, Robin.”
“You showing around new students now, Nance? Isn’t that a bit beneath you?” He smiles at her and she smacks his arm.
“Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, sat in front of me in chem 2 years ago, set your hair on fire and threw a fit, 7th grade, you pissed your-” He cut Robin off.
“Jesus, I was joking.” He throws his hands up in mock surrender, Robin can’t help but smirk. He turns to Nancy, fuming. “Why are you meeting with some…” He inspects Robin then looks back at Nancy. “...thing? Party at mine, ok baby? Don’t miss it.” He kisses her and it makes Robin gag. He glares at her and leaves, Nancy wipes her mouth on the back of hand and straightens her skirt.
“Well he’s an ass.” Robin mutters, looking at Nancy.
“First lesson! If you want guys to notice you, you have to respect their king. He’s not that bad when you get to know him.” Robin snorts.
“Doubtful, but noted. Continue, oh wise one.” Nancy playfully rolls her eyes and walks around to the driver's seat, motioning for Robin to get in.
“Lesson two, pick your target, learn what gets them going.” She puts the car in reverse and drives to the front of the school, where teens were congregated in masses. Robin looks out the window, immediately crossing people off her list, when her eyes find Eddie Munson.
“What about him?” She motions and Nancy scrunches up her face.
“I don’t think that’ll get you the attention you want, Rob.” The nickname made Robin’s heart flutter, but she pushed it down.
“Ok, so why don’t you choose for me?” Nancy scans the crowd, her face lighting up when she finds a target.
“Tommy Hagan. He and Carol just broke up, and Steve’s his best friend, we can get info on him easily.” Nancy smiles at her so widely, she thinks she’d die to keep that smile for herself.
“Okay, target acquired. What next?” Nancy smirks, driving away from the school.
“Next, a makeover, and teaching you how to make yourself irresistible.”
“Good luck with that.”
...
No more than an hour later, Nancy has her dressed up with makeup slathered on her face.
“You look perfect, doll.” Nancy is smiling at her like she’s hung the moon.
“Thanks, princess. Am I ready to catch a guy?” Robin cocks her hip out, posing against the wall, and Nancy laughs. Her laugh is like a symphony to Robin’s ears. She’d fight wars to protect it.
“Not quite, I’m gonna teach you date etiquette.” Robin freezes.
“You’re gonna do what now?” Nancy laughs, stepping closer.
“We’re going to the movies, then I’ll take you home, and you can come over again tomorrow?” Nancy takes Robin’s hands in her own. “It’ll be fun.”
Robin allows herself to be dragged to the movie theater to see All the Right Moves. “I don’t get the appeal of Tom Cruise, he’s ugly.” Robin remarks as they walk in.
“Robin! How could you say that, he’s any teen girl's dream!” She looks at Robin with mock offense, then leans in to whisper in her ear. “You're prettier than him.” Robin snorts and Nancy laughs, and nothing else matters.
They get to their seats and Robin starts getting comfortable, when Nancy smacks her arm. “No, you have to sit up straight, put your hand on the armrest, you want to tempt him to hold it. Remember: Your goal is to get him to kiss you.” Robin sits up straight, resting her arm on the rest as instructed.
“You know, guys should be trying to get us to kiss them.” Nancy smiles at that.
“I like you, Robin Buckley. It’s a shame I didn’t know you sooner.” Nancy reaches out and squeezes Robin’s hand, and she doesn’t let go the entire movie. Robin couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in that movie, couldn’t tell you a single plot point, because Nancy’s hand was in hers, and in that moment she knew.
Robin Buckley was never interested in boys, because she loved girls. More specifically, she was falling in love with Nancy Wheeler.
Nancy tried her best to focus on the movie and not whatever the hell was happening in her stomach. The feeling wasn’t foreign, but had no right to show up at that moment.
Butterflies.
A familiar coil in her core, and definitely not directed to the man on the screen. She looks over at Robin who seems as distracted as she was, so she leans over. “Do you want to get out of here?” Nancy whispers into Robin’s ear, who nods firmly.
They rush out of the theater, hands staying intertwined the whole time. When they get in the car, they look at each other. “So…? Am I doing well?” Robin looks at her, eager for praise. I wonder if she’d like praise during-. Nancy shakes herself, then smiles softly.
“You’re doing wonderful, Robs. I’m going to take you somewhere for the last lesson of the night, ok?” Robin nods. Nancy doesn’t know what the fuck she’s doing as she starts driving towards Skull Rock. She tries to pretend like that’s what Tommy would do on this date, but she knows it’s just because she wants to kiss Robin.
When they pull into the woods, Robin looks at her confused. “Are you about to kill me and hide my body in the woods?” Nancy can tell that she’s actually worried.
“God no, I’m just taking you to where Tommy would finish a date, to teach you an important part that I can’t in public.” She turns off her ignition, stepping out of the car before she could second guess herself. Robin follows behind her, looking ready to run. They walk down the well worn path and arrive. “This is Skull Rock. It’s-”
“I know what Skull Rock is.” Robin whispers.
“I’m assuming you’ve never kissed anyone.” Nancy whispers, turning to face Robin, who’s wide eyes are reflecting the moon beautifully. “You don’t want to be at a disadvantage with Tommy, he’ll push too far. You want to be comfortable in your boundaries. I want to help you out.” They stand there looking at each other.
“What would Steve say to you taking a freak like me to Skull Rock to teach her how to kiss?” Robin steps closer, the distance between them dwindling.
“It’s not like I haven’t caught him in a similar situation.” Nancy steps closer, cupping Robin’s cheek in her hand. “May I?”
“Yes.”
Nancy leans in, lips ghosting over Robin’s, before they connect softly. Robin stands like a statue, lips tense. Nancy pulls back and laughs lightly. “We’ve got some work to do, love.” She guides Robin to the wall of Skull Rock, pressing her against it lightly. “Firstly, Tommy would press you against the wall a bit harder than that and grab onto your hips, like this.” Her hands find Robin’s hips and press them against the wall. “Is this ok?” She looks up at Robin through her eyelashes, scared to make full eye contact.
“Y-yeah.” Robin wraps her arms around the back of Nancy’s neck.
“Perfect, this is kind of how you’ll be standing, though Tommy is taller than me. You’re going to push your hands into the hair at the nape of my neck and pull slightly, it’ll drive him crazy.” Robin does and Nancy has to suppress a moan. “Yeah, like that.” Her voice goes hoarse. “Now I’m going to kiss you again, try not to be tense, melt into the touch.”
“Okay.” Nancy presses her lips into Robin’s, gentle at first, but harder when Robin melts into it, pulling on Nancy’s hair as if to ask ‘More’.
“Easy, love. Make it last.” Nancy murmurs into Robin’s lips before pulling away. “I’m going to put my hands up your shirt, is that okay? Not going too high, just your stomach.” Nancy clarifies when Robin stiffens. “I don’t have to, Tommy would just want to. Tell me if that’s a boundary, ok?”
“You can. Would Tommy like to kiss my neck?” She says his name like it’s poison, like she’d much rather say someone else’s.
“I think he would.” Nancy slips her hands under the soft material of Robin’s Blondie shirt and repositions herself to kiss Robin’s neck, but has an idea. “I can’t reach well, but maybe if you sat down? If I was over you then the proportions would be right.” Nancy knows exactly what she’s doing, exactly why she wants to be over Robin.
“Yeah, ok. I’d like you- Tommy over me.” She slides to the ground, pulling Nancy down with her. “I don’t want my necklace in the way, could you put it on so I don’t lose it?” She unclips a golden chain with the letter R on it and hands it to Nancy, who quickly puts it on, loving how it feels like Robin is establishing ownership.
“May I kiss you again?”
“Would Tommy?” Nancy pauses.
“He would, but I’m the one kissing you, I’m here. And I want to kiss you.” Nancy blurts. Robin freezes, and then smiles.
“I want you to kiss me.” And so Nancy does. She straddles Robin, hands in her shirt, kissing her exactly how she wants to. She kisses a line down Robin’s jaw and onto her neck, nipping every few inches. Robin is pulling her hair, moans escaping her lips at the attention. Robin’s hand drops from Nancy’s hair and to the hem of her shirt, a silent question.
“You want this off of me?” Nancy whispers.
“Yes.” Nancy pulls her shirt off and over her head, tossing it right beside them. Robin pulls her closer, hands exploring the newly exposed skin like she was worshipping a goddess. “Nance- you’re beautiful.” She kisses down Nancy’s neck, copying exactly what Nancy had just done to her.
They were there for what felt like forever, breathlessly discovering each other, when the flash of a camera stopped them in their tracks.
The next moments were a blur. Jonathan was holding his camera and photographing this incriminating moment and Nancy was losing it on him.
“Listen Nance, nobody will find out about this if you do something for me.”
“What do you want, Jonathan?” She was on the verge of crying, and all Robin could do was sit there and look at the marks on Nancy’s skin. Marks she was responsible for.
“Break up with Steve and date me. Not just half-assed, I know how you kiss now, I expect that.”
“Go to hell.”
“Or, I could develop this film and everyone would know that Nancy Wheeler is a whore and a faggot.” The word snaps Robin out of her trance. Nancy is looking at her like her world is shattering. “This film would ruin your future, Nance.”
“I’ll do it. Give me the film.” A tear rolls down her cheek and Robin can’t help but watch.
“No. I’ll give it to you at the end of the school year, when I’ve climbed the social ladder enough to be done with you.”
“Fine.” Nancy looks at Robin, and Robin looks back.
“I’m sorry.” Robin whispers, and then she’s alone.
After a week, the marks on her neck have almost faded, but the mark Nancy left on her would stay with her forever. Robin Buckely is a lesbian, and she’s okay with that.
Throughout the remainder of the year, Nancy keeps catching her eye. One day, Robin received a note from her.
Robin,
I’m sorry for how everything happened. Whenever I get the film back, can I meet with you again? I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for you.
Love,
Nancy
Robin looked over to where Nancy was sitting, and noticed she’s still wearing the golden chain with the letter R on it.