Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"So, yesterday we helped save the end of the world and our reward is what? A pep rally?" Robin asked Steve as they both got ready in the car.

"Think of it this way, this is the perfect excuse to invite Vickie to the party tonight!" Steve winked.

"That is, if I don't vomit."

...

The room was bustling with activity as they walked in. The bleachers filled up quickly and soon people had to stand. Robin noticed Dustin wave Steve down from a seat he had saved next to him and the other boys and Max.

Her band was being yelled at for not having the music down perfectly and it was honestly the last place she wanted to go. She'd had a persistent headache since yesterday having run on only adrenaline.

She spotted Nancy standing by the door looking lost, notebook in hand. She'd realised this was probably her first reporting gig since her friend, Fred, had died.

"Sup Nance." Robin waved, drawing Nancy's eyes from her notebook. She was greeted with a surprisingly genuine smile. She looked around for Nancy's other half.

"Where's Jonathan?" Robin asked. This was probably really hard for Nancy, she lost a lot over the last few days. "If I were Nancy's boyfriend, I'd be here." She thought.

"Oh, Argyle is leaving in a few days so I think they wanted to spend time together before he left." Nancy stated in a small voice.

"What I'm hearing is, Jonathan skipped this to go smoke weed instead of taking any responsibility." Robin laughed at her own joke, meaning absolutely nothing by it, just hoping to make Nancy laugh.

"Right? I mean, it's one night. Hopper asked us all to be as normal as possible for one night. I suppose "pot" is Jonathan's new normal." Nancy rolled her eyes. This had clearly struck a nerve. Nancy now looked sad and angry.

"Nice job, Robin" Robin sighed under her breath. Nancy didn't say anything else. "I'm gonna get back to the band. See you at the party?"

Nancy gave a very subtle nod and Robin took it as her queue to leave. She was about to get back to the band when she spotted another familiar face.

"Eddie!" Robin jogged over. He looked tense. On closer inspection, Robin noticed he might even be shivering under his sleeveless jacket. "Hey, are you okay man?" She asked.

"Uhm, have you seen Steve. I'm supposed to meet him here. He said he'd show me the ropes." Eddie didn't make eye contact at all, just looked around the room anxiously. Robin noticed all the eyes on him.

"Freak," someone yelled.

"You know what, on second thought..." Eddie ran back out.

Robin climbed through the crowds on the bleachers. "Steve, Eddie just came through looking for you. He looked pretty rough. He's gone again though."

"Oh, thanks Robin, I might just skip this thing then..." Steve got up and started grabbing his things.

"Don't go, I need you here. I have no one else." Dustin said while Mike and Max gave him offended looks.

"Definitely, Eddie needs someone right now." Robin followed close behind Steve as he made a human barrier down the crowds of people on the bleachers.

Finally, Robin found her place at the band stand. She wiped the sweat from her brow from all the hurrying around and let out a sigh of relief to finally be still.

"You look busy." A voice said beside her.

"I look like shit. Haha. Were you watching me? I mean, what. No, it's just my friends. We had a busy day yesterday. Wait no, nothing happened yesterday. You look busy." Robin shut her mouth and pretended like it was stitched closed as it seemed to be the only way to actually stop talking.

She looked over to the unassuming victim of her yap prison. Vickie looked bewildered but entertained. "So, is everything okay after yesterday? Not that anything happened yesterday."

Robin shrugged and laughed and nodded all at once. She decided to let her mouth have another go at words. But this time, she spoke slowly. "Hey, would you... uh... like to come to a party tonight? It's at this old cabin. Like, a friendly old cabin, not an evil one. We could give you a lift actually, the directions are weird.-" Oh no, why is she still going? "I mean, like, you could bring your boyfriend or a friend or anything. I'm not trying to kidnap you. Sorry, this is weird. I've probably just made you uncomfortable-" The talking was interrupted by someone's trumpet and she realised that was her queue too so she immediately started playing.

When there was a break in the song, Vickie leaned in. Her breath was so close, Robin could feel it. "I'd love to come. And I'd love a lift." She moved away again. Robin looked over and smiled. Vickie's eyes sparkled. Robin mouthed out "cool".

The pep rally droned on. It was all about how Hawkins had won the basketball game. There was a shout out to Lucas and he looked so happy. "He deserves this." She thought. Max gave him a big toothy smile when he blew her a kiss. "They all do. They've been through far too much."

Once the pep rally ended, Robin stood. She wasn't sure what to do. There was an expectation now. Steve wasn't here to talk to Vickie for her while they walked to the car. Were they even supposed to walk to the car? Was she supposed to wait for Vickie? Or, should she do something else so that Vickie waits for her, that way, she seems like she has a life?

Suddenly, Vickie was grabbing her by the hand. She tugged Robin to the door and then let her hand slip from Robin's and fall naturally to her side. "God, stop being an idiot Robin. Get yourself together. Friends grab each others hands all the time." She beat herself up mentally.

"So, where are you parked?" Vickie asked.

"Oh follow me!" Robin knew the answer to this one. Then, Robin realised she'd made a grave mistake. She was now walking ahead of Vickie with no easy way to step beside her and make it natural. "Why was social interaction scarier than fighting vecna???" Robin screamed internally.

"Robin-" Vickie singsonged and slipped her arm through Robin's arm. "I meant to say earlier. "Me and my boyfriend broke up."

"Oh I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I broke up with him because I don't like... his type."

Robin laughed. They were at the car now. The light was on in the car and it was incredibly clear to see the Steve was sitting in the driver seat with Eddie as a passenger.

Robin's face lightened to see the two of them talking. It was the easiest that Eddie ever looked. "Is that Eddie Munson?" Vickie asked.

"Yea, he's so nice. None of the rumours are true." Robin reassured her. Vickie nodded. Robin opened the car door and let Vickie sit in.

"Hey guys, this is Vickie. Vickie, this is Eddie and Steve." She was impressed with how normal she was being. Being with Steve had eased her nerves a lot.

"Vickie, hey, you're coming. We just have to wait on Nancy so shove in you two." Steve said with delight. Robin shoved in as close as she could without touching Vickie. While Vickie put on her seat belt, Steve winked at Robin through the rear view mirror. This eased Robin enough that she pushed closer to Vickie seeing Nancy approach.

"Hey Nance," Robin, Steve and Eddie said in unison. The car stirred to a start and quiet chatter between Steve and Eddie started in the front. To Robin's dismay, Nancy still looked bitter as she looked through the fogged window.

"Nancy, this is Vickie." Vickie reached her hand out. Nancy, being an ace reporter, faked the perfect smile. "It's nice to meet you. Are you a friend of Robin's?" Nancy asked.

"Yea, we're in band together." The conversation fizzled out. Robin hadn't a clue what to say to Vickie but she knew Nancy pretty well and wanted to make sure she was okay.

"So, how was the reporting?" Robin asked and Vickie kept her eyes on Nancy as if to stay in the conversation.

"Oh, you're a reporter." Vickie asked.

"A damn good one at that." Robin added and she felt Nancy ease next to her. She was happy, she was doing a good job at making an awkward situation not be awkward.

"It was pretty standard. It was quiet nice to write about something so normal considering yesterday." Nancy let out. Then she tensed again realising Vickie wasn't in on their big secret.

"Okay, what happened yesterday?" Vickie asked cheerfully.

"Oh, you know, Chrissy and..." Robin noticed Eddie go quiet at the mention of Chrissy. And the fact that Nancy couldn't even finish the sentence. Her face fell and she turned towards the window. "How had everything gone downhill so quickly?" Robin thought.

"I think Hopper is trying to make brownies." Steve said from the front, noticing the energy in the car.

"What's your bet Argyle has stolen some batter and made weed brownies too?" Robin joked. Nancy chuckled. Phew.

"Oh god, we best keep those away from the kids. Especially Hoppers ones." Nancy bounced back. Robin was delighted to see her joke back.

"As long as Joyce has made her signiture cookies, I'm happy." Robin said, crossing her fingers and shutting her eyes and looking to the sky like she's praying, only opening them to see if Nancy is laughing.

"Oh all that's good and holy, make us be greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies and not the stench of weed." Nancy joined Robin in looking to the sky except her hands were in a praying position.

"Ooo, and let's put down a campfire outside!" Robin added, eyes now wide with delight.

"I've brought beer!" Eddie chirped from the front.

"Well, I may have bought marshmallows." Nancy faked nonchalance.

"You have not??" Robin squealed.

"Ooo, and we could make a campfire version of the triple eggo extravaganza, El will be delighted!" Nancy grabbed Robin's arm.

"What on earth is that?" Robin asked, laughing.

"Mike told me about them, Hopper used to make them for El. Isn't that so cute? Goodness knows she deserves a treat."

"Oh she sure does. And I think we do too." Robin looked up at the mirror to catch Eddie and Steve's reaction. Instead, Steve gave her a look and his eyes guided hers to Vickie who looked extremely left out and awkward and slightly pissed.

"You like marshmallows Vickie?" Robin asked.

"I like beer." She stated.

Robin looked over at Nancy and bit her lip in guilt. Nancy gave her a big smile and a quick wide-eyed look of concern.

Chapter Text

The cabin was decorated with lights and all trip wires had been removed. Music blared from inside and there were a few people around, including Nancy's mom and Lucas's basketball team, people who didn't know about the upside down. Robin was relieved, it meant everyone didn't have to be quiet just because Vickie was here.

Eddie and Steve walked ahead into the kitchen. Nancy looked uncomfortable and she practically shadowed Robin while Vickie hovered nesr her too, there hands grazing every now and then.

They went inside and the place was tidied up a bit. Mostly just to prepare for a party, not to house actual people. "What is this place?" Vickie asked in awe at the decorated house.

"This is Hopper and El- Jane's house." Robin chirped.

"Hopper like, the sheriff who died a year ago?" Vickie asked.

At that, Hopper walked over. He was wearing a hawaiin shirt and Joyce looked comically small next to him. "Robin hello. You've brought a friend." He said, uncharacteristically smiley.

"I thought you were dead." Vickie couldn't help but say. The smile wiped off his face but promptly reappeared after an elbow from Joyce.

"That was just a misunderstanding. See, Hop here, is a cop. He was on a secret government mission where people had to BELIEVE he was dead so his cover wouldn't be blown. Right, Hop?"

"Yes Robin's friend who I have just met and do not know the name of."

"Oh, her name is Vickie." Robin stated, a little shocked at the interaction. An interaction she never thought she'd be having a year ago, hell, she never thought she'd be having it an hour ago.

"Hello Vickie. I'm Joyce. It's lovely to meet you. Robin is a very nice girl." Joyce must've used her mom instincts to immediately know everything about who Vickie was to Robin she supposed. Robin couldn't help but blush.

Joyce and Hop walked away. Robin spotted Jonathan and Argyle in the corner and then realised Nancy wasn't even in the cabin.

"So, the undercover cop and the woman who's son mysteriously "died" but then came back to life unexpectedly are dating. What a fitting couple." Vickie nodded to herself more than to Robin.

The two of them made the rounds of the party. Vickie congratulated Lucas on his big win, thinking that's who the party was for. One of the more shy guy's from the team chatted with her and she looked content. Robin realised she could leave for a short while and find Nancy.

She was sitting at the back of the cabin with an unopened can of beer. As Robin approached, she thought about how she should be jealous that Vickie was hitting it off with this guy but she wasn't. I guess she trusted her.

Nancy saw Robin approaching and wiped a tear from her cheek. "Robin." She said, still wiping.

"He's inside with Argyle. You're safe to come around and hang out with me and Vickie if you want. They don't look like they'll be going anywhere anytime soon." Robin got it out of the way.

Nancy sighed. "I think I have to break up with him." Robin lowered herself down next to Nancy. They both sat quietly a moment. She thought it was a comfortable silence until she heard the tiniest whimper that was trying to be concealed.

"Oh Nancy..." Robin didn't know what to do with her hands. She didn't know if they were in the place where she could hug her so she just started stating the things she'd heard in movies. "It's okay." "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"No Robin. It won't be fine. See, I know exactly where he's coming from. He's probably relying on weed to be okay. Because all our lives are royally fucked up. And we're just here and we're partying and it's BULLSHIT!" It's as if this stirred something in Nancy brain because now she was properly sobbing.

"Maybe I should just smoke weed. Then maybe my troubles would go away." She hid her face behind her hair. "Because. Its all my fault. She's dead because of me." She lifted her head to looked at Robin. Her eyes were red and her nose was dribbling and if it weren't such a pathetic sight, Robin would laugh because she was so gross and cute and so unlike Nancy. She was so vulnerable.

"Woah, who's dead?" Robin asked, only now realising what she said.

Nancy tried to say "Barb," but the word just mumbled. Robin understood anyway.

"Oh... that wasn't your fault. That was the demogorgons fault."

Nancy sobbed even harder. "Shit, I dunno what to do..." Robin thought.

"It was my fault. I was so obsessed with being a perfect nerd meets jock trope that Barb died." Robin decided maybe she could leave a hand on Nancy's back. The sobbing eased.

"You did what any girl would do. An opportunity to be with Steve "the hair" Harrington is once in a lifetime. Barb knows you meant nothing against her by it. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Nancy laughed through the sobs but then eased again. "She wouldn't be there if it weren't for me." Nancy leaned into Robin now, her head on her shoulder.

"Nancy, it would've happened no matter where she was. You don't blame Mike for what happened to Will, do you?" Nancy shook her head.

"Then why blame yourself for Barb?" Nancy hugged Robin fully now.

Both of them completely intertwined in a big bear hug by the cabin. A place Robin never thought she'd be in a million years.

"Sorry for badmouthing Steve." Nancy said into Robin's shoulder.

"He deserves it." Robin laughed.

"He's lucky to have found a girl like you." Robin tensed and Nancy clearly felt it because she looked up at Robin.

"We're friends. Only friends me and Steve. NEVER anything more." For the first time since they'd met, it seemed like the truth had gotten through to her.

Nancy pushed her face back into Robin's shoulder. "One beer deep and I'm already a mess. Now I have to go break up with Jonathan too."

"Goodness, good luck Nance." Nancy squeezed extra tight and looked up at Robin again. The gaze went on for a long time.

"I think we're finally good friends." Robin thought. Nancy moved her face up closer to Robin's. "Right Nance, I better go find Vickie before she gets with that basketball player. Find me if you need anything."

Nancy pulled away and essentially threw herself in the leaves looking at the ground and wiping the tears. Robin gave her a sympathetic smile and she gave one back and Robin walked away.

"Drunk Nancy and High Jonathan. This break up will be messy. Hopefully she doesn't feel alone. I feel like we've just made a milestone in our friendship." Robin murmured under her breath to herself as she made her way back to Vickie.

Vickie was sitting on the porch drinking a beer and her face lit up when she saw Robin. "Where were you?

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy sat in the leaves. The click of the next beer opening rustled through the leaves. She took a swig. "What was that?" She said to herself referring to what was almost a kiss with Robin. She looked around, the area was empty, she was all alone.

"So, I confide in someone about my feeling and then try to kiss them. Is that my pattern now. I don't even like girls. And of girls, Robin is the most, I dunno, not my type, of all." She took another swig.

"I need to break up with Jonathan as soon as possible. For his own sake. While Argyle is here so he has someone to confide in. Maybe he's not so bad though..." She watched a squirrel and drank some more.

"Well, I said it myself. Jonathan has been through a hard time. Maybe I just need to give him a chance. Maybe if I just tell him how I feel, then he'll stop smoking and be the Jonathan I thought he was." Nancy smiled and took another sip.

"Liquid courage." She stated as she looked at the can and finished it. She got up, a slight wobble in her feet at first.

"I'm going to be better than I ever have been with Jonathan now!" She yelled into the trees. She walked around the house and saw all the action. She saw Robin who waved at her.

"What's that on your shoulder?" Robin blushed at Vickie's question. Nancy knew it was her tears and she blushed too.

"It's nothing." Robin laughed it off. "Probably drops from the trees." It hadnt rained in a week.Vickie looked past Robin to see Nancy standing there. Her face was red from crying and Vickie gave Robin this look.

"Who does that girl think she is anyway? She's so weird. I don't like her." Nancy sung to herself under her breath and found a tree and sat against it, facing away from the crowd.

She turned around and saw a concerned Robin about to get up and come over but then Vickie grabbed her arm and pulled her down again. "God, I really hate her." Nancy turned away and said to herself.

She looked back at Robin one last time to see her reaction to this but instead saw her Mom walking toward her, Holly in tow.

"Uh oh, sober up Nancy!" She said slapping herself in the face a couple of times.

"Nancy?" Her mom asked, crouching down by her side.

"Hey Mom, Holly?" Nancy outstretched her hands and the girl came to sit in her lap. Her mom noticed her eyes.

"Have you been crying, what's wrong?" It's the mom super power. As soon as her mom asked her, she started crying again. Holly turned around in her lap and hugged her. Nancy took the hug.

"Oh my strong girl, what's wrong?" Her mom asked again, leaning in to hug her as well.

"It's... Jonathan..." Nancy stated.

"Oh sweetie, he's just inside, don't you worry. Although, you didn't hear it from me, I think he's high. You haven't been smoking, have you?" She gossiped before realising who she was gossiping to.

"Mom! No!" Nancy cried.

"I'm not sure Nancy. I think that boy is going through something. He's really changed in California. Have you talked to him about it?"

Nancy sobbed some more.

"Oh Nancy, baby c'mere." Her mom hugged her while Holly squeezed some more.

"He's keeping something from me, I can tell. But maybe once he tells me, we'll be okay again." She told her mom. Her mom gave her a tight hug.

"Honey, if you want to come home at any point, just call. Your brother is here too, don't forget that. You are my strong girl and whatever you do is the right thing." Her mom got up and kissed her forehead and picked up Holly. The two of them walked into the woods toward the car. Even though Holly was older now, the events over the last few days had her clinging ti her mom.

Nancy sat there a while, much more soothed by the conversation but close enough to the house that she's pretty sure everyone outside saw her hugging her mom.

When she stood up, she put up a confident facade. Walking up to the cabin, she saw Robin with her pinkie on Vickie's hand. Maybe it was the light, but the two of them looked oddly flustered. "What an odd friendship. Why have I never heard of Vickie before?" She thought.

She stomped past Robin in her determination to talk to Jonathan. On the top step, she felt a hand grab hers. It was Robin's, she'd taken it from Vickie and given it to Nancy. A quick squeeze and it made Nancy feel all the more confident. Robin looked up at her, brows furrowed and gave a strong nod. A "You can do this" nod.

Nancy melted for a moment, this was the first time she felt like maybe she could get as close to someone as she did with Barb. She stormed into the cabin.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

"So, you and this Nancy chick?" Vickie asked.

"What about her?" Robin looked back innocently.

Abruptly, outside was filled with chaos as Eddie and Steve ran out the door. "Hopper told us where the firewood is. We've lighter fluid. Join us in ten minutes ladies!" Eddie gave the two of them a goofy face and they laughed.

"Wooooo!" Robin and Steve threw fists in the air and yelled. Steve and Eddie ran into the woods.

"Sorry, Vickie, you were saying?" Robin looked back at her, dedicating all her gaze and attention.

"I'm sorry, I'm just being paranoid." Vickie laughed.

Robin looked around them. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked, surprised at her own boldness.

Vickie's face lit up. "Sure." They got up and walked the opposite direction to Steve and Eddie. As they left, Robin saw Nancy step outside and look around determinedly.

"I guess she hasn't found Jonathan." Robin said, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Who's Jonathan?" Vickie asked.

"It's her boyfriend. Well, soon to be ex-boyfriend." Robin said, tapping her fingers together anxiously. She noticed Vickie put some distance between them.

"Robin. Are you single? Or like any messy relationship stuff or anything?" Vickie asked, fully stopped walking now.

"What, yes, I am. One hundred percent single. Not even the sign of a date in my future. I have no one. Absolutely no one." Robin said, realising she sounded kinda pathetic.

"Good, because I thought there was something going on between you and Nancy." Vickie sighed with relief.

"Oh people assume this all the time. Steve and I are just friends. Platonic with a capital P. Wait, Nancy?" Robin stopped her train of thought and her head hung sideways like a curious dog.

"Yes, Robin, you and Nancy? Is there anything between you?" Vickie asked, looking less relieved again.

"Nancy and I? Haha, NO! She's straight. And we became friends like, a week ago. I mean. I'm straight aswell. As straight as a ruler." Robin tensed up, lifting her index finger to show off her hand covered in rings and black nail polish, accidentally looking as not straight as someone can possibly look.

Vickie laughed. "Good, it's nice to know you're all straight." She walked closer to Robin and grabbed her hand, pulling her back around to walk again.

"Thanks for inviting me." Vickie said and she leaned up and kissed Robin on the cheek. Stunned, Robin practically had to be dragged by Vickie to keep on walking.

"I think she might be gay." Robin thought victoriously. They walked along in comfortable silence for a minute just soaking in the brisk night air.

"So, Robin, tell me anything about you. Everything you do seems like such a mystery." Vickie asked.

"Well, my parents were nomads, they travelled loads before they settled on Hawkins to raise me. Oh the culture that I missed out on. I think about it everyday. How I could've travelled all my youth." Robin said, a little more passionately than she meant to.

"Woah, well, you could travel after school." Vickie suggested.

"Well, that's the plan actually. That's why I keep working these dead end jobs. Then I can go to Paris and sip hot chocolate in the morning while eating a croissant and reading." Robin fantasised.

"Oh really, that's so soon. I didn't think you actually would. Plus, don't they speak French in France?" Vickie asked, a tad defensive.

"Oui, ils parlent fraincais mais je fais aussi, mon amour." Robin spoke in the accent, voice all raspy and confident. She looked over at Vickie to see if she was impressed. It was dark, but if she didn't know any better, she'd say Vickie was blushing, her mouth agape.

"Tu est trés mignone avec tes joues rosé." Robin said, leaning in closer. It was handy to know that her confidence grew if she was flirting in a language the other person couldn't understand.

Vickie squeezed her eyes shut and batted Robin away. She was definitely blushing now and her smile was huge. "Robin, stop, you're gonna kill me."

It felt like a reward to have her smile so big and get her blushing like that. She was full of confidence. She grabbed Vickie's hand again and looked over to see her smiling her way.

"Now you tell me something." Robin was proud of herself for such a successful chain of chatting and flirting. She was hitting it off with Vickie.

"Well, my brother and I love to hang out." Vickie said after a while of thinking.

"Really? I always wished I had a sibling." Robin said thoughtfully.

"Yea. He's younger and stuff. But he enjoys doing stuff I like doing. Exploring, baking, we have a dog, Saxo, the three of us play in the woods." Vickie said, and Robin could see the smile as Vickie reminisced on the adventures they had together.

"That's truly wonderful Vickie. I'd love to meet them." Robin said casually but realised the implication. The commitment in that sentence. I twinge of fear swelled in her gut. "I'm sorry, that's weird."

"I'm sure they'd love you." Vickie said back confidently. Robin was relieved but also frightened. She had just inadvertently committed to whatever this was. She didn't know if she was ready for that. She was... probably.

They walked around quietly and saw a light in the distance. "Is that Steve?" Vickie asked.

They walked closer and mutually stopped holding hands as they did. Steve, Eddie, Argyle and Jonathan were all laughing and chatting around a fire.

"Ohhh, visitors. Would you sweet ladies like some delicious treats?" Argyle asked, holding up a plate of sugar coated brownies.

"Steve, look at this." Eddie called Steve over.

Robin and Vickie took a brownie each and sat on a log. They each took a bite, smiling to each other at how surprisingly tasty the brownies were.

Steve and Eddie were enamoured by a giant spider. "So Jonathan, how are you?" Robin felt out if Nancy had talked to him.

"I'm on top of the world Robin." Jonathan said, eyes dazed with a smile. Robin took another bite. Vickie had finished her brownie.

"Vickie, you've got dust." Robin said, pointing to her mouth which was covered in icing sugar.

"You're one to talk." Vickie laughed, pointing at Robin's mouth. Robin ate the last piece and made a point to get icing sugar all over her face.

"That's silly." Vickie laughed. "I could just lick you all up." Robin could feel her cheeks heating up but she didn't care.

"You're so pretty, Vickie." Robin stated. Vickie giggled.

"No, you are." Vickie booped Robin's nose. Steve turned around at how blatant the two were being.

"Robin, what's that powder on your face?" Steve ran over.

"Steve!" Robin exclaimed and she hugged him.

"I didn't get a hug." Said Vickie with a frown so Robin pulled her into the Steve hug. She giggled again.

"Robin, you ate the brownie that Argyle gave you?" Steve asked.

She nodded. "It was yummy." Robin fell back off the log she tried to sit on so she was lying in the leaves looking at the sky. "Vickie look!" She said pointing to the stars.

"They're falling on us." Vickie yelled as she fell back with Robin.

"They're so soft." Robin whispered. She could hear Steve yelling at Argyle in the background. "Chill out Steve." Robin said in a sing songy voice.

"Yea, chill out Steve." Vickie mimicked.

"How much weed was even in those brownies?" Steve yelled at him.

"Just enough for me and Jonathan to feel the high and ride on it my man. You should try it out." Argyle said smoothly. Realising he was getting nowhere with Argyle, Steve moved onto Jonathan.

"How could you let them eat those?" He growled.

"Hey, they're free women, if they wanna eat weed brownies, they can." He said, as sturn as a piece of butter.

"Yea Steve." Robin yelled from behind the log.

"Yea Steve." Vickie mimicked again and they both laughed. Steve gestured at the girls laughing on the floor.

"Look what you've done." He exclaimed.

"Hey, weed is chill, they'll be out of it in no time, don't worry." Eddie piped in. Steve was about to turn his anger to Eddie but his face softened when he saw Eddie's.

"But Robin and I made a pact. No more weed after what happened in the Russian base. It means I know these DICKWADS didn't tell them those brownies were Weed brownies." Steve told Eddie from across the fire.

"Russian base!?" Vickie yelled.

Robin put a finger to Vickies lips. "Shhhh, secret Russian base." Vickie nodded.

Robin Let her hand fall down by her side. She felt Vickie's fingers intertwine with hers. She turned her head to meet Vickie's gaze and smiled. "Why is everything so easy right now?" She thought to herself.

She laid there with her eyes closed and her hand in Vickie's. She could hear Steve calming down. "See man, she's lying there and she's happy. She'll come out of this in a while." Jonathan stated and it was true.

Steve huffed and went back to chatting with Eddie. Argyle was laughing with Jonathan. The girl she'd had the biggest crush on for weeks was holding her hand. Life couldn't be better.

"Jonathan." A familiar voice called. "Jonathan, I'd been looking for- Robin!" Nancy almost stood on her.

"Nancy! Yay, you're here." Robin exclaimed, throwing her legs from the log they'd been on and doing a backward tumble into Nancy's legs. Nancy shook at the impact but didn't stumble.

"ROBIN!" She yelled shocked and some what confused. "What's... why... uh..." She was looking down as Robin smiled up at her, perched against her legs like the were the comfiest seat ever.

"She's high. Those doochbags gave her a weed brownie without warning her what it was. And her little girlfriend too. Like, her friend that is a girl." Steve told Nancy over the bonfire, fumbling over the slip. Eddie punched him affectionately in the arm and they went back to their own little world.

"Oh Robin..." Nancy said, her boundaries blurred by the fourth beer she'd just finished. She reached down and scuffed Robin's hair slightly.

Vickie had manoeuvred herself off the log too in a much more graceful way. She sat against it watching Robin. She held her hand that had Robin's in it a second ago.

Nancy moved herself in front of Robin and she almost fell backwards. "So," Robin leaned forward as if to whisper to Nancy but she spoke audibly enough that the whole bonfire gang could hear. "Have you done it yet?"

Nancy's eyes went wide. She covered Robin's mouth with her hand, something she wouldn't have done if she wasn't drunk. Then she felt something wet on it and squealed. "Did you just lick my hand?" She pulled it away.

The two of them burst into giggles. Robin looked over at Vickie. She didn't look happy. Nancy grabbed Robin's hand to pull her away so they could talk in private. As she was being hoisted, Robin reached for Vickie but missed so she just let herself be pulled.

In a clearing far enough from the fire that they could still see the orange in the distance, Nancy slowed to a stop and Robin almost ran into her.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Robin was acting crazy. Nancy knew she was high but damn, she was very high. She was oddly "here" though. She leaned into Nancy's hair and actually whispered this time. "Did you break up with Jonathan?"

"I'm not breaking up with him, I'm having a talk with him." Nancy slurred, opening another beer. She was about to take a swig when Robin snatched it.

"You're too drunk, give that to me." Robin took a long sip. Nancy eyes went wide and she laughed, impressed.

"Okay, Buckley. If I'm too drunk, you're definitely too high." Nancy stated. Robin put a hand to her chest, also impressed.

"I'm just a little higher than you." Robin said and she put her hand against her head then hovered it over Nancy's. Nancy hadn't realised just how much taller she had been than her. She was almost as tall as Steve. Nancy watched in awe at the height distance. She had to look up to meet Robin's eyes.

"Wow..." Nancy said under her breath. Robin looked around herself. The smile that was on her face fell.

"Where is she?" Robin asked, now actively frowning.

"Who?" Nancy asked, completely lost in thought. "She's so tall and her hands..."

"Vickie." Robin looked at Nancy expectedly as if she had her. Nancy crossed her arms.

"What is her deal anyways?" Nancy barked out.

"She and I do band." Robin smiled. "I brought her here tonight, you need to meet her, she's so cool."

It felt like a gut punch. "I've met her Robin. You introduced her to me earlier."

Then something clicked in Robin's brain, Nancy could see the cogs turn. "Wait, you're not breaking up with Jonathan? He drugged me!" Robin practically yelled.

Nancy sighed. "He did, didn't he? God, I need to dump him..." is what she thought. Her mouth on the other hand. "Yea, and what of it? Why would you care who I'm with." She snapped.

Nancy believed if she hit a rock off Robin's head, she wouldn't feel it, she was that high, but she could see the pain in Robin's face at this exclamation.

"Nance. I care about you. Of course I care if some stupid boy is making you happy or not." Robin placed her hand on Nancy's shoulder. Nancy looked up at her, mouth agape and eyes glistening.

"You care about me?" She asked, moving slightly closer to Robin.

"You're amazing Nancy. I could say it all day. I care about you so much." Robin's eyes were so genuine. Nancy got lost in them. She was so close to her right now.

Then, without thinking, Nancy pressed her lips against Robin's. Before she even had time to register the warmth of her lips, how they were perfectly soft. Robin had jumped away. She looked stunned. She pointed at Nancy, then at the fire in the distance.

"I best check on Vickie. I think she's high, heh." Robin ran away, but not fully towards the campfire, just away.

Nancy stood. She was shocked. She put her fingers to her lips. They were still tingling. She didn't know how long she'd been standing for.

"WHAT!" She yelled, as if she weren't the one who had kissed Robin. "Look, it's okay, Robin just looked like Steve and it brought back old feelings. That's all that was."

Then she mushed her hands against her face. "Your first real friend in ages and you ruined it." She screamed into the trees and the wind took her confession into the ether.

"God, maybe I need to kiss Steve. I think the feelings are still there." She whispered to herself.

"GOD, I NEED TO BREAK UP WITH JONATHAN!" She thought and let out a small whimper.

...

Nancy walked into the clearing of the bonfire, prepared to face Robin but surprised to see she wasn't there. Instead, Vickie had joined Eddie and Steve and she was anxiously looking around while drinking water.

"Jonathan." She called quietly. All the eyes at the bonfire turned to her.

"Hey Nance, Where's Robin?" Steve asked, a twinge of worry in his voice.

"Oh, she went that way," Nancy pointed towards a dark area behind Steve in the woods. "Jonathan, can I talk to you?"

"What." Steve said.

"Oh, amigo, it's not safe out there to ride the wave all alone in the woods." Argyle chirped up.

Suddenly Nancy realised she seemed awful.

"Nancy, help us find her." Steve instructed. Vickie looked incredibly worried now.

"I-" the last thing Robin needed was to see Nancy. "She probably hates me." She thought. "Can't."

Steve gave her a slightly disapproving look as he got up, mainly, he looked disappointed. It hurt Nancy, he was still her friend. Eddie and Vickie were getting up too.

"God, you're selfish. Go break up with your boyfriend and save him the trouble of being around you." Vickie barked.

Everyone in the campfire went silent and looked at Nancy and Vickie for their reactions. Vickie had already made her way towards the woods. Steve and Eddie followed quickly so there wouldn't be two, super high girls lost in the woods.

Nancy was stunned. "Did I do something to her?" She asked Argyle, who was leaning over, stage whispering to a daydreaming Jonathan. "I think Nancy is about to break up with you."

Suddenly, any sign of weed that had been in Jonathan's system had disappeared. "What," he turned to Nancy. "Is that true?"

"No!" Then she thought. "Well, maybe. No, I just, I need to talk to you." Nancy said, stumbling over her words.

"Oh no, you're screwed brochatcho." Argyle gave him a side hug. Jonathan shrugged him off, agitated.

"Let's go talk somewhere more private." Jonathan said, walking past Nancy.

...

It didn't help that they stopped into the exact same place she'd kissed Robin.

"So, Spit it out." Jonathan said, diverting his gaze to a leaf on the floor. The frown lines that were becoming wrinkles from so many traumatic experiences were engraved in his forehead.

"Look, it's just that, I feel like you care more about weed than about me." Nancy explained.

"I don't Nancy, I care so much about you, I've just been avoiding a hard topic." Jonathan pleaded.

"We're all traumatised. You can talk to me. It's okay to talk to me."

"No, it's not that." He sighed. "Look, Nance, I didn't want to tell you in case it messed up any big life decisions."

Nancy was taken by surprise. All she could let out was a simple "oh".

"I want to go to Lenora Hills. Its a college in California. Community College." Jonathan admitted.

"Isn't that sort of a step down-" Nancy saw the angry frown reappearing, she relaxed. "Jonathan, if that's what you want to do, I'm happy for you." She felt relieved. She stepped closer and felt out the air and then kissed him. He leaned into it, she could feel him smiling.

"Just, please relax on the weed, it's tastes filthy." He blushed and nodded.

They held hands and started walking back.

"So, you don't have to, you know." Jonathan started.

"Have to what?" Nancy smiled over.

"Have to come with me to Lenora Hills." He added.

Nancy looked at him like he made a joke. "Okay." She laughed.

"Okay? That's all." Jonathan bit.

"Yes, okay. Of course I'm not going to drop Emerson to come to some random community college." Nancy stopped walking, dropped his hand and crossed her arms.

"Random community college. That's all you see it as?" He looked heartbroken.

"Well, you see me as some toy who will drop my dreams to follow my high-school boyfriend to some, yes, random community college." Nancy defended.

"High-school boyfriend." Jonathan stated. Nancy said nothing, just stood her ground. "Is that all you see us as?" She said nothing again, realising what was happening. "Well then, Queen bee, gets whatever she wants, Nancy Wheeler. Let's just leave it as that then. High-school relationship. It's over."

He stomped off. "Get home safe."

She dropped to the floor. It was getting too much. She let the tears come, she let her body shiver, all the ugly crying noises. After about thirty minutes, she made her way back to the campfire.

...

It was empty now, no one around. She sat there for a while, watching the fire go from flames to embers. Sobs turned to whimpers.

She heard laughing behind her. "This way, I think they're all gone now." Then the laughing stopped.

"Nancy?" She recognised the voice. It was her brother. Presumably with El. "Where is everyone?"

"I dunno." The voice crack gave her away.

"Nancy, are you okay?" Her brother came nearer, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrivelled at the touch, fresh sobs.

"Jonathan," sob, "and I," sniffle, "broke up." Ungodly noise. She expected her brother to say sorry and run away and then talk to El about it. Instead, he sat at her side and stretched out his hands.

She fell into them gratefully and let out all the sobs again. El sat on the other side of her and stroked her hair gently. Mike must've been doing this to impress El, either way, she needed this.

"You want me to kill him?" Mike asked after a while of silence.

"Mike." El said in a lecture voice, very quietly. Nancy laughed through the tears. She sat up.

"Thanks Mike." She told him, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Just then, the trees rustled. El went into fight mode. Steve burst through.

"We still can't find Robin." He rushed out through broken breathes.

"What, really!?" Nancy jumped to her feet. "She's dead and it's all my fault." She screamed internally. "Where's Eddie?"

"Eddie and Vickie are still searching. She's been missing almost two hours." Steve bounced his foot anxiously.

"Oh my god. Where have you looked? Should we call the others? I could come and look? God, Steve-"

"Sh." El said. Her eyes were closed. They all looked at her.

"She's asleep under a tree. She's cuddling-"
El announced after a second.

"Cuddling who?" Nancy's internal voice barked.

"A dog?" El asked.

"El, where?" Steve begged.

"Follow me." El stood up and walked away.

...

They had encountered Vickie and Eddie on the way. Vickie did not so much as look at Nancy. Everyone was following El who would methodically wipe the blood from her nose.

"Why are we following her if she has a nosebleed, shouldn't we let her go back to her dad?" Vickie asked Eddie.

"Uhm, I think she said she saw Robin earlier but thought we were nearby so didn't bother approaching." Eddie answered.

The lie sounded extremely convincing until it had been about 20 minutes and they were still walking.

"Uhm, El, are you sure were going the right way?" Nancy asked.

"Yes."

By now, everyone had sobered up. The night had a slight chill. "Robin must be freezing," Nancy thought guiltily.

Soon, El pointed. "She's there." El stopped and held Mike back too.

Vickie raced to her. "Robin?"

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Robin woke to Vickie's face near her own and a longing for water. "Hey, are you cold?" Vickie pushed her hair back from Robin's eye.

"Oh. A friend."

Robin looked down and there was a dog. Curled up and rudely awoken. It looked like Sandy from Annie. Robin looked up from the dog and back at the crowd of onlookers.

"Uhm. Hi, everyone?" She asked more of a question. "Wha..." She didn't even know what to ask. There were trees around her.

Steve ran over and Robin lit up. She was sitting up now. The dog sat next to her. "Robin, why on earth would you run off like that?"

Nancy's face filled with guilt, concern and fear.

"I ran off...?" Robin was full of questions. "Also, where is this dog from?" Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

Steve looked concerned. "Did you black out?" He examined her arms and head and eyes. Years of babysitting kicking in. "You seem okay, do you feel okay?"

"Uhm, just thirsty." Robin said, throwing side glances at the dog and the dog did it back.

"Here." Vickie handed her a bottle of water. "I saved this for you cus I was incredibly dehydrated just an hour ago."

"Oh no, are you okay?" Robin asked, her brows furrowing.

"I'm fine Robin." Vickie's face filled with longing at her concern.

She drank up and immediately felt better but quite cold. "My arms are kinda freezing." She was wearing a shirt. Everyone looked to Eddie, the resident jacket lender but he was wearing a sleeveless denim jacket with a shirt.

Steve was wearing a button up and Vickie wore a dress.

Nancy wore a giant jacket which she slid off ,no questions asked, and handed to Robin without looking at her. Vickie gave her the stink eye.

"Thanks Nance. You're the best, are you sure you won't be cold?" Nancy shook her head in response.

"I guess I'll say goodbye to the doggie. Thank you my little hot water bottle." She got up, a little stiff at first but Vickie helped her.

"Will I let you two be?" Steve whispered to Robin. She looked at Vickie then back at Steve and nodded. "And you're okay?" He asked.

"Get out of here you softie." She gave him an affectionate shove and ran ahead.

Robin grabbed Vickie's hand and they walked away from the little burrow under a tree of moss and soft leaves that had temporarily been Robin's bed.

"So... what on earth happened?" Robin asked.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Vickie asked.

"You and I lying at the log near the fire and all the guys chattering."

"Oh, okay. So then Nancy came and you two ran off. She looked pretty drunk and upset. What on earth did you two talk about?"

"Vickie, the day I remember why I ran off with a drunk Nancy Wheeler is the day I stop breathing. I have no idea what we were talking about. Besides the Jonathan thing maybe?" Robin said.

"Oh..." Vickie stopped, she looked guilty again but she went back to speed talking again. "Well, then Nancy came back but you weren't with her and then a bald girl-"

"Jane."

"Oh, I thought they were calling her El?"

"That's... Her middle name! Yes!"

"Okay, El, lead us to you and she had a nose bleed."

There was a rustling behind them. They stopped to look.

"Oh, doggie, hey, do you wanna come with us?" The dog ran up and took the scratches from Robin.

"I was so worried about you." Vickie said fast.

"Oh, you were?" Robin mocked.

"I was." Vickie said and she turned to face Robin.

"That's kinda gay." Robin said and she mockingly started walking away. Then she realised what she'd done. Vickie didn't pull her back. She may have just messed up the moment they were having.

"Oh, I mean, that's sweet." She turned around now. Vickie's expression was unreadable. "Uh yea, it's really sweet and I'm totally fine. Should we head back to the others. Maybe the fire is still hot and we can all go ho-"

Robin's word vomit was interrupted by Vickie's lips on hers. A deja vu feeling washed over her. Her lips were cold from the air and she stuck her tongue in Robin's mouth. She was shocked at first but then it felt nice.

She leaned into it. "You are kissing a girl right now. You've done it!" She thought. She pulled away just slightly to look at Vickie, she could still feel her breath against her lips.

"Thanks." Robin said. Then she blushed and stumbled back. Vickie laughed then kissed her again. "I could get used to this," the last of her brains thoughts as it melted into Vickie's lips.

...

Back at the campfire, Eddie was throwing on more branches and looking very awkward while El and Mike flirted across the fire.

"Robin," he sounded cheerful to have anything to distract from them. "How are you?" He asked.

"I'm very good." She realised she was still holding Vickie's hand and it wasn't disguised as being high anymore.

"So, are you two? Oh hello, you're still here." The Badboy schtick that Eddie put up around people completely fell down when he was with animals. "Hello doggie." He leaned down to pet him.

If Robin could highfive that dog for saving her from randomly having to come out tonight, she would.

"Where's Steve?" Vickie asked.

"He and Nancy went off." Eddie pointed with his thumb behind him. He looked uncomfortable without him.

Vickie and Robin sat down with Eddie. He continued to pet the dog. "That was like 10 minutes ago."

"Oh." Robin said in a weird way that made Vickie and Eddie look at her. "Why are you looking at me?" She laughed, "it's just a long time for exes to hang out together is all."

El chipped in. "I could spy if you want?" She had a mischievous grin on her face. Vickie and Eddie were still looking at her.

"Vickie is here." Robin said, trying to remind El that not everyone can do that.

"I am..." Vickie assured.

"Vickie, I can do a party trick where I link my walkie talkie to the walkie talkie in my house and then we can hear them." El lied. Although, it was the truth.

Robin shrugged. "Is it an invasion of privacy though?"

"No, spy on her, yes I want to hear this." Vickie announced eagerly. Robin gave her a look but it didn't stop her.

"Uhm, okay." Eddie said though it was clear Robin and him felt bad about this.

Mike took a walkie talkie from where it was strapped on the back of his jeans.

El closed her eyes and the walkie talkie radioed in. "Nancy, why are you acting like this?" It was Steve.

"Wow!" Vickie threw her hands up.

"Steve... I broke up with Jonathan." Then came radio sobs.

"Oh Nancy." Robin knowing Steve, probably leaned in to give her a hug.

"Yea, this feels wrong." Eddie said and he stood up but continued to listen.

"Steve." Nancy said softly.

"Are you okay Nance?"

"I missed you."

"I'm always here if you need me." He said, his voice so welcoming, Robin had to smile, she was proud he was her best friend.

Silence.

"Woah woah, Nancy! What are you doing?"

"I'm... I'm so sorry, I misread."

"I'm sorry Nance. It's just, I've moved on. I think I like someone else now."

"Oh."

"Can I... go...?" Steve asked politely.

"Yes." Nancy was almost inaudible.

They could hear leaves crunch as he walked off.

"Third time tonight, what is wrong with me?" Nancy stomped her leg.

"This is wrong, El could you-" Mike asked. The radio clicked off before he even had time to finish the sentence.

"Third time doing what?" Robin asked.

"I'm not sure." Robin couldn't help but notice Vickie looked concerned but delighted to have spied.

Steve walked into the clearing looking spooked. All eyes were on him.

"Okay, why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Everyone looked away.

Steve turned his eyes to Robin. He knew her too well. "Robin?"

"Yes." She looked up at him like she'd never seen a Steve before.

"What did you guys just do?"

"El helped us listen to you and Nancy's conversation and she kissed you and you said no because you like someone else. Why haven't you told me the someone else? Who is it???" Robin burst like a word pipe.

"Oh come on guys! Not cool El. I thought you were better than this Eddie." Steve said, crossing his arms. He sat down next to the fire.

Robin felt the air knock her backwards off the log. Before she fell, she saw El's angry eyes looking at her.

"Hey, El, don't do stuff like that, apologise." Robin heard Steve say as she maneuvered back onto the log.

El wiped her nose. "Sorry snitch." El laughed.

"Sorry for snitching but don't you feel better for telling the truth?" Robin asked as if she'd won.

"Robin, I've killed so many people I'm numbed to it." El stated.

"You guys are weird." Vickie laughed nervously.

"Nancy gave me marshmallows!" Steve perked up.

"YAY" "woo" "give me one"

...

Their tummies were stuffed with marshmallows and everyone had gotten into a smooth conversation.

After a while of this, everyone decided to head back to the cabin. Vickie walked ahead with Eddie while Robin stayed back with Steve to put out the fire.

"Vickie and I kissed." Robin practically belted to Steve before she even knew if Vickie was out of ear range.

Steve stopped what he was doing and turned around to high five Robin. It was a good clean one too.

The dogs ears went back at the sound.

"Robin, no way! How was it, kissing the girl of you're dreams?" He asked, fully putting down the container he was using to put out the fire and sitting next to her.

"It was... magical! It felt oddly familiar. Like deja vu or something. She's a great kisser and I suppose I am too because she went back for seconds. I can see why you seek this stuff out."

"That's so amazing Robin. See, I told you she likes boobies. I can't believe you did all that in one night. And you got a dog too? How did that even happen? Why didn't you come back with Nance?" He asked.

"I genuinely don't know. I cannot remember a thing. I know I was lying on the ground with Vickie and you were yelling at Argyle."

"How could he even give that stuff to you? He didn't even tell you it had weed in it. It was your first time, something bad could've happened. Something bad did happen!"

"Hey! My mother used to give me cbd hippie medicine stuff to ease me up as a kid. And yea, Vickie told me El found me."

"Actually, funny story. Nancy came back without you and Vickie chewed her head off for it!"

"What?" Robin yelled, she couldn't help but laugh. "What did she say?"

"Something along the lines of, "Your so selfish, go break up with your boyfriend and save him the stress of knowing you." Or well, that's exactly what she said. I can still hear her shouting it. She said this infront of Jonathan too, crazy."

A wave of guilt washed over Robin. "She wouldn't have said that if I hadn't told her about Nancy and Jonathan."

Steve's laughing turned to concern. "Oh no, Robin I didn't mean to upset you. I mean, Vickie probably shouldn't have brought that up if you told her in confidence."

"Was Nancy okay?" Robin asked, knowing the answer.

"Well, she broke up with Jonathan. But I think that was bound to happen."

"Yea, she said she was going to do that earlier. I found her crying behind the cabin."

"Oh man, what did Vickie think?"

"Vickie wasn't with me."

"Seriously, oh god Robin, you have a lot to learn. First off, girls don't like it when you bring them on a date and then go hang out with some other chick. Vickie was jealous!"

"Date?" Robin asked. Steve looked like he was watching a 30 year old man learn how to spell cat, except it was just Robin putting together obvious pieces of information.

"Wait, she was jealous." Robin looked at Steve with a wide eyed smile.

"I know that's awful and I'll apologise to her but that's kind of..." Robin continued.

"It's awesome!" Steve finished for her.

"Wait, you like someone! Who?" Robin prodded.

"You'll laugh."

"No I won't."

"It's... Eddie."

"Oo, called it!" Robin lied.

"No you did not!" Steve shot back, relieved to have it out.

"You two have been acting gay all night." Robin pointed at him.

"Woah... gay." Steve looked at the embers. She remembered how she felt when she first came out to Steve. The fear. In Steve's case, he knew Robin would support him, it's coming to terms with it that cab be the difficult piece.

"You good?" She sat next to him.

"Yea actually." He said.

"Eddie is an awesome guy. And imagine Dustin's delight when he sees his two Dad's getting together after all this time. It was really meant to be."

Steve laughed and so did Robin. They sat and chatted together comfortably for another while and then put out the fire and met everyone.

...

Eddie and Steve sat in the front and Robin and Vickie in the back. The dog was sat in the boot as it insisted on following Robin home.

"Hop said he'll drive Nancy and the boys home so you don't need to take anyone else."

"Okay, thanks Joyce."

Steve pulled out of the makeshift drive way and easily started chatter with Eddie again. Robin couldn't help but smile.

Once they were outside of Vickie's house, Eddie and Steve pretended to be enamoured by a pretty tree under a streetlight.

Vickie leaned in, gave Robin a quick kiss and jumped out of the car. At the door, a little boy greeted her and he looked tired.

"Are those your friends?" He asked rubbing his eyes.

"Yep," She pet him on the head and the dog came to greet her.

"Is Robin there?" He asked and Vickie slammed the front door.

"Well," Steve said from the front in a mocking voice.

"Well well well, does Buckley have a girlfriend?" Eddie mocked also, following Steve's lead.

"Shut up!" Robin yelled but she was smiling and couldn't help that she'd gotten flustered

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Robin snuck the dog into her room. She immediately sniffed around everywhere she could reach: the dirty clothes on the floor, the clean ones of the chair, the cluttered desk. Robin also swears he spend a second too long looking at the Stevie Nicks poster she had, she admired that.

The dog tried to jump up on the bed but Robin pushed her off. "Look girl, I simply can't let you in without washing you first."

It was 3am and Robin was carrying a dog into the bathroom. She filled the tub. As soon as the dog went in, Robin knew she wasn't going to make this easy. She soaked her.

The shampoo was the hardest part because the dog kept barking. "Sh!" She pushed her fingers to her lips and the dog would quiet down for a second. Then she was washing off all the shampoo and the dog howled, long and musically.

A knock came on the door. "Robin, are you okay?"

"I'm just taking a bath." Robin yelled.

"At 3am?" Her mother asked.

"Cramps. Unbearable." She faked a small howl and the dog joined her. She didn't mean for that to happen. She laughed.

"Robin, are you with someone? Is Steve in there?"

"WHAT?? MOM!!" She genuinely didn't know if she should let her mom believe Steve is in here or just tell her she had a dog. "Steve isn't my boyfriend. We're friends."

The dog shook off and soaked Robin. She grabbed a towel and carried her out. She swam through the air when Robin lifted her and Robin was laughing again.

"Okay Robin, use protection. Good night." Her mom walked away.

After a safe wait time and Robin could tell there was no one behind the door, she left the dog in the bathroom while she checked the coast was clear.

"Okay, come on." She stuck her head in and she ran out.

The dog started shoving her face into the clothes on her floor to dry off, making snorting noises. Robin just watched. She changed into a pair of pj shorts and a long shirt and then sat into bed.

The dog jumped up and looked at her, then bent her head and legs and put her butt in the air, looking at Robin expectedly.

"What do you want?" She asked, amused.

Suddenly, the dog ran around the bed, snorting and speedy, almost falling off but turning just before. Robin burst out laughing.

"What! You are crazy!" The dog looked at her, tongue sticking out and happy.

"What should I call you girl?" The dog sat down in front of her and it's as if she psychically told her her name. "Rover?" Her tail wagged a bit.

"Rover it is!" She pet the dog and gave her tummy scratches. She was surprised how clean she was considering she'd come out of nowhere.

"Who's my little life saver?" She said in a doggie voice. "Yes you are, yes you are!"

Her phone rang. "Hello?"

"You're awake!" The person on the other line said.

"Vickie?" She asked.

"Robin." Vickie answered.

"How did you get my number?" Robin was genuinely confused.

"Steve told me earlier when I asked and it's very easy to remember." To be fair, her number did contain only 2s and 7s.

"Why are you awake?" Robin asked.

"Same reason as you." Vickie stated.

Robin leaned over to Rover, far from the phone and whispered, "She must be cleaning Saxo," in the puppy voice.

"No way?" Robin announced.

"Yea, I just can't stop thinking about it. That kiss was magical." Vickie sounded all dreamy. "I had to hear your voice."

"Fuck! I hadn't thought of the kiss all night." Robin thought.

"Oh yea, me too!" She laid down in bed and Rover crawled under her arm. "I wish you were here." Robin lied, she liked her room to be her own space. People could come in, but then they must leave. Rover was part of the room now so she could stay.

She left the phone near her ear and Vickie started talked. Robin said yes and no whenever it was needed but soon she fell asleep and all Vickie heard were snores.

Robin woke up at 5am because there was a loud snore noise. Vickie had stayed on the phone and fallen asleep too. Robin hung up so she wouldn't use up the phone bill.

...

At 11, Rover was pawing her face. It took a second for Robin to register what was going on. "Oh, hey girl." She scratched Rover's ear. Then Rover started crying.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Robin asked sitting up. "Do you need to pee?" She pulled on a pair of shorts and threw a hoodie over her pyjama top. Her head was banging.

She opened her window and climbed out. Rover followed. She left it open.

The neighbourhood was very quiet and robbery wasn't common at all so she figured that her window being open could just be the new normal.

In the grass, Rover peed and then began sniffing around. It hit Robin like a wave. "You must be starving!"

She grabbed her shoes and headphones through the window. She started walking into town and Rover followed, as expected.

The walk took about 40 minutes. "I'm sorry girl. Please don't die of hunger, this is my first time being a mom."

Robin walked into Melvald's General store. "We don't usually allow dogs." Joyce said. "Oh Robin!"

"Do you have dog food?" She asked.

"Follow me."

Robin grabbed a dog bowl and a bag of food, treats and toys and small bed. She told Joyce all the shenanigans her and Rover had gotten up to in their last 10 hours together.

"I'll give you a discount. Thats $20 dollars." Joyce chirped.

Robin's tummy rumbled cartoonishly loud. "I'll watch Rover, go over to the cafe and get yourself a croissant or something. Can you get me a tea?"

Robin nodded gratefully.

When she got back, Joyce had set Rover's bed up on the til and poured some water in one bowl and food in the other. She ate it greedily.

"Here!" Robin handed Joyce her tea, feeling a thousand times chirpier now that she had coffee in her system.

Joyce tapped the til and she jumped up next to Rover. "So, how was the date last night?" Joyce asked.

"Oh me and Steve are just friends." Robin wiped croissant flakes off her mouth with her sleeve.

"No, with you and Vickie?" Joyce corrected.

Robin choked on the flakes of the croissant and Joyce tapped her back to stop the coughing and she looked up at her to look out for any signs whether this was an attack.

"Robin, it's okay. I think Will is gay too. I have no problem with it." Joyce placed a comforting hand on Robin's leg. Robin couldn't help the nerves that overflowed her system. 1. She was talking to someone about being gay and 2. She kinda had a very small, secret crush on Joyce who was now holding her leg.

She tried to ease. "We... kissed actually. Then she called me when I got home and she spoke for a while."

Joyce laughed. "Wow, all that after a first date. That's amazing. Do you like her?"

"I've had a crush on her since forever." Robin admitted, it felt odd telling someone other than Steve about all this.

"You deserve a happy, loving relationship, Robin. You've been through so much." Robin had the sudden urge to cry but it went away quickly.

"Do you wanna talk about Will?" Robin asked.

"Oh, he's in love with Mike." Joyce said casually.

"Oh no..." Was all Robin could say. "Does Hopper know?" She said after a while.

"No, I can't really tell him if my son is in love with the boy his daughter is dating." Joyce told Robin.

"I suppose that's true."

They chatted for a while longer and then Joyce bagged up everything she could. Robin held the bags in one hand and the bed in the other. Rover followed.

After about 10 minutes, she put the bed on her head. It fit her like a huge hat. She walked along amused.

A bike almost hit her as she walked and Rover chased it. "Rover, no!" She yelled.

"Hey, can you control your- ROBIN!" It was Vickie. She looked mortified.

"Oh hey Vickie." Robin pulled the bed off her head and tried to look cool again.

"Robin, I'm so sorry. I have a terrible headache and a low temper today." Vickie tried to explain, her ears were already red with embarrassment.

"Tell me about it. That weed left me feeling awful."

"You still have the dog?"

"Her name's Rover."

"Where did she stay last night?" Vickie asked, afraid for the answer.

"My bed." Robin chirped.

"Is she not filthy?" Vickie exclaimed in genuine horror.

"I cleaned her, she's not an animal." Robin smirked. Vickie laughed.

They were still standing on the side of the road, Robin with a bag and bed in her arms and Vickie holding a bike.

"Will I take that?" She asked about the bag.

"What, no, a gentleman never makes a lady hold her things." Robin held them away.

"My bike has a basket Robin." Vickie chuckled.

"Oh, okay, yea." Robin dropped the bag in the basket and held the bed to her chest.

"Does this mean you're walking me home?"

"It sure does." Vickie looked around. The road was empty. She kissed Robin quickly.

"This is a lovely surprise." She said.

Rover jumped through Robin's bedroom window as if she'd lived here for years and knew what to do.

Robin followed and walked over to her bed. Then realised curtesy and helped Vickie through the window.

A knock came at her bedroom then. "Is Steve still here?" It was her mom. "Is that why you're climbing through windows?"

"Yes mom, we're naked, don't come in." Robin said monotonely. Vickie looked horrified.

"Steve, you should come out for breakfast." Robin's mom insisted.

"He's too shy." Robin said.

"He can tell me himself." Her mom said. Robin began to panic. Her mom can't come in right now. Her friend that's a girl that she kisses is in here with the dog her mom doesn't know she has.

"I'm too shy and tired. Maybe another time?" Vickie said, bringing her voice down an octave. Robin looked over at her, mouth agape.

"No way." She mouthed.

"Okay, you two have fun. Wear protection. If you get my Robin pregnant, you're paying for the baby."

"Yes ma'am." Vickie pretended again.

They heard her mom walk away.

"I promise if I make you pregnant, I'll help support you and the baby." Vickie joked, putting a fist to her heart.

The both fell on the bed in fits of giggles.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

A knock came from her bedroom door and it opened. Her mom only knocked when she knew how fragile she was.

"I brought you up some pancakes and syrup." Her voice was calm and nurturing.

"Thanks Mom." Her voice was no louder than a whisper. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Her Mom left the plate on the corner of her bed, then planted a kiss on her daughters forehead. "Just so you know, the boys are here. Will too!" Then she left.

Nancy went from sitting, to lying in bed. The statement lead to more crying. The Mind Flayer had connected himself to two people, Vecna and Will.

When El killed it and closed the gate for good, Vecna died but Will fought for his life. Dr Owen fought for it too. It worked. Will lived. It was so close though. Too close. It was all over now.

The relief washed over Nancy like a wave. It was all over. For some reason, the realisation only came to her today. The party yesterday was because it was all over.

No more Vecna, no more unexpected flickering lights. No more killings or government drones hovering too close to Nancy and everyone she loved. The cries came but they were cries of relief.

"It's all over. I can be normal again." Nancy said to herself. She laid on her back again for a long time.

"Do I even know how to be normal?" She asked her room, her voice cracking as she said it.

"A normal person would eat these pancakes." Nancy sat up now. She ate one of the pancakes with a struggle. It was too rich for the amount of alcohol that had been in her system.

Thinking of alcohol brought Nancy right back to the party. "A normal person would apologise. No matter how pathetic it is."

It'll be fine for Steve because he remembers. He leaned in for that kiss too, the curiosity was there for both of them, a kiss they both would've wanted had it been the right time and place but the feelings had long gone.

But Robin didn't remember a thing. The weed of convenience and guilt, that's what she had eaten. She didn't remember the kiss. Steve said he liked someone, what if it was Robin. As far as Nancy knew, Robin wasn't even gay and she didn't have many more friends so she didn't know that girls kissed when they were drunk. Her and Barb had once. Robin probably liked Steve back.

And Robin might just drop her once she told her. She had Vickie now, she didn't need Nancy. "Ughhhhh." Nancy groaned, shoving her hand into her face. "I don't like Vickie. I hate Vickie. Why would she say that to me in front of Jonathan? Robin had already told her my secrets, they were probably best friends. Not cool Robin. What I did was so much not cooler."

She didn't even want to think about Jonathan yet. He had broken up with her. But she was going to break up with him so she supposed...

"I'm going to call Steve." She picked up her phone and dialled his number. He picked up after five rings.

"Hello, Harrington residence." His mother must've trained that into him when he was young. Nancy remembers he would do this when she was dating him too. She couldn't believe he still hadn't grown out of it yet.

"Steve, you still haven't gotten a phone in your room?" Nancy chuckled.

"Nance! Phone bills." She could hear his smile through the phone.

"You're family is rich!" She yelled back, smiling also.

"Yea, well I'm not." The two of them laughed for a second, it felt nice.

"I imagine you didn't call to discuss my phone plan." Steve asked. Then Nancy heard his mother in the background.

"Tell them we want the fancy new phone, this one keeps turning off and breaking the electricity." Nancy could hear her and, if she remembered correctly, she should be in Steve's living room.

"Mom, I'm talking to my friend!" He shouted back.

"About phones and bills. You've finally grown up."

Nancy laughed.

"Sorry Nance, what's up?" She went back to serious.

"I just wanted to apologise. For yesterday. That was so out of line." Her voice cracked in the middle of the apology too.

"Oh Nance, don't beat yourself up over it. If it's any consolation, I was wondering if I still liked you and now I know I don't." Steve was whispering so his mom wouldn't hear.

"Ouch." Nancy laughed, but it did kind of hurt even though she knew she deserved it.

"I know you're going through a rough time with Jonathan and stuff. If you need a friend, I'm here." Steve had a nurturing voice, one he'd mastered after many years of babysitting.

"Thanks Steve. That means a lot." She hung up.

...

She'd sat for a while to think about all that had happened but now it was Robin's turn. She had to look through her list for Robin's number, she didn't quite know it off by heart yet.

Robin picked up after two rings. "Robin, hey."

"Oh, hi Nance." Nancy was positive she'd picked up the nickname off Steve.

"Hey, I know you said you'd been looking forward to the day after vecna so you could like, rot in bed or something, but do you wanna meet up today?" Nancy asked. It was probably better if she told Robin in person.

"Oh sure Nancy, what time and where?" Robin asked. Then Nancy heard another voice on the other end of the line. "Wait, cover the phone." The person said.

Nancy had seen Robin on a phonecall before. She'd covered the phone on the wrong end, the area where you listen. She was very booksmart but quite stupid too. Nancy couldn't help but smile.

"I was thinking, you and I could maybe hang out today?" It was Vickie.

"Oh but I'm going to meet Nancy." Robin explained. She was very matter of fact.

Robin had a social battery, Nancy had noticed this. After a certain amount of time, Robin became an honesty machine but she was still a bit of a pushover.

Steve had explained to Nancy that when Robin was tired, she'd agree to almost anything. Steve had even shown Nancy.

~~~

It was after a long day at the video store and the four of them were out for late night burgers.

It was one of their first times hanging out together since killing vecna the first time. She swore Eddie was giddy from it.

"Robin, I was in the bathroom and it's kinda messy. Do you mind going to clean it?" He'd asked her.

"Like, right now?" She'd asked back.

"Yea, the mop is outside the bathroom. Just ask one of the employees for water."

"Oh okay." Then Robin had gotten up, her face pretty blank. Steve had grabber her hand to pull her back on the chair.

"Robin, I was just messing with you, sit down and relax." Steve had said.

"Oh, okay." Robin's head fell down into her arms and she'd closed her eyes.

~~~

It was a fond memory, Nancy's heart had swollen up just remembering it.

"But could me and you not hang out, please?" Vickie asked.

"Oh, okay." Robin had said.

"Do you wanna tell Nancy you're busy?" Vickie asked, voice smooth.

"Nancy, I can't today. Vickie wants me to hang out with her instead." Robin explained, face close to the phone again.

"Now she's gonna think I'm controlling you." Vickie gasped very quietly but Nancy heard.

"Uhm, I want to hang out with Vickie because she's in my room right now."

"Now she's gonna think something is up-"
Vickie said something at the end of the sentence that Nancy didn't catch.

"Me and Vickie are platonic."

"Okay, Robin, that's fine. You don't need to explain yourself just so you know. You can just say no." Nancy hoped Robin would pick up that if she wants a day off, she could say no to hanging out with Vickie as well.

"Oh, okay. Thank you Nancy. Bye." Robin hung up.

What a strange relationship. Vickie was definitely controlling. Nancy didn't like her at all. She made a note to talk to Steve about Vickie.

...

Nancy must have fallen asleep because the front door slammed closed and woke her up. Something told her she should run downstairs. Half way down, she met Jonathan's gaze. Will was beside him, more full of life than Nancy had seen him in weeks.

The last light of the sun poured in the windows. She must've slept for hours. "Jonathan..." It was all she could say.

He looked upset. "Nancy." It was pained.

"Can I talk...?" She risked.

"Do you mind waiting here, Bud?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm 16, I can cycle home if you want."

"You know Mom would kill me if I let you do that. I'll only be a minute." Nancy was happy that he was going to hear her out. Will ran back to the basement.

...

In Nancy's room, Jonathan sat on the bed with her. "I... I know you broke up with me, but I feel like we ended things... really badly?" She was stuttering through every sentence.

"I was high, you were drunk. It was rough." Jonathan risked a small laugh and Nancy smiled.

"I... don't think we should get back together because, well, long distance will not help any of this. I know Argyle is going to California soon and you'll be following him in September but..." She didn't really know what else to say.

"We can still be friends?" Jonathan finished.

"Yes." Nancy tried to keep her eyes dry but a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Nancy, I don't think I could live without you. I think we're soulmates whether we're together or not. Or, at least... trauma bonded." They lifted up their hands to show off the matching scars on their palms.

They hugged. "I love you." Nancy mumbled into Jonathan's shoulder. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I love you too, I don't know what I'll do without you." They stayed like that for a while.

When they separated, they both stared at the ground, taking in the new calm. "Hey, Mike said you could throw Argyle's going away party in the basement."

"Oh don't worry, I told Argyle it wasn't happening and he was cool with it."

"No, do it. I think it would be really nice. I mean, if you're okay with it."

"I'd love to, but, are you sure?" He doubted.

"I feel... like shit Jonathan. Everything has caught up with me. The last couple of years seemed to all hit me today." She admitted.

Jonathan stayed quiet.

"Anything as a distraction is absolutely welcomed. I'd love to throw a party for you guys. It would make me feel a lot better. I'll invite the others. It won't be huge but it'll be nice." Nancy finished, already planning what she needed.

"If you're sure Nancy, it'll be amazing!"

"You bring drinks and other party stuff, be here at seven tomorrow. I'll tell Eddie to bring music and things, Steve can bring Robin and I'll get my dumb brother to clean the place. It's probably nasty since they were down there all day." Nancy joked and they both laughed.

After Jonathan left, Nancy felt a surge of relief. Two of the bigger things on her mind were dealt with. She fell asleep and dreamed of the party. Steve and Eddie in one corner, Jonathan and Argyle in the other. She and Robin were on the couch. Music played and they were all happy.

Then Vecna came. Robin lifted in the air. "Nancy, she needs you!" Steve yelled.

"She needs music!" Nancy corrected in a panic.

"No, she needs you!" Steve said again.

She woke in a cold sweat, thankful to be woken before she was Robin snap and crack in the air.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Robin woke up with the phone beside her, Vickie's snoring coming from it. "Shit, my parents will kill me when they see the phone bill." Robin hung it up.

She was exhausted. She opened the window for Rover to jump out and pee. She poured her some fresh food and water. Then she sat back in bed and put on headphones. Rover lay on Robin's tummy and she smiled and closed her eyes. It was 11am and the crisp late summer air poured in the window.

"Rover, this is the plan today. There is work tomorrow but today we lie back and relax."

Just then the phone rang and her heart dropped. "Vickie..." She answered, sounding more down than she meant to.

"No, Nancy." Her voice came from the phone.

"Hey Nance!" She perked up and the dog looked over.

"I'm having a party tonight to say goodbye to Argyle. I get it if you're wiped but I just thought I'd invite you anyway." Nancy said as if she was reading her mind.

Robin was going to say no until she heard Nancy understand her.

"I'll be there! What time? You want me to bring anything?" Robin asked.

"Just your wonderful self," Nancy said and Robin felt her stomach flip. Even Rover seemed to feel it, she looked over, head to the side. "It's at seven."

Robin put her head back again. That's ample time to do nothing. She put her headphones back again and listened to music.

After a while, she felt bad and antsy so she put on a language tape and cleaned her room. Rover watched from the bed as Robin picked up socks and threw away paper.

Eventually she found a notebook and opened it.

"Today, me and Steve and two of his children were stuck in a Russian base. I was drugged, the children saved us, I'm not writing about this as I feel like I will throw up if I do."

She read on.

"I met Steve's ex, Nancy. I get why he talks about her so much, she's a badass. We didn't get to talk much but I hope we will."

Robin skipped in a couple of pages.

"Nancy visited Steve in work today. We didn't talk much at all but it was cool to see them being so civil. I think she thinks I'm weird."

She put away the notebook then and continued to sit at her bookshelf. She found the diary she finished a month ago and opened it.

"Nancy is really cool! I think we're becoming friends. We hung out all day. I do still think she thinks I'm weird but it's nice to talk to a girl my age. If it wasn't against the bro-code, I think I'd totally have a crush on Nancy. How couldn't I?" She laughed at what she had written.

Just then, a face appeared at her window and she screamed. "Hey, I was cycling by and wondered if you wanted to get coffee!?" It was Vickie. She climbed in and threw herself at Robin for a hug. "I'm sorry if I scared you." Vickie laughed.

Robin was still in her pj's, a long top and socks. She was super aware how much of her legs were showing.

"What are you reading?" Vickie looked down at the diary entry Robin had just read.

Robin slammed it closed and shoved it under her bed.

"Let's go for coffee, I'll get dressed first." Robin ran around and grabbed random clothes off the bed and ran to the bedroom door to get changed in the bathroom. "I thought this shirt was so much longer..." Robin complained in her head.

As she grabbed the door handle, Vickie got her attention again. "You look really pretty in pyjamas." Robin faked a smile and ran out the door.

In the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel icky. "God, having a girlfriend is a lot more work than I thought. I wish I could talk to Steve about this." Robin said to herself in the mirror.

She changed and her clothes were mismatched. She groaned and reentered her room.

Vickie looked spooked. "Robin, I'll be honest, I was gonna snoop through that diary but Rover snapped and growled at me."

Robin looked shocked. "Can we leave her here?" Vickie asked.

"Not really, my parents don't know I have her."

They cycled to the centre, Rover following close to Robin's bike enjoying the run.

They sat outside at the cafe. Robin was enjoying a buttery croissant and a coffee while Rover slurped water next to her.

Vickie had gotten peppermint tea. "So, we've been on three dates." Vickie said.

"Wow," Robin said and then focused right back in on her food.

"I think it's time we decide. I really like you Robin. Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

She almost spat out her coffee. Was it not way too soon? Robin wasn't sure, she'd been sleeping weird for weeks, she was exhausted. She hadn't talked to Steve. She needed to talk to Steve.

"Robin?" Vickie asked, her face soothing. It was the Vickie she'd had a crush on forever.

"Yes." Robin said. Vickie's face looked pinched. Robin realised she needed to say more. "More than anything, yes." Vickie beamed at her.

"Wow, I can't believe you're my girlfriend, this is amazing." Vickie grabbed her hand across the table.

Robin looked around to make sure no one she knew was here. She saw Joyce across the road working. They made eye contact. She winked. Robin felt an odd sense of shame.

She waited until Vickie let go so she could continue her breakfast.

After breakfast, the two of them went on a walk. Reading Robin like a book, Rover stayed between the two of them so that hand holding would lead to tripping over a dog.

Their bikes were parked outside of Melvalds. As they were unlocking them, Nancy walked out with a bag by her side.

"Nancy!" Robin exclaimed, smiling.

"Robin!" She exclaimed back. "Oh, hello Vickie."

"Nancy." Vickie said coldly.

Robin could feel the tension between them. Then she remembered what Vickie had yelled at her.

"We're just heading back to my house. Are those supplies for the party?" Robin asked, pointing at Nancy's bag.

"What party?" Vickie asked.

"Jonathan is throwing a party in the basement for Argyle." Nancy explained.

"Wait, Jonathan..." Robin said, wishing she could unsay it.

"Uhm yea, we had a talk yesterday and sorted things out." Nancy said.

"Does he know about Steve?" Vickie asked. Nancy looked at her as if she was admiring her boldness.

"He doesn't but it wouldn't matter to him anyways, we're still broken up." Nancy spat.

Robin hated this. She just wanted to sleep. Or die under a rock. The distance between the three of them was awkward.

"Nancy, my house is on the way to your house. I can take that bag if you want." Robin offered, breaking the silence.

"I was actually just heading home anyways." Nancy said.

"Walking?" Vickie asked. Nancy nodded. "How did you get here?" Vickie asked, a checkmate look on her face.

"My mom dropped me off, weather is nice, just figured I'd walk home." Nancy grumbled.

Robin could not hate this more.

"Do you want a lift?" Robin asked, slapping the seat of her bike. "I'm sure Vickie can take your bag in her basket."

Nancy smiled, Robin had accidentally given her the checkmate. "Thank you Vickie." Nancy grinned.

Robin got on her bike and gestured for Nancy to hop on too. Nancy held onto the bottom of the seat and Robin took off.

The speed caused her to almost fall off and instinctually, she wrapped her arms around Robin's waist.

"I'm sorry, do you mind?" She asked, she could smell Robin's hair. It smelt like the summer before anything bad happened and lemons.

"Whatever helps you stay on Nancypants." Robin stated.

Vickie cycled behind the two of them.

Robin felt a drop on her cheek. "Oh no." She mumbled. "Guys, I think it's gonna rain!"

As if on cue, bulbous drops of water started splashing down on them. "My house is over this hill!" Robin yelled through the rain. "You wanna come in and wait out this downpour?"

Nancy was going to say no for Vickie's sake but she had no jacket and was already feeling the cold.

...

The three of them ran to the open window, following Rover as she jumped in. As soon as they were inside, Rover shook off.

Vickie was wearing a jacket but Nancy looked freezing. "Nancy, why didn't you bring a jacket if you knew you were walking home?" Vickie asked.

"Because someone," She said all singsongy, "has my favourite Summer jacket."

"Sorry, its in the wash." Robin lied. "It was all sweaty and gross."

"I don't mind. I'd love if it smelt all Robiny." Nancy said offhandedly.

Robin felt her stomach flip again and Vickie looked plain mad.

"You guys look freezing, you wanna borrow a change of clothes?" Robin asked when she learned how to talk again.

Nancy nodded. Vickie would be lying if sge said she needed new clothes because she was wearing a huge raincoat and boots, Nancy and Robin were soaked though. She handed Nancy a whole new change of clothes.

Vickie had sat down on the bed to show Nancy she knew this place better than she did and she had made the bed wet with her jacket. Robin wished everyone would get out of her room.

"Vickie, you can dry out you coat and hair in the bathroom. There should be a hairdryer in there." she didn't want her snooping again. She looked betrayed. "Because you know where it is." That seemed to make her happy enough.

"I'll change in my mom's room and you can stay here Nance?"

Robin changed quick so she'd have the most control she could in her house. She walked back to her room, the bathroom door was still closed. She knocked on her bedroom. "Two seconds." Nancy yelled.

"Sorry." Robin stood against the wall.

"Okay... come in." Robin opened the door. Nancy stood holding up the pants. "My dress is dripping and your pants are too big."

She looked silly. Robin admired the scruffy hair sticking to her face and one of her faded Fleetwood mac shirts hanging on Nancy. It was a completely new look for her. The room was covered in wet foot prints from Nancy and Rover.

"Belt." Robin said like it was a eureka moment. She grabbed one from the closet and handed it to Nancy and watched expectedly. She looked up at her.

"Turn around you perv." Nancy said with a smile. "I don't want these things falling down and you catching a glimpse of my lanky legs."

Robin turned. "Okay." Nancy said. "What do you think?" Robin turned around.

"You look adorable." Robin told her. Her cheeks went red. A quick shiver ran down Nancy's body.

"You're still cold." Robin grabbed a clean towel and fluffy socks. "Here."

"I feel like I'm dressing up as you." Nancy confessed.

"You are. In my sweaty clothes which you apparently like the smell of." Robin teased. Nancy threw a pillow at her.

Robin lay in bed and switched on her record player. Fleetwood Mac again. Nancy must think she's crazy. It's better than a tape on learning Russian.

"You really like Stevie Nicks, huh?" Nancy asked as she hopped around the room trying to change her sock.

"Nancy, you're dry, sit down." Robin was relieved by the nice turn of pace from Vickie.

She noticed another shiver. She picked up her big, grey, bull jacket and put it over Nancy's shoulders. "Better." She asked.

"A lot better thanks." Nancy went quiet a moment. "Mmm, Robin smell." She said jokingly.

"Shut up!" Robin threw one of her teddy bears at her.

"You're room is really cool." Nancy said, getting off the bed to look around. She was doing a repeat of what Robin had done the first time in her room.

She opened a little box of rings. "This one is so pretty." Nancy said, examining a golden ring.

"Which one?" Nancy handed it to her. The diamond on top was it's feature, she didn't know if it was real but it was very small.

"Oh yea, I found it on the floor of the mall and no one came to get it so I just took it home. I would never in a million years wear it myself." She sat up and leaned over to Nancy.

"So you can have it." Robin reached out, holding the ring.

Nancy cupped her mouth with her hands. "Are you sure? I think that's real diamond."

"Take it, it's just rotting here anyway. You'll wear it, it matches your complexion." Just then, Vickie walked in without knocking.

Robin had to laugh at how much it looked like a proposal. "I'm not proposing to her, I promise." Robin announced. Nancy blushed and Vickie looked astonished.

"Here." She dropped the ring in Nancy's hand and she put it on.

"Well, it looks like she said yes." Vickie half grumbled, half laughed. She hopped on the bed, offending Rover's personal space and leaning very close to Robin.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy was flustered by the interaction but she wore the ring. She felt like she was in a fight with Vickie over who could be Robin's best friend.

As if to prove a point, Vickie lay her head on Robin's shoulder. To say Robin looked uncomfortable by this would be an understatement. "I think I'm winning this battle Vickie. Friends like there personal space." Nancy announced victoriously in her head.

The rain was easing. Nancy walked over to her salmon coloured, slip on heels. They did not suit the outfit at all and they were so wet. "Oh Nance. Hold on Vickie." She scooted off the bed.

She went on her knees by the closet and pulled out an old, barely worn pair of Converse covered in little cherries. "I used to wear these but I grew out of them, they should be your size."

Nancy tried them out and they fit like a glove. Robin laughed. "We're like some kind of weird sneaker cinderella. Keep those, I don't need them."

"Another win in the friendship department." Nancy thought. "Thanks Robin." She stuck out her hand for a highfive for some explicable reason. Robin highfived her but looked confused.

She turned to Vickie who looked like a sore loser on the bed. Nancy felt bad. "Do you want to come to the party tonight Vick? You and Robin could help set up." Vickie nodded with a smile. The rain had stopped.

"Let's go, Vick." Robin imitated the nickname, Nancy thought about how she probably hadn't even noticed she'd done that. Robin stuck out her hand for Vickie to grab and Vickie looked happy. They climbed out the window to the bikes holding hands.

"How odd?" Nancy thought.

"Right Nance, Hop on." Nancy wrapped her arms around Robin again as they road the bikes to her house.

Nancy couldn't explain why she felt so nice hugging Robin so tightly around the waist. Every now and then, she would squeeze a little harder and Robin would look back at her and smile.

Robin's jacket was nice and big like a boyfriend hoodie and the ring was on her finger. "This is what it'll be like if I get married." She thought and grinned to herself.

As the bikes rode in, Steve drove past with Eddie. "Hold on, what time is it?" Nancy asked Robin over her shoulder.

"It's only half six, don't worry, we're early."

"What! I told you to come on time and i have to get the place ready!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Hey, many hands make light work. We'll have it done in no time." Robin reassured.

Nancy gave one last squeeze. It was so nice to have a best friend again.

The ran in the back door.

"Guys, we have a lot to do!" Robin announced as the burst through the door. Steve and Eddie were still outside and Vickie and Nancy were behind her so she only really announced this to Will and Mike who were sitting on the couch playing games.

Mike pointed at himself and raised an eyebrow. Nancy laughed, Robin looked embarrassed.

"Yes, you two! Get to work!" Robin tried to save the interaction.

"Will is only out of hospital." Mike defended. Will put on a fake cough to show that he was sick.

"Okay, you, to work!" Robin pointed at Mike. "Clean this place, it smells like junk food and nerds. C'mon, pronto, your sister needs this place for a party!" She continued.

Mike groaned and started picking things off the floor. Will laid back on the couch.

"Thanks Robin." Nancy touched her back affectionately.

"Your the boss. What do you need us for?" Robin asked.

"Uhm, can you see if my mom needs help with snacks?" Nancy pointed upstairs.

"You're lucky, Vickie is like, a master pb and j maker." Robin grabbed Vickie's hand and pulled them upstairs.

Steve and Eddie walked in carrying bags of drinks and music.

"Is that Robin's girlfriend?" Will asked from the couch, eyes still closed and legs on the coffee table as if he was showing off to Mike.

Steve and Eddie tensed up. "No," Nancy laughed, "Robin isn't gay, trust me." She justified. Then she realised all the implications in that sentence.

Everyone looked at Nancy weird. "She's with Steve?" She tried to hide her ominous statement behind a dense lie.

Nancy knew Steve and Robin weren't together. She was pretty sure Steve liked Robin but it was unrequited.

"Steve and Eddie, can you set up music? I'm going to put up lights." Nancy pointed to the corner.

Steve walked over to Nancy. "So, uh, you're completely dressed up as Robin." He pointed. She looked down at the jacket and smiled.

"She gave me these shoes and look," Nancy lifted her hand, "She gave me this ring too."

Steve looked at her wide eyed. "When?"

"We got caught in this downpour and Robin took the two of us to hers. Me and Vickie. She gave me a change of clothes but Vickie was wearing a rain jacket so she was fine." Nancy told the story fondly.

"And when did Robin propose to you?" Steve asked.

"What? She just said the ring didn't suit her." Nancy was flustered.

"God, she is such a mess. She has a..." He looked at Nancy. "Can I go up and talk to Robin? I think Eddie can handle the music."

"Sure. You know your way around." Steve gave her a sarcastic smile and walked upstairs.

"How odd." Nancy thought and she unboxed the lights.

Setting everything up was a lot more work than she thought and she had to tell Mike to keep working every two minutes.

"If I clean this up, can me and Will have a beer?" He kept asking. Nancy would refuse, angrier every time he asked.

"I'll do your housework for two weeks." Nancy eventually said.

"A month."

"Fine." He tidied slightly faster after that.

...

Jonathan arrived with Argyle through the back door.

"Okay, thank you Mike. You and Will can go hang out upstairs." Nancy watched the two of them go. Since everything, Will and Mike had been spending a lot more time together. Mike had admitted to Nancy that it was because he realised he was being a shitty friend in California and now he's making up for it.

Steve and Robin were still somewhere but Vickie was down here talking to Eddie. It looked like they were in a heated debate about music.

Nancy decided to go look for the missing party members. She found them hanging out in her room.

"You guys have made yourselves at home." They were standing near Nancy's chest of drawers trying not to touch it. They looked incredibly out of place.

"Sorry Nance- Nancy." Robin said. She looked at her for a moment and then ran downstairs.

"Uhm, is she okay?" Nancy asked Steve, watching the doorway Robin just ran through.

"Are you going to change, I can leave." Steve walked toward the door.

"No, this is comfy, let's go back to the party." Nancy said happily.

"Okay. Just, try and be civil around Vickie. I think she's jealous of you and Robin." Steve explained.

"What's there to be jealous of? Vickie seems like she's a better friend to Robin than I am anyway." Nancy growled, hearing her tone, she calmed.

"Actually, Nancy, before we go down, Robin told me it was okay to tell you but Vickie and Robin are-"

"Nancy, take these down to the party." Her mother handed her three plates of sandwiches.

"Oh, mom," She said, trying to balance all the plates before Steve took two of them, "this is plenty, you just rest for the night." She gave her a grateful smile.

They started walking down the stairs. "But, Nancy, I should really finish telling you this before-" Steve was cut off again by Argyle.

"Are those sandwiches?" He asked enthusiastically. Nancy walked over to him and Jonathan and greeted them.

"I should make an effort to get to know Argyle before he leaves. He means so much to Jonathan." Nancy made a mental note in her head. "Afterwards, I'll go talk to Robin and find out why she's acting weird." The mental checklist of the night.

Music and lights made the musty basement feel like what Nancy imagined an actual college party to look like. She looked over at Eddie sitting with Vickie and Robin. She noticed Robin look expectedly at Steve and Steve shook his head and Robin looked disappointed. She opened a can and drank.

"Ladies, I've got vodka!" Eddie announced. Vickie squeeled with delight. Nancy sat next to Argyle and he lit a joint.

"You mind if I do this here?" Argyle asked politely. Nancy opened the door behind them and the window above.

"Go ahead." She said, meaning it. Jonathan looked self conscious about taking a joint himself after his and Nancy's argument before.

Nancy took a puff of Argyle's joint after asking. She coughed after the first huff then handed it to Jonathan. He looked relieved.

They chatted for a while, every now and then Nancy would take a hit. Her aim was, try and take one hit without coughing. She kept looking over at Robin, she couldn't help but wonder why she was acting so weird.

Robin had relaxed now, she must've been on her second vodka and coke. She sat back on the couch, her arms outstretched on the top of the sofa holding a drink in one hand while the other wrapped around Vickie. Her head tipped back in raspy laughter at something Vickie said.

Nancy hadn't noticed the natural muscle of Robin's arms before, curving with the light of the lamp by her side. Nancy was enamoured with the scene for some reason.

"Nance?" Jonathan got her attention. They talked about something, Nancy couldn't pay attention because she kept getting distracted by Robin.

Vickie rested her head on Robin's shoulder. She took a drink of the coke, vodka coke presumably. She looked so masculine, Nancy couldn't look away. Her cheeks were pink from being drunk.

Vickie looked up to say something and Robin leaned in, their faces were so close together, it made Nancy blush, all she could think of was her kiss with Robin.

She didn't even look like Steve right now. She didn't even like Steve anymore. Did that mean-

"Nancy!" Jonathan called.

"What? Sorry!" She defended.

"Are you okay, you look preoccupied." Jonathan placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"It's just, I think Robin's mad at me and I don't know what I did." Then she thought, what if Robin remembered their kiss and was mad that Nancy hadn't told her.

"Oh yea, why are you wearing all her clothes anyway?" Jonathan asked.

"Got caught in a storm." She pulled Robin's jacket tighter around herself. The smell filled her brain and a fuzzy feeling washed over her.

Robin wasn't like anyone else she knew. Nancy was realising that now.

"You're like, fully decked out in Robin attire man." Argyle said, holding up the jacket by the cuff.

"You don't even know Robin?" Nancy accused.

"I know her well enough. I know she's Stevie boys bestie, I know she likes Fleetwood Mac because duh," he pointed at the shirt Nancy was wearing, "and I know with her girlfriend is sitting right there, I would be quick to change into my own clothes man."

"Why do people keep saying she's her girlfriend?" Nancy asked. She looked over and felt like she was falling.

Her face felt transparent and her stomach was hollow. Robin was making out with Vickie. And Steve and Eddie weren't watching, they were talking to each other so it wasn't an act. Robin was kissing Vickie because she wanted to. Vickie was kissing her back. The passion wasn't friendship either, they wanted each other.

"Oh." Was all Nancy could say. She was very aware of the Robin smell coming from the entire Robin outfit she was wearing. It felt like she was wearing nothing, in a room with all her friends and she looked like an absolute fool.

All the pieces joined together, Vickie was jealous because she and Robin were a thing and Nancy was probably invading on a date earlier. Everyone knew but her. She felt like crying, why hadn't anyone told her?

How had she not seen it? She felt like she might throw up actually. It felt like a gut punch.

"Excuse me, I need to go to.. uhm, the bathroom." Nancy walked way quicker than she should've if she didn't want to draw people's attention to her.

She ran upstairs and threw Robin's jacket on the floor and pulled off the shoes and the pants and stood in her room. The ring and the shirt were still on her. She thought she was going to cry or scream. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" She screamed into her pillow.

She crawled under the sheets of her bed, still wearing Robin's shirt and the kiss kept replaying in her head. Vickie and Robin, Vickie and Robin, Vickie and Robin.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, she pulled the sheets up to her head. "Hello?" She felt out, her voice was eerily calm.

"Nance? Are you okay?" It was Steve. He put his foot in the door and Nancy nodded so he came over. "Can I sit down?" Another nod.

He watched her, she said nothing. "So, you've lost the jacket I see." He pointed out, she was still wearing the shirt. She pulled off the ring under the blanket and squeezed it in her palm.

"Yes." She blurted, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

"Nance, what's wrong?" Steve tried.

She sat there, her face growing more and more pinched by the second. Steve raised his eyebrows to emphasis the question.

"It's just, why didn't anyone tell me!?" She blurted out and pulled the sheets over her face and flopped down on the bed, making a dramatic show of herself.

"I was trying, but then-" He huffed.

"But then my mom interrupted..." Nancy sighed, revealing her eyes.

"I feel like such an idiot." She said, hiding herself again.

Steve didn't say anything. They stayed like that.

"Steve, are you still there?" She asked, just to break the silence, she could feel him on the bed.

"Yea, what were you actually trying to do?" He asked with a laugh.

"Well, you remember how Vickie was kinda a bitch at the party?"

"You did run into the woods flirting with her girlfriend. I remember."

Nancy stiffened. "I wasn't flirting with Robin." He waited. She sat up again. "Well, Robin is the first friend I've had since... since Barb." She sighed.

Steve's humour face dropped and his sympathy babysitter face came on.

"Oh, get rid of that!" Nancy commanded. "It's sad, I get it."

He neutralised himself.

"Well, I was trying to outdo Vickies friendship and prove to Robin that I was a better friend than her." Nancy admitted, pouting and looking away.

"Woah, Robin is gonna freak when she finds out you were competing for her friendship." Steve yelled.

"You are NEVER to tell her!" She yelled back and she was almost laughing.

"Oh Nance, that must've been shocking when Robin kissed Vickie huh?" He asked her, sympathy again.

"Tell me about it. My heart almost stopped beating and I was surrounded by Robin's huge clothes and her wonderful smell. I was like, 'my life is over.' Then I ran up here and screamed into a pillow."

"Thank goodness you didn't overreact."

"I thought at first they were just friends that kiss sometimes." Nancy remarked.

"Excuse me?" Steve looked astonished.

"Me and Barb used to." She remembered. They called it kissing lessons even though it only happened once. It was nice, Nancy felt awkward around Barb for a while after that so Barb asked that it wouldn't happen again and ruin their friendship.

"Oh." Steve said. "Wait til Robin hears that. Another boobie lover joins her squad."

"I'm not gay Steve!" Nancy said, realising she sounded a bit mean.

"I'll pretend you said that reasonably. I saw you holding onto Robin earlier on the bike. I was thinking the Vickie was probably holding in so much jealousy. I was up here lecturing Robin for it earlier."

"Oh god, poor Vickie. Yea, that bike ride was great. Robin is such a life saver. I think I'll barf if I see her kissing Vickie again. I couldn't keep my eyes off her earlier when I was talking to Jonathan. I thought she was mad at me but it must've been your talk. Did you notice how many muscles she has? She looks like a Greek statue!" The small dose of weed had turned her into an honesty machine.

Steve's face flipped. "Nancy, I hadn't."

"How? You work with her all the time?"

"Because I don't have a crush on her!"

Chapter Text

Robin
...

"Vickie," Robin said through drunken kisses. "I'm cold." She said.

"I don't have a jacket." Vickie went back to kissing.

"Do you mind if I go get my jacket off Nancy?" Robin asked.

"Please do!" Vickie agreed. She leaned in for one last kiss. After, Robin got up and and almost fell over, the alcohol had gone straight to her head.

"Woah, you okay Robbie?" Vickie asked.

"Don't worry, good lookin." Robin through finger guns to Vickie.

She ran up the stairs of the basement and walked as sophisticated as possible through the kitchen then up the stairs.

"-on her." Steve was saying something to Nancy as Robin ran to her open bedroom door.

"STEVE!" Robin yelled in delight. Nancy looked as pale as a ghost yet her cheeks and ears were red.

Robin ran over and threw herself at Steve. She accidentally over shot and flew into Nancy.

Her face was infront of Nancy's and her arms were holding her out from the wall, Nancy's head between them. Nancy's face flooded with red.

Robin's nose was essentially touching Nancy's. "Woah, deja vu!"

Robin felt someone tug on her shirt from behind. She fell into Steve.

"Rah, Steve! My buddy, my pal!" Robin sat between the two of them now.

"So, what are you guys talking about?" Robin asked.

"Robin, why are you here?" Steve asked.

"I need... something. From Nancy? I can't remember what..." She said, tapping her lip with her index finger.

"Maybe the ring you gave her." Steve said with a stern voice.

"Whatttt!? I would never take my wife's ring from her!" Robin said even more stern.

"Maybe you should give it to someone else!" Steve tried to help her along.

"I could never," Robin wrapped an arm around Nancy. "It belongs to her and her alone." She shook Nancy slightly as she said it.

"Robin give the ring to Vickie!" Steve was ready to pull his hair out.

"But I'm not ready for that level of commitment." Robin pouted and leaned into Nancy. Her cheek was pressed against Nancy's arm.

"Oh my god, Steve stop talking to her about the ring." Nancy screeched.

"Robin, go back down to Vickie." Steve pointed at the door.

Robin got up and started stamping out. "I'll let you two get back to whatever this is." She said, looking at them, all hand gestures.

Robin left the room slowly.

"So, if you do, that must've been hard." Steve said.

"It was so hard. Steve what, I definitely do. And on Robin. What the FU-" Nancy was saying but Robin ran downstairs.

"She's mad at me..." Robin said to herself. "She said, on me, like, she's mad and it's on me." Robin whispered to herself and she trudged down the stairs.

"Why is Nancy mad and its on me?" Robin thought. "What did I do." She flopped down on the couch next to Vickie.

"Where's the jacket?" She asked.

"SHI-"

...

Robin laid her head back on the couch happily. Vickie leaned against her and continued to chat with Eddie. She heard Nancy and Steve re-enter the room and looked up.

She put her head back again in dismay when she saw Nancy had changed into her own clothes. She wore her own sweater and pants, she'd even changed the shoes. Robin couldn't even see the ring on her finger.

She closed her eyes again. Steve and Nancy sat far away and they were talking very quietly, Robin couldn't hear a thing. She wished she could go over and join them but Vickie had her stuck here.

Robin slowly slipped into sleep. It's wasn't a deep sleep at all. Robin was so drunk she couldn't actually tell if she was asleep at all. She felt it when Vickie kissed her cheek. She felt paranoid at the eyes on her.

She thought about lying with Vickie beside the log, holding her hands. The paranoia had disappeared thanks to the weed. Then she remembered Nancy coming and the look on Vickie's face. The jealousy. Robin felt bad. She pulled Vickie in closer with her free hand.

"I thought you were asleep baby." Vickie planted a quick kiss on her hand that was around her.

All at once, Robin remembered the woods with Nancy. The kiss. Nancy had kissed her. Robin's first kiss ever hadn't been with Vickie, it had been with Nancy. She got up.

"I'm going bathroom." She told Vickie. She ran into the small bathroom in the basement and slammed the door. She splashed water on her face.

"Nancy and I kissed." She told herself in the mirror as if to see if it was true. She nodded at herself. "Yes, it happened. I remember now." The feeling. The guilt that Vickie was waiting for her and she was kissing Nancy.

She put down the seat of the toilet. "I didn't technically do anything wrong. Vickie and I weren't together at the time. We hadn't kissed yet." She told herself quietly, arguing the toss.

She hit herself in the head with her palm. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." She said.

"Counter argument, I didn't do anything wrong. Nancy kissed me. Not the other way around." She let herself think about that for a minute.

"Nancy KISSED me. Nancy kissed ME." Robin sat their, mouth agape. She thought of the kiss.

Nancy's lips were warm against Robin's cold lips. She didn't even lean into the kiss, she just let it happen but her mouth had opened slightly as if to take in Nancy. Her hands had landed on Robin's shoulders, one icy finger slipping onto her neck. It had moved as if Nancy were going to pull her in by the neck.

Robin felt a shiver down her spine at the thought. She had pulled away from the kiss. Nancy had tasted sweet despite all the beer she'd drank. Her lip gloss had left a taste on Robin's lips, one she had only tasted as she ran from Nancy.

A knock came on the door. "Robin, are you okay?" It was Steve.

"Are you getting sick?" He had asked.

"Yes, come in." Robin sat on the toilet and Steve crouched down in front of her.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I think I..." She stopped herself. She couldn't tell Steve about Nancy after what he'd been telling her earlier.

~~~

"Robin, you realise you're making Vickie jealous." He had said.

"How?" Robin had just been rolling with the situations she was in. She hadn't really meant to do anything. She thought she'd be alone but Vickie was over and then Nancy had ended up also coming over.

"You can't lend another girl an entire outfit in front of your girlfriend." Steve said, like it was obvious.

"Nancy was freezing and Vickie isn't..." Robin stated.

"I know it seems right but now that you've got this thing going on with Vickie. Whatever it is, I think you should always put her first, Nancy will live and she will understand." Steve explained.

It had seemed wrong to be having this conversation in Nancy's room while her and Vickie were just two floors down.

"You're right." Robin had said.

~~~

Before Robin knew it, she had burst into tears. "I'm so tired, Steve."

"Oh Robin..." He placed a hand on her shoulder but kept his distance. "Will I get Vickie?"

Robin's eyes flashed with alarm. "Please no." She didn't mean to sound so offended by the idea.

"Robin, are you two... okay?" Steve sat back against the wall of the bathroom.

Robin let a smile flash on her face remembering the last time her and Steve had opened up to each other in the bathroom. It was the day they officially became friends.

"It's just that, Vickie likes me. She likes to hang out with me." Robin admitted and it sounded so stupid when she heard it.

"Okay..."

"No, it's not just that. She just... she is always hanging out with me. Like, all of today and all of yesterday and the phone all night for two nights." Robin whispered.

"Oh. That's a lot. I'm sure she'll relax soon." He told her.

"Well, I feel bad," 10% of her feeling bad came from the fact that she didn't think about Vickie half as much as Vickie seemed to think about her, the other 90% was because she had kissed Nancy before she kissed Vickie, Vickie was right to be jealous.

"Because she thinks about me a lot. Well, she seems to, she tells me she does and I don't think about her at all. When I have the time to think anyways."

Steve chuckled. "Robin, her kissing you is probably the biggest thing that happened to her this week. Whereas, killing an otherworldly demon is the biggest thing you've done this week."

"Oh." Robin eased. That was true. She stopped crying and genuinely felt better.

"You okay now?" He asked.

"Uhm, kinda." Robin thought for a moment.

"She kissed me on the couch. I wasn't out to most of the people in this room." Robin's face fell between her legs.

"Yea I noticed. Well, I think it's okay. Eddie plays dnd which is more frowned upon than being gay and I know already and Jonathan and Argyle were probably too high to notice."

"Nancy..." Robin said to the floor.

"I was honestly surprised you hadn't told her. You two have been hanging out for months now."

"No, like a week." Robin said.

"You and Nancy have been friends for months Robin. We killed vecna for the first time a year ago. Nancy hung out with us so much since then."

Robin thought back. She was really only counting the time they'd been best friends which is when Nancy told Robin she was her best friend in the hospital a week ago.

"You two are such idiots." Steve said passively. "Vickie shouldn't be jealous, you don't even know you're Nancy Wheeler's best friend."

Steve stayed quiet. Robin sat with her legs pulled up to her chest and her head resting in them. Steve took no energy to hang out with. She had to put on an act with Vickie.

"You can just watch movies tomorrow, I'll do all the talking." Steve said after some time.

She lifted her head and offered a half smile. "Thanks."

"Come on, wash your face, let's go back out there." He stuck out his hand and offered it to her.

She threw water on her face and looked at the mascara which was now running.

"Steve." She said. "STEVE." More panicked now.

She turned around and he jumped back in fear, "Jesus, you look like a marionette."

He sighed. "I'm sure Nancy has make-up remover and more mascara. Time to make Vickie jealous again." Steve threw his hands up in the air in mock happiness.

Robin ran out the bathroom door and right up the stairs and waited by the basement door for Steve to send up Nancy.

"Boo." Robin jumped out from the door when Nancy appeared and she yelped.

"Robin, oh my god." Robin laughed and the two of them walked up to Nancy's room. "It would be one thing if you did that but you look like a crazy clown or something."

"You know you like it." Robin said accidentally, thinking of the kiss they shared a few days before. Nancy's cheeks went red.

In the bedroom, Nancy handed Robin some make up remover and wipes. She wiped frivolously and Nancy waited behind her awkwardly.

"Steve said to get down ASAP." She said after a few seconds.

"He's just worried I'll make Vickie jealous." Robin replied.

"Oh yea. You and Vickie. Is she your girlfriend." Nancy asked and Robin noticed how weird her voice was. She was obviously weirded out by Robin being gay.

"I'm... not sure?" They had talked about it and Robin had agreed that she was her girlfriend but it was odd.

"Do you like her?" Nancy asked then.

Robin wasn't sure what to say.

"Can I have the mascara?" She asked instead and Nancy handed it over. She didn't bring up Vickie again.

"Why would she kiss me if she's weirded out by me being gay?" Robin thought. Her hands were very shaky and it was making an awful mess of the mascara.

"Nance, would you mind doing this for me?" Robin asked instead. Nancy approached apprehensively.

Robin felt heartbroken. "Nancy is never going to see me the same way again." Robin thought sadly.

Nancy took the mascara from her and Robin couldn't help but feel her flinch when their hands touched. Robin noticed her clothes scattered around the floor of the room too, it all hurt.

Nancy leaned in, trying as hard as possible not to touch Robin as she put on the mascara. Another blow, it was all too much and too hard to hold in.

Once Nancy had finished both eyes without touching Robin a single time, she had to ask.

"Nance, are you weirded out? By me and Vickie?" She asked, a little aggressively.

Nancy went stiff then let out a breath. "No, Robin, it's not like that at all. I'm sorry you even thought that. I'm happy for you and Vickie." She placed a hand on Robin's shoulder.

To Robin's surprise, Nancy pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry." Robin leaned into the hug and squeezed Nancy then.

Just under Nancy's hair, Robin noticed a Fleetwood Mac tag poking through. "So, she changed but she is still wearing the shirt under her clothes?" She thought.

"Will we go back down?" Nancy asked.

...

When Robin sat down, Vickie didn't even acknowledge her. Robin sat back on her side of the couch and away from Vickie because she could.

Nancy sat near her on a separate seat and by coincidence, both of them looked to Steve as if to ask if the distance they were from each other was sufficient. He face palmed.

"So, you and Jonathan are really good then? I saw you two talking earlier." Robin started conversation with Nancy since Vickie seemed happy out talking to Eddie.

"Yea, we decided it would be a huge waste to loose each other as friends but a relationship was too much."

"That's very mature. I'm happy for you Nance."

Nancy smiled at her. "Thanks Robin."

Robin sent back an unintentional loving gaze.

"Have you noticed that tension between Will and Mike actually?" Nancy asked.

"I have oh my god. Poor El." Robin said.

"I wouldn't be so quick on the poor El, I saw her and Max are getting very close." Nancy leaned in like it was juicy gossip. Gossiping about the kids was something the four of them did often.

"Seriously!?" Robin was shocked and delighted. "That would be adorable."

"Yea, you didn't hear it from me, but El and Mike were having a very... mature conversation yesterday and I think they had a really chill breakup." Nancy said.

"Wow, you Wheelers are just swapping one Byers for another." Robin tested the water on Jonathan related humour and Nancy burst out laughing.

The two of them laughed again. They were interrupted by Vickie laughing performatively loud. The room went quiet.

"Oh Eddie, you're so funny!" She placed her hand on his. He looked terrified.

After a moment, everyone got back to conversation and Nancy threw Robin a look. "That was weird, right?" Nancy's eyes told her.

She nodded quickly before Vickie noticed.

"So, Vick," her face lit up at the use of the nickname. Robin was just trying to get her to stop acting weird.

"Will I pour you another drink?" Robin used the opportunity to move in closer to Vickie. Maybe she was jealous.

If Robin talked to Nancy too long, Vickie would pull her face in for a kiss or flirt or find some way of getting her attention.

"This is wrong." Robin thought. "Shouldn't I feel butterflies and happiness when she kisses me or flirts with me?" She asked herself.

"Instead I just feel guilt because she's using it as some kind of punishment." She decided she would lean completely into Vickie's conversation so she wouldn't be doing punishment flirting but real flirting.

Once she was with Vickie, Vickie didn't pay any attention to her. Nancy sat alone occasionally nodding along but definitely wasn't a part of the conversation and neither was Robin.

She eventually left and joined Argyle and Jonathan again and Robin was left out of every possible conversation with her arm around Vickie and she trapped Eddie in an infodump while Steve joined Nancy.

After an hour or two, Karen came at the top of the stairs. "It's quite late now, may I ask that you all leave?"

Robin grabbed her bike in the garage with Vickie after they had said goodbye. She was wearing her jacket that Nancy had given back to her.

As they cycled, Vickie spoke. "Can I... stay at your place?" She asked. "It's just closer, we don't have to do anything. Just sleep and I'll leave in the morning before you go to work."

"Oh, yea, that's okay." Robin agreed, completely unenthusiastic about the idea.

The two of them laid in bed, Robin didn't even change into pyjamas, she wasn't bothered. As their routine had gone so far, Rover curled up at her tummy as she went into bed making a natural border between her and Vickie.

Robin felt herself drifting off to sleep and was glad. She just wanted this day to be over.

"Robin." Vickie said, causing Robin's eyes to bolt open and she turned around to Vickie. "I can't sleep."

Robin said nothing, she hadn't the energy anymore.

"There is... something bothering me."

"I'm sorry baby." Robin said, stroking Vickies hair because maybe if she fell asleep, Robin could too.

"It's just, you and Nancy. I saw you two today in here with the ring. The way she looks at you, she's definitely got a crush on you." Vickie said, taking Robin's hand.

"Oh no, Nancy is straight, don't worry." Robin wasn't sure that was true but the way she said it sounded convincing.

"Could you not spend one on one time with her maybe? Just for a while. I just get a little paranoid is all." Vickie asked it like it was a simple request.

"Oh," Robin thought about most of the times she'd been around Nancy in the last while. It was always with others. She wouldn't loose much Nancy time if they couldn't spent one on one time together.

"Yea, sure, I guess." Robin said. Vickie kissed her hand and started stroking Robin's hair and she fell asleep almost instantly.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy lay in bed. It had been almost a week since the party in the basement. She had spent most of those days in bed. Emerson was soon enough so she hadn't felt the need to do anything.

Her diary had almost filled up in that time. Entries about being in denial about her feelings for Robin, about how much she hated Vickie, about Jonathan and Vecna, an entry today accepting that she was probably in denial and had been thinking about Robin constantly and wearing her shirt every day.

At this point, it didn't smell like Robin anymore. Robin hadn't called or stopped by since the party and Nancy hadn't reached out. She was hoping this would make the crush go away but this morning she knew this could be more long term than she hoped.

In her dream, Robin's eyes had faded to white.

"She needs music!" Nancy yelled to her friends.

"She needs you!" Steve called back.

"I don't understand."

"Quickly."

Robin was raising in the air now, soon her limbs would crack and her eyes would retract into her head.

Then Nancy had started floating too and she was eye level with Robin. She leaned forward and kissed her and Robin woke up. Her eyes filled with life and longing and she kissed Nancy back harder than she'd ever kissed anyone and it was the best kiss Nancy had ever had. They were dating, finally Robin was hers.

She woke up, Robin wasn't hers and this crush wasn't going away at all. She decided she needed to stop imagining a Robin that wasn't ever going to exist and go see the real thing. Get it clear in her head that she could never have Robin and see that it was just a stupid crush.

She knew Steve and Robin were in Family Video today because it was a Saturday and they were the busiest days.

...

Nancy parked outside and she could see Steve serving some girls his age and he had absolutely no interest in them what so ever and they were pining over him.

She walked up and the bell of the door dinged.

Robin had headphones on. She was behind Steve, cleaning out a box of old videos, she was singing something. Nancy walked up to the desk.

"Hey." She said to Steve, not taking her eyes off Robin who hadn't noticed her.

"Hey Nance." He said back. "Whatcha here for?"

Robin got up now, her eyes were closed and she skipped along on beat to whatever song she was listening to, to the computer. She continued to sing along, low and raspy.

It hit Nancy that she was singing in French. Her voice was smooth and her hands moved slightly with the song.

"Nancy, could you BE more obvious?" He asked. She didn't hear him, her eyes were pinned to Robin and her mind was filling with too many thoughts that she would never even write down, it would be too dirty.

Robin's eyes focused in on the computer and she continued to sing.

"I didn't know she could sing?" Nancy told Steve.

"Yea yea, Robin can sing and she's fluent in French. She's the whole package." Steve said, looking past Nancy to see if any more customers were coming.

"Look, you clearly didn't come to see me." Steve said, and he grabbed Robin and pulled her over to Nancy.

"Oh Nance." Robin's face lit up.

"Robin." Nancy said. It was all she could say. Her brain was mush and what wasn't mush had her and Robin in Paris speaking French and practising the kissing style of the city.

"Oh, how long have you been here?" Robin asked, seeing Nancy wasn't going to say anything else.

"Fluent." Nancy stated.

Robin's cheeks lit up. "Okay, you've been here a while."

"You can sing." Nancy said.

"No I can't. But I can speak French." Nancy walked around the counter to face Robin.

"You can sing. You have the most beautiful voice. So... raspy." Nancy told her.

"Okay, I sound like a sick victorian child, yes." Robin laughed.

"No, you sound so... hmm.... you sound so hot." Nancy decided and she couldn't stop herself on time. Her face went beetroot red and so did Robin's.

"Like, if a guy sang like that, I'd be head over heels." She tried to save herself but it just sounded worse.

"Anyways, I didn't know you could sing, you should start a band or something." Nancy finished talking.

"Hmm, I don't think I could sing in front of all those people." Robin laughed it off, she had turned her face from Nancy but she could still see the red ears.

The two of them stood awkwardly.

"So, how have you and Vickie been?" Nancy asked. The sheer mention of the name seemed to take energy from Robin and Steve went stiff, even though he wasn't in the conversation and was talking to a customer.

"Oh you know, girlfriends are a lot." Robin smiled and Nancy noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

"Oh really? I don't think they're supposed to be." Nancy said.

"Well, Vickie kinda is. I've liked her for ages now. She like, sometimes, kissing her is really fun." Robin said passively before she realised what she was saying.

It felt like a gut punch but Nancy needed to play it off. "Oh yea? Is she a good kisser?"

Robin looked hesitant but Nancy tried to look as welcoming as possible.

"She is actually yea. Like, I've never kissed a girl before her..." Robin's face flashed with an expression Nancy couldn't quite read. Guilt washed over her, remembering the kiss the Robin couldn't and longing for it.

"Ugh, I'm so tired." Robin said instead with a small struggle of a laugh after.

"Oh, I could go get you guys some coffees if you'd like? I've got actual work experience doing that." Nancy stated.

Robin face lit up. "Actually, I'd love that!"

Nancy came back ten minutes later with three coffees. "Nance, you are a hero." Steve grabbed the cup. You and Robin can chill in the back if you want.

There was a room where they stored all the movies that weren't on shelves. The sign outside it read "Strictly No Food or Drink." Nancy could hear Robin humming from the room. Her heart filled with warmth and she just listened for a few minutes.

"I would be that bands biggest fan." Nancy thought about the hypothetical band. She knew that Dustin had a passive interest in drums and a weirdly good rhyme and Steve had an oddly calming voice. Eddie could be the guitarist and Robin the lead singer. She thought about her up on stage, the lights illuminating her bright eyes as she sang a song to Nancy.

She walked in the room, the reality setting in, that Robin was with Vickie and she was obviously pretty happy even though she was tired and Robin would never want to be with Nancy.

Robin's face filled with joy when she spotted Nancy. She patted the floor beside her and Nancy sat down with her. She took a sip of the coffee and her face seemed to look less tired already.

"Yes Nance, thank you, I love you! I love coffee! Best day ever." Robin yelled as she took another sip, the headphones resting on her neck.

Nancy felt her tummy do that flip thing she'd become annoyingly familiar with whenever she was with Robin. She obviously meant it as a friend but Nancy couldn't help but hold on to those three simple words. That was the first time Robin had ever said them to her.

"I was thinking about what you said while you were gone." Robin said after taking a long sip.

"What I said?"

"Yea, about Vickie. That it's not supposed to be work to have a girlfriend." Robin said, her face turning a little serious. "I'm not good at people or social norms. I'm just, it hadn't even hit me that a relationship could be difficult. I thought the hard part was getting the girl." She had obviously been thinking a lot about it.

"Yea, it's probably the hardest part." Nancy stated.

"Vickie doesn't want me to hang out with you. She said it to me the other night."

"Oh." Nancy didn't really know what to say to that.

"I can't do that. You've grown on me Nancy Wheeler." Robin gave her a half smirk smile and elbowed her gently. "So, I guess Vickie is just going to have to deal with that."

"Last time she ever tries to be a controlling girlfriend." Nancy joked.

"Ughhhh." Robin let out a long moan. "I wish!"

"She's controlling?" Nancy asked like it was the first time the idea had ever crossed her mind.

"She is VERY controlling. Steve said it'll probably pass but over the last few days, even he looks pissed whenever she is here." Robin told her.

Nancy couldn't help but feel overwhelming glee. "Oh Robin, I'm so sorry. Maybe it's just not meant to be." She acted as best she could, putting fake concern in her voice.

Instead of looking comforted, Robin looked extremely sad.

"You think?" She asked, her brows were furrowed and it even looked like her eyes were welling.

Nancy didn't know what to say.

"Because... I think that was just what I needed to hear. Steve has been nothing but supportive but..." She clenched her fists.

"It sucks!" She growled, the coffee she was holding was squeezed so much that Nancy was worried it would spill on her.

"I think... I think I need to end things." Robin said, her face trying to turn to stone but a tear drop escaped.

Nancy's heart filled with despair for her friend. She wished she could kiss the tears away. Instead, she hugged Robin.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, you must think I'm pathetic. You just broke up with Jonathan and I'm here crying about a week long relationship." Robin said into Nancy's chest. Her hair was directly at her nose, it smelt like lemons.

Nancy could melt into the hug and stay this way forever. They stayed like that for a long time. Only one sob left Robin but Nancy could feel her sweater getting wetter as she stayed there. Until eventually Robin revealed her face, her nose was red and her eyes were swollen. Her stomach flipped, she looked so pathetically adorable.

"I'll do it tomorrow I think..." Robin whispered.

When the two of them walked out of the video room, Steve was talking to Vickie like he was a distraction. Vickie's face lit up when she saw Robin but then she spotted Nancy.

It was very easy for her to put two and two together, Robin's face was covered in tears and Nancy's sweater was soaked. Vickie looked like if she wasn't a law abiding citizen, she'd already have slit Nancy's throat.

"Honey, whats wrong?" Vickie asked, running around the desk to scoop Robin into a hug. Robin didn't wrap her arms around Vickie, they hung awkwardly at her side. It killed Nancy to see her call her honey.

Robin still hadn't said anything. "Hey, I'm here now, it's okay." Vickie stopped hugging her and looked deep into her eyes. Then she leaned in and kissed Robin.

Nancy couldn't take it. She put her hand quickly on Robin's shoulder to get her attention. "I'm going to go now." Before she could pull it away, Robin placed her hand on hers.

"Wait." She said to Nancy while still looking at Vickie. "Vickie... uhm... I think we should break up." Robin said. Nancy's mouth fell open and she would've clapped her hands to her mouth except that Robin was holding her hand on her shoulder.

Steve turned around too, his eyebrow immediately raised when he saw the situation.

Vickie's reaction was by far the biggest.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

"Are you kidding me?" Vickie shouted as a customer walked in. Robin felt Nancy's hand leave her shoulder. No more emotional support, she was alone against Vickie now. "You're breaking up with me?" The customer stopped to watch.

Steve and Nancy were watching too. "Why did I do this here, what is wrong with me?" Robin screamed internally. "We can still be friends." Robin tried.

She could see Steve shake his head in her peripheral vision. That statement made things much worse. Robin was much too tired to think before she spoke and that's what was killing in this battle.

"I would NEVER be friends with you after this!" Vickie yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She was so angry, the red hair Robin once thought was beautiful now looked like a physical manifestation of her anger.

"I'm sorry Vickie. It's just-" Robin tried to explain that she didn't have the mental capacity to be with someone right now because she had just been through so much in the last month.

"It's just what Robin. Because it's sounds to me like you're a selfish bitch who doesn't know something good when it's right in front of you." She stepped closer to Robin. She felt her soul leave her body. She was surprised she could still even stand up right.

"No one will ever love you again. You hear me? I was the only one in the world who could love you and you've thrown that away. You will be alone in Hawkins AND in Paris. No where in the world will have someone for you." Vickie spat every word with seething anger. Each felt like a gunshot wound. It hurt because Robin thought she was probably right.

It was rare to find someone like her, let alone someone who would like her back. "You will be alone for the rest of your life." It was like a demon had gone into her brain and was voicing her in most insecurities.

Vickie got closer, she was an inch from Robin's face.

"Fuck you Robin. Fuck you. I hope you die." Robin could feel the hot breath on her lips.

It was almost humorous, she was so mad. Robin had to hold back a smile. Even though every word hurt, at some point, it just became too dramatic. Robin was with Vickie a week and now Vickie was wishing death upon her.

"Are you laughing Buckley?" Vickie asked, her voice a low growl like a tiger about to strike.

"Oh Robin." She heard Steve say into his hand from beside her.

"That's it you bitch." Then she felt Vickie shove her.

"Wait what..." her inner voice said, she wasn't able to process the sudden turn of events.

"No, too far." Nancy said from above her because now Robin was on the floor and Vickie was watching her and Robin could swear that there was smoke coming from her ears.

"Get the fuck out of here." Nancy said. "You never deserved her anyways." Robin watched, mouth agape.

"Oh, not you too bitch. You were always the problem. My girlfriend couldn't keep her eyes off you and that's why she's breaking up with me." Vickie shoved Nancy now but Nancy didn't even move.

"Yea, sturdier than I look. Now get out before I show you my fists are a lot stronger than they look too." Nancy braced herself visibly to show Vickie.

It was clear Vickie was deciding whether to get angrier or leave. "Fuck all of you." She stormed out and broke the little bell on the door.

Robin was still on the floor, watching Nancy as if she were a god. Nancy turned to her.

"Did you laugh in her face while she was breaking up with you?" Nancy chuckled from above Robin.

Robin didn't know what to say and then she burst out laughing and so did Steve and Nancy. Steve helped Robin up. Rover, who had been laying in her bed on the table that whole time, only stirred now that Robin laid a hand on her.

The customer tried to go back to picking out a movie like they hadn't just witnessed something a movie wouldn't dare show.

...

That evening, they had dinner in a nearby diner once their shift had ended. Eddie met them too.

In the booth, Robin shuffled in next to Nancy, still greatful for what she had done in family video.

"And then Vickie tried to push Nancy." Steve said.

"Oooo, no one pushes our Nancy around!" Eddie said, banging his fist against the table in excitement.

"You can say that again! She threatened her!" Robin exclaimed.

"NANCY WHEELER!" Eddie spouted, shocked.

"She ran away after that. My hero." Robin wrapped an arm around Nancy. She noticed how flustered she was, they'd been complimenting her for the last ten minutes, that must be why.

"I can't believe she pushed you." Nancy said, a fact she kept coming back to. "That's really bad, did she ever do that while you two were together?" She asked, her voice full of concern, giving Robin a furrowed brow look.

"What, no she didn't, don't worry. She was very clingy and like, cuddly and stuff when I wasn't in the mood but that's fine really." She explained.

"Oh, Robin that's not fine but it won't happen again." Nancy lulled, her voice soothing.

It made Robin want to cry. "It won't happen again. She's gone." She thought. An overwhelming relief washed over her and her eyes started to water. "What if I made a mistake?" Was her next thought even though she knew she hadn't.

The boys were too busy talking about what just happened and all the red flags that lead to this moment to notice Robin tearing up but Nancy wasn't.

Nancy leaned on her hand on the table, looking closely at Robin. Robin wiped her eyes quickly.

"You okay?" She mouthed so the boys wouldn't look over. Robin nodded and Nancy smiled at her.

Her smile was so comforting, it swept Robin off her feet. You could see the adoration through it, Robin could swear she'd never seen anyone look at her like this before. She loved Nancy Wheeler so much.

"Thank you Nancy." Robin said, an urge to squeeze Nancy rushed through Robin but she didn't, instead she sat there and looked at the girl next to her as friends do.

It was only when Steve had to call Robin's name a second time that she'd realised she'd been staring at Nancy. At her lips. While Nancy looked out the window. Robin was staring at those lips that had been on hers just two weeks ago.

"Hey Robin, you ready to go?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrow at her. He had noticed the staring.

"Have I broken the brocode by kissing Nancy Wheeler?" Robin asked herself. Alarms were going off in her mind.

"I haven't paid." Robin said.

"Don't worry, you've had a rough day, this one's on me."

Robin punched him affectionately in the arm. "Thank you Steven." She sing songed.

She turned to Eddie then. "Hey, uhm, Eddie. If I came over for guitar lessons, would that like, be okay?" She asked.

"Sure thing Buckley, that'd be really fun actually. Have you got any experience?"

"Nope."

"A guitar?" He asked, less sure.

"An old, shitty one thats missing two strings." Robin chirped.

"Bring it, I've got some guitar strings, we'll fix it right up."

Robin turned back to Nancy and winked. "Maybe this band thing could really happen." Robin thought. Nancy's face was dusted with pink under the yellow street lights.

...

In bed that night, Robin had already forgotten about Vickie. All she could think of was the smile Nancy had given her once she'd wiped her tears away. It kept her up for hours.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy woke up with a start and mushed her pillow into her face. Another dream about Robin. She hated this. Robin wasn't available. She was with...

"Robin is single." Nancy told her bedroom. Then a sudden wave of guilt washed over her. Her best friend had just gotten out of her first relationship and it was quite a toxic one. All Nancy could think of was that she was now one step closer to Robin being hers.

"Dear Diary,

Today, I realised I'm an awful person. My best friend is going through something and I just want to kiss her.

I had to step in because Vickie was getting aggressive with Robin. All I can think of is that she is now single and available. But she probably isn't, she is probably so mentally drained after such a relationship and after killing vecna and we're off to college in a few weeks.

Robin is probably crying right now. Hold on, no, she is getting ready to go play guitar at Eddie's. Now all I'm thinking of is Robin holding a guitar. Oh no, something needs to change."

If her diary was sentient, it would've slapped her by now. This was a new diary and it was halfway full and every entry was about Robin. Every single one.

"Today, I Nancy Wheeler, will have a day to myself!" Nancy stood up on the bed. Holly opened the door at that moment to tell her breakfast was ready and saw the scene of Nancy on her bed.

"Do you want to have a girls day today?" Nancy asked her little sister who's face lit up at the idea.

...

The town centre of Hawkins was a major step down from Starcourt where she wouldve brought Holly if it hadn't burnt down, but this would do. Nancy and Holly stepped out of the car dressed up with sun glasses on. Their mom had let Nancy borrow the car today since she was taking Holly.

"So, where to first?" Nancy asked and her sister lead her straight to a store of clothes that were far to neon for her liking but she tried anyways.

"What has school been like?" Nancy followed her eight year old sister, carrying her basket for her.

"Schools been out for a month." Holly said, the sun glasses made the comment a lot sassier.

"Oh well, how are you friends? Any drama?" Nancy tried again, making her words a lot more bouncy for emphasis.

"Oh Caitlyn just married my boyfriend so I'm sort of taking a break from them right now." Holly threw a neon blue pair of dungarees in the basket.

Nancy was taken back by the statement. "You have a boyfriend?" She asked.

"Had."

"How many have you had?"

"Well, I've only had three but Cait has had eight. I think there is more to life than boys so we didn't agree and stopped hanging out."

"Very mature."

"Yes, yes, I'm very mature." She threw a dress with bunny rabbits all over it in the basket and Nancy had to smile. She was happy Holly's run in with the Demogorgon hadn't destroyed her childhood.

Last week, Holly would not leave her mother's side. Nancy had noticed all too well. Constant cuddles and crying. This week, she had completely mellowed out, she'd cry every now and then but she was also drawing again and even went for a sleepover at Abigails.

"So, how's Abigail?"

"She does not like boys at all. She said they steal all the jobs and get paid more. Did you know you didn't even need boys to make babies so they are basically pointless."

"I like the sounds of that." Nancy laughed.

"Yes, Abigail is very smart. She can dance too. She wants to be a ballerina and I think she is going places." Holly was definitely pretending to be more adult with Nancy.

After spending far too much money on all Holly's clothes, Nancy went to a more adult clothes store with more pastel colours and clothes over age 10.

"I think I want to change up my look a bit." Nancy told her sister.

They looked around the aisles for a long time. Nancy didn't pick out anything. Her sister kept holding up options and Nancy would find some reason to turn them down.

"You're never going to change up your look if you don't open yourself up to new ideas." Holly said.

Nancy gave her sister a proud look. "How are you only eight years old?" She booped her little nose.

"How about this?" Holly pulled out a mint, saude jacket with a sewn on hood and Nancy fell immediately in love.

"That's perfect Holly!" She scooped up the tiny girl and swung her in a circle.

...

Nancy sat in the chair with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh my goodness. It looks-" Holly squealed.

Her heart dropped. She opened her eyes.

"Amazing." They both said at the same time. The mirror showed Nancy's new haircut, it was shorter and a bit straighter. She was essentially trying to redo the hair she had from 3 years ago but it suited her much better now. She'd grown into it. The wavy curls were still slightly present too and it made for a haircut she had dreamed of.

They paid and left the hair salon.

...

Holly pointed to the menu, "croissant please." She told the waitress, kicking her legs on the chair because when she sat back enough, they couldn't reach the ground.

"A hot chocolate if you wouldn't mind." Nancy told her.

"Me too!" Holly chirped.

The sun beamed down on them but the August air was creeping in with a slight crisp. The green leaves were turning lime.

Nancy waved at Joyce across the way in Melvald's. Hopper was there too, he hadn't seen them wave and leaned in to kiss Joyce gently on the cheek.

Enzo and Murray were further down the aisle, Nancy could recognise them.

"You broke up with Jonathan." Holly said, laying her head down on her crossed arms.

Nancy looked at her sister and sighed and nodded.

"Why?"

"He's going back to California for college." Nancy explained.

"Oh." The two of them sat quietly and there hot chocolates were delivered.

"Do you like anyone else?" A grin flashed on Holly's face.

"No I don't, we only broke up a week ago."

"What about Steve?" Holly's eyes were full of mischief.

"No... I can't..." She tried to begin explaining why she couldn't like Steve but it was too long a story.

"Is he with the girl? The one with short hair?"

"Robin?"

"Yes her! Is he with her?" Holly asked, sticking her spoon into the hot chocolate to scoop out the marshmallows.

"No. She's got a, well, she had a girlfriend." Nancy told Holly, getting ready to explain to Holly how girls can like girls.

"Oh. Did she break up with her?" Holly asked, not phased by the mention of Robin having a girlfriend.

"Yea, she was a bitch." Nancy said, accidentally letting the curse slip out.

"I'm telling mom!" Holly laughed and Nancy threw a marshmallow at her. They were quiet for another few seconds.

"Why was she a bitch?" Her sister asked.

"Holly!" Nancy had to laugh at her little sister cursing.

"You said it!"

"She was very controlling of Robin. She didn't want her to be friends with me." Nancy reminisced and thought of how insane she was.

"Why not?"

"She was jealous of me and Robin."

"Why?"

"Because..." Nancy was stuck now. "Uhm, we have a connection maybe. She's like, my best friend. And she let me borrow her clothes and things and that made Vickie jealous, I'm not sure."

"But that's just what friends do." Holly was already almost finished the drink.

"Well, yea, exactly I guess. She let me have this ring and she still hasn't given back my jacket. Well, I still haven't given back her shirt so I guess it's ransom." Nancy laughed.

"The Fleetwood mac shirt?" Holly asked.

"You know Fleetwood max? Robin would be impressed." Nancy said with surprise.

"No, but you've been wearing it all week. It's probably disgusting now, she wouldn't want it back." Holly teased.

Nancy's face flushed. Maybe she shouldn't be wearing it all the time or people will know she likes Robin.

"Do you like Robin?" Holly asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Of course I like Robin."

"No, do you have a crush on Robin?" Holly asked, more obviously.

"What!?" Nancy went stiff.

"That's not a no." Holly yelled.

Nancy didn't know what to say, her sister had gotten her.

"Nancy and Robin sitting in a tree, K I S S I N G!" Holly sang, but someone joined in on the spelling of KISSING.

"Steve, hey!" Nancy said. He roughed up Holly's hair. Holly looked guilty for the singing the song in front of Steve.

Steve worked next door so it made sense that he was here.

"Did Holly just figure out you have a huge crush on Robin?" Steve asked, pulling up a chair to sit with them.

"I didn't know it was a huge crush." Holly giggled.

"Oh man, Holly, she has been pining for my best friend so hard. They flirt like, all the time."

"Shut up!" Nancy yelled and the two of them laughed at her.

"Robin's going to meet Eddie here in a few minutes, we best stop talking about her." Steve cautioned.

Nancy gave her sister a hard stare. "Yea Holly, stop!"

She chuckled and started chowing down on her croissant.

"Also Nance, your hair looks really good." Steve added.

Just then, Robin dropped into the seat across from Steve next to Nancy.

"Hey Steve! Hey... wait, hey Nancy!" Robin yapped.

"Your hair!" She leaned in and grabbed a strand of Nancy's hair. "Woah, it's so different! So pretty!"

Nancy felt her cheeks going red and Holly made kissy face at her behind Robin's back and Steve laughed.

Nancy glared at her. Robin looked over at who she was glaring at.

"Hi, my name is Robin! Are you Nancy's sister?" She stuck out her hand for Holly to shake.

Holly got nervous now that all the attention was on her. She only nodded and shook Robin's hand quickly.

"Robin, this is Holly. She is a little pain in my ass." Nancy growled while also laughing.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Robin watched as Holly stuck her tongue out at Nancy and Nancy did it right back. She was envious of the relationship, she'd always wished she had a sibling. She looked over at Steve who beamed at her. He was like a brother to her.

She looked back at Nancy then, getting lost in her new hair. It was so pretty, Robin's fely butterflies whenever she looked at her. The mint jacket brought out the blue in her eyes.

"Nancy, your jacket is new too!" Robin pointed at it.

"Yep, Holly helped me pick it out." Nancy gestured to the little girl who looked incredibly proud.

"Good taste mini Wheeler, you really brought out your sisters eyes." Robin told Holly who went shy but a mischievous grin crept on her face when she looked at Nancy.

"Oh you think she brought out my eyes?" Nancy opened her eyes wide and leaned in to Robin.

"Oh shut up, you can't take a compliment!" Robin said, shoving her away, the butterflies fluttering in her stomach again.

"So, guitar with Eddie, huh?" Nancy asked.

"Well, it was your idea." Robin explained.

"Nancy told you to go play guitar?" Holly asked.

"She has the most beautiful voice Holly, you should hear it." Nancy told her sister.

"You don't look like a singer." Holly said.

"Yea Robin, you don't look like a singer, you should sing for us." Steve teased.

"There's no music, no way!" Robin defended. She could feel her cheeks going red at the concept of bursting into song in the middle of a cafe. It made her laugh. "I'm not Tammy Thompson."

Steve burst out laughing too and Nancy and Holly looked lost. "Tammy Thompson?" Nancy asked.

"Robin's first crush." Steve mocked.

"You have a crush on Tammy Thompson?" Nancy asked.

"Had, she sounds like a muppet." Robin chuckled.

"Giving birth." Steve made the callback. Robin was laughing so much now that tears were forming in her eyes.

"Oh Tammy, you will always hold a special place in my heart." Robin grabbed her heart dramatically and Steve started singing the national anthem in a horrible voice. Robin joined in.

"I have to deal with these imbeciles all the time." Nancy said, deadpan, to Holly.

"You like it." Holly prodded, then she joined in the terrible anthem singing and Robin was happy to have made progress with her.

Just then, Eddie pulled up beside their seats outside the cafe.

"Hey Robin, you ready to rumble?" He asked, sticking his head out the drivers seat window, sunglasses on and a bandana in his hair. Robin had to admit, he looked breathtakingly awesome.

She looked over at Steve who she could tell was flustered. "Hey Harrington." Eddie said, not paying any attention to Nancy or Holly.

"How was your shift, pick up any chicks today?" He asked, moving his sunglasses down so Steve could see his eyes.

"More than you could in a week." Steve bragged. It was a lie. Steve had actually talked about Eddie a lot today.

"Leave some for the rest of us." Eddie laughed though he looked slightly let down. Robin elbowed Steve to encourage him to actually flirt back.

"Bros before hoes." Steve fumbled and now Eddie looked caught in the friendzone and all the girls at the table glared at him, including Holly.

"I mean, your my #1 bitch!" Steve tried and then looked at Holly, an apology in his eyes for swearing. Eddie looked pleased.

"You know it Harrington, come on Buckley, let's go, your guitar is in the back."

"Good luck Robin, I can't wait to hear you play some time." Nancy told her, then she played air guitar.

Robin laughed, she looked adorable as she pretended to rock out. Her new hair really suited her. Although, from old pictures, Robin was pretty sure this was a callback to her old hair.

"Salutations my friends." Robin hopped into Eddie's car.

...

Eddie's new house was still with his uncle. After his house had been destroyed by a gate, they'd gotten a small sum of insurance money and his uncle pulled his act together after he thought Eddie had died. He was working in a factory now and Argyle had gotten Eddie a job in the local Surfer Boy Pizza. He hated it but it did mean he lived in a relatively nice house now.

Eddie's room was the same as it always was, posters, music, clothes and edgy junk strewn around everywhere. His guitar had been destroyed by the gate but thankfully her upside down sister had come home safe with Eddie and she hung proudly in the centre of the wall. Eddie had even painted bolts of electricity around her.

"Eddie, this is adorable." Robin stated, looking at it. She was carrying her old acoustic guitar which paled in comparison to the beauty on the wall.

"Let's fix up those two strings." Eddie told Robin as he pulled out a small pack of new guitar strings. There were picks all over the room and multiple capos.

After he had made a few pathetic attempts at showing Robin how to restring the guitar, he ended up just doing it himself. He instructed her to tune it though and she wasn't half bad when being guided.

He started by showing her how to play "Smoke on the water" and it took a long time.

"Robin, this is the simplest tab." He explained and she moaned.

"I just don't get how you can change so quickly."

"Like this." He played it flawlessly while swinging his finger across the strings dramatically to show her.

"Ughhhhhhh, I can't do that." Robin threw her hands out dramatically gesturing to Eddie. She flopped back on Eddie's bed.

"Robin you can't give up, we've literally only been here-" He looked down at his watch that he'd gotten since working in Surfer Boy, "yea, ten minutes."

Her arms were strewn over her face. "Can we take a break at least?"

He lay down next to her. "How does it feel to be single again?"

"Pathetic." She said, pouting.

"Well, at least you've been in a relationship, I've never been with anyone."

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

He sighed. "Nope."

"Don't worry, there's someone out there who'll like you." Robin said, thinking of that someone fondly.

"Well, there aren't many people... like me, in Hawkins." Eddie said.

"I think Will is gay." Robin said, completely missing the point.

Eddie glared at her.

"Oh, I mean, I know there is! Do you have anyone in mind that you like?"

"I mean... I do. But... he'd never." Eddie said and Robin had to suppress her giggles of excitement.

"Eddie, don't be nervous, you should totally ask him!" She was playing the role of cupid.

"Robin, I don't think I've ever met anyone straighter." Eddie deadpanned.

"Eddie, trust me." Robin sat up and looked down at him. "Trust me." He gave her a side eye and was about to ask her if it was Ste-.

"Teach me something else!" She spouted.

"Well, maybe you'd like chords." Eddie said.

After around twenty minutes, Robin was just about ready to crawl under Eddie's floorboards with frustration. They were trying the G chord and they'd just given up on D and C.

"Look, Robin, I know you want to give up, but I do really think you are almost there."

"Eddie, how you still have faith in me is remarkable." She frowned.

"Ok, just run through them as quickly as you can."

After about 30 seconds, she'd played all 3. "It's just the hand position, it feels so, I'm not sure, awkward maybe?" Robin said, shaking her hand out from the unfamiliar shapes she's doing.

"Hey Robin, can I tell you a secret?" Eddie asked and Robin nodded with curiosity. "Ladies are gonna dig you when you do those finger positions. Especially ladies like you. Your hand is your tool, you wanna show them what you can do." The mischievous grin stayed on his face as he watched Robin's mouth maintain an O shape.

"Ew, Eddie, that's disgusting!" Robin said, once she'd finally shook out of the initial shock of the statement.

"Hey, I'm just being real. Once Wheeler sees you pull those bar chords, she won't be able to stop swooning."

"What, Nancy, what are you even talking about, she's not- and even if she was, which she isn't, she would never- for me, like that, what are you talking about!?" Robin couldn't stop the words from coming.

"Either way Robin, I think you've got potential, you don't move on to the next chord until the one your on sounds perfect so yes, you may be slow, but think about it, less than an hour on this thing and you're already playing perfect chords." He told her.

"Oh." She simply said. She hadn't thought of it like that.

"Before you finish up, I'm going to teach you how to read this sheet of chords and you can practise them if you want. You can come over any time you want for your next lesson."

He drew out all the chords while the two of them chatted. She kept running through the chords she knew and getting faster at every change.

He sat down and taught her how to read all the chords he'd just written. She understood it really easily, it was like reading another language, which she was a pro at.

The two of them sat down at Eddie's kitchen table then and drank cokes before Eddie dropped her home.

...

At home, Rover really liked the sound of the guitar so Robin ran through the chords again.

A knock came at the door and Robin threw a jacket over Rover as her mom peaked in.

"Are you learning guitar?" She asked.

"Yes." She said, anxious of the living creature she could feel at her back.

"It sounds good." Her mom said, smiling lightly.

"Thanks." Robin smiled back.

"Is that a dog?" Robin's heart stopped.

"Uhm."

"I can see its head Robin." Her mother said.

"She just like, came to me." Robin explained.

"So, she was a stray that found you, she wasn't bred?" She asked.

"She wasn't."

"What's her name?"

"Rover."

"Okay, goodnight Robin. Goodnight Rover." She shut the door.

Robin let out a breath of relief.

She then did a rubby attack on Rover. "You're allowed here, she wasn't even mad, I didn't even need to be scared, wow!" Robin scrunched up the dogs fur and let her lick her face and laughed and gave her tummy rubs.

She fell asleep with her feet on her pillows and her dog in her arms.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Clothes scattered across Nancy's room. "HE'S HERE!" Mike called from downstairs, probably the first time he'd ever been ready before her.

"Ugh, does Robin really still have my jacket?" She searched the closet in frustration then smiled to herself at Robin's airheadedness.

Nancy's window was open and she could feel the blazing hot air. Steve and Jonathan were driving them all to a hike near lovers lake. He wanted to get away from work and live up the summer. "Bring out my six little nuggets before summer is out." Steve had said.

Nancy figured she probably wouldn't need a jacket since it was so hot. Her shirt was a striped baby blue and white polo with cuffed Jean shorts. She could not be more grateful for the lighter hair with the hot weather.

She ran downstairs and was surprised to see the front seat of Steve's car free. "Sorry." She put her bag on the floor and offered a smile to Steve as thank you for driving them all.

"Okay, so we have Dustin and Mike, we just have to get Robin." Her stomach flipped at the mention of her name and she wanted to punch herself. "Eddie, Jonathan, El, Will, Lucas and Max are in the other car." She wondered who they made sit in the trunk.

They drove up to Robin's driveway and waited for several minutes. The car was scalding and everyone's temper was low. Eventually, Robin came out the front door but not before Rover who ran right ahead and pawwed at Dustin's door.

Robin said goodbye to her mom and then opened Dustin's door. "Push in Henderson." Steve said. The dog hopped up on Dustin's lap and he laughed.

"No, she's the one who was late!" Dustin defended his seat by the window.

"So was Nancy and you let her have the frontseat." Steve argued.

"Yea but Nancy is a lady." Dustin scratched the dogs ear.

"The boy speaks the truth." Robin said and she climbed over Dustin into the middle seat. "Sorry." She said simply, for leaving them waiting in the oven of a car.

"That's what Nancy said too." Steve said, more a complaint for himself rather for everyone in his life being late for everything.

"Yea, me and Nance are on the same brainwave." Robin said and Nancy smiled. They took off again, the fast air blowing in the window, being the only defense against the heat. "Steve, when will you fix the ac?" Robin moaned from the middle where no wind blew at her and she was already sweating.

"When I get a new car that isn't a pile of junk."

Nancy laughed in the mirror at Robin stuck between her brother and his friend.

"What are you smiling at Wheeler?" Robin asked, looking at Nancy through the mirror. Robin was very quick to pick words up from people and Nancy was positive she didn't even realise she did it most of the time .Since she was spending a lot of time with Eddie lately, Wheeler probably came from him.

"Did that mean they were talking about her?" She thought.

Eother way, Nancy was floored by the name. Steve gave her a side eye and laughed. She must've been visibly floored. She should've said something by now. Why weren't the words coming out?

"Your mom knows about Rover, huh?" Steve asked.

"Yea, she's fine with it as long as I do all the care which I've been doing anyways." Robin sounded delighted. Nancy wanted to stare at the smile forever but she looked away because they were only friends.

After a while, they pulled into a clearing in the woods. The shade of the trees was a relief from the heat but once they'd all thrown their bags on their backs and started walking, the heat was attacking each person in its own way.

Steve walked in front with Eddie and Robin fell into pace with Nancy behind them. El and Max walked a few steps behind Robin with Lucas and Dustin joining their conversation. Mike and Will were so far back, Nancy wasn't even sure they were doing the walk at all.

"Okay guys, I've brought a lot of water and I gave each of you one, so drink it. I'm not carrying anyone with heat stroke." Steve yelled back to everyone as they continued on the trek.

Robin moaned about the heat every couple of seconds. Rover walked beside her but not willingly. Nancy tried to distract her.

"So, how was guitar?" She asked.

"Ugh Nancy, I'm shit at it." She stated.

"Oh." Was all Nancy could think to say about that. Her band idea slowly fading from her head.

"Don't look so disappointed Wheeler." Robin smiled, elbowing Nancy. Her arms were slick with sweat. "I'll keep trying."

"Have you been working out?" Nancy asked, her inside thoughts slipping out due to how flustered she was at the nickname and the sheer sight of Robin in a tank top.

"Oh, thank you for noticing! I haven't but I have got this punching bag and I drew Vecna on it. Practise for everything before it was all over. You know?" Robin did some sample punches. Her arms looked like a renaissance painting. Mixed with the bracelets and rings, it made them an entire feature that Nancy could watch for years.

Robin stretched her arms up, revealing her arm pit hair, something Nancy had never really allowed herself to grow. She was just so different to any other girl Nancy had ever talked to. She'd been staring for a very long time now.

She looked back into the distance. "What was the last thing Robin had said, did it need an answer?" Nancy thought. She was saved by Robin's minutely complaint about the heat.

By the time they were an hour into the trek, the sun had reached its peak and everyone was trudging along slowly. All nine of them has become sick of listening to Robin complain. They were at a hill which made the complaining ninety times worse.

"Oh." Robin's face lit up and she walked up the hill. "Are you pushing me up the hill with your powers?" Robin asked, turning around.

"In return, stay quiet." El said simply. Robin took easy steps and smiled along. Nancy watched enviously.

"You're jealous." Robin singsonged.

"I've never been jealous in my life." Nancy said, crossing her arms.

"Yea right. I saw the way you looked at Vickie." Robin admitted.

Nancy felt like a rock had been dropped in her stomach. "What does that mean?" She asked.

"Nevermind."

Nancy didn't want to prod because they both knew what that meant. Nancy knew Robin knew a lot more about the way she watched her than she was willing to admit.

Robin's eyes went wide and she started running. El was taken aback most of everyone, suddenly pushing nothing.

Nancy had to laugh at her weird run. She sure loved to run for someone so uncoordinated. Every step looked like a risk.

Robin was out of site. In the distance, they heard a shout of glee. As everyone rounded the corner, they found Robin sitting at a picnic table in the shade.

The area overlooked an attempted quarry, a very small one with water at the bottom that the river from lovers lake drifted into. The cliffside was only about 5 meters tall and very private.

Everyone was relieved to have landed anywhere that wasn't a tree. They all sat and drank water and caught their breath.

After a while, Steve spoke up. "So, when do you guys wanna get moving again?"

"NEVER!" Everyone yelled in unison.

He looked grumpy so he went back to talking to Eddie and the smile reentered his face so fast.

"Does anyone have swimming stuff?" Robin asked her table which was Max, El, Lucas and Nancy.

The three of them said yes. "We had actually planned to sneak off to Lovers lake on the way back." Max stated.

"Nice, Nance and I can make do, these shorts are basically swimming trunks and your shorts are nice and short." Robin said, looking at Nancy's legs. Nancy felt extremely conscious of the fact that Robin had just noticed Nancy's shorts length.

Robin got up and walked to the cliff edge, closest to the table they were at. "If I die, it's worth it."

Then Robin did something that made Nancy's face go the same colour as her Ruby necklace. She ripped off her tank top to reveal a relatively worn, dark grey bra. Nancy stared.

"Adios, love you guys." She blew them a kiss but it was completely aimed at Nancy and then she ran and jumped off the cliff.

"ROBIN!" Steve yelled and ran over to the cliff edge. Everyone else watched, mouths agape. Nancy stood up, ready to see the bloody mess underneath.

"WOOOO!" Instead, she found Robin wading in the water, her hair sticking to her face and a huge smile from dimple to dimple. "Come on in, the water is beautiful."

Nancy felt a pang in her chest at the site. Before this, she'd been in denial about her crush on Robin and had just about accepted it but watching Robin with her eyes shut and a close mouthed smile floating on the water beneath her, she wondered how she hadn't realised that in all the time she'd known Robin, been head over heels for her at every moment.

One moment in particular stood out to her.

~~~

Steve, Eddie, Robin and Nancy had gone to the cinema to watch a film.

"I heard its the scariest film that's ever been allowed to show in America." Eddie said theatrically to Robin and Nancy. "It's about Rats and RABIES!" He targeted Robin with the comment.

They'd gotten drinks and popcorn and gone into the screening room. The seats folded down and everyone went in. Nancy had already sat down and the movie began.

Robin mustn't have realised the seats weren't down because she sat on nothing and fell to the floor. Because the movie was on, everyone was quiet so she pretended like it didn't happen but the three others were holding in giggles.

She got up and pulled the seat down and then sat. She looked over at Nancy and started laughing but then her popcorn fell somehow that Nancy could not comprehend.

Nancy was tearing up and holding back laughter at this point when a jumpscare played and Nancy could swear Robin leaped with fright.

"What the fuck is happening?" She whispered to Nancy in frustration with a small laugh at the end.

Nancy was crying at this point. The scene stayed scary and weirdly gory so Robin lifted the seat back up and hid behind the chair in front of her.

About half way through the film, Robin had ended up at Nancy's legs essentially, her arms wrapped around her left leg, jumping every few seconds.

Nancy had the insatiable urge to hold Robin every time she jumped.

~~~

It's only now that Nancy realised what that was. This crush had been around a long time but the day she noticed it was the day she became useless around Robin.

Nancy took off her shirt too, grateful for the sports bra she had decided to wear today. She took a step back for a good run up and leaped.

Her heart felt like it was two metres above her as she flew and she knew she looked like a smiling idiot. She landed and Robin swam right up to her and grabbed her arm.

"You good?" She asked, the concern left her face when she saw the grin reappear from Nancy after she'd wiped the water off her face.

Nancy sighed with relief. "This feels amazing." The constant sweat she'd been feeling all day was now completely gone and cold water sloshed against her.

Max jumped in next, wearing a whole swim suit. Quickly followed by El, then Lucas.

Steve and Eddie jumped in at the same time, both had taken off their shirts. Nancy noticed El and Max checking the boys out and pointed it out to Robin.

They laughed and splashed water at each other. Robin swore she saw a turtle but Nancy said that's wrong.

"It's probably a monster." Max joked but then realised her joke hit a little too close to home because it could be a demodog.

"It was a fish." Nancy cleared it up so they all move on.

Nancy floated on her back and Robin joined her.

"This is so nice." Robin announced.

"You can say that again. I can't believe you jumped in. There could've been a rock. You really could've died." Nancy said, impressed.

"But I didn't." Robin smiled.

"I thought you had." Nancy huffed.

"Oh my goodness, was the Nancy Wheeler worried about me." Robin asked, leaning in.

Nancy gave her a side eye, blushing slightly as Robin got closer. "She was!" Robin decided.

Robin jumped on her like she wanted a piggyback. Now Nancy really was blushing, she pushed Robin off. Then Robin went still.

Her face blank and her mouth agape. "Are you okay?" Nancy asked, concerned. Suddenly, Robin grabbed Nancy's hand.

She ran at some parts and swam in others over to Steve. "Guys, let's play chicken!" She announced.

"Oooo, yes, that would be fun!" Eddie grinned mischievously, sharing a look with Robin.

"Nancy, get on my shoulders." Robin pulled her over.

"Yea Nancy, get on Robin's shoulders." Steve said, eyeing Nancy evily, knowing what he knows.

"No way Jose." Nancy said.

"Then, can I get on yours?" Robin asked.

Nancy went still. "Really?"

"Oh, I'm probably too heavy..." Robin sighed, she looked insecure.

"No, no, get on, it's fine." Nancy squatted into the water, holding her breath. She felt Robin hop on awkwardly.

When she got up, she saw Eddie in front of her with Steve on his shoulders. He looked slightly flustered and he winked at Nancy. She was incredibly aware of Robin's thighs right by her face.

"Robin smell." Was her first thought. Then, "Oh god, what the fuck." As Steve pushed Robin and suddenly it didn't matter that her friends thighs were around her face, all that mattered was winning.

She held her ground as much as she could and hoped Robin could handle herself against Steve. The kids around them started chanting.

El and Max chanted, "Robin, Robin!" While Lucas and Dustin chanted, "Steve, Steve!"

Eventually, to Nancy's surprise, when she realised she would collapse any minute, she saw Steve fall to the water.

Robin yelled with victory and then threw herself into the water backwards, pulling Nancy down with her. Under the water, Nancy felt Robin pull her in. Over water, she yelled victory all over again except she was holding Nancy with one arm while the other punched up in the air.

The sun beamed down on them all as laughter filled the air. "This was the fun they all deserved." Nancy thought. Then, Nancy got up on Robin's shoulders for round two.

Up on the cliff, only from the angle she was on top of Robin, she could see her brother kiss Will.

"Finally." She said with delight as Eddie rammed into her.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Nancy splashed into the water, dragging Robin down with her. The two of them popped out, hair clinging to their faces. "Better look next time Nance." Robin punched her lightly in the arm.

The sun peaked in the sky. They all moved to the more shallow area of the quarry and sat in the water.

"Suncream everyone." Steve announced, passing the bottle around and everybody moaned but listened.

The sunshine warmed Robin's entire body as ripples of water washed around her ankle. Nancy laid next to her. The two of them basked in the comfortable silence.

Last night, Robin had spent another couple of hours thinking about Nancy. She had a completely different effect on her than Vickie had.

She felt more comfortable around Nancy than almost anyone. She'd thought a lot about the kiss the two of them shared in the woods. Robin had run away but even though it lasted less than a second, it felt more real than anything her and Vickie had.

She thought about how easily she could fall in love with Nancy Wheeler. Knowing that Steve had Eddie soothed the guilt a lot. Ever since she'd heard of Nancy and how she'd gone from Barb's friend to Steve Harrington's girlfriend, she'd always found her fascinating.

Robin had walked by Nancy a lot in the hallways of Hawking's high before Will had ever gone missing and found her incredibly breathtaking.

Now, here she was, lying between her and Steve, the guy she'd been obsessed with because the girl she liked was obsessed with him. Young Robin would fall into a coma if she found out what older Robin was up to. Especially, once she found out what older Robin was planning to do shortly once she found the chance.

This chance she spoke of, had appeared multiple times in the last few weeks so she assumed it would probably present itself again today at some point.

Right now, all she could do was lay back and relax, because now was not the chance.

"I have a camera." Nancy broke the silence.

"Oh yea, where?" Robin asked.

"In my bag, on the cliff." She said.

"This could be the chance." Robin thought, the nerves creeping in.

"Well, let's go get it." Robin got up, all chipper.

The two of them walked quietly through the woods together. Being near the water without a shirt on felt normal but Robin felt a lot more aware that it wasn't on as they made their way deeper through the trees.

The sun had already dried them off and Robin felt genuinely grateful that Steve had made her put on sun cream.

"I think I'll grab my shirt too." Robin laughed, trying to start a conversation because right now, her brain was controlled by anxiety and she wanted to move out of it.

"Oh, you're not going swimming again?" Nancy asked, sounding disappointed.

"Are you?" Robin asked.

"Uhm, only if you are." Nancy chirped, smiling over at her.

"How can I say no to that smile." Robin attempted. She did noticed Nancy look away. That was a reaction to her flirting but was it a positive one or a negative one?

She'd been trying to feel it out all day.

"Let's jump off the cliff again, we can throw the bag down to Steve." Nancy decided.

At the picnic table, all their stuff was everywhere, everybody's clothes were scattered on the floor from quick changing.

Mike and Will pulled apart as soon as they heard the two of them coming.

"You coming swimming bro." Nancy leaned on the pronunciation of bro. She didn't seem surprised at all to find Mike kissing Will.

"We thought everyone was finished." Will said, his lips were slightly swollen.

"How long had the two of them been making out?" Robin thought.

Robin looked over the edge. "El and Max have gone back in. I'm sure if you two join, everyone else will too." Robin told them.

Nancy grabbed her bag and took out the camera. Robin walked over to look at it. It was a Polaroid camera and the dial read ten which meant it was full.

"Boys!" She got their attention and Robin posed behind her as she took a selfie. The camera printed it and after a few seconds they had a perfect picture.

Robin found herself absentmindedly leaning her head on Nancy's shoulder, something she did often with Steve. She was about to move her head and apologise when Nancy turned the camera around again and took another selfie.

She walked over to the cliff edge then and took a picture of girls chatting in the water and another of the boys sunbathing.

Nancy put the camera back in the bag and walked down the cliff a few paces to throw the bag to Steve and he placed it on the coast.

"You ready for the jump again?" Robin asked, sticking her hand out for Nancy to grab. The two of them ran off the cliff, screaming as they flew through the air.

Instead of watching the water, where she would land, she watched Nancy. Her air flowed like a movie and her smile had a twinge of fear mixed in.

They hit the water and rose to the surface. After a couple of seconds of laughing and catching their breath, they heard a yell as Will flew through the air and hit the water with a splash. Mike followed shortly after.

As expected, Steve, Eddie, Lucas and Dustin raced into the water as soon as they saw Will and Mike. Somewhere along the way, one of them had found a ball and a game of volleyball started.

"That would make a killer picture Wheeler." Robin said, looking at the gang.

The two of them went over to Nancy's bag and grabbed the camera.

On the way back into the water, Nancy started inexplicably hitting the Polaroid camera.

"Uhm, what are you doing?" Robin asked, laughing at Nancy's frustrated face.

"It does this sometimes. The lens just won't come out. If I had a platform-" Nancy continued to hit the camera. They were waist deep in the water now and too lazy to go back to the shore.

On the cliffside, Robin spotted a small, relatively narrow cave opening with a chest height platform inside. "Over here." She said.

The two of them just about fit in the small cave together, water just above their waists now. They were in far enough that, realistically, none of the others could see them.

Nancy placed the Polaroid on the rock, sticking out enough to act as a table, and started tapping the top. Robin had no idea how this would help anything.

She looked around the cave, the sunlight from outside reflected the water onto the ceiling close above them. If this were the ocean, the unpredictable tides would makes this cave lethal. She was sure one of the quarry workers dug this area out to take lunchbreaks and shade from the sun.

Nancy continued to tab a little bit faster now. "This place is really pretty." Robin said. Nancy nodded but she was too focused to really notice what was going on.

Suddenly, the lens moved out ever so slightly and Nancy used her nails to get the last piece and it opened up. "About time." Nancy said under her breath. Robin was shocked that actually worked and chuckled to herself at what Nancy must've gone through to figure out that worked in the first place.

She held up the camera and pointed it at Robin. "Pose." It was then, Nancy covering her left eye with the camera and a half smile spread across her lips, that Robin realised now was her chance.

The pose she pulled was one of admiration, realisation and a slight nerve in her smile. Nancy snapped the picture. She put the camera back on the rock ledge and next to the picture and waited for it to develop.

Now that Nancy had turned back to her, she knew it was now or she had to wait until the next chance presented itself. The nerves made her act a lot slower than she should've.

"Earlier," Nancy said, interrupting everything, "when you said you saw the way I looked at Vickie..." She finished there, waiting for Robin's response.

"Uhm, yes?" This was clearly not the answer she wanted.

"What... what did you mean by that?" She looked like this question took a lot of work to ask.

"You didn't like her?" Robin asked, the chance had just taken itself out of the cave to go drown in the lake.

"I... didn't. You're right." Nancy admitted. Robin thought she might as well find out why, even though she was a little disappointed.

"Why?" You could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"I was jealous." Nancy said finally. Then she stood very still. Robin watched her, doe-eyed, saying nothing.

Nancy still said nothing.

"I'm stupid." Robin finally realised in her brain. The stand-still had only lasted about 2 seconds but each millisecond felt like an hour as Nancy watched her expectantly.

It was her chance. She leaned in, just before placing her lips on Nancy's, she stopped to looked at her, feeling her breath on her lips. Her eyes stared up, shining and ready.

Robin shut her eyes and kissed her. Her lips were warm and soft and tasted of cherry lip balm. She took in the taste. She felt Nancy push against her, wanting more.

"I was right." The thought drifted by quickly before her brain turned to mush and she knew it would think of Nancy's lips forevermore.

Robin opened her mouth slightly and Nancy stuck her tongue in. Nancy's hand went to Robin's hip now, underwater. It still sent shivers down Robin's spine. Robin hadn't realised her own hand was already caressing up and down Nancy's back.

The kiss could've lasted ten minutes or three hours, Robin wasn't sure. But by the time Nancy had pulled away, Robin was pushed again the walls of the cave.

She looked at Robin for a few seconds and Robin realised she had forgotten to take a breath. Nancy grabbed her by her belt loops and pulled her in for one last quick kiss.

"We don't want them getting suspicious." She picked up the picture she had taken of Robin.

"It turned out gorgeous." She said as she walked away, picture in one hand, camera in the other.

Robin leaned back against the walls of the cave and smiled. "I kissed Nancy Wheeler. Again." She ran out after Nancy who was already marching ahead to photograph the guys playing volleyball.

The photo turned out perfectly. Robin stood next to Nancy. Under the water, as they both floated, Nancy grabbed Robin's hand and offered the most gleaming smile ever.

"Were things different now between them?" Robin thought.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. Lyrics about Nancy that she wanted to sing so the whole world could hear how she felt, except, they were in French. It was perfect, no one would understand, including Nancy. She could sing while her and Eddie played guitar. She just needed a song first.

She beamed back at Nancy. So many lyrics could be written about the beautiful girl in front of her. Robin just wanted to wrap her up and kiss her all over again, but her friends were right there.

As they all walked in to go home, Nancy grabbed the photos and camera off a nearby rock. She examined the photos as they all made there way back to the picnic table.

"You knew!" She practically shouted.

"Knew what?" Max teased.

"Nothing." Nancy said, her cheeks going pink.

Nancy leaned in close to Robin. "You knew you were going to kiss me. In this picture, right here!" She whispered frantically.

Looking at the picture, it was pretty obvious, instead of looking at the camera, Robin was looking at Nancy and her eyes said it all. Her mouth looked decided and ready as well.

"Uhm, yes. That was my plan today!" Robin made a jolly hand gesture.

"You knew all of today?" Nancy asked, her mouth agape and her cheeks going pinker.

"Well, yea." Nancy bumped into her as they walked.

"You look really hot by the way." She said, eyeing Robin up and down before walking up to talk to Max and El.

Robin, left in the dust of the compliment, felt absolutely crazy. Her mind was going haywire and it was taking all the restraint she could muster not to scream happily. Instead, she snapped her fingers by her side and found Steve.

"I took this picture for you." Steve said, he handed Robin a picture of her and Nancy jumping into the quarry, hand in hand.

She stared at it. Nancy was so beautiful. This was probably the best photo ever and Robin owned it.

"Thanks Steve." She said sincerely.

"You look really happy." He leaned on the "really."

Robin smiled at him and she put the photo in the pocket of her bag.

Rover had been sitting on her shirt the whole time in the shade. She looked relaxed. Robin patted her and pulled on the shirt from under her. Rover took it personally.

She heard a click behind her and saw Nancy shaking out a Polaroid picture.

She gave Robin a look and then threw on her own shirt.

They all walked home in the evening light, Nancy took one last picture of all of them on the hike.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

It was 2am and an hour ago, Nancy had decided she wasn't able to sleep so why bother trying.

She poured out her bag from today on the bed and riffled through everything. She put the towels and old clothes in the wash basket and water bottle next to her bed. She sat cross-legged on the bed looking through the photos.

Nine pictures and the cartridge was empty, she wasn't sure what happened to the tenth film. She had been told she wasn't good at sharing these photos, she would take a photo of someone else and keep it herself. It particularly pissed Mike off. She had some lovely pictures of him and the boys as kids that she kept in a drawer. She would look through that drawer sometimes, it was a gift to herself in thirty years.

These however, she was going to hang up. She stuck most of them on her bulletin board next to Barb, who was a forever member of the board. She took down some old pictures of Steve and her mom to replace with the guys playing in the water.

She stuck the picture of Robin in the cave right by her bed so she could see it while going to sleep. The picture of her and Robin together hung proudly in the centre of the board.

She was about to turn on music and sort through her wardrobe when she heard a little clink on her window. She walked over and opened it and a tiny pebble flew right by her ear.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry." Robin stood outside in her lawn wearing a big red jacket Nancy had never seen before. Her hands were clasped over her mouth in guilt.

"Robin?" She announced, more to confirm she was real and not a figment of sleep deprivation.

Every other time someone had done this, they had come into her room and some romantic shenanigans would've ensued.

"You wanna come for a walk? I couldn't sleep and it seems, neither could you." She asked, her hands in her pockets.

"Sure, two seconds." Nancy threw on the first clothes she could find. A flannel as a jacket with a shirt and she figured her pyjama pants were fine, everyone else would be asleep so no one would see her.

She climbed out her window onto the roof of the garage, then walked over to the electric box and put her foot down on it. She accidentally overshot and started slipping.

She knew she was falling, she didn't scream, or panic, just let it happen and braced for impact. Instead of the hard floor she expected, she landed into firm but soft arms.

She opened her eyes, which she hadn't realised she'd closed and Robin smirked down at her.

"And you call me clumsy?" She joked, letting Nancy down.

"I never said you were clumsy, I'm just shocked you can stand up." She said, crossing her arms and facing away from Robin.

Robin walked up behind her and shouldered her affectionately. "You okay though?" She asked, her voice slightly more serious. She had walked a little ahead.

Nancy jogged slightly to catch up. "Thanks to someone." She said, as much love as she could muster into her eyes as she looked up at Robin.

"Good, don't want Nancypants getting hurt." Robin said, looking around at the trees and estate Nancy knew off by heart.

"Never call me that again." Nancy shot.

"I need to give you some nickname, Wheeler."

"Is that not good enough?"

"What, Wheeler? Nah. How about Nancifer?"

"That sounds like a devil. Besides, it's not even shorter than my name, I thought that was the point."

"What about Sodapop? Sodapop Wheeler, has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"I'm not Rob Lowe." Nancy said, thinking of "The Outsiders", a book she'd read a million times and movie she'd seen even more.

"How about," Robin turned to her but continued to walk, "Sweetie? I think it suits you."

Nancy blushed. Why was Robin so good at flirting? Why couldn't she come up with stuff like that. She tried to think of a flirty comeback.

"Shut up," She said, then smirked, "darling." She looked over at Robin who was blushing now. She felt proud of herself.

"Why are you awake anyway?" Robin asked her, diverting from the whole nickname thing.

"I couldn't sleep at all so I just started doing things." Nancy said, ready to move on.

"What kinda things?" Robin asked, looking interested.

"Just hanging up pictures." Nancy said, sure it was the end of the topic.

"Oh, that's lovely, do you do that a lot?" Robin chirped.

"Hang pictures?" She nodded. "I do actually. Well, I rotate the selection I have on my bulletin board to keep it refreshed."

"Do you take lots of pictures then?" She asked. Maybe she was interested, Nancy hadn't really talked to anyone about this before.

"Well, not like Jonathan would. I just do it as a kind of scrap booking sort of thing." Nancy said, she paled in comparison to Jonathan and his professional photography.

"Scrapbooking!?" Robin almost jumped in the air. "Nancy, I've always wanted to travel the world and document it all in a scrapbook but I haven't got the first idea how to make all the pictures look nice together." She enthused.

"Well, with your language skills and my scrapbooks, we'd make a killer team. We could do it together." Nancy thought about the hypothetical situation of them both travelling the world together and it warmed her heart.

Robin's mouth was agape when she looked back over. She'd even stopped walking. "No, really, imagine it! All the countries we could go to! But I'd have you with me." She grabbed Nancy's arms.

"Sipping coffee and- and of course, eating a croissant. It is operation croissant after all. But you'd be there too." She was jumping up and down now.

"Imagine." Nancy said passively.

"No, Nancy. Imagine." She said it much harder this time. Nancy stopped now and looked in Robin's ocean blue eyes and actually thought about Europe.

"Nancy, there is a whole world out there. We've seen America from every angle and I do mean, every angle cus duh, upside down."

Nancy laughed.

"But Europe or Australia or Africa? These are all real places and there is nothing, except money but psh, holding us back."

Nancy kept thinking about it. She didn't know what to say. She really didn't, this was the first time a future had appeared in her head that wasn't Emerson.

Robin was looking up at the stars now. "I'd miss this place though. I grew up hating it but Hawkins has grown on me."

"Are you really going to leave America?" Nancy asked, the future was too big now to think of passively.

"Well yea. I've actually applied for a few different things in France. We'll see how prices work out." Robin chuckled.

She said it so matter of fact. She's just known about how she can be anywhere, yet Nancy had just learnt.

"You're really smart Robin." Nancy said, watching her as she looked down to Nancy from the stars.

"Maybe, someday, we can go to the stars too." She beamed.

Nancy pulled her in for a kiss. She'd been resisting this whole time, but it was too hard now. Robin dreamed so big and so far away. She hoped the day would never come that she left Nancy.

"When you go to the stars, take me with you." Nancy said between kisses.

Robin picked her up so she was up higher than her. "What's it like up there in space?" She smiled.

"We're going to have a Blast, Buckley." Nancy, proud she'd finally used Robin's surname to address. A taste of her own medicine. Robin's cheeks lit up.

Nancy leaned down to kiss her again, her cold lips heating up under hers. Robin held her up and Nancy rubbed her hand around her neck.

"We should've done this weeks ago." Nancy commented.

"We did." Robin smiled, Nancy felt it with her mouth. She pulled her face back, arms outstretched over Robin's shoulders as Robin's hands held the back pockets of her pj pants.

"You remember?"

"I remembered during Argyles party. The kiss in the woods. Still don't remember where Rover came from though."

"Are you mad at me? For not telling you?" Nancy asked, nowhere to hide, facing Robin completely.

"Well, someone made it pretty hard for you to tell me." Robin laughed.

Nancy joined in. "Yea, I did try. Once. But Y'know, she was keeping you all to herself. Can't blame her."

"Can we never talk about my ex while kissing again please?" Robin asked, a half smile creeping in.

"Oh, so, we'll be kissing again then?" Nancy teased. Robin went stiff though. She put Nancy down.

"Only if you want to..." She put her hands behind her back.

"Shit, I scared her!" Nancy thought. Quickly, she pulled Robin's chin down and kissed the tip of her nose. It was red and chilly. "Does this answer your question?" Then she kissed her forehead. Then cheek. Then chin. Finally, she hovered over her lips again.

Robin closed the gap, kissing Nancy hard. It was the first time Robin had stuck her tongue into Nancy's mouth. She was probably the best kisser out of anyone Nancy ever kissed. She was so gentle but aggressive when it was needed/felt best. Every now and then, she'd pull back, leaving Nancy with the anticipation.

After a while, when Robin noticed Nancy shiver, they turned around.

"Yes." Robin said.

"What?" Nancy was confused.

"It answers my question. I can't wait to kiss you again Nancy."

A shiver rolled down her spine.

"Here, you're cold." Robin slid her jacket off and was offered it to Nancy.

"You'll be freezing." Nancy countered.

"How can I be cold when what we just did was so hot?"

"You're such a flirt." Nancy took the jacket, a flustered mess.

"You're so pretty when you blush." Robin was so casual when it came to flirting. It seemed like she was really just saying what she was thinking.

"Robin, I'll actually kill you." Nancy threatened, her ears now red too.

Robin's mouth opened and a mischievous glint sped past her eyes but she closed it again, deciding against whatever she was about to think out loud.

They were outside Nancy's house now.

"Will I help you up?" Robin offered.

"I got it." She said, hopping onto the electricity box to prove to Robin that she could indeed sneak in her own window without getting a concussion.

After a moment where she felt her soul leave her body when her hand slipped, Nancy successfully got to her window. Robin stood at the electricity box awkwardly.

"I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight." Nancy whispered loud enough that Robin could just about hear her.

"Me neither." Robin laughed.

"You wanna come up and hang out and get through the night together?" Nancy asked, her heart racing.

"If I can." Robin got onto the box just fine, now she needed to get to the roof and Nancy could tell she looked like she didn't know how.

Nancy stuck out her hand and Robin grabbed it and threw herself up on the roof, she looked like a beached whale. When she finally got up, her breath was short and she lay on her back for a second.

"You know what, respect to you and Steve and Jonathan for being able to just, do that." She said, hands over her face.

Nancy felt odd at the mention of all her exes even though she knew Robin meant it so earnestly.

"Okay, let's go, thanks for the help." She sat up and helped Nancy up. They climbed through the window. Robin smiled at the room, something she seemed to do every time she came inside.

Nancy sat on the bed, feeling a little bit awkward, she wasn't sure what Robin expected now. Robin continued to walk around the room.

She stopped at the bulletin board. "Oh look, it's all the pictures from today!" She was excited.

"I have way more than that." Nancy added.

"Can I see them?" She looked so thrilled.

Nancy thought for a moment. The only weird ones were the ones with Steve and Jonathan but Robin knew about them already and she adored Steve so it was probably okay.

"Why not?" She opened her drawer and took out the box. To her, it was normal that this box had hundreds of Polaroid pictures but Robin was gobsmacked.

"Nance, this is incredible!" She leaped onto the bed behind Nancy, looking over her shoulder at the box.

The two of them looked through photos for at least an hour. After a while, Robin leaned her head on Nancy's shoulder. They told the stories behind some of the pictures.

Robin laughed when she saw the picture of Nancy dressed as an elf, presumably taken by Karen, all the boys were delighted and she looked so focused. "Shut up." Nancy said to her, Robin kissed her cheek.

"You look adorable is all." Robin explained. Nancy glared at her with a smirk on her face.

They got to the more recent pictures. Lots of Eddie and Steve, some of Jonathan and Nancy, Nancy would just skip right over them but Robin seemed unphased.

There were a couple of Robin and Steve too. "These are so cute. I remember you taking these."

Nancy hadn't realised how many candid photos she'd taken of Robin. "Man, Wheeler, it's like you had a crush on me or something." She teased.

Nancy chuckled and hoped the next picture wasn't of Robin. It was the sky. Robin spoke up again. "Did you have a crush on me?" She asked, changing her seat to be against the pillow now, obviously getting more comfortable in the room.

"Uhm..." Nancy blushed. It was so stupid, they were literally making out an hour ago.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that." Robin moved on. Only now had she spotted the picture of herself from the cave by Nancy's pillow. She pointed at it and raised her eyebrows at her but said nothing.

"I totally did. I think I have for a while." Nancy finally admitted.

"Me too." Robin said, looking anywhere but at Nancy.

"How long?" Nancy asked.

"I'm not telling you that." Robin mock yelled because they had to be quiet as it was 4am.

Nancy placed the box down and threw herself at Robin, resting her chin on Robin's chest.

"How long?" She asked again, she knew this was working.

"I'm not going to tell you." Robin singsonged.

Nancy put her lips an inch from Robin's. "How long have you had a crush on me?" She whispered into her lips. Robin leaned forward to kiss her but Nancy pulled back.

"Nancy Wheeler, if you must know, I thought you were the most beautiful and perfect human being to roam the earth since the moment I saw you walking down the halls of Hawkins middle school." Robin admitted.

Nancy bridged the gap, leaning right into the kiss. For a second, she pulled away, "That's a very long time."

Robin pushed the hair back from Nancy's face and watched her. "How long have you liked me?" Robin asked, she sounded like a teenage girl.

"Well, there was this girl, and even though she had just broken out of a secret Russian base and was wearing a scoops ahoy sailor uniform, she had this casual beauty about her and every expression she made, made my heart skip a beat."

Robin grabbed a pillow from next to her and stuck her face in it.

"What are you doing?" Nancy asked, essentially sitting on Robin lap.

"I'm sorry, just, someone just said the cheesiest thing to me..." Robin still had the pillow over her face. Nancy grabbed the other one and started hitting her with it.

"You're the worst!" Nancy was laughing now.

She pulled the pillow from her face and sat up from the wall. "And here's the weirdest part!" She said, her face right up to Nancy's. "That cheesy comment might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."

Robin pushed Nancy back on the bed, her arms holding her up so she wasn't fully on her.

Robin watched her for a second and Nancy was sick of it, she pulled her down on top of her and kissed her.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Robin's eyes barely opened before she'd closed them again. Then remembered Nancy. Then she realised Nancy was asleep on her chest. She looked down at her. Her fist was up at her face, her body was half on Robin and half on the bed.

"When had they fallen asleep?" Robin wondered. Then Robin finally realised why she was awake.

"Nancy, why is your door locked?" Nancy's mom asked through the door as she knocked. Nancy was out cold and didn't hear a thing. She thought about what Vickie had done when this happened to them.

In a low, girlish voice, Robin said, "changing," and hoped that it would fool her.

"Okay, hurry, we have to go." Her mom said, walking away.

Robin cupped Nancy's face gently and she wriggled but did not wake up.

"Hey Nance." She whispered gently.

"Robin?" She whispered, her voice all raspy from sleep.

"Yea, Nance, we fell asleep. I think I should go because you're supposed to go somewhere."

"Five more minutes." Nancy snuggled up more onto Robin, her face millimetres from hers. She really wanted to listen but knew it was probably best for Nancy if she woke her up.

Robin kissed the tip of her nose. "Nancy wake up." She insisted, tone still soft.

"Kiss me again." Nancy presented her lips.

Robin laughed. "Get up you goof."

"Only if you kiss me." She was definitely, properly awake now. Robin leaned down and kissed her.

"Your Mom is going to kill you if you don't get up." Robin explained.

Nancy pulled herself off Robin and it was only then that Robin realised how dead her arm was. She sat up in the bed while Nancy started getting clothes.

"Wait, did my mom come to the door?" Nancy asked, now that she was fully conscious, she was a lot more serious.

"Yea, she asked why your door was locked so I said "changing" in your voice." Nancy turned around and Robin noticed the fright enter her eyes.

"Are you serious, say what you said to my mother." She commanded, very serious now, Robin was getting afraid.

"Changing." She said it in the Nancy voice.

Then Nancy said it, then she smirked. "That was pretty good actually. Scary to know you can do an impression of me though."

Robin curtesied and immediately regretted it but Nancy just smirked at her from the closet. She had grabbed all her clothes now.

"Will I go?" Robin asked, knowing Nancy needed to change.

"No, I want to maximise my time with you before hell. Just turn around." Robin didn't need to be asked twice. She face towards Nancy's poster of Tom Cruise and smiled.

"Where are you going anyway?" Robin asked.

"We're going to grandma's for a night."

"That doesn't sound like hell?"

"Well, my favourite person just told me she likes me back and she's not coming so it's hell."

"Corny."

"Shut up."

Robin heard Nancy hopping around on one foot. Suddenly, Nancy had her arms wrapped around Robin again.

"Thanks for staying turned around hot stuff."

"Who wouldn't stay turned- Oh, nevermind." She remembered Steve telling her about him and Nancy fist time sleeping together which was fine back then but ew now.

Nancy pulled Robin down on her lap on the bed and kissed her again.

"Nancy!" Her mom called.

Nancy just kept kissing Robin. She got up after a few seconds and walked over to the door and unlocked it.

"Wish me luck Robin." Nancy said, standing at the door.

"Good luck Nance, I'll see you when you get back." Robin got up to go over to the window and Nancy pulled her in for another kiss on the way.

Then the door opened and neither of them had noticed.

"Nancy? I'm supposed to get you." It was Will and he had definitely seen them making out.

"Will." Both of them said at the same time.

"Well, that's my queue." Robin said.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone as long as you two don't tell anyone what you saw yesterday."

Relieved, Robin climbed out the window, shuffled down the roof and dropped herself on the electricity box and then to the ground.

...

She looked up at the sky that she had been kissing Nancy under yesterday as she began the walk home.

"What are you doing on my property?" A voice came from in front of her and she looked snapped down to see Nancy's dad. He was holding mail and walking back towards the door.

"I was just coming over to see if Nancy was home but no one answered so I'll leave? I'm one of her friends from school."

"I think she's in there. We're supposed to go somewhere so the wife is making breakfast."

Robin nodded at him.

"Oh, then I'll just go."

"You can see her for a few minutes before we go."

"Shit." Robin thought.

He walked back to his door. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, thank you."

He opened the door and Robin followed. Nancy was just running down the stairs with Will as she entered.

"Hey Nancy, long time no see. I was just popping by for a visit but seeing as you are going so soon, I will leave now." She turned around.

"Nonsense, it's nice to see Nancy's here with a girl instead of a boy for once. Have one of Karen's pancakes."

Nancy must've noticed the fear crawling across her face because she said, "Well, shouldn't Robin go."

"If Will is staying for breakfast after his sleepover, you're friend can come too." Ted said, then he walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry." Will mouthed, being the reason Robin was still here.

"Well, I guess we get a few more minutes together." Nancy said, kissing Robin's cheek quickly before they entered the menagerie. That gave her all the confidence she needed to get through the next few minutes.

Robin walked next to Nancy into the kitchen. "Do you want a pancake?" Nancy asked her.

"Oh, it's fine." Robin said, really not wanting to be a hindrance.

"You sit down and I'll bring you a pancake." Nancy insisted.

Robin sat at the table between Will and Holly as it was the only place without a table settings.

"Hello Holly." Robin said.

Holly laughed when Robin talked to her.

"Are you here to see Nancy?" She asked.

"Yep." Robin let the word ring out.

Holly laughed again.

"Robin and Nancy sitting in a tree." Holly began but she didn't sing the next piece, the three of them knew where it was going.

"How on earth does she know?" Robin whispered to Will. Will shrugged but he looked amused.

Nancy came down with a pancake now, she sat next to Holly.

"Robin's here to see you." Holly giggled.

"Shush you." Nancy said.

Holly said it again but this time lower and with the gesture of kissing at the end.

"I don't know why she's doing that." Robin told Nancy, explaining that she didn't tell her.

"I know why," Nancy said, "it's because she's a little monster." Nancy tickled her, she burst out laughing.

"No, but really Holly, if you stay nice and quiet about this, I'll tell you a secret later." Nancy explained. Holly zipped her mouth closed. Robin couldn't help but smile over at the two of them.

"What are you looking at, Sappy?" Nancy said to Robin. Robin looked down at the pancake instead. She put a dollop of syrup and some butter on it and took a bite. It melted in her mouth.

"I think this is actually the best pancake I've ever had!" She exclaimed.

Karen walked in then. "Thank you." She said, hectically going about the kitchen.

"Mom, this is Robin. I think you've seen her before." Nancy yelled across the table, Mike was in an argument with Holly while Will and Robin sat silently.

Karen came over. "I've seen her a lot but I've never actually been introduced. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you." She walked away then and pestered Ted about something while he sat in the lazy man.

Robin raised her eyebrows at Nancy. "She's heard a lot about me? Huh?"

"Oh, shut up." Nancy said, blushing. Robin felt a pang of pride at that and continued to dig into the pancakes.

"Okay kids, we leave in ten minutes. Will, Robin, do you need a lift?"

"It's okay, Mrs Wheeler." They both said.

...

Robin followed Nancy upstairs while she packed.

"So, uh, Robin, what on earth happened?" Nancy asked once they were in her room.

"I got caught by your dad, he was getting the mail." Robin sighed.

"We should be more careful." Nancy said as she folded a dress neatly and tightly packed it into her bag.

"So, you want to keep... this... a secret?" Robin asked, her voice didn't mean to sound so disappointed.

Nancy's head shot up. "If that's okay? Just for a while, like my parents don't even know I'm..."

"No, no, of course, you've got to do everything in your own time, yes, that's fine." Robin paced awkwardly around the room.

"I can just tell my Mom if you want." Nancy said, noticing Robin's pacing and coming over.

"Nancy, I'm sorry if I look not okay with this but I really am. I completely understand. My parents still think I'm dating Steve, I would be the biggest hypocrit ever if I asked you to come out for me." Robin grabbed Nancy's hand.

"Come out..." Nancy dragged out the word. Robin nodded.

"I think... I'm bisexual." Nancy told Robin, feeling oddly lighter as if Robin didn't already know, she had her tongue down her throat last night.

"Cool, I'm... a lesbian..." Robin answered back, still feeling weird saying the word.

"Oh... so when I was worried about you and Steve, you were just thinking... well, that." Robin noticed that Nancy skipped over the word.

Even though Nancy and Robin had both killed otherworldly demons, there was a lot of stigma towards anything that bordered even near the relationship the two of them had. Giving themselves labels felt good, only to tell each other but they each knew the threat that the label carried.

"Yea, Steve's known for years now." Robin told her.

"Years?" Nancy said with shock.

Robin nodded proudly.

"Steve's only know for about a week with me." Nancy said.

"Wait, Steve knows you're bisexual?" Robin was the shocked one now. "What lead to that conversation?" She laughed.

"Actually, it was you..." Nancy explained, her cheeks glowing pink.

"Oh." Was all Robin could say.

"Yea, during Argyles party, he came up and figured it out. That I liked you I mean." The two of them moved to the bed.

"Wait, you actually had a crush on me then?" Robin asked and Nancy turned to her.

"Yea, I told you last night."

"I thought you were lying!"

"Were you lying?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why would I lie?"

"Because you're beautiful and I'm me." Robin said.

Nancy looked at her in shock. "Robin, you're so beautiful." Nancy kissed her.

"NANCY, WE HAVE TO GO!" Mike screamed up the stairs.

Nancy pulled back from Robin's lips by an inch. "IN A MINUTE." She screamed back in a way only a sister could scream to her brother.

"Wow."

"Oh sorry. I think I should go."

"Fine." Robin said, squeezing Nancy one last time.

Robin headed back towards the window.

"Robin, frontdoor, my family knows you're here, its okay."

"Oh yea." They had one last quick peck before they left.

"I don't even know how I'll deal when you're gone." Robin said quietly as they walked down the stairs.

Robin waved the Wheelers off with Will.

The thing was, Robin knew exactly what she was going to do while Nancy was gone.

She had decided to visit Nancy last night only because she'd run out of words to write for her song about Nancy. It was so freeing to write about how much she meant to her without having to worry that anyone would understand because it was in French.

She'd been using the few chords Eddie had taught her on guitar as well as the more technical chords she already knew on her French horn. It wasn't the most beautiful and it didn't really go with the vibe of the song, but it was enough to help her find a tune.

She'd found out that Dustin had a synthesiser that he was okay at playing.

She'd written the first part of the song. It generally just told the story of this girl she knew and she didn't know she could become so encapsulated with someone.

Then the next verse was about their kiss in the cave but then Robin's mind had gone to mush. She needed to see Nancy herself. Now she had a title and the general idea of the song.

"So, the weather, aye?"

Robin yelped and leaped in the air with fright.

"Did you not know I was walking next to you?" Will asked.

"I'm sorry." Robin said, trying to calm her breathing.

"Yep, the weather is quite something." Robin said, after her she'd finally calmed down.

"How long have you and Nancy been dating?" Will asked.

"Well that's a drastic leap in topic. We're not dating I think. I actually don't know what we are. And since yesterday."

Will nodded.

"How about you and Mike?" Robin asked, putting her hands in her pockets. She only realised Will was pushing a whole bike, he could speed ahead of her if he wanted.

"Yesterday as well."

"Quarry of love." Robin remarked and Will chuckled.

They walked along listening to the bike sound for a few seconds.

"You and Mike have had something for a while now though?"

"We actually kissed in Mike's garage a month ago. Like, in the upside down."

"Oh, what happened?"

"When we got back Mike kinda stopped talking to me and went back to El."

"He's such a bitch!" Robin said, genuinely angry.

"It's okay. He was coming to terms with... well, with everything. Like, everything, everything. Vecna, getting El back from California, realising she doesn't love him like that, realising he doesn't love her like that. Me being in hospital." He sighed.

"That makes sense, I suppose." Robin had eased now.

"She broke it off with him a week ago, not that there was much left to break off. She liked someone new and so did he. He called me and we hung out. I think me being in hospital really freaked him out. He apologised for pushing me away because he thought he was going to loose me."

"Still, I think that's wrong of him though. If he did that then, he might do it again." Robin thought she might be butting in too much.

"That's exactly what I thought. So I hung out with him for a week. I didn't bring up the kiss. I didn't dwell on the fact that he had pushed me away. I just let it be how we were when we were kids."

"Smart." She was relieved he kept talking.

"When we went on that hike, he said everything to me that I wanted to hear. That's when I kissed him again."

"You kids are so mature." Robin shouldered him.

"We had to grow up fast." Will smiled but Robin just found it sad.

"Not to prod, but I thought you were with that red haired girl?" Will asked.

"Oh, Vickie, yea I was. I broke up with her and I kind of just realised it was Nancy all along. I hadn't even realised that everything I'd been doing was me pining for her. I just figured that's how people were around her."

"Well, you got to know about Nancy from Steve and then there's my brother, who were you to believe otherwise?"

"Oh yea, I'm sorry to your brother for stealing his girlfriend..." Robin realised that was wildly inappropriate to say.

"I don't think it was your fault. I think Jonathan needs time to think right now. And Argyle maybe?" Will laughed.

Robin went back to her story, Will was being very cool with all of her remarks. "But yea, a few days ago, I realised Nancy and I were having all these moments. I figured, I'd see if I was delusional or not so I kissed her and it worked."

"Wheeler's for life!" Will stuck out his hand for a highfive.

The clap echoed through the neighbourhood.

"Where are you going now?" He asked.

"I'm actually going to Eddie's. I just gotta grab my guitar, then he's picking me up."

"You are going to play guitar with Eddie Munson?" Will eyes were wide and his mouth an open smile.

"Yea, we're having our first band practise today!" Robin said, excited.

"You and Eddie are in a band!?" He almost yelled.

"With Steve and Dustin!" Robin put the cherry on top.

Will made a fake explosion with his hand from his head. "That crazy, have fun."

"Well actually, we don't have a groupie and we need a logo and a name? Say, Will the Wise, you wouldn't happen to know any artists?" Robin put a questioning finger to her lip.

"Oh I am so in! What instrument does Dustin play?"

"Synthesiser."

The evil gaze and amused look on Will's face could not be replicated.

...

Will waited outside Robin's house while she grabbed her guitar and French horn. He smirked at the display of her holding the two instruments so awkwardly.

Eddie pulled up a few seconds later and Robin threw her stuff in the trunk, relieved.

"A French Horn, seriously Buckley?" Eddie asked as Will scooted in the back, leaving his bike outside Robin's house and she hopped in the front.

"I've got the tune for a song that I wrote on that thing!" Robin explained.

"We don't have a drummer..." Eddie asked, confused at how that could lead to a song.

"We have voices and a guitar, you of all people, should know that can lead to a good song."

"So you're saying your song is good?" Eddie said sassily.

"I'm just saying we can make it sound like a real song." Robin said crossing her arms and pouting slightly.

"You're acting like Nancy." Eddie laughed and Robin went stiff at the mention of the name. She wasn't going to tell anyone until her and Nancy had discussed it. Telling parents about them was different to telling friends.

"How is Wheeler anyway? Not your Wheeler-" Eddie turned to Will, "this one also has a Wheeler." He gestured and Will nodded in fake surprise.

Robin shook her head and shrugged. "She's good, I imagine."

"You know what I mean. I'm positive she has a crush on you. I think you should just go in for the kill." Eddie said, trying to be the gay adviser. Unfortunately, he was probably the only one in the car who hadn't kissed a person of the same sex.

Robin smiled and made eye contact with Will in the mirror and they smirked.

They collect Steve next and then Dustin who was happy to find Will had joined.

"You've written a song?" Steve asked, shocked from the back, holding onto Robin seat as they drove to Eddie's.

"I have."

"What's it about?" He was really excited.

"It's in French." Robin explained.

"You know I'm singing backing vocals, right?"

"I'll teach you, don't worry."

They arrived at Eddie's and Robin immediately took her notebook and started scribbling her concepts down in fluent French.

Steve tried to read over her shoulder but he couldn't decode the language.

"Okay Steve, bass is very simple. Well, for you it will be because we'll make it easy."

Eddie stood behind Steve as he showed him the ropes of the bass, every time Robin looked up, Steve looked flustered in a different way as Eddie guided his fingers.

The good thing was, Steve was a master at the bass, he picked up everything Eddie showed him with great ease.

"You'll be setting the tone for the song realistically since we don't have a drum." Eddie explained to him.

"Eddie, I told you that won't be a problem."

"For my song, it might be." Eddie pouted.

Everyone looked up. "You've got a song too."

"Yes, and I plan for big boy here," he slapped Steve's back, "to sing it."

Dustin burst out laughing. "Like he can sing?" Dustin couldn't control himself, there were tears running down his face at the concept of Steve singing.

Will sat next to Robin, drawing up some designs and name concepts. "Amour. That means love, is this song about Nancy?" He whispered.

"Shit, should I change that word, is it too obvious?" She asked.

"The rest of the page is nonsense to me so I think it's okay." He said. "That's so cute. It's nice to finally know someone is matching Nancy. As much as I love my brother, he wasn't doing some of the obvious stuff that even I could see was pissing her off."

"You know Nancy really well, huh?" Robin asked.

"Well, the day I got to know Mike, we went on a playdate and I met her. Her and Mike used to be really close. I'm not really sure why they aren't anymore."

"Hmm... I guess people grow apart, I'm not sure. She seems close with Holly?"

"They all are. Being the baby of the family has its perks. I know from experience."

Joyce did coddle Will every chance she got.

Robin had written enough for now. She stood up with the French horn and played the melody.

Everyone laughed at first but they saw the vision. "My ears are geniuses, never underestimate them." She threatened.

After a few minutes, Eddie had already turned the melody into a simple tab. They let him mess with it for a while, jazzing it up. An hour later, Robin was practically vibrating with excitement.

Now Eddie was teaching Steve the tab and Robin was transferring the chords from French horn to guitar.

The energy in the room was palpable. They ordered pizza in and all decided they would just stay in Eddie's basement over night.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

The dinner table was chaos. Holly was holding in tears while her mom muttered curses under her breath. Her grandma kept clattering dishes at the sink while her grandpa uttered his wildly inappropriate opinions to the table. Her dad nodded along to these opinions because even though her mom and dad had been married for 20 years, her grandpa still hated her dad.

Nancy flashed SOS eyes at Mike. He nodded and the two of them got up.

"Where are you two going?" Their Mom asked as they walked out the kitchen door, almost undetected.

"Uhm, bathroom?" "I feel sick."

"Thanks for dinner Grandma." They both said in unison.

They walked, quite obviously, out the frontdoor.

"McDonald's?" Nancy asked.

"Please." Mike uttered.

This was a tradition the two of them shared. Dinner was always chaos at Grandma's, it was just about how long they could last before the two of them took off. The McDonald's was within walking distance.

The night was crisp and cars zoomed past on the main road. Their grandparents lived in a much more built up area than Hawkins.

"What the heck was Dad talking about?" Nancy asked her brother.

"You know what, I think we should never let him near a woman again after what he said." Mike crossed his arms.

"No, I mean about the gala?" Nancy clarified, not even wanting to think about what Mike was referring to.

"Oh yea? I can't believe you missed this. Worst reporter ever." Mike teased.

"I've been... busy." She defended.

"Well, El was telling me that Hopper is making her go to this gala. They are raising money for the destroyed library. It's gonna be dancing and charity drives and all that stuff. Hop is going with Will's mom, I think the more people he can get to come, the better."

"Oh, are you going?"

"Will is going so yea... probably." Nancy smirked at her brother.

They arrived at McDonald's and order shakes and fries and sat down at a booth.

"Are you going to be wearing a tux and everything?" Nancy chuckled at the thought.

"It's formal wear so, probably."

"This will be the first time in years you will look formal." Nancy made fun of him. Currently, he was wearing a luminous salmon shirt with neon blue shorts and flip-flops.

He noticed her looking him up and down. "You're one to talk! What are you, Stevie Nicks biggest fan?" He was referring to Robin's Fleetwood Mac shirt that she'd been wearing since they arrived.

"It's comfy and... it smells nice." Nancy said, a very poor defense.

"It probably smells like shit, have you even washed it in two weeks?" He continued on the attack.

"Well, if you had one of Will's shirts, you'd wear it all the time too!" It backfired.

"Wait, Will. Hold on, that's not yours? Who's is it? Have you got a new boyfriend?" He asked.

"What, no, ew!" Nancy grimaced, taking one of the fries to avoid the conversation.

Mike didn't know what else to say. He knew if he started prodding, Nancy would too.

Nancy remembered a time before either of them were scared to talk to each other.

~~~

It was a crisp, September morning and Mike and Nancy were watching cartoons and eating cereal. Mike was 5 and Nancy was 9.

"I met my best friend yesterday." Mike had announced cheerfully.

"Was it the boy that was over after kindergarten?" She had asked.

"Yep. His name is Will. We are going to hang out every day for the rest of our lives."

"That's unrealistic Mike." Nancy had said, trying not to let a smile in.

"No, Nancy, I know it!" He had turned to her from his seat on the floor while she was on the couch. His big eyes were shining with ambition.

"That's not fair, I don't have any friends." Nancy sighed.

"That's because your a big nerd." Mike laughed while watching the television. When Nancy didn't say anything else, Mike turned around and saw his big sister on the verge of tears.

He got up and wrapped her in a hug. "You are going to find a best friend just as good as Will!"

That day, she made a new friend and thought it would be her Will, a month later she fell out with the girl, she doesn't even remember her name.

Two years later, she met Barb and that was her best friend. Her Will.

~~~

She wanted that relationship back with Mike, the one where the two of them told each other their every thought and confided in each other.

"It's Robin's," She admitted. "The shirt, its Robin's shirt."

"Oh." He said.

"That's all?"

"Well, do you like, like Robin?" Mike asked.

"Yea..." She shrugged.

"Cool. Thanks for telling me." He nodded.

"Do you like Will?" Nancy asked, knowing the answer, she'd seen the two of them kissing and he knew that.

"Yea." Mike said, his smile easing.

"Cool."

The two of them fell into silence and slurped their milkshakes.

"I kissed Robin." Nancy said.

"Woah. Did she let you?" Mike looked genuinely shocked.

"Yea. I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend." She said, unsure. This was an actual thought she hadn't voiced out loud yet.

"Oh, so you two do like each other a lot then?" Mike asked, easing into the conversation.

"Yea, I hope so. What about you?" Nancy asked, giving Mike the chance to voice his thoughts.

"Well, Will and I..." He said. Nancy nodded. "I think, we've been waiting for something to happen for ages."

Nancy nodded again. "Like, we kissed in the upside down." He said. Nancy thought that had to be at least a month ago, maybe more.

"Oh, so, at the quarry, that wasn't your first kiss." She stated.

"After killing vecna, when Will almost died, I..." He looked ashamed. "I didn't want to deal with whatever that meant for me, the emotions. Nancy, I felt so shit. So I blocked it out, I didn't talk to him."

"Oh Mike, I'm so sorry."

"He came back to me though, we just hung out for a week, like old times, just the two of us. When we were walking at the quarry, I apologised and stuff. I suppose that's what he wanted to hear because then he kissed me."

"Wow, good job bro." Nancy said and she punched him lightly in the arm.

The two of them finished off their food. Nancy looked at Mike fondly even though he was making intense slurping noises. She was happy her brother was talking to her again.

"If you ever wanna talk about this with anyone, you know I'm here, right?"

"Ew." He groaned.

"I'm serious."

"I know, thanks sis."

The two of them walked back to the house, joking and laughing constantly.

As soon as they arrived, they went up to their rooms to avoid the tension, still happening in the kitchen.

...

The car ride home was long and when Nancy got back to her room, she wanted to go to sleep. It was only 4pm.

She decided instead to see if she could track down any of her friends.

She called Steve's house. "I'm not sure where he is, when you find him, tell him he needs to clean the pool." His mother said.

Reluctantly, she tried Robin's house. She didnt want to talk to Robin's mom now that everything changed. "She might be in work, I'm really not sure."

She sighed and fell back on the bed. She picked up the phone one last time and called Eddie.

"Hi." Someone said.

"Henderson, I told you not to answer the phone in case it's someone important." Eddie yelled.

"Are you someone important?" Dustin asked.

"It's Nancy." She said.

"Does Nancy count?" Dustin said.

"Nancy?" She heard Robin say in the background.

"Is that Robin?" Nancy asked.

"Yea, we're all here." Dustin announced.

"Can I come over?" Nancy asked, filling up with energy again.

"Tell her not to." Robin whispered quickly to Dustin but Nancy heard. Her heart fell.

"Oh, Nancy, we were just leaving anyway, it's been a long day." Dustin said.

"Oh right..." Nancy knew she sounded pathetic.

"Does she sound mad?" Robin asked.

"Tell Robin I'm fine." She hung up the phone and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

She didn't know how long she lay in bed, she just knew at one point, she repositioned her lamp to cover up the photo of Robin.

She heard clicking against her window. It wouldn't go away so she peaked out.

Robin stood in the lawn.

"Hey Nance." She waved up. She looked so small and far away. Nancy just wanted to squeeze her.

"Robin, I'm tired." She was about to close the window.

"Wait, Nancy, I sense that you're mad at me. I might be wrong."

"You're not wrong." Nancy said, she couldn't help that her face looked madder the more Robin fumbled.

"W-well, If I could just explain..." Robin's face looked more hectic.

"Explain then." Nancy commanded.

"Uhm, I can't a-actually tell you..." Robin rubbed her hands together anxiously and refused to make eye contact.

"Look, Robin, if you don't want to see me, all you have to do is say it. I don't want whatever this is to fuck up our friendship so its probably better to call it off now before I get attached." She slammed the window down and looked out for a moment. Robin's face looked like shattered glass.

Nancy couldn't bear it, she crawled under her covers and cried.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

"Have a nice day." Robin said to another customer, her voice almost nothing. Steve had been pestering her all day about why she was, in his words "different" today.

"I mean, I know you're saying nothing's wrong, but yesterday you were like, bouncing off the walls and today... you're barely even a shell of your usual self." He put films away in a shelf near the counter.

Robin blinked slowly, she felt like a weighted blanket had been thrown over her. She just wanted to run to Nancy but Steve had been carrying her work load for a week, she couldn't just leave.

Instead, she left her body behind essentially, she was only thoughts. She felt bad for leaving Steve a husk to deal with all day but it was easier this way.

She was caught in a dilemma. Though, dilemma was a strong choice of words because if Robin could go back to last night, she would tell Nancy immediately:

"I'm in a band and I was trying to keep it secret from you because I plan on serenading you at the end of the summer."

Instead: "I can't actually tell you."

Once work was over, she could run to Nancy's house and tell her.

The part that kept aching at Robin was that Nancy said she didn't want to ruin their friendship. If Robin told Nancy the truth, would Nancy even take Robin back?

"God, one day with Nancy Wheeler and I've already fucked it up?" Robin had been screaming in her mind all day.

Maybe she should just tell Steve. Steve knew Nancy had liked Robin so it wouldn't come as a huge surprise.

"Robin... I'm worried about you." He stood across the counter from her.

"Awh, thanks. I'm fine though Steve, just... lady problems." Robin pulled an "eek" face as she gripped at her stomach. It took everything in her to even smile back at Steve.

"Oh, I can get you tea or if you want to sit down, I might even have some painkillers on me somewhere..." He said as he looked around his pockets. "Wait, do you need pads or tampons, will I run to Joyce's?" He was already halfway out the door when Robin called him back.

"I'm fine Steve, I have everything, I just have to... get through it." She smiled genuinely for the first time that day at her caring best friend.

...

"Okay, I can lock up and you can sit out to the car." Steve said as he hurried around the store.

"Oh... uh, yea thanks!" Robin hadn't realised the day was over already. It was both the longest and shortest day of work she'd ever experienced.

In the car, she thought through her plan. She knew it was a long shot but she'd regret it if she didn't try everything in her power to win back the girl of her dreams.

She was going to be totally honest with Nancy, she was even willing to sing Nancy a bit of the song to prove she wasn't a liar. If Nancy still just wanted to be friends, Robin had to respect that. As long as she didn't lose her forever.

"Can you drop me off at Nancy's?" Robin asked.

"Are you two hanging out today?" Steve asked, a pitch of excitement in his tone.

"Yea." Robin tried to sound enthusiastic.

She started building the exterior now, no more sad Robin, she had to be on the ball.

Steve pulled up outside the Wheeler household. "See you tomorrow!" He said.

"Tomorrow's Sunday though..." Robin asked, confused.

"Yea, but I told you today, we're going to that gala tomorrow and you said yea. I told Hop we would but you don't have to come..."

"Oh, okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Robin smiled at him.

"We can get ready at mine. I'll collect you at 5."

Robin stepped out of the car and waved goodbye.

She took in a breath of fresh air and shook her hands out. With her eyes closed, she muttered to herself, "You got this."

She marched determined to the frontdoor and knocked.

"Yello." It was Ted Wheeler, Nancy's dad.

"Hello, Mr. Wheeler." Robin said.

"You're Nancy's friend." He said, more of a remark than a question.

"Is she home?" She asked.

"I don't think so."

"Do you know where she might be?" Robin asked, figiting with the tie of her uniform.

He turned. "Where is our oldest daughter?" He asked the house, probably seeking an answer from his wife.

He got no answer. He turned back to Robin. "Where is my wife?" He asked Robin, laughing but his mouth didn't change from its toad like look.

Robin quite liked Ted. She had to admit, he was the most fascinatingly uninteresting person she'd ever met. How he managed to bag Karen and raise a child like Nancy, Robin will never understand. It gave her hope. If he could do it, so could she.

"She said she'd be back at midnight." Holly answered her dad's question.

"You heard the kid." He said.

"Oh, I'll get out of your hair then." Robin said.

She marched back down the path, slowly realising with each step that she'd failed miserably. She'd have to go a full day being someone Nancy hated.

She trudged home slowly and crawled into bed as soon as she arrived. Rover curled up with her too.

...

Robin woke up the next day and brought her breakfast to her room. She looked around at her clothes, she didn't want to wear a dress and her only suit was used as a uniform for work.

She brought Rover on a walk to try and motivate herself. She just wanted any energy for tonight. She wasn't at all sure what they were doing there, she just knew there was a gala.

A knock came on Robin's bedroom door while she was lying in bed. She thought it was her mom so she said "come in."

"Robin, something is definitely up." Robin rolled over to see Steve standing over her bed.

"Why are you here?" Robin asked.

"It's 5." He answered.

"Oh, sorry, I'll get ready." Steve waited outside the bedroom as she grabbed her things. She felt a little embarrassed at how messy her room was. She'd been tidying it for years now.

They drove to Steve's house in silence. He must've been waiting for her to explain what was going on but she didn't have the energy.

Robin walked in the frontdoor of Steve's house rather awkwardly. "Don't worry, my parents are out for dinner."

She eased knowing she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. Even though she'd been friends with Steve for years now, she coupd count the amount of times she'd been to his house on one hand.

"So, will we get ready?" She asked.

"Eh, we have hours." He walked up to the fridge and grabbed two beers. "Let's hang out outside."

She was always in awe when she saw the swimming pool. She walked up to it and looked at the lights that shined into it.

"It's so boug-" The swimming pool got closer and closer until she was in it.

She splashed her head from the water and gasped. "Steve!" She squeeled. He had pushed her in.

Steve was wearing shorts and a shirt, he didn't hesitate to cannonball in next to her.

She laughed. "Dude, I am wearing like, a full outfit." She could feel the mascara running down her cheeks already.

"Just take off the hoodie. It's so hot anyways, why do you even need that?" He shoved her as they both swam. She peeled off the hoodie and threw it on the side of the pool.

Steve splashed water at her. "Your make-up doesn't look great." He teased.

"I wonder who's fault that is?" She laughed.

Steve climbed out of the water and walked over to the diving board. "Watch this!"

He pulled off the cleanest flip she'd ever seen, there was barely a splash.

"What! I want to try!" She ran up onto the board and attempted his flip but ended up going in sideways and making a huge splash.

"Wait, try this!" He went up again and this time he jumped and flailed as he soared through the air.

"Oh my god. You look so stupid." Robin told him as he re-emerged from the water.

"Show me how it's done then." She climbed up and pulled off a superman pose in the air.

"What the hell was that?" He asked and he was almost crying with laughter.

She ran her hand through the water, making a wave that hit Steve in the face.

"I was obviously Superman!" Robin exclaimed.

"Oh yea, obviously." He said, sarcastically.

Steve raced Robin across the pool but he was much faster than her doggie paddle.

"That's not fair. I'm too poor to swim fast." She said after loosing for the fourth time.

"The public pool is like, a dollar an hour."

"Yea but it's full of kids and plasters and grossness." Robin chuckled.

"Fair enough. Well, my pool is always open and you are always welcome." Steve tread water as they swam around the deep end.

"Thank you sir Steve."

"Can you do an underwater handstand?" He asked and dove down and stuck his feet in the air down at the shallow end.

"What, no, show me your ways!?" Robin hurried over, full of excitement.

...

Steve handed Robin a robe. "Here, if you wanna throw your stuff in the dryer."

She only really needed the bra for the gala, she had a spare of everything else. While everything dried, the two of them sat by the pool and cracked open a beer.

Robin smiled as the sun washed over her face and she sipped the cool beer, Steve was in the pool chair next to her.

"So, how was Nance yesterday?" He asked innocently. Robin realised she hadn't thought about Nancy since she'd arrived at Steve's. She admired how he could clear her mind so well, he always knew what was best for her.

"Oh yea... uhm, I dunno." She shrugged.

"Were you not visiting her?" He asked again.

"Steve..." She began. He looked over expectantly. "Nancy is mad at me."

"Really, I thought you were her best friend, what happened?"

"Well, at the quarry, the other day, we kissed..." She let it out and braced for Steve's reaction. It was the biggest breaking of the brocode ever.

"Fucking finally." He sighed with a small laugh at the end.

"What, you're not mad?" She asked, looking over to check.

"Of course not. I don't love her anymore, not like that. But she really likes you and you've liked her for ages. I could see the way you looked at when we fought vecna the first time." He gave Robin a genuine smile.

She sipped her beer. "Thank god." She sighed in relief.

"So, why is she mad at you?" He brought it back on track, something he'd often had to do with Robin.

"Well, I think she heard me tell her not to come to Eddie's basement and then I tried to apologise that evening but I still wanted to keep it secret that I was writing a song about her."

"Les étoiles is about Nancy?" Steve asked, referring to the song.

"Oh yea! Yea, the whole band is for Nancy." Robin said offhandedly.

"And it's a surprise?"

"Yep. But I think I have to choose. I have to tell Nancy about the band and then maybe she'll forgive me. But she did say she didn't want to lose me as her friend even if that means stopping whatever we had."

"You should definitely tell Nancy about the band. You kept it secret and she broke up with you?" Steve asked, he was grinning.

"Yes dipshit, and it's pretty upsetting I'll have you know, so quit smiling." Robin said, grinning now too.

"Oh Robin, your priorities are all over the place. You and Nance are going to make an entertaining couple."

"Wow, my misery is your entertainment." Robin uttered with a chuckle.

"Go take a shower, you stink of chlorine. Then we'll suit up."

Robin stood up and downed the rest of her beer.

"Oh and Robin, thanks for telling me. I think, you'll be back in Nancy's good books in no time."

She smiled at him.

...

Steve's room never failed to make Robin laugh. The walls looked like a Maths notebook.

"You have so much hair cream." She said as sge dried her hair with a towel.

"So, I got this tux when I was fourteen." He said, holding up an ironed, Mars black tuxedo that looked like it was worth more than Robin's entire room.

"Show off."

"No, I'm saying, it should fit you and you can wear it to the gala tonight."

The gala was in an hour but thankfully, Steve had all the hair stuff Robin needed to fix her hair back up. She'd brought some make up too.

She pulled on the tux and it did, in fact, fit her perfectly. She tied the dickie bow up and waited for Steve to finish his shower while she put on make up in the other bathroom.

Before they left, they stopped in the mirror for a few seconds to admire themselves. "If looks could kill..." Robin remarked.

"We'd be the finest serial killers out their." Steve finished.

...

The gala was in the country club by the expensive estate near Steve's. The place was bustling with life.

"So, let's go back to the kitchen. We can grab a platter, it's only like an hour but we'll get paid so much, it's totally worth it."

"Uhm, what?" Robin was genuinely not sure what he was talking about.

"We're gonna walk around with platters of tiny food for snooty rich people to eat. I literally told you this yesterday." Steve shouldered her.

"Oh yea, I was definitely listening..." Robin nodded.

"Look, just walk around, when your plate is empty, go back for more." Steve gave a quick refresher and then they made their way back to the kitchen.

A real life guy played on an actual grand piano in a giant room Robin had only seen in movies. People with small, trimmed mustaches spoke to ladies who wore the most beautiful silkes Robin hard ever seen.

Most people didn't even make eye contact as they took tiny foods from her tray. She'd even been given a pair of white gloves to wear.

She felt in a constant state of slight nausea and it genuinely felt like the ground was spinning beneath her. This happened a lot when she was in rooms with a lot of people and this was probably the most people she'd ever seen in a room.

She saw Mike talking to Will in a corner and the two of them waved at her.

"Shit, does that mean Nancy is here?" Robin thought. She wasn't prepared to talk to her at all tonight.

There was only 45 more minutes of bringing food to people and then she could scope out a good area to hide.

30 minutes left and she noticed an emergency exit where you could go upstairs where it was quiet and the floor didn't feel like a teacup ride at a carnival.

20 minutes left and Robin was beginning to ease, she hadn't spotted Nancy yet.

10 minutes, Steve and Robin highfived as they crossed paths, thinking about the nice paycheck that was awaiting them.

5 minutes and she spotted the dullest suit she'd ever seen and she laughed. The man turned around to reveal Ted.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Her heart rate escalated so quick she was genuinely afraid she might have a heartattack. It was like Nancy was glowing.

The mint green gown she wore was almost skin tight and stopped right at her feet to reveal the dark purple heels she was wearing. A perfect slit ran up the side of the dress to reveal her left leg.

Her hair was the perfect amount of wavy to highlight how straight the dress was. She wore red lipstick and eyeliner that cut through Robin's heart like a knife.

Robin wanted to run over and sweep her off her feet and leave stains of that red lipstick all over her face, instead, she turned away. But she wasn't fast enough, theie eyes had already met across the crowd.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy thought she'd seen Robin earlier handing out food but she thought her mind must be playing tricks on her.

She didn't mean to lock eyes with her now though. She looked amazing in the tuxedo. Nancy wasn't sure if she should go over and talk to her or give her the cold shoulder.

She'd meant it, she wanted to be friends with Robin and she didn't want anything to come between that. Now, she wasn't sure if kissing or never kissing again would make their friendship blossom or wither.

Before Nancy could even decide what to do, Robin was gone again and lost in the crowd.

Nancy gripped her champagne and took a sip. She had to admit, they'd really splashed out on the gala, this money really could've gone to the library. She knew it was the good stuff because instead of making her sloppy, no-filter drunk (which she wanted to use right now to find out her true thoughts), it was making her judgy, confident drunk.

She noticed men eyeing her up in this dress, it meant she'd done a good job. She was hoping it did a number on Robin too.

She decided to make the rounds of the large hall, if she bumped into anyone she knew, it was fate.

She heard Steve's voice coming from a hallway off the gala centre. They were making their way to the kitchen. She decided to followed them.

"So, she's here then? Shit Robin, I didn't know. You wanna make a run for it?" Steve said.

Nancy stood outside the kitchen and eavesdropped, she knew it wasn't cool but she just didn't care.

"I'm not sure to be honest." Robin's voice.

"You seem distracted?" Steve remarked and a platter clattered.

"You would be too if you saw her. I mean, she looked so hot. And not standard hot, hot. I'm talking, 'take me out back, choke me, stab me and I'll thank you' type hot." Nancy could hear her pacing around Steve as she spoke.

"Jeez, don't cream your pants Buckley."

"First of all, ew and second, fuck you." The voices came closer and closer.

"I need advice, should I stay or should I go?" She pushed open the door. Instead of running, Nancy decided to wait by the door.

Neither of them seemed to notice her as they walked out so she was now behind them.

"Well, once she sees you with all that mullah-" Steve stopped.

"I'm not the kinda girl that goes after someone just because they have money." Nancy added.

Robin almost jumped out of her skin.

"Nancy!" It's all she said. Nancy believed that if she stood there and said nothing, Robin would be staring at her in shock forever.

"So, are you going?" Nancy asked. She knew the low-cut dress was working. She could see it was taking everything in Robin to keep eye contact with her.

Steve elbowed Robin back into the moment. "I'm staying." Robin blinked back into reality.

"Good, you don't need to look so scared. It's not like I'm going to choke you or anything." Nancy said, walking between Robin and Steve. She could see Robin's face turn bright red as she realised Nancy had been eavesdropping.

"Nance, you look good tonight. You've got this mob boss's wife look going for you." Steve said, jogging to catch up to Nancy and leaving Robin in the dust.

"Yea, I just thought it would be fun to go all out tonight." She answered, changing from the flirty, trying to make Robin jealous tone, to her usual tone.

"Looks good on you."

"Is Eddie here tonight?" Nancy asked.

"It's not really his scene so I don't think so." Steve said, sounding a little disappointed.

Nancy noticed Robin was walking behind the two of them, saying nothing and figiting with her hands.

Nancy slowed down and looped her arm through Robin's. It hurt to touch Robin knowing they'd never kiss again. If she wanted to be friends with Robin though, she knew she needed to get it out of the way.

Robin looked over at her and smiled but she looked crushed, like she was going through the very same thing.

"Nancy, can I talk to you?" She asked, so quietly that if Nancy hadn't been looking at her, she would've convinced herself that no one had said anything at all.

Before Nancy could answer, the speakers made a loud hissing noise and everyone turned to the large steps in the room where Hopper was standing.

"I'm sorry everyone." It hissed again as he spoke. "What is wrong with this thing?" Now it didn't even pick up what he was saying and he was getting mad.

Joyce ran over and fiddled with it and handed the mic, from the stand, to Hopper. It finally worked as it should. "Everyone give it up for Joyce." Everybody clapped and Hopper looked proud. Joyce waved at the crowd and sat down again.

"I used to be the chief of Hawkins but then I was sent undercover to Russia." Everyone in the room clapped again. "Thank you, thanks everyone. We managed to stop the Russians from starting a super secret ploy." The crowd erupted in applause and some people were even yelling.

Nancy felt Robin try to pull away but she kept her grip around her arm stronger. She couldn't let her go just yet.

"Anyway, we all know that Hawkins went through a pretty rough patch over the last while." Half the residents of Hawkins believed in the upside down and the other half chose to believe the government in saying they were earthquakes. It was a topic that divided the town.

"We lost a lot of good people. And though we can't bring them back-" Hopper was so clearly reading from a note, "we can bring back the historical buildings that make our town the staple that it is."

"Tonight, we will try to raise thirty thousand dollars to restore our library." Hopper didn't look enthusiastic anymore. "We already have 6,234 dollars so everybody take out your wallets and prepare to save Hawkins once again." His voice droned on and it was clear he was only reading because he was told to.

"Let's start with the auction. The mayor will speak now." Hopper walked off the stage and grabbed a champagne, he already looked done with this event. The crowd made a reluctant applause.

"Hey Robin, I grabbed you some of the good stuff. We're free now, let's party!" Steve handed her a champagne. He put his fist up in the air as he drank it likeit was a beer.

Robin laughed and did the same thing except she couldn't raise her arm as it was held captive by Nancy.

Steve burped once he'd downed the drink and a business man with a long, swirly mustache looked at him judgingly.

The three of them laughed. Nancy freed Robin's arm to grab three more champagnes from a tray as someone walked by. She was confident enough that Robin wouldn't run off now.

Everyone was crowded around the stairs now to listen to the bids so the three of them moved into a corner to drink in peace.

None of them really knew what to talk about, especially Steve. He kept catching the two of them stealing glances at each other but not shooting their shots.

As they all sipped in silence, the air became thicker and thicker with unsaid words. "HENDERSON!" Steve shouted and the boy turned around.

Steve ran up to him, leaving Nancy and Robin alone.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Nancy asked.

"I'm really sorry." Robin said, she hadn't made eye contact with Nancy since they first saw each other today.

"What are you sorry about?" Nancy tried to sound nonchalant, as if there had never been a problem to begin with.

Robin looked confused now. "For... for lying to you?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Nancy said. She didn't mean to sound like such a dick.

Last night, Nancy had realised that if she wanted to get back to normal with Robin, she was going to pretend that the time in the cave and from then on had never even happened. She was going to be ignorant about anytime it was brought up.

Robin looked scared and slightly annoyed. "I'm telling you. I lied to you. And I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven." Nancy said, taking a sip of her drink and leaning into the mob wife persona.

"Is that it? You're not even going to ask what I was keeping from you." Robin was annoyed now but she was definitely trying to hide it.

"Friends are allowed to have secret, it was unfair of me to try and pry it out of you." Nancy said, she was looking into the crowd and not daring to look at Robin. She knew it would break her. Even in her periphery, she could see the "friend" comment had made Robin frown.

"Yea, well, from my experience, friends don't kiss and confess to each other." Robin said, slightly aggressively but Nancy knew it was because she was hurt. She hated how hard Robin was trying.

She couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows though. "Well, some friends do..." Nancy felt slightly called out. She had kissed Barb once before and afterwards they were still best friends.

Robin leaned against the side of the staircase they were stood under and crossed one arm over her stomach while the other lifted her drink to her mouth. "Oh." She said, like it was something she had genuinely just learnt. "Okay."

Robin leaned against the wall for a while, saying nothing. Nancy was about to look over and she knew that once she did, she would cave. She would either run away, or kiss Robin, she couldn't take it.

Instead, Robin walked away into the crowd and disappeared with ease. Nancy was left standing in the corner by herself. She wasn't sure if anything she'd said was the right thing or not.

Eventually, she decided to walk to the bathroom. At the sink, she watched herself in the mirror, thankful the room was empty.

Could she really bare to never kiss Robin again?

She couldn't say how long she stood there for.

~~~

"Nancy." Barb breathed out as she pulled her lips away from Nancy's. Nancy's eyes were still closed. She had just had her very first kiss and it was with Barbra Holland.

She opened her eyes to see Barb almost laughing. Nancy had suggested they make out.

Barb slid off the bed theyd been kissing on in her bedroom. "Well, I can cross that off my bucket list." Nancy could still feel her lips tingling.

"Haha, yea me too." She lay back on Barb's bed and crossed her arms over her stomach.

Barb turned on her stereo and her favourite song started playing. She turned to Nancy and started lip syncing along. Her eyes brows creased when she saw Nancy.

"You're acting weird." She had said. She continued to lip sync then and stuck her hands out for Nancy to hold. She grabbed them and Barb pulled her off the bed.

Nancy laughed and Barb pulled her around to dance and spun her.

As Nancy tried to sleep beside Barb, she kept thinking about that kiss.

She woke up in the morning to Barb shaking her gently. "Breakfast?" She'd barely slept at all.

They got up and went into the kitchen and put down eggos. Nancy leaned against the counter and could not be acting more out of place, even though she tried not to. She'd basically lived in Barb's house all summer.

"Nancy, you're still acting weird." Barb said as she put syrup on the Eggos. Her face looked worried.

"Yea, sorry... I'm just, sick maybe, I dunno." She said, shaking her head and over acting her words.

Barb handed her the Eggos. She didn't say anything. Nancy kept peaking over at Barb. Why was she still thinking about it? Everytime she looked over, she thought about the kiss, not about how Barb was her best friend.

"Nancy. I think, what we did last night, we shouldn't do it ever again." Barb said, looking concerned.

"Oh, yea, I mean, why would we, it's crossed off our bucket lists now." Barb still looked concerned.

"Because, I don't know about you, but I feel very weird afterward." It was clear that Barb was lying to make Nancy feel better.

Nancy felt horrible. She was being completely rejected and it felt like a gut punch. It hurt because she knew her feeling were completely one-sided. Bard clearly didn't feel a thing from that kiss.

~~~

Nancy looked at herself in the mirror and reminisced on that feeling, how horrible it felt to be rejected so casually like you should agree to it too. Robin was probably feeling that right now.

Nancy could feel her stomach sinking at the thought of that sleepover with Barb and now with this thing with Robin. Except, she knew Robin felt the same way. She still didn't know why Robin had lied to her though.

"I've got to go find her." Nancy mouthed to herself in the mirror.

She ran out of the bathroom. "What would Robin do?" Nancy thought. She looked around and saw Steve was still with Dustin which must mean Robin was by herself.

Nancy looked around at areas where someone could hide. If Robin could get upstairs, she would because she hadn't run out.

Nancy spotted and emergency exit. "Maybe she is outside..." Nancy walked through it and it lead to a stairs and a padlocked door. "Stairs it is."

She walked up and opened the upstairs emergency door to get out. She looked out over the balcony at the party down below.

It was easy to spot Dustin and his light blue suit with Steve by his side. They were laughing about something.

Her brother and Will were chatting to each other in the corner, they both had champagne but Nancy wasn't a snitch.

She spotted her mom talking to Joyce while Holly tugged on her dress.

Max and El were writing something down by the bid table and giggling.

She heard a small whimper behind her and turned around.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Robin didn't know she'd cry once she ended up alone, but she hit the floor of the lonesome hallway up the emergency exit stairs and the tears started coming.

The way Nancy had said everything sounded so final. Robin had been struggling to do anything for the last day and a half and here Nancy was just getting along as if nothing had happened.

The thought alone turned Robin's tears into sobs. She curled into her knees and dwelled in the misery.

Nancy had just wanted to be friends but being friends with Nancy now that Robin had tasted her lips, was like taking a bite of a cookie knowing you'd never get to eat it again even though it was right there.

Robin cried into her knees for a while. The idea of crying over a girl at a fancy, rich people, more expensive than anything Robin had ever touched Gala was almost humorous to Robin.

She thought about how far she'd come. If the Robin who had run through the prom away from the police four years ago could see this Robin, she'd be shocked. Robin had actually kissed a girl now and realised there were more people like her out there. Though only her and Steve would know it, Nancy was more like Robin than she thought. Young Robin would be impressed.

She let out a whimper at the thought of Nancy just being a story Robin could only tell Steve. God, Steve was never going to hear the end of how good Nancy was at ki-

She felt someone tap her shoulder and it snapped her right out of her thoughts. She was about to get up and apologise for being in an area she assumed was not for the public, but then she saw the red lip stick and the green dress.

"Nancy." Robin wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Robin... were you crying?" Nancy asked and her eyes flashed with concern and Robin thinks she saw... guilt?

Robin stood up hastily and waved her hand. "What!? No, I wasn't crying." Her voice cracked and she finished wiping away the tears.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. Is this because of me?" Nancy asked, her voice smooth and apologetic.

Robin was taken aback by the pet name and she forgot to speak for a second too long and being drunk made her leap from topic to topic.

"Nancy, I'm sorry for not telling you what I was doing." Robin burst out.

Now Nancy frowned and she sunk to the floor.

"It's... okay." She said, looking away.

"Nancy, I was actually preparing a surprise for you and that's why I didn't tell you."

"A surprise? With everyone? Does everyone know you and I...?" Nancy was speaking fast.

"Well, everyone was me, Steve, Eddie, Will and Dustin. Will and Steve already know and Eddie is gay." Robin didn't mean to sound so defensive.

"Of course. I'm sorry." Robin could tell Nancy wanted to say more and she waited. Nancy said nothing.

"That's why I didn't tell you and besides, they don't know a thing. They just think I'm making a project, they don't know it's for you." Robin said. She was a little disappointed that Nancy didn't ask what it was or sound at all excited. She was only concerned about her image. Robin supposed she knew Nancy would be like this.

"You're making me a project?" Nancy asked. She turned to Robin, her face full of wonder. Maybe Robin had questioned her too soon.

"Just something small." Robin grinned at her.

Nancy stared at her for a second too long, Robin wasn't sure if she could stare this way without kissing her.

Suddenly, Nancy's lips were on Robin's. Robin leaned into her like she was the air she had been missing. The familiarity of those soft lips.

She pulled away and looked at Robin, her eyes full of fear. "I'm sorry." She gasped.

Robin pulled Nancy back in and felt her lips like she'd never thought to feel them before. Remembering every last touch in case it was their last.

Nancy pulled away and Robin thought it was over.

"Robin, I'm sorry for trying to push you away..." She said, her voice small.

"It's okay." Robin meant it genuinely.

"It's just that, last time I had a friend, something awful happened to her." Robin noticed that Nancy still couldn't bring up Fred, she must've blocked that out.

Robin missed Barb too sometimes. "Did you hear that they're naming the library "Holland's library"?" Robin asked Nancy, trying not to sound as unimpressed as she actually was.

When they rebuilt the gymnasium after a demogorgon had torn it to shreds, it had been called "cunningham's gymnasium". Robin found the pattern of honouring the victims uncreative and frankly, quite offensive.

Nancy nodded but she looked unimpressed too. "Yea, I heard, took them long enough. Barb's parents seem pretty happy about it though." Nancy let a very small smile creep in.

"Oh." Robin had never thought to check in on Barb's parents. Robin almost, always forgot about parents. Her parents were so brutally nonchalant about everything she did that sometimes, she forgot she had parents.

Robin's heart swelled at the thought of Nancy always checking in on Barb's family. She knew that Nancy and Steve used to but she didn't know Nancy still did.

"But Robin, I wanted to say-" Nancy put her hand on Robin's leg as the two of them sat at the wall. "I'm sorry, really! It won't happen again. I got scared because I've never done something like this." Nancy gestured between her and Robin.

Robin tried her best not to sigh. It was always this issue that gay people faced and she hated it.

"But I didn't think I'd get attached so fast." Nancy finished. Robin was taken aback, she thought Nancy had forgotten about her.

Nancy looked up at her. Her hand moved from Robin's leg to her face. Her thumb wiped away a stray tear Nancy hadn't gotten yet.

"Robin, I think you're already my favourite person."

Robin couldn't hide the look of shock and awe on her face.

"You're my favourite person too Nance."

Nancy adjusted her dress and climbed onto Robin's lap and kissed her more closely.

"God, I missed you." Nancy said and she moved her lips from Robin's mouth to her jaw.

Her lips followed her jawline to below her ear and Nancy kissed the rarely touched skin. It felt amazing. Pulling Nancy in tighter was all she could do not to gasp.

Nancy moved her lips down Robin's neck and suddenly, Robin moaned.

Her eyes went wide, she didn't mean to do that.

"Oh, you like that?" Nancy asked, a glint in her eye. Before Robin could answer, Nancy had moved back to her neck.

Robin bit her lip to suppress the noise. She didn't like how close they were to the balcony, if the gala went quiet, they would all hear Robin moan.

"Nancy." Robin said and her head perked up. She grabbed Nancy's hands and pulled her up.

"Oh, do you want to stop?" Nancy tried to hide her disappointment so Robin had to smirk when she saw the empty room, open behind Nancy.

She pulled Nancy into it and looked around.

All that sat in the room was a piano, a fireplace and a couch. Two, ceiling high windows looked out over Hawkins and Robin could just about see the wrecked library, the first place she'd bonded with Nancy Wheeler, through the gaps in the drapes.

Robin watched as Nancy looked around the room. Then she pushed Nancy up against the door and kissed her. She started to move her lips down Nancy's neck.

"Yea, good luck Robin, that doesn't work on m-" Suddenly, Nancy let out an involuntary moan and clasped a hand over her mouth.

Robin couldn't help but feel an immense amount of pride, she pulled her head back to look at Nancy. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" She wasn't really but she said it anyway, she did look a little guilty.

Nancy looked at her wide eyed and then slapped her arm with a mock angry face. "Screw you! Do that again!" Nancy commanded.

Robin kissed her neck again, gently. She could hear Nancy holding back.

She felt a cold hand wrap around her chin and pull her face up. Nancy pulled her lips in to hers. She combed her fingers through Robin's hair.

Nancy started guiding Robin toward the couch and she felt a nervous excitement. Nancy pushed her down on the couch and Robin looked up at her. "You are so beautiful." Robin said in awe.

Nancy kicked off her heels and dropped down on the couch. Nancy kissed her so naturally Robin was surprised they hadn't been doing this their whole lives.

Robin could feel Nancy's hand running up and down her abdomen. It sent a shiver down Robin's spine. Her fingers were so gentle and smooth, she hovered over one of the buttons.

"Can I?" She asked, looking down at the button. Robin swallowed and nodded. Nancy unbuttoned each button with ease, looking at Robin with those mishevious doe eyes.

She finished off the buttons with her lips on Robin's. She felt the cool hand hover over her skin now, the anticipation of the touch making Robin feel crazy.

Then, Nancy stuck her tongue in Robin's mouth as her hand wrapped right around Robin's bare skin.

Nancy's knee was now between Robin's legs and she pushed it up. "Is this okay?" Nancy whispered into Robin lips.

"Yes." Robin gasped back. Nancy pushed slightly harder and it felt so good. She hovered her hand over Robin's bra and Robin assisted it down. She squeezed and she was sure she'd never felt so many good sensations all at once. She knew only Nancy could make a girl feel this good.

Robin put her hand on Nancy's shoulder and slowly started moving it down toward her chest.

"Yes." Nancy said. Robin let her hand feel Nancy in the place she'd only dreamed of before.

Robin sat up and Nancy assisted in pulling the shirt off fully, the dickie bow managed to stay on. Robin switched so Nancy was now beneath her. She had learned from Nancy, she pushed her knee between Nancy's legs and she bit her lip. Her lipstick had smudged to the side.

Robin leaned down and began kissing Nancy's neck again. She ran her hands up and down Robin's back and it made her tingle. She never wanted it to end, she wanted to taste Nancy forever.

Robin kissed a little lower and Nancy nodded then Robin looked up. All she would have to do is pull back Nancy's dress slightly. She looked to Nancy for confirmation and then pulled the dress the side.

She kissed just above Nancy's bra and Nancy let out a moan. Robin felt incredibly proud.

...

They must've lost track of time because the next thing Robin heard was Dustin call Nancy's name.

"Shit." Nancy said. Her hair was dangling over Robin face, tickling her nose.

"Robin?" It was Steve now and he was right by the door.

Nancy got off Robin and started fixing her dress. Robin took her in one last time. Her hair was messed up and frizzy now, her lipstick was smudged and her eye shadow was almost gone.

Robin got up and grabbed her shirt. She ran to the door and opened it ever so slightly. She noticed Steve walking with his back to her but couldn't find Dustin. She looked back to make sure Nancy was decent.

She grabbed Steve by the scruff of his neck and pulled him into the room.

"Robin, OH ROBIN!" Steve said as he noticed everything.

"Shut your eyes perve." Steve closed his eyes immediately and Robin pulled the shirt on. She still had her bra on thankfully.

"So, you and Nancy are back together I assume." Steve said, his eyes still shut as Robin buttoned up her shirt.

"Well, I'm not really... sure..." Robin said.

"Yes, we are back together." Nancy said, she'd stepped closer.

"Really?" Robin asked as Nancy finished off the last few buttons.

Nancy kissed her.

"Ew, just because my eyes are closed doesn't mean I can't hear." Steve huffed.

Robin held her middle finger in front of his face and kissed Nancy again.

"Can I open my eyes now? The gala is finishing soon." Steve asked.

Steve opened his eyes when the girls said he could.

"Woah, okay, the two of you need to go down to the bathroom because it is so obvious you had sex."

"We didn't have sex!" The two of them gasped in unison.

"Well, whatever you did, if you don't want the whole world to know, clean it up. Its gonna be hard to clean the after sex glow off your faces though. And Robin, that proud grin, get rid of it."

Nancy looked over at Robin. "Oh, Robin your hair." She giggled as she stuck her hand into the scruffy locks. Robin grabbed Nancy wrists.

"This is your fault." Robin said to Nancy, grinning even harder.

"Oh my god, get a room." Steve sighed.

Robin looked around and gestured to the room. "You're in it."

When they stepped out the door, they immediately bumped into Dustin.

"Agh, Nancy what happened!?" He gasped.

"Ugh, I smudged my lipstick." Nancy explained.

The three of them went silent as Dustin thought this over. "You should clean that up before you get downstairs, there's a bathroom down the hall."

"Oh, thank you Dustin." Robin followed Nancy to the bathroom.

She gasped when she saw herself in the mirror.

"Robin! Look what you've done to me!" She said as she poked around her eye trying to think of a way to even out the eye shadow.

"You liked it." Robin smirked and Nancy glared over.

Nancy gasped then. "ROBIN?"

"Oh my god, what is that, are you okay?"

"You did this!" Nancy accused.

"Did I hurt you!? How?? I'm so sorry." Robin came over to examine the bruise on Nancy's neck.

"No, Robin, it's a hickey. If you kiss someone for too long or too hard you give them a hickey."

Robin's face went pale. "Like an STD?" She asked.

"For someone so smart, you can be really stupid. Suck on your wrist."

"Why?"

"Ugh." Nancy grabbed Robin's arm and sucked on her wrist.

"Uhm, Nance, what are you doing?" Robin looked around, embarrassed and confused.

When Nancy pulled away, Robin was left with a bruise.

"Woah, that so cool!" Robin then proceeded to suck on her own arm again.

"Are you still drunk?" Nancy asked, knowing the answer.

"No, I'm not." Robin said, flashing a dopey smile at Nancy and leaning against the sink.

"Look, we have to cover this up and then we can go. I'll wash off the lipstick."

As Nancy rinsed it off, Robin thought of ways to cover up the hickey because Nancy told her to.

Maybe if they could find a white substance to mix with the lipstick, they could recreate Nancy's skintone. Robin looked around but there wasn't anything.

If Robin could find something to wrap around Nancy's neck maybe. She saw the toilet roll in the bathroom and walked over to it.

"You can't clean it off Robin."

"Maybe you could wear this like a scarf." Nancy glared at her through the mirror.

She tugged on the dickie bow in her awkwardness.

"Hold on. Eureka!" Robin thought. She took off the dickie bow and walked over to Nancy and tied it around her neck. Robin leaned her head on Nancy's shoulder.

"Did you mean it when you said we were back together?" Robin asked, a question she wouldn't usually ask but the alcohol gave her the push.

Nancy gave Robin soft eyes in the mirror. "If you want to." Nancy smiled.

"More than anything." Robin wrapped her arms around Nancy's waist and kissed her neck.

"Stay away from there you." Nancy said, brushing Robin's face off her neck. Robin turned her face towards her with her hand and kissed her lips.

"Robin, your lips are really red." Robin looked at herself in the mirror. Nancy's lipstick had gotten all over her lips.

"Girls borrow each others lipsticks all the time." Robin said.

"True." Nancy kissed her again.

Robin tidied herself up in the mirror a little bit and then nodded at Nancy.

"Let's go join the rich people again." Robin cheered and pointed up to air, she grabbed Nancy's hand and the two of them ran out.

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Downstairs felt like whiplash from where they had just come from. Nancy grabbed another champagne to get the buzz back and deal with the bustle of the rich strangers trying to spend the last of their money before the night went out.

"It's just this for another little while and then a dance and we can go." Steve explained.

Nancy felt Robin edge nearer to her as they entered the crowd. She looked back and noticed Robin's face was very tense and her lips were pursed. Nancy grabbed her hand and squeezed it for a quick second as they marched through all the people. Robin's face eased immediately and she smiled at Nancy. This felt right.

As tall as Robin was, Nancy loved the fact that she felt as if she protected Robin. During their moment on the couch, Nancy realised that she could do things to Robin to please her and Robin would try and do them back, adapting them to Nancy's preferences. That was never the case before this, Nancy was always left slightly dissatisfied with every other person she'd been with.

She really wanted to hold Robin's hand this whole time, something she definitely would've done if Robin was a boy. Instead, she stole glances and thought about where Robin's lips had been just ten minutes ago.

Nancy sipped her champagne. Robin figited with her hands. They were standing by the staircase again but with Dustin and Steve. Nancy handed her drink to Robin who smiled at her gratefully, now having something to do with her hands. Nancy noticed when Robin turned the drink in her hands so she'd be drinking from the same place Nancy's lipstick had stained.

"Where were you guys?" Dustin asked.

"We ditched this stupid party. Found a room upstairs. Hung out." She leaned on the last word and noticed Robin's eyes flash.

"Clever. I would too but all my friends are making doe eyes with each other so I have no one." Dustin huffed.

Steve looked offended.

"Don't look at me like that, I see the way you look at Eddie." Dustin accused him. Steve looked taken aback now and Robin laughed.

Nancy's heart fluttered at the sound. She wanted to hear that laugh everyday for the rest of her life. She leaned against the wall and stared at Robin. She felt her face ease more than it had in the last few days.

"You seem to be looking at Robin the same way." Dustin chucked as he nudged Nancy.

Robin turned to her, her cheeks pink when she caught her staring.

"It's hard not to when she's pulling off this tux and not leaving any hotness for the rest of us." Nancy said, surprised at her own honesty.

Robin looked like she was jumping through things she could say back to Nancy but she couldn't think of anything so she leaned up against Nancy's shoulder instead.

To the outside world, they just looked like two drunk girls. Nancy was sure that even if they started making out right now, everyone would be quicker to say Nancy was with Steve than with Robin. So she let Robin lean against her, she even rested her head against Robin's for a few seconds.

"Man, I wanna kiss you so bad." Robin mumbled to Nancy as she took another sip of the drink. She was definitely more of a light weight than Nancy was. Three champagnes deep and no filter.

Dustin looked at Steve as if to ask, "wait, are they actually together?" And Steve just shrugged.

"Okay people, this is the last event of the night. The Hawkins High Band has kindly volunteered to play one last song. So live it up, it's the last dance and then we'll announce how much money weve raised!" Hopper said into the mic. He stuck his hand out to Joyce in the crowd.

Nancy smiled at the two of them, he'd become such a romantic since he'd come back from Russia.

"Robin, aren't you in band?" Steve asked, referring to the obvious fact that Robin was not in the band and instead in the crowd.

"I quit." Robin said, her face flooded with shame and she stopped leaning against Nancy now. Nancy looked through the crowd at the Band. She saw a glimpse of red hair.

"Oh..." Steve and Nancy said in unison.

The crowd cleared just enough that Nancy now, accidentally made eye contact with Vickie as she played the flute. If smoke could really come out of someone's ears, it would be coming out of Vickie's.

"Well, shall we dance?" Steve asked, leading them all out on the floor. It was clear Robin was actively trying not to look towards the band.

Her eyes kept darting towards Vickie though as the four of them danced in a sort of circle. She looked anxious.

"Don't look there, look here." Nancy turned Robin's head quickly toward her and looked into her eyes. She put one hand on her hip and one on her shoulder. Robin quickly followed suit.

Her face eased as they fell into beat with the song. As the song slowed, it was easier to dance like this and Nancy could feel herself slipping into a world where only she and Robin existed.

The tempo began to raise though and with it, Robin's confidence. She spun Nancy and dipped her and they laughed. As Robin held Nancy while she was dipped, she could tell all Robin wanted to do was kiss her. Instead, she swallowed and lifted Nancy back up.

Once the songs ended, the two of them were in fits of giggles.

"So, as promised, I'd first like to thank everyone for attending and then say, drum roll please, we raised 36,248 dollars tonight. Thank you. Get home safe." Nancy held back laughter at how badly Hopper read out the script. Everyone in the crowd, reluctantly, clapped.

"Robin." Someone said from behind them. Nancy, Robin, Steve and Dustin turned around.

They were greeted by Vickie. Nancy instinctually moved closer to Robin in case Vickie tried to pull anything like before.

"Oh, hello Vickie. I didn't know you'd be here tonight." Robin lied, she was already figiting.

"Uhm yea, I just wanted to say that, I, uhm, I love you. I'm sorry for how things ended. If you want to get back together please, that's fine but I love you anyways and I'll let you think about it." Vickie then ran off.

"Robin, how many girls are infatuated with you? You're doing better than Steve 'the hair' Harrington over here." Dustin asked. Everyone else stood with their mouths agape.

"Did she really just...? Did she... the audacity oh my god." Steve put his hands on his hips.

"Let's just hope we'll never see her again..." Nancy said. Robin nodded and hooked her arm through Nancy's.

"Let's go home." Robin said.

...

They walked down the road towards Steve's house. Nancy had negotiated with her Mom to go hang out and have an after party there.

"Yea, my parents said they'd be back tomorrow from their date." Steve told them.

"You know that means they're either banging or getting a divorce?" Dustin said.

"Shut up Henderson."

Robin walked beside Nancy, her arm still hooked around hers. She'd been quiet ever since the Vickie interaction.

The two of them were starting to fall behind the group now. El, Max, Mike, Lucas, Will, Jonathan and a few randomers that Steve knew from basketball had all followed when they heard their would be an after party. Somehow, the basketballers had found beer.

"Are you thinking about Vickie?" Nancy finally asked, figuring that Robin probably won't talk about it herself.

"Huh?" She looked over.

"Vickie." Nancy said, the word feeling wrong in her mouth.

"Oh! No, I was thinking about you." Robin said.

"Oh!" It was Nancy's turn to be surprised. "What about me?"

"Well, I was thinking about what we did." Robin said, looking into the trees on the side of the road.

"Oh... I'm sorry... do you regret it?" Nancy's heart fell.

"No! No!" Robin said hectically. "No, I was thinking about it because..." Robin looked over at Nancy now, a smirk spread across her face. "How do I say this without sounding like a freak...?" She said.

"What?" Nancy's voice was excited with anticipation.

"Well," Robin grinned now. "I saw your boobs!" She said excitedly.

Nancy shoved her. "So, you've been quiet for the last while because you've been thinking about my boobs?" Nancy whisper yelled at Robin.

"Well, now you're making me sound bad!" Robin yelled.

"So you have been!!!" Nancy screeched. "You're such a weirdo!"

Robin laughed. They both went quiet now.

"I saw your boobs too, Y'know." Nancy broke the silence.

They both broke down into giggles again.

Jonathan slowed down from the front so he was walking alongside Nancy now. Robin was clung to her other side, still laughing.

"Hey Nancy." He said.

"And Robin." Nancy added for him.

"Hello Jonathan." Robin said.

"Oh, are you two really drunk?" Jonathan asked, looking over at them.

"What, me? Drunk? Never!" Nancy gasped and Robin burst out laughing again.

Nancy looked over, she loved to catch Robin laughing and memorise every sound from it.

"Oh you guys are REALLY drunk." Jonathan chuckled slightly.

"That champagne was je ne sais quoi!" Robin said dramatically.

"Oo, is that French?" Nancy asked. Robin nodded. "It's so hot when you speak French."

"Good." Robin exclaimed, she looked like that statement meant more to her than Nancy could understand.

"Uhm, Nancy, are you cold, do you want my jacket?" Jonathan asked. Nancy had forgotten he was with them.

"What! No, Nancy, take my jacket!" Robin said. And she looked down and noticed she didn't have a jacket. "Oh, I don't have a jacket..."

"Well, you could give me your shirt." Nancy said in her flirtiest tone.

"Now, look whos the freak!" Robin accused.

The two of them burst out laughing and Jonathan looked uncomfortable.

Jonathan then tried to join the conversation again. "So, I didn't know you and Robin had gotten so close?" He said.

"She's my best friend! In fact, she's more than just a best friend, she's my favourite person ever!" Nancy said.

"Oh Nancy, you're my favourite person ever as well!" Robin hugged her.

Before Jonathan could try and add anything else, they were outside Steve's house.

"Hey Harrington." Eddie stood outside of Steve's front door wearing a suit. "I heard we were going for a formal theme."

"Eddie! You look..." Nancy could tell Steve was flustered from here.

"Wait, Steve does have a crush on Eddie! I thought Dustin was joking!" Nancy whispered to Robin.

Robin didn't nod or verbally confirm but the look on her face was enough for Nancy to know he did.

"And Eddie obviously likes him back right?" Nancy said excitedly.

This time, Robin nodded. "Tonight's the night for sure." Robin voice was filled with glee.

Jonathan sighed. "Did I miss something?"

Nancy jumped when she remembered Jonathan was next to her.

Chapter Text

Robin
...

Before long, music was blasting from any speaker people could find in Steve's house. The pool had a bunch of strangers in it and, somehow, more people had found out about the party.

Robin stood against the island in the kitchen, Nancy's hand radiating next to hers. She noticed Steve pottering about getting rid of valuables and making it extremely clear that people weren't allowed upstairs.

Robin was going to help him but she kept getting lost in conversations with Nancy. Nancy was already drunk and yapping about the things she loved. Robin was shocked how much trivia Nancy had learned off about 'The Outsiders'.

After about ten minutes, when she noticed Steve still hadn't relaxed, she got up from the island.

Eddie walked up to Steve, blocking his path with his arm and Steve nearly walked into it. "Harrington, relax."

"Well, that guy is next to an expensive vase..." Steve pointed past Eddie, Robin noticed. Eddie put his other hand on the other side of the wall, locking Steve between the two, suited up arms.

Robin walked up the vase, picked it up and put it in a press beneath the television and gave Steve a thumbs up. Steve's flustered face gave a grateful smile back.

"Harrington, follow me, you need to relax." Eddie said with a seductive tone. Robin practically ran back to Nancy.

"It's happening!" She squeeled.

Nancy looked around, startled. "What's happening?"

"Steve and Eddie are happening!" Robin said excitedly.

"Where!? Oh my goodness." Nancy face was full of glee, she grabbed Robin's hands.

"In Steve's room... I think." Robin smirked.

"No way, they are really just getting right to it." Nancy said. "Man, they're gonna have done it before we have." Nancy said under her breath.

She'd drank a lot since they'd got here. Two beers Robin had seen and that had mixed with the champagne. Nancy clearly had said it off handedly but Robin couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed and her whole face turned red.

No matter how drunk Nancy was, she noticed. "Robin! I was just kidding. There's no rush about... about anything. We don't have to have sex- Ever. I mean, like, I want to have sex with you, obviously." Robin wanted to implode, that wasn't obvious. "I mean, only if you want to but we don't have to."

Robin stopped her with a kiss. "Don't worry, I know what you mean." She said, holding Nancy's face, then realising they were in the kitchen in the middle of a party.

Thankfully, no one had really noticed or cared. Except for Max. She looked incredibly excited and she ran over.

"I didn't know you two were together!?" She yelled with glee.

"Uhh, I didn't mean to do that. I'm drunk. And gay. Nancy is straight." Robin said, trying to save Nancy from being outted to Max. Max looked less happy now but she kept the smile and raised an eyebrow.

Nancy, too drunk to see what Robin was trying to do said, "I'm not straight silly." She kissed Robin on the cheek and laughed into her drink.

"I don't even think she knows you're here Max." Robin admitted.

"Don't worry, if you guys are trying to keep it secret, I won't tell anyone." Max smiled. Robin took the drink off Nancy.

"Oh, you want some baby?" Nancy asked, handing it over to Robin. Robin smiled and blushed. She never imagined a day would come where Nancy eould call her baby.

Max walked over to the sink and poured some water. "She calls you baby and everything?" Max gasped in delight. "I don't know how I never noticed that you two were together." Max handed the water to Nancy.

"Ugh, thank you so much!" Nancy downed half the glass immediately and then looked up to see who gave her the water.

"Ohhhh, Max! Hi!" She threw herself off the counter and wrapped Max in a hug. "I'm so happy you're here! How are you?" Nancy fell back against Robin's legs as they dangled off the kitchen island.

"Nancy, I'm good." Max said, slightly shocked at the hug. Nancy was usually pretty withdrawn. Nancy sipped more water and Robin leaned on her head, she smiled with the glass in her mouth.

Once she had finished the glass, she handed it to Max absentmindedly and asked another question. "No, I mean, how are you doing with El and Lucas?"

Max placed the glass back at the sink and Robin noticed she stayed turned around as she processed the question. "Max?" Nancy asked, she was frowning now.

"Hey Nance?" Robin drew her attention away from Max. Nancy looked up at her and Robin was reminded of their first official kiss in the cave as she looked into the blue of Nancy's eyes.

"Wait guys?" Max turned around abruptly.

The two of them looked over.

"Can I stay with you guys for tonight? Just for a while..." Max asked, her voice timid.

Robin, shocked by Max's sudden change of mood, knew something was up then. "Of course Max, stay as long as you like." She said, patting the island beside her. Max smiled and jumped up next to Robin.

"So, what's up?" Robin asked.

Max gave Robin a sideeye. Nancy had her eyes closed now as she rested her head against Robin's knee.

"Will we move?" Robin asked. Max nodded. Robin gently awoke Nancy and hopped down beside her. Nancy didn't even open her eyes, she just walked blindly, guided by Robin with her head on her shoulder.

As they walked up the stairs to get some privacy, a random man started yelling at them. "Ugh, the host said no people upstairs." He shouted, he clearly meant no illintention.

"We're friends of the host." Robin said back, halfway up the stairs.

"Yea, yea, don't even try that. A bunch of people have tried to go up there and I've stopped them." He said.

"Who are you anyway?" Robin asked, genuinely confused.

"A friend of the host." He said sarcastically, waving his arms around.

"Oh yea, so you know the host is Steve Harrington and his birthday is on June 9th and he works with ME in Family Video?" Robin said.

Max's eyes went wide at Robin's audacity.

"You get 'im, girl." Nancy said, her eyes still closed as she leaned on Robin.

"Oh, this is Steve's party? Yea I know him." The guy said, his tone changed completely, he seemed proud of himself.

"What!?" Robin continued to walk up the stairs, followed by Max.

...

In Steve's parents bedroom, Robin let Nancy down on the bed, feeling a little guilty. They'd all kicked their shoes off before getting in the room anyways. Max and Robin sat on the side of the bed.

"Robin." Nancy called to her, her arms outstretched.

Robin bit her lip. "Let me just check what she wants." She leaned over to Nancy. "You okay Nance?" She asked.

"C'mere." Nancy pulled her in for a hug. "Stay here." Nancy commanded.

"Look, we've already put her in the bed, we may as well just get comfortable. I'll change the sheets in the morning." Robin told Max while trying to breath as Nancy squeezed her.

After negotiation with Nancy, Robin ended up with Nancy curled up on her and Max sitting beside her against the pillow.

Before long, Nancy was snoring and drooling on Robin's tummy. Robin smiled affectionately down at Nancy.

"So, you're with Nancy, right?" Max asked and Robin nodded.

"And you were with Steve before?" She asked, quite sure of herself.

"Oh no, I meant it when I said Platonic with a capital P. I'm a lesbian." Robin said, trusting Max.

"Oh." She looked disappointed and then Robin wasn't so sure.

"Why, what's up?" Robin asked, a very slight growl in her voice, one only Steve would've noticed.

"Well, it's just that, I'm having a problem... a little similar to the situation I thought you were in." Max explained.

"Oh." Robin felt a little bad now even though Max hadn't noticed. "Do you wanna explain it to me anyways, maybe I can help?" Robin asked, as kindly as she could.

Robin stroked Nancy's hair, it was so soft.

"Well, it's just that... you know Lucas and El?" Max asked. Robin nodded. "Well, I used to date Lucas." Max said.

"Yea, I know." Robin and the others liked to discuss what the children were up to so Lucas and Max's relationship was something they kept an eye on to make sure neither of them ever hurt each other too much.

"And El broke up with Mike." Max said, exasperated. "And I thought it was because Mike liked Wi- well, someone else."

"Will, yes, don't worry, I know." Max smiled and nodded.

"But then, El said she had, uhm, these romantic feelings for me." Max looked away.

"And you think that's why she broke up with Mike?" Robin asked.

"Well, partly, yea."

"Probably." Robin took the clips out of Nancy's hair so she wouldn't lie on them.

"And Lucas has made it very clear that he would like to be a couple again." Max said.

"You're in a love triangle?" Robin asked, shocked.

"Well, I don't think El likes Lucas or vice versa." Max laughed.

"Oh yea, but, they both like you?" Max nodded. "And do you like either of them?" Robin asked.

"Well, I love both of them..." Max said.

"Romantically?" Max shook her head. "So, do you have a question then?" Robin asked, she brushed her hand through Nancy's curls gently.

"Well, who should I... pick? Well, okay, that sounds so bad... but, yes, essentially that." Max squeezed the sheets as she asked the question.

"Okay... let's think. What did you say when El told you her feelings?" Robin asked.

Max puffed up her cheeks. "I ran inside. To the kitchen. And I started talking to you." Max said, guiltily.

"Oh! So, El is still out there and she doesn't know what you think?" Robin said, wide eyed. Max nodded. "Okay..."

If Robin was El and Nancy was Max, Robin thinks she would probably crawl under a rock and never speak to another person again. She wasn't going to say that to Max though, she already looked so guilty.

"Why did you run?" Robin asked.

"That's what I do I suppose. I run..." Max was mad with herself.

"No, dig deep, why did you actually run? El likes you, do you like her back?"

"Well... ugh, I don't know. I know I've thought girls were hot before, as well as boys. So, I think I'm bisexual. But, I don't know if I feel that way towards El. She's so pretty and she is my best friend but I'm just not sure. I'd feel bad..."

"Why would you feel bad?" Robin asked, curious.

"Well, El has really only just started living independently of everyone else. She just got away from Papa. She just got out of a relationship with Mike. She has so much to learn about herself and you really can't do that easily in a relationship."

"Wow... that's... incredibly mature."

"I just don't see her like that and even if I did, I think it would be totally selfish to pull her into another relationship. Now, with that said, I do feel awful for just leaving her in the dust like I did. I should probably go tell her how I feel." Max was about to get up when Robin asked another question.

"But wait, what about Lucas?"

"Oh yea, well, I'm not sure. I love Lucas. Like, I am in love with him. But I keep breaking up with him and I just don't know why..."

"Well, I think, you've had the worst time Max. You've had awful things happen to you since you came to Hawkins and I think that can affect your relationships. Maybe, you should think about whether Lucas helps you through hard times, or just makes them harder." Robin said.

"Oh." Max sat there and didn't say anything. Robin figured she was thinking. Nancy stirred in her sleep and readjusted so she was up closer to Robin's face. Robin looked over at Max to see if her thoughts had brought her an answer yet.

"You're right but... I'm not sure. Well, I know Lucas helps me but I don't know if that's what I want right now."

"You can take all the time you need Max. It doesn't seem like Lucas is going anywhere." Robin said.

Max smiled. "He's so consistent. Such a dork."

Robin smiled over at her.

"I'm going to check on El." Max decided. "Thanks Robin. I didn't realise you would be so helpful, I would usually seek Nancy out for advice but now I guess I've got a power couple of advice." Max laughed and she ran out of the room.

Robin didn't know that Max and Nancy talked. She knew they'd had a conversation before the big attack on vecna and both bonded over him being in their minds but she didn't know it went past that.

Nancy slid off Robin and she let it happen so that she was lying beside her in the bed. Robin used the opportunity to stretch out her arm which had gone numb, she made the pillows more comfy too.

Nancy had helped a lot of people and never really bragged about it. When Robin would only talk to Steve, Nancy had been talking to everyone. No wonder everyone loved her.

Suddenly, Robin was pulled from her thoughts by Nancy herself. She was stirring a lot now. "No, no, please." Her words were incredibly small and barely audible.

Her breathing had sped up and her face looked pinched. Robin placed a concerned hand on Nancy's shoulder but she didn't wake up.

"Nancy, you're safe, I'm here." Robin said assertively. Nancy still didn't wake up.

Robin put a hand on each of her shoulders at the same time and called out to her. She woke with a scream. "Robin!" Her eyes were teary.

"Nancy! What? Are you okay?" Nancy threw her arms around Robin and cried.

"You're okay." She said in Robin's hair. Robin squeezed Nancy, she was shaking. What the heck had she been dreaming of?

"Nancy, what happened?" She asked.

"You... y-you." Nancy was trying to talk.

"Please don't say I did something horrible to her in her dream." Robin pleaded in her brain.

"V-vecna. He got you. And i-i could only watch." Robin shivered at the thought of her bones shattering and her eyes being pulled into her head.

"It's okay, it was a nightmare. It won't happen again and it wasn't real." Nancy stopped at the words and pulled out of the hug.

"It will happen again though." She said.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, knowing what Nancy meant but not wanting to assume in case she was wrong.

"It's... a dream I keep having. And it's always you. He always takes you. And it always hurts to watch. It's not fair. Before you, it was Holly or Mike or Mom. Now it's you and it's almost every night." Nancy was properly crying now.

"C'mere." Robin said and she pulled Nancy in for a hug and she cried into her shoulder.

Clearly, the time she'd been taken by Vecna was still having an effect on her. Robin just figured she hadn't been having dreams because she never talked about them. But it was much worse than she thought.

"I'm going to help you figure this out Nance. These nightmares will stop happening."

Nancy had eased now, her crying had stopped.

"Don't let me go again." Nancy commanded.

"I won't." Robin said, cozying down next to Nancy so they were face to face.

"No, Robin, I mean it." Nancy said, and she wrapped herself around Robin, her legs wound around her and her arms squeezed her and her he'd was pressed just under Robin's. Robin's nose was filled with the smell of Nancy's hair, shampoo and cherries.

"Can you sing for me?" Nancy asked, so small.

"Oh, seriously?" Nancy nodded into Robin. She thought about singing l'étoiles, the song she'd written about Nancy but decided to stick to something they both knew.

She sang 'one way or another' instead. She had to admit, it was extremely awkward with no backing track. Nancy laughed, the song was absolutely not a song to help someone sleep. Regardless before long, Nancy's breathing had gone methodical and Robin figured she was asleep. She would do some research on nightmares and how to get rid of them in the library the next day.

The door burst open, miraculously not waking up Nancy. Max ran in and jumped under the covers. Robin was in shock.

Max was just a lump in the duvet, Robin placed a hand on the back of the lump, a struggle as she tried to free it from Nancy without waking her. "Uhm, are you okay?" She asked.

"El... El... she said..." Max heaved.

"Take your time Max, you're away from it now." Robin said and she rubbed her hand in circles around Maxs back to try and calm her. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. Her other arm was under Nancy.

"El, said she needed a break from hanging out with me because she thought I'd been flirting with her this whole time and she couldn't take the rejection. She was really nice about it. But still..."

"Shit..." Robin said, shocked.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Max asked. "Unless, you guys are doing anything?"

"No, you can stay with us." Robin said.

Max didn't say anything else.

"Will we go to sleep?" Robin asked.

"Please." Max said.

...

Robin lay awake, thinking of Nancy's nightmares. It was hard to sleep when she had so many thoughts. Some of then were about the nightmares but Robin was also so shocked to be cuddling Nancy and all they had done that day, that she couldn't sleep.

"Are you awake?" Max whispered over Nancy. She was lying with her back to Robin.

"Yea." It had been an hour since they'd last talked to each other.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Robin." She said, her voice cracking and turning into a cry at the end.

"Oh, Max, its okay! You're so young, things happen. I'm sure El is just slightly overwhelmed, you two can get over this. And Lucas is an amazing guy, whatever you so, is the right option." If Nancy wasn't there, Robin probably would've hugged Max. She also thinks she wouldn't be in this situation at all though.

"Ugh... Nancy..." Max said.

Nancy yelped, "YOU'RE NOT ROBIN!"

Robin rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?" Robin could swear she's been talking to Max a minute ago but it was bright now.

"Your girlfriend started cuddling me thinking I was you." Max laughed.

"When did you even get here?" Nancy asked Max.

"The same time you got here..." Max sat up.

"But... you weren't here when I... uhm..." She looked to Robin for help.

"She left for a few minutes, that was just me and you." Robin explained. Nancy must've thought Max was there when she told Robin about her nightmares.

"Oh, good." Nancy said relieved. Based on the look on Max's face, she didn't know they were only talking about a conversation.

"I think I'm going to go find Lucas." Max said.

Robin raised her eyebrows and Max smiled at her and Robin smiled back. "Good luck Max." Robin said.

Once Robin left the room, Nancy wrapped back around Robin. Robin kissed her and they made out for a while. "We should probably go downstairs and help Steve clean up."

Robin groaned. "Ugh, but I just want to stay here forever." She pleaded.

"I know Steve's parents room is the most desirable place on earth." Nancy teased. Robin glared at her and laughed.

She leaned into Nancy's lips again, running her hands through Nancy's hair.

"Stop it, we need to get up." Nancy said but she initiated another kiss.

Eventually, neither of them were pushing each other to get up and they were only kissing.

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and Eddie appeared. Robin and Nancy pulled away from each other. "Come on lovebirds, we gotta help Stevo tidy up." He yelled.

They both slid out of bed reluctantly.

Nancy pulled Robin's jacket on over the dress and Robin changed from the tuxedo pants to her jeans. She noticed Nancy watching as she changed.

"Pervert." Robin said.

"Hey, I'm just taking in everything before you leave me to go home." Nancy said, her voice low and warm.

Robin picked her up and swung her in a circle and Nancy screamed. They kissed one last time before going our to see the mess.

...

Robin changed the sheets like she'd promised. The kitchen was an absolute kip so she took put a plastic back and started tidying up all the bottles.

"My parents will be home in an hour." Steve's hair was messy and his face had a happy glow to it. I suppose when Steve was able to tell Robin had gotten with Nancy, it wasn't a lie. She could tell Steve and Eddie had one hell of a night.

The kids were cleaning up outside and Robin noticed that El was gone.

Lucas and Max, however we're chatting and laughing away. Robin winked at Max and Max waved back through the window.

Nancy arrived back inside with loads of coffees and juices. "The batista looked at me weird when I walked in with this dress."

"You want me to go tell her no one looks at my girlfriend weird?" Robin asked, wiping loads of strawberry heads off the counter. "What the heck were people up to last night?" Robin thought.

Steve was walking around now placing all the fancy stuff back in place. Eddie was sweeping the floor. Nancy handed out all the coffees and juices to those who asked.

The kitchen was almost tidy now. Once the place looked good enough, Robin sat on the kitchen island again next to Nancy and sipped away at the coffee.

"Uhhhh, I shouldn't have mixed drinks last night..." Nancy groaned.

"Do you have a headache?" Robin had never been a big drinker, she never found it worth it and she had an addictive personality so she didn't want to become an alcoholic.

She noticed a lot of her friends would drink when they struggled. It was a side effect of all the shit with Vecna. She hoped that Nancy didn't rely on drink.

"Yea..." Nancy moaned, gripping her forehead.

"You fool!" Robin scruffed Nancy's hair.

"Agh, Robin, I'll actually throw up." Nancy warned. Her face was incredibly stern, Robin had to laugh.

"Sorry, babe." Nancy blushed.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay babe." Robin said again and Nancy continued to blush but didn't object again.

Nancy got up to do the glasses she had dirtied up with juice when Robin pulled her between her legs as she sat on the kitchen island. "What are you doing?" Nancy gasped.

Robin massaged her hair. "Ew stop!" Nancy complained so Robin did.

"Wait, no, keep going actually." Nancy said and she leaned against Robin's legs and let out a huff of relief.

...

At home, Robin looked at her desk and it was strewn with papers. A book lay next to the papers called "the psychology of nightmares" which Robin had checked out from the library an hour ago.

That wasn't what had her attention though. She looked at the two lists that lay next to each other and she frowned.

"Operation Nancy Wheeler:
1. Figure out if Nancy is blushing when I flirt. ✔️
2. Try kissing Nancy.✔️
3. Ask Nancy on a date.
4. Make my friends join a band where we can sing about Nancy to Nancy but no one will know the songs are about Nancy except me.✔️
5. Sing these songs to Nancy and hope she falls in love with me."

A side note that came out of Operation Nancy Wheeler was a note about the band.

"1. Sing at the open mic at the end of summer.
2. Have three songs we're proud of.
3. Record these songs?"

Robin frowned when she looked at the note next to these.

"Operation Croissant:
1. Learn French.✔️
2. Find cheap accommodation in France.✔️
3. Find a job in France.✔️
4. Book a plane to France on September 1st.✔️"

Because Robin was poor and didn't think her life was going anywhere, before she had her last big fight with Vecna, she booked a plane to Paris months in advance so it would be cheaper. She had everything ready to go. She'd even found a job as an opére. She figured she was smart and had enough experience with children that she could apply. This all gave her something to live for after vecna.

Now things were different. Now there was Nancy Wheeler. Unfortunately for Operation Croissant, Operation Nancy Wheeler was going to plan.

If she could complete Operation Nancy Wheeler, she might change Operation Croissant.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Nancy
...

Nancy decided the night before that she would sleep-in this morning. Unfortunately, it didn't work. She had another nightmare about Robin but it was worse this time. She was embarrassed to admit but she definitely would've slept better if Robin was there. She hated that she had to rely so heavily on someone.

Instead, she went on a walk to clear her head. The sun was just rising, it must've been about 6am.

The woods were nice and green and slightly muddy but she didn't care. She walked along and let the bird song ease her mind into thought.

Nancy didn't like that she was drunk yesterday. She didn't remember what Robin was talking about. She remembers the gala but after that, her mind went slightly fuzzy and she doesn't remember being in Steve's parents room at all. She remembers waking up because she accidentally cuddled Max instead of Robin but she didn't know why Max was in the bed.

Robin had mentioned that Max wasn't there when the two of them were alone. Had they done something important or were they just making out or something?

Either way, Nancy didn't remember. She was going to take it upon herself to not drink at the next couple of big occasions they went to. She wanted to remember every moment with Robin.

Nancy could feel it already though. A feeling that had never come with Steve and one that took a long time with Jonathan. Her love for Robin grew with every laugh and glance and kiss. It grew exponentially. Soon, it would be difficult for Nancy not to say it to her. She was afraid it would slip out casually in conversation.

The trees around Nancy dripped with morning dew. She could see every spiderweb with the little droplets.

"I wonder if Robin's awake?" She said as she saw Robin's namesake sitting in a tree, chirping away.

A leaf crunched under her shoe. This summer had been the best summer of her life but September was coming. Nancy wasn't really sure what she was going to do once she went off to Emerson.

Would Robin be willing to come to Boston with her? It wouldn't really be a case of visiting on the weekends, it was a two hour flight.

Nancy was embarrassed to admit she wasn't actually sure if Robin was going to college in September or not. Robin hadn't said anything.

She needed to ask Robin about that.

A shiver ran down her spine. She needed to get her good jacket back off Robin as well. Or needed a jacket in return at least.

Nancy thought about Robin's jackets and it made her think about Robin's smell and oh, she remembered something from the other night!

Eddie and Steve got together! And she had fumbled over the topic of sex with Robin and probably really scared her. Shit...

Robin was probably going to try and put off meeting Nancy any time soon until she wasn't so...

"Ugh, get your shit together Nancy. You have the girl, just don't be weird about it." She slapped herself in the face a couple of times.

She walked back to her house and it took everything in her not to overthink Robin.

...

She arrived in the door and heard her mom stood by the sink not doing the dishes and just listening to the radio. Her dad and sister were sitting on the couch together and Mike was sitting at the table, his mouth full of cereal.

"Oh Nancy," he said, his mouth still full, the words coming out as a gross gurgle.

"Mike, don't speak with your mouth full." Their Mom said.

Mike glared quickly at his mom and continued to speak with his mouth full. "Robin called."

Nancy's entire demeanor didn't mean to change. "Oh, really, what does she want?" Her face was worried and she'd gone all jittery now. She was afraid this was it, Robin was calling to meet up and end it.

"She just asked me to tell you to call her back." Mike said, now that he was finished talking, he swallowed. He looked at her skeptically and laughed as Nancy looked like she was going to do multiple things at once.

Nancy ran upstairs and dialled in Robin's number from memory.

It answered after three rings.

"Nancy!" Robin said from the other end. Nancy couldn't tell if Robin was happy or not.

"Uhm, Mike said you called..." Nancy said as none expressive as she could.

"Yes, I was calling to see if my gorgeous girl would like to go for a date tonight. But I wasn't going to ask you second hand through Mike."

Nancy's heart fluttered. "Yes!" She gasped, a lot more excited than she'd meant to sound.

"Success!" Robin gasped from the other end. Nancy laughed. It sounded like this was a task she was meant to do.

"So, will I pick you up?" Nancy asked, knowing Robin couldn't drive.

"Oh, yea..." Robin sounded slightly disappointed in herself. "Yea, around 6?" Robin asked then, lighting up again.

"Perfect, I can't wait to see you." Nancy was grinning like an idiot. Mike walked by her door and laughed at her but it was no use, she couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

"Yea, I missed you a bunch even though its only been a day so it's time for the best date ever." Robin stated.

"Oh shut up... well, bye, see you later." Nancy probably could've said "I love you" right there and meant it but it was probably too early.

...

Nancy dressed a lot more casual than the gala but she had spent a while trying to make herself as pretty as possible. She'd done her lashes but hadn't put on eyeliner. She dressed in many pastel colours and didn't wear blush. She had some lip balm on, a really shiny kind. She wanted Robin to want to kiss her.

There was still a while before she had to go and Nancy remembered all the flowers she'd seen on her walk earlier. She retraced her steps and picked a bouquet. She hoped that wasn't too cheesy. She sat into the car then.

She pulled up outside Robin's house and started to feel slightly anxious as she waited. She tapped the steering wheel as she waited and then she saw her.

Robin rounded the corner of the house and she was wearing a shirt, docs and tidy black jeans. It was the informal, formal look that Nancy was always envious she couldn't pull off.

Based on the fact that she went out the window, her parents probably didn't know Nancy was even here so she figured she could go greet Robin.

Nancy knew Robin was the more masculine in their relationship but she wanted to take the roll the guy would this time. She stepped out of the car with the bouquet behind her back.

"Robin, you look beautiful tonight." She said as she approached. Robin gave a little spin as if she were wearing a dress and they both chuckled.

Nancy handed Robin the bouquet.

Robin stopped and looked at them. "Are these for me?" She looked genuinely shocked.

"Yea, I picked them for you!" Nancy said, excited but on seeing Robin expression, she started second guessing herself.

"Nancy, these are..." Robin took the flowers and jumped over in excitement and wrapped Nancy in a hug. "This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you!"

Nancy laughed, relieved. "So, Robin likes romantic gestures... noted." Nancy thought as she squeezed her.

The two of them sat in the car. "I booked Enzos. Is that okay?" Robin asked. Nancy nodded. They set off.

Nancy kept glancing at Robin as she drove. She was looking at the flowers, admiring each separate one.

...

Nancy pulled out Robin's seat for her. She felt amazing doing these things for someone else rather than a guy doing them for her. "Thanks Nance." She smiled sincerely.

They sat across from each other. The flowers were left in the car so Nancy realised that no one here probably thought they were on a date. She could see all of the straight couples sitting around them. She did notice two girls at a table though. She wondered if they were on a date or just two friends catching up.

With Robin, it felt like both because Robin was already her best friend and now they were on their first actual date. It was different with anyone Nancy had been with before.

Robin smiled across at Robin and Robin smiled back. It was the most natural things had ever felt in Nancy's life. And they met under such unusual circumstances.

Nancy thought back to the second time she'd ever hung out with Robin.

~~~

The mall had just blown up. Everyone was in an awful mood because Hopper had just died, or they had thought anyways. Robin was sitting in an ambulance and Nancy had just gotten the news about Hopper and it hadn't registered at all.

Robin wasn't with anyone, Steve was comforting Dustin, Max was with El and Jonathan was with Joyce. So Nancy went to Robin.

"Hey, I'm, uh, sorry about your friend." Robin said, she was still in the Scoops outfit. Nancy thought she looked so goofy and cute and was shocked she had just come from a Russian base.

"It's okay..." Nancy said, not having processed Hopper in anyway, shape or form and still jumpy.

"So, you were pretty badass back there! You're Steve's ex, right? I mean like, you're your own person but I know Steve pretty well and that's how I know you. Like, I'd seen you around in school also... okay, I'm sorry, I'll be quiet."

Nancy had been overwhelmed. So she moved on. "You look pretty good for someone who just came out of a secret Russian base." Nancy said.

"I may look good but I keep vomiting. Truth serum man. I didn't know that shit was real!" Robin gasped.

"I thought it was only in movies. Does it... work?" Nancy asked.

"Yep, seemingly. I said things I definitely didn't expect to say."

At the time, Nancy was positive that Robin was dating Steve.

"Oh, to Steve?"

Robin nodded. Then her eyes went wide, "wait, no, I'm not dating him or anything. We are just really good friends."

"Don't worry Robin, I am over him." Nancy explained.

"That's a very nice thing to know that has absolutely nothing to do with anything we just talked about." Then, Robin's face went pale.

"Oh, are you okay?" Nancy asked and she got closer, reaching her hand towards her.

"Oh man, please, pretend like you can't see me." Then Robin threw up into a plastic bag for vomit that the ambulance had supplied her with.

"Oh no, it's okay. Get it all out." Nancy said as she looked the other direction and rubbed circles around Robin's back.

"Comforted by Nancy Wheeler as I puke truth serum from a Russian base." Robin said into the bag, "what has my life become?"

Nancy laughed. "I ask myself the same thing all the time."

Robin wiped her mouth on a tissue and threw it in the trash. "You know Nancy, you are definitely not what I expected." She said, her face pale and her cheeks rosey.

"You know Robin, I look forward to getting to know you better."

Robin was the perfect distraction for that night so had spent an oddly long time chatting with her.

~~~

Nancy stared at her now. How far the two of them had come. How fun it had been getting to know Robin a lot better.

Robin sat in front of Nancy, pretending to not be stared at.

"So...." She said.

"You can feel me staring at you?" Nancy asked.

"What, you're staring at me?" Robin said sarcastically and a grin crept onto her face.

"Are you nervous?" Nancy asked, genuinely curious, because she had been but she wasn't any more. Robin sure looked nervous, she was bouncing her leg.

"You can tell?" Robin smirked.

Nancy reached under the table and put her hand on Robin's bouncy leg. Robin eased.

"You don't have to be nervous. This is just a normal day for the two of us. Just think of it like the times when we would go to the diner." Nancy explained.

"I'm always nervous when I'm alone with you though." Robin chuckled.

"You are?"

"Yea, you are overwhelmingly pretty and so cool too. Like, you tick every single box in the perfect human department and then you just exist next to me and it's crazy."

Nancy was flattered. Robin had said it all so matter of fact like it was completely true.

"What? Sh-shut- that's so-"

"Oh, are you speechless?" Robin asked, her eyes going wide. Nancy couldn't think of a reply.

"Oh my god, you actually are!"

Nancy noticed Robin's routine. She would look around at the tables behind Nancy so she wasn't staring. Then she'd look at Nancy's eyes as she spoke and then stare at her lips for a little too long after she finished a sentence.

She was doing it right now, Robin wouldn't take her eyes off Nancy's lips.

"Do you want to go to the bathroom?" Nancy asked.

"I went before we left." Robin said, looking back at her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay."

"Robin, come with me to the bathroom."

"Oh."

In the bathroom, there was an old woman cleaning her hands. Robin stood up against the wall. Nancy couldn't really pull her into the stall with the woman there. Nancy was sure Robin still didn't know why she was at the bathroom.

Nancy walked into the stall and closed the door. She heard the door shut and the bathroom was empty aside from the two of them. Nancy opened the stall a bit and pulled Robin in by the collar.

She let Robin take the next move when she was in front of her. "Oh!" Robin understood finally and she pressed her lips against Nancy's.

Nancy felt Robin bite her bottom lip almost immediately. The lip balm worked incredibly well.

"I saw you staring at my lips." Nancy said.

"They were shining as you spoke." Robin said and the two of them laughed. Nancy stopped kissing Robin to observe her hands.

"You're hands are so hot." She had black nail polish and rings and bracelets to perfectly capture the figure of them.

"They're kinda gross. Look at the veins."

"I know..." Nancy said seductively and she leaned in for the kiss again. Robin was clearly into it and placed her hand on Nancy's cheek and Nancy put her own hand over it.

The two of them held their mouths a millimeter apart, daring the other to go first. Robin broke the distance and kissed Nancy passionately.

The bathroom door flung open and the two of them went silent in the stall. A man and a woman.

"Oh Josh, I just couldn't keep it in anymore. The way you were eating that chicken, I just needed you."

Robin mimicked a barf in front of Nancy and she let out a silent giggle.

"Betty, keep it down, there is someone else in here."

"Then let's make it quick." She whispered back to him.

"Let's go." Robin mouthed, a sense of urgency in her movement. Nancy nodded enthusiastically and the two of them ran out, giggling.

"You scared someone Bet-" The man's voice said from in the next stall over as they ran out the door.

Once they were back in the normal area of the restaurant, both of them burst out laughing.

"Yuck, I hope we don't sound like that!" They found their table.

"No, we're so much hotter." Robin defended.

Nancy kicked her under the table.

"What will you two order then?" A waiter appeared from out of no where. He had a big mustache and a small stature.

Robin looked down at her menu and Nancy could tell this was the first time she'd seen the prices of the food. "Ugh, can I get a starter?" Robin asked.

"We ask that every customer orders a main." The waiter announced. Robin looked upset. Nancy knew it would be rude to say she'd pay but Nancy had already decided before she left that she would play for dinner, she just had to find a technical way to do so.

"Can I get the-" Robin gulped, "the burger please?" It was the cheapest thing on the menu but it was also what Nancy expected Robin would order because all the rest of the food was unusual.

"Yes ma'am. And you?" Nancy made her order.

The two of them chatted while they waited an extraordinarily long time for their food.

When Robin stopped talking and started puffing and absent mindedly bouncing her fork up and down, Nancy threw her head back in annoyance. Not at Robin, but at the service.

Then a cruel idea entered her head and she smirked.

"You look like you've just thought of something." Robin said, a smile creeping back onto her face.

Nancy reached her hand out on the table and Robin grabbed it, they stood up and Nancy ran toward the door, sweeping Robin along with her.

They ran down the lit streets of Hawkins hand in hand and laughing. They stopped outside the movie theatre. Nancy spun around one of the lamp posts and looked at Robin. It took everything in her not to kiss her, she kept creeping near Robin's face as the giggled and flirted.

Nancy's hand was still in Robin's. She recognised Steve's old friends who had done that graffiti on this very theatre. They looked out at Nancy and then at Robin and then at their hands.

Their mouths went wide and they laughed and exchanged words Nancy couldn't hear through the glass.

Robin had noticed Nancy watching them now, she loosened her grip on Nancy's hand to let her know it was okay to let go.

Nancy didn't know why, but she twirled Robin instead and she laughed and she looked at the girl she was on a date with. It just made so much sense when she looked into her eyes. Nancy couldn't imagine herself with anyone else now that Robin stood in front of her, a beaming smile just for Nancy.

How lucky was she now she had Robin? She couldn't help it, she leaned in and kissed her.

"So Nancy 'the slut' Wheeler has found herself a girlfriend? Anything to avoid Steve I guess." Tommy said, he was now outside and right next to the two of them.

Nancy moved over so she was between Robin and the two troublemakers. She had noticed Robin's shock at the sudden attack but she'd also noticed how Robin had clenched her fists as if she were all too acquainted with assholes like Tommy.

"Hey, Steve's great, but he isn't me." Robin tried to make a joke to lighten the awkward situation.

"So, she doesn't know these guys, Steve didn't tell her about them?" Nancy thought.

"Robin, this is Tommy," he stuck out his hand to shake Robin's, Robin was smiling as pleasantly as she could, Tommy had a mischevious grin on his face. He shook out his had as if it were dirty after touching Robin. "And this is Carol." Nancy finished, Robin stuck out her hand to shake it but Carol just laughed in her face.

Nancy felt her blood boil, Robin looked so awkward. She was just going to insult them a little, then she would go.

"So, are you two lesbians?" Carol asked, chewing gum and laughing. Tommy joined, they were like hyenas.

"Carol," Nancy put on an extremely confident facade. "Don't be rude." She said simply.

Carol looked taken aback by Nancy's confidence, she wasn't the girl from four years ago anymore. Her voice held all she'd been through, simple phrases cut like knives now.

"Actually, Tommy, haha, do you remember when you spraypainted this theatre? "Nancy the slut Wheeler" you'd written." Nancy continued.

"And then you stood to the side and laughed while Jonathan beat up your best friend? Some friend you are?" Nancy caught a glimpse of Robin from her periphery. She looked impressed at Nancy but also her brows furrowed at Tommy. Tommy kept looking between the two of them, his face growing angrier with each word. Carol just kept on chewing.

"So yea, while your best friend," She interrupted herself to turn to Robin, "babe, did you know this used to be Steve's best friend?" Robin melted at the nickname. "And Tommy, did you know someone much better and much hotter has taken over that role? Robin's Steve's new best friend."

Tommy leaned close to Nancy's face now. "So you're dating Steve's side piece." He growled.

"I said it was rude to interrupt," Nancy stepped back from him. A small crowd of people had gathered around them now. Robin looked around anxious. Nancy hated to put her through this but she needed to finish.

"While your, supposed best friend was beaten to a pulp, what do you do? Huh? You take him while he's down and push him around. Tommy, you are Pathetic." Nancy made sure to pronounce every syllable.

"Oh that's it, I'm not apposed to another spray painting job, slut? How do we feel about the new and improved "Nancy the f*g Wheeler"!? Yea, I'll tell everyone in this town who you really are!" Tommy was back in Nancy's face again.

"Yea, I guess you'll tell them how I demasculated you in front of the town too then, yea?" Nancy shot back. It wasn't fully true but she was having fun.

Suddenly, Tommy shoved her shoulders pretty hard but she stood her ground. The crowd gasped and Carol yelled for him to stop.

Nancy couldn't help it, she shoved back and to her surprise, Tommy fell.

She looked down at him and couldn't hide the shock and amusement from her face.

In one second, he was back on his feet and charging at Nancy. SMACK!

"I'M SORRY!" Robin gasped now. She was in front of Nancy now, her fist frozen in the air. Tommy was on the floor again holding the top of his cheek.

Nancy grabbed Robin's other hand and pulled her into a run. Round 2.

"I'll call the police!" Tommy yelled.

"And tell them how a girl gave you a black eye?" Nancy yelled back.

He yelled in frustration. "You pushed first man and you lost, them's the breaks kid!" Nancy went back to running with Robin.

They stopped outside a 7/11.

"Robin, you were amazing!" Nancy leaned in and she kissed Robin. Nancy's fingers naturally intertwined around Robin's hand and she hissed.

Nancy pulled away to look at Robin's fist. There was a small gash on Robin's knuckle and a bruise.

"You think it's broken?" Robin asked.

"I don't think so." Nancy said, confidently because it definitely wasn't.

"You think I'll get Sepsis?" Robin asked, a lot more worried.

Nancy was a little amused that sepsis was such a big worry for her. She was impressed at how hard she'd punched Tommy to have gashed her fist so bad. She also felt awful, that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Nancy.

"Let's go get you cleaned up so you're confident you won't get Sepsis."

In the store, the only plasters were ones with little cats on them. The only ice was a slushie and the only cleaning material was vodka. Nancy was surprised not to get ID'd at the counter but the guy seemed pretty dumbfounded.

Nancy sat next to Robin and took her hand and poured the smallest bit of vodka on it so Robin would be confident she wouldn't get Sepsis. She then held the slushie against it. Robin took a sip from it as she did.

Soon, Robin was wearing the plaster and had basically forgotten about the pain as she drank the slushie.

"Do you think I'll get in trouble?" Robin asked.

"Definitely not. He made the first move and he would probably have beat the shit out of me if you hadn't punched him in the face!" Nancy meant it to sooth Robin but she looked more scared now.

"Besides, that was like, really hot. I am super turned on right now." Robin grinned, her lips still around the straw.

Nancy pulled her lips away and pulled her into a kiss.

"Nancy, the guy in the shop is watching..." Robin murmured into Nancy's lips.

"Yikes, let's go."

They strolled down the street. Nancy kept catching Robin picking at the plaster in her periphery.

A sudden wave of guilt washed over her. "Robin I'm so sorry."

"Oh, why?"

"You wouldn't have had to punch him if it wasn't for me. I always act impulsively and I hurt the people around me."

Robin stopped and she grabbed Nancy's hands in hers. "Nancy, me getting hurt was my own decision. A dickwad was about to hurt my girlfriend so I acted. It wasn't your fault, it was what had to happen."

Nancy's face lit up, the guilt was still there though. Robin was okay and she wasn't mad and Tommy's got a blackeye now, it wasn't the worst consequences. But Nancy made herself a promise that she wouldn't let something like this happen again.

Then her brain caught on one of the words. "So, does that make us girlfriends?" She asked.

"I mean, yea? Right?" Robin said, the nerves showing on her face.

"Right." Nancy said and she kissed Robin.

...

The moon was too pretty not to go sit on a grassy hill and stare out on Hawkins and the stars. Of course, there was also the eyesore that was Dustin's absurd walkie talkie.

"Robin, I have a question." Nancy piped up.

"Okay..." Robin looked excited and nervous at Nancy's tone.

"Where is my jacket? The blue one." She asked. Nancy could see the red dust Robin's cheek as she asked.

"It's," Robin smirked guiltily, "in my house." She replied.

Nancy could tell there was more.

"But where in your house?" Nancy chuckled. Checkmate Robin.

"No." Robin turned away from Nancy and looked back at the view, holding back a giggle.

"Where?" Nancy prodded. Robin shut her eyes. "You can't just pretend I'm not here." Nancy yelled.

"Oh what a nice quiet night all alone." Robin sung.

"Oh you!" Nancy leapt onto her so she fell back in the grass. She was on top of Robin, a knee on either side of her hips as she pinned down each of her wrists.

"Oh, t'was just the wind." Robin could barely hold back laughter now as her eyes stayed closed.

"Where is it in your house Robin Buckley?" Still no answer. Then another question came to Nancy. "Was Robin ticklish?" She thought.

She let go of Robin's wrist. If she started kissing her, she wouldn't say shit but tickling might get the answer. She started tickling Robin's ribs and Robin burst into fits of giggles.

"Agh, Nancy stop!"

"Where is it?" Nancy asked again.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you if you stop!" Robin pleaded. Nancy stopped and Robin sat up so her face was inches from Nancy's.

"Well, it was in the wash basket in the bathroom and I swear I was gonna wash it and give it back but then I was in the shower and I forgot a towel and your jacket was there and I threw it on and ran to my room. Then I knew I definitely had to wash it."

"Please tell me you didn't wash it." Nancy pleaded.

Robin shook her, "what, you freak!"

Nancy grabbed her girlfriend's chin. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I put on your clothes while I was naked and wet?" She asked.

"Okay, you got me- wait, yes you did." Robin laughed. Nancy glared at her, trying not to laugh.

"I wasn't naked, I had underwear on!" Nancy was referring to the day she thought Robin was straight and wore all her clothes after a monsoon.

"Okay fine. Yes, you did. I'm a freak too. There is more." Robin said. Nancy rested her arms on Robin's shoulders so her face hung below Robin's and she looked up and she spoke.

"Go on. Or I'll tickle."

"Sorry, just, the moon is reflecting in your eyes and you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and you're my girlfriend."

"Don't sweet talk me babe, confess."

"I wear your jacket when I sleep but it doesnt smell like you anymore." Robin finished.

Nancy's jawdropped. "Oh my god!"

"Too far?" Robin asked her mouth clenched.

"No, I do the same thing with your Fleetwood mac shirt." Nancy admitted.

"We're perfect for each other!" Robin yelled.

"We're perfect for each other!" Nancy echoed. Then she kissed Robin.

The open field was filled with the sounds of kisses and giggles.