Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Three years after Robin and Nancy moved to Massachusetts. 

March 9th, 1989. 3:02pm.  

In the afternoons, the sun always shone beautifully through the windows in Robin’s apartment. It cast the chaotic assortment of pillows and decor in a golden light, making the green of the couch even deeper and the dust dance in the air. 

Normally, Robin loved to look at the dust-dance whenever she had a free afternoon. Today, even though she didn’t have a shift at work, she was distractedly twirling the phone cord around her finger. 

“What do you mean you can’t come tomorrow?” She leaned against the wall, her head thudding against it. “You said you’d come.” 

“I know, Birdie, I’m sorry.” Steve’s voice on the other end sounded not like his real voice like voices normally do through phone connections, and Robin hadn’t heard his voice in a long time. “My money’s a bit short right now, and I really need the shift.” 

“It’s my twenty-first birthday.” 

“I know, I know. I’ll make it up to you.” 

“I thought you had already booked your flight!” 

“I—I hadn’t. I’m sorry,” he said again. “But you’re getting a really nice parcel in the post, alright? I swear you’ll like it.” 

“Steve—” 

“I gotta go. I’ll call you for your birthday, alright? I gotta go. Bye, Birdie.” The line beeped, then cut. 

“Asshole,” Robin murmured and slammed the phone down. 

Steve had promised her to be in Massachusetts for her twenty-first, and they had already brainstormed about how they’d spend the day together; just her, Steve and Nancy, and Eddie if he had enough money to come with. And now he just wasn’t coming? 

She let herself fall down on the couch and closed her eyes for a moment. Everything is fine. He’ll come by another time. She couldn’t help but feel lied to, no, betrayed by her best friend; and she had no idea why he wouldn’t have told her that he wasn’t coming sooner instead of a day before the event. 

Frustrated, she threw a glance at the clock, telling her she still had a few hours before she’d have to go to sleep for her morning shift at the café. Nancy still had some classes today and she’d get back from them fairly late, likely going to study in her dorm or the library before giving in to her constant exhaustion of trying to be the perfect model student and falling into bed. 

Robin leaned into the couch, staring at the wall. Maybe tomorrow she’d feel less alone when her parents would call and sing an obnoxious birthday song into the phone.

“You’re the devil,” Eddie said when Steve hung up the phone. 

“I know. I feel terrible.” He grinned a little, returning to his bedroom. “I’ve been lying to her for weeks, I honestly don’t know how I’ve been pulling this off.” 

“I know, right? Normally you’d blab to her immediately.” Eddie laughed and leaned against the doorframe. 

Steve picked up his keys from his nightstand, throwing a look at the empty room; the walls seemed even blanker than normally, the mattress was bare without its sheet and the pillows, and all of his clothes were neatly packed away and shipped out. 

“Few weeks,” Steve said. “Then you’ll come with me.” 

“Few weeks,” Eddie confirmed. “Like we agreed.” 

Steve smiled at him. “It’s gonna be a tough few weeks without you.” 

“You’ll be all over Robin, you won’t even remember me.” Eddie reached out for him and kissed him briefly. “It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later, and it’s also a For the love of God, call me when you get there and tell me about her reaction.” 

Steve chuckled. “I’ll make sure the place is ready for you once you get there. But now I need you to drive me, and quickly, we’re already late for my flight.” 

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

March 9th, 1989. 11:16pm. 

The apartment was empty. It was lacking furniture and decor, but Steve would make do with only his belongings in his suitcase and a mattress on the floor. By the time Eddie would get here, he’d have it furnished and ready. 

It felt strange to be in Massachusetts without having told Robin. They had only seen each other four times in the last three years; once in the summer after she moved out, once on Christmas of the same year, then the next fall and the spring after that. He had planned this for ages; to surprise Robin with his move to Massachusetts for her birthday, and it had been hard to keep quiet, to not mention his plan to make her think he’d have ditched her on her birthday just for him to show up at the café she worked at now. It was a bit of a mean plan; but he knew that she’d be even more excited to see him this way. 

And it wasn’t the only thing he had planned to do in Massachusetts; there was something else he needed her opinion on, something that he couldn’t have asked about on the phone. 

He needed her to be just pissed enough at him to be brutally honest, while also being happy to see him again. It was the perfect balance for real advice, and he couldn’t wait to see her.

March 10th, 1989. 7:00am. 

“Haaaappy Birthdaaaay!” Nancy woke Robin up with a cake in her hands, kicking the door open with one foot. “Morning, sunshine.” She beamed at her girlfriend, placing the cake down on the desk and sitting on the edge of the bed, gently stroking over Robin’s hair. “Wake up, Robin.” 

“’M awake,” Robin slurred and yawned. “So tired. So sleepy.” 

“Wake up, or I’ll start singing.” Nancy pressed a kiss to Robin’s forehead, brushing over her cheek until Robin slowly opened her eyes. 

“Morning,” Robin mumbled. “When did you get here?” 

“Just now,” Nancy said. “I bought the cake on the way. Hope you don’t mind. I have a class in like an hour, though, so you gotta get up if you wanna walk with me.” Normally, when she had class in the mornings and Robin had a shift at around the same time, she’d come by either the evening before or the same morning to wake her up, then they’d walk back to university together before Robin would take a turn down the street to her job. 

“I’m awake, I’m up.” Robin yawned again, stretching her arms and sat up. She pushed disheveled hair out of her face and smiled dazed at Nancy. “Hey, I’m twenty-one.” 

“You’re officially old enough to get drunk.” Nancy grinned. 

“Yeah, like that has stopped me before.” Robin snorted. “Cake for breakfast sounds good. Set the table while I wake up and get dressed?” 

“In a second,” Nancy said and pulled a small, wrapped parcel from her coat pocket. “Happy birthday, sunshine.” 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have.” 

“Of course I should have, now open it.” 

Robin grinned lightly and began unwrapping the small package; it wasn’t even the size of her palm, and to light came a pair of silver earrings in the shape of little suns. “Oh god, I love it, they’re so cute.” She beamed and held the earrings up to her earlobes. “Do they suit me?” 

“They’re perfect for you.” Nancy leaned in to kiss her, a smile on her lips when they parted. 

Robin’s smile fell a little when she lowered the earrings. “They’re really nice. Thank you.” 

“What’s wrong?” 

She sighed, staring at her hands and chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Steve isn’t coming. He said he’d come, but he’s not.” 

“I’m sorry.” Nancy’s hand lightly grazed her neck, following the shape of it. “Will he come another time?” 

Robin shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t say, he just hung up. I’m kinda pissed at him.” 

“You should call him again after your shift.” Nancy stood up from the bed, her hand remaining on Robin’s shoulder. “Talk to him. He’ll listen.” 

“Yeah.” Robin blindly put the earrings in, then tucked her hair behind her ears. “I hope so. I was really looking forward to today.” 

“We’ll spend the evening together, alright? No studying,” Nancy promised. “And if you need me to, I’ll yell at him for you.”

March 10th, 1989. 11:34am. 

Steve looked at the doors of the café. It had big windows with a foil print of a coffee cup on them, and the sign reading Boston’s Coffee above the door. He found the name to be completely uncreative, but through the windows, he could see Robin stirring something in a cup, serving customers with her hair tied back and a glum look on her face. 

He felt a little guilty that the look was most likely caused by him, but he knew that it’d vanish once he entered. The little bell above the door chimed when he opened it, crossing his arms over his chest. “Gee, put on a smile when you’re with customers,” he joked. 

Robin spun around, nearly dropping the mug in her hand before hastily putting it down. “Steve!” She stared at him for a moment, her jaw nearly on the floor before closing the distance between them and letting herself be lifted up for a moment, her arms wrapped around his neck. “What the hell?” she murmured against his ear. “What the fuck was that about last night, then?” 

Steve let her go, keeping his hands gently on her upper arms as she looked up at him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “And happy birthday, Birdie. I’ve sort of been lying to you. For weeks. Maybe months.” 

“Wha—” 

“It’s your birthday surprise, and I lied for a good reason, trust me.” 

“What did you lie about?” Robin tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the rest of it being held up in a bun. “Steve, what on earth?” She turned her head toward the counters, where people were lining up. “I gotta work. Um, meet me after my shift? I’m done in like three hours.” 

“Sure. Sorry again.” He put on a crooked smile. “I’ll meet you then.” 

“Okay.” She exhaled, patting her hands down on her apron. “This better be good.”

March 10th, 1989. 2:45pm. 

“You still remember the way to my place?” Robin greeted Steve when she left the café. “I got some cake.” 

“I do,” Steve said and hooked his arm around Robin’s. “But we’re not going to your place.” 

“We’re not? Steve, what is happening? Why are you here after telling me you weren’t coming, and why are you acting so strange?” 

“It’s like five minutes this way.” Steve tugged at her arm and turned her down a street. “Trust me on this.” 

“Steve, what the fuck—” 

“Trust me.” 

When they arrived at an apartment complex with tiny balconies for each flat on the front, Robin’s puzzled look grew even more. But Steve didn’t say anything until they stood in front of the apartment door, keys turning in the lock and the empty hallway greeting them. “Welcome,” Steve said, “to my new place.” 

“I’ll say it again,” Robin said, “what the fuck?” 

“Okay, I know this is strange. Hear me out. I’d tell you to sit on the couch, but I don’t have one, so sit on the floor with me.” Steve led her toward his soon-to-be bedroom and sat down on the floorboards. Robin joined him cross-legged, with still no clue what was happening. 

“So,” Steve began. “Remember when a few months back, my aunt died?” 

“Yeah?” 

“She was loaded. Like, loaded in a Handing her nephew a hundred-dollar bill instead of a secret fiver way. And she didn’t have any kids, so it all went to me.” 

“So, what, you’re rich now?” 

“Sorta. Well, not in a way that I’d never have to work again, but enough to restart my life. With you, and with Eddie.” 

“Is Eddie here too?” 

“Not yet,” Steve said. “I’ll get to that. So, after I inherited all that, I found this apartment, and I bought it.” 

“You bought it. You’re not renting?” 

“Bought it. It’s nothing special, but it’s good enough for me and Eddie to live in. Which leads me to my next point. Neither Eddie nor I are staying in Hawkins. I live here now, and he will join me in a few weeks, and I’ve been dying to tell you, but I wanted to surprise you.” 

“Steve, I don’t even know what to say. This is so sudden.” 

“There’s more.” Steve scrunched his nose. “And this is where it might get crazy.” 

“More?” 

“Two more things,” he corrected himself. “I spent most of the rest of that inheritance on a store.” 

“A store, Steve, what are you even talking about?” 

“It was for sale. And I bought it for Eds. For him to run as whatever he wants to turn it into, because he hates responding to authority, but he’s gonna have to earn money somehow.” 

“Steve.” Robin grabbed his hands, staring him down. “This is a lot you’re unloading on me. You bought him a building? Does he know?” 

Steve took a breath in. “No. But he also doesn’t know about this.” He let go of her hand, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a small, black box. 

“Is that—” 

Steve opened the box, revealing a wide, black ring with a small, green stone let in. “So, what do you think?” 

Chapter Text

“So, to summarize,” Robin said, pacing up and down the empty room, “you’re not just visiting me, you live here now even though you don’t even know whether I was planning to stay here.” 

“Of course you are, you love it here and so does Nance.” 

“Secondly; Eddie is moving here too—” 

“He practically already lived with me in Hawkins, he was constantly over.” 

“Third: You bought him a whole ass property, which is a way too big gift even though he has zero administrative or general working experience and he does not know about that yet.” 

“May have been a bad idea, in retrospect.” 

“And fourth: You are proposing to him?” 

Steve leaned against the wall, the ring box in his hands. “I want to. But not without your blessing.” 

“Of course you have my blessing, Steve, you’re perfect for each other!” Robin ran one hand through her hair and stopped pacing. “Are you sure about it? You’re both still young.” 

“I’m twenty-three and he’s a year older than me. People from my class are getting married already.” 

“But you can’t marry him.” 

“Yeah, but I can still propose. Remember that small, private ceremony you promised us three years ago?” 

Robin sighed and sat down again. “When do you wanna do it?” 

Steve shrugged. “I don’t know. Not that soon. But in the near future.” 

“Oh my god.” Robin pinched the bridge of her nose and let her hands fall into her lap. “You live here now.” 

“I live here now.” Steve grinned lightly. “It’s your birthday surprise.” 

“I hate surprises.” 

“I know. But you love this one.” 

“Ugh, I do.” Robin laughed lightly and reached out, her hands closing around Steve’s. “The kids are fine with it?” 

“I kept my promise to them,” Steve said. “To stay until graduation, I did that, now I’m here. That was the plan. It was a bit of a hard goodbye, and I’ll visit them so many times, but it was time for a new chapter. With Eddie by my side.” 

“God, Steve, are you going insane?” 

“I’m doing pretty great, actually.” 

“I can’t believe you’re just springing this all on me now.” 

“Had to do it somehow.” 

“Well, because you cancelled on me, I was going to go to dinner with Nance tonight. But since you’re here, and apparently, loaded, you can invite us.” Robin grinned. “And then you can tell her all of this as well.” 

“Is she free right now?” 

Robin checked her wristwatch. “Uh, nope. She still has classes until like five, and after that she’ll probably study, but I was going to meet her afterwards for dinner, I’m sure she doesn’t mind if you show up.” 

“Perfect,” Steve said. “I get to tell the whole story again.”

“You’re proposing?” Nancy stared at Steve from across the table. “What!” 

“I’m not sure how to read this,” Steve said. 

“Read it as I'm impressed. Oh my god, congratulations.” Nancy moved her chair closer to him and hugged him from the side. “I’m so happy for you.” 

The restaurant was fairly crowded and loud, but her focus was solely on Steve and his news. They had already ordered food and were only waiting for it to arrive now. 

“Why are you impressed, did you not see this coming?” 

“Um, nobody did,” Robin claimed. “I mean, you’re great together, but I didn’t think you’d propose at all considering you can’t get married and Eddie doesn’t really seem like the sentimental proposal-wanting type.” 

“Trust me, he is. He just hides it well.” Steve chuckled. “He even sometimes watches reality TV in secret. It's his guilty pleasure. Don’t tell him I said that.” 

“Proposing, wow,” Nancy said. “That’s crazy. I mean, it’s awesome. But also crazy. You’ll be the first of us to at least get close to marriage.” 

“Yeah, you know.” Steve looked at his hands, linking them when he didn’t know what else to do. “I’m scared about it. But we’ve been together for close to four years now. I don’t wanna be that couple that dates for twelve years without sealing the deal, and I’m sure about him. I’ve never been this sure about anything in my whole life.” 

“And Eddie doesn’t even suspect anything?” Robin asked. “You managed to keep it a secret from him?” 

“He has no idea.” Steve firmly looked at Robin. “And that’ll stay that way.” 

“Hey, what are you looking at me for? I can totally keep a secret.” 

Nancy snickered. “You’re terrible with secrets.” 

“Am not!” 

“You are, Birdie. But I need you to shush about it. Once he’s here, you can’t start giggling around him or mention rings, proposals or marriage at all, no matter in what context, because you will turn into a freaking tomato.” 

Robin crossed her arms and huffed. “You think low of me, Harrington.” She blew a raspberry at him and chuckled. “But yeah, okay, fair enough. Are you gonna do it at the airport? Ooh, you should do it by Charles River, near the harbor. Or on a trip into nature.” 

“Birdie, relax. I don’t know yet when or where I’ll do it. I just wanted you to be the first to know.” 

“Do you think he’ll say Yes?” she asked, propping her head on her hands. 

“I hope so. He hasn’t been dropping hints or anything, but I think we’re ready for it.” 

“Can’t believe this is where we ended up,” Nancy remarked. “Me in Boston with my girlfriend, you about to be engaged to Eddie Munson of all people. Think back five years ago, we would’ve never seen this coming.” 

“Honestly, if I had known that you were waiting for me at Scoops Ahoy, I would’ve never even applied there,” Robin said with a grin. “I would’ve seen your stupid hair and left immediately and then none of this would’ve happened. I, for one, am grateful for it, even though the trauma fucking sucks and panic attacks fucking suck, if I hadn’t met you guys, I probably would still be somewhere in Hawkins, attached to a life that’s miserable for other reasons than mind-powered murderers.” 

“So, why is Eddie not here yet?” Nancy asked when the food arrived, placed on the table in front of them. 

“I promised I’d have the apartment furnished by the time he gets here, and he has some stuff to take care of with Wayne. He’ll come here as soon as he can.” 

“I didn’t think he’d ever want to leave him,” Robin said. “Being his only family, and all.” 

“He’s not a fan,” Steve admitted. “But Wayne told him to do it. Told him to leave Hawkins while he can. So Eddie did. He said the only reason to make him leave Hawkins would be me and you guys.” 

“You gotta show us what else you bought with your rich-guy-money. It’s Loch-Nora-You all over again,” Robin said. 

“Please, Loch-Nora-Me would’ve spent that money on brand clothes and girls I didn’t even like. Not on my boyfriend.” 

“Well, first thing tomorrow, you gotta show us what you bought,” Nancy said. “My first class is in the afternoon, so I got some time.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Steve agreed. “I also have to do some shopping to furnish my apartment. My stuff is being shipped over still, but I don’t exactly have a wardrobe or anything on the way.” 

“I’ll go with you,” Robin offered. “I don’t have a shift tomorrow. I can drive us.” She had finally gotten her license about a year ago after saving up and asking her parents for some financial support as well. Driving was okay, she neither loved nor hated it, but it was definitely good to get around, especially for purposes like buying furniture. “You can sleep at my place tonight if you want to. Probably a lot more comfortable than your single mattress.” 

“I have to stay at the dorm tonight,” Nancy said. “I know I said no studying, but those exams are really creeping up on me, and it’s driving me up the wall.” 

“No worries.” Robin smiled lightly at her. “We’ll hang out tomorrow morning at Steve’s impulse-buy.” 

“For now, let’s just eat,” Steve suggested, “and tomorrow, you can slap me for buying that property.”

Robin threw a few of the couch pillows on her bed and draped an extra blanket over the mattress. “Hope you haven’t started snoring since the last time we shared a bed,” she said and slipped under the blankets. “I’ll ban you to the couch otherwise.” 

“Not that I’m aware of,” Steve replied and joined her. “God, I missed this.” 

“How are the kids?” Robin leaned against the headboard with a pillow behind her back and looked at him. “I haven’t heard from them in a while.” 

“They’re good, mostly glad that they can leave Hawkins High behind,” he said. “Max just got a new wheelchair like a week ago. It’s red, and she loves it.” 

“I should call them again,” Robin remarked. “I miss them.” 

“Dustin is actually going to Utah for college. He’s gonna live near Suzie’s place, which is wild to me, ‘cause the kid has been dating his girlfriend for longer than I’ve been with Eddie, and he’s an idiot.” 

“You’re an idiot.” Robin chuckled. “What about the others?” 

“Um, I’m not sure about Mike, but Will is going to Cali like he planned to. I assume Mike will follow him. Lucas wants to stay in Hawkins, and El hasn’t gotten her acceptance letter yet, but she wants to study sports medicine. She had the best GPA out of all of them.” 

“Better than Dustin?” 

“By like one point, yeah. He made me promise to call him at least once a week and also every time there are any interesting news in my life.” 

“Would you count a proposal as news?” Robin snickered. “Does he know that his two dads are getting real?” 

“He doesn’t. I’ll tell everyone after Eddie says Yes, if he says Yes.” 

“He will. He loves you.” Robin lowered herself into the pillow, draping one arm across Steve’s stomach and resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. “I’m so happy you’re here now.” 

“Me too, Birdie. Me too.” He pulled her closer, lightly kissing the top of her head. “And I’m not going anywhere now.

Chapter Text

Steve turned the key in the lock of the double doors. The glass of both the doors and windows was dusty on the inside, and the place smelled like it hadn’t felt fresh air in months. The blinds were mostly down, but through the few gaps, thin sun beams made the dust dance.

The store resembled more an empty hall with a wooden counter by the back wall, and two doors to the side. “I’ll give you the tour,” Steve said with more enthusiasm than the building deserved, and gestured Robin and Nancy to follow him. The door in the back creaked a little when he opened it. “Needs some oiling,” he said. “Anyways, this is the bathroom, it just needs some general polishing up, but not too bad otherwise.” He pulled the door shut again when both Robin and Nancy scrunched their noses at the smell of a bathroom that hasn’t had its windows opened in a long time.

“Next up,” Steve continued and walked toward the other door, “the office.” Behind the door was an empty room with only narrow windows high up on the wall and a grey-ish linoleum flooring, and another door that lead to the back of the building. “I figured we could use the space in here not only for the general administration stuff, but also for some storage, it seems big enough for that. As long as he doesn’t want to open a grocery shop, it should be sufficient.”

“This is wild,” Robin said and stepped out of the office again, letting her eyes wander over the main space of the shop. “This is yours.”

“It’s Eddie’s,” Steve said. “I put his name down for it. I’m only the keyholder right now.”

“Okay, Steve, I hate to be that person, but are you sure that this is something Eddie would even want?” Nancy asked. “I mean, the guy’s got no work experience. He hates working. None of us know the first thing about how to run a business, and the only one of us with a steady income right now is Robin as a barista. He doesn’t even know yet that you bought this place, and you’re already putting his name down for it, which means that if it fails spectacularly, it’ll be his problem, and I strongly doubt that he has any savings.” She lightly crossed her arms, leaning against the counter with a worried frown. “Are you sure you’re not just gifting him a ton of debt?”

“We’ll be fine,” Steve said. “We’ll figure it out. If things go south, he can always just sell it back to me, so to speak, and then it’ll be my problem.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a relationship.” Robin wiped her index finger over the counter and held it up; her skin was covered in grey dust. “We definitely need to turn this place around before he moves here. At least clean it up a bit.”

“That’s where you come in,” Steve said. “I need your help. Nance, I know you’re busy with being smart and all, but if you have any time at all, could you read up on the whole administration bit of this plan and enlighten me with your wisdom?” He put on a slight smile.

Nancy sighed. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Thanks. And Birdie, I need you to help me clean it up, maybe paint the walls again, make it look nice. You got a sense for aesthetics, so I need your expertise on that. And I’ll take care of all things monetary on the side; I’ll make sure it’s ready to be run once Eddie gets here. Teamwork?” His smile turned crooked and he held out his hand.

Robin cast a glance at Nance, who reciprocated the frown, but then put her hand on Steve’s. “Teamwork.”

“What the hell, I’m in,” Robin agreed and placed her hand on theirs. “Teamwork.”

“Great.” Steve put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Got any plans now? We need to get a vacuum and rip those windows open.”

“I’ve got a vacuum at home,” Robin offered.

“And I guess I’ll go hit the books,” Nancy said. “Let’s see what I can find out about this. No promises. I’m prioritizing my exams.”

The vacuum filled the empty space with sound, but after using it and a wet mop, the shop looked good as new. The only thing that still made it seem crappier than it could be were the windows that desperately needed cleaning.

“Let’s do those tomorrow,” Robin said and wiped over her forehead. “I’m already tired.”

“We’re making such good progress,” Steve commented. “Might as well get it done.”

“Nope.” Robin dropped the mop on the floor with a clank. “You and I are going out tonight and I wanna go home to shower and get changed instead of being covered in your dust.”

“We’re going out?”

“Hell yes, we are. I’m twenty-one now! I can legally get drunk, and I wanna do it.” Robin raised her chin. “And we’ve gotta celebrate your move. So, let’s go out, let’s get drunk, I don’t wanna spend my time with you cleaning.”

“You make a convincing case.” Steve glanced around the shop. “And it does look better in here already. We should clean the windows tomorrow.”

“Perfect.” Robin raised her hand, prompting Steve to high-five her. “Like old times.”

“God, I missed this,” Robin said, trying to down her drink in one swig and failing miserably. “And I don’t even have to use a fake ID to buy alcohol.” She raised her glass, clinking it with Steve’s. “To Boston.”

“To Boston.” He took a swig of his drink as well. “Take it slow, you know how you get when you’re drunk.”

“That’s the point, dingus.” Robin downed the rest of her drink. “I wanna be drunk.” She gestured to the bartender for three more drinks, then leaned on her crossed arms on the bar and looked at Steve. “I missed this.”

“Geez, are you already getting started?” Steve chuckled. “Don’t make us end up in the same situation as we were with the Russians.”

“Nah, that was drugs, alcohol is totally fine,” Robin claimed, beaming at the bartender when the drinks came. “So, Eddie,” she said, taking one of the glasses into her hand. “How are things with him? Besides the proposal. Anything new?”

“Uh, not really. I can’t wait to live with him.” Steve kept his hands wrapped around the glass in front of him. “I think it’ll be great.”

“It’ll be totally great.”

“Do you still think it’s a bad idea? With the shop?”

Robin took another swig. “Oh, yeah. Terrible. Atrocious. Almost as bad of an idea as getting into a friends-with-benefits situation with the guy who you don’t love back.”

Steve snorted. “Yeah. That was a bad choice. But not as terrible as making out with your straight best friend who you’re in love with.”

“Mhh, disagree.” Robin grinned and took her next drink. “How did you know? That you wanted to marry Eddie, I mean. Was there some kind of epiphany moment?”

Steve thought back to the moment it happened; the moment he had known that there was nobody else he’d rather spend his future with. “It was a few months ago,” he said thoughtfully, his eyes trailing off. “We were out in public, and he was flirting with me, you know, light stuff to not raise any attention. But we did anyways, and a few guys called after us. Homophobic little shitheads. And Eddie just turned around, flipped them off, and asked them if they were jealous.”

“And that did it for you?”

“That did it for me,” Steve said, his eyes still on the walls. “Not just in the I wanna marry this guy way, but in so many ways. We had amazing sex that night.”

“Ugh, gross.” Robin snickered. “I’m really glad for you, I really am.”

Steve returned his focus to Robin. “Whoa, you already drank all those?”

The empty glasses sat in front of her and she blew a strand of her out of her face. “Yeah, and I think I’m gonna feel them soon. Thank God.”

“Birdie, is everything alright with you and Nance?”

“What? Yes, of course.”

“I’m just saying because you have never been this eager to get drunk this quickly. You sure you’re okay?”

Robin sighed and leaned against him. “I’m just a little lonely. But I’ll be fine now that you’re here.” She sighed another time, moving her head to look up at him. “Do you think Nancy still loves me?”

“What?” Steve furrowed his brows. “Why wouldn’t she? Did something happen?”

“No, but what if she stops loving me? She’s always so busy with her university, and she’s great at it. She’s so smart, Steve. What if one day she will be a successful journalist and I won’t be enough anymore with my dumb barista job?”

“That’s crazy, she loves you no matter what.” He put his arm around her shoulders.

“We rarely see each other, she barely stays overnight with me because she is always studying, and I get it; she wants to achieve something, she’s ambitious, but I’m not like that.” She dropped her head forward and buried it in her hands. “What if she wants more? What if it all was a mistake, to move here?”

“Well, if it was, there’s no going back now, ‘cause I’m here now. And Nance loves you. She calls you sunshine, Birdie, that’s not something someone does who doesn’t love you.”

“I should propose to her too.” Robin lifted her head and looked at him. “Right? Then I’ll know if she loves me. I’m gonna go propose to her.” She searched her bag for some money and slammed it on the bar before turning away and walking out.

“Birdie, wait.” Steve hurried after her. “You’re drunk, and we’re gonna go home instead.”

“I’m not drunk, it takes way longer than this to kick in. I will be drunk, but I am not yet.”

“Yes, you are,” Steve said. “You’re a lightweight, and you know it.” The evening air hit them on the way out, and he linked his arm with hers. “You are not proposing to Nancy today.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You don’t even have a ring.”

She eyed him from the side. “You have one.”

“Yeah, but it’s for Eddie.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do then?” Robin tried to keep her balance, furrowing her brows. “Okay, you’re right, I’m a little drunk.”

“You could talk to her,” Steve suggested. “Instead of jumping to marriage, you could talk to her first. Make some compromises, tell her how you feel.”

“You’re so smart.” Robin leaned against him as they walked down the street. “Are you dizzy too?”

“I’m not. Let’s get you home. I’ll stay with you tonight, alright?”

“Mhm, alright.” Robin smiled at him. “You’re a good friend. Love you. So much.”

Steve chuckled. “Love you too, Birdie.”

Chapter Text

Robin was woken up by someone brushing the hair out of her face and a headache drilling through her skull. She groaned, turning over in bed and covering her face with a pillow.

“Morning, sunshine,” Nancy whispered, gently nudging the pillow down. “Sleep well?”

Robin mumbled something incomprehensible and pushed her hair out of her face, wearily blinking. “Morning,” she mumbled, glancing over at Steve sleeping next to her. “I got drunk.”

“Yeah?” Nancy stood up, opening the blinds a little. “Do you feel alright?”

“I’m fine.” Robin sat up and sighed a little. “You got an early class?”

“Yup.” Nancy tucked her hair back. “Wanna walk with me?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Sure.” Robin slowly swung her legs out of bed and winced when the headache got stronger. “I hate being drunk,” she murmured. “Never again.”

“You and me both know that won’t happen.” Nancy grinned lightly and leaned down to kiss her. “I’ll make breakfast. You just get dressed, maybe wake up the snoring idiot next to you.”

When Nancy left the room to make breakfast, Robin nudged Steve’s shoulder. He grumbled a little, but kept his eyes closed. “Dingus. Wake up.”

“Mhm.” Steve muttered something incomprehensible.

“You’ve gotta start furnishing your place. Wake up.” Robin shook his shoulder again. “I’m gonna go walk with Nance.”

Steve opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He rubbed over his eyes and pulled the blanket higher. “You gonna talk to her?”

“About?”

“Your crisis that got you drunk.” Steve sat up and yawned. “You should tell her about it.”

“Maybe. Yeah.” Robin’s glance trailed off and was only brought back to reality by the noise of clinking cutlery from the kitchen. “Yeah. I will.”

After breakfast, Robin felt a little better; fresh orange juice and jam spread on toast always helped her wake up. She threw on her favorite jacket—a red one with a sage green collar—as Nancy was heading out the door and followed her outside, tucking her key into her pocket.

“Any reason you got drunk?” Nancy asked as they were walking down the street, hands tucked into the pockets of their jackets. It was still a little cold outside, usually warming up more throughout the day.

“No, not really. Just wanted to celebrate being a legal adult.” Robin glanced at her girlfriend, thinking back to the talk she had with Steve last night. “Hey, do you wanna go on a date tonight? We haven’t in a while.”

“I don’t think I can tonight.” Nancy threw her an apologetic look. “Sorry. I’m really stressed with everything, my exams are coming closer and closer every day.”

“I get it.” Robin kept her eyes on the street. “I just wish we could spend more time together.”

“That’s why I come to your apartment nearly every morning to walk with you,” Nancy said.

“I know, I just miss you.” Robin cast a side glance at her. “I have so much free time on my hands outside my job, and I don’t exactly have any friends here.”

“You do now,” Nancy remarked. “Steve is here now, and Eddie will be soon too.”

“Yeah, but I wanna spend time with you.” Robin stopped walking and turned toward her, watching as Nancy clutched the strap of her bag tighter. “I wanna go out, I wanna go to dinner with you and look at the stars, or whatever.”

“I can’t miss out on studying,” Nancy said. “I got classes until the afternoon almost every day, and then that’s the only time I get to actually learn. I need to use that time, I’m so close to finishing. It’s only a little while longer. And we can go on a date after my exams, alright?” She attempted a smile. “Once this exam season is over, I’ll have more time again.”

“You said that after your last exam season, too, and then you had to use your free time to study in preparation.” Robin crossed her arms and looked downwards. “I barely see you anymore. Only in some mornings and whenever you find a minute to hang out with me in the afternoon or evening, you end up leaving earlier to study again.”

“I’ve worked my entire life for this, Robin.” Nancy furrowed her brows. “Emerson has always been my dream, and I can’t waste this chance, I need to do well.”

“I know that, and it’s really awesome that you can do all that, but—” Robin sighed and looked into Nancy’s eyes. “You are my dream. And I don’t get to live my dream because my dream is busy prioritizing her studies over me.”

“That’s not true!” Nancy held up her hand placatingly and took a breath in, closing her eyes for a second before looking at Robin again. “I’m doing the best I can, but this is hard. You know this is important to me, you know that I want to study and do well. And I am literally walking from the dorms to your place nearly every morning just so we can walk together! I get up extra early for you constantly, this is all I can do right now.”

“Yeah, ten minutes of walking time through Boston, what a sacrifice,” Robin said sarcastically. She regretted saying it as soon as she had when she saw the look on Nancy’s face harden. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just frustrated, and I miss you. I miss cuddling, I miss kissing you, I miss falling asleep on the couch together. I uprooted my life to move here for you, not to watch you from afar.”

“Yeah.” Nancy looked away with a frustrated frown on her face. “I gotta get going. I get it, though. I’ll...I’ll call you later.” She tucked one strand of hair behind her ear and turned away. “See you.”

“Nance, please.” Robin followed her with hurried steps, thanking God that she was taller than her girlfriend and could easily keep up. “I know this is important to you, obviously I get that. I just feel less important, and I don’t wanna be.”

“It’s fine, Robin, I get it. I have been studying a lot, I’m just stressed.” Nancy stopped walking again and turned to her, sighing. “I’ll make time. Let’s have a date night. We’ll cook and watch a movie and I’ll stay over.”

Robin frowned. “I don’t want you to do this because I want to, I want you to want to.”

“I do want to.” Nancy took Robin’s hands into hers. “I know I’ve been busy, I know I’ve been elsewhere with my thoughts, I’m just balancing a lot right now. But I’ll come over after class today. Okay?” She attempted a smile again, seeming more sincere this time.

Robin sighed. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

“No need.” Nancy put her palm against her girlfriend’s cheek for a moment. “But now I do really have to get going. Walk with me?”

“Yeah.” Robin pressed her lips together and continued her walk. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“It’s coming along nicely,” Steve said into the phone. He was leaning against the wall of his still fairly empty apartment, boxes crowding the hallway and unfinished furniture on the floor. “Eds, I can’t wait for you to come.”

“Next week,” he said. “I’ll be there next week. You sure it’s enough time?”

“Are you sure?” Steve asked. “Is everything done on your end?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Eddie paused for a moment, his voice sounded strange over the landline. “I’m hanging out with the kids tonight to say goodbye.”

“Tell them I said Hi.”

“Of course.” There was another moment of silence at the end of the line. “It’s hard to leave Wayne behind.”

“I know.” Steve switched the phone to his other hand, crossing one arm over his stomach. “If you change your mind about coming here—”

“No, Steve. I’m moving, I can’t stop it now.”

“We can still cancel everything, I’ll send your stuff back, I’ll come back, Eds—”

“And leave Robin again?” Eddie chuckled. “Nah. Stevie, it’s alright. You had troubles leaving the kids behind, I have troubles leaving my family behind, it’s what happens when you move. I’m ready for this, I really am.”

“I don’t want you to feel like I'm forcing you.”

“You’re not. I can’t wait to be with you either.” Eddie sighed. “When I get there, the bed better be ready. I’ve got plans.”

Steve laughed. “Oh, do you now?” He grinned into the handset of the phone. “I’ve got the furniture sets, I just need to assemble them. Maybe Robin will help me. And I’ll keep a space open on the wall for your guitar.”

“And my vinyls.”

“And those. And all of your stuff. Some of it already arrived, I'm looking at it right now.” He nudged a box of primarily black clothes with his foot. “I’ll make it nice for us.”

“Nicer than your room in Hawkins, please, that was way too bland.”

“Your sense of aesthetic is chaos,” Steve remarked. “We’ll make it work, alright? What time do you arrive at the airport?”

“Like five, I think.”

“Afternoon?”

“Yeah. I’ll call you again to let you know. I have to check my ticket.”

“Alright. I’ll pick you up.”

“When I get there, you gotta give me the tour,” Eddie said. “The Boston tour. So, you better start getting acquainted with the city, show me all the best spots.”

“You mean the nice spots, or the spots suited for secret screwing?”

“Mhh, let’s do both.” Steve could hear Eddie’s grin in his voice. “Seriously though, Stevie, I wanna see some nice places. I wanna explore with you.”

“Oh, I already got something in mind that I wanna show you.” The empty store was only waiting for someone to decide what it was going to be, to be claimed by Eddie. “I’ve got a surprise waiting for you.”

“A surprise? Stevie, you’ve been there a couple days, and you’ve already got a surprise for me?”

“Obviously.”

“Is it a sexy surprise?”

“Is that really all you think about?” Steve slightly shook his head to himself with a smile, letting his head thud against the wall behind him. “It’s not. But it could turn into one.”

“Consider me interested. I can’t wait.”

“Me neither.”

Eddie paused. “I’ve gotta get going. Kids are waiting. One last campaign before everyone leaves.”

Steve chuckled. “Alright. Have fun. I love you.”

“I love you, too. And I’ll call you soon.”

When the call ended, Steve looked at the countless boxes in front of him and sighed. He had never been a big fan of organizing, and this was a lot to unpack, but he had to get to it. By the time Eddie would get here, everything needed to be done so they’d have no distractions in their way. No distractions for Steve to figure out when and where to ask what he wanted to ask.

Just the thought of it made him jittery; the possibility that Eddie might say No gnawed at him. He pushed the thought aside. Eddie loved him, and they had talked about their future countless times. They both wanted to get married eventually, they both wanted kids, and they’d make it happen one way or another.

This proposal was only the first step to their future together. The first step to everything they had ever wanted.