Chapter Text
Robin was about to go insane.
It’s been two days since Will unlocked his inner Vecna and saved all of them from sudden death. Two days that they had spent locked up in the radio station's basement, hiding from the military.
Needless to say morale had taken a major hit. Despite all their efforts they had lost those kids to Vecna and their unfriendly neighborhood psycho-killer-monster was one step closer to fulfilling his villainous scheme. The contents and goal of which they still barely understood, by the way.
Also, the fact that they had yet to hear back from their friends who went upside down only added to their suspense. The battle was lost and they had to regroup, which was pretty difficult when they couldn’t even communicate properly. Robin warded the intercom day and night, but so far she hasn't been able to get a connection.
Unlike Will, Joyce and Mike, who were probably the most wanted faces of the military right now, Robin technically had the chance to get out of their hideout and distract herself with mundane things such as trying to explain to her girlfriend as to why she had to cancel on her yet again. But, to be honest, so far the only reasonable excuse she’d come up with was this: “Sorry babe, but I have to help kill the creepy kidnapping monster dude who wants to destroy our world before I can take you out to Enzo’s. Hope you understand.”
But she really kinda wanted to save Vicky the entire existential-dread-thingy if possible.
Also, Will had saved her life and if he was stuck down here, Robin was too. Out of solidarity. And because the kid had actually grown on her.
After saving their asses, Will had almost immediately passed out, or so Mike had told them when they first met back here. She couldn’t help but notice the mesmerized look in the boy’s eyes as he shared the events of the night with them. Mike’s face pretty much glowed with pride for his best friend, eyes jumping back towards Will’s sleeping form again and again as he rambled on.
Huh…
On day one of their forced roommate situation Robin also picked up on Baby Wheeler keeping a respectful distance from the Byers mother-son-duo. Still, he never really left their orbit, his eyes always wandering back to his sleeping friend on the couch. He kept offering snacks to Joyce since she wouldn't leave Will’s side and he made sure to take over her post on the rare occasions the woman actually went for a bathroom break.
Also, Robin noticed that Mike was weirdly avoidant of her. Yes, they'd never been close or anything, but since Mike was the only person, besides Will and Joyce, that spent his entire day down here, she figured he’d appreciate someone to talk to. But her every attempt to spark a conversation was cut off at the root.
Robin would say something like “Crazy day, huh?”
And Mike would glance at her sideways, almost offended that she dared to direct a word at him.
“Yupp”, he’d say and just walk away.
And that was pretty much all their conversations in a nutshell.
Robin could accept the fact that the boy didn't want to be friends. But the unknown reason for his obvious dislike of her person inevitably awoke her curiosity.
Because of that - and the fact that Robin really needed something to keep herself occupied with - Baby Wheeler became her newest object of observation.
So, when Will finally woke up on day two, Robin noticed the way Mike's eyes lit up the second Joyce let out her yelp of joy. How he was next to a disoriented Will on the couch within mere seconds, a hand on his shoulder, holding onto his friend even as Joyce pulled him into a long and teary hug. Mike's fingers tugging at the collar of Will’s shirt ever so gently like it was second nature. Like he just couldn't help but demand for Will’s attention.
Huh…
So, not to jump the boat here but the sight in front of her rouse some … suspicions.
Baby Wheeler rambling was a pretty strong indicator actually. Will was barely allowed to catch his breath after his mother released him from her arms before Mike unleashed a waterfall of words on him.
“You’re awake! I told you - real life sorcerer I told you! Are you thirsty? I can get you water. You were awesome, I thought I was done for but you were incredible, Will!”
Robin had to bite back a grin when she saw the wide bewilderment on Will’s face. She could actually watch the blood rushing to his cheeks. The poor boy had just woken up from a half coma with no chance to prepare himself for his crush showering him with praise.
Caved in between his half hysterical mom and a very excited Baby Wheeler, Will looked more than just a little overwhelmed. Their eyes met and Robin could practically hear the scream of help he was sending her.
She only grinned at him.
To Will’s salvation though, it appeared that there still was a force in this deep, dark Universe that actually meant well with him. Will looked at the intercom like it was a life line when Murray’s voice echoed from the speaker.
“Delivery Service! Come up and help Santa unload his sleigh!”
“Finally”, Joyce sighed, getting up from the couch. “If I had to eat canned soup for dinner just one more time …”
Robin noticed the shimmer of dismay that flashed across Joyce’s face when Will also got up to follow after her. She remembered the conversation between the mother-son-duo that she involuntarily witnessed just a few days prior. Joyce bit down whatever words had been sitting on her tongue and led the way.
As they all climbed up the stairs Robin made sure to be the last one in line. Like that she could keep an eye on the boys in front of her. After all, she was still collecting data on Baby Wheeler.
And damn there was a lot of it.
For example Mike’s fingers that kept brushing against Will’s as they both held onto the railing. It was subtle and nonchalant and Robin would probably have missed it if she wasn’t actually looking for it, but it was there.
Interesting, she thought.
When they stepped outside, Mike shielded his eyes against the afternoon sun and his elbow only just so happened to brush against Will’s shoulder in the process. Okay, no biggie right? Only that when he let his hand fall back to his side he missed Will’s by maybe a hair’s breadth. He was practically glued to Will’s side, like they were standing scrammed up in a closet instead of a wide field with endless space.
Snowball, it shot through her mind.
“I come bearing gifts!”, Murray called as he opened the trunk of the truck with a loud rattle.
“Wow.” Robin couldn’t help but stare at the masses of goods in front of her. “You could feed an army with that.”
“Well”, Murray said, as he climbed into the trunk. “That’s because technically we are an army. And also ‘cause maybe, probably, most definitely we’re going to die soon.” He rummaged through one of the boxes. “Might as well have one big last feast.”
“Don’t say stuff like that”, Joyce muttered. “And just hand us those boxes. Someone could see our face- What are you even looking for right now?”
“Ah-ha!” Murray called out in triumph.
“Shhhhht!”, Joyce hissed, looking around nervously. “Are you insane?”
“He is”, Robin said matter of factly.
“Yes, yes, I’m an insane man with insane custom service”, Murray called with a wide grin on his face. “Catch Wheeler!”
He threw something orange at Mike, who only barely managed to stop it from colliding with his face. “The fuck!?”
Will’s eyes grew big with concern.
“Special delivery Reese’s Pieces maxi pack!”, Murray declared. “And there’s plenty more somewhere back here. Really I should start charging you people.”
“Oh.” Joyce turned around towards them. “Will, aren’t they your favorite?”
Oh, are they now? Robin turned her head.
“Uhm…” Will still seemed a little caught up on his best friend getting attacked by a box of his favorite candy.
“They’re for you actually”, Mike muttered and was that embarrassment Robin could hear in his voice? “Thought it might … cheer you up a little.”
A stutter. Mike was stuttering over getting his best friend his favorite candy. A perfectly nice and normal thing for a friend to do. So, why was he acting like he was handing a corsage to his prom date?
Snowball, Robin thought. Oh god, it’s for real.
“Uhm …” This time Will seemed perplexed for a whole other reason. “Thanks”, he mumbled as he accepted the offered gift and the little smile on his face was equal parts bewilderment and endearment. “That’s … thanks.”
Both boys were blushing way too hard over this. The sight was so tooth rottingly sweet that Robin just wanted to bite both of them.
Their eyes met for a moment. One lingering, awkward moment in which they just stared at each other and Robin actually had to turn away to keep herself from making a sound. Her heart was racing. Why was her heart racing?
Back in the hospital when they had talked about snowballs and avalanches, Will had asked her how obvious the signs needed to get in order to be sure.
Well how more obvious could it get?
Of course she didn't let Will in on any of her suspicions. No need to get the boy’s hopes up for the - although highly unlikely - chance that Robin was over-interpreting stuff. But really, now that she had caught on to something going on between the two boys, she just couldn't help but keep looking.
Maybe it made her sound like a crazy fanatic but there were signs everywhere.
Unloading all the boxes took forever and during the whole process, Baby Wheeler’s eyes were on Will constantly. Which was convenient, actually, because like this he wouldn’t notice Robin staring at him.
She noticed Will rolling his eyes when Joyce offered him her help with an especially heavy box. Despite insisting that he was capable of carrying it on his own and that she didn’t have to baby him all the time, Will didn’t seem to have an issue when only a few moments later Mike was by his side, taking hold of one end of the box.
“On three?”, Mike asked, looking at Will with big, obedient eyes.
Like a puppy, Robin thought.
“Okay”, Will said, a shy little smile growing on his lips. Also there was definitely a blush on his cheeks.
Robin had to bite back a scream at the witness of their sheer obliviousness. Like how? How could they not see how down bad they were for each other? She actually considered smashing her head against one of the truck walls.
She really needed someone to talk to about this. Where was Steve when she needed him?
Everything that went on between the two boys while unloading the truck was only the tip of the iceberg though.
Some way into the afternoon Lucas arrived for his daily visit. Even though the boy wanted nothing more than to stay with his friends after they were defeated by Vecna, he knew he had to keep appearances for his family. A missing person’s case would only complicate their current situation even further. They also had agreed to keep communication to a minimum, to lessen the chances of the military listening in on them.
“Will!”
Lucas was practically flying into the station when he saw his friend awake and well on the couch. He ran towards Will at full speed, never even slowing down before he flung himself into his friend's arms.
“You’re okay! Thank God, you're okay!”
With a mix of shock and joy on his face Will started laughing.
“Happy to see you too”, he smiled, closing his arms around him to return the hug.
Robin, who was sitting on the couch opposite to them couldn't help but smile at the endearing scene in front of her. Seeing the boys reunite made her miss Steve even more.
Telling herself that her best friend was fine and she would be seeing him soon, Robin shifted her gaze towards Mike, who was sitting right next to Will. Like right next to him.
Even as Will was lovingly smothered by their mutual friend, Mike kept his knee pressed against Will’s. He didn’t even seem to notice what he was doing, too busy staring daggers at Lucas.
Mike seemed irritated, Robin thought with new curiosity. His brow pinched just slightly, a displeased crease between his eyes. Again, he didn’t even seem to notice when he put one of his hands on Will’s shoulder, his fingers gripping down ever so slightly and ruffling the fabric of his shirt.
“Jesus, let him breathe man”, Mike said just on the edge of snappy, tugging Will back towards him. Gently so, but still.
It reminded Robin of a child who refused to share its favorite toy. Almost like Baby Wheeler was marking his territory.
“Okay, okay.” There was the ghost of a smirk on Lucas’ lips when he finally let go of Will. “No need to be a bitch, Mike.”
Robin frowned. There was something in Lucas’ face as he settled down next to Will just a little too close and Robin could swear that she could see the spark of a challenge inside his eyes as he kept looking at Mike. Like he was baiting him.
“I’m not a bitch”, Mike muttered gloomily.
“You so are.” Lucas readjusted his position, accidentally nudging Will’s knee in the process.
Okay, Robin thought, brows wrinkling. Maybe she wasn't the only one with suspicions here.
But she couldn't be sure of course…
Her line of thought was suddenly broken. The childish fight that now broke free in front of her was as meaningless as it was entertaining to watch. Baby Wheeler and Lucas kept berating each other with Will caved in between them. The boy’s head was constantly turning left and right as he tried to follow the heated argument on who was and who wasn't a bitch with a mix of confusion and amusement on his face.
Will was absolutely oblivious to what was going on and Robin had to suppress the urge to slam her face into the next best cushion and just scream. Instead she sat there, simply watching the scene with a pained smile and a silent prayer at the Universe to end her suffering.
And the Universe actually answered.
“Do y… copy?!”
Everyone went silent when Dustin’s hacked up voice rang from the intercom lying on the coffee table.
“Dus … to base! Do … copy? Over!”
For a moment everyone just stared at each other in disbelief. But then all three boys simultaneously threw themselves at the intercom, knocking over the table in the process.
“Jesus!”, Robin yelled as she watched them tumble to the floor.
“Copy!”, yelled Mike, who’d gotten hold of the com first. “Where are you, Dustin? Over.”
What followed was a lot of screaming and excited bubbling. The conclusion however was that their friends were all okay and out of the Upside Down. Something about an old gate and El’s powers.
“What’s going on?”, Joyce called from upstairs. She and Murray had stayed back to talk about something. “Why are you screa-”
“They’re back!”, called Will and with that, the chaos was complete.
It was a mess.
The others returned and suddenly there was so much going on. Lot’s of hugging, lot’s of kissing and soooo much talking.
So apparently their friends had found a wall down there. A circle to be exact. Oh, and also El’s sister Kali, who also had powers was part of their team now. Which was cool, Robin guessed. They could definitely use another kid with superpowers.
Also, it turned out that they had a new evil scientist on their hands, who had kept Kali locked up inside a dark chamber and also wanted El for some ominous plan of hers. So pretty much same old, same old.
When finally Mike excitedly told everyone about how Will had totally saved their asses with - surprise! - his very own new powers, every chance of them having a calm and constructive conversation was eliminated. Everyone was gasping and yelling and talking all over each other until Robin was convinced her head would explode.
She just leaned against Steve next to her and let the noise wash over her. Steve let her use him as a cushion, soothingly bumping his knee against hers. Robin felt relief wash through her at the gesture. She had him back.
In the end all the excitement didn’t last though. How could it when at the end of the day they still lost? Lost those innocent kids. Lost their chance of stopping Vecna’s evil plan.
The initial euphoria of their reunion wore off pretty quickly, leaving them depressed and tired. They had no plan. No idea what to make of the new information they had gathered. All they could do for the moment was to rest and recharge and hope that they would get another chance to save the kids. And Hawkins. The whole fucking world really.
The bunker wasn’t nearly equipped to accommodate all of them though, so Nancy and Jonathan decided to drive back to the Wheeler home and get some mattresses and fresh clothes.
“We’ll take the van”, Nancy said, getting up and Robin thought that she looked incredibly tired. “We’ll be back in two hours tops.”
Jonathan followed her up the stairs and next to her she felt Steve shifting to get up too. She watched him open his mouth as if to call after them, but before he could offer to join the couple she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away.
“What the-”
“I need you here”, Robin cut him off, pulling him around the next corner.
Steve looked at her with a perplexed expression on his face but otherwise immediately accepted his fate. With a soft sigh he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and waiting for her to explain.
Robin shot him a thankful smile.
“Okay, so…”
She peered around the corner to check if anyone had followed them. To her satisfaction though, everyone was still slouching on the couches, not paying them any mind. Knowing that the coast was clear, she turned back towards Steve.
“So…”, she said, not really knowing where to start, excitement pooling in her stomach. “I know the world is ending and we're totally screwed and depressed right now, but I need your help with something.”
“Help with what exactly?”, Steve asked, eying her skeptically.
And finally, finally, she had someone to talk to! Robin opened her mouth, ready to share her discovery.
“I…” She stopped.
“Yes?” Steve was looking at her expectantly now.
But Robin just stared up at him. Blinking. Blinking again.
“I can't possibly tell you.”
“What?” Steve looked more than just a little confused now.
And as she watched the wrinkles spread on his forehead, Robin realized that no matter how badly she wanted to tell him everything, she couldn't just out Will to Steve. Even though Robin knew that her best friend was definitely an ally, sharing Will’s secret would be like … high treason.
“Let’s say I have …” She grimaced. “A project?”
“A project?”
“A project.”
Yes, this could work. She nodded her head enthusiastically.
“And I need your help.”
Steve still seemed totally lost. “How am I supposed to help if I don't even know-”
“You’re my mental support”, Robin cut him off. “I just need you by my side to not go insane.”
She could practically see the clockworks behind his clueless eyes. “Huh?”
Robin waved her hand dismissively. “Just follow my lead”, she said. “I don't even have a plan yet, I just-”
She was cut off by Murray’s loud voice echoing through the station. “Gather round little elves, for Santa’s handing out gifts early this year!”
“What the fuck?”, she heard Steve mutter under his breath.
Perplexed they made their way back towards the group and found Murray slamming several sixpacks onto the little couch table.
“Is that … beer?”, Lucas asked, his voice equal parts surprised and skeptical.
“Sharp”, Murray said sarcastically. “Yes it’s beer and there’s plenty more where this came from.”
“Wow, wow, wow.” Steve pulled Murray back by the shoulder in order to get a better look and Robin couldn’t help the little smirk that grew on her lips. Mom-Mode activated. “Why the hell are you handing out alcohol to minors?”
“Because, my maternal friend”, Murray said, casually reaching inside his jacket. “We just suffered defeat and are in grave need of new ideas. And I for my part…” He pulled his hand back out, retrieving an entire bottle of Vodka. “Have most of my epiphanies while drunk.” He decapped the bottle and took a long sip, hissing as the alcohol went down his throat. When he found Steve still staring at him with an incredulous look on his face he added: “Ask your Wheeler friend if you don’t believe me.”
“I’m in”, Dustin said, reaching for one of the six packs.
“Hey, hey, not so fast!” Steve swatted at the boy’s hand.
“Come on, man”, Dustin groaned, rolling his eyes. “Unclench your but cheeks.”
He simply reached for a different sixpack, shooting Steve a challenging look as he did so. Robin watched the frown grow on her best friend’s face when the kids started passing around cans.
“Wha- how am I the only one complaining here?”, Steve asked exasperatedly, looking around the room. “Where are Joyce and Hopper?”
“Checking the area for military”, Mike answered, casually popping open a can of beer and offering it to Will.
Snowball, Robin thought, feeling that excited tension return to her stomach. She immediately looked around the room to check if anyone else was seeing this, but Lucas was too busy trying to stop his beer from spilling after it pretty much exploded in his face and Steve was still staring at his precious little nuggets in wide horror.
“They probably just wanted some alone time”, Will murmured as he took the can from Mike’s hand, their fingers brushing.
Brushing.
How was nobody picking up on this?! The frustration made Robin ache for a beer herself.
“Really?”, Steve asked with his arms crossed when she grabbed a can from the table. “You too?”
“Sorry”, she said without feeling sorry at all. “You’d understand if you knew what I’m going through right now.”
He only frowned at her with a clueless expression on his face. Robin shot him a quick smile before taking her first sip.
“Who wants some music?”, she called, already walking over towards the sound booth.
Behind her she heard the kids cheer in unison.
So, what if they got a little drunk? Might as well have some fun before the end of the world.
And just like Murray said, people tend to have epiphanies once drunk enough. Robin didn’t have a lot of hope for the boys to step out of their obliviousness but hey, she was more than willing to be proven wrong. Either way they could all use some fun right now.
When Robin put on the first record she had no clue what revelations this night would bring.