Chapter Text
Mike and Lucas sat on either side of Max's bed. It must have been around the 100th "If I only could-" when Mike decided he needed a change of scenery.
"I'm gonna go get a Coke. Want something, dude?"
Lucas looked away from Max's face and up towards Mike, "Think you could get me something to eat?"
Mike nodded and left the room. Even through the door, Kate Bush's voice radiated from the general area of Max’s room. He walked down the cold halls of Hawkin's Hospital until he found a vending machine. After grabbing his drink and Lucas's sandwich, Mike began to walk back towards his friends. As he turned a corner, his shoulders brushed against someone running down the hall, nearly making him drop his drink.
"Hey- Watch it-" He starts, but quickly notices the person is gone.
Mike turns to see who basically shoved him, quickly noticing a blob of dirty blonde turn the corner.
Isn't that Steve's friend? Why's she here...
Mike huffs before shoving the food in his pocket and jogging off behind her.
He turns the corner after her and sees her sneak into a room, leaving the door slightly cracked behind her. Mike walks up and reaches for the handle as he peeks in, freezing in place as he does so.
What are they- Oh- Oh my god I-
He makes eye contact with Robin, and she also freezes. The ginger nurse paused, her hand resting on Robin's face.
"Are you okay?"
Robin moves quickly, and even though she's fast, Mike's faster; he's been running for his whole life, for Christ's sake. His Coke falls from his pocket and hits the floor hard, causing Robin to slip over on the tile. Mike sprints into a storage closet, his heart racing.
Holy shit.
The door vibrated as Robin banged on it, "I know it's you, Wheeler junior! I'm not stupid!"
Mike took a deep breath before cracking the door.
"Hey... Robin, right?-"
Robin glared, yanking him out of the closet.
"How much did you see?"
"I didn't-"
"Don't bullshit me, Wheeler."
Mike gulped, knowingly screwed.
"Look- I- I won't judge you-"
Robin frowned.
"Seriously! It's okay- SKERRRT"
Robin and Mike turn to see the ginger nurse and an older nurse pushing a medicine cart down the hall.
"Shit."
Robin grabs Mike and yanks him down the hall into another room.
Mike's back hits a wall, sliding down it onto his ass.
"Ow..."
Robin crosses her arms and sits on the opposite wall, glaring holes into Mike's head.
"How. Much. Did. You. See?"
Mike runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath before looking back up at her.
"I just saw a little bit...okay?"
Robin's shoulders dropped slightly, but she was still clearly annoyed.
"Like a said earlier...It's okay," Mike pulls his knees to his chest, "There's nothing wrong with it."
The two sat in silence for a minute before Robin looked up through the glass pain of the door, looking up, Mike saw the nurse through the glass.
Oh. Is that what he looks like when he looks at Wi- EL. El.
"I don't mean to be weird but-" Robin's attention snapped back to Mike, "How did you know that she wanted to-"
"Make-out?"
The two stared at one another, Mike clearly hesitating and ultimately backing out, "Yeah."
“Why are you even asking me this, Wheeler?”
Mike nervously bit his lip.
”Unless-“
”Im just curious, okay?”
Robin smiled slightly before relaxing back against the wall, nudging her shoe against Mike to signal him to calm down too.
As Mike’s shoulders dropped, Robin began.
“If I had to say..I guess there were signals..like signs, you know?”
”No? I dont know actually.”
Robin rolled her eyes, “I could do with a tad less attitude, Wheeler.”
Mike huffed, “Just call me Mike, you’re getting repetitive.”
Robin smirked before continuing again, “The signs were like..a shared look, or a brush of the elbow. Maybe even a playful shove.”
Mike nodded, storing her words in his head.
”So..you don’t like Jane anymore?” Robin said, making eye contact with the black haired boy infront of her.
Mike clutched his jeans tightly and looked down at his knees.
Robin’s eyes shifted away before looking back at the pitiful boy.
“Sorry,” Robin moved to sit next to Mike, putting an arm around him.
”It can take time to realize things like this. You just need to be patient and maybe if you open your eyes a bit more, you’d learn a lot.”
After a few minutes Mike loosened his grip on his pants and looked back up at Robin.
“How do you do it?”
Robin blinked in confusion.
”Do what?”
”Be yourself.”