Chapter Text
November 6th, 1987
They left the base after the military left them go, Eleven was gone they were useless now and were freed son after. After their vehicles tires were deflated they had to take the kids home walking so the adults splitted in a few groups.
Robin and Vickie had take a couple kids, dropped them off at their houses and now were walking to the redheaded’s house. Vickie let Steve take her car so he could drive Max, Lucas, Erica and a couple kids to their houses, he’d swing by later to give the car back and pick up Robin.
“We need to talk,” Vickie said softly, guiding her to sit on the front steps.
Robin knew they had to. There was so much Vickie probably wanted to ask about what the hell happened. “Yeah, I know. I will explain everything and answer all your questions…”
“No," she paused. "Actually, I don’t want to know. I don’t think I will be able to wrap my head around any of it. But there’s something that I need to say.”
Robin didn’t have a good feeling about it.
Vickie took a slow breath. “All this time that you were absent, keeping all this secrets, the reasons why so many times we postponed or cancelled dates... I knew there was something going on but I kept waiting for you to let me in. To really let me in. And you never did. Not until you were cornered to it.”
“Vickie, I tried, it was just…“ Robin should have known all the secrets would come back to bit her in the ass.
“Dangerous? A secret? I know,” Vickie cut in, her voice still gentle but firm. “And I get it, I'm not angry you didn't tell me... you with them have been throught hell and back, but I don’t think I will be able to fit there…” Vickie realzied that that day, seeing Robin with Nancy, Steve, Jonathan and everyone else, she felt out of place.
Robin felt the words hit hard, as she was about to speak Vickie shook her head softly to continue.
“I’m not saying it to hurt you. But they are your family, and a pretty good one. And I admire that, I really do but I don’t see myself in it. I can’t understand everything that happened or the wounds you all will carry, and that you will need to heal together,” tears were pricking at the corner of her eyes, just as they were at Robin’s “You deserve someone who understands that world, Robin. Who'ss already in it.”
Robin wanted to argue, say something to contradict her arguments. Vickie was right about almost everything, except that she most definitely wouldn’t find someone who knew that part of her world. It wasn’t like there was a long list of lesbians participating in the crawls; in fact, Robin had been the only one. But Vickie was a good person that deserved more than what she could offer her.
“So that’s it?” Robin whispered, her eyes looking up to Vickie’s.
“I think it has to be,” Vickie said, reaching out to cover Robin’s hand with her own.
They just sat there in the dark, in silence just the touch of their hands. Robin was heartbroken just as Vickie, they cared for each other but now that meant letting go.
The sound of a car approcahing cut the silence, Vickie’s car with Steve at the wheel getting closer. Vickie squeezed her hand one last time before letting go.
“Go be with your family, Robin.”
Robin squeezed her hand back nodding, walking to meet Steve at the sidewalk to walk home with him.
November 10th, 1987
“Robin!”
“Robin, come on, wake up!”
Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Steve hovering over her, his brow furrowed. They were at his house.
“Finally, geez, Rob! I thought you were dead for a second,” joked Steve, seeing her now sitting up on the bed and rubbing her eyes.
“Don’t be dramatic. You know I sleep deep,” she answered.
But she knew he was right. They had stuff to do and places to be today. Trying to go back to normal was going to take a while; she knew that applied on different levels for everyone involved. It’d been a few days since the Abyss, since destroying the Upside Down, since losing El… and since her break-up with Vickie.
In her case, she hadn’t been super close to El or known her that well before the quarantine in Hawkins, and even during that time it wasn’t like they’d shared a lot of one-on-one moments. She mostly saw her on the rare occasions the group reunited. But she did feel the loss of Eleven Hopper. She was only a kid, one from whom life had already taken too much, and saving the world didn’t give her the ending everyone had hoped for. That was unfair, and Robin could empathize with unfair situations.
On the other hand it was her own private loss, she had told Steve about it the next day it happened and he had conforted her to the best of his abilities. She was managing it beacuse Vickie had been right. Robin’s heart was already claimed by the chaos and the people who’d survived it with her. Letting Vickie go was the first selfishly kind thing she’d done.
In other ways, she felt the grief through the others. Ever since that day everyone had gone their separate ways. The Byers, Hopper, and the Party went with the Wheelers, she was crashing with Steve and Max had stayed at Lucas’ since Steve dropped them off there. And they hadn’t really seen each other since that night.
Today, after almost a week, everyone was going to be reuniting at the Wheelers’.
Mrs. Wheeler had been discharged—or, more accurately, had demanded to be discharged the minute her kids called to inform her they’d found Holly. And since she was clued in on the whole Upside Down and what a Vecna was, she was more than okay with having the Party and, in her words, 'everyone involved in saving my little girl' at her house for a meal.
Which takes us back to why Steve was so annoyingly waking Robin up. They had to get ready and leave earlier, they were tasked with picking up Lucas and Max to take them there. Steve was using the WSQK van as his temporary personal vehicle.
At the Wheelers’ house, Nancy was helping her mother prepare the food for when everyone arrived. 'Everyone' consisting of Steve, Robin, Lucas, and Max since everyone else had been staying at the house, just like they had before.
The Party, plus Jonathan, had taken the basement. Joyce and Hopper had Mike’s room. Holly and Nancy still had their own rooms. It felt different from before, it wasn’t a cheerfully loud and chaotic house. Now it was silent and with a heavy atmosphere. Everyone was mourning El.
Hopefully reuniting with everyone would do them good. The Party sure would be happy to see Lucas and Max again, and Nancy was also waiting to see the redhead. With everything going on, they hadn’t had a moment to talk since Max woke up from her coma, and Nancy knew El’s loss would be weighing on her. They were best friends and the only two girls inside the Party. She wanted to see how she was holding up, and also thank her for looking out for Holly — the little Wheeler having caught Nancy up to speed on how Max had helped her inside Henry’s mind.
The doorbell rang, indicating their guests had arrived. Holly ran down the stairs to open the door, clearly excited to hang out with Max in the real world.
Inside the house, the Party had come up from the basement and now everyone was sitting around the table talking a little. Max was still in her wheelchair and Holly was next to her. Steve and Robin were next to each other, like always. When they had greeted at the door, Nancy felt something off about the way Robin acted.
And now, at the table, sitting directly across from them, Nancy couldn’t stop watching. Robin was quieter than usual. She wasn’t rambling, or being her usual chirpy self now she looked… like she had a cloud over her head. Nancy knew about the breakup, Steve had mentioned in the other day he swung by to check on everyone. She knew about Robin and Vickie from their investigating adventure with the H&H organization. And she felt a strange sensation seeing Robin like this, so unlike herself.
“Nancy?” Karen’s voice brought her back to reality. “You okay, honey? You seem like you’re miles away.”
Nancy blinked. “Yeah,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’m good”
She said that, giving another glance in Robin’s direction, thinking that just like before she wouldn’t notice. She was wrong, because Robin had actually picked up on Karen calling Nancy’s attention and was looking right back at her with a questioning look. Nancy just smiled in her direction and went back to eating.
After everyone finished their plates and more casual chatter, the air felt lighter. The kids even laughed a couple of times, and it felt like everyone would slowly start living in this new world without monsters, alternative dimensions and Eleven.
As much as the Party would love to permanently stay with the Wheelers, Dustin figured he might have to at least pop by and say hi to his mom, and the Byers — well, they would still be there indefinitely since they were still houseless.
Robin watched Nancy talking with Max while everyone was saying their goodbyes. When she approached them, she overheard part of their conversation.
“So, will you be getting physical rehabilitation?” Max was unsure how to answer that; she didn’t have any parent to take her to and from the hospital, and also, how would she pay for it?
“Mmm…” but before she could answer, Robin chimed in. “We could see what options you have, the important part is getting you the treatment you need, kiddo.”
Nancy and Max turned in her direction, surprised someone was eavesdropping on them. “Yeah, maybe… uhm do you think your friend Vickie there could help us out?” Max asked her.
Robin’s eyes went wide and Nancy gave her an apologetic look. Of course Max would think of Vickie, she was the only person they knew at the hospital, and she didn’t know their history. But the idea of going to see her, of asking for a favor after splting up felt weird for her.
She must have been silent a beat too long, because Nancy spoke up, her voice neutral. “Yeah, maybe, Max. We could just go and ask around, see who to talk to.” She glanced at Robin, her expression softening. “We could go together. The three of us, some other day.” She offered.
“Ye… yeah, sure,” Robin managed, her voice tight.
Max, as observant as she was, saw the way Robin’s face had paled at the mention of Vickie’s name. She thought she’d be happy to see her friend, I must’ve been wrong, Max realized.