Chapter 1: aftermath
Chapter Text
Takes place post season 4 volume 1.
Robin Buckley always thought of herself as an optimist.
Whenever she compared herself to Steve, her pessimistic friend with the dry sense of humor and certainty that he was doomed to work at Family Video for the rest of his life, it was easy for Robin to mistake herself as a generally positive person. Because unlike her best friend, Robin was eccentric, attentive, and she had aspirations. Aspirations like her desire to flee Hawkins someday, travel the country with the girl of her dreams (though she would be fine with Steve tagging along), and then after some time, live in a big city like LA or New York. Though she was sure it would never happen, it was nice to dream, right?
Robin was also extremely passionate about, well,everything. From movies, to facts about sun bears, to underground musicians that felt inherently queer. The blonde could spend hours upon hours just rambling about those topics and discussing facts that not a lot of people knew or cared about. So because Robin wasn't some quiet girl, when she didn't come across as reserved (despite never opening up about her home life or general wellbeing), it was easy for someone to look, point and label her as ahappy person. And for a while, Robin believed it, too.
That was, until the whole Vecna thing ended.
It was all anticlimactic, really. El had swooped in to save the day and suddenly all of the fighting, all of the research on the history of the Creels and the hunt to figure out Vecna's motives and who he was, became... Obsolete. Because of course that's how it would go. Ofcourseall they needed was El to be save the day. And the funniest part? After all of that desperate fighting to survive past senior year? After the near-death experiences, and trauma, and mental distortion? The group was expected to carry on their lives like normal. The least theUS Governmentcould do was pull some strings and allow the teens some extra time off of school, but nope, they just had the whole "don't tell anyone" talk and left the damaged teens to fend for themselves.
The younger ones were hurt, of course. But they had gone through this thing before, and for the most part, they were able to pretend everything was okay. It was crazy how a couple of fifteen-sixteen year old's could brush it all off like some miniscule, unimportant thingthat just happens. Will and El had returned to California, Max finally regrouped with her friends (despite refusing to join Hellfire), and that was that. Steve tried to distract himself with girls and shitty movies and working at Family Video, but there were still nights he would break down and Robin would be there to reassure him.
Nancy closed herself off from the group once again. It was kind of shitty, if Robin were to be completely honest. She had grown fond of the brunette with the ability to surprise Robin time and time again, and for once she convinced herself that they could get past the Vecna situation and remain friends. However, things didn't seem to go Robins way once it was all over.
Robin, ever-the-optimist, was starting to realize just how wrong she was. Just how wrong everyone else was, who had assumed she was a happy, bubbly person. She was starting to understand just how pessimistic and negative she could be. And it was all because of that asshole tentacle monster, or whatever the fuck Vecna was. Robin still rambled on and on about her interests, but the pain and cuts remained, a constant reminder that just because it was over, it wasn'tover. Not for her, at least.
She still had nightmares about the Upside Down. About being strangled by thick black tendrils that grabbed her out of nowhere. The bruises on her torso and wrists might’ve faded, but the scar on her neck still lingered.
But Robin didn't go through the worst of it, so she kept her mouth shut and put on a smile. Practiced smiles and forced laughter, the two defining features of anoptimist, right?
"You know you literally graduate in a few months, Robin. You do know that, don't you? I think it's time you get a damn license." Steve announced the second Robin threw her bag in the back and plopped down in the passenger seat of her friends car.
"You seem to forget one crucial, and I meancrucial detail that hinders me from doing so, Harrington." Robin quipped, biting back a smile as she buckled herself in for what she knew would be a bumpy ride.
"What?"
"I'm poor, dingus!"
Steve huffed out a short laugh, more so sarcastic than genuine, as he pulled away from the Buckleys trailer. Robin didn't waste a second to pull down the sun visor on her side, staring at herself in the tiny mirror. She tried to ignore the eyebags and thegoddamn scar, instead fixing her dishelved hair before having to step into the hell hole that was Hawkins High. Funny, she could spend a day in the Upside Down, but couldn't handle a few hours at school.
"Maybe if you spent your hard-earned money on getting a license instead of buying junk food and VHS tapes," Steve paused to roll his eyes and push the sun visor back up, annoyed that his friend was trying to ignore his remarks, "then you would be able to drive. Butno, collecting every possible copy of every existing horror movie is more important to you."
"Don't shit on Carrie again, dude! That movie is brilliant! Plus, if I got myself a license, who would possibly entertain you with their amazing jokes and bright personality?" Robin wore a shit-eating grin when Steve opened his mouth to shoot back, but couldn't think of anything. The girl barked out a laugh before reaching in her pocket and pulling out a cassette tape, showing it off to Steve with pleading eyes.
"God, that song again, Rob? I swear I'm gonna get an infinite headache if I hear it again." Despite his tone, the teasing smile etched onto his face was something he wasn't able to hide, and Robin took this as her chance to slide the tape into the car. The familiar guitar opening filled their awaiting ears, and though he would never admit it, Steve felt his fingers absentmindedly drumming against the steering wheel.
"When you wake up one day and realize just how greatBlister In The Sunis, I'll be waiting there with open arms and snarky remarks."
And that's where the conversation ended, as per usual. Every morning was the same; Robin would get in the car, the pair would tease each other about nonsensical bullshit, and then Robin would slyly convince her friend to let her play Violent Femmesor Blondie, and then the rest of the ride simply consisted of music and random comments they blurted out if and when something came to their minds.
It was a routine Robin had grown dependent onsince Vecna. The blonde knew her mom wasn’t reliable, and that the younger teens in the Hawkins group were just, well,kids. And she apparently couldn’t confide in Nancy anymore, since they hadn’t exchanged a single word to one another in just under two weeks now. So, naturally, Robin gravitated towards her only friend, and she couldn’t really complain. They understood each other in almost every way. They had a bond that allowed them to be their complete selves around each other.
Without Steve, Robin didn’t think she could navigateany of this.
”Alright hotshot, you better not take forever when I pick you up.” Steve poked Robins temple when he spoke, causing the girl to slap his hand away and roll her eyes.
”I won’t, dingus, stop your whining.” Robin ignored Steve’s exasperated gasp when he feigned offense, and instead reached to the back to grab her bag before stepping out of the car. She shut the door and turned on her heel, before swishing back around, giving Steve no time to drive off.
”Thanks again for taking me every day, really. Everything still kinda hurts, yknow, and riding a bike would… Just- uh, thanks.” Robins upper half was practically hanging inside of the car, able to do so because of the opened window. Despite the awkward position, she spoke in a sincere tone, wanting to portray to her friend how thankful she truly was.
”Yea ‘course. See you in a few hours? I’ll pick a movie for our shift tonight.”
Robin simply nodded in response, and flicked the boy on his forehead, before quickly retreating from the open window before he could return the action. It was hard to keep her smile hidden when she strolled away from the car despite Steve yelling ‘hey! unfair!’ at her while she ignored him.
She loved that boy.
However despite the interaction with her friend just seconds prior, the minute Robin entered the double doors of Hawkins High, her smile vanished. The halls were thriving and loud, hundreds of conversations going on at once. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors alike pushed past one another to get with friend groups or head to classes a few minutes early. Some disgustingly performative couples made out in the corners of the building, others chose to smoke, and the occasional loner did skateboard tricks on the empty staircases that lead to the lower levels of the school.
Everyone was so obnoxiously themselves, it made Robin sick. She spent three-and-a-half years at this shit show of a school trying to be completely average, and everyone else got to be their unique selves with almost no consequences? That seemed unfair.
Though admittedly, Robin took small steps towards expressing herself, chalking it up to it being her final year and not caring about what people would try to say. She allowed herself to find her own sense of style regarding her clothes, hair and makeup. For the most part, nobody cared. But there were always the occasional whispers and rumors about her boyish style, which painfully reminded her of the rumors Sophomore year, about alesbian in the locker rooms.
Robin brushed the unpleasant memory away, knowing it didn’t matter now. Surely she had senior priority? It was an unspoken law that lower grade students couldn’t talk shit on the upperclassmen. At least, that’s how it was when the tall girl was in the lower grades.
It wasn’t like she stood on the rusting cafeteria tables and publicly announcedjust howdifferent she was. Rumors could spread all they want, but as long as Robin didn’t confirm nor deny, no harm could be done right?
Right.
Pushing past a group of (obviously faded) teens, Robin found herself arriving to class nearly ten minutes before the first bell, ignoring the teachers eyes on her and taking the usual back seat in the left corner. AP Literature. A charming class, really. What better way to start your day than with unnecessarily complicated annotations and dissecting poems word-for-word, hoping to find somethingnew. Yay.
Robin had a love-hate relationship with the class. It was annoying that it was what she started her day with, and she knew almost nobody in there. Normally there would be a band nerd or two in her other classes, but nope. Nancy Wheeler was there, however. Not like the pair would be conversing much, due to the brunettes current reservations.
But despite those flaws, it was Robins favorite class. Though, she would never admit it to Mr. Hauser, her favorite teacher that she hasn’t had a class with since Sophomore year. He was also the first person Robin ever came out to. Well,sort of. She never really told him but, likely because of a kinship, he was able to figure it out. He waited for Robin to be comfortable enough to confide in him, but that was pretty easy once she learned that he was, in many ways, the same.
So here she was, as per his advice, in an AP class at 7:52 in the morning. Mr. Hauser would non-stop chat the girls ear off about how she should be in higher classes, and that she could even have a perfect grade score if she tried just alittle bit. For a while, Robin would shrug off the requests, but when she realized full-ride scholarships were possible, she started applying herself. Anything for a ticket out of Hawkins. And admittedly, AP Literature was the first class that ever challenged her. And the challenge was more then welcome.
There were only two other people in the room this early: another student, quiet and reserved, much like Robin. She didn't know the boys name, but he was always early too. And then there was the teacher, Mrs. Spring, who Robin wasn't particularly fond of. She was an alright teacher, it wasn't like she picked on Robin or any of the students. It was just blatantly obvious that Mrs. Spring wasn't nearly as passionate or remotely interested in teaching like Mr. Hauser was. So not only was the curriculum bias, but the teaching added absolutely zeroflavor to the lessons. It was just the same monotone voice, long homework, and dull poems and books. But compared to the other classes, it was noticeably more difficult. The difficulty was the only thing that made it a twinge interesting. So yes, the class was a challenge by comparison.
Time flew by, luckily, feeling like the bell rang after just a minute of sitting there. Students flooded in all at once, the previously quiet classroom now overflowing with the same noise that belonged to the halls not long ago. Robin distracted herself with getting her AP Lit book out from her backpack, allowing her eyes to shoot up when she saw familiar shoes make their way to the desk one seat up and to the left.
Nancy Wheeler.
Of course, Nancy wasn’t looking in Robins direction. She never did anymore. It wasn’t just an understatement or over exaggeration on Robins end, Nancy truly removed herself from the entire group once the recovery period started. It was… Bizarre. The brunette had spent the entire week trying to keep the kids safe, getting closer to Robin and Steve and even Eddie. And now here she was, just another passing face in another uneventful class.
It hurt Robin to think about. She was excited for her dynamic with the passionate girl once everything was said and done. She planned on bringing Nancy along on her hangouts with Steve, as well as getting the entire Hawkins group together one night to just check in and see how they all were. That all fell through the cracks because Nancy fucking Wheeler became a ghost. And Robin couldn’t even blame her, but it was still so frustrating.
Luckily the lesson began once most people were in their seats, Mrs. Spring wasting no time in filling the room with her harsh voice and uncaring lesson plan. Another day at Hawkins High meant another day lost.
It only took a few minutes before Robin was bored out of her mind. Mrs. Spring was repeating a lesson she had taught at the beginning of the year, and it was painfully obvious to every student, but nobody say anything, wanting easy homework questions. Robin would say something, if she was searching for a reason to get shit thrown at her in the cafeteria. So instead she sat back in her chair, let her legs extend under the desk, and lulled her head to the side as a pencil danced between her fingers. Most teachers would correct the girls unmannerly posture, but again, Mrs. Spring couldn’t give two shits. How Robin wished Mr. Hauser could be teaching this class.
It was nearly impossible for Robin to stop her eyes from drifting towards Nancy. She wanted so badly to talk to the girl, to ask what was wrong, to be there for her. But all she was met with were the girls brown curls and consistently tense shoulders. After a few seconds of looking, likely past what was the appropriate amount of staring for a classmate (was there a limit?), Robin flicked her eyes to the ceiling, now mesmerized by the stains on the tiles above because how the fuckdid stains get up there?
However like many things, the mysterious stain-ceiling debacle didn’t have the blondes attention for long, since she could suddenly feel eyes on her. Afraid that Mrs. Spring asked her something and she didn’t hear, Robin sat up and looked towards whatever intense gaze was awaiting. It was a surprise to see the piercing blue eyes of Nancy boring into her for just a second.
Well maybe more than a second.
Robin took interest, and for the first time in so long, their eyes met and locked on one another's. It was strangely nice, like a form of acknowledgment that was previously nonexistent. Nancy was looking at her, Robin was looking back, and they were aware of each other again.
Just as Robin opened her mouth to whisper something, Nancy turned all-too-quickly back to the front.
Goddamnit Wheeler,Robin thought, unable to stop her head from rolling back in annoyance and hitting the wall that was right behind her seat. A few people looked in her direction due to the sound of the impact, but shocking absolutely nobody, Mrs. Spring didn’t even bother to ask if she was alright.
So the lesson continued on, like it always did.
Chapter 2: be advised
Summary:
Robin confides in Mr. Hauser about her struggles, and he gives her some much-needed advice.
Notes:
if you notice any spelling errors no you didn't.
i didn't have a lot of time to proof-read this, so if there's grammatical errors & spelling mistakes, just pretend it never happened.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"It's just such bullshit! You would think she'd have to, at the very least, be equipped to teach something as advanced as the class is designed to be, butno! They just grabbed whatever teacher was looking for a microscopic pay raise and then hoped she would do a good job!" Robin rambled, sitting on a front desk in the nearly empty classroom, the only other person being Mr. Hauser.
"Robin-" Mr. Hauser tried to interrupt, a coy smile on his lips as he watched the student before him absolutely tear into another Hawkins High teacher (that he admittedly didn't care for, himself).
"-It's ridiculous! Like, today she repeated a lesson from week three - yes,week three- and nobody said anything!"
"Robin, I think-"
"And before you tell me thatIshould have been the one to say something, just don't okay? Because I am stressed enough as it is so forgive me if I don't want to be the target for the dumbasses in that class that just want an easy grade!" Her hands were in the air, eyes blown wide and face twisted into an unpleasant frown. Her passion didn't falter from the moment she entered Mr. Hausers room for the lunch period, to now, which had consisted of ten minutes filled with non-stop rambling.
A beat of silence lead the amused teacher to believe she was finally done with the one-sided conversation, and he tried his luck again.
"Are you done?"
Robin sighed dramatically, pulling a knee up to rest her chin on, and gesturing with her hands for the man to speak.
"I take it this... Debacle, means you have a special interest in this class, right? Almost every teacher follows the bare minimum of the schools curriculum and I never hear you complain."
"Are you about to sayI told you so? Because if you are I might have to find somewhere else to have my lunches."
"Oh, what would I do without you complaining about my place of work?" Mr. Hauser teased, a now-kind smile on his face that reassured Robin that the nature of the conversation remained light and playful. "I'm glad you're passionate about this class, I am, but you know Hawkins. Not everybody shares your interests. And- well, never mind."
Robins face quickly changed from annoyed to curious, an eyebrow raised and a smirk playing at her lips. She tilted her head, awaiting his next words.
"And?"
"It's just that- saying this as a teacher thatdoes not have you in any of his classes, I have yet to come across another student who cares about their schoolwork as much as you." It was meant as a compliment, Robin knew it was, but she had a hard time believing the sentiment.
"What about Nancy?" Robin blurted out before she could stop herself, and when she noticed Mr. Hauser look up from the papers he was grading to shoot a confused look in her direction, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Nancy? As in Nancy Wheeler? I didn't think you two knew each other." Mr. Hauser pressed, full focus on the teenager in front of him now. Papers be damned.
"Well, we- I mean we didn't, not really."
"Didn't? Past tense? Are you saying you have finally made a friend in your grade and you still decide to spend your breaks in here? Not that I mind, of course." Mr. Hauser assured, and Robin knew he was being honest. The man was an anchor for Robin, especially at this shit-hole of a school. Ever since Sophomore year, he was the only person that willingly gave her the time of day.
Despite this, Robin didn't shareeverythingwith the teacher sitting in front of her. She never told him about the relationship she has with her Mother, she never told him that she befriended Steve the hair Harrington, and of course she couldn't tell him about spring break. Even if she wanted to, he would never believe her. He would never understand. There were certain limitations that Robin could not breach when it came to the one person in Hawkins High to truly see her. But after the mention of Nancy, she figured some truth should be shared.
"Well, it isn't like we're best friends or anything," Robin all-but promises, standing from the desk she was previously sitting on to instead pace back and forth. "we just- we hung out during the break, I guess?"
Mr. Hauser didn't even try to disguise the look of pure shock (mixed with extreme curiosity) that overtook whatever expression he had moments prior. Robinknewhe would make a thing of this, especially considering how Robin had talked about the brunette years prior.
"You hung out with Nancy Wheeler? What happened to her being apriss, andstuck up? Your words, not mine. I think she's a very bright girl."
Robin barked out a laugh at the way the man constantly had to back-track during their conversations, due to him still being ateacher, unable to participate in Robins jabs at other students or staff at Hawkins High.
"Well Hauser, believe it or not sometimes, and let me clarify only sometimes... I can be wrong." The tall girl refused to meet the teachers eye, embarrassment and frustration about Hauser being right time and time again starting to become more obvious. She should really listen to him more. "But it's not like it, just- it doesn't matter! We stopped talking when school started again. Which isfine, it's whatever, I should've expected that much, it's just... I dunno. She was- sheisway different than I expected and it sucks, okay? It sucks that she hasn't said a single word to me in almost two weeks."
Silence, thick and unwavering. Robins heavy breathing, a result from practically pouring her heart out, was the only sound other than the clock above the door ticking as each second went by. The girl kicked herself, annoyed that she said too much. Hauser had a good idea of how to get his past student to talk.
”Robin,” Mr Hauser began, not giving the blonde a chance to continue her self-deprecating rambling and nonsensical explanations as to why Nancy would stop talking to her, “have you tried, I dunno, talking to her? And I don’t mean small talk or gossip. I mean, have youreally tried talking to her?”
The blank stare on Robins face said enough.
”You haven’t even tried approaching her!? Robin!” Mr Hauser began, taking his glasses off and rubbing his temples in frustration.
”It isn’t that easy! What am I supposed to say? Uh, hey Nance! I know we haven’t talked in almost two weeks, and we barely know each other, but why have you pulled away from me?"
”Precisely!” Hauser exclaimed, slowly putting his glasses back on with a huff. “You have to try too, you can’t just wait for her to approach. Try asking her if she’s okay, start with that. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Robin couldn’t do anything but blink in the teachers direction, attempting to process the advice. Sure the man had a point, he usually did, but conflict wasn’t really Robins thing. What if Nancy was mad at her for some reason? What if she said too much at some point and Nancy suspected her of the rumors from sophomore year?
But what if she’s waiting for you? Robin pondered.
With an exasperated groan of annoyance, and a theatrical drop into a nearby chair, Robin let her head land harshly on the desk, choosing to ignore the quiet laugh that came from Hauser.
”Now that that’s settled, be quiet so I can grade papers.”
-
The day flew by much quicker than Robin had anticipated. After her excruciating conversation with Mr. Hauser about how she should try to talk to Nancy, the blonde hoped the rest of her classes would go by agonizingly slow, but alas, her luck never was that great.
So, here she was, one minute until the final bell would ring and she would have to try to spot Nancy in a crowd of hundreds of kids who would pour out of the double doors of Hawkins High. Of course, Robin didn’t plan on really looking for Nancy. She would just stand around, tell herself she tried, and give up.
Though doing that would most definitely lead to an earful from Mr. Hauser that Robin wasn’t particularly excited for. She knew she would have to take the man’s advice sooner or later, or else he would chew her out every lunch period about how she cannot complain if she didn’t attempt to make things right in the slightest.
The dreadful scream of the bell ripped through the silence of the final period, and almost instantly students packed their things and beelined for the door. With a quiet groan and exaggerated annoyance obvious in her movements, Robin shoved her textbook into her worn backpack, and headed outside.
On a normal day, even if she had work right after classes, Robin would hang back in her final period five minutes after the bell rang. The reason? To avoid the bullshit she was dealing with right now.
Students shoved one another, packed halls constantly moving, foot traffic in many different directions. Most kids found their target to be the exit, while some tried to push past to get to after school clubs. Robin should have been one of those people, but after everything went down with Vecna, it seemed impossible to return to band. It wasn’t like she lovedit anyways, so she only counted it as a small loss. Mostly because she no longer saw Vickie other than when they would pass each other on their way to fourth period.
Another crush lost to the halls of Hawkins High.
It only took a minute to free herself from the building, extremely relieved to feel the harsh warm air surround her. Robin hated crowds, and she knew if she was in there much longer, that familiar throat closing eyes buzzing panic would course through her. Not today, though. Maybe today, she was lucky.
And that’s when she saw her, near the tables in front of the school. Ofcourseshe would see Nancy right after leaving. Ofcourseshe couldn’t give it a half-assed attempt and then flee to her shift with Steve. Avoidance wasn’t an option, knowing she was a terrible liar and if Mr. Hauser asked if Robin got the chance to talk to Nancy, she’d fold.
Goddamn luck, why choose today to be on Robins side?
The tall girls feet carried her towards Nancy before she could even think of what to say. Was it a mistake to approach the now-reserved girl without a game plan? Yes. Absolutely. But Robin wasn’t one to fully think things through at this point.
”Hi! I- I mean, hey, Nance.” Robin stuttered, all-but tripping over her own feet and catching herself due to her clumsy speed-walking coming to a halt when she approached Nancy quicker than she anticipated. Damn long legs.
Nancy quirked an eyebrow, an amused smile on her face for just a second, quickly replaced with a neutral expression.
”Oh, hey Robin?” It sounded more like a question than a friendly greeting, causing Robin to clear her throat awkwardly.
”So, I just wanted to, like- uh, make sure you’re okay?” Robin started, hating the way she sounded uncertain despite being the one to approach the shorter girl in front of her. She continued despite Nancy opening her mouth to respond. “It’s just, y’know, none of us have seen you since… Since spring break. And by usI mean me and Steve and Eddie and the kids, obviously. Well, I guess they aren’t really kids cause- never mind. I just wanted to check on you. I’m- we’re worried about you.”
The silence that followed that nearly incoherent ramble was agonizing, to say the least. Robin stood stiff, aware of her awkward demeanor as she almost unnoticeably shifted her weight from one foot to another. It helped calm her, helped keep her nerves at bay.
“Oh.” Nancy said dumbly, clutching the notebook she was holding tightly to her chest. Reservation, Robin noticed instantly. She still had barriers up.
More silence followed, Nancy now looking more out of place than Robin previously was. Which, considering Robins social and conversational skills, was impressive.
Seconds felt like minutes as they stood there, a few feet of space between them. Robin wanted so badly to say something, to pry some sort of truth out of the ghost of a girl in front of her. But she couldn’t; being face-to-face with her now was mind numbing. It had been so long since they talked, and despite having only known the brunette for that one week, they spent practically every moment together during the Vecna incident. They had grown surprisingly close in a short amount of time, finding comfort in one another.
Now they were strangers.
Nancy opened her mouth to reply, the whisper of an explanation dormant on the tip of her tongue. Robin found herself enthralled, expectant. Waiting.
Until of course, the biggest dumbass on the face of the planet rolled his car up by the curb nearby.
”Yo, Robin! We’re going to be late if you don’t get your ass in the car!”
Robin decided in that moment that she was going to strangle Steve Harrington the second she had the chance.
Robins wide blue eyes shot daggers at her friend, worried that this would stunt the sad excuse for a conversation she had managed to pry out of Nancy.
”In a minute, dingus!” The girl rasped, rolling her eyes when Steve let out an exasperated sigh. She turned back to look at Nancy, to listen to what she had to say, but was meant with an empty space.
Goddamnit Harrington, Robin thought, annoyance evident on her face when she dragged her feet towards the car and slammed the door shut once she was sitting.
”Hey, don’t slam my-ow!” Steve had started, before Robin sent a swift slap to the boys shoulder. Offense was written all over his face, but the girl didn’t care.
”Good going!” Robin huffed, slouching back in the leather seat, arms crossed. Steve looked puzzled, completely clueless.
”What did I do?”
Notes:
hey there! sorry chapter 2 took so long, i got caught up rewatching the first three seasons of the show... anyways, chapter 3 will be out in a few hours!
chapter 2 and 3 were meant to be one chapter but it was waaay too long.
thanks for reading! :)
Chapter 3: video-related needs
Summary:
Steve and Robin talk during their shift at Family Video, and Robin tries to talk to Nancy again.
Notes:
i finished writing this at like 2am so if there’s any spelling errors just like. sshhh.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"If I have to go home only to find my kitchen raided by that freak of natureagain, I'm going to figure out a way to bring the demogorgon back." Steve snapped, hanging up posters for new VHS releases while Robin restocked the shelves.
For the past half hour Steve was complaining about none other than Eddie Munson, a new addition to the Hawkins Group of friends ever since he came through and helped with the wholeupside-down-vecna situation. The D&D nerd was particularly fond of Robins best friend, annoying the boy every so often by coming over and stealing nearly all of the food he had. Of course, Robin knew that deep down Steve enjoyed the spontaneous company. It wasn't a shocker that the entire Hawkins Group had rough nights, considering the wounds were still fresh, so being accompanied by someone as distracting as Eddie Munson was preferred. Especially when the alternative is a quiet house.
Robin understood Steve in a lot of ways, especially when it came to shit parents. Steve would almost always have the house to himself, with his Mom and Dad going on so many business trips it was like they lived on the road instead of the large mansion (Steve insisted it wasn’t a mansion; Robin disagreed). And Robin? Well, her Mother could be described in many ways, but present wasn't exactly one of them.
It wasn't until Steve snapped his fingers directly in front of Robins face that she realized she zoned out of the boys insistent rambling for who knows how long.
"What the hell, shitbird?!" Robin snapped, head hitting the shelf she was previously stacking, causing a few VHS tapes to fall. Steve knew the girl scared easily, and often used it to his advantage.
"You zoned outagain, Rob! Did you even hear anything I said?"
Robin scoffed before kneeling down and picking up the now-scathed tapes. A few had almost unnoticeable scratches, but the rest had enough dents to require some replacements. How annoying.
"I didn'tzone out." Robin lied, standing up and tossing the trashed tapes over the counter, before re-stacking the rest. She ignored the way Steve's now-worried gaze never left her, instead adverting her full attention to the computer behind the counter. Steve stayed where he was at the front of the store, deciding to just talk louder as to continue the conversation.
"Oh really? So you were just staring at the Josh Brolin poster because you found him so insanely hot?" Steve observed, arms crossing and back against the wall. His eyebrow was raised and he forced the smirk off his face, a mix of concern and amusement written all over.
"And what if I did?" Robin joked, smiling widely as she tried to turn the conversation light.
Steve didn't budge though.
"First of all, you hated The Goonies." Robin opened her mouth to interject, but Steve continued before she had the chance. "Andsecond, you've been acting... I dunno. Weird? You thinking about Vickie again?"
Robins face flushed at the accusation, whipping her head around to stare daggers at her friend. There was a moment of silence before she felt her head begin to shake rapidly, denying it as soon as she was able to react.
"No-no, I'm not!"
Steve's laughter filled the small store, unfaltering as he doubled over slightly, the sight of Robins red face apparently too hilarious to keep his composure.
"Shut the fuck up Harrington! I- I wasn't thinking about Vickie!"
"Oh yea, yea sure, that's totally not why you haven't been able to hold a single conversation in the past week?"
"No, it isn't!"
"I dunno Buckley, it seems like you're falling for the girl evenmorenow-"
Now this was where things got complicated. Robin could either let the merciless teasing about her impossible crush carry on, or she could tell the truth and have to deal with a particularly layered conversation. Any rational person would probably choose the first option to avoid any confrontation. But Robin, of course, blurted out:
"For your informationdoofus,I'm actually thinking about Nancy, so shut the hell up."
It quickly became obvious that that was the worst way to put things, especially when Steve had this ridiculous idea that Robin wasdaydreaming about someone in a romantic sense. The boys look of pure shock was evident, and when his wide eyes and slacked jaw slowly twisted into a devious smile, Robins face flushed in embarrassment.
"Fuck, no, not like- I didn't mean-"
Steve's laugh was loud and piecing, only resulting in the reddening of Robins face progressively getting worse and worse. If she wanted to punch him earlier for interrupting her conversation with Nancy, well that temptation increased tenfold at this very moment.
"No no no, I'mworried about her, that's it!" Robin spat. And though yes, it was true, her unconvincing tone was actively working against her favor as Steve finally shut his laughing up and instead settled on leaning against the wall while smiling.
"Hey, it's fine if you have a thing for my ex, I'll only be mildly offended." Steve joked. Robin couldn't help herself from rolling her eyes and (playfully) gagging.
"You're insufferable." The blonde pointed out, crossing her arms and allowing her gaze to slowly drift around the store, as if scanning for any customers. When she was satisfied enough to ensure that they were alone, she continued. "She just hasn't been around for a few weeks, hasn't picked up the phone. I'm kindascared, Steve. Ever since..."
Thatname lingered in the air, an unspoken understanding and mutual refusal to speak it into existence. For that, Robin was grateful, even if there wasn't much to be grateful for nowadays. Steve offered a small nod, a reassuring form of acknowledgement that he knew what his friend wanted to say but still couldn't. None of them have been able to say his name since spring break ended. Not that any of them wanted to, so why bother trying?
"… I am too." Steve finally said, deciding to abandon the dark thoughts of spring break and instead bring full focus on Nancy. Robin just went along with it. "Have you tried talking to her yet?"
"Well Iwastalking to her until some shithead interrupted."
Steve winced at that, mumbling a barely audible 'sorry', causing Robin to sigh and respond with a quiet 'it's fine'. The conversation, for some reason, died there. Instead of continuing about Nancy, or Vickie, or Eddie, they just carried out their respective tasks, a comforting silence now taking over the store. The only sound came from the TV hanging above the front counter, playing Silver Bullet. It was nice, peaceful even. Robin loved the shifts she got to work alongside Steve instead of Keith, which was luckily pretty often. The only times she had to work with the awkward manager of the store were Sundays, since Steve was dragged to church by his Father. Robinhatedworking Sunday shifts. They were practically lifeless, with an average of three customers the entire day (and one of them was Robin herself), leaving the girl to be stuck in dull conversations with Keith. Yippee.
"What did you guys talk about? You and Nancy, I mean." Steve suddenly asked, meeting Robin behind the counter to stand in front of the computer and type up how many customers they've had so far. Robin jumped up by the register, sitting on the counter, her back to the door, allowing her legs to dangle while she faced her friend.
"Not much? I dunno, I tried to ask if she was okay, but she was really quiet. Iassumed she was going to say something, but even if you didn't show up, I don't think she would have… She's impossible, dude."
"I mean she isn't really one to open up, Rob, I thought you figured that much after spending so much one-on-one time with her." Steve scoffed, as if Robin not picking up on Nancy's reservation was hilarious. Of course Robin knewthe brunette tended to deal with shit on her own, refusing consolation, but she had hoped it would be different if she was the one talking to Nancy. It was a foolish hope. Of course she was wrong. Why would Nancy open up to someone she barely knew?
"I'm going to try again in class tomorrow." Robin blurted out, completely ignoring Steve's logical point. She couldn't just wait for the brunette to approach them first, who knew how long that could take? However instead of arguing about how she should wait until they could have an actual conversation away from other students, or that it was more than likely Nancy would ignore her, Steve just shrugged. The more he got himself involved with this terrible plan, the bigger the chance Nancy would strangle him for egging Robin on.
"Your funeral."
Robin opened her mouth to respond, to make some sarcastic comment about how she had avoided just that during theireventful spring break, but the sound of the bell chiming above the door rang through the store, causing both Family Video workers to look up. A random girl looks around, between Robin and Steve's age, and she grabs one of the new VHS releases before slowly heading towards the counter. She was short, had long black hair, and bright red lipstick. The two friends shared a look that screamed holy shit she's beautiful, before Steve tried to push his friend aside to talk to the customer. However Robin was able to dodge his shove and elbow him in the ribs, forcing him to double over and admit defeat. Steve: 10, Robin: 3.
"Welcome to Family Video, where we can help you fulfill all of your video-related needs." Robin practically shouted, face growing hot in embarrassment at the sheer volume of her greeting, which caused the customer to smile awkwardly.
And when the sound of Steve laughing his ass off a few feet away was heard, Robin was about ready to melt into the floor then and there.
Why did she even bother?
-
This is a terrible idea, Robin thought to herself, face hidden in her cold hands as Mrs. Spring announced she would step out of the class to 'use the restroom' (though everyone knew the teacher lied so she could step outside and smoke her cares away). Twenty minutes ago first period began, and the entire time Robin had been trying to think of what to say to her friend. Were they still friends? Was that just something they called each other during spring break so they felt like they had someone? Would Robin be pushing if she tried to pry some kind of conversation out of the oldest Wheeler kid?
"Stay quiet and continue reading chapter eleven, I'll be back." Mrs. Spring half-shouted to the class once she was already halfway out of the door, hands digging in her pockets for what was obviously a lighter and a pack. She wasn't even trying to hide it at this point, Robin was convinced.
Of course despite the command, the second the heavy door clicked shut, all of the students erupted into conversation. Some teens moved to crouch by friends, some just shouted from across the class, and the remaining few actually focused on the chapter so they wouldn't fall behind. Normally, that was Robin. She should have been reading the assigned chapter, ignoring the spit balls flying from the seats in front of her. Ignoring the hollering of teenage virgins who made innuendos about girls in the class or about Mrs. Spring herself.
But today, Robin had totry.
"Psst, Nance." Robin whispered, leaning in the other girls direction just barely. But when Nancy didn't so much as blink at the calling, Robin slumped back in her seat, thinkingoh well I tried, time to give up and never talk again. Until of course Mr. Hauser's annoying voice rang in her head, taunting her with the cheap mantra of 'you have to try, too' playing like a record caught in a loop. So, Robin groaned quietly to herself, and practically stood as she tapped her finger on Nancy's shoulder once.
"Nance?" Robin plopped herself back into her seat, noticing the girl turn her head back but not all the way. They weren't able to make eye contact at this angle, but Robin assumed this was an invitation to talk. Or rather, she hoped it was. "Can you just talk to me? Please?"
No response. Instead Nancy turned her head away, looking down to continue the work, but seemingly too distracted to actually read the words she was looking at. At this rate Robin was annoyed, pushing further because of her own persistence and no longer because of anyone's advice. Impulsive? Most definitely.
“Oh come on Wheeler, stop being a ghost."
That got Nancy's attention.
"What?" Nancy all-but-snapped, albeit in a whisper, wanting to avoid the stares of other students. Being pursued by Robin Buckley was enough to deal with right now.
Robin didn't notice the harshness in the other girls tone, and offered a dopey smile, just happy that she gotsomethingout of Nancy. And how was Nancy meant to stay pissed off when Robin looked like a total goof? Exactly, she couldn’t.
"Oh, okay, first of all: hey! Second of all, what thefuckWheeler? Pick up the phone, much? Sorry, I just- kind of a dick move you know? No wait sorry, that's not what I meant. Well, kind of, but notreallyreally. We're all worried about you, and you've been just, like, floating." Robin tripped over her own words, eyes dancing between a strange mix of pleading confidence, like she knew what she was saying was a fact while also wanting Nancy to interject with some form of explanation so she wouldn't have to continue her rant.
The pair stared awkwardly at each other, Robins hands hovering above her desk, only just now realizing that she had been waving her hands all over the place when she spoke. Nancy looked completely lost, brows furrowed and eyes piercing into Robins. It would have been uncomfortable if it was anyone other than Nancy looking at her (with Steve being the obvious exception), but the lingering glare and unspoken words slowly made the taller of the two find the silence more and more unbearable as seconds flew by.
And then, the strangest thing. Nancy smiled. Not some forced thin-lipped smile, not some pleasantry offered to an acquaintance when there isn't anything to say. No, Nancy Wheeler was smiling at her, just like she did in the car after they fled Pennhurst. Upon that realization, Robin offered a crooked grin, too confused to pull herself together fully. Because seriously, what the fuck?
"Sorry." Robin mumbled, letting her hands fall to her desk in an attempt to appear more calm, but it was near impossible to stop her fingers from tapping rhythmically against the polished desk.
"Don't be," Nancy said simply, "it's just... Let's not talk about it here, okay?"
"Oh." Robin said, now pulling her hands into her lap and fumbling with her metal rings, feeling the sculpt of a bat ring Eddie got her the previous day ("This way you can see how cool bats are without worrying about rabies", he had said, causing Robin to offer a sarcastic laugh but smile nonetheless at his antics). She continued before Nancy was able to suggest a time and place, if she even really planned on talking to her at all. She could have said that to get Robin to shut up, after all. "How about lunch? Mr. Hauser's class is always empty and I usually go there anyways, plus he wouldn't like eavesdrop or anything, he's been so wrapped up in listening toQueen orAbba that it's almost ridiculous. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he had his Walkman on the whole time. He does that sometimes. I know cause, well like I said, I usually go there during lunch."
There she went. Rambling again. Though surprisingly enough Nancy didn't look annoyed, she just patiently waited for Robin to finish, and then nodded with a small smile. A nearly unnoticeable smile that seemed to be laced with worry? Nervousness? Hesitation? Funny, just a few minutes ago Robin was feeling all of those things. Who would've thoughttheNancy-the-priss-Wheeler would feel that way after agreeing to talk to a (former) band geek like Robin Buckley.
Then, as if on cue, Mrs. Spring bounded into the room with an annoyed huff and the stench of smoke lingering on her puffy clothes. The door slammed closed due to the unfortunate effects of gravity, which shut the whole class up in a literalsecond. Normally the loud bang would cause Robin to shrink in her seat or fiddle anxiously, but she had barely noticed the sound, too wrapped up in her own thoughts.
Way to go, Buckley. You're the first one in the group to get something out of Nancy fucking Wheeler.
Robin definitely planned on rubbing it in Steve's face when he picked her up from school later.
Notes:
oh hey look, robin and nancy finally talked! kind of? i promise they have an ACTUAL conversation next chapter
Chapter 4: walkman
Summary:
Robin finally talks to Nancy.
Notes:
reminder to read the content warnings stated in chapter 1 before continuing this story!
i wrote this chapter like five times and couldn't figure out a way to get it all down without hating everything i wrote. the beginning chapters are always the worst to get past because, well, writers block is great! but the chapters will look up from here, please just bear with me... also i finished this at 2am so ignore any spelling errors.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The only moment in Volume 2 that happened before this fic takes place was Robin getting pinned to the wall with Vecnas vines. Nancy and Steve didn't, just Robin. Sorry, but it's too late for me to add that in with the plot I have planned. Disregarding that: hope you enjoy!
Robin was unable to stop her leg from bobbing up and down anxiously, simultaneously biting her black-chipped nails, eyes darting from the classroom door to the clock above and back to the door. The ear piercing bell that signaled the start of lunch rang just under ten minutes ago, meaning Robin had been (impatiently) waiting for Nancy to show up for eight minutes now. Despite Mr. Hauser's class being on the other side of the school, Robin was able to get there in record time, only receiving a few glares and side-eyes from students when she clumsily bolted for the class. Realistically there was no reason to rush, especially since Nancy was late anyways. However, the tall girl reasoned that it was just to give herself time to convince Mr. Hauser to spend the entire lunch listening to his Walkman.
Thankfully for Robin, the man obliged (after making her tell him why she was doubled over catching her breath and how she managed to arrive less than a minute after the bell). He was more-than-pleased to find out the student took his advice, offering a nearly inaudible 'I told you so' as he slipped on his bright yellow headphones.
And now here they were, Hauser grading papers and paying no mind to anything else around him, and Robin sitting in a desk much too small for a teenager. Her awkward legs sprawled out across the floor, a silent form of rebellion against the desk that tried to confide her to a small space. Her attempts at rebellion were long past her, but these small actions were enough. That was until the door creaked open and brown curls were in sight, causing Robin to instantly sit up and pull her legs closer, though it was hard to fit them under the desk. She silently cursed the universe for making her tall and for making the desks tiny.Fuck you, universe!
"Uh, hi?" Nancy simply said, voice small and hesitant as her eyes drifted between Robin and Mr. Hauser, who hadn't even noticed her entry. Robin felt a lopsided smile take over her face, nervous yet pleasantly surprised that Nancy actually showed, despite there being no reason for the brunette to stand her up.
"Just ignore him. OnceQueen is playing, he becomes a lost cause." Robin waved her hand dismissively, motioning for Nancy not to worry about it, quickly followed by a gesture towards a nearby chair. Nancy laughed at Robins comment, tucking a strand of her permed hair behind her ear. The simple action made Robins heart skip a beat, smile faltering as a result.What?
"I knew you didn't eat in the cafeteria or library for lunch, since I would have passed you at some point, but Hauser's class?" Nancy questioned, obvious she was trying to ease the both of them into a conversation before addressing the elephant in the room.
"What can I say Wheeler, I'mfullof surprises!" Nancy rolled her eyes at that, and Robin felt jittery for a second time in the past minute. She had to be coming down with a cold or something. Nevertheless, she continued, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back into the uncomfortable plastic chair. "He isn't that bad. Let's me stay in here during lunch to do homework and, like, we talk shit on other teachers."
Nancy's lip quirked, any remnants of awkward tension melting away.
"Is that so?"
"No," Robin sighed honestly, "Italk shit on the teachers, cause they all suck, but Mr. Hauser technically can't agree or disagree with me so he just listens. But, between you and me," Robin leans in just by a few inches, whispering despite knowing Hauser can't hear her, "he definitely agrees with what I have to say, otherwise he wouldn't keep inviting me back."
Nancy couldn't help herself, barking out a laugh with no restraint. Her small hand covered her mouth, both girls noticing the way Hauser looked up, able to hear the laugh even through his headphones. He shot Robin a warning glance, as if he suspected them to be talking about him, and Robin raised her hands in surrender. The second Hauser refocused on the papers in front of him, Robin whipped her head back to Nancy, mouth agape and shock written all over her face.
"Aw what the hell Nancy! You're a snitch! An accidental snitch, but a snitch nonetheless!"
"It's your own fault for inviting me only to talk bad about Mrs. Spring." Nancy stated confidently, mirroring Robin by crossing her own arms.
"First of all, I neversaid Mrs. Spring... I just thought it. Second of all, it'syourfault for making meneed to invite you in the first place."
The minute Robin said it, she knew she fucked up. The previously comfortable conversation turned to a mockingly tense silence. Nancy adverted her gaze to her hands, which she quickly placed on the desk in front of her, fidgeting for the first time since she entered the room. Robin sat stiff, afraid that if she moved, it would scare Nancy off.
Stupid Buckley, Robin thought, refraining from slapping herself in the face at her slip up,stupid stupid stupid stu-
"I- I, uhm, I'm sorry, Nance, I didn't mean..." Robin slowly sat up, keeping her arms crossed in a lame preserved sense of reservation, despite leaning forward so Nancy could catch her eyes if she wanted to. God, Robin hoped she wanted to.
"No, it's...Fine." Nancy all-but-spat, turning her head completely away from the other girl.Ouch.
"I didn't mean it like- like it wasyour fault your fault, I was mostly joking but- you know, we areall worried about you and-" Robin felt herself beginning to ramble, and while she would normally not mind being cut off by her friends, when Nancy did it, ithurt.
"Oh, that's what this is? Acheckup?" The brunette accused, still not looking at Robin.
This wasn't going well at all.
"No!" Robin half-shouted, clutching her forearms hard enough that if she wasn't wearing her signature thick black jacket, she would've bruised herself. She thanked a nonexistent god for urging her to wear that jacket, seeing as she just got over the bruises on her wrists and really didn't want to deal with that again.
"Look, if this is some attempt at trying to make me feel better, or if it's some weird kind of pity, don't bother okay?I'm fine, I don't need you to be a therapist or anything because thegroup is worried."
Robin was taken aback by that, and when she was unable to form words, Nancy finally looked at her. Her expression was... Unreadable. More so than normal. Robin wasn't able to read peoples expressions often, except for Steve's. That was just a result of being around the boy practically every second she wasn't at school or sleeping. But the taller girl could assume the furrowed brows and ghost of a grimace weren't a particularly promising sign that Nancy wasn't upset at her. Not to mention the emphasis on how Nancy said group, as if it hurt, as if it wasn't enough. Why it wasn't enough, Robin would never know.
Seriously, what did I say? Robin questioned herself, mouth opening and closing as she chose her next words carefully. She knew talking to Nancy alone wasn't the best idea, especially considering Steve's advice on letting Nancy come to her first. She couldn't risk ruining this further.
"No,no I didn't want to talk just because everyone is worried. And- Okay firstly, I'm worried. You wouldn't talk to me, Nance, and I know we weren't super close or anything but I thought we were making progress. But I wanted to talk because I just... I miss talking to you! And sure, yea, the group does too, but that isn't what this is about… Where did you go?"
The short rambling session took Nancy by surprise, eyes wide and jaw tightly clenched. Hell, Robin was even taken aback by what left her own mouth. She hadn't meant to get this serious this quickly, but leave it to Robin Buckley to spew her thoughts without taking a moment to ponder whether or not it's a good idea.
"Sorry,sorry,fuck I have to stop talking sometimes. Did I mention I'm not the best with social cues? I think I have. I also talk a lot. Like, a lot.Well, you probably know that because IknowI'm literally doing it right now and Ishould stop talking and give you a chance to think or leave or yell at me or whatever, but whenever I get nervous I just talk and talk until I run out of things to say and then I talk some more-"
"Robin." Nancy interrupted, eyes still wide but jaw now relaxing. There was the hint of a smile that was nearly impossible to see on her lips, eyebrows shot as high as they could go in a mix of confusion and amusement directed at the girl unfolding before her.
"Sorry.." Robin mumbled, hiding her flushed face in her cold hands, embarrassed and annoyed with herself.
Then, the strangest thing happened; Nancy rested her hand atop Robins knee. Just for a split second, if someone were to blink they would miss it. Robin nearly missed it, if she were to be completely honest. It wasthat quick. Yet, it prompted the blonde to open one hand over her eye and peak at Nancy through her slender fingers, causing the other girl to giggle.Oh.
"I should be the one apologizing," Nancy started, smile completely off her face but at least she didn't look pissed anymore. "I shouldn't have assumed anything. I shouldn't have blamed you for something you never... Hinted at, I guess? I know they all worry about me- I know you worry about me, but I promise I'm... I'm getting by.”
Robin let her hands drop back into her lap, sparing only a second before fiddling with her rings again. It was impossible to sit still, especially now.
"Are you?"
"I am."
"Then why ignore us?"
Nancy opened her mouth to respond, but when she couldn't find the words, she sucked in a sharp inhale and let her shoulders slack and eyes focus on the disgusting tile floor. Robin so desperately wanted to reach over and grab one of Nancy's hands like she did at the Creel house just weeks ago, she wanted to reassure the girl in the way Nancy had reassured Robin when she was nervous to fight Vecna. But she couldn't. They weren't close enough for that anymore, for whatever reason Nancy wasn't admitting. So instead of holding her hand, instead of sending comforting words her way, Robin settled on shifting her foot over and tapping Nancys with her heavy boot. A subtle and excusable way of saying I'm here. Or, at least that's what Robin hoped it said.
"I just don't know how to... Go back to normal, is all. It felt like-I feel like if I just try to go back to the way things were, go back to seeing the group and ignoring what happened that week, it'll happen again. It doesn't make sense, I know. Iknow we won against him, I promise I do... But if I don't let my guard down, then I don't have to put it back up, right?"
The statement made Robins heart clench, for more reasons than just one. Firstly, it seemed to be only a partial truth. Robin often wasn't able to pick up on these things, but her full focus was on the girl beside her, so it was impossible to miss the way her eyes darted around the room to avoid meeting Robins gaze.
Though it was only one part of the reason Nancy pulled back, it was still true to some extent. Every time the group thought they won something worse would return months later. It was a torturous never-ending cycle, and Nancy was surprised she even made it this long.
"I get how you feel." Robin offered honestly, resulting in Nancy finallymaking eye contact.
"You do?" Nancy tilted her head.
"Yea. All of us do, Nance. I know there's... A lot going on in your head," Robin said cautiously, hinting towards the unspoken but obvious fact that Nancy hadn't told hereverything, "but if you go through it alone it's a lot harder. Nobody is asking you to like, forget everything that happened. But there are these moments - like when Steve and Dustin argue over Bowie or Madonna, or when Ericatotally kicks Eddies ass in that dungeon game, or when Lucas trips over the same chordevery fucking time we all get together - where everything feels okay. Sure things aren't normal, maybe they never will be. I mean, what we went through wasn't normal. But we all went through it together, and that makes it... Bearable."
Nancy smiled softly, clearing her throat to get rid of the building lump that would inevitably lead to tears if she let herself dwell on the others sentiment. It was so damn hard to sport a smile with the way Robin was looking at her, like she was the strongest but most delicate thing in the room. Nancy Wheeler, she can take a gun to an interdimensional demon but couldn't hang out with her own friends. It would be funny if it wasn't so miserable.
But Robins soft blue eyes held no judgement. She looked at Nancy,really looked at her, like she wanted nothing more than to be there for the girl. Like she knew Nancy was the strongest out of all of them, but was still allowed to hurt. It made the brunettes heart clench and pulse quicken, though she decidedly blamed it on the sentiment of the conversation and nothing else.
"Yea." Nancy said simply, cheeks warm and smile unwavering.
"Yea?" Robin asked in response, sitting up straighter and looking ten times more optimistic than before, lopsided grin returning.
"Yea." Nancy assured, running fingers through her curls, simply because she didn't know what else to do with her hands.
Sure, it would be difficult to see the group again after all of it.Everything would be difficult for a while, Nancy wasn't blind to that. But if attempting happiness would mean Robin looking at Nancy like she owns the worldagain, than it would be well worth it.
"I'm sorry to backtrack, but did you say Erica beat Eddie atD&D?" Nancy quipped, and from there on out the tension dissipated. Robin chatted away about the last few hangouts. A large portion of the group would play Dungeons and Dragons, making up for lost time during the break. Eddie allowed Erica to be the dungeon master a few times, and she completely ripped into the group. Though Robin had no clue what half of the monsters in the game were (only recognizing a few names likeDemogorgon, Mind Flayer, and Vecna),watching the chaotic game unravel was entertaining enough for her to stay until the end of each campaign. Besides, Steve and Max were always there, and since they didn't play, the three of them would just joke about the absurdity of the game and poke fun at the teens antics.
It was nice. Nancy almost forgot what it was like to hear her ramble about Steve (or as Robin exclusively called him the entire time she talked;dingus) and the others. It was nice seeing Robins hands flap around animatedly as she told stories of the chaotic Hawkins Group. It was nice seeing Robin talk freely.
And for Robin, it was nice to finally see Nancy Wheeler really smile again.
-
It was late when Robin finally walked through the decrepit front door of her trailer home. Steve had picked her up at school for work almost an hour late, apologizing endlessly and blaming his tardiness on Eddie. Steve claimed Eddie ate all of his ‘good snacks’, so he just hadto get more right before the shift, inevitably losing track of time.Robin wasn't that upset, having spent the spare time doing homework, but she pretended to be annoyed just so she could hold it over Harrington's head and make him do the cleaning tasks that night. Unsurprisingly, it worked. Robin knew how to worm her way into getting Steve to take over the unpleasant chores such as cleaning the employee bathrooms at the small Family Video store.
They had the unfortunate role of closing that night, since Keith was out of town for a few days for reasons Robin didn't give a shit about. She thought she remembered the odd manager mentioning a concert in Ohio, but she wasn't sure, and it wasn't like Steve cared to know. With Robin and Steve practically in charge for the first time since they started working there, cleaning and locking up took an hour longer than it should have, which was shitty considering it was nearing midnight and Robin had school in the morning. The second they finished the bare minimum amount of closing tasks, they fled the store, making a mental note to finish any leftover work during their next shift.
Robin thanked Steve four times for taking her home, knowing the boy was equally exhausted but still decided to drop his friend off at her trailer, despite living on the other side of town. The pair exchanged tired goodbyes and half-assed side hugs over the center console, before Robin threw her backpack over her shoulder and trudged her way into the house, watching the headlights of Steve's car slowly fade into the distance as he drove off.
Robin was so excited to collapse into bed and sleep for the few hours she could. The shift at Family Video was awful, far too many customers coming in for a Tuesday night. And as a cherry on top of the shit sundae, there had been a rude woman who entered the store and shouted at Robin for ten minutes straight since there weren’t any ‘strictly-religious’ movies available. Robin had tried to calm the woman down and direct her to a nearby Blockbuster that had a larger selection, but the womaninsisted upon Family Video being a grotesque liberal outlet, going as far as to throw the wordqueer in her small-minded rambling. The moment Steve picked up that word, having been distracted by another group of customers, he excused himself and took over for his friend. Robin appreciated it, taking her break early and trying to compose herself before eventually returning. When she did come back to the front counter, the woman was gone and Steve looked apologetic.
Robin thanked her friend for dealing with the customer, and was able to tell that Steve felt awful about it all. He tried to joke around with Robin the rest of the shift, making fleeting attempts at getting her mood back up, but the day was dampened by that single interaction. Though, the tall girl did appreciate Steve's efforts, and thanked him multiple times throughout the shift.
So yea, the day had sucked, so sue Robin for wanting to go straight to her room and sleep without even taking her work vest or suspenders off. But of course, lining up with the streak ofluck that day, the first thing Robin saw when she shut the front door was her Mom spread out on the stained couch.
There were various cans and bottles littered on the coffee table just a foot away. The woman's breathing was heavy, head lulled to the right, eyes practically cemented shut. The sight nearly caused Robin to groan in annoyance, but she bit her tongue.
So instead of finally crashing after a long day, the teen caved, allowing her backpack fall to the ground with athud before looming over the couch and tapping her Moms forehead.
Tap, tap, tap.
The woman stirred, trying to turn her head away without having to open her eyes. Robin allowed herself to scoff, because she should at least be able to do that. She tapped her Moms head some more, and thankfully it was harsh enough to force the drunken woman awake.
"What?" Melissa Buckley stirred groggily, sitting up slowly and having to brace herself halfway so she didn't become nauseas by that simple action.
"Go to bed Mom, it's late." Robin practically ordered, a hand outstretched across her own face to rub her own temples. It was meant to be a soothing motion, though it just made her look like an angry middle-aged woman. Funny, that was supposed to be her Moms role.
The older woman opened her mouth to protest, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a mix of confusion and annoyance, but no words left her mouth. For a second, Robin thought the woman would apologize, would thank her for waking her up before she got a kink in her neck. But of course all she did was close her mouth, slowly stand, and wobble her way to the bedroom, mumbling a string of curses and complaints the entire time. The harsh slam of the creaking door snapped Robin out of her staring, wincing at the loud noise. Melissa Buckley used to travel around in vans and meet people around the country, and now she was confined to a trailer park, two jobs and a whole lot of cheap beer.
She was just a husk of the woman she once was.Robin didn't know if she felt despair or pity for the woman, but ultimately decided that her Mom wasn't worth the extra headspace.
Even despite not caring enough about the situation to set aside some water and pain medication, Robin decided to at least throw the empty bottles and cans away, dumping whatever stale alcohol lingered at the bottom of forgotten cans solely to avoid an ant problem. In no way was the action a form of help for her Mother (or that's what Robin told herself as she grabbed a trash bag and began cleaning). Can after can, bottle after bottle. Luckily for the blonde, most of it was empty, resulting in only two quick trips to the kitchen sink to pour whatever putrid-smelling liquids remained.
Three cans left, the stench now residing only in the quarter-full trash bag, glass bottles clinking together and crushed cans scraping in a way that made Robin hiss every time she heard the sounds that sent sharp sensations to her teeth. It was awful. Two cans left, different substances. One was a canned margarita, completely empty, not a drop left behind. A shame, it looked interesting enough for Robin to want a sip.
The final can was half-full, nowhere near chilled but also not entirely warm. It had obviously sat out for the better part of an hour, but it seemed fresh enough for Robin to decide it would be a complete waste if she dumped it. She refused to put it back in the fridge, since it would just be ruined in the morning, so the teen mumbled 'fuck it' before tilting her head back and chugging whatever was left in the can. The foul taste caused a grimace to stretch upon her previously-annoyed features, but it wasn't awful. It had the slightest aftertaste, pine and cinnamon easing the flavor that Robin could only describe as licking the floor of a middle school locker room.
The final can was then trashed. Robin tied up the bag and quickly tossed it outside, not bothering to walk it to the metal cans. Her Mom (basically) made her clean the mess, so the least she could do was walk it to the dumpster in the morning whenever she decided to leave for work.
Robin looked around the small main room, satisfied enough with her cleaning to be able to convince herself there was no chance of attracting ants or vermin overnight. The thought of a rat sneaking in to steal food on the floor almost made her nauseas, thinking they had a chance of carrying rabies.. Though Eddie informed Robin that the likelihood of a rat having rabies was lower than most thought, she figured it was better to be safe than sorry... Right?
Right.
After double-checking the locks on the front and back door, Robin was finally able to drag herself to her room. Normally she would at least unclip her suspenders and take off her boots before collapsing, but the day had been so long she didn't even bother, falling backwards and letting her legs dangle off of the edge of the unmade bed. The sheets were wrinkled and going in every direction possible, and the pillows were splayed in an uncaring manner, no form of organization in the girls room at all.
The vinyls and cassettes on her dresser were scattered, stacking atop one another and pushed against the wall so they wouldn't fall. There were dirty clothes shoved in the corner of the room, old posters on the walls and ceilings (a few of them starting to rip and fold at the corners from how worn they were). Robins trumpet resided in it's case, sat obnoxiously in the middle of the floor, a crude reminder of Robins own unforgiving decision to quit band.
Did she enjoy playing a loud brass instrument while being surrounded by other loud brass instruments blaring in her ears at all times? No. Of course not. But she did have the tiniest ounce of regret for quitting three quarters of the way through senior year. She had made it so far but couldn’t get to the finish line.
Oh well. It was too late now.
With that unpleasant passing thought, and the ever-so-slight buzz from downing half of a beer in one fluid motion, Robin allowed her eyes to close, drifting off into an uncomfortable and painfully short slumber. When the screeching alarm clock awoke the blonde in the morning, she may or may not have woken up to a plate of semi-recently made eggs on her bedside table, with a note from her Mom right by it. A small sign she cared, but a sign nonetheless. Robin hated herself for smiling as she read it.
'wont be home tonight. working late.
thanks for cleaning.’
Notes:
despite robin and nancy having to practically start their friendship over, they’re talking again, and that’s good enough for robin! obviously we’ll find out why nancy was distant (eventually), but for now things are starting to work out.
surely nothing could screw things up right?
haha. right…
SPOILERS FOR VOLUME 2: Finished volume 2 right before writing this... Am I the only person that completely hated it? Robin and Vickie had no screen time or chemistry, Eddies death was unnecessary, and it all felt... Rushed?
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments and kudos are appreciated :)
Chapter 5: hauser hassle
Summary:
Mr. Hauser is gone for the day so Robin has to find a new place to spend lunch.
Notes:
no ronance this chapter, BUT we do get to see max and robin interact :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Robin really appreciated Mr. Hauser for letting her crash in his class every lunch period. Despite having a newfound group of friends (said group consisting of a younger crowd), it wasn't easy for the girl to pull herself together and see them on a daily basis. Weekly hangouts were easier for her since she always knew what to expect: a loud D&D match, a movie, and then an extremely loud ride home since Steve insisted upon dropping every kid off before taking Robin to her trailer. Every week, the hangouts were the same. They were a sense of familiarity, a comfort; something they all needed now more than ever.
So when Robin learned that Mr. Hauser would be gone for adoctors appointment(though she could tell he just planned on seeing Mr. Front Row Center), she was at a loss for what to do. Sitting in the cafeteria wasn't an option, the last time she tried that a group of obnoxious boys whistled at her and then made jokes about hiding their girlfriends. She had tried the library, but apparently the rumors weren't exclusive to douchebag boys, since the bookworms and nerds of Hawkins sent her judgmental looks when she tried to sit at a nearby table. And Robin Buckley was many things, but she refused to be a full-blown coward and eat in the restroom... Okay maybe she was a coward and would have done that if she wasn't scared of getting caught by a teacher.
That's how Robin ended up in the empty theatre room, picking at her dry lunch. It looked like some kind of meat, though she was sure at some point she saw itbreathe and quickly scrambled to throw it away.Well played, mystery meatloaf, she thought, before slumping into one of the uncomfortable seats where the audience would have sat if there was a show going on right now.
The last time Robin sat in this seat - yes, this exact seat, she's bad with change - she had been half-ass studying lines for a show thrown by Mr. Hauser, which Tammy Thompson had also auditioned for. At the time Robin wasn't able to admit that the accidental-muppet-impersonator was the sole reason she signed her name on that stupid audition sheet, but now, she laughed at herself for her desperation. The memory of her getting up on that stage only to pass out after a solid ten seconds still kept her awake some nights. Robin would argue that the audition had been equally as terrifying as the Upside Down. In fact, she told Steve that once, which resulted in a smack to the head for even comparing the two situations. Which, fair.
The lights in the room were dimmed, much like they were on audition day. Though, the stage was much different than it used to be. The one tattered stage curtain had been replaced with a vibrant red, almost brand new heavy fabric. The floor of the stage was once a nasty concrete, and was now layered with polished wooden planks. It was... Nice. The theatre room actually looked nice. Since when had they gotten the funding for all of this when they couldn't even serve edible lunch foods? Yes, Robin was still hung up on the square meat she attempted to eat mere minutes ago.
Luckily before Robin could cloud her own mind with the absurdity of what Hawkins High deemed reasonable enough to fund, the sound of distant laughter and playful shouts came from behind the stage. Strange. Nobody should have been there; not only was it a lunch period, but Hauser - who was the theatre teacher - was away for the day.
Out of pure curiosity and boredom (mostly boredom), Robin grabbed her backpack and trudged towards the stage, climbing up the small set of stairs to drift past the heavy curtain. Now behind the stage, Robin glanced around in confusion. She'd never actually been back there before, not even for the brief time she was in the class. There were three doors, all labeled: boys changing room, girls changing room, storage room. It was clear where the noise was coming from.
Robin tip-toed to the storage room, which had light seeping from crack at the bottom of the door. The voices were much louder now, constant words being thrown into the air paired with mocking laughter or half-shocked gasps. More than one person was definitely in there. Judging by the sounds of it, there were at least three teens, and-
"Oh come on, you'retotally making shit up now!" A familiar voice shouted, andholy shit was that Mike?
Robin didn't waste any time creaking the door open, careful as to not draw attention to her until she scoped out the scene. There was a very limited view of what was going on since she was just peaking in, but she could make out a group of teens sitting around a table that was so low to the floor that they all abandoned their chairs to sit on the carpet. The teen was able to make out Lucas and Dustin, and having heard Mikes voice just moments prior, she assumed they were playing D&D, which meant...
Robin opened the door fully, standing awkwardly in her place as all eyes darted towards her. Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Eddie sat around the table, and Max was sitting on a box labeled "SHINY HATS" in the corner, scribbling into a notebook. The blonde couldn't help but smile at the sight of the redhead.
"Buckley!" Eddie shouted excitedly, followed by similar clamors from the boys around the table. "So you've decided to associate yourself with our Devilish Cult, huh?"
Lucas and Eddie snickered at the suggestion, while Mike and Dustin completely ignored Robins presence after a half-assed greeting.
"Oh, uh, hey? Why are you back here?" Robin asked, stepping into the large room and letting the door click shut behind her. She knew Hellfire didn't have a designated space and that they usually went in the band room when it was empty. But the club was cancelled two weeks ago. Ever since Vecna was defeated and Hopper cleared Eddies name, the school decided there was too much controversy in regards to the fantasy game, and just cut it completely.
"We don't have time to discuss such matters, Robin, we're in the middle of a campaign-" Dustin spat, squinted eyes and full attention remaining on the table setup before him. Okay, rude, Robin thought, save a guy from a group of evil Russians and he stops idolizing you the moment you interrupt a nerd game?
"Shut it dude!" Lucas hushed, slapping the back of Dustin's head, which caused him to receive in a harsh shove in return. It was obvious that he wanted to continue the game too, but didn't want to be so blatantly rude like his curly haired friend. To be fair, Robin poked fun at Dustin a lot in regards to Suzie, so she wouldn't hold his against him. She'd let it slide... This time.
"Sinclair, you're working your way up on my list of favorites." Robin stated, slowly walking in the direction of the completely distracted girl on the box, headphones blasting incoherent music.
"Wait I'm not already on your list-?" Lucas began to ask once the words set in, but he was quickly interrupted by Mike who seemed tired of the interaction altogether.
"Jesus Christ- Hellfire was cancelled from being a club but since nobody is ever back here during lunch, we have games here sometimes. I mean we can't always lay around in my basement! There's too much heat and my Mom is getting suspicious." Mike informed Robin, before looking to Eddie and ushering him to continue with the campaign. Robin really needed to get used to short-lived talks when it came to attempting to converse with the younger teens. Still, she had to throw in one last sarcastic comment.
"I don't think this nerd game will ever havetoo much heat but whatever you say, little Wheeler." Her words flew over most of their heads, with Mike just rolling his eyes dramatically before telling Eddie to resume his theatrical speech. He was a good talker, Robin almost wondered why he never joined theatre... Maybe metalheads couldn't lower their standards to showtunes and Shakespeare?
Robin pulled a nearby box labeled "BOYS SHIRTS" just about a foot away from Max, plopping herself down on the uncomfortable cardboard, wincing at the way it caved in just a little when she sat. She caught herself by planting her feet in front of her and using her hands to grip the sides, just barely avoiding falling backwards. When she was sure that the makeshift chair was somewhat stable, she let her hands move to her knees, before glancing over towards the girl beside her.
"Max?" Robin tried, surprised she still hadn't noticed her. The blonde waited a few seconds, giving the other a chance before trying again. When Max didn't stop her frantic writing, Robin nudged her with her leg.
Max's eyes snapped from the notebook, making quick eye contact with the taller of the two. She seemed frantic, hesitant, but quickly relaxed when she saw it was just Robin sitting beside her. The sight made the older teens heart clench. She knew Max was still recovering - hell, they all were - but the redhead had it particularly rough, and still insisted on carrying her walkman around everywhere she went. Just in case, she promised, though Robin knew she was unconvinced that Vecna was actually gone.
Sometimes, Robin felt the same.
"Hey, Max!" Robin greeted cheerily, hoping to distract the other from the previous jump scare.
"Oh, uh, hey Robin." Max offered, setting her headphones around her neck and shoving her notebook in her backpack. Well at leastsomeone would indulge Robin with a conversation.
"How've you been?" Robins tone was genuine, paired with a wide toothy smile wide, which forced Max to smile too. How could someone see that lopsided grin and not follow along? It was contagious.
"I mean I've been better." Max offered sarcastically, ripping a breathy chuckle out of the blonde beside her. The five words were followed by momentary silence, the only sound now emitting from the group of boys shouting at one another from across the room. After a moment, the young girl continued. "Some nights are harder than others. Sometimes I wake up and it's like- like I can't breathe. Like somethings choking me until I realize it isn't real, y'know?"
The words weren't meant to imply that Robin actually knew the feeling, but the quick glance Max sent to the scar around Robins neck caused the girl to stiffen. Robin, of course, just brushed it off, gesturing for the other to continue. Thankfully she did.
"But other nights, I'm completely fine. Even on the bad ones, Lucas is always a phone call away. He's been... He's been great, everyone's been great.But I'm still not... Great. I dunno, maybe I'm just overthinking it."
Max ran a hand through her long tangled hair, eyes shifting from Robins face to the boys playing the game in front of them as if nothing happened. Robins eyes eventually followed, sparing Max thepity glance that she knew all-too-well. She knew how annoying it could be when someone was overbearing, and she refused to be the one to do that to Max. It was hard to get the girl to open up for a while, but after she confided in Robin a few weeks ago, the blonde learned to coax details out slowly rather than expect one big meaningful conversation where everything would suddenly make sense. It was only fair, especially considering what Max went through during spring break.
She went through more than anyone else did that week. Shit, she went through more than anyone else did since this all started.
"I know the feeling." Robin said honestly, leaning forward slightly to let her elbows rest on her knees. Screw good posture, this was comfortable enough to the lanky teen. "Nobody expects you to be completely fine, Max. I don't think any of us are. But we do want you to talk to us, if you ever need it. Or- or at least talk to me. If your Mom ever gives you shit, or you can't sleep, you know my number."
Max smiled. A real smile, not somethat's-what-everyone-says-so-this-doesn't-feel-authentic smile. Because by now the redhead knew Robin was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them. She wouldn't pity the young girl, she didn't pity any of the kids. She viewed them aspeople, not just children. She didn't lie to make them feel better, she didn't say things she didn't know to be true even if it were to help someone sleep at night. Her lack of social cues was off-putting to some, but relieving to Max. It's one of the reasons the two got along so quickly when everything was finished.
She never had a good big brother, but this felt like a better start.
"Thanks Robin, but you don't have a car."
Robin sat up lightening fast, mouth agape and wide eyes staring daggers at the redhead. Max couldn't help the snort that escaped, quickly trying to cover up her obvious laughter and put on a cool façade.
"First of all Mayfield,ouch, fuck you. Second of all, I have a bike!"
"You live on the other side of town."
"I have long legs! I ride fast!"
Max couldn't stop the laughter now, any tension from the conversations about spring break now slipping away completely. Robin let herself pretend to be offended for a few moments longer, before joining the other girl in her laughter, grin returning. They ignored the looks they got from the boys who were obviously annoyed at their game being intruded by the sound of hysterical laughter, but Robin didn't miss the smile Lucas displayed at seeing hisfriend let loose.
Robin and Lucas exchanged a knowing glance before the blonde redirected her attention back to Max, whos laughter finally died down.
"I mean it Mayfield. I'm here if you ever need me." Robin said, letting her hand rest on Max's shoulder for a few seconds before dropping it back down to her own lap.
"I knowBuckley... Thanks." Max said, arms crossed over her chest and walkman completely forgotten.
Then, the girls eyes hardened. It was almost unnoticeable, but apparent enough that Robin felt her brows raise in confusion. Had she said something? Did Max get offended by the offer? Did Robin have something in her teeth?
"How areyou holding up? I never hear you talk about, like, any of it." Max asked, tone accusatory but the hint of worry etching over her words. She was blunt, more so than Robin.
"Oh! Yea, I'm great. Well no not- not likegreat great but... I'm fine!" The obvious lie caused Max to raise an eyebrow, a silent form of judgement for Robins shit attempt at feigning a stable wellbeing. It took everything in Robins power to not face-palm at the sound of her own voice.
"Really?" Max asked. Robin nodded, not trusting herself to speak again, until the younger teen spared a quick glance at her neck. At the scaron her neck.
"Oh, that? That's not a big deal." Robin assured, fingers brushing over the mark on her throat. She could still feel the hardened texture difference, she could still trace exactly where it began and ended. But she wouldn't, not around others. But when the redheads expression didn't change, a knowing glare not budging, Robin felt the need to overcompensate. "Seriously Max, it isn't so bad. It- It kinda makes me look like a badass, right? I mean I might not have the almighty birds nest that Steve the hair Harrington has, but I do look like I had the most epic brawl ever. Most kids have to smoke to look cool - which,ew, gross - but all I gotta do is flash this bad boy and then I can pullall the ladies."
Fuck.
"I mean- the dudes. I can pull all the- er- like I can make dudesleave their ladies! Cause of how cool I look!"
Nice save, Buckley.
Max let her harsh glare soften, a coy smile not tugging the corner of her lips. Robin felt her shoulders tense, lips pressed in an impossibly thin line, trying to bite back any more nonsense from spilling out of her mouth. But it was too late. She had already said too much.
But judging by the smile on Max's face, maybe it wasn't a bad thing.
"Anyways, just- don't worry about me! I'm okay. Steve has been great, we're there for each other and it's... Seriously Mayfield, I'll be fine. Just please-please call me if you ever need anything. You're not alone." Robin offers, a final attempt at getting the girl to understand just how true the words were. She genuinely cared about Max, and didn't spew any of this because she felt some obligation because she was one of the older teens in the large Hawkins group.
"I know, and I will. So don't get mad at me if I end up calling you at 2am." Max says before standing from the box she sat on. Robin watched her, deciding to stay put. It was already a challenge turning this half-empty box into a suitable chair, why abandon it so soon?
"Good."
Max took a few steps forward, before halting. She turned her head back to Robin, body still facing away, and offered on last sentiment to the older teen.
"You should do the same, you know. I tried the whole pushing down your problems thing before. It doesn't help." Max turned her attention back to the group of boys in front of her and began walking again. Robin just sat there, too stunned to reply. She watched Max make her way to the far side of the table where Lucas was, the two exchanging quiet words as the redhead sat close by him. Robin was glad to see the teen open up to people, remembering when Max was extremely closed off, once described as a ghost by Lucas.
Was Robin doing the same thing?
Surely not. She didn't push Steve away, she showed up to all of the movie nights. She wastrying. She made an effort. But maybe Mayfield had a point. Maybe opening up wouldn't be so bad.
"Fucking kids," Robin mumbled to herself, resting her head in her hands, "why do they have to be so goddamn smart." The rest of the lunch break was uneventful. The boys played their game, Max made fun of how serious they took the campaign, and Robin silently watched from afar.
Present, but not present.
Notes:
sorry there’s not much ronance in the beginning chapters, from here on out it’ll be more prevalent. i just had to write a chapter on robins dynamic with max!
thanks for reading! comments are appreciated :)
Chapter 6: ask her, buckley
Summary:
Steve and Eddie invite Robin to a party; Robin and Nancy "hang out" for the first time in weeks.
Notes:
final reminder to read the content warnings stated in chapter 1 :)
wow this is a LONG one. over 8k words! how do we feel about that? i might continue with 4k-6k words a chapter if that isn't too long.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Today, most of the students of Hawkins High spent their free time with friends. Others were getting caught up on homework, and the rest stay relaxing at home, watching movies and sifting through channels on their TVs mindlessly. The reason? Everyone had the day off. It was some kind of teachers appreciation day, though Robin didn't care enough to question why that resulted in the doors of Hawkins High remaining shut. How were they meant to show appreciation if they didn't get to see the teachers? It made no sense! However she wasn't going to complain, the last-minute day off allowed Robin to pick up a longer shift at Family Video. Exciting. Sure it wasn't an ideal way to spend a weekday off from annoying students and even worse teachers, but it allowed her to make some extra cash. Plus, Steve would be there to make it bearable.
"Pick up some food on the way home, okay?" Melissa Buckley tiredly asked her daughter, face hidden in the Hawkins newspaper and coffee left abandoned on the small table beside the reclining chair she sat in.
"Uh, I'll try but don't count on it." Robin muttered, tying the tattered laces to her thick boots before biking her way to Family Video for her shift. It wasn't uncommon for Robin to be the one to stock the fridge and cabinets, there was a reason it was always so difficult to save up for a car. She didn't just spend her money on Violent Femmes and Bowie cassettes, after all. The only reason the teen was hesitant to run errands after her shift was because she closed the video store with her friend that night, meaning they wouldn't be out until around 7:30pm. Not super late, right? Right. But by then it'll be dark, and Robin couldn't drive.
And as much as the girl hated to admit it, riding her beat-up beach cruiser around town when the sun was set reminded her of that week. Riding around in a seemingly dark, empty version of Hawkins? Absolutely fucking not.
"Well, there's twenty bucks on the counter if youcan get shit."
Robin sighed, standing once her boots were tied, making her way to where two ten dollar bills were pinned down by an empty glass cup. The blonde pocketed the money, knowing it wouldn't cover the cost but happy that there was a contribution this time.
"Sure thing, Mom." Robin replied in a dull voice, beelining to the front door and swinging it open, wincing at the way it creaked sharply. Though despite the loud creak that consumed the girls ears for a solid three seconds, she didn't miss her Mothers parting words.
"Love you birdie."
Robin didn't respond, letting the door slam behind her.
-
The ride from her trailer to Family Video was more hectic than Robin could have ever predicted it to be. For starters, rain started to pour onto the small town after the first five minutes of the ride. Not having predicted it, Robin was forced to push forward in nothing but her thick slacks and stripped button-up, having brought no jacket with her. She wasn't one to watch the news or keep an eye out for the weather, insisting that rain wasn't a big deal.
Except this wasn't just rain, it was a goddamn shower.
And because of Robin's own forgetfulness, she was already running late to her closing shift with Harrington, meaning she couldn't turn back and grab some more appropriate clothing. All she could do was hope her friend had an extra sweater somewhere in the store that she could bum off of him for the night, and pray that it would be a slow day. Luck was on her side when it came to the stores business, seeing as it was a Tuesday afternoon and it was pouring rain.
Robin made it to the store in one piece by some miracle, taking a quick peak inside to make sure no customers were in sight. From what she could see through the tinted window, it was just Steve, who was reading some magazine. His elbows rested on the counter, face buried in the palm of his left hand, his right hand occupied with flipping the glossy pages. Perfect.
Robin sucked in a breath and displayed a mischievous smile, swinging the glass door open. The sound of the door caught Steve's attention instantly, and he watched with puzzlement as his friend practically sprinted to the break room with her wet bike. She had been told off by Keith more than once for bringing the bike into the store with her, especiallywhen it tracked in dirt or mud, but he wasn't here for another week so it couldn't hurt right?
"No hello?!" Steve shouted from the counter, closing the magazine and never tearing his eyes away from his clumsy friend.
"Sorry I'm late doofus, give me a few minutes!" Was all Robin responded with as she managed to maneuver her bike into the cramped room. The blonde propped it against the one vacant wall, chest heaving from the weight of the bike and her heavy soaking clothes. Speaking of...
Robin didn't bother asking Steve if she could go through his space in the employee locker. She swung open the metal door, grateful that it didn't squeak loudly in response, before ruffling through the items. Keys, water bottle, walkman... Bingo!
The blonde took off her dripping button up, quickly replacing it with the thick mustard yellow sweater that Steve always seemed to carry around. For cold days, he defended when Robin teased him for bringing it every shift. Now, though, she was grateful. Albeit not looking forward to hearing Harrington spit out an 'i told you so' when he sees her hiding in the thick clothing for some comfort, some warmth.
The sweater was quite large on Robin, but that made her even more relieved to be wearing it. Much of her own clothing was loose-fitting, just a size or two smaller than Steve's own. She couldn't handle tight or fitted clothing. She still remembers wearing Nancy's frilly blouse just about a month ago, cringing at the memory of its tight fit. The collar hugged her neck in the slightest, but even that was too much, causing Robin's throat feel like carpet and tongue to feel dry. It took everything in her power not to rip it off the second she and Nancy made their great escape in the Wheelers getaway car.
"Finally! Thought you died back there." Steve half-shouted when his friend emerged from the break room, hair still wet and now becoming frizzy. "Oh, andlook what she's wearing!"
"Shut it shitbird." Robin grumbled, pulling the green workers vest over the sweater and trying to ignore the loudly clashing colors. Brown slacks, black boots, mustard sweater and green vest? She wasn't exactly the epitome offashion right now, but at least she was getting dryer by the minute. It isn't like she would have to worry about impressing any customers (women customers, specifically) since nobody would dare walk the streets of Hawkins in this weather for a simple movie. Someone would have to be so completely impulsive to risk ruining their clothes just to-
"Harrington! Buckley!"
Point proven.
"How are my two favorite Family Video employees doing?" The booming voice of none other than Eddie Munson rang throughout the small store. Of course it was Eddie, he was probably the only Hawkins citizen that wouldn't mind the pouring rain that paired uncomfortably with the air conditioned store. Robin and Steve have begged Keith to install a heating system in the store for rainy days, but the manager never bothered. "Christ, it's colder in here than it is out there." Eddie shook his soaked jean jacket off, leaving him in just a black metallica shirt and ripped jeans, tied together nicely with dark boots.
"No shit Munson." Steve spat, directing his full attention to Eddie instead of continuing to tease his friend beside him. Robin noted the way Steve instantly joined Eddies conversation despite the abruptness. Huh.
"You telling me a fine establishment like this can't install a heater? Or at least, I dunno,turn off the air?" Eddie strolled over to the front counter where his two friends stay standing with their arms crossed, mirroring one another on accident. Steve was about to respond but Eddie seemed to not care enough about the specific topic before starting his next tangent.
"So, Friday yea? Harrington, you can pick me up first since I'm closer and because I don't want to be forced to sit in the back again. Then we can grab Buckley and head to Goodwin's, sound good?" The boy spoke so fast yet so nonchalantly that Robin nearly didn't question it, assuming she had just forgotten whatever plans Eddie was on about. But a quick glance at Steve's pale face was enough to confirm that her theory was wrong.
"Uh... Friday?" Robin asked, leaning back on the counter behind her, eyebrow raising in confusion. Eddie looked equally confused, opening his mouth and closing it a few times, trying to find his words. The metalhead slowly pulled his eyes away from Robin to instead look at Steve, who had flushed red in embarrassment.
"Holy shit Stevie, did you forget to ask her?!" Eddie accused, an amused smile playing at his lips, leaning forward on the counter to get closer to Steve. His elbows and forearms rested on the surface, causing him to have to look up at the standing boy before him. His demeanor was entirely playful, but Steve's embarrassment was too strong to notice.
"Oh fuck- okay firstdon't call me Stevie. Second, I may or may not have forgot..." Steve trailed off, grabbing a nearby stool and plopping himself down with a huff, arms remaining crossed.
"Good jobdingus." Eddie poked, stealing Robin's silly nickname for the boy, not that she minded. She was glad it was catching on with the group, much to Steve's dismay.
It was hilarious.
"What's going on Friday?" Robin asked, feeling like an outsider in the conversation. She often didn't care spectating the two boys bickering, entertained when they would tease one another or when Steve would get a little too defensive around the boy leaning on the counter. It was hard for Robin to not notice. She kept quiet on her friends attitude towards Eddie, figuring he would realize what it meant eventually.
"Jane Goodwin, you know her?" Eddie directed his gaze towards Robin, slowly standing up straight. There were remnants of water on the counter from his dripping body, which caused Steve to grumble and grab a small cloth to wipe it off.
"She's in theatre right?" The blonde asked, and when Eddie nodded quickly, she continued. "I've met her like, once, when I tried auditioning for a show sophomore year. Haven't talked to her since, though."
"Right, well neither have we. Doesn't matter." Eddie assured, then nodded his head at Steve as if silently asking him to continue. He did.
"She's throwing a senior party on Friday. Kind of an open invite thing? Like, anyone that hears about it can go. And since you and Eddie are seniors we figured they wouldn't say anything if I came too, so..."
Silence, then. Both boys were looking at Robin, expectant eyes and coy smiles taking over their faces. Robin didn't know what they were implicating for a moment, having to replay the conversation in her head to fully understand, before-
"You want to go to aparty? Seriously, dingus one and dingus two?"
Eddie frowned at the new nickname. Steve snorted at the mans annoyed frown, nudging him softly with his elbow, effectively wiping the look off of his face.
"Obviously. What, you don't want to?" Steve questioned honestly, no hints of judgement on his face. Robin knew if she really didn't want to go, they wouldn't make her, but still. The suggestion seemed ludicrous, especially considering everything they went through this month. Was she allowed to go to this party? Would she be able to forget about the Upside Down for a night? To pretend to have a normal teenage life filled with shitty spiked punch and sweaty dancing in the living room of an unsuspecting parents house? She didn't consider any of those possibilities, assuming any chance of a stereotypical high school experience was thrown out of the window ever since Starcourt. Not that she really minded, seeing as most students at Hawkins High weren't Robin's crowd.
"I'm not saying that." She assured, running a hand through her still-damp hair before continuing. "It's just... Is that really a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Eddie asked, shoving his hands in his wet pockets. There was no way that was comfortable.
"I mean come on, Ed,we aren't really the type of people to be... Welcomed into that crowd. Some people still think you're part of some cult, and the rest think-know that I'm..."
Tension instantly filled the air, and Robin silently cursed herself for bringing both facts up, knowing it dampened the mood. Steve looked down guiltily, and Eddie tensed. Not much, it would have been unnoticeable to anyone else, but Robin has spent enough time with him since spring break that she knows when he feels uncomfortable or thrown-off.
Robin cleared her throat, now tensing herself. When a few excruciating seconds passed without anyone saying anything, the girl allowed herself to become distracted with the interaction she had with her mom earlier, so she snatched a blank paper from a drawer under the counter, whipped a pen from out of her vest pocket, and began scribbling down a short grocery list. Anything to get her an excuse to move her damn hands.
Eggs
Milk
Bread
"Point taken Rob, buuut-" Eddie spoke up suddenly, a devilish smile on his lips as he hopped over the counter, much to Steve's disliking. "-who gives a fuck what anyone thinks when we have Steve Harrington, king of Hawkins on our side?" It was a joke, obviously a poke of fun at the increasingly flustered Family Video worker. Not only was Eddie messing with him, but the counter was now soaked, and all Steve could muster was a quiet groan and another quick wipe-down of the polished surface.
"Ha ha Munson."
Robin rolled her eyes, trying to further immerse herself in the list she was writing.
Bananas
Eggs
Butter
"Eddie has a point." Steve finally chimed in once the counter was dry enough for his liking. Robin looked up for a second, curious as to what half-baked argument he was about to make, before looking back at the paper she was scribbling on. "Not about the king of Hawkins part obviously but- you know, who cares what anyone has to say? You both graduate soon, and if people are going to talk shit anyways, why not let them talk shit whileyou're having fun?"
"Sound logic." Robin deadpanned, her friends statement sounding even more stupid than the initial plan of even going to this party. Eddie was the one to snort now, Steve shoving the boy lightly in protest.
Pasta
Sugar
"He's right Rob! Plus, wouldn't you want to spend an entire night with me and Stevie here?" The metalhead barked out, unable to conceal his laugh when Steve yet again grimaced at the nickname.
"You know I think I'd rather have you call me dingus."
"No can do, Stevie."
"If you keep it up I'll call you Edward."
"You can call me anything you want, baby."
"Dude."
"Can you dumbasses shut up for like two seconds?" Robin snapped, the writing of her grocery list becoming more sloppy as the boys were arguing. Her unnaturally short tone caught both of her friends off-guard, and she felt bad instantly. The look of hurt briefly flashed in their eyes, and the blonde knew she should have bit her tongue. The bickering was just too loud, and the harsh rain against the metal roof of the store wasn't helping ease her of the conflicting sounds. Robin knew she was dealing with some mild sensory overload, but still felt like an asshole for her rude tone of voice.
She sighed shakily, finally looking up from her list.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell.. And fine, I'll go." Smiles took over their faces now, relieving Robin of her guilt. "But I get the front seat, Munson." Eddie started protesting the idea, and Steve instantly shot him down, telling the boy that Robin gets the front seat, sorry. Priorities. Robin laughed at their antics, brushing the feeling of her shaky hands to the side, allowing her focus to fall back to the list.
Salt
Peanut butter
Jelly
"Oh and Buckley.." Eddie whispered, not even trying to hide his smirk as he towered over the girl, who didn't look up from the list she was trying to complete. "I'm sure Nancy will besoexcited to see you there."
Robin's face went crimson instantly, the speed of her writing becoming three times quicker so she had an excuse not to look at her friends. She knew they were both grinning, and one glance would give her away, considering how warm her face felt.
"Shutup, Eddie." Robin grumbled through gritted teeth, which sent the two behind her reeling. Their cackling was chaotic, animalistic even, having to suck in harsh breaths every few seconds. This only caused Robin's face to resemble a tomato more and more as the seconds passed, and when she finally finished the list, the sight of what she wrote resulted in her playfully yelling at Eddie in fake annoyance. "You made me ruin my list, Munson!"
eggs
milk
bread
bananas
eggs
butter
pasta
sugar
salt
peanut butter
jelly
shut up eddie
bacon
-
The shift ends the same way it started: no costumers (excluding Eddie, who stayed a few hours after their conversation about the party), pouring rain, and extremely cold weather. Steve was kind enough to finish closing by himself when he found out she had to go get food after her shift and she wanted to get it done as soon as possible. Steve offered to go with her, drive her to the store and back to her trailer, but she declined multiple times, stating that she wanted as much quiet as she could get before returning home. Steve wasn't offended by this. He knew his friend often got overwhelmed after long shifts, and as annoying as biking in the rain was, the feeling of chilled air on her face and the handlebars under her palms was enough to ground her.
Steve was also selfless enough to let Robin keep the sweater on. Her button-up was still damp and, quite frankly, smelled of mildew from having sat in a locker all day. She promised to bring it to their next shift together, washed, but Steve shrugged it off and told his friend he didn't mind how soon he got it back - if ever - since he never wore it. Their conversation ended with a quick hug, and Robin was out of the video store by 7:13, heading straight to the grocery store. It had been a long day. All she wanted to do was get home and crash into bed.
It took the teen sixteen minutes to get to the store. Normally, it would only be an eight minute ride, one she made every few weeks when she was on food duty. But with the wet roads and muddy sidewalks, she had to be extra careful as to not make too quick of a turn and land face-first into cold concrete. Robin managed to escape the Upside Down nearlyunscathed (except for the scar on her throat), but riding her bike with a heavy backpack on after a long shift proved almost as difficult. It was nearly comical.
Nearly.
But by some miracle or due to the grace of whatever god was looking down on the teenager, she made it to the local grocery store, having only two close-calls and zero falls. A success, in her eyes. Normally Robin would lock her bike up, trusting nobody in the town, despite how tight-knit the community seemed to be. Her bike was her only means to transportation, not having enough money to get her license and knowing her Mom was incredibly unreliable. But right now, the exhaustion and annoyance of her increasingly wet clothes excused the impulsivity of just leaving the bike by the entrance of the store. 'Worst comes to worse, I can always take up running' Robin thought, chuckling at her own mind. She had just as much coordination as a baby deer, but it was an entertaining idea nonetheless.
"Hey Robin, how's it hanging?" The familiar gruff voice of the cashier - Ali - asked as soon as Robin entered the store. She flashed the man a quick smile, wave, and responded with something along the lines ofgood, you? When he responded with what she hoped was a quick answer, she made her way to the back, running on autopilot. She didn't really pay attention to what Ali had said, letting her legs take her where she thought she needed to be, mind blank.
One would think that, because Robin was the one to get groceries nine out of ten times, she would remember the basic layout of the store and be able to find everything quickly. The teens memory was as unpredictable as she was, though. Robin could learn and be fluent in more than four languages, but didn't know where the damn peanut butter was? Ofcourse.
Robin found herself strolling helplessly through each isle, grabbing whatever items she happened to pass that were on the list. In the span of eight minutes she only had half of what she needed, which was annoying. This should have been a very quick trip since she was practically the only customer at this time. It might have been smart to ask one of the many workers for help navigating but, alas, social anxiety was a bitch wasn't it?
The blonde released an annoyed huff, clammy hands running down her face in an attempt to apply some pressure to calm her nerves. It didn't help.
"Robin?" A quiet voice asked from the end of the isle, sending Robins hands off of her face to instead hang uselessly by her sides, the few food items she found tucked under her left arm.
"Nance! Hey!" Robin shakily chirped, trying to sound bubbly but instead her tone just came off as strained and exhausted. If Nancy noticed, she didn't say anything.
"Having trouble?" Nancy poked, slowly making her way to the taller of the two, hesitant smile and slow steps making it obvious that she didn't know how welcome a conversation was. Robin wanted to relieve the tension, and began to ramble.
"Kind of? It's dumb! I'm here likeconstantly since my Mom... Since she works! Yet every time I come here for the same shit I can't remember what is where which is frustrating cause I had a long day and I just want to go home and-" Robin stopped herself to take a deep breath, realization sinking in at the sight of Nancy's wide eyes due to her unprecedented rambling.
"... Sorry." Robin mumbled, looking at her feet, feeling bashful.
"Don't be." Nancy whispered fondly, offering a soft smile. Not that Robin saw it. Not that it would matter if she did. "Do you want some help?"
Robin's eyes shot back up at the offer, smile presenting itself without permission. She looked so hopeful, but cautious at the same time. The pair hadn't really talked since their conversation in Mr. Hauser's classroom. They weren't complete strangers, talking during AP Lit whenever Mrs. Spring would step out for what was obviously a smoke break. But talking on their own outside of school? Robin barely remembered the few times theydid. During spring break.
Situational friendship, Robin had convinced herself before reconnecting with the brunette. Now, she wasn't so sure.
"Please Wheeler, I'm hopeless!" She begged, attempting to clasp her hands together but failing since she held the few food items under her arm. She may or may not have forgotten to grab a basket for the items she was balancing.
Nancy giggled at the sight, a slender hand covering her mouth and eyes darting to the left. The sight stunned Robin, suddenly unable to form words. Her face felt hot. Maybe she had a fever? She was biking in the rain after all.
"Oh my god- don't drop everything Robin! Just- do you have a list or something?"
The taller of the two nodded quickly, using her free hand to yank the list out of her pocket. It crumbled inadvertently, causing Robin to cringe at the texture, handing it off quickly. Nancy took a quick glance at the list, and then grabbed Robin's wrist, tugging her forward.
"We're pretty close to the bread and pasta, c'mon."
The pair quickly made their way through each isle, Nancy reading off from the list and Robin grabbing what was read from the high shelves that Nancy wasn't able to reach. The brunette marked off items one by one, going in order to avoid missing something, even if that meant backtracking. Robin didn't mind, too preoccupied trying to balance all of the food she insisted on carrying herself. It wasn't until Nancy's eyes got to the last two items on the list, realizing one of the two things written down wasn't food at all. It was a scribble of words, unmistakably Robin's handwriting.
The taller of the two noticed Nancy's amused smile, eyes glued to something written down. There was a short period of waiting where Robin panicked, unsure if she had written something incriminating. Did I write something about Steve? About me? Did I draw boobs? Think, Buckley, what the fuck did you scribble when you were bored?
"Shut up Eddie?" Nancy asked after several painstakingly long seconds, blue-green eyes meeting blue eyes.
Robin stood, shaky hands clinging onto the food she was carrying, willing herself to not drop anything because if her current situation wasn't already embarrassing enough, dropping a dozen eggs would for sure be worse than the entire Upside Down trip itself. It wasn't until Nancy cleared her throat that Robin realized she never responded, instead just standing there with her mouth slightly agape, recovering from the passing thought that she outed herself with a fucking grocery list (she often drew female anatomy or words likeboobies ormilk dudz when she was bored).
"Oh!" Robin shouted, a little too loudly. Nancy flinches, and the blonde mumbled a quick apology before continuing. "Steve and I were at work today and, well, Eddie always comes in when the manager isn't around to like, bum movies off of us or whatever. Though, I'm not entirely convinced that he doesn't just come around to bother Steve. I swear they're getting so close it's kind of annoying. Not like- not in a bad way or anything! They just gang up on me whenever a prett- when I uh, get nervous around customers or whatever. So - what were we talking about? - right, I was with Eddie and Steve when I wrote that."
Robin's breaths were quick and ragged, her chaotic rambling session catching even her off guard, considering Nancy didn't even ask a real question. She mentally scolded herself for spilling so much, not knowing why she was so nervous around the shorter girl.
Nancy raised an eyebrow and shoved the list in her pocket, crossing her arms and smiling fondly.
"Right. How is he? I haven't seen him since.." Nancy made a gesture with her hand that showed she had no real intention on delving into that since. Of course, Robin knew what she meant, and found herself thankful that they didn't start talking about the Upside Down. Maybe ignoring it entirely was unhealthy, but it was working. At least for now.
"He's alright." Robin said, more of an assumption than a fact. Eddie was harder to crack than most of the group, but his demeanor didn't change once it all ended. The only implication of him not being alright were the deep eyebags, but those wore worn by everyone in the group. Even Erica. "At first he didn't tag along with the group, but he's doing good. Or, as good as any of us can be doing, you know?"
Nancy nodded, short and sharp. Of course she understood, every single person in the group was still recovering. They just did so in their own ways.
"I'm glad. I was worried about him after everything. I still hear some of Carver's asshole teammates calling him freak in the halls, so I just wanted to be sure."
"He's used to it, honestly. Same with me. If anything that makes it all feelnormal, y'know? Why expect Hawkins High assholes to stop just because of spring break? As far as those dicks know, the only tragedy was a pack of coyotes killing Fred, Chrissy and Patrick, right?"
Nancy was almost tempted to question Robin's statement, specificallysame with me. She knew the rumors that circulated around Eddie and Robin were similar,knew that she had her fair share of moments questioning them, but assumed Robin and Steve's closeness was enough to crush the idea entirely. So instead of commenting on thefreak thing, she asked:
"How're you and Steve?"
Robin's eyebrows shot up almost instantly, jaw clenching. Nancy knew the girl got annoyed whenever she would imply anything happening between the pair, but she assumed it was just because they were trying to hide it during the whole Vecna situation, since bringing it up during the tragedy would just cause unnecessary drama. But now it was over, has been for weeks, why hide it?
"Nancy how many times do I have to tell you, we're just platonic-"
"With a capital P right?" Nancy interrupted. Robin nodded, but she pressed forward anyways, despite knowing it was a bad idea. "Sure you are. That's why you're wearing his clothes right?"
Andwow, Nancy did not mean to come off so crass. She spoke with what sounded more like an accusatory tone rather than a plain fact, voice laced with something Robin couldn't quite point out, but sounded dangerously close to jealousy. The thought briefly flashed by in Robin's mind, causing her to grimace. Was Nancy jealous because she has feelings for Steve?
"That's not- it was raining and my clothes got all gross so Iborrowed a sweater in the back. I kept it on because my shirt is still wet and I figured this bold fashion choice would be better than smelling like literal shit." Robin gestured to her admittedly ridiculous getup, slacks and heavy boots paired with Steve's faded sweater that had a hole on the sleeve.
"Sure, Robin, but if you were-"
"Jesus Christ Wheeler, drop it!" Robin huffed, uncharacteristically annoyed. Nancy felt shocked, almost nervous, but the taller of the two very quickly backtracked. "Sorry, sorry.. We already have to deal with the kids asking like, constantly, it just gets annoying because we really seriously aren't together, and wenever will be."
"Never?" Nancy asked quietly, not trusting her own voice, throat feeling dry from making her friend upset. She hated doing that more than anything. "How can you be so sure? Not that I'm trying to insinuate anything, you've made it loud and clear you won't get together." Robin sighed heavily, readjusting her grip on the food in her arms.
"I justam, okay? Just trust me on this one."
All Nancy could do was nod at that, knowing these were sensitive waters and with her friendship with Robin still so fragile, the risk wasn't worth pushing any further. Once the brunette gathered her bearings, she pointed up towards the top shelf of a nearby cold produce section with her small index finger.
"Last thing on the list. Bacon."
Once the pair had everything they needed, Nancy having managed to pry a few items from Robin's clumsy hold, they made their way to the snack session. It was revealed through more small talk that Nancy was at the store to pick up some snacks for Mike, Dustin and Lucas. She had her own small list that was provided to her by the middle Wheeler child.
"So, Nancy Wheeler is an errand runner then?" Robin teased, displaying her crooked smile unabashedly.
"Oh shut it," Nancy laughed, grabbing tiredly at the candies sloppily written on a napkin, "I wasn't going to get them anything but what can I say, I'm a great sister." A moment of contemplation, before she finished. "Okay he might've offered to watch Holly this weekend if I did this."
At that, Robin didn't bother holding back a loud laugh, shaking her head in feigned disbelief.
"Wheeler, can't believe you're that mischievous."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me,Buckley."
Nancy finished getting what she needed, full focus set on checking the candy bars she held and the ones on the list so she didn't miss anything. Robin was lucky the brunette was occupied with double-checking, because she wassure her face was crimson. She certainly hadn't expected Nancy to respond with that quip, especially not in such a low voice. Stop being hopelessly gay you dingus!Robin yelled at herself internally, taking deep shaky breaths to keep herself from passing out on the spot.
Nancy was herfriend. That's all.
"I can't believe they're getting this crap." Nancy grumbled, tossing the napkin into a nearby bin when she was sure she got the right snacks. Robin jumped into the potential conversation to distract herself from her warm face.
"Oh don't try to tell me you aren't a prisoner to sugary treats, too, Nance."
"Hah! Of course I am, just not thisgarbage."
"Hm?" Robin hummed, eyebrows shooting up in interest. "So if Nancy Wheeler doesn't like skittles or butterfingers, what does she like?"
"Twix." Nancy answered honestly, turning to head to the front of the store. "They're the only acceptable chocolate bar."
Robin half-shouted an "agree to disagree", insisting snickers were superior. At this Nancy defended her opinion and began walking to the front of the store. When she was a few steps ahead of Robin, the blonde quickly snatched something from the snack bar, before following suite.
The checkout was luckily quick, with nobody else being in the store. Ali tried to ask Robin about her Mother, informing that he hadn't seen Melissa Buckley around lately, and Robin just excused the woman saying she was working a lot. Luckily he didn't press on, and the two girls were carrying their respective bags as they exited the automatic doors leading to the cold night. Unluckily for Robin, it was still raining. Not much, not the consistent shower it had been earlier, but the light drizzle still made for the already cool air to bite at her skin uncomfortably. It would be a pain in the ass riding the slick roads with groceries in hand.
She didn't complain though, walking towards her bike and slinging a leg over the side. She looked up to say goodbye to Nancy, but was met with a hilarious sight. The shorter girl stood tall, hands on her hips disapprovingly, a frown etched on her face.
"What're you doing?" Robin asked lamely, tilting her head in an attempt to make light of Nancy's strange demeanor. Once again, she looked like a disappointed Mother.
"What areyoudoing? You can't bike home in this rain!"Oh. Robin waved her hand nonchalantly, smile still on her face.
"It's fine! I do it all the time." Robin partially lied. Sure she always often got the food for her and her Mothers trailer, but never at night. Never after a near-storm. Nancy seemed to be able to tell it was a false statement, and scoffed loudly, in a way that Robin could only describe asprissy.
"You aren't biking home in the rain, Robin."
"It'sbarely raining anymore-"
"I don't care." Nancy interrupted, looking around for a few seconds before letting her arms fall from her hips. "I'll give you a ride home. Pretty sure you live on the way. It's the trailer park just past Contrast Street right?"
"Uh, yeah, but," Robin clambered off her bike to stand beside it instead, not trusting her balance enough to stay sitting during the conversation, "you really don't have to. I swear I don't mind riding home."
"I know you don't." Nancy said simply, turning and beginning to walk towards what Robin guessed was the direction of her car. "I do though, so bring your bike over here and we can put it in the trunk."
Robin had no time to protest as Nancy was already speed walking her way to the car in the middle of the parking lot, only glancing over her shoulder once to motion for the blonde to follow. Once she motioned, Robin snapped out of her confusion, grasping the handlebars of her bike and practically tripping over her feet as she followed suite. Nancy obviously reached the car first, opening the trunk and laying the backseats down to make more room.
It only took a few seconds of awkward fumbling and hitting her head on the top of the car before Robin fit her bike in a secure enough way to be confident that it wouldn't fly all over the place during the drive. She slammed the trunk down, wincing at the sound and whispering a quick apology, before rushing to the passenger door to slide in the seat. Lucky she was almost entirely dry, the store trip having dried her off and the only trace of raindrops being a direct result of the light drizzle outside. But that's all it was; a drizzle, nothing too bad.
Nancy plopped herself into the drivers seat and buckled in, waiting for Robin to mirror the action before she started the engine and pulled out of the empty lot.
The street lights shined bright, illuminating the glistening streets slicked with rain and mud. The gutters on the sides of the road had steady streams of water, slowly seeping away into small holes within said gutter. The moon was crescent but bright, lighting up what the street lights didn't. The further they drove out of the main part of town, towards Robin's trailer park, the less lights brightened the dark roads. Nancy was practically relying on her headlights, street lights only appearing every few hundred feet. Robin was thankful that she didn't end up riding home. Despite the lingering silence in the car, her bike lights were worn and dim, meaning she would have been pedaling blindly.
"Sooo.." Robin said after three minutes of silence became unbearable. "How's uh... Jonathan?"
The question was dumb, she knew that. The last time she talked about the boy to Nancy they were heading towards Skull Rock, the brunette talking about how annoyed she was with the distance and Jonathans lack of communication even before spring break. Robin knew, in that moment, that the relationship was strained. She never vocalized that thought though.
Nancy seemed to silently agree that the conversation Robin decided to spark was a sore subject, wincing when the words sunk in, but trying not to make it too obvious. Robin was able to pick up certain quirks however, noting that Nancy's grip on the steering wheel tightened enough for her knuckles to be overcome with a faded white.
"He's.. Fine." Nancy said through gritted teeth, tone friendly enough but her tense demeanor enough to portray to Robin that the question was poor. Still, for some weird reason, she decided to open up. "We broke up, when he came back from California after, uh.. The situation. Long distance wasn't working, and I found out he was lying about Emerson, and..." Nancy stopped herself, releasing an exhausted sigh. The topic was still hard, but it was also nice to tell the full truth to a friend. "So he's fine. The Byers are moving back to Hawkins in a few weeks, which I know you've probably heard about because of the boys, which is... Fine. I can be friends with him without it being weird."
"Totally." Robin said, unable to sit still anymore. She tried to bite her tongue, to force herself tolisten, but there was so much information thrown at her that she was buzzing to converse. "I don't blame you. I'm sure long distance sucks, not that I like know or anything butIwould hate- sorry. It's bullshit that he lied about Emerson though."
Nancy looked shocked at that, her grip loosening from the steering wheel, offering a quick glance at Robin before looking forward again, For a moment Robin thought she entirely overstepped, fully prepared to throw herself out of the damn car and roll into nonexistent traffic. Before she could will herself to grab the door handle (not that she actually would), Nancy laughed. Not a sarcastic giggle, or a sinister chuckle, but a breathy relieved laugh. This caused Robin to anxiously follow suite, and soon they were both laughing. It was confusing, random, but it worked to dissipate the thick tension.
"Definitelybullshit." Nancy smiled, a glisten in her eye that Robin hadn't seen in so damn long.
"When the Byers move back," Robin began, twisting the ring on her finger to give her body something to do, "do you think youcan actually be close with him again?"
Nancy seemed to genuinely ponder this question, eyes focusing on the road but mind elsewhere. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, willing herself to respond but not really knowing the answer herself. So that's what she said.
"I don't know. The friendship we had before we got together? Definitely not. He's a good guy, though, and I still love him. Just not in the way I used to. I think with time we can become close, but it'll never be the same."
"I'm sorry about that." Robin apologized, knowing the feeling. Kind of. Though she was never romantically involved with Milton, she remembers how their friendship wasn't fixable after the incident with Kate and Dash and everything else that occurred sophomore year. The pair tried to spark some sort of friendship again, but it didn't work out. Robin remembers being so beat up about it for weeks, hating how she lost three people in the span of a few weeks. Though, she wasn't very upset about Dash not being in her life, that piece of shit. Mr. Hauser had realized how upset Robin was, and assured her that some friends aren't going to last forever, and that their temporary friendship wasn't a bad thing. It isn't bad to outgrow people, to move forward. It still hurts, but it's a good hurt. It's a part of growing.
"Don't be. Besides, I think I like my new friends more." Nancy nearly whispered, nudging Robin's knee with her elbow. she felt herself smile at that, somewhat giddy, and Nancy smiled wide too. They were going to be okay, Robin was sure of it. Things were rocky but she loved having Nancy in her life, truly. They understood each other in a very strange way, having entirely different lives that still... Connected.
"Me too."
Robin didn't think it through before the next question tumbled carelessly out of her mouth.
"Are you going to the party Friday? Goodwin's senior party, I mean. Obviously. Not like there's any other... Anyways, are you?"
Nancy looked taken aback by the question, more so than when Robin asked about Jonathan. It was quite comical, and the blonde had to stifle a laugh.
"Areyou?"Nancy answered with a question, stealing a few side glances at Robin, who was still messing with her rings.
"Steve and Eddie are dragging me along. Why, don't think I can handle some lame high school party?" She joked, coy smile barely visible in the dark.
"No, it just doesn't seem like your crowd."
"You don't seem like my crowd but I hang out with you, don't I?'
"Fair point." Nancy giggled, and Robin's smile grew impossibly wider at the sound. "I didn't plan on going. Why? Is this you inviting me?"
"Maybe. Youwant me to invite you, huh Wheeler?" She didn't mean it to come off so flirtatiously, her tongue betraying her as the words spilled. Nancy cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, and Robin was scared she made the other girl uncomfortable. But Nancy, to the blondes surprise, responded with the same energy.
"Why don't you find out?"
Robin cackled at that, dropping both hands to her own knees and leaning forward to look at Nancy's face that was effectively hidden behind her perm from the side. The car pulled up to the front of Robin's trailer and Nancy put the car in park, meeting Robin's gaze.
"Nancy Wheeler, will you attend the most stereotypical senior party that is sure to be filled with sweaty boys and cheap beer with me, a boy who uses an entire can of hair spray a day, and a metalhead who doesn't have an inside voice?"
"Sounds tempting." Nancy deadpanned at the hilarious invite, but her smile seeped through, red lipstick making it impossible to hide. "I'd love to, Robin. I'll meet you guys there since I have to pick Holly up from a friends house that night, but... Yea. I'll be there."
Robin beamed at that, unbuckling her seatbelt with record-breaking speed.
"Great! See you then!"
"See you then, Robin."
Robin settled on a quick wave before grabbing her bags and exiting the passenger door. She made it a few steps away from the car, hearing the tires begin to roll away, before remembering-
"Shit. Nancy!" She shouted. The car stopped abruptly, and Robin clumsily made her way to the drivers window, knocking on the glass twice. Nancy thankfully got the hint and rolled her window down, looking at Robin with curiosity.
The tall girl leaned against the top of the car and angled her neck down to make eye contact with Nancy, smiling apologetically before digging something out of her deep pockets. It took a few seconds of fumbling around the keys, pens and gum in her pocket before grabbing what she needed.
"Here." Robin mumbled, handing a shiny wrapped bar to the brunette. Nancy grabbed it curiously, turning it over to see that it was a Twix bar. "Thanks for taking me home, Wheeler... G'night."
Now it was Robin who strolled away before Nancy could respond. The shorter girl looked down at the candy bar in her hand, unable to bite back a smile. She set the candy bar on the dashboard and spared a glance towards the entrance of the trailer, barely looking up in time to notice Robin awkwardly tripping inside, kicking the door shut.
Nancy released a laugh that nobody but her could hear, before putting the car in drive and beginning her short trip back home.
"Goodnight, Robin."
Notes:
hi there! sorry for the slow updates, i just started work again since i had top surgery last month (!!) so i'm trying to get my work/writing schedule situated.
things get intense next chapter, and we may or may not see some... violent interactions between characters. also! i'm considering writing a ronance werewolf fic, would anyone read that? i would still finish this one of course, but i already have a few chapters of the werewolf robin fic written so i might post them.
as always, thanks for reading! comments are very appreciated, they keep me motivated to continue this story since s4 ended. see you next chapter!
Chapter 7: keep your friends close
Summary:
Robin, Steve and Eddie attend a party: Robin runs into an old “friend”
Notes:
TWs for this specific chapter: derogatory use of the word queer (no other slurs used), sensory overload, panic attacks, physical violence, homophobia, vomiting.
a lot of rebel robin throwbacks in this one, but since i know not a lot of people read the book, i explained everything *enough* so you don’t have read rebel robin to finish this chapter :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
read beginning chapter notes before continuing.
Friday night came exponentially quicker than Robin expected it to.
The week flew by in the blink of an eye, boring classes and asshole peers not playing a huge role in dragging out the hours spent at Hawkins High, which was annoying. Usually Robin could not wait for the week to end, to get a two day break from the dickheads and shit authority she dealt with in the schools halls, but ofcourse the one week she wanted to drag on was over in a flash.
That's how she found herself dragged - not metaphorically, Eddie and Steve had todrag her - into Steve's car, rolling down rough roads to head to the senior party she knew she wouldn't be welcomed to. The most annoying part? More annoying than being forced to go despite her protests? She didn't even get the front seat. The only reason she agreed to go to the party was because she snapped at her friends when they asked and she felt extremely guilty, but it was definitely a bonus to force Eddie to sit in the back. Yet here she was, in the back middle seat, arms crossed and bottom lip poking out in a toddler-like pout.
"Careful Buckley," Eddie started once the trio pulled out of Robin's trailer park, "you keep pouting like that and people might not take you for a senior."
The joke was funny, sure. The two boys in the front started cackling, and Robin almost cracked too, but she kept her harsh exterior in a form of stubbornness. She wanted to make Munson feel bad for stealing the front seat.
"Shut it meathead. You can always persuade Steve into turning the car around and taking me back home." Robin spoke up once the laughter died down, exchanging a scoff from Steve and a wide grin from Eddie, who was now turning back in his seat to face Robin, elbow on the middle console.
"You see Iwould, but I know deep down you want to go to this party. If we drop you off and you decide you want to come, you'd have no way to get there since you don't have your bike."
Robin's face flushed at that, arms crossing impossibly tighter and pout now shifting into an obvious grimace.
"Fuck you." Robin mumbled, no real bite behind her words. Eddie was right, obviously. Though high school parties were lame, it would befun to see Steve and Eddie get wasted. Plus Nancy already agreed to come. No backing out now.
"Eddie has a point." Steve spoke up finally.Traitor. "I mean how did you forget your bike in Nancy's trunk? That's kinda hilarious." Robin reached forward to punch her friends shoulder, receiving a shout of don't do that I'm driving! She did it a second time to shut him up.
"I told you already, I gave her a Twix and then it just slipped my mind." Robin defended herself, but before she could explain further, Eddie started up again.
"The chocolate made you forget? Or was it her beautiful blue eyes and kind smile and- how else have you described her?"
"I'm going to strangle you, Eddie."
"Kinky, but you're not my type."
At that, Robin laughed. She couldn't help it. Her annoyance from earlier was slipping from her grasp and she found herself not caring. The excitement of spending the entire night with her two friends (and eventually Nancy) was starting to rise in her chest, fingers tapping anxiously at her knees as they pulled into the wealthy neighborhood where the Goodwin's large house was.
Robin was excited. Robin was nervous. Robin felt nauseous but she was so jittery she wanted to dance. This flurry of feelings swirled around in unpredictable waves, making it difficult to pinpoint the main emotion she felt. Maybe there wasn't one? Maybe the thought her first - and likely last - high school party was pulling at each of her limbs with different scenarios. Logically Robin knew she should just take a deep breath and see how entering the near-mansion would play out before letting her emotions run wild, but it was impossible. Robin wasn't the type of person to bein control of her feelings.
So, she let herself noticeably fidget when the car parked across the street and the engine turned off.
"Fuck yeah! Time to get shit-faced and make regrettable life choices!" Eddie shouted with a smile on his face, exiting the car and slamming the passenger door shut, drumming excitedly on the roof. Steve rolled his eyes, hand lingering on the door handle before turning to look back at Robin, who was unbuckling theimpossibleseatbelt that attempted to confine her to the seat. She hated the seatbelts in Steve's car, they were child-proof which made it extremely difficult for Robin and her clumsiness.
"Hey, Rob?" Steve whispered, waiting for the girl to free herself from the seatbelt, fist bump the air, and make eye contact with him before continuing. "If the party gets too overwhelming, or someone says anything, just let me know okay? We can leave the second you want to."
Robin felt her chest tighten at the suggestion.
She wasn't going to ruin Eddie's senior party, and Steve's first step into normalcy since spring break.
She wouldn't.
"Sure thing, dingus." Was all Robin said, despite knowing it was a lie. She got good at that, lying through her teeth to her closest friend. Before, he was the only person who could call her out on her bullshit. Now, he wasn't able to notice it, and smiled at her agreement before they both got out of the vehicle.
The second the trio stepped into thehuge house (or small mansion), Robin instantly felt overwhelmed. There was flashing lights, sweaty drunken teens, the stench of alcohol and weed, and shitty pop music that Eddie mumbled waspoor taste. At least the two could agree on that.
Eddie, who stood in between Robin and Steve, threw his arms around their shoulders and began walking. He held his head high, babbling to the two about how great the night was going to be. Robin couldn't really focus on what he was saying though, too focused on the whispers she heard as the three made their way to the bar. It was obvious Eddie - and soon Steve, who picked up on the whispers - was trying to distract himself from the few kids who actually cared about their presence enough to gossip.
Unsurprisingly nobody approached them, and barely anyone seemed to care. Still, the four voices Robindid hear were enough to make her nearly forget how to walk.
"Why is Harrington here? Didn't he graduate?"
"Is that the dorky band kid?"
"Oh look, Murderer Munson showed!"
"Freaks stick together after all."
After what felt like an eternity, the three made it to the bar where red solo cups and bottles upon bottles of vodka, rum, liquor and various juiceswere spread out. There was also a few coolers on the floor, filled with melting ice and cans of beer. Eddie and Steve instantly went to work with the bottles on the counter, excited to create some (probably shitty) concoction to get drunk off of, whereas Robin reached for a singular can of beer, wanting to start slow and keep herself mostly aware. The can was still warm, the cooler probably having been refilled recently, seeing as empty cans were strewn all over the floor and tables in the front rooms.
Oh well.
Robin cracked open the drink (which luckily didn't overflowtoo much upon doing so) and took a large swig while she watched the boys mix various juices and vodka into their cups. The taste was pungent. It wasn't Robin's first time drinking, sure, but she held a large disliking for beer. It tasted of copper and pavement, the warm temperature definitely not helping what was already an unpleasant drink. Still, she took two more large gulps before setting it down and propping her chin on her palm, leaning over the counter to watch the two dorks she showed up with fail to make decent drinks.
"Gross, Munson! This tastes like cherries and paint!" Steve scowled upon taking a sip of Eddie's creation, causing the boy to chuckle devilishly.
"Hey unfair! It's not my fault you have terrible taste."
"Whatever, try mine." Steve insisted, pushing his cup towards the man beside him, eyes bright. Robin noticed the way Eddie look mesmerized by her friend, trying the drink without hesitation. Something wasobviously going on, but she wouldn't be the one to bring it up. It wasn't her place.
Luckily, she didn't have to linger on that thought for too long before Eddie began coughing and sputtering, slamming the cup on the counter.
"What thefuck is that?!" Eddie spat out, taking large swigs of his own drink to get rid of the taste. Steve started laughing hysterically, borderline wheezing, and Robin quickly joined in when she caught a glance at Eddie's absolute disgust. The metalhead was stuck in a loop of coughing, taking a gulp of his own drink, swearing, and repeating, which only spurred on the twos laughter.
"Holy shit you actually tried it!" Steve barked out, tears threatening to spill due to the lack of oxygen from laughing. "I didn't even try it!"
At that, Eddie silenced, eyes wide and mouth agape. Robin had to hide her face in her hands to laugh quieter, failing.
"You made it taste like shit onpurpose!" Eddie shouted, finally realizing why his friends found the situation hilarious. Steve tried to deny the accusation, but wasn't able to, receiving teasing insults thrown his way from Eddie, who pretended to be pissed off.
"Dude," Steve started after finally catching his breath, "you should have seen the look on your fa-"
Steve was quickly cut off, Eddie tackling him down to the ground with arms around his middle, which sent Robin into a fit of snorts and cackles. The two wrestled around on the floor like pre-teens, disparaging one another in an entirely joking manner. Robin wouldn't have thought so if it wasn't for the laughter, glad that the mood was still light.
Maybe the party wouldn't be so bad?
-
Robin groaned loudly, hands running down her face in a shit attempt to sober up. The irritatingly bright light above her caused her head to buzz and made it nearly impossible to open her eyes fully when she decided to look in the bathroom mirror. There were slight bags under her eyes from exhaustion, hair a tangled mess from having danced with her two friends earlier in the night. She'd been at this party for more than two hours now, still no sign of Nancy anywhere. The first thirty minutes of the party Robin stayed almost completely sober, not finishing her beer. Once the first hour passed, Steve and Eddie were already on their fourth drink, so she decided to catch up. Surely Nancy would show up soon, and join the blonde, right?
The second hour passed with no sign of the oldest Wheeler, and the trio was completely shitfaced. Eddie forgot about his sixth drink, instead opting to smoke the joint he brought. Steve joined in, and Robin did not. It wasn't like she hated the idea of getting stoned - she'd done it plenty of times before tonight - but the girl didn't feel like being drunk and high before Nancy arrived (if she was ever going to). As the second hour was creeping towards an end, Robin found herself in a downstairs bathroom running cool water over her face, beginning to doubt her brunette friend was ever going to show.
Which was fine. It wasfine that Nancy had seemingly stood her up. Because she had Steve and Eddie to keep her company.
Until she didn't.
Robin stepped out of the bathroom, ignoring some random boy that pushed past her and complained about how long she took. Steve and Eddie had been just down the hall insisting that they would wait for her, but now they were nowhere in sight. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, multiple times that night the three had split for a few minutes to get drinks, water or take a breather outside. Robin figured she would find the two boys in the backyard smoking, so that's where she beelined to. Only, they weren't outside. And they definitely wouldn't be in the front room with the group of jocks playing something like spin the bottle.
Finding a group of stoners thatdidn't contain her two friends was awkward. The seven smoking teens all looked at Robin when the back door swung open, and she offered a quiet apology before slamming it shut and taking a breath. They weren't down the hall, they weren't in the front room, and they weren't outside. She knew they wouldn't be getting more to drink in the kitchen since Steve suggested they start to sober up before the ride home, sowhere the fuck were they?
The music was loud, blaring, vibrating the walls of the large house with each beat. Every few seconds the ground beneath Robin's boots would rumble, a flash of light would catch her eye when it seeped from the living room where people were dancing. The air was hot despite windows and doors being open to allow the nights breeze entrance. Robin felt both hot and freezing, shivering while also pulling at the collar of her shirt to relieve some of the warmth her clothing brought her.
She knew this feeling. It would happen sometimes at school, a lot of the time at work (particularly when it was a busy shift). She knew what it meant, if she didn't find some relief she would spiral from the loud scene.
She neededwater, that was it. So that's what she set her drunken mind to focus on, letting her feet carry her to the kitchen, shaky hands stuffing into her red jacket pockets.
Luckily the kitchen was empty, with most teens either dancing, playing games or passed out. Perfect.
Robin reached the sink near the corner of the kitchen, snatching an unused plastic cup and filling it up halfway before throwing her head back and gulping the tasteless contents down her throat. She repeated this action two more times before her heart stopped racing and her hands were steady enough to run through her hair without feeling impossibly heavy.
Robin set the cup down, eyes closing and hands gripping on the countertop behind her. She squeezed her fists as hard as she could, short nails grazing her palms, before unclenching and repeating the action. It was a motion she repeated whenever she needed to ground herself. Her breaths were shallow but beginning to even out the longer she stood there. The music was still loud, the lights were still bright, but they became easier to exist in with each passing second. Until of course, it was ruined, because of course Robin couldn't have a moment to just breathe.
However what interrupted her was more shocking than she could have anticipated.
"Long time no see, Buckley."
The all-too familiar voice caused Robin's eyes to snap open, every muscle in her body tensing and jaw clenched impossibly tight. A wave of nausea washed over her when meeting the eyes of the tall blonde boy just a few feet in front of her, a smirk on his face that showed his intentions were anything but friendly.
No, no way he's here. Why is he talking to me? What the fuck does he want?Robin's brain was infested with thought after thought, question after question, no longer feeling calm. Her rapid breathing returned, but she buried it down and tried to come off as confident. Just until he left.
"Dash." Robin spat, teeth gritting when he tilted his head at the harsh tone in her voice.
"What? Not happy to see me?" He asked, feigning genuine confusion but Robinknew Dash was anything but genuine, anything but kind and curious. Robin knew what he was, and he knew her the same.
Memories of their past friendship flooded her brain, having been long forgotten ever since she was thrown into the wholeUpside-Down-evil-Russians thing last summer. Memories of hanging out with her old friend group - Kate, Milton and Dash - ambushed her. Memories of tagging alongside Kate and Dash clawed their way to the forefront and, with that, the unpleasant event of Dash trying to kiss Robin while he was still with Kate became the most prominent.
Milton and Kate weren't great friends. They abandoned Robin when she needed people in her life more than ever. Sure they wouldn't be getting any rewards for being reliable or understanding, but they weren't terrible. They were just dumb teens. Robin had forgiven them, despite no longer associating herself with the two. She hardly saw them in the halls of the school so it wasn't hard to just forget.
Dash however, he was a piece of shit. The biggest piece of shit on the mountain of shit, Robin had once described him as. He, as mentioned, tried to kiss Robin without asking when he was still with Kate. He then lied about it and made Robin out to be some jealous girl that was in love with him, in turn making Kate despite her. Then worst of all, he attempted to out Mr. Hauser back when Robin was in her sophomore year, luckily failing when Robin pulled a stunt with the fire alarm and blamed Dash. He knew, however, when Robin was defending her favorite teacher. Dashknew why Robin related to the man so much, but kept his mouth shut to avoid being set up for pulling the alarm and inevitably suspended.
Robin assumed that was the end of it. The last time she would ever see Dash. It had been two years.
She was wrong.
"Why so quiet, Robin?" Dash pushed, twisted grin still on his face as he took a step closer. In turn, Robin took a step back, now completely against the counter behind her. This was bad. This was really bad. Where the fuck did Steve and Eddie run off to?
"Leave me alone, Dash. I don't want to talk to you." Robin said quietly, trying to stop the shake in her voice and failing miserably. So much for confidence. At this, Dash corrected his posture and straightened, making Robin feel impossibly small. The boy before her wasn't much taller, standing just two inches above Robin, yet he made her feel so puny. It wasn't fair, himtalking to her wasn't fair. He didn't deserve closure, if that's what this conversation was gearing towards... Unless it wasn't. What did he want from her?
That's exactly what Robin asked.
"Just wanted to catch up with an old friend. Didn't think you would be at this party honestly, especially not with Harrington! Eddie makes sense. You're both freaks after all." The knowing tone in his voice send a chill down Robin's spine, understanding the implications of his statement.
Robin didn't want to stick around any longer, not liking where this was going. She couldn't read social cues often, she didn't read the room in many scenarios, but this? She knew this wasn't a good situation she wound up in. She neededout, so she turned and began to speed-walk away. Only, a tight grip on her wrist hindered her stuck in the kitchen. Robin whipped her head around to be met face-to-face with the boy staring at her, no longer smiling. He looked determined, pissed, and the stench coming from his parted lips helped Robin understand that he was likely very drunk. That didn't help her feel at ease, though, knowing he was barely in charge of his actions. If anything it made her feelmuchworse.
The grip on her wrist tightened more, and she winced, much to her own dismay.
"Let. Go." Robin seethed, blatantly sounding pissed. Because she was. She was terrified, but still so incredibly angry that this boy thought he had any right to confront her. Especially when they were at a party, especially when he was drunk. Robin was too, yes, but she felt herself increasingly sobering up during the altercation.
"I just want to catch up, come on. Maybe we can dance a little, talk..." His hand didn't move from her wrist, he stayed standing nearly two feet away from her, but the distance wasn't enough.
Robin tugged her hand out of Dash's grip, causing him to stumble at the unexpected action.
"Leave me the fuck alone."
Robin turned to leave again, but he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn around.
He stood only a foot in front of her now.
"Why? I just want totalk,toapologize. We can be friendly again, you know. You don't always have to have a stick up your ass." Dash defended, his expression now matching Robin's. Eyes darting across the room frantically, breathing heavy. He was angry, annoyed, which caused Robin to feel the same but doubled. He didn't deserve to be angry.
"No, dipshit! I don't want anything to do with you!" Robin shouted, jabbing a finger into his chest. His eyes widened at this, gaze not leaving her face. "You're a lying asshole that gets validation from ruining people, from ruining relationships! You seriously haven't changed from sophomore year have you? You're still this insecure little boy who can't learn to shut his mouth when he should! So fuck off!"
Robin stood her ground, not bothering to turn around. She wouldn't turn away, wouldn't cower. She wasn't scared of this guy, not anymore. He didn't hold power over her. Maybe it was the buzz from the drinks she had, maybe she got contact high from Eddie and Steve's joint early, who knew? But she didn't feel her normal nervousness, the nausea from how terrified she was of Dash. She felt like she won the argument, considering the shock on his face.
Dash was too drunk to know when to be quiet, apparently.
"Oh, I get it.." He chuckled, shuffling closer to Robin, inches away from her face. She didn't back away. "You don't want to talk to me, don't want anything to do with me, because they're true. You and I both they are! You and I both know the rumors are true, right Buckley?"
Robin felt a pang of fear in her chest, but didn't tear her eyes away. She was in too deep.
"We both know the reason you're so obsessed with Hauser, because you two are the same, huh? You're both freaks. You're both disgusting."
A pause. A consideration. Robin couldn't force words to escape her increasingly closing throat, but shedid notice a few people staring at the pair. All those eyes watching, but nobody stepping in. Typical.
"You and I both know you're a-"
The word that left Dash's mouth caused a ringing in Robin's ears, white hot anger taking over.
Maybe if the girl was sober, she would have just walked away. Maybe she would have spat some final insult and left. Maybe she would have cried, or froze in place because people were listening. None of those things happened though.
Instead, she blacked out for a few seconds, unable to stop her fist from flying into the boys left eye.
Gasps emitted from the bystanders, a tiny crowd of maybe twenty people forming about ten feet away. Dash stumbled back, not expecting any physical altercation. His right hand touched the throbbing eye, unable to open his eyelid, before he scowled.
Shit.
Dash surged forward, sending a swift punch to Robin's lip, then to her abdomen. The pain was instant, adrenaline not acting as much of a numbing agent as the voices and music around her became garbled, quiet, almost like she heard them from a distance underwater. Robin doubled over, trying to catch her breath as the pain spread. Luckily Dash didn't send a third punch, instead towering over the crouched girl, continuing his insults.
"I bet you're too busy trying to go down on peoples sisters to even consider talking to me, right freak? No wonder you hang around Steve and Eddie, thosequeers. They're as disgusting as you."
Dash continued throwing out insults at the silent girl, earning laughs from boys in the crowd that apparently found this interaction hilarious. Robin didn't find the situation funny at all. How could people be laughing? How could they encourage the torment when she never did anything to them? Why did she even bother helping save this town when they treat her like this?
Robin felt her fists clench around the fabric of her jacket, biting her swelling lip before standing up quickly. Her head connected with Dash's jaw, which forced him to stumble back once more. The boy was thrown off balance, blood dripping from his mouth, and Robin ended it with a second punch to the face. This time her knuckles connected with his right cheek, and Dash fell to the floor and landed on his ass with a pained groan. Robin was now the one to tower over him, but she didn't feel strong for it. Her stomach screamed at her and her lip throbbed, but from the looks of it, she won. So why did she still feel so shitty?
Dash sit there, unable to open his left eye, blood actively cascading down his chin.
"Youbitch!" He tried to shout, but was cut off but something falling out of his mouth that caused the crowd watching to erupt in shouts and shoves. There, in front of the teen on the floor, was a decent amount of blood and a tooth.
Robin knocked out the dudes tooth.
Vindicating screams and animalistic hollering came from the boys in the spectating crowd, drinks thrown and loud shouts filling Robin’s ears. She knew she won the fight, she knew how it looked to a group of popular - likely rich - peers that barely knew her outside of her being a geeky band nerd (which she no longer was), as well as the rumors. The rumors that were true. The rumors Dash used against the blonde in front of a group of people that pulled a violent reaction out of her.
Shit, did everyone know now?
If they did they didn’t care, at least not now. Or maybe they didn’t process it. Maybe Robin could blame the alcohol and say she punched the boy not for his homophobic remarks, but because he was talking shit on her friends?
Yeah. She could do that. She could beat Dash and still walk away unscathed (save for an increasingly bruising wrist and throbbing lip).
The victory was short lived, however. Maybe later she would give herself a high five for embarrassing some shit stain like Dash, but the pain in her abdomen got increasingly worse, and the nausea from a mixture of drinking and the fight became more apparent. So Robin shot Dash a final glare, before turning and bolting to the bathroom upstairs, figuring there would be less people. And she was right. There was no line for the bathroom at the end of the hall so she swung the door open, kicked it shut with her heavy boot, and hunched over the toilet to release the contents from that night.
Robin’s throat burned immensely, stomach churning in the most uncomfortable way imaginable. Her knuckles turned white from how hard she grasped at the porcelain seat, searching hands trying to find threshold or solace in a firm grip to ground her from the sickness and daze. It didn’t work, however, and she felt her mind slip into the negative emotions that had been festering, brewing for the past ten minutes. From the sensory overload to the altercation, everything came crashing down at once.
Robin stayed on the freezing cold tile, hunched over the toilet, spilling everything imaginable into the strangely clean bowl. She emptied herself of the drinks, of the snacks, of her lunch earlier, until all that was left was pure bile and soon, nothing.
Eventually, of course, she was done. She was physically fine. Despite the continuing pains in her stomach from not only the vomiting, but the punch. Despite the swollen bottom lip from being punched without time to prepare. Despite her fucking wrist, that sheknew was bruising, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at it. It was too much of a reminder.
The pain was unrelenting. Not only was her body throbbing, from burning eyes to bloodied (and maybe fractured) knuckles. She had never gotten in a physical fight before, at least not one with a human. Maybe kicking a few demobats down and throwing a molotov at Vecna helped her fighting abilities? At leastsomething came of it.
That wasn’t the worst part though, the physical aches. Sure it sucked, and would likely act as a brutal reminder of this night for weeks. A confirmation that it happened and wasn’t some alcohol-induced daydream. Daynightmare?
The worst part was the playback. Robin’s mind had this funny way of twisting events to make them much worse than they were. For example, she would over analyze every conversation she had with her Mother. She would grasp at the sprinkled half-assed compliments and writhe around on her bedroom floor at the cruel remarks made that were, in truth, just drunken rambling.
Drunken rambling. Maybe Robin was like Melissa Buckley.
The thing with this situation though is that Robin didn’t need to contort the event. She didn’t need to twist Dash’s words or make up mental images on the looks she received. She didn’t need to make it feel worse, because it was already the worst case scenario.
She was already practically outed. She was already physically hurt. She was already reminded of the pain of her sophomore year. She already let herself react violently. She already ran away before pleading her case to the onlookers. She was already alone on the bathroom floor, stomach empty, beginning to slump against the bathtub behind her so her back pressed against the tubs side.
She was alone. It was a mistake to run off so quick. Another mistake to not think to bring water to soothe the sting in her throat and the taste of bile on her tongue. It was an even worse mistake to spare a glance at the wrist Dash had left a mark on.
Bruised.
Circling around her wrist was a bruise, barely noticeable. The only prominence of the marking was on the sides, with the inner and outer part appearing quite faded. It wasn’t that visible, it wouldn’t be obvious to someone standing ten feet away. Still, it sent Robin’s mind spiraling.
Scratch the fear of being a complete social outcast and a town pariah. Scratch the hateful rhetoric thrown her way. Scratch the bruise on her stomach or her swollen lip. Scratch all of that. The tiny bruise on Robin’s shaking wrist, the ghost of an outline scattered on her pale skin? That was the worst part.
Not because it was somewhere she couldn’t avoid looking, though that wasn’t ideal either. Not because it was sore in the way a harsh bruise was when someone would poke and prod at it. The physicality of the mark wasn’t the issue at all. The reason is sent Robin into a near-instant panic was because of the memories it brought. Memories of the Creel house, memories of the Upside Down, memories ofspring break.
Memories of Vecna.
Memories of thick black tendrils pulling her towards a nearby wall, wrapping torturously around her torso, her neck, her wrists.
She doesn’t remember much about that instance.
She does remember Nancy and Steve screaming in horror, clawing desperately at the leather-like vines. She remembers Steve hacking at the bindings with his axe, and Nancy using the end of her shotgun to slam against what pinned Robin into the slimy wall. She remembers their screams, remembers the vine around her throat cutting into the flesh ever-so-slightly, as if it warned her not to move or it would finish the job.
Once her breath became ragged from the vines, the rest was a blur. She was told what happened after that: Steve and Nancy somehow freed her but she passed out. She came two the next day in the hospital, surrounded by the bruised and battered members of the Hawkins group, as well as Will and Jonathan for some reason. Her Mother wasn’t there, of course.
Robin looked at the ceiling, forcing herself to ignore her bruise.
The damage was done though. Because Robin already felt her throat closing, felt sweat prick unhelpfully above her brow, felt tears prick her eyes despite trying to will herself not to cry after having cried so much already.
The damage was done, because suddenly she wasn’t in a bathroom at a shitty high school party.
Robin's breath hitched, a cry escaping her throat without permission, shoulders shaking with each that sob that racked her body. She let her hands shakily cover her face, clawing at her cheeks, dragging down to caress her fingers along the scar on her neck. It was meant to soothe her, to remind her that it was over and the scar was healing, but it had the opposite effect.
And it was like Robin was back in the upside down, thick black vines climbing up her legs, trapping her arms behind her, wrapping around her throat and getting tighter, until breathing became impossible. But this time, Steve and Nancy couldn't just pull her out of the trap. This time, Robin was getting pulled under, and there was no way out.
”Robin?”
Notes:
hey, thanks for reading! a lot of you were waiting for robin to beat someone’s ass since i posted chapter 1, and a few people even guessed that it was dash. HOW.
sorry for the cliffhanger, BUT the next chapter will be out really soon!
i definitely prefer longer chapters. i hope you do, too. sure it takes longer to upload and proof-read but hey! more content right?
as always, comments are very appreciated. thanks for reading! :)
Chapter 8: they're true
Summary:
Nancy arrives at the party; Robin opens up
Notes:
oh hey look ronance
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Nancy had arrived at the party quite late, cursing herself for not knowing the number to the Goodwin house so she could inform Robin of the situation she was in. She had briefed Robin earlier that she would likely be an hour late at most, since she'd have to pick up Holly at a friends house on the other side of town, but she didn't expect there to be such a roadblock in her plan. Firstly, a traffic light in town was out, resulting in an awkward four-way traffic jam. This took, believe it or not,thirty additional minutes on top of the already-fifteen-minute-drive, resulting in just under an hour to arrive at Hollys friends house and get the girl. Then she went inside to get her sister, and was met with the little girl crying about not being able to find a toy of hers. She often had fits like this, where nobody could calm her down, but Nancy had learned a lot about calming the girl down lately.
A late night phone call with Robin the other day informed Nancy thatRobin was that way when she grew up, too,and she told Nancy how to deal with these moments.
So twenty minutes later, Nancy calmed her little sister down, and found the bunny toy that was lost.
Nancy took a longer route to her house, figuring the traffic jam would be more annoying to deal with than driving on a street through the woods, and her assumption was correct. It took just over thirty minutes to get home, when the traffic jam likely would have taken almost an hour.
Once inside, she sent Holly to bed and got dressed, obsessing over every inch of the outfit. Well,outfits. Nancy lost track of the time, knowing she was already extremely late anyways and figuring it wasthat big of a deal. She would just have to play catchup with her three friends in order to enter a similar mindset, but that wouldn't take too long. After settling on a jean jacket, white blouse and a long black skirt, Nancy was on her way, a whopping three hours late.Great.
Upon entering the still very active party, Nancy instantly spotted a crowed formed around some teenage boy on the kitchen floor. He was blonde, clothes ruffled, holding his jaw and cussing out anyone who taunted him about the fight. Nancy didn't think too much of it, fights always happened at parties, right? So she simply walked to a nearby bar to make herself a drink and begin looking for her friends, until she actually tuned in to the drunken whispers.
"Dash got his ass kicked by a girl!"
"Don't fuck with freaks I guess?"
"-a band nerd! A fucking band nerd!"
"-ckley. Yea! Fucking Buckley, Hawkins resident lesbian!"
"Holy shit that was hilarious!"
It took Nancy ten seconds to register what was said, and upon digesting the information, she wasted absolutely no time in rushing around the huge house to find the girl in question. She checked every room downstairs, the outside, the bathrooms. Then she went upstairs, checked the rooms, the porch, and eventually the bathroom at the end of the hall. The sound of vomiting practically confirmed who was on the other side, and it was only when she stood on the other side of the door that shehesitated. Should she give Robin some space? Come back in ten minutes? Surely not, Nancy didn't know what condition Robin was in. She had to - at thevery least - make sure that the blonde was physically okay.
But surely she couldn't just walk in and tend to the girl while she was throwing up. So, Nancy decided to refrain for some time, standing on the other side of the door. Waiting. She should have gone downstairs to get water for the other girl, really, but she was stuck in place, too nervous to leave Robin's general vicinity at this current state. She desperately wanted to just walk in the bathroom and hold Robin's hair back for her, to soothe her and tell herit will be okay.
But they weren't close like that, not anymore. Not ever since Nancy separated herself from the group. And as much as she tried to pretend like things were back to normal, sheknew Robin was still hurt over it. The entire group probably was.
After what felt like an eternity (but was less than ten minutes), the sickly sounds ceased, and there was silence. Now the only sounds came from the party, loud music and even louder shouts echoing from downstairs. There were still teasing shouts, ones that Nancy couldn't fully comprehend at the moment but she knew it was about whatever fight had occurred earlier. She wanted to give Robin (and herself) a few minutes. She knew if she walked in right after the other girl just emptied her stomach, the blonde would be incredibly out-of-it and likely even embarassed.
Though, Nancy would never judge her.
But recovery time be damned, because after barely a minute went by, the sound of a choked sob came from the other side of the door, and Nancy quickly twisted the handle.
"Robin?"
Robin's eyes snap open, quickly fumbling to sit up straight and wipe furiously at her eyes to rub away any proof of crying. Of course her red eyes and hoarse voice would give it away, but getting rid of the tears would spare her somedignity for crying in front of...
"Nance?" Robin asks in a hushed voice once her vision corrects itself from the blinding lights and tipsy mind. She felt so foggy, still slightly sick, but she wassure she had a decent enough headset to confirm that yes, Nancy was standing outside of the bathroom, door now open.
There was a silence that hung heavy in the air, a thousand questions briefing the tip of Nancy's tongue without actually daring to be spoken into existence. Instead, Nancyacted, because that's all she could do. The sight of Robin with blood on her face, knuckles bruised, hair tousled, it was... Well, it was a sight. So instead of opening her mouth, the brunette entered the room, shut the door and crouched down by Robin.
"Thought you backed out." Robin states dryly, clearly not sober. The slur in her speech and the lazy movements gave her away. She didn't care about the dried blood that had come from her nose, or her tangled hair, or the bruise. She didn't care that Nancy was seeing her so battered. It wasn't the first time, after all. Thick tendrils wrapping around her neck-
Robin's drunk mind decided that she should be mad about being stood up instead of cowering because of her bruises and the look of pure worry Nancy had as her eyes scanned over Robin's wounds. If she were in this exact situation but sober, she would have probably cracked under Nancy's gaze. Would have forgiven her with or without an explanation there on the spot. But she wasn't.
"I- Robin, let me see your hand." Nancy tried, stumbling on her words a bit when scanning the markings that painted the freckled girls skin, harsh reminders of the physical attack moments prior. However, when Nancy's small hand lifted to grab and inspect Robin's knuckles, the blonde swatted her hand and shifted away a little. Nancy almost continued reaching despite this, but hesitated, and froze her movements.
"Robin." Nancy huffed, frustrated that Robin was already being so difficult when she just wanted tohelp.Needed to help. Maybe she felt a tinge of guilt for being so late. Maybe if she arrived on time none of this would have happened, but- "Where's Steve? Eddie? I thought you said they would be here?"
Robin forced a pained laugh out at the question, using her left hand to hug her middle, the punch to her stomach aching more than the hand she used to punch Dash, that was now throbbing.
"Dunno. They vanished -poof - and I was left alone. All alone. 'S fine."
Nancy frowned, she couldn't help it. She knew Robin didn't like being watched over, insisting she didn't want anyone's pity. Going against her better judgement, knowing Robin would get upset if she knew Nancy was upset, the brunettefrowned. Robin sounded so tired, looked so exhausted. How long had she been at that party? How long was shealone at the party? How much did she have to drink?
Of course, the obvious questioned that should have been prioritized waswho hurt you? but Nancy knew the answer.
"Vanished?Theyleft you by yourself when you- you're- you'redrunk, Robin, Jesus..." Nancy scolded the girl, reaching forward again to gently take Robin's injured hand in her own. Robin flinched, but didn't pull away this time, too tired to shoo her friend away. Nancy waspersistent, something Robin knew despite her fuzzy mind and increasing lack of a filter. Which is why she said what she did next:
"Soft hands."
Nancy laughed at the comment, rolling her eyes and fully sitting herself by Robin now. Her cheeks tinted a light pink, thankful that Robin was likely too buzzed to notice.She was.
"Thanks? Your hands are... Fuck Robin, they're kind of messed up. How hard did you hit that guy?" Nancy questioned, exasperated. Her soft fingers ran over Robin's bruised knuckles, not stopping even when they grazed dried blood or a particularly swollen section. She then flipped Robin's hand over to check her palm, the action allowing her to notice the bruising on her wrist, which caused a lump in her throat to form. Ah.
"Oh- uh, just... Don't remember honestly. I gotta good hit in I guess, think I might be worse than he is." Robin used her free hand to gesture to her lip, the hand Nancy held, hesitating where the bruise was (Nancy and Robin's breaths hitched at the same time when attention was brought to Robin's wrist), ending on her stomach. Nancy lifted an eyebrow at this, and carefully dropped Robin's hand.
"Your hand is a bit swollen but I don't think it's broken. Just don't get into any more fights, tough guy."
"How'd ya know?" Robin asked finally, curious as to how Nancy found out about the fight if she wasn't there.
"You had quite the crowd. Wasn't hard to figure out whichband nerd they were yelling about."
Robin laughed at that, actually laughed, and Nancy felt her smile stretch wide at the sound. A confirmation, albeit small, that Robin was going to be okay. Physically, at least.
"Glad I could be make an impression." The blonde quipped, tilting her head back to rest against the side of the tub she was slouched against. Nancy didn't move though, still sitting close to her drunken friend, a million questions buzzing around in her head. She didn't want to overwhelm Robin, especially not after the night she's had, but she had to know some things, and Robin deserved information too. But first, Nancy needed to apologize. Though she wasn't at fault for the fight, being on time would have prevented that.
"I'm sorry I was late." Nancy whispered, watching Robin intently. The girl didn't lift her head, but her throat bobbed noticeably, liking swallowing hard. A sign of nervousness, Nancy noted.Since when could she tell these things about Robin?"There was a traffic jam on the way to get Holly, and it tookforever to get home and I just- I'm sorry. I wanted to call but I don't know the number for this place and I figured if you were with Steve and Eddie you would be fine for a bit without me."
Robin smiled. It was almost unnoticeable, but Nancy caught a glimpse of the crooked teeth and crinkled eyes. Oh.
"Here I was thinkin' you stood me up." It was a joke, Nancy knew it was, and she found herself smiling too. How could she not? Robin finally said something lighthearted for the first time in ten minutes. Nancy would do anything to hear her rambling in that moment, any sign of confirmation that she would be okay, but this was enough. For now.
Nancy sighed contently, knowing that Robin wasphysically okay, deciding that bringing up the bruised wrist was something that could wait. She didn't want to make the situation more stressful for the tired girl, and opted for shifting until she sat right by the blonde, shoulders nearly touching with each heavy breath Robin would take. The music was so distant now, coming from the floor below, with the closed bathroom door acting as a barrier. It was just the two of them in here, surrounded by the safety of the others presence.
The whispers that drunken teens exchanged never left Nancy's mind. The cruel things they said, the things she's heard about Robin so many times. Ever since sophomore year, ever since she danced with some girl (who Nancy cannot remember the name of) at a school dance. That, paired with Robin's choppy short hair, excessive amount of rings and - as some would describe it -boyish clothes, aided to students suspicions.
Nancy never asked, never planned to. She didn't participate in the rumors. On the contrary, she would send dirty looks to classmates on the occasion that they would whisper something about Robin being a lesbian. They usually usedother words to describe it, though Nancy didn't care to linger on them. They were foul, and the brunette didn't know how Robin stayed smiling and talkative through it all.
It's not that Nancydidn't suspect them to be true, she just didn't bother entertaining the thought. It wasn't her business, not unless Robin wanted it to be. So she kept quiet and pretended not to notice when Robin would talk about Molly Ringwald or Madonna.
Still, Nancy felt that it was time to address it somehow. At least briefly. Not for the sake ofknowing, because that wasn't the most important thing to discuss right now. She just wanted Robin to know that she would be there for her despite what was said, true or not.
"Everyone keeps saying these...Things about you, Robin. I don't know if you know about it- well, I'm sure you do, but- I'm just worried for you. I didn't know that... I didn't know things got this bad. I should have been here for you, and I'msorry."
"Nance-"
"No. I don't just mean tonight, I... I left you guys, I ignored all of you. That wasn't fair to anybody. I've been sodistant since... Since Vecna." The name caused Robin to lift her head, finally making eye contact with Nancy. She looked numb, devoid of emotion. Not the reaction Nancy expected after saying his name, but she pushed on anyways. "I just need you to know that I'm here for you now. I'm sorry that things have been tense lately. Again, that'smy fault. Just please know that you can come to me, okay? I care about you."
Robin blinked. Once, twice, the same neutral expression painting her face as Nancy stared at her with frantic, wide eyes, scared for whatever answer was yet to come.
"And here I was thinkingI talked a lot." Robin finally spoke, a playful smirk wiping away the lack of emotion on her features. Nancy scoffed and pushed Robin's shoulder slightly, allowing a hushed laugh to escape from the lump in her throat. The tension was lifting, as it had been their last few conversation. The clouds were clearing, making way, things were becoming normal again.
Things can be normal. At least, that's what Robin convinced herself. For just a moment, until the realization dawned on her: this isn't like spring break. Vecna is gone, the town is moving on, and to her knowledge the portals to the Upside Down are permanently sealed. She wants to be friends with Nancy, as close as they were becoming during the traumatic events, but they didn't have said events to pull them towards each other. This meant she would have to make an effort, have to try. She had to be consistently open, vulnerable, and be there for Nancy when she did the same.
Friendship washard, but a thought crossed Robin's mind. A first step to a new version of an old friendship, maybe. She wasn't scared that Nancy would react poorly, but it was still so difficult to get the words out. She never even said it to Steve, not when she first told him, and she couldn't bring herself to say it even now.
So, Robin eased into it.
"They're true." She rasped once the laughter settled and the silence returned. She knew it was abrupt, random, and probably really confusing. Still, she looked away, fiddling with her rings. Dash waslucky she punched him with her ring-free hand.
"What?" Nancy whispered, confusion lacing her voice. This was the chance for an opt out. Robin could backtrack, lie, say never mind. She could blame it on the booze, she could pretend it never happened. She could keep a part of herself hidden, try to build a friendship with Nancy without opening up.
But Robin already got in a fist fight, what's one more impulsive decision?
"The rumors. They're- I meant it when I said Steve and I are just friends. Platonic." Robin refused to look Nancy in the eyes as she revealed the truth, instead opting to pick at the fabric of the bathroom rug on her left. The rug was a pure white, unstained and soft. Normally textures like this would be unappealing to Robin. It wasfuzzy, thick. Highly unpractical for it's purpose to collect water whenever someone was done bathing but, in this moment, it grazed Robin's fingers and kept her body occupied enough to not have to face the girl beside her who had fallen quiet.
Nancy shuffled a little, inadvertently moving an inch or two away from Robin despite just meaning to sit more comfortably. In turn this caused Robin to tense, assuming Nancy was moving away from her because of the truth, because of what she said. The blonde couldn't help but frown and slowly face Nancy, expecting a myriad of things: Nancy looking disgusted, Nancy running away, Nancy spitting in her face, Nancy finishing what Dash couldn't.
Instead, she just stared back at Robin, lips pressed in a thin line and wide eyes searching the taller girls face.
"Oh." Nancy whispered after a moment, breath brushing Robin's face due to the proximity even despite Nancy accidentally putting an additional inch of space between them moments ago.
"Oh." Robin whispered in return, unable to fight a slight smile at the déjà vu she was getting right now, remembering Starcourt. Remembering Steve. Her smile was quickly wiped away when Steve crossed her mind. He left her, where did he go? Where did Eddie go? Did they plan this?It was illogical, Robin knew that. Her mind still wandered.
"Okay." Nancy nodded quickly, looking at the door in front of them. "Right."
"Nance, it's fine if you think it's...Weird." Robin began, knowing she was about to ramble but being powerless to stop it due to the nerves, the booze, the silence. "I don’t expect you to be okay with it, believe me! It'sfine if you want to leave and not talk to me anymore. I just… I dunno, you’re a really good friend and I love hanging out with you and if this ruins it all, I’m sorry. I can get out of your hair, I know not everyone will be as accepting as Steve and-"
"Wait, Steve knows?!"
"Uh,duh." Robin mumbled, biting back a laugh at the look on Nancy's face. Wide doe eyes, mouth agape, pureshock. "He's the first person I evertold. Like, intentionally at least."
"Intentionally?Who- who else knows?" Nancy asked, before quickly adding: "If you don't mind me asking, I mean. It's okay if you don't want to tell me."
"No, no, it's alright. Uhm... The first person to find out was actually Mr. Hauser. I never told him but when I kept rambling about Tammy Thompson during lunch periods he was able to tell because he's- er- and then I told Steve, like I said. Drugged at Starcourt by the Russians and it just kinda happened. I told Dustin too, which was something I didn't plan. He came in to Family Video and just kept insisting Steve and I were a thing so I got fed up with it and just told him Harrington isn't my type but if he had an older sister- anyways, he was confused cause he didn't know it was an option but he was fine with it. Obviously, I mean, he's Dustin. And then Max- well, I never told her but I think the little shit is more observant than we give her credit for. And now, well, now you know." By the end of Robin's rant, she was wringing her hands together in an anxious rhythm, looking everywhere in the bathroom that didn't include Nancy's eyes: bath towels, weird rug, the sink, tiled floor, random pictures of some beach that was meant for décor but Robin thought it was just stupid to hang up when they wereobviously taken by someone else. Probably sold for more than it's worth.
Nancy's finger suddenly pointed at something, an obvious gesture that Robin was forced to play along with despite the fear in her chest about Nancy's imminent reaction to the news. However when her eyes met what Nancy pointed at, she felt her face flush red.
She was wearing her goddamn red converse. The ones with doodles of women, incriminating sayings, and then the most obvious of all. The one thing Nancy read aloud.
"I won't go down in history but I'll go down on your sister?" Nancy read, holding back a laugh. "Damn Robin. That's pretty bold."
Robin let out a shaky laugh, pulling her knees up to her chest in an effort to get Nancy to look away from her shoes. It worked, but not without consequence, because now their eyes locked. The distance between the two was short; shoulders touching, faces inches away from each other. None of this helped calm Robin down. Sheneeded an answer, some sort of confirmation that Nancy was okay with all of this.
"I just want to clarify," Nancy whispers, shuffling so she now sat in front of Robin instead of by her side, "you aren't into Steve cause you aren't into guys, right? So that makes you..?" She pandered, obviously searching for a specific answer but not entirely wanting to force the information out of the blonde. If Robin told her to stop asking, Nancy would shut up instantly.
"A lesbian. Yeah, I'm... That's actually the first time I've said that." Robin whispered, a sad smile on her lips. Why hadn't she said that before? She'd made jokes with Steve where she called herself gay, but that was it. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it's okay." Nancy replied without hesitation, taking Robin's bruised hand in her own. The action was simple but it made Robin's heart swell. Nancy could still do these things without being weirded out. This was one for the books. But of course, leave it to Nancy Wheeler to become productive and ruin the moment. "I think it's time I take you home."
Robin sighed dramatically, head leaning back on the wall of the tub again. Nancy felt herself giggle at the theatric reaction, though it was abruptly cut off once her eyes caught sight of the scar that still painted the blondes neck.
Nancy adverted her eyes quickly and stood, deciding not to draw attention to the mark. Instead, she offered her hand and Robin graciously accepted. It took an awkward amount of grasping at the edge of the sink and Nancy's shoulder for Robin to steady herself, and even more time standing still in order to will herself not to vomit again, before nodding.
"Take me away, Wheeler."
Notes:
only took eight chapters but HEY RONANCE MOMENTS. and yes, if you caught it, holly wheeler is autistic in this + i love the idea of robin and holly being close. i will die on this hill i dont care.
as always, thanks so much for reading! comments are appreciated. have a great day :)
Chapter 9: disaster buckley
Summary:
Robin gets her bike back
Notes:
if you see any spelling errors no you didn't
Chapter Text
Nancy never felt that Robin's constant rambling and extreme clumsiness were annoying traits. In fact, it was quite the opposite. During spring break, a fog suffocated the Hawkins group, dragging them down into an endless spiral of fear, overthinking, sorrow. It was so hard to smile that entire week, even harder to sleep. Robin's rants and strange facts about practical effects in movies always helped Nancy smile a little more, during it all. It helped the entire group have these small, wonderful moments of peace. Of course it didn't last, with something always going wrong, but it was nice to remember how things could be once Vecna was gone.
So, no, Nancy never found Robin - or any of her unique traits - annoying. She found them endearing, comforting even. But at this very moment, she was about ready to rip her ears out.
It had taken Nancy a total of fifteen minutes to get Robin out of the bathroom, away from the party and into the car without anyone pointing them out. Mostly because they had to be sneaky and it was difficult due to Robin's drunken state, but also because she kept trying to escape Nancy's hold to find Steve. Nancy also wondered where the boy went, incredibly pissed on Robin's behalf for having abandoned her. She knew Robin wouldn't hold a grudge over her best friend for too long. The tall girl tended to be too forgiving, and while Nancy was endlessly grateful that Robin didn't hate her despite the brunette being so rude to her during the library trip, she felt that she deserved some form of punishment or harsh words spat her way. Some form of payback, but the freckled girl did no such thing.
Instead, Robin had just brushed it off and told Nancy it wasn't a big deal that she didn't like her at first. 'I know I talk a lot and it annoys people. My Mother reminds me daily, but if you can stand to listen to me talk for more than five seconds, I definitely can't hold a grudge against you'. It hurt Nancy to hear that at the time. Even now, she finds herself cringing at the memory. Robin brought up her Mother only three times since Nancy met her. Once in the library, talking about how her Mother reprimands her lack of social cues. The second, when Nancy apologized for being so rude to the blonde when theyofficially met (Nancy does not count Starcourt, they barely said a word to each other). Then there was the aftermath. The day after Vecna, the entire group snuck out when parents were asleep to meet at Steve's empty house and debrief. They made sure nobodyfelt him, and then asked around about parents reactions. Most of the answers wereangry, scared,relieved. When it got to Steve, he talked about how his Mother called and she sounded frantic, but his Dad didn't care. Didn't even bother to talk to him on the phone. They were on a work trip and didn't want to book an early flight back. When it got to Robin she brushed it off, saying 'My Mom never realizes when I'm not home, anyways. I'm not even sure if she knows I was gone all week!'
The group had laughed, taking it as a joke. And itwas, or at least Robin wanted to make it sound like one. But there was a flash of something in the tall girls eyes that Nancy noticed. She didn't laugh it off, just offered a worried smile in an attempt to make herself not stand out. She looked over to Steve and saw him looking at Robin with a face of concern as the group continued asking how everyone was.
So here Nancy was, driving down empty roads while Robin drunkenly babbled on and on about something that she couldn't really hear. She was far too annoyed, anyways. Not because of Robin's rambling per se, but because of the hiccups that occurred since the drive began.
Initially Nancy was going to drop Robin off at her trailer, maybe walk her to her bed and make sure she was okay before leaving. Robin agreed with the plan and they started making their way to said trailer, until she randomly shouted - literally shouted - that she needed her bike back, the bike she left in Nancy's trunk after their grocerytrip a few days prior. Nancy tried to insist that she could bring it to Robin the following night but the blonde kept arguing until Nancy finally caved. The main issue wasn't having to go from her house, to Robin's back to hers. It was that she was already halfway to Robin's place when she finally turned around. She lived in the opposite direction of the drunk teen, and it was admittedly frustrating. And then Robin began to just talk, andtalk and talk about things Nancy could not even hear because of the slurred speech. Normally she didn't mind her rambling, many times even enjoying the near-speeches, but it was getting on her nerves due to how the night has gone so far.
So when Nancy turned her head to tell Robin to be quiet for a moment, she was met with the sight of Robin smiling so damn wide while staring at the sky from the window, and it was then that Nancy tuned in to what the blonde said. It was slurred, but clear enough to understand with strained ears.
"Isn't it crazy Nancy? I mean stars areso fucking rad. Did- did you know most of the stars we can see at night are like, so much bigger and brighter than the sun! The fuckingsun, Nance! I used to think the sun was like, the brightest star ever, but no! Oh my god, did you know the sun is almost a perfect sphere-"
Nancy's eyes snapped forward, back to the road. She was suddenly okay with Robin's nearly-incoherent space facts, for some reason.
The drive carried on this way up until the pair reached the Wheeler house, Nancy parking the car alongside the nearest curb since they weren't going to be there long. The brunette twisted the key to turn the engine off, released a tension-filled sigh, and looked over to her right to make eye contact with the girl beside her.
Robin's eyes were half-lidded and she had a dopey grin displayed on her face, still babbling on about random facts and wowshe was even more talkative when she wasn't sober. If she thought she had no filter before, then this was something else entirely. Still, there was something solight about the way she ranted, and Nancy couldn't find it in herself to interrupt her, so she sat and listened until she was done two minutes later, before gesturing to her house to silently tell Robin that they arrived.
"Oh, right, right right right, we're here. Sorry." Robin spoke quickly, a sheepish smile on her face that forced a smile out of Nancy, too. Taking in the girls demeanor, speech and the bags under her eyes, Nancy knew she looked anything but sober. Plus the cut on her lip from the fight earlier wasn't exactly unnoticeable.
"Stay in the car while I run inside, if anyone wakes up and sees you they'll know you're drunk." Nancy stated simply, unbuckling her own seatbelt and opening the drivers side door. Robin released an exaggerated groan before shooting Nancy a thumbs-up and leaning her head back on the seat to close her eyes. Nancy allowed herself to breathe, thankful that Robin didn't put up a fight, and beelined to her front door.
Nancy knew Robin wasn't in a good enough headspace to be at her trailer by herself (along the way the blonde had mentioned her Mother not being home most nights and tonight was one of them), so she made the decision - without consoling the freckled girl though she doubts she would care - to stay over. Since they had to get Robin's bike anyways, the brunette figured she might as well run inside and get some clean clothes and her toothbrush. The front door unlocked easily, so Nancy silently slipped through and made her way upstairs.
Meanwhile, Robin got extremely bored within the first minute of waiting. Despite the cold weather and the passenger window being cracked open, it felt stuffy andhot in the small space, and she decided it wouldn't hurt to just stand by the car. So she quietly opened the passenger door and stepped out, closing it slowly to avoid Nancy hearing the car door shut. Robin was drunk, sure, but she still knew Nancy would scold her like a toddler if she got into trouble.
Robin leaned against the car and crossed her arms over her chest, looking around the dark neighborhood. The houses were nice, paired with nice front yards and mailboxes near the sidewalks. A few houses even had tiny playgrounds built from scratch, others had kiddie pools, some were lucky to contain both. Robin was never rich by any means, or even financially well-off when her Dad was still around, but the memory of once owning a kiddie pool made her heart swell. She wished she could go back to those simpler days.
Funnily enough Robin was now too cold, but the idea of gettingback in the car made her grimace. She was so bored and it wasso hot in the small space. Hot inside of the car, cold outside of the car, that only left one other option.
Surely Nancy wouldn't mind if Robin went inside and stood by the front door quietly, right? Right.
Robin let her feet carry her into the Wheeler house, the door still unlocked since Nancy went inside just moments ago. What did make Robin nervous, however, was the creaking of the door as she slowly shut it. It wasn'tthat loud, but in the silence of the large house it was nearly off-putting. The click of the door shutting sounded like a hollow thud, which made her wince. It was so quiet in there, save for Nancy's occasional footsteps upstairs. At least it was warm in the house. Not so warm and cramped that Robin felt like she was suffocating, but a comfortable kind of warm. It was nice. Her trailer was never this warm.
The light from the moon pouring in from a nearby window caused a glare on a framed picture on a nearby side table, which caught Robin's previously unplaced attention. It wouldn't hurt to look at a few pictures, surely. So, she did. She indulged herself, picking up the gleaming frame and scanning the picture. It was obviously taken a few years ago seeing as the Wheeler siblings looked young. Younger than now, at least. The more she looked at the picture, took in the appearances, she came to the conclusion that this was taken before. Before Vecna, before Starcourt.
Probably even before Will went missing.
Nancy looked like she smiled at the camera with her signature tight-lippedI'm not actually smiling smile. Hair hair wasn't permed, framing her heart-shaped face nicely and falling straight over her shoulders, pouring down her back. Her eye color - the piercing blue Robin was so used to - looked grey, likely from the quality of the camera. Mike also looked different, very different. He was so young in this picture that Robin almost mistook him for someone else. His hair was shorter but more wild, sticking out in random directions. His smile was wide (something Robinnever saw), and he was shorter than Nancy by a good foot or two. Holly was also in the picture, but she was practically just a baby. Mrs. Wheeler (or, who Robin assumed was Mrs. Wheeler, she never met the woman) held Holly in her arms and her free hand lay on her sons shoulder. Mr. Wheeler (who Robin also never met) wasn't in the picture, so she had to assume he was behind the camera.
After looking at the image for probably a minute longer than acceptable, Robin set it back where it initially was and looked around. Her eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting that came from the moon, now able to tell that she was just a few feet away from the living room couch. She looked to her left, her right, and spotted the kitchen and the stairs.
Surely it wouldn't hurt if she got water right? She was still in the clear. Nobody heard her, Nancy wouldn't have to know she came inside if she made it quick.
So she did. Nancy was taking forever anyways (she wasn't, it had been only two minutes), so if she got mad at Robin, the blonde would just point the blame on the shorter of the two for taking her time.
Robin made it into the kitchen with heavy, lazy footsteps, and began raiding the cabinets for a cup. She found one on her fourth try, a plastic cup with the design of blindingly bright colors and cartoon characters. It was childish but the safest option. If Robin were to drop it, it was justplastic, so it wouldn't be a big deal. She couldn't imagine breaking a glass cup and waking the family up, and she especially couldn't imagine Nancy getting upset at her for it. She shivered and closed the cabinet, filling the plastic cup up with tap water and taking a heavy swig.
Robin repeated the action a few times, refilling the cup and gulping down the contents before she was eventually satisfied and set it in the sink. She had a lopsided grin on her face despite being alone, just extremely happy to have had some water for the first time in what felt like ages. Her throat still burned from earlier, but the lukewarm water soothed the sting enough for the unpleasant sensation to not be so obvious.
Robin's smile dropped the second she spotted a figure a few feet away from her.
The woman standing there was unmistakably Nancy's Mom, though she looked different than she did in the picture. Her hair was no longer straight or brown, but blonde and heavily permed. With the lack of styling it was frizzy, pulled back and held together with a hair tie. She was in a long night gown and fuzzy slippers, and even despite the tiredness on her features, she offered Robin a cautious smile and a wave.
Robin knew where Nancy got her looks from.
"Oh! Uh, hey, hi! Hi, sorry, 'm Robin. Buckley. Robin Buckley." Robin began, standing stiff and becoming far too aware of her arms that hang by her side awkwardly. She opted to play with the collar of her shirt while talking sing she didn't have her rings on. "Nancy's friend. A friend of Nancy's. Sorry, I just needed water. Yeah, just water. I can- uh-" Robin took a step away from Mrs. Wheeler in a lame attempt to walk to the front door, but she was stopped by the older woman, who looked more awake now because of Robin's short rambling session. Robin forgot about her busted lip and bruising cheek, unaware that Karen took a mental note of her harsh physical state.
"Hi, Robin." Karen's smile softened and she offered Robin a handshake. The tall teen hesitantly accepted, trying to keep enough distance so the stench of beer wouldn't be obvious to Mrs. Wheeler. It was, but luckily she didn't say anything about it.
"Sorry for - well, you know - being here without like, asking or anything. Nancy had to get something upstairs and-" Robin realized ahead of time she was about to talk too much too quickly, and stopped herself. "-anyways, you have a lovely home, Mrs. Wheeler." Flattery, works like a charm right?
Karen laughed softly and put a hand on Robin's shoulder as a form of reassurance. It worked like a charm too well, Robin thought, face heating up.
"Thank you dear, but you can call me Karen." The older woman's hand fell from her shoulder. Robin felt herself relax once it did, suddenly unable to find any words to respond with. Instead she offered a quick nod, eyes wide and looking anywhere but at Karen, mentally scolding herself for her awkward demeanor.
Karen walked past Robin and opened the fridge, pulling out a mug ofsomething and taking a hefty sip, letting the fridge door close on it's own. She held the mug with both hands before speaking again.
"I'm assuming you met Nancy at school? I've heard about you a few times from her, but only recently."
"Oh, yeah. We met... In class. We have an AP Lit class together, and she helped me with an assignment." Robin lied. The true story of how they met was far too complicated to touch upon, especially in the middle of the night while drunk.
"That's wonderful." Karen said softly, taking another sip of the drink in her hands before continuing. "Nancy hasn't brought any girl friends around since... Well, it's just been a while."
Robin opened her mouth to ask what she meant, beforeremembering.
Barb.
Robin knew Barb, way back when. Quite well actually. They grew up together, used to be extremely close. That is, until high school started, and they naturally drifted apart. Robin joined the band and became enamored with people likeTammy Thompson, while Barb befriended Nancy and fell into a different crowd. It wasn't something that was necessarilybad, but Robin never forgave herself for losing her friendship with the girl. Especially when she was told whatreally happened to her wasn't some sickness caused by Hawkins lab, but rather the same fate far too many Hawkins citizens have gone through. Death by interdimensional monsters.Typical.
The freckled girl opened her mouth to respond to the woman, wanting to say something along the lines of I'm glad we're friends or I won't leave her like her other friends did, but the sound of footsteps making their way downstairs snapped her attention away from Mrs. Wheeler, and instead her eyes focused on Nancy quickly making her way over and oh she looked kind of upset.
Robin suddenly remembered she wassupposed to be in the car.
"Hey Nance!" Robin said a little too loudly, causing Nancy to facepalm and Karen to look a little taken aback. The smile on her face only grew now, as if she was having some kind of comical realization. She could only pray that Mrs. Wheeler didn't pick up on the fact that she's very much drunk ( she did ). "Sorry, I know I was s'posed to stay in the car but, uh, I got thirsty."
"Right." Nancy said a little to cheerily, eyes wide and scolding. Robin knew she was definitely going to be in trouble once they left to head to her trailer. Robin looked away from Nancy's gaze, and focused on her shoes instead. Her silly red converse- oh shit, Mrs. Wheeler definitely saw them. How could she not? They stood out - being red and obviously drawn on - with Robin's otherwise tame outfit. The blonde knew Nancy's parents were...Unlike Nancy. She had seen the Reagan yard signs whenever she passed their house a year or two ago. If Karen noticed, why didn't she say anything?
The tall girl ignored the lingering thought, deciding to focus anywhere but Nancy, who was now conversing with Karen. Robin couldn't hear them, though. Didn't need to. She likely wouldn't contribute much to the conversation anyways. Funny, usually she did nothingbut talk. Now she couldn't get a word out, mindlessly looking at the drawings on her shoes. She needed to touch-up a few of them when she was sober. Hopefully she would remember.
"Right, Robin?" Nancy's voice got a little louder when she said it, likely realizing Robin was in her own world and deciding to speak up to snap her out of it. Unfortunately Robin hadn't paid attention toany of it, and just nodded sharply, hoping she was making the right choice. Nancy seemed to relax a little once she did, and Karen offered a small smile and bid the two goodnight before heading to her room. Right choice.
The two of them remained standing in the quiet until the sound of Nancy's parents bedroom door clicking shut confirmed that they were not alone. The moment that door closed, Nancy snatched the small bag of clothes she was bringing, as well as Robin's hand, and pulled the taller girl to the front door without saying a single thing. Robin desperately tried to follow along, but her big feet and lanky legs made her walk like a deer on ice, catching herself every few seconds when Nancy would speed up to get them out of there before another Wheeler decided to come downstairs.
Robin onlyreally fell one time, but recovered before Nancy even noticed.
Nancy finally let go of the blondes hand when they reached the front door, opting to pull the door open and head outside. Robin beelined to where her bike sat on the front porch, lugging it over to the trunk of Nancy's car without exchanging words with the girl, who seemed annoyed that the pair almost got caught doing nothing. Well, Robin was drunk, sure, but nobody was going to call the cops on an eighteen year old going to a party. Especially because those same cops were likely doing the same thing when they were that age.
After a grueling ten seconds of shoving the bike in the back seat, Robin finally made her way over and sat in the passenger seat of the car, shutting her door at the same time as Nancy.
It was quiet, for a moment. Tense, obviously. The two just stared ahead, the key not in the ignition. The quiet was alright for a bit, but eventually it became too much for Robin's frantic mind, and she said the first thing she thought of that would ease the tension.
"Your Mom is hot."
Robin looked to Nancy just in time to see her face slowly morph into a terror-filled expression once the words processed. She couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter, to the point of wheezing. Nancy was left sputtering and trying to get Robin to shut up. She failed.
"Robin!That's myMother! What the fuck?!"
"I'm sorry! I'msorrybut- but sheis!I'm just stating a fact!"
"Ew, stop it!" Nancy shouted, lighting shoving Robin in the shoulder and biting back her own growing need to join in. Robin was sent into another fit of hysterical laughter, clutching the clothing around her stomach and spouting nonsense that was along the lines of 'I'm laughing so hard I'm going to vomit... Again!'Nancy eventually got dragged into joining the contagious giggles that stemmed from Robin's reaction to Nancy's. And just like that the tension was gone. "If you ever call my Mom hot again I'm going to toss your bike in the quarry."
"Why? You jealous?" Robin said without thinking, or possibly it was a rare confidence boost from the remaining alcohol in her system. Regardless, she didn't seem to really process her own words, completely unfazed when Nancy's cheeks tinted a barely noticeable pink and she finally put the key in the ignition, turning it to start the car. The vehicle rumbled to life, sputtering once or twice before jolting out of the driveway. Robin knew this car was beat up a bit because of spring break, yet to be repaired. It was unlike Nancy not to be on top of something like that.
"You're impossible, Buckley." Nancy huffs out, looking straight at the road ahead despite feeling Robin's eyes on her. Not in any suggestive way, of course. She looked at the brunette with pure confusion. Robin couldn't understand anything about Nancy Wheeler. She was an enigma, which was funny for Robin to think because of her own social struggles and reputation. If anything Robin should be the strange one of the two: the unfathomable, impossible to understand, enigma. But no, she had to give that title to Nancy Wheeler, because the brunette seemed to never voice what the fuck she's thinking. She just hopes people pick up on it, or drop it. Call it poor communication skills if you'd like, but Robin only thought of it was pure stubbornness.
She finally looked away from Nancy in favor of fiddling with her hands, which were still dirty from the party. The memories come flooding in once a spot of blood is found on the knuckle of her middle finger, a gruesome taunt that made her head buzz in an unpleasant way. Steve should have been there. She can't stop thinking about it, can't bring herself to think of any rational scenarios. So many things could have happened; Steve or Eddie could have thrown up or felt sick and went to an upstairs bathroom to care for the other, maybe they got forced into one of the dumb drinking games, maybe there was a family emergency theysomehow heard about only when Robin was in the bathroom. There had to besome reason they left her there despite promising they wouldn't.
It better be a good damn reason.
Robin had every right to be annoyed, angry. She usually let things brush over her, ignored when other people did things that upset her, but this was different. This was something she would remember when sober, getting in a fight with fuckingDash and practically getting outed (she still didn't know if people would take Dash's words seriously or not, only time would tell). The thought of returning to school and everyone knowing caused a wave of nausea to ripple through Robin. She knew she couldn't hold it back, and opted to wave her hands frantically at Nancy and bite her bottom lip to keep her mouth closed until Nancy finally got the hint and pulled over to the side of the road.
The passenger door swung open and Robin was barely able to get the top half of her body out before releasing on the asphalt. It was a small amount, and ended almost as quickly as it began, but it served as a painful reminder of the situation the two were in and what it would mean when they arrived at Robin's trailer. What they would have to talk about. Nancy would most definitely bring up Steve and Eddie, and boy Robin was scared for them. Despite her own anger, she knew Nancy was pissed at them, and they're completely at fault for pissing off the oldest Wheeler sibling. God help anyone who ticks her off.
The blonde wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before sitting fully back into the passenger seat and shutting the door. She tried to ignore the foul taste and the increasing strain on her throat thick black vines tightening around her neck and shot Nancy a toothy smile, as if to prove she was alright. Of course she didn't buy it, but drove forward anyways, knowing the quicker they got to the trailer the quicker the drunk girl could sleep it off.
"You know," Robin slurred, letting her head rest against the passenger window, yawning loudly, "you look a lot like your Mom."
Robin dozed off for the rest of the ride after that, and it was a good thing she did, since Nancy found herself driving silently with acompletely red face.