Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Robin Buckley is exhausted.

Everything hurts. She feels as though her body is being weighed down by bricks, dragging herself along. There’s a sharp pain burning in her side with every breath, worsening as her adrenaline fades.

She slumps against a parked car, eyes fixed on the burning mall.

What in the actual fuck just happened.

Robin seriously contemplates whether or not this was just an insane dream, because how else could the past 48 hours make any sense. She goes as far as to pinch herself, which doesn’t provide any clarification of whether or not she’s actually awake. The rest of her hurts too much to even feel the pinch.

Robin thinks about what it would be like trying to explain this to her parents. She laughs to herself, because the thought is crazy.

“ Oh hey guys, sorry I’ve been MIA since I left for work two days ago. I got caught up investigating some evil Russians with Steve Harrington and two literal children. Turns out they had a whole operation under the mall and I also sort of got kidnapped for a little bit! Don’t worry though, the middle schooler and his 10 year old sidekick rescued me. Unfortunately once we were free we had to help another child, with super powers, fight a giant spider monster from another world. Which consequently caused the mall to burn down around us.”

“I’m fine though!”

Not that they’d care if she wasn’t.

All of this alongside Nancy Wheeler, of all people.

Surely that alone is proof enough that it was a dream.

The piece of the story Robin is having the most trouble believing, is that this had occurred in Hawkins.

The same Hawkins that she had spent years dreaming of escaping. A town where nothing ever happened, where people spent their whole mundane lives trapped in domesticity.

There was an aspect of Hawkins that Robin referred to as the Hawkin’s monster. An invisible force that hunted anyone who stepped outside the mold of “normal”. Anyone bold enough to be different.

The Hawkin’s monster was a metaphorical monster, at least Robin thought it was. The monsters she’d just fought, however, were very real.

Maybe the Hawkin’s monster has been real all along.

The thought makes Robin’s head spin - or maybe that was just the concussion.

She scans the chaotic parking lot, looking for Steve. Lights flash from several police cars, officers everywhere. There’s an ambulance parked across from her, another pulling in.

Robin recognizes Max Mayfield, sitting on a gurney alone. She doesn’t know her, not really. Max had moved in down the road from Robin’s house last year, along with her older brother Billy. Billy, Robin did have the misfortune of interacting with.
He was an asshole. Not your average run of the mill asshole either, Billy was something else entirely. She’d seen him beat up countless other students, preying on the most vulnerable. But it wasn’t just that he was a bully.

No.

It was the way Billy smiled when he hurt someone. Laughing with every strike, genuinely elated to see them writhing on the ground beneath him.

Robin made a point to avoid him, knowing that she was probably exactly the type of target he was looking for. Scrawny band nerd.

A scrawny band nerd, that people already spread rumors about. That she was infected, a poison to be eradicated.

That she was gay.

D*ke.

Max was one of Steve’s gaggle of children that came into Scoops Ahoy constantly. Sometimes to sneak into movies, other times just to hang out.

There was a haunted look in Max’s eyes some days when she came in. A look that Robin knew all too well. Sometimes Robin would catch a glimpse of a hand shaped bruise on the girls arms, Max would tug down her sleeves to hide them.

There was no doubt in Robin’s mind that Max’s bruises, and guarded demeanor, were connected to Billy Hargrove.

But now, Billy Hargrove is dead.

Max is staring ahead blankly, her face unreadable.

Before she can think twice about it, Robin is hauling herself up, and walking over to the girl. Her ribs scream in protest, and can no longer stand up all the way. Hunched over slightly, she wraps an arm around her side and approaches the Max cautiously.

“ Mind if I sit?” Robin asks hesitantly.

Max just shrugs, looking up at Robin after a moment and nodding wordlessly. She returns to her vacant stare.

Robin climbs up next to her, wincing hard at the motion. Max shoots her a questioning look.

Now Robin shrugs. Max seems to accept this, facing forward again. Despite her catatonic like state, Robin could see the way the younger girl was shaking. Her eyes glistened, and her lower lip was trembling.
Robin contemplates if she should say something. She has never been good at knowing what to say. Even in normal conversations, let alone now.

What could I possibly say that would make the fact that she had just watched her abusive brother be murdered right in front of her.

So Robin doesn’t say anything. Instead, she places a hand tentatively on Max’s arm, giving her the chance to pull away if she wants.

To Robin’s surprise, Max doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans into Robin, resting her head on her shoulder. Robin wraps an arm around her instinctively. She can feel Max’s hot tears wetting her shoulder, not sobbing, just a silent stream of tears. They don’t talk, they just stay there, watching the world burn together.

At some point, Mrs. Byers walks over to where Robin and Max are sitting. Max was still slumped against Robin, eyes closed but still trembling slightly.

“ Max?” The woman says softly, stroking Max’s hair gently when she doesn’t get a response.

Max’s eyes fly open with a flinch, sitting up abruptly. She wipes her eyes furiously.

Joyce winces, “ Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just going to offer you a ride home.”

“ Home,” Max repeats, like she was contemplating the word.

“ You can come home with us if you’d like, I’m sure Will would be happy to have you stay over,” Joyce replied, seemingly sensing that Max did not want to go home.

Max says nothing, but complies. She allows herself to be pulled to her feet, and for Joyce to place her arm around her shoulders.

As they turn to leave Joyce pauses, “ Robin..was it? Did you need a ride home honey?”

“ Oh. Uh, no. No I’m fine, thank you Mrs.Byers,” Robin replies.

Joyce gives her an unsure look, but nods and left with that.

Now Robin is alone.

The pain in her ribs increased substantially, breathing starting to become agonizing. Every movement sending a flash of blinding pain through her side, making her vision blue at the edges. Most of all she is tired, so incredibly tired.

Steve finally appearers in front of her, and the relief crashes into her like a train. All of the air seems to have been sucked out of her body, and she begins to tremble.

“ Robin?” Steve says softly, “ Are you okay?”

He sits next to her, his gentle hand resting on her lower back.

Robin opens her mouth to respond, but finds that no words will come out. Instead, a violent sob rips through her.

Steve pulls her close without hesitation, “ Hey- it’s okay. We’re safe Robin, it’s over,” he whispers into her hair.

Under any other circumstances, being held by Steve “the hair” Harrington would be incredibly weird. Now though, Robin clings to him desperately.

Now that the gates were open, all of the events of the last two days flood into Robin’s mind. She can’t breathe, and the sobs wracking her body are making the burning pain in ribs unbearable.

Steve pulls back a little, still keeping her close.

“ Woah, breathe Robin,” his voice cracks with worry, “ We’re safe, just breathe okay?”

Robin tries, but she is far past the point of return. She gasps for air, crying out in pain as she does.

Steve realizes he is out of his depth, shouting that he needs help.

“ It’s okay Robin, you’re gonna be fine just stay with me okay? Just breathe Robin, please,” Steve pleads.

Robin wants to assure him that she is fine, but her vision is rapidly darkening around the edges. Her thoughts feel distant and jumbled, and her ears were ringing. So loud.

The lights keep dimming, darker and darker. Until finally, they go out completely.

Robin slowly comes into consciousness, the first thing she notices is the pain. Her body feels heavy, like all of her muscles are weak from exertion. She blinks her eyes open, the harsh fluorescent lights making her temples throb. As her vision comes into focus, She notices a girl sitting in the chair beside her.

Nancy Wheeler?

What is Nancy Wheeler doing here?

“ Wheeler?” Robin rasps.

“ Hey,” Nancy says, standing up and coming to her bedside.

Bedside?

Am I in a hospital?

Memories trickle back into Robin’s mind.

Oh.

“How are you feeling?” Nancy asks softly.

“I uh, I’ve been better,” Robin starts, leaning forward to sit up and immediately being met with a searing white hot pain in her chest, muscles seizing and tightening like a vice. She gasps.

“Easy,” Nancy says, wincing.

“Your ribs are broken, try not to move too much,” Nancy says softly, carefully guiding Robin back down against the bed.

She takes Robin's hand, running her other hand up and down Robin's arm slowly, comforting. Robin struggles to catch her breath.

“ You’re alright, try to breathe through it if you can. I know it must hurt,” Nancy comforts.

“ Fuck,” Robin breathes out after the blinding pain finally lets up into something slightly more tolerable. Pain still shooting through her ribs with every breath

“ You okay?” Nancy asks, very concerned.

“ Mhm,” Robin closes her eyes for a moment, then meets Nancy gaze.

Looking at her now, Robin realizes that Nancy Wheeler is not at all who she thought she was.

“ Have you...ever been in love?”

“ Yep. Nancy Wheeler.”

“ Oh my god. She’s such a priss.”

“ Turns out, not really.”

Steve was right. The Nancy she met last night, the monster fighter, left Robin unable to look away. She was fearless, seemingly willing to burn the world down to protect her family.

She also… wielded a gun?

Standing at the side of Robin’s hospital bed, holding her hand, is a version of Nancy Robin has never seen.

Her expression is so soft. So warm. So raw. The concern painted across her features is so genuine, Robin thinks she could cry just from looking at her. Something about her touch, her voice, grounds Robin. Her presence is a comfort like nothing Robin has ever felt.

Seriously- What is she doing here?

“ Do you remember what happened?” Nancy asks quietly.

“ LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARDS!” Robin yelled, trying desperately to free herself from the iron grip of the Russian guard who was shoving her into a small room.

She hit the concrete floor with a groan, struggling to her knees.

Two guards filed in, along with the man she assumed to be the general, shutting the door behind them.

The general took her face in his massive hand, tipping her chin up towards him. She squirmed under his touch, but the binds on her hands and feet made it impossible to get away.

“ You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you?” He said with an amused smile.

“ Go. To. Hell,” Robin growled.

His expression hardened.

A sudden force struck her across the face, knocking her to the ground. Pain exploded through her cheek, leaving her eyes hot with the threat of tears.

“ We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he chirped, “ I’ll ask you again, who do you work for?”

“ Jesus Christ! We already told you, I work for Scoops Ahoy. I scoop ice cream for six hours and barely make minimum wage!” Robin exclaimed.

He clicked his tongue, “ mmm unfortunately for you that is not the answer we’re looking for.”

“ It’s the truth! Why would I lie abo-” Robin’s pleading was cut off by a sharp kick to her ribs, expelling the air from her lungs.

She cried out in pain, curling up in attempt to shield herself.

“ Last chance, who do you work for?” He spat.

“ Scoops Ahoy,” Robin whimpered, bracing for the next impact.

The next strike was so forceful that she was rolled onto her back. She was certain she had heard a crack. She gasped for air, drawing in fast shallow breaths frantically.

“ I think we’ll have to go see what your boyfriend has to say, maybe he’ll give us some answers.”

Boyfriend?

Steve.

“ Leave him alone,” Robin cried.

The general raised his boot and stomped down hard on her chest. Robin screamed in agony.

The door slammed shut, and she was alone.

“ Kinda hard to forget,” Robin jokes humorously, “ I remember sitting with Max and Steve walking over... oh my god. Steve. Is he okay?! Where is he?! Is he-“

“ Robin,” Nancy cuts off her spiral, “Breathe. Steve’s okay. They’re keeping him overnight because he has a concussion but he’s going to be okay.”

Robin still has an unsure look in her eyes, the panic still in there.

“ He’s safe Robin. You’re both safe. He’s been asking about you since we got here,” Nancy strokes her hand up and down Robin’s arm reassuringly.

It helps, Robin relaxes under her touch.

Genuinely, What is happening right now?

“Me?”

Nancy chuckles, “Yeah, you. You passed out while you were talking to Steve.”

“ Oh.”

“ The doctors said you have five broken ribs, and a concussion,” Nancy says with a grimace.

“ Yeah I… feel that,” Robin groans.

She hesitated then spoke again, “What are you doing here?”

“ I didn’t want you to wake up alone. I told Steve I’d stay with you until your parents came,” Nancy answers, as though it makes perfect sense.

As though they’d spoken more than five words to each other before now.

“Little Miss Perfect” Nancy Wheeler- top of class, softball legend, did not waste time talking to Robin Buckley.

“Princess” Nancy Wheeler- who went out with “King Steve” Harrington, doesn’t know Robin Buckley exists.

Robin chuckles softly, wincing in pain, “let me guess- they haven’t showed up?”

“The doctors are trying to reach them…but no they haven’t answered yet.”

“ Yeah that tracks,” Robin murmurs.

Nancy’s hand is still entwined with Robin’s, they’re quiet for a moment before Nancy breaks the silence.

“ Robin, I want to apologize- for earlier.”

“ For what?” Robin asks quizzically.

“ I asked who you were, and I was kind of a bitch about it…,” Nancy admits.

“ Who’s El?”

“I’m sorry- who are you?”

“…I’m Robin.”

“ Oh. It’s fine really.. it wasn’t a big deal,” Robin stutters, suddenly nervous.

“ No it’s not,” Nancy says, very serious now, “ I know who you are Robin. We’ve been going to school together since kindergarten. You used to be friends with Barb, she talked about you all the time...”

Robin’s heart skips in her chest.

Nancy rambles on, “ I don’t know why I said that. I meant to ask what you were doing there- Not that I didn’t want you there… I was just scared and-”

“ Nancy,” Robin cuts her off, “ It’s okay, seriously. I believe you.”

Nancy exhales, “ Good.”

Robin’s eyelids feel heavy all of a sudden, exhaustion washing over her in a wave.

“ I should go, You need to rest,” Nancy says softly with a smile.

Stay.

“ I can come back in the morning.. if you want me to.”

I don’t even know you.

Please come back.

“ Yes,” Robin says too quickly, “ I- I mean if you aren’t busy.”

“ I’ll be here,” Nancy promises.

but why?

Then, she does the strangest thing Robin could have imagined.

She leans in and kisses her on the forehead.

Casual. Tender.

I’m dreaming. This must be some sort of crazy fever dream.

Heat flushes into Robin’s cheeks, her breath catching involuntarily.

She really hopes Nancy didn’t notice.

“ Sleep well, Robin.”

The world has officially turned upside down.