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Robin Buckley felt like she was about to lose her damn mind. Here she was, on the disgusting bathroom floor of Starcourt mall, baring her soul to Steve Harrington, of all people.
A couple of months working together had proven that he wasn’t the person she had assumed him to be. A bit dumb, sure, but just as much of a nerd as anyone else. Robin wanted to continue hating him, but he made it so hard once she got to know him.
And now, here she was, confessing her biggest secret to him because they were probably about to die. What did she have to lose?
“But, Tammy Thompson’s a girl?” Steve questions, confusion painting his features.
“Steve…,” she whispers.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
And then Steve Harrington is doing the world's worst impression of a muppet and Robin Buckley is peeing her pants (just a little bit!) for the second time that night.
The room is getting warmer and they can see flames dancing outside the bathroom, the light shifting under the door, colouring the room in reds and oranges. They’re about to die, and they’re laughing.
It’s so hot. It’s so surreal. Steve is reaching for her hand and their fingers intertwine. Tears stream down her face as she prays to a God she doesn’t believe in. A God she promises to worship if they somehow make it out of this alive. She knows they won’t, and even if they did it’s a promise she can’t keep, but she’s desperate.
Robin Buckley is only 17 years old and she wants to live.
Steve Harrington is only 18 years old and she wants him to live.
Robin has finally met someone who understands her, and it’s Steve Harrington of all people, and they’re both going to die in a mall fire before their friendship even has a chance.
Panic claws its way up her chest and shreds her throat as it tries to flee from her body. It wants out. It tightens and twists inside of her until she starts quietly gasping for air.
Steve looks over at her, calmly begins stroking the side of their still intertwined hands with his thumb, and says the most insane thing she’s ever heard, “You know. I can’t really make fun of you for having bad taste, I’m kind of in love with Eddie Munson.”
The panic shifts over to make room for the utter astonishment and bubbling laughter that threaten to burst out of her. A giggle escapes. And then another. And then she’s hiccuping at the absurdity of the entire situation and chokes on a laugh, “You hic Steve Harrington hic are hic in love with hic Eddie “The Freak” Munson?”
Steve’s smile is dopey, and Robin thinks she might love him, “Yeah,” he sighs.
Robin's brain is malfunctioning, her entire world has been put upside down, “Holy shit.”
“Holy shit,” he echoes.
Their eyes meet and Robin notices the fear he’s trying to mask, lingering in the depths of his eyes and pulling at the corner of his mouth, and yeah, she definitely loves him. She gives him the widest smile she can bear and his eyes light up as she yanks him into a crushing hug.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I’m not alone, she thinks.
“Scoops Troop for life, right?” He murmurs into her hair.
“Are we going to die here?” Her voice cracks and Steve closes his eyes as he presses a kiss onto her scalp.
It’s warm enough now that Robin’s uniform is sticking to her body and she can feel as beads of sweat drip down her back. Steve’s hand is damp in her own, and she would be grossed out by the feeling any other time but, right now, she craves the reassurance that she’s not alone.
The air is thick with smoke, and Steve hesitates before slumping against the wall of the bathroom stall, “Probably.”
Robin closes her eyes, “I hope those kids got out, at least.”
Steve hums, “Maybe they got help.” It’s wishful thinking, but it’s all they have.
Robin struggles to get a full breath, starting to feel faint, “What are you going to do if we get out?”
Steve is quiet for a moment, “I’m going to tell the people I love that I love them.”
“Even Eddie Munson?”
“Especially him,” Steve’s smile is sad, “what about you?”
“I’m going to take a shower,” Steve snorts at her, “and then, I want to live.”
The heat is unbearable now, and the air is dense as plumes of smoke creep in from under the door. Something clatters outside, a beam falling, or a storefront window exploding, it’s hard to tell. She wonders, briefly, if there’s anyone else left in the mall, or if it was just them and two of the kids Steve babysits who were unfortunate enough to be stuck after closing. She wonders how the fire even started in the first place. Fleetingly, she wonders if this is a punishment of some sort. For what, she isn’t sure.
“Robin?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I love you.”
Her heart swells and her eyes fill with tears, “I think I love you too, dingus.”
“I’m tired now, Rob,” Steve yawns.
The tears fall down Robin’s cheeks and she swipes at them with her free hand, “Me too.”
She shifts closer to Steve, curling into his side, and he grips her hand tighter.
Neither notice the growing commotion outside the bathroom as they lean into each other for support. Steve passes out first and Robin is about to follow when the door bursts open and a group of firefighters appear. She blinks up at them, failing to register what’s happening except for the fact that they’re grabbing her and Steve and trying to separate them.
Steve’s head lolls to the side as one of the men picks him up like he weighs nothing, and Robin panics, reaching for him. The world goes black around her, as their surroundings smolder, charred from the now extinguished fire.
She comes to with a scream on her lips, her breath fogging up the oxygen mask, in the back of an ambulance in the parking lot of Starcourt mall.
Robin’s eyes sting from the smoke, and her throat is sore, but none of that matters as she looks for her friend. Exactly five seconds later, she settles, spotting Steve on a stretcher next to her as he waves lazily and breathes in and out of his own ventilator.
The chief of police stands next to him, a hand clasped on his shoulder, and worry on his face as he watches the boy.
Against her better judgment, and paramedic advice, Robin pulls the mask off and jumps off the stretcher. Wobbling like a newborn foal, she stabilizes herself, waving off the paramedic, before running the few short steps to Steve and wrapping her arms around him. Steve pulls her in tight and she sniffles into his shoulder.
“Hi, dingus,” she murmurs, voice raspy.
“Hi,” he whispers back, his own voice sounding raw.
They separate, and Robin glances awkwardly at Chief Hopper. He's a gruff looking man and authority figures tend to make Robin feel a bit uneasy.
Steve seems to notice, and he gives her a weak smile, “Hop, this is Robin. Robin, this is my-,” Steve coughs, “Hop. This is Hop.”
Hopper sucks in a breath, and Steve looks a bit shy. The gruffness is gone, replaced with fondness, as Hopper extends a hand to Robin.
“Heard a lot about you kid.”
Robin just nods, confused but unable to process much of anything after the recent trauma. Hopper's grip is comforting, not too firm.
A shout startles her, and she jumps to see a young girl with short hair and a very loud outfit running towards them.
“Steve!” The girl advances and Hopper quickly intervenes before she can tackle him.
“Gentle,” he quietly rumbles, patting the girl on the head.
Robin recognizes her as one of the kids that would often come into the store. El, she thinks she remembers her name being.
“Hi Ellie,” the girl grips Steve as he presses a quick kiss to her head before wincing from the movement.
“Are you okay?” The girl's brown eyes are impossibly wide as she checks over Steve. She notices Robin and pulls back and grows quiet.
“Hi,” Robin awkwardly waves, shifting back and forth.
“Hello,” she simply says, before turning back to Steve and hugging him, “You scared us. We couldn’t find you when the alarms went off.”
El clings to him and Robin feels as though she’s intruding as Steve murmurs into her ear and rubs her back.
A paramedic wanders over to talk to Chief Hopper, telling him they want to take Steve and Robin, and a few others, back to the hospital to look them over.
Robin tenses and Steve, despite her not being in his immediate line of vision, notices and gives her a soft smile before extending the hand that isn’t comforting El. She grabs the offered hand and squeezes. Steve pulls her in closer as Hopper turns to them.
He explains the testing they want to do at the hospital and Steve shifts uncomfortably.
“You going to be okay in the ambulance alone, kid? I’m going to have to drive on over, but I’ll be right behind you.”
“Can’t I go with him?” El interjects, refusing to let go.
Hopper looks like he’s going to refuse but El widens her eyes and pouts and he caves so quickly that Robin would laugh if she didn’t think it might hurt.
He nods and turns to Robin, “How about you?”
“Yeah,” she rasps. She doesn’t want to go alone but, well, she doubts they’d let her go with Steve if they want to run tests on them both.
Steve tightens his hold on her hand and she squeezes back in reassurance.
“Alright, you got anyone you want me to call? Parents?”
Robin nods as Hopper pulls out a notepad, rattling off her home number and parents' names.
Steve opens his mouth and Hopper gives him a look, “Don’t worry, kid. Already got your,” he glances at Robin so quickly that she almost misses it, “Friends number memorized.”
“Thanks, d-,” Steve clears his throat, “Hop.”
Hopper gives him a soft look, “Always, kid.”
The paramedics return and Robin is escorted back to her own stretcher. She watches as the Chief of Police murmurs something to Steve before pulling him and El in for a hug. It looks like such a familiar action that it makes Robin wish her parents were here with her.
Steve waves at her as they get loaded into their respective ambulances and she waves back, her heart speeding up as the doors close and her view of the outside world is taken away.
They’ve been at the hospital for about half an hour, thankfully placed in the same examination room, when a chaotic flurry of hair and flannel bursts into the room.
“Steve? Oh my god, baby, are you-“ Eddie notices Robin and goes rigid, his mouth flaps open and shut uselessly for ten excruciating seconds before Steve takes pity on him.
“It’s okay, she knows,” Steve smiles.
She did not know, but Eddie Munson looks more terrified than she’s ever seen so she just nods and offers him a gentle smile, eyes flicking between the two of them in awe.
Eddie is still and just nods absently before Steve gently calls his name and he refocuses on the current events. He’s by Steve’s side in seconds.
Cradling Steve’s face, Eddie looks him over, “Sweetheart, what happened?”
“There was a fire in the mall. We were working and got separated from the kids when they came to visit,” Steve chews on his lip, “Robin came with me to look for them and we got trapped in the bathrooms near the theatre.”
Eddie looks over at Robin, studying her. He seems to find an answer he likes before turning back to Steve, “Your dad called, I was so worried, baby.”
Steve freezes for a second, glancing at Robin and Eddie huffs a laugh.
Robin’s eyebrows crinkle in confusion, “Chief Hopper is your dad?”
Steve nods.
“And Eddie Munson is your boyfriend. Not an unrequited crush?”
Steve nods, again, a sprinkling of pink blooming in his cheeks.
“What happened in that bathroom?” Eddie snorts.
Robin laughs, “Trauma bonding, enough to reveal big gay secrets but not enough to spill the family drama.”
Steve shrugs, “A few more minutes and I’m sure we would've gotten to it,” he pauses to consider, “Well, if we hadn’t passed out.”
“Jesus H. Christ,” Eddie starts but promptly shuts his mouth and steps back from Steve as Hopper knocks on the door.
“Come in,” Steve calls out and Hopper walks in, eyeing Eddie, before Robin’s parents follow him in.
They immediately congregate around her, poking and prodding, ignoring her as she mutters she’s fine.
A doctor comes in, distracting the Buckleys from smothering their daughter, and lets them know that they want to keep them overnight for examination. Just to make sure there’s no damage. He looks wearily at the group gathered and lets them know that it's two visitors at a time maximum.
Eddie pipes up that they’re are technically only two visitors each. Steve snorts while Hopper fights off a smile. The doctor just sighs and tells them visitation ends in ten minutes. Only parents will be allowed after that point.
The doctor leaves and Robin's parents turn to Hopper to thank him. He makes a noncommittal noise.
As Robin is introducing them to Steve, and Eddie by extension, El quietly enters the room and molds herself into Steve’s side, joining him on the bed. She watches them and wonders how she got him so wrong, how everyone got him so wrong. Eddie gives her a look, like he understands exactly what she’s thinking and she faintly blushes.
“Oh dear, your face is red. Do you think we should call that doctor back in, Tim?” Mrs. Buckley presses a cool hand against Robin's face. She bats it away, her face growing redder, as Eddie silently snickers.
“I’m fine, mom, just a bit tired,” she stresses.
“Oh, of course, you poor things. Why don’t we let you rest and your father and I will be back first thing tomorrow morning to check on you?” She strokes Robin's hair and Robin smiles at her.
“Yeah, mom, that sounds good.”
They exchange a long drawn out goodbye, as the Buckleys thank Hopper profusely. Hopper walks them out, giving Eddie and El a look that says ‘wrap it up’, and promises to be back in a few minutes.
El squeezes Steve tighter as he runs a hand through her hair, he’s muttering soft apologies at the crown of her head.
The look on Eddie’s face can only be described as lovesick. If she weren’t so gobsmacked by the entire situation, Robin would be laughing her ass off.
Steve mutters something to El and she nods before jumping off the bed and walking over to Robin. Eddie immediately moves into El’s abandoned spot, cupping Steve’s face with his hand and running his thumb over Steve’s cheekbone.
“Hello,” El says simply.
Robin gapes a bit, “Hi.”
“I am Jane, but my friends call me El.”
“I’m Robin,” she smiles, “I don’t have a nickname.”
“Robin,” El tests, “Like the bird.”
Robin nods, repeating after El softly.
“So,” she clears her throat, “How do you know Steve? Is he your babysitter too?” Robin thinks of the other kids that would come visit Steve at the mall.
“Steve is my brother,” El states with a proud smile.
That makes sense, Robin thinks, kind of, not really.
A comfortable silence settles between them. Robin watches as Eddie quickly glances at the door before placing a soft peck on Steve’s lips. Her heart clenches. The kiss is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quick, but it’s so intimate and familiar that, if Robin were the Grinch, she’s sure her heart would grow three times larger after witnessing it.
“Have they been together long?” She asks El, voice soft and tinged with wonder.
“Six months,” her voice shifts to something sad, “Steve says no one can know because there are bad people.” She pauses, “But, you know, so you must be,” she searches for the word, “safe.”
It’s one word. But it holds so much meaning. Safe.
“Well, I’m kind of like Steve,” Robin admits, her palms sweating as she comes out for the second time in one night. For the second time in her life, “I like girls.”
The look El sends her is so serious it almost scares Robin. But then, she’s tentatively wrapping her arms around Robin in the world's gentlest hug and Robin is actively fighting the urge to sob.
Hopper returns. El lets go. Eddie presses a kiss to Steve’s forehead and Robin watches as the Chief of Police fights back a smile before rolling his eyes and telling their remaining visitors it’s time to go.
Safe, she thinks. Laughter bubbles in her chest but never manages to escape as she watches Hopper give Steve a hug and promise to be back in the morning.
Hopper turns her way, eyebrow raised, “You okay, kid?”
Robin nods disbelievingly before clearing her throat, “Yeah. Yes. Thank you?”
The Chief just laughs, putting an arm around his daughter's shoulder, and shoots Robin a disarming smile, “Get some rest. Both of you.”
Robin nods, because it’s the only thing she can do, apparently. The trio exits the room and Robin and Steve are left alone again.
They exchange the briefest of looks before Robin is clambering onto Steve’s bed with him. They sit cross legged, facing each other, and they both let out a sigh before locking eyes and giggling.
“So,” Robin says.
“So,” Steve repeats.
“Eddie Munson,” she grins.
“Yeah,” Steve sighs, a bit dreamily.
“How did that happen?”
Steve snorts, “Long story.”
“And the Chief?”
Steve frowns, “Longer story.” He hesitates, “You can’t tell anyone. Not that I think you would, it’s just.” He runs a hand through his hair in frustration, “He’s my dad.”
Robin nods, eyebrows furrowed, “Chosen or biological?”
Steve snorts, “Both. Definitely both.”
“Huh,” Robin says, not quite knowing what else she can say.
“Yeah,” he chews on his cheek, before offering, “I found out when I was…twelve? Maybe. Overheard my parents fighting. Didn’t confront him until a couple of years ago, right before I started dating Nancy Wheeler. Then Will Byers got lost in the woods, and he found El, who had escaped a really bad foster situation, and now…here we are.”
“I still can’t get over the fact that Steve Harrington is not who I thought he was,” Robin admits.
“Straight? A complete asshole? A dumb jock?” He grins.
“Oh, I still think you’re a dumb jock, you just have more layers that I originally imagined,” she grins back.
“This is the weirdest fucking day ever, dude,” Robin laughs.
Steve snorts. They both go quiet. It’s not an uncomfortable silence, but it is weighted from the events of the day.
“This is so corny, but, I’m really glad I met you,” Steve’s voice is low and his breath catches a bit.
Robin looks down and entwines her hands with his, “If you told me last week that Steve Harrington might be the best friend I’ve ever had, I’d say you were insane.” Steve huffs a laugh. “I’m glad I met you too, dingus. Even if we had to almost die in a mall fire to do it.”
Steve’s smile is so wide it splits his face in half when she looks back up at him. Robin’s heart warms, and she feels a little gooey inside, so she adds, “Still can’t believe you’re in a gay relationship before me, though.”
The laugh he lets loose is so loud as it pierces the otherwise silent room. He snorts after, and wheezes as his lungs struggle a bit. Robin lets out her own carefree laughter, before Steve wraps her in a tight hug, whispering, “Thank you,” in her ear.
They talk quietly after that, for minutes or hours, until they get tired and a nurse comes in and forces them into their respective beds. They answer questions and get examined as their eyes droop.
The nurse leaves and Steve drifts off first. Robin studied his profile, the shock of…everything…still clouding over her mind. She’s never felt so understood before. It’s a thought she keeps repeating to herself, the events not yet real in her mind.
The next morning, Robin is roused from her sleep by quiet voices. She rubs her eyes, looking for the source, and finds Eddie has returned. An older man with balding grey hair is sitting by Steve, and looking at him with fondness.
Eddie glances over at her and smiles, “Morning. How are you feeling?”
Steve and the man both startle slightly and look over at Robin.
Her mouth is dry, “Hi.” The fuzziness still floats around her head as she pushes herself to sit up. “I’m okay. What time is it?”
“Nine, your parents were here a bit earlier but stepped out to get coffee with Hop,” Eddie explains. He nods his head, “This is my Uncle Wayne. Uncle Wayne, meet Robin.”
“Pleasure. Despite the circumstances,” the man, Wayne, says. His voice is soft, tinged with a Southern accent, and he gives her a warm look.
“Hi,” she says dumbly.
“The nurse came by a bit ago and said once the doctor checks on us we can go home,” Steve updates her.
Robin nods, the thought of her own bed sounds like heaven. A hot bath and then mindlessly watching reruns of some stupid show is exactly what she needs.
Wayne goes back to murmuring with Steve and Eddie comes over and plops in the chair by her bed.
His voice is low and serious, very at odds with how he presents himself in public, “Thank you, for being cool about me and Steve.”
Steve and I, she corrects in her mind uselessly as she struggles to form a coherent sentence. “Well,” she settles on, licking her lips, “It would be hypocritical of me not to be.”
Eddie’s eyebrows raise slightly before he settles on a smile, “Oh?”
Robin nods. Three people. In less than twenty four hours.
Eddie’s quiet for a minute while Robin's thoughts ping pong in her skull.
Three people, she thinks, three actual people know about me, and two of them are like me.
“It’s nice to know we’re not alone,” Eddie starts, gazing softly over at Steve who looks near tears as Wayne rubs his shoulder and hugs him, “When Steve and I first started…talking, I guess, he struggled a lot. Thinking you’re alone is kind of harmful to your psyche. Then there’s all that bullshit we’re raised believing, about being how we are.” Robin nods along as Eddie looks back at her, “He’s good, now. We’re good, now. But, knowing you,” he clenches his jaw, “Knowing you understand really makes a world of difference.”
Tears spill out of her eyes, unbidden. She whispers thanks and rubs at her eyes. Eddie opens his arms slightly and she nods before he engulfs her in a hug. She can see Steve fighting his own tears, unaware of her and Eddie’s interaction as he talks to Wayne, and she thinks to herself, wow, we really are a pair.
When the hug ends and they’ve pulled apart, Robin asks, “Your uncle and Hopper…they know?”
When he nods, she continues, “And they’re okay with it?”
“Yup. Wayne’s always known about me, and been super supportive, it’s kind of why I went to live with him in the first place. And Hopper, we’ll he’s surprisingly great. I didn’t know he was Steve’s dad until he accidentally caught us one night at the Quarry,” Eddie snorts, “Steve started panicking and babbling at Hopper and calling him ‘dad’. Hopper just grabbed him in a hug and calmed him down. He introduced us, properly, a month later, and now here we are. That was the first night he called Hop ‘dad’ too.” Eddie goes quiet as he watches his boyfriend, and Robin watches Steve notice before a blush spreads across his cheeks and he ducks his head.
“What are you thinking?”
Robin bites her inner cheek, “I’ve always felt so…,” she trails off.
“Alone?” Eddie supplies, his face full of understanding.
Robin nods, “I’ve never had someone I could talk to. Or someone that I wanted to talk to, you know?”
“Yeah. Wayne just knew, he didn’t need to be told. Before Steve, no one really knew. People at school call me names, sure, but it’s all conjecture,” Eddie rolls his eyes.
Wayne pulls Steve in for a hug and Eddie’s smile is fond as he watches his uncle get up. Wayne nods at them before excusing himself.
Robin’s about to say something when the kids from the mall, all five of them, sans El, come tumbling in.
“Steve!” The one with the hat, Dustin, exclaims before running over to him.
“Uh, hey guys?” His face scrunches up in confusion.
The sarcastic redhead, Max, glares at him as he gives a wave before stomping up to him and wrapping her arms around him. She mumbles something incoherent and Steve’s face softens as he pats her hair.
When Max backs away, she takes an angry swipe at her eyes before turning to glare at the room, everyone pretending to look away, before she crosses her arms and falls into one of the chairs by Steve’s bed.
As the rest greet Steve, with varying degrees of concern. Well, all concerned except for the mop-headed boy, Mike, who scoffs (although, Robin catches the worried look on his face when he thinks no one is looking). They start chattering at Steve, not seeming to register Robin and Eddie three feet away.
Eddie is oddly quiet, playing with his rings as his leg bounces. One of his rings slips and clatters to the floor and all five heads turn towards him, in perfect sync, as he mutters, “Shit.”
Dustin’s eyes narrow suspiciously, “Who are you?”
“Eddie,” he jams the ring back on his finger.
Dustin looks between him and Robin, “Are you Robin's boyfriend?”
All three older teens bark out a laugh, only Steve bothers to try muffling his.
“No,” Steve wheezes, “Eddie is my b-est friend,” he finishes weakly.
Both look a bit pained so Robin chimes in, “Second best friend, actually.”
Eddie gives a dramatic gasp, turning to Steve, who smirks, “Sorry, Eds. We’ve trauma bonded.”
Pointing his finger at Steve accusingly, Eddie sniffs, “Not cool, Harrington, not cool.”
The kids, minus Max who looks bored, look between the trio in confusion.
It’s Mike who speaks up first, to Steve, “You’re friends with him?”
Steve frowns, readying a reply, before Mike adds, “But he looks cool and you’re…Steve.”
The sigh that escapes Steve is long-suffering, while Eddie grins, “Hear that, Stevie? I’m cool!”
“Yeah, yeah, Munson, whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night,” Steve’s words are bitchy, but luckily none of the kids are looking at him because his face is pure adoration.
Dustin looks ready to comment again, when Hopper walks in with a man in a white coat and sighs at the group, “No. Too many people. Anyone under 16, out.”
The kids scramble out and Hopper ruffles Steve’s hair, “This is Dr. Owens. He’s here to check you kids over and then you’ll be cleared to go home.”
“Where are my parents?” Robin asks.
“Already filling your discharge papers out,” Dr. Owens replies as he makes his way over to Steve, “I’m just going to take a listen to your lungs and do a couple quick tests on both of you and then you’ll be good to go.”
Steve looks at Hopper. “I spoke to your mom,” Hopper’s jaw ticks almost imperceptibly, “Since they’re out of town, I’ve been given the okay to sign you out on their behalf, as your emergency contact.”
Dr. Owens finishes listening to Steve’s lungs before fitting his arm with a blood pressure cuff, “Strong lungs. Good pressure. Very impressive considering you passed out from smoke inhalation according to the paramedics. You’re clear to go, but I would suggest someone check in on you periodically over the next couple of days as a precaution. It’s not common but there can be a delay in symptoms showing up. Do you have someone you can stay with, preferably?”
Steve nods but Hopper answers him, “He’ll stay with me.”
The doctor hums in acknowledgment before moving over to Robin. The exam is quick and she receives the same all clear as Steve, both of them promising to come in if they feel any change in the next couple of days.
Farewells are exchanged, the doctor taking his leave with Hopper following behind. A nurse comes in and more words are shared, but they go over Robin’s head as the events of the last 24 hours catch up to her and a bone-tiredness sets in.
Steve looks about the same and, once the nurse is gone, Eddie is by his side and murmuring sweet nothings as he holds Steve’s jaw tenderly and gives him a peck.
They gather the few things they have, taking turns in the small bathroom to change into fresh clothes.
Robin goes first, smiling as she pulls out an old camp t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She shuffled back into the room as Steve dorkily salutes her, before taking her place in the washroom, grocery bag of clothing in hand.
“God,” Robin snorts, “he’s kind of a nerd isn’t he?”
Eddie’s sigh is almost dreamy, as he replies, “Such a nerd.” Robin bites back a joke about Eddie's love sickness.
Steve comes out of the bathroom and scowls at Eddie, “Really?” He gestures at his t-shirt. It’s a bit ratty-looking, the picture slightly faded but still obviously Smokey the Bear, and the slogan reads, ‘Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires’. Robin snorts. Steve turns his glare on her before huffing and grabbing the rest of his stuff.
Robin’s parents enter the room, her dad grabs the few items shoved into the plastic bag and rests his hand on her shoulder for a moment. Her eyes water as she rapidly blinks back tears before launching herself at Steve.
His arms encase her, warm hands rubbing her back soothingly as they hold onto each other. When they finally pull apart, she asks for a pen and Eddie is quick to pull one out of one of his many pockets. She mumbles her thanks, before writing her number on Steve’s hand and gives him a watery smile, “Guess we’re going to have to find new jobs, huh?”
Steve laughs, pulling her in for a quick hug, “Definitely. I’ll call you tomorrow to check in, and then we can think about potential places to terrorize together.”
Handing the pen back to Eddie, she hesitates before pulling him into a hug as well, mumbling a thanks into the side of his head and getting a mouthful of hair. His hold is firm but gentle, and, despite not always liking being touched, she relishes in the comfort of it.
As her mother eyes the two men with interest, no doubt wondering if either serves as a romantic prospect, Robin thinks of how annoying this will all be to explain, but doesn’t find herself overly bothered while the gratefulness is still fresh.
Tim Buckley, a bear of a man, gives his daughter a gruff smile before shaking Steve’s hand and tells him to drop by for dinner sometime. Steve’s responding smile is so wide she’s surprised his face doesn’t crack as he agrees. Her mother follows, pulling him into a quick hug, before extending the invitation to Eddie as well. Both Robin and Steve’s eyebrows raise beyond their hairlines as Eddie charms her parents with manners so polite, neither can even bring forth a snicker at the metalheads actions.
Hopper returns as the Buckley’s make their exit and he politely exchanges a goodbye with her mother before sharing a familiar handshake with her father and clapping him on the shoulder.
To Robin, he says, “You know where to find me if you need me, kid.”
Two seconds later, he’s in the room as she walks away and she watches him glare at Eddie and Steve, who are a bit too close despite the room not being fully clear. Her parents walk ahead of her and are out of earshot when she hears him mutter, “I swear, if I catch you two canoodling.”
Robin fights the urge to laugh. Instead, she catches up to her parents and links her arm with her mom’s and smiles as they walk out of the hospital and the warmth of the sun caresses her face.