robin, early twenties: *nervously* mom, dad . . . I'm gay
her parents: what? no? you're not
robin: *sad, because this is what she was afraid of* i know the things that have been on the news recently, but you can't just make someone not gay, it doesn't work like-
her parents: no, no, not because of that. because of steve.
robin:
her parents: what about steve
robin: what ABOUT STEVE??
her parents: he's literally our son-in-law???? he
drives you everywhere because you hate driving??? he sleeps in your room??? he helps out around the house and cooks dinner???? you always get jobs together, he's ditched two dates because they were jealous of you, you literally change in the same room as him. if you go more than two days without talking to him, you get in the mother of all bad moods--
robin:
robin: *rubbing a hand down her face* okay. i see where there might be some confusion. i'm getting steve so he can help me explain this shit
her parents: he's waiting outside the door, isn't he.
robin: . . . for moral support
her parents: you're not helping your case
robin: THERE ISN'T A CASE. GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, STEVE, WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN CODEPENDENCY TO THEM
robin, steve and eddie are high as a kite when steve goes, "i think it's, like, so brave you guys chose to be gay," all dreamily.
robin makes eye contact with eddie who looks offended and confused at the same time. and robin, who knows his soulmate better than he knows himself, knows they're about to go on some insane journey with steve.
so he mimes eddie to shut up and says, "what do you mean choose, stevie?"
steve looks at her all confused, "you know, like when you first think people are hot and you gotta choose a gender?"
and that- okay, what?
"that's not how it works, man," eddie chimes in, looking only incredulous now.
steve tilts his head like a puppy, "yes, it does."
and before they could start fighting robin interrupts. "is that what you did, steve?"
and to her absolute delight her dumbass soulmate nods.
"yeah, back in like fifth grade tommy and i decided."
now, wait a minute-
"tommy and you!?" eddie screeches.
"mhm, he was my first crush and then we talked about it and he said it's better to like girls, so we decided to stick with girls, you know."
she does not, clearly.
"that's- i- i don't even know where to begin with that-"
"i know," eddie interrupts, "tommy hagan was your first crush!?"
"ignore him, not the point," robin says, "steve, people don't choose. i have never been attracted to a man."
it's steve's turn to look confused at that, "but... huh?"
"and you can like women and men," she continues, "it's called being bisexual. you don't have to choose."
she watches him take in her words, look at the ceiling, then back at her.
"am- am i bisexual?" he asks in a small voice.
"are you?" robin asks.
eddie looks bewildered and almost hopeful? useless gay, robin swears.
steve looks at eddie and frowns, looking contemplative.
"what?" eddie asks.
"kiss me," steve demands.
"what!?"
robin watches the exchange silently, a little gleeful.
"how else am i supposed to know if i'm bisexual? kiss me."
eddie sighs and goes, "that's so fucking stupid, okay what the hell, come here."
steve perks up at that and pretty much jumps into eddie's lap, whose face immediately turns beet red. no one's asked robin to mind her business so she watches train wreck in front of her, wishing she had popcorn.
when it becomes obvious eddie won't make the first move, steve huffs and kisses him. it starts out awkward, but quickly escalates into a full on make out session. robin is happy for them, she truly is, but she did not need to hear them moan.
"okay, okay, okay, stop!" she claps loudly to interrupt them, "i'm still here, wait until i'm gone to continue, guys, come on."
while steve looks sheepish, eddie looks like he's seen the light and has heard nothing of what robin's just said.
Robin had to leave Hawkins for her happy ending and Steve had to stay for his but what about ME, where's MY happy ending where they stay codependant coworkers and roommates forever????
The first month it’s a little awkward. Partly because Robin’s uncle really is a little weird and partly because it’s the first time any of them meet outside of Hawkins and it feels odd to bring the memories of their supernatural town to Philly of all places. Mostly, though, because it’s the first time they are all meeting on purpose, no end of the world, no Christmas, no graduation excuse to hang out. It feels like acknowledging something. That all four of them are something.
The second time it’s a little easier, if nothing else because Robin’s uncle has taken a liking to them and actually seems to love the fact that his niece has a proper group of friends. They get a little drunk, very purposely talking about anything except the upside down, and for a night pretend they are just a group of old friends.
After that, they start to fall into a rhythm. Nance and Robin arrive together, always the first ones there, and are in charge of the music selection. Jonathan will bring something to smoke, sometimes, and one of Will’s boardgames. Jonathan and Robin take turns picking movies to watch. Steve is usually the last one to get there, because he’s in charge of groceries and booze (thank you, Hawkins prices). Before he arrives, the others take bets on whether he’s changed girlfriends since the last time they saw him.
Once every three or four months Steve will talk them all into taking a trip in his Winnebago. They are all rather reluctant the first time, but Nancy remembers this was something important for him and talks the group into it, to his utter delight. Turns out, Jonathan loves filming the scenery for his indie movies, and Robin loves lounging in the sun sipping a drink, Nancy loves trekking through the woods and breathing fresh air that reminds her of home, and Steve just loves all of it and looks about to burst with happiness at any given moment.
They start crossing all the nearby national parks off their list after that.
Not everyone can make it every single month, because adult life is complicated.
Jonathan misses one month because he promised to visit his mom and Hopper’s new place and it was the only weekend Will could go too. Steve and “his girls” spent the weekend watching romcoms and roping him into sharing his hair secrets.
Robin misses one month because of her finals. It feels weird going to her uncle’s without her, so instead they drive up to her uni and help her study. (Or, Nancy helps her study… while Jonathan and Steve get into a heated debate over one of her femenist theory books).
Steve misses one month because the baseball league schedule got all turned around and there isn’t a single free weekend. They meet without him, and it’s nice, chill, quiet even with Robin’s rambling (without her partner in crime to bounce off of). By Sunday morning they are driving to Hawkins to surprise Steve by cheering in his game (he will not admit to crying over it).
It’s the weekend Robin and Nancy can’t make it that it get a little weird. Jonathan and Steve consider calling it off, but it feels like defeat, like the beginning of the end, like if they start cancelling it will never come back. So Steve drives to New York and stays at Jonathan’s. They rarely talk about that weekend but the girls discover there’s something worse than their macho competition: their macho friendship.
Before they know it, the first year has gone by and Steve has his summer trip all planed with Dustin and the others decide to fly down to meet them there and have their monthly reunion by the beach.
Dustin is bewildered. That they all seem so close, that they’ve been keeping in touch, that they’ve been meeting up so often. He’s maybe a little jealous too. But Steve looks happier and more at peace than he did a year ago and Nancy is laughing while Robin kicks water at her and Jonathan is filming them all. Whatever, he’s sure stranger things have happened than a bunch of very different teens growing into an unlikely adult friendship.
He suspects they are all a little in love with each other, too, in different ways. But he’s sure they’ll be smart enough to figure it out eventually.
my headcanon is that steve stays in hawkins until erica graduates. the second after the girl graduates valedictorian, he calls robin (because it's friday and they always call each other each friday, it's their routine). she tells him that she'll need to find a new place to live and a new roommate, because her previous roomie got engaged.
steve tells her he has the perfect candidate in mind, himself.
robin doesn't understand at first. she lives in northhampton, massacheusetts, and as far as she knows, steve still lives in hawkins, indiana. how the heck is he going to be his roomie?
but steve is 25, and he's saved enough money from his two jobs, and erica just graduated. the youngest nugget is officially an adult. hawkins may still want him around, but he feels like he deserves to explore life elsewhere. and through the school's basketball coach, he learns that there's a free position to teach basketball in an elementary-middle school in amherst, massacheusetts. the pay is good, not as good as hawkins, but if he moves there he'll get to see some of the kids more often, since erica will be studying at MIT and dustin is pursuing a graduate degree at harvard, and the byers will be just a car ride away.
but he needs a roommate. preferibly one that has already begun to build a life in a town close to amherst, maybe in the town that's only 20 minutes away by car?
robin can't stop smiling, she is ecstatic.
his job in hawkins is done. all his OG little nuggets are adults. it's time to take nancy's advice and explore the world. at the end of the day, nancy wheeler has never been wrong.
honestly I fully believe steve wouldn't leave hawkins until his OG kiddos graduate just like I fully believe that the minute robin graduates they move to the Big City and rent a shitty apartment together and steve can finally go to the club like he deserves
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