Hi everyone! This is what I came up with for Day 5 of Ronancetober. I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! (I also think it's the longest thing I've written so far for Ronance 😅)
Nancy kept her mouth shut tight as the smell of blood permeated the air. She could feel her fangs emerge despite all of her attempts to keep them locked away. She hated that she was desperate to sink into the flesh that was omitting that deliciously bloody smell. Her eyes began to turn red, and she mumbled a hasty excuse to Jonathan about needing to wash up as she rushed towards the restroom, locking herself in and leaning heavily against the door. She was doing everything in her power to avoid fully turning and losing all sense of rationality, but she couldn’t resist.
Something about the blood was calling to her, begging her to come and have a taste. She could feel it in her gut, like a string tugging her right to the source. She knew it was only a matter of time before she lost control and ran out there. She had been drinking animal blood as often as she could, but lately she had been skipping some of her meals as she had become overwhelmed with school work and coven stuff. Nancy knew, as a result, she would be much more tempted to drink human blood. Not that it mattered right now anyways.
Right now, all she needed to do was focus on her breathing. Inhale for three, exhale for four. As soon as she inhaled, she got a good whiff of blood. A low snarl was elicited from her, trying to get her to give up and go to the sweet, wondrous smell that was the blood. She hissed, sounding as though she was in pain as this overwhelming sensation of hurt bloomed from the right of her chest. Looking down, she saw nothing physically wrong with her despite the searing pain passing through her. Suddenly, everything she was feeling made perfect sense. With a snarl, she jumped up and reached the window of the bathroom, easily lifting it open and hopping down from the second floor restroom. She raced through the dense forest, her feet barely touching the filthy floor. She took no notice as Jonathan and the rest of the family instantly came to her side, Jonathan more than likely feeling the same pain she was currently experiencing.
Someone was hurting her mate. And oh, they were going to wish they hadn’t.
Robin howled in agony, collapsing on the forest floor in a heap as she began to writhe in pain, trying desperately to shake herself of the burning sensation. The leader of the hunters had just shot her with a silver bullet, their only weakness. It caused her to instantly shift back to her human form, crying out at the awful sensation of her body feeling as though it was on fire and going up in flames from the inside out.
Steve instantly arrived at her side, nudging her and whimpering as his best friend continued screaming out in pain, unable to do anything to help. While he wished he was able to take the pain away, he needed to stay intact to protect her and himself. He would do her no good if he incapacitated himself trying to save her. She’d just get up to protect him, probably killing herself in the process. So, as much as he hated it, he stood guard over her body, growling and snapping at the hunters in warning if they came too close to the two of them, showing he was unfazed by them and their bullets.
“This is gonna earn us so much dough,” one of the hunters said, smiling devilishly as they kept their eyes trained on Steve and Robin.
“Can you imagine the look on the boss’s face when he sees what we’ve got for him? He’s gonna be so pleased,” the tallest of the four hunters added.
“This is all fun and dandy, but we’ve still gotta take care of that one,” the woman replied, finger resting on the trigger as the barrel of her shotgun was aimed directly at Steve. “He’s all mine, fellas.”
“By all means,” the leader, the dark-haired, bulky woman who had shot Robin, said, granting the other woman permission.
Steve braced himself for the impact, eyes darkening in defiance. He would give up his life if it meant keeping Robin safe. If that meant fighting until not a single breath escaped any of these hunters ever again with a silver bullet (or multiple) embedded in his body, then so be it. These terrible creatures called Steve and Jonathan’s kind monsters, but they weren’t the ones ending the lives of innocent people. He bared his teeth in a protective manner, ready to pounce on these motherfuckers who dared to hurt his packmate, his best friend, his platonic soulmate, his other half (besides Jonathan).
He felt it before he saw it, and on instinct, he crouched down, essentially laying on top of Robin. It was just in time for Jonathan to come leaping over him with an inhuman growl, now standing in front of Steve and the hunters.
“You should leave while you still have the chance,” Jonathan stated in a low, threatening tone.
“What are you gonna do about it, vamp?” the tallest hunter asked, shifting so he was now aiming his gun at Jonathan while the others kept theirs trained on Steve. “You’re outnumbered, and we've got silver bullets. Those are pretty deadly to your kind.”
Jonathan shook his head, a smirk prominent on his face. “We've got a Nancy.”
“What are you—” he was cut off as Nancy snapped his neck, disappearing into the woods as quickly as she had appeared.
“There's another vamp!” the leader exclaimed, eyes searching frantically in the woods for any signs of movement.
“Oh, there’s more than just her,” Mike said, in tandem with Will lunging forward, taking down the leader with ease, leaving only the other woman and man.
Slowly, out of the woods, the rest of the family emerged, circling the remaining two hunters. Lucas, Dustin, and Max were in their wolf forms, while Mike, Jonathan, Will, and Joyce made their eyes turn red and showed off their razor sharp fangs. El, the only witch they’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, stared the hunters down, blood running from her nose as she held her hands out, wisps of magic crawling from her fingertips to the remaining hunters, keeping them trapped in place.
Nancy moved so she was in front, hissing at the hunters as everyone swarmed, disposing of them within seconds. As soon as it was over, she was kneeling on the ground beside Robin, taking her clammy hands and clutching them tightly, unable to fight against her tears any longer. “Robin, love, can you hear me?”
“N-Nancy?” Robin asked hoarsely, a small smile appearing as she recognized the worried, scared expression of her girlfriend hovering over her. “Is that really you?”
“It's me, Rob. You're gonna be alright, I promise. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere.”
“That's my girl,” Robin whispered, coughing up her own blood as it began to fill her lungs.
“Robbie, no! No, no, no, no! I'm not letting you die, you hear me?! You are not going anywhere!” Steve said, ignoring how his own skin began to burn as he pressed hard against the gaping hole in his best friend's chest, trying desperately to stem the blood flow.
“It-It's ok Stevie. ‘m gonna be ok,” Robin slurred, reaching up with a great amount of effort to press her palm against his cheek, urging him to look at her. “Love you. To the moon…”
“...and beyond,” he finished, choking on a sob. “Please, Robbie, don't do this to me. To us! I need you! Nancy and Dustin and El and Max and Will and everyone else, we all need you!”
Robin barely managed to nod as her eyes fluttered shut, the pain began to numb as she drifted deeper and deeper into the inky blackness that was beckoning her to follow. The last thing she felt was a pair of solid, warm arms scooping her up and cradling her close.
Joyce gave Nancy a soft, half-smile as the curly haired brunette started pacing up and down the sterile, white halls for what had to be the umpteenth time since they had brought Robin in.
Hopper had received calls from her and the kids to meet them at the hospital. He had arrived in time to see Robin being whisked down to surgery on a gurney, with the doctor promising Joyce and Hopper, as they had become Robin’s legal guardians over two years ago after her old pack had abandoned her, to update them as soon as possible.
That had been five hours ago.
“No news is good news, right?” Dustin had asked after the first hour had passed.
Nancy’s resulting hiss in his face as she pinned him to the wall indicated that no, it was not good news that they hadn’t heard anything.
“It’s all my fault,” Steve had whispered when hour two approached. Every head swiveled his way, seemingly confused as to why he was placing all of the blame on himself. “I should’ve listened to her. We should’ve stayed in the house and watched movies and made fun of each other's taste. Instead, I insisted on going running because I wanted to let loose for a little bit. Robin tried to fight me, saying she felt something was off, but I didn’t listen. I told her I was going, and if she wanted to go it was her choice. I shouldn’t have been so stupid. I should’ve listened to her. I should’ve listened to my best friend. It’s my fault she’s on that table, dying, with nobody to sit with her. It’s my fault. I should’ve listened to her, trusted her judgment. Why didn’t I listen to her?! I should’ve, but I didn’t! It’s my fault! All my fault! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I should’ve listened! It’s my fault! I’m sorry!”
Nancy was the first to move, rushing forward to envelop Steve in a hug as he continued to sob, saying it was his fault and that he should’ve listened to her. She cradled his head to her stomach, one hand tangled in his hair while the other rested on his back, rubbing soothing circles, grounding him. Her chin was resting atop his head as she hummed a tune she knew Robin used to comfort both her and him when they were in a bad way.
Steve fisted his hand in the material of Nancy’s shirt, wrinkling it as he held onto her, burying his face against her stomach as gut-wrenching sobs wracked his entire body. He continued to blabber his apologies, tucking himself tighter against Nancy as she began to soothe him in an oh so familiar way. It was everything Robin would do whenever he had a nightmare or a bad day in general.
Gradually, the knot in his chest began to come undone. He felt how his muscles began to relax, how his breathing began to even out, how the sobs began to die down until all that was left were tears and red-rimmed, sorrow filled brown eyes.
“It wasn’t your fault, Steve. Ok?”
He blinked, confused as to why she wasn’t punching him or screaming at him or blaming him. Instead, she was comforting him, something he knew he didn’t deserve. Steve went to shake his head, only to be stopped by Nancy putting two fingers under his chin, forcing him to meet her determined, albeit sad, gaze.
“It wasn’t your fault,” she repeated, calm, cool, collected, as if she was stating nothing more than the simple facts. “It was the hunters who cared for nothing more than money. It was the hunters who decided to follow you and Robin. It was the hunter who shot Robin. It was all their fault, not yours. You protected her. You guarded her and you kept her alive until we could get there. You did everything in your power to keep her here, with us. Even if…even if she doesn’t make it, you gave her a chance. A chance at survival, a chance to heal, a chance to see the people she loves once more. You gave her a chance, Steve. And that, that is a debt I can never repay.”
Steve fought the urge to start sobbing again. Instead, he stood up, Jonathan’s hand at the small of his back, supporting him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his friend, tilting his head so it was resting in the dip of her collarbone. He smiled, albeit a small one, as her arms came to wrap around him, borrowing strength from him as he had borrowed it from her. “Thank you,” he said, so quietly so only Nancy was able to pick up on it despite the super-hearing of everyone in the room.
By hour three, Max was about ready to storm into the OR, consequences be damned. Robin was her big sister, and the thought of losing her scared her like no other. She would be the first to admit she was reluctant about joining this very mismatched pack made of vampires and wolves and a witch, but Robin was the one who convinced her to give it a chance.
Robin, who knew next to nothing about skateboarding but still offered to take Max so she wouldn’t be alone at the park. Robin, who’d rather starve than see Max with a half-full plate of food, sneaking the redhead portions of her own plate at meal times when she knew, or rather thought, the teenager wasn’t looking. Robin, who always stayed by Max’s side when she was having a bad day, knowing that no matter what she did, all Max wanted was for someone to do exactly that. Robin, who was instantly there to reassure Max when she woke up screaming and crying and gasping for air in the middle of the night, that she was safe, no longer prisoner to the Hargrove home with her insane older step-brother. Robin, who helped Max with her homework when she was stumped and beyond frustrated, ready to strangle the next person she laid her eyes on because she couldn’t understand what the quadratic equation was. Robin, who matched Max’s snark almost perfectly, the two of them dissolving into uncontrollable giggles whenever they managed to make the unsuspecting target of their insults speechless. Robin, who had yipped and howled in sheer delight when Max transformed for the very first time, eager to have a new packmate to run with through the night. Robin, who had taken Max under her wing. Robin, who had become one of the few adults Max trusted.
Who Max trusted would keep her safe, would make her feel welcomed, would make her feel loved, would always be there for her, no matter what.
That very same Robin, who, Max thought bitterly, was lying on a metal table with doctors poking around at her insides to try and remove a silver bullet that could kill her, if it hadn’t already. It was only when Nancy sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her close, that she let the dam break. She turned her head so it was hidden against the vampire’s shoulder, tears leaking from her eyes as her body trembled with the agony of possibly losing Robin because of those fucking hunters.
“It’s alright, Max. I’ve got you,” Nancy said, hand curling around the nape of Max’s neck, soothing and comforting and grounding. “I’ve got you.”
During hour four, it seemed nobody could muster up the courage to speak. Or do much of anything, really. They all remained quiet as mice, leaning against one another, taking the slightest bit of comfort in the fact that they still hadn’t heard anything about Robin. As much as they hated to admit it, Dustin’s earlier words rang loud and true in each of their minds.
At hour five, Nancy was about ready to explode. She couldn’t help but to wring her hands together, run her fingers through her hair, cross her arms tightly over her chest, all while pacing in front of the chairs. She caught Joyce’s small smile, but she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge it. Logically, she knew that if something had happened to Robin she would have felt it by now, considering Robin was her mate, but she still couldn’t stop the worry from squeezing like a vice in her chest, making it hard to breathe and even harder to keep her vision from becoming blurry.
If something happened to her mate, she wasn’t sure what was going to become of her. Would she go blind with rage, destroying everyone and everything in her path until one of the people in her coven/pack managed to stop her? Would she continue living but cease to truly exist, become a husk of the person she was after losing the only love she’d ever known? Would she simply give up on life here in Hawkins and follow Robin into the afterlife, knowing that life without her mate would only cause her more pain, more suffering, more devastation if she chose to live?
Luckily, Nancy hoped, she wouldn’t have to worry about any of that. She blinked once, twice, to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, before scrambling to her feet and appearing in front of the doctor within milliseconds, eager to hear any news about her mate. She could sense everyone rising to their feet, the anticipation filling the air with static.
“Family and mate of Robin Buckley?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Nancy said, swallowing thickly as soon as the words escaped her mouth, tongue feeling rough as sandpaper due to how dehydrated she was. “How’s Robin? Is she ok? Is she alive? Where’s her room? Am I able to see her now? How—”
The doctor put his hand in the air, silencing Nancy. When he was sure she wasn’t going to interrupt him, he smiled. “I’m pleased to say the surgery was a success. I’d be more than happy to take you to her in a few moments.”
Nancy visibly perked up at that, her entire body buzzing with barely contained excitement at the thought of laying her eyes on Robin, her girlfriend, the love of her life, her mate. Hearing that raspy voice, looking into those dazzling eyes, seeing the smattering of freckles across her face, holding her warm, moving, breathing body in her arms once more.
She could sense the change in the air as everyone seemed to suddenly lose all the tension they had been carrying.
“She was very lucky, Miss Wheeler. If the bullet had traveled even the slightest bit more to the left, it would’ve hit her heart, and thus, we wouldn’t have been able to save her. It did manage to puncture her lung, which is why she is on a breathing machine. It’s going to help to let her body rest and refuel after trying to fight off the invasion of silver in her bloodstream, but we assigned her some anti-silver medication that she is responding extremely well to. Miss Buckley should make a full recovery within a few weeks. She is currently in an induced coma, but we will be waking her within the week.”
The brunette nodded, the information flying right over her head. The doctor said he’d come retrieve them in a moment once he was certain Robin was settled in her room. When he was gone, Nancy turned and hugged Joyce tightly, the two of them clinging onto one another in relief.
“She’s gonna be ok,” Nancy whispered, screwing her eyes shut as tears of relief made themselves known.
“She’s gonna be ok,” Joyce assured, smiling up at Hopper as she hugged Nancy, eyes awash with an overwhelming amount of gratitude and joy, thanking the Moon Goddess for watching over their daughter and granting her permission to remain here, on Earth, in Hawkins, with them.
Seeing the doctor approach, Hopper finally spoke. “Let’s go see our girl,” he said, slinging an arm around Joyce’s shoulders.
“Be warned, she is recovering and won’t look as she normally does.”
“Thank you, Doc,” Joyce said, gesturing for Nancy to go in first. “Go on, sweetheart. We’ll be waiting right here.”
Nancy nodded, inhaling deeply before exhaling, though nothing could have prepared her for what awaited beyond the door. She stepped through, taking note of the dim lighting and the bare walls. She shut the door behind her, eyes widening in shock and distress at the sight of Robin.
She was deathly pale, IV’s and wires hanging, displaying all different types of vital signs. Nancy’s heart clenched at the rattling breaths escaping Robin as the machine being used to help her breathe kept her chest rising and falling at a steady rhythm. Her facial features were slack, showing no signs of pain or discomfort. The excess blood that had smeared around her mouth and her wound had been cleaned up, leaving her with slightly damp hair lying flat on the pillow and a decent amount of bandaging peeking out from under the neckline of the hospital gown.
“Oh, Robin,” Nancy said, choking back tears as she moved from the door to her girlfriend’s side, clasping her hands over the younger woman’s, careful not to tug on the IV attached as she sat in the chair situated next to the bed. She’d remain seated there for the next two weeks, ignoring the chatter buzzing around her, eyes unwavering from Robin’s still form, tracking the shaky breathing of her mate with the help of the ventilator.
It was the third week of Robin being hospital bound when Robin finally opened her eyes. She instantly shut them, a pained groan escaping as her senses began returning to her, slowly but surely. She couldn’t help the whine that escaped as she felt a burning sensation in her chest, though she noted it wasn’t as prominent as the last time she had felt it. Last time, she thought she’d simply keel over and die from how much it hurt.
She recognized that voice. That voice was everything good and wonderful and amazing in her life. That voice was attached to the person Robin loved with her entire being. Her mate.
“Hey, you,” Robin said huskily, opening one eye, then the other until they were finally opening and closing in unison. They focused on the angel hovering above her, face muddled with relief and concern and happiness and anger and so much more. “Did ya miss me?”
Nancy let out a strangled laugh, leaning down to press her forehead against the younger woman’s, inhaling deeply, memorizing the scent that was so wonderfully and uniquely Robin. “You’re such an idiot, Robin Buckley.”
“But I’m your idiot, Nancy Wheeler.”
“You’re damn right you are,” she confirmed, pressing a soft, chaste kiss against dry, slightly chapped lips. “You up for some visitors?”
“Bring ‘em in,” Robin replied, knowing that the people outside her door were more than likely eavesdropping on the two of them.
“Robin!” Steve and Max exclaimed in unison as they burst through the door, Nancy moving out of their way in time for them to practically (very carefully) tackle the teenager in a group hug. They pressed their faces against her shoulders, arms wrapped around her and one another.
“I told ya I’d be ok,” she said jokingly, trying to ignore the tears stinging her eyes as she cautiously returned the hug, happy to be wrapped in the arms of some of her favorite people in the entire universe.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Robbie. I couldn’t h—I wouldn’t—I can’t—”
“Hey, dingus, don’t do that. Don’t you dare blame yourself, you hear me? It was that damn hunter who shot me, not you,” Robin scolded, lightly tugging on the sleeve of her best friend’s shirt to get him to look at her instead of hiding his face against her. “It wasn’t your fault, Stevie. You hear me? It was not your fault.”
“You and Nancy really are made for each other,” he said as he stepped back, leaning into the comfortable arms of his boyfriend, who was grinning brightly at Robin and gave her a small wave.
Robin waved back and chuckled at Steve, shrugging as she shot her girlfriend a dreamy grin. She then turned her focus back to Max, who refused to move from Robin’s embrace, scared that if she did, she’d lose her big sister for good this time.
“Max, kiddo, I’m alright,” Robin said, placing both hands on the sides of the redhead’s face once the younger teen finally worked up the courage to look at her, wiping Max’s tears away with her thumbs. “I’m so sorry I scared you like that, but I promise, I’m alright. I’m not going anywhere, understand?”
Max nodded, but at Robin’s raised eyebrow, she acquiesced. “I understand.”
“Good. Now, where are the rest of the little gremlins?”
As if waiting for their cue, the rest of the pack entered through the door, the boys pushing and shoving one another to try and reach Robin first. Dustin and Will immediately went to give her a hug, while Lucas settled for a fist bump, which had sort of become their thing.
El waited until the boys were out of her way before she approached, eyes scanning Robin’s body, checking that all of the silver had been removed. “You are ok?”
“I am,” Robin said, reaching forward to grab El’s hand, tangling their fingers together and squeezing. “You did awesome holding them off, El.”
El’s eyes shone with happiness at Robin’s appraisal. “You saw?”
Robin simply nodded, knowing there was more to come.
“I was scared. Scared to lose you. I didn’t want another person I love to die.”
“Lucky that those hunters were a terrible shot, then, huh?” Robin asked, smiling as El’s nose wrinkled with laughter while she shook her head in disapproval.
“I’m glad you’re alright,” Mike said once El had gone to sit between Max and Nancy in the chairs scattered around the room, shoving his hands into the pockets of pants to hide how they were trembling. He would never admit it to Robin or Nancy’s faces, but he cared deeply for Robin and thought she and Nancy were perfect for each other.
Mike rolled his eyes at the nickname as everyone laughed at his misfortune. He stepped to the side, locking hands with Will as Joyce approached Robin, sitting on the bed and tucking a strand of Robin’s hair behind her ear. She said something only Robin could hear before the two of them were hugging, Robin’s nose pressed deeply to the crook of her mom’s neck as Joyce’s hands rested on the small of Robin’s back and around her head, cradling her daughter as she once again thanked the Moon Goddess for bringing her baby back to her.
Hopper came forward and set a hand on Robin’s shoulder, Robin’s hand coming up to rest atop of his, eyes meeting one another and saying everything they didn’t need to aloud.
“Alright, everyone out,” Joyce ordered a few hours later as she noticed Robin’s eyes drooping and Robin biting her lip to stifle her yawns.
“Out,” Joyce repeated, looking at Steve with kind but firm eyes. “We’ll be back tomorrow, I promise. But right now, we need to let her rest so she can recover faster and be back home sooner.”
“What she said,” Robin mumbled, body sagging against the bed as her limbs started feeling heavy. “I’ll see you lot tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, everyone said their goodbyes, shuffling out the door and pretending as though they didn’t notice Nancy was the only one who stayed behind.
“I’ll be waiting outside. Call if you need me,” Joyce said knowingly, looking between the two of them.
“Thank you, Joyce,” Nancy said, shooting the woman a soft smile as she closed the door quietly behind her. Her eyes swiveled back over to Robin, reaching over to gently brush a strand of hair off her face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”
Nancy stood up, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her girlfriend’s head. She was about to step back and head for the door when Robin’s hand shot out, slender fingers wrapping around her wrist, gently holding her in place. Sleepy blue peeked out from half-closed lids, silently pleading. “Stay?”
Warmth blossomed from Nancy’s chest outward. “Always,” Nancy replied, shucking her shoes off as she sat down. She adjusted herself so she was laying her head on Robin’s shoulder, an arm sneaking out from between them to rest loosely across the younger woman’s waist. She turned her head, nose pressed against Robin’s neck, reveling in the fact that she was lucky enough to do this. She didn’t technically need sleep as a vampire, but this was as close as she could get, and she cherished every moment.
She listened as Robin’s breathing evened out and her heartbeat slowed, indicating her girlfriend was now asleep, content and safe with Nancy by her side, watching over her.
As she would for the rest of their lives.
