Robin decides one day that Steve’s lack of proper hobbies is not only sad and kind of pathetic but also just ridiculous considering that he’s got the free time now that he’s graduated. She comes up with a plan to help them both find a new hobby and gets Steve to go along with it because, despite all his complaining, he really can’t say no to her. They agree to try different things out when they can’t agree on anything, alternating between each other’s choices each weekend.
Robin gets first pick and naturally chooses rollerskating. She manages to get a very annoyed Steve to agree with her choice by declaring that if he was able to pick it up, he could use it for dates. The ability to skate flawlessly while the ladies have to cling to him to keep from falling would totally make it worth it, she swore. The only problem was, Robin isn’t a skater herself. Like at all. She had only gone twice in her life. Once when she was much younger and had parents to coax her along, and once during sophomore year, when she went on a weird group hang that turned into her doing one really awkward lap around the floor, clinging to the walls, before leaving. She falsely assumed skating with Steve would be better, easier somehow. Everything was easier with Steve.
Except, it’s not, and she was very wrong, and that’s how she ended up almost breaking every bone in her body while Steve sat there laughing at her because apparently, all those jock skills pay off, and the big dumb tree can skate just fine. She sulks for days and has a limp for nearly a week because of how she fell on one of her hips, but by the end of it, she and Steve hadn’t laughed that hard since the days of Russian truth serum and muppet voices and all is forgotten by the time the following weekend rolls around, and it’s Steve’s choice to pick.
And naturally… Steve’s choice is the most idiotic thing he can think of. Running. Not just running, but a run through the woods. Robin argues that it’s not even a hobby, just a terrible life choice. Steve argues that running is both a hobby and a sport and that he went along with her rollerskating, so she has to go along with his running. A woman of her word, Robin, agrees, although it doesn’t stop her complaining. Especially not when she comes to find out the “run” Steve spoke of isn’t just a quick trip through the trees but actually a five-mike trek. Somewhere between mile marker one and panting for her life, Robin starts plotting Steve’s murder. It doesn’t turn out to be… utterly terrible in the end. It’s peaceful almost, quiet and cool because of the fall breeze. Steve sheepishly tells her he does this a lot when he feels like his house will swallow him whole or when his head gets too loud. Robin still doesn’t see the appeal in running, but she can understand that logic well enough, so she tries to push through. Even though it ends with her getting a piggyback ride from Steve somewhere around mile three and forcing him by way of threat to promise not to choose any athletic-related hobby for his next choice. He reluctantly agrees after she nearly pulls his hair out.
When Robin’s next turn comes, she suggests this cool new place she heard some kids at school talking about up in Indianapolis. Apparently, you can shell out a few bucks to go inside a room covered in balloons that are filled with paint and throw darts at them until they pop and splatter all over the place. She thinks it sounds fun. Steve thinks it sounds messy. It does turn out to be a lot of fun; Steve doesn’t even complain when his spotless white sneakers get splattered. They both find it oddly therapeutic, stress relief from the bizarre year they just had. They leave feeling lighter, happier, although Steve argues it may just be because they’re outside of Hawkins city limits. They decide to make a day of it and spend the rest of the evening ducking in and out of little bookstores Robin drags him into and some record stores that Steve practically dashes for. Neither cared that their clothes were mildly messy, splattered in various colors. Robin has knots in her hair from paint that was missed and left too long. Steve’s got one hand that’s stained slightly blue for days. They still agree to do it again in the future.
Because that one turned out to be so good, Steve is well and truly scared to pick by the time his second chance rolls around. He doesn’t have much going on in terms of interests, and he knows it, and since Robin made him promise to toss all things sports related, he’s down to nearly nothing. He ends up going to Max for help. After a lot of heavy but good-humored ridicule, she suggests that he and Robin go to Indianapolis again. Mentions a small, weird little theater there that she and her mom went to once while out shopping. Steve’s not much of a movie buff, but it’s something to do, and after Max says they play a lot of artsy, independent type things, he figures it’s right up Robin’s alley. He turns out to be correct. She enjoys it, and he enjoys the company. It becomes another thing that they regularly do, and it’s actually where they later end up seeing a reshowing of the Before Stonewall documentary together since neither saw it when it dropped in ‘84. Steve being too unaware at the time and otherwise busy with Upside Down related drama, and Robin having no support system willing to accompany her to such a thing. They end up in a diner near the theater after, clutching hands like their lifelines, oddly quiet and picking at cold fries.
They keep trading weekends for a bit after that. Trying different, odd little things, although nothing really sticks as much. They soon realize that their real hobby of theirs is just spending time with one another, be it while trying new things or just hanging around at Steve’s getting high and laying on the floor together, so they eventually stop making it such a production. Settling instead on semi-frequent trips to Indy whenever their schedules allow it and forcing themselves to try new things so long as they’re doing it together.
