weekend lover - chapter two
chapter two of weekend lovers! you can read chapter one here word count: 2,734 *this fic is 18+ and takes place after season 5 so spoilers ahead!*
Two hours into the drive Nancy turned down the music. "Do you think the guys are going to be able to get along?"
"Hm?" Robin asked, glancing over at Nancy. The sun was at it's peak now, golden rays were caressing the side of Nancy's face, shining on the caramel strands in her hair. "Oh, totally. Well, maybe. They've seemed to stop arguing so much since they dropped the whole fight to the death thing for you. Though they'll never say it, I do believe they've grown quite fond of each other."
Nancy shook her head, laughing lightly. "They definitely have. I didn't think they were going to stop crying when we said goodbye last month."
"I'm glad we made plans and that we're actually following through with them. Do you think it's going to be weird though? Being close to Jonathan for a whole weekend?"
"No, Jonathan and I have been through so much together. I don't think it could ever be weird. We will always have a very special bond. The way all of us do."
"You don't think you two would ever get back together?" The question was more for Robin's peace of mind. She wished she could say she didn't suffer delusions of Nancy Wheeler but that simply wasn't true. Most nights Nancy's face was the last one she seen in her head before falling asleep. When she dreamed of sitting on a park bench next to someone it was always her. It wasn't fair because they were friends and she knew she shouldn't feel this way but it was hard not to.
Nancy was smart, beautiful, funny and a total bad ass. She was everything anyone could want. "No, I think that time for us is over. It was over before we broke up. We both knew it but it was hard. Of course it is when you've been through so much with someone… I believe in love, maybe even soul mates.. Jonathan and I, we may be twin flames but not in the way I used to think."
"Nancy Wheeler, always so wise."
Nancy huffed a laugh then glanced over at Robin, "What about you? You never told me what happened between you and Vickie." Her tone was curious but Robin didn't miss the way Nancy's jaw clenched. Was that concern? Robin could never delude herself into believing it was jealously. Furthermore, she had never specifically came out and told Nancy she and Vickie were together. But, she knew that Nancy knew. There had been a night at the quarry the two of them laid in the gravel as uncomfortable as it was, staring up a full moon.
"Tell me a secret about you," Nancy had whispered to Robin. It had seemed so trivial at the time. How could you fight monsters with someone, nearly die and them not know everything about you?
Robin had turned her head, the moonlight shining bright on the two of them. She looked back up at the sky, too scared to look Nancy in the face. This was the person she had stood at the end of the earth with, why couldn't she come out and say it? "I used to be in love with Tammy Thompson." The words rushed out of Robin like bile pushing up from her stomach.
"I think we grew apart, the same as you and Jon. Going through something traumatic creates a bond that almost blinds you. Vickie didn't see half the shit we did but she was there at the end, ya know. How can you can be with someone else when that person knows the true horrors of the world the way you do? It was tough, but we're better as friends. She moved to a different dorm building but it's for the best. We still get dinner every now and then. She's moved on, I'm happy for her."
"Robin Buckley, always so wise," she quoted back to Robin with a small smile. There was a silence that followed. Though it wasn't uncomfortable Robin knew Nancy wanted to say something so she stayed quiet, hoping Nancy would find whatever courage she needed. "Do you remember what you told me? That night at the quarry?"
Robin nodded. "Yes," her voice was a whisper.
"When did you know?"
Robin took a breath, "I think part of me had always known. I wasn't like everyone else and though that still stands for multiple reasons, I knew things weren't the same for me as they were for everyone else. Well, not everyone else, I'm not the only gay person to exist, obviously. I didn't have a crush on anyone though until high school."
"Until Tammy?" Nancy asked.
Robin winced at hearing her name. Looking back on it she had never understood that crush anyways, Tammy wasn't even really her type. "Yeah, until her." Nancy laughed softly and Robin glared at her. "What's so funny, Wheeler?"
"Nothing it's just… Well I just can't believe her, out of everyone? She just doesn't seem like your type."
"Oh yeah, you think I have a type?"
Nancy shook her head, "No, I guess not. I just can't picture the two of you together, that's all." Her smile was soft and the sound of the blinker from Nancy merging lanes filled the quiet that settled over the two of them. "I-I," Nancy started, stammering, "I… I had a crush once too, before Steve." Robin didn't dare breathe in fear that if she did she would shatter whatever it was Nancy was about to say. "I used to have a crush on Barb."
A tear ran down Nancy's cheek and Robin grabbed her knee, squeezing gently since neither of her hands were available. "When did you know?"
"Middle school. But it's different, it's not about gender it's just… It's about the person. Barb and I were so close. I thought no one in the world would ever get me like she did. She was so intelligent and funny. I got to know her in a way that no one else did. I was so fortunate that she chose me to be her best friend. The rest of the world missed really missed out on Barb Holland."
Robin laughed, wiping a tear that was running down her own cheek. "What stopped you? Did you ever tell her?"
"No," Nancy blew out a breath as if the answer was obvious. "I convinced myself that it was wrong. That I could only love what I had been told to love my whole life. I thought if I told her she would think I was some kind of freak or something."
The words settled in Robin's stomach like an anchor. "I know exactly what you mean."
"I suppose you do. I wanted to tell you sooner, the night you told me… I was just so scared."
"Well," she handed Nancy a can of a coke from the cup holder then grabbed her own, holding it out for Nancy to clink with hers, "Here's to no more expectations."
To loving who you want," Nancy added with a shy smile.
"To loving whoever the fuck you want," Robin agreed.
A few hours later the two of them were parking in front of Robin's uncle's house. "Wow, this is a huge place. You weren't lying."
The house was brick and tall, a three story building nestled in between a bunch of other identical houses. Her uncle's place however did stand out because he painted the door a god awful orange color.
"I hope Jonathan can film his heart out," Robin said, thinking of the boiler room Jonathan had been so excited to learn this house had.
They both grabbed their bags from the car and went up to the door. Robin's uncle was actually out of town on a business trip which was a frequent occurrence with him. She had never got a straight answer about what exactly his job was but he had money and let Robin stay whenever she wanted, her friends now included.
The guys were already there and had thankfully put the key back under the flower pot where Robin told Steve he'd find it. The house was quiet, no talking or laughing. This struck Robin as weird. She looked to Nancy who must have been thinking the same thing because they both sat their bags on the floor and crossed the threshold.
"Steve? Jonathan?" Robin called out.
"Shit, down here!" Jonathan's voice called out from the the lower level of the house. Robin and Nancy made their way down the steps. The boiler room door was cracked, a faint yellow light leaking out of it.
Robin pushed the door open and the sight in front of her made her stop in her tracks. "Holy shit, Harrington."
Steve was laid across a makeshift table. His shirt was discarded in the corner and he had a red substance oozing from the corner of his mouth. Jonathan had a camera set up and pointed directly at him. "I'm an actor, guys! I get to play a dead guy," Steve said way more excited than he probably should have been.
Nancy and Robin exchanged a look before they broke out into laughter. "You're ruining the art, get out," Jonathan waved his hand at them lightheartedly.
"That's fine, come Nance. I'll show you around," Robin grabbed Nancy's hand, tugging her towards the stairs.
As they ascended the stairs Robin could hear Jonathan giving Steve instructions. "Okay, you're dead. You're doing great. But your eyes, they have too much sparkle. You trying to look like you died with a look of horror om your face."
Back in the living room Robin grabbed both of their bags then headed to the third floor this time. "There's three actual bedrooms. I figured you three can have a room and I'll sleep on the couch."
"Don't be silly, you can share the room with me." Nancy pushed open a door that led to the first guest room. The walls were painted a light pink and there was a twin size bed in the middle of the room.
"This was the room I stayed in when I was younger. I spent a lot of my summers here until I joined band in high school. Then my summers were dedicated to band camp. This room is a bathroom," Robin opened a door to reveal a toilet and rather large bathtub along with second door. "That door leads to the other guest room," she pushed it open showing a room that was the same size as the pink room but instead had a queen size bed.
Robin noted the bag thrown on the bed, "Looks like Steve already claimed this one. Jonathan will have to have my room since we are sharing. We'll take my uncle's. It's the only room on the second level of the house but its huge. King size bed, a pool for a tub, come on."
On their way back down the stairs Nancy stopped in the hall, her fingers reaching up to trace the edge of a golden picture frame. "Look at you! You were so little!"
Robin groaned, she hated this picture most of all. She was on her uncle's shoulders, holding up a a huge stuffed green lizard. They had won it at a fair. Robin was grinning so big you could see her missing front teeth. "That one is terrible."
"No it's not! You're so cute," Nancy giggled but didn't fight Robin as she pulled her away.
Her uncle's room was past the living room and kitchen, nestled on the far right side of the house. The room was giant. In the center was a huge king sized bed and even then there was still room for a sofa, an armoire and a large statue of a wolf. "Is he a fan of wolves?" Nancy asked, spinning in a slow circle, taking in the room.
"Maybe. You know what, maybe he's some sort of art dealer or something. Not exactly clear on what he does but he spends a lot of time away from home." She walked over to the windows that spanned nearly half of the wall they were on. She grabbed a long plastic hook that was connected to the curtains and pulled it back. The sun had set completely, so the city was bathed in moonlight. Nancy joined Robin at the window and looked out.
"It's pretty here," she offered.
"Yeah, I love the city here. I almost applied to school here just because I love it so much. Plus room and board would have been free."
"But you chose Smith, why?" the two of you walked over to the sofa and sat down.
"I think after everything it would have been too easy to either stay in Hawkins or come here. It would have been the path I knew and I needed to try something new. Plus, Smith is beautiful. Not to mention I would have never met Carmen."
Nancy laughed at that, sighing. "You know, when we beat him and I knew it was over, that we were free… A million thoughts ran through my head. We were finally going to get to have our future and how different that's turned out for everyone. Well, maybe not Jonathan. He's wanted to go to NYU forever. He was going to give that up for me and I'm glad he didn't."
Robin stood quickly, walking to her uncles closet. She opened it and snapped a finger, "Knew it." She opened the mini fridge and grabbed two beers, handing one to Nancy. "Okay, continue."
They opened the cans, a loud pshhhhh soundedand Nancy shrugged, "I think that's really it. I just thought things would be different."
"Never dreamed you'd be a college dropout, Wheeler?"
"Definitely not," she laughed.
"So what do you do? Like sure you quit school and got a job at the Herald. But what do you do for fun now? Who is the new Nancy Wheeler?" Robin challenged.
"Well," Nancy shifted on the couch, tucking her feet under herself now facing Robin. "I think more or less the same. I'm writing which is what I love to do. Now I'm getting paid decently for it. For awhile I was also working at a coffee shop to make ends meet but that only last through my temp position. Now that I'm hired as a writer I don't have to worry about it. Hmm, I love to write in the park. There's a really beautiful one by the water I go to. You should take the bus up some time, I can show you around Boston. There's a bar I go to every now and then," Nancy's cheeks turned pink like she was nervous to say this. "It's a women only bar."
"Nancy Wheeler, have you been partying at a lesbian bar?" Robin bit her lip, feigning shock even though Nancy had always been full of surprises.
Nancy giggled, "It's more than lesbian! I have met a lot of bisexual women there thank you very much. Also women like me too, that don't really care."
Robin grinned, "Perfect. I'll come up one weekend and you can give me the tour of Boston and all the babes you've been meeting."
"We're done filming," Jonathan said, storming into the room.
Steve barreled in behind him, slapping his hand on Jonathan's shoulder as they stopped. "Holy shit, what is it your uncle does for work again?"
"He's an undercover art dealer," Nancy said with a smile.
"Something like that," Robin grinned.
"Come on ladies, food is calling," Steve straightened up his jacket as he walked over to the mirror to check out his hair. "Damn, is this red shit going to come off?" he asked, using his thumb to rub at it.
Jonathan winced, turning to Steve like he didn't like the answer he was about to give him. "Yeah, it will. It just takes a day or two."
"A day or two?" Steve gritted between teeth. "Come on man! I'm in Philly! There's no telling what kind of babes are out here and you have me," he stopped himself, tilted his head. "No wait, this is good. It's because I'm an actor. I'm working on my first film. Yeah, this is perfect!"
Robin rolled her eyes but Nancy and Jonathan both laughed. "Come on, let's go find a restaurant."
