WHEN THE LAST bell of the day rang, Robin shot to her feet and ran for the door, only to be held back by the voice of a certain blue-eyed girl.

"Robin, wait up!"

Robin paused in her tracks, hesitantly allowing Nancy to catch up with her. The shorter girl shot her a small smile and they fell into sync with their footsteps, Robin being too nervous to say anything.

"Robin?" Robin cut her eyes to the girl beside her, not mistaking the slight nervousness in her tone. Nancy was chewing on her lip like she was anxious about something, her eyes on her feet as they walked. "I...I'm sorry about the hate you're getting. It's not right."

Robin couldn't help but do a double-take. Nancy was apologizing for what happened to Robin, even though it wasn't her fault. She actually sounded sincere and Robin was shocked she wasn't treating her like dirt like the rest of the school was. Why wasn't Nancy, the guarded, melancholy girl of Hawkins High, bullying and insulting her like everyone else?

"You're not...disgusted by me or anything?" Robin queried, the shock evident in her tone. "I mean, you don't care that I'm...not— not normal?"

Nancy stared up at her, an unreadable expression on her face. Suddenly Robin began to overthink everything. Had she even known that Robin was queer? Did she assume that it was just a joke or a rumor spread around the school? Her breath caught in her throat and before she could ramble out how it was okay if Nancy didn't want to be her friend anymore, the girl in question spoke up.

"Why would I be disgusted by you?" Nancy asked, looking genuinely confused. "And what do you mean by not normal? Robin, you are normal. Just because you're into girls doesn't change that. It doesn't make you disgusting. You're still human. Why would I care?"

Her words sunk into Robin's head and she was overcome with revelation. Nancy didn't think of her as a disgusting slur painted on a locker. Nancy didn't think of her as a disease people needed to stay away from. Nancy thought of her as a person, a regular person that just liked something different from others.

The two girls were outside now, only a few students rushing around to get to their rides. The sun was peeking out from behind a grey cloud and warm wind brushed against Robin's skin. All she could see in that moment was Nancy's face, tiny freckles surrounding her nose and chestnut curls framing her face like a curtain. Her ocean eyes bright and joyful, her pink lips stretched into a soft smile.

Robin wanted to kiss her. The urge was strong and suffocating, but she refrained herself. Just because Nancy supported her doesn't mean she was into girls as well. She was just a good friend. A friend was all she was ever going to be.

But just because she couldn't kiss her didn't mean she couldn't hug her. So, without a second thought, she pulled Nancy in for an eager and tight hug.

"Thank you," Robin breathed against Nancy's curls, inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo.

Nancy smiled into Robin's shoulder. "Of course, Robin."

They pulled away after a few more seconds, and Robin's eyes locked with Nancy's. Robin felt her heart speed up, getting lost in the blue of Nancy's eyes when a male voice called out to them.

"Rob! Hey Rob!"

Robin yanked her eyes away from Nancy and found Steve jogging towards them from the entrance of the school. Heat crept to her cheeks as she wondered if Steve saw her and Nancy staring so intently at each other. If he did, there was definitely going to be some teasing and playful banter.

"Hey, Steve," Robin greeted once the tall boy caught up with them, out of breath and panting.

Steve looked between Robin and Nancy, and Robin could see the suspicion in his caramel eyes, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he asked, "am I still giving you a ride, or...?"

"Oh, right," Robin laughed, glancing back at Nancy who was smiling but it looked forced. "Uh...Nancy— "

"I can give her a ride," Nancy chimed in, cutting Robin off. "Besides, I see Eddie over there." She nodded towards the fluffy-haired male that was currently leaning against his car, a cigarette between his lips as he played an imaginary guitar.

Steve frantically turned around, his eyes landing on Eddie, and Robin swore she saw Steve's eyes shapeshift into hearts. Robin could sense what was going on here; it was impossible to ignore. Steve definitely had a crush on no one other than Eddie Munson.

"Yeah, you should go talk to him," Robin suggested, planting a hand on Steve's shoulder and nodding supportively.

"I, uh," Steve gulped, still unable to take his eyes off Eddie. "If Nancy's sure she can give you a ride..."

"I'm sure, Steve," Nancy said, and Steve didn't need any more pressure to go and talk to Eddie. He practically ran across the parking lot, almost tripping over his own feet when he reached the guy.

"Wow, Steve's in love," Robin remarked as she turned back to Nancy. "I didn't even see it coming."

Nancy was already looking at her though, her pale cheeks tinted pink. "Yeah, he is. It's endearing, having someone look at you the way Steve looks at Eddie."

Robin wondered if there was a hidden meaning in that statement. She wondered if it was possible, Nancy feeling the same way Robin felt about her. Maybe she was thinking too much of it, or maybe she was being a little too hopeful. But the way Nancy looked at her...it was the same exact way Robin looked at Nancy.

Instead of asking what any of it meant, she smiled softly. "It certainly is."

—

a/n - had to add in some steddie bc they're canon idc