#₊ ⊹ Nancy Wheeler ❙ ❝Ask for forgiveness not permission❝

[faeryworlds]

TAG DROP PART 1

[strangerwheelerthings]

Who is Nancy Wheeler?

Nancy Wheeler is extremely intelligent... and very impulsive.

Nancy Wheeler is very intense... and extraordinarily kind.

Nancy Wheeler is so angry at the world... and would do anything to help the people in it.

Nancy Wheeler is a leader... and she's prideful.

Nancy Wheeler is a hormonal teenage girl... and she struggles with ptsd and survivors guilt.

Nancy Wheeler deeply loves her family... and she absorbed all their dysfunctional coping mechanisms.

Nancy Wheeler can be very passionate... and represses all her emotions.

Nancy Wheeler can't lie to save her life... and does it quite frequently.

Nancy Wheeler has a strong sense of justice... and doesn't care one whit about the law if she disagrees with it.

Nancy is a great listener... and struggles with empathy when she can't understand.

Nancy Wheeler is a spitfire... and very polite to most people.

Nancy Wheeler is all this... and so much more.

Nancy Wheeler is complex and has flaws, and she's so overwhelmingly good.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Idk in my personal headcanon Jonathan is on an extended assignment with Rolling Stone and when he finally comes home he's just like "Nancy, baby, darling love of life whose cat is this?" And she's just like "Oh ours honey, his name is Bowie"

[faeryworlds]

True she did know what things he's great at. she loves teasing him and cannot help it at times to just tease him like that. Knowing they have been around each other a lot even after their break up. She knows how he is and what he is good at, to be honest she is proud with how far he has come. The growth he had compared to how he was when they started dating at first. Listen to what he had to say, before she wanted to reply to what he asked, he spoke again. "Wait, you wanted me to say that when we were dating back then?" Of course he would, Nancy why else would he be surprised that you said that you love him.

Nancy was down to not talk about fighting monsters, and this day shouldn't include the kids either. It felt like they were the parents of those kids the past few months. "We can definitely go to the roller rink and afterwards share a milkshake together." She then started thinking as a small smile appeared on her face. "What if I spent the night at your place, so we can just continue to be spending time together and not for me to have to head home after all of this."

It's been a while since she last did spent the night at his place, she just wanted to be spending time with him. Without being interrupted with needing to fight monsters or to babysit the kids. They deserve to just have a date just for them and to celebrate that they are back together. "Shall we get going then and head to the roller rink?" Kissing his cheek as she still can't believe they are actually back together. It feels good, it feels like she is complete with having him back in her life like this.

"Tsk tsk, Nancy Wheeler. You know damn well what things I'm great at, considering you experienced them firsthand for quite some time." He couldn't help the smirk plastered on his face, though he didn't want this to be about that. He knew he had a reputation, but Nancy had been with him longer then any of those one night stands. She knew that kissing wasn't the only thing he had great expertise at. Anatomy was probably the only class he would pass with at least an A-.

At the question of what he wanted to do, Steve had to think for a moment. His brain had still stopped fully functioning at her confession, and the fact he was kissing Nancy again, which was something he hadn't been sure he would be able to experience. He leaned into her hands, a pure sign of trust because he almost never let anyone touch his hair, but he had never had an issue with it when it was Nancy. She could do anything to him and he would take it without batting an eye.

"Hm?" He questioned, eyebrow raised, realizing he hadn't fully heard or understood the question in his own lost mind. "You mean kissing you or...you saying you love me?" Honest question. "Because I wanted that last one for longer than just when we broke up, Nance." Honest answer. "So I don't know, maybe we should go celebrate." He grinned, giving her a nudge with his hip. "Go down to the roller rink. Or share a milk shake. Or see a movie. I don't know, something nice for just the two of us. That doesn't include any of the kids, or any talk about fighting monsters." Because it seemed like that had been their only bonding activities the past few months.

[fastcardotmp3]

been thinking a lot lately about how I'm not convinced Nancy would stay in journalism long term because of the utter frustration she would feel at reporting on things she couldn't get actively involved in or the all-around constrictions of the sort of red tape you run into working at a newspaper or a network or anything and THAT has me thinking about what one (of many) careers she might transition to when she gets fed up with it.

hear me out. Nancy Wheeler the private investigator who gets to use all of those investigative reporting skills, who has a bit more wiggle room to bend the rules, who doesn't have to answer to some higher power for the things she says or does, and who can maybe actually help people in a hands on way.

She can find the people who go missing instead of just reporting when their bodies turn up. She can help people stuck in abusive homes escape their abusers. She can help people who were betrayed by business partners or friends or family get money they need to survive back.

She can find people. She can save them. Before it's too late.

Nancy Wheeler, who lies to cops with a smile and asks forgiveness not permission taking a mystery and running with it? Working just enough outside of the law so people don't have to deal with the police if they come to her instead; working to understand what it looks like when the person she's looking for needs protecting from her client instead of being handed over no questions asked?

Not every case has to end like Barb's. Not everyone left standing has to grieve like Nancy. She can change these people's histories before they become tragedies.

Nancy Wheeler will always be a storyteller, she'll never stop putting pen to paper, but maybe journalism was just not the arena for her to do that in. Maybe it's two different things, the stories she tells and the people she helps.

Maybe she gets to do both if she just finds the right avenues.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Nancy Wheeler wasn't trying to be anyone else in season one except herself who wanted to try beer, find out what Steve Harrington's really like, and have sex. Honestly, that sounds like an average teenager to me. Barb, as her friend, had valid fears, but Nancy wanted to do something different than what she usually does. You can never find out what you like until you try it. . .it doesn't become a part of who you are until you start doing it on a regular basis. She didn't go to the party to become popular, she went there because she liked Steve and she wanted to be with him. There's no deeper meaning than that. Heaven forbid a woman step outside of what's expected of her. . .she gets accused of being pressured or acting naive. She wasn't trying to rebel. She wasn't trying to change who she was. She liked Steve and wanted to fuck him. I think it's as simple as that. Nancy had plans. She bought a bra and sweater before she even knew there was a party. She was going to fuck Steve Harrington and no one was going to stop her. "Ask for forgiveness, not permission." We already witnessed a part of that determination and drive. . .it had happened right there in Steve Harrington's bedroom. She saw something she wanted so she took it. That right there was very much Nancy Wheeler.

[aloneinthehellfire]

GOH: The Teens

Gates Of Hell

"Ask for forgiveness, not permission."

I have written up a quick description for them, including a little backstory and a song (spotify link) I feel represents them in my fic.

ROBIN BUCKLEY

She's never felt like she's truly belonged anywhere. Not in this town, not even at home. In fact, the only reason she hasn't run away is because of a pact she made with you years ago; never one without the other. That, and she was broke. So, instead, she spends her time fending off friendships she assumes will end in heartbreak, masking herself behind sadistic humour and unfiltered expressions.

Robin always thought she had some higher purpose, destined for glory. She's never been able to prove herself, but she still holds onto the hope that she was put on this earth not for retribution, but for greatness.

song: not strong enough by boygenius

NANCY WHEELER

Since Barb's death, she feels like a sour, darker shell of the girl she once was. Her girlhood that died the night she wasn't there for her best friend. And now, she makes sure she'll never be caught off guard again. She's made a lot of mistakes, as a normal teenager should. But she doesn't see it that way. There is no divine entity paving her future. Her life is hers. She's responsible for it.

Will her desire for control change her future, or will it just destroy her?

song: seventeen by marina

JONATHAN BYERS

If there was a cure for his guilt-driven nightmares, he'd give almost anything to take it. Losing his brother flipped a switch inside he never knew existed. Even when Will was back home, safe, Jonathan couldn't rid himself of the sinking feeling pushing down on his chest, caving him in.

He was meant to be the 'man of the house', except all he ever does is let everyone down. Maybe his shattered soul can be mended by the girl he loves and the family he deserves. Or maybe not everything broken can be fixed.

song: mum by luke hemmings

BILLY HARGROVE

Billy was never an angry kid. He was kind, sensitive, hopeful. And when he had to watch his mother lose what spirit she had left, his inner child died with her. Now, he doesn't think there's much point to put up with other people's bullshit. Life was only a storm of pain before it all ends. So what's the point in so-called redemption?

We're all going to die anyway.

song: fourth of july by sufjan stevens

@palmtreesx3 . @kryztalglear . @sattlersquarry . @hey-barnes-stole-a-jeep . @sadslasher13 .

@iliveonteaandbooks . @innercreationflower . @newyorkangelbaby . @totally-bogus-timelady .

@pansexualhoor . @kitdjarin1 . @chiliwhore .

[fragilecapric0rnn]

was tagged by the lovely and wonderful @cheatghost & @yournowheregirl & @judasofsuburbia to pick six characters i relate to!

Steve Harrington Ex-jock, heart of gold, dumb of ass, bisexual (TO ME), doesn't see how smart he is, dreams of a bright future even when the present is so bleak and dark with no end in sight, not afraid to swing first, think later.

Nancy Wheeler Choosing another ST character because, unfortunate for all of you, I do what I want <3 Dealt with too much too young, but channels all of that anger and emotion into her passions. "We ask for forgiveness, not permission", will throw my body in front of a moving vehicle for my brother and his friends if it ever needed to happen. Takes no shit, plays no games, loyal to all hell, and a capricorn.

Van Palmer That moment in the second episode of season 1, the plane is going down, the camera pans to the plane, and there's Van, punching the fuck out of the compartment that holds the oxygen mask, refusing to go down without a fight GOD REAL AS HELLL. Or when Travis is being a dick, she immediately jumps to her friend's defense, even when he has a gun in his hand? ME ME ME. The way she's still trying to lighten the mood, be the funny guy, even as she carries so much??? YEAH.

Mia Dolan Creative, big dreams, goals and ambitions, unfortunately stuck as a barista while waiting for those dreams and goals to come to fruition.

Chandler Bing "I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?" + “I say more dumb things before 9 A.M. than most people say all day.” = Sen CoreTM

Poe Dameron Loyal, charming and kinda brash, confidence mistaken for arrogance, lack of impulse control but with the best intentions in mind. *blowing a kiss to the sky for Poe Dameron*

tagging! @figthefruitfaeth @gideoncharov @fastcardotmp3 @kkpwnall @gothbat99 @seths-rogens @starryeyedjanai

[wildcstdrcams]

Nancy & Mia ( @bejcwcled )

Ever since she'd shared her theory with her friend, she had been determined to find out as much about what was going on as she possibly could. "Excuse me," she started, walking up to a woman sitting at a table alone. "I'm Nancy Wheeler. I work at Weathers Daily. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions." While she hadn't exactly run this article by her boss, she figured it'd be better to write it all out first and then present it. If Gale got mad, she'd figure it out then. She'd always figured it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

[aspenshade888]

Ooh I have a bunch of quotes (mostly from books lol) I’ve collected!!

As the living who dined on fine steaks shunned all thoughts of the slaughterhouse - Neal shusterman in everfound

Try not to look down on people who had to choose between death and disgrace - Suzanne collins in the ballad of songbirds and snakes

That night when you shone light on the men outside, and showed that bravery had nothing to do with a spear held in battle - Brandon Sanderson in Oathbringer (I think it was Oathbringer)

Morality is not a thing you can simply doff [take off] to put on the helm of battle, then put back on when you’re done with the slaughter. - Brandon Sanderson in Oathbringer

We ask for forgiveness not permission - Nancy wheeler from stranger things

Respect my existence or expect my resistance - Steven Salvatore in can’t take that away

If starving to death was a natural cause. … was it natural if hunger had been used as a weapon? - Suzanne collins in the ballad of songbirds and snakes

and my personal favorite:

how dare they survive by killing me - Brandon Sanderson in Oathbringer

lifehack: when you see a Take One candy bowl in a restaurant, wait until noones looking and shovel candy into your pockets. god may judge you but his sins outnumber your own

[hellxfireclub-moved]

@corrodedcoffyn​ said:  ❝  i’m staying.  end of discussion.  you gotta learn to let people take care of you.  ❞

                              NANCY   BLINKED   UP   AT   EDDIE   IN   SURPRISE,   blue   eyes   wide.   That   was   unexpected   and   she   was   struck   momentarily   speechless   by   Eddie's   words.   It   wasn't   that   she   wasn't   grateful   that   he   wanted   to   stay   with   her   and   make   sure   she   was   okay,   but   surely   he   had   someone   else   he   wanted   to   be.   Her   parents   and   Holly   weren't   home,   away   for   the   weekend,   and   Mike   was   still   in   California,   which   meant   she   was   alone   in   her   house.   She   didn't   want   to   be.   Not   after   everything   she   and   Robin   had   learned   earlier   from   Victor   Creel.   He   had   a   point;   Nancy   didn't   usually   allow   someone   to   take   care   of   her.   She   always   wanted   to   take   care   of   those   around   her.   It   was   likely   instinctual   because   she   was   a   big   sister.   

So   she   stood   in   the   middle   of   her   bedroom   and   nodded   slowly.   ❝   Okay.   I   mean...thank   you...for   caring.   ❞   Nancy's   stomach   churned   faintly,   though   not   in   an   uncomfortable   way.   Sure,   she   had   known   of   Eddie   Munson   since   they   were   in   the   same   year,   and   she   knew   he   was   part   of   Mike's   game   club.   But   she   had   never   really   seen   Eddie.   She   hadn't   realized   that   he   was   as   caring   as   he   was.   It   surprised   her.   ❝   I...can   you...?   ❞   She   sighed,   frustrated   with   herself   and   her   lack   of   ability   to   articulate   her   thoughts.   ❝   Would   it   be   too   forward   of   me   to   ask   you   to   stay   in   here   with   me   tonight?   We   can   share   the   bed.   I   don't   mind.   ❞   Nancy   felt   her   cheeks   heat   up   and   she   couldn't   look   at   him,   instead   averting   her   eyes   to   the   carpet   beneath   their   feet.       

[knivesnchill]

I just saved your life. You could be a little more grateful. 

@qxeensxng​  asked from Send 🗣  for me to make you a starter with a line of dialogue from this generator. (accepting)

[allthingsfangirl101]

Overprotective Little Brother–Steve Harrington

Dustin's POV

When my sister and Steve first started dating, I was skeptical. I wanted my sister to be happy, but I knew Steve's reputation at school. I didn't want Steve to hurt her. She finally had the courage to open her heart to someone. The last thing that I wanted was for him to break it.

They've been together for almost three months now. Steve works at Scoops Ahoy and Y/N works at a boutique across the food court. After they started working at the mall, they decided to start having lunch together every day. They first started dating after one day when Steve missed their lunch break and asked to make it up to her by taking her to dinner.

Before he asked her out, Steve came by and asked me if it was okay. As awesome as I thought he was, I was a little nervous when he started to show interest in Y/N. After a long conversation of him promising not to hurt my sister, I gave him my permission.

When Y/N came home from their first date, she was glowing. She couldn't stop smiling as she told me all about their date. She kept saying how much she really liked him and couldn't believe that he liked her too.

"Hey, Y/N," I called out when I walked into the house. "I'm home! Were you still planning on hanging out with Steve tonight? If not, you could come and hang out with us."

I looked around the house, confused when Y/N hadn't said anything. "Y/N?" I tried again as I started walking down the hallway to her room. "You home? Or did Steve take a detour on your way home from work again?"

I knocked on her bedroom door before opening it. What I saw made my heart jump into my stomach and my anger immediately turn towards my sister's stupid boyfriend. Y/N was sitting on the edge of her bed with tears streaming down her face. I ran over to her and sat next to her.

"What's wrong, Y/N?"

"Steve," she said through her tears.

"What did he do?" I asked, ready to ride my bike to his house and punch him in the face.

"He kissed Nancy last night."

"What?!" I yelled as I jumped up. "When? Why? How? WHAT?!"

"He went to that party that I didn't want to go to," she explained as she slowly stopped crying. "I guess she was drinking and. . . she kissed him."

"Oh, Y/N," I sighed as I sat back down. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to do," she said shakily as the tears started falling again. "Do I forgive him? Do I let it go? Do I break up with him?"

When she asked that last question, her voice got caught in her throat. I wrapped my arms around her as she started to cry.

"Has he apologized?" I asked, trying to sound positive.

"He tried to," she stuttered. "I think. I don't really know. . . He told me about the kiss and said it meant nothing but. . . I left."

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," I sighed.

Y/N and I spent the rest of the night eating dinner and watching cartoons. When she fell asleep on the couch with her hair messy and tear stains on her face, the anger I'd been pushing down returned.

"I am going to kill you, Harrington."

                                * * * * *

The next morning, I was just about to jump on my bike when I saw the source of my anger's car parked in front of our house. I rolled my eyes when he got out of the car with a bouquet of roses.

"Listen, I've been thinking. . ."

I scoffed when I overheard Steve rehearsing what he was going to say to Y/N.

"Those better be for my sister," I said as I walked over to him, gesturing at the flowers in his hands.

"Yeah," he said shakily. "I just want to talk to her, okay? I want to explain."

"Explain why you kissed Nancy?"

"I didn't kiss her back," he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "She was drunk and wasn't thinking straight. The second she kissed me, I pulled away, okay? I thought I was doing the right thing by telling Y/N what happened."

"Steve," I sighed, "Y/N has always been and always will be intimidated by Nancy."

"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice slightly dropping.

"Y/N's been insecure her whole life. Especially when it came to Nancy Wheeler," I started to explain. "She has always worried that she will never be as pretty, or smart, or funny, or interesting as Nancy. This was before you and Nancy even started dating. Once you asked her out, those insecurities doubled. Tripled. Quadrippled or druppled. Whatever the word is. The point is they got worse."

"I had no idea Y/N felt like that," Steve said as he leaned against the side of his car.

"That's not all." I hesitated. Y/N told me this in confidence, but I had to try and help fix their relationship. Y/N really cares about Steve. Breaking up would kill her.

"Once you and Y/N started dating, she couldn't shake the possibility that you were still in love with Nancy."

"That's crazy," Steve said as he kicked off his car and walked closer to me. "I'm not in love with Nancy. I'm in love with Y/N."

"You are?" I stuttered. I studied the look on his face. I had to make sure that Steve meant this. I cleared my throat before saying, "Be very careful, Steve. This is my sister we're talking about. When you say that, you better mean it."

"I do," Steve didn't hesitate to say. "I love Y/N, Dustin. I'd never do anything to hurt her."

"Good," I said, snatching the flowers out of his hands. I opened the front door and signaled for him to walk inside.

"She's in her room," I said, handing him back the flowers. "Go fix this."

                                * * * * *

Reader's POV

I looked up from my book when there was a soft knock on my door. I sighed as I brought my knees closer to my chest and fixed my blanket.

"Go away, Dustin," I sighed. "I told you I was fine."

I watched as the door slowly opened. My heart jumped into my throat when Steve popped his head into my room.

"It's not Dustin," he tried to joke. He showed me some flowers with a cheeky smile on his face. "Just me."

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Can I come in?" He asked, his smile slightly dropping. "I really want to talk about what happened."

"Steve. . ."

"Please," he begged. "There are some things I need to say to you."

After a few seconds of hesitation, I nodded. Steve let out a sigh of relief as he walked into my room. I moved to the edge of my bed and Steve sat next to me, putting the flowers on the bed. He hesitated before reaching over and grabbing my hand.

"You have to know that I don't have feelings for Nancy anymore," he said softly. He looked up at me, instantly looking deeply into my eyes. "I don't love Nancy anymore, Y/N. The second she kissed me, I broke it."

"I believe you," I whispered, looking down at our intertwined hands. I held my breath when Steve reached over and lifted my chin so I was looking back at him.

"I love you, Y/N."

I smiled, a different type of tears building. I scooted closer to him as I gathered my courage.

"I love you too, Steve."

                                * * * * *

Dustin's POV

I wasn't sure what Steve said to Y/N. I was trying to distract myself. I thought about going over to Mike's, but I wanted to stay here in case it didn't go well. If it went south, I'd be here to beat Steve up and to comfort my sister after.

I was in the middle of playing a video game when I heard Y/N's bedroom door open. I chewed on my bottom lip as I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I paused the game and looked over my shoulder. I tried to stop my smile when I saw Y/N and Steve walking down the hall, holding hands.

"Steve and I are going to go get dinner," Y/N said, her face slightly pink.

"Do you want us to drop you off at Mike's?" Steve offered.

"I'm good," I chuckled. "You guys go have fun."

The two smiled at me before leaving. I was just about to restart my game when Y/N came back inside.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"It's great," she said with a small laugh. "I came back inside to thank you."

"I didn't do anything," I shrugged. Y/N set me a knowing look which she added to with a wink.

"Thanks for protecting me, little bro."

I laughed as I sent her a wink back, flashing my pearly whites at her.

"Anytime, big sis."

[fastcardotmp3]

okay I'm being annoying today but I decided to finish it after months sitting in my drafts hear me OUT because ronance good omens au that I will likely never write but exists in My Heart:

Nancy "what a priss-- turns out not so much" Wheeler as the angel who knows what all of the rules are, who follows them even when she believes they're important, who trusts deeply and fully in the path of doing what is right but who sometimes just. doesn't agree with heaven on what right means? Nancy "lies to cops with smile" Wheeler who asks forgiveness not permission while stationed down on Earth, who likes the things she likes unapologetically, who seethes quietly over injustice but still finds a way to do something about it no matter whether it's technically allowed or not and--

Robin "you were a real douchebag you know?" Buckley as the demon whose temptations are quick-witted and clever and make her stand out from the crowd downstairs but still rarely actually hurt anyone in a lasting way, who takes credit for the shit humanity comes up with on their own because it's easier that way and leaves her more time to do the things she enjoys, who has a sharp tongue and a may-care attitude but who feels things deeply, who relishes in music and art and movies non-conforming fashion and is made almost entirely of soft-spots for these people she's spent 6000 years watching hurt and help each other in equal measure even without heaven or hell's input

They're both too human for their own good, but the perfect amount for each other's, and there's no one else in the universe who understands their lived experience the way they do. There's no one else in the universe who has been there through it all, this mortal enemy, this "I'm sorry, who are you?", this "does that make us friends?", this camaraderie.

Just. Good girl on the surface with a shotgun behind her back Nancy as the angel and snarky non-conformist on the surface with a secret open hearted approach to people Robin as the demon is SO..... yeah.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

"Nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world." - Jonathan

"Everything that people tell you is important, everything that people say you should care about. It’s all just bullshit. But I guess you gotta mess up to figure things out, right?" - Steve

"We ask for forgiveness, not permission." - Nancy

Here's hoping we get a really good Nancy Wheeler monologue in season 5. 🤞

[unholyhelbig]

Ronance with "No, NO, don't throw up in that" PLS

[A/N: I really, really enjoy writing these idiots. This one is specifically dedicated to @hellmo]

Masterlist | Join my Taglist | Prompt Suggestions

Summary: Robin shows up at the Wheeler residence intoxicated, and ready to admit feelings.

TW's: Vomit, and drinking, and probably awful grammar

Halloween was Three Months Ago | Nancy Wheeler x Robin Buckley

Nancy Wheeler opened her front door, sleep worn and irritable. Her hair was wild, the curls having dried against her pillows in a wild ringlet of distress. She had fallen into a fitful sleep halfway through making flashcards and was rudely awakened by soft pattering on her windowpane that she figured was rain.

It was, in fact, not rain. Robin Buckley had scooped up a handful of pebbles from Mrs. Wheeler’s back garden and began pelting them one by one at the glass in small, muffled noises. The moon was full, and Nancy could see her clearly inebriated. She pushed open the window and breathed in the cold night air.

“What are you doing?” She whispered harshly.

“I can’t go home, my mom’s going to kill me!”  

Even drunk Robin had enough sense to know that she shouldn’t stumble into her home, filled to the brink with knick-knacks that were easily breakable. Her mother had fallen asleep on the sofa on more than one occasion, waiting for her to get home. It was better to beg for forgiveness than ask permission, and that was only achievable when she could see straight.

Nancy frowned before waving Robin to the front door and ushering her directly into the basement hangout that Mike and his friends usually inhabited. Their latest campaign was set up on a folded table, and string lights gave the place a soft glow. Robin could sleep off her intoxication here.

She deposited Robin on one end of the sofa. The girl let out a small noise between a whoops and sorry. Robin tiptoed back up the steps to the basement and allowed herself to close the door, close them into a cool darkness aside from the string lights, reflecting gold against Robin’s freckled cheeks.

“No, no!” Nancy had reached the bottom of the steps just as Robin reached for an old bucket of Halloween candy that was a replica of a stormtrooper. Mike hadn’t used it in years, the same stale tootsie rolls marinated with bat-themed peanuts and discarded lollipop sticks. “Don’t throw up in that!”

Robin let out a gross sound and heaved into the bucket twice. Nancy cringed. The whole place smelled of bile and beer and she was suddenly regretting closing them in here. But Robin’s eyes were glassy, and her cheeks were flushed. Nancy wanted to take care of her in that moment. In every moment, maybe. She hadn’t stopped to think about it before.

Carefully, she maneuvered the bucket from Robin’s lap and tossed it out the back door, onto the grey moonlit grass. It seemed like a problem for later, smelled like one too. She got Robin a ginger ale from the basement fridge, avoiding the old popsicles and miller lights her father stored.

“Drink this,” She ordered, sitting next to her on the couch and cracking the metal seal. Robin groaned and fell into Nancy. Her breath was hot with alcohol, her nose close against the crook of Nancy’s neck. “Or not.”

“You’re so nice,” Robin mumbled into her throat, the words tickling. “I didn’t think I’d ever end up on the Nancy Wheeler’s couch. Mike’s cool, beautiful older sister that has a bunch of guns. Where did you get guns?”

Nancy laughed “You’re drunk.”

Robin nodded and swallowed the mostly sour taste on her tongue before accepting the glass of water that Nancy offered. It dripped down her chin and soaked into her collar until it was damp. Nancy watched as the girl’s jaw clenched and unclenched at the hydration. It must taste like metal, she decided.

A word stuck out to her. Beautiful. She remembers the first time Steve told her that she was. It was written in chicken scratch on a torn piece of notebook paper that she embarrassingly shoved into a box somewhere. She felt prideful that the Steve Harrington had complimented her looks, the swim captain, the all-American boy.

Johnathan had called her beautiful too. It slipped out between heated kisses after a years-worth of tension. She barely heard it over the pulsing of her own heart. But stilled when she did. It felt nice. Just as it had when she read the words from Steve. Nice.

This felt different, and not just because Robin had just upchucked into her brother's favorite Halloween pail. Even with her drunkenness, there was sincerity behind it. Not just saying it because it felt like the right thing to say, or because Nancy was hastily trying to undo a belt buckle.

Nancy situated Robin on the sofa with another glass of water and a decorative pillow. She could drool on the patterned side and it would blend right in. When she stood, Robin’s fingers found her own, squeezing. “Nance?”

“Yeah, Robin?”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course.”

Instead of going upstairs, she found herself settling into her father’s old recliner, pulling a throw blanket over herself. God forbid Robin falls to the floor in her sleep, hit’s her head on the edge of the coffee table, and bleeds out. That’s the reason she told herself she stayed as she drifted back into sleep.

Nancy jolted awake to the sound of a whirring blender upstairs. Her mother had been on a health kick lately. Every morning on the dot she would blend a stalk of celery, a cup of water, and chia seeds that she had ordered in the mail. She choked it down unhappily before whipping up breakfast.

The girls’ eyes flicked to the sofa. Was last night a dream? No, of course, it wasn’t. She wouldn’t’ be down here if it was all in her head. Robin was laying face down, her nose pressed against the cushion. The glass of water on the table had been drained.

“Oh my god,” She groaned, voice muffled “Who is sawing?”

“My mother,”

At the sound of Nancy’s sleep-riddled voice, Robin shot up way too fast for her own good. Her stomach clenched and she fought off the urge to vomit. She must have been drinking way past her legal limit last night, and now she was on Nancy Wheeler's couch, in Nancy Wheeler's basement. With Nancy Wheeler.

“Hi,” Robin said.

“Hi.”

Nancy felt her cheeks warm up despite herself. Robin’s hair was messy, her voice thick with hangover. Her shirt was wrinkled, the imprint of the pattern on her pillow made little red intents against her skin that Nancy wanted to sooth. She pushed the front of the recliner down instead, giving herself solid ground to stand on.

Robin groaned as she sat up and Nancy was worried that she would lose whatever water that she had gotten down. She looked positively green but swallowed hard and kept everything down. There were rings on every finger and a necklace that hung low against Robin’s chest. Not as if Nancy was looking.

“How much of a fool did I make out of myself?”

Nancy shrugged “Honestly, I’ve seen worse. You did vomit in a replica stormtrooper helmet.”

“Great.”

The blender stopped upstairs, and the scent of food began to waft under the crack of the door. Nancy could hear the morning news streaming through the television they kept in the kitchen. She had forced herself to focus on the words of the newscaster, no matter how garbled. School closures due to weather. A car crash off the interstate. Nothing that sounded monster related.

“My mom always makes enough for a whole village.” Nancy found herself saying, cupping the back of her neck nervously. “You could stay for breakfast if you’d like. Or you can sneak out the side door. Though, I can’t stop whoever catches you.”

Robin weighed her options; Nancy could see it behind her soft blue eyes. They reflected the multi-colored string lights that plunged them into a dull glow. They were pretty, Nancy decided. Robin had a tendency to mumble, and apparently get drunk, but Nancy liked this small moment between them. Didn’t want it to end.

“Breakfast sounds good.”

Nancy found herself smiling “Good. Can’t believe I got the resident band kid to agree to stay at the beautiful mysterious Nancy Wheeler’s house for breakfast.”

“Oh my god,” Robin grabs the throw pillow and pushed it against her features, letting out a muffled scream into the fabric. “Vecna take me now.”