#inadvertent desert hearts movie date au

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Robin says Chrissy’s the one with the magic, but Chrissy’s pretty sure it’s the other way around. Something about wearing Robin’s blazer yesterday had made her feel brave, safe, like she could talk about exactly the sort of things she’d practiced avoiding with Miss Kelly last week. Today, Robin’s jacket is black denim instead of a blazer, scattered pins and patches decorating the material, but when she loans it to Chrissy, it feels just the same. They’re in the theater again, the same row, same seats even maybe, though this time Chrissy had arrived first. As soon as her free period ended, she’d left Jason outside of the gym and made a beeline straight here, not even bothering to stop at her locker. The lunch her mother packed didn’t have much in it anyway. She’d figured she was better off with the two granola bars in her backpack. She’s nibbling on one of them now, stalling while she gathers her courage. Robin’s been a little quieter today, not asking as many questions as she has during their last few lunches, but it’s given Chrissy time to carefully choose her words. “Robin?” she starts. “Can I ask you a question?” Robin looks up from slurping some sort of cold sesame noodle out of a tupperware, swallowing her bite and setting her lunch down in the row behind them. “Sure,” she says. “What’s up?” Chrissy sucks in a breath, bracing herself for whatever the response will be. “Are you and Steve really just friends?”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 8, a season 4 buckingham au

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Chrissy hesitates while getting dressed Thursday morning. She’s got her uniform on, her cheer cardigan too, but when she looks at herself in the mirror, she half wants to shrug the sweater off. Hang it back up in her closet. She won’t be swapping it out for Jason’s letterman after first period today. What would happen if she just… left it at home. Maybe, if she gets cold, someone else will let her borrow their jacket for the day. She wonders if Jason would offer. Would he insist? Can’t have my girl looking cold, Chris, she imagines in his voice. I know it’s game day, but here, you should take it. Maybe it wouldn’t be like that, though. Maybe it would be the opposite. Baby, how am I supposed to feel you cheering me on all day long if I don’t have my jacket? Plus, you know all the guys are wearing theirs. It’s good for team unity, and I have to set the right example as captain. I thought you girls were wearing your sweaters today. She half entertains the idea of sneaking into her father’s room to borrow one of his sport coats. What would Robin think if she showed up in a blazer of her own? Or could Chrissy maybe not pull it off the same as Robin does? Robin always looks so cool and effortless in her outfits, like putting them together comes as naturally to her as breathing. Her style is so — her own compared to most of the other girls at Hawkins High. Maybe if Chrissy tried to copy it, she’d just look exactly like she would be: a little girl playing dress up in her father’s closet. Maybe she could squeeze into one of PJ’s. His size probably isn’t so different from hers. As long as he has something that fits over her shoulders, it wouldn’t matter too much if the arms were a little short. She could roll the sleeves to her elbows the same way Robin usually does. Chrissy doesn’t typically wear anything tight, though. Her own sense of style tends to favor a looser fit, her closet full of long cardigans and pleated pants, structured jumpsuits and billowy dresses that can be belted in at the waist. Her mom would call those sorts of items forgiving. Things that can change with or hide her fluctuating weight. It also tends to mean it’s less noticeable when her mother buys her clothes a size too large or decides she’s gained another few pounds and takes it upon herself to let out all the seams. Oh. Her mother. Her mother would never let her leave the house in something like that. Not ladylike enough. Of course, it’s one thing to wear her boyfriend’s jacket at school, but it’s another to include men’s clothing as part of her regular wardrobe. And it’s not like she’d be able to hide it from her parents. Even if she managed to sneak into someone else’s closet without being discovered, she couldn’t just stuff a blazer into her backpack and pull it out later. Not if she also wanted to fit any of her books in there. She’s pretty sure there isn’t a world where her mother would be swayed by any claims that it’s some sort of new trend either. Laura Cunningham always insists that truly well-dressed women always look timeless. Classic. They don’t chase trends that will look silly in pictures they’ll be showing their children one day. There’s no use, really, in trying to prepare for a conversation she’ll just lose. She keeps the cardigan on.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 8, a season 4 buckingham au

[hilarychuff]

For a second, an ugly, mean, bitter part of him cranks the metallic screech of microphone feedback in his head to full volume. Because of course. Of course. Of course Chrissy Cunningham is literally lying here with him in his van, wearing her cheer uniform and tracing a finger across his chest — something he’s never even dared to let himself dream of — and he’s already lost her. Of course she’s headed straight from Wanna Be Golden Boy Carver into the arms of Steve The Hair Harrington. Not that that doesn’t make about a thousand times more sense. The idea that the queen would ever actually deign to fraternize with the freak is laughable, really. Which he probably should’ve known from the second she asked him if she could buy some drugs. This is a criminal transaction. Has been the whole time. God forbid he ever for a second take for granted that most people in this fucking small ass hick ass bitch ass town might ever look at him and be able to see something more than that degenerate Munson kid, more likely to end up in prison with his pop than he is to ever graduate high school, though if he ain’t beating the odds so far with those extra two years of trying — “Lunch with the queen of Hawkins High must be a hot ticket,” he spits sullenly. “Please don’t tell me Buckley landed that invite by trading a date with King Steve now that he’s back on the prowl. Not that that wouldn’t at least be a step up from your sentient eye booger of an ex. Is that why you dumped him? Why have some cheap imitation when you can go straight to the source, right?” Chrissy’s sitting up to glare down at him before the words have even hit his own ears, really. She crosses her arms over her chest, narrows her eyes and scrunches her nose and twists her little mouth up at him. “Steve and I are just friends,” she tells him in an insistent, impatient tone, hitting practically every word with emphasis. “Boys and girls can be just friends. You sound like Jason.” Eddie’s jaw drops. And then he jerks his whole body back to the floor of the van, flailing his limbs, grabbing for something invisible held tight to his neck. “Jesus Christ, Chrissy, should I go ahead and saw through my jugular or do you want to be the one to do it?” he asks, holding his pretend weapon out to her. Her own mouth falls open at that, but no words come out, so he brings his fists back towards his body, cutting harsh imaginary lines across his neck. He wrestles with the air and mimes spurting blood and pretends to die for another half minute before he’s done. “I think that’s the worst thing anyone's ever said to me,” he says as he flops back to catch his breath. “Wow. Point taken. Put me in my place, Cunningham, that was brutal.”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 9, a season 4 buckingham au

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He’s fumbling this. He can already tell he’s fumbling this. He’s rolled a Nat fucking 1 on charming the cheerleader. Plus, he’s a freak, so his general everything had all but shot him in the foot before he ever even started. But he just kind of can’t believe what’s happening right now. That Chrissy Cunningham is really just standing in front of him with her big blue eyes, asking him if she can please buy some drugs. He’s sort of fantasized about this, over the years. She’d, uh — she’d made an impression back when they’d first met. Sort of because of that exact same wide-eyed gaze she’s got now. She’d been just a teeny tiny sixth grade cheerleader back then, a little whisper of a girl, and she’d cautiously walked a poster up to him at the middle school talent show sort of the same way she’s approaching him now. Like he’s some sort of scary monster that might leap out of the shadows to gobble her up. Like she, bonafide Queen of Hawkins Fucking High, is sort of afraid that he might make fun of her and not the other way around. Jesus. Can I have some drugs please. He’s imagined her asking him that about a million times (after all, as creative as he is, he’s never been able to come up with any other reason she might be voluntarily talking to him), but he never thought she’d be quite so polite about it. Shows what little he really knows about her. Now that she’s standing directly in front of him again, closer than she’s been at any other point in the last six years, he can see it all over her face. Can I have some drugs please. Of course she’d use the magic word. “Shit,” he says, and then again when he realizes he hasn’t actually answered her yet. “Oh, shit. Yeah, uh, yeah, I'll sell you drugs. Are you sure?”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 9, a season 4 buckingham au

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She’s not sure how long she’s been there before the door from the hallway creeks open. Somehow, Chrissy knows it’s Robin even before she hears her voice. “Chrissy?” she calls over the sound of footsteps coming closer. “Are you OK?” Chrissy sucks a big breath in, forcing her face into a smile even though Robin can’t see it. “I’m OK!” she calls back. “Sorry. You didn’t have to come check on me. I think, um. I think maybe my breakfast didn’t agree with me, but I’m OK.” This time, Robin’s voice comes from right outside the stall. “What did you have?” Chrissy doesn’t answer. After another minute or two, she hears Robin moving around again, leaning against the stall door, sliding down against it so she can sit on the other side. She doesn’t say anything either, but Chrissy can see her hand where it lands on the floor, close enough that she could reach out and touch it if she wanted. She doesn’t try. “I’m OK, Robin,” Chrissy says after a long moment of silence. “You can go back to class. It’s OK.” “Chrissy, it’s the last day before spring break, and Strickland has us doing silent reading. I don’t think I’m going to miss anything important.” She doesn’t know how to argue with that exactly. Instead, she plucks at the hem of her cheer skirt, worrying it between her fingers. “Is there anything I can do for you? Get you, maybe?” Robin asks after another long, heavy silence. “Do you want me to take you to the nurse? Do you want me to… leave you alone?” Chrissy shakes her head before she remembers that Robin can’t see it. Maybe she could if she peeked through the crack in the stall, but Chrissy knows that Robin is sitting the same as her, her back to the door, only facing the opposite way. She’s close, but she’s still giving Chrissy her privacy, at least a little. Still, Chrissy can’t bring herself to say anything. When it sounds like Robin might be moving, though — might be just about to get up — Chrissy reaches. She touches her pinky to Robin’s underneath the door. For a second, Robin doesn’t react. Doesn’t make a sound. And then her pinky shifts, just a little at first, and then more until her finger is covering Chrissy’s.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 8, a season 4 buckingham au

[hilarychuff]

All the Best People See You (All the Best People Know)

a pre-season 4 buckingham/platonic stobin fic inspired by the @strangerthingsfemslashweek “80s gay culture” prompt, just a few days late

When Robin and Steve drive all the way to Indianapolis to see that new lesbian movie Desert Hearts, they're pretty sure they're not going to run into anyone they know — so it comes as something of a shock when Chrissy Cunningham walks into the theater, too.

read it on ao3 here

They’re tucked into seats at the back of the theater, the lights already dimmed for the previews, when Robin spots a familiar ponytail bobbing towards a spot in the front row.

“Oh my god.”

The handful of popcorn she’s delivered only halfway to her mouth spills out from between her fingers.

“Hmm?” Steve prompts. His own mouth is too full of whoppers to form proper words, the sound coming out muffled, messy.

“Oh my god!” This time she’s hissing, ducking down in her seat, the popcorn bag clutched to her chest as she crowds close to Steve.

She can hear him scrambling next to her, sliding low in his seat, automatically following her lead though he doesn’t know what exactly they’re hiding from. It’s a good thing he does, because it’s only a second more before he’s coughing, choking on the candy while he tries to swallow it all down. Robin stays low as she whacks him on the back, sending a spray of crumbs into the seat in front of them, and then she’s grabbing their giant Cherry Coke to shove in his hand so he can take a drink.

“Shh!!!” she urges him, pointing one of the two straws in his direction. “Swallow and shut up!”

Steve does as she says.

“What?” he finally asks when he can breathe again, when he can speak. “What is it?”

“It’s Chrissy,” Robin hisses.

“What?” Before she can stop him, he’s sitting up, looking around, and it takes a hard yank to his sleeve to bring him back down to her level. He nearly spills the soda still clutched in one hand, and she yanks it away to shove it back in its cup holder.

“Chrissy!” Robin hisses as she turns back to him. “Chrissy Cunningham! She’s here!”

keep reading 

[hilarychuff]

It’s always made her nervous, sleeping next to Jason. They’re never alone together on the rare occasions they manage an overnight at Benny’s, always curled up in their clothes from the night before and surrounded by other people, so it shouldn’t feel that different from when he pulls her into his lap or presses his whole body up against hers outside the gym. But lying down next to him, letting him hold her, it’s impossible to relax. Long after he falls asleep, his arms going loose and lax around her, her own eyes determinedly shut, she can’t help but lie awake for hours. Which is why it’s weird, how not weird it is waking up in Eddie Munson’s van. Especially considering the way he’s half sprawled across her, cheek resting on her stomach while he hugs her tight against him. It’s like his sleepy body thinks she’s some sort of particularly large, sturdy pillow. It’s easy, though. Comfortable in a way that it shouldn’t be with his arms around her hips, one of his legs tangled with hers. But it had been so nice last night, letting him envelope her body with his while she laid practically on top of him. His hand had traced warm circles across her back for what felt like forever, the steady movement continuing even after she’d fallen quiet. The soothing warmth of his palm had been the thing that lulled her to sleep. She can’t remember the last time she cried like that. She doesn’t understand why she hadn’t been able to make herself stop. Why it had been so hard to get herself under control. Why it had felt like a relief when she finally quit fighting and surrendered to it. Maybe it was the breakup. Ending a relationship can be a big transition, Miss Kelly had said. Maybe that combined with the stress of the game had been overwhelming enough. It just — it isn’t fair. How hard everything is. How being good means giving up so much of herself. She’s not sure what she’ll do next, now that she’s ended things with Jason. She’s not sure what her mom will think of it when she finds out. What she’ll think of Chrissy. Here in the back of Eddie’s van, though, all of that still feels far away. Like it belongs to some different life. Some other girl. The her that’s here doesn’t have to worry about anything beyond being a little bit squished beneath him.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 10, a season 4 buckingham au

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last 3 lines challenge

rules: post the last three lines you've written, and if it has been over a week, write something new in a wip!!

ty to @queerbird for the tag! here's hers

while @mistysharks was helping me edit all the best people see you (all the best people know) chapter 7...... i started writing chapter 8, so here are the last three sentences i wrote:

"Drinking? Sneaking out? This new rebellious Chrissy is kind of hot." She freezes.  "You said you wouldn’t bring that up."

ok tagging @mistysharks @cellsshapedlikestars @beholdthemem !!

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She still feels dizzy by the time the pep rally rolls around the next morning. They’re back on home turf now, preparing for a final showdown in Hawkins instead of facing off against some random school 30 minutes away. The gymnasium is full of students, decked out with balloons and banners in green and white and orange. A season’s worth of posters rooting each player on have been tacked up all around the school. She and a few of the other girls have also been making new ones all week just for the play-offs, especially in those empty hours between school and nighttime games. She should be excited. It’s the Championships! The first time they’ve made it in forever! Her boyfriend is the captain leading the team to victory, and she’s his counterpoint on the cheer squad, meant to guide the rest of the girls through routines and dances and keep everyone’s spirits high. Which she can. She will. It’s easy enough to do at this point, even on autopilot. But she still feels a little like she’s untethered from the ground, feet off the floor, the crowd spinning around her again and again and again. It’s only when the band starts playing that she begins to feel normal, feel flashes of what it had been like last night. She lets the sound flow through her, rolling her hips and moving to the music with her eyes closed, and that makes things make at least a tiny bit more sense. When she opens her eyes again, she can breathe a little easier, and the tension slips away from her shoulders. Finally, some of that bright anticipation bubbles up inside her when the team bursts through the welcome banner she sketched out and helped paint just the day before. Her boyfriend is the first out, golden and glowing, entirely in his element as he commands the attention of the crowd. He’s easy with the mic in his hand, soaking up the spotlight, and there really is something special about him when he’s like this, the way he pulls people in, the way he can look at you and make the whole rest of the world feel like it falls away. “Chrissy,” he says, like they’re the only two people in the room. “Chrissy, I love you, babe.” For a second, it really does feel that way, like they’re alone, like he has eyes that only see her. She can feel herself blush as she blows him a kiss. And then his gaze slides away, back to the rest of the crowd, and suddenly the spell breaks.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 8, a season 4 buckingham au

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Steve doesn’t regret pushing Robin to go for this whole Chrissy thing. Honestly, he doesn’t. But he definitely hadn’t thought through this aspect of it. He didn’t factor in the unfortunate reality that it would bring one of his most annoying former teammates back into his life. Not that he had ever left, exactly. Hawkins is a small town, and it only has one video store. Plus, Steve is still a regular at the varsity team’s basketball games even though he’s up in the stands these days. But despite the fact that he technically sees Carver on the court every week, Steve hasn’t had to really think about him since graduation last year. Now, he’s come up at least three times in three days. The guy is just kind of a worm. Steve hadn’t noticed him much back when Carver had first moved up from JV to varsity, but he’d made himself known after he started dating Chrissy. Carver had asked her on one date and suddenly he was puffing out his chest at all the other basketball players, making sure everyone knew whose letterman jacket she’d be wearing. Steve had hardly even found out Chrissy was assigned to be his cheer buddy before her new boyfriend was informing him she wouldn’t be decorating his locker or bringing him baked goods before the games anymore. It didn’t matter that Steve had still been with Nancy back then, that it had been clear to anyone paying attention that Steve only had eyes for her. Carver had asked his own cheer buddy to swap players just so he could make sure his girlfriend wasn’t giving her cookies to some other guy. Worse, he’d turned around and started sucking up when Steve was named team captain at the end of that season. By the start of Steve’s senior year, Carver had practically appointed himself Vice Captain or whatever in practices, planting himself at Steve’s side whenever they huddled up and even trying to help direct plays. Sure, Steve’s reputation had taken a bit of a hit after his so-called friends watched Jonathan Byers give him a black eye, but he’d still been the man on the basketball court, and Carver seemed to think the proximity to power would guarantee his role as next in line. But then Nancy had dumped him at the same time Billy Hargrove crowned himself the new king. Steve’s pretty sure Hargrove’s whole… everything was offensive to Carver’s starched khaki sensibilities, but that hadn’t stopped the junior from kissing the ass of whoever he deemed top dog. With Billy as the new pack leader, Steve was suddenly no better than Old Yeller, an animal past its prime that needed to be taken out back. Chrissy is a nice girl, and she deserves better than her douchebag boyfriend, but Steve also deserves to never think about Jason Carver again. He isn’t going to sacrifice Robin’s happiness for that, though.

chapter 3, all the best people see you (all the best people know), a pre-season 4 buckingham au

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The thing is, Robin knows she falls hard. And she knows she falls fast, too. But that doesn’t mean that the feelings aren’t all real. Aren’t just as overwhelming and powerful and earnest as they seem in the moment, even though she can usually look back at them later and see just how silly they were. A pretty smile, a casual arm touch in the halls — that sort of thing is enough to sustain her for weeks if she really lets herself keep going. Well, and if Steve lets her keep going. She’s fairly certain even the slightest nudge from him would send her spiraling out in the opposite direction. After all, he’d managed to kill any lingering feelings she had for Tammy Thompson in the space of a single Kermit impression. Just a few words and whatever remained of her crush had died fast. She’s not exactly sure he appreciates the power of that, the influence he wields. Outside of the Starcourt bathroom, he’s pretty much never exercised it. In fact, since then, he’s been shockingly encouraging about all of her romantic notions. He seems to think her only problem is a lack of confidence — and now that he’s figured out how to get out of his own way, he’s dead set on getting Robin out of hers, too. That’s what all of the back and forth had been about in the car. He’s always trying to convince her to just do something, anything, poking holes in all of her arguments about why she can’t. He keeps saying all she needs to do is just go for it. He’s convinced that’s all it’ll take, unwaveringly so, and his blind faith in her would be sort of sweet if it weren’t so annoying. Worse, the way he lays everything out really does make it sound unbelievably uncomplicated. Even when she reminds him of all the challenges she has to overcome in her love life that he doesn’t (gay, loser, virgin, awkward, triple water sign), he still keeps walking her through it in simple terms: Chrissy held her hand. Chrissy asked to be her friend. Chrissy invited her to study together at the library, just the two of them. When he puts it like that, it almost sounds like it could be a real thing. A real possibility. Robin and Chrissy.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 5, a pre-season 4 buckingham au

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Robin eats and watches Chrissy and catches her eye a couple of times, but Chrissy keeps doing that same thing from the library — quick, polite smiles before she turns back to her plate, shutting down any conversation before it can even start. Eventually, Robin can’t stand it anymore. As soon as Chrissy peeks back up, Robin seizes the opportunity. “Hey!” she practically shouts. “Do you want a bite of my pancakes?” Chrissy jumps a little, and then she bites her lip, eyes wide. After a second, she gives her head a tiny shake. “No thank you,” she says politely. “Um, do you — want to try a bite of my hash browns?” Robin hadn’t thought that far ahead, and she glances down at Chrissy’s plate, considering it. Chrissy’s been focused on her meal, consistently chipping away at the mountain of shredded potato, but her bites have been so small she hasn’t made much of a dent. There’s plenty left. And Chrissy seems to be actually asking, not cringing away from the offer, so Robin figures, well, there’s more than enough to share. “Yeah,” she says. “Sure. Thanks.” She reaches over with her fork but pauses before scooping anything onto it, looking up to meet Chrissy’s gaze. “You’re not going to think I’m some sort of ketchup freak if I use more than just a little bit, right?” Chrissy laughs, and then she gives another little shake of her head. “Swear?” Robin asks. “No judgment?” Chrissy hesitates, and then — “I promise not to judge what you eat if you promise not to judge what I eat.” She seems serious as she says it, and Robin thinks, well, that’s fair enough. “Deal.”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 5, a pre-season 4 buckingham au

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“So, um, how did you two meet?” Chrissy asks as they hit the highway. Robin looks over at Steve, and she can tell how smug he is about all of this from his side profile alone. He’s the most annoying boy in the world, a total dingus, but God, she loves him. She wouldn’t be in the backseat of a car with Chrissy Cunningham without him. If someone had tried to convince the Robin of one year ago that she’d be sitting with the reigning queen of Hawkins High in its fallen king’s BMW, she’d have told them to eat glass, but somehow he’s made it all happen. Not that she’ll tell him that. Now that he’s getting dates again, he’s already got a big enough head. He doesn’t need to try to claim all the credit for every girl she talks to, too. Still, he’s her favorite person. And if she’s honest with herself, she’s pretty sure that started way before the fourth of July. “I know you said you’re not dating,” Chrissy continues, looking between them, “but I don’t remember you being friends at school last year.” “Oh, we weren’t,” Robin says cheerfully. “I hated Steve’s guts because he was always eating something messy in Mrs. Click’s class. And I ranked too low in the social hierarchy for him to even know I existed. But then last summer we worked together at Scoops Ahoy at the mall and — well, with the whole Starcourt burning down thing —” “What did Erica call us, Rob?” Steve asks, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. “Trauma-bonded freakazoids?” “Something like that. Anyway, we’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since.” It’s close enough to the truth, at least. Chrissy doesn’t need to be burdened with the fact that their codependency is less related to a fictional fire and more to the reality that they were drugged together, tortured together, that they nearly died together maybe five times over in a 24-hour span. That they faced down Russian spies and the Mind Flayer and won themselves matching concussions when they’d crashed their car into a possessed classmate. “We’re at Family Video now,” Steve adds. “Robin’s a total film nerd — that’s how she knew about Desert Hearts coming out this weekend. How’d you hear about it, Chrissy?” “Oh, um…” Chrissy ducks her head, pulls her shoulders in again like she had in the theater. She picks at the skin around her left thumbnail, and Robin has to stick her fingers under her thigh so she doesn’t reach out and grab Chrissy’s hand. “Jason’s parents were pretty upset about it at dinner the other day,” she eventually admits. “I guess they heard about it from someone at their church who has family in the city.” Robin watches as Chrissy stares hard at her lap, avoiding looking at either Robin or Steve. She lets out a feeble little laugh before continuing. “I’m pretty sure my mom would literally kill me if she knew I was here, but I guess I just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about for myself,” Chrissy says in a small voice. “I mean, it’s just a movie. It’s not going to hurt anyone.” Robin can’t help it. She caves. “You’re right, it’s just a movie,” she repeats, reaching out and grabbing one of Chrissy’s hands to pull it away from the other. “It’s not going to hurt anyone.” Robin laces their fingers together and gives Chrissy’s hand a squeeze. When she tries to let go, Chrissy hangs on, so Robin does, too. “People need to learn to mind their own business,” Steve spits from the front, and Robin can hear the defensive, protective heat in his voice. “Who cares what kind of movie someone likes? Or whatever else they like? That’s no one’s business but yours.” “Well, your secret’s safe with us,” Robin promises. “As far as we know, Chrissy Cunningham was studying at the library all afternoon on Sunday. Or whatever it is you want us to say. We just happened to drive past you on your walk home and offered to take you the rest of the way. And maybe, uh — maybe don’t tell Jason that we saw Desert Hearts either.”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 1, a stranger things au where two lil lesbians get to go see some lesbian cinema — happy pride!

[hilarychuff]

“You know,” he tells her, “if you want to hang with Chrissy outside of class, you could be the one to ask.” “Are you trying to get me killed?” she fires back. They’re hiding out in the narrow storage room, pretending they’re both needed to inventory the broken tapes while Keith works the counter. It’s Thursday, and the weekend traffic is starting to pick up, so one of them should probably be out on the floor. Keith’s been very clear about the fact that there’s no Assistant Manager position, though, so Steve had figured it wasn’t his job to send Robin out front when she snuck back to join him. “Uh, you may be a little out of the game, but I know you still understand the Hawkins High social order,” she accuses. “People who are at the top of the food chain don’t even see the little people like me. They don’t even know we exist. And, honestly, as dehumanizing as it is, sometimes it’s better that way. It’s already bold enough that I’m subverting those survival guidelines by talking to Chrissy in the first place. Asking her out on a date would fully disrupt the natural order.” Steve sighs. “You know, I used to assume you were just making fun of me and how much I had my head up my ass, but now I’m starting to think you have your own whole complex about this.” Robin sneaks a wary glance at him. “What do you mean?” “All this king/queen stuff,” he says. “King Steve. Queen Chrissy. The Hawkins high royalty bullshit. You’re doing the same thing about her that you do about me.”

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 3, a pre-season 4 stranger things buckingham au

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spoilers through chapter 10 btw but this is basically the thesis statement for my season 4 buckingham au if you were wondering

[hilarychuff]

“So Chrissy is definitely into you,” Steve says. Other than the low hum of the car radio, they’ve been driving home in near silence. He’s got one hand on the wheel, the other idly riding the wind out his open window as he stretches out in his seat, but Robin’s posture is the opposite. She’s curled up like a shrimp, one knee hugged to her chest as she rests her chin on top of it. For the last few minutes, she’s just been staring hard at the road, thinking loud enough that she’s practically producing her own low hum. Now, at the sound of his voice, she jerks up in her seat and claps her hands over her ears. “No!” she protests. “Don’t say that! I can’t hear you!” When she had first come out of the break room (a full few minutes after Chrissy had left, not that Steve was counting), Robin hadn’t been able to stop talking. She’d rambled about reshelving movies and double checking the lights so aggressively that he’d hardly been able to get a word in edgewise, only managing to wheedle out of her the bare bones of what Chrissy had wanted. For nearly twenty minutes, she’d kept up a steady narration of her closing duties, offering a running commentary on both her to-do list and the tapes in her hands as she moved around the store. Once they’d gotten in the car, though — once she hadn’t had a task she could focus all her energies on — she’d clammed up instead. Steve’s tried to be patient. He really has. But he can’t stand it anymore. “Rob! Come on! How in denial can you be?” he asks. “She held your hand for hours. She got all flustered when she waved at you this morning. You said she planned ahead what to say to you in class. Jesus, Robin, she even showed up at Family Video to ask if you could be her friend. You didn’t see her asking to be my friend!” “I can’t hear you!” Robin repeats, dropping her chin back to her knee. She squeezes her eyes shut, her hands held tight to her head. “I can’t talk about this right now. I need time to process.” Steve rolls his eyes, gives it 30 more seconds just in case, and then gives up. “Fine,” he surrenders. “Fine, we don’t have to talk about it yet. But we’re circling back to this when I pick you up in the morning.” “Fine,” Robin echoes, slowly uncurling in her seat, letting her arms fall back to her sides. “And you’re not allowed to just disagree for the sake of disagreeing,” he insists. “You have to actually engage.” “OK.” Her shoulders are still a little hunched, but she relaxes enough to lean against the passenger side window. “Deal.” He hmmphs loudly to show he doesn’t quite believe her.

all the best people see you (all the best people know), chapter 3, a pre-season 4 stranger things buckingham au