#my ronance au
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Bedside Manner
for @acasualcrossfade request for "the infection has spread"
"Some birdie told me that you have been causing a fuss, Wayne, is that true?"
Wayne huffs from his hospital bed, glasses sliding down his nose. He places the newspaper he was reading on the table beside him. "You tell that Robbie of yours to stop exaggerating. It was only a small request."
Steve raises his eyebrows at his favorite patient (Dustin tells him he isn't supposed to have favorites, but he also used to cry anytime he picked up Max before him when they were younger, so what does he know) and gives him a knowing look. "Robin listens to no man, Wayne, you know this. You're better off sending that message through her wife. Besides, small? She was telling me you refused to have any other nurse help you because I wasn't here last night. Which surprised me since you are always pushing me on about taking a vacation. "
Wayne opens his mouth, but Steve presses on. "And the fact Robin was even in the room means they called a psych consult, so I can only imagine how bad it was."
Wayne grumbles like a little kid being scolded for getting his hands caught in the cookie jar. "Yea, well, it was a bad night, kid."
Steve feels his shoulders sag, he takes off his glasses and rubs a hand down his face before placing them back on. "Sorry, Wayne, I had a bad migraine last night. Nance and Robs wouldn't even let me pass the entrance. Bad news?"
"Kid, don't stress yourself out over me. I'm just your patient, and more so, I am just a cranky old man." Wayne patted Steve's knee as he sat down next to him.
"C'mon, Wayne. You're more than that. I'd like to think seeing you in and out of here the last year has made us friends. Although I gotta say, you're the only friend I have that I'll be glad if I don't get to see again, given the circumstances. So, what's the news?"
"The infection has spread."
Steve takes in a deep breath, he tries not to panic, but any infection in a hospital can be deadly, especially for a cancer patient like Wayne. "Incision site?"
Steve must not be as good at hiding his emotions as he used to be because Wayne jumps to ease his worry. "No, kid, don't worry. The surgery was a success. Just got that hospital fever, the good old bronchitis. But it just means I'm here longer than I have to. It also means my nephew is on edge, and I don't know if I can take a second longer of his hovering."
Steve laughed wetly, thankful for the topic change. "Ah yes, the mysterious nephew of yours that I've never met. The way you talk about him almost tempts me into switching to the day shift, sounds like he might be entertaining. But only almost."
"Always wondered why you were always working the nights, most of the others seem to switch. Not a big fan of the day?"
Steve shakes his head gently, "No, I like the quiet here at night. Like getting to know the patients without having to worry about fixing ten million things. Don't get me wrong, it has its downfalls. Like the doctors can be horrible at night, never tell Dr. Wheeler that or Robbie will kill me, and the food is awful. But there is something special about it here at night. So sorry, your ridiculous nephew isn't enough to tempt me."
Wayne smirked, "What if I told you he was a looker and single?"
Steve blushes slightly. He is used to patients trying to pawn him off to their relatives, it came with being a young male nurse, but typically it didn't phase him. But Steve has become close with Wayne, so hearing him suggest he get together with his nephew has him flustered. "I'm good, Wayne, thanks. Gave up on the dating scene a while ago. Not many people can keep up with a guy who works nights and suffers from severe head trauma."
"Shame, Eddie likes the nights too. I'd reckon yal would get along."
"I'm pretty sure we would need more than that, Wayne."
Wayne smiles fondly at Steve. "You don't need a whole lot to build a connection, son. Me and Linda, god rest her soul, only started dating for our mutual love of mugs. And we may not have had long together, but our love was strong. Besides, there is more yal would have in common than just the night shift."
Steve huffs a laugh, "Oh yea, like what?" The least he can do is humor the man.
"Well, you both care about me deeply."
Steve blushes again, "C'mon, Wayne. I'm your nurse. I'm kinda paid to care."
Wayne won't hear any of it, "No, son, it's more than that. You take your break in here every night. You make sure to record the game at home for me because they only have the news here. And last night, you tried to come in with a migraine, even though we both know I am the only patient you can stand right now."
Steve doesn't know what to say back. Wayne is right, of course. Steve has been spending all of his time with the man, giving him extra care. Steve isn't bad with his other patients, he goes above and beyond most of his coworkers, but there is something special about Wayne.
"You got nothing, kid, you know I'm right. Remind me a lot of my nephew. Before visiting hours ended is when I got the news of having to stay longer. Kid almost threw a fit when they kicked him out. Swore he was gonna break in to stay the night with me. I told him not to worry since you would be there, I brag about you too, ya know. When he found out today you weren't here, that boy threw a fit again. Swear he gets his tantrums from his father. Said he was gonna sneak back in tonight. Make sure I had company. That 'the man' couldn't stop him. That if he ran into you, he was gonna have a word with you."
Steve can't help the snort that shakes his body, "I'd like to see him get passed Hop first."
Wayne starts to chuckle, too, "Eds may have had his fair share of escaping the law, but no man moves as fast as Jim in a security uniform."
Steve is fully laughing now, "I know, right? It's like those pants make him aerodynamic or something. No way your nephew is getting by."
It is almost as if Steve's words summon what happens next. There in the doorway is the most gorgeous man he's ever seen, even though he is bent over and out of breath.
"Eds?" Wayne questions, clearly surprised. Steve has to mask his face and quickly before Wayne catches him ogling his nephew. Steve is finding it difficult, though. The man, Eddie, despite his out-of-breath appearance, is stunning. His long curly hair is thrown up in a bun, showing off the piercings up his ears. His clothes are simple but suiting, ripped jeans and a black band tee. Tattoos cover his entire body, and Steve wants to ask about every single one of them.
The most surprising thing about him isn't that he got by Hop (although he has questions for that later), no the most surprising thing to Steve is that Wayne somehow knew his exact type, which most people assume wrong in that department.
Eddie awakens an old craving inside Steve that he thought he had buried long ago.
"Wayne, you would not believe what I just went to get up here. The story I have for you, oh boy. You're gonna love it. Who knew security guards could move that fast. Anyway, I hope that nurse boy of yours is here tonight because I am ready toâ" Eddie stops mid-rant when his eyes land on Steve, a lovely blush blossoming across his pale cheeks.
"I believe what you are trying to say is, what was it, Wayne? Oh yea, 'have a word with me,'" Steve laughs softly.
Eddie sputters, "Wayne!?!" His blushing becomes deeper as the seconds pass by.
Wayne just chuckles as Steve stands. "Don't be mad at your Uncle, I think he was just trying to make me feel better. I am sorry I wasn't here last night for the news. Got my head knocked around too much as a kidâ" Steve taps his head with his knuckles, "âso I suffer from migraines sometimes. I really did try to come in, but wellâyou met Jim. He's pretty fast." Steve worries his lip. Eddie's eyes follow.
"Well, I can't be too mad now, can I?" Eddie swallows nervously before a smirk spreads across his face, switching from shy to confident in two seconds flat. Steve shouldn't be turned on by that. "The pretty face helps too. I'm pretty sure you could convince me to give you my kidney right about now. I'm Eddie, which I know you know by now, and you are...?"
Steve puts his hand out for a shake, "Nurse Harrington. But most people call me Steve."
Eddie grabs his hand gently and brings the back of it to his lips. "Stevie, a pleasure, really." A light kiss is placed on Steve's knuckles. Stevie, he thinks. That's a new one. And he isn't mad about it, at all. In fact, the butterflies in his stomach want him to get Eddie to say it again.
Steve catches Wayne's smug face in the corner of his eye as Steve begins to blush again.
"I'm just gonnaâI'll be right back." Steve stutters.
"Leaving so soon?" Eddie says disappointed.
Steve has the sudden urge to fix the frown on his face. "No, no! Just, uh, gonna call Jim and tell him not to send out a search party. That it's okay if you stay. I'll keep an eye on you."
Eddie's face breaks out into a brilliant smile, "Really, Stevie? You gonna keep me around?"
Steve's heart skips a beat, "If I can help it."
***
#steddie#stranger things#wayne munson#modern au#wayne likes to play match maker but unlike dustin he is good at it#steve harrington#eddie munson#implied ronance#platonic stobin#nurse steve harrington#my writing#request game#steve x eddie#ficlet
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stancy beards while jobin look on in jealousy walk with me âŒïž
#i wonât tag u know who to not bother too much but đ#stonathan#stonathan art#stonathan fanart#ronance#ronance art#ronance fanart#nancy wheeler#nancy wheeler art#nancy wheeler fanart#steve harrington#steve harrington art#steve harrington fanart#jonathan byers#jonathan byers art#jonathan byers fanart#robin buckley#robin buckley art#robin buckley fanart#stranger things#stranger things art#stranger things fanart#stranger things au#sort of#st#st art#st fanart#st au#art#my art
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new to small town life, steve harrington, who has been cut off from his family, told to make something of himself for once, yelled at about how easy his life is, how little they ask of him and how ungrateful he is, exiled to hawkins (the town his dad bought drunk one night as a gag).
there he meets robin, the sarcastic, mean, and wonderful owner of the motel steve is staying at (ew.)
and eventually eddie, the patronizing, unaware of personal space, and lovely (god, so lovely) guy who is going to help steve acquire the permits and grants to renovate the motel with robin, bit by bit who has big brown eyes and wild hair and wears basically the same tight, ripped jeans and loose button down with rolled sleeves everyday, while steve primps and styles and steams.
they fall in love, obvi, but not without a healthy dose of reality check for steve, family drama (boo, harringtons!), the best friendship (with a couple moments of shudderworthy attempts at more), steve cringing at eddieâs musical inclinations, meeting the rest of the town (mayor hopper, his wife, joyce, the gang of children steve is unsure of which parent they each belong to, and who make sure he never eats at bennyâs alone (though he would maybe like to, just once!), the workers of the town-staple that is bennyâs, jonathan (cook, high always) and argyle (waiter, high always, slightly more functional, but with more insane storytelling where you canât tell if heâs making it up or telling the truth), the editor in chief of the hawkins paper, nancy, who has taken over the paper and declared that serious journalism must prevail in hawkins (think rory gilmore taking over the gazette and everyone going crazy because she took out the poem (i know, too many AUs at once))), an open mic, demolition in the motel with sweaty, gorgeous, hairy steve, lots of skin car routines, mental health crises, full blown disownment, happiness, love, friendship, joy, community, and small-town loving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(steddie, ronance (robin helps nancy learn to love the mundane, nancy helps robin deal with change) (đ), lowkey jargyle (ive only heard of the drama of FoH and BoH star crossed loving and i live, but this would be decidedly less drama, they would simply be dating, like no labels but they love each other and kiss and hang out), lesbian eleven (sheâs everything), a flirtation with byler (why not!), steve finding family, gayness, etc.)
#schittâs creek#stranger things#my venn diagram#steddie#stranger things s4#steddie AU#steve harrington#robin buckley#eddie munson#nancy wheeler#jonathan byers#argyle#the fruity four#spicy six#steve x eddie#ronance#came to my brain and had to type#insanity#patrick x david#not editing#or rereading#the girls that get it get it
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St when harry met sally au p4: Art!

âI've been doing a lot of thinking, and the thing is, I love you.â
#St#stranger things#stranger things fanart#ronance#ronance fanart#robin buckley#robin Buckley fanart#nancy wheeler#nancy wheeler fanart#my art#when harry met sally#st au
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Hopperâs talking to her, telling her to breathe, but all Nancy can focus on is Robin, dead, in front of her.
She barely registers when Steve stumbles in. Hopperâs moving before she processes it, trying to gently escort him out.
Steveâs a mess. Wild-eyed, his face streaked with tears, hair unkept.
âI need to say goodbye,â Steve begs, fighting against Hopperâs steady arms. âI needâI need to tell her I love her and that Iâm sorry andâand I need to find the fuckers that did thisââ
Steve knows about her âgiftâ. He looks directly at her, a plea on his face.
Nancy thinks of Barb, still and silent in her arms.
âLet him stay,â she croaks.
âWheelerââ Hopper starts. She shakes her head.
âLet him stay.â
Hopper relents. Steve scrambles over, faltering when he sees Robin.
Nancy understands. Itâs not a pretty sight.
At open-casket funerals, the deceased undergoes hours of careful preparation to make them look presentable. To make sure they look as close to how they did in life as possible.
That is not the case here. Robinâs skin is a sickly white, freckles stark in contrast. Ugly purple marks cover her throat and neck. Strangulation, from the looks of it. Nancy doesnât want to imagine it.
Steve strokes Robinâs hair, the gentlest Nancy has ever seen him. Fresh tears have started running down his cheeks.
âSteve,â she starts, equally gentle, because how can she tell him this? How can she describe the sensation of having your whole world stopped, started, and stopped again?
âI know,â he says, not taking his eyes off Robin. âIâm ready.â
She wants to say, You can never be ready.
Instead, she nods, and taps one finger to Robinâs cheek.
The effect is instant. Robin gasps, eyes flying open, one hand automatically going to her throat.
Steve lets out a sob, pressing his forehead to hers. âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry, Iâm so sorry, I shouldâve been there, Iâm sorryââ
âDingus,â Robin rasps, and sheâs crying too. Nancy averts her eyes, a pang in her chest.
Hopper must decide to let them have their moment because nearly five minutes pass before he comes over. He asks Robin questions, the standard procedure, and Robin answers shakily, her hand held in Steveâs.
Robin didnât fully see her attacker. It was a man, that much she knows. Sheâd managed to flee the initial attack but heâd caught up to her when she tried to lose him in the woods. She thinks he was less prepared because of it, but things are hazy. She remembers being pinned down, hands around her throat, and these cold, terrifying eyes. His face had been covered with only his eyes visible.
Hopper takes notes, frowning. Finally, the questioning comes to an end, Robin out of answers. His head slowly swivels to Nancy.
Steveâs still clutching Robin. They both look at her with a sad understanding on their faces.
âIâll find him,â Steve says quietly, resting his forehead against the top of Robinâs head. âIâll find whoever did this and Iâll kill him. Iâll kill him.â
Robin just smiles sadly. She murmurs something too quiet for Nancy to hear, but she doesnât miss the devastation that flits across Steveâs face.
They look at her expectantly, both clearly trying hard not to cry. Theyâre still holding hands.
Nancy canât do it.
âWheeler,â Hopper says, low, a warning.
âI canât,â Nancy whispers. She knows what will happen if she lets Robin live. The same thing that happened when she couldnât let Will die again, when she couldnât let Eddie die again.
The universe rights its wrongs in its own way. If it canât have its death, it will take another. When sheâd brought Will back and kept him alive, a well-loved local, Benny Hammond, had died. When sheâd let Eddie live, Jonathan and Willâs stepfather Bob had a heart attack out of nowhere. Thereâd been seemingly nothing to cause either death.
If she lets Robin live, someone else will die in her place.
The worst part is that Nancy finds she doesnât care.
She canât let Steve lose his best friend the way she lost hers. She canât let this be the end of Robinâs life.
Kind, funny Robin, who has always been so full of life, so loved by everyone around her. Nancyâs never gotten the chance to really get to know her, but sheâs always wished she had.
âI canât,â she repeats, her voice steadier now. âI wonât. Itâs not fair.â
âLife isnât fair.â Hopperâs voice is kind. She doesnât deserve it.
âI wonât do it. Steveââ
Steve looks stunned, a hopeful expression dawning on his face. Hopper looks at him and sighs.
âI canât force you. But⊠well, on your own head be it.â He shakes his head. âIâm going back to the station. Youâre causing me a lot of paperwork.â
As he leaves, Steve turns to her. âThank you. Thank you, thank youââ
âAs far as youâre concerned, Robin survived the attack.â Nancy keeps her voice steady, avoiding eye contact with both of them. âRobinâŠâ
Robinâs eyes are on her. Curious, focused, like theyâre studying her. Nancy swallows hard.
âRobin, you should avoid going anywhere alone for a while. If your attacker thinks you could identify him heâll try and finish the job. I wonât be able to do this twice.â
Robin gives a short nod. âIâll lay low for a while.â
Her voice is soft, raspy. Steve, maybe afraid Nancy might suddenly change her mind, thanks her one last time before helping Robin up and ushering her out.
Nancy watches their retreating backs, a heavy weight in her chest.
In the nicest way possible, she hopes she never sees Robin again.
#st pushing daisies au#my fics#st ficlet#nancy wheeler#robin buckley#stranger things#steve harrington#jim hopper#ronance#stobin#platonic stobin#my writing#pushing daisies au
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this chemistry between them drives me crazy...
welcome to cowboy!au
part 2 đđ€
#ronance#nancy wheeler#cowboy ronance#robin buckley#nancy x robin#robin buckley x nancy wheeler#stranger things#stranger things s4#cowboy au#artist on tumblr#my art#saphhic#wlw
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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Robin Buckley & Eleven | Jane Hopper Characters: Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper Additional Tags: Charmed (1998) AU, Witches, magic and sisterhood and trauma and gay things let's go, playing fast and loose with everyone's canon, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Period-Typical Homophobia, Robin Buckley-centric, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Minor Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair Summary:
Robin has fought hard to get where she is, but sheâs done it. She and Max are adults now. They have jobs, friends, lives that are free from the chaos and the danger of their past. If she carries a few secrets to maintain that peace, is that so wrong?
Max has dreams, memories, visions, maybe. Sheâs not sure. All she knows is that they mean something, that she knows this girl who keeps showing upâand that, despite what Robin tells her, she knows something, too.
After years spent in isolation, El finally finds a way to escape. She doesnât know who she is or what sheâs supposed to do now, so she goes to the only place in the world she can: home.
 or, the charmed au
#charmed au#ronance fic#stranger things fic#ronance#'tis here#this post brought to you by my realizing that the 4-chapter opening arc is actually a 6-chapter opening arc now#turns out this fic got away from me ages and ages ago#but here we are!#one chapter in. so much chaos left to go#i felt bad that nancy wasn't in the summary of this#but then i remembered she's also not in the summary of the cfdau either#she just loved haunting the margins until about 3 chapters in#taking bets now for how long it'll be before a first kiss#(hint: it long)#ANYWAY i'm done talking nonsense have a first chapter
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℠Hazel & Cassie · Natalia & Maya
➻ ⟠➻
â Stare into space Out in the blue My favorite place Lying with you Rest of the world They'll never know This kind of love As high as it goes You're the only thing that matters You're the stardust Lighting the fields And I'll always be your shadow Take a photo Make it real You're the stardust Stardust lighting the fields â - Stardust, Cary Brothers
#natalia dyer#hazel#nancy wheeler#all fun and games#chestnut#things heard and seen#maya hawke#cassiopeia#cassie#robin buckley#do revenge#fear street#nataliaxmaya#mayaxnatalia#hazelxcassie#cassiexhazel#hazie#cassel#ronance#gifs#(gifs)#my gifs#(my gifs)#rp#(rp)#rpg#(rpg)#crossover#au#crackship
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Nancy and Robin invite Steve and Eddie over for dinner, Nancyâs spent hours preparing a huge roast dinner and Robinâs decorated the table with origami swan napkins. (Because of course she knows how to do that.) They picked a beautiful bottle of red wine and placed the Wheelerâs finest glasses out on the table.
Steve eats so graciously because his parents forced him to know table manners so he never embarrassed them when they want to fancy dinners at their other rich friendâs houses. He knows all of the courteous things to do, how to present his plate when heâs finished eating and he remembers to bring dessert as a thank you gift for having them over.
But Eddie? Eddieâs flicking food across the table. Heâs picking his food up with his hands and gnawing on it like a caveman because heâs so comfortable with his friends. He has no idea that Nancy and Robin wanted to play house as it were. He tries his hardest to use the fancy cutlery when Steve shoots him a look but he canât seem to get the right grip and tries to cut a roast potato and he accidentally flicks gravy up onto the Wheelerâs white painted walls.
He drinks a little too much wine and then opens up his backpack and slams a 6 pack of beer onto the table, opening up a can and shot-gunning it, expecting the trio to applaud when he finishes it and lets out a loud burp. But they just look at him like heâs an animal and theyâre on safari.
âThis was fun, we should do this at your place next timeâ Nancy giggles, and Robin nods in agreement. Steve whispers âsorryâ under his breath and just laughs, smiling over at his boyfriend. He may not be house trained, but if nothing heâs amusing.
#mine#stranger things#eddie munson#steve harrington#steddie#ronance#nancy wheeler#Robin Buckley#established steddie#established ronance#eddie munson au#steddie au#steve harrington au#stranger things au#Robin Buckley au#Nancy wheeler au#the fruity four#blurb#my silly boy I love u#I wanna have dinner with them and just join Eddie in eating like a cave man#crack post#crack fic
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supergirl robin making a comeback WHO ELSE CHEERED âŒïž
#miss her so bad#supergirl robin#supergirl robin art#ronance#robin buckley#robin buckley art#robin buckley fanart#nancy wheeler#nancy wheeler art#nancy wheeler fanart#steve harrington#steve harrington art#steve harrington fanart#stranger things#stranger things art#stranger things fanart#stranger things au#st#st art#st fanart#st au#art#digital art#artists on tumblr#my art
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perfectly un-ordinary
words: 4,979
ao3
Nancyâs soulmark is perfectly ordinary.
Just a simple bird on a branch. Birdie is written underneath it in loopy, neat handwriting. It fits neatly over two of her ribs, which is a perfectly normal place for it. Nothing extraordinary about it. Just a simple design that represents the nickname given to her soulmate by the most important person in her soulmateâs life. Typically, itâs the nickname that soulmates end up giving to each other, but the handwritingâŠisnât Nancyâs.
The handwriting is Steve Harringtonâs.
Whoever her soulmate is, Steve Harrington, at some point, will end up calling them Birdie.
Whoever her soulmate is, Steve Harrington will be the most important person in their life.
She stares down at the note in her locker, the all-too-familiar handwriting that makes the spot on her ribs burn, the sweet and surprisingly kind words from the most popular boy in school, whoâs asking her out. Nancy canât imagine her soulmate being someone like Tommy Hagan or Carol Perkins, because theyâre awful, and she doesnât even understand why Steve hangs out with them. But those are Steveâs closest friends.
Nancy goes out with him anyway, because heâs the most popular boy in school, and heâs gorgeous, and she figures sheâs got time before he ends up calling someone else Birdie, which means sheâll eventually have to break up with him. But heâs good to her, and while she knows itâs doomed, itâs fun and new. Itâs something easy, and they both know they might not last forever, because Steve makes a remark about how her handwriting is so tiny, says some cheesy line about how it must be hard to read her own soulmark, and she lets herself giggle along.
She doesnât see Steveâs soulmark, not even when theyâre both naked and tangled in his sheets; she figures it must be somewhere unique, somewhere out of the ordinary. But sheâs careful, keeps hers covered. Itâs not hard to, in the dark, if she keeps her upper arm by her side. She buys soulmark patches the next morning, because thereâs that weird guilt in her gut, and she canât make eye contact with herself in the mirror as she adheres the patch to her two ribs.
After the demogorgon, after Barb, after the lights and the gun and the nailbat, Nancy briefly entertains the idea that maybe Steve considers himself the most important person in his life, venomously thinks that, sitting with him at the Hollandsâ dinner table, it wouldnât be out of character for him to be that self-absorbed. She feels guilty almost immediately for thinking that, of course, butâŠitâs hard.
And when she learns on November first that sheâd thrown the fact that they could never work in his face, that she knew theyâd been doomed from the start and told him as much, told him he was bullshit, she gets defensive. Brushes him off.
Heâs not really her soulmate anyway, so what does it matter?
She canât imagine her soulmate is Jonathan, either, even with his lips on hers, her body under his, because he and Steve hate each other, but heâs sweet, heâs soft, he wants justice, justice the same way she does. He holds her like sheâs something special, even though she can see the surfboard on his collarbone, the word Dude underneath it in Jonathanâs own handwriting. Heâs like her, then, open to whatever gender his soulmate might be, boy or girl, and he isnât afraid to show her things like that. He isnât closed-off. Not like Steve was.
Steve.
God, Nancy still canât believe heâd just given her a sad smile and told her to go with Jonathan. It bodes well for staying in his social circle, for perhaps eventually meeting the ever-elusive Birdie, though Nancyâs hope dwindles with every passing day Steve remains at a steady zero friends outside of their ragtag, world-saving group.
She hates that her soulmate is contingent on Steve staying in her life. She hates that heâll probably have a hand in introducing them to her. She hates the way she still hasnât apologized. Hates the way Mike says Steveâs name with a sneer every time heâs brought up in conversation, because her little brother is nothing if not loyal, and it hadnât even been Steveâs fault, not really. Though Steve hadnât exactly been the best boyfriend, he hadnât deserved that.
If heâs the most important person in Nancyâs soulmateâs life, Nancyâs eventually going to have to swallow her pride and make amends.
But for now, she has Jonathan. She only has to worry about Jonathan. And she loves him, she thinks, in a way she hadnât loved Steve. Maybe she hadnât let herself, because she knew that it couldnât be him, but she might not be letting herself love Jonathan the way he deserves, either. Maybe sheâs not trying hard enough to understand his side of things when they get into an argument the summer before senior year, but she thinks of Dude and their surfboard, and she thinks he might not be letting himself love her the way she deserves, either.
She stops bothering with the soulmark patches that night. Nancy figures that itâs not worth the hassle anymore, if Jonathanâs just gonna keep being his same bullheaded self. So she sets her jaw and keeps investigating, because thatâs what sheâs good at, and it gets her into a whole heaping helping of trouble. By the end of it, though, after the flesh monster and Russians under the mall, she and Jonathan have more than made up.
And heâs good to her. Heâs good to her like no one else has been, heâs safe. Heâs familiar enough that it gives her the comfort to get through the rest of the summer. They even make plans to apply to the same collegesâhopefully Emerson, Nancyâs got her fingers crossed that theyâll both be early acceptanceâbut Jonathanâs moving away. Itâll be harder, the long distance, but Nancy thinks itâll be worth it to try.
Theyâve been through too much together not to try, right? Screw Steve and his Birdie, Nancy will find a way to bend those letters until they read Jon in Willâs handwriting, until the bird on the branch becomes a camera, sheâll do it out of spite, sheâll find a way. Who cares if their relationship isnât universe-approved? Theyâre good. Theyâre familiar. Theyâre comfortable.
Jonathan calls her in December, after the Byersâ move. Tells her that he found someone whose soulmark is a camera. J-Man to match his Dude. Nancy grits her teeth and tells him sheâs happy for him. He whispers that he still loves her, but. But. She wishes him luck with his soulmate and hangs up, spending the rest of the break holed up in her room.
Itâs not until the day after New Years that Mike finally snaps.
âYouâre a hermit,â he snaps at her when she slips out of her room to get a glass of water, which means heâs worried about her. She scowls at him, though, because she doesnât want his worry, his pity. Mike rolls his jaw. âYouâreâI get that youâre sad about Jonathan dumping you, but you canât justââ
âHe found his soulmate,â Nancy cuts in hollowly.
Mike blinks, shifts uncomfortably. âI didnât know,â he mutters, all embarrassed, and Nancy just nods. Sheâs tired. Sheâs long since gone back to using the soulmark patches. She doesnât need to see Steve Harringtonâs handwriting mocking her in the mirror. Mike nudges at her ankle with his socked foot. âThat sucks.â
She knows Mike doesnât know how it feels, because he doesnât have his soulmark yet. Heâll get it next year, sureâand heâs really cocky about guessing that itâs Elâbut he doesnât get it yet. Heâs been a real asshole, lately, more so than usual, and he smells gross most of the time, doesnât bother with deodorant if heâs staying at home for the day, and heâs been hanging out with that guy that stands on the cafeteria tables too much, because heâs been dramatic as hell.
But heâs being kind to her now, even if his kindness is a little awkwardly stilted.
âMy soulmark handwriting isnât mine,â she confesses. She doesnât know why sheâs telling him. Their mom doesnât even know. Sheâs never shown her own mother her soulmark. âItâsâŠthe most important person in their life isnât me. I thought I might eventually be Jonathanâs, that we couldâveâitâs stupid. FuckingâŠforget it.â
âNo,â Mike says, all furrowed brows and determination. âItâs important.â
Nancyâs eyes start to well with tears, embarrassingly enough. âI wished it would change,â she whispers. âAfter Starcourt, I wished it would change. I wanted it to be a camera. I wanted to have different handwriting on my skin. I wanted to change it throughâŠsheer will or some shit? I donât know.â
Mike nods, like he gets it, even if he doesnât. âWhat is it?â he asks, because he has no manners, in spite of their parentsâ best efforts. At the hesitation that must show on Nancyâs face, Mike winces, backtracks. âYou donât have to, if you donât want to. ButâŠdoes anybody else know what it is?â
Shaking her head, Nancy sniffs and crosses her arms over her chest. âNo. I used soulmark patches âtil Starcourt, butâŠJonathan didnât see it after, either,â she says.
Mike makes a face. âOh, is it on, like, a gross part of your body? âCuz if thatâs the case, I do not wanna see itââ
âShut up, Mike,â Nancy laughs, âitâs on my ribs.â
Humming, Mike nods. âSuits you,â he says, and he doesnât elaborate, and she doesnât know what he means by that. But itâs nice nonetheless. Sheâs never heard it before. Mike tilts his head. âYou wanna show me?â
Nancy bites her bottom lip. âYeah, okay,â she murmurs, yanking the side of her shirt up just enough to show her bottom two ribs, and she picks at the soulmark patch that covers Birdie and the branch. âJust donât, like, be an asshole about it, okay?â
Uncharacteristically serious, Mike nods again and keeps his eyes on her ribs as she peels the patch off. âDo you know whose handwriting it is?â he asks, and Nancy swallows.
âNo,â she lies, and he lets her.
âItâs cool,â Mike decides, and Nancy lets her shirt fall. Thereâs a long moment where neither of them say anything, and Nancy takes the time the silence occupies to fill that glass of water sheâd wanted. As she sips on it, Mike rocks on his heels and avoids her eye. âFor what itâs worth, Elâs probably gonna have your handwriting calling me a dick or something.â
Nancyâs heart seizes. âOh,â she chokes. âThen, IâI think Birdie probably has yours.â
âGross. I donât like it when youâre sappy,â Mike groans, but thereâs the hint of a smile on his face.
âYou started it,â she scoffs.
Mike wrinkles his nose up at her. âDid not.â
She grins. âDid too.â
He rolls his eyes at her. âWhatever. Loser.â
Nancy goes into the New Year with a little less weight on her shoulders.
Then, because apparently sheâs not allowed to relax for extended periods of time anymore, her spring break goes to hell. Thereâs a dead cheerleader, then a dead friend subordinate, and then sheâs taking Robin to go investigate a shot-in-the-dark lead. Robin, Steveâs not-girlfriend, ends up finding something really worthwhile, and something new and exciting turns in Nancyâs gut when Robin goes on a tirade in the directorâs office. Sheâs interested, intrigued, even, and she chocks it up to journalistic instinct for now, because she has more important things to worry about.
And Steve does his stupid heroics, diving into Loverâs Lake, and Robin and Eddie are too busy panicking, so Nancy jumps in first.
Itâs only because no one else is going to.
It isnât because of Birdie.
It isnât because of Birdie, who sheâs never met. It isnât because if Steve dies, Birdie loses the most important person in their life. It isnât because she cares whether Steveâs handwriting under the bird and the branch changes to someone elseâs. It isnât because of Robinâs voice cracking as she screams Steveâs name in panic. Nancy isnât that selfless.
So itâs only because sheâs got to be the leader.
That same reasoning is also why she wraps Steveâs wounds. If he bleeds out in the Upside Down because he decided to play the hero, sheâs going to kill him. His death would be a major inconvenience, thatâs all. Thatâs all it is.
Nancy stays with Robin, because Steve seems to be having a crisis that Eddie is not helping, and maybe itâs a little vindictive to leave a stressed-out Steve with the guy that refuses to respect his personal space, but Nancy is stressed out, too, and canât bring herself to feel guilty about it. And Robin is funny, makes a joke about Nancy needing to hire a maid in the Upside Down version of her house. Nancyâs glad sheâd decided to keep Robin company rather than either of the two boys.
Not that she has anything against Eddie, save for his theatrics. And her grudge against Steve is almost entirely baseless at this point. Whatever. Emotions take too much effort to parse through, and Nancy has to save that effort for sawing the end off a shotgun.
Which is not-so-technically a felony.
Steve tells her that his dream, with the six kids that Nancy doesnât want and the white picket fence that makes Nancy nauseous, was about her.
âYouâre not my soulmate,â she tells him, grim and annoyed. They have more important things to handle than his desperate, end-of-the-world delirium driven by blood loss and his crippling fear of dying alone.
âRight, yeah, I know that,â he says, ears tinged red with embarrassment. âSorry toââ
âI donât want an apology,â she snaps. âI want to kill Vecna.â
Steve nods, gestures for her to move ahead. âLetâsâso letâs go, then,â he says, and he sounds so horribly distraught. âRobinâs, umâsheâs probably waiting on us to catch up.â
Nancy moves ahead wordlessly. She doesnât want Steveâs advances, isnât interested in rekindling things. She has no idea why heâs trying to fan flames that are nonexistent on her end, why he seems so confused at his own actions, and she doesnât really care to find out. Not when they have to kill Henry Creel, not when thereâs so much on the line.
And they do.
Kill Henry Creel, that is.
Not without consequence. Not without Steve carrying a barely-alive Eddie out of the Upside Down, and not without Max breaking three of her four limbs. But theyâre both still alive, albeit in the hospital, Hawkins is still intact, and Nancy will count it as a win. Hopefully, itâs the final win. She canât imagine having to go through something like this again.
The Byers family comes back into town, Mike, El, Murray, and Hopper in tow, the last of which is incredibly surprising, though through a long explanation about a Russian prison and an escape helicopter, Nancy supposes it makes sense. Things are tense and awkward between her and Jonathan, and between Jonathan and Mike, for whatever reason, and Nancyâs too focused on putting together a cover story with Owens thatâll clear Eddieâs name to bother with all that.
Birdie remains uninvestigated on her ribs, at least for a while.
She gets closer with Robin and Eddie, and getting closer with Robin means patching things up with Steve, because the two are virtually inseparable. Itâs a painful and drawn-out conversation, full of begrudging apologies, painful stitches over a wound thatâs gone untended for too long. It sucks, but itâs necessary. Nancy knows itâs necessary, and not just for the sake of her friendship with Robin, not just for Birdieâs sake, but for her own, as well.
And for Steveâs. Sheâd hurt him, after all, and heâd been owed an apology for a long time.
Theyâre smoking in Eddieâs new government-gifted trailerâsomething Nancy had never thought sheâd ever be doingâthe first time the topic of soulmates-slash-soulmarks is brought up in their new little friend group.
âHave any of you guys met your soulmate?â Eddie asks, taking a long drag from the joint, and Robin shifts uncomfortably.
âI think I have,â she murmurs, âbut I donât know. I feel likeâŠlike my soulmate wouldâve said, you know? But itâs a pretty common nickname for a pretty common name, soâŠâ
Eddie nods. âYeah, I know what you mean. Plus, it sucks when your soulmarkâs handwriting isnât your own, because then you have to rely on other peopleâs nicknames for your soulmate,â he groans, and Nancy sits up straighter. Eddie passes the joint to Steve. âAnd, like, then you have to ask people what their handwriting looks like, which makes them give you the saddest looks youâve ever seen.â
âNo oneâs seen my soulmark but Mike,â Nancy says quietly. âSoâŠat least I get what the first partâs like.â
âYour soulmark has someone elseâs handwriting?â Steve asks her around a mouthful of smoke, and he sounds curious with just a hint of hurt, like he canât believe she hasnât told them. âDâyou know whose it is?â
Nancy just shrugs.
âMy soulmark has someone elseâs handwriting, too,â Robin says. âI donât know whose handwriting it is, either.â
Thereâs a little bit of guilt Nancy feels at that, because Robin and Eddie clearly think sheâs able to commiserate with them about not being the most important person in their soulmatesâ lives and not knowing who that other person is, but she canât, because she knows exactly who that person is, and heâs in the room with them. Nancy takes the joint when Steve passes it to her and takes a quick pull, coughing slightly.
Eddie grins wolfishly at the sound. She flips him off. âLook, all I know is that when I meet my soulmate, weâre gonna have some words,â Eddie jokes, and Nancy laughs along with Steve and Robin. Eddie nods at the rest of them. âWhat do your marks look like? You donât have to show it if you donât want to, Iâm just curious.â
Neither Robin nor Steve make any move to show theirs.
âItâs a bird,â Nancy says. âI, umâitâs a weird nickname. I donât even know ifââ
She cuts herself off. She canât come out and say that she doesnât know whether Steveâs even met Birdie yet. Mercifully, no one presses further.
âMineâs a chart,â Eddie offers. âThereâs, like, two categories, and whoever wrote them has the same handwriting as the, uhâŠthe nickname.â
âA chart?â Robin asks, brows furrowed. âWhat kinda chart?â
âItâs just on, like, a piece of paper or something, I donât know,â Eddie huffs with a frustrated shrug, and Steve lays back until his headâs on Robinâs lap.
âI know who mine is,â he says quietly.
Thatâs news to all of them, it would seem.
Immediately, Eddie and Robin jump into hounding him about who it is, and Nancy is content to sit back and let it happen until Steveâs face screws up into an expression she only remembers from hazy, drunken memories. âBoth of you, shut up!â she says, and they do, because even outside of the Upside Down, her voice carries some authority.
âThanks,â Steve murmurs.
Nancy nods.
âI canât believe you didnât tell me you figured it out,â Robin tuts, and Steve reaches up to tap her nose with his pointer finger.
âYouâve seen his soulmark?â Eddie asks her, and Robin nods, a glint in her eye Nancy recognizes as the same glint sheâd had there during her speech in the directorâs office.
It makes Nancyâs face go hot.
Itâs clear that Steve doesnât want to keep talking about it, so Nancy pushes the conversation towards a debate on what movie theyâll be watching that night. As Robin and Eddie bicker, she locks eyes with Steve, who gives her a small, grateful smile. It feels good, feels like the real beginning of a genuine friendship.
And Nancy isnât used to having this many friends. Sure, sheâs surrounded by people at the school newspaper, but now sheâs got people to walk through the halls with at school, people to sit next to in the cafeteria, and she hasnât had that sinceâŠwell, since Barb. Itâs been years since sheâs had a sleepover with friends, and sheâs been having them almost every other day. Itâs warm, and itâs good, and Nancy feels like she has a community to fall back on, people her age who really get her. Itâs wonderful and nerve-wracking all at once.
âWhose handwriting is on your soulmark?â Steve asks her on a warm spring evening in April, while Robin and Eddie are bustling away in the kitchen in Steveâs big house.
For some reason, Nancy finds herself feeling comfortable enough to tell the truth. âYours,â she says, a quiet confession, and he blinks in surprise.
âIâm the most important person in someoneâs life? Someone other than my soulmate?â he asks, barely above a whisper, and she canât help herselfâshe hugs him.
Itâs not long after that before Eddie approaches her in a frenzied hurricane of hair, gangly limbs, and just a touch of panic.
âI think I need to show you my soulmark,â he tells her, and before she can get a word in edgewise, because he has just burst rather unceremoniously into her bedroom, Eddie starts to pace. âBecause, Iâwell, itâs complicated, because I think I figured out who it is, and if Iâm right, then it means things might be awkward between you and me, but I also donât think they willâŠ? I mean, he says heâs overâand you say youâre overââ
âEddie,â Nancy says, âslow down.â
Eddie unbuckles his pants. Nancy whirls her head away.
âNo, itâs notâ! Look!â Eddie tells her, and Nancy puts her hands over her eyes, peeking through her fingers at him.
Thereâs a big square on his hip with two columnsâthe chart, she realizes as she puts her hands downâand the titles on each column read You Rule and You Suck with some tallies under the second column, but none under the first. In the same handwriting, Dingus is scrawled underneath it. Nancyâs seen that handwriting before. Itâs the same handwriting from the notes sheâd borrowed from Robin the other day because sheâd skipped out on first period to chase a scoop.
âYour soulmate is Steve,â she realizes.
Eddie lets out a pained sort of noise. âAnd itâsâand youâ! But you guys arenât, so I figured itâd be fine, butâ!â he cuts himself off with another pained half-scream, redoing his pants.
âSteve and Robin are the most important people in each otherâs lives,â Nancy breathes.
Birdie.
âI know! And Iâm notâI donât want to disrespect that, Iâm justâNancy, Iâm freaking out!â Eddie says through clenched teeth.
âSteve is the most important person in Robinâs life,â Nancy whimpers.
Birdie. Bird on a branch. Steveâs handwriting.
Robin. A robin on a branch.
Birdie.
âOkay, I feel like our crises are branching a little here,â Eddie says, hands steepled over his mouth, and Nancy whips her shirt off. Eddie mimics her earlier actions, turning on his heel in the other direction immediately. âWoah, Wheeler, I do not need to seeââ
âMy soulmarkâmy soulmateâEddie, look,â she tells him.
Eddie winces as he turns around, and Nancy jabs a finger pointedly at her ribs. âBirdie,â Eddie reads aloud. His eyes go wide. âOh, holy shit.â
âSteveâs soulmark is the only one of ours that isnât different handwriting,â she reminds him. âAre youâŠokay with not being the most importantââ
âWheeler, Iâm not stupid enough to hope to come close to Robin,â Eddie tells her. âAreâŠyou okay with it? I mean, itâs different for you, someoneâs apparently more important to you, too.â
Nancyâs mind flashes back to that conversation in the kitchen after New Years. âIâm okay with it,â she says, because she is. âIsâdo either of themââ
âSteve knows,â Eddie says. âHe knows and he didnât tell meââ
âThatâs not because youâre you, itâs because heâs self-sabotaging,â Nancy says. âBut Robin said she thought she might knowââ
âNone of that from you, either,â Eddie snaps. âThis isnât a goddamn pity party.â
Nancy balks. âThen what the hell is it?â
Eddie waves his hands out manically. âI donât know!â
Nancy throws her shirt back on, flops back against her bed. âShit,â she grits out, âwe should tell them. We have to.â
The mattress dips beside her. âYeah,â Eddie sighs. âWe do.â
âDoes soulmark handwriting ever change?â Nancy wonders. âNot that Iâmâlike you said, Iâd never hope for it, Iâm just curious.â
âItâs ridiculously rare, but my uncleâs soulmateâs did,â Eddie whispers. âIt changed from his soulmateâs to mine the day I was sent to live with him.â
Nancy canât help but smile at that. Itâs sweet. âIf thatâs the case, I think Mikeâs future soulmate might have to cycle through, like, five different handwritings depending on whoâs pissed him off the least that day,â she jokes, and Eddie laughs.
Silence washes over them. Itâs comfortable, even if itâs unlike Eddie to be so silent.
He threads his fingers through hers. âFuck it. Maybe weâll eventually be each otherâs most important people,â Eddie muses. âYâknow, since our soulmates are attached at the hip, weâll probably end up like that, too.â
Nancy thinks she wouldnât mind that all too much.
She ends up taking a page out of Steveâs book, surprisingly enough, and making her way to Robinâs second-story bedroom window that very same night. When she taps on the glass, Robin falls out of her chair and ends up scrambling over on all fours to open the window up. Itâs so unbelievably charming. Robin helps her in, and the feel of her skin against Nancyâs makes her shudder, so thrilling that Nancyâs grin probably makes her seem like a crazy person.
âJesus Christ, Nance, what are you doing here?â Robin hisses. âYou probably could have come in the front door, I donât think my parents really careââ
âI needed to talk to you. Didnât have time for pleasantries,â Nancy says, breathless. âYouâreâI need to tell you something. Something important.â
Robin goes a little pale. âOh, shit, is this, like, a Code Red situation? Are weâdid it come back?â she whispers, and Nancy shakes her head.
âNo, itâs good, Iâat least, I hope you think itâs good,â Nancy says, and Robin quirks a confused smile at her. Nancy pulls the side of her shirt up carefully. âIâŠhave reason to think this nickname belongs to you.â
Robinâs hand is trembling as she reaches out to brush her fingers against the lettering, tracing the shape of the bird on the branch. The robin on the branch. Warmth spreads from the spot on the mark Robin had touched. âIâitâs you? I get to have you as my soulmate?â Robin asks, and she makes it sound like a profound honor, like itâs too good to be true, like Nancy is worth that much love.
âIf youâll have me,â Nancy whispers. âIâm stubborn and judgemental and Iâve hurt people, Iâm too single-minded sometimes and it makes me withdraw into myself. Iâm not good at loving other people and I make bad decisions andââ
âYouâre everything,â Robin tells her.
Itâs too much.
âIâve been self-destructing about my soulmate since I got my mark,â Nancy tells her. âI thoughtâI dated Steve, knowing it was his handwriting, a-and then I dated Jonathan, knowing it couldnât be him, and Iâm so glad it wasnât either of them, because youâreâRobin, youâre smart and youâre driven and youâre so, so kind to me. Youâre beautiful.â
Robinâs breath hitches. âNancyââ
âI donât want to self-destruct with you,â Nancy says. âAnd I wonât. I donât think youâd let me.â
âI wouldnât,â Robin agrees. âI like you too much for that.â
âLet me see yours?â Nancy asks, and Robin nods, face flushed as she rolls up her pyjama pant leg to reveal her upper thigh.
Thereâs a spiral of memo pad pages surrounding a gorgeous fountain pen, and Nance is scrawled down the side of Robinâs thigh in Mikeâs handwriting. Nancy traces the lines of the pages with her fingers, slides her palm over the pen. Itâs beautiful. Intricate. As detailed as her own, and that makes something warm blossom in Nancyâs chest.
To her surprise, Robinâs mark fills with color, and the two of them watch in awe as ink splotches start to appear on the pages. Robin gasps. âNancy, the birdââ
Nancy looks down, at where sheâs still keeping her shirt raised, and sure enough, itâs the colors of an actual robin. âHoly shit,â Nancy breathes, more excited than she thinks sheâs ever been in her entire life. Her eyes lock with Robinâs. âCan IâŠcan I kiss you?â
âPlease,â Robin says, voice hoarse, and Nancy surges forward, letting go of her shirt so she can keep one hand on Robinâs thigh, on Robinâs soulmark, while cupping her face with the other.
Their lips meet, and itâs wonderful. Nancy hums contentedly as Robinâs mouth moves against hers, slow and gentle. Her hands flit up to link around the back of Nancyâs neck, and her cheek grows warmer under Nancyâs touch. Robinâs clearly not a very experienced kisser, but Nancy doesnât mind at all, perfectly content to nip at Robinâs bottom lip and draw pretty little noises from her throat. Robin pulls back after a moment to catch her breath, and Nancy smiles at her.
âIâm glad itâs you,â she murmurs.
Robin beams at her. âIâm glad itâs you, too.â
And just like that, Nancy doesnât think her soulmark is very ordinary at all anymore.
#ronance#nancy wheeler#robin buckley#stranger things#nancy wheeler centric#ronance soulmates au#very minor steddie and jargyle#like they are Very Much Background#also featuring mike and nancy being good siblings#and eddie and nancy being friends#platonic stobin#steve and robin are the most important people in each others' lives and you cannot change my mind#my fic#cross posted on ao3
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good omens ronance⊠aziraphale nancy and crowley robinâŠ
#stranger things#st#robin buckley#nancy wheeler#ronance#good omens#my aus#st good omens au#*thoughtsbyambs
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thinking 'bout each other đ„°đ„°
#ronance#nancy x robin#robin buckley#nancy wheeler#cowboy au#cowboy ronance#stranger things#stranger things s4#my art#arezk#artist on tumblr
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[series now cross-posted to ao3! stay tuned for more! ] Have been watching a lot FRIENDS lately bc its one of my and my gf's comfort shows and, of course, i cannot stop thinking about Stranger Things-ifying the hell out of it. the vision came to me SO CLEARLY [PART 2]
Sitting around the coffee shop that is basically a second home to the gang.
Nancy sits on the chair across from Argyle, one leg tucked under her, legal pad balancing on the arm, a pen being held between her pointer and middle finger, tapping incessantly on the pad. The other hand tucked into a fist and holding up her chin.
Argyle sits with his legs draped over the arm of the oversized chair, flipping through the latest Steven King book, one arm perched behind his head.
Jonathan has the NYT crossword in his lap, Robin peering over his shoulder, making him nervous.
A normal Saturday afternoon routine for the group of twentysomethings. The rain from outside softly hits the windows nearby, complimenting the soft chatter and gentle clanking of dishes.
But Robin can only seem to focus on Nancy's damn tapping.
"Nance?"
"Hm?"
"I'm gonna need you to stop tapping. I'm trying to beat Jonathan's puzzle."
"Just take it," he hands the paper over to her, annoyed.
"No! It's more fun when it feels like I'm beating you."
Jonathan looks over at Nancy, who is staring blankly at the wooden support beam a few feet away.
"What's going on Nance?"
"Nothing." Her pitch high, grabbing the rest of the groups attention, so much so that they all inch closer to her chair.
"Sounds like a whole lotta nothing," Argyle pulls a nearby chair up next to hers flipping it around and resting his forearms on the back of it.
Robin sits on the ground next to her and Jonathan takes a seat on the coffee table right in front of her.
"Fine!" She takes a look over her shoulder, toward the front door. "I have a date."
"Why are we whispering?" Argyle asks, also whispering.
"Because you know who could walk in any second."
"Why are we whispering and speaking in codes?" Jonathan asks, still whispering.
And as an act of divine timing, the front door to the coffee shop opens, and they all turn their heads to see a slightly damp Eddie shake his hair out and shed his leather jacket in one fell swoop. His face fixed in the same frown that's plagued his face for the last two weeks.
"Hey," the group says in unison, not moving a muscle from where they're still crowded around Nancy.
"What did I say about that tone," Eddie whines, flopping himself down on the couch that previously held Jon and Robin.
"How're you doing?" Robin asks, shifting her body, still sitting on the floor, toward him.
"All of her stuff is gone which means that all of my stuff is gone."
No one says a thing. Not even when the sound of a ceramic coffee cup shatters somewhere in the distance.
"Eddie?"
"What?"
"I don't mean to sound insensitive dude, but shouldn't you be a little less depressed considering... " Argyle trails off.
"Considering what?"
"Considering you're the one that left her?" Robin finishes the thought that everyone is having.
"I didn't leave her." He scoffs.
"No, but when you tell your long-term girlfriend about recently discovering that you're gay, one might see that as you being the one to end that relationship."
"We've been over this." He balls up his jacket and shoves his face into the wet leather. The group share a look, Nancy gesturing to Eddie's state as if to say this is why I'm not talking about the date.
He chucks the balled up jacket at Jonathan, who kicks his feet out in surprise as he catches it with his chest. Eddie's hands are now on either side of his face.
"The love was there! I could've loved her if..."
"If she was someone else?"
He deflates, lets his arms slump down and his shoulders do the same.
"Eddie, my friend, my pal, listen up." Argyle moves seats for the third time, now squeezing himself into the space between Eddie and the arm rest on the couch, draping his arm over his shoulders.
"You have just entered a whole new world, my man. So, you're gay? We're in New York City, so is everyone! Welcome home! All that love you were ready to give to Michelle? You get to hold onto that and give it to someone else. Someone who makes your heart sing."
"But I knew her just as long as I knew you guys." He whines, again, gesturing to Robin, Nancy and Jonathan. "It was easy. It was safe. How am I ever gonna find romance with someone? Where we have an established - I don't know - thing! A connection! A history! How?"
Eddie stares at them like he expects them to answer, forcing the rest of the group to share glances, let the air settle with Eddie's words.
The front door flies open just as a roaring thunder booms overhead, making for a dramatic entrance.
Robin's the first one to swivel her head toward the ruckus, the only one who has a perfect view of the person who burst into the shop.
A man dressed in a tux, drenched, like, just hopped out of a swimming pool drenched. Fighting with his bow tie with one hand and running his other hand through the unforgettable head of hair that sends Robin right back to Hawkins, Indiana. Back to the summer before her senior year.
Huh?
Unable to move a muscle in her body, she watches him clumsily go up to the counter and ask for her and Nancy, by name. The sound of her name sends her up to her feet and pushes her toward the man. An air of chaos surrounds him, drawing an offense amount of curiosity out of Robin as she finds her words.
"Steve Harrington?"
He turns around, his face lights up, and he does the weirdest thing.
He hugs her.
She remains stiff as he pulls back from the hug, hands still on either side of her arms.
They were buddies that summer scooping ice cream at the mall. Nothing crazy, or maybe even that memorable, but they started the summer as acquaintances at best and left as friends.
But then he left for college and she stayed and they never spoke again. A few run-ins here and there. But nothing substantial.
"I knew I'd find you here, I remembered that the last time I was in the city I ran into you guys and you're here!" He sounds drunk, but also like he drank a vat of espresso.
Clearly, it was substantial enough for him to come looking for her. Dressed in a tux soaking wet?
"And you're here, overdressed." She says, taking him in, unable to unscrew the confused look from her face.
Is that a boutonniĂšres?
Oh no. Oh fuck.
"Steve?" Jonathan and Nancy say in unison as Robin brings him over to the couch.
Robin thinks Eddie might have summoned the ghost of hopeless high school crushes past, the way Eddie looks like he's just seen a ghost.
#FRIENDS au#sorry for the typos!#did like no editing. seriously just typed and posted.#i tweaked the characters a bit so it wouldn't be an obvious 1-1 AU but Steve is obvs Rachel and Eddie is obvs Ross#idk if this will become anything more but!!! maybe???#this was just supposed to be a writing sprint#i swear i meant to only write vibes#it somehow turned into this????#sen writes#stranger things fic#my fic#steddie ficlet#ronance as chandler and monica slow burn endgame also bounces around my brain as i finish these tags#argyle is clearly phoebe To Me
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Ronance soulmate AU in which there's an invisible red string connecting both of you but sometimes the string is like... not going on both directions. Like maybe someone is your soulmate but you're not theirs. When this happens, only one of you can see the string, the one who's actually connected, and the other can't, but it's impossible to tell for the first person unless they actually talk to their soulmate and realize that... oh... they can't see the string. It's always awkward and heartbreaking and sad. And horribly lonely.
Anyway, young Robin realizing her string led her to Nancy, and having hope for once - maybe she wouldn't be alone for the rest of her life. Maybe Nancy was waiting for her, loving her since before she knew her. And it takes her so long for her to gather the courage to ask her - she wants it so desperately to be true. She wants Nancy so desperately to love her back, because she feels like she was born loving her and had never been able to do anything with this love other than holding it inside when all she wanted was to share it with her.
But Nancy is a liar first and a person second. She lies like it's compulsion. She lies like she can't help herself. She lies because it terrifies her to have to face this, because she thought Robin might not see any string, if she'd never approached her before. Because she thought she could avoid this. Because she thought she might be spared this time.
So she lies, and she tells her she's sorry, but that she doesn't see anything. The heartbreak and shame in Robin's eyes as she apologizes and steps back feels like guilt curling tight in her stomach, because she suddenly looks small and regretful and like she's about to cry because she just confessed her most terrible secret to someone who was never actually destined for her and who will never love her and oh god, she feels so gross and dirty right now, like a desperate and hungry dog barking and howling as a way to demand scraps. She wraps her arms around herself and backs away. Oh, no, no, she should have never opened her mouth. She should have never expected things to be easy for her. She was born broken. Of course this would be broken, too.
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jurassic world au (specifically jurassic world) feat. max and erica
ronancetober day 6- action movie
taglist: @blueskiesandstarrynights @joshkiszkashusband @thedragonemperess @depressedtransguy @genuine-possum @perseus-jackass @disdoorted-crows @starchaserbaby @starstruckodysseys @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos
#eli draws#ronancetober#ronancetober 2024#ronance#robin buckley#nancy wheeler#max mayfield#erica sinclair#robin x nancy#jurassic world au#jurassic world#fanart#my art#screenshot redraw
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