Hello again, the first chapter was the shorter of them as it was primarily an introduction to combine the season 4 storyline with my own. This chapter is over twice as long so hopefully you enjoy!

Right Side Up

They had returned back to Hawkins, only for Robin to discover her small home which she had shared with her mom (who was never really there anyway) had been completely destroyed by the opening of the gates or as the news and tabloids called it "Earthquake". Her mother was also missing, but Robin showed no kind of concern, this was usually the case. If anything she had run away with another of her boyfriends and was safe and sound three states over. And that is precisely how she had ended up staying with the Wheelers tonight. Everything was unusually normal for everything that had occurred, but maybe this really was the natural reaction to a town that appeared cursed at every corner.

Nancy Wheeler was in her bedroom, looking herself over in the mirror. When she had returned this morning bruises forming, dirtied and tired her parents had so many questions. She brushed them off with a simple explanation, the earthquake, before introducing them to Robin. They welcomed her, just like they had with any of their children's friends in the past. Karen offered anything she could to help the girl get back on her feet. Then makes herself busy sorting out items to donate, including some for Robin. She had also set to work making a makeshift bedroom for the teenage girl down in the basement, returning a pile of blankets, pillows and towels on the couch down there.

Now many hours later, nearing into the night; Nancy stood staring at her figure and began to question who was really staring back at her. Nancy Wheeler was not gay, at least she hadn't considered it to be one of the options as to why her relationships with boys had failed, spectacularly or not, they all eventually fizzled out. Yet here she was questioning why she had invited Robin to stay with her, why she had felt such a deep concern for someone she didn't know all that well, and why whenever they brushed hands she felt an excitement in her chest. Despite everything that had gone on in her utterly chaotic life, especially in the last 24 hours, this would just become the one thought that overwhelmed any free moment she'd had since they left the upside down.

Down in the basement curled up on one of the Wheelers couches Robin was having a similar dilemma. Until Robin had met her friend Vickie in band, she had presumed she must have been the only lesbian in all of Hawkins, if not the entire state of Indiana itself. She had come out to her parents several years ago as a young teen, although it came as no surprise to them considering her bedroom had been plastered with posters of Madonna, Stevie Nicks and various other female artists since she learnt what music was. Though they never questioned their daughter. Her father had left shortly after her revelation, which didn't coincide well in itself, her mother having had an affair. Robin wondered if the real reason was her newfound understanding of herself, her father attempted to reassure her it wasn't by encouraging her to move with him. But Robin didn't like change, and uprooting her life in Hawkins to follow her dad across the country wasn't an option. So she had very quickly learnt to care for herself, unlike her mother who had turned to as many men as she could to console herself. Robin couldn't really blame her, all she wanted was for someone to love her too, but for her mum her daughter became a side-line to the quest.

Robin kept her sexuality quiet, unless people asked, so she wasn't closeted but she also wasn't open. Aside from Steve and Vickie she wasn't sure if anyone else even knew. Which brought her thoughts right back to where she started. Nancy Wheeler. She had very much considered the girl as pretentious and stuck up since she had known her in middle school, that was until Steve introduced them last year and she was able to see beyond the layers Nancy put up when she was at school. Though their lives became intertwined through their shared knowledge of the Russian Mafia, The Upside Down and Steve, they weren't all that acquainted. It wasn't until now, when problems began to arise once more that they were brought closer. Robin and Nancy had agreed they were becoming a fearsome duo against Vecna, opting to spend more and more time together. When Robin had been scared, Nancy had immediately reassured her, when she had been attacked Nancy was the first to make an attempt to free her. Robin was almost sure she was reading too much into the other girl's actions, but somehow she felt the flame that initially tickled her chest growing.

Robin sighed to herself, rolling onto her back and clutching the blanket she had been given to her chest. She was currently wearing one of Nancy's nightdresses, unable to stay in her clothes from the Upside Down that were covered in a combination of blood, dust and ash. But she couldn't get comfortable, for starters the nightdress was too small for her, she was several inches taller than Nancy which made a whole lot of difference in clothing. Though Robin didn't want to complain, she had a roof over her head thanks to her, so she would try to put up with minor discomforts for at least one night.

She tried to close her eyes and quiet the whirlwind of thoughts that travelled around her mind, but every time the wind blew items from fallen buildings or trees knocked against the walls, then she was awake and alert once more. Robin couldn't relax, fearful maybe something would finish her off before she could unravel her thoughts and feelings. She sighed and continued to lie there for what would feel like an eternity.

Nancy began to look back on her previous dating experiences; whilst she appreciated and cared for Steve very much as a friend and despite his undeniably incredible charisma and looks, she could never admit she loved him. Even when he had taken her virginity, she felt as if there was something missing, but she couldn't understand what. She put it down to having no experience and being a young high schooler, and eventually she broke up with him drunkenly. She didn't consider anything else being problematic or wrong with their relationship.

Then there was Jonathan, who followed shortly after Steve's breakup. He seemed to understand her. They spent the summer working alongside one another, which left a very domesticated and mature feeling which Nancy loved, and though she verbalised how much she loved him she could never decide if she was truly head-over-heels in love. This wasn't at all like the movies. So when Jonathan was to move away from Hawkins at the end of that summer, she couldn't ignore the gnawing in her stomach that wanted for something more. They agreed mutually they would be moving even further in different directions when they headed to college by the end of the next school year, so decided to call it quits, "Long distance relationships rarely work." And since then Nancy had been single, she often caught Steve flirting with her once more and there was still some lingering chemistry between them, but Nancy would never take this further, she was not the right girl for Steve.

But then before Hawkins went to total shit being invaded by Russians, that's when Steve introduced her to Robin. She knew of the girl before they had officially met seeing her work the Scoops Ahoy on weeknights and weekends at Starcourt before it's demise, she always seemed to be working. If she wasn't, you could find her on the bleachers as part of the band and around High School; they even had English classes together but rarely mixed. Robin was quiet, typically sat near the back of the class and whilst Nancy could admit she had always been curious about the girl and why she was so often alone, she had an image to uphold in the school, she'd be damned if she was losing her social status through nothing but curiosity. That was the old Nancy, much less open minded, but since going through so many crazy and unforeseeable experiences she had definitely grown.

Nancy began to think back to when they met

Robin had been cowering behind a counter having barely escaped the Russian hideout with Steve, Erica and Dustin. Just when she thought things couldn't get anymore insane a car had been flung before the two groups became one. Robin identified Nancy, she was the most popular girl at school after all. There was her brother Mike also, plus others who she could only presume were some of his friends judging by their ages. She was confused with the whole situation and rapidly began to ask questions, that is until Nancy asked one herself. "I'm sorry? Who are you?" Nancy interrogated, more meaning 'What the hell are you, of all people, doing here?' . Nancy cringed at remembering the harsh way she had approached Robin, she had totally forgotten how inexperienced the girl must have been with the Upside Down, Eleven situation back then. She had frantically pulled together an answer "I'm Robin." She had squeaked in her defence. Nancy recalled the first moment she had learnt the girl's name, Robin, her voice matched it, like that of a little songbird.

Nancy brought herself back into the present, she pulled on the nightdress she had picked out, picking out the bruises over her torso in her reflection and a large one on her shoulder from the recoil of the shotgun. She turned away at last and had just begun to pull back the covers of her bed when there was a gentle knock at the door before it opened just a crack.

On the outside, Robin had stood for several moments trying to calm her thoughts once more, and slowing her breathing down to a normal level. Which in turn made her only think about it more. She considered if she should just head back down to her lodgings in the basement, but instead prayed she could find a resolve before any other members of the Wheeler household noticed her lingering outside their daughters room at night. She eventually made the decision to knock quietly before peaking through a small opening in the door.

"Hi." Nancy would recognise the raspy but innocent and sweet voice from anywhere at this point. It had been ingrained in her brain after hearing her endless talking when nervous, which appeared to be in most situations, but Nancy was actually beginning to find it quite endearing.

"Hi." She responded. Robin took it as an invitation to enter, so slid into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her until it latches closed. She clasps her hands together, entwining her own fingers amongst each other, before standing towards the foot of Nancy's bed, unsure how she should approach. Robin somehow forgets why she's come crawling up from the basement after barely having gone down there an hour ago to settle into her makeshift bed, especially to bother Nancy who had already treated her so kindly. Maybe it's just the thought of being in another girl's room at night, maybe it's the twang of jealousy she has over Nancy's living quarters compared to what was hers, or maybe it's the sweet smell of Nancy's floral shampoo, maybe it's just she needs to be grounded next to someone tonight. She is pulled away from her own mind when she hears a voice call.

"Robin?"

"Hmm?" She replied, zoning back in.

"I asked you what do you need?"

"Oh sorry. Um, yeah right. I couldn't sleep." She scrambles to form an answer, hoping she doesn't mumble one of her honest thoughts aloud.

"I couldn't either, I've just been thinking, a-lot" Nancy replied from her position at the side of the bed, sighing slightly at the latter. She pulls at a thread on the patchwork quilt that's situated on her bed, fiddling with it in her fingers to avoid the slight awkwardness. After a moment of silence Robin continued.

"I…err…Do you have any items that might not be quite so tight on the arms? It's kind of uncomfortable with all these…err…marks?" As Robin continued to ramble nervously she pulled at the sleeve of the nightdress to aid her explanation, revealing reddened patches of skin, similar to that of rope burn from where the tentacles had pulled at her limbs tightly, harshly. "I guess it's maybe just a bit too small. I mean I am a little taller. If not, don't worry I can totally manage for tonight until I can grab some of my stuff tomorrow or even head to the store if any of them are still running, I mean life in cursed town of Hawkins just resumes as normal when…" Nancy moved towards her, looking up at her with gentle eyes

"Shhh." She simply stated, it broke Robin out of her rambling. Their eyes met until Nancy raised her right hand up to Robin's wrist, barely making contact with her index finger and thumb before she returned to look up at the taller girl, who followed her gaze wherever it moved. "Can I?" Nancy asked, running a finger gently along her arm to signify what she meant. Robin swallowed thickly, increasingly aware of the growing tension and new-found closeness of Nancy and herself. She nodded gently in response.

Nancy released the button of the long sleeve that was bunched up at the forearm where Robin had absentmindedly pulled the sleeve up. Robin had to admit even the release of the buttons would have sufficed for one night, but of course she hadn't thought of that, which now meant she worried if Nancy thought was a total idiot. She caught herself off guard with her thoughts, when did she start caring what Nancy thought of her? She would ask herself when she started caring about Nancy too but she already knew the answer.

Steve prepared to dive into the water to check for signs of the upside down beneath the lake. Robin couldn't help but smile bashfully at Nancy who gawked at Steve, she presumed the match that sparked their flame was still burning. Either that or she was just as shocked as Robin was to see Steve willingly undress in the middle of night to swim. He dove off the boat and down into the water following the trail of red light that signalled a gate to the upside down. He resurfaced briefly when he was suddenly dragged down under the water. Nancy immediately stood from her seat and prepared to dive down in a rescue attempt, "Stay here." she had instructed them and that is when Robin realised the level of which she cared for Nancy Wheeler. "Nancy!" She had cried out as she dove into the water. Despite being completely terrified of the unknown, Robin seated herself on the edge of the boat, and after an attempt of being convinced by Eddie to stay, she immediately followed after Nancy.

Steve was being overrun by demobats, and after tackling a few, another launched itself towards Nancy who cried out for help, "Oh my god Nance, '' was all Robin could cry as she threw herself at the bat who had Nancy in its grasp. She did not feel content until the bat was off her, and Steve could be attended to once more.

Nancy proceeds to gently trace over the harsh marks that stained Robin's skin in various shades of red and pink. Nancy watches closely to the reaction that paints itself on Robin's face with each of her movements. Like when she screws her nose up, squeezing her eyes tightly in pain, and the others where she is able to relax once more. "Sorry." Nancy barely whispers, Robin shakes her head softly, her hair gently bouncing from side to side off her cheeks, she doesn't mind. Aside from the odd points of pain all she can feel is the gentle heat and though Nancy's fingers barely brush across her forearm the feeling in her stomach rises again, butterflies dancing. It's at this point she realises it's best to stop this before she continues to fall head over heels with a straight girl. So she tugs her arm away, pulling it into herself to cradle it against her own body.

Nancy immediately looks up at her forming eye contact, "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought maybe I could help."

Robin shakes her head once more, "You didn't...Not help… I mean you didn't hurt me."

Nancy doesn't quite understand the other girl's actions, "Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing…Just, um…Do you have another shirt I can wear?" Robin tries her best to seem as normal as she can, whatever that may be. Nancy nods at her, before moving away towards the dresser furthest away from Robin.

"Of course. Yeah. Sorry." She rummages through the drawer until she finds the biggest shirt she owns. It's long sleeve and striped, but made from a soft jersey like material, far softer than the cotton nightdress Robin is currently wearing. She leans across and hands it to the girl who stands waiting. Robin takes it apprehensively. "Hopefully this is better." Nancy says, her face softening as she sees Robin form a half smile in thanks. Nancy doesn't tell her to leave, she doesn't point her in the direction of the nearest bathroom, in-fact all Nancy does is stare.

Robin realises this is maybe her moment to see how Nancy reacts to her, she moves closer towards her bed, as casually as possible, placing the new shirt down. Nancy watches her carefully, slightly confused on what's about to unfold. Robin undoes the buttons that line the front of the nightdress one by one until she reaches the bottom before gently peeling back the sides until her underwear is just showing through the centre. Nancy doesn't turn away but watches Robin with a slight curiosity, she doesn't stare the way she had at the boys she had been with, she doesn't inch towards her in an attempt to close the gap, she just watches on with care and compassion.

When Robin glances up to meet Nancy's eyes with her own, she can't help but feel elated that she hasn't questioned her motions or asked her to stop. They take each other in for a moment, both exploring the depths of each other's eyes, in an attempt to analyse what the other is feeling. The edges of Robin's lips curl upwards once more, and Nancy copies the motion, biting the edge of her lip as she does so, and lets her eyes drift down Robin's soft body before sheepishly looking away knowing Robin can see exactly what she is doing.

"Nance." Robin's voice is softer, raspier than it usually is, but it brings Nancy's eyes back to her own in an instant. Robin takes this as an opportunity to finish undressing, sliding one arm and then the other out of the nightdress, wincing slightly as she pulls it over her wounds. Nancy gasps a little, realising her breath has been caught in her throat at the sight of Robin changing but saddened that her friend is in pain.

Robin lays the nightdress on the bed and picks up the new shirt to put on. Nancy finally allows herself to give in to the curiosity and now what she is realising is an undeniable attraction, so decides to close some of the gap, and attempt to use her touch to heal Robin's small wounds. Robin continues to hold the shirt in her hands, leaving her in her underwear, surprised by Nancy's actions.

She edges closer towards the taller girl, a hand out-stretched, ready to make contact with skin. Then takes a moment to observe Robin's frame; her skin is tanned lightly from the sun of summer which has also accentuated the freckles that are lightly dusted across her entire body. She's slim, but not too slim, and her waist curves gently into hips, into long legs that stretch to the floor. She's taller than Nancy, it becomes more obvious as she moves closer and finds herself looking further up to meet Robin's own pools of blue. As well as observing what she realises is the natural beauty that is Robin Buckley, she sees an array of injuries. On each wrist and ankles are those pained marks, her neck is dotted with varying shades of bruising from being choked, her eyes are equally swollen and beginning to show shades of purple, several other small bruises and cuts scar tanned skin. And despite all of them, Nancy is still hypnotised at the sight.

Her out-stretched hand finally makes contact, she lets her fingers trace over one of the marks on her wrist once more, taking care to keep her pressure light. Robin releases eye contact at last, letting her eyes shut in the bliss of Nancy's touch and her arms falling to her side, shirt clutched in a now fisted grasp. Nancy follows Robin's movements, taking care as she lets her fingers wander across from wrist to her hip, where she traces small circles over a bruise there. When Nancy see's the look of pleasure spread across Robin's face she feels a surge of confidence run through her, so lets her palm connect to the other girl's hip in full. Then the curve of her waist. Then her ribcage. She lets it travel across her soft skin, to shoulder blades, down the centre of a spine, before settling in the small of Robin's back for a moment. When the movement stills, Robin opens her eyes, looking down towards Nancy. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, before Nancy resumes letting her hand trace its way back round Robin's hip, then wrist where it stills again. Robin lets out a slow quivering breath, she hadn't realised she was even holding in. Nancy slowly leans in and stands on her tiptoes to reach near the crevice of Robin's ear, "You should probably get dressed." She smiles, before backing away to leave a respective distance between them.

Robin does exactly as Nancy says and pulls the shirt over her, it just grazes the tops of her thighs, but is definitely more comfortable than the nightdress. Robin stands and watches Nancy from afar, who climbs into her bed at last, pulling the quilt over her as she sits propped up on her pillows.

"Will you sleep now?" She asks Robin who is still frozen in place. Robin nods in acknowledgement and beings to turn to leave the room, but before she can, Nancy calls out to her again.

"You know maybe it would be better to have someone with us tonight, we can rest easy knowing we're both safe." Robin hesitates for a moment, taking in the offer that's just been made. Nancy Wheeler has just invited her to stay with her, in what she can presume means her bed. And though she's just practically been naked in front of her, and let her explore her body, there is something so much more intimate about sharing a bed with someone. What if Robin has one of her nightmares and hurts Nancy completely unaware? What if Nancy's sheets are itchy when all she has is underwear to cover her legs? Robin stopped her thoughts in their tracks before they could run-away like they usually did.

"I think I'd like that." She replies, although she's not sure if Nancy hears her as it presents only as a timid whisper. Robin turns around and heads slowly to the other side of the bed, where Nancy pulls back the covers allowing her space to climb in. Robin edges her way into the bed, leaving a small space between them.

"Light on or off?" Nancy asks, letting Robin settle herself down into the bed.

"Off…" Robin barely whispers, "If that's okay…" She adds not wanting to upset Nancy after making so much progress together. Nancy doesn't answer but a moment later the table lamp switches off leaving the room in darkness, before Robin feels her shuffle around in the sheets until they are led next to one another. There is only the sound of gentle breathing until Robin decides to have the courage to roll over and face Nancy. Nancy glances in her direction before turning back to staring toward the ceiling in the dark. A moment later there is the sound of rustling in the sheets once more, until Nancy finds Robin's hand and connects it with her own. Robin quickly accepts and intertwines their fingers, it's amazing how naturally they fall into one another's grasp. They lay there like that, no words, no movement until eventually they'll both fall asleep. Nancy is the first to slowly drift off, and once Robin notices she brushes a stray curl from Nancy's cheek.

"I think I'm in love with you Nancy Wheeler." She doesn't expect a response, but when Nancy stirs a little Robin becomes nervous.

Nancy is hardly awake, keeping her eyes shut but in a hushed, sleepy tone responds.

"I think…I think I love you too…" She sighs, tightening the grasp she has on Robin's hand. Robin can barely tell if Nancy is even conscious but continues to ramble at the peaceful girl,

"One day I'll tell you the moment I knew. And all the moments after."

And after that, all there is, is the calmed breathing of two girls sharing a bed for the first time.