Three's Company Too

Owner Of A Lonely Heart

It was hard for Steve to sleep with the lights flickering, but he got in the habit lately of leaving on a movie for Jonathan to listen to or sense or whatever it was that enabled communication between their world and the Upside Down.

The next morning he stubbed his toe as he blindly walked into the attic ladder that he'd left down all night. He cursed under his breath on his way into the bathroom and had barely opened his eyes to pee or wash his hands. He threw some cold water in his face and sighed as he met the gaze of his own reflection.

As usual Robin was sleeping in, which Steve didn't mind. He had a plan to invite Nancy over so they could break the news to her over dinner. It was a much better plan than knocking on her door. He took his time rehearsing what he'd say to her, going through the motions of his usual morning routine. As usual, he put some product in his hair as he practiced his spiel in the mirror.

Robin awoke slowly, writhing around in her bed to crack all her bones before realizing how tired she was. She sat up in bed and sighed, running a hand through her hair upon realizing Steve was awake. He was on the phone with Nancy when she emerged from her room, finishing up making plans by the sounds of it. For the first time in a while he was smiling and it wasn't forced. Robin rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stumbled to the coffee maker to pour herself a mug, still half asleep.

"Morning," she said once Steve hung up the phone.

Steve whipped around after hanging the phone up, a bright smile on his face. "Oh hey. It's noon doofus," he joked.

 "Shut up," Robin said as she took a sip of the coffee, which was definitely needed. 

Steve smirked in response to her attitude and decided to just leave her be, going up to the attic to see if Jonathan's presence was in the lights he had set up. Upon his ascent, he noticed that the only letter that was lit up was the letter "J". The dull yellow bulb pulsed beneath it faintly. Steve raised a quizzical eyebrow as he approached the Christmas lights, kneeling before them.

"Hey?" he asked unsurely.

The flickering continued with a slow but steady tempo, though it didn't light up any additional letters. There was no response to Steve's question.

Steve sighed. "I invited Nancy over."

The lights began to flicker, spelling out, "GOOD".

"Yeah I figure it would help both of you out if you could talk," Steve said, smiling at how Jonathan was confirming making contact.

The lights continued to flicker with their different colors, spelling out "YES" as Jonathan was in agreement with Steve's decision to involve Nancy.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Steve asked uneasily, sitting down more comfortably and crossing his legs.

The lights began to flicker with more intensity than before, quickly forming the words, "DID TRY" and "CAN'T".  

Steve looked a little sad, but he had a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Don't worry, man. You will tonight. I didn't tell her about any of this so it'll be a surprise." He got up and paused, his eyebrows coming together suddenly. "Wait...are you the ghost that's been haunting my house?"

At his question, the lights dimmed for a moment as if to signify shock, but then returned to their quick yet steady speed and eventually flashed, "YES."

"You asswipe!" Steve laughed. "Guess I'll have to ask Nance about any electrical problems at her folks' place."

The lights dimmed for a moment again then flashed back on, spelling out, "NO, JUST ME."

Steve came back down and reluctantly shut the attic behind him by putting the ladder back up into the ceiling. He went to join Robin in the kitchen hoping she was perked up a by the caffeine enough for him to talk about his plan. As he entered the kitchen, he saw she'd finished the last of her coffee and was gazing into the fridge. 

Steve leaned against the counter, his tone measured, "So uh... I invited Nancy over for dinner tonight. I figure we can reach out to her as friends and support her. Plus I got Jonathan all rigged up upstairs, so they can talk."

Robin nodded, her voice a bit distant at first until she shut the fridge and directed her attention to Steve. "Yeah that makes sense. Way better alternative than just bringing her straight into this nightmare on her doorstep." It was silent as Robin moved around Steve to grab a piece of bread and butter it. She took a bite and chewed, suddenly having an inquiry. "How are you planning on telling her anything? Like without freaking her out?"