Three's Company Too

You Won't Have to Think Twice

The night before started off as a smoke session at Eddie's trailer. Robin, Steve and the metalhead all got together and exchanged stories, with Steve and Robin explaining everything about the Upside Down, the disappearance and return of Will Byers and now the disappearance of his older brother, Jonathan. Steve and Jonathan never had the best relationship, especially with Jonathan stealing Nancy away. But now things were different. Steve had hope that being a hero would win Nancy over or get her to trust him again.

Robin was allowed the luxury of passing out in Eddie's bed while Steve slept on an air mattress and Eddie was out on the couch. Steve woke up slowly, stretching his limbs and squirming around on the deflated mattress that cradled his body and barely kept it off the floor. He looked over at the digital clock by Eddie's bed and barely processed what time it was as he closed his eyes once more. They quickly shot back open and he jumped up, cursing suddenly.

"Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck!" he said as he quickly found his pants and shoes.

Robin was stirred from her sleep by the abrupt sound of Steve's voice, her sleep-filled brain struggling to make sense of her surroundings. She groggily sat up in the bed. "What's wrong?" she croaked, rubbing her eyes and suppressing a yawn.

"It's my dad's birthday and we were supposed to meet in about five minutes," Steve explained as he sat at the edge of Eddie's bed where Robin was laying to pull on his sneakers and start lacing them up. "You gonna wait around until he brings you home or you want a ride real quick?"

Robin's mind slowly caught up, grasping the situation at hand. She let out a low sigh, rubbing the lingering remnants of sleep from her eyes. After blinking a few times to focus more, she shrugged and began gathering her own things. Steve nodded and went to go to the bathroom real quick while Robin got ready to head out. Robin found her scattered shoes and hurriedly pulled them on, running her fingers through her messy hair in a half-hearted attempt to brush it into place. She glanced over at the living room, where Eddie's snoring rumbled distantly.

Steve gave Eddie a pat on the head before he and Robin crept out and away from the trailer. The morning sun had already made the vehicle into an oven so Steve rolled the windows down and started blasting the air conditioning. Robin clambered into the passenger seat, immediately rolling down the window as soon as the scorching heat hit her.

With a small chuckle, she glanced over at Steve. "We're such bad guests, leaving him on the couch," she mused, her tone light.

"Nah. He'll get up to piss, realize we're gone and pass out in his own bed. No need to worry. I've seen Eddie sleep in bushes, on stone steps, he's even slept at the graveyard," Steve assured Robin as they navigated the streets of Hawkins back to their apartment.

Robin stifled a laugh at Steve's words, shaking her head in disbelief. "How many times has he slept around dead people? And more importantly, why?" she asked, a curious edge to her tone.

"I dunno. Dude is a weirdo," he said with a shrug, "but he's good people."

Robin let out a small huff of agreement, agreeing with Steve's assessment of Eddie's peculiar behavior that harmed no one, but still left her feeling unsettled and worried. Steve's car pulled into their driveway and parked. Robin barely got out of the car by the time Steve was running up the front steps and inside. The shower was running by the time she had gotten into the house. Robin closed the front door behind her and made her way into the living room after collecting the mail. Leafing through it, she found nothing of importance and left it on the coffee table. 

The couch looked especially inviting. The cushion's plushy softness practically begged her to sit and rest. She had woken up a mere hour ago, and her body still felt weary. The shower was over and Steve was rushing out of the bathroom and right into his bedroom where the door shut quickly behind him so he could hastily dress. Robin was just starting to doze off when she heard the bathroom door open. She cracked open an eye, watching as Steve hurried into his room. The door slammed behind him, causing her to sit up a bit straighter on the couch.
By the time Robin had started to relax and drift off again, he was back out the door, without anything to say since he was in a hurry. He was carrying a gift wrapped box under his arm. With Steve's car pulling away, the house fell into a peaceful quiet, interrupted only by the occasional distant sound of a bird or a car passing by outside. It provided a perfect opportunity for Robin to doze off, her eyelids growing heavy.

Robin awoke to a knock at the door that sounded frantic. Yet again Nancy Wheeler had come by, but she was dressed a lot nicer than casual, like she was trying to impress Steve or something.

Opening the door, Robin greeted Nancy with a curious smile, "Hey, what's going on? You look... nice. Steve's not here."

Nancy smiled, rolling her eyes playfully. "I'm not here to see Steve."