You Make Me Feel Safe

Part Three

Word Count: 2,031

Nancy leads Robin up to her room where they'll both be sleeping for the night. When they walk in, Robin can't help but point out the Tom Cruise poster again which makes Nancy laugh. It was the first and last time she had ever been in Nancy's room before now. Months ago.

She looks around the room, noticing how everything was still basically the same. The poster was still there, The music box was still on top of Nancy's drawers, everything was all still light pastel colours. As much as she liked looking at everything, Robin was mostly just stalling, waiting for Nancy to say something. She hears Nancy shut her bedroom door.

   "You can come sit on my bed if you want," Nancy offers, sitting down where the pillows were and crossing her legs. Robin moves from where she'd been standing in front of the drawers and sits, also cross-legged. She sits across from Nancy facing her at the end, her back against the metal footboard of the bed frame.

   "So... what should we do?" Robin awkwardly asks. She's never been particularly good at starting conversations or deciding what to do.

   "We could talk?" Nancy suggests, equally as unsure it seems like.

Quickly agreeing and not really wanting to start the topic of her and Nancy in general, Robin starts with something else she had been thinking about. "Oohh I honestly didn't expect Max to come out as bisexual did you? I wouldn't have ever suspected, or thought about Eddie either. I'd say the same about Will being gay, but now that I think about it, it does kind of seem like he has a crush on Mike. Also—"

   "What are we?" Nancy quickly lets out, before seemingly backtracking with a confused expression. "Wait, you think Will has a crush on Mike? As in, my brother Mike?"

   "Yeah, definitely," Robin continues. "I mean, have you seen how he acts around him? He puts all of his focus on Mike all of the time and when he looks at him? It reminds me of how I look— how I've looked at people I have a crush on before. Or when Steve really likes a girl. It's obvious now that I know Will is gay. Never would have thought of it before though," She adds at the end.

Nancy looks lost in thought for a few seconds before responding. "When you really think about... you definitely could be right. Poor Will though, liking someone that wouldn't like him back. I doubt Mike likes anyone besides girls."

   "Eh, I know that feeling," Robin laughs. "I've liked girls before that I know have been 100% straight and that feeling ultimately sucks. And it's definitely different but I know Steve had that feeling when he liked me before I had to let him know the bad news." Nancy laughs at that and Robin can't help but think about how much she loves hearing Nancy laugh.

   "Anyways," Nancy starts, suddenly appearing a bit more nervous again, "you never answered my question. What are we?" She repeats the question from earlier.

   "What... What do you want to be? We can definitely just be friends if you want to stick with that..."

Nancy starts to say something and then stops, briefly seeming annoyed with how she's sitting and shifts over to sit on the edge of the bed instead with her legs down. Robin has no idea where her confidence to also move comes from, but she also moves to sit next to Nancy. Their legs end up touching, just like when they were on the couch. It takes all of Robin's effort not to shift away, their close proximity and the atmosphere absolutely intoxicating but also terrifying and new at the same time.

   "See..." Nancy starts slowly, "I don't want to just be friends... and it's such a familiar but different feeling for me and it's taken me a while to figure it out, but I'm certain of it now. I want to be more than just friends with you, Robin."