It took two weeks for Mia to get back to being somewhat normal, she had been having shorter shifts at work, she was being told to do less when helping eddie to fix up the Camaro, and by the time those three weeks had passed she was getting fed up, so she was taking more shifts in the Diner and arcade, she was arguing with Eddie each time he told her to stop helping and head home... she wanted to feel useful again...
Though luckily for her, Steve and Robin had been waiting days for her to be back to herself so they could throw her the 'hopper party' they'd planned, they wanted something special so she'd remember her dad by, not some stupid Funeral, and the thought that the first day she was back to her normal self would be the best, so while she was at the hospital with Joyce getting her cast off Steve and Robin found themselves in his house, decorating the whole place with pictures of Mia and Her dad, her with friends, and all the pictures they thought she'd like. They left crates of beer and some punch out around the kitchen so they could help themselves during the night.
Once they were done with their decorating they only had to wait a few minutes before Joyce's green car pulled up front, dropping Mia off right at the door, letting her let herself in.
"Steve? What's going on... what is all this?" She laughed a little, taking a picture hanging from the ceiling into her hand, admiring it, "Steve?"
"Hey! It's a party... obviously" he jumped out from the living room entrance, his hair flopping around,
"No.... No Steve I don't want a party!" Mia groaned, looking around more as he dragged her to the living room, sitting her down next to Robin and instantly handing her a beer,
"That's tough, your getting one" he smiled plopping himself next to the two girls two, pressing play on the tv, a tape of Hopper and Mia's favourite movie starting to play,
"How-how did you guys know...?" She whispered to the both of them,
"Stiles and his girlfriend are in Family Video quite often, we asked him..." Robin smiled, nudging her with her shoulder, in a way asking her to be quite...
They stayed sat in a trio the whole movie, a empty 12 pack and a also empty 2 litre bottle of vodka and juice mixer sat messily on the coffee table, the three teens laughing and dancing around the room,
"Oh my god! We should go swimming!" Mia yelled over the music that was now blasting
"Isn't it a bit cold?" Steve yelled back, being more sober than the girls,
"You chicken Harrington?" She teased, coming away from the window and getting up to face him,
"No...." He shrugged,
"Hey! What are you guys waiting for?" During their little tease fest Robin had gotten herself out onto the patio already her smile wide, hands on her hips.
As Mia went to reply to her she was swept off her feet, the situation a blur as Steve carried her, both of them laughing,
"No! Steve please don't drop me!! Jesus! Steve!" Mia giggled her grip tight on his T-shirt, "drop me and your coming down with me!!"
"Boring!" Robins voice was suddenly loud and close, her hands quickly pressed up against Steve's back, pushing him and Mia into the pool together, both of them flailing around in each others arms. "Hahaha! You look like drowned rats!" She laughed, watching them choke up as they swam back to the top. She kept laughing as she pulled her jacket off, taking a few steps back "watch out losers!!" She yelled, taking a running dive into the pool, landing behind the two, making them all laugh as she surfaced too...
they stayed in the pool for just over an hour before they started actually getting cold, steve had left the girls a couple minutes ago to grab a couple towels and some warm, dry clothes.
Robin and Mia where talking, floating around the pool as steve's bedroom window opened above them,
"hey guys! you can come in now! i've turned the heat on and gotten you some dry clothes!" he shouted, passing a smile as they smiled at him,
"okay stevie!" mia giggled, pushing herself towards the step ladder, struggling to pull herself up with the weight on her wet clothes. she noticed as she got higher that robin had thrown herself out at the side, her eyes scanning mias body, eyes locking on the purple lace bra that was completely visible through the white queen t-shirt that was stuck to her body, hugging her curves perfectly, "you okay Robin?"
her head snapped round, Mia now stood up next her her, her hand outstretched to her "yeah-yeah... i-i'm okay" she smiled, taking Mias hand and following her, both of them dripping wet as they went up to Steve's room. the second they walked in Steve walked out, leaving them alone yet again so that they could get changed together. they didn't bother with a shower, only stripped and changed into entire outfits made from Steve's clothes— even down to his underwear,
"holy shit mia, what's that?" Robin gasped, just as the t-shirt fell down her back,
"what?" she questioned as she spun,
"your back... where those... where those burn marks?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing even more "did that happen to you in there? in the mall?"
"doesn't matter, okay? come on"
"mia,"
"no come on," she sighed, walking ahead of Robin throwing herself onto the couch the second they got to the living room.
#
by the time 2 am rolled around the three had started to sober up, but they weren't tired yet, only they'd just started to ask each other random questions...
"robin, do you have a crush on any one, like anyone at all? because i've never seen you with a boyfriend, or any type of hook up or anything!" Steve laughed out his question, making the blonde chuckle
"well we all know you have steve," she shrugged, looking at him,
"yeah okay, but... who's the guy of your dreams?"
"guys i—"
"it's like someone controversial right? like Tommy H or Billy? someone on the basketball team?" mia chirped in,
"no, none of them, i don't think—"
"no it's probably like Michael L or Thomas B" Steve counter added on mias initial point,
"jesus..." Robin sighed once her two friends stopped talking "Look, you guys don't even know me, and if you did know me, like— like really know me, i don't think you'd even want to be my friends"
"no, no way" mia shook her head, leaning a hand over to grasp hers, "your so... hugely wrong..."
"yeah no that's not true, no way is that true" Steve shook his head too,
"listen to me. Steve, it's shocked me to my core, but i like you, i really like you but believe me i'm not like your other friends, and i'm not like Nancy Wheeler" robin empathised, throwing her body closer to him for the time being,
"Robin, that's exactly why i like you" the truth about Steve's crush on Robin was slowly being unraveled to Mia, making a happy smile overcome her lips thinking Steve and robin could have something together,
the blonde scoffed at his comment before turning to Mia "and you.... i don't know Mia... your so different from the usual school crowds, yet again your nothing like me, we shouldn't work, but we do... and I love that we're friends, being paired in PE really helped us out on the friend path... and i'm so glad it did... so... this is all why i didn't want to tell you guys any of this...." she turned back to steve "do you remember Clicks class? and-and you used to always be the centre of attention, and i was obsessed with you," her quick, passed over question made him nod "i wasn't obsessed with you because i had a crush on you, it's because... she wouldn't stop starring at you."
steve's eyebrows almost formed a tight line "mrs. Click?"
robin chuckled "Tammy Thompson. i wanted her to look at me. but she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. and i didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs... all over the floor. and you asked dumb questions. and you where a douchebag. And-and you didn't even like her and.... I would go home... and just scream into my pillow" robin explained, thought Mia had caught on the second she first said 'she'. she knew then that her earlier happiness brought by Steve and Robin maybe ending up with each other wasn't going to happen but if she did have to think back... maybe there was something different about robin all along, and maybe in recent days it had been showing more, but there was no way should could've put a finger directly on it... and though Robin hadn't exactly said what she meant yet... Mia was on a huge hunch— a hunch that made her previous full smile return.
but as Mia was coming to that conclusion Steve's face was still stuck in the same expression, "but Tammy Thompson's girl."
robins eyes died a little, fear starting to cloud "Steve..." she whispered softly,
"yeah?" he awkwardly replied, now looking between both girls for some sort of hint. but neither of them spoke, robins eyes only weld up more and Mia's smile faded quite a bit, she now feeling the true fear, but before Robin could over think about it too much and run off Steve's expression flattened "oh."
"oh." robin copied scared to say more, scared Steve would flip out,
"holy shit." his shocked demeanour had taken over,
"yeah. holy shit" robin copied yet again, she couldn't even look at the boy sat across from her, the fear of him having the most disgusted look on his face was keeping her down. Mia didn't want to say anything, and trigger someone, so she kept her silent smile, eyes glued to the cassette player, the tape wrapping over and over itself...
there was a long silence before Robin spoke "Steve... you okay?"
"yea. I just... uh... just thinking." he replied,
"Okay." robin quietly nodded, head turning "Mia?"
"hm?" quickly her gazed re connected with Robins,
"are you okay... you've uh... not said much..."
her smile reappeared "i'm fine. i'm really, seriously happy for you" she gave a tight squeeze to Robins had she had initially forgotten that she was holding on to, and as the girls shared a happy, doubt releasing moment Steve sighed,
"i mean, yeah. Tammy Thompson, you know, she's cute and all, but...i mean, she's a total dud." he shrugged, his humour coming back to light, fraying a tease,
"she is not." Robin defended, sitting herself up straight,
"you can't argue with him Rob... she is kinda a dud..." Mia shrugged,
"exactly! she totally is, and she like wants to be, like a singer. she wants to move to like, Nashville and shit" Steve carried on,
"she has dreams,"
"oh seriously? come on, she can't even hold a tune! she is like... so tone deaf. have you heard her?" mia kept backing Steve's side, making Robin laugh
"robin it's all the time!" he cleared his throat before adjusting in the seat "you see me now tonight" he started singing... completely out of tune
"shut up! she does not sound like that!"
"actually i think she sounds exactly like that— it was almost spot on" Mia shrugged,
"yeah i mean i guess that was a great impression of her"
"she doesn't sound like that, you-you sound like a muppet"
"she sounds like a muppet. she sounds like a muppet giving birth" Steve laughed, making both girls join him in a huge 'Tammy Thompson' singing impression challenge, bringing the three of them closer, taking away robins fear around them...
~
that night had ended up being the best time the three had had in months, bonding over stupid things, learning loads of new things about each other, treating Robins romantic likings like any old thing, completely valid, and up to her... they were not going to bring her down, if anything the two brought her up, switching the whole party around to be about Robin...