Chapter Text
Nancy didn’t like Steve anymore, not like that. She didn’t.
Okay so maybe, when they were in the Upside Down she liked him a little bit. But constant proximity to her only ex coupled with high adrenaline situations wasn’t an ideal combo for her brain so she couldn’t be blamed for it. Either way, she loved Jonathan.
She still wanted Steve to be happy. She didn’t like how things ended with him, in hindsight maybe she could’ve handled things differently. And Robin seemed to make him happy. Even though she insisted that they were platonic with a capital P, Nancy didn’t buy it. They clearly cared about each other, had countless inside jokes and practically spent all their time together. If they weren’t dating then they definitely would be soon. She figured that Robin was downplaying things to not make things uncomfortable with her considering her history with Steve.
Which was nice of Robin to do but it left a bad taste in her mouth that they weren’t upfront about their relationship. She didn’t want them to have to hide for her sake.
After Vecna, they had come up with a plan of action if god forbid, they had to fight anything from the Upside Down again. And under this plan, step 1 was to call everyone involved and update them immediately when things go wrong. Conveniently this means she already has Robin’s number. Nancy dials the number she had gotten from Robin.
“You’ve reached the Buckley residence!” A chipper voice recited. Must be Robin’s mom.
“Hi, it’s Nancy. Robin’s friend?” Nancy said.
“Oh, of course. It is just so great to see Robin making new friends. She’ll be right down,” Mrs Buckley said.
“Nancy? What’s wrong?” Robin asked, slightly panicked.
“Hey,” Nancy said, “Not that kind of phone call, don’t worry. I just wanted to ask if you and Steve were free tonight?”
“We were just planning on watching a movie, but nothing concrete. Why?”
“Well, Jonathan and I were wondering if you guys wanted to join us for dinner at the diner! Just to catch up. And you could meet Jonathan properly too, you know without all the blood and everything.”
“Oh sure, why not,” Robin agreed, “Steve and I can meet you at Fran’s at 8.”
Perfect. A double date would get Robin to realize that she could be open about her relationship.
“Okay, stop fussing with the chairs,” Jonathan said firmly, holding her back.
“But maybe, we should let them take the booth and we should take the chairs,” Nancy said. That would let them sit closer to each other, showing how okay she is with them dating. But maybe letting them sit in the chairs would be more subtle, so they wouldn’t feel pressured.
“Nancy, I say this with love, but you are tripping out. The chairs will make no difference to how this evening goes,” Jonathan said.
“I know, I know. I just want it to go well,” Nancy explained before seeing Steve’s car pull into the lot, “Oh no, they’re here. Okay, act casual. As if we go on double dates with my ex-boyfriend all the time.”
“I could not be acting more casual right now,” Jonathan said, rolling his eyes.
“Robin, hi,” Nancy greeted, getting up to give her a hug.
“Nancy,” Steve greeted with a nod, “And Jonathan it’s been so long, how are you doing man? How was California? We’re all glad you guys are back in Hawkins. Mike was losing it those last couple of months.”
“California was great but I’m glad to be back to get Will settled,” Jonathan said, “How are you?”
“Oh, we’re good. Robin and I are still at Family Video which has been so fun,” Steve said. Nancy wondered if Steve realized he answered for both him and Robin. They were so obvious, it was crazy.
“I’m just glad to have one workplace still standing. Even Keith’s growing on me,” Robin said with a quirked smile.
“Not fucking Keith again,” Steve said, throwing his hands out. Another inside joke, Nancy figured.
“Robin, look, they have peanut butter banana milkshakes on the menu now,” Steve pointed out in excitement.
“Ooh Steve, let’s split one and also can we get the pancakes,” Robin asked. They were so perfect for each other, both equally content to eat pure sugar for dinner.
“Only if they’re blueberry ones,” Steve said. Throughout this little banter, they were slowly inching closer together.
Nancy leant into Jonathan, tilting her head to whisper, “Do you see this?”
“Yeah, they’re cute together,” Jonathan said with a smile. She interlaced their fingers together, feeling more comfortable showing affection now that Steve had someone too.
Not that Nancy needed the confirmation from Jonathan, but it was nice to know it wasn’t just her seeing this. And it seems like they’re being more open about it too, I mean they were sharing a milkshake, for goodness sake. Nancy knew a double date was a good idea for all of them.