Last Christmas - Robin x Steve (Stranger Things)

Part Three - Separate Ways

To her relief, Robin woke up first. She and Steve were still snuggled up against each other as they had been when she fell asleep. She carefully weaved her arms out from underneath his and got up silently.

She gathered up her stuff and brought the empty popcorn bowl down to the kitchen to pass the time before he woke up. The entire time, she felt warm and content inside, and for once, she was glad to have woken up. She just felt loved, and there was no better way to put it.

When she got back to his room, Steve was up. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, and he had to blink several times to adjust to the light reflecting into his room from his window. He sat up and self-consciously wiped the drool from his mouth before becoming aware of the chilly temperature outside of his bed.

"God, how can you stand this cold?" he said, throwing the blankets over himself again and flopping back down onto the bed.

"That's just the Christmas spirit talking," Robin replied.

"Ah, well, Merry Christmas," he told her. "And hopefully this 'Christmas spirit' you speak of will take a break soon."

"Why not just turn up the thermostat?" Robin asked. She sat down at the foot of the bed.

"Uh, have you met my dad?" Steve asked, throwing the blanket off again in mock exaggeration, his corny sweater now perfectly legible in the light. Robin snorted.

"I guess having parents that are stingy about thermostats is a universal experience," she responded, thinking about her own parents. Robin and Steve were alike in many ways, however they had very different sets of parents. Steve's parents, or mostly just his dad, were in some ways neglectful, treating him as if he were a burden in their lives rather than a son. Robin's parents were always there, and though they didn't always share the same viewpoints, they did their best to raise her. Despite the contrast in parenting, both sets were quite stingy about the thermostats.

"I'm telling you, if I ever have kids, I'll be sure to let them set the temperature to whatever the hell they want." Steve seemed pretty sincere about his declaration.

"Alright, Mr. President," Robin teased. "Mind giving me a ride home?"

The atmosphere of Robin's house wasn't really one she enjoyed living in, if she were to be honest. Her parents meant well, but they were too inclusive for her taste. Robin liked her privacy. Lately, both of them had been putting on quite a show about their 'precious baby going so far away,' but Robin had a feeling that neither of them were as disappointed as they acted, the main reason for this being the anticipated looks they've been shooting at each other when they thought she wasn't looking, which made her want to throw up.

For the rest of the day, she managed to endure spending time with her parents, which actually wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She knew Steve was doing the exact same thing with his own parents, who had gotten home at around noon. Hopefully his dad wasn't being too much of a pain in the ass to him.

As soon as she got the chance, Robin excused herself and shut herself in her room. What was once a comforting escape from the outside world was now partially barren, and her floor was cluttered with boxes and trash bags. Procrastination and the excuse of a holiday were the only things keeping her from cleaning more.

When Robin was accepted into the university, she'd had the option to come home and live with her parents once she finished a few years down the line. At the time, she didn't really feel like coming back to this place once all was said and done, and so she made the decision to move out afterwards. She didn't know where she would go, but it wasn't going to be here.

Now, however, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Robin tried to block them out; it was way too late to be overthinking. But she couldn't help it. The closer she got to the end of her precious time with her friends only increased her anxiety, and she found herself missing Steve already despite the fact that they were going to hang out the following day. And the day after. But it still didn't seem like enough.