a moment together - ronance

practice your passion on me

Prompt: Robin and Nancy have been in a secret relationship for the past 2 years, on the eve of Nancy's wedding they try to spend one last night together.

Nancy's laugh covered every room in the house in a warm glow. There was nothing that could stop Robin's heart from racing or to prevent the crease of her eyebrow from dissolving when Nancy threw her head back to laugh. Which is exactly what she was doing right now. Robin's eyes devoured the sensitive skin of Nancy's collarbones before moving up the soft exposure of her neck to settle on the curve of her mouth where Nancy's smile was meeting her eyes for the first time in a long time.

Robin's heart ached for their future. If there was one there for them at all. As of tonight, the secret date nights in her apartment would be over. The trails of red lipstick down Robin's neck would be washed off by morning. The random scattered leaflets and posters hand made by Nancy for some journalist project would be scrapped up and tossed out. Tomorrow Nancy would be dolled up in white, red lipstick and on her husband's arm. But, for tonight she was curled up under a blanket, lost in thought and on the top of the list of things Robin wanted but couldn't have. Nancy sat at the other end of the couch, a mug of tea in her hands and an engagement ring nestled on her left hand. She was spending her last night 'alone' in the company of Robin.

Nancy met Robin's stare and smiled, "I can hear you thinking from over here. what's wrong?"

Robin fixed a smile on her lips and shook her head. "nothing, Nance, don't worry about it" but Nancy was already crawling into her lap and throwing her arms around Robin's neck, "talk to me... please." Robin secured her arms around Nancy's waist and buried her face in her shoulder,

"just the wedding, you know how it gets me in a mood"

Nancy let out a sigh as if she had been holding it all night. Robin knew she shouldn't have said anything. She should've happily lived in the glow of Nancy's smile and in the warm embrace of her laugh.

"I'm sorry," Nancy's apology lingered between them as Robin looked into her eyes and found tears waiting to spill over. Robin nodded and whispered, "I know. I know you are." she lifted her hand to wipe at Nancy's eyes. "It'll be okay, I promise," Robin tried but the look in Nancy's eyes isn't as promising but she nods in agreement anyway. Robin takes a moment to breathe in everything around her.

She noted Nancy's hand curled in her hair. She felt Nancy shift her weight so her legs were straight out in front of her and Robin could sense Nancy's eyes on her again. Robin leaned forward and captured Nancy's mouth with her own. Her hands found their way into Nancy's hair and she was beginning to part her lips, to deepen the kiss, when the warmth wasn't there anymore.

Robin opened her eyes to find Nancy's filled with worry and regret and guilt and every emotion that Robin should be feeling right now. Instead Robin was focused on the disappointment of what will come. The heartbreak both of them will be feeling when Nancy's pillow is unoccupied in the morning.

"What- what's wrong?" Robin adjusted to let Nancy move out of her lap. "I just don't- I don't think we should be doing that," Nancy admitted and wouldn't meet Robin's eyes. Robin felt her heart sink. She noticed Nancy's eyes following her as she reached for the abandoned pack of cigarettes on the table. She pulled one out and stuck it between her lips to light it before saying, "because you're getting married tomorrow?"

Nancy straightened her shoulders and Robin could see the fire in her eyes. She hadn't meant to start a fight. It's just so easy to slip into this mood. Losing Nancy to a man she's never even met wasn't really the cards she expected life to hand to her and now she was bitter and alone.

"Because I don't want to fall in love with people I can't have, Robin." Robin's eyes widened and she choked on the smoke she just inhaled. Nancy's hands were shaking and Robin watched her chew at the skin on her bottom lip.

The reply came faster than Robin had time to think about it, "Tomorrow you will be married and happy and, hopefully, protected by a man who will be able to take care of you better than I ever could. maybe work on falling in love with him instead." As soon as she said them, Robin wished she could go back and swallow the words whole. She had a habit of talking before thinking it through. That she could let the sentence disappear on her tongue before it was taking form as the hurt and disappointment on Nancy's face. "Nancy, I'm sorry I shouldn't-" she tried desperately to get Nancy to understand why but she was met with Nancy shaking her head.

"You don't mean that, Robs. You're hurt, I know you are, but so am I and this decision is something I have to go forward with. I can't- I can't be stuck in Hawkins forever." Nancy inhaled on the cigarette Robin had lit and she watched Nancy form her lips into a perfect "o" to exhale. Robin was so desperately in love and destined to be heartbroken.

This was how it ended, she knew that, she knew it from the start, Nancy would marry this man, they would go off together out of Hawkins, away from her, she would love her life, with her husband and kids and she would forget about Robin. Robin knew this, Robin knew she was destined to be stuck in Hawkins, working at another run down shop, alone save for Steve. She also knew that whatever lay ahead, she couldn't ask Nancy to stay one last night.

She moved closer to Nancy and took her hands into her own. "I'm sorry, Nance. Truly I'm sorry. I-" Nancy looked into Robin's eyes, pleading she ask her to stay but the question never came, Robin was letting her go. And so Nancy took one last look at Robin before she closed the door leaving behind a broken Robin.