𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒 • Robin Buckley

XXXIII: MARRIED

Robin still didn't seem sure of the plan. "Claudia, can I talk to you in another room? Alone?" She asked.

Claudia rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming. "Fine," she said. They headed into the nearest room, the bathroom.

"I don't want-"

Claudia put her hand over Robin's mouth. "No, Robin. You can't convince me not to do this, okay? Everyone else is going to the Upside Down, and I'm not gonna sit and wait around like some watch dog. I'm going with you guys."

"I just don't want you in danger."

"I don't want you in danger, either, but it's too late now. We're both in danger. Literally everyone in the world is in danger right now."

"I know, I know. I guess you're just move important to me than the whole world."

"Please, just let me go. I'll be fine. I cant feel Vecna anymore, Max can. I'm not cursed. If you go down, I'm going down, too."

Robin sighed. "Okay. I mean, you'd go even if I said no."

"You're right, just feels better to have a little reassurance from my girlfriend, you know?"

"Oh, I know. How's this for reassurance?"

One of Robin's hands landed on Claudia's waist, the other in her hair. Claudia practically melted into her, placing her hands on her hips and letting Robin take the lead.

Robin moved forward and Claudia's back hit the wall. When they finally separated their lips, Claudia spoke. "This is pretty abrupt," she said, in between shorter kisses Robin was giving her.

"Well," Robin said, moving the hand she had on Claudia's waist down so that it was on her hip, and moving her other hand so it now had an actual grip on her hair, "We haven't had much alone time, and I don't know how much we're gonna be getting in the near future, so."

"Fair enough."

Robin leaned back into Claudia's lips, leaving kisses on them before moving down to her jaw. Claudia pursed her lips, trying not to make a sound in fear of everyone else hearing them. Instead, she let out heavy breaths, which were accompanied by Robin's.

Robin then moved down to her neck, then her collarbone. She moved the hand she had in her hair down to her waist, and Claudia threw her head back, still being as quiet as possible. She put one hand on the back of Robin's neck, the other on the wall.

"God, I love you," Robin said, moving her attention from her collarbone and back to her lips.

Before they could go any further, Steve's annoying voice, even more annoying in this situation, sounded from the living room.

"If you guys are done arguing, we have an idea we'd like to share!" He yelled.

The two rolled their eyes and let go of each other. "Arguing isn't the way I'd put it," Robin said, "He always interrupts at the worst times."

"I'll let you finish you're working when we're out of the upside down, alright?" Claudia said.

"It would be my pleasure."

The two walked out of the bathroom. "You two sort shit?" Eddie asked. They both just nodded. "So you're coming?" He turned to Claudia. Again, she just nodded.

"They were totally making out," Dustin whispered to Steve. No one else heard him.

"Oh, totally, look at their hair," Steve nodded.

"So, we're going to the War Zone," Max said, a sarcastic jollity in her voice.

"The what?" Claudia asked.

"Gun store, just outside of Hawkins," Eddie said.

"It'll take all day to bike there and back," Dustin said.

"Who said anything about bikes?"

"You got some car we don't know about?" Steve asked.

"It's not exactly a car, Steve. And it's not exactly mine. But, uh, it'll do. Hey, Red, uh, you got a ski mask or a bandana, something like that?" Eddie turned to Max.

"Something like that," Max replied.

She brought out a Michael Myers mask. It was fitting, actually. Claudia had heard some kids compare him to Michael Myers a few days ago.

They ran to a van, going in through a window. Eddie hot-wired the van as if it was nothing. Robin walked to the front of the van, followed by Claudia, who, by now everyone knew, was practically glued to her side at all times.

"Eddie, I'm not sure I like the idea of you driving," Robin said.

"Oh, I'm just starting this sucker. Harrington's got her. Don't you, big boy?"

When the van got started, the owners instantly began to bang on the windows, but Eddie had already locked the van from the inside. They drove off, and it definitely wasn't a smooth ride.

"Shit, they look pissed," Dustin said.

"Well, it's not everyday you lose your house and car in one fell swoop," Robin said.

"They'll appreciate it when we save the world," Claudia said.

She held onto Robin as Steve sped out of the trailer park. When they finally got steady, everyone got into actual comfortable seats, and Claudia leaned her head on Robin's shoulder. Robin interlocked their fingers, rubbing her thumb against the back of her hand.

No one else seemed to be paying attention to them, all wrapped in their own conversations. "You know, once we kill Vecna, and we graduate high school and all that fun stuff, we should move in together. Like a little apartment, maybe even a van-" Claudia began.

"I am not living in a van. An apartment sounds cute, though. People'll just think we're roomies who can't get laid. Little do they know, we're laying-"

"Don't finish that sentence. I just wish I could tell people I love you, you know. I mean, we got lucky with these guys, and I'm glad that they're not, like, claustrophobic or anything-"

"It's homophobic, Dia."

"Yeah, whatever, I don't know the terms. Anyway, I'm glad we can be like this around them, but I wanna be like this all the time. I wanna be able to kiss you outdoors without having to look around for anyone first. I wanna, like, marry you, but it's quite literally illegal for me to do that."

"We don't need an official document," Robin said. She unlinked their hands, making Claudia frown. She took the chunky ring from her finger, placing it on Claudia's ring finger. "There, done."

"Little early, don't you think?"

"It's never too early. Sometimes it's too late."

Claudia playfully rolled her eyes and took one of her own rings off, sliding it onto Robin's finger. It was funny how different their styles were. The ring that Claudia had given Robin was small, with a cute little pink gem in it. The one Robin had given Claudia was chunky, with no gems at all.

"See? Now we're married. The next step is a dog," Robin said.

"You're such an idiot," Claudia chuckled.

"I'm your idiot."