Archive of Our Own ^beta

Nancy hadn’t expected herself to be excited to go to a school dance of all things. Ever since the last dance she went to (Prom of last year) Nancy had vowed to attend another school event like a dance after the bore that was Prom of ‘85. But when her mother told her that it seemed like a good distraction from the shitstorm that occurred two months ago, Nancy had realized that she desperately needed a change of scenery, even if it was for a single night. 

Nancy knew this year would be different. The year previous, Nancy went all by herself and felt judging stares burning into her as she struggled not to cry from the loneliness that ate away at her. But this year, she would have her friends with her along with Mike and his gang of friends. She didn’t have a date but she was alright with it since Robin had asked someone else. It’s not like Nancy saw the easily excitable girl as anything more than a friend. Definitely not. 

Oh, who was she kidding? After all the shit that happened with Vecna, Nancy had found herself growing more and more attached to Robin every time she saw her. For the longest time, Nancy felt like the two of them could become something, but that was before the older girl found out about Robin’s little crush on Vickie. 

While Nancy still remained somewhat bitter towards the redhead (Steve never failed to point that out to her constantly), she still remained supportive and encouraging towards Robin. She distinctly remembers her heart doing little flutters when she saw how happy Robin was when Vickie had accepted her invitation to prom and held no ill will (or at least, seemed to) at the prospect of going with Robin, Vickie and Steve as a group to the dance. 

That’s how she ended driving Mike and his gaggle of friends to the prom. She still didn’t know how they all grew up so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday when Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will would be stuck in the Wheeler’s basement for hours upon hours just to finish up their D&D campaign and knee-deep in their obsession for the game (they still are no matter how many times they try to deny it) and were so much shorter than Nancy herself. (She still couldn’t believe that Mike was nearly as tall as her and maybe even taller.) 

Dustin sat next to Nancy in the passenger seat which he surprisingly didn’t have to fight over Mike had given up the seat to sit with Will in the trunk of the car. El, Max and Lucas were occupying the middle row of the car with El and Lucas sitting next to the windows with Max sandwiched between the two and Mike and Will sat together in the trunk. Nancy could faintly hear Mike adamantly talking about Eddie to his best friend over the sound of “Heroes” by David Bowie playing from the car’s radio. 

All the boys were wearing simple suits, except for Will who had a vest on instead of a blazer like the other boys. Mike’s was a pale blue, Dustin’s was a gray-black and Lucas’ was a strange salmon color that he somehow made work. El was wearing a floral dress that she said Joyce picked out for her, Max was wearing a dress that had a lovely blend of pink and orange that El told the redhead reminded her of a sunset, a small blush creeping up on the redhead’s face, and Nancy was wearing the same dress she had worn for her little escapade to Pennhurst with Robin, but had little flowers adorned on the flowing part of the dress and had the sleeves shortened to be “prom worthy,” courtesy of her mother. 

As Nancy pulled up to the school, she could see the amount of dedication and effort put into the decorations that hung up outside of the front doors, the most notable decoration being a massive green and gold balloon arch that hovered just outside the entrance. 

“Holy shit.” Dustin said breathily.

“Don’t  expect this level of amazement next year. This is the best I’ve ever seen a dance and I’ve been going here the past four years.” Nancy stated as she pulled into a parking space that she had managed to find in the sea of cars, a strange sense of nostalgia washing over her as she processed what she said. 

Four years. How has it only been four years? There’s no way all the shit with the Upside Down had first started when Nancy was merely a sophomore. Now, here she was. A senior about to graduate in a month or two while her brother and the friends that she considered part of her family would only finish their first year of high school. 

“Before you all get out and wreak havoc, I have one thing to tell you guys.”

Mike rolled his eyes, a sure sign that he’s had to endure this talk many times. 

“We’ll try not to get hurt, we won’t get lost, we’ll find you if we need a ride, we won’t have se-”

“Micheal!”

Mike shut his mouth at the sound of his full name, the rest of the group sporting smug-looking grins. 

“I was just going to say,” Nancy turned around in her seat to face the others. “Have fun.”

Mike rolled his eyes again as he smiled fondly, a suspiciously mischievous glint in his eyes.

Nancy unlocked the doors and the trunk in order to let the kids out without a mass brawl broke out between the six teens, a smile forming on her face at the kids usual bickering. 

“Spill anything on this dress and you’re a dead man, Wheeler.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“You’re right. I’d have El do it!”

El laughed at that, her arm linking with Max’s. 

“What?! That’s blasphemy!”

“Hey shitbirds! We going in or what?” 

Leave it to Dustin to play the peacekeeper. At least, Nancy assumes that’s what he does since a sudden silence falls onto the group of teens as they approach the school and disappear through the front doors.

The dull, lingering sense of nostalgia that Nancy had felt when they first arrived came back stronger than ever, her vision beginning to blur as her face warmed. She brought up a hand to her eyes and found a single tear stained onto her palm. Nancy let out small sobs as she wiped at her eyes carefully so as to not ruin her makeup. 

When did they get so grown up?

_______________________________

After a few minutes of composing herself in the car, Nancy left the familiar comfort of her vehicle and almost immediately spotted Robin and Vickie with Steve trailing close behind the duo. 

“Robin!” Nancy shouted as she walked quickly but carefully towards the trio. 

The strawberry blonde turned her head at the sound of her name, a toothy, child-like grin spreading as she realized the voice was Nancy.  

“Nance!”

As the brunette walked closer, she took in Robin’s outfit and was nearly stunned speechless. 

Robin was wearing a red and gold vest, the gold taking the form of what seemed to be either dragons or roses (either one was absolutely stunning) that seemed to wrap around her torso. The dress shirt underneath was black and with a tie that was also red and gold, but the pattern was clearly roses. Her pants made Nancy try her hardest to stifle a laugh because it just fit Robin so perfectly. The pants were black…and also made out of leather with two chains hooked on the outside of one of her pockets. Nancy’s eyes traveled up to Robin’s face and noticed faint purple eyeshadow on her eyelids. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied up in a messy ponytail with strands falling over her face already. 

“Wow, Nance. You look…absolutely gorgeous!” Robin exclaimed as she gestured animatedly towards the brunette. 

“You look handsome.” Nancy blurted, her face now burning as she mentally slapped herself for saying that without much thought. 

Robin seemed surprised by the comment but smiled bashfully. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted before she could get a word out. 

“Thanks, Nance!” Steve suddenly said, earning him a harsh slap on the arm from Robin.

“She wasn’t talking to you, dingus!” 

“She never specified who she was talking about!” 

Robin pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. “You’re so lucky I’m feeling merciful tonight.”

Nancy chuckled at the bizarreness of how the two showed affection for each other.

The suit Steve had on was a basic one. He had a simple blue jacket on with a matching pair of pants and white dress shirt with a black tie. 

Vickie’s outfit, on the other hand, was anything but simple. 

The redhead had on a viridian colored dress that had a slit over one of her legs, exposing the gold and silver colored heels she was wearing.

Seeing Robin’s date should’ve filled Nancy with jealousy, and while it did but not much, seeing how happy Robin seemed made Nancy feel happy, even if her heart hurt knowing that Vickie was the one who was making Robin feel that happy. 

Speaking of Vickie, the girl was looking at Steve and Robin with something Nancy could only place as annoyance, not to mention that she had shot Nancy a dirty look when she shouted Robin’s name earlier. As soon as Robin turned to face the redhead however, Vickie faked a smile. 

Robin extended her arm out. “Shall we, milady?”

Nancy could see Vickie cringe for a split second before she took the strawberry blonde’s arm. “We shall.”

Nancy bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming or saying any of the snarky comments she was thinking as the two girls walked through the front doors. 

Steve shot the brunette a knowing look to which Nancy only glared at him. The boy then awkwardly extended his arm in the same way Robin had a few moments ago, a nervous smile etched onto his face.

A year ago, Nancy would’ve slapped him across the face hard and screamed at him until she was red in the face. But now, Nancy accepted the offer and took the boy’s arm.

The feelings she used to harbor for Steve had diminished over the years, but she knew that she would always care about and trust him. Which was what led her to confess to him that she and Jonathan had actually broken up before the Byers boy went back to California to go to college there. When he asked her why, she had merely told him that the distance between them had become too wide to navigate. While it was mutual, it still hurt but Nancy had told Steve that there was another reason that led to the couple breaking up. 

She had feelings for Robin.

While it did but also didn’t seem to surprise Steve, he still asked her about when she realized and that he supported her no matter what. Nancy knew right then and there why he and Robin were best friends. Beneath Steve’s jock and asshole seeming exterior, he was really just a big softie underneath who would do anything to support and protect the people that he cares about. She knew then too that Steve didn’t harbor any romantic feelings towards her anymore, much like she did.

They were, as Robin would put it, platonic with a capital “P.”

_____________________________

The Hawkins High School Student Council really pulled out all of the stops this year. If anyone thought the balloon arch outside was impressive, then they would most certainly be blown away by the vast amount of decorations that made the inside of the gym bleed with excitement.

There were multiple sets of green and gold streamers hanging down from the ceiling. The same streamers were set as a backdrop for the DJ stand with a banner in front of them that read “Prom of ‘86” printed on it. Tables were scattered around, each one decorated with a single candle and scattered with decorative green-gold flower petals to celebrate the end of spring and the soon-to-be end of school year. Nancy also took note of the balloons that littered the floor, mumbling to Steve that the only purpose they had was as tripping hazards and an assault on everyone’s ears when they popped, which some freshman had already achieved. 

Steve had offered to go find them a table which left Nancy to walk around the gym and mentally take notes on everything and compare it to last year’s prom. That was how she found the “Remember the Fallen” board they had put up on the other side of the gym. 

She had been standing there for the last 10 minutes, guilt and grief squeezing her heart painfully as she looked among the friends and passing faces she had seen over the last 3 years. 

She saw Barb’s photo where it was with Nancy, presumably from the same photo booth that Nancy still had the photo from taped on the side of her mirror. The night she had lost her was the most painful memory Nancy held. Her last words always echoed throughout her mind after every waking nightmare. 

This isn’t you.

She looked over at Fred’s picture, one where he was holding a dog on his shoulders, the biggest grin she’s ever seen on him plastered eternally on his face. She remembers when they went to the trailer park to conduct their own investigation and how Fred froze up when they first arrived, his eyes full of terror. She remembers looking for him as soon as she had noticed him missing and the terror when she searched all day and still couldn’t find him.

She’ll never forget seeing Fred’s mangled and disfigured corpse laid out in the middle of the road like a piece of roadkill.

Finally, her eyes went over to Eddie’s picture; this one had him sitting in his room with his treasured electric guitar laid out on his lap as he strummed it. Nancy didn’t know him that well but from the short time she spent with him, she knew that all of those rumors of him being a devil-worshiping serial killer were completely false. Eddie was similar to Steve in that way. He exuded all of this hardcore, metalhead who would rip your throat out and summon the Devil if you wronged him energy but beneath, he had a heart of gold and genuinely cared about people and did whatever he could to make them feel better. (She remembers Dustin telling her a story where he came to a Hellfire meeting really upset because he was reminded of Dart and Eddie had done everything he could to make Dustin laugh.)

Speaking of Dustin, he, Lucas and Mike were all standing next to Nancy, also looking at Eddie’s picture while Will, El and Max claimed a table before anyone else could steal it. 

“Can’t believe it’s really been two months.” Nancy heard Mike mutter.

Dustin only nodded his head in response. Nancy could tell that the boy was struggling to keep his emotions and tears down as he looked at the picture of Eddie playing his guitar, looking so carefree and euphoric. That’s what seemed to break the dam that held back his tears as Dustin began to rub at his eyes as his shoulders lightly shook.

Mike and Lucas draped their arms over the curly-haired boy’s shoulders in an attempt to comfort their friend. At the contact, Dustin visibly relaxed and began to breathe slowly to calm himself down.

“I’m okay. I’m alright.” Dustin stated as he straightened out his arms. 

Nancy turned to the boy and pulled him into a gentle hug. 

She understood the pain he was going through. She understood what it was like to lose someone so close to you, especially if that someone was the same person that you looked up to and felt like a sibling. Even though Nancy and Barb were around the same age and in the same grade as each other, the brunette had always seen the redhead as a role model and like a wise older sister. 

Eventually, Nancy pulled away from Dustin, her thumb brushing away any stray tears that had managed to escape. 

“I know it hurts knowing that he’s not here. Hell, it’s gonna hurt for a long time. But there is one thing that always helps,” Nancy lightly tapped a finger against Dustin’s temple. “Keep him in your thoughts and your memories. Hold him close to your heart and share everything you know about him to everyone else. So that, in a way, he’ll still be alive and with you whenever you need him. Can you do that?” 

Dustin nodded, a small smile already formed onto his face. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Nancy mirrored his smile as she dropped her hands back to her sides. “Go have fun. It’s what he would want you to do.”

Dustin chuckled softly as he nodded once more. “Yeah, he would. Thanks, Nancy.”

Dustin turned around to face the other two boys. 

“Shall we go find the ladies?”

“Ugh, not when you phrase it like that, dude.”

Dustin responded in kind by doing that weird purring thing he does all the time to annoy Steve, Lucas throwing his hands up in annoyance.

“That’s it. I’m done.” Lucas exclaimed with mock frustration as he walked away. Dustin just laughed his usual laugh as he trailed close behind him.

El and Max had disappeared from the table, possibly to go get refreshments or go to the restroom, and had left Will sitting by himself, his gaze focused onto Mike who had also begun to trail behind Lucas and Dustin but not before he flashed Nancy a sad yet sincere smile, a silent understanding between the two siblings.

Mike had experienced the same pain, grief and loss that Nancy had when he too lost Eddie. She knew that her younger brother had idolized him, with the long hair he had grown out since he started high school, and she also knew that he saw Eddie as an older brother of sorts. It seemed like he was seen as an older brother and mentor of sorts by everyone who had gotten to know him. 

Nancy turned away from the kids and took one last look at the board, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked upon all of her friends’ photos. She placed her hands on both Barb and Fred’s pictures as she leaned her head against the board, exhaling shakily as she did so. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I-I hope that one day, you can both forgive me for leaving you.” 

The photos didn’t respond. Nancy knew that. But there was one other thing she knew.

She would fight tooth and nail if it meant no one else she loved felt the pain and grief that came with loss, the same horrible feelings that have plagued her ever since she lost Barb on that fateful night. 

________________________

An hour and a half later, Nancy was ready to call it a night. Especially when the slow dance part of the night had begun a half hour earlier. She had always despised slow-dancing, especially when she went to said dance alone. 

She would’ve gone to find Steve but the guy had left 10 minutes ago, claiming he had to check up on something at Family Video which Nancy knew was a load of bullshit, and left her as the designated driver and babysitter for the rest of the night. 

Nancy currently sat alone at one of the many tables that were strewn about the gym floor, a majority of which were abandoned by the many couples that were littered about the dance floor. The brunette smiled fondly as she noticed Mike slow dancing with Will, the boys sharing blush-filled glances (about time, Nancy thought to herself), and El and Max mirrored them except with more confidence than the two boys. The brunette looked over at the group’s table and noticed Dustin and Lucas very aggressively playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and slamming their fists against the table anytime they lost a tie streak, their own smiles mirroring Nancy’s. 

The eldest Wheeler was glad that her brother and his gaggle of friends were able to be normal teenagers for a change, even if it was just for a single night. Nancy’s gaze quickly skimmed across the dance floor, her attention suddenly focused on red hair and viridian fabric. 

As her ice-blue eyes focused on the familiar figure, Nancy realized that said figure was actually Vickie. Nancy initially didn’t bat an eye until she realized the person dancing opposite of her didn’t have strawberry blonde hair or a suit with red and gold patterns. Instead, they had platinum blonde hair and a pale-blue suit. 

The brunette’s confusion quickly morphed into anger as she watched Vickie kiss the guy on the lips. She didn’t know why she felt that way. Or, maybe she did. 

After her initial declaration of her feelings for Robin to Steve, Nancy had begun to fall even more for the strawberry blonde. She was so far gone that she would come up with as many random reasons to go to Family Video just to talk to Robin (and definitely not to internally scream every time she looked at her uniform.) At the time, she didn’t quite understand what always moved her to go to such lengths to talk to Robin. So, Nancy did what she would always do whenever she didn’t understand something. 

She conducted some research. 

The first few books that she thought might be of some help claimed that someone who felt so strongly towards women, or those of the same sex, were broken and wrong, which definitely knocked Nancy’s self-esteem down a peg or two. 

Thankfully, the last two books she had managed to find said the exact opposite of the first two. 

They claimed that attraction to the same sex was nothing to be ashamed of and something that was just as beautiful and natural as being attracted to those of the opposite sex. They portrayed such things as beautiful and as anything but a mistake or a curse or anything similar. Nancy felt comforted by the concept of same-sex attraction being something so natural and beautiful. And while she still needed to figure herself out, she would always hold Robin incredibly close to her heart.

Robin…

Shit, she had to find the girl and make sure she was alright. 

Nancy remembered a time where Robin confessed that she couldn’t handle being in crowded places for too long, especially if there wasn’t anyone she knew there. A quick scan around the gym confirmed that Robin was elsewhere in the school. 

The brunette’s first instinct was to check the hallway. It was empty and quiet, save for the music from the gym being slightly muffled. 

Nancy shot out of her seat and quickly walked over to the double doors leading to the hallway and opened them, light spilling into the nearly pitch-black hallway. 

A muffled sob caught the brunette’s attention, her gaze falling to her right where she heard the sound and landed on Robin’s figure curled up against a row of lockers, her head of strawberry blonde hair tucked between her knees, her hands pressed firmly on top of her head and outlined with smudged purple eyeshadow. 

The sudden sound of the doors hitting the wall and the streams of light suddenly flooding the hallway must’ve startled Robin because the poor girl flinched as she looked up to see Nancy standing in front of her, light surrounding her like an angel sent from above.

“Robin?” Nancy’s voice was thick with concern as she moved to kneel down in front of the younger girl. 

“Hey, Nance.” Robin tried her best to sound casual but her voice was hoarse and weak from crying. She attempted to wipe her nose only to bring back snot on the heel of her palm.

Gross.

“Robin, are you okay?”

Robin scoffed, bitterness and anger flashing briefly behind her pale-blue eyes. 

“Just peachy. Found out that the person I asked as a date only came with me to make her asshole of an ex-boyfriend jealous!” 

Nancy’s mouth gaped as she felt her blood boil. How could someone do something so cruel to someone so loyal and kind?

“The thing is, I really liked her Nance. Like, I liked her so much I was planning to ask her out later tonight. But I guess Mr. Snazzy McBitchface beat me to it and is better than me in every single way!” 

Nancy brought Robin into a hug, the latter of the two letting out a choked sob as she buried her face into the crook of the brunette’s neck. 

“I’m tired of feeling used. I’m tired of being used for other people’s benefit. Why can’t people just stay? What did I do wrong, Nance? Why do I only manage to drive the people I care about away? What’s wrong with me?” 

Nancy fought back tears of her own at the raw pain in Robin’s voice as she cried. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Rob. People are so blind from their own greed that they can’t see the loveliest thing in the world standing right in front of them. They can’t see the epitome of kindness, compassion and loyalty that is you, Robin Buckley. They’re all fools if they can’t see that.”

Nancy rubbed comforting circles into Robin’s back as she spoke. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Vickie’s the one who fucked up big time, not you, okay?”

Just the mention of the redhead’s name was enough to fuel Nancy’s primal rage. She had a sudden thought of marching back out onto the dance floor with her heel in her hand and slamming it into Vickie’s face, similar to an experience El had told everyone when they finally had some downtime. 

Robin reluctantly pulled away from the embrace before Nancy placed her hand over the taller girl’s chest, Robin’s own hands resting on the sides of the brunette’s shoulders. 

“And I swear on my life that no matter what, I will always be by your side.”

Robin placed her own hand on top of the brunette’s, the older girl feeling a strange, electric feeling shoot through her skin. 

“Promise?”

Nancy smiled softly.

“I promise. Lest I be torn to pieces by ravens.” 

Robin laughs wetly.

“That’s strangely morbid but okay.”

Nancy chuckled lightly. Her free hand had managed to find its way up to Robin’s cheek and brushed away the tears that had begun to fall. Her heart ached as the brunette yearned to tell Robin how she felt about her but was hesitant, worried that this wasn’t the right time or place. But the way Robin’s eyes softened when they were looking at her finally convinced Nancy to speak her mind. 

“Robin, there’s-”

“Nancy, I-”

Both girls shared a look before giggling. 

“Sorry, you first Nance.”

Nancy nodded, took a deep breath and began to tell Robin what she’s been wanting to tell her for the last two months.

“Robin, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while. Something kind of important. Remember when I told you that Jonathan and I broke up? Well, distance wasn’t the only reason. There was someone else I had my eye on for a while. And the reason I came to the dance without a date was because this person had already asked someone else and I didn’t want to seem like an asshole or desperate or whatever. And she makes me feel so strange, but it’s kind of nice. I wanted to be mad that she asked someone who wasn’t me, but seeing her so happy made me feel happy for her. She makes me feel like I can comfortably be myself when I’m with her.”

Robin’s expression was one of surprise, mainly due to the lack of any male emphasis. 

“And this person is you, Robin. I know that I’m not really the best at showing it sometimes but, I like you a lot, Robin. You…You mean the fucking world to me.” 

To say Robin looked starstruck was an understatement. The girl looked absolutely and completely flabbergasted. 

After a few silent, tense and awkward moments, a soft smile formed on Robin’s face before she began speaking. 

“Nance, there’s a reason why I asked Vickie. It wasn’t that I liked her. That crush died a long time ago. The reason I asked her is…I was too afraid to ask you. During all of that shit with Vecna, I realized then that I really like you, and I still do, but I also noticed that dingus kept eyeing you so I decided to just shove my feelings aside and deal with them later. But every damn time you came around to Family Video, those feelings would always resurface, each time stronger than the last. Crushes I can deal with but what I hold for you is the strongest that I have ever felt about anyone and it…terrifies me.”

While Robin spoke, her pale-blue eyes drifted to the lockers behind Nancy but eventually gazed back into her ice-blue eyes, exposing her soul as the music from the gym neared its end, albeit muffled from the doors.

Free on my own that’s the way it used to be

But since I met you baby, love’s got a hold on me

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I really like you, Nance. Hell, I think I might even be in love with you. And I’m scared I’m gonna mess it up and you’re gonna leave me, just like everyone else does.” 

Before Nancy could get a single word out, her attention suddenly went to the song that had begun to play, still muffled in the hallway.

And the moment that you wander far from me

I wanna feel you in my arms again

Nancy remembers learning how to slow dance with Barb to this song. She also remembers trying (and failing miserably) to teach Mike the same. 

Suddenly, an idea popped into the brunette’s head. 

“Hey, Rob. Have you ever slow danced with anyone before?”

Robin shook her head. “Nope.” 

Nancy stood up and reached out her hand for the younger girl to take. “Do you…want to?”

Robin didn’t want to go back to the crowded gym. Especially not with Vickie still being in there. Thankfully, Nancy read her mind as she spoke once more.

“We can just dance here,” the brunette said nonchalantly. “Just the two of us. No one else around.”

Robin considered and eventually relented, placing her hand into Nancy’s awaiting open hand and allowed herself to be pulled up gently. The strawberry blonde’s hands were placed on Nancy’s waist while the brunette’s own hands were planted onto the top of Robin’s shoulders as the two began to sway together to the music.

Nancy really wanted to kiss Robin. Despite being overtly brave this evening, this was something that she was extremely hesitant about. Robin, however, was the brave one as she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips to Nancy’s.

It was soft and sweet, much like Robin, a faint hint of fruit punch washing over Nancy’s tongue as she leaned into the kiss, the barren hallway their own little safe space. 

Eventually, Nancy’s lungs burned from lack of air and reluctantly pulled away, instead opting to lean her forehead against Robin’s, bashful smiles and shy looks shared.

The two girls stayed together throughout the rest of the night. Once they had announced that the dance was over, Nancy didn’t mind driving the rest of the kids home. When they had all been dropped off, Robin shyly asked if she could stay the night, to which Nancy merely smiled and nodded, her heart fluttering when Robin laid her hand on top of her own. 

That night, they laid together in Nancy’s bed, bodies tangled together in a mess of limbs as music played softly from the radio that Nancy used often. She had her eyes closed, but wasn’t fully asleep, the sounds of the radio and Robin’s slow and steady breathing was enough to lull her into sleep’s wondrous spell. 

Cause we’re living in a world of fools, breakin’ us down

When they all should let us be, we belong to you and me