#stancy fanfiction

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

The Road Back to You

A Stancy fanfiction

Nancy pulled out the box from her closet. The box she told Jonathan she had thrown away. They were filled with momentos filled with her time with Steve. . .photographs, ticket stubs, and a stuffed rabbit she had won for Steve, but Steve had slipped it into her pursed when she had seen how much she loved it. She picked up a photobooth strip from a fair she went to with him. She grinned. They looked so happy. . .and she had been happy with him. . .so, utterly smitten.

"I could totally kick your ass," Nancy teased.

"Excuse me, I played baseball," Steve scoffed.

"And I played volleyball," Nancy rolled her eyes. "I'm going to win you that bunny."

They had been at the school fair, thrown by the council to raise money for new uniforms for the marching band. Steve and Nancy gone with Ally and her new boyfriend, David. Steve and Nancy always liked to compete with each other. . .they never went far with it, but it was pretty competitive. They both loved it.

"Not if I win it for you first," Steve said.

Nancy had watched him play baseball plenty of times to know that he didn't let her win. She won fair and square. Of course, it was a lot cuter up close, and she tried to hide her disappointment when she gave him the bunny. Apparently, she hadn't hidden it well enough. She later found it in her purse with a note that said: "This belongs to you. The bunny said it herself. She said as much as she liked me and my hair, you were prettier." Nancy remembered giggling like she was doing now.

"What are you giggling about?" A familiar asked.

Nancy's head snapped up, and she found Ally Callahan standing in her doorway. She hadn't seen her. . .shit, she couldn't remember. Guilt slammed into her. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Ally.

"Ally!" Nancy said in surprise. "I wasn't - I mean, what are you doing here?"

"Your dad let me in," Ally said. "I hope that it's okay that I stopped by."

"Of course it is," Nancy said and stood up. "It's good to see you. I missed you."

"Did you?" Ally asked, and then she sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to be a bitch."

"No, I deserved that. I haven't been a very good very friend. . .I haven't been a friend at all," Nancy sighed.

"I figured you'd probably been dealing with shit. . .like all of this," Ally said and pointed towards the window at the particles from the Upside Down.

"Yeah, I can't really say a whole lot more on that," Nancy said.

"I figured," Ally said softly.

Ally used to wear her hair so very short, but now it's longer, so very long, and the sight of her like that made her feel like even more of a stranger. Suddenly, Nancy hated herself. Aside from Barb, she had considered Ally one of her closet friends, and Nancy just disappeared from her life.

"I'm sorry, Ally," Nancy said.

"I know," Ally said, her eyes filling up with tears. "I mean, I get it. . .it's a lot. It wasn't just all of this, though. It was Jonathan, too."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I know that you didn't mean for it but I had hoped that after Jonathan had left, you would come back to being my friend again but you just shielded yourself away even further," Ally said. "It started with Jonathan, though. I don't have anything against the guy, except for the fact that he didn't seem to want to let anyone else, but you get to know him. . .as many times as I've tried."

"I didn't know you tried to befriend Jonathan," Nancy said.

"Well, before you started dating, you seemed to like him, so I thought why the hell not," Ally said. "I thought maybe he was just shy at first, but I don't know, I think he just didn't want to let anyone else into your little bubble. Hell, I thought that he didn't like cheerleaders, which doesn't make sense because you used to be one, and most cheerleaders tend to hate people like Jason Carver. . .especially, with how he treated Chrissy."

"That's not true! About Jonathan letting other people in!" Nancy exclaimed, and then she thought about. . .or was it?

"Like I said, I don't think you intended to make it happen. . .but it really sucked Nancy. We had this great thing going, especially with Steve. . .at least with Steve, I still got to be your friend," Ally said angrily and then sighed. "I did not come here to start shit! I guess I just didn't realize how much I fucking missed you until I saw you again."

"You could have told me all of this," Nancy said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I tried, Nancy, but like I said. . .you and Jonathan lived in this little bubble. There was a part of you that no one else could see, that could understand you the way that Jonathan could," Ally said, and the tears were falling down her face. "I just wanted to see my best friend before the world ended."

"I'm sorry, Ally," Nancy said.

"Even if you couldn't tell me everything, I wished you could have let me in a little bit," Ally said.

Nancy was crying now, too. It was true. She pushed Ally away and Steve, too. She wanted them to be a part of her life, but. . .did she let herself be completely swallowed up by Jonathan? She really didn't mean for it to happen, but how did it happen? She just wanted to cling to the person who was going through the same thing she was. . .who was there to help her get justice for Barb, but she knew that Steve would have been there eventually. . .he wasn't wrong for being afraid. Jonathan had been the only one to understand her, to know what she was going through, and she didn't realize how hard she had held on to that.

"I'm sorry," Nancy cried and she threw herself into Ally's arms.

"I was upset that she was gone, too, Nance," Ally whispered.

"I know, but he had lost Will and I had lost Barb. . .he understood," Nancy said. "And there was a stupid part of me that hoped I would get Barb back like he got Will back. . .it's stupid."

"It's not stupid, Nance," she whispered.

They held onto each other tightly, crying into each other's shoulders before pulling away.

"I'm really glad you came over," Nancy beamed.

"Me too," Ally grinned. "Now, what were you giggling about?"

"I was actually looking through this box of Steve's stuff I had gotten while I was with him," Nancy said. "I was thinking about the fair that we had went to."

"Ah. . .David. . .what an asshole," Ally sneered. "I can't believe he dumped me at the fair. I am eternally grateful that you two worked so hard to win me that stuffed giraffe. I still have it."

"I still have the bunny," she said sheepishly.

Ally got down on the floor with Nancy to continue looking through the box.

"God, you two were so cute together. I liked who you were when you were with him and not just because I got to see more of you," Ally said. "You seemed to like yourself when you were with him, too. You both brought the best out in each other."

"You think so?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ally grinned. "I think eventually Barb would have come around to see that. She would have, Nancy."

"I don't think Jonathan would agree with you," Nancy said, thinking about the conversation in the woods.

"Why are you being so dependent on what Jonathan thinks, Nancy?" Ally asked. "It should only matter what you thought of Steve. . .everyone else's opinion is moot even mine. Besides, I'm probably biased, Steve is my cousin."

"What?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, while you were creating a secret club with Byers, I found out that Mom and Uncle Phil had another sibling - Steve's mom," Ally said. "Steve was tickled when he found out."

"That's really cool," Nancy smiled. "I'm guessing you and Steve spend a lot of time together."

"Oh, him and Robin are a hoot! He's definitely my favorite cousin. . .well, my only cousin," Ally said. "Uncle Phil definitely doesn't have any kids - because he's weird, not for any other reason!"

"Ally," Nancy said with a laugh. "Keep your secrets about Uncle Phil."

"Oh my god, is this poetry? Did Steve Harrington try and write you poetry?" Ally asked.

"He's surprisingly good at it, and you can't read those!" Nancy exclaimed and grabbed them, blushing. "They're in response to stuff I sent him."

"Dirty poems, you and Steve wrote each other dirty poems," Ally giggled, and then her face fell. "Ew, that's my cousin. . .although, even if. . .turns out men don't do it for me, anyway."

"What?" Nancy asked.

"I'm a lesbian, Nancy," she replied.

"Oh, wow, that's really great," Nancy said, smiling softly.

"You think so?" She asked.

"I know so," Nancy said and bumped her shoulder against Ally's.

"So. . .besides Jonathan getting in the way of you two," Ally said, looking at a photo of Nancy and Steve. "Did something else happen?

"I just - I couldn't do it anymore. . .pretend like it didn't absolutely suck that she was gone. I was happy with Steve, but I was also unhappy that she was gone, and it was a hard combination because I felt guilty about being happy, especially knowing. . .the first time I had sex with Steve was the night that Barbara died. I didn't know until after, but she was dying, and I - I thought I was being stupid," Nancy said. "A year was coming up, and I just couldn't celebrate that. . .I fucked it up and got drunk. . .I told him he was bullshit, that our love was bullshit, and that we killed Barb."

"Holy fucking shit," Ally gasped. "No wonder he couldn't get it up. Fuck! Ignore what I just said!"

"What? He couldn't - because of what I said?" Nancy asked.

"Forget I said anything!" Ally groaned.

"Ally!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. . .I know he dealt with a lot of guilt after your relationship ended. He felt like a lot of it was his fault and that he could have done more but thinking about it now. . .I'm not sure what he could have done. The only thing that could have helped you was time and distance," Ally sighed. "Which probably explains why you distanced yourself from everyone. . .if I know anything, I know that people shut down during the most traumatic events of their lives. . ."

Nancy looked at her. She knew Ally was thinking of her own mother, who had shut down briefly when her father died and she had to live with Phil for a while. While he could be an asshole, Ally had changed her tune about him and said that he did a lot for her that overshadowed any of his annoying traits. Phil had softened after that, but he still had his moments where he put his foot in his mouth. Ally joked that it was a family trait. He had been there for the worst time of her life, and he continued to be there afterward. Despite that one really shitty interview, Phil had shown that he was better than that one moment that Nancy had with him. He had even apologized to her later. People. . .they were always learning even as adults. Somehow, that made her think about Steve and how he was there for her afterward. He had held her after every nightmare, tried to cheer her up when she needed a distraction, and he went to every dinner with Barb's parents. He had been there for her, and she had pushed him away.

"There were times when Steve just wasn't what I wanted, and he could say the wrong things, but he tried. There were so many times where he was there for me. . .how could he know how to deal with my trauma when I didn't know how to deal with it myself?" Nancy sniffled. "He should know how sorry I am for that. . .I should have told him. . .instead, I let him call himself a shitty boyfriend and walk away. Even after all of that. . .he still loves me. He still wants a future with me."

"He said that?" Ally asked.

"Six little nuggets in an RV traveling the country. . .Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, maybe in a beachside town in California for a week. . .just us seeing what the world has to offer. He said that the most important part of his dream was that I was there," Nancy said, smiling fondly.

"That's sweet. . .but six kids?" Ally asked.

"It's nothing we couldn't handle. It's not like we haven't had practice with my brother and his friends," Nancy said and then grinned. "It would be the best kind of chaos, especially if we adopted."

"It sounds like you're seeing him there in the future, too," Ally said, smirking and then paused. "Hm, it's bad luck to judge someone for wanting to have kids or not. . .I couldn't do six kids, let alone one, but hey, if anyone could do it and still have it all. . .it's Nancy Wheeler."

Nancy pulled out a letter from Steve and smiled at her, her cheeks growing warm.

Dear Nancy,

I want you to know that I really like you! I think about you all the time and I can't help but look at your beautiful face during passing period.

You're not like the other girls, and I'd study science every day if it meant I could spend more time with you.

I love you, Nancy, and I hope you feel the same.

Steve

Nancy ran her fingers over the handwriting. He had been so excited to write it that he had forgotten to write EACH passing period. She didn't want to correct it. Then she could see it. . .her in the RV, taking turns driving, taking in the sights as they tried to wrangle the kids. . .a kid running in and out between their legs. Nancy curled up in the passenger's seat while Steve drove and the kids napped in the backseat, her notebook open in her lap as she worked on her articles. . .Steve singing while he used the steering wheel like a drum, singing the wrong words to whatever song was on the radio, and somehow they were at peace during all that chaos. She could see them breaking down and arguing, covered in sweat, before they realized that it's the worst they had to deal with. She could practically feel Steve’s arms around her as they laughed. Nancy's heart sang as she beamed. She wanted that. . .and she wanted that with Steve.

"Hey, Nancy - oh, hey, Ally," Jonathan said, appearing in the doorway. "Uh, your mom let me in. Did I see your mom and dad laughing together?"

"Oh, yeah, they finally realized they're better off divorced," Nancy said.

"Okay, you left that part out," Ally said.

"Well, they seem better for it," Jonathan said.

"Yeah," Nancy said smiling.

"Is that all the stuff you got from Steve?" Jonathan asked. "I thought you threw all that stuff out."

"I didn't want to let him go," Nancy said.

"You know, I haven't talked to Mike in a while. I'm going to see how he's doing, maybe even say hello to Holly," Ally said and awkwardly moved to leave. "Jonathan."

After Ally left, Nancy stared awkwardly at Jonathan. She wasn't going to change what she said. She didn't want to let Steve go. It was Jonathan who broke the awkward silence.

"That's kind of why I came over here," he said and paused. "I've been seeing someone else."

Nancy wasn't surprised. It didn't hurt actually, all she felt was relief.

"Oh," Nancy said softly. "I'm not really sure what to say. I never do."

"I think we both know that our relationship was doomed from the start. We never should have. . .with what I did," Jonathan said. "There's a part of me that wishes that I could have been content with us staying friends."

"We had to try, right? I don't regret trying or how I felt about you. . .I do regret how we started," Nancy said. "I want us to be friends. . .I still want us to get through this together even though we're not dating anymore."

"Me too," Jonathan said and paused. "It's always been you and Steve even when I didn't want to admit it. . .he's a good guy and you'll be good together. . .that's something I kept lying to myself and to you about."

"So," Nancy smiled, already taking a guess. "Who are you seeing?"

"You already know that I'm seeing Argyle," Jonathan said in amusement.

"He's good for you," Nancy said. "He's something else, and he really makes you happy."

Jonathan stared at her, smirking.

"You're going to leave as soon as I do, aren't you?" Jonathan asked.

"What? No. . .I mean, maybe," Nancy said, and she scowled when he plopped down on the bed. "Jonathan!"

Jonathan grinned and stood up. Her parents' laughter was heard from downstairs, and they shared a smile. Yeah, this was the best decision for both of them. They hugged each other tightly and parted ways, both of them feeling rather relieved.

"Okay, you can stop listening at the door, Alyson!" Nancy said.

"Excuse me, I was looking for a contact," Aly said as she came back in.

"Sure you were," Nancy laughed. "I'm going to Steve’s. . ."

"Oh my god. . .you know, it's been a while since I visited my cousin, and you can't stop me from going," Aly said. "I came in my own car."

Nancy laughed and grabbed the bunny, hoping it still meant something to him. As she was moving out the door, Mike cornered her, asking to come with to see. . .he had trailed off, looking at Ally. Nancy smiled. She knew who he wanted to see. Ally was going to find out anyway.

"Anyone else want to come with?" Nancy laughed.

Holly popped her head out of her room, her face split into a grin.

"Ooh, where are we going?" Holly asked.

"Steve’s," Mike replied.

"Ooh, I haven't seen in him forever," Holly said. "I want to go!"

Nancy laughed again and waved at her to come with them. They walked downstairs to find Ted and Karen sitting at the kitchen island, talking.

"Where are you going?" Karen asked Nancy.

"Steve’s," Nancy blushed and Karen smiled knowingly at her.

"I always liked that guy," Ted said.

"Me too," Karen said. "I like Jonathan, too, but I was rooting for you and Steve. . ."

"You did?" Nancy asked.

"Yes, I never wanted to our relationship to affect any decisions you made about the people you want to be with. I always hoped that your fear of that wouldn't stop you from choosing whoever you want to be with. You loved Jonathan, but you always seemed to love Steve more," Karen said. "You always seemed happier than I had ever been with Ted. . .no offense, sweetheart."

"It's true, though, and I could say the same thing, too," Ted said. "Neither one of us wanted to admit it was over."

"It's what made us finally realize that we didn't just need to do this for ourselves but for you guys to follow your hearts," Karen said. "So, go. . .drive safe."

Nancy, Holly, and Mike all gave their parents hugs. It was always awkward with Ted. . .he couldn't help himself. That's how he was. Mike was just as awkward about it, so it was entertaining for all involved to watch that play out.

"Have fun with your divorce party!" Holly yelled as she left the house with everyone.

"She has no right being that cute and funny, Karen," Nancy heard Ted say. "She reminds me of Nancy when she was that age."

"Softie," she heard Karen tease in an affection voice.

Nancy smiled, glad they were no longer holding back. Karen was less frustrated, and her dad was less tired. They had felt the tension but hadn't known how to address it. She was glad her parents were getting to be in a better place. She had to follow behind Ally as she had parked behind her with Mike sitting in the passenger's seat. It was hard to believe that Mike was so tall now. . .she remembered he used to be as small as Holly, who was shooting up, too. Nancy smiled. She really was going to be the only short one in the family besides their Nana. She was almost to Steve’s when a song came on the radio and she couldn't help but laugh. Africa by Toto. . .If felt like the world had been against her and Steve for so long, but now, it feels like someone out there is finally correcting that. . .

"This is our song," Steve had said to Nancy.

They were in his living room, and he had turned on the radio. The very same song had been playing. He moved to the music and held out his hand for her to join him.

"Why is this our song?" She asked in amusement.

"Because it was playing in your room when I realized that you were different than other girls. You expected more from me than just sitting there and looking pretty. . .you wanted something else from me that no one has ever really asked for before. . .to be a better version of myself, to treat you as well as myself with respect. I didn't want it to be about sex either," Steve said and sighed. "I think the problem with popularity is that you're surrounded by people who only tell you what they think you want to hear, but you were honest with me, Nancy, and it was so refreshing. . .made me realize that I could easily start to fall for you."

Nancy had gotten up off the couch and had taken his hand.

"You're right. This is our song," she said and kissed him, melting into his arms as they started to dance.

Present day Nancy couldn't help herself. Her heart was already singing in anticipation. Why not sing along with it? Nancy started to beat on the steering wheel as she embraced her feelings for Steve so utterly and completely.

"Don't be such a dork, Nancy," Mike said but he was struggling not to smile.

"I'll sing with you, Nancy!" Holly yelled.

"Thank you!" She beamed.

As Holly and Nancy started to sing together, Mike rolled his eyes and smiled before joining in. When they pulled in behind Ally, they were still smiling when they got out of the car.

"I guess true love is infectious," Ally teased.

Holly raced past Ally and ran toward the door. Nancy called after, but she ignored her and ran straight in without knocking. Nancy and Mike shared a look before following after their hyperactive little sister.

"Steve!" They heard Holly yell.

"Holly Dolly! Jesus, you've gotten tall. . .I feel old," Steve replied.

"You look old!" Holly giggled as she threw himself into his arms.

Nancy and Mike raced into the living room. Eddie was sprawled out on the couch with Chrissy curled up against him, checking over his bandages. They were all still dealing with the aftermath of Vecna's second attack, but with that came the weakening of Vecna himself, as well as the discovery that Eddie was alive along with Vecna's victims. . .they hadn't been dead at all. They weren't sure if Henry was dead or not, but they knew he was weak, and in the meantime, they were working on their defense and getting the gates closed.

"You literally saw each other over spring break," Robin said, who was curled up in a recliner.

"Robin, that was forever ago," Steve scoffed as he continued to hold Holly.

"Yeah, Robin, that was forever ago," Holly said.

Nancy smiled at Holly and Steve, her heart fluttering at the sight of them. Suddenly, memories of her babysitting Holly came rushing back. It had made her heart flutter then, too. Ally collapsed next to Eddie.

"Hey, Eddie," Ally said, and everyone stared at her. "What? I know for a fact Eddie Munson isn't a serial killer. Although, I didn't know Chrissy was fucking alive. . .what the fuck?!"

"Hey, Ally," Chrissy giggled as Ally hugged her.

"Sorry about Holly, we should have knocked," Nancy blushed.

"Nah, you guys don't have to knock," Steve shrugged.

"How do you know Eddie?" Mike asked Ally.

"Oh, he was the last guy I kissed before I realized I was a lesbian," Ally said.

"You're just blurting that out?" Nancy asked in surprise.

"I'm past the point of caring who knows," Ally replied. "I just want to live my life the way I want to."

"You're a lot braver than I am," Robin said.

"So, Older Lady Wheeler - ," Eddie started to say.

"Excuse me," Nancy laughed.

"Well, there's little lady Wheeler, and then there's sir Wheeler over here. . .," Eddie said.

"How about you just call me Nancy?" she replied with another laugh.

"What is it that just happens to bring you by here?" Eddie grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I came here to see you and your gaping wounds," Nancy said, deadpan.

"I'm honored and very flattered, but my heart has been taken by this cute little thief right here," Eddie grinned, holding Chrissy's hand.

"Well, newsflash, Eddie, I'm not here to see you," Nancy said. "Although, Mike is."

"Well, at least one Wheeler likes me," Eddie said.

"I like you, Mr. Eddie!" Holly yelled.

"Do you even know him?" Mike asked.

"Well, no," Holly said. "But he looks a little rough. He should hear something nice. Besides, you always talked about him, and I feel like I know him! Tell me more about your magic guitar."

Chrissy giggled as she made room for Holly. Nancy smiled, looking at her sister for a moment before glancing back at Steve. It felt a lot like they were on a stage standing in front of an audience underneath a spotlight, but Nancy found that she didn't care.

"I broke up with Jonathan," Nancy said.

"Oh," Steve said breathlessly.

"Oh? I was hoping you'd be a little bit more excited about it," Nancy teased.

"Do you want me to be excited about it?" Steve asked.

Nancy shook her head. It was like pulling teeth, but it probably felt more than that for Steve back then in that alleyway. More guilt.

"I want you to tell me how you feel about it," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Selfishly happy," Steve grinned.

"Good, because I totally did it for us," Nancy said.

"Yeah?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

She recalled a moment when they were together where she found him crying in this very same living room, right there on the couch where Chrissy and Eddie were.

"Steve?" Nancy had asked. "What's wrong?"

"I ran into Tommy today," Steve said.

"What did he say to you?" Nancy scowled.

"A bunch of stuff, but he brought up things that I should have told you," Steve said.

"Like what?" She asked, sitting next to him.

"Tommy wasn't always an asshole like this. He once was kind and funny. . .he used to be there for me all the time when my parents were gone. I don't know what happened. . .maybe it was his dad or when we joined the basketball team. I hoped that if we sorted out all of our feelings that Tommy would go back to being somebody that I used to know," Steve sighed.

"Feelings?" Nancy asked.

"We were together," Steve sighed. "I've always sort of knew that I was different from everyone. I like men and women. It's why I've tried so hard to blend in. . .to pretend like I'm not queer. I trusted Tommy with it, and I told him how I felt about him, but nothing changed except for the fact that he was using me. He always had been. . .from the very beginning. The worst part is that he told Carol, and he told her that it was my idea. The hell she gave me. . .I ended it with Tommy, and he was the one who called me a coward for running away."

"I'm sorry," Nancy said softly.

"I'm sorry I never told you," Steve said.

"I get why you didn't," Nancy said. "It took a lot for you to walk away from him, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but you showed me that I deserved better and deserved to be better," Steve said.

She had stroked the back of his head softly, and he leaned into it, closing his eyes.

"I'm here, Steve, I'm not going anywhere," she said.

She leaned back and pulled him to her chest, holding him tightly.

"If you want to ask me anything, you can," Steve sighed happily.

"So. . .have you ever thought about Tom Cruise while we're making love?" Nancy asked.

"I mean, yeah, okay, I have," Steve said, blushing.

"Me too," Nancy said, and they giggled.

"Nancy?" Present day Steve asked, and she snapped out of it. "What were you thinking about?"

"Tom Cruise," she smirked.

"Oh? Oh!" Steve exclaimed and then he laughed with her.

"Okay, I was following the plot, but now I'm lost," Eddie said.

Nancy reached out and took his hands, heart racing with excitement.

"It's always been you, Steve, and I'm sorry that it's taken this long for me to realize that. I guess I don't learn as quickly as I thought I did," Nancy said. "I'm sorry for everything. You deserved better, and you definitely deserve it now. I liked who I was when I was with you and you made me so happy. I want to be that person again, and I want to be with you. . .I just hope that I'm not too late."

"No, never," Steve said, smiling and swallowing thickly.

"I love you," Nancy said, and her smile grew when she heard someone squeal.

"Eddie! Shh!"

"Sorry."

"You love me?" Steve asked in amazement.

His eyes were so big, so full of hope and promises. Tears were coming to edges of his beautiful hazel eyes. This was something he had been waiting to hear for a very long time.

"Yeah, I do," Nancy said. "I'm here, Steve, and I'm not going anywhere."

Steve continued to gaze into her eyes, rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs. She sighed. She always loved the way his hands enveloped hers. It made her feel so safe.

"Are you going to kiss him, or is one of us going to have to do it?" Eddie asked and immediately got elbowed by Chrissy.

"I don't want to see that, Mr. Eddie," Holly said.

Mike grabbed Holly's hand.

"Neither do I," Mike said. "Let's go get some ice cream."

"That ice cream is for Erica!" Steve sighed. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. If she asks, Mike, I'm not going to lie!"

"Are you afraid of Erica?" Nancy asked in amusement.

"Yeah, no. . .okay, maybe a little," Steve said.

"You're an idiot, Steve Harrington," Nancy said, laughing.

"And you're beautiful, Nancy Wheeler," Steve said.

"They said it!" Robin and Ally gasped.

Nancy wrapped her arms around Steve’s neck and pulled him into for a kiss. They gasped happily into each other's mouths. Oh my god, she missed his lips. . .she missed his hands on her waist. . .she missed everything about him. Steve’s hands moved from her hips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. Their lips continued to move softly against each other until Nancy couldn't help but deepen it, pressing her lips eagerly against his, slipping her tongue in. She ran her hands through his hair, curling her fingers deeper in. God, she loved his hair. She heard loud coughing beside her, but she ignored it until she realized where she was. Nancy broke the kiss and giggled at the sight of Steve. His hair was sticking up in every direction. He had a happy, dazed look on his face, and her lipstick was all over his mouth.

"Okay, the kiss started off sweet, but it sort of ended up being slightly pornopgraphic," Eddie grinned. "A nice solid ten, I'd say for making Steve completely forget where he is."

"I know where I am," Steve scoffed and paused. "It's Nancy's house, right?"

Nancy laughed and gripped Steve’s hips. God, she missed those, too. She wrapped her arms around his waist again and pressed her face into his chest, hugging him tightly. She breathed in his scent. Steve laughed and wrapped his arms around her. She gasped.

"I forgot our bunny in the car," Nancy said.

"You still have that thing?" He asked.

"I kept everything you gave me," she said. "I was going to give it to you."

"Hm, how about we just share custody of it?" Steve asked.

"Deal," she laughed.

Nancy sighed happily, feeling safe in Steve's arms. Yeah, it was always Steve.

1989

Nancy cursed. She had cut out on the party early to pick this up, but she really didn't think this through. She should have had someone come with her, but she didn't want to ruin the surprise. Of course, it had to break down. Nancy cursed out the person who sold it to her. She stood on the side of the road, frustrated. Okay, she had to radio someone. Nancy dug through her purse for her radio.

"You've got to be shitting me," Nancy cursed again when she couldn't find it.

She had left it in her car, which she had left in the parking lot of Bradley's Big Buy where they had agreed she'd pick up the vehicle. Nancy frowned. This couldn't get any worse. She had to jinx it, didn't she? Thunder clapped above her head as the clouds darkened. She cursed again and flipped off the sky. She stared at it for a moment, and she realized that it was just going to be rain. The sky could be painted red, and demobats could be raining down on her, but the gates were closed. Henry Creel was dead, and they were safe. Nancy laughed and spread her arms out wide, begging the rain to come to wash away the darkness.

"Umm, are you trying to fly there, Wheeler?" Eddie asked.

Nancy jumped. When did Eddie's van pull up? His head was out of the window while Chrissy peered through from the passenger's seat.

"No, it's about to rain," Nancy rolled her eyes.

"So, we're kind of late to the graduation party Steve threw for the kids. . .are you late, too?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, I mean, sort of," Nancy said.

"What's with the RV?" Chrissy asked.

"It's a surprise, and I won't say anything else," Nancy said.

"What happened?" Eddie asked. "You break down?"

"Yeah," she said sheepishly.

"Let's see what the problem is," Chrissy beamed and hopped out of the van.

"She's an expert now," Eddie said, grinning with pride.

Nancy grinned as Chrissy and Eddie worked on jumpstarting the RV. Chrissy did most of the work while Eddie watched on with love in his eyes. It seemed like Chrissy really enjoyed working with her hands, and Eddie loved watching her. Pretty soon, the RV was started and ready to go. Nancy hugged them both tightly.

"Thank you so much," Nancy said.

"Now, let's go see what this surprise is all about," Eddie said. "Chrissy is quite eager."

"You're the one who's curious," she said, rolling her eyes.

Nancy laughed and hopped into the RV. She drove off with Eddie and Chrissy following behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was really going to do this. She had no doubts, not all, but she'd be crazy if she couldn't admit that she wasn't terrified. This wasn't the kind of fear she had experienced before when she thought she was going to die. . .this was the kind of fear of knowing where your life is going to go and who you were going to spend it with. It was solid, dependable. . .safe, and even after a few years, it was still strange to know that monsters weren't going to pop out of the ground to take you away from everything you ever loved. Steve Harrington was a permanent part of her life, and no one was going to take that away from her or tell her she was trying to be anyone else except for who she is. . .Nancy fucking Wheeler.

"You can do this," she breathed.

She pulled into the driveway, and Eddie pulled in behind her. Nancy took another deep breath and lay on the horn. The front door opened, and the partygoers spilled out. Steve moved through the small crowd.

"Nance, what is this?" He asked.

"Well, Steve, it looks like an RV," Dustin said.

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock," Steve scoffed.

Nancy smiled and took his hands. She refused to get down on her knee. She was already short enough.

"So, I've been thinking a lot about what I want, especially while I've been away at Emerson. Now that the kids are going away to college and you've started to think about what school you wanted to go to. I figured you could think about that from anywhere and was hoping while I was finishing up at Emerson, you'd come with me. . .I even made room in my apartment. I figured we could also do a little trip this summer," Nancy said. "What do you think?"

"You know I'd go anywhere with you," he said with a grin, and he moved towards her but she stopped him.

"There's more. . .all these roads I've gone down, that we've gone down separately, and we somehow managed to find our way back towards each other. There's only one road I want to go down now, and it leads towards the future. . .I want to go down it with you. . .Steve Harrington. . ." Nancy said and took a deep breath. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yeah, I'll marry you," Steve grinned, tears in his hazel eyes.

Nancy squealed and threw herself into his arms, kissing him. She could hear everyone cheering behind them. Eddie was louder than most. . .

"Like I said, unambiguous sign of true love!" Eddie cackled.

"You proposed to me with an RV," Steve gasped as his pulled back, his face split into a wide grin.

"Engagement rings are overrated," Nancy said.

"I fucking love you," Steve said fondly.

"I love you, too," she gasped.

Suddenly, Robin was squealing and wrapping her arms around them.

"I knew she was going to do this, but I didn't know she was going to do it with an RV," Robin said. "This is so romantic!"

"She was the only one who knew," Nancy said. "Besides Ally."

"She had to ask me for your hand, Steve," Robin said.

"It was a joke. I was going to propose to him whether or not you gave me your blessing," Nancy said in amusement. "He's mine."

"Yeah, I am," Steve grinned.

And so, the graduation party also became an engagement party. Her parents made sure they congratulated them both, and then it was Mike and Holly followed by Dustin, then the rest of the party. Claudia and Sue nearly squeezed the life out of Steve. Nancy smirked. They were going to have plenty of family at the wedding. She watched Steve with Robin and Vickie as he stepped into the RV with them, eager to get a good look at it. Ally appeared next to her.

"I knew you were going to be the one to propose," Ally teased.

"Yeah, me, too," Nancy said, recalling the first day they had met.

She had been going to the public library for yet another romance novel, which Barb had teased her endlessly about. Nancy couldn't help it. . .she loved the idea of it all. . .the small and big gestures, the intimacy of it all, and there were many times where she dreamed of the stories. . .of proposing to anyone, whether they were a man or woman. She had wanted to love and be loved. . .she wanted a partner. . .someone who understood what it was like when you don't want to be perfect all of the time. . .someone who liked some of the things she did and who had different interests of their own. . .someone who cared. Underneath the King Steve persona, she had seen someone who wanted the same things she did. . .someone who didn't want a picture-perfect loveless marriage. . .someone who also wanted passion. It happened when they were reaching for the same novel.

"Steve Harrington?" She had asked in disbelief.

"Uh. . .I was getting it for my mom!" He exclaimed.

She couldn't help it. His expression had been so comical. . .he looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Your mom asks you to get her romance novels?" Nancy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. . .no, okay, that was a lie and a really shitty one," Steve said, sheepishly. "I,uh, like romance novels."

"Me too, and there's nothing wrong with liking it," Nancy said.

"Well, my dad would tell me that it's for girls," Steve said. "It's bad enough that I spend too much time on my hair."

"Screw what your dad thinks," Nancy said. "So, this is the only copy of this book. Maybe we could read it together?"

"Yeah. . .I'd like that," Steve said, giving her a crooked smile.

He had looked so softly at her. He looked so different from the King Steve that wandered the halls like he owned the place. He may not have bullied people, but he had worked harder than anyone to make sure that he didn't pull that shit. . .Still, there had been an air about him like he was trying too hard to pretend like nothing affected him. For this moment, with her, he didn't have to try so hard. A part of her had known then that he was going to be her forever, and maybe that's why she had gotten so scared. . .in that moment, she knew.

"I'm not going to run away this time," Nancy vowed.

And she didn't. She and Steve moved forward down the road together. . .After Nancy graduated, they had a small ceremony in Hawkins in the backyard of her childhood home. Robin was Steve’s best man while Ally and Fred stood up there with Nancy along with Chrissy while Eddie and Dustin stood behind Robin. Mike had been more than excited to be the ring bearer. On the honeymoon, they spent traveling the country in the RV. Years passed with fights and tears in between. . .waking up from nightmares from the traumas of the past, but they proved to be stronger than ever and that nothing was going to break them. It was Steve’s first year as an elementary school teacher, and Nancy was further into her career as a reporter when they started to expand their family. Steve had come home in tears because a child was being abused, and they had no one. They didn't waste any time filing the paperwork to foster than to adopt. Their home, their life was soon filled with children, laughter, healing, and the best sort of chaos. Nancy Wheeler didn't regret a single minute going down the road to get to where they were now. . .this was who she was, whether other people liked it or not.

[playingfetchwithdinosaurs]

or, the long-distance best friends to lovers college AU text fic that no one asked for

Pairing: Nancy Wheeler / Steve Harrington

Rating: Teen to Explicit || Status: Updating weekly on Fridays

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down, Long-Distance Friendship, Texting, Chatting & Messaging, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, the tension's thicker than a bowl of oatmeal, Friendship, Romance, Teasing, Humor, Puns & Word Play, so many puns im not even sorry, Eventual smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

banners by cafekitsune | graphics by me

Read quack quack fall in love on ao3

[milevenstancyendgame]

Okay, I quickly wrote this, before the adrenaline from the new ST photos subsides.😁

First part of a short Stancy fic, completely based on s5 speculations around some hospital drama.🏥❤️‍🩹

Haven't decided on the rating of the whole thing yet.😏 But for this part, I guess it's K+. Just has some mention of blood/an injury, nothing graphic.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Nancy sighed, not really focusing on what she was doing (sorting files).

She had signed up as a candy striper after the first attacks on people by creatures from the Upside Down. They needed all the help they could get at the hospital.

But it wasn't like she could do anything really significant. She was aware of this, no matter how often some of the staff thanked her for volunteering (others were more of the Hawkins Post breed and treated her like a sub-human).

She stifled a yawn - getting up early was no problem for her, but it was undeniably a very dull morning. She didn't know how she was supposed to hold out until the early afternoon.

The sudden noise of an ambulance and slamming doors made her look up in surprise. Oh no.

There was a commotion at the emergency entry, so it was impossible to see what was going on, but no doubt it was another attack victim being brought in.

Her heart was racing and as always she longed to do something to help, but she knew from experience not to get in the way.

She was about to pick up the box of files and carry it to a different room, when she spotted a mess of dark blonde hair, and the distinctive rambling of Robin reached her ears.

"…. And I have no idea how many there were, or if it was only bats, might have been a demogo- I, I mean one of those larger things thrown into the mix as well!"

Nancy's stomach filled with ice. If Robin was here, then who…?

She got up abruptly, running over to the group of people, trying hard not to think…not Holly, not Mike…please…

But then one of the doctors moved aside and she saw him: Steve was lying there, unconscious, his shirt had been removed and was currently being used to be pressed against his side, soaked with blood.

She stopped dead at the sight.

"Nancy!" Robin had spotted her.

The sound of her name made her snap out of it - in an instant, she was at Robin's side, gripping Steve's shoulder protectively.

It was a completely instinctive action, no thoughts attached.

No one payed her much attention as she ran along to the emergency room, only when she followed inside, did one of the nurses stop her.

"I'm his-" She started to protest, outraged. But then she didn't know how to finish the sentence. "Friend," she finished lamely.

"Sorry dear, only family. You know the rules."

Robin put a hand on her shoulder as the doors flung shut in front of them.

An unbearable sense of powerlessness hit Nancy like a wave - she had to escape!

"What happened?"

"We were on patrol…" Robin looked around frantically to see if there was anyone in earshot. "You know, by the gate at the cemetery. And just before sunrise…it was like an explosion, Nance! Monsters everywhere, we couldn't get to the car fast enough and…and…"

She broke down, starting to sob uncontrollably.

Nancy rubbed her friend's back, a flashback of what she had seen in Vecna's vision back in '85 hijacking her mind. Monsters everywhere…

"Did anyone else…?"

"No…just Steve. Dustin was with us, he couldn't keep up, so Steve…he…"

Nancy's jaw clenched. She didn't need to hear the rest to know what had happened.

"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out. It's gotta be me. No complaints."

His words echoed in her head, reminding her of the last time he had been attacked by demobats.

"Where's Dustin?" She clung to the questions - anything to keep herself talking and away from thinking.

"He was a mess," Robin sniffed. "Must have reminded him of…you know…To be honest, I didn't give him much of a choice…thought it was better for him to stay and tell the others…" She shrugged. "He'll probably come bursting in on a bike any moment now."

Nancy never felt less like laughing. What else could she say?

"Okay, it's okay," she repeated mechanically to Robin, whose tears didn't seem to want to stop. She was glad, it gave her something to focus on, something to do.

She didn't know how much time passed like this, but suddenly the doors swung open again, startling both of them.

"It's okay," the nurse from earlier told them. "No vital organs hurt, just a lot of blood loss…it's stopped bleeding now. We'll transfer him to a room."

Robin looked like that was entirely too much information.

Nancy sighed a very different sigh than the one from earlier this morning. God, she would never complain about boredom ever again.

"He needs rest now." The nurse held her back again, as she made to rush to Steve's side.

Nancy narrowed her eyes, ready to argue, but then she changed her mind.

"Please, we just want to…" Robin started before Nancy interrupted her.

"She's right, Robin. He'll be okay."

Robin stared at her, incredulous.

"Is there anything you need, nurse Watkins?" Nancy asked sweetly.

"Not for the moment, dear. You can return to your chores." And with that, she was gone.

"I swear to god, Nancy-"

"Robin. Let me show you around and have a look at my work." She grabbed Robin's arm and dragged her over to the main desk, where her box with files still waited - as if her world had not been turned upside down.

Robin's face was a question mark, but she followed along, having learnt to trust Nancy's hunches and intuition.

Nancy sat down and started telling her friend all about the art of ordering files, seemingly not paying any attention to what was going on around her.

Although she was clearly impatient, Robin tried to play along, asking her nonsensical, dumb questions, waiting for god knew what.

Nurses came and went, picking things up and bringing them back. Robin paid no heed to it, but after one of them left, Nancy quickly grabbed a book, opened it, and closed it so quickly, that Robin felt dizzy from just watching her.

"Room 315," Nancy hissed between gritted teeth. Then she got up. "Come on, Robin - I need to deliver some flowers, would you help me?"

As they went to the flower shop, it dawned on Robin.

"Nancy, you're a genius! With a capital G!"

Nancy smiled, appreciating the compliment despite of the situation. They picked random bouquets and rushed back to the hospital as quickly as possible, without trying to look like they were in a hurry.

"315…315…" Robin muttered, as they went down the corridor. "Aha!"

They quickly stole into the small room, both stopping at the sight of Steve lying in bed, still unconscious.

There was entirely too much white for Nancy's liking. White bed, white hospital gown, white face. Lying in the morning light streaming in from the windows, he looked as pale as a ghost.

She willed herself to move forward, placing the flowers on the bedside. Before she could think twice, her hand was cupping his cheek gently.

"Steve Harrington, you idiot," she whispered. "You're going to get through this, do you hear me?"

He did not react, of course not. Still, she felt somehow disappointed. As if she really had expected her presence to work some sort of healing magic on him. She blushed, feeling presumptuous.

Robin had moved to the other side of the bed and took his hand.

"Dingus, you heard her. You'd better wake up soon."

She turned to Nancy. "Do you think we can bully him into waking up?"

Nancy gave her a weak smile before looking back down at Steve. She felt like the stitches that had held her heart together until now had become undone, one by one. She had been running away for so long, she had forgotten what it was like to stand still, to be present. But now there was no more escaping it. Her feelings could not be hidden away any more, they were swirling inside of her, all around her, like a swarm of butterflies.

Strangely, she did not feel afraid of them. The only fear that clenched her heart, was that it might be too late…

[completeutterstancytrash]

Stancy Week 2024 Prompt 1: Favourite Scene

Guys, I'm so excited for Stancy Week, hosted by @echoing-oursong !

For the first prompt, I went with the 'Spider Hair Scene' from season 4 episode 5.

Is it my favourite scene?

Who knows, but how could I possibly choose, especially from all the scenes that season 4 has fed us with!

So I went with this one, because damn they are so whipped for each other and the show knows it too!

[harrington-love]

If you're a Stancy...

Check out my first ever Stancy story!! And let me know what you think :)

[harringtonlovers]

ao3

enemies to lovers!stancy

masterlist

summary: deep dive into nancy’s work, hopper’s record store. who could visit her? the world is small, after all.

[djokeery]

decided to share a silly little excerpt from something i’ve been working on since february <3

[vanesawye]

Rating: Mature

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Stranger Things

Warnings: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Nancy Wheeler/Steve Harrington

Characters: Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Karen Wheeler

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Mutual Pining, Second Chances, Exes, Friends to Lovers, Drunk Sex, Overthinking, Service Top, Post-Apocalypse, Dystopia, Post-Season/Series 04, Post-Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2, Nancy Wheeler-centric, Past Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Mild Smut

Summary:

Nancy and Steve pull their eyes away from the windows and look at each other, rattled.

"Anyone else here or…" Her voice is back. She can breathe again. It almost doesn't feel like it, in the dark and possibly alone with him for the first time in a long time.

"Just me," he sighs dryly, not thrilled about it. He leans against the stair bannister.

The foyer is empty with just the two of them. The ceiling sits high above them. This house is ideal for hide and seek, not living. It swallows them like ants. Just like when she and Barb arrived there together that night.

or,

A year after the gates Hawkins is cut off from the outside world. Vecna is in hiding. Nancy isn't the same hopeful she once was. With Steve in his empty house, she finds comfort she didn't know was still possible; but comfort is something she fears.

[wendydarlingfics]

Chapters: 5/7 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler Characters: Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things), Post-Canon, Break Up, Birthday, Angst, Slow Burn, Getting Back Together, Exes, Late Night Conversations, Explicit Language, College, Boston, Soft Steve Harrington, POV Nancy Wheeler, Falling In Love, 5+1 Things, Valentine's Day, Board Games, Literal Sleeping Together, Tension, Unresolved Tension, Jealousy, Jealous Nancy Wheeler, Cliffhangers, Minor Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Kissing, Love Confessions Summary: Nancy's world always seems to get a little off kilter whenever Steve shows up in Boston.

(or five times Steve comes to Boston and one time he doesn't).

[dreamsteddie]

After the events of season four in a world where Vecna dies a minute earlier, Eddie lives, and Max gets away with a broken arm and some vision loss, Nancy and Steve start spending a lot of time together.

Everyone assumes that since Nancy and Johnathan broke it off not long after they reunited, having found themselves on different paths, the two of them were naturally drifting back together. Some of the kids are even betting among themselves on whether or not they're actually already back together and trying to keep in on the down low while everyone heals.

What really happened was that Nancy showed up on Steve's doorstep one day and asked if she could come in. She was nervous and it showed in the way she pinched her brow and rubbed her intex finger over her thumb nail but still made direct, almost aggressive eye contact with the man in front of her. Steve was worried that she was, indeed, here to confess which...wouldn't have been the worst thing, just not the right thing.

Instead what she says, directly and to the point despite her nerves, is that she's sorry if she led him on during their last time in the Upsidedown. She tells him that while she did feel a remnant of that old flame between them, it was ultimately a flicker in comparison to the forest fire of complicated emotions building up inside her for someone completely new. Someone completely unexpected. She looks genuinely mournful for having to tell him this, but all Steve can really feel is relief.

Steve had felt it too, and for a moment there it had really felt like their time had finally come. It felt like all the hurting and the fighting and the miscommunications and the missed chances were all leading them to this climactic moment during their last stand where they could begin their epic love story all over again. But then suddenly all he could think about between the blood and fear was eyes deep and dark like the forest floor after a long rain and the fleeting feeling of cool silver on his sore shoulders. He tells her that it's ok because he found someone new and unexpected too.

After that night they find a new kind of kinship that they always reached for but never could attain with all the history between them. They start meeting up as often as they can for late-night talks. Once Steve returns from his work at the shelter and visiting Eddie in the hospital and Nancy's parents come back to relieve her of babysitting duties while they help rebuild the town they meet at Steve's house. They avoid the back patio at all costs, instead deciding to set up lawn chairs out front to face the empty street, all of Steve's neighbors having fled with the first tremors.

They drink and talk for hours about all the mistakes they made, apologizing for all the ways they hurt each other in their youth in the days when they knew how to hurt but not how to heal. They talk about the life they could have had if things had been different. They talk about jobs and white picket fences and children and all the ways they would have been happy but not content. It should be awkward, and sad, and uncomfortable. And it is. But more than that it's cathartic, and by the end they are closer than they've ever been and fully ready to move onto the next phases of their lives as close friends.

They also spend quite a bit of time after the heaviest topics have run their course trying to help each other woo their respective crushes. Robin came out to the group not long after Will returned. She decided that it was time for her to claim the "most coveted of all Queer positions, Steve. The Queer Mentor!" and that being in the closet with their friends was antithetical to her cause. Steve argued that he was her first pupil already, but she claimed that his gay crisis was so minuscule that it hardly deserved the name. He came out a fully formed bisexual man. Steve wasn't 100% sure about Eddie, but there were enough rumors about him that he felt comfortable at least shooting his shot. Eddie was a good guy and he was so happy when Robin came to his room to share her coming out with him since he'd missed the bigger announcement.

All that is to say that they were both ready and willing to start pursuing their respective targets. They made game plans and tried to come up with date-but-not-really-a-date ideas for them to test the waters.

Meanwhile, Eddie and Robin both separately decide that they need to help push Nancy and Steve into the relationship everyone sees on the horizon. Steve is and always will be Robin's number one and she knows better than anybody how hung up he was on Nancy for literal years. She knows they hang out just the two of them and despite Steve dodging her attempts to figure out what it is they meet up about if they're not already together, she's pretty sure they're just taking things slow. The fact that her tummy feels all warm whenever Nancy Wheeler walks into the room is inconsequential to her far greater goal of Make Steve Happy. It sure would help if she would stop looking up at Robin from beneath her lashes like that though. Those eyes are killer.

Eddie, on the other hand, has felt some kind of way about Steve for the entirety of their not-quite acquaintance. It began with a sweet crush in grade school that developed into spiteful teenage lust and then back into a less sweet but much more robust crush following the not-so-end of the world. But all of those feelings are null and void in the face of the rapidly approaching epilogue of Steve and Nancy's epic si-fy/fantasy romance. He saw the way they looked at each other on their journey and he meant it when he said what Nancy had done jumping in that lake was a show of love. It feels almost poetic that he ended up doing the same thing, just a little too late to really matter. But despite the way Steve's visits seem to soothe the ache in his bones better than any opioid or cold compress, Eddie is going to do his damnedest to lead those two sheep in the right direction. It would be a heck of a lot easier if Steve could pick a shirt to wear in his own damn size, though. Those arms really were begging for release.

[springfaekohaku]

Warning Shot

It was only supposed to be a warning shot.

Steve Harrington found himself staring face first into the barrel of a gun, held by none other than Nancy Wheeler — his girlfriend.

Said girlfriend was shouting at him, while Jonathan Byers stood at her side with matching bandages on their hands, the boy looking just as shocked as Steve. His voice echoing around them and getting lost in Nancy’s booming voice, a side he never saw from the girl that he fell head over heels with. Steve could only hold his hands up in a surrendering gesture, he was officially freaking out.

It was chaos. Steve didn’t even know what to think, he arrived with the intent to figure out what was going on with the two of them, Tommy and Carols voices taunting him in his head that something was going on. But this? He was being screamed at, demanding he’d leave and get out of the Byers residence, while Christmas lights were flickering on the wall with an alphabet drawn into it; he felt like he was having a fever dream.

Until the walls started to tremble and shake, Nancy’s voice got desperate and in a panic at Steve’s insistence to know what the hell was going on, he just wouldn’t leave. Jonathan’s panic at the escalation and the added pressure of Steve being in the midst of their plan, making everything go astray. Nancy had to do something to get Steve to leave, she felt herself building in pressure and like a rubber band; she snapped.

Just as the roof was being sunken in and the lights bursting, a loud BANG! rung through the living room and it all went silent…

Steve felt like his ears burst and could only hear ringing as he stared at Nancy. It was like things were in slow motion and his brain didn’t catch up to what just happened until he felt a burning sharp pain in his right hand and turned his head to see a hole in the middle of his palm. That’s when it all set in and realised what the fuck just happened.

He hears both Nancy’s and Jonathan’s voices.

“It was only supposed to be a warning shot. I-It, I…I aimed above I swear. I didn’t mean to.”

“What did you just do?! You shot him! You actually shot him, whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck—”

Steve finally felt everything coming back and clear as the ringing subsided, the adrenaline wearing off and he truly feels the agony and pain in his hand. There is a hole in his hand. In the middle of his palm.

There is a fucking hole in his hand.

And Nancy Wheeler, his girlfriend was the cause of it. Pretty sure it was Ex-Girlfriend now.

He hears the two teenagers shouting in panic and stress, while Steve checked out, only feeling blood pooling out from his wound down his arms and off his elbow. So he releases his hands from the air and cradles his injured hand with his other one, it hurt but his mind was somewhere else and everything seemed to collapse on itself. In his mind and currently in the Byers living room. However, he had a rude awakening as he felt Jonathan call out his name like trying not to spook a wild animal that’s been injured. His name was soft and gentle on his lips. Steve could see the desperation and panic in his eyes, like they were running out of time.

And they were. They were given a moment of peace until hell broke loose again. Only this time, the roof does sink in on itself, with a monster phasing through it and Steve was right under it. He could only look up and see what appears to be a claw, almost puncturing through the roof like it was made out of flesh and stretched skin.

Jonathan didn’t waste a second, discarding the initial plan to coax Steve into safety, they ran out of time; so he lunges for Steve. Grabbing his uninjured arm, tugging him and both jumping over the bear trap and to the room with Nancy ahead, opening the door for both boys and her last, locking it and standing guard.

Steve was walked to the bed and Jonathan sat him down. He had to find something to bandage Steve’s wound, which felt fruitless because there was no medical supplies in this room. So he figured the next best thing is a thin layered shirt that he can tear up and use as a makeshift bandage. It seemed like luck was on his side because he found exactly that. It was a disposable shirt too, it wouldn’t be missed, so he got to work. He had to act fast, he could hear the monster finally break through and its heavy body hit the living room floor. He kneels down in front of Steve and sees the other boy holding his injured hand and trembling. He coaches Steve through it and tells him it’s going to be okay, that it’ll hurt but that he’s here. Maybe it was also to get himself together too. He’s not leaving. As scared as he is, Jonathan knew the monster smelt their blood and now Steve’s fresh flesh wound, he didn’t want it to get any worse than it already is.

They had a plan. It’s all gone to shit and haywire.

Now, they just need to figure out how to trap the bastard and keep it from the others. They can still do this, they need to do this.

Jonathan looks at his handy work and deems is satisfactory for now and turns towards Nancy, meeting her eyes, he sees her guarded, her eyes were stormy and face littered in a ripple of emotions. But it seems like she also has the same conclusion, get it together and focus on the plan; no matter if it’s skewed and ruined.

So, she meets Jonathan’s gaze. She doesn’t even have it in her to look at Steve. Her boyfriend. The boy she shot.

They can still execute in the next phase. They just need Steve to be hidden in a secure place, away from danger.

Away from Nancy and her gun. Which was unsaid but it was spoken in her mind.

Nancy nods, standing guard and Jonathan nods in return. Standing up to guide Steve to a wardrobe, taking everything out and placing him in. Jonathan didn’t feel any resistance, he can clearly tell Steve is still in shock and internally dissociating. He notices that far-away look and how pliant he was with being essentially manhandled into the wooden wardrobe. Sitting him down, Jonathan can only offer a few words of reassurance and telling the older boy they’ll be back for him when it’s over. He wasn’t able to wait for a response as Nancy signals Jonathan and Steve feels the sense of safety and warmth leave his space. A feeling he’d never thought associating with Jonathan, it was new but he couldn’t help but feel his lingering touches, gentle yet firm.

He doesn’t even notice the wardrobe doors close and all he knows next is darkness and being left alone with his thoughts. He can’t help but think back to his and Jonathan’s spat, how Steve taunted him and called him names, said awful things about his family and yet…the younger boy grabbed him and took his hand into safety and out of danger without a second thought. He can’t help but also think about how in their fight, or well, Steve’s beat-down, how Jonathan being on top of him sparked a feeling that felt dangerous and unknown, yet familiar. How he straddled his hips and felt his hands on him and like moments ago, instead of his touch hurting, he was gentle and kind. He felt butterflies in his stomach. It made Steve and his entire world go into turmoil and it seems like he’s come to two conclusions tonight:

Monsters are real.

He’s pretty sure he’s having a Queer awakening.

He didn’t have time to dwell more in the closet, haha, because the sound of gunshots, the sound of like a banshee screeching, Nancy’s voice and Jonathan’s grunts could be heard; Steve had to get out.

So he does.

Steve breaks out of his hiding spot and opens the door, he rushes to the scene of commotion and sees Jonathan pinned down by the monster, which looked to be made out of flesh, its mouth opens like a flower with petals that has razor sharp teeth inside — all wanting to bite into Jonathan’s face as the boy tries to fight against it. Nancy fired shots but it seems to not deterrent the monster, not even bothering it and she seemed frozen and unsure what to do next.

Enter Steve who spots the nailed bat, so he leaps over the bear trap again, grabbing the nail bat and as the adrenaline fills his entire being once again; he doesn’t even feel the pain as he grips the bat in a death grip. He gets close enough and shouts at the ugly bastard. He gains its attention and it screeches at him, now smelling the fresh blood from Steve’s hand and detached itself from Jonathan. It stood and towered over Steve but Steve didn’t feel anything but anger, rage, the instinct to protect and keep them safe.

He twirls the bat to get a better grip and positions himself into a stance to fully swing at the monster, using all his strength and power, he hoped playing baseball for a while payed off.

So he swung, the monster staggering and Steve was hitting blow after blow and that’s when Nancy and Jonathan recoup to see Steve backing the hideous creature into the bear trap. It was working.

Holy shit, it was working.

Steve knew it fell into the trap as it screeched in a guttural scream that he hasn’t heard before.

That’s when he hears Jonathan’s voice shouting at him to stand back and he sees the boy throw a lit lighter into the gasoline which Steve didn’t even notice until it was engulfing the floor and racing towards the trap. Eventually engulfing the creature and the three teens watch as the creature screamed, tried to break free of the trap and even tears off its leg to escape.

Nancy was caught off guard at the unexpected movement and backed away and tugged Jonathan back with her. Eyes trained on it as it advances towards them but then Steve, Steve being the reckless idiot he was, uses the last of his strength and takes only a few strides and twists his body, elbows up and shoulders squared; his feet planted and he swings.

The nails pierced the monsters head before the rest of the bat followed, connecting with the head ripping it clean off its shoulders. The screeching stopped at its decapitation and only the sound of fire burning its flesh remain and the flicker of the lights finally stop and the room stopped feeling like it was going through an earthquake. They stare at the monsters corpse and sees it disintegrating under the flames, taking the heat with it and only leaving scorch marks behind.

Everything was still.

It was over.

Or was it?

TBC…

Next chapter —>

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

In their first year of marriage, on Nancy's birthday, Steve Wheeler (fully believe he takes her last name) surprised Nancy by having built her a library in her home office. He had gotten quite adept at woodwork over the years since surviving the near end of the world. When he showed her the finished work, Nancy gasped with delight.

"You tell me how you want the books arranged, and I'll do it," Steve had said.

Because let's face it, Nancy definitely loves telling people what to do, and that's something Steve loves about her. There really is nothing more romantic than giving someone a library.

"Oh, but first - " Nancy started to say and then she pounced on him.

Steve shrieked with delight, and together, they tested the durability of the shelves. They held up well.

[dreamfinder83]

🚨 Stancy fic recommendation alert 🚨

I love this story and am so glad you continued it!

Take me back (to the night we met) RedCatRen

Chapter 9: Take me back

Summary:

As Steve enjoys his weekend vacation by the beach, a surprise is in store that will likely change everything.

[envythemouse]

Can you imagine Nancy asking Jonathan when he realized he loved her and he just tells her it's when she gave him the new camera, because it was really well thought out (maybe it's a very specific type of camera Jonathan has always wanted and is hard to find and he didn't think anyone ever listened to him and his photography talk).

And then Nancy gets kind of upset and Jonathan doesn't know why, because he doesn't know Steve was actually the one who chose, bought and wrapped it.

If you guys come across any fics where Jonathan finds out the camera was from Steve and not Nancy, do drop it in the comments/repost. I love seeing that in fics even if it's just a small detail.

[completeutterstancytrash]

Stancy Week 2024 - Prompt: Music

Of course I had to go with this beautiful song!

Yea, it's more a Steve song but it's certainly his perspective of stancy.

I hope everyone's enjoying the week so far!

Sadly I've gotten sick so I might not be able to participate as much as I had planned :/

@echoing-oursong

[harrington-love]

All The Little Moments (That Brought Me Back To You)

Summary: A piece in which Nancy Wheeler falls back in love with Steve Harrington

Notes:

My first ever (completed) Steve Harrington x Nancy Wheeler piece. Of course, this is dedicated to my wonderful discord pals who have become my own found family. This wouldn't have been possible without their love, encouragement, and support. This story focuses more on Nancy's perspective, thoughts, and feelings in her season four scenes with Steve, with a few of my own made up events that follow the very last episode. As for the actual canon events and dialogue that happened in season four, I do NOT claim those as my own. I also do NOT claim the characters as my own. All the credit, rightfully so, goes to the writers of this fantastic show. This is just a retelling :) This story is for a mature audience, so if you are not 18 years or older, please do NOT read this piece. Lastly, this story also features a bit of Jonathan x Nancy for narrative purposes, but if you're looking for a happy ending for them, you won't find it here. (Most likely you won't find it in the show either. Oops. #TeamStancy)

WC: 10,303

Divider: @saradika (Check out all of their beautiful headers and dividers!!)

Nancy doesn’t even know how it happened.

One moment, in the dark and quiet of the night on a boat at Lovers’ Lake, eyes twinkling and a faint pink dusting her cheeks, she’d whispered a heartfelt “Be careful” to the boy who, if she was being honest, wasn’t a boy anymore.

Steve.

He was a man, a beautiful man who had taken her by surprise over the last few days they found themselves together. She was amazed at how easily they were able to fall back into laughter, how effortlessly a smile stretched across her lips at one of his corny jokes that she’d heard a million times, but always made her laugh as though she was hearing it for the first.

There was something else though, that accompanied this feeling of amazement. Something deep and warm and fond, that’d been present as she plucked spiderwebs from his perfectly styled hair. She felt it when he had offered…no, insisted on joining her at the library. It was present in her urgency as she leapt from the boat into the deep depth of the water to find him, to save him, just like he’d done for her so many times before.

The next moment, she’s protecting him with a boat oar from interdimensional bats with razor sharp teeth that gnaw at his bloodied flesh. The force behind her swing is enough to kill them, making them pay for causing harm to the man that’s spent his teenage years protecting others from it.

She inspects his wounds when he stands, fingers gently grazing the marks on his arm and shoulder. He makes a joke that he’s never been better despite having a pound of flesh torn off his body, and instead of scolding him for his inability to be serious for one moment, she lets herself breathe. And maybe even smile.

Hiding in the shadows of the Upside Down’s version of Skull Rock is when Nancy is overcome with a whole different feeling entirely. It’s not a new feeling, however. She felt it in the Hawkins High girl’s bathroom sophomore year, back pressed against the tiled wall as Steve’s lips nipped and licked and kissed at her neck. It was there in the dim light of her bedroom when he’d kissed her slowly with wandering hands. And again in the darkness of Steve’s room, naked and vulnerable, tangled between his bedsheets.

She watches Steve stumble, dizzy and weak from blood loss, and urges him to his knees. With no other option, she kneels in front of him, close enough to feel his breath on her cheeks. The bat bite isn’t infected as far as Nancy can tell, but the wound is completely exposed and she won’t risk him being subjected to more pain.

She rips the bottom part of her sweater clean off. Her eyes ask permission, fabric held between nimble fingers. He grunts his consent, hands cradling the back of his head as the sweater piece grazes the sticky wound. She wants to make sure it’s secure, tying the fabric around his lower back, faltering slightly when the sound that leaves his lips mirrors a noise she’s heard before. He’s in pain, she knows this, but he’s a whimpering mess in front of her and past memories of her hands and tongue exploring his body are at the forefront of her mind.

Nancy makes the mistake of glancing up at his face. Half lidded eyes burn with something dark, and Nancy knows it can only be described as lust because she’s looking at him the same way he’s looking at her. He’s breathing deeply, pink lips parted, and for a moment Nancy thinks what if…

And then a few seconds later the ground shakes and Steve’s pulling her body into his chest, arm a snug shield around her collarbones. Her fingernails dig into his skin and if it hurts he doesn’t say anything, his steady breath next to her ear the only noise she hears. It’s a comforting sound, one that signifies he’s alive, and when the ground stops shaking she holds onto him for just a split second longer. Steve doesn’t mind one bit.

Eddie asks questions about the Upside Down and sometime after he receives his answers, Robin suggests finding grenades and guns to fend off the creatures. Eddie’s brows furrow, disbelief in his voice at the admission that Nancy Wheeler, out of all people, keeps guns locked away in her bedroom. There’s a husky voice behind her that says “You almost shot me with that one,” when she mentions owning a revolver.

Her head tilts slightly, a snicker on her face as she recalls the first time Steve was ever introduced to anything pertaining to the Upside Down. With a bloodied eye and a bruised ego, he’d come to the Byers’ house to apologize to Jonathan, only to force his way inside after one glance at her bandaged hand. He refused to leave until he knew she was okay, but he wasn’t moving quick enough for her and the lights had started to flicker. She couldn’t risk him being involved in the mess. Gun aimed at his chest, she’d said, “I’m doing this for you.”

Nancy chuckles now, a light and airy huff. So much has changed since then, including the two of them. “You almost deserved it,” is her answer, a coy smile on her lips as she gazes back at him. They don’t say anything afterward, basking in the silence and in the heat of each other’s closeness.

The moment is ruined by a denim vest being thrown in Steve’s direction. She and Steve blink, startled, and Eddie mentions something about modesty. Fuck modesty, she thinks.

Steve puts the vest on, much to Nancy’s dismay, but then her eyes trail over his form and she decides he looks good in it. Even if he is battered and bruised, he’s still just as handsome as he was back in high school. Maybe even more now.

And while she watches him flick on the flashlight and lead the way through the forest, she can’t help but be impressed by how much he’s matured over the years. She’s used to taking charge, being the one people follow, that the feeling of letting someone else lead is almost unfathomable.

And yet Nancy finds herself letting Steve guide the way, any and all complaints dying on her tongue. He’s walking into a strange and frightening world with determined eyes, a set jaw, and a confidence she isn’t used to. There’s no protest on his lips or hesitation in the way that he moves, a stark difference to his seventeen year old self. She’s enticed by this version of Steve, the one that sees danger and runs toward it, not from it. The one that has so naturally fallen into the role of a leader, someone that Nancy can trust to keep her safe.

She can’t help the smile that spreads across her cheeks as she follows him into the unknown.

They’d been able to make contact with Lucas, Dustin, and Erica, and eventually found their way to Eddie’s trailer. It was there they discovered a gate that would lead them back to Hawkins. All they had to do was climb through. Easy enough.

Robin and Eddie had made it up the rope smoothly, landing comfortably on a mattress waiting for them on the other side. Nancy is halfway up the rope, ready to emerge on the other side of the portal, when something in the air shifts and suddenly she’s falling, her back eventually colliding with hard ground. Her eyes open to the horrific sight of a dead Barbara Holland cocooned in tentacles at the bottom of Steve’s empty pool.

Visions of that night replay on a loop. Some are of Barb’s pained screams as she was brutally taken from the world. Others are of herself and Steve, bodies pressed against each other, soft moans filling the quiet of his room and tongues licking into mouths. “You’re so beautiful,” he’d said, right as his hips pressed flush with hers. She’d felt all of him that night, a moment that was sweet and pure, or should have been, overshadowed by unresolved guilt.

Nancy doesn’t like to cry if she can help it, but she sheds tears for her best friend who was taken much too soon. She cries for the girl she used to be before being introduced to a world of horrors, and the childhood innocence that was taken from her all in one night that she’d given into passion.

The rest of Vecna’s visions are just as awful as the next, and Nancy can’t bear to think of a world where Hawkins is destroyed and taken over by monsters. A world where her mom, Holly, and Mike, don’t survive. A world where her friends are beaten down, traumatized, and irreparably broken.

The world that Vecna shows her is Hawkins’ reality in a few days' time, and Nancy’s not sure if he’ll even let her live long enough to see the city crumble. But he sends her off with a message for Eleven, and when the visions subside, her body falls limp. She’s too weak from the crying and the yelling and the pleading to catch herself as she collapses.

But Steve does. Of course he does. He’s gentle when he maneuvers her onto the ground, head on his arm with his hand cradling her cheek, thumb rubbing at stray tears on her lashes. Her breaths are slight gasps and she’s riddled with fear, unable to hear anything over the sound of her own panic.

“It’s okay, I’m here. I’m right here.”

The words aren’t just comforting, they’re a promise. Her eyes don’t leave him when he says it, assuring her over and over that he’s here with her and he isn’t going anywhere. She focuses on mimicking his steady breathing, the concern in his hazel eyes lighting a fire in her chest. Safe, sound, and supported in Steve’s arms is when she comes to realize that he never stopped caring about her.

The plan for defeating Vecna includes a trip to the War Zone for as much ammunition as they can take without becoming suspicious. Eddie surprises everyone by hot wiring a caravan for the adventure, and Steve shocks the gang by driving it quite well under pressure.

Nancy takes the seat beside him, enjoying the comfortable silence before asking, “How does it handle?” He jokes with a smile, “Pretty well for a house.”

She doesn’t feel pressured to keep up the conversation. Silence is never awkward around Steve. But she watches as his mouth bobs open slightly and turns in her seat, full attention on him. He almost looks sheepish.

He tells her about his dream of a big family, three boys and three girls. Her brows raise at the number, but soften as she remembers for the last two years or so Steve’s been taking care of seven kids just fine. Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, Will, El, and Mike truly don’t know how lucky they are.

Even if the number of kids sounds like a bit much, she still listens to his dream. A dream that involves two active parents, happy and in love, traveling the country in a van similar to this one, creating memories with their children every summer. Stops along the way include Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, and learning how to surf in a small town in California.

She says the dream sounds nice and there’s nothing but truth in her words. His eyes divert from the road, locking with hers, a soft “Yeah?” falling off his lips. Her head bobs forward, a gentle “Yeah,” leaving her mouth with a smile.

He turns back to the road but she can’t. All she can do is stare at him, beautifully bathed in daylight. And a dream that once sounded like a nightmare suddenly doesn’t sound so bad after all.

Once more in the caravan, the teenagers rehearse the plan to attack Vecna. They only have one shot to do it correctly, and Nancy wants to be thorough. Once she’s satisfied, she leads them across the grass to Eddie’s trailer.

The rope is still dangling, connecting both worlds, and Dustin tells Steve to be careful before he climbs, expertly flipping into the Upside Down. Robin isn’t impressed, but Nancy can’t say the same because she is impressed, evident by the way the corners of her mouth raise endearingly.

Nancy lands on the mattress with a thud, reaching for the outstretched hand presented in front of her. She lets Steve pull her to her feet, but he doesn’t know his own strength and pulls her a hair’s breadth away from his lips. Her eyes burn into his, but for a brief moment they flit to his lips and back again. She’s not subtle, and he notices, but he won’t be the one to pull away first.

Robin, Nancy, and Steve bid goodbye to Dustin and Eddie who are left in charge of distracting the demobats. Nancy watches as Steve takes a long look at Dustin, torn between staying with him or leaving him behind. She comforts him with a hand to his shoulder, assuring him that Dustin’s in good hands with Eddie by his side.

The trek through the woods is cold and dark, and someone as uncoordinated as Robin shouldn’t be running through trees and hopping over logs, but she darts off ahead anyway. Steve makes a comment about her being a “Klutz” but really he can’t poke fun at her too much because he’s had his own share of clumsy moments.

There was a time when baby Steve crawled backwards and ended up falling down a flight of stairs, thumping his head on the way. “That makes so much sense,” Nancy jokes, and she’s not expecting Steve to agree with her.

Steve knows he’s a confident guy, but he has times where he just can’t help but feel like an idiot. The word makes Nancy grimace because he’s anything but. He’s had his fair share of questionable friends, choices, and morals, but idiot is too strong of a word to describe his past self.

Over the last few days, Steve has done nothing but surprise Nancy. But the biggest surprise of all is when he stops in his tracks and looks at her with the most vulnerable look she’s ever seen and thanks her for giving his head “The biggest thump of its life, two years ago.”

Her shoulders deflate as he turns, assuring her he needed that thump on his head. How it changed him for the better, and how he’s able to move forward now, albeit slowly. He wonders what would have happened between the two of them if some other girl had knocked some sense into him.

He thinks they would have made it if they were meeting for the first time now. And Nancy, not one who is usually rendered speechless, cannot find her voice. Because really, is there any right way to respond to your ex-boyfriend laying his heart in the palm of your hands?

Steve asks her if she recalls their conversation in the caravan, the one about his dream of the Winnebago and six kids. Of course she remembers. There was never a moment she’d seen him more honest and so…hopeful. As if they weren’t hours away from their potential death, and the only thing on his mind was a future with his own little family, one filled with laughter, love, and limitless smiles.

And Nancy finds that her eyes begin to water and her throat tickles when he says he forgot to mention the most important part of his dream. Mist clouds his eyes, voice unwavering.

“You’re there. You’ve always been there.”

Steve knocks the breath from her lungs with just six simple words. Six words that she never expected to hear, but are somehow the most beautiful words he’s ever said. After all this time, without even saying the word, she realizes that he loves her. Steve Harrington, the boy she inadvertently hurt two years ago while trying to process shame and guilt and grief, saw a future with her. Steve Harrington, the man baring his soul to her, giving her his heart and expecting nothing in return, still wants her. Needs her. Loves her.

She can’t stand here and say nothing. She wants to say something, but Robin has other ideas as she calls out for them, confirming they were heading in the right direction after all. When Nancy finds the courage to glance at Steve from under wet lashes, she’s met with a sigh and a head nod before he takes off after Robin.

And the feeling comes back again. The one she felt at the Creel house and on the boat at Lovers’ Lake. She doesn’t have a name for it but it grows stronger and burns brighter whenever she’s near him. It feels warm and safe and calm and exciting all in one. She doesn’t remember the last time she’s felt this way, but she thinks she could get used to this feeling.

They tried. They truly tried with everything in them. But the clock had struck four times and the ground opened up and the city of Hawkins fell before their eyes. The already small city was becoming a ghost town, cars flying down streets to flee from the aftermath. They'd lost Eddie and Max in the process. 

They all felt responsible for what had happened to their once quaint town, and the only way to give back, to try and make things right, was to volunteer their help to the remaining citizens who were injured, hungry, or homeless.

Piling boxes into the back of Steve’s BMW is put on pause at the sound of a pizza van rolling into the Wheelers' driveway. Just when they needed something good, Eleven, Mike, Will, and Jonathan hop out of the vehicle, accompanied by a boy with an incredibly eccentric wardrobe.

Jonathan. The boy she hasn’t heard from or thought about for days, is scooping her into his arms and lifting her off the ground. He promises to tell her everything that’s happened over the last few days, but he kisses her forehead and whispers “I’m glad you're safe” before holding her once more.

Their reunion is short lived, with Jonathan bouncing off to introduce his new friend to the rest of the crew. She feels unproductive standing alone, suddenly realizing that they probably have a few more boxes to stack in Steve’s car. Unfortunately for Nancy, she turns around to the sight of the BMW driving off. A chance to be close to Steve disappearing down the road.

It’s Eleven who asks for someone to take her back to Hopper’s cabin, words pulling Nancy away from the vanishing vehicle. Nancy gently squeezes her hand and promises everyone will accompany her to the cabin. She deserves even a moment of normalcy.

The realization that the cabin needs a bit of remodeling hits them when they pull up to the vacant home. Eleven, Mike, and Will busy themselves with black trash bags and old garbage. Jonathan proclaims he’s handy with a hammer, so Nancy offers to help him board up the windows even though her mind is elsewhere. There’s tension all around them, if fleeting eyes and tight lipped smiles are any indication.

Nancy tries to distract herself by hammering a nail into the wood, but then Jonathan says, “I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” and the first thing out of her mouth is, “I'm glad you weren’t.” Because someone else was.

Jonathan’s brows furrow and she realizes how that sounds, backtracking to explain she’s glad he was taking care of Mike and Will. He’s always been good at that. She doesn’t know if he says it to be petty, but it’s her turn to look confused when he says, “I’m glad you were here.”

He makes an offhand comment about Steve being in charge if Nancy hadn’t been, and his tone doesn’t sit right with her. She feels the need to defend Steve and she knows Jonathan had expected her to laugh along with him, but his comment isn’t received well and instead he turns away, muttering an uncomfortable, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

They resume hammering, but it’s not long until he asks the dreaded question. “Are we okay?”

And really, how is she supposed to answer that when essentially nothing between them has been okay over the last few weeks? Conversations between them have been flat and plans have been rescheduled more than once or completely ignored. She’d started questioning whether he really wanted to see her. On his list of priorities, where was she?

She lies and answers, “Yeah, totally,” and states how hard it’s been with life throwing wrenches in their big plans. Big plans that include attending Emerson, Nancy studying journalism while Jonathan practices photography. She’s hounded him about it before, so she doesn’t see the harm in asking one last time if he received his application letter in the mail.

Unsurprisingly he says it hasn’t come yet. The disappointment she feels isn’t caused by the missing letter, but more from the thought that she’s being lied to. He hadn’t even looked her in the face when she’d asked, but she still wants to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Something soft lands on the tip of her nose and she gently brushes it off, about to hammer the last of the nails when something else lands on her finger. She glances at Jonathan, who flicks a piece of the substance off his wrist, and their attention is grabbed by Will calling out to them.

They rush over to join Hopper, Eleven, Joyce, Mike, and Will, who’s hand is locked on the back of his own neck. There’s goosebumps on his skin when he whispers, “Something’s wrong,” and whatever is falling from the sky is plummeting faster and more frequently.

Hopper weaves around branches in the forest and they follow him curiously, all pausing once they arrive on the peak of the hill to see Hawkins overcome by thick smoke, illuminated by a bright red sky. Screams and shrieks scatter throughout the burning city, and Nancy, unblinking, swallows when she puts the pieces together.

Hawkins is merging with the Upside Down. The creatures are beginning to take over the city, growling and screeching and tearing apart anything in their path. And she’s two seconds away from gearing up for the fight of her life.

And this time, they’d won.

Hawkins, Indiana, as Nancy knew it, is destroyed. 37 killed. 14 missing. 65 wounded. Homes, buildings, schools, stores, all demolished or unsalvageable. She estimates it will take at least a year to fix the damage that has been done. But hell, Nancy would take a demolished city over losing her loved ones any day.

Nancy never considered herself fond of hugs, but she is giving them out like candy on Halloween despite everyone being tired and dirty, covered head to toe in blood and ash.

Mike, teary eyed and lips quivering, reciprocates her bone crushing embrace without protest.

Eleven, fully drained and on the verge of collapsing, practically falls into Nancy’s arms. Nancy makes sure to kiss the top of her head, whispering, “I’m so proud of you,” loud enough for only El to hear.

And Jonathan, who struggles to untangle his limbs from Will and Joyce, finally wraps his arms around her.

Steve is already staring at her when their eyes meet. He’s alone, filthy and exhausted, hands on his hips as he sucks in deep breaths, but he finds the strength to lift a palm and give her a shy wave. And suddenly Jonathan's arms feel anything but comforting. He feels cold and distant and awkward, unable to compare to Steve’s warm skin, toned muscles, and tenderness. Nancy decides it’s been too long since she’s felt his embrace, and he looks like he needs one, too.

She doesn’t make it three steps in his direction before a piece of paper crunches beneath her boot. It’s crumpled and covered in soot but she picks it up anyway, unfolding the creases and squinting at the tiny print.

Her heart sinks into her stomach when she realizes she’s holding Jonathan’s acceptance letter to Lenora Community College. She only reads the first two lines before it’s promptly snatched from her fingers.

“What are you doing? Where did you get that?” Jonathan’s voice is frantic as he fails to hide the letter behind his back. His eyes are everywhere but on her, the tips of his ears turning as red as Nancy feels.

Her tongue is sharp and unforgiving, ripping the letter from his grasp and holding it up at eye level, forcing him to confront her. “You lied to me.”

The streets begin to clear except for the firefighters and National Guard, but Nancy stays glued to her spot. This isn’t just about him anymore. She’s supposed to be part of his future. She needs answers. “Tell me why. Start talking.”

And part of her wishes she never asked, because it’s the most honest Jonathan has been in months, brutally so. “Lenora is home,” He says, absentmindedly kicking rubble. “I can’t leave Will and my mom. I can’t do it, Nancy. I won’t do it.”

That’s why he’s been distant, she thinks. He knew this whole time. He knew he wasn’t coming with me.

Jonathan is notoriously pessimistic when it comes to love and relationships, but she never realized just how hopeless he felt when he pictured their future. He rambles on and on about how she would have given up Emerson to be with him in Lenora if she had known the truth. About how they would fall out of love and grow to resent each other, just like his parents did. How their kids would end up hating him. The future he pictures for them is a bleak one, a never ending cycle of hardship and heartache.

It’s not noble. It’s not chivalrous. His confession toes the line of being downright presumptuous. All this time she was so sure of what she wanted, of who she wanted, but now she questions if she truly ever knew Jonathan Byers, and if he ever really knew her.

She hands the letter back to him, nothing but a deep set frown etched into her skin. They don’t move and they don’t speak because his confession had said enough. A life with Nancy Wheeler would be a miserable one. He doesn’t see happiness or joy or hell, even love.

But another man does. And all this time, she could have been with someone who saw a future with her, who wanted a future with her. She glances around for him, coming up blank when he’s nowhere in sight. Dusk is approaching darkness, but she won’t let the lack of light stop her from finding him.

So she begins to walk.

By the time Nancy finds herself outside of the Harrington household, nighttime has fallen over the city. The sky is dark ink, illuminated by the moon and a few scattered stars. Devoid of gray smoke and red lightning, it’s the prettiest sky Hawkins has seen in days. She’s surrounded by woods, quiet and peaceful, and for the first time all day Nancy feels calm.

There was once a time where Nancy could anticipate what Steve would say in a given situation. She knew him well enough to predict his thoughts and finish his sentences. But years later she’s unsure of how he’ll respond to her showing up on his doorstep, if he’s even home. She thinks about turning around and heading back to her place, but the thought is fleeting. She needs to see him.

She knocks three times and waits, teeth finding her lip as her stomach churns. The lock clicks, and she doesn’t have time to rethink her decision before the door creaks open, revealing one very confused Steve. One look at him has her assuming he must have gotten home not too long ago. Dirt and blood still stain his face, and the warzone outfit is snug on his body. He looks like a hero. She thinks he is one.

“Nance?”

Soft, breathy, tender. Nance. It still warms her heart like it did when she was sixteen years old. He’s the only one who’s ever called her Nance, still the only one. It never would have felt right coming from anyone else.

She answers with a bashful “Hi,” apologizing for disturbing him so late. He says it’s not a bother, that she’s not a bother, and her heart swells. He makes her feel special, even if sometimes she doesn’t feel that way.

Steve moves to the side to let her through, gently closing the door behind her. It’s been years since she’s set foot inside his house, but there’s a certain comfort she feels when she glances around and realizes not much has changed, from the soft yellow lights in the living room to the myriad of family pictures lined perfectly on every wall. She zeroes in on a photo of a young Steve, basketball clutched between fingers and a toothy grin stretched across his cheeks. It’s her favorite one.

Nancy could beam at photos of little Steve for hours but she knows he’s probably waiting for her to say something, to explain why she showed up on his doorstep. He’s patient, wearing the faintest smile so as to not pressure her to speak, but the wheels in his mind are working overtime, ultimately coming up blank with a reason as to why instead of going home, she came searching for him.

Nancy can’t help but reach for him, arms snaking around his middle, head pressed against his chest as she buries herself in him like she’s wanted to for hours. There’s a weight lifted from her shoulders, one that can only disappear in the safe and protective hold that Steve provides.

And he returns her hug without question, because Steve Harrington would be incredibly foolish to fumble the chance at having Nancy Wheeler in his arms again if only for a moment. He hugs her like he used to, arm around the top of her shoulders, chin resting on her head, one hand in her curls.

And they say nothing for a while because they really don’t need to. The embrace says enough for the both of them. Neither one wants to break away first, basking in the feeling of being in each other’s arms, even if they’re sweaty and bloody and covered in remnants of interdimensional monster guts.

His whisper of, “What’s this for?” ruptures the silence, and instead of responding she squeezes him a bit tighter because there’s something about him that is just so damn comforting. The chuckle in his chest vibrates against her cheek, and it’s the sweetest sound she’s heard all day.

“I just missed you.” It’s a quiet and earnest confession, one that hits Steve right in the heart. He recalls so many late nights thinking that he’d never get the chance to have her in his life again. That he’d fucked up one too many times to deserve a woman as incredible as Nancy Wheeler.

But here she is, standing in his house, wrapped in his arms, telling him she missed him. He has half a mind to pinch himself to see if he’s dreaming. He hopes the universe would never be that cruel to him.

“I missed you too, Nance,” He swallows timidly, fingers brushing the back of her head as they did when he’d snuck into her bedroom to hold her for a few hours, escaping through the window when the soft drag of his fingers had eventually lulled her to sleep.

“More than you could ever know.” Steve could stand there and hold Nancy forever, and he wants to, but he heaves a sigh because he doesn’t trust himself not to bend down and kiss her breathless, so he reluctantly pulls away first because he’s trying so hard to be respectful of her relationship with Jonathan.

He clocks the disappointment that swirls in her bright eyes and he excuses himself quickly before he does something he’s not even sure that she wants. He busies himself with the thought that he should clean the days’ old bat bites on his hip that have no doubt reopened, so he tells Nancy to make herself comfortable while he freshens up in the master bathroom.

Steve doesn't realize she’s followed him until he begins to strip off his clothes, tossing them onto the bathroom floor. His jacket is discarded along with his stained shirt, leaving only tattered combat pants on his body.

Only then does he look up and lock eyes with Nancy, who stands in the doorway shuffling her feet. She’s wearing a look that he recognizes all too well. Eyebrows pulled inward, teeth chewing at the corner of her bottom lip. She wants to ask him something, but she can’t find the right words.

He asks if she’s okay and she nods, toeing across the tile until she’s standing in front of him. Her eyes glance over the blood stained bandages around his abdomen, fingertips grazing the skin just above. “Can I help?” She questions finally, eyes pleading. She hopes he accepts her offer. It’s about time someone took care of him. “Please?”

She could ask him to pluck the stars from the sky and he would simply find a way just because she asked. If Steve Harrington knows anything about himself, it’s that he will always be soft for Nancy Wheeler.

He does his best to hop up onto the sink, groaning every now and again as he tries to shimmy into a comfortable position while Nancy moves around the bathroom effortlessly. She looks like she belongs here with him, and his mind does what it does best and wanders to the future. To their house. To them. Together. A dream he wishes wasn’t so far out of reach.

Steve expects her to busy herself with the bites on his hip first, but Nancy’s finger gently lifts his chin until they’re eye level, warm cloth brushing over his skin. He can’t bring himself to peel his eyes away from her face and the way her gaze holds so much concern for him. Not that he wants to look elsewhere anyway. She’s focused on cleaning the grime off his face, but every now and again her eyes flick to his and she gives him one of her tight lipped smiles. He returns them everytime.

And she’s gentle with him. So gentle that his head grows heavy in her small hand and his eyelids begin to flutter, exhausted from a hard day’s work. He has half a mind to let himself doze off in her palm because he knows he’s safe with her, but his eyes are forced open when Nancy murmurs, “Can I ask you something?”

He can’t tell what’s exactly on her mind but he gauges it can’t be that bad since her voice isn’t wavering like it usually does when she’s nervous. He nods, trying to ignore the sudden heat on his cheeks when her fingers delicately run over the fading bruise on his throat and the scar on his jaw. “Did you mean it? I mean– what you said…about me? About us?”

Us. He’s thought about them so many times. About what it would be like to reconcile, start fresh. To talk about the mistakes they’ve made, and to make promises in the dark of the night as they hold each other close, to never hurt each other again. Not purposely, at least.

But there’s a worry in his stomach that his honesty will scare her, especially if she hasn’t thought about him at all. He weighs his options and decides on the truth, because Nancy Wheeler is nothing if not persistent, and she would keep asking until she received the answer she was looking for. When Steve finds his voice, it’s strong and sure. “Of course I did.”

His certainty squeezes Nancy’s heart. There’s many things Steve has been uncertain about in his life. School, career, and aspirations being a few. His feelings for Nancy were never one of them.

The admission turns her shy, pink cheeked, and her head falls to the side away from his burning gaze, and that just won’t do for Steve because he already misses the pretty color of her eyes. His favorite pastime is getting lost in them.

So now it’s his turn to raise her face until she has nowhere else to look but at him, thumb brushing a streak of dirt on her cheek. He swears she leans into his touch, so he cups her cheek more firmly. “I meant every single word, Nance. I hope I didn’t scare you, but I just…I needed you to know.”

There’s not a single part of his dream that made her uneasy. It was unexpected, maybe. But scary? Not a chance. There was something hopeful in the way that he spoke so lovingly about a simple future. And over the last few days when she had gathered herself for bed and settled in for the night, she couldn’t help but wonder what a life with Steve could look like. The more she thought about his vision, the more she was drawn to it.

“Look…I know you’re with Jonathan,” There’s an ache in his chest that’s just as painful as the reminder that Nancy’s heart belongs to someone else. Steve doesn’t want to think about how he’d given another man a chance to love her when it should have been him all along.

But that man was responsible for so many of Nancy’s smiles. She deserves to love and be loved back. Steve can’t truly find it in his heart to be mad. “And I know he makes you happy. I’m so glad he makes you happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, Nance.”

Her fingers work at disinfecting the wound on his hip, but she’s not even sure if she’s doing it correctly because his words have her in a trance. She can’t tear her gaze from him, raw sincerity swimming in hazel eyes.

Steve’s shoulders deflate with a long overdue exhale, sliding off the sink to be closer to her because she’s entirely too far away. “And maybe telling you about my dream while you’re still with him is a selfish thing to do, but Nance I have to be selfish one more time because I’m not sure if I’ll ever get another chance to say this to you.”

She drops the stained cloth when he cradles her face in his hands and it’s her turn to melt between his fingers. Foreheads touch, noses bump, and lips are just a hair’s breadth apart as Steve says, “You’re the one for me, Nance. There’s not a single person in this world who could compare to you.”

Steve swallows around thick emotion because this woman has had his heart for almost three years and she deserves to know just how much she means to him. “And if there ever comes a time where we can try again…where we can try us again…I promise I will do whatever it takes to make sure you feel loved the way that you need. You are the most important part of my dream. Not kids, not Winnebago summers…you.” A pause, another shy gulp, and one final confession. “And that’s because I love you, Nancy Wheeler. I love you . I love you so damn much and I haven’t stopped and I don’t want to stop because loving you is what I was meant to do. I hope you'll let me."  

She knew it was coming. She knew it was coming and yet she wasn’t prepared for how his words would set her body aflame. How they would light up her heart with the warmest glow. She thinks there’s nothing more enticing than a man who knows exactly what he wants, and he wants her. Steve Harrington, after all this time, after the hurt, the pain, the betrayal, sees Nancy Wheeler as the biggest part of his life.

And for Nancy, everything begins to make sense. The feeling comes rushing back. The one that’s deep and warm and fond and has been present ever since Steve Harrington walked back into her life. It blooms in her chest and pools in her eyes when she gazes at him, the most honest and sincere and beautiful man she’s ever known. And she finally has a word for it.

It’s love. Nancy Wheeler has been falling back in love with Steve Harrington and she’s finally ready to accept it. She’s enchanted by him and the way he’s grown to be confident and driven. Dependable and sensitive. Brave and honest and thoughtful. He’s everything she wants, everything she knew he could be. What a fool she’d be to not leap at the chance to be with him again.

She feels him start to pull away and before he can she circles her hands around his wrists, cementing his hands to her face because even if she’s away from him for one second, it’s a second too long. His eyes are shiny and she knows hers are too because the evidence slides down her cheeks.

She stuns him when she whispers that she’s no longer with Jonathan. As serious as the moment is, she allows herself to breathe a chuckle at his comically wide eyes. And sure, neither she nor Jonathan uttered the words “I’m breaking up with you”, but what kind of relationship could they have going forward with Nancy knowing the only future Jonathan envisioned for them is one that would leave her unsatisfied?

Nancy Wheeler swore to herself that she would never end up like her parents, two people who married for convenience without ever considering that convenience wouldn’t be enough to keep their marriage afloat. Her mom is unhappy, dad emotionally absent. To sustain a marriage you need more than just practicality.

And she loves her parents, she really does, but Nancy wants to do things differently. She wants respect, love, passion, partnership, and so many other qualities that would never be present in Jonathan’s future, but seem to line up perfectly with Steve’s. The choice is easy.

Steve listens as she recalls Jonathan’s future, one where she would be settling in a loveless relationship, and Steve’s hold on her face tightens because he knows he’s capable of giving her so much more than Jonathan could ever imagine, and he plans on showing her.

And then Nancy beams hard when she talks about hope and how his dream gives her some semblance of normalcy after all these years of chaos. How with him, she'll be able to have a career and a beautiful family to come home to. She thinks it’s what they both need.

But one part of his dream may be a bit too chaotic, and with a smirk she asks if they can compromise and settle on two kids and a cat because six kids might prove to be a handful. A puff of air ghosts over her lips as Steve leans in. “Nancy Wheeler, if it was possible I’d carve out a piece of my soul and give it to you.”

He laughs, but Nancy knows he would if he could. His love for her is insurmountable. This is what it feels like to be loved, adored. To have a partner who sees emotional vulnerability as a strength. To be with a man who loves and loves hard. She never wants this feeling to end.

“I know,” She affirms with a nod, hands sliding from his wrists and up his shoulders until her arms wrap around his neck. His palms descend down her sides, resting easy on her hips. “I know you would. But I’ve been waiting days for you to kiss me again. So please, please kiss me Steve. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

Steve Harrington is beautiful all the time, but his beauty shines differently when he’s in love. “I’ll kiss you for the rest of our lives if you let me.”

And he seals that promise when his lips glide over hers for the first time in two years, and Nancy knows it's the best kiss she's ever had. Their mouths mold perfectly against each other, tongues licking ardently as teeth playfully nip on plush pink flesh. Body to body they cling to each other, hot and desperate and wanting. 

They only break away for a moment to rid each other of the rest of their clothes before stumbling into the shower, giggling and touching and melting under the other’s touch. The water is hot but neither one of them mind because now without the weight of the world on their shoulders, they’re able to breathe and relax in the comfort of shared space and warm lips.

Their kisses are fervent, but time spent touching and exploring bodies is slow, unrushed. Fingertips graze over pebbling nipples and pectoral muscles. Hips and a happy trail. Hands knead and rub skin, attempting to coax strings of more and fuck and please from slick lips. Things are different between them now, they’re different, but the way they love on each other is the same.

She breathes a gasp into Steve’s mouth when the hard muscle between his legs brushes up against her, the tip pink and pretty and slick with arousal. His cheeks are flushed from the shower steam and underlying shyness, and his eagerness turns Nancy’s need into a craving. He wants her just as much as she wants him.

Patience is a virtue, but it has never been one Nancy is fond of. There’s no hesitation when she forces him down onto the marble bench in the corner of the shower. He’s taken by surprise at first, eyes round and lips parted, brows slightly pinched.

Her voice is pleading as she says, “I need you," straddling his lap with her thighs on either side of him. She dives in again, connecting their lips in a frenzied passion as she finds a steady rhythm, rocking her hips against him. Her slick coats him and he hisses, hands bruising her skin as she’s pulled flush against his chest.

Steve whispers her name, hoarse and needy, but she’s zeroed in on grinding her hips in a way she hopes will make him fall apart. His tip catches on her clit and she moans, maneuvering her hand to find the hard length of him. Before she can sink down and claim him, he groans her name again, still wrecked, catching her wrist in his palm. “Nance, shit–fuck–baby, wait.”

She’s about to whine like a petulant child because she’s so close to having him the way that she’s been wanting to for days, until she notices the familiar emotion clouding his honey eyes, halting her movement entirely. For the first time all night Steve appears nervous, insecurities breaching his naturally confident aura.

He swallows, mouth upturned timidly. “I need to know that you want me, too.”

She frowns then, ready to counter and call him crazy because how could she not want him, but he shushes her with a light peck to her lips. “I need to know that we’re in this together, Nance. I don’t want you hiding or running away from me, not anymore. I said I want you and I meant it. Every single part of you. The parts you love, the parts you hate. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful. I want them all.”

She’ll never grow tired of him saying it, never get over the way her heart beats for him. She’s well aware of what he’s asking of her, and while communication and trust have been areas she’s struggled in, she knows she can try for him. She doesn’t want to leave him in the dark again, never leave him questioning where they stand.

She leans into his touch when he cradles her face in his hands. “And if we fight, we fix it. We don’t go to sleep mad. We talk. We apologize. We help each other, support each other. Look Nance, you’re all I’ve ever wanted. And at the end of the day, I just need to know you’ll still want me too,” His next words come out low, but she hears them loud and clear. “You’ll want us.”

She pulls back to look at him, inspecting him as she would a delicate painting. The gears in his brain are working overtime, and Nancy knows he’s being plagued with thoughts about their past relationship. Guilt worms its way into her chest at the remembrance of how they’d left things, of how he’d begged her to say just three little words. Nancy needs him to know he’ll never have to beg again.

Her fingers find damp chestnut hair, pushing the wet strands away from his face before settling her palm on his cheek, thumb running over a small smattering of freckles. Her heart soars when he leans into her touch too, gazing at her with nothing but love in his eyes. She knows exactly what he needs to hear. “I love you.”

His mouth parts in protest because he can’t let her say those words unless she means it. His heart broke once when she couldn’t say them before. It doesn’t deserve to break again if she feels like she owes him. “Nance, please don’t-.”

It’s her turn to silence him with a kiss, breathing her love into him between the small part in his pretty lips. “Listen to me. I came back to you because I love you. I want us to work. I know we can. I couldn’t give you the love you deserved back then, but I have the chance to do it now and I’m going to make sure you never question it again. I promise.”

It’s a promise she plans on keeping every day because he’s worth it.

“I thought about you,” She whispers then, free hand settling on his unoccupied cheek. She attempts to blink away the sting in her eyes. “I wondered where you were, what you were doing, if-if some other girl was giving you the love I wish I would have. Because you were good to me, Steve. You were.”

She hopes he hasn’t spent years pondering over his competency to be a good partner. He wasn’t perfect, she never expected him to be, but he was sweet and kind and thoughtful. His flower deliveries were simply ‘just because’. He valued her opinions, even if he disagreed. His dumb jokes made her belly laugh, and his kisses were sugary sweet and dizzying and consuming. She was never left to wonder if he loved her. He showed it in his own way.

“After Barb died, you tried,” There’s a hiccup that passes through her lips, more following when she struggles to catch her breath. Her tears are disguised by water droplets, but Steve knows they’re there because he knows her. His thumb reaches out to catch them.

“You tried to help me the best way you could but it just–wasn’t what I needed back then. Things might have been different if I had just told you…if I had just let you in. Instead I got drunk and I–I called you bullshit.”

It wasn’t one of her finest moments, holding his heart in her hands and dismantling it piece by piece. Blaming them, blaming him, for Barb’s death. She wishes she could take it all back.

“I still remember your face when I said it, and I need you to know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’re not bullshit. You never were. You cared about me in your own way, and you loved me so much and you still love me even after all of this, and I–.”

“Nance, hey. Baby, breathe,” She’s enveloped in secure arms, Steve’s lips pressing against her forehead as she curls in on him, body shuddering from the overwhelming rush of tears. She doesn’t like crying if she can help it, but she needs this. Needs to tell him everything she couldn’t before. “Baby, we both made mistakes. We both could have been better. I should have been better for you, and I'm so sorry I wasn't. But the reason we can have this conversation now is because we’ve both grown up, yeah? We can’t change anything about the past, even if we want to. So let’s promise to work on our future, okay?”

Our future. It sounds so beautiful when he says it. She can't believe this man is hers. This wholesome, mature, gorgeous man is all hers. 

“Our future. That…sounds nice.” With newfound flirtatiousness, she purrs the same words that were uttered in the caravan. The grin on Steve’s cheeks is bigger than the one that had spread across his face that day.

She doesn’t miss the rasp in his voice or the way his nose skims against her jawbone, lips migrating down to her neck. He plants a kiss there, gentle and teasing, her pulse racing underneath the plush of his lips. “Yeah, baby?”

Baby. It feels so good to be his again, but she thinks it’ll feel even better when she asserts him as her own, core fluttering in anticipation. “Yeah, Steve. It sounds really, really nice.”

And when she finally sinks down on him, there’s nothing on their minds except love. Sheer, reciprocated love. No shame or guilt about past faults. No worries or insecurities about the future. They’re simply Steve and Nancy. Nancy and Steve. Two past-turned-present lovers giving themselves to each other, clinging together to make up for lost time.

They could ravish each other now and goddamn they want to, but it’s Steve who chooses to slow things down a bit first, easing himself into her because her pleasure and comfortability are his top priorities. Steady thrusts help her adjust to his length, and deep thrusts make sure she feels everything, reminding her he’s here and he’s not going anywhere.

She squeaks on a particularly deep thrust, almost missing the sweetness that drips from his words. “You’re all mine,” He assures, breath hot against the column of her throat. He doesn’t know if it’s possible, but he swears he feels his dick grow even harder when she whines, “I’m all yours.”

One thing about sex with Steve that hasn’t changed? He’s a sweet talker and he’s damn good at it. He sings her praises, litanies of, “You’re so good for me,” “You take me so well,” and “That’s it baby, you’re so beautiful,” stealing the breath from her lungs. She’s never felt more desired than when she’s with him, never felt more worshiped. And Steve will never go another day without reminding her that her beauty is simply unparalleled.

He’s touching and loving on her everywhere. It’s what he does best and it’s what she deserves and fuck, her head is dizzy with pleasure. Hot, open mouthed kisses are dotted along her neck and throat. She exhales an airy giggle before it morphs into a moan when teeth drag over her pulse point. He wraps his lips around her skin, sucking and biting while a hand grips her jaw to keep her in place. Steve thinks she’ll look lovely decorated in faint red and purple love marks. Nancy must think so too, head angling to provide him more canvas space for his artwork.

Somewhere in between muttered curses, messy kisses, and multiple tugs on damp hair, the atmosphere shifts. Nancy’s desperate pleas electrify him, especially when her cunt squeezes around him. He’d never dream of denying her anything, not while she begs so sweetly to be filled.

Skilled hands slide down to palm the fat of her ass, spreading her further open so she can take more of him, all of him. He teases her a bit, fingers slowly skimming over her puckered hole, and she reels forward to kiss the smirk off his face, scolding him with a bite to his lower lip. The action is filthy but it’s so Steve, equally sinful as he is passionate.

And Nancy is eager to watch him fall apart beneath her. She rides him the way he’s always loved, grinding and bouncing and squeezing him as she meets each thrust. She’s warm and wet and snug around him, and she knows the damp curls on her pubic bone are driving him wild because his eyes are glued to the place they connect.

Steve groans, deep and husky, as eager fingers alternate from playing with the hair on his chest to scratching the skin of his back. She’s claiming him, branding him as hers, and the thought of forever belonging to Nancy Wheeler has his cock twitching.

He encourages it, a “Go ‘head baby, mark me,” that spurs her on. She’s never been rough with him before, all shy smiles and quiet gasps, and he loves this new side of her. There’s a sting when her nails rake over the muscles in his shoulders particularly hard, most likely payback for his earlier teasing, but he appreciates the mixture of pleasure and pain.

There’s a neediness to her voice when she demands that he tell her that he loves her, hips changing from a quick grind to a slow rock that causes Steve’s eyes to roll in the back of his head. He pants out, “I love you. I love you so much,” and every fiber of her being believes him.

And he wants to hear it too, not because he doesn’t believe it but because he’s still in awe that she does. “Say it,” he pleads, hips hammering upward while blunt nails clamp down on her hip bones. “Need to hear it again, baby. C’mon, tell me you love me.”

She babbles, “I love you, I love you, I love you” bouncing off the shower walls in time with the sharp snap of his thrusts. Her proclamation is loud and true and drives both of them to the edge. “Steve, I’m–shit…”

His teeth sink into his lip to keep him from screaming, nodding as he gruffly moans, “I know, Nance. I know, baby. Let’s do it together, yeah?”

Her whimpered, “Please” is the green light. One hand grips her skin while the other snakes between them, thumb brushing against the one sensitive spot where Steve wishes he had used his tongue first. The noises she makes are always beautiful, but the sounds he can pull when he gives extra attention to her clit are unmatched.

Steve presses against her, flicking his finger back and forth in a practiced manner and Nancy mewls, head bumping against his. Her thighs are weak and she’s practically panting against Steve’s mouth, but it’s the first time they’ve fucked in two years and she needs him to finish with her.

He spills into her the moment she clamps down onto him, riding out their climaxes while clinging to sweaty, fucked out bodies. Nancy finds fun in teasing him, rotating her hips in an agonizingly slow fashion because she knows he’s sensitive and she loves it when he whines. The tips of his fingers assault her ribs with quick tickles, drawing a squeal from her lips before they catch their breaths and kiss each other stupid.

They stay locked in each other’s embrace for as long as they want to, because there’s nowhere they need to go and no place they’d rather be.

It’s 12:03 a.m., and everything is perfect.

Atop the kitchen counter, Nancy sits comfortably in baggy blue sweatpants and Steve’s slightly worn Hawkins’ High basketball tee, glass of red wine held between her fingers. She sips gingerly, eyes never leaving the beaming boy in front of the stove who stirs a pot of macaroni and cheese, his own wine glass perched beside him.

Steve feels her eyes on him, peeking up from the pot to flash her a wink as she hides her giggles behind another sip of wine. Satisfied with the tenderness of the macaroni, he flicks off the flame, drains the water and mixes the cheese in, adding a splash of milk and a bit of butter to make it extra creamy the way Nancy likes.

A bowl is handed to her and she accepts the late night comfort meal with an enthused squeak before shoveling a spoonful into her mouth. She moans dramatically as it melts on her tongue, rewarding him with a cheesy kiss right on his sweet lips. Nancy loves knowing the blush across his cheeks is from her.

Steve stands between her legs, quietly rotating between gentle chews and quick sips, and just watches her. There’s no frown on her face, no worry lines etched into her forehead as she eats without a care in the world. She looks as at peace as he feels.

They stay in this position even long after they’ve finished eating, Steve between her thighs and Nancy perched on the counter, legs wrapped around his back to lock him in place. They talk and joke and laugh more than they ever have. Healing is easier when you’re surrounded by love.

And they kiss. They kiss long and soft and slow because they can. There’s no danger, no battle or impending doom threatening to keep them apart. Instead, there’s a future filled with sunshine and warmth, hopes and dreams, loving promises and new opportunities to learn and grow and build a beautiful life together.

Because after everything they’ve overcome, they deserve it.