Chapter Text
When Nancy imagined finally hearing the words I love you, she’d imagined the scenario quite differently then this.
She’d pictured something a little romantic, at the indulgence of herself. Her and Kali, just the two of them during a moment away. Probably on the outskirts of town, the content quiet of the quarry and them spread on the blanket, Nancy half-way in Kali’s lap with her head rested perfectly on her shoulder so Kali can whisper to her, all nerves with a heart that can’t keep it in any longer, I love you. And Nancy, so taken and overjoyed, will brighten enough to light up the whole purple evening sky above them, I love you too. She’ll watch Kali break out into that amazing grin she has, that shows the happiness she often feels she has to hide – and they’ll kiss and it’ll be just as incredible as the first time, Kali’s hand gripping her waist and Nancy’s cupping her cheek because they can’t get closer, not dreaming of ever letting go after that moment. Something amazing, something she’ll always remember.
Alright, so, a lot romantic. And even if it hadn’t been, this was still the last thing she’d thought would happen.
She had not expected it when the whole world was falling away at their fingertips.
Yet, here she was. She’d stood back with the rest, as far away as they could be from the force ripping the world apart. The gate; the very one that’d reopened, that’d unleashed a force that’d taken the entire Hawkins Lab whole. The one that’d sent powerful earthquakes and storms and whatever else, threatening a danger that soon everyone else had figured out would very well destroy the planet less it could be stopped.
It was a very powerful foe. And they had only one weapon – well, two.
She’d stood back, as everyone else has, watching both Kali and El walk themselves down to their fate, hand in hand and the quiet power both girls held rolling off strong shoulders. Nancy felt a bit guilty at feeling glad, that it was less her girlfriend who had no chances, as it was El. It was El’s powers that were the core force to be able to bring it all down – but she couldn’t do it alone, she didn’t have enough strength. Kali, of course being the only other one with powers, had to go beside her and offer all she could of her own.
So Nancy and the rest stayed back, battered and bruised from the fighting previously done; Hopper and Joyce trying to watch for their daughter, her brother and his friends stone-faced to the scene before them. Jonathan and Steve were on her other side; Jonathan had grasped her wrist, squeezing tight, knowing how her eyes had never left Kali. You could barely see them from here, two small figures, Kali’s torn leather jacket and the dirt smeared over El’s pink sweater. They were puny against that giant... mass, before them.
So, no, this wasn’t the scene Nancy had pictured.
But it was what happened, when it was revealed the sisters were the ones who had to defeat it, and only them, less the whole world collapse in a matter of hours. Nancy barely had time to process that before Kali was in front of her, hands gripping her arms, an expression of both her familiar seriousness yet desperate all the same with wide eyes, pleading.
“Nancy, Nance, listen to me, I have to –”
“No, no please, Kal, you can’t please –”
“Jane needs me, but listen, listen –”
“No you can’t don’t go don’t you’ll die I can’t loose you too –”
That’s when Kali palm was fondly cupping her cheek as Nancy cried, begged her to stay, seeing the same tears reflected in brown eyes but her voice never wavering as she spoke,
“Look, I don’t-I don’t have much time, but, I wanted to say I love you..”
I love you. They’d been dating a year but it still struck Nancy. She hadn’t rushed Kali in her feelings, knowing the reason it was taking her so long wasn’t because her feelings weren’t there, but that she’d lost so many in her life, it’d become scary enough to tell a person less they leave her life again. Nancy could understand that; she’d lost enough too to know how frighting it was to love again.
She’d been shocked into silence, only ragged breaths and tears, watching her incredible girlfriend with the cuts already on her hands and blood dried under her nose, wrecked from fighting, but still holding so much strength to take her and El forward. And then Kali kissed her, kissed her for the possible last time, Nancy barely having time to memorize it before Kali was out of her arms, repeating I love you, I love you as she left.
Nancy never even got to say it back.
Instead, they were forced to stay back and let the girls walk into the monsters mouth. Nobody had any idea what could happen but no sooner the ground began moving and the mass before Kali and El started surging and shaking and screaming. It looked like it had started shrinking but no one could tell as everything started moving at once and the earth started cracking open. Nancy didn’t want to take her eyes away but people started yelling and Hopper’s screaming get down! get down! and hands are on her arms, dragging her away. She’s pulled down by Steve and Jonathan and just has time to check for Mike huddled beside Will and Lucas, guarded by Hopper, as they duck behind the truck and she’s enveloped. The kids are screaming and everyone’s holding onto each other tight as the whole world is wracked and there’s a sudden white light blinding everything –
And silence.
The earth was still, there was no other worldly sounds emanating. Everyone was quick on up on their feet, eyes casted out to where the lab had once stood – where are they what’s going on – only to find, nothing.
The mass was gone, the gate evaporated. It was over. Nancy can’t feel herself breathing, squeezing onto Jonathan’s hand still in hers, the other shaking as it held her pistol.
And Kali and El. Laid on the ground, still.
“Holy shit –”
“El!”
“ Everyone get in the car, get in now go!”
The next second she’s rushing to the side of Steve’s car, Jonathan and the rest of the kids who didn’t get in the truck packing in as the keys are turned and Steve’s racing it down the road straight for what they’d been trying to avoid.
There’s still yelling the back and Jonathan’s trying to tell Steve to avoid the chasms now made in the asphalt and she’s telling him to drive faster and the kids – what the hell even happened, is El okay did you guys see it, shit did they actually survive that, of course they did why would say, do you think it’s actually gone, El’s okay she’ll be okay – and all Nancy can hear is I love you, I love you.
When they’re close the car slams on it’s breaks, skidding across the road, the truck doing the same in front of them. Nancy throws open the door, jumps out and runs.
Kali’s laid on her back, covered in rubble and not moving. Nancy crashes to her knees beside her, hands she can’t hold still grasping around her head to prop her up on her lap.
“Kali oh my god oh god Kal, it’s me, it’s me can you hear me –”
She’s not responding. She still against her, head lolling as Nancy grasps onto her, nothing. Distantly Nancy recognizes Steve and Jonathan falling in behind her – is she okay what’s going on – and she can hear Hopper calling El’s name as he hovers over her, Mike beside and surrounded by the kids. But she doesn’t process it because Kali’s still not moving and she’s caked in dirt and she’s worn right through, her eyes closed like she was really –
A pulse. She needs to check. Hastily she grabs her shirt collar and tears it to place her fingers against her chest, begging to find a heartbeat, to find something to show she didn’t loose her love, anything.
“C’mon Kal please, please I know you’re there please you can’t leave –”
She gasps. There, faintly, a small beat underneath her skin Nancy can feel skimming against her fingertips.
“Kal –”
Kali jolts against her, eyes flying open and gasping. She can barely breathe, turning to the side as she chokes and sputters blood against the pavement, contorted in pain but Nancy’s beaming and starting to sob all over again, grasping tighter to her.
“Kali! Oh my god – hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Nancy cups her cheek, holding her steady as her head falls back into her lap “Look at me – just breathe, okay? Just breathe, I got you.”
She does, unsteady and torn, but managing. Nancy strokes her cheek as she does, the other hand grasping Kali’s hand, intertwining fingers.
“It’s okay, I got you Kal, I got you..” Nancy assures, trying to regulate her own breathing “….you did it Kal, you guys, you..you saved everyone, you’re incredible..”
“Nance...” She manages a whisper, not even able to open her eyes yet.
“Yeah?..”
“Where’s..Jane..”
Nancy looks across. El was turned over on her back, currently looking up with dazed and tired eyes at Joyce who’s also cradling her head.
“She’s okay, she’s here, she’s awake..”
“Good..” was the single sigh “And you..are-are you?..”
Nancy can’t help but almost laugh, her shock and delirium mixing together, terror of nearly losing Kali and joy at finding her still alive. She very well throws herself to her demise to save them but yet this is what she’s asking; pink lips turn up shakily, more tears slipping from baby blues.
“Yes, yes I’m fine, it’s okay, don’t-don’t worry about me..”
As they sit in silence, Nancy knows in a second they’ll have to get up. Hopper will declare his next order and chaos will come back, everyone running and scrambling to get the sisters to the nearest medical aid. Hopper will scoop up El wrapped in Mike’s jacket into his arms and Steve will take Kali in his, and they’ll rush off, roaring across in the cars and Nancy holding Kali in the back seat, hand in hand and swearing to never let go until she was safe and even after that.
But right now, her keeping the small and tattered girl close, Nancy realizes there’s something she has to say before that.
“Kali?..”
She barely manages a nod in return; she was still trembling as she breathed in, eyes still screwed tight, and Nancy knew this had to be quick.
“I-I love you too..”
And just like that, like she hadn’t almost been lost to the world, like she hadn’t experienced the hurt of almost being ripped apart, she starts to grin. And so does Nancy, smiling with teary cheeks, leaning down to press her forehead to Kali’s and whisper I love you, I love you too.
So, Nancy would’ve preferred a version where her girlfriend didn’t have to nearly die, but feeling Kali’s fingers tighten around hers with the little strength she had remaining and the whispered confessions between, maybe this wasn’t so far from that kind of unforgettable amazing.