Work Text:
NANCY POV:
“Nancy.” She could hear Vecna’s voice shattering through her skull.
She looked around, taking in her surroundings. There were slithering vines all over the floor, and she could hear the demobats shrieking in the distance.
But I just left the upside down- why am I here again?
After accidentally inhaling the red dust swirling around, Nancy broke out in a coughing fit.
“Did you already forget? I never forget my victims,” Vecna boomed.
But she didn’t forget. In fact, she was reminded of it daily. So many sleepless nights, spent blaming herself for the death of her best friend. And now, she was forced to experience it all again.
No. Not again. Nancy was back at Steve’s house, the day it happened. She left Barb alone at the pool, while she spent the night with Steve. That was the last time she had seen Barb, right before she had her first time. She told Barb that she could, and should leave, but she stayed. Of course she stayed, because she was a good friend. No, a great friend. A best friend. Much more than Nancy deserved, especially after what she did. That was one of the reasons Nancy hadn’t had any close friends since then- she didn’t deem herself deserving enough, after being the cause of death of her only friend. Barb died because of her. Hell, she’s no better than Steve. That day, she acted just like the selfish asshole that Steve was back then. The guilt washed over her as she relived the events of that night.
Then her view changed, and she was in Victor Creel’s house. She saw the little boy, collecting spiders and killing small forest animals, and suddenly it all made sense. Victor Creel’s son was Vecna.
But that still left Nancy with a lot of questions- why did Vecna kill his family? Who IS he? How was the upside down created? Nancy didn’t get much time to think about that because a voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Now that you know, I can’t let you go,” said Vecna.
ROBIN POV:
Robin quickly cleared the landing pad in Eddies trailer. She waited for Nancy to fall onto the mattress, but she never did.
Robin looked up through the portal to see what had happened, and saw Nancy fall back down(up?), Steve clumsily catching her.
“Holy shit!” Steve cursed. “You alright, Wheeler?”
But she was not alright. Nancy had that glazed look over her eyes. Robin couldn’t move. Why did it have to be Nancy?
“Nancy, you’re scaring me,” Steve was really starting to sound nervous. “Hey Nancy, wake up,” Steve waved a hand in front of Nancy’s face, but she remained the same.
“Fuck!” Robin barely registered her own voice. “No, Nancy!” She started making her way back to the makeshift rope, but Eddie grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Whoa whoa whoa, we just got out of that shithole and you’re going back in?!”
“Yes,” Robin stated promptly, shaking her arm to get rid of Eddie. “Nancy is fighting for her life right now, I’m not going to stand around and do nothing!” Did he really think I was going to just stand there and wait calmly for them to figure it out? Hell no, Nancy is in danger right now! I have to do something.
“Ok so don’t panic people, does anybody know her favorite song?” Dustin asked. He was greeted with silence. “Seriously? No one?!” Again silence. Even Erica shut her mouth for a change. “Not even you, Steve?” Steve shrugged nervously.
“Dingus, you literally dated her!!” Robin exclaimed.
“Yeah, for like, a month!”
“And it didn’t occur to you to get to know things about her? Like, for example, her favorite song?”
“I was a selfish douchebag back then!”
“Still are,” Robin murmured.
“Hey!”
“Guys!” Max interrupted. “Stop arguing! You aren’t helping!” Robin glared at Steve. “Think back, is there any time Nancy mentioned that she enjoyed song, maybe hinted at it?” Max looked over at Dustin.
“Why are you looking at me?!” Dustin exclaimed. “I don’t even know her that well!”
“Ok!” Max raises her hands in apology. “Robin? How about you? I mean, you guys have gotten pretty close over the past couple of days, did she mention anything, or..?”
Robin racked her mind for something, anything, that could help them figure out Nancy’s favorite song.
“That day, when Nancy and I were getting ready to visit the asylum where Victor Creel is held, I had been looking through Nancy’s stuff- including her cassette tapes.” Everyone looked up at her expectantly.
“And?” asked Dustin. “Any ideas on her favorite song?”
“I- I really don’t know, there were so many I-” She tried to remember if one of the tapes were different, or something to indicate her favorite. Wait- there was one- one that had a pink heart around it. Argh, but which song was it? “Try time after time, by Cyndi Lauper.”
“Really?! That’s your best idea?” Steve argued from the portal.
“Well it’s our only idea, so unless you have any other suggestions, I’ll go find my tapes!” Eddie marched off.
“Don’t worry Nance, we're gonna get you out of there,” Robin promised. It’s been mere seconds since Eddie left, but Nancy’s feet had already left the ground.
Oh, why did it have to be her? The perfect Nancy Wheeler, with gorgeous hair and beautiful blue eyes. And to think that she used to call her a priss- she was way off. Nancy is a genius, kind and intelligent. She could gaze into her eyes forever.
Robin felt a tear trickle down her cheek. “Eddie, hurry up!” She yelled. Just then, Eddie rushed back into the room with a pile of cassettes in his hands. He threw them into the mattress.
“Jesus Buckley, I came as quick as I could,” Eddie panted.
“Alright everyone, look for time after time,” said Dustin, already scourging the pile. Everyone else soon joined him.
“Are you even sure you have it?” Asked Max doubtingly after half a minute of hopeless searching. Robin looked back up the portal, Nancy already a foot in the air.
“We don’t have time for this! Come on guys, keep searching!” Said robin urgently. “Nancy doesn’t deserve to die. Out of all of us, she deserves to live the most! We can’t let her die, especially not like this!”
“Can you guys hurry up?!” Steve called out from the upside down. “Nancy is fucking 3 feet in the air, and we are not about to let this Vecna creep take her!”
“Found it!” Exclaimed Lucas, holding up the tape triumphantly. Robin quickly snatched it, leaving Lucas looking almost offended, but he didn’t say anything.
“Max, walkman,” Robin choked, worried that if she’d say more, she’d start bawling. Max wordlessly handed her the headphones and Robin started climbing up the rope.
Before she could make it up, Steve started screaming at her, “Robin! Throw me the walkman! You’re wasting time, come on, throw it to me!” Robin tossed the headphones and cassette to Steve before landing beside him in the upside down. Only as he started messily assembling the walkman Robin realized Steve’s face was streaked with tears.
“Steve, hurry up! Nancy’s life depends on this, just put the fucking tape in!” Robin shouted.
“I’m trying to, Rob! I’m really trying my best, but if you’re so good at this, you do it!” He shoved the walkman into her hands. Robin caught it and smoothly slid the cassette into the player. She could faintly hear the music as they waited in anticipation.
“Come on Nancy, you can do this! Please come back!” Robin pleaded.
“Don’t leave us Nance, we need you!” Nancy, please!” Steve was sobbing. Nancy’s body was high in the air now, and even though Robin and Steve tried to pull her back down, she was out of their reach.
NANCY POV:
Nancy wasn’t in the Creel house anymore- she was back at the pool.
“Your time has come,” an all too familiar voice bellowed. “Join me.”
“No,” Replied Nancy, “I will not join you!” She started running, not anywhere in particular but she needed to get away from him.
“Oh, but you don’t really have a choice, do you?” Vecna appeared in front of her, and he seemed to be- smirking? Nancy wouldn’t be able to get that out of her mind later. If I survive, she reminded herself.
Suddenly, she felt a vine crawl up her ankle. Before she could react, she was slammed against something hard. Nancy could feel vines covering her arms, legs, and the rest of her body, choking her. “No!” She yelled. But as she tried to fight back, the vines only tightened their grip. God, why are these things so slimy? Eugh! Gross! Nancy continued to struggle against their grip, but the vines were too tight.
“Your suffering is almost at an end.” Somewhere, a clock chimed. No, no! She couldn’t die, not like this! And then she heard it. First softly, but then it became louder, clearer. Sure it sounded all funky and distorted because of the upside down, but Nancy could still make out the lyrics.
“If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me
Time after time”
Vecna looked confused, and Nancy took her chance to break free, landing on the cold floor. She got up and ran, faster than she ever had her in her entire life, ignoring her aching feet and throbbing headache.
She ran towards the opening in the world full of red. She saw herself, floating in the air. She saw the kids crowded around the portal, everyone shouting her name.
“If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time”
Max had tears in her eyes, Dustin was jumping up and down, everyone was screaming at her to come back. God, she loved those kids. Eddie couldn’t stand to look at Nancy- she didn’t blame him. It couldn’t have been easy to watch two people get twisted and pretzeled by Vecna. Steve was ugly crying, reaching for her in the sky. And Robin-
Oh, Robin.
She’d collapsed onto her knees, screaming and crying. Nancy couldn’t bear to see her this way- because of her. Nancy used to think that Robin was so annoying, how she never quit talking, always babbling about something. She wasn’t sure when, maybe during their library trip, but she started actually enjoying listening to her talk. Robin was much smarter than she let on, and she called Nancy a genius. The way she looked at her at the library, with her soft puppy-dog eyes, Nancy couldn’t help but smile. She was more fond of that girl than she would ever admit- she really enjoyed spending time with her. Nancy hasn’t had a female friend since Barb, but Robin has come close to that. Not a best friend yet, but they’ve definitely grown very close in the less than 48 hours that they’ve spent in each other’s company.
“If you’re lost, you can look, and you will find me
Time after time”
The music was getting louder and more clearer, Nancy could finally see the exit clearly. She was almost there- and next thing she knew, she was falling.
“If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time”
ROBIN POV:
“Nancy! Nancy, come on!” Robin was weeping, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t lose Nancy. Not when she had just started becoming friends with her. Her first close friend in a while, besides Steve.
Nancy’s arm looked very close to bending when she snapped out of her trance and fell to the floor, Steve sloppily catching her.
“Holy shit, Nancy! You’re okay! You’re alive!” Steve laughed nervously.
Nancy looked up at Steve. “You knew. You knew what song to play,” Nancy stated to Steve.
“Actually, I- no, it wasn’t me i- it was Robin,” said Steve sheepishly, pointing in her direction.
Nancy turned to face the taller girl. “Thank you, Robin. You saved my life,” Nancy smiled at her.
“You were floating, Nance! Floating! This high in the air!” Robin motioned with her hands, “You scared the living hell out of us! But I’m so glad you’re alive,” Robin started crying again as she ran to hug Nancy. “I could’ve lost you,” she cried.
“But you didn’t,” replied Nancy, “I’m okay. You’re okay. Everything’s going to be fine.” Nancy’s voice was so soft, so delicate. Nancy leans into her shoulder and they stay like that for a while.
“Um, I hate to ruin your little reunion but I would like to remind you all that this Vecna dude is still alive, most of us are wanted criminals, and we are standing on a murder site so maybe we should uh, get going?” Eddie spoke from the portal.
“Um- yeah, yeah we could do that, definitely,” Robin said, releasing from the hug. “After you, Nance,” she pointed to the makeshift rope.
Nancy started to object, but was cut off by Steve.
“Nope, uh-uh, you’re going before us and that’s that. Go on.” So Nancy started her climb, Steve and Robin having to support her a little throughout the way, but finally she landed on Eddie’s mattress with an oomf, Robin and Steve following her.
“Well, now that everyone is present and accounted for,” Steve clapped, “let’s get going, shall we?”
“You realize it’s like, the middle of the night, yeah?” Robin raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, we're all pretty tired, considering Nancy just fought an inter dimensional monster, and we are criminal refugees on the run- I think a little sleep couldn’t hurt,” Erica spoke up.
“Yeah, well I’m not going to sleep on a murder sight in a stinky-“ Max was cut off.
“Hey! It’s not that bad!” Eddie argued.
“Yeah yeah, sure, whatever you say,” dismissed Max, “We still need a place to stay, preferably with food. I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” Dustin chimed in, “I literally haven’t eaten since breakfast, and thisbaby needs some food” he patted his belly.
“Ok, we get it, everyone’s starving and we need a place to sleep. Any ideas?” Asked Robin.
“Well we cant go to my house, or Dustin’s, or the Wheelers cuz we’re gonna get caught,” Lucas started listing, “Max’s trailer is too close to the murder site, and we probably shouldn’t risk reefer ricks place since Jason and his gang know about that. Anything else I haven’t covered?”
“We could go to my house,” Steve said. Everyone looked at him. “What? My parents aren’t home, they’re on a business trip or something again, and my house is pretty big. I think I might have microwaveable pizza in the freezer.”
“PIZZA!!!” Dustin yelled.
“Shut up, nerd!” Erica whisper-yelled.
“If there aren’t any objections, then Steve’s house it is,” announced Robin.