Work Text:
Nancy had expected her summer after graduating Hawkins High to be an exciting one. She'd attend her graduation ceremony, go to senior prom with her boyfriend Jonathan, and then spend the next few months doing some summer work and getting ready to move to Emerson for college.
Then she got swept into the chaos of fighting Vecna, and the Upside Down began to take over Hawkins. Almost two weeks after the end of the school year, Nancy could barely remember what she had planned for the summer. It had just been a ceaseless cycle of life-threatening craziness and drama ever since their last day.
It seemed like the universe had a sense of humor when it came to her life.
She currently was at Hoppers Cabin, focused on trying to record the progress that the Upside Down had already spread through Hawkins. It gave her something to do when they were all just waiting to figure out a plan on how they would deal with the literal apocalypse in her hometown.
However, it would have been a lot easier to do so if she wasn't getting interrupted all the time. First it had been her brother looking for Will and El. Then it was Murray who had been searching the cabin for alcohol. Now, it was the sound of Dustin using the cabin radio to loudly chat with his girlfriend Suzie, using a lot of surprisingly amorous language. At least they hadn’t started singing `A Never-ending story'. Apparently Suzie was heading up to Hawkins with her sister and using a radio to talk to Dustin on the way. Which was nice - if only they could do so a little quieter.
"Can you keep it down there, Dustin?" She eventually called out through the hallways towards the room the teen was in. Nancy liked him, but she wasn’t going to get any work done with the sounds of him and Suzie in the background.
"Sorry, Nancy." Dustin shouted back. .
She was just about to get back to her work when the door opened and another person showed up, making her sigh. The cabin had turned into the central hub of their group, with everyone coming and going on a regular basis. Although it was good idea for making sure they were all keeping in touch,, it made working a lot harder when someone came bursting in every 5 minutes.
This time Nancy turned around to see that Robin had entered the kitchen. The lanky ginger girl had become a regular fixture in their group since the chaos a few weeks ago, and seemed vey happy to have joined their circle.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Robin asked as she approached the table.
"I’m mapping out how far the Upside Down has spread, so we can make sure we stay out of it." Nancy replied as she drew a cross over another section of the town.
"Sounds like fun." Robin commented sarcastically and moved over to the kitchen counter to search for something to eat.
Nancy chuckled to herself and pencilled in another cross on the map. "Time of my life. Exactly what I imagined I'd be doing this summer."
Robin turned back around from the counter with a cold pop tart. It didn’t look particularly appetizing, but it wasn’t like any of them were going to complain about food right now. There were far bigger worries they had right now.
"Considering that you've had to deal with something insane on an annual basis, you probably should have." Robin suggested.
"Thanks for reminding me." Nancy sighed, knowing that she probably should have done so.
Nancy could see out of the corner of her eye that Robin was looking nervous. She hadn’t taken a bite of her pop tart, and her eyes kept darting from Nancy to the door. Like she didn’t want to be in the room but couldn’t bring herself to leave. She was a pretty jumpy person naturally, but this was different.
“Are you alright?” She looked up from her map at the other girl. Robin was startled for a moment but collected herself and approached the other side of the table.
"Listen, I-I need to apologize." Robin said gingerly.
Nancy straightened herself and fixed Robin with a concerned expression. "For what?"
Robin gathered her thoughts and managed to calm down to speak levelly. "For saying all that stuff about you getting back with Steve when you already had a boyfriend. It wasn't any of my business and I barely knew you. I feel really bad about it. Especially after the whole walkie talkie incident."
"Yeah. That did kind of put things in perspective." Nancy nodded awkwardly.
"I know it was wrong but Steve's my friend; my closest friend ever, and I wanted him to be happy. I didn't think that you were already happy with Jonathan." Robin confessed apologetically. "He's a cool guy, and he's clearly totally in love with you. I hope I didn't mess things up between you."
Nancy "You didn’t but thank you anyway. I know you just wanted to do something to help Steve."
Robin visibly relaxed and nodded happily at being forgiven. "Cool. And thanks for not being upset with me. I really hope that we can all be friends. Even after all this crazy shit is over. Provided that we're all still alive."
"I'd like that too.” She admitted.
"How are things? Between you and Jonathan, that is." Robin asked.
Nancy thought to herself for a minute. When she first saw Jonathan again, clambering out of a pizza van, she had been so happy. His long shaggy hair, his big brown eyes, his handsome face, his lopsided little smile.
She had never forgotten him while he was away. Not for a single moment.
He picked her up, kissed her forehead and held her tight, just like he used to do. When they kissed for the first time in so long, she had almost felt herself begin to cry with joy. It had been so hard being so far apart almost a whole year. She had missed him so much every single day so to be reunited at last made her feel like everything was going to be okay. Like their problems were over.
But things had soon gotten weird. There was this awkward tension that had emerged whenever they were alone, like things weren’t quite right. When he asked if they were okay, she said yes but they both knew it wasn’t that simple. They had been getting distant in the weeks before his return, but it was worse feeling that way when he was here. He was keeping something from her, that made him look away and get silent when she asked. She couldn’t help but get anxious as her mind was filled with thoughts of what it could be.
And she herself didn’t tell him about the changes in her relationship with Steve. It wasn’t as if she had done anything with Steve, but she still felt confused about what it had all meant. And a little guilty; spending so much time together cast her mind back to when they were dating years ago. Though she hadn’t meant to look at him with his shirt off, the truth was that she had missed being with Jonathan for a long time. She didn’t exactly feel comfortable telling Jonathan about everything that had happened, even if she knew she really should.
After two days, she realized that they couldn’t take it anymore. The Upside Down had spread into the real world, enveloping their hometown. They didn’t have any time to waste walking on eggshells and hiding how they felt. So, they met in the cabin and talked. And their talk quickly turned into a fight.
She and Jonathan had only fought twice. Once in the forests, a year before they even began dating, and a second time after they were fired from the Hawkins Post. Their fight this time was worse than the other two combined.
Nancy hated to remember that it. All the things they had said, the pain and fear that she felt when she found out Jonathan had also applied to community college in California. It had only gotten worse from there - all their pent-up frustration and fears from their time apart came spilling out in a mess of anger at one another. Especially when she learned that Jonathan wasn’t sure in their relationship lasting, instead choosing to compromise it by wanting to stay in California even further.
She asked him if he still loved her, but she couldn’t wait to see how he responded. She didn’t want to know if the answer was ‘no’.
She hated how weak she felt. She had faced down monsters, and shot the literal devil with a shotgun, but the thought that her boyfriend no longer loved her was more hurtful than anything else she had experienced. So, she ran away from him, and spent that night curled up alone, far away from Jonathan once again.
Because she wasn’t just fighting for her life, or those of her friends. She fought for their future, for the promise of their life together. The thought of it all being for nothing broke her heart.
However, things changed quick. Because the next day was the ‘walkie talkie incident’, as it had become known.
It was practically something out of sitcom. One minute, she had been with Robin, Max, El and the boys had been in the cabin just eating lunch together as the girls tried to cheer her up. Next, Steve and Jonathan were on the radio arguing for all of them to hear. Everyone sat around the table, awkwardly listening but unable to leave. Nobody seemed to know what to say. She was speechless as Jonathan poured out his heart and frustration. The moment they stopped fighting, Nancy had burst out of her seat and out of the cabin.
She had raced into the woods to find them as fast as she could, hearing Jonathan’s words the entire time. Hearing him confess that he had been in love with her since they were thirteen, and that he wanted. Hearing that he truly loved her. Hearing how he believed in their future and dreams as much as she did.
She would never forget that moment together when they reunited under the eyes of the forest. The words they said, the promises they made. The irrevocable love that she felt for him. It washed away all the pain she had felt the day before and gave her more hope and strength than she had known in so long.
It was then she realized the truth - that she and Jonathan were connected with a love and bond stronger than any monster or hurdle against them.
It had been five days since they came back from the forest hand in hand, their love reaffirmed and stronger than ever. Even though they were constantly worried about Vecna and the fight awaiting them, Nancy and Jonathan were also living their life together, making up for all the time they had lost. It made all the danger seem less terrifying now they were side by side once again, just as they were meant to be.
"Really good, actually. It's even better than how I wanted them to be. I think we both had so much we needed to say, but we were both worried about being truly honest. Now that we have, we can finally go back to just being together without worrying about anything other than our own happiness."
"That's really nice. You guys are really lucky to have found each other." Robin leaned on the table with a longing glance, as if she was in awe of the love Nancy and Jonathan had for one another.
"We really are.” Nancy smiled to herself, but after a spark of inspiration she turned back towards Robin. “But I know that there's somebody out there for everyone."
Nancy wasn’t an idiot. She hadn’t known Robin for long but fighting monsters with a person means you get to understand them well. It didn’t take much to figure out that Robin was gay.
She had seen the way Robin had been looking at Vickie a few days ago, when she had introduced the ginger girl to her, Jonathan, and Steve. It was the same shy affection that Jonathan had worn on his face whenever they met just before they finally got together; the type of look that was full of barely disguised love and kindness. It was honestly really sweet; after fighting by her side, Robin had become a close friend and Nancy wanted her to be happy.
She couldn’t just go up to her and say ‘Hey, I know you’re gay and I’m totally cool with that.’. She knew that the right thing to do was to wait for Robin to feel comfortable enough with her so she could approach Nancy when she was ready. But also felt it she should at least give a Robin a subtle reassurance that she wouldn’t treat her any different for any reason.
Jonathan had told her that’s what he had done with Will - simply showing his brother that he loved and supported him no matter what. He really was the most loving and moral person she knew, so she was happy to follow his example here.
Robin seemed to understand the meaning behind Nancy's words. Her face transformed into several emotions - confusion, understanding, worry and finally happiness. Whilst she likely wouldn’t tell Nancy right now, it looked like she knew that she would surely be able to do so in the future,
"Thanks." She gave Nancy a small yet genuine smile back at her. It was a relief to know that they would still be friends in this crazy time.
However, the quiet between the two girls would immediately be broken.
"Guess who's back, muchachos!" The sound of Argyle's excited shout from just outside echoed around the cabin. “And we brought toys!”
Yet another interruption. Nancy dropped her pencil with exasperation. She was never going to finish this stupid map.
She marched out of the kitchen and towards the living room so she could see who had returned with the Cali stoner, and to see what he meant by ‘toys’, with Robin just behind her. Having known Argyle for only a short while, she thought it would be best to be prepared for whatever craziness he was up to.
However, her mood was immediately lifted by the sight of none other than her boyfriend stepping through the door, with a duffle bag over one shoulder, illuminated by the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows.
Nancy would never get tired of looking at Jonathan Byers, memorizing every single detail about him.
He was looking healthier than he had when he got back to Hawkins, having thrown all of his weed away after their fight (much to Argyle’s distress). Later, as they lay in bed together, he admitted to her that he only started taking it to cope with being so far away from her. Since being back in Hawkins he seemed brighter and more energetic than he had in Hawkins according to Will. It made Nancy really happy to know that she had that effect on his life, because he definitely did the same thing to her.
Other girls might not have considered him conventionally attractive, but everything about him was handsome to Nancy. His shaggy brown hair, his tall lean frame (though with extra muscle she noticed), his dark eyes and soft cunning face. All so uniquely him.
When he looked up and saw her, his face immediately brightened, and his lips tilted upwards into a boyish smile that warmed her soul. God, she loved him dearly.
"Hi there." Jonathan immediately put down the bag in his arms by the door and walked over to her excitedly. He stopped close to her and cupped one hand on her cheek for a short but sweet kiss.
"Hey.” She grinned against his lips, ruffling his hair affectionately. Her smile only widened as he laughed and tried to fix his hair. “Where have you been?"
Jonathan’s smile suddenly became sheepish. “About that-"
"What the hell are those?" Robin exclaimed in shock.
Nancy stepped to the side and looked towards the door, her eyes widening and jaw practically dropping. Steve and Argyle had just entered through the front door - carrying machine guns. Real, actual, military machine guns. Argyle had two, and Steve had one in his own arms plus a bag on his pack.
"Rifles, dude! Check them out!" Argyle crowed hoisting the two guns in his arms and posing like an action hero, making exaggerated gunfire with his mouth. To the shock of no one, he was clearly stoned.
"Holy shit! That's awesome!" Dustin had raced out of the radio room towards the older boys like a kid at Christmas.
“I know, right? We got like three of them.” Steve gushed, though he was at least mature enough to not act like he was on a poster for ‘Terminator’ or ‘Aliens’.
Robin was far less enamoured with the weapons as the guys were. "Those are machine guns!"
"I'm pretty sure you're meant to call them rifles." Argyle smiled dopily in her direction and let the guns rest on his shoulders.
"Who cares what they're called, they're big and they shoot a lot of fucking bullets!" Robin threw her hands in the air, looking very stressed out.
"Where did you even find them?" Nancy finally asked, trying to keep her voice level.
"From where the soldiers were camped out. Nobody was there anymore, so we just grabbed what we could." Steve replied with pride.
"You stole weapons from the military?" Dustin asked in awe.
"Weapons, ammo and even a freaking grenade!" Argyle bragged.
Robin’s eyes practically flew out of her face. "A what?!"
Argyle suddenly went silent, and his smile dropped. "I mean, just weapons and ammo."
"It's not like they were going to use any of this stuff." Steve quickly defended himself.
"Besides, it was more like looting when you think about it." Dustin added helpfully.
"That sounds way worse than stealing." Jonathan chimed in uncomfortably.
Steve dropped his back to the floor, where it made a loud metallic thud, and stepped froward with a machine gun in his arms. "Listen, we're going to have to fight Vecna again at some point. That's just how it goes. And when we do, I want to be prepared for whatever he throws at us."
"Do you even know how to shoot a machine gun?" Robin accused him.
Steve shrugged. "How hard can it be? You just point and fire. Easy."
"Carrying a bunch of machine guns with the attitude of 'just point and fire' does not seem safe at all." Nancy argued, fixing Steve with a stern gaze at his carefree attitude.
"He's right, Nancy.” She turned to see Jonathan looking at her seriously. “We're going to need all this stuff soon if we're going to make it through this. It's better to at least have this as an option."
He moved closer to her and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, as our weapons expert, I'm sure you can show us how to keep ourselves from shooting each other."
Nancy felt her worry begin to ease at Jonathan’s trust in her. And he was right - with the stakes higher than ever before, she knew that they would need all the help they could get. She had used a shotgun to blow Vecna away before. Why not use machine guns to finish the job?
"You'll be thanking us when we get to go all Commando on their asses." Argyle added
"Great film, by the way." Dustin couldn’t resist commenting.
“It sure is, little dude!” Argyle replied happily.
"Whose idea was this?" Nancy interrupted the banter before it could envelope the whole group.
"Definitely Steve’s.” Robin answered for the rest of the boys. The answer was obvious anyway.
"It was a good idea!" Steve protested.
Nancy glanced at Jonathan. "I'm surprised you went along with it."
She knew he was never a fan of guns, always content to let her use them in their previous encounters with the Upside Down. And she understood why; when Jonathan told her about the story of his father forcing him to kill a rabbit as a child, she had to stop herself from tracking down Lonnie Byers and breaking his kneecaps.
"It actually was a good idea. And I trusted Steve." Jonathan simply shrugged good naturedly, making everyone double take at the praise. In a surprising turn of events, the two had become good friends in the last few days.
Steve looked particularly pleased by Jonathan’s compliment. "See! I'm a trustworthy guy."
"That's debatable." Robin shut him down immediately, and Steve stuck his tongue out at herm making Dustin and Argyle laugh loudly.
The sudden levity allowed Nancy took a moment to contemplate their situation. She had seen Hawkins and shuddered to think of what it was like there. What horrors awaited them inside their town. If there was even a chance that these guns would help them against Vecna when they went up against him again, they had to take it.
"Okay then.” She finally said commandingly. “I guess you'd better put them somewhere safe so nobody shoots themselves. Stick them in the basement for now."
"You got it, boss lady." Argyle said. He dropped one of the rifles into Dustin’s eager arms and the three boys traipsed past her with their goods in hand, like they weren’t carrying deadly weaponry.
"But if Hopper gets pissed about it, you guys better take the blame." Nancy suddenly called back as they passed. She didn’t want to be the victim of Hopper’s fury if they disapproved of teenagers wielding automatic weapons (which he might).
"Fine." Steve shouted back resignedly as he, Dustin and Argyle walked down into the basement.
“Hold on, what was that about a grenade?” Robin immediately jogged after them, her prior fear of the guns replaced with interest in what the guys were doing downstairs.
"Thanks, Nancy." Jonathan said warmly. He gave her a gentle smile, the same one that she had fallen in love with years ago.
The sight of that smile made her lean over to him and plant a soft kiss on his lips
“Bag.” She reminded him before they could get too carried away.
“On it.” Jonathan quickly stepped away to grab his bag and moved past her with a spring to his step.
Nancy looked at where her boyfriend and friends had disappeared and chuckled at the thought of them downstairs playing machine guns and grenades. Sometimes her life really felt as crazy as it really was. Realizing she was just standing in the living room; she walked back into the kitchen to finally finish her map work.
A few minutes passed. Nancy was adding the final details onto her map when Jonathan interrupted her. He came from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and affectionately holding her close, with a small kiss upon her head through her bushy hair. Feeling him do so reminded her of how short her hair had been when they first met, and how much it had grown and changed in the years since. She was very happy with the change, and how it reflected how much she too had grown as a person.
It didn’t hurt that Jonathan always reassured her how much he also loved her hair, along with every other part of her.
"Hello there." She blushed at the warmth of his body against her own, smiling widely at his amorous behavior.
"Doing some mapping?" Jonathan asked her over her shoulder.
"I would if you weren't distracting me." She chided him playfully.
Jonathan hummed contently into her hair in response, pressing tightly against her back without leaning on top of her and seeming content to let her continue working while he kept as close to her as possible. It made her task a lot easier in his comforting presence and loving embrace.
She couldn’t help but enjoy how their brown hair overlapped together, and how their blue clothes matched perfectly (that hadn’t even been intention).
After a minute or two she finally put her pencil down, happy to have finally finished her map. Jonathan still hadn’t let go of her
"Is everything alright?" Nancy twisted around in Jonathan's embrace to face him, her wide eyes probing his in case he was feeling upset for some reason. She had always felt protective over him, even more so after his confession in the woods.
"Of course. Just happy to see you again. “Jonathan murmured back. He kept his arms tight around her waist and his eyes on her own, like he was afraid to look away from her.
"You've gotten very affectionate lately." She remarked. Ever since the walkie talkie incident, Jonathan had been made a conscious effort to be more present after all their time apart. He was constantly giving her kisses when they met, regardless of who else was in the room, pulling her into hugs and showering her compliments. It was nice - Nancy was reminded of when they first began to date, when they were both excited to be together at last and enjoying the bliss of a new relationship.
After all the tension between them in recently, it was much welcome change.
"Just trying to be a good boyfriend.” He answered with a wry smile. “Are you complaining?"
"Definitely not." Nancy grinned joyfully and wrapped her arms around Jonathan’s neck. "Although I am concerned we're going to scar someone if they walk in on us."
"At this point, I don't really care." Jonathan admitted and leaned down to kiss her once again. His lips were soft and sweet, and she tasted strawberry as they brushed against her own. Jonathan’s kisses were giving, like he was trying to . As the kiss continued for several seconds, she found herself to reciprocating his passion, pulling him closer so that she might crush his lips on her own.
“I can see that.” Nancy smirked at his dazed expression and leaned up to gently give him a second lingering kiss. Jonathan’s look turned serene, and he began to rock her back and forth as if they were dancing together.
The motion of the two of them together, like slow dancing to invisible music, made Nancy suddenly feel a sense of warm nostalgia. Old memories of the two of them in her room, swaying to romantic mixtapes he had made for her. She had thought about them many times in the past eight months, but the real thing was much better.
However, that was suddenly overtaken by sadness when her mind immediately went to a fantasy she'd had the last few months. A plan that had gone out of the window even when Jonathan got back. Her smile slipped and she looked down at her feet.
Jonathan immediately caught up on her expression, looking at her with concern. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Nancy comforted him, her eyes darting away to hide her sudden sadness.
But Jonathan was not dissuaded. He leaned closer towards her so she couldn't escape from him.
"It isn't nothing, and I'm definitely going to worry about it. Talk to me, Nance." He insisted gently.
Nancy looked back up at him, at the care and worry on his face. Their relationship was as much as g. And she knew how important it was to be honest with herself. She didn't want to keep any secrets from him anymore, and she knew he felt the same.
"It's just-" She sighed despondently. "...we missed our prom."
Jonathan was taken aback for a moment, but he remained quiet, patiently waiting for her to continue. That silent support helped Nancy to speak honestly.
"It would have happened a week after graduation. But with everything since...I somehow doubt I'll get to go." Nancy chuckled humorlessly.
"I'm sorry. I know you were looking forward to it." Jonathan comforted her.
"It seems stupid now. But it felt like senior prom would be the proper send off, you know?” She admitted. “A way to say goodbye not just to Hawkins, but to all the other stuff. A way to prove that it hadn't beaten me."
Jonathan nodded in understanding, his hands stroking her back as he did so. "How did you imagine it?"
"I don't know... it's embarrassing." Nancy looked away with a shy laugh.
"Please?" He asked with a little grin. It seemed he wasn’t going to let this go, being almost as persistent as she was.
Nancy fixed her gaze on Jonathan and began to speak.
"I guess I imagined it'd be in the gym, with colorful lights and decorations and everything. I'd wear the pink dress I got especially for it. You’d be with me, wearing something smart. You would definitely hate all the songs, but I'd make you dance to all of them with me. And once we we had danced until we were exhausted, we’d drive somewhere private in your car, and lie down on the hood together and look at the stars until we fell asleep."
She didn’t realize that her eyes had welled up with tears as she visualized their night together. It was a dream now, but she was still
"That sounds really nice." Jonathan stroked her cheek lovingly to make her feel better.
"I think it might have been a bit much to expect you to wear a tuxedo.” Nancy teased Jonathan
He "I would have dressed up for you. Even if a tuxedo would have made me look like a penguin."
"A very handsome penguin." She laughed at the thought. As much as he didn’t like wearing smart clothes, Nancy had always enjoyed seeing him in a suit and tie, like at the Snowball or when they were working at the Hawkins Post.
Jonathan’s face suddenly lit up with inspiration, full of life as his eyes went wide.
"I have an idea." He let go of her and backed up, as if his mind was racing with thoughts and ideas.
"What?" Nancy was left stumped Jonathan’s exhilaration.
All of sudden, Jonathan grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the kitchen and towards the door to the cabin, stopping just ahead of it to face her again. Now she was even more
"Can you go to your place for a few hours? I'll send someone to get you when I'm done. And wear a dress if you have one." He told her with excitement.
"What are you doing?" Nancy asked, trying not to show off how flustered she was.
Jonathan grabbed her by the shoulders. "Trust me."
She could see how ecstatic he had suddenly become, with an energy that was so intoxicating she couldn’t resist a burst of confused laughter.
"Alright." She agreed, shaking her head, and opening the door.
Just before she could step outside, Jonathan took her cheeks in his hands and crashed his lips onto hers passionately one more time. He pulled off and beamed. "See you soon."
He immediately turned and ran towards the basement, calling out the names of Steve. Robin and Argyle. Bemused, she could only leave the cabin and step into the sunlight and gentle breeze of the forest with the door slamming shut behind.
What a weird morning.
------
A few hours later, the golden light of the evening finally began to fall. Nancy had gone back to the temporary home the Wheelers were staying at after Hawkins had been taken over for several hours, eagerly anticipating what Jonathan had been working on.
And as Jonathan had said, she had changed into the one dress she had managed to save when they were forced to leave Hawkins. It was the dress she had bought just a few months ago - a sheath dress in soft with a flowing pink skirt - which coupled with a touch of make-up and freshly curled hair was the outfit she had intended to wear for prom that summer.
‘Not bad’ She thought to herself as she looked into the mirror of her parents room. Even when the world had been invaded by an alternate dimension of monster, she could still pull off an outfit.
Suddenly, three thuds pounded against the door.
"I'll get it!" She quickly called out to her mom and jogged out of the room and to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Steve standing by her door with his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Hey." She managed to utter.
"Jonathan asked me to come bring you up to the cabin." Steve gestured back to where his car was waiting just behind him with an awkward smile. They hadn’t spoken privately about Steve’s ‘confession’ aside from a brief conversation after the walkie talkie incident. And while they had remained cordial and friendly in the days since, Nancy still felt a bit of tension between herself and Steve.
“Okay.” Nancy slipped out of the door and the two young adults began to walk towards where Steve’s car waited.
"You look really nice." Steve commented.
"Thanks, Steve." Nancy got into the passenger side as Steve moved round to the driver seat, and soon they too were on the way.
The cabin wasn’t too long a walk, but it was much easier just to drive there from her place in the evenings. Nancy and Steve drove in silence for a few minutes before Nancy could no longer stand the quiet between them.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" She asked him slyly.
Steve just grinned. "Nope, it's a surprise. And in a nice change of events, it's actually a good one."
"I'm glad. I think we've been due for one of those." She sunk back into her seat.
"I don't know what you said to Byers, but he's really gone all out with this." Steve mentioned.
The mention of her boyfriend made Nancy smile. "You too have become good friends lately."
"We have. Turns out it's a lot easier to be friends with a guy when you're not both fighting over a girl.” The boy next to her mused sheepishly. “No offense."
"None taken." Nancy laughed. Steve soon joined in with a chuckle of his own.
"It's also a lot nicer just being friends with said girl. Better for everyone, if I'm being honest.” Steve admitted once their laughter had died down, keeping his eyes on the road.
It looked like they were going to get serious after all.
"I think said girl would definitely agree with you there." She replied. It was relief that Steve agreed with her.
"Yeah." Steve tapped his hands against the steering wheel. Nancy sensed that he had more to say so remained silent for a moment whilst Steve ran a hand through her hair and guided the car up the pathway towards the cabin at a slow speed.
"I'm sorry about everything. It was way too much, wasn't it?" He turned to her with a rueful expression.
"Definitely. But it wasn't your fault considering everything else that was going on. We all didn't know if we would even survive." She was quick to remind him.
"Still, I shouldn't have said all that stuff.” Steve shook his head resolutely. “I think I still saw you as the girl I knew when we were dating, not the person you are now. I was just happy to be friends again. And I ended up putting you in a position in my life that you weren't in anymore. That wasn't right."
He titled his head to the side to look into her eyes with calm and content honesty.
"I can see you're with the right person. Someone who actually knows who you are, and what you want your future to be. And it's time for me to just focus on myself rather than basing my life on who I'm dating."
Nancy was left speechless for a several seconds before she couldn’t help but smile gently at him. "Thank you, Steve. That's very mature of you."
"I'm a pretty mature person now." He joked.
Nancy wrung her hands and fixed Steve with a "And if I ever hurt you in our relationship... I'm sorry too."
She really was. She had really cared about Steve when they were together, even if they weren’t meant to be. Honestly, them growing up to become friends again was best for all of them, and Nancy was really glad things had worked out between her and Steve, and Jonathan as well. Even if it took a bunch of monsters to make it happen.
"Thanks." Steve smiled back at her.
He pulled his car to a stop, just in front of the cabin. Nancy could see there were dim lights inside but there were curtains over the windows so she couldn’t see inside.
"This has gotten way too serious, hasn't it?” Steve remarked in amusement.
"Just a little.” She swiftly agreed.
"Well this will hopefully cheer things up." Steve slipped out of his door and slapped the roof of his vehicle excitedly.
Nancy quickly stepped out of the car and walked towards the cabin’s entrance. As she got approached the building, she could immediately see that there were several bright lights sparkling from inside through the blinds, and the sound of drums and guitar
"Is that music?" She asked Steve, who stood just behind her with against his car with a knowing expression.
"See for yourself." He simply smirked, making her roll her eyes.
Taking the hint, Nancy stepped onto the porch. She smoothed her dress back down and with a deep breath pushed the door open.
When Nancy stepped inside the cabin she didn’t know what to expect. Part of her thought that she’d see Vecna inside waiting for her. But when she swung the door open and stepped through it, she stopped dead in her tracks and gazed around the cabin with surprise.
The cabin was completely transformed. The furniture had all been pushed aside, leaving. There were bright multi-coloured Christmas alights adorning the walls and ceiling. In the back she could see.a stereo on top of a counter, blasting Queen. And on the wall, someone had scrawled the word ‘PROM’ in black marker.
"Oh my god! Jonathan!" Nancy cried out, delight replacing her confusion as she looked at the transformed room.
"What do you think?" Her boyfriend’s voice came from just ahead, making her turn towards the sound.
Jonathan bounded towards her. She let out an amused gasp at his appearance; he was wearing a smart white shirt with the top button done up and short sleeves, and one of Hopper's ties from the look of things. He'd even combed his hair to look tidier.
"What is this?" She asked in astonishment.
"It's your prom." Jonathan exclaimed, gesturing around the room proudly. "I know it's not much, but we got my mum's lights up. And there's a stereo, and a dance floor. And everybody's showed up."
He was right. Surrounding the room, she saw all of their group: Will, Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max (out of her coma at last), Argyle, Robin and now Vickie. She even saw Joyce and Hopper standing further back. Also, two new girls she assumed were Suzie and her sister Eden. With Steve coming in just behind her, it felt like their whole crazy clan was together for this.
"I could see how much you wanted to go to your prom. So, I thought I'd try giving you one here." Jonathan finished his exclamation and glanced back at her face. Nancy had yet to reply, still taking in everything around her.
"Do you like it?" Jonathan waited nervously for her answer, a tentative smile om his face.
Nancy finally managed to find her voice.
"I love it." She whispered, her eyes suddenly brimming as she took in the romantic and caring gesture Jonathan had done for her. After the danger she had been through lately, she never realized how much she needed it - but Jonathan had.
Nancy surged forwards and hugged Jonathan tightly, her face splitting into a massive grin before she buried it into his chest and squeezed him close to her.
“I love it.” She repeated as she straightened back up, delighting in the way Jonathan was beaming widely back at her in response to her happiness. It was mushy and sappy, and Nancy didn’t care one single bit, no matter who saw the two of them.
She really loved him more than she ever would have thought before they met. Without any doubt, he was her person. And as ridiculous as it might sound to other people, he was her soulmate. It wasn’t just gestures like this, but just the way he understood and cared for her every day they were together. The way that anything she did, whether it be journalism or monster hunting, didn’t feel complete unless he was with her. The way their dreams and future seemed so close and perfect as long as they were together.
The way she knew that the two of them were meant to be.
"Can I have this dance?" Jonathan stepped out of her grasp and held out his arm, the palm of his hand facing up for her to hold in her own like they were actually at the school prom.
"Smooth." She heard Steve whisper approvingly from behind her.
Nancy stepped forward and took Jonathan's hand in her own with a bright smile, practically bursting with the love she felt for her Jonathan in that moment. "Always."
The stereo kicked in and the opening notes of 'Don't Dream it's Over’ began to play - Nancy immediate recognised it as a song Jonathan had put on a mixtape he sent her earlier that year. She would play it all the time, as the lyrics gave her hope that she and Jonathan would soon be reunited. It was fitting then that they would start with this song
"This is a good choice." Nancy mused as the tune began to play. Jonathan had a hand on her waist and the other interlocked with hers, so she used her free hand to rest on his shoulder and the two began to step back and forth in time to the slow and melodic beat of the song.
“Sure is." Nancy felt Jonathan pulled her close against his chest just as the chorus began to play. She could sense that other people were moving onto the dance floor, but she paid them no heed - all she wanted to focus on was Jonathan, who had leaned in close to her.
"You look absolutely beautiful." He murmured against her lips.
"Thank you. You're very handsome." She smiled back at him,
"I know it's not a tux." Jonathan confessed with a little laugh. Nancy couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of him in a full black suit and bowtie, knowing how much he’d hate it.
"That would make you look like a penguin. I like you just the way you are.” She told him, stroking his shoulder kindly.
"Nice necklace, by the way." Jonathan looked down at the silver metal band around her neck.
Nancy had worn her favorite piece of jewelry, a silver necklace with a bright blue opal that glinted under the colorful light just over her head.
"I think it was a gift from a boy." She remarked innocently, continuing the little game they were playing.
Jonathan nodded. "Anyone special?"
"Very much so." She said back to him, making him blush.
"In a good way, right?" He asked, the edges of his lips tilting upwards as he tried to hide his smile.
"In the best way." She responded immediately with a grin of her own and leaning up to give him a soft kiss that he happily reciprocated.
They continued to sway as the song continued and eventually came to an end. Nancy barely registered that, so content was she to just rest in Jonathan’s loving arms.
Argyle was not. “Alright dudes, time for something that’ll get you moving!”
Immediately the faster paced song ‘Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie began to play. Nancy heard whoops from around her as people leapt into the makeshift dance floor and began to dance excitedly. Nancy and Jonathan, still in each other’s arms, shot each other excited looks and joined in the energetic grooving.
The rest of the evening was wild. Everybody needed to let out stress and escape from their worries - and what better way to do so than by dancing? They all hit the dance floor as Argyle, in charge of the stereo, kept up the jovial mood for several hours with disco tracks and modern dance numbers.
Nancy was more than happy to let herself go and just have fun. She jumped around frantically to ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’. and laughed her head off when Jonathan started flailing around like David Byrne during ‘Once in a Lifetime’. She belted out the lyrics to ‘Time After Time’ and ‘We Belong’ along with the other girls and joined Jonathan once again for ‘Love My Way’. She could see that all the others we getting just as into the dance as she watched, which was such an incredible sight.
After everything they had been through, after all the loss, danger and violence, they were still able to listen to music and dance.
Eventually, people did get exhausted. After almost 3 hours, people had gotten danced out. The only people left on the floor were a few couples - Lucas and Max, Dustin and Suzie, Joyce and Hopper (much to the Byers’ embarrassment) and Nancy and Jonathan. They all swayed slowly to the slow beat of ‘Blue Bayou', which Nancy recognised from the morning at Murray's place when they finally got together - giving her a very nice memory of that weekend.
Nancy and Jonathan were in the center, just as they’d been for the very first dance, slow dancing with their arms wrapped around one another in a tight embrace.
"I wish we could stay in this moment forever." Nancy looked up at Jonathan, feeling more serene and complete than she had in so long.
"I’m sure they’d be something that would ruin it and drag us away to fight monsters or something.” Jonathan said, keeping his arms firmly around her.
"What if I just don't let you go?" She whispered quietly, for their ears alone. She had asked that very same question when he left for California, barely holding back the tears as she wrapped her arms around him, hoping that she would be able to keep him forever.
Once again she felt eyes water, though this time it wasn’t sorrow she felt, but happiness and love. And a fervent desire that she would not let him go this time, not for anything.
Jonathan was silent for a few seconds, before he stared into her eyes with a heartfelt look. Blinking back wet eyes of his own, Nancy felt every ounce of his love and devotion. The same that she had seen his eyes in this very cabin almost four years ago and had come to cherish ever since that night. It spread through to her very soul, nourishing her, reminding her of every good thing in the world. Jonathan leaned his forehead down to lean against hers with eyes shut, and she closed her two. She didn’t need to keep them open to see the face she knew better than any other.
"Then I'll stay right here with you.” He whispered back. “And we won’t let anything tear us apart."
Nancy wasn’t sure how long they stood interlocked together. Maybe ten minutes, maybe a whole hour.
But she was sure that there was no place she’d rather be.
When night finally fell, so too did the music. As fun as the evening was, none of them could dance forever. Particularly when none of them knew if they'd be battling Vecna and his monsters the next day or not. Slowly people began to take their leave and say their goodnights, returning back to their homes.
Eventually everybody but Nancy and Jonathan had left the cabin - Hopper had left them the key before he departed and said that they would have some privacy for the rest of the night until the next day.
Nancy was happy to cuddle up with Jonathan on the couch and just relax in his arms. He had removed his tie and untucked his shirt while they danced, going back to his scruffier look that she adored. Speaking of scruffy, her dress was certain to be crumpled when she looked at it in the morning, but she did not mind one bit.
"Thank you so much for this." She said to her boyfriend as she tucked herself into his larger frame and lay her head back to rest against his shoulder.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Jonathan laced his hand with his around her front and kissed her head gently. They sat silent for a while longer, just enjoying the quiet together.
"Part of me is almost happy that the prom was cancelled. I don't think it ever could have been as good as today was." Nancy couldn’t help but joke. In truth she was half-serious; rather than having to spend an evening surrounded by high schoolers (many of whom she was not particularly fond of), she got to spend the evening with her closest friends in their own weird way.
Jonathan snorted in agreement. “The music wouldn't have been nearly as good, would it?"
"You're such a dork, you know that?" She turned around to face him and shook his hair, mussing it up.
"And you're a sap." He laughed, fixing his shaggy locks after she moved back.
"I think we needed this. All of us. To remind us of what we're fighting for. And to have some fun before things get crazy." Nancy reminisced, almost to herself. The evening had been so happy for all of them. It hadn’t been too long ago when they were in deep shit, fighting for their very lives. It was sure to be soon that they were doing so again.
"I wonder if Emerson has a prom?" Jonathan wondered. Nancy spun her head around to look at him. He was staring back at her knowingly - like he was making a promise that despite his fears, he wasn’t going to leave her, and that he believed in their life and future together. God, when did they get so mushy?
"Hopefully we'll get to find out. I still want to see you in a tux." She replied, more emotional than she thought she’d be.
Jonathan burst into laughter at her joke, making her chuckle as well. It felt nice to talk about their future at college once again, this time with more positivity and hope than before.
"What do you want to do now?" He asked when their laughter had come to an end.
As nice as this was, Nancy was not yet completely tired. Not even by all their dancing. Besides, after seeing Jonathan in his shirt and tie and their intimacy all evening, she was in the mood for a different type of exhilaration now.
"Sleepover?" She suggested with a cheeky grin.
It was their own cod that they had developed after their first night together once they had formally begun to date. A message that Jonathan immediately understood, making his eyes light up.
"If the lady insists." He agreed excitedly.
Before he could stand up, Nancy reached caught his hands in her own. Side by side on the couch, hands clasped - just as they had done one cold night in 1983, when her feelings for him were new and confusing. Now here they were years later, each far different than the person they had been. Though part of her wished they hadn’t been interrupted that night, it was their journey to one another that made their love so strong.
"I love you so much." She smiled tenderly.
Jonathan’s face softened and he squeezed her hands. "I love you too. And I always will."
Beaming, Nancy stood up and stepped away from the couch. She looked back over at Jonathan with a coy glint in her eyes.
"Come on. Time for me to reward you for being such a good boyfriend."
Jonathan burst up to his feet and grabbed her by the hand and making a beeline to the bedroom in the cabin they were using for the night. Nancy let out an excited giggle as Jonathan dragged her behind him as fast as possible, letting him guide her towards their bed.
Looks like this would be a night worth remembering for more than one reason. .