Chapter Text
“You want a hot makeout with Steve Harrington. You want his tongue in your mouth.” Robin Buckley teased Nancy, after she had heard about the breakup with Johnathan. After Johnathan Byers had come back to Hawkins, things for Steve had looked bleak…but, Robin still saw the soft glances that Nancy gave Steve when she thought nobody was looking. Nancy’s cheeks immediately turned red upon Robin’s words, blue eyes darting around the room to see if anyone had heard.
“Relax Nancy, I think everyone is too…shaken up to pay attention to little ole me. But, you’re going to have to tell Steve something. You can’t keep him waiting forever. Steve likes- no, he loves you. I think you love him too, and…I know that you’re dying to make out with him.” Robin lightly smirked, though she was being serious. Nancy couldn’t keep playing this cat and mouse game, she couldn’t keep hurting Steve. Or denying herself what she had always wanted…and that was Steve.
Leaving Nancy alone with her thoughts, Robin crossed the room to where her best friend was…he was staring out of the window. She gently touched his shoulder, knowing he was upset. They all were.
“Hey.” Steve managed a half smile, knowing that Nancy and Robin had been talking about something but, he didn’t want to pry.
“Hey. How are you holding up?” Robin asked.
“How’s she doing? Jonathan hasn’t uh…been glued to her side. Since we rescued them.” Steve didn’t want to come outright and say it but, he wanted to know if they were still together.
“That’s because when they were fighting that disgusting goo…Jonathan broke up with Nancy, and it was mutual. It’s over between Johnathan and Nancy.” Robin didn’t try to sway him in one direction or the other. Steve risked a glance at Nancy, who had her arms wrapped around herself, seeming to be staring off…in another world.
“I’m going to go check on her.” Steve said, not asking for permission…just moving out of Robin’s way.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Robin proudly smiled as Steve crossed the room, and lightly touched Nancy’s shoulder…she jumped, eyes darting around until they landed on Steve.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Steve held his hands up in surrender, laughing. Nancy let out a sigh of relief, than allowed a laugh to spill out of her mouth.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a little jumpy. I should be…happy. I mean, my mom and Holly are okay.” Nancy was apologetic but, the smile she attempted never reached her eyes. Steve was used to that smile, sometimes he almost didn’t remember her real smile. It wasn’t her fault, Vecna hadn’t given any of them much to smile about since before Will went missing.
“Nance, we’ve lost a lot. All of us. You don’t owe anybody an apology, least of all me.” Steve shook his head, he was trying to keep his emotions under wraps for the kids.
“Steve, I owe you more apologies than anyone in this room.” Nancy gave him an honest look, which is when he figured out this wasn’t just about the upside down.
“Nance, come on.” Steve sighed, looking at her.
“Don’t cut me any slack, because frankly? I don’t deserve it. I am probably the most immature person here, you should have let me use myself as bait.” Nancy sighed.
“Don’t do that, I’m not going to let you kill your self. If you thought for even one second that I was going to let that happen, then you don’t know me at all.” Steve wouldn’t let Nancy be her own downfall, now the room had gone quiet and everyone was glued to them.
“As long as you were there, there was no way anything was going to happen to me. Or don’t you remember that you are the one who saved me from Vecna?” Nancy was unfazed, as she stared straight at him.
“I thought that music saved you?” Jonathan asked, breaking through the tension.
“Music helps but, it’s really the memories that are attached to the song. Or if there is no song, it’s the person who saves you.” Max explained from her hospital bed.
“Wait. So, you’re saying that memories of you and Steve brought you back?” Dustin squinted, almost in disbelief…Steve was too shocked to speak.
“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. Vecna didn’t fuck with me after that so, as long as I had Steve with me…I would have been okay. Seems logical. Right?” Nancy reasoned.
“Seems logical to me.” Robin countered.
“You didn’t even think of me? You just thought of Steve?” Jonathan blinked, still trying to come to terms with it.
“Johnathan, you weren’t here.” Nancy pointed out, with a lilt of her head. Steve saw what they weren’t saying, Johnathan was never really there when Nancy needed him…Steve always was.
“What brought you out of it? For me, it was my first kiss with Lucas.” Max was curious.
“The first night that Steve ever snuck through my window. Moves of a ninja. Steve actually, fell through my window. Wasn’t a kiss that got me away from Vecna, just Steve being a…complete ninja.” Despite herself, Nancy softly laughs and shook her head.
“Sadly, I heard that night.” Mike piped up and, Nancy rolled her eyes.
“We didn’t do anything that night, Michael. I had a chemistry test.” Nancy gave her younger brother a look.
“You sure it wasn’t on human anatomy?” Mike smirked and, Nancy merely rolled her eyes.
“That’s what that was about? Mike never told me what you guys were fighting about that day!” Dustin smirked at Nancy.
“Nothings private with Mike around.” Nancy rolled her eyes.
“You…think about my moves?” Steve glanced at her, with a goofy smile.
“Well, I’ve never seen anyone fall through an open window like that.” Nancy laughed, trying to fight it.
“I’m sure I could do it again.” Steve gave her a smirk.
“Hmmmm, right now I just think she wants your tongue in her mouth.” Robin teased them.
“Johnathan, I’m sorry-“ Nancy started, wincing.
“No, I knew this would happen eventually. I didn’t fight for you Nancy and, that’s all Steve’s been doing for three years. I want you to be happy and…surprisingly? I don’t hate Steve’s guts. Shocking.” Johnathan shrugged his shoulders, honestly.
“Thank you.” Nancy shot him a quick smile.
“And surprisingly, I can actually stand you.” Steve said.
“Truce?” Johnathan stuck out his hand.
“Yeah, truce.” Steve emphatically shook his hand.
“You should kiss Nancy now.” Dustin smirked, widely and smugly.
“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t kiss him first.” Nancy called out.
“Yeah, women can do all the things men can do!” Robin joined in. From glancing at Nancy, Steve knew that Nancy wanted him to make the move. Steve wanted to be the one to kiss Nancy. Steve took her in his arms, and lowered his lips slowly over hers, moving their lips together in a gentle manner, as if they were kissing for the first time again. Steve’s hands cupped her face, holding her in place as they got lost in one another.
“Wait. What about school?” Mike asked, making them break apart.
“I don’t know, I’ll figure it out.” Nancy shrugged her shoulders.
“Nance, you have to go.” Steve held her steady in his arms.
“Steve, I’m not leaving you. There are other colleges.” She was touched that he was putting her life above his.
“I’ll go with you, I’ll find a job wherever you go. I just- want to be with you.” It was true, Steve didn’t care where they were…just as long as it was him and Nancy.
“I love you.” Nancy smiled up at him, he’d been dying to hear those words from her since he’d first said them Senior Year.
“Uh oh, Steve’s going to burst…”