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That thing was gone for now, but Nancy knew they wouldn’t have long before it reformed somewhere else and they’d have to face it again.
Before that, at the very least both her and Jonathan needed to shower and change.
“Mike, when we get home, I’ll park he car on the street and I need you to go in my room and pick up clean clothes for me,” she said as she steered the car towards their home. So far she hadn’t hit anything on this trip, but God, her hands were still shaking as they gripped the steering wheel.
Her demand was rewarded with a groan completely characteristic of her little brother.
”How am I supposed to know what to bring? Why can’t you do it yourself?”
”Because I really don’t want to have to answer mom’s questions about why I look like this. And my window’s locked from the inside, so I can’t just climb in.”
Mike sighed. “Fine, but you need to tell me what you need.”
Just when she was beginning to wonder how awkward it would be to tell him that she needed underwear, she remembered the small backpack she sometimes used when staying over at Jonathan’s.
”There’s a purple backpack in my closet, it’s right there when you open it. That’s all I need.”
It felt good to think about something as normal as a spare change of clothes after the events of the last hour. They’d killed people who had technically not been truly alive anymore, but still.
Reaching their driveway, she put the car into park and turned the lights off, as Mike jumped out.
Relinquishing her hold of the wheel, she sighed, closing her tired eyes for a moment. A hand covered hers in her lap, squeezing it before bringing it to his lips. Opening her eyes, she turned to face Jonathan. The light was dim, but she hoped he could see her smile. There was a cut on his forehead that she wanted to have a look at, and he must be sore after the beating he’d taken, but he was still looking after her. God knew her back was hurting after being thrown into that wall.
The kids in the back had started fidgeting and talking, although they were definitely more subdued than before their visit to the hospital.
Jonathan leaned in, and she met him halfway, resting her forehead against his.
“Love you,” he whispered.
”Love you, too. Always.”
The need to be close to him rose up in her, a consequence of their fight and the narrowly escaped death. How many times could they avoid it before it got either one of them? Jonathan's nose nudged hers gently before his lips were on hers. It was far from the most intense kiss they'd ever shared because this was not the right time or place for that, given merely to reinforce his words of love, and she sank into him as far as she could, willing the moment not to end.
"Yuck," groaned someone from the back, the protest most likely coming from Will.
They pulled apart just as the car shook with Mike's added weight. "All done. Here's your bag, Nancy." He handed the bag over to El who in turn passed it over to Jonathan on the front seat.
"I'll hold onto this," he promised her.
"Thanks."
Their round continued to Max's and Lucas's houses as the kids changed into fresh clothes. They only had the Byers house left to visit before heading to the cabin where El and Chief Hopper still lived.
"Can I take a shower at your place?" She asked as she moved against the seat to alleviate the ache in her back, deciding it was time for her to get out of the car for a while, and hopefully grab a painkiller.
"Sure. Are you in pain?" He asked in return, frowning at her discomfort.
"Probably not as much as you, Dr. Byers," she teased with a grin. "But I wouldn't say no to a painkiller."
"I'll get you one as soon as we get in."
"Only if you'll let me have a look at your injuries."
Nancy pulled into a stop in front of the Byers house and opened her seat belt, watching as Jonathan forced himself out of the car, still clutching her overnight bag, his limbs visibly stiff.
"We're gonna be here for a while, guys, so you might all as well come inside," she suggested, facing the kids in the back.
Nobody voiced a complaint and even if they had, she wouldn't have cared.
"Is there any food left?" She heard Will ask as she stepped inside the house.
"Uh, I think there are some leftovers from yesterday or the day before in the fridge."
"Ick," exhaled Lucas, wrinkling his nose.
"Shut up, I'll take it if it's still edible," replied Max.
Leaving the kids to their own devices, Nancy followed Jonathan into the bathroom. The cabinet above the sink was open as he rummaged through it, presumably looking for the painkillers.
"Here," he said, handing her the entire jar. She opened it and disappointment coursed through her. There were barely any left. "You take them all," he continued.
"No way. If we split these, we can each get a decent dose, and then we'll figure out where to get more if it's needed," she answered, shaking her head.
He shook his head back at her, but accepted the jar back from her and removed his own share. "I'm done arguing with you for today," he joked.
"You'd better be." She still couldn't believe all the things she'd said to him in the car the day before. It was all so stupid. The good thing was that he knew her, that they knew each other.
"Here's a towel for you. I don't think Will wants a shower, so you go ahead first, I'll go after you."
"Thanks."
Under different circumstances she would've convinced him to shower with her, but they had the house full of teenagers who would notice if they both suddenly disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door. What a shame.
The warm water combined with the painkiller soothed her aching back, the bruised muscles relaxing a bit. The downside was that she no longer had as much adrenaline in her bloodstream, and that had been pretty much the only thing keeping her going. Groaning, she turned the faucet off and began to dry herself. There was no time to nap. A quick glance into the hallway told her that there was nobody to be seen, although she could hear the kids talking in the living room and kitchen. Making sure the towel was wrapped around her properly, she made a quick dash into Jonathan's room, her clean clothes slung on her arm.
Jonathan's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her merely in the towel, and she hoped he was thinking along the same lines as she was. That he needed her as much as she did him after everything that had happened.
"The shower's all yours," she said.
"Right. Okay, I'll be right back. I think the kids may have eaten all of the leftover casserole, but there should be some eggs and toast still left in the kitchen if you're hungry."
She knew she should eat, and maybe she would later, but after everything she'd just witnessed, she didn't have much of an appetite. "Don't take too long," she replied as he disappeared into the hallway.
Sighing, she sank onto Jonathan's bed. This entire room had become like a second home to her, a safe haven. Her mind was still trying to catch up to everything that had happened, and it couldn't reconcile being there, among the sheets and clothes that smelled like comfort and love, like Jonathan, with the fact that they were all in grave danger. She'd known something was up, but now that it was happening, the situation had once again developed so damned fast that she hadn't been able to anticipate it. No. She wasn't going to think about this and let all of it paralyze her. What was especially hard was accepting that the outcome of this fight wasn't up to her entirely. It was El they were still relying on. Hell, her brother's girlfriend had just saved her life.
As soon as Jonathan returned, she was going to make sure he wasn't in immediate danger of dying of internal bleeding or something and then she would damned well make sure they wouldn't leave to face the monster again with anything still unsettled between them. Approaching the chair in the far corner of the room, she snagged one of his t-shirts and pulled it on. The effect was immediate, the simple garment giving her a sense of home, calming down her nerves.
"Shit, I forgot my clothes," mumbled Jonathan from the doorway, a towel slung around his hips, his hair still wet from the shower.
"Close the door," she told him softly.
"What is it?" He asked, pushing on the door.
"You promised to show me your injuries. Let's have a look, then."
"Fine."
He laid down on the bed, exposing his back to her. She'd expected to see bruising, but the sight was worse than she'd been prepared for. "Jonathan," she gasped, her palms hovering over the marks.
"I'm okay."
"You could have internal injuries, or at least broken ribs."
"And we might all be dead soon enough anyway. But I'd tell you if I wasn't feeling okay."
"I know."
"Why are you wearing my shirt?"
"It took you this long to realize that?"
"I thought we were supposed to get dressed as fast as possible and then move on."
"We are, but I... I want to sort this out. You're right that we might die soon, and I don't want things to be left like this between us."
"Everything's all right, Nancy," he replied softly, sitting up.
"Yeah, in a way it is, but I feel like... I feel like a mess with everything that happened. The fight, the fact that we killed people, that we almost died in the process."
"Come here," he said, pulling her into his lap. Burying her head in the crook of his neck, she let him hold her and squeezed him back as hard as she dared, careful not to hurt him.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his neck.
"I'm sorry too, for not believing you, and I'm sorry if you felt I wasn't supporting you. Tom and Bruce had been flayed, but they were total assholes even when they were alive, and I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't have your back. You're not delusional or stupid or crazy... Okay, maybe you're a little crazy, but in a good way, the best way possible. It's one of the reasons I love you."
Nancy smiled, taking his face between her hands. "I know. And I know how hard you work for your mom and Will, and it's one of the reasons I love you. Either way, I think we should both promise to try to listen to each other a little harder in the future."
"So it's not just about me having to never doubt you again?" He asked, his hands diving underneath the t-shirt, one of them landing on her bare butt while the other one caressed her back.
"No. I know I can never truly understand everything your family goes through, but I want to try. None of this is important enough to come between us."
"Yeah. It's all background noise."
"So we're good?"
"We already were," he sighed, pressing a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I can't believe I almost lost you tonight. If El hadn't come in time-"
She shuddered, knowing he was right, remembering the weight of the monster on top of her, its sharp teeth gnashing, its rotten smell- No. It wasn't welcome in this room.
"I know, Jonathan. Let's not dwell on that right now, okay?"
"Okay."
With that, she pulled she shirt over her head.
"Oh Jesus," he murmured. "I want nothing more, but the kids could barge in at any minute."
"They'll only barge in if it's an emergency. You already gave them food and Will's changed. We just need to be quick," she replied, kissing his neck. "And very, very quiet."
He gave a groan at her kisses before flipping them over to press her back into the sheets. She made quick work with the towel, leaving him just as naked as she already was. Jonathan pulled the duvet over them both before finally giving in. Their eyes met, his fevered look of need confirming that this was exactly what was needed right now.
She was already wet when his fingers found their way down, making his breath hitch.
Nancy didn’t have to direct him anymore as he knew exactly how to touch her to drive her insane with want.
Parting her thighs, she welcomed his narrow hips between them, her nails raking a path on his buttocks.
Their foreplay cut short that time, he was in her soon. The familiarity took nothing away from the sensations, and she moaned into Jonathan’s mouth. The muscles under her fingers were already growing taut, telling her he wouldn’t last long. Good, because neither would she.
“Look at me,” he whispered, and she did, biting her lip to keep herself from crying out as he picked up the pace.
One of his hands somehow found her left one, prying it away from his skin to bring it to his mouth. A kiss landed on the scar on her palm, and that was how she became undone.
“Oh God, Jonathan,” she cried out, the words mostly jumbled into an unintelligible mess by his lips on hers. Right as she’d floated down back to earth, he let go, his whispers of her name drowned into her neck.
They stayed that way for what had to be several minutes, both unwilling to let go.
“We’re going to win this, Nancy,” he finally said, breaking the silence.
“Another Jonathan Byers pep talk,” she joked.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like them.”
“I’m not saying that. I love that you’re trying to make me feel better, no matter what. You’re my rock, did you know that?”
He beamed at her.
“You don’t need one, you stand perfectly well on your own.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t need you.”
“I know. Shit, we should really get going,” he sighed, getting out of bed to grab new clothes.
Knowing their time was up, she followed his lead, finally pulling the red-and-black striped top over her head.
Someone knocked on the door, startling them both.
“Are you guys coming or not?” Asked Will from the other side.
“We’ll be right there. You guys can go outside to wait,” answered Jonathan, one of his legs still out of his jeans.
As they hurried to the car, Nancy looked back at the house, wondering how it was possible to be so grateful for a simple dwelling like that, and even more so for one person.