Chapter Text
The metal door creaks open, echoing into the stillness of the room. Nancy's body goes into freeze mode before she even sees the potential threat, her fight instinct was sacrificed a long time ago.
Her breath stutters, heart hammering in her chest, and her attention is fixed on the fabric in her sleeve, twisting it tight until it threatens to snap. ‘This is a dream,’ she tells herself. This is what her heart does every time she dreams, so it must be only a dream.
Her eyes flick up and catch the shape of the person in the doorway, confirming what she already knew to be true. Male. Her gaze fixes on the floor slightly to the left of his boots, he’s standing too close.
'It's just a dream’, she thinks to herself in a poor attempt at reassurance.
This doesn't stop her chest from tightening and it certainly doesn't stop the room from feeling as though it’s collapsing in itself, her vision blurring at the edges until all she can see is a shadow figure reaching for her.
Nancy turns to Robin as a last resort for help, though it’s never changed the outcomes of her dreams in the past. Her hands reach for Robin, her eyes wide, glassy with tears and pleading. Nancy is too focused on her attempt for help, she doesn't notice the man’s slight movements towards her.
"Nance?" a soft voice attempts, her ears begin to ring, trying to tune out everything in the room. ‘A dream.’ Nancy kept reminding herself. The shadow figure never reached her before Robin offers reassurance by holding Nancy's hands in hers, "it's okay - you're okay.”
"Just a dream”, Nancy tells herself quietly. She is too caught up in her own fears to look at Robin's pale features, the hint of relief etched on her face "It's okay - you've just been having some really bad dreams”, Robin offers again.
Nancy clings to it this time, nodding frantically in agreement, counting on the fact that dreams do end eventually.
Her gaze drops back to the floor the left of the male. If she doesn't look, it won't last as long, and if she doesn't fight back, it won't hurt as much. Nancy focuses her attention back on the loose end in her sleeve.
Something is wrong. The man hasn't moved, he hasn't spoken to her. Her dreams do not typically play out like this, with time dragging out so long it feels like the VHS tape has paused.
"Oh my God”, Robin breathed - not paused.
Nancy can't look up, her eyes are fixed on the floor and on her loose end.
"Steve - it's really you" Robin lets out a laugh of relief, and a small sob escapes. Relief. The name doesn't mean anything to Nancy. Not right now anyway, so she stays focused on her spot on the floor.
‘This dream will be over soon', she reminds herself.