Chapter Text
Sleeping has never been one of Nancy’s strong suits. Being the chronic worry-wart she is, she’s been lying awake overthinking most nights since she was in pigtails. Nancy is accustomed to spending hours tossing and turning- staring up ceilings as she counts her breaths and forces her mind to clear. Nancy has spent nights replaying her encounters with the Upside Down, nights biting down guilt and grief and desperately begging for sleep- if only to quiet her unruly mind.
But in the aftermath of Vecna, despite carrying a tiredness so deep it makes her bones ache, Nancy despises sleep. Nothing her waking mind can conjure compares to what her unconscious mind can force her to remember. Visions of Henry Creel’s life, of Hawkins Laboratory, of massacred children and families, and Barb. Every awful thing she’s ever bore witness to is maliciously played out for her every time she closes her eyes.
So Nancy doesn’t sleep much anymore. In fact, she does everything in her power to avoid sleeping.
Her first line of defense comes in the form of frequent stops at Family Video.
It’s become somewhat of a routine, stopping into the store every day or two to pick up a new movie to keep her up that night. And there is the added bonus of getting to visit her new friend Robin.
(And her old friend, Steve).
It’s a terrible sort of routine she’s got going- certainly an unhealthy one. But Nancy finds comfort in the predictably, the sense of normalcy. Their lives are certainly lacking in those categories these days.
So it’s on a Friday after school that Nancy stops by Family Video, copy of Grease 2 in hand, a small smirk playing on her lips as she spots a familiar head of hair behind the counter. He’s in a familiar position- chatting up a customer of the opposite sex, smizing and flirting his way to a phone number.
Coming closer to the counter, Nancy hears their conversation.
“...never seen Midnight Express? Oh well that’s a shame, it’s one of my favorites, Lindsey- LISA, Lisa!” Nancy can’t contain a snort at his mistake. He looks up, his horror giving way to amusement as he spots her and he has to stifle a laugh with his fist.
Lindsey/Lisa scoffs, shoves the video she’d been holding into Steve’s chest, and storms out. But not before turning back to deliver a piercing, “My name is Leslie.”
Steve and Nancy have the decency to wait until the door has slammed behind her to dissolve into raucous laughter. By the time they come out of the fit, Steve is bent over the counter laughing and Nancy is holding back a snort with the palm of her hand as she says, “You’ve still got it, I see.”
Steve finally catches his breath, standing straight once again and smiling ruefully at Nancy. “Hey, I get ladies in and out of here all day- it gets confusing.”
“It wouldn’t if you weren’t helplessly flirting with all of them,” Nancy replies with a knowing grin, moving to lean against the counter, opposite Steve, who immediately offers out a hand to take the copy of Grease 2. (It’s his routine too).
He processes the return as he replies, “The flirting is a purely business endeavor, Wheeler. I get paid commission for every movie I rent out.” He tosses the copy aside and leans his forearms on the counter.
“Well then you’re making a fortune off me, huh?”
Steve turns his head to the side endearingly. “My most loyal customer.”
Nancy just grins, wincing a bit at the reminder of her recent late night escapades. For the past three weeks since Vecna was defeated, she has spent more time in this store than she’s spent asleep in her own bed. It started with the movies, with needing a distraction. After.. everything, and then the Jonathan thing on top of it all… It’s reasonable to need a distraction, right? But she’s got plenty of movies at home. Mike’s collection of action movies could certainly keep her up for at least a week straight. There’s no need for the constant trips. (If not simply for the company).
(Nancy doesn’t want to think about that).
Maybe Steve notices the discomfort or maybe he just has great timing- but whatever the case, he interrupts her tunneling thoughts with a nudge to her hand. “Well what are we thinking today? ‘Cause we got Yentl… Fast Times At Ridgemont High… Pirates of Penzance…” Steve roots through the return bin as he speaks. Nancy knows from experience that all the best movies are in the return bin- partly because they’re the most popular and partly because they’re the ones Robin and Steve are hoarding away from customers. Nancy circles the counter, coming behind it to join Steve’s search.
He picks up the discarded VHS that his earlier customer had shoved in his face, and instead shoves it in Nancy’s. “Hey whaddya know, Lexie just returned Flashdance - it’s your lucky day, Nance.”
Nancy huffs, giving him a look as she nudges his leg with her hip. “Leslie- you really are hopeless, Steve.”
He ignores her, still searching carefully through the return bin, as if looking for something in particular. “I know it’s in here…” Steve murmurs to himself. After a few more quiet moments of digging, Steve exclaims, “Aha!” He’s triumphantly procuring a copy of The Outsiders, which he offers out to Nancy.
Nancy takes the movie, stares down at it for a long second before her gaze travels back up to Steve, mild disbelief playing in the squint of her eyes. “I love this movie?” She says it like a question.
Steve chuckles. “I know. That’s why I found it. You said Tom Cruise was hot in this one.”
Something warm and heavy tugs at Nancy’s chest, turning the corners of her mouth up in an appreciative smile. “Thank you, Steve.”
He shrugs. “Just figured I’d send you outta’ here with something you actually like… y’know after Robin forced you to watch Grease 2 last time.”
He’s always been great at that- making light of any situation, especially if it means minimizing the big, emotional stuff. Nancy is trying her best to stop this habit.
“No, that was..” She turns so she’s leaning one hip against the counter, fully turned to look at him. “That was really thoughtful, Steve. Thank you.”
He grins softly, hair falling over his forehead as he stares down at her. “‘Course, Nance.”
A beat passes, and Nancy considers how close they are, face-to-face leaning against the counter, barely a foot between them- a space so easy to close, Nany considers leaning her head onto his chest just to prove it. She doesn’t though. Because he’s looking at her with soft but piercing eyes, no doubt seeing right through her, straight through to the bullshit and the fear and the aching tiredness. She sees it in him too.
And it looks for a second like he might finally say something; might just break this steady routine they’ve built, might finally question her constant presence at Family Video, might finally speak the words they’ve been dying to say for weeks.
So Nancy tears her eyes away and speaks.
“Guess I should be heading out.”
He nods, brows furrowed as he takes a not-so-subtle step back. “Yeah , yeah. Big Friday night plans, huh?”
Nancy almost laughs out loud at the suggestion. Instead, she just waves the copy of The Outsiders at him. “Just me and Ponyboy.”
He nods. “A regular film-fanatic, this one,” he mutters sarcastically, the most bite Nancy has heard Steve direct at her in ages. And, like always, she knows exactly why.
“Steve…”
He just shakes his head and leans more heavily into the counter. “Just… I know you haven’t suddenly taken up an interest in cinema, Nance. I know.. I know things are tough right now, so just- I guess I’m trying to say you can talk to me? If you want? Or I can come over and watch some of these movies with you, I don’t know- stop me if I’m way off base, but-”
“You’re not,” Nancy cuts him off through the lump in her throat. “No, yeah it’s…” There are suddenly no words to tell him everything that’s been plaguing her for the past three weeks. There’s no good way to tell him about all the million ways she’s missed his presence. About all the times she’s woken in a cold sweat expecting him to be there like he had been when she’d escaped the clutches of Vecna. There’s no way to tell him that she’s not okay and she doesn’t think he is either but it’s so much easier when she’s here with him. So, Nancy decides on, “I’d love that- watching a movie with you, I’d love that.”
He looks at her again, something unreadable underneath the soft understanding he’s endowed her. But Nancy doesn’t have time to dwell on it as the door to the store swiftly opens and a gaggle of tween boys enter, effectively breaking their gaze.
Nancy awkwardly points to the door, slowly walking back. “I should…”
“Yeah,” Steve nods awkwardly. “Yeah, good seeing ya, Nance.”
She’s halfway to the doors, still turned back to face him, “Yeah, I’ll see you…?”
“I’m off at seven,” Steve offers, a finality to his tone that stirs something in Nancy.
She smiles and, for the first time in three weeks, it feels easy. “See you then.”