Title: A Merry Jancy Christmas
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Nancy thinks it's the perfect time to tell the people who matters, about her relationship with Jonathan.
A/N: Yes, I know it's not even Christmas yet, and Thanksgiving is still approaching, but I've always been known to celebrate Christmas a lot earlier than most people do. And by earlier, I mean a whole month prior to the actual day. Anyways, I hope you guys still enjoy this fic! Thank you for reading! R&R!
-McDiggin'It
...
Jonathan and Nancy's relationship is under wraps. No one, save for Steve, knew that they were a thing now. The couple decided that since their relationship is still new, they didn't have to rush into telling everyone about it. Besides, after all that's happened with Will being possessed by a smoke monster from another dimension, Eleven returning and then closing the gate to the Upside Down, and pretty much everyone coming close to dying, they figured their relationship could stay in the shadows for the time being.
The only downside to this, however, is having to hide their feelings whenever someone is around. Mike and Will were starting to get suspicious. Not only did they almost catch them making out in the kitchen, in which Nancy had grabbed Jonathan's mouth and pulled it open to pretend she was looking at something while muttering, "Yeah, it looks a little red." To top it off, the way they began spluttering when they noticed Mike and Will's raised eyebrows, was almost a confirmation to the boys that they were doing something that only couples did.
Nancy found it especially hard to hide her relationship from everyone at school. It's not like she was embarrassed of having Jonathan as a boyfriend. On the contrary, she would've loved to parade around school with him, holding hands, kissing, and blasting full PDA in front of the school. But Steve was always there, and she didn't want to seem like she was rubbing it in his face. And then there was Jonathan's suggestion that they not tell anyone at school, because he just didn't feel like getting punched in the face by all the guys who wanted to date her. She'd been a little upset by that, thinking that he wasn't willing to fight for her (not that she wanted him to fight anyone), but then he'd shut down her insecurities by telling her that he's only worried that people will try and tear them apart. He would walk through fire for her, but perhaps, for now at least, the fire can wait for when the insanity of the past couple of weeks dies down.
On Christmas Eve, the whole gang decides to have one huge dinner together. And by the whole gang, that means the gang and their families, save for Steve's family, which he himself had preferred not to invite. His dad was an asshole who looked down on pretty much everyone in town, and his mom just went along with him for fear of being the object of his rage. Max's family is a no-show as well.
The Christmas party is in full swing by 7pm at the Wheelers' residence, and everyone is there. Mike, Eleven, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max immediately make their way to the basement, mumbling something about Dungeons and Dragons, while each of the parents start mingling in the spacious den. Eggnog, alcohol, and hot chocolate is served in the room, and Nancy tries her best not to glance at Jonathan every 20 seconds. When he and his mom and brother had rung the doorbell, Nancy had been the first one to the door, having seen their car pull up in the driveway from the window.
She smiled approvingly at his attire while he smiled at her and stepped up to hug her briefly before he pulled away so she could hug Will and his mom. When they made their way inside, Jonathan had pulled her aside, looked her up and down appreciatively, and then whispered to her, "You look really beautiful, Nancy."
The way her stomach had fluttered made her heart race and her lips itch with the need to lean forward and kiss him. As much as she wanted to, she refrained from doing so and smiled adoringly at him as she told him that he looked extremely handsome as well in his cute formal attire.
As the party continues, Nancy finds herself gravitating towards her secret boyfriend. It was as if she had no control over her body, and she was soon sitting beside him in front of the TV. Steve had wandered down to the basement to check out whatever the nerds were currently doing, and the adults were all busy laughing and talking to notice them staring and smiling at each other like the lovesick teenagers they are.
"I got you something." Jonathan whispers softly to her.
Nancy raises her eyebrows at him in question. "I thought we agreed not to get each other anything."
Jonathan snorts, "No, you told me not to get you anything, and I didn't verbally agree to it."
Nancy bites her lip as she stares at him. "But I didn't get you anything."
Jonathan shakes his head at her. "No, you already got me that camera last christmas."
This time, Nancy shakes her head at him. "That was from Steve, and technically, it wasn't a present. He just felt bad about breaking your first one, so he replaced it."
Jonathan frowns. He hadn't known, and therefore never thanked Steve for the camera. That was really cool of him. He then smiles at Nancy and whispers, "Okay, well I still got you something, and it's under your christmas tree. Slipped it under it earlier."
Nancy glances towards the tree and squints to try and make out which one Jonathan got for her. "What is it?" she asks, looking back to him.
Jonathan shrugs, "You'll have to wait to find out. "
Nancy huffs playfully and pouts. "Well now I feel bad because I didn't get you anything."
Jonathan smiles as he discreetly takes her hand in his, if only for a brief moment. "You're my gift, Nancy. There's nothing else I want."
Honestly, she could've cried then. In the time she's known him, she's come to realize how good he is with words. If he so wanted to, he could talk his way into any girls pants, but thankfully, he's not that kind of person… not to mention, he's hers. She squeezes his hand and sighs dreamily as she stares at his lips. She wishes they were alone so she could lean forward and just kiss him to her hearts content, but she can't. Not without causing a commotion with their parents. She had momentarily thought about sneaking upstairs with Jonathan to make out on her bed or something, but knowing her mom, she'll probably storm in there and have a heart attack on the spot. The safest option to save them both from tearing each others clothes off, was staying down in the den in front of everyone.
"Dinner is ready!" Nancy's mom calls from the dining room before she makes her way towards the basement door to call the nerds and Steve up.
Nancy sighs heavily as she's forced to let go of Jonathan's hand. They rise up off the couch and make their way into the dining room with the rest of the group. The Christmas spread is quite delightful and perfect with everyone taking their seats around it as Chief Hopper gets up to make a toast.
"It has been a long and... gruesome year." He smiles at everyone in the room, his eyes lingering just a little longer on Joyce. He clears his throat and looks around again as he speaks. "We've all been through a lot, these past couple of weeks. Some of us found ourselves battling against a force we thought we never had to..." He trails off, noticing the confused looks on the kids parents' faces, save for Joyce. "But we're better now for it, and... oddly enough, it brought us all together."
Nancy feels Jonathan's hand wrap around hers under the table, and she squeezes his hand lightly to convey that she understands. Despite the horrendous things that's happened, they're together now because of it, and for that, she's grateful.
"... So tonight," Chief Hopper continues. "I would like to ask you all to raise your glasses for the good we were able to find when all was dark," he nods towards the kids, "...the loved ones we lost," he nods towards Nancy and Joyce, "the ones we found," he grins at Will, "and the new hope we have in each other." He looks around the table, noticing the tears in everyone's eyes, save for the parents minus Joyce. They looked just a tad confused.
"Cheers." Chief Hopper smiles and raises his glass, prompting everyone to do the same.
"Cheers!" The group calls in unison.
There's chatter and excitement as the feast is finally commenced, but Nancy suddenly finds herself thinking about Barb. She should've been there with them, enjoying the food and merry Christmas music playing from her dad's stereo. She should've been there, smiling at her from across the room and talking animatedly about their latest exam and how she totally aced it. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she stares at her plate of food.
"Nancy, Sweety." Her mom calls softly.
Nancy looks up at her and quickly swipes at her tears. Everyone was now staring at her.
"Are you feeling alright?"
She nods and forces a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I'm just... tired." She lies through her teeth. Almost immediately, her mom's worried expression melts off her face to be replaced with a smile.
"Okay." Everyone goes back to their dinner, and Nancy's face falls again. Her parents don't understand, but she doesn't blame them. As she looks sadly down at her plate again, she feels a hand wrap around her own. She glances to her right to find Jonathan staring sadly at her. He knew. Of course, he's the only one who knows, and that's why she loves him so much... Nancy's eyes widen momentarily in realization. She loves him... and she's not sure of how she feels about that.
She smiles at him and squeezes his hand lightly with her free one before excusing herself to the bathroom. She knew she felt a lot for him. Cared for him... but love? Does she really love him? She rushes to the bathroom upstairs, closing the door and turning to lean against it as she looks up at the ceiling. She takes several deep breaths in hopes of calling herself down, but then there's a knock.
She quickly pulls away and opens the door, expecting Jonathan to be there to comfort her, but instead, she finds Steve.
"Hey." He greets with worried smile.
"Hey." She smiles back. She used to have feelings for him, but now... now he's just a really good friend of hers.
"You okay?" Steve asks slowly, as if worried she'll get angry at him for asking.
She lies again, "Yeah."
Steve sighs and shakes his head at her. "I know when you're lying, Nance. I may not have known it before, but I know it now."
Nancy looks down at the floor and shrugs, "I just... i was just thinking about Barb." She finally says truthfully.
Steve nods and gives her an apologetic smile. "I know... it's hardest for you because she was your best friend."
Nancy nods. "Yeah."
"But it will get better, you know?"
Nancy shrugs again, "It's been a year, Steve. A year, and I still can't forgive myself for leaving her that night."
Steve shakes his head and boldly envelopes her in a hug. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for something you didn't know was going to happen."
Nancy sniffles as fresh tears begin to well up in her eyes again. "I miss her so much." She whispers.
Steve nods as he lets her go and pulls away to look at her. "I know. We all miss her, and we always will... Barb would've wanted you to be happy though, because that's the kind of person she was. She was kind, caring, affectionate, and a really great friend... instead of grieving over her death, we should all just remember her for all the wonderful things she's done when she was alive."
Nancy smiles a little and offers Steve a grateful look. It makes her feel a little better because he's right. Barb is gone, but she will never ever be forgotten. She sighs shakily as she places a hand on his chest. "Thank you, Steve."
He grins widely at her and nods, "Anytime." He then gestures down the hallway. "Shall we return to dinner then?"
Nancy laughs softly and nods as she leads the way towards the stairs. As they reach the top of the stairs, Steve stops her with a hand on her shoulder. She turns, looking questioningly at him.
"I'm okay, Nancy."
She blinks confusedly at that. "What?"
He chuckles and digs his hands in his pockets. "It took me a couple of weeks to really be okay, but... I'm finally really able to move on."
Nancy shakes her head at him. "I'm not sure I'm following."
Steve puffs his cheeks out then sighs. "Jonathan... he's errr... he's a really good guy. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking and— I noticed how happy he makes you. Despite you guys trying to hide your relationship from everyone because of me and everything else that's been happening, I can see how much he loves you, and also how much you love him too."
Nancy feels a slight ache in her chest for her ex boyfriend. He's such a good person, and she really truly hopes that he'll find a girl who deserves his love. "Steve, I—" She begins to apologize for the way things ended between them, but he cuts her off.
"No." He smiles. "I'm really glad that you're with Jonathan. Had it been anyone else, I probably would've fought harder to be with you... but he's the perfect guy for you, and I'm honestly happy for you guys."
"Thank you." Nancy smiles at him.
"So I think you should tell him."
Nancy's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Tell who, what?"
Steve chuckles, "Tell Jonathan that you love him, and that I'm really okay with you guys being together... just maybe no heavy PDA." At Nancy's concerned look, he quickly adds, "I mean I'm glad my parents are together as well, but that doesn't mean I'm keen on watching them make out in front of me." He wrinkles his nose in disgust at the thought.
Nancy laughs at that and hugs him quickly again. "Deal." She mutters.
They make their way back to the dining room where everyone is still seated, eating their dinner and chatting away. She catches sight of Jonathan smiling at her from his place beside his mom, and she resists the urge to swoon.
She eats dinner with everyone, then just before the gift exchange, she looks at Jonathan and whispers, "I think I might have something for you."
Jonathan looks curiously at her. "Did you just make it while you were in the bathroom?" He asks jokingly.
Nancy grins and shakes her head at him.
"What is it?" He asks next.
Nancy shrugs at him and goes back to sipping her hot chocolate. "You'll have to wait to find out." She whispers teasingly.
Gift exchanges comes up next, and the younger kids are excited with chatter. It's nearly midnight, and everyone's got a hold of the presents with their names on it.
At exactly midnight, the sound of gift wrappers being torn off boxes begin to fill the room, and Nancy laughs when she gets her first look at what her dad got her. "A karaoke machine?" She asks him.
He laughs and shrugs at her. "You used to love singing!" He replies with a giggle.
"Yeah, when I was five." She giggles as well, and gets up to hug him. "But I guess I could get back into it in the Summer." She mumbles.
She opens the one from her mom to find that she had gotten her that cute dress she saw at the mall with her a couple of weeks ago, and she thanks her with a long hug.
Looking around, she sees that Jonathan got a few cool camera lenses from Will, and a new guitar from his mom. From the boys, Steve got a whole box full of Fabergé organics shampoo and conditioners, as well as another whole box full of Farrah Fawcetts hair spray. He blushed and laughed at the boys as he pulled them all into a hug and thanked them. He's such a mom now, Nancy giggles. The boys and girls all got some pretty cool toys and gadgets, while the parents subtly exchanged their own private gifts.
Nancy grins as she watches Joyce and Hopper exchange their own secrets gifts, blushing and smiling at each other lovingly as if no one can see them being totally lovesick.
"Nancy?"
Nancy looks at her mom questioningly and sees her holding up a large bag. "This is to you, from..." She trails off and checks the little label on the handle. "Oh... Jonathan." She smiles at the two before handing the bag to Nancy.
Nancy swallows nervously as she takes it, noticing the weight of it, and takes a seat on the couch by Jonathan. She looks at him first, checking to see that he's okay with her opening his gift in front of everyone, and he smiles and nods at her. She smiles back before she finally opens the bag and begins pulling out the colorful tissue paper at the top. Finally, about 25 tissue papers later, she finds a large, varnished oak frame around what looks like black and white photos. Furrowing her eyebrows, she slowly pulls the frame out of the bag. Upon first sight, a gasp leaves her lips and she nearly drops the frame. Luckily, her reflexes weren't completely useless. Tears well up in her eyes as her eyes roam over the multiple pictures of her and Barb from various times in high school.
A picture of them in the school cafeteria, a picture of them in the library, both looking at books, a picture of them sitting side by side at the benches in front of the library where they usually hung out, a picture of them talking in the hallway at school, a picture of them laughing about something in class, and finally, a picture of them just smiling together.
"I don't want you to think I'm creepy for having these pictures." Jonathan says softly.
Nancy blinks away her tears and looks at him. "What— how did you—-". She couldn't even finish her question because she had no idea that these wonderfully taken pictures existed. They bring back so many good memories of Barb, and it makes her heart swell with joy.
"I signed up for yearbook staff in our freshmen year." Jonathan explains. "I took about a thousand pictures of pretty much everyone in school. These," He gestures towards the pictures in the frame, "are just a few of them. I had to do 2 weeks worth of trophy polishing for the school to get them, but I knew how much it would mean to you to have them, so..." He shrugs, "it was worth it."
Nancy could barely contain her emotions. "Thank you, Jonathan... this— I can't begin to describe how much this means to me." She looks at the framed pictures once again, not even noticing the serious stares they were getting from everyone in the room. She looks at Jonathan once again and shakes her head as she pulls him into a hug and whispers into his ear, "And now it's my turn for your present." Pulling away, she looks at everyone, and then looks at Jonathan again. Taking a deep breath, she smiles lovingly at him and whispers only to him, "I love you."
Jonathan's eyebrows practically shoot up his forehead before a large smile forms on his handsome face. "You— you do?"
She nods. "I do."
Jonathan blinks at her for a moment before he starts smiling like the happiest man alive. "I love you too, Nancy." He whispers ever so softly.
"What's going on?" Mike suddenly asks loudly. No one had actually heard their small exchange of words.
Nancy and Jonathan exchange a questioning look at each other before they both start nodding. Without any further words, the young couple finally lean towards each other and share a long, passionate kiss.
"I KNEW IT!" Mike and Will both cry in unison, before looking at each other and screaming, "WE KNEW IT!"
Nancy and Jonathan finally break apart from each other to look around them at their friends and families. Everyone seemed to be happy and smiling.
"Well it took you both long enough." Nancy's mom chimes in.
"What?" Nancy asks in surprise.
Her mom shrugs, "I mean you two were spending so much time together, I kind of figured you were a couple already. I was just waiting for you guys to come out with the truth."
The room erupts with laughter at Nancy's shocked expression as Joyce pulls her son in for a hug and a quiet congratulation.
The night ensues with much merriment, as the group of families and friends enjoy warm sugar cookies and hot chocolate.
Jonathan walks over to Steve and offers him a fresh cup of hot chocolate, which Steve takes readily with a smile.
They stand together in comfortable silence, watching the younger teens laugh and play together with their new gadgets. After a full five minutes, Jonathan looks over at Steve and says, "Thank you."
Steve gives him a questioning look. "For what?"
Jonathan shrugs, "A lot of things, actually."
Steve chuckles and shakes his head. "I honestly have no clue why you're thanking me."
Jonathan grins and nods towards Nancy. "For starters, she just told me before dinner that you were the one who brought me that camera last Christmas."
"Oh." Steve frowns. "Well, I owed you a new one after I broke your first one… which I still haven't apologized for—,".
"No." Jonathan shakes his head at him. "That's ancient history now."
At this, Steve smiles gratefully. "Right."
"Also," Jonathan continues, "I wanted to thank you for helping us last year with the demogorgon, and then again this year with everything else."
Steve scoffs, "As if I'd let you guys have all the fun." he says jokingly. The two laugh at that, before Jonathan pats him on the back.
"And thank you for understanding… with Nancy."
Steve smiles genuinely at Jonathan and nods. "All I want is for her to be happy… and if you break her heart, I'll—".
"Break my legs?" Jonathan grins.
Steve laughs. "I'm glad she's with you." he says honestly.
Jonathan nods gratefully, "Me too… and for what it's worth," he looks at Nancy and then back at Steve. "you're a much better person since you stopped hanging out with that asshole, Tommy."
Steve laughs loudly at that, "Agreed."
Jonathan then turns fully and holds his hand out to Steve. "We're good?"
Steve turns as well and smiles as he slaps his hand into Jonathan's in a firm shake. "As long as you keep Nancy happy, we're more than good, my friend."
They continue to chat for little while longer about the new Ferrari F40, before Nancy pulls Jonathan away and out of the house to join her outside in the snow. He slips his hand into hers as they walk slowly towards the road. She notices the smile on his face and she asks, "What are you smiling about?"
Jonathan chuckles and stuffs their intertwined hands into the pocket of his coat. "It's just been a really great night."
She smiles, nodding to him. "Yeah, it has."
They stop right in the middle of the road, and Jonathan takes their hands back out of his pocket to face her. "It feels really good to not have to hide our relationship anymore."
Nancy grins and nods as she leans in slowly towards him. "Yeah, it does."
"But the best part of all, is that I got what I really wanted for Christmas this year."
Nancy smiles and quirks an eyebrows at him. "And what's that."
Jonathan leans his head forward and presses his forehead against hers. "You… all of you."
Nancy's eyelids begin to flutter closed as she inhales his delicious scent of sugar cookies, chocolate, and… the only way to describe it is, Jonathan. "And you'll always have me." she whispers softly.
"I love you." he says confidently, before his lips finally meet hers in a kiss. The whole world immediately fades away until it's just the two of them, embraced passionately in each others warmth.
She knows they're still so very young and they've got their whole lives ahead of them. Their relationship won't be perfect, and more likely than not, they'll argue about a lot of things. But this, the strong, raw, and irrefutable emotions that Jonathan emits inside her makes her certain more than anything in the world that they're going to spend the rest of their lives loving each other.
As the snow falls around them, and laughter is heard from the Wheeler's home, Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers both knew that this would be their first of many merry Christmases together.
…
END
…
A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed this story, and if you did, please leave your thoughts about what you liked about it. Thank you so much for reading! Love you all, and Happy Holidays!
-McDiggin'It