She fucks him into the mattress that night because it's the only thing that she can do. It's the only thing that she can even think of, because really, doing anything else would force her to face reality. A year ago, when she was fighting monsters, this reality probably would've seemed comforting, but now, it's the farthest thing from.

Afterwards, Steve kisses her shoulders and wraps his arms around her waist and tells her that he loves her. Nancy thinks that he doesn't really understand what those words mean. They've just started their senior year of high school – they're still kids who think that they're grown up enough to have sex and throw around words like "I love you." In seconds, Steve is snoring soundly and the proof is right there that they're not ready for this. All she can think is that if he really knew her, loved her like he claimed, he'd know that something was up.

She really wishes Barb was here. She would know what to do.

The next morning, Nancy sneaks out and walks home. This is the last time, she tells herself. You're not going to go back to him. He doesn't love you. Those words hurt less then the truth. All she has to do is keep telling herself that Steve Harrington is no good and that everyone was right about him. When he calls her or shows up at her house, she'll tell him that to his face. She'll tell him things are over because she can only depend on herself now. She'll take care of this on her own.

And Nancy really means "on her own." It isn't exactly like she can tell anybody. Her parents would freak out. Jonathan would convince her to give Steve a chance. Her girlfriends would do the same, spilling some bullshit story about how this was their dream – get pregnant and keep their man forever.

Yes. That's the truth. She's pregnant.

After a few days of morning sickness and a week after missing her period, Nancy started worrying that something was up and after three pregnancy tests from three different brands; she'd had to admit those ugly words to herself. This wasn't supposed to be her future. She wasn't supposed to be some fucking stereotype, she wasn't supposed to be grounded in some boring Suburban life like her mother. The most terrifying thing though, was that she had a living, breathing human inside of her.

Steve does show up at her house that night, just as she'd expected. He climbs in through her window, which she knows he thinks is cute (which it is), and smiles at her like she put the moon in the sky. Nancy takes a deep breath before opening the window and facing him.

He kisses her before she can say anything, climbing in and throwing himself on her bed. "Where'd you go this morning? I missed you,"

Don't be a stupid girl who expects her boyfriend to stay. Nancy shrugs, "I um, I had to catch up on some homework,"

"I was going to make you breakfast," a shy smile appears on Steve's face, the one that he saves just for her. It's the one he gets when he's feeling insecure about what he's saying, like he's embarrassed to hear the words coming out of his mouth because of how cheesy they are. It's one of the things Nancy normally loves most about him, but right now, it's the thing she hates most about him.

"I didn't know you could cook,"

He smirks, easily falling back into their usual banter. "Can't. Unless you count eggs and toast,"

Nancy uncrosses her arms and sits down next to his feet on the edge of her bed. "I don't,"

Finally, Steve notices her discomfort and sits up instantly. "Are you alright?"

Nothing.

He looks at her for a few seconds, trying to detect any sign of how she's feeling on her face. When he doesn't get his answer, he slides his windbreaker off and folds his hands on his lap. "Well, I'm just going to stay here with you then,"

She closes her eyes. He's not good for you. This is their thing – their stupid little thing that nobody else knows about. In the aftermath of Barb and the demogorgon, anytime Nancy would get that blank look on her face, anytime she was too scared to fall asleep alone, Steve would just stay there with her. He wouldn't say anything or even touch her. He'd just sit in front of the door, guarding it from the "monsters" or sit next to her on a random park bench, acting as the security guard she'd desperately needed at the time.

"Steve . . . I don't want you to. Not right now," she musters out.

Nancy had never before rebuffed this special secret thing and Steve is taken aback by it. ". . . you want me to leave?"

She slowly nods.

Maybe if this was the beginning of their relationship, he would've suspected something was going on. But now, they're supposed to be at that point where they're honest with each other, and usually, they are. So of course, Steve takes her word for it and stands up. "Okay then. So I'll see you on Monday?"

She knows she's supposed to end things now, but she can't bring herself to do it. All she does is nod silently and unconsciously lean in to the peck on the cheek Steve gives her before climbing back out the window.

As soon as he's gone, she falls back on her bed just as he'd done. "I'm pregnant," she whispers to herself. "Steve Harrington, I'm pregnant with your child. Steve, I'm going to have a baby. Guess what? You're going to be a dad. No, no, no. Steve, I'm gonna be a mom. You don't have to be involved. This isn't a fucking fairytale,"

For a brief moment, she can imagine that life. Her and Steve and their baby living in a little house with a white picket fence, laughing and smiling at the dinner table. That's not the life she wants. She's supposed to go to University and become that strong businesswoman she's always wanted to be. Strong businesswomen don't get knocked up at seventeen.


Steve lasts two days before he confronts Nancy. He gives her a day to herself, because maybe she's just feeling weird and is in a quiet mood, but then when he called her house the next day and she told him she wasn't feeling well again, he knew something was going on. They always talked about things, always. They always told each other what was going on. Secrets weren't their thing.

"What's up, beautiful?" He sneaks up on her at her locker, scaring her. She rolls her eyes at him.

"You scared me," Nancy says, completely monotone. She goes back to switching her books in and out of her locker. Steve gazes at her, in another attempt to try and understand what's going on.

"Are you okay?" he asks, tentatively.

She looks at him for a split second and then back at her things. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just . . . I'm in a hurry . . .class,"

Steve puts his hand on her arm, stopping her from shutting her locker. "Nancy. Just – c'mon. I know something's up. We can . . . talk about it,"

"Nothing's wrong. I told you, I just have to get to class,"

They look the other up and down.

He closes her locker for her, defeated. In her eyes, Nancy looks grateful that he's letting her leave. Her mouth says something different – she doesn't even smile. "I'll talk to you later?" he asks.

She shrugs and walks off.

At lunch, Steve sits in the very back of the cafeteria with Jonathan, who's paying more attention to his homework than he is to him. Sometimes he still can't believe that he's friends with Jonathan Byers, let alone best friends. He guesses battling monsters together is something that bonds you forever. That's the only excuse he can think of.

"I'm just asking you to ask her what's wrong," he leans over the table, hoping the other boy will look up at him.

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Because she'll tell you! You're like her little confi-dante,"

Jonathan looks up at him from underneath his air. "It's confidante,"

"Whatever. Just c'mon, man. I'd do it for you!"

Jonathan sighs and puts down his pencil. "Look, if something bad was really going on, Nancy would tell you. After all you've been through, she'd tell you. You're just being paranoid,"

Steve leans back in his chair, knowing Jonathan is right, but not wanting to admit to it. He wants to believe that Jonathan is on his side, but he's pretty positive in the long run, he'll always be most loyal to Nancy. Nancy could've already talked to him, he could be hiding something.

He waits for Nancy again by her car after school. She sees him standing there and closes her eyes, frustrated. After taking a deep breath, she walks forward. "Steve, I can't – I can't do this, okay?"

"You can't do what?"

"Can you just give me some fucking space? I feel like I can't breathe,"

This can't be happening. Is she breaking up with him? She can't be. She can't break up with him, this can't be it. No. There's some sort of confusion, that's all there is. Stay calm, dumbass.

"What do you mean?"

She huffs, trying to compose herself. "I mean . . . I mean . . . I just have some things going on right now and I need space, that's what I mean,"

"So . . . you're breaking up with me?"

These words seem to hurt Nancy because the confidence that she had a moment ago disappears. Steve thinks that maybe it's a good sign, that maybe that's not what she means, but he's clearly mistaken because then Nancy takes his hand and says, "Yes. I'm sorry,"

He's too taken aback to pull away at first. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes. I'm sorry. Yes. I'm sorry. It rings in his had like a god damn bell and it has to be some sort of sick fucking joke that Nancy is looking at him the way she is. "W-why?" is all he can get out.

She squeezes his hand. "I . . . I don't . . . I just . . . future. Senior year. Graduation. All that. Things are changing,"

Steve takes her hand and pulls it to his heart. "Things don't have to change. I – I love you, Nancy,"

"What do those words even mean?" she's hiding her face again.

"They mean that whatever comes our way, we ride it out. We stick together – you and me. That's the way things are meant to be,"

Nancy pulls her hand away. "Steve – I just can't do this, okay? I'm sorry,"

"Nancy, please! I – I . . . if I did something, please just tell me! I can fix it!"

"That's the thing. You can't," she shakes her head and runs a hand through her hair.

He feels like his world is crashing down. He's trying to think of what he could've done to bring this on, but every thought is racing so fast and he can't think straight. It's like all he can see is Nancy, and her image is slowly becoming less clear.

"I'll do anything. Anything. I just . . . please," Steve grabs her hand again and kisses it, trying to prolong the feeling of her. Nancy pulls away again and opens her car door. "I love you,"

She shakes her head, "Don't,"

And then she climbs into her car and in a matter of seconds she's gone and Steve can't breathe. She's always left him breathless but this is so different. It leaves a pain in his chest and a weight on his shoulders and his mind is clogged with thoughts of Nancy Wheeler and how much he loves her. He just fucking loves her so much and it isn't fair.


Nancy cries for a good week before anyone notices anything and of all people, it's Mike. She'd locked herself in her room when she wasn't in school and just cried into her pillow and hugged her teddy bear to her chest and wished for happier times, for easier times. And then finally, when her dad made the stupid mistake of asking her how Steve was, she left the table and ran upstairs to her room. Stupid pregnancy hormones.

Mike knocks on the door and lets himself in and maybe a year ago she would've told him to go away, but things really are so different now. She almost lost him and she's not going to take advantage of having a little brother anymore. "Nancy?" says his quiet voice and she wipes away her tears, sitting up and trying to look normal. She hates crying in front of people.

"Oh . . . uh . . . yeah? What?"

Mike bites his lip. "Is everything alright?"

No, no it isn't alright. It hasn't been alright since she read those fucking sticks weeks ago and everything just feels so hopeless. She doesn't know what to do and she misses Steve so much and right now she really just needs someone to be there for her.

She sniffles. "No, actually, it's not,"

Mike looks as if he didn't expect her to say this. "Oh,"

There's a silence and she knows he's trying to decide what he should do. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She pats the space next to her on the bed instantly and Mike closes the door and then he sits down. Nancy glances at him and then back down at her hands. She doesn't know what his reaction will be but she doesn't care. She needs to tell somebody and Mike is the least threatening option.

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone. Not Mom and Dad, not your friends. No one,"

Mike nods. "I promise,"

Nancy takes a deep breath and stares straight at the wall. "I messed up really bad. I, uh . . . I . . . whatever. I should just come out with it. I need to tell someone. I'm pregnant,"

Mike doesn't even double take. He knows she's telling the truth because Nancy is Nancy and she'd never joke about something like this. He stares at the same spot on the wall and then clears his throat awkwardly, "Wow,"

"Yeah,"

He turns to her and sees a tear fall down her cheek. "I'm . . . I'm sorry,"

"For what?"

"That you're sad,"

She sniffles loudly. "That's the thing, Mike. I don't know why I'm sad. I mean, I'm scared, but I don't know why I'm sad,"

"Maybe you're crying because you're scared. Sometimes I cry when I'm scared,"

"Maybe, but . . . I don't know. I think maybe it's like, I'm seeing my future and how doomed it is in front of me and that's where the sadness is coming from," Nancy plays with the fabric on her t-shirt.

"It doesn't have to be. I mean, you don't have to keep it,"

"Still, I still have to have it. I still have to deal with being the pregnant girl and I guess maybe I could . . . get an abortion . . . but I'm even more scared to do that and I'm not doing it and God, I don't know. I just want everything to be set in stone,"

She's crying now and Mike awkwardly puts his hand on top of hers. She entwines their fingers and puts her head on his shoulder, needing comfort. They just sit there like that – Nancy crying and Mike letting her and she's thankful that she told him. Of course Mike would understand, of course he'd be there for her when no one else could be.

After a while, he says "Nancy, uh, if you don't mind me asking . . . does Steve know?"

She sighs. She doesn't want to talk about Steve. "I'm sorry," says Mike. "We don't have to-"

"No," she lifts her head. "I didn't . . . I was . . . I can't tell him. It's not his problem,"

"His baby, his problem,"

"You just – you wouldn't understand,"

Mike furrows his brow, confused. "What wouldn't I understand?"

"That the guys don't have to stick around! It's in my body so it's my problem, not his. He has a choice and . . . I don't want him to make the wrong one," It's the first time she's really been honest, that the reason she's scared is because she doesn't want Steve to make that decision to leave her on her own. She wouldn't be able to deal with him dumping her and telling her to take care of this by herself.

Mike seems like he doesn't know what to say, and then after a few seconds, he says, "Maybe you should tell him,"

"Mike-"

"Maybe he'll surprise you. You never know,"

Yeah, maybe. But maybe he wouldn't.


Author's Note: This crossover thing is mostly for my lovely Sennen, because I doubt anyone else cares. If you do - read and review!