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Togetherness

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~Present day~

Here they were, almost four months on, driving up to see their families for the first time in half a year and aside from their anxieties resurfacing over the prospect of bad reactions, both of the future-parents couldn’t have been any happier.

Over the last few months, even with college and part-time work, Jonathan had attended every appointment, checkup and parenting class religiously. Meanwhile, Nancy had taken up a job at the Hawkins Post, and in her spare time, had begun clearing out one of the small, spare rooms to use as a nursery. And, after one of their earlier appointments, while walking through Central Park in the pouring rain, Jonathan had even gotten down on one knee.

Rain lashed at the windows as they pulled into Hawkins, the town sign greeting them with a weathered familiarity. Despite the knots clawing her insides apart, the oldest Wheeler child smiled softly and curled her legs up underneath her. “I’ve missed this place.” Her breath fogged up the glass of the passenger-side window, breaking the silence that had fallen over the pair for the past half an hour.

“You couldn’t wait to leave all through high school. You were all, ooo Jonathan, I hate it here~! Ooo Jonathan, I’m moving as soon as you leave for college~!” Jonathan caught the small hand that shot out to push his shoulder, laughing and squeezing it tight. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his girlfriend roll her eyes but giggle nonetheless.

“Okay, that may have been true. But it’s different not living here anymore, it’s nice to visit.” She watched the trees pass until they became a green blur, soon turning into a slideshow of shop fronts.

Jonathan smirked, shifted gear and turned the corner onto Nancy’s old street. “Are you actually agreeing with me for once? God, I must be dreaming(!)”

Cheekiness sparkling in her eyes, Nancy snorted. “No way! I said it /may/ have been true, don’t get cocky.”

“You’re unbelievable.” He laughed softly, parking behind Hopper’s jeep that was recognisable from a mile away. “Well, here we are.... Everything’s gonna go fine, are you feeling okay?”

She nodded, suddenly very quiet, teeth tugging at her swollen lower lip. “I’m fine, a bit shaky, but fine.” Their hands met on the dashboard; ‘a bit’ was a major understatement.

But Jonathan didn’t push, he knew her too well; sometime’s openly worrying made things worse rather than better in Nancy’s case. Instead, he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and unlocked the car doors. “C’mon, let’s get this over with together.”

“Together.” Nancy nodded and stepped out onto the pavement.

————————————————

The moment the pair made it through the front door, before they’d even had a chance to announce their arrival, they were bombarded by a crowd of teenage boys. Namely: Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and at the forefront, Steve, who swept Nancy off her feet and into a bear hug. “Guys, they’re here!!”

Nancy laughed and hugged her best friend. “Put me down, you tree!” She grinned, holding onto his shoulders till she was back on solid ground. “You’ve gotten taller, how?!”

It was true, somehow, Steve had grown at least a few inches taller. “Y’know, I’m pretty sure it’s all in the hair.” Chuckling, his eyes softened with a glance at her torso. “You look great though, Nance, you really do.”

“Aww, Steve...” She went in for another hug, only for her ‘tree’ to be pushed out of the way by her younger brother.

“Oi Harrington, stop flirting with my sister and let me see her.” Mike scowled but wrapped his arms around Nancy; though he’d never admit it out loud, he’d missed her dreadfully. “Hey Nancy, how’s things?”

While Nancy marvelled over Mike’s newfound height, Jonathan and Will ranted about the music they had to share, and the others crowded on the stairs, the adults had gathered in the kitchen doorway. Splitting the sections of grownups and adolescent boys, were El, Max and Holly. All three of them waited for the boys to disperse, most likely to avoid getting crushed, then rushed forward to deliver the second wave of hugs and greetings. Quickly, however, they too moved over as Joyce and Karen were getting visibly fidgety in the background.

Joyce was the first to move, breaking away from Hopper and running to Jonathan’s open arms. In their tight embrace, it was clear just how close they were; they’d been through hell and back as a family, especially when Will had gone missing for weeks, after all. The same couldn’t be said for Nancy and her mom, their relationship had always been a strained clash of too much pressure and too little affection. However, over the past few months Nancy’s maternal instincts had surged and in turn, she found herself wanting nothing more than contact with her own mother.

“Mom...” Nancy whimpered, a sound that had Karen from the kitchen to her daughter’s side in a split-second. They held each other as they hadn’t done in years and for once, Nancy was soothed by her mom’s presence. “I missed you...”

Karen threaded her fingers through the younger woman’s hair. “I missed you too sweetheart, you have no idea...”

They stayed like that for a while, silent, in their own little world. In the background, Nancy could vaguely hear the boys discussing their latest D&D campaign, Joyce chastising Jonathan fondly for ‘looking peaky’ and Holly babbling away about presents, Santa and snow.

It was good to be home.

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By the time the food was ready (an impressive roast dinner, curtesy of Karen and Joyce’s surprising teamwork), everyone had migrated into the living room; the only room big enough to host fourteen people comfortably. Not much had changed in the Wheeler household, apart from the festive tree in the corner and the strings of lights lining the walls, not unlike the ones that tangled up the Byers house years previously.

Dinner hadn’t stood a chance against the ever-hungry, energy-filled tornado (aka, the kids) that swept through the kitchen, which had now subsided into a puddle of snoozy bodies on the carpet. A pillow at her back and under her legs, Nancy sat with Holly on her knee, who was talking animatedly about everything under the sun. The older of the girls was responding with obviously over-exaggerated gasps and cries of “Really?! That’s amazing!” but it made Jonathan smile; she had a way with the children.

The sofa cushions sank slightly as his mom sat down, a mug of tea in one hand. She too looked down at the sisters with a smile and leaned closer to Jonathan with a whisper. “I can tell how happy she makes you, you’re a perfect match.”

“Thanks mom. Nancy, she... She’s my whole world, I can’t imagine life without her.” He mumbled back shyly, hair slipping into his eyes.

“And I hope you tell her that on a daily basis. Jonathan, when you meet someone like her, you hold on tight and you don’t let go. I don’t want things to end up like, well...” Joyce didn’t have to finish her sentence, both knew what she was thinking.

Jonathan shook his head and took his mother’s hand. “I promise I won’t let her go. I love her too much, and I do tell her. I tell her everyday.”

“That’s my boy.” She kissed his cheek, then paused. “You know... Having kids young can be very beneficial-“

“Mom, we’re only eighteen(!)” Whisper-yelled Jonathan, though a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Don’t you think it’s a little young?” Even though he knew it was too late anyway, he still wanted, nay, needed to know how she felt.

“I’ve always dreamed about grandkids, I miss the things we did when you and Will were kids.” Joyce began carefully. “You grew up so fast Jonathan, you’ve practically been Will’s father figure for the past few years and you’re great with him. Look at Nancy with Holly, she’s a natural too. You’d make wonderful parents, regardless of age.”

“That means so much, but mom, me and Nancy actually have something to tell you. Well, to tell everyone.” Glancing around, he caught his girlfriend’s eye and shot her a nervous smile, which she returned. “Nancy, I think it might be a good time to share our news.”

“Oh?” A flicker in her eyes; recognition. “Oh.”

Jonathan took Nancy’s hand and helped her to her feet, Holly still resting on her hip. For a moment, he imagined that the child wasn’t Holly at all, but rather their own child. Their child, who’d no doubt grow up with messy, chestnut hair, and a knack for getting themselves into mischief; merely the thought sent his heart shooting for the stars.

All eyes on them, it was ultimately Nancy who broke the silence. “So uh... Jonathan and I do have something to share with you all. I guess you could say it’s been in the works for a while but we couldn’t find the right time where we’d all be together-“

“I knew it, they’re getting a dog!” Will grinned.

“Shut up Will! They’re probably getting married.” Max rolled her eyes, though not unkindly.

“Guys, stop fighting. They’re going to tell us.” Sighed El, a slight smile on her face. “Besides, I’m sure it’s about moving house.”

Jonathan chuckled; the kids hadn’t changed a bit. “Well, you’re not totally wrong. Nancy and I are engaged, we have been for a few months.”

Nancy held up her hand to show the small band glimmering on her finger, cue cries of elation from Joyce (and Karen, surprisingly) accompanied by Max and Will’s good natured squabbling.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!” Joyce gasped, pulling the couple in for a hug. “This is amazing!”

Jonathan laughed again. “Honestly, we did wanted to do it in person. A phone call or letter seemed too impersonal.”

“Exactly, plus, I was nervous how everyone would take it.” Nancy chimed in, returning the hug with her fiancé.

“Honey, don’t be ridiculous, you’ve basically been a part of the family for years now.” Joyce smiled softly, then moved over to allow the others to clamour around them.

Karen was a little more reserved than Joyce, though neither Nancy nor Jonathan had expected anything less. However, she did hug both of them as best as she could with Hopper slapping his step-son on the back. “I’m very happy for you both, I know you’re old enough to make sensible decisions.”

Nancy smiled. “Thanks mom, I promise we will.”

The six kids were much less civilised than the adults, mutually deciding to rush at the couple from all angles and hug them tightly. Holly gladly copied them; smushing her face into her big sister’s shoulder and giggling. Laughing, Nancy looked up to see Steve by the fireplace who gave her a grin and a thumbs-up, then back at the swarm of teenagers. “Guys, calm down, we have something else to tell you as well! That’s only half of the story.”

“Yeah, we figured we’d tell you about this last, sorta like an early Christmas present.” Smiled Jonathan, interlocking fingers with Nancy. “You all might want to sit down first.”

Looking quite concerned, the adults perched on chairs with furrowed brows. “Honey, did something happen?” Karen probed.

Nancy just shook her head. “No mom, nothing happened. Well, something did happen but it’s a good thing.”

“A great thing.” Jonathan interjected, “Before we tell you, we want you to know that we’re taking it very seriously. We’ve considered lots of options, I’ve been working extra shifts and we made our decision after talking over everything for a few months. It sounds scary, I know, but we’re really happy.”

Squeezing Jonathan’s hand, Nancy looked up at her family, heart hammering in her chest. “I’m... I’m pregnant.”

————————————————

He could hear her crying through the locked bedroom door, the sound broke his heart like nothing else could. “Nancy, please let me in...”

There’d been so much shouting, god, it made the room shake. He’d never heard Mrs Wheeler so angry, let alone at Nancy, or seen the kids so petrified before. Feet rooted in place, he couldn’t move an inch. But he wanted to. So badly.

His baby was in there -both of his babies-. She was hurting, it was evident in her watery yelling, and all he could do was listen with trembling fingers. Everyone else in the room mimicked his behaviour; cringing away from the kitchen door. Only when Nancy stormed out into the hall and ran upstairs, had he wrenched himself after her. Despite his best efforts, she’d slammed and locked her bedroom before he could reach her.

Now, here he was; forehead pressed against the wood barrier that withheld him from the most important thing in his life. “Please don’t shut me out...”

“Go away Jonathan...” Nancy’s voice quivered under her tough persona. “Please...”

“You know I’m not leaving until you’re okay... Remember on our first date, I promised that you never had to go through anything alone ever again? I meant that, Nancy, I still do. This is our family, our baby, we can do it together...” Tears welled in his own eyes, wanting nothing more than to whisk her away from all the pain.

Upon hearing the lock click, Jonathan lurched to his feet, rushed into the room and gathered his girlfriend in his arms. “I love you, oh god, I love you so much...”

Nancy sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. She cried as he cuddled her, as he rubbed her back, as he lay down with her on the bed. ‘I don’t care what mom thinks, I don’t care what she thinks, I don’t care what she thinks...’ But she did, and it ripped her heart to pieces.

“N-Nancy, Jonathan?...” A soft voice called out from beyond the door. The couple glanced up tearfully to find the kids in the doorway with Steve, lead by El, who’s dark eyes shone with emotion. “Can we come in?...”

The older girl nodded despite the crushing grief clawing at her, brushing away her tears hastily. In an instant, the two bodies on the bed became ten, all curling into a mass hug. They stayed like that, collectively watery-eyed, for a few moments, just breathing in each other.

“Thank you...” Nancy whispered, feeling multiple small arms squeeze her in response. “You guys are the best...”

“But I’m your favourite...” Will mumbled, ever the positivity-bringer despite the disaster of a day.

The older girl cracked a smile. “Yeah right...” She ruffled his hair, tilting her head back on the pillow and taking a deep breath.

“We love you...” El murmured into her shoulder, the others humming in agreement. “No matter what...”

“I- Oh!” Her eyes flew open, a hand on her stomach as she felt... Something. Nothing major, not quite a bump, but definitely something. “Did you-?... Was that-?...“

Again. Harder this time.

A kick.

“I... think she loves you too.” Steve smiled, looking a little stunned. “Has she ever kicked before?”

Nancy shook her head, too amazed for words. Another wave of tears threatened to spill, happy tears, it was one thing knowing you were pregnant and a completely different thing feeling it.

“This is the first time...” Jonathan breathed and, looking ready to cry himself, laced his fingers with his fiancée’s atop her stomach. “I can feel it, little peanut...”

“We are not calling our child ‘Peanut’, no way.” Nancy giggled and dabbed at her eyes with her shirt, shifting so the kids could feel the movements too.

“What about ‘Laurie’?” Max piped up, sitting back on her knees. “Y’know, after Laurie Strode, she’s badass!”

“Hey, it could be a boy!” Lucas cut in. “Like ‘Axel’ or-... or...”

“Joey!” Will yelped, bouncing up on the bed. “Joey, Joey Ramone!” Grinning madly, he high-fived his brother then looked back at Nancy as if awaiting her approval.

“Laurie Byers... Joey Byers...” Nancy mulled over the names, letting them roll off her tongue. “They both have nice rings to them, don’t you think?”

Jonathan nodded eagerly, feeling the tension in the room begin to disappear. “I like them too, especially Joey.”

Steve chuckled, taking Nancy’s spare hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Well, Joey or Laurie, I don’t know about the others, but I for one can’t wait to meet you.”

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