#elerant | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

danafeelingsick · 2 years

Text

ʟɪ��ʜᴛ ᴀs ғᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀs

NON-KINK BLOGS AND MINORS DNI

Takes place during the Summertime Odyssey event of 2.8, where Aether meets up with his friends for drinks and Kazuha ends up drinking past what he can handle. And Venti finds out he is a quite squeamish.

ᴀᴏ3

ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ alcohol abuse, mentions of alcoholism, dizziness, two sickies, two caretakers, descriptions of vomiting, vomiting in public, headaches, nausea, fever, burping, coughing, crying

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ 4.2k~

A/N admittedly i wrote this a while ago, at the start of the archipelago event, but i kinda forgot about it altogether, so here it is now. first time i try two sickies, exciting

Kazuha woke up to a headache brewing inside his skull, leading to an uncomfortable pressure behind his eyes. His head felt light as if he was floating in plain air, his neck outstretched to reach the clouds. It would've explained why every gulp of stale saliva he took seemed to stop midway.

It took him a moment to fully realize the world around him. Someone seemed to be calling him, from all directions, sometimes far away corner, then nearly glued to his ear. He flinched when he felt a tight squeeze on his shoulder, the hairs on his neck standing on end.

Then finally, he managed to open his eyes, finding a familiar face blurring around the contours, colors smudging together, the whole plain tilting. His body felt limp, almost sluggish as he tried to move, realizing now he was inches away from burying his nose on a wooden floor.

“Traveler?”, he slurred, his words barely understandable. His jaw clenched, holding his teeth from clattering together, he felt so cold he could start shivering.

“Kazuha, are you awake?”, he heard Aether call, his voice coming from above him, and he realized who that gloved hand belonged.

“When did I...?”, he started, words dying in throaty grunts before he could formulate more. A sharp pang ran through his head, making him flinch, his headache blossoming into a more concentrated migraine. ”Ugh...”

Kazuha groaned, raising a hand to clutch at his head, but his movements were uncoordinated, clumsily, landing unsteady fingers on his cheek. Heat sparked under his digits, but it felt out of place when his lips trembled out of the cold.

On his stomach, there was an uncomfortable fullness bending his lean abdomen into a plump curve, and yet there was a hollowness right in the middle. A false heat spread steadily, a burning cold, more like his insides had been frostbitten. It stung the organ's inner walls, plaguing his esophagus and bringing a raw metallic taste to his mouth. He tried to swallow, but the motion had his throat spasming slightly, threatening to make him gag when the small bit of drool seemed to weigh on his belly.

The ronin felt a warm touch land at his forehead, drifting to his cheek, cupped in what he concluded were the traveler's bare hands. He nuzzled into the touch for a moment, seeking its comfort and wishing it lingered for more than it already did before trailing down to his neck. He let out a needy whimper when he no longer felt it, seeing the traveler chuckle slightly.

“I never thought you'd be that much of a lightweight, but you really are drunk, huh?”, the traveler commented, rubbing his shoulder sympathetically. “C'mon, let me help you up.”

A pair of dexterous hands slipped under his arms, holstering the drunk ronin to his feet. The sudden motion had his head snapping back, his limbs helplessly flailing as he hurriedly went to cup his middle. His gut sloshed uncomfortably, its contents noticeably swirling inside, making him think in detail of how it felt to be seasick.

But he wasn't in the Alcor anymore, he had long since left the life of a tripulant to roam once more, but once his body grew used to its new sea legs, it wouldn't be easy to forget them. Kazuha swayed in place, his knees trembling like dry twigs threatening to snap under a gust of wind.

Bubbles seemed to vibrate inside his tummy, mixing with the liquid to create a volatile concoction that gurgled up his throat, bringing a vile bitter taste to his mouth. There was nothing more than booze in his stomach, the only solid parts being the fruit of the cocktails he had been tricked into having, only contributing to the risky situation brewing there. Kazuha parted his lips, anticipating a small burp that tasted faintly acidic, he had to put a fist to his mouth, apologizing.

“Here, careful”, the traveler instructed, guiding Kazuha to take a step back, then sitting him back at the table. Afraid he could just topple back to the floor, he held his shoulder against the wall, the only thing keeping him from folding like a sack of flour.

“Poor Kazuha...”, a voice he recalled to be Xinyan's lamented. “So drunk he's falling off his chair.”

“I easily drank double what he did”, another voice bolstered, that bard clad in green he had just met, Venti. He didn't even sound like he was slurring. “He better work on his tolerance, or else he won't be able to keep up.”

“No one can keep up with you, you... deaf bard”, Paimon responded, the accusatory tone barely contained, as if there was more to be said.

Little by little, Kazuha recollected the bits of information that were missing, and almost instantly he could notice that strong bitter aftertaste of alcohol permeating his tongue. The memory of sampling it, how the liquid tasted like it was biting the inside of his mouth, burning on the way down, and that sharp smell... How come he didn't notice?

“Ughhh...”, he groaned again, bringing a hand to his belly, feeling the organ toss and turn under the loose fabrics of his outfit. “What was in that... juice?”

The traveler gave a knowing, albeit dry chuckle, followed by the bard's mocking snickers.

“You should order an apple cider to sober him up, traveler”, he suggested, clumsily setting down a mug, the fresh gulps of his drink still audible in his voice. “Actually order two just in case.”

At thought of it, Kazuha's mouth watered and he could almost taste the acidic pull of fermented apples, his throat bobbed uncertainty and he shook his head.

“Please...”, he grunted, pressing a fist to his lips when a careless burp slipped past him, his cheeks bulging to contain the next one. “I can't... drink anymore...”

“Hah, that's funny. Just now you were mumbling more, more, more while you sleep”, Paimon mocked, trying to liken her voice to his drunken ramblings.

Kazuha would've found the humor in it if it wasn't for his nagging headache growing worse by the second, his vision tilted. He tried to raise his eyes, not taking that hand off his mouth, the salty smell of his old bandages leaving him lightheaded, and met the dim lanterns of the tavern. The traveler must've noticed his look of desperation, the grasp on his shoulder getting tighter.

“Think you can try some water, then?”, he suggested, leaning closer like someone would do to hear a child speak.

“Mm-mmm”, he muttered, shaking his head slightly, his tongue squirming in the imaginary bare taste. Just the thought of adding anything else to his stomach had his throat clenching, winding up for a gag he tried to suppress. “Mmm.”

Kazuha could feel the color draining from his face, his skin growing a degree colder, and he cupped his mouth shut, trying to breathe carefully through his nose. It could've been the thought of food, or just the booze finally getting to him, but something had spiked deep shuddering nausea swirling in the pit of his stomach.

“I feel...”, he tried to speak, but his words sounded wet somehow, slurs dripping with raw nausea muffled behind his hand.

He couldn't entertain the feeling for long, however, it grew from a general unwellness to a blaring threat in what seemed like seconds in his drunken state. He squeezed his mouth shut, pressing his lips into a thin line as the gagging started, no longer able to lock his gullet and suppress them. Muffled gulps denounced his state and his chest hitched, bordering on uncontrollable heaves as he tried to grip whatever was nearby as a last-ditch effort, Aether's wrist.

“What's wrong?”, he asked almost innocently, lowering himself to Kazuha's level.

“Traveler, you two might want to step out for a bit. C'mon”, Venti suddenly suggested, starting to get up from his seat, but his movements were as graceful as a drunken goose, and he nearly tripped over his own feet. Xinyan scrambled to grab him.

“Oh! A-Alright, hold on”, Aether's eyes went wide as the urgency of the situation dawned on him, and promptly he tried to help Kazuha to his feet. The ronin wouldn't budge an inch, his feet were planted to the floor, his hand locked painfully around Aether's wrist. “Come on, Kazuha...”

The drunk samurai could only shake his head stubbornly, unable to bring himself to move. Foolishly he thought he still had a moment to spare, to stay still and let the nausea ease up before he could attempt such a risky move, but somewhere in the middle of that nod, his stomach decided it had enough.

A wet gurgle traveled up his esophagus, erupting in the back of his throat and flooding his mouth in an instant. His cheeks puffed out like a balloon about to burst, taking a worrying shade of red as regurgitated wine dyed the inside of his mouth. The taste was vile, sweet, and acidic like spoiled fruit, making his tongue curl, it took everything in him to not commit it to memory.

For a second he thought could hold it in, his eyes were watering from the effort of locking his throat. Getting sick was nothing new to him, living as a wanderer provided him with plenty of opportunities for that, but now it was different. Alcohol left him powerless.

Aether saw it, and tried to lift Kazuha again, but there was still a gentleness to his actions. As if there was some unregistered strength he was afraid to use. The pulling, even if delicate, jostling Kazuha's frame, making his head bob, sending him further into nausea.

His stomach and chest heaved in sync, pushing its liquified contents up his throat, adding to the volume in his cheeks. The taste, even stronger, seeping into his tongue… He gagged harshly, finally breaking, and a cloudy purplish red liquid burst through his lips and out his nostrils.

Vomit sprayed violently through the crack of his fingers, no matter how much he pressed, it coated his bandaged hand in that deep blood color, soaking into the ties.

“Ack, no. No, no, no”, Venti jumped out of his seat, one hand covering his mouth as he suddenly paled.

“Eek!”, Paimon shrieked from behind the traveler and flew to the other side of the table, where she hovered closer to Xinyan for safety.

The traveler was frozen in place, torn between the choice of freeing himself and skipping from the line of fire, but leaving Kazuha without anything to hold onto while he heaved. He looked down in time to see something red pour over his golden boots. He could only shudder in disgust, shooting Kazuha a look of pity. The ronin sounded like he was drowning.

“Mmm, guh–”, he choked, trying to muffle the sounds, but the gurgling in his throat was unmistakable.

His eyes nearly drove back when he next gagged, his chest jumping to give room for another wave of regurgitated wine. It came up so forcefully that his hand nearly leaped out of his mouth.

It felt like he didn't have control over his body anymore. All the alcohol and juice he had drank that night shot out of his mouth, splattering with a surprisingly soft sound as his hand flew out. The shock had made him release his grip around Aether's wrist, but it didn't help the fact that he had already covered up to his thighs in vomit.

The ronin panted harshly, tears welling up in his eyes as his mind raced, conjuring so many apologies he couldn't utter. He could only wish it would be over soon, that the alcohol would make him forget that horrible night. By the archons, he would never show his face in Mondstadt again.

“Whoa!”, Xinyan exclaimed from the other side of the table, finally getting up herself, nearly bumping into Venti as she backed away. The bard looked as stiff as a statue. “You okay there, buddy?‘

“Oh no... Not you too!”, Paimon pleaded, backing away.

Venti didn't hear her, he was still standing there, trying to look away from the disaster unfolding, but his eyes were wide open. His own throat was now bobbing, his tongue growing heavier inside his mouth, his saliva growing thicker. And without even realizing it, he found himself gagging as well.

It was when Kazuha started retching that he couldn't hold it any longer. The sharp guttural sound of the samurai's throat scraping, the gurgling wet belch cut by a harsh spill, the constant struggled sobs. It had him thinking of his own sloshing stomach filled to the brim with booze.

“That's... bad”, he panted, his mouth dripping, his voice distorted by revulsion. “That's r-really bad– URP!”

Venti hurriedly spun on his heels, grabbing the attention of the last patrons who weren't staring at Kazuha already, including Xinyan. She could've sworn she saw him turn into a flurry of feathers as he bolted for the corner, trailing a path that should've knocked a chair over.

The bard seemingly reappeared against the wall of the tavern, fiercely holding onto it, back turned to the audience as he promptly purged the contents of his stomach all over the wooden floor.

“Welp, one more”, Xinyan sighed and followed after him, leaving Paimon to float anxiously as she watched the scene.

Aether heard the scurring of heels gaining distance but didn't let that take his attention away from Kazuha. The drunken samurai buckled forward with another violent retch, spilling another mouthful of his stomach contents squarely over his boots. The traveler looked past it as he went to stabilize him, holding both his shoulders as he started to slump.

While he tended to his friend, there was vomit soaking into his pants, quickly cooling as the fabric glued to his skin, but Aether didn't have it in him to be mad. Kazuha looked so pitiful that it made his heart ache and even ignore the sharp stench of spoiled fruit and alcohol.

“C-Come on, Kazuha. Can you stand up?”, he tried in vain, finding no signs of an improvement in the ronin's condition. “We shouldn't stay here.”

His plea fell on deaf ears. Kazuha simply buried his head between his legs, waiting with his mouth open while more violent retches wrecked his small frame. Seeing him tremble and spasm like that took a toll on Aether's sympathy and he leaned over, landing a hand on his back. He was shivering under the loose fabrics.

Aether sighed quietly, gently patting Kazuha's back as the dry retching became harsher as if he was struggling to come up with more, but nowhere near done. His muscles felt sharp under his skin, winding up to launch him forward every time he heaved.

“Easy there. It's okay”, he tried to soothe, but Kazuha wasn't listening.

In the middle of his retching, one suddenly broke off into a gush of alcoholic puke, thoroughly soaking his own socks. The vomit splattered mercilessly, sounding too much like an open faucet pouring over the hard floor. The samurai gasped greedily in between bouts, barely able to catch his breath before more liquid erupted out of him.

Aether found himself swallowing a lump of disgust in his throat, trying his damnedest to not look at the multi-colored puddle beneath both of their feet. At least the sounds were drowning out the patron's chatter, he couldn't help but feel his chest grow cold every time he caught their names in a whisper. It was inevitable, the tavern was nearly packed full.

Kazuha let out a pitiful moan as his vomiting finally tapered off, coughing wetly over the disgusting puddle soaking into his socks. His head was spinning wildly, that otherwise sharp twinge in the side of his skull now an unbearable ache that felt like it was trying to squeeze his eyeballs, his brain had long turned into mush.

His mouth was left open, unable to close as dense threads of bile and drool hung from his lips, connecting to the lines of snot pouring from his nose. He didn't even realize when he started crying, but now his chest shook with contained sobs, his throat gluing itself shut whenever he tried to suck in a breath.

He could at least feel the traveler's presence nearby, his hand weighing on his back in a somewhat comforting way. It would've been better if he didn't feel like he was about to fall over.

His bruised stomach murmured and he brought a shaking hand to it, nearly flinching when the organ immediately responded by sprouting a dull ache. The spell had been so violent, the heaving so grating, his gut was trying to turn itself out, expel until the last drop of alcohol left inside of it.

“Mmm... ugh”, Kazuha whimpered as he tried to move, barely an inch off the chair and he felt swift hands lace around him.

“Are you done?”, the traveler spoke from above him. “Kazuha?”

“Hmm? Mm-hum. I-I think... think so”, he nodded weakly, his stomach following. His voice was coarse, barely a whisper as coat upon coats of acid had rendered his throat nearly useless.

Aether remained in silence for a bit, watching Kazuha slowly regain his senses one by one, bringing a shaky soiled hand to wipe his mouth clean. Picking a napkin off the table, Aether lowered himself to his level once more and gently lifted his face.

Kazuha grunted as his cheeks were squeezed by a thumb and an indicator, but didn't try to fight it. He couldn't even if he wanted to, so he stayed quiet as the traveler thoroughly cleaned his face, and then his nose. It barely made a difference, there was vomit on his feet, as well as his lap, and not to mention all over Aether, but it still gave Kazuha just the slightest bit of comfort.

“Diluc's going to kill us...”, he heard Paimon say from somewhere, the name unfamiliar to him, but Aether seemed to twitch as he heard it.

“L-let's hope not...”, he mumbled, looking down as he crumpled the napkin. “I wouldn't—”

"BuuU- urRGH… bLEeeRgHHh!", a harsh retch coming from a far corner cut him off, and Aether turned his head to find a green silhouette against the wall, the antic clothes standing out against the more humbly-dressed patrons.

“Looks like Venti hasn't built much of a tolerance either”, Aether commented with a humorless chuckle, but Kazuha was too far buried in his own misery to care.

Meanwhile, stashed in the far, less populated corner of the tavern, Venti heaved miserably, while Xinyan carefully held his braids back, keeping them away from the line of fire. Not that it did much, Venti was easily one of the messiest pukers she had ever seen, not even a seasick pirate, or a drunken one compared.

She had run after him, thinking this would've been over quick enough and they would be able to avoid another mess, but Venti barely heaved before he started spewing. A sizable wave of alcoholic puke surged out of him, and she could almost tell when his body prepared itself to expel it.

His shoulders locked, his neck stiffening before his head drooped, he let out a drowning gurgle and vomit came rushing out of him like a faucet. Nearly pure liquid splattered between his feet, like rain falling all at once, taking on an unhealthy brownish red color as it puddled on the wooden boards. Somehow it reminded her of chicken broth, but Liyue's cuisine was the last thing she should've been thinking about.

“Take it easy, bud. Here, let me help ya”, she said, pulling his braids out of the line of fire. Not a second to rest before he started dry heaving, his body wouldn't let up, making her think he could end up slamming his head on the wall if he wasn't careful. “Easy, easy.”

Venti tried to say something, more like a warning, but between the intense gagging and the wet gasps, she couldn't make it out. He clutched at the wall, feeling as if his stomach was desperately trying to turn itself out. He refused to believe he had become this squeamish. He, who had survived through the archon war, reduced to a miserable queasy mess. Unable to hold his liquor in the middle of a packed full bar.

“...guh– huUUuRrrRkK!”, he retched, feeling Xinyan's grasp on his hair tighten, not following his sudden lurch, and again, another continuous stream of vomit poured out of him. “EeURrGhh, ugghh.”

“You're good, I gotchu”, she reassured him, sounding genuinely comforting, her blazing enthusiasm still living on, even in such a pitiful situation. “Gee, that's a lot.”

To Venti it was just another day of sustaining a human form with real limits and downsides, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even his gnosis back. Even if someday he caught himself thinking of how it would've been if he had just…

Venti broke into empty gags as the vomiting tapered off, waiting for his stomach to stop throbbing before he tried swallowing again. Groaning almost dejectedly, he ran a white sleeve under his nose, thoroughly cleaning his face while he sniffed. His nostrils were burning with the mixture of alcohol and acid, and his tongue tasted utterly vile.

“Lord Barbatos…”, he muttered out of habit, but always failing to realize the irony in using his own name in vain. “What was that…? I swear I'm not weak to alcohol.”

“You can say that again. I saw you down whole bottles. You'd be a big shot at the Alcor”, Xinyan stitched his thought while she let go of his hair. “But try to lay off the alcohol for tonight, alright? For Kazuha's sake.”

“Y-Yeah, ugh. Watching… that… happen, I think I might, for a whole two days”, he frowned, avoiding looking in that direction. “I'm… feeling a little off now.”

“It's okay, don'tcha worry”, Xinyan said, peeling one of Venti's hands off the wall and throwing it over her shoulder.

Venti barely registered the walk, Xinyan dragged so swiftly he didn't even feel his feet touch the ground. He tried opening his eyes as they stopped, finding Aether and Kazuha amidst a sea of red wine covering the floorboards. He had to close his eyes again, wrinkling his nose.

“Traveler, we should get going”, he heard her say. “This one's out for the count too.”

The bard groaned in response, grimacing at the terrible taste in his mouth. Aether nodded, frowning as his eyes landed on Venti, another drunk disaster on their hands.

“How's Kazuha?”, she asked while pulling a chair for Venti and carefully seating him down. “Is he complaining of headaches? Do you think this fella just rushed the hangover he'll be having tomorrow?”

“Hey, Kazuha?”, Aether called, lifting his head with a thumb, his eyes were glossy, but he still managed a soft huff to show he was awake. “Does your head hurt?”

“Mmm...”, he nodded weakly, almost imperceptible, swallowing before he tried to speak. “My-my... stomach t-too...”

To that Aether raised his eyebrows, instinctively going to feel his forehead again, finding a slight heat irradiating from it. A small hum left him as he drifted to his neck, supporting Kazuha's head on his hand as he did so.

“It might not be. We should probably play it safe and take him Barbara”, he suggested, looking at Xinyan, who was tending to Venti, doing the same. “Actually, we should bring the two of them.”

“Me? No. I'm fine, you two...”, the bard murmured without opening his eyes, his throat bobbing as he kept swallowing. “I'm not even drunk.”

“Is he always like this?”, Xinyan asked, raising an eyebrow, to which Aether merely shrugged. “Alright, can you look after these two? I'll go close our tabs, and, well, apologize for the mess. Apologize a lot.”

The traveler agreed, getting up to his feet, but without leaving Kazuha's side. The ronin seemed more aware now, his eyes darting across the tavern, red and welled up with tears. When they landed on Aether again, spotting the cold vomit stain all over his thighs, they went wide.

“You must be so mad at me...”, he muttered, choking on a sob. “I'm so sorry. I promise I'll repay you for the clothes somehow.”

“Hey, I'm not. So just forget that, alright?”, Aether waved him off, trying to sound just a little softer. “How are you feeling now?”

“Like... ugh, it feels like my head is trying to kill me”, he groaned, all of his graceful politeness spilled along with his stomach contents. “I'm never trying Mondstadt's wine ever again. It's so... fruity you don't even realize you're drinking it until…”

“Hum… I'd think Inazuman sake would be much stronger than that”, Aether recalled.

“Don't even get me started…”

They didn't have much longer to divulge on that, Xinyan had managed to wipe her frown off and was looking a little more cheerful for it.

“All's set. Let's get going”, she said, propping Venti over her shoulder again.

“I guess you're gonna have to carry me, huh?” Kazuha pointed out, trying to sound more playful than pitiful, but he didn't exactly achieve that.

“You're lucky we weigh about the same because you owe now”, Aether shot back, lowering himself again while draping Kazuha's arm over his shoulder. “Come on, up we go.”

Aether lifted him off ease, his soiled feet barely touched the ground as they walked off the tavern through the back door and out into the cold streets of a sleepy Mond. Xinyan followed closely, carrying her own drunkard.

After all that, Aether was sure Kazuha wouldn't be coming back for a visit any time soon. But there was still a lot to happen.

16 notes · View notes

nburkhardt · 9 months

Text

This is something that hasn’t left me since I read a fic from fucking glee years ago. It’s haunting me and goes away only to come back and swirl in my head so I’m just gonna write it out.

Saying this now, i remember a lot of season 4 but I’ve blocked out the Stancy parts hahaha so it’s not completely accurate to the show I don’t think. Also a quick heads up, I skip a lot of what happens in the show because it’s taking up too much brain power remembering those things lol (ps: if you see typos, no you don’t)

“I always pictured you, just, wanted to let you know before we head straight into danger”

Something inside of her wants to break and yet all she can do is nod at him and immediately head into that danger. Not wanting to look to closely at it right now, there’s more important things going on right now.

Takes her shotgun and decides she’s ending this once and for all.

It feels like an eternity passes before she finds herself in the hospital. One second she’s ruining her eardrums using the shotgun right next to her face, the next she’s following the emt’s light.

Surprisingly all of them has made it, she doesn’t know how but they have. It’s all she knows, couldn’t hear properly and too out of it to really follow anyone anyway.

“-eler, ms? Hello, Ms. Wheeler? Can you hear me?”

Nancy blinks hard and looks around to find a nurse standing next to her, “oh, sorry. What did you say?”

The nurse smiles softly at her before shaking her head, “I was asking if you wanted to call your parents now? Our generator finally kicked in and we’ve already asked your friends”

That makes her blink again, her ears still somewhat ringing, “yeah- yeah! I’ll, um, do that”

The call with her mom she barely hears, but she knows that they’re on their way. As she hangs up the phone she looks around and doesn’t see any of her friends, it makes her nervous.

“Hey, where are my friends?” She asks the same nurse and catches her surprised look, “did- you already told me didn’t you?”

The nod is enough but the nurse still says, “Yes, two of them got admitted, the other two are in there with them. They didn’t want to be separated so they’re in room 130, just over there”

She knocks once before opening it to find what she expected, Steve in one bed with Robin clinging to him and Eddie on the other with Dustin sitting next to him.

It shouldn’t be surprising but it is.

“Nance! Heyyyyyy, welcome to the party!”

Robin snorts, “don’t mind the Dingus Duo, the doctors gave them some strong medicine for the bites”

She shakes her head, smiling just a little at them. Steve’s mumbling about Robin ruining the party, Dustin’s laughing and Eddie has his eyes closed either falling asleep or already there. She takes a seat on the extra chair, opens her mouth but lost her words. The room is filled with beeping, Steve and Robin whispering and Eddie snoring.

It’s nice, this is nice.

A pleasant change from the chaos they went through just hours ago.

Seeing Jonathan is amazing, he pulls her close and presses a kiss to her forehead. Her arms are wrapped around him and she can’t stop the tears from falling even if it’s a happy moment.

Because it is, actually seeing him in person and not just hearing his voice.

He holds her close and it feels great, it does. But there’s Steve’s words echoing in her head. It makes her hide her face in hopes to cancel them out, she’s with her boyfriend. The boy she loves with all her heart, and yet, yet she’s thinking of the one she broke at sixteen.

Those words swirl, rattle and settles in her head as she helps fix the cabin up. They burn when Jonathan jokes about Steve being in charge, she huffs a laugh but disagrees.

She sees the confusion on Jonathan’s face. That doesn’t surprise her. Instead of continuing, they’re interrupted.

Seeing Joyce and all of the Byers reunite brightens the moment of confusion, seeing Hopper is a massive shock but a welcomed one.

Fixing the cabin is a process, but with the actual adults back, they decide to stop for the day and make their way home.

She watches as Mike clings to El and Will, watches as Joyce holds Hopper’s hand in a death grips. Sees Jonathan hovering and she’s on the outside.

There’s those words making her stay on the outside.

There’s static in her ears, her vision blurry, heart beating fast and she can’t figure out what happened. How did this happen? They were fine, Jonathan promised. She promised.

“I’m really sorry, Nance. I just can’t be in a relationship anymore, I love you. I do, but my family needs me and I, I need them more. You have to understand” he’s holding her close and she can feel his tears fall onto her, “I won’t ask you to wait, you deserve someone who’ll love and focus on you.”

All she can do is nod as tears go down her face.

They share one last kiss before separating for good. He hugs her close and she squeezes her eyes shut.

It’s several hours later, having spent most of the day in a haze. She’s sitting at her desk, trying to get her focus back, when those words from months ago start to swirl back in.

“I always pictured you, just, wanted to let you know before we head straight into danger”

“-just travel across the country, with my family”and “always dreamt this” filters in with it, she doesn’t know what she’s feeling, she shouldn’t be thinking about her first boyfriend like this.

Jonathan just broke up with her, not even a full twenty four hours yet.

But the words are swirling fast and she can feel her stomach flutter suddenly remembering that feeling those emotions Steve used to give her.

It was nice, even if sometimes she had to be away from him. He did treat her like she was his world and it felt like it. Nancy goes to sleep with a plan set in mind.

Tomorrow, she’ll go to Steve’s and hope he still wants that second chance.

Dressed in her best clothes, wearing pretty make-up, she makes her way to the Harrington house.

Seeing Eddie’s van parked outside doesn’t surprise her, not really, what does make her pause is when she walks by a bike and skateboard on the porch.

Seeing that makes her doubt the timing, Eddie there is alright he shouldn’t know the history between her and Steve. She also swears she heard him talking Steve about lost loves and second chances.

The bike can only be owned by Dustin and he definitely knows the history and Max well, since Spring Break, has been particularly living with Steve at this point. Stating a number of times that Steve is her brother, she might not know the story but she’ll be questioning.

But she’s here now and Steve’s words are on fire in her head.

So, she moves ahead determined. She knocks on the door and takes a few deep breaths to get her composure.

The door opens and it’s not Steve answering, it’s Dustin and she blinks. Losing that composure she just gained, it’s quick and she’s quick to get it back with an easy smile. “Hi Dustin, can I come in?”

He’s been hanging out with Eddie too much lately, since he is loose with his posture now and opens the door with an exaggerated smile and waving his arm as he opens the door more.

“Nancy?”

She looks around, sitting on the couch is Max who’s got an eyebrow raise and frown.

“Hi Max, I wanted to speak with Steve. What’re you doing here?”

Both of them shrug and Dustin moves to sit next to Max, “We have plans with Steve and Eddie, we got tired of waiting outside”

“So we broke in”

She rolls her eyes, moves to stand closer to the stairs, “Are they awake? Where is Eddie?”

The two share a look and she can’t figure out what it means, Dustin has a mischievous smile once he’s looking back towards her, “Upstairs”

A little suspicious at the look, but the words in her head has her pushing forward despite the alarm bells ringing that something is up.

Steve’s house has changed since the last time she was here, there’s more life within it and old family portraits are gone, photos of friends in their places instead. There’s a door with a sign saying ‘Dustin’s room’ on it, and she passes an open door that was originally Steve’s. It’s cleared out except for the desk and the plaid wallpaper.

The next room is opened just a bit, she itches closer and pushes the door to see more and her whole body freezes.

There on the bed is not only Steve but Eddie too. From where she’s standing, Eddie’s pressed up against Steve’s back and has an arm around him; keeping him close.

She tears her eyes away from them and immediately regrets it.

On the floor is a mix of Steve’s clothes and Eddie’s, that’s not it though. Sitting directly next to bed is ripped condom packaging and by the trash bin is a poor attempt at throwing away a used condom.

It brings her attention back to the bed, in the short glance away, Steve has moved in his sleep. Instead of facing away; he’s now facing Eddie and nearly on top of the other. She tenses up as Eddie tightens his arms around Steve, then she pulls the door shut before moving quickly down the stairs.

Without acknowledging the two on the couch she makes it to the door, just as she pulls it open the door she’s stopped.

“They’re asleep still? We could tell Steve you stopped by” she can just hear smugness coming from Dustin and Max sniggering.

Shaking her head, she refuses to look back at them, “no, no, it’s fine. Have uh, have a good day!”

“It doesn’t make sense! I, I thought- he” Nancy mumbles to herself, trying to collect her thoughts. She didn’t even bother moving yet, still sitting inside her car mumbling and trying to figure this out.

She could’ve sworn Steve was flirting with her, she knows she was a little during the fight. It felt natural and right. Even though it was wrong, very wrong. But- it was potentially the end of the world, they could’ve died! Everyone involved would understand her lapse of judgment.

Steve had told her, admitted his dream with her in it.

Him and Eddie? Steve likes boys? Since when? Was- was it a lie then? Was she being led on? Maybe even being used?

She’s so in her head, she doesn’t notice anyone walk up and only realizes when her whole body jolts at the knocking on her window. Shaking her head and reaching for her glove box, looking over her eyes widen at Steve standing there.

He’s wearing sweatpants with only a jacket over his bare chest, he looks worried, confused and most importantly; scared.

Taking a breath, she rolls her window down before looking at him, “Steve, hi.”

“Nancy, what are you doing here?”

Frowning, she looks away from him and startles at seeing Eddie standing there by the door also looking scared. Her eyes must be wide, because Steve clears his throat and she immediately looks back at him. “I- I”

Steve sighs, dropping his arms to run a hand over his face and hair, looking away from her, “Nancy, what you saw- you can’t tell anyone. Okay? Please. I don’t understand why you’re here right now and I really don’t want to know rig-” he shakes his head, “just, please don’t tell anyone”

She opens her mouth, but the words get caught. Steve’s look is haunted, even more afraid then a few months ago. Closing her mouth, taking another look at Eddie by the door before focusing her attention back on Steve.

“I won’t. I promise, Steve. I won’t tell anyone, just- maybe we can talk sometime? All of us?”

He clearly wasn’t expecting that, she can tell by his eyes and how he glances behind him, before looking at her again. “I’ll have to talk with Eddie first, but, uh yeah sure.”

Steve gives a weak smile at her that she tries to match, despite her racing thoughts. He steps away from the car and she starts it, nodding her head before driving away. She watches in her rear view mirror as Steve walks over to Eddie and only squeezes his arm before leading him inside.

Imagines that once inside, Steve pulls Eddie close and holds him tight.

Three Days Later

It wasn’t avoiding them, she really wasn’t. She had to collect her thoughts, really figure out what she absolutely wanted in life now.

Which, she still doesn’t know, at least relationship wise.

Thinking back on the last few years and how they’re finally no longer fighting for their lives and the world, she can go for her dream of becoming a journalist. Which is exactly what she realizes, two days into her thinking, that’s what she actually wants in life. Not a relationship with Steve. Not even a relationship with Jonathan at this point, she doesn’t need that right now.

By the third day, she realizes how selfish she was acting and how much she actually scared, maybe even hurt Steve and Eddie.

That’s what brings her back to Steve’s front door with an apology and some cookies. There’s no bikes or skateboards this time around, just Eddie’s van and it’s not first thing in the morning.

Knocking on the door is quick and as she wants gets her composure and tries to relax. It’s not long before the door opens, Steve standing on the other side and her mind flashes back to the night in 83. Shaking her head to get rid of it, smiling she raises her hands up with the plate.

“I bought cookies”

Steve smiles a little and let’s her in, “you didn’t have to, Robs and I had a baking spree last night”

“Yeah and it’s all delicious!” Eddie shouts out, from somewhere.

It does some a little like a bakery in here, she notices. Placing the plate on the table before looking at Steve, “no, my mom insisted I bring them.”

Steve just nods as he closes the door, “It’s fine, we love cookies and if we don’t finish them, Eddie’s friends and Robs is coming over later anyway”

He leads her towards the kitchen and she’s not surprised to find Eddie at the table with paints and figurines, “Elder Wheeler, good afternoon on this fine day”

A laugh bubbles out of her, as she takes a seat across from him and she watches Steve take the seat right next to Eddie. Eddie looks towards him and she gets to see a silent conversation pass between the two, it’s not like the ones she’d see between Steve and Robin or even the ones she’d have with Jonathan.

It ends a second later when Steve looks towards her with a tight smile, “Nancy, I’m sor-”

“No!” She’s a little loud but it makes his mouth snap shut and Eddie to widen his eyes, “sorry, but you don’t have to apologize to me. If anyone should, it’s me. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you guys or to make you uncomfortable. I, I wasn’t thinking straight”

Eddie snorts, “couldn’t imagine how to do that”

It makes both her and Steve break into a smile, she’s quicker at sobering up though, sits straighter and clears her throat before settling her eyes on Steve, “I was being selfish, that’s why I came over the other day. Your words were in my head and I thought, maybe they were telling me that we could have a second chance. But I realized, I don’t want it anymore.”

Steve looks confused, “my words? Wha- my old dream? That thing?”

She nods, “yeah and I didn’t think things through, came here and found you both in bed and, scared you”

“You did” Eddie nods, dropping a hand to Steve’s, “When Dustin and Max mentioned you were in the house and looking for Steve, it really did scare us”

“I know, and I’m truly sorry for doing that to you both.” She looks away from them and sees how tightly Eddie has Steve’s hand in his, “You’re-”

“Relationship,” Steve interrupts her, “our relationship”

She nods, “it’s yours and I shouldn’t have even thought of you the way I was.”

They both nod and it’s quiet for a moment.

“Can, can I ask you?” She doesn’t know how to approach this, this isn’t something she does a lot. This is completely different from anything she’s done before, “You don’t have to tell me anything”

The couple share another long look before looking back at her, “I’m gay, I only like boys.”

“I like both. I especially like Eddie” Steve’s smile is bright and aimed completely at Eddie, “before you ask, we’ve been dating since we got out of the hospital.”

It surprises her, it’s been months.

“Yeah, I was surprised too. Thought Stevie boy was still high off the pain meds, turns out he was completely serious” Eddie laughs, “We haven’t told many people, gotta be careful with this”

She’s not surprised by that and nods, “I understand, I’m just a little confused- if you liked him and why give me hope? Why tell me that dream of yours”

“Nance, we were in the middle of a war,” Steve squeezes Eddie’s hand before letting go and reaching over to take her hand, “I wasn’t lying, I did dream of having a future with you. I thought we weren’t going to come out of it, didn’t think I’d have even a chance of growing up. That dream was from a little lonely boy who loved you with everything, I thought you should know that before something happened to us. But that wasn’t my only dream, and I know that’s not the kind of life you’d want, right?”

Her eyes are watering and nods, “You’re right, it was nice though”

It makes all of them laugh and Nancy feels like she knows him better, “I really am sorry, not just for scaring you. But for what I did back then”

“I’m sorry too”

There’s tears falling from both of them and she can see Eddie wiping away his own eyes.

A laugh bubbles up out of her, then Steve and lastly Eddie. It’s tears and laughter between them now.

Okay, look I’ll be completely serious right now. This wasn’t supposed to be this long, honestly. That’s why it ends the way it does, because it could go on even more. But I’d be repeating myself I think. Also, all of this just for the image of Nancy finding out about Steddie in like the most awkward way possible. (Without it being completely explicit 🤣)

Hope it reads okay, I had some help from the discord babes, @i-less-than-three-you & @strangersteddierthings! Love you both lovelies 💜

Information that isn’t in the fic: Robin and Wayne are the first ones to know about Steddie. Dustin, Max & the CC boys are the only other ones that know (besides Nancy) everyone else doesn’t. Also this takes place over a span of a few months. The very first part is directly after vecna (max isn’t hurt) and jumps to the “two days later” after that. But Jonathan and Nancy break up is about two months later.

TAGLIST! (If you want to be added, let me know!)

@spectrum-spectre @itsfreakingbats @mysticcrownshipper @artiststarme @thereindeerlady @justforthedead89 @ronniescontinuum @freyaforestafay @littlewildflowerkitten @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @zerokrox-blog @bookworm0690 @flustratedcas @carlprocastinator1000 @marvelmwah @solliesolesito @navnae @grimmfitzz

#Nancy finds out about steddie #steddie #steddie fic #past stancy #Nancy Wheeler POV #nburkhardt writes #pls don’t hate me for how I wrote Nancy this was my first real attempt 🫣#pls know I do love her #Nancy Wheeler #steve x eddie #stranger things fic

286 notes · View notes