Imagine some kind of AU where Jonathan and Nancy fall for each other while being study pals. Two nerds just falling for each other is good for the soul
Nancy excels in everything, but for some reason she hit a roadblock with something like her history class. But she knows Jonathan is like the top student in that class. She’s seen his papers, getting almost 100% every time. She also knows Jonathan struggles in their chem class. They’ve barely talked, a few greetings when their brothers hang out, but Nancy doesn’t think she’s ever heard him speak.
So she tracks him down at lunch in the library, makes a deal that they help each other and she won’t ever bother him again after the year is over.
They study after school a lot, helping each other and getting closer as friends. Both celebrate getting respective B’s in the class they originally struggled in. Nancy is sad it’ll be over in the summer. She catches herself staring at Jonathan while he writes out some formulas and oh no, she has a crush. Fuck.
Jonathan is also panicking, but became self aware of the crush months ago.
Oh my God yes. Two school nerds falling in love gives me life (this is actually one of the main ways my fiance and I became friends, we were in the same classes in college and studied together). But this isn't anything with the Upside Down going on, just Jonathan and Nancy being able to be normalish teenagers and doing schoolwork. Jonathan still helps out in his house a lot, but tries to be a good example for Will and not stress his mom out by doing well in school on top of everything else. Nancy thrives on academic excellence.
She and Jonathan don't talk often, more so just waves when he picks up Will from their house. He's the one to do it since their mom works late and Jonathan doesn't like the concept of Will biking the distance alone. He doesn't talk much to Nancy, but he's polite to the Wheeler parents and listens when Will goes on about the campaign or whatever the boys did that day. He ruffles Will's hair and he always has his backpack with him.
They're ahead in all their classes, besides history for Nancy and chemistry for Jonathan. So Nancy proposes they help each other out. She asks if he'd be willing to help her in history in return for her help in chemistry, since they both have A's in the respective classes. She thinks he's not really her biggest fan so she promises she'll leave him alone at the end of the semester. He agrees and comes with Will after school rather than just going to the library for a bit while he waits on his brother.
And the two grow close fast. Jonathan develops feelings first, but he keeps them a secret. Meanwhile Nancy starts falling harder for him as she watches how he acts around her family. He helps her with history, explaining what was going on in great detail and with a glimmer in his eyes. Then Holly asks him to play one day and he agrees. Nancy knew he had to be good with kids because of how good he was with Will, but he ends up in a tiara and lets Holly put hair pieces in his hair with no complaint. He helps Mrs. Wheeler bring out dinner and he's even able to hold a conversation with Ted without looking annoyed. Sometimes they end up needing to study later than they planned and Will falls asleep on the couch waiting for them, so she's seen on more than one occasion Jonathan carefully lifting Will in his arms and holding him like he's the most precious thing in the world while he gets Will to the car and buckles him in.
Jonathan is quiet at school, but she's found him eating his lunch in the library and joins him every day. They study then, too, but also just talk about life. Turns out Jonathan wants to be a photographer and she wants to be a journalist. When she makes a comment about hwo they'd be a great team, he blushes and she remembers her promise, that she'd leave him alone at the end of the semester so she shakes her head and goes back to working.
She's straight up stared at his lips as he works on an equation and when he catches her stare, he turns red. By the end of the semester, they're celebrating their B's in the classes they struggle in and Nancy is disappointed they're not going to be hanging out anymore. Jonathan is the one to say that he doesn't want to stop seeing her and wants to still be around her.
There's silence for a moment before Nancy kisses him and he returns it, pulling her into him and they hold each other, their papers long forgotten on the ground as they separate, but stay close. And Jonathan reminds her that they do make a good team.
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