" easy does it! " steve had encouraged as he helped nancy up onto the rooftop. his breaths had come out ragged from the burning in his lungs that he was trying to play cool with, but he wasn't sixteen anymore and hoisting a cooler up a ladder? woof. was teaching getting him out of shape?
but as soon as he had surfaced, he had set the cooler down and wiped his hands off on his jeans so he could reach forward and help nancy up the last few rungs. not that she needed it, no. nancy never needed help, by any means. not unless she asked for it. but maybe this is what it had always been. silent support.
once she was safe and settled, he headed over to get their seating arrangement fixed first. he wanted this to be perfect. not because he was expecting anything, no. he just enjoyed nancy's presence and wanted to give her a good new year's . . . to give her a reason to keep visiting hawkins. or at least, a reason to remember to call him when she did visit hawkins.
there was a light comfortable pause as nancy expressed missing this. and suddenly before him sat a version of nancy from a lifetime ago, a girl who brought warmth to the harrington pool where he was acting like a complete dunce with two people heh didn't even speak to anymore. a night that had changed everything for them. events flickered through his mind and seemed to age his bones within him. jesus, they really had been to hell and back multiple times . . . and he'd do it all over again for her if he had to.
" i missed you, " he murmured before he could catch himself, and when he did, there was a pinch of regret in his expression and a soft laugh. " i'm sorry, that sounds . . . "