Stancy Imagines (Stranger Things 4)

Not one second.

A/N: In this version of events, Nancy is the only one who follows Steve through the gate.

Nancy's Point of View

The moment we rowed this piece of shit boat away from the shore of lovers lake, I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. The dark waters, the late hours of the night... well, nine o'clock isn't late, but it's never a good time to be exploring a gate into hell. Even the way the boat was gliding through the water gave me a bad feeling, and Robin standing up on the boat was making me extremely nervous. 

"Bed time is at nine, Kiddos!" She teases Dustin, as well as Max and Lucas back at the shoreline. 

"Robin, sit down you're making me nervous." I state quickly, grabbing onto the sleeve of her top and pulling her to a seated position. The boat wavers slightly, and I feel my breath hitch in my throat. 

"It's okay Nance." I look at Steve and he continues, "You're not going to fall in. This boat may be a piece of shit, but the waters aren't rough enough to tip us." 

"If we were in an ocean, it would be a different story." Eddie smiles, poking my shoulder. 

I playfully smack his hand away and look back at Steve, "So no swimming for me tonight?" 

"No swimming for you tonight." He smirks, "We don't have any beer, or a knife to crack the caps off. The conditions aren't right to be swimming anyways." 

I smile to myself, briefly remembering that night at Steve's pool. My face grows hot at the memory of what happened after we went swimming, "Good one, Steve." God, what is wrong with me? Why is my mind drifting to these places in the middle of a dire situation. I shift my gaze upon the water, studying it at an attempt to distract my mind from the anxiousness, and well, the thoughts of Steve. It's dark, really dark. Nothing is visible inside the waters, the only thing I can see is the surface.

With that I'm snapped out of my thoughts, the compass in my hand begins to go crazy.  It spins around chaotically, at such a fast momentum that it feels like it may fall out of my hand. Steve notices this. 

"Stop paddling guys, look at the compass." He calls for Eddie and Robin's attention, and we all observe the spinning compass. The faster it spins, the worse I feel. Although none of us are going through the gate tonight, I have a bad feeling about being here, about being near it.

"Guys talk to me, what's going on?" We hear dustin ask through static noises from the walkie. I nod at it, signaling someone to pick it up and answer him. The compass almost falls out of my hands as Robin grabs our walkie to respond to Dustin, but Steve gently rests his hand on top of mine, keeping the compass in place. I feel heat rise to my cheeks with this contact, looking up at him with a smile. It was when I do this that I notice a hint of blush across his face, and the fact that he's smiling at me too. I almost forget the eeriness of the darkness around us, of this old boat and the dark waters.

"Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital ahhh!" Robin explains, not once taking her eyes off of the compass in my hands. 

Steve shifts beside me, beginning to untie the laces of his shoes. I immediately feel my lungs constrict, and suddenly I am finding it hard to breathe. "Steve, what are you doing!" I exclaim, reaching my hand out at an attempt to prevent him from doing what I know he is about to do. 

"Somebody's gotta go down there and check this thing out, unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins high swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years," he pauses, looking around at the group. I feel my heart pounding out of my chest with panic at the thought of him swimming down there, "then it's gonna be me. No complaints, alright?" He finishes; removing his other shoe, and gently pushes my hand out of the way.