Nancy let herself in, shoving past Steve to enter the room. She cringed at the smell, knowing boys were always disgusting but it was incredible how fast it took the two to mess up the place. Her eyes found their way toward the beds. She knew Jonathan was near the window. He always liked having the bed by the window.

The look in her eyes was almost pathetic. She didn't realize how much she missed Jonathan until now. Standing in his hotel room, longing to lay down on his bed and absorb the sheets he slept in. Her body ached for his touch, his smell, his words. Jonathan always had a way with words. He spoke so gently, so soft. Every word he said had meaning, whether it was simple or eccentric.

Nancy had been after Jonathan since the day they met. Writing with each other for the first time felt like falling in love over and over again. She had thoughts, Jonathan wrote them out for her. He could hear anything that stuck in Nancy's mind. And anything he heard, he wrote it down. And Nancy loved everything about that.

Jonathan was shy. Timid. Scared to open up to anyone. Except for Nancy. It was easy with her. They related to each other, mentally. They both had issues in their life, both making them stronger than ever. The two were always there for each other. And it was no surprise to everyone that the two ended up together once Nancy was released from rehab.

Nancy hated keeping their relationship a secret. To her, the public was their worst enemy. Gossips and tabloids would rip their relationship to shreds. All Nancy wanted was for the public to focus on their music. The reason they started their band in the first place. Not to ruin everyone image and spark rumors over nothing.

The pact was mainly for Nancy's sake. The rest of the band didn't seem to care except Robin. Nancy knew it, too. She wanted nothing more but to protect her friends from the drama. And that included Jonathan.

Tears filtered in her eyes as she continued to stare at the bed. She didn't even flinch when she heard the door slam shut. Her hands trembled in her grip, wrapping her arms around herself tighter than ever. She felt stupid, scared to turn around and show Steve that she wanted to cry. Cry over Jonathan and their foolish argument. An argument she created.

Steve turned away from the door and stared at Nancy. He watched as she stood there, eyes locked to Jonathan's bed. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he glanced at the bed.

Jonathan hadn't returned to the room. In fact, Steve hadn't seen his roommate since their little conversation in the dressing room. He wondered where Jonathan went but didn't feel the need to ask around. It felt too personal. Especially since the two weren't exactly friends. Just roommates, nothing more.

"So..." Steve trailed off, feeling the awkwardness in the room. He was too scared to admit that he was worried. Worried as to why Nancy came to see him.

Nancy gasped as she heard Steve's voice. It's as if she forgot she was standing in his room, wanting to confront him about his snarky comments from earlier. She composed herself, sniffing back the tears. Her head snapped around, ponytail whipping her cheek lightly. "So?"

"What do you want to talk about, Wheeler? This seems way too out of the ordinary, especially from you." Steve huffed, leaning back against the front door.

Nancy narrowed her eyes at him. "Out of the ordinary? Oh, please. You know exactly why I'm here."

"No, no I don't. At all. You never talk to me unless you have something snippy to say."

"And there it is." Nancy laughed sarcastically, shaking her head. "You and your stupid comments."

"My stupid comments? You started it!"

"Oh, what are you, five?"

"You have been rude to me the second I walked into your life. The dirty looks, the nasty comments. You hate me so bad yet you don't know anything about me."

"All I need to know is that you're bad news. There's something about you that leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth. So bitter, I want to vomit every time I see you."

"Are you intimidated by me or something?"

Nancy stammered. "Excuse me?"

"Are. You. Intimated."

Nancy stood there dumbfounded. The question threw her off guard. She wasn't expecting something so stupid to comment out of his mouth, regardless of the dumb things he's said in the past. "Intimidated by you? You've got to be kidding me."

Steve backed off the door, walking slowly towards Nancy. "Then why don't you like me?"

"Let's see. You barge in here, completely disrupting the group. We don't need anyone else here. And..." She sighed. "I have this feeling in my stomach. Call it intuition."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. His loose strands of hair fell over his face. "Intuition? You don't know me, Wheeler. And you haven't gotten the chance to get to know me. Unlike the rest of your band mates. Also, it's pretty fucking unfair that you say I'm disrupting the group. I was hired by Jim, it was his control."

Nancy huffed, watching as his hair fell upon his face. The strands were straight, glowing a bit. She could tell he hadn't washed his hair in a couple of days, yet it still looks as good as ever. Styled perfectly to frame his face. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks. Thinking about Steve Harrington's hair. And she hated to admit how perfect it was. "Jim doesn't need an assistant."

"And he told you that?"

Nancy felt stupid. This argument was going nowhere. She knew deep down that Jim did in fact need a new assistant. He was struggling to keep up with the stage crew, the band and everything in between. He had been talking about getting an assistant since the beginning. Nancy finally figured out once Steve showed up that it was true.

"No. Jim is a great manager. He doesn't need a second person to keep an eye on us. We're all responsible, young adults."

"Responsible? Everyone drinks every night. You wouldn't get out of bed if it wasn't for me."

"Have you been an assistant before?"

"Huh?"

Nancy took a few steps closer to Steve, only about two feet in between them. "Have. You. Ever. Been. An. Assistant."

Steve hated how she used his own tactics against him. It was petty, nonetheless. He knew deep down that she didn't have a mind of her own when it came to their bantering. "Don't get all smart with me, Wheeler."

Nancy snickered. "Smart? You started it."

"Who's the five-year-old now?"

Nancy couldn't help but laugh. It was a good joke, great even. She couldn't deny that Steve did have a way with his words. Nothing compared to Jonathan, though. But his words were his. And she could read them loud and clear.

Nancy found herself comparing the two. Jonathan was sweet, sultry. His words were always soft and courteous. Always respectful.

But Steve was the complete opposite. Words were full of attitude, and sarcasm. It reeked all over his breath. He never backed down from picking a fight with Nancy. Jonathan usually let her talk but Steve argued. Challenged her. The challenge was only the beginning, though.

She enjoyed the banter. Usually, she was timider, drawn back to start a fight. Yet, Steve made her blood boil. Everything about him made her want to fight for hours. Whenever he walked away from a quick banter session, she felt a little dull inside. Hated the way she spoke to him but loved the way he would respond.

Everything about Steve Harrington drove her to the brink of insanity. Yet, her favorite part of the day always seemed to draw back to Steve. The banter, she loved it. It was easily in her top three highlights of the day. But she tried to turn the switch off in her head. The switch told her to not like his presence.

"You know," Nancy paused. "I don't like you."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone knows."

Nancy's brown furrowed. "Everyone?"

Nancy knew that Robin knew. It was clear considering Robin was a witness to their conversations. Or lack thereof. But the whole band? How could the whole band know?

"Yeah." Steve placed his hands on his hips. "You treat me so differently compared to everyone else. And I know you've told the band multiple times that you don't have a good feeling about me. Nancy, you don't know me. And going around to people that I work with, telling them how you don't like me. I'm stuck on this tour, you know?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts. I've never done this before. Going on a tour, a great big fucking tour. Constantly being around people who drink and party. People who perform their hearts out every night. Late nights and early mornings. Talking with people my actual age. This is all new to me. And I would appreciate it if the lead singer of the band I'm watching over was nice to me."

Nancy listened to his words. It seemed sincere. She had never heard these kinds of thoughts come out of his mouth. It scared her a bit. Was he using it as a ploy? Was this all a ruse to make her apologize just for him to laugh in her face?

Steve hadn't expressed these feelings to anyone. He was genuine with every word. The assignment did terrify him. Getting close to these people just to betray them wasn't going to be easy. He was grateful, in a sense, that Nancy didn't like him. Cause when the truth was going to come out, Nancy wouldn't be as hurt. She would just do her "I told you so!" and go on with her life. Maybe he needed a journal like Nancy.

"I don't need to be nice to you, Harrington. You come into my life and completely wreck everything!" Nancy retorted, not falling for his bullshit speech.

"Wreck everything? What the hell have I wrecked besides my patience with you?" Steve huffed.

"Jonathan!" She finally blurted it out.

The room fell silent. Nancy let her tough demeanor simmer down. The tears were starting to come back. Her lip began to quiver intensely, scared to move even an inch. Nancy gulped hard, trying to fight back the nervous breakdown.

Steve stood there. His countenance went soft as he noticed Nancy's whole vibe change. "Jonathan?" He sighed. "What did I do about Jonathan?"

"Don't play dumb, Harrington. I-I know Jonathan told you about us. About our relationship. You know about us! And your stupid, dumb comments in the dressing room? We had a fight over it! A stupid fight because of you."

"How is that my fault that Jonathan told me? It's not like I held a gun to his head and told him to tell me, Nancy. You're being ridiculous. If you're going to end a relationship over my comments, you have something deeper that's wrong. Clearly, Jonathan is realizing that. Seriously, hiding your relationship from the public? No wonder he's annoyed!"

Nancy let the tears flow. It all happened in one swift moment. Her body collapsed onto Steve's bed, curling up into a ball. She sobbed softly into the sheets, clenching them until her knuckles turned white. Her chest ached, and her eyes stung. She was having a breakdown in front of the one person she didn't want to see her like this. It wasn't her worst mental breakdown; she has had plenty of those. But she felt more vulnerable at this moment. Crying in front of Steve, the person she is supposed to hate, made her feel weak. She rarely cried in front of anyone. It was Jonathan the most. Now, Steve had witnessed her cries firsthand. It only worried her considering he would most likely use it against her. 

Steve didn't know what to do. All he could do was scratch his head. He was never good at comfort. Steve worked his way around many girls but always ended things before they got too serious. The only girl he really cared for was his mother, but she was barely around to teach him how to comfort anyone. Gulping back saliva, Steve cleared his throat. "Nance?"

Nancy ignored him. She stayed still, sobbing into the mascara-stained sheets. Her heart was racing, feeling the room spin. The palpitations of her heart made her stomach weak.

"Nancy, come on." He sighed, walking over to the bed. He bit down on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I overstepped, alright? Is that what you want?"

Nancy shook her head, the tears starting to slow down. Her body shook, twitches going up and down her legs. "You suck, Harrington." She winced.

Steve smiled to himself. Even with her breakdown, Nancy still managed to pick a fight. He sat down on the edge of his bed, careful not to touch her. The last thing he wanted was for her to flinch and kick him where the sun doesn't shine. His hands fell by his side as he looked at her. "How do you manage to still say something when you're crying?"

Nancy let out a soft laugh. The girl was embarrassed to admit the comment made her laugh. Tears still fell, running down her cheeks and onto her nose. They hung from her nostrils before sliding into her mouth, giving her a salty taste. Her legs still twitched, especially when Steve sat next to her. "I don't know. It's easy with you I guess?"

Steve snorted, wiping his nose out of anxiousness. "You don't know when to quit do you?"

Nancy sat up slowly, wiping her cheeks clean. She sniffled back some tears before reaching for her hair. Loose strands framed her face, making Steve's knees go weak.

He watched as she composed herself. Even as a mess, he found her strikingly gorgeous. Breathtaking. The tears made her blue eyes shine like the sun. Her red cheeks made her look radiant, glowing even. He imagined what she would look like if she was happy around him. Probably similar. Potentially more of a beam, a stride. A golden ray. Cheeks redder than ever but matched with a toothy grin.

He witnessed it sometimes. Whenever she was with the band or Jonathan. Especially when she was on stage. He knew she was beautiful. Being in this moment just made Steve think of her more intensely. Steve had let his thoughts take over his actions. His fingers grazed her jaw, tucking the loose pieces of hair behind her ear.

Nancy flinched as she felt his fingers crawl along her jaw. She felt her cheek nuzzle into him slightly, watching as he tucked the loose piece of hair behind her ear. The red on her cheeks only intensified. "What are you doing?"

Steve looked up into Nancy's eyes, a soft grin forming on his lips. "Fixing your hair. It's extremely messy from your crying."

Nancy laughed. A whole-hearted laugh. It made Steve laugh as well, though not as intense. Silence fell between the two, making Nancy shuffle in her position. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; just one she wasn't used to. It felt familiar, though. The two had never sat together, alone. In silence.

Steve wondered what was on Nancy's mind. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she cracked her neck to both sides. "Listen, Nancy..."

"No." Nancy cut him off. She looked over at him with a smile. "I just cried in front of you and you absolutely didn't comfort me at all. You would not make a good boyfriend."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Good thing I don't have one." He sat up in his bed. "I just wanted to say—"
"No."

"That I am..."

"Steve Harrington."

"Sorry." Steve sighed. "I am genuinely sorry for making you and Jonathan fight. Even though Jonathan told me...about you two. I shouldn't have teased you about it. Again, I'm really sorry. Genuinely."

Nancy stitched her eyebrows together. "Did Steve Harrington just apologize to me?"

Steve stifled a grin. "Perhaps. I'm waiting for one in return, though."

Nancy rolled her eyes with a grin. "We must be trapped in a parallel universe since Steve Harrington is apologizing to me."

"Don't push it."

Nancy giggled, genuinely enjoying Steve's company. It's as if the two did a complete 180 with each other. They went from arguing to crying to apologizing. The two were laughing together, making each other feel comfortable.

"I'm sorry, too." Nancy finally admitted.

Steve raised his brows in surprise. "Now Nancy Wheeler is sorry? I guess we are in a parallel universe."

Nancy shook her head. She reached out to Steve, shoving his shoulder a bit. His body ricocheted, making him grin. "Don't take my own joke, Harrington."

"Sorry, I just had to. Fuck, I apologized again. What is wrong with me?"

Nancy couldn't stop laughing. The girl hadn't laughed this hard in a long time. Everything Steve said just made her giggle. He had never had that effect on her before. "Lots of things. There are a lot of things."

"Oh yeah?" Steve sat up and moved closer to her. "What things?"

Nancy felt goosebumps erupt on her skin as Steve inched his way closer to her. "Your stupid comments. And your hair, Jesus. The way you can't hold a beer down. You suck at being an assistant."

Steve placed a hand over his heart and groaned. "Ouch. You've hurt me real bad, Wheeler."

Nancy snorted. "Shut up! I'm sure you have some things you don't like about me."

Steve shrugged. "Your attitude sucks. And I think I make a pretty damn good assistant."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Silence washed over again. Except for this time, Nancy felt relaxed. No negative thoughts ran through her head. The silence was officially comforting for her. And it was a weird feeling in her stomach that made her want to rush to the bathroom. How she went from disliking Steve to sobbing. Then sharing jokes with one another. It was weird. How fast things switched.

Steve pondered. The silence was always comforting for them. He was used to it. Never was around his family since they were always out of town for business. He was an only child, giving him freedom and isolation all at once. The silence was his friend, and he felt comfortable sharing it with Nancy.

"Nancy..." Steve sighed. "I think you should go find Jonathan. Work things out? If I see him first, I'll make sure to tell you."

Nancy felt a pang in her stomach. She nodded slowly, looking away from Steve's gaze. Her feet swung against the bed, hovering over the floor. "Oh...yeah. Okay."

Nancy managed to lift herself off the bed, stretching her arms and legs a bit. "I'll see you later?"

Steve nodded. His eyes never left her. Something about the way she walked as if she owned any room she waltzed into. Everyone was drawn to Nancy Wheeler. Steve had been drawn since day one but didn't realize it until now. Until she broke down in front of him.

The boy stood up, adjusting the waist of his jeans. "Yup." He nodded before shoving his hands into his front pockets.

Nancy nodded before walking towards the door. Her mind raced with thoughts, horrible ones. Ones that would prove that Robin was right all along.

Steve isn't a bad guy.

He just sucks at comforting.

And she was terrified that Jonathan never crossed her mind when the two sat on Steve's bed and just exchanged small talk.

"Nance?"

The brunette turned around, seeing Steve standing up by his bed. "Yeah?"

"Are...are we good?"

The question made Nancy laugh. On the other hand, the laugh made Steve anxious.

"We're good."

The doorknob was within reach of Nancy. Her fingers gripped around it, eyes never leaving Steve. She gave him a flashy wink before ripping the door open. Her body waltzed out of the room as if the two didn't just go through a whole lifetime together in that room.

Steve watched as she left, his heart aching for more. It felt weird. The change was weird. It seemed that Nancy Wheeler was actually starting to enjoy his presence. And the feeling made him weak in the knees. He hadn't even felt that way when he first laid eyes on Robin. The thought of Nancy Wheeler made him nauseous.

She was a piece of work. Something about her just made butterflies erupt in his stomach. Especially after their conversation on the bed. It was small, nothing special. Yet, that was the first time the two had an actual conversation. One that didn't involve arguing or eye rolls.

All he could think about was one person, though. The roommate would be back any minute. And who he let Nancy go after.

Nancy didn't go searching for Jonathan. Instead, she found herself back in her room. Robin wasn't there, probably off somewhere with Billy or Max. Potentially sightseeing, trying new food or drinks. Picking out outfits for the show tonight. Nancy wanted the room to herself, anyways.

Her most prized possession resided on her bed. Nancy knew Robin would never snoop in it, so leaving it out for her was no big deal. And she hoped that Jim, the only other person with access to the rooms, wouldn't go through her diary.

Grabbing a pen from her desk, Nancy threw herself onto the bed. Flipping through the pages, Nancy eventually found herself on a blank page. The word just jumped onto the page, something that stuck with her the minute she left Steve.

Intuition.

Call it intuition.