Well, he's never done that before. He can't believe he just did it with Nancy of all people. If it weren't for the fact that he's driving with her next to him in the passenger seat he might've pinched himself to make sure it wasn't all a dream. But no, it's real, very much real. They're driving home from a stranger's bunker where they spent the last day taking down the man and the last night as close together as two people can be.

Nancy is his first. The first girl he's had sex with. It was heated and… passionate, but also clumsy but that was okay, Nancy assured him it was okay. It felt better than he imagined it.

Nancy was his first kiss too. Kissing her for the first time is something he will never forget. He's fought a monster (with her) but somehow he had to muster up even more courage to lean in and kiss Nancy than he had to fight a monster. It's probably the best thing he's ever done.

Nancy's also the first girl he's shared a bed with. They did that already last year. And again now, only closer together and with less layers of clothing. She's also the first person he's talked to through the wee hours of the night.

She's the first person who's grabbed his hand and told him "This can't end." To which he agreed and nervously asked her "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Immediately regretting it because soon as it was out of his mouth he realized how it made him sound like a middle schooler. But she smiled and nodded and kissed him sweetly and told him "Yes. Do you want to be my boyfriend?" He'd said yes. She had looked at him expectantly and so he had sealed it with a kiss as well.

He's never had a girlfriend before. Nancy Wheeler is his first girlfriend. As far as first girlfriends go, he can't imagine doing better than Nancy Wheeler. As far as girlfriends at all go, he can't imagine doing better.

XXX

Nancy's the first person who's managed to calm him down, strengthen him and let him know everything's going to be okay, through only a touch. She does it by simply placing a hand on his shoulder, while he's apologizing to his little brother's unconscious body.

She's the first person who's ever shielded him and his mother with a shotgun.

She's the first girl who's held him in her arms and anchored him to this world when it felt like it was crumbling around him.

XXX

Nancy's the first girl to walk hand in hand with him into Hawkins High. Everyone stares at them and he can hear them whispering. Nancy must hear them too but she just holds her head high and ignores them so he does the same. She smiles at him and kisses his cheek by her locker. When he's going over to meet her there again after Math class, the only class they don't share since she's in the Advanced one, just before they see him he overhears Ally ask her "So what the hell is up with you and Byers?" and Nancy answering "Jonathan is my boyfriend." She sounds happy saying it, casual, relaxed. Unashamed. Not that he thought she'd be ashamed… not really, just… he wasn't sure what to expect when they were out of their own bubble and back in the real world of normal, everyday life. This is the new normal though, he realizes as Nancy notices him and smiles from ear to ear.

And she's the first girl who comes into work near the end of his shift looking amazing and greeting him with a kiss. He introduces her to Eric and Mr. Chambers as "my girlfriend Nancy" and feels weirdly proud doing so.

Nancy also is the first girl he invites home for dinner. Will's been home from the hospital for a week and they've managed to put the house somewhat back in order so it feels like the time is right. He cooks, his mom goes on another cleaning spree while rambling about how proud she is of him and how happy she is for him. He's not sure why she's trying to make the house look spotless. On the one hand it maybe feels like a normal thing to do when your son's bringing a girl home for the first time ever, especially when that girl has grown up in a nicer house than theirs. But at the same time Nancy of course has been right here when it's mattered and seen their house at it's absolute worst so he's not sure why his mom bothers but he lets it happen since it seems to give her some peace of my mind.

During dinner they don't talk about monsters, but Nancy asks Will how he's doing and Will asks them what they were doing last week and they awkwardly explains the bits they feel comfortable explaining. He thinks again that their lives a pretty goddamn weird. But Nancy also compliments him on the food and tells his mom the house looks lovely and she holds his hand under the table, all of which feels like more normal stuff and he thinks maybe there lives always will have both the normal and the crazy and they'll make it work.

XXX

Nancy is the first girl to smile at him from across a crowded room and make him blush and smile back.

Later for the first time ever he's not too nervous to walk up to a girl and ask her to dance, since he knows she'll say yes. They sway to the beat of some generic slow "romantic" pop song that would never come near one of his mixtapes but now he'll remember forever because it's his first dance with Nancy. His first dance with any girl, really. He never went to the Snow Ball when they themselves were in middle school, never went to any school dances. He never got what the big deal was. Now he kind of does.

Nancy kisses him and it brings him right back to their first kiss. Nancy was his first kiss, first a lot of things. First girlfriend and monster hunting partner.

First? Only, he thinks as he leans in and kisses her. Why would he ever want anybody else?