They talked for a few hours after that, thankfully uninterrupted by the kids from outside of the secluded room. Steve had regained his strength after healing El relatively quickly, and El was doing better than ever, much to Hopper's relief. Steve had really healed her. And Hopper was so thankful that he did, even if the ability came from a bad situation. He wanted to find the good in the bad, and found it in Steve's healing abilities. He had a feeling that more good would come out of it, too, but it would be accompanied by bad things, too.

They would just have to live with the balance. Hopper knew that it would be hard, but he promised to be there for them both.

As they talked, they had learned about Steve and Robin's powers, Steve being able to heal himself and others as well as adapt to any scenario and gain immunity to things like bullets, fire, drowning, basically anything that posed a threat to him. Robin could read minds, communicate through them, and was also an empath. She revealed that she could read emotions, and also transmit them, which was apparently a huge help when they escaped Brenner and the lab. She promised to try and control it, as she didn't want to invade their privacy, but both Joyce and Hopper understood if she couldn't. As much as spending so long in that lab was harmful, they weren't there for too long, so they likely weren't taught how to control their abilities perfectly. El promised to help them learn more about their powers, and teach them how to control them. Steve and Robin were grateful, and Hopper had a feeling that they had likely been struggling with their abilities for too long without guidance.

They had also learned that Steve and Robin had an ally, Tom, who had not only saved their life, but staged an invasion of the lab, and also had managed to get Brenner into jail. Steve had the files that Robin and Tom had stolen in his bag, going all the way back to the second child that Brenner had taken, including El's file and the newer ones, which included Steve and Robin's. They hadn't looked over the files yet, and Hopper promised to be there when they did. Nothing was worse than reading a file about what someone had gone through from the torturer's perspective, even if it was also from a scientific point of view. And, it would probably contain heavy details about the tests themselves, no doubt being painful to read and study, bringing old, unwanted memories to the surface.

They had all agreed that no one else would know, at least for a little while. Hopper had no doubt that Steve didn't want the kids to see him differently, and Robin likely wanted to get some control of her life again, and they had both told him as much when he asked. He wanted to respect their wishes. It was the safest route, too, especially since Brenner always seemed to come back, like El had said. He came back for her when she escaped, he came back from death, and now there were two more of his escaped subjects in Hawkins. If he ever escaped from prison, he would be back for them, and if the others knew why it could get so much worse.

Joyce seemed reluctant to agree to the secrecy, but she did, and the conversation was over. El and Joyce left the room, the young girl quickly giving Steve and Robin a short hug before she went, and Steve gave her a smile as the door closed behind them. Robin let out a soft sigh, pulling her sleeve over her number, and Hopper had an idea.

"Hey, will you two hold on for a second? I need to go get something from my truck."

Steve's brows furrowed in confusion. "Okay…should we stay here?"

"Just for a few more minutes. I'll be back soon."

Steve nodded in response, and Hopper left the room, dodging the kids with questions with a wave. He rushed out to his truck, opening the glovebox and taking out a small wrapped box, as well as a velvet bag that he always kept in there. He took a deep breath as he took it, inspecting the softness of the cloth, the feeling of the contents inside.

He didn't feel guilty about what he was about to do. Sarah would be happy with him, and it would protect another girl from getting hurt. It was the right thing to do.

He made his way back to the bedroom, holding the two objects tightly in his hands, opening the door to see Steve and Robin talking in soft whispers. The two looked up when he walked in, and he gave them a smile.

"Talk about anything interesting?" He asked, and Steve shrugged.

"Not really."

"Well, I'm glad that you two get along. You both will need all of the support you can get. We all will be here too, and don't forget it."

Robin beamed. "We won't, thank you, Hopper."

"Of course. And, here's something else that should help."

He passed them the two objects, Steve got the box, and Robin got the bag. Steve eyed it confusingly, weighing it in his hands and looked to Hopper, eyes wide.

"What's this?"

"After Billy bashed your head in, and you protected the kids from those dogs, I got that for you. I know that…that your parents aren't the best people. I wanted to get you a gift, to thank you and also show that I care for you like a son, but I never found a good chance. Then everything happened…and it's been sitting in my truck ever since. Probably a good thing, too, it'll help with what's going on now."

Steve looked close to tears at the words, and Robin reached over and wrapped him in a side hug. His fingers shook as he opened the package, the wrapping paper being discarded on the bed sheets. He opened the small box, gasping as the watch was revealed, sitting perfectly in it, a gift and a promise. He looked up to Hopper, then at the watch, then at Hopper again, and the older man gave him a small smile.

"I assume that you lost your watch earlier?"

Steve nodded wordlessly, taking it out and inspecting the reflective face with awe.

"Hopper, I can't…I can't accept this. It's amazing."

Hopper huffed. "No, kid, it's yours. Not only to tell time, but now it can cover up the tattoo, so you can hide it. You should wear it."

Steve took a deep breath, placing the face right above the tattoo and putting the watch on, making it tight against his skin, just the way he wore his old one. Hopper beamed when he saw the pure adoration and thankfulness on Steve's face, and got up, wrapping Steve in a hug.

"Thank you, Steve. Thank you for everything." He said, and Steve hugged him back, tears finally falling down his cheeks. "You deserve so many good things in this world, and I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that pain."

"Hop…I don't…I don't deserve this. I don't deserve any of this."

"Yes, you do. Don't question my kindness, alright?"

Steve managed to laugh, and he pulled away, wiping his tears away.

"Now, Robin." Hopper said, turning to the teen waiting patiently, though her leg shook with pent up energy. "I didn't know you before. You were a perfect kid, never went to one illegal party, so our paths never really crossed."

She chuckled, jabbing Steve in the side.

"Hey!"

"Unlike you, Dingus!"

Steve mumbled in response, and Hopper continued with a smile.

"So, like I was saying, I don't really know you, so this wasn't really made for you, but I think you could have some use for it. Those are some things my late daughter Sarah had."

Robin froze at the words, her fingers holding the bag steady.

"She, uh, she died because of cancer." Hopper exclaimed, and he could see Steve watch him, sadness and concern in his eyes. "She was seven."

"I'm so sorry." Robin said sincerely, and he nodded.

"Thank you. It's hard, some days, but she left behind some things. I know you could probably buy something else, if you wanted to, but I figured, for now, you might want to use some of her old things. They're only collecting dust, anyway."

"Chief, I don't want to use something that's your daughter's 一" Robin began to protest, but he held up his hand, silencing her.

"Like I said, It's only collecting dust, and she would want you to have them. I know it."

Robin took those words as permission, opening the bag and pouring out the contents gently into her palm. Hopper knew what was in it, a couple of hair ties, a few bracelets, and some bandanas that Sarah had liked to play dress up with. He knew that a blue hair tie would be missing from when he gave it to El.

Robin's breath hitched as she took in what was in front of her, and, like Steve, she seemed about ready to cry. He wasn't sure if it was because of Sarah or something else.

"Pick whatever you want to cover up your wrist, if you want. And maybe something for your hair, too, but I don't really take you as that sort of girl."

"She really isn't." Steve added, and she cast him a knowing look.

"Yeah, I…could I take one of the bandanas?" She asked hesitantly, pointing to a red and white one. Hopper nodded.

"I think that's perfect." He said, and she picked it up, carefully putting back the rest of the items and giving Hopper back the bag.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "Thank you so, so much."

"Don't worry about it, it's the least that I can do."

She wrapped it around the tattoo, and Steve helped her tie it, making sure that the number was covered well. As the two got up from the bed, Robin giving Hopper a big hug as she did so, they all took a collective breath, preparing to face everyone else. After a second, Steve opened the door and made his way to the living room, where everyone was busy playing a board game.

"Steve! Robin! What took you guys so long?" Dustin asked, getting up and playfully reaching up to punch Steve in the shoulder. Steve pretended to take offense, and rushed to mess up the kid's hair.

"A lot of talking, Dustin. I wouldn't concern yourself with it, there's only so much knowledge your mind can take before it explodes."

"A mind can't explode because of knowledge, Steve, it doesn't work like that."

Beneath all of the playful banter, Hopper could tell that Dustin was barely keeping it together, no doubt wanting to ask Steve why he was gone again. He hoped that Steve could keep the secret for a while, though Hopper didn't really have any worries.

"Well, I'm sorry for being concerned for your well being." Steve replied with a smile, and Dustin huffed, dragging Steve to the couch, where El was already sitting, the bandage rewrapped around her leg. Hopper could see El's own bracelet, not the blue one, which was on her other wrist, but the one she had bought with the help of Max, sitting protectively over her tattoo. Though, unlike Steve and Robin, everyone present knew that it was there.

But the bandage still looked odd on her, yet it needed to stay on her leg for a while. Hopper had still wanted to keep up appearances and show that she wasn't healed yet. If she suddenly healed, questions would be asked, and they would be questions that Hopper didn't want to answer. It may be cruel to lie, but it was to, not only to protect Steve and Robin, but to protect everyone else if Brenner ever did come back. It was for the best, no matter how angry the others may get if they ever found out.

Hopper would stand by this, at least until Steve and Robin both changed their minds, if they ever did. They deserved to have a bit of normality after everything that happened to them, and if the kids knew…normal wouldn't exist. He knew that they wouldn't want to take advantage of their powers, but it certainly wouldn't be the same.

So, they would keep it quiet, and continue to live their lives. It was the only thing that they would really do.

The board game continued again, and the world seemed a bit normal once again, if only for a little while.