As soon as they had walked through the door of the Byers' home, Joyce had already made supper for all of them. The kids didn't waste a second getting to the food, but Robin and the older teens hung back, all of them wanting the kids to have first pick. Robin wasn't really surprised by that. If anyone needed a little bit of normal and some food right now, it would be the kids. And Eddie, but Eddie cared so much for them, he didn't want them to suffer for his own hunger.
That's what shocked Robin to her core about him. Eddie always acted so tough on the outside, but he cared for people deeply, so deeply. He loved Dustin like a brother. He, despite his own fears and troubles, was still keeping an eye on the kids.
Everyone was right, when they said he took in lost sheep. He really did.
Loud conversations filtered through the air, and Joyce was flustered by it all, yet still wore a thin smile, no doubt wanting to be strong for everyone. But, Robin knew that she was afraid of what was happening, when Hopper would be home, and if they would all be okay.
Jonathan managed to pull her aside eventually, and they embraced, caught in their little bubble of safety. Robin then looked away, cutting off Joyce's mind from her own. She didn't want to bother them, or intrude any more than she had already done.
She hated being so curious.
Eventually, the kids had found seats on the couches, leaving the dinner table ready for more guests. Nancy silently began divvying up food for herself., Jonathan, Eddie, and Robin, while leaving enough food for the others who should've been arriving shortly. Were hopefully arriving shortly. Robin tried not to think about the ticking clock, time moving forward without a sign of Steve or anyone.
Could Joyce have been tricked? Did she really talk to Hopper, or was it someone who sounded like him? Was Steve really coming home, or was it all just a lie?
"Don't think so loud, Buckley." Eddie said, "It'll give you a headache."
Robin looked up, seeing him giving her a compassionate smile from where they sat on the floor, plates of food in their laps.
"What? Could you hear me?"
Eddie shook his head rapidly. "Huh? Oh, no…you just looked deep I thought. But, you can actually communicate through people's thoughts, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I don't think I've ever done it accidentally, but it might happen eventually."
"What's it like? Is it hard?"
"A bit, it's gotten easier."
It's like riding a bike. She told him, sending her thoughts into his mind, and his eyes widened, his mouth opening weakly in shock.
"Whoa. So, how do I…you know, talk back?"
"Just think, I'll hear you."
Let's try this again?
Eddie pulled his eyes to the floor, his fingers pulling at loose strings on his pants, and replied.
Like this? Canーcan you hear me, Buckley?
Loud and clear. Welcome to the world of having a superpowered friend!
Eddie laughed at that, and Robin chuckled along with him.
"Wow. That's…incredible. Pretty useful too, I'd imagine."
She nodded. "It is. Steve can't usually hear me, though, and I can barely hear him. His adaptation powers stop most things from accessing his mind."
"So, you use others around him to communicate with him? I think Will had mentioned something about that."
"Yeah, for some reason Will is easier to read. I'm not sure if it's because he went into the Upside Down, if he got possessed by that Mindflayer thing, or if he's just more open to hearing my voice, but it's really weird. So, yeah, I'll talk to him more often than most."
Eddie nodded along. "Makes sense. I just still can't believe that all of this is possible. I mean, I knew Hawkins had its hard times, but monsters? People who can read minds? People who can't get hurt? That's all…"
"Insane?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, insane. And that's coming from me, a wanted murderer on the run, a Dragon Master with loyal followers yet a crowd of haters everywhere I turn."
"Well, I think we're all a little insane, in our own ways."
"Guys!" Jonathan's voice interrupted their conversation, and he grabbed his bat before running to the window. "I think I hear someone."
"Who?" Dustin asked, but Robin could feel who it was before anyone could see them. Hopper and El. There was no doubt. Hopper was worried, built it was a fatherly worry, and was on the lookout, while El was tired, but eager to fight.
"It's Hopper!" Jonathan exclaimed, and everyone rushed to their feet, excitement and apprehension coming off everyone in waves. She could feel it in herself, too.
Were they all okay? Was Steve with them? Was he okay?
Then someone was knocking at the door. Twice, once, then three times, and Joyce didn't waste a second opening it.
"Come on in, quick, all of you!" She said, after giving Hopper a quick hug. Hopper and El walked in, and Robin could hear an audible gasp go across the room at the sight. El was covered in blood.
It covered her white suit, there was blood on her cheeks, her hands, and her torso, making her look like she had come back from the dead. But, her eyes were full of life, and she smiled as soon as she saw Mike.
"El, you're hair, it'sー" Mike said, but she shook her head, stopping his words as she rushed into his arms.
"Honey, are you okay?" Joyce said, her hands shaking. "Is she hurt, Hop?"
"She was." Hopper said with a sigh. "But Harrington saved her. We just haven't had time to clean up yet."
"Where is he?" Robin asked, stress building her in the gut as Steve didn't come through the door. "Is Steve okay?"
"He's fine, I promise. He's just putting the car in a place no one can see it."
Robin let out a sigh of relief, and she watched Joyce take Hopper's hands into her own, his hands covered in blood, too.
"What happened?" Joyce asked softly, and Hopper replied.
"Brenner had us. El managed to get all of what she needed, but Brenner was pretty relieved to let her or Steve go. So, we had to bust our way out. El got shot. It took a while before Steve was able to heal her, we nearly lost her. But, she's okay now."
Robin wasn't shocked by that, it sounded like something that Brenner would do. Of course he would help, but then refuse to let them go after.
Movement at the door caught her eye, and a pair of keys came flying at Hopper, the older man catching it with ease.
Then Steve walked through the door, looking worse than he had in months. He, like El, was covered in blood, no doubt from when he had healed her. He was also wearing a medical gown, his feet bare, and his neck had blood on it, too. But, he was smiling, and as soon as he found Robin, he opened his hands for a hug.
Relief flooded through her, and she couldn't help but rush into his open arms, happy, so, so happy that he was okay, that he was alive, and that he was home.
"Steve!" She cried, and she rushed into his open arms, not caring that he was covered in blood, or smelt horrible, or that he was dirtier than ever. She held him tightly, not willing to let go, never willing to let go again, and he held back with just as much strength.
"Rob, are, are you okay?"
She nodded against him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. You?"
"I've been better, but I'll be okay. I'm just so happy to see you again."
Robin could feel tears build in her eyes, and she closed them, letting herself sob against Steve.
"I was so scared. I thought…I thought that I would never see you againー"
"I'm here, Robin, I'm here. I'm so sorry that I had to leave."
"No! You don't get to apologize! I thought I told you to never apologize for stuff like this again!"
Steve chuckled softly as he held her tight, but Robin could hear that it was strained, lacking the humor that it usually would.
"I know."
"Alright, move so that I can get a hug!"
Dustin's voice broke through, and Robin laughed, stepping back but still staying by Steve's side, letting Dustin give Steve a hug. Steve fondly rubbed his head, and Dustin beamed.
"I told you that I would be okay." Steve said, but Dustin rolled his eyes.
"Returning home covered in blood? Yeah, totally okay. At least you still have all of your hair."
Steve shook his head with a smile, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair, as if making sure that it was still there.
"Yeah, it would've been such a headache to grow again."
"What happened to your neck, dude?" Eddie asked, and Steve shrugged.
"Long story short, Brenner found a way to make my powers go away using a small device. El had to rip it out so that I could heal her."
"And, it was in your neck?" Eddie asked, and Robin felt weak at the thought. The wound near the blood was gone, no doubt healed by Steve's powers, but that had to hurt. It made sense though, why Brenner would've done it. How else was he able to capture Steve, a man who was literally bullet proof than to take away his powers?
But, it filled her with rage. Steve shouldn't have had to go though that. No one should've. Steve having his powers forcibly subdued, having to get the device ripped out? El getting shot, no doubt having to go through more tests and experiments? Getting her hair shaved again? None of this was fair. None of it was.
"I'm going to kill him for what he did to you and El." She said firmly, and Steve turned to her sadly.
"Robー"
"He's hurt way too many people! We have to make him stop!" Robin continued, tears now falling from her eyes freely. She couldn't stand to see Steve the way he was, knowing what had happened to him How hurt he had to be, how he was wearing a medical gown like he was an experiment. She hated it. She never wanted it to happen again. "This can't happen again!"
"I know." Steve said calmly, taking her hands in his own, and his touch grounded her, kept her sane. She knew, without him, she would be out the door, eager to find Brenner and make him pay.
She was never an angry person, but she sure was now.
"Robin, I know. I'm so angry that El had to suffer again, and one day we'll probably have to face Brenner one last time. But, right now we have bigger problems. Hawkins is dying. One is going to destroy our home, and we have to stop him."
"We know." Nancy said, crossing her arms, and Robin could feel sadness and grief coming off of her in waves, helping to reduce Robin's rage. "He showed me."
"One?" Hopper asked, pulling away from Joyce, "He talked to you?"
Nancy nodded. "It was bad. He showed me gates opening in Hawkins, people…people dying."
"Four gates, four deaths." Max stated, looking to the floor. "I'm the last one that needs to die."
El made her way over to Max, kindness in her eyes. "I know. But he won't succeed. I know how to defeat him."
"How? Wait, who are you? Are you the superpowered girl everyone keeps talking about? Great hair, by the way. Totally metal." Eddie said, and El gave him a confused smile.
"Yes, and you like my hair?
"Yeah, of course! It looks much better than Harrington's."
Steve rolled his eyes, but a small smile formed on his face despite everything going on, and Robin was thankful for it.
"We already know that One goes into a trace when he attacks." Nancy said, and El brought her attention back to her, nodding.
"Yes. But, when he's also in someone's mind, even when he's not killing them. I can find him in the Void, and hopefully I can draw him out to fight me." El explained. "I sent him to the Upside Down. He wants me."
"He wants to kill you?" Mike asked worriedly, but El shook her head.
"I…I don't know. But he's doing all of this to get my attention. And he's stronger, stronger than me."
"And me." Robin said, remembering all of her attempts to help the victims, her fight against him in Nancy's mind, and even Steve's. One was powerful.
"What if we distract him?" Max asked, and Steve looked at her with concern. "Our plan was to let him take me again, and then the others would go into the Upside Down and attack his prone body."
"No, no, no, no! Are you crazy? Let him take you again? You weren't kidding? That's a real option for you?" Steve asked, moving forward. "That is not a good idea, you'll die!"
"But Lucas will be there with me, ready with Kate Bush. It'll work!" Max argued, her voice raising, and Steve's raised with it, his words laced with something that sounded close to panic.
"What if it doesn't? What then? What if you die?"
"Then I'll die protecting the people that I love! It's that your motto, Steve? Why are you able to do that but I can't!"
Steve's eyes went wide at those words, and he went silent.
Robin could feel the tension around the room grow, suffocating and palpable for everyone. Steve looked uncomfortable where he stood, and he looked away from Max, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths.
"Okay," Joyce said, clapping her hands uncertainly, "Why don't we all talk about this later. Jonathan, can you get Steve some new clothes? El, you can use some of my clothes, you look about my size. The rest of you try to get some rest while Steve, Hopper, and El finally clean themselves up and eat something. Then we'll start making plans, alright?"
Steve nodded stiffly, and Robin rubbed his arm, hoping to comfort him. He glanced at her, gave her a tiny, hesitant smile, but then turned away again, the frown back on his face.
His silence was killing her, but Robin didn't know if there was anything for him to say. And she didn't know what to say, either.
So, they remained silent, frozen in time and worry as the world moved slowly around them.