"You know, it feels weird to eat ice cream, after everything that's happened." Steve said, licking his chocolate ice cream cone that he held. Robin nodded, taking another scoop of her own strawberry ice cream, making sure that she caught some of the whipped cream onto her spoon, too.
"It tastes good. Different, but good."
"Like your hair?" Steve said with a smirk, and Robin whacked his arm with her spoon as soon as it was empty.
"You be quiet, Harrington! I wanted to try something new, and my hair doesn't look good short!"
"You know, if you would let me help…"
"You're not touching my hair. If I wanted to be covered in hair products I would've begun long ago! And I don't trust you to do my hair at all!"
He laughed, running his hand through his now perfect head of hair, hair that was once again shaped into perfection. "Okay, fine. But you do look strange blonde."
She couldn't help but agree with him. Although she was a bit more comfortable with the length of her hair, now she looked more like a human than an experiment, she still wanted to give the different wigs a try. Her regular hair was still short-ish, and she didn't feel very confident in it yet. She wasn't wearing the wigs because she wanted to look pretty though, but she figured it could be fun. So far it had been, and Steve hadn't stopped giving each of his opinions on the colors and styles.
Yesterday it was black and wavy, today it was straight and blonde. Total opposites.
"Okay, but which looked better? Today's or yesterday's?" She asked, and Steve went silent, licking his ice cream once more.
"Neither. I like your normal hair."
She smiled at the words, but she had to know. "Steve."
"Okay, fine. If I had to pick…blonde. Black hair just doesn't suit you or your personality. At least that's what I think."
"And blonde does?"
"There is no right answer to that, is there?"
She giggled. "No, no there isn't."
He sighed, but the smile was still bright on his face. "You just like teasing me."
"More than anything."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, drinking in the activity around them. It had been about two weeks since they had fought Brenner, and Tom had submitted all of the files that they had stolen to the government, but not after making copies of them. They hadn't seen Brenner or any of his helpers for a while, and they had all believed that it was safe to go out into the world. Yet, Robin still kept her mind open, listening for any sign of Brenner's mind or anyone else's who worked with him.
She could see Steve keep a cautious eye out, glancing around at the people around him warily, and even Tom keeping watch from afar, making a simple conversation with the ice cream vendor.
Nonetheless, it was good to get out of the house, it was good to feel nearly free. Still cautious, but free.
As Steve and Robin finished their ice cream, Robin let the simple thoughts of those around her fall into her mind, mindless thoughts of tasks, movies, books, jobs, families…it made her feel warm. This. This is what life was like. This is what her life was going to return to.
It all felt amazing. She knew that she was a bit different, but it was all going to be okay.
Profound love flooded her senses as a well dressed man walked past them, images of a smiling boy and a beaming mother coming to her mind. Although she let the thought and feeling pass with the man, she couldn't help but want to see her parents again. It was dangerous, she knew that now, but both Steve and Tom believed that, once Brenner was behind bars, they could keep her parents safe. The only catch was that they shouldn't share her experiences at the lab. If anyone knew about what happened, they were in more danger than ever. Anyone who knew about it was in danger.
But, she knew that they were able to protect them. She could read minds, she would instantly know when Brenner was near, as she still couldn't get his voice and thoughts out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. And, Steve could effortlessly block bullets and heal any injury, well, as far as they knew. The two of them were capable of beating any attack that came.
They still hadn't decided when they were going to go home, though. They didn't know how long it would take for Brenner to be caught, or if there were his spies in Hawkins right now, looking for them.
It was all so complicated. Robin tried not to be upset. She just wanted to be happy, if only for today, sharing an ice cream with her best friend.
She watched as Steve finished off his treat, whipping his face with a napkin, get chocolate smears on the white cloth. He was doing a lot better since the day he healed Tom. She had been forcing him to eat three meals a day, making sure that he didn't forget, and he did so with a lot of teasing and complaining, but she knew that he was thankful for it. His powers scared him, and she didn't have to read his mind to know that. When he had found out he went a week without eating he nearly had a panic attack.
"I didn't try to!" He exclaimed, tears falling down his cheeks as Tom rushed to comfort him. "I didn't…I didn't even realize…"
"It's okay, Steve." Tom said, taking Steve into his arms, making sure that Steve felt safe and loved. "It's okay. You're going to be fine. We just have to be more conscious of it from here on out."
Robin nodded, rubbing his back, his body shaking under her touch. "We'll get through this, okay? We'll be here every step of the way."
"Robin?"
She blinked, returning to the world in front of her, and saw Steve reach his arm over the table and squeeze her hand gently.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, just thinking."
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly, and she found herself wondering how that jerky kid in Mrs. Click's class became this kind man in front of her.
"No, I'm fine."
He gave her a small smile. "Okay. But, if you ever doー"
"I know. You'll be there."
"Alright, is anyone still hungry?" Tom asked, walking up to them with three pretzels in hand, and Robin nodded eagerly, taking one as soon as he offered it to her.
"No way! I haven't had one of these since my family went to Michigan!"
Steve's smile faltered on his face, and she realized what she had said.
"Oh, Steve, Iー"
He shook his head, the smile back. "Don't worry about it. It's a good memory."
A good memory in a bad place. Robin thought, but she didn't say anything more.
She could hear Tom's confusion, but he wasn't going to say anything, either. She soon bit into the warm treat, sighing with contentment as her mouth was filled with the best balance of bread, butter, and salt. She saw Tom and Steve dig into theirs too, and she tried to savor this moment. The three of them, celebrating a victory, eating junk food and staying safe.
She didn't want to forget this. Even though it wasn't perfect, it was as near perfect as it could've been. And she was thankful for it.
Dustin hadn't been to many funerals, but this one was the worst of them all.
He wasn't sure why Robin's parents had invited him and his mom, but he went reluctantly, silent as the preacher said a few words, as people cried around him, as flowers were thrown on an empty casket laying in the ground, and it was covered by dirt, as if it would fill the hole that Robin's absence had made.
Robin's parents were sobbing, holding each other desperately, yet Dustin couldn't even shed a tear.
Robin wasn't dead. He knew that. He may not have super powers, but he just knew. He may have lost faith before, but he knew that it was just a weak moment. People had weak moments all of the time. But, now that moment was gone, and fire filled his veins, fueling his hope and his determination.
He could see that fire in the whole Party. It was as if all of the kids knew that Steve and Robin were going to come home. He couldn't really explain it, but did he really have to? Steve and Robin were now, unofficially, a part of the Party. After everyone heard what Robin had done for Dustin and Erica with the Russians, she was now a part of their group, no questions asked. Dustin didn't even have to question why Steve was a member, either. Steve had earned that position fair and square.
They were strong, they would survive, and they were members of the Party. Members of the Party were the strongest people out there. But that wasn't the only reason they wouldn't give up.
No one abandoned a member of the Party. When a Party member requires assistance, then it was their duty to provide that assistance. Hadn't he said that to Steve, back when Steve was home?
So Dustin wouldn't give up. He didn't have to wonder if Steve and Robin were going to come home, because he knew that they would. He didn't know if his hope would provide that assistance, but he liked to think that. He would ignore the casket being dropped into the ground, ignore the mourners around him, and keep on going.
He didn't even register his mother pulling him across the graveyard, tears in her eyes as he squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
"I'm so sorry, Dustin, I know that you knew her." She said softly, and Dustin didn't know how to respond. It turned out that he didn't have to, as his mother continued to talk.
"I just wish that none of this would be happening. What is wrong with our town? First poor Will, now Robin and Steve…and the Harrington's won't even have a funeral! The least they could do is honor that sweet, sweet boy."
Dustin knew that they could have a funeral for him, but no one would let Hopper use that money, though he didn't think that Hopper had even considered it. He hoped that he hadn't.
"They're going to come home, Mom." Dusitn said, and she sighed, wrapping him in a quick hug.
"Dusty…they're not. I'm sorry, baby, but they're gone. It's been nearly half a year. You have to realize that they're not coming back."
Tears burned in his eyes at her words. Why couldn't she understand that they were going to come home? She was starting to sound a lot like Nancy, who had given up long ago.
What was up with everyone, but the Party, of course, giving up? Couldn't they see how strong Steve and Robin were? Nancy had dated Steve, surely she knew that he wouldn't just lay down and die!
And, his mom might not have known Steve, but she knew him well enough. She knew that he was strong, didn't she?
He took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't argue with his mom. She wouldn't understand, not really. He knew that, he just didn't want to believe it. She hadn't been there when he faced down Billy Hargrove, when he fought three demodogs, when he had fought the Russians. She didn't witness Robin masterfully crack the Russian code, or even translate it. She didn't know, and Dustin couldn't tell her. All he could do to prove to her that Steve and Robin were going to come back was show her the living proof when they did.
"Please, move on Dusty. It's what they would've wanted. And I'll be here, I promise. I love you, baby."
Despite his sadness and anger at her words, her words of acceptance, he knew that it was coming from a place of love. She wanted to help him. So he accepted the hug, let her kiss him on the cheek and comfort him.
What else could he have done?
El sat on Will's bed, the place where she had been spending way too much time over the past couple of months as she recovered. She rubbed her sore leg, hoping that the pain would die down soon. She still hadn't really recovered from that monster that got into her, and she felt useless. She knew that she could find Steve and Robin instantly if she was healed, but whatever this wound was, it stopped her from doing so.
Hopper had sent a "blood sample" to Dr. Owens, though El didn't really know what it was. Hop said that it would help them understand what was going on, though she didn't see how. The needle Hopper had used hurt, but it was for the best, so she breathed through it.
Dr. Owens, even before getting the sample, said that whatever had gotten into her probably left residual damage and infection, infection that not only affected her body but also her powers. It probably made her weak, and stopped the wound from healing. Though he couldn't be sure until he tested it. He said that they would do everything in their power to come up with a solution, but it could take a while.
El didn't want it to take a while. She wanted to be healed now.
She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and allowing herself to melt into the lull of sound around her, like static in the form of conversations from the living room. She couldn't make out the words, so it was perfect.
She would never try to find Steve or Robin in the Void again, it had really hurt last time, but she couldn't help but fall into it every so often, wanting to escape her reality for a few seconds. So she let herself fall.
But, unlike the emptiness that usually greeted her, she was met with a soft feeling of peace, and she smiled. It was odd, but comforting. It made her feel less alone in the darkness.
She looked around, as if she wasn't alone, yet all that greeted her was nothingness and water under her feet, surrounded by this peace that penetrated everything around her.
Something told her that there was something she was missing, but she couldn't find it. She soon let herself drop down into her body, into her reality, and wiped away a trickle of blood from her nose. Opening her eyes, she smiled, the peace of the Void following her out of it. It felt nice.
She ran her fingers over her leg again, the pain that usually resided in it numb, hurting less than it had in long, long months. A miracle, wasn't it? Wasn't that how the other's may describe it as?
El didn't know what happened. But she was thankful for it.