A/N: So sorry for the wait! I had thought that I posted this chapter but I guess that I didn't... I'm so sorry! Nonetheless I hope that everyone enjoys this final chapter!

Dustin wasn't one to set boundaries. Sure, he made sure that he knocked before entering a house, but that was about it. If he had any inkling that something was wrong, consider the door blocking him to be breached. He would do anything to help the people he cared about.

That was why he was making his way into Steve's kitchen, followed by the entire Party, yelling Steve's name.

"Are you sure he's not sleeping?" Max asked, crossing her arms as Lucas pushed her wheelchair, and Dustin turned to her.

"I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that he's been missing for two days, without even calling or visiting us, and I want to know what's going on."

"But we didn't have to break in!" Mike scoffed, shaking his head. "My mom is going to kill me if she finds out I broke into a Loch Nora house!"

"But isn't checking up on Steve worth it? We haven't heard from him in forever! Something could be wrong!"

"So your answer is breaking in?" Max replied in question.

"Yes! What if he's been taken by Russians again? Or demodogs? We shouldn't wait for him to answer the door if he's captured or dead!"

El gently picked up a glass from the counter, a glass that still had water in it.

"He was here."

"Yeah, and I'm currently watching you break into my house and act like a bunch of hyenas." Steve said, standing at the top of the stairs. He wiped something from his eyes, and was wearing pajamas, despite the afternoon hour. His hair and clothes were disheveled, and he looked like he just climbed out of bed.

"Steve! Where have you been? You haven't been answering any of our calls, you haven't even radioed us, and you were supposed to drive us to the arcade today!" Dustin yelled, and Steve slowly made his way down the stars, glancing at the calendar that was on the wall.

"It's Wednesday? Huh, I thought it was Tuesday. Sorry about that, guys."

"Sorry? Sorry? You've been MIA for two days and all you say is sorry?"

Lucas held Dustin back as he tried to run at Steve, Will casting Steve a concerned glance.

"So, do you guys want me to take you now? All I need to do is get changed and we'll be good to go." Steve added, completely oblivious to the child that seemingly wanted to rip his throat out.

"No." Will said softly, his mood changing instantly. "Could we maybe hang out here?"

"Oh." Steve stopped from where he was grabbing a cup of coffee in the kitchen. "Really? I mean, it's fine, but it's definitely not as fun as the arcade. And, aren't you guys too old to be hanging out with your old babysitter? Not that I mind, but…"

Max seemed to catch on to what Will had, seeing the dried tears on Steve's cheeks, the way his face was flushed, like he had been crying recently. He seemed exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and his hand shook as he held a mug.

Something was wrong. Something was wrong, and Max knew that they had to fix it.

"Steve…are you okay?" She asked, and he turned to her, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"What? Why would you even ask? Of course I am."

Dustin stopped struggling in Lucas' grasp, eyes wide as he took in his best friend in front of him.

"Have you been crying?"

A shaky smile made its way onto Steve's face, but they could all tell that he was fake. His eyes glimmered with unshed tears, but he brushed them away as quickly as he could, setting the mug down.

"No. Why would I…why…?"

"Friends don't lie." El said, and Mike nodded.

"What's going on, Steve? What's wrong?" Lucas questioned softly, and Will rushed to Steve, wrapping him in a hug. And that was all it took for Steve to break.

His face crumbled, and he sobbed harshly, his legs giving out and making him fall to the floor. Will caught him, making sure that Steve didn't get hurt. Steve began crying, and he tried to cover his face with his hands, but Will pushed them away, and instead let Steve sob into his chest. Will ignored how strange it was, but he had grown, he wasn't a kid anymore, and he knew that it was exactly what Steve needed.

El rushed to Steve's side, hugging him, and Dustin followed, holding Steve's hand as he cried, Steve's whole body shaking uncontrollably. Lucas helped Max move closer, while Mike stood by awkwardly, not sure what to do.

"It's okay, Steve, it's okay. We're here." El said softly, and Steve nodded into Will's chest, struggling to take in an even breath.

"I'm such a failure!" Steve exclaimed, clutching Will's shirt in a death grip, as if it was the only thing that was grounding him, and Will let him, wishing that he could do more, but he didn't know how.

"Steve, you're not a failure." Max said, and El nodded.

"But, I…I'm not good enough. I've tried, I've tried so hard, but it wasn't…it wasn't enough. It's never good enough!" Steve cried, and Dustin tried to comfort him, putting his hand on Steve's leg, as if the simple touch would make the pain go away.

"Can you tell us what happened?" He asked, and Steve's red eyes met his, riddled with tears and grief. "So we can help."

Steve shook his head. "You can't. You can't help. No one can."

"Let us try?" El asked softly. "Please?"

"I…" He tried to take a deep breath, gesturing weakly to the table, where they could all see a bunch of letters and papers discarded there. "I sent application letters. And…they were all…"

"Rejects?" Will said quietly, connecting the dots, and Steve nodded.

"Yeah. I tried last year, now this year, but I just can't…I can't do it. I'm never going to school. I failed."

Dustin shushed him. "Dude…it's just school. It's not a big deal, you don't need it."

"But I do! My parents are going to be so mad, and I have no future. I ruined it, I wasn't good enough."

"No. Don't talk like that. You may not be good enough to get into school, but you're good enough for us." Dustin said sternly, and Lucas nodded in agreement. "You're an incredible person, Steve, you've saved all of our lives and helped us countless times, it doesn't matter that you can't get into college. There's more to life than school, and none of us will hate you for it. And, if your parents do, forget about it, because they don't know the real you. If they did, they would be proud of the hero you are, despite the fact that you might not get more schooling. They would be proud of who you are. I know I am."

"Me, too. You've done so much for all of us, we don't care about some meager pieces of paper.. You're more than just a name in a stupid rejection letter." Max said, and Steve took a deep breath, nodding hesitantly. He lifted himself out of Will's embrace, and Dustin took the opportunity to wrap him in a brief hug.

"And, there's other options." Will said. "I'm sure that you could get a good job without college or university."

Lucas nodded. "I've always seen you as a police officer, honestly."

Steve glanced up at him, confused, tears drying on his cheeks. "Really?"

Dustin rushed to agree. "Yes. Absolutely. You always protect us, and you care about helping others. Not only that, you're really good in combat. Like, crazy good. You would be perfect."

"And, I'm sure that Hopper could get you into a police academy." Lucas continued with a shrug. "That way you would probably get in. You don't really need good grades in math or anything."

"Or English?" Steve asked, his voice breaking, and Mike shook his head.

"No way. I know that you have to write reports, but it wouldn't be anything like Nancy likes to do."

"I think it would be perfect." Max added with a smile, and El nodded.

"I…I have to talk to Hop about it, but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I'm capable."

"Seriously? If you can take on a bunch of demodogs with a bat you can totally become a police officer! Stop trying to make yourself feel bad again, have some hope, Steve!" Dustin exclaimed, and a small smile appeared on Steve's face.

"Alright, I'll try. Thanks, guys."

Will helped Steve to his feet. "Of course, Steve. You've always been there for us, so we're happy to be there for you."

"It's going to be a bit hard for me to fully understand that, I think. I've always been so used to helping you guys."

"It really isn't that hard." Dustin stated. "Just…let us help."

Steve ran his hand through his hair shakily. "I guess I'll try that."

Max rolled herself over to him and took his hand, half dragging him to the living room with as much ability as she could.

"Have you been home alone for the past couple of days, upset about this?" She asked, and Steve stuttered back a response.

"Um, yeah."

"Then we're going to hang out for the day. All of us. Dustin and Will, pick out a movie. Lucas, make some popcorn. Mike and El, get some drinks."

"And cake. We'll make some cake." El said with a smile, and Mike seemed about ready to protest until she shot a harsh look at him.

"Okay, fine." He said with a sigh. "Cake."

Steve watched with happiness as everyone bustled into action around him, all of them doing their tasks to help him. It was a strange feeling, being cared about like this, but it sure beat crying in his bed, alone.

Gratitude filled his heart, and he never felt better. He had such great friends, great kids that aren't kids anymore. He knew that he would forever be thankful for them, no matter what happened or how much time passed.

Steve had never had a family like this before, but it felt good. It felt amazing to be cared for, to be loved, and to be believed in.

He wouldn't trade this feeling for the world, not for anything