Steve swung at yet another demodog, caving in its skull and sending blood and gore into the air. It splattered onto his already destroyed pants as he focused on his next target. There were just so many. The only thing keeping him going was the thought of El battling to save them all and the rest of the older group around her, fending off bats with spears and guns. They had to be protected.

They were in the middle of downtown, where Vecna had decided to make his breakout from the Upside Down. Thanks to El finally getting through to Max, they had known where, so they had prepared, and the usable gate was still smallish, so Vecna's creatures were not all coming through at once. However, it was getting bigger. It was almost too much.

The kids had had a ring of fire going on that they were feeding, but the enemy had made a hole in it. Steve had leapt into the breech because he was not about to let the dangers through. Nothing mattered except keeping his mismatched family safe.

He heard El scream a battle cry behind him, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the attackers. He swung again and again until the whole world froze. It felt as if everything simply stopped, like someone had paused the movie. He couldn't blink, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't move a muscle, but for a second, he glimpsed infinity.

It was glorious!

Until it wasn't as the universe once again hit play. He crumpled to his knees, bat falling from numb fingers, head screaming in pain as Vecna's hoard collapsed in death throes around him. He knew, without a doubt, El had succeeded, but he didn't have long to celebrate. As the pain in his head ramped up, his beleaguered mind and body gave up and turned out the lights.

Steve lurched back to consciousness gasping, with no gap between thought and action, sitting up and grasping for a bat that was no longer there.

"Hey, Steve, relax. It's over, you,re safe, everyone's safe."

Robin's voice made it through his panic as hands firmly gripped his shoulders, but it took a while before his brain caught up with his instincts. For a second, all he could see was demodogs and demogorgons melting into a hideous mess, before it finally faded away into a white walled room.

"Hi," Robin said, giving him a smile as he managed to focus on her.

She was kneeling on what turned out to be a bed, over his knees and looking right into his face.

"You with me, Dingus?" she asked, searching his face.

He nodded, at which point he realised his head was pounding.

"Ow," he said, putting his hand to his forehead. "Please tell me I didn't get another concussion."

"That I can do," Robin told him, climbing off and almost getting him in the groin with one of her knees. "At least not a physical one. We all got caught in El's psychic backlash. Most of us just got up again, but you, Will and El stayed down. You've been out about a day, but the brains said you were just sleeping. Will woke up an hour ago, but El's still out."

"Do we know why I did that?" he asked. "And please say you have some painkillers."

"No and yes," she replied, picking up a glass and a little cup from the bedside table. "Will had a headache from hell too."

"I love you," he said as he downed the pills, noticing the empty bed to the left.

"Of course you do," she said with a big smile. "Now lie back down while the pills kick in. Will didn't and ended up throwing up all over the place."

Steve made a face and let Robin fluff his pillows before taking her advice.

"I've seen some weird shit, but that was the weirdest," he admitted as he made himself comfortable. "I mean I've been up against monsters and into the Upside Down, but never any of the psychic stuff like Nance or Max or Will or El. It was trippy in the extreme."

"I just blanked out for a second," Robin told him. "Like suddenly going into a tunnel on a rollercoaster or something. What was it like for you?"

"Everything kind of stopped," he revealed, trying to describe what he had felt, "and it was like I could see everything all at once. Then time started again, my head was screaming at me, and everything went black. Kind of like being hit by a Russian thug."

Robin winced.

"Ouch," she said and patted his arm.

"Can only imagine what it must have been like for El," he said. "How's Will doing now?"

"After he threw up, he said he felt much better," Robin said. "Last time I saw him he was tucking into a plate of French Toast as big as his head."

"Sounds like a recipe for being sick all over again," Steve said with a grin, groaning quietly in relief as he felt the first beginnings of the pills kicking in. "I know I wasn't their age very long ago, but where the hell do they put it all?"

"Second stomach, gotta be," Robin replied, nudging him in the side until he moved over a bit. "Clearly as we grow, we evolve and lose it, it's just no one has decided to study the science properly. I mean who could be bothered with studying teenagers?"

When she kicked off her shoes and climbed back onto the bed, snuggling into his side, Steve began to feel better immediately.

"Watch the elbows, Buckley," he warmed, and just for that she jabbed him in the ribs, but very gently.

"You've been sleeping all of yesterday and the beginning of today," she said, throwing an arm across his chest. "Some of us were worriedly sitting by your bedside waiting for their Dingus to wake up."

"Then nap now," he told her, wrapping his arm around her back so they were comfortably ensconced. "I am not going anywhere, and I promise to protect your honour."

Robin snorted a laugh but snuggled down a little further.

"Glad you're okay, Dingus," she said.

"Me too, Robs, me too," he said quietly as he felt her relax.

~*~

Robin clearly hadn't been completely joking about her bedside vigil because she fell asleep pretty quickly. She was in the middle of telling Steve all about the final battle from her angle when she trailed off. It was cute how she tried to start up again at least twice, but eventually nodded off properly.

Steve closed his eyes and let his mind drift as he waited for the throbbing behind his eyes to peter out. It was peaceful just lying there, listening to Robin's breathing, and he fell into something of a meditative state. He became focused on the warmth of his best friend down his side and all he could think of was how he wanted to keep her safe and protected.

That it was over, at least as far as Vecna was concerned, helped with his sense of calm and he floated in the moment, enjoying it. His thoughts drifted free, taking some weird tangents, but he didn't care. For some reason his mind conjured up Robin as a gently burning fire that he was guarding and feeding and feeling her heat.

It would have been easy to fall asleep again, but he didn't want to lose the sense of Robin, so he resisted. Unfortunately, for most of them sometimes sleep held nightmares, and he preferred the simple contentment rather than risk it. Time had little meaning until someone lightly tapped him on the arm.

He reluctantly opened his eyes to find Dustin leaning over him.

"Hey, Dustin," he said.

"You're bleeding, man," was not the greeting he expected to get back.

Dustin pointed to his face, and he realised his nose felt wet.

"Dammit," he said and was very grateful when Dustin handed him a Kleenex. "Must have hit my head after all," he concluded.

"You're sure you're okay?" Dustin asked as Steve wiped his nose, trying not to jostle Robin.

"Yeah," he replied. "This happened last time I got hit on the head. Random nosebleeds for over a week. It'll be fine."

"Sorry for waking you," Dustin said, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

"Wasn't asleep," he assured his younger friend, "just letting Robin use me as a furnace. And thanks, this could have been messy."

"No problem," Dustin replied with a grin. "I really came to see if Robin and now you want some lunch."

Steve's traitorous stomach had the audacity to growl, which made Dustin's grin even wider.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dustin said.

Steve hadn't really thought about it before, but now his head wasn't hurting he was beginning to understand why Will had been eating like a horse.

"Food would be good," he decided. "Where are we anyway?"

It only occurred to him then that he hadn't asked Robin before.

"Hey, Robs," he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Hawkins Labs," Dustin explained as Robin opened her eyes and blinked blankly a couple of times. "It's become kind of a base for everything. Apparently there has been some secret refurbishing going on. Can you believe the army wanted to arrest us? I mean we just saved the world! But then Dr Owens arrived with a whole bunch of other people in uniforms and suits, and it all got dealt with. The army is cleaning up before they let people back into town."

Steve went through surprised, alarmed, and resigned as Dustin's speech went on.

"What time is it?" Robin asked as she sat up and stretched.

"Lunch time, apparently," Steve replied. "Is there anywhere I can get a shower first?" he asked as an afterthought.

Someone had removed his filthy clothes and cleaned him up somewhat, but he still felt a bit gross.

"Yeah, you have smelt better," Robin helpfully let him know.

"Clothes would be great too," he added.

"Yeah, I'll show you," Dustin said. "But don't take too long, I'm hungry."

"I have to make sure my hair is perfect before going out in public," Steve shot back and it inspired the laugh he had been hoping for, so he was pleased with himself.

"Wow," Robin said, climbing off the bed, "I need to nap and steal your body heat more often. I feel great."