Steve's nose twitched, which in turn sent a message to his stomach, which poked his sleepy brain into floating from the dark depth of restful sleep, back to the waking world. There was still a hand in his hair, only it was a different hand and was scratching at his scalp with blunt fingernails in a way that made him want to purr. Luckily for his dignity, his higher brain began to cooperate before he did. 

There was no doubting that his thoughts were still a bit on the slow and muddled side, but he was perfectly used to that after an Upside Down related incident. This one might have been government sponsored, but it had been about powers and stuff, so in his head it still counted. There was a bowl of something on the coffee table in front of him, which was where the nice smell was coming from. It took him a second to realise the table was the one from the pool room, because he definitely remembered seeing the main one in several pieces.

Blinking, he looked around a little without trying to move. He was kind of surprised to find Argyle sitting on the couch opposite the one he was lying on. Things had definitely moved on while he was asleep.

"Hey, my dude," Argyle said with a big smile, "welcome back from dreamland. I hear it has been quite a day."

He hummed a reply.

"How're you feeling, Stevie?" Eddie's familiar voice asked, even as the fingers massaging his scalp stopped moving.

"Hungry," he admitted as he valiantly fought from making a pathetic noise of complaint at the loss of Eddie's touch.

He felt much more rested and with it this time around and decided to chance sitting up. Eddie gave him a small boost as he carefully swung his legs down and tried pushing himself into a sitting position. Somewhere along the way he noticed that the iv was gone from the back of his hand. Clearly, he had been asleep a while.

The living room had also been tidied. It was not up to its usual standards, but, apart from the bullet holes in the wall, it looked pretty normal. The front door had been patched so it was no longer hanging open. It was also dark.

"Here," Eddie said, leaning forward and picking up the bowl from the table, "you have this one. Joyce has been producing some of her wonders."

"It's yours," Steve said, rubbing his eyes as he came to the obvious conclusion.

"And there is plenty more in the kitchen," Eddie said. "I promise I did not get my cooties all over it yet, so eat up."

That made him smile. It also made him want to lean over and give Eddie a kiss, but not being alone made that a problem.

"What did I miss?" Steve asked, accepting the bowl despite his reservations.

"Well, to start with everyone over twenty is conspiring in your kitchen," Eddie told him, looking much happier as soon as Steve began to eat. "We have no idea what they came up with, because they wouldn't let us in on it, but your mom looked very pleased with herself by the time Owens left, and Owens didn't look defeated, so I think they were conspiring together."

"Mom was an attorney before she had me," Steve said, more than a little proud of how his mom was dealing with the whole Upside Down situation. "She went back to it once I was old enough. She heads the legal department in the firm, doesn't trust anyone else to do it properly."

"Your mom is one stand up lady," Argyle agreed from the other couch.

"The only thing I heard was Hopper mutter something about no one being able to touch this town with a fifty-foot pole." Eddie added, "so whatever they've come up with it's probably good."

"It is."

Steve turned to find his mom coming from the direction of the kitchen.

"Hi, Mom," he said, giving her a small smile. "Are you saying jump and making government people ask how high?"

"Sort of," his mom replied, coming over and perching on the edge of the couch, "but I have to admit, Sam seems to be a surprising ally."

He blinked at the way his mom casually called Dr Owens, Sam. That went a long way to settling his immediate doubts. Not all of them, but given that him mom had been known to eviscerate people by using their titles as a weapon, the way she was referring to Owens spoke volumes.

"Unfortunately," his mom went on, "Will has become part of the official record thanks to Sullivan's men and their radio chatter, however, we have agreed that you and Eddie will be kept out of the official report. He assures me his people can be trusted."

"How did you get them to agree to that?" Steve asked, so shocked he completely forgot about the fork halfway to his mouth.

"Sam is a surprisingly forward-thinking person," his mom told him. "He is more than aware there are other factions within the government that would like nothing more than to use El and any like her as weapons. While he is sure he can downplay Will's abilities as an echo of El's brought on by contact with the Upside Down, he agreed with me that if yours became widely known it would bring too many eyes onto the project once again. And likewise with Eddie. Sam has, however, offered the facilities at the lab, should either of you wish to investigate what you are capable of further."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Eddie asked.

"I wouldn't recommend it unless either of you start having problems," his mom said, "but I promised I would pass on the offer, so I have. And don't worry, we have certain things in the works that should make touching El or any of the rest of you far riskier than any covert government organisation would like."

"Do I want to ask?" Steve said.

"No, Darling," his mom told him with a smile, "but I didn't want you to worry. You and the other kids just need to focus on yourselves for a while, you've all done more than enough."

There were many ways Steve could react to that, from rejecting the idea outright, through being put out by being kept out of the loop, but he settled on acceptance in the end. He was tired, he was starving, and really all he wanted to do was eat and curl up. It was nice to be able to let go of the reins for once.

"Okay," he said and put the meatball on his fork in his mouth.

"Oh my god, where are they, they must be riding over the hill any minute. The four horsemen have got to be knocking on the door," Eddie said in his usual dramatic fashion.

Steve gave his boyfriend his best bitchy look, which made Argyle laugh out loud. His mom for her part smiled widely.

"That smells so good," Eddie said, pushing himself away from the couch. "I shall return once I have quested for such bounty. Anyone want anything from the kitchen?"

"A glass of milk would be great, thanks," Steve said round his bite. "If there's any left."

"I'm good, thanks brochacho," Argyle said.

"Thank you, but no," his mom replied.

"Milk coming right up," Eddie said and disappeared.

It was only when it was just him, Argyle, and his mom in the living room it occurred to him the house seemed very empty.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Hopper has taken Dustin, Nancy, Mike, Lucas and Erica home," his mom explained, "while Eddie's friends have made their own way. The incident today has made the news, so everyone wanted to reassure their parents they are alive and well, and they've been given a vague cover story for now."

"The news?" he asked.

"Not many of our neighbours have returned yet, but the explosion on the drive was enough to garner the attention of those who have," his mom said. "The press has been told it was a paramilitary organisation masquerading as US government troops. Sam is working it into the cover story he was already arranging and is handling the news people."

"Okay," he said, trying to sound confident, even as he vaguely panicked about reporters lurking in the bushes. "Is everyone else staying?" he decided to change the subject, his sleepy brain couldn't cope with everything at the same time.

"That is the plan," his mom told him. "Will and El woke up a little while ago, long enough to have something to eat, but are sleeping again. Sam sent a clean-up crew to Joyce and Hopper's house to make sure no one can break-in, and everyone will be staying here tonight, so as not to disturb the kids."

"Jon is helping his mom in the kitchen," Argyle provided cheerfully. "Broke all the speed laws to get back here when he heard the news. Dude could really have done with the healing powers of Purple Palm Tree Delight."

Steve glanced at his mom, but she seemed to find Argyle amusing rather than anything else. He had no idea if she knew what Purple Palm Tree Delight was, but given that Argyle carried the scent of weed with him almost all the time, Steve suspected his mom could guess.

"And Robin and Wayne?" he asked, deciding he didn't want to touch on that particular subject.

"I have just had a fantastic shower," Robin's voice carried from the stairs, and she appeared wearing a selection of Steve's clothes. "I hate how hard it is to get blood out from under your fingernails."

Steve could very much relate to that these days.

"Tell me about it," he agreed, ignoring his own rather grubby nails for the time being.

A long hot shower sounded really good, but his first priority was his stomach. That he had almost finished his bowl of carb rich pasta and meatballs already should maybe have been a little embarrassing, but he really was starving.

"I believe Wayne is in the backyard getting some air," his mom provided the answer to the other part of his question. "Given today's excitement he has called in sick to the plant."

"It took Eddie using his big ole brown eyes," Robin revealed as she threw herself onto the couch beside him, "but it worked. Also, I think Eddie's eyes should be listed as a lethal weapon. Devastating!"

Steve ate the last of his pasta, so he didn't say something stupid to that. He was well aware of the effect of Eddie's eyes, although he suspected they affected him a little differently to other people.

"They only work on Wayne when he wants them to," Eddie said, appearing once more from the kitchen. "He's been immune to them since I was nine."

Steve accepted the glass Eddie handed him with a quiet thank you.

"That smells really good," Robin said, peering at Eddie's new bowl.

"Oh, good lord," Eddie said, rolling his eyes and just handing it to her. "I'll get another one."

Robin grinned at him.

"You are an angel," she said, which made Steve's chest flush with fondness for both of his favourite people.

"And looks like you could do with a refill," Eddie said, waving his hand in Steve's general direction.

He knew when not to argue and just handed over his bowl.

"I'm not going back a third time," Eddie said as he walked off, "so speak now or forever, etc, etc."

Joyce and Jonathan appeared shortly after Eddie came back the second time, taking seats next to Argyle on the other couch.

"This is delicious, thank you, Joyce," Steve remembered his manners as he tucked into his second bowl.

"Just one of my staple recipes to feed growing kids," Joyce replied with a smile. "Also easy to keep warm."

"If Steve leaves any," Robin joked.

"The betrayal," Steve said, because he could be dramatic too, when he wanted to be.

"You still love me," Robin shot back.

"I do, remind me why again," he replied, so she elbowed him in the side.

"I am practically perfect in every way," Robin said primly.

"Did you just quote Mary Poppins?" Eddie said with his fork hovering in front of his mouth.

"Did the scary metal-head Dungeon Master recognise that I quoted Mary Poppins?" Robin countered, batting her eyelashes in a way that Steve was pretty sure was supposed to look innocent, not demonic.

"It's a classic," Eddie replied, "but it's not like I go around dropping lines from it. And I think my reputation is less likely to take a hit from a fantasy musical than yours, it doesn't come as a two VHS set and I don't think Cockney counts as another language."

Of course, that launched the pair into bickering about films, which Jonathan and Argyle chose to join in. Steve sat back, finishing his meal and enjoying the whole thing. It was kind of hilarious how Eddie, and surprisingly Jonathan, ended up teamed up against Robin and Argyle.

Food eaten, milk drunk, he put his bowl and glass on the table and sat back into the couch. His mom was still perched on the arm, and he leaned in without really thinking about it. The way she stiffened at his touch sent his thoughts reeling before he remembered why. For a second, he held his breath as well, wondering if there would be any repercussions.

"All good," he said quietly after a moment, looking up, "sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Darling," his mom replied, draping her arm over his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Glad you're feeling better."

He gave her a smile and tried to enjoy the comfort of his parent's touch while listening to his friends playfully bicker, but his mind was distracted now. His thoughts skipped back over the events of the afternoon. It almost felt like a dream. An army colonel had tried to kill his friends and invaded his home. That it had been purely human driven made it worse in a way. There were no creatures, no mad superman to blame everything on this time. It set him on edge.

When the front door opened, his almost jumped in surprise.

"Just me," Hopper announced as everyone looked over, "but Joyce, look who I ran into."

"Dimitri," Joyce said, standing up from the other couch.

A hard-faced man with a moustache stood in the doorway. Steve had never seen him before and he had had never heard of anyone called Dimitri. That it was a Russian name was not settling.