Author's note: Thank you so much for all the faves and follows! I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic, because I've been having a lot of fun writing it!! Sadly, this will be the last chapter -- but remember, you can always request fics by PMing me or sending them to my tumblr via ask (anons accepted)! (My tumblr has the same name and profile photo as this account)

Thanks again!

Until the next fic!

-LizzySong

It had only taken a short time for the group to gather blankets and pillows and go to sleep.

El was the first to fall asleep, holding tightly to Mike's hand with her own, even as she slept, as if he might disappear if she were to let go.

Mike held out a little longer, but also fell asleep, not long after she did.

Lucas and Max had stayed up for a while talking, but Lucas also succumbed to sleep.

Will was asleep in his room with Joyce at his bedside -- she wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

Nancy and Jonathan were in Jonathan's room, talking.

Hopper was dozing in a chair he'd pulled over near the couch to keep an eye on Steve.

Max and Dustin were both still awake, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, talking quietly about what had happened earlier that night.

And Steve... well, Steve was in and out throughout the night -- sometimes on his own, but mostly because Hopper kept waking him up. But now he sleeping comfortably... or as comfortably as he could on the Byers' couch with a bad concussion and a deep wound that, despite what Max had done to fix it up, was probably still going to get infected.

Max and Dustin continued talking until they heard a slight movement behind them. They turned around and looked at Steve, both ready to jump up and wake Hopper if they needed to.

Steve's eyes opened slowly, and he jumped slightly when he saw two worried faces so close to his own that he couldn't focus of them properly.

"Jesus..." he said softly, and put a hand to his head. The kids backed up a little to give him some space. "What are you shitheads still doing up?" he smiled a little.

Max and Dustin exchanged a look and then Max looked back at Steve. She looked like she might start crying and Steve's amused smile turned into a look of concern. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I'm sorry," Max said, tears coming to her eyes, "It's my fault your like this."

"Hey," Steve said, slowly sitting up and then lowering himself to the floor, sitting between the two kids and resting his back against the couch, "It's not your fault your step-brother's an asshole."

"If I wasn't with you guys he wouldn't have come, though."

"So... what...? Your supposed to not have a life because of him? It wasn't your fault. Okay?"

"...She knocked him out, too," Dustin said, "With the stuff we were using on Will. And then she threatened to whack him with your bat if he didn't leave us all alone. ...It was awesome."

Steve smiled and looked back at Max. "Seriously?" he asked, and she nodded in response.

"Well next week we're gonna go buy you a bat of your own and hammer some nails into it -- just in case," he said, and Max's face lit up with a smile that was bright enough to illuminate the whole room.

Steve returned her smile and pulled her into a protective, brotherly hug.

After a few moments they let go, though Max was still leaning into Steve a little.

"...I'm sorry about the tunnel," Dustin said after a little while, "I should've been faster... then we could've gotten out before the demodogs got to us."

"No," Steve said, "That wasn't your fault. I should've been faster. I should've gotten you out -- that's on me. It was my responsibility to protect you shitheads. It's not your fault I got hurt."

Dustin smiled slightly at him, and Steve sighed, pulling both kids into a hug with a small smile. Both of them were like siblings to him now, and he hated the thought of them blaming themselves for his injuries.

"...So... are you sleeping down here now, too?" Max asked.

"...Yeah," Steve said, nodding. "Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna be able to get back up there," he gestured to the couch, "...Unless you two wanna lift me up there again..."

"No!" Max and Dustin said in unison, making Steve laugh. "Yeah," the teen said with a small smile, "I don't think that'd be fun for any of us. --Now, are you two gonna let me get some sleep, or what?"

The kids nodded, both resting their heads on either of Steve's shoulder's and closing their eyes.

Steve sighed. It struck him as odd, at first, that two kids he didn't know that we'll both felt this safe with him, but when he considered the events of the night -- from demodogs, to Billy... and back to demodogs again -- he understood. And it made him smile.

He knew that after tonight, he'd be the designated babysitter for these kids, and he was okay with that.

He leaned into the couch, feeling the weight of Max and Dustin on his shoulders as he drifted into sleep.