Oh my gosh that was absolutely precious. That scene between Steve and Dustin in the hospital room was the sweetest and bestest thing ever! Well done. Fantastic story. I really did enjoy its ;)

Wow. This hurt so much. In the best way possible.

I love the idea that, uncomfortable or not, Hopper was there for Steve last time; I find that totally believable with the way Hopper cares so much about kids. And this? "He could have used an adultier adult by his side" - I connected with that on a spiritual level. You do such a fabulous job of conveying Steve's vulnerability and also his stubborn pride and independence. The bit about "But I won this time" and him splitting his lip open again when he grinned was so pure. And I LOVE the way you portrayed Robin, stopping just long enough to ruin Steve's chances of escaping the hospital before she "dances" out of the way of the orderlies she's avoiding. I could just SEE it happening in my head, it was so her.

Gah, this was ultimate cuteness: "'He's asleep?' Dustin asked quietly. Like, *actually* quietly. Apparently the kid had volume control after all." And then you immediately topped it with "I know you don't like hugs, Steve, but prepare yourself for a doosey." That entire scene between Steve and Dustin just melted my heart, and I even loved Robin's contribution to it, and how Dustin actually tried her advice and it didn't work. Dustin is the purest little cinnamon roll, and he's exactly what Steve needed right now, and I am DYING of cuteness overload.

Dear, sweet, self-sacrificing Steve. It is so HIM to decide to keep it all inside because "the party was going to have their hands full keeping both [El] and Max above water." Even the fact that it's "the party" that he thinks of first for comfort - a bunch of young kids, not even his peers - shows how alone he is and how desperately he needs someone to support him. And yet he's not even going to lean on them because he doesn't want to burden them with what he's suffered and how totally shaken his world has been. Even when Dustin comes to see him, he's comforting Dustin more than the other way around. Who's going to comfort Steve? So he ends up settling for an old woman who's fast asleep and didn't hear a word he said, and he never meant her to anyway. Man, I just want to hug him and let HIM "let it out" to someone who would actually care.

Just a couple quick typos:
- "Max had lost Billy - who he hadn't deserved to die" - An extra "he" crept in there somewhere I think.
- "With every bit he shared, he felt a small, almost microscope weight" - I think you mean "microscopic"?

And then a minor suggestion: I was initially confused by the paragraph about him expecting the fight with Billy, because in context, Steve has been focusing mostly on S3 events, and conflict with Billy was a major part of the season, even if there wasn't a direct confrontation between him and Steve like in S2. So could you maybe say "His fight with Billy last year" or something, just to clue in the reader that you're jumping back in time for a second?

Anyway, this was an incredible piece; I'm so glad I stumbled on it! Your characterization is *on point*, and the feels are very strong. Amazing job!

Just what I was hoping to find!

Ahhhh! Goodness, this is exactly what I’ve been wanting to read. I really love this. Thanks for sharing. :D

Just finished Season 3 and this story is EXACTLY the sort of thing I came looking for! Thank you!