Chapter Text
El woke early the next day. Not that she’d slept for very long to begin with, her mind too busy turning over the events of the previous day in a vicious loop. Klaus’ body crumpling like paper, Vecna’s head falling from his shoulders… To say it was a lot was an understatement. And that was before the terrifying oh-thank-god-what-the-fuck reveal of Klaus and his immortality. Needless to say she didn’t feel rested when the sun finally peeked through the gap in her curtains, but she was alight with so much nervous energy it would’ve been pointless to do anything other than get up.
She grabbed her walkie from her bag. ‘Is anyone awake?’
Their voices came through immediately, confirming her suspicions– she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t slept since yesterday.
‘Do you think it’s too early to go back?’ Will asked.
Dustin hummed, walkie crackling. ‘Nah. Let’s meet there in thirty minutes.’
El glanced at her clock. 6:30, which would mean they’d arrive at 7:00. Sure, that sounded more than reasonable to her. If anything, she was a little impressed at their patience. Had it been up to them they would’ve stayed the night, but Hop had been adamant in taking some time apart. She changed quickly and shoved on a pair of shoes and checked the time again. 6:38. This was ridiculous. If she took the long route she’d be able to kill a few extra minutes, at least. Hopper wasn’t awake to drive her yet, and the thought of waiting for him only served to make her feel even more restless.
She crept to the front door and eased it open quietly. They’d finally fixed the wonky hinge so it didn’t creak anymore, a small blessing she was grateful for. She wasn’t sure why she was being overly cautious, it’s not like Hopper would forbid her from going out, but she had a sneaking suspicion he would’ve made them wait until at least midday before going to Steve’s. And that was just too long.
The others were waiting outside Steve’s house when she arrived, bikes in a pile on the front lawn. Lucas hesitated as he went to knock. It was only a minute pause before he hammered on the wood, but that half a second was enough for trepidation to settle over them. If El was being honest with herself, a single night wasn’t really enough time to wrap her head around the concept of immortality. Maybe Hopper had been right after all. She shook her head minutely. She didn’t need to understand how it worked– Klaus was alive, Vecna was dead. They had won.
But what did that mean for them now? She’d grown used to living in survival mode, always anticipating the next ‘big bad’, never stopping or slowing. Now that it looked to be truly over, what were they going to do? And what about the academy– where would they end up?
She glanced at Max, who was chewing her lip. Her friend stepped closer. ‘Maybe we should’ve waited.’ She murmured, so the boys couldn’t hear. El opened her mouth to reply, but the door swung open, cutting her off.
‘Jesus.’ Steve rubbed a hand over his eyes and squinted at them, unimpressed. His hair stuck up wildly in all directions, even larger than it usually was. ‘You know what time it is, right?’
The party shifted their weight. Yeah, El thought, they might have rushed into this. Maybe Klaus and his family wanted more time as well, a thought they’d selfishly disregarded up until now. They’d spent their morning in the mall yesterday listening to Dustin lay down theory after theory on how the siblings’ powers worked, chipping in with their own ideas and questions as they went. They’d been too caught up in the whirlwind of excitement– a curiosity voyage, as Dustin kept calling it– to think about what would happen next.
Allison stepped into view behind Steve, surprisingly put together despite the early hour and her tired eyes. She smiled at them from behind a large mug. ‘I told them you wouldn’t want to wait.’ She glanced at Steve. ‘It okay if we commandeer the kitchen? Well, the stove at least.’
‘Be my guest.’ Steve waved them in and ran his fingers through his hair. ‘You’ll have to eat on the sofas though, because…’
Allison rolled her eyes. ‘I know. You get used to it after a while.’
The party followed them through the entryway, confused. They turned into the kitchen and El felt her eyes widen at the sight before them.
‘Woah.’ Dustin breathed.
Mike raised his eyebrows in disbelief. ‘Jesus.’
----------------
Steve had pretty much barricaded himself in his room last night, feeling it was probably for the best if the siblings had some time together. And– if he was being completely honest– Five scared him a little. He’d been borderline twitching and muttering furiously under his breath the entire walk back to the house. It was… disconcerting.
He’d distracted himself in the meantime by working his way through each room, clearing away the trash that had steadily been collecting over the past few days. They’d left most of the equipment in the Creel house in their haste to get back, though he had to admit that time had been a blur. Between honest-to-god teleportation, and the partially traumatic reveal of Klaus’ immortality, he’d spent a great deal of yesterday running on adrenaline and fumes alone. So when Viktor offered to help, he simply nodded gratefully and turned back to the stack of takeout boxes on the coffee table.
‘I’m not sure if we ever thanked you properly.’ Viktor said, holding a black garbage bag open.
Steve dumped the containers and brushed his hands over his jeans. ‘For what?’
‘Y’know, letting us stay here. You’ve been surprisingly calm about all of this.’
‘Oh, sure.’ He blinked. ‘It’s no problem. My parents go away on a lot of business trips and as long as everything’s clean by the time they get back, it’s fine.’
Viktor hummed quietly. ‘Bet you weren’t expecting a group of shitty superheroes on your doorstep.’
‘No,’ Steve huffed in amusement. ‘Not exactly. But I’d take shitty superheroes over interdimensional monsters any day. And you’re not, just so you know.’
‘Hm?’
He gestured around him. ‘Shitty? Pretty sure we would’ve all died in one way or another at this point without you.’
Viktor’s smile had an edge to it. ‘You made it this far without us. Besides, I’m not sure I’d even count as a superhero, shitty or not.’ Off of Steve’s look, he added. ‘I wasn’t part of the Academy growing up. And I’ve made my peace with it, I guess, but I’ve not been part of this whole ‘saving the world’ business as long as the others.’ Something in his expression stopped Steve from asking any questions, but they pushed their way into his brain unbidden.
‘Well,’ he said slowly. ‘You’re in it now. The pay is abysmal and the fatality rate is considerably higher than most careers, but the coworkers make up for it.’ He took the bag from Viktor and tied it tightly.
The other man laughed. ‘Yeah, they do.’ He turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. ‘Thank you.’ He said over his shoulder. ‘Oh, and just a heads up if you’re going to the kitchen, Five’s taken over most of the table. We’re keeping him supplied with coffee which should hold him over for a while, but try not to get too close if you can. He bites.’
...what?
‘Right.’ Steve forced a grin and took the bag outside. On his way back he paused by the kitchen, hazarding a glance inside. ‘Oh.’
Five was leant over a stack of paper, bent so low his nose almost brushed the table. His hand flew across the page and indecipherable numbers covered every available space. He didn’t look up at Steve’s comment, pausing only momentarily to take a long swig of coffee before diving back into his work. There were sheets of paper strewn over the floor as the older man practically threw them over his shoulder. He was whispering furiously to himself as he went. Steve took that as his sign to retire for the evening and crept out of sight. He knew Viktor was only joking– god he hoped he was– but he wasn’t about to test that. Five looked like a biter, he wouldn’t put it past him.
The next morning found him walking downstairs to an almost identical sight. Five, hunched over, scribbling like a madman. He didn’t look as if he’d slept at all, if the cluster of empty coffee mugs on the counter were anything to go by.
Someone battered his front door and he jumped. Five still hadn’t looked up, and he had the absurd urge to wave his hand across his face, before remembering Viktor’s warning. Right, that would’ve been the stupidest way to lose a finger. He left the chaos of the kitchen behind him and traipsed to the door, unsurprised to find the party waiting for him.
In the short time it had taken him to answer, the rest of the Academy had made their way downstairs, apparently unbothered by their brother’s activities. Diego quirked an eyebrow, but that was the most reaction any of them gave.
‘Five.’ Allison tapped her foot. ‘I think you should give it a break. We’re making breakfast if you want any.’
‘No.’
Diego clicked his tongue. ‘Come on man, the fight’s over. Give it a rest.’
‘I said no.’ When Five finally turned away from his work, his eyes were brighter than they’d been since he first arrived. He pushed his chair back with a scrape and brandished a page at the assembled group. His hair lay at an awkward angle, like he'd spent most of the night running his hands through it, and he buzzed with poorly concealed anticipation. ‘I’ve figured out a way to get us back, once and for all.’
Nobody spoke, and the silence that landed over them felt suffocating. Steve wasn't sure were to look. The siblings stared at Five with slack jaws, something akin to hope in their eyes, and the party stared at each other. Of course, they should've seen this coming. They knew the adults weren't from this decade- hell, from this century. But if they'd secretly hoped for a little more time together? It wouldn't have been so terrible.
Viktor swallowed. 'Are you sure?' He asked quietly.
'Positive.' Five took a deep breath. 'We can go home.'