"Nah, it's okay," Steve assures her, swallowing hard as his arms fold
around her. Her grief feels like a palpable thing, hanging thick in the air
and mixing with his own, and Steve blinks the sting out of his eyes as he
bends to kiss the top of her head. He's gotten a lot of hugs in the past
few weeks. Robin and Eddie and Chrissy, Elio and even Rue. Joyce and Hopper
and Will. They're all treating him like cracked glass, with that pitying
sadness in their eyes. Elio had, somewhat jokingly and in not so many
words, told him not to off himself in a way that gave him frightening
insight to what Elio went through when Oliver disappeared. But Oliver came
back and as glad as Steve is for Elio, it kind of blows because that means
that there's hope to be had that Maeve might come back, too. But she might
not even remember him if she does. And she's way better off out there in
the real world where she can be brilliant and actually do all the things
she wants to do. Wanting her back is selfish, but he wants her back anyway.
It fucking sucks, all of it, and now Alex is going through it, too.
"Come on. I have alcohol," Steve says as he lets her go, shuffling her
toward the sofa. He pauses to look her up and down, brows lifting as he
meets her gaze. "Do you want something to change into? You look hot but
that can't be comfortable for wallowing in."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-07-16 06:53 pm (UTC)"Nah, it's okay," Steve assures her, swallowing hard as his arms fold around her. Her grief feels like a palpable thing, hanging thick in the air and mixing with his own, and Steve blinks the sting out of his eyes as he bends to kiss the top of her head. He's gotten a lot of hugs in the past few weeks. Robin and Eddie and Chrissy, Elio and even Rue. Joyce and Hopper and Will. They're all treating him like cracked glass, with that pitying sadness in their eyes. Elio had, somewhat jokingly and in not so many words, told him not to off himself in a way that gave him frightening insight to what Elio went through when Oliver disappeared. But Oliver came back and as glad as Steve is for Elio, it kind of blows because that means that there's hope to be had that Maeve might come back, too. But she might not even remember him if she does. And she's way better off out there in the real world where she can be brilliant and actually do all the things she wants to do. Wanting her back is selfish, but he wants her back anyway.
It fucking sucks, all of it, and now Alex is going through it, too.
"Come on. I have alcohol," Steve says as he lets her go, shuffling her toward the sofa. He pauses to look her up and down, brows lifting as he meets her gaze. "Do you want something to change into? You look hot but that can't be comfortable for wallowing in."