Hi. ( it feels like the most lacking, half-assed answer to the e v e r y t h i n g that seems to be hanging in the air, right now. Steve has grown up a lot, since senior year. he has! is he that much better at knowing how to navigate these stifling, terrified silences — both of them all too aware of what could be lingering in the dark. back then Nancy had been determined to shine a light on all of it, like it'd be easier if they just knew. Steve had preferred to leave those ugly, vicious things where he couldn't see them. like things would be easier or safer or at least a little more normal if he just let sleeping dogs lie.
they're older, wiser and just so goddamn exhausted, now. looking danger in the eye has drained Nancy out, wrung her out like a sponge. Steve can't look away from it anymore, even if he wanted to. somehow they've met somewhere in the middle and yet he's still not entirely sure what to do next. tell her it's fine? it's not. tell her he understands? maybe he doesn't. they've all got their own separate pieces of this thing. adjacent, but never the same.
Nancy seems to be folding in on herself all over again, and somehow doing it right in front of him is even worse than pulling away or shutting herself in the bathroom. Steve catches her arms, not quite trying to drag them down to look at her, mostly just... testing the waters, what she'll tolerate. Nancy doesn't wiggle away so instead he pulls her closer. it doesn't really matter that her arms are a barrier between them, his arms can slip around her shoulders just fine. )
Hey, ( Steve says, stupidly, but fuck, what does he even say? maybe there's just not anything, here, not anything besides being there. and Nancy called him. she opened the door. she wants him here — that he can do, even if he doesn't have the words or the answers or even a hint of a solution. holding her like this makes him feel instantly better, weirdly enough, nose half tucked in the only barely tamed bedhead. ) I'm here. ( it's lame, it's absolutely obvious, no need to point that out. what's he gonna do next, tell her water is wet? tell her he hasn't stopped being in love with her, even though he knows he was supposed to? no, definitely not that last thing. whatever, there's something else obvious he can share. ) We're okay.
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Date: 2022-11-06 02:10 am (UTC)they're older, wiser and just so goddamn exhausted, now. looking danger in the eye has drained Nancy out, wrung her out like a sponge. Steve can't look away from it anymore, even if he wanted to. somehow they've met somewhere in the middle and yet he's still not entirely sure what to do next. tell her it's fine? it's not. tell her he understands? maybe he doesn't. they've all got their own separate pieces of this thing. adjacent, but never the same.
Nancy seems to be folding in on herself all over again, and somehow doing it right in front of him is even worse than pulling away or shutting herself in the bathroom. Steve catches her arms, not quite trying to drag them down to look at her, mostly just... testing the waters, what she'll tolerate. Nancy doesn't wiggle away so instead he pulls her closer. it doesn't really matter that her arms are a barrier between them, his arms can slip around her shoulders just fine. )
Hey, ( Steve says, stupidly, but fuck, what does he even say? maybe there's just not anything, here, not anything besides being there. and Nancy called him. she opened the door. she wants him here — that he can do, even if he doesn't have the words or the answers or even a hint of a solution. holding her like this makes him feel instantly better, weirdly enough, nose half tucked in the only barely tamed bedhead. ) I'm here. ( it's lame, it's absolutely obvious, no need to point that out. what's he gonna do next, tell her water is wet? tell her he hasn't stopped being in love with her, even though he knows he was supposed to? no, definitely not that last thing. whatever, there's something else obvious he can share. ) We're okay.