[ That grimace is, at once, a better and worse reaction than he'd expected, but maybe that just means it's real, too. Not an outright rejection, not another too-good-to-be-true lie. Just Steve, hurting.
He doesn't want that. Of the next-to-nothing he knows for sure, he knows he doesn't want to hurt Steve anymore, and that had been one of a hundred reasons it seemed better to just keep his distance — but he hasn't been, has he? And they're here now. Doing this. Trying to fit together again, with their sharp edges and mismatched wounds.
He exhales like a punctured valve. A nod. Alright. One step at a time.
Through the hatch first, giving it a good shoulder-shove to keep it open for Steve. ]
no subject
He doesn't want that. Of the next-to-nothing he knows for sure, he knows he doesn't want to hurt Steve anymore, and that had been one of a hundred reasons it seemed better to just keep his distance — but he hasn't been, has he? And they're here now. Doing this. Trying to fit together again, with their sharp edges and mismatched wounds.
He exhales like a punctured valve. A nod. Alright. One step at a time.
Through the hatch first, giving it a good shoulder-shove to keep it open for Steve. ]