Janaina Medeiros
hello vonnie
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
blake kathryn
🪼
Today's Document
sheepfilms
we're not kids anymore.
Jules of Nature
Cosmic Funnies
ellievsbear
oozey mess
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
No title available
★
YOU ARE THE REASON
titsay
d e v o n
Andulka
will byers stan first human second
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Ukraine
seen from Tunisia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Finland
seen from Singapore
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
@decoronation
a private, mutuals only, and duffer-critical modern interpretation of 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍 from netflix's stranger things. some canon divergence may be found here, as of seasons 4 and 5. themes such as c-ptsd, parental neglect, traumatic brain injuries, and being a final boy will be present. please read rules before interacting. protected by fawn ( 30s, she/they, mexicana )
𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃 ♔ 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 ♔ 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 ♔ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐘 ♔ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒
steve's lucky he's stronger. all dae-hyun can do is level him with an exasperated side eye. at least steve gets a kick out of it, he supposes. no point in defending himself... it'd only serve to make him look even more guilty of it. he never thought he'd see the day when he'd be subject to jealousy, of all things. it was a disgusting feeling, gnawing away at the rational part of him that knew better. it didn't help that the cause was around every corner and looked at steve like he hung the moon. it's fine.
his touch is warm, but the moment itself is short-lived. his nose wrinkles at steve's attempt at imitation, fighting off the amusement. “ why should i tell you after you just assaulted my ears? ” he falls onto steve with a grunt as he's pulled with him, the hair that is brushed away falls back into place only moments later. there's a small shared glance, and try as he might, he can't bring himself to smile back. it's difficult, falling into their usual rhythm with this impending doom and gloom. once steve releases him, he turns away and starts gathering his things for tonight.
“ i've dreamt about lots of different things, ” he tells him, vaguely, nonchalantly, despite the situation being anything but. he shoves a change of clothes into his backpack, alongside something comfortable for bed. he wanders out of his room to grab his toiletries from the shared bathroom and stumbles over gamcho on his way into his bedroom. with a sigh, dae-hyun zips up his bag and drops it by his door. “ why? ” he turns to steve then, fixing him with a curious stare. for all that had been unveiled to him in the bathroom earlier, there remained patches of grey. the rose stained glass door was one of them. it had felt ominous to look at, despite being objectively beautiful. “ what does it have to do with your gate and tooth-monsters? ”
❛ yeah, but... this is different. you recognized the front door from a drawing. it's one thing to dream about some made up house, dae. this one's real. ❜ patience is a learned skill that steve has had to pick up and hone over the years of dealing with henderson and co., and he utilizes it as he sits up on the bed to wait for dae-hyun to stop bustling around and packing his things to focus on the conversation at hand. his eyes wander around the room, stopping on the patched up corner of the window where he'd thrown a rock at it to get dae-hyun's attention once. an attempt at romance gone awry. that night feels like it happened lifetimes ago now.
the sound of dae-hyun's backpack being dropped onto the floor is what gets steve to turn around again. when he stands, it's to pick said backpack up and sling one of the straps over a shoulder; ever the gentleman. ❛ because it might be connected with the people who used to live there. nance and robin are still looking into it. ❜ steve doesn't like the thought of dae-hyun dreaming about things in relation to the upside down. if he dwells on it too long, he can picture dark vines creeping up the side of the house and over the trellis he often uses to sneak in, the terrible appendages slithering along the bedroom ceiling and dragging dae-hyun into the depths by his limbs.
this thought comes and goes in his mind's eye within seconds, but it's enough for steve to make a decision. he will not return to the wheeler household tonight. ❛ i just think it might help, if you're dreaming of things that have happened already. or are going to happen. ❜ steve does not find this notion odd, having witnessed too many unusual things to count out prophetic dreams. he's always felt like there was something special about dae-hyun. perhaps this is true in more ways than one. taking his phone out of his pocket, steve doubles down on his choice by sending a quick voice note to robin and letting her know they can reach him either by phone or walkie-talkie should they need him before sunrise.
with his host family out for the evening, the house was eerily quiet and dark. with the exception of gamcho, of course, who wastes no time re-making steve's acquaintance. he was thankful then, that he wasn't spending the night alone. he trails up the stairs behind steve, and gamcho seems to have the same idea. she skirts up the stairs swiftly, slinking in and out of sight against the shadows. trippable, comes to mind first. he couldn't count on both hands how many times he had stumbled up and down the stairs because she had no concept of personal space. “ 비켜, gamcho, ” he mutters, hooking his foot under her stomach and shifting her aside as he enters his room.
he doesn't so much as look in his backpack's general direction, only because he doesn't get the chance to. not when he's pulled onto steve's lap first. any protest dies in his throat, the mattress dipping under their combined weight. his hands draw up steve's biceps, snaking loosely around his neck. silence washes over them for a moment, as he commits the sight of him to memory as he has done countless times before. “ i really like you, steve harrington, ” he hadn't gotten to that part yet in the car. he needed steve to know. even if the words felt strange to speak and his feelings were incomprehensible at the best of times. looking for steve in empty places, and finding him drifting in and out of his mind when he became lost in thought had to mean something.
he couldn't remember the last person that had made him so hyperaware and distracted at the same time. “ ... we've got five seconds until she gets jealous, ” he grins softly, his gaze trailing down the slope of steve's nose and landing on his lips. he wondered if chihiro would smell gamcho on the two of them when they got to steve's place. the thought dissipates as quickly as it arrives, as he ducks his head and resumes their kiss from before. it's not so terror-filled now that they have had a moment to get away, but tinged with something more melancholic. something that left an ache in his gut. when he breaks away for a breath, he touches a kiss to the side of steve's mouth, trailing along the sharp line of his jaw.
❛ five? wow. that's more time than it takes you. ❜ steve tightens his hold on dae-hyun so he can't get away after the jest, though with the way he's kissed a second time, steve thinks maybe dae-hyun doesn't want to get away to begin with. he's still riding the high of those six simple words ( i really like you, steve harrington ) and holding them together as if their embrace is the glue keeping everything else in hawkins from unraveling at the seams. if there is a slight truth to this, steve is unaware.
eyes closed, he tilts his head just enough to give dae-hyun more access to his neck and jaw, hands sliding underneath soft fabric to trace up along his spine. ❛ so are you gonna tell me what you like about me, or do i have to guess? ❜ his smile is damn near audible, fingertips still gliding along bare skin. steve tries not to laugh as he imitates dae-hyun's voice. ❛ oh steve, you're so strong. every time you pick me up i almost faint. and that face? it's soooo handsome! ❜
he flops back onto the bed and pulls dae-hyun with him, hands at last retreating in favor of brushing dae-hyun's hair away from his face. steve looks up at him with a small, crooked smile that barely reaches his eyes. they can stay here and make stupid jokes until night falls, but it won't change their mutual unease. steve lets him go so that he can pack his bag, sighing as he stares at the ceiling, thoughts circling back to an earlier topic.
he slowly rolls onto his side, watching dae-hyun for a second before speaking up. ❛ dae... the door with the rose on it. is it the only thing you've had dreams about? ❜
"mhm.." she confirms. robin has lost count of the times she's naturally felt a pull toward him. to just grab his hand, to lean on his shoulder more than she should, to stay by him in general. eyebrows crinkle and she exhales again.
"i just don't want to ruin anything. you're like one of the closest people i have in my life right now."
the confirmation is an immediate comfort to steve. so he hasn't just imagined things, everything he's felt is very much real. with the horrors they've been through, it can be difficult to pick apart the real from what his muddled thoughts conjure up. no amount of doctors can fix the damage steve's repeated head trauma has dealt to the rest of him.
❛ i know you probably won't believe me, but i don't think anything would be ruined. not if what you're saying is true. because that means we both care about each other a lot. it wouldn't make sense to throw that all away even if we didn't end up working out. but we'll never know if we don't try. ❜
you will, sits on the tip of his tongue but never makes the leap. dae-hyun watches as steve efforts to hold his hand once again, a pointed gesture to his feelings for him, he knows. he has known, or rather, surmised. it had been a subtle-not-so-subtle pursuit throughout the almost-year that had crept along quicker than either of them had clearly anticipated. the gesture brings a small sense of gratification to his lips, at the very least. he squeezes steve's hand in his own, acknowledging and hoping to placate any residual nerves. steve's or his own, he couldn't say. things had been so much simpler when they were just colleagues at family video.
“ maybe, ” his amusement simmers, as reality sinks in. who knew what would happen between now and... whenever steve's plight became the worlds. he had been staring at the dashboard of steve's bmw for a few minutes now, mildly aware that the engine had come to a stop and the car a subsequent standstill. dae-hyun glances at steve only when his thumb draws circles, as his affections pour out as if coming straight from the heart. it feels painful rather than exciting or joyful. there's a distinct ache somewhere within that he doesn't want to place. what was the point of any of this, if they were steering headfirst into the inevitable?
he chews at the inside of his cheek, gaze downcast once more, turning steve's hand over in his, back and forth slowly before bringing the back of his hand up to his lips for a kiss. “ we've still got tonight, don't we? ” he wasn't sure what timeline they were afforded, but he had no intentions of leaving so soon. the logistics of it aside, he planned to stretch his stay here as long as he possibly could. the idea of asking steve to leave with him, to come home with him, had crossed his mind. however, steve had too many people he cared about here. “ you're important to me too, you know. so, don't blame me for wanting to stay a little longer. ”
the kiss that is planted on the back of steve's hand gives him butterflies he'd long since assumed were buried. just another thing dae-hyun had resurrected during their time together, along with steve's sense of confidence. he feels it strengthen tenfold now, affection poured into him by the one person he hasn't been able to get out of his head. every eye roll, every sarcastic remark meant to create distance; these things have never deterred steve from finding dae-hyun to be equal parts intriguing and lovable. he only wishes he could be better at convincing dae-hyun how serious he is about this sentiment without sounding like a full-blown cliché.
❛ i'll still blame you anyway. just a little bit. ❜ it's the second time steve tries to lighten the moment, even as the reality of what's to come continues to hang over their heads like a storm rolling across a darkening sky. he knows he'll never forgive himself if anything happens to dae-hyun, but a selfish part of steve clings onto the knowledge that he won't have to spend the night alone and paranoid within the confines of his bedroom.
rather than wait in the car or sneak in through the window, steve follows into the house at the realization that there are no cars in the driveway. it feels strange to cross the threshold in such a proper way, though steve still finds a second to compose himself and crouch down to give gamcho a quick scritch-scratch between the ears before ascending the staircase. sat on the edge of dae-hyun's bed not even a minute later, steve looks at dae-hyun before pulling him onto his lap. strong arms wrap around narrow waist like they did earlier. steve knows he should let him pack some things for their impromptu sleepover, but for now he cannot bring himself to let go.
steve loves people so loudly after his season 1 arc
a kiss behind closed doors was one thing, one thing he had hoped would last a little longer than their first. however, he had hardly anticipated alerting the rest of his friends to what was budding between them so soon after. their fingers intertwined and for all to see, steve had ushered him out of the door with nary a goodbye to his friends. dae-hyun's own red jacket goes forgotten on one of the many chairs amidst the rush of them leaving. and he doesn't bother to bring it up. he could always go back.
...okay. he winces as he looks out the window of steve's bmw, as they turn a corner and the sight of the house behind them vanishes. it wasn't exactly the sanest reply he could have offered. any normal person probably would have brushed it off or... or something. he wonders if steve thought anything of it. maybe he thinks he's a sociopath. maybe he is. dae-hyun's attention snaps to steve at his question. sleepover. a a wave of relief washes over him.
“ sure, ” it wasn't like he had plans. “ i was thinking of breaking into your house, anyway. i figured you'd be out a while, ” so, leaving town was definitely not in the cards. he couldn't leave, even if he wanted to. where was he going to go? back home? dae-hyun's head falls back against the headrest, angling a small smile at steve. he wouldn't have slept, not if they had left things the way they were in the bathroom. “ aren't you going back to your friends, though? you know they saw... ” his gaze falls to steve's hand on the wheel. he couldn't tell if steve was uncaring about the display because he had been on the brink of a panic attack, or because he legitimately did not care. it was easily explained away, anyway. if it had to come to that. his mouth downturns, as if to shrug, moving on.
“ little spoon or big spoon? ”
the thought of dae-hyun breaking into his house shouldn't be as amusing as it is to steve right now, given the urgency of what's about to overtake hawkins should things go awry. but it is. he's so used to climbing through dae-hyun's window himself that he'd never considered the alternative. not that he'd need to do anything other than use the front door to the harrington house with how often steve's parents are absent.
❛ saw what? this? ❜ steve asks as they come to a slow stop at a sign just outside of dae-hyun's neighborhood. he takes the opportunity to reach over the center console to hold dae-hyun's hand again, and when the car coasts forward once more, steve doesn't let go of it. ❛ i am going back later to check on them, but i don't care if they saw. i don't care if anyone sees. ❜ he'd hoped for more time, a chance to continue taking things at a leisurely pace, but the sand has run out on whatever is coming next and steve knows dae-hyun won't leave hawkins now, no matter what is said. the only thing steve can do now is try and keep him safe.
parked outside of the now-familiar house, silence fills the space between the engine going still and steve looking down at their hands. weariness has not left his eyes. ❛ maybe we should flip a coin this time, ❜ he attempts to banter regardless. clearing his throat, steve's thumb rubs gentle circles against dae-hyun's. ❛ dae... i meant when i said you were important to me. i really, really like you. sometimes you're all i think about. and the one thing i regret about this past year is not saying that sooner, because then maybe we could've had more good days before this happened. ❜
oh, boy. steve has left a mark on her, more than any friend in her life thus far in her existence. she can feel the heat creeping up her neck so she's grateful that it's dark in her room. the only light seeming to leak into the room is from a street lamp outside her bedroom window.
"i know." she chomps down harder and opens her mouth again. her voice is soft with a hint of scared, "you make me feel safe.. and i feel like sometimes i'm in danger of blurring a line with you. does that make sense?"
it's like his inner monologue shuts down, unable to compute what is happening for a brief moment. steve.exe has stopped working. what an unexpected gift to be handed, no open channel for overthinking available when his senses are overloaded like this. steve rolls over to stare at the ceiling again.
❛ you mean a line between friends and more than friends? ❜ is what spills out into the otherwise quiet bedroom, no filter to speak of as steve attempts to clarify what robin means, ❛ yeah, it makes sense... but what's so bad about that? ❜
as soon as he's enveloped, he can feel steve's distress. it seeps into him, even as he pulls back, the fear plastered across his face plain as day. it's jarring to see, foreign. gone was the light-hearted, blushing, silly, jovial steve harrington he had come to know. this was someone new he hadn't been privy to until now. some sadistic part of him was glad for it. whatever the hell that meant.
“ okay... yeah. okay, ” he takes pause for a moment, to let it sink in. gates, otherworldly creatures, it all sounded like fiction. monsters on the big screen, or in the pages of a comic book. and yet, he knew better than most what lurked beyond this plane. it wasn't so outlandish... to think there was more than what they could perceive. however, with the way steve was trembling now, he knew there was more to the story than that. he couldn't begin to imagine the horrors he had witnessed. “ hey, i don't think you're crazy, ” his hands remain, a thumb sweeping over his cheek.
“ you've definitely said some wilder shit than that. i'm gonna need you to take a breath for me, though, ” a hand falls from steve's face to rest over his chest. he didn't want to leave, but given what he was faced with currently... and the rabbiting of steve's heart, now may be not the best time to keep prodding after all. “ c'mon, baby, you can drive me home. ”
❛ okay ? ❜ steve echoes in confusion. dae-hyun's reaction is a far cry from what he'd expected, which was irritation with an assumption that steve was trying to pull some elaborate prank. their proximity is the only thread keeping steve whole in the moment, cheek leaning into the delicate touch that brushes over his skin. whatever tears had threatened to well up in his eyes retreat, steve trying his best to cling onto the last shred of hope he has for everyone to get through this.
following dae-hyun's instruction, steve takes a few deep breaths until bit by bit, the trembling subsides. the weariness does not leave his expression, not even when he gives the man in his arms a weak smile at the word baby. placing a hand over the one on his chest, he kisses dae-hyun. even with uncertainty hanging over them, it is not a kiss tinged with sorrow. there is a hopefulness to it, not unlike the first they'd shared outside of the convenience store in the dead of night. steve draws strength from this affection and finds it easier to stand on his own two feet.
faucet off and door unlocked, he reemerges to announce he's taking dae-hyun home, all protests and inquiries stopping dead in their tracks when steve takes one of dae-hyun's hands in his. the abrupt and shocked silence at the sight of their laced fingers is the last concern on steve's mind as he grabs his jacket and leads dae-hyun out to the bmw. only when the wheeler house is barely visible in the rearview mirror as they pull out of the neighborhood does steve find his voice again. ❛ will you sleep over tonight? if you're not going to leave town, i need to at least know you're safe. please. it would make me feel better. ❜
perhaps she overdid it. a small laugh almost escapes her as she hears his assumption but it's stifled. robin shakes her head in the dark. "sorry.... you don't stink. i just.. i-" she pauses, and thinks for a second before continuing. "i'm scared that i'd get.. too comfortable.. with you." exhale. man, that might've been a little too real to say but it's out in the air now.
her heart kicks into the motion as the silence follows her last word. maybe she revealed herself too much. she'll own it now by keeping her mouth shut and chomping down on her lip in fear.
too comfortable. as if people being comfortable around him isn't the highest form of compliment to steve. he used to hate to admit it when he was younger, but he needs people more than he's ever let on. to have someone feel safe enough to let their guard down in his presence and not be self conscious is more than steve thinks he deserves, but he welcomes it with open arms each time it occurs.
❛ why is that a bad thing? ❜ steve inquires, knowing he's treading into complicated waters. he doesn't want to spook her, but honesty is all he has left. ❛ i'm comfortable with you. ❜
˖ ‧ ᯓ ☦︎ ▒ . ❘❘❘ ──── ilya’s sucking on a blue slushie , half leaned over on the counter as he watches / @decoronation fiddle around with dvd’s with intense fascination .
the russian had never had an official job , one with a paycheck and everything . most jobs were done under the table , like mowing the neighbors lawn or painting the fence at mrs.whitaker’s mom’s house for some spending money . he actually had someone to spend it on now instead of just buying loosies from the guy outside the gas station . it was all very interesting to watch someone his age wear a uniform and do actual work .
❛ i am trying . it looks like college is best option . but i have shit grades . i was hoping maybe hockey scholarship . but i do not know , there is a lot up in the air now . things are different now . what about you ? will you be sorting dee - vee - dees for the rest of your life ? ❜ ilya enunciates each letter , working hard to make sure his american accent is spread on thick . as he spent time in hawkins and silver falls , his english continued to improve , but it was still easy to poke fun at the silly way americans said things . keepings things light was the only option right now , if he let himself get carried away thinking about having to leave america , he'd spiral right there in the fucking family video .
having shit grades is something steve can relate to. junior year had been a mad dash and a half to get his grades up just so he could keep playing sports, the battle even worse during senior year when all things upside down had derailed any tentative plans he'd been hinging on. nothing ever goes the way you think it will, though. it's one of the universal truths steve has learned the hard way since becoming an adult. ❛ they've got tutors down at the library, you know. could try that. ❜ a sigh escapes his lips when he realizes one of the dvds isn't in its case. fuck. he rummages around the pile of other returns and rubs his temples in frustration. of course this shit would happen on his first shift alone in weeks.
❛ hell no. but i'm lucky i got this job at all after what happened at starcourt, ❜ steve begins as he logs into the computer system to look up who returned their borrowed copy of the princess bride empty. he feels a cold sensation crawl up his spine at the memory of fireworks and carnage. ❛ you know. the mall fire, ❜ he amends quietly, ❛ a lot of people lost their jobs. and lives. ❜ writing the customer's name and number down on a post-it note for later, steve avoids ilya's gaze and makes his way around the counter to put the rest of the movies away. ❛ oh, and if you wanna rent something, go ahead. i'll let you use my discount. ❜
CHARLIE GILLESPIE as SKYLER in
⏤ Sidelined 2: Intercepted
it's a lot to take in, despite there being a glaringly obvious gap in detail. he had arrived here clearly smack bang in the middle of something, something that continued to elude him even with the whispers and dreams that tarried. steve was... he didn't know what steve was to him. important, as he phrased it. so much so, he couldn't just let this drop and be done with it.
“ i'm one of those people, ” he points out, somewhat exasperated by the fact. he has no idea what steve is talking about. the rumormill, the news, he never paid them much thought. of course, he had heard the stories after living here for so many months. it wasn't that he was a nonbeliever, but the missing persons, the gated laboratory, none of it had ever factored into his day. so, why the fuck would he care?
dae-hyun sighs after the knock on the door ushers the end of the conversation. i won't let it take you. his brow furrows immediately, further confusion woven in between his frustration. the proposition to drive him home goes blatantly ignored and forgotten. “ 'what's coming'- take me? wh- what the hell does that even mean? ” as if he didn't have his own skeleton-filled closet to deal with. he could hardly acknowledge the weight of steve's words, nor the implication beneath them.
“ steve, ” he's still at first, contemplating just upping and leaving himself. dae-hyun approaches him instead, his hands raising to cup either side of steve's face, fingertips disappearing beneath chestnut hair. “ i need you to level with me a little. 'cause you're freaking me out. let me help. ”
forced to look into dark umber eyes again when dae-hyun cups his face, steve fights every urge to melt into the touch. he fails pretty spectacularly, eyes watering with all of the bottled up emotions he's been holding onto for months now. taking a deep, shuddered breath, steve leans forward to press their foreheads together. his arms wrap around dae-hyun's waist, pulling him closer into the temporary safety of his embrace. for a moment, all steve can do is focus on his breaths and try his best not to feel hopeless. when his breathing regulates, steve doesn't detach himself from dae-hyun, but rather just pulls back enough to look at him properly.
❛ a few years ago there was something that opened up in hawkins. like a gate. between here and... somewhere else. only that somewhere else isn't anywhere near here. it's like another world. a dangerous one. and when the gate opened, a lot of things from that world came into ours. i'm talking... really fucked up things. the type of things that won't hesitate to kill you. they have these teeth, these faces full of just teeth. i know i sound crazy, but i've seen them. i've had to kill some of them. and now it looks like those things aren't the only danger we should be worried about, because everything is about to get so much worse if more gates open up and let out whatever else has been trying to escape. ❜
there is no reason for dae-hyun to believe him, and all steve can do is hope that his shortened rundown comes across as sincere. he can explain the lab's involvement at a later date, when people aren't wondering what the hell they're both doing locked in the bathroom together for so long. he supposes it helps that he's shaking now, bone-deep trembles passing in waves even as he keeps clutching onto dae-hyun for dear life. it doesn't matter how many times he survives the horrors thrown his way; deep down, steve is afraid that each instance of assisting the party will be his last.
okay ♥️ yay ♥️
mikasa could stand there forever and give steve every bit of the affection he desires, but she refuses to let him learn how to weaponize pouting too much to his advantage. ❝ okay, now you're just being greedy. ❞ she kisses his cheek anyways before pulling away, unable to resist— having someone to reciprocate the affection she's long held inside and starved for herself makes the world feel brighter.
the smile on her lips fades into a small frown instead as grey eyes flicker over the state of steve again, lingering this time on the fatigue he wears. it's then that she sighs and grabs his hand, gently tugging. she can't hide the concern no matter how hard she tries, the instinct to care for him in any way she can showing as she suggests: ❝ ...i think you need rest more than you need kisses. stay the night at my place? it's kindaaa the least you can do after worrying me anyways. ❞
the thing about steve is that he knows that his pouting can work to his advantage, but he's more than willing to follow mikasa's instruction anyway. if it means he gets to spend more time with her and not make her worry more than she already does, he'll do damn near anything to make her happy. ❛ you say greedy, i say deprived. it all depends on perspective... or whatever that word is. ❜
rest does sound nice, even if steve would prefer to stay up and bask in the presence of his favorite person. one thing steve can't deny that he can be, is needy. once he catches feelings for someone, they consume his every thought. having to be away from mikasa on a regular basis lately has been difficult, feeling the pull of his heartstrings more and more each time he says "i'll be back later". ❛ i'll stay if i can shower. i'm not getting in your bed like this, ❜ steve says, appalled at the thought of his dirt-streaked clothes going anywhere near mikasa's clean sheets.
@decoronation said to victoria : sender brushes receiver's hair back from their face.
gravity is a pesky thing for a bird born without wings or feathers. a cruel reminder of all things that can never be ( like the forever-and-never-ending sensation of falling without ever getting close to solid ground ). it's why vicki is drawn to the trees ⎯⎯⎯ why she is part eager squirrel and part foolish girl. except squirrels don't fall from branches only to remain lying as still as the memory of her late father in the soft cradle of fallen leaves and acorns.
steve's hand brushes through strands of frazzled and slightly knotted hair. victoria thinks it's the kindest thing someone has done for her in somewhat of a long while . . . it helps her see the sky overhead and the oak's leaves shaking in the wind. ❝ you would tell me if i was bleeding, right ? i don't want blood in my eye. ❞
wide doe eyes staring down at her, steve crouches down and reaches another hand out to help victoria up. genuine concern is written all over his face, but he waits for her to sit up properly before attempting to assess the damage. the way he winces makes it clear that victoria is indeed bleeding, though it doesn't look as bad as it could be. nothing like what he's seen.
the offending scratch is nowhere near victoria's hairline which is promising, crimson mark splashed across one of her cheekbones. still, steve knows it's best to be thorough. ❛ did you hit your head? might have to take you to the emergency room if you did. concussions are no joke. trust me, i've had a bunch. ❜ there's a first aid kit in his car that will have to suffice if victoria refuses to get a second opinion, though from the pleading look he gives her, he certainly remains hopeful.
he's trying to rub off a piece of the gummy from his teeth as he walks back. "nah but it was dead at the cafe tonight. i was basically done cleaning before i clocked out."
he didn't really expect to make any friends this summer but he guesses it sort of just happens when you see the same people almost everyday. steve also happens to be the only other guy his age here that he doesn't find absolutely annoying.
he ignores the flickering light and looks over to steve. "so, what's with you and the pizza girl? robin, right?"
the ice scraper goes hurtling into the sink, steve's reflexes not fast enough this time to save it. the loud sound echoes through the empty parlor and causes him to flinch. he's embarrassed at how the mere sound of robin's name has him so off his game.
❛ you mean waldgrave? we're friends. she's my friend. ❜ large, doe eyes look from theo to the depths of the sink, then back again. there is a hopeful spark in them the second time. ❛ ... why, has she said anything about me? ❜
