[ what the fuck is an understatement. her brain automatically starts to compartmentalize the different parts of his story, although it's really just three compartments. one she uses to store the points about what happened that she needs to keep in mind for the future, and that they need to share with the other displaced hawkins teens, as soon as they touch base with them next, if they don't know already. the second is the vampire box that contains the points she's not going to address because she can tell it was hard enough for him to say it the first time, and the third is empty and reserved for whatever comes to mid while she processes what he's saying. and for her to mentally rampage instead of actually doing it. she feels sort of sick. and really pissed off. and the way she presses her lips into a thin line is her only outward reaction to it, but it's not subtle.
her hand doesn't exactly slide forward as he slouches even further, it ends up kind of staying where it was, except now that means it's the back of his shoulder under her palm. she's absently rubbing her thumb back and forth right there before she can think better of it, but even once she notices it, she doesn't actually have that gut impulse to take her hand back, or give him a little more space again. she just gives him one sweep of her full hand, down just past his shoulder blade, before moving it back where it was ]
Steve... [ packing a bunch of emotion into the way she says his name is apparently a hard habit to break. ] I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. Shit. I knew this place liked to mess with our heads, but I never thought it could do things that made that so.. literal. [ she shakes her head, watching him for just a moment longer before dropping her attention back to the half removed bandage, then her first aid kit. then the small roll of tape she already took out and put next to the box. smart move, past!nancy.
and in the interest of keeping things simple, she does loop around his knee to stand between his legs again, her eyes flicking up just once to make sure the rewind to her original spot doesn't make him wildly uncomfortable. from there she gently guides him to extend his arm, then takes to ripping a longerish strip of tape off the roll and carefully realigning it with the original piece of tape before smoothing it down with a light slide of two fingers.
there's a short pause after that, but she ends up siding her hand down his arm that last little bit from the edge of the bandage, and curl her fingers over the back of his hand to give him another squeeze. she watches her hand as she does it, instead of his face, but eventually she looks up again, attempting to catch his gaze. ]
So... I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last ..minute - [ not really. it's a thought she's entertained actually voicing for quite a few, um, years at this point. but the corner of her mouth quirks up to give him the world's tinies smile at her own joke ] And I've decided that you're not allowed to get hurt anymore. Not even a stubbed toe. Not even a paper cut. Got it? [ she tilts her head sideways a little bit more, still trying to convince him to look at her without actually telling or asking him to ] I'm very serious about this, so I'm going to need some verbal confirmation, Harrington.
Yeah. ( the world's most lackluster answer to a conversation that is this heavy. but what the hell is he supposed to say? there's no good answer. there's no right words for this situation. and if there is, Steve Harrington was never gonna be the guy to know them. instead his eyes linger on his arm, even as Nancy secures the bandage again. covering it up isn't quite as good as forgetting it happened entirely, but not having to look at it makes him feel immediately better, if nothing else.
Steve hasn't moved, much. even with Nancy shifting between his legs, fingers curling around his hand. trying to avoid looking her in the eye was the idea, but sitting exactly at her eye level makes it hard. especially when she seems determined to put her sleep rumpled curls directly in front of him. he doesn't respond much, at first, to Nancy's not-at-all spur of the moment proclamation. it takes awhile. not even a stubbed toe. not even a papercut! got it? the corner of his mouth wearily quirks upward, his attention finally shifting from somewhere past her shoulder back to Nancy's serious-but-trying-to-cheer-him-up-anyway expression. )
What about brainfreeze, from the fancy ice cream they've got here. ( he's just testing his boundaries, okay? that's all. he's not ready to give up ice cream! honestly, he's not entirely sure he's willing to promise he won't get hurt again. because if there's a situation where he can get in front of something trying to hurt someone, he's gonna do it. sorry, Nancy, that's just how it is. it's gonna happen. it is who Steve Harrington is, as a person. you couldn't convince him to get out of dodge in junior year, he's a lost cause now. )
I'll be careful, Nance. ( that's a promise he can make, without being a complete liar. and he will, he will be careful. does that really translate in not getting hurt? no. but careful is about all he can promise, in a place determined to fuck them up every month. )
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tw: more selfharm stuff
her hand doesn't exactly slide forward as he slouches even further, it ends up kind of staying where it was, except now that means it's the back of his shoulder under her palm. she's absently rubbing her thumb back and forth right there before she can think better of it, but even once she notices it, she doesn't actually have that gut impulse to take her hand back, or give him a little more space again. she just gives him one sweep of her full hand, down just past his shoulder blade, before moving it back where it was ]
Steve... [ packing a bunch of emotion into the way she says his name is apparently a hard habit to break. ] I'm sorry you had to go through something like that. Shit. I knew this place liked to mess with our heads, but I never thought it could do things that made that so.. literal. [ she shakes her head, watching him for just a moment longer before dropping her attention back to the half removed bandage, then her first aid kit. then the small roll of tape she already took out and put next to the box. smart move, past!nancy.
and in the interest of keeping things simple, she does loop around his knee to stand between his legs again, her eyes flicking up just once to make sure the rewind to her original spot doesn't make him wildly uncomfortable. from there she gently guides him to extend his arm, then takes to ripping a longerish strip of tape off the roll and carefully realigning it with the original piece of tape before smoothing it down with a light slide of two fingers.
there's a short pause after that, but she ends up siding her hand down his arm that last little bit from the edge of the bandage, and curl her fingers over the back of his hand to give him another squeeze. she watches her hand as she does it, instead of his face, but eventually she looks up again, attempting to catch his gaze. ]
So... I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last ..minute - [ not really. it's a thought she's entertained actually voicing for quite a few, um, years at this point. but the corner of her mouth quirks up to give him the world's tinies smile at her own joke ] And I've decided that you're not allowed to get hurt anymore. Not even a stubbed toe. Not even a paper cut. Got it? [ she tilts her head sideways a little bit more, still trying to convince him to look at her without actually telling or asking him to ] I'm very serious about this, so I'm going to need some verbal confirmation, Harrington.
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Steve hasn't moved, much. even with Nancy shifting between his legs, fingers curling around his hand. trying to avoid looking her in the eye was the idea, but sitting exactly at her eye level makes it hard. especially when she seems determined to put her sleep rumpled curls directly in front of him. he doesn't respond much, at first, to Nancy's not-at-all spur of the moment proclamation. it takes awhile. not even a stubbed toe. not even a papercut! got it? the corner of his mouth wearily quirks upward, his attention finally shifting from somewhere past her shoulder back to Nancy's serious-but-trying-to-cheer-him-up-anyway expression. )
What about brainfreeze, from the fancy ice cream they've got here. ( he's just testing his boundaries, okay? that's all. he's not ready to give up ice cream! honestly, he's not entirely sure he's willing to promise he won't get hurt again. because if there's a situation where he can get in front of something trying to hurt someone, he's gonna do it. sorry, Nancy, that's just how it is. it's gonna happen. it is who Steve Harrington is, as a person. you couldn't convince him to get out of dodge in junior year, he's a lost cause now. )
I'll be careful, Nance. ( that's a promise he can make, without being a complete liar. and he will, he will be careful. does that really translate in not getting hurt? no. but careful is about all he can promise, in a place determined to fuck them up every month. )