Work Text:
Steve never really had a home. Well, that’s not exactly true. He had a home in the technical term. He always had a place to live. But he never understood when people said they missed being home. Or the way home was described as a good feeling. A feeling they craved. Home was never that for him. It was just the place he lived. The place his parents lived– sometimes. If anything, it was the place he avoided being at any cost. The place he hated being. And if he had to be there, he tried to make sure it was full of people. Threw parties, invited people to swim in his pool. Felt better when it was loud and busy. And as soon as he had the money saved up to leave, he did. Packed up, moved out, and never looked back. That doesn’t sound like the home he’s heard other people talk about. Neither did the tiny apartment he moved into. It was better. It at least felt like his. It wasn’t somewhere he dreaded spending his time. But it was still just a place. Until Robin moved in.
It didn’t take long. He only lived alone for about a month before Robin just kind of… stayed. She was over most days anyway. Stayed the night whenever they were up late, which was most nights. And eventually she just…claimed the spare bedroom as her own.
Steve has a home now. Full of love, and laughter. He knows what it’s like to walk through the door and breathe a sigh of relief. To feel the weight of the world melt off his shoulders. To come home to someone. And he gets it now. That feeling of home. But it’s still not really about the shitty little apartment, bursting with the chaos of their combined lives. It’s Robin. Has been, for a long time. She’s his safe space. The person who knows all his secrets. The person who cares if he makes it back home at the end of the day. Who wants to hear about his shitty shift at work. He never knew what people meant about that feeling, until he started looking forward to nights watching tv on the couch with his best friend.