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It had become a sort of a ritual by now, the unspoken agreement that whenever the emptiness starts to creep into your mind, you’ll contact Steve as quick as you can. You could come over, sleep in his bed, be held by him — he’d know just the things you needed when it got bad.
Today was no different, as you pulled over to his driveway. His parents were out of town again, which was honestly a relief — you didn’t want extra eyes or ears to the pain you were going through. You liked to keep it private, hidden from nearly everyone. Everyone but Steve.
“Upstairs,” Steve called out the moment you pushed the door open. He left it open for you every time you called him in advance, told him you were coming over again. Your feet felt heavy, but you managed to go up anyway, and then straight to his room. He was lounging on his bed, a book in hand.
“Bad day again?” he asked the moment you stepped inside, and closed the book.
“Bad week,” you murmured, closing your eyes even before half-throwing yourself onto his bed. “Everything is just too loud in my head, but every single time I try to run away from the noise, I just come back right where I started. And it’s just getting worse now that we keep running in circles with Vecna.”
“That fucker keeps getting away,” he sighed, throwing an arm around your shoulders. “Hiding like a coward now that he realised we actually are a match for him.”
You hummed, shifting so that you could lean against his shoulder. “Do you think Max will ever again wake up?”
Steve was quiet for a moment before he tightened his hold on you slightly. “She will do her everything to make it back.”
You swallowed, your voice breaking suddenly. “I know, but what if she has no body to return to? Her physical self in a really bad shape.”
“Hey, hey, none of that,” Steve hushed, turning to look at you, putting a finger under your chin. “She’s tough, and we’ll figure something out.”
You blinked away your tears, staring into his eyes before taking in a shaky breath and leaning in, meeting his lips with yours. He kissed you back, pulling you in even tighter, and when you finally pulled away, you rested your forehead against his. “I sure hope so.”