[ and she’s still max. closed off, a little mean, way too smart for her own good; she doesn’t even have to say anything for steve to know it’s true, that she’s her. steve may not have been super close with her this last year, or ever - really - since she first moved. but he did know her, fought monsters and laid traps and saved hawkins with her, and that - be finds - doesn’t really just go away.
it’s more grounding than steve was prepared to handle in this moment, a reminder of a life that exists outside of this place alone. where she should be wearing her headphones, listening to her tapes, probably telling him to fuck off when he hadn’t really said anything to begin with.
steve’s kind of lost track of how long it’s been since he’s seen any of that from someone else, how long it’s been since they’ve been the only ones from hawkins. and now? ] Yeah, well, that never really stops.
[ there’s a part of him that does try to sound reassuring, but it comes out more exhausted. a little bit like he gets it, and he wishes it was different, but…that’s just the way things are.
they walk for a little bit, and steve feels himself relax along the path. he knows this way, knows the family that keeps the farmstead, knows the kids who like to race down this way and back up the hill and how when it rains the water becomes a full river heading down into the grass behind them. but he tries to think about what it is that max sees - impossibly green pastures, too many goats to count, and steve harrington carrying a sword. he just about opens his mouth, thinking that maybe she thinks the question is a bit too strange so he’ll have to explain why, when she stops. fully stops. ]
Hey- [ he takes another step or two to stand in front of her, because he can tell there’s something wrong. more than just the curse (which should be broken) and more than just her being her- and that’s when she keeps going.
the plan to kill venca, the creel house, the upside down; this all sounds right, which is good. they all remember the same thing, but then max gets that distant look in her eye and says i don’t think i made it, steve and everything around him comes crashing down. because he doesn’t know, does he? if she did or not?
but that doesn’t matter, and before steve let’s that cold, dark, angry feeling rise up much further in his chest he’s shaking his head and grabbing her shoulders. ]
No, no way. Not possible. You definitely made it, and you know how I know? Because we killed Vecna. The plan worked. We- [ the empty front yard, the trembling ground, gates breaking open everywhere. they’d run all the way back to munson’s trailer because they weren’t sure they could trust anything else and that’s where they found dustin and-
steve shakes his head, something cold and stubborn settling in his jaw. his hands curl around her shoulders as he leans down just enough to hold her eyes. ] You made it. I know you did. Okay?
🥺🥺🥺🥺
it’s more grounding than steve was prepared to handle in this moment, a reminder of a life that exists outside of this place alone. where she should be wearing her headphones, listening to her tapes, probably telling him to fuck off when he hadn’t really said anything to begin with.
steve’s kind of lost track of how long it’s been since he’s seen any of that from someone else, how long it’s been since they’ve been the only ones from hawkins. and now? ] Yeah, well, that never really stops.
[ there’s a part of him that does try to sound reassuring, but it comes out more exhausted. a little bit like he gets it, and he wishes it was different, but…that’s just the way things are.
they walk for a little bit, and steve feels himself relax along the path. he knows this way, knows the family that keeps the farmstead, knows the kids who like to race down this way and back up the hill and how when it rains the water becomes a full river heading down into the grass behind them. but he tries to think about what it is that max sees - impossibly green pastures, too many goats to count, and steve harrington carrying a sword. he just about opens his mouth, thinking that maybe she thinks the question is a bit too strange so he’ll have to explain why, when she stops. fully stops. ]
Hey- [ he takes another step or two to stand in front of her, because he can tell there’s something wrong. more than just the curse (which should be broken) and more than just her being her- and that’s when she keeps going.
the plan to kill venca, the creel house, the upside down; this all sounds right, which is good. they all remember the same thing, but then max gets that distant look in her eye and says i don’t think i made it, steve and everything around him comes crashing down. because he doesn’t know, does he? if she did or not?
but that doesn’t matter, and before steve let’s that cold, dark, angry feeling rise up much further in his chest he’s shaking his head and grabbing her shoulders. ]
No, no way. Not possible. You definitely made it, and you know how I know? Because we killed Vecna. The plan worked. We- [ the empty front yard, the trembling ground, gates breaking open everywhere. they’d run all the way back to munson’s trailer because they weren’t sure they could trust anything else and that’s where they found dustin and-
steve shakes his head, something cold and stubborn settling in his jaw. his hands curl around her shoulders as he leans down just enough to hold her eyes. ] You made it. I know you did. Okay?