Re: [Outside Vade: Atticus/Steve]
Atticus took Steve's proffered hand, and Steve smiled slightly. Things were still hard for many, many people in the world, in the United States, in the Capital, but—that they could hold hands, even if it did earn them looks and some whispers, meant a lot to Steve, and he lifted the hand entwined with his and placed a kiss on olive knuckles, before dangling the grip between them once more. He was feeling a lot of things—he always did, even if it didn't show on his face—but, Steve was still glad to be with Atticus. He had missed him. A lot.
That didn't stop him from giving the other man a vaguely disapproving look when he, Atticus, said he couldn't 'do they.' Steve didn't know if it was a statement about trans people in general, or if it was just in response to Janus. "It's some people's preferred pronoun, and people should get to be who they are, even if it makes other people uncomfortable sometimes." It was probably a lesson Atticus didn't need, but Steve couldn't change himself anymore than Atticus could change himself. "'Cut him off.' What does that mean? You're still going to date them?" Another, slightly smaller elephant in the room, but one that needed addressing. "No. I don't want to keep avoiding either. It's never—I've never been good at it." Blue gaze met brown. "I'm okay. I'm..." Steve pressed his lips together, his eyes wandering across shopfronts as he thought. He sighed, a breath through the nose. "It's better this way. Not just for them. For me too. I wanted to try it—all of us. I wanted it to work. But, when it comes down to it—I want you." It was true. The truth didn't have to be cruel, but it felt like it was, in this instance, and Steve sighed again. "I want Janus to be happy, too. They sure as hell don't seem happy."