Re: [Bar down the street: Atticus/Steve]
"You're not supposed to ask anything. And Janus and I talked about Janus. Sometimes about Janus and you. Once about Janus and me. You yelled it at him about it. The idea you have of my relationship with them, did it bother you?" To be fair, Steve had been being dramatic when he said they were just fucking. He gave Atticus rueful smile, but he didn't interrupt for an apology. Atticus was pulling forward, out of his sprawl, so Steve heard him out.
He knew what Atticus' response would be. He was pretty sure he'd gotten it before. It occurred to Steve that, hell, maybe he did need something Atticus couldn't give. Open. He'd thought he could do it and maybe he could, if he were feeling steadier. But, after the fiasco with Janus, he was put off of it and what he wanted—well, what he wanted was Atticus. And Atticus wanted him. But, the possibility—the "freedom," as Atticus called it, didn't sit with him today. "Commitment usually involves a verbal contract and being with someone because you want to be. I don't think there's anything mutually exclusive there." He sighed, draping back in his chair. "I can't do it right now. Might. I'm sorry. In theory, I agree with you. But, at this moment, I can't." That was the simplest way to put it. "And with Janus...," Steve looked at Atticus, straightforward and stoic. "If you want them, then you should try. Last we spoke, they talked more like maybe they understood the wolf was sort of its own entity. That's a good first step."