“Or the second,” Steve says, but then closes one eye and thinks about it for a second. “Or— the first time might have just been the demogorgons. I wasn’t really in the know for that one. Just sort of got swept up in it near the end. Anyway.”

Steve knows that he sort of doubled down on the goofiness, and the happy go lucky attitude that Robin saw from him most. It was easier to just lean away from the heartbreak and the near-death experiences, the beatings and the monsters. He didn’t want to think about all that shit every day, so he jumped headfirst into trying to be normal. It’s here, this place, that makes him think that’ll never actually be possible.

“Ah, not for long,” Steve says cryptically, and leads her over to a clothing store. “Do me a solid and check the clearance rack first, huh? Settling in really made a dent in my stipend.”