( there's very obvious broadcasting, here. that Jackie was getting all this ready to watch him scrub himself down would have frankly been bizarre. and yet, it's still not until after she closes the distance and gets to work on just that, that Steve particularly realizes it is gonna happen. maybe there's an insistence that he can handle it, at the tip of his tongue. that's just... that's just how he's used to doing these things. it isn't her problem, for sure. they're complete strangers, just happened upon each other at random.
the foolhardy bid for independence dies before Steve even suggests it. this will be easier if she helps him. nobody is forcing her to scrub the Upside-Down grime off of him, she chose to. it's not so bad to accept a little help, once and awhile. so he relents, hesitantly bracing himself against the counter as she works. it feels nice, at least initially. his skin is delighted to not be encased in grime. he knows that's likely to change, when they get to the bloody scraps of Nancy's sweatshirt. )
Me too. ( Nancy, and Eddie, and Robin. well, technically Eddie and Robin had already scrambled through the portal. they weren't far. Nancy was the only one directly in arm's reach, and the last thing Steve remembers is holding her and shaking her, desperately trying to reach her as a psychic sociopath dragged her into a personalized hell she couldn't escape. Steve frowns, closes his eyes, and forces himself to shake off the memory. literally, it involves shaking his head, like he can just knock the thought loose. if he can't, he's gonna lose it in this tourist shop with a relative stranger braving proximity to scrub grime and gore off him. so he's gotta get it together. )
Jackie. Hi. I, uh... Steve. I'm Steve. ( somewhere, another tally slides across the You Suck count. it is just very strange to introduce yourself to a girl that is already jumped past all sorts of social barriers between strangers to help clean you up after battle. Steve huffs a laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. maybe a mistake, the laugh feels weirdly close, considering he has no shirt and Jackie is carefully scrubbing dirt off his banged up torso. ) I, uh... Thanks. Probably not gonna have much of a beach body after this, but not obviously filthy will still be an improvement.
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the foolhardy bid for independence dies before Steve even suggests it. this will be easier if she helps him. nobody is forcing her to scrub the Upside-Down grime off of him, she chose to. it's not so bad to accept a little help, once and awhile. so he relents, hesitantly bracing himself against the counter as she works. it feels nice, at least initially. his skin is delighted to not be encased in grime. he knows that's likely to change, when they get to the bloody scraps of Nancy's sweatshirt. )
Me too. ( Nancy, and Eddie, and Robin. well, technically Eddie and Robin had already scrambled through the portal. they weren't far. Nancy was the only one directly in arm's reach, and the last thing Steve remembers is holding her and shaking her, desperately trying to reach her as a psychic sociopath dragged her into a personalized hell she couldn't escape. Steve frowns, closes his eyes, and forces himself to shake off the memory. literally, it involves shaking his head, like he can just knock the thought loose. if he can't, he's gonna lose it in this tourist shop with a relative stranger braving proximity to scrub grime and gore off him. so he's gotta get it together. )
Jackie. Hi. I, uh... Steve. I'm Steve. ( somewhere, another tally slides across the You Suck count. it is just very strange to introduce yourself to a girl that is already jumped past all sorts of social barriers between strangers to help clean you up after battle. Steve huffs a laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. maybe a mistake, the laugh feels weirdly close, considering he has no shirt and Jackie is carefully scrubbing dirt off his banged up torso. ) I, uh... Thanks. Probably not gonna have much of a beach body after this, but not obviously filthy will still be an improvement.