Steve felt as though the weight of the world had melted off his soul, as they left the police department behind, heading back to the Galaxy. Mike was right next to him, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into his space as if to offer a safe haven from all his darkest thoughts.
The afternoon sun had reappeared behind the threatening rain clouds out west, casting long shadows across the parking lot and adjacent streets. Pedestrian traffic was picking up slowly as the day went on, and people began to prepare for the weekend ahead.
Their pace slowed down as they approached the tan sedan, both men trying to come to terms with the unusual situation that had played out. Steve had mentally prepared for a slew of different reactions his father might come up with; rudeness, irritation, condescension to name a few.
Torn between the vivid images of his troubled past, clashing with the wisdom of a young adult who'd experienced his fair share of death and the stress that came with police work; he wasn't sure what he longed for the most these days. A potential to hash out the past and release some of the long-held anger and disappointment, or use every chance available to learn and heal from it, possibly even move on.
Steve wasn't sure what road to take at this point, having been utterly unprepared for the issue arising so soon after leaving home. And the worst part was that Mike was completely aware of it too.
"Now, didn't I say it was going to be alright?"
The Lieutenant's words were nearly drowned out when a semi-truck accelerated at the nearby stop light, the diesel engine roaring as he shifted, before the silence of the quiet afternoon once again spread between them.
"Maybe twice…or three times. I can't remember.", Steve teased in obvious relief and didn't fight when Mike spun him around, planting both of his strong hands on his shoulders and shaking him slightly.
"You did good in there. I am very proud of you."
The unexpected compliment threw him by surprise and he nodded quietly, unable to hide a wide grin.
"Well, I am glad I gave you that impression. For a while I was worried, I'd give myself a heart attack."
"That makes two of us.", Mike countered facetiously and shook him one more time, before his face turned serious again, "Listen, I just…I just wanted to let you know that…well…I saw how hard it was for you. I saw it in your eyes the moment we walked in. But you came along regardless. And you put on a brave face. That's more than most people would have done. You did very well."
Always one to have to talk things through, Steve remained patiently still as Mike finished his speech, expressing thoughts they normally didn't discuss at length.
And they especially never did that in their first few months together, he'd made sure of that.
But as their partnership and friendship evolved, Steve had become more comfortable with the way Mike's mind worked, how he preferred to communicate with those he cared about the most, how his cued senses picked up on the slightest iota of emotional duress and fussed over it obsessively. How he needed to say things out loud, as if to take the evil out of it by exposing it to the warmth of his breath. And sometimes, oddly enough, he used no words to communicate whatsoever, reducing his caring messages to a fleeting squeeze of the shoulder, or a reassuring hand on his back.
The mystery that was Mike Stone never failed to amaze him in that matter.
"Gotta grow up sometime.", Steve muttered half-heartedly, ready to move on from the uncomfortable conversation, when Mike held him back slightly, not quite finished yet with his plaidoyer.
"You grew up a long time ago. You had to. I am just…well, I am just sorry you had to miss out on your childhood trying to fill shoes that were never meant to be yours."
Looking up at his partner's warm blue eyes and sensing the deep sorrow hidden beneath them, Steve tried to keep his own features unreadable, stoic, unwilling to admit to the painful truth that his best friend so easily discovered.
"Well then, how about we busy ourselves getting over to the Middle School, before we have another boy on our hands who's been robbed of his childhood?"