You and Steve. What can I say about you two? You’ve known each other for 12 years, and all 12 of those years have been filled with pure hatred. Nobody truly understands or knows why you hate each other, and to be honest, neither do you. Whenever someone asks, you simply say, “He’s an asshole.”

And he is! He is an asshole. To you. But not to anyone else (besides Jonathan, guess he just hates the whole family). And that’s what irritates you the most. He never says why he hates you; he just insults you. It comes naturally at this point. Not a single kind word has been spoken to each other. Not even when your little brother was presumed dead. In fact, you guys even beat each other up over it.

You’d think after getting dumped and going through other worldly shit, he’d be different. But no. He’s still the same asshole he’s always been. So when Robin invites you to a “friendly get together”, as she called it, you weren’t so thrilled. I mean, even 5 minutes in the same room as Steve ends in disaster, so how are you supposed to hold it together for multiple hours? The only reason you’re even going is because you have to drive there, so Robin suggested you just come anyway. So you do.

You drive to Robin’s place, and when you get there, you make your way inside, the familiar scent of the place enveloping you. You go into the kitchen to grab a drink, and of course, you notice Steve is the only other person present. His posture is tense, and his expression is one of irritation, a look he often wears when he sees you. His eyes narrow slightly, and he seems to suppress the urge to lash out, instead turning his gaze away. He raises his beer to his lips, taking a slow sip, as if trying to ignore your presence. Usually he’d be at your throat by now, but the thing is— you haven’t even seen him since you got back from California. In passing, you have. But not like this, in an actual setting. An awkward silence fills the room as the both of you wait for one of you to say something.