[ Oh. Oh, shit. Sam was all set to end this, to back off on trying to get Shiro to agree to talk to him, because he can usually tell when to push and when to let it go, and then he gets all of that.
It pulls up a whole flurry of things at once for him, from having to watch Riley burn and leave what was left of him behind in the desert to telling Steve to get the hell out of the airport, to leave them all behind -
leaders did that and Sam wonders if Steve felt that way, knows he hated leaving the team behind, knows he came for them as soon as he could, but Sam had made the call and they hadn't had a chance to -
No. The thoughts come and go, lingering a little longer because some of them are things that Sam hasn't gotten to work through, but he still knows his shit. Especially when he's talking to someone he's trying to help, when he's been pulling on stuff he knew back at the VA; he knows how not to let their stuff bring up his. So he lets all of that fade away beneath the cloud layer that he still pictures in his mind, one by one and all at once, keeping himself clear.
Fake it until he makes it, and there's a moment where Sam emphasizes with that so strongly that his chest aches, and that's when he reaches out without a word, gently tugging Shiro back in for another hug. ]
You deserve so much more than that.
[ It's soft, but his tone doesn't leave room for any arguments, and he holds on a moment longer before letting go. ]
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It pulls up a whole flurry of things at once for him, from having to watch Riley burn and leave what was left of him behind in the desert to telling Steve to get the hell out of the airport, to leave them all behind -
leaders did that and Sam wonders if Steve felt that way, knows he hated leaving the team behind, knows he came for them as soon as he could, but Sam had made the call and they hadn't had a chance to -
No. The thoughts come and go, lingering a little longer because some of them are things that Sam hasn't gotten to work through, but he still knows his shit. Especially when he's talking to someone he's trying to help, when he's been pulling on stuff he knew back at the VA; he knows how not to let their stuff bring up his. So he lets all of that fade away beneath the cloud layer that he still pictures in his mind, one by one and all at once, keeping himself clear.
Fake it until he makes it, and there's a moment where Sam emphasizes with that so strongly that his chest aches, and that's when he reaches out without a word, gently tugging Shiro back in for another hug. ]
You deserve so much more than that.
[ It's soft, but his tone doesn't leave room for any arguments, and he holds on a moment longer before letting go. ]
Okay. Right now, we'll just make sure you get by.