"That doesn't mean not talking to me at all, does it?" he asked, staring down at the floor again. Now that his feelings for Claire were effectively blown to pieces all over the place, the chiefest worry in his mind was that she'd think it easier on both of them if she just cut off all contact with him. That was actually a fairly common worry for Steve, even though she had already expressed multiple times that he was important to her, she considered him family, and she didn't want to lose him.

Ah, adolescence. Such a wonderful time in a young person's life.

"I don't want you to treat me like a hypersensitive little kid. I'll be fine. I always am." Arguable, Steve. Pretty damn arguable.