i think sometimes people overlook steve having a crush on robin when it comes to his reaction to her coming out.
like, i know everyone just prefers to ignore it because stobin are platonic soulmates!! but i think it gives his reaction more depth.
it’s not just that some girl is coming out as gay. it’s that a girl he likes is coming out as a gay. and he still immediately jumps to reassuring her, and joking around, and dismisses the crush asap if it means making her smile.
(obviously that’s the bare minimum etc etc. but for a kid in the 80s, it’s pretty great tbh.)
it’s not just that his coworker who he’s kind of friends with is opening up to him. it’s that this girl that he likes, really likes since his bad break up last autumn, knows that he likes her, and is choosing to be open and honest with him when she could just lie.
steve’s crush, and robin choosing to come out knowing about it, and steve’s reaction is just so important to me in regards to the way stobin works. idk, it’s just that, they really do care so deeply about the other, and care about the others feelings, even kind of at the expense of theirs (robin is putting herself in danger!!! all because she wants to explain herself to steve. she doesn’t know how he’ll react, but she wants to honest!!!)(steve is into her!!! and he’ll totally repress that down if it means making robin feel comfortable!!! and accepted!!!)
yeah, idk. i guess i just wish more people allowed stobin to exist as what they are. complicated people. teenagers. they aren’t immediately platonic soulmates, but they find their way there. because they love each other more than anything.