This has been building for a long time, but Steven was trying to avoid having it turn into something. In the past, he'd managed to make reparations with Strange - or at least he thought he had. The last time it came up, Steven had refrained from saying anything about it all, simply letting Strange talk about him like he was a tool or a piece of bait, unwilling to put the emotional effort into trying to stop him.

Even someone like Steven has a breaking point, though.

"Can you stop talking for me?!" he shouts, turning around to face to Strange with a look of complete indignation and hurt. "I'm so... so sick of you treating me like this! I wanted to be your friend, too! But all you do is talk about me like I'm an object you can build your plans around! Do you even care how I feel?"

He's angry, but he's also pleading. He doesn't understand what he ever did to deserve Strange treating him like this.

"It's like you want to be as bad as her! Leave me ALONE!"