[ That's the misstep? That's where he fucked up this whole thing? The very fucking beginning- that's where it all went wrong? Because he's difficult and doesn't explain himself, adapts but doesn't bother to give anyone the cliffnotes for dealing with him and-
Fuck, no wonder he'd been standing on quicksand if it'd all been wrong from the first day. ]
...You mean in the room with an alien singularity soaked to the brim with chaos magic fucking with everyone's emotional states in what looking back is a blatant attempt to set off Bruce and bring everything down around our ears? That conversation? Where neither of us were really in our right minds?
[ It was like being just drunk enough to be an asshole more than anything else. ]
You didn't say anything to me I haven't thought to myself at least ten times over. You didn't say anything I hadn't heard from Howard. I was annoyed, yeah, but I liked you just fine. I thought-
[ He leans back against the workbench, arms coming around his torso, like he can hold the mess of his ribcage together on his own, eyes flicking from Steve to the middle distance. ]
I thought we were friends. I counted you as one. I trusted you with my tech, my home, Rogers- I trusted you with Rhodey.
[ When he left, Rhodes stepped up so they'd still have a heavy hitter- and he'd trusted Steve to work with him and keep him safe. Look where that got him.
Dealing with a straightforward question over years old trauma shouldn't be painful and yet, and yet, there's that garbled moment of mental white noise, of psychic static that threatens to overwhelm. ]
Last act of defiance, Yensin, the crack of gunfire echoing like thunder in the cave system, sand in his eyes and blood on his tongue-
don't waste it don't waste it don't waste it-
Mr. Stark I don't wanna go-
[ He jolts back to the present with a grimace, thumb digging into the soft skin of his inner elbow. A pointed shard of sensation to bring him out of that kind of fugue. ]
What, you saw the footage but didn't read up on my kidnapping?
no subject
Fuck, no wonder he'd been standing on quicksand if it'd all been wrong from the first day. ]
...You mean in the room with an alien singularity soaked to the brim with chaos magic fucking with everyone's emotional states in what looking back is a blatant attempt to set off Bruce and bring everything down around our ears? That conversation? Where neither of us were really in our right minds?
[ It was like being just drunk enough to be an asshole more than anything else. ]
You didn't say anything to me I haven't thought to myself at least ten times over. You didn't say anything I hadn't heard from Howard. I was annoyed, yeah, but I liked you just fine. I thought-
[ He leans back against the workbench, arms coming around his torso, like he can hold the mess of his ribcage together on his own, eyes flicking from Steve to the middle distance. ]
I thought we were friends. I counted you as one. I trusted you with my tech, my home, Rogers- I trusted you with Rhodey.
[ When he left, Rhodes stepped up so they'd still have a heavy hitter- and he'd trusted Steve to work with him and keep him safe. Look where that got him.
Dealing with a straightforward question over years old trauma shouldn't be painful and yet, and yet, there's that garbled moment of mental white noise, of psychic static that threatens to overwhelm. ]
Last act of defiance, Yensin, the crack of gunfire echoing like thunder in the cave system, sand in his eyes and blood on his tongue-
don't waste it don't waste it don't waste it-
Mr. Stark I don't wanna go-
[ He jolts back to the present with a grimace, thumb digging into the soft skin of his inner elbow. A pointed shard of sensation to bring him out of that kind of fugue. ]
What, you saw the footage but didn't read up on my kidnapping?