Stephen’s on the verge of seething at that particular phrasing, kid, what are you talking about, you’re only a few years older than him—
But the next few words let his hackles settle again, even if his skin is prickling with self-consciousness. How can something be both patronising and genuinely comforting in the same breath? He had been waiting for that validation. From someone. Anyone. And if he can give any of it back…
“You did good,” Stephen confirms, echoing the other man’s words right back at him. “If you’ve been here for three years, I don’t know if you care about what’s going on back there, if hearing about the outcome even matters—”
but if it had been him, he would have wanted to know everything. Grasp every greedy bit of information he could, just to not be in the dark.
“The Sparknotes is, we won. Because of you — and several hundred other combatants, let’s not sell them short — but, in the end, because of you.” Credit where credit’s due. If he can tee up Tony for the chopping block, then Stephen can give him credit for suffering the swing of the axe. “There’s a documentary about you and everything. Heart of Iron: The Tony Stark Story. Rogers has an inspirational musical about him. We’re all heroes.”
But beneath that dry, almost-humour, is the underlying message: It worked.
“The logistics are a goddamn mess, but the crux of it is still: billions of people came back and get to live their lives. Trillions, if we count off-Earth.”
no subject
But the next few words let his hackles settle again, even if his skin is prickling with self-consciousness. How can something be both patronising and genuinely comforting in the same breath? He had been waiting for that validation. From someone. Anyone. And if he can give any of it back…
“You did good,” Stephen confirms, echoing the other man’s words right back at him. “If you’ve been here for three years, I don’t know if you care about what’s going on back there, if hearing about the outcome even matters—”
but if it had been him, he would have wanted to know everything. Grasp every greedy bit of information he could, just to not be in the dark.
“The Sparknotes is, we won. Because of you — and several hundred other combatants, let’s not sell them short — but, in the end, because of you.” Credit where credit’s due. If he can tee up Tony for the chopping block, then Stephen can give him credit for suffering the swing of the axe. “There’s a documentary about you and everything. Heart of Iron: The Tony Stark Story. Rogers has an inspirational musical about him. We’re all heroes.”
But beneath that dry, almost-humour, is the underlying message: It worked.
“The logistics are a goddamn mess, but the crux of it is still: billions of people came back and get to live their lives. Trillions, if we count off-Earth.”