[ The joke falls a little flat, and Steve's weak laugh echoes more than he wants it to in the silence. ]
Yeah. The lawyers have already told me, although I can't say the government's too happy about it. Not if I'm reading their emails right. [ A pause, and Steve sucks in a deep breath. ] Thank you. For the lawyers, and the tower, and just- everything you've done. I know you feel like you have to, but you really didn't. And I appreciate it, I really do.
[He doesn't know if he deserves any of it. He knows Tony's doing it to try and lift some measure of the guilt that rests on his shoulders, but- there's nothing Steve can do to atone. He's never liked accepting handouts; it's the sort of thing that's etched into your bones when you grow up poor but too damn proud. And now that whatever was between them is broken, it feels too much like a handout. ]
Listen, could we stop standing in the hall? I've got a perfectly good couch you paid some designer a lot of money to pick out. We can sit down and have - okay, not coffee. Something. Nothing. I don't know, just.
[ Just come in and sit down and let him pretend things are okay for five goddamn minutes. ]
no subject
[ The joke falls a little flat, and Steve's weak laugh echoes more than he wants it to in the silence. ]
Yeah. The lawyers have already told me, although I can't say the government's too happy about it. Not if I'm reading their emails right. [ A pause, and Steve sucks in a deep breath. ] Thank you. For the lawyers, and the tower, and just- everything you've done. I know you feel like you have to, but you really didn't. And I appreciate it, I really do.
[He doesn't know if he deserves any of it. He knows Tony's doing it to try and lift some measure of the guilt that rests on his shoulders, but- there's nothing Steve can do to atone. He's never liked accepting handouts; it's the sort of thing that's etched into your bones when you grow up poor but too damn proud. And now that whatever was between them is broken, it feels too much like a handout. ]
Listen, could we stop standing in the hall? I've got a perfectly good couch you paid some designer a lot of money to pick out. We can sit down and have - okay, not coffee. Something. Nothing. I don't know, just.
[ Just come in and sit down and let him pretend things are okay for five goddamn minutes. ]