jumpthegun | IC Inbox (v1.0)

Mr. Stark, I'm not really in the mood to spar with you over blame at the moment. I'm frustrated and I hurt everywhere.

If you want to offer your apologies, you've done it; though, I don't think they're necessary.

If you want to tell me you're on your way and offer supplies, you've done it.

If you want to ask me questions, you're welcome to do so.

Fine.

Do you know what he was looking for?

We didn't get any farther than him telling me I needed to tell him everything I knew about you. I told you I wouldn't tell anyone else what I knew, Mr. Stark. I intend to hold to that for you and anyone else since that night.

Do you want to know?

If you want to ask me if I know about something, Mr. Stark, please just ask. I don't want to know more about you than I already do unless you want to tell me. I want it to be your choice, though. This? This isn't about me; it's about you.

It's actually about Barnes. But I'd feel bad if you stayed angry without knowing that he told you the truth. It was about me. I asked him to do something that he wasn't ready for.

But he's a good man and we're all just- lacking trust.

You asked him to talk to me. That doesn't usually involve a fight, Mr. Stark.

I'm not going to be angry at you for this.

[He's going to be angry at the person who did it to him, but just move past that. Well, all right, he might be angry at Tony for continuing to harp on it. That's different, though. And annoyed might be the better word.]

You don't get it. Do you think I'd ask a trained assassin to get information if I just wanted to know if you thought we were characters?

I asked him to do it, because I needed to know if you were really serious about not knowing anything about us. I didn't think about how he felt toward you, it's true, and that part is something Natasha will handle. I'm not desperate to have you angry at anyone.

I want to say that when you're feeling better? We should talk. You were afraid for your friends, because you suspected we might come down on them when we didn't have to. Well, you weren't entirely wrong.

I think you were probably a very scared man who asked another scared man to help you without thinking through exactly what you were asking, Mr. Stark. That was a mistake. I'm not going to flog you for it. I told Alfie about Ms. Romanov when I was upset, if you'll recall. If I don't trust you entirely, it's not going to be because of this or what Sergeant Barnes did of his own volition.

I'm available to talk whenever you'd like except tomorrow morning. I'll be conducting an amputation.

You're right. We were both scared. And I still think you were wrong to tell him about Natasha. I just want there to be trust between us. All of us, because that man deserves it too. He told me he did what he did for me and I believe him.

He's not the only man in existence who went about trying to achieve something good the wrong way, John. I could have chosen to trust you too. And I guess I'll tell you first this time: I still want him on my team.

Good?

What do you think? I'm going to tell you to lock him up and away? Clap him in irons and don't let him near anyone else?

I'm glad he has someone who wants to look after him and help him get back to where he was. Because I genuinely believe he's a good man under whatever HYDRA did to him.

I'm really not sure what you're trying to get at. I don't hate him. I just don't blame you for what he did.

Honestly? I thought you might hate him. After being attacked by someone you would have every reason to hate him.

[Tony clearly doesn't have a rose-colored view of how people place their blame.]

We've crossed words on keeping dangerous bedfellows before, and I'm sure your friends won't be thrilled to hear that mine crossed the line. That's what you were concerned about before. This was a fluke incident, but some people might look at it as proof that our type is aggressive.

I want you to tell me what I can do to keep this from repeating.

Well, I was trying to head off my mates going after him with the story I told Mr. Barton. Sergeant Barnes is bound and determined to tell the truth, though, and if Alfie comes back, I can't honestly say I'll be able to hold it up if he starts needling me. All I can do is tell him to keep out of it. He probably will, the way he is.

People don't associate him with your team at the moment. Most people don't know who Sergeant Barnes is. He's kept a low profile.

I don't know what you can do apart from keeping an eye on Sergeant Barnes. He's going to need help after I take his arm off tomorrow, anyway.

First of all, that story wouldn't convince a classroom of first graders. No one is going to believe you got attacked by a fish tank even if you got him to go along with it.

You're going to tell your friend the truth. I think we can just agree that he probably knows how to pull whatever he wants out of you, so we might as well forget the excuses. Can you guarantee that Solomons won't come for revenge or is there payment he'll accept?

I told you, I'm not burying another friend.

Clint believed me.

[Imagine that as petulant grumbling, Tony.]

Anyway, I've got a better explanation I can use now. One he might believe and just call me an idiot for. The static's been making people look wrong. I can tell people he mistook me for an anomaly.

And no. I can't guarantee you anything. He listens to me a bit sometimes, but he's the one - [in charge] - who usually doesn't listen between the pair of us. We've talked about fighting other people's battles, though. He's not keen on starting anything. There'd be no point. And I very much doubt he'd want to start anything with your team, regardless.

Edited 2016-09-24 01:48 (UTC)

Of course he did.

[It's Clint, Watson. You get no sympathy there.]

All right. Go with that. I'll see if we can keep Barnes safe.

You should probably know... I don't know exactly what conflict Barnes and Rogers had in their world, but it isn't the same as ours. I should have asked you what sort of things Iron Man did in the things you've seen. Maybe that doesn't really matter.

I don't want bad blood between us.

[Harsh, Tony.]

You do realize you're making a case for bad blood by continuing to pick at this? I don't hate him, I don't hate you, I don't hate anyone here apart from the Joker and that maniac trapped inside Rhys' head.

But if you want to help, I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop projecting whatever the hell issues other people have with you onto me.

[The truth hurts.]

No, I'm pissing you off. I can afford to piss you off. I don't mean that personally, but I'm more concerned with what is going to happen when any one of your buddies finds out you were hurt.

The issue people have with me is the last time I did this? They lost friends. You want to know what my issue is?

[He leans in close.]

The last time I took a side, good people that I knew were murdered and their friends can't even look at me. I put my name in with people that a lot of other people can't forgive. And I wasn't sure how much of that might have carried over to what you'd seen. I just want to know if your friends are like their friends. If they'd do anything to defend you or avenge you like the people that fought for the friends that they loved. You're a good man. I'm not worried about you doing anything in retaliation, because I don't think you're like that.

But you know a lot of people, don't you?

You're annoying me. There's a difference. I can hang up on you if you get too annoying.

I'm sorry you've lost friends and that you went through all of that, Mr. Stark. I have no idea what you're talking about, but I am sorry.

I do know a lot of people, Mr. Stark, but you seem to be mistaking that for having a lot of friends. I think most people would come help me if I asked. I don't think they'd attack anyone for me, especially if I told them not to.

You're really an idiot, you know that?

[He's not really trying to be mean. He just has a sudden moment of honesty that comes out in a sigh and a pained smile despite their tense situation.]

No wonder. Of course they'd come fight for you. The worst people in the world would still avenge you if they were your friends. How can you be naive and so critical at the same time?

I'm not telling you I lost friends, soldier.

[It takes a few minutes for John to respond, mainly because he's looking for this message:]

"Before I got here, all I did was try to give people the chance to do the right thing. The right way. Legitimately. I lost a friend in that fight."

You lost at least one. Or is what you're talking about now different than that time, Mr. Stark?

[He's just... not going to address anything else, you git.]

Edited 2016-09-24 03:14 (UTC)

[Damn you, Watson. You precious snowflake.]

Well, we all did. That wasn't my point.

I wasn't telling you I'd lost people or vying for sympathy. I brought it up because I was on the other side. I saw what good people can do in the name of someone they care about. Whether it was intentional or not, you ended up hurt.

There are consequences for that. That is what I know. And despite what you think, you're not friendless here. Can we make this better? Because we have to.

No, you're trying for, whatever reason, to convince me that you're some kind of villain that I've got to watch out for. I don't get what you want from me, Mr. Stark. You say 'trust me,' then you say 'no, hold on, don't trust me.'

You say you want to make it better, but you seem to be trying to convince me that I should be mad at you.

I don't want to cause a fuss or a fight. It's why I'm going to try to avoid telling people what actually happened. And I know I have friends here. They're just not as numerous or dangerous as you might imagine. And one of them's dead at the moment.

What you can do to make it better is to not put all of this on yourself. I don't want you to break while you're worrying after everyone else's problems, Mr. Stark.

[So saith John Watson, the master of not doing exactly this.]

To be fair, I think you should watch out for everyone. More so your friends than us, but everyone in general. But trust is good, too. Trust, but verify.

[Right out of the business handbook there.]

I'm not asking you to be mad at me. [Why do people assume he wants that?]

I'm worried about my friend. You're really going to tell me not to worry about what might happen to him?

Thank you, though. I just needed to hear from you personally. I can't tell you I won't look after them, because their problems are on me too, but that's only because I care about them. You do a lot for people you care about.

I'll see if there's something I can do for your injuries. Find something.

[The warning to watch out for his friends more makes John's eyes narrow in irritation, but he doesn't respond to that.]

I'm going to tell you that you're acting like I was at you. Except I'm telling you I'm going to actively avoid calling a witch hunt down on Sergeant Barnes. He doesn't need it or deserve it, especially when he's going to punish himself far better than anyone else could.

Be more concerned about his injuries. I have something I can use as a cane. I'll get by. He'll need extra bandages to change his dressings and plenty of antiseptic and/or soap. You'll also need to make sure he's taking pain medication. He has a bottle of Vicodin that he picked up from the pharmacy. I don't like narcotics here with how this place is, but in this case, they'll be a good option.

I told Ms. Romanov that extra clothes would help, as well. His shoulder is going to need to be kept warm, protected, and clean to prevent frostbite and gangrene setting in again.

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