Infinite ★ Steve Rogers [6] ✓

Eighteen

Tony and Ashley made their way to the kitchen, where Bruce was preparing tacos for the trip to Thor's location. He noticed the both of them as they walked in, but left them and continued his taco making so they could hopefully have a conversation he knew was long overdue.

"I'll get us some coffee." Ashley announced, nodding for Tony to take a seat at the table so she could go to the kitchen.

"Should I be preparing a riot shield?" Bruce asked her quietly when she came over.

"No. We might actually move on from all that." She replied, getting mugs for their coffee from the cupboard above her. "He made it work."

"Made what work?"

"The whole time travel thing." She told him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"No. Really?" He asked with optimism.

"Of course, he did. It's Tony." She said, now pouring the coffee into the mugs.

"So we're going through time and getting the stones back?"

"Yes. Yes, we are." She stated, then took the mugs of coffee to the table where Tony sat. "Here you go." She placed his coffee in front of him and took a seat on the opposite side of the table to him.

"Nice to see you remember how I like my coffee." He commented, blowing onto his drink to cool it down before taking a sip.

"Like I could forget. I've made it enough." She said back, leaning foreword in her chair and keeping her hands around her mug. "So, what made you change your mind about the whole thing? What got you to see sense?"

"You." He said simply. "And Scott, but mostly you." He pointed to her and also leaned foreword, putting his glasses on the table to rub his eyes. "When you came over yesterday, I could see the pain I was putting you through. The desperation you had to get me involved. Even after all these years, you still fought."

"I've been fighting for 80 years. I can fight five more." She said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"And I should have expected that but I didn't. You got me thinking about Peter. You used that against me because you knew it would hit me. And it did. You're right when you say he wouldn't like me like this. He saw me as more, and I owe it to him to be that and get him back. But as I said outside, I will do anything to keep my family with me."

"Does that include me?" She asked, resting her foot on the edge of her seat.

"Of course, it does."

"Didn't seem that way for a good five years. You gave me no choice but to distance myself from you because you were giving up on everyone, alive or dead. You were giving up on friends, my family, Tony." She pointed to herself, her anger rising slightly. "You haven't been able to see what the loss of Fred has done to both George and Ollie. And I wish you did, because maybe, that will give you just a little glimpse of what it was like for us around here. Life seems good when you're out there in your own little house, happy as larry." Tony put his head down at her words, the guilt beginning to be felt within him. "You got everything you wanted, whilst the rest of us suffered and you didn't want to hear about it. See nothing, say nothing, hear nothing, right?"

"Even if I tried to find a way, you know I wouldn't have been able to." He told her, raising his head to look at her.

"Now we know that. But back then, we had no idea. It's the fact you didn't even try. I can't forget that now." She said, having to wipe a tear that was falling down her cheek. Having this conversation that delved deep into what separated them was bringing up all the emotions she felt about it and would talk to Steve about. "I tried to always be there for you, but when it mattered to me, you didn't want to know. You know who did? Steve and Natasha. They were by my side almost everyday and listened to every rant I had and held me as I cried somedays. You should have been there too, but you weren't. I needed you, Tony." She began to cry from that line, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe tears away. "I still need you.