[ Steve’s not wrong; after two years, Tony’s walls have managed to find a way to slide up much faster than they used to. Especially when it came to him. The way he saw it, he had opened himself up to him in a way he never should have. Yes, he had gained Peter out of their time together and that alone couldn’t make him regret anything, but on the worst days he’d find himself hating the fact that he had ever let Steve close enough to hurt him like this.

Right now, the only thing that’s keeping Tony from flinging that hurt at Steve is the fact that he’s not cruel enough to ignore that Steve is also grieving their son. That, plus the guilt Tony feels at the fact that he’s here when Peter isn’t, that he couldn’t keep him alive, it’s the only reason he isn’t flat out shoving him out.

And, well, there’s a part of him that he can’t ignore. The one that, despite everything that happened, has missed him from day one. It’s the part of him that has wanted him to come home this whole time, and the part that’s making it hard to pull away from him altogether. ]

If you’re doing it for me, you don’t need to do me any favors. I’m sure I look as great as I feel, but I’ll be fine.