[FIC] If I Lose Everything In the Fire (WIP) - snippet
Usagi tilts her head and draws her knees into her chest. It's fairly childlike and endearing; Tony's always been a sucker for this kind of thing.
"I think you're being silly," she says matter-of-factly. Well, she says baka*, so the fact is that a sixteen-year-old Japanese schoolgirl (who, yes, will one day be queen of her Earth and is currently the most powerful superhero in her universe) is talking down to them is not lost on Tony. Good thing she's fucking adorable.
Steve makes a quiet noise, like a half-hearted protest, but the look on her face shuts him up quickly.
"You're best friends," she points out, and she is gonna hammer that point home, isn't she? "You'd die for each other. And you don't want the other to die for you. You're different from each other, which is okay. Friends need to be different. Rei-chan challenges me every day, and it annoys me. But when it's all over and quiet, I know Rei wants me to be okay. She wants me to be there when it's over, and that's why she challenges me. To be honest," she laughs quietly. "To be honest, I'd rather have a fight with Rei than any youma out there, because I know she means the best for me." She closes her eyes and rests her head against the wall. "If we ever fought, without the enemy or brainwashing or anything happening, I know she'd never hurt me. And I'd never hurt her. Our friendship is more important than anything we could fight over."
"With all respect, Miss Tsukino," Steve says gruffly. "Our situation is a little different."
"A little, but not really." Usagi makes a face at him. "You disagree sometimes, but you would never hurt each other. And you both believe in the same thing."
"No," Tony says, a little weakly, but it has to be the power of the Ginzuishou or something because he's not feeling the fight anymore. "It's not--"
"You're silly," Usagi repeats. "Don't you believe that people shouldn't be hurt or die because someone else wants it?"
"Yes," Steve says, while Tony nods curtly.
"You believe that people that do bad things should be punished?"
Neither of them respond.
"You believe that the innocent should be protected? That everyone should have a chance? At life, love, at doing something great?" Usagi looks at them, and Tony can see the future Queen she'll grow up to be. It's eerie, and serenely comforting. "At redemption?"
"God," Tony says quietly.
"No," Usagi says simply. "This is me saying that you have something beautiful, something greater than any disagreement you could ever have. And you do things to each other. Sometimes they aren't good things, sometimes they aren't right. But you do things for each other because you want what's best for each other. And that's what matters."
"He seriously betrayed my trust." Steve says shakily. "Twice**."
Tony closes his eyes. "I wanted to protect you," he says weakly.
"I don't need your protection!" Steve snaps at him.
"Yes, you do! You are the best of us, and I won't drag you down. You're too stubborn and good to see it, and you'd never do it yourself because you have blinders on." Tony jabs him in the chest, right in the chainmail, and it doesn't even hurt. "And then you're just too noble for your own good, goddamnit Steve. I didn't want to go through with the mindwipe. I didn't want to. But you forced our hand! You were going to let two whole worlds die because of your morals -- morals that not everyone shares."
"You would have killed an entire universe!" Steve roars. Between them, Usagi winces.
"I would have saved ours!" Tony yells back at him.
"Um, you guys?" Usagi squeaks. "We need to stay quiet...?"
"And how does that make you any better than Victor Von Doom or Thanos? How dare you play God when you can't even live your own life properly!"
"WHY YOU--"
Usagi screams. Steve and Tony whip around to look where she was staring.
"Oh, pooh," calls Platinum Girl from the next rooftop, grinning nastily as she looks through the viewfinder on her missile launcher. "Just when it was getting good."
"Tony." Steve says.
"Got it."
Steve grabs Usagi by the waist and raises his shield, crouching down behind it and dragging the girl with him. Tony manages to get his left gauntlet prepped and aims a repulsor blast at the missile.
"Make it count," Steve says.
"When have I ever not?" Tony replies.
He fires.
- - -
* A/N: No, Tony, she's not calling you "silly". She probably means "foolish" or, as I intended, "idiots." <3
** A/N: Steve's referring to Civil War and the recent mindwipe thing that the Illuminati did. But then again, there was the thing with the Armor Wars...
(Part of a WIP in which I break many universes for my own gratification.)
"I think you're being silly," she says matter-of-factly. Well, she says baka*, so the fact is that a sixteen-year-old Japanese schoolgirl (who, yes, will one day be queen of her Earth and is currently the most powerful superhero in her universe) is talking down to them is not lost on Tony. Good thing she's fucking adorable.
Steve makes a quiet noise, like a half-hearted protest, but the look on her face shuts him up quickly.
"You're best friends," she points out, and she is gonna hammer that point home, isn't she? "You'd die for each other. And you don't want the other to die for you. You're different from each other, which is okay. Friends need to be different. Rei-chan challenges me every day, and it annoys me. But when it's all over and quiet, I know Rei wants me to be okay. She wants me to be there when it's over, and that's why she challenges me. To be honest," she laughs quietly. "To be honest, I'd rather have a fight with Rei than any youma out there, because I know she means the best for me." She closes her eyes and rests her head against the wall. "If we ever fought, without the enemy or brainwashing or anything happening, I know she'd never hurt me. And I'd never hurt her. Our friendship is more important than anything we could fight over."
"With all respect, Miss Tsukino," Steve says gruffly. "Our situation is a little different."
"A little, but not really." Usagi makes a face at him. "You disagree sometimes, but you would never hurt each other. And you both believe in the same thing."
"No," Tony says, a little weakly, but it has to be the power of the Ginzuishou or something because he's not feeling the fight anymore. "It's not--"
"You're silly," Usagi repeats. "Don't you believe that people shouldn't be hurt or die because someone else wants it?"
"Yes," Steve says, while Tony nods curtly.
"You believe that people that do bad things should be punished?"
Neither of them respond.
"You believe that the innocent should be protected? That everyone should have a chance? At life, love, at doing something great?" Usagi looks at them, and Tony can see the future Queen she'll grow up to be. It's eerie, and serenely comforting. "At redemption?"
"God," Tony says quietly.
"No," Usagi says simply. "This is me saying that you have something beautiful, something greater than any disagreement you could ever have. And you do things to each other. Sometimes they aren't good things, sometimes they aren't right. But you do things for each other because you want what's best for each other. And that's what matters."
"He seriously betrayed my trust." Steve says shakily. "Twice**."
Tony closes his eyes. "I wanted to protect you," he says weakly.
"I don't need your protection!" Steve snaps at him.
"Yes, you do! You are the best of us, and I won't drag you down. You're too stubborn and good to see it, and you'd never do it yourself because you have blinders on." Tony jabs him in the chest, right in the chainmail, and it doesn't even hurt. "And then you're just too noble for your own good, goddamnit Steve. I didn't want to go through with the mindwipe. I didn't want to. But you forced our hand! You were going to let two whole worlds die because of your morals -- morals that not everyone shares."
"You would have killed an entire universe!" Steve roars. Between them, Usagi winces.
"I would have saved ours!" Tony yells back at him.
"Um, you guys?" Usagi squeaks. "We need to stay quiet...?"
"And how does that make you any better than Victor Von Doom or Thanos? How dare you play God when you can't even live your own life properly!"
"WHY YOU--"
Usagi screams. Steve and Tony whip around to look where she was staring.
"Oh, pooh," calls Platinum Girl from the next rooftop, grinning nastily as she looks through the viewfinder on her missile launcher. "Just when it was getting good."
"Tony." Steve says.
"Got it."
Steve grabs Usagi by the waist and raises his shield, crouching down behind it and dragging the girl with him. Tony manages to get his left gauntlet prepped and aims a repulsor blast at the missile.
"Make it count," Steve says.
"When have I ever not?" Tony replies.
He fires.
- - -
* A/N: No, Tony, she's not calling you "silly". She probably means "foolish" or, as I intended, "idiots." <3
** A/N: Steve's referring to Civil War and the recent mindwipe thing that the Illuminati did. But then again, there was the thing with the Armor Wars...
(Part of a WIP in which I break many universes for my own gratification.)