[video]

[touchmyflagpole]

[ The picture is out of focus at first, then slowly sharpens almost all the way to show most of Steve's face at a slight angle-- looks like he meant to record a voice post. From what is visible in the frame, he's got a swathe of scabbed up road-burn going all the way down the side of his face from his his hairline down to his jaw on his right side

Comments

voice;

[deadlieststing]

Well done.

voice;

[touchmyflagpole]

[ Natasha, he really needs a hug right now. You might be able to recognise that from the tone of his voice, considering that he's pretty much just a more open, readable version of 616!Steve. ]

I... thank you. But I don't think my actions deserve praise.

voice, encrypted;

[deadlieststing]

Steve, you did the right thing.

voice, encrypted;

[touchmyflagpole]

I did the easy thing.

voice, encrypted;

[deadlieststing]

He wouldn't have stopped. You did what was necessary.

voice, encrypted;

[touchmyflagpole]

I could have stopped him. I've done it before... I just didn't.

[ If only he'd tried harder. ]

voice, encrypted;

[deadlieststing]

You know he wouldn't have stopped. It is impossible to persuade them.

voice, encrypted;

[touchmyflagpole]

I could have made him stop, Natasha. I could have tied him up, knocked him out, gotten Hank to make one of those inhibitor collars-- anything.

But I didn't.

voice, encrypted;

[deadlieststing]

None of those are viable solutions. They're temporary measures.

You were a soldier, Steve. You know what has to be done in a war.

voice, encrypted;

[touchmyflagpole]

But temporary measures could have gotten us to a point where we could have found a truly viable solution.

I know what war is, Widow, but this doesn't have to be a war.

[ He sounds so desperate here, denying what is in front of his face in favour of hoping desperately that things can stay peaceful. ]

voice, encrypted;

[deadlieststing]

It does, Steve. After all that's happened, it does.

voice, encrypted;

[touchmyflagpole]

... I just can't agree with that, Widow.

[ And he's stopped replying, but he will change his mind immediately in the future when TPH!Tony Stark is a douche. ]