"High-functional." she smiled, picking up the spoon and turning it, round and around , into her coffee "Smart. Sarcastic. Self-destructive. A genius. Loyal." she had a quick sight "Sweet. Even if... I was the only one allowed to see this side of him. Like he always had to hide himself from the world. An Armour all around the deepest, vulnerable side of him. His heart. His core."
The Captain nodded. He could understand it. He could understand it very well.
"The way he looked at me." she went on, whispering "The tone of his voice. His touch." she raised her eyes on him "I'm sorry. Still hard to go on."
"Don't apologize. There's no need to."
She smiled - A glimpse. Almost happiness. Almost.
"Why you didn't tell him?" she asked "Your true feelings, I mean."
"I tried." he admitted "When he came back to Earth. I tried, but Pepper reached him first and the only think I could do was looking - And regretting."
"Why not telling him before, then."
"We were fighting each other."
"Blaming each other." she pointed out "We were fighting too. But once I had the chance to see him again, I figured out how desperate I was for him. How desperate he was for me. For us. Above all, above everything, even in our disagreement, against the world, we had each other. Always. We would always have each other. "
The Captain took a sharp breath.
So many realities, so many worlds - The same despair, still breaking his heart in pieces. The same regret. The same tears.
"Every single day. And you? Do you miss him?"
"That's why you didn't stop, yet?"
"Then I hope someday you'll finally find what you're looking for."
He stood up, giving her a smile.
"This is, like, my fifteenth trip throughout the Multiverse. I fear my journey is hopeless: Tony is dead in any of them."
"I'm not talking about Tony, Steve." she replied "I'm talking about forgiveness. You must forgive yourself."
"I'm sorry, Stephanie." he said, looking at the blonde, blue-eyed woman in front of him - She was him. He was her. Two faces mirroring each other, sharing the same grief, the same despair. "I fear I will never be able to."
