[Oh, he gets it. Does he ever get it. He lets out a breath, nodding, his mouth twisting into something that's not quite a smile - and if it was, it wouldn't have much actual humor in it. It's more just.. crazy, he thinks, and wrong, sad, that she has to understand what that feels like, too.
He never asked Bucky to take on that HYDRA goon for him, either, even though there was no way he could have stopped him. They've always had each other's backs - until they didn't.]
Lydia - I understand. I mean, not the circumstances, but... yeah. I understand. [His best friend, as far as anyone else is concerned, died and it was his fault, too.
And as far as he's concerned, his best friend has been through a hell worse than dying, and that's definitely his fault.] But you know that pushing her away isn't going to solve it. It's just going to make both of you more miserable than you should be.
Stupid, stubborn best friends like that... they're irritating. And you want to protect her, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I think you're lucky to have her, even if I don't have an answer for you. I wish I did. When people are willing to die for each other... [Someone usually ends up dying.] Dying is easy. Being left behind is the hard part.
[The only answer he could come up with was not to fight back. Was to let Bucky kill him, if it came to that, because Steve couldn't have done it, couldn't have watched it happen again.] I think you both have something here that you should treasure.
[private]
He never asked Bucky to take on that HYDRA goon for him, either, even though there was no way he could have stopped him. They've always had each other's backs - until they didn't.]
Lydia - I understand. I mean, not the circumstances, but... yeah. I understand. [His best friend, as far as anyone else is concerned, died and it was his fault, too.
And as far as he's concerned, his best friend has been through a hell worse than dying, and that's definitely his fault.] But you know that pushing her away isn't going to solve it. It's just going to make both of you more miserable than you should be.
Stupid, stubborn best friends like that... they're irritating. And you want to protect her, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I think you're lucky to have her, even if I don't have an answer for you. I wish I did. When people are willing to die for each other... [Someone usually ends up dying.] Dying is easy. Being left behind is the hard part.
[The only answer he could come up with was not to fight back. Was to let Bucky kill him, if it came to that, because Steve couldn't have done it, couldn't have watched it happen again.] I think you both have something here that you should treasure.