[ he didn't think a day would come when he'd hear "i trust you" from jason todd.
their relationship has always been undefined. it is what it is. he likes it that way. he kept it that way with the intention to never dive too deeply into it because nothing in the life he's currently living is permanent. inevitably, one day, he'll go back to 616, possibly right back where he'd started with no memories of any of this.
he might have broken his own promise to avoid developing too good of a relationship with anyone from a different dimension with stephen, but he also doesn't know stephen. not really. they've kept their friendship casual and confined to the very boundaries of the worlds they've lived in together. tony doesn't know the first thing about the stephen strange from before new amsterdam, just as stephen doesn't know anything about him and his past.
jason todd is different. tony has come to know him, whether he wanted to or not. he knows too much about his past, too much about the issues and troubles that afflict him and has inevitably shaped him into the man he is today. he has met his family and even some of his friends. he has felt his anger and his pain; experienced his humor and his wit, and knows his pleasure and his warmth all too well. he can't afford to care more for him than he already does.
so, even though he appreciates the honesty and the depths behind his words, he can't bring himself to reciprocate that sincerity whole-heartedly.
he neither makes a big show of it nor dismisses, however; because disregarding how he may feel, tony stark can always maintain his composure when he needs to the most. his smile grows more relaxed, more affable, as he employs a familiar and comfortable mask. ] I agree. [ succinct, without giving too much away. ] I'm not interested in fucking this up either, so let's just put this to rest. We'll never speak of it again and we can both move on with our lives.
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their relationship has always been undefined. it is what it is. he likes it that way. he kept it that way with the intention to never dive too deeply into it because nothing in the life he's currently living is permanent. inevitably, one day, he'll go back to 616, possibly right back where he'd started with no memories of any of this.
he might have broken his own promise to avoid developing too good of a relationship with anyone from a different dimension with stephen, but he also doesn't know stephen. not really. they've kept their friendship casual and confined to the very boundaries of the worlds they've lived in together. tony doesn't know the first thing about the stephen strange from before new amsterdam, just as stephen doesn't know anything about him and his past.
jason todd is different. tony has come to know him, whether he wanted to or not. he knows too much about his past, too much about the issues and troubles that afflict him and has inevitably shaped him into the man he is today. he has met his family and even some of his friends. he has felt his anger and his pain; experienced his humor and his wit, and knows his pleasure and his warmth all too well. he can't afford to care more for him than he already does.
so, even though he appreciates the honesty and the depths behind his words, he can't bring himself to reciprocate that sincerity whole-heartedly.
he neither makes a big show of it nor dismisses, however; because disregarding how he may feel, tony stark can always maintain his composure when he needs to the most. his smile grows more relaxed, more affable, as he employs a familiar and comfortable mask. ] I agree. [ succinct, without giving too much away. ] I'm not interested in fucking this up either, so let's just put this to rest. We'll never speak of it again and we can both move on with our lives.