metaheroes - inbox

[voicelog]

CONTACTING...
T (private)
space donuts (public)
Iron Man (public/deactivated)
@tony.stark (neural implant)

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*assume all network exchanges with T
will be heavily encrypted and secured.

Comments

[reneger]

Oh, I know. I'm a great lay. ( the cocky little grin matches the sentiment, and leaning on being a snarky asshole makes this conversation way easier. he could dig into it deeper, dig into the i was hurting and the i used you bits, but they don't need to touch on that. tony's already gotten enough of jason's complex problems dropped onto him. and it's--not important, they're not doing it again. )

But, ( the grin falls into something a little more serious. jason sits himself up a bit straighter, because this is also a lot. ) I don't do anything casual. Not just sex. Either I hate someone or I don't give a shit about them. I trust someone, or they're nothing to me.

( this is the important bit of this conversation. it's one jason doesn't usually have with people. but given--how complicated shit has been lately between them, he figures it's probably best to clear the air. )

I trust you. Enough to trust you with my family, an' that isn't something I take lightly. ( moving dick into the tower, telling tony when shit comes up. that level of communication is--big for jason. ) I can't afford to have that fucked up by whatever the hell that was, not here.

[voicelog]

[ 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.

[reneger]

( the look itself is familiar, even if it being on tony's face isn't. but it's been that way through most of this whole damn conversation, hasn't it? jason lets it sit there between them for a moment, before he's shoving his arm down against the counter and pulling himself up to his feet. )

Grew up surrounded by people who wore masks, Stark. It ain't hard to see when someone's wearing one.

( but he's not going to push it. instead, he moves to walk past tony. raises a hand to press it against tony's shoulder as he passes by him. it doesn't really matter much; jason gets the why, he's seen that same shit from almost everyone in his family. he's done it. maybe not in this context, but jason knows how to put on a mask and pretend everything's fine when everything is absolutely not fine and it's falling apart. tony's is likely for different reasons, but jason isn't going to psychoanalyze him. not today. )

I'll take the elevator back up.

( so he can go back to his book. )

[voicelog]

[ looks like they both know he has his walls up. he isn't going to acknowledge his comment or try to offer up an explanation in defense though. it doesn't matter if jason's aware or even if he misunderstands. it might be better that way, for the long run.

so, he lets him go, turning back to his work — yet another familiar barrier. ] Alright. I'll see you around. [ he has no intention to see him for a while, if he can help it. honestly, with everything that's happened as of late, he needs time to sort out his own thoughts alone, away from everyone who matters. ]