[Steve looks up long enough to meet Barton's gaze, keeping his expression entirely neutral. No judgement, no impatience.]
You're the only one here who thinks good deeds wash away bad ones. That's the painful thing about redemption. You don't earn it. There's no way you can. If anything, it's given to you.
[That, Steve learned the hard way. He learned it when Bucky died and the Commandos went after HYDRA to make them pay for it. He learned it when HYDRA fell and he fell with them, waking up in the purgatory of a world so far removed from his own that he felt like as much of an alien as Thor. He's still being punished for his failure, in a way, and there's nothing he can do but live with it.]
What I said - what I meant - is that you have a skill set and the drive to use it that can help people when things go as wrong as they did today. And you can say you don't deserve the chance to use those skills for good purpose, that you're tainted. You can say whatever you want. But it wasn't just anyone who held things together for us out there. It was you. This isn't about your personal issues, Barton. You have to sort those out yourself.
[Steve rubs one eye, fighting a yawn. He rests his face in his hand.] I don't think anyone on that team today doesn't have blood on their hands. This is bigger than any of us. Or did you miss the hole in the universe those things came through?
no subject
[Steve looks up long enough to meet Barton's gaze, keeping his expression entirely neutral. No judgement, no impatience.]
You're the only one here who thinks good deeds wash away bad ones. That's the painful thing about redemption. You don't earn it. There's no way you can. If anything, it's given to you.
[That, Steve learned the hard way. He learned it when Bucky died and the Commandos went after HYDRA to make them pay for it. He learned it when HYDRA fell and he fell with them, waking up in the purgatory of a world so far removed from his own that he felt like as much of an alien as Thor. He's still being punished for his failure, in a way, and there's nothing he can do but live with it.]
What I said - what I meant - is that you have a skill set and the drive to use it that can help people when things go as wrong as they did today. And you can say you don't deserve the chance to use those skills for good purpose, that you're tainted. You can say whatever you want. But it wasn't just anyone who held things together for us out there. It was you. This isn't about your personal issues, Barton. You have to sort those out yourself.
[Steve rubs one eye, fighting a yawn. He rests his face in his hand.] I don't think anyone on that team today doesn't have blood on their hands. This is bigger than any of us. Or did you miss the hole in the universe those things came through?