❝ i’ve got your back, okay? ❞
Sometimes, he was immeasurably grateful for the stoics. They were the kind of people who could read all of the cues he couldn’t articulate verbally, and though at times it was a bit daunting to be seen for what you were feeling rather than just what you were expressing, at times like this when the words just wouldn’t come, they were the best people to have at your side. Wong had been that for him for so many years, always would be he hoped, but he was slowly learning to recognize what others of his contact group were similar. Even among leagues of the strongest and most steadfast, Natasha stood out like a herald.
Which was why tonight, hiding out in a very obscure and possibly otherwise pointless lounge deep in an unused wing of the Avengers compound because he couldn’t have even begun to fathom fielding questions from any of the others, no matter how well meaning, having her being there to safeguard him from the others and himself was a heady relief. “Thanks,” he said in a croak all the same, knowing that while he might not be able to offer explanations for why he was so wrecked - now or possibly always - he could still be civil and appreciate her efforts.
“Sometimes I just... don’t have enough in me to play along with the three ring circus.”