Phil thought about that. No wonder Clint had come undone today, when he'd resisted it before. Now he had different ways to move back and forth, ease the strain on various parts of himself. He knew enough trustworthy people that somebody could take care of him and somebody else could keep watch at the same time. Phil thought about how he felt, being able to count on people like Steve and Betty and even JARVIS to take over some aspects of guidance. He remembered the way the team had caught him after he fell apart over their presumed deaths, and how gently they'd put him back together again.
So Phil hadn't failed; he'd just taken a while to find all the pieces he needed to get the job done. This intricate, infinitely precious thing they were building between them was stronger than it looked, precisely because it wove together so many different strands. Everyone had a part to play, rather than throwing all the weight on one person until they shattered under the stress. This felt good.
...because this is exactly what I _don't_ have, haven't had for more than very brief periods in my life, and...I'm just tired of not having anywhere to go that's safe, is all. So tired.
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Phil thought about that. No wonder Clint had come undone today, when he'd resisted it before. Now he had different ways to move back and forth, ease the strain on various parts of himself. He knew enough trustworthy people that somebody could take care of him and somebody else could keep watch at the same time. Phil thought about how he felt, being able to count on people like Steve and Betty and even JARVIS to take over some aspects of guidance. He remembered the way the team had caught him after he fell apart over their presumed deaths, and how gently they'd put him back together again.
So Phil hadn't failed; he'd just taken a while to find all the pieces he needed to get the job done. This intricate, infinitely precious thing they were building between them was stronger than it looked, precisely because it wove together so many different strands. Everyone had a part to play, rather than throwing all the weight on one person until they shattered under the stress. This felt good.
...because this is exactly what I _don't_ have, haven't had for more than very brief periods in my life, and...I'm just tired of not having anywhere to go that's safe, is all. So tired.