Re: Steve/Loki
"Yes, and I'm not dismissing it, but knowing the generalities isn't the same as living through it, knowing the little things that makes us human and not a history book. Sure the TVA might have told you that Thor came and fought with us, but it won't say that for months, he locked himself in a house, drinking his day away and refusing to talk to us. History only gives us the heroic stuff, not life. If you go to the Smithsonian, you'll see exhibits about me and Bucky. It'll tell you about our lives and our battles, but you will never understand why we're so close. It doesn't talk about the Christmas spent together with so little food because he spent his money for my medication, or him working double, because I was in bed with a fever once more. It doesn't tell you that I just walked into a Nazi camp to find him after they told him that he'd been capture. Sure, they tell you about the rescue mission, but they forget disobeying orders."
He shook his head. "I didn't mean that the bus would change memories, but if Thor came from the exact moment we split up, he'd expect me to be the same, but I've created new memories just by being on the bus. So have you, both at the TVA and now the bus." He sighed. "I wish I know what had changed. I was supposed to go back in time and bring back the time stone, but I arrived here, so I don't know."
He couldn't even comprehend that kind of hesitation. "I think it's best that we don't talk about him, not because I don't believe what you're saying, but because that's something that I'd have to deal with him. You, though, straight out said you don't want to be involved, and only after I said that you didn't have to be involved, you said that you were joking. Maybe you were, maybe you weren't, but what I read was 'I don't want to be part of a team', right after that little thing in London. I wasn't exactly thinking that we were joking." He thought for a moment and then nodded. "I can see why it might sound like that. You two aren't the only ones who've assumed that what I say is an order. I don't know why people seem to have a problem with straight forward comments."
Steve smiled. "I'd like to think that most religions boil down to the same thing: honor and respect others. If you look at the big three,there's so much that's the same. The details might differ slightly, but the substance is the same. I think even if you aren't religious, you can still come to the right decision, because religion and morality intersect so much." He chuckled. "Of course, but you know that we'd been training for a grand total of four days. Bucky has never been part of the team. You can't really count the battles with Thanos, since those were more a free fall than a strategic attack. I wasn't planning on sticking to those four, you know? You do start with something you know, get better as a unit, and then you move on to a new scenario. It's not really about the way you win a single battle, but it's knowing what your teammate will do without a doubt. This is why I wanted to train as a team, because it's important to know what the person next to you will do. I don't want to be in charge on the bus, but on a mission, you do need someone in charge, because that's the key to success and I don't see anyone else who wants the job."