Re: Wrong Tony
"You bet your ass we're friends. I'd take you at my back anyday."
Steve smiles and, for the first time, places a firm, friendly grip on Tony's shoulder. When the inventor asks why he was kicked off SHIELD's payroll, he puts his hands down, conflict in his eyes.
"How do I say this...It's not so much anything I did, so much as them finding out something that I am."
Steve lets out a breath. Here goes...
"I mean...back in the Deuce, it didn't matter. A soldier was a soldier, and we were all there for the same reason. Plus, once I got the Serum, I was pretty much instantly promoted to 'symbol' status. But after I got frozen and thawed back out again...thanks to a device fashioned by Stark Industries, I might add..."
He gives an encouraging, if weak, grin.
"...I was in a world where status was everything. Where suddenly everyone had to know who you really were, what you really believed in, or they'd just make stuff up to fit their vision of you. So I had to set the record straight on a few things...like that I don't stand for the American government."
A firm set to his jaw, a hard glint to his eyes. Clearly, he's run afoul of this misconception before.
"I stand for the American dream, the American ideal, the American way of life. Freedom, justice, and democracy are more than just words politicians use to gather votes to me."
He shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair awkwardly.
"Sorry. That's a big one. But anyway...the short answer is, I was caught in bed with someone I shouldn't have been in bed with, and SHIELD didn't like that."