Oh, Steve always has had a keen interest in anyone dosed with a version of the serum he'd been given by Erskine. He has yet to find anyone who came through it completely unscathed. Bucky's knockoff Hydra version hasn't destroyed him, arguably (the brainwashing did that), but he's the exception that proves the rule. For every gain in strength, stamina, or intellect, there seems to be a terrifying drawback. Erskine may have meant well, may have been as pure of heart as he hoped Steve would be, but he sure as hell opened a Pandora's Box. The arms race shouldn't be fought at all, but particularly with human bodies as the raw material.
But also, Steve had an added advantage within the loop, so to speak. He was the guy a lot of SHIELD agents grew up wanting to be. He figured out quickly he could ask a question and get at least a partial, off-the-record answer even if he didn't technically have clearance. Because Captain America would never do anything wrong or careless with intel.
God, he wishes he were as good a man as people seem to think he is.
Case in point. He should have been working with Tony all this time, somehow. He thought he was giving him space, letting him reach back out to Steve when he was ready. Of course, he also thought he should wait for the right moment to tell Tony about Hydra's role in his parents' death, and that turned out effing terrible. And instead of giving him space, he's clearly left Tony in the lurch, because this is not something that would have slipped past him if he'd had backup and time to keep an eye on what Ross was doing behind the scenes. Tony always knows what Tony wants or needs to know at a given moment.
This is Steve's fault.
"I miss the Hulk," he fires back at Tony, although, yeah, it would be nice to have something to throw (but also let's be real, next to Abomination, Hulk looks like a big cuddly green teddy bear). He hates to run from a fight, but this is one they don't have time for, even if he thought they could win, and he's not sure they can. If you're going to run, though, best to do it as quickly as possible. He'll have to apologize later for getting handsy without permission, but Tony's getting picked up and carried through the cover fire at top speed.
((i can edit if you don't want Tony picked up and carried, just let me know))
But also, Steve had an added advantage within the loop, so to speak. He was the guy a lot of SHIELD agents grew up wanting to be. He figured out quickly he could ask a question and get at least a partial, off-the-record answer even if he didn't technically have clearance. Because Captain America would never do anything wrong or careless with intel.
God, he wishes he were as good a man as people seem to think he is.
Case in point. He should have been working with Tony all this time, somehow. He thought he was giving him space, letting him reach back out to Steve when he was ready. Of course, he also thought he should wait for the right moment to tell Tony about Hydra's role in his parents' death, and that turned out effing terrible. And instead of giving him space, he's clearly left Tony in the lurch, because this is not something that would have slipped past him if he'd had backup and time to keep an eye on what Ross was doing behind the scenes. Tony always knows what Tony wants or needs to know at a given moment.
This is Steve's fault.
"I miss the Hulk," he fires back at Tony, although, yeah, it would be nice to have something to throw (but also let's be real, next to Abomination, Hulk looks like a big cuddly green teddy bear). He hates to run from a fight, but this is one they don't have time for, even if he thought they could win, and he's not sure they can.
If you're going to run, though, best to do it as quickly as possible. He'll have to apologize later for getting handsy without permission, but Tony's getting picked up and carried through the cover fire at top speed.