Tony sighed heavily. “Look what you did, Stark,” he whispered to himself, letting his forehead fall to the steering wheel. You push everyone away, this proves it. You hurt her and you hurt yourself.
Tony’s self-hatred slashed through her mind like a hail of darts, cutting and cold. It felt like she was shouting, but it couldn’t have been much over a normal tone, just laden with intensity. “Stop it!” Her arms were shaking. “Stop thinking that!”
Tony sat upright at her tone, his mind blanking a little as he looked back at her. He opened his mouth to say something but he couldn’t find the words he wanted to say. He shook his head, throwing a hand up to the bridge of his nose.
“I… I’m no good with relationships in general, Summer. Friendships and otherwise. Cold hard truth. This is what I do every time, and every time, it happens sooner and sooner.”
“I said, stop. Just stop. Get over here and listen to me, because if I move, I am going to fall over. You need to make yourself clear to me, because what is coming out of your mouth is telling me two things and what is coming out of your heart is telling me yet a third and I cannot figure out what the hell you even want right now.” It’s the oddly colourless, flat, queer tone she got whenever input was just overwhelming and release would knock something largish flat. She didn’t look around, or up.
“I can’t even look at you right now because your fucking mouth is entirely too distracting. But understand this, understand it right now,” and she did look up, catching his eyes, “you don’t get to choose for me.”