[Charles... honestly doesn't know what to say to that. He knows it's not something Tony's said to just anyone - or anyone period, in all likelihood - and there's a part of him that almost feels a little uncomfortable about it, because he knows what that's like, to have a disinterested parent who cared more about their interests and desires, and drank too much. Hell, he'd never even talked about their mother's alcoholism with Raven, let alone anyone else. When she was younger, he'd tried to shelter her from it, and when she'd been old enough to understand, they just didn't discuss it.
So there's a part of him that feels like he should, again, offer something about himself in exchange for the information, assure him that he wasn't alone and he understood what it was like to be in that situation, even if they weren't entirely the same. But it's not something he likes thinking about, let alone discussing, and it's not the same as telling Erik or one of their recruits that there were people out there like them, so he swallows the truth and keeps the conversation focused on Tony instead.
Sometimes, he can be a bit of a coward.]
I know this is a strange question, and I'm not asking as an armchair psychologist, but- [And he hesitates for a beat, trying to decide the best way to phrase this.] What do you think he'd think of all this? Not about you being on the Barge, but about Iron Man, and where you've taken the company? Is there anything you wish you could tell him about it?
[There's a lot of earnestness in the questions, and his expression, in a way a therapist or an interviewer probably wouldn't be. He actually cares about the response, and wants to know what Tony would do, if for whatever reason Howard Stark arrived on the Barge tomorrow, because there are a few key things Charles would like to discuss with him, and he assumes there would be for Tony, too.]
[Spam]
So there's a part of him that feels like he should, again, offer something about himself in exchange for the information, assure him that he wasn't alone and he understood what it was like to be in that situation, even if they weren't entirely the same. But it's not something he likes thinking about, let alone discussing, and it's not the same as telling Erik or one of their recruits that there were people out there like them, so he swallows the truth and keeps the conversation focused on Tony instead.
Sometimes, he can be a bit of a coward.]
I know this is a strange question, and I'm not asking as an armchair psychologist, but- [And he hesitates for a beat, trying to decide the best way to phrase this.] What do you think he'd think of all this? Not about you being on the Barge, but about Iron Man, and where you've taken the company? Is there anything you wish you could tell him about it?
[There's a lot of earnestness in the questions, and his expression, in a way a therapist or an interviewer probably wouldn't be. He actually cares about the response, and wants to know what Tony would do, if for whatever reason Howard Stark arrived on the Barge tomorrow, because there are a few key things Charles would like to discuss with him, and he assumes there would be for Tony, too.]