Gene frowns. He's really not sure where to draw the line on that self-criticism thing. Because he's always been that way - he's always been bad, and he's always known it, deep in his heart alongside his grandiose delusions. He'd had that beaten into him for ten years; it's hard to overcome being told you're worthless, just a tool, a prize, a stepping stone on the way to a criminal empire.

So no, Pepper. He doesn't know what's healthy and what's not.

"You keep telling me that. So does Tony. And I know you mean it, but...I also know that fondness and love are blinders, too. You can see what you want to see. I try, and I think I'm better than I was when I got here, but there's a ceiling. There's only so far I can go, because what I am holds me back."

He smiles, and it's not a nice smile. "A monster."