#aamir: actually you’re wrong about her and she’s not like that

[evermoredeluxe]

i love that aamir is interrupting karan every time he speaks and that he literally said “you’re saying everything wrong” love to see it😭

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

My notes on Lethal White episode 3

As usual, my poorly sorted and not-really-filtered thoughts on “Lethal White”, episode 3. Continued under the cut because ALL THE SPOILERS!

We’re back with Robin and cling-wrapped Chiswell. Holliday plays Robin’s tenuously controlled panic very well. The subtle trembling, the tears she forces back. She’s so good. 👏🏼

A two-week jump. These always jar me. Did that happen in the book?🤨

Another mention of Strike talking with Wardle, and again we don’t get to see him. Dang. I really miss his leather-jacketed wry humour. 😔

Of course they’re meeting at “The White Horse”. Where else? *Rosmersholm vibes*

The reveal about the bones was a bit anti-climactic, wasn’t it? It had a better effect with the skull, in the book. And how do you “accidentally” shoot a horse, even when it’s a small one? How much more are we supposed to hate Freddie? (This episode is just full of terribly behaving men)

Who are the kids playing with the dog? Pringle and Pong? Were those their ridiculous nicknames?

And here comes the “Knives Out” scene. 🔪The Chiswell family is such a loving bunch. *coughs*

Did you see the playful tension between Raff and Robin? And that little disconcerted look Cormoran casts them? Bit jealous, Corm? 😏

Raff’s sarcastic little throw-in remarks are really making this scene more fun. Gotta give him that: he adds a bit of “black sheep” dash to the family!

“KEYS!” 😁 Cormoran is like the adult stepping between a bunch of fist-throwing kids.

Cormoran and Robin are staring at the Chiswell’s bickering as if waiting for one of them to actually start spitting and biting.

Raff: “I’m sure our charming hostess means to offer you tea at some point.” 🤣

Cormoran: “I’m thinking it might be suicide after all. He couldn’t face another family gathering.” 😂

*grunts* We’ve all been there, haven’t we? (And I don’t even want to start thinking about Cormoran’s family gatherings…)

Hah! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I guessed right from the leaked stills: it is the hospital Billy’s in! (Cookie points for me!)

That staff woman gives off very sensible and caring vibes. They picked the actress well.

And, god, Billy carved the horse into his own chest? 😟 Good god…

Vanessa! And she looks good! And - unlike in the first series - she smiles! And is really NICE! (Wow, what a beautiful woman.) 😍

That little lounge corner in Cormoran’s office is new, isn’t it? Very cozy. ☕️🍪

Goth Robin! She looks awesome! 😍 (Excuse me, but have we traveled back into the 80s? She looks like half the people in my school back then.) And look at Holliday playing her: she even moves differently! This season must have been a lot of fun for her as an actress.

I love the Wiccan shop. I had one of those salt lamps (and a lava lamp too), but don’t tell anybody… ☺️

Cormoran’s FACE when he sees goth Robin! 🥰The double take, the pleased surprise, that touch of awe… He is so proud of her! (What a contrast to Matt the Twat’s derogatory reactions to her disguises).

Cormoran: “You liking Raff then?” Are we a teensy bit jealous again, Corm? ☺️

When he asked Robin what she was doing this evening, I held my breath. WAS HE GOING TO ASK HER OUT? 🤗 He wasn’t. 😔 Everybody calm down. It’s not happening yet. Unfortunately. And probably never will. *very long sigh*

It’s so cute how he can’t stop looking at her! 🥰I love her confidence. And his twinkle-eyed, soft grin that doesn’t seem to want to fade. He truly admires her, for her competence AND for her looks. ASK HER OUT YOU FOOL! *headdesk*

Lorelei. With coffee. Apologizing for saying “I love you”. Ack. And then Corm says “I was gonna call you.” (You weren’t, admit it!). I didn’t know what to feel when seeing this scene for the first time: shocked that they were still together? Sympathy for Lorelei? Mad at Cormoran’s lackluster ‘yeah, alright, whatever’ attitude? Very mixed emotions.

Cormoran following Aamir along the South Bank. Watch me pointing excitedly at the screen because I’ve strolled down that same boardwalk way back when traveling was still a thing. *flails* *misses London*

Aamir’s place. Why is Cormoran talking about food again? Robin hasn’t fed him biscuits today yet, has she?

Cormoran’s always a bit unnerving when interrogating someone. He uses friendly words, but there is that tiny bit of menace about him, an intensity and pressure… SIB Corm. Tom does that so well. 😎

“You gonna butter me?” Smooth moves, ex-Sergeant Strike! 🥋 Oh, I love seeing him in action! 🤗

Robin hides the phone, and I am a nervous wreck worrying someone’s going to call and her phone isn’t in silent mode! (enneagram type 6 here, hello…) 😬

I was waiting for Matt to be an absolute prick when he sees goth Robin, but he’s actually not. And he’s had the Green Dress mended. I like how the show gives him a few shades and doesn’t paint him as outrageously hateful as the book does. (jftr, we all still hate you, Matt!)

But then, the way he rushes at her with his “That’s not true” - why does it somehow feel like a physical threat? And wow, Robin is COLD. Dude, your marriage is over. You just haven’t been notified yet.

So we’re ignoring Lorelei’s calls again, Cormoran? *eyebrow lift* Is that what we do as a gentleman? And then he calls off dinner and has no more than a lame “Sounds good, I’ll call you” when she mentions breakfast? If he’s not invested at the mention of food, something is clearly wrong…

Della Winn, and they picked a blind actress for the role. Good for them! ✔️

So, help me out here, native speakers: Della says she can hear the West Country in Cormoran’s vowels, but to me he doesn’t sound Cornish. Am I wrong? To my ears, Tom is speaking in some sort of self-made accent that I can’t place, but it doesn’t sound anything like the Cornish burr Robert Glenister gives him in the audiobooks. Opinions? 🤔

Rhiannon’s story touched me in the book, and it touches me deeply here. A revenge murder would’ve made perfect sense to me.

The party. We’ve apparently time-traveled again.

“What’s ‘Becca’ short for?” 🙄

Ah! The note was hidden in the maxipads box! I seem to recall that, in the book, Robin hid the Houses of Parliament bugging device in a tampon box. Cool parallel.

VANESSA! HURRY UP! 😨

The chase. Good thing this goth girl wears sensible shoes! Nice trick with the crouching and tripping. Take THAT, Jimmy! Robin’s learned from past experience, and I love the addition of the chase that wasn’t in the book. Robin’s no longer a helpless victim. She is a FIGHTER! And - BAM! Perfect timing, patrol car! 🚔

Cormoran: “How did you guess where she hid it?” (Because that’s where girls hide stuff, darling. ONE good thing all the menstruating is good for at least.)

Quick shout-out to Tom Burke’s freckles. They really should be credited as supporting actors. 🥰

Btw, the navy jumper is not a jumper but a cardigan! I bet Tom was pleased. (And my shippy brain can imagine him wrapping a freezing Robin in it 💙)

Enter Lorelei. Here be dragons.

“You know, if you want a hot meal and a shag with no human emotions involved, there are restaurants. And brothels.”

Oooohhhh... 😳

Need ointment for that burn, Corm?

And she’s entitled! Cormoran’s old school gallantry seems to have gone MIA when it comes to treating Lorelei with the respect she deserved. Especially since he had his chance at ending it decently and respectfully at their earlier little talk over coffee. I still don’t think he meant to hurt her. It was thoughtlessness. Which is no redeeming factor at all. He deserved this, even in front of Robin. #TeamLorelei

Well, at least he didn’t get smacked with an ashtray this time.

I LOLed when Robin simply went straight back to business without commenting. A real pro. 😎

Cormoran: “That was a bit awkward.” Was it, Corm? We barely noticed. *snorts*

And although Robin defends him a little bit, her suppressed smirk and her work-life balance remark tell us she’s enjoyed this a bit. And not just because Cormoran is single again.

Matthew calls: “Sorry, it’s a work thing.” (NO IT ISN’T AND YOU’RE A LYING, CHEATING [REDACTED] !!!) 🤬

Robin steps on Sarah Shaglock’s earring, and now starts a scene that makes me want to shower Holliday in BAFTAs. 🏆🏆🏆 Heart wrenching, painful, powerful. And Matthew finally shows his true colours. (And Kerr Logan deserves a nod for his acting too).

On a completely irrelevant side note: Matt stole that coat from Darius Tanz, only that Santi looked hot as hell in it whereas Matt just looks like an accountant who pretends to look hot. (Go and watch “Salvation” if you have no clue what I’m talking about)

Robin is so bravely holding it together, and - wow - her coldness towards Matt is pretty impressive, and at the same time she’s forcing herself not to cry and fights down a panic attack. It’s amazing how she puts every emotion and train of thought from the books onto the table and we can read it in her face and in her voice and body language. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Best scene of the season, if you ask me. (Not that anyone ever asks me, but here it is.)

“I’m not gonna let you fail again!” 😡 Aaaand Matt tries to put her down again. To make her feel weak and in need of help. BUT IT’S NO LONGER WORKING. She’s got this. Oh, she’s got this!

They left out Robin saying that he “doesn’t even have a knife”, and I’m actually glad they did. This didn’t need to be about physical assault again. Matt wouldn’t go that far, and it wasn’t necessary to go there. They clearly showed how manipulative he is and how strong Robin has to be to walk away from him, and that is enough.

The minicab driver. I remember the actress as Mrs. Fitz from “Outlander”, and she’s the perfect motherly tough love type to crack that marriage joke. And to get our girl out of there with no further fuss.

Whoa. I had high expectations. And they were met 10/10.

What did you guys think?

[hymn2000]

Ideal Confusion - MCU AU Fanfic - C12

(Title subject to change)

Story summary: Giving into the constant pressure from the press, Tony decides to put a rest to the rumours that Peter is his biological son - once and for all.

Previous Chapter(s): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Part of my Frostiron and Spiderson series.

Warnings/themes: family, family stuff, adoption, DNA test(s), pressure, peer pressure, social issues, mentions of alcoholism, mental health problems, potentially some minor medical inaccuracies, mentions of corporal punishment, hurt/comfort

You can also find me on AO3

Chapter 12 -  Blood And Water

-

After a lazy morning and a long walk, Jo Jo dropped Loki and Peter off at the house. Jo Jo had put on a CD for the journey, which was hugely preferable to just listening to the grown-ups hospital talk.

“You like ABBA?” Peter said, surprised.

“Of course I like ABBA - I’m Swedish!” Jo Jo laughed.

“And you’re gay” Loki said.

The journey home seemed much faster than the journey there. It was almost a disappointment when they arrived back at the house.

“Shame we only had the one night” Jo Jo said. 

“We’ll do a full weekend some time, I promise” Loki said, giving him a hug and a kiss. He lowered his voice. “Without the baby, next time”

“Thanks, Jo Jo” Peter said, leaning over from the back seat and hugging him. “Sorry again for yesterday morning”

“Hey, no worries, little guy” Jo Jo said, giving him a little hug back. “See you at the hospital some time soon? Not as a patient, though! Be good for your daddies”

“Ok. Bye, Jo Jo!”

-

Peter still felt pretty good. He’d slept well, and enjoyed his morning. He went and unpacked his bag, sorting everything out properly, and then flopped on his bed, and soon drifted off to sleep.

He woke up an hour or so later, feeling fuzzy and warm, with the sun beaming in through the window. He rubbed his eyes and got up, wandering about the landing. Tony’s keys were still missing from their hook. It was nearly three o’ clock, so Peter was surprised to see he wasn’t back yet. But he supposed he had his reasons.

-

Peter tugged on Loki’s sleeve to get his attention.

“Sweetheart, can’t you see I’m a little busy?” Loki said.

“Sorry. I just wanna ask you something”

“Uh-huh” Loki said, focusing on the light he was fixing. “Do I have to do anything?”

“Just answer”

“Ok. What is it?”

“When’s dad home?”

“I don’t know. Go and get some milk”

Peter went over to the fridge and opened the door.

“We don’t have any in”

“I know. Go to the shop”

Peter pouted. 

“Get yourself some sweets, too”

“Ok, ok” Peter said. “Anything else?”

“No. Run along now, chick”

Peter nodded and went to get his shoes on. A little afternoon stroll sounded like a nice idea.

-

Peter went down to the little shop on the corner. The dim interior was a stark contrast to the bright sun outside, but it was comfortably familiar. 

“Hey, baby Stark!” the shopkeeper said, nodding at him from behind the till.

“Hey, mister” 

Peter had first met him during the first summer he’d spent at the Stark’s. He still didn’t know his name after all this years, but they always nodded at each other when they crossed in the street, and greeted each other when Peter came into the shop. They never really spoke properly, largely due to the cultural difference and the fact the shopkeepers English was a little shaky and Peter always felt bad if he didn’t quite understand what he was saying. Peter knew some of his children, and they’d been here since they were tiny, and gone to school nearby, so they were fluent and he didn’t have the same problem with them. They were all a fair bit older than Peter, but they all talked to him quite happily if they were serving in the shop, although Peter always felt like they saw him as a lot younger than he actually was.

Peter grabbed the milk and then took his time deciding what to get for himself. He had a look through the housekeeping purse, counting the coins. He’d just grabbed it on his way out without checking, but luckily there was a decent amount in it. He eventually settled on a bottle of blue Fanta, a handful of sherbet straws, a little pack of popping candy, some fruit gums, a bar of dark chocolate, and a bag of jelly snakes.

“Too many sweets” the shopkeeper said, sifting through Peter’s choices at the till. “Bad for your teeth”

“Well, daddy told me to get some sweets, so I guess it’s ok this time” Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I’ll just brush my teeth an extra time today...”

He looked at the little display by the till, and added a couple of lollipops to his stack. 

“Too many sweets!” the shopkeeper repeated. “You kids!”

Peter just smiled, and looked up when the shop door opened again with its accompanying ring of the bell. It was one of the shopkeepers sons, balancing a couple of boxes in his arms.

“Hey, Stark” he said, winking at Peter as he passed him by.

“Hey...”

“Eight forty-two” the shopkeeper said, grabbing his attention. 

“Oh right, yeah” Peter counted out nine dollars and handed the coins over. “There’s nine”

The shopkeeper handed him the change, and Peter took his shopping bag.

“Thanks, mister. See you later”

“Bye, baby Stark. Don’t eat everything now!”

“I won’t, mister. Bye!”

Peter stepped back into the daylight and let the door jangle shut behind him. He dug his hand in the bag, found a lolly, pulled the wrapper off, and stuck it in his mouth. He jumped down the step to the pavement, blinking a little. He knew he should have brought his sunglasses.

-

“Jesus, Peter!” Loki said, looking at the pile of sweets Peter had tipped onto the table. “When I told you to get yourself some sweets, I was thinking just a packet, not the whole shop!”

“I had a craving” Peter said, putting his lolly stick in the bin.

“Hmm” Loki looked disapproving. He sighed. “Who was in today?”

“Hm? Oh, just the owner” Peter said, opening his drink. “Oh, and I saw one of the boys briefly”

“Oh yeah, which one? What day is it? Was it Aamir?”

“I don’t know” Peter said. “It was the tall one with the neck tattoo”

“Aamir” Loki nodded. “His wife’s expecting, you know. I saw him in clinic a few weeks ago”

“Oh, cool. I didn’t know he was married”

“All the boys are” Loki said. “It’s only Hansamala who isn’t married”

“I like her” Peter said, sifting through his sweets. “She gives me those pink sweets, those ones it takes days to get through”

“Mm, she gave me one once” Loki said. “I’ve never had anything so sweet before. Or since. It wasn’t really my cup of tea”

“She calls me Tuka”

“It means young boy” Loki said.

“Oh. Well, that makes sense, I guess. How old is she, anyway?”

“God, I don’t know” Loki said. “Mid thirties? Say, you’re not eating all of those, are you?”

Peter looked up from his sherbet straws. “Why? Do you want one?”

“Not especially. They just remind me of the kids of Scotland who used to snort them for a dare” Loki said, and then shot him a look. “Don’t even think about it!”

“I wasn’t! People at Midtown went through a stage of doing that. It made one kids nose bleed. I’m not gonna waste it like that”

“Mm. Even so, you don’t need all those sweets now. Choose what you want now, and put the rest away for later”

“Aww, that’s no fun” Peter pouted, putting an arm protectively around his hoard.

“Peter” Loki pressed. “Do as you’re told”

Peter sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “Oh, woe is me! Alright, I’ll just have the jelly snakes and the popping candy now. And one of the sherbet straws. Oh, and-”

“Nope, three things is enough! Technically it’s more than that, looking at those jelly snakes” Loki raised an eyebrow. “You’re lucky your dad’s not home yet; he’d go spare”

“Aww, he’s even worse than me when it comes to this kind of thing” Peter said, brushing it off.

“Mm” Loki took the rest of Peter’s sweets and put them on the top shelf of one of the cupboards. “Well, maybe you should go and settle down with a DVD or something”

“Can I play on the Wii for a bit?”

“Peter, you haven’t played with that for three and a half years”

“I know, but we’ve still got all the stuff. Wanna play Mario Kart? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!”

“Alright, alright! Fine, but only for half an hour. It’ll make you put those sweets down, anyway”

Peter offered him the bag. “Want one?”

“I’ll pass. Dearie me, what’s wrong with battling for a chocolate coin from a tower of flour? I can understand where your father’s coming from sometimes”

“Huh?”

“It’s a game, one I was introduced to in Scotland. Basically you fill a bowl-”

“Wait” Peter interrupted, his ears pricking up. “Did you hear that? I think dad’s back”

He went rushing off, and Loki sighed. 

“I’ll tell you later then, shall I?”

He shook his head and followed after his son.

-

Peter’s ears hadn’t deceived him. Tony hugged Loki first, holding as tight as he could.

“Did you miss me?” Loki said, squeezing him back.

“Always, my darling” Tony said. “Right, where’s my little boy?”

He pulled back, and turned to Peter. Peter watched him cautiously. Suddenly all his reservations had caught up with him. He couldn’t help feeling upset that Tony hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts, and he still felt a little sore over what had happened the other day. He wasn’t quite sure where he stood now.

Tony smiled. “There he is! Come here, fella: haven’t you got a hug for your old man?”

Peter hesitantly held his arms out, and Tony pulled him close and squeezed him tight.

“My little boy! Ooh, I missed you, you know!” he looked at Loki. “Was he good?”

Peter tensed, looking over his shoulder.

“As gold” Loki said.

“Good” 

Peter looked back up at Tony, who kissed him on the nose.

“Daddy sent me a video of you singing. I didn’t know you could play the piano!”

Peter looked over his shoulder at Loki again, who just nodded slightly.

“You’re a clever little kid” Tony said, kissing the bridge of Peter’s nose and then resting a hand on the back of the boys head, holding him tighter still.

His hold was so warm, so secure - and Peter felt good. 

He still loves me, Peter thought, snuggling into his father’s chest. He still loves me!

-

Loki sat on the armchair, rubbing the space above his lip with the side of his forefinger, watching Tony and Peter together. To all intents and purposes, Peter looked happy, curled up against his father, starting to drift off. Tony looked happy too, cradling the boy in his arms. But, Loki thought, there was something off about it. He wasn’t entirely sure what, but something wasn’t quite right. 

Loki opened the drawer of the little lamp table closest to him, getting out his pipe and tobacco tin. He barely took his eyes off his husband and son the whole while he was readying it. It was only a few seconds after he lit it that Tony looked up.

“Oh, Loki, darling” he said. “Not while the kid’s in here”

“Of course” Loki said slowly. He paused, and then stood up. “I’ll be out on the balcony”

Loki leant against the railing, tapping the ceramic of his pipe against his teeth in between puffs. As much as he’d love to believe that the DNA test results hadn’t made any difference, he just didn’t buy it. He was, in part, relieved that Tony had come home and immediately started showing Peter the usual attention. It wasn’t that it seemed forced - it didn’t - but there was definitely something different. 

Loki looked down at the lights of the street below, and the traffic in the distance. If he squinted, he could just about see the hospital. He thought about everyone on the ward. He felt such fondness for that place. He didn’t always understand why. He had many regrets in life - starting at the hospital wasn’t one of them. Thor said it was his way of recompense, but Loki didn’t buy that. He’d originally started at the hospital under another persons recommendation, and even then he’d only really gone because he had a newfound interest of human health after something Tony had shown him. He hadn’t expected to get sucked in quite like he did, much less end up as a fully-qualified nurse. But, despite everything, he still loved doing it. It still interested him, and he’d grown to love his colleagues, and care for his patients. Perhaps it was keeping busy. Whatever.

Loki sucked on his pipe, turning his thoughts back to his family. He thought hard, and then something suddenly clicked. He stopped, thinking it over again, and then nodded. He set his pipe down on the glass table between the two chairs. He needed to keep an eye on things.

-

“Are you off?” Loki said, stopping Tony in his tracks.

Tony turned to him, adjusting his hold on Peter. “He’s dropped off, and it’s kinda late. Probably a good idea to settle him down”

“I can take him”

“It’s ok; I’ll do it”

“Why don’t you get him a jug?” Loki suggested.

Tony hesitated, and then let Loki take Peter from him. “Alright. I’ll just be a few minutes”

Peter had his eyes open when Loki put him down on the bed.

“...You weren’t really asleep, were you?”

Peter shook his head. “Don’t tell dad, alright?”

Loki nodded slightly. “...Are you ok?”

“I think so. Dad’s better with me than he was the other day. I think he’s ok about everything now”

“Mm”

“Hey, daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Can I get up? I don’t really wanna go to bed in my clothes”

“Hm? Oh, of course. Sorry” He moved back.

“It’s alright” Peter said, getting up and pulling his shirt off. “Are you having another flare-up?”

Loki looked at him. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been all quiet this evening, and you kinda looked like you were zoning out. I wondered if you were getting ill”

“I’m fine” Loki said.

“Right, here’s the jug” Tony said, bursting into the room. “Oh, you’re awake”

“I’m gonna go and do my teeth” Peter said. “...Can you two stop acting so weird?”

He locked the en suite door behind him. Loki was definitely acting strange, and the way Tony had looked was a little funny too. He hoped they’d get the hint and leave him to it. He didn’t really want to be put to bed by them tonight. They probably had stuff to talk about anyway.

-

“I know what’s going on here” Loki said after they’d closed Peter’s door behind them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Tony said, carrying on down the hallway. “Hey, now the kids asleep, do you wanna spend some quality time together?”

“And do what?”

“I don’t know” Tony shrugged absentmindedly. “Have sex?”

“Tony-”

“Alright, not full sex. But if you’re in the mood, I’m more than happy to give you an orgasm tonight”

“Tony, stop it” Loki said firmly. “I think we need to talk”

“What about? I’ve got nothing to say. The conference was alright. How was your day away?"

“Fine. That’s not what we’re here to talk about”

“Well, what, then?”

“You know what!”

Tony did know, but that didn’t mean he'd admit it, much less talk about it. 

“Don’t give me that look!” Loki sighed irritably. “You can’t gloss over it forever! I knew there was something off with you and the way you were with Peter, an-”

“Hey, I haven’t been ‘off’” Tony scowled. “I was just as dad-ish as ever with him”

“You didn’t speak to him, n-”

“Yes I did! We’ve been talking all night!”

“Talking without saying anything. You can’t ignore the DNA results. You can’t pretend you don’t have to talk about this”

“I don’t have to talk about it!”

“Yes, you do! Not wanting to talk about it doesn’t mean you don’t need to talk about it. Peter needs to talk about it, too. You both need to discuss it properly, and- NO, DON’T INTERRUPT ME! Don’t try throwing excuses my way either. I’m not going to make you wake him up now, but you are going to talk to him, one way or another. I won’t let you weasel out of this”

“...What is there to talk about?”

“For crying out loud, Anthony!” Loki turned on his heel. “I’m going to bed, and I don’t want to talk to you until you’ve seen sense and are ready to act your age”

“Wait, Loki!”

Loki stopped and looked at him. “What?”

“Do you want an orgasm tonight or not?”

-

Peter stayed quiet when there was a knock on his door. He stayed quiet when his bedroom door opened. He stayed quiet and still when the bedside lamp was turned on and someone sat down on his bed.

“I know you’re awake, chick”

Peter still didn’t move. They rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little shake.

“You can’t fool me, kiddo”

Peter opened his eyes. “What do you want?”

“I want you to be honest. I know you’re having a tough time”

“Daddy, I’m tired. All those car journeys tire me out”

“That’s not what I said”

“I know, but honestly, I’m fine. Dad’s the one in denial; not me. He’s being nice to me though, so that’s something”

“Well-”

“Hey, daddy? I’m kinda ready to go to sleep now. I’m doing ok, and I’ll be even better when my eyes don’t sting any more”

“Your eyes sting?”

“I’m tired! I said that. Goodnight”

“Ok, ok” Loki kissed Peter on the cheek. “Alright. Goodnight, chick”

Peter watched him leave, and then breathed out. He had a feeling Loki was taking this whole thing a lot harder than he was.

*