#you can tell it's serious when bernie pulls off his face mask

[theorderofthetriad]

"I'm not against unions, I'm not at all. Some of my very good friends work for unions." Former CEO and current Republican Senator from Oklahoma Markwayne Mullen claimed before railing against unions. Considering that later in this exchange he lied about his salary as CEO of Mullen Plumbing and about having started his business from "less than nothing" when he, in fact, inherited the business from his father, I somehow doubt the accuracy of his claim to not be against unions or having friends who work for unions, along with pretty much every other claim he makes here.

This exchange against Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien from the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee hearing on “Defending the Right of Workers to Organize Unions Free from Illegal Corporate Union-Busting” (March 8th, 2023), with committee chair Bernie Sanders having to interrupt to mediate, is frankly amazing to watch.

After the hearing, Sean O'Brien, whom Mullen tried to attack for having a salary of 193k, tweeted this:

(Link to the article cited)

[hymn2000]

Chiquitita - MCU AU fanfic - C15

Story summary: Something strange is happening. Someone from space has made their way to Earth, armed with a strange weapon. Targeting teenagers, their ray gun, when fired, turns the victim into a toddler. The Avengers set out to stop this, and find a way to reverse the effects. However, they don’t all come out of the battle unscathed.

Previous chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Part of my Frostiron and Spiderson series.

Warnings/themes: de-aging, family stuff, corporal punishment (early chapters only), mental health stuff, hurt/comfort, hospital/medical stuff

Chapter 15 - How I Hate To See You Like This

-

Loki’s eyes opened. Everything looked and sounded blurry and fuzzy. He looked at the person above him.

“...Hi...”

“Hi. My name’s Darren; I’m a first aider. I’m just keeping your head still in case you’ve hurt your spine. The ambulance is on it’s way. Do you remember what happened?”

Loki blinked a bit, confused. He didn’t say anything.

“Have you got any pain anywhere?”

“...I’m not sure”

“Ok. Just try not to move”

“...How’s my helmet?”

“Well, it took most of the impact” Darren said, glancing at it where it lay, cast aside. “I think you’ll need a new one. But at least it wasn’t your head that cracked”

Loki laughed slightly. “Well, there is that...”

They were interrupted by sirens, and although he couldn’t see it, Loki heard one of the ambulances park close by. He heard the doors open and close, and he heard the voices.

“Paramedics! How are we doing over here?” one said.

“He’s woken up” Darren said. “I was a bit more concerned with holding c-spine to do a proper primary survey”

“Ok, don’t- Loki?!”

Loki looked up at the paramedics.

“It’s good to see you again, Simon”

“Not under these circumstances” Simon said, kneeling down beside him. “Are you gonna be a pain, or are you gonna let me and Liv take a look at you?”

“Oh please, feel free”

“You’re remarkably talkative for someone who’s just been in an RTC” Darren noted.

Loki looked at him for a moment. “The car...”

“We’ll riddle that bit out later” Liv said. “Si, do you want to sort a survey?”

“My bike...”

“Uhhh” Simon looked at the motorbike, wincing. “Maybe think about yourself for a bit, mate”

Loki went quiet for a little bit, thinking about his body, trying to work out where he was bleeding. He was definitely bleeding; there was no two ways about that. He just hadn’t worked out his injuries properly yet. Nothing felt real. He kept trying to focus on the road underneath him, but it still felt more like sand.

Darren was happy to continue with c-spine, so the paramedics were able to work on other aspects of the emergency.

“Alright mate, time for the horrible bit” Si said. “I’m gonna check you over, starting at your head. Make sure you tell me if anything hurts: don’t play martyr”

“Mm...”

“Have you got anything in your pockets?”

“Phone, wallet... keys are on the bike”

“We’ll grab them. Ok..”

As soon as Si put his hands on him, Loki realised this may be a lot more serious that he first thought. His head hurt. His forehead was definitely one source of bleeding; that was clear now. He saw his reflection in Si’s glasses.

“I don’t suppose you’ve got any slap in your bag, have you, Liv? Darren didn’t say how much of a mess they’d made of my face”

“Loki, shut up” Liv said, albeit gently. “Let Si check you over”

Si checked Loki’s neck, and as he reached the base of the back of it, Loki suddenly cried out and grabbed at his arm.

“Alright mate, alright” Si looked at Liv. “We’re definitely gonna need a collar”

“Noted”

Si touched Loki’s hand gently, subtly checking his fingers and wrist as he did so.

“You’re gonna tear my jacket right off my arm if you’re not careful” he said gently. “Let me check the rest of you”

Loki reluctantly let his arm fall back to his side. Everything seemed to get worse from there. It was as though everything hurt - but some places more than others. His chest was horribly painful. Broken ribs, he guessed. But that wasn’t the main worry: the pain in his back was. It was all he could do not to scream as Si prodded at him.

“Fuck! Oh bloody hell, that really hurts... Fuck. Good god..” he put his hand over Darren’s on the side of his head, sucking his breath and trying to breathe evenly. “I’m overreacting, aren’t I? You’re allowed to tell me if I am”

“We’re gonna stick you on a board” Liv said.

“We’re gonna have to cut your leathers off, you know that, right? Definitely the jacket” Si said.

“Don’t you bloody dare” Loki said, blinking hard in an attempt to stop the tears leaking from his eyes. “It’s vintage. Tony’ll go mad”

“I don’t think it’s the jacket he’s gonna be worried about” Si sighed. “Do you want us to call him?”

“No. I want to know what I’m dealing with before we get him involved”

Liv and Si exchanged a look.

“Well, if you’re sure. We won’t call him”

-

Collared and boarded and on the back of the ambulance, Liv asked again if he wanted them to call Tony. The answer was the same.

Darren had been excused so it was now down to three, and Loki was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. His head hurt. His back and ribs really hurt. He was sick of the taste of blood in his mouth too.

“I’m just gonna stick a needle in your hand. Let’s get you some pain relief”

“No”

“Loki-”

“I said no”

Liv sighed silently. “Alright, but let me know if you change your mind. Si, are you driving?”

“Yep. I’ll ring ahead. Hit my window when you’re ready”

He closed up the back behind him and went round to the drivers side. Liv took Loki’s hand.

“How does it feel being on the other side of the table?”

Loki laughed slightly, but more tears welled in his eyes. He tried not to look at her.

“Are you tired? Or is it the light?”

Loki whined vaguely.

“Do you mind if I check your eyes again?”

Loki didn’t push her away when she did. He looked at her afterwards.

“How are they looking?”

“Pupils still equal and reactive, you’ll be glad to hear” she tapped him on the nose with the pen torch. “We’ll get you sorted. Obviously they don’t call you the god of mischief for nothing”

She stood up and banged Si’s window.

“Let’s get you in”

-

The pain of being in a moving vehicle was too much. Loki lasted about five minutes before he was forced to admit defeat.

“I’ve changed my mind” he gasped.

Liv signalled to Si, and he found a place to stop.

“You’re a stubborn git, and it’s not always a good thing” Liv said, readying the needle. “I know you hate this, but please don’t take it out on me”

Loki was in so much pain that he didn’t think a needle in the back of his hand was going to have much of an impact. He was wrong, and he swore a little bit, but he didn’t take it out on Liv.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m ok”

“Good. 10mg morphine, going in” she smiled at him. “That’s what the needle’s good for”

-

Loki did enough interdepartmental work to know a lot of the A&E and radiology staff, and the friendly faces helped. He could hardly speak. He felt so sick and dizzy and sore and strange. He did his best to let everyone do their jobs, but it wasn’t easy. He fought to stay awake. Just for a little bit. Just until the results were back.

It felt like hours, but he needed to know what was wrong with him. He needed to know the outcomes, the damage, the recovery period. He needed to know it all before he told Tony. He didn’t want Tony hunched up on a waiting room chair waiting for scraps of news. He needed the full facts as soon as he arrived at the hospital. So Loki waited.

“Hello again” Dr Bernie said, coming to Loki’s side. “Sorry for the wait, but with you being so adamant, we had to wait for all the results. So we’ve got your x-rays, and your CT scan-”

“Is my back broken?”

“I’ll tell you if you stop interrupting” Dr Bernie raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly. “No. Your back and neck aren’t broken. Your ribs are, though... We’re going to get you off the collar and board, and we’re going to move you to a side room. We need to go through all your results somewhere a bit more private”

-

Loki grabbed the sleeve of the person closest to the bed. It was a nurse, but not one he knew. She looked at him. He pulled his oxygen mask off.

“Call my husband”

-

Tony was knelt on the living room rug, holding little Peter’s hands captive above his head and tickling his tummy mercilessly. Little Peter was shrieking and laughing and kicking, enjoying the attention. Tony’s phone started ringing.

“Hold on a minute, kiddo” Tony let go of Peter and grabbed his phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, is that Mr Stark?”

“Speaking. Who is this?” Tony asked, standing up, leaving the toddler in a giggly heap on the floor.

“Hello Mr Stark. I’m ringing from A&E”

“Ah, is that where Loki got to, then? He didn’t say anything before he left the house”

“I’m afraid Loki’s been in a road traffic accident”

“Daddy?”

Tony put a hand up to stop Peter and walked out of the room, listening to the lady on the other end of the phone. An overwhelming feeling of nausea had welled in his throat. He could feel his pulse all over his body, so strong it felt like the whole room was pulsating. This couldn’t be happening. Not to Loki. Not now.

-

Tony put his phone back in his pocket and grabbed his keys, shoving his feet into the closest pair of shoes. He needed to get the the hospital as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until he was halfway down the steps to the garage that he remembered Peter. He couldn’t very well leave a toddler at home alone. He couldn’t delay going to the hospital either. He’d just have to come with him. Tony took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and returned to the living room. Peter grinned up at him.

“Hi daddy!”

Tony knelt down in front of him, putting his hands on the little boys shoulders.

“Peter, darling, I need you to listen to me” Tony said, his voice shaking. “Daddy... Daddy’s had an accident. So we need to go down to the hospital and see him”

“Oh...”

“Now, Peter, sweetheart. Hospitals are... well, they’re where people go to get better. They can be quite scary, and it’s ok if you get scared. But they’re also places where you’ve gotta be really well behaved and quiet. I wouldn’t take you with me but we really need to get there fast, and I haven’t got time to get anyone to look after you. Do you understand?”

“I- um... Is daddy ok?”

“We’ll see. Sweetheart, go and get your shoes. Ok?”

Peter nodded, and ran off obediently when Tony let go of him. Tony looked down at his shaking hands. Part of him was saying he shouldn’t try to drive, not when he was feeling so mixed up and frightened. But he needed to be at Loki’s side as soon as possible. He had to get a move on.

-

Despite the fear hanging over his head, Tony still had a fleeting thought; grateful that toddler Peter didn’t remember all the times teenage Peter had spent in this department. He held the toddler tight, using him as a type of comfort blanket. Peter clung to him. He could sense the urgency of the situation, and he didn’t like the hospital: it was busy and loud, and he was scared.

“I wanna go home!” the toddler whimpered.

“I know, darling, I know” Tony said gently. “We need to find daddy first”

 He was quickly recognised by a member of staff.

“Mr Stark?”

Tony turned round. “Nurse Dunn...”

“We’ve got Loki in a side room. If you’d like to come with me”

Tony followed, but then stopped a few steps from the door. He felt so unbelievably sick. He swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn’t have to make a dash for the nearest men’s room.

“Mr Stark?”

Tony swallowed harder still, and looked at her. “Do you think... Could you take him? I don’t want him in there just yet”

“Yes, of course” Nurse Dunn said gently, taking Peter from him. “Hey little one. Shh, don’t cry. Let’s go and find you a biscuit or something, ok?”

Tony gave Peter a little kiss on the cheek. “Be good”

He took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the side room.

-

Loki looked so pale. He was lying so still, oxygen mask over his face, hands folded over his stomach. Medical monitors always seems such angry things, but they were evidence that he was alive, at least. Tony glanced at the nurse, but then fixed his gaze on his husband. He approached the bed, and hesitantly rested a hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“Loki?”

Loki's eyes opened. He looked up at Tony, a slight smile tugging at his lips behind the mask.

“...Hello, my darling”

“You idiot... You idiot! I knew this would happen!” Tony burst out, stepping back from the bed, eyes brimming with tears. “You bloody idiot! I told you right at the start! That fucking bike! I told you how many people have accidents on those stupid things! I told you I wasn’t sure, but you insisted you knew best. I never wanted you to get the flippin’ thing in the first place!”

Loki stayed quiet. He let Tony shout, and once he’d paused for breath, reached out his hand. Tony looked at him, and promptly started sobbing. He stepped closer and took Loki’s hand in both of his, holding it to his mouth.

“I could’ve lost you” he cried, kissing his knuckles. “You could’ve been killed!”

Loki reached up and pulled his oxygen mask down. “I’m still here”

“You’re a stubborn idiot” Tony looked at him. “You’re such an idiot! How could you do this?!”

“It wasn’t my fault”

“You were on that bloody bike!” Tony snapped. “You were driving it; of course it was your fault! You and your bloody need for speed mentality have caught up to you, that’s what this is!”

He took a very deep breath, and hugged him, awkwardly as he didn’t want to move him off the bed. He kept one hand on his shoulder, slipping the other under the back of his head. He pressed his cheek against Loki’s, still feeling sick from emotion and fear, and hollow from crying so hard.

“I’m alive” Loki said. “Where’s Peter?”

Tony sat up, looking at him. “Where are you hurt? What’s wrong with you? I want to know everything. Every injury, every condition, every scratch. Tell me what’s wrong with you”

Loki looked up at him. “Ask someone else”

“Don’t you play with me!” Tony snapped. “Don’t you dare!”

“Mr Stark, this isn’t the time” A voice sounded as a doctor came into the room.

Tony stood up and spun round. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Can I convince you to step out for a minute?” Dr Bernie said. “Maybe we could talk about it somewhere else, once you’ve taken a breather”

“No” Tony said. “I’m not leaving him. Just tell me the damage. I need to know”

“All things considered, he’s been very lucky” Dr Bernie said. “But he’s still going to need some recovery time”

“Just tell me” Tony said, knuckling his eyes and trying in vain to stop crying. “Just tell me. List it all, I don’t care. You don’t need to sugar-coat it”

“Ok” Dr Bernie looked at Loki for permission, and then reeled off: “Three broken ribs. Left ankle’s sprained. Multiple abrasions. Severe bruising to the left hip and thigh. Lots of minor to moderate bruising elsewhere. Multiple cuts. Moderate laceration to the forehead. Moderate whiplash. Ring finger on the right hand is broken. As I said; he’s been very lucky”

Tony stared for a minute, and then looked at Loki.

“See? It could have been far worse” Loki said, trying to be reassuring. He tried to lighten the mood. “I’m afraid I’ll need some new leathers though. And a new helmet. Oh, and the bike is totalled”

“You’re such an idiot” Tony said, knuckling his eyes. “Why can’t you just take anything seriously?! You could have died! What if it had been worse?! What if you hadn’t been wearing your leathers?! You fucking idiot!”

“Mr Stark, please”

“I’ve always told him that bike was a death trap! He-”

“It wasn’t my fault” Loki tried again.

“Of course it was!”

“Mr Stark, I don’t know what they told you on the phone” Dr Bernie said. “But Loki was hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light”

Tony was shocked to silence for a moment. He looked at Loki, his eyes filling with tears once more. He wasn’t sure if that was worse or not.

“Tony” Loki reached out, taking Tony’s hand. “It could have been worse”

“That’s the scary bit! They hit you... Where are they? They need to pay for what they’ve done to you!”

“Mr Stark, please” Dr Bernie said. “You can look into pressing charges later. Focus on your husband for now”

Tony looked at him. He closed his eyes for a moment, counting to ten. He opened his eyes, nodded, and carefully climbed onto the bed, lying down beside Loki. He put an arm round his chest and rested his forehead against Loki’s temple. The doctor tactfully left the room. Loki found Tony’s hand and held it.

“I’m not human” he said. “I won’t be laid up for weeks: I’ll be back to my usual self in a few days. A week at the most”

“I was so scared” Tony said. “When I got that phone call, I just... I felt so sick. I still feel sick”

“I’m sorry. I never meant for you to worry. That’s why I waited and didn’t let them call you until I was sorted”

“You should’ve called me down straight away”

“I’m sorry... I love you. I love you so much. The car just came out of nowhere. I didn’t even really comprehend... I think it ran a red light. They were drunk, that’s what everyone’s saying”

“...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve shouted at you, or called you an idiot. I was just so scared. I just reacted without thinking”

“I know” Loki squeezed Tony’s hand as best he could with a broken finger. “It’s ok; I forgive you... Where’s Peter?”

“I gave him to Nurse Dunn. I didn’t know what I was gonna see coming in here. I needed to see you alone for a bit”

“I want to see him”

"Not yet. Let’s wait a bit”

“I want to see him” Loki repeated.

“We need to talk first. We need to compose ourselves. Especially me”

Loki closed his eyes. “Stop crying”

“I can’t help it. I was so scared-!” He held Loki tighter, kissing him hard on the cheek. “Why did you go out? Why did you have to go out?!”

“I just needed to go out. You were being so ignorant and insensitive. I was angry with you. I just needed a breather”

“What? No I wasn’t!”

“Yes you were! I was trying to tell you how I was feeling, and you said I was overreacting, and you said I was an idiot. I was nothing but supportive of you throughout your post-adoption depression, not to mention all your other bouts of mental illness, so the least you could do is hear me out, if not repay the favour”

Tony went quiet for a minute. “Did I really say that?”

“Yes, you really did. You sent me away when we got back too”

“Well yeah, to cool off. I made you something to eat, too”

“I know that” Loki almost snapped. “That doesn’t take away the fact you were insensitive and didn’t want to hear what I had to say”

“Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions a little bit? It could just be normal depression”

“It’s been triggered by this whole situation with Kindsprengen. I drew a logical conclusion” 

Tony sighed, propping himself up on his elbow. “I love you, Loki. But maybe we should wait and talk about this once you’re better”

“Surely talking about it now is the perfect time? If I’m going to be out of action for a few days, that gives us a lot of time to talk”

“Not with a toddler to look after as well”

“He’s in bed early, and he has an afternoon nap. Besides, he’s so distracted with playing all the time. It’s not that much of an obstacle” Loki said. “Unless you want it to be”

“Why do you always have to change the subject and pretend other things aren’t happening? Can’t you let me worry about the fact that you got hit by a car for a little bit before we launch onto the next thing?”

“This isn’t the next thing. I brought it up before the accident”

“You know what I mean”

“So do you”

Tony sat up properly, and slowly slipped off the bed. “Do you wanna sit up?”

Loki looked away, and nodded slightly. Tony helped him sit up, and took his good hand.

“Are they keeping you in?”

“They didn’t say. I would doubt it”

“Good. I’ve gotta say, that’s a relief. I don’t know if I could deal with...”

“Painful memories?”

Tony nodded. “Painful memories... I’ll admit that the idea of having to get reacquainted with Nurse Tyler did just cross my mind”

Loki squeezed his hand. “I didn’t think... I know how hard that was for you”

“I don’t want to talk about it”

“I know... You never do. You’ve never talked about it, not since I was discharged”

Tony looked down at their hands. He looked at the rings on Loki’s ring finger, and stroked them gently with his thumb.

“...I spent so many hours sat by your side holding your hand like this. We were still basically considered newly-weds. They’d taken your rings off but I insisted you’d want to wear them. They said no at first, but once you were more stable... Poor little Peter spent so much of his free time there. It was the school holidays, wasn’t it? He was just here so constantly. Even that first night. Poor kid must’ve been terrified. He spent way too much time curled up asleep in a hospital chair”

Loki held his hand tight. Tony took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Oh” Tony couldn’t help but smile slightly as the door opened. “I forgot how fast news travels round here”

-

Just as the group of Loki’s colleagues cleared out, another person appeared. 

“You’re straggling” Tony said.

“Haha, yeah. Sorry about that” Jo Jo smiled awkwardly, approaching the bed. “What are you like, eh?”

Loki couldn’t help smiling at his fellow nurse. “It’s good to see you”

“Mind if I give you a hug?” Jo Jo said, doing so anyway. “Bloody drunk drivers! What’s the damage?”

“I’ll be back to my usual self in no more than a week” Loki said. 

“Any update on the car?”

“Passenger died. Driver is critical” Loki said. 

Jo Jo sucked his breath.

“Idiots, that’s what they are” Tony said. “No other word for it”

“Well, I think it doesn’t bare thinking about” Jo Jo said awkwardly. “How are you feeling, Lokes?”

“I’ve been better, but not too bad, considering the circumstances”

“Good. I’m glad you’re ok. We were all pretty worried”

Tony excused himself from the room. He knew Loki and Jo Jo were fairly close, and he wanted to give them a little space. Besides, he had something he needed to get.

-

Loki lit up when Tony came back into the room with little Peter balanced on his hip, and Jo Jo gasped.

“Is this baby Peter?! Aww, look at him! Can I hold him?”

Tony laughed. “What do you think, bambino? You wanna go over to Jo Jo for a bit?”

Peter held tight to his rocket, and nodded slightly. Tony passed him over to Jo Jo, who seemed delighted.

“Hey, little sweetheart!” he smiled, stroking the toddlers curls gently and tickling him under the chin. “Aren’t you a cutie?” he looked at Loki. “He’s lovely”

Loki smiled. “I know... Can I have him? I’ve been waiting rather a long time”

“Yeah yeah, of course” Jo Jo nodded. “Over to daddy now, ok?”

Peter was all too happy to be passed over. Loki held him close, almost desperately, kissing his cheek and stroking his hair firmly. 

“Hello, my darling” he said. “How are you doing?”

“Daddy said you had an accident”

Loki loosened his grip so Peter could sit back on his heels and look at him. 

“Yes, but I’m ok” 

“You’re hurt” Peter said, noting his dressings and the obvious cuts and bruises on show.

“Only a little bit. Have you been a good boy while you’ve been here?”

“That nurse gave me a biscuit and we played snap” Peter yawned.

“Lovely...” he looked at Tony. “He’s tired. You need to take him home”

“I’m not leaving you” Tony said firmly. 

“Well then you need someone to do it for you. It’s not fair to keep him here”

“Uhhh...” Tony looked at Jo Jo. “I don’t suppose you could..?”

Jo Jo put his hands up. “Sorry, I’m on shift”

“But you’re down here”

“I’m on my break” Jo Jo said. 

“Then why are you here instead of in the staff room downing an instant pasta pot?” Loki teased, knowing the nurses bad habit.

“I’ve been itching to get away for hours, ever since I heard that they’d brought you in. It’s just been really busy tonight” he looked back at Tony. “I’m sorry; I can’t”

“Take him home, Tony” Loki said.

“I’m not leaving you. I’ll have to ring round, see if anyone can take him”

Loki looked at Peter, stroking his hair gently. “Is Barton still in town?”

“I think so?” Tony said. “You want me to call him?”

Loki nodded. “Peter needs looking after”

Jo Jo’s pager beeped. He checked it, sighed, and silenced it. He gave Loki a quick hug and a kiss on his bruised cheek.

“I’ve gotta go.  You look after yourself” he straightened up, clearing his throat. “See you on the ward some time?”

“Definitely”

-

Clint shook his head at Tony in the hospital car park.

“Why is that whenever there’s a crisis, it’s always you three?”

“You’re not funny” Tony said. “Thanks for coming down”

“Hey, it’s no problem. I said I’d help out if you ever needed me” Clint said. 

“Yeah... We’ll put the car seat in your car. Might be easier that way..”

They sorted the car seat, and Clint leant against his car.

“Are you ok?”

Tony nodded. He shook his head, and shrugged. “I think I’m still in a bit of shock”

“How’s Loki?”

“...It could have been worse. I don’t think they’re gonna keep him in, but... I don’t know” he looked at Peter, and kissed him on the cheek. “Uncle Clint’s gonna take you home now”

Peter nodded slightly. Clint carefully took him from Tony.

“Hey, little guy”

“He needs a bath tonight” Tony said. “There’s plenty of stuff in the kitchen, so... If he gets difficult, like if he won’t do something, you can sometimes kid him into doing it by pretending it’s a superhero mission, and-”

“Tony, it’s fine. I’ve got this” Clint said. “He’ll be fine with me. Just keep me updated on Loki, and we’ll talk later”

“Ok... Ok. Oh god, it’s gotten late so quickly”

“Go back in” Clint said, strapping Peter into his car seat and closing the door. “He needs you the most right now. Don’t worry about the kid”

Tony looked at Clint. If it had been anyone else, he probably would have hugged them. Instead he nodded, thanked him, and turned on his heel. Clint was right: Loki needed him the most right now.

*