[ She watches him watching the desk for that long moment, recognizing in his expression approximately the same things that she's feeling right now. Or at least somewhat similar, in many parts. They neither of them had the most functional examples of how to be parents, or the sort of lives suited to finding out regardless. The idea of being responsible for a life, of being that utterly tied to one place for so long.
Her breath is coming shaky and faster than she wants, but for the moment she's still fairly under control. Freaking out more than a little internally, but they tend to figure things out. They're good at figuring things out. This won't be any different, right? ] I don't know, there's so much -
[ Glancing around the workshop, at everything that's become such an indicator of safety and comfort to her. That she's able to say this next part without real hesitation or consideration is a fairly big deal, really. ] I am safe. I know that, but this is. It's really big.
[ He'd help with the way that she's freaking out if he weren't doing the same thing himself. He's not a great person, and he's always been almost certain that he'd be a horrible father, been worried, in fact, that if it ever came to pass, that he'd be just like his own, because why wouldn't he? Maybe even worse, because Howard Stark was a great man, and if he's already starting at a deficit, how can Tony even compare? And while he knows he's more than capable of providing an adequate lifestyle, what happens if something happens to him, to Max? He doesn't want to orphan his own offspring in turn. Not when he knows what that feels like.
But for the most part he feels like... It's her decision. She has more issues with this, he thinks, and it's her body and her mind and yeah he has opinions but until they get past the initial 'What do you want to do?' he doesn't know where to even begin coming in with anything. The overwhelming majority is that obviously, they're both ill-equipped, ill-suited, their lifestyle doesn't allow for it, but, at the same time, it's theirs. He can't tell what his feelings are doing right now at all. Isn't half of this supposed to kick in after he's holding the baby - isn't that when paternal instincts kick in, when they have the child in their hands? ]
Yeah, it's big. So we should think about it carefully. But what do you want?
well. okay, i guess there are worse things to be bullied over
[ She opens her mouth to answer, closes it again. That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Part of her wants her body to be hers again, now, yesterday even. The idea of not having full control over it again, even in such a completely different way, it's - it's not a pleasant thought. What if she keeps it, and sometime when she most needs to be able to she's not able to fight, not able to do anything but watch something terrible happen? What if, what if, there are a million ways this could go so terribly wrong.
And then there's the other hand, because against all the odds they have created a chance for life. A chance for something new and bright and untouched by tragedy, and they're - they're strong, they could keep it safe at least, they could be there. Not repeat the mistakes their parents had made. Right? One hand drops to rest flat on her stomach almost unconsciously, despite the fact that she knows she's not showing at all yet. Yet. Well, that's somewhat telling. ]
I think. [ Quiet, very precise to cover how unsure she is. ] Maybe. I would like to try.
Yeah? [ Well, that's... That's a thing. He can roll with that. They can try. Okay, sure. They can try. He nods a couple of times, still thinking it over, still more or less in shock. ]
Okay.
[ They fit together so well as it is, right? If they can fix each other up like they have, if they can stay together like they have, then maybe it won't be as bad as all his worries have made it out to be. After all, when he was considering the possibility all those times before, he didn't have her in the picture. She helps balance things out. Helps steady circumstances and him. So maybe it'll be okay. ]
Yeah. I mean. [ A short considering pause, and then she nods once, short and sharp. ] I can't tell yet, I don't know if I'll still - I don't like my body changing.
[ Which was disjointed and not particularly clear, but hopefully the idea got across. Maybe it will be different if it's something she ultimately chose. Maybe, but she's not sure yet. ]
I don't want to do anything without you. It's your choice too. [ And oh, god, they'll have to think about the publicity and the newspapers and the Avengers and - she takes a deep breath. That doesn't matter yet. Just them matters, right now. Them and what they both want. ]
wow stockholm syndrome sets in quick with you, doesn't it
[ About her body changing. He can't really fathom carrying around another person for nine months. He's still getting over seven pieces of shrapnel in his chest - a baby seems far more invasive. ]
I already said, I mean. I'm... good with trying. That would be okay, if we tried. [ God don't even start thinking about press and shit okay you don't want to drown this early. ]
that's not stockholm syndrome that's just thinking you're great
[ Yeah at the moment she can't really fathom it either, so she has no idea whether her ultimate reaction will be good or very very bad. ]
Okay then. [ This long pause, as if she's trying to accept the fact that they just agreed that they're going to try to do a thing that may end with a baby. ] Can we not tell anyone yet, I don't want to. Like. Pepper can know, but.
[ Hopefully not... too bad. He'd feel bad if her reaction winds up being really bad, since it's sort of... His fault. Sort of.
You say that like they didn't already try to do a thing that might end in a baby. Several times, in fact. ]
I don't have anyone else to tell. I mean. Rhodey, but he'll find out when the news does. He's used to finding out things like that. [ It's cool though, she's not the only one still in moderate shock about this. ] Pepper probably will know. I can't keep secrets from Pepper. [ Like. At all. Ever. It's kind of pathetic. ] But I won't tell anyone. Not until it's okay.
but i have thought you're great for ages! wait also when did you capture me
[ It's about half and half. But she'd probably try to avoid letting him know anyways, even if it is a bad reaction in the end.
Yeah but she had a lot of reasons to believe there was almost 0 chance of there actually being a baby, this is - this is way different. She's silent for a moment at that first bit, because she's remembering that they're actually both pretty isolated people in many ways. They can't even really give a baby an extended family to fall back on if they screw up.
She really has to stop second guessing this decision. Abruptly she gets up and walks over to sit down on his lap and lean her forehead against his shoulder. For a moment she considers saying something, but she honestly has no idea what to say right now, so she's just going to sit here very quietly for a minute. Or two. ]
[ Well, he could tell the Avengers, but while they're all friends and he gets along with them, this is the sort of thing he would reserve until just before they were about to tell the rest of the world. For all his publicity and attention seeking behavior, Tony tends to keep his personal things remarkably close to his chest, and this is something that he regards as intensely personal. For the moment, at least. Potentially less so the more comfortable they both become with the idea, but until then. Like he said, he doesn't have anyone else to tell.
He looks at her again - finally - when she stands up so suddenly, and watches her as she walks over towards him and sits on his lap. It's uncharacteristic of her, of both of them, but he doesn't mind, just wraps his arms around her and clasps them loosely on the far side of her. It's nice, for a little while, the moments of silence, but Tony isn't capable of letting moments like that last for too long. At least when he does start talking it's quiet. Babbley, but not something he's just blurting out as a knee-jerk reaction. ] We'll be fine. We're both okay. I mean, we take care of each other, so. And we've taught each other things, so we're already accustomed to that. You in particular are used to working with someone who acts like a child most of the time, so. [ A little amusement, although he's not sure how it's received and he quiets again for a couple of seconds. ] It'll be okay.
no i need to know now stockholm syndrome is only for captives when did i become a captive D:
[ For the moment it is definitely a pretty personal thing. A very personal thing, like on the scale of - no actually there is not a scale indicative enough of how much she wants to keep this close to her chest right now, and his too because she rests against it so often and he's just in general very important. There's very little she would actually keep from him. Less and less, these days.
It is fairly uncharacteristic, but right now she just wants to hold onto him for a little while, and his arms around her are very comforting. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in and releases it, then again, listening to him talk. There's another short silence after he finishes, and then she nods slowly against his chest. ] We do take care of each other. And you don't actually act like a child. [ She turns her head sideways a little, tucks it under his chin and just keeps holding on. ] I want it to be okay. [ It's a very shaky almost nonexistent laugh. ] I mean, we both know what not to do, right?
look i just wanted someone to share my pillow fort with i'm sorry ;;
[ How coincidental, because he just wants to hold her for a little while, so that totally works out well for the both of them. He hadn't realized he wanted to until she was there in his lap, but damn if it didn't kick in after that.
He lifts his chin a little so that she can fit more easily there, then rests it lightly on her head as he listens to her. His response to her final statement is more or less the same as hers just prior to saying it - a short, dark huff of amusement, or something a little more twisted than that. ]
Yeah, I'd say so. Nice clear negatives to print from.
sharing pillow forts with you is a totally acceptable brand of captivity it's cool
[ That does work out totally well, and she settles herself in against his chest and sighs out as he rests his chin on her head. She guesses this means it's time to think of the future. She doesn't really do that. Tony's the futurist. She's just been living day to day. It really hasn't been that long, comparatively speaking, since she first started even thinking more than a week ahead, or since she first started assuming there would be someone else present in her immediate day to day life.
At his laugh she lifts a hand, curls it around his neck so that she can rub the back of it. ]
I wonder if JARVIS has parenting tutorials. Maybe he can find them. [ And now she's the one rambling a little, combating a wave of unsureness. ] But you're right. We're better. With each other. [ A pause, as she evaluates how presumptuous that sounds. ] At least, I'm better with you. It will be ok, we'll - we'll be ok.
[ Yeah, well, futurist he may be, he never envisioned one where he had children. At least, not one where he had children he knew about before they were at least four years old and their mothers came back calling for paternity tests and child support and some sort of pro bono lawyer looking to make a name for themselves. That one he has thought about several times. This one? Not so much. ]
I've heard there are actually multiple parenting advice books and tutorials. Practically several, even. I'm sure he'll be able to hunt them down. [ He didn't take it that way at all. It's the truth, as far as he's aware. They're better with each other. ] It's mutual. We'll be okay. [ He suddenly realizes the way that they're talking about this. It's a baby. Don't most people consider this a good thing? ] It's a tiny person who can't tell us no or complain for like, a whole two and a half years. It'll be cake.
and in such a case i suppose stockholm would set in quickly. or immediately.
[ She's never envisioned such a future even a tiny bit. It just - there was literally never a moment that it seemed reasonable or a possibility or something that she could ever want. And she's still not sure that she does want it, but she thinks she does. She thinks she does. ]
JARVIS is a good guy. I'm sure he'll take care of us. And we'll take care of each other. And it. It'll be good. [ They'll be okay. And yes, it is the truth, it's just that sometimes she says these things and then wonders if he feels the same way, if he really feels as benefited by this as she does. She thinks so sometimes and others is terribly unsure of it.
Apparently most people do consider a baby to be a very good thing, but they're not normal people and they have a rather specific range of experiences and a lifestyle that makes their deep wariness of the entire situation pretty understandable. ] We'll have to keep it safe. [ Oh. Oh, god. ]
....idk if it would count if you were a willing participant prior to the onset of stockholm
[ He'll feel more and more as though it's a good thing as time progresses. He'll be cautious at first, because he too, will be unsure as to how she feels about it, but he'll eventually not be able to help himself - he'll wind up building bricks and beams for baby hospitals, new technology to monitor infants, better cribs and such that stimulate multiple forms of learning more efficiently. Better armor for himself not just in terms of firepower but in terms of protection, and the same for her in the gear that she utilizes. ]
We do an okay job of that with each other. And... it won't be rushing into battle every other day. For at least a few years, anyway. If we don't have a grip on things by then -- [ he was about to say then they probably ought to just let ...it, leave, but he realized this wasn't perhaps the best phrasing. ] I believe in you. I trust you.
[ That's a reaction she can understand pretty well, and really seeing him get invested in the concept is as likely to make her come to a decision one way or another as anything else. Though right now, safe against him, she feels safe enough to think she does want this. ]
We do. But I don't want it to stop you from doing what you'd normally do. [ If that means rushing into battle, then okay, she can live with it. The Avengers have his back and if they don't she does and he's not going to die. She's most worried about the people who have already proved they don't mind coming after Tony and Max in person, on their downtime. She's going to have to make a list, of people she thinks would use a child against her. Against them. What she does then she's not sure.
But at those last words she sighs out her tension, presses her lips against his chest through his shirt. It's not about sex at all, or turning him on, just a simple expression of affection and faith. ] I trust you too. This will work, one way or another.
I doubt anything will stop me from doing what I normally do. [ It's a fairly self-deprecating remark, but it's true. Tony Stark habitually does what he wants. It's a thing. ] But it won't stop you either. We'll share. I think that's the whole reason it takes two people to do this. Two people, two chances for every little thing. [ More or less. He's talking himself into it, sort of.
But also considering her point-of-view on things, in as well as he can. The notion about their enemies using a baby as collateral or the ultimate bargaining chip is... yes, somewhat high, but he doesn't know if that's really something to be worried about. Sure, a baby is particularly defenseless, but it isn't as though both he and Max don't find themselves in harm's way due to prior history of some villain with the other. ]
Yeah, yeah. We'll make it work. We're totally intelligent enough to pull this off.
i'm totally right i think friendship is mutual stockholm syndrome
[ Her laugh at that is a little choked and cut off, but it's there nonetheless because it's true, this is Tony they're talking about after all. She's pretty sure if the entire world tried to tell him to do something he'd manage to do whatever he wanted anyways. ]
We're a little fucked up. [ It's possibly the wrong response to his reassurance (to her, to himself), but the tone she says it in says that she's not thinking of it as an insult at this moment. Some other time, maybe. Right now she's just stating it as a fact, a sort of darkly amusing one. ]
But you're right. [ The first tilt of a real smile on her mouth since she found out, and she tries to quell the sudden hope in her chest because that's not smart, being hopeful is a bad idea. ] We'll do good.
[ Good, that was the point. A little bit of levity, before the weight of the situation actually threatened to crush them both. But he does, genuinely, believe that they can at least create a functioning member of society. Maybe not like, the greatest - since as far as he's aware, half that shit's on the kid, too, to develop correctly - but still. A functioning member nonetheless.
He laughs a little, a breezy chuckle more than anything. ] Yeah. We totally are. So fucked up. But we'll be fine.
[ He can't see her smile at all from here but he hugs her to him just a little bit harder at that. Her acceptance, even temporarily. He feels better about all of this too, and whether it's the two of them faking for each other or they both actually believe what they're saying, either way, it looks like there's going to be a baby. Jesus. ] Hopefully. We'll go great. Make her better than both of us.
Edited (why were you laughing) 2013-05-25 05:55 (UTC)
but is that really a bad thing it could just be a really good thing
[ A functioning member of society seems like a pretty good goal. She'd be happy if this hypothetical (not really so hypothetical) kid grew up fairly happy and didn't turn into any kind of supervillain. That's really all she asks.
She'd really like it if it didn't hate her, too. ] You make me fine. [ But it's good to hear him laughing, equally good to be tugged closer to him, and she curls into him and breathes in and out against his chest, flattening one hand against his shoulder. ] I like that idea. Let's do that.
[ Making someone better than both of them might not be the healthiest goal to have for a child, but then it's own way it is. Someone without the things they had to go through, because maybe that shit builds characters but other stuff does too, all life experience does and it doesn't need to be that awful. It can just be normal. Normality. ] We'll make sure she can live a normal life.
Also that's totally a healthy goal. He's pretty sure he's seen like, at least a dozen movies where the parent basically says exactly that to their kid - 'I'm working so that you can have a better life than I've had'. Or something to that effect. That's what you want for people you love: for them to have an existence that was easier and lighter and happier than your own, free of the same issues you recall beating your head against in frustration and pain. ]
Well. I doubt it'll be normal. I'm going to be directly involved, and you're you. There's not really much of a chance for normal ever happening at all.
i don't know how i should feel about that statement
[ It's still in the hypothetical stages. Aren't all kids supposed to be thought of like that, until the most common stages for miscarriage are passed?
Phrased like that, it definitely sounds a lot better. She wants any child of hers, now that she has to think about it - she wants them to never have to know any of the things she had to learn. Other lessons seem like the sort needed to get along in the real world.
And oh god, really, she just kind of shakes her head in bemused amused. ] Well. Put like that, it does sound like it's chances for normal are pretty damn low.
[ Who knows. Tony doesn't know what to do with his own children. Other people's kids are easy - he treats them like they're tiny versions of himself and it tends to go well. ]
But that's good, I mean, who wants normal? Slightly abnormal, sure. Anything beyond that's just being greedy.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
are you going to bully me into accepting compliments now too
Her breath is coming shaky and faster than she wants, but for the moment she's still fairly under control. Freaking out more than a little internally, but they tend to figure things out. They're good at figuring things out. This won't be any different, right? ] I don't know, there's so much -
[ Glancing around the workshop, at everything that's become such an indicator of safety and comfort to her. That she's able to say this next part without real hesitation or consideration is a fairly big deal, really. ] I am safe. I know that, but this is. It's really big.
maybe.
But for the most part he feels like... It's her decision. She has more issues with this, he thinks, and it's her body and her mind and yeah he has opinions but until they get past the initial 'What do you want to do?' he doesn't know where to even begin coming in with anything. The overwhelming majority is that obviously, they're both ill-equipped, ill-suited, their lifestyle doesn't allow for it, but, at the same time, it's theirs. He can't tell what his feelings are doing right now at all. Isn't half of this supposed to kick in after he's holding the baby - isn't that when paternal instincts kick in, when they have the child in their hands? ]
Yeah, it's big. So we should think about it carefully. But what do you want?
well. okay, i guess there are worse things to be bullied over
And then there's the other hand, because against all the odds they have created a chance for life. A chance for something new and bright and untouched by tragedy, and they're - they're strong, they could keep it safe at least, they could be there. Not repeat the mistakes their parents had made. Right? One hand drops to rest flat on her stomach almost unconsciously, despite the fact that she knows she's not showing at all yet. Yet. Well, that's somewhat telling. ]
I think. [ Quiet, very precise to cover how unsure she is. ] Maybe. I would like to try.
8D
Okay.
[ They fit together so well as it is, right? If they can fix each other up like they have, if they can stay together like they have, then maybe it won't be as bad as all his worries have made it out to be. After all, when he was considering the possibility all those times before, he didn't have her in the picture. She helps balance things out. Helps steady circumstances and him. So maybe it'll be okay. ]
We can try.
you are a pretty great person
[ Which was disjointed and not particularly clear, but hopefully the idea got across. Maybe it will be different if it's something she ultimately chose. Maybe, but she's not sure yet. ]
I don't want to do anything without you. It's your choice too. [ And oh, god, they'll have to think about the publicity and the newspapers and the Avengers and - she takes a deep breath. That doesn't matter yet. Just them matters, right now. Them and what they both want. ]
wow stockholm syndrome sets in quick with you, doesn't it
[ About her body changing. He can't really fathom carrying around another person for nine months. He's still getting over seven pieces of shrapnel in his chest - a baby seems far more invasive. ]
I already said, I mean. I'm... good with trying. That would be okay, if we tried. [ God don't even start thinking about press and shit okay you don't want to drown this early. ]
that's not stockholm syndrome that's just thinking you're great
Okay then. [ This long pause, as if she's trying to accept the fact that they just agreed that they're going to try to do a thing that may end with a baby. ] Can we not tell anyone yet, I don't want to. Like. Pepper can know, but.
like i said
You say that like they didn't already try to do a thing that might end in a baby. Several times, in fact. ]
I don't have anyone else to tell. I mean. Rhodey, but he'll find out when the news does. He's used to finding out things like that. [ It's cool though, she's not the only one still in moderate shock about this. ] Pepper probably will know. I can't keep secrets from Pepper. [ Like. At all. Ever. It's kind of pathetic. ] But I won't tell anyone. Not until it's okay.
but i have thought you're great for ages! wait also when did you capture me
Yeah but she had a lot of reasons to believe there was almost 0 chance of there actually being a baby, this is - this is way different. She's silent for a moment at that first bit, because she's remembering that they're actually both pretty isolated people in many ways. They can't even really give a baby an extended family to fall back on if they screw up.
She really has to stop second guessing this decision. Abruptly she gets up and walks over to sit down on his lap and lean her forehead against his shoulder. For a moment she considers saying something, but she honestly has no idea what to say right now, so she's just going to sit here very quietly for a minute. Or two. ]
idk shhh don't poke holes in my sentences
He looks at her again - finally - when she stands up so suddenly, and watches her as she walks over towards him and sits on his lap. It's uncharacteristic of her, of both of them, but he doesn't mind, just wraps his arms around her and clasps them loosely on the far side of her. It's nice, for a little while, the moments of silence, but Tony isn't capable of letting moments like that last for too long. At least when he does start talking it's quiet. Babbley, but not something he's just blurting out as a knee-jerk reaction. ] We'll be fine. We're both okay. I mean, we take care of each other, so. And we've taught each other things, so we're already accustomed to that. You in particular are used to working with someone who acts like a child most of the time, so. [ A little amusement, although he's not sure how it's received and he quiets again for a couple of seconds. ] It'll be okay.
no i need to know now stockholm syndrome is only for captives when did i become a captive D:
It is fairly uncharacteristic, but right now she just wants to hold onto him for a little while, and his arms around her are very comforting. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in and releases it, then again, listening to him talk. There's another short silence after he finishes, and then she nods slowly against his chest. ] We do take care of each other. And you don't actually act like a child. [ She turns her head sideways a little, tucks it under his chin and just keeps holding on. ] I want it to be okay. [ It's a very shaky almost nonexistent laugh. ] I mean, we both know what not to do, right?
look i just wanted someone to share my pillow fort with i'm sorry ;;
He lifts his chin a little so that she can fit more easily there, then rests it lightly on her head as he listens to her. His response to her final statement is more or less the same as hers just prior to saying it - a short, dark huff of amusement, or something a little more twisted than that. ]
Yeah, I'd say so. Nice clear negatives to print from.
sharing pillow forts with you is a totally acceptable brand of captivity it's cool
At his laugh she lifts a hand, curls it around his neck so that she can rub the back of it. ]
I wonder if JARVIS has parenting tutorials. Maybe he can find them. [ And now she's the one rambling a little, combating a wave of unsureness. ] But you're right. We're better. With each other. [ A pause, as she evaluates how presumptuous that sounds. ] At least, I'm better with you. It will be ok, we'll - we'll be ok.
ok good
I've heard there are actually multiple parenting advice books and tutorials. Practically several, even. I'm sure he'll be able to hunt them down. [ He didn't take it that way at all. It's the truth, as far as he's aware. They're better with each other. ] It's mutual. We'll be okay. [ He suddenly realizes the way that they're talking about this. It's a baby. Don't most people consider this a good thing? ] It's a tiny person who can't tell us no or complain for like, a whole two and a half years. It'll be cake.
and in such a case i suppose stockholm would set in quickly. or immediately.
JARVIS is a good guy. I'm sure he'll take care of us. And we'll take care of each other. And it. It'll be good. [ They'll be okay. And yes, it is the truth, it's just that sometimes she says these things and then wonders if he feels the same way, if he really feels as benefited by this as she does. She thinks so sometimes and others is terribly unsure of it.
Apparently most people do consider a baby to be a very good thing, but they're not normal people and they have a rather specific range of experiences and a lifestyle that makes their deep wariness of the entire situation pretty understandable. ] We'll have to keep it safe. [ Oh. Oh, god. ]
....idk if it would count if you were a willing participant prior to the onset of stockholm
We do an okay job of that with each other. And... it won't be rushing into battle every other day. For at least a few years, anyway. If we don't have a grip on things by then -- [ he was about to say then they probably ought to just let ...it, leave, but he realized this wasn't perhaps the best phrasing. ] I believe in you. I trust you.
maybe this is how friendship works then?
We do. But I don't want it to stop you from doing what you'd normally do. [ If that means rushing into battle, then okay, she can live with it. The Avengers have his back and if they don't she does and he's not going to die. She's most worried about the people who have already proved they don't mind coming after Tony and Max in person, on their downtime. She's going to have to make a list, of people she thinks would use a child against her. Against them. What she does then she's not sure.
But at those last words she sighs out her tension, presses her lips against his chest through his shirt. It's not about sex at all, or turning him on, just a simple expression of affection and faith. ] I trust you too. This will work, one way or another.
oh god maybe you're right
But also considering her point-of-view on things, in as well as he can. The notion about their enemies using a baby as collateral or the ultimate bargaining chip is... yes, somewhat high, but he doesn't know if that's really something to be worried about. Sure, a baby is particularly defenseless, but it isn't as though both he and Max don't find themselves in harm's way due to prior history of some villain with the other. ]
Yeah, yeah. We'll make it work. We're totally intelligent enough to pull this off.
i'm totally right i think friendship is mutual stockholm syndrome
We're a little fucked up. [ It's possibly the wrong response to his reassurance (to her, to himself), but the tone she says it in says that she's not thinking of it as an insult at this moment. Some other time, maybe. Right now she's just stating it as a fact, a sort of darkly amusing one. ]
But you're right. [ The first tilt of a real smile on her mouth since she found out, and she tries to quell the sudden hope in her chest because that's not smart, being hopeful is a bad idea. ] We'll do good.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
He laughs a little, a breezy chuckle more than anything. ] Yeah. We totally are. So fucked up. But we'll be fine.
[ He can't see her smile at all from here but he hugs her to him just a little bit harder at that. Her acceptance, even temporarily. He feels better about all of this too, and whether it's the two of them faking for each other or they both actually believe what they're saying, either way, it looks like there's going to be a baby. Jesus. ] Hopefully. We'll go great. Make her better than both of us.
but is that really a bad thing it could just be a really good thing
She'd really like it if it didn't hate her, too. ] You make me fine. [ But it's good to hear him laughing, equally good to be tugged closer to him, and she curls into him and breathes in and out against his chest, flattening one hand against his shoulder. ] I like that idea. Let's do that.
[ Making someone better than both of them might not be the healthiest goal to have for a child, but then it's own way it is. Someone without the things they had to go through, because maybe that shit builds characters but other stuff does too, all life experience does and it doesn't need to be that awful. It can just be normal. Normality. ] We'll make sure she can live a normal life.
with you it's equally likely both ways, yes
Also that's totally a healthy goal. He's pretty sure he's seen like, at least a dozen movies where the parent basically says exactly that to their kid - 'I'm working so that you can have a better life than I've had'. Or something to that effect. That's what you want for people you love: for them to have an existence that was easier and lighter and happier than your own, free of the same issues you recall beating your head against in frustration and pain. ]
Well. I doubt it'll be normal. I'm going to be directly involved, and you're you. There's not really much of a chance for normal ever happening at all.
i don't know how i should feel about that statement
Phrased like that, it definitely sounds a lot better. She wants any child of hers, now that she has to think about it - she wants them to never have to know any of the things she had to learn. Other lessons seem like the sort needed to get along in the real world.
And oh god, really, she just kind of shakes her head in bemused amused. ] Well. Put like that, it does sound like it's chances for normal are pretty damn low.
i don't have an answer for you
But that's good, I mean, who wants normal? Slightly abnormal, sure. Anything beyond that's just being greedy.
squinting at you
Oh, sure, being greedy. Well, maybe I feel like being a little greedy. [ A pause, and then with a laugh. ] I've heard pregnancy sex is weird.
do you need glasses
/you/
8D
i'm watching you
should i put on a show
i won't object
/grooves
/chinhands at you forever
...okay i can live with that
oh good then this works fine