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Speaking as a doctor, I find it's more efficient to leave the hangover to do the heavy lifting. They're welcome.

[ Which is also to say, in a roundabout way, Loki's welcome. And would you look at that, somebody's putting a fresh-this-morning croissant into the oven to heat through a little while he finishes off the bacon. Don't get used to it, but appreciate it while it lasts. ]

How's the head?

[ He appreciates a free breakfast a great deal! The most important meal of the day is sacred. ]

I always forget that you are in fact a real doctor. I can tell you weird details about Asgardian biology, if you like. It's wacky stuff.

[ Rubbing his head when Stephen asks about it, he huffs a somewhat chagrined laugh and shrugs. Sips his juice to stay as unobtrusive at the table as possible. ]

I'm alright, bit groggy. Feels like I walked through Muspelheim and snorted a load of sulfer.

[ A glimpse into Asgardian biology does actually sound up his street, but his attention moves along with the conversation to the state of Loki's head and the memory of the evening before.

He could leave it. Just leave it, not know one way or the other, knowing just as much about him and saying just as little about any of what he knows. But he can't imagine having any of the more difficult parts of his life sitting remembered inside another person's head, and he has so many of Loki's now...

Whether it's better to know or not is the question. Before Stephen can get to answering it, he needs to find out if that decision is even in his hands. ]

Well then, lesson learned. [ Until the next time. ] Remember much?

[ Trying to keep that as light and unloaded as possible. It's not a half bad job given how loaded it actually is. ]

I remember I tried to drink all the green shots at the bar ... and might have asked you to join me? Oh! And that your portal was incredibly bright when you picked me up.

[ Stephen's assessment of how much it takes an Asgardian to get drunk was on the nose, and a lot of alcohol evidently means a lot of forgetfulness even in in godlings. Loki finishes his juice and heads to the fridge to get some more, flashing Stephen a genuine (if somewhat tired) smile. ]

Please don't tell me if I came onto you, just accept my apologies if I did. Your nickname amongst the young superheroes must have stuck in my head.

Edited 2022-06-06 17:03 (UTC)

—What? [ That's an effective derail. Does he want to know? Second thoughts, no, it's probably best that he does not - ] No. You didn't.

[ Which leaves him with The Dilemma. Pushing it off for a few minutes more, Stephen focuses his effort on finishing up breakfast: slicing the croissant, adding the bacon. ]

You don't want to know.

[ He is in agreement about that, not only because he's the one who spread the nickname around and got it to take root. Loki doesn't want to ruin the morning.

Resting his head against the fridge as he sips his new juice, he watches Stephen making breakfast as feels a smile widen at the domestic sight. It's welcoming. He doesn't feel like he's imposing. ]

May I make use of your shower before I head out? I smell like the bar.

Sure. I'd use the bathroom on the second floor landing if you don't want the kid complaining that you've used his shampoo.

[ Would the kid in fact complain that anyone had used his shampoo? Unknown. It feels like the kind of spatting that wouldn't be entirely out of place with the two of them, depending on the day.

Plating up now, he finally carries the finished article to the island and sets it down for Loki when he's ready to come and eat. Taking a seat on the opposite side, Stephen lifts a couple of satsumas to hover in the air and begin peeling themselves, mostly as a distraction so he can bring himself to broach another subject - ]

Nothing else?

[ Remembered, he means, but it's not specific, easily open for misinterpretation. Vague enough that it might buy him another couple of seconds to change his own mind. ]

[ He sits and starts eating, only glancing up when asked Nothing else? Bit weird, that. A brow arches as he blinks at him, swallowing a mouthful before giving an awkward shrug. ]

This morning or about last night?

[ Both seem likely, Stephen has never hosted an Asgardian to Loki's knowledge and he really can't recall the end of the evening. ]

[ That is a resounding no. There's a long moment of non-response as Stephen watches him in return across the table, the deliberation in the slight pinch of his expression balanced out with purposefully resolved eye contact out to achieve something as close to neutral as he can muster.

But the pause alone makes it too late to backtrack now. ]

Last night.

[ He probably shouldn't have taken his hand. Hindsight, as it ever was, is a wily mistress. ]

[ The fork clinks as he lower it to his plate, sitting up a little straighter. The lightness seeps from his expression, replaced with an older brand of concern and suspicion. ]

Stephen, [ everyone has level voices here today, ] what did I do?

[ Another, longer pause. But there's nothing for it. He does at least have the good grace to look sorry, to stop the growing peels from twisting in the air. ]

You showed me what was wrong.

[ All of it. Or at least everything left swirling around in his head amongst the daze of the drink. ]

... What? What was wrong?

[ A scoff and he gives him a You Are Crazy, Sir look. ]

I am perfectly fine, thank you. I was drunk, yes, so I don't think anything I said can be held against me in a court of Midgard.

[ He's started now. It would be nice to laugh along and shrug it off and never speak about it again (except for the inevitable day when any of it becomes keenly relevant, maybe after enough time's passed that it doesn't matter or maybe that the passing time makes the news of it stick in sore as a ragged splinter) - but he's committed to it.

So, again, this time with heavy emphasis on the key point: ]

You showed me.

[ And then, because forcing the conversation to last any longer than it needs to is about as unfair as having cause to start it in the first place: ]

We don't have to discuss it. I thought you ought to know.

Showed you what?

[ Annoyance seeps in, largely because he was upset about a lot and none of it linear. ]

I ... You know what, as the God of Lies I give you permission to lie to me by omission, I don't need to know what you saw. If you're fine, I'm fine.

[ ... It doesn't really feel like a solution. Stephen's mouth tweaks down into something frustrated, pinch of his brow just shy of concerned— and then smoothes out, back into neutral.

No, fine. Fine. Short of retelling it all in its detail, a muddy (sharp, each memory kept crystalline save for the places they blurred into the next or evaded Stephen's complete contextual understanding) wash of all the things Loki has to feel bad about, what's he going to do?

The floating citrus drop down into his hand as even Stephen's neutrality is wiped clear by a cartoonishly obvious shift in expression. A you're right, what am I yammering on for face that's accompanied by a deep inhale and an abandoning of his seat. The kitchen won't clean itself! (It will, but it's a decent excuse to excuse himself from the table at least.) ]

Fine, yeah. - If you want coffee when you're clean there's a spot in town that does a great espresso.

Edited (More words why not) 2022-06-06 18:54 (UTC)

[ He's done something and he can't remember what it is, what he showed Stephen to make him all twitchy beneath that appeasing, slightly saccharine smile Loki gets, and despite the agreement to keep quiet it bothers him. It clearly bothers Stephen.

Another mouthful of bacon-croissant as he thinks and Loki decides that while baring more of his soul isn't the best idea, honesty can't really hurt things any more than it has at this point (however it happened). He also wants to stay the kind of person that could be a good friend, one who is invited out for coffee because he's liked and not out of sheer manners.

Stephen starts tidying and Loki keeps eating as if distracted to at least let a level of ease remain. ]

It's because I trust you. That was why I called, last night. [ Mmm, juice. Makes food and lies easier to swallow. ] Last time I got wasted I made the mistake of believing Stark would help, but he ... Things are different to how they were back home. He gave me a pep talk via text that I read in the morning, which was nice of him inasmuch as I didn't think he would respond at all, but it was a bad night.

[ He gestures with his utensils in a shrug beside his plate. ]

You would come. I felt sure of it and I was right. I am sorry to have been an inconvenience to you, if what I ... showed you was awful.

[ — Oh, god, how did they get here? The dishbrush scrubbing at a frying pan almost drops down into the sink as he's distracted by the topic shift, Stephen refocusing his spell at the last second to keep at bay any obvious sounds of a splash and stuffing a segment of fruit into his mouth to act casual as the morning's pot and pans get back to scrubbing themselves clean. He manages to keep his back turned through some of it, busy with tucking away the paper bag that houses a couple more croissants and putting away a few things from an earlier breakfast, but that takes only seconds and pretty quickly it feels too obvious that he's avoiding eye contact.

So he turns to lean back against the counter, drying his hands and eyeing Loki with measured inscrutability. Ultimately though, the last thing Loki says earns a bemused quirk of mouth. That's the take? Sorry if I inconvenienced you with all the worst parts of my life? ]

It wasn't an inconvenience. You offered, I accepted.

[ There's a very real possibility a few of the jumbled memories will feature in some very unpleasant dreamscapes, but that's whatever. His dreams haven't been sweet for years. ]

I just don't want it to come as a surprise to you when you tell me any upsetting detail about your life and I forget to look shocked. I won't be.

[ Is it callous to state that without also apologising for the things he now knows? Maybe. But there's too much of it to go into, and this conversation has already gone far enough off his anticipated track to derail whatever preparedness he might have had to react appropriately. Flippancy is an easy fallback, especially now Loki's proved equally dismissive in his fondness for the word fine. ]

[ His lips twitch and Loki gives a wry smile, bringing his empty plate over to the sink to let it float around with the others. He leans back on the counter, head tipped toward Stephen. ]

You know, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I get asked if I let a horse fuck me. Now that is an example of someone knowing an uncomfortable amount about you!

[ Tossing his hair back on a laugh, he grins. ]

It bothers me none that you know things about me, Stephen. You are not, I think, a chatterbox.

[ Although he makes a show of looking him up and down with exaggerated suspicion! ]

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