ic; salt inbox

[ingeniar]

WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK

USERNAME: STARK

text ❖ audio ❖ video

note: this inbox is a choose not to warn experience and may contain nsfw threads

Comments

@shadowheart

[nightsung]

[ Tentative, after a gentle creak of a door in their conversation the other night: ]

Do you ever think about having more children, some day?

[ As if some day is guaranteed, when Shadowheart knows it isn’t. But she still wants to ask. ]

[ingeniar]

[ Hard question to get out of nowhere, but Shadowheart is direct like that. It's one of the many things Tony likes about her. ]

Sure. I was an only child, look how I turned out. Might be a good idea to try to mitigate that.

[nightsung]

I like how you turned out.

[ A small gap between messages, then, as Shadowheart gathers her thoughts. ]

The way I was raised in the Cloister… I was never allowed to imagine a future where I was anything but alone. There was no room for real lovers in Shar’s doctrine, let alone families.

I still don’t feel like I’m allowed those things, sometimes. Even worlds away from there.

[ingeniar]

You're allowed those things. You're not there any more. They don't get to own you here as well.

[ A pause on his end this time as he frowns down at the phone in his hand, thumb hovering over the keyboard. ]

Do you want to have kids?

[ Sure, they've joked and flirted about it, but -- that's not this. ]

[nightsung]

I think so.

[ The first time she’s verbalized this, and so she’s shy; still half-afraid the dream will be taken from her, even though, as Tony says, she’s not there any more. ]

I’d like a cottage somewhere peaceful. With lots of plants and animals.

And a big family.

[ingeniar]

[ Not a dream Tony would ever have had, before Thanos crashed into everything like a wrecking ball. Now it's all he wants to get back to. ]

That's what I'd like too. Somewhere you can wake up and not have to worry about the world ending. Somewhere to build things.

[nightsung]

I’d like to watch you build things.

And maybe help. But mostly watch.

[ingeniar]

You can help. You've got good hands.

[nightsung]

Do I?

What do you like most about them?

[ingeniar]

You can heal with them, that's pretty cool, though don't tell Stephen I said that. They feel good when they touch me, also pretty cool. You're stronger than you look. You can handle a weapon if you need to.

Mostly I like that they're yours.

[nightsung]

I love you.

[ingeniar]

[ Without hesitation, getting used to it: ]

I love you too.

[nightsung]

Will you warm my excellent hands when I come in from the cold?

[ingeniar]

You want to put them under my sweater?

[nightsung]

Yes, please.

What else are you wearing?

[ingeniar]

Nothing. I'm like Winnie the Pooh.

[nightsung]

What's a Pooh?

[ingeniar]

Sweetheart, I don't think I can answer that without ruining the mood.

[nightsung]

Well, don’t reference a half-naked woman named Winnie if you don’t want me asking questions.

[ingeniar]

[ Deeply adorable. ]

Are you jealous of this half naked woman?

[nightsung]

Should I be? Is “Pooh” another term for “mistress”?

[ingeniar]

It's really not. Can we go back to talking about you putting your hands under my clothes?

[nightsung]

Aren’t you going to ask what I’m wearing, first?