13170/Tonight, on a Very Special Episode of Blossom

Tonight, on a Very Special Episode of Blossom
Date of Scene:	02 May 2021
Location:	Eastchester, The Bronx
Synopsis:	Alexander and Natasha go out to dinner with his squadmates.
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Black Widow (Romanoff)

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Phobos has posed:
    After Natasha's departure, rushing off to save the world, Alexander has a good handful of hours to himself which he used to straighten as he could. Nothing too strenuous or exciting, perhaps gathering laundry and tossing it in for a load. He wandered around the house and picked up... then took a gander at the sofa and the bullet holes there. To his credit he sprayed it with some soap and water and left it to sit a bit since that would /totally/ help, but it was an old couch anyways.
    When one o'clock rolled around he started to get ready himself to go wander in for his shift. 2-11, Support Duty. Which translated, roughly, to whatever random tasks needed doing. So he got ready, which involed jeans and sneakers and a t-shirt as well as his rather ubiquitous backpack. No need for a uniform from here since the level 1 teams changed on base.
    And then at 1:50 he rolled in to the locker room, strolling past the security check point as it bombarded him with no shortage of intense sensors and investigatory ray beams. There was that normal commotion within, conversations held, laughter, some razzing back and forth. He didn't really hear too much of it, though. His thoughts were elsewhere.
    Until.
    "Hey man, I was talking to you."
    "Hm?" Agent Aaron finally returned to the here and now, "Oh sorry, was trying to figure out my schedule."
    "No worries, you feeling alright?"
    "Yeah." Alexander gave a nod to Kelso, then sort of half-smiled, "Yeah feel pretty good actually."
    "Alright, I grabbed us inventory on sub level twelve, figured at least there we can listen to music."
    "Cool."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Avengers mansion. After their tussle with the Moleman, which really what was up with that guy? After that, the handful of Avengers who had been in town to deal with the threat wandered off to their own things. Natasha opted to go to the Avengers Mansion to file a quick report about what happened.

She was in her own room, using the computer setup there. She finished up the report, sent it in, then leaned back in her chair. The room was pretty barren. Nothing there to mark who was in the room, unless someone looked in the closet to the hidden compartment which was filled with a variety of weapons.

Her mind was wandering to earlier in the day. Not the fight. That was boring. No, her mind was on her time spent before heading there. At the safehouse with Alexander. She smiled to herself then a thought came to mind.

She turned to her computer and quickly brought up a secure browser. A few taps of the keys then she started scrolling through the images. Quick taps of the mouse or moving it around then on to the next image.

His phone would ping while he was getting ready to go on duty. There was a picture of a black leather couch from a local furniture shop. There was also some text from Natasha.

*Thinking this one looks good. Leather so easy clean up if something gets spilled on it. Thoughts?*

Phobos has posed:
    The young Olympian's phone buzzed in the open locker, then a jaunty tune played as a British-accented singer proclaims, 'How... how can it be?' then a few notes before it ends as he scoops up the phone and swipes it to life.
    Yet even in those brief seconds Kelso says, "Oh dude, that's a tragedy to have that as a ring tone and not listen to the whole thing."
    Only to have Alex grin and him and shush him even as he drops onto the bench and peers at the image, and then the message. He laughs and leans over to lightly dip-dap at the virtual keyboard as he types out a message back.
    *Sure, leather is always good. Some of my favorite people wear leather.*
    Only for Kelso to be loooooming over his shoulder, "So is that like, her?"
    "What?" Alexander says without looking then taps send before he swipes it back into its neutral state, slipping it into his chest pocket and then rising up from the seat while grabbing his helmet from inside the locker.
    "The chick that has stolen you away. Robbed your friends of your presence." Which has O'Hara chortling down the way a bit more as she had been listening in, and even Nelson joins in by making two sound effects, one of a cat and then of a whip cracking. Not very classy, but very Nelson.
    "I go out. I do things." Alex says as he connects his combat web belt around his waist and adjusts the thigh strap for the sidearm. "I went to that Bronze place you showed me just the other day."
    "Yeah, without us." Says O'Hara as she appears around the corner, already dressed and ready to go. She starts trundling toward the exit with Nelson in tow.
    "Alright, see you ladies later. We have monitor duty." Nelson says as he walks by, walking backward to give them both a wave.
    "Seeya, man." Is Alexander's response, though Kelso's is much less polite and involving one particular finger on his hand.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
*Oh really? I had no idea. May need to spice up my wardrobe if that's the case.*

Because Natasha is not aware someone might be peeking over his shoulder. She's grinning like the cheshire cat, tucking her feet up to sit cross legged in her desk chair as she hits the send button on that.

She starts looking through more options. She finds some that are cloth instead of leather and fires them his way too. *We'd just need couch covers. At least three.* She doesn't elaborate on why three.

Then she opens another browser and starts an entirely different sort of search. Involving leather. Lots of leather.

Phobos has posed:
    Just as Kelso and Alexander are stepping through the door the phone chimes in again with those same notes and lyrics, causing Kelso to /groan/ as they slip into the hallway. "Ok man, that's the first song we're listening to when we get down there."
    But Alexander? He's looking at the phone as he walks, shaking his head as he laughs a little but mindful not to let Kelso spy on these messages. Instead he strolls along toward the elevator and tip-taps out another IM and then hits send just as he steps in...
    *You are bad. Going on shift. Catch you after. <3*
    And then once in that elevator the signal dies on his phone as it begins its descent into the secure underbelly of the Triskelion. And for the first few moments of the ride he's dealing with putting his phone back into his pocket before Kelso glances over.
    "You seem happy."
    "Yeah?"
    "Yeah. It's sickening."
    Which causes Alexander to laugh, "Why's that?"
    "Cuz, if I can't be happy nobody can. It's very important for my world view."
    "Okay, I'll try to be more grouchy."
    "Thank you."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She glances at the time in the corner of her computer screen. He should already be working. Due to that, she shouldn't continue to text him. Because he shouldn't be responding or he'd be neglecting his duties. Whatever those duties might be today.

She didn't want him in trouble due to her.

Which meant she was going to need to stay busy for the next eight hours. That didn't sound like much fun at all. She could do some more Avengers tasks, see if that helped. She did order the couch. They'd have to go pick it up the next day. Which had her putting in to rent a truck to carry it since it wasn't going to be fitting in the SUV or on her motorcycle.

She did order a few other items to be sent to her penthouse, of a more private nature. It was his own fault for liking leather. Or admitting he liked it. It would either be a good time or a good laugh. Either was fine.

When she finished that up, she wandered to the closet and took out a few items from her armory and stuffed them in a duffle bag. Might as well take them over. She would also need to stop at her penthouse. Something she wanted to pick up there. It was time it was moved to the place she spent the most time.

Although, there was a chance it might get broken there. Maybe she should wait.

Phobos has posed:
    Inventory sounded as exciting as it was. It involved a lot of counting and cross-referencing data entry numbers to make sure they had the right number of flerglemuffins to match the count of the flerglemuffings. And enough fleeglenorfs to match the reported amount of fleeglenorfs, which also had them marking discrepancies. It was mindless work, but also the work given to Level 1 Agents since well... crap rolls down hill. But also it helped to weed out the people that felt it was all glory and excitement. Since so often it wasn't.
    Though, to be fair, it was easier with Kelso's bluetooth mini speakers and his mix-list of music. Still, it did get mind numbing.
    Though there was a point when they had taken their break and broke out their lunches. For Alexander it was just a thermos with some chicken noodle soup that they'd had delivered a few days ago, leftovers worked fine for lunch. But, it did give him a chance to text her.
    *So my friends assume I am dating someone because I am not around as often. Shall I liquidate them?*
    She probably doesn't need the smiley on the end to know he's joking.
    Though Kelso lifts his head, "Texting the old ball and chain, huh?"
    "Nope. I'm getting my lotto numbers."
    "Uh huh. You play lotto?"
    "All the time." Alexander responds, not able to keep a straight face.
    "You know the lottery is just a tax on people bad at math."
    "Not if you buy just one, your chance to win goes up infinitely when you buy one ticket compared to zero. It's an unmappable quantity."
    "What?"
    "See, I'm not so bad at math."
    Then he abruptly points at Kelso and says all faux-angrily in that grit-teethed way one has of kind of yelling at someone but not really yelling at them as he says, "Your Mom's Bad at Math!"
    Which has them both laughing for a minute or so.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
When the generic ring tone went off on her phone, Natasha frowned at first. She was just getting to her bike after her stop at her penthouse. She paused after making sure the duffle was secured to the back of the bike then thumbed her phone to life.

The frown turned to a bright smile when she saw the name on the screen. She quickly opened the mail then chuckled softly at his suggestion. She quickly tapped her thumbs on the screen to type back a response, just sitting astride her motorcycle and not firing up the engine for the time being.

*I can do it for you. Keep you above suspicion. Which one first?* Which she followed up with another rapid fire text. *I wish your work gave you real lunch hours. We could have dinner together. I was thinking Chinese.*

Phobos has posed:
    To his credit, Alexander had shifted his phone to vibrate, so her return message came through more as a 'bzzzt' than music this time, if only to keep some measure of privacy. But he's taking a few swallows of soup and chewing on the noodles as he leans back and sees his phone do a small dance on the cardboard box he had set it down on. Leaning forward he scoops it up.
    Kelso, for once, doesn't give him a hard time as he's lost in his own cellphone escapades, reading the news as he thumbs through article after article. Which lets Alex peruse the message she sends and laughs a little under his breath.
    *It's ok, I distracted them with my wit and charm.*
    Then a few moments later he taps out an answer.
    *I know right? Those cool long lunches are for the hoity toity level 2s and 3s. Those kids are such jerks.*
    Then Kelso's standing up and tossing his empty can into the recycling bin. "Ok man, that's it, back to the salt mines."
    "Be right there." Is offered in reply which gives him a chance to text back.
    *Ok lunch is over. Miss you. Catch you soon.*
    And with that the texts go quiet again for another few hours as they head back to it.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
*Level 7 are even worse. Think they own the place. Come and go whenever they want.*

When he sent back he had to get back to work, her smile faded. But only a little. Sure it sucked they couldn't talk for a few more hours again but she still was grinning like a goof just from this little interaction.

She tucked the phone away in her pocket and fired up the motorcycle, shifting up to speed pretty quickly and heading for that house in the Bronx. She did make a stop on the way, picking up to-go Chinese from a restaurant she liked. Then off to the safehouse. Once there, she took the duffle up to the bedroom, tucking it into the back of the closet where she kept a few of her belongings hanging.

She went to the living room and discovered the coach was damp. Not from what she would've thought but it seemed to smell of soap. Had he tried to clean it? She distracted herself giving it a good scrubbing.

Then settled on the floor, cross-legged, munching on her fried rice. She had her phone out on the coffee table and she considered then fired off another message.

*I'll pick you unless the scent of the subway entices you.*

Phobos has posed:
    As she munches away on the Chinese food she'll be left to her own devices until eventually it gives her that chirpy chime to let her know another message had come through.
    *I am sorta already out of the subway right now. If I sneezed you could probably hear me.*
    And as if on cue she'll likely hear the squeak and scrape of a sneaker on the sidewalk that leads up to the porch of that safehouse that's become their's. If she waits another ten seconds or so she'll hear the door click open and the thump-tha-thump of his backpack being dropped as well as the shuffling sound of him slipping out of his shoes.
    And then, of course, there's his voice raised to call out, "Hi, we're a Yakuza hit squad. We're all super mad at you. We all even got matching tattoos to show how mad."
    Then there's the creak of footsteps on the old wood floor and shortly enough steps on the stairwell.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She didn't bother to respond, instead putting her phone aside and climbing to her feet. At his regular joke upon entry, she couldn't help the little smile appearing yet again.

"Are they little hearts that are broken in half and say Best Friends?" Because that is what comes to mind when she thinks of matching tattoos. She knows better.

When he gets to the top of the stairs, she will be there leaning against a wall. "I see how it is. Embarassed to be seen with me already," she teases.

Phobos has posed:
    A wry laugh slips from him as he finishes that slow climb up the steps and then slips an arm around her waist to draw her into a hug, turning to the side a little so he can meet her eyes, "Noooo. Actually..."
    Alex leans in to touch his lips to hers, very soft, very gentle. A kiss that more says hello at first. It's the second one that he goes in for that whispers of love for it's accompanied with a soft 'mmm' and the slightest playful touch of his tongue.
    Then he leans back and smiles a bit, "We have been invited to go out, my squaddies and all. I told them I would ask my significant other. And thus." He lifts his voice a little, as if being theatrical, then it returns to normal tones. "I have."
    He slips his hand along her hip the other hand entwined with her fingers a little as he starts to drift away to head toward the kitchen. "I didn't know if you wanted to be like, /that/ open." Though he does pause at the entrance to the kitchen, clearly looking around for the rest of the Chinese food.
    "Is that a thing you'd like to do?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The kiss was met with like happiness. She hugged him lightly, leaning in close to him. The peck then the loving kiss. As he went off toward the kitchen, she considered the invitation.

Were they wanting to go that public? It would be known by everyone if they did this. His squad would be sharing the information with others of their rank. Then up even higher than that. Fury already knew. But he wasn't one to be sharing information with others. Then there was Skye who knew. But she also would probably not share with anyone outside Clint. Who admittedly, she should have already told since he was her friend but she knew he had his own problems and his own life to deal with. She didn't need to add to it with her secrets.

This would have the cat out of the bag. But, she wasn't ashamed of their relationship. In fact, she was fine with it being known. They wanted to be able to do more things, out of the safehouse. So, why not?

"I have no problem with us being public. But you are the one on the same level as them, working with them every day. Are you up to that?"

Phobos has posed:
    Stopping by the fridge he finds the bag with the Chinese food and starts to poke around at it, the paper rustling as he digs around and fiddles with the noodles and the fortune cookies. It's the cookie he was looking for and pulls it out, undoing the wrapper with a faint crinkle of sound.
    "I'm not going to lie, it'll probably have a big impact, and it'll probably get around for various reasons. But ultimately I think it'll settle down. And if we want to be able to be out and about... then yeah. Better to do it deliberately than to have someone stumble on us while we're at a restaurant or at a club and they'll think we were trying to be secret."
    His brow furrows, "Is there any like... paperwork we have to file? So it's official we don't have HR problems?" Since really this is not something he's not very knowledgeable about. Nor has he ever thought of it before knowing her.
    "I know," He says as he pulls out the orange cookie and cracks it open, "We'll let the cookie decide."
    And with that he pops it open, bites one of the pieces of the shell, then unfurls the tiny scroll. He clears his throat and blinks then says, "It reads, 'Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.' That is... that is kinda fitting. Weird."
    Perhaps the Fates have once again taken a hand.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
He believes in the Fates. After all, he's probably met them in person. For her they are an idea, a thing from mythology that she read years ago. She probably should really read up some more but she had learned through this relationship and the friendship with his father that the stories were not really close to the reality. Maybe some bits and pieces.

When he broke open the fortune cookie, she shook her head a bit because really, a fortune cookie? Though this one had something good inside it even if it was the usual mumbo jumbo. Yet today, it didn't sound like mumbo jumbo.

"What I want to do tomorrow is be with you from now on. And we have to go public someday. So..." She shrugs. "Why not. Bite the bullet and all that. Let's go to dinner with your friends."

Phobos has posed:
    "Alright, but..." Alexander's smile is wry, albeit gentle. "You asked for this." He says it even as he digs into his pocket for his phone and swipes it to life before he starts to send out the messages to set up the deets for the evening.

Phobos has posed:
    It was only a few hours later in the city. The Beth and Charles Steakhouse was abustle with the steady rush and rumble of the evening crowd out in the main area. There was the sound of laughter and vibrance all throughout the popular restaurant as people enjoyed the onset of the weekend and being able to get one of the finest steaks available on the East Coast. It was a richly decorated place, rustic in places but with a modern tilt to it. The tables were heavy and wooden, the chairs as well, on the walls were artistically placed antiques from around the turn of the century. Over at the bar people were chatting loudly enough that to be heard sometimes people had to almost shout. In the main room it wasn't that robust. But in one of the side rooms, reserved for large parties, it was closed off a bit with a curtain tastefully drawn and bound though heavy enough to absorb some of the ambient noise.
    Which led to making the awkward silence inside that room all the more awkward.
    "So umm, how did you two..." At least O'Hara was trying. She cleared her throat, then she started to ask again, "How long have you both been..."
    Only for the moment to be broken when Kelso raised his voice and said while staring wide-eyed at Alexander, "Seriously man, what the FUCK?!"
    It had started off ok. Kelso was the first to arrive. He took the liberty to order a pitcher of beer and an appetizer platter that he only mildly poked at. People started to show up and introductions were made. O'Hara showed up then with her date on her arm, Sam. Then Nelson wandered in with his friend Candace who seemed entirely too nice to be dating someone like Nelson, but such was life. It wasn't, however, until Alexander entered the room with the redhead in the pixie haircut at his side that the silence had descended. For when the SHIELD agents first saw her from afar their comments weren't unkind.
    "She's short." Was Kelso's first comment, then he added toward O'Hara, "But cute?"
    "Hmm." Was all she said in response.
    But then... the awkwardness hit when they stepped up to the table. An attempt at introductions was made, though Sam and Candace had to introduce themselves while the other agents still sat there and stared...
    Until Kelso's outburst.
    "I mean, no offense Ms. Romanoff." The taller heavier SHIELD agent holds a hand out as if to reassure her, then looks back at Alexander and says, "But seriously man, what the fuck?"
    Quieter this time.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Wasn't this fun! If the definition of fun included bamboo shoots under fingernails and water torture.

Natasha had been all smiles, greeting those at the table, giving her name as well to the new people Sam and Candace. The rest of them she knew from work. Not just from work but from having been on assignments together. She had not been the officer in charge on those assignments but her reputation sort of was a thing. She was one of the high level agents with the special skills. Oh and an Avenger. There was that too.

The server had been polite, bringing in a few baskets of yeast rolls and getting the newcomers drink orders then rushing back off. Natasha had her small plate in front of her, a roll on it which she had torn a small piece off of with her fingers and popped into her mouth.

She could feel all the eyes on her as they tried to process this new information. Then O'Hara, bless her soul, she tried. Only for Kelso to say what they were all thinking.

At he addressed her directly for a moment, she murmured, "No offense taken." A glance stolen to Alexander and he would be able to see the amusement in her eyes before it was gone a moment later, probably never noticeable to the others at the table.

She popped the piece of roll into her mouth and let him field the question from his friend.

Phobos has posed:
    To be fair, it looked like Candace and Sam didn't recognize Natasha. She wasn't one of the Avengers that pursued the camera quite as much as some of the others. And she did change her hair recently, but still. They were no dummies, they could tell something was up. They even shared a small look together shaking their heads slightly as if to say, 'No idea /what/ the heck is going on.'
    But right now there are looks being shared between the young agents of the first Tactical Response Team. Though Nelson is just looking at Natasha with those wide eyes and then looking at Alex, then back to Natasha, then back to Alex. Until finally he just shakes his head.
    Alexander, however, is at the least somewhat forthcoming. "Well." He starts then takes a sip of beer as if buying himself some time.
    "Started sort of back when we had that exercise that turned into the hostage situation drill?"
    Which brought the first interruption, though curiously enough from Candace, "Wait, hostage situation? What is it you people do for a living?" Then she looks at Nelson who has the wherewithal to at least look sheepish. "I'll tell you later, I want to hear this." Though thankfully Candace seems to accept it.
    "Yeah, where we kicked ass." Kelso answers, smiling a little at the memory.
    "Yeah, she was the..." A glance at Candace for a moment, "She was involved in that and was the one that stopped what I was trying to do."
    "I didn't see what happened." O'Hara said as she rested a hand on Sam's as if to reassure him.
    "Yeah, you were on your ass fast," Nelson smirked a bit as he reminded Alexander.
    "Yeah, well..." He spreads his hands a little, "Was first when we sort of became aware of each other professionally. And then there was the job out of the country. And..."
    Until finally he looks sidelong over at Natasha as if seeking a little bit of help.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
How she wants to just let him suffer. Watch him squirm and wiggle around the information while trying to explain without saying too much since it seemed Candace at least was unaware of what they did. She wasn't sure about Sam. She seriously thought about it. A few long seconds.

In the end, Natasha was merciful.

"We had known each other prior to that point," she admits. "I was a friend of his family." Not too much information and not a lie either. "When I found out he had joined the company, I volunteered for the crisis training the new employees undergo. Then we ended up on a company trip during which we spent a lot of time together. It started there. Had learned we had a lot in common. Things took the romantic turn shortly after when we were back in the States."

She smirks a bit, nudging his leg under the table lightly with her own out of sight of the others. "We didn't plan it but it just worked out that way."

Phobos has posed:
    As Natasha spoke she saw the other agents watching her, their expressions were rapt, attentive, and to be fair a touch incredulous. Though each one had their own cast to the expression, though Alex smiled into his beer. Kelso just exuded wonderment, completely surprised at the turn of events at it showed in his expression. O'Hara, she seemed to be of the grit her teeth and bear it sort. Oh there was some confusion, and perhaps a touch of wry acceptance as if this was just perfect for how she perceived the world to be. Nelson, though, he seemed to be on some level the most accepting as he just said, "Well... shit."
    Only for Candace to ask quietly, offering the pantomime of whispering to her boyfriend when really the whole table could still hear. "Why is this a big deal?" Since they both look roughly the same age, perhaps he's a little younger than her? Why would that be a thing?
    Nelson smiles a bit and says, "Miss Romanoff is a prominent figure at our work, so it's..." He then laughs and shakes his head, looking back toward Natasha and then Alexander.
    "I don't know man, that's... I want to hear all the details, but. Whatever. Fuck yeah."
    Only for Kelso to shake his head, still out there in orbit somewhere, "My mind's just blown, buddy. All this time?"
    "I mean, not /all/ this time." Alexander finally answers, "It's really just sorta happened."
    "But /you/. I mean..."
    Which causes Alexander to laugh as he lifts his beer, saying. "Ohhh-ho-ho fuck you." Then taking a sip.
    "No that's not what I mean, I mean..." Then he laughs, "Shit yeah, that is what I mean."
    Only for O'Hara to lift her voice as she says, "Well, I mean. Alex is pretty cute."
    Which has her date nudge her, "Hey now."
    "Oh c'mon, Sam. He's got that whole surfer vibe california kid thing going on."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"No, not all this time. A couple of months?" Natasha looks at Alex as she says that, arching a brow and making it a question to see if she was right on the time frame. Then she shrugged because it wasn't really that important, was it? If it was a month or two months.

At the comment about surfer kid vibe, she has to chuckle softly. "Well the hair maybe. And he is kind of mellow. But I never really picked up that vibe from him at all."

Since for her he didn't really fit that mold at all. Course, she knew a lot more about him than they did.

"I suppose in some ways now that I think about it." She knew he was likely to get even with her for that later. Which just amused her all the more.

But she did turn her attention to Nelson and Candace. "It's true. I have kind of an upper management position. But I am not his direct supervisor so there's no violation of policy. And my boss is aware of our status so it's above board."

Phobos has posed:
    "A couple of months, yeah." Was his answer given even as the others kept eyeballing them. Though he did lightly nudge her with his sneaker as she gives him grief about the surfer vibe, even going so far as to crinkle his nose a little.
    "But we... sort of intend to keep on being together? And we wanted to be honest, and let you guys know since I hope we can still hang out and everything." Which it is what they're there for in essence, isn't it? To let them know about this change in status and let them know everything will be alright.
    Kelso laughs and shakes his head, "Well, would you dump her if we totally poo-pooed her? I mean if I was dating someone so..." He gestures toward Natasha and says, "If you'll excuse me, ma'am." Then he turns back to Alex and says, "So /Bam!/ And my friends said it was us or them? Well shit I'd get new friends. But I mean hell, it's awesome." He seems about to say something else, then pauses, and Nelson cuts in.
    "What he's saying is that it's cool, man. And I hope you can still come out and have fun. Kelso won't say it but he missed your dumb ass running around with us lately." Which has Nelson grinning crookedly as Candace /whaps/ him in the arm.
    But it's O'Hara that seems to take a more serious tone, taking a deep breath and then nods. "I'm glad you've met someone that recognizes how special you are, Alex." She then looks at Natasha levelly and smiles a little, then adds. "Take good care of him."
    And there might even be a little silent 'or else' added on to the end of that statement the way O'Hara gives Natasha that look.
    "Soooo." Alex then says, "This being the case us sort of coming out and all, dinner's on me. Ok?"
    Which causes Kelso to whoop.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As each of them weighs in, Natasha can't help but chuckle again. He has good friends. They all care about him. Even though they were all sorts of personalities and types they all had that comraderie in common, born of training together for so long. It was common in the lifestyle they had joined.

"I appreciate knowing I'm ranked at Bam level," she says in an amused tone. "I promise he won't be disappearing on you completely. I wouldn't want him to do that. You all are good friends to him and I hear about you in his stories."

Now they can all worry what stories.

At the warning from O'Hara, Natasha returned the seriousness of her tone. "I will. He means very much to me." And she leaves it at that though she does give Alexander a look when he offers to pay for dinner, arching one of those perfect brows.

"Everyone be sure to order something expensive," she teases.

Phobos has posed:
    "Have you /looked/ at the menu yet?" Kelso warns them both as he looks between Natasha and Alexander, grinning and shaking his head. "And then the drinks menu, there goes this month's paycheck, Aaron."
    Of course that doesn't stop him from starting to peruse them both, even going so far as to extend the dessert menu over for Candace to take a look at her gesturing for it. Which assuredly is a good moment for the waitress to return as she gets lost in the job of taking down everyone's orders. Which, at first had been fairly disparate until Nelson pointed out the porterhouse's picture in the menu and the gorgonzola that was depicted on it as well as the potatoes side definitely looked good. Drinks ran the gamut from beer all the way to what Kelso said was 'The Volcano' which was a drink that when it arrived at the table was on fire with a lake of other booze around its unique serving /bowl/. The appetizers were many and mainly for tasting, but it wasn't until the waitress was on her way and well and done with everyone secured with their drinks before the talk turned around and back away from the acquiring and tasting of food.
    "So we're in stories now?" O'Hara asks as she leans on the table, her features a little flushed from her cocktail. Her date, Samuel, laughed and added, "Yes. I need to hear stories that I can use as leverage later." Which earned him a glower from her.
    "Well," Alexander smiles as he looks at Natasha, as if the stories have all been hyped up now. "Just day to day things. Like the time Bill got shocked by that robot." He's thin on the details since poor Candace hasn't been told about what they do yet.
    "Yeah, like that's story worthy?" Nelson responds a little sourly.
    "Well it was more about what led up to it."
    "Hey," Kelso's voice lifts as he leans forwards, curled over his Volcano drink and sipping it through a big ass straw. "If she's heard stories about us, only fair we get equal time and representation. Each of you has to tell us a story about the other."
    Which has Alexander sort of looking at Natasha, giving her a sort of blank look and letting her take the lead on this one.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
This is where things got tricky. She couldn't tell too much of a story because that would end up revealing things they might not want their dates to know about their career choices. It wasn't like one could casually tell the new person they were seeing that they worked for a government branch that specialized in espionage and homeland security. Especially when that group was more an urban myth since people didn't see them all the time.

She also didn't want to lie. Because that was just starting off on the wrong foot with his friends. Plus one had to remember lies which always ended up making things more complicated. It needed to be the truth. Only, cleaned up and prettified for the civilians.

"I've got one. When we were overseas." Natasha glanced at Alexander, watching the wheels turn as he tried to figure out what point overseas she might be telling about.

"We were scouting some locations for acquisition..." We were looking into some Hydra rumors for bases we might take down. "Spending time, seeing the sites in the area as we did so. At this point, we were not even thinking romance." To clarify for those that might wonder.

"When suddenly one of the major players for the company we we were seeking to acquire made an unexpected appearance. Alexander would've been fine, since he's not really known for being with our company. But I could be recognized. I'd dealt with this man before." Taskmaster was there and could have blown their cover.

"To try to keep him from seeing me, I turned and just kissed Alexander. Knowing that people don't like to see public displays of affection." SHe considered then grinned. "Well most people. Thankfully this guy wasn't a voyeur," she added with a chuckle. "When he had gotten out of sight, I broke the kiss off and we continued about out travels." We broke into their facility, killed two guards and stole the data needed before heading back to the hotel.

Phobos has posed:
    The others of the squad are good enough to follow along and likely key to the subtext. Nelson's nodding along and glances at Alexander now and again, but mainly keeps his focus on Natasha as she tells the story. His brows raise at one point near the end, then snaps his fingers. "That was the..." He starts to say, then nods toward O'Hara, "That was the thing."
    A small laugh is let slip, "Yeah it was," Which whatever the thing was, they're at least keeping it to themselves for now.
    Though Candace is grinning as she leans on the table, her neatly manicured fingers curled around the base of her beer. "So what did you do?" Her eyes drifting towards Alex.
    Kelso joins in, "Yeah man, what did you do?" He shoots a glance at Natasha and says, "Ms. Romanoff, famed for her termination policies and handling of expediting acquisitions turns and lays one on you. The hell were you thinking?"
    Which has Alexander sort of looking sidelong at Nat and she'll feel him rest his leg against hers, just a slight touch thigh to thigh to let her know he's there and cares for her before he answers. "Well, I mean, I kissed her back."
    "Whaaaaat?!" Goes up almost in unison between Kelso and Nelson, though O'Hara takes the moment to down some of her drink, making a small face, perhaps because Sam is laughing while Candace's eyes twinkle with amusement.
    
    Then Kelso looks over at Natasha, "Was it like, did he kiss you. Or you know. Did he _kiss_ you?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha was taking a sip of her drink when that was asked. She had ordered vodka which was served chilled to the proper temperature and not served on ice, as that would be a travesty. They were an upper level restaurant and they liked their customers to be happy.

The reactions were already amusing. Certainly in most jobs, it would be improper to do such a thing. But the team were in the know and they understood. Realized the danger and the importance of not be recognized and the fast thinking involved in that moment to try and hide her face.

The question from Kelso had her grinning as she lowered her glass. She answered with a single word. "Yes." Which really they deserved some elaboration. "It started as a kiss but then it became a _kiss_. After it was over, we both knew it was for a reason but it led to conversation later for obvious reasons. We don't consider that our first kiss though. Due to the extenuating circumstances involved."

Phobos has posed:
    "We don't?" Alexander says as he smiles crookedly sidelong towards Natasha, but it's a smile that teases even as he nudges her leg again gently.
    "Oh man," Kelso's shaking his head as he takes a looooong sip through the straw he was using to drink his Volcano drink. "You deserve so many high-fives now."
    Which gets O'Hara to /glare/ at him. But she's still hiding a smirk of her own. Though Candace gestures with one hand, "Well I think it's romantic. Love blossoming from out of the ordinary circumstances. Two people who meet and have chemistry."
    Only for Nelson to snort a little which gets him elbowed by his date for daring to give her umbrage for her loving outlook.
    "So anyways," Alexander says, perhaps cutting off further comments. "We started to spend time together, talked some, found out we had a few things in common and I don't know. It went from there."
    "So you knew his dad? What's he like?" Kelso asks as he sits forward and reaches for one of the rolls, tearing it into pieces similarly to how Natasha did it. "None of us have had the chance. We just know he's some kind of prepper... guy." That last word likely being altered at the last moment.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"We don't," Natasha repeated with a grin over at Alex. "If you do, that's fine. You're wrong. But it's fine," she adds with a chuckle. She brushes her foot against his down under the table, just a gentle touch.

That next question catches her by surprise and it shows as her brow furrows slightly. She wasn't sure what all they might have been told so it would be easier to try to avoid this one. Yet, she had to give them a little something or it might seem odd.

"Yes, his father is quite the character. Prepper is a fitting term. But he isn't one of the crazy level ones." Was he? Maybe she was spreading that one a bit far.

"I'm sorry. I need to pardon myself from the table a moment. I'll be back in a few minutes." She gave Alexander's knee a squeeze under the table then rose to her feet, heading off but pausing to ask the server directions to the restrooms. It was toward the back down a little hall and there she would find it. She thanked the woman and headed that direction.

Phobos has posed:
    "Wait up, I'll join you." O'Hara chimes in pleasantly as she pushes herself to her feet, grabbing her pocket book and tucking it under her arm. She leans over and touches a small smooch to the top of Sam's head, before she heads off after Natasha, "Be right back."
    "Oh, hey, one second." Candace offers and hops up quickly as she can, giving Nelson's shoulder a squeeze before she's making her way around the table toward the curtain that heads out to the main room of the restaurant. She announces happily, "Girls time!"
    Which left the four men there to sit and reflect quietly with their drinks...
    Until the women are out of earshot...
    "What the /fuck/ man!?" Kelso repeats, only to have Nelson laughing and /leeeaning/ over on Samuel, one hand holding onto the man. "You are so insanely lucky, I have no idea how you managed it, you must have brain washed her, or caught her after she broke up with someone way... /way/ better. Oh man."
    "Screw you, Bill." Alexander smirks across the table and casually flicks a straw wrapper in the man's direction, though it misses by a wide margin.
    "What's the big deal?" Sam leans forward on the table and it completes the 'look' as the three men circle around Alexander looking entirely conspiratorial as they all look for answers. "I mean she's beautiful, and very intelligent. But the way you guys are acting..."
    Kelso glances over at Sam and asks, "Man, you know what we do?"
    Sam answers, "Yeah, SHIELD. I do some contract work for a few of your field offices, it's how I met Sharon."
    "Right, so. That... Is Natasha? Romanoff?"
    Nelson's grinning ear to ear, while Sam's just shaking his head. And Alexander... he's looking at his beer and biting the inside of his mouth, the tips of his ears flushed a little with color.
    "She's an Avenger?"
    "What?" Sam finally says.
     "Yeah, an Avenger? Hangs out with Thor and Tony Stark? /AVENGER/."
    "Oh shit."

    Meanwhile, in the ladies' room.
    There's the sound of toilets flushing and from one of the stalls Sharon O'Hara emerges taking that short walk up to the mirrors to consider herself in the reflection. A glance at her makeup, minimal that it is, a brush of her hand over her skirt, her blouse. She takes her time with it, likely waiting for the emergence of a particular redhead.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha was not expecting to go in a group. Contrary to popular belief, not all women feel they need to go together to the restroom. Usually if it does happen that way, it is friends who want to gossip while in there. Needless to say, Natasha was not generally part of such groups.

Until tonight. She found herself with Candace and O'Hara heading off to the restroom together. The interior was nice, all warm pleasant colors with an attendant present at the door greeting and offering towels to people when they were leaving. Natasha gave the woman a brief smile then headed for an open stall.

A few minutes later, she exited, her black heels clicking loud on the tiles it seemed. Probably not that loud but it felt like it to her. She moved to the sink, putting hands under the faucet in front of the sensor so the water came on and quickly began washing her hands. Three pumps of soap and back to sudsing them up.

She knew O'Hara was there but she waited until she was rinsing her hands to speak to her. "Sam seems nice. You two been seeing each other long?" Just making polite conversation. Though she had the feeling the woman had a few things to say. She'd noticed some of her expressions through the night.

Phobos has posed:
    "He's a good sort," O'Hara says as she glances toward the door back to the dining room. She then looks over at Natasha's reflection and smiles a little while she's still running water over her hands, then reaches for one of the small folded towels. "We've been dating about two weeks."
    There, social conventions met, she answered the question, made the needed small talk.
    Then she turns, resting a hand upon the countertop, more to face Natasha directly. They make a curious pair, similar images in some ways though O'Hara is a good five inches taller than her, her hair is also a darker reddish brown. Her dress was a soft blue, while Natasha's was her chosen black.
    "Forgive me if I take this moment, Ms. Romanoff, to tell you that I've looked up to you for years. I think in some ways you're the reason I took the career path I did. I. Aspire. To be even close to as competent as you are..."
    The words are said with a solemnity, a seriousness. Which under other circumstances might be a positive thing. Though Natasha has been in this business for years and likely knows that something else is coming when Sharon hesitates.

    Outside at the table, there's no reprieve for the condemned man even as the three other men bombard him with questions. "So seriously, on the op, she kissed you. You kissed her back."
    "Yeah, but it was... you know, professional."
    "How was it? What was it like?" This coming from Nelson who leans forward all the more, "Details man."
    "I cannot tell you anything, guys. Seriously." Alexander leans forwards and laughs a little, then spreads his hands. "She would /literally/ kill me."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha picks up one of the towels and quickly dries her hands. She sets the towel beside her on the counter, resting her hand on top of it in a comfortable position that somewhat mirrors O'Hara's.

"I appreciate that. You're very good. I have no doubt you will be able to continue growing in skills and work your way up in the company." Said truthfully. Because the woman is good and takes orders well. She just has a little bit of a temper but that isn't always a bad thing if it can be controlled and redirected properly.

But it was there. The face she'd made at the table. The subtle shift of her body language upon seeing who arrived with Alexander. The micro expressions that showed annoyance.

Though she was doing well hiding it now, there was more to this conversation. She didn't push, letting Sharon get to it in her own good time.

Phobos has posed:
    It takes her a little time. To build up the conviction, the moxie, the courage. Considering who this woman is and what she's known for. And considering what role she's played in O'Hara's life.
    "Alexander... he is a special guy. He is open. And fearless. He wears his heart on his sleeve in some ways even when he's trying to hide it. He is this combination of things that someone could really... easily, take advantage of him." She seems to gain that courage as she speaks, growing more sure of herself, then meeting Natasha's gaze evenly, even perhaps tapping into that temper to help her push forward.
    "I hope... I really hope, that you two care for each other. You are such a prominent and strong woman, that you can have any man you want. I would be really disappointed in you... in myself for idolizing you, if I found out that you were using him in some way." She takes a deep breath, holds it, then lets it out.
    "Anyways, that's all I wanted to say."

    "So have you met any of the other Avengers?" Sam seems taken with that idea out there in the dining room once again, the four men leaning close and speaking in that oh so conspiratorial way.
    "No, I haven't. But I probably will I imagine."
    "Are you worried?" Nelson asks.
    "Are you scared?" Kelso asks with a slightly more wary tone. "I mean, they are some out there people.."
    Though Alexander laughs, "No, I'm not scared. I figure... it'll be interesting. I hope I get along with them."
    "So what do you guys... do? For dates I mean." Kelso seems to just not get the whole thing at all.
    "Normal stuff, man. We went on a picnic the other day." Though, to be fair, that was their first out and about sorta date date. "We go get food, we sometimes watch movies, stay in. We talk about our day, sometimes we train together."
    "A picnic? That's just..." Nelson shakes his head while Kelso...
    "You just blew my mind, man."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
A different woman might be offended by those words. O'Hara was basically implying that she would be the type of person to use another for her own entertainment, not caring about their feelings. It was insulting.

Yet, Natasha recognized it as concern for a friend. Perhaps a bit of sour grapes in there since Sharon now would have to wait for another possible shot at Alexander, since she did have a crush on him. Natasha had noticed it previously in the team interactions.

"I appreciate your courage to tell me your feelings." Because it did take courage to tell the infamous agent something like that. "I will assure you again as I did earlier. I am not using him. For anything other than the pleasure of his company, because I enjoy spending time with him. My feelings for Alexander are real and deep. He means a lot to me and I am hoping to be with him for...well, as long as I can imagine being alive." Which was saying a lot more time than a normal person, although O'Hara wouldn't know that. "I doubt there is anything I can truly say to prove it to you but I hope you will realize as time passes the sincerity of my words."

Phobos has posed:
    "I um," O'Hara lowers her eyes and looks to the left a little, her brow knitting. Then she looks up at her and smiles a little, a hint of a tear in her gaze as she swallows and shakes her head, laughing just a bit. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to say that."
    She adjusts her blouse, wipes away an invisible speck of lint, then looks up and nods, the momentary hint of emotion gone. She reaffirms her smile and then says, "That's all I can ask for, I hope you understand I felt I... needed to say that."
    She swallows, clears her throat, laughs a little nervously. "I suppose we should..."
    Then there's the flush of the toilet and Candace emerges, smiling to them both as she washes her hands, "Hey guys." She reaches for a towel. "We should probably not leave the boys out there alone too long, who knows what they'll be getting up to?"

    Which, being that as it may...
    "So Tony Stark comes up to you and says, 'Fifty million dollars if you walk away.' What do you do?" Nelson says severely.
    "I don't take the money, jeez."
    "Seriously? Fifty million dollars?"
    Then Kelso pipes up, "Ok Thor walks up, and says he's going to kick your ass if you don't leave Natasha alone!"
    "I probably fight him and get my ass kicked."
    "You're /insane!/"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"If it's any consolation, I wasn't expecting to say it," Natasha admits just as Candace comes out of her stall and joins the pair already by the sinks. At mention of what the boys were up to? Natasha murmurs, "I suspect raking him across the coals for information."

She turns to head for the door, taking her towel and throwing it in the basket for that purpose. A five is dropped in the tip bowl for the attendant because really, they never were given as much as they honestly deserved in those jobs.

As they emerged into the dining room, she glanced to the table and saw all the male heads bent forward and close together. "Oh dear." Especially when she noticed Alexander looked a little more pink than normal, particularly the tips of his ears.

They walked toward the table and she moved to resume her seat next to Alexander, leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek as a sign of support for the suffering he must have endured during her absence. Not because of her absence, no. The third degree by his friends!

Phobos has posed:
    As the women rejoined the table, the man straightened up, smiled. Sam offered his hand to O'Hara as she walked back over to her seat and he gave her hand a squeeze. Though when he noticed the blush to her complexion he murmured a quiet, 'You okay?' That most people at the table didn't hear, save perhaps Natasha.
    She gave him a smile and a nod, then a little shrug before she gave him a smooch too. Nelson though, poor fellow, only got a sidelong hug before Candace rejoined.
    "So." Kelso said, ever so non-chalant, "We were just talking about the Yankees."
    "Yeah. They're playing the Tigers this weekend, like five games I think?" Nelson offered in way of insight. Ever so subtle.
    Alexander, however, smiled sidelong at Nat and when she scooched back into her seat he returned the smooch with one of his own before he says. "Yup, the Yankees." Though his half-smile was a little sardonic even as he looks up. And then, thankfully, Kelso points out. "Oh hey, think this is us!" As in that moment shared, the waitress and two other servers swoosh through the curtains carrying the platters of their meals and start to set them before each person.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"The Yankees." Natasha repeats it, glancing over at Alexander but not pressing. Though she knows they certainly were not talking about the team.

The arrival of food lead to less conversation for a bit as everyone enjoyed their meals. A few words here or there which then expanded to full on conversation as people reached their fill and couldn't eat anymore. Desserts were offered for those who still had the room or those who didn't but weren't passing up the chance when someone else was footing the bill.

Alexander likely got a bit of sticker shock when the bill came his way.

In the end, they were all in the parking lot, about to scatter to the winds. "It was a pleasure meeting you Sam and Candace. And nice to spend time with the rest of you out of a work setting," Natasha said, her fingers twined with Alex's as they stood next to each other.

Phobos has posed:
    It had been an evening, pleasant all around. And as people filtered out and wandered off, the farewells were given and it had all been rather nice. Yet it did leave Alexander and Natasha walking down the street together, his arm around her as the chill had become more pronounced as the night went on.
    Once they were alone and strolling, Alexander told her with a small smile as he touched a kiss to her brow. "I told you it'd be a thing. But I think it went well."