14151/Sunday Brunch Tradition

Sunday Brunch Tradition
Date of Scene:	24 February 2022
Location:	Dining Hall, Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Pepper makes Sunday brunch for the Avengers. Enter Natasha- party of one.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Black Widow (Romanoff)

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's a little before 11 am, and Pepper has been up for a few hours. She cooks on Sundays, unless Tony has her across the world. It's the one time she indulges herself in a kitchen, making food for those few people in her life she considers friends, namely, The Avengers. This Sunday is no different. The smells of bechamel sauce, eggs, fresh toast, and coffee are drifting from the kitchen where Pepper is listening to some classical composer.

She's even in casual clothing -- a pair of designer jeans, a cashmere gray sweater, and an apron overtop of it all to not entirely ruin everything as she's cooking. She hums quietly along with the music, used to doing this rather alone.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
While Pepper was busy in the kitchen, the building wasn't empty. As was their requirement, an Avenger was laways on duty at the Avengers Mansion. They would keep track of the goings-on in the world and be available if someone, by some odd chance, came to the mansion to ask for help. Or blow it up. They happened about equally it seemed. Most people realized the Avengers were not in residence there typically. Thus it was kind of useless to show up.

Natasha was the one on duty today. She was locked away in the monitoring room, watching the feeds, responding to a few requests for information that came through official channels.

Then came the whiff of something magnificent through the air filtration system. The redhead smiled to herself as she pushed a few buttons and rose, heading across the mansion toward the kitchen where she knew Pepper would be working. Nat was dressed in jeans and a white button-up shirt, boots with a short heel on her feet.

As she entered the kitchen, she leaned against the door frame and took a loud intake of air. "I love when I get assigned monitor duty on Sundays." Since she generally didn't show up on Sundays anymore unless it was a duty day.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Looking up from the cast iron pan on the stove, Pepper gives Natasha one of those smiles that's really only reserved for the people here. It's a real smile, one filled with warmth and the pleasant surprise that always comes that anyone wants to speak to her at all outside of a board room. "Well, considering it's the *only* time you let me feed you, I should have a talk with the higher ups and see if we can get you put on every Sunday. I dont't think I'd ever see you, otherwise." Pepper is teasing about that. Mostly.

She gives a quick flip to the Canadian bacon and then steps back from it, moving to the french press to pour out a mug of coffee and set it next to the fixings, so Natasha can make it just as she pleases. "Quiet enough out there that I do actually get to feed you, I take it?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Definitely. Nothing much going on. Thankfully," Natasha added before she jinxed herself and called down cosmic karma to smite her on the spot. Things would go insane any moment.

"Well, maybe not every Sunday. I like to sleep in sometimes too." Which to anyone outside their little circle of friends, that would sound insane. But Natasha was a person, despite the whole scary killer spy thing. She liked a good sleep in, snuggled up under a comforter, especially in the last year or so. She'd learned a lot more in that time.

"Please tell me you are making French Toast? You make the best. I have no idea what you do differently." She moved into the room, beginning to peruse the food stuffs.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"You *could*..." Pepper begins, her voice a touch sing songy as she returns to the stove top, moving to flip the last two pieces of french toast, "Take a Sunday to sleep in as long as you please and THEN come over here, hmm? I swear, the food will still be warm if you're here at noon." And then she flips those two pieces of french toast onto a plate and slides it in Natasha's direction while they are warm.

The amount of food she has cooked is a little ridiculous, because it seems likely that only Natasha is here today. But Pepper cooks. Eventually people eat left overs. It keeps her mind busy. It works. She lays herself out a plate of eggs benedict and then kills the fire on the stove, picking up a fork and and leaning her hips against the edge of the counter. The strawberry blonde is perfectly content to eat standing up and casual in the kitchen.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"You are a godsend," Natasha says as she takes her plate of French toast. Then she reaches up into a cabinet, pulling down the real maple syrup. Not that stuff they served in the United States that they called by that name. This was straight from Canada, a gift from her Little Uncle. He made sure to keep her hooked up with the good stuff. A little went a long way.

Once she had it doctored, she used her fork to cut into a piece of the toast and enjoyed a bite before finally speaking again. "I could sometimes. But Sundays are also nice days to share with Alexander," she added, giving a wink to the other woman. "Unless you would be alright with me inviting him along to brunch sometime? I never really thought to ask and I didn't want to impose on your kindness."

Pepper Potts has posed:
The fact that Natasha is willing to bring Alexander around at all draws a sudden look from Pepper. Oh, she's interested. She's very interested. A smile pulls wider across her slender mouth and she tries to hide her too-deep interest by leaning over to pour herself a cup of coffee as well before another Avenger waltzes in and the french press is drained. If she looks too intrigued, Natasha's liable to run and she'll never get to meet the man.

By the time she's turned back to Natasha, she has her face carefully schooled, shoulders set, and is calmly sipping at her coffee before she offers a casual, "I think bringing Alexander by would be a very nice surprise. I always cook more than people are home, and he's... well, how long has it been now? He's an important part of your life you've kept him around. I've barely met him yet. There's no reason you *shouldn't* bring him." Oh, Pepper is talking too much. On the edge of rambling. She only does that when she's excited or terrified. She really wants to meet him.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha picked up on it. Knew that Pepper would love to find out more about the man Natasha had chosen to share her life with. They had been together a little over a year now. A lot of time. While Alexander was known to the SHIELD people in her life, due to his having worked as an agent for at time, he didn't really associate with the Avengers. He'd been to a party or two. That was about it though. That part of her life was kept somewhat apart. Not on purpose, it just had worked out that way. Everyone's lives were usually so busy.

"I'll keep that in mind for next Sunday. I don't have duty then. He's with some other friends today or I'd give him a call. Then you can interrogate him to your heart's content."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pep gives Nat a mock open mouthed, innocent look. "I... I wouldn't call it *interrogating* him. I just want to get to know him! He's... he's a big part of your life. It's been over a year, hasn't it? That's a long time. And I know I might not really be a part of the team but... we're friends, right? I'm not just... stand in secretary when you all need one." Pepper looks up to the other woman a bit more quietly when she asks that. The trace of self doubt is clear there for a moment. Something, deep down, in Pepper is worried that she's not as capable or as important to everyone else as those properly on the team. Maybe she really is just Tony's hanger on. Even when she cooks every Sunday and would drop anything for anyone on this team, she worries.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Pepper," Natasha said, tone serious as she regarded the redhead. "You are my friend. Have been for a long time now. Ever since that incident in the sewers." When Pepper had been used as bait but the bad guys were taken down by Natasha and not Tony. Only for the villains to set off bombs, trapping them and injuring Natasha. Pepper had saved them. And their time trapped together, they had bonded.

"I'm still...learning." It seemed strange, considering how old Natasha was. Though not everyone knew that about her, even her teammates. A few like Steve knew the reality. "How to do all these things with friends and relationships. In the past, I kept everyone at arm's length. It was easier when I had to move on. So I'm sorry if I haven't been very good at it but I hope you will bear with me while I continue to figure it out."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"No, no, I know we are friends. Deep down, I've known a long time. I just know I'm not as sweet as Steve or as exciting as Tony. It's... I don't know. Sometimes it's nice to hear." Pepper gives her a softer smile as she exchanges out her coffee cup for her plate of eggs instead. She's still not moving from the kitchen. Somehow it felt nicer and more comfortable to be leaning here, talking to her friend, than eating in the formal dining room like there's some proper thing they should be doing.

"I'll always bear with you. And I want to know. About your life. About him... about... everything. That's what friends do." Pep smiles around a small bite of her eggs. "Besides, us single girls have to live vicariously through SOMEONE. Though, I suppose I am married to work. It's not near so handsome as Alexander."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"No one is near so handsome as Alexander," Natasha said as she gave a grin. "Not speaking from my obvious bias. He's just blessed with those looks." Came from being an Olypian she suspected. The whole god thing. Literally. Not details she had shared or would be. His secrets were his to share or not share as he chose. She wouldn't expect him to mention she'd recently had her 100th birthday to people. She wasn't mentioning God of Fear.

"I understand. We have problems remembering the good sometimes and focus on other things." Such as their own personal trials and tribulations, perfectionist tendencies, yet know perfection was unattainable. "And I would argue that you are sweeter than Steve. He's a good man but he also is a soldier. So he sometimes isn't nearly so sweet and will get a bit bossy."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"He'll get a little bossy? And just who put those dating apps on his phone, hmm?" Pepper is only half teasing there, but she has definitely heard about Natasha's attempts to get Steve out there and on the market again. Pepper flashes her one more grin, taking another savoring bite of her morning breakfast. She's now fully relaxed. Everything cooked. Her friend in the kitchen. Lovely conversation being had...

And that's when both their phones go off. Something happening, something dangerous, down on wall street. The financial district is panicking and the threat level is only rising. Pepper sighs, looking down to her plate. "...and that sounds like both of us."