Clint is the cook. NOT!

*Actually, the last time brought that up, I did a mini-thing that ended up in one of my stories ....)

oh, I have something started for this somewhere (I probably got the idea from an earlier round of this subvert-the-cliche post... ) I should dig it up and see how far I got before something else new and shiny distracted me. I do tend to write Clint as knowing his way around a kitchen, but I feel like Natasha's attention to detail makes her good at anything she wants to be good at.

"You like my cooking!" Clint protested from his spot on the couch.

Natasha looked up from the Avengers surrounding her near the kitchen counter where she'd been regaling them with tales of just how bad his cooking was and coolly raised one eyebrow.

"I like you cooking, Clint," she corrected, "not your cooking."

He blinked at that for a moment before narrowing his eyes suspciously. "And why do you like me cooking?"

The reply was prompt and unexpected. "You don't wear a shirt and I can get your shirts folded before you crumple them into a drawer."

Darcy's jaw dropped. Jane perked up with interest. Pepper covered her laugh with a tiny cough.

Maria spoke for all of them when she grumbled, "And you never once mentioned this when inviting me over to dinner. I would have made time to come."

Clint's expression was a strange mix of flattered and offended. He settled back into the cushions with his popcorn and turned on the tv. "Just for that, I'm picking the movie."

Natasha just smiled and picked up on the pickles and jalapenos story where she'd left off.

Yeah, I'd come over for that particular show. In a New York minute! :-)

PS: Can we have the pickles and jalapeños story? ;-)

Yes, yes, and yes?

:grins:

A/N: sorry, not using the tilde, had to turn off Spanish characters on my tablet's keyboard or the whole machine gets cranky

Natasha eyed her plate with deep suspicion, then flicked her gaze up to Clint's broad grin as he sipped coffee across the counter from her. She'd enjoyed watching him cook breakfast (his shirtless state had definitely contributed to the fact), but now she felt she'd been slacking off on paying proper attention to potential warning signs.

Her hashbrowns were littered with green things, and the coffee looked as if the grounds of a dozen previous battles had never been properly buried before her partner ordered them to take the hill again.

"If I get food poisoning," Natasha stated, "I'm holding you responsible."

"No one's died yet," was the unrepentantly cheerful (and unreassuring) response.

It was a year into their partnership and she'd trust Clint with her life, so it should be easy to trust him with her stomach for ten minutes, right?

She nibbled on a bite and applied all her training in being the perfect spy to mask her appalled horror at the realization that he'd cooked the potatoes with pickles and jalapenos in equal and generous quantities.

"You should stay to breakfast more often," Clint said offhand, shrugging lightly and promptly downing the rest of his coffee.

Natasha stilled as she realized there was more riding on the suggestion than judgment of his culinary skills (or lack thereof). He wanted her around and wasn't meeting her in the eye as he asked either.

She raised an eyebrow and took another bite as she studied him (and the view; Natasha had always been an excellent multi-tasker). The food was awful; she'd had worse.

The half-smile she gave him was genuine. "Sure."

(That didn't stop her from cleaning his fridge out later of the most atrocious condiments he'd take it in his head to use. No need to tell him he'd be more lethal with the sauerkraut than his usual bow and arrow.)

Awww ..Thank you (a) for writing this, and (b) for brightening my Monday morning. Excellent visuals there ... ;-)

So glad you liked! It was fun to write it up. :)

Oh geeez! The hashbrowns might be okay with the jalapenos if used sparingly, but BOTH?! Clint, you fail SO BAD at that cooking thing. XD

And that last line! That, I'm guessing, is another hilarious culinary misadventure!

Indeed he does.

Yes and yes. :grins:

Bwahahahahaha, Natasha, not many of us would disagree with you on that one. =D

...Pickles and jalapenos? Not even going to ask...

:grins: I would go for a lousy dinner to watch that. Totally inspired by the comics and breakfast.

As for the food... Well, alphaflyer already asked, so this might be a happening fic.