Natasha Romanoff doesn't want to kill you (butwewill) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2023-06-03 15:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2023 june, ~~loki laufeyson (punygod), ~~steve rogers (_shieldless_), ~~~ natasha romanoff (butwewill), ~~~~ darcy lewis (tasergoddess) |
Who: Natasha Romanoff, Darcy Lewis, Loki Laufeyson, Steve Rogers
What: A dinner party
When:Backdated a few weeks
Warnings: None
Status: Closed | Completed Gdoc
During the nearly decade she had been in Madison Valley, Darcy Lewis had made a number of questionable decisions. Some turned out better than others, but the important thing was that she didn’t regret any of them. That might change tonight. Why she thought it was a good idea to invite another couple over for dinner was anyone’s guess. The fact that said couple was Natasha and Loki meant that the night could very easily devolve into complete chaos.
Her husband, bless his heart, had requested meatloaf for their grown up dinner party. She couldn’t quite imagine the God of Chaos eating such a pedestrian dish, but Darcy loved Steve and was willing to grant the request. Of course, she had to find a recipe for something a bit more upscale than what Steve was probably used to. She made roasted potatoes and squash to accompany it and had a bourbon bread pudding in the oven for dessert. All she needed was pearls and heels and she could pretend to be a perfect 1950s housewife.
Darcy was putting the final touches on everything when Steve came into the kitchen. “They should be here any minute,” she said.
*
Watching the God of Chaos eat meatloaf was the whole reason Steve had made the request. Not that he’d admit that. He did like meatloaf, but he had never made this request before. It could have been worse. He could have asked for a casserole.
He wasn’t out to ruin the dinner by any means. Steve was genuinely happy for Loki and Nat both. More Nat, really. Ok mostly Nat and a little bit Loki. Thor’s brother had redeemed himself by the end of things so Steve was willing to give him a chance. But that didn’t mean Captain America was above the minor practical joke or two.
After setting the table he went into the kitchen to see if there was anything else he could do. “How is it we’re missing at least one thing from our dishes and glasses? We’re miss-matched out there.”
The doorbell rang. Steve kissed Darcy on the head then went to answer the door.
*
A couple of years ago, if someone had told Loki that he would be attending a dinner party with Steve Rogers of all people, he would have laughed out loud. But now that he’d been stuck in Madison Valley for eighteen months? It wasn’t such a laughing matter anymore. Especially now that he was romantically involved with Natasha Romanoff--another thing that would have sounded absolutely insane to him before Madison Valley.
He stood nervously behind her on the doorstep of her friends, wondering how he’d gotten himself into this mess. Honestly, it wasn’t what they thought of him that mattered. (So he told himself.) He was more concerned with how his behavior--or their opinion of him regardless of his behavior--might reflect on Nat.
“Are you sure it isn’t too late to turn back?” He asked, a feeble joke in an attempt to cover his nerves.
*
Loki wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t have pictured this situation, but now it was here and Natasha was ready. She was pretty sure, at least. She stood next to Loki in a dark jade green dress, long red hair pulled back in a handful of braids that were held away from her face by a clip, and smiled at Loki’s words.
Before she answered him, she reached out to ring the doorbell, then turned to look up at him. “It is now,” she said, before holding up the bag in her hand. “Don’t worry, I brought enough wine to get us through this.” Her free hand reached out to squeeze his, and she turned back to the door as it opened, offering Steve a smile.
*
Darcy poked her head out of the kitchen when Steve opened the door so she could shout a greeting to their guests. “Hey, guys!” she called. “Come on in. Steve can get you something to drink. Dinner should be ready in a few.” A lot of times when they had friends over, she planned for the meal to be ready an hour or so after their arrival so they would have time to sit and chat before the meal. That hadn’t seemed like the best option for this particular dinner though. If all went well, they could sit and chat between dinner and dessert.
While Steve got their guests settled, she took the time to transfer the meatloaf to a large serving platter. When they did something like this, they didn’t do it by halves, which meant going the whole nine yards with serving and presentation of the meal. At least she knew she could count on her husband to help with the clean up afterwards.
*
Steve went to open his mouth to invite their guests in then shut it back into a smile as Darcy shouted it out for him. His dainty wife was so cute and petite. He chuckled as he shut the door after Nat and Loki came in.
“What can I get you to drink? We have wine. Ale and mead from the homestead. Some kind of craft beer someone gave me the other day.”
He offered to take coats to hang in the closet. Sure, it was going on spring, but Madison Valley was still fairly chilly. Especially at night.
*
Loki wasn't sure a bag of wine was going to be enough to get them through this. As he opened his mouth to say just that, the door opened. Captain America himself was standing there on the other side of the threshold. Loki just then realized he'd kept Nat's hand wrapped in his own, long after the reassuring squeeze. He released her fingers just as they were welcomed inside. Then he shrugged off his coat to pass to their host, and took his place beside Natasha once more.
"Thank you." His voice was soft. Tentative. Not frightened, exactly, but certainly different than Steve had ever heard before. "Whatever is easiest."
*
“Well, now we have more wine,” she replied to Steve with a grin as she handed it over and stepped inside, then slipped her coat off to hand that over as well before leaning in to kiss his cheek lightly. Knowing she was being utterly evil in the moment, she took the wine back and shook her head at Steve.
“Let me get the drinks and see if Darcy needs a hand. You two talk,” she said, then headed back towards the kitchen without waiting for a response. Everyone there knew she likely couldn’t give Darcy a hand with anything except maybe pulling a dish from the oven, but the least she could do was open a bottle of wine.
Stepping into the kitchen, Natasha walked over to Darcy to give her a kiss on the cheek as well. “How’s it going in here?”
*
“Great,” Darcy said with a grin as she returned Natasha’s greeting. “Just need to move everything out to the table so we can eat.” It amused her that Natasha left Loki alone with Steve and she was glad they had security cameras in their home because she suspected her husband was going to have a little fun with Loki without the women present.
She finished putting the rest of the meal on the serving dishes. “How bad is he panicking?” she asked, not even trying to hide the bemused look on her face.
*
The kiss to the cheek actually put a bit of a blush to Steve’s face. He wasn’t used to Nat being so informal and personal. It was a good look on her, to be honest. He just hadn’t been expecting it.
Nor had he expected to be abandoned. The blush and smile faded as he watched Nat disappear into the kitchen. Well. Shit.
He looked back to Loki, almost at a loss, then brought his smile back up. “Ever play Wii?” It was the only thing he could think of!
*
You two talk?? Talk about what?? Loki looked a bit miffed at being abandoned with the Captain. In his living room. During a dinner party. This night was just getting stranger and stranger. Still, they weren’t at each other’s throats. Loki had turned over a new leaf in this place, and Steve seemed to be amenable to it. They’d had a conversation before, in the casino… though Loki hadn’t seen much of the Avengers (besides Nat, obviously) since.
He took a step further into the home, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling his sleeves up. When Steve mentioned something called “We” Loki raised an eyebrow. “There are many Midgardian traditions that I’m unaware of. Unless I’m mistaken, I believe this We to be one of them.” He turned to Steve, now trying to figure out what to do with his hands. “...if it is something you enjoy… I suppose you can show me.”
*
Natasha walked over to the counter to set down her bag and pulled out one of the wine bottles, then dug around in a drawer until she came up with the corkscrew. With a smirk at Darcy’s question, she shook her head. “I’m still a little surprised he even came,” she told her. “I think they’ll both make it through this, but if anything it’ll be an entertaining night.” And one that would hopefully not end in bloodshed.
Natasha took the wine into the dining room and poured a generous amount into each glass before setting the bottle in the center of the table, then returned to the kitchen again to help Darcy out a little more. “How about Steve? What does he think of this dinner idea?”
*
In all honesty, Darcy was surprised that Loki showed up too. The tabloids at home would have a field day with this dinner party. Luckily, all of them had a lower media profile here. “Well, Steve requested meatloaf for dinner,” she said, nodding at the platter in front of her. “So I think that says it all.” Natasha was one of the few people in town who understood what a troll Steve could actually be. Most people saw the Captain America facade and couldn’t fathom what lie below the surface.
“How are things going with you two?” she asked. They were an odd pairing, one she didn’t remotely understand, but Darcy wasn’t going to judge.
*
Yeah, this was going great. Steve shoved his hands into his pockets as his shoulders hunched up. What were they going to talk about, really? They had nothing in common, except for a history of being at each other’s throats, and Thor. Steve was not going to bring the absent Asgardian into this conversation, however, so he stuck with the first stupid thing that had come to his mind.
“It’s a video game. Steph loves it. You have to get physically involved. I keep a system at the Daycare for when it rains and the kids can’t play outside.” Now he had a mental picture of Loki playing Wii bowling and almost snickered out loud.
*
Loki heard the women doing something--pouring wine? Setting the table? Something--and turned. But whoever had been doing things at the dinner table was out of sight by the time he looked over his shoulder. A gentle sigh escaped him as he turned back to Steve Rogers. He was really trying.
“All right then,” Loki said, rolling up his sleeves and tucking them at his elbows. “Let’s try this game, then.” He could give it a go.
*
Natasha chuckled softly at Darcy’s words, shaking her head a bit as she watched her finish getting the meal together. “It’s going well,” she told her friend. It may have been strange that they were a couple but they weren’t a couple at the same time, but so far it had worked for them.
Aside from his recent, brief display of jealousy over a few texts, the “open” part of their relationship had been relatively smooth, and neither had suggested making any changes. “How’s married life?”
*
“Amazing,” Darcy admitted. “Five years ago, I couldn’t imagine being married, but I have no regrets at all.” Yes, she’d loved Haymitch, but her relationship with Steve was different in ways she couldn’t entirely articulate and while she’d had some trepidation about accepting his proposal, she wouldn’t change a thing.
She finished getting everything ready. “Can you carry the potatoes and squash to the table?” she asked Natasha as she hefted the platter of meatloaf. The bread pudding was in the oven being kept warm so it could be served with ice cream.
When they got everything on the table, she called, “Okay boys, time to stop playing and come out here to eat.”
*
“After dinner,” Steve replied to Loki with his usual good guy smile. “We could get you used to it then challenge the girls to a game.” Bowling. Definitely bowling. Steve figured Loki’s competitive nature might kick in and he’d actually enjoy himself.
And since this was a Make Friends/Be Nice gathering, he gripped Loki’s arm in a companionable gesture then made for the dining room after letting the trickster go.
“Looks good, babe,” he said when he reached Darcy. He kissed her cheek, but made sure she could see his Look I’m Innocent smile.
*
Loki was a little shocked at the whole thing: the offer to play games, the squeeze to his arm, the food on the dining room table. It was the opposite of what he knew. A part of him wanted to recoil from the touch, to refuse the offer. The old part of him. The part he’d left behind. The part that Natasha wouldn’t approve of.
Together with Steve, Loki stepped into the dining room. He moved around the table to Natasha’s side, his hand seeking hers.
“The table is lovely,” Loki said to Darcy. She’d been nothing but kind to him. He wasn’t sure he could muster any venom for her, even if he wanted to.
*
“Well, the two of you make it look easy,” she told Darcy, then nodded in agreement, scooping up the food and following her out to the dining room a couple minutes later. As she set down the plates, she smiled at the men when they walked in, and absolutely caught that smile of Steve’s. Loki looked a little off-balance, and she squeezed his hand gently when it slipped into hers.
“Let’s have a seat,” Natasha suggested, before slipping into a chair and lightly tugging Loki into the one beside her.
*
Darcy took her seat and studied her guests and her husband. This was possibly the strangest dinner party ever. It would certainly prove to be an interesting evening. “Thank you,” she said in response to their compliments. “The meal was requested by Steve, so I hope you enjoy it.” It wasn’t what she would have chosen, though she understood her husband’s reasoning behind it.
“What were you two getting up to while we were in the kitchen?” she asked.
*
Steve smiled as he waited for the ladies to be seated then took his seat. He also let everyone else take their portions before he would. He could and sometimes needed to eat a lot, and had been in the habit of letting people take their share first since the Big One.
“We decided we should play Wii bowling after dinner.” Let the fun begin.
It was amazing how innocent he could seem after saying something like that. “Or doubles tennis could be fun.”
*
It was, indeed, a very strange dinner party. Though, Loki was sure he could imagine stranger. After all, having Natasha and Steve together wasn’t all that weird. And Darcy was still in their circle, wasn’t she? She knew Thor, at any rate. Loki was the odd man out in this scenario.
Loki gave a gentle nod. He would sit and wait for more instructions regarding… the food on the table. He wasn’t sure what it was, and was fearful that he was going to need a lot of wine to choke it down.
“The Captain assures me that I’ll pick up this game quickly,” he added, turning his eyes to Natasha. See? I’m playing nice.
*
The suggestion of Wii games was ludicrous enough for Natasha to pick up her wine and take a sip before responding, keeping her face carefully neutral as she eyed Rogers, then looked at Loki and gave him a smile. “I have no doubt that you will. And with that in the plans for later, I suggest we all start eating so that we’ll have more time for the games.”
She served herself, then waited for the others to go ahead as while, then began to eat. This was definitely going to be a night to remember.