Who: Pietro and Ella When: 18th January Where: Ella's house What: Cooking together Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Completed gdoc
Ella had been missing the Farm House and all her friends there, but with the cold weather, she didn't get out very much. It wasn't a bad thing, not when she got to spend so much time with her son, reading to him and cuddling with him. She also spent a good amount of time baking and cooking. Just because she didn't often get out didn't mean she didn't socialize. Other people just came to her and she wanted to make sure that she was a good hostess. This afternoon, Pietro was set to come by and she was looking forward to it tremendously. He was a dear friend and she loved cooking with him because he was just as enthusiastic about it as she was. Plus, she'd found a new recipe for pasta sauce that she could use his help cooking, so everything was ready for them to start when he arrived. Ella greeted him with a big hug and quickly ushered him inside where it was warmer. "I am glad to see you my friend," she added once she shut the door behind him. "Happy New Year!"
***
Pietro was glad of all his friends in Madison Valley but he was especially glad for Ella. She was such a bright person, she had the biggest heart of anybody he knew and she never failed to make him smile. Of course their shared love of cooking was also something they had bonded over and whenever they cooked together Pietro found he didn’t get as frustrated by the slow pace as he did with everything else in his life. Cooking had helped him focus a lot. Grinning he returned the hug, “It is very good to see you” he told her, “Happy New Year! I hope you have been good?”
***
Ella knew her friend didn't particularly like to go very slowly, but she appreciated that he did with her all the same. "I have," she replied as she led the way into the kitchen. "Though it has been far too long since we have last cooked together." That was due to the holidays and her moving into her new home though, so she wasn't upset with him about that. "I've been looking forward to this quite a bit," she admitted as she checked in on her son, who was happy to lay in his lounger just outside the kitchen. Ella never let him out of her sight if she could help it. "Pasta has been something I've made frequently with the weather as cold as it is. How are you holding up with this weather?" She worried about him, though she likely didn't have to.
***
Pietro made an extra effort with those he liked to keep a normal pace, any pent up energy could be worked out of his system later. “It has been a busy time for everybody” he agreed easily, he didn’t mind. He knew Ella had been busy and he’d had a lot to do too with the parties and gatherings held at the farm. “As have I” Pietro said watching her with the baby with a smile, he was a lovely little boy and Pietro adored him. “It got colder in Sokovia so this is not too bad for me. Are you keeping warm enough?” he asked, concern obvious.
***
“Oh I am,” she assured him. “This home is very well made. Sometimes I prefer the fireplace to the mechanical heating system, but since we are cooking today, I did not want the distraction of having to tend the fireplace.” That was one of the few things she knew how to do that might have been construed as a man’s job in this time. Tending the fires had always been her responsibility in her world. Lady Tremaine and her stepsisters would have likely burned the house down had they tried to manage it on their own. “I’ve everything we need. Sergeant Barnes helped me find all of the items as they are specified here,” Ella added, moving to the counter so she could show him the recipe. “It seems fairly straightforward but it will give us time to catch up.” She loved cooking with her friends and hoped to do more of it, with Pietro and others.
***
Pietro smiled, “The fireplace is nice, we have one at the farm though I am not as good at lighting it as you” he told her truthfully. Being Wanda’s brother Pietro would never think to suggest that a task was a woman’s or man’s job. It would have earned him a swift slap and he knew better than to think someones sex determined how good they would be at something. “Then it sounds like the perfect recipe” Pietro said with a smile, cooking and catching up was the perfect combination and he was looking forward to it even more. It looked like it was going to be especially warming and tasty.
***
“I can certainly teach you,” she offered. Her friends here didn’t seem to subscribe to the traditional gender and societal roles that she was so used to, so Ella didn’t think there would be any offense taken. Still, they had set out to cook and so she made her offer as she set about getting the ingredients they would need for the meatballs together. "Would you like to mix the meatballs or prep some of the other items for the sauce?" she asked, looking to him for what his preference was. The meatballs was just about mixing the ground beef, eggs and breadcrumbs together before rolling out the mixture so that they could fry them. Otherwise, it was slicing the garlic, slicing the onions, and portioning out the herbs that would go in as well.
***
“That would be good, thank you” Pietro agreed, new skills were always good to have and he would be happy to learn from Ella. She was a good teacher and he appreciated her offer of help. “The meatballs? I like getting my hands involved” he grinned at her, moving to wash up said hands before he touched the ingredients. He liked any recipe where he could get his hands on it all, it felt like proper cooking to him then. Moulding the meat mixture into a ball was always the fun part in his eyes. Though if Ella wanted to do that part he would of course let her do so.
***
Ella nodded, perfectly content to let him get his hands dirty. She'd let the meat get up to room temperature but it still tended to chill her arms all the way up to her elbows when she made meatballs before. "That sounds perfect. I'm certain we'll finish at about the same time," she added, teasing him slightly. She could chop and prep ingredients quite efficiently and she hoped four pounds of meat would be enough to allow them to finish at about the same amount of time. "How are things with Ms Alex?" she asked as she washed her hands after he did. Ella took up her place at the cutting board, expertly working her way through the onions first. Best to get the one most likely to make her cry out of the way to begin with.
***
Luckily if Pietro got cold he could just run a bit or use friction to warm his hands up, he smiled sheepishly when she teased him. He would certainly try and make sure he finished around the same time. “Oh Alex is great, still too good for me but I am a lucky man here” he told her with a wry smile as he began with his own task.
***
Ella tutted fondly as he said Ms Alex was too good for him. "She is exactly as good as you deserve," she corrected, more than happy to know that her friend was happy. She missed having that kind of relationship, but she consoled herself that she knew what it was like to be loved. So many people went through life without knowing that kind of love that she could not feel as though she was missing out too much. It was hard, yes, especially to have such a large bed to herself, but she had her son to think of. "You have been together for quite some time now, have you not?" Ella was rather curious now, especially considering the number of people got engaged recently, if he would propose, but she wasn't crass enough to ask. She would just heavily imply and see if he would answer anyway.
***
“Thank you” Pietro said, he knew his life hadn’t always been as it should have been. He hadn’t been the best person he should have been and the world nearly paid the price. But Madison was about second chances and he was thankful for his. “Yeah, we have” Pietro grinned looking at her knowingly for a moment, “We have said it will be nice to marry someday but neither of us want to rush it you know?” He knew it might sound strange since nobody knew how long they would be here but Alex and he didn’t want it to be an incase we get sent home thing, they wanted it because they were both ready.
***
It seemed she was very transparent in her questioning, but Pietro didn't seem to mind. She was grateful for that as she set the onions aside and washed her hands so that she could start on preparing the fresh herbs. "It is good, at least, that you are both interested in marriage," Ella replied. She didn't quite understand waiting, particularly because they weren't from the same worlds, but that was most certainly none of her business. "When the time is right, you will know," Ella encouraged. "You'll make wonderful parents." Because of course, to her, children came shortly after marriage. It had taken longer than she would have liked for she and her husband to conceive, but they had been successful at the end of the day.
***
“We are” he assured her, but they were both in agreement that the timing had to be right and they were happy with things as they were now. Maybe that would change over the coming months but Pietro would be happy either way as long as Alex was happy. “I hope so” he said before chuckling, “Maybe not straight away but eventually perhaps” They’d seen a future child of theirs once and it had been nice but neither of them were ready for that now. After more time together just the two of them maybe, but they were both people who were happy to let things take their natural course. “Neither of us have the best childhood to draw on”
***
What mattered was that they were happy. Most things done in Madison Valley weren't at all like she thought it should be, but she hoped that once Pietro and Alex were ready to be wed, they would find it a natural progression to have a child right away. She was excited for Maximilian to have more children to play with as he got older. "You will do wonderfully, I am certain," Ella reassured him. "In the meantime, Maximilian will give you plenty of practice." She was happy to let him play with her son, especially if it gave him the confidence to become a father one day soon.
***
Being happy was top on their agenda too so Ella didn’t have to worry about that, marriage and kids may or may not come but they weren’t going to worry over it. More kids for little Max to play with would be fun for the little guy. “Thank you, you know I would never say no to more time with Maximilian. He’s the best baby in town” he grinned over at the baby they were talking about. He really was adorable.
***
Ella finished up with her spices and began to heat up the oil in the pot so that she could begin frying the meatballs shortly. It seemed Pietro had put together a nice stockpile of meatballs that she could start with while he finished rolling the rest of the ground meat mixture into meatballs. "He is certainly my favorite," Ella replied with a laugh. "He's quite well behaved. Never fusses overly much. I know that is not always the case, but I feel so connected to him." She loved her son more than anyone else in the world, so she was glad that she had such a good relationship with him even at such a young age.
***
“He will take after you I think” Pietro told her as he finished off the meatball’s, “Kind heart and friendly nature” he smiled at her. He had no doubt in him that Ella was the kindest person he had ever met. So caring and sweet, he was blessed to have her as a friend.
***
"I certainly hope so," Ella replied, glancing once more at her son. She waved at him though she knew he couldn't completely perceive her from so far away just yet. He enjoyed her voice though, which she was grateful for. She sang to him almost every night and often times during the day as she did her normal housework. "You are very kind to say so," she added, and she ventured away from the pan to give him a warm hug. "I am so glad we have this opportunity to cook together. It has been far too long." Ella would make more of an effort to invite him around more frequently, along with many of her other friends that she enjoyed cooking with.
***
Pietro watched Ella and felt a pang for the mother he and Wanda had lost. He had some clear memories but not many, most had been replaced by the time they spent watching and waiting for the bomb to explode. Pushing such thoughts away he smiled and returned her embrace. This was his second chance and he had much to be thankful for. “I am glad too. I learn a lot, like taking time to enjoy it” he smiled, he could feel the energy in his body but it wasn’t pushing at him yet. He was happy and relaxed, he definitely needed to cook with her more often.