Chapter Text
"Damn!"
The sound of a pan clattering on the ground woke Steve up. The blond's eyes slowly opened and he blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the light shining through the blinds on the window.
He looked over on the space next to him, but the bed was empty. Grumbled muttering and running water reached Steve's ears and he realized that she was in the kitchen. Probably making coffee, if I know Nat, he thought to himself sleepily as he got out of bed.
Steve yawned and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Once he finished, he left the bedroom and stepped into the kitchen. The smell of coffee filled his nostrils and he breathed it in deeply. Natasha was haunched over the sink with a mug in her hands, shaking her head about something. She looked amazing from the back view, with her long ivory legs on display.
A tinge of desire ran through him when he realized that she was wearing one of his old shorts. He strode forward to her and slid his arms around her waist. "Good morning."
The redhead hummed and placed a hand over her husband's, entwining their fingers. "Oh, morning. I didn't know you'd gotten up."
"Well, I probably would've slept more if I hadn't heard all of the noise you were making," he poked her on the ribs playfully. Then he noticed the disaster of an omelette on a the plate next to the sink. "Uh...what happened here?"
"I was going to make you breakfast in bed, but I spilled half of the omelette on the ground." She sighed and and took a sip of her coffee. "I tried to flip it with the skillet and made a mess."
"Is that all?"
Natasha stiffened in his arms and turned to look at him incredulously. "What do you mean 'is that all?' That omelette was perfect! I bell peppers, onions, spinach, tomato, chives in it. I even added the rest of those beef crumbles in it! Now it's ruined!"
Steve couldn't help smirking at her outburst. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're mad about ruining breakfast."
"Oh, shut up!" She pushed him away and set the mug down on the counter, stalking over to the oven and turning the heat off. "I made pancakes before I tried fixing the omelette, so there's still something for you to eat." She crossed her arms and huffed. Normally, she didn't make mistakes like this and although a ruined omelette was trivial, it was still annoying. "I really hate that I messed up that omelette, though."
Steve laughed and moved to stand in front of her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "Babe, it's just food, alright? No big deal. Remember how I made a mess of that soufflé the week we came back from our honeymoon?"
A giggle came out of Natasha's mouth. Steve had never made soufflé before, but because he saw Natasha make it several times, he decided that he could 'wing it' without any help. Needless to say, they had to order takeout that night. "Of course."
"Exactly. You and I have had cooking incidents plenty of times, but that's normal. I can't name one person who hasn't. Making mistakes is part of being human, and we can learn from them. So stop expecting to do everything perfectly, okay?"
Natasha knew he was right and she nodded in acquiescence, a weight that she didn't even know she had, lifting off her shoulders. Perhaps it was a bit of the leftovers from her red room training. She'd been used to a higher standard of life, doing everything flawlessly, but she was free from the red room and their influence.
Steve was her husband, he truly loved her and didn't require absolute perfection for her. That was one of the reasons she fell in love with him and had ecstatically said yes when he asked her to marry him two years ago. "Okay." Her eyes softened and grasped his hands in hers.
He smiled, seeing the glow on her face. "Believe me. Even if I can't eat the omelette, I'm more touched by the fact that you got up early to make breakfast for me. That's sentimental."
Natasha cheeks tinted pink and she smiled shyly. "I can't help it. You bring it out in me."
The blond kissed her on the nose and pulled her close to his, wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. "Glad to hear it, baby." That's when his stomach growled and they both laughed.
"I guess we'd better eat these pancakes," Natasha said, sparkles in her eyes.
"Yes, please. I am a hungry man."