"Who, me?" Natasha makes the joke automatically, her eyes still on the waiter for a moment as he retreats. But her gaze finally shifts back to Bucky and her mouth curls in a little smirk. "I made a point of looking harmless tonight too."
She takes another bite of her bread before continuing. "Should we bet on what he does if I ask if he recognizes one of us?"
"Natasha, don't take this the wrong way but you'd look dangerous no matter what you're wearing." He means it as a compliment more than anything. A beautiful woman is always dangerous, isn't she?
"And you're proving it, because I think you might give him a heart attack if you try that one."
"Is it weird that I'm taking that as a compliment?" she asks, a look of mingled self deprecation and entertainment on her face. They're clearly on the same wavelength about that one.
"He won't have a heart attack. Might drop something, though," she muses, as if she's weighing the pros and cons. "Wouldn't it be better to find out before we both start worrying about whether he's going to poison our entrees?"
"Hey, I'm not going to try to stop you. Just saying a little sympathy for a guy clearly in over his head." Bucky takes a drink of his water and reaches for more bread.
Natasha was right about the bread.
"Work the thing about poison into the conversation if you want. Figure that will make him turn green."
"What was that about sympathy for the guy?" Natasha banters back at him easily, clearly entertained by the idea of slipping the poison mention into the conversation with their server.
"I'm pretty sure you can get more rolls if you ask nicely." There's a hint of fond amusement in her voice as she says it. But then her eyes shift and she spots the waiter clearly coming back their way, and when she looks back at Bucky for a moment there's undeniably a hint of mischief there.
The waiter comes up to their table to set down their drinks as she asks conversationally, "so which one of us did you recognize?"
Bucky leans back, putting on a grim face. Not a Winter Soldier face—that would have blank—but more of a disapproving big brother face, brows heavy and jaw tense.
He lays his arm across the back of his chair.
The waiter sputters that he doesn't know what they're talking about. Is everything okay? Can he freshen their water?
Bucky's grim faced posture definitely seems to have put the waiter on edge. It certainly doesn't help that when he looks over at Natasha, she offers him a smile sweet enough to be poisonous.
"Shit, I know who you both are, okay? I used to run with a gang and I got some family still in the game but I don't do that shit anymore. This is a legitimate job. I really like the food."
Well. He's clearly sincere. And just about ready to cut and run, despite that last sentence. Natasha arches a brow and looks over at Bucky, then lifts one shoulder in a shrug. As if to say eh, I'm fine with him if you are.
Bucky shrugs one shoulder, not quite rolling his eyes. The idea that some kid who'd done a little street crime warranted the attention of an Avenger was a little silly. It did make him wonder if the waiter's involvement was a little more than he let on.
Or if he was just a little paranoid. Can't fault that.
"The bread is good. Bring us another basket and don't cause trouble, and I think we can all enjoy a nice night."
The way Natasha sees it, if he's still got family in the game, there's a good possibility one of them have killed off members of his family over the years. Probably a slightly higher chance that it was her, given how much Dreykov enjoyed spying on and eliminating anyone he viewed as 'competition.' Still. He doesn't seem like he's holding a grudge.
And she can't help but chuckle a little at the tension she can see draining from the waiter's shoulders as he carefully sets their drinks down and promises to return with more bread.
"Better hope he's really cleaned up his act or he's going to be telling everyone you can be bought off with freshly baked bread."
"How do you know that's not my whole plan," Bucky jokes, relaxing his posture and leaning closer over the table. Mock conspiratorial, he adds, "I can get every crime boss in town turning up at my door with rustic Italian loaves. Maybe butter too, if I'm lucky."
Natasha leans in on her side of the table as well, her eyes alight with humor. It's a treat to see him joking around like this - he's clearly relaxing a bit.
"Wow. That's diabolical," she answers, all playful humor. "I'll keep you in butter if you promise to share." There's a flirtatious hue in the way she says it, even though she recognizes that it's patently ridiculous to flirt about butter.
Natasha would vouch for that. And certainly the opportunity to see him leaning in to the opportunity to be ridiculous is encouraging. Maybe even more encouraging than getting him to blush.
"You sure? I could have some fun ideas," she answers, giving him a wicked grin as she picks up the cup to take a sip of the drink she'd ordered.
Bucky doesn't blush at that, but he does swallow, his throat bobbing as he tries not to think too much about the specifics of what she could cook up. Not for the butter, really. For anything.
"I'm sure you could give me gray hair with your fun ideas."
"Don't worry, it's only fun if you want to participate." Meaning: sure, she might tease him a little bit. But she's not going to outright torture the man.
Though to be fair, she's not sure if the vague allusion to fun things she could do is any better. It certainly leaves a lot of space for him to color in his own details.
A partially lowered guard is a win, as far as she's concerned. Honestly, the fact that either of them can relax at all could be considered something of a miracle.
"We could still sneak out the back," she offers, smiling a little at the suggestion. There's really no need for it, but she's not above doing something a bit ridiculous. Especially if it'll help keep that guard of his down a bit. "I'm just impressed I got you to take a picture with me by the exhibits."
Sorry for the delay! It's been a rough couple of weeks.
"Implying that if dessert isn't great that we'll make a break for it?" Which is still patently ridiculous, but honestly, she's still not opposed. They could both stand to add some more good memories.
There's an interested look on her face when he suggests sneaking up to the roof for the fun of it. Rebel. "Bet there's a decent view of the neighborhood from up there," she muses, smiling a little in a way that looks mischievous. "Could be fun to see if either of us get spotted."
"C'mon," he says with half a smile. Bucky can never completely shake a certain grimness. It clings to him like coffee stains. But there's a little light in his eye, even a little cockiness. "If either of us got caught doing something that simple, what are we even doing here?"
"Having a nice dinner," Natasha answers cheekily without missing a beat, her little smile shifting into something that looks more like a smirk. She doesn't mind that grimness. It would be more surprising if it wasn't there. She's so practiced at blending in that she doesn't tend to carry the same grimness. But someone that knows what to look for would doubtlessly realize that, even relaxed, she's always alert. And always armed.
But that doesn't mean they both don't deserve a night off. So she leans back in her seat a bit, eyes widening a little in a feigned look of innocence. "But if you're worried you might not be up for it, old man..." she lets the obvious bait trail off, mouth pulling to the side as she tries not to laugh.
"Very funny," Bucky rises to the bait, knowing it exactly for what it is. That's part of the fun, how he sees it. Especially with a woman like Natasha.
Keeps him on his toes.
"I think I have enough energy to have a nice dinner," he assures her, then flashing a wryer smile as he adds, "But I might have to turn in early if I'm going to go play dominos in the park tomorrow with the other old men."
Natasha makes a little flourish with her hand as if to acknowledge that yes, she knows it was very funny. She then picks up her drink to take a sip, her eyes glimmering with amusement as she looks across the table at him.
"We can't have you disappointing Walter and Cecil. They'll never let you live it down if you tell them you let a red head keep you out past your bedtime."
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She takes another bite of her bread before continuing. "Should we bet on what he does if I ask if he recognizes one of us?"
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"And you're proving it, because I think you might give him a heart attack if you try that one."
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"He won't have a heart attack. Might drop something, though," she muses, as if she's weighing the pros and cons. "Wouldn't it be better to find out before we both start worrying about whether he's going to poison our entrees?"
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Natasha was right about the bread.
"Work the thing about poison into the conversation if you want. Figure that will make him turn green."
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Poor guy really is in over his head.
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"Maybe it'll get us some more rolls."
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The waiter comes up to their table to set down their drinks as she asks conversationally, "so which one of us did you recognize?"
It's clearly not what he's expecting to hear.
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He lays his arm across the back of his chair.
The waiter sputters that he doesn't know what they're talking about. Is everything okay? Can he freshen their water?
"The lady asked you a question."
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"Shit, I know who you both are, okay? I used to run with a gang and I got some family still in the game but I don't do that shit anymore. This is a legitimate job. I really like the food."
Well. He's clearly sincere. And just about ready to cut and run, despite that last sentence. Natasha arches a brow and looks over at Bucky, then lifts one shoulder in a shrug. As if to say eh, I'm fine with him if you are.
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Or if he was just a little paranoid. Can't fault that.
"The bread is good. Bring us another basket and don't cause trouble, and I think we can all enjoy a nice night."
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And she can't help but chuckle a little at the tension she can see draining from the waiter's shoulders as he carefully sets their drinks down and promises to return with more bread.
"Better hope he's really cleaned up his act or he's going to be telling everyone you can be bought off with freshly baked bread."
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"Wow. That's diabolical," she answers, all playful humor. "I'll keep you in butter if you promise to share." There's a flirtatious hue in the way she says it, even though she recognizes that it's patently ridiculous to flirt about butter.
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Or something like that.
"I won't ask where you're getting all of that butter," Bucky says, half smiling. "Or what you were planning to do with it."
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"You sure? I could have some fun ideas," she answers, giving him a wicked grin as she picks up the cup to take a sip of the drink she'd ordered.
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Bucky doesn't blush at that, but he does swallow, his throat bobbing as he tries not to think too much about the specifics of what she could cook up. Not for the butter, really. For anything.
"I'm sure you could give me gray hair with your fun ideas."
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Though to be fair, she's not sure if the vague allusion to fun things she could do is any better. It certainly leaves a lot of space for him to color in his own details.
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It is fun. Bucky is, in fact, having fun. Natasha seems to have a way of inspiring him to let his guard down just a little.
Not all the way. He wasn't sure he could even do that anymore... but enough to play around a little.
"On the bright side, I don't think we're going to see any photographers when we leave."
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"We could still sneak out the back," she offers, smiling a little at the suggestion. There's really no need for it, but she's not above doing something a bit ridiculous. Especially if it'll help keep that guard of his down a bit. "I'm just impressed I got you to take a picture with me by the exhibits."
Sorry for the delay! It's been a rough couple of weeks.
Like the adult, spy equivalent of sneaking into a movie, something like that.
"Or maybe we just slip up to the roof for the fun of it."
oh no! don't worry about it. i hope things ease up for you <3
There's an interested look on her face when he suggests sneaking up to the roof for the fun of it. Rebel. "Bet there's a decent view of the neighborhood from up there," she muses, smiling a little in a way that looks mischievous. "Could be fun to see if either of us get spotted."
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But that doesn't mean they both don't deserve a night off. So she leans back in her seat a bit, eyes widening a little in a feigned look of innocence. "But if you're worried you might not be up for it, old man..." she lets the obvious bait trail off, mouth pulling to the side as she tries not to laugh.
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Keeps him on his toes.
"I think I have enough energy to have a nice dinner," he assures her, then flashing a wryer smile as he adds, "But I might have to turn in early if I'm going to go play dominos in the park tomorrow with the other old men."
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"We can't have you disappointing Walter and Cecil. They'll never let you live it down if you tell them you let a red head keep you out past your bedtime."
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