Marvel owns the Avengers and the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.

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Breakfasting with Pepper in the company of Steve and Thor, Tony busied himself as another was ready to join them or so Jarvis had informed him. Having made waffles for him and the lady who had stolen his heart, a heart worth a considerable fortune he had to admit, one of these days he swore he'd finally remember that seemingly small but so vital detail about strawberries.

"Waffles?" Tony asked, offering one deadly plate to his guests.

Leaving the plate to Steve, he hurried back to make another batch sans deadly fruit topping for Pepper. Leaning up against his bar turned kitchen, the griddle was filled and shut and he was enjoying his morning cup when the doors opened. In walked Natasha like a woman driven, so it was just another day at the office as he was concerned, all up until she spotted him as he was still savouring his brew.

"Explain girl crush."

Wishing he had done a spit take instead, he was reduced to a coughing fit along with finding he hadn't yet learned how to breath coffee as Thor seemed intent on attempting. Pepper sat frozen, Steve lost his fork to the floor after a few important neural impulses regarding fine motor control misfired, and Thor...just kept drinking his coffee as he read an email from Jane.

"What?" Tony asked between his barking coughs.

"Clint declined to answer and said I should ask you, apparently he owed you for spying on his date." Natasha remarked as she calmly poured herself a cup of coffee.

"You spied on his date?" Pepper hissed from the breakfast table.

"You didn't seem to mind pictures I showed you."

"I thought they took them!"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw one perfectly manicured eyebrow rise at all this talk of pictures, instantly guessing Clint must have told Natasha about that too. Smelling waffles and figuring this was a conversation best hand on full stomachs, he let the questions stand and made a plate for Pepper which was now a peace offering.

"Explain the need for an explanation of girl crush?" Tony countered, turning the question back on Natasha if only to buy himself some time.

"Clint's date said I was, and I quote, girl crush material."

Straightening his back and coughing into his hand, Tony walked back to the bar to fix another cup of coffee as an excuse to avoid Pepper from seeing him toy with that idea. Already he was regretting having Jarvis send the one video to Pepper even if she admitted she thought it was cute. He was also suddenly regretting having it posted to his Facebook page even if it was good press for Thor.

"Feelings of admiration and adoration which a girl has for another girl, without wanting to shag..." Steve started to recite with his eyes to his phone, "Sorry, now I have to look up shag."

"Where are you getting that?"

Staring at Steve, Tony saw the All American Boy start to blush as he apparently found out just what shag meant when not in reference to the flooring industry. Thor looked on over taking sudden interest in the conversation, Pepper looked to be enjoying her waffles and every minute of her lovers torture, and Natasha...looked to be trying to decided just how she felt about Girl Crush.

"Urban Dictionary, it's a great if somewhat crude resource that helps me understand many of today's colloquialisms." Steve replied, looking to scroll through some more examples.

"Just tell me you have Safe Search on." Tony groaned, rubbing his eyes at the mess breakfast was becoming.

"Let me see the pictures."

Finding his phone and sending the lot over to Natasha's own, he was seated back at the breakfast table and enjoying his waffles when mid bite a few facts he had been too blind sided to see finally waved him down.

"Wait, when did his date say that?" Tony asked, having known just how late both Natasha and Pepper had arrived home, for lack of a better word, last night.

"I would put it at about ten minutes ago, Clint and I had a chat and coffee while she was in the shower. Then I came here."

Wondering if the choking he was experiencing was anything like what it would be for Pepper to actually eat a strawberry, the slap Thor gave him was probably worse but it helped clear his throat. It also left him struggling for breath after being completely winded.

"She stayed over? At his place? Here? Jarvis why didn't you tell me this?"

"It was not part of the parameters you had set for the privacy mode you requested, sir."

Privacy mode, his quiet time with Pepper, he'd given her a foot massage after her meeting and that lead to a few other things that had him want to thank her with waffles in the morning. At least after his false start she seemed to be enjoying them right along with the conversation.

"Well, I think we should invite them up for breakfast, don't you think so Pepper?" Tony asked of the lady with the keys to his kingdom.

"And if you were interrupted as we were having breakfast?" Pepper questioned, making a show of licking a bit of syrup from her lip.

"Good point. Excuse me, would you all mind leaving Pepper and I alone?"

Just maybe he'd be given a reason to make lunch for her too.

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