*A/N Pre-Civil War, post AoU.
Arianna hummed lightly as she padded out of her and Steve's room, heading for the kitchen. Steve had already gotten up and headed out for an early morning run with Sam, despite it being the Avengers' day off. Only Rhodey was still on duty this day, just in case there was an alert. For everyone else, though, it was a relaxing Sunday morning.
Which meant, apparently, that Steve was going on a morning run at 8am instead of 5am. And even that was later than usual because, well, he'd been rather 'busy' the night before and hadn't slept until very late – or very early, depending on how one defined going to bed in the early AMs.
Still, it was rather impressive that he'd managed to roll out of bed so early, considering Arianna hadn't even had the energy to kiss him back this morning before he'd left for said run.
'Old habits die hard.' Arianna thought wryly as she started cluttering about in the kitchen. 'Poor Sam, having to run as well because he doesn't want to lose to Steve.'
Arianna paused as the absent thought crossed her mind before she grinned to herself. It was mildly entertaining to watch how Sam tried his hardest not to 'lose' to Steve, but also irritatingly understandable. After all, none of them could keep up forever with the super-soldier, even at his brisk jogging pace.
Arianna shook her head as she finished mixing her batter, and she had just switched on the stove when Vision floated into the kitchen area.
"Ah, Mrs. Rogers," he greeted cordially, "good morning."
"Hi Vision." Arianna answered warmly, before gesturing at her buttered pan. "Breakfast?"
"I don't see why not." Vision agreed, moving to behind Arianna's shoulder so that he could watch what she was doing.
"Er, Vision…" Arianna said slowly, and he glanced at her questioningly.
"Yes, Mrs. Rogers?" He asked, and Arianna did a mental eye-roll at his continual insistence to call her that.
But outwardly she remained calmly collected as she suggested lightly: "Maybe not take the term 'hovering over someone's shoulder' literally?"
Vision blinked, staring at his feet floating off the ground and back at Arianna in confusion.
"Perhaps sit and wait at the table." Arianna hinted instead, and Vision's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Very well, Mrs. Rogers." He agreed as he drifted off to sit at the table while Arianna did roll her eyes this time.
She had just flipped the first few pancakes onto a plate and scooped a second batch onto the stove when a familiar voice catcalled: "Now that smells delicious."
"Morning, Nat." Arianna laughed as she turned to greet the redhead.
Natasha grinned as she loped casually into the kitchen-dining area, dressed in a tank and yoga pants, her hair slightly damp, and she arrived just as Arianna placed the first plate of pancakes before Vision.
"You dressed back in yoga clothes after your morning session?" Arianna questioned, glancing at the redhead, and Nat shrugged.
"I'm thinking of doing some more later- maybe before lunch." Nat answered nonchalantly, before she nodded at the pancakes still on the stove.
"Any leftovers for little old me?" Nat asked with a wide grin, and Arianna laughed.
"Maybe, maybe not." She pretended to think, and Nat mock-pouted: "Aw, please, Ria? Pretty, pretty please with-"
"Okay, okay." Arianna laughed, raising her hands in surrender. "Your cutesy act is actually really frightening, you know that?"
"Mmm…" Nat hummed in response, a sly grin on her face. "And I was going to say, 'pretty please with a bomb on top and a gun to your head if you don't'."
"Now there's the Natasha I know." Arianna teased as she flipped pancakes and Nat smiled.
"That sounded rather disturbing." Wanda commented as she wandered into the room as well.
"Well," Nat shrugged, "Ria's pancakes are to die for."
She grinned while Wanda gave the Russian redhead a deadpan look. Nat responded by giving Wanda a chilling one in return, and Vision blinked as he watched the two women suddenly engage in a staring competition.
"Hey, Wanda." Arianna greeted, breaking Wanda and Nat's impromptu match.
"Good morning, Ria, Vis." Wanda greeted warmly, and Arianna gestured at her pans.
"Pancakes?" She offered, and Wanda smiled as she replied gratefully: "Please."
"Sit down with Vision and Nat, and I'll get you some." Arianna smiled, nodding at the android in question.
Wanda returned the smile as she walked to sit beside Vision, Nat taking the seat opposite.
Arianna had just carried in two more plates of pancakes, setting the plates before Nat and Wanda respectively, when a voice called: "Something smells incredible."
They all glanced over to see Steve and Sam walk in, their hair damp from their respective morning showers after their workouts. Arianna grinned as she walked back to her sizzling pans, calling: "I made some pancakes for breakfast, and decided to share."
"Well, it smells incredible." Sam repeated as he and Steve came into the kitchen/dining area.
Steve walked over to Arianna's side, kissing her cheek and leaning on the counter beside her to watch her fondly while Sam sat down beside Nat, saying hopefully: "Any room for one more?"
"Only if you work for it, soldier." Arianna replied cheekily, making Steve laugh while Sam complained: "You didn't make any of them work for it."
"Nat's my sister, Wanda's like a younger sister," Wanda beamed at that while Arianna continued, "and Vision is five months old."
"Four months and twenty-three days, to be precise." Vision piped up, making Wanda give him a fond look while Arianna chuckled and Sam rolled his eyes.
"So, they deserve their pancakes." Arianna finished teasingly. "What have you got, Falcon?"
"I spent the morning on a run with your husband that you opted out of." Sam countered, and Steve barked a laugh while the rest of the team chortled.
"Are you calling me a coward, Mr. Wilson?" Arianna challenged, and Sam answered as he spread his hands out: "Me, call the wife of Captain America, a coward? Never."
He grinned cheekily, and Arianna laughed as she said with a warm smile: "Well, in that case, sir, you may certainly have pancakes."
"Why, thank you kindly, ma'am." He joked, and Steve shook his head as he grabbed more plates for them while Arianna flipped her new batch of pancakes.
"How come Steve doesn't have to work for his pancakes, Ria?" Nat asked slyly.
Steve rolled his eyes, before he went beet-red as Arianna replied without hesitation: "Because he's already worked all night for them."
Wanda choked on her pancakes while Sam spat the water he'd been drinking. Vision looked a little confused, while Nat took it in stride as she answered without missing a beat: "Oh, is that why you're looking a little stiff today?"
"I am not." Arianna shot back, glancing at the redhead, and Nat smiled her infamous Cheshire cat smile.
"I wasn't talking to you, Ria." She answered, looking at Steve pointedly.
Steve's blush, if possible, deepened, while Sam complained: "All right, all right, some of us are trying to eat."
"Blame Nat." Arianna shrugged as she handed two plates over to Steve, who took them both and went to sit beside Sam, sighing as Nat wiggled her brows at him.
"No, really, knock it off." Sam told Nat in aggravation. "And why aren't you bothered by this? You've claimed she's your sister."
"I'm a spy. Sex doesn't bother me." Nat answered with a shrug, making the room pause again.
"And that was too much information." Arianna said dryly as she set aside the last plate of pancakes.
"We crossed that line a long time ago." Sam muttered, and there was a momentary silence.
It was finally broken when Vision commented lightly: "I must say, these are very good pancakes, Mrs. Rogers. Better than Mr. Stark's."
"Anyone's pancakes are better than Tony's." Arianna laughed. "I don't care if it's the most expensive imported flour and eggs that money can buy, whatever Tony does with it is no longer fit for consumption."
"I concur." Nat chimed in, and the two women exchanged high-fives as Arianna carried in her own plate, while Vision cleared his own plate.
"I'm not sure I can say quite the same of Mr. Stark." Vision commented seriously as Arianna settled down beside Steve. "But it is a fact that your pancakes are better, Mrs. Rogers."
He nodded at the brunette woman, finishing gratefully: "Thank you for the wonderful meal."
"No problem, Vision." Arianna chuckled. "Maybe I can teach you to make pancakes sometime."
"We can learn together, Vis." Wanda added enthusiastically.
"A cooking class with Ria, sounds great." Nat said a little sarcastically, but her smile gave her away and they all knew she didn't mean it.
Well, most of them did. Vision was looking a little confused, so Wanda explained to him on the side quietly, and Arianna grinned as she watched the interaction for moment.
It was strange, having once been in their shoes, for Arianna was certain this was how Nat and Clint had watched her back when she and Steve were still unaware of their own feelings. And now, here she was watching the new recruits with a feeling of nostalgia and warmth.
'I'm getting old.' Arianna thought wryly before she cleared her throat.
"So," Arianna began as she bit into her stack of pancakes, "what's everyone doing today?"
The group turned to look at her, their expressions becoming thoughtful while Arianna continued: "Nat, I know you'll probably do yoga for the rest of today-"
"And you'll probably stick with Steve." Nat shrugged. "What happened to the days when you actually worked in your free time?"
"I never did – that's why it's called free time, Nat." Arianna countered dryly while Steve sighed as he felt another bout of teasing coming up.
Sure enough, Nat let out a deep sigh as she said with a pretend sorrowful expression: "To think that my Ria, who I raised to be strong, independent, and never bend to a man's will, is now wrapped around Captain America's pinky finger."
Arianna's eyes narrowed, and she wasn't joking when she sent Nat a dark look. The Russian just smirked back while Wanda and Sam glanced between them anxiously, wondering if they were actually going to get into a fight.
The Sokovian's eyes widened when suddenly Arianna's hand shot out and she threw a pancake at Nat's head.
Nat deflected it quickly with her own fork, before she threw one of her pancakes at Arianna, which the brunette woman dodged, before she and Nat sat in a staring match once more.
"Don't throw the food." Steve warned, but both women's lips had curved upwards in matching smirks.
"Food fight!" Arianna yelled as she threw a dollop of whipped cream at Nat, which she deflected by smacking it right across the table and into Sam's face. Her other hand whipped out to reveal her own weapon, a bottle of the squeezing kind of jam.
Arianna's eyes narrowed and she leapt to the side as Nat fired at her, sending sprays of jam all over Arianna's empty seat and then Steve (who just barely got hit as he ducked) and Sam. Sam yelped while Arianna's leap took her over the table and she rolled as she grabbed the can of whipped cream.
She fired it at Nat, who also jumped away… only to be hit suddenly by a spray of chocolate sauce.
"You sneaky-!" Nat exclaimed as she whipped around to see Wanda, the Sokovian smiling widely as she lifted the chocolate sauce again.
Nat squeezed her bottle and sent the spray of jam at Wanda, who simply blocked it with her telekinesis. She tossed the jam aside carelessly, accidentally splattering it all of Steve instead, while Arianna fired whipped cream at Nat only to accidentally hit Vision.
The fight became fierce after that, as everyone grabbed their own form of ammunition and began to throw food at one another randomly. Arianna soon ran out of whipped cream, but Steve had had the foresight and smarts to place himself at the fridge, so it was only a matter of time before she received another two cans of ammunition.
Unfortunately, Wanda got hold of the storage cupboard, using her powers to have all the food fly to her and she was a fierce foe, only matched by Vision who belatedly got into the hang of the game. But once he did, all hell broke loose as he excitedly fired off jam, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and cheese at them.
The food fight finally ended when Sam yelled: "Argh! Surrender, I surrender!"
They all came to a slow stop, Arianna and Nat tossing dollops of cream at each other every once in a while with wide grins pasted on their faces. Steve shook his head in amusement at them while Sam sighed in relief, and they all slowly glanced around at the mess they'd made.
"You two are cleaning this up." Steve told Arianna and Nat sternly, though his lips were twitching.
Their lips twitched as well, finding it hard to take him seriously when he was covered in various bits of food – Arianna spotted pancake bits stuck in his hair amongst the whipped cream and cheese (ugh) – but they replied smartly: "Yes, sir!"
He rolled his eyes at them, though his smile finally broke through and the team laughed as they all helped clean up the mess and set things straight for the rest of the day. So, perhaps it didn't really end as a day off, but at least it meant an early spring-cleaning for the kitchen.
They also had to go grocery shopping again when they realized there was nothing left in the kitchen, though it would explain the eggs on Vision's shirt and the pie on Sam's head… and the bits of bacon Steve found in Arianna's hair when he washed her down later. But that was another story.