27. Food
"I want to go to San Diego," Natasha announced. "I want margaritas and food."
"Food? You can have food here." Loki spoke from the depths of a comfortable chair; he was in the middle of an interesting chapter and didn't want to move.
"Not the kind of food I want."
"Ugh, food on Midgard is dreadful. Did you ever pick up a box in one of those stores of grocery and look at the side? I have no idea what some of the words even mean."
Natasha climbed onto his lap. "Hello - have you met bilgesnipe? It's like eating fishy steak."
Loki put down his book. "I will concede that point, but on all other matters…"
"Enough." She leaned forward and kissed him. "We're going. Tonight."
In the restaurant, Natasha ordered margaritas with fresh lime juice, taquitos, mole sauce, and appetizers. As soon as their drinks arrived she took a long sip and sighed with pleasure.
Tony, who had flown in to join them, chugged his margarita and ordered another round. "With floaters," he called after the waitress. "Not floater floaters," he added. "I mean the kind that are made with heavily proofed alcohol. Karp, you're not eating anything."
"Why'd you call him Karp?" Natasha asked around a mouthful of nachos.
"David Karp," Loki explained glumly. "The man who started…"
"…Tumblr, okay, I get it." Natasha picked up another nacho and dunked it heavily in guacamole. "Here, try this. And if you don't like guacamole we may need to get a divorce."
Loki eyed the chip with suspicion. "At least it's the right color." He took a tiny lick of the green stuff, and a pleased expression came over his face before he swallowed the chip and began to ladle guacamole onto his plate.
"You're not supposed to eat it with a spoon," Natasha started, but Tony shushed her.
"No, let him go." He swiped something on his phone and spoke into it. "Pepper? I'm going to be later than I thought. There's something interesting going on here I want to watch." When the waitress brought their drinks, Tony ordered three more bowls of guacamole and a bottle of the finest tequila.
Natasha leaned her chin on her fist and watched Loki eat with awe. "This is a thing of beauty," she commented.
"So no divorce then?" Tony drained his margarita and poured a round of shots. "Damn. I thought I was going to win that bet with Bruce after all."