bionicstaringmachine

Is this the first time you admitted something the modern era's good for?
I know. We'll find the right moment.

[Or engineer it. She's pretty confident neither of them will be able to withstand many more late night teasing texts.

She wonders if he knows how rare it is for someone to openly appreciate her skills. Historically, people - especially men that have been interested in her - are more likely to describe her as intimidating. Which she by and large has always considered their problem. It's unaccountably nice to not have to think about it with him.]

Guess I'll have to show off more often, then.
Like by telling you I'll give you a run for your money when you're following through on those plans.

[It's a little bit of a deflection, but she knows she'll find the right time to express that more in depth thought about appreciation to him. And besides, it gave her an opportunity to keep escalating that flirtatious back and forth.]

Maybe you could start moonlighting as a food critic.

Maybe it's the first time it's managed to prove it's good for something without making it more complicated than it's worth.
Probably sooner than we think it's gonna be.

[ He might have been out of practice for several decades, but he's still a man underneath all the other bullshit. A man with a very real attraction to a smart, beautiful woman that he's had a fair amount of dirty thoughts about while also realizing he gives a damn about her more than just a friend and occasional..co-worker? co-conspirator at times? so he doesn't plan on letting this take so long that he realizes he's missed an opportunity. ]

I can appreciate it, you showing off.
Guess that means you're not gonna take it easy on me.

[ And he likes that. Not just the flirtatious back and forth, but the fact she plans on challenging him and making the wait that it takes to get there worth it. ]

Only if they take reviews from grumpy old food critics.

Guess these modern times were bound to get something right sooner or later.
You might be right about that one.

[No, she's positive that he's right about that one. She's just going to haul off and plant one on him one day and it's only going to escalate from there.]

Good to know.
Because I'm never going to take it easy on you.

[Oh, there is absolutely a sense of promise behind the flirtatious back and forth.]

The only two requirements to become a food critic are that you're grumpy and old.

Sooner or later. There's other stuff that's not all bad, but this is the first one.
I'm not making any promises on how right I am, but I know I am.

[ If she doesn't decide to plant one on him, he knows it'll come to a point where he'll be closing that gap himself. He could see them both deciding to go for it when the moment's right and that's not a bad possibility from where he's standing. ]

Guess whenever these plans happen, we're gonna have to cancel anything we've got goin' on the next day.

[ If she's not taking it easy on him and he plans on it taking all night anyway, why rush off for anything the following day unless it's something to do with the end of the world? ]

Are food critics the same as the people with food blogs? I've seen some that don't look grumpy or old.

Anything else make the top three?
Could say you're approaching 99%.

[There is something to be said for meeting in the middle. And for the absolute certain knowledge that they've got the same level of excitement simmering underneath the surface.]

Sounds like you're inviting me to spend the day lying around.

[Which is...oddly sweet. And extremely appealing. She can think of much worse ways to spend the day after they enact their plans.]

There's some overlap, but they're mostly two different subsets of food enthusiasts.

The food. Having more options is nice. I don't hate the internet.
I was gonna say 91%.

[ He didn't want to pretend he was completely right, he thinks that was a lower number that sounds plausible still while letting her know the excitement he feels is real, he's just preoccupied with finding the moment. ]

Yeah, I guess I am. I can't think of much I'd wanna do the next day.

[ He might also like the idea of either being there in her place after or having her at his, not rushing to get to anything unless they had to. Maybe they'd get bored, maybe they wouldn't. ]

I don't know anything about having a blog, guess I'm gonna become a food critic.

Being able to order food on the internet really makes up for some of its shortcomings.
Feeling modest?

[She gets what he's driving at, but she also appreciates and even enjoys when they keep things light like this. The moment will come to get a bit deeper.]

Sounds like a pretty good day to me.

[And like a pretty normal day. Which is quite appealing, especially if she gets to spend the day with him.]

You sure?
I could teach you how to blog.

I don't like having to scroll through a recipe if I feel like cooking. I don't wanna read about someone's dog when I'm trying to figure out what ingredients I need for it. Being able to order food helps when that happens.
I can be modest.

[ And for as much as they know it'll all come to a head eventually, he hates the idea of setting expectations too high on when it will be. Being light about it, it helps. ]

It's not jumping out of a plane without a 'chute, but it's something.

[ Natasha has quickly become one of his favorite people to spend time with - for a different reason than the other people he spends time with - so he considers time spent with her as something to look forward to as it is, but in this scenario he doesn't see why he'd want to do anything else unless it's the end of the world happening. ]

Alright, how do you teach that kind of thing?

I've got a great browser extension for you. It skips through the story right down to the recipe. I'll add it for you.

[If that sounds suspiciously like she might be planning to hack his phone so she can add a helpful browser extension, it's because she is.]

We know where to get a plane if it comes to it.

[Something tells her that it won't. But it stays in the vein of keeping things light.]

I hear they offer classes down at the senior center.

inbox.

same i am guilty on all charges

I STILL LOVE THEM YOUR HONOR, EVEN TWENTY DAYS AFTER THE FACT

ladies and gentlemen of the jury, SAME

good because NOW i am back and ready for them to continue being menaces

the menacing cannot and will not be tamed!

THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE, because if it is tamed then he's wondering when she got swapped lmao

lmao it's just a sudden surprise skrull au

LMFAO DON'T YOU THREATEN THAT!

😈