𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 ➪ 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘧𝘧 (2)

1.4

"You might be faster," Spencer tells him, twisting his arm behind his back until he groans, "But I'm stronger. Sit. Down."

Reluctantly, Pietro does sit down. He moves to the other side of the island, defeated, laying his arms on the countertop and watching as Spencer gets to work.

"I love you," Pietro says, and Spencer smiles a little until he adds on, "but you don't know how to make this, dragă."

"I do," Spencer argues, giving him a face. "Wanda taught me," she tells him, pulling out the cutting board. Her eyes flicker up. "But thanks for the vote of confidence."

Pietro shifts in his seat across from her, his eyebrows furrowing. "Then why did you not make it before?"

"It was supposed to be for your birthday," Spencer recalls, pulling some vegetables from the fridge. Once Bruce heard Spencer was considering going back to her apartment, he went out and stocked all the cabinets and the fridge. "But then..."

The mood dampens. Pietro tenses.

"I'm not sure I remember everything about the recipe," Spencer admits, after a second. She doesn't have to look up to know Pietro's pretty satisfied by that. "So you direct, and I'll do it."

He nods in agreement. Spencer's only cutting the tomatoes so far, so he doesn't have any pointers, anyway. Instead, he starts a new conversation.

"Have you let your father see the marks?"

"No," Spencer says, now super focused. "I don't want to talk about that."

"I sit," Pietro tells her. "You talk."

"I hate you," Spencer grumbles.

Pietro just grins because no, she does not.

"I haven't yet," she admits after a second, finishing the tomatoes and adding them to the pot with some olive oil. "They haven't been bothering me-"

"Dragă-"

"I really don't want to talk about this," Spencer says, softer this time, her eyes squinting more.

Pietro watches her for a moment. "Add salt," he tells her, and Spencer turns to the cabinet behind her. "Wanda says they should be back soon," he mentions.

"Clint too?" Spencer checks and Pietro nods. "So you'll probably go visit Laura soon."

"We will go visit," Pietro corrects, and Spencer shakes her head.

"I don't-"

"I am not letting you out of my sight again," Pietro tells her seriously, almost... darkly. Spencer's eyes shoot up to him, but his eyes are back down on the pot in front of her.

"Onions," he says, and Spencer sighs, following instructions. There's no point in arguing with him now - she can do that when she actually has to face the problem.

"Are you staying here?" she asks after a moment. She can feel blue eyes on her, so she looks up. "Here. My apartment."

"Yes," Pietro says immediately.

"But Bruce-"

"Please," he scoffs out. "The man is not an idiot, dragă-"

"Next topic," Spencer mutters, and Pietro lets out a little laugh at her heating cheeks.

"I need a favor," Pietro mentions at the opportunity. Spencer looks over at him. "Paprika," he instructs, and her eyes flicker back down as he continues. "Stark says Peter is coming to the Institute."