"I'm going to make banana bread today!"
You've grown to hate those cheery words so much, you wanted to cry, and you made a face like you might because your back was to them as you hunched over the kitchen island on a stool. Porky was eating over by the kitchen's massive archway entrance, and you were scrolling on your phone when Alex came down the stairs with this news, heading to the coffee maker in front of you over on the counter to pour another cup.
It's been a few days since you had your little spinner, as you're now calling it, and Natasha's been texting you pretty consistently. At first, it was just to check in, but it's since just been random nothings about your days, and it's been nice.
Weird, because usually, you'd have slept with her by now, but still, this was nicer somehow.
Not that you would say no, but this friends thing was good too. Different, but good.
You didn't know if she swung that way, anyway, but you had a pretty good sense for these things, and gun to your head for a guess, you'd say she flew that rainbow flag high.
"Yeah?" Your voice was high to not seem so defeated by this declaration, "You don't want them to get sick of it though, you just made them some last week."
"It's the only bread I know how to make." They frowned and you were disgusted.
"I'm playing! It's delicious, man, I wish they'd share your amazingness, but those greedy bastards," You shook your fist in the air for emphasis, "Ah, well, they deserve the goodness."
"I'll make two! One for us and one for them!" They grinned brightly and you wanted to stab your middle and just swirl it around in your gut because you were going to be so stuffed with bread it'd feel the same, but it was your fault.
"Great, love that."
They started humming and you side eyed Porky who was peering up at you as if he knew this secret you held, but you just mouthed 'don't judge me' before he sneezed, trotting away.
Soon after that, when the smell of banana invaded your senses, you went up to your room to work on some assignments and answer some emails. There were certain agencies that always tried to contact you about being their new hire because of the work you've done on your class projects and while you were flattered, you always found yourself politely declining them.
You hadn't done anything illegal in this case, technically, but you would casually break into their software to expose their system's flaws to them or develop a malware that could potentially take down their entire organizations. It was all without malice and you'd never go through with any of it, but you found yourself signing NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) and other legal documents to cover their asses. Once they realized you weren't attacking their companies, they would eventually reach out and ask if you wanted to be a part of their team.
Again, flattering, but you wanted to complete grad school before you took on something more fulltime and between that and Tony's random calls, you wanted to be sure whatever you took on could be in New York.
This always bothered Alex because they said you shouldn't let him keep you tethered to the city just so you can drop everything to be by his side when he calls and you knew they had a point, but you weren't going to abandon him either. He had become one of your closest friends through all of this and yes, he pays you way too much for a simple 'session' or whatever you want to call it, but you guys are there for each other and it's nice to have the other in your corner if you ever needed someone who got it. He knows your abilities, to the highest extent you're willing to admit to anyone, and you know about his panic attacks, anxiety, and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
