Retribution ★ Avengers

We've Got A Lot On Our Plate

"What do you want?"

"French toast."

"I've told you three times I can't cook, Charlie."

"Then don't ask me what I want, Mom."

Marlena raised a brow at her daughter and shut the fridge. Jay was sitting beside Charlie at the counter bar, a tired expression on his face as he watched his sister and mother interact with each other. The two had been going back and forth about breakfast for almost ten minutes, and Jay had filtered out the sound of their voices just three minutes in. He was hungry, and getting food was all he cared about.

"Can't you just go wake up 'Randa?" Charlie asked with pleading blue eyes; they matched her father's perfectly. It made Marlena smile.

"It's seven in the morning. Do you know how angry she'd be if I woke her up?" Marlena turned to rummage through her pantry. She pulled out a box of Honey Smacks and a box of Lucky Charms. She sat them down in front of the twins, both of whom weren't too thrilled.

"I really wish you knew how to cook, Mom," Jay said to Marlena.

"I wish she did too," a new voice sounded. Marlena looked over to see a recently-woken Steve heading into the kitchen. She scoffed and grabbed the cereal boxes, abruptly shoving them back into their places in the pantry.

"Hi, Uncle Steve," Charlie greeted the soldier with a smile, one in which he returned.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

"Can you make us breakfast, Uncle Steve?" Jay asked tiredly. "Mom doesn't know how."

"It's not that I don't know how, I'm just not very good at it," Marlena defended herself. She grabbed the pitcher of orange juice from the fridge and turned to pour it into the glass she'd placed on the counter.

"That's why you have me," Steve chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before moving to gather the ingredients for French toast; he remembered hearing Charlie say that was what she wanted.

Marlena leaned over the counter, her eyes on her children. She wanted to see their reaction to Steve's display of affection, but there wasn't much of one. They'd informed the twins of their relationship status and explained the circumstances of Marlena's relationship with Bucky to the best of their abilities. Of course, they weren't capable of completely understanding the situation, but they understood enough to know that their parents weren't together romantically. The downside was that they didn't get to see their parents together much anymore, though it had been what they wanted for years.

"Are we still going out later today?" Steve asked Marlena as he finished gathering the ingredients for French toast.

Marlena shrugged and hopped onto the counter, her orange juice in hand. She was feeling a little nauseous and could only hope it disappeared before the end of the day. The first trimester was absolutely horrible, and she couldn't wait to be done with it. "Yes, but I have to go see Alena first," Marlena answered Steve slowly; she was watching him carefully to see what his reaction was. The two of them still weren't on the same page about her, and Marlena wasn't sure if they would be any time soon.

"Can we go with you?" Charlie asked excitedly, and Marlena looked over at her. She'd completely forgotten the twins shared a relationship with Alena due to the five years they'd spent with her, and she wasn't too sure how to feel about it.