Natasha wakes up to sunlight streaming through the windows and fingers gently running through her hair. She is fitted snugly in Maria’s arms with her head resting on the brunette’s chest. Natasha tilts her head up to see Maria smiling down at her, blue eyes looking beautiful as ever.
“Good morning,” Maria says, moving to press her lips to Nat’s messy red curls.
“Morning,” Natasha replies, voice raspy with sleep. She closes her eyes and hums contentedly. “Can we just stay here all day?”
Maria chuckles slightly. “Not all day, we have dinner, remember?”
“Ah yes, this wonderful dinner at this fancy place you’ve been talking about for weeks.” Natasha runs her fingers along Maria’s arm and looks up at her girlfriend. “You know I don’t need anything special.”
Maria smiles. “Yeah, well the reservation was incredibly hard to get and you might not need it, but you deserve it.”
Natasha falters for a moment, still very unused to hearing those words. But she lets a small smile grace her lips. “Thank you.”
Maria leans down and kisses her. “Of course,” she whispers, leaving a tingly sensation on Natasha’s lips that the redhead will never get used to.
“God, I love you,” Natasha says.
“I know,” Maria replies with a smirk. “I love you too.”
Natasha shifts so she’s facing Maria and brings her arm up to run her fingers through her brown curls. When they kiss again it is soft and sweet and warm and Natasha feels home. And so she decides right then and there and instantly starts churning her brain for ideas on including the small velvety box she has stashed in the closet in their morning.
When they break their kiss, Maria is smiling again and Natasha has finalized her plan.
“Imagine if the team saw how soft you look right now,” Maria teases.
Natasha chuckles. “I think Tony would freak.”
They lean in to kiss each other once more, then Maria unwraps herself from Nat and they both sit up. “Pancakes?”
Natasha smiles. “Oh, absolutely. I’ll be right there.” She watches as the brunette leaves the room and then makes her way to the closet. Nat puts on one of Maria’s hoodies that is much too big for her and crouches down to retrieve the box from the bottom of a bin. With one quick look at the ring inside, Natasha slips it in her pocket and wanders into the kitchen.
Natasha makes some coffee for the both of them, Maria finishes the pancakes, and they both sit down at the kitchen table to eat. Maria is talking about some new tech they just got when Natasha interrupts her.
“Hey, did you drop something?”
Maria looks to the floor and sees a small black box, a look of confusion fluttering across her face. “How—“
In one graceful motion Natasha sweeps up the box, pops it open, and is on one knee in front of Maria.
“Nat—“
“Marry me,” Natasha says bluntly with a smile. “I want more of these lazy Sundays, more good morning kisses, and I only want it with you. You are it for me, Maria Hill.” Natasha’s eyes start to tear, and she breaks Maria’s gaze for a moment to look down at the ring. “You are everything to me, you are so unbelievably strong and smart, and not to mention hot as hell. I love you, so please say yes instead of giving me that weird look.”
This last part of the speech was unplanned, but Maria’s face is so weird Nat feels the need to address it. The brunette has tears in her eyes and her mouth is contorted halfway between a smile and scowl.
“You are such an asshole,” Maria says, voice low and unreadable.
Natasha knits her eyebrows together in confusion. That was unexpected. “What?”
Maria tried to steel herself but fails to wipe the smile growing on her face. “Nat... I was going to propose tonight.”
Natasha’s eyes widen as Maria’s words sink in. “Oh. So that’s a yes?”
“Yeah, you idiot. I love you too. C’mere,” Maria replies, smile as big as ever and arms outstretched. Natasha places the ring on the table, hops up from the ground and collapses in Maria’s lap, straddling her waist and wrapping her in a fierce hug.
“I’m sorry,” Natasha mumbles through Maria’s hair. “I didn’t know, I just couldn’t wait.”
Maria lets out a teary chuckle and the two lean back to look at each other. There are those blue eyes that Natasha fell in love with, sparkling with Maria’s tears of joy. Natasha brings a hand up to cup her face and gently wipes the tears with her thumb.
“I forgive you,” Maria says, laughing. She leans forward and their lips meet and again Natasha feels home. When they break apart, they rest their foreheads together.
“We can still go to dinner,” Natasha whispers in an attempt to fix Maria’s plans. “You can propose how you wanted to.”
Maria chuckles. “Maybe we can get free dessert.”
Natasha looks at her and smirks. “This is why I love you.”