Natasha Romanoff, expertly trained assassin and spy, would never have thought she’d be in an apartment cooking for the love of her life, but here she is.
Natasha takes out the lasagna from the oven and places it on the stove. She sprinkles a final touch of cheese on top and once satisfied, she takes a step back and hums with a nod of approval.
Then Natasha wipes a towel across the counter and washes the few dishes and utensils she had used. She sings softly with the jazz floating across the kitchen and smiles when she her phone gives the notification that Maria is home (yes, of course she tracks her).
She surveys herself in the mirror. She’s wearing nothing fancy at all (Maria would appreciate it so she didn’t feel underdressed). Instead, Nat is wearing a pair of light gray sweatpants and a t-shirt that was most likely Maria’s. Her red curls were tied back messily and a few poked out, but she had no time to think about it because Maria was already making her way through the door.
At the delicious smell, Maria stops in her tracks and lifts her head, a small smile beginning to grace her lips. She looks up and spies the lasagna on the stove and the few candles lit around the room. And of course, there’s Natasha, leaning her back against the counter, arms crossed and smiling wide.
“Hey,” Natasha says. “Welcome home.”
“Hey yourself,” Maria replies, closing the door behind her. “What’s all this?”
Natasha crosses the room and places her hands on Maria’s arms, holding her gaze. “This...” she starts, before wrapping her arms around the taller woman’s waist. “Is a thank you.”
“For what?” Maria laughs as she wraps her arms around the redhead.
Natasha smiles and leans up (and tip toes slightly) to press a soft kiss to her lips. “For coming home to me safe.“ She kisses her again. “For being a total badass.” Another kiss. “Among other things.” Kiss.
Maria matches Nat’s smile and brings her hand up to cup her face and their lips meet again. Maria smiles into the kiss and sighs. “I missed you,” she whispers.
“I missed you more,” Natasha replies. She pulls apart and grabs Maria’s hands, gazing up to the beautiful blue eyes she’s fallen in love with. “C’mon let’s get you changed, the food will get cold.”
Nat drags Maria into their bedroom and helps her out of her uniform, massaging her tired shoulders. She presses kisses to the back of her neck and helps Maria slip into her hoodie and shorts.
Then they both walk back to their food, and as Maria tries to walk to the kitchen, Natasha shoves her slightly towards the couch.
“No,” Nat says. “Couch. I’ll bring the food.”
Maria just smiles and takes the few steps towards the couch and flops down, stretching her legs out and letting out a deep sigh. She turns on the TV and finds some sitcom to put on in the background. Natasha arrives a few minutes later holding two plates of lasagna, a wine bottle, and two empty glasses, balancing them expertly.
“This smells amazing,” Maria says, reaching out to grab her plate from Nat.
“Yeah, I made it, what did you expect?” the redhead responds with a smirk. She pours them both a glass of wine and settles on the couch, picking up Maria’s feet and putting them on her lap. They eat in comfortable silence with the TV in the background, enjoying the moment of normalcy they are sharing.
“How was your day?” Natasha asks when they’ve both put their plates down.
Maria groans and puts her head in her hands. “Nope,” she responds.
Natasha chuckles. “Okay.” She absentmindedly taps on Maria’s feet and trains her eyes back to the show. After a few minutes, she looks over and sees Maria’s eyes starting to look heavy.
“C’mere,” Nat says reaching her arms out towards her girlfriend.
Maria gratefully complies, getting up and stretching before sitting down right next to the redhead and falling backwards on to her chest. Nat smiles and wraps her arms around Maria and pulls her just a little bit closer. About ten minutes later, she feels Maria’s breathing even out, but she doesn’t think about moving her. Guiltily, Natasha kind of likes it when Maria has a long day at work.