The Start
Ellie, much to Natasha’s dismay, sat perched on top of the fridge as movers carried boxes into the apartment. She watched each and every person from her spot and eyed the indication words scrawled across the cardboard even more. Maria was pretty sure she could ask her daughter what was in any random box, and the girl would be able to recite what it was labeled as.
“Alright, that’s everything,” a large woman with freckles that covered most of her face, held out a clipboard to Natasha.
“Thanks,” the Russian signed the bottom and the group of people were on their way out.
As the door closed and the boxes around them filled some of the space, it felt official.
“Where?” Ellie scanned the boxes once more before looking at Natasha and repeating her question “Where?”
Obsession maybe wasn’t the right word, Maria thought but then saw the crazed look in her daughter's eyes and thought… maybe it is. Since finding out that Natasha would be bringing a four-legged friend with her to the tower, it was all the girl could talk about.
“Oh,” the redhead shook her head and walked over to the little girl, clearly concerned about her distance from the ground, “she isn't here, Bucky and Steve have been watching her-”
Tiny feet sprang for the floor but not before Natasha used every ounce of Black Widow training to halt the girl mid-air. Ellie tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows as she hung suspended in the air.
“Down please,” she huffed, having made the leap more times than Maria could count.
Natasha winced and lowered the child to the ground.
“Mommy, I need to see Soldat.” The seriousness in her voice was enough to make the Commander smile.
“How about we leave her there while we unpack,” Maria offered, not able to speak another word before Ellie shook her head and stared up with her massive green eyes.
“It is my wish to the man with a beard,” Ellie was well aware of the incoming holiday (thanks in large part to the massive pile of presents under the tiny Christmas tree in the living room that Tony had declared necessary.)
“Santa only brings presents, he doesn’t grant wishes,” the brunette shook her head, “Liho isn’t a present, she’s Tasha’s cat.”
The cat wasn’t the biggest fan of Maria, rather she tolerated her whenever the Commander went to Steve and Natasha’s place in DC. Which according to the Russian had meant that the ball of fur liked her, explaining that she hid away from most visitors. Maria didn’t take it personally, she was more of a dog person anyway.
“When boxes are gone, we can go and bring her home?” Ellie looked first at Maria before she looked at Natasha who shrugged.
“I think so,” the Russian was clearly overwhelmed by not only all of her personal belongings surrounding them but the question thrown to her, “but- Um- I think your mom decides.”
They would talk about it, all of it. But for now, the boxes were the priority.
“After we help Tasha unpack,” Maria nodded and watched as Ellie bolted to move boxes to where they belonged based on the text she had memorized for each item.
“Happy Christmas Eve,” Maria winked as she looked at the redhead and helped her daughter move boxes.
Four hours, and 2 Christmas cookies later, the boxes had been sorted and Maria was pretty sure if they didn’t take Ellie down to the apartment below them, she would teleport herself there.
“She’s pretty skittish so don’t be upset-” Natasha started and then stopped as Ellie tilted her head to the side, she started again in Russian.
Maria listened as their shared language flowed, ending with Natasha holding up two fingers and making a petting motion.
“But that’s if she sits near you, which she might not,” she switched back to English as they approached Steve’s door.
Ellie nodded and knocked once, twice… then a third time.
“Merry Christmas Eve!” Steve opened the door looking a little sweaty, his hair slightly messy.
They walked into the apartment, the same layout as Maria’s the floor above. Only she didn’t have a metal-armed man sitting on the couch looking smug.
“Merry Christmas Eve,” Natasha smirked and hugged the man as she took in the scene that they had no doubt interrupted.
“We are here for Liho, please show me where she is,” Ellie pulled on Steve’s sleeve and waited for him to bring her down the hall that contained the guest rooms.
“Barnes,” The Russian greeted with a grin that the man returned.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” he crossed one leg over the other and leaned back.
His time away from Hydra suited him, his time in Steve’s apartment suited him even more. He was almost relaxed as he sat on the couch.
“Got in last night,” Natasha leaned into Maria’s side.
“You guys still good to help with dinner tomorrow?” the Commander recalled the plans they had made earlier that day.
“Six?” Barnes asked, and Maria nodded, “Mind if we come a tad earlier? We have a present for the little one.”
“Not that she needs anything else,” she recalled the mountain of presents in her living room, “But be my guest, you can come over all day if you want.
“Oh we have some plans for tomorrow,” Barnes gave a sinister smile, “but we'll be there around 6.”
Maria snorted and went to reply before Steve called out.
“Tasha, come get your kid.”
The Russian went stiff as a board in Maria’s side.
“I’m out of her treats and she’s under the bed,” the blonde sounded concerned.
Natasha relaxed slightly and strode out of the room.
“Well,” the man on the couch drawled, “that felt loaded.”
“Thanks, Barnes,” Maria sighed, she and Natasha were going to have to have that talk at some point.
The three left minutes later with Liho in Natasha’s arms, and the promise to invite Banner to dinner if any of them saw the man before the meal, the group left. Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off the cat the entire trip back upstairs.
Maria made lunch as Natasha sat on the ground next to Ellie who used two fingers (just as she was shown) to very carefully pet the black cat. The Commander cut the crust off the sandwiches and picked at it, she knew where she stood with the newest addition to the apartment and was content with watching.
“She really is bad luck?” the sun hit Ellie’s skin, highlighting each little white scar on her tan skin and making her eyes glow.
“No,” Natasha smiled and shook her head, “I just thought it was a cool name.”
The child nodded her head and pet the cat once more; much to Maria’s surprise, Liho didn’t run away even after Natasha got up and picked up a sandwich. It was something that kept surprising Maria as the day dragged on, it seemed that where Ellie would go, Liho would follow, and vice versa.
“I do not want the man to break into our house,” the child declared from her spot in front of the couch.
“It’s how he leaves you your best present,” Maria responded from where she reclined in her armchair.
“No thank you,” Ellie’s eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head.
It seemed that while the child had been okay with Santa coming to visit when they were at the farm, their house was strictly off-limits.
“How about we leave him a note that says he can leave your present on the balcony?” Natasha smiled from where she sat on the couch next to her.
The girl thought about it for a moment, then looked at Liho, and then nodded.
“But he’s only going to come if you brush your teeth and go to bed on time,” Maria reminded her daughter.
“Okay,” Ellie stood up quickly and ran to the bathroom down the hall.
The brunette snorted, “That’s literally the fastest I’ve ever seen her move.”
Much to both women’s surprise, Liho followed the girl not only to the bathroom but also to the bedroom where she curled up next to the child’s head. While the cat still wasn’t Maria’s biggest fan, she sat still and only gave one meow as the Commander told her daughter a bedtime story.
“Okay, Mommy you and Tasha have to go sleep too so the man will bring us things,” Ellie pushed on the woman with tiny hands from the bottom bunk.
“Got it, Bear,” Maria bent down and placed a kiss on the girl's forehead, “I love you.”
“Love you too, and also you have to tell Liho,” big green eyes stared her down.
She chuckled and stroked the cat's velvety fur, “Night Liho, love you.”
Natasha's eyes roamed over the boxes in front of her.
"I know, completely overboard but you try telling Tony not to buy things for her," Maria shook her head, "completely impossible."
"No, it's-" the redhead smiled, "it's good, she has a lot of really shitty Christmases to make up for."
Maria hummed her agreement and stood behind the woman, running her fingers through the bright red hair that was impossibly soft. The two had both agreed on not getting each other anything this year, they hadn't even planned on seeing one another until February.
Somehow, it made the day itself feel much more special as they only focused on the people in their lives. Or at least that's what Maria tried to remind herself of as a tiny finger poked into her cheek the next morning.
"Mommy," Ellie's failed attempt at a whisper started as another finger poked her, "the man, he came."
"Oh yeah?" the woman's voice was half muffled in her pillow.
"Yes," wild curls bounced around.
Maria yawned and closed her eyes for another second. Annoyed, Ellie huffed and changed tactics.
"Tasha," another failed whisper came from across the room, "Taaaashaaaaaa."
"Hm, yep," the Russian's voice was a whirl of worry, "what happened."
"The man left my present outside where I cannot go alone."
It was a hard rule the girl knew to follow, she was not to step foot outside of the building without one of her adults within arms reach, balcony included.
"Wow," Natasha's voice was even more gravely than normal as the early morning sun crept in, "very cool."
"Mommy is not awake so- Mommy?" Ellie called out, Maria stayed silent, praying for one more minute of sleep.
"Yes, Mommy is still not awake, and, I cannot get it alone," Maria listened as he daughter explained the situation again to Natasha.
"Alright," there was a shift in the bed as the redhead got up.
Ellie took off back to the living room.
"You owe me one," Natasha leaned over and whispered into Maria's ear.
The brunette just smiled and slept for a little longer, she would pay her back.
By the time she got up, the sun had barely risen and yet the day still flew by with friends who dropped by, presents opened, and too much sugar. Something Maria was reminded of as Ellie ran around in circles after opening her last present Steve and Barnes had dropped off, not that she needed anymore.
The apartment was filled with everything from new books courtesy of the Bartons, to a new microscope that Banner had left on their doorstep, and a camera from Yelena. However, Maria was pretty sure the girl's favorite gift came from her by way of Santa, a new Lego space shuttle the girl had stared at for ages in the store one day.
"Successful day?" Natasha asked as she watched Ellie stop running for long enough to jump into a toy car Tony had gotten her.
Maria had never been more thankful for the large, open-concept space of the apartment as the girl floored it and the little car took off towards the kitchen.
"I'd say so," Maria noticed the distance between the two on the couch and used her fingers to pull the Russian into her side.
"Are you sure?" Natasha asked in a low voice, glancing over at Ellie.
"Bear, what are Tasha and I?" Maria called out.
"Girlfriend-girlfriend," the child called out as she drifted the car.
Green eyes crinkled as Natasha smiled and looked up at Maria, melting into her side. It was one of the first times the brunette let herself breathe in what felt like years. She closed her eyes, felt the warmth of the body pressed into her, listened to her child giggle, and simply breathed. This, was home.
The woman peered into the door that was slightly ajar and took in the sight. Softly, so softly, Maria could barely tell, Ellie spoke in her room. She couldn’t tell what the child was saying, only that she was talking as she sat cross-legged on the ground, Liho sitting in front of her as if she was understanding everything the girl said.
It had been a little over a month since the cat had become a permanent member of the household and while she still didn’t care about Maria, she was almost inseparable from Ellie. Curly hair moved slightly as the girl picked up one of the new books the Bartons had gotten her for Christmas and showed it to the cat who meowed softly. Ellie nodded back and then began to read out loud, to an audience of one.
<Why> Natasha, who had crept up silently, nudged Maria to ask the question.
She smiled and walked back towards the living room, leaving the girl to her privacy.
The brunette kept her voice low as she explained, “She struggles reading out loud. Her teacher noticed it this year when they started doing more verbal reading in class and brought it up during her parent-teacher conference.”
Natasha curled up on the couch, in a very Liho-like manner Maria noticed, and listened to the woman next to her.
“She can speak more languages than anyone else in her class, and she can read just fine, but she has a hard time reading to the class.”
Maria thought about the conference before adding, “Her teacher knows it isn’t comprehension so… that means it’s most likely related to her… well, she-”
Natasha cocked her head to the side and waited for Maria to find the right words.
“She has a hard time making friends, she’s shy and nervous and hasn’t found her voice just yet. You throw reading out loud on top of that,” she tilted her head to the side, “it’s an insecurity.”
“Liho?” the Russian asked.
“She’s been working on reading in front of anyone she feels comfortable with. Me, Liam, Laura. Liho makes the cut it looks like,” she snorted.
“It’s a pretty good list,” Natasha smiled.
“From where she started, I’d say she’s got a good group in general,” Maria knew that the woman would understand what she was saying without having to say it outright.
The three widows had come so far in the last 2 years, each in their own way, each with the help of those around them.
“I mean you can barely trust them alone,” the redhead joked, “but you put them together… they’re not so bad.”
This was exactly why when Maria asked Tony to babysit during date night on Friday, she also asked Rodgers, and Pepper to poke her head in every few hours. However, she didn’t think about that until a few weeks later on a Friday when she and Natasha walked down the streets of New York.
“I told you, the next time I got one I would take you with me,” Maria bumped her shoulder into Natasha’s.
“You really remember everything, huh?” the redhead looked up at her.
“Everything,” Maria nodded and looked at the woman as they rounded the corner.
It was an almost spring night, the sun had just set as they walked down the final block. The two had gone out almost every Friday (save for the two times Natasha had left on a Hydra lead) since they started living together. Tony had deemed “Friday night date night” a priority for Maria after she shifted from Stark Inc. work to just working with Stark and the Avengers.
“Hill,” a large man’s jovial voice came from where he wrapped a small tray in plastic wrap.
“Hey Leon,” Maria smiled at her old friend.
“Come on in, I was just finishing setup,” he beckoned them inside.
“This is nice Chord,” she gave a low whistle and looked around the space.
It was a small shop with one station, a lounge of high-end couches and coffee makers, and a waitlist a mile long. The last shop he had worked in had been twice as large and full of people getting quick ink from an artist who barely gave a shit.
“Wild what a little publicity will do, huh?” he chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck.
Leon’s work had been featured in a top-selling magazine after he had done some work for a group of retired combat veterans. The pieces were amazing and spoke of the love and craftsmanship he put into every tattoo.
“I’m just glad you remembered the little people,” Maria smiled and took a seat.
“I would hardly say saving my brother's life was the move of a little person,” Leon shook his head.
“Barely,” the Commander rolled her eyes.
“Not how Andy tells it,” he gathered more supplies.
The truth was probably closer to how Andrew told it if they were being honest. Maria had helped drag the man out of a firefight once he got hit in the thigh, but it wasn’t just her, the rest of her team had helped. She had just been the one to get to him first, and the one who put the tourniquet on and-
“Leon by the way,” Sargent Chord’s younger brother held out his hand.
“Natasha,” the redhead offered hers back.
“Oh, I’m well aware.” There was a hint of blush in the man's dark skin.
“Life of an Avenger,” the Russian shrugged awkwardly.
“You’re kind of everywhere, I had a guy ask for a piece dedicated to you a few months back,” Leon pulled out a tablet and began swiping through it.
“Me?” Natasha’s eyebrows skyrocketed.
“Yeah,” Leon chuckled and looked up.
“Did you say yes?” Maria got comfortable in the chair.
“Nah, the guy was kind of… a lot,” he shook his head, “Plus, I don’t do portraits of living people.”
“But you’re still saying there could be a guy out there walking around with my face on his body?”
“Yeah, right over his shoulder,” Leon looked up, “but don’t worry, it wasn’t my work, so it will be a shitty tattoo if he got it.”
“Somehow, doesn't really make me feel better,” the Russian squinted and looked at the ceiling.
Maria snorted and took the tablet that Leon handed her.
“So this was the final product I came up with, but we can tweak it before we get started,” he zoomed out fully so she could get a view of the full tattoo.
She looked at it closely, “this is exactly what I wanted.”
The geometric bear stood on all fours with its head held high. The fine lines were connected to each other, the constellation of Ursa Minor flowing seamlessly from the center of the animal into the rest of the piece.
“Perfect,” Leon’s smile widened and he began to prep her forearm, “Sticking with black and white still?”
Maria thought about it for all of one second before she answered, “Yeah, can’t change it up now.”
“Sure you can, you’ve got all this skin on your right leg- we haven't even touched your back yet…” he moved her arm this way and that until he got the general gist of the landscape.
She shook her head and watched as he cleaned up the rest of her arm.
Maria cataloged the ink that adorned her skin. Her left leg had more black than tan skin it seemed and so she counted it as one large tattoo. Then there was the mountain range on her hip, her grandmother's handwriting on her wrist, a crudely done area code tattoo on her right ankle (done by her friend who had learned how to do stick and poke tattoos in juvie when she was 16), and the pieces on her ribs that Natasha’s fingers always found their way to when Maria didn’t have a shirt on.
Leon had done a majority of the work, including some of her favorite tattoos; the script she had above each knee, one reading Memento Vivere, the other Memento Mori.
“Still plenty of time to change it up, new styles, maybe color, you name it” Leon waved a hand dismissively.
“Maybe one day,” she chuckled, if there was anyone she would trust to add color, it would be Leon.
“Alright alright,” he hovered the stencil of the bear on her forearm, “right about here?”
“Little higher up,” she made sure the bottom of the tattoo would be covered by a sleeve.
“I gotcha,” the artist nodded in full understanding before she said a word.
He moved the piece around until it fit perfectly and laid it down across both sides of her arm where it sat. Only after both she and Natasha gave their approval, did the man start his meticulous work.
Three and a half hours later, Maria offered payment and then tried to offer payment again before leaving with a deep hug, the promise to go to a family barbecue that summer, and a brand new tattoo on her body. She buzzed with excitement as the cool night air swirled around her and Natasha who looked just as alive as the breeze.
“I get what you mean,” the Russian smiled, “I can see that becoming addictive.”
“Right?” Maria raised an eyebrow and offered her elbow to the woman, deeming the street quiet enough to chance someone seeing them.
“You going to tell her?” they turned a few more corners before Maria pulled them into a diner.
“As if she won't be able to smell something different on me the second I walk into the apartment,” she chucked and held up two fingers to the server.
The young woman showed them to a little table against the front glass.
“I should have asked if you think she’ll like it,” Natasha staked both of their menus at the edge of the table, both already knew what they would be getting.
“I mean… I hope so, but she’s also a little funny about the ones I already have,” Maria recalled the first time Ellie realized the ink on her leg wasn’t coming off.
The little girl had first grown upset, yelling at her in Russian, Maria had only picked up a handful of words but understood that she was upset that she would be identified. But after explaining that it was how Maira expressed herself, the same way Ellie liked to put stickers on her journal, she started to understand. After that, the child promptly asked for one to which Maria said the same line she was pretty sure every parent had said “Maybe when you’re older.”
“But I think so, even if she doesn’t really understand yet, I think she'll like it,” she glanced at her arm as if she could see the tattoo through the jacket and dressing on her arm, but still she smiled.
The two ordered, or rather they looked at the waitress who normally had them on Friday nights and nodded that they would have their usual.
“Thanks for going with me,” Maria wanted, more than anything to stick out her hand, to hold the Russians in public, to sit on the same side of the booth without concern for their pictures ending up in newspapers and magazines.
She settled for hooking her foot around Natasha’s ankle and a soft smile.
“I had a good time, really,” the redhead thanked the waitress and took a sip of the tea in front of her, “Leon’s cool.”
“So is his brother,” she sipped at her coffee, “reminds me of if Clint could be serious for more than 10 minutes.”
“Sounds like a dream,” Natasha smirked, “tell me about how you got to know him.”
And so she did, the same way the two of them normally talked on Friday nights. No questions or stories were off-limits as they picked at a plate of fries and a slice (or two) of pie, the two simply talked about where they had come from and where they were trying to go.
It was well past ten by the time they walked back to the Avengers Tower. Still, Maria didn’t show any public affection until they were securely in the elevator inside. The Russian ran her hands through the side of Maria’s hair where the scar from her surgery was now, for the most part, hidden. The headaches and pain in her abdomen still came and went, as did the rest of the injuries she had sustained in her life, but as Natasha’s lips ghosted against hers, they all faded away.
Maria leaned into the rail behind her and let the redhead deepen the kiss, her velvety lips still tasted like the tea she had sipped on.
“I think I could do this forever,” Natasha whispered.
“The kiss,” Maria kissed her once more, “or the dates on Friday nights?”
The Russian just smiled and kissed her again, only pulling apart as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Chaos wasn’t the exact word Maria would have used to describe the scene that met them, but it wasn’t too far off either. Ellie hung from her ankles above the couch from where Steve held her in one hand, what looked like dirt on the front of her shirt and half a braid taken out.
The child screeched and twisted until the super soldier launched her into the pile of pillows. Tony was talking to Rhodes in the kitchen, both covered in a light dusting of flour? Powdered sugar? Hard to tell. Barnes was engrossed in a music video that played over the TV, Maria waited for another moment before identifying it as Ah Ha’s Take on Me. Banner stood in the corner, wringing his hands as he laid eyes on the Commander first.
“Awesome,” Maria sighed, the headache she thought she had gotten rid of, back in full swing.
“If you don’t live here, leave,” Hard-Ass-Hill took charge of the apartment.
“Aw, come on,” Tony, of course, spoke up, “I was up next for Launch The Kid”
Ellie scrambled to her feet and came ripping into the kitchen, first to hug her mother, then to stand with her arms up for Stark.
“One round,” Maria held up a finger.
“Ria?!” Natasha startled.
“Pick your battles,” she shrugged, “she get a single vegetable in?”
“Buck put carrots in the sauce,” Steve nodded to where it was now obvious the make-your-own pizza station had been.
“Thank you,” Maria hugged the man and watched as he and Barnes left.
“She could be an ecologist,” Banner walked out of the apartment, “she's got a beautiful ecosystem already started. You might want to introduce a little more natural sunlight though!”
“Wait- what?” the Commander had no idea what the scientist was talking about.
Before she could ask any questions she saw Natasha wince as Ellie launched into the high ceilings laughing the whole time.
“She’ll be okay,” Maria wrapped an arm around the spy’s midsection.
“How do you know?” the redhead turned into her side.
Maria watched as Ellie’s face lit up in a mirror of Tony’s, “kids are pretty resilient, inside and out.”
They watched as she flew in the air and landed on the pillows one more time before Maria called it.
“Alright Bear, say bye, it’s way past your bedtime,” the woman approached and unbraided the other side of her daughter's hair.
“Bye Tiny.” The man stuck out his fist.
“Bye, Tony.” The child returned it with a strong tap.
Natasha’s phone began to ring and it didn’t take a super spy to determine it was either Clint or Yelena. The redhead flipped the screen around to show a picture of Yelena as she motioned with her thumb back to the kitchen, Maria nodded in understanding.
“Night Tony, thank you again,” she leaned into the doorframe as the man shrugged.
“Told you, I like the kid,” he walked out, “oh by the way you’re out of popsicles.”
How that was possible, Maria had no idea, she swore they had a full box in the freezer before she had left for the night.
“Thanks for letting me know,” the woman rolled her eyes and closed the door behind him.
She spun on her heel and looked at the little girl who stood with a grin on her face, “bedtime.”
“Think I should just go and lay down,” Ellie feigned innocence.
“Not so fast,” Maria wasn’t a new mom anymore, she knew this game.
The girl threw her head back in exasperation.
“Let’s brush your teeth,” she chuckled and guided her daughter into the bathroom next to her room, grabbing pajamas as she passed it.
After a solid minute and a half of brushing, wrangling until all four limbs were in sleep attire, and brushing out of all knots in the girl’s hair, Ellie looked like a Q-tip with a crooked smile.
<story> the girl signed, hopeful as ever.
<only 1> Maria nodded and soon the two were laid down on the bottom bunk of the little girl's bed, the only light cast from the star night light in the corner of the room.
The stories always ranged from ones she had been told as a child, to ones that were real and parts of her life she wanted Ellie to know about, to whatever her imagination could come up with on the spot. Tonight she told the story of the two bears in the sky, after she concluded she pulled off her jacket and held up her forearm in the dim light.
“Forever?” the girl asked in Spanish, sleep lacing her voice.
“Forever,” Maria nodded, “this part here is-”
“Ursa Minor,” Ellie’s eyelids were heavy as she raised a single finger to run it over the plastic wrap.
It was the same way she had originally pet Liho when Natasha had told the child that she needed to pet her very gently.
As if the cat could read minds, there was a swift leap from the shadows of the room before the darkness itself took the form of a black feline. Liho gave a dismissive sigh to Maria before curling up tightly in the space between Ellie’s arm and leg.
“I’ll show you when it’s healed up,” Maria stroked back a wild curl while Ellie placed an open palm on the cat's stomach as she closed her eyes, “Good night my stars.”
Liho let out an annoyed *meerp* and closed her eyes.
“You too fur ball,” the brunette got up and exited the room, taking one last glance at her daughter before closing the door and finding Natasha who lounged on one of the stools in the kitchen.
“You showed her?” the redhead looked pointedly at the jacket in her arms.
“She seemed to like it,” Maria smiled and got started cleaning the kitchen, “Drink?”
“Something strong,” Natasha sighed.
The Commander paused what she was doing at the request and pulled out the ingredients for a martini.
“Yelena okay?” she retrieved a glass from the freezer along with the vodka.
The Russian merely hummed, “but were about to get rocked with work.”
“She’s got intel?” Maria threw a towel over the shaker and combined the ingredients, careful not to wake the girl asleep in the room down the hall. She was still staying away from alcohol, it was still just a little too easy to take additional painkillers when her mind wasn’t crystal clear.
The green-eyed woman just hummed again, watching as she knocked the metal container open with the palm of her hand. Maria raised an eyebrow and paused pouring the drink until the Russian sighed and finally spoke up.
“That lead on Strucker?” Natasha waited for the liquid to finish pouring into the glass in front of her before she continued, “It’s good. Along with some other weapon Hydras keeping quiet.”
The Commander thought about it as she watched the redhead drink from the glass, smiling to herself as she did so. She moved on to loading the dishwasher from the plates the guys and Ellie had used that night, still contemplating the best way to play this. They could send in a small team, maybe just Natasha and Rogers to scout it out and see what Hydra was trying to hide before the rest of the group joined up.
Only if they did that, and needed more firepower, it would be hours before the full team got there. It would really depend on the location, last she heard it was a small town surrounded by forest, that wouldn’t be easy to enter in a jet unnoticed. Maybe it would be better just to-
“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you,” Natasha took another drink, “it’s supposed to be date night.”
“You’re right,” Maria leaned across the counter and kissed the woman on the other side.
She began scrubbing the remaining flour off of the counters, trying her best to stay in the moment and not let her mind drift to work.
“If you’re going to do it, might as well think out loud,” the Russian huffed in a way that was very reminiscent of the cat in her daughter's room.
“It’s just if we send in a small team first, we could be severely outnumbered if it’s a big threat if we need more muscle,” she rinsed the sponge and started on a new section, “but if we send in the whole team, were going to have to use the quinjet and at that point, we lose the element of surprise.”
“We could take the jet and leave it close enough to call in if needed,” Natasha drained the rest of her drink.
Maria shook her head and took the glass, “I looked at the location when we first got word, it’s in the middle of nowhere. Any unknown aviation is going to get flagged for 50 miles or more.”
She opened up a drawer next to her and pulled out a piece of gum, popping it into her mouth as she continued to think. The rest of the kitchen was clean by the time she looked at Natasha again, the woman watching her as she propped her head on the palm of her hand.
“Sorry,” Maria realized she may have been in her head for a little too long as she took in the nearly spotless area around her.
“Don’t be,” Natasha spun on the barstool as the woman approached, bracketing her thighs around Maria’s hips, “it’s the reason I started liking you after all. Maria Hill and her brain full of tactics and strategies.”
Maria snorted, “I thought you liked me because of my late-night boxing habit.”
It was the reason they had started talking (and started fucking), both trying to outrun demons in the gym on the Helicarrier.
“Just,” Natasha kissed her quickly before lowering her head and nipping at the Commander's jaw, “an added bonus.”
She tilted her head back, allowing the Black Widow to have full access to her neck, and hummed in content. Maria felt warm lips trail down her exposed skin and let her mind quiet for once, it deserved a break and Natasha was looking to give her one.
“You understand how upset she’s going to be with you?” Maria sighed and shook her head as a faint headache started to form “With me?”
“Let me handle it,” the man countered.
“Let you handle it?” she snorted, “Fury, you haven't seen her, you haven’t seen any of us in almost a year and you think you can just waltz in and make it better?”
“I do,” he countered, “if this is about to go to hell like you think it is, I’m going to have to show face.”
“Maybe I’m wrong,” Maria rubbed her face, maybe she was just paranoid.
“Hill, when the hell are you ever wrong?”
It wasn’t her intel, it was Yelena’s but still, she trusted the young woman enough to make this call.
“This is different, I’m not talking about the lead- I’m talking about her, I’m talking about the trust that you’re going to break in a matter of seconds, Nick,” her head was starting to pound now as she placed it in her hands.
“Leave it to me, you can tell her that you didn’t know either,” the man’s voice was tired.
“I’m not going to lie to her twice,” she sighed, opening her eyes as the faintest footsteps approached her, footsteps that were only detectable because she wanted them to be, “I have to go.”
“I’ll need an 8-hour lead when you need me,” he concluded, when, not if.
“Okay,” Maria nodded to a man who couldn’t see her, she didn’t want to fight anymore.
Her fingers grazed over the “end call” button as she tilted her head to the side, coming into contact with Natasha’s stomach.
Her girlfriend carefully threaded her fingers through her hair, Maria soaked in every touch, she had a feeling they were in for one hell of a spring.