reserves
Maria honestly hadn’t meant to spook the kids.
The door closes behind Yelena and Skye and the two are left in the silence. She knows what Fury is thinking and lets out a sigh. “I know.” She murmurs.
“Sit.” Fury said and Maria moves around the desk to take a seat where Yelena was sitting moments before. “Do you doubt my ability as the Director?”
“Of course not, sir,” Maria watches as Fury leans back in his chair. “I just--”
Fury holds up his hand and Maria closes her mouth with a click of her teeth. “Do you think I forgot the fact that Belova is seventeen?”
“No sir,” Maria watches him carefully. “But having someone who is almost eighteen is different than a fifteen-year-old.”
Fury raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I don’t know that? Hill, that fifteen-year-old hacked SHIELD from a van. Do you think that if we don’t snatch her up then someone else might now? The Red Room perhaps?”
“The Red Room won’t exist soon,” Maria reminds him of the string of missions Natalia and Clint had been out on.
“We may not be able to provide the ideal environment but sooner or later her mind is going to get her into trouble she can’t get out of,” Fury states and Maria knows that he’s right. “And you just ran her out of the room.”
Maria refuses to acknowledge the tendril of guilt that curls up in her gut. “It wasn’t my intention, sir.”
Fury levels her with a stare. “I know that. But they are children, Hill. Not soldiers.”
“Belova’s a soldier,” Maria retorts, and Fury raised an eyebrow. “But I understand your point.”
Fury gestures to the room. “You have the floor now, Hill. Lay it all out for me.”
“Belova was an exception. Are we making another exception for this girl?” Maria questioned, leaning back in the chair. “Will we make another exception for the next child with skills we could use? The child after that? Where do we draw the line, Nick? When do we become just like them!”
Fury was quiet for a few moments before he inclines his head. “You bring up good points, Maria.”
Maria untenses slightly at the sound of her first name.
“We’ve had a few children we’ve picked up over the years who were a little too curious for their own good. We send them to SHIELD academy and we kept them safe but that was it. We didn’t pull them for missions and we’re not sending them out into dangerous situations,” Fury reminds her as if she had forgotten. “What makes you think I won’t do the same with her?”
“She’s a flight risk. You heard her, she ran from foster care and has lived in a van pursuing the identity of her parents. SHIELD academy has nothing to offer her,” Maria then lets out a sigh. “And you offered her a job.”
Fury lets out a grunt. “True.” He taps his fingers against the desk. “I believe she could be a valuable asset with the right training. She wants someplace to belong and the identity of her parents. In return, we can help her hone her skills and offer her the family she wants.”
“Can we?” Maria challenged and holds Fury’s stare. “She’ll need more stability than Belova. She’ll need education and structure. Can we provide that for a child?”
“What about her is different than Belova?” Fury questioned and Maria blinks a few times before scoffing.
“One is a child soldier with rampant PTSD, attachment disorders, and the emotional level of ten-year-old,” Maria lists on her fingers, raising an eyebrow at Fury before continuing. “The other is a homeless foster child too smart for her own good searching for a sense of identity and closure by searching for her parents.”
“And you doubt our ability to look after her?” Fury inquired and Maria rolls her eyes.
“We’re barely scraping by with the one child we have aboard already. Belova’s had numerous meltdowns, panic attacks, dissociation episodes, and is quick to assume the worst of every situation,” Maria flaps her hand. “Her therapist says she’s not talking. Lately, she’s been staring at me like I’ve done something to offend her and I haven’t the slightest clue what I could have done that would warrant her intense staring. Are you prepared for two of her?”
“She’d need a guardian,” Fury comments and Maria rubs her face with her hands.
“Yeah--” She’s interrupted by a knock on the door to his office. She straightens as does Fury.
“Enter!” Fury calls out and the door slides open. Maria’s surprised to see Yelena had returned with the child hacker. “You’ve returned.”
“I… may have been a bit hasty with my retreat…” Skye admits, a blush covering her face as she squirms from where she had taken cover behind Yelena. “I’d like to talk again… if that’s okay. It’s totally cool if not, I get it--” She’s cut off by Yelena grabbing her hand and squeezing it.
Maria stands and moves to retake her place at Fury’s right side so that the girls can sit once again.
Maria watches as Fury offers her a place once again. He ends with “but you’ll need a guardian.”
Skye bristles, opening her mouth to probably tell them that she doesn’t need one. Fury continues before she can interrupt. “You’re a minor. It’s all legality reasons.”
“And Tiny_Dancer can’t do it?” Skye glances over at Yelena.
“Gotta be an adult,” Maria said and she thinks Yelena pouts at being called a child but she doesn’t deny it.
“Her sister?” Skye suggests and Maria shakes her head.
“They’re not US citizens,” Maria points out.
“You?” Yelena peers up at Maria and Maria doesn’t know what she did that made Yelena think she was a good person to look after a kid.
“I have a couch in my office because I’m married to my work. I have no time for that,” Maria replies.
“Clint?” Yelena then suggests and Maria stares at her.
“I’ve seen the man pour coffee into his cereal instead of milk because it would save time when eating breakfast,” Maria comments. “He calls Natalia his emotional support assassin.”
Yelena thinks for a few moments. “Bobbi?”
“Bobbi’s busy training you and going out on regular missions. No time,” Maria shakes her head.
Yelena goes quiet for a few more moments. Maria lets her think because it was obvious Yelena wanted someone she knew to look after Skye.
Finally, Yelena hesitantly offered out one more name. “...Coulson?”
Maria opens her mouth but there are no immediate issues with it that come to mind. “I suppose. You’d have to ask him.”
Maria ignores the flicker of hope that crosses Skye’s face.
“Coulson already deals with children all day.” Fury comments and Maria lets out a wry grin. “I’ll talk to him.”
Skye lets out a grin but is obviously cautious and too afraid to hope. “Cool. That’s… brilliant, thanks.”
“Belova, why don’t you show Skye the cafeteria? Maybe introduce her to Natalia and Bobbi properly,” Maria suggests although both she and Yelena know that it’s an order.
“C’mon,” Yelena stands and Skye automatically follows her. Yelena glances back at Maria before leaving once again with Skye.
Fury gestures at Maria and Maria immediately taps out a message to Coulson on her tablet, letting him know to meet them as soon as possible.
He shows up ten minutes later, curious about what was so urgent.
It only takes Fury needing to mention a teenager in need of a guardian for Coulson to interrupt them with his raised hand.
“Hold on a moment, are you asking if I’ll be a parental guardian to a teenage genius?” Coulson questioned. Maria and Fury glance at each other before nodding. “Sign me up!”
Maria can’t help the snort of laughter that escaped her lips at his enthusiasm. She gives it a week tops before he’s moaning to her about the teenager acting like a teenager.
“What? You don’t think I can do it?” Coulson challenged, leveling her with a stare.
“No,” Maria grins at him and he rolls his eyes.
“How about some friendly competition, huh? We’ll see who can last the longest without complaining,” Coulson challenged.
Maria glances at Fury but he doesn’t make any move to stop them. “I complain about idiots all the time.”
“Then we’ll pick one,” Coulson barely has to think. “Natalia.”
Maria stiffens slightly at the name. “What?”
“We’ll see who can last longer without complaining. Me about the kid or you about Natalia.” Coulson nods his head.
“I don’t complain about Natalia!” Maria immediately retorts. She didn’t… did she?
“You complain about her all the time,” Coulson said with a grin. “If I didn’t know you better to be married to your work, I’d think you were pining over her.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Maria snaps at him, unsure of why she was reacting so strongly to his words. “You’re on. Loser goes to fetch the winners favorite takeout for a week.”
“Bet.” Coulson sticks his hand out and Maria takes it.
Maria pretends she doesn’t hear Fury let out a low chuckle before telling them to get the fuck back to work.
Maria would win this bet easily. She doesn’t talk about Natalia all the time.
… right?