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They meet when Maria’s twenty-two, just out of the Marines desperate to do something meaningful.
Natasha Romanoff is a skilled agent, somehow always one step ahead of Maria on missions and that annoyed her beyond belief. It wasn’t that she was mean, Natasha just didn’t give a damn what anyone thought, she was blunt, and she refused she sugarcoat anything. After only minutes of conversation the annoyance of having a sustained social contact always showed on her face.
She was arrogant on missions, borderline reckless, but she never put anyone else in danger, just herself. Sometimes Maria thinks that Natasha doesn’t really care if she makes it back alive, sometimes she simply thinks that Natasha only ever looks alive on missions.
She prefers to keep to herself, Maria notices quickly. There’s something about the new agent that strikes a chord within her. She notices the way Natasha avoids eye contact with everyone in the cafeteria at lunch. The way she kept her debriefs short and clear, only ever providing the information needed, nothing more or less. She notices that Natasha looks scared.
The first time she sits down across from her at lunch she’s met with a scowl. Maria just shrugs it off and makes herself comfortable with her chicken sandwich in hand. She pretends to read her book but out of the corner of her eye she can see Natasha sizing her up.
Natasha doesn’t talk to her until the 46th day she sits down in front of her at lunch, Maria keeps count. It’s a simple ‘hello’ but she has trouble keeping the smile off her face for the rest of the day.
After the first few months, the redhead warms up to her enough to hold a conversation with her. They don’t talk about things that matter, just their jobs, mainly Natasha complaining about missions, Maria takes what she gets.
Natasha starts to make friends, Maria stares at Clint for a whole 5 minutes after he sits down at their table. She’s surprised when the redhead acknowledges Clint and grunts to Maria something about ‘meeting him in on a mission’.
She doesn’t mind Clint, he’s funny and he makes good conversation during lunch so she no longer has to pretend to read until Natasha speaks to her.
The first time Natasha Romanoff cracks a joke Maria chokes on her sandwich. After a smooth (not) recovery she grins and cracks one back. That’s the beautiful start of their never-ending banter.
Maria Hill becomes friends with Natasha Romanoff when she’s 24 years old. At least that’s the first time Natasha calls her a ‘friend’. Being friends with her means grabbing drinks after work, ordering takeout together, and watching shitty movies on Natasha’s 19 inch TV screen that she somehow manages to sneak onto the base.
It’s a nice dynamic and she finds herself not dreading the idea of having a life outside of work. Natasha manages to surprise her at every turn, from her keenness for popsicles and ice cream bars to her hysterical fear of cockroaches.
Maria sleeps with Natasha for the first time at 25 and a half.
It's fast and rough but she’s desperate to feel anything after losing five agents that day. Bruises and cuts litter her body but Natasha’s warm lips on hers somehow makes it all okay.
She thinks it’s a one time thing until Natasha drags her into the supply closet at lunch and impatiently has her way with Maria.
It’s nice, Natasha never asks from her anymore than she can give. No feelings, no strings, no complications. Until there is.
Maria starts to have feelings for Natasha at 26.
She finds herself wanting to hold on just a little longer after they sleep together. She finds herself admiring Natasha from afar. She finds herself caring.
Natasha’s different around her she can feel it. She feels a warmth of pride in her chest knowing only she gets to know this side of her.
She chokes up with emotion the first time Natasha asks to be held after almost dying. It’s unspoken, but they both know the amount of trust had to have been there for her to make that request.
Maria falls in love with Natasha at 26.
They don’t talk about it when their relationship evolves into something more. Natasha seems content with what they have and Maria’s never felt more stable. It’s nice to have someone to wake up to. Although she knows deep down she only wants to wake up to one person.
The idea of loving someone freaks her out more than it probably should. She doesn’t have the best track record with any kind of love. She takes an educated guess Natasha probably doesn’t either, that’s what makes them work.
Maria marries Natasha at 28 years old and 2 days.
Well not really, it’s for a mission but they’re too lazy to enul it. They don’t talk about it, but the rings never leave their fingers and Maria knows it means a lot to Natasha.
The team doesn’t find out until years later when Steve jokes about it at taco Tuesday and chokes on his salsa when Natasha shrugs and says, “We’re still married,”
Everyone turns and looks at them but Maria just continues to help wife build her masterpiece of a taco. They manage to stack 5 shells together before it falls and splatters its insides onto their plate. Natasha just laughs and feeds Maria a piece.
Maria loses Natasha at 41 years old.
The worst part is she doesn’t find out until the dust settles. She fights her way through Thanos’s army, eager to find her wife. She almost loses her life several times but the thought of finding Natasha gets her through.
The moment everyone gathers around Tony is the moment her whole world falls. Clint whispers an apology and her body turns into stone. Refusing to move, refusing to accept the fact.
It’s not fair it’s not fair it’s not fair
Maria loses Natasha at 41 years old.
There’s no body, there’s nothing left of her belongings, there’s nothing.
No bed that smells like her. No dog tag, no ring that Maria can hold onto but her own. All there is left is the change of clothes Maria finds at her apartment.
Maria loses her whole world at 41.