Chapter Text
Natasha had been called in for a mission, and she had been told to get to Fury, quickly. Once she got into Fury's office, the first thing she noticed was Hill on the monitor mounted on the wall. She looked... annoyed? Natasha wasn't really sure how to explain the look on her face, but it was gone as soon as she spoke up.
"Sir. Commander," she said with a nod of her head toward both of them.
"Romanoff, thank you for getting here quickly," Fury said as she closed the door behind herself. He continued after she was seated, "There's been a slight complication with the Taylor Richards mission and we need someone to take Hill's position. It turns out that some of our original intel was wrong, and Hill is no longer fit for this mission. There wasn't really any information to go on from the beginning, but I have no idea how something like this could've happened."
"Wasn't the plan just to make friends and flirt and get into the apartment? I don't really see why Hill wouldn't be able to continue."
"Exactly. That is the reason why we sent Hill, but with this new information she won't be able to finish the work anymore."
Natasha turned to look at the screen, the confusion apparently clear on her face because, after a deep breath, Hill spoke up.
"He's a guy," Maria started, but Natasha cut her off.
"Really?!" Natasha got an affirmative nod from Fury. Huh, that actually explained a few things about him. She still couldn't see a problem though. "And?"
"Well we originally thought otherwise, you know this." Natasha motioned her to continue, still unsure where the problem was. "I can't flirt with men and you don't want me to try."
Oh. Oh.
"So, you're telling me that you sent in Hill rather than, I don't know, agent Williams for example, because you thought that he was into women but still uncertain on his gender. While you didn't really know anything about him. Really?"
Natasha had seen the file they had on him. It was basically empty. She had to give it to Richards though. It's impressive that SHIELD couldn't find information about him. It basically had an estimate of birth year, name and vague guesses about his lifestyle. She's surprised they were even able to track him down.
She eyed them both after neither answered back at her. Fury seemed like he wasn't gonna say anything about it but Hill let out an angry huff and spoke once again.
"Yes. We made a mistake. Is that what you want to hear? We went in with bad information and half of the important stuff ended up being wrong. He's still very much into women though. So can you step in for me or not, because there's a time limit, and I really don't want to do this."
Natasha grinned at Hill on the screen.
"Oh, I'll gladly do this, but you owe me one Hill."
"I'm gonna regret it, aren't I?"
Natasha smiled at the screen, tilting her head to the side a little and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine! Anything to get me away from this."
That's how she ended up here, sitting at a table at a coffee shop sipping on a cup of coffee and pretending to read a book. She'd visited Hill at a hotel room where she had set base first and gotten an earpiece. Hill had also gone through the core points of the mission with her, like she didn't know any of it.
Natasha did know though, she had read the files on her flight over. The plan was to go to a coffee shop that the target seemed to go to on a daily basis and get the target to let her in his apartment so she could install some surveillance equipment. SHIELD believed that the guy worked for one of HYDRA's scientists, mostly getting them things they needed. SHIELD wanted to be sure of this before bringing him in for questioning. This should be easy for Natasha.
Natasha has enough of waiting around and decides that talking to Hill would be much more interesting.
"So, Hill. How come I didn't know this big part of your life until now?"
"I really don't think my personal matters are any of your business, agent."
Natasha decides to ignore that. Getting under Hill's skin was her favourite thing about working with her.
"Is it hard to work when I'm around? I've gotten that excuse from men multiple times. Oh, or do you have a girlfriend so that you can keep your focus better?"
"Could we please stay on the mission, Romanoff?"
"The target isn't here yet, so humour me Hill. Are you the secret ex Sharon won't talk about? I'm sure they're from SHIELD, and the way she speaks about the relationship they have to be a higher or a lower level agent. And I do happen to have first-hand knowledge that Agent Carter definitely swings both ways."
"Romanoff, please. I don't need to know details of your or Agent 13's personal life."
Natasha can hear from Hill's voice that she's trying very hard to keep it even. Just a little push and she'll get the commander to snap.
"So not you then. Who do you think it would be then? It's not Agent Williams, right? I'd never let her forget that."
"Natasha!"
Score . Natasha smiles happily. She could drop it now, but where's the fun in that?
"What? Let me have some fun while I wait for this idiot. It's not like I have anything else to do besides sip on this coffee."
"Alright. We can talk about my personal life. Just stop telling me about other agents' personal information."
"Okay." Natasha hums for a little bit thinking what she wants to say. "How old were you when you knew?"
"That I was gay? I think I was around 11 when it really struck me."
"So no boyfriends, ever?"
"Nope. And I'm not about to tell you anything related to my exes. That's not on the table here."
"Fair. But have you dated someone from work? It's really hard to try and have relationships with civilians."
Natasha hears Hill groan, which makes her want to chuckle. Luckily she doesn't.
"I said no ex talk. This definitely goes into ex talk."
"Okay. Hmm… Oh, hey, I know what you're gonna do for me once we're done with this mission. You're gonna come with me to a gay bar. We might get Sharon to join us as well."
"Why would you want to go to a gay bar?"
Hill says it surprisingly slowly. It was like she's worried that Natasha is plotting something. Like she'd ever. (Yes, yes she would, but she isn't currently.)
"Well, Commander, men hit on me enough as it is, and I would very much rather get that attention from women. Don't get me wrong, I think both of the sexes have their faults, but enough is enough."
"Wait, you're--"
Now Natasha actually lets out a laugh. Has Hill not been paying attention this whole conversation?
"Yes. Like Agent Carter, I too swing both ways. Wasn't that clear from the earlier comment?"
"Which one?"
"That I have first-hand experience about Carter."
"Romanoff, please."
Hill basically whines. This is way too easy.
"What? You asked."
"I don't need to know these things."
"It's not like it's a secret. Carter and I used to flirt a lot around the base. There was even that one time we were- Oh, he's here. Good talk Commander. Time to put up my A game."
"Good luck."
"Thanks, but I don't need it."
The mission goes smoothly. The surveillance equipment installed in his apartment, and Natasha gets out without needing to sleep with him or just simply knocking him out (though that could have raised some suspicion on his part). Thank Hill for calling her, when it started to look like she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of it anymore.
A couple of days later, and Natasha finds herself in a bar with Hill and Carter. The latter was currently flirting at the bar with the bartender, and Natasha was at a table with Hill. She has to admit it was pretty nice. Maria seems to be enjoying herself as well and especially seems to like the faces of the other customers who recognise the Black Widow. A gay bar wasn't probably the place one thought they'd run into her. It wasn't Natasha's first time here, (she actually came at least once a month with Carter) but she tended to try and blend in a little more.
"Is she going to come back with the drinks, or should we go get them ourselves?" Maria asks as she watches Carter at the bar. She's smiling and flirting with the bartender like her life depends on it.
"We probably should. I didn't check the bar when we came. Sharon has a thing for that bartender, and I don't think we'll see her at this table again."
"I mean, good for her. She's pretty, and it's clear they're both enjoying it."
Natasha smirks at her even though Hill can't see it. She’s still faced towards the bar.
"So curly haired blonde bartenders are your type as well?"
That got her attention. Not fully, but Hill moved more towards her.
"No. Just analysing."
"For someone who didn't want any personal information about her agents, you're being extremely nosy right now."
Hill turned the rest of the way and was fully facing her again.
"That was different. I don't need to know who is sleeping with whom on the helicarrier, especially from someone other than the people themselves. Carter seems clearly fine sharing this with her superior, or she'd be trying to hide it."
"You're forgetting one minor detail Commander." Maria raises an eyebrow at that. "We're all just friends tonight, so stop thinking about work. Try to let loose a little. We're here because of an op gone well."
A look of confusion passes Hill's face and Natasha loves the little crinkle between her eyes it makes.
"Carter wasn't even part of the op. She doesn't know what happened. She doesn't have the clearance for it."
"She just wanted to come when I asked. Probably just happy she was able to come see Amanda again. Also probably wanted to see you in a bar, if I'm honest."
"Of course." Hill turns again towards the bar where Sharon has probably forgotten she actually came with people, "Should we go get those drinks?"
"Yes please."
When Natasha wakes up the next morning, she can hear a shower running. Last night was a little blurry, but she has memories of drinking with Hill, maybe even turning on her flirting a little and a very vague memory of falling into bed with her in the end. Which doesn’t make her feel as weird as it should. Sleeping with Sharon (the few times they did) had been weird, but it had been a mutual agreement and never happened in SHIELD. This, with Hill, was definitely way out of line. She was basically her boss, so why does she feel fine with it?
She stretches and slowly opens her eyes. Yup, definitely Hill's room. Should she leave? That's probably something a normal person would do. But she really wants to talk to Maria about it. This ? It could become this . Natasha won't lie, she really wouldn't mind it happening again. She should stay, and they should talk. She sits up on the bed, wrapping the sheets around herself, and waits. She checks the time probably every 2 minutes.
Eventually (roughly 17 minutes later) Maria comes out of the bathroom, hair a little damp, wearing a set of basic SHIELD sweatpants and t-shirt. A look of surprise passes over her face before she schools it down. Natasha smiles at her.
"Nice shower?"
Maria closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"I really hoped you would've left by now. Can we just forget that last night ever happened? It was a mistake. I'm sorry. Also I don't know what time it is, but I'm sure I should be at the gym right now."
A mistake? Does Maria really think that? Natasha definitely needs to get her to stay so they can talk.
"It's barely 7am. You don't need to be anywhere; it's your day off."
Basic protocol. After a mission, especially an undercover mission, they have the next couple days away from the field. To file any required paperwork, go to meetings and such.
So if Natasha didn't need to be anywhere, neither did Maria.
"Yeah, well I spend the mornings there, so that's where I'll go."
Maria starts to make her way towards the door, and Natasha bolts up to be between her and her goal. She almost forgets she's not wearing anything and tightens her grip around the sheets before they fall from around her.
"You really think your stomach would handle that right now? I know you gotta have a pretty bad hangover, because even I'm feeling it."
"Well then I gotta be somewhere else. Filing papers or something."
Maria really doesn't want to talk with her. Does she regret it that much?
"Maria, you have nowhere to be. Can't we just talk about it?"
"I'm sorry, I just can't. Not right now," Maria says as she pushes past Natasha and out of her room.
Well that sucked. What should she do now? She sits back down on the bed and massages her temples a little. Maybe she could find aspirin in Hill's bathroom for the hangover and take the opportunity to use Hill's shower since she's already there. Then she'll go look for Barton. Maybe he’ll be up for sparring, and she could maybe vent to him about Maria as well. That'll be as good use for her time as any.