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The roof of the triskelion was somewhere that Natasha spent a lot of time. It was quiet, the perfect place to hide from the world. The only people who officially had access to the roof were the few agents above level 10, but Natasha always managed to sneak up there unnoticed. Like always, Natasha sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the side. The roof was a place she had frequented during her reprogramming and when she first defected to SHEILD. SHEILD had made Natasha work through her demons, face and relive all of her trauma and it was one of the lowest points of her life. So when it was all too overwhelming, Natasha would sit at the edge. She would stare at the expanse of city hundreds of feet below bordering the edge of the water.
Natasha would lean precariously closer to the edge. She couldn't recall the amount of times she had nearly moved that extra centimetre forward to fall to her death. There were so many times where Natasha would sit there with her life in the balance. It was strangely calming, knowing that she had the power to end it all if she wanted to. Knowing that the only person capable of killing the Black Widow would be herself.
Even years later, when Natasha had with SHEILD for a long time, she would still come to the roof. It was the only place in the city that she felt free. Despite her many years of coming to the roof at various times of day and night, Natasha had never met another agent up there. That's why, when she heard the crunch of gravel against someone's boots, her head whipped up in shock.
'Don't jump Romanoff,' A voice called out from behind her. Natasha tensed, the person speaking was Deputy Director Maria Hill, her boss and one of the few people in SHEILD she considered a friend. Someone whom she also happened to have a massive crush on. 'I wasn't planning on it,' Natasha said back with a small smile. Maria walked over at sat next to Natasha, her legs hanging over the edge. She sighed deeply and loosened the bun at the back of her hair, letting it fall around her face. After a minute she pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket and put one between her lips. Contemplating for a moment, she sighed and took out the lighter- cupping her hand around the flame to stop the wind blowing it out. The end of the cigarette lit and Maria took a long drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
'I had no idea you were a smoker,' Natasha said with a frown. Maria shrugged, 'I'm not really, but my job is pretty stressful so sometimes I just need a cigarette'. Natasha raised an eyebrow, 'you sure there aren't healthier ways to de-stress, maybe a massage or a really good orgasm?' Maris snorted with quiet laughter, 'I barely have time to sleep, let alone book a massage or pick up a pretty girl at a bar for a one night stand'. Oh, Natasha thought to herself, that was unexpected. Natasha had always thought, and hoped, that Maria was gay, but had never been entirely sure. 'I feel you, the last girl I tried to sleep with found a gun on the table and ran out the door,' Natasha said. Maria raised a eyebrow in mild shock, 'You too huh?'. 'Me too what? Natasha asked. 'You're gay too, gotta say, I didn't expect that,' Maria said. Natasha shrugged, 'neither did I for many years'. 'Huh, I always knew I was gay,' Maria said. Natasha looked away with her eyebrows creased, a manner she always did when she didn't want to be pushed on a topic. The red room had been pretty adamant to "get rid of the gay" in Natasha, using horrible methods that Natasha really didn't want to revisit. Maria smiled sympathetically, 'want a cigarette?' She asked, holding out the box to Natasha. Natasha smiled a silent thank you and took one, lighting it with Maria's lighter.
The women sat in silence for a while, staring at the expanse of buildings and water far below them. Natasha glanced at Maria, who was staring down at the city peacefully. She watched as Maria brought the cigarette to her lips, taking a long draw on it and then leaning her head back as she exhaled. Natasha swore her heart skipped a beat as she looked at Maria's side profile. Her jawline was incredible, her nose was small and perfect and Natasha envied that Maria didn't have a nose bridge like herself. She had intense blue eyes that Natasha felt like she was drowning in, but in the best way. Maria was tall and slender and overall just incredibly good looking. Natasha had always found Maria attractive, and her thoughts often strayed to Maria late at night when her hand was between her legs. Maria always looked very pretty, beautiful even, but it was something about seeing her look so calm and at ease. Something about seeing her admire the city, smoking unashamedly, the tension in her shoulders melting away, that made Natasha realise. She realised that she was hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Maria Hill.
The women sat in silence as they finished their cigarettes, Maria put hers out on the stone next to her and shifted ever so slightly towards Natasha. A few seconds later, Natasha put hers out as well, turning to face Maria. Something unspoken seemed to pass between the women, some sort of wordless understanding. Maria reached out a hand and lifted it to Natasha's face, brushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. Natasha moved her face towards Maria's. 'Hey,' she whispered. 'Hey,' Maria replied quietly with a smile, before pressing her lips against Natasha’s.
The kiss was slow, despite the sudden eclipse of years of sexual tension. Maria opened her mouth breathlessly, and Natasha took the opportunity to slip her tongue into the other woman's mouth. Maria let out a quiet moan and moved a hand to rest on the small of Natasha's back. The kiss lasted a few minutes, before Natasha pulled away. She caught her breath as blush painted her cheeks. 'That was the best lunch break I've had in a while,' Maria said with a satisfied smile. Natasha grinned, 'me too'.
'What happens now?' Maria asked. Natasha frowned, 'I'm not sure'. Maria took a breath, 'how about we get dinner on Saturday night?' Natasha's face lit up, 'you're asking me on a date?' she asked. Maria rolled her eyes but smiled, 'obviously,' then she added there's an new Italian place near my apartment I've been meaning to try'. 'I love Italian, and I'd love to go to dinner with you,' Natasha said with a smile. Maria smiled and moved forward again to give Natasha a quick peck on the lips.
Maria got up off the ledge and walked back to the door. She turned before she opened it, 'see you on Saturday Romanoff'. Natasha waved before Maria disappeared behind the door. Natasha turned back to the city below her, smiling widely. She couldn’t believe that she and Maria finally kissed. She couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.