Chapter Text
“Shit, Mia, when I said I wanted you sprawled out and moaning underneath me this is not what I meant.”
Maria now groaned for an entirely different reason as the pain in her head was undoubtedly about to get ten times worse as the redhead made her presence known. She forced her aching limbs to reach out and complete the very-necessary action of hitting Natasha on the thigh, albeit the lack of force behind it was concerning to say the least. “Lovely to see you too, Romanoff.”
Natasha frowned at the croakiness of Hill’s voice. She made quick work of assessing the damage the bullet had done to the brunette, checking her pulse, ensuring it hadn’t hit any major organs or arteries, and if Natasha noticed a slight flutter underneath her hands as they softly palpitated the region around her shoulder, she would never dare mention it-
Well, not exactly. (Natasha would 100% be filing that information away to use at a definitely more convenient time where testing just how ticklish the uptight Commander was wouldn’t run the risk of the cut on her arm widening and quite literally dying from laughter.)
For now, she settled on wrapping the surrounding region of surprisingly soft, tan flesh to stabilize Maria for transport until an even croakier—yet still infuriatingly cocky as ever—voice pulled her from her fears of the worst.
“So what’s the verdict, Doctor Romanoff, am I a goner?”
Natasha snorted and spared a glance up to the deep blue eyes she totally did not fall asleep obsessing over. “As if Fury would ever let that happen.” She stepped back and admired her work for a moment before eventually sighing a pleased hum when the stream of red all but stopped. “SHIELD would go to shit without you.” I’d go to shit without you .
Maria let out a high-pitched noise resembling laughter, and Natasha vaguely wondered if the pain was making the brunette beneath her delirious. She gently lifted Maria’s head up so it could rest comfortably in her lap, and to both of their surprise, pushed stray strands of hair back from clammy skin in a manner far more intimate than either of them were accustomed to.
Things must’ve really gone south for the Commander’s ever-perfect bun to come even the slightest bit undone. Even in the midst of 30 minute sparring sessions, underwater operations, and late nights drinking scotch in the quiet of Maria’s office, Natasha had never seen that so much as a single strand out of place. She wondered if Maria finally let hair rest as she settled down for the night in the comfort of her own bed. She wondered vaguely if she’d ever be lucky enough to get the chance to see it.
Over their comms, Natasha was snapped back to reality as Coulson demanded a status update. There was a slight undertone of concern in his voice, and the redhead couldn’t help but feel a twang of pity settle tightly in her chest that Maria never thought she was worry of anyone worrying over her— or any form of caring for her.
I’d care for you , she thought as she tapped the communication device. “Commander Hill is stabilized and prepped for transport. Requesting medical evacuation approximately 200 meters south of the original evac site.”
Phil sighed in relief on the other end. “Copy that, Agent Romanoff. Prepare for arrival in T-minus 30 seconds. Over.”
Clicking off the audio input of her device, Natasha smiled down at the woman in her arms. “You hear that, Commander? We’re going home.”
Maria only groaned dramatically and swatted Natasha away, placing her arms behind her in an attempt to sit up. “Great. I can only imagine the amount of paperwork that’s waiting for me on my desk thanks to the shit you and Barton pulled-”
“Hey, easy, easy. Don’t put pressure on your arm like that.” Natasha raced forward and gently lifted the woman’s right arm off the ground, stomach clenching at the slight yelp coming from the brunette at the action. “I’d imagine the paperwork for the second in command bleeding out in the middle of the Balkans thanks to her own stubbornness is far more than a innocuous detour to buy candy on SHIELD’s dime.”
Maria frowned— No, scratch that, she pouted . An actual, full blown pout contortion of grumpiness that tested all of Natasha’s self control not to reach out and start squealing at how adorable the stoic Commander looked in that moment. Get it together, Romanoff. She’s about to pop her gauze, for fuck’s sake.
“I’m not stubborn.”
“Yes, you are. In fact you denying that you’re stubborn only proves just how stubborn you really are.”
Maria opened her mouth to protest even more but the sound of an engine approaching had both of them snapping to attention as a Quinjet appeared and a team of 5 medical professionals rushed out. Instead, she groaned once more at the over reaction.
Natasha watched intently as they began fixing Maria up to a host of tubes and monitors, despite the brunette’s repeated insistence that a small army of doctors, nurses, and supplies really wasn’t necessary.
Stubborn indeed. And maybe, though she would never admit it, she was stubbornly smitten for Maria too.