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"Nat, I'm home!" Maria called out as she came through the door of her and Natasha’s shared space, double checking it was properly closed and locked behind her. She was always extra vigilant about safety after coming home from a mission, as she had today, the remaining adrenaline still coursing through her veins.
"On the sofa." Natasha replied softly, just about loud enough for Maria to hear. Cosied up under a blanket, she was lying down on the sofa wearing one of Maria’s SHIELD hoodies with the hood up, the sound of her favourite James Bond film coming from the TV in front of her. Maria felt her heart clench almost painfully at the sight of her wife looking so adorable. In this state, she couldn't help but liken her to a little kitten. All wrapped up and warm to keep herself protected (although she supposed they had Liho for that image). In the warm light of the descending sun, she could see the subtle glimmer of the wedding ring on Natasha's finger as it rested on top of the TV remote, which never failed to quicken the pace of her heart.
"You look cosy there." Maria smiled down at her, softening her voice to match the calm atmosphere that Natasha had created for herself. She couldn't help it as her smile grew into a grin.
"Mhm" Natasha hummed lazily in reply, "I am." She always preferred to wear Maria’s hoodies, their oversized fit felt more comfortable than her own. That combined with the fact that they always smelt like Maria, meant that she was often “borrowing” them from her, not that Maria ever minded. Without exception, having that physical reminder of her helped Natasha on the days that she found herself missing Maria more than usual.
Perched on the edge of the sofa, Maria sat in the limited space that Natasha had left for her. She reached down, removing the hood from Natasha's head, who narrowed her eyes at her partner above her, missing the extra warmth that the hood provided, she let out a small noise signifying her displeasure which Maria quickly shushed with a sweet kiss to her forehead. She simply wished to see her beautiful face more clearly. Maria moved the unruly strands of red hair that stuck out from her plaits and tucked them behind her ears, caressing her face gently as she did. Natasha's eyes closed, a look of peaceful content on her face. This gave Maria the perfect opportunity to study her face, a sight she had seen so many times before yet could never tire of looking at. Viewing the soft arch of her eyebrows, the gentle slope of her nose, the delicate curl of her eyelashes, each perfect freckle and finally the fullness of her lips, she couldn't resist leaning over to press her own over her’s in a tender kiss.
“How was the mission?” Natasha sighed.
Maria groaned in annoyance, “You don’t even want to know, the rookies still have a lot of work to do.” She paused. She took a deep breath as she covered her face with her hands in an attempt to hold in the frustrations that had been eating at her all day. ”It doesn’t matter about that though,” she composed herself before adding, “scooch over I want to cuddle.” Natasha could easily see that her wife had a long day, even without her years of spy training and experience, it was evident. She observed the slight hunch of her back and shoulders, carrying the tensions of the day. Pain in her back was a recurring issue that Maria always insisted “wasn’t that big of a deal”. Despite how happy Maria was to see Natasha, a slight crinkle still remained between her dark eyebrows that Natasha hoped she could help smooth out.
“Why don’t we move to our bed?” She suggested, “You and your long legs barely fit on here, let alone with me here too.” She teased, poking at Maria’s thighs. “And I don’t want your back to get any worse.”
“Whatever you want, my love.” Maria replied before kissing her cheek.
Hand in hand, both women made their way to their bedroom, Maria dragging Natasha along slightly as she was still sluggish from her previous state of relaxation.
Natasha headed straight for their bed, tearing at the edges of the sheets where they were meticulously tucked into the sides and absentmindedly pushing the decorative cushions to the side. Nowadays, Natasha preferred to just smooth out the sheets quickly in the morning when she gets up. Maria, however, still in the habit that she had grown accustomed to in the military, would always tuck the sheets in thoroughly, place the cushions in their exact spots and ensure that not a single crease remained. As soon as the duvet was free, Natasha covered herself once again and settled down comfortably.
While she did this, Maria started to peel off her mission suit. Although she knew that in comparison to Natasha's, her own suit was much more comfortable, she was always happy to take it off after a long day to let her skin breathe. She had tried on Natasha's once; She did like the multiple holsters and space for weapons but the material made it, in Maria's words, the worst thing that she had ever put on her body ever. She couldn't imagine having to fight in that awful, sweaty leather material. Thanks to her persistent complaints to Fury, a new suit was being made for Natasha about which she had a lot of input into the design herself.
Noticing that her wife's eyes had been glued to her since she lay down, Maria teased, “Like what you see?”
“You know I do.” Natasha winked back in a heartbeat.
Maria chucked to herself as she walked across the room over to the bathroom, causing an odd reaction from Natasha.
“Masha wait- where are you going?” She whined dramatically, sitting up slightly in her agitation. Her flirty attitude was lost in an instant at the thought of being left alone.
“I was just going to get a quick shower?” Maria replied, a confused expression appeared on her face and she decidedly chose to ignore the way that her heart warmed at the nickname.
“No, stay please.”
Even if she had wanted to, Maria would have been unable to say no with the way that Natasha subconsciously widened her eyes and pushed her lips out into a pout, her face flushed with heat and her eyes grew red- the decision was practically made for her. Who would have thought that the great Black Widow would be such a softy? The clingy side of her was one that Maria was well accustomed to by now. Natasha never would have thought that she would be granted the comfort that she sought for so desperately when she was younger. Being able to ask for it so comfortably now was freeing for her.
“I was hoping you would say that.” Maria smiled softly, quickly pulling on her pyjamas so that she could make her way over to Natasha in bed. After the day that she had, all Maria wanted to do was settle down with her wife and get lost in the serenity of her embrace.
As she settled into bed, making sure to not lift the duvet up for too long and waft cold air onto Natasha, she opened her arms as an invitation to her, who immediately closed the gap between them, pressing herself against Maria. She wrapped her arms and legs around Maria, effectively trapping her where she lay. Natasha was very persistent- Maria would not be escaping her grasp any time soon.
“I can finally get my cuddles.” Maria murmured into her wife's fiery hair before placing a delicate kiss there, she responded simply by giving her an extra loving squeeze. In the silence of the evening they lay, Natasha's head on Maria’s chest, tucked under her chin, putting Natasha in the perfect position to listen to Maria's heartbeat. The steady thump calmed her. It assured her that the love of her life was alive and breathing. Having Natasha in her arms gave the same comfort for Maria, it allowed her to feel as though she was protecting her, even when unconscious in sleep. Their limbs were so entangled with each other in their embrace, you almost couldn't tell where one body ended and the other began. Time slowed down to a halt as they simply enjoyed each other’s presence and touch, occasionally pressing kisses wherever they could reach.
Unable to resist the overflowing affection in her chest, Natasha had to let it out in some way.
“I love you." she practically giggled, looking up at Maria so that she could gaze into her eyes. She could see the same sentiment reflected back to her in those eyes, deep as the ocean; Still she still waited eagerly to hear it out loud.
"I love you more." There was a time when they were both unable to say those words. Unable to admit even to themselves that it might be the truth. Unable to show that which they perceived to be a vulnerability. Now, they were able to say it so freely to each other, yet it was not done casually. The words always carried the same weight that they did the first time they were uttered to each other.
Natasha lifted her head, twisting herself slightly to face Maria better. She leaned up, eyes still connected, making their foreheads touch, allowing her to brush her lips against Maria's, so tenderly and with so little pressure that they barely even touched. Before she had an opportunity to move, Maria cupped the back of her neck to pull her into a proper kiss. It didn't matter how long they had been together, the feeling of their lips connecting never grew any less intoxicating. Both women would have the rest of their lives to live in that exhilarating bliss.