A/N - this little thing was just an excuse for me to write something with the extended scene with Maria and Steve from Age of Ultron (if you haven't seen that, prepare yourselves for a wave of feelings and go see it). I should be sorry about this but I'm not.
She always knows how to get to him, which buttons to push.
She doesn't do on purpose, to hurt him; she's just so good at reading people and knows how to engage them. She never goes too far, not ever pushes too hard, only when the situation asks for it. All of that is what makes her good at her job.
That's why he doesn't get mad at her when she corners him; he rather enjoys her witty comments. And it awakes something in him, a want to get even. And he tries, boy he tries, but she always outsmarts him. The challenge is always exciting though.
After the Avengers get back from retrieving Loki's scepter and she gives him the info about the Maximoff twins, she does it again. She makes a casual comment – one that he's sure it's not directed at him (because if it was, she would say to his face, that's the kind of person she is) – about how nuts it is that people volunteer to be experimented on.
She's not talking about him, but he feels the jab anyway. "Right, what kind of monster would let a german scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"
He sees her eyes widen for a second, realizing that her comment is ambiguous and she may have offended him. But this is Maria Hill we're talking about, so she doesn't apologize. Why would she? The fact that he's a lab experiment too doesn't change her opinion. Instead of lying about being sorry, she remains impassive and replies "We're not at war, Captain."
It's her own way to say she's sorry though. Not about the comment, because her view is still the same, but about offending him indirectly. She's making excuses for him, saying that in his case it wasn't nuts because the world needed someone like him during the War. She's saying that he's different, he's special, he's better. But that's not what he wants to hear because it's not true. He's no better than anyone. He did the experiment out of need, just like these kids, the difference is that the world accepted and glorified him for it. These kids are perceived as freaks and it just seems wrong. They may be bad guys, but it's because of their choices and not because of what they are. They're just soldiers fighting their own war.
"They are," Steve says simply and the elevator's doors close, not giving Maria a chance to argue.
He expects a payback for the little banter in the elevator the next time he sees her, but doesn't get any. She doesn't say anything the following days. She doesn't seem angry though; they make small talk and she's nice, but not once she comments on what he had said or tries to get the upper hand in their never-ending little game. And it's making him anxious.
The party comes and he takes the opportunity to assess where they stand. She makes conversation with him, that's a good sign. When the after party starts with just a select group of people drinking and playing and talking, she makes a comment not directed at anyone about how cold is the room without the warmth of a hundred guests, then he offers his brown leather jacket to her and she takes it; that's definitely a good sign (and he fights to push out of his head the thought of how cute she looks with his oversized jacket. Maria Hill is not cute; she'd probably scalp him if she knew he thought about her like that. She's gorgeous and sexy, not cute). And later on, when Clint says "ass", she teases him about bad language; he doesn't even bite back at her – instead focusing on scolding at Tony for telling everyone about his slip up – because he's so relieved that she is in fact okay with him.
He should have known though. She is a strong, mature and independent woman that wouldn't hold a grudge for something as stupid as that little argument. He's just being paranoid because she hasn't retaliated yet.
That dissipates the next day when they're searching for Ultron. She gives him a report about the robot's whereabouts and they briefly discuss its motivations. She makes a point about Ultron doing what was expected of someone who claims to be on mission for world peace, and Steve absently says "If I thought Ultron would bring in peace I'd hang up my shield".
And that's when she strikes back. She simply asks "Would you?" with the most skeptical tone and face she can possibly master, and it hits him. Would he? Could he? Living without something to fight seems so foreign to him. He's a soldier, he'd never stop fighting, never hang up his shield for good, even if there wasn't imminent threat. He's here to defend people, that's the only thing he has. And she knows it, that's why she says it. She just knows how to get him.
He's not ashamed of who he is, not ashamed of being the guy who is always at the frontline. So he doesn't get mad at her skepticism, instead he suppresses a smile and rejoices on the fact that their little banter is back. "Let me know if he leaves any more messages," it's all he says before leaving. He doesn't look back but he can picture perfectly in his head her pursed lips – the sign of annoyance she reserves only to him (to most people she just narrows her eyes, and for Tony she gives a full force eye-roll. Should it be alarming that he knows these details?).
The next time they see each other is on board of the helicarrier, after saving the people of Sokovia. He's still a bit in shock because of Pietro, so he searches for a secluded corner to catch his breath. After a few minutes, she arrives with a bottle of water for him.
"You okay?" she asks politely; she knows he's not okay, she's just assessing if he wants to be left alone or not.
He motions the space next to him for her to sit, and she does. "Yeah, I guess."
She stays silent for a few seconds before pointing to the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on the far wall. "This must bring back memories."
He nods. "For both of us."
"I wasn't the one being blown up and tossed in the Potomac River to die."
"No, you were the one blowing people up," he says back. "It's not easy either way."
"They were bad guys," she shrugs.
He studies for a moment before saying "I like to believe you're not as okay about killing people as you try to appear."
"Not all of us have the luxury to own a heart as you do, Rogers," she bites back, her tone free of any emotion. But he knows better; she only calls him Rogers when she's pissed. When they're on the job he's Captain or Cap, when they're hanging out socially he's Steve. Oh, and when she's blowing up planes with him inside he's Steve too.
"You do," he replies remembering that moment when she called him Steve before he made her fire the weapons. "You hesitated when I told you to blow up the helicarrier. You didn't want to kill me, even though you knew it was for the greater good. You did it because you had to, not because you didn't care. Having to end someone's life is not the same as being okay with ending someone's life. That's what separates soldiers from murderers. You're a soldier, Maria."
She remains silent for a long moment and he doesn't pressure her. He just stays there with her; it's been an emotional day and he just wants the world to stop spinning for a minute. He always gets this feeling when he's with her, that the world stopped for them; it's nice, soothing, comfortable.
After what seemed like forever but probably was just a minute, she turns to him. "You're an idiot."
Her tone is even, but her eyes say too much. There's a glistening that captures Steve and suddenly there's a million of possibilities opening right before his eyes. He instantly smiles at her, wide and genuine. And to his surprise she smiles back, shy and vulnerable, and he knows he's the luckiest guy in the world because that must be a first.
And maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of something.