When she comes to, the first thing she's aware of is the breath in her face; warm and sweet, like sweetbread fresh out of the oven. The thought has Carol frowning, blinking blearily as the thought of Maria in her dingy apron that reads "Honey Got a Ass a Sweet As Sugar". Her frown bleeds into a smile, and the ringing in her ears comes to a halt at the same time the sound of someone screaming fades in.
Carol tilts her head up, catching the glare of the sun headon. Sluggishly, she lifts a hand to shield her eyes, only to suddenly find her eyes focusing in on Maria's slumped form over her. Her eyes zero in on Maria's, big and brown and flooded with tears, none of the affection and warmth that usually resides there. Something in Carol's chest lurches, and her smile grows bigger, wider; she smiles, like she always wants to when she sees Maria, but this time it's different. This time, it's like she can't control herself, like showing her happiness at seeing her is about as important to her as breathing.
"Oh, God. Carol!", Maria says shakily before pulling her into a hug. She's trembling, sobbing like she hates, and that wipes Carol's smile away. "Are you okay?" Maria pulls away, tucking a stray curl back into her hat, then frowns, squinting as she leans in closer. The longer she stares, the more ragged Carol's breath becomes, the more she can't help licking her lips because, wow, they are really close.
"What the fuck is going on with your eyes", Maria murmurs just as the sound of sirens start to approach.
Carol just blinks. "I think I got bit." As she's speaking, the world's begun to tilt, teetering and tottering until the blackness undulating at the edges of her vision begin to spread and overwhelm her. Maria's eyes go wide, and she starts shouting, shouting something, but Carol's falling again, all the while yearning to just lift a hand and brush a finger over Maria's cheek.
. . .
The next time she awakes, she's in a hospital room, with the curtains drawn and the door shut. Maria's passed out in the chair on her left, a stream of drool dripping from her lips, and Nick's in the one on the right, staring out the window as he rubs his knuckles. He must sense that Carol's woken up because he turns to look at her. But Carol has eyes only for Maria, the air having left her chest at the sight of her slumbering friend.
"Carol", Nick murmurs, crouching beside her. She turns to look at him, and something in his eyes changes, from vague caution to overt sympathy. Something about the look drags Carol's attention to him, forcing Maria, with a rather shocking effort, to the back of her mind.
"Nick", she gasps, sitting up abruptly in her bed. She shakes her head, taking a deep blink at the soupy feel of her brain. "Whoa."
"Easy, there." He extends an arm to steady her, then reaches onto her bedside table to hand her a juicebox. "You took a hell of a hit back there."
She narrows her eyes and groans. "What happened?"
Nick's silent for a moment. He exchanges a quick glance towards Maria, then back to her. "You remember the assignment?"
"...Yeah. Something about a… a love drug." As she says it, she turns her nose up, repulsed, just as she probably initially was. Because really? Of all the shit that passes S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, that was the case they had to get saddled with. Her head feeling just a bit clearer, Carol then looks back to Nick and raises her eyebrows. "What does that have to do with me-"
"Damn. I was just starting to think you'd never wake up."
At Maria's voice, Carol's ears burn hot, and her breath goes strangled in her chest. Her head lolls to the side as her gaze drifts behind Nick, to where Maria's sitting up in her chair. Carol gives her a trembly smile, feeling, for all her worth, like an insignificant bug staring up into the sun. "Maria", she breathes, all at once overcome with the urge to spring out of bed and into her arms.
And it's such a powerful, primal feeling that the fact of it has Carol snapping out of her delirium and pressing her back into her pillow. Her eyes dart back to Nick, who's resting at the foot of her bed and watching her like he knows something he shouldn't. She takes a moment to backtrack, to retrace the steps of their conversation, and just about goes pale when she pieces it all together.
"Nick, go get a nurse", Maria murmurs, rising from her seat to press a palm to Carol's forehead. "It's okay, babe. They're gonna fix you right on up."
Carol shudders. Her skin's gone clammy, and the feel of Maria's hand, cool and smooth and ever-so-comforting, has her leaning into it. She can feel Nick's eyes on her, knows that this, whatever the hell this is, will warrant a conversation later. But for now, she just sits there, basking in the calming presence of Maria and struggling with the knowledge that everything now hangs in the balance.
. . .
"It's not like I'm in love with her on anything. Shit!" Carol snatches her hand back, glaring as the searing tray goes clattering to the floor and spilling biscuits at her feet. She rushes to the sink, twists the faucets, and runs her hands under the gushing water, groaning as her skin begins to turn pink. She shakes her head, kicks the biscuits away, and grabs a towel off the back of a chair as she starts towards the table. "We already knew the bug was underdeveloped", she murmurs, drying her hands. "This just further proves that."
Nick looks up from where Goose is comfortably snuggled up in his lap. "Mm hm."
"I'm serious." She tucks her feet underneath her and huffs. "I mean, okay, I like her. But I'm not in love with her."
Goose mewls and rolls over onto her back. Nick scratches her belly, then leans back in his seat, nodding along. "I didn't say you were."
Carol narrows her eyes. "But you're thinking it, aren't you?"
Nick just smirks. "I'm not thinking anything." Carol frowns, and Nick laughs, a great, deep "HA!" before he props his free arm up on the table, gives her a knowing look, and says, "Unless, of course, there is something I should be thinking".
"Suck my ass, Fury."
"Don't get pissy with me. It's not my fault you can't admit you love her."
Carol pouts and sloops in her chair. "How long is this supposed to last?" Just talking about Maria has her heart beating like a rabbit's and her head swimming like she's gone a few hours on the TeaCups.
Nick shrugs. "Of the survivors we found, they all said the drug's effects wore off in a matter of weeks. But given your whole…" He makes a vague gesture. "Whatever, it could be just a couple of days." Carol closes her eyes, sucking in a breath at the thought of just how many ways this could all go wrong. When Nick goes to speak again, his voice is softer, lighter; it's exactly what she needs right now.
"It's like you said. We already know the bug's screwed up. If anything happens, you can always just blame it on that."
Carol groans and drops her head onto the table.
Maria walks into the kitchen, smiling until she catches sight of something behind them. "Why are there biscuits on the floor?"
