If Maria Hill is laughing at Nick Fury's predicament, it's not because she's unkind.
It's the mirth that comes from being on the other side of a very similar problem. She watches the Director scowl and walk about the ship like a storm, so bothered by the idea of having feelings, and she feels a kind of déjà vu that makes her smile.
She is somewhat knowledgeable in Asgardian courtship, now. If she were inclined, she might give Nick a tip or two, but where would be the fun in that? She had been clueless going into all this. And it is possible she's having a very good time watching Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, act like a lovesick teenager.
It had begun months before, amidst the chaos of the Brotherhood and Division X's schemes, in which the Avengers had practically imploded and almost taken the whole world with them. Life had been a headache then, and Maria had been too busy trying to keep everything in one piece to be looking for love.
Love had found her, anyway. And love had a mean right hook.
There's a rip in the sky above New York, and it's as if history is replaying itself. Only this time, it's a human being pulling the strings behind this, and has nothing to do with any alien life forms. Well, except those two Asgardians who can't seem to keep well enough alone.
The elder has already flown off towards Stark Tower, or Avengers Tower, whatever it's called now. But the younger has been left behind, unconscious upon another rooftop. Whatever his motivations or reasons are for coming with Thor, Loki is a criminal of the highest order, and he can't be allowed to walk free. SHIELD has to take him in.
Maria knows this, but she also knows that Loki is Thor's brother, and this is a very delicate situation. So she goes down alone, to make sure Loki's alive, and that he stays that way. SHIELD can arrest him when its certain doing so won't start an interstellar war.
When she comes to the rooftop, Maria finds Loki is not alone.
There's someone else, clearly another Asgardian, standing over him. A tall, muscular woman, with long auburn hair, and sharp eyes that almost catch sight of Maria as she ducks back down below cover. She doesn't want to fight – the whole point of this is to stop a war. But she can't let Loki go, not after he clearly violated the terms of the peace agreement and returned to Earth. This is her job.
So, with a heavy sigh, Maria stands, pulls her gun, and aims at the warrior woman. "Step away from the trickster god," She orders with a voice as firm as she can muster. The warrior meets her eyes, and her gaze is strong as steel, with an amused glint to them. A fire lights in Maria's belly, and it may be only partially because she does not like being laughed at. "Now!"
"Will you fight me, mortal?" The woman stands tall, and has her hand on the hilt of her sword, still sheathed at her belt.
Maria frowns. "If I have to."
The woman stands stock still, an eyebrow quirked, smirking. She makes a very beautiful, stoic image, like something out of an Amazonian fairy tale. Then, she moves.
Maria hardly sees her coming, and has just enough time to duck a blow to the head that would've knocked her out for sure. The speed and strength of this woman! She flips herself back, letting go of the gun with one hand in order to move into a full backflip. She almost catches the woman's chin with her right foot, but she ducks away just in time. Then, Maria hears the ring of steel against steel. When she stands again, the sword is unsheathed.
For a moment her mind goes blank as she stares at the sight of this stranger, wearing the regalia of Asgard, gleaming like a warrior goddess, and in that hesitation her enemy moves again. Maria reacts, firing upon her twice, but the bullets are deflected by armor and steel.
The sword isn't aimed at her – it is aimed at her hands, towards the gun, and to keep from losing her fingers Maria drops it and flings herself away. It isn't graceful, but it gets the job done.
The stranger is grinning now, and she lets the sword go before turning on Maria again. Then it is full on brawling, fists against fists, and every blow her opponent lands feels as strong as Mjolnir itself. Damn this hurts! But there is something exhilarating about it, especially after so much time behind the scenes, sitting at a desk, only able to watch as the world fell apart around her. Maria throws herself into the battle, savoring the iron taste of blood in her mouth, and she feels perhaps she knows an inkling of what it was to be like Jacob, wresting the angel until daybreak.
And much like in the story, the stranger she fights with leans back, and speaks to her. "What is your name?"
Maria never gets the chance to reply. Reinforcements arrive, SHIELD soldiers coming down from the Helicarrier. If they see this… luckily the warrior woman seems to realize the same. She lets go of Maria, backs away, and suddenly vanishes in an explosion of white light.
The experience was like something out of a wondrous dream, but Maria puts it behind her. She's unlikely to ever see the powerful, gorgeous warrior ever again.
She continues with her duties at SHIELD, which includes going with Director Fury to meet the Asgardian delegates. Things have been strained between Earth and Asgard, and all the more now that Loki has escaped and come to Earth. Earth doesn't want him – and neither does Asgard, apparently, because they won't take him back.
The delegates are meant to be an attempt at making a deal, but it's really just a show. Asgard won't take Loki, and Earth can't do anything but keep him. But Fury will meet with the delegates just the same, because he can't tell them to fuck off.
Maria is at his side when the Queen of Asgard herself comes to meet him. And, on her side… is the warrior.
Maria just barely keeps from tripping over herself at the sight of the stranger, in the same regal armor, standing at the side of a Queen, like something out of legend. Introductions begin and she hears her name being given to the Asgardians, but mostly her ears catch the introduction of Sif.
Sif…
She goes home that night and reads of legends, of Norse Gods and myths, and finds herself hoping the truth is even better than the stories.
Maria's apartment is nothing much. She's not there often, after all. It's not a place where people come to visit or friends stay for dinner. She sleeps in a room on the helicarrier more often than not.
Still, there's some sentiment to having a place away from work. A place to keep a few photographs, some normal clothes, her favorite books and movies, tucked away on shelves where they see little use. Every so often, Maria makes a point to return there, if only to remember it exists.
On such a night, sitting in front of the TV watching Xena reruns, Maria hears a knock at her door. She never receives visitors here; anyone from SHIELD would've sent her some warning. Immediately she is alert to the possibility of a threat, drawing her gun from her holster. She approaches the door carefully, unsure of what she might find…
A single Asgardian is not exactly what she expected.
It's her – Sif. The beautiful warrior goddess. Maria feels her face grow hot but she does not drop her stance or relax. "What do you want?" She asks quickly, growing hotter for the attention the woman is giving her.
"To speak." She is not intimidated by the weapon – no, she looks intrigued by it, interested. Not in the weapon itself, but in the person holding it.
"Any discussions between Asgard and SHIELD happen on the helicarrier."
"And what of discussions between Sif and Maria?"
The words take her off guard. "Er – what would we be discussing?" It sounds more like a nervous question than she likes, so Maria quickly straightens her posture again and hardens her voice. "We have nothing to discuss!"
"We might, if you are open to it." Sif is smiling now, and it's more disarming than her smirk. It's warm, gentle, inviting. "Would you allow me a moment to speak to you? Merely as myself, not as a vassal of Asgard?"
This is probably a terrible idea. This cannot end well.
"Fine," She says, and she steps to the side, but she doesn't put the gun away. Once the door is closed, she keeps it at her side. Sif notices, and seems to approve. The thought that she's earned some kind of approval makes her flush again, and that is an irritating thought, but she can't help it.
Sif walks through her apartment as if she owns it, as if she has conquered a battlefield and won her reward. Maria thinks she would very much like to be the reward. The thought comes suddenly as Sif removes the cape about her shoulders, flinging it deftly through the air and over the back of the couch, and how is removing a piece of archaic frippery so damn attractive?
"You have a fine home," Sif's eyes dart about the space, seemingly appreciative. Maria shrugs.
"It's something." It's hardly a home. But she'd rather not talk about that. She'd rather not talk about anything. It has been a long time since she's been with anyone, and having a very attractive Asgardian warrior in her apartment is apparently awakening desires which have been long denied. Maria frowns and bites her lip.
She sees Sif's eyes dart to look at them as she does. That cannot – no. Not thinking about it. Turning, Maria makes sure she locked her front door, before approaching the kitchen counter and taking a seat. She feels better with an obstacle between them. It might keep her from acting foolishly.
"So," Maria begins. "What is so important you came all the way here to talk about it?"
Sif turns to her, smiles that beautiful smile, and answers.
"What has you giggling so much?"
She's not giggling, not out loud, but clearly the amused look on her face is giving her away. "Sorry, sir," She clears her throat as Nick Fury cocks an eyebrow. "Just – thinking back on fond memories."
"Uh huh," He looks skeptical. "Anything to do with a certain swordswoman you refuse to talk to me about?"
She'd told him, in a fashion, about Sif. It is – difficult, having a relationship with someone from a world that is constantly at odds with hers. SHIELD is the front line of that constant debate. If certain people find out that she is essentially dating one of the highest ranked warriors in Asgard's court, it might make them question her loyalties.
But she can trust Nick Fury.
"It might." It certainly has to do with how, when Sif had first asked for permission to court her, Maria had about had a fit and thrown her out the front door. It had been so – so startling, so completely out of left field, she'd been completely unable to handle it. She tells Nick as much, and he starts laughing too.
"Hey!" She hits his shoulder, lightly. "At least I didn't shoot at her."
He grumbles at that, but he's still smiling.
Possibly a week later, a knock comes at her door again.
She considers not answering; perhaps pretending she's not at home. But she is slightly afraid that the woman might just keep at it until she gets an answer, or knocks the door down. So with a sigh, Maria stands and opens the door.
There is Sif, with a very large bouquet of flowers.
Maria stares at them. "What's this?"
"I was told this is how such things are done, with your people," Sif sounds – not like Sif. Not confident and sure, but a bit anxious. "My source was reliable. I think."
Maria has never been given flowers. Trembling hands reach up towards the bouquet, but don't quite make it. As a young teen, she'd been a standoffish, tomboyish youth who attracted more insults and violent attacks than kind words and gentle affection. No one has ever done something like… this.
"Right," She says on auto-pilot. "Um. Sure. Come in." She walks back into her apartment without touching the flowers, but cannot forget their scent.
Sif comes in, still holding the flowers to her chest in a rather awkward fashion. She glances around the room, a red tint to her face. "How should I…?" Then, she sees Maria's fish tank, and her eyes light up with recognition. She dumps all the flowers in the tank.
Maria gawks, moving towards it. "Why'd you do that?"
Sif suddenly gets very flustered. "The blond man from the Avengers," She points, as if trying to avert guilt across the distance towards wherever Clint Barton is. "He told me that mortals put bouquets of flower in water, to indicate their interest in each other. Have - is this -?" She glances at the flowers. "Have I done wrong? Or… are you uninterested?"
Maria sees the indecision and disappointment grow on Sif's face, and is suddenly glad that all her fish died months ago because SHIELD kept her so busy, and she never got around to getting rid of the tank. "No, I – I am. I think."
Sif's eyes dart to hers. "You think?"
"Well, that is," Now flustered herself, Maria shrugs. "I can't say I want to get married to an alien warrior from another planet! We just met. I hardly know you. I – I can't even understand why you'd want this! Want… me."
The warrior grows quiet. She has one hand on the tank, which is now full of drifting roses and carnations and other things Maria doesn't know. She's never been one for botany. But she doesn't have to know their names to know what Sif meant by them.
"In many ways, Asgard is ahead of Earth and its cultures, but in others, it is still… ignorant." One of Sif's hands moves to the hilt of her sword. Maria finds she does not feel threatened. "I have fought to be where I am, I have struggled, and suffered. I stand now as one of the few women in Odin's inner court. The battles I won to get there have shaped me into what I am." The hand on her sword-hilt leaves, and lifts to Maria's cheek. She finds she can't fight that gentle push as Sif encourages her to meet her eyes.
"I see that same struggle in you," Sif says. "When we fought that day, there was such drive and passion in you, I was entranced. But it was seeing you beside your leader, the only woman amongst them, that caught me. We may not know each other, but if you have fought the war I imagine you have… then you know more of me than my closest comrades."
The hand fell; Sif stepped away, and Maria had to fight the urge to grab her arm, and pull her back. "I will leave you to consider my proposition. I ask no promises or oaths, only that we might try… and see if this is a thing worth having."
Then she's gone.
Fury invites her over for dinner that night. Heimdall is nowhere to be found, which isn't surprising. Sif remembers the long breaks between courtship steps, in which they weren't even allowed to be in the same room (and where probably not on the same planet). She hopes she'll meet him, eventually.
They talk about Sif, and Heimdall; about their courtships. Most of it is Maria, recounting what has already happened. She tells him about the fight, meeting again on the helicarrier, the flowers.
"Well?" He asks. "You obviously said yes."
"Eventually," She admits with a shrug. "I was more stubborn than you. It took longer than a week for me to decide it was what I wanted." Quite a bit longer – more like three weeks of anxiety and wavering back and forth and trying to decide if dreams could really happen, or if it was just another bubble waiting to burst. "But I told her yes."
"How many of the steps have you been through?"
"Seven."
His eyes widen at that. "Well, I know the first one." He tells her. "You fight together, right? Don't tell me you squirreled that woman away on a SHIELD mission."
Chuckling, Maria shakes her head. "No, she took me on one of hers."
The world is chaos – in fact, it might be called Chaos, for all that Maria knows. She'd been told this was a place among the nine realms, where bandits are attacking towns and villages, ransacking and killing as they go, and it is Sif's duty to stop them. Sounds like fun, she'd said.
It is fun. It is – glorious. With SHIELD, she rarely has a chance to really let her hair down and just fight, all out brawl, covered in sweat and blood and filth. SHIELD is silence, quick and deadly, no trace left behind. But this is war.
She hears Sif nearby, letting out her battle cries, sword blazing in the sun. She is glorious too, at home amongst this madness, armor gleaming in the light. Maria can't believe she's doing this. She's got a sword too, and it is ridiculous, she feels like she's playing but she knows this is real – this can't be real, this is something out of fiction, out of legend –
"Look out!"
No sooner than she is warned is Sif by her side, shoving her behind. The enemy who had come at her from behind is quickly dispatched, and Sif stays with her, an arm across her front.
"I can do this!" Maria tries to get back into the fight, heart pounding, feeling like she's outside her own body, her own mind, with how this feels. Like she might sprout wings and fly.
"Do you forget our purpose today?" But Sif is grinning, Maria's war-lust inspiring another kind of lust of her own. "I must prove I am worthy of protecting you. That I am capable. Will you let me?"
What can she say to that? Maria just nods, and watches in awe as Sif goes to work. She is magnificent. Dozens fall dead at her feet in the next half-hour, as the battle dwindles down and the end comes near. Sif keeps on, tearing them apart. Anyone who so much as looks Maria's way is cut down. One fool actually tried to take her to use as a hostage. He did not get far.
There is something… potent, about being defended this way. It inspires a heady feeling a little like lust and love and tinged with shock. To imagine that a warrior so great as this would willingly swear herself to Maria's protection… she tingles all over at the thought. She might be half in love already, and she's definitely in lust.
"I'm guessing victory sex is out of the question?" She asks when it's over. Sif laughs, throws her head back.
"It would be more than welcome to me," She says, and the hand on Maria's shoulder squeezes tight, as she's pulled in closer to Sif. "In time, dear one."
Dear one, Maria thinks as her cheeks grow hot. She likes that.
"So?" Fury is still waiting for an answer. "The first step? How was it?"
Maria finds she cannot keep from smiling. "You're going to love it."
