Maria was on the second from the top floor of the Avenger's Tower which was the unofficial control and operations centre where she spent the majority of her time when she was stationed there. Fury had assigned her to oversee the Avenger's project. It wasn't exactly like what she was used to. The Avenger's weren't a military organisation. They didn't follow a ridged chain of command which meant that she didn't exactly make orders, she made strong requests and they could choose whether or not they wanted to take them. Sometimes she swore she was more like a babysitter than a commanding officer; just trying her best to make sure one of them didn't accidentally start an international war, or unknowingly tweet out sensitive information as they tagged their entire high school science club (Peter!).
Fortunately, there were some that were gracious towards her who would heed her authority before going forwards with any group decisions. Like how Steve had recently come to her about him wanting to invite Ant-Man and The Wasp to join the Avengers. She knew that the day would come when he would ask for them. He had already asked Scott onto his silly team when him and Tony where busy turning their lover's quarrel into a full blown Avenger's civil war. Maria had professionally brought his request to Fury where she'd only offered up the opinion when asked by her C.O. She simply said that the duo would probably be a good fit for the team; keeping her personal sentiments to herself. If she were to ever be honest with herself, she really didn't know what her personal feelings were towards his request. She didn't know what was more frightening to her; seeing Hope again, or never seeing her again.
Maria was poking at her miniaturised S.U.V. that sat on top of her desk. The little Escalade couldn't be pushed like a toy since its wheels were locked, but that didn't stop her from playing around with it. Especially in those times when she was thinking about a certain someone.
Suddenly, from her six, she heard the chime of the elevator, making her abandon the vehicle and look back to the computer screen that was before her.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked from behind her.
Maria had been busy going through the tower's electronic grid; suspecting that the power disruption in the Ready Room that afternoon had left a weakness in the system. The last thing they wanted was a hole somewhere that could cause a security risk.
"Huh?" She looked up to find Natasha strolling over towards her in a cute black and white fifties style cocktail dress.
"What are you doing?" she repeated herself. "The party started an hour ago."
Maria huffed, "I told you guys, I'm not going. I've got stuff to do."
"'Stuff to do' is an odd way of saying: 'you're hiding from a certain party guest'."
Maria's body instantly tensed. "I'm not hiding from anybody. I'm busy trying to make sure we don't get a security breach," she snapped, turning her attention back to the monitor. After a few seconds had past she sighed; instantly feeling guilty for the way she'd just barked at her friend. It wasn't Natasha's fault that she was feeling so testy.
From Maria's spot, sitting on a stool at the table that had her laptop set atop it, Natasha walked behind her, gently wrapping her arms around her body while resting her chin on top of her shoulder. Maria couldn't help but relax a little into her embrace as she breathed in the familiar scent of her perfume. "Now, this is what you're going to do," Natasha spoke with intent. "You're gonna pull yourself together. Up your seduction game, and go to the party to show her the irresistible lesbian goddess she's missing out on."
Maria, under any other circumstances, with Natasha talking about any other girl, would have chuckled at her words. But this time she didn't find it amusing or encouraging. "She's with him again, isn't she?" Her words came out in emotional exhaustion as she couldn't even say Scott's name out loud.
Natasha gently traced her knuckle along Maria's jawline as her voice came softly. "Don't let that stop you from showing her how amazing you are." She then tenderly kissed her cheek as Maria shut her eyes; the confirmation of their relationship status hitting her hard. Before She had time to process her feelings she felt Natasha pull away from her as she became busy sliding bobby-pins out of her hair.
"What are you doing?"
Natasha, taking her time in answering the question as she began brushing her fingers through her now unrestrained hair, finally said, "Helping you get ready." She then took a hold of her suit jacket, shimmying it off of her as Maria defeatedly cooperated with her actions. Natasha then spun Maria in her chair as she looked her over. "Oops." She smirked before she licked her thumb and reached out to wipe at Maria's cheek. "Lipstick." She rubbed at the spot where she had kissed her. She then brought her finger to her teeth as she said mischievously, "Or maybe we should have left it be." She smiled while biting her nail.
"Tasha." Maria narrowed her eyes at her as the woman chuckled at her response.
Natasha then grabbed her by the arm. "Stand." She yanked her up to her feet before stepping back to look her over in her white blouse and black dress pants. She then reached over, unbuttoning the top of her shirt before fixing her collar. Then she moved to her sleeves where she neatly rolled them up her forearms. "Yes, now you look suave." She nodded after she gave her a once over. She then moved to link their arms and lead her to the elevator; escorting her to the event on the top floor as Maria's stomach fluttered with nerves.
Hope adjusted the strap of her evening dress as she stood next to Scott on the penthouse floor in the midst of the party. The gathering was made up of Avenger's project personnel, as well as family and close friends. The two hadn't packed the appropriate attire for their current social undertaking but, oddly enough, when this was pointed out to the team Tony simply told them that it wouldn't be an issue. That evening both her and Scott had clothing and shoes sent to their rooms. Scott had a black suit and purple dress shirt picked out for him and Hope had five different designer dresses to choose from. She didn't know who had selected them but they were all beautiful. She ended up going with a floor length gown that had a nice flow as she moved about in it. It was made with a bright yellow satin with a black opaque fabric that lay over top of it, muting the colour's vivacity. She had liked it the best because it reminded her of her mother's old Wasp suit.
"Ah, there you are." Sam Wilson walked up to Scott and patted him on the back with a smile, evidently joining the party late. "So, you finally made it on the team."
"Officially." Scott nodded proudly.
The man then looked over to Hope and smiled warmly. "You must be Scott's better half. I've heard you can do everything he can do but better."
Her face split into a smile as she extended her hand; instantly liking him. "Hope."
He took her offered hand where they shook. "Sam."
"And yeah, maybe she can do some stuff better," Scott admitted in a goofy tone. "She's kinda intense." He nodded.
"Yeah, scuttlebutt has it you were the only one to hit Barton's target today." He held up his drink. "I commend you. Every time he sets something up for us to hit, like nobody can do it."
Hope's eyes dropped as she looked at her drink in-hand while she corrected him. "Thanks, but technically I wasn't the only person to hit it."
"Commander Hill did it in one shot," Scott elaborated.
"Psh." He waved his hand in the air. "Of course she did. Maria's aim is on par with Barton's. So she really doesn't count when it comes to his range tests."
Tony walked up to their group, clearly over hearing them, as he interjected. "If Barton would let us engage with his courses like we would in an actual combat situation, Lang and I would've destroyed that target."
"Yeah!" Scott enthusiastically agreed as Hope rolled her eyes at their testosterone induced need to demolish everything.
"Oh!" Tony's eyes lit up as he pointed behind them with his drink "Speak of the devil." Hope looked over her shoulder to see Maria and Natasha stepping out of the elevator. She then quickly snapped her head forwards in an attempt to ignore her. Two could play at that game. "Steve!" Tony called out to the man a few metres away who was in conversation with Pepper Pots, Happy Hogan, and Clint. "What's your handicap this time?"
"Huh?" The man looked over to him; the question seemed to register in his mind before he turned his head to find Maria entering the room.
"Three drinks Maria?" Clint suggested.
"Didn't you guys do three drinks last time?" Sam asked.
Tony raised his glass above his head in a cheer. "Four drinks Maria!"
"I'm not having four drinks, Tony." Hope could hear Maria call out from a distance behind her.
"Wha—" Scott looked to Sam with confusion as to what they were talking about.
"So it's gotten to the point where Maria has beaten Steve so many times at pool we're finding new ways of handicapping her," Sam explained. "We've had her shoot with her left hand only. We've done behind her back shots only. Her playing after three beers."
"That's my favourite." Tony jumped in. "She swears a lot when she's drunk."
"Yet her aim is surprisingly still true," Clint added, as they were all now engaged in the conversation.
Steve then wondered out loud. "What if Scott or Hope are really good pool players and can defeat Maria without handicapping her at all?"
"Huh." Tony looked to the two of them. "Are either of you secretly amazing at the game?"
"Wait," Scott asked, "I thought this was between them?" He waved a pointing finger between Steve and Maria, who seemed to still be behind her somewhere.
"No." Sam stepped towards the captain. "It's about beating Maria. It's just that Steve here is the best we've got." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "He's just not good enough."
"Unfortunately, it's true," Steve humbly admitted.
"Ah," Scott said in understanding. "Well, I mean I'd say I'm alright at pool."
"Alright isn't gonna cut it." Natasha walked up to them. "How about you, Hope?" She locked her gaze with her, giving her that same look she had before. Like she was trying to say something between her words.
"I've literally never played a game of pool in my life," she admitted in relief; not wanting to face Maria in that moment.
"Bullshit." Tony eyed her.
"Excuse me?" She glared at him, taking offense.
"You grew up in a house with a red oak pool table in the parlour."
Hope gawked. "How do you know that?"
"'Cause I remember it. I've been to your house before when I was a kid. A few times actually. One time you even threw your sippy cup at my face and screamed at me to leave." He carried on in a hyperbolic manner. "Now, I'm not saying that you, as a toddler, left me with long lasting trauma." He gestured to her with both hands. "But I will say I've been scared of children ever since meeting you." Tony then threw his hands out to his sides. "So take that as you may."
"I knew this one had good instincts." Steve smiled as he gestured at Hope when nearly everyone chuckled at the reveal that she had hit Tony with a projectile long before any of them had ever known him. Hope couldn't help but smirk as well, proud of her childhood actions.
"Anyway." Tony casually ignored their laughter, still addressing Hope. "Is this your hustle? Pretend you're some novice and then you dust the floor with Maria?"
"No, I've genuinely never played before. I don't think I've ever seen my father's pool table without its cover on. I couldn't even tell you what colour the felt is on it." Hope admitted. She'd once tried playing around with it as a child but before she could so much as lift the tarp off of it, her dad caught her. The angry yell that came out of his mouth had frightened her so much that ever since then she'd steered clear of the table all together.
A moment after her explanation, Tony's eyes lit up. "I think we've just found our handicap." He announced to the room. "The Hope handicap!"
Hope shook her head in both fear and confusion. "What?"
Steve then spoke up. "Yeah, what does that mean?"
"Maria will play Steve – per the usual – however, all of Maria's shots must be taken by Hope."
"How is that not just Steve playing Hope?" Natasha asked.
"Because, the shots will be planned out and lined up by Maria. Hope will essentially act as her prosthetic. So, when it comes to physically taking the shot, Maria will not be allowed to touch the pool cue. Hope will have to do it on her own. The handicap essentially lands on Maria's inability to control the force exerted in her shots, and the accuracy of their aim."
"Sounds intriguing," Steve hummed. "I'm okay with it."
Pepper then chimed in. "As Pool Handicap Commissioner, I'll allow it as long as both Maria and Hope are okay with it."
Hope stiffened her body as she took a deep breath while still trying to come across naturally and unbothered. She then slowly turned to look behind her. There, next to the bar, stood Maria with a beer bottle in hand. The agent looked to her for a moment before taking a swig of her drink as she then slowly walked in the direction of the pool table, off towards the side of the room. "Shouldn't we be adding Lang into this discussion too since – in this scenario – I'm basically supposed to manhandle his girl?" Maria asked simply, not looking to them in the process.
Scott responded to her with a smile. "Nah, I trust you." Seemingly taking her words of caution light-heartedly.
Maria reached the table, turning to look at him where she gave him a tight smile before she gazed over at Hope. But this time, she raised her brows in intrigue. Like she knew that Hope hadn't told him about their prior relationship. "Well, I guess it's up to you, Hope." The way she said her name was so different from the last time she'd heard it come out of her mouth. This seemed to have a hint of vitriol to it. "Because I'm fine with it," she added like she were challenging her.
Hope clenched her jaw; there was no way she was going to be the one to back down. Besides, she had a point to prove to herself. "It's fine by me too." She practically shoved her glass into Scott's hand before making her way to the table.
"Yes!" Tony cheered. "Now hopefully Steve will have his ass handed to him by two people instead of one."
"So much for it being about beating Maria there, hey, Tony?" Steve called out to the man rhetorically as he approached the table from behind Hope.
Maria turned away from them as she put down her beer and grabbed a pool cue from off the wall. She then began chalking the end. "Loser sets up the table."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." Steve sighed as he began taking balls out from the pockets; proceeding to rack them up all while Maria casually watched him. She was leaning on her cue stick, like she were some old Hollywood film star like Humphrey Bogart or someone else equally to his likeness; sporting her button down shirt, suit pants, and shiny dress shoes; one casually crossed over the other as she had the weight of her body resting on one foot. All she was missing was a cigarette hanging out of her mouth to complete the picture. God, she sure was putting up a challenge for Hope as the woman had to hold back from biting the bottom of her lip at the sight of her. "Are you breaking?" Steve looked at Maria.
"You can. I'll give you an opportunity to sink some balls before I even get to the table." Maria smirked at him.
The man laughed. "You're too kind." He then looked to Hope. "You know, you're an Avenger now. Which means you're one of us. So if you wanna pretend you're the handicap Tony's tried convincing everyone you are, it would be greatly appreciated for the team."
"You're telling her to purposely throw my game?" Maria glared at him through slitted eyes. "That's just pathetic, Cap."
"Is it though?" Hope crossed her arms. "I mean, If I suck I'll essentially be the one behind your downfall, not Steve." She eyed Maria. "Bring my street cred right up." She pointed to the sky with her finger.
"You wouldn't dare." Maria warned her through what looked like a suppressed smile of amusement.
Hope smirked mischievously. "Maybe I would. I haven't decided yet," she threatened her.
"Oh, this is going to be interesting." Steve nodded at their back-and-forth before he took the first shot, breaking up the cluster and sinking a ball in the process. "Stripes," he announced what balls he was now shooting for. Both women turned to the table to watch him lineup his second shot as he easily sunk his green ball, followed by a third where he sunk his orange. Hope was impressed, he was really good. Which made her wonder just how amazing Maria must have been. He then attempted for the purple ball but it bounced off the edge of the pocket. "Nope." He dropped his head at his failed attempt.
Maria just eyed him with intimidation as she moved to the table. She then allowed her gaze to fall onto the game in play. She stood there for awhile, studying it as her eyes darted around the table. Hope then looked over to Steve, wishing for an explanation. "She's playing out all her moves in her head so she can guarantee a doable shot after all her previous ones," he explained, clearly understanding her look of curiosity. "Playing pool with a genius military strategist is definitely an experience."
"Okay." Maria's eyes were still fixated on the table as she walked over to the other side of it. "I got it." She then waved Hope over. "I need my handicap."
Hope rolled her eyes as she walked over to her. Maria turned to her, meeting her eyeline as she furrowed her brow. Maria then gazed down to her feet. "Shoes." Hope understood as she kicked her heels off and under the table. "Better." Maria nodded at the fact that she'd dropped in hight, now about two inches shorter than Maria. She then gently took Hope by the hips. She positioned her in a specific spot in front of the table where she then stood behind her; looking over her shoulder. "Kay, take this." Maria passed the long, wooden dowel to her. "Now this is called a cue stick, you hit the cue ball with it," she said a little patronisingly.
"Wait. You're going too fast. Let me go get a pen and paper so I can write this all dow." Hope shot back sarcastically; turning her head to see Maria smirking at her retort. Hope then quickly looked away in a half-assed attempt of hiding her own smile.
"Okay, so we're going for the blue, number two, ball at the side there." Maria pointed. "Where we'll get it to hit the bumper there" – she pointed – "and then bounce off the back bumper there" – her finger moved to the mentioned location – "and knock it into the yellow ball there" – she gestured over to the left – "which will – hopefully – sink it into that corner pocket." She finally dropped her hand after indicating to the last location.
"Whoa, Maria. You're certainly not going easy there for her first shot," Steve said with concern.
"I'd rather her take real shots. Besides, she's getting enough of an education on easy shots, and how to play yourself into a corner, just by watching you."
He shook his head. "That hurt."
Hope's face split into a smile as Maria's words seem to have indicated that she had faith in her abilities. "Line me up," Hope demanded, ready to try out the shot as she leaned over the table with the cue stick.
"Alright then." Maria pressed her body right into hers as she bent over her; lowering herself against Hope's back. Practically rested her chin on top of her shoulder. The woman beneath took a sharp breath in response to the body contact. "Okay." Maria guided the pool cue, touching its tip to the side bumper of the table, pressing hard into it to leave a blue chalk mark onto the green felt. "This is where we're aiming to hit." Maria then brought the cue back as Hope naturally lined it up, targeting the white ball with the chalk mark. Maria then slid Hope's guiding hand up a little as she gently repositioned her fingers around the cue. "If you hold it like this you'll have more control." The way her fingers threaded into her own made Hope close her eyes as a memory of Maria playing with her fingers in bed came flashing back to her. Maria then slid her other hand down the stick, which was by her hip, to find Hope's grip on the cue. As she laid her hands on top of hers, Hope's heart began to pound in her chest. Maria pushed at the cue, sliding it back and forth through Hope's fingers as Hope fluttered her eyes open, trying to snap herself back into the game. "How does this feel?" Maria inquired. Hope's mind started to race, not knowing what exactly she was asking of her. "Does the spacing between your hands feel okay? Do you feel in control?" Hope nodded as she gulped, scared that her voice would fail her in that moment with the irony of the question not lost on her. "Good." Maria then ever so slightly pushed Hope's hand, that was resting on the table, to the side; repositioning their aim on the target while bringing the thicker end of the stick in a little more into Hope's body. "Okay, this is looking good. So, just slide the cue as straight as you can into the centre of the ball and hit it relatively hard, but not too hard."
Hope, now feeling nervous for her shot, not wanting to let Maria down, almost laughed out. "Yeah, sure. Whatever that means."
Maria then turned her head, speaking right into her ear as she said, "You got this." Her words sending a shiver down her neck. Maria then removed her hands away from Hope's grip on the stick.
Before Hope had an opportunity to fall out of alignment, she took the shot where Maria quickly wrapped her arm around her ribs, yanking them both back into a proper standing position while they watched the cue ball hit the blue ball perfectly into the chalk mark. It then bounced to the back, off the wall and right into the yellow ball that sank into the corner pocket. All in which Maria had perfectly planned for.
Hope gasped with a smile; extremely pleased with herself. "Told yah," Maria hummed as she let go of her before walking around the table.
"I see where your allegiances now lie." Steve sighed. "Though, I can't say that I'm disappointed. You're at least honourably fulfilling your assignment."
"Of kicking your ass?" Hope smirked at him.
"Excuse me?" Maria interjected in the midst of her trash talk. "You're assignment is to do as I say while I kick his ass." She gave her a playful look of warning.
"I'm the one physically taking the shots. Do you also take credit for all of The Avenger's successes too?"
Maria smirked. "Only for the operations that I plan for them." Hope bit down on her smile while shaking her head at her. "Now come here, my handicap." Maria waved her over but this time in a playful manner, as she looked down to the game in session.
Hope huffed as she walked over to her where Maria was quick to pull her into her arms once again which made Hope's face split into a grin as she had to keep herself from giggling at the woman's possessive actions. Hope was thankful that she was facing away from both Maria and Steve, as well as all the party guests. She didn't want it known that she was enjoying the way that she was being handled by the woman. "This one's straight forwards." Maria pointed to the table as she kept her one hand wrapped around Hope's stomach. Which was anything but unnoticed by her as she did everything to not sink back into Maria's body. "Hit the purple ball into the side pocket."
"Okay." Hope leaned over the table as Maria wasted no time in letting go of her body only to push her chest up against her upper back; again, resting her chin over her shoulder.
"Bring your hips back." Maria placed her hands around her waist and pulled her closer into herself, which made Hope silently gasp. "And lower your body so you can line up better with your target." Hope desperately tried to follow her instructions as if she weren't bothered by Maria's painfully distracting touch. As quickly as she could, she lined up her target. Maria let go of her waist as she brought her hands to rest atop of Hope's like she had the last time. "Don't aim exactly for the centre of the purple one. We want to hit it ever so slightly on its left." She then pushed the cue a little to reposition her aim.
"Okay, I've got this." Hope felt confident. "Hands off my cue stick," she warned her; trying to gain a little control back.
"Demanding," Maria said as her tone rang with amusement; removing her hands away from her. Hope then took the shot, sinking the ball without issue.
"Yes." She cheered under her breath before the two moved upright. However, unlike the last time, Hope pushed them up, trying to prove that she wasn't just her powerless handicap who was willing to be totally dominated over. Though, she popped up a little too fast where Maria seemed to have lost her footing as she grabbed Hope's arm, falling backwards. With lightning reflexes, Hope dropped the pool cue to the floor as she spun around and yanked Maria safely into her arms as their bodies crashed together.
Maria yanked her head back as she narrowed her eyes at her. "You did that on purpose."
"I purposely shoved you off, yes. But I did not trip you. That was your own clumsiness."
"I am not clumsy, you're just aggressive."
"And who's the pot calling the kettle black here?" Hope couldn't help but recall back to Maria's unrelenting methods of when she was pursuing her and her father.
Maria pursed her lips as she unwrapped her arms from around Hope's neck; sliding them down to rest on her bare shoulders. "Okay, you may have a bit of a point there." Her beautiful sapphire eyes twinkled as the agent conceded. Hope then started to chuckle at her where Maria joined in. Their laughter quickly growing together. It was a refreshing release for Hope as she let loose while holding the vibrating woman in her grasp. She could physically feel her tension lessening in that moment; almost forgetting the months that had passed since the last time she'd held her in her arms like that.
"So how goes it?" Hope heard Scott's voice which instantly halted her giggles. She then rapidly let go of Maria and spun around to see him approaching them at the table.
"Honestly, It's intimidating." Steve acknowledged the man. "One time, during the war, I found myself in front of two wolves fighting each other in the bush. Eventually, one of them dominated the other and the victor then turned on me. Well, this game is reminding me of that moment. Only this time I fear instead of there being a single victor, the wolves are revving up to destroy me as a united front."
"Well, the plus side to that is, at least you'll go down quicker." Scott nodded. "Spend less time suffering."
Steve smiled. "It's a small mercy."
"That's quite the description there, Steve. You really painted a picture for us all with your riveting words," Maria said dryly as she bent over to scoop up their pool cue that was laying on the ground. He gave her a sheepish look while taking a single step back; increasing his distance from her.
"By the way" – Scott stepped towards Maria; he looked nervous and seemed like he was trying to shift the conversation – "we haven't officially met yet. So, it's nice to meet you. I'm Scott." He then shook his head like he'd just heard how his words sounded. "I mean, you obviously know who I am, of course. Not 'cause like I'm Ant-Man or whatever 'cause not everyone knows who Ant-Man is." He scrunched his face as he was failing to find the appropriate words. "No but because you – like – know everything. Well, not everything, but you're like a high up agent so you know stuff. Stuff that probably no one else knows." He nodded. "You know what I mean."
Maria stared at him for a moment. "Yes, it's nice to meet you too, 4-7-5-7-2-0-8-9-7." She then gave him a tight smile before turning around to grab her beer.
"That's my social security number." He gawked. He then looked to Hope. "She called me by my social security number," he whispered where she nodded sympathetically for the both of them. Why was his normal goofy behaviour, the behaviour that she usually found charming, bothering her so much in that moment?
"Maria." Coulson walked up to them. "Fury's on the line for you." He held out his mobile phone. "He said he's not getting through to the tower."
"Dammit, Stark and his meddling." She huffed while putting her beer down on the edge of the pool table. She then thrust the cue stick into Scott's hand while she passed by him to Coulson. She took the phone and walked towards the elevator as she answered it.
"She seems pleasant," Scott said in a silly sarcastic manner.
Steve laughed in response to his quip. "Yeah." He sighed. "She's probably one of my closest friends here to be honest. She's very intimidating, as you can see. Yet, she really does have a heart of gold."
"I've got one of those too." He slid his arm around Hope's lower back where she uncomfortably stiffened her spine at his touch while she watched Maria, in the distance, step into the elevator. Just as the agent turned around inside the lift, still on the phone, they caught each other's gaze only for Hope to awkwardly break it as she turned her head to look at Scott. Just overall too uncomfortable with the whole situation; trying to not show her own vulnerability to the other woman.
"Why did Maria just leave?" Tony called at them from a little ways away.
"Fury," Coulson answered.
"Is she coming back?"
"I doubt it." The agent shrugged.
"Damn." Tony sighed. "Fury's not even here and yet he still finds a way to bring the party down." He then turned away, going back to his conversation with Pepper.
"Well, I guess that's our game." Steve looked to the couple. "I'm going to the bar. Do either of you want anything?"
"Nah, I'm cool." Scott grinned, obviously still star struck by the captain. "Thanks for offering though."
"Here." Natasha slid in to the other side of Hope, making her jump a little by her sudden presence as the spy held up a glass in front of her before she could answer Steve. "I already brought you something. Jewel of Russia. Best vodka you'll ever drink." She smirked at her as she lowered her voice. "Thought you might need something strong."
Hope wasn't the biggest vodka fan though she gratefully took it, needing something to level her out. "Thank you." She nodded before taking a healthy sized gulp of her drink.
"No problem." Natasha eyed her with interest before casually walking towards Steve. "Come on." She linked her arm with his. "I'll fix you a drink." She then pulled him off towards the bar.
Hope gazed off at the two leaving, her mind lost in confusion; as it was trying to process the emotions coursing through her body. "Hey, you alright?" Scott rubbed at the spot on her lower back that his hand was still resting on which made her involuntarily step away from the contact.
"What?" She turned to him.
He gave her a tender look. "I don't know, you seem kinda out of it all of a sudden."
"Just tired." She concluded. "It kinda just hit me."
"Well we've had a very long and adventurous day."
"Yeah." Hope felt desperate to escape. "I think I might sneak away and go to my room."
"Sur. Do you want me to come with? I could call it a night too," he sweetly offered.
She shook her head. "No, stay. Mingle. Enjoy yourself. I'll see you in the morning at breakfast." She made sure to communicate that she wished to be alone that evening.
He nodded with a smile. "Okay." Bending down, he kissed her as she barely made an effort to kiss him back. She oddly felt like she was somehow not supposed to be doing that anymore with him. "Goodnight."
Hope stepped back in befuddlement as she repeated back, "Goodnight." She then turning to grab her shoes before she slugged back the rest of her drink. She depositing her empty glass onto a bar table as she made her way to the elevator. Luckily, no one called her out for leaving early as she was slipping out. However, she did catch Natasha's eye as she loaded into the lift where the woman nodded at her in acknowledgement.
When Hope got to her lodgings she discarded her shoes at the door before she dropped into her bed; face planting into her mattress. Her mission was a bust. She didn't prove to herself what she wished to. On the contrary, she was now even more conflicted than ever. Everything was so much simpler back home when it was just her and Scott. But now nothing made sense. "Fuuuuck," Hope groaned into her sheets; not prepared in the slightest for the days to follow with Maria now back in her life.
It was late into the night once Maria finally got to fixing the communications issue after she was done with what Fury had needed her to deal with. It was regarding some follow up work from an old mission of hers that suddenly became relevant again.
She turned off the lights in Controls as she made her way down to the floor that held her apartment.
Just as she reached her door she stopped in front of it, not able to bring herself to go inside. All she could think of was the image of Scott with his arm possessively around Hope's body as she left the party earlier that evening. It brought her physical pain as she imagined that they'd probably be in bed together at that very moment, with his arms around her in a similar manner. She sighed, becoming angry with herself for being so affected by Hope's relationship with the man.
Suddenly, her feet started to take her down the hallway as she stopped at a different door at the end. Knocking in frustrated desperation.
It didn't take long before the door opened, revealing Natasha in shorts and a tank top, ready for bed. She locked eyes with Maria, cocking her head to the side in intrigue before saying, "I'm not her," as she stepped back, allowing Maria entry.
Maria walked in, practically slamming the door behind her as she said in a husky voice, "Noted." Closing the gap between them. Natasha met her hungry lips with her own as she freely allowed Maria to push her down on top of her bed.
There was no way in which Maria was going to allow herself to wallow that night. She would, too, have her pleasures. She wasn't some pathetic person who was going to just sit on the sidelines and wait as life passed her by. She'd take actions for her own well being and that certainly didn't include pining over Hope.