Now...

"Are you insane?" Maria asked, moving to her feet and watching Natasha in complete disbelief while the redhead moved about the kitchen, busying herself tidying away plates and wiping surfaces between shots of vodka. "You're actually insane. Natasha, You could lose your scholarship! He could lose his job!"

Natasha nodded, taking another drink. "We know..."

They had realised that the moment they'd found out about each other, and they had decided it was worth the risk. It wasn't something she'd been looking for, it wasn't even something she thought she wanted... But she had fallen so hard and so fast; it was completely unlike her. Maria could see how happy he had made her, and was sad to know it was over for them...

Natasha was supposed to graduate in a few months and they had planned on making it until then, when their relationship would no longer be a problem. At least, that was the plan. Until his wife had turned up.
It was still unbelievable to her; he had a wife... He was married... Natasha needed to keep reminding herself of that. She couldn't be in love with a man who was married. She wouldn't be in love with a married man. She'd grown up with her Dad cheating on her Mom, her Mom heartbroken and pretending she wasn't. It had consumed her whole childhood, tinted every memory...

Besides, Clint's wife was beautiful, successful and smart beyond anything Natasha could imagine. What on earth could he see in her when he had Dr Bobbi Morse?..

"Natasha..." Maria's voice broke through her thoughts and Natasha finally moved back to sit on the sofa with a sigh. "It was never supposed to last... It was just a one night thing, which turned into 'one more night, one more night' after we found out... And then we were in too deep. And then it became worth the risk"

Maria nodded, she wouldn't have taken that risk herself, her whole future was dependant on her graduating, but she could see how the whole thing had spiralled.
Pouring out one final glass of vodka and sliding it to Natasha, she asked; "What are you going to do?"