The atmosphere in the hospital room was frosty and it was not from a lack of heating or the snow that coming down outside slowly in late January.
It had been a few days since she woke up and Maria was more than ready to leave. It was too sterile and foreign, her bed was so soft that it was actually uncomfortable, and she hadn't been able to sleep because of the stream of nightmares that appeared every time closed her eyes.
In the corner, Natasha was watching with arms folded and a scowl on her face as the doctor ran through her self-care instructions. She had walked in the door barely an hour after Maria had woken up with the same expression on her face.
She hadn't left since. And neither had the scowl.
Maria had surveyed the woman in front of her in the dimmed light and even in the shadows could see the two concealed pistols, and was only able to hazard a guess at how many other weapons she was hiding.
The two of them had barely said a thing to each other, other than to explain that neither were happy about the protection detail.
The brunette had all but ordered the assassin out when her bandages had been changed or when she was sleeping; she was being forced to show this woman her fears and weaknesses. Maria did not like this. At all.
No one had ever seen that side of her. Maria didn't trust Natasha entirely. Her abilities yes, but her loyalty no.
Natasha had made it apparent from the moment she walked into the room that a protective detail assignment was the last thing she wanted, even with Fury standing right there.
He had laughed at them. "Good luck ladies."
They both glared at him as he left.
It was tense, but constant. Despite being kicked out of the room multiple times, Natasha hadn't left.
"You know I can walk right?" asked Maria, who was finally wearing some of her own clothes. Natasha was behind her pushing the wheelchair.
"Hospital policy, you know that, Hill." Natasha smirked.
"You going to boss me around the entire time?"
"Probably. Are you going to listen?"
"Probably not," she sighed. "This is complete bullshit."
"For once I agree with you." They stopped outside where Natasha's car was waiting. "This is only until the rest of them are caught. We just have to suck it up."
"This is bullshit," Maria repeated, as she lowered herself gently into the passenger's seat. It was a little awkward because of how low the car was but she shrugged off any help from Natasha. She had spent over a month in a cold dark cave trying to 'suck it up' as she was tortured continuously.
Natasha shut the door behind the woman. "Yeah I know."
Surprisingly enough the sun was out for the time of year and Maria had buried her head under her hood to try and block out the light. Natasha noticed her head bowed and asked if she was okay.
"My eyes are still adjusting to the light sometimes. The sun reflecting off the snow is making my head hurt."
"Here," she said. Natasha was offering a spare pair of sunglasses. "Considering a peace offering."
"A peace offering for what?" she asked, accepting the glasses and putting them on.
"We both agree that this is one of the worst idea's Fury has ever had right? And we don't exactly like one another either." Maria nodded. "Doesn't mean we don't have to get along while we're both stuck in this situation. Might make it a bit easier to get through it."
"Maybe."
"You think I'm cold hearted don't you?" Natasha asked.
"Well you are an assassin." Maria answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Doesn't mean I don't have a heart. It just means I can control myself in a way that most people on the planet wouldn't even understand."
Maria looked at her with curiosity and shuffled when her sore shoulder hit the door on a tight corner. "Right."