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Christmas time usually means a lot more work than usual. Villains, terrorists and just ambitious people who want to take over the world, act like they are in a hurry to fulfill their plan for the year until the date on the calendar will change. While working in the SHIELD, the agents tried to complicate Maria's work, throwing off all mission reports at the last moment. That and constant requests to let go home early or change the duty schedule. As if the Deputy Director are even worried about the night shifts at the Helicarrier, damn them.
At Stark Industries, the challenges are not diminishing. All the same fuss and attempts not to drag unfinished business with you into the new year. Maria barely manages to have lunch during the break and doesn’t come off the phone, which is bursting from calls.
From time to time, she catches sympathetic glances from Pepper, who is in exactly the same position.
The only one in the office who doesn't seem to be bothered by this survival race is Tony. He flashes smiles to everybody, hires designers to decorate every office at Stark Industries, and even hums New Year's songs under his breath. His cheerfulness gets on the nerves, especially when he persistently tries to persuade her to put on Christmas hat to maintain team spirit. She has to remind him of her skills in martial arts and of the gun hidden under her pantsuit.
Maria sticks with caffeine and thinking about an upcoming weekend. She is already ready to write an angry letter to the narrow-minded congressman, who really should mind his own business when a knock is heard at the door of her office.
“Yes?”
“Your assistant is on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” Natasha says instead of greeting, and Maria allows herself to be distracted from the laptop screen by how bright red hair looks against the soft white shirt tucked into jeans. Nat always looks like a star and there is the feeling that this is just her trait, than something deliberate.
“Stark will pay her a good bonus,” she mutters before flexing her neck and relaxing her shoulders a little. Office work is not good for her. And with this festive bustle, she barely has time to go to the gym.
Natasha smoothly crosses her office, looking around and chuckling at the sight of the lone figure of Santa's reindeer in the corner and the red inscription "Merry Christmas" on a poster on one of the walls. If you think about it, Maria didn't even have time to notice how they appeared here. Must be one of Tony's orders.
“Stark spent on decorations.”
Maria snorts, clenching and unclenching her fists to release tension in her wrists.
“He's a big kid. I wouldn't be surprised if he calls the animators.”
Nate smiles at her, and her insides warms inside like a generous amount of whiskey. With Natasha it is always like that, exciting and calm at the same time, but Maria is used to writing it off for many years of acquaintance and friendship. Digging deeper means admitting to herself something which she is not ready to admit.
Therefore, Maria tries not to think about her feelings when Natasha confesses, hiding her vulnerability behind deliberately frivolous:
“I like this. It's like we're in a musical.”
No matter how much Maria tries to calculate her as if she is a mathematical formula, Nat surprises her. She is an effective agent who knows hundreds of ways to kill using just a ballpoint pen, but at the same time she remains sensitive and human. Anyway, these thoughts are not destined to go beyond the limits of Maria's consciousness, because she still values her life.
She chuckles, catching Nat's gaze.
“More like a horror movie.”
Natasha's smile grows from almost embarrassed to playful. She moves her body forward, without taking her eyes off Maria's face - everything inside flares up with renewed vigor, but Hill knows how to control herself. Natasha bites her lip and teases:
“Commander Grinch.”
It seems her own joke amuses her. After New York and the fall of SHIELD, seeing her in a good mood is a special kind of pleasure. There is a hope that everything will be fine, despite all the challenges that the universe throws at them.
Maria rolls her eyes. She allows Natasha too much. But in the end, everyone has their own weaknesses.
***
On Wednesday, Natasha reappears in her office. This time she is in a light sweater and with a bright box in her hands. Maria hopes for a second that there are explosives inside, which will save her from the stack of documents to be signed.
Nat looks as excited as the other day. With the same confidence, she walks to her table and places the box in front of Maria on top of a folder with contracts that must be read before the end of the day. Maria raises an eyebrow. Natasha just pulls her lips into a grin.
“This is for you. Try it.”
With a puzzled look, Maria carefully opens the lid. A sweet mint smell hits her nose. Candy with white and red stripes look oddly against the gray background of the desktop.
“Thanks? I can't believe I'm going to say this, but you remind me of Stark in the last few days.”
Natasha wrinkles her nose adorably and clings to the pockets of her jeans with her fingers.
“Maybe. Or you are just afraid that your Grinch image would fly off if you enjoy the holidays with us,” she claims jokingly, her eyes sparkling slyly. And then she adds, changing her tone so that Maria has no doubts that Nat is flirting with her: “For such a mood, children usually get coals.”
“Maybe you could ask Santa for a new personality”
Natasha's lips are touched by a radiant smile. She does not look hurt, rather the opposite - she resembles a child who has been offered a candy.
“Ask Ded Moroz.”
“As you say.”
***
She and Pepper are discussing a new contract, which is causing a stir, while trying to snack on a salad that the delivery brought. One minute they talk about the potential risks, and the next Pepper says:
“Natasha’s become frequent guest in your office.”
The tone of her voice doesn’t betray anything, but they have already managed to study each other enough so Maria already understands that Stark and Potts are engaged for a reason. They know how to win people over and, obviously, they are not against office gossip. Maria is slightly confused by the abrupt change of subject, but she pulls herself together.
She only picks up a lettuce leaf with a fork, calmly answering an unvoiced question:
“She's got Christmas fever.”
“I think it's cute. After all that has happened, it's a good idea to let yourself unwind.”
Their opinions are quite the same. Seeing how the heroes who fought against an entire army, lost and won, mourned loved ones and still saved the planet, are happy people with ordinary joys and sorrows, takes the burden off the shoulders. They need rest and a sense of normalcy. Maria recalls the slight smile on Natasha's lips when she watched Tony explain the Midgard Christmas traditions to Thor, and a familiar feeling of tenderness arises inside. So she says:
“Yeah, you are right.”
***
Believe it or not, Stark manages to gather all the Avengers and some former agents for a marathon of Christmas films. Even more surreal, he convinces everyone to wear funny warm socks that he bought especially for everyone. It looks comical - and they would clearly not be entrusted with the saving of the world if they were seen in this.
So Maria finds herself with a cup of Irish coffee in her hands and in socks with snowmen (she didn't argue with Tony just because she saw Steve and Bucky walk past her in matching socks with reindeer). She relaxes even more when Natasha appears on the couch next to her and easily shoves her in the side.
“I was hoping you would come. Persuaded Tony to include the Grinch in our program for you.”
Maria rolls her eyes, but can't help smiling over her mug. She's like a teenager with a crush again, and her heart makes a sharp flip when Natasha presses herself closer to her side so that Clint can fit on the other side of her.
“You are my hero, Romanoff.”
All self-control is required to keep breathing evenly. Maria copes. It seems to be.
They watch "Home Alone", and somewhere in the middle of the second part, Maria cautiously gets up from her seat to go to the kitchen and pour herself some hot tea, because her coffee has run out. She also needs bigger mug.
She waits for the kettle to boil, pours the cookies and chocolate from the pack into the bowl (she has a legitimate rest, she can pamper herself!), and, taking the mug and bowl, heads back to the living room.
At the door, she runs into Natasha, who looks too cute in socks with shiny snowflakes. Perhaps Stark should be thanked. Natasha grins cheerfully at the bowl of cookies, and then looks up.
“Mistletoe, oops.”
She looks at Maria again this time expectantly. Obviously, she loves this kind of joke, since mistletoe rises such a delight in her. This is very childish, but Maria managed to catch the everyone’s festive mood. An innocent kiss between adults, there is nothing wrong with that. And yet she cannot resist:
“Is there even such a tradition in Russia?”
Natasha continues to stand still, and her gaze is fixed on Maria's lips. She seems to be the same as before, but Hill notices how she rolls from heel to toe, as if she lacks the restraint to stay in place. Interesting.
“Maybe not,” her shoulders go up, and a smile slowly blossoms on her lips. “Are you going to kiss me or are you chickening out?”
Maria's hands are busy so she has to turn around to put the mug and bowl on the table. When she comes back, Natasha looks confused and a little disappointed - her eyebrows are frowned and her lips are pursed. And yet her eyes light up, and the grin returns to its place when Maria is one step away from her and confidently (thanks to her exposure and experience in working in a secret agency!) puts her hand on the smooth curve where Natasha's shoulder meets the neck.
“I am not.”
Maria definitely likes the way Natasha rises slightly on her toes in her funny socks and how she exhales through her nose, tracking every movement and change in Maria’s facial expressions. Maybe Maria also likes that, finally, it is she who teases, and not her being teased. She freezes as before jumping from a height, and grins when Nat narrows her eyes impatiently. And then he bends down and covers Nat’s lips with her own, catching a sigh of relief.
And although the kiss does not last long, because the crowd of their noisy and fussy friends and colleagues is very close by, but it leaves the anticipation of something more than just a silly tradition. They don’t say much to each other afterwards, but in the living room on the sofa Natasha puts her hand on her knee and doesn’t remove it until the end of the evening.
Nearby, Clint sends them curious look.
***
The next day, she leaves the conference room after a long, boring meeting, the last one this year, which is good news, and her phone vibrates with a new message. With the name Natasha Romanoff on the screen, it becomes both good and alarming at the same time.
Pepper raises an eyebrow at her growing smile as she reads the text:
> Will you be my Snegurochka: yes / no?
Ignoring Potts and her curiosity, Maria types the answer:
> Who is the Snegurochka?
Natasha, being herself, doesn’t answer directly:
> Come to dinner today and find out;)
It seems Natasha has nothing against the Grinch. Or the Snegurochka, whoever she is.