After showing Mr Banner to the lab Natasha stuck around for a while, just out of sight. She hadn't been ordered to do so, but she figured it was wise under the circumstances. It was bad enough she knew what the monster inside of him was capable of, but the man wasn't at all what she had been expecting. He had... surprised her, to say the least, and that was extremely rare.
If the circumstances were different Natasha might have gathered further Intel on the scientist, looked back over her notes or just spent time with him, because he truly was fascinating. But he wasn't the only... unique individual aboard SHIELD's biggest/most expensive toy, Natasha equally fascinated by the super soldier who had somehow survived being frozen for over a half-century, and to a lesser extent the spoilt, annoyingly clever man-child who like to dress up in a suit of armour and call himself a superhero.
Yes, these men were fascinating, or at least entertaining, but the usually calm and collected Black Widow was struggling to keep her facade of nonchalance when one of the only people in this world she'd be willing to admit to caring about was being mind controlled by some deranged Viking God. Fucking Hawkeye. There was a thin line between confidence and arrogance, and more often than not that stupid fool was more often the latter than the former, which was probably why this happened to him. Of course the fact that it had happened to him at all was a sign of just how dangerous Loki was, and how much trouble they were all in.
Nearly overwhelmed by her own emotions Natasha found herself wandering the halls of the Helicarrier, silently weighing her options. As if she was going to do anything other than end up in Maria's office, leaning back on the big comfy chair Fury had initially forced on the uptight brunette, Natasha knowing that despite what she may say Maria had ended up loving it. During lighter times Natasha had thoroughly enjoyed it too, especially as waiting in it had earned her some wonderfully brutal spankings, the redhead's body tingling as those enjoyable memories briefly distracted her from the turmoil she was in.
What felt like a lifetime later Maria finally entered her office, briefly looking surprised to see Natasha before murmuring, "Shouldn't you be babysitting Banner?"
"Shouldn't you be finding Barton." Natasha said almost nonchalantly, although her bitterness shone through.
Her heart filling with sympathy, perhaps too much, Maria instinctively closed and locked her door and then cautiously approached her desk. Natasha looked just about as relaxed as could be, slouching in that big chair without a weapon in sight, the redhead not even turning towards her but instead staring at the blank wall like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Of course Maria knew better than anyone that appearances can be deceiving, and you should never underestimate The Black Widow, so she took her time walking around the desk until she was standing directly in front of the deadly Natasha Romanoff.
"Barton is one of our best, and whenever someone is captured it's for a purpose. This time it seems pretty clear that purpose is to be used as a weapon against us, so Loki will keep him alive until he chooses to attack, which will give us a chance to save him." Maria said, leaning against her desk as she attempted to comfort her lover. The problem was she was so very, very bad at this, "Until then we're doing everything in our power to find him, and if there's one thing I can promise you Natasha, is that we will find him."
"I wouldn't be here if I doubted that for a second." Natasha admitted calmly.
Maria smiled softly at the admission, and then after a pause added, "We've all heard it a million times, so if you want to tell me to fuck off you can, but this is the job. We risk our lives every second of every day and no matter how good we are all it takes is one little mistake in the wrong place at the wrong time and that's it. And the odds aren't exactly in Barton's favour, but I've seen you both get out of worse and no matter what happens you have to believe everything is going to be ok."
There was another pause and then Natasha softly murmured, "Fuck off."
Another second of silence, then both women laughed, albeit one more freely, that fact and the look on Natasha's face causing Maria to feel things she shouldn't, but she let it slide for now in favour of taking another crack at this whole comforting thing, "Look... Natasha, I-"
"Take off your clothes." Natasha suddenly interrupted in an ice cold tone she rarely had to use.
In an instant Maria's sympathy for the redhead was gone, the brunette barely able to control her anger as she calmly replied, "Natasha, we do not have time for a booty call. Everyone is on high alert, the entire world is in danger and Tony freaking Stark is here. There's no way I'm fucking you if there's a chance he might break his way in here."
The final comment was supposed to lighten the mood somewhat, but Natasha barely seem to register it, The Black Widow slowly getting up, turning to Maria and reminding her lover exactly how intimidating she could be as she stared into her eyes and calmly said, "I wasn't asking."
Maria had to admit, that sultry tone of voice, the look on Natasha's cover model face, that dominatrix like outfit posed so very menacingly, no wonder so many men and women had fallen to their knees over the years and submitted to The Black Widow, even though many of them knew just how dangerous Natasha Romanoff really was. Part of Maria definitely wanted to do that right now, finally submit to the woman who had almost always felt in control of their 'relationship', yet if this really was it, the likely inevitable moment Natasha took control of her, Maria wouldn't so easily surrender. No, she would fight.
So puffing up her chest and becoming as menacing as she could be Maria replied, "As I recall, I'm still the top in this arrangement, and you're still my-"
In the blink of an eye Natasha was on her, and while Maria had sort of been expecting it even she, with all her knowledge of The Black Widow, was caught by surprise at the suddenness and brutality of Natasha's movements. She tried to fight back but she was soon face down on her own desk with her body firmly pinned down with her arm pushed up against her back in a rather ordinary hold for such a dangerous woman. But then perhaps that was the point, Maria failing to get out of this simple hold half a dozen times before Natasha put a stop to that by almost breaking her arm.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN CONTROL ME?" Natasha screamed in Maria's ear before adding with a growl, "You've only been topping me because I have allowed it. I allowed you to think that you were the top because it amused me. It was a fun game."
"We don't have time for games." Maria said, just about able to keep the fear out of her voice.
