Metal and Magic (Ch. 21)

( Every character in this story is a legal adult over the age of 18 )

Metal and Magic

Chapter 21

Maria Hill preferred a nondescript car for stakeouts. The gray sedan she’d requisitioned for the morning was barely four years off the lot. There were no stickers, one old air freshener, and no visible damage. It was the kind of car that eyes tended to sweep past. She’d been sitting in the shadow of a broad cedar tree for thirty-three minutes. The windows were up, and the AC was on low. A paper cup of gas station coffee sat between her knees. She wore tight gray trousers, white sneakers, and a snug olive-colored t-shirt. Her outfit could pass for yoga gear from a distance. She kept her hair in a tight French braid.

She lifted the binoculars again and peered at the small Spanish-style house halfway up the block. The stucco had been freshly patched, and someone had left a flyer on the front steps. Natasha’s car was parked in the driveway, nose-first. Harry’s car was parked crookedly at the curb, as if it had skidded to a halt in haste. It seemed that her dear, sweet Harry had been in a rush to see Ms. Romanoff. The thought annoyed her. The front walk was swept clean, but the lawn was browning in patches.

Maria scanned the neighboring houses, then the street, then the porch again. There were no joggers, no early morning dog walkers, and nobody so much as opened a curtain. The only movement was a fat pigeon pecking at some spilled potato chips on the sidewalk. Maria checked her phone. It was 7:18 AM.

She set down the phone and flexed her left hand, working out the tension that had been building since the moment she parked. Stakeouts were always less glamorous than movies made them out to be. The best ones happened at airports or busy lobbies, with the target surrounded by dozens of unsuspecting civilians. Suburban surveillance, Maria thought, was a test of one’s ability to look at nothing for hours without going insane.

She lifted her binoculars again. Natasha’s television flickered for another three minutes, then winked off. The curtain twitched, and Maria caught the shadow of movement behind the glass. She leaned back in her seat and let out a slow, controlled breath. Natasha shouldn’t be expecting any surveillance. Still, SHIELD wanted to know … Was Natasha becoming emotionally attached to Harry?

She got her answer a few minutes later. The front door swung wide, and Harry stumbled onto the porch, his shirt half-tucked, and his hair a complete disaster. He looked like someone who had been up all night. Maria didn’t have to wonder what they were doing. She already knew the answer. He carried a brown paper bag in one hand and a disposable, styrofoam coffee cup in the other. The rim of his cup was already stained. He paused, squinting at the sunrise, then took a long sip from the coffee and checked his phone. Harry then shuffled a few steps toward his car.

Maria tracked him with the binoculars, noticing how he walked. His stride was loose and careless. He had the body language of someone who’d already succeeded at what he came for. Maria knew that he had gone there for a piece of pussy, and knowing Natasha, Harry had likely gotten more than just a piece. 

Suddenly, there was a blur of color. Natasha barreled out after him, barefoot and in a t-shirt and a pair of tiny shorts. She caught up to Harry on the walkway and flung her arms around his neck. The paper bag squished between them and dropped to the ground. Harry nearly dropped the coffee, but managed to keep it upright, grinning like an idiot.

Maria watched as Natasha pulled Harry in and kissed him. It wasn’t a simple peck, but a deep, passionate mauling of his lips. It was a slow, wet kiss that went on just long enough to make any neighbor watching from behind their blinds feel both embarrassed and compelled to keep watching.

Maria pressed the binoculars tighter to her eyes. She couldn’t lip-read from this angle, but Romanoff’s hands were on Harry’s shoulders. They moved lower until she had two handfuls of his ass. Harry responded with a little half-laugh, and he squeezed her ass in return. For a moment, it looked like they might start fucking right there on the sidewalk.

Instead, Natasha stepped back, snagged the coffee cup, and took a greedy gulp. She said something, smirked, and handed it back. Harry accepted the cup, smirked, and probably made a wiseass remark. Natasha let go, but not before she landed a quick slap on Harry’s left butt cheek, which seemed to amuse him even more. He gave her a salute, scooped up the fallen bag, and opened the driver’s door before sliding into the seat.

Natasha watched from the walkway until Harry started the car and pulled away from the curb. She waved, waited for his taillights to vanish, then went back inside, closing the door with a lazy flick of her wrist.

Maria lowered the binoculars and stared straight ahead. She took a sip of the coffee, which had gone cold. Her right hand drummed against the center console. She couldn’t lie to herself. Seeing Natasha practically throwing herself at him annoyed her to no end. Maria decided that she really needed to step up her game. ‘Maybe a nice picnic,’ she thought with a smirk. Her ex-boyfriend really, really loved her picnics.

She pulled her laptop into her lap and opened it up, looking for the file she’d started on Harry and Natasha’s operational relationship. She added a new line below the last. 

Harry spent the night. Left at 7:24 A.M.

Fury feared Natasha might become a liability due to her growing fondness for him. There were even fears that she might turn. The risk assessment on “turn” had been trending up lately, thanks to Harry’s unpredictability and his ability to wrap women around his fingers. Maria made a mental note to update the relevant files.

She scanned the house again. The curtains stayed drawn. Natasha likely wouldn’t bother to check for surveillance when she was home. After all, SHIELD agents were watching the place, but Maria had learned in Moscow and again in Islamabad that the best time to get intel was during those unguarded moments. 

She watched the house for another fifteen minutes. There was no movement, and Natasha made no calls. She started the sedan, let it idle, then texted “clear” to the ops line. It was standard procedure. She took another sip of her cold coffee, made a face, and poured it out the window. The street was still quiet except for the sound of a distant leaf blower. Maria considered driving by the house for a closer look, but that might tip her hand.

Instead, she pulled away from the curb, turned at the corner, and merged into light traffic. She caught herself glancing into the rearview mirror, just in case Natasha was onto her. As she hit the main road, Maria’s phone buzzed with a text from Coulson. “Status?”

She thumbed a reply while steering one-handed. “Potter left. Natasha alone. No sign of comms.”

The response was near-instant. “Noted. Debrief at 0900.”

She locked the phone and dropped it on the passenger seat. The day would fill up fast. She had paperwork, meetings, and phone calls to make. Harry’s business was growing at an unprecedented rate. Fury considered himself lucky that Maria had had the foresight to install herself in his upper management. This early-morning surveillance and the upcoming debriefing would stretch her a bit thin, but she could handle it.

As she made her way to the factory, Maria let herself replay the scene from the porch. The kiss especially irritated her. Still, she couldn’t help but smirk, knowing that she was getting one over on Natasha. Hell, Fury might even decide to pull her off the mission. Maria only hoped that she would be put back in the lead. She merged onto the freeway, turned on the radio, and tried not to think about Natasha’s hand on Harry’s ass.

Little did she know that Natasha wasn’t the only one that Fury was uneasy about. 

Metal and Magic

Natasha had always thought that post-mission mornings were best spent alone, ideally with a cup of coffee and a nice, hot bath. Instead, she was standing on a chair in her bedroom, reaching for the ceiling fan. Things had gotten very heated the night before, and in a fit of passion, Harry had tugged her panties off so hard that they flew up and got stuck on top of a ceiling fan blade. Her only consolation was that he had made her some strong coffee, and he didn’t judge her for eating four Pop-Tarts while watching Spanish soap operas. When the phone buzzed, she checked the screen and knew exactly who it was. She answered before it could go to voicemail. “What’s up?”

“Good morning,” Coulson said. There was a dead tone to his voice, which meant he was calling on someone else’s orders. “Are you alone?”

She glanced at the closed bedroom door. Harry had already left for work. “Yeah. Go.”

“I need a quick status update. Last night with Potter?” There was a hint of something under the surface … judgement perhaps?

Natasha kept her answers clinical. “He slept here and left early. He didn’t make or receive any calls.” She reached for her own coffee, sipped it, then put the cup down with care. “Is this about the new risk assessment?” Fury had been getting on her case about how much time Harry was spending in her bed. 

There was a pause. Coulson’s silence was an answer in itself. “Yes. Fury wants you on standby, but that’s not why I’m calling.”

She dropped into a crouch to stretch her hamstrings, the phone tucked between her shoulder and cheek. Harry had folded her body into a pretzel last night … not that she was complaining. “Then what is?”

There was a soft click, as if Coulson had just closed the door to his office. “Agent Hill scheduled a private evening with Potter. She requested a surveillance blackout. She cleared it with Fury. The official reason is a business dinner, but off the record, Fury thinks she’s getting emotionally involved.”

Natasha almost snorted, but she forced her face to stay blank. “You want me to follow them.”

“I want you to keep an eye on them. Don’t spook Hill unless you have to. Fury thinks that she’s getting too close to him, and he wants you to assess the situation.”

Natasha straightened up and pulled the phone from between her shoulder and ear. “I’m honored,” she said, keeping the sarcasm to the bare minimum.

“We’re running low on people who haven’t already had a fling with him,” Coulson said, which almost got a laugh out of her. “Do you have a problem with this assignment?”

“I have a problem with Hill,” she replied. Then, realizing how that sounded, she added, “But not the assignment. I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you,” Coulson said, and the line went dead. Natasha scrolled to the top of her call list, deleted the log, and set the phone on the counter.

Metal and Magic

Natasha stayed far behind as she tailed Maria’s car. Harry sat in the passenger seat with his window cracked. As usual, he appeared unaware that he was being surveilled by two women at once. Natasha lowered her speed, letting a rusty Civic slip between them. She didn’t mind the delay. She was patient.

At the next intersection, Maria turned left toward the foothills. There was little traffic this far from the city. Natasha kept her distance, alternating between watching the sedan and checking the mirrors for counter-surveillance. Nobody followed. The hills faded away the further they went. The houses grew fewer, and the roads were shabbier and patched with snaking lines of tar.

She followed for another twenty minutes, then saw the brake lights flare as Maria’s car slowed. Natasha eased off the gas, letting the Civic pull farther ahead. Maria’s car turned off onto a dirt drive bracketed by two rotting fence posts. Natasha didn’t follow. Instead, she rolled past it, turned onto a cross street a quarter mile up, and cut the engine. She coasted into the shoulder, gravel crackling under the tires.

Natasha immediately jumped into action. She removed the black wig and gold-rimmed sunglasses she had been wearing to help disguise herself. She popped the trunk, grabbed her black duffel bag, and checked the contents. Inside was her sidearm, a pair of large, powerful binoculars, a battered camera with a telephoto lens, and a parabolic mic. She zipped the bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked into the field.

There was no trail, just a patch of brittle golden grass that stretched to a line of trees. The grass came up to her chest and was dry enough to crunch loudly if she wasn’t careful. She moved slowly and avoided making too much noise. She walked bent at the waist, using the tall grass as cover. From here, she could see Maria’s car parked in front of the house.

The house itself had seen better days. The white paint was peeling off, exposing the gray, sun-bleached boards underneath. Every window was either broken or boarded shut. Natasha circled wide, using the trees as cover, and found a vantage point at the crest of a shallow slope. She unzipped the duffel and extracted the binoculars. They were military grade, which was a bit much for this assignment, but Natasha liked being prepared. She steadied her elbows on her knees and peered through the glass.

Maria circled to the back of the car and opened the trunk, and Harry followed. Maria pulled out a red-checkered blanket and a battered blue picnic basket. Natasha’s jaw nearly dropped. She brought him here for a fucking picnic? She watched as Maria handed Harry the blanket. He took it with both hands and gave her a little smirk. Maria didn’t react, but Harry’s smile lingered. Natasha couldn’t help but smile at his boyish expression.

They didn’t go toward the house. Instead, Maria led the way around the back, toward a stand of trees that sloped down into a hidden ravine. Harry followed, the blanket under one arm, and the basket in the other. Natasha kept them in frame as she moved parallel, stepping lightly while the duffel bag smacked against her thigh. She felt a trickle of sweat at her hairline. It was already getting hot.

Maria stopped at the edge of the trees and spread the blanket on a bare patch of dried leaves. Harry set the basket down and opened it. From inside, he pulled a bottle of wine, two clear plastic cups, and a bunch of other food that Natasha wouldn’t have minded trying. 

Through the binoculars, she could see Harry say something that made Maria shake her head, then laugh. He poured the wine and handed her a cup. Maria sipped and grimaced, probably at the temperature. Natasha repositioned, getting lower to the ground and bracing the binoculars on her forearms. She watched as Harry fished out a pastry and offered it to Maria. Maria bit off a chunk, chewed, swallowed, and then pecked Harry on the cheek. The whole spectacle made Natasha sick.

Natasha stayed there for an hour, watching them eat. Then, as the sun began to set, that’s when the real action started. 

Natasha focused the binoculars with the tip of her finger. She zoomed in and focused only on the two of them. Maria sat cross-legged and barefoot while Harry leaned back on his elbows. She watched Maria reach across the blanket, set her palm on Harry’s shoulder, and then slide her hand up his neck and into his hair.

He didn’t object. In fact, he turned his head so she could have a better grip. Maria gripped harder, and the gesture had zero subtlety. Natasha’s lips curled up on one side. ‘Pathetic,’ she snidely thought. 

Maria leaned in and pressed her lips to Harry’s mouth. It started slowly. Maria’s hand moved up, and her fingers threaded through his hair. Harry let her do it. His arms never left the blanket. After a while, Maria pulled away and said something. He chuckled and responded, and Maria laughed, her whole body tilting forward with the movement. Harry grabbed her around the waist and yanked her down onto his lap.

Maria ended up straddling his thighs, her knees pressed to either side of his hips. The red-checkered blanket bunched beneath them. Natasha adjusted the focus and brought Maria’s face into sharp relief. The laughter was gone. Her lips were parted, and her eyes were heavy-lidded. She looked like she was about to devour him. Natasha knew that feeling well. 

Harry reached up and found the hem of Maria’s shirt, and Maria lifted her arms overhead. He peeled it off in one clean motion. Her pale skin practically shimmered in the waning sunlight. She wore a dark bra that showed off a lot of pale, creamy cleavage. Her stomach was flat and smooth, and her skin looked incredibly soft. That annoyed Natasha. Harry trailed his hands up her ribcage and cupped her breasts, squeezing them through her bra. Maria rolled her hips forward and planted herself fully onto his crotch.

Natasha let out a barely audible snort. “She’s such a slut,” she muttered. She zoomed in more, and through the binoculars, the details were very crisp. Maria leaned forward and buried her face in the side of Harry’s neck, kissing a line from his jaw to his collar. Harry’s fingers wandered up her back and under the band of her bra. He held it tight, and Maria responded by grinding against him. She was certainly putting on a performance for him.

Harry then surprised her by lifting her by the waist and pivoting her around, laying her flat on her back on the blanket. He crawled up over her, one knee between her legs, and braced himself on his forearms. Maria ran her hands up his sides, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and tugged it up. He let her pull it over his head, then he tossed it off the side of the blanket. Maria sat up, quick as a flash, and reached behind her back. She unclasped and pulled her bra off in one smooth motion. Her tits popped out, and Natasha took a moment to study the competition. Maria’s breasts were perfect. They weren’t too big or too small. They were just perfectly perky, round, and topped with pink nipples that were a little lighter than Natasha’s own.

Harry smiled at Maria’s impatience, and Maria grinned back. She was clearly unapologetic about her eagerness. Natasha watched as Harry ran both palms up Maria’s belly and over her breasts. Maria’s eyes squeezed shut as he expertly kneaded them. He dragged his thumbs over her nipples, and Natasha watched as the flesh responded. Maria’s nipples crinkled and hardened into stiff peaks almost immediately. Maria moaned, and then she reached for Harry’s belt. She undid it in seconds, like a true professional. Harry wiggled out of his jeans, leaving only his blue boxer briefs. 

Maria lay back and stretched, arching her spine and pushing her chest up to him. Harry leaned over and licked the inside of her cleavage. His tongue flicked her left nipple, and then he kissed the right one. Maria’s hands clamped onto his head, holding him in place. She said something that Natasha couldn’t hear, but she knew Maria’s lips well enough to guess. “Keep going,” she probably said, and Harry happily complied. He sucked on one nipple and then bit it, just hard enough to make Maria shudder. Her thighs squeezed his waist.

Now they were really going at it. Maria’s body squirmed beneath his, and Harry’s hands started exploring. He ran one palm down her stomach and under the waistband of her gray leggings. Maria squirmed more, so he pulled the leggings off in one motion. She wore very thin, white panties, and Natasha saw the outline of Maria’s pussy pressed tight to the fabric. A dark, wet spot was growing at the center.

Harry pressed his hand against her crotch, and Maria bucked her hips. He rubbed her through the panties, and his fingers made slow circles against her covered clit while Maria gripped his forearm and held it tight. Natasha watched Maria’s face. Every flicker of pleasure was visible and unfiltered. Maria’s lips parted, and her tongue darted out to wet them. Harry kissed her again, taking her tongue into his mouth, before moving lower.

He hooked his fingers under her panties and tugged them down. Maria lifted her hips to help. For a moment, the panties clung to her thighs before sliding down and off her ankles. Maria was now completely naked. Natasha dialed the binoculars back, taking in the whole scene. Maria was spread out on the blanket, legs open, and her pussy slick and glistening. Harry was crouched between her thighs. He ran a finger down her slit, parted the lips, and started circling her clit with his thumb.

Natasha’s breath caught in her throat. She adjusted the binoculars and zoomed in. Maria’s clit was swollen into a perfect pink bead that was peeking out from between her folds. Harry leaned down and ran his tongue from her opening all the way to her clit. Maria’s whole body jumped in response. Harry did it again, then sucked her clit between his lips and teased it with the tip of his tongue. Maria’s fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him hard against her, and Natasha could see Maria’s thighs trembling.

He kept licking her, making her body quiver. He used two fingers to open her up, and Natasha watched as Harry slid two fingers inside. Maria’s back arched, and her lips moved, but Natasha couldn’t hear the noise. She watched Maria’s face as she started to cum. Her eyes squeezed shut, her jaw clenched, and her breath visibly hitched in her chest. Harry didn’t stop. He kept his mouth glued to her pussy, drawing out the orgasm. Maria bucked wildly, but he held her hips and pressed in harder.

After a minute, Maria went limp. Harry kissed her inner thigh, her stomach, and crawled up over her, planting a line of kisses up her torso. Maria dragged him down into a kiss, tasting herself on his lips. She was greedy. Her hands went to his boxers, yanked them down, and his cock popped free. Even though she had seen and handled it dozens of times, Natasha couldn’t help but be impressed as it bounced around, as stiff as a board. Maria seemed to think so, too, because she grabbed it and began stroking it with enthusiasm. Harry gasped and braced himself on both arms above her.

Maria didn’t waste time. She pushed Harry over onto his back and straddled him, gripping the base of his cock and guiding it inside her. She sank down quickly, taking every inch. She seductively looked down at him and started to bounce. The whole time, her hands worked her own tits, pinching and pulling at the nipples. Natasha watched Harry’s hands drift up to her waist, holding her in place while she moved.

They fucked like animals. Maria was more aggressive than Natasha would have thought possible. She bounced hard, slamming her hips into Harry’s crotch, and Harry met her thrust for thrust. Natasha watched, mesmerized by the erotic sight. She didn’t realize that one of her hands had drifted down between her own legs, absently tracing her tingling pussy over her jeans. The other kept the binoculars glued to her eyes. She watched Maria’s tits bounce, watched her flushed face, and watched the way Harry groaned and flexed his arms as he felt Maria up. Maria leaned forward, put her hands on Harry’s chest, and rode faster. Natasha thought that it was quite impressive the way Maria’s hips rapidly jerked back and forth before slowing into a grinding circle. 

It didn’t take long for Maria to cum again. Maria’s rhythm stuttered, her back arched, and her mouth dropped open in a silent scream. Natasha knew what that meant. Maria’s whole body spasmed as she came again, her pussy clenching around Harry’s cock. Harry groaned, grabbed her hips tight, and jerked his hips up. Natasha saw the exact moment Harry started to cum. His face went blank for a second, and then his whole body tensed. Maria smiled down at him, still working his cock and milking every drop out of him.

Maria’s hips jerked a few more times as she rode out her orgasm before she collapsed on his chest. Harry wrapped both arms around her back and held her close. They stayed that way for a minute, catching their breath. Natasha watched the rise and fall of Maria’s shoulders. Her own heart was pounding.

She lowered the binoculars, wiped the sweat from her palms onto her jeans, and then raised them again. Maria and Harry were still pressed together, murmuring to each other. Maria ran her hand over his stomach, then up his chest, and rested her cheek on his shoulder. She looked happy and content. Natasha had a sudden urge to march down there and make a scene, but she wasn’t here to break cover.

Instead, she watched them for another ten minutes, noting how Maria never let go of him. Finally, Maria sat up, stretched, and reached for the bottle of wine. She took a long swig, then offered it to Harry. He took the bottle and drank from it.

Natasha watched them dress. Maria slipped her panties back on first, then the leggings, and then the shirt. Her face was still red, and her hair was a mess. Harry dressed more slowly, pausing to steal kisses from Maria as she bent over the basket. They packed everything up, then started back up the hill toward the car.

Natasha lay flat on her stomach, hidden by grass, and watched them move off. She didn’t move for a full minute, letting her thumping heart settle. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the sky. She felt angry, a little bit horny, and mostly annoyed that she had to watch Hill make moves on her own favorite plaything. Natasha promised that she would get even. 

Natasha stood, packed up, and shouldered the duffel. She hiked back to the car, her mind already working the angles. Next time, she’d do the seducing, but for now, she had to report back to Coulson.