He was one of the background charaters of Pepper Ann, one of Moose Pearson's best friends, and he was 8 years old in the Pepper Ann series. (Pepper Ann was taking place set in the years 1997-1998). Then in the Ultimate Spider-Man series as you see in the screenshot, it shows an unnamed S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent. In fact that should be a Grown up version of Sean LeSandre as a Young adult of 23-25 years old in the Ultimate Spider-Man series. Somepoint in the 2000's Sean's family may have moved from Hazelnut to New York, and after turning 23 years old joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as an Agent.
Here is a breakdown of why this theory that Sean LeSandre from Pepper Ann grew up to be that specific S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent in Ultimate Spider-Man holds up so well.
1. The Timeline Match is Perfect
Your math is spot on. Let’s look at the dates:
Pepper Ann Era: The show aired from 1997–2000. In the series, Sean LeSandre is a peer of Moose Pearson (Pepper Ann's younger sister). Moose is around 7 or 8 years old, meaning Sean would be the same age.
Ultimate Spider-Man Era: The series began airing in 2012.
The Calculation:
If Sean was 8 years old in 1997...
By 2012 (15 years later), he would be 23 years old.
This is the exact age range for a rookie or junior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He fits the demographic of a young adult just entering the workforce after college or the academy.
2. The Visual Evolution
The physical resemblance between the two characters supports the theory that they are the same person at different life stages:
Hair: Sean LeSandre had a very distinct hairstyle for a kid in the 90s—short sides with a textured, curly top. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent sports a more disciplined, military-standard version of that same cut (a buzz cut/fade), which makes sense for someone who joined a paramilitary organization.
Complexion: Both characters share the same skin tone.
Expression: In Pepper Ann, Sean (often called "Shouty Kid") was known for being loud and expressive. In the Ultimate Spider-Man screenshot, the agent looks focused and intense—perhaps he learned to channel that loud energy into serious S.H.I.E.L.D. work (or maybe he's the guy shouting orders during a crisis!).
3. Narrative Plausibility: From Hazelnut to NYC
The Move: It is very common for people to move from small towns like Hazelnut to big cities like New York for career opportunities.
Career Path: S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits the best and brightest. Sean was a quirky kid, but often those eccentric kids grow up to be technical geniuses or tactical experts. It is entirely possible that after leaving Hazelnut, he studied criminal justice or engineering, putting him on Nick Fury's radar.
Verdict: HIGHLY PLAUSIBLE
This fits perfectly into the "background character to hero organization" pipeline. It adds a really fun layer to the Marvel animated universe to imagine that one of Moose Pearson's loud childhood friends grew up to protect the world alongside Spider-Man.
Bronte Bladdar & Adrian Toomes
The visual similarities between these two are genuinely uncanny, and when you map out the timeline, it creates a perfectly tragic Marvel backstory.
Here is a breakdown of why this theory works so well and how it could anchor a massive emotional arc in a hypothetical Season 5 of Ultimate Spider-Man.
1. The Uncanny Visual Evidence
Looking at the two screenshots side-by-side, the genetic link is impossible to ignore:
The Eyes: Both Bronte and Adrian share the exact same heavy-lidded, exhausted expression with pronounced dark circles. In Bronte, it looks like teacher burnout; in Adrian, it reflects the trauma of Doc Ock's experiments.
The Hair and Complexion: They share the same extremely pale complexion and stark black hair, specifically featuring that center-parted fringe that falls into their faces.
2. The Timeline Calculation
The chronology lines up flawlessly to make Bronte the mother of a teenage Adrian Toomes:
1997–1999 (Pepper Ann): Bronte Bladdar is teaching at Hazelnut Middle School.
If Adrian is 16-17 during Seasons 3 and 4 of Ultimate Spider-Man (which takes place around 2013-2014), his birth year would be roughly 1997 where Adrian was a baby off-screen and he is with an unnamed father (And Bronte's husband). This means Bronte would have had him right around the end of the Pepper Ann timeline.
The "Doc Ock" Incident: In Ultimate Spider-Man, Adrian was a victim of Doctor Octopus's genetic experiments, resulting in his Vulture mutations and severe amnesia. It makes complete sense that Ock (or a shadowy organization like HYDRA) kidnapped a young Adrian, wiping his memory and leaving his mother searching for him.
3. Explaining Bronte's Character
This theory actually adds a heartbreaking layer of depth to Bronte Bladdar’s character in Pepper Ann.
Why was she always so deadpan, cynical, and seemingly exhausted with life? If she had recently lost her husband, or if her family was fractured, her dreary demeanor suddenly makes perfect, tragic sense.
Taking on the hyphenated name Bronte Bladdar-Toomes fits perfectly, perhaps keeping her maiden name professionally at the school while her husband was out of the picture.
4. The "Season 5" Narrative Arc
Building a brand new Season 5 continuity allows for a lot of unresolved threads to finally be tied up, and Adrian recovering his memories is a brilliant catalyst for a major storyline.
The Reunion Episode Pitch:
The Trigger: Now 18, Adrian's mutated cells begin to stabilize, breaking through Doc Ock's mental blocks. He starts having fragmented flashbacks of a coffee-drinking, dark-haired woman in a library or a classroom.
The Investigation: Spider-Man and the Web Warriors (maybe even getting some street-level help from the Skate Web Warriors, Moose and Crash!) help Adrian trace his few remaining clues back to a small, quiet town: Hazelnut.
The Reunion: They find Bronte, who has long since retired from teaching and has spent the last decade and a half relentlessly searching for her missing son. The deadpan, cynical teacher finally breaks her stoic facade when she sees the boy she lost, now a winged teenager.
It grounds the sci-fi tragedy of the Vulture in very real, human stakes. Integrating a grounded character from a slice-of-life 90s show into the high-stakes, genetically modified world of Marvel perfectly bridges the gap between the two universes!
Summary: Grant's SO is tackling the biggest project SciTech has to offer an academy student, and he's about to be dragged into helping with it.
Word Count: 2,879
Category: Fluff
Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.
"Out of every single other member in your class, the board has decided to trust you with this assignment. Do you think you're up to the challenge?"
I kept my face carefully neutral, a skill I'd learned from my Ops boyfriend. Inside, my heart was racing and threatening to make an escape across the room and out the door, but in front of the entire SHIELD SciTech Academy board? I could not let that show.
Instead, I kept my back straight, and forced the slightest of smiles onto my face.
"Yes, ma'am. I am up to the challenge. I promise, I won't let you down."
"Good. We look forward to seeing what you come up with."
I kept the smile on my face and nodded, leaning forward enough to be at the very edge of a bow. Then, I turned on my heel and kept my head high as I walked out of the room. My boyfriend had taught me exactly the body language required to convey confidence, and I was putting all of it to use right now.
The second I cleared the doors, I let everything drop.
I took off at a sprint through the hallways of the main SciTech building, ducking through the hallways I knew better than anywhere else on earth, avoiding anybody that might try to stop or question me. I didn't slow down, even once I made it outside. Instead, I sped up, heading for the edge of the SciTech campus.
I was in my last year at the Academy. I was at the top of my class, so for a final project, the board had tasked me with creating a new tool for Field Agents and Specialists. They wanted something the agents could have on them that worked like an emergency button, transmitting information and location if the need arose. But, they also needed it to be basically undetectable to any sensor, easy for agents in the field to operate and conceal, and durable enough to do its job no matter what punishment it got put through. A nearly impossible task outside of these walls, and despite my preparation, still pretty damn hard for me.
I'd been workshopping a prototype for a similar idea all semester, and the board knew it. They liked what they'd seen, so they'd made it my job to finish a true prototype for them to present and then further develop on Monday. It was currently Friday, and my project still had one gigantic, glaring weakness.
No matter what we could come up with in the lab, our field inventions almost inevitably came back with complaints from the agents who actually used them. We could run simulations and tests and try to recreate conditions pretty well in the lab, but it never stood up to the hardships of actually being in the field like we thought it would. Which meant, if I wanted to keep my promise to the board and my standing within SciTech, I needed to get creative.
Fortunately for me, I happened to be dating the best Operations student in generations. Grant Ward and I had met last year and we'd been happily dating ever since, despite how hard it could be sometimes to spend time with each other from different Academy campuses. We'd found workarounds whenever and wherever we needed to.
Thank goodness we'd both agreed to spend time breaking the rules at the beginning of our relationship. I was on the brink of a crisis, and I didn't have time to try to find a way to break into the Fort Knox that was the SHIELD Operations Academy.
In almost record time, I made it to Grant's dorm, using the routes we'd scouted together forever ago. Luckily for both of us, he was a senior enough student with high enough standing to have his own small apartment. I quickly scaled the wall to his second story window, something else I'd learned how to do from Grant.
I didn't even pause as I climbed through the window, landing in Grant's bedroom. I didn't see him, so I closed the window behind me and then hustled into the small living room/kitchen at a jog. I found Grant in the middle of the room, apparently halfway through walking to the kitchen, but he froze in his tracks and was already looking at me as I burst into the room.
"Grant! Thank god you're home. I need your help."
Before I knew what was happening, Grant had pushed me behind him. He kept one hand on my waist, and when I turned to see what the hell he was doing, he had a gun in his other hand and was alternating pointing it at his bedroom door and the front door.
"What's wrong?" he asked me without turning around, his voice deadly serious. I fought to hold in a laugh and didn't bother fighting back against the smile.
"Not that kind of help," I said. "Sorry for scaring you, though."
Slowly, Grant holstered his gun and turned around to face me. Both his eyebrows were raised in a demanding type of question.
"You run in here like you're being chased by a murderer and it's not that kind of help?"
"No, but it is the kind of help that will determine my entire future and has the potential to ruin me and everything I've ever worked for in my entire life ever."
Grant just stared at me for a moment. He blinked, slowly, then let out a long breath. Finally, he nodded.
"Alright. What do you need help with?"
I blew out a breath of relief, then quickly explained the situation to Grant. He'd heard plenty about the leadership of SciTech and how important it was to me to keep impressing them, so this latest project and its associated stakes weren't news.
"So... what exactly do you want me to do?" he asked once I'd finished telling him about the events of my meeting. I gave him the most charming, persuasive smile I could manage, and he immediately frowned.
"I want you to try out the device I've put together. I have a few prototypes, and it's easy enough for me to make another handful for testing. I need feedback on how well they actually work for the intended purpose, for field and ops agents, in a way that I can't predict or test in the lab."
Grant sighed, then nodded and held out one hand towards me.
"Alright. Give me the thing, let's do this."
I grinned. "I love you so much."
****************
Grant and I spent the rest of the day and then some putting my device through various tests. Exactly as I'd been expecting, when Grant took it through various exercises that he went through at Ops, the device had weaknesses I hadn't predicted. From static electricity via crawling across the carpet turning the thing on before its time to the waterproofing failing after being submerged for too long, Grant and I found one problem after another, and each time, I fixed the issue.
"Okay, what if we had standard placement be on the stomach," I suggested, sticking the little round disk of my latest prototype just above Grant's belly button. "Would that protect it from the kind of weapon strikes we don't want it taking on your forearm?"
Grant hummed. "Maybe, but it's no garuntee. Besides, you want an agent to be able to activate the thing when we don't have another option. If my hands are tied behind my back, I won't be able to get to it."
"Dammit. You're right. Okay... what do you think, then?"
"How about the wrist, on the pulse point? I can probably find a way to activate that no matter what, and if a weapon really hits hard there, it won't matter if the device is destroyed."
I frowned. "I hate it when you talk like that."
"I thought you wanted good, honest feedback to improve this device for the SciTech board."
"Yeah, but I still don't like to hear my boyfriend talking about ways he could potentially die." I huffed and crossed my arms. "Still, you're right, and it's a good idea. But... maybe I can find a way to give the device a little death sequence."
"...Meaning?"
"Meaning, if it gets fatally hit like that, it automatically activates. And maybe I could even get it to deploy something that'll have a chance at stopping the bleeding."
"That would be pretty impressive," Grant agreed. I nodded, my mind already whirling with the possibilities.
"Okay. Okay, let's try to add that in, and then we can run it through the tests again."
Grant's eyebrows shot up. "The same tests we just did? Again?"
"Yeah. If I make major changes like that, we need to make sure it doesn't compromise any of the existing systems. Which means re-checking the systems we've already figured out."
Grant let out a long sigh and shook his head. He walked over to me, put an arm around my shoulders, and placed a kiss on the top of my head, then moved towards the kitchen.
"I don't understand why you like all this stuff. But I'll brew some coffee, since you're gonna need it. And I'll make sure the Ops pool is reserved for us when you finish your updates."
I grinned. "You are seriously the best boyfriend in the world, you know that?"
"What was that?" Grant asked, looking up from the coffee pot and feigning innocence like he hadn't heard me. I just smiled and shook my head.
"I said, you're the best boyfriend in the world."
Grant's feigned surprise immediately morphed into the charming smile I loved so much.
"Good. Just checking."
We spent the rest of the weekend like that, making updates and improvements to my little device and then testing how well they worked. Despite Grant's differing opinion, I genuinely loved doing this, more than just about anything in the world. But, even if I'd hated it most of the time, I would've put in the same amount of work for this project. It could very literally save my boyfriend's life some day in the future, after all. Now was not the time to half-ass something and call it good, even without the pressure of the SciTech board looming over me.
Finally, by about two in the morning on Monday, we'd managed to put the device on the wrist through every single test without fault or flaw. It worked as intended, and not a moment before it was supposed to, and if it was destroyed it sent out a final beacon and deployed some emergency blood clotting tech before it went. It was perfect.
"Thank you so much for all your help on this, babe," I muttered, the sleep finally digging its teeth into me now that my task had been accomplished. Grant and I had flopped down on the couch while I'd been going over the data, and now I curled against his side, resting my head on his chest. "I seriously couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah, you could've," he said, stifling a yawn of his own as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It would've taken you longer, but we both know you still would've pulled this off eventually."
I hummed, a smile on my face as I curled further into Grant's chest.
"Thanks, babe. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
He kissed the top of my head, his arms wrapped tight around me, and that's the last thing I remember before the world faded to black.
****************
"Babe. Baby. Come on, you need to wake up."
I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut tighter and rolling away from the voice of my boyfriend trying to wake me up for god knows what reason.
"Sweetheart, you have your presentation today. You need to get up."
And just like that, I was wide awake.
I shot straight up, my heart dropping all the way to my stomach. I was in Grant's bed—I guess he'd moved us before passing out himself—but I had no idea if he'd remembered to set an alarm last night. If I missed this presentation, after all the work we'd done-
"It's okay, you have plenty of time," Grant said, probably reading the panic on my face. "It's six thirty, you have another two and a half hours to get ready and get back to SciTech."
I turned to Grant with a scowl.
"You woke me up at six thirty in the morning?" I demanded.
"...You wanted me to let you sleep later?"
I huffed and threw the covers off my legs, scowling as I stood.
"No. I need time to wake up, get back to SciTech, get ready, put together my presentation materials, practice my presentation... I need the two and a half hours. But I'm still mad you woke me up at six thirty."
Grant snorted, but I caught him staring at me with a fond smile in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.
I moved as quickly as I could, gathering the materials I needed and that I'd brought with me to Grant's apartment, then giving him a quick kiss and heading back to the SciTech campus. I showered, put on my most impressive professional outfit, and then spent almost all my remaining time putting the finishing touches on my presentation. Luckily for me, I knew the device in and out after how I'd spent my weekend, and I was absolutely confident in what it could do. Both things helped immensely when it came to giving a good presentation.
I walked into the main building of SciTech with my head held high, and this time it wasn't an act. I found the board waiting for me, and I didn't hesitate to launch into my presentation with absolute confidence. The surprised, excited reactions came almost immediately, and they only fueled my confidence and excitement.
Of course, everyone had a few questions, but I answered them easily. When I'd finished answering questions and officially completed my presentation, the board literally clapped. I beamed at them; I wasn't sure they'd ever done that before.
"Excellent work," said the SciTech chair, her smile beaming. "This is above and beyond what we could've expected. We'll put it through a few final tests, but honestly, I don't expect it to need much. I know you're in the middle of your final semester here, but be prepared to take a trip to the Hub before graduation to help us present this development to Director Fury himself."
My heart exploded in my chest, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I shook hands and said thank yous before heading out of the room. I had a slightly dazy smile on my face as I walked through the SciTech halls, and my shoulders were relaxed for the first time in days as I stepped through the front doors and into the bright sunlight.
"Hey!"
I jumped so high I might've cleared the first floor windows at the sound of a voice coming from the bushes. I whirled around to find Grant crouched there, lurking in the shadows like a murderer.
"Grant? What the hell are you doing?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice low. He wasn't technically supposed to be on our campus, and I didn't want to get him caught, but he'd also just given me a damn heart attack.
Instead of answering, Grant reached up and grabbed my forearm, pulling me into the bush with him. I landed hard against his chest, but I didn't totally mind it as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. Still, I met his gaze with a slightly raised eyebrow. He just smiled.
"I wanted to know how it went. And maybe get a little payback for the heart attack you gave me on Friday."
I huffed a laugh. "Well, mission accomplished."
"Great. So how'd it go?"
I grinned. Grant smiled back, his arms tightening around me, but he waited to celebrate.
"It went amazing. They loved it. I'm gonna help them present it to Fury sometime in the next few weeks."
Grant's eyebrows shot up, and he actually took a shocked half-step back from me.
"You're going with them to present it to Fury?" I nodded. "They never let recruits do that!"
"I know!"
I squealed and jumped up in the air, and a moment later, Grant caught me. He let out a breathy laugh as he spun me around, and neither of us let go for even a second when he set me back down on my feet.
"We need to do something to celebrate," Grant declared, his low voice right beside my ear. "Are you working on any world-changing inventions this weekend?"
I leaned back just enough to grin at him. "No. For once, my schedule's actually pretty clear."
"Good. You wanna come to me, or you want me to come to you?"
"Mm, I'll come to you. As much as I love what I do, I also wouldn't mind a little break from all the work I've been doing lately."
"It's a deal. Come over after your last class on Friday. I'll take care of the rest."
Grant and I shared a smile, then we closed the distance between us for a long, sweet kiss. From making out in the bushes to letting me test my most important projects on him, Grant was always there for me. And no matter what else came out of my career at SciTech, in the Academy and as an agent afterwards, the relationship Grant and I had built together would always be my proudest accomplishment.
Loki’s latest act of “scientific curiosity” involves enchanting one of Gwen Barkridge’s plants to talk — and gossip. Unfortunately for her, the greenhouse quickly turns into a confessional of every fleeting thought she’s ever had… including some about a certain god of mischief. Flirty banter, magical chaos, and one very smug nightshade plant ensue.
3.2k words, Humor, Fluff, Loki x Gwen Barkridge (OC)
Deke Shaw is, in my opinion, an very underrated character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. From a dystopian future and grandchild of Fitz/Simmons, Deke was born on The Lighthouse, a Kree controlled space station. He is a survivor, a scavenger, and a brilliant engineer, later creating some very important gadgets for the S.H.I.E.L.D. team. He is quirky, adaptable, intelligent and loyal (with complications), and after travelling back to the past with the team, becomes an agent and is still mocked and underappreciated by them. I feel so much for this poor sod, he does so much for the team and barely gets a thank you.
“You have a kid?” | Maria Hill x Female Reader Mini-Series
Maria Hill Masterlist | Main Masterlist
Summary: Employee!Maria x Boss!Reader | Modern AU. Maria Hill was a single mother who had a typical 9-5 office job to ensure she could provide for her 4-year-old daughter, Amelia. What happens when Maria's feelings for her boss become too much for her?
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Prompts used:
12 | "Go to sleep honey, you're exhausted."
52 | Character A has strong feelings for their boss but they have shown no interest in children or having them. Character A brings their child to work when they have a 'bring your child to work day' and sees Character B turn into the biggest softie around their child.
Request: Sorta! Was co-idea'd with @loqov ☺️
Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of an abusive past relationship, flashbacks of an abusive past relationship, panic attack, toxic boss☺️
Word Count: 6,370.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
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"Well maybe if you had done the paperwork by the deadline I gave you, you wouldn't even be in this mess, Hill."
Maria tensed her jaw at the coldness of her bosses' voice. She had honestly never met someone so work-driven, so rude and so non-understanding until she met you.
"Well Miss Y/L/N, if your clients actually sent the paperwork in when they were meant to, I'd have gotten it done on time and ready for you."
You sharply turned your head to glare down the woman who suddenly had the confidence to speak back to you, something not any of the other staff have ever done. You watched as Maria glared back at you, folding her obviously toned arms across her chest. You pushed your tongue into your cheek before moving it along your teeth before making a tutting sound.
"I didn't ask for attitude, Hill. I asked for you to get your shit together, I want them on my desk by 5 o'clock."
Maria threw her papers at the door after you had stormed out before pulling her knees up to her chest beginning to tear up. When she started this job she loved it, thought you were lovely until you just, wasn't. Nobody in the building had any idea about the sudden personality change you had, but they all knew better than to question it.
Maria sighed to herself walking over to the door of her office, kneeling down to pick up the papers that she threw in frustration. She sniffled walking back to her desk but her face broke out into a smile seeing that her best friend and roommate, Natasha Romanoff, was calling her.
"Hey Maria, I was wondering if you wanted to do takeout tonight? I know we said we were gonna have steak and veg or whatever but I honestly can't be arsed to cook. I'll pay because I know it was my turn to cook, sound like a good deal?"
Maria laughed at her friends' bluntness before raising her shoulder towards her ear to keep her phone still as she reshuffled her papers back together before placing them neatly onto her desk.
"Takeout sounds good, we need to go somewhere that does nuggets or else Amelia won't eat it, you know how she is. I honestly don't know what to do with her when it comes to her not trying new food, I've done everything the parenting books say and I just-."
"Maria, stop it. You're being too harsh on yourself, those parenting books are a load of shit. Besides, she's 4, she's not really gonna be interested in anything that isn't animal shaped."
Maria sighed rubbing her face knowing her friend was right.
"You're right, I'm sorry, I'm just not having a good day at work today, it's driving me up the wall. Could you do me a favour and pick Amelia up from school? Tell her that I'm sorry. My boss is being a fucking ass and has given me some paperwork that is virtually impossible to get done right now."
"Of course, you know I don't mind going to pick up my little partner in crime. I'll see you at home okay? Give that bitch hell."
"I will do, bye Nat."
Maria hung up her phone before turning back to her paperwork, her mind constantly wandering to thoughts of you. She missed the way you used to be so carefree and understanding of everyone in the workplace, yeah you could still be strict but you weren't just a straight-up bitch for no reason, it was exhausting. She sighed sitting back down at her desk getting back to work on the files you demanded from her.
You paced around your office clock-watching as you became more and more stressed. You knew that what Maria said was right but there was no chance you were going to admit that. You made sure to send a stern email to the clientele to ensure that any other forms must be delivered on time otherwise they will be ignored, the process delayed. Your head snapped towards the door when you heard it open, you straightened up when you saw Maria walk in with a large number of various papers, avoiding eye contact with you.
"Here are the papers you wanted," she muttered as she didn't even try to catch your attention. You glanced at her, taking in her outfit and her prominent features. You couldn't stop yourself from staring at her chiselled cheekbones and jawline. She looked up at you when you didn't bother to reply, her piercing blue eyes staring into your own before she quickly looked back towards the floor.
"Yeah, thank you, it's about time," you muttered more to yourself than Maria but that didn't stop her from hearing you. She scoffed slamming the papers onto your desk causing you to jump slightly.
"Do you wanna know something? I just worked my fucking ass off getting these papers done for you. I couldn't even pick my daughter up from school because of it and I just-," You interrupted Maria, tilting your head slightly, "You have a kid?"
Maria's jaw tensed even more, mentally cursing herself for admitting she had a daughter. She made sure to keep it on the down-low so that nobody could try and say that her home life interferes with her work. Maria decided to ignore your comment and continued ranting
"So next time, why don't you show a bit of fucking gratitude and appreciation instead of being a bitch," Maria snapped venomously throwing you a vicious look and you watched as she grabbed her bag from the floor, striding towards the door slamming it as she walked out, you shouting after her.
"THAT'S A DISCIPLINARY, HILL!"
*****
Maria threw her shoes off at the door, dropping her back before wiping her eyes as she took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was for her daughter to see her upset, she always did her best to make sure that her work never interfered with her home life, but recently that was proving a challenge. She walked towards her living room, a smile spreading across her face when she heard laughter erupting from both her daughter and Natasha. Natasha looked up at her exhaustion-ridden friend sending her a sad, but understanding, smile.
Maria smiled back at her friend, falling to her knees when her daughter realised her mommy had finally come home.
"Mommy!"
Amelia sprinted over to her mom, throwing herself into her arms, immediately being pulled into the comfort of her mother's chest. Maria believed that her daughters' hugs and kisses could mend the world, especially her world.
"There's my beautiful little girl. How was school?"
"It was so fun mommy, Auntie Nat came inside to get my drawings and said hi to Mr Barnes. He went all shy and so did Auntie Natty, it was silly mommy," Amelia smiled wide whilst answering her mom. Maria looking over to her red-headed friend, she watched as Natasha groaned, trying to hide herself in the sofa to cover her embarrassment considering Maria very much knows her best friend is head over heels for her daughters' teacher.
"Do you want to order the food, Nat?" Maria questioned as she took a seat next to her best friend, Amelia still comfortably in her arms, running her fingers through her thick, dark hair before peppering her head with kisses.
"Sounds like a plan," she muttered before trudging to the kitchen.
---
Once the food was eaten, Nat and Maria found themselves cuddling on the sofa which wasn't an uncommon occurrence due to the close relationship the duo had. Maria still had Amelia in her arms, refusing to take her to bed just yet (even if she was asleep) because she needed love and cuddles off of her favourite little person.
Natasha looked down at Maria, whose head was on her chest gently running her fingers through her hair, "So what did the mega-bitch have to moan about today?" she asked.
"What didn't she have to moan about," Maria sighed before continuing, "Usually, I wouldn't even let her get under my skin, but there was something about today where I was ready to lose it. Obviously, I spoke back to defend myself but all of it was weird, she was weird."
Natasha frowned confused at the older woman's statement before continuing to press for answers, "What do you mean she was weird?" she asked curiously. Natasha kept her focus on the older woman as she watched her brows furrow trying to think of a way to answer.
"Well, when I eventually took her the stupid amount of papers, it was like she was her own little world," Maria recollected before she fidgeted to get herself more comfortable, "It was like she was staring at me, taking me in, I felt like I was her prey. I'm not even lying when I say the look she had in her eyes was animalistic."
Natasha groaned as she rolled her eyes, knowing that Maria had spoken before about the fact she had a large crush on you even if you were a bitch. 'There's something about her that is captivating, the mystery behind her eyes, the brilliant shape of her body, it's intoxicating' were Maria's exact words as far as Natasha could remember.
"Just ask her out Maria, you're honestly infatuated with her," Natasha insisted as she slowly stood up from the couch, taking Amelia into her arms being careful not to wake her before continuing, "I honestly don't understand what's stopping you, then again I don't know why you fancy her when she's such a bitch."
This time it was Maria's turn to groan at the younger woman, "Okay then, why don't you ask James Barnes out then? You're infatuated with her too," Maria teased as she followed Natasha up the stairs, watching her as she put Amelia to bed.
Natasha shrugged as she finished tucking the small girl into her covers, walking back out of the room towards her own, Maria hot on her heels. "I just, I don't know," she muttered, "What if he doesn't like me and gets weird about how close we are?"
Maria smiled sadly at her best friend before taking a seat on the bed, "I'm sure he already adores you, Nat. Besides, he knows how close we are and if he has an issue he'll just have to suck it up because you and I both know we're not gonna change," Maria reassured.
"I guess you're right," Natasha sighed looking over at her best friend, "So how come you haven't acted on your feelings yet? There's more to it than her just being a mega-bitch, I can read you like a book."
Maria leant against the doorframe gently biting at her nails, pulling her hand away to speak seriously, "I'm scared, I don't want another relationship where my feelings are going to be disregarded...I most definitely don't want another one where I'm going to be thrown about like a used doll they're finished caring about," She muttered weakly wiping her eyes with her sleeves, "Besides, I don't think she's even gay. Even if she is, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like or want kids and I'm not choosing someone to possibly share a bed with, over my daughter."
Natasha nodded understanding her friend's situation. She didn't hesitate to pull her in for a tight hug after she realised Maria was beginning to get upset. "He didn't deserve either of you, you two didn't deserve what he did, you know that right?" Natasha cooed.
Maria nodded against Natasha's shoulder, pulling away letting Nat wipe her eyes gently, "I'm going to get some sleep, I can only imagine I'll have a shit tonne of paperwork tomorrow. I want to be able to get through it quickly so Amelia and I can at least try and have a good 'bring your kid to work' day. Goodnight Nat."
"Night Maria, sleep well."
Maria ventured back to her own room getting into bed letting her mind drift to thoughts of you before allowing sleep to overcome her.
*****
It was 'bring your kid to work' day which happens once every month and each time, every month, you know you are colder than usual. You wished this day just didn't exist, the fact you had to watch these parental relationships all day just didn't sit right with you, you hated it.
You sighed as you clambered out of bed, stumbling towards your closest as you rubbed your eyes tiredly. "Today is going to be hell," you mumbled to yourself before throwing a glance at your bed, smiling when you see your puppy all curled up, still asleep on their side of the bed. If you weren't sharing your bed with anyone, why shouldn't your pup be your main priority?
You decided on wearing a white shirt accompanied by a yellow bralette underneath and matching yellow pants. As you were putting your shoes on your arm was nudged by a wet nose. You turned your attention to your golden retriever breaking out into a wide smile.
"Awww, there's my baby. Who's my good boy, huh? Is Thor my good boy?"
He barked happily as you gave him rubs all over his tummy before standing up and grabbing your car keys, "Hope will be here to take you on a walk later bud, I'll see you later," you chimed receiving a bark in reply before you left to work.
Your mind wandered back to the previous day, remembering how Maria Hill had stood her ground against you, as much as you respected her sticking up for herself, you hated the attitude that followed. You sighed as you ran your fingers through your hair, gently massaging the back of your scalp. You knew you were going to have to speak to her today about the utter disrespect from yesterday's actions.
You walked into the building keeping your head up high, watching as people immediately scattered from being in your way as you strode confidently towards your office. You looked around, your cold eyes meeting Maria's piercing, but warm, blue ones. Your brain didn't even have a chance to catch up with you before you bellowed across the office, "HILL!"
Everybody's heads snapped towards you, including Maria's, the fear and nervousness spread across her not being able to hidden. Maria visibly gulped at the sternness of your voice before you carried on.
"My office, right now."
You stormed into your office as everyone turned their heads to Maria giving her a sympathetic look, she could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She knelt down gently stroking her daughters face who was occupied with her colours, "I'll be right back sweetie," Maria mumbled earning a nod in return from Amelia.
Maria walked to your office, knocking gently before coming inside, gulping slightly as she saw you sat at your desk with a scowl on your face. You motioned to the chair in front of your desk, "Sit down Maria. I think we need to speak about last night," you pressed.
Maria nodded playing with her hands, refusing to meet your eye or look at you. You believed it was because of her regretting her actions, but in reality, she was finding it hard to concentrate due to your semi-revealing outfit, showing off a dagger tattoo in the middle of your chest she'd never seen before.
"I'm going to warn you once, and once only," you stood from your chair resting your hands on your desk leaning forward before speaking darkly, "If you ever speak to me like you did last night, ever again, I will have you straight out on your ass," Maria stayed as still as she could, hoping the ground would just open up underneath her and swallow her whole, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall.
You grew impatient of the fact she wasn't looking at you, didn't show any signs of listening to you and didn't reply. Without even thinking you slammed your clenched fist down on your glass desk causing it to crack before shouting, "Do I make myself clear, Hill?"
Maria yelped in surprise when your hand connected with the desk as she quickly nodded absolutely terrified of your current state, "Y-yes! I understand, I-I'm so sorry," she whimpered, the tears finally coursing down her cheeks.
You nodded sitting back down in your seat, dismissing her without uttering another word. Maria quickly stood from the chair making her way to the women's bathroom, flashbacks of her past relationship flickering through her mind. The shouting, the aggression, the physical aspect, all of it still terrifying for the brunette.
Maria sobbed as she could feel her chest getting tighter, immediately realising she was having an anxiety attack due to the events that just occurred. She did her best to control her breathing as she sobbed. Her mind kept flicking back to you and your actions, as much as she should AND wanted to hate you, she just couldn't.
Once fully calmed down, she splashed her face with some cold water to hide the evidence of tears before walking back to her daughter who hadn't moved from Maria's desk. It was at this point Maria regretted bringing her daughter to work with her and wanted this day to go as quick as it could.
---
It was finally lunchtime and you paced your office waiting for your new intern to come back with the food that you had ordered, you had been craving it all day and decided you deserved to break your diet. You sighed as your mind replayed the events of this morning, the way that the usual chirpy, happy and confident woman sat broken, terrified and nervous in the seat that was in front of your desk.
Of course, you felt bad about what happened, but you couldn't have people walking all over you. You knew deep down that you acting like that wouldn't change the trauma you faced during the fairly recent divorce you've had to deal with in the past few years. Your actions were toxic, you knew that, but you didn't want to show any kind of weakness.
You heard your office door open and huffed slightly, "If you're not my dinner, get the hell out of my office." You heard no response so you lifted your head, hoping to see your dinner, only to be met with disappointment when you didn't see anybody. Not until you looked down towards the floor anyway, your eyes fixated on the child that had wandered into your office clutching a...bunny?
You watched as her eyes took in everything around your office. She blinked slowly looking longingly at each piece of art plastered on your wall before you spoke softly, "Can I help you?"
The little girl's eyes trailed up from your feet to your face as you raised your eyebrow slightly. You couldn't help but smile gently and you bent down to get closer to her height, "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you, did you mean to come in here?" you questioned gently. The little girl shook her head at you moving her hands to her mouth. You internally grimaced before mentioning her to walk over to you. You watched as she hesitated at first but then slowly makes her way over to you, you gently grabbed her wrists pulling her hands away from her mouth.
"You don't want to do that honey, hands and fingers are yucky," you smiled gently. She nodded going to wipe her hands on her clothes but you grabbed the tissues from the top of your desk, gently cleaning her hands before letting go. You were startled slightly when she pushed her bunny in front of your face before muttering, "Bunny's turn."
You laughed softly as you made sure to get a fresh tissue before 'wiping' the hands of the cute little girl's bunny. She watched you with a wide smile before hugging her bunny tightly, you smiled down at her, "Okay, so how did you end up in my office?"
She looked up at you nervously before tearing up slightly, "I-I sorry, I was exploring and got lost," she mumbled sadly. You frowned softly wiping away her tears with your thumb before lifting her up and resting her on your hip, "It's okay sweetie, I'm not mad but can you tell me your name please?" you questioned gently.
She immediately rested her head on your shoulder, nuzzling her head into the crook of your neck as she mumbled, "Amelia, my mommy sometimes calls me Mimi, my Auntie Natty calls me trouble," she stated happily. You rubbed her back letting her calm down before nodding, "I'm Y/N, that's all that people call me."
Amelia pondered for a moment before turning her full attention to you and smiling, "Bubbles!" She shouted to you, your eyebrow unintentionally raising, "Bubbles?" you questioned. Amelia nodded excitedly and you just smiled going along with your newfound nickname. You were both interrupted with a knock at the door as your intern came in with your food, your face automatically went to a blank expression as you thanked them for the food, watching them leave.
You placed Amelia on the ground before sitting down next to her on the floor as you unwrapped your food. Amelia watched you curiously, the strong aroma of the Chinese food filling her nostrils making her tummy rumble. You looked at her concerned, "Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Amelia nodded slightly watching as you put some noodles, meat and veg into a spare dish that came with your order.
You gathered some noodles with your chopsticks, gently blowing on them to cool them down, turning your attention to Amelia as your hand hovered below the chopsticks, "Here you go honey, open up," you encouraged. Amelia pulled a slight face at you making your eyebrow raise before eventually giving in and opening her mouth as you feed her the noodles. You watched her closely as she chewed the food and swallowed and then smiled wide at you, "Nummy!"
You smiled wide at the excitement in her voice before going on to attempt to teach her how to use chopsticks as you both sat and ate the Chinese takeout on the floor of your office, completely oblivious to the fact there was a certain Brunette rushing around the building looking for her daughter.
---
Maria whimpered slightly as more tears threatened to spill from her eyes, she had only turned her back for a second and then Amelia wasn't by her side anymore. Maria couldn't think of anything worse, she had already been in trouble with you today, the last thing she needed was you having another meltdown at her for losing her child in your building.
Maria's shouts echoed down the hallways as she frantically looked everywhere for Amelia. Her attention got caught when she heard Amelia's loud laughs. She followed the sound to your office immediately coming in without knocking but making sure to keep quiet. Maria froze at the sight in front of her, you were smiling wide whilst talking with Amelia before feeding her another mouthful of noodles, laughing loudly as she tried to stop them dangling out of her mouth.
Maria hadn't ever seen you this happy or relaxed in all the years she had been here. She was pretty sure she'd only ever seen you smile once and that was when she first joined the company and she accidentally bumped into you, it was only a week later you turned cold. Maria stayed quiet watching the both of you, this morning's meeting was long gone from her mind, now full of positive thoughts from seeing you interact with her daughter, her whole world. The way you had her in fits of giggles, the way you couldn't keep the smile from your own face never mind Amelia's.
She had never seen Amelia take to someone so quickly, she is used to her shying away from strangers but she welcomed you with open arms. It took Maria a minute to realise Amelia was...eating? She watched as you fed her yet another spoonful of the meat and veg, alongside some noodles which Amelia happily opened her mouth for, it was outstanding.
Maria watched you both for a little while longer and smiled when Amelia moved to sit in your lap as you showed her something on your phone whilst you ran your fingers through her hair. It was at this point Maria decided to let herself known by clearing her throat slightly, causing the two of you to jump.
Once you connected eyes with Maria you immediately stood, gently placing Amelia back on the ground before clearing your throat, your walls already building themselves back up, "Hill, what have I said about knocking before enter-" You were interrupted by Amelia running over towards Maria.
"Mommy!" Amelia cheered as your whole face flushed red, this honestly must have been the most embarrassing moment of your life. Maria smiled before lifting Amelia up placing her onto her hip before gently scolding her, "What did I tell you about running off? I've been looking everywhere for you, I was so worried Honey. Please, never do that to me again, okay?" Maria gushed to which Amelia immediately nodded.
You stood still in your spot like you were superglued to the floor, with no intentions of moving a muscle. Amelia looked over in your direction before turning back to her mother and begun gushing about the time you had spent together, "I was here with bubbles! We had some foods, watched some videos on her phone and she even let me draw on a big girl canvas!"
Maria tilted her head in confusion at the last statement before Amelia pointed to the piece of art from your wall, which was now discarded on the floor covered in pen and paint markings from Amelia. Maria couldn't stop the gasp that left her mouth knowing how much you valued your art and how expensive it was, she felt panic begin to course through her body scared for if you were going to lash out.
"Miss Y/L/N, I am so so sorry, i-if need be, please do take the cost of it out of my paycheck. Just please don't fire m-," Maria rambled
"That won't be necessary Maria, it is perfectly fine. Your daughter improved it in my opinion, now please, spend the rest of the day with your daughter, feel free to leave early if you'd like. I'll pick up the slack as the start of an apology to you because of my behaviour this morning, we will speak tomorrow."
Maria blinked slowly trying to get over the initial shock of your kindness towards her and nodded slightly before giving you a grateful smile, taking the opportunity to leave the office as Amelia leant over Maria's shoulder waving at you, smiling more as you wave back. Amelia looked at her mother before smiling, "Mommy, you've gone all red and shy like Auntie Natty does with Mr Barnes, you're silly!"
Maria chuckled at her daughter before glancing at your office once more. Maybe, just maybe, she could admit her feelings for you after all.
*****
It had been a few weeks since the interaction between you and Maria's daughter. Maria had replayed the scenario over and over in her head, the feelings she had tried ever so hard to push to the bottom, or even out of, her heart was fighting its way up to the surface. Amelia had non-stop spoken about you, asking when she'd next be able to see you so you both could play and if she was still your favourite little girl like you had told her.
Maria's heart was aching for you, you were the only person other than family, school and Natasha that she would trust her daughter to be with. Even if you did have this scary outer shell, she knew you were the softest person in the world when it came to her daughter. That was noticeable when the next time Maria had come to your office, the 'art' Amelia had done was right in the middle of your display wall being shown off to everyone. She didn't know how you had her wrapped around your little finger but here she was, begging for some sort of confidence to ask you out on a date.
Maria's thoughts were broken when she heard her daughter begin to whine as she held her mother's hand tightly as they trudged through the mall. It was the end of November, so nearly Christmas in a mother's mind, and Maria had promised to take Amelia to the mall to pick out presents for Auntie Nat, she was surprised when Amelia mentioned she wanted to get you something for Christmas too. The nickname 'Bubbles' had stuck and Amelia was very proud of it so her presents consisted of your own pack of bubbles, a bunny teddy similar to hers and then a mug which had bubbles all over with text saying 'Lady Bubbles'.
Once the mother-daughter duo had finished their shopping they headed down to the bus station ready to begin their hour journey home. Amelia was becoming fussy and whinging due to the fact that she missed her nap today and was now getting cranky. This was going to be a long journey.
--
It wasn't only Maria and Amelia who were out doing some Christmas shopping. You had taken yourself shopping to get some last-minute presents for certain family members, that you would have to send soon for them to reach overseas on time, that was all you thought you needed until your mind wandered to Maria and Amelia. Throughout the past few weeks, you had been doing your best to slowly make up for how badly you treated Maria that one morning, you didn't want to make the poor woman cry and even know she was still wary around you, you had scared her.
It started with small things like leaving a coffee and a muffin on her desk in a morning before you could actually gather your own courage to mutter a pathetic apology. The coffee and muffin became part of your usual morning routine, it was purely a habit now. You were disappointed in yourself about how bad the verbal apology was but the truth is, Maria made you nervous. It was like her eyes were staring into your soul, trying to figure you out and that terrified you.
You decided you were going to get Maria and Amelia both a gift for Christmas, your last way of making peace with yourself before attempting to give Maria a proper verbal apology. You figured that the best thing to do was get Amelia's presents first before trying to think of something for Maria.
You hoped that the presents which you bought for Amelia would be sufficient. You noticed from the afternoon she spent in your office that she loved to do anything creative or imaginary so you set your heart on getting her various art supplies, putting them in a pink box with bunnies plastered all over it.
Next up was Maria, at first you were really stumped until you walked past Swarovski and noticed little bangles that had initials on them. You decided that this would be the perfect gift for Maria and bought her a bangle with an A on it to stand for 'Amelia'. Once it was gift wrapped you left the store walking towards the bus stop and waited. It wasn't very often you used your car to come shopping if you knew there wasn't only one set place you were going to go, you also didn't feel the need to be one of those people who 'show off' their flashy cars.
You stepped onto the bus, scanning your bus pass against the machine before making your way towards a seat. Your attention was caught by a familiar voice and you turned your head to see, a very stressed, Maria trying to console her daughter to get her to calm down. You watched as tears streamed down the little as sobs fell out of her mouth until she looked at you. Once she caught eye contact with you and you gave her a gentle smile and a wave, the tears stopped, the sobs died down into little sniffles, and Maria's whole body relaxed.
Amelia hiccuped against her mother's shoulder before pointing over at you, "Bubbles mommy!" Maria turned to face you, smiling when she saw your lips curl up into a smile, "Miss Y/L/N, hi, how're you?" she quickly questioned. You let yourself smile a little bit more as you sat down across from Maria, Amelia immediately reaching for you causing Maria's cheeks to go bright red, "I am so so sorry about this."
You shook your head slightly, "I don't mind taking her, it's okay. You look like you could use a minute, it's honestly not a problem," you replied truthfully before gently taking Amelia from Maria's arms letting her cuddle into your chest. Maria smiled at the two of you before you spoke once more, "Also it's Y/N, out of work anyways, I wouldn't want people thinking I'm soft on you," you joked even though your heart wrenched at the truth that hid behind it.
Maria smiled gratefully at you as you stroked the hair out of Amelia's face causing her to giggle, "That tickles!" You smiled down at the girl in your arms before hearing Maria's voice, "So what's brought you out today? If you don't mind me asking," she quickly rambled. You shook your head smiling gently as Amelia played with the rings you had on your fingers.
"Nothing much especially, I bought some presents for my family which I need to get sent soon or they'll never make it in time for Christmas," you explained gently. Maria tilted her head, her eyebrows knitting themselves together in confusion which you quickly picked up on, "My parents and siblings, they uh, they live in England so I don't actually get to see them very much."
Maria gave you a sympathetic smile before you turned your attention back to Amelia who began speaking to you, "You must be really lonely, does that mean you'll be sad at Christmas?" Maria choked slightly on her bottle of water sending her daughter a warning glare, "Amelia! You can't say that. That was really rude honey," Maria sighed. She looked up at you doing her best to analyse your emotions but you were too quick and skilled to be able to hide it well. Maria sighed again rubbing her face horrifically embarrassed, "Y/N I'm sorry about that, she just doesn't underst-"
You raised your hand to cut her off, giving her a gentle smile as you nodded at her, "She doesn't understand, I know, but it's okay. Isn't it sweetheart?" You looked down at Amelia whose eyes were beginning to fill with tears as she sniffled. You hugged her tighter pressing a kiss at the top of her head, "Don't cry honey, it's okay, I know you didn't it and you didn't upset me, I pinky promise," you spoke softly before linking your pinky fingers together.
"Now, we need to stop that crying or you're going to have to get a visit from the tickle monster," you teased before tickling Amelia's stomach making her laugh loudly trying to wriggle from your grip.
"N-No! Stop!" She laughed loudly causing you to smile. Once you had stopped Amelia yawned loudly as she lazily rubbed her eyes, "Go to sleep honey, you're exhausted," you cooed. Amelia whined but then nodded defeatedly, closing her eyes before letting herself fall asleep, her head on your shoulder. Maria shook her head astounded at how easy it is for you to be able to get her daughter to try new foods and now being able to get her to calm down AND sleep? It was amazing and it sent Maria's heart into a desperate frenzy.
You smiled gently at the younger woman sat across from you as she stifled a yawn, "Long day?" You questioned. Maria smiled lazily at you before nodding slightly, rubbing her eyes just like her daughter did not even seconds before. Maria sighed gently leaning back before shivering slightly, "Yeah, we've been out since early this morning, she insisted on going Christmas shopping today to get something for her Auntie Nat," Maria stated. You nodded listening to her and couldn't help but notice her keep shivering every so often, "You're cold," you stated bluntly.
Maria tore her eyes from Amelia before looking into yours shaking her head slightly, "Uh no, it's okay, I'll be fine. It's nearly our stop anyway so don't worry about it," she explained. You shook your head slowly moving as to not wake Amelia, before taking your coat off passing it over to Maria, "Your daughter doesn't need you getting sick, it's fine, it's not like I'm never going to see you again."
Maria's heart fluttered at your words before slowly putting your coat on, inhaling the smell of your perfume, "Thank you," she gratified but you just sent her a smile in response sitting in comfortable silence. You passed Amelia back to Maria once you reached the stop before yours and stood up towering over Maria, leaning down to give her a friendly kiss on the cheek but her head turned at the movement, her lips connecting with yours.
The both of you stayed still for a moment, Maria was the first to break as she moved her plump lips against yours, for you then to do the same, before pulling away a deep blush rising to her cheeks. You coughed awkwardly as you stumbled over your feet trying to leave the bus, "B-Bye Maria!" She laughed gently watching you practically fall off of the bus, your cheeks bright red as you began the short walk home, mentally cursing yourself.
Maria leaned back in her seat, running her thumb across her bottom lip where the taste of your chapstick lingered. Maybe this was the start of something, something you and Maria both had high hopes for.
