You are SHIELD’s best sniper. Not because you’re the most disciplined. Not because you follow every protocol. Quite the opposite. You improvise, break rules when they get in the way, and somehow always come back with the mission completed. Maria Hill absolutely hates working with you. Or at least, that’s what everyone believes. Every briefing turns into an argument. Every debrief ends with sarcastic remarks. Neither of you ever misses an opportunity to get the last word. The rest of SHIELD is convinced the two of you can’t stand each other. Until they start noticing the little things. Maria only trusts you to cover her in the field. You’re the only person allowed to interrupt her during meetings without getting thrown out. She memorizes your coffee order without realizing it. You somehow know exactly what she’s thinking after a single glance across the room. No one has ever seen Maria Hill smile. Except you. It’s never anything dramatic—just the smallest twitch at the corner of her lips after one of your ridiculous comments, gone before anyone else notices. The first time someone else actually sees it, the entire room falls silent. “…Did Maria Hill just smile?” She immediately goes back to her usual unreadable expression. “No.” “…You literally did.”