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Steve straightened his bow tie as he quickly examined his reflection in his bath's full length mirror before going to answer the knock at his door. He opened it and found Maria smiling up at him. She wasn't in the dress he'd hoped for and he cringed inwardly as he could tell by the look on her face that some of his disappointment had shown.
"I'm so sorry," he leaned in to kiss her. "You look beautiful."
"But it's not the blue?" She smirked as she stepped into his apartment.
He opened his mouth more in surprise than to voice his reply, then he just laughed.
"I'm that easy to read, huh?" he asked.
"Well, yes, but you really did like that dress," she remarked as she cupped his face and kissed him. "I don't think you saw half the opera."
He blushed.
"Well, there was the matter of your, um, leg, and uh, and."
He stopped and blew out a slow, frustrated breath.
She smiled at him and he wished, not for the first time during the past two days that it was their wedding they were attending today.
"You still look beautiful," he assured her, pulling her into an embrace.
She did, her dress was a pale peach and embellished with lace and intricate beadwork around the neck and hem and on the sleeves. The fabric felt like satin under his skin. For a moment he thought it seemed familiar, but he wasn't quite sure. He was trying to place where she'd worn it before.
He pulled away and looked at her in surprise when he finally remembered it.
"You've been shopping at the dress shop Pepper sent us to for her wedding," he said.
Maria blushed now.
"Well, the clothes are nice and you did say to do something."
Steve cut her off with a long kiss.
"I'm glad," he told her as he pulled away slightly. "I hope you keep going there."
"I have," she smiled, the raised an eyebrow and suddenly her face was more seductive than he'd ever remembered. "Wait until you see what I'm wearing to Macbeth on Saturday."
Steve's collar was suddenly far too tight and he wondered if she would mind him turning on the AC despite the temperature outside being in the low 60s.
She turned and sauntered, and Steve could never recall using that word to describe the way Maria walked, over to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and reached inside. Steve saw her pull out an ice pack, then she tossed it to him.
He gave her a wry look as he caught it.
"So this is how it's gonna be?" he asked as he held up the ice pack.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she told him, taking on a look of innocence as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pitcher of water.
She turned away from him toward the counter and he walked over to where she was reaching up for a glass on the shelf above her.
She poured the water then took a drink. Steve stopped directly behind her and ghosted his lips along her neck. She moaned and Steve was glad she was turned away from him and couldn't see his mischievous grin. He wasn't nearly as good at hiding his intent as she.
He took the glass out of her hand, then wrapped his right arm around her, pinning her to him.
Reaching up with the ice pack, he placed it on her neck in the place he had just kissed. She gasped and let out a screech.
"Steve!" she yelled.
"Thought the ice pack might be more effective than just the water alone," he chuckled in her ear.
Then he placed slow, warm kisses along her neck to heat up where the ice pack had been.
Moving his lips to her ears, he whispered.
"Your hair is driving me crazy, you know that."
"I just wore it how I usually do."
He could hear the smirk in her voice.
"Exactly," he replied.
She knew what it did to him, how his hands itched to take the pins out and pull her hair down.
"Although," she said, turning now in his embrace. "I wore it down for the opera last month and I seem to recall you having similar problems."
He cocked an eyebrow at her smug look.
"So this is how it's going to be," he stated with a smirk of his own.
Then he leaned down to kiss her and show her he was very happy with it being this way.
He was deepening the kiss when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
Groaning, he mumbled that he'd rather be interrupted by JARVIS than a real person as he walked to the door.
He was surprised to see Clint, holding white roses no less.
He glanced at his watch.
"It's not time yet?" He wasn't sure why the archer was here. "Everything OK."
Clint nodded then handed Steve a single white rose.
"This is your boutonnière," he explained.
Steve took it as he stepped back and invited Clint inside. Maria had walked over to join them and Clint handed her the rest of the roses.
"It's a corsage," he told her, and though his face was turned from him, Steve could tell by the look Maria gave him that something was wrong.
"Natasha," Clint started, then took a deep breath but didn't say more.
Maria took him into her embrace and the two stood together for several minutes. There was a time this scene would have made Steve jealous. The closeness the former lovers used to set him on edge. He'd always been able to overlook it on ops, but he was glad he had dealt with his jealousy before today.
She pulled away from him and touched his face.
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
Clint only nodded.
Maria brought the corsage to Steve to put on her dress. This was one thing he hadn't done a lot of, but he did know he could get it on her without sticking her.
She smiled up at him, then he kissed her before she left.
Clint sighed as he watched her go.
"Want a drink or something?" he asked Clint.
"No, thanks." He shook his head.
In the following silence Steve tried to think of something to say that might help.
"I'm sure she's just nervous," he told Clint. "Maria's a wreck and we're over a month away from our wedding."
"Yeah, I guess," was all the reply.
"How are you holding up?" Steve asked.
Clint gave him a slight smile.
"I still have trouble believing this is all real," he said. "So many years."
His voice drifted off and it was quiet in the room again.
"Worth the wait," Steve stated, because he knew Clint agreed.
"Yeah," he sighed. "I tried to move on, you know."
He finally sat on the sofa and Steve joined him.
"I almost got married, even," he said.
"I heard," Steve replied.
"In the end, I just could never get Nat out of my system," he said, leaning back in his seat.
Steve smiled. He could understand Clint's feelings.
"Most guys at SHIELD think we're nuts, you know?" Clint went on.
"You and Natasha?"
Steve knew people there liked to gossip and voice their opinions on the love lives of others, they certainly did it a lot with him and Maria.
Clint chuckled and shook his head and pointed at Steve.
"You and me," he smiled.
Steve grimaced, but he knew it was true.
"They think we should get some soft piece of fluff that looks good on our arm and, well, I suppose that's all they expect of a woman," Clint said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I've seen some of the women the younger guys date," Steve remarked. "I think the inane fashion conversations would probably cause an embolism."
Clint laughed loudly.
"I think it would drive me nuts if I had some girl looking at me all doe-eyed, waiting for me to make all the decisions," he said.
"If she couldn't see me as a person," Steve sighed, and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure most women forget my real name."
"Yeah, I think a lot of the guys kinda revel in the hero-worship thing," Clint agreed. "Good thing they're not Captain America."
They were silent for a moment before Clint continued.
"If I couldn't think of her as my equal," he said.
Steve nodded.
"I'd drink to that, but you should probably get downstairs," Steve said, glancing at his watch as he stood.
Clint stood and smiled, holding out his hand. Steve shook it and they walked to the door.
"She'll be fine," Steve assured him.
He couldn't see Natasha backing out of the wedding, it had been her idea, after all.
Clint nodded as Steve opened the door. Clint stepped into the hall and they saw Maria walking toward them.
She smiled at Clint.
"All set," she said.
Clint said his good-byes and left in the elevator.
"She OK?" Steve asked.
Maria nodded.
"Sometimes it's just hard to believe that after a lifetime of things like this never going your way, it finally is," Maria said, averting her eyes.
Steve shook his head and reached for her hand to pull her into his embrace.
"Translation: No one's ever loved me this much and it's terrifying," he said placing a kiss on her temple.
She pulled away and smiled.
"I guess," she said, then reached her hand around the back of his neck to pull him down for a long kiss.
When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, it was time to leave.
"We'll pick up where we left off?" Steve smiled as he rested his forehead to hers.
"Definitely," she said, placing her palms on his chest then slowly lowering them to his waist, before pulling away to take up her clutch and walk to the door.
When she turned to him, the look she had made Steve wonder if he should grab an ice pack to take with him.