III: The Soldier and the Fairy Queen: Red Eve

V: Blood

Steve sucked in a freezing breath when he saw Sunny. She was wearing a skin-tight, cream-colored dress. Her curls were piled on top of her head, and her white streak had been spray-dyed brown to match the rest of her hair. Nat had done her makeup to where she seemed upon first glance to be a completely different person. Her shoulders were bare in the cold, but she didn't seem to mind it.

Sunny frowned, "I can barely move in this thing."

Steve shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant, "I think you look good."

"Are you going to think I look good when I am riddled with bullet holes because I could not move fast enough?" Sunny arched her eyebrow. Her cheeks were flushed from the frosty air.

He paused for a long moment, then cleared his throat, "Shouldn't we go? The party's in an hour." He motioned to the QuinJet in the backyard.

Sunny nodded and set off, her high heels crunching the through the thin crust of snow. Steve looked at the house for a moment, then turned and followed Sunny. He saw a shadow move in the forest out of corner of his eye. He stared toward that direction.

"Come on, Steven!" Sunny called. He gave one last glance at the forest and jogged to jump in the Jet. Sunny smiled when he'd gotten to the pilot's seat, "You know, if you run too fast in those pants, they are going to rip open."

"You're telling me." It was the best suit he could get on short notice. A navy blue three piece with two buttons.

Sunny sat while they lifted off, then stood and walked over, which truly did seem to be difficult for her. She ended up with a sort of saunter with one foot in front of the other. "You look ridiculous." She grabbed his tie with her pale hands and unraveled the semi-decent knot he had tied it into.

"Hey!"

Sunny rolled her eyes and continued untying it, "Have you never tied one of these before?"

Steve looked away from her face, "No. Bucky usually tied it for me." He stared at the pearls hanging right in front of her collarbone. She was so close he could smell her. Dark and spicy. Like cinnamon, but heavier.

"How did you do it while he was...?" She was so close he could feel her breath.

Steve did a one-sided shrug, "I just didn't wear ties. Or I'd get Sam to do it."

Sunny tucked the newly knotted tie into his vest, "There you go." She smoothed down his lapels and Steve held back a shiver at her lingering touch. She chuckled, "You are only supposed to button the top button."

Steve looked down and unbuttoned the bottom button, "Then why are there two?"

"It is one of the unsolved mysteries of life, along with the questions, 'why can you not put the butter on the bread before toasting it,' and 'why is life not fair'." Sunny dropped into the co-pilots seat.

They lapsed into silence for a long while. Steve broke it, "What's your favorite color?"

Sunny looked away from the window, scarlet lips parted, "Why?"

Steve didn't have an answer. He stared at her lips, they were so red and soft-looking. He wondered how they tasted. Woah. Where had that come from? Steve cleared his throat, "I just want to know."

"White." Sunny looked at him expectantly, "And yours?"

"Green," Steve said without thinking.

"I thought it would be red, white, and blue." The corners of Sunny's plump mouth perked up slightly, "So, green like the military uniform?"

"The old ones, yeah."

Sunny sighed, "I used to love those uniforms when I was younger. It did not matter whether it was Soviet or American or whatever, I just loved how sharp they looked."