unspoken thing |STEVE ROGERS 2|

7

There was silk black cloth with a note on top of it on the night stand when I woke up from my nap.

I thought you would look beautiful in this

-S

I smiled at the note and unfurled the fabric to reveal a short black dress. It flared at the waist and went down to my knees. The shoulders were puffed slightly and the sleeves when down to my wrists. I paired it with black pumps Natasha probably let me borrow.

I slowly walked down the stairs and the party was already in motion and all of the Avengers were dressed to impress. Thor was in Midgardian clothing, which was a change. I met Steve's eyes instantly and his face flushed pink and my stomach fluttered, making me blush and smile.

He made his way to the bottom of the stairs and greeted me, offering his hand to me. I took it, smiling.

"You look more beautiful than I imagined." He said and I looked at his clothes and I gave him a dazzling smile.

"You clean up nice." I replied, his breath caught and my head was slammed with a faded image of me in a wedding dress from Steve's memory. I said those exact words to him in some kind of memory he had, but I couldn't place where—

"Stirling!" Sam Wilson grinned widely and snatched me into a hug. "How are you feeling? Cap was telling me all the heroics you did today."

"I feel like I've been sleeping for years," I joked, leaning on Steve's arm and he draped it around my shoulders, pulling me snug into his side.

"Sounds like one hell of a fight, I'm sorry I missed it." He said and I followed them up the steps.

"If I had known it was going to be a firefight I absolutely would have called you," Steve replied, rubbing little circles into my shoulder blade.

"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough. I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world. Your world is crazy." Sam turned to us and raised an eyebrow. "So what's the deal with you two? Seemed to be getting along just like the old days."

I laughed. "Not exactly like the old days." I looked up at Steve and gave him a small smile. "We're better off as friends. He's one of the best ones I got."

"I'm just glad you two are talking again." Sam replied, looking at Steve. "You find a place in Brooklyn yet?"

"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn." Steve scoffed, looking out onto the party, leaning on the guardrails. 

"Well, home is home, you know?" Sam said and Steve looked directly at me.

"Yeah, it is."

✪ ✪ ✪ 

"Lady Maeve, you look as beautiful as always." Thor greeted as Steve and I approached.

"You look like a normal mortal, which is weird," I replied, making Steve chuckle as Thor brought out a flask. I barely remember what I said to Steve on the Quinjet, but I remembered that he was jealous of Thor and how flirtatious we were with each other. I didn't know how Steve really felt about me anymore and I was always confused.

An old man eyed the flask. "I gotta get me some of that!"

"Oh, no, no, no. See this, this was aged for a thousand years, in the barrels built from the wreck of Brunhilde's fleet, it's not meant for mortal men." Thor said, pouring some for him and Steve. "Lady Maeve?"

"Oh, no thanks, Thor, I'm good." I waved him off and leaned onto Steve's shoulder.

"Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us. Come on." Another old man with large glasses said and Thor shrugged and poured some into the man's glass. He had to be carried out of the party.

I patted Steve's shoulder, chuckling and made my way to the car where Natasha was making drinks. "Nat." I greeted, pressing a chaste kiss on her cheek while walking behind the bar.

"Newbie." She replied and I started to help her make drinks. Bruce approached and I gave her a knowing glance.

"How did a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this?" He joked and she gracefully shrugged and slid a drink over.

"Fella did me wrong." I rolled my eyes at situation and started to make myself a drink.

"You got the wrong taste in men, kid." Bruce replied and I almost groaned at the cheesiness of the whole situation.

"He's not so bad." Natasha brought her drink to her lips but continued to talk. "Well, he has a temper. Deep down he's all fluff. Fact is, he's not like anybody I've ever known. All my friends are fighters. And here comes this guy, spends his life avoiding the fight because he knows he'll win."

My jaw nearly dropped at how open she was being and how easily the point was flying over Banner's head.

"Sounds amazing."

"He's also a huge dork." Natasha took a small sip and Banner looks embarrassed. "Chicks dig that. So what do you think should I fight this, or run with it?" I just pretended to make busy at the other end of the bar as Bruce glanced at me.

"Run with it, right? Or, did he...was he...? What did he do that was so wrong to you?" Banner asked and Natasha just winked at him.

"Not a damn thing." She started to strut away. "But never say never." As she walked away, leaving Bruce in a confused mess, Steve appeared out of nowhere.

"It's nice." He said as I slid him a drink. "You and Romanoff."

Bruce looked surprised. "No, we haven't. That wasn't..."

He just laughed. "It's okay. Nobody's breaking any by-laws. It's just, she's not the most... open person in the world. But with you she seems very relaxed."

"I can agree with that," I said, sipping on my own drink, leaning on the bar.

"No, Natasha, she...she likes to flirt," Banner shook his head and I just chuckled lifting one shoulder.

"I like to think I know her pretty well, doc, that wasn't flirting." I raised an eyebrow at him knowingly.

"Look, as maybe the world's leading authority on "waiting too long", don't. You both deserve a win." Steve's eyes shot towards me and Banner suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I think that's my cue to leave." He said nervously and crept away.

It was silent for a few moments as Steve and I drank. "Is that why you left?" I asked suddenly, trying to process what he had just said. "You still love Peggy?" Steve looked like I had just said I had murdered a family of four.

"What-- that's what you took away from what I just said?"

"Listen, you could've just told me." I set my drink down a little harder than normal. I can't believe I was jealous over an old lady. It was low, even for me. "I would've rather had you sat me down and told me that what we had didn't match up with what you guys had. Not just a note saying that it wasn't right for the time for us and I would soon understand."

"Maeve, I drove you away because I waited too long to be a man and give everything I had to you." Steve said, his voice exasperated. "I waited too long and I lost you. I lost the best thing I ever had."

"That's why you left?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "It wasn't because..."

"I left because I was a coward and I was scared." Those beautiful baby blues glazed over slightly as he spoke to me and his jaw tightened. "Not because I wasn't happy or I didn't love you."

I tried to speak, but no words came out.

"But you've moved on." He tilted his chin up and ran a hand though his hair. "And I don't blame you." He walked away, drink in hand, leaving me shell-shocked and confused.