30 day OTP challenge - Steve/Maria. Day 13
Eating Ice Cream
It hurt him so much to see her hurt.
It was Christmas and Pepper had prepared an amazing dinner for everyone. It was all going perfectly well. Clint laughed at Tony and Pepper just rolled her eyes at the genius making the turkey dance.
"Get off it," Pepper said, slapping Tony's hand away. He pulled a face at her but didn't mess around again.
"You know you love me," Tony said with a charming smile. Pepper just gave him a look. Steve brushed his lips against Maria's neck as she took a sip of her favourite red wine.
"You look gorgeous," Steve said to Maria who was wearing a red and black mid thigh dress.
"Same to you Captain," Maria said back to Steve who was in black trouser, a white shirt and a black tie. Before Steve could reply Jarvis interrupted from the ceiling.
"There is a visitor for Maria Hill," Jarvis said and Maria frowned, a visitor. "He says he is her father," Jarvis informed them. Steve's hands that were snaking around her waist stopped as Maria tensed. Everyone turned to look over to her, however she avoided there stares.
"Maria?" Steve whispered, his breath brushing pressed her ear. She pulled away from him and walked towards the elevator. Steve quickly followed, stepping in after her when the doors opened.
"Maria, are you ok?" Steve asked her. She stared blankly ahead, a look of hated across her face.
"Maria?" Steve asked again, stepping closer to her. She snapped her head towards him.
"I can't believe him," Maria said. "After nearly ten years of not even communicating with me, he thinks he can just show up in my life and mess everything up," Maria snapped, turning back to the elevator doors.
"Maybe he wants to make up with you," Steve suggested and knew it was the wrong thing to say to her right now. Maria turned on him.
"After everything my dad has done to man and you're on his side," Maria said, her voice steady and calm, but the harshness was there.
"I'm not on his side. I'm disgusted at what the man has done to you. I'm just saying you should hear him out. He might have changed," Steve said as the elevator doors opened up. Maria stepped out and then froze. He father stood outside the glass door of the tower. He had a small box wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper in his right hand. He smiled when he saw her, eyes lighting up. Maria set her face to neutral and walked towards her father. Steve followed her.
Maria pulled opened the glass door and looked at her father, no emotion showing on her face.
"Maria," he said with a smile which she didn't return. He didn't pull her into a hug which Steve was glad about. He didn't want to have to pulled Maria off of her father. "How are you?" Her father asked her.
"What are you doing here?" Maria asked him. Her father blinked in surprise by how blunt she was being. His face dropped slightly, however he collected himself seconds later.
"I came to see you," her father said, "oh and give you this." Her father held out the small box. Maria looked at it and then stared up at her father.
"You think that a small Christmas presents going to make up for all you have done it me," Maria said and her father shuffled his feet. "I don't want your present or your apology. You weren't every home and when you were home you beat me. You weren't there for his death... I don't want to see you again, so you better go," Maria said collecting herself, before shutting the glass door on her father. The glass went black between them, thanks to Jarvis. Steve took hold of Maria, stopping her from walking away. He knew she was trying not to cry.
"Maria... He wants to make up with you," Steve said and Maria pulled away from him.
"That man has no business in my life anymore!" Maria shouted, finally breaking. She glared at Steve before walking off. There was a knock at the door again and Steve sighed. He opened it up to Maria's father looking miserably down at his shoes.
"Hi, I'm Steve Rogers," Steve said and held out his hand. Maria's father wiped his left hand on his jeans and then shook Steve's hand.
"Adam Hill," he said and Steve nodded.
"I'm sorry about this," Steve said and Maria's father shook his head.
"It's my fault, I should have called first and not just shown up like this," Adam said to his feet. "I'm trying to change. I know I've done some pretty bad stuff to her but I'm trying to change and do good," Adam said looking up at Steve. He then sighed and held out the small box. "Could you give this to her for me?" He asked. Steve guessed there was some sort of necklace or bracelet within it.
"Sure, no problem," Steve said, taking the box from Adam.
"Thank you and please... Tell her I am truly sorry for... for everything that's happened between us," Adam said. "Have a good Christmas," Maria's father said before walking towards his car. Steve closed the door and asked Jarvis were Maria was.
"She had just walked into the library," Jarvis informed him.
"Thank you Jarvis," Steve said before making his way up to the 67th floor. The elevators opened and he walked out into the large library. He found Maria ten minutes later sitting down on a large blue beanbag. Around her books looked to have been thrown, pages bent and ripped. The chair at the near by desk was on it's side after Maria had kicked it in anger.
Steve sat down on the beanbag next to her. He held out the small box to Maria which she didn't take from him, just kept staring in front of her.
"You could at least look at what it is," Steve said and Maria turned her head towards him. Maria slowly took it from him and brushed her fingers over the wrapping. She pulled at the wrapping paper to find a leather box. Maria took a deep breath before opening the box up. There was a folded piece of paper laid neatly over a sliver locket. Maria picked up the piece of paper up and looked at the locket.
Unfolding the note she read,
This was your mothers, I found it when cleaning out the old house.
Merry Christmas,
Dad
Maria blinked back the tears as she lifted the locket up. She opened the love heart up to find a picture of a baby sonogram, which she guessed was her. There was a picture of her mother and grandmother, both smiling happily at the camera.
That was when she started to cry. She saw Steve stand up in the corner of her eyes and walk out of the library. She watched after him wondering where he was going. She needed him right now and he had just walked out.
That didn't help stop the tears that kept rolling down her face. She tried to wipe them away as she pushed herself further into the beanbag that she wished would consume her.
Two minutes later, Steve's footsteps came through the library towards her. She looked up at him to see him carrying two tablespoons and a carton of ice cream.
He came to a stop in front of Maria and gestured for her to move up. She did so and Steve flopped down next to her in the beanbag. They cuddled together as Steve pulled the lid off of the mint chocolate ice cream.
"I like normal chocolate ice cream better, but I know how much you like this one," Steve said and handed her one of the spoons. Maria smiled up at him with watery eyes, the tears had stopped flowing now. Steve took a spoon full of ice cream. Maria took another deep breath and placed her head on Steve's shoulder, turning into his embrace. She took her own spoon of mint chocolate ice cream.
This was the first time Steve had seen Maria actually openly cry in front of him within their relationship. It scared him, but he knew he had to be there for her. Of course he had seen her cry, even before their relationship had started. However she would always try and hid the tears from him, wiping them away quickly with the back of her hand. Now, she let the tears stop by themselves instead of wiping them away.
"We shouldn't eat all of it," Maria said after a while, commenting about the big Christmas lunch. Steve hummed in agreement.
"I know. We'll go down in a bit," Steve told her and they continued to eat the ice cream together. Steve wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his body.
Natasha found the pair an hour later, the carton of ice cream melted on the floor and the two fast asleep in each other's arms. She took the ice cream and spoons from.
"Hey guys," Natasha said quietly and the two blinked awake. "Dinner's ready," Natasha told them and then left. Maria slowly pulled away from Steve and then stood up. She stretched and then smoothed her dress down. Steve stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I love you," Steve said and placed a kiss on the side of her neck. She hummed before pulling away to pick up her father's present.
"I love you too. Now let's go get dinner," Maria said, even though the two were full from the ice cream.