This is a ficlet I wrote as a kind of 'in-between' section of my "Meeting Halfway" series - Steve/Maria relationship, post-Avengers, and without any reference to 'Phase Two' of the MCU. It goes between "Some Of Us Hover While We Weep For The Other" and "Discretionary Trust".
gnothi sauton
Steve knows Maria's in the bar. He doesn't know how – an awareness, the prickle of his nape, the cadence of her voice, a familiar stride. Something.
He has to fight the urge to turn around and look, takes a long drink of his beer instead.
"So," Bucky drawls, glancing sidelong at Steve. "Is it the blonde or the brunette?"
Steve nearly chokes. Bucky was never stupid, but his intelligence wasn't honed like this before – putting everything together, fitting all the parts in and coming to a conclusion.
Add in his history with Steve and it's probably surprising he didn't twig before.
"Which do you think it is?"
Bucky snorts. "The blonde's prettier, but the brunette's more your type. Ballsy. Commanding. Takes no prisoners. I bet she's a hellcat in bed?"
"I don't kiss and tell."
"And you're not going to share?" Bucky's grin starts off broad, then fades when he glances at Steve. "Hey, I was joking, you know that, right?"
"Yeah."
He does. But Steve wonders if Thorpe is with them – then stops himself. He won't think like that.
"Is she jerking you around?" A dangerous light gleams in Bucky's eyes – an old protectiveness.
"No."
Steve's answer is firm. He doesn't need protecting from Maria. Just his own fears.
"No?"
In his ears, her question rings: Why the hell did it have to be you? From another woman, it would be a slap in the face. From Maria, it's a concession of how much she cares. And how dangerous their relationship is for her.
"Maria's not like that," Steve murmurs, listening for the flow of her voice, the laugh that comes easiest with her fellow agents or when they're alone. "She's just...afraid of her own heart."
fin