Tension vibrated through Maria's body, though the tightness in her shoulders and the slight twitch in her hand were the only outward signs she let herself display. They had landed at the new state-of-the-art base 20 minutes ago, the droll monotone commentary from their tour guide was doing nothing to distract her from her own head. Maria tried to ignore the constant itch to look for him, to glance down every corridor just in case.

He had said he would be there when she arrived.

She wasn't annoyed at him, he had probably got caught up in a meeting or something, but she could help the disappointment the nudged at her heart. But she wasn't the kind of girl to get hung up over a guy standing her up (was it standing up if you never really agreed to meet?) She had a job to do, even if it meant listening to some boring woman drone on about the type of metal in the door frames. She forced herself to listen, to nod in the appropriate places, glaring at Fury when he sent her knowing looks after she subconsciously scanned passing corridors for a familiar face. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she didn't allow herself to check it, trying to stay professional in spite of her growing impatience.

Even if he had escaped from whatever was keeping him, it would be almost for him to find her in the maze of corridors unless he had a tracker on her (She wouldn't put it past Tony, but Steve? Never Steve).

She was civilly discussing the style of ceiling panels with their tour guide, putting on her best I am interested face for the seemingly oblivious tour guide when Fury – who appeared to be even more bored than her – emitted a small cough. The action was so unlike him that Maria turned her body to face Fury with a questioning glance; he answered with a smirk and a knowing nod to the corridor behind her. Her head snapped round in anticipation of what he was referring to, who he was referring to. She couldn't stop the smile from upturning her lips, her cold reputation be dammed. She hardly heard herself apologise to the tour guide, or Fury's amused comment to their fellow guests; her feet moved themselves in a pace she was reluctant to call a run. His face lit up at the sight of her with that familiar, though recently absent, grin, his own feet pulling him towards her. They met somewhere in the middle of the corridor, their world slowing despite the constant rush of people and the noises around them.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now, what the protocol was for this. So they just stood, smiling stupidly at each other until he was moving towards her, his hands landing on her hips, forcing her onto her tiptoes as he tugged her towards him and then…

"Maria."

And he was kissing her.

His lips were soft against hers, but there was a ferocity that surprised her and she could not control the moan that escaped her throat. His thick arms moved from her hips, pulling her even closer as his hands palmed her back and stroked her spine. His hard chest warm against her and his hair soft as she ran her hand through the short tufts at the nape of his neck. Steve held her tighter until she could not breathe, his mouth making its way across her jaw as he tucked his head in the crook of her neck. As she cradled his bowed head she inhaled his familiar scent, the one that she had been infused in the stolen sweatshirt that had been her guilty pleasure since they last saw each other.

She was aware of the hush of the corridor around them and the eyes that were on them, but she was surprised by her own nonchalance; she had not seen her husband in months, and she had never cared about what the gossip circles were whispering – it was inevitable when one was married to an internationally famous superhero. Steve pulled away reluctantly, his gaze scanning across her body to mark any changes in the three months they were apart while his hands cradled her face, trying to commit it to his memory forever.

"Alright everyone, show's over," Fury shouts at the watching crowd, "get back to work!"

Suddenly the corridor was bustling again; some of those passing giving the reunited couple small smiles while others just looked annoyed that their day had been halted by Captain America's reunion with their second in command. Fury approach them, giving Steve a friendly slap on the back before he walked away, calling back to them,

"She's really missed you, you know."

Steve turns, placing a tender kiss on her forehead as she looked up at him. He smirks at her, an eyebrow raised in a teasing question.

"You missed me?"

She slapped his arm playfully with a mock scowl that she knew he could see right through. She slotted her hand into his, that familiar and comforting sensation of feeling safe and home as she pulled him down the corridor and into an empty office.

"I might have missed you a little bit."

They were both smiling when he kissed her again.