Chapter Text
Maria’s hangover keeps her stuck to the mattress with her head buried under her pillow. Carol tries to sympathize and complains about the weird taste in her mouth but that is nothing compared to Maria’s own headache, nausea, and dehydration and Carol learns as much when that head peeks out from under the pillow to deliver one pointed glare.
So Carol makes breakfast and fills up a large glass of water and helps Maria start her day in bed and keep it there. Over time, Maria starts to feel more human than hangover and expresses it through getting closer to Carol; snuggling into her and moving to be on top of her, laughing when Carol mutters against her skin and letting herself fall susceptible to Carol’s wandering hands when they venture under clothing. After a week of non-stop movement and elaborate entertainment, Maria finally gets her day in and basks in it.
It’s late in the day when they decide to move from bed to bath. Their soak lasts just over thirty minutes before Carol starts to shift forward and Maria lets out a groan of disapproval. “Danvers, come on.”
“We’ve been in here forever,” Carol groans back and pushes Maria up more. “I have something I wanna show you downstairs,” she says and slips out of the tub. Maria notes the overall dip in the bath’s temperature. Carol leans over and drops a kiss on Maria’s head. “I love you. Meet me downstairs!”
Maria leans over the ledge of the tub and rests her cheek on her arm. “Can you bring my PJs in here? Maybe rub those hands of yours all over them and my towel?” Carol tosses a grin in Maria’s direction and steps back into their room. Maria smiles after her and then takes a final dip under the water.
. . .
Carol’s already settled downstairs by the time Maria joins her. She’s spread out a blanket accompanied with a tray of desserts and two hot mugs of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Maria beams at the sight and takes her spot curled up into Carol’s side. Carol passes her a mug and while Maria’s sip of the hot beverage is cautious she still allows herself to indulge in the near perfect flavor.
Carol watches as her eyes close in pleasure and the corner of her lips lift up into the smallest smile. She pulls the mug back and drags her tongue over her lips to get rid of any excess (or to grab more of the flavor). She misses one tiny spot in the corner of her mouth and Carol smiles at the spec of whipped cream.
“Gotta say, of all the amazing surprises and adventures you've taken me on this past week, this mug of hot chocolate right here?”
“Blowing your mind?”
“To Smithereens, Danvers,” she moans and goes back in for another drink and, incidentally, more whipped cream caught in the corner of her mouth. “People don't appreciate this drink enough.”
“ Grown people don't appreciate this drink enough,” Carol says and takes a sip of her own. “Monica damn near demands it every morning.”
“And only one of us knows how to say no.”
“Is there a third person in the room, Ms. ‘Make it before Mama wakes up?’”
Maria laughs at getting caught. That one time (too many). “Hush.”
“And which one of us just has to have a little bit of chocolate chip in every other pancake-”
“I said hush ,” Maria repeats and emphasizes it with a kiss to get Carol to really pipe down. Carol tastes the sweetness of the chocolate on her lips and that same spec of whipped cream in the corner of it. Her heart flutters. When Maria breaks the kiss she turns to the board in front of them with an array of cookies, brownies, fruits and nuts. “What have you got for me here, my dear?” She starts to pick up the food on her own, going immediately for a brownie and then adding a strawberry on top. She fills her small plate with the goodies and all the while Carol can't stop looking at her.
The flames of the fireplace strike and dance across her features. They lick up her neck and sway across her eyes, their talented fingers paint new patterns and alter expressions in the blink of an eye. Every new stroke only amplifies Maria’s natural beauty and elegance. They tease and slide and grasp at her but never fully get to hold on. The fire must be envious of Carol’s hands and how their warmth gets to stay and cling and savor. Carol reaches a hand out now and swipes her thumb over the whipped cream on Maria’s mouth and Maria looks over at her with a smile.
“I’m a mess, huh?”
“Mm. Know what it reminds me of?”
“Hm?”
“That time we got a late call, didn’t have to be at Base until noon maybe and we went to that diner. What was the name, uhm,” Carol lowers her head as she thinks, “‘Jolene’s’ I think.” When she looks back up Maria’s smiling and taking a bite of her brownie. “You ordered a hot chocolate, of course. Waffles that you, you know, doused in syrup.” Carol starts to chuckle and leans back against the bottom of the couch as a full laugh takes over her.
“Mmhmm,” Maria says and licks the excess brownie off of her fingers. “Uh huh. I remember finally getting to Base, walking around for hours, talking to people both below and above me…then getting to the bathroom and seeing a mess of chocolate all over my mouth.” Carol continues laughing, her hands over her chest as she tries to calm down. “And you knew !” Maria says and shoves her. “You knew!”
“I didn’t think-” Carol manages to get out before her laughing fit overtakes her once more. “I didn’t think you’d go that long without looking! How didn’t you feel all that?! It was so much!”
“I know,” she grunts and falls back against the couch. “You got a real kick outta all that, I remember. Couldn’t shut your ass up for a week.”
“I thought it was cute,” Carol says with a smile. She reaches out and tucks her fingers under Maria’s chin. “It was when I knew I wanted to marry you.” Carol watches the smile on Maria’s face drop in surprise but she quickly plasters it back on and huffs out a laugh. Carol knows this tell. She would see it in the early stages of remembering, when she would let slip something Maria wasn’t ready to face or didn’t think she’d ever get back. Carol doesn’t want to push now like she might’ve done in the past, so she waits.
“You,” Maria clears her throat, “remember that feeling, huh?”
“I remember acting on that feeling,” Carol says and Maria looks up to meet her eyes. “Proposed to you on the hood of my car,” she continues and Maria takes a breath. “Listening to engines like we used to and I waited for your favorite one.” Maria’s smile is more genuine now and Carol takes a shot at a joke. “Pretty shit timing on my end though.” The shot misses and Maria’s smile falls completely this time.
“Yeah,” Maria agrees and puts her plate down. “It was ‘pretty shit timing.’” She sighs, “Night before the crash.”
“Night before the crash,” Carol repeats. “I’m so sorry, Maria-”
“You couldn’t have known,” she says and rubs her hand down Carol’s leg. “You couldn’t have….” She hums and stops her hand. “But you still went up there. Promising yourself to me a day before and then you put your life at risk like that.” She moves her hand, her head shakes just slightly. “I was so mad at you,” she says and it’s with a tear filled laugh. “I was so mad at you, Carol. You did it without thinking, like it was nothing.”
“I planned on coming back.”
“But you didn’t, baby,” Maria says and meets Carol’s eyes with her own watering ones. “Not right away and it pissed me off. It still does. Carol, this could’ve been us,” she says and places a hand on Carol’s chest and wraps it around the fabric of her shirt. “This right here could’ve been you and me for those six years and all the time after them that we’ve had to-to balance….” Her eyebrows come together knowing there’s a stronger and more accurate word she can use but can’t think of…or doesn’t want to voice. “I was just so ready for us, Carol. I know you were too and it still stings that we didn’t….”
“When I remembered it kind of ripped me in half.” Maria sighs and rests her head on Carol’s shoulder. “I thought about ignoring it, honestly. I didn’t know if you’d want to talk about it. Or acknowledge it.”
“I always want to acknowledge what makes up you and me.”
“I know but that was such a cosmic screw up.” Carol mumbles and leans over a little to pull something out of her pocket.
Maria wraps an arm around her waist. “You’re here now and we have what we always would’ve. Plus some bonus features.”
Carol smiles. “Sure. But, still, I do wish I hadn’t fucked up the timing so hard last time.”
“Carol, it’s-” Maria cuts herself short and lifts her head. She looks at Carol. “Last time?” Carol’s eyes stay fixed on her face and a small smile starts to spread her cheeks just before Maria looks down to see, pinched between two of Carol’s fingers, the same silver band she had proposed with memories ago.
Once Carol had the memory back she made it her entire focus to find the item she holds now. She scoured that house top to bottom. She checked old boxes and faux drawer bottoms. The jewelry chest in Monica’s closet and under the loose floorboard in the den. She called old friends and Maria’s parents. She consistently came up empty handed. Then, she decided instead to think like Maria. Her lovely, sentimental Maria.
Carol found the ring in the console of her old mustang. Tucked safely in a small, decorated wooden box and accompanied only by an old folded up piece of paper, of which held Maria’s vows.
Carol knows Maria’s heart probably catches in her chest because the very thing happens to her own.
“I promise no matter where I’m going next, I’m going to land this time, Maria,” she whispers. “I am going to come back to you. There is no other way for it to happen. Even when it was supposed to be impossible,” she laughs and Maria’s smile joins the tears on her face. “I will land. And it will now and forever be in the enclosure of you and your love.”
“You’re asking me to marry you, Carol Danvers?” Carol recognizes the question. It’s the same one she asked the first time they did this. But Carol has a slightly different answer.
“No,” she chuckles. “I’m asking if you would like to put an end to our unusually long engagement.”
Maria laughs, her hands go to cover her mouth and the tears spill over her fingers. Carol’s sitting up more and already running a hand down Maria’s left forearm, preparing her next action. “Yes,” Maria laughs and lets Carol pull her arm down as she extends her fingers. “Yeah, that sounds alright to me,” she giggles as Carol slides the ring back onto her finger. The band barely settles in place before Maria’s pulling Carol closer and kissing her. Their lips can barely stay connected from how big they’re smiling and how hard they’re laughing. “You went through all this trouble just for me to get some crumbs on my face again,” Maria laughs against her mouth.
“That was a plus,” Carol confides and kisses her again. “I would’ve thought your tableside manners made some improvement but I was happily proven wrong.” She pulls Maria against her and falls back against the couch, landing Maria in her lap. “You should know by the time we get back home there’s going to be a ceremony waiting for us.”
“That desperate to marry me, Danvers,” Maria asks but tightens her grip around Carol showing her clear excitement for what’s to come.
“That ready to marry you, Rambeau,” Carol confirms. “That ready for you and me.”