A/N: This is my ShieldShock Christmas Exchange fic for zephrbabe on tumblr, which I should have finished last week.
Oh well, better late than never.
Hope you enjoy!
"Every Jane down in Janeville liked Christmas a lot."
Steve finished untangling a huge string of Christmas lights while Darcy hung a wreath on the door and lit some candles. She hung up the stockings, starting with Jane's plain red one and ending with the star-spangled one bearing Steve's name.
When she didn't continue, Steve spoke. "And?"
"And what?"
"Isn't there more?" Steve thought back to yesterday's holiday cartoon marathon. "Every Jane- Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch…?"
"Oh no, I wasn't reciting the story, just making a statement. Jane is super obsessed with Christmas or haven't you seen this place?"
They were in a secluded cabin in upstate New York, surrounded by forest and ten feet of snow. The nearest civilization was a gas station twenty miles away. Power came from an old generator refurbished with custom 'Jane Foster' upgrades. There was a flat-screen TV with five hundred channels, but they hadn't enjoyed a single one since Jane switched to the 24/7 Christmas music channel and hid the remote.
The cabin was small. Two bedrooms with a living room connected to the kitchen and a full sized bathroom complete with jacuzzi. The place had a rustic charm that reminded Steve of summers spent at his grandfather's old hunting lodge. He and Bucky would swim in the lake and catch fish. He never got more than guppies, but Bucky caught a catfish one time that made for a tasty dinner. They only ever went there in July and August, never during winter. Over a hundred years later, Steve finally understood why.
Not that he would rather be anywhere else this Christmas. With the world still rebuilding from Thanos's attack and lesser threats biding their time in the shadows, vacation days had been hard to come by. So when Jane invited him to spend Christmas with her and Bucky, mentioning several times that Darcy would be there, Steve had eagerly accepted. A week in total isolation with his best friends and the object of his (currently unspoken) affections? How could anyone say no to that?
Sure, the blizzard, lack of emergency transportation and constant flickering lights weren't ideal. He still wouldn't miss this for the world.
"If there's Whoville, there has to be a Grinch, though," he teased.
"Dude, we're in Christmastown, USA right now. If there are any Grinches here, I don't want to know them."
The door to the master bedroom swung open. In walked Bucky Barnes, looking sharp as ever in a chunky red sweater and floppy Santa hat. He was for once clean-shaven and his hair had been trimmed. A white beard hung around his neck, where it likely would've stayed had Jane not appeared to fix it on his face.
"Perfect!" Jane beamed, the bells on her elf hat jingling. "This place looks so great. Good job, everyone!"
"Thanks, Jane," Darcy said, shooting Steve a look that spoke plainly her current thoughts. "You've really outdone yourself."
"Anything to make the holiday bright!" Jane kissed Bucky on the cheek, oblivious to the soul-crushing rage in his eyes as she skipped to the kitchen. Literally skipped.
"I see you're in the spirit Buck," Steve grinned as Bucky turned his hellish gaze to him.
"If you say one more word, I will rip your spine out and strangle you with it."
"I'm not saying anything," Steve said innocently. He waited for Bucky to storm after Jane, then uploaded the photos he'd discreetly taken with his phone to Twitter. "My followers might, though."
"That's evil, Rogers," Darcy snickered.
"That's what he gets for posting pictures of me at the Halloween party on his Instagram."
"For what it's worth, I thought you made a great Rocky."
He'd only put on those stupid gold speedos because he lost a bet with Tony and the man was a total sadist. It had been the worst night of Steve's life, but at least Darcy approved. That almost alleviated the sting of humiliation he felt every time he heard 'I Can Make You A Man'.
"Get the lights on the tree, guys," Jane shouted from the kitchen. "We start decorating in five."
"Yes, Mrs. Claus," Darcy shouted back, rolling her eyes. "I swear, if I didn't love her so much, I'd never put up with her."
"She gave you something for Hanukkah, though, right?" Steve asked while winding the first layer of lights around the tree.
"Every day of Hanukkah," Darcy said. "I think she felt bad that I couldn't fly home this year. After that, how can I not indulge in her Christmas fanaticism?"
"Is she like this every year?" Earlier that morning, he'd caught a glimpse of the bill for the cabin. The zeros went on forever.
"Pretty much. I haven't seen her this happy since she finished her bridge," said Darcy, adjusting her elf hat. "Which also means Barnes isn't doing his job right. Hey Barnes! Do your job right!"
Her voice was loud and sudden enough to leave a temporary ringing in Steve's ears.
"I'm busy!" Bucky yelled back.
"You should be busy doing your job, lazy ass."
"What job? I'm baking cookies."
"You should be baking Jane's cookies if you catch my drift!"
"...fuck you, Lewis."
"Not me. Jane!"
The lights buzzed, followed by a sharp pop, then blackness. Outside, the ever-present grinding of the generator ceased. The heater soon followed, just a hunk of useless junk with nothing to power it.
Something hit the floor and shattered. Then Darcy yelped. Steve's ultra-sensitive ears kicked in at the same time as his lightning-fast reflexes. He caught Darcy mid-air, holding her steady. Her flailing arms locked around his waist, purely by instinct. He didn't dare assume anything else.
"Dammit!" Jane yelled. "I thought I fixed that wire."
"Everyone okay in there?"
"We're good," said Darcy.
"Perfect," Steve said tightly. She hadn't let go yet and he couldn't ignore how most of his late night fantasies about Darcy began just like this.
"Okay, Bucky and I are going to check the generator. You guys stay put and keep warm."
"No problem." Steve was currently warm in all the wrong places.
The front door opened and closed, leaving them alone together in the cabin. Darcy fidgeted, and Steve almost loosened his grip before realizing she wasn't trying to get away. The cold wrapped around them like a slithering icy tentacle. He studied the windows. One of them had to be open. He would have done a proper sweep, but that would require moving and he was perfectly happy where he was, thank you.
He led Darcy to the couch in the corner, far away from any points of entry. She grabbed a quilt and pulled her legs up to her chest. The temperature inside was dropping rapidly and he could already see his own breath. Steve took the opposite end of the couch, folding his arms over his chest The cold had trouble penetrating his tough skin, but it would get him eventually.
"We can share the blanket if you want," Darcy said.
"Thanks, but I'm okay."
"You sure? It's freezing in here."
"The cold doesn't bother me."
Darcy snorted. "Sure thing, Elsa. For real, though, you're going to catch a cold."
Steve couldn't remember the last time he so much as sniffled. It was probably back when his heart was still trying to kill him. He slid closer anyway to appease her, leaving a respectable amount of distance between them. He listened for Bucky or Jane but heard nothing over the whistling winds. If they were gone for much longer, he'd have to go drag their dumb frozen asses back inside.
As he thought this, he failed to notice Darcy close the gap between them. She touched his arm, her cold fingers contrasting with his warmer body temperature. Steve was struck by an urge to drag her onto his lap. At the same time, his rational self demanded he do absolutely nothing and pretend he didn't feel it. In fact, he should get up and move to the other couch. Any second now, he'd do just that.
Any second now.
Darcy moved up his arm, squeezing and humming contentedly. She wasn't feeling his muscles the way overzealous fans loved to do when begging for selfies, and he appreciated that. He leaned in, giving her a better reach. She let out a low moan and the sound alone was killing him.
"You're so warm," she mumbled, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder like a cat. "How are you this warm when it's a freaking icebox in here?"
Steve shrugged. "Fast metabolism. It's good for some things."
"I guess the cold really doesn't bother you." She snuggled in, throwing the blanket over his legs and effectively trapping him. A happy sigh fell from her lips as heat seeped into her frozen body. She'd feel it better if he was wearing short sleeves. Or if he just took his shirt off. The ridiculous thought passed through his head, and in his slightly delirious state of mind, it almost seemed like a good idea. He closed his eyes as her hands roamed his chest. The pads of her fingers walked along his pectorals, stopping at his heart. It beat wildly, pumping blood so loud his ears roared. It all seemed to go to one place.
"Mmmm… so nice…" Darcy purred.
"Darcy," Steve hissed, "maybe we shouldn't-"
She shushed him. "Don't ruin the moment." She moved to his stomach, and this time she was definitely feeling his muscles. He was oddly okay with that. "God, Steve, I just want to live in you right now."
He choked on air. "What?"
"You know what I mean," she said, "now shut up. You're ruining the mood."
Her hand went lower. Any more and she'd be dipping into his pants. He glanced down, knowing exactly what he would see and yes, that was the biggest tent he'd ever pitched. Thank God he hadn't worn jeans today.
"Maybe we should start a fire," he said, grasping for anything that might get her off him before she noticed.
"There's no fireplace in here."
"Um… how about hot chocolate? I could use something hot to drink right now"
"That would require getting up, and I am at peak comfort level."
That made one of them.
Darcy reached under his shirt, tracing his firm abdominals. Her nails raked over his skin, the sensations driving him closer to the brink. One more minute of this, and he would snap. Then there was no telling what he'd do.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?"
The question came out of nowhere. He'd taken to counting seconds to distract himself and it had been seventy-eight since she last spoke. Steve coughed once to cover a laugh and then again to clear his throat.
"Not at all," he said.
"You sure? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
He was still rock hard and well past the point of discomfort. If she moved her knee a centimeter to the right, she'd know it for a fact. "I uh… I mean, as long as you're not so cold anymore, I'm fine."
"Aww, you're sweet."
She kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were dry and cold, but soft. They lingered over his face, and that was the worst decision Darcy could've made. Steve growled as his brain finally broke. His arms tightened around her so she couldn't escape. He crushed his lips to hers, letting all the pent-up frustration out in a fiery, passionate kiss which would hopefully blow every other kiss Darcy ever had out of the water.
She gasped in surprise, then melted into his embrace. He poked his tongue between her parted lips, deepening the kiss. He had never been so bold with a woman before-never had the opportunity to try- but her moans told him he was doing something right. She clawed at his shirt, sliding into his lap and gasping at what she found there.
"Oh my-"
She stared down at his groin, the evidence of his excitement in full view. As her eyes bugged out, Steve's common sense kicked back into gear and he scrambled off the couch. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." He spoke too fast and the words were jumbled. He paused to catch his breath. "I just- I mean, I shouldn't have done that."
"Damn right," Darcy said, charging forward. "What makes you think you can just stop?"
"Darcy, I swear, this will never happen aga… wait, what?"
She threw her arms around him and kissed him like her life depended on it. Shock kept Steve from responding way longer than it should have. Darcy had one leg around his waist by the time it occurred to him that this wasn't just a vivid fever dream and he should probably kiss her back. Pulling her other leg up, he walked them to the couch. He couldn't see over her mass of hair and his foot hit the end table. He kicked it aside, not caring where it landed or if it broke. He'd pay Jane back later.
He dropped Darcy on the couch and crawled on top of her, trailing kisses along her neck as she rubbed her clothed core into his erection. No words were spoken as bits of clothing were removed and the heat generated between them burned higher. Darcy gasped his name here and there as he reached under her sweater to massage her breasts. He got to work on her bra, fumbling with the hooks as she struggled to get the sweater off. Her bare skin was flawless, and oh so warm. In fact, all of her was warm. And all of him was warm.
And the air was warm.
Bucky and Jane were at the door, their coats half off. They wore identical grins barely concealed behind an appropriate level of embarrassment. How long they'd been there, Steve couldn't say. The best answer was probably 'long enough.'
"Fixed the generator," Jane said, flashing a thumbs up.
"We interrupting something?" Bucky asked.
Steve looked at Darcy. Darcy looked at Steve. They looked back at their friends and said together: "Yes."
They got back to work stripping each other naked, pawing each other like animals in heat. Forgotten by their amorous friend, Bucky and Jane slipped into the shadows and moved stealthily down the hall.
"About time," Bucky said. "I thought the dumb punk would never make a move."
"See? I told you renting a cabin was a good idea," said Jane. She rested her head on Bucky's shoulder and twirled her finger around his Santa beard.
"Yeah, I guess you were right," said Bucky, kissing the top of her head. "I'm still burning this beard and any evidence I wore it when we get home."
"Whatever you say, dear."