Steve trudged through the snow, up the mountain, doing his level best to keep calm. Darcy continued her constant stream of complaints. He had been so glad to find her that he had swept her up and kissed her. She pushed him away. As they fled the burning factory, the walkway had collapsed, and they had become separated from the rest of the Avengers.
Nikolas Grunwald was a second-rate astrophysicist. He had been researching the theory of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge for nearly ten years before Thor's appearance in New Mexico. His theories had been thoroughly discredited by Dr. Foster. Everything she published became the absolute word of law in their field and all of his findings became nothing in the wake of hers. He had sent angry e-mails and made mild threats but Dr. Foster had ignored all of them. Grunwald found backing in HAMMER Industries and when the threats and e-mails stopped Dr. Foster had believed the matter was over.
Stark had been careful to keep Avengers tower very secure, but as always, there are flaws in every system. Grunwald's men had been diligent in their surveillance. Three days earlier Darcy had managed to drag Dr. Foster from her lab to go out for lunch a few blocks from the tower. They never returned. Dr. Banner had alerted the team when they had been gone for almost two hours. While a long lunch would not have been unusual for Darcy, Dr. Foster had been working on a particularly difficult equation and would have come back far sooner.
Barton and Natasha were out in the field on a covert op. Steve and Thor came as soon as JARVIS had alerted them. Thor left immediately to search; there was no holding the blonde god back. He summoned Mjölnir, and flew out to begin looking. Stark and Banner begin a more comprehensive search, using JARVIS to access surveillance cameras from nearby shops and Steve paced. Dr. Foster had been kind when she wasn't consumed by her research but Darcy Lewis was something else. She was feisty and flirty. She had taken a liking to both Steve and Bucky. Seeing their lack of familiarity with modern culture had caused her to take it upon herself to teach them. She had been a great help in drawing Bucky out. Every day Steve saw a little bit more of his best friend and a little less of the Winter Soldier. He had grown attached to the little brunette. Something about her made Steve both incredibly comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. He been with a few women during his USO days but she was different. He had hesitated in acting on his feelings because he felt so tangled up by them. Growing up in Bucky's shadow, he had developed feelings that in their day and age were deemed inappropriate even illegal. Now those feelings were not only allowed but embraced. But he also had a strong attraction to the girl.
He shook his head. Now was not the time to be concerned about all that. He did what he could, putting a call into SHEILD hoping they could lend aid, but they had larger more global matters to be concerned with. An Agent named Koenig told him that the possible kidnapping of one scientist and her intern were a matter best handled by local police.
Steve threw the phone at the wall shattering it as Bucky came in. While Bucky had fought off the brainwashing and had helped in several missions, he was not yet considered a full-fledged member of the Avengers. He had no idea what was going on.
He quirked an eyebrow at Steve's seemingly random destruction of property and asked what was going on. When Steve informed Bucky, he saw a cold mask of rage slide over his friends face. "Buck?" Steve asked softly, his friend's reaction surprised him.
"What was their last confirmed location?" Bucky's voice was low and hard.
"Got it!" exclaimed Stark from across the lab. "Got a visual of them… time stamped about an hour and a half ago… The deli on 3rd Ave. Between 43rd & 44th St." Bucky was already charging off.
Steve hurried after him, finally catching up with his friend when Bucky stopped by his room to grab his tactical gear, "Whoa, we gotta work together on this. You can't just go tearing off until we have a plan."
Ignoring Steve, he finished suiting up in record time. When Bucky finally turned to face Steve there was no trace of his friend, only the cold hard efficiency of the Winter Soldier. "Target located... Time to move..."
Suddenly it all clicked. Bucky had spent a good deal of time in the labs after Darcy had moved into the tower and after a mission in Bogota a couple of months earlier, there had been the slightest change in the dynamic between Bucky and Darcy. Steve knew. They had been (especially in Darcy's case) incredibly discreet. "You and Darcy?" Steve asked carefully.
Bucky gave a single sharp nod but a small bit of his hardness broke. "I… we…" Bucky swallowed hard. "Never taught her how to fight." He looked up at Steve. "Was supposed to do that."
Steve's heart broke a little but he laid a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll find her Buck, we'll find her."
They searched the deli but the men that grabbed Dr. Foster and Darcy had been careful. The surveillance video showed Darcy and Jane eating. There was no sound to the black and white video. Steve watched intently hoping for some kind of clue. Jane scribbled on a napkin as she ate, probably still mentally working on the unfinished equation. Darcy chatted away. She stopped talking, looked up, and reached for Jane's hand. They both turned sharply to look at the back of the deli as the video feed cut off. Tony informed them the kidnappers had shot the camera and they were lucky to get the footage they had.
The only thing they had found was one of Darcy's scarves and the napkin Jane had been writing on. Jane had managed to scribble the letters Grun… before they had been taken. It only took one glance at the napkin for Bruce to put it together. Nikolas Grunwald. They had a name but it took them almost two days to track down his possible location. An old iron-smelting factory in the Ural Mountains of Siberia.
The team was there as fast as the Quinjet could fly. Bruce stayed behind on the off chance they might receive a ransom call. They couldn't keep Thor from going ahead so Stark went along to back him up. Clint and Natasha had returned just in time to go with them and Steve was glad they were there. Bucky could fly but in his current mindset, Steve was unsure how safe that would be. They had a simple plan. Stark and Thor would focus on Jane. Barton and Romanoff would handle taking down Grunwald and his men and Bucky and Steve would look for Darcy. They had arrived less than twenty minutes after Thor and Stark but there was already a fire in the left wing of the factory. The fire lit up the pre-dawn darkness.
Bucky was out and moving before the Quinjet was even fully on the ground. Steve jumped out after him and together they fought their way in. JARVIS had hacked the factory's system and Stark had given them a rundown of the factory before they had left New York. Jane was being held in the most heavily guarded section in the center of the factory and Darcy was in a lesser used corridor in the right wing.
Grunwald had been prepared. The men they fought were not simply hired guns; these were men familiar with the art of war. Bucky and Steve fought their way in separating in order to search faster. Connected by their comms they stayed in contact both searching thoroughly. They heard Thor's excited shout when he found Jane followed immediately by his concern. Jane had been tortured for information and was in need of medical attention. After a quick rundown via comm of what was going on Stark and Thor flew off to a nearby hospital to take care of Jane.
Moments later Steve found Darcy. She was tied up, facing away from the door, and lying on a dirty cot. There were only a few guards that Steve took care of quietly. She appeared to be sleeping, knowing what Dr. Foster had been through and unsure of what may have happened to Darcy he crept in quietly, hoping not to startle her. He gently touched her shoulder and she twisted and launched herself at him screaming. Startled he took a step back and raised his hands.
She recognized him immediately and her attack became a hug and sound of joy.
He wrapped his arms around her, and swept her up. "So glad we found you doll." And he kissed her. For a brief second she responded, and then she began pushing on him.
"You can't do that Cap." She said quietly. He set her down as he blushed profusely. She had a pained look in her eyes. "I just… I can't… I…" she stammered.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "God, I'm sorry Darce. I know. Shouldn't have done that." He put a hand to the comm in his ear. "I got Darcy. I'm taking her to the Quinjet." Clint gave a terse reply. He and Natasha were almost finished rounding up the men responsible.
Bucky's gruff, "I'll follow you out," gave Steve a measure of comfort. When on a mission sometimes Bucky fell completely into Winter Soldier mode. It was hard to pull Bucky back. Complete sentences were a good sign. Steve went to the door and looked out, the fire was spreading fast. The smoke was thick in the hallway. He pulled Darcy close and they ducked low.
As they stepped out into the hallway, he stepped over one of the men that had been guarding Darcy's room. He tried to hurry her down the hall but she stopped and kicked the man in the stomach. "Asshole." She growled and rolled the man over then began searching through the man's pockets. Before he could ask what she was doing, she stood up with a triumphant grin. "He took my cellphone." Steve shook his head and moved them quickly down the hall keeping an eye out for more of Grunwald's men.
They rounded the corner and Steve almost ran into someone. He swung his fist without thinking. Fortunately, Bucky's reflexes were good. He ducked below Steve's swing. "S'just me punk." He growled.
"Bucky!" Darcy darted around Steve and threw herself into Bucky's arms. Steve turned away to give them a moment of privacy. He could hear them whispering to each other. His gut churned with emotion, it tore him up. He couldn't decide if he was more envious of Darcy being with Bucky or of Bucky being with Darcy. "Sweet reunion and all but we really need to get out of here." He tried to hide the bitterness in his voice.
Steve led them quickly down the hall as it rapidly filled with smoke. Darcy was coughing behind him and Bucky had taken the rear. Just as they neared the exit, the door opened and a team of thugs began shooting at them. Steve blocked most of the shots by pulling them down behind him and crouching down behind his shield. Bucky rose slightly above them and returned fire. Steve took a shot that grazed his thigh and he heard a pained grunt from Bucky as he was hit as well. Steve fired at the men blocking the door and took another hit, this time to the shoulder.
"Can't stay here… Pinned down…" The flat terse tone of Bucky's voice gave Steve chills. Bucky was shutting down, the Winter Soldier taking over. Steve could hear the staccato fire of Bucky's semi-automatic.
"Stay with me Buck. We've gotten out of worse." Steve emptied his clip at the men blocking the door taking out three more of them. He could hear more men approaching from behind them as well. He knew it was getting bad, he was out of ammo, the hall was filling with smoke making visibility a problem, and they had no idea how many men were coming behind them. There was an odd high-pitched whine and something clattered to the ground. He heard Bucky cursing in Russian. That wasn't a good sign.
Steve took a chance and looked briefly back at Bucky. Bucky was pale and his face was void. He gently pushed Darcy at Steve as he gestured to his metal arm that hung limp by his side. "EMP… Useless…" He motioned to the door with his good arm. "Target acquired… Removal necessary." Bucky's speech was broken and heavily accented. Steve saw blood dripping from his hairline. Bucky reached behind his head, pulled his last and largest semi-automatic. Bucky clenched the gun in his good hand, shooting over Steve's shoulder and taking out the remaining men blocking the door. For a brief second Bucky's eyes cleared. "Keep her safe, punk," he whispered roughly. Then he turned and charged towards the oncoming men and the fire.
Darcy took a breath and was about to scream for Bucky but Steve swept her up, threw her over his uninjured shoulder, and ran out the door and along the narrow walkway that led back to the helipad and the Quinjet. Running, the jet was less than two minutes away. He'd drop her there, grab another gun and more ammo and go back for…
A sudden explosion rocked the walkway. The metal beams supporting the walkway groaned and buckled. They were falling down the mountainside. Steve pulled Darcy in close hoping to shield her body from both falling debris and the impact when they landed.
It was so cold when he woke up. He fought against old memories, ice and cold, anger and pain, sadness and loss, Bucky… But he wasn't as cold as he could have been, Darcy lay partially draped over him; he could hear her cursing Grunwald. He groaned softly as he tried to sit up.
"Oh Cap, thank god. For a while I thought you might be dead, but you were still breathing, and I'm really not good at first aid, I wasn't sure what I should do, It's freaking cold down here, I don't know how we're going to get all the way back up there, you weren't waking up, Your shoulder is bleeding and your leg is even worse, I'm really worried about Bucky, and I was seriously starting to freak out..."
"Breathe Darcy breathe." He chuckled and then groaned again as pain lanced through his side. That was likely a broken rib. He could see she was still anxious. "We're going to be fine and Bucky's come out worse situations than this. He's probably looking for us now." He wasn't certain of that but now was not the time to share that with her. He put his hand up to the comm in his ear. "Stark…" all he could hear was silence.
"EMP," Darcy reminded him. "My cell is fried too."
He sat up carefully, looked around, and began to access their situation. They were on a small outcrop approximately 700 feet below where the walkway had previously been, he was injured, there was no way to contact the rest of the team, and she was not dressed for the freezing temperatures. They had no weapons between them, but he still had his shield. Thankfully, the mountain though steep looked climbable, they rolled quite a bit as they gone down, but there seemed to be a path that led back up to the factory.
She sat beside him; he startled slightly when he heard the clatter of her teeth. Her lips were so pale and she was shivering violently. He began pulling at the straps of his uniform. If he could get the top off, she'd be at least a little warmer. The long-sleeved Henley he wore under his uniform would be enough.
"Cap?" her voice was shaky. "Not that I'd mind a strip show, but umm what the hell are you doing? It's freezing out here." She huffed out a small laugh.
He finally got the last strap free, and tried to pull the uniform top off. It was stuck to his shoulder where the blood had begun to clot. He reached over and took a hand full of snow, gritted his teeth and packed the snow around the wound. It loosened just enough to pull the uniform top off. He handed it to her. "It's a little bloody and wet but it'll help keep you warm. I got a higher metabolism because of the super serum. The cold doesn't bother me anyway." It was a bit of a lie, the cold didn't bother him… much.
"Oh now there's a pop-culture reference we'll have to explore after we get home." She began giggling like mad but put his top on anyway. It came down to her mid-thigh, and the sleeves were far too long, but she sighed and pulled it close, sniffing the neckline. "It smells like freedom and justice."
Steve rolled his eyes and stood up. His side hurt, he could feel the serum trying to heal him even though something wasn't quite lined up right. They would probably have to rebreak the rib to set it right. Fortunately, the bullets had only grazed his shoulder and his thigh, and both wounds were on the same side as the injured rib. The wound to his shoulder was already beginning to close. His bullet wound to his thigh was slightly deeper but probably wouldn't require stitches.
He held out a hand to Darcy. She was wearing jeans and boots. He wasn't certain the boots were sturdy enough for the trek back up, but they didn't have much choice. "How long was I out?"
"I'm not sure," she grunted as she took his hand and stood. "My cell's fried; I couldn't keep track of the time. I don't think it was that long… maybe 5- 10 minutes?"
He noticed she was holding her left hand funny. "You okay?" He gently took her left hand, her skin was ice cold.
She made a small noise of pain. "I think I might have sprained it. You're not a small guy ya know." She glanced towards the edge of the outcrop. He took a step closer to the edge and realized there was a fairly steep drop below it.
He shook his head. "You pulled me back from the edge?" She nodded. "While I was unconscious?" She nodded again. He pulled her into a hug.
He looked at the snow surrounding them. Now he could see they landed very near the edge of the ridge and she had dragged him away from the edge. She burrowed closer to him. "You're like a furnace. How are you still so warm?" She mumbled into chest.
"Like I said, I got a higher metabolism." He held her for a moment, relishing what he would never have outside of these unusual circumstances. "As much as I'd love to stay here and just hold you, I think we'd better get moving." He chuckled softly.
She let out a heavy sigh and stepped back. "Okay Cap. You're the boss." She looked around. "So where are we headed?"
He pointed to the slight indentation in the foliage. "That looks like the head of a trail, and it appears to head back up towards the factory."
"That looks pretty steep," she said warily. "I've never climbed a mountain before."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah well we don't have much of a choice."
She started fiddling with her wrist. "Might be helpful if we had had some rope, right?" He gave her a puzzled look. She held her right hand out. "I can't get it off." He didn't move. "It's an emergency bracelet, it has 20 ft. of paracord if you take it apart right."
It took a few moments, but Steve removed the bracelet, unwound it, and had them strapped together, Darcy on one end and Steve on the other.
She kept up a steady stream of complaints as they trekked back up. He could have been up the mountain far sooner by himself, but it was far too cold to leave Darcy here and to climb alone and with his broken and misaligned rib Steve couldn't carry her. He thought the climb would take less than an hour or so but the temperatures were low and he worried that the cold might get to her before they could reach the Quinjet, and the rest of the team. They were out of options, all they had was the climb.
His impulsive reaction to finding her was eating him alive. She was Bucky's girl. He knew better. Something about her had him tied in knots and he had no idea what to do about it. 'Man with a Plan' bah. He felt terrible. They neared what Steve thought might be the halfway point. Darcy had grown quiet. The higher altitude meant thinner air. He knew his body could handle the changes better than hers could and just as he was about to turn back to check on Darcy, he felt a sharp tug from the rope around his waist. She was lying on the ground. He had spent enough time in the colder climes while hunting down HYDRA to know exactly what was going on. She was bordering on hypothermia.
"Darcy?" He whispered her name softly as he checked her over. Her lips were blue and she wasn't shivering any more. He lifted her off of the snow-covered ground and held her on his lap. Her eyes were unfocused as she turned to him.
"Hey, Blondie! What's a place like you doing in a guy like this?" Her words were slurred and she began to struggle against him as he held her. "Damn, it's hot in here." She began to pull at the uniform shirt, trying to take it off.
He struggled with her as he tried to convince her to keep it on. "Darce, you can't take that off, it's too cold out here."
Her movements grew slow and sluggish. She squinted at him. "Hey anybody ever tell you, you kinda look like Johnny Storm? Don't worry; I won't hold that against you." She giggled. "But you could hold me against you, I'd be fine with that…" She went limp.
Her respirations and pulse were slow and irregular. "Hold on doll." He grunted as he stood struggling to ignore the searing pain. Injuries be damned, he wasn't sure if Bucky had made it out of there alive but he was certain he'd get Darcy back safe.
The cold seeped into his skin, even the super serum couldn't hold off the effect forever. He trudged on, the incline grew steeper, and he stumbled. He bit back a noise of pain as he fell to his knees the injured rib and thigh were screaming at him but he kept moving. He hated the cold. She was so still and quiet in his arms. He checked on her, there was no change, but at least she hadn't gotten any worse. He got back up and moved on. It was midday but the visibility was poor, it had begun to snow, his shoulder and his side hurt, his strength was flagging, and all Steve wanted to do was lie down and sleep.
"Steve!" He heard a voice calling his name. He realized he was kneeling in the snow. He must have stumbled again. "Steve!" It sounded closer. There was blood on the snow beside his thigh; the wound must have torn open again when he stumbled. He tried to blink away the blurriness in his vision. He was pretty sure he was hallucinating. "Steve! Come on punk, answer me!" It was Bucky's voice but it seemed to be moving away.
He tried to make his mouth cooperate. "Buck…" he was losing strength. " Bu…" He swallowed hard, and tried again. "Bucky!" he called out.
Cold. He couldn't feel his arms, wasn't certain he was holding Darcy any more. He hated the cold. He forced his eyes open.
Snow.
Dark hair and blue eyes. Ice.
He blinked and all he saw was white. He felt like he was floating.
Protect Darcy. Gotta get back to the team.
So cold.
The white faded into complete darkness.
Finally, there was warmth; it made his skin prickle and burn. The light was more subdued and he could hear noise all around but there was a soft voice urging him to open his eyes, to cooperate.
"Steve come on. We got you. You're safe. You gotta let go of Darcy, we need to get her warm." Natasha shook her head. "I don't think he's really hearing me. Just wrap them both up."
Stark had returned to the factory about twenty minutes after the walkway had collapsed. He knew which entrance Cap and Bucky had gone through. Tony had helped Bucky fight off the last of Grunwald's men and when they came out to return to the jet Bucky realized what must have happened. Tony was able to do a quick and dirty reboot to Bucky's arm and the two of them headed down the mountain to find Cap and Darcy.
They found Cap kneeling in the snow. He had almost made it back. He held Darcy up out of the snow, his grip never failing. They tried to get Cap to let her go, but Cap was incoherent. They managed to get Cap and Darcy back to the jet, but Cap still wouldn't let her go. His arms were like steel bands, he kept mumbling about keeping her safe for Bucky's sake. They took the shield off of Steve's back and wrapped the pair in warming blankets. Slowly Cap began to come around.
He could hear noise all around him and the soft murmurs of voices. His body was growing warmer and he could feel Darcy in his arms. She was still cold. He struggled to open his eyes.
"Hey punk, you awake?" Bucky's voice came from right beside him.
Steve finally forced his heavy eyes open. Bucky gave him a small smile. "Bucky," his voice was rough and scratchy.
"Steve." He could hear the relief in Bucky's voice. "Hey, we need to get you and Darce onto one of the temporary med bay beds."
Steve looked around, his eyes functioning, albeit reluctantly. They were already on the Quinjet. Natasha had already pulled down the oversized cot and was setting up the med station. The pull-down was a little larger than a twin bed and weight rated so that if they needed to lay Hulk on it they could.
With Tony, and Bucky's help, Steve was able to slowly shuffle over to the bed. He laid Darcy down and stepped back. Darcy whimpered a little as he stepped away. Natasha shook her head and tried to convince Steve to lie down as well.
"Take care of her first." He managed to mumble. Bucky helped him pull off his Henley and the rest of his damp uniform and cleaned the bullet wound on his shoulder and then moved on to the one on his thigh.
"That's gonna leave an impressive scar." Bucky chuckled as he cleaned up the ragged wound on Steve's thigh. They spoke in hushed tones as Natasha focused on Darcy.
"Think I broke a rib. It's healing crooked though." Steve complained.
Bucky's hand ran over the injured area as he assessed the injury. Steve's eyes drifted shut and a shiver that he couldn't fully blame on the cold or his injuries passed over him.
Bucky cursed in Russian. "This is going to hurt." Before Steve could ask him what he was talking about Bucky's metal hand jabbed at the broken rib and twisted hard. He grunted in pain and nearly blacked out. Then Bucky's hand was back, rubbing gently and he was talking softly to Steve. It reminded Steve a time so long ago when Bucky used to take care of a far smaller version of him. Bucky pulled a blanket tight around Steve's body and knelt in front of him talking softly.
They sat like that for some time in the jumpseats beside the pull-down. He drifted in and out of consciousness. He heard Natasha grumbling at him in Russian and suddenly he was being lifted and laid on the bed behind Darcy. He looked up to see Thor grinning at him.
"Our Lady Natasha may not be speaking a language you understand, but I do. You need additional treatment as well Captain." Thor pulled another blanket over Steve's body.
Steve gave the blonde god a weak smile. "How's Dr. Foster?"
Thor stepped back. Jane was lying on the other med bay pull-down. "The physicians at the hospital said there was nothing immediately wrong with her. Tony has said that the technology in his medical floor at the tower is far superior. So we came here, to help find you and Darcy and to take Jane back to the tower. I could fly her there faster but the trip inside the Quinjet will be smoother." Thor patted him on his uninjured shoulder "I must thank you for your care for the Lady Darcy. She is my dear friend and I know that my Jane would be very grateful for your help as well." He smiled at Steve and walked back over to sit beside Jane.
Bucky stood to the side watching as Natasha worked on Steve and Darcy. The heated blanket and the IV of warm fluids that Natasha had placed in his arm helped immensely. Steve was beginning to feel a little more alert. "How's Darcy?"
"Lucky she had you." Natasha mouth was a grim line as she worked. "She has moderate hypothermia. Her core temp is about 88 °F. You carrying her is what kept it from getting worse."
"Is she going to be alright though, long-term?" At some point, someone had removed most of Darcy's clothes and he could feel her cold body beside him. He pulled her close and she seemed to relax as his natural body heat helped warm her.
Natasha sighed and cupped his cheek. "She'll be fine. We've got to warm her slowly so that she doesn't go into shock but I think we can do that safely." Her head tilted slightly and a wicked grin twitched in the corner of her mouth.
She turned to Bucky and spoke rapidly in Russian. Bucky shook his head. Steve watched, Bucky was still very good at concealing his feelings and emotions but Steve had gotten good at reading the subtle differences. Bucky and Natasha went back and forth a few times. Bucky seemed flustered, almost embarrassed but he finally cut his eyes at Natasha and began to take off his uniform.
"Steve, roll on your side, open your blanket and pull Darcy back against you. She needs the skin to skin contact." Steve did as he was told, it took a few moments of careful maneuvering, but finally he lay with his back to the wall and Darcy on her side with her back to him. Natasha turned to Bucky who was now standing in front of them in only his boxers. She gestured to the bed and he crawled in as well. "You both have a far higher natural body temperature. With the two of you on either side of her, and the warm IV fluids she'll recover much faster."
Natasha pulled the warming blanket tight around the three of them. "Don't massage her or move her limbs, it could force the cold blood in her extremities toward her heart and that could be dangerous. She needs to warm up slowly. We should be in New York in about nine hours. Try to get some rest." She gave them a wry grin and went back up to the cockpit with Tony and Clint.
"So… this is slightly awkward." Steve gave Bucky a crooked grin.
"Ain't like we never shared a cot in Germany." Bucky said gruffly.
"Yeah but those were-"
"—extenuating circumstances?" Bucky cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah but-"
"And this isn't an extenuating circumstance?" Bucky smirked.
"Least she smells better than you." He grinned at Bucky. "How's your head doing?"
Bucky reached up to where the blood had been earlier. "Serum's doing its job. I'm mostly healed up. Tasha said it's a good thing I'm so thickheaded."
Steve chuckled. "M'glad you're okay. Me'n Darce were worried bout you." His eyes were getting heavy.
"Go to sleep, Punk."
"Shut up, Jerk." Steve mumbled as he dozed off.
When Steve awoke later, the noise of the Quinjet's engine's was gone. There were a few dim lights on, but everyone else had already left the jet. Darcy lay asleep in front of him. Bucky had rolled unto his back in his sleep and her head was pillowed on Bucky's shoulder. He sighed softly in relief; her skin had its beautiful healthy glow again.
JARVIS' voice spoke very softly to him from a speaker nearby. "According to Ms. Romanov, Ms. Lewis' health is much improved. All of her vitals are now registering normal. Ms. Romanov said you are welcome to leave the Quinjet whenever you so choose. The Jet is docked in the hanger at Avengers Tower. However, there is a worsening snowstorm outside, and seeing as the hanger is not temperature regulated you may wish to remain in the heated jet during the duration of the storm. According to the Doppler radar the storm should pass within the next four hours."
Steve grimaced, he hated the cold. "Thank you JARVIS."
"It is no trouble Captain Rodgers. If you have need of anything else, just let me know."
He sighed heavily. They were both still asleep and he needed to figure out how to get up without disturbing them. He carefully pulled the edge of the blanket from behind him and tucked it around Darcy and Bucky. Then he tried to carefully extricate himself from the bed.
"You're too big to try to be sneaky." Bucky said softly.
Steve shook his head, of course Bucky was awake. He was probably awake as soon as JARVIS started speaking. "Was just trying to give you and Darcy some space. You don't need me crowding you and your girl." Steve continued to try to climb off the pull-down.
He went still when Bucky's large warm hand rested on his waist. "What if I wanted you to stay?" Bucky's voice was low and husky. Steve startled for a moment and then looked in his best friends eyes. He could see Bucky meant all the things Steve thought might be implied in that simple question.
Steve's mind raced through the possibilities, but he shook his head. "I can't do that Buck. I like Darcy too much to come between the two of you."
He heard a quiet giggle from Darcy. "What if we want you to come between us?" She rolled over to face Steve, the blanket falling open a bit. "Or I could come between the two of you. Or Bucky could be in the middle. You know whatever works best." She laid a soft hand on his chest and gave him a coy smile.
Steve did his best to avert his eyes, she lay right in front of him in nothing but a few scraps of lace that could hardly be called undergarments. He focused on her face instead. "Darcy…" One look at her devious smile told him she was not going to be the voice of reason here. "Bucky, I…" Bucky's full lower lip was caught between his teeth and he had almost the same smile as Darcy. "I… I… I…" he stammered.
"It's cold outside. Stay in here and we can keep warm together." She whispered. Her hand snaked up his chest to tangle in the fine hairs at the back of his neck as Bucky's hand drifted lower.
He could feel a dark red blush spread across his face. "I… I don't think…"
"Then don't think." Her words ghosted across his lips. He glanced once more at his best friend, a man he had cared for since childhood. Bucky's smile was flirty and seductive, the smile he usually reserved for dames, and this time it was directed full force at him.
Steve's heart caught in his throat. "Are you sure? Cause I don't know if I… if you…" he swallowed hard.
Darcy glanced over her shoulder at Bucky. He nodded. "We're sure, but if you don't want-"
"Oh, I want." He allowed himself to give in. His eyes slipped shut as he gave into the urge to kiss her. His hand slid down and ghosted over where Bucky held him. Bucky's hand cupped his ass and pulled the three of them together. Steve smiled into the kiss, he would kiss Bucky next. Shortly after he awoke from the ice, he had decided if he felt he wanted something, to go for it. Tomorrow was never guaranteed.