More than a gift

Unwrapping her gift a little early

She banged on his door. "Rogers! I know you're in there. Open this damn door before I break it in."  

Elena gave the door a good kick. Forgetting she wasn't wearing shoes.

Well, shit! Now her freaking big toe hurts, but she's too angry to care.

Steve answered the door in nothing but a dark grey towel that hung low on his hips leaving very little to the imagination. She forgot about her hurt toe as her eyes traveled down his damp sculpted chest to the deep V leading into the towel.

Focus Elena!

She finally noticed that he's got his cell phone in one hand, the other holds his towel in place. Knowing he's on the phone with Bucky, she yells at the both of them. "You hang up that phone right now. James, I said I'd deal with you later!"

Tony popped his head out into the hall telling them it was 1:30 in the morning and to shut the hell up. Elena flipped him off as she shoved past Steve into his room.

He closed the door as he hung up and put his phone down on his coffee table. Grabbing the dark blue cotton pajama pants that were slung over the back of the couch he slipped them on under the towel. Semi dressed he walks further into the room, but keeps his distance in case she goes after him.

"Elena, I'm sorry. I know I overstepped when I told Bucky, but I knew you wanted to tell him and didn't know how." He says in that annoying Captain America 'I know best' voice.

Pacing around his living room she thought back to when she'd been briefly grateful that he had talked to Bucky.

No, she was mad at him!

He took what was a private conversation, granted in a public place and he told Bucky without consulting her.

"Why?" She asked, pausing her pacing to look up at him.

He starts to explain himself. "Bucky's my best friend and if he's happy then I'm happy." He says simply, shrugging his large shoulders.

What did that even mean?

"I'm supposed to be your best friend too, Steve. Don't you think you should have said something to me before running behind my back to Bucky?" He looks like he just realizes his mistake.

"Yes. Yes, I should have. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again, Elena. I promise." Having him acknowledge he was wrong took some of her anger away, but not by much.

"Why Steve?" She asked him again. He looks at her with confusion. "Why would you volunteer to be our third?"

Finally understanding her question, he walks over to sit on the edge of his small couch. Elena can tell he's nervous by the way he's running his hands up and down the tops of his thighs.

"I like you, Elena. As a friend of course, but once I heard your conversation with Nat and Wanda. I'm not going to lie, it made me think of you in a different light. I think that's why I might have jumped the gun and went to Bucky before speaking to you."

Steve had imagined them together as threesome. Did he want Bucky that way too?

No, Bucky hadn't been surprised by her description of what she wanted and he had asked her what she wanted them to do to her. Not what Elena wanted them to do to each other.

Honestly, she didn't know if she wanted to do this anymore. It was one thing to fantasize. It was another thing to actually do it.

Seeing the conflict on her face, Steve thought she was backing out. He hesitantly tells her, "Bucky told me that if you were comfortable we could see if we have any chemistry. If we don't we can drop this. If we do, all I ask is that you think about it."