Cracking the Ice

Stripping

You were soon in front of the cottage and Steve was looking for keys in his pockets.
"I can't believe this," Steve almost growls.
"You dropped the keys, did you not?" You shutter out. Steve mumbles something under his breath. You really want to say something to him about keeping keys safe, but you don't. He probably lost them when he jumped into the water after you and you knew he just did it to save you. Even though you would have managed the situation yourself. You opened your wet jacket that slowly was turning into ice and closed your hand over your lock-picking set. You gave a small thanks that you had not lost in the water and got it out. Steve looked at you and saw what you had in your hand. He took a step to the side and let you get access to the door. You kneeled in front of the door and when to work. After a short while, you got the door open. If your hands had not been cold and stiff the door would have been open much faster. You open the door and step inside the cottage.

Steve took off his shoes and walked over to the fireplace to start a fire. You took off your ice-covered jacket and tossed it on the floor by the door. Then you crouched down to take off your shoes. How could your entire body hurt and be numb at the same time? And you were so cold. You looked at your our hands and saw they were blue and your fingers were hard to bend.
When you got your shoes off you started to take off your ski pants, but it was hard to open the sipper. After a short while struggling you got it down and could pull the pants off. You looked around the room and walked over to your bag to get dry cloths. With the bag in hand, you walked over to the door that you thought would lead you to a bedroom. But when you opened the door, it was a small bathroom. Too small for you to get out of your clothes without hurting yourself on the sink, bathtub or toilet. You close the door and look around for another door, but there was none. That meant you needed to get out of your clothes here. In front of Steve. This was going to be awkward, but it was important to get the cold clots of quickly so you did not get sick. Or Steve might not get sick, but you certainly would. Steve still has his back to you so you start with taking off your thick sweater. Your hands were still stiff, so it was kind of a struggle to get it off.
Steve turned around and just looked at you. His face was red. Was he blushing or was it his skin getting warm?
"What are you doing?" he cleared his throat.
"I am taking off my wet and cold cloths," you answered crouching down to take off your socks. Steve looked around the room and his eyes stayed on the bathroom door. He took a step forward.
"There is no use in trying to change in there," you say as you were trying to get off your other sock. "It is too small for me to change in, so you can imagine how it will be for you." Steve sigh.
"Just change here, Steve," you make a gesture in the room. "We are both adults and we need to get these clothes off before we get sick." Steve nod and pulls off his sweater. You try not to look at him, but it is hard. He was the most gorgeous man you had ever seen, and let's face it you worked with a couple of mouth-watering men. So you start with unbuttoning your pants, you see Steve taking off his ski pants in your peripheral vision. You tried to keep your eyes away from his form, but were you really going to get to see him naked? If you weren't so cold, you probably would blush.
"Bucky is going to kill me when he finds out about this," Steve did a gesture against you.
"What do you mean?" you wondered as you were pulling your pants down in front of him.
"We are basically stripping in front of each other," Steve mumbled and his face became redder. How was that possible?
"And why would Bucky care about that?" you tilt your head to the side.
"I don't think he would like it that his girlfriend is stripping in front of his best friend," Steve's face really red.
"Girlfriend?" you get out. Letting the stripping comment pass you by.
"Yes, you," Steve looks away from you.
"I am not Bucky's girlfriend," you laugh. Steve though you and Bucky were together. This was hilarious.
"I know you are," Steve gets and you look up.
"I think I would know if I had a boyfriend," you say, not laughing anymore. Was he serious?
"Then why would Bucky ask me to have your back?" Steve took a step forward. The undressing had stopped. The air felt thick and you had problems with breathing. What was happening?
"Maybe because he is my best friend," you state. "Because he cares about me and doesn't want anything bad to happen to me when he can't be with me to have my back." Steve nods and looks away again. You take a deep breath and pull of your t-shirt. Your hands were still a bit stiff, but the fire in the cabin was starting to help.
"I still can't believe you think Bucky and I are together?" you say after a while. It had been gnawing on your mind.
"What should I have believed? You walk around in his shirts in the morning after you leave his room early." Steve turns around and his eyes got big. You are now standing in front of him in your underwear.
"I used to walk around in your shirts as well, but we were not together," you tilt your head, trying to read Steve. He looks away from you.
"That is different," he says, still not looking at you.
"How is it different?" you wonder still not getting it. How was it different? You had been friends just like Bucky and you. And you had stolen Steve shirts because they smelled like him and made you feel safe. Well, it was different for you. You did not steal Bucky's shirts for the same reason. Sometimes it was because your shirt was wet from tears so you take Bucky's shirt instead. Other times it was because you were cold.
"It just is," Steve huffs out and walks over to the small couch. You drop the subject and start pulling out dry clothes from your bag. When you pull out a sweater a red lace bra falls out. Bucky you think and hold in a groan. He was messing with you and you were not enjoying it. You quickly put the bra back in your bag praying that Steve had not seen it.

Steve looked back at Y/N just the same moment as she accidentally pulled out a red lace bra from her bag. He looked away and cursed under his breath. She wore things like that? This was going to be torture being around her after seeing that. And knowing that Bucky got to see her in those. Sure she had told him that they weren't together, but Steve just could not believe it. Not like Bucky was talking about her or her wearing Bucky's shirts. Yes, she had been right, she used to wear his shirts, but she never sent as many nights in Steve's room as she did Bucky. Steve tried not to look at her undressing, she was not his to look at and he did not want to be a creep. He hurries up with his undressing and changed into dry clothes. When he was dressed he walked over to one of the bags and pulled out the encrypted phone and called Fury to let him know the situation. The news Steve got from Fury was not what he had expected.

You look at Steve standing by the window with a scowl on his face. He was looking out and you took the time to admire how good he looked dressed in sweats and a thick sweater. You wanted to go over there and give him a hug, but things between the two of you were not like they used to be. Then it would have been a normal thing, now it was distant that Steve seemed to want. Which he was going to get when you got back to the compound. Leaving the team, who where your only family, was going to be hard, but you needed to get over Steve. You finished dressing and walked over to the fire to warm up. You put your hands out in front of you and close your eyes. The warmth from the fire was lovely against your cold fingers and you could feel your body starting to heat up. You heard Steve end the call and you waited for him to tell you what Fury had said.

"There is a snowstorm coming. The back-up is on the way, but we have orders to stay here in the cabin until everything blows over." Steve says and walks over to you. All you can think about is the children in that Hydra has, but you know there is nothing you can do about it. Going out in a snowstorm in Alaska, if it was bad, could mean death. And you if Fury told you to stay put, you knew you needed to do just that.
"I know you are worried about the children," Steve puts a hand on your shoulder, you could feel the heat from his hand through your thick sweater. "But we will help them."
"I know, Steve," you said and looked at the flames. "I guess we just have to wait it out. I bought some canned soup. I will go and heat it up." Steve dropped his hand from your shoulder and you walked over to your bag and got the soup out. You found a saucepan in the small kitchen that you poured the soup in and put it on the stove.
"What is that?" Steve asked after a while. You turned around and saw Steve looking at the only bed in the cottage. A queen-size bed.