Ice Princess

21

Melinoe got up and was walking around the cabin to loosen her legs. She brought Rocket something to drink.

"What's his problem?" Rocket asked.

"I don't think space travel agrees with him." She said looking back at Bucky. "So how long will it take for us to get to this Mithrandia place?"

"A few more hours. How about you try taking buddy boy's mind off zipping through a vacuum in a tin can awhile."

"Ah, Rocket, that's why I love you best. You always have a way with words." She kissed his cheek, if he could blush, she would have. It did make him feel warm and fuzzy all over, even if he already was warm and fuzzy all over. Making her way to the back, she bit into an apple. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, being confined for long periods of time. I don't like it."

"But you travel all the time in quinjets, for the same amount of time. You were on planes longer than that in World War 2. What's different now?"

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the whole space thing." He was flipping his blade in his hand.

"Sit down." She patted a seat next to where she was sitting and finished her apple tossing the core in the trash. Then wiping her hands off, did the same with a napkin. "I'm not going to bite."

"Some of the prettiest plants are the most dangerous." He said sitting down.

"I don't know if I should be offended being compared to a plant or just being pretty." She started to rub her hands together.

"What are you going to do?"

"Just hold still." The friction of her hands rubbing together quickly created heat. Placing her fingertips on his temples, she massaged with her thumbs from the center of his forehead out to her fingertips. For each worry line on his forehead she did a single pass, then repeated again warming up her hands again and again, until his face relaxed more. He loved her touch and it did feel really good for her to do what she did. "Now, how does that feel." Her voice calm and gentle.

"Better, much better." He kept his eyes closed as he breathed in a mix of their two scents thanks to the jacket. He decided he liked it. Bucky slightly nuzzled her hand, before she could withdraw either of them. The need to kiss her palm was great.

"Rocket said you needed to be distracted. Tell me a story." She began massaging each one of his fingers slowly and methodically.

"About what?"

"Tell me about Steve. Sam said it was the easiest way to distract you."

"That feels really good." He began to tell her about Steve and how they met. When Melinoe felt his right hand had enough, she switched to his left hand. Bucky paused in his story and waited wanted to see what she would do. But she treated the left hand with the same attention as she did the right. And he could feel it. "He would have really liked you."

Melinoe was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't process that not only had Bucky stopped telling his story about Steve, but had taken her hair down, the pins being dropped on the floor around them. She gasped as one hand tangled in her hair and the other lifted her out of her seat into his lap straddling him. His lips crashing on hers and her hands resting on his chest. Melinoe didn't push him away, didn't stiffen up, but relaxed into his warmth. Bucky's kiss started out soft but became firmer, his tongue seeking to feel hers tracing over her bottom lip until she gave him entrance. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Bucky backed them both up until her back was against a wall in the ship. Grabbing both of her hands and holding them with one of his above her head, caused her to arch her back so her front was pressed up against him. He could feel her heat from her core on his abs. His mouth catching and quieting her moan as a rumble went through his chest. Breaking the kiss, he worked his way down her jab to her neck, finding that place where a woman's neck and shoulder joined her began nibbling and sucking. A mew escaped her lips. Then, Bucky dropped her. Looking down at her with vehemence.

"Is this what you do?" He asked her.

"What?"

"Is this what you did to your lawyer boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Good. At least he was able to stop himself from your seduction."

"My what?" She looked up at him, clearly hurt. "Let's just get this done." Pushing herself up from the floor, she walked past him. Taking off his jacket, she put it in his chair. Walking up to Rocket she sat on the floor beside him.

"Well, how did it go?" Rocket asked her.

"Well, he's distracted now." She rested her head against his chair. "Tell me about the world we are going to."

"Well, I and buddy boy will fit in fine."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a planet where Terran-like people modify themselves in big ways. His arm would seem like a minor modification though. You on the other hand, we need to make you look different."

"How different?"

"Maybe paint your skin a different color, add a tail, something." She removed her necklace placing it in her pocket.

"Will this do?"

"How did you do that?"

"Dr. Strange." She hadn't told Rocket yet about what she had learned over the past few days. Even her head was still spinning from it.

"That will work." Bucky made his way into the cockpit.

"He's right here, you blind?" Rocket told him. Melinoe got up, not looking at him. Walking past, he saw the bite mark on her lower neck. His mark.

Melinoe made her way to the back of the ship, picking up all the pins Bucky had raked out of her hair and began putting it back up. Satisfied, she looked through some of the compartments for something to cover her neck. She found a scarf, draping it over her head and wrapped it around her neck. Then, she found a woman's jacket, it was a little big, but would do. Making her way back to her seat, she put her ear buds in and began listening, taking a meditative posture, she was able to focus herself to where nothing existed around her. It was her only retreat from Bucky in such a small and confined area. Bucky came up to her.

"We need to talk." But she didn't respond. "Hey." He took out one of the earbuds and she didn't respond. Listening to what was playing it was all a jumble, noise. "What are you listening to?"

"It's how she meditates. People as smart as her have a hard time doing it. So she takes all these songs and layers them one on top of another. It causes her to focus on one, then she picks one note and focuses on it. By that time, she's sealed out everything else. Her head's always working on things, problems. It's the only way she can relax. Don't worry, she'll be done before we get there." Rocket explained.

"Who taught her this?" Bucky asked.

"I did. For her, it's either drugs or this."