Frostbite

Two

I jolted awake as the jet touched the ground. Glancing out the window, I saw that we had finally reached the small, private airport in D.C. It had snowed recently, but there was very little of it left on the ground. I stretched lazily and grabbed my bag before heading to the exit, ready to leave.

"I hope you enjoyed your flight," the stewardess greeted me at the door.

"Yes, it was fine. Thank you," I flashed her a quick smile and rushed down the stairs. I figured a cab would be waiting to take me to my new condo, but when I glanced up, I was shocked to see Steve sitting on his bike, grinning at me. I stopped dead in my tracks and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Tony told me when you'd be landing, and I figured this would be better than a cab," he explained, amused by the expression on my face.

"I do love riding on your bike," I smiled, "You have to get crazy looks from people who see you riding it around at this time of year." He just shrugged his shoulders in response. I closed the distance between us and slipped my bag over my shoulders, climbing on behind him.

"So, how's Tony?" he finally asked, starting the Harley. I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, not wanting to tell him.

"Honestly... Not great. He's been having nightmares and barely sleeping. I went down into his workshop, and he's gone insane with building new suits. He's not handling it well. It's only been six months, but still..." I trailed off, worrying about my brother.

"He'll be okay. He has Pepper when you're not there," he reassured me before revving the engine and speeding towards the exit. I kept silent, not so sure.

I assumed that he knew where he was going. The building was just up the river from the Triskelion, so it was convenient for work. I didn't even have to move anything in since I didn't have much to begin with. Phoebe, the real-estate agent that I had left in charge of everything, had went ahead and furnished the place for me and gotten everything ready while I was away.

The time flew by, and I took in the scenery on either side of us. I almost didn't realize that we had made it until we pulled into the parking garage and Steve parked his bike.

The building was a few stories tall, and my condo was on the top floor. The building had a heated pool and several other amenities that apartments usually have. We both climbed off the bike, and I pulled my keys from my pocket. Phoebe had sent them while I was at Tony's.

My cars were already parked inside, waiting for me. I owned a white 2011 Lexus LFA. Tony had bought it for me as a birthday present right before he finished Stark Tower. Steve had finally taken it for a ride a few weeks ago and fell in love with it. I swear he was trying to plot ways to get me to give it to him.

I also had a blue 2010 Supercharged Jeep Sahara that I had bought myself. Tony finally had it shipped here from his place in Malibu. He hated it, saying it was bulky, but I loved it.

We waited for the elevator to open, and we stepped in. I punched in my apartment code and the doors shut, taking us up. It dinged when we hit the top floor and opened into the entry hallway. Steve let me step out first, so I could punch in the second code into the touch pad on the wall. It controlled everything in the condo, the security system, the thermostat, and the works. It would sound an alarm and notify the authorities if I didn't put the code in under a certain amount of time.

Once I finished, I threw the keys on a table, looking around. I went into the living room and admired how well Phoebe had done. It was beautiful. I definitely had to call her and offer praise in the morning. Steve followed me and whistled in appreciation.

"So how much did you pay for this place?" he asked curiously, still looking around impressed.

"Uh- It was only like three million," I told him offhandedly. He stared at me in surprise.

"Hey- I figured I'd be here for a while, so why not?" I explained defensively. He chuckled and put his hands up to stop me.

"I'm not judging you. It's great Mel," he assured me.

"You know, I have plenty of room. You could always stay in one of the extra bedrooms," I offered, smirking over at him, already knowing his answer. He laughed and shook his head.

"Thanks, but I couldn't impose on you like that and- I have a lease," he declined teasingly. I shrugged my shoulders and headed into the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked, opening the fridge. Phoebe had asked for a grocery list, so she could send her assistant out to shop for me. She had really gone out of her way.

"No thank you. I actually wanted to ask you something before I left," he told me, suddenly appearing nervous. I grabbed a soda and popped the tab open, taking a drink before responding.

"What's up?" I asked curiously, taking a seat at the island. He sat next to me, pondering how to phrase what he was going to say.

"There's a Leukemia ball at the Walter E. Washington convention center this Saturday and I've been sent tickets from Alexander Pierce, and I couldn't really reject them. There's going to be a lot of people there and I'm not used to this sort of thing. I- I was hoping you'd be my plus one?" he rambled, running his hand through his hair.

I felt blood rising to my cheeks and I ducked my head down, letting my hair cascade around my face, hiding my pleased grin. Composing myself, I looked back up at him and smiled coyly.

"Like as a date?"

"Yes, as a date," he confirmed, trying to appear nonchalant.  I could feel butterflies stir in my stomach at his words. Unbelievable.

"I'd be delighted to be your date, Captain," I agreed happily. He flashed me a dazzling smile, lighting up his handsome face, relieved that I agreed.

"That's weird that he just gave you tickets, though. Maybe it's a thank you for joining S.H.I.E.L.D? You'll definitely boost our reputation... So, what time should I pick you up?" I asked him, taking another drink.

"Wait- what?" he asked, perplexed.

"Well, I assume I have to wear a dress. I definitely can't sit on the back of your bike like I would've a horse in the early twentieth century," I scoffed, enjoying the look on his face. He gave me a sour look and squinted his eyes in disapproval.

"Fine. Hold on," I huffed at him, knowing what he wanted. I slid out of my seat and walked back toward the door. I had noticed my car keys hanging on hooks when we walked past. Grabbing the Lexus keys, I walked back into the kitchen and tossed them to him, which he snatched from the air.

"You hurt my baby- I hurt you," I warned him, leaning onto the counter.

"You have my word," he promised, trying to keep a straight face. We were both silent for a few moments.

"Well, I should probably let you get some sleep. I'll see you Saturday," he told me, standing from his seat.

"Mhm. You just want to hurry up and drive that car," I ribbed.

"I plead the fifth," he said, holding his hands up in defense. I rolled my eyes and followed him into the hallway.

"See you then. I can't wait," I enthused, smiling.

"I can't either," he admitted. He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. Flashing me a brilliant smile, he got into the elevator and pushed the down arrow. I waited until the doors closed and wandered back into the kitchen, dazed. A date with Steve...