#bluecurls8

Clint hit the target bull’s-eye for the one hundred and ninety-second time in a row and snorted a laugh. Natasha, meditating by a window, cracked a smile.

Darcy grinned and shook her head.  “Nah. Just people imitating polar bears by running in and out of icy water.”  She mock shuddered, pulling her arms in tight across her chest.  After Darcy left Jane’s lab and became the Avengers’ media/social media liaison, her wardrobe shifted from bulky sweaters and ratty jeans to professional, vintage-chic pencil skirts and tailored, silk blouses.

Steve forced his gaze away from Darcy and reminded himself that she was in a relationship.  He’d seen her having lunch with Ian just the previous day, laughing together with the lucky-as-hell young man (a sight that always bothered Steve so much he had to avoid them). He frowned at himself with impatient censure and resumed his exercise, giving Sam a look that chided his friend into resuming exercise as well.  “Well, to be honest, I like my odds with an actual polar bear better than the idea of the other stuff you mentioned.”  Steve resumed counting his reps in the vain hope of cooling his ardor. He could hardly walk sometimes after being around Darcy.  She shifted closer and he reveled in the scent combination of spicy perfume and femininity that was unique to Darcy Lewis. Intoxicating.

Since the day Darcy Lewis arrived at Avengers Tower, he’d been gone on her.  Meeting her boyfriend moments later had been a crushing disappointment, but hadn’t stopped Steve from wishing things different. Soon after her arrival, Steve went out on a long mission and tried to forget Darcy, but failed. He dreamed about her every night and fantasized about her every day, even more after he returned and got to know her. She watched movies with him sometimes, and he made a point of watching the classics that were on her ‘must-see, but haven’t seen yet’ list.  It was fun for him to see films with someone who didn’t know what to expect anymore than he did, to just enjoy them without feeling like he had to understand why each film was a cultural touchstone for the other viewer.  And Darcy was FUNNY.  So, then, he liked and cared about her in addition to being sexually obsessed.  He avoided knowing gazes from mind-reading Wanda on a regular basis.

Darcy unconsciously fanned herself with her StarkPad.  She supposed that early and frequent hot flashes were inevitable, given that she’d been single for months now and was surrounded by specimens of perfection. She’d never known push ups could be so exciting, but Steve Rogers was doing them and he was unfairly beautiful. And nice. And sassy.  And the literal man of her hottest dreams. It made her uneasy to know that there was someone around who could read her mind.  The impatient looks Wanda Maximoff gave her sometimes confirmed that Darcy’s sordid fantasies weren’t totally private (and that the younger woman didn’t care to experience Darcy’s perspective on Steve).  But, it wasn’t like Darcy could stop fantasizing about Steve Rogers.  She hadn’t had it this bad for anyone, ever before.

The careful, seemingly infinite, distance Steve put between them drove her to distraction, like the rest of him. He’d obviously put her in the friend zone and she could only wish she was interesting to the one man she thought near perfection.

Wanda magically crashed two weights together in mid-air and let out a noise like a low growl.  Tony chuckled grimly and pushed himself harder than before. Clint shot another bull’s-eye, this time on a target flying through the air fifty feet away.

Steve’s muscles rippled with every movement. The idea of seeing even more of his gorgeous body left Darcy’s mouth dry and her lips buzzing with the ever-growing desire to nip at his skin.  There was a place at the juncture of his neck and his sculpted shoulder.  She wanted to taste that spot, had nearly assaulted him while watching movies together more than once.  She imagined Steve moaning her name, then switched to imagining that she was lying beneath him as he parted her thighs and pushed home.  His lips…

“Darcy?  Do you hear me?”  Steve paused push ups again, arms extended.  His brow furrowed as he peered up at her, obviously concerned.  Sam took the opportunity to lie down and rest again. He faced away from Steve and Darcy, determined not to get pulled into their nonsense.

Across the gym, Wanda gave up on her exercises and stomped out, muttering, “both are blind and determined to stay that way, unhappier and unhappier. I don’t know how much more I can stand.”  Tony frowned as he heard Wanda’s rant.  He restarted his movement combination, trying to regain his focus and concentration.

Clint glanced at Steve and Darcy, shook his head impatiently, and went after Wanda. “Hey, kid!” Natasha closed her eyes more tightly and continued her meditation.

Darcy fanned herself more and shook her head.  “Yeah. It’s Coney Island people raising money for sick kids and their families, but I’ll just tell them you can’t be bothered.”

Hurt flashed across Steve’s face and Darcy opened her mouth to apologize.  He forgave her even before she could speak. “I know you didn’t mean it, Darcy.  You’re just trying to get me to do something good for people.”  

She nodded, answering smile tremulous.  He understood her so well.  Why couldn’t he like her as more than a friend?  Every insecurity she’d ever had chimed in to answer that self-destructive question.  

Steve’s brow furrowed as he noted the distress in her face.  He assumed he’d put it there with his lack of response to her request. Of course he wanted to help! He hated himself for being so caught up in lust for Darcy that he disappointed her by seeming uninterested in helping sick children.  Guilt twisted his gut.

Across the room, Tony Stark stopped his martial arts workout long enough to roll his eyes in annoyance and offered, “both of you do it, and I’ll chip in a cool two million.”

Rhodey nodded.  “Good thinking.”  He continued his weight lifting routine.  Natasha smiled serenely.  Sam nodded and grunted as he resumed doing push ups.

Darcy whirled to face Tony, squeaking, “what?!”  She found herself wringing her hands and shivering with dread.  Not only had she practically forgotten that anyone else was in the room other than her and Steve, she loathed the idea of a savagely-cold polar plunge. But to bring in that much money for the kids? She’d have to do it.

The billionaire shrugged. “Why not?  Don’t you want to help sick kids and their families, Lewis? And Coney Island?”  He suppressed a grin as Darcy paled and Steve gaped, face reddening as his gaze swept up Darcy’s body for the fiftieth time that day.  Darcy’s jaw tightened as she gave a short nod of acceptance. Tony waggled his brows.  “You’re both hot enough in a bathing suit to look good handing over a giant check from me.” He called out, “Friday!  Get Lewis set up for tanning and register these two for the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge.  Make up one of those awful check props and set up the deposit to occur the moment these two goofs take the plunge.”  

He shot Steve a pointed look and prayed the Captain would understand his double meaning.  Watching Steve and Darcy lust for and misread each other had lost its entertainment value months ago.  Pepper insisted that it was important for them to figure their feelings out for themselves.  But no one had explicitly said Tony couldn’t give them a helpful push by forcing them into a shared trial… that required them to strip down.  And he could do something good for sick kids at the same time. Win, win, win.

Friday’s reply was immediate.  “Done, Boss.”

---

It was the coldest day of the year.  Icy winds whipped across the forbidding Atlantic Ocean waves. Snow fell lightly from dense, gray clouds.

Darcy shuddered and refastened a gold strap on her red surf boots, a gift from Tony that mollified her some since at least her feet would stay warm.  Doing interviews on behalf of the Avengers was old hat to her by now, but this was her first time doing one wearing a bath robe and standing in front of at least fifty people (of all genders) dressed up as chorus girls from Captain America’s WWII USO show, in addition to the crowd of thousands that had shown up for the charity spectacle. It was a party atmosphere. Darcy’s robe was Iron Man red with gold piping and had an Avengers patch on the shoulder.  She treasured the patch since she knew it was Tony’s way of declaring her part of the team, and the plush robe was sinfully soft. Its warmth would be more than welcome after she took the dreaded plunge.  She glanced towards the water as the wind raised goose bumps on her forearms. She didn’t want to think about how cold it was going to feel to go into the ocean. She jerked the robe sleeves down and curled her fingers inside.

Steve, in addition to all she always loved about him, was a PR dream.  Her only concern at events with him was the behavior of his overzealous fans.  He wore a blue robe and surf boots and smiled good-naturedly to the crowd.  If the USO-chorus wannabes fazed him, it didn’t show in his smile for the cameras.  Darcy had heard him curse Tony as their car arrived at Coney Island, so she was impressed by Steve’s deception skills.  He finished an interview and returned to Darcy’s side.

His lips tightened to a thin line as he glanced at her covered hands and took a deep breath. “It’d be better to start cooling down, Darcy.  You don’t want the water to be too much of a shock.  It’s pretty cold.”  He turned and looked out at the snow-specked ocean.  Seeing him in profile always made her think of an eagle, noble and untouchable.

Darcy looked around and realized that others were doing as he suggested.  It was almost time for the plunge and the wise were cooling off to gradually acclimate.  Lifeguards circled in the crowd and Paramedics watched the throng of participants carefully.  People set aside bathrobes and bared winter-white skin, giggling and hopping awkwardly from one foot to the other.  Officials were waiting at the announcement stand for Steve and Darcy to present Tony’s check.  Darcy unbelted her robe and gestured to her assistant, Charlotte, before taking the garment off and handing it to her.  

Steve turned his gaze back to Darcy.  His mouth fell open and he forced it shut and swallowed hard, afraid of actually drooling over the sensational sight of her in a bikini.

Wind gusted and Darcy bit back a whine, closed her eyes tight, and groused, “well, fuck me thoroughly,” as icy fury set her to shivering more than she ever had before. Her only consolations were that her skin wasn’t as ghostly white as usual for this time of year and the new bathing suit Tony had paid for was cute.  She knew that she looked good. Regardless of that kindness, she wanted to shove Tony Stark into an industrial freezer and leave him there.

Steve blurted, “gladly,” and then choked as though wishing he could unsay the word.  It took Darcy a few seconds to realize what he’d said. He blushed deeply and handed his robe to Charlotte, too.  Charlotte raised her brows and turned to take the robes to the car without a word to either of them.

Darcy opened her eyes and stared at Steve.  “Wait. What?” She was almost too shocked by what he’d said to ogle him.  Almost. His bare chest was a work of art that set her to shivering in a different way.  That spot at the base of his neck called to her.  She held her bottom lip between her teeth.

He ducked his head. “’m sorry, Darcy.  I… You’re beautiful and wonderful. I’m crazy about… I shouldn’t. Well, I… Damn. Sorry.”

She stared at him, too stunned to reply or even to respond to the organizers gesturing them over.

Steve reached out and gave her hand an apologetic squeeze and led the way.  Darcy squared her shoulders as wolf whistles sounded from the crowd.  She guessed that sort of thing was inevitable.  Steve’s physique was glorious and her figure had always attracted attention. Again, she cursed Tony. Then, replaying Steve’s words in her head, she stumbled as they took the steps. He tightened his hold on her hand and she heard him apologize to her again, sounding agonized.

Onstage, Darcy’s professionalism took hold and Steve watched her, proudly awestruck by her poise and still reeling from the sight of her beautiful figure.  He’d never been so glad for his serum-induced perfect memory. He would forever remember how gorgeous she looked. She said words of thanks to the organizers, expressed the Stark Foundation’s admiration for the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s dedication to Camp Sunshine, and worked together with Steve to present the gigantic check prop. Then, she introduced Steve.  

As her nerves settled, Darcy watched him and listened.  The muscles of his back flexed as he talked with his hands, highly distracting.  Those muscles might now fascinate her as much as that spot at the base of his neck. She struggled to escape a fantasy of licking her way over every dip and rise of his back. Steve’s USO presentation training showed. More than that, his innate goodness won the crowd over.  Even some of the inevitable protesters against Avenger-related collateral damage quieted while Steve talked about being sick when he was a child and how hard it was on his mom.  Darcy fell even more in love with him.

All too soon, they were at the start line, facing the icy waves.  The herd of excited participants shivered- some screaming happily and some looking faint. A leader gestured for Steve to get in position.  Steve grabbed Darcy’s hand and pulled her close.  “I’m not trying to be inappropriate, but please stay with me.  It looks like things might get crazy and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She gave him a small smile of appreciation while gathering her courage.

A few people got rowdy and a drunken fight broke out.  Others jeered as the troublemakers were led away by the police.  Most of the people in the crowd applauded the officers and called for the plunge to begin.  Someone started a silly two-part chant.  

“Polar!”

“Bear!”

It gained speed and volume as the excited throng volleyed the words back and forth.  The crowd jostled together restlessly.

Unable to wait any longer to ask, Darcy turned to Steve. “Before.  Did you say…?”

Steve grimaced.  “I’m sorry.  I know you’re with Ian and just think of me as a friend.  I find you so attractive…” He couldn’t help a lust-filled glance down her figure as he continued, “and I like you.  I expressed myself poorly.  And my timing was awful, just before you had to speak to the crowd. I can’t apologize enough.  I hope you can forgive me.”

Darcy shook her head, dazed. “I’m with…? I’m not dating Ian. After we came to New York, we realized that he and I wanted different things.  Ian and I are just friends now.”  She bit her lip again, excited by Steve’s confession.  Her heart filled with hope.

Steve blinked, hard. “I didn’t know.  Jane introduced him as your boyfriend that first day.”

Darcy shrugged, attempting and failing to seem blasé.  “We broke it off while you were away on a mission. I’d imagine that Captain America and the Avengers have more important concerns than the sad status of my love life these many lonely months.”  She chastised herself for not making it clear to Steve that she was single sooner.

His lips twitched into a small smile.  “Well, uh, what about Steve Rogers?”

She tilted her head, expression quizzical. “Huh?”

He chuckled nervously. “God.  I’m so bad with women. I should stop talking.  It’d be terrible if I talk about myself in the third person.”  A nervous giggle escaped her.  He sighed.  “I’m crazy about you, Darcy.  I’ve had it bad for you since we met. Would you please go out with me sometime?”

Darcy smiled, ecstatic. “Yes!  I mean… sounds good.  Stuff of my dreams kind of good, to be honest. When?”

Steve’s eyes went wide and a big smile lit up his face. It suited him.  Darcy reached up and pulled his head down so that she could give him a quick kiss on the lips.  They stood close together, overwhelmed by emotion.  Darcy’s training kicked in and she realized that their kiss would probably be caught on camera.  She couldn’t find it in herself to care.

The chanting died off as someone initiated a countdown. “10…9…8…7…6…” Overeager ‘plungers’ pushed against the start tape, stretching it and moving towards the water. “5…4…3…2…” The last number was lost amid a cacophony of shrieks, curses, and laughter as people dashed forward.  

Darcy and Steve grinned nervously at each other and ran into the surf together, hand in hand.  She shrieked as the icy water washed over her feet and ankles. Someone screamed, “it doesn’t count unless you go all the way!” Though another swimmer argued with the first speaker, Steve and Darcy trudged further, both determined to finish anything they started. Darcy cursed as a wave slapped into her chest.  Steve echoed her sentiments soon after.  They both ducked their heads under the water and turned back, shivering.  For a few seconds, Darcy gasped and nearly hyperventilated. Involuntary tears ran down her cheeks and she shook from head to toe.  Steve grasped her around the waist, partly to steady her on her feet and partly just to touch her.

People thanked Steve for coming and took last-second pictures as he hurried towards the car, Darcy still shaking against his side.  Charlotte had towels for them both.  As Charlotte held the robe to cover her, Darcy shucked her icy-soaked swimsuit and moaned with pleasure while closing the robe around her chilled body.  She sat on the back seat of the car and peeled off the surf boots and scurried inside.  The heat was on and it felt fantastic. Darcy groaned with relief, pulled on thick socks, and watched Steve change from his swimsuit to sweatpants under his robe. He leapt into the warmed car after her, sighing happily as he pulled on socks and shoes and retied his robe. Charlotte handed him a thermos of hot chocolate and got in the front seat with the driver.  The driver considerately put up the privacy shield to help heat the back seat more quickly for the frozen duo.

When he saw how she still shivered, Steve pulled Darcy onto his lap and wrapped her in his warm embrace. Hugging her felt like the most natural thing in the world, a huge relief after months of thinking her out of his reach. Her teeth chattered, “y… you must have melted lots of Arctic ice. You’re so warm!”

He shook his head and kissed her on the temple.  “That’s terrible. You’re about as smooth as I am when it comes to romance, Darce.”  She laughed until she started coughing.  He held her close and rubbed her back soothingly, his broad hand covering the expanse of her back from side to side in a manner that took her breath away.  “It wasn’t as bad as I feared, ya know.  The Arctic is MUCH colder.”

Darcy rubbed her eyes and glared.  “Sado-masochist! Never again.  I’m the kind of girl to wear a heavy sweater in the desert.  I like it hot. So, I’ve vowed revenge on Tony St...”

Steve found himself distracted as her robe fell open below the knees.  He put a warm hand on her bare leg and pulled it away as she stopped talking, mid-word.  She reached down and pressed his hand back down on her skin.  “Warm.  You. Me. Warmer.”

His grin was sinful. “I’m getting ideas, Darcy.  You ought to be careful teasing a guy.”

She snuggled closer and made a noise in the back of her throat.  “Who says I’m teasing?”  Her pretty eyes gleamed with eagerness.

He kissed her lips, savoring. “Salty.”

She nodded.  “Ocean water. Probably kind of icky, too.”

He chuckled, shook his head, and poured her a hot chocolate.  She sipped it and enjoyed the feel of his calloused fingers rubbing circles on the tender skin at the back of her knee.  It was mesmerizing. When she finished the drink, she relaxed more against him.  She was warm again and felt nearly boneless.  Steve’s fingers played further up her soft thigh and she savored arousal, not even trying to hold back happy noises that inflamed him.  Lust pooled through them both, even as post-adrenaline lassitude set it. She mumbled, “so, you liked me all this time?”  

His fingers skimmed up her side like a trail of electricity, then to her jaw.  He turned her head and began kissing her deeply, slow and soft kisses. He brushed his nose over her cheek. “Yeah.  I like you.”  

She squirmed in his lap, enjoying the way he hissed with want.  “I like you, too, Steve.”  As he kissed languorously down the sensitive skin of her neck, she gasped, “oh, yes. I like you. Oh, yes.  That. More.”  He groaned lustily, trembling as he delighted in her response.

They both saw the Tower coming into view and reluctantly parted to straighten their robes and smooth their hair.  Darcy slipped on boots and then took his hand again.  A glance at him caused her to giggle.  “Your jaw is really tight.  You okay?” He nodded and gave an unconvincing smile.  Her grin softened. “Would you feel better if I invite you to my place for lunch?” She squeezed his hand.  “My plan for the afternoon involves blankets, a warm fire, coffee, popcorn, and movies.  But, you might be able to persuade…”

He swallowed hard as he nodded.  “I don’t want to rush things.  This is more than…”

She shook her head. “Not rushing.  You really need to stop assuming you know what I’m thinking. Your track record…”

He gave her a look of impatience reminding her that he wasn’t the only one to blame, pulled her close, and kissed her hard until she was breathless.

As the car slowed, she pulled away and composed herself.  “You guessed right that time, Steve.”

---

Darcy took her time in the shower, letting the hot water wash away the sand and salt of the Atlantic Ocean.  She leaned against the bathroom counter wearily and savored the heat of her hair dryer. Dressing was easy.  It was comfort time. Soft leggings, fuzzy socks, a long t shirt, and a thick sweater were in order.  She made sure to have pretty lingerie underneath, just in case, and put on enough makeup to bolster her confidence.

Steve arrived on time and with a sweet bouquet in hand.  The moment the door closed behind him, he broke the awkwardness by kissing her silly again.  He had her pressed against the door as their hands began passionate wandering. The delivery guy had to knock three times before Darcy felt presentable enough to answer the door.  She was sure the delivery guy thought her manic, with the wide grin she couldn’t repress. Steve was just as bad.

They were happy.

They devoured good, hot soup and sandwiches and settled down on her couch to watch ‘Sabrina’ (with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn) by the fire.  Darcy had only seen the Harrison Ford version previously, so the original counted on her list.  It seemed that version of ‘Sabrina’ was going to stay on that list of movies she hadn’t yet seen though.

Months of pent-up longing led them from warming cuddles into a heated make-out session.  Darcy discovered, to her considerable delight, that nipping on that spot at the base of Steve’s neck absolutely wrecked him. So, she did it again and again.

Later, they saw a news report about the Coney Island Polar Plunge on TV.   Steve sipped his hot chocolate.  “What a crazy way to raise money for a good cause!”  He laughed as he looked down at a text on his phone.  “Tony says that everyone saw us kissing in the news report, from just before the plunge.  Wanda’s delighted that we’re finally happy and he takes full credit.  He says we should do the Polar Plunge every year.”

Onscreen, one of the revelers collapsed and was taken away by paramedics.  The newscaster reported that person’s full recovery and began discussing the effects of extreme cold on the human body with a doctor.  The wisdom of the activity came into question.  A member of the club argued counter-point, passionate about health benefits of the plunge.

Darcy shivered, remembering. “Tell Tony that he and Pepper are up next.  They look great in bathing suits, too, and we’re never doing that again.  He got what he really wanted.  We figured things out between us.”

Steve kissed her hand. “Agreed.  I’m glad for the charity’s gain, but even happier to be here with you.”  He quickly replied to Tony and laughed at the immediate reply that every other Avenger was cheering for him and Darcy ‘FINALLY getting it on’.

Darcy took the phone from him and set it aside.  “Looking at that report gave me chills.  C’mere and warm me up again.”

Steve pushed Darcy back on the couch and lay over her.  “I thought you’d never ask.”