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They were on a mission – well at least they were supposed to be. But now in Moscow, being cooped up in a small cabin in the winter time just wasn’t enough for Steve and Natasha.
Natasha was the one who recommended that they go outside – get some air – and Steve obliged without a complaint. He was never one to enjoy winter, and it wasn’t just because he was trapped in ice for 70 years. It was mainly because he had too many memories of cold days out shoveling snow to help pay for food, as a young, skinny kid in Brooklyn, because his mom was too ill to work. He remembered wet feet, and sniffling noses, and Bucky having to take over the shoveling for him every so often because his asthma would get to severe. Memories of looking for firewood out in the dark, and even stealing wood from broken fences, because it was too cold in the small apartment to fall asleep.
Natasha on the other hand showed no sign whatsoever of having any discomfort with winter, and if she did, she surely didn’t show it. He knew that she grew up in Russia, and Russia definitely was no Hawaii, so she was almost forced to be accustomed to the cold.
Steve was in a dark brown wool coat, snow boots, and hat; not needing much protection because of the serum, but still liked to be comfortable, and Natasha was in a long hat the covered her ears, a black winter coat, red scarf, and snow boots that went up to her knees. They were both sitting on the porch of the wooden cabin, watching silently as the snow fell gracefully from the sky, though they weren’t watching for long.
It all started with a single snow ball. One came out of nowhere, hitting Steve in the side, but when he turned quickly and looked at Natasha, she was still sitting on the rocking chair, as if nothing had happened, so he let it go. A few minutes later, a second snow ball hit him in the head, and the snow ran down the back of his neck, getting in his shirt. It didn’t really bother him that much, but when he turned and looked at Natasha – the only person in miles that would be physically able to throw a snowball at him, she just sat still, looking rather peaceful as she smirked to herself. The third time Steve got hit with a snowball, he was ready. As soon as the snow hit him in the chest, he struck back with just as much speed, throwing the ball of snow right at Natasha. Thus their snowball war began.
They both ran out into the front yard, covered in a white wonderland, and started throwing as many snowballs at each other as they could manage. Steve had good reflexes, and had the warmth on his side, but Natasha was quick. He bent down to gather some more snow, and when he looked up she was nowhere in sight. He was about to call out for her, when someone tackled him from behind causing them both to roll down the small snow filled hill.
Steve landed with a thud at the bottom, and Natasha on top of him. Her cheeks were red from the cold, and there was little snowflakes in her red hair. He lifted up his hand to move hair out of her face, when she pelted him with a snowball.
“Never let your guard down, Cap,” she said laughing like a child, as she rolled off of him.
Natasha disappeared, as Steve sat up in the snow, leaning against a nearby tree, looking at the beautiful scenery all around him. On missions he so rarely got to appreciate the places he traveled to, so this was a nice opportunity. He was snapped back to reality by someone humming ‘White Christmas’ behind him. When he looked up, he saw Natasha with a carrot and some other small objects in her hand, as she knelt on the snowy ground.
“What are you doing?” asked Steve, as he made his way over to her.
“I know you’re old, but I also know that you’re not that old to not know what a snow man is,” she said with a grin.
Steve decided not to respond. Instead he sat down beside her, and helped pack snow. They made the head, and then the body, and soon enough the snow started to look like a man. Natasha added the carrot for a nose, and she took off her red scarf, and put it on the snow man. Then she picked up one rock and put it on the head for an eye.
“Aren’t you missing one?” asked Steve.
“Normally I would be, but this snow man’s name is Nick Flurry,” she said in total seriousness.
All Steve could do was laugh.
Eventually Natasha started to shiver, and even her fiery personality couldn’t keep her warm enough, so they went back inside. Steve put some wood in the fire place, and Natasha made some hot chocolate. A few moments later as they both sat there on the plaid couch, drinking their hot chocolate, and staring into the red and yellow embers things almost seemed normal, like they weren’t actually here to stop a terrorist from getting dangerous weapons into the wrong hands. Natasha snuggled closer into his side, as the sky started to get darker, and the fire started to dim down, and everything seemed right, but then her SHIELD issued cell phone started to ring, and Steve was forced back into reality. She left to answer it, and when she came back she told Steve that they would be making their move tomorrow, and all the fun that they had early was almost forgotten by the mission.
The fire finally went out, and that night Natasha slept next to Steve. There was only one bed in the cabin, and normally he would take the couch, but it was just so cold that she insisted that they preserve some heat.
At first it was awkward, but that was mostly him being himself, but as the night went on, and the temperature dropped Natasha told, well kind of ordered Steve to put his arms around her, saying something about not being a super soldier. He did so with little complaint, and he could feel her breathing even out against his chest as she fell asleep. Steve would have been perfectly fine sleeping on the couch, and part of him thinks that Natasha didn’t really need him to keep her warm, more that he needed some company.
It’s hard being alone for seventy years, and while in the ice, Steve felt a part of his heart freeze as well. But as he feel asleep with his arms around Natasha’s smaller frame, and with the sound of her quiet breaths, he felt that part of him finally defrost.
Natasha would wake up the next morning long before Steve, but she didn’t move from his grasp because maybe she needed this as much as he did too.