Frost

Chapter 72

The Party

"You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the Vendetta incident and the disappearance of an entire warehouse?"

"Pffff, what makes you say that?" Ivy laughed nervously and gritted her teeth as Bucky pressed alcohol to her  stab wound. She grabbed Bucky's arm as she clenched her jaw. He looked up at her with an apologetic smile and began applying a bandage around the wound.

"It's just a big coincidence that all secrets of Vendetta are brought to light, a warehouse disappears without a trace and it takes place near you" Steve replied sarcastically. It hadn't taken him long to call. Ivy, Bucky and Jack had returned by then to Bucky's apartment where Dave had been waiting for them. Ivy wondered why no police officer had pulled them over for riding a bike with three people on it. She had been in the middle, trying not to fall off the bike.

Currently, she was sitting on Bucky's sink, holding her cell phone with one hand. Bucky knelt beside her and bandaged her thigh. It was hard to concentrate on a phone call with Steve when Bucky was kneeling between her legs and was touching her bare legs. It may not have been really helpful that she was sitting there in just her underwear. But that was all she had on under her white suit and she hadn't had time to change either.

"You said it yourself, what a great coincidence." She heard Steve sigh, he wasn't going to get her to admit she had anything to do with it. They both knew it was her doing anyway and that she didn't regret it a bit. Bucky finished patching her up and slowly stood up. He didn't step away from her though and continued to stand between her legs. She felt his one warm finger tracing circles over her knee as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Ivy, I know you asked for some time, but there's a party at Tony's this weekend. Natasha and Sam will be there too. Would be nice if you had time to come too. You can bring Jack, too. I don't think Tony would have a problem with that." Hearing the long pause during which Ivy and Bucky looked each other in the eye and Ivy didn't know what to say, Steve cleared his throat. "Thor's coming too."

"Thor as in god from Asgard, right?" asked Ivy excitedly, and Bucky smiled. She still had an obsession with gods from Asgard, only now those gods were real. "Yes, as in Thor Odinson" Steve clarified. Ivy bit her lower lip and looked at Bucky, conflicted. She didn't want to leave him alone, but she also missed her friends and had a chance to meet a god.

Bucky took her lower lip and pulled it gently from under her teeth before nodding gently in encouragement. He could see how much she wanted to go to New York. It was only a party, after all; she wouldn't be gone long. Ivy shook her head when she saw Bucky's gesture. Even if she wanted to go to this party, Bucky was more important to her. Bucky pinched her thigh in response and she let out a small squeak in surprise.

"Ivy? Are you all right?" asked Steve, who had heard her. "Yeah, I just slipped" she lied and Bucky shook his head with false disappointment. "I'll write you again about this party, okay? I need to think about it" she said and tried to catch Bucky's hand that wanted to tickle her side. "Okay, I hope I see you this weekend then" Steve said as Ivy pressed a kiss to Bucky's knuckles. "We'll see" she said  and put the phone aside.

Bucky and Ivy looked into each other's eyes until Ivy swung her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Bucky carefully placed his hands on her bare waist and returned the embrace. Ivy shuddered as the cold metal made contact with her skin, but at the same time, her body burst into flames. "You should go," Bucky whispered with a heavy heart. Ivy shook her head and only buried her head deeper into his neck.

"I don't want to though" she lied. Bucky knew it and sighed. He gently took her face in his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. "Snowflake, I'll be there when you get back" he promised. He knew her fear. "What if something bad happens?" whispered Ivy. "Bucky, I can't lose you again. I just can't." Her voice trembled a little and she looked at the floor.