Frostbite

Seven

We had been driving for over three hours and were close to the coordinates that the flash drive had provided. I had fallen asleep for a better portion of the drive and felt slightly guilty since that stuck Steve with driving the entire time. Though, he insisted that he didn't mind. Apparently, my driving was too frightening for him. Wuss.

"Are you going to tell me about what happened back at the hospital?" he reminded me, glancing over at me seriously. I had been hoping that he would forget. I clicked my tongue and turned in my seat to face him, putting my phone back in my pocket. I ignored the four missed calls from Tony.

"Really? We're in the middle of being fugitives and all this other stuff, but that's what you wanna talk about?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Melanie-" he groaned, titling his head back in frustration. I threw my arms up in defeat.

"Okay, okay! Don't have a heart attack old man," I howled as I folded my arms across my chest. I hesitated, and he threw me a pointed look.

"We were arguing," I stated simply, hoping he would leave it at that.

"About what?"

"Rumlow's a complete ass Steve. We could probably fight over anything."

"Uh-uh. You were pissed," he argued, shaking his head.

"He tries to antagonize me, Steve. He gets off on it. Sometimes... it works and gets me going," I shrugged, wanting to discuss anything else.

"Why you, though? I don't get it," he admitted, glancing over at me. I hunched lower in my seat and cracked my knuckles.

"We used to date," I blurted in shame. I peered over at his shocked expression and groaned internally.

"You and Rumlow? When?" he asked incredulously. I pursed my lips and eyed him warily.

"My first year of college," I admitted. He pondered this, still focusing on the road in front of him.

"Why didn't it work out?" he asked, a hint of a smile surfacing.

"His dad passed away soon after we had been together for a year. Rumlow became bitter. I tried to be there for him, but he kept pushing me away and treated me like trash. I ended it. I couldn't deal with it. He dropped out shortly after and joined the Navy. I didn't hear from him after that. Not until I joined S.H.I.E.L.D that is," I explained, staring out the window. It seemed like ages ago. I was a different person then.

"So, he hates you over a bad break up from years ago?" he summarized, still in disbelief.

"No, I- I think-," I started snickering, "It's more because of what Tony did to him."

"Tony? What did he do?"

"He broke his nose and gave him a black eye," I laughed. Steve glanced at me in surprise.

I could still remember it like it had happened yesterday. It had been before he dropped out. Rumlow had come to Tony's house, trying to get me back and of course it just turned into an argument. I told him to leave and had tried to shut the door, but he jammed his foot in it so that I couldn't. Tony had heard the yelling and came to investigate. Tony got into a heated argument with him and ended up hitting him. It was fantastic.

"Tony decked Rumlow? That's something I would have paid to see," he laughed. I shook my head and glanced down at the device that I had yet to return to Natasha. We were only a few miles from our destination. A thought suddenly popped into my head.

"So, since we're being open... Why didn't you tell me about Peggy?" I asked quietly. He sighed.

"I didn't want you to be upset. I didn't want to hurt you," he murmured. The concern was touching but unnecessary. I knew what she was to him, and it had never bothered me.

"It wouldn't have. You can tell me anything, Steve, whether it's painful or not. It's a part of relationships," I shrugged, "You can't protect everyone all of the time."

"Sometimes it's necessary to withhold information," he said, glancing over at me. I shook my head and smiled.

"Sometimes, but when it comes to other people... You can't make that decision for them. They have a right to know."

Steve pulled off the main road and turned onto an uneven dirt one, silent at my last comment. The truck bounced lightly as we made our way down the road, the trees secluding it. The sun was setting, and it would be dark all too quickly. The device lit up as we came upon the coordinates. We had arrived.