Steve tugged on the collar of his new costume, trying to bring it up a little higher. It cut all the way down to his belt, leaving the better part of his chest bare to the cold winter wind. The fabric of the shirt was black and thick, but nothing would help when it left his chest and navel hair visible. Between that and being on top of a sky scraper, he suspected that he icicles were growing where none were meant to be.
"Are you sure I shouldn't wear my uniform?" he asked into his earpiece, holding down the talk button with a finger. The gloves were stiff and new, in addition to being bright yellow. It felt strange working through them. His usual gloves had years of being well-used to soften them up. "It's cold up here. And what if he doesn't recognize me?" [...]
Steve walked in circles, doing his best to keep from freezing. He was up high enough that there weren't even any buildings to cut the chill. If he got lucky, Jan would eventually admit that Iron Man didn't cruise New York rooftops on the off-chance that Steve waited atop one of them, alone and half-naked. Then maybe they could try something more effective. Like a bear trap with a wrench as bait.
So determined was he that it wasn't going to work that Steve dismissed the sound of jetboots as the wind until a pair of dark red boots dropped into view. He jumped back in alarm, reaching for his shield.
"So, is it cold up here, or are you happy to see me?" Iron Man asked.
"I told you so!" Jan announced triumphantly.
"I'm— I'm happy to see you," Steve replied through slightly chattering teeth. By now he was so cold that even blushing was out of the question. "Was looking for you."
"I'm touched that you cared enough to risk
hypothermia."
