Avenger Ships

“We should go skiing!” Tony excitedly blurted out as the Quinjet passed over some snowy mountains. The mission had been particularly rough, and the team had been lightly discussing the idea of going on a vacation together when Tony made his contribution.

“I have a private ski lodge that could easily fit everyone. It’s in a gorgeous location surrounded by trees and extremely close to a lift. It’ll be a good private spot to relax and let loose.” He started rambling in his trance. “JARVIS let the vacation staff know to stock the place with an ungodly amount of food and that we’ll be up within the week.”

The robot beeped in compliance. Natasha had a sparkle in her eye. She missed the natural snowy landscapes from home. Clint was also grinning. He wanted to practice a biathlon. Bruce found skiing the less steep slopes therapeutic and was very much on board to go. Thor was excited to test this new Midguardian sport. Sam was curious to try a large jump with his wings on.

Everyone was too busy daydreaming about their snowy destination that they didn’t notice the sullen gracing Steve and Peter’s faces.

In two days, everyone had packed their warmest clothing and prepared to hit the slopes. They clambered into a private jet and anxiously awaited their trip.

Once they got the lodge, the team practically sprinted inside. They haphazardly claimed their rooms and threw their stuff down before grabbing skis that Tony’s robots had designed to be the perfect size for each of them.

Peter sat down next to Steve on the bench and curiously eyed his boots. He looked at the older man with a helpless look in his eyes.

“I’ve never been skiing before, Mr. Rogers. I don’t know how to do this.”

“Me neither. In the Depression we didn’t exactly have the time to travel off for something like this, let alone the money to afford the gear and shelter. We can figure it out together, alright? And you can call me Steve.”

Peter grinned in relief. If Captain America couldn’t ski either, he’d be fine.

“Don’t bend it. You’ll break it. Here watch me.” Bruce yelled at Thor, who was stomping on the skis, indoors, without his boots on. Peter and Steve watched as the scientists gave detailed instructions on how to wear the boots and how they would be attached - once they got outside and to the snow.

“This footwear makes moving very difficult. Are you sure these are on right?” Steve questioned.

“The boots make everyone walk weird like that.” Natasha supplied “It’ll be much better once we’ve got the skis on.”

Putting the skis on was a whole other ordeal. Thor must’ve slipped ten times. Getting on and off the ski lift also proved challenging. Peter’s skis got twisted and he fell right into Steve, knocking him on his butt. It took a bit of help to get both of them up. Peter apologized profusely, but Steve insisted that he didn’t mind and admitted the lift had been pretty tricky.

Natasha and Tony announced that they were heading straight to the top. Sam and Thor, against everyone’s advice, decided to join them. Clint disappeared into the forest almost immediately. That left Bruce, Peter, and Steve to the green slopes. Steve was grateful that no one was around to tease him when he would inevitably fall. He felt like a baby deer.

As the day progressed, Steve and Peter got better and better. Peter picked up on it fairly quickly because of his superb balance. Bruce’s tips were helpful as well. Tony checked in every once and a while and attempted to pressure them into joining ‘the adults’ but was unsuccessful.

Eventually, they made it back to the lodge. They ate dinner all together and then hung out in a gigantic jacuzzi drinking hot cocoa to warm all the way up. Sam told stories about jumping with the wings and Tony made jokes about Thor’s terrible skills. Clint mentioned that the forest was beautiful that day and Peter enthusiastically shared how much he’d learned. It was peaceful and relaxing. They all deserved it.

That is, it was peaceful until Thor broke out the Asgardian mead and accidentally shorted the fuse box. Tony, being the genius he was, was able to restore power to pretty much everything, but the heater was shot. It was unfortunate, but Tony revealed that he had enough high powered space heaters to keep everyone warm.

Most of the individuals were skeptical at first, but when they plugged them in, they realized each bedroom would easily be toasty by bedtime. The common room would still be chilly. Tony pulled out an insane amount of luxury blankets and offered them to each member of his team.

After that fiasco, everyone decided to retreat to their own rooms and sleep off the tiredness they all felt.

Around midnight, Peter was still lying in his bed, curled in the fetal position and shaking like there was no tomorrow. His teeth were chattering. He already had the space heater way closer to him than was safely recommended and he was covered in several layers of blankets. “Damn spiders and their inability to thermoregulate.” Peter cursed as he pulled off the blankets and felt the cold air reach him. He was determined to get another layer from the living room. When he snuck to the middle, he saw Steve already there and reaching for the last blanket. Steve quickly turned to see who was behind him and saw Peter intently staring at the blanket in his hands.

“Hi,” Steve whispered, “Did you need this?”

“No, no, no, I’m fine. I already have a lot in my room.”

“I’m not that cold - you know super serum and all.” Steve recognized that Peter was trembling. Clearly, he needed the blanket more. In fact, Steve was definitely physically warm enough to make it through the night. If it was anyone else, they’d be asleep.

It was just every bit of cold air made him remember all the other times he was cold. He vividly remembered hacking up a lung near Christmas and feeling like he might freeze. He remembers his frostbitten fingers because he had tried to find wood since they couldn’t afford coal. He remembers crashing into the icy waters with the plane. He remembers being thawed and feeling the extreme cold in his bones. Yep, Peter definitely needed this more.

He stretched his arm to offer Peter the blanket. “You look cold.”

Peter noticed the panicked look in Steve’s eyes and the way he was actively trying to repress his trembling. The blanket probably wouldn’t even help Peter anyway. He should just let Steve keep it. He shook his head and tried to smile, but his teeth ended up violently chattering, causing Steve to rush over.

“Your lips! They’re blue.” He exclaimed. “Is your heater not working? How many blankets do you have? I have some extra in my room that I could do without.”

“I’m fine. Spiders can’t regulate their temperature, and ever since the bite, neither can I. One blanket honestly won’t make that much of a difference.”

Steve automatically held out his arms and Peter gave him a hug. He sighed in relief when he felt the warmth of the super solider’s heating system. “Um, I don’t mean to...During the war, we would huddle together in the trenches to warm up. Do you want to...”

“I want to sleep with you.” Peter blurted out. Then, with a slight blush, he added, “for warmth.”

Steve smiled and went over to Peter’s room to grab the heater and all the blankets. “Might as well have twice as many.” He explained.

Having Peter in his arms kept away all thoughts of the overwhelming cold. Being with Steve kept Peter nice and warm. He was drifting off within seconds. Both men woke up refreshed.

They managed to sneak out without anyone noticing. Steve dressed quickly, a product of years of military training, and made it to the common area. It was an unusual sight to see the rest of the team up so early. They were raring to go. Sam already made food and Clint was in his boots. “Going to try the big hill?” Tony questioned him. Steve shook his head, “Maybe some other time.”

They were practically out the door by the time Peter came out. There were several jokes about being in his twenties and sleeping in too much, but they ended soon as everyone but Steve left. Peter and him took their time to eat and then went to hit the slopes.

“Do you think you could sled on your shield?” Peter called out whilst going down the slope backwards.

“Probably,” Steve admitted, “It’s in my room if you want to test it.” He was always prepared for an attack.

Peter ran into the lodge and emerged with the shield in hand. Steve undid his own skis. In a few hours, Bruce and Natasha would find them, covered in snow and laughing hysterically as they made increasingly bigger jumps. At least they didn’t have to worry about breaking the ‘sled’ and their bodies would heal from any bruises in no time. The four of them were still going at it when everyone else came down for dinner. Again, they were like family as they ate and chatted. They even made s’mores in the fireplace.

This night, Peter automatically went to Steve’s room. “This is okay right?” He asked hesitantly. Steve gave a welcoming smile and patted the bed. It wasn’t quite time to sleep, but everyone else had retired to their bedrooms to read or watch TV on their tablets.

“Why were you getting a blanket? It seems like you're always so warm.” Peter was curious. He heard Steve’s breath hitch and immediately backpedaled. “You don’t have to answer that. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“No it’s alright. It’s just...” Steve explained his relationship with being cold. He’d long discovered that actively repressing his fears and feelings from others wasn’t good for him. Granted, he usually still did it, but he didn’t want to portray that image to Peter, who was fairly knew to the superhero business. He wanted Peter to feel okay talking about his feelings.

Peter listened attentively. He assured Steve that it totally made sense and thanked him again for sharing his bed. Steve went off to take a shower and Peter just relaxed on the bed with his earbuds in. He had both heaters directed at him as well as two blankets.

“Hey, Steve, I wanted to talk to you about-“ Tony had come into Steve’s room, without knocking as usual, to ask him if he was really enjoying his time here. Steve seemed hesitant about skiing already and he wasn’t exactly as enthusiastic as everyone else. He was also going to apologize about the teasing because he may have had a slight crush on his childhood hero and couldn’t bear the thought of Steve being mad at him.
“-Sorry Peter, I thought this was Steve’s-“

“-Hey Tony!” Steve greeted him as he came back from the bathroom.

“Who’s room is this?” Tony actively tried not to ogle the super solider clad in only a towel.

“Mine” Steve informed him. “Were you looking for someone else?”

“No...Don’t I have enough rooms for everyone?” Tony questioned “I could’ve sworn there was the exact number for everyone to get their own. I didn’t even hear people talking about doubling up.”

“We didn’t have to double up Mr. Stark. It just happened. I can leave if you need to talk in private.”

Why were they sleeping in the same room? In the same bed? Tony was so deep in thought that he almost didn’t notice Peter shifting on the bed.

“Well, I’m just going to assume you want that privacy. I’ll be in my room for the next hour watching Netflix if you need me.” Peter exited through the doorway, warily staring at Tony, who hadn’t spoken as much as normal.

“Um,” Tony tore his eyes from the bed where Peter was sitting, but avoided Steve’s face because he was sure he’d say or do something stupid. “I just wanted to see how you were liking the trip?”

“I’ve been having fun!” Steve answered enthusiastically.

“So you and Peter have been rooming together?”

“Yep, last night we decided that-“ Steve blushed because he usually wasn’t very vocal about his PTSD.

“-It’s okay. I’m actually pretty tired. Skiing really takes it out of you. I’m going to go to sleep. Goodnight.”

Before Steve could even process it, Tony was gone. He felt a little awkward. Making conversation with Tony never seemed this forced or awkward. In fact, he may have had a giant little crush on the man who helped him adjust to the modern world. It wasn’t crazy for Tony to be exhausted though so Steve tried not to think too much about it. Eventually, Peter came back and the boys snuggled up for a good nights sleep.

Tony, in the other hand, couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about what was going on a few doors down. He’d never really considered it before, but all things considered, they weren’t really that different age-wise. Peter was in his early twenties and, if you didn’t count the ice, Steve was in his late twenties. It was only a six year difference. They were both seemingly innocent people - didn’t swear, blushed at Tony’s inappropriate jokes...

Tony’s mind drifted to images of Steve’s pink cheeks. He purposely made more jokes around the man because of that adorable expression. It was one of many faces that Tony couldn’t get enough of - Steve laughing at his favorite sitcom, Steve intensely staring at his unfinished artwork, Steve giving the puppy dog eyes to try and convince the team to participate in an activity, Steve scolding Clint for reckless behavior, Steve fussing over Tony’s small injuries, basically any expression Steve made.

He was shocked out of his tangent when his mind snapped back to the original topic. Steve was with Peter. Apparently, Tony had misread the signs. Steve’s ‘flirting’ was just him being friendly. He shouldn’t of read too much into it. For Christ’s sake, he was eleven years older and nowhere near as muscular as the enchanted superhero. Tony sighed and rolled over. It was going to be a long night.

The next day, Steve and Peter were ready to join everyone else on the black diamond route on the top of the mountain. They were still more cautious than the rest of the crowd - trying to determine the layout of the twisty trail.

“Steve and I will go down slow this time so feel free to speed ahead,” Peter called out cheerfully.

Steve? Of course it wouldn’t be Mr. Rogers anymore. Tony winced while Natasha and Sam raced down the slopes.

His brooding was interrupted by a whistle echoing off the snowy mountain peaks accompanied by a large object whizzing right toward them.

A fucking alien. Clearly, the universe never wanted any of the Avengers to ever relax so they spent most of their vacation day fighting off slimy creatures from another realm. To make matters worse, a blizzard started up near the tail end. Steve, Peter, and Tony were forced to spend the night in a cabin near the top of the mountain while the others, who had fought near the bottom, successfully found their cabin. At least the cell service worked so they were able to contact each other and Fury about the situation.

Tony was muttering a string of curses as he entered the dingy old place. It clearly wasn't made to be lived in as there was only one room with a couch and a pantry of canned goods. There was an extensive first aid kit and a large basket full of warm emergency blankets. The men hypothesized that it was a backup in case patrol workers got stuck on top of the mountain.

“How’re you holding up?” Steve asked Peter.

“I’m fine.” Peter said, but Tony could tell by Steve’s face he was concerned. He watched as the larger man sat down on the couch with a couple blankets and patted down the seat next to him, looking expectantly at Peter. Peter obediently sat down and curled up to Steve under the blanket. He was nodding off almost immediately.

Tony felt sick. It must’ve shown on his face because Steve looked at him oddly.

“Are you going to join us?” His voice was unusually timid. Tony shook his head aggressively.

Steve breathed out loudly through his nose. “Tony, it’s cold in here. Come over to the couch and at least warm up. I know you’re upset about me sleeping with Peter, but he isn’t fifteen anymore so I don’t know why you think it’s so weird.”

Tony hardly whispered back, “Why I think it’s weird? It is weird. You’ve known Peter since he was in high school. Were you pining after him this whole time? He just graduated college for God’s sake. You’re in a relationship with...” His rant tapered off when he saw the confusion in Steve’s eyes. Then he had the audacity to start laughing which woke Peter up.

“Sorry, I’ll stop,” Steve gasped between giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Peter smiled upwards.

“Tony thinks we’re dating.”

“What? Why? I’m still dating MJ.”

“So you’re not even dating? Is this a fuck-buddies thing? Does MJ know?”

“Tony, what the hell? Don’t say that in front of him?”

“Hey, I’m an adult! And no way.” Peter exclaimed.

“Why were you guys sharing a bed then?”

Peter and Steve glanced at each other. They were both unwilling to give away the other’s secret.

“Spiders can’t thermoregulate.” Peter blurted out.

“And?”

“I get cold really fast and it’s difficult to get warm again. Steve is like a giant furnace.”

“Thanks.” Steve muttered a bit sarcastically.

“Why’d you start calling him Steve?”

“He asked me too.”

“And always staying together while skiing?”

“We both aren’t great at it Tony. It’s nice to learn together.”

“Why Steve?”

“Um, well I thought the super serum would make him run extra warm so I asked him.” Peter fidgeted and his eyes darted around. Tony frowned, recognizing the lying face.

“Thank you Peter, but it’s fine. I just really don’t like the cold. It reminds me of when I was in the ice.” Steve shuddered.

“Is that why you were so apprehensive about skiing?”

“That and the fact that I’d never been before.”

“I’m an idiot. I should’ve known that you wouldn’t like the cold.” Tony felt like facepalming.

“It’s alright. The invitation still stands if you want to join us. Don’t feel obligated or anything though,” Steve continued as Tony sat down next to him, “Would you really be that upset if Peter and I were dating? I mean, I didn’t really get to know him until you and I made up. By then he was what, nineteen?”

“I was just...” Tony decided that he had already made a fool of himself today and been inconsiderate of one of his best friends so he might as well continue to bare his soul, “...a little bit jealous. I like you Steve.”

Steve grinned and kissed Tony, who froze. “I like you too.”

“Save it until we’re somewhere where I have my own room.” Peter grumbled, but he clearly looked happy for the pair.

Tony decided their next vacation would be somewhere warm. And it would be private - just him and Steve.