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Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 1560

Give Me Your Warmth (Give Me All Of You)

Well. This sucked.

Tony glared at the mountain of snow covering the only exit of the cave. That was just fucking perfect. What the hell was he supposed to do with that. He didn't even have the bracelets on so it wasn't like he could beam his way out either.

"Tony?" Tony barely held in his groan as Captain America sat up, rubbing his head. "What the hell happened?"

"Avalanche," Tony muttered, tentatively pushing at the well packed snow. "And there's no way are we pushing our way out of here."

Steve pushed himself up to his feet, putting a hand on the wall of the cave to steady himself when he stumbled slightly.

"Let me try," he offered, to which Tony sharply shook his head.

"Brute strength isn't going to get us out of this one, Spangles. We're going to have to wait it out."

Tony's chest was tightening at just the thought. It was like his lungs had suddenly decided that expanding was a terrible idea. He swallowed hard against the quickly rising anxiety.

"I can at least try," Steve said, stepping closer.

"If you push too hard on the wrong spot, it'll cave in even further," Tony replied, shaking his head. "Seriously, don't touch the snow. We shouldn't be here too long."

"Oh?" Steve asked, frowning.

Tony pulled a necklace from beneath his shirt. "Pep is tracking me. Rhodey is tracking me. They'll send out a rescue team soon."

"That's…" Steve trailed off. "Why do you need that?"

Tony snorted. "You have no idea how often I get kidnapped, do you?" he shook his head. "It just makes sense for Pep to be able to keep an eye out when I have to go anywhere that could be a bit not good."

"So we just have to wait?"

"Yep."

Steve shook his head, determined that he could do better than waiting. "I'm not waiting if there's a way I can get us out of this."

He leant forwards despite Tony's loud disapproval and pushed on the packed snow. For a moment, if felt like he was getting somewhere, until a crack appeared up the whole snow wall and the snow fell.

Steve threw himself out of the way as the snow tumbled in the cave, forcing him back towards the wall. When the snow stilled, it was darker in the cave and Steve couldn't hear Tony.

"Tony? Tony!"

"M'here," Tony mumbled, a little bit across the back wall of the cave. Steve felt his way towards him, wincing when Tony switched a torch on and pointed it across the cave. In the light, he could see just how bad Tony was looking and he frowned.

"Are you okay?"

Tony shook his head, pressing a hand to his chest. He appeared to be struggling to breathe, and Steve understood a moment too late that he was having a panic attack.

He crouched down in front of him, unsure of the best way to approach him. Gently, he picked up Tony's hand and pressed it to his own chest, right against his heart. "Feel that, Tony?" he murmured. "Can you match your breathing to mine?"

Tony shook his head, gasping now as he got more and more worked up.

"We're okay, Tony, we're going to be fine," Steve whispered into the dark. "Breathe with me, sweetheart, come on, it's okay, we're going to be okay. Pepper and Rhodes will be here to get us out of here in no time, you said so yourself."

He kept up a stream of comforting words and promises until finally, Tony was breathing normally, only stuttering occasionally on a sob.

"I don't… caves aren't my favourite," Tony admitted, leaning back against the uneven wall. "Since Afghanistan…"

Steve nodded, twisting himself so he could sit down beside Tony with his back to the wall. "I get it. I don't like the cold, so this isn't perfect for either of us. I'm sorry, Tony. I should have listened to you."

Tony nodded, resisting the urge to say 'I told you so'.

He pulled his charcoal suit jacket closer around him. He was going to start wearing his undersuit constantly. At least that way, when shit like this happened, he wouldn't immediately be at risk of hypothermia.

It was already frigid in the cave, and no matter the way the snow was blocking them from the elements in a strange twist of fate, it was still going to get colder as it got later.

"We need to think about hydration," he offered up instead. "There's a couple of bottles of water in my briefcase I think, but that isn't going to last all that long."

"It'll last long enough for them to get us out of here," Steve murmured, rubbing his hands up his arms in an attempt to create friction in attempt to stay warm. Tony shifted closer to him.

"I know I'm the last person you're going to want to cuddle with, but body heat is important," Tony whispered, leaning lightly against Steve.

Surprisingly, Steve wrapped an arm around his shoulders immediately, pulling him closer into his side. "I don't know why you think I don't like you, Tony, but you're wrong."

"I didn't say you don't like me," Tony muttered. "Just that you probably don't want to cuddle with me."

Steve snorted. "Well, I could do with a hug, and you look like you need one too, so we're a perfect match at the moment."

They sat in silence for a while, and Tony took to counting seconds to keep his mind at least a tiny bit occupied. He could feel his anxiety trying to rise and he pushed closer to Steve, pressing his ear against his chest in an attempt to hear his heartbeat.

Eventually, he felt a pulse against his neck.

"They're close by," he murmured to Steve.

Steve jerked, and Tony couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly at the thought that Steve was comfortable enough with him in this kind of situation to fall asleep.

"How do you know?"

"The necklace," Tony replied. "I won't go into the tech of it, but it pulses as it's… brother's get closer."

"Pepper and Rhodey have it's brothers?"

"Yeah. So one of them is almost here."

"Thank god for that," Steve whispered, nuzzling his face against Tony's hair. "What are we doing about the mission?"

"Call it a wash and come back another day with more appropriate gear?" Tony offered. He knew that if Steve wanted to continue, Tony would go with him because the idea of it happening again with Steve on his own wasn't even worth contemplating, but he really, really, didn't want to.

"That… sounds like a good plan," Steve agreed, much to Tony's relief.

The cave started to slowly lighten as the snow was moved, and before long, Tony heard Rhodey's welcome voice.

"Tones? Tony?"

"Here, Honeybear," he shouted back, grinning when he heard Rhodey laughing in relief.

"Few more minutes, Tones, we'll get you out of there, okay? Are you and Steve both okay?"

"We're good," Tony assured him.

Tony didn't cry when Rhodey lifted him into a tight hug. He didn't.

...

Tony stumbled into the common room, bleary eyed and heart thumping painfully in his chest. He slumped onto the sofa, pulling blankets over himself as JARVIS turned the television on low.

He stared at the screen, the mindless late night ads helping to ease away the remainder of the nightmare that had woken him.

A few minutes later, he jumped when another body sunk onto the couch beside him.

"Nightmares?" Steve asked, his voice throaty and rough with sleep.

Tony nodded mutely, lifting the edge of the blankets for Steve to take and pull over himself. He shifted closer to Tony so they were both covered with them completely.

"You know what you said earlier?" Steve asked after a long moment of silence.

"Hmm? What?"

"About me not wanting to cuddle with you?"

Tony sighed. "I didn't mean it as a criticism, Steve. There are a lot of people who wouldn't want to cuddle with me, and with good reason. I get it, I promise."

Steve shook his head. "I don't think you do, Tony," he replied. "Because honestly, situation notwithstanding, those were some of my best minutes since I woke up in this time. I've wanted to cuddle you for… the longest time."

Tony blinked. "I think you hit your head harder than you thought. You should… I'll put in a call to medical."

"Tony!" Steve said, chuckling. "I didn't hit my head too hard, and I don't need a doctor. I just… wanted to put it out there that… if you wanted cuddling to be a thing we do, I'm not averse. At all. Not even a little bit."

"I… well. That's… I didn't expect that," Tony admitted, stumbling over his words. "But. I am also not… averse to that."

"Yeah?"

Tony smiled and shuffled over, leaning tentatively into Steve. Steve lifted his arm and let Tony burrow closer, until he was practically lying on the Super Soldier's chest.

"How do you feel about things other than cuddling?" Tony asked quietly.

"I am… entirely enthusiastic about other things," Steve replied, scratching his fingers on Tony's skull. "All of it. I want you, Tony. All of you."

"That's… yes, please," Tony whispered. "I'm yours, Steve."

Written for; Winter Seasonal

Days of the Year - 30. Hugging Day - Someone who really needs a hug.

Winter - Frigid

Colour - Charcoal

Flower - Hydrangea - Necklace

Element - Hydration

Japan - Hand warmers - Someone trying to stay warm.

Slytherin - Determined

365 - 54. Nightmare