ship mingle: february is for starstruckers.

[mucked]

Who: Crew of the Starstruck
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Y, aboard the ship
When: All month

[ welcome to february. y'all know the drill. ]

Comments

[uprightness]

Peg.

[ he uses his captain America voice for this one - deep, sure and only slightly flirty. ]

You're very safe in my hands.

[mucked]

[ -- oh be still her heart. that voice shouldn't still have the power to make it flutter, but it does. honestly, it ought to irk her. hearing it from anyone else, she'd be irked. bothered, even.

but steve is steve, even under all of those smooth certain captain america vocals. and it's valentine's day. or their best guess at it, at least. ]

Very safe, hm? Certain you're not overselling yourself?

[uprightness]

Pretty sure, yeah.

[ and he's still smiling when he lowers the shuttle down. it's a rather smooth landing - the shuttles are rather easy when compared to the quinjets. ]

see? very much safe.

[ there is a comfort, however, in knowing that they'll cover the rest of the way on foot. solid earth and fresh air are things that are never taken for granted after a week in space. ]

[mucked]

[ she ducks her head as she steps outside the shuttle -- shouldering one duffel and leaving the second for steve to carry. standing upright in the sunlight, it's evident now that she's armed. knife on one hip. gun on the other.

just in case. ]

Now for the hard part. [ but her smile suggests she's looking forward to the hike. ]

[uprightness]

You mean the fun part.

[ he hurries out after her, taking a second to soak in the sun before making his way to her side. ]

You lead the way, Agent Carter.

[ his fingers come to rest at the small of her back

[mucked]

[ -- playful-like, she swats at his hand. but as swats go, it's borderline affectionate. her fingers linger a moment on his wrist. ]

Save it for the tent, Rogers. [ she smiles. her duffel bag feels lighter on her shoulder. ]

[uprightness]

Save what?

[ he turns his hand, fingers ghosting against hers. ]


You know I've never asked you.

[mucked]

[ she bites back a smile. glancing over her shoulder, she plays the innocent.]

Never asked me what, exactly?

[uprightness]

To be my Valentine.

[ the words are easy and smooth. It would all have been a nervous jumble some months ago. Now, it's mostly a fond, comfortable flirt. ]

It's how it works, right?

[mucked]

[ -- oh, for god's sake. peggy is torn between exasperation and admiration. he truly has come forward by leaps and bounds, and there's something awfully becoming in his easy flirtation. all the more becoming because she recognizes what part she herself has had in cultivating it. ]

I'm amazed you feel you might need to ask. [ she hefts the bag on her shoulder a little higher. ] The answer seems rather obvious.

[uprightness]

Even if it does.

[ and it does, indeed. He takes one step forward; eliminates some of the distance between them. ]

Sometimes you gotta obey the protocol.

[mucked]

Never had much respect for protocol. [ her steps slow, however, until she stops walking altogether. she invites his nearness -- despite her earlier 'warning' about saving it for the tent. ] Nor have you, really. Historically speaking.

[uprightness]

That's right.

[ here is a woman who helped him go behind enemy lines, defying above two dozen rules on the way. No one would associate either of them with maintaining protocol. Quick and easy, he wraps an arm around her waist, covers a bit more distance. ]

But there are exceptions to that.

[mucked]

[ exceptions to exceptions, hm? peggy thinks she ought to feel awkward -- standing here only a handful of yards from the shuttle with luggage on her back and him sneaking his arm around her. it's nothing like that picture of the navy man coming home and sweeping his sweetheart into a kiss. but then again, she'd never ached for that manner of spectacle. not really. ]

So, [ she squares her shoulders and seems to dare him, ] go ahead and ask.

[uprightness]

Peggy.

[ it feels like there's no one for miles but him and her and yet his voice drops, lowers, creating a sense of intimacy that such a request merits. He leans in until their foreheads touch, almost as if he aims to whisper it in her ear. ]

Will you be my Valentine?

[mucked]

[ so bloody sentimental. peggy's mouth pinches into a hard line -- if only to keep herself from grinning. if she doesn't at least try to maintain her cynicism, then she fears they'll both start to float a few inches off the ground. she suspects he's plying her emotions on purpose, hoping to reveal her glitch again.

peg plants the soles of her hiking boots and grabs him (a little too securely) by his forearms. like willing him to stay on the ground. ]

Of course I will, [ she tries to play it off as jaded; exasperated; obvious. ] Not like I've got any better offers queuing up behind you.

[ but there's a glimmer in eye -- an intensity in her stare. she is grateful for this. ]

[uprightness]

[ his huff lasts no longer than a moment and then he sweeps down, presses his lips together, ignoring an earlier warning in favor of stealing a kiss from her. ]

You say the nicest things.

[mucked]

[ -- aha, there's the captain rogers whose insubordination she knows and loves. and for a flicker of a moment, the pair of them do feel...lighter. buoyant, almost, while their lips lock. peggy relishes their kiss for as long as she dares before ending it. worrying they might lose their footing on the soil, she presses a hand against his chest and gently coaxes them apart. ]

And you ask the cleverest questions, [ she answers with equal sarcasm, eager to deflate a bit of her own fine mood. ]

[uprightness]

I know that tone.

[ but the accusation is light. He's becoming rather attached to this glitch of hers. Harmless and the hint of lightness that comes with it is nothing short of sweet. ]

Clever or not ought to be asked.

[mucked]

[ she pauses a moment -- collects her wits once again -- and licks her bottom lip. like chasing the last crumb of sweetness from his kiss. ]

Come, now -- if we keep carrying on like this, we won't make it to the campsite before dark. [ business-like. ]

[uprightness]

Yes ma'am.

[ he looks up at the mountain, the clear sky above it. A smile forms, it's been a while since any of them has seen such sights. ]

There's a trail?

[mucked]

[ once again, he toes the line between back-sass and respect. and, once again, she finds herself smiling with altogether too much ease. peggy retreats another step -- studiously hiding her reluctance to let go of him. ]

There's meant to be. [ she shades her eyes against the mid-day sun and, raising her other hand, points out a narrow desire path running through the underbrush. it leads to somewhere stonier, and then curves into elegant switchbacks as the path climbs. ] Looks like we'll be going single file, soldier.

[ a gentle dig. certainly well-intentioned, and not meant to dredge up too many bad memories. she only wanted to echo him his ma'am. but she didn't want to trot out the captain america name. not now. ]

[uprightness]

Looks like.

[ he agrees, surveying the road in question. It's not a dangerous climb but it's not really a stroll through the woods, either. a rather pleasing balance, that is, a good opportunity to stretch muscles and put them to work somewhere that's not the training room on the Iskaulit. ]

Well, you lead the way.

[ it's not clear if it's the date that does it or the time alone and not on a crowded spaceship - but he's quick to indulge himself one last time before the hike, sweeping down to kiss her cheek. ]

I'm right behind you.

[ easily and comfortably as that. this, apparently, is what today is going to be like. ]

[mucked]

[ those duffel bags do indeed feel a tiny bit lighter. they don't float -- not exactly -- but they feel less and less like they're carrying a full complement of camping supplies. peggy's nose scrunches. belligerent, maybe, but happily so. ]

Had I known you'd take so well to camping, I might have bought a tent weeks ago. [ her voice stays neutral, but there's a spirited bounce in her step when she turns away from him -- cheek still burning from his kiss.

the hike isn't too long. but it takes the better part of the early afternoon -- nothing, really compared to some old army marches or training jogs. peggy resists any suggestion to take breaks. she argues that they can catch their breath when they get to the campsite. ]

[uprightness]

-- I forgot how strict you are.

[ his tone is more appreciative than it is critical, however. as if he quite likes the fact that she turns down his best attempts at making stops to rest. All in all, it's a beautiful way up and a rather decent work out. The air becomes even clearer the higher they go, fresh and cool. ]

You're not going to make me run the home stretch are you?