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

[mucked]

I suspect his sense of self-preservation might have at long last kicked in -- he likely doesn't want to be shot at. Again.

[ a sniff. peggy pushes back her chair and grabs her empty cup. ] Tea, Natasha?

[ don't make her make coffee :c ]

[outstandingbalance]

He doesn't shut up about the first time. [Said in a tone that implies men are such babies.] You'd think you actually hit him the way he goes on.

[Natasha shrugs. She'll take it. She'd rather have coffee, but she's also not a bad guest.]

Black, if you have it.

[mucked]

Good Lord. He's actually talked about it?

[ a look of mild surprise. she can't fathom whether it's a comfort or a curse to hear her poor temper is a topic of conversation. either way, she's quick to toggle the button on the electric kettle. ]

[outstandingbalance]

It may have come up.

[Natasha snorts.]

He says it with respect. I think he likes a girl who shoots at him when he's out of line.

[mucked]

-- Well. His discretion certainly leaves something to be desired. [ a puff of her cheeks. once again, things in the room begin to feel a little weightier. ] Doubtless he made me sound like some sort of harridan or harpy.

[outstandingbalance]

Only if you think Steve's the type to be smitten with a harpy.

[Really Peggy, give yourself some credit.]

Besides, in our line of work, what's a few bullets? Barnes has successfully shot me twice, but you don't see me holding that against him.

[Not that it's the same situation at all, but if Natasha is lucky it will still lighten the mood.

Unfortunately literally.]

[mucked]

And yet I rather doubt he fired those shots under similar circumstances. [ the teacups are heavier than usual, but not impossible to handle. peggy chooses the utilitarian and standard issue mugs -- leaving the gentler, painted cups where they sit. she doesn't want to risk them under these circumstances. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Maybe.

[Natasha watches Peggy move curiously, very much aware of the gravity changes.]

Does that matter?

[mucked]

Context always matters, my dear. [ as responses go, it's a little pat. a little too clean -- but then she doesn't much hide her twin desire to first uncover natasha's context while dodging her own. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha raises one brow at the endearing. It would be easy to find that condescending. Natasha resists the urge.]

I'll rephrase my argument. Do you think the context makes Steve any less likely to respect your nerve?

Or your aim.

[mucked]

My nerve? [ a short bark of laughter. ] Absolutely. It wasn't either of our finest hours.

[ because peggy has a temper and steve has a foot that so easily fits into his mouth.

she pauses. ] But my aim was perfect. All shield, no man.

[outstandingbalance]

[All right, Peggy, Natasha won't compliment you too much more. If you insist on shifting the subject, so be it.]

Oh, I've seen your aim.

[mucked]

Exactly. So God knows why he was so indignant about the whole thing -- there was no risk of me actually hitting him.

[ she conveniently doesn't mention the part where the shield was still just a prototype. ]

[outstandingbalance]

I don't think he's indignant about it. I'm not sure Steve knows how to stay indignant that long.

[mucked]

-- Oh, there was indignation. He and Howard shared a moment.

[ she knows it's long since cooled. but! at the time... ] It seems like such an asinine argument, now.

[outstandingbalance]

Not something you can both laugh about now?

[mucked]

-- More like something we don't see fit to talk about. [ nevermind laughing. ] It's become unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

[outstandingbalance]

That sounds more like it. [An encouraging smile.] Maybe there's hope for my dreams of talking about Steve behind his back after all.

[mucked]

Here's a hint for you: try talking to him about fondue. You won't be disappointed. Someone ought to get a laugh out of it.

[ because why not. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Now you have me curious, considering neither of you were around for the 70s.

[Missed the fondue parties. And the swingers parties. Unrelated, probably.]

[mucked]

Why? [ she delays an explanation only because this here is a point of trivia. ] Does it gain some popular ground by then?

[outstandingbalance]

Something like that. Let's say it had a moment.

[mucked]

Shame Steve missed it, then. [ a shake of her head. ] I'm still not convinced he actually knows what 'fondue' is -- not really.

[outstandingbalance]

I have to believe he's googled it by now.

[mucked]

Oh, I hope not. [ a sigh and a chilly laugh. ] That would almost be sad -- if it's twenty-bloody-sixteen and he's still worried it's some sort of code.